kscans

Chapter 204 - The Hostage

Relic forced Hayato to his feet, wrapping his left arm around his neck. He then pressed a knife against his abdomen.

Hayato's hands were free, but due to their difference in STR, he couldn't break free. Esha, Ney, and Diite were unable to move. They had already risen from their chairs and were at a distance where they could lunge if they wanted to, but they couldn't.

Relic had said he had set Hayato to feel pain.

This game didn't originally have a pain sense. No matter how much you were stabbed or punched, you wouldn't feel pain. But that was because the settings were configured to not feel pain, the program to feel it was there.

The reason they didn't make you feel pain was because the virtual reality was too realistic. Pain that felt too real would affect your real body.

There are reports that if you touch a stone that isn't hot but believe it is, you can get burned. Whether this is true or not, if you can perfectly deceive the brain, it's possible to affect the real body, so this was a consideration to prevent that.

And now, a knife was pressed against Hayato's abdomen.

Even if he were stabbed, it was a situation where not a single scratch would be made on his real body, but if what Relic said was true, that his virtual body could feel pain, then that pain would be real. And it wasn't just pain, there was a possibility that it could affect his real body.

Even without that, no one wants to feel pain. That was the consensus of everyone in this room, not just Hayato. It was difficult to rescue him while ignoring the pain he might feel.

Another reason was that it was unclear why Relic was doing this. The only one who had a vague idea was Hayato, who had received a voice chat from Lunaria.

Relic and Sonia had been clutching their heads in pain. Hayato knew what that meant.

Their memories had returned.

But he had no idea why their memories had returned at this timing. In the first place, he didn't even know what had triggered the return of their memories.

"All of you, don't do anything foolish. Leave the room, leaving only Diite behind."

Relic's menacing voice echoed through the room.

"Fine. I'll stay, is that right? Then take the knife away from Hayato-kun's stomach. I'll listen to you without you having to do that, Relic-kun."

"Rest assured. If nothing happens, this knife will not pierce Hayato. And if I move it away, it could end up piercing a more dangerous place. Don't say foolish things and move at once."

"I'm fine, so Esha, Ney, please go outside. And I think you can rest assured. Relic-san wouldn't do something like that."

At Hayato's words, Relic's body stiffened slightly. It was something that only Hayato, who was in close contact with him, would have noticed.

And Hayato began to think that Relic himself was reluctant to do this. He didn't want to, but he was being forced to. However, he didn't have enough information. He had almost no idea why Relic was doing this.

Considering the timing, this was an order from Scorpion. He had heard from Diite that Relic and Sonia were prisoners from Prison. If so, there was a possibility that they were being ordered by the then-administrator of Prison, the current Scorpion, just like Ban.

Ban had followed Scorpion for the sake of returning to the real world and for money. So why was Relic following them? Considering his stiffening just now, it wasn't of his own free will. This included Hayato's hopes, but he was almost certain of it.

As he was thinking this, he heard footsteps approaching the room, just like before.

It was Sonia who appeared. And when she saw Hayato and Relic's situation, her face turned to one of anger.

"Relic! Are you planning to betray everyone!? Why are you listening to the orders of people like that!"

"Shut up. And betrayal? We weren't comrades in the first place. You're the same. Don't act like we're comrades. I was just using you all. I just forgot that. I've always lived as I pleased, and I will continue to do so."

"Hah! You say you'll live as you please while doing their bidding? Don't be ridiculous. What did they say to you? For you to listen to what they say..."

Relic pressed the knife further against Hayato's abdomen.

Hayato still didn't feel any pain, but the other members didn't know that.

"That's enough talk. If you say anything more unnecessary, I will stab this knife into Hayato's abdomen. I've been told that as long as he's alive, it's fine. Don't think I'll hesitate to inflict pain."

Relic's voice was serious. Everyone froze, but Hayato alone had a cool expression.

"Diite-chan, does Esha's gun hurt as much as a real one?"

"Huh?"

Everyone looked at him as if to say, "What are you talking about?"

"Hayato, shut up. I told you I'd stab you if you said anything unnecessary. You have a sense of pain. Even if it's virtual reality, the pain is real. And it could affect your real body. Be quiet."

"You're too kind, Relic-san. But no matter how menacing your voice is, you can't do it. Esha, on the other hand, could do it with a smile. Esha, you can shoot me along with Relic-san. Ney, go with the Kokuryu members to the resurrection point and capture Relic-san."

When Hayato said that, Esha grinned and took out her Beelzebub, taking aim.

And Ney immediately left the room.

Relic's face was one of someone who had bitten a bitter bug. And just as Hayato had said, even in this situation, Relic didn't stab him.

"Please try not to make it too painful."

"Please trust my sniping skills. Relic, if you're going to take a hostage, you should have put on a more villainous face from the start. Your face is practically saying you can't stab anyone. Besides, acting like a villain doesn't suit you."

The Beelzebub spat fire. It didn't hit Hayato, but struck Relic's forehead. Relic, who was behind Hayato, was blown back to the wall and slumped to the floor.

Just before he was shot, Hayato heard Relic say someone's name. And an apology to that person.

There was only one person he could think of when it came to a woman's name. It was the story Rose had told him at the base.

"Sonia-san, do you know someone named Annelise?"

"Why that name..."

"You know her? Relic-san said it just before he fell. And he apologized to her."

"I see. That's the name of someone important to Relic. I haven't seen her in years, but... Ah, I see. She was taken hostage. That's why Relic..."

Hayato somehow understood a lot of things.

