-- "Raglander's Company".
　Its interior was dark, but not as narrow as I imagined.
　The ceiling is about 3 to 5 meters high. The aisle is also 3 meters wide. The walls are made of stone, with a dense assortment of rocks that look like hard granite.
　The air was dry and smelled musty.

"I'll get the light.
　When Rundelhaus casts the Magic Torch spell, an orange-tinted light is summoned.

Is it safe to turn on the light?　I hope they don't make me a target.
　Isuzu speaks with concern, but Rundelhaus simply cuts him off with, ''It doesn't matter.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing," he said, "If the undead are the main ones, they should be able to tell our presence in the dark by the vibrations of our souls and our magical power. The only person who can benefit from the darkness is the other side, so it's better to turn on the light instead.
　Serara commented and called up a light source with the Bugs Light spell herself.

　Preparing multiple light sources is just as theoretical. If only one magical light source was prepared, if the surgeon fell by surprise, the spell effect would suddenly end and the area would be enveloped in darkness.

"d*mn. I'm brighter than you!
　However, Rundelhaus doesn't seem to know such a theory, and he hurriedly tries to counter it by calling up another magic light. Laughing a bit, Serara seems to be explaining the theory to Rundelhaus.

　Rundelhaus was indignant at first, but after the explanation was given, he seemed to be easily convinced. I'm sorry," said Rundelhaus. "What," he said, "is my light not weak? Of course I'm good, hahaha! He is laughing at the same time.
　Maybe he's more of a do-gooder than I thought.
　Minori felt this way.

　The passage took several turns before they arrived at a room.
　The group cautiously peered into the room through the archway and searched for signs for a while, but nothing happened, so they were afraid to enter.

''This........''

　Apparently sand had come in from somewhere, and there was a pile of fine sand on the cobblestone floor. On top of that sand, there were traces of a medium-sized number of people walking around here and there, and scattered bones left behind.

''It looks like the group that preceded us got into a battle with a skeleton here.
　Minori said as she examined the marks on the floor. The sights seemed to come to his eyelids.
　The many scattered footprints, drag marks, and white bones would tell Minori how the battle had gone. The battle would have lasted only a minute or so. It would have been a true armor-sleeve touch.

'Right, well, it looks like there are no enemies until the T-junction, at least.
　When Touya said that, he led the way and started walking.
　His brother's sniffing nose occasionally sniffs the air as if he were sniffing it.

　The group arrives at the first T-junction with fewer and fewer words. As I expected, the footprints ahead of us are turning left at that T-junction.

''........''
　Rundelhaus clicks his tongue in frustration. Touya nods at the tongue cluck and stares at the left side of the aisle. Minori twists her head, unsure of the meaning, but the two seem to have something in common.

'This way for today. Let's go.
Yeah, though I hope you don't expect me to turn right anytime soon.
　Rundelhaus takes Touya's words as such.

　At the sound of Touya's voice, the group turned to the right. This would be the place to start. They had entered an area where adequate vigilance was essential.

''Tense........''
Yes, sir.
　Minori talks in hushed tones with Serara, who is walking next to me.
　There's no need to hide your voice if you're this quiet. It's because if there is someone who can hear you even if you hide, they will hear you.
　But the darkness of the dungeon and the oppressive feeling of being in a dungeon is probably the reason for this, and even though I know there is no need to do so, I get swept up in the atmosphere, I gradually whisper and whisper about it.

''Huh!''
　The first person I noticed was Touya, who was still walking in the lead. He noticed four skeletons that looked like sentinels walking from the other side of the aisle.
　Touya reflexively drew his sword and nearly jumped out of the way.

''Touya!''
　Minori shouted at it as well, urging him to restrain himself.

　If you jump out here, you're just like Touya.
　Touya must have known that. Two months of training in the Log Horizon had also trained Touya. He holds his sword in his blue eyes and takes a swing with a low spirit.

　The crimson shockwave released from the tip of the sword struck the skeleton.
　The shockwave didn't seem to have done much damage to the skeleton, but the wriggling white bones still seemed to notice us while shattering the fine bone fragments. They start approaching at a quick pace.

　The "Izunagiri". This is one of the long-range attack techniques used by samurai.
　Normally, the warrior class is not good at attacking from a distance. Their role is to take on enemy attacks from the front. However, there are some situations in which this is not possible, so they also possess a small number of marksmanship skills.

　The samurai's use of the "Iizuna Slayer" is one such technique. Of course, the damage it does is negligible compared to the attacks of its main job as a long-range attacker - the bow of an assassin or the magic of a sorcerer. However, it has the characteristic of being able to draw the attention of the enemy without charging into their center.

　That effect must have been fully demonstrated. In the passage illuminated by the magic lights, the skeleton rushed towards Touya with an eerily smooth movement.

　The skeletons had three axes and a bow in their hands, and it looked like they were going to charge at all four of them together, but after about five meters, only the archer's skeleton stopped in his tracks.

　When Touya took a large position in the center of the passage, he exposed himself to the attacks of the three skeletons. The skeletons holding the axe surrounded Touya in the shape of a U, and then they launched a series of attacks. It's the undead's unique, emotionless behavior, like a machine that doesn't pay attention to anything but its purpose.

''Let's go!　That's a lot!
　Touya attacks all the skeletons as if he were slashing them. This is one of the "major techniques with a long reuse restriction time" that samurai are good at - the Senpugiri Dai.

　The skeleton collapses in an instant as if it were falling on its ass.
　However, it doesn't seem to have fallen over in a hurry. It seems that each of them attacked Touya exactly as if they were leftovers. In that instant, about 20% of Touya's HP was lost.

