Hidden stats revealed:
Special Defense: 344
Paranoia:
Charisma: 440(+50%)
Composure: 530
Evasion: 418
Reputation: level 8: I… believe in you!
Endurance: 490
Regeneration: 320
Haggling: 318 Clyde wasn’t sure if he’d ever really use this. Then again, one would never know when the opportunity to negotiate for better pricing would come. For example, Harumi had perks and helped the young man get an amazing price for his first house.
The young man was a bit annoyed that two of his three pregnant fiancées came along for the ride. Natalia, surprisingly, stayed behind. Well, she was in Ming’s room. The group left without consulting the loli-witch. Ah well, at least no one would be riding his back throughout the entire walk.
The only reason why they walked was because of Tear’s warning. Taxis were dangerous. Contained in metal, the queen could manipulate them while in the city. Jumping was unfavorable with the dimensional manipulator around. Chesire could, in theory, redirect their Jumps or alter them in a way that attracted major debuffs. If push came to shove, and they had to fight the queen, the group needed to be at full strength.
When Clyde and the others reached Naomi’s apartment, he made Chesire knock. The catgirl looked at him with pleading eyes, but everyone mutually agreed. She nervously knocked. Seconds later, a cute green-haired girl answered the door.
She anime-dove into the young man’s embrace.
“Did she give you any clues to why she’s here?” Clyde asked.
“Uhm,” Naomi said softly. “She claimed to be a huge fan of my website and demanded an immediate audience with you, the student council president, and Kitome… for magical girl reasons.”
“Now before I go in there, you’re not going to tell me at the last second that this is a trap, right?” Clyde said to the journalist. He still wanted to scold Clare for doing that.
“I don’t know anything about her,” Naomi said then looked down. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Clyde said. “Let’s go meet this fearsome queen.”
Clyde coated himself with bands of the power, picturing a bitch of a foe. He’d smite the arrogant twit, then make her beg for Naomi’s forgiveness. She wouldn’t be…
The young man’s thoughts froze as they entered the journalist’s small dining room. Sitting at Naomi’s table, slurping instant cupped ramen was a busty woman with very light pink hair. Her eye color matched it. She wore a short summer dress decked with heart designs. On the woman’s head rested a small crown.
“I must say, these are delicious, Naomi,” she said, slurping another noodle, then looked up to see Clyde and the others staring at her.
“The queen’s eating instant noodles,” Chesire deadpanned.
Clyde and Team Stone anime-fell to the side.
Clyde’s house…
Ichika’s room…
Ichika put away her manga and just stared at the ceiling. This was not how she pictured her life as a Stone Maiden. She… didn’t think that her role as an Arch Priestess would become obsolete. Hell, the Stone paid no attention to the Maidens whatsoever. It was as if they didn’t exist. Ichika had not gone through all of the ruthless training only to end up as a glorified maid.
Anger burned through her veins like lava and regret and sorrow. Pulled from a normal life as a child to be dedicated to someone they didn’t know, only to… only to be ignored, pushed out of relevance. This couldn’t be right. Their Entity contact must’ve given the Maidens false information.
Ichika crawled out of her bed, angrily shoving on her Shrine Maiden uniform. Enough was enough. If they weren’t needed, they’d leave.
She sent a text to all the High Priestesses, knowing that they’d feel the same. They met her outside, also dressed.
“Are you sure about this?” Emi said.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to cry,” Megu said to Emi. “Let me guess, you made so many wonderful friends and don’t want to part with them.” She said “wonderful” with cold sarcasm.
Team Stone didn’t interact with the Stone Maidens at all. Except Kanako. Ichika had come to love the kind genie.
“I didn’t say that,” Emi snapped. “Unlike you, I respect Ichika as Arch Priestess and wish her to make the best decisions.”
Jae crunched on the last of her potato chips. “I agree with Ichika. I didn’t sign up to be some maid.”
They looked at the normally quiet kuudere. Ichika’s decision solidified, hearing that even Jae acknowledged the mediocrity of their situation.
