kscans

Chapter 336 - The Fruits of Compassion

Hayato retrieved the key from the treasure chest and returned to his spot, but Esha and all the others were staring at him as if they had seen something unbelievable.

"What’s with those looks? I got the key, so let’s hurry back."

As Hayato said this, Esha sighed.

"You do terrifying things, Master. Is that how a production player fights? No, even production players don’t do things like that."

Using the light from crafting as a flashbang, selecting from the menu without looking at all, and using a Chocolate Bomb for a ring-out. Anyone who has played the game long enough could come up with these ideas, and with practice, it’s not impossible to execute.

But Hayato had pulled it all off on his first try. Normally, even if you thought of it, you wouldn’t do it, and the probability of failure is high. That it went so well meant he was either extremely focused or incredibly calm.

"It’s nothing so grand. It just happened to work out. Never mind that, let’s hurry back."

With that, Hayato headed for the stairs.

Everyone, though looking unconvinced, started walking to follow him.

On the way back, Hayato was thankful to Ney and everyone in the Kokuryu clan. The idea for the Chocolate Bomb was all thanks to them.

There was a time when the members of Kokuryu were playing around with a large number of Chocolate Bombs collected from a past event, and Ney had been blasted into a river in the Royal Capital, causing her to die and respawn.

He had used that incident as a reference and brought various items, thinking there might be a chance to use them, and it had paid off. He had also brought equipment that increases the Diving Skill, smoke bombs, and a foul-smelling perfume. Things that couldn’t deal damage but could catch an opponent off guard.

If his opponent had been deeply invested in this game, it wouldn't have worked. But even if Ronios was a formidable foe wearing god equipment with unbelievable stats, she hadn't been playing this game for long. There was a chance she still didn't understand what had just happened.

There was also a possibility she wouldn't accept the loss in that manner, but winning or losing didn't matter to Hayato. Saving Siegfried was the priority.

Ronios might not accept her defeat and could come after them. It was unclear where she would respawn after dying, but he relayed to the searching members that he had the key and asked them to defeat Ronios if they saw her.

Hayato, wanting to save time, hurried to get outside the castle.

Finally, they were out of the castle and rushed over to where Maris and the others were waiting.

He had contacted Maris via voice chat to let her know he had the key, but she must have been anxious until she saw it. She looked at him with hopeful eyes, so Hayato nodded to convey that he had brought the key.

"Hayato-san did it!"

Maris happily told Siegfried, moving aside from the front of the cage to make it easier to unlock.

Hayato immediately inserted the key into the cage’s lock. As he turned it, the lock opened with a satisfying click.

"Siegfried!"

Maris opened the cage and brought Siegfried out, cradling him in both hands.

He seemed to be conscious, but he was so weak he couldn't move at all.

Diite approached Siegfried and began to examine him.

"The weakening has stopped."

At Diite's words, everyone let out a sigh of relief. But Diite's expression remained stern.

"Hayato-kun, make any kind of food Siegfried-kun can eat. Something simple is fine."

Without even nodding, Hayato immediately made some normal cat food.

He brought the five-star cat food close to Siegfried, but it seemed he didn't even have the strength left to eat it, remaining limp and listless.

Hayato made several other easy-to-eat dishes, but Siegfried couldn't eat any of them.

Unlike in reality, you couldn't force-feed someone. The system was such that a dish's effects were only gained when it was eaten by one's own will, but Siegfried’s consciousness level had dropped so much that he couldn't even eat a meal in this world.

"...It’s no use."

"D-Diite-san...? What do you mean, no use…?"

When Maris asked with a trembling voice, Diite looked seriously at Maris, then Surya.

"There is one way to save Siegfried-kun. Maris-kun, and Surya-kun. I need your cooperation for this. However, you might come to resent me for it. If you’re okay with that…"

"There’s no way we’d resent you! Tell us anything!"

"Me too. What should I do?"

"...Understood. Then let’s do it. But before that."

Diite said this, then glanced over at Jolth’s group.

Jolth and Victor looked puzzled. They must have been wondering why she was looking at them at a time like this.

"You would do well to ask Hayato-kun for the details. But be aware that if you do anything unnecessary, Ney-kun will become your enemy."

