You sure about this?

　Marielle, who has come to see the three of us off, puts a confirmation on her lips for the unknown number of times already.
　The place is the "Ruins of the Ueno Bandit Castle", "Ueno Rogue Castle". At night, this zone is filled with demi-humans and non-player character bandits, but now it's just beautiful, emerging white in the morning mist.
　The moist and airy morning air enveloped Shiroe, the three of them, Marielle, and several guild members of the who came out to see me off.

''Don't worry about it. Mariette, don't worry. Isn't that girl cute?　I won't let you touch another guy before I pick you up. Expedition pickup fest!

　Depending on how you ask, Naotsugu's remarks are inappropriate, and Akatsuki elbowed him in the face, "Shut up, you idiot.

''It's okay. I'm used to camping, and I've trained in the last two weeks or so.......

　Shiroe assures Marielle.
　Objectively, they have a higher success rate themselves than Marielle and the others are headed for. I'm sure of that, but more than that, I'm embarrassed by the vanity I cut off last night, so I can't easily make eye contact with Marielle.

''This. .........I'm sorry, as usual, but it's food. On the road, you know, eat. I'm sorry, Shiro-senpai.
Akatsuki. Here's a salve made by one of our members. Take care of yourself.

　Both Akatsuki and Shiroe received the Crescent Moon Alliance's generous donation of aid. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us.

It's a good idea to be careful, Mari-san. .........well, you know, penalty kicks and such.
Yeah, we'll be fine. We'll get the information.

I'll take care of him. Marie.
Hahaha. Naotugu-kun, you'll be back, right?　Since Shirobo doesn't seem to be needed, I'll let Naotsugu-san have him.
　Oh boy, oh boy. Your sister's are very soft.
　Marier laughed in embarrassment and hugged Naotsugu's arms and held him in a rather eye-catching size bust.

''Hey, Marier-san. 'Tanmah!'
What? Are you a refusal group like Shiroko?
I'm not saying that, but...

　Marielle, who is roughly masculine, sisterly and caring, would take refuge in this way herself when she got embarrassed, escaping to the bottom line. I remember laughing with my mouth wide open that she's not a feminine person, and that she doesn't get taken advantage of when she talks about erotic stories because she's not afraid to openly admit it herself.

(I think the only person who thinks she's unlikable is Miss Mari herself...)
　When Shiroe looked at Akatsuki with a sideways glance, Akatsuki secretly put his hands to his mouth and said, "Baca baca. Elo Naotsugu dies." he whispered.

　Seeing the guild members of the 〈Crescent Moon Alliance〉 laughing, it seems to be an everyday scene.

''No?　Aren't these tits worthless?
Wait. That's what I mean. You can't get into trouble if you set the table. Oh, god. I'm going to get you out of here regardless of that.　You're not supposed to say that.

Naotsugu's words were not convincing.
　Akatsuki kicked Naotsugu away in a small way.
　Naturally, such a kick is blocked by the heavy armor of the Guardian, which makes a dull sound, but Naotsugu takes the opportunity to pull Marielle off.

"When you come back safely, you don't have to worry about our fat. .........hmmm. It's a good idea to have a good time. Take care of yourself.

　With those words, the departure was already in sight.
　Naotsugu, whose cheeks were stained after escaping from Marielle's hug, was already walking down the street in the morning mist as if to disguise his embarrassment.

'Shiro-boy, Naotugu-yan, Akatsuki-chan. Please don't. It's about Serara.
　Naotsugu turns around in the morning sun and raises his shield wide.
　Shiroe also waved his hand, and Akatsuki pulled up his small sword a little and dropped it soundly into its scabbard.

　With that as a parting gift, the three of them left for the far north.


　◆


　The early summer haze seemed to have been a fleeting phenomenon in the morning, and then the crisp blue sky had returned. The group was proceeding north to the north through the crumbling elevated road - a road that looked like a land bridge called the Capital Highways in the ancient world (that is, the real world they had been in until now).

　As far as I could see from the Capital Highway, the zone I had just passed through seemed so peaceful. There were more wild animals than ferocious monsters living there, and I could see herds of deer and the occasional carelessly roaming bear moving through the forest that stretched out beneath my feet.

　Players talked about the Elder Tail world as if it were an official setting, as if it were thousands of years after the real Earth. According to the lore within the world of the Elder Tail, some sort of great conflict took place, shattering this world and causing it to be shattered and rebuilt by a miracle of the gods. It's the kind of creation mythology you'd expect from a fantasy game.

　The beauty of the world rendered by the excellent graphics engine, upgraded from time to time, fascinated players of The Elder Tale, but the scenery you see when you are caught in another world is more beautiful than any high-performance graphics board could ever provide.

