18 The Sorcerer Fears and Worships the Flame Girl That Will Save Humanity

Before a battle, God strengthens His presence.

So when the opposite happens, I know that the battle is over.

-Sorcerer Odysson IV-

Well, well. I’m impressed, Agias Willow. I knew you were a cut above the rest, but I guess I should never have doubted the child-rearing of a famous military family. Not only did he fight on even ground with the long-ears, but he’s also gone and won against the yellow-eyes now! This military post has seen some real action. It’s still a seedy-looking camp, though.

“Good work out there, Captain.”

“Sorcerer... how are the citizens doing?” What an intense look on his face. Blood, mud, vomit, and shit speckle his face. That shit raises his value as a man. It ain’t something to scold him for.

“Relaxed as can be. It was the right choice to have them hide deep in the longhouses.”

“So it would seem. The church’s bell tower has been destroyed.” That was some scary shit, let me tell you. Damn yellow-eyes went too far when they escaped. Half their force was wiped out, so they should have just tucked tail and run like the whipped dogs they were. But I guess as long as it was just scary, it’s all good.

“In the end, it’s just stuff. It served us well as a decoy. The priest seems to have survived, as well.” The less people on our side dead, the greater the win. The death toll for the knight’s cavalry is about 39. Some are also seriously injured. We could have another ten die on us tomorrow, but those are still acceptable losses. There were a lot of those yellow-eyed fuckers. The long-ears screwed up, too. The fact that no citizens were killed or harmed is a testament to our military post’s hard fighting and...

“Mm? Where’s Kuroi?”

“Chasing down one that slipped away.”

“...She gonna be okay? Pretty sure that was one of their leaders.”

“I’ve sent a team of our fastest horses. If they do not return, I shall go myself.”

“Shouldn’t the elves be handling cleanup like that?”

“It is night. And they have an Apostle.” Even so, they should be. They have long-ears that fly at night. Especially that Dragon Warrior chick. She’s crazy. It was too far away for me to see the details, but I could tell she was using some incredible magic. I mean, freely controlling an infinite number of feathers? That’s almost like Kuroi’s magic! The Dragon Warrior is basically a semi-Apostle in her own right, yet she’s just a servant to one. Compared to an Apostle, she’s multiple levels lower. And yet she’s that strong? Actually, judging from that supernatural-level concert, that may be a rather reserved estimate.

“There you are.” The black-hearted priest makes his appearance. With a holy spear gripped in his hands and a great shield slung across his shoulders, he looks like he’s in full traditional battle attire. It doesn’t suit him at all. He looks more like a pompous rice cake.

“The elves’ main forces are returning now. I think they ran into an ambush. They requested quite a lot of stable litter.”

“Hm? How does that relate?”

“It means many silver leopards were injured. By black wolves, I’m guessing.”

“Ugh, those? They’re so dark and fast. Plus they resist magic.”

“The very same. The elves hate them most out of all familiars. In other words, the vampires brought out their full-on fighting force. For the scale, at least.”

“They were all skilled soldiers, too. Their offense and retreat were similarly practiced.”

“...This is giving me a headache.” No joke, my brain is starting to hurt. First the monster attack, now this? The good and bad come in such extremes. Just what sort of place is this? Is it cursed or blessed?

“How have the elves judged the night raid?”

“They haven’t said. However, I’d say they were on guard for it considering the Dragon Warrior didn’t follow them out of the city. We must watch carefully for their decision once the main force has returned.”

“If only they’d take each other out. Damn long-ears. Just go back to the forest already.”

“...No, I’d say their bolstering of our defenses is preferable.”

“Haaah?”

“Yes, you’re right. But forget this Second Commander, bring us a First Commander.” What are these two blabbering about? The Second Commander is already unbearable. If we go up the chain of command even more, who knows what we’ll have on our hands?

“Oh, you don’t understand? I’m saying that even if the elves leave, peace will not return to the frontier.”

“...Isn’t there some kind of treaty?”

“Hostilities have already begun. Our only choice is to work with the elves to defeat the vampires.”

