Chapter 28: Festival (1)

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Chapter 28: Festival (1)

The golden contract left Nice’s hand and began to shine in midair.

The contract was sealed.

Nice’s face turned pale.

“Damn it!”

Nice quickly drew his sword to cut the contract, but the light from the contract enveloped the people listed in it even faster.

Flash!

There was a brief flash of light, so bright that I had to close my eyes for a moment.

Then, the flow of the air changed.

As I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw that we were standing before a gigantic fortress.

“Whoa! Wh-what is this?”

“Again?! Ughhh! My precious rest time!”

The employees who had been frozen in place started moving again as we left Nice’s domain.

“Mari~!”

Luci pounced on Mari, who was startled.

“Gah! The same as before…!”

“As expected, the response is good. So soft and squishy.”

Chaos was moments away from erupting.

But before things could escalate further.

Swoosh—

Something sliced through the space, bringing the situation under control with ease.

Crack—

The air split open.

There was no other way to describe it.

“...It’s our mistake, and we’ll compensate you later.”

Nice emerged from the split air.

He let out a low sigh and rubbed his forehead.

“...However, I’ll make sure Luci won’t be able to participate in the event.”

In a way, that was a given.

I glanced at Luci.

She was still pestering Mari.

‘…Even though she looks like that, her very presence rivals that of a powerful third-tier entity.’

If Luci were to join our team, there was a chance the tournament could end one-sidedly.

Nice was probably trying to prevent that from happening.

However, what Nice didn’t know was…

‘The benefits we get just from Luci being with us under our company’s name are already substantial…’

Normally, we couldn’t access the secret shop when Luci was absent.

But now, since she’s always with us, as long as she gives her permission, we could use the secret shop at any time.

‘Her participation is restricted, but they didn’t say we can’t trade…’

If luck was on my side, I could even get buffs from Luci before the tournament.

Of course, nothing was guaranteed.

‘In the end, the key is how well I can win Luci over…’

The downside was that all these methods required Luci’s permission.

During the festival, I would just have to build up her affection gradually.

“And this is the location of the inn where you’ll be staying during the festival.”

The system message was updated after I took the paper Nice handed over.

[Inn - Room 302, Knight's Day. You are now the owner of this room for the duration of the festival.]

“The tournament will take place on the second day at the lake outside the fortress. Once again, welcome to Camelot.”

Nice looked as worn-out as an office worker forced to work overtime at the last minute.

‘…Hang in there.’

I couldn’t help but feel sympathy and silently cheered him on.

“I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. I hope you enjoy the festival.”

With those words, Nice sliced through the air once more.

Before he disappeared, he glanced at Luci one more time and let out a sigh.

For a rule-abiding Executor to break the rules must have been exhausting for him.

Of course, regardless of that…

“It’s been so long since a festival~.”

“Admin, please help me…”

The culprit of all this chaos seemed completely carefree.

Leaving Luci, who was still tormenting the employees with a bright smile, I decided to head into the city first.

[Welcome to Camelot.]

Ba-bam.

A system window popped up along with cheerful music welcoming me.

The scene before me wasn’t much different from what I had seen beyond the mobile screen.

‘No, actually, it’s a little different?’

The difference between pixels and reality was clear, but the core elements were well-represented in the pixelated graphics, so I could easily tell where everything was.

I barely had time to admire the cityscape when—

“…So this is Camelot.”

“Ahhh! Admin, don’t leave us behind!”

The employees followed me into the city.

And then.

[Administrator Zone (Silver)]

Above our heads, along with a silver trophy, the name of our company appeared.

‘Even this is exactly like the game, huh.’

Apparently, this company name was visible to other employees as well.

“Uh, Admin… there’s something weird above our heads…”

“…This place is full of mysteries.”

Looking to my side, I saw Khan and Beryl staring at the company name above us in bewilderment.

Since it wasn’t something I needed to hide, and it was useful information for them to know, I spoke loudly enough for Beryl and Mari to hear.

“This place is not only a festival but also a place for exchanges. Think of it as a substitute for business cards.”