Misogi's Barrier! Heartbeat Healing!
　Selara and Minori's unique recovery spells flew almost simultaneously.
　A personal shockproof ward like a light blue mirror was constructed around Touya. The 'damage blocking spell' used by Minori could block damage of about 15% of Touya's HP limit. In other words, even if she took the current three hits again, she would only have about 5% of her HP reduced.

　And Selara's pulsating recovery spell was recovering Touya's HP like a powerful heartbeat. This sustained HP recovery spell will continue to cast a recovery spell on the target every second for 15 seconds, and it will take about 10 seconds to recover 20% of HP.

　It's safe to say that Touya's protection is now guaranteed.

It's my turn!　Take it!
　What Rundelhaus produced from his fingertips was a bullet of lava the size of a clenched fist....................but still simmering with sludge.

''Orb of Lava!
　The lava bullets that were launched didn't just go straight ahead.
　It struck one of the skeletons from the front, and it bent at a right angle on the spot and pierced the skeletons one after another. The immortal skeletons were so hot that their charred bones collapsed or burned up in an instant.

　A sorcerer.
　It was a type of sorcerer-type profession, a kind of perfection in a sense.
　Its characteristic feature was its offensive power. In the same way that assassins sought to limit the damage done by weapons, sorcerers aimed to limit the damage done by magic.
　They do not use their own magic to summon otherworldly beings to serve them, as the Summoner does. Nor are they as adept at amplifying the power of others as enchanter's.
　The magic the Enchanter uses is more primitive and powerful than that. They convert their own magical power directly into destructive power. That destructive energy often takes the form of fire, ice, or lightning, and strikes the target directly, instantly annihilating the hostile entity.

　Along with the assassin, it is the most powerful of all twelve professions. Compared to the assassin's ability to strike with a weapon, the ability to choose the type of attack is considered superior by many to the assassin's ability to strike.

''Huh?　Huh?　...................Oh!
　Rundelhaus shouts in surprise.
　As if following the lava bullets that should have been struck out, rainbow-colored light bullets were launched from the tip of his staff to deal additional damage.

Yeah!　It worked!
　Isuzu smiles broadly.

　The bard's special skill of supporting the bard is many. It's a good thing that the bard has an overwhelming amount of variation in its specialties, compared to other professions.
　In terms of versatility in covering your allies, even the Grantor was a step or two ahead of the Bard.
　Isuzu's choice for today's adventure was the Carols of the Circle Singer, a permanent aid song. It's a "permanent aid song" that gives you the ability to automatically give an additional attack to your allies by activating the "magic attack landing" key.

That's amazing!　This is the Bard's?　Miss Isuzu. My spell of artistic destructiveness is rising to mythic destructiveness!　Hahahahahaha!　Gurach, nice play!
　Apparently, this backup greatly lifted Rundelhaus' mood.

　Towards Isuzu, Rundelhaus gave a thumbs up and bachin!　And wink audibly.

　When the blond, handsome Western handsome Rundelhaus does it with great pomp and circumstance, he looks like a Hollywood actor, and it's too much of a picture.
　His rather uptight remarks may be due to the fact that he was born a lad, but from his innocent words, he doesn't seem to be a fundamentally bad person.

(And with great power...)

　This is what the sorcerer is all about. Even though he was supported by the Bard, he still managed to bury three skeletons with a single blow.

　Rarely in the Elder Tail does a battle end so unilaterally.
　Even Touya, for example, would need about 10 attacks to finish off a one-on-one battle with a monster of his level. Even with a recovery position, his attack surface was poor, and in Minori's case, he would need more than 20 attacks.

　Even though Minori is a slightly lower-ranked opponent from the perspective of Rundel House, she can still bury her enemies with a single strike, which is an offensive power that is out of the ordinary.

　However.
"Hey, wait, wait!
What's up?　Miss Minori. Did you fall in love with my beautiful magic at first sight?

　The back of Rundelhaus's head as he did a pretentious spinning turn: "Thump! And then there was a sound of "Oh!" and the Skeleton Archer's arrow pierced it.

'Oh...' 'Oh...' 'Oh...'

What's going on?
　Rundelhaus swung around once more with vigor. His attack had indeed hit all four skeletons, but Touya's first attack had not reached the archer's skeleton. Apparently the difference in damage caused the Skeleton Archer to survive.

''Whoa, oops, oops, oops!
He'll recover.
　Minori casts as an emergency measure.

　I'm sure Touya didn't want to give the enemy any room to attack, so he ran to the skeleton archer as if he were kicking the earth. But it was a blunder. As Touya rushed forward, another group of skeletons spotted him at the corner of the passage and brought in new enemy reinforcements.

　The high offensive power possessed by sorcerers (sorcerers) is indeed a powerful weapon in annihilating their enemies. However, it is not invincible.

　Their overly high offensive capabilities are enough to make monsters wary of them. These highly threatening beings are perceived by the monsters as targets to be prioritized. And sorcerers, as is the fate of sorcerer-type professions, have only paper-thin armor and lousy defense capabilities.

　The five new skeletons that emerged from the horns were five additional skeletons, plus one skeleton that could not be defeated, for a total of six.

　Moreover, because Touya had protruded at the front line, the formation was stretched out vertically and was in an unstable position.

(It's going to be a wild fight! No! This is the time to be calm. First of all, take insurance by blocking all damage........

　However, that thought was already lacking in calmness.
　It's true that a powerful but large technique called "Total Damage Blocker" takes a long time to chant. In the meantime, as if he couldn't wait, Rundelhaus unleashed a powerful attack spell and took the enemy's attention away from Touya. The skeletons slipped past the flank of Touya, who was building a front line, and made their way into the defensive formation of Minori and the others.

　The long-range Skeleton Archer repeatedly attacked Rundelhaus with his arrows, and his frail HP was quickly closing in on the red zone.

　It's a veritable war inside the narrow passage.



　◆


Huh. I see. It's a raccoon's nest.

