Explorer's Guild headquarters. The café inside the white marble building had grown far noisier than the last time I'd been here.
Having finally been released from all the questioning, I was sitting at one of the tables, yawning lazily.
The last time I'd come here felt like it had been ages ago. I'd only been in Code for about a month, but it felt like I'd spent much longer in that city.
Kaiser, sitting across from me, spoke with coffee in hand.
"Well, well, I got to see that little display of yours. As expected of the famous Thousand Transformations — your methods really are something else. To think you'd physically bring down an impregnable floating city..."
"And deliver it right next to the Explorer's Guild headquarters, no less. How very considerate."
Whether she was being sincere or sarcastic, Saya chimed in with a perfectly straight face.
The Level 9 certification exam had ultimately ended in chaos.
Between Code's crash, evacuating the citizens streaming out of it, and dealing with the criminal mercenaries hired by Gene — whom Kaiser and Saya had captured (it seemed the two of them had waded into the fray between Gene's forces and Nora's group, lending Nora's side support and gone on quite the rampage. As expected of Level 8. I suppose their being "controlled" really had been an act after all) — the Explorer's Guild headquarters had been forced into a temporary shutdown.
With cooperation from various nations, things had settled down somewhat by now, but it would take a while before anything resembling normal operations resumed.
The cause of Code's crash had been swept under the rug amid the chaos. Among the three who'd taken on this request, I apparently had the highest internal evaluation, so I'd been called to headquarters and questioned extensively. But fundamentally, I had fulfilled my original assignment of protecting the Code royals.
I'll admit I ended up protecting more people than intended, but beyond that, it wasn't my problem. That was the Explorer's Guild's job.
Even I knew I'd messed up big time this time. Well, I always know I'm messing up, but crashing a floating city — that was a first.
After escaping the Royal Tower, I thought I was going to die just watching the city vanish so cleanly, and when I spotted the familiar Explorer's Guild building frustratingly close to the crash site, I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare.
The one silver lining was that Code's descent had been far gentler than expected — despite the crash, there were no casualties. Apparently, the city had continued to protect its citizens right up until the very moment of impact.
Everything regarding the fallen Code was now awaiting the judgment of the Explorer's Guild and the various nations. But they'd surely handle it well. The Explorer's Guild wasn't irresponsible enough to simply throw everything away.
And that was when I realized there was one thing that still hadn't been resolved. I glanced at Kaiser and Saya nervously.
"...Come to think of it, the nobles who forced their will on the pacifist royals —"
"...What are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
Kaiser and Saya looked at me with puzzled expressions.
...Never mind. I'd give up on uncovering the truth. I wasn't that curious about it anyway, and the job was done regardless.
The result of the all-important Level 9 certification exam — it still hadn't been announced.
We'd successfully completed the objective of protecting the target royals, but I'd been too careless.
Level certification exams operate on the premise that achieving the objective is a given — the result is determined by factoring in additional points and deductions.
I had no interest in Level 9, but for Kaiser and Saya, the pass/fail result would certainly matter.
I'd screwed up, but Kaiser and Saya had done their jobs properly.
In a sense, even though it wasn't strict joint liability, I felt awful for putting them in this position...
As I was thinking this, Kaiser let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"Still, this time really showed me how narrow the world I've been operating in has been. Not only the feat of Thousand Transformations bringing down Code single-handedly, but I was also amazed by the power of the Night Banquet Temple."
"It's nothing... Besides, if it weren't for Klye's advice at the station, I wouldn't have been able to activate my ability that morning."
"????? ..................W-Well, I'm glad it was useful."
Apparently, my advice had been helpful for something, though I had no memory of giving any. Probably best not to bring that up.
But to bring down Code single-handedly... Well, it was true, but it wasn't like I did it on purpose. I just accidentally dropped it...
With a sigh, I scooped up the extra-large parfait I hadn't been able to finish last time with my spoon and put it in my mouth. The electrifying sweetness shot straight through the top of my head, and I couldn't help but narrow my eyes in pleasure.
Would the princess enjoy this kind of intense sweetness? The Code royals were currently under the Explorer's Guild's protection, but once they were able to walk around freely, it might be nice to give them a tour of the Imperial Capital.
I was sure that curiosity-driven princess would take a liking to Imperial Capital Zebuldia.
"Come to think of it, I plan to stay here until the Level 9 certification results come out. What will you do, Klye? Not that I'm saying you deserve certification, but you can't exactly leave without knowing the result."
"Ah... I'll head back to the Imperial Capital. I've been gone quite a while, and I need to bring back souvenirs — As for Level 9 certification... either way, I think I'll decline. I made a huge blunder at the very end."
"...Klye, if you decline, it'll make us look bad."
No, I really didn't think that was the case. In the end, we'd saved every single royal and captured enough criminals to fill the prisons of every nation. There had been several big names among them, and from what I'd heard, they'd even managed to capture two bosses of an organization called Fox that had been operating in the shadows during the Martial Emperor Festival.
The thought that such terrifying people had been hiding among us made me sigh with relief that we'd never crossed paths. Seriously.
