Another Frontier Online

Siegfried, the triple-haired cat, is a real cat logging into this virtual reality just like the Hayatoes.

Hayato, who had been explained to him by Diete, was a little distracted. I forgot for a moment that a shooting star was attacking the Mansion, but I gradually regained consciousness.

There were actions that seemed to be the case when asked. Honestly, I'm half suspicious because I'm acting like I'm under the influence of the system, such as biting Esha, but I don't think that Daté will lie about this.

First, I took a deep breath to calm down, and I noticed that the people around me were strangely looking at Hayato and the others. I thought it was because of the surprise voice, and I said, "I'm sorry, it's okay because it's nothing," and then I turned my attention back to Daté.

I wonder if you could tell me all about it for now.

Diete nodded and began explaining to Hayato.

At the time, Siegfried was one of the animals that owed a lot of money to Artemis, an organization that protects animals. Artemis was also a group to which Surya belonged.

I borrowed it for a simple experiment.

A full dive that jacks neural signals from the brain and body and reflects them into virtual reality. It is completely different from the virtual reality that you can enjoy with goggles and motion capture.

No matter how safe it is, you can't be the first to try it on humans. Some animals were tested there. One of them is Siegfried, the triple-haired cat.

The experiment was successful. There were no problems with logging in or logging out, and it had no effect on my subsequent life. However, if you succeed once, you may fail next time. I tested it over and over again.

After that, we were able to confirm that there were no problems with humans, but Siegfried and some animals were subjected to subsequent tests.

Maris' “Understanding Animal EEG” research, and Suya's “Communicating Into Animal Brains” research, took over the two studies and did them in this virtual reality.

In the first place, these two papers were one of the clues to realize the full dive of virtual reality. We needed to gather data for further upgrades, and we had Siegfried do it.

"Sieg, you are intelligent." That's probably why he was chosen as a test player. ”

"That's what happened." So, who did Zeke say was dangerous? "

“The device that Siegfried is logging in to, it's like sleeping in a pod like everyone else, but it's for animals, and it's even more early. and the incompatibility of the" Cage of Disharmony "is extremely poor."

What do you mean?

"When Zeke-kun is put in the [Cage of Disharmony], he should gradually weaken. It's really life-threatening."

“Wait a minute. Why would that happen?”

"Because animals such as humans and cats are originally different in size and longevity, animals have their own pods. That's not a problem, but there's a problem with the early form. Nutritional intake is linked to virtual reality."

"Huh...?"

“Eating in virtual reality is like feeding Siegfried through a pod. At that time, the nutritional adjustment of animals in virtual reality was not well understood, and there may be problems if they are regularly nourished, because it was left to the appetite of animals. It's a problem, and if you're trapped in that cage, you can't eat and you can't get nutritious."

"I've told you many times, but why do you do that..."

"The" Cage of Dissension "is an item that reduces the trust level of pets." There are several ways to reduce trust, but the most important thing you can do is not feed them. It's a compulsory item. You don't have to eat for a few days, but if you're debilitated and unwilling to move, it's going to be quite dangerous because you can't eat. ”

When Ditte said that much, she lowered her head with a sad look on her face.

"It's my mistake not to make Siegfried's pod the new one." It was technically possible, but with a lower priority. That leads to this problem. I'm really sorry. "

Hayato wondered if this was what Diete was talking about. Low priority was given to animals, and animals were used for experiments. There are parts of Daté that weren't her intention, but there is a possibility that she was scared of what she thought.

(Did you think I'd hate you...?)

Thinking so, Hayato gently said, "Keep your head up."

"It wasn't Diete who caused the problem, it was the clan called Shooting Star. Besides, it wasn't Diete who tried to play test games with animals, was it?"

But--

"But no scarecrows." If there's a problem, let's do what we can now, rather than regret it. "

When Hayato said that, Diete moistened her eyes and said, "Hayato-kun is right." She took a deep breath and then nodded.

Seeing that, Hayato thinks a lot. I put it in my mouth.

"First, can I force Zeke to log out? It means letting him escape to reality before he gets caught."

"That's... I can't do it."

Can't?

"I can't force everyone or Siegfried to log out on my own terms." Hayato didn't do anything to you, did he? Logging out is only done on your own initiative. "

Hayato and Diete have been hostile before. Hostile as it is, when Diete told Hayato to leave the world unilaterally, he destroyed Hayato's biometric data and prevented him from logging in again.