“Why? Just let the monsters fight each other like normal. Then we can swoop in and take the juicy parts for ourselves.”

“It’s not possible. Here, let me make it perfectly clear: it’s not because we took up arms. The situation has changed. Humans are now explicitly involved.” The situation’s changed? Well, I guess it’s been a rough couple of days. We experienced a monster attack the likes of which I’ve never even heard of, and then an unbelievable number of long-ears appeared. Among them was even an Apostle, who performed a concert for us that was beyond description. This in turn attracted a crazy amount of yellow-eyes, and... Hm? Thinking back on it, every one of those things is normally an unthinkable event. That’s why the treaty was created, wasn’t it? To prevent stuff like this from happening.

“Wait, you can’t mean...”

“The elves and vampires are both changing their strategies. They’re making quite aggressive moves with their armies. And they don’t seem to mind getting the human territories involved... or at the very least, it is no longer an absolute taboo. If it was just one side, maybe I could reason it away. But with both the east and the west doing it, I have to consider that this may now be permitted to a certain extent.”

“Permitted?”

“By God. Well, gods. The ones the elves and vampires worship, at least.” Damn, a chill just went up my spine. I can’t even speak. Am I gritting my teeth?

“...Which is perhaps why she appeared.” Yeah? Yeah. Kuroi. It’s no coincidence that God’s blessing was granted to her. If not for her, we’d all have been massacred by the monsters. Same goes for our dealings with the long-ears. I’d be dead already, at least. She also destroyed a platoon of fifty of them coming from the south by herself, which really saved our bacon. If not for that, the longhouses would have been pillaged and it’d be a nightmare.

“Oh, speaking of the devil. Here she comes.” Damn, I wanna drop to the ground and praise her. Just look at her, riding in on a warhorse, an entourage of cavalry and foot soldiers in tow. She glows brighter than anyone else, and she doesn’t even have a torch. Just looking at her makes me feel warm. She is the embodiment of flame.

Well, she is an Apostle—an Apostle of the human God. But before that, she’s our savior. It’s almost like He knew something had to be done about the great war between the long-ears and the yellow-eyes that would have most certainly scattered us humans about... The great storm that threatened to end the world. And so He sent her—Kuroi: a girl of small frame with long raven hair and noble features.

“Lady Kuroi, might I borrow you for a moment?” Whoa, black-hearted priest. Putting down your spear and shield and kneeling under her horse’s bridle? You’re so reverent I could swear you’re serving God himself right now.

“The elven Apostle, Dragon Commander Sakiel, wishes to speak to you.” Whoa, what?

“I know we are in the midst of battle. I will not urge you to go right away. However, if it pleases you, I would love to give her just your reply at the least. What say you?” Up on her horse, Kuroi silently takes a few breaths, and... nods. Nods?

“Understood. As you wish.” Is Kuroi going straight to the stable? She could just leave the horse’s care to someone else. I’m sure there are lots of people who’d love to take over the reins. But it shows how serious she gets, which I guess is a good thing. Sira’s with her too, so I guess the decision is that it’s safe for tonight?

“Many people have begun to offer their prayers to Lady Kuroi instead now.”

“Mm. We will need to clearly establish her position soon.”

“As an Apostle, you mean?”

“Yes, about that... it would make things a lot more efficient if we could get official approval from the Church. I shall get right on that.”

“The army should prepare some sort of title for her as well.”

“That could be fine for the moment.”

“From the perspective of a military system, she’d be classified as a lower-rank non-commissioned officer, however.” What a pain. Even outside of the Sorcerer’s Guild, I can’t escape it. Traditions and customs are so bigoted. They want so badly to keep their pre-existing hierarchy that they declare anything new a sin.

“Just call her our savior and be done with it, damn.”

“Hoh! What a straight-forward expression! But we cannot. Let us save that for the appropriate time.”

“Thinking along those lines, then... how about Defender of Humanity?”

“Lame.”

“Doubtful.”

“What?”

“Put something about fire in there. That is the source of her power, after all.”

