kscans

Chapter 386 - The Demon Lord Who Reassures Everyone

"Hey, hey, you guys, doing something this fun without telling me? That's not cool."

"It's not that we didn't tell you, you didn't have your memories, so it couldn't be helped."

"That's where you're supposed to do something, Noat, right? You could probably bring back my memories with some kind of unspeakable, shady ritual, couldn't you?"

"...He was annoying even without his memories, but now that he has them back, he's even worse."

When Hayato finished his work and logged in, Cecil was in high spirits at the base.

He held a wine bottle in his right hand, and his left arm was wrapped around the shoulder of Noat, who was sitting in a chair. He had been happily drinking wine yesterday too, when he didn't have his real memories, but now that he had them back, he was in an even better mood.

Noat, who was being pestered, was eating a donut with a look of annoyance on her face, and Esha, at the same table, was staring at Cecil with a probing gaze. She said she suspected there might be a problem since he had regained his memories through an unconventional method.

And at the next table, Ivan, Relic, Grinee, and Orland were talking about something with serious expressions.

When they noticed Hayato, Grinee and Orland came to thank him. He had supported many of the Blackjack members since the world changed, so they were thanking him for that. They also said that Esha being so docile was thanks to Hayato.

After they were defeated, the two of them had been teleported to Hayato's base and had woken up there. They had been there ever since. They had regained their memories just like Ivan, and it seemed that Ivan and Relic were teaching them various things about the current situation, including reality.

(We won this time too, but something doesn't feel right...)

The battle around the Necropolis had ended in a victory for Hayato and his allies.

Noat, who had fallen into the pond with Orland, had noticed that Cecil was down when she got out of the pond. At first, she thought he had lost to Grinee, but his HP remained.

Panicked, she had rushed over to see what had happened, only to find that he was unconscious. When she immediately explained the situation to Hayato and Esha via voice chat, Esha had replied that it was similar to the situation when someone regained their memories.

They had managed to retrieve him with the airship, but they had no idea what had happened.

However, there had been a world announcement of a strong enemy's defeat, and it was confirmed that they had defeated Grinee and Orland. There was also a reward for that, but it was currently pending.

After that, Cecil had woken up, and it was discovered that he had been attacked by Amanda. He said that when he saw Amanda's glowing red eyes, he was hit with a severe headache, and when he came to, his memories had returned.

Cecil wasn't particularly flustered even after regaining his memories, and seemed to be enjoying the current situation.

There was also the concern that Amanda might have obtained administrator privileges, but since she hadn't been seen on the battlefield after that, it was decided that they should focus on winning the battle first.

The fierce battle between the airships had begun, but as expected, the side with more numbers was stronger, and in the end, the former Demon Lord's army had won by destroying the Area Stone.

The Demonfolk and the players who were coordinating with them had been aiming for the former Demon Lord's army's Area Stone, but in the end, they had escaped using Rings of Teleportation.

According to Randa, although they were fighting fiercely, the New Demon Lord's Army was just repeating reckless attacks. It was just Randa's impression, but she also said that it was as if they were pretending to be trying to win, but had no intention of actually winning.

The reason was unknown. Furthermore, the impression that they had no intention of winning only applied to the major clans. Other, unaffiliated clans were apparently still trying their best to win.

Hayato had various concerns, but he decided to gather information first and went around to the various tables, greeting everyone.

When he was done with that, Diite approached him.

"Hayato-kun."

"Diite-chan, you came to the base today?"

"I thought we should share some information. I was just talking to Randa-kun, but could you let me hear your thoughts too?"

Hayato said, "Of course," and he and Diite went over the situation at a nearby table.

The biggest problem was that they didn't know what the New Demon Lord's Army, Amanda and Hypnos, wanted to do.

Amanda's goal was world domination.