However, I did not force Hayato to log out. It was simply because it could not be done in terms of specifications.

Data can change the settings as an administrator, but there are some specifications that can't be changed if it takes time rather than a panacea. Currently, the program is corrupted by AI killings, and changes to its settings are quite limited.

"You cannot force log out. However, I've changed Siegfried's settings to allow him to log out. I want to tell Siegfried to log out, but for some reason I can't get through the voice chat. I don't know why this is happening...."

”No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. S

“I understand, Zeke. You're talking to Maris in the first place, right? It's the effect of the item you have," Melampus, "but as I explained earlier, you can talk to Zeke by understanding the animals' thoughts and the results of the research that communicates the intention."

"...... I'm more surprised that way."

"Maybe so." Even Maris and Surya's thesis seems to be gone now, and it is unlikely to be at this level. That being said, if you were caged, you wouldn't be able to log out according to the specifications, but I don't know why voice chat doesn't work. "

Wait a minute. Can't you log out when you're in a cage?

"That's right. Originally, the AI pet has a mechanism that disappears when the master logs out, but Siegfried logs out." I'm just sleeping in a pod when I say logged out. However, the "cage of discord" seals off its mechanism. "

If you can escape at any time, the item "Cage of Disharmony" will lose its significance. Hayato understood that when Maris regained his memory and logged out, Siegfried would remain.

"That's no good either... then I'll force you to replenish your nourishment from the outside---that's no good?" But why is it such a specification? Even if this virtual reality wasn't a game in the first place, it's strange, right? "

Too good or bad specifications for this issue. It can be called a specification that I knew would happen like this.

This virtual reality was originally created to make this place a reality. Nonetheless, there is no emergency evasion function.

The headgear used to play the game has emergency evasions in case of problems, but it seems strange that there is nothing in the spaceship Aphrodite's pod.

Hayato thought so and asked, but Diete wrinkled between her brows.

"There are some parts of this initial specification of virtual reality that I don't really understand because I'm no-touch either. I once asked Infinity to change it, but they said they couldn't because it was the backbone.”

"I see..."

Although it is strange, I can't use my time to think that I can't help it.

When I thought I could only hope for Simon's best, I noticed Jolt standing behind me.

Can I have a minute?

I don't think he listened because he was whispering, but suddenly Hayato is a little surprised.

Um, uh, what is it?

"I sent a voice chat to the leader over there, but it doesn't work." I've never seen anything like this before. I can voice chat with Viktor. "

"The voice chat doesn't work...?"

Hayato had something to think about and sent Simon a voice chat. However, there was no response.

"I'm sorry, but could you try a little more?" If you get through, tell the hostages I'll be your hostage, so don't kidnap the triple-haired cats. "

Roger that. Then I'll try a little more.

Jolt said that and went away from the Hayatoes.

After confirming that, Hayato turned his gaze back to Diete.

I told you that I was attacked by a shooting star, didn't I?

"Yeah? Yeah, you did hear that. There was a clan that was after Hayato and he fought in the cafeteria. But what's wrong with that?"

"I didn't say it at the time, but the other person had something like black jewelry." It was an item that would return to the transition and death, and even seal off the voice chat. ”

"... what is that?"

Doesn't Ditte know that too?

“I can't say I don't know it as an administrator, but I can't make an item that could affect the core system of virtual reality.”

But they did have it, though.

Diete pulls her arms together and makes a thoughtful face. Within a few seconds, I raised my face and looked towards Hayato.

"If it's possible, it's like the AI killer that Esha created, or Misty's Panacheia." I guess the old clan war scorers built on their knowledge. "

Oh, I see.

The remaining members of the Best Eight in the old Clan War have benefited a lot from Diete's reward, but one of them can make a recipe for an item that is not in this world. It's not unlimited, but I can make anything based on my knowledge.

The black jewels were also made by someone with the highest grade.

“I see, Siegfried can't get a voice chat because he's using the item near the Mansion?”

“I think it's a good possibility. Simon contacted me first, but I wonder if it was outside the scope of my influence."

"I guess. Even if you could make such an item, the range of influence would be narrow." But who the hell would do that? - Oh, I don't know, her. "

"She?"

Without saying anything, Diete pointed to the back of Hayato, slightly above.

As Hayato turned around, a man stood in the air. It flashed for a moment, slightly distorted, and seemed like the hologram of a long time ago.