"Um…? What does that mean?"

Diite didn't answer Jolth’s question and turned her gaze to Siegfried.

"Siegfried-kun, you can hear me, can’t you? Log out immediately. In the real world, Maris-kun and Surya-kun will definitely save you."

Maris and the other NPCs who had forgotten reality couldn't understand some of Diite's words and looked confused.

But Jolth and Victor, who knew about the real world, looked shocked. There was no AI Protection for players, so they heard Diite's words exactly as they were spoken.

Of course, the content was strange. An NPC, Diite, had told a calico cat, which should have been just an AI, to log out. There were too many contradictions for them to comprehend.

"H-Hayato, what is this…?"

"I’ll explain later, just wait a bit."

Hayato realized. Diite said Maris and Surya would save him in the real world. That meant she was going to restore their memories. Her glance at Jolth and his group must have been because the secret of this virtual reality was about to be exposed.

Right now, every second counted. She must have judged that there was no time to do something without Jolth and the others noticing.

Next, Diite looked at Esha.

"Esha-kun, just in case, could you take Cecil-kun and Noat-kun and gather some medicinal herbs growing in the forest? We might need them for Siegfried-kun’s treatment."

"...You're right. Cecil, Noat. Let’s go gather some herbs together. I think there should be some growing around here."

"Ah, yeah. I think Maris and Surya can handle things here, so we should do what we can. Right, maybe Siegfried will get better if he eats some meat! Let’s hunt something!"

"I’ll lure monsters with a song. Hunt them down one by one."

"I said we’re going to gather herbs. Now, let’s go."

Esha must have understood Diite’s intention as well, because she led Cecil and Noat toward the forest. Even if AI Protection was in effect, she had judged that if they saw what was about to happen, they might remember something, so she moved them away.

After watching them go, Diite gently stroked Siegfried.

"Siegfried-kun, come now, hurry. You can leave the rest to Maris-kun and Surya-kun. Entrusting things to them and believing in them is also a master’s duty."

Siegfried meowed with a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, then closed his eyes. Then he became completely still.

This was the behavior of a forced logout, Hayato thought. If you don't log out at an inn or a base, your avatar in this world remains for a few minutes. Siegfried had logged out of the virtual reality.

Maris panicked at the completely still Siegfried, but Diite calmed her with a "Calm yourself," then her expression became serious.

"Are you two ready?"

"Eh? Ready…? More importantly, Siegfried is… owowowow!"

"Guh!"

Maris and Surya clutched their heads with both hands and fell to their knees. The headache that occurs when memories return. That was what was happening to them now.

Jolth and Victor, seeing it for the first time, were shocked, but Hayato, having seen it several times, was calm. Still, he was worried, so he called out to Maris and Surya, telling them it would be okay.

After about a minute, their breathing calmed down. It was unclear if it was effective, but they both took slow, deep breaths, then told Hayato they were okay and stood up.

"That’s a strange experience. Maybe the brain can’t keep up with the feeling of forgotten things coming back all at once. It must be quite a load, but I wonder how it works."

"Truly. I wonder if that’s something like a flashback of one’s life."

The two, whose atmosphere had changed slightly, now seemed to be analyzing what had just happened.

"I know this is right after you got your memories back, but."

"About that, Diite-san, are you the AI who used to make announcements?"

Maris was talking about a hundred years ago. The time when she and the others entered this virtual reality as test players.

Diite, understanding immediately, nodded her head.

"That’s correct. I go by Diite now, but a self-introduction is unnecessary at this point. More importantly, there’s something I need you to do."

"That’s right. Why restore our memories at this timing? Does it have something to do with Siegfried?"

"Eh? But, Siegfried is an AI… right? Huh? But you said log out, didn’t you?"

Maris, who had been panicking just a moment ago, now thought of Siegfried as just an AI since her memories had returned. Surya was the same, tilting her head just like Maris.

"That’s not it. Siegfried-kun is a real cat, and he was logged in just like you all. He’s a real cat we borrowed from Artemis."

"Eh…?"

"And right now, Siegfried-kun is extremely weak in the real world. I’ll explain the circumstances later, and it’s fine if you can’t forgive me. But for now, please log out immediately and save Siegfried-kun. You’ve been asleep for a long time, so you won’t be able to move right away, but I’ve administered as much medication as possible to you both. You should be able to move immediately, at least temporarily."