If they won this event, Amanda would officially become the Demon Lord and gain the power to destroy Diite. By destroying Diite, her backup, Hypnos, would gain full authority and be able to take control of the spaceship Aphrodite. After that, he would conquer the world. That was the plan.

Winning this event was a prerequisite, but recently, Amanda and her allies had been acting as if they had no real intention of winning.

Amanda would appear on the battlefield sometimes and not others, and even when she did, she would disappear quickly. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed like she was holding back.

Furthermore, the major clans on the New Demon Lord's side were fighting sloppily.

At the Ruined City Clear, they had shot down airships and sent in Last One. Their intentions were clear, but their methods were too simple, and if they failed, they had no other options.

Furthermore, they had used Ronios to make Scorpion restore Lee's, Last One's, memories. And today, they had sent in Grinee and Orland, whose AI combat skills were incomplete.

Amanda had also made a show of restoring Cecil's memories, calling it an experiment. They had no idea what she was doing.

"Hypnos was seriously trying to defeat me. But that was probably to keep me from participating in the event's battles. There's also the matter of Amanda-kun's memory restoring power, so he's probably going all out to keep me from making contact."

"I see. But in the first place, is it even possible to give Amanda-san that kind of power?"

It was possible to restore memories. That was a function of the administrator, and the current Diite, who was under restrictions, couldn't do it. However, even if she could, he questioned whether she could transfer that ability to someone else.

Diite crossed her arms and thought.

"It might not be impossible if Hypnos helps..."

"It's possible?"

"It should be possible to temporarily lend authority. It would be impossible to lend all administrator privileges, but it should be possible to lend some functions. There would still be various restrictions, though. However, the current Hypnos doesn't have that much authority either, just like me. I think it's a very limited function."

"Limited, you say?"

"This isn't certain since I've only heard the situation, but restrictions like having to be close to restore memories, or having to show the light in their eyes. Since this is a virtual reality, distance here might seem meaningless, but a player's information has three dimensional coordinates in the program, and to affect it, you need to be in almost the same..."

"Sorry, I don't really get that stuff, but I understand that there are those kinds of restrictions."

Esha, being a programmer, might understand, but Hayato had almost no knowledge of programming. He decided it would be difficult to understand even if he received an explanation.

Diite looked a little disappointed, but as if she had regained her composure, she said, "Well, that understanding is sufficient."

"In that case, was Amanda-san only granted the function to restore memories?"

"Probably. It shouldn't be possible to grant just anything. Even so, the question of 'why' still remains."

Hayato nodded.

It wasn't as if restoring memories was a bad thing. In fact, Cecil didn't seem to have any problems so far. Players who didn't know the circumstances might think an NPC had gone crazy, but so far, that problem hadn't come up.

Hayato and Diite thought about this as well, but they couldn't come up with an answer.

Just as they were about to take a break, Lunaria approached.

"Hayato-san, can I talk to you for a bit?"

"What's up?"

"Yeah, it's about the Excalibur. And I'd like you to do some maintenance too."

"A consultation? Was it that you couldn't use White Lightning?"

He hadn't been able to make an Excalibur with no durability, but he had succeeded in making a normal Excalibur. Today was also the day for its trial run.

Lunaria had a slight frown on her face.

"It's the same with Arondight, but the skills for Excalibur won't activate unless it's against a strong enemy, so I couldn't test it today."

"Come to think of it, there was that restriction. In that case, should we have you fight Ivan?"

It had activated when Lunaria and Ivan had fought outside the base before. If so, it would probably be fine this time too, he thought.

Lunaria shook her head.

"I tried it while Hayato-san was cooped up in his room, but it still didn't activate."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah. They were saying that since Ivan doesn't have an Excalibur, he's not considered a strong enemy. And that I might have gotten stronger because I have an Excalibur. I had Benny-chan and Ash-san in his dragon form and the others fight me too, but that didn't work either. I'm scared of my own strength...!"

"Why do you sound a little proud? But I see... wait, does that mean it won't work on Amanda-san either?"

