That 403: What the Queen Asks For

"Needed... is it?"

"Yes. To be honest, I'm just not suited at all for managing a large organization like this~♪"

"Well, that much I could kind of sense, frankly."

"You see? Unfortunately, the kingdom's supplies have been running dangerously low lately."

"Really? Is that true?"

I had absolutely no idea about any of this.

Probably even those "voice-of-the-people" girls.

"Vivian gets priority access to supplies, after all."

"Really...?"

"Of course, we're still asking the people of Gran Delinia to gather resources from various places. But lately, communities within the city itself have been growing stronger, making that more difficult."

I immediately thought of my friends around Sagamihara, and the refugees near Tokyo Station.

There might be other strong communities out there as well.

"One idea I considered as a potential solution was using the supplies beyond that 'Endless Spring' door. But according to Mayi's report, it's too risky."

"That's true."

Even after that adventure, Mayi did conduct several follow-up investigations, but in the end, it seems the other side is once again completely packed with zombie hordes.

"So, as a last resort, I came up with the idea of negotiating with the Central Office through 'Guardians' who've recently infiltrated the 'Kingdom'—well, to be honest, it's not really the Central Office, more like the 'Hungerers'... the 'Demon King,' really."

"Wait, what?"

"Hmm."

"Wha—what, what, what?"

I stare wide-eyed at Reika's face, staring at her intently.

Then, once more:

"Wha—?"

"What's wrong?"

The queen tilted her head slightly, twisting her face into a grimace of discomfort.

"Eeeeeee... Wait, what? Are 'Guardians' and 'Demon King'... teaming up?"

"Huh? Oh? You didn't know?"

"Whaaaaaaat?!"

I'm sure I must've been wearing a cartoonish expression by now. I knew the 'Demon King' was hiding somewhere within the Central Authority... but this information was completely new to me.

"So that means Ran-chan, Ritto-kun, and Tōr-san too?"

"...Ritto? That's the boy you fought, right?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Who knows? It's not unusual not to know. After all, this information is classified as top secret. If word got out that someone was teaming up with the 'Demon King,' wouldn't some 'Players' defect?"

"Hmm..."

I wanted to believe it was true.

If that's not the case, I won't be able to trust anyone anymore.

"Can we go back to what we were talking about?"

"Y-yes..."

"Anyway, I reached out to the Central Office a little while ago. And I was surprised—they also wanted to establish an agreement. They really needed the Soul Restoration Machine, it seems."

"Why is that?"

"One reason is reviving fallen comrades. The other is... 'Healing.'"

"Healing...?"

"The 'Hungered' can't recover from damage, you see. If they're tortured until they're incapacitated, they deliberately die once... then, after revival, they're immediately made 'Hungered'..."

"Then they become a fully operational combat force in perfect condition?"

"Yeah."

I never thought such a game-like trick could actually exist...

I gave my head a slight spin,

"But isn't that agreement too risky, even by any stretch of the imagination? In the end, won't it do nothing for humanity?"

Just as I was considering slapping someone across the face if they tried to claim, 'As long as the royal nation is safe, it doesn't matter,'

"I know."

To my surprise, their expression was serious.

"But as I said earlier, I don't think the 'Demon King' is someone who can't understand reason."

"What do you mean?"

"He wishes that, once the world achieves peace, he would restore every young 'Hungerer' back to their original human form."

"...Peace in the world, huh?"

"Yes."

But what kind of peace are we talking about—peace from whose perspective?

As I listened, I couldn't help but frown.

Just like when I was walking through the attraction we'd just cleared, my heart felt unsteady.

What is truly 'good,' and what is truly 'evil'?

There was no clear-cut black-and-white line anywhere.

"By the way, of course, the reward for allying with the 'Demon King'... is..."

"the abundant supplies sent from the 'Central Office.' In other words, people in this country are being fed by the 'Demon King' and his underlings."

"Hmmmmmm..."

I rubbed my forehead slightly.

I don't think I could ever drink water from here again.

Moreover, well, probably, it was us who served as the link between the "Guardians" and the "Kingdom," wasn't it?

I heard that while I was training with my past self, Asuka and Tsumuri were passing internal information to the "Guardians."

"So. You understand the reason I brought this up, right? The population of this "Kingdom" is growing day by day. Gran Delinia is already completely full of refugees."

"Hmm."

I just heard a little over an hour ago that interest in moving to Avienia has been increasing lately.

"Supplies are nearly depleted, even with what's being sent from the Central Administration. To maintain our current way of life, we need far more forces than we currently have."

"……………"

"I always saw things as either pushing you out or making you an ally....And in the end, I chose to make you an ally."

"An ally, huh."

To be honest, at that moment, I thought this:

There's no more terrifying opponent than an enemy without hostility.

"You have the power to threaten the nation... to threaten the Central Court. With you around, we could stand up to that 'Demon King.' We could demand even more supplies, couldn't we?"

I said nothing, instead letting out a long, weary sigh, lounging carelessly on the spot.

The information I'd just received was overwhelming—my head felt like it was about to explode.

"Ah...ah...ah...ah...ah..."

"Hey. You're making a mess. You okay?"

"Huh."

"Really? A half-hearted reply like that?"

How am I supposed to explain this to the others...?

Friends.

...Friends?

I suddenly snap to attention, waving my limp hands around.

"Oh right! First things first—let's bring everyone back!"

"Yeah, that's the plan."

Then, Reika-san smiled at me, her expression unusually kind, like a caring older sister.

"Let's just get this over with quickly, shall we?"

"Alright."

"Then... what should we do? Who should the 'Nameless' person revive?"

She leaned in, gazing at me as if I were her favorite treat.