Sparks were crackling and dancing.
　This was the Zantorif Central Mountain Range. A cut-out site in the middle of the forest, the base camp where Isuzu and the others were advancing their attack on the 'Raglander's Company'.

　By the bonfire, Isuzu and the Rundell House.
　There were many more people there earlier, but they had all retreated to their tents in groups of three or five.

　The attack will be a week in the making. Today is the last day of the first expedition, and tomorrow afternoon we will return to the joint camp at the abandoned schoolhouse near the Maynion coast. Tomorrow, I plan to just do some light dungeon work in the morning.

　Isuzu and the others, whose teamwork had been solidified, had been drinking black rose tea with honey after dinner around this bonfire just now. They repeated the rambling, uneventful and enjoyable chatter while tending to their weapons and armor. Serara had Nyanta patting her head, and Minori was once again sneaking a reminder to go somewhere.

　Isuzu took out a lute from her luggage and played it. The lute is a medieval European stringed instrument. The shape is like a cross between a guitar and a biwa, and the size of the lute fits comfortably in the skinny arms of Isuzu.
　The sound of the lute, which is more monotonous than the guitar, but somehow has a more graceful sound, gave these encampments the most luxurious atmosphere. The lute is apparently a typical portable instrument in this other world. When stirred gently with the fingertips instead of a pick, the sound of a stringed instrument's characteristic gently plucked sound flows out.

(Wow..... Not bad, isn't it, a lute too...)

　Although she had joined in the banter earlier, Isuzu thinks that she still can't bear to pluck the strings like this.
　Isuzu likes musical instruments in general. She also loves music. The fact that she loves music does not mean that she is passionate about it, or that she is sure to make a living at it in the future, but on the contrary, it is a simple and genuine feeling.
　But that's why I had a simple and honest feeling, which is similar to saying, "Oh, it feels good to touch a musical instrument.

Miss Isuzu is so handy.
Hmm. I'm a bard, after all.

　Isuzu raised her gaze and smiled at him.
　Now that everyone had left, it was just Isuzu and Rundelhaus near the bonfire.

　There was no separate set sheet music, and they stirred up some sort of chord.
　To begin with, Isuzu had never touched a "lute" instrument in the original world. I remember hearing in an article or something that it was a European instrument, like the ancestor of the guitar, that it was used in the Middle Ages... but it was only after I came to this world that I actually touched it.

　It's basically the same as a guitar or a violin, I think.
　Isuzu's house has a guitar and a cheap wood bass, but no violin. Well, I think they're probably similar.
　Unfortunately, the lute has 15 strings.

　Still, after two months, I can at least learn to play chords. Even a short note melody is no problem.
　The Rundelhaus is listening to the session, which can not be called a performance, with a tin cup in hand, silently. Isuzu didn't feel uncomfortable, and Rundelhaus didn't say anything about interrupting her gaze.

　The music repeated itself, like waves coming in and out.
　Since I wasn't playing with a clear awareness of what I was doing, the music just wandered this way and that. Songs (pop songs) from the "old world" that Isuzu knew appeared unexpectedly and disappeared again into a sea of chords. Nursery rhymes and classical music from textbooks emerged and dissolved again.

　I didn't have to stop, but I struck a chord at a good point to finish the piece, and Rundelhaus seemed impressed and started clapping.

It's not necessary to stop. "Come on," he said, "it's not that bad. It's not that bad.
'No, it was good. The sound was so mellow, it seemed to melt into the air.
　It.
　That may be so, Isuzu thought. But if the sound of the lute sounded so pleasant, it was probably due to the situation, rather than to Isuzu's skill.
　In a forest at night with twinkling stars, an open fire, and a slightly cool mountain breeze that still has the scent of summer. When played under such conditions, the sound of any instrument would be a heavenly tune.

　Isuzu was about to say that, but there was nothing but pure admiration in Rundelhaus' eyes. There should be no stigma attached to that feeling. Isuzu only said a short, "Thank you".

　After that, it was back to the silly banter.
　The lute she carried in her arms played playfully from time to time.
　It was a joy to hear the grains of sound float through the night air.

