**Before the chapter begins, let me just say that this fake Lufulur actually talks how he talks (you've seen a glimpse of it in his earlier scenes but it will become more apparent) and it's not me trying to change my writing into that.**
--
As mentioned before, one of the Draconic Halo's abilities is an anti-magic field that surrounds the wielder. It's not that big but not too small either.
As such, the player Arnold confronted was helpless in front of him. Arnold might be slower than his father, but there's no way a magician would be able to prevent him from getting close.
"Goddamn bastard! You're lucky you're a dragonkin or else I woulda melted you with a [Second Sun]!" The player was forced to sit on a chair. His face was quite bloody and swollen since Arnold smacked him a few times when he tried to get up so now, he just sits there obediently but cusses at them the whole time.
He had short black hair and blue eyes.
They took off the equipment and mask earlier and set it aside on the table nearby. Next to that table lay an unconscious Grace who had been asleep the whole way since Arnold's been using sleep magic on her.
His voice sounded quite deep when he had his mask on but by how young he looks, he's probably near Arnold in age.
In any case, this situation is quite complicated. The two of them are players, just like the guy who attacked Selia's dungeon. How will she take it if he reveals that the two of them come from the same world as him?
She might trust Arnold but with the kind of knowledge Grace has and the power she can obtain, she can be a threat to Selia. As such, he'll have to tread carefully on what he reveals. First order of business is to take care of this third player.
He can't just let the bastard walk. That said, killing isn't
"—Would you like some tea?" Lunaria entered the room—well, the wall to Arnold's right was collapsed so it would be more accurate to call it a ruin with a door.
"Yeah, thanks." He said before eyeing her uniform. Instead of her bunny girl battle gear, she was now wearing a maid uniform with a skirt that couldn't cover up anything underneath if she so much as leans forward slightly.
When she put the cup down in front of him, her skirt lifted slightly, showing black lingerie panties.
While he was subtle with his glance, the other man in the room looked bent his upper body to the side to get an even better view. He was making it a bit too obvious that he's staring.
'Is Selia some kind of pervert to be putting her subordinates in clothes like this?'
"That vampire bimbo might have excessive meat in all the right places but you also have a banging body! Curves in all the right angles and meat where it counts the most!" licking his lips, the young man remarked.
Yeah, his way of speaking definitely reeks of earthling language.
Lunaria ignored him and didn't seem to care about his perverted remarks as she simply stood by Arnold's side, as if awaiting orders.
"Shouldn't you be getting some rest?" Arnold asked Lunaria.
"No, I would like to prepare to get back to Whitage City the moment this situation is handled."
"That fast, huh?"
"The contract states I only have two days per month off for the next five years outside of vacation so I would like to stick to the agreement instead of slacking. As you can see, I am not ill or injured to the point of not being able to move my body."
"Alright. Miss Roseria left the city so it would be great if you could handle her work."
Lunaria looked puzzled, "I don't understand. She was so eager to form connections that will benefit the city."
"She didn't say why she was leaving and if it will be permanent so I can't really help you understand."
Just when he was done speaking, black mist manifested in the center of the room, revealing Selia still in her mature form.
He was curious why she took this form and if it's her original body but when he checked her stats with the system, he saw that her stats were much higher than her smaller form. Perhaps this is her true form but she likes to be a loli instead.
A certain someone is the complete opposite but that's a story for another time.
"Ooooh~ Look who's back! You haven't taken a bath yet, have you? Your sweat stinks really good, hehehe."
As usual, the women ignored the idiot even as he smiled perversely while making his vulgar remarks.
"Thank you for watching over him, Sir Arnold." Selia thanked him to which he simply nodded since it's not a big deal.
All he needs to do is keep his Halo active and stand near the fool, which is easy enough since this is an interrogation and he still has some time left before he needs to leave.
"Huh!? This is Arnold? Arnold von Berkley!?" The third player exclaimed with a pale face, "No wonder that skill looked so familiar! Why are you two allies with this guy!? He's a warlord tyrant who will wage war on all the nations and will kill you if it benefits him!"
"Huh? Can you predict the future?" Arnold decided to play dumb.
"How the hell did you get so strong!? You should only be level 40 right now!"
"You said you had an artifact that restricts the magic of people—did you get it?" just like the girls, he ignored the guy and asked Selia about the artifact she mentioned. Inwardly, he felt jealous that she has so many convenient artifacts.
"Yes," Selia pulled a collar from behind her back and quickly put it around the man's neck. With a click, purple runes quickly spread through his entire body.
"W-Wha!? I can't sense the mana in the air anymore! You coward bitch! Are you afraid of trying to compromise with me!?" he shouted in a panic, the reality of the situation setting it.
He probably thought Arnold would let down his guard and deactivate the Halo, giving him the opportunity to cast a spell to escape. The plan is to keep him confined since he basically showed how far he's willing to go to win a fight—in other words, he's dangerous.
"I tried that before but you showed that you are incapable—or rather, unwilling—to compromise if you have the advantage in a fight. It was either one of us dies or we flee. As this dungeon is very important in establishing my political power, I could not choose the latter."
"Why the need for that?" asked Arnold, "There's nothing of value in this forest or the mountains. Its only reputation is being a monster zone that no one has dared to enter in the past several hundred years."
