01


　Hello.
　I wasn't sure what to start writing, but the first word is an appropriate greeting.
　Hello, world. hello, shiroe.
　I am writing this letter at an inn in the town of Saphir in central Yamato.
　When I finish writing this letter, I am going to leave it with my acquaintance Minori.
　I am told that it will be read by Shiroe of Log Horizon. I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing.

　Just as you, the Adventurers, were incarnated from another world into this Seldesia world, we are incarnated from another world into this Seldesia world.
　My name is Roe 2.
　We are called travellers. To you, I am an otherworldly intelligence.
　I am also your sister.

　Perhaps you were expecting it, and I can only apologize for that, but we, the Fools, and the Geniuses, are both of the same species, the Eclipses. I can't tell you anything about the catastrophe, as you like to call it, because I can explain it to you, but I can explain it to you in our own way, not as a principle, not as a solution. To be precise, we can explain it, but it is our own understanding of the Congruence, not a principle or a solution.
　Still, we believe we are slightly ahead of you, and we will do our duty. I am your sister, but I am also your sister, just as I promised Minori I would be.
　Why am I Roe 2 in this regard?
　Why am I a sister?
　That's where I should start.

　We, the Wake Species, arrived in Seldesia through the Congruence, just as you did. But our world is farther away than Seldesia, and we were a species that had no physical form or shape data to begin with.
　When we arrived in this world, we therefore took the form of borrowing a body that already existed in this world as an incarnation.
　If Minori's words are correct, then you are a very perceptive and intelligent person.
　As I'm sure you'll understand if I've explained this far, my current body is yours that was stored on the moon, or as we say in this world's style, it had no 'connection to the soul'.
　Please forgive me if I borrow it without permission.
　Your thoughts and memories are very much alive in this body.
　It is only by reconstructing your lexical data that I am able to explain it to you in this way. It is largely thanks to you that I am able to speak the language of this world. It is one of my motivations for writing this letter to repay that debt.
　Hopefully, you will read this letter in a spirit of generosity.
　You can always tear it up.



　　◆02



　Shiroe looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
　In her hand were a few folded letterheads.
　They were letters brought to Shiroe via Minori.
　The shape of the meticulous letters was familiar. Flipping through the handful of documents to see who they belonged to, he realized they were his handwriting. Even the handwriting was the same, Shiroe frowned, as if to suppress a headache.
　This was the home of the Log Horizon guild.
　An abandoned building in the northern part of Akiba has been renovated to become a place that Shiroe can now call home. Not only because Shiroe spent a fortune on this brick-clad, seven-story building, but also because the people who welcome him are always with him.
　The guild home is home to nine adventurers, including Shiroe, Naotsugu, Akatsuki, Nyanta, Minori, Touya, Isuzu, Rundelhaus, and the newest member, Tetra. The building is penetrated by an ancient tree, so the center of each floor is not accessible, but even so, there are three to four rooms on each floor, so each member has one private room, and it does not feel cramped.
　This room is Shiroe's office.
　Nine people is not a micro-sized guild, but it is clearly the size of a small to medium-sized guild. Normally, there would be no need for something as grandiose as an 'office'. A single document desk in a private room would be sufficient. However, the Horizon of Records is one of the eleven guilds participating in the Roundtable, and Shiroe has many consultations and petitions to deal with, including visitors. There are many consultations and petitions that Shiroe has to deal with, including visitors. This was the office for that purpose.
　Shiroe spends so much time in this office that the members might even call him a recluse. It's not only because he has a lot of work to do, but also because he tends to get lost in thought and fears that he might worry the other members.
　Many of the members of the Horizon of Record do not pay any attention to Shiroe's thoughts.

　Shiroe slumped back in her office chair.
　His fingertips folded the letter on his stomach and returned it to its envelope.
　It was grave.
　It was a letter that raised serious questions.
　But thinking about it made Shiroe close his eyes behind his glasses and let out a sigh.
It's true that this letter is a big problem, but. If you talk about that, the Round Table, Minami, the Holy Empire Westland, Krusty, all of these things are very important.
　I've noticed again after saying it, but none of this is a fashionable situation.