　In Elder Tail, the journey is about getting to your destination, but the act of running across the land, smelling the wind, evokes such fresh emotions in the three of us that it becomes an end in itself.

　All three of them have no experience in riding horses in the real world, but in this other world, they can ride with ease. In Elder Tail, horses were a relatively major means of transportation.
　Any player character can ride a horse without any special training. Horses could be bought at stables or rented for a certain number of days. It was common for every mid-level player and above to have their own horse.

　During the gaming era, horses were represented as some sort of summoning item.
　Buying or renting a horse would give you an item like a whistle. The player would blow that whistle on the field of their choice and the horse would immediately appear, and so on.

　This is said to have been replicated to some extent in this other world as well.
　When you blow the whistle, your riding horse will come running to you from a distance. This way, you don't have to think about where you're going to tie your horse up when you dive into a dungeon, and you can ensure its safety.
　(Maybe the horse would get hurt badly and suddenly stop responding to the call, but there was no way for Shiroe and the others to know at this point.

　The trip of the three of them was scheduled to proceed through the Field Zone. A field zone is one of the zone types, and it mainly represents the vast land itself.
　Everything in this world is structured based on the Field Zone. Buildings, for example, are sometimes in a separate zone, such as large buildings that are in good condition and closed off inside, but more often than not, abandoned buildings are basically objects placed in the field zone.

　One of the characteristics of field zones is the blurring of their boundaries.
　While enclosed zones have their connections represented by doors, drop lids, stairs, etc., field zones don't have a fixed "gate" symbol for connection.
　When you reach the end of a zone, you are seamlessly connected to another zone. So, as long as we continue our journey on earth, we don't really think about zone boundaries or what zone we are in.
　When you call up the information from the menu, you only know the name of the zone you are in.

　The road the three of us were on, which used to be a highway, was now crumbling all over the place, and there was often rubble lying around. In some cases, they would have to dismount their horses. So much so that at one time, for example, they had to traverse a bush wasteland to get around a dense forest of heath that had swallowed the road and was no longer what you might call dense.

　It was a little after noon when the three men dismounted their horses.
　The wind-swept elevated road made an intricate curve to join the thicker road. But the asphalt beneath their feet was showing an eerie fragility from earlier, and it was beginning to show signs of danger to follow this path soon.

'Shall we go down and have a meal?'
　Naotsugu, who was ahead of Shiroe's suggestion, also dismounted his horse and let out a thick sigh.

''Horses are fine, though my body does the horsemanship and stuff like that on its own. It still hurts my ass, doesn't it?''
Yes.
　Shiroe nods. Akatsuki stares at her with a dubious expression in response, "Really? It was strange to see him.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for. It's a good thing that you're not a burden on your body.

How long have we been here?
It's only been half a day. You're not ready yet, you fool, Naotsugu.
　Even at Akatsuki's words, Naotsugu's nonchalant expression remains unchanged. This kind of exchange has become so familiar now that he doesn't even feel bad about it.

　Shiroe takes the lead and walks down the elevated road from the crumbling and slanted area. This area may have been a residential area in ancient times, but now it's nothing more than a sparse wasteland of trees, with only the heads of telegraph poles peeking out of the ground here and there.

　From the undulating series of reddish brown ground, the three of them find a rock large enough to be used as a table and decide to rest there.
　They spread a cross on the surface of the rock and put out food and a water bottle on it. There was a map and a writing implement. The map showed a general map of Japan and the names of the zones as far as Shiroe could remember.

'What's the matter with this?　My lord. This is a very fine map.

　As Akatsuki rolled his eyes, the map on the paper was indeed quite detailed.
　The folded paper is about a meter square when unfolded, and on it, much like Japan, is drawn the area of jurisdiction of the Elder Tail's Japanese server.
　The map was drawn in four different colors of ink, with rivers, forests, and even villages scrawled on it, so it didn't look like an amateur's handwriting.

It doesn't look like an amateur's handwriting," he said, "I'm still a calligrapher. "I'm still a transcriber," he said, "so I copied the map from the archives in Akiba.
Okay. Good job, my lord.
So, where are we?
　Naotsugu asks as he loosens the cap on his water bottle.

'Probably around here,'
　Shiroe points to a point on the map with her fingertips. It's not far from the city of Akiba, the northern part of Tokyo.
'I have no idea,'
It's no use. It's only a half day. We'll have to skip the afternoon.
Yes, sir.
　Naotsugu and Shiroe eat a basket of turkey sandwiches (what looks like, damp crackers) while having such a conversation.
　Akatsuki doesn't usually participate in these conversations. It's not so much that they aren't interested, but that they trust us, Shiroe has recently come to think of it that way.
　I'm not sure if he's not listening because he's not interested, but he has a good grasp of what is being said.