But that doesn't matter to Hayato. The problem is the face.

It looked like Lunaria to me. The hair color is blonde and shortcut, and the armor is black. Overall, it's different, but I can say that I'm the only twin sister who can shape my face.

The woman looked at me with a smile - to be precise, Lunaria.

"Amanda..."

Hayato heard Lunaria's crushing voice.

Speaking of Amanda, the name of the exiled demon. Yesterday, I received an explanation from Gil.

"It's been a long time, Lunaria."

"... what can I do for you?"

"I can't stay with you." I told you it's been a long time. "

I don't have time to talk to you, though.

"Oh, yeah. Then I'll be straightforward." I took the Demon King's Castle. If you want it back-- "

"I said I don't have time to talk to you. If you want the Demon King's Castle, I'll give it to you later. That's not the point now. If it's about a hundred years from now, I'll ask."

Everyone was surprised by Lunaria's truly indifferent attitude, but it was Amanda who was angry with her.

"Even if it's a failure...!"

(Failure...?)

For a moment Hayato wondered, Amanda let out a big breath.

Well, that's fine. Well, thank you very much. By the way-

Amanda turned her gaze toward Hayato.

I turned my gaze to Hayato to find something interesting and raised my mouth slightly.

You're the Hayato, aren't you?

"... yeah, well, what can I do for you?"

“The people who are causing problems in the East country right now are the ones that I'm grateful for. We tried to stop the Lunarians, but we didn't have to. That's right, I've given you the equipment I stole from the Demon King Castle's vault, so I think it's strong, but do your best."

I see. Thank you for your support. I'll do my best.

Like Lunaria, Hayato responded casually. If you're in love with a shooting star, you're just an enemy. You don't have to deal with them properly.

"... you're as annoying as Lunaria." Well, I don't care if you're human. That's why I'm going to live in the Demon King Castle as the Demon King from today. "

That's what Amanda said, saying, "Bye-bye," and her figure fading.

"Amanda, wait."

Lunaria said so and stopped.

Amanda stopped disappearing and looked down at Lunaria with a spare smile.

What is it? I don't have much time, either?

"It's ridiculous to call the castle where the self-proclaimed Demon King lives the Demon King Castle, so I think it's better to change its name." Ponkotsu Castle is the place to go. "

"... I'll kill you one day!"

Amanda, who said that with an angry face, disappeared.

Somehow, the accessories are too small to be a bit pathetic, but if you're putting your shoulders in a shooting star and creating the situation you're in, there's no room for sympathy. Besides, Diete said that she made the item. I'm sure of it in the light of the circumstances. Then we are enemies.

I stopped my conversation with Daté and approached Lunaria.

Lunaria-san, is the Demon King's Castle really good?

With or without the Demon King's army, there was a considerable difference in strength. It would be helpful if you could stay, but being captured by the Demon King Castle is synonymous with being taken home by Lunaria and the others. I couldn't help but think that Siegfried would take precedence over the others.

Such Hayato's worries are quickly put to rest.

Lunaria answered immediately without showing any thought.

"No problem, Siegchan and the others are going to take precedence over that." The Demon King Castle can only be recovered later, so you don't have to worry about it. "

The surrounding black roses could hear voices such as "You're fine" and "That's the Demon King."

Thank you, Lunaria-san.

"There's no need to thank you, Sieg-chan is a friend who sometimes gets fluffy." Instead, I used Hayato's base as a temporary Demon King Castle to entertain me. Instead, you can rebuild it as a true Demon King Castle. "

I don't want that, but I promise you top-of-the-line hospitality.

Lunaria smiles when Hayato says that.

Hayato thinks it's strange that we look more attractive than Amanda. Suddenly, I remembered that Amanda had called Lunaria a failure.

By the way, Lunaria-san, you failed-

Hayato-kun, can I have a moment?

When Hayato said it, Diete stopped it. And I'm shaking my head to the side.

I wondered what had happened, but I understood immediately.

(Could it be a real story...? But this is Amanda's memory......?)

And Hayat departed from the place, saying, Because Lunaria hath called him. And he stood in front of Diete.

"Hayato-kun, Amanda, can you do something about you later?" I'll explain later. "

"... All right. I'm curious, but first, let's prioritize Zeke." That said, right now we just have to ask Simon to do his best. "

"Yes, by the way, what should I explain to everyone?"

