1

After the griffin descended, Raynesia couldn’t move a muscle while she was being carried down from its back. She’d been held around the waist during dances, but for as far back as she could remember, she’d never been handled so carelessly, like luggage.

She hadn’t thought being treated this way by the opposite sex would be so disconcerting. She tried to smile with her face tense, but even she knew it looked drawn and stiff.

Partly because she’d been highly determined during the conference, it hadn’t felt real to her. She’d felt as if she were delirious with fever as she carried out her plan.

Now that she thought about it, Raynesia had spent too much time with Krusty over this past week. She’d been able to give herself courage by thinking that, compared to this alabaster, practically supernatural young man who guessed her most private thoughts, speaking defiantly in front of the lords was nothing at all.

However, she really wasn’t comfortable around Krusty himself.

She knew that while they were flying on the griffin, he’d been casually solicitous toward her, keeping her from being blown away by the wind or getting cold. However, the more solicitous he was, the more it felt as though every one of her innermost thoughts was an open book to him, and she was beyond flustered.

She wasn’t all that concerned anymore that he’d find out she was a fake, that she was really a lazybones who hated people, that she was a terribly hopeless person who thought of nothing except loafing around in her room.

However, if possible—no, at all costs—she wanted to keep Krusty from finding out that she was flustered over him.

“Milady.”

For just a moment, she took the hand Krusty held out to her and descended to the ground.

She was in the town of Akiba.

Even though it was the middle of the night, lights were lit all through the town. When she’d looked down on them from the sky, she’d thought they were a type of watchfire, but now that she’d descended, they proved to be lights of all different sorts. The seven big bonfires in the plaza were orange, the lamps that were resistant to wind and rain were yellow, and magic lights were a phosphorescent white.

“I… Thank you very much.”

She’d lowered her eyes as she spoke, but Krusty’s interest was already elsewhere. A group who wore overcoats with white, undyed crests like the one on Krusty’s mantle was approaching from that direction, stepping briskly.

Krusty exchanged greetings with the group, then turned to speak to the young man who looked like a magic user, the one who had just lifted the black-haired girl down.

“Shiroe. Can I ask you to take care of her outfit and management?”

“Yes, of course. Only… Are you sure?”

“There’s no help for it. I’ll brace myself.”

After Krusty had spoken to the young man he’d called Shiroe, he left with the group that was dressed like him. At the same time, the griffins also took off, whipping up a gust of wind.

Raynesia was standing there, at a loss, when the young man named Shiroe addressed her:

“I believe this is the first time we’ve spoken directly, Princess Raynesia. I’m Shiroe of Log Horizon. This girl is Akatsuki.”

At Shiroe’s introduction, the petite girl he’d called Akatsuki nodded briefly. Apparently she was the quiet type.

“All right, then. Follow me, please.”

Shiroe turned his back to her and began to walk away. Most of the people on the street seemed to be Adventurers, and apparently they were moving with some sort of purpose. A flurried atmosphere hung in the air.

Raynesia had rushed out, declaring sharply that she would persuade the Adventurers of Akiba, but she’d given no thought to the specifics of how she was going to do it. She’d had the vague idea that she’d make an entreaty at the Round Table Council—which she assumed was a place like the Lords’ Council—and, after obtaining permission, would meet with the major Adventurers one after another.

The town of Akiba was nothing like Maihama.

Unlike the beautiful, brilliant Maihama, where fruit trees hung with crystal lined the streets, this town seemed to make use of the ruins from the old days. Maze-like streets ran through the gaps between buildings that were five or ten stories tall, and Raynesia was wary, knowing she’d get lost in moments if she were to become separated from the young man who was guiding her.

A woman who was coming up the street, carrying a large load, nimbly yielded the right of way to Shiroe; she whispered something to him very quickly, then bowed her head. Raynesia thought that Shiroe must have significant status on the Round Table Council. He’d been chosen as a vice envoy, after all.

He is walking a little too quickly, though.

The girl he’d called Akatsuki was keeping up with him without difficulty. Raynesia had heard tales of the extent of the Adventurers’ physical abilities, but she’d never imagined she’d feel the difference in something so basic.

Shiroe had one hand to his ear, covering it, and was talking to no one as he walked. He’d probably contacted someone with some sort of magic.

But before long, they arrived at a big, blackish building.

“Shiroe!”

“Thanks for coming, Calasin.”

The man who was waiting for the three of them just inside the building, in what seemed to be a reception hall or lobby, was dressed like a young merchant.

“This is Princess Raynesia.”

“Oho! I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the young lady of the Cowen dukedom, aren’t you? I’m Calasin, a merchant trader. I’m the head of Shopping District 8.”

Apparently, the man who’d called himself Calasin really was a merchant. He greeted Raynesia with an affable smile. However, to Raynesia, a noble, his brand of courtesy felt extremely pragmatic and simple.

The Adventurers all seem to be very candid, and to dislike empty formalities…

With a ladylike smile, Raynesia returned a greeting that was elegant, but quite abbreviated by her standards. “Shopping District 8” was an odd name, but considering the way he’d used it to introduce himself, it was probably the name of one of Akiba’s influential houses.

“I am Raynesia of the House of Cowen. I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Calasin turned red and averted his eyes. This was a reaction Raynesia was used to.

“So, Calasin,” Shiroe said.

“Mn?”

“Hm… What to do… What should we go with…? We need to make an impact. The first impression has to be hard-hitting. …Valkyrie Mail. Do you have a full set?”

“Wha? Ah…huh. Of course I do, but… With that one, the legs are… Are you sure?”

However, Raynesia’s relief was fleeting. She didn’t really understand what was being said, but Shiroe and the merchant Calasin had begun to talk about something she couldn’t just let slide.

“Yes. It’s not a problem. Something like that is just what we need, in several ways. One set, if you would. I’ve got the cape somewhere, so we won’t need that. Would you also pick out a likely-looking weapon? A one-handed long sword with a good design; if the equip level is four or under, it should be fine. …Akatsuki, go get us a room. A small one will do. We’ll pay by the hour. —No, attack power doesn’t matter at all. It just has to look good.”

What followed was a whirl of shame and confusion.

Having been shown to a simple room, Raynesia was stripped of her clothes and changed into the battle costume she’d been handed. The girl called Akatsuki dressed her.

