kscans

Chapter 510 - A Temporary Guise

Parfait and her friends arrived at a caravan of demons who preferred not to fight, or so the setting went.

The AFO staff were dressed as demons. While they were mostly human in appearance, they had horns on their heads or wings on their backs. Parfait was a little impressed by the character designs, which she didn't usually get to see.

There were several huge circus-like tents, all of them doing business. The players, who had been nowhere to be seen in the barren wasteland outside, were numerous here, creating a lively atmosphere.

Since it was her first time here, she couldn't be sure, but having heard that there might be an event in this region, it seemed to her that the demon-attired staff were busily making preparations. With that thought, Parfait looked around with curiosity.

"When it comes to gathering information, taverns are the place to be. That tent looks like such a place, shall we go?"

Parfait nodded at Wilnel's suggestion, and the three of them, Parfait, Wilnel, and Trachiyo, headed for the tent.

A demon waiter in a butler's uniform showed them to a table. There were other players there, eating and drinking cheerfully. It seemed more like a regular restaurant than a tavern, and the menu featured many dishes with a lot of spices. Thinking they might be a bit spicy, Parfait and her friends carefully chose their dishes and placed their orders.

"We usually don't leave the Eastern Country, so coming to a place like this makes everything seem so new and interesting."

"Yes. This place has a certain Arabian charm, doesn't it? Even though the outside looked like Earth."

Parfait nodded at Wilnel's words. The outside had been a lonely place with a barren wasteland stretching out, but this caravan was anything but, with everyone having a good time. It was a virtual reality, after all.

They hadn't come with any particular goal, just hoping to get some information, but while the staff seemed busy, there was no sign of anything special happening. The other players didn't seem to be here to gather information either, but were just using this place as a base, so it didn't look like they would be able to get any information about the event.

"By the way, it seems there is only one guild here."

"Really?"

"According to my preliminary research, it is the Summoner's Guild, and a one-of-a-kind guild that only caters to demon summoners."

There was a Summoner's Guild in the Eastern Country as well, but it had spirit summoning and angel summoning in addition to demon summoning. They weren't separated, and it was a regular guild that Ginny also belonged to.

The guild in this caravan, however, was specialized in demon summoning, so much so that it was completely focused on it, with no other benefits.

"Then let's go there after we finish eating. I don't plan on joining, but we might get some interesting information."

"Yes, let's. The conversations I'm overhearing don't seem to be about the event, so going to the guild might be a good idea."

Parfait swallowed the question of how Wilnel could hear all the conversations around them when there were so many players. She told herself that some things in this world were better left unknown, and enjoyed the food that had been brought to them.

After enjoying sweets filled with nuts and dried fruits, Parfait and her friends made their way to the Summoner's Guild tent.

There was nothing particularly suspicious about it, it was just a regular tent. However, it was much smaller than the other tents, so small that it probably couldn't even hold ten people.

"Is it okay for a guild to be this small?"

"It must not be very prosperous. I hear that this place is more restrictive than other Summoner's Guilds, with no particular benefits."

Apparently, everything that could be done here could also be done at Summoner's Guilds in other places, so there was no demand for a demon summoning specialty. It was said to be a hobbyist's guild for those who wanted to stick to it.

Parfait said, "Huh," to Wilnel's words, and stepped inside, wondering what it was like.

"Welcome."

As soon as she entered the tent, she heard a woman's voice with a drawn-out ending.

She thought it was a guild staff member who had spoken to her, but the voice was familiar. When Parfait looked in that direction with a suspicious expression, the woman's face also showed surprise.

"Huh? Mikan-san?"

"Oh, it's Parfait-chan. What a coincidence."

Parfait was confused. Her appearance and voice were definitely Mikan's, but she was completely different from the Mikan she saw at the coffee shop. Normally, she was much sharper, a woman who suited the term career woman. But now, she seemed like a young girl with a much lower mental age.

Parfait immediately approached Mikan and spoke to her over the counter.

"Huh? Huh? Why are you here? And are you really Mikan-san?"

"Yes, I am."

"Um, is that how you usually talk?"

"Oh, right. Just a moment."

Mikan covered her mouth and cleared her throat, making a small "n-n" sound.

"Sorry about that, Parfait-chan. I role-play in both reality and virtual reality. In virtual reality, I talk with a lower mental age."

"Oh, is that so..."

"Yes. A long time ago, my life was in danger, so I used to act childish, and the habit just stuck. Or rather, I enjoy it. So in virtual reality, I talk the way I used to."

What did she mean her life was in danger? Just as she was thinking that, Wilnel nodded.

"I heard from Ronios-sama recently. Mikan-san was the heir to a large company during the age of resource depletion. Because she inherited it at a young age, she was targeted by her relatives."

"That's right. So I escaped on the spaceship Aphrodite, but the company ended up going bankrupt. But it seems Capricorn got their hands on the technology from that time. And in a very illegal way. Because of that, Hyper Toy Maker is now under Ronios-san, or rather, the Gemini Foundation. Well, it's all in the past, so it has nothing to do with me. I don't hold a grudge against Capricorn."

"Wow, so that's what happened... So now you're the director of Hyper Toy Maker, right? Why are you here?"

"The director is my temporary guise. My true form is an AFO staff member...!"

"Shouldn't it be the other way around, with your true form being the more important one...?"

It was common for someone to be unremarkable in their everyday life but have an amazing true form. The reverse seemed rare. And there was something else that bothered Parfait.

"Aren't you the Demon Lord in AFO, Mikan-san?"

"The Demon Lord is also a temporary guise. My true form was a Summoner's Guild employee...!"

"That's still backwards, isn't it?"

It would make sense if her temporary guise was an AFO staff member or a guild employee, but for the director and the Demon Lord to be her temporary guises was just strange. Mikan must have seen the thought on Parfait's face, because she smiled.

"Well, how should I put it? Both the director and the Demon Lord are just titles, so I don't get to do much work. As the director, I do come up with ideas for toys and various other things, but thanks to my excellent secretary, I hardly do anything. I thought that wasn't right, so I'm having them let me work here."

"I see..."

Mikan's secretary, Ginny's mother Lindsey, was an incredibly competent woman. She had protected Mikan when she was young and even boarded the spaceship Aphrodite with her. She was like a second mother to Mikan.

Mikan covered her mouth again, cleared her throat, and smiled.

"So my true identity is a secret, okay?"

"Oh, yes. Um, is it okay if I bring Ginny-chan here next time?"

"Of course it's okay. Oh, by the way, about the real world, I was just looking at Ginny-chan's test results. Ginny-chan was so happy that you did so well too, Parfait-chan. She seemed even happier than she was about her own results."

She hadn't shown any sign of it at school, but hearing it from someone else made her happier than if she had been told directly. Parfait, feeling a little embarrassed, smiled.

"Ginny-chan is like a little sister to me, so please continue to be good friends with her."

"Of course."

"Thank you. Then as a reward, I'll tell you a little about the next event."

"Huh?"

"You'll either have to defeat the bad demons or listen to the good demons' requests. If you rank high in the event, you'll get a real-world present, so do your best."

As Parfait and her friends looked on in surprise, Mikan just beamed at them.