Vermillion

"What's going on with us?"

Irene shrugged as she glanced through her cherry blossom lips with her fingertips.

"I can't say much because the situation is special, but I think the possible possibilities are about two at best."

"OK, say it. I'll listen to you."

"Unplug."

Apparently Eileen, too, is back on track with "Andrei". Fine, laughing, Kay put up one finger.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal. Let's start with one, 'We're still playing [DEMONDAL]'"

Then the second one,

"And two, 'We're jumping out of the game for some reason, and this is somewhere else'"

"Well, that sounds reasonable."

"It's mediocre, right? But in my imagination, this is the limit."

"Really? Hmm, Kay, I have a third eye."

"Well, let me tell you something."

Eileen stood three fingers in Doya's face,

"Third." I'm falling asleep playing [DEMONDAL] and this is actually a dream ""

"……, I see. Impossible, out-of-the-box, decent idea."

"It's out of bounds, Oi."

Kay nodded Hmm. Eileen seems out of her mind, but I don't care there.

A dream och, the possibility.

Immediately feeling the light of the incendiary fire and the warmth of its flames, he said, "Do you have dreams so real? I don't think so."

But - compared to the first two I mentioned, it's such a realistic story.

Is it a dream or not?

To make sure of that, Kay decided to rely on one, classic method.

"Phew."

…… What am I doing? "

"Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Do your best. Show off your high STR.

"... um. It hurts so much. But I won't wake up. Therefore, this is not a dream. Q.E.D. (End of Proof)"

I take my hand off my right cheek, which turned bright red after a while, and say it with a serious expression.

…… Has it proven that it is not at least a dream of Ke (...) a (...) "

Irene, who looked at it with a shuddering face, unfortunately pulled one throwing knife out of her waist band, "I would have felt comfortable if it was a dream och".

"Hey, you use a knife?

Seeing that, it was Kay who raised his voice of surprise. Eileen was starting to wrap her left arm sleeve around with ease as if she were even going to inject.

"Sort of. Me,... a few times in my dreams, I've felt painful, but I didn't wake up until the end. If you're gonna do it anyway, you're gonna have to think this through."

"No, no, no, that's why the knife would be too much, what if it left a scratch. If you're worried about your powers, I'll give you a shove, okay? Does it hurt?"

"... No, it's fine. I will refrain."

Looking at Kay's right cheek, which was getting bloody and starting to swell purple, Eileen quietly shunned.

"Besides, I can't believe it's scratched right now……………………"

Whimpering slightly, he tries to gently push the knife against the inside of his left arm. but

…………

"What's wrong?

Keep staring at my arm, I stopped moving.

"No,... nothing"

Scared I noticed, it doesn't mean that. Irene, with her sleeves gently undone, takes off her left hand glove and makes her crawl the blade of a knife flat on her hand without hesitation.

"... ugh."

"……… What do you say?

"Mecha, it hurts. And there's blood."

Poop, poop.

From Eileen's hand, the red droplet drops zero.

"Well, we're in trouble, Kay. Now the possibility of dreaming ochi is completely gone."

"Well, I didn't think you'd be dreaming of a boulder from the beginning... Or is that okay? You cut it pretty tight."

"Ugh, yeah...... more cut than I honestly thought. Perhaps it would be a good idea to stop."

Eileen's palm skin was cut off thoroughly over a few centimeters. It looks painful to see a clean cut in the meat and twitching and blood seeping out.

"Wait a minute, only the bandage is on the porch..."

"No, fine. I want to try POT."

Stopping Kay reaching for her hip pochette, Eileen tongued "chitchat" towards the rock shade.

Ruined, mossy stone walls. On the soft ground, two horses fell asleep.

Kay's beloved horse Mikazuki and Eileen's ride Sasquatch.

Hearing the sound of Eileen's tongue pounding, Sasquatch was more like, "Did you call me? He turns to his crushed eyes.

According to Eileen, when she woke up in the meadow, Sasquatch was sleeping next to her and eating grass relaxed.

In the middle of the meadow if you notice, you and one horse.

