AN: Sometimes, the different contributors will use different terms for the same thing (like Novasphere Pioneers instead of Homesteading the Noosphere) or different spelling variations for the same names (Rundelhous or Rundelhaus; Theldesia or Serdesea).
Thanks to all the different translations, I can't say there is only one correct name unless the source is definite (Krusty is named after the Simpsons' character; Hamelin is a reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin). If the differences in terms used is too confusing or jarring, let me know; I can start editing everything to a single standard.
2.1 (Detective Ethan Redfield)
It was uncommon that Shiroe would awaken prior to the release date of Novasphere Pioneers expansion. Once, he awoke just as he was buying the game. During that loop, he organized a ban on Elder Tales and started rumors about how easily it was to hack another person's account and steal their personal information. Unfortunately, the campaign succeeded. The moment Elder Tales' servers shut down, he found himself in Eiken.
Shiroe had learned his lesson and now he found himself once again at the corner game store, buying a copy of Elder Tales. This time, he would do something different.
The last thing she remembered, Shiroe had convinced Rundelhaus Code to join his guild, Log Horizon, and had been returning to their strategic command at Midraunt Equestrian Park. Moments later, she opened her eyes to Akihabara on the Day of the Apocalypse, male once again, with strange changes to her status screen.
Eventually, she met up with Shiroe again, but he was different this time around. The tactician held two rapiers on either of his hips, one made of Adamantine that appeared forged in dragon fire. The other was windforged by the Fae creatures and bestowed with the ability to bind its prey. His species was even changed to the Wolf Hair Tribe. Hopefully, he had one hell of an explanation.
2.2.a (Detective Ethan Redfield)
Akatsuki looked at the orange-colored appearance-changing potion with disdain. Shiroe couldn't blame her. "Have you tried mixing in a painkiller potion?"
The girl nodded. "I don't have a high enough Alchemy subclass."
Shiroe sighed. Having used that potion a couple times himself when looping as villains, the effects make you feel like all your bones are breaking at once. Shiroe had some minor skill in Alchemy after studying under Snape, but only enough to make him level 30. Finding a painless version of that potion was another project to work on in addition to his Elder Tales Encyclopedia. He'd be busy for quite a few loops, it seemed.
2.2.b (Detective Ethan Redfield)
"Akatsuki?"
"Yes, Milord?"
"Would you mind trying this?"
The female ninja took a look at the potion, then downed it in a single gulp. Her body grew numb and her bones crunched for a few minutes; then the numbness faded. She looked to Shiroe, who had a rueful expression. "Back to the drawing board."
The ninja looked to the mirror and paled, "Shiroe, why am I a Fox Tail?"
"Akatsuki, would you mind trying this?"
The ninja took the potion and gave it a dubious look. A few minutes later after drinking the potion, her eyes twitched in irritation at Shiroe, who had gone pale in terror. The male ninja drew his tanto and lunged at Shiroe.
"Akatsuki-"
"Yes, yes. give me the potion already. You can't do worse than making me a man again," she grunted in frustration. This time, her bones did not crunch, but rather her body gave off light until she was a bright as the sun. Moments later, the light faded and her eyes opened. Shiroe's mouth was gaping… Not a good sign. She turned to the mirror, and squeaked. A navy blue Pegasus with purple eyes looked back with a bewildered expression. Shiroe pulled out a notebook, "So adding unicorn horn and a some horse tail will-"
A hoof slammed into his face, sending him flying across the room.
2.3
Amidst a forest of trees that reached for the clouds, Akatsuki darted through the air. One Gust Step took her through a patch of sunlight that had filtered through the canopy. Still in midair, she waited the precious moment it took for the skill to recharge, then adapted her stance to activate the skill again. Pushing against the wide trunk of another tree, she kicked off into the air.
A few days' travel by horseback away from any Adventurer city, she was the only human around for kilometers. The small Lander town where she spent her nights did not have anyone high-leveled enough to survive long off the road. In Elder Tales, it would have been a staging point for quests. She was filling what requests of theirs she could anyways. It was only polite, and it did not inconvenience her.
