It's true what they say about the city getting worse.

　Naotsugu said to Shiroe after retrieving the items in the area. Shiroe shrugged his shoulders. He pretended to be full of leeway against the wild thieves, but the truth was that it wasn't that easy to win.

　There were six enemies, and most of them were undoubtedly quite high-level, if not 90-level. Even Naotsugu, who was using defensive specialties, had lost nearly half of his HP.
　If only Akatsuki hadn't been able to quickly take care of the enemy's ambush soldiers in the darkness. No, if he hadn't hid himself before that and "understood" Shiroe's words of "four visible enemies" and worked as a raiding party, there's no telling which way he would have gone.
　Of course, Naotsugu, Shiroe, and perhaps Akatsuki have a move or two in reserve. But while the backhand is a reversal, it requires calmness to use it. In a panicked state of mind, a good trump card is not enough to reverse the situation. In order to play your trump card, you have to have a certain "chance of winning" - a certain amount of composure and preparation.

　The result of this victory was the result of two things: the burglars were overconfident in themselves due to the difference in numbers, and Shiroe and his team won in terms of coordination skills.

'I wonder if there are any other PKs lurking around.
　Akatsuki looks up at the cluster of abandoned buildings as he cocks his head slightly.

'I don't think that's going to happen,'
　Shiroe responds.
　The penalty shootout is all about surprise. For that reason, there is a suitable place to plant it. If you get any closer to the city of Akiba than here, you might get run into the city of Akiba. That would be too great a disadvantage for PK.

(Though we can't be too careful. Things are getting really messy.)
　Shiroe believes there is another reason why they were able to fight off the penalty this time around.

　It's because of the recent worsening security situation.

　I've heard that penalties have been happening a lot, and I'm sure Shiroe and his teammates have heard about it.
　I've heard that in the field zones around Akiba, people are waiting for visibility to worsen, especially at night, before they strike. The guys just now were not in the mood for a "first time PK". They were clearly very good at it, and they were too sure of their own handiwork.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

It's the dread pack.... It's kind of a common name.
''It's no use; it's more extravagant to ask for sense from a guild that does PKs.
　Akatsuki agrees with Naotsugu, who doesn't hide his disgust.

(Well, that goes for me, too.)
　Shiroe lets out a sigh.

　Naotsugu doesn't like PKs. But Shiroe doesn't like it either.
　There are many reasons for this. But he thinks that they are all just reinforcement, and the root of the problem is very simple.
　The root of it is that most penalties are uncool.

　It's already uncool to think that you'll have to work hard to get the gold or other items that others have worked so hard to obtain. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of it. I'm sure you'll be able to see that.
　The idea of "skimming the treasures that others have obtained" means that you will never enter the difficult zone where the treasures can be obtained. You will never be at the forefront of the adventure.
　The only thing you can do then is steal other people's achievements, and you're a parasite no matter how far you go.

　Shiroe thinks that way.

You can't get away with it.
　I'm sure they're all mentally trapped.

　Worse, that trapped state of affairs is becoming an everyday occurrence in this world today.

I've heard those rumors too.
I also heard that other teams like Tidalculan, Blue Impact and Kanossa are playing penalty kicks, too.
　Shiroe replies to Akatsuki's muttering.

'I don't know. Well, you know. I know you're all upset. I know, but.... ....but...maybe there's something else we can do.
Such as?
Talk about your buttocks.
　Akatsuki takes a step away from Naotsugu.
　He then scurries around and takes another step back.

''He took two steps back..... Two steps....?
　Shiroe encourages Naotsugu who is depressed by tapping him on the shoulder. Naotsugu tries desperately to talk about the beauty of the panties, but Akatsuki silences him with a single word: "Shut up, color demon.
　It seems that the party's power relationship is gradually being established.

('Something else to do'...)
　The lack of that is the problem with the current situation.

　There are cheap meals to be had if you just want to hold on to your life.
　It would be wrong to complain about it because it tastes like bland crackers with no saltiness, but well, you can live with it. We don't have children dying of starvation with glazed eyes, as we did in the original world of Southeast Asia, or in countries at war or starving, for example.
　Nor, I imagine, will it ever be so in the future.

