kscans

Chapter 114 - A Recommended Movie

Hayato landed on the island floating in the sky called Dragon's Grave.

According to Pat, who had brought him here, the island was a hemisphere with a diameter of about ten kilometers, and a certain ancient dragon had used all its magic to transform its body into the island.

"So why is it called the Dragon's Grave?"

"This island doesn't just float for free. Until a few hundred years ago, there was no problem, but I hear it's gradually losing altitude. To supply it with magic, dragons on the verge of death come here to die and send their magic to the island. I've heard that's how it came to be called the Dragon's Grave."

"Why did it turn its body into an island using magic in the first place?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask Randa-chan about that… oh, I left her behind. Randa-chan will be back eventually, so you can ask her then."

(Randa is the cleric-like woman who was there when they attacked Mist-san's mansion. I think she was fighting Ren-chan and Mist-san. If Pat-san came after us, that means Ney and Rosalie-san should have been free. I don't think they'd lose, but I'll send a voice chat later to see what happened.)

They had managed to get the Dragon Soul Fragment from the Stampede in the Demon Capital Zardogia. That meant the mansion wasn't destroyed. But he didn't know what happened to Ash and the others, so Hayato decided to check later.

"Alright, this way. Don't stray from me. There are a lot of hardline dragons here. If you're not near me, you'll be attacked immediately."

"If you need me, shouldn't you make sure I'm not defeated? I'll just use Return from Death to go back to my base."

He had a Ring of Teleportation, so he could return to his base at any time. The only reason he had come along quietly was to get some kind of information. Hayato, who had no combat power, wanted to contribute not just by making items, but in that way as well.

"I haven't tested it, but I wonder if you can do that?"

"Huh?"

"This is a special field. The circumstances are different, but you can think of it like the battlefield in a Clan War. It'd be nice if it was a place where you could use Return from Death or Teleportation, wouldn't it?"

(A field where Return from Death and Teleportation are disabled? Crap, I didn't think of that at all. I doubt it's a place where you can't log out, but there were dungeons where you couldn't teleport. Was I a little careless…)

Hayato checked to see if logging out was possible, just in case, and it seemed that a forced logout was possible. He wouldn't know about Return from Death unless he died. But the information for the Ring of Teleportation showed "Unable to use."

"Well, that's how it is, so don't leave my side. You won't feel any pain, but you'll just have a scary experience."

Pat said this and started walking towards the center of the island.

(Can't be helped. I'll just be quiet for now.)

Hayato thought this and started walking after Pat.

Hayato looked around the island.

It was night, so he couldn't see everything, but he could tell it was a place rich in nature. There might have been some kind of structure here before, as there were brick-like objects with vines and trees wrapped around them.

Hayato called out to Pat as they walked.

"Did someone used to live here? Those look like buildings for people, right?"

"We Genesis Dragons have been in this world since the beginning, but we've lost some of our memories, so we don't remember much. We don't even remember if the dragon that became this island was before us or after us. But there must have been dragons who could turn into people like us in the past. After all, you can't get here unless you can fly, so it'd be impossible if you weren't a dragon."

(So that's the setting. But you can't get here unless you're a flying dragon? Didn't Ash say he was a type of dragon that couldn't fly? I wonder if he's ever been here…)

As he was thinking that, a castle-like building came into view.

This too was covered in vines and trees, but its original form was mostly intact. He guessed this was where Veru and the others had their base.

Pat entered without a word, so Hayato followed.

After a short walk, they came to a huge entrance hall. Unlike the outside, the inside was quite tidy, but that wasn't what was important.

Veru was standing in the center of the entrance hall. However, his expression was difficult to describe. It was as if he was exasperated, troubled, and yet about to burst out laughing.

Veru looked at Pat with something like a wry smile.

"It seems you've caught Hayato."

"Sorry about that. I really wanted to catch Noat-chan to protect Onyx, but we lost the fragment, so I caught Hayato instead."

"No, it's not bad. In fact, it's the best outcome. I wanted to get Hayato even if it meant using up one of Pat's Stampedes."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, but I went into my dragon state from the start, so I think the next Stampede will be a month away. Hasn't that thrown a wrench in your plans?"

"Even so. As long as we have Hayato, we should be able to win the Stampede in the Spirit Country, so it's not a problem. For now, you've done well. Leave the rest to me."

"Alright. In that case, I'll go get some rest."

Pat said to Hayato, "See ya," gave a wave, and left the entrance hall.

Hayato and Veru were left in the room.

