kscans

Chapter 109 - The Battle with the Genesis Dragons

Agres, dressed in a black rider's jacket, surveyed the great hall and smiled.

"I got no business with you vampires. I'll let you go, so scram."

Even knowing it was a clumsy provocation, Agres's face was so infuriating that it was impossible to ignore. Shaking off Mist's attempts to restrain them, several of the invited vampires lunged at Agres and his group.

But a series of popping sounds immediately followed, and the vampires who had attacked collapsed. Hayato could barely see it, but he surmised that the man dressed as a gunman had shot them with a magic gun.

The gunman then performed a so-called Gun Spin, rotating the weapon, before returning it to the holster on his hip.

"Hey now, Agres-chan, you're a real pro at pissing people off, so you should keep your mouth shut."

"That's right-ssu. You could even call him a genius at unintentionally angering people-ssu. He should start over from when he was an egg-ssu."

"...You guys are on my side now, so stop saying things that hurt."

For some reason, Agres was being criticized by the two people flanking him.

(So that wasn't a provocation. He's just bad at conversation, in a different way from Lunaria-san. His face is scary, too. And he said they're 'on his side'. Considering Ash's attitude earlier, the two on his left and right must be the Genesis Dragons who were part of the moderate faction.)

He understood their relationship, but he still didn't know what the three of them were here for. They had only mentioned that a group of dangerous people had gathered. Based on what Veru had said when he came to their base, Hayato was apparently considered one of those dangerous people. This meant there were likely others, besides Hayato, whom the dragons viewed as a threat.

As Hayato pondered this, the gunman stepped forward.

"Ah, sorry about that. I'm Pat Faruson. It was just a little misunderstanding, so please forgive us. Also, I have a request. Could you hand over a woman named Noat? The boss is nagging me to bring her back."

A murmur went through the great hall. Mist stepped forward, still smiling. Though he smiled, he exuded a pressure on those around him that could be called murderous intent.

"You crash a party to which you were not invited and demand I hand over a guest? You dragons are quite uncivilized, aren't you?"

"We weren't raised right. But sorry, pal. My ‘request’ is just for show. I'm actually giving you an order. I'd rather not waste my energy, so how about you just hand her over quietly? Don't worry, we'll treat her right. The VIP treatment, you know. And we'll return her as soon as our business is done."

"I pride myself on the fact that no treatment could be better than what she receives here, so negotiations are over."

Agres, watching this exchange, frowned and looked at Pat.

"You're pissing them off too, old man."

"Mine is intentional, not unconscious like yours, so it's fine. Provocations should be part of the plan."

While Agres tilted his head in confusion, Mist drew his rapier. He was already in a battle stance.

Despite the situation, a voice called out, "Wait." Noat came walking over unsteadily, her eyes sleepy.

"If I go with you, will you promise not to harm the people here?"

"Are you Noat-chan? ...Ah, I've definitely seen you before. I heard you singing in a Clan War a long time ago. You had a great voice, you know?"

"Thank you for that. But that's not an answer to my question. So, do you promise?"

"Of course. I'm a pacifist, you see. If you come with us, Noat-chan, I won't do a thing. Believe it or not, I'm a bit of a gentleman. I keep my promises."

Pat said this with a smile, spreading his arms wide. The gesture was theatrical, but it suited him.

Then, a voice that completely ignored the mood rang out.

"Destroy."

Esha had, at some point, readied her Beelzebub and fired. Ten magic circles lined up from the muzzle to her target, and a laser shot through them, shattering each one as it raced toward Agres and his group. The impact generated a shockwave centered on Esha, powerful enough to knock back the surrounding vampires.

"Whoa there."

Though surprised, Pat took the attack without dodging.

The attack should have been powerful enough to defeat him in one hit, but Pat was completely unscathed. He grinned and looked toward Esha.

"Even I'd be in trouble if I took a hit like that, but just as the boss said, it seems only certain people can fight during a Stampede. The Goddess of Annihilation is powerless in this situation. As a fellow gun user, I'd love to fight you, but that'll have to be for another time."

(The boss must be Veru-san. So he's using the game's system to attack us. And if it's ineffective against an NPC, does that mean those three are treated as monsters during a Stampede? This is getting complicated.)

During a Stampede, NPCs can only fight within their affiliated country. Since a Stampede was currently active in the Demon Country, Esha's attacks had no effect on the monsters that appeared as a result.

However, Esha knew that. Destroy had a flashy effect. It wasn't meant to defeat the enemy, but it was more than enough to create a momentary opening.