Relaxing in my newly liberated state, I suddenly heard a voice I hadn't heard in a while.
"There you are! Klye-chaaaan! I came to pick you up!"
There was no mistaking that energetic voice. I widened my eyes and looked toward its source.
Standing there was a sight that felt remarkably nostalgic — Liliz and the others, the members of the Mourning Specter.
Hadn't they been exploring Yggdrasil? Had they gotten bored already?
...Well, I suppose a month was more than enough time to finish exploring. But this place was quite far — I was genuinely impressed they'd come all the way out here.
Working solo assignments had been nice and stress-free once they were done, but it was about time I went back to being the leader of the Mourning Specter.
The princess and the others were under the Explorer's Guild's protection. It was sad that I couldn't say goodbye, but if we were all alive, we'd meet again someday.
"Well, my party's here, so I'll call it a day... It was fun. See you around."
I picked up my bag — filled with souvenirs from Code: supplements Nora had given me, enhancement gear, the small spider Tony had given me, my citizen card as proof of Class 7, and other mementos — and headed toward the childhood friend who had chased me all the way out here.
§ § § How did things end up like this?
Olivia Delcia, former Chief Attendant to Alisha of Code, gazed out the window of her assigned room at a cityscape utterly unlike Code's, and let out a deep sigh.
Code crashing. If the Olivia from before meeting Klye a month ago had heard that — no, even the Olivia from three days ago would have scoffed and called it a ridiculous joke.
But Code had actually crashed.
The city system shut down. The buildings that had been generated by the system crumbled. The vast majority of tools and items that had been created lost their connection to the system and became useless.
The moment Code began its sudden descent — Olivia would never forget it for as long as she lived.
Fortunately, there had been no casualties from the crash. That was likely because Code had continued to protect its citizens right up until the very end.
But in the end, Olivia and the others had lost the most powerful city system there ever was.
Out in the real world, there was nothing. No terminals that could be summoned with a thought, no abundant resources, no safety, no brilliant future she had taken for granted until a month ago.
The citizens of the fallen Code were placed under the Explorer's Guild's protection.
The city didn't have the capacity to house all the citizens, so the majority were still living at the Code ruins. But they were managing, somehow. For now, they were getting by without too much hardship, but what would happen going forward was completely uncertain.
Now that things had come to this, even a high Class meant nothing. (Though Olivia herself had been demoted to Class 1 and remained there.)
The cause of Code's crash was known. Klye Andrich. That walking disaster of a man had, in spectacular fashion, disabled Code's functions. Alisha's royal guard Gene had screamed it out before being captured, so there was no doubt.
But Olivia didn't even have the freedom to condemn Klye Andrich.
It was all Olivia's fault.
To do her duty or not, she was the one who had found Klye and made him a royal guard.
Which meant that the root cause of Code's crash lay with Olivia.
For now, few people knew this fact, but if it became public, there was no telling what the other citizens would do to her. When the city system had been alive, it would have protected her, but now there was no one to shield Olivia.
Jean, the head butler — her confidant who shared this secret and was likely just as guilty as Olivia, and who also served as Alisha's caretaker — asked: "Olivia. Have you decided what to do from here?"
"...I don't know. What can we possibly do?"
Olivia and the others knew very little about the outside world.
Their parents' parents' parents had all lived in Code. In Code, survival was guaranteed by the city system — you could do anything you wanted, or do nothing at all. What could people like Olivia suddenly do after being thrown into the outside world?
There were likely many citizens caught in a state of panic.
The Explorer's Guild, too, seemed unable to reach a conclusion on how to handle the sudden flood of refugees.
The mercenaries who had originally come from outside were nearly all captured, but the treatment of Code's native citizens remained in limbo.
"...There's always going back to the Code ruins. The supplies should hold out for a while."
Jean's words, offered casually, made Olivia scratch her head fiercely.
True, there was food. No advanced weapons or tools, but supplies to some degree. That was because the city system, in its final moments, had made provisions for the citizens to survive to some extent after the crash.
But that only supported bare subsistence — enough to buy the citizens time to find a new path. It was far from sufficient, and nothing would be replenished. Going back to such a place meant no future, and she had no confidence in finding a next path.
Though ultimately, it all depended on what the Explorer's Guild decided to do with the citizens...
The outside world was the worst. The food wasn't that different, but the inconveniences were overwhelming. For the past several days, Olivia hadn't been able to sleep peacefully even once.
Just as her thoughts were spiraling into yet another dead end, the door burst open.
It was Alisha Code who entered.
Alisha's demeanor hadn't changed at all since the city crashed. Of course, she'd been somewhat flustered right after the fall, but she hadn't been dwelling on it the way Olivia had.
Come to think of it, that was only natural.
In just one month, she had gone from awaiting Olivia's disciplinary action to becoming the leading candidate for the next ruler of Code.
That wasn't entirely Alisha's own doing, but there was no doubt that she harbored the potential of a Code royal within her.
