kscans

Chapter 514 - The Demon Lord's Parameters

The in-game event, Lunatic Demons, was in full swing. With the new Summoned Monster Uniquefication system now available, players were buzzing with excitement—slaying demons, completing quests for them, and leveling their summoning skills.

Parfait's group, however, was buzzing for a different reason. They had shifted their strategy: they would defeat Demon Lord Mikan during the event, but only near the very end.

The most important thing was to keep Mikan's presence at the guild a secret from other players. If a major clan joined the hunt for the Demon Lord, it was unclear if Parfait's group would even get a chance to fight her, let alone win.

Even if they did manage to defeat Mikan, if major clans followed suit right after, their massive point gain could be overturned. Since they didn't even know if she was worth a lot of points, they decided it was best to strike late in the event. Until then, they were focused on gathering information.

Today, Parfait had brought Trachiyo to the Summoner's Guild tent in the Caravan to speak with Mikan again.

“Mikan-san, is there anything you’re scared of?”

“Scared of…? Hmm, I’m scared of shortcake! Strawberry shortcake is especially terrifying~”

“That’s not quite what I meant…”

“I’m not really scared of anything. Ghosts, paranormal phenomena, bring it on!”

“I see. I’m scared of tests, personally.”

“Well, you’re a student! Study hard! The trick is to completely empty your mind.”

“I do that a lot in class. Why does time seem to slow down so much during lectures?”

It was idle chatter, but Parfait felt that asking Mikan for her weaknesses directly was a flawed approach to begin with. Still, this was a request from Rick, so she pressed on, trying to pry out any useful information.

According to Rick, just knowing Mikan was weak wasn't enough; they had no idea how weak she was. It was all based on what Ginny had heard from Mikan herself. He insisted they needed to assess her strength based on her game stats and even her real-world condition. So, they were all gathering intel.

They already knew Mikan wasn't athletic, thanks to Ginny’s real-world information gathering… or rather, just from observing her daily life. On the other hand, she was incredibly quick-witted, known for her sharp new ideas and precise instructions at work.

As for Mikan's equipment, it was undoubtedly rock-bottom tier. It had no special skills and was barely better than a starter set.

If they could land a solid hit, she would likely go down in one shot. However, it was also clear that as long as her ever-present summon, Kurotako, was around, no attack would ever reach her. This was because of what could only be described as an auto-guard or auto-attack; the moment anyone took a hostile action towards Mikan, Kurotako would attack with furious rage.

A one-hit-kill laser and a protective barrier made from that same laser. Those were the only two abilities they had confirmed, but those two alone made defeating Mikan seem nearly impossible.

That was what their intelligence gathering had revealed. The conclusion was the same as it had been from the start: they couldn’t win unless they separated Kurotako and Mikan. That was why she was now probing for other weaknesses. Asking what scared her was part of that effort.

“Um, does Kurotako-chan have any weaknesses…?”

“In his settings, he’s scared of squid.”

“Even though he’s a god in another world?”

A god who’s scared of squid? Parfait thought, making a mental note. Maybe they could throw a Kraken at him, or fight him at sea. But she couldn't imagine winning that way at all.

Still, the idea of fighting in a different location might have merit, it suddenly occurred to her.

Perhaps because they knew each other in real life, Mikan would follow them anywhere if invited, and she answered any question they asked. Fighting her here in the guild tent or out in the field was a guaranteed loss, but luring her to a location that was advantageous to them felt like the right move.

Ideally, it would be a place that nullified summoning altogether. Whether such a convenient location even existed was unknown, but if they could get her there, they might have a chance. Of course, whether Mikan would agree to go to such a place was another problem entirely.

Finishing her conversation for the day, Parfait returned to their headquarters. She shared the information she’d gathered with the usual members, and Rick nodded emphatically.

“That’s a good idea. But a place that nullifies summoning… does anyone know of one?”

At his question, everyone shook their heads. Such a place might exist, but having seen less than one percent of AFO's world, it was beyond their knowledge.

