Shortly after noon, Minori and her group were on their way to the town of Chooshi.
　They were tired, but the group hadn't lost their energy.
　It had only been one night, but the intense time spent in the darkness had the effect of sharpening the potential of Minori and the other five. Of course, the battles that followed the 'Raglander's Company' also raised the level of the girls' abilities several times.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

　Minori and the other five who were walking along the country roads were more relaxed than when they were in the forest, but they still didn't relax their guard. They could still walk in a friendly atmosphere while observing their surroundings to cover each other's blind spots.

(Though combat still scares me...)

　It's scary, but Minori thinks she's no longer afraid.
　What's truly terrifying is the feeling of fear coursing through your veins, shrinking your limbs and letting go of your life from you. It's akin to giving up.

　In this world without death, resignation has the same meaning as death. On the other hand, as long as you don't give up, there's still a chance. Even if you're miserable, even if you're trembling, as long as you're standing, there's always a chance that something will happen.

　It was late in the morning.
　It was probably just before noon.

'Oi, oi!
　Resting around the area where the bushes were bypassed was Naotsugu and his group, as confirmed earlier in the telegram. Nyanta, Kowloon and Rezarik are also there.
　In this other world, equipment is automatically cleaned by its resilience if it's only as dirty as it is. The equipment has a set durability level, and the wear and tear that occurs at the level of normal use is a small amount in terms of numbers. Since it's a small number, the reality of dirt and grime is in the direction of the number - that's the theory behind the cleanliness of the equipment.
　On the other hand, however, when the wear and tear is set, rough treatment of the number is sure to grind it down. To be more specific, weapons and armor are destroyed over time. This is why they need to be repaired regularly at a weapon or armor shop.

　The four men in front of Minori. The four adventurers, all of whom were 90-level experts, were several times more powerful than Minori and her team. But they relied on their abilities to jump into the middle of a goblin raiding party and disrupt and attack them repeatedly.
　Even though they fought in a raiding formation with the two swashbucklers at the center, their fierceness must have been nothing compared to Minori and her team.

I'm sure they were no match for Minori and the others. It's a good idea. Did you protect everyone?
Yes, Naotsugu Shishou!
　Naotsugu strokes Touya's head as he responds with his best salute.
　Serara jumps on Nyanta as soon as she can.

　Minori briefly reported to Kouryu and Rezarik on the battle last night. They both seemed relieved. Aside from the little dragon, Rezaric was a (cleric) of a major guild. Minori, who had thought that perhaps they would be attacked for their selfish actions, was tickled by their concern and was sorry.

　It didn't mean that they were injured, but they were also wearing each other out. Minori and the others even thought they were going to run out of potions along the way.

　The attacks of the goblin raiding squad diminished as the morning sun rose, like an apparent receding wave. They must have understood their characteristics and numbers and the effectiveness of their night raids.
　Minori and the others had pulled up close to the city to meet that enemy's retreat.

''Well, so much for resting, let's head back to the city. Until we see them with our own eyes, I'm afraid.
　Rezarik of the Black Sword Order, the "Priestess of Healing" (Cleric) with a serious expression, tells them. The group nodded in agreement and set out on their way to the town of Chowsi.

　It's a summer morning after a bloody night, but the sky is blue.
　A strong sea breeze, typical of Zantorieff's, slaps the cheeks strongly and comes across the fields from the coastline.

　The bright sunshine contrasts with the white hues of the fields in the distance, and the shadows of beech and zelkova trees on the black farm roads.

　After a while, the corpses of the goblin tribe begin to catch our attention. They were not left on the road, but rather piled up in piles, one here and one there, suggesting that the Adventurers had engaged in a battle with the goblins around here last night.

It looks like they've been working on it. That's my girl.
　Naotsugu muttered happily.

　That is exactly what it is. Even Minori and the others never thought that the idea of an invasion of the enemy would be enough to protect Choshi town. Minori's friends, Nyanta, Naotugu and the others would fight the enemy goblins as a raiding party in those mountains. It was a forcible guerrilla tactic that took advantage of the advantages of surprise and night vision to reduce the number of goblin platoons anyway.
　This would reduce the number of goblin platoons, which would loosen the attackers' hands against the town of Chowsi and allow them to defend themselves... That was Minori's tactic.

