I didn't even have time to truly savor my victory.
No sooner had I realized that Yoshimoto Imagawa had fallen, that my clan was safe and sound… than a new light flashed before my eyes. Another notification, more imposing, more intense, forced itself upon me.
The window opened slowly, revealing an endless list.
[ Rewards Earned ]
[ Rewards Earned ]
[ Rewards Earned ]
...
My eyes scanned the first few lines.
Thousands of coins.
Weapons.
Katanas with exquisite blades.
Special skills.
Items whose purpose I didn't even understand yet.
I scrolled down.
Again and again, the list seemed to go on forever.
With every movement of my hand, new lines appeared, new rewards, as if the window had no end. It was a continuous, almost unreal stream, an accumulation so excessive it was hard to fathom.
The contrast with the violence of the battle that had just ended was stark.
I stood frozen, my eyes fixed on this avalanche of rewards.
All of this…
For me?
A thought struck me, cold and instinctive.
No.
It wasn't possible.
Not after just one battle.
"…Something's wrong."
As I expected, a new option appeared almost immediately afterward.
The apparent generosity of these rewards was nothing but an illusion.
I had to choose.
Keep them for myself… or share them with my clan.
I remained silent for a moment, my gaze still fixed on that endless list that was still scrolling slowly before my eyes. Everything here seemed designed to test something. Not my strength. Not my strategy.
But me.
My gaze hardened slightly.
After everything they had done… After following me with no guarantees, no certainty of survival, despite their doubts, despite their fear… They had placed their trust in me.
A trust that Yoshimoto claimed didn't exist.
I let out a soft sigh.
"It's only right that they get their share…"
It wasn't even a question.
It was obvious.
I then lifted my head, finally taking my gaze off the rewards window. The rain was still falling, but the battlefield had changed. The turmoil was beginning to subside, giving way to the survivors, the wounded, the lost gazes.
And that's when I saw him.
In the distance, through the curtain of rain, a familiar silhouette took shape—that of Ishikawa.
The rain continued to fall, now lighter, as if even the sky were beginning to calm down after the storm. The battlefield, still turbulent just moments earlier, gave way to a strange lull, where only the distant echoes of the battle remained.
I moved slowly toward him.
"I expected to see you here," I finally said.
Ishikawa looked up.
His gaze met mine, and for a moment, I felt as though something had just been released within him. As if the invisible weight he had been carrying since the beginning had finally vanished.
I had seen him before.
While observing the Imagawa clan through my spotlight. A figure among many, lost in the crowd but distinct enough for me to remember. Yet, at that moment, a question had eluded me.
Why was he there?
"You're probably wondering why I'm not with my clan," he said suddenly.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
He had guessed. As if he had read my thoughts directly.
I didn't answer, letting him continue.
Ishikawa took a slow breath, clearly searching for his words.
"I had to… get rid of Yoshimoto Imagawa," he explained. "It was the condition for my group to continue to exist."
He paused.
"Otherwise… they would all be dead."
His words fell with an almost unsettling simplicity.
"It was imposed on me as… a quest. Like in a video game," he finally added, with a certain reserve.
I immediately noticed his discomfort.
Ishikawa wasn't used to this system yet. To these absurd, cold quests that dictated life and death with mechanical logic.
And yet…
That was exactly how it worked now.
The fourth riddle left no room for approximation.
It imposed objectives.
Roles. Sacrifices.
And each of us was forced to play out a destiny already mapped out.
His words resonated within me with almost brutal clarity.
Everything was intertwined.
If I hadn't eliminated Yoshimoto… Then Ishikawa would be dead. Him, and probably his clan. And at the same time, my own clan would have been doomed.
Nothing was left to chance.
From the very beginning, everything was connected. Every role, every quest, every decision… formed a single, unified path. An invisible line we were forced to follow, no matter what we thought we were deciding on our own.
The script had been imposed on us, and we were nothing more than actors.
I turned my attention back to Ishikawa; something in his gaze hadn't changed.
Despite surviving, despite the success of his quest, he was still hesitating.
A tension lingered within him—subtle but unmistakable.
I watched him for a few seconds, then finally said calmly:
"You're afraid you won't measure up, aren't you? "
The silence that followed spoke volumes.
Ishikawa looked away slightly; he didn't even try to deny it.
His expression hardened for a moment, as if putting it into words made it all the more real.
"I didn't think it would take on such proportions," he finally admitted.
His voice was lower, more fragile than before.
"At first… I thought it would be different. Manageable."
He paused, searching for his words.
Then he continued, more slowly.
"A few years ago… I served in the Japanese army. I tried to be a model soldier," he continued. "Because my parents expected a lot from me. I was their only child. They didn't want me to fail."
The rain continued to fall softly around us.
"So I did everything I could to live up to their expectations. To meet their standards. And yet…"
He paused for a moment, as if those words were harder to say than any others.
"The only mission that really mattered…"
His gaze drifted into the distance for a moment.
"I failed at it."
Silence fell again.
I took another step closer, closing the distance between us, then gently placed my hand on Ishikawa's shoulder.
The touch was simple, almost insignificant, but it was meant to be reassuring.
"You don't have to doubt," I said calmly. "If, indirectly, I saved you, then maybe that means something."
I paused briefly.
"This mystery doesn't necessarily pit us against each other. Maybe it leaves us the possibility of being allies. "
His gaze lifted toward me.
"Then let's work together," I continued. "And put an end to all this… in the most peaceful way possible."
No sooner had those words left my mouth than a thought crossed my mind.
It was rather hypocritical of me to say that…
My clan and I had just decimated an entire army. Not just any army. A formidable force, entrenched in this war for far longer than we had been.
And yet, I dared to speak of peace.