　Michitaka chuckles to himself in his mind as he smilingly accepts the glass. This is the "Old Court of Eternal Ice". However, it was a different area than the one rented by Michitaka and the rest of the Round Table, the area where the Marquis of Darte stayed.

　The meeting of the lords with the Alliance of Free Cities Eastal was, as Shiroe had predicted, a slow process. According to what he had first heard, the meetings were basically held in the afternoon, on an irregular basis, but in the four days since Michitaka arrived at this "Old Court of Eternal Ice" not a single meeting had been held.

　--There is no need to be in a hurry because there are ten days to meet, you know. But contrary to what the aristocrats had said, the negotiations behind the scenes were indeed going on violently.
　The proof of this is that invitations and requests are being conveyed to the "Round Table" group almost daily. In the beginning, Shiroe, Krusty and Michitaka met face to face to discuss these requests, but that wasn't enough time for them to get together, and they were now dispersed.

　The basic policy was confirmed and the adventurer's weapon, the telephonic function, which the Daichijin does not have, was useful.

　It was the same that night.
　We were invited to a dinner party by the Marquis of Darte in the Citadel of Mogami.
　An invitation to an evening party for the young knights of the Alliance of Free Cities Eastal.
　An invitation to a dinner party from the Marquis of Tukuba, Kiriva and the Academic Guild.

　All three were covered by these invitations.
　Wouldn't it be bad for the lords' power relations to attend one of them?　With the idea of avoiding a situation where they would want to put themselves on the shoulders of a particular lord, they initially thought that they should refuse everything. However, the group has decided that gathering information and making acquaintances should be the priority, so the group is now divided into three groups.

　I'm sure there will be some wind instruments and dancing as well, since it's a "night party with young knights in the center". It's not a bad idea to have a dinner party at the Marquis Kiriva's, but if an academic guild were to show up, Michitaka and Krusty would be too heavy a burden.

　So it was decided that Krusty would attend this meeting of the young knights and princesses, or the 'next generation of leaders'. With an amused smile, Shiroe tells her, "I'm sure dancing will be fun. Apparently, she's been holding on to the idea.
　However, Krusty replies to Henrietta of the , who still had the same concern, without panicking. I've recently obtained a highly durable and non-depleting defensive shield. It takes a knack for getting between myself and the enemy, but I can refuse invitations without any difficulty, so it should be fine.''

　Michitaka had no idea what he was talking about, but he decided to discontinue his thoughts, thinking that if Krusty said so, it would be fine.

　Once Shiroe and Krusty had decided on where to visit, Michitaka was left to go. It's called the 'Marquis Darte's Dinner Party', which is a surplus.

We have the best cattle from our region. I hope you will enjoy your meal tonight.

　The Marquis d'arte so welcomed was a man of mature age, rustic at best, and, from a nasty point of view, with a country expression. His clothes were simple, of course, clean, solid and fine, but he wore a top and bottom with no flamboyant decoration. His eyes, however, had a really seamless glint in them.

　In the real world, Michitaka was nothing more than a chief class businessman. But in this alternate world, he is the guild master of one of the largest guilds in Akiba, the Marine Organization, which has 5,000 members. It is said that the guild members call him "general manager" or "mischievous general," but he is not so dim that he is unable to detect such a sign.

　The Marquis d'arte suggested a seat at the table to Michitaka, who nonetheless returned the greeting affably. It was Marquis d'arte's family seated at a large table for a sumptuous dinner party.
　His wife is still young, but she is a chubby, quite beautiful woman. She could possibly be his second wife. The eldest son is a strong-willed boy in the upper grades of elementary school and has a younger sister who is still young.

''Well, the food situation has changed in the last two months. Accompanied by one of the best cooks in our territory, I participated in this meeting with great enthusiasm.''
　The dinner party started while listening to Marquis Darte's story.

　The fortified city of Mogami - the Marquis of Darte's domain seems to be located in the northeastern part of the country, as they say in the old world. The exact location of the city was, according to Shiroe's map, the location of Yamagata.
　It has a population of about 8,000, which would make it "the safest and most comfortable city in the countryside," according to Marquis d'arte. According to my prior information, the Marquis de Darte should be the one with about a dozen villages around the city.

　The dinner was a rather lavish medieval European-style meal.
　Michitaka doesn't know much about it, but I have the impression that in French cuisine, for example, they call it a course, and the food is served in small portions on a plate. It's a good idea to be able to have a large plate of food with plenty of herbs.
　The roasted meat is served with plenty of herbs, and the Marquis d'arte himself will cut it up for you.

This meat is reputed to be the best in our territory. Do you like it?
Yes, this is good!
　Michitaka was tantalized by the food.

　It's true that the word "top quality" is not false. It's not that I'm not a fan of this, it's just that I'm not a fan of the meat.
I'm not going to pretend that I'm not talking about the best.

　But from what Michitaka had seen, it was the same for all aristocrats. The "meal". It has become an important term that now influences the politics of this other world. Two months of transformation had changed the world.
　All the lords, like this Marquis of Darte, seemed to be bringing the best cooks and ingredients in the territory. For them, this meeting was a 'new opportunity' that had fallen. Even a weak territory could gain unprecedented wealth if a delicious specialty product was discovered, even if it was a weak territory. Powerful aristocrats, in order to protect their power and prestige, had to seek out better food than other nobles.
　Of course, in the past, the Free Cities Alliance Eastal Council had its own social vainglory, but now gastronomy has become an important strategy for import and export and economy.

The area around our town is mountainous, and the terrain is quite steep. Therefore, in addition to the forestry and mining industries, cattle breeding is also popular. We'll be having our pride and joy at this evening's dinner.
　The expression on the eldest boy's face, tingling with anticipation, told him that it was quite a feast.

