*
[Time Remaining 35:59:59]
Why is this 36 hours...?
Sora definitely said it would take about a day, didn’t she?
“SoraSora. What is going on?”
As I always did, I tugged on Sora’s ring, and—
[Time Remaining 35:59:26]
—I received no answer.
“Oh, right. Functions suspended...”
The explanation had said that all functions would completely stop during the upgrade.
It had only been two days since I met Sora, but with no answer when I called, I already felt a sense of emptiness.
There had to be a reason why an unplanned 12 hours had suddenly been added, right?
Trying to do something, anything, I picked up the notebook I had set on the floor, and at that moment it hit me.
“It’s because of me.”
After asking about how long the upgrade would take, I had said to go ahead and add this and that.
The extra 12 hours had come about entirely because of me.
I was worried whether the Gallery folks, who had been complaining of separation anxiety, would be able to endure it.
For now, as soon as the Gallery opened again, I felt like I’d have to upload some new item to soothe them.
“First, memo, memo.”
‘Register something in the shop that can keep the Gallery from turning into a separation-anxiety Gallery.’
After writing down what I had to do on the very last page, I opened back to the first page.
I had given it a title because I wanted to start in a way that looked somewhat impressive, but now I wondered if that had been unnecessary.
‘It is certain that all but a very small number of elves have entered hibernation.’
‘Judging from the sundial story, technological development appears to be extremely slow.’
‘ㄴ However, it is a world with mana, so variables arising from that will certainly exist.’
‘The Crown Princess has separation anxiety.’
‘The fixed-nick WorldTreeGuardian’s way of speaking is very cute.’
I organized the information I had gathered from the Gallery before the functions were suspended, one piece at a time.
“There’s way too little information.”
In order to avoid the Dragon’s home visit, I had to do many things.
But there was too little information.
Even though I had pondered hard and diligently organized everything in an attempt to sort out the information—
[Time Remaining 35:52:32]
“Barely 8 minutes...”
Otherworld Idle Gallery (Functions Suspended)
Amazingly, there was nothing more I could do.
After being left unattended for a week, I had gotten one day of rest and then been left unattended again.
Except this time, I had done the abandoning with my own hands.
*
One day later, around 3 p.m.
The old imperial garden of the Krantz Empire.
Everyone in the imperial palace had gathered in the current Crown Princess’s farming laboratory.
“It has already been 3 hours since the announced time for the function expansion to be completed! A great crisis must have befallen the Admin!”
Before Emperor Ethelicus and Empress Seraphina, who were wearing bitter smiles, Eleonora was raising her voice.
Several ministers and maids standing around them also seemed to agree with the Crown Princess’s opinion, their expressions anxious.
“We must use every means at our disposal to locate the Admin immediately! According to previous records, the Admin’s authority is considerable. If he possesses power of that degree, he must be exerting influence on his surroundings. If we can somehow find a place that has recently undergone a sudden change...!”
“But Elean. Did the Admin not recommend that, just in case, we prepare three days’ worth of bread in advance? It is surely within the scope of what he predicted. How about calming down just a little?”
The Empress understood why her daughter, who was always passionate and loved the people, had suddenly become so impatient.
But she was being far too hasty.
That was why she was doing her best to soothe Eleonora.
Only 3 hours had passed beyond the expected end time.
“The Admin is the lifeline of our empire...! The moment this lifeline snaps, we will no longer be able to hold out. Do the two of you not know that!?”
“Hmm...”
There was certainly reason in Eleonora’s words as well.
But the Admin had recommended preparing three days’ worth of food.
And they were going to try to pinpoint his location without even waiting those three days?
If, by some chance, the result turned out to be that no crisis whatsoever had befallen the Admin, then it was certain the Admin would not look kindly upon the empire.
After pondering for a moment, the Emperor made his decision and gave Eleonora an order.
“Crown Princess, hear me.”
“...! Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It is not that I do not understand your heart or your intentions. However, the time the Admin recommended, a maximum of three days, still has a long way to go. And if we attempt to carelessly pinpoint his location? What will you do if we begin taking action only to conclude that no crisis has befallen the Admin at all?”
For a moment, Eleonora was at a loss for words.
Certainly... in her impatience, she had failed to think that far.
How long had it been since her field of view had narrowed this much?
It was the first time since before she came of age, when she heard the news that His Majesty the Grand Emperor, her grandfather, had collapsed.
The Emperor gave his daughter a benevolent smile and continued.
“Elaine. My daughter. It has truly been a long time since I have seen you so impatient. Do you now understand what your mother and your foolish father mean?”
With her head lowered in shame, Eleonora barely managed to answer.
“...Yes. I apologize. I judged far too hastily.”
“Good. As long as you understand. However, your thoughts are not entirely wrong.”
“Yes? By that, do you mean...”
“Three days... In other words, once two more days pass from today, your thoughts will become correct. Of course, it is still too soon. But we should at least make preparations.”
All the people of the imperial household who had gathered, waiting for the Emperor’s command, raised their heads to clearly hear his words.
“All of you. Hear me.”
“““““Yes, Your Majesty.”””””
“Take out every magical tool used for tracking or observation, and prepare them so they can be used immediately two days from now. Also, prepare the imperial conference room. If the Admin has not returned by noon two days from now, then there, all those loyal to the imperial family must mobilize the full extent of their abilities to find him.”
“““““We shall obey your command.”””””
