kscans

Chapter 368 - Miracle☆Donuts

"Master, it seems battles have started around the Area Stone and near Mist-sama's mansion."

"They have? I think we'll be fine since the Demonfolk came here, but we can win, right?"

"I don't think there's any way we can lose. If anything, you're the one in more danger, Master. The chances of losing are higher on this end."

"That's true, but as long as that thing is here, the Demonfolk can't get to us, can they?"

Hayato was mining for ore at the mining spot in the northeast of the Great Forest of the Undead.

Only Esha was nearby, but the forces gathered to protect this mining spot were more than excessive.

Hayato stopped digging with his pickaxe and looked up at the sky.

The giant, black, octopus-like object summoned by Mikan was firing laser-like magic from its tentacles, attacking all over the place.

He wondered what the monster's name was and checked its information, but the name was garbled and he couldn't read it.

Garbled text was unheard of in this day and age, unlike in the distant past. This meant it was intentional. Hayato interpreted it on his own to mean that its name should not be spoken, or that it was not a monster of this world.

And Adrian and his Demon Summoning Research Association were also rampaging about, having summoned Duke-class demons.

Even if their opponents were the Demonfolk, they couldn't get close to Hayato with several raid boss-level monsters around.

That wasn't all the firepower they had. Mist and her group were also fighting to protect them.

Mist was strong, but so were the members of the clan Undead, all of whom were vampires.

Damian was fighting by creating undead, but unlike the normal Create Undead, he was creating more powerful undead to attack.

Ruth was providing support with magic and production items, and the other members of the Undead were fighting utilizing their vampiric abilities.

Even if they broke through all that, Esha was the last line of defense. It would be difficult for not only the enemy players but also the Demonfolk to get close.

(Jolth's group and Maris-san's group are protecting Noat-san's group over there, so there shouldn't be any problems.)

Soon, the great chorus of the Requiem would begin. It wasn't necessary for Lunaria to go out of her way to destroy the enemy's Area Stone, but Randa had explained to everyone that doing so would lower the enemy's morale and raise their own.

She had also said that just winning simply would make things difficult in the future, so they would turn it into a muddy war of attrition from the start. The enemy side had more numbers, and the major clans were quite strong, so this was a strategy to chip away at their strength while they had the advantage.

Seeing the usual Randa, one would want to doubt her with a "Really?" but Ash and the others seemed to trust her, so Hayato decided to believe in her as well. Randa was also in charge of marketing for the movie's release and distribution, so in terms of strategy, she had some credibility.

"This is the era of love and comedy!"

That's what Randa had said about the movie. Wondering if Veru's next movie would be a rom-com, Hayato looked forward to it.

He had enough leeway to think about such things, but then Esha suddenly let out a surprised "Eh," so Hayato looked at her.

Esha was still on voice chat with someone, but after a while, she crossed her arms and fell silent. She didn't look at Hayato, and her brow was furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"I got a voice chat from Cecil. She said there's a problem."

"Cecil? Wasn't she guarding Noat-san's group?"

"Yes. And about that Noat, she apparently clutched her head and complained of pain."

"Wait, does that mean..."

Pain did not exist in this virtual reality. There was only one reason for an NPC to feel pain. It was when their erased memories returned, and Hayato had seen it many times.

"It's possible her memories have returned. It seems she lost consciousness, just like I did."

Hayato had once asked Diite about this in a casual conversation.

She had said that while there were individual differences, the more memories were erased or altered, the more intense the pain tended to be.

Esha had also lost consciousness from the pain when her memories returned. If one could endure the pain, they wouldn't lose consciousness, but Noat couldn't and fainted.

That was a concern in itself, but the problem was why her memories had returned.

This virtual reality had a system called "AI Protection," and NPCs couldn't hear sentences or words that would make them remember reality. For her to regain her memories despite that, he could only imagine that something extraordinary had happened.

"Why would something like that..."

"Something must have happened to shake her real-world memories. From what I heard, when a woman named Parsha started singing, Noat became confused."

"Confused?"

"It's possible she sang a song that Noat wrote and composed in reality. More importantly, what should we do? Diite-sama is fighting Hypnos, and Ney-sama and Jolth-sama, who know the situation, aren't nearby. The closest person who knows the situation is Maris-sama."

Hayato, acting as a decoy here, couldn't move. If he went there with the Demonfolk in tow, it would be a disaster.

Knowing the perceptive Noat, he had a feeling she would grasp the situation quickly even if left alone, but there was also the fear of what she might do.

In particular, he wanted to avoid the other players finding out that the NPCs were human. He didn't know what effect it would have on this virtual reality or on Ney, who was treated as the investor, if that were to be revealed.

"Let's have Maris bring Noat-san over here. If she wakes up here, it'll be easier to follow up."

"That's our only option. Let's have them perform the Requiem chorus without Noat. I'll contact them."

Hayato nodded.

He hadn't expected Noat's memories to return in a situation like this, but that aside, Hayato had some thoughts.