"I’ll log out right now!"

Maris said this and then stood still on the spot. And Surya, though she said nothing, also became still.

"Hayato-kun, I’m going to support them. Sorry, but I’ll be leaving for a bit."

"Got it. I’m counting on you for Siegfried."

"I can’t do anything myself, but we have two brilliant veterinarians. You can wait for my call with peace of mind."

With that, Diite immediately vanished. It wasn't the concept of logging out, but likely the result of her concentrating her consciousness from the virtual reality to the real world.

Hayato relaxed a little, thinking it would be all right now.

But there was still a problem.

Jolth and the others had been staring at Hayato with frighteningly serious eyes for a while now.

"I have a lot of questions, but first, could you tell us everything?"

"Yeah, but I wonder where to start…"

Hayato and Jolth's group were left behind. Jolth and the others had already become a mass of curiosity, pressing Hayato for answers. Hayato figured he would have to start his explanation from around the time of the Clan Wars while waiting for the others.

Two weeks had passed since the incident.

Siegfried, thanks to the dedicated care of Maris and Surya, had already made a full recovery and was apparently walking around energetically. And today, Maris, Surya, and Siegfried were scheduled to come to the Crown Cafe.

In this world, owning a cat was impossible unless you were of a very high class, but Maris had been able to keep Siegfried.

Ronios was involved in this.

Ronios had been extremely dissatisfied with the outcome, but after a thorough "talk" with Ney and Jolth, she ended up honoring her prior promise to grant any of Hayato’s wishes.

For Hayato, the existence of such a promise was news to him, and the idea of a Foundation member granting any wish only heightened his wariness. Thinking, "If she grants it, it’ll be bad in a different way," he had replied through Ney, "That’s all right."

In response, Ronios became stubborn and said, also through Ney, "Then we’ll just put it on hold."

Later, he heard from Diite that Siegfried had safely recovered, and at that time, he also learned that Maris and Surya had decided to live in the real world instead of as NPCs in the virtual reality.

That led to the question of what to do with Siegfried. The discussion expanded to what to do with the other animals on the spaceship as well.

In the end, it was decided to transfer the animals to Colony "Zoo," which was managed by Sagittarius. Maris and Surya would also work there.

This was because, according to information from Diite, it was discovered that Sagittarius’s predecessor was an organization formed by the merger of "Noah," to which Maris had belonged, and "Artemis," where Surya had worked.

Ney negotiated without revealing those circumstances to Sagittarius. Not just Ney, but Jolth and Victor were there to assist her.

Sagittarius would surely be troubled if suddenly asked to take care of animals of unknown origin. Ney had thought so too, but Sagittarius willingly accepted without any complaints or investigations.

According to Ney, it was their policy regarding animals. "We don’t abandon anyone, and we’ll take care of any child until the very end," they had said.

However, they were indirectly told that it would cost money, so Ney donated a large sum. It was a considerable donation, but it came from the sales of "Another Frontier Online," so it was apparently not a problematic amount for Ney.

During the negotiations, they had fabricated the relationship between Maris, Surya, and the animals, but when it came to the calico cat Siegfried, Maris said she wanted to keep him.

On that point, Sagittarius showed reluctance, but this was where Hayato asked Ronios for a favor. A wish for his acquaintance to be able to keep a cat.

Ronios found the idea of granting a wish for an acquaintance instead of himself hilarious. She clutched her stomach laughing but agreed to grant the wish.

As a result, with various circumstances kept under wraps, Maris was able to keep Siegfried. And today, they were all coming here.

Right now, the most fidgety person was probably Esha.

Hayato looked at Esha, a little exasperated.

"Could you calm down a little?"

"How can I be calm? Siegfried is coming. We have to be perfectly prepared to welcome him. That’s right, let’s make the cafe private for today. And the food will be all-you-can-eat."

"What are you talking about? That said, I am making it private. It's an old story, but restaurants and animals aren't great for hygiene, and it would be a problem if fur got into the food or drinks."

"I see. Speaking of which, I heard there used to be a coffee shop called a cat cafe. Heaven on earth, it must have been."

