The voice that suddenly echoed through the conference hall naturally belonged to someone who had yet to show himself.
Ren Kuroda.
When 『GrimmGrimoireHameln』 first launched its assault, Ren had honestly had no intention of getting involved. Compared to the so-called Demon Lord descending upon the North District, he was far more concerned about the whereabouts of "His Highness" and the others. Their suspicious movements bothered him much more than an open declaration of war.
And on top of that—
Shiroyasha was here.
Ren had absolutely no desire to court death by wandering around in front of her.
Unfortunately, because of the Gift Game initiated by 『GrimmGrimoireHameln』, every Community entangled in it seemed unable to leave the designated game area. In other words, even if Ren wanted to track down His Highness and find out what they were plotting, he simply couldn't leave this region until the Gift Game concluded.
Worse still, for reasons unknown, Shiroyasha appeared to have been sealed. What should have been a rock-solid, overwhelmingly one-sided Gift Game had suddenly become murky and unpredictable.
Under those circumstances, Ren had no choice but to step forward.
When Ren and Leticia entered the conference hall, they encountered little resistance. As one of the strongest Communities in the North District, Ren's 『Ghost Travel』—alongside 『Will o'Wisp』—had also been invited to attend this meeting.
The moment Ren and Leticia appeared, the most surprised—and happiest—group present was undoubtedly the members of 『No Name』.
Black Rabbit, in particular, completely forgot about the unpleasantness from earlier. Upon seeing companions she hadn't seen in days, she immediately threw herself forward in a warm embrace.
After hugging Leticia tightly, she turned, clearly intending to hug Ren as well—
Only to be simultaneously blocked by both Leticia and Algol.
Leticia spoke first, her tone elegant but firm.
"Black Rabbit, I understand how much you've missed your companions. But hugging me will suffice."
Algol crossed her arms, golden eyes gleaming.
"I refuse to allow anyone other than Leticia or Algol to cling to Master!"
Ren, who had instinctively opened his arms—fully prepared to enjoy a fleeting E-rank luxury—slowly lowered them under Leticia's deathly glare.
Regret flickered across his face.
At that moment, Izayoi stepped in, steering the conversation back on track. He looked toward Ren and asked directly:
"Ren, what did you mean earlier when you said quite a few people here won't be able to hold out much longer?"
Ren's expression turned serious.
"I'm not sure what that black mist was—the one that swept across the entire venue and spread throughout the 3,999,999th to 4,000,000th Outer Gate. But because of my race, I can clearly sense that it's nothing good. It carries an aura similar to disease… or plague."
He glanced around the hall.
"Those people may look fine right now. But that's probably just because the illness hasn't erupted yet."
Ren was a half-demon. Leticia was a vampire. Algol was a stellar spirit.
That initial black fog-like presence hadn't troubled them much at all.
But Ren could distinctly sense it—
After the black aura entered the bodies of many people in the hall, a faint trace of death had begun to cling to them.
"Plague or disease? Pest?"
Izayoi's eyes sharpened.
"I get it. The Black Death, right?"
He snapped his fingers.
"That's why you deliberately extended the suspension period of Black Rabbit's Gift Game to the maximum limit. You're planning to let the infected victims' Black Death fully erupt during the suspension, aren't you?"
He didn't wait for an answer before continuing.
"The Black Death was a terrifying plague in the mid-14th century—a form of bubonic plague that ravaged Europe and wiped out roughly a third of its population."
"『GrimmGrimoireHameln』—the Pied Piper of Hamelin—is a tale recorded in the Grimm fairy tales."
Izayoi folded his arms casually as he explained.
"The gist is this: a town plagued by rats was thrown into chaos. Then a mysterious piper arrived. Using his flute, he lured all the rats out of the town and led them into a nearby river, where they drowned."
"Once the rat infestation was resolved, however, the townsfolk reneged on their promise. They claimed the whole thing had been staged by the piper himself and refused to pay him."
"The piper left in fury."
"But one night, the familiar sound of his flute echoed again through the darkness. This time, however, only the town's children could hear it clearly."
"One hundred and thirty children walked out of their homes in unison, following the melody—and left the town with the piper… never to return."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The historical backdrop of that story also traces back to the mid-14th century. The rat infestation in the tale is often interpreted as a metaphor for the plague—the so-called 'Black Death.'"
"As for what became of the 130 children who vanished, there are two main theories."
"One suggests they perished due to natural disasters—land collapses, flooding rivers, geological upheaval."
"The other claims they were taken away by a piper who could command the plague itself—symbolizing lives claimed by the Black Death."
Izayoi's knowledge was astonishingly broad. From a handful of clues, he had pieced together the origins of 『GrimmGrimoireHameln』 and the terrifying implications of the Black Death.
Even Pest couldn't help but glance at him in surprise.
"If that's the case," Izayoi continued, eyes gleaming, "your Community is called 『Hamelin's Piper』. The spotted loli sitting in the main seat can release the Black Death."
"It's not hard to guess, then—you're the Black Death Demon Lord who manifested into Little Garden through the achievement of those 130 lost children."
"The incubation period of the Black Death varies from person to person. It can be as short as a day or two—but no longer than a week."
"Once everyone infected erupts at once, forget defeating a Demon Lord. There won't be many people left alive."
That was precisely why Pest intended to extend the suspension period of the Gift Game.
If she dragged it out long enough, victory would come without effort.
Compared to her side, it was the participants who had every reason to panic.
Their strongest fighter—and game leader—Shiroyasha was sealed.
An unknown number of people were carrying dormant Black Death infections.
The situation couldn't have been worse.
After declaring that the suspension would be extended to its maximum duration, Pest turned to leave with Weser and Ratten.
She had barely taken a step when Ren's voice rang out from behind her.
"Black Death Demon Lord."
His tone was calm.
"How about we make a deal?"
Pest paused.
"You didn't suddenly attack the North District because you were interested in its still-inexperienced Floor Master. Your real objective was Shiroyasha, wasn't it?"
"And even if you win this Gift Game, there's no guarantee you'll actually be able to take Shiroyasha away."
Ren's lips curved slightly.
"So why not raise the stakes?"
"If you win this Gift Game, that rabbit over there—" he nodded toward Black Rabbit, "—including that guy you seemed interested in earlier, and even most of the Communities here…"
"You can pack them up and take them with you."
A ripple of shock spread through the hall.
"In exchange," Ren continued evenly, "you cancel the extended suspension period and immediately restart the Gift Game. How about it?"
Pest's gaze shifted.
She looked at Black Rabbit.
Then at Ren.
Then at Izayoi.
Ren's proposal… was undeniably tempting.
She was a fledgling Demon Lord.
Though she had established a Community, its members consisted of only Weser and Ratten.
For a Demon Lord's faction, it was laughably sparse—almost pitiful.