Chapter 395: Side 11: The Smiling Fixer

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"...So, would you care to tell us why you went to the trouble of gathering us all here?"

The New Continent branch of the cafe "Serpent's Apple." Six eminent players gathered in a branch of the only NPC cafe where the taste restriction removal is applied—a place known only to those in the know.

The Leader (Professor) of clan "Library," The Professor.

The Leader (Commander) of clan "Black Sword," Psyger-100.

The Leader (Representative) of clan "Team 10PM," PT Overwerke... was absent due to overtime, so the Sub-Representative, Jakuzan, attended as a proxy.

The Leader (Director) of clan "SF-Zoo," Animalia.

The Leader (Captain) of clan "Saint Fanclub," Josette.

And the Leader (Boss) of clan "Wolfgang" and the leader of the large-scale alliance, Arthur Pencilgon. Standing silently behind her was a massive man clad in full plate armor, wearing a helmet of a peculiar design.

"Right, well, I was actually thinking of calling out to the Knights Tempura as well... but they're currently on a bit of a hostile route, you see."

"It's not 'being made into an enemy,' it's you 'making them into an enemy,' surely."

"Oh, you caught on? As expected of Momo-chan."

"...And? What are you plotting?"

"Now hold on, before we get to that, how about a little bribe?"

Precisely because of her long association, Psyger-100 knew that the smirk plastered on her face almost always meant she was thinking of something no-good.
As if providing proof for that deduction, Pencilgon, wearing a smile that longed for the upcoming festival, boldly began the Work of Bribery right then and there.

"First, for Animalia-chan... a screenshot like this."

"...Hoh, a Cait Sith."

"Huh? I was expecting a slightly more interesting reaction... Or rather, has your vibe changed a bit, Animalia-chan?"

"Fufufu... Ever since being crushed by Lycaon, I have retrained my body. The current me can communicate with animals far more directly...!"

Animalia, who seemed to have awakened to something strange, tightly clenched her fist; but putting that aside, her gaze was nailed to a single image... a Puss in Boots puffing out his chest with a smug look on his face.

"This is intel from our vanguard, but apparently the Cait Siths have formed a nation too? Unfortunately, that's all I know, so this is one of those cases where we'll have to squeeze the rest out of Sunraku-kun."

"That is good information... Depending on the details, my clan will not spare any expense for the price."

"That's grand. Well then, next, for Team 10PM, how would you like this information?"

The one who met the gaze of the grinning Pencilgon was a knight wearing a full-face helmet adorned with skull paint.
It almost felt like some kind of mental sludge was oozing out of his body, but that was likely just an effect of the Dark Crusader, the highest-tier job derived from the Knight class's Dark Knight branch. Probably.

"Our Caro-san is currently challenging a glorious second all-nighter, so I came in his stead, but honestly I don't have the final say by myself. I'm just a messenger, got it?"

"I don't mind〜... fufu. Just tell him that we've established a cooperative relationship with 'Imron'-chan, and that'll be enough."

"Owner of the Holy Hammer? Seriously... this is gonna make the meeting get pretty wild."

The biggest difference between player blacksmiths and NPC blacksmiths is, after all, whether or not the original world—reality—exists.
That can impact their login cycles, and it also allows for approaches from different angles.

Especially since the owner of the Holy Hammer, Imron, is solo-oriented and possesses a certain craftsman's stubbornness, he's a difficult player to track down—though not quite as bad as the practically-a-cryptid Sunraku.
However, his skill is guaranteed simply by the fact that he owns Mjolnir, making him exactly the kind of person a top clan would want to establish a relationship with at all costs.

Particularly because Imron himself is an "active Office Lady," Team 10PM has repeatedly attempted to scout him, and if she hints at a bridge to him, even Jakuzan has no choice but to listen to Pencilgon's talk.

"Next, Library. I'll provide you with my own personal, prized information."

"Hoh? You still hold some unknown information, then?"

To The Professor, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity, Pencilgon spoke while touching the Accessory (Flower Ornament) tucked into her hair.

"The toy box of hidden information isn't me, it's Sunraku-kun... What if I told you there's a continuation related to Wethermon the Tombguard?"

"Library promises its full cooperation."

"Glad we could reach an understanding so quickly. Ah, it's probably lore-based, so don't expect any unique weapons or anything, okay?"