　Aside from Krusty himself, his guild is experiencing operational problems. It's a wonder the problems didn't occur in the first place with no guild leader. Thanks to the excellence of the guild's management staff, the problem has not spread to the surrounding areas for now, but internally there are reports that fatigue is setting in.

　There was also a problem with the Holy Empire West Runde. According to the investigation, although not on a large scale, activities such as conscription and reorganization of the knightly order could be seen.
　The , which brought together the eastern Yamato with Akiva at the center, and the western half of Yamato| , the , which brought together the western half of Yamato. Two organizations with different ideologies were formed, but Shiroe did not think that was a bad thing in itself. Even in such a divided state, the Adventurers are, after all, modern people with roots in modern Japan. As long as that's the case, I didn't think there would be a war. No, I still think that.
　However, this common sense does not seem to be understood by the Earthlings.
　The Holy Empire of West Runde, which unites the West, seems to be planning to wage war with the Alliance of Free Cities of Eastar, and Shiroe believes that once that happens, the Adventurers will not be a part of it. And Shiroe believes that once that happens, they, the Adventurers, will not be immune to it. They can't be so cold-hearted that they can't remain irrelevant.
　The Adventurers are, for better or worse, modern Japanese.

　It is impossible that the Plant hwyaden are not aware of this. Siloe thinks that Ms. Intix is a person with such insight that the word "perceptive" does not even begin to describe what is happening in Minami.
　Shiroe has a certain amount of information about what's going on in Minami. The thought of it makes him feel depressed. It's a path that Akiva almost followed in the past, and even now, it's a path that can't be said to be out of possibility.
　The Round Table.
　Yes, it seems to Shiroe that the Roundtable is now at a new crossroads. If there were monsters or cataclysmic events, Shiroe would not have been so distressed. In Akiva, Krusty is missing for now, but Isaac, Soujiro and many other heroic "adventurers" are in the city. When it comes to battle, Shiroe is confident that he can eliminate most of the obstacles.
　But that doesn't seem to be the case this time.
　It was more like the atmosphere in the aftermath of a catastrophe. The despair that Shiroe thought he had shaken off with the Crescent Burger seems to have resurfaced. Will people's ennui and resignation even lead to a war they have never seen before? Shiroe had no idea what this was all about, having never experienced it before.
It's useless to think about why things are like this, but I can't help but think about it, and there's no reduction in work, oh my God!
　Shiroe plopped down on the desk with a slam.
　He thought sweetly that if he pretended to be dead, the trouble would not leave, but it didn't leave at all. The symbol of that is the letter and the pile of papers he threw out.

"Siloechi.
　Following the knock, the door was thinly opened and a kyanta peeked in.
　Shiroe invited him to come in, and Nyanta slid his slender body into the room.
　Seeing this, Shiroe shoved the letter into the desk drawer and moved to the reception set. An unexpected-looking Nyanta also put down a drink from the silver tray in that direction.
'Let's sit down too, Team Leader Nyanta.
Do you have a good job?
I'm tired.
　Shiroe laughed honestly.
　Nya-ha-ha," he said at Shiroe's words. Then I'll join you," she said, sitting down.
　The two of them sipped the hot chocolate-like drink. It was warm and extraordinarily sweet.
　Shiroe's gaze fell on the swirl-like pattern floating on the surface of the cup. Perhaps it was the effect of convection, but it was slowly rotating. The pattern of the marble is like a spiral. Shiroe self-diagnosed that it was a sign of exhaustion that these unimportant things bothered him. The sweetness seemed to seep in.
'You're trying too hard, Shiroe.
And the squad leader.
　Shiroe laughed a little and Nyanta looked startled.
　Even Shiroe had noticed that Nyanta was feeling a little depressed lately. It was after he had been heading west to escort Minori and the other youngsters. Nyanta had reported to me what had happened. The quiet Nyanta didn't say much, but Shiroe could imagine what he had seen.
The squad leader met an adventurer who didn't fit in with this world.
　This was a problem that was gradually becoming apparent even in Akiba.