　Food items in the world of Elder Tail are made by synthesizing a number of material items and collecting them in the field zone. These items can be collected in field zones. Specifically, meat and other items can be collected from monsters in battle, mushrooms and wildflowers that can be harvested, marine products from fishing, grains from cultivation, and fruits from fruit trees.
　I don't know if there is a concept of seasons in this world yet, but the atmosphere suggests that it is currently early summer. Foodstuffs are plentiful in the field.

　In the original game, food items had their own levels and effects, and if you were at 90 level, you had to eat an appropriate level of food to increase your HP recovery rate, but if you wanted to focus on satisfying your hunger, it didn't matter what level of food you ate. There doesn't seem to be any.
　If that's the case, it's still possible for a novice player, even if they're below 10th level, to find ingredients in the relatively safe fields near Akiba's city.
　The question is whether players with a sub-chef will be able to cook for you, and it seems that many of them have changed their sub-career to cook in the past three weeks.
　It's a reasonable strategy, since nutrition is the basis of life.

　The same is true for clothing.
　We can get skins from animals, and fabrics from linen and silk. If you don't care about the numerical performance of your equipment, clothing can be made by a production worker in a few dozen seconds. Shoes and other necessities are also made by seamstresses, smiths, and woodworkers, who cover most of the ground. Carpenters are responsible for larger items, and craftsmen are in charge of fine jewelry and mechanical devices.

　As for a place to live, as long as you don't worry about safety and comfort, a night in an abandoned building will suffice.
　In order to rent a cheap inn, you'll need about five gold coins, which is enough money for a 10th level or so player to get a few goblins for. Of course, there is no end to the amount of money you can spend on renting a comfortable monthly lodge, securing a place in a guild hall or owning a house, but if you just want to "sleep", there are a number of easy ways to do so.

　In other words, in this other world, there is no need to risk your life or work long hours of labor if you simply want to survive every day.
　There is no such miserable situation in the world in terms of "survival".

(If that's what you mean by "living", then maybe it's just "not dead"...)

　As Shiroe sees it, this "lack of competition for survival" itself has something to do with "loss of purpose in life". In other words, there is nothing else to do.

　Of course this other world is free.
　Of course, this other world is free, even a little too free.

　As Naotsugu put it, "The purpose of life?　Anything else?　Why don't you make your own decisions and push forward on your own? Talking about the panties, for example. It's a good idea to talk about the panties and protect the girls. That opinion is a good one, and Shiroe has no intention of contradicting it.

　But it seems that there are people who can say that and there are people who cannot.
　And there are people everywhere who come up with troublesome ideas when they don't have an objective they can devote themselves to. For example, the kind of person who thinks he's good at something by abusing others.

(So is PK.)
　There are many far easier and safer ways to just survive in this world.
　You don't need a lot of money to live before that.
　(There's no need to PK to make money.)

　And if there is, then PK cannot be a "means of survival". It is quite different in character from robbery, for example, where people in very poor countries are forced to resort to it to survive.

　For them, PK would have been "something else to do".
　A way to satisfy themselves other than to survive.
　That was even more uncool, which made Shiroe feel that it was somewhat uncool.

''Whaaat?!''
　Naotsugu raises his voice.
'What's wrong?'
They only had a total of 62 gold coins. How crummy is that?
The item was not so bad.

　Apparently, Naotsugu and Akatsuki had finished checking the items they had picked up. From the dialogue, it seems it was just a disappointing possession.

I'm aware of the risk since it's so much fun to play penalty kicks. Unless you're a complete idiot, I've deposited all but the bare minimum of items in a safety deposit box. I'm sure those items were taken from someone else, too.
　The two of them sighed deeply at Shiroe's tsk, "You missed out on a profit.


　◆


　It was midnight when we returned to the city of Akiba due to trouble.

　The city seems to be in a dead mood these days.
　In the center of the city, such as the plaza in front of the station, the big crossroads and the Akiban Bridge, there are still open-air booths and a good number of people, but in the outskirts of the city, where the darkness is noticeable and the alleyways are crowded with abandoned buildings, cautious players are talking to each other. They act to distance themselves from others without having to do anything.

(I guess it has something to do with the increase in PKs, after all.)

　Shiroe and his team had done little in the city these days.
　The first few days after that disaster had been largely about sharing knowledge. Food, places to sleep, basic world structure and specifications. There were so many things we needed to check.

　But after seizing those basic information, Shiroe and his team chose to gather information about the field and identify the differences in battle.