'What does Rudy usually eat?'
Hot sandwiches and hot sandwiches and hot sandwiches.
Not all hot sandwiches. Are you the one with the mentaiko?
Yes, Miss Isuzu.
　It was the mobile shop of a guild called RP.jr. that sold hot sandwiches in the train station in the city of Akiba. Although it is a small guild, it makes a huge profit by selling the extremely popular "Mentaiko Hot Sandwiches". The secret to its popularity is the delicious bread they bake at least six times a day.
　It's also a good idea to focus on the "mentaiko potato salad," an ingredient that costs less than the meat-based menu items. Isuzu is also a favorite.

''That's good, isn't it?''
Mm. That cod roe pops and popsicle texture is superb.
　We talked about the food situation for a while.
　Our favorite drink is the black rose tea that's all the rage in Akiba right now.
　The crushed sorbet, made by freezing water with a little honey and lemon juice, and then freezing it with a spirit, is also delicious. If you're in the mood for a little something special, Kitchen Buu's tonkatsu is a great option.

　Isuzu was in an unusually talkative mood.
　As a self-confessedly plain girl, she hardly ever remembers talking for this long with a boy.
　I wonder if the guy is Rundelhaus?
　This young man, Rundelhaus, is a model Anglo-Saxon with long eyelashes and a good-looking face, but as an Isuzu, I don't feel the slightest bit romantic looking at his face.
　If Isuzu is to be honest, I don't feel romantic at all. Isuzu growls.

(Yes!　Golden Retriever!

　That smart, English aristocratic, handsome big dog. Rundell House is a lot like that kind of dog. He's smart and noble and pompous like that. But so are his leaning eyes, his foolishness when you get to know him a lot, and his friendliness.
　In Isuzu's mind, Rundelhaus is completely in the position of a golden retriever.

(I see. That's why I am not afraid of Rudy at all.

　The story goes around and settled in. Isuzu is sleeping in the Guild House, but Rundell House is not affiliated with it.

Hmmm. I'm staying at the Royal Suite on the second floor of Siden's Tavern.
　The boastful mannerisms don't bother Isuzu at all, as she is in a doggie-wanky mood at the moment. Besides, Siden's bar is one of the lower tier bars in Akiba. It's a good location, so it's popular, but the price and prestige are not that great.

(No, there. It's not a place to be proud of.

　The Royal Suite of the inn on the second floor is a very ordinary adventurer's inn with a great name and nothing more.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. I'm not sure why Rudy isn't a member of the guild.　You're not going in?
"It would be a sin to tie up this brilliant talent of mine in one place, wouldn't it?
　Rudy replied pretentiously and winked casually.

(I've never seen someone who can wink so naturally. Rudy is amazing..... (Stupid, but...)

　Of course, it is up to the individual to join the guild.
　It's not for others to complain about.

"I see.
But Miss Isuzu is a woman of beauty. I've never heard such a poignant solo performance. She really seemed to love music. She's also very dependable in battle. I've never heard of a two-handed bard before.

Oh, shut up. Rudy.
　Isuzu talks back to that Rudy. The two-handed spear was just chosen because I wondered if that was somehow like the "rock star that smashes a guitar by slamming it into an amp" thing I saw in my father's collection.
　It's a pretty heavy weapon, but I'm surprised at how well I can use it. A wood base can look like it weighs at least 15 kilos, so it's only natural to be able to wield a two-handed spear. In other words, I think everything human is just a matter of getting used to it.

''Hahahahaha!　Nice and powerful, Miss Isuzu!　You're a great company to hang out with. We live in Akiba anyway. There will be times when we'll see each other again in the future.

Yes.
　Isuzu nodded easily.

　This world is not likely to get out of it for the time being.
　It's still scary to be in a battle. It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get out of this world.
　Even so, Isuzu has music in hand and friends. If she can't go home yet, she has to make the present a little better. Isuzu learned that will from Minori. So I can nod to Rundell House.

Oh. Okay, then. I'm putting Rudy on my friend list. I'll call you when I hear something good for you. And let's go for a hot sandwich of mentaiko (spicy cod roe) next time, okay? Haha. Okay, sign up, sign up.
What--
　Rundelhaus's expression was shaded.
　It was an expression of regret for its own failure.
　An expression of blame for its own naivety.

　From Isuzu's menu screen, Rundelhaus.
　It was not possible to register him on the friend list.



　◆



　The sound of a fierce sword fight echoes through the forest.
　Swords and shields being struck against each other.
　Axes and spears aiming for an opening.

　The small dragon quickly closes the distance between him and the "Divinity Officer" (Kanagi) he was fighting with. The 38th level man, the Divinity Officer, was just about to unleash the Divine Curse of the Sword and was about to start chanting from a distance. The little dragon chased after him with the basic swordsmanship of a swashbuckler, the Razor Edge, and blocked his chanting, crushing the distance between them.