There were many nobles who regularly left the task of changing their clothes to their maids. Raynesia was one of them, of course, and she wasn’t reluctant to show her skin in public.

The source of the embarrassment and confusion lay in the battle costume, the first she’d ever worn.

First, it was as light as down.

A robe woven from thin, dazzling silver chains, and a cuirass.

The gauntlets and what seemed to be metal leg protectors were graceful things, embossed with arabesque patterns, and they reminded her of elven craftsmanship.

The problem was…

The chain robe, and the waist armor. They only hid the bases of her thighs by the barest margin, leaving most of her legs exposed. Some dresses were designed to leave the upper arms naked this way, but she’d never in her life (probably) worn any garment shameless enough to show her legs.

“Skirt…next.” The scrap of cloth that was put on her after that minimalist sentence was made of green silk. In terms of area, it was more like a sort of loincloth or scarf than a skirt.

I-I knew it. My legs will be entirely exposed… And this cuirass— The chest is sculpted to be a bit too realistic, and…it’s making them look bigger than they are…

Akatsuki hung a sword belt around the discombobulated Raynesia’s waist, then cinched up various belts here and there. As they tightened, all the armor pressed closely against her skin, and she felt the weight of it even less.

Raynesia marveled at its lightness and comfort, thinking that it must be a terribly famous magic item… However, it accentuated the lines of her figure as well, meaning the wretched spectacle was too horrid even to look at.

She didn’t think her figure was all that bad, but weren’t these clothes far too, too—scanty? Raynesia groaned.

“Erm… Miss Akatsuki? I really do think this shows my figure too—”

“You’re tall, so live with it.”

Finding herself the target of a cold glare, Raynesia fell silent.

Akatsuki took a comb out of an inner pocket and began to run it through Raynesia’s hair until it lay smooth. Her movements were flowing, and Raynesia thought she was more careful than any of her maids, but her tension only grew.

For a while now, she’d felt an excessive pressure from the tiny girl, possibly because she didn’t say much.

Catching Raynesia’s hand as she sniffled and complained, Akatsuki opened the door and pulled her outside. Shiroe and Calasin were waiting for them. They seemed to have been having a meeting right where they stood in the corridor. When Calasin looked at Raynesia—who was trying to hide behind Akatsuki, even though their heights were different—he broke into a smile.

The expression of genuine admiration on his face was the same as the ones worn by the knights and civil servants. On the other hand, Shiroe’s was appraising, and Raynesia added him to her mental list of people to watch out for.

“That’s not bad at all. …Is it, Calasin.”

“Yes, I think she’s terribly beautiful.”

“…Th-thank you very much.”

Raynesia very nearly lifted the skirt a bit to curtsy, but she checked herself hastily. The scrap of cloth she was wearing right now (she really didn’t want to call it a skirt) wasn’t long enough to lift.

“All right, let’s get down to business. It’s fine. Yes, don’t worry. I rate you quite highly, Princess.”

For some reason, Shiroe’s words and smile gave Raynesia a chill, but for now, all she did was nod in agreement.

2

And then…

“Thank you for gathering before dawn like this; that’s good to see. I’m Shiroe of Log Horizon. It is early, after all, and the military situation is urgent, so I’ll explain the present circumstances right away.”

It was dawn.

Akiba’s plaza was filled with a crowd of Adventurers. There was no telling how many there were, but the square was packed. She thought there must be far more than a thousand of them.

Akiba’s central plaza.

They’d cleared away the rubble over the past few months, which meant there was about 20 percent more space than there had been right after the Catastrophe. When Elder Tales was a game, the rubble had been background objects and they hadn’t been able to shift it, but now they could both move and break it.

In combination with the neatly repainted, enterprising shops that were already opening, even at this hour, this made the town of Akiba look even livelier.

Raynesia didn’t know about any of these things, of course, and to her, Akiba seemed to be an almost frighteningly energetic town. Dawn hadn’t yet broken, and blue had only just begun to steal into the eastern sky. She’d never experienced a full-fledged war, and, to her, the fact that such a large crowd had assembled so early on a summer morning seemed to be an extraordinary situation.

Not only that, but not all the people who’d gathered looked like knights.

There were elves and dwarves, and even artisans and merchants. Unlike at military or noble meetings, food and drink was being sold to the people in the plaza, and the sight made her think that this sort of assembly might be an everyday occurrence in this town.

Although Raynesia wasn’t aware of it, the Round Table Council members who’d been answering Shiroe’s telechats in shifts around the clock had made all the preparations at his request. This was also true of the able Adventurers who’d gathered in the square, of the stage that had been set up, and of the “secret weapon” moored on the river that ran behind the town of Akiba. However, these were things Raynesia didn’t yet know.

What Raynesia saw from the tent that formed the backstage area was a platform brightly illuminated by Lumieres—light spirits conjured by a Summoner. It looked as though they’d used a precious magician—and a Summoner at that—as a mere stagehand, and the idea was nearly enough to bring Raynesia’s common sense crashing down, but what completely stunned her was the continuation of the talk.

“—Due to the factors I’ve just mentioned, a tribe of goblins a little less than twenty thousand strong at the maximum has appeared in the forested hills of the northeastern region, centered on the base of the Zantleaf Peninsula. The pressure of this force is exerting influence in all directions. Reports from multiple Adventurers staying in Zantleaf have also been confirmed. Eastal, the League of Free Cities, an organization that governs eastern Yamato, is currently being exposed to this threat. That said, according to predictions from the Round Table Council, the threat will remain a mere threat. Even if we do nothing, the League of Free Cities will not be annihilated. However, it is conceivable that they will lose about thirty percent of their total fighting strength. …While it’s true that these figures are close to annihilation, it isn’t as though the People of the Earth will be completely wiped out down to the last man.”

The information Shiroe was delivering was more detailed than what the League of Free Cities’ Lords’ Council had obtained. His words were merciless, and if her ears weren’t deceiving her, she sensed sharp thorns in them.

However, what truly astonished Raynesia wasn’t Shiroe’s attitude. It was the fact that there was a clear light of understanding in the eyes of every Adventurer who heard what he said.

From what she could see from where she peeked out of the tent, not a single one of them looked bored or as if they couldn’t understand. A few of them even had bundles of paper—probably maps—open and were jotting down the main points of the address.