　This policy was decided upon by the three of us, but it is taking longer than we expected to find out.

　The same is true of the Electric Fuzz used in the battle with PK. The characteristic of that sustained electrostatic spell should have been its cost performance. It is a spell characterized by its ability to deal a decent amount of damage over time by casting it at the beginning of a battle.

(Even that "so-so" is only so-so for us Enchantresses, though. (Even that "so-so" is only so-so for us enchanter's, but the sorcerer reaps the damage we take away over time with a single stroke of magic.

　Shiroe sighs, but here in this otherworldly place, that flashy look, glow and sound of the 'Electric Fuzz' creates a secondary effect on PK opponents.
　Of course, the effect will be lost on opponents who know it's so, or who have been exposed once, but there will be situations where that one time can make the difference between light and dark.

　There's a huge gap between "using a spell or technique" and "mastering it. Naotsugu and Shiroe were players who thought so, and before long, Akatsuki had come to share the same view.

　However, the greater the gap between "use" and "master" is, the more training is needed to bridge that gap, which is a matter of course. You have to test the characteristics of each technique, study how to use it, and experiment. The original Elder Tail was also quite deep for a game, and the amount of information it provided was a real pain in the ass for a gamer, but the battles in this different world are much more difficult.

　Take the Cross Slash for example.
　The two consecutive cross slashes are the starting point of the Guardian's attack.
　Since it is the basic technique that is the starting point of the attack, it is quick to learn, but it is also frequently used. According to Naotsugu, there are more than 5 different ways to enter this technique in this alternate world.

You start out with a kesa-slash, and the next moment you cut up from underneath. Well, that's the basics. But there's also a reverse kesa-slash-left kesa-slash move. Probably a left-handed motion. And then there are other patterns, too, such as a series of kirigami from a side kick with a rushing motion.
　This was the case.

　Apparently, swordsmanship, or rather the basic way of moving in battle, is imprinted in the body. According to the words of the two combatants, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, if you have the will to fight and can recognize the enemy's movements in front of you, your body will move.

　However, it is said that it takes a lot of practice to control those fine movements. I don't know if this is practice in the sense of the original world's martial arts or not, but it's the same thing for both the two weapon attackers and Shiroe, who thought, experimented, thought again, and corrected........

　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　It's not only important to discover and practice these individual techniques, but also to apply them in actual combat against the enemy, which will require more than individual play. The cooperation of the three is also important.
　Although we have simply divided the roles of "wall," "attacker," and "commander and assistant," it is not so easy to complete the coordination with such a division.
　In his own way, Naotsugu has to think about how he can draw the enemy to him so that Akatsuki and Shiroe can easily defeat or neutralize them. What kind of blow from Naotsugu would create an opening for the enemy? Such knowledge and experience must be accumulated.

　In Shiroe's case, the burden was the greatest.
　If I am to command, I must know what my two companions can and cannot do, their habits and breathing. Otherwise, the formation will not be perfect.
　There are countless questions to be learned and questions to be clarified, and Shiroe and his team have been slowly working to figure out what they need to know, which has been their daily routine lately.

　There was another reason why they were able to neglect gathering information in the city.
　That was the existence of the Crescent Moon Alliance and Marielle.

　Unlike Shiroe and his friends, the Crescent League has more people, but there are fewer 90-level players. It is a guild for the mutual aid of mid-level adventurers. That's why they simultaneously earn materials by fighting in the field and gathering information in the city.

　To be more specific, they create three groups, each of which will take turns gathering materials in the outskirts of the city, gathering information and resting in the city, and creating items for production workers. It's quite efficient because of the rotation.

　Shiroe discussed this with Marielle, and she promised to give me the information she gathered in the city in exchange for the information on the 60+ level zones that Shiroe and her team gathered. In addition to that, I've also received food items, and in return, I've given them high level materials wholesale.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　--I'm sure it has something to do with the increase in PKs.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for. Nevertheless, as far as the atmosphere of the city is concerned in this way, it must be true.

　Shiroe and the others passed through the station's premises, which is a perfect open-air spot because of its roof, and headed to the station square. The plaza would have been a huge parking lot and aerial walkway in the real world, but in this world, it's a spacious space decorated with mossy waste wood and grass.