　Minori didn't know the technical language at this point, but the strategy the goblins were taking was a saturation attack. This tactic was to destroy the enemy's position due to the overwhelming difference in numbers of troops.
　In a one-on-one or platoon battle, for example, the goblins would be outnumbered by the Adventurers. Any slight difference in force would be rebuffed by the Adventurer's ability to fight.
　So the goblins would unleash a small force that the Adventurers could not handle. Of course, the Adventurers would block any number of goblin platoons, but the goblins would have to hit the holes that would inevitably appear due to their sheer numbers.
　If they broke into the hole, took a bite out of the fruit of the town of Chowsi and set it on fire, panic would ensue. The adventurers would be in a state of confusion as to whether they should return to town to deal with the looting goblins or continue fighting the goblins in front of them.
　This is how the adventurers are defeated, one by one. This was a traditional tactic for the goblin tribe to invade.

　However, Minori and her team launched their attack farther away from the town than the goblins.
　Minori's plan for this strategy was simple.
　The goblins had no stronghold to protect, and Minori and her team had no choice but to launch their attack farther away from the town. Minori and her team had a stronghold to protect. In addition, that base (Chowsi Town) was easily penetrated due to the lack of a protective wall. This is a weakness, and the goblins have no weakness. As a result, the battle will be unfavorable.
　--If that is the case, then we should fight in a place where our weaknesses are not a concern.
　It's a simple and straightforward conclusion. Of course, as long as you have the ability and courage, but that conclusion was forcibly implemented.

　The goblins, whose chain of command and the number of troops had been reduced by Minori and the others' strategy, still tried to carry out the night raid as their initial goal. The town of Choushi was attacked.
　However, Minori and her team's plan was not only aimed at reducing the number of goblins. Several times the number of goblin platoons that Minori and his team had actually defeated would spend more time than necessary trying to alert or bypass Minori and his team in the mountains. If that happened, there was no way the goblin tribe could do such a thing as a simultaneous attack with their feet together.

　The goal of the saturation attack is to create a situation where the enemy side is unable to respond by concentrating their forces in a single point. The goblins, whose assembly and attack timing had been staggered, still attacked the town of Chooshi as ordered by the troop leader, but they ended up doing so by "repeating the assault, bit by bit, starting with the arriving troops," which is probably the worst move the goblins could have made in their eyes.

　And with that level of sporadic assaults, even those adventurers who are still inexperienced or unable to assemble a sufficient number of troops are able to respond adequately.

　The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on some of the most valuable items.

'Welcome home!
Oh, welcome back!
Aren't you tired?
　Once in the town of Choshi, the adventurers who knew each other would call out to Serara and Xiaolong. Because these two are in charge of taking care of the newcomers to the Crescent Moon Alliance, they have a lot of face time. Nyanta, Naotsugu and Rezarik also seem to be exchanging information with the veteran adventurers.

　The trampled streets of the city show no signs of disrepair.
　It seems that the goblins were not able to invade the town.

"Heh. How's that?
　His brother's voice proudly announced. Minori looks up in that direction and sees Touya in the sunshine, smiling broadly like a child.
　Minori sees that smile and it warms her heart.

　Minori's little brother had made it through the night with a cloudless brightness. Minori's laughter spilled out naturally, too. He was also happy that he had been able to protect the Rundell House. Minori bumped his own into Touya's fist that was offered to him.

''Minoriii~!　The good folks at the tavern are offering us a place to sleep.　Let's shift the time and take a break in turn!　I still don't get it.
Miss Minori and Touya. They'll at least let you wipe your face. Thanks to the kindness of the innkeepers.
　Touya and Minori began to walk at the sound of Isuzu and Rundelhaus shouting from across the street. Their steps were light in the summer sunshine.


　◆


　A prototype steam-powered transport ship (Occupythe).