To Raynesia, a Person of the Earth, it was an astounding sight. Weren’t the people gathered here Akiba’s equivalent of ordinary townsfolk? How could they comprehend so much?

The Adventurers in the plaza, the ones Raynesia had assumed were soldiers, had understanding that was on par not only with military officers, but with royal civil servants. All these people had knowledge of topography and military affairs. Not only that, they seemed to be well informed even about the political situation of Eastal, the League of Free Cities, and the fact was enough of a shock to crumble the very ground under Raynesia’s feet.

What were nobles? What were commoners? What were farmers?

Inside Raynesia, the worldview she’d placed her trust in up until now shivered and broke apart.

“On the other hand, as far as we’re concerned, I don’t think it will be very difficult to defend Akiba from this army. This town is quite self-sufficient in everything except food, particularly with regard to technology, and we have a certain amount of defensive strength. Nothing says we have to save the League of Free Cities. In terms of profit and loss, there’s no need to save them. Let me repeat that: There is absolutely no need to save them. Now having said that, there’s something I’d like you to hear.”

Everyone in the plaza seemed to be holding their breath.

In the midst of the intense silence unique to large gatherings, Shiroe looked toward the tent and beckoned to someone with his fingers.

Huh?

As Raynesia stared blankly, a hand suddenly caught her arm.

When she turned… Krusty stood there, wearing armor the color of a dull dawn. Was it for ceremonial or practical use? But with his usual calm smile, the one that didn’t betray what he was thinking, Krusty said, “Well, shall we?”

“What? Pardon?”

“Come.”

Just like that, she was dragged from the tent. Abruptly, a light strong enough to make her vision go white filled the area.

It was the first rays of dawn. The morning’s first light had begun to stream down into the plaza from the eastern sky.

Raynesia was suddenly thrust out into the wind of an early summer morning, which held no heat as yet.

She was in the center of the stage. On the front line, with no place to run.

Raynesia flushed from head to toe. She felt giddy. She had no idea what to say or do. There were several thousand Adventurers in front of her. Beings who were not like the People of the Earth. They might look the same and speak the same words, but the slight contact she’d had with them over the past short while had convinced her that they were fundamentally different creatures.

Her lips trembled, and her knees were on the verge of quaking.

Just then, a sharp sound rang out from behind her, to her right.

When she turned, there was Krusty, looking as imposing as a heroic deity charged with protection. His hands were folded over each other on the pommel of a giant, two-handed ax that was braced on the floor. The sharp sound had been the ax hitting the stage.

The dull, loud thud she heard next came from behind her on the left. Shiroe had retreated to that point, holding a ceremonial priest’s staff he hadn’t had earlier. It was about as long as he was tall, and he was resting it on the stage as if it were a spear.

With Krusty and Shiroe to either side of her, Raynesia took a step forward on the great stage. The heat she’d felt was rising, and her vision warped dizzily, but her mind was oddly clear. The sound of her own breathing was loud in her ears, but strangely, she could hear the voice of an Adventurer whispering in a corner of the plaza quite clearly.

“—It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am a Person of the Earth. My name is Raynesia Elarte Cowen. I belong to the House of Cowen, which governs the city of Maihama and is involved with Eastal, the League of Free Cities. I’ve come here today to ask a favor of you.”

Even she was startled at the clarity of the voice she managed to produce. In the morning air, her words reached all the way to the edges of the plaza.

“As Master Shiroe has just explained, the land of Yamato is heading toward crisis. Let me speak plainly, concealing nothing: The whereabouts of the Knights of Izumo, whom you know as Yamato’s guardian deities, are a mystery, and the League of Free Cities is being compelled to handle this matter with nothing to rely on but its own power. The numbers of this goblin army are greater than any invasion we’ve seen before, and their movements are as fast as lightning. Regrettably, we have already let them advance deep into the heart of the Free Cities. Of course, the People of the Earth have town walls and defensive barrier magic, and we do have soldiers. But, should war break out, it isn’t clear how reliable these things will prove to be. Even now, I believe my fellow People of the Earth are polishing their swords, patching up the town walls, and preparing for battle to protect the land of our ancestors. However, if that is all we have, we will be unable to avoid great bloodshed.”

Raynesia’s gaze went distant.

What she saw was not the throng in front of her, but the scene from a few hours before.

“Although I am ashamed to admit it, even now, at the eleventh hour, we of the League of Free Cities have been unable to come to an agreement. At the conference that was in progress until immediately before I came here, everyone was so concerned with the safety of their own territory that they could not cooperate. Moreover…”

She faltered.

However, it was too late for her to stop. “Moreover, they ended by devising a strategy to force our own sacred duty, that of protecting the land of our ancestors, onto the emergent town of Akiba’s Round Table Council. Immortal Adventurers… They were counting on your power, and they tried to use your military force to protect themselves and their territories. I do not have the right, but…I felt badly about it. What makes me feel even worse is that I have also come to make this selfish request of you.”

She didn’t realize it, but the set of Valkyrie Mail and the bright violet cloak that Shiroe had chosen emphasized Raynesia’s feminine form better than anything. In the dawn light, she was a goddess of war that anyone would idolize.

Raynesia didn’t know.

She didn’t know that as she faced the Adventurers and spoke to them, behind her, Shiroe had glanced slightly to the side and winked. Or that Krusty, who looked completely disgruntled, had given a wry smile in response.

“Neither I nor the League of Free Cities can offer much by way of payment. …I don’t even know if there’s anything we can give the people of a town as prosperous as yours, nor do I think it’s possible to compensate you fairly for your freedom. Even so, as a daughter of the House of Cowen, I love the city of Maihama, and I have a duty to protect it. And so—I will go there.”

It was far too pitiful, and far too selfish, and so…

Spontaneously, Raynesia knelt. She bowed her head very low.

If the Adventurers here had been knights, or civil servants, or, in other words, “nobles,” she could have gotten by without bowing her head. In aristocratic culture, ladies were treated as articles of value. The safety of a woman of high rank was protected first and foremost.

However, after meeting Krusty, she’d learned: The Adventurers were different.

Even in the town of Akiba, a title like hers would have won her respect as a daughter of the nobility. However, there was no doubt that it would not win her hangers-on who would be swayed by the slightest change in her expression, as it did in aristocratic culture. At the most, the respect would be the sort due to a neighbor.