　Buildings on all four sides of the square have fallen into disrepair, but the ground floor of the building is still occupied by shops. The square is home to many of Akiba's commercial facilities.
　Non-player characters in the marketplace help players trade with each other, and foremen and seamstresses help fledgling production workers. They will teach you their skills and loan you a furnace for melting iron and a sewing table for free.
　Most of the items available in this world come from monsters, dungeon chests, and player-made items made by the production workers, but non-player characters also sell basic weapons and armor to aid in low-level adventures.
　Such merchant non-player characters also existed in the commercial facilities around the square.

　This was a bit of a surprise to any player who got caught up in this alternate universe and then quickly became familiar with it, but the number of non-player characters has increased significantly since the original game.
　I haven't counted them exactly, but I'd say there are probably six to ten times as many as there were in the original game.

　These basic services in the city field seem to be basically 24/7, perhaps to replicate the specifications of the original game. But in this world, non-player characters also need to sleep, eat, and rest. I guess they are the replenishers for that purpose. Their numbers are increasing.
　They act according to their own schedule and live in dwellings in the back of shops and upstairs. They don't buy the items you produce or the magic items you acquire, so it's hard to say if they are participating in the economy.
　Unlike in games, they say, do, and react like human beings, and it's not always easy to tell them apart from the player without a status screen.

Do you want to buy something from them?　Or do you want to eat?
　Naotsugu calls out to Akatsuki in a somewhat puzzled voice.

''Ah. What do we do now, lord?''
　Akatsuki talks to Shiroe in a no less throwaway tone. The food in this world doesn't evoke motivation, which is why they show a depressed look at every meal.

''Hmm........ Wait a minute. Miss Mari's place, if you're awake, let's stop by.
　Shiroe replied. The Crescent Moon Alliance in Marielle, even if the taste is the same, you can still get a slightly better meal. The atmosphere in which you eat is not something to be taken lightly.
　Besides, I'm on my way back from a long day of hunting, and I have some items that PK has conned me into. We'll give them to the Crescent Moon Alliance for a discount, and if they are anything to go by, we'll have them sell their produce in the marketplace. That's the least we can do to return the favor.

　Shiroe opened the menu and tried to telepathize to Marielle.
　He knew he hadn't gone to bed yet in terms of time, but the sun was setting. I've been thinking that if it's not good enough, then it's not good enough, and I'll see you tomorrow, but the response to the telekinesis was surprisingly quick.

"Oh. You're a white boy. Where are you right now?
"I just got back to town.
　Marielle's greeting was the same as usual, but I thought Shiroe could see a little bit of impatience in her voice.

''Come on Gilho,''
'Are you sure?　Are you still awake?
"I was just about to call you. Come on.
"Naotsugu and Akatsuki are with me, okay?

　I've introduced Naotsugu and Akatsuki to Marielle through my association with the Crescent Moon League. They have visited the Guild Hall many times and gone hunting with the younger members of the Crescent Moon Alliance, so their faces are already familiar to each other.

But it's not convenient. Instead, it's better for you. I'll be waiting for you.
　An interrupted telepathic conversation. Behind Marielle, who was speaking, she could feel a hurry of activity. Apparently, the Guild Hall of the is fully operational even at this time.

''What's the matter?　White.
　Naotsugu, who sensed Shiroe's presence, spoke words of concern to her. You really do care a lot," he said, looking back at his two companions in admiration.

''Let's go to the Crescent Moon Alliance. Apparently, there's trouble.


　You're not going to be able to do that.


　The guild hall of the Crescent Moon Alliance was filled with a hectic atmosphere. The boy healer, who looked like a puppy who had shown us around, returned the kibisu and pattered away after sending Shiroe and the other three back to Guildmaster Marielle's room.

　The actual Marielle was in a room that was even more messy than the last time she came, but she was still preparing tea on the reception set she had managed to secure.
　Henrietta, who was standing by, was frantically continuing to clean Marielle's office. Even though it was already close to midnight, this guild didn't seem to be getting any sleep at all.

''Excuse me, Shiroe-sama........ ''Ugh!　Not Akatsuki!
　When Henrietta finds Akatsuki, she throws out her broom and runs over to him and hugs him as hard as she can. Akatsuki seems to have taken a critical hit on Henrietta's vice, or girlie taste, and she's been doing this since she was first introduced to him.
　Henrietta is of average height for a woman, but Akatsuki is at least half a head smaller than that. The way they're hugged is like a black cat that looks like it's in trouble with the people it's playing with.