“What about you, Yumi?” Megu said. “What do you think of this crappy situation? Not that I feel like you’ll have much of an opinion being in your room for most of the time.”
Ichika whacked the redhead with a paper fan. “Ow! I was just kidding.”
“Don’t bully Yumi,” Emi said.
“She’ll never learn,” Ichika said.
“I like working with Asu,” Yumi said, gaining the shocked stares of the others.
“Well, she is kind. A little wonky sometimes, but reliable,” Ichika said. “But I will not waste away my days without a purpose—not anymore. Grandmother didn’t count on the Stone having a team already. He doesn’t need us.”
“You’re… right,” Yumi said softly, her voice almost cracking, then nodded, resolve glistening in her eyes. “He found his way on his own. We’re unneeded.”
Megu sighed. “Like always, eh?” She chuckled. “But hey, we’ve got each other. Screw the world.”
Ichika nodded. “Let’s say our goodbyes to Clare, then Jump home. I’m done with this. I’ve… been thinking about quitting or disbanding the maidens. But I don’t have the power to do that really, they can simply find another Arch Priestess.”
She flinched when she looked up at the sad eyes of her stone maiden sisters. “Sorry, just rambling thoughts. Let’s go.”
Naomi’s house…
“So you’re him,” the woman said after finishing the last of her instant noodles. She even looked longingly for more. Chesire, who was at the queen’s side, took the empty Styrofoam cup and tossed it in the trashcan. “The God of Life and Eternity. The Stone of the stone-viper games. The man destined to face his arch nemesis in a death battle, probably for the fate of this world.”
Clyde rolled his eyes. “So, why did you impose on my friend and call us here in the middle of the night? Why send your pet cat to kidnap Alice?”
“Ah, Alice,” the queen said, completely unphased by the hidden threat in Clyde’s voice. “I didn’t believe for one second Chesire would succeed at getting past you and capturing Alice. She’s not the type to get into fights she can’t win. But she did help me learn just a little more about this realm. Sure, I could put Alice through the tale of Wonderland for my amusement, but I’m pretty sure her family would come knocking on my door.”
“So why are you here?” Alice snapped.
The Queen of Hearts smiled. “You should have some manners, Princess Alice Hades of the Hades family. One of the most powerful houses in the demon realm, Satovia, and even other places. Something I took as simply a rumor has spread even more than I could imagine. So I personally left my throne to warn you. I’m also pleased to see how much you’ve grown. You really do take after your mother, you know.”
“What’s this warning?” Clyde said.
“We’ll get to that—it’s nothing life threatening,” the queen said then turned to Sazuki. “Student council president, Sazuki Tesaka, older sister of Kiko Tesaka. I request for you to increase the funding of Sato Academy’s newspaper. I will even front the bill if you approve.”
Sazuki anime-fell backward. “I came all this way for… Wait, you’re paying for it? What’s the catch, lady? I don’t believe in too good to be true things.”
“No catch at all, I’m a big fan of Naomi’s work,” the queen said. “But it’s clear that the budget is hurting. I mean, look around.”
“Yeah, I was actually about to offer her a room after this,” Clyde said. “Not because of your budget request, but for her safety. Naomi, you’re strong, but this isn’t the first time someone has gone after you. Had it not been for Asu, that wizard assassin would’ve snuck in here and done who knows what to you.”
Naomi shuddered, but for some reason, she looked like she wanted to object, as if she held the power to not only sense the wizard, but stop him. Then again, Clyde could be looking too deep into things. The girl just wanted to live her life and earn her keep. The young man knew she’d refuse anything that seemed like charity.
“So why am I here?” Kitome said. “What could you possibly want from me?”
The queen’s eyes went starry. “I’m a big fan, Kitome-chan! I’d like you to transform for me.”
Silence.
“Wait!” she called after Kitome, but the magical girl slammed the door, leaving the apartment silent for a full minute following her departure.
Alice shook her head, visibly annoyed. “I’m leaving. This is clearly just a waste of my time.”