　While savoring the food, Michitaka listened to Marquis Darte's stories.
　Sometimes he talked about the climate and geography of the northeastern part of the archipelago, as well as various customs. For the Marquis de Darte, it was probably just a prelude to a business meeting, and he was proud of his country, but for Michitaka, it was a valuable source of information.

　The northeastern part of the archipelago seems to be a landform rich in forests and mountains, with a series of mountain ranges. The mountains are lush and green, with inexhaustible forest resources, abundant rainfall, many lakes, and beautiful mountain streams.
　There are few flatlands, mostly coastal and mountain basins.
　In these small areas, wheat and rice are grown on the narrow plains.

　The large area stretching from the northeast to the northern Kanto region is the heart of the Free Cities Alliance Eastal, but the major problem with this region is the overpopulation of monsters.

　The total population of the world's benevolent human species is, according to the estimates of Shiroe, Roderick and others, about 1/100th that of the real Japan. But it is not necessarily the same as the number of intelligent life forms. This world is also home to sub-humans, such as goblins and orcs. They are a little less intelligent than the good human side, but they are hardy, fertile, and above all brutal and evil.
　In this other world, there are those evil sub-human races as well, and they have created many kingdoms and dominant regions. They spend their days and nights fighting wars and looting in order to gain control of this world.

　In the northeastern part of the archipelago, the mainstay of this warfare is the goblins, or green goblins. Goblins are petite sub-humans, growing no taller than about five feet in height. They are slender, ugly, distorted, dwarf-built human-type monsters. They have a simplified tribal society and live in several professions.

　Most of them are migratory raiding tribes (plunder tribes), but some have established a home base. This is especially common in the Northeast, where they can create huge conglomerates with populations of up to tens of thousands.
　Like many sub-humans, goblins have sub-tribes of disorderly, sub-tribes of disorderly breeding. One of these is the Iron-bodied Green Goblin (hobgoblins). Hobgoblins are less intelligent than goblins, but they are human-type monsters with a mad sense of loyalty. They use armor and weapons, and will fight to the death for their clan.
　Besides. High ranking goblin shamans can invoke the spirits of their ancestors, use undead and deal with spirits. A goblin trainer (tamer) may also keep owl bears (owl bears), winged eagle horses (hippogriffs) and direwolves (direwolves).

　Each individual goblin is no better than a mid-level adventurer, but as a force of diverse abilities, goblins are not to be underestimated.

　These sub-humans, of course, live in an area that is somewhat different from the area controlled by humans. In this case, it should be said that the humans are desperately defending their territory from them. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to talk about the Tohoku region, but I'm sure they live in the deep forests and mountains.

But then, well, that's where this - yes, this great revolution - happened.
　Marquis d'arte continued.

'This great revolution has first of all brought about a great change in the food situation. As you know, the people of my estate are now completely tricked out by the charm of the new diet. This is out of our control.
　The Marquis's wife chuckled at her husband's foul-mouthed words and interrupted him.

You are also crazy about pecorino salad and smoked wild boar. It's not fair to talk about the people of your land as if they are a gourmet sloth.
　Michitaka nodded harmoniously to his wife who smiled charmingly at him.
'Yes, and a good meal will enrich your day. This is a wonderful thing.

Oh, yeah. Well, that's one of those things.
　........In fact, in our territory as well, after this revolution, the motivation of the people of the territory has increased and various production has become more active. Rice has not yet been affected. ........That's a grain that's grown in the long run. But cattle and vegetables have already been affected.
　To be more specific, people are growing and harvesting more carefully in order to make their food as tasty as possible. In addition, it is no longer necessary to transport rotten food.
　Michitaka nodded. That being said, it's also true.

There are also many lords who have turned to commerce to purchase good food and ingredients. It's a good idea to grow something that tastes good and sell it at a high price in order to obtain a variety of other food sources,
　This was another nod to Michitaka, the production guild.

''So.
　Michitaka hmmm. I think.

　That's probably true. In such a mountainous land, there are probably some crops that you can't grow even if you wanted to. In the first place, there must be many crops that can only be grown in the south. Michitaka and his colleagues have had a hard time getting their hands on sugar, which only comes from the south.
　Sugar is a specialty of the Nine-Tier Autonomous Territory, but since the catastrophe, its scarcity has led to a skyrocketing price tag.

　It was different in the past.
　No matter what material was used, a certain quality and taste of food was produced, so the difference in ingredients only affected the effectiveness of the food item... in other words, sugar was treated like a medicine.

(No, it's a meal, or rather a nutritional bar, if you will.)

　But now it's different. There is a growing demand for delicious, fresh and varied ingredients. In this simple other world, people basically eat what they produce on their own land.
　Transportation is expensive and time-consuming. Transporting perishable food is even harder. However, condiments and delicacies would have to be imported from far away places. Exporting is the quickest way to get money for imports.
　In that case, the obstacle would be the monsters.
　With that in mind, I can understand why this nobleman would want to ask the Roundtable to send a force to fight for him.

''Well, I don't think this is just our Mogami's wish.
　Marquis Darte shrugged his shoulders.

''However, I've heard that it would take more than a few hundred troops to search a single mountain. The forces required to rid the northeastern part of the archipelago of goblins would be astronomical. The power of our own Akiba's Round Table Conference will not be enough. It's a pity, but if we have to guard the roads all the time, even the street guards will be in short supply of troops.

　Michitaka cuts back on those words. This whole regional security operation is nonsense. With the population of this world, it is impossible to secure that many areas. And it is precisely because this is impossible that humanity's sphere of life takes the form of a bubble of urban-centered security areas.

　On the other hand, more than that, Michitaka's words were also a check.
　He gave his advice in the form of a nail in advance before his request to "send troops to my territory as soon as possible and as a priority, even if other lords' territories will be put on the back burner," was made. If you are going to save it, all the areas at once. If we can't do that, we can't meddle with it unnecessarily," he said.

