kscans

Chapter 34 - The Coffin and Intel on the Opponent

When Hayato contacted Mist, she flew to the base in just a few minutes. Not figuratively, she literally flew.

The monster version of a Vampire could transform into a bat or a wolf, and the same was true for those who became vampires through magic. In this game, flying was an act permitted only to a select few players, so it was not uncommon for some to become vampires for that reason alone.

Mist had transformed into a bat and flown to the base.

"Is it true that the coffin is ready!?"

"First, please calm down. Also, please change back from your bat form to your human form. To be frank, it’s creepy."

The bat form was quite large. A human-sized bat walking on two legs was like something out of a horror movie. For it to enter the base’s entrance was beyond surprising.

"Oh, my apologies. Esha-san, would you please not point your gun at me? I will change back to human form now."

Immediately after saying that, Mist was enveloped in mist. When the mist cleared, she had returned to her normal human form. In response, Esha also lowered her gun. She had a slightly dissatisfied look on her face, but Hayato pretended not to notice.

"My, my apologies. I wanted to see it right away, so I flew here with all my might."

"It makes me happy to see you so pleased. Please, take it."

Hayato initiated a trade with Mist for the coffin.

The coffin was quite large, so in reality, handing it over would be impossible, but this was a game. No matter how large an object was, as long as there were no weight limit issues, it could be put in an item bag, so trading was also possible.

Mist accepted the coffin and broke into a broad smile.

"Wonderful! A magnificent coffin that meets my demands! I shall use it fondly starting today!"

"I haven’t tried it, but I hope you sleep well."

"Yes, I look forward to sleeping from today on. Please leave the Clan War to me. I shall surely be of service!"

"I’m counting on you. I’ve also prepared a considerable amount of sunscreen. Preparations are perfect."

"Thank you very much. If the Clan War starts at night, I won’t need sunscreen, though... Um, I’m sorry to have just arrived, but I want to try the coffin as soon as possible, so I’d like to return home and sleep for a bit..."

"Oh, yes, please do. Um, good night."

"Good night!"

Mist bowed her head to Hayato one last time, then transformed into a bat again and went outside the base. She had probably flown off.

Hayato watched her go and smiled slightly.

"It makes me happy when someone is that pleased with something I’ve made."

"I see. I too am pleased with Master’s Chocolate Parfaits. So that Master will be happy, I intend to eat more, so please make a stock of them in the storage."

"Now then, next I should prepare some medicines for the clan war. I had Relic-san buy a large amount of medicinal herbs, so I need to make potions before the Clan War."

"I do not think it is good to ignore me, but what do you think, Master?"

Leaving Esha, who was saying such things, to tend the shop, Hayato returned to his room.

It was one week before the Clan War was to begin.

Hayato checked the information to see which clan they would be fighting.

When he checked the opponent from the clan’s detailed information, the information displayed was "Demon Summoning Research Association."

(So that clan is A-rank. This time it was a random match of the same rank, but I didn’t expect to be matched with a clan I know... Come to think of it, there was a possibility of being matched with the number one ranked clan. That was close, that was close. I want to fight the higher-ranked clans after getting more allies.)

He had managed to get Mist to join this time, but since then, he had not been able to get anyone else to join. Part of the reason was that he was busy with preparations for the Clan War, but it could also be said that he had not had any luck with strong NPCs.

Once, Hayato had consulted Esha about whether the Maid Chief of the Maid Guild would be a good addition, but Esha had stopped him with all her might. "I’ll do my best!" she had pleaded tearfully, so he had given up.

He had also asked Ash and Ren if there were any dragons from the moderate faction who might join the clan, but Ash had said, "Those guys are fickle, so it’s better not to," and he had given up.

It seemed to be the same with Relic. There were no butlers in the Butler Guild who seemed like they would be a good fighting force, and his former clan members had said, "I don’t think they would lend us their strength." According to Relic, they all had their own things to do and it would be impossible for them to participate in the Clan War.

Hayato had also asked Mist if there was anyone who might join, but that had also been a dead end. The members of the clan Mist had been in were all holed up in some dungeon or another, researching the undead. They probably would not come out of the dungeon until that research was finished.

Due to these circumstances, the only change from the last Clan War was Mist.

"It’s a clan I joined after quitting the Clan Management Committee, so I’ll fight to the death! Though I’m already undead!"

Mist’s tension was high, perhaps thanks to sleeping in the highest-quality coffin. Hayato was happy with Mist’s report that she was sleeping better, but he was slightly regretting it, wondering if this tension would continue.

"Well, Mist-san, I’ve made a large amount of sunscreen and tomato juice for you for now. But tomato juice only recovers MP, is that okay?"

"No problem. In the first place, drinking potions and such actually causes me damage, so that’s my main means of recovery. Dragon Blood, which is said to be the vampire version of Elixir, would also be fine, but that’s expensive, so tomato juice is sufficient."

"I see. I’ve also prepared some Dragon Blood just in case, so please use it if necessary."

"I am surprised. You prepared such a thing for me? I will use it when the time comes. Oh, right. I want to bring my coffin to the Clan War, is that all right?"

Hayato tilted his head.

You could bring various items to a Clan War. Furniture was no exception. However, furniture had no effect whatsoever. He could not imagine what she would do by bringing such a thing.

"Um, why is that? Could it be that the coffin has an effect that makes vampires stronger?"

"No, there is no such thing, but it is for just in case. To put it simply, during a Clan War, if it is night, a vampire can be resurrected in a coffin even if they are defeated. Provided the coffin is placed somewhere in the fortress, that is."