Back in Akiba, she had told Shiroe, "I plan to go out to the mountains to train alone, my lord. I may be gone for the rest of the loop."
"Planning to sit under waterfalls and fight bears?" he had joked. More seriously, he had added, "Please keep in touch, Akatsuki-san. If you need me, I will go to you."
It had left her feeling simultaneously warm and ashamed: warm that he cared, ashamed that she might not be strong enough to survive on her own.
It was not a rational feeling. Even at level 90 or beyond, some monsters required at least a party of six to defeat; the most difficult required a full raid, 16 parties. A level 90 Adventurer could not expect to come away alive from soloing a level 90 party boss.
A Looper, however, could surpass all limits. This could not be done while playing as a normal Adventurer; EXP gain stopped at level 100, the Adventurer's level cap. But a Looper could break that by applying "experience" from previous loops.
Neither Shiroe nor Akatsuki preferred to live that way. Others could see one's level on their status screen. A high level only meant questions and suspicion from Landers and other Adventurers both. Besides, though the experience was justly earned, using it felt like exploiting a glitch in a game.
Akatsuki was training in the mountains, still at level 90, because she was searching for a different sort of strength.
Even deep in thought, her body continued to move. She automatically calculated the best route and worked towards her goal. No monsters had appeared yet. She jumped to another branch as her mind worked on other issues.
From what Akatsuki had learned of loops, the Theldesia loop had unusual quirks. Not only were two worlds involved in the loop, but the loop had an unstable length. While it frequently began on the eve of the Catastrophe, sometimes it instead started right after the transition instead. Sometimes it began much earlier than that, months or years in advance.
Compared to that, the endings had much more predictability. The most common ending dates, according to Shiroe, were just after the invasion of the Sand Leaf Peninsula was repelled or just after the Libra Festival. Living one baseline-variety loop to the latter end had led Akatsuki to her current state.
Akatsuki stopped to rest on one branch, checking her surroundings more thoroughly with her enhanced Tracker senses. The bark beneath her hands felt rough and chilled compared to her blood-warmed body.
She pushed off. There was still time before she reached her destination.
Akatsuki called Shiroe her lord and swore to serve him, but she honestly felt that even the baseline Minori did a better job of it simply by helping Shiroe with paperwork. Akatsuki had no skill at that or at planning as Shiroe did. Even following his orders dutifully, she often did not understand his requests until after he reached his goal.
She called herself a ninja, but her combat ability could not be called top tier. Her equipment and skills also lacked the edge that others had, as she had never participated in any raid and earned the rare drops they gave. In truth, she was quite average in terms of equipment and her skills' levels because of that.
Akatsuki could not do much about those at the moment. Either she would save up on her own for better Production-class equipment, or she would do raids in a loop with an early enough start date. However, she could work on something important that could not be done in the game.
As she used Gust Step again and again, part of her concentration focused on the feel of the mana in her body. Not being from a magical class, the effort involved was not inconsiderable. Trying to focus on the minute changes was like trying to see grains of sand through a foggy glass.
She refused to give up.
Before the end of the loop, Akatsuki vowed to learn at least one Overskill and ideally several. Like Shiroe's use of a contract to change a Lander into an Adventurer, Akatsuki would develop her own unique skills.
She heard the sounds of large, noisy animals. They were still at a distance. She used Gust Step again, thinking back to something Shiroe had told her.
He had said, "It's easy for some of the races to forget that we aren't Earth humans anymore. Our stats can easily take us beyond that of a Terran. Then, we have skills that take us even further than our stats.
"But how much further can we improve if we try? If we really learn to use the power in our bodies, physical and magical, instead of relying upon the skills of our race and class?" He had scratched at his cheek sheepishly. "It's something to think about, though . Why, are you interested?"
Why wouldn't she be interested? Akatsuki wanted Shiroe to be able to depend on her.
Most Adventurers created an Overskill through combining combat and sometimes non-combat skills in new ways, reinforced with real-world fighting skills or occasionally near-instinctive mana manipulation. Akatsuki had first thought that Overskills were all about expertise. That wasn't completely wrong.