　The dinner was already a dessert.

　I don't know if it was the local taste, or if it was something I had managed to find in the past two months, but it was a sweet omelet that came out. The marquis d'arte carefully cut off Michitaka, who was drinking a cup of black rose tea and a simple pastry with a nostalgic taste.

''No. No, I don't necessarily need that much monster annihilation. Rather, what I would like to ask for is another method. ....to provide technology for maritime transport.
　Michitaka was blindsided.
　Sea transport, that is, the provision of steam-powered ships.
　It was a proposal from the Marquis d'arte to facilitate imports and exports without having to spend troops on defeating monsters.



　◆



　There was a heavy atmosphere flowing through the tent.
　To be honest, it was a bit stifling.

　Isuzu wriggled around in her sleeping bag.
　We had just had dinner, and we could see the flames of the fire through the canvas of the tent, so I guess it was only 9:00 p.m., wasn't it?

　If we were in town, it wouldn't be time to go to bed yet, but in this wilderness, there's nothing else to do.

　Even if there was something to do, I'm so limp and exhausted that I don't even feel like doing it. My body is so tired that I don't feel motivated to do anything, but my mind, or maybe it's because it's not a time for sleep in my daily life - the sleepiness never came.

　At any rate, I tried to crawl into my sleeping bag, but the truth was that I was in agony.

　Inside the tent, some of my friends are sorting through their luggage by the magic light.

'Ugh.'
　Isuzu turned her head in that direction.
　It was Minori who was moving seriously. Touya was crawling into her sleeping bag, as was Isuzu, and Serara was slumped in the corner of the tent. Rundelhaus is sitting cross-legged on top of his sleeping bag, arms folded grimly.

　Everyone was clad in heavy air.

　It was not unreasonable. Today's exploration had been a mess.

　The battle of Isuzu and the others eventually turned into a mixed battle as it was, and then it took on the appearance of a mudslinging battle while calling in more skeleton reinforcements.

　The battle, which continues in a chaotic formation, takes away not only the HP of all the participants, but also their MP and saved special skills, and even their concentration. At the start of the battle, you were able to push hard with your abundant skills and HP, but when you can no longer do so, you have to rely on recovery spells.
　However, that recovery spell also has an upper limit of MP, so it is inevitable that it will be exhausted at some point.

　--It's because you guys can't recover properly that I'll take heavy damage!　But from Isuzu's point of view, the two recovery workers, Serara and Minori, were doing their best.

　Of course, Isuzu had no idea how and what they were doing, but looking at that limp Serara and Minori with a thoughtful expression on her face, I can assure you that there was no way they were cutting corners.

　Isuzu is one of the newcomers rescued from the Hamelin, the Bard.

　Isuzu had been friends with Minori since the days of the Hameln.
　In fact, it could be said that he was a good friend of Minori's.

　It's a good thing that the girl, who is three years younger than you, is a really good person.
　Isuzu had a very high opinion of the younger girl, who was supposed to be much lower level and less experienced than she was. Of course, that was partly due to the knowledge she said she had learned from Shiroe, but more than that, it was due to the girl's high sense of purpose and intelligence.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one with a sense of purpose. I'm relying on you, Minori-chan.

　Isuzu herself does not consider herself to be an excellent person at all.

　In high school, she played in the brass band. Her hobby is playing a musical instrument. And a wood bass.

　He is tall, but he is thin like a track and field athlete who lost his hormonal balance while growing up (not that he is physically strong). Her face is not ugly, but she is far from beautiful.
　Freckles are still a complex. The thicker hair that seems to bounce around in braids is also a daily annoyance to me.
　It's not that I don't have a lot of friends or that I'm being bullied, but I'm just a mass-produced, small-town high school girl who can be found anywhere.

　Her brother, who is a Gundam fanatic, told her that he had a few extra tickets left over and asked her if she wanted to try it. I was just giving it a try.
　I was happy to get a job as a "bard" within the game as well, which was interesting in its own right. But I don't think I would have done it if it wasn't free.

　Then Isuzu was caught up in a catastrophe and got trapped in a rogue guild called the Hameln.
　At first, Isuzu was in a panic. There was a lot of confusion about what was going on, but then a sinking feeling - yes, a sinking feeling of despair - came over me.
　And then it was easy to feel a dent in it. My hope was crushed and I gave up on resistance. Isuzu, who was empty from resenting and holding a grudge against God and the world, could think of nothing but getting fed every day.

　Oh, this is what life is like for children in the disaster area, she thought to herself, feeling terribly miserable. I hated it to the point of madness, but on the other hand, I was also convinced by it. This is the kind of ending that's a side note. I heard a tired muttering in my own mind.

　Even in those moments, Minori was being kind to the other new players.
　It's true that knowledge isn't something that disappears because you share it. But it's also not something that is meaningless to monopolize. Monopoly increases the likelihood that you will be the only one who can be saved in a time of need.
　And yet, Minori continued to talk to the new players in her room on a daily basis, trying to share as much information about the game as she knew.

　In that sense, the same is true of his younger brother, Touya.
　The fact that they are both junior high school students never ceases to amaze me.
　The two of them have a strength that can't be simply described as "special". If it wasn't for Minori, Isuzu would have been even more desolate in the "Hameln" and might not have been able to regain her cheerfulness even now.

　Serara, on the other hand, is a girl her age.
　She was the one who first handed me the warm, delicious soup and bread right after the Hameln rescued me. The Hameln didn't treat me very well, if I do say so myself. I don't mind saying it myself, but after being rescued, I would have smelled like raw garbage.

　It's okay," he said to Isuzu, "I'm fine. We're already saved," Serara said, giving me a hug.