“Allow me to put a spin on Lord Willow’s suggestion, then. What say you to Hare of Flame? It is said that a hare was once the familiar of the human God.”

“Oh, that sounds good. That’s it, then... Oh, what’s the matter, Captain?”

“Perhaps his wounds are grieving him. I think he needs to rest.”

God of Humanity... Kuroi, Hare of Flame, huh? Not bad, black-hearted priest. I see the wordplay you’re using there. Common sense has left the building for today, but that’s fine. Live with fire, die with fire. That’s what I’ve decided.

19 About the Recording Environment For DDR / The Younger Brother Reunites in the Melting Pot

If God has abandoned me, then I shall die.

If I continue to have faith in God, then I shall live.

-DDR Stream VOD Part 1-

Food, a bath, and bed. Also video games. I thought that was all I needed in life.

Hey! It’s me, PotatoStarch. Sorta. I’ve got a lot going on IRL... I don’t wanna complain while I’m recording, but... Okay, let’s do it. This could be used for evidence later on. Not sure if I can submit it, though.

So, the other day, my break came to an end. But I couldn’t save and log out, so I left the game on observer mode and went to work. That’s when my boss came running up to me and, for the first time, I entered the CEO’s office.

I was given unlimited paid vacation. I was also told to “recharge my batteries” and given a thick envelope full of bills.

I can’t believe it. I’ve never seen a bonus event like this even in my games. The CEO was rambling on about things I didn’t understand... management stuff that has nothing to do with an underling like me. It lasted for ages and he was super happy, smiling the whole time.

I don’t get it.

Halfway through I started adjusting the CEO’s face in my brain. Like at the character creation screen. I made his whole body smaller, made his bone structure slimmer, and even gave him an adventurous spiky hairstyle.

Whatever the case, I understand that it’s all very confidential. They made that very clear. I can record, but I can’t post until they give me permission. Why? Let me streeeam! Also, they said something unbelievable.

“Continue gaming for the sake of your company!”

That’s it, guys. I’m really, truly confused. I mean, the company I work for is a subcontractor of city infrastructure and has absolutely nothing to do with games. Ha ha! It’s hilarious.

Sigh... All of that, and it still doesn’t feel real. Even so, I’m continuing to play DDR. That reminds me, some of my system troubles were sorta solved. Well, it’s more like there are flashes of the game being fixed.

It seems the high-speed progress mode is usable now. What a relief. Otherwise I’d be forced to spend my unlimited paid vacation watching the city’s recovery. I’m using the high-speed mode right now, in fact. As I observe the frontier from afar, the sun spins through the sky... Oh, I wish you could see the funny accelerations and slowdowns. It’s so unstable. But in exchange, the frontier seems to be safe and thriving. It’s really amazing. The administrative district is still a bunch of shared tents that screams temporary official offices, but the residential district has recovered to where it was at the start of the game. It’s all thanks to the frenetic work of the military and citizens to restore the city.

The fields and livestock are doing relatively okay. Judging from the wandering figures, I can see the children are working hard too. Our defenses have risen a lot as well. It’s almost a different level. And the elves are helping us! Look! Irrigation ditches! It’s only a small-scale system, but that’s elven handiwork. You could even call it a barrier created by water magic. No monsters or even vampires are getting through without the help of magic.

I can’t believe elves are fortifying the human frontier. Sakiel really is a super angel. I want to make a post about this and announce it to the world. But that would be against my rules.

Hm? The sun’s movement is... Agh, no good. Back to observer mode. And as for Kuroi... Good, good! Her stats are rising wholeheartedly. Once you repeat training a certain amount of times, automatic training becomes unlocked. Nice averages.

There’s just something... something nagging me. Here, look at this. Why are the soldiers joining me in my zigzag marathon running while carrying bags of sand and doing lateral jumps? It’s gross. There are so many of them that they’d shock even migratory birds.

And the leader of this perverse formation is the handsome knight... Yick, that’s not cool. Sira’s not here, though. Good. At least there’s that. Oh, but she might be watching from somewhere! Geh! She’s doing repeated lateral jumps too!