This town was alien.

In it, she would not receive the warm welcome she’d received as a princess up until now. However, on the other hand, she would also not be subjected to aristocratic society’s unique discrimination against ladies.

In aristocratic society, women had no rights as human beings.

They were pampered, of course, and they received gifts. They were given compliments, empty love poems, and enough sweet words to bathe in. If she merely looked anxious, the young knights would attempt to find any medicine for her, no matter how costly. However, none of this was because she was loved for herself, as an individual.

She was only being treated courteously because, as a lady, she was a prize in the diplomatic competition among the nobles.

In aristocratic society, ladies were treated as jewels. Even among those ladies, she had been beautiful with a certified pedigree: the ultimate trophy. No more than that.

Raynesia, who had closed herself up in her room and wallowed in melancholy thoughts, understood this better than anyone. She also knew she didn’t have the strength to deny it.

“I am lazy and a coward, an empty-headed ornament, but even so… I am going…to the battlefield. And so, if you please, if there are some of you who don’t mind, would you come with me? Would you help me, in the name of your goodwill and freedom? I would like to protect the ‘Adventurers’ freedom to the best of my abilities…”

But even if I say that… Even if I tell them I’ll protect their freedom…

While she was a daughter of the House of Cowen, she’d been born a woman, and she didn’t have that much authority. She could coax her father and grandfather into buying her dresses and jewels. She could probably choose one or two Adventurers and ensure that they received rewards. She could also hold a party.

However, in fact, that was the full extent of her political authority.

Even Raynesia felt as if she’d just made an empty promise.

That said, it was a wish more than a lie.

Krusty, who’d been the first person to acknowledge that she had the freedom to go to battle. The Adventurers, who probably didn’t even doubt her. She herself had gone a very long time without being given freedom, and the desire to protect their freedom was the first wish that had visited her heart.

“Please. I beg you.”

She almost murmured the words. The moment she finished, she heard the heavy sound of steel. In the center of the plaza, a group in navy blue overcoats marked with undyed comma-shaped tomoe crests were rattling their various weapons and clicking their heels together.

A group wearing black armor dropped matching long swords into their scabbards, declaring their intent to go to war. From the crumbling terrace of an abandoned building, a group of elves with longbows slung across their backs blew hunting horns, and dwarves with axes raised war cries.

Even minority races such as felinoids, wolf-fangs, and foxtails didn’t seem to be particularly discriminated against in this town.

Oh…

Krusty came up and stood beside the astonished Raynesia. A step behind him, Shiroe advanced to stand on her other side.

“Starting now, this town…will embark on its first military expedition. Those who wish to go to the front must be level forty or over. This is a quest from the Round Table Council. There is only one reward for this quest: The respect of the Person of the Earth standing here. Those who think, ‘That’s for me!’ mount your steeds and go straight to Maihama! In light of the urgency of the situation, this will be a blitzkrieg. Since that’s the case, directions regarding organization will be issued while we’re on the march. I ask for self-restraint and cooperation from every one of you. I, Krusty, will act as supreme commander for the expedition.”

“And I, Shiroe, will act as counselor. First, we’ll organize an advance strike battalion. I will make contact via telechat within fifteen minutes from now. If I contact you, please leave the town of Akiba and hurry down the Akiba River to the experimental dock. The Ocypete will pick you up there. Those of you who have not been contacted after fifteen minutes will be the main force. Please go to the registry office set up at the city’s east gate, pick up your quest documents and register for telechats, then depart according to the instructions you receive. We’ll conduct party matching on the way, and I’ll issue orders for squad organization. You have fifteen minutes to prepare for the expedition. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Uh, uhm…”

In front of the speechless Raynesia, an army more than a thousand strong sent up war cries.

“Why are you dithering?”

“Wha— What are you talking about? Saying something like that… For a nobleman… For a nobleman, that’s…”

Raynesia faltered; her voice was shaking.

Still, the plaza was filled with clamor and the sounds of armor, and it didn’t reach any ears that shouldn’t have heard it—except for Krusty’s.

With aristocratic elegance, Krusty held out an arm. He and Raynesia exchanged stubborn glances that were filled with suspicion, but also with mutual understanding. To onlookers, though, they only looked like a beautiful couple, smiling beautiful smiles.

In any event, it had been decided that they would march.

The enemy was the army of goblin tribes, estimated at more than ten thousand strong, facing the ruined city from the Zantleaf Peninsula. And so it was that Akiba’s first expedition turned the tip of its sword toward Zantleaf.

3

It was near noon, and Minori’s party was making its way toward the village of Choushi.

They were tired, but their faces had lost none of their vitality.

Although it had only been one night, the intensity of the hours they’d spent in the darkness had honed the group’s latent abilities. Of course, it was also true that the battles they’d been fighting since Forest Ragranda had raised their levels slightly.

Every battle they fought gradually refined their teamwork, and there were moments when they felt they could hear what their companions were thinking without speaking to them.

As Minori and the others walked down the country road, although they were more relaxed than they had been in the forest, they kept their guard up. Even as each kept an eye on the surrounding area, covering each other’s blind spots, they were able to walk along in an amiable atmosphere.

Fighting is still scary, but…

It was scary, Minori thought, but there was no longer anything to fear.

What was really frightening was the feeling of terror that was running through her veins and making her limbs cringe: the feeling of being about to let go of her own life. That was very similar to “giving up.”

In this deathless world, “giving up” meant the same thing as “death.” Conversely, as long as you didn’t give up, you had a chance. Even if it was shameful, even if you were shaking, as long as you stayed standing, there was a possibility that something might happen.

The hour was already too late to call morning.

It was probably a bit before noon.

“Helloooooo! Heeeeey!”

As they’d confirmed via telechat a short while ago, Naotsugu’s party was resting where they’d detoured around the bushes. Nyanta, Shouryuu, and Lezarik were there as well.

In this other world, resilience meant that equipment that was only dirty cleaned itself automatically. Equipment had set durability values, and, in numeric terms, normal wear during use was very slight. Since the figure was so small, little realities like dirt were lumped in with that number…and that was why the dirt came off, or so the reasoning went.

