Chapter 111

Chapter 111
The chosen method for This Zone’s Troll to transfer the Saint and move undetected into a different region without exposing his player status was straightforward: arson. His primary objective with the blaze was complete destruction, wiping the location off the map entirely. Amidst the ensuing panic of the inferno, he intended to position himself as the noble savior who rescued the Saint.

If Argon survives and leaks what I told the players, I am finished.

He was the one who originally pushed Argon into forcing the players away. Should that information reach them, suspicion would be unavoidable, especially since those players clearly had no intention of releasing the Saint. Therefore, to safely hand the Saint over to the Hayden player, every single non-player character at or below Argon’s tier had to be eliminated.

The most crucial detail is that I was the one who rescued the Saint.

Would the Hayden player give the time of day to an ordinary Candy Zone non-player character begging for passage to the Cola Area? He needed to demonstrate enough dedication to snatch the target player they desired and deliver him directly. If the heir to the Cola Area warlords was involved, securing residence for one individual would be effortless.

This Zone’s Troll began by starting a campfire outside the woods to lure the Saint toward him.

“Saint, it appears there is a fire near the edge of the forest. Will you accompany me?”

Seeing the smoke billowing past the tree line and suspecting nothing, the Saint readily agreed to assist, following This Zone’s Troll without hesitation. Rendering the unsuspecting Saint unconscious proved remarkably simple. Hoisting the limp form onto his back, This Zone’s Troll dashed out of the woods and systematically ignited blazes all along the perimeter.

Carrying the Saint while running left him gasping for breath, yet the thought of those non-player characters—who had previously dismissed him without realizing he was a player—screaming as they burned brought a loud laugh to his lips. Once the outer boundary was fully engulfed, This Zone’s Troll stopped to catch his breath.

“Hah… hah…”

Have I ever worked this hard at anything since arriving here?

Indeed, This Zone’s Troll. You can accomplish things when you try! Had you done this sooner, you never would have lost the Saint title to a newcomer.

“Wh-what on earth?!”

Startled, he gazed upward to find an airship hovering directly overhead. The forest fire illuminated the midnight sky with such brilliance that the figurehead on the prow was clearly visible.

A unicorn sculpture? A Unicorn Area airship…?!

Had Argon not claimed the player arriving in the Candy Zone was Commander Hayden’s offspring? Why then was a Unicorn Area vessel present instead of a Cola Area craft? Furthermore, if this belonged to the Unicorn Area, where had the Cola Area players gone?

A tangle of questions filled his mind as a rope dropped from the airship, functioning as an invitation to ascend. This Zone’s Troll nearly dropped the Saint in his panic to reach the rope, but he managed to retain his composure just in time. He secured the Saint tightly first and hoisted him upward.

I must play the part of the non-player character who barely managed to save only the Saint from the flames.

He needed to project extreme selflessness, like a kind-hearted Candy Zone resident. Fortunately, the moment the Saint was pulled aboard, the rope descended once more, allowing This Zone’s Troll to climb up as quickly as possible.

The initial sight greeting him on the deck was the striking young man he had observed earlier that day.

The Cola Area player!

Since the dark-haired, dark-eyed individual was someone else, this youth was likely not the one pursuing the illegitimate-son path. Even so, simply encountering the desired Cola Area player brought This Zone’s Troll a quiet sense of relief.

Yet why is a Cola Area player utilizing a Unicorn Area airship?

The question lingered, though it lacked immediate importance. Two additional figures stood on the deck alongside the handsome youth. One was a young man clad in a Cola Area military uniform whose athletic build inspired involuntary admiration. The other was a platinum-blond man carrying a cunning expression who smirked openly toward him.

The uniformed individual is undoubtedly from the Cola Area… but who is the platinum-blond man?

Lacking a uniform, This Zone’s Troll deduced he might be the Unicorn Area player who owned the airship. Uncertain of whom to approach, he paused briefly.

The handsome youth spoke first.

“Hm?”

He tilted his head, gazing past This Zone’s Troll toward the empty space right above his head. The other two followed his line of sight and mirrored his perplexed expression.

Sensing confusion, This Zone’s Troll froze before realizing that lingering would ruin his opportunity to make an impression. He rushed forward and landed carefully on the deck.

“Saint!”

Feigning concern for injuries, he forced out fabricated tears and poured maximum effort into his performance.

“Saint…! I am so sorry—I lacked the strength—I could only rescue you—hhk—I am truly sorry. Forgive us for fleeing alone—everyone in the village…!”

He clung to the unconscious Saint, weeping loudly for an extended period. Something felt amiss. He sensed no eyes watching him, despite the expectation that they would observe his dramatic display. Wiping moisture from his lashes, he cautiously raised his head.

All three men were staring past him toward the Candy Zone situated behind the airship.

What? Why are they simply standing there watching the zone burn? Are these individuals completely unhinged?

Coming from the arsonist himself, the thought was ironic, yet a shiver still traveled down his spine. Then the handsome youth murmured with total indifference while looking out over the region:

“It is raining quite heavily.”

Without intending to, This Zone’s Troll scrambled upright and looked in the identical direction.

“Wh—what—is this…?”

