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ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 384 Part 2

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 384: Side Story 6 – Ace of Spades With a Handicap – Part 2

Honestly speaking, Saiga-0 was worried about that matter for quite a while now. But of course, there was no way she would be able to bring that topic up herself. Of course, she knew from Emul’s case that Vorpal Bunnies could disguise themselves as humans, and judging from what she heard from Akitsu Akane, Sickle could change himself into a muffler or a cloak no problem. It seems that the various techniques of mimicry are the essential skill for Vorpal Bunnies to survive.

「But I must admit, my mimicry ability is fundamentally different from what Emul does. However, I can even allow you to add decorations to my changed forms, which helps to make it look more like an ordinary piece of clothing. Isn’t that amazing……?」

「Ooh, i-is that so?」

Then, there was a short puff of grey smoke and Diale managed to transform himself into a long mantle that was now hanging behind Saig-0’s back, covering her gigantic and sturdy armor.

As for the current moment, only three players from the entire game’s population have the right to enter Rabbitz. And Saiga-0 really did not wanted to let the fact that she was one of those players slip up by accident. It would only bring more trouble than it would be worth, not only for her, but for her guild mates as well.

「For the time being, we are going to try and reach the Altar of Awakening……」

According to the information she was given, the Altar of Awakening was located in the very center of the residential area of the village. So if they were to go straight there without going off course, there was no way that they would get lost in here. Or at the very least that was what Saiga-0 thought……

「Umm, could this person be……?」

「Uwooah, Saiga-0!? The real Saiga-0, in the flesh!?」

「Oh, y-yes, that’s right.」

「Well, it is not really all that strange to see her here, considering she has the Maximum Firepower and all that…… Oh yeah, if it is the Altar of Awakening you are looking for, it is this way. But there is actually a queue leading to it, so I’m afraid that you will have to wait for your turn. The current waiting time is like what, twenty minutes or so?」

Although the route leading towards the village of the People of the Forest has been established, this does not mean that the threat that the monsters alongside the way are posing was resolved as well. It goes without saying that you need a level high enough as well as appropriate skills and equipment in order to reach this place, but if the members of the production guilds are able to do it easily, it means that the more combat oriented players will be able to reach it even easier, literally flooding the entire place. But still, the fact that this village was so crowded was really inconvenient for Saiga-0 for various reasons.

「……………」

「Huh? Are you not going to line up and wait for your turn?」

「There are way more people in here than I have initially expected……」

「Probably because it’s the weekend. I heard that there tend to be way less people here during daytime on weekdays. Maybe you should try your luck then?」

「I guess…… I guess that you are right.」

Even if the queue was way shorter during the weekdays, it was impossible for a student like Saiga-0 to just skip school in favor of logging in and playing. That is why Saiga-0 for now decided that releasing the level cap would be pretty much impossible for her, and so she stepped down from the queue altogether. Then she started to wonder what she should do from now on.

「…… Were you not going to line up for the queue?」

「Yes, that was my original intention, but…… If you wait with me here right now, Diale-san, there is a huge risk that you are going to get exposed. And I would like to avoid that at all cost.」

「Kuh…… Could it be that the marvels dwelling within this facility from the Era of the God are able to see right through my perfect mimicry!?」

Saiga-0 was honestly unable to give Diale an answer to that question. Not that it really mattered, of course.

When it comes to Saiga-0’s way of classifying people, the woman known as Arthur Pencilgton surely falls under the category of “not good”.

Well, maybe she was not strictly “evil”, but for some inexplicable reason every time Saiga-0 was coming into contact with her, she felt as though the eyes of that person were able to pierce her very soul and discover her deepest hidden secrets. And it was the kind of feeling she was getting after only a few minutes of conversations with her.

「Oh my, oh my! Who do my eyes see here! Well, if it is not Saiga-imouto! Fancy meeting you here! No, seriously, what a coincidence this is, quite a coincidence indeed!」

「H-Haaa……」

「Can you imagine? I was just minding my own business, slaughtering monsters available in this region, when the strangest of thoughts came over me: I thought about paying a visit to this here Altar of Awakening……」

That’s nice to know and all, but no one actually asked her about the reason for her being here in particular. According to a certain expert who is well-versed in ways in which Arthur Pencilgton tends to operate, she is like a Demon Lord who loves to collect intel of various sorts, and even if she does not have the full picture, she can easily fill all the holes herself. The best way of counteracting her? Simply approach her stealthily from behind and stab the shit out of her……! That was the kind of advice that a certain player gave to Saiga-0 beforehand.

At the very least, it was too early for Saiga-0 to jump into conclusions. Not when she simply had way too few information.

「Nfufufu…… While it is true that with the Mister Plus Alpha hanging from your back you will not be able to do things exactly the way you wanted to do them, but you need not to fret, my dear! See…… If you leave everything to me and play along with my plan, everything is going to turn out alright!」

「Plan……?」

「That’s right! You see, I am that type of person who like to sow the seeds myself and then watch closely what comes out of them…… Ahh, does that mean that I may yet have a shot at being a farmer in the future? No, no, no! I’m still young! This is merely one of the possible options! No need to be so desperate as to lock myself onto one particular path just now!」

People who think that they can achieve anything as long as they would put their everything into something are a rare breed, certainly to be admired. However, since they were starting to go off topic Pencilgton cleared her throat, pushed the glasses sitting on top of her nose with her finger and smiled fearlessly. This gesture was all the more powerful since she was still a male avatar thank to the power of the Holy Grail.

「If you were to ask me, Sanraku-kun is much like a Joker, but in the Old Maid sense of the word. Katsu-kun is like a Joker but in the Poker sense. And you, my dear, are much like the Ace, nothing will get past you. That is why I shall do my very best to help you shine even more. But in order for that to happen, I will need your help.」

「………… For now, I am going to hear you out.」

After hearing that, a broad smile bloomed on Pencilgton’s face. She then went to briefly explain the contents of her plan to Saiga-0.

「I’m actually looking for a specific player out here…… And since you were the member of Black Swords, formerly known as Black Wolves, surely you must have heard the name? The owner of the Holy Hammer Mjolnir, and probably the best blacksmith out there as far as the players are concerned…… Imron-chan. Do you happen to know where I could find her?」

「Is…… Is that so?」