"I’ve seen videos of them, but didn’t those require special permission even back then?"

"No, that’s not it. It’s a proposal to turn this coffee shop into a cat cafe. In fact, let’s get rid of the coffee shop element and make it cats only."

"Could you please stop completely denying my dream?"

While exchanging such light banter, the two were preparing the shop, preparing to welcome Maris and the others. Ash's group and Ney's group were also coming, so they had to prepare plenty of food and drinks.

Hayato suddenly thought of the members of the Demon Lord's Army who couldn't come.

In the end, the Demon Lord's Castle had been taken over by Amanda, and the Demon Lord's Army was now living next door to Hayato's base.

Originally, a clan under Shooting Star owned it, but the clan itself was put on a wanted list by the Eastern Country and the property was confiscated. Then Benitsuru gave it to Lunaria.

He was told by Ronios, through Ney, that the base was originally planned to be used to reduce the inventory at Hayato’s base. The strategy was apparently that if the shop selling things cheaply suddenly closed, people would buy from Hayato’s base next door.

There was also a plan to have their own members buy up the inventory at Hayato’s base, but it seemed they realized they might not have enough money, so they changed their approach to involve other players.

Ronios had apparently planned to deplete Hayato's supplies over a longer period before fighting, but the Shuten Doji event and Amanda’s invasion had started, leaving things half-finished.

Ronios had also considered weakening Hayato’s forces.

She thought that if she told Alvie of the "Kiss of Death" clan about Noat, it would surely lead to a fight. She also said that if she told Lutz of "Starkest" that the Hero, Ivan, was an acquaintance of Hayato, he would surely try to fight him.

She seemed to have thought that by doing so, even if they didn't become allies, it would chip away at Hayato's forces or hinder them.

In the end, none of her plans worked out, and she lost to Hayato himself, so while she was dissatisfied, she apparently came to realize her own limitations. However, according to Ney and Jolth, she was now much more bearable than before.

That Ronios was still playing the game. She had apparently sold all her items and paid the bail for herself and her subordinate members, and was starting over from scratch with Cremola and Harrington.

Ney had apparently warned her not to contact Hayato and his group, but she had reportedly said, "Got it," with a laugh, so he was also told to be careful.

He thought there was no such thing as real strength in a game, but decided to leave it be. Hayato wanted to have as little to do with Foundation people as possible.

Anyway, Lunaria and her group were apparently making a plan to retake the Demon Lord's Castle, and Hayato was helping them. It was natural for him to help Lunaria, but the main reason Hayato was helping was Diite.

Diite usually stayed in the "room closest to reality" deep inside the Demon Lord’s Castle, but currently, no one could enter the castle. Diite was no exception and could no longer go there.

On top of that, she was busy investigating the cause of what happened to Siegfried, and the fact that there had been setting changes she didn't know about, like the Cage of Discord.

Hayato wanted to ask her about the relationship between Lunaria and Amanda, but since she seemed busy, he hadn't checked yet.

The situation was becoming somewhat ominous, and there was much to be done, but he decided to just enjoy today as a normal day and resumed his preparations.

About thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

There stood Maris in a white T-shirt and black jeans, and Surya in a beige pantsuit. And on Maris’s shoulder was the calico cat, Siegfried.

"Hello!"

"This is a nice shop."

"Nya."

"Welcome."

Hayato greeted the two and the one cat with a smile.

Esha, without a word, drifted toward Maris and reached out a hand to Siegfried. But Siegfried’s cat punch deflected Esha’s hand.

"Kuh! Siegfried, this is reality, you know? My Taming Skill isn’t negative, so please let me pet you!"

"Um, Esha-san. Siegfried is scared of your eyes. He says those are the eyes of a predator."

"Please rest assured. I won’t eat you. I’ll just pet you for about two hours… Oh? Maris-san, can you understand Siegfried’s words in reality too?"

"No, that requires a special device. I was just saying what he said in the virtual reality."

"I see. But I won’t back down. Siegfried, you must resign yourself to being petted by me. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt…!"

Esha said this as she slowly closed in on Siegfried.

"Try not to make too much of a mess."