　Originally designed to test the possibility of mass transportation, this experimental ship, which combined a large wheeled vessel with a steam engine, had plenty of room to maneuver. The ship's steam engine is more compact than Earth's paddleships, and it uses the heat (salamander) from the Summoner to fuel the ship, so there is no need to stockpile fuel.

　A paddle ship is a type of steam engine ship with huge waterwheel-like wheels on each side of the ship. These two wheels are rotated by a steam engine, and the paddle ship paddles through the water.

　From a performance standpoint, paddleships are inferior to screwships in terms of efficiency. The loss of energy converted into propulsion is the main reason for their inferiority.

　However, due to the difficulty of construction and installation, it was determined that the construction of an outer-wheeled ship would be more appropriate for the city of Akiba, and a number of experiments were conducted.

　Although they are less propulsive than rotary-winged vessels, they are ideal for moving down the current flow of the Sumida, partly because they do not require a deep draft.

　Experiments on steam engines carried out on small ships and barges had been successfully completed within a week of the Round Table Conference, and two months later, the prototype steam engine ship Okupethe was the first of its kind to be built.

　There are currently about 130 adventurers aboard the Occupythe. There are a lot of people on board, but not nearly as many as on this large ship.

　Reynesia was standing alone on the deck near the bow, unaccounted for. I'm no stranger to ships, but this ship navigates differently than a sailing vessel. The power progression, which seemed to cut through the waves, was uncomfortable, but it was fast.

　The adventurers around us are walking around, either relaxing in their positions or making preparations in a hurry. I'm not sure if they are from the same family, as nearly half of them wear the same cloak of arms as Krusty.

　Raynesia was in a discouraging mood.
　It's not that she's seasick. As the daughter of the Lord of Maihama, she has been familiar with ships, both large and small, since she was a child. This sinking feeling is a reflection of my overly reckless nature.

(I said it again...)

　Why is it that I am such a troublesome, shy and slothful person, but when it comes to a crisis, I have a tendency to make a big gesture. It may be because of the "perfect lady's education" that I received from my childhood, but it is

(He said he's been counting since last night. Even though she was a woman, she rode into the lord's council and caused a commotion, destroyed the face of your grandfather and all the lords, sold a fight to the youkai man...and then they both escaped.

　Reinesia writhes in depression as she remembers the warmth in Krusty's arms.

(Not.........) And then, in the streets of Akiba, you put on some embarrassing clothes. I'm still wearing them, though. ........making that speech)

　I can't get my head around it.
　She could no longer believe herself.
　But she wanted to stick to her promise of civility and respect.

　She was not an adventurer, she was an earthling. You're not going to be able to get a good idea of what you know in your head, but you never really felt it until you stood there.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that there is no such thing as a group of high-ranking knights with the brains of a civil servant at the same time.

　The people who are called "heroes" can understand.
　There may be an ancient breed that combines the swordplay of a knight with the magic of a wise man. I don't think that's an essential part of the problem. I'm not sure how to put it into words, but the fact that there are thousands of such people is the strangest thing.

　In her opinion, the Council of Lords, who believed that they could negotiate with the 'Adventurers' by threatening and cajoling them and offering them the rewards of nobility, had misunderstood the essence of the situation. What kind of negotiations were they planning to conduct with people of such understanding and wealth, using the rewards of their common sense as a reward?

　It's just that for Reinesia, jewelry and invitations to dance parties are no motivation whatsoever. She just wants to live a life of lounging around in her cotton pajamas, eating and sleeping.

　The same is true for the adventurers of the alien life forms. No jewels, gold, status, or territory can be their reward. When you think about it, all you can do is beg and promise.

It's a good thing that I'm a woman and I've never been educated for politics. It can't be helped.

　By making a promise, even a small one, and sticking to it, we gain trust.
　When she puts the Adventurer in danger, she does the same for herself.
　This is the only thing that Reinesia can think of.

(And yet...)

　I'm going to the battlefield too, is a bold statement. I must have been out of my mind.　Could it be that it's this strange ... leg-baring outfit?