He had made the Excalibur to stack the super buff skills Black Swan and White Lightning. If that couldn't be used, it was meaningless. It would still be useful as a weapon with no durability, but otherwise, the point of preparing it would be halved.

"That should be fine. Amanda-kun is a strong enemy, so even with the dual wielded Arondight and Excalibur, it should activate."

Diite answered.

Since she said Amanda was a strong enemy, Lunaria puffed out her cheeks slightly.

"If Diite-chan from the church says so, I'm sure it's true, but I'm a little worried about doing it for the first time in a real battle. Do you know anyone else who might be a strong enemy? One that would attack me as the Demon Lord."

"You're not supposed to be attacking people, you know?"

Hayato said this, and thought, but he couldn't come up with anyone. In the first place, there was no one on the same level as Lunaria besides Ivan and Benitsuru.

Hayato was about to say there was no one, but before he could, Diite spoke.

"Unfortunately, there are no humans."

"The strong are always alone...!"

"Well, just wait. There may be no humans, but there will be opportunities for it to activate against monsters. Given Lunaria-kun's current strength, it should activate against a high ranking rare monster, one with the name of a god."

Hayato thought, I see, but he didn't think such a super rare monster would appear so conveniently. He had encountered them a fair number of times in the past few months, but still only a few times.

The direct confrontation with Amanda would be in three days at the earliest.

There were two territories left, and the last was the Demon Lord's Castle. If they could obtain the remaining two territories and fight, Lunaria would be able to fight in her best condition, stat wise. In other words, if she lost in that state, there was no way she could win.

She could probably get stronger if she took her time, but the same was true for Amanda, and the chances of that gap closing were low. The super buff stacking was also most effective the first time.

So they couldn't miss the battle in three days.

To win the event battle in two days, encounter a high ranking rare monster, and test the super buff stacking. That seemed difficult, in Hayato's opinion.

Still, they couldn't give up. To increase Lunaria's chances of winning against Amanda, even by a little. That was his job, Hayato thought.

"Where's the easiest place to find a high ranking rare monster?"

"The probability is the same everywhere, but if you want to increase your chances, it would be by intentionally summoning a rare monster."

"Intentionally summoning, you mean like Maris's Lancelot?"

"That's right."

Maris's pet Lancelot was a rare monster called an Elder Griffon. It could be intentionally summoned by offering a Dragon Steak at an altar.

It was more reliable than aiming for a rare monster with a low appearance rate, but its higher rank version would appear at an even lower rate. It would be extremely difficult to aim for, but they had no choice but to try.

"Then, the fastest monster among them to..."

"The seal on the Dark Cave has been broken."

"...Huh?"

A world announcement suddenly sounded, and Hayato stopped talking.

"Hades, King of the Underworld, has begun his invasion of the surface. Please repel him. The time until he is resealed is approximately one week. I repeat..."

Voices of confusion rose from the members who were having a victory celebration at the base.

"Oh! This is getting interesting! Shall we go?"

"No way."

"Why don't you just go by yourself, Cecil?"

Noat and Esha's harsh words were directed at Cecil.

"What's with you guys, no sense of fun!"

"We're in the middle of a Donut Big Bang party. No one shall stand in my way...!"

Noat said this, holding a donut in her mouth, keeping Cecil in check.

Still, it wasn't just Noat. Since it was late, no one was going to the Dark Cave now. However, since it was one of the event's battlefields, everyone was frowning.

Hayato looked at Diite.

Diite was supporting her right elbow with her left hand, and her right hand was on her chin, deep in thought.

"Is this..."

"I never thought they'd break the seal on the Dark Cave at this timing. I heard that Parsha-kun went inside after a clan called Raven, but is this the result of that...?"

Hayato had indeed heard that.