He thought he heard a cascading sound earlier, and he had not been mistaken. Low, heavy storm clouds stretched across the firmament, hanging so close that touching them seemed possible. The dense black mass sacrificed every drop of moisture, unleashing a torrential downpour upon the Christmas Forest.

While This Zone’s Troll stood frozen in shock, the flames were extinguished instantly. Golden lightning then burst from the heart of the woods, incinerating even the monsters prowling the outer edges. He inhaled sharply and collapsed onto the deck.

Wh-wh-wh-what on earth…?!

He failed to comprehend what he had just witnessed and found it impossible to believe.

Did I misperceive that?

Clinging to a desperate hope, he crawled to the edge and peered over again. No—his senses had not deceived him. The Christmas Forest was reduced to charcoal, yet beyond the burned firs and monster remains, the log cabins of the Candy Zone remained completely untouched.

How can this be possible…?!

According to his design, the entire Candy Zone should have burned to ashes and every non-player character should have perished, leaving no opportunity to prevent it, and the option of escaping alone with the Saint to another sector had vanished entirely.

Whether This Zone’s Troll worried or not, the three men on the airship conferred privately before carrying the Saint indoors to position him comfortably. Because he had acted as though he were invisible, This Zone’s Troll felt certain they believed he was merely another non-player character.

At least that brings relief.

Shortly afterward, the airship drifted over the Candy Zone and touched down upon the ash-laden forest. What are their intentions now? The thought barely formed before Candy Zone residents began flooding aboard.

“Troll!”

One of the non-player characters spotted him and hurried over with a beaming expression of relief.

“We were worried when we could not locate you. So you were here.”

“Wh-what on earth transpired?”

This Zone’s Troll inquired in a daze, receiving an enigmatic response from the Candy Zone resident.

“God has descended.”

This Zone’s Troll could only blink in incomprehension. At that exact moment, every remaining Candy Zone inhabitant climbed onto the airship. Then—

“Hm?”

—he abruptly found himself suspended by the muscular soldier’s grip and unceremoniously tossed off the airship. The moment his feet struck the earth, the vessel surged upward with a thunderous roar. He stared after the shrinking silhouette in confusion, though only briefly. The soldier hurled him toward the meteorite like worthless refuse. This Zone’s Troll tumbled across the terrain with a choked cry until slamming into the meteorite and coming to a halt.

“Ugh…”

A lengthy shadow fell over him as he groaned and attempted to push himself upright. Trembling with an indescribable dread, he looked up—and encountered the gaze of a boy perched arrogantly atop the meteorite, framed by a blazing full moon.

Dark hair. Dark eyes.

The Hayden player he had been tracking.

This Zone’s Troll opened his mouth to declare that he had saved the Saint, but the words failed to materialize. The boy studied him silently for a moment before speaking.

This Zone’s Troll experienced a sinking sensation in his chest.

Does he… already realize I am responsible?

He quickly dismissed the notion internally. This had to be a test, and falling for such a transparent trick was out of the question.

“I—I do not understand your meaning. I merely followed the Saint to inspect the fire outside, after which the flames intensified too rapidly… I could not return to the zone and barely managed to escape alongside the Saint alone…”

Even as he spoke, his voice grew fainter. The fixed gaze directed at him seemed to whisper encouragement to continue.

“I will not drag this out.”

After listening to the excuses for a considerable duration, the boy finally spoke again.

“Player This Zone’s Troll, why did you ignite the Christmas Forest?”

“……!!”

He… he is aware of my name…?!

How the boy discovered his identity—or the fact that he was a player—remained a mystery. Yet if the boy knew from the beginning that he was a player, deducing who started the fire was only logical.

“The individuals within the zone survived thanks to me… but several non-player characters who fled in panic appear to have lost their lives. Were you aware of that?”

Although the boy merely sat on the meteorite asking questions, an overwhelming pressure bore down on every part of This Zone’s Troll, making even opening his mouth agonizing. Terror shook him until the next phrase restored his alertness.

“Do not be so frightened. Tell me. We are both players, after all.”

When he looked up once more, the boy regarded him with an angelic smile.

“Do you imagine I would eliminate a fellow player simply because a few non-player characters perished?”

“Ah… aah…!”

Had he remembered that the youth standing before him had just extinguished a forest fire and rescued an entire zone using unimaginable power, he might have recognized those pleasant words as a trap. However, successive shocks had fractured his judgment, preventing that realization. Convinced that any player naturally viewed non-player characters as expendable—just as he did—he spilled his entire plot without a hint of suspicion.

“M-hm.”

The boy nodded as though understanding completely.

“Thank you.”

“Pardon?”

“Because of you, the Saint is in my possession, and this zone’s meteorite belongs to me as well. So truly—I am grateful.”

“Th-then… y-you are not holding me accountable for the fire…?”

“Indeed. I forgive you.”

“Ah…!”

This Zone’s Troll’s expression began to brighten before the boy proceeded.

“However…”

“Do you believe the Saint will forgive you?”

“What?”

The next instant brought the sound of something cutting through the air, causing him to snap his head around. Filling his field of vision was the tear-streaked, furious visage of the Saint as an axe descended swiftly toward his neck.

Then, darkness consumed the world.