　She wanted to squat down, but perhaps she was too ingrained in her years of education to stand up straight and ladylike in a public environment to even try to relax.
　This is what happened to that young man, Shiroe, who smirked at me. It was so vicious that tears began to well up in my eyes.

You're going to be able to find out what you're going to do with your life.
Huh.

　When did they get close behind me? Krusty's words, standing to block the sea breeze, made me jump up as if I was galvanized.

''Hmph. Krusty-sama. That's not true, is it?
She's a little twitchy.
　Reinesia, whose verbal graft is easily snapped off, turns her "melancholy" expression to the waves.

'Sounds cool,'
...... Well, yes, but... --Don't get me wrong.
　I have no regrets. Since I am asking you to risk your life, it is only natural that you would go and stand on the battlefield with me. No, I don't think my life is worthy of being matched by the swords of ten adventurers. This, that thing, well........
I don't mind.
What?

　The color oozing from Krusty's words made Reinesia feel uncomfortable for a moment. But the discomfort is brought back to me by the sailor's voice announcing their arrival.
　--fast.
　What a speed to carry over 100 knights, even if it's only crossing the bay, and arrive in the early afternoon. A mere 15 minutes or so have passed since they set foot on the water.

　I noticed that the familiar Maihama's "Ashime Castle" (Castle Cinderella) was growing in my field of vision.
　This large vessel seems to be trying to come alongside the barge in the bay area. I can see Maihama residents working in the harbor fussing over the huge, unfamiliar black vessel. Raynesia, as the ship's only Maihama "earthling," will have a role to play in reassuring them.

　Waving her hand from the bow at Krusty's urging, there was no sign of the lazy, misanthropic princess.



　◆



　On the other hand, the main body of the Akiba Expeditionary Force was led by the General Staff Headquarters with Shiroe in the center.

　This time, Shiroe and Krusty's strategy was to focus on "poor speed" rather than "skillfulness". It was unclear what the swelling goblin army in the center of the archipelago would do in the future. However, it's clear that they will invade one of the towns as soon as they have eaten all the food in the mountains. It is not clear at this point where the tip of that attack will be headed, but they have clearly lost the initiative in the defensive battle.

　The fact that your opponent has the right to choose the battlefield is a big disadvantage.

　Speed was the most important factor in recovering from this phase.
　Fortunately, the Akiba-Maihama region is a relatively safe and uncivilized one, even in this devastated and alien world. The only problem is where to cross the great river once you've passed through the city of Akiba to the southeast.
　Because of the prospect of such a relatively safe march, Shiroe abandoned the idea of gathering a large army in one place and having it march in an orderly fashion, and instead organized a small unit from the ready adventurers and sent them out in rapid succession.

　Shiroe and the rest of the General Staff consisted of Shiroe and Karashin and a telepathic communication team of a dozen or so people.

　Each participating guild has its own contact network, and individual solo adventurers are also registered with this team.
　With this development, Shiroe and his team had also created a high-speed communication and reporting network at the military level. Of course, we can't spend too much time building this communication network either. This was the result of giving simple instructions and requesting that each guild communicate with each other, as well as having them register on the mutual friend list with the communicator at the stage of confirming their participation.

　The advanced units, core units and rearranged units ready to resupply are all connected through the network.

　The problem facing Shiroe and the rest of the General Staff was how to organize this odd-shaped expeditionary force with its unprecedentedly well-developed communication capabilities.

(First of all, creating rosters for each level... this is all very difficult to do on the move. (Do we roughly sort them out at the mobile destination?)

　In the old world, our destination was in the area of Matsudo. It was the northern point from the capital of Maihama, and the midway point between it and Abiko, where the hilly terrain began. According to Shiroe's knowledge of the Elder Tail, this area was full of abandoned buildings from the Old World and was not a favorable terrain for a battlefield.
　However, since there is no other suitable candidate site, it can't be helped.

　According to telepathic transmissions, the Ocupete made one port call at the capital of Maihama, and then moved on to the abandoned port of Narasino with a small number of guides of the Earthmen.

