I received an invitation to the memorial service of the Nova Family. Along with Sylvia, we headed towards the eastern domain of the Nova Family.

Everything was perfectly prepared.

From matching outfits and restaurant etiquette to gifts, I had everything ready.

What I didn’t expect was…

“It’s been a while since we traveled! This is fun! Jiren, my disciple!”
“Me too. It’s been a long time since we’ve all gone together, Master.”
“I… I’m nervous since it’s my first time.”
“Don’t worry, Sora. If any problems arise, Yuren will sort everything out. Hahaha!”

It was all thanks to the Master’s connections.
As soon as he heard that Sylvia and I were invited to the memorial service of Karuga Nova, he immediately said,
“You’re going to the Nova Family? I want to go too, my disciple!”
“Master, this is for a memorial service, not a trip.”

No matter how much the Master begged, I couldn’t give in to such stubbornness.
However, the Master then spoke with a serious expression.
“My disciple… I was a friend of Karuga.”
“…Really!?”

“It’s true. Go ahead, check it out!”
At the bombshell of the Master’s revelation, both Sylvia and I were left speechless.
Wasn’t Karuga a person from 500 years ago?
…But somehow, I thought it could be possible with the Master.

“Karuga was a man like a hero. He challenged me to teach him magic, and after fighting, we became friends.”

The Master gazed dreamily at the sky, lost in memories.
“The days we trained together were so joyful. When I later heard that Karuga saved the empire and then died, I was truly saddened.”

“By the way, why didn’t you mention that when you made the last Legend Fighter?”
“Because… there were circumstances.”

The Master averted his eyes from mine with a wistful glance.
It didn’t seem like a lie. Then…

“Master… you forgot, didn’t you?”
“Ah… No! I remember correctly! My disciple!!”

I had heard that elves sometimes have trouble remembering things due to their long lifespan.
I sighed and contacted the Nova Family.
A response came quickly.

“There is definitely a record! Our ancestor was friends with an elf. Our ancestor called that friend Ren. Could that Ren possibly be the sage Irene? This is truly fate!”
“Then can the Master attend as well?”
“Of course! It’s perfectly fine if several people come. Our Nova Family always welcomes the families of friends!!”

The eastern region continued to have warm weather and was a resort area by the sea.
Starting with the Master, one by one they decided to come, and before I knew it, half of the Irene School was on this grand journey.

“I’m sorry, Sylvia.”
“It’s okay. Yuren, I thought it felt too peaceful.”
It turned from a noble event to a family trip, and I felt very sorry for Sylvia, who had worked so hard to prepare.
But Sylvia didn’t seem too upset and chuckled as she said,
“And this suits us, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it does.”

In no time, Sylvia had completely become one with the Irene School.

*

“Wow…”
“The house is huge, Yuren Oppa!”

After two days of travel, what awaited us at the Nova Family was a massive mansion that looked like it was straight out of a Windows wallpaper, built upon a lush green field.

As we approached the mansion, many maids and servants had already come out to greet us, along with the current head of the Nova Family.
“Thank you for your hard work on your long journey, Yuren and Sylvia.”
“It’s nothing. We’re rather grateful for the hospitality of the esteemed Nova Family, Arga.”

A young man in his mid-thirties with blonde hair, he was Arga Nova, a descendant of Karuga Nova, who granted me the rights to use the name freely.
Arga was a fan of the games from the Irene School and had maintained a good relationship by continuously sending free invitations to game events in exchange for the name rights.

After greeting me, Arga turned to the Master.
“Thank you for coming such a long way for our ancestor, Sage Irene.”
“It’s nothing, Arga. I’m truly sorry for coming to see a friend so late.”

The Master accepted Arga’s greeting with a solemn demeanor, which was always hard for me to adjust to.
The serious mode of the Master never gets easier to deal with.

“The memorial service will begin tomorrow morning. Until then, please rest well. Rooms have been prepared for you in the annex.”

At Arga’s words, the maids and servants carried our luggage for us.
Once everyone was guided to the annex, Arga approached Sylvia and me.
“Yuren and Sylvia, please come this way.”