Noat's memories returning was one thing, but Parsha's actions were also suspicious. Was it a mere coincidence, or did she act with some certainty?

Parsha seemed to be attached to Noat, much like Alvie. When they first met at the base, they hit it off and engaged in some sort of "high-minded game." And yesterday, they had fought individually.

At the very least, Hayato didn't think there were any bad feelings. He needed to properly confirm whether she sang Noat's song knowing what it was.

"I've asked Maris-sama. She'll bring Noat here right away."

"Thanks. By the way, is Noat-san's song something you can sing by chance? Esha, have you heard it in reality?"

"I have. Some of her songs are said to be classics. However, there are no original videos of Noat singing them, and the lyricist and composer are listed as unknown."

"Well, I guess so. Most of the old songs have unknown creators... so does that mean it was a coincidence?"

"Would you sing it by coincidence? It's said to be a classic, but that's just what some people say, it's not like it's world-famous."

"Then I guess I'll have to talk to Parsha-san once?"

"If you want to know the answer, that's the only way, but I think it's better not to do anything unnecessary right now. If she did it with conviction, she'll contact us."

"I see. Contacting her from our side might stir up a hornet's nest. In that case, let's just focus on calming Noat-san down when she wakes up for now."

"In Noat's case, I feel like nothing will change even if her memories return. She'll probably calm down if you give her a donut. By the way, I calm down with a parfait."

"I know."

Hayato said, then began to make donuts.

In about fifteen minutes, Maris arrived at their location, riding her griffon Lancelot.

Behind Maris, the unconscious Noat was lying face down on Lancelot.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! I've brought Noat-san!"

"Thanks. There are few people here and it's safe, so I think we can manage even if she regains consciousness. Right, I'd like to confirm the situation before she wakes up."

"Then I'll explain what I know. But first, let's lay Noat-san on the ground. Do you have a blanket or something?"

Hayato quickly prepared one and laid Noat down on her back.

Afterward, Maris explained the situation at the time.

Noat and Alvie's group were advancing through the great forest with Maris's tamer unit and the major clans.

Since a great chorus couldn't cover the entire forest, the plan was to split the Requiem into two parts.

First, they would deploy from their own Area Stone to Mist's mansion, and Lunaria would move to the mansion. Then, they would cover the area from the mansion to the enemy's Area Stone.

Noat, whose song's effective range had been widened as a reward from Diite, was to be positioned at Mist's mansion, but a battle broke out there. The enemy had already secured the mansion, and the battle was to retake it.

The battle itself was not a problem, and their side had the advantage, but then Parsha appeared in the sky above the mansion, recited a speech to Noat, and started singing.

Showering them with buff effects from the sky was a nuisance from their perspective, but that was not the problem.

The problem was that Noat, upon hearing the song, clutched her head and crumpled to the ground.

"Miracle Donuts?"

"Yes, when the person named Parsha-san made her speech, I didn't understand most of it, but I felt like it was directed at Noat-san. Noat-san, who heard it, also tilted her head at first."

Hayato thought.

When you say donuts, you think of Noat. But he didn't know a dish called Miracle Donuts. Hayato put his hand to his chin and began to think that it might be a phrase from their "high-minded game."

Next to the pondering Hayato, Esha spoke.

"Miracle Donuts is Noat's name. I've heard something like that before."

"...Name?"

"An artist name, I suppose? It's her name as a singer, not her real name. I think Noat said she went by Miracle☆Donuts. I wasn't interested, so my memory is hazy."

"Could you try to be a little more interested?"

Hayato said, but this made one thing clear.

If, as Esha said, Miracle☆Donuts was Noat's name, then Parsha had obtained that information. Just singing Noat's song could be dismissed as a coincidence, but if she even knew the name she used back then, it had to be intentional.

However, the question was where she got it.

Hayato had also looked up information on Esha's group before. It was something from a hundred years ago, but he thought there might be some information on the internet.

The only information that came up was about the world-famous actor Veru Brandle, and there was no information about his family, Ash or Ren. At most, there was information about Pat and Mikazuki in movie credits.

Other than that, for famous people, there was information that Ivan was the world champion of a virtual martial art called Virtual Gladiator, and some videos of his fights remained. There was, of course, no information on Relic, nor on Mist or Damian.

That was fine, but there was something he had to confirm.

"When Noat-san collapsed, what was the other person, Parsha-san, like?"

"She was flying in the sky on a broom, so if you ask me what she was like, I can only say I don't really know. However, she seemed surprised too, as her singing stopped."

"Then maybe she didn't know Noat-san was human...?"

If she sang to make her regain her memories, she should have known this would happen. If she was surprised, it's possible she didn't expect this to happen.

Immediately after thinking that, a groan, "Ugh..." came from the sleeping Noat.

"Noat, are you okay?"

Esha knelt beside Noat and asked. Noat slowly opened her eyes.

When Noat saw Esha's face, she looked puzzled, then closed her eyes again.

"Five more minutes."

"Stop fooling around and get up. I'll shoot you."

"Be a little gentler with her."