“Are you sure about that?” the queen said. “Rumor says your grandmother has gotten news about what happened with your father and also your decision to become a House Head instead of a Demon Lord.”
Alice paled.
“Don’t harass my student,” Hinako said. “It’s her grandmother. I’m pretty sure she could use the love—”
“Is she headed this way?” Alice interrupted.
“I honestly don’t know,” said the queen. She chuckled. “I bet Wonderland’s starting to sound like a nice offer now, is it not?”
Sazuki and Kiko looked confused. Clyde was out of the loop, too. The half-demoness and Tear rarely spoke of their grandmother.
Episode 68 (Part 3)
Sadly, the Queen of Hearts had a hotel booked in the city. Apparently, she was looking for someone, but didn’t disclose any additional information. Clyde dialed up Yuki, Natalia, and Tear to erect a barrier around Naomi’s apartment before they called it a night. The young man took Naomi’s refusal to bring up his offer as a declination.
The Queen’s analyze ran through his head while he headed to the library upstairs.
Cora, the Queen of Hearts.
Level: *???* [This power makes even deities wary of her…]
Type: Dark Fairy.
Work under: N/A.
Special: ???
Weakness: none.
Resistances: ???
Secret: is afraid of dogs.
Her secret gave Clyde a few laughs. Since the queen didn’t seem in the slightest bit hostile on the surface, more like nonchalant, kind of airheaded, and maybe fan-girly, the young man wouldn’t have to gather an army of one hundred dogs to scare the fairy away.
He never expected the Queen of Hearts to be a fairy, but in a way, it made sense with all the whacky shit occurring in the story. Magic.
A yelp grabbed the young man’s attention right as he was about to sit. He rushed downstairs only to stop to see Alice fainted and Melody holding a small spider inside a container. She took it outside the kitchen’s door, releasing the bug back into the wild.
“So…” Clyde said, stare blank. “I heard her scream all the way in the library. What’s going on? I know it’s not something as ridiculous as Alice being afraid of spiders.”
Melody gave him a sad smile, a drop of sweat falling from the back of her head. “She’s terrified of them.”
“Alice Hades, Great Princess and House Head of the Hades family, rulers in the demon realm, archangel blood and a hidden lost goddess bloodline, fearless, powerful Alice… afraid of spiders,” Clyde said. He looked at the fainted half-demoness as if to confirm if the sight before him was real.
“I think she’s afraid of a lot of bugs, especially cockroaches,” Melody said. “Well… I’m not a fan of them—but that’s beside the point.”
Clyde picked up the half-demoness. “Are you terrified enough to faint like this? Never mind, I’ll carry her back to her room.”
“Harumi! Matsume’s bullying me,” Natalia whined as she ran away from the angry hellhound.
Clyde and Melody shook off their blank stares and proceeded to the master bedroom. Chika was at the desk, laptop displaying her company’s new website.
“What happened to her?” the silver-haired girl asked.
“Spider landed on her arm and she fainted,” Melody said.
Chika shuddered. “Who could blame her? Spiders are scary.”
“Scary enough to faint?” Clyde said as he laid Alice onto the bed. Good thing she was already in her nightgown.
“Maybe,” Chika said then shrugged.
Tear, who was already in the giant bed, put her book to the side, and motioned for Clyde to join her.
“It’s time for some bedtime conversation,” she said. “You can learn your spells tomorrow. It’s not like you need them right now. You’ve got enough, anyway.”
The gamer inside Clyde roared at the young man to pay some attention to his stat screen. He should be building up his strength, molding his power, becoming something great.
“Let me shower first,” Clyde said.
“I’ve prepared your bath,” Yuki said upon entering the room at that moment. She stripped him in one swift movement, gaining a smirk from Chika.
“I’m not even going to ask how you two do that,” Clyde said as he proceeded to the bathroom stark naked. The fiancées watched his behind, Natalia and Ruri excluded as they weren’t present in the room.
“Nice ass,” Tear said.