Welcome back. The three of you. It's a little messy, but we've done our best to help you out with that.
　With Henrietta and Akatsuki at her side, Marielle clasps her small hands together and winks dexterously. Seeing the mischievous appearance, Shiroe lets out a single sigh.

''What happened? 'Miss Mari.'
Well, well. We're in a hurry. Sit down. I'll give you some water. It's all colored and tea-flavored.　Ehehe.
　At Marielle's suggestion, the three of them each sit down.
　Shiroe and Naotsugu are on the sofa. Akatsuki is clinging to Henrietta and has no choice but to sit down on the cushioned sofa.

''.........uh. Yeah.''
　I recommended a seat, but Marielle didn't speak up. It must be a difficult subject to talk about. Shiroe watched the situation for a while, but she had no choice but to start talking herself.

''Is it an expedition?''
Yeah, yeah.
Where?
Let's see. Or rather, I mean...Susukino.

　The city of Susukino is one of the five major cities in the Japanese server of Elder Tail. It is the northern city in a place known in this world as the "Frozen Island" (Northern Island).

　The area administered by the Japan Servers.
　In the Half-Gaia Project, it is in charge of almost the same space as Japan on Earth. Its shape is almost identical to that of Japan. It is only half the distance and a quarter of the area.

　This hypothetical Japan is largely divided into five countries in the world of the medieval-style fantasy "Elder Tail". In the real world, Hokkaido is the "Ezzo Empire", Shikoku is the "Duke of Falland", and Kyushu is the "Nine Tail Autonomous Territory". In addition, the eastern half of Honshu is the Free Cities Alliance Eastal, and the western half is the Holy Empire of Westland.

　The Japan Server Administration Area is said to be one of the most densely populated in the world of the Elder Tail. However, there are tens of thousands of players in this vast country. This is still a vast, untamed wilderness, but even so, there are countless villages and towns.

　Among them, the five major cities added to the game in the expansion pack are exceptional.
　Susukino, Sibuya, Akiba, Minami and Nakas.
　These five are the only places the player can choose to start the game, with all sorts of convenient commercial facilities, and the surrounding zones are adjusted in difficulty for beginners and have plenty of supportive quests. The game should have been designed to be a hub of activity, as evidenced by the fact that when a player dies, they will be resurrected in the nearest five major cities' temples.
　Furthermore, the five major cities were connected to each other by special large gates, known as transport gates, which guaranteed the free passage of traffic.
　At least until the catastrophe, that is.

'You never hear of transporters being repaired, do you?
It's not fixed yet. I don't even know what the problem is.
　Marielle responds to Naotsugu's question. But starting to talk about it made her feel a little more positive, and she began to explain the situation to Shiroe and the others.

As I said before, the Crescent Moon League is a small guild. We have 24 members, a little more than that now. Most of them are in the city of Akiba, and most of them are in this building right now.
　But there's one girl who lives in Susukino. Her name is Serara, but she's a pretty girl. She's a druid.
　She's a novice in our family, level 19. She's a bit timid and shy. He's an oddball who started the Elder Tail because he wanted to do business.
　Marielle kept her eyes down as she continued to talk.

"On the day of the Great Disaster, Serara was in Susukino.
　There was a call for dungeon attackers of level 20 or so to play in Susukino. There was no one else available in the guild at the time, so Celara wanted to go out and hone her skills on a hunt, so she went to Susukino alone....
　It was a temporary party. Apparently, she had been having fun with the members she had recruited in Susukino, but then she encountered a .
　The transport gate malfunctioned, and Celara was left behind.
　Henrietta, who took over Marielle's explanation, sighed deeply.

　The term "catastrophe" is becoming common among players. Some of the words used to be "otherworldly transfer," "summoning," and "drifting," but since we had no idea what the cause was or what the actual phenomenon was, "catastrophe" was the safest term to use.
　Shiroe thinks that this is because catastrophe, rather than transference to another world, still gives the impression of understandable trouble.
　If you use the words "transference" or "summoning", it may feel like you're admitting that you can never return. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're doing.

Are you coming for me?
　Marielle and the others nodded at Shiroe's question.