Following Arga’s guidance, Sylvia and I were led to his room.
As we entered the spacious room filled with blue light from the sun,
Arga suddenly transformed!

“Yuren! The game that just came out was really fun!”
“Th… thank you.”

I never got used to this.
Arga was quite the gaming enthusiast; once he lost focus on his surroundings, he would turn into a full-blown geek.
He pulled out a Crystal Ball from his desk drawer and handed it to me, saying,
“By the way, could you please sign this Thomas Kart Crystal Ball?”
“Of course.”

For the sake of the memorial of the Nova Family and for my fan, I signed it.
Then Arga pushed it towards Sylvia.
“Could you please sign here too, Sylvia?”

“Me too!?”
“Yes, I’m sure that a limited edition Thomas Kart with both your signatures a few years down the line will become a treasure that cannot be sold even if someone wanted it!”

Arga’s words surprised me as well.
We aren’t even dating, and suddenly he was talking about being a couple!?
“A couple collection!? Just…”
Sylvia seemed flustered as she turned red and waved her hands.
Seeing Arga’s disappointed expression, he said,
“If Sylvia doesn’t want to, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s not what I mean!! Give it here. Quick!!”

Both Arga and I flinched at Sylvia’s sudden intensity, and she finally signed the Thomas Kart.
What’s the big deal about signing?
Anyway, after a brief comedic interlude, we got down to business.

“Thank you for coming to my ancestor’s memorial service along with Irene. The Nova Family will remember this kindness.”
Sylvia and I didn’t simply accept the invitation from the Nova Family for personal connections.
We had come to make a request utilizing the empire’s custom of not turning down requests made during family events.

“Actually, there’s something I would like to request, Arga.”
“Since it’s a request from Yuren, of course, I’ll oblige. Just tell me what it is.”
“Actually…”

The reason Sylvia and I came all the way to the east was to stabilize the magic of the roots of the World Tree so that we could complete the network.
The World Tree Network wasn’t stable yet.
There were some issues with the magic of the eastern roots, and it was necessary to stabilize it and set up the magical circuit suitable for game play.
The problem was that cooperation from the Nova Family, the overseers of the eastern World Tree roots, was also very necessary.

After listening to my explanation, Arga nodded seriously.

“Indeed.”
“Are you okay with that?”
Arga seemed to ponder over something.
What could he possibly want with such a serious expression?

After finishing his thoughts, Arga spoke.
“However, I have something I want to ask as well.”
“Are you referring to a service fee?”

“No, not money… would you happen to have a moment after the memorial service tomorrow?”
The sudden request for time startled both Sylvia and me, but we nodded.
“We are fine with that.”
“Then I will tell you then. It’s late now, so please rest well and we can discuss it tomorrow.”

And so the conversation came to an end, and the next day arrived.
On the day of the memorial service, many nobles visited, and the event commenced.
The ceremony itself wasn’t anything special.
Arga read a grand eulogy, and participants offered white flowers at Karuga’s portrait to conclude the event.
However, I couldn’t help but want to hear some stories about Karuga from the Master, who looked troubled during the event.

As the ceremony ended, Sylvia, I, and the rest of our Irene family all followed Arga.
At first, I intended to go alone, but as they say, the more the merrier, and so we all followed.
Arga led us to a garden-like forest maze behind the mansion.

What is this place?
“This is our Nova Family’s training ground. In this forest-like area, we trained to fend off surprise attacks from our masters.”
So they trained to prepare for sudden assaults, huh?
I didn’t have experience with it, but I could guess what kind of training it might entail.

“And now it’s used as a survival game area.”
“…Wait, did you just say survival?”
I doubted my ears at that moment.
Arga opened a box at the entry of the training ground.
Inside, there were magical tools shaped like guns, and as Arga examined them, he confirmed,
“I want you, Yuren, to create a game called ‘Gun Survival’ that all empire gamers can play. That is my request.”
“What!?”

I was being asked to develop a gun game (FPS) in another world!