Should I tell everyone who knows the reality about Zeke? Hayato thought for a moment and shook his head.

"No, I don't think I have time to explain now." It seems like everyone is motivated even if I don't have to say it, so I'll do it later. "

“All right, I'll explain the complications here because it can be confusing. And it looks like I'm seeing Asma."

When I looked down from the deck of the airship, I saw azuma.

Unfortunately, there is no place for an airship to get off. Considering that the only way to get to the mansion from the port was to land once, Hayato asked the members of the Black Dragon who were piloting the airship to go to the port.

"Master Hayato, please wait." Let's keep going to the Mansion. ”

The maid was by Hayato's side sometime, and she came forward.

But there's a place near the mansion where an airship could land.

"It's a shrinkage area at a time like this." It moves instantaneously from the airship to the ground ".

Shrinkage. A melee move that moves instantly in front of the target. Hayato made his decision immediately because it was a skill he had been caring for.

"If that's the case, I understand." I'd like to send my troops a little earlier, so thank you very much. "

I understand.

"I think it's tough on my own, but I'll be on my way soon--"

No, Master Hayato, please rest assured that there are other people besides me who can use the shrinkage area.

The maid looked at the left wing side of the deck, and Hayato saw it after being caught.

There were Benitzur and Zenobia standing on the handrail, and Aggres a little further away.

Benituru is standing on the railing, while Zenobia is kneeling with her knees bent. Aggres is standing on the railing with his hands in his pants pockets.

"This time, I'm really angry, so I'm going to get mad." It was a sword that Hayachi had made for me, but I'm going to take a break this time. I don't want to use it for this. "

Benitur said that while looking at Hayato, and took out the sword from the item bag, which was different from the famous sword Yata glass.

Houwou, a famous sword. The phoenix is a houwou. A famous sword that is said to keep its eyes peeled until it is cut by the beauty of the blade. Benitre pulled the sword out of its sheath, exposed it to the sun's rays, and then put it back in the sheath and put it in his bag.

(Speaking of which, did Benny have a shrinkage area?)

Previously, the harbor was about to be attacked when he fled Benitzur due to disturbances in the eastern country, but at that time he was using shrinkage land. Hayato remembers that.

And since Zenobia and Aggrez mainly fought with melee skills, they could use shrinkage as a matter of course.

Zenobia sent a gaze over her shoulder to Hayato, then showed her only the thumb of her right hand. After that, I tampered with the collar so much that my mouth could be hidden, put on the goggles, and then put on the hood of the poncho coat.

Aggres only raised his right hand slightly, keeping his back turned away, and said nothing in particular. Aggres, who is supposed to be afraid of heights, responded this time without saying anything like that.

And the maid jumps on the airship's handrail, fluffy and feather-like. No matter how beautiful the work is, even the clothes are not disturbed.

Hayato thinks the four of them are so reliable.

Those four are not the only ones near the handrail. Esha and Pat were also present.

Pat-sama, do you want to fight which one can be defeated more?

"I won't lose." There's too much difference between the accuracy of power and distance with Esha-chan's gun and my revolver. "

With that said, the two held up their respective guns.

As we got closer to Asma, the rest of the team were preparing steadily. They were already in combat.

Maris was in Lancelot, and Surya was in Garland. However, Maris doesn't feel like she's always in a hurry.

Is Maris okay?

Well, it's not okay, but it's okay!

From Hayato's point of view, Maris is in a very dangerous state. I was worried whether I could move as usual, so I was worried whether I should tell her to wait here, and Surya said, "It's okay."

"Don't worry, I'll follow Maris. It's more dangerous to leave Maris in this state, so I'll let her get rampage as much as she wants."

Roger that. Thank you very much.

They took off on Lancelot and Garland before the airship reached the mansion. And they're flying side by side next to the airship.

Then we'll be ready.

Lunaria was riding a giant crow, a Bloody Crow, summoned by members of the Black Rose. Hayato says "hello" and says, "I can't get all the black roses on board, but if Lunaria were there, it would be a hundred men."

They fly parallel to the airships, just like Maris and the others, and are always ready to attack.

"Hayato, I need a rope!" We're also on the roof of the Mansion and we're going to join the fight! "

I thought that Ney and the Black Dragon would not be able to fight the player, but even if I said that, it would not stop. Hayato nodded and gave me the rope.