Alisha looked at the exhausted Olivia and spoke with a smile unlike any Olivia had ever seen from her: "Olivia, I've made my decision. We're going to become Hunters. So, start preparing immediately."
"I... excuse me?"
"What did she just say?"
What was she suddenly talking about... Jean, standing beside her, was equally dumbfounded.
Hunters? Did the princess just say Hunters?
There had been no Treasure Hunters in Code. The Explorer's Guild didn't exist there, and citizens fundamentally couldn't leave the city, so that was only natural.
The fact that Treasure Hunters had once been Code's enemies didn't help matters. Olivia had never once considered becoming a Hunter, and even after being placed under the Explorer's Guild's protection, the thought had never even crossed her mind.
Why on earth was the princess suddenly saying this?
To Olivia, who couldn't understand the situation at all, Alisha spoke as if explaining to a slow child: "Klye left without saying a word! So, I'm going to become a Hunter and find him! He must have gone off to see the world on his own and wants me to find him —"
"...That can't be right. That man doesn't think about anything..."
He absolutely didn't. The man was incompetent. She had already heard the rumors that he was a first-rate Hunter, but even knowing that, she completely refused to believe it.
Ever since being demoted to Class 1, Olivia had been monitoring that man's movements, and with Jean's help, had investigated his past in greater detail.
Well, it was pointless to bring that up now...
"...Besides, Code's class system has already collapsed. Why should I —"
"Do you have some complaint, Olivia?"
"Wh—! N-Nora!?"
She hurriedly prostrated herself on the spot. The one who had entered behind Alisha was Nora Code in the flesh.
Regal movements, a sharp gaze. Despite having lost the city system's blessing just like Olivia, her bearing was completely unchanged from when she'd been in Code.
Following her, Prince Tony — equally unchanged from before — entered as well.
"Don't push them around too much, Nora. They're still citizens of Code."
"Hmph... I know that. They prostrated on their own."
The sight of these two royals — whom it was normally an honor merely to be in the presence of — made Olivia's heart begin to pound furiously.
Even without the city system, they were rulers that no citizen of Code could ever defy.
Having received that education since birth, even knowing intellectually that the city system was gone, resistance was simply impossible.
Next, Prince Zachary entered the room. The moment he stepped in, he narrowed his eyes and glared at Olivia and the others threateningly.
"Hey, you lot. If you do anything cruel to Alisha, I'll kill you. Got it?"
"Kgh..."
"Z-Zachary, don't. You have to be kind to the citizens. If you act that way, there might be a fight between your lower-class subjects and the citizens. Alisha would be upset if that happened."
"...Tch."
Prince Zachary clicked his tongue in response to Prince Morris's words from behind him.
What was going on? For nearly all of the Code royals to be gathered in this cramped room...
And before the bewildered Olivia and Jean, who could do nothing but prostrate, the last one entered.
Angus Code. Former leading candidate for the next ruler of Code. The one whom the majority of citizens had never doubted would take the throne — the closest to the crown.
Prince Angus looked at Olivia and Jean and spoke clearly: "Olivia. Jean. Prepare for us to become Hunters. This is an order. Understood?"
"Y-Yes, understood... b-but... become Hunters, and do what exactly..."
Once Prince Angus himself had issued the command, there was no room for refusal. But it was an absurd proposition.
The Explorer's Guild and Treasure Hunters had once been Code's enemies. For Prince Angus, who was said to be the closest to the throne, becoming a Hunter should have been unthinkable.
Moreover, Prince Angus had been toppled by Klye, a Treasure Hunter.
But Angus was not the type to issue such orders without reason.
To Olivia's trembling question, Angus snorted dismissively: "A foolish question. I'm not like Alisha. I will search for the seed of a new city. And then, I will activate a new Code. If the First King could do it, so can I."
"!!"
Stunned by the unexpected words, Olivia straightened up, eyes wide. Jean stared at Prince Angus with equal intensity.
A new Code.
For days, she had spent sleepless nights worrying about the future, yet this possibility had never once crossed her mind.
Prince Angus stroked his beard and continued: "I wouldn't entrust such a great task to the likes of you — my capable subordinates have already been assigned to manage the citizens at the Code ruins. Even without Code, the Code royals have a duty to guide the citizens. Of course, upon success, appropriate standing will be arranged for you. Understood?"
"...How shameless of you, brother, to speak so imperiously after showing everyone such a pathetic display. I doubt it will go that smoothly — but even if the Royal Scepter and the city are found, you won't be the one to become king."
"Don't nitpick every little thing! I know that!"
Prince Angus and Princess Nora began arguing again. Prince Tony watched them with a suppressed chuckle.
Princes Zachary and Morris maintained their attitudes of it-not-being-their-concern, while Alisha simply smiled innocently, seemingly lost in her own pleasant thoughts.
Seeing that scene, Olivia felt the anxiety that had been gnawing at her begin to dissolve.
The Code royals were, for the citizens, both the symbol of Code and its hope.
As long as they did not lose that will, Code would never truly be gone.
Olivia and Jean prostrated once more and answered: "Your will shall be done..."