　As the young man coughs and collapses, Xiaolong helps him to stand.
I understand that you want to chant from a distance, but if you're on the lookout for it, you'll be stopped. It's a good thing that you don't have to worry about such things when dealing with ordinary monsters, but the enemies are getting stronger, so you should improve your coordination skills.

It's a little late for that.
Maybe it's too slow or too straightforward. Think of it as adding more movement patterns.
　The man nodded honestly to Xiao Long's advice.

　At the 40th level, it's a mid-level class in the Elder Tail. In order to have the ability to reach this level, it is necessary to go through a great deal of battles. I'm sure that this is a sufficient level for self-defense as a production worker, but in order to continue as a combat adventurer, I'll need skills in combat that cannot be burned into the ground.
　This was an important point of difference between life and death for the Elder Tail, which is no longer a game.

　Death is gone, but there is still pain.
　Ask any player who has died and they will tell you that the pain is bearable - at least for a short time. For example, if you break a bone or get hit by a car (and even that should be more than enough pain), but even if you subtract that pain, the disadvantages are not small.

　For example, it's just a matter of time.
　Back in the days when Elder Tail was a game, time in this world ran at a rate of twelve times faster. For every two hours that passed in the real world, a day passed in this world.
　This was a measure taken in relation to quests and other things in the game. Some quests have events that only happen during the night. Assuming time in the real world and the Elder Tail world are perfectly synchronized, the real world would be in the nighttime.

　If this is the case, then those who can only play Elder Tail every day will not be able to complete this quest. Players are real people in the real world, and naturally, there is a certain rhythm to the game.
　In order to accommodate these players, the time in the game world is set at 12 times the speed, and a day passes in about two hours.

　However, in the alternate world of Elder Tail, the players, or "adventurers," exist within that world. Unlike in the game era, if you need to rest, you need to sleep.

　For this reason, in game play, a journey of one hour could be completed in one hour - even a destination 12 hours away can now take two days to complete if you include rest and camping.
　This is even more pronounced today, when the Fairy Circle and other means of transportation are severely restricted.
　　Whether you're going to a dungeon or a zone with high-level enemies, you're going to have a hard time getting around.

　As a result, experience weighs more heavily than it did in the game's day. It doesn't take more experience to level up, but the amount of experience you can earn per hour has been significantly reduced. Naturally, it would also be hard to regain the wealth and experience penalties lost to death.

　When you think of it this way, the threshold for battle itself has risen. But the adventurer, who finds himself in a place of conflict on a daily basis, must be prepared to learn the art of warfare.

　The boy in the Shinto religion officer must have understood that. With a serious look on his face, he raised his sword and began to go over the sequence of techniques over and over again. The Shingi Officer is a profession with an oriental image among the recovery professions, and it is possible to equip a sword.
　I don't know if this is the case in the rest of the world, but on the Japanese servers, the Shingi Officer is often referred to as "Priestess" (Negi) for male players and "Miko" (shrine maiden) for female players. The specialized equipment for the priestess and the scarlet hakama is at 40th level or higher, and many players must have aimed to achieve this goal.

　Items in Elder Tail were also added by subcontractors. On the Japanese server, there were numerous items of equipment specifically designed for the Shinto priests and samurai. It's a good thing that the boy is a solo practitioner and is a favorite of the Shinto priests.

　Xiao Long looked at the boy and chuckled.
　It's not a bad idea. It's not a bad idea to train in melee combat, although the Divinity Officer is originally a recovering position and, with a few exceptions, doesn't learn any skills related to melee weapons, but training in melee combat like this is not in vain. The ability to use both long-range spells and close-range weapon attacks means that the variation in combat behavior is greatly expanded. This is an advantage even within the same Divinity Officer.

　A bad premonition is always correct.
　Xiao Long would never forget the gloomy sound of the bell that rang at that moment.

　Remembering the ominous feeling, he reflexively opened the menu, and the person he was telepathic with was Marielle.

''Xiaolong?!　Come on to the beach.
What is it, Miss Marie?
"An aquatic green demon is coming up from the sea. Rookies! Hurry!