　While the three of them were eating, the horses were grazing on the dying brown grass around them for a while, but they seemed to have had enough of it and went away. They got off their horses and left a while later.
　They would come back with a whistle anyway, so none of the three of them minded.

''........Will it continue to be a cursory glance?

　Akatsuki said as he took a small bite of a turkey sandwich.
　I'm still staring far ahead, deep into the wasteland, and I can't help but wonder if I'm talking to myself. You can't help but wonder if you're talking to yourself, but the content of that line has probably been greatly abbreviated.

(-- I wonder if it's about the mood of the world.)
　Shiroe thinks so.

　It is true that this world is a good reproduction of Elder Tail's specifications. But the Elder Tale is a game, not an experience of another world. There was no sleep and no pain in The Elder Tale. This world is not a game.

　Although it has inherited the specifications and memories of the Elder Tail, it should be considered a completely different world. For some reason, Shiroe is strongly convinced of this. From the very first day after the catastrophe, there was a deep-seated fear in Shiroe's mind that she would make a tremendous mistake the moment she thought of this world as the Elder Tail.

(We're forgetting something important. (Everyone forgets something important, and they're moving on to the next one without knowing what it is. I don't know what it is, exactly.
　I mean, this is all connected to the Elder Tail, but this is a whole other world. (That's why we're all crazy.)

　If you think so, security is not getting worse.
　When you say "security is getting worse", it sounds as if security was good in the beginning, but in fact it is not.
　If this world is a different world independent of the Elder Tail, then it is correct to say that there was no such thing as "security" from the beginning.

　The only thing that existed was the establishment of a no-fighting zone. It's a restriction that seems to have been created just for the sake of the title of reproducing the specifications of the Elder Tail.
　There is no such thing as a law or anything else.
　There is no such thing as "security" in this world, which can be made worse from the start.
　It is a lawless world.

　Of course, even Akatsuki understands that.

　I've been muttering to myself even though I know that.
　What is that feeling wavering in the depths of your earnest gaze?

(I don't understand...)

　Shiroe is not sure how Akatsuki feels.
　It could be anxiety, or it could be a kind of homesickness. But if one were to look for something similar in Shiroe, what one feels when watching Akatsuki is, shall we say, irritation.
　It's repulsion.
　And what I feel when I look at Akatsuki is, in a word, irritation.

　"Will this continue to be a bad situation? The subject of "The world is" of course, but at the same time it is "We are".

(Are we, after all, that much?
　I mean, aren't we being licked?　(Don't they think they're the kind of people who will rob each other if you poke them a little, kill each other, make a lot of noise on their own, cry on their own, and despair on their own?

　It is a question I ask myself. Were we the kind of people who, just because we were thrown into a bit of lawless wilderness, would immediately attack our friends and take their property?　Oh no, the question.

　That's why Shiroe answered.

I know that's not true.
　It's not going to happen. It's not just going to fall down like that.

　Just like rotten fruit falling to the ground, as if it were natural. The world is becoming a dirty, cheap, uncool, dignified and noble place. This can't be good. If this is the "natural course of events", Shiroe doesn't want to accept such a course of events.

That's boring!
　Naotsugu expresses his inner feelings in short words.
''........''
　Akatsuki has been looking at the horizon for a long time.

　At that time, Shiroe offered to go to the rescue in place of Marielle and the others from the Crescent Moon Alliance because he calculated that they had a higher chance of success in their mission than the members of the Crescent Moon Alliance, both in terms of their level of proficiency and in terms of the skill level of combat in this world.
　Of course, that's one of the reasons.

　But that's a reason why I'm willing to accept the job, and it can't be a reason why I should accept it.

　Even though they are close to each other, the Crescent Moon Alliance is an independent guild, and a nonmember of the guild like Shiroe and the others have no reason to go to the trouble of engaging in a dangerous and time-consuming mission.
　That is not a normal thing to do.

　It is because of this understanding that Marielle initially requested Siloe and the others to "check on the youngsters at home from time to time". It's a good thing that you can't get away from the fact that you're not going to be able to get away with it. That was a common sense prospect.

　Even the two of them would understand that much.
　The fact that there is no reason for us to go and rescue their people.

　It's a very good thing that you can't get away with it.
　Of course, logic and calculation are important. He assembled them over and over in his head, held his breath and thought about it. But underneath it all was a strong frustration. It surprised Shiroe himself that there was such a rich vein of emotion within him.