Triggered by Esha's Destroy, the members who could fight lunged at Agres's group.

"Agres!"

"So it comes to this. Fine by me. Ash, I'm gonna show you who's superior. Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're Veru-san's son."

Ash swung his Dragon Eater at Agres. Agres parried Ash's attack with the metal-reinforced gloves on both his hands.

"Brother!"

"I've got this! Ren, Mist, you two take on Randa!"

"Oh my. My opponent is Ren-chan-ssu? Let's get along like we used to, okay-ssu? Though I'd rather you didn't talk about curses-ssu."

"The hardline faction are our enemies! Though, if you bring me something tastier than Hayato-san's pudding, I might reconsider!"

Ren faced the woman Ash had called Randa.

Randa was a cleric-like woman with glasses and black hair, braided on both sides and falling to her shoulders. And just as she appeared, she was using Holy Magic.

Ren tried to slowly drain her opponent's HP with Curse Magic, but Randa countered with a spell that gradually regenerated her own HP, negating the damage.

Mist joined in, attacking with his rapier. But Randa deflected the attack with the staff she was holding.

"How scary-ssu. Ren-chan alone is a handful. I'm a lady, you know, so I'd appreciate it if you'd go easy on me-ssu."

"A lady you may be, but you are still a dragon. Furthermore, you have sullied my name as the host of tonight's event. You will receive a fitting punishment for that."

The remaining combatant, Pat, was faced by Rosalie and Ney.

"This is perfect. Let us continue where we left off yesterday. It would tarnish my record to have it said a man escaped from me."

"Well, well, being chased by a pretty young lady. I guess I haven't lost my touch yet. Two of them, even. It's tough being a handsome man."

"It's what they call a hot streak. I hear you get three in a lifetime."

"This isn't the kind of hot streak I want, though."

As Pat said this, Rosalie and Ney attacked. Their coordination was terrifyingly good, and though they were both fighting Pat in close quarters, their movements never hindered one another.

Yet even amidst such a coordinated assault, Pat was intercepting their attacks with his gun. This was despite the fact that members of the Kokuryu clan were supporting Ney and the others.

Hayato, watching the fight from a short distance, was suddenly pulled backward. He spun around in a panic and saw it was Esha. For some reason, Esha was with Noat.

"We're leaving through the back entrance. Let's leave the fighting to Ashley-sama and the others while we head for the base in the Royal Capital. Relic and Maris-sama have already gone outside, so it's just us now."

"Oh, I see. But couldn't we just use a Ring of Teleportation to get back to the base?"

"Then only we would be able to escape. We have to take Noat with us. I believe Lunaria-sama has offered to serve as our escort, so we'll leave the Demon Capital with Noat. Once we're out of the Demon Capital, Relic, the others, and I will be able to fight."

Once they were in a place where a Stampede wasn't happening, they could fight against NPCs. That was why Esha suggested leaving the Demon Capital.

Just as Hayato thought, I see, he noticed Noat's gaze.

Though her eyes were sleepy, she had been staring at Hayato the entire time. He had heard her sing earlier, but they hadn't spoken. Thinking he should at least introduce himself, Hayato gave Noat a slight bow.

"Um, I know this is a bad time, but I'm Hayato. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Noat Vabeck. Call me Noat. So you're the famous Hayato-san? What kind of trick did you use to get Esha-chan to serve under you?"

Relic had asked him something similar before, and depending on his answer, his life in the real world could be in danger. Hayato chose his words carefully.

"Um, maybe because I provide delicious food. Especially chocolate parfaits."

"That's so like Esha-chan. If you can, I'd like you to provide for me too. I want to live a life of just singing and sleeping. Also, I won't ask for much, just some food and a bath."

Hayato somehow sensed a hopeless aura from Noat. It might be wrong to compare, but she seemed even worse than Esha.

"Um, it's not like I'm providing for Esha, you know? I'm just employing her."

"Too bad. I wonder if there's an item somewhere that makes food just appear..."

Esha sighed at Noat's words. She then gave Noat a light tap on the head.

"Ouch."

"Stop talking nonsense and let's get out of here. You're the one being targeted, Noat, so you need to be more alert."

"Esha-chan, you always ask for the impossible. Just a moment ago you told me to somehow distract those dragons."

"Anyone can see which of us is asking for the impossible. Now, let's get outside. This chaos is our chance."

Hayato and the others slipped through the panicked vampires and left the great hall.