However, on the other hand, since there were set values regarding wear, rough treatment would steadily grind down the number. In specific terms, long-term battles gradually destroyed weapons and armor. This was why it was necessary to periodically take them to weapon and gear shops to be repaired.

The four people in front of Minori were all skilled level-90 Adventurers, and their power was many times greater than that of Minori’s group. However, relying on that power, they’d probably leapt into the center of the goblin plunder unit, caused thorough confusion, and attacked again and again.

Even though they’d fought in a mobile formation centered on the two Swashbucklers, the ferocity of their battles must have been far beyond what Minori’s group had experienced.

“You guys okay? Yo, Touya. Did you protect everybody?”

“Yes, Master Naotsugu!”

Touya responded with a deep, respectful bow, and Naotsugu patted his head.

Serara had already made a dive for Nyanta.

Minori gave Shouryuu and Lezarik a brief report of how the previous evening’s battles had gone. They both seemed relieved, and they took a look at their equipment and wounds for them. Shouryuu aside, Lezarik was a Cleric from a major guild. Minori had thought they might be rebuked for their selfish actions, and their consideration made her feel both abashed and apologetic.

They had no wounds, but the wear on both had been great.

It had been so bad that Minori’s group had been afraid they’d run out of potions partway through.

When the sun had risen that morning, the attacks from the goblin plunder unit had decreased like a wave rolling back. They probably also understood their own characteristics and numbers, and the effectiveness of attacking at night.

As the enemy retreated, Minori and the others had withdrawn to a spot near Choushi.

“All right, let’s wrap up our break and return to the village. I’ll be uneasy until I see it with my own eyes.”

It was Lezarik, the Knights of the Black Sword’s Cleric, who’d spoken, and his expression had been very serious. The group agreed and began walking, making straight for Choushi.

It was a summer morning after a very bloody night, but the sky was blue.

Zantleaf’s distinctive sea wind came to them from the coast, across the fields, and buffeted their cheeks.

Under the bright sunlight, the colors of the distant scenery looked pale and overexposed, and the shadows of the beeches and zelkovas fell darkly across the farm road, creating a beautiful contrast.

But after they’d walked for a little while, they began to see goblin corpses. They hadn’t simply been left on the road; they had been gathered here and there in piles. The sight made them realize that Adventurers must have been fighting goblins in the area the night before.

“Looks like they handled it. That’s a big-boobed, big-sister type for ya,” Naotsugu murmured, sounding happy.

It was just as he said: Even Minori’s group hadn’t thought they’d be able to protect Choushi with the infiltration strike idea alone. Minori’s friends and Nyanta and Naotsugu’s group had fought their goblin enemies in the mountains as mobile units. It was a strong-arm-guerilla tactic that used the advantages of surprise attacks and their night vision to decrease the number of goblin squads.

If they managed to reduce the goblin unit’s numbers this way, the attacks on Choushi would grow less intense, making it possible to defend it… This was the tactic Minori had come up with.

Although Minori didn’t know the technical term, the strategy the goblin tribes had taken was a saturation attack. This was a tactic that used an overwhelming difference in numbers to break down the enemy’s position.

If they fought one-on-one, for example, or squad versus squad, the goblins would lose to the Adventurers. Any slight different in fighting power would be repelled by the Adventurers’ combat abilities.

For that reason, the Goblins unleashed small-scale units in numbers the Adventurers couldn’t handle, all at once. Of course many of the goblin squads would be blocked by the Adventurers, but the difference in numbers would inevitably create holes. The Goblins simply had to throw their abundant resources at these holes.

Once they’d invaded through the holes and sunk their teeth into the fruit that was the village of Choushi, they could probably set fire to it and create a panic. The Adventurers’ discipline would be disrupted, and they wouldn’t know whether they should return to the town and deal with the plundering goblins or keep battling the goblins that were there in front of them. They would then dispatch the confused Adventurers one by one. This was a conventional goblin invasion tactic.

However, Minori’s group had begun attacking before the goblins had, and they’d done so at a distance from the town.

When Minori had proposed this operation, her idea had been a simple one.

The goblins had no base to protect, while Minori and the others did. Not only that, but their base—Choushi—didn’t have a protective wall and would be easy to invade. This was a weakness. Therefore, in battle, they’d be at a disadvantage.

In that case, we just need to fight in a place where we won’t have to worry about our weakness.

It was a simple, easy conclusion. Of course they’d needed skill and courage as well, but Minori and the others had put that conclusion into action by brute force.

Their maneuver had reduced the goblins’ numbers, but even so, the goblins had attempted to launch a night raid, in accordance with their earlier plan. Choushi had been attacked.

However, decreasing the goblins’ numbers hadn’t been the maneuver’s only goal. Several times the number of goblin squads that Minori and the others had actually destroyed had been wary of Minori’s group in the mountains, or had tried to detour around them, and had ended up taking more time than was necessary. That meant the goblins hadn’t been able to act together and attack all at once.

The main point of a saturation battle was to create a situation the enemy couldn’t cope with by concentrating all your power on one point. The goblins hadn’t been able to assemble, and their timing had been staggered; they’d followed their unit commanders’ orders and attacked Choushi anyway, but they’d done so as individual units, little by little, charging as they arrived. From the Adventurers’ perspective, this attack method had made them ideal prey.

Even Adventurers who didn’t have much power and whose numbers were insufficient could handle sporadic attacks like those.

As such, Naotsugu had talked Marielle around to the idea. In turn, Marielle had persuaded the summer camp members, and they’d managed to defend Choushi until dawn.

“Welcome home!”

“Hey, welcome back!”

“I bet you’re tired!”

When they entered the village of Choushi, familiar Adventurers called to Serara and Shouryuu. The two of them looked after the newbies at the Crescent Moon League, and so they knew a lot of people. Nyanta, Naotsugu, and Lezarik also seemed to be discussing intel with the veteran Adventurers.

The roads of the village, tramped firm by many feet, showed no sign of having been disturbed.

The goblins seemed to have been unable to invade the village.

“Heh! Check that out. We did it!” her little brother’s voice declared triumphantly.

When Minori looked his way, there was Touya, in the sunlight, with a huge little-kid smile on his face.

At the sight of that smile, Minori’s heart grew warm.