'We don't know much about it, but did any of the players head to Susukino after the incident?
　Akatsuki asked a question that seemed to represent the questions of the three of them.
　It was something Shiroe had glanced at as well.

　If the Transport Gate is not available, then there are two ways to move.
　There were only two ways to get to your destination, via the remaining Fairy Rings in various locations, or you could seriously step over dozens of zones and head north.
　The Fairy Ring is mainly a transitional device in the field, a natural magic circle made up of giant stones and mushrooms arranged in a circle. It is connected to another Fairy Circle at a destination chosen by complex calculations that are influenced by the phases of the moon. If you use it well, you can finish your journey in a short time, but if you use it at the wrong time, you won't know where you will be sent to.

No, as far as I know, none of them are.
　We're all doing the best we can for today. I know you can't care about other cities.
　It's suicidal to use the Wheel of the Fairies now that you can't browse the attack sites. However, if you want to go to Susukino on foot or on horseback, you'll have to be prepared to spend at least two weeks there.
　There are some difficult parts along the way. It's not a place you can just wander off to out of curiosity.

　That was a fair story.
　Before the incident. Players were running around the Japanese server freely. Some of them even traveled to the administrative areas of the Korean and Chinese servers.
　Transport gates in the five major cities made travel quicker, and the Fairy Circle was a very convenient means of transportation that allowed players to reach various locations in an instant, as long as they checked the timetable on the strategy site.

　In addition, back then, when this was a game, the concept of camping did not exist. No matter how remote a place you went, all you had to do was find a slightly safer spot in the vicinity and log out there. You could even use the Return spell to return to the city.

"Wait a minute. The Return spell is.... Oh, I see.
Yes. The Return Spell will be automatically overwritten the moment you enter the five major cities. If Selara uses the Return Spell now, she'll only be able to return to Suskino. She won't be able to return to the city.
　The Return spell is an instantaneous movement spell available to all Elder Tail players that allows you to return to your last five major cities in an instant. It takes a few minutes to chant, and since you can only cast it once every 24 hours to begin with, you can't just run away from a battle in an instant. The game says, "You're done playing today. Let's get back to the city before we log out" was a common spell to use in a situation.
　The "premise" was that the five major cities were connected by transport gates in the first place. As long as that premise was maintained, any city that could be returned to using the Return Spell would be fine. That's what the Elder Tail had in mind.

Why are you sending us out there now?
　Akatsuki cut in.
　Shiroe had a feeling that perhaps that was the core of the problem.

''It's...''
Oh. Well... Well.... The rescue mission was going to be a long time coming. It's hard to be alone in the far north, isn't it?
　Henrietta stutters. The hand that hugs Akatsuki is squeezed tightly. It's also a choice of words for Marielle, who tried to continue on.

'.........Miss Mari.
Don't look at me like that, Shiroko. White's eyes are a little too sharp to be hitting on a pretty girl, don't you think?
"Miss Mari.

Hmm. Hmmm... yeah. Susukino, huh? I hear it's safer than here. Ahh. Oh no, no. Oh no.
　--There's no "like" or "something".
　Susukino is even worse than this place.
　.........Selara, we were attacked by some badass players.
　It sounded terribly ominous in the fancy Marielle room, constructed in shades of pastel pink.

　It is true that the city center is a no combat zone. The use of weapons or magic that could cause damage is forbidden. It is also forbidden to use passive barriers or restraint acts that would induce 'disabling of a character'.

　However, this does not mean that all criminal acts are prohibited. Also, the fact that they are prohibited does not make them "unfeasible", especially when they are at a low level. Especially if it is against a low level girl, it can be worse than a PK.
　There is no such thing in the game world. There are examples of things that 'don't exist in the game world and therefore don't need to be dealt with,' that become 'feasible in this other world.

".........
　Akatsuki's swift silence was due to the fact that he correctly guessed the content of the sound of the word 'attacked'.

''Ah. Oh no. No, it's not that bad.
　We haven't gone that far," he said. But, you know, there aren't many people in Susukino to begin with. According to the story, the population is a little over 2,000.
　You can't run and hide in a city like that forever, can you?　We have to go and help them. You are all members of this group. That's the way it's supposed to be, right?
　And here's what we need to discuss. I'm sorry to say this, but...
　There are still a lot of chicks in our group, right?　They're good kids, but they're still a bit unreliable.
　We won't be able to take the best of the best with us on this expedition, and I don't think we'll be able to reach Ezzo in the first place. In the meantime, could you take care of the kids we leave behind here?

