kscans

Chapter 492 - The Spirit Country

Parfait, Rick, Ginny, and Cynthia were on their way to the headquarters of the clan Fight☆Club.

Natsu and Chris weren't with them. Rick had asked the two of them to go check out what the Spirit Festival event was like, so they had headed to the event venue, the giant tree known as the World Tree.

The clan's headquarters and the World Tree were both located in the Spirit Country.

It was no exaggeration to say that almost all video streaming clans were based in this country. This was due to the influence of the Spirit Festival event. To put it simply, it was about securing a good location.

The area around the World Tree was the territory of the clan Kiss of Death, but it also served as the main venue for the Spirit Festival. However, the entire Spirit Country was in a festive mood, so having territory made it easier to stand out in various ways.

Some clans even conquered land just for this event and rented it out to streaming clans for in-game currency, making it a fiercely contested region in territory battles to cut down on unnecessary expenses.

And since the event had started today, many players had already poured into the Spirit Country, which was already in a state of festivity.

The weather in the Spirit Country was known to be fickle, perhaps due to the whims of the spirits, but for the duration of the Spirit Festival, it was always sunny. Right now, a clear blue sky stretched overhead.

Parfait looked up at the sky, and just by looking at it, she could tell the event was in full swing.

"There are fireworks going off, but are those..."

"Apparently, the players take the lead in hyping up the Spirit Festival. Some clan is probably setting them off," Rick replied to Parfait's words.

While guild staff usually ran events, the Spirit Festival had a history of being player-started, so players were also the ones in charge of getting everyone excited.

Clans with territory in the Spirit Country, in particular, tended to go all out, as their contribution to the event directly translated into video views.

As Parfait thought, "Huh," and looked up again, she saw a huge black bird flying this time.

Parfait was surprised by the bird, which was even larger than the giant monster Roc, but upon closer inspection, it was a group of over a hundred people. All of them were clad in black robes and riding on brooms, making them look like a giant bird.

That black bird began to shine and instantly turned white. It then sped up, leaving a trail of light as it flew north, and the players on the ground cheered and applauded wildly.

"Huh? What was that? I mean, what's going on?"

"That's the Worldwide Magical Girl Society clan... Don't give me that look. It's not like I wanted to say it."

According to Rick's explanation, it was a secret society aiming to fill the entire world with magical girls. The clan was composed entirely of female members, all with magic-specialized stats. He also shared the trivial information that the magical girls Lion was playing were apparently different from magical girls.

As for the black bird turning white, it was simply because everyone flying had changed from black equipment to white equipment, and the shining was likely due to the use of some party-favor-like item, Rick revealed.

"Is it okay for a secret society to be that flashy?"

"The secret society is just their theme. Besides, that clan also engages in idol-like activities, like group dances. They specialize in group performances and have a lot of streams, so they're a popular clan."

"You've watched them?"

"I've checked out the clans that could be rivals to some extent. But that clan is in a different category from what we're aiming for, so I haven't looked into them much."

Parfait nodded with an "I see."

The category Rick said they were aiming for was fashion. The singing, dancing, and performance categories were almost monopolized by Kiss of Death, with a rival clan occasionally winning, so he had decided not to challenge them there.

There were also PvP and no-genre categories, but those were hard to predict, so Rick had explained they would aim for the top in fashion alone.

"But can we really aim for the top in fashion?"

"We'll have to leave that to Ginny and Cynthia-san..."

Rick said, looking over at Ginny and the others.

The two of them had been talking about Heart-Pounding Pandemonium for a while now, and Parfait and Rick were basically staying out of that conversation.

A grave-faced Cynthia was speaking to Ginny.

"Ginny-shi, if I may be so bold... I must speak my mind. While a normal butler outfit for Ashley-sama's cosplay is one thing, I am against any alterations to it."

"It is rare for our opinions to diverge, but what is your reasoning?"

"As you know, Ginny-shi, Ashley-sama is a devilish man who leads young maidens astray. To be frank, it is a sensitive matter..."

