kscans

Chapter 509 - The Island Made by Demons

"...This is magnificent, Parfait-san."

Hearing Wilnel's words, Parfait threw her hands up in a silent victory pose. She closed her eyes, turned her face to the ceiling, and savored the joy. She looked like a hero who had overcome all adversity to defeat a demon lord.

That's how happy Parfait felt. Since it was an unavoidable fate, she had gone into the tests with a great deal of spirit. She had managed a score even higher than her previous personal best. It was only a self-assessment, but even if she was off by ten points, it was still her highest score ever. Considering her past performance, it was certain she would rank in the top one hundred. In other words, she was a ranker.

Perhaps overcome with emotion, Parfait lifted Trachiyo into the air and spun around.

"I did it, Trachiyo!"

"Splendid! I am overcome with emotion!"

Trachiyo, the black cat, praised Parfait. Whether out of excitement or not, he wagged his tail as he was spun around.

"I do not know what Trachiyo-san is saying, but I am sure he is praising you, Parfait-san. This is truly a great achievement. The state of selflessness you have attained must have been effective."

"No, no. That has nothing to do with it."

The state of selflessness Parfait had activated when she fought Kazatoki. To put it simply, it was an incredible level of concentration. Parfait didn't think it had anything to do with her test results, but she did feel she had studied harder this time than ever before.

"However, this means I will need to revise my plan."

"Huh? Plan?"

"I was thinking we could aim for the top more slowly, but at this rate, we may as well accelerate the plan. Let us aim for an even higher score next time. We will aim for the top fifty, and eventually, the top ten."

"That means being at the same level as everyone else, doesn't it!?"

The top ten. That meant studying until she was on par with Natsu, Chris, Rick, Ginny, and Wilnel. She had tried so hard this time, and now she was being told to try even harder.

"Once you aim for the top, it is basic to climb all the way to the summit... no! Once you fall, you can only continue to fall to the very bottom!"

"Is studying about continuing to fall...?"

Parfait felt a sense of terror at this hopeless endeavor, like endlessly sinking into a bottomless swamp. If Wilnel said it, she felt it was unavoidable.

"My lord, rest assured. This Trachiyo shall continue to fall with you!"

"...I appreciate the sentiment, but how about we try not to fall in the first place?"

Parfait's wish for him to think of a way not to fall went completely unheard. Still, if her scores dropped, it wasn't impossible that she would be banned from playing AFO. The only reason she wasn't told anything despite playing AFO every day was because her scores were improving.

What's more, her improved scores came with benefits, like an increased allowance and being taken out for all-you-can-eat barbecue. On the day the tests ended, she was able to buy the clothes she had her eye on at a shop she went to with everyone. It was a stroke of luck.

Lately, when she weighed the hardship of studying against the benefits of getting good scores, she had started to think it might be better to push herself a little. She would never say she liked studying, not even if her mouth were torn open, but she was starting to feel that it wasn't so bad when she understood the material.

She suspected this might be part of Wilnel's plan, but she decided to do her best as far as she could, feeling a little more positive.

However, she also believed that playing was a student's true duty. She thought it might be a bit much to spend most of her youth in AFO, but chatting with friends about trivial things was the same whether it was in reality or virtual reality. So she decided to play AFO without worrying about it.

"Well, even if I try my best, that's in the future. For a while, no talk of studying. The mere mention of the word might make Beelzebub breathe fire, so be careful."

"Understood. They do say it is important to have on and off switches. Let us save it for when the next tests are near."

"As you wish. It is enough for me to have witnessed my lord's true potential."

It was a strange feeling, but for some reason, Wilnel and Trachiyo seemed like her loyal retainers. And their loyalty was pretty much maxed out. Though they were troublesome subordinates who pushed unreasonable demands on their superior, thinking she could do even better.

"So, what shall we do today? Natsu-san and the others said they wanted to go report their test results, so they won't be coming today."

"Yeah, that's right. Nacchan wants to tell Ruth-san, and Chris-chan is reporting to Gil-san and Silva-san, who are taking a rare day off. Rick-kun wants to tell Relic-san and the others, so no one is coming."

"What about Ginny-san and Cynthia-san?"

"Ginny-chan is probably at Mikan-san's company. Cynthia-chan is usually busy with the Black Rose, and besides, she apparently tries not to get good scores so she won't stand out."

Cynthia did a strange thing, deliberately getting questions wrong to keep her score down. "The shadows are my path!" she always said, living her school life trying not to stand out. According to Ginny, if Cynthia got serious, she could get into the top ten. Parfait always thought her friends were all a bit strange, but lately she had given up on thinking about it too much.

"So that means it is just you, Trachiyo-san, and me today, Parfait-san. What shall we do?"

"If we had more concrete information about the event, there would be a lot we could do, but there's no clear information out yet."

Rick's information was all from before the tests, and there was nothing new. The only information they had was that something seemed to be happening at Pandemonium Castle in the Demon Country.

"In that case, shall we go to the Demon Country that Rick-san mentioned? I have been wanting to see Pandemonium Castle."

"That sounds good. I hear the castle is crawling with demons, so it's pretty difficult, but it should be fine if we're just going to see it."

"I shall go as well! My claws thirst for blood this night! I shall slay any demon that stands in our way!"

"It's not night yet, so rein it in."

Trachiyo was said to be an AI based on Simon, but Parfait couldn't help but wonder if Simon-sensei would say something like that. She, Wilnel, and Trachiyo set off for the Demon Country.

The Demon Country was a group of islands far to the south, with regions that defied the laws of nature, from jungle islands to deserts and snowy landscapes. According to AFO's lore, these islands were created by demons long ago with magic to suit their own needs, and all of them together were called the Demon Country.

In the center of the largest of these islands stood Pandemonium Castle. It was a region controlled by Demon King Mikan and the Demon Summoning Research Association, a notorious place whose dominion had never been taken.

Parfait and her friends set foot on this island.

Normally, they would need to take a ship or airship to get there, but thanks to a free teleporter set up by the clan "Adventurers," who focused on discovering new lands, they were able to arrive without any trouble.

And the sight that greeted them left the two of them and the cat stunned.

The water had dried up, leaving the earth cracked, and the sky was covered in thick, dark clouds. The only sounds were the mournful whistle of the wind and what sounded like the unpleasant cries of birds. There were no other players nearby.

"There's really nothing here..."

"A barren land stretching out before us. It reminds me of the hazardous zones on Earth."

Parfait had toured Earth with her parents before, and she nodded in agreement with Wilnel's words, remembering that the scenery had indeed been like this.

"Well, we're here, but what should we do first? We're prepared, but heading straight for the castle seems a bit boring. Doesn't the Demon Country have any towns run by the AFO management?"

"I believe there was a town with the lore that it was inhabited by demons who disliked fighting... ah, no, not a town, but a caravan. I believe there is a mobile base."

"My lord, could that be it over there? It is far, but I can faintly make out tents."

At Trachiyo's words, Parfait looked in that direction. As he said, she could see what looked like a massive tent.

"The event hasn't started yet, but it's our first time here, so let's go check it out. Rick-kun said that if there's an event, there should be some kind of sign."

Wilnel and Trachiyo nodded at Parfait's suggestion, and they began to walk in that direction.