IN WHICH ARE DISCUSSED THE DEEDS OF THE FIXER WHOM DON QUIXOTE HAD BELIEVED TO BE A FRIEND (before battle)
Tell us your name, O brave adventurer.
That is the condition of your adventure.
If you are willing to accept these terms, then speak your name to me.
…….
Thou shalt know that my name... is Don Quixote.
Ahh...
To use that name... You've gone just as insane as the rest of us...
The voice from the announcement system briefly fell hesitant, and an extended silence followed.
... Brave Don Quixote, the adventurer, and her friends placed first in the Fantasy Blood-shooting Range competition! Salutations and Congratulations!
What shall be your reward?! Drum roll please, everyone~
Ta-da! Here's a button that opens the path to the finest attraction of all time in La Manchaland~!
'The Haunted: Bloody Mary', the highlight of La Manchaland, the frightening challenge that only the bravest of adventurers dare face!
<So this is the 'device' that leads us to our next destination, huh...>
This seems a tad too easy, don't it? Just like that? And they even bring the button to you?
According to the info I bought, though...
There's only twenty-five percent chance of surviving through the first Area. The odds aren't great, but they're not terrible either.
What really matters though, is that we made it through! The button's right here!
You... bought the info? What's that supposed to mean?
Are you saying that there were more testimonies from survivors than what we heard earlier at the briefing?
Ha ha... wow. You guys really are new to this business, huh?
Do you really think that the Fixers who managed to survive La Manchaland would just... fork over their precious intel to the Hana Association?
No, of course not. They sell important intel like that to just a few people who's got the cash and the interest.
They also told me that, to activate the device in Area 1, we have to kill all the Bloodfiends in that attraction and place first in the leaderboard.
... And you neglected to tell us this why?
W-well, I just thought we needed some time to build the trust between us before I started sharing things.
Eh, I get it. I bet that intel wasn't cheap to come by~
Y-yeah, totally... whew.
... Has our mission ever gone this smoothly before?
<So... we press this button, and our job's done here?>
It's definitely suspicious how easy this was, but... what can we do? Not press it?
If we're being optimistic... at least we should be able to get out of Area 1 now and join the others.
Consider that information regarding Bloodfiends and Bloodbags is rare to come by for the public.
Had someone unfamiliar with the particulars of battling Bloodbags participated in this competition, it may have been difficult to place first in the leaderboard.
Hm... that's also true, I suppose.
Hey, what other information are you withholding from us? Spit it out. What more 'trust' do you need?
Outis shoved Hugo, practically threatening him with her odd emphasis on the word 'trust'.
That's, uh. Um...
They say that there are three Bloodfiends here that we gotta avoid at all costs.
Fixers call them the overseer Bloodfiends. If you want a better chance of survival, avoid them. Or so they say.
There's one in each Area, but hey. At least it didn't say anywhere in the terms and conditions of the contract that we had to kill them, too. They don't have anything to do with eradicating La Manchaland, after all. ... Probably...
The point is, we should try to steer clear of those monsters. Let's just hit that button and book it -
I cannot well bring myself to do such a thing, O Fixer.
Uh... you can't...?
The innocent visitors to this terrible place suffer still, do they not?
Thus, the only path of righteousness that remain before us is to defeat all three Bloodfiends, those beasts who watch over this slaughterhouse, and have them pay for their crimes!
... Holy smokes, aren't you guys going to try to talk her out of this insanity? She's your friend, isn't she...?
Bud, we already would've tried if we thought there was a snowball's chance in hell of convincing her.
Hark! Show thyself, thou wicked Bloodfiend! I, Don Quixote, shall vanquish thee!
Um~ So is there anything you can tell us about what these three Bloodfiends look like?
Nngh... That intel cost me two mil...
…….
... They wear the gaudiest masks...
Pffffhahahahahahha!!
How fun, how fun! This is the most fun I've had all week!
Apparently their masks stand out for being extremely gaudy...
They must have a pretty 'gaudy' smell of blood, as well.
Which one of you's Don Quixote, friends? My eyesight ain't like it used to be!
And there she is.
... Uh.
I asked which one of you is this 'Don Quixote' who came first place in this attraction of mine? Hello?
H-her... her mask...
Just answer my question, and I'll let the rest of you press the button and head on over to the next Area.
As long as you tell me which one of you is... Don Quixote!
'Tis -
S-she's right here!
Hugo shouted from the top of his lungs just as Don Quixote began to speak.
The speed with which he called out her name was in striking contrast with his previous slow, reluctant attitude.
W-well? Can I press the button now?
Ha... ha ha...! Fixers who activate a device gets 1.5 times the rate when calculating the eradication reward!
... Hah.
Try pressing the button now.
Ryōshū swung her absurdly sharp scabbard, chopping off his wrists with blinding speed.
Hnngh... Agh...
Y-young Ryōshū! Whatever hast thou done?! To put thy steel against the flesh of a compatriot...!
Never accepted that idiot as my compatriot.
<Don Quixote, he was trying to sell you out.>
V-verily, yet...
I smelled treachery the moment I saw him. ... I waited, curious if he would demonstrate even an ounce of creativity when pulling off that act.
... But this is tired, meek, and clichéd. Can't stand the lack of originality.
<... So you would've just let him do his thing if it was... interesting?>
Pfft... Hehehahahaha!
Oh, how did you know? I was going to kill him myself! I mean, how could I let someone so scruffy and slovenly press the button in our Area, of all places?!
…….
So. You're that Don Quixote? The Don Quixote who won my game?
Indeed, 'tis I.
... Well, then...
... How did you win?
I have rescued numerous innocents and hewn my path through scores of villains to vanquish a cur such as thee!
Ha... ha ha... ha...
Wh... wherefore art thou so giddy?
Oh, it's... I'm just so happy, you know?
So, how did you like the game? Mine's your favorite, isn't it? I was going to add a few more decorations here and there, maybe some frilly lace... but I ran out of time.
You see, since Bloodbags can't change themselves, I have to dress each and every one of them myself. Anything too complicated just isn't sturdy enough to stay on.
What horrible crime thou confessest... I am not here to play thy games.
I have arrived here to eradicate this terrible place that taketh people, La Manchaland! To slay its villains slithering within!
Okay! But why aren't you wearing the outfit I made for you?
How discourteous of you! If you wanted to hang out in my Area, you should've made yourself a little more presentable than... this.
What the... Is it just me, or does it sound like their conversation isn't connecting at all with each other's?
Yeah, she's nuts. Let's put her out of her misery...
Hahaha! I just know that you'll look great in a can-can dress and boots with ribbons! Oh, I'll make you look so pretty!