Minori’s brother had hung on to his unclouded cheerfulness all through the night. Spontaneously, Minori smiled, too. She was also glad they’d managed to keep Rundelhaus safe. Touya held his fist out to her, and Minori bumped it with her own.

“Minoriii! The People of the Earth set up a place for us to nap in the tavern! Let’s take turns and go rest! We can’t get careless yet.”

“Mademoiselle Minori. Ah, and Touya. It sounds as if they’re going to let us wash our faces, at least. Many thanks to the kind staff at the inn!”

Isuzu and Rundelhaus were yelling to them across the street, and Touya and Minori began to walk, their steps light in the summer sunshine.

4

The Ocypete was an experimental, steam-driven transport ship.

It had been created as a test ship to inspect the possibility of large-volume transport, combining a steam engine with large, external paddlewheels. The steam engine had been made to be more compact than the ones that had actually been used in paddlewheelers on Earth, and because it used a heat source (a Salamander) conjured by a Summoner, one couldn’t overlook the fact that there was no need for fuel stores. As a result, the Ocypete had a carrying capacity that was more than ample.

Paddlewheelers were a type of steamboat that had structures like enormous waterwheels attached to either side. These two wheels were turned by the steam engine, and their revolution moved the ship forward through the water.

In terms of performance, paddlewheelers weren’t as efficient as propeller ships. The energy was the same, but there was a greater loss when converting it to driving force.

However, due to the difficulty of manufacturing and installing the components, it had been determined that paddlewheel construction was appropriate for Akiba at this point in time, and they’d run experiment after experiment.

Although paddlewheelers did fall behind propeller ships in terms of propulsion efficiency, on the other hand, they didn’t need to draw deep water, and they were perfect for traveling down the Sumida river, as they were doing now.

Steam engine experiments with small boats and barges had succeeded less than a week after the uproar surrounding the establishment of the Round Table Council, but it had taken the intervening two months to arrive at the Ocypete, their experimental steamship.

At present, the Ocypete was carrying about 130 Adventurers. Although it was crowded, it was a large ship, and it didn’t seem filled to bursting.

Raynesia stood idly on the deck, all alone, near the bow. It wasn’t as though she’d never been on a boat before, but the way this ship was traveling was different from sailing ships. She couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that their power-driven, wave-cleaving progress was unnatural, but they were certainly moving fast.

The Adventurers around her were relaxing in various attitudes or walking around making preparations. Although there were all different kinds of people, nearly half of them wore overcoats with the same crest as Krusty, and she assumed they were from the same clan.

Still, Raynesia was in a dull mood.

It wasn’t that she was seasick. As the daughter of the lord of Maihama, she’d been familiar with boats of all sizes from the time she was small.

This sunken mood was due to her disastrously reckless temperament.

I went and said it again…

Why was it that someone like her—a shy, idle person who thought everything was too much trouble—grandstanded when push came to shove? She thought it might be a reaction to the “perfect lady training” she’d been subjected to ever since she was small, but never mind the reason: She wanted to bury her face in her hands.

Since just last night, I intruded on the Lords’ Council meeting and caused a scene, even though I’m a woman; I made my grandfather and the lords lose face; I picked a fight with a mind-reading menace…and then ran away with him. …On top of that, he embraced me on the back of a griffin…

Remembering the warmth of Krusty’s arms, even in her depression, Raynesia squirmed in agony.

No, I didn’t mean… And then, when we reached the town of Akiba, I was forced into embarrassing clothing. Which I am still wearing. …And I gave a speech like that one…

She buried her face in her hands.

Even she couldn’t believe herself.

Still, personally, she wanted to be particular about courtesy and her promise.

As a Person of the Earth, she wasn’t like the Adventurers. She’d heard that assumption from her grandfather and had understood it intellectually, but until she’d stood there, she hadn’t been able to truly understand what it meant.

That enormous crowd of high-level knights, who’d simultaneously had the intelligence of civil servants… She’d never heard of such a thing.

If they’d been the people known as heroes, it would have made sense.

The Ancients, beings with both the sword skills of knights and the magic of philosophers, did exist, after all. There was no inherent problem with a certain individual being superhuman. She couldn’t put it into words well, but the strangest part of all of it was the way there had been several thousand such people, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. That uncanny group had been Adventurers.

She thought that the Lords’ Council, which had believed they could negotiate with the Adventurers by threatening them, soothing them, and dangling noble titles in front of them as a reward, had misread them on a fundamental level. What sort of negotiations had they planned to conduct by rewarding people who had that much understanding and wealth with a prize they’d thought up themselves?

The nobles were wrong.

Through her irritating yet easygoing relationship with Krusty, and through that speech, Raynesia had come to understand this very well.

It was just the same as the way jewels and invitations to dances were no incentive to Raynesia. All she wanted to do was laze around in cotton pajamas, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. The Adventurers, these alien beings, were like that, too. There was no way that jewels or gold or rank or territory would serve as a reward for them. When you looked at it that way, there was really nothing to do except beg and make promises.

In any case, I am a woman, and I haven’t received any training in politics… There’s really no help for it.

To make a firm promise, no matter how small, and earn trust by following through on it…

To bear the same amount of risk as the Adventurers, when they were exposed to danger…

Continuing to accumulate these things was all Raynesia could think of.

Even so…

Declaring that she would go to the battlefield as well had been incredibly bold. Had she been out of her mind? Could it have been the fault of this odd…excessively leg-exposing costume?

She wanted to crouch down and curl up right where she was, but—possibly because of those long years of training—the common sense that one had to stand up straight and behave in a ladylike manner in public was too ingrained to allow that. She wasn’t even able to act listlessly.

She’d been taken in by that smirking Shiroe’s glib words, and just look what had happened. The villainy of it all nearly brought tears to her eyes.

“You look as if you’d gotten carried away and said something insane on impulse and now regret it, but have no way to take it back and are writhing in agony.”

“Yeek!”

He must have come up behind her while she wasn’t paying attention. Krusty stood there, blocking the sea wind, and his words made her jump as if an electric current had run through her.

“Ha-ha-ha. Master Krusty. That isn’t true at all.”

“You’re twitching.”

Raynesia, whose chance of continuing the conversation had been summarily cut down, turned an expression “filled with melancholy” on the waves.

“You look worn out.”

