Evil Avalon

Chapter 141 Kinrankai Clan Party

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

A super skyscraper so tall you can’t see the top even when you look up. Entering through the all-glass entrance, a vast entrance hall unfolds.

Hanging from the high ceiling are several sparkling chandeliers, and beneath them, elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies chat and mingle. At a glance, the ages and backgrounds of the guests vary, but all the invitees wear masks, hiding their true faces.

It’s unclear if masking one’s face is common etiquette at such clan parties or if it’s just a fashionable trend, but for people like us who don’t want to reveal our faces in such a place, it’s certainly convenient.

Kirara-chan, walking ahead, is also wearing a Venetian mask adorned with jewels that match her black dress. She walks gracefully with her back straight, embodying a high-class lady. She exudes intelligence and elegance.

In contrast, my sister walks cautiously, like a thief, constantly on guard. She seems to understand that we don’t belong here, but…

The mask she wears to obscure identification is beautifully decorated and doesn’t stand out here, but her T-shirt with a cartoon character and her shorts are out of place. She had no time to prepare and hid in the car trunk in her casual wear.

"First, let's change your outfit, Kano-san. That attire will draw unwanted attention."

"What? Does that mean I can wear a beautiful dress like yours, sister?"

Noticing this, Kirara-chan calls over a nearby staff member and quickly gives instructions.

I bow my sister's head, who’s making an audacious request for a frilly dress, and ask them to put her in inconspicuous clothes.

Seeing my sister skip away with a happy face towards the dressing room, I find myself at a loose end and sit on a nearby sofa.

I casually pick up a booklet placed in front of me, which turns out to be an introduction to this building. It explains with photos when it was built as a representative hotel of Japan by some big shot from a conglomerate.

Thinking of staying here for the night, I check the room rates, but even the cheapest room costs a month's salary for an average person. I quietly close the booklet and put it back. Sigh.

Feeling somewhat out of place at this unexpectedly grand venue, I observe the surroundings while maintaining a composed facade. As expected, there aren’t any commoners like me among the guests, only wealthy-looking individuals.

The most noticeable is a noble, surrounded by several servants and subordinates, giving out instructions. Nobles tend to spend lavishly in such settings to avoid being perceived as poor, which would reduce their opportunities. The significant presence of many nobles indicates the considerable influence of this guild.

As I scan the crowd through my mask, I notice some unusual guests.

A man with piercing eyes, as if he's about to undertake an assassination mission. An elderly man with a cane, standing with impeccable balance. A flashy woman wearing numerous jewel-like magical items. These guests don’t stand out but aren’t ordinary either. Are they members of a raid clan?

Japan is said to have hundreds of raid clans, many aiming for quick riches, while some, like Colors, aim for the deepest parts, serve great nobles, or travel the world's dungeons.

However, only a few of these clans appear in Dungeon Explorer (DunEx), and even as a player, I recognize only a limited number of adventurers by face or name.

Despite looking around for a familiar face, everyone’s masks and hidden eyes make it impossible to identify anyone, so I give up.

"—Narumi-sama. Here’s the event schedule."

As I recline on the sofa, staring at the high ceiling, a female staff member hands me a folded paper. It reads “Event Schedule”…an internal document, perhaps? I turn to thank her, but she has already vanished. Knowing my name suggests she’s one of the Kunoichi Reds, so there’s no need to worry.

The schedule lists the following order of events for the clan party:

"Greetings" → "Toast" → "Banquet" → "Show" → "Closing"

Nothing seems unusual. If the big news from Kinrankai is to be announced, it would likely be during the “Greetings” or “Toast.” I’m curious about what information will be revealed, but I can just wait to hear it.

What I need to consider is when the information about the [Samurai] will be leaked.

According to Dungeon Explorer, the information about [Samurai] is leaked due to the betrayal of a Colors executive. The informant should be bound by a powerful contract that ensures death if they speak, but the Holy Empire possesses a “means” to break that curse.

So, what was that means?

In Dungeon Explorer, the protagonist first learns about the [Samurai] leak through a news broadcast, but the broadcast only states the fact that it was leaked to the Holy Empire without detailing what actually happened.

Still, I can guess the Holy Empire’s methods. If they broke the contract magic, they likely used a dispelling skill.

Contract magic in this world is an application of “curses” used by spirits. Spirits demand their contractors to uphold certain conditions in exchange for their power. Humans analyzed and adapted this to create contract magic, where breaking the contract triggers a curse.