"Even if it's but a single sentence, it is equivalent to billions in treasure. That is what archaeology is."

After securing the promised cooperation of the three clans—Library, Team 10PM, and SF-Zoo—Pencilgon turned her face toward the remaining two, Josette and Psyger-100.

"Momo-chan, for the sake of our friendship, how about a volun—ah, wait wait, joke! It's a Pencilgon joke! Forget it as if you're rubbing it out with an eraser! No leaving! Do you really want to be left behind by the waves of the era?!"

"Always saying whatever's convenient... So? Just get to the main point already, then I'll decide."

"Ah, before that, Fanclub! To be honest, I have no idea what to offer you guys since your raison d'être is constantly being fulfilled, so can we just discuss it later?"

"That's fine with me〜."

"Well then," Pencilgon said, leaning back heavily in her chair once more, and revealed her wicked plot to the five players—and by extension, to the numerous high-tier players standing behind them.

"I want to defeat Siegwurm the Heavenly Sovereign."

In other words, a direct rebellion against the current mainstream faction, the Black Dragon Subjugation Faction (Emi-Lia Faction). At that invitation, the representatives of each clan all showed a reaction, though the degree varied.

"I see, so that's why you couldn't call the Knights Tempura. They're part of the Noirlind Subjugation Faction, after all."

"Exactly. Their combat power isn't bad, but the fact that they were directly trampled by Noirlind is the problem... Even if we were to pull them over to our side, the cost-benefit ratio wouldn't really balance out, see."

Pencilgon responded to The Professor's words with a wry smile. Then, turning toward Jakuzan, the proxy representative of Team 10PM, she spoke with a wicked grin.

"I know... that even within Team 10PM, there are quite a few players who want to challenge a Unique Monster..."

"Guh, well... that's true."

"It's true that the Colored Dragons are part of the Unique Scenarios... but are you really satisfied with just a sub-target...? If it were me, since it's a game after all, both challenging Siegwurm and getting spectacularly wiped out or snatching away the value are both fun, and I don't see any reason not to challenge him...?"

"Kh... You're damn good at talking people around. You're a scammer just like the rumors say..."

"Eh, where did you hear that? I pride myself on being the most refined and sincere existence out there, you know?"

"Sure..."

Whether overwhelmed by the deepening smile of Pencilgon or not, Jakuzan didn't say anything further. Smirking to herself that the seeds had been sown, Pencilgon then turned back to Psyger-100 and The Professor.

"Since you're all comrades-in-arms who fought Ctarrnid together, surely you understand just how great the benefits of defeating a Unique Monster are, right? Looking at Ctarrnid's Delusional Form, it's possible that the Tome of Truth won't drop just for completing a sub-target. What do you think about that?"

"On our part, I'd like to say we don't care either way... but the truth is, we in Library believe that the Tome of Truth will be issued whether you achieve the defeat of Siegwurm or the subjugation of the Colored Dragons."

"Ho—hooh?"

Standing up abruptly, The Professor began to walk through the shop, his shoes clicking on the floor.

"It's a World Quest. From the information so far, the subjugation of Unique Monsters has been involved in the progression of the World Quest. However, this time, the conditions of the World Quest itself are merged with the Unique Scenarios. If so, a hypothesis we can deduce is that originally, Ctarrnid was a Unique Monster that players were meant to encounter without fail when traveling to the New Continent—in other words, it was the one meant to be defeated first..."

"Ah, Professor? My apologies, but could you just give us the main point?"

To the request from Josette, who had slightly furrowed her brows, The Professor—who looked like a lovely young girl—widened her eyes and scratched her head, saying "My bad, it's just habit..." before stating her summary.

"Probably, whether you defeat the Colored Dragons or defeat Siegwurm, the World Quest will progress, and I believe the Tome of Truth will likely be distributed. However, if I had to say... we in Library believe that the difficulty or the story of the next stage of the World Quest will branch depending on which one was chosen."

"That being said, that is no reason to refuse the reward offered," The Professor concluded as she sat back down.
Pencilgon, not letting a single trace of her relief at handling the troublesome old fox show on her face, simply continued to wear an intrepid smile.

"Now, shall we continue the talk? Preparing for a festival is important, after all."

Author's Afterword
It's not just the protagonist who hides information from his associates.