Then, Ginny shot her right hand into the air as if struck by inspiration.

“Elder Sister Mikan might know!”

“I’m sure she does, but don’t ask her. Please, think carefully about who it is we’re trying to defeat.”

Rick immediately shot down Ginny’s suggestion. Mikan had taught them a lot, but asking her for the best place to defeat her seemed like a step too far. Besides, she would never tell them.

And yet, Parfait felt there was something strange about Mikan’s behavior. Having spoken with her more frequently in AFO, she had realized that Mikan would answer any question she was asked. She was limited to in-game content, of course, but she would readily answer things she clearly shouldn’t. She had told Ginny she was weak, and it turned out to be true. She had also casually mentioned that her equipment was just guild-issued.

It might have been because they knew each other in real life, but Parfait had another thought.

“Maybe Mikan-san has a game setting that forces her to answer questions truthfully?”

It was just a hunch, but she said it aloud. Rick, Ginny, and Wilnel all adopted serious expressions.

“Is that… possible?”

“It’s true, Elder Sister Mikan always gives me an answer when I ask her something. Except when I asked her to cosplay, she turned that down.”

“It’s a common trope in stories, but I’ve heard that demons whose true names are known are bound to absolute obedience. Perhaps something like that is reflected in the Demon Lord’s settings.”

At the trio’s words, Natsu and Chris also folded their arms and looked thoughtful. Parfait, who had just thrown the idea out there, now looked pensive as well. But a moment later, Ginny’s face lit up.

“Then shouldn’t we just ask Elder Sister Mikan about it?”

Ginny’s proposal was met with unanimous approval. Parfait, Ginny, and Trachiyo headed back to the Caravan where Mikan was.

When they entered the tent, Mikan looked a little surprised to see them again. Ignoring the situation, Ginny immediately closed the distance.

“You’re back already?”

“Elder Sister Mikan, do you have a setting that forces you to answer questions truthfully!?”

It was a blunt, tactless question, but Mikan just grinned.

“Ooh, you’re asking about that?”

“Well, do you!? Come on, out with it!”

“Ginny-chan, calm down.”

As Parfait and Trachiyo tried to soothe Ginny, Mikan began to laugh.

“Good job figuring that out. If you’d done some research in the dungeons and on the stone monuments in this country, you would have found it, but I have a setting that forces me to give a correct answer to anyone who knows my name and that I’m the Demon Lord. My name is well-known, but no one realized the Demon Lord was working as a guild receptionist. I suppose knowing me in real life gave you girls quite an advantage, huh?”

“Then where’s a place you can’t summon Kurotako-san!?”

“You’re asking that, too? Fine, I’ll tell you. The Throne Room in Pandemonium Castle. No demon other than the Demon Lord’s personal one can exist there. Well, there are a few exceptions, but at the very least, you can’t summon Kurotako-chan. And you can’t bring him with you, either.”

“Then let’s go there right now!”

“No way, you’ll defeat me!”

“Please, just this once! Think of it as helping me out!”

“I can’t, because you’ll defeat me!”

As their back-and-forth continued, Trachiyo spoke to Parfait.

“My master, why not ask Lady Mikan what it would take for her to accompany you?”

“Trachiyo, your advice is so sharp it’s scary…!”

Parfait’s exclamation brought Mikan and Ginny’s argument to a halt.

“Mikan-san, what would it take for you to come with us to the castle’s Throne Room?”

“Ooh, nice one. Was that Trachiyo-chan’s idea?”

“My Trachiyo is the best in the world.”

“My Kurotako-chan is the best in the world, too. But anyway, if you want me to go to the Throne Room with you, you’ll have to bring me a highest-quality shortcake. And you have to use the best ingredients, of course. By the way, this counts as a request from a demon, so you’ll get event points for it.”

Hearing those words, Parfait felt a fire ignite within her. She would gather the finest ingredients and bake the greatest shortcake the world had ever seen.