　Krusty's advance strike battalion had a total of 96 men.
　A platoon (party) of six Adventurers. A company (full raid) made up of four platoons of 24 men. The Legion Raid, a battalion that unites the four companies. This group of 96 men was the largest battle unit in the Elder Tail.

　Krusty may look like a bespectacled academic, but on the inside, he is a charismatic warlord who controls the largest fighting guild in Akiba, or in other words, the largest fighting guild on the Japanese server, the D.D.D. He is the key to this strategy.
　I'm sure he's well aware of the cornerstone of our strategy, our speed of advance. It's obvious that even after moving to Narasino, they will march in no time at all.

　Shiroe dexterously explores his bag on his horse and pulls out a portable map.
　From the abandoned port of Narasino to the central forest area where the main goblin force is believed to be located, it's about 25 kilometers in a straight line to the north-northeast. If it was a march by the normal knights of this world, they would need to see two to three days, but if it was Krusty, or even tomorrow morning, there was a chance that they could open up the edge of the battle.

　The main camp here, on the other hand, is not moving by sea, but by horse, on land. It's not a matter of choice, but the formation has been stretched so long that it's hard to get a handle on the situation.

(The low level is building a garrison about 5km north of Maihama...)
　Shiroe traces the map with his fingertips.
　He analyzes the terrain within the area around Maihama, or remembers the zone characteristics as he chooses a candidate site. This garrison will be a defensive formation, mainly at low levels, and will provide security, as well as a collection point for supplies. It will require a certain amount of space as well.

(Midrount Equestrian Garden)

　Eventually, his fingertips stopped at a place with a small green oval painted on it. According to Shiroe's memory, it was an equestrian garden with an appearance similar to a giant coliseum. No vicious monsters other than wild animals appeared in the vicinity. It would be an ideal place.

''Communications team!　Please communicate. The target point for the northward troops was the Midrount Equestrian Garden. Selected troops will continue on a course toward the beach. When the advance team arrives, quickly prepare for the surrounding area and prepare for the encampment. Please clear away the debris and make a square!

　Various possibilities flicker in Shiroe's mind.
　His profile, as he grinds up his glasses to catch his breath, shows intense concentration and a glassy atmosphere.

(Either way, this battle is a blitzkrieg. I don't have to worry that much about the supply lines........ The total number here is...)

　The main body of the expeditionary force that Shiroe is currently commanding has a total of about 1,200 men. I'm sure that roughly 10% of the city of Akiva's "adventurers" have taken part in this battle. The number of adventurers in the city of Akiba is roughly 10% of the city's adventurers, which is more than twice as large as the percentage of combat-type players without artisans.

　Not all of them, including Shiroe, had any experience in large-scale combat to this point. We have to be careful not to overlook the fact that we are not the only ones who have been in the same situation. The morale in the eyes of the small unit that had overtaken Shilohé and was heading north was high.

　Shiroe's role is to keep that high morale and avoid trouble while successfully leading this battle.

　They say you can learn from your mistakes. However, as far as this expedition is concerned, Shiroe believes that there is nothing to learn from his mistakes.
　The confidence and pride of an adventurer. The confidence and pride of an adventurer, and the ability to have a voice in this world from now on. Survival in this world. And above all, conviction and autonomy for Akiba's city. Every condition demands that Shiroe and the others win.

　They couldn't afford to be defeated.
　Besides, 1,200 is a sufficient number to win the war. Not Shojiro, but "all it takes is for one of us to defeat ten goblins".
　It seems that Shiroe's role is to eliminate unexpected problems and direct the fighting spirit of the 1,200 adventurers in the front line in a certain direction.

(It's only 10 kilometers to the Midland Equestrian Garden. --If we don't hurry, we'll be there in the afternoon. So tonight we're going to camp. So tonight we're going to camp, and organize and form a force of 1,200 men.
　Half of the troops will be assigned to guard the perimeter and respond to the goblins with extensive spotting. The other half will lead the rest of the troops to follow Krusty and attack the main goblin force. (Or should we leave the defense of the city to the Daichijin and lead the entire army into the mountains?

　-- Shiroe paced his horse as he drew various simulations of the upcoming battle in his mind.