There were also elements to establish a hierarchy to prevent minor fights, but I didn’t bother mentioning that.

In any case, there wouldn’t be any company ranked lower than us [Silver] here.

‘No need to scare them unnecessarily.’

Besides, the festival only lasted three short days, so there was no time to dawdle.

‘I need to get to work right away… Winning Luci’s favor and gathering intel on the companies participating in the tournament.’

Raising Luci’s favorability might be simpler than expected.

‘She did mention it’s been a while since she came to the festival.’

Judging by her current state, she seemed to be seeking fun, almost as if she had been starved of entertainment.

“Aaah~ Finally out of that dreary dimension. Now it actually feels like living. Don’t you think so, Mari?”

“I-I’m not really sure…”

From her playful attitude toward the staff and the curious way she looked around, it was clear.

So, if I used the festival, raising Luci’s favorability might go more smoothly than I thought.

Of course, it wasn’t something that could be rushed.

‘…Is Mari the right person for the job?’

While Luci did joke around with the other staff, she seemed to pick on Mari more frequently.

This suggested that Luci felt more comfortable with Mari.

I called out to Mari, who was currently having her cheek pinched by Luci.

“Mari.”

Hearing her name, Mari quickly shook off Luci and scurried over.

“Administrator, did you call for me?”

Her wide, innocent eyes looked up at me, as if I were her savior… but that gaze wouldn’t last long.

“I’m giving you some free time. Go enjoy the festival with Luci.”

Go enjoy the festival with Luci.

Her expression was a mix of happiness and despair.

“W-What?!”

Mari pointed at herself in disbelief.

“M-Me?”

“Yes.”

Mari froze in place, as if she had just seen Medusa.

Before long, Luci, who had come closer without me noticing, burst into laughter, slapping me on the back.

“Pfft! I like you more than I thought! Alright, Mari! Your Administrator gave the green light. Let’s go have some fun. Oh, and don’t worry about points while we’re out. I’ll cover everything.”

Luci grabbed Mari and whisked her away.

Mari looked back at me, teary-eyed, as if betrayed, while being dragged along.

“Administrator, you traitor!”

I waved them off as they disappeared into the distance.

With that, the urgent matter of raising Luci’s favorability was somewhat taken care of.

And…

‘I’d be worried about sending a mere 7th-rank Mari off alone, but…’

Luci was practically glued to Mari right now.

Even if a company as strong as Diamond appeared, they wouldn’t dare mess with Luci.

“Good. I sent the escort and the favorability target together, so that’s one less thing to worry about. Let’s get going too.”

After sending off Mari and Luci, I gathered Khan and Beryl and naturally set off.

The inn’s location was marked on the map, but I didn’t need to look.

I already knew where it was, so there were no issues finding it.

How long had we walked?

[Day of the Knight]

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We arrived at the inn that Nice had mentioned.

From outside, I could hear the noise from inside.

“It’s rather rowdy, isn’t it?”

Khan pointed out how busy it was, unusual for an inn.

I immediately explained.

“That’s because the inn’s first floor doubles as a tavern.”

“…I see.”

Unlike Khan, Beryl, who was a former mercenary, seemed to get the feeling right away, his expression tense.

Without hesitation, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Creak.

The noisy atmosphere inside fell silent for a moment.

All eyes turned toward us.

Then, people began to whisper among themselves as they watched.

‘As expected, we’re drawing attention.’

A quick glance around told me everything I needed to know about the crowd’s affiliations.

[Administrator Zone (Silver)]

[Magleus (Platinum)]

[Peach Creek (Emerald)]

[Duplicate Name (Diamond)]

[Dan Medicine Association (Platinum)]

[Madari (Diamond)]

Participation in the festival started at Gold.

No matter how exceptional a top-tier Gold company might be, in a festival filled with Platinums and Diamonds, they had to bow their heads.

But then, out of nowhere, a [Silver] company appeared.

‘We must seem pretty unusual.’

Looking more closely, it was mostly the companies ranked Emerald and below that were openly gossiping.

The Diamond-rank companies, however, seemed to grasp why we were here and quietly observed.

‘There’s no benefit in causing trouble.’