　At the entrance to the guild hall that day, which looked like a swarm of refugees, Serara called out to the new players who were sniffling and soggy with tears, "I'm a new player who isn't much different in level," she said.
　I was also targeted by a manhunters in a town called Susukino, but they helped me out and now I'm living in a decent guild," she told me. I'm sure there were many friends who were saved by her words.

　I think she is one of the most accommodating to new players in the Crescent Moon Alliance. The fact that we are at about the same level and the fact that we are the same age also made Isuzu feel close to her. Isuzu is now the closest member of the and spends time with them almost every day.

　I think Serara is an adorable high school girl.

(I'm so jealous of her figure.)

　He seems to have a huge complex, but from Isuzu's point of view, I can't help but be jealous. It's nothing if your cheeks are a little bit round. I think it's really girlish, with its plump breasts, voluminous buttocks and white color.

(Celara calls me smart, but I'm not. There is nothing feminine about me, I'm too burly and burly to be a woman.

　Isuzu is a close acquaintance of both Minori and Celara. I think it's okay to call them friends, but for some reason, it's embarrassing to declare that without their permission, or perhaps it's that kind of feeling that makes me describe them as "acquaintances". But in their hearts, they are properly "friends".

　So it's impossible to say that those two men were skipping out on their recovery.

　So what caused the devastation today?　Who was at fault?
　If you ask me that, Isuzu is in trouble this time.

　--The boggy battle lasted for about 30 minutes.
　When they made it through the battle as if anyone could die, the party was in a half-destroyed state, and everyone's MP and special skill reuse restrictions had been completely exhausted. If the enemy found them one more time like this, they would be wiped out.
　The party was desperately trying to get back to the entrance. However, even as we were returning, we were found by a resurrected skeleton, and we had to fight a horrible retreat... (Today, it was really bad.

(Today, it was really awful!)

　It was disastrous.
　Isuzu and the others' first attempt at a dungeon would have set a record of withdrawing after only an hour of starting.

(Touya-chan, right?)

　Even Touya isn't as close as Minori, but we know each other.
　I think she's a nice, bright kid. Was he in a pinch because Touya was no good or had bad intentions?　If you ask me, I can tell you that's not true.
　It's true that during our short search, there were some mistakes such as forceful assaults. But if we examine each case individually, "It may be a mistake, but Touya had an idea and reason for it, and it's not something that we can blame him for.

　On the other hand, Rundelhaus is a sorcerer, the first sorcerer I've ever met at this training camp. It's fair to say that his character and abilities were the most unknown among the members of this group.
　Rundelhaus does not hold back. He's loud, arrogant, and boastful. It's true that he has the good-looking face of a prince, but in the eyes of Isuzu, he's a light-hearted man.

　So is this Rundel House the reason for today's failure?　If you ask me, that is also a question mark.
　It is true that overconfidence and carelessness on the part of Rundelhaus may have worsened the war situation. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a very good idea to have a good idea on the part of Rundelhaus.
　It's clear that Rundelhaus loves his profession and was working hard to demonstrate his abilities. After all, Rundelhaus is a narcissist of some sort, and there's no way he would cut corners since he considers the destruction of his enemies as a virtue.

(He's not a bad person...)
　Isuzu thinks.

　She glances at Rundelhaus, lying on her stomach. The figure of Rundelhaus, with his mouth tied in a hefty knot and his arms crossed, looks like an ascetic or a monk being struck by a waterfall.
　He has the appearance of a perfect Western man, so there is a great deal of discomfort, but I don't doubt that he is serious.

(I'm sure he's doing today's reflections and brainstorming.)

　--maybe I'm blaming myself, I wonder. Rundelhaus, who seems to be able to dribble out his thoughts on everything, was quite blaming the people around him for today's day's adventures. However, at the same time, he seemed to be hard on himself as well, and seemed to blame himself in frustration.

(Huh........)

　So then, no one is to blame after all, right?

No, no, wait. That's not a good idea.

　Yes, there is one person who is not under consideration. That is Isuzu herself. You can't deny the possibility that Isuzu herself is bad and has been in trouble many times.

(I'm not very good at this kind of thing either...)

　I'm new to the game. Of course, I don't have any martial arts skills, and I've never even imagined survival in the real world.

　But even so, it's already two months.

　Isuzu is aware of the fact that he has been fighting in this world repeatedly.
　But when I think back, Isuzu herself was also full of discomfort in today's adventure. In this case, uncomfortable means to the extent that "uncomfortable" means "not the best course of action in hindsight".
　I'm not sure how that happened, but when I think back, I do remember making a number of mistakes.

　The bard has many different types of magic tricks, but the most noteworthy of them is the Permanent Protection Song.
　These are musical vibrations that emanate from the bird's body unconsciously.

　It's a permanent support effect that affects everyone in the party, and as long as the bard doesn't stop the effect, it's a useful and powerful skill that will continue to benefit the party. It's a useful and powerful feat, and as long as the bard doesn't stop working, it will continue to benefit the party.

　The problem is that you can only use two of these permanent Songs for Protection at the same time. It's said that there are 15 different types of "permanent cover songs" in high-level birds, and even the current Isuzu has 10 different options.
　Which two of the ten types of cover the Bard would use was the first problem the Bard faced, and would continue to worry about even at higher levels.

　Today, Isuzu had chosen Carol of the Ring Singer and Etude of Sword Speed.
　The former is a support song that adds additional damage to magic attacks. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

　But today's battle was a failure.
　The Carol of the Ring does indeed increase magic damage, but it also draws the attention of the enemy to Rundel House. This was a completely unexpected trouble.
　In addition, there were more enemy reinforcements than expected, and the battle became a mixed bag.
　At this point, Isuzu decided to change the cover song even in the middle of the battle. Since it would take a long chanting time to change the cover song, it was originally preferable to do it in a non-combat situation. He had been stalling and wondering about it for a while, but he decided to change it during battle, as he was afraid that if he didn't, he might be wiped out.