　◆



　On the other hand, Krusty's march was faster than the fastest speed Shiroe had ever thought possible.

　He saw through his aptitude from the interviews on the ship and quickly finished organizing his battalion (Legion Raid).

　In a nutshell, organization is quite a challenge.

　For example, all spells, like all spells, naturally have a range limit. The average recovery spell has a range of 20 meters, and the Bard's backup spell has a maximum range of 20 meters.
　This means that you can only cover or recover allies within range, and there is a platoon (party) as the standard.
　Paradoxically, the scale of the battle is based on the idea of a party that can work together within a distance of 20 meters.

　If this is the case, then all 16 parties in a battalion (legion raid) will need at least two warriors and two healers to act as guards.
　A company (full raid), which is a combination of four party units, must also be well-balanced in accordance with this principle.


　On the other hand, however, it does not mean that organizing all units in a homogenously balanced manner is the end of the story.

　When considering various cases, they must be characterized for tactical purposes.
　For example, if only one person in every party is in charge of recovery, there is a chance that the warrior will not be able to catch the attacks of the enemy's large monsters. If you're expecting to fight against large monsters, you'll want to put two recoverers, or if you want, three.

　However, if there isn't an attacking unit with many attackers, there won't be a unit like a sword to annihilate the enemy when the time comes, and the battle lines will be plunged into a war of attrition. If all the troops are evenly balanced, their ability to respond would be reduced.

　In addition, these elements would not be possible without the usual coordination training.
　It would be preferable to assign members of the same guild to the same or close party for training effectiveness. On the other hand, a skilled adventurer with a reputation in the server will look well-trained, no matter what party they are placed in.
　In addition to the affinity of the adventurer's profession, there are also the problems of getting used to combat and adapting to the chain of command.

　Even in a typical six-man platoon, it is common sense for veteran players to call out to each other when working together in battle.
　In a full raid with a total of 24 players, the level of confusion on the battlefield can't help but increase. Who should do what?　You'll be asked to make decisions such as whether to focus on recovery or attack, and what to do with your position.
　In order to do so, each party must decide on a leader and secure a line to receive instructions from the company commander (raid leader). The company commander then receives instructions from the battalion commander (Legion Leader).

　On the other hand, at the time Elder Tail was a game, there were not many quests or events in the game that required Legions. This was because the difficulty of gathering nearly a hundred members with a certain level of skill at a certain time was infinitely high. Also, training nearly a hundred members to work together organically was an unimaginable level of difficulty.
　In other words, the one content that is too difficult for the average player to challenge is a battalion-scale battle (Legion War). If a lot of players can't challenge it, then the game's operator can't afford to put the focus of its development on it.
　In the end, Legion War was only for a small group of high-level players, and because of this, it promised great wealth and fame to the victors, but few challengers were willing to take up the challenge.

　The D.D.D. was the organization that challenged the Legion of Honor since Elder Tail was still a game. The guild master of D.D.D., Krusty, is one of no less than 20 people on a Japanese server who has commanded an army-sized force.

　With his experience, he uses that experience to assemble the organization at a speed that would make anyone stunned. At first glance, the allocation of personnel seems to be an appropriate combination, but upon closer inspection, it is quite reasonable.

　Krusty and his party descended from Ocupethe and divided their party into two battalions: a 96-man advance strike battalion and a 12-man observation team to protect the Reinesia. After receiving an overview of the surrounding terrain from the Daichijin's guides, Krusty added the information to his military map and began to march at the speed of the wind.

　Each of the companies that made up the battalion were given numbers one through four, and they would continue to land on the deep Zantorif Peninsula in the afternoon. Our goal is the western part of Kasumi Lake. The distance is twenty-four kilometers.

　All at once, the Akiva Expeditionary Force, on horseback, will head north, aiming at the goblin raiding force. Taking turns switching battles, the group gallops through the old national road, which is no longer decaying, at the speed of a gale.

　Onward!　Go ahead!

　The Expeditionary Force Advance Unit, led by Krusty, rushed headlong into the enemy's main camp.