I don't think it's necessary for you to stay with me.
　You have a sorcerer named Aizel, don't you?　Blue hair. He'll coordinate the detention team. Marie and I, as well as Kouryu from the battle group, are going to devote ourselves to this expedition.
　So, I'm sorry for this unsolicited request, but please, Shiroe-sama, Naotsugu-sama.......Akatsuki-chan.
　Could you please take care of this guild?
　Marielle and Henrietta bowed together.

　Siloe watches the two women bowing in front of her.
　I stop breathing.
　My brain goes quiet.
　It's still noisy.
　I want to stop the blood flow if I can.
　My thoughts speed up and go.
　Concentration triggers a bolt of lightning in the darkness.

　In the real world, the distance between Tokyo and Sapporo is 850 kilometers; in our world under the Half-Gaia Project, it's 425 kilometers. The roads are paved in places with old asphalt and backbone roads, but they are also expected to be unpaved and hilly. Daily travel speeds of 50km is a good place to be on even the best days, and averaging half that would be excellent. No, even that is questionable when you consider that you will be fighting monsters.
　Assuming we adopt a travel speed of 20km/day, we'll arrive in 21 days. That's three weeks. I have to say that Marielle's estimate of two weeks is naive.

　Your body temperature will drop by 3 degrees.

　It's an intuition that supports Siloe. A hint of a sign.
　Marielle's journey will fail.
　Of course, he'll go on the journey with maximum preparation. Even though the level of preparation will be a little lower, Marielle and her teammates said they would be challenged by the elite of the Crescent Moon Alliance. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing before.
　However, it's no longer about the level of strength, or even the numerical value of strength, it seems to Shiroe.

　It is said that Shiroe is an introvert and thinks too much.
　If there's one weapon that unifies all of this, it's the scale in his chest. That device of Shiroe's measures their abilities with cruelty and coldness.

　Think about the advice. Twelve kinds of concrete advice.
　Consideration is given to each of them.
　About half of what is validated.
　It is expected to increase the success rate and shorten the time frame.
　Consider some alternatives. There are four kinds of alternatives.
　Examine the effectiveness of implementation for each.
　We rejected half of them and recalculated the remaining half by dropping several more factors. The path of thought is like lightning. The tip of it is no longer in the realm of the unconscious, and only the trajectory of lightning lets Shiroe know the shape of his thoughts.

(But--)

　Advice?　The alternative?

　What does that mean?
　Is that what they want? No. What right do I have to do that in the first place?　Do you even have the right to want to, let alone do?　It's not even just my responsibility.

　The verbalization reached that point and Shiroe let her consciousness return to the inside of her body. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
"Say it, Shiroe.
It's your turn, my lord.

　Probably another five seconds of thinking and Shiroe would be stuck. Caught in the trap of her own thoughts, her own sense of responsibility, and the "presumptuousness to interfere in someone else's guild affairs".
　But in that moment, like a sailing ship full of wind from the two companions, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, the words come out of my mouth.

'We'll go.'
What?
It's best that we go.
No. White boy. It's not like you're begging for it.
　Shiroe easily ignores Marielle's protests and looks back at her friends.
'Of course, my lord and I will take care of you.
　The two companions respond back with perfect timing. As if the conversation was over, Naotsugu stood up and Akatsuki followed suit.


''We're going on an expedition. Marie-san and the others will be away from home, right? Taking care of a chick is impossible for us!
"There is no letter of failure in the secret orders of the ninja.

　This time Marielle looks up at him from her seat on the sofa with her mouth hanging open. Shiroe can't look at that face, though she can't very well.

　It was embarrassing. It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good idea of what's best for you. It's not a bad idea, but there is no way to say it better than this.　She must be dumbfounded.

("What am I talking about?")　They think I'm a girl. I'm sure you're up to something. Me!　(I'm the one making the so-called painful statements!

　Now I'm just embarrassed that I've dressed up. Shiroe struggles to hold back the black and white that seems to be tinkling in front of her eyes and slaps her with a stronger tone than usual.

'We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I'll leave it to you, Miss Mari. Miss Henrietta.