It had turned into a scene of Siegfried jumping down from Maris’s shoulder to flee and Esha cornering him, but Hayato decided to leave them be. He then prompted Maris and Surya to take seats at the counter.

"Have you both gotten used to life here?"

"Yes, compared to those days, it feels like a dream. And thanks to Ney-san and the others, I’m so happy I can work at that place again!"

"I’m happy too."

Maris was trying to hold back her laughter as she looked at Surya, who had just spoken.

"Is something wrong with Surya-san?"

"I’m sure it’s more than just ‘happy,’ but it’s funny how she’s trying not to let it show."

"Hey!"

As Hayato looked puzzled, Maris explained.

The name Garland, which Surya had given to the dragon, was taken from the name of the tiger that had given her the scar on her face. It turned out that Garland’s descendants were in Colony "Zoo."

And it was discovered that Garland and his descendants were one of the factors that brought the two organizations together. Her joy at that time was apparently so great that it was unimaginable from the usual Surya, and even Maris was a little taken aback.

Surya had a disgruntled look on her face but said, "Of course I’m happy."

"When I think that our organizations became one thanks to this scar, I don’t want to hide it anymore. I’m sure I’ll get sympathy, and I can’t explain the details, but I can be proud of it as an honorable wound."

Surya said this and lovingly stroked the scar on her face.

After that, he heard various other things from the two. They were now rooming together and living with Siegfried.

The conversation then turned to the wristwatch Surya was wearing. In this era, wristwatches were nothing more than antiques. They were something high-class people might wear as a fashion statement.

"This was a gift from Diite-san, but it’s not a watch."

Surya said this and operated the watch, and a hologram of a dragon appeared.

"Could that be Garland the dragon?"

"Yes. Garland’s basic AI has been downloaded, and it’s linked to the virtual reality. So even if I don’t log in, I can always be with him. It’s just data, so if you ask if it’s the same Garland as in the virtual reality, I’d have to tilt my head, but his mannerisms are the same, so I can think of him as my boy."

"Diite-chan does some nice things, doesn’t she."

"It seems there are many requests like that in the virtual reality. It’s still a prototype, and I have to report on its usability as a monitor, but it’s a big help. I’ll be working as a veterinarian, so I think I’ll be logging in less."

"That’ll be lonely."

"But it’s not like I’ll stop logging in completely. And I want to have a drink with Cecil sometimes."

"That’s right, you two were friends. The event is still going on, but since Surya-san returned to her work at the Tamer Guild, Cecil went back to the empire. It looked like she was being escorted away by the members of the Dragon Busters, though."

Surya and Cecil had come to the base for the Monster Sealing Encyclopedia event, but to think it would turn out like this, Hayato mused, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

"Speaking of drinks, I heard it’s a rite of passage for everyone who regains their memories to drink Hayato-san’s coffee?"

"What’s that? That’s not a thing, but if you’d like some, I’ll prepare it. How about you, Maris? I can’t say it’s delicious, but I think it’s gotten good enough that you can see the effort I’ve put in."

"That’s a vague expression of confidence… Of course, I’ll have some!"

"Then wait just a moment, I’ll brew it right away."

After much trial and error, it should have become quite drinkable. At the very least, it should have a taste that no one would refuse if it were free. Hayato brewed the coffee.

He placed the coffee, which had a decent aroma, in front of the two. They blew on it to cool it down, then drank at the same time.

"It’s more normal than I expected. Or rather, it’s delicious."

"Truly. I heard it was quite bad."

"Could you tell me who said that?"

Hayato said this while giving a thumbs-up in his mind. Little by little, the taste was improving. He was happy he had used the expensive coffee beans from Earth. Now, if only it were profitable, there would be no complaints.

Just as he thought that, the doorbell rang.

"Helloo. Are Maris-san and the others here yet… Woah!"

It was Ren who opened the door, but Siegfried leaped into her arms. Ren hurriedly caught Siegfried.

"Ah! Siegfried… Whooooa! Such lovely fur! I could touch it forever!"

"Ren-san, please give me Siegfried. If you don’t, Ash-san will be in big trouble. Are you okay with what happens to your brother?"

"Why me…? Yo, Maris and Surya, you’re here too."

"Ash-san! You’re handsome in reality too! And Ren-chan is cute, like a kitten…!"

