We walked down a long hallway followed by a spiral stairwell leading down to a stone corridor with several chamber doors. Our foot clacks echoed down the enclosure, with dimly lit candles making our shadows dance as we walked past.

Evonika stopped in front of a wooden archway two doors down, knocking on the door. We could hear cheering, clinking, and what I could only assume was a small brawl even before we entered.

The door creaked open and out popped Vbr’br, with a large wooden ale cup in her hand and a ditsy smile.

「Hick… Come on in guys… We’re havin’… havin’ so much fun…」 She said drunkenly.

Brick ovens blazed with fire in every corner, while men and women sang and danced to livelier music than at the ball. Their outfits were mostly different colored tunics, shorts, and linen dresses with small daggers and sheathes attached to their backs and thighs. Some adventurers played party games comprising throwing balls of water back and forth between tables, with others quite ordinary, such as men wrestling in the corner.

「Wait a second. I thought you said our outfits would change. Why do you still have that same hat on your head?」 I asked while walking behind Vbr’br.

「Sho many qwuestions… shaddup already.」 She said while flailing her hand.

「I only asked one…」

Is she actually drunk? Can you even get drunk in a video game? And who let her even have alcohol? She looks like a grade-schooler…

We followed her to a shorter table at the back of the room with three people already seated. Reign stood up and waved us over, with the other two bowing their heads as Vbr’br and Evonika took a seat.

「I’ve already introduced Evonika, but we met some fellow adventurers at the guild house earlier today. Chase and Miine, meet Lady Yokalen of Inascovia and her maid, Agnelov.」

Chase had brown, well-kept hair, slender olive eyes, and white robes held together by a knitted black cloak. He adjusted his glasses onto his nose with an inquisitive gaze.

「So this is one of the new Patricians everyone’s been going on about. I hope you’re ready to discuss in depth what happened with the nobles. I’m keen to hear.」 Chase said.

Miine chuckled while patting him on the back, causing his glasses to slant down his face. 「Ohh, don’t worry about him. That’s just how he says hello!~」

The young woman that sat beside her had long pointed elf ears and leafy-green hair that fell down her back, with some braided down the sides of her face. Her brown eyes matched the leather tunic dress she wore, equipped with arm covers and a satchel at her hip.

Chase groaned while re-adjusting his glasses. 「I wasn’t saying ‘hello,’ I was inquiring about information. You high elves can be so—AGH!」

Before he could finish his sentence, Miine pinched his cheek as they fought for control in an arm tussle.

Reign laughed while scratching his cheek. 「Haha, well, now that we’re all acquainted, we should get some more detail on what we’ve been through. But Yokalen, I know this probably isn’t something you’re into, so if you want to log out…」

I sat beside him and shook my head. 「It’s fine, please continue.」

He smiled and moved several ale glasses out of the way to make room for a large, crumbled parchment. After unraveling, it revealed a large map titled ‘Game World of Callixtus.’ It had detailed continents, cities, and even named seas.

「I got this from a blacksmith in the Adventurer’s tavern. It’s a bit worn but at least we can see where everything’s at,」 Reign said.

「You had to work to buy the scroll?」 I asked.

Reign laughed with a nod. 「Ha, not at all! The people in the Adventurer’s district were kind enough to loan me this. I told them once I start adventuring I’ll pay back what I owe.」

Vbr’br chugged down another cup of ale and threw it down with a hick. 「If you ashked me… mayyybe he was toooh nwice about it…. Hick…」

「A lot nicer than the people in this district, anyway. Some nobles waved a coin in my face, asking me for favors in their chamber while the noblewomen laughed at their side. Who do they think they are?」 Miine said.

Evonika took a sip of her ale while turning a page in her book. 「I met a guy on the carriage ride up and the way he kept smiling made me want to punch him right in the face. But you should have seen Lady Yokalen over here, using her good looks and slick tongue to woe him over. She was born for the role.」

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

「Speaking of, how did the coronation go? I’m sure you got to see some awesome people there!」 Miine asked.

「Yeah swister… spill da bweans!」 Vbr’br blurted out.

「What? But you’re all in the castle. Why didn’t you attend yourself?」 I asked.

Chase clicked his teeth. 「Only nobility allowed. We barely got through the front gates before being ushered down here.」

「Since it was a royal occasion, the king graced us with free ale and hospitality in the… lower quarters of the castle.」 Reign said.

「I see. Well, mostly, it was very formal. I was pointed toward some interesting figures but it wasn’t as festive as it is down here.」 I said.

「Ha! I’m sure it wasn’t! I bet they were all like, ‘Would you like to dance my good sir?’」 Miine said while holding her palm up to Chase.

「’Indeed m’lady. The moon is especially bright tonight. Let us be off and dance till’ daybreak.’」 Chase replied with a laugh.

『God… these commoners are making me gag.』 I murmured in an Inascovian accent.

Evonika side-eyed me while turning a page. 「You know I can hear you, dear sister.」

『W-wha…?! H-how did you even learn the language before me?』 I asked.

「Well, truth be told, I can only understand a few words and try to fill in the blanks. Talking in that language is rather difficult.」

「Hm. If she learned the language quickly, she may have the passive skill «Sharp Tongue». We can check when we visit «Ayuu» on a later date.」 Chase said.

