Manowa Chapter 66

◎ Royal Capital Shubain, Royal Castle Delgura, Queen's Bedroom

「Hehehe」

「Ufufufu」

(There's a spoiled child here! And a spoiler too!!)

Yumika gradually collected herself. Kazane and Yuuko-nee standing in front of her had fallen completely into being useless existences.

After the tearful reunion Kazane and Yumika were guided to the Queen's bedroom, and only those three people were in this place.

「Ufufu, Kazane really hasn't changed.」

「Yuuko-nee's gotten older ... ... it's a bit different hiehihaihyo」

She stopped at older but it seems she couldn't be forgiven. Kazane's cheeks were being pulled.

「I have been here for 20 years now. It can't be helped that I've become an Onee-san.」

Only up to Onee-san huh ... … Yumika thought, but did not open her mouth. She did not want to be treated like Kazane.

「20 years. It's another large separation.」

Kazane ma.s.saged her cheeks while she spoke.

「Does Yuuko-nee know about Tatsuyos.h.i.+-kun?」

Yuuko-nee gave a lonesome smile to Kazane's question.

「I know that kid was here 600 years ago. It's said he became a king and spent the rest of his life here?」

Yuuko-nee called Tatsuyos.h.i.+ that kid. Even though she was younger than him.

「It seems so. The hot spring manju and the like were delicious.」

「Hot springs, hot springs are nice. Someday I'd like to spend some time relaxing at one.」

「The water was good.」

At Kazane's words Yuuko-nee couldn't help but start pulling her cheeks again. Her anger sprung forth from the bottom of her belly.

「Nyunyunyu」

Kazane's cheeks were released and she ma.s.saged them again. They were tinged with red.

「Kuu, if only there were a hot spring district here.」

Yuuko-nee looked towards Tsuvara in frustration.

「Ah, but I made some rough hot spring facilities near Conrad.」

「There is one?!」

Yuuko-nee looked at Kazane again. Kazane guarded her cheeks.

「No, no, it's only a simple cottage. Yuuko-nee is a queen, it's way too humble for you.」

「It's fine, I am also a level 96 adventurer.」

「So high!?」

Yumika was surprised, but Kazane thought it was rather low for someone who had been here for 20 years. Yuuko-nee's witch of annihilation Yuukei was a max level character like Sieg.

「Well, if you really want to go we can but...」

At Kazane's words she said「Go!!!」and raised her hand.

It seemed she was quite serious.

「Transfer Quest? What is it?」

Apparently the hot spring issue had been decided and the topic s.h.i.+fted to Tatsuyos.h.i.+. It was concerning the meager gift written about in j.a.panese on the stone monument.

「The Transfer Quest showed up after we read it.」

Yumika also nodded. Kazane and the others were discussing the quests that allowed transferring remodeled items created with the MOD tool, an official remodeling tool, to other users. Her name was not on the stone monument but the transfer quest also appeared in Yumika's Quest Window.

「Do you not see it, Yuuko-nee?」

「I learned about that kid after I became a queen. I had all the information so I did not go to see it directly.」

「If I knew what Tatsuyos.h.i.+-kun prepared I would think about going for it even if it is unreasonable, but...」

Completing the quest would normally require being over level 100, but Kazane could use Sieg with nonstandard ability, so it would probably be possible.

「Unfortunately I do not know. Well, it being impossible to do and dying from it is absurd, isn't it? That kid probably antic.i.p.ated the matter and set it up with that in mind.」

「Is that so? You're probably right.」

Kazane agreed.

「Well, I might be able to take it without much effort if I use national power. It might be worth taking the chance and obtaining it, since it might be a useful item.」

「As expected of a queen.」

「Naturally.」

It would be an abuse of power. The future of the country was in danger.

「Speaking of convenient items, did you go to Coral Temple?」

「Yeah, I took this.」

Saying that, Kazane showed her the Crimson Saint Coffin. By the way, since she recognized the circlet on Yuuko-nee's forehead, Kazane knew which artifact she took. Yuuko's artifact was name『Circlet of Reality Vision』and was the superior version of Sieg's Circlet of Wisdom.

(That should make lying useless, right?)

An artifact that could see through every camouflage and allowed viewing past remarks in the form of a chat log. The ability wasn't that useful in the game, but in this reality it should be quite powerful. Especially in the hands of an influential person.

「I didn't do a second lap so I didn't go.」

Yumika said, and Yuuko-nee made a strange face.

「Eh? I was certain Yumika cleared the main quest?」

「Yeah, but I never started the second run.」

When Yumika said that, Kazane raised a voice saying「Aah ー ー !!」

「Is that so? You misunderstood. This time around possibly counts as your second playthrough.」

「Eh? What?」

Since she could practically see the question marks hanging above Yumika's head, Yuuko-nee spoke.

「Yumika, the Coral Temple is an event for restarting players. Since New Game Plus can be started after completing the main questline, this should count as another playthrough and I think that you meet the requirements.」

「There is also the possibility of it unconditionally being handled as if it were another playthrough in the first place, right?」

Yuuko-nee said「Maybe」after Kazane's words.