-Marius I-

Lying on the hilltop, I let my mind wander with the poetic inspiration welling up inside me. The north has a stern beauty to it. The wind is tinged with the sharpness of rusted metal. Looking down upon the vast fields, the sky is so clear and bright it seems completely detached. Here, nature forsakes man, distant and cold...

“Hey, Marius. Take a look at this,” a voice says crossly. Honestly. Origis has been like this all day.

“I thought it was some Transportation Corps platoon, but that’s a convoy of merchants.”

“You’re right. A carriage drawn by four horses? How luxurious.” The line traveling what could hardly be called a road was like a diligent and tenacious army of ants. With its queen in tow, as well. Ah, I see. So that’s why they’re accompanied by ferocious-looking soldier ants.

“Check out that banner.”

“Yeah. It’s the Red Lions, a mercenary band. They’re a bunch of shady dudes that ally with vampires and attack humans.”

“Wow... What a bold merchant.”

“They’re either a weirdo or an idiot. I dunno who this big shot is, but they’ve certainly got money to burn.” True. For mercenaries, gold is all that matters. But hiring a shady mercenary band and heading straight into a land embroiled in conflict... The merchant themselves might be riding in that caravan. It would just be so boring if such eccentricity was only half-baked.

“Hey, Origis. Why don’t we go with them?”

“Huh? Why? That sounds like a pain.”

“Because it seems interesting. If we poke the soldiers and their employer, they might sing for us.”

“Hmm... you think?” My brother Origis hates the city. He probably doesn’t want to understand the people there. But that’s too bad. What lies before us is a toxic substance that will plunge our world into the depravity of humans dying pathetically. To let them pass by unperturbed would not only be boring, but would also certainly spark strife at their destination.

I must find the connection between violence and affluence.

“Marius, stop staring at me. Fine, already.”

“Thanks, Origis.”

“You’re starting to resemble our mom more and more lately. It’s scary...”

“Huh, maybe I should tell her you said that.”

“Wait! I said fine, okay?!” He nods, cursing to himself under his breath. Good.

“Then let’s go join them.”

“Right. Be friendly, now.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior.” We stand and turn around. In the shadow of the hill is a line of cavalry a thousand strong, elite soldiers garbed in a fierceness born from the toughest military training. The banner they raise is a flaming red cross on a field of black, the noble symbol of our family. House Willow, army of flame, stands here. The north is quite suited to us.

“Perhaps we should dispatch a message to our brother that we will be late.”

“We could always tell him that it was because of my selfish whims.”

“No way. Imagine being the messenger who has to memorize and deliver that...” We get on our horses and lead the line to the top of the hill. Even with their lances down, our troops can make one uneasy. No one flies banners, either. Origis’ surly attitude keeps the soldiers on edge.

“May I greet them?”

“Go ahead.” Honestly, Origis. Having 500 cavalry sitting atop a hill is just screaming that you’re ready to ride out to battle at any time. There’s no such thing as a friendly downhill rush of cavalry. But I can understand why he’s on edge. He wants to reunite with Agias as soon as possible so that he can give him a piece of his mind. It might even turn into a brawl. In that case, I’ll have to step in.

First things first, though: we have to be of some help. We have to stay calm, as a military man should, and see through everything. A man as great as my brother Agias swore his life to a mysterious girl. His heart, which had been drowning in despair, is “now lit with the brightest flames” thanks to her. She has given us hope as well, this Lady Kuroi. Who is she? To be honest, I can hardly focus on the hundred-something soldiers marching before me. My mind has been racing this entire time. I feel like a maiden that is about to be late for a secret rendezvous.

“Greetings, my fellows. I am Marius Willow.” I flash a refreshing smile. It’s all right to let go of your swords, my good Red Lions. Your employer is in no danger.

“I have a suggestion for the master of this caravan. Might we join forces on the journey north, to the frontier?” Let us have a conversation—a bit of chatter while we travel. And if, perchance, I find out you are going to interfere with Agias’s plans... well, I’ll just have to quickly wipe you all out.