As far as I was aware, most of the people hung pictures of their ancestors on the wall like that. In the case of kings or rulers, they represented their 'Family Tree' like that. However, they would use a different room for that purpose and not the king's chamber—the courtroom where multiple discussions and decisions took place.
Then again, those pictures hanging behind the king's throne weren't his ancestors—nor was it his 'Family Tree'.
There were six individuals—players, to be precise—with their names engraved in gold, followed by their in-game statuses.
First of all, it was a random dude that I hardly bothered looking at. The second image, however, snatched my attention.
I was before the ruler of the fourteenth heaven, yet I deliberately ignored him and continued looking at the golden-framed image.
It was a girl—probably around the same age as I in real life, with majestically sleek silvery hair. They were shiny and half of it was bound in a soft bun while the remaining hair formed long strands that waved, alluring its beauty to a divine extent.
Her crimson eyes were no exception. They had a solemn look. It appeared as if she was devoted to a specific person and wouldn't care for anyone else.
The image showed her wearing a non-combat-type long dress—white and reminiscent of an empress's gown with celestial and ethereal looks. The crimson gemstone on her ears and the waist belt added more glaze to her attire.
Her appearance was as if designed to represent royalty and divinity at the same time. Her graceful presence gleamed with elegance as well.
I was captivated just by looking at her image.
However, there was something about this image that bothered me. Her appearance was surprisingly familiar to me.
Could it be…
As I looked at her details, which were written in golden letters just beneath the image, my speculations were confirmed.
It has to be her.
There was no one in the game with an I.A. of 99.8
I didn't expect her to make her avatar look exactly like she does in real life. Color me surprised.
Yes, that was her. It was definitely my childhood friend who persuaded me to play this MMORPG.
It was Satone Shirakawa.
Although the in-game name was Yannri, I could tell it was her. It had to be her. I was sure of it.
As I said before, she was one of the six conquerors in this game and had the highest score of all time.
The status and title were also sufficient for confirmation.
It was detailed as follows…
Name: Yannri
Level: Maxed Out
Title: Conqueror of the Divine Existence
Job: Heaven Sovereign
Class: Deiform
Sub-Class: Sorceress
Ascendency Index: 99.8
'She has achieved so much.' I thought as I smiled proudly.
"Zanthrix…"
"Uh?"
I was so moved by Satone's influence that I forgot I was still in the courtroom. If it wasn't for Shika who called out to me, I might have offended the king.
Oh…or did I already offend him? His face was slightly bitter as he cleared his throat before saying.
"I take it the 'Conquerors' Hall of Fame' left such an impression on you that you now deem me unworthy of your attention?" He said to me, not arrogantly like most of the rulers would do in those fantasy worlds in a novel or anime. He said it with a feigned expression of emotionally getting hurt. "I concede—they are indeed worthy of admiration. However, as you now stand before me, I would ask that you grant this king a measure of priority. I might have taken offense, had it not been Miss Yuukina who sent you."
I was responsible for not giving him much attention. I knew what to do in this situation as if I were in front of a real king—and I did.
"I humbly apologize for my rude behavior." I replied, bowing slightly and continuing, "I had no intention of ignoring you, Your Majesty. I couldn't help but be captivated by the accolades behind you."
"Rest assured, warrior of Miss Yuukina, you have no reason to worry. I hold no delusions of standing equal to the Conquerors—no ruler does. That is the purpose this Hall of Fame was built upon. I gather this is your first time setting foot within royal walls?"
"And why do you think that, Your Majesty?"
"Had you visited any royal palace before now, you would have already witnessed their legacy. Each palace houses a Hall of Fame within the king's chamber, established to honor the Conquerors. It's no surprise your attention was drawn to it."
"I see." I nodded, hiding the fact that I was distracted by Satone's face and not the hall of fame itself. "I was just wondering why the Hall of Fame is established in the king's chamber?"
"A fine question, indeed," he said with a gentle smile. "The answer is simple. It is to revere them, and to set them as beacons of inspiration for future adventurers—so that one day, they too might rise to such heights. And when they do, they shall be honored in the very same way."
I smiled gently as I nodded to his statement. This was what surely would motivate the other players to achieve the same honor. But in my case, it was different.
It served as a source of information for me. Now I knew whom to find in this MMORPG. Besides, that had been my initial goal as well—to find Satone who might give me some updates on my IRL situation until I successfully log out.
I looked at her one more time.
Then I was baffled the next moment.
Seeing Satone there brought me a quiet sense of joy, and I found myself so absorbed that I paid little attention to the portrait beside hers.
The avatar was customized differently. It appeared to be a high school girl wearing a black sailor uniform. Her black hair—kept in a bob-cut, and scarlet eyes were cute. It wasn't someone that I was familiar with.
However, the in-game name and the way she was holding the M81A2-T—an advanced tactical sniper rifle with a built-in thermal scope, forced me to think of a certain someone. Her posture and the way she held the sniper rifle on her shoulder with the idol-looking bright smile….
It can't be!
It can't be her!
When did she begin playing ADC?
When did she max out with an I.A. of 95.6?
When did she achieve the title: Conqueror of the Unseen Era?
When did she unlock the class: Technomancer?
When did she acquire the Job: Mecha Sovereign?
When did she get the sub-class: Mechanomia?
I pondered… and continued pondering. I let myself be lost in the pool of thoughts.