But, more than that, Overskills were about being boring, about using the basics in ways that were obvious to anyone that saw beyond the cage of game logic. Low-level Adventurers invented new Overskills all of the time, as when Rundelhous controlled the strength of his fireballs. Only a high-level player had the conceit to call such an action an Overskill.
Relying solely on herself in an area full of level 80 and above enemies, Akatsuki had no choice but to throw her familiar habits away. If she did not learn, did not adapt, it would only be a matter of time before she awoke back in the cathedral.
Akatsuki looked down. She had reached her destination. A swift mountain river rushed through the trees. Mobs called Larcenous Chitters, black squirrel-like creatures wearing belts, bags, and swords, darted through the branches between her and the ground. There had to be over two dozen of the meter-long - not including the luxurious tail - tree rodents, and all were level 85.
The battle ahead would depend on speed. She drew her kodachi and unleashed an Accel Fang on the closet Chitter.
The link between her mana and her movements became a little clearer with every battle.
For Shiroe and for herself, she would win.
2.4
"Are you sure leaving Naotsugu in Akiba was a good idea, my lord?" Akatsuki asked from behind Shirou as their gryphon beat its wings through the sky. Shiroe had given her a gryphon flute from a previous loop, but she had not wanted to ride separately.
Shiroe threw a reassuring look over his shoulder. "Almost certainly. He's done well helping Maryelle before. If he follows my instructions and keeps in contact, the situation in Akiba will improve and stabilize."
Akatsuki looked at him like a specimen under a microscope. It made him sweat. "You have neglected important details," she concluded. "My lord, you do not plan to return to Akiba this loop, do you?"
Shiroe winced slightly. He knew he should have said that earlier. She could read him well despite all of the loops he had lived without her. He admitted, "Not for quite some time."
Because she trusted him, Akatsuki asked no further questions. "Understood, my lord."
Shiroe stayed quiet for a few minutes. "...Akatsuki?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"Could you just call me 'Shiroe'?"
Akatsuki's face went blank.
Hastily, Shiroe clarified, "At least when it's just the two of us? You have a very long life ahead of you now, and I don't want you to see yourself as indebted to me for its entirety. I need a friend more than I need a follower."
Her cheeks burned red.
What had he said to make her mad? "Sorry, you can call me whatever you want."
Akatsuki buried her face in Shiroe's back. Her shoulders were shaking. Shiroe worried until he realized that she was trying to hold in laughter.
After she regained enough control to sit up straight again, she met his eyes with a soft smile. "If that is how you feel, I do not mind using 'Shiroe'."
Shiroe, finding himself suddenly unable to speak, nodded and turned away. If his face appeared slightly flushed, it could be blamed on the wind.
If one had the money to buy the guild center, the cathedral, and the markets, making a criminal organization come in line could be extraordinarily easy.
As Shiroe had explained to Demikas earlier, "It's pretty simple. If you don't clean up your act, living here will be made thoroughly unpleasant. If you continue to misbehave, you get banned from the cathedral. Do you want to test what that does to your ability to resurrect?"
Within a day of their arrival, Shiroe and Akatsuki had become the de facto rulers of Susukino. Nyanta and Serara had been sent back to Akiba through a Fairy Ring route that Shiroe had plotted out for them.
Back in Akiba, Naotsugu and the Crescent Moon Alliance had organized the guilds into the Round Table Council and were already working out plans for mob population control, outreach to the Landers, and new experiments with crafting.
All Shiroe had to concentrate on was reforming the thick-headed PK guild of Brigandia. They had the potential to be good people, really; they had just let the lack of apparent consequences send them on a power trip.
At present, Demikas was staring at Shiroe like he had just grown another head. "You… What? Landers? You want me to go protect their village?"
Shiroe leaned back, casually signaling Akatsuki to take the lead of the conversation. Dealing with petite women who could kick his ass threw Demikas off balance.
In a quiet tone that still sounded extraordinarily threatening, Akatsuki said, "As you are entirely too deep in denial to admit that the Landers are as alive as we are, perhaps you should think of it as a quest with tangible rewards. The Landers will supply us with what we need if we keep the mobs away from them. If you lose the supply line or hurt the Landers, my lord Shiroe will be very unhappy with you.