That's exactly not true—there is something of value here. There are three relic tombs, sealed and hidden away in one of the world's most dangerous monster zones. But Arnold won't just reveal that since he wants to hoard artifacts for himself when he gets the time.
"I intend to exterminate the monsters in the outer reaches of the forest, as it's reported that they tend to wander to the nearby villages and towns. That is essential in showing the humans that I am not just a mindless bloodsucker. The rest will be kept as unpaid security for my base, where I will keep some of my possessions."
It's possible Selia knows about the relic tombs but doesn't want to give this intel to him so she's coming up with excuses. But that's okay.
By political power, she probably meant that lords of neighboring fiefs will cozy up to her and request her services. Arnold would do the same in their position knowing how powerful her military strength can be.
But it's true that this forest will serve as a nice spot for a base to store important treasures. Is anyone going to be dumb enough to actually come here?
"Now then…" Selia looked down at the man, "Why did you come here?"
"…" now that his magic was completely sealed, he was trying his best to appear small. He looked like a grade schooler afraid to start school on the first day.
"Are there more of you?"
"…."
Arnold sighed and stood up. The three of them watched him in confusion as he walked over to the man but then the man's expression changed when Arnold grabbed his arm.
"I haven't had any proper sleep in a while and should be back at the academy in four hours so I would like to know why you attacked my ally. As such, each time you ignore a question, I'll be breaking a fing—"
"W-Wait! I-I'll tell! I'll tell so don't, please!"
"…."
That was easy. He was sweating buckets while stuttering like a fool.
"Do I need to repeat my question?"
"…I'm alone… I swear."
"What is your name? Your real name."
"M-My IRL name is Nathan Rickcoff…"
'Only an earthling would speak like this so there's no doubt about it… He's a player.'
"Alright, Nathan—how did you acquire… that?" she pointed at Lufulur's equipment on the table, the same gear that helped him become the most powerful magician in the game.
"…."
"You're ignoring a question again." Arnold swiftly grabbed one of his fingers.
"M-My dad gave me admin a-access! I-I could use any player's character that way and their equipment!"
"Huh? Admin access? What does that mean?" Arnold played dumb, but at this point it was getting tiresome to act like he's not a player. But as mentioned before, Selia might not like what she'll hear after that battle.
Selia sighed then faced Arnold, "Though I am aware that withholding important information from someone who I may do business with for years to come, I have continued to ignore this topic."
"?"
Arnold was a bit confused what she's getting at.
It couldn't be that… right?
With a quiet sigh, she continued:
"…This man and… I… we are from a different world. Both from the same world, a world not in the nine realms or outside of them, but something that used to be outside reality itself."
"…"
"This world… with you included, are creations of a group of humans called game developers. They craft virtual worlds meant to entertain, filled with characters that can influence humans differently depending on who they aspire to be like. Though their personalities felt real to us, they were just virtual entities in the end…"
Selia's body suddenly turned back into her original smaller form. Instead of the black dress from before, she stood in a gothic-style gown and her hair were in pigtails that made her look almost child-like. On Earth, this is called a "moe look".
It was certainly different from her usual outfit and hairstyle.
Though there was a certain resemblance to it.
It was a "cosplay" Arnold has seen before somehow.
"My name is not actually Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth and I was not always a vampire. I was given the option to become part of an immortal race to enhance my abilities and become stronger during a phase known as the endgame, so that I could go through many trials to obtain the right to ascend to the heavens as a Valkyrie."
"!"
This… this was outside his expectations. There was one sign that proved this to be the case… but he pursued other options, believing it would be too much of a coincidence. Surely the teleportation gimmick Lunaria could pull off couldn't have been that big of a clue…
"…How did Lunaria teleport to your side when there was a teleportation block in this forest?" just to confirm for himself, he asked with a small voice.
"…It is something called an emergency summon request. It bypasses traditional teleportation blocks so that players can be rescued from dangerous situations." Though there was a slight crease between her eyebrows at receiving the question, she answered regardless.
So, the truth was right in front of his eyes. Though for a short while, someone like him should've been able to put two and two together.
"I-Is that so? Y-You…. Aren't f-from this world, huh…" for the first time probably in his life, he began to slur his words a bit, repeating what she said like an idiot.
"…If you are from the other world that created this virtual world—what is your true name? Do you…Do you still remember it?"
"I haven't forgotten my true name… My name is Maia Riven…"
"M… Maia?" Arnold repeated the name as Selia's silhouette overlapped with another girl—the same girl who confessed to him all those years ago and the rookie he mentored for a short time.
Come to think of it, she always liked to cosplay gothic style characters so that fit in with the vampire-like aesthetic. Besides that, upon closer inspection, Selia and Maia's faces do look similar but with how even Selia's bangs are and how flat her hair looks, there were subtle differences between the two.
If Selia dressed up in a Lolita gothic dress and made her hair pigtails, there would be an almost perfect resemblance.
"Maia… The energetic cosplay nerd next door." Arnold said with a genuine smile on his face.
It felt like tears were about to come out.
He truly… missed her.
"Eh??" Selia didn't understand what he meant for a moment but she gradually began to realize, "I-It can't be… Senior Liam—Is that… is that y-you?"
As if nothing else mattered in that moment, she flew into his arms. Lunaria looked at the scene with surprise at first but began to smile. The captive, however, seemed more confused than anything, confused that a player transmigrated into an NPC's body perhaps.