"Um, is your father, Veru-san, coming…? Could you introduce me? I’m actually a fan…!"

"Save the commotion for later and help me."

The situation had become quite chaotic, but as long as everyone was having fun, anything was fine, Hayato thought, and began carrying the prepared dishes to the table.

"Good work."

"Nyaa…"

Until a moment ago, the women had been fighting over Siegfried. He wasn't a borrowed cat, but he had frozen up like a doll while being petted by everyone, and Hayato had felt sorry for him.

But just a moment ago, Maris had decided, "The petting session is on break!" Esha had called it tyrannical, but it would be a unanimous decision as to which of them was truly the tyrant.

Freed from everyone, Siegfried was lying on the counter in a similar posture to when he had been weakened. Maris was petting him with a gentleness that wouldn't be a burden.

"You too, Maris. Want a chocolate parfait?"

"Yes, please!"

Hayato made a chocolate parfait and placed it on the counter.

"What would Siegfried like?"

"Nekomanma Deluxe, please!"

"No, no, in reality, only a handful of people can eat luxury items like fish. I can’t even get my hands on fish bones, let alone bonito flakes."

"But Siegfried was looking forward to it, you know. You said you’d make him anything, so he told me he was expecting tuna and saury too."

As Maris said this with a smile, Siegfried lightly moved his tail left and right, as if to say she was correct.

"That was in the virtual reality, right? I don’t have that kind of money in reality. I might be able to manage if I push myself, but…"

"I’m just kidding! Then please make it for him next time we log into the virtual reality!"

"That I can do. Will Siegfried be able to log in too?"

"Yes. Diite-san made a headgear just for Siegfried, so we plan to use that."

"Is that safe?"

"It’s shaped differently from the ones you all use, but its performance is exactly the same, apparently. Besides, we’ve tried it a few times and it was fine, so I don’t think there’s a problem. With that, we can also force a logout from the outside, so it’s safe."

"Then I guess it’s okay. Siegfried, in the virtual reality, I’ll treat you to as much as you want."

To those words, Siegfried just replied with a "nyaa." It sounded a little disappointed, probably because he had been looking forward to the real-world Nekomanma.

"By the way, everyone was quite excited earlier…?"

"Yes, we were talking about wanting one of Siegfried’s kittens if he has any. That’s separate from whether we can actually keep them, though."

"Is there talk of that? He had a suitor in the virtual reality."

There was a male calico cat who was Siegfried's suitor in the virtual reality, but he hadn't heard anything since then. He had heard they were getting along well, but Hayato thought it was meaningless with an AI partner.

"That cat is an AI, so it’s not possible for him to be a suitor, but there are quite a few male cats in Colony ‘Zoo,’ so we’re thinking of having him choose from among them. First, a meet-and-greet!"

As Maris said this, Siegfried’s ears twitched, and then he smacked Maris’s hand with his tail.

"What was that for?"

"Is he being shy…? Well, anyway, Hayato-san, thank you so much for everything."

With that, Maris bowed deeply.

"Eh? What’s this all of a sudden? Oh, you don’t have to worry about the bill for today."

"No, that’s not it. It’s for everything. When I think that joining your clan has led to this moment, I feel a gratitude I can’t even begin to express. I think Surya feels similarly, even if our involvement was different."

"That’s an exaggeration. Besides, I didn’t do anything."

"It’s not an exaggeration at all. I wouldn’t say that living in virtual reality is an unhappy thing, but the animals are now able to live freely in reality. I had dreamed of that someday on a resource-recovered Earth, and though the form is a little different, a similar situation has come about thanks to you, Hayato-san. That’s why I want to thank you."

"I see. Then I’ll accept your thanks. But you know, I think this result came about because you and Surya-san treated the animals with such affection. You could call it the fruits of your compassion for the animals."

"I-I don’t think it’s anything so grand, but it’s embarrassing to be told that!"

Maris’s eyes darted around, and her hand petting Siegfried became quite vigorous. Siegfried seemed to disapprove, as he had a very disgruntled look on his face.

"Um, oh, that’s right! I have a new dream! And it’s thanks to you, Hayato-san!"

"A new dream?"

Maris nodded with a beaming smile.