「So much for meeting up in «Cleris» and beginning our mission grind. They have a totally new map that caught us all off guard. But remind me, what’s in «Ayuu»?」 Evonika asked.

Reign pointed to a city north of Phoenia on the map. 「Right, we got a bit sidetracked, but we’ll be going to Ayuu to check our «Skills», «Classes», and «Attributes» before we can continue adventuring. I’m sure the «Priest» who lives there can give us some good info as well.」

「Oh, but… I…」

「Hm? What is it Yokalen?」 Reign asked.

Tomorrow is when Lady Cheykina and I are going out together…

Evonika looked over at me, sighed, and closed her book. 「Lady Yokalen has some things to attend to tomorrow in the capital and may be a bit too busy to attend. If any of us are appraised as «Clerics» we should gain a skill called «Appraisal» so we can look at her stats later.」

「Sounds good. But I have to ask… what’s with that weird mark on your arm, Yokalen?」 Miine asked.

I pulled my cloak over my arm, covering the morphing-black lines, and shook my head. 「It’s… it’s nothing. I think it’s a birthmark or something.」

「«Identify»」 Chase said, waving his hand toward me.

A set of blue symbols appeared around his eyes, widening with the last one disappearing in a blur. 「It says «Pact Scroll: Xarzallon’s Greed». A «Pact Scroll»…? And who’s Xarzallon?」

The entire table stared at me as I glanced to the side.

「Your guess… is as good as mine…」 I said.

「Is that what you were talking about? Is that the reason you cried—」

I glared at Reign, causing him to sputter with a cough.

「I-I mean, why you came out of the game so shaken?」 He said, correcting himself.

I swirled my hand around the top of my ale cup, gazing at my reflection in the gold-clear liquid. 「Last time I asked, none of you gave me a direct answer, but you all know something. Who is this Demoness Xarzallon person?」

Evonika took a sip of her glass with a sigh. 「You three are all newer players so you wouldn’t know, but Vbr’br, Reign, and I played during the alpha, so when we heard the name it was unexpected.

「There was an infamous hacker who liked to cause mischief on the server from time to time. It wasn’t anything too serious, but whenever she did, she would always repeat the saying, ’In the name of Demoness Xarzallon,’ like she was praising a god or something.」

Vbr’br burped and collapsed onto the table with a groan. 「Waht waz her name… Yoka… Yawchez…」

「… Yokamono?」 I said.

Reign’s eyes widened. 「How… how do you know that name?」

「It used that name when I logged in the second time. Is that the person’s true identity?」

「Well, technically not. That was her forum hash name, but no one knew who she was. She kept her identity hidden from some of the best loggers and runners on the Arc.」 Reign said.

「So why would that name appear when I logged in? I thought names were just randomly chosen since I never got to choose them.」

「That is true. While Arc users aren’t allowed to create their online hash code, it’s still extremely coincidental that you were both given her forum hash and met a player by the name of Xarzallon in the last few days.」 Evonika said.

「Oh… I see…」

Evonika put a hand up to her chin. 「To be honest, she shouldn’t even exist, virtual-wise. She was data-logged, crime-tagged, and banned from both the Arc and the V-Datascape. Sure, it made headlines, but only those who data-mined the info found out. Of course, mods of the game were briefed, but that’s about it.」

Vbr’br whimpered with another hick. 「G-guys… your makin’ this all sound kind of scary…」

「Mmm, yeah… I’m not even sure I feel right about talking about this online.」 Miine said.

Chase crossed his arms with a sigh. 「Yeah, she’s right. People could eavesdrop and we wouldn’t even know, because of the unknown amount of weapons or artifacts in the game. Let’s just leave it to mere coincidence for now.」

I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about using some person’s name who was apparently a criminal. In addition to the fact that she acted with such a rambunctious personality. Maybe… maybe it was all just a coincidence. Yes, that has to be it. The officials of New Tokyo severely protected the Arc. They wouldn’t let something like this go unchecked. There’s… nothing for me to worry about…

My eyelids drooped as a sudden wave of fatigue rushed throughout my body. I yawned and got up from the table while rubbing my eyes.

「I think I need to lie down… or something…」 I said with another yawn.

「Oh, right! We found out that you log out by sleeping in-game. You should pick a safe place to log out though, since I think your body stays unconscious until you decide to log back in.」 Reign said.

I nodded and took a step, nearly tripping as my eyelids slowly covered my vision and my body stopped responding to me. My eyes closed, and I heard a few muffled voices and a gasp. I escaped in and out of consciousness, then felt a warmth around my legs and back.

「Agnelov…?」 I murmured.

She looked down while carrying me with a smile. 「Do not worry, Lady Yokalen. I’ll take you to your room. Today must’ve been a lot, just try to get some rest.」

I smiled and caressed her cheek. 「You’re… such a good maid, Agnelov. I wish I had more friends like you…」

Her cheeks flushed red as she turned to the side. 「Y-your praise is too much, Lady Yokalen…」

I couldn’t really comprehend what I was saying because of my dreariness, but I wanted to say something nice... but my mind was going blank again...