The contrast was almost ridiculous.
I slowly withdrew my hand, saying nothing more.
Ishikawa watched me for a few seconds, as if weighing every word I'd said, then finally asked:
"What do you plan to do now with a target on your back?"
I furrowed my brow slightly.
"A target?"
I didn't understand what he was implying, but the answer wasn't long in coming.
A new notification appeared before me, jarring sharply against the surrounding silence.
[ You have just earned the title: "The Madman of Owari"
You are now more vulnerable to threats from other clans ]
I stood motionless for a moment, my eyes fixed on those words.
"What kind of joke is this?!" "
The next day, a new dynamic had taken hold.
The battle was already in the past, but its consequences were very much present. My clan and I had made a clear decision: to strengthen our defenses. If this title now made me a target, then remaining passive was no longer an option.
I put the rewards I'd earned to good use.
One by one, I redistributed them.
Not at random, but to those most deserving. To those who had held the line. To those who hadn't fled. To those who, despite their fear, had kept moving forward.
Very quickly, our territory changed in appearance.
What had been nothing more than a windswept plain began to take shape. Defense points emerged, positions were established, and resources were organized with newfound precision. It was no longer a makeshift camp.
It was becoming a true strategic base.
I stepped back, observing this silent transformation, when Saé approached me.
Her gaze swept over the facilities, then returned to me, filled with obvious confusion.
"How do you have access to so many resources?"
Her question was direct.
I had suspected this would intrigue her. I turned my head slightly toward her.
"I could have kept it all," I replied calmly. "After defeating Imagawa, all of this was meant for me. But I made a choice. To share it all."
A brief silence fell after my words, quickly broken by Saé's expression.
She was smiling.
A sincere, almost natural smile, as if nothing I'd just said had surprised her.
I furrowed my brow slightly, intrigued by her reaction.
"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked her.
Saé didn't look away.
"Because I know you," she replied simply.
She crossed her arms slightly, her expression as serene as ever.
"I knew you'd act like this. You have strong morals. And after all the trust they've placed in you, you're not the type to abandon them just for rewards."
Her words were measured, confident.
Too confident.
As if she'd just drawn an obvious conclusion.
I looked at her for a few seconds, without answering right away. Then, finally, I let it slip, in a colder tone.
"You're wrong."
Her smile barely wavered.
"Unfortunately, that's not why I made that choice."
I finally broke the silence, without even bothering to soften my words.
"I received a quest," I said simply.
Saé tilted her head slightly, surprised by the turn my answer took.
"A quest?"
I nodded slightly.
"It told me to build solid trust within my group. And the most effective way to do that… was exactly this."
Her expression changed.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
I crossed my arms, watching from a distance as the clan members bustled about, now far more engaged than before.
"It's simple," I replied calmly. "With all these rewards, I've established a meritocracy."
I took the time to explain in detail.
"Only the most deserving can access the best resources. The most useful, the most decisive… are the ones who advance. All work deserves reward. And those who made a difference during this battle have already been rewarded accordingly."
Saé froze for a moment.
Surprised. Perhaps even unsettled by the cold logic of it all.
At that moment, footsteps sounded behind us.
Edano had just joined us.
I turned slightly toward Saé, my gaze more serious than before.
"You might find this unfair," I began.
"But in our old world, this system hardly exists anymore. Getting a job no longer really depends on merit," I continued. "You need connections. A network. The right people at the right time, and suddenly, doors open."
I let out a soft sigh.
"I took advantage of that myself. I was terrible at socializing. Talking to others scared me. And yet, I worked in an environment where everything depended on customer relations."
A brief silence.
"I certainly wasn't the most deserving, and yet I was hired at Yodobashi Camera thanks to my landlord. Not because of my skills. Not because of my efforts. Just… because of a connection."
Deep down, that realization had always left a mark on me. A strange feeling. The feeling of having moved forward without really deserving it.
"So in this new world, I want that to change."
My gaze swept across the camp, the men, the structures under construction.
"I want that system to exist again. But this time, for real."
A world where every effort had a reward.
"And that goes for you too," I added calmly. "Edano and you." "
My tone was measured.
"If you don't prove your worth, I won't be able to give you anything."
A silence fell.
Then Edano, who had only just arrived, let out a soft sigh, as if he had grasped the gist without needing to hear the entire discussion.
He nodded.
"I understand," he said simply. "I'll make myself useful."
His gaze shifted to Saé.
"You should do the same."
I remained silent for a few moments after Edano's words, watching the camp organize itself under this new dynamic.
Then, almost naturally, I continued.
"But this system isn't just for rewarding. It kills two birds with one stone."
Saé and Edano turned their attention back to me.
"In addition to creating a bond of trust between us, it also closes the door... On betrayal."
I crossed my arms, my gaze hardening slightly.
"Anyone who reports a teammate will inevitably be rewarded. "
The silence that followed was heavier than the previous ones.
This time, it was no longer about organization.
But about control.
"Under these conditions, betrayal became an unnecessary risk."
I let my words sink in.
In this world, loyalty wasn't born solely from bonds.
It could also be imposed.
I raised my head slightly, a thought crossing my mind.
Ryo Kanjo.
With a system like this, even he would have a hard time operating in the shadows. I can sleep soundly, without fearing that he'll try anything.
But at that very moment, a movement in the distance caught my attention.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
A group seemed to be stirring… No, fighting.
I focused my gaze more intently, and very quickly, I recognized them: Haru's group. The ones who had chosen not to take part in the battle.
"What did they end up doing?" I murmured to myself.
But deep down, an answer was already beginning to emerge.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
"Just as I expected…"
My gaze remained fixed on the scene in the distance.
"A first betrayal…" I murmured softly.
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.