kscans

Chapter 104 - The Moderate Faction's Betrayal

"Ash, Ren-chan, first of all, I need to tell you something. Veru-san came to the base today."

Hayato was about to talk about Veru. Ash and his sister had said they had something to discuss as well, but Hayato decided to share what he was dealing with first.

However, there was little he could say.

He didn't think it would make sense to talk about Veru having his memories or about the existence of an administrator other than Diite. The part about how it would be disastrous if Ash's group obtained the treasure was also a touchy subject.

The only things that seemed safe to mention were that Veru had told Hayato to back off, and that he had also said the hardline faction wouldn't try to dominate humans even if they obtained the treasure.

Hayato conveyed this to Ash and Ren.

"I see, so Dad sees you as more of a threat than me. I don't mean to doubt you, but this isn't about you believing him and backing off... right?"

"If I intended to back off, I wouldn't be thinking of ways to get Lunaria-san to join the Stampede, would I? Don't worry. No matter what anyone says, I'm on your side, Ash, and yours too, Ren-chan."

Ash looked a little surprised by Hayato's words, but then he smiled.

"Sorry for doubting you. To be honest, I was mentally exhausted because all the dragons from the moderate faction defected. I thought for a moment that maybe you'd do the same. I'm glad to hear you say that."

"Big brother, you've been worried about that this whole time, huh. I'm so glad. Hayato-san will be on our side no matter what."

"Yeah, you're right."

Perhaps he had been tense until now, as Ash leaned back in his chair, the strength draining from his body.

Hayato looked at him and smiled reassuringly.

"There's the fact that you helped me during the Clan War, but we're friends, right? It's only natural to help out."

"Friends, huh. I feel like this is the first time someone's said that to me. Esha, your eyes have been scary for a while now."

"Please pay me no mind. Shall we switch seats? I believe sitting next to each other is better than face to face, no?"

Ignoring Esha, who was operating as usual, Hayato continued the conversation.

"That's all from my side. What did you two want to talk about?"

"Oh, well, actually, I just wanted to tell you that all the moderate faction dragons have switched sides. We got a message after the Stampede ended. It seems Dad and his group were negotiating with them. The reason only the Fire Dragon had been causing Stampedes lately was apparently because the others were busy with negotiations."

"Is that what happened? It's true that only the Fire Dragon's Stampede has been happening lately."

(But negotiations... I don't know what Veru-san negotiated, but could it be possible to get them to switch sides again?)

There were ten Genesis Dragons. Since Ash and Ren were allies, that left eight enemies. The Fire Dragon had been defeated once, so he wouldn't be causing any Stampedes for a while, but that still left seven. Defeating all seven of them would be extremely tough.

Basically, anything goes in this game. While there were some rules, the NPCs were human. If they saw an advantage, it should be possible to negotiate and win them over.

"Do you know why the moderate dragons switched sides? What were the terms?"

"He didn't go that far. He just contacted us out of old camaraderie, so he didn't mention the reason, and I didn't ask."

"I see. I was thinking that if we knew the reason, it might be possible to get them to switch sides again."

The three of them were surprised by Hayato's words.

"Hayato, you think of some amazing things. Getting the moderate dragons to switch sides again?"

"It doesn't have to be just the moderate dragons. The hardline ones would be fine too. But isn't that how it usually goes? Even if they don't switch sides, it would be enough if they agreed not to participate in the Stampedes, or not to aim for the treasure fragments, or just to go easy on us."

While the outcome of the Stampede battles was important, the key to winning this Stampede event was to collect the treasure fragments. There was no need to defeat all the Genesis Dragons in the first place. They just had to fight the bare minimum necessary.

For now, they just needed to defeat the dragons appearing in the Demon Capital and the Spirit Country, as well as the Tyrant Dragon who held the fragment they were supposed to get in the Royal Capital. These three.

It was possible that the defected dragons would attack the Demon Capital or the Spirit Country, but that was just a matter of winning that Stampede. The goal was not to annihilate the dragons.

The worst-case scenario was five dragons attacking the same place at the same time, though the timing was unknown. It would be enough to get them to promise not to participate in that, even if they didn't switch sides.

That's what Hayato was thinking.

"As expected of Master. You fight not with strength, but with words."

"That's because I have no combat power. Well, fighting is the last resort. And for me, that last resort is the most useless one I have."

Everyone laughed at Hayato's slightly self-deprecating words. Thanks to that, Hayato thought that Ash seemed to have relaxed considerably.

"Feeling a little less tense?"

"Yeah, you saved me. The last six months have been nothing but failures, but we finally defeated the Fire Dragon. Just when I started to feel a little relieved, the moderate dragons betrayed us, so I was a bit down. It's thanks to you, Hayato, that things always turn out for the better, no matter the situation."

Ash said that and then continued.

"I don't know if we'll actually negotiate, but should I look into why the moderate dragons switched sides?"

"Yeah, I think it would be better to know if possible. Of course, the same goes for the hardline dragons. It would be best if we could win them over, but even if we can't, it would be helpful to know their weaknesses... It would be perfect if we could find some negotiable information, like Ren-chan's Bucket Pudding."

When Hayato said that while looking at Ren, she smiled and shot her right hand up straight.

"Yes! With Bucket Pudding, I will not switch sides. Also, I'm running out of Bucket Pudding, so I might switch sides soon!"

"Then I'll prepare a five-star Bucket Pudding after we defeat the Underworld Dragon. I'll put my heart and soul into making it."

"Understood. I'll drag Lunaria-san out, even if I have to curse her. Uhihihi..."

Ren's eyes were serious. They showed an unwavering will, a refusal to compromise on any point.

"However, will it not be difficult to draw Lunaria-sama out? It is impossible to wipe out all the ghosts, is it not?"

Ash nodded at Esha's words.

"It's true that a total wipeout is impossible. But as Lunaria said, we just need to gather the ghosts somewhere out of sight. The Demon Capital is pretty big. The battle with the Underworld Dragon is set to happen in the plaza, so if we can lead them to a different location, it might work out. That said, it'll probably be difficult."

"Is it even possible to lead monsters in the first place? Like, build up Hate Value and lead them to another place?"

"That's right. It would be possible if it were just us, but many people are participating in the Stampede. It's meaningless if they get defeated even if we lead them away."

In a Stampede, there was no attack priority, so anyone could attack the monsters. Even if they built up Hate Value and led them away, they would just be defeated. Then, a ghost would spawn somewhere else in the Demon Capital.

Players received contribution points for defeating Stampede monsters, so it would be difficult to ask them not to.

(If Lunaria-san just got stunned from seeing a ghost, it probably wouldn't be a problem, but she said she'd faint. Ren fainted when she saw Maris's beetle, and that wasn't a bad status. There's no such thing as a stun immunity skill for fainting, to begin with.)

Fainting wasn't a game-based bad status. It was a mental issue with the person themselves. Hayato had felt sick after seeing a giant spider before. Even if there was no problem with the character's stats, his movements would slow down.

(I can't think of any countermeasures for Lunaria-san right now. Well, she said she'd do something about it herself, so I guess I'll just have to count on that. If it doesn't work out, I'll call Ivan.)

With that thought, Hayato decided to end the day's meeting.