Hayato's assessment was that if she could joke right after waking up, she was probably fine, but given the circumstances, a little compassion was necessary.

Noat sat up and shook her head from side to side several times. Then she looked at Hayato and Maris.

"Hayato-san and Maris-chan are here, so this isn't a dream?"

"A dream?"

"While I had no memories, it felt like I was half-asleep, so I thought it was a dream."

"You were actually asleep most of the time, though."

"I clearly remember that exasperated retort."

Noat said and stood up. She stretched both arms high above her head, bent her neck from side to side several times, and finally dangled her arms and legs loosely.

"It's a virtual reality, but doing this makes me feel like I'm awake. By the way, what's going on?"

"I suppose I'll have to explain it to you."

Esha began to explain to Noat.

Since both of them were lazy, the conversation ended quickly. She only explained it succinctly, but that seemed to be enough, as Noat nodded.

"I pretty much get it. I'll ask for the details later, but there's one thing I want you to tell me. It's pretty important."

"What is it?"

"Is a song okay for the wedding reception performance? Should I also give a speech as the representative of the friends?"

Hayato felt dizzy. She was talking about singing at Hayato and Esha's wedding, at their reception.

Unlike in the old days, weddings and receptions in this era were quite simple. They might exchange rings at the wedding, but they didn't swear vows to a god. In the first place, religion had declined, and if you said you believed in a god, people would worry that you had some serious problems.

When it came to marriage, they would have a dinner with close friends, and that was treated as the reception. It would be a lavish affair for Foundation members, but for people of the working class, it was just like a small party.

He might ask her to perform if there were any, but to think that was her question after he explained the situation so far, he felt like he could just ignore her.

Even in this situation, Esha was completely unfazed. While he found that reassuring, Hayato also wished she would panic a little.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but Noat, you're not a friend, so there's no need for a performance or a speech."

"You don't have to be shy. Are you sure about this Esha-chan, Hayato-san? You'll have a hard time in the future."

"Please understand that I'm currently having a hard time with your words, Noat-san."

"Hayato-san has gotten quite talkative. I'm so happy for you."

He'd retorted with, You're younger than me, several times before, so he was done with that. Instead, he sighed, and Noat looked a little dissatisfied.

"Still, you're surprisingly calm. I thought you'd panic more."

Though Hayato had no experience with it, he began to think that regaining one's memories might not be such a big deal after all.

He had seen people regain their memories before, but they didn't seem to panic. Maris and Surya had even started analyzing the situation on the spot.

"That's just how artists are. As long as there are songs and donuts, all is right with the world, even if I wake up in a deserted colony."

"Waking up in a deserted colony would be a huge problem. And there are no donuts in a place like that."

"Right, that. That's the kind of retort I want. Give me more."

Esha, who had been watching the exchange with Noat, sighed.

"More importantly, what are you going to do now, Noat? Are you going to log out?"

Noat crossed her arms and struck a thinking pose.

"It wouldn't be bad to be reborn as the mysterious singer Miracle☆Donuts. I've always sung seriously, but it's one option to let people hear my 'real' self now that I have my memories back, and then make my debut as a singer."

"There are circumstances, so could you stay as an NPC for now?"

If she were to make such a debut, it would be like saying that NPCs are human. And a human from a hundred years ago at that. That had to be avoided. Although, very few people knew Noat.

"I understand that things are complicated. But I think it's only a matter of time before NPCs regain their memories like this. I don't think you can hide it forever, you know?"

"That may be true, but the timing is bad. If there's a big uproar, we might not be able to win the event."

It was unclear how Parsha obtained the information about Noat, but she had proven that it was possible. That meant that something similar could be done to other NPCs, though the method might be different.

It would be nice if he could ask Parsha about that, but she was an enemy, and he didn't know who she was in reality, so he couldn't just tell her their circumstances.

Besides, there was a possibility that Hypnos and Amanda were involved. It was also conceivable that they had provided information to Parsha to cause chaos on their side.

As he was wondering what to do, Esha suddenly raised her Beelzebub towards the sky, and Noat and Maris reacted to it and looked up.

Hayato followed suit and looked up to see Parsha flying in the sky on a broom, with two attendants, heading towards them. However, they weren't just flying. They were waving a white flag.

The white flag was a sign of surrender. They were probably saying they had no intention of fighting, but it was hard to say if he could trust them.

Noat, who had been watching Parsha's group, suddenly nodded.

"Hayato-san, call those three over here."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't know about the white one and the black one, but the girl named Parsha isn't a bad person, so I'm sure she'll understand if we talk. My soul is telling me so...!"

"Just so you know, don't play your 'high-minded game'."

Hayato sent a voice chat to Adrian and Mist's group. He asked them to let the three people in the sky through.

Neither of them should know the details of the situation, but they immediately agreed. Afterward, word was spread around not to attack Parsha's group.

And so, Maris would guide them here. She rode Lancelot to meet them and was slowly leading them this way.

Hayato waited for Parsha's group to arrive, feeling a little worried.