Chapter 614 - Game Changer's Return
"Ugh, that was tough…"
I returned to the mansion's backyard, but stumbled and sat down abruptly.
Perhaps because of the incredible distance of the transfer, my MP consumption was insane, dropping below 10%.
"Shou-kun?!"
"Woof!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks, Lupi."
Lupi, who had leaped at me, gave me [Mana Aid], and I recovered. I felt a little calmer.
Leda and Roy looked at me with worried eyes, and Raz, who had scrambled onto my shoulder, nuzzled my cheek.
"Coo~…"
"Sorry, sorry."
It couldn't be helped that she wasn't there, but it would have been better to bring Raz along too, I thought.
I'll reflect on that later, but before that, I needed to report to Azure-san.
"Azure-san. I'm back on the island."
"Good work! We've secured the [Transfer Magic Circle] here, so Geira is gathering people to help with the rescue. Leave the rest to us~."
"Thank you. And about that…"
I explained what had happened in the Control Room.
Especially, I wanted him to inform the people helping with the rescue that there were disguised demons.
"Understood. I'll relay it as information from the Dragonfolk~."
"Yes. Then, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yeah. Thanks~."
My work is done, I guess?
One more thing I was curious about was,
"Argenta-san, Emeraldia-san, what's the situation on your end?"
"Shou-sama. Emeraldia has found Sabana-sama and is escorting her."
"Eh? Oh, no, that's good."
"I apologize. Emeraldia seemed hesitant to report…"
Ah, I see.
Emeraldia-san would escort Sabana-san until the rescue team arrived, and then return to my island.
That was perfectly fine, but…
"Is Sabana-san with you right now?"
"No. I am already flying towards your location."
Oh, good.
Well, there was no hiding that the Dragonfolk had moved, so it was fine as long as my presence at the site wasn't revealed.
And then…
"Do you know what happened with Club President's meeting?"
"Um, it ended without resolution, still adjourned. Club President and the others logged out, saying they'd leave the rest to others, and are waiting in the clubroom."
"Roger."
Alright, I'll log out too.
Standing up and returning to the mansion, the White Dragon Princess and El-san greeted me.
"Welcome back~."
"Yeah, I'm home."
As I caught the White Dragon Princess, who had charged at me, El-san smiled wryly behind her.
Her "awakening" had apparently finished around the time I found the [Transfer Magic Circle], but that was still reassuring, I suppose.
………
……
…
"Ah, Club President, Seth-chan."
"Good work."
Bell-senpai and Seth appeared in the clubroom.
"Yes, good work to both of you…"
"As expected of Brother!"
Compared to Bell-senpai, who looked quite tired, Seth was extremely high-spirited.
I had asked them to keep my trip to Sabana-san's island a secret, but…
"Club President, are you tired from the meeting?"
"Yes, I am. Though I'm better off than Yuki-san, who was with me."
She said with a wry smile.
She briefly explained what it was like.
The attendees were a proxy for Ice Princess Anshia, Bell-senpai and Yuki-san, and Ramune-san's proxy—people who possessed [Transfer Magic Circle] connecting to remote islands.
In addition, there were about a dozen other people cooperating with the player self-governance of the Necropolis, such as Messer-san, who manages the Game Dolls guild, and Master Chef-san, representing the Merchant Guild Union.
"After the situation explanation, we just argued about 'what to do next'…"
The situation explanation itself wasn't much different from what I heard from Mion.
They said there had been sufficient security, but about 20 players had rushed in, driving away the NPCs on guard and the players who were screening access to the [Transfer Magic Circle].
What happened after they transferred wasn't exactly known yet, but they probably tried to eliminate Sabana-san and the players who were already there.
"How did they declare nation-founding?"
"They occupied Sabana-san's Safe Zone and then declared nationhood. It seems Sabana-san's My Home setting also disappeared at that time."
Only Sabana-san and a few fans were there initially.
Given the numbers, the invading group was larger, so perhaps they were recognized as the dominant force?
"Sabana-dono and her group realized they had no chance of winning, and so they fled with Esason and the others. I hope they are safe…"
Seth said, looking at me.
He's waiting for me to explain that I took care of it, isn't he?
"I think they're fine. Emeraldia-san apparently protected them."
"What?!" "Oh!"
Bell-senpai and Seth were surprised, but I put off that explanation for later.
"Azure-san apparently recaptured the [Transfer Magic Circle], but what was that like?"
"Hmm. Azure-dono and his group seemed to have grasped the situation. Of course, they must have heard it from you, Brother, no?"
He said, and I gave a small nod.
"Before the [Transfer Magic Circle], he chanted some spell, and then transferred with the Dragonfolk. He said he unsealed the [Transfer Magic Circle], didn't he?"
Then Seth's gaze shifted to me again.
Does such a convenient spell exist? No, he must be thinking it doesn't.
"That was me. I went to Sabana-san's island and unsealed the [Transfer Magic Circle]."
"As expected!"
Seth leaned forward in delight, while Bell-senpai… didn't freeze.
Rather, it was more of an I knew it expression.
"Mion. Play the archive from around the time we arrived at Sabana-san's island."
"Yes."
I figured it would be fastest to show them. However, it was past 11 PM, so I had her skip to the important parts.
"Huh? Here is…"
"It was audible in the live stream, but…"
We had reached the Control Room, and footsteps were heard beyond the door.
Rewind and play again… it's not audible.
"That's the [Eavesdropping] skill, isn't it? Sounds heard through a skill are audible in live streams, but they aren't recorded in the archive."
"Ah, I see."
They put a lot of effort into that.
No, putting that aside,
"At that time, I heard them talking about bringing the ring with administrator privileges, or rather, calling the person who borrowed it."
I signaled Mion to unpause.
I removed the [Emergency Magic Crystal Stone] and put it in my inventory.
The voices of the people who came afterward were also inaudible, perhaps because they were picked up by the [Eavesdropping] skill…
""Devils?!""