In that state, he didn't even see Kay, and he moved quite a bit at first, but Mikazuki rushed there refreshingly to guide him to the rocky mountain where Kay was falling.

In that sense, Kay and Eileen owe Mikazuki a lot, but the person of the day (?) has decided to be cool and there is no wind to worry about. Neither now nor for Eileen, he chewed grass if anything.

Irene, walking over to Sasquatch, removed a bottle of High Potion from the leather bag that remained bracketed in the saddle.

"Sa, I wonder what will happen, ever. If it's a game, it'll heal in an instant..."

He returns to the bonfire and sits back on the flat stone, and Eileen cleverly unplugs the cork with one hand.

Softly, Kay glanced curiously at the bottle tilting toward the palm of his hand.

Thick, watery liquid drips and touches the wound.

That moment.

JUH!! and the iron plate made a roasting sound of meat, and the wound bubbled all at once.

"Vuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!

Irene jumps up with an odd voice. The potion thrown out of its hand into the air was caught by Kay aggressively. There was no lid, so the contents spilled a little.

"Ahhh! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~!!!

Irene can't even speak after she squeezes her screams, holding her hands and stuffing her. In unusual pain, Kay walked over and said, "Hey, are you okay?" He cruised a little before slowly rubbing his back.

It looks more painful than when I cut my hand with a knife, but is it my fault? That way of foaming the wound was reminiscent of disinfection with oxydol. Kay knew that the in-game potion sounded shrewd and refreshing when he sprayed it on the wound, and the wound was healed.

Dozens of seconds in time.

Drop a cold sweat, rubbing Irene's back, wheezing.

"…… have you calmed down?

"……… yeah."

"So, what's it like?

"Shit. It hurt so much."

"You can tell that by looking at it. What I'm asking is the wound."

"Oh, wow."

Fear, and so on, when Eileen spreads her hand.

"It's healing, ……… but"

…… The wound will remain…………. "

"Yeah……………."

The wound was blocked, but the new skin appeared like a white line.

Speaking of potions, the image was that they were fully healed without even leaving a scratch.

What a subtle air flow on the spot.

"…… well, well. I'm glad you're still flat. It's not very noticeable."

"Well, that's right."

"It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?

"Oh. It feels a little meaty, but no problem. … I thought I cut it a little too deep."

Irene blurs small as she repeatedly grips and spreads her left hand.

With her approximate like that, Kay had an interesting observation of the bottle of potion in her hand as she re-sat face-to-face across the burning fire.

"…… I wonder what will happen if I drink this"

"Well, your health will recover. … maybe."

To Kay's whining, Irene's words to answer become butt shrugged.

…………

"Hey stop, don't look at me with the anticipation!

"Eileen. I believe you're a deadbeat."

"I'm not a guinea pig!

"Chip."

"It's not" chip "! I'm sorry about the human experiment!

"Ha. You're a wily bastard..."

"You've already strained your will. It's Temehe's turn next!

Pussy angry Eileen as she tapped her knee with a pepper. Eileen's claim that Kay should put up his body next was better, so the poison sight became Kay's transport.

…………

"What do you say?

Irene asks Kay, who contains just a little potion in her mouth and has a sinister face, with no heart or an excited look.

"Uhm...... right. I honestly don't know if my health is healing. However, without a heart or body warming, I feel that the cold in my hands and feet has resolved somewhat. And then my ass, which was hurting as I sat on the stone, got easier. It might also help with back pain and stiffness."

"It's a review of Cold Jizzy!! No, I'm not! No, that's important too! What about the taste? The taste."

"... you look like the liquorice candy I used to try in the VR store. Wouldn't it taste like this if you pulled out the sweet ingredients from then on and pounded in the mint and shoga? A little more bitter. Besides, I don't know why, but it looks carbonated, and the moment I put it in my mouth, it becomes schwacky. What about thick carbonation?"

"That sounds creepy to ask."

"Oh. It's not good. It tastes so bad."

Besides, in the back of my tongue, it was a type of creepy with a much more eggy aftertaste. Keeping her sinister face, Kay restarts her lid in a bottle of potion.