"You can be resurrected in a Clan War?"

"Yes, that’s right. But why doesn’t anyone else do it? Even though they’re vampires."

(It’s because they don’t know that coffins have such an effect. And in the first place, there are few players who can even make coffins... no, at the moment, is it just me?)

The coffin was a piece of furniture he had been able to make because of a request from Mist. If you became friends with a vampire NPC, there was a high possibility they would teach you, but the item information for the coffin did not mention at all that it was possible to be resurrected in a Clan War. He thought it would be difficult to obtain that information unless something extraordinary happened.

"This is the first I’ve heard of it, but in that case, please feel free. Um, but please use the one you normally use for that."

"Of course. I will bring it on the day of the battle. Oh, right! I will also bring my health goods, so let’s talk about them together! The foot reflexology mat is my recent favorite! The feeling of my blood circulation improving is the best!"

Suppressing the urge to retort about whether a vampire’s blood circulation improves, he escaped by saying he would be busy during the Clan War and that they should do it some other time.

(Somehow, all the NPCs want to talk about their hobbies or favorite things. Is that a condition for a quest to occur... What kind of quest starts with health goods? That said, everyone has been a great help, so once the Clan War is over, maybe I’ll listen to their stories and try to trigger the quests...)

As Hayato thought about such things, he decided to start preparing for the Clan War.

The next day, the Maid Chief came from the Maid Guild.

For some reason, he had to calm down Esha, who was holding a gun at the entrance of the base, before letting the Maid Chief inside. As promised, she had investigated the opposing team for the Clan War and had brought the information.

"Regarding the opposing clan, the Demon Summoning Research Association, I will now explain their fighting style."

"Yes, please do."

"Maid Chief. It would be quite all right if you just handed over that paper document and left. Let’s go home quickly, okay?"

"Esha, be quiet for a moment. She came all this way. Oh, but on your way back, would you mind taking the certificate of commendation with you? To be blunt, it’s extremely in the way."

"First, the Demon Summoning Research Association, as its name suggests, is a clan composed of Summoners who summon demons."

Ignoring Hayato’s words, the Maid Chief began her explanation of the opposing clan with a cool expression.

"It is a specialized formation of all Summoners, but their skill is A-rank. After confirming with a video, it seems their fighting style is what is called the swarm tactic."

"Swarm? Like a swarm of insects?"

"Yes, swarm as in a crowd. In other words, a group. To put it simply, it is a tactic where they summon a large number of demons with low control points and attack."

Control points are the points that allow you to control what you have summoned.

The weaker the summoned creature, the lower the points. The points a player can control are normally three. The upper limit increases with skills and the like, with eight being the final limit.

In other words, if the upper limit is eight, you can summon eight creatures of one point each, or one creature of eight points.

"According to a maid who confirmed it on a Clan War video, it seems they summon four demons of two points each. In other words, ten people summoning four each means you will be fighting forty demons."

"I see. But aren’t two-point demons weak?"

"That is correct. A player with combat skills would not lose. However, a large number is a threat in itself. And this is a Clan War. There are ways to win without defeating the players."

"You mean they send a large number of demons to destroy the Clan Stone?"

"Yes. It seems that is how they win most of the time. There was one time they won by annihilation, but other than that, all their wins have been by destroying the Clan Stone."

A win by annihilation is different from a perfect game where your own clan does not lose anyone. It is a win where both sides suffer losses, but you wipe out the opponent. Most victories are like this.

"Was the win by annihilation also a swarm tactic?"

"No, that is unknown. We know the outcome of the match, but we were not able to confirm the video as it was not featured. However..."

"However?"

"It seems the opposing team in that match filed a complaint of cheating with the Clan Management Committee. As a result of the investigation, it was proven not to be cheating. Unfortunately, we were not able to find out for what reason they claimed it was cheating."

(The opposing team said it was cheating? This isn't someone else's problem. We’ve had similar things happen... So, something that wouldn't normally happen occurred? Could it be that the Demon Summoning Research Association also has NPCs?)

Hayato tried to confirm if the opposing team had NPCs, but he remembered the AI protection and gave up on asking the Maid Chief for that information. However, he could not help but be curious about that annihilation win.

"Um, could you investigate that annihilation battle in a little more detail?"

"If that is what you wish, Hayato-sama, I shall investigate. However, there is a high possibility that we will not find anything even if we investigate. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, that’s fine. Oh, right, actually, the Demon Summoning Research Association came to this base once and wanted a large amount of Scattering Grass and Light-Absorbing Grass. It may not be related, but could you investigate that as well?"

"Scattering Grass and Light-Absorbing Grass, is it? Understood. I will investigate that as well. Now then, since I have finished providing the information, I will now attend to my personal business."

The Maid Chief shifted her gaze to Esha.

Esha turned her face away, avoiding her gaze.

"Esha, look at me. The furniture in the base is a little dusty, have you not been cleaning?"

"The butler Relic is doing the cleaning, so I am not touching it."

(We didn’t divide the work like that. Relic-san is mainly in charge of shopping.)

"What are you doing leaving everything to the Butler Guild? I will teach you how to clean for a little while, so get a broom."

"A broom is a weapon, so I will not hold one. I have decided in my heart that my only weapon is my Beelzebub."

(Is a broom a weapon?)

While having doubts about various things, Hayato left the two of them, whose conversation seemed likely to become long, in the dining hall and returned to his room.