　Leaving the telepathic connection unattended, Xiao Long shouted to the nearest 'Shingi Officer' boy. ''Gather them all!　ASAP! And.
　I don't know what's happening on the coast. Neither the number of Safagin, nor the strength of the battle.
　But the calls were coarse, Marielle's breathing was ragged, and the sounds of battle echoed through the air. The low-level new players on the shore are the low-level new players. That's why there are many high level accompanying them, but depending on the number of enemies, you have no idea what kind of situation they're in.

(What's going on?　(How can a sapphagine appear in a place like this?

You'll give me a reminder when we're all back together. --I want regular updates every 10 minutes!
　Saying that, the little dragon runs off. Quickly blowing his summoning whistle, he gallops through the grove of trees as if he didn't have time to wait for his horse.
　Of course, it's important to chaperone the new players here. However, the level of the newcomers on the shoreline is even lower by 30.

　The Aquatic Green Demon (Safagin).
　It's a type of sub-human that lives in the seas and lakes. They resemble goblins in appearance, but their bodies are light to dark blue, with only their bellies often raw white.
　They were about 160 centimeters tall, and their bodies were thin to prevent water resistance, and they probably weighed about 40 kilograms.
　They have water paddles between their fingers and toes, allowing them to breathe through the water. In addition, it can also breathe through its lungs, which may be why it sometimes comes up on land.
　Whether it is a problem with their skin or their body structure is unknown, but since they never leave the water's edge, it can be said that these monsters are rarely seen in the wilds and dungeons.

　They are as intelligent as goblins, and they often use knives and trident weapons. However, that's the limit of the little dragon's knowledge.
　The number of times they have fought is not that many.

(I think the level was........20 to 30.......)

　The chestnut-haired horse that came running up to him ran along with him from a parallel run, and the little dragon ran towards the coast.

　The horse runs.
　Through the green grove. Through the verdant currant bushes with berries.
　The hilly, tiled field roads.
　The sky is blue, and there is the summer cloudburst.
　What a beautiful scene.
　Even at a time like this, Xiao Long feels that way.

　Summer is so clear and beautiful, though. The sound of coarse breathing, the sound of sword fights, and the high-pitched noise of magic ripping through the sky can be heard continuously from the telepathic communication that is keeping a connection in your ear.
　On the other side of it are the teeth-grinding groans of the Safagins and the barbaric sounds of battle. The small, audible wet sound was Marielle bleeding.
　The little dragon feels a sense of urgency, as if a stone has been caught in his throat.

　The horse galloped through the schoolyard of an abandoned, unpopular schoolhouse and headed straight for the beach. This wide sloping road is probably the farm road of the "old century". On either side, decaying telephone poles are crumbling like signs that no longer serve a purpose. Skipping over fields of rape blossoms and rows of greens, the little dragon's horse ran at a run.

　The frontline of the battle is the one where they arrived at the shore, as if passing a fleeing player who seems to be a newcomer. It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
　The small dragon leaps his horse between the Safagin and kicks out a few of the tridents. The dedicated high-level warhorse lived up to Xiao Long's expectations and showed its fullest war work.

''Marie-san!''
Xiaolong!
　Xiaolong stood in the way of the pale Marielle, defending her. The leader of the Crescent Moon Alliance's battle team is Xiaolong. You can't turn your back on him now. The enemy is the Safagin. Although they are of a low level, their numbers fill the beaches.

''Marie-san, stay back!　We need to call up groups scattered throughout the neighboring camps. --Hurry!
　Drawing his twin swords, the little dragon drew his twin swords and, with the splendor of a boy actor in a Kyogeki play, dove into the horrifying figure of the Safagin, neither reptilian nor ape.
　He became a whirlwind, repeating his assault without avoiding the blue-black bloodstains.

　Against the backdrop of the stone wall halfway between the coastline and the farm road, the small dragons' retreat battle thus began.



　◆



　Meanwhile, in the mountains in the center of the Zantorieff Peninsula, a battle had begun.

　The enemy was the Green Goblin.
　Where did they come from? There seemed to be quite a few platoon-sized goblins wandering around in the forest.

　Naotsugu and his group had fought off more than a dozen or so attacks at the plaza in front of the 'Raglander's Forest'. There were thirteen people gathered there. Minori and her party of five, and a high-ranking attack party of six. And Naotsugu and Rezarik, the Priestess of Healing, dispatched by the Black Sword Knights.

　I thought the first attack was an encounter with stray goblins.
　After several encounters, Naotsugu and his team reconsidered, thinking that they had stumbled upon a small tribe on a migration course. However, by the time the number of encounters reached six, their doubts had become too great to ignore any longer.