　The Carol of the Ring is now the Nocturne of Meditation.
　He changed the title of the epitudes from Swordspeed Epitudes to Dancing Pavane.

　The Nocturne of Meditation is a meditation song that allows the player to gradually regain his or her MP even during battle. In the Elder Tail, MP will slowly regain its value when not in combat. The rate of recovery will accelerate when you take a break, for example. However, it does not recover in combat.
　The Nocturne of Meditation is a support song for recovering the MP at a slower rate than in a resting state, but it is meant to be used in combat.
　The Dancing Pavane increases the agility of all your comrades and increases their evasion rate to fend off hostile monster attacks.

　Now that the enemy reinforcements had appeared, it was inevitable that the battle would be prolonged. No, the battle had already become bogged down at the time he decided to make the change. Isuzu prepared for a prolonged battle and changed the support song.

(But.........)

　I knew then that I had to do it, and I still don't think that decision was the wrong one.

　But in conclusion, that decision did not improve the battle situation.

　Of course, the evasion rate has increased and the speed of MP consumption has obviously slowed down. The amount of MP consumed by special moves and heals was offset by the recovery from the Nocturne of Meditation.
　But at the same time, this also meant that the increase in damage from Carol of the Wheel and Epitudes of Swordspeed had ended.
　If the damage output is reduced, it will take more time to defeat a single enemy. The longer it took to kill an enemy, the more time it took to fight - resulting in an increase in the amount of HP recovery required and a higher MP consumption.

　It was a vicious cycle.

(But.........)

　Yes, it was a "but".
　Isuzu couldn't believe that the decision was an incorrect one. Even if it was a mistake, it should have been a "mistake" to the extent of "it wasn't the best" - a "mistake" on the level of Touya and Rundelhaus, so to speak. It's unlikely that it would have caused us to be in as much turmoil and struggle as we were today.

　Besides, if it was a mistake, what should have been done?
　Isuzu thinks.

(I'm not very good at thinking.)

　I'm not good at reflecting and strategizing. Analysis and execution were Isuzu's least favorite areas of expertise. But Isuzu was even worse at this heavy tent air than it was at thinking.
　So he had to worry about it, even as he thought about the heavy, stagnant will-like emotions in his stomach.

　The first night in the Zantorif Mountains had just begun.



◆



　The small, but seemingly larger than an old world school classroom, small hall echoes with the sweet music played by Reito. Against the backdrop of that chamber music, a number of people's circles are blooming in the room.

　''The Old Court of Eternal Ice.
　In one of its upper levels, the "Seven Maidens' Room".
　Standing and strutting about is a young knight. There was also a girl princess who sat on the couches that were tastefully arranged here and there and let out little squeals of joy at the gossip. A marquis behaving with civility, a scholar's egg with a reluctant, almost wry smile, and a young bureaucrat. A young bureaucrat.

　I've heard that this evening's party is a friendly, unpretentious gathering of young members of the Free City Alliance Eastal; a total of about 40 people, ranging from their late teens to their mid-twenties, were present at this evening's party.

Do you intend to stay here forever?
Yeah.
　Krusty replied, letting Reinesia sit across the small round table from him.

　You can also find a number of different types of shoes for you to choose from.
　It's not that he doesn't like Krusty, but it's not that he doesn't like her.
　It's a good thing that you're a big knight, because it's basically a silent person, so you won't be subjected to all sorts of aristocratic sycophancy. It's a good thing that she doesn't have to bite the cat, "Beauty in the Rain," as it were.

　But she was the daughter of the Duke of Cowen's family.
　You don't know what kind of rumors you can start when you spend so much time with a particular man. It would be good for the duration of this soiree. But I'm not sure what people will say about me later.

(Does this man know what he's talking about?

　Krusty in front of me is soberly drinking black rose tea with a splash of liquor. It's been an hour since they settled into this seat at the beginning of the evening party, but it's been an hour now. There was no conversation.

　This situation was the result of the two men's aligned interests in the short term. As for Raynesia, it was an advantage not to be suffocated by the flattery of the young nobles, knights and civil servants.

　She is the granddaughter of the Duke of Sergiad, the first lord.
　Speaking of dukes, there are only two families in Yamato. It is the highest nobility of all the noble families. This title was given to the ancient court of Westlande. Now that the ancient dynasty has fallen, in terms of aristocratic status, the Saigu family, the grave-keepers of the ancient dynasty of West Runde, are the only noble families that are higher in rank than the Duke of Cowen.

　The daughter of such a great aristocratic family, Reinesia is the object of courtship by many knights and civil servants. Reinesia has an older sister and a younger brother, but now that her sister has already married off, Reinesia will probably take a son-in-law or a younger brother will take a wife, and the Corwin family will continue to exist. With that in mind, it's not surprising that she would be an object of worship, adoration, and desire for the nobles and knights of her age.

(Sigh...)

　She couldn't help but let out a sneaky sigh as her stomach heaved at the thought of it. Marriage seems to be an unknown and distant country to Reinesia. Her parents seem to have a very formal relationship with her, and her sister's relationship with her is very coarse. It was difficult for Reinesia to determine which was the real "marriage".
　Thinking on top of her personal proclivities, all she could think of was that it would be outrageous to live with a stranger (of the opposite s*x), but from her position, she couldn't not do it.

　If you are married, you can't call yourself a stranger at that point in your life, but that part of your brain has been missing from Reinesia's mind.
　It's a good thing that she's got a lot of experience in this field, because she has a lot of experience in this field. What a pure person she is..." and whispering to each other.

　The other character, Krusty, also enjoys some merit. He is the young leader of the Round Table, the largest force of the Adventurers, the main topic of conversation at the moment.