That quick glance told me a lot.

‘It seems like this martial arts tournament is quite large.’

If there were no Gold companies present at a festival that allowed Gold participation, it meant…

‘This martial arts tournament won’t be easy.’

I had gathered all the information I needed.

We started to move, aiming to leave as quickly as possible.

Then suddenly…

“Is that you, Seongjin?”

I turned at the familiar voice.

“Ah, I had a feeling it was you! It’s nice to see you again here.”

[Yeondan Society (Platinum)]

There stood Mino with other members of Yeondan.

* * *

“Ugh… I’ve never met anyone with more energy than me before.”

Mari hugged a stuffed toy, her face showing exhaustion.

Luci, meanwhile, continued to tease Mari while enjoying the festival.

“Still, isn’t this better than being stuck at the company all the time?”

Fighting to protect the world by isolating creatures.

Luci’s words rang true—believing in that simple truth and fighting day after day was more exhausting than expected.

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Once the festival is over, you’ll be trapped in the company again. So, Mari, you should enjoy yourself too.”

Despite the hardships, Mari was able to endure because everyone around her, whether co-workers or supervisors, seemed to be good people.

That kept her going.

On top of that, she felt grateful to Luci, who was taking her around and showing her the festival.

“Shall we try to win that stuffed bear next?”

Luci pointed at a stall with a sign that read [Hit the Target!].

“Doesn’t that look fun?”

Before Mari could respond, she was being pulled along by Luci toward the stall.

“One round,”

Luci said.

The stall owner glanced at Luci and Mari as they approached, then snorted, noticing the [Silver] badge above their heads.

“Tsk. 3,000 points.”

Anyone could tell that 3,000 points for one round was a rip-off, but…

“Here,”

Luci handed over the points without hesitation.

“I’m not very good at these games, so why don’t you give it a try, Mari?”

She handed Mari the bow she had just received from the stall owner.

“Huh? M-me? Is it okay if I do it?”

“Of course. I think you’ll be good at it.”

The bow Luci pointed out clearly seemed to be rigged by the owner, but Mari, lacking much worldly experience, didn’t notice.

“I’ll give it a try.”

Mari strung an arrow and began to focus.

While they couldn’t use their skills here, her natural reflexes were still sharp.

“Phew…”

Mari concentrated hard, determined not to waste the 3,000 points Luci had spent.

She drew the bowstring.

Whoosh—

Around that time, Luci’s shadow subtly moved without anyone noticing.

Click—

The shadow quietly unlocked the mechanism holding the prize in place.

Thwip.

The arrow flew swiftly, barely grazing the string holding the prize, and the target naturally dropped to the ground.

“What?!”

The stall owner, shocked, began inspecting the bow.

“This… This shouldn’t have fallen…”

“What are you doing? You should give it to her since she won,”

Luci said, smiling sweetly as she held out her hand toward the flustered owner.

“...Or are you running a scam where the prize can’t fall no matter what?”

“Grrr... Damn it!”

Grumbling, the owner reluctantly handed Mari the high-quality bow that had been on display.

Unaware that Luci had helped her, Mari beamed as she accepted the bow.

“I-I actually won it!”

“You’re that happy?”

“Yes!”

Mari, clutching the faintly glowing bow, was overjoyed, and Luci, satisfied, watched her warmly as they left the stall together.

Once they were a bit farther away…

“Hey! They took the Bow of Verdure? Are you just going to let them walk away?”

The stall owner grumbled, calling over a group of burly men who had been sitting in the corner.

“Get it back. They’re just [Silver] employees from the company, so you guys should be able to handle them, right?”

The two hulking figures stood up at his words and began gathering their gear.

“Haha! Don’t worry, boss. We’re employees of [Magleus], rank 6,”

One of them laughed.

“They probably don’t even know who they’ve messed with. Heh.”

Above their heads, their affiliation floated in view: [Magleus (Platinum)].

The bald giant swung his massive axe as they headed out the door.

“The Bow of Verdure belongs to our company. Can’t just let them walk off with it like that. Let’s go teach them the consequences of messing with our stuff.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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