Parsha had engaged Ronios and his group at the entrance to the Dark Cave, but during that time, people who seemed to be members of Raven had slipped inside. After defeating Ronios and his group, Parsha and her allies had apparently chased after them, but Hayato hadn't heard what had happened after that.

Immediately after, Randa announced that a voice chat had come from Parsha.

The voice chat exchange took about a minute, but according to Parsha, it was definitely Loana and the others from Raven who had broken the seal. After that, Loana and her group had apparently returned to their base with a Ring of Teleportation.

"Could tomorrow be the Dark Cave?"

"The possibility is high. The Area Stone will be placed inside the Dark Cave. With Hades beginning his invasion, it will be dangerous. But..."

"But?"

"You could call it a double edged sword. Not just our side, but the opponent's Area Stone is also in danger. The probability of which one will be targeted first is fifty fifty, but they've made a rather risky bet."

"Does that mean they're that cornered? ...Lunaria-san, why do you look so happy?"

Despite the troublesome situation, Lunaria had been smiling the whole time.

"I think Hades is the name of a god. That means, tomorrow, I can confirm the dual wield buff stacking. This good timing means that the Demon Lord's usual conduct is also good."

"Oh, that's what you meant. But, good usual conduct...?"

"To question that... shall we have a little talk?"

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant."

(I meant that the timing is too good. It's like Raven created a situation where Lunaria-san could practice.)

Hayato glanced at Diite.

"Diite-chan, if the seal on the Dark Cave is broken, is Hades the only one that appears? Or is Hades a higher rank version?"

"Just Hades. Like Shuten Doji who was at Onigashima, the monster that appears is fixed. And as Lunaria-kun says, Hades should be a match for Black Swan and White Lightning. He's the perfect opponent to test them on."

(I'm overthinking it... right? I just thought that because this happened while we were talking. And Lunaria-san is certainly lucky. It seems like the other side is moving to let us win, but it's just a coincidence... it should be.)

The Excalibur was made last night. That was announced to the world, so Amanda and the others had that information. He had never told them how to use it, but he could easily imagine them using it with dual wielding.

However, they could also imagine that he had prepared the Excalibur for Ivan. He didn't think they would take the action of breaking the seal on the Dark Cave based on a vague assumption.

In the first place, there was no reason to let the other side win. If Amanda lost, she would be forced into cold sleep. No matter the circumstances, she should want to avoid that.

Hayato thought so, but he felt anxious, as if he was overlooking something.

Then he thought of one thing.

"By the way, if we defeat Hades, will some other function be unlocked?"

When they defeated Shuten Doji, the skill cap break became possible. It was a function with its own demerits, but it was useful if used well. Hayato asked if there might be a function that could turn the tide of battle.

Diite shook her head.

"I don't want to leak in game information, but this isn't the time for that. To be honest, the skill cap break function is unlocked by defeating either Hades or Shuten Doji. Since you've already defeated Shuten Doji and the cap break is possible, there's no meaning in defeating Hades. Of course, there are amazing things among the drop items, though."

"Drop items, huh... Are there weapons and armor strong enough to overturn this situation?"

"No, there's nothing like that. Oh, and this is hard to say, but for now, weapons and armor with no durability don't drop, and you can't make them either."

"Is that so... wait, you said 'for now'? Does that mean you could make them in the past?"

"That's right. In a past event, we made indestructible glasses and such as reward items, but there were various problems with them in terms of the game. At the time, you could make weapons and armor with no durability, but Infinity patched it so you couldn't make them anymore. However, the event reward glasses and Amanda-kun's Durandal were left with no durability. That's what happened."

"I wish you had told me sooner..."

He had aimed for level 200 in Blacksmithing Skill because he thought there was a possibility of being able to make weapons and armor with no durability. Even if he had known, he probably would have still aimed for 200, but if he hadn't known, he felt like there might have been other ways to go about it.

"That's the strange thing..."

"Strange?"