To lift a curse contract, one needs to perform a dispelling. Spirit curses are complex and powerful, often triggering death upon breaking the contract. Even the curses used by lower spirits require high-level dispelling skills usually available only to top-tier jobs.

However, reaching a top-tier job requires a level 50 or above, and it’s hard to believe any adventurer has reached that. If someone had, the world would already be under the Holy Empire’s control.

Another possible method is with the help of the Holy Empire’s [Saint], but this seems unlikely. The current [Saint] is a fugitive, wanted for war crimes by major nations, and as a symbol of the nation, she wouldn’t come to a distant country for covert operations. Thus, this possibility can be ignored.

That leaves only one method: drawing a dispelling magic circle and pouring in massive amounts of magic. This operates on the same principle as my manual activation of a top-tier job skill. But how did they acquire such a magic circle?

If the magic circle were incorrect or incomplete, it would naturally fail to activate. Worse, it could explode or cause a magic power runaway, endangering the caster. For dispelling contract magic, the subject might die, but did the Holy Empire conduct countless inhumane experiments to perfect this?

In any case, if my conjecture is correct, there should already be a huge magic circle set up in this building. The next step is to inject it with “live magic” from the guests.

(The most suspicious part of the event schedule is…this “Show,” I guess.)

Although it's unclear what kind of "show" it will be, it seems likely that the sorcerers will forcibly collect magical power to activate the magic circle here.

However, during the events of DunEx, there was no information about any battles, and not a single person died. This time too, they probably won't resort to rough methods, and at most, a few people might faint from magical exhaustion.

Even so, I have no intention of giving the Holy Empire even a bit of my or Kano's magical power. It would be best to leave after having a meal and before the "show" starts.

But while I was thinking about enjoying the meal and possibly bringing something back for my father and mother, Kirara-chan and my transformed sister returned.

"How do I look? Cute, right? Have I made you reconsider?"

Kano spun around to show off her dress. Unlike Kirara-chan's sophisticated dress, Kano was wearing a dress similar in color to her hair, a pale rose-pink one-piece dress. Her hair was styled in twin tails, with a large frilly ribbon at her waist, and her makeup emphasized her girlishness.

Given her baby face and lack of a significant chest, it makes sense to go for this style rather than trying to emulate Kirara-chan's mature charm.

With Kano, who seemed pleased and repeatedly asked for compliments, in tow, we finally set off towards the party venue on the upper floors.

After showing our invitations to the staff at the far end of the building, a simple body check was conducted, and we were directed to take an elevator that goes directly to the venue. It was the type where you could see the outside scenery from inside, with glass walls.

As we ascended, the night view of central Tokyo gradually came into view. Standing next to Kano, with our foreheads almost touching, I could see that the number of tall buildings and illuminations was modest, clearly distinguishing this Tokyo from the one in our original world.

Not that it's inferior, but rather there are many unfamiliar buildings, making it all the more intriguing. Since Kano seems eager to explore, I considered having her guide us around as we ascended. Eventually, the elevator stopped, and the doors to our destination floor opened.

"Mr. Kusunoki's party, please follow me."

A staff member, who had been waiting respectfully with a bow, guided us. The large entrance to the main hall was already open, revealing countless tables and seated guests. The hall looked like it could accommodate around a thousand people.

According to Kirara-chan, the seating is predetermined, with more important or higher-ranking guests seated closer to the front. I had assumed that Kirara-chan, coming from a viscount family, would be seated near the front, but our assigned seats were about one-fifth of the way from the front.

As I craned my neck to see who might be seated ahead of us, I noticed an area in the front filled with numerous cameras and microphones. Were they planning a press conference?

"(Onii, those are the members of the Kinrankai I mentioned earlier...)"

Kano whispered in my ear and pointed discreetly. Looking in that direction, I saw some familiar faces moving busily. One of them I recognized...

(That guy. The one who kicked Satsuki and tried to hit Kano.)

Around thirty years old, wearing a gold medal on his chest... It was Daigo Kaga. He had apparently been the leader of a tertiary subordinate clan, "Sorel," during the class competition but seems to have returned to the Kinrankai now. Regardless, it's pretty childish for a high-ranking clan to interfere in a high school exam and even resort to violence.