Eileen, on the other hand, said, "You want to give it a try?" Kay didn't tell the story, or he was in a terrible state of war, but this potion was so unpleasant that he didn't even feel like tearing it up like that.

"…… Now, Eileen."

Kay opens her mouth in a bottle of potion. Irene sighed slightly as she sensed the change in air.

"…… Is the time for fun reality escape (chatter) over?

"Yeah. I'm sorry to hear that. It's time to take this seriously. Oh, shit."

Kay makes a serious face as she looks up at the night sky, which is completely dark.

"Irene. I just realized that. I discovered something that could be an important clue in thinking about where this place is."

"When? What, is that"

"That's it."

To Eileen's inquiry, Kay pointed overhead.

"[Hasneel], [Wordna], [Nilda]"

As I glanced through the sky, moving my fingers,

"[Domina], [Cassinato], and [Ialicin]"

It seemed like some kind of name.

"……… What are you talking about?

Eileen tilting her little neck. Kay's answer to the question was concise.

"It's a star."

Far away, Kay answers, keeping his gaze on countless shining stars.

"The constellation… the arrangement of the stars is exactly the same as the world of [DEMONDAL], here it is"

To Kay's words, Irene unwittingly looks up to the night sky.

But even looking at the starry sky in full heaven, it was just a 'starry sky' for Eileen, and I had no idea what the difference was with that on Earth or anything else.

"Are you serious?

"Oh. That green star [Hasneel], it's the" flourishing sword "constellation that centers around it. The red star next to it shapes the [Wordna], the orange stars surrounding it and the" exorcism of mystery "constellation. That blue star is [Nilda], and with the stars that follow in a straight line, the" Guardian's Cane. "

"Yeah, all right, all right, that's enough.... but why are you so familiar with it? I've never seen a constellation on an official forum or on a wiki."

I never cared, so maybe I just missed it, but Irene stares into the starry sky as she says.

"I can't even do it. That's what you get on a hidden quest. The constellations, the meaning of it -- to the point of" astrology, "you know fewer people than magicians."

"" Astrology "?" Hey, it's a hidden quest. "

Going north from Wolvern through the Darya Plains, there's a forest, isn't there? There is an NPC of my grandmother who lives alone in the cabin behind it, but when she treats her back pain with potions and herbs, she can tell me instead. Actually, the weather at the event seems to be linked to the stars. That's why my weather forecast was so good in the game. "

"What!

Indeed, Kay's weather forecast was a good hit, Eileen recalls. I knew you were expecting it from the wind direction and the clouds, but I didn't know the stars had that secret.

"You're being mean, Kay! Why didn't you even tell me!

To Irene, angry, Kay looked out of her mind,

"You tried to tell me, didn't you? But I'm sure you said no."

"What?"

Irene unwittingly solidified. I hastily try to remember that, but in the two years since I met Kay, there are no verses at all that come to mind about topics such as astrology.

"... Seriously? I don't remember you."

"Was it about a year ago? At the Wolvern Tavern, I said," Hey Andrei, aren't you interested in the mysterious laws of the stars? When I said, "The truth of the great universe awaits you," I said, "I'm not interested, so hit the other one"... "

"Obviously the way you invite me is evil. (Wari) No! The Patriarch of Emerging Religions or Temehe!! Oh, I remember that! I just happened to think it was your confusion and it went through. Is that what this was all about? Chick-ass!

Poisoned, Irene scratches her hair with gasp.

"Huh. Well, no. So?"

"……… I,"

Kay showed a little hesitation but

"I think this is the world of [DEMONDAL]."

Clearly, I said.

"... he leaped again. I mean, what, this place looks just like [DEMONDAL], different world?

"In other words, that's what it is."

…… I don't think that's what happened at ANIME these days. While we're playing the game, it's a story that the world in the game will have t (...) li (...) p (...). Did you watch Kay, too?

"No. Unfortunately, I don't know much about cartoons."