"If Shiroe is unhappy with you," Akatsuki continued with absolute politeness, "I will regretfully ensure that you empathize."
Shiroe used that opening to re-enter the conversation. "I am sure we won't have that problem, Akatsuki. After all, aren't you going to travel with them to be on hand if they need help?"
Akatsuki nodded. "That is so." Her smile was, perhaps, less than comforting.
2.5
Akatsuki stabbed the wild boar and stared at the result with a bemused scrunch of her brows.
"What? This is no longer a game. So why did it do that?" Akatsuki exclaimed, pointing at the dissipating puff of smoke that had replaced the animal. Items and gold fell to the ground where it had been, and then a menu notification popped up informing her what she had earned. When she touched it, the items and gold disappeared; they had been automatically placed in her inventory.
Shiroe sighed. "I thought so. It's one of those loops," he replied while checking something in his own menu. "This is a variant that happens occasionally. While the world is still real, some parts are treated more like a game. You might have noticed you don't actually need to wear your Magical Bag of Holding; the inventory system's mechanics work more like that of the subspace pocket. Also, the drops are granted almost exactly like they were in the MMO."
Akatsuki contemplatively rested her chin on a fist. "That sounds convenient. It's nice to not have to butcher out kills ourselves." She had become very proficient at it, but it remained a bloody, unpleasant job.
Wearing a small grimace, Shiroe shook his head. "Ah, it's not really."
"Because…?"
"In other loops, an experienced hunter can gain more meat and useful parts by doing the work by hand. Also, this makes the subspace pocket and inventory a little," he pressed his thumb and forefinger together lightly, "too similar to be automatically differentiated."
Akatsuki shivered as a chill traveled up her spine despite the warm sunlight shining into the clearing. Flatly, she said, "That means that we might drop items from our subspace pocket if we get killed, doesn't it."
Shiroe nodded.
"There's no way to prevent it?" Akatsuki persisted in asking.
"There is," Shiroe responded to her relief, "but," and the relief vanished, "it takes some mental gymnastics and you can never be sure if you are doing them correctly until you die and nothing drops."
She cursed. "In other words, don't get killed?"
"Don't get killed," he agreed.
"Good job," Shiroe said mildly as they walked through the guild center, "but did you have to do that?"
Akatsuki - after looking about herself to make sure Henrietta was not in the area - radiated innocent ignorance. "I have no idea what you mean, my lord. My attempt at separating my subspace pocket from my inventory clearly failed."
"And so what you dropped was..?"
"Life deciding to give the bastards what they deserved," she replied without pity, standing straight with her hands clasped behind her back. The PKers had been targeting some kids barely older than Touya and Minori.
"Hm." Shiroe held back a laugh. "That does explain the volatile explosive," he acknowledged.
"Did they drop anything decent?" Akatsuki inquired as if discussing nothing of consequence.
PKers rarely had decent equipment. Artifact-class items could not be removed from the possession of their first user; Phantasmal-class drops automatically tied themselves to their finder. With PKing able to steal Production-class equipment at best, many had derided PKers as useless parasites even before the Catastrophe.
Though her 'killers' had reached level 90, Akatsuki did not expect they had anything that would have impressed her even in the baseline.
"Actually, they did." Shiroe gave a small, smug smile.
At her raised eyebrows, he explained, "Nothing we could use, but I found a group of kids nearby who appreciated them."
2.6
Shiroe Awoke in a mansion of some sort, holding an elegant silver tray with a bowl of soup upon it. A sickly teenaged girl rested in a bed before hand.
He checked to see if he could open his menu screen. It did not appear. However, he could still feel his powers, as he could if he were still on Earth.
A fused loop was the most likely explanation.
The girl looked at him with open concern. "Klahadore? Are you all right?"
Shiroe blinked and drug up his in-loop memories. He was Klahadore, a butler to a young orphan named Kaya. But Klahadore was actually an evil, cruel, and murderous pirate captain named Kuro who was trying to steal Kaya's fortune.