“…Rrgh. Well, that’s true—but don’t get me wrong! I don’t regret it. I’m asking you to risk your lives, so it’s only natural that I’d go myself and stand on the battlefield with you. And no, I don’t think a life such as mine is equal to the swords of even ten Adventurers. That is, in other words, um…”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s enough…”

“Pardon?”

For just a moment, something about the tone of Krusty’s words seemed strange to Raynesia. However, the sense of oddness was broken by the voices of the sailors announcing their arrival, and she came back to herself.

—Fast.

True, they’d only cut across the bay, but they were carrying more than a hundred knights, and they’d arrived after noon… What incredible speed. Why, it had only been about fifteen minutes since they’d put out to sea.

By the time she noticed it, Maihama’s familiar Castle Cinderella was practically right in front of her nose.

They seemed to be planning to bring this huge ship along the bayside pier.

She could see that the residents of Maihama working at the port were in an uproar. They’d probably been startled by the strange, enormous black ship. That was only to be expected. The news probably hadn’t made it to the townspeople yet.

This was normal.

This was the reality of People of the Earth society, the one Raynesia had lived in up until now.

An army that had methods of individual long-range communication, in which all the soldiers could not only read and write, but perfectly understood military operations and goals— That was abnormal. If the people who worked at the port had been Adventurers, no doubt they’d already know why this warship was coming toward them, its objectives, and its later plans.

Just as when Raynesia had stepped down from the griffin in Akiba, all preparations had already been made.

However, the Maihama where Raynesia lived wasn’t like that. Since she was the only Person of the Earth on this ship, it was probably her job to reassure them.

Prompted by Krusty, as she waved from the bow of the ship, there was no trace of the idle, people-shunning princess about her.

5

Meanwhile, Shiroe and the General Staff Office were leading the main body of the Akiba Expeditionary Force.

The strategy Shiroe and Krusty had adopted this time emphasized “fast and loose” over “slow and careful,” since there was no telling how the goblin army in the center of the archipelago would move from here on out. However, if they consumed all the available provisions in the mountains, it was clear that they would invade one or the other of the towns nearby. Because there was no telling where that attack would be aimed at this point, the group from Akiba had lost its initiative: The fact that the choice of battlefield lay with the enemy was a big disadvantage.

To compensate for that, speed was the most important thing at this stage.

Fortunately, even in this devastated other world, the land between Akiba and Maihama was comparatively safe and open. The biggest issue with regard to travel—after they had left Akiba—was where to cross the great river.

Precisely because the line of march was expected to be relatively safe, Shiroe had abandoned the idea of assembling a large army in one place and having it march in an orderly fashion. Instead, he’d organized the Adventurers who were ready into squads, and sent them off one after another.

Shiroe’s General Staff Office was made up of a telechat communications team composed of Shiroe, Calasin, and about a dozen other members. A communications network had been set up between participating guilds, and solo Adventurers who were participating on their own were also registered with the communications team.

Through these preparations, Shiroe and the others had created a high-speed communications and report network that covered the entire army. However, of course, they hadn’t been able to take time building the relay network—it would be issuing simple instructions, requesting mutual communication between guilds, and having players register a communications officer to their friend list and vice versa when they confirmed their participation.

The advance units who’d already left, the core units, and the rear guard units that were being kept in reserve were all linked by the current communications network. It was a monstrous expeditionary force with completely unprecedented communications abilities, and the issue Shiroe and the rest of the General Staff Office were facing at the moment was how to organize it.

First we’ll need to draft a register categorized by level, but… That’s going to be almost impossible to do on the move. Should we divide up the work roughly at our destination?

For now, their destination was approximately where Matsudo would have been in the old world. It was north of the city of Maihama, at about the midpoint between it and Abiko, where the hill country began. According to Shiroe’s knowledge of Elder Tales, that area had many ruined buildings, and as a battlefield, the topography would give them a disadvantage.

However, there were no other suitable candidate areas, so there was no help for it.

According to the telechat transmissions, after the Ocypete had called at Maihama’s port, they had taken a few People of the Earth onboard as guides and sailed to the abandoned port of Narashino.

Krusty, meanwhile, was commanding an advance strike battalion with ninety-six members.

Parties were composed of six Adventurers. Full raids, being made up of four parties, consisted of twenty-four members. Legion raids brought together four full raids. This last group, with a total force of ninety-six members, had been the largest battle unit in Elder Tales.

Krusty looked like a young nobleman with glasses, but on the inside, he was the charismatic warlord who led D.D.D., the largest combat guild in Akiba and, therefore, on the Japanese server.

He’d understand the crux of this strategy, the speed of the advance. It was a sure thing that, after reaching Narashino, he’d lost no time in beginning their march.

Shiroe, on horseback, dexterously rummaged through his bag and took out a portable map.

The distance from the abandoned port of Narashino to the central forests where the main goblin forces were believed to be was about twenty-five kilometers north-northeast, as the crow flew. For normal knights in this world, the march would take from two to three days, but Krusty might even manage to open hostilities by the next morning.

Meanwhile, the main army was traveling, not by sea, but overland by horse. Although there was really no help for it, their ranks were strung out, and they weren’t under control.

Let’s have the lower levels set up a military post about five kilometers north of Maihama…

Shiroe’s finger skimmed over the map.

He selected candidate areas, analyzing the geography of the area centered on Maihama and remembering the features of the zones as he did so. This military post would be built around lower-level players, and in addition to conducting defensive formations and peace-keeping activities, it would be used as a place to accumulate resources. It would probably need to be relatively spacious.

Midrount Equestrian Gardens.

Before long, his fingertip stopped on a small, green oval. According to Shiroe’s memory, it was an equestrian garden with an exterior that looked like an enormous coliseum. Wild animals appeared in the surrounding area, but there were no dangerous monsters. It was an ideal location.

“Communications team! Transmit this, please. Midrount Equestrian Gardens is the temporary destination for the northbound army! Select units will continue on to the coast. Once the advance units arrive, have them guard the surrounding area and set up camp immediately. Please clear away the rubble and create a large open space.”

Various possibilities flickered in Shiroe’s mind.

He shifted his glasses up; he seemed to be holding his breath. His profile showed fierce concentration, exuding an atmosphere like glass.