"Heh, it's weird that the Russians are more familiar with it than the Japanese. Well, fine. So, when there's actually a trip like that - I think it's the head in front of it that's tripping. It's more realistic to think that there's a god update coming without notice, that reality has dramatically improved, and that you can't log out of a system failure that happened at the same time..."

Of course, there are many parts of me that I'm not convinced of, but with a sincere look, Eileen says. I disagree with Kay, rather than raise the issue for debate.

"I thought about that, too. But, Eileen. I don't think it's possible that (...) the (...) of (...) chi (...) is (...) current (...) fruit (...) flavor (...) is (...) ah (...) ru (...) or (...) et al (...)

Look at Eileen's face.

Eileen, which of these VR environments uses "External" or "Implant"?

"What? … Well, normally" External. "

Kay's abrupt question was answered as if Eileen had eaten.

Currently, VR environmental equipment is divided into two types.

"External" and "Implant".

External formula is literally the type that acts on the brain and nervous system from the outside of the body to achieve a VR environment. Excellent scalability because the functions and performance can be adjusted freely by reassembling and replacing external equipment.

A pair of implantable formulas are the types that implant directly into the body and act on the cranial nerves. Nervous system formed by cloning technology and mechanical system composed of electronics. It is a biological computer of those hybrids and has the disadvantage of being difficult to replace and scarce in scalability due to the specification of embedding them directly in the flesh.

Although the embedded type has the advantage that the information can be communicated more accurately than the external type, the lack of scalability and the interference between the components makes it impossible to use the embedded type in conjunction with the external type.

Nowadays, external formulas are common due to performance problems, and there are many patterns in which humans who used embedded formulas also undergo removal and replacement surgery to switch to external formulas.

- Very few, with exceptions.

I said, "Implant."

Kay continues his words.

"I'm using" IBMI-TypeP, to be exact. "

"" TypeP "!? Seriously, it's an antique from the early days of the VR machine."

"Yes, it's an antique. Unfortunately, I keep using it."

…… That means. "

"Well, I'm sure you do, too."

Phew, he exhaled thinly.

"I'm a sleeping sick man." Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva "- Progressive Osteoplasia. It's an odd disease that turns muscles into bones. Has it been fifteen years since the onset of the symptoms? Since about five years ago, my body has stopped moving."

…………

Before Irene, who pushes silently as overwhelmed, but Kay's portrait does not stop.

"The current (...) fruit (...) of me (...) is a lump of bone and nervous system floating in a life support tank. Twelve years ago, I took part in a clinical trial of a VR machine, and the trial was a great success, and I made a huge contribution to the practical application of the VR machine - but instead, the biological parts of the machine glued and bonded with the nerves in a wider range than originally anticipated, and I can no longer replace them."

Kay's expression was calm. Face that accepted everything.

"... Since then, both hardware and software have been updated several times, like joints, and have been somehow deluded. But that was the last update three years ago."

"Three years ago, I said………………………."

"Oh, yeah. [DEMONDAL] year of service."

Kay's mouth ends with a grin.

"'Unprecedented Reality,' I jumped at that selling complaint. For me to spend almost everything of my day in a VR space, interacting with others with reality was the least I could ask for. It was like a bet, what about the machine renewal surgery? They were all opposed by the family, by the attending physician and by the university professor in charge. My body was already worn out and I didn't know if I could stand the renewal surgery. But when I said to myself," I really want reality, and if I don't have it, it's just hard to live for no more reason, "they all broke me at the end."

With dreamy eyes, Kay talks.

"In fact, [DEMONDAL] 's reality was amazing. The grassland wind, the sound of leaf rubbing brought by the wind, the warmth of the sun. The modeling of the flora and fauna, the behaviour of the NPCs, the sensation of their flesh, what comes into their eyes, what they can touch, [DEMONDAL] were all so" real "that they could never compare to previous games. Almost everything I wanted was in [DEMONDAL] - but that was the limit."

Gazing at Eileen, Kay smiled quietly.

"My machine is optimized for [DEMONDAL]. Even on boro, leaving a little room for the game to work together. But that's the limit, Irene. For example, no matter what god update comes, no matter what technological innovation-"

I fall in love with the sand at my feet, the grain of sand falling from the gap between my fingers.