Shiroe wasn't interested in following through at all.
He carefully set the tray down. With a slight bow, he said, "I have something to admit to you, Miss Kaya."
The head of Usopp, the village idiot, popped up in the window. The boy wielded a slingshot. "Kaya! You have to get away from him! He's a pirate!" Usopp exclaimed, shooting a smoke bomb at Shiroe. As he fired, Shiroe thought Usopp said, "Shit, he's not-"
Shiroe reflexively countered with a Pulse Bullet spell, striking the smoke bomb with a small orb of magic and knocking it back out the window. Both Kaya and Usopp stared at him with hanging jaws.
Apparently, having strange abilities in this world was a pretty good indication of someone's status as a pirate; Kaya pulled her blankets closer around her in fear. "Klahadore, is it true?"
"Ack, I was wrong!" flailed Usopp. "Sorry, I'd just Awoken, and I mistook you for someone else." He paused. "Er. You aren't a bad guy, are you?"
Shiroe rethought the explanation that he had been about to give. This world seemed to deal well with the ludicrous, from what he could remember. "No, I am not," he replied easily. "Don't worry about it. I understand how confusing Awakening can make the world. I feel as clumsy as an Anchor just about every time."
Kaya shot Shiroe a bewildered look, though Usopp looked relieved. Kaya asked, "Then why do you have Devil Fruit powers?"
Shiroe shook his head. "No, that was magic," he said bluntly.
Kaya's eyes widened. "Really?" she squeaked while Usopp gave him a look of warning.
"Yes," Shiroe confirmed. Then he spun his story. "You see, I am an Enchanter from a world called Theldesia. One day, an unexpected event transported me to this one. I did not want to attract the attention of either pirates or the Marines with my powers, and in the end your father was kind enough to hire me on as a butler."
Usopp relaxed as Shiroe's half-truth skirted any hints of time travel.
"I have finally given up on finding a way home." Shiroe grimaced as he spoke. "I am told I bear an unfortunate resemblance to a supposedly executed pirate captain. Not everyone is convinced he is truly dead, which would explain Usopp's worry on your behalf."
Kaya had released her death grip on her covers. She looked at Usopp gratefully. "Oh, Usopp," she sighed, "that was brave of you." She looked at him sternly. "If he had been a real pirate, you could have gotten hurt!"
"Um, well," Usopp said lamely, blushing and looking down at the ground.
Kaya turned her gaze to Shiroe. "So you aren't a bad person."
Shiroe nodded.
"And… you are really a magician?" she hesitantly asked.
In response, Shiroe materialized a sorcerer's staff in his hand. He performed a courtly bow. "Shirogane Kei Shiroe, at your service," he said, purposefully changing his name to be more in line with the world's standard. "Please, call me Shiroe."
Later, Shiroe had made his excuses to Kaya and searched for Usopp. The other was waiting for him not far from the mansion.
"You look different," Usopp noted with surprise.
Shiroe nodded. His hair had returned to its usual messy hairstyle and slightly different features. "I took an appearance-changing potion. I don't want to look anything like the man I replaced. I could do without that baggage."
"Can't blame you there." He rubbed his head. "So, I'm Usopp of the One Piece loops. Our Anchor is Luffy. Nice to meet you."
"I am Shiroe, the Anchor of the Elder Tales loops. I'll be in your care." He gave Usopp a friendly nod. "Do you have any advice?"
Usopp crossed his arms. "Never heard of that loop. Huh. You being an Anchor means that ours might not be around. First thing's first, we wait around until your - er, Kuro's - pirate crew shows up and take them out. Afterwards..." Usopp tilted his head as he thought. "I'm not used to Kuro being good. What you should do next… Hey, how about you join my pirate crew?"
Shiroe hadn't expected that. "What."
Shiroe clung to the mast of the Going Merry as it surged up Reverse Mountain.
Straw hat firmly held to his head, Luffy stood on the prow, guffawing loudly. "Hey, Shiroe!" he called back, "you ready to do it?"
Carefully peeling one arm off the wood, Shiroe gave Luffy a thumbs up.