Either way, this war is a blitzkrieg. We don’t need to pay too much attention to supply lines… Our total numbers are…

The main expeditionary force that Shiroe was currently commanding was about 1,200 strong. In other words, roughly 10 percent of Akiba’s Adventurers were participating in this war. If he excluded artisans and looked only at the percentage taken up by combat-type players, the number jumped to more than 20 percent.

None of them, Shiroe included, had any experience in large-scale battles fought by more than a thousand people. However, Raynesia’s speech had definitely set fire to the souls of a great many Adventurers, more even than Raynesia herself had suspected. The high morale was visible in the eyes of the small units heading past him, to the north.

Shiroe’s role was to avoid trouble and guide this war to success without breaking that morale.

People said there were things to be learned from mistakes. However, as far as this expedition was concerned, Shiroe didn’t think there was anything they could learn from failure.

The Adventurers’ self-confidence and pride. Their future influence, and their survival, in this world. And, most important, “understanding,” and the self-government of Akiba. All sorts of conditions demanded victory from Shiroe and the others.

They must not suffer defeat.

Besides, a force of 1,200 was more than enough to actually win a victory. He wasn’t Soujirou, but, All we have to do is have each player take out ten Goblins.

It was Shiroe’s job to eliminate unforeseen trouble and turn the fighting spirits of those 1,200 Adventurers in a set direction on the front line.

Ten kilometers to Midrount Equestrian Gardens, hm? Even if we don’t hurry, we’ll reach it after noon. We’ll camp there tonight. We’ll also structure and organize these 1,200 players. Half will deal with the goblins by guarding the area and scouting over a wide range. I’ll lead the other half; we’ll follow Krusty and attack the main goblin army. Or should we leave the defense of the town to the People of the Earth and lead the whole army into the mountains…?

As Shiroe rode his horse at a walk, he ran all sorts of simulations regarding the coming war in his mind.

6

Meanwhile, the speed of Krusty’s advance had been even more rapid than the fastest speed Shiroe had imagined.

He’d judged aptitude through interviews onboard the ship, and had already finished organizing his legion raid.

“Organize” was easy to say, but it was a pretty difficult task.

For example, every spell had a restriction known as “range.” The range of the average recovery spell was twenty meters, and the maximum range of Bard support spells was also twenty meters.

In other words, it was possible to recover or support allies only within that range, and so there was a general concept of the party as a battle unit that could act within that range.

Taken the other way around, it meant that the battle unit known as a party assumed teamwork within a range of twenty meters.

In that case, all parties needed to have at least one Warrior for protection and two Recovery specialists.

Even when four parties were assembled into a full raid, their formations had to be balanced according to this principle.

It was the same with a legion raid composed of sixteen parties: Even if twenty-four of the ninety-six members were Recovery classes, it wouldn’t do to create four six-member parties made up entirely of healers.

However, on the other hand, simply organizing all units so that their classes were balanced wasn’t enough. When one considered a variety of cases, it was necessary to give them special characteristics for tactical purposes.

For example, if only one Recovery class was assigned to each party, they would be dogged by the possibility that the Warrior wouldn’t be able to completely absorb attacks from a large magical beast enemy. It was preferable to assign two Recovery specialists—or even three, if possible—to units that could be expected to battle large magical beasts.

That said, conversely, if no attack units were heavy on Attack classes, when it came right down to it, there wouldn’t be any melee units that could wipe out the enemy, and the battle lines would be plunged into a war of attrition.

Thus, if all units were organized equally, their ability to respond would be lowered.

In addition, a party couldn’t display its true strengths without regular team training.

Taking that variable into consideration, it was preferable to put members belonging to the same guild in the same party, or in parties that would mutually support one another. On the other hand, veteran Adventurers who were well-known on the server could work with any party they happened to be placed in as if they’d trained alongside them for ages.

In addition to the compatibility between the classes of individual Adventurers, how accustomed players were to combat and how they adjusted to the system of command also needed to be taken into account.

It was common sense among veteran players that, even in a perfectly ordinary six-person party, it was vital to communicate during team plays in combat.

In a full raid, in which a total of twenty-four players participated, the level of confusion on the battlefield inevitably grew. Who was supposed to do what? Should they emphasize recovery or offense, and what about their position? Decisions on these matters were required frequently. To that end, each party had to choose a leader and secure a line to receive orders from the raid leader.

In a legion raid, the raid leader would also take orders from the legion leader. Maintaining this chain of command in the midst of ferocious combat required quite a lot of concentration and experience.

When Elder Tales was a game, very few game quests or events had called for a legion. This was because it was terribly difficult to assemble nearly one hundred members whose skills were at a certain level, within a certain time. In addition, the training needed to facilitate organic teamwork among those nearly one hundred members boggled the imagination.

Legion raid wars were content whose threshold was too high for ordinary players to challenge. If most players weren’t able to attempt them, the company that administered the game couldn’t make them a development focus, either.

The bottom line was that legion raids were “too hard.” They became content that was limited to a certain demographic of top-level players, and as a result, although the winners were promised vast wealth and fame, there had never been many challengers.

One group that had challenged that type of high-level content was D.D.D. Krusty, D.D.D.’s guild master, was one of fewer than twenty players on the Japanese server who had experience commanding a group the size of an army.

He put that experience to work, organizing the formations with a speed that left everyone dumbfounded. At first glance, his member allocations seemed careless, but an examination of the details showed that they were quite reasonable.

On disembarking from the Ocypete, Krusty’s group organized itself into the ninety-six-member legion raid to use in the advance strike, and a twelve-member detail that did double duty as both Raynesia’s guard and the observation team. Having received a brief description of the surrounding topography from the People of the Earth guides, Krusty added that information to his military map, and then, with no hesitation, began the march.

Each of the full raids that formed the legion raid was given a number, one through four, and they disembarked on the Zantleaf Peninsula in the late afternoon. They were heading for the western area of Kasumi Lake, a point about twenty-four kilometers away.

The Akiba expeditionary force mounted their horses as a body and rode straight north, toward the Goblin plunder army. Rotating the leading unit in order to avoid exhaustion, the group raced over the old, decaying national road like a gale.

They looked like a bolt of black lightning that was blazing through Zantleaf.

Onward! Onward!!

Like an arrow shot from a bow, the expeditionary army’s advance unit, led by Krusty, rushed headlong toward the main enemy force.