"- My antiques (machine) can't handle this amount of information."

Absolutely, and Kay tied the words.

…………

Eileen couldn't say anything.

"... and well, it's been a stinking story, but I don't care what you talk about me. What I was trying to say was that the world (...) of this (...) would be different worlds in the game, both of which from me were a buzzing story. Of course, if there's a god update coming, like a mild move on my machine, that's fine. We'll be back soon with a system failure, and we'll just have to wait until then. So, what I'm suggesting to you is, what are you crying about?"

Kay rubs her voice up to Eileen, who begins to tear away.

"Beh, …… no, crying…………………"

"No, you're crying."

To Eileen's trick of hiding her face with her hands, Kay laughs bitterly and walks over and slaps Pompon on its back.

"Nothing makes you cry. A long time ago, I might have been crying too. But now that we have VR technology, we're not unhappy."

"This, no... no, I feel sorry for Kay, I'm not..."

"It's okay, 'cause it's good, it's good"

Hold Guru Eileen's shoulder and stroke her head to soften the baby. I wonder why I'm comforting this guy, which is hilarious, and Kay couldn't stop sneaking around.

"... No, I'm sorry. I'm fine now."

Calmed down without a few minutes, Irene strokes Kay's hand on her shoulder. Again, he slapped Pompon and his shoulder before Kay sat back opposite Eileen.

…………

When her eyes met over the burning fire, Eileen turned away embarrassingly,

"... there was something I thought. I didn't cry because Kay seemed pathetic or anything."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, well... that's what I'm talking about. So don't worry about it."

Kay giggles back at Eileen, who says otherwise.

"That's fine. Let's keep talking."

"Whoa. So, you said something you wanted to suggest or something, right?

"It's not a big deal though. All I'm suggesting is that we act on the assumption that 'this is a different world similar to [DEMONDAL]'. If this place is in the game and you just can't log out due to a system failure, it will be resolved in a few days. Irene, I'm sorry about the private question, but do you live alone?

"No. I have a family"

"Then don't worry, if my daughter doesn't stop the game for long, if it's time for dinner, my family will come and pull the machine. Unlike the cartoon, the moment I tried to remove the machine, my brain blew up, and there was nothing wrong with it."

"Hey, you're lying that you're not familiar with cartoons, right?

"What do you say?"

The two of us laugh when we dull.

"Well, that's why I don't have to panic if this is the game. but if this is the 'other world'..."

"Chi (...) need to panic."

"That's the thing. Let's go to Theory Street, where you can assume the worst."

At the conclusion, Kay sighed slightly, Phew. My mouth is full of tease. He's thirsty because of a rare long mouth punch.

"…… Eileen, do you have any water?"

"Is that water? I think there was a water bottle in Sasquatch's bag."

"'No worries if you're ready,' right?"

"Sonae............?

"No, we're talking about this one. I need some water, I'm thirsty."

Stand up and say, "Did you call me by my name?" He approached Sasquatch, tilting his little neck all the time, and fishes in its bags.

"Nevertheless, what are we going to do?

Eileen called out from behind to Kay looking for the water bottle.

"Hmm. What's wrong"

"You can't be here forever, can you?

"I'm thirsty too. My butt hurts too. Then we still have to look for people."

"I knew you would."

Oh, and Irene raises her voice in pain.

Thus, the water bottle was at the bottom of the bag. Push through a bottle of messy and jammed potion and drag it out of the bag.

(Glad to have)

It doesn't have to be shaken and checked, and the contents seem to be in enough. All I can say is that Eileen was carrying a water bottle because she was sorry to soothe her thirst with a rare and more fucking unsavory potion.

Sit back on the spot and pour the contents one by one as you hit the bonfire.

(... I still don't think it's a game)

The feeling of fluid slipping through your throat. It seems very unlikely that it is reproduced with VR technology.

Earlier, Kay said, "Let's act tentatively."

But to be honest, Kay was half certain that this would be a different world.

- I was hoping so, too.