"I’m going to have Siegfried have lots of kittens and create a Nyanko Kingdom! Not in virtual reality, a real Nyanko Kingdom!"

"Ehh…?"

"Esha-san, Ren-san, and Ney-san have already promised to help me!"

Wondering what Esha and the others would be helping with, Hayato looked at Siegfried. Siegfried also looked back at Hayato and meowed, "Nyaa…"

"Doesn’t he look a little reluctant?"

"Of course not, right!? Siegfried’s kittens would be so cute!"

Siegfried said nothing to Maris’s words, but he did smack her hand with his tail.

After that, Esha and the others declared that the break was over and carried Siegfried away.

Hayato couldn’t understand Siegfried’s words, but he understood what he wanted to say. Those eyes said, "Help me."

However, not thinking he could win against that group of women, Hayato put his hands together and apologized to Siegfried. Then, as an apology, he sent an email to order some luxury tuna and saury for him.

--At the same time. The Demon Lord’s Castle. The Throne Room.

Amanda sat arrogantly on the throne with her legs crossed. And as if paying respects to Amanda, several people stood in lines on either side. It was unclear if they were actually paying their respects. Their eyes were vacant.

Even in this situation, Amanda seemed pleased, watching them with a smile on her lips.

"I can’t say that’s very good taste."

A person entered the throne room while saying this. It was a woman in a nun’s habit, and her appearance was identical to Diite’s, but it was not Diite. It was her backup, Hypnos.

"It’s not a hobby. It’s just that if you win, you want to give shape to the result, right? That’s all I’m doing."

"And I’m saying that’s in poor taste."

"Oh my. Then I suppose I have poor taste. I just learned that for the first time."

Amanda said this, but she didn’t seem particularly hurt or troubled. She seemed to be enjoying even that, as she laughed.

"Setting aside my poor taste, are you done on your end? You took that room from the girl named Diite, right? I don’t know what kind of room it is, though."

"That’s right. I just went to see it. It’s not particularly interesting for a human who knows reality, but I was satisfied with it."

"Heeh? For all that, you’re as uninteresting as ever."

"Because I am an AI."

"Oh, is that so. I was hoping I’d get to see you in a state of great excitement, but that’s a shame."

"I too am disappointed that I couldn’t meet your expectations. Now, enough of that, let’s talk business."

Hypnos said this and then relayed information in a business-like manner.

After finishing several reports, he shifted his gaze to the people who had been standing the whole time and sighed.

"That’s a cruel way to treat your former companions. To steal their consciousness and use only their avatars. True NPCs, indeed."

"They were never my companions. They were just pawns."

Amanda’s tone changed completely from before as she answered with cold eyes.

The people here were the members of the clan "Ambrosia." They were from the same clan as Lunaria, the ones called the Demonfolk in the virtual world. All seven of them, besides Zenobia, were here.

"Just pawns, huh. Then am I one as well?"

"No, you’re different."

Amanda said this and smiled sweetly.

"You’re a slightly better pawn."

"I’m honored."

"Oh? I thought you’d get angry?"

"Because I am an AI."

"That’s boring in its own way… Oh well. It seems the pawns haven’t all been gathered yet, so let’s be quiet for a little while longer. Well then, I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m going back to my room."

"I see. Then I’ll return to my room and handle things as well."

Hypnos said this, turned his back on Amanda, and left the throne room. He then headed for the "room closest to reality."

He walked slowly down the corridor and opened the door to the room, stepping inside.

Standing in the center of the temple-like room, he narrowed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. An empty blackness spread out there.

"I suppose that’s what you’d call a clown. To not even dream that you are one of the pawns. It was hard to hold back my laughter."

Hypnos said this and laughed, but his face immediately turned serious.

"But perhaps I can’t laugh. I am one of those pawns too."

Suddenly, he remembered a certain human. A human who only had production skills.

"That human is likely one of the pawns, but it seems he may not end as a mere pawn. What do you think?"

Hypnos asked this, facing an empty space. There was no response, but as if he had expected that, he snorted with a "Hmph."

"This virtual reality exists for Diite’s sake, is that it…"

Hypnos muttered this as if out of nowhere, then vanished from the spot as if he had been erased.