A wise Emperor, and behind him, the Grand Emperor watching him with satisfaction. A benevolent Empress, a passionate Crown Princess, and a Prince watching the entire scene with sparkling eyes.
Before them, loyal subjects knelt with their heads bowed.
For an empire that had endured the Fifty-Year Great Calamity, its pillars were still hard and firm.
Though the background was a field within the imperial palace, and their attire was high-waisted trousers, their majesty was not suppressed.
The Krantz Empire stood proudly again today.
*
At the same time, in Eldrasil, the city of the elves where the World Tree soared.
The fixed-nick WorldTreeGuardian, Taelia Isilva, was spending another boring day.
“I am bored again today, I am. I wish someone would come and talk to me, I do...”
Most of the elves had entered hibernation for the preservation of their race.
And 1,000 elves had taken it upon themselves to serve as guardians in order to protect their kin.
Since they slept under the care of the World Tree, there was almost no danger, and in order to conserve even a little of their remaining resources, only the minimum number of people had been left behind. As a result, the vast forest city was always accompanied by a desolate silence.
“It is quiet, it is. I cannot remember the city when it was bustling, I cannot.”
A mere 20 years.
The old-hand elf, who had seen 436 springs and was four hundred thirty-six years of age, was talking to herself nonstop again today.
Because if she did not do even this, her sense of time would grow faint.
“Without the Gallery, it is even more boring, it is. It was not fun, but it was the best for passing time, it was.”
This problem was not Taelia’s alone.
More than half of the 1,000 guardians were complaining of severe loneliness, and more than half of those had become unable to carry out their duties, so she had forcibly shoved them into their lodgings and made them spend their time there.
Why would they not listen when she, the person in charge, ordered them to rest?
When she told the sick ones to rest, they had even attempted insubordination with force, saying, ‘I cannot abandon my duty! That would be the greatest disgrace to me as a guardian...!’
But she was the strongest among the guardians.
After beating them up appropriately, she threw them into the lodgings.
She was not 436 years old for nothing.
Since she had broken their legs, they would have to recuperate for at least a month.
She had piled them together to relieve their loneliness as well, so she thought that after they were fully healed, they would be able to resume their duties.
“They are foolish, they are. I cannot understand why they pick fights with me, I cannot.”
Taelia’s grumbling continued endlessly.
In truth, it was because she wanted to go into those lodgings herself.
“When the old men of the council said 1,000 was too few, I should have listened to them, I should have...”
If at least 1,500 had remained.
Then they could have rotated properly and worked while feeling less lonely.
“When is the Gallery going to open? The time announced for it to end has long passed, it has...!”
Taelia Isilva, a guardian who had always considered herself calm.
Was it truly something that required only 20 years to break her?
Taelia gradually sank into self-loathing and gloom.
At that moment, someone approached from behind her and spoke.
“Captain Ria, you’re doing that again? I told you, if you put your feet up on the table and hunch over like that, you won’t grow taller.”
“Eek..! I am 436 years old, I am! I am already done growing, I am!”
“Oh, this is all you’re going to grow? Captain, your head barely reaches my chest.”
The elf teasing Taelia with a chuckle—
It was the vice-captain, Velora Antesil.
“Eeeek..! I told you not to tease me about my height, I did! You know I hate being teased for being short the most, so why do you do it every day?!”
Taelia approached, swinging her arms wildly.
It looked ridiculous, but the moment one was hit by that terrifying attack, they were guaranteed to be thrown into the same lodgings as the ones who had attempted insubordination.
Velora pressed down firmly on Taelia’s head with her hand to stop her and apologized.
“Pfft... Oh, come on, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I even brought you a baguette, see? Eat this and calm down, Captain.”
She was plainly being treated like a child.
It was not behavior someone in their three hundreds should show to someone in their four hundreds, but Taelia, whose eyes had already gone to the baguette, did not notice.
“Hehe. Thank you, it is! I will eat it deliciously, I will!”
The captain’s appearance, overflowing with cheerfulness and not at all adult-like.
After confirming that she was the same as usual, Velora felt relieved and continued speaking.
“Captain, you read the notice too, right? The Admin said to buy three days’ worth of bread in advance, just in case.”
“I awweady bwought shome!”
“You bought some? Then why were you getting so angry?”
Taelia gulped down World Tree leaf tea to swallow the bread, then answered.
“Because... I am bored, it is. I cannot remember what the noisy, bustling city looked like, and I am tired of just sitting here like this every day, I am. Um... Are you all right?”
Even while talking about her own hardships, the captain still worried about her subordinate.
At the sight of her, making it hard to tell whether she was a child or an adult, Velora gave a small laugh and answered.
“Of course it’s hard. If this wasn’t hard, wouldn’t that mean we weren’t elves?”
Seeing Taelia droop as if to say, So it is that way after all, Velora continued.
“But when I watch you, Captain, I feel better. It’s so much fun, you know? Our tiny little Captain~”
Taelia, who for a moment failed to understand the meaning of her words, flushed bright red and lunged at Velora.
“Eeeek!! Get out! Get out, I say!”
“Whoa, Captain! Stop, stop! If I get hit by that, I’ll be checked into the lodgings!!”
Even as Velora nimbly dodged the attacks, she smiled in satisfaction inwardly.
Because helping the captain, who was suffering from loneliness, had been the very purpose of her visit today.
And so, time passed for everyone waiting for the Gallery to open.