"I am in complete agreement with that interpretation."

Cynthia nodded and came to a stop. Everyone else stopped with her. Only Rick had a wrinkle between his eyebrows, but he remained silent.

"A normal butler outfit is barely acceptable, and even that is a very dark shade of gray. However, to have him wear a shirt with a loosened tie and a slightly open collar would be nothing short of indecent. Such an act would incur the wrath of the maidens, and it would not just be a firestorm, but a Meteor Swarm that would last for three days and three nights, turning everything into Sodom and Gomorrah!"

Not wanting to listen but overhearing the conversation anyway, Parfait whispered to Rick.

"What's Sodom and Gomorrah?"

"You know the Old Testament, right? They're the names of cities that appear in it. They incurred God's wrath, and apparently, sulfur and fire rained down from the heavens, destroying them."

"Ah, I see."

"More importantly, was Ginny trying to make me do something like that? I'd like to be the one to destroy her."

"Rick-kun, it's still just an attempt, so calm down."

As if she had known this all along, Ginny started to tremble slightly from the moment she heard Cynthia's words.

"Th-that is true...! Excessive alterations are nothing short of a sin...!"

In response to Ginny's barely audible voice, Cynthia's serious expression changed to a smile filled with compassion.

"This one would accompany you, Ginny-shi, even to the Andromeda galaxy. However, I will stop you, even at the cost of my life, from doing anything like charging into the sun or a black hole...!"

At those words, Ginny let out a long breath. Then she looked at Cynthia and smiled.

"I have a wonderful friend."

"The pleasure is all mine. And I believed that you would understand, Ginny-shi!"

Immediately after, the two of them embraced tightly.

Parfait and Rick watched the two of them, who looked like something out of a coming-of-age story, with exasperated expressions. Rick, in particular, looked as if he was seeing something incomprehensible, his eyes so distant he seemed on the verge of reaching a state of enlightenment. A few seconds later, Rick shook his head to return to reality and sighed.

"The content of their conversation is terrible, yet they're making it look like a heartwarming scene..."

"They both have maxed out facial attack power, so any conversation they have looks good. Alright you two, it's about time we get going."

Perhaps used to Ginny, Parfait urged the two of them on, and they set off for the Fight☆Club headquarters once more.

The Fight☆Club headquarters was located at the southern edge of the Spirit Country.

The World Tree was at the center of the Spirit Country, so the farther away a clan was from it, the weaker their influence was considered to be. By that logic, Fight☆Club would be considered a minor clan.

Still, it was a clan that could earn real money through video streaming. If a clan was too weak, they couldn't partner with AFO and stream in the real world. Considering that, they were a small but proper streaming clan.

That was what Parfait had heard, but she was a little surprised when she saw their base.

It was a much larger base than she had expected. From a distance, it looked like a Western-style mansion with a huge garden. The trees and flowers seemed to be well-tended, and there was even a fountain in the center of the garden. It was truly a place reminiscent of how nobles lived on Earth in the old days.

It was the kind of place she had only ever seen in textbooks and videos, but Parfait thought it would be quite elegant to have tea in a place like this as she approached the entrance gate.

Perhaps because it was a holiday and the first day of the event, there were many people in the garden. It would have been quicker if Kazatoki or Lion were there, but they didn't seem to be logged in yet, and it was full of people she didn't know.

As she was wondering what to do at the gate, a man in the garden noticed them.

The man, along with several others, approached them and spoke with a smile.

"Are you here to see the show? We're still getting ready, so our clan isn't doing anything yet."

"Um, my name is Parfait, from the clan Mont Blanc. This is a bit forward, but would it be possible to speak with your clan leader?"

"With our leader? I don't mind, but... Parfait from Mont Blanc!?"

The man who had responded to her raised his voice in surprise. At his voice, the other members also noticed them and all had expressions of shock.

Parfait couldn't quite grasp the situation, but the man who had spoken to her held out his hands.

"W-wait a minute! I'll confirm right away. No, I'll show you in! Uh, no, I will guide you! Hey, tell Break-san! That Parfait-san and her group are here!"