"Ha, awesome!" Luffy cheered.
Someone else groaned, "Oh, no." It might have been Nami.
With his free hand, Shiroe planted his staff into the deck of the Going Merry. Then he hit the ship with a pre-planned selection of defense spells. For the next few minutes, the ship would not break; the crew would stay safely attached to the deck.
Finally, Shiroe unleashed as many different movement buffs as he knew, and Luffy did something Shiroe couldn't quantify.
The ship broke the sound barrier.
"SONIC MERRY-BOOM!" Luffy roared in exultation as the ship shot into the sky. Most of the others' shouts were considerably less joyous.
Part of Shiroe could not help but think, 'I'm weak against that sort of personality, aren't I?' The rest of him simply enjoyed the view for the few moments it lasted.
Afterward, one could say his heart felt light: they experienced momentary weightlessness as they plummeted down towards the Grand Line.
2.7 (Detective Ethan Redfield; inspired by idea by Wyldehorse)
Hamelin had to go. It was a blighted guild that stained Akiba, and it had to be removed every single loop. Certainly, if he had 5 million gold in his account, he would often buy up the guild building and immediately ban every member of Hamelin from entry. Other times, he'd buy up the cathedral and go assassin's creed on them. Of course, he wouldn't leave them dead. Upon getting the last member of Hamelin, he would allow them access for just long enough to kick them out of town upon resurrection. If they returned, he'd make it permanent...for that loop anyway.
This time he wanted to try something different. Black Knight Isaac sat across a table from the "new" player Shiroe had created just for that loop. He was a Werecat Cleric, with a merchant level of 90. The knight looked at Shiroe and smirked, "Your invitation intrigued me, since you sent me enough EXP pots for every member of my guild. I assume you want a trade agreement?"
Shiroe nodded, "I am aware that you buy EXP pots from the guild Hamelin. I began playing Elder Tales 8 years ago. Since then, I have built up my supply of EXP pots, never having used one and further buying every spare pot I could obtain from every player and now have a sizable stock. I wish to start selling it exclusively to you. Furthermore, I will undercut Hamelin's prices by a sizable margin."
Isaac gave a nasty grin, "Interesting. Tell me then, why would you buy so many EXP pots and never do anything with them?"
Shiroe deadpanned, "I've lived through the Apocalypse once in the form of a time loop, and I knew 8 years ago that the game would evolve into an entire world where EXP pots were rare. I could then sell them at a premium and make a killing."
Isaac barked a laugh, "Well, if you want to keep the reason why, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth."
Shiroe shrugged, "Ok, here's the truth. Gathering EXP pots was a hobby since I'm a pack rat. I always turned a profit and leveled up my Merchant skills, but was never truly interested in fighting. Also, I bought the pots from other players since...I kinda always thought of it as cheating. It's like taking steroids for a baseball game."
Isaac's eyes narrowed, "So what changed that made you start selling your inventory?"
Shiroe's glasses gleamed for a moment, "Three reasons. First, the Apocalypse made it necessary that the combat guilds grow stronger. But you don't know if the next time you die at the cathedral you will respawn. You'll need all the advantages you can get, and I want to escape this world one day. Who knows if the guardian system will hold up forever."
Black glasses held up two fingers, "Second, I hear rumors about Susukino from some of my friends up there. The guild, Brigandia, is tearing the city apart, destroying stands in the street, breaking bars and inns, and finally PKing players as they attempt to flee the city. I wish protection in case something similar occurs in Akiba."
A third finger rose, "Finally, I know Hamelin is holding new members of Elder Tales in their guild hostage, taking their EXP pots and selling it to your guild and other players. I wish this to end."
Isaac frowned, "How do you plan on doing this?"
Shiroe smirked, "Hamelin takes the players out for raids for crafting materials. I want you to PK their players and protect the new players as they quit their guild. This will cut them off from access to their source."
Isaac scoffed as he rose from his seat, "Why should I care? Hamelin would have a never-ending supply, while you'll eventually run out-"
Shiroe held out five fingers, "I have a stock exceeding 100,000 EXP pots by a large margin. Hamelin has up to 30 new players trapped in their guild hall. Tell me, would you rather have your entire guild able to be levelling up for a year, or only 30? Do the math, 30 EXP pots a day for a year is under 11,000 EXP pots, and I have well over 100,000 right now."