「Eh? I can also obtain a Spirit Summoning Ring?」

「An artifact as well. There were two artifacts remaining but...」

「In my case there were also two. Crimson Saint Coffin and Infinite Key remained, so it seems like they automatically return if the owner dies.」

That meant that two players had died since Yuuko-nee visited Coral Temple. It was unknown if it was a natural death or if they were killed.

「Eh? Kazane has both of those, right?」

Kazane nodded at Yumika's question, and Yuuko-nee was surprised.

「How do you have two? Was there some way to bypa.s.s the restriction?」

To Yuuko-nee's question Kazane replied「Well, that's right」and took out Infinite Key.

「This seems to have been taken by a named Yohan-san about a year before I went, but it looks like he died there and he wasn't registered as the owner.」

「I see. It was never used.」

In Zexiaheart an item wasn't owned unless it was actually equipped or used. And from circ.u.mstantial evidence, it seemed that Yohan didn't use Infinite Key at Coral Temple.

「I guess that's why I have it. Perhaps it will return to Coral Temple when I die.」

「You were lucky. I guess that Yohan-san's luck was bad.」

「Yeah.」

Kazane nodded with a slightly apologetic face.

「So what's left?」

Yumika seemed to be impatiently worried about which artifact she could get.

「The closed doors were for『Bangle of the Wolf G.o.d』and『Wedge of Return.』」

「『Wedge of Return』lets you record a Transfer Point, right?」

「That's right. Since Warp can only be used by demons it's convenient.」

To be precise, while they were the only ones possessing the attribute factor, Deceiving transfer techniques also existed, although those methods were not handed down on this continent. And Yumika was more interested in the one that was not『Wedge of Return.』

「There is a『Bangle of the Wolf G.o.d』?!」

When they saw Yumika's eyes, Kazane and Yuuko-nee knew the choice had been made.

「I can become that thing with silver tufty!」

「Well, if someone hasn't taken it.」

Although the last player before Kazane went 1 year ago, the possibility of there being others seemed high.

「And, although it's a summoned spirit ... ... Yumika's is that disappointing swordswoman, right?」

Yuuko-nee changed the topic since it was plain to see the conclusion had already been reached.

「Yeah, that awful one.」

「Don't say she's awful. She's cute.」

Although Yumika protested, Kazane and Yuuko-nee's apathetic faces remained unchanged.

「At first I wanted to be a bow user so I raised my Dexterity, but then I wanted to fight normally as a swordswoman so I allocated my points to Strength, but I was receiving too much damage and kept dying so I started raising my Health.」

「I thought it was amazing that I had the same Health as Sieg at level 93, but I didn't have any offensive power, so I think I eventually changed the difficulty to Very Easy and bulldozed through the game by hitting things with the fixed damage from the Lunatic Strike s.h.i.+eld?」

Yumika was a person who completely missed the point. Because of that, Yumika initially thought of going with a strong offensive power by putting every point in Strength. Soon after, Kazane instructed her to balance it to some extent.

「Ah, no, that s.h.i.+eld seemed too cowardly, so I think it's changed to a Heart s.h.i.+eld now.」

「Seriously?」

Kazane and Yuuko-nee thought it was no good. It far surpa.s.sed the meaning of small fry.

「Don't be careless Yumika, you have to beat your character by yourself.」

「No way, that's ... how?」

Yumika looked to the side and thought for a bit, then came to a hunch.

「But you fight together with Arch so it shouldn't be difficult to win.」

By the way, Arch was the name of Yumika's character.

「Err ... Yuuko-nee, are you really going to the hot spring?」

「Of course.」

Yuuko-nee replied to Yumika's question with a V-sign. It seemed she really wanted to go.

「If that's the case I will go to Coral Temple while we're there and go fetch them.」

At those words Kazane remembered Ruu who died on that mountain, but thought that it would be fine since she would remodel Hippo-kun based on Sangaku-kun.

「That's that, then.」

In any case, Kazane considered how to make a st.u.r.dy Hippo-kun so Yumika would return safely.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Magic Swordswoman

t.i.tle: Ogre Killer

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Two Handed Sword『Black Fang』, Silver Breastplate, Silver Gauntlets, Silver Sheep Clothes, Carapace Bull Trousers, Berserk Ogre Greaves, Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Spirit Summoning Ring

Level : 22

Health: 77

Magic Power: 132+300

Strength: 33

Agility: 27

Endurance: 17

Wisdom : 34

Dexterity : 20

Spell : 『Fly』 『Torch』 『Fire』 『Heal』

Skill : 『Goblin Language』 『Night Vision』 『Crus.h.i.+ng Blow』 『Dog's Sense of Smell』 『Golem Maker: Lv2』 『Rush』 『Fire Principle: Second Chapter』 『Healing Principle: Second Chapter』 『Air Jump』 『Killing Leg』 『Fear Voice』 『Invisible』 『Tiger Eye』 『Wall Walking』 『Insight』 『Cheat Death』 『Nimble』

Kazane:「Yumika's summoned spirit is truly awful and worthless.」

Yuuko-nee:「You could use it as a s.h.i.+eld or decoy? I'm worried.」

Yumika:「...... Some cruel things are being said.」