　And without needing to put that feeling into words, he felt like congratulating his friends who felt the same way at the time out loud.
　--That's boring.
　--It's not pretty.

(I'm embarrassed to say that, but...)
　A strong breeze passes over my cheeks, which begin to burn as I remember. In the ups and downs of feelings that sweep and push back like a wave, there is a ticklish joy, anxiety, and a fluffy......happiness.

　It's a feeling of rebellion against this world that is becoming uncool.
　If I'm going to do it anyway, I want to do it the way I want to do it.
　At least within my reach.
　Even if it's only while I'm here.

"If your family's crying, you'll help them. That's normal.
　"I don't care if they're uncool, or if they're all uncool, we don't have to deal with it either."
　While Shiroe was vaguely thinking about this, Naotsugu patted him on the back as he took a big bite out of the last bite.

　I don't want to feel swept away in such an uncool, tacky, boring and unsalvageable world. Shiroe can't hate herself that much. There must be something cool and amazing like the Tea Party of the Prodigal in the world.
　It's embarrassing to put into words, so I try not to think about it, but that's how Shiroe feels about it, and that's the answer she's given. It's a good idea to do something else.

I'm not a fan of that. Forcibly attacking them is an affront to your panties.
　With Naotsugu's words, the air in the place became languid.

Well. What kind of panties are good for Naotsugu then?
　Akatsuki looked at Naotsugu with a blank stare, but Shiroe dared to defiantly get on the subject. He was embarrassed to the point where he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself for thinking about something so youthful.

'There's a lot of things like that. Misappan. Hami Pan. Mise-pan. Hami-pan. Gesarepan and Hatsuko-pan. There are many things, but the basic one is 'Panchira'.
　This is it. Chiralism, Yes, the scent of romance. The basics are important, it's important to keep the basics in check. A wise man in ancient times said, "We have to look at your panties. "We don't want to see the panties. We don't want to see panties, we want to see panties.

The basics are important. Even battle coordination is an accumulation of the basics, right?
　I'm not sure what kind of panties Naotsugu is talking about, but if you are in a mood to eat poison, you can't help but feel like you're getting a dish out of it, so Shiroe replied in a desperate voice.

I know. Yes, coordination is very important. And tactics. Terrain effects. You can use the stairs to get your panties in a bunch. And then, right after that, you're upset. You show it to yourself, and then you're angry. This is the best.

(Strongest or not, I think that's a pretty poor quality accusation.)

　Even if Shiroe thought such a thing, it could not reach Akatsuki and he said, "I don't care about Naotsugu's foolishness, but you should act like your lord. You can't be a fool, but you should behave like your lord.


　◆.


　--after eating. Shiroe stops Akatsuki, who has grown cold-hearted since then, from trying to call the horses to her. Shiroe pulls out of her luggage a flowing, openworked flute that looks like it was made out of bamboo.
　It resembles a whistle to summon a horse, but it was like a work of art. At the same time, Naotsugu also took out the same whistle.

'What is that?　My lord.
　She smiles at Akatsuki, who tilts his head back and asks her about it, Shiroe blows her flute high into the sky. The sound of Naotsugu's flute is intertwined with the sound of his whistle, and like the song of two birds entwined, it spreads across the blue sky like the wind in the wasteland.

Does that mean that...

　Akatsuki's question is interrupted by the sharp roar of an eagle. Two huge shadows come flying in with a heavy feather sound. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information about the particulars of the particulars in this article.

''It's not a gryphon!''
　The one who came to Shiroe and his friends was a fantastic species called the eagle lion (griffon). They are a flying race with the body of a giant lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and hind legs. Its fighting ability is comparable to a synthetic dragon (chimera), depending on the subspecies and its age.

''Well. Yeah.
　Shiroe stroked the griffon's neck a couple of times and gave him the raw meat he had taken out of his luggage. The raw meat has been purchased in significant quantities from the market for this occasion. It's cheap because it's a collection item that can be used as an ingredient for food items.

You don't think I'm going to ride a horse to the farthest north, do you?　You're going to get old if you do that.
　Naotsugu, too, cooled Akatsuki down somewhat nastily.

''Then why is this beast.... You want to ride it?''
I'll ride. Mr. Akatsuki...
It's Akatsuki.
　Akatsuki sharply ordered to Shiroe's words. It's a good idea to call him by his name, no matter how many times Shiroe tells you.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea. .........is that okay?
Not that I can't. But....
　Akatsuki looks away from the gryphon as if frightened and watches from a distance. Naotsugu expertly attaches the gryphon's belly band and saddle to the gryphon. Shiroe feeds him and scratches the griffon behind his ears.