"Truly, that was something. To think you'd beat Onyx in the Demon Capital's Stampede."

"I didn't do anything. It was thanks to Lunaria-san and Esha that we won. And it was also thanks to Ash and the others that we got the fragment."

"Even though you were involved in all of it? I can understand repairing the vampire's mansion. But to go so far as to have the prima donna participate in the Stampede to take down Onyx is unbelievable. And getting the unpredictable Demon Lord to fight is something even I probably couldn't do. Are all production players so humble?"

(Is that so? Even if you come up with all sorts of ideas, I don't think they're worth anything if you don't have the members who can execute them.)

"And you made equipment that can nullify Stun and Knockback, didn't you? If we could have inflicted status effects on the Demon Lord or the prima donna, we would have had a chance. You really cause a lot of trouble, Hayato."

"You're smiling, despite your words."

Veru had been smiling throughout his conversation with Hayato. The last time they met, he had been somewhat angry at the administrator, but now he didn't show a hint of it.

"I can't help but laugh. You keep thwarting our plans with the items you produce. Are you getting information from the administrator?"

His smile vanished, and Veru's face turned serious. Hayato guessed he didn't have a good feeling about the administrator.

"I'm currently investigating the person who contacted you, so I haven't received any information. Oh, that's right. Would you be willing to meet them once? I'd like you to confirm if the administrator you met and the administrator I know, Diite-chan, are the same person."

Veru's eyes widened, but he quickly shook his head.

"I think that's a good suggestion, but I don't think it would mean anything even if the administrators were different. I have no choice but to prevent Ash and the others from obtaining the treasure."

"Could you tell me the circumstances? We've been speculating a lot, but we have no idea what will happen."

"Unfortunately, I can't say. No, rather than can't say, it's more like I'm unable to say. This information is restricted by the administrator. I can't tell anyone else. When this is over, I plan to punch that administrator."

"Then I'll tell you our speculation, and you can just shake your head to tell me if it's correct—"

"That's impossible too. It's a system similar to AI Protection, so I won't be able to hear that information."

Hayato decided to say it out loud to see if it was true.

"Is the terrible thing Ash and the others' memories returning?"

Veru had a puzzled look on his face, but he must have understood what Hayato had done. He shook his head with a slightly exasperated look.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"It's no use? Then what if we wrote it down—"

"No, that probably wouldn't work either. It's a similar system to words, so I shouldn't be able to read the characters. This is a virtual reality. A world of the administrator's design… oh…"

For some reason, Veru covered his mouth with his right hand. It looked like he was thinking about something, but Hayato didn't know what had happened to him.

"What's wrong?"

"No, just thinking about something… By the way, Hayato, do you know that I'm a movie actor?"

"Huh? Why all of a sudden? I know, I think. I felt like I had seen you somewhere before, so I was planning to look it up later."

"I see. Then I'll tell you a recommended movie that I've starred in. Let me know what you think of it later."

"Huh? Uh, sure."

Hayato was confused by the sudden talk of reality.

(Why is he suddenly talking about a recommended movie?)

"Well, I know it was wrong to bring you here by force, but this is the only way for us to win. Please stay on this island for a while. Don't worry, I'll treat you well and prepare a room with a bed. It's a thank you for the coffee."

"Oh, thank you."

"Then I'll show you the way… I'm going to think about what to recommend now, so don't go to sleep yet, okay? Let me know what you think tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So you mean I have to watch it tonight?"

It was already quite late, so Hayato had planned to go to sleep after logging out. A movie would be at least ninety minutes long. If he watched it before going to sleep, it would be quite late.

"I really want you to watch it. I'll tell you a movie that Ash starred in later, but for today, please watch my movie."

His face was smiling, but there was something strange about the seriousness in Veru's eyes. But he understood what he was trying to say.

(Is he trying to tell me something through that movie? ...I see. He can't tell me about the terrible thing that will happen to Ash and the others here, so he's telling me to learn about it through a movie in the real world. He's probably saying it like this because he might be noticed by the administrator if he says it directly. An AI is likely to not be able to understand these exchanges. In that case, I have to let him know I understand.)

"I guess I have no choice. It sounds like something terrible will happen if I don't give you my thoughts. But please don't expect an amateur's opinion."

He had tried to emphasize the part about it being a terrible thing, but he didn't know if Veru had understood.

However, Veru's lips curved into a slight smile and he nodded.

"Yes, that's fine."

Veru said this and led Hayato to his room.

Thirty minutes later, he told Hayato the recommended movie.