　At that point, Nyanta went on a reconnaissance mission in the mountains.
　The thirteen people who were waiting for Nyanta to return were clearing the camp or proceeding with a peripheral alert.

　Speaking of levels, the goblins themselves were not that high of a threat. Of course, they are just a large force of sub-humans, their military variations are abundant, and if you look at them as an army, they are probably powerful. However, their central level distribution is around 10-20 levels. In other words, on an individual basis, Minori and the other rookie players of around 25 levels are more than capable of dealing with them.

　Because of this, it was an unknown situation, but the new players were able to work relatively calmly. The huge tent's luggage was left to Naotsugu and Rezarik, who had weight-reducing bags, while we began packing our own miscellaneous personal belongings into ready-made bags.

'Kinda freakin' awesome,'
What?
　Rezarik, who is right next to Naotsugu, who is dismantling the tent, asks back.
I don't like this. I don't like this guy. I don't like this guy.
It's just a goblin.
　Rezaric replies with an expression of what an exaggeration. With five or six goblins, even Rezarik, who is in the recovery position, can eradicate them without difficulty by himself.

''But has the encounter rate of goblins in the mountains around here been this high?
It's...
　Naotsugu glances over at the newcomers. They seem to be dividing up to put saddlebags on the horses and take care of the fire.

And this time the newcomers (those guys) are there. I can't help but have a bad feeling about it.
Hmm....
　Rezalic was also a senior player from the Black Sword Knights, a prestigious major guild in the city of Akiba. He didn't laugh at Naotsugu's words, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

　The bushes swayed and spat out a thin shadow on the square.
　A green corduroy jacket. A skinny gentleman with cat ears, wearing a tie. -- a Nyanta. He came to Naotsugu and the others with his usual narrowed eyes and this unusual, slightly stern expression.

'What's the matter?'
Yeah.
　Nyanta's attitude naturally led the three men in charge to gather together. The newcomers seem to be doing what they are told to do, and they don't seem to be paying attention to us yet.

The atmosphere is not good. A large scale march..... There's at least a goblin army of several thousand in size advancing over a single ridge. I don't know how many of them there are.
　Rezarik's face tensed up at once at Nyanta's words.

　In the past, there have been incidents where goblins have carried out military actions. No, rather, goblins are a type of subhuman who prefer military action. They repeatedly loot in groups. But even for these goblins, it's rare for them to travel over such long distances on a scale of several thousand. The basic style of goblins is low intelligence, and their basic style should be to spread their looting like an epidemic to neighboring towns and villages.
　Somewhere, it's strange. Something is going wrong. The three veteran players' sense of smell had guessed it correctly, and their expressions were tense.

''Tsk. It can't be helped.''
　Naotsugu nodded at one with a somewhat knowing air, and then asked Nyanta, "Have you heard from us? I asked.

'I've reported it to Shiroe, but I can't get in touch with Marielle and Koryu. But I haven't been able to reach Marielle and Kouryu.
Can't you get it?
Are they taking a nap? Are they in the middle of a battle, or are they talking to each other on telepathic communication? I don't know.
　Nyanta's words were calm, but as expected, not as relaxed as usual.

　Nyanta interrupted with a word such as "nap", but that's still a difficult situation to think about when it comes to Marielle, but it's hard to think about when it comes to Kouryuu. Rezarik, who was listening to that conversation, suddenly has a gaze that seems to be looking somewhere far away. It's a peculiar expression of telepathic communication.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. There should be members of the Black Sword Knights on the beach, but we can't get in touch with them".

　Both Naotsugu and Nyanta are members of the Crescent Moon Alliance and have no other members registered in their friend lists. To be precise, Nyanta has registered Serara, but Serara is in the process of breaking down the camp right beside him.
　Several times now, she had gone out with the other younger members, but as long as she could get in touch with Koryu, the rest of the business was done by verbal conversation on the spot. This may have been a carelessness on the part of Naotsugu and the others.

　The three of them had their own imaginations.
　There were various possibilities, and they had to make some bad assumptions. But in any case, they couldn't just rush to the coast as fast as they could. If they did that, they would be leaving their new members behind.
　Even though the level of individual goblins was low, there were at least several thousand goblins beyond one ridge. He couldn't leave any new players behind in the mountains.