Mikazuki, who was falling asleep by Kay, moved his sleigh and neck and put his head on Kay's lap. Apparently, the soul dares to replace the pillow. Mikazuki's AI has been an unobtrusive type to owners (Kay) since the game era, but it seems to have been polished by its graphics since he came to the other world.

With a bitter smile, I will stroke his neck. Higher body temperature than humans, stiff hair that stimulates ticks and fingertips, blood flow pulsating under the skin - even if you just put your hands on the body surface, you already have this much information.

This is the reality. Otherwise, I can no longer even remember what it would be. As he scratched the back of his ear with a tight scratch, Mikazuki narrowed his eyes to make him feel good.

(But how did this happen)

Again, dampening his mouth with a water bottle, Kay thinks.

(Only - before I got here)

In the seaside town of Kitene, he received the bow of Zhu Paint. And

(Attacked by stripping, repelled)

After that...

(After that… what's wrong)

I can't remember.

"Eileen"

"Hmm?"

"What were we doing before we got here? On my way back from Kitene, I remember being stripped and turning it back..."

"... Speaking of which, you are. Why am I forgetting?"

Put your hand on your chin, Eileen thinks.

"... defeat the stripping... then proceed a little... to" Wolvern Valley "..."

At the same time, we both remembered.

"" It's fog!

Why did you forget?

Yes, there was a mysterious fog in the Wolvern Valley.

And go all the way into the fog...

And then...

…………

And then...

"... Damn, I can't remember"

Kay was poisoned.

Something.

Something happened.

I can't remember clearly, but in the fog, to what (...) -

"Buru."

and Kay's thoughts are blocked by the sound of a brief snort.

…… What's wrong, Mikazuki? "

Seeing, Mikazuki woke up half-hearted at some point and circled his neck to see what was going on around him. Both of his ears moved irresistibly, and his eyes, which had been sleepy until earlier, are now narrowed to sword swallowing.

Kay knew. This look, this movement. Prior to coming here, it had been incorporated into Mikazuki's AI since the days of the game.

- Something, alert motion.

Kay reaches out her hand gently to [Dragon Scale Throughout], which was placed beside her.

"……… What is it?

Eileen, who was staring at the burning fire, notices it and looks anxious. I don't know, I just answered briefly, and Kay stood up.

"Mikazuki is on guard.... a beast, I guess."

Assuming this world conforms to [DEMONDAL], it is not surprising that there are wolves and such. It's not that deep in the woods, so I'd like to believe that no ferocious monsters come out, like you can't handle on your own -

I open my eyes to see through the darkness as I remove the cover of my hips arrow barrel. The unreachable light of the flame. There, in the ordinary man, is the unrecognized realm. But about the blink of an eye, Kay's eyes open her pupils to the limit and adapt immediately to the environment.

…………

No particular anomalies can be seen in the forest on the north side. Sometimes I see bats and small animal shadows, but that's all.

So what about the meadows beyond the trees, on the south side?

A bush shaking in the night breeze. - No, no, it's not the wind.

There's something here.

At that moment, a burning sensation ran on my neck muscle.

Almost simultaneously, Cahyun, the faint sound of.

My body moved before I thought about it. Lay down on your feet. The distance you reach, the sound of cutting the wind. And a single arrow hit the wall behind him and bounced back.

- Someone shot me with an arrow.

- I don't know why you attacked me.

- The number is either the direction

Thoughts running around the back of the brain. but try to block it for a new killer.

I look at you like you've been bounced. A slight sound that rings. A hands-on blow. A clever "stealth sensation." It senses painfully, but immediately.

This is not aimed at me.

If you follow that trajectory ahead of you, blonde, girl.

"Eileen, avoid -"

Duh, duh. Beat the meat, dull sound.

"……… Huh?

The whining, even strange. Once upon a time, Irene looked down at her breasts with a sobering expression.

On the right chest - one arrow, growing.

Incredible, in the way. Open your eyes.

Look here. What? Asking gaze.

"......"

About, the girl who leaned over,

"Irene!"

- Like a doll with a broken thread, he fell and lay down on the spot.