For some reason, the man became very stiff as he invited them into the base. Amidst the murmuring of the people around them, Parfait and her friends walked through the garden with puzzled looks on their faces.

It wasn't that the atmosphere was unfriendly. It was more like a mix of welcome and bewilderment, and some of them were looking at Parfait and her friends with enraptured expressions.

"Um, what's going on?"

"Maybe they've heard about us from Kazatoki-san and the others?"

"When Cynthia-san and I came, it wasn't like this. I suppose this is to be expected of Parfait-san."

"Th-there are more people than before... Excuse me, I will erase my presence, so please call my name when you need me... Poof..."

As they conversed, Parfait and her friends followed behind the man.

The inside of the base was also well-maintained, with tasteful furnishings.

Basically, furnishings had monetary value but there was no reason to be particular about them. They were really just decorations. However, they were also a way to show a clan's taste and influence, so many major clans were particular about them.

Fight☆Club was said to be a weak clan among streaming clans, but Parfait revised her opinion. They might actually be a big clan.

At the same time, they arrived at the room where the leader was said to be.

"Break-san, I've brought Parfait-san and her group."

"Alright, let 'em in."

A man's voice came from inside the room. Even through the door, it didn't sound like someone their age, but older, maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. A firm, adult voice.

The man who had guided them opened the door and ushered them inside. Then he bowed awkwardly to them before leaving the room and closing the door.

Parfait looked around the room again.

Here too, there were tasteful furnishings. But that faded into the background in an instant. The man in front of them had a much stronger impact.

He wore black leather pants and a white shirt that was open at the chest, with a black leather jacket over it, and sunglasses. His hair was slicked back at the sides and brought together at the back of his head in a regent style.

The man stood up from his chair, pushed his sunglasses down his nose, and the corners of his mouth turned up as he looked at them.

"Glad you could make it. The name's Break, nice to meet ya."

"Ah, yes. I'm—"

"Yeah, I know. You're Parfait, right? And you two are Ginny and Cynthia. Don't know the guy, though..."

"...I'm Rick. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Break nodded at Rick's words. He smiled even wider and spoke.

"Thanks for helping my people out. As the leader of this clan, I should have come to you myself, but I was busy with real life stuff and got delayed."

With that, Break straightened his posture and bowed his head.

"I'm truly grateful. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd continue to be friends with Kazatoki and the others."

Contrary to his appearance and way of speaking, Break was very polite. Surprised, Parfait quickly responded.

"Please raise your head. I'm the one who's grateful to be friends with Kazatoki-chan and Lion-chan."

At Parfait's words, Break raised his head. Then he grinned.

"Glad to hear it. But meeting you for the first time... I see..."

"Um, is something wrong with me?"

"Ah, my bad. Did I offend you? It's just that Parfait is famous in certain circles, and I'd always wanted to meet you at least once."

At those words, Rick stepped in front of Parfait.

Even though it was virtual reality, Rick was acting as if to protect her. As Parfait and the others wondered about his actions, Break laughed, but Rick's expression remained serious.

"Looks like I worried you. I'm not planning on doing anything, so you can relax."

"Um, Rick-kun, what's going on?"

"I'm sure of it now, based on your name and appearance. This person is... no, this gentleman is from the Virgo Foundation. I believe he even holds succession rights to the head of the family."

"Huh?"

"Haha, that's ancient history. It's true I'm part of the Foundation, but now I'm just a rank-and-file member, no different from a commoner."

As Parfait stood there in shock, Break continued.

"The Foundation Overseer issued a no-contact order for Parfait to all Foundation members. You can't blame me for being curious about what kind of kid you are, right? Of course, I have no intention of using you to improve my standing in the real world. That's an uncool move, there's no romance in it. More importantly, you came here with some business for me, right? I'd love to hear it."

Break said with a cynical smile. He then took off his sunglasses, put them inside his leather jacket, and as if in exchange, took out a comb and tidied his hair.