"I had forgotten about that until Hayato-kun made the Excalibur. I remembered when I heard yesterday's world announcement, but until then, I had been under the impression that you could make weapons and armor with no durability with level 200 Blacksmithing Skill. That's why I didn't say anything, but..."

"Oh, so it was just a slip up on your part, Diite-chan."

"A slip up... if you put it that way, it is, but I wonder if I could forget something so conveniently? Recently, I've started to suspect my own defects..."

Diite's shoulders slumped and she looked down.

Hayato was about to comfort her, but before he could, Lunaria placed a hand on Diite's shoulder.

"I didn't understand some of what you were saying, but it's okay. I sometimes forget my promises and get scolded by Rosalie-chan and the others, but I'm doing a fine job as the Demon Lord."

"A fine job...?"

"I think I need to have a serious talk with Hayato-san. Physically."

He wondered what a physical talk was, but more importantly, Diite, who had been staring blankly, was now shaking her shoulders, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Thank you, Lunaria-kun. That's right, you're doing a fine job as the Demon Lord. I can't lose to you."

"You won't lose...? Even to you, Diite-chan, I won't give up the throne of the Demon Lord. Of course, not to Amanda either."

"I'm not aiming to be the Demon Lord. I'm just saying I'll do my best in my own way. Well then, Lunaria-kun, you should try stacking the buffs against Hades tomorrow. Once you use it, you should get a feel for it."

"Yeah, I will. Well then, Hayato-san, I'm sorry, but please do the maintenance on Arondight and Excalibur. Even the Demon Lord can't do that."

"Of course. I'll get them in perfect condition."

When Hayato said that, Lunaria smiled.

Her innocent smile was charming enough to captivate even Hayato.

Just then, Rosalie came over.

"Lunaria-sama, the Collector has just challenged the Demon Lord's Army to a donut eating contest."

"The Collector, you mean Cecil-chan, right?"

"Yes. No matter what kind of contest it is, since they've called out the Demon Lord's Army by name, we cannot afford to lose. Gil and the others will be of no use this time, so I believe this is a time for Lunaria-sama to show the power of the Demon Lord."

"Hmph, to pick a fight with the Demon Lord, they must be looking down on me. Secure a large amount of cinnamon flavored donuts for me."

After that, Lunaria was taken away by Rosalie and began to eat donuts with Noat, Cecil, and the others.

He didn't know if there was any basis for her confidence in winning against Amanda, but seeing Lunaria acting as she always did, he didn't feel like they would lose. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but if he had to say, he thought it was the former.

"Lunaria-san is a Demon Lord who reassures everyone. She doesn't seem to have any basis for it, but I don't think she'll lose, so it's strange."

"That's true. But in terms of basis, Lunaria-kun probably doesn't believe in herself, but in everyone else. There are people who admire and support her, so she won't lose. I think her confidence comes from there."

"That's what I mean by no basis, but I kind of get it."

Lunaria had social anxiety, but she was very forward with people she got close to. And she seemed to have more fun when she was with someone. Even now, she was holding a large amount of donuts in both hands and eating them as if competing with Cecil.

From a distance, Lunaria looked at Hayato.

"Hayato-san, please bring more donuts. Lots of cinnamon. You can do the sword maintenance later."

"Huh? You're already out?"

"Yeah. In the Donut Big Bang party hosted by Noat-chan, everyone's stomachs have become black holes, but as the Demon Lord, I can't lose. Diite-chan, you come too. You seem to be worried about something, but if you eat a lot of donuts, you'll forget all about it."

"It would be a problem if I forgot all about it, but maybe I'll let loose just for today..."

"Please go easy on me."

There were various anxieties, but the usual situation made Hayato feel a little relieved. Nothing had been resolved, but Hayato thought that Lunaria would one day dispel those anxieties.

"Hayato-san, could you hurry with the donuts? At this rate, I'm going to lose to the evil god that is Noat-chan..."

Thinking, so she's an evil god, Hayato hurried to the storage.