With that logic, Isaac returned to his seat. Shiroe knew he had Isaac's support. Even now, Akatsuki was organizing a similar deal with D.D.D. Hamelin soon collapsed under the weight of two guilds hunting their organization to the ground. Whenever they left the city, they would be PKed on sight. Players that bought supplies from Hamelin were targeted as well by lesser PKers. Soon, no one would buy from them, and they were forced to disband and leave Akiba.
2.8 (inspired by idea by Wyldehorse)
Shiroe tapped his quill against the page. His habit of stuffing the contents of his inventory into his subspace pocket had built up an excess of his highest quality ink and paper supplies; not every loop reached a point where a special contract was required. He could make a few stacks of the contract now.
It still wasn't enough to grant Adventurer status to even an entire city, not if he did it on an individual basis.
His countenance brightened as he had an idea. It was untested, but his Looper menu itself proved that such things had malleability.
The League of Freedom Cities Eastal, the zone in which Akiba was located, was formed of 24 different fiefdoms: city-states with noble families who ruled over the surrounding areas.
The nobles had a few regularly scheduled gatherings at the zone known as the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice. Currently, they were in the middle of a meeting in regards to incorporating Akiba. Shiroe, Krusty, and Michitaka, as members of the Round Table Council of Akiba, served as the ambassadorial party.
Before the meeting, Shiroe had discussed his plans with the Round Table Council. They had questioned whether such an action was truly possible and whether it was a good idea, but in the end had supported his decision. He had built up goodwill with how he had brought Akiba out of its depression and handled situations such as mob population control.
They were calling him 'the Black-Hearted Hero' this loop. Hearing the epithet embarrassed him somewhat, but his reputation served him well in political situations.
Now, the nobles reacted to the offer he had put before them.
There was disbelief and clamoring chaos. They quieted down when Sergead, the aging Duke of Maihama and current head of the League, stood up. He did not need his mantle or crown to impress his regal nobility upon the room.
"Explain your claim. We must know what you are offering," he told Shiroe.
Shiroe stood in response and bowed slightly. "It is as I said. I possess the power to bestow the status of 'Adventurer' on Landers by contract. It requires such rare ink and paper that I am the only known Scribe with access to such supplies.
"However, because of the nature of the status, Landers can only receive the benefits if they draw on the authority of one who is already an Adventurer. Individual contracts would be effective, but I do not have enough supplies for the entire nobility."
That was a lie, but no one else had to know.
"If I write a new treaty or constitution binding the League to Akiba in friendship, and if the leader of each city agrees to sign it, then I can make every single Lander in Eastal into an Adventurer.
"The benefits are obvious, and the terms are negotiable. The choice is up to you."
The next loop, Akatsuki was Awake. "I think I'm going to take a break this loop. Can you handle things?" he asked after she finished drinking her potion.
"Certainly." Knowing Shiroe as she did, she had to ask, "What did you do last loop to bring about this exhaustion?"
Shiroe rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I ended up turning Eastal into a constitutional oligarchy and ended up its first prime minister." He laughed awkwardly.
She stared at him, and then moved towards the door. "I am off to Susukino," stated Akatsuki levelly. "Please apply yourself to doing absolutely nothing, or else you may accidentally conquer the world."
Chapter Notes
2.1: Shiroe has class. *stupid pun*
2.2: He deserved that.
2.3: Take one looping Akatsuki, add canonical character development, and stir.
2.4: Quest Complete. Relationship (Akatsuki): +1 Closeness. New Base: Susukino.
2.5: NHK worked hard to reduce violence in the anime. Good job, NHK; now more kids want to buy the novels.
2.6: One Piece fused loop. Shiroe replaces a villain with glasses who makes intricate long-term plans. That doesn't sound like him at all, right?
2.7: Not the easiest way to do it, but hurrah for karmic vengeance.
2.8: The perils of paperwork.