''What are these goblins like?''
There's a large tribe of plunderers moving through the valley. The forest seems to be on the move. I've never seen an army of this size before.
I've also seen hobgoblins and trolls. --It was a full-blown brigade, complete with a monster unit. ........it seemed to be moving in the direction of southwest......but I can't say for sure, so it's hard to say....

So that's the advance reconnaissance platoon we were encountering earlier?
　Suddenly, Minori calls out to Nyanta.
　When Naotsugu turned around, he saw Touya and Minori and the other five members of the lower party standing there. Each of them had a hard expression and were nervous. Apparently, they had been asked to talk.

''Thousands........shall we head towards one ridge?''
　Rundelhaus raised his gaze to look through the trees of the forest. The expression on his face was not one of fear, but of will.

　For just a few moments, while the three men in tow were speechless, Serara began to speak in a clear voice.
I was taking care of the newcomers in the Crescent Moon Alliance. You know, that's why. I've put you all on my friends list. Right?　Isuzu-chan is in there too, right?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.

Would you be willing to call in and see what the situation is?
　They nodded at Minori's words faster than Naotsugu could say a word, and they seemed to have opened their friend list. Naotsugu scratched his head in a roundabout way at the situation and mocked himself for his bypass. He had also lost sight of the fact that Serara and Isuzu, who were from the , would be easy to contact.
　If you think about it, it's not surprising.

　There is no point in hiding it now.
　We have to tell everyone if we are going to return to the camp anyway. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

　Originally, they had planned to pull out of here before noon today and return to the ruins of the school for a time. With the situation surrounded by an army of goblins, there would be no dungeon attack. It was already the default to retreat, but the current problem was the selection of the course in the move and the situation of the other training units scattered around the area.

　I could hear the voices of Serara and Isuzu talking to each other.
　According to the situation I gathered, a fierce retreat is currently taking place along the coastline. The blue goblins have landed from the sea and are heading towards the abandoned school building in a mobile formation with high level leaders as their lords.

''.........'' Is it safagin on the beach? What on earth is going on?
　Naotsugu would be poisoned. He had never heard of a minor monster such as the Safagin in the Zantorieff Peninsula. Naotsugu thought it was a monster that appeared in the warmer regions further south.

Coincidence.........or is it?
　Rezaric's question was, of course, about the connection between goblins and Safagin. Since no member of the group had the answer to that question, the only response to that question was silence. However, it seems too convenient to dismiss the two armies that appeared at such a synchronized time as 'coincidence'.

　Naotsugu and the others wanted a little more information.
　Currently, they didn't think that heading to the abandoned schoolhouse was necessarily the best option. In the worst case scenario, there is also the possibility of being surrounded by goblins and Safagin.

(But, well, if it comes down to it, all of us can just use the Return Spell, right?

　Naotsugu nodded at one thing.
　I can easily return to the city of Akiva by casting the Return Spell, but once I return, it will take me a lot of work to get here again, and I want to avoid that as much as possible, considering the possibility of that happening.
　I certainly want the information. I know it's not safe to bypass to the abandoned schoolhouse.
　But if Marielle and the others are heading to the abandoned schoolhouse, we've decided that the most important thing to do is to meet up with them, do a roll call, and finish confirming the safety of the members who participated in the camp.

　Nyanta and Rezarik also agree with Naotsugu's policy.
　The sooner they decided to do so, the sooner it was done.

　On the other side of the ridge, the main body of goblins ... or rather, an army, exists. As long as we don't know when we'll be involved, there's no need to stay in a place like this for too long.
　According to Nyanta's story, there should be small groups of goblin tribesmen conducting infiltration reconnaissance scattered over a fairly wide area in the surrounding forest area. As long as that's the case, there will be some fighting, but it would be safer to break through to them.

Good, we're heading back to the abandoned schoolhouse camp. Me, Nyanta and Rezarik will be the first party. I know we're three alone, but we're still not as good as you chicks, so don't worry, okay?　Alright.
　So, Lordship, you're the big party. Do your duty. Be on guard, but don't ever leave us too much of a gap.
　But don't leave too much distance between us. They're the lower party in the center of the column, so if we get into a battle up front, they'll be responsible for following us. Don't let up just because we're in the center of the line, don't let up!

　Under Naotsugu's direction, the group mounted their horses.
　They intended to ride through the central hills of Zantorieff.
　As they headed for the abandoned schoolhouse, Naotsugu couldn't get rid of a bit of anxiety in his heart.