"I'd like my share, too." But you remember when you roped from the airship to help Lunaria-sama. "

Hayato nods to Rosalier's words at that time.

I went to the Lunaria room at the Demon King's Castle to get help by airship. At that time, I also went to Lunaria's room by hanging the rope.

"Oh, at that time." Thanks to that, I got acquainted with Lord Hayato, so I have to thank you! "

Gil said that and laughed loudly.

At that time, Gil climbed the rope and we spent some time together at the base. I handed the rope to Gil and the others, thinking it was strange to be related to people.

"We will escort Hayato here." Maybe the shooting stars will come this way. "

Ash nodded, as did Ren, Suen, and Randa.

"Guard... I guess Siegfried and the others are better off if I get caught..."

It is less of a problem for Zeke to be taken than it is for him to be taken. At least there's no fighting between players, and Zeke is safe.

Hayato thought so and spoke, but Jolt, who was nearby, shook his head.

“I don't think it makes sense because you don't seem to want Hayato to be one of us. Right now, all I'm thinking about is getting the Hayatoes angry and bringing them into the serious fight."

"Seriously...? Then we've already achieved our goal." Everyone is motivated. But why would I do that...? "

"Um, well, maybe it's the idea of letting the opponent win after being serious." Besides, I might have been told that I didn't mean it just by winning... I tried that a few times, but I still couldn't get through the voice chat. Maybe he's cutting off my application. "

Hayato thought that it might be influenced by the black jewels that Ronios or Cremola had, but he only nodded to Jolt's answer that it was unnecessary to dare say so.

"Viktor and I are going to protect our pets over there." We can't fight each other, but we can get in the way, and we can use the shrinkage ground... it's the first time we've shrunk from the sky to the ground... "

Is it okay to be hostile to a shooting star?

"It doesn't matter. You can't do this anyway, can you?" If it's a little more convenient, I still can't believe I'm trying to take my pet. Besides, Maris-san and Mitsuko-san were cared for by our tamers on Konjima Island, so I guess I'll give them back. "

When Jolt said that, Viktor nodded.

It was itchy to have no fighting skills at a time like this. Hayato couldn't fight because they were players, but she thought they could fight anyway.

But now, Hayato has handed out potions and dishes to everyone based on what she can do and her production skills.

A little while later, the maid looked towards Hayato.

"I have a visual on the enemy." Now, I will go, Master Hayato. "

"Everyone, be careful--"

"Wait a minute."

When the maids tried to shrink, Cecil, who had been silent for a long time, stopped.

"You need to say hello at a time like this?" And I need to tell Simon and the others that we're here. Hayato, why don't you just make a spear that you can throw away? "

"What are you doing?"

"That's why I said hello. The name of the opponent's clan is a shooting star, right?" Then I'll have to say hello! "

I don't have time to listen to all the explanations here. Hayato made the spear, as he was told. A top-quality iron spear.

Unusual for Cecil, he placed a sword on his waist and equipped it with a spear.

I pulled out my face from the handrail and checked the direction of the Mansion before putting the spear on my right shoulder. Then, I licked the index finger of my left hand to check the wind direction, and used that finger to adjust the direction and angle.

"Shooting stars are called shooting stars."

Cecil threw a spear from the deck.

The spear flies as it makes an impossible loud wind cut.

Hayato realizes that Cecil did the Spear Weapon Skill "Shooting Star".

A spear throwing attack that was also used when Poseidon was defeated at sea. A move for ranged attacks that multiplies damage based on its flying distance and expands the attack range of the landing site based on its altitude. At Poseidon's time, it was almost a straight shot, but the attack dropped from the sky could be called a meteor swarm.

While drawing a parabola, the spear fell to the group surrounding the mansion.

(You can often drop it from here to that place. What a level to aim for so accurately...?)

There is a lot of distance to the Mansion. In this virtual reality, where there is no hit correction, Cecil throws his spear at the target with incredible accuracy.

The opponent would have noticed the airship. And you could see something popping out of there. But I didn't realize it was an attack by the name of Greetings.

It is already too late for me to notice. The player who could not avoid the spear and the players around it were knocked down with a loud explosion.

The opponent is surrounding the Mansion in groups, but some of them are like a mystery circle with players falling down in a circle. It was a long distance, but I heard a surprise close to screaming.

Cecil looks at it and laughs.

"Now it's party time!" Let's get fucked up! "

A good member of Nori clamored to react to the voice.