'I've heard of such a summoning flute.' --I've heard that it was given to the player who went through the large scale battle (raid) in Dead Spirit's Field (Hades' Breath).
A little bit in the past.
　Shiroe replied to Akatsuki.

　This is one of the legends left behind by the Tea Party of the Prodigal, which few people know about anymore.

　Shiroe and Naotsugu obtained the flute deep into the tombs of the Senior Undead, the King of the Dead, where it was used to create a magical device to distort the secrets of life. It was the altar of a magical device used to wickedly distort the secrets of life, and as a reminder of their fierce and long battle with the four knights of the Dead Spirit King.
　It was given to me as a token of friendship by the King of the Winged Ones (Seemurg), who fought together to steal the underground energy of the Spirit Mountain and thwart the plans of the Reaper King, who wanted to use its power to obtain eternal life.

"Why do you have that thing?
It'll come in handy when you do your surprise surprise tricks.
　Akatsuki's question is answered by Naotsugu this time.

(This is still embarrassing, after all.)

　It's not that I'm hiding anything, and I don't want to hide it, but I'm embarrassed to say it again. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a good deal more information.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it.

The scabbard of the scabbard must be secured to your belt more securely than usual. And a backpack. Fold up anything that is blown around by the wind.
　Shiroe reaches out to Akatsuki, whose waist is retreating.
　Akatsuki hesitates a few times, then tries to grab Shiroe's proffered hand, turns a little red as if he realizes something and grabs it as if to gain momentum.

　Shiroe pulls that Akatsuki up behind her with a whimper, almost with the force of her arms alone. Whether it's because she's petite or because she kicked the ground just in time to be pulled up, Shiroe is taken aback by Akatsuki's lightness to the point of being taken aback.

'Are you ready?'
Mm, my lord. No problem.
　Shiroe turned back, feeling a bit uneasy as Akatsuki squirmed behind her.
'Sit back a bit more. And hold on to me. If you're scared, you can hold on tight. And don't grab my belly!

　Naotsugu, who seems to have been holding back his laughter at Akatsuki's exchange, finally bursts out laughing. The actuality of this is that it's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

''Excuse me first!''
　Rather than leaving the words behind, they were shredded by a fierce wind and became backlit shadows dancing in the blue sky in the next moment.

''Tsk. --Akatsuki. Good?　Well, we'll be there.
　Before Akatsuki could reply, Shiroe signaled the gryphon with the heel of his boot. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

　It's not only that, but it's also that, as a result of the fact that it's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.
　As he buried his face into the lean, fleshless back that is typical of Shiroe's scholarly skin and tried not to look at his surroundings, he finally found his equilibrium returning.

'It's a nice view,'
　Shiroe, on the other hand, isn't too keen on Akatsuki, who is clinging to him desperately. After all, Akatsuki is small. It's a good thing that you're a small girl with no height, only up to your own shoulders and, if you're not careful, up to your chest, and you're worried that the wind might accidentally carry you away.

　Perhaps it would have been better to put her on the front and hold her firmly in place, rather than letting her ride behind you and have her cling to you.
　Shiroe thinks about that, but that might be scary for Akatsuki because there's no place for him to hold on to.

(Besides, there's the problem of where I should hold Akatsuki...)
　Even after a detailed analysis in my head, I concluded that the only place I could hold on to with my left hand while grasping the reins of the gryphon was my abdomen or chest, and I couldn't stop blushing and cold sweating when I thought about the possibility of shifting the location of my hold, whether it was my abdomen or my chest. It's fine if it's a problem that would make Naotsugu burst out laughing, but the mere thought of the possibility of being pushed out of the air is enough to make Shiroe unsettled.

''Are you okay?''
Yes, my lord. This is amazing. It's like hovering in the blue sky.

　The air roared and groaned and shredded backwards and was being swept away.
　Now the gryphon doesn't flap its wings in vain, but glides firmly on the waves of air currents with both wings locked in place.
　The waves in the air are like rivers, undulating gently from side to side, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, but the griffons, like eagles that have been given their heads, have a unique bird's angle of vision, choosing the air currents that suit them best and climbing up the sky's ladder.

　Before I knew it, I noticed that Naotsugu's gryphons were lined up next to each other in the azure sky under the sapphire-like sunlight.

''How's that for awesome!
　It's not that Naotsugu's words were boastful, but rather they shone with the pure excitement of flying. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're looking for it.

''It's amazing. --Yes, it's amazing. It's like the blue of the sky is crystal clear.