Clyde showered first then entered the tub to relax. There, he accessed his menu. He supposed he could train magic one day and then Ki the next or vice versa. For now, the young man needed to read his newly acquired magic text. Sure, Tear was right, but Yuki slipped him the opportunity, so now or never.
Kitome exited the shower and joined Clyde in the tub, immediately pulling his attention. He was faced again with another decision. Power himself up, reach new heights, excel at the stone-viper games. Sure, he could’ve done that.
The magical girl’s lips tasted of berry.
Sunday. Week 2. Month 3. Year 1. Season: Winter.
[Satovian Universal Calendar: Domino, 46389.]
[School: Winter Break. Day 16 of 30.]
[Current declared fiancée(s): Melody, Alice, Tear, Harumi, Chika, Natalia, Kitome, Yuki, Tessa, Ruri.]
[Expecting: Harumi, Alice, Kitome. Time left: Harumi, kitsune: 5 months until due. Alice, half-demoness, half-angel: 5 months until due. Kitome, human: 9.3 months until due. Harumi: week 3, day 3. Alice: week 3, day 1. Kitome: week 2, day 1.]
The morning rays pulled Clyde back into the waking world. Softness smothered him. He woke up to see Harumi asleep on top of him. The scent of Yuki’s breakfast cooking made his mouth water a bit, but it still didn’t cancel out the erection. That’s when he noticed Tear smirking at him.
Using telekinesis, she moved the fox girl to the side and took her place, meeting the young man with a passionate kiss. He sucked her breasts, while plunging fingers inside the succubus, excited at the sea of lustfulness. Tear rode hard and fast, as if starved, her breasts bouncing. Good thing Natalia wasn’t currently in the room. That didn’t stop them from eventually waking the remaining fiancées up. He almost unleashed a furious load in the succubus.
“Really,” Kitome deadpanned.
Tear shrugged, then shot the magical girl a devilish grin. “There’s nothing wrong with a little breakfast.”
She seemed to be considering round two when Natalia’s voice rang from the hall.
“Pervy husbando-nii! I sure hope you’re not a pervy cheater, inviting this new lady over.”
“She’s not just some lady,” Chesire said from the hall. “Respect the queen.”
Clyde and his fiancées froze.
“How…” Chika said.
Clyde checked the barrier.
[Lot City: [Current Main.] Barrier Level: 13. PP: 100. BP: 10
0. You are moderately protected. Not even deities would easily detect you.]
[Moderate protection isn’t enough. Would you like to invest Free Points to raise the barrier’s level? Until level 20, raising a level will cost only two Free Points each. To completely hide the house’s level from the queen and any being at her strength, the barrier needs to be at level 52 or greater.]
Clyde checked his free point balance.
[Free Points: 450.]
Not bad. The young man spent the first fourteen points to raise the barrier to level twenty. It was too late to keep the queen out; she’d memorized the location. He also invested points into both Power points and Barrier points, even though the combat log verified the defeat of the automatic magical guards produced by the Power Core system. He’d have to continuously raise the PP to increase their combat capabilities.
[Free Points: 406.]
[Lot City: [Current Main.] Barrier Level: 20. PP: 120. BP: 110. You are moderately protected. Not even deities would easily detect you.]
Having a harem really made it difficult to get to training. Then again, his women were incredibly powerful, adding to his strength, setting the young deity at an enormous advantage.
Abruptly, Asu burst into the room and anime-dove into Clyde, tears streaming. “Oh great master of rising towers, I have failed you. I accept my punishment, even my death to protect your honor.”
“Calm down, Asu,” Clyde said, holding the beautiful lich. “What happened?”
The teary lich girl looked up at him. “My maidens are gone.”
“What? You sure they didn’t just—”
“Their belongings are gone, too,” Asu said. “I thought we had become friends… but they left. My master, I tried my best to treat them with care… but I messed up. I don’t know what to do, I really tried, Master.”
“It’s not your fault,” Clyde assured her. “We’ll worry about them later. Take the day off.”
The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #14 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 6