　That force is approximately 10,000 in terms of troops. It is said that their individual fighting abilities are so elite that they can't even match a half-skilled knight, and when converted to a nobleman's knightly order, it is said to be the equivalent of tens of thousands of men. They are also said to have an economic scale that is inferior to the Free Cities Alliance Eastar's largest territory, but is rumored to be on a par with Maihama. I'm sure that the Alliance of Free Cities Eastar will be a huge force that has suddenly appeared in the Free Cities Alliance.

　And apart from those factors, Krusty's personal appearance makes him an interesting person to watch.
　He was over 190 centimeters tall, which is quite large for a human race. He was not slender and slender, but his well-trained, muscular body gave the impression of being a tremendous warrior just by looking at him.
　I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get a good look at him.
　Even if you discount the fact that he is an adventurer, he already has enough charisma to make him an object of curiosity and adoration for the ladies of noble families.

　In the other day's friendly exchange match between the knights, the heavy armor in dull iron and dark blue was covered with scars and burn marks here and there, to the point that the knights, proud of their beautiful armor, refrained from witnessing it. The armed warriors who wished to meet hand-to-hand were now completely enthralled by Krusty.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one, because it's a good idea to have a good time with her to avoid unwanted advances and troublesome schemes. At least that's what he said.

(Ugh.)

　Raynesia looks at Krusty with resentful eyes. Krusty was 100% ignoring her gaze, but then he looked up. That gaze is directed at Reinesia's rear.

'Princess Reinesia?'
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry to have interrupted the pleasure of your conversation. Well may I join you?　I brought you some cookies.
　The two girls were Appletta, daughter of the Marquis of Leicester, and Huevell, granddaughter of Baron Iwafune. They made their debut together at this term's ball, so to speak, and were in sync with each other.

''Yes, of course. ........Are you sure?　Lord Krusty.
　Reinesia answers with a perfect smile. Krusty smiles at her, too, and pulls a chair made of graceful curves, hand in hand, to the two of them. The gesture was frustratingly picturesque, I don't know where she learned the gesture.

You also know proper etiquette........ So you can treat a lady like a lady, huh?

　The two girls seemed relieved and offered cookies and began to talk about other things. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's also a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　I'm not sure I have any sympathy for their private lives, however. Whenever the topic of new perfumes or dresses is brought up, I don't really follow them.

　As for the perfume, I think it's a bit stinky. The scent is too strong.

　But I would like to put it aside as a matter of taste, although I am probably more stinky than I am, because I can go through three or four days without a bath if left alone. Of course, in reality, there is no way they would leave you alone like that, and you are thrown into the bath every day by a samurai woman and even sprayed with perfume from your head.
　The dress is not only uncomfortable to wear, but also extremely uncomfortable to wear, as it is either too revealing or too ornate. Reinesia likes cotton pajamas.
　Sheer flannel pajamas are wonderful to the touch, and the silk ones are also very comfortable. The silk ones are also pleasant to the touch, but I found them somewhat awkward. They are bad pajamas.
　It's even better if you don't have to get out of the bed.

"-You know, Princess Reinesia thinks so too, don't you?
　Huevel smiles adorably, and Reinesia reflexively smiles back at her, "Yes, really," she says.

　Huevel and Appletta whisper to each other, giggling happily at Reinesia's agreement. As for Raynesia, she's inwardly in a cold sweat. She agreed to it on the spur of the moment, but she was so wrapped up in her thoughts (or delusions) that she didn't listen to the conversation at all.

"Reinesia-sama is a beautiful person, isn't she, Krusty?
Yes, it's an honor.
　The two girl princesses giggle at Krusty's response. The girl is adorable, even from Raynesia's point of view. A huge difference compared to herself.

''?''
''But......... Princess Reinesia is a compassionate person. She said that because of her concern for me, a newcomer.
That's not true. Master Krusty is a gallant knight.
　Unlike Reinesia, whose debut at the ball was delayed due to her grandfather's doting, these two girls are, I believe, 15 or 6. To them, Krusty's age is the very age of the knight they aspire to be. That's enough age. That's why they were able to come to this table without any disheartenment like the other princesses.

(Eh, eh?!)
　Raynesia's panic sets in as she smiles calmly on the surface.
　It seems that the flow of the conversation just now is that the two girl princesses complimented Krusty and she agreed with them.

(May it be a compliment that's inoffensive!)

Princess Leinecia's thoughtfulness in keeping me company was intended to keep me from being mistaken for a countryman in my unfamiliarity with the court's manners. I feel that this is more than I deserve.
　Krusty speaks to the two princesses in a smooth tone of voice, as if he can't help but say that his earlier reticence is a lie.

(Wow, you're bad!　He was so bad!

Oh, dear. Now, Master Krusty. We'd like to introduce you to...
No. Would you like to play Chaturanga with us over there?
　They both exclaimed in surprise.

'No. You are the only one who knows the battlefield. You will be able to see that they are not the only ones who know the battlefield. It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　It's probably just a bother to deal with the other nobles, but Krusty tells you those words with a serious and loyal face. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.

It's a good idea. It's a good idea. I'm sure you'll love the elegance of the court. Isn't it?
　Raynesia looked at Krusty with as pliant a gaze as she could muster and whispered. As for the meaning of the words, "I think it's time we found another refuge, don't you? It is.

'No. The silence near the Princess seems to comfort the wishy-washy mind in strife. If I may, during the conference. Please give me the opportunity to repay your kindness.
　This Krusty said, "Let me use that catnip as a shield for the duration of the meeting. We'll have each other, won't we? It was interpreted to mean.

　When the two princesses, who let out a yellow scream at the exchange between them, retreated, Reinesia, who was completely exhausted, leaned back against the sofa.
　Nearby, Krusty was still as calm and serene as ever.

　To the sidelines, she looked like a princess who had been hit by the heat of the feast, and a loyal knight who was gently watching over her.