ShangriLa Frontier ~ Shitty Games Hunter Challenges Godly Game ~

Being threatened by some evil minion that also hinted that he would detonate himself if I were to reject Pencilgton’s kind invitation, I had no other choice but to accept the invitation and come to Thirdrema like a good little child…… When we were there, we then went towards the residence of the Grand Duke, which was obviously a castle, no matter how you would want to look at it. Also, I managed to see that there were way more people in Thirdrema right now than there used to be. I wonder why that is?

「Say, Emul? Do you have any idea why it is so crowded in here all of a sudden?」

「Maybe it has something to do with that Lady in White Clothes?」

「No, that’s not it. It looks like a preparation to some large-scale PVP if I have ever seen one…… Ahh, I think those are some pretty strong guys in here, because there are rumors of war incoming. It seems to me that those guys are strongly rooting for war, but that’s just the worst case scenario.」

Just because I got the title for the Fastest Player doesn’t mean I can always move at the fastest speed, and now I don’t have a Critical Speed ~Bradion ~to back me up in case of emergency. The chances of being caught aren’t zero in the slightest, but if I were to arrive at the Grand Duke’s mansion is some overly flashy way, there is no way for me to predict the way in which Pencilgton was going to react. Or what she would say, to make matters worse.

After all, I should have went in here on my own, preferably doing so in the female form…… While I was thinking about that, I suddenly felt something that caught my attention while it was reflected in my field of vision.

「Hmm?」

「What’s wrong? Is something the matter?」

「No, it’s nothing. For a moment out there I just thought that I have seen a familiar-looking name, is all.」

Damn it, the crowd in this place is so dense that I can’t be too sure if what I have seen was correct or not…… For the time being, by attaching equipment for camouflage and making it a head equipment in which you could see my face, the image itself of “Sanraku with strange head equipment” was born as my own unique take on hiding a tree inside of a forest.

Alright then…… Let us go forth towards that place that I was unable to see because of all the people present!

「Emul, no matter what happens in here, don’t let them find out your real identity, okay?」

「Fufufuh! Not that I want to brag here, but I must let you know, Sanraku-san, that among my brothers and sisters, my ability of mimicry is second to none!」

Isn’t what you are doing right now count as bragging? And is that really something to be so proud about? Oh well, while walking through the crowd in armor with fluffy fur added to it, I search for that person X while digging up through my memory because of that sense of the déjà vu and the smell of mountain-like shampoo.

Pempon …… No, that’s not it.

Denti … No, that’s not it, either.

Gum Syrup ☆ Takaya …… No, why would I even think of such a ridiculous sounding name!?.

Leatherette … Hmm? Is that the guy I’m looking for? No, it’s nothing like that!

Zanryu Hogetsu …… No, what the hell is wrong with me!?

Allslot ……. No, wait! I’m sure the name of this guy was…… Um, was it really Allslot? Allslot, Allslot…… Oh yeah, now I’m starting to remember.

「He’s that bastard’s younger brother, if memory serves me correctly.」

After Pencilgton sold out her entire guild in order to fight Gravekeeper Wezaemon, this guy arrived at the scene right after in order to seek revenge. But he was all talk and was ultimately struck down by Rei-san before he was going to deliver any of his barking. Now I wonder, how could he survive such humiliation and escape the Bounty Hunters? Some of his buddies helped him? A Teleportation Scroll, perhaps? Some other sort of PK measures……? It seems that the conditions are loosened every time the new Update is being introduced, and now even if you are not a friend, a high level player will fly by to your rescue.

I remember Kyogoku being all delighted about this, saying things like: “If you bully the weak long enough, a strong man will be sent automatically, and you can go all out without having to as much as lift a finger! This will be so much fun!” It seems that this world is about to turn into one where it will be increasingly harder for Player Killers to prey on the weak in order to achieve their goals.

But why is this guy here in the first place? We have only met once, but he looks like he’s old enough to want to seek revenge on his sister even if it mean going into an alliance with the lowest of the very low…… Hmm? I’m getting more and more suspicious of this dude all of a sudden.

However, it’s strange that he would be here of all places where he could be, in the mansion of the Grand Duke of Thirdrema. …… Also, for him to come not alone, but with players who are supposedly his buddies standing at his right and left side. Or were they perhaps bodyguards? Talk about one hell of a suspicious party. Now, the only thing that they might have come in here for must be connected somehow with the current political events and situation taking place in the Old World. At the very least, that’s the only reason that I can actively think of.

I mean, the situation in the kingdom is something that is actively on the tongues of everyone and everywhere. You would really have to live under a rock or inside of a cave to not at least hear rumors about it…… Hell, even someone on a deserted island would even learn about it sooner rather than later. Now, about actual hermits and nutjobs living in some remote locations…… I don’t know, but my guess would be a strong yes here.

No, it doesn’t matter all that much. What matters here is the feud between Grand Duke of Thirdrema and the “current” King, who is now making noise in this Old World about going to conquer the New World…… and it is in the middle of this stage, where Thirdrema and the Kingdom are about to break into hostilities, that Pencilgton is dancing and spinning her webs. And surely she is on the lookout for the players who would rally under her banner. At least that’s what I think here. Yes, I am sure that there will also be a promise of amnesty for everyone who proves to be useful here, so that should be a tempting enough concept for people to come in here like moths to the flames……

「Ho, ho, ho, I see?」