Relic must have thought that Annelise had been taken hostage.

Hayato approached Relic, who was lying motionless on the floor. The fact that he hadn't disappeared meant he hadn't chosen to resurrect. He probably thought there was no point in doing anything.

"Relic-san, you can hear me, right?"

A character with 0 HP can't speak, but they can hear the voices of those around them.

Hayato looked at Sonia once, then spoke to Relic.

"This is a cruel thing to say to both of you, but about 100 years have passed since the era you lived in. The woman you want to protect is probably no longer alive."

At Hayato's words, Sonia's body flinched. Relic didn't move, but he must have understood what was said.

It was the same as with Ban. Relic and Sonia must not have thought that it was 100 years in the future. It was unclear what Scorpion had said to manipulate Relic, but it was highly likely that they had manipulated him with the reason that they would do something to Annelise.

That was why, just before he was shot by Esha, Relic apologized to Annelise, thinking he had failed to carry out his orders.

"Diite-chan, please use resurrection magic on Relic-san. I don't think he's going to resurrect at the base, probably because Ney and the others are there."

"Understood."

When Diite used resurrection magic, a light shone down from the ceiling and feathers fell onto Relic. When they touched him, he slowly sat up.

But he didn't stand, remaining seated. He probably wasn't physically tired, but had taken a mental blow. He leaned against the wall, his legs stretched out. His hands were limp on the floor, his back was hunched, and his face was downcast.

"Is it true that 100 years have passed since then...?"

Relic said this in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzzing. A stark contrast to his voice from before, it had no strength.

"Yes, it's true. Esha, who was in the same position, and Diite-chan, who is the administrator, can also prove it."

"I see... So I betrayed everyone for someone who is no longer here... What a foolish thing I've done."

"Um, Relic-san hasn't betrayed anyone. Right, everyone? Did something just happen?"

Hayato said this in an extremely cheerful voice. It was an unreasonable thing to say, but Hayato honestly didn't think Relic had betrayed them. He understood all too well the reason why Relic had acted that way.

He himself might betray his comrades for someone important to him. Who could blame him for that? That was how he felt.

Everyone in the room must have thought the same.

"No, I don't think anything happened. My memory's been a bit off lately. The record is vague, so I don't remember."

"Relic, you might be old, but isn't it a bit early to be going senile?"

"I just shot him because he was getting all flirty with Master. If you're going to get flirty, please do it with Ashley-sama. Master, of course."

Hayato wanted to make a retort to just one of them, but he let it slide. More importantly, there was Relic.

"So, no one has been betrayed. To think such a thing, you must be tired from all the exploring we've been doing lately, right?"

Relic didn't raise his head even after being told that, but his body gradually began to tremble. He was probably laughing.

And after letting out a big sigh, he slowly stood up. He looked at Hayato once, intently, then bowed his head.

"I apologize, Hayato-sama. And everyone else. I..."

"There's no need for apologies. You were just shot, Relic-san. No one was injured."

"But..."

"We're comrades, right?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I think Relic-san did say we weren't comrades. If you just say that wasn't what you really meant, or that you were mistaken, then there's no problem."

Relic had a troubled and embarrassed look on his face. He bowed his head once more.

"Of course. You are all my dear comrades. I would be grateful if you could think of it as just a brief moment of confusion."

"That includes me, of course, right?"

Sonia asked Relic with a grin.

Relic's brow furrowed even more, but after a small sigh, he opened his mouth again.

"You can't play chess alone."

"I'm happy to hear that, but say something a little more charming. Like ‘my dear partner.’ You're not at an age where you should be getting embarrassed, are you?"

"Well, I suppose so, but..."

Sonia launched a series of follow-up attacks on the unusually flustered Relic. Perhaps it was effective, as the atmosphere brightened.

Just then, Ney returned.

"Relic hasn't resurrected yet... What's this? Is everything okay now?"

Relic's face turned serious, and he bowed his head to Ney.

"Ney-sama, I apologize. Because of me, I've caused you all so much trouble..."

"Good, you're back to normal. No, it's fine, it's no trouble at all. But what happened? I'd like an explanation..."

Hayato and the others sat down in the conference room chairs again.

Then Hayato explained what had just happened. And what had happened to Relic and Sonia was to be explained by them.

Ney, who was listening, gradually grew grim. She was emitting a pressure so intense that Hayato and the others in the room felt their lives were in danger.

When the story was finished, Ney looked around at everyone.

"To confirm, what we were talking about before Relic came is still valid, right? I'm to be the investor in this virtual reality, or rather, the company called Aphrodite, is that correct?"

Diite looked at Hayato.

Hayato assumed she was confirming with him and nodded to show there was no problem.

It wasn't the protection of the Foundation, but if its blood relative, Ney, became the investor, it would be difficult for other Foundations to interfere. And he thought that Ney wouldn't make too unreasonable a demand of Diite.

Seeing Hayato's nod, Ney nodded as well.

"Fine. Then at the next Council meeting, I will declare that Aphrodite is my company. I will take care of the procedures right away. That aside, Diite, since you are the administrator of this world, you can do anything, right?"

"That's right. There are various restrictions now, but I can do anything to a certain extent."

"Then can you bring Dean here?"

"If he's logged in, that much is possible. But what do you plan to do?"

"I can't forgive him for threatening Hayato using the Foundation's name, but the act of manipulating Relic by taking a hostage, even if it was a lie, is unforgivable. I will drive a nail into that man, and by extension, into Scorpion."

Hayato felt a little sympathy for Dean, thinking that it would be a very large nail.