As I memorized Kaga's face, considering ambushing him later, a man in a hakama slipped into our table. Who could he be?

"That lovely green hair and charming figure. You must be the beloved Kirara-chan... What a coincidence to meet here."

"Oh? You must be... Lord Shingu?"

With deep navy blue hair and a slender, delicate build, this man was unlike the muscular adventurers at the school. Though he wore a black fox mask, he briefly revealed his face, showing a boyish, handsome face that older women might find attractive.

Wearing a gold badge with a family crest on his chest, it was clear he was a noble. His attempt to sit at this table wasn't surprising, but it was curious that he addressed Kirara-chan as "Kirara-chan," like a player. His name, Shingu, sounded familiar...

"Oh, pardon me. I am Subaru Shingu. I run a small company in the countryside and am an old friend of Kirara-chan. You must be members of the Kusunoki family?"

He looked at me and Kano with interest. Most nobles would look down on even samurai families, and if they weren't samurai, they wouldn't even consider them human. How should I respond? A careless reply could lead to trouble.

"These are my juniors from school. And this is his sister. She plans to take the entrance exam for the high school department next year."

"Yes! I'm planning to make a splash next year!"

My sister energetically raised her hand and declared that she would cause a stir next year. If she enrolls in high school, she will start in Class E, which means she will be considered an ordinary person without notable abilities. However, Shingu nods genuinely, showing no signs of contempt.

"Oh, so you’re Kirara-chan’s juniors, and this young lady will be taking the entrance exam next year! In that case, she might become a classmate of my humble sister. Come, you should sit here and introduce yourself."

When Shingu called out behind him, a girl in a kimono wearing a white fox mask appeared from nowhere. She also removed her mask to introduce herself, and upon seeing her face, I caught my breath.

With straight, glossy dark blue hair and light-colored eyes, her hair and eye color were the same as her brother’s, but unlike her boyish-faced brother, she had a more mature, beautiful face. This girl is—

"I am Chizuru Shingu... Greetings, Kirara-sama."

"Yes, you seem well, Chizuru."

Chizuru Shingu. Currently a third-year student at the Adventurer School’s junior high, she will rise to high school next year as the top student of Class A. She is a super rookie and also a heroine of DunEx. I never expected to meet her here.

After finishing her introduction without making eye contact, the girl put her mask back on and started conversing with Kirara-chan as if nothing had happened. Kano cheerfully extended her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you next year, Chii-chan," but Chii-chan turned her face away, completely ignoring Kano, who then puffed out her cheeks in loneliness.

(That’s right, she was such a shy and aloof girl.)

She has a very high difficulty level as a tsundere heroine who keeps her distance and acts coldly toward anyone who doesn’t earn her trust. In the game story, she was a character you couldn’t meet until the entrance ceremony next year. Shingu's brother was only a setting and didn’t appear in the story, but in this real-world scenario, meeting someone depends on timing.

As I was pondering how to deal with this unexpected encounter, the lights in the hall dimmed, forcibly interrupting my thoughts. I noticed that all the table seats around us were now filled with guests.

The clan party was about to begin.

—Here he comes, the big boss.

“The one who makes the strongest clan in Japan, 'Colors', so powerful is largely due to his influence. Watch closely, Chizuru.”

“Yes, brother.”

As Kirara-chan’s expression turned grim and the Shingu siblings watched with great interest, a man in a pinstripe suit, flanked by several subordinates, made a dashing entrance. He ascended the stage, stepping firmly while being greeted with applause.

He appeared to be in his fifties. His suit was almost bursting with muscles, and his sunburnt face hinted at the experience of someone who had repeatedly faced death. He was famous in the game, so I knew him. He is Kazumoto Kuki, the clan leader of Kinrankai and a senior executive of Colors.

Kano, watching beside me, seemed to sense his strength, stiffening slightly. Well, that’s to be expected from someone of his stature.

Not only does he have extensive experience in monster battles, but he also possesses high interpersonal combat skills, capable of fighting head-on against the secret society Oboro, and he has excelled in clan management, reviving the nearly defunct Kinrankai. As Shingu's brother said, the young and impulsive Colors became known as Japan’s strongest clan largely because of this man.

Kuki, bathed in numerous cameras and lights, smiled as he surveyed the guests and made a grand bow.

“I appreciate you all taking the time to attend. Now, we will commence the Kinrankai Clan Party.”

TL Note- Let the Party Commence!

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