It's been almost a year since the disaster.
In another month, it will be, won't it?
Yes.
(It's been a year that has divided people.)
　If the catastrophe had been a short-lived, transient event, it surely wouldn't have mattered. It's natural for humans to be shocked by this astonishingly unprecedented event, and it's understandable to be stunned and distraught.
'It's been a long, short time,'
Yeah. I'm sure there are people who want to go home.
That's right.... Maybe........there are people who wish to leave everything behind....
Yeah.
　Even Shiroe would be lying if he said he didn't want to go home. But that was only if she could go home. After the Great Disaster and the Round Table Conference, most of the residents of Akiba have adjusted to this world. To the extent that they could say, "Of course I want to go home. To the extent that they could say, "Of course I want to go home, if only I could. That's the kind of thing you want to go back to, but at the same time you have to be prepared to say, "If I can't go home, I have no choice.
　Leaving everything behind is a big word.
　Shiroe thinks that neither those who can imagine everything, nor those who can throw it away, no, they don't.
　Doesn't that rather mean that they want to erase themselves?　I imagine it's that kind of feeling, like everything is unimportant and reduced to nothingness.
　But not everyone is capable of dealing with such a mind-boggling incident. That's just the way it is. And a year of time has proven that these people have never been able to fit in.
　They don't want to be in this world. That's the comparison to make: "I want to go home. Even if I can't go home," it would be "I want to go home.
'Not that I don't understand that feeling, but...'
Yes, I know. So you can't blame me for that.
It's sad.
It's hard.
　They shared the silence as they peered into the chocolate.
　There is so much despair in people that they cannot see the future. It gave Shiroe a pain that was sharper than any powerful monster.
''Shiroechi........''
　Nyanta says unusually. Before that eloquent silence was shattered, he asked Shiroe in a gentle voice, "Do you want to go home, Nya?
　Shiroe found the gentle tone of his voice sad. It's this world that's forcing Nyanta to do things. And he also thinks it's his own anxious expression. But even if she thought so, she couldn't find any answers within herself.
　After a small sigh, Shiroe said as if to squeeze it out.
'I think I should go home, what is it?'
　I've been thinking about it for a long time, and Shiroe has arrived at a conclusion that is obvious and flimsy. It's a good argument that there is no other way, no matter how you look at it.
'We are still foreign to this world. There are people who live in this world and distort it. Some people distort this world. That could possibly happen even when you were in your original world. No, I think it did happen. But at the end of the day, if it's a tragedy that can be avoided, it should be avoided, and for us--
　He could see that Nyanta gave a small nod, but Shiroe was too choked up to say more than that. If he believed the letter in hand, there was probably something he could do, if not say he could go home.
　But even if you're not, it's still a long way from dawn and the night is deep.



　　◆03




Yeah.
　Liese heard a sigh spill from her lips.
　Looking up and out the window, the creamy light illuminated the ancient trees. The guild hall, where many members had gone off on training and procurement expeditions, was deserted.
　Liese counted more than a dozen documents in her hand.
　They were not neat, following the formatting.
　They were clunky, with notes and observations scribbled tightly in the margins. Liese smiles to herself at the lack of finesse.
　These notes are Liese's footprints. A record of the struggles she wrote like a lifeline in the dark wilderness, where she would be lost if she didn't leave them behind.

　The answers are often simple. This month, I'm going to buy about five hundred alternative weapons for training. Sometimes that's all it takes. But what kind of thinking is needed to reach that conclusion?　It doesn't have to be a thought. It doesn't have to be an argument or a calculation. What do I need to do to get an answer anyway?　That didn't make sense to Lise.
　At D.D.D., those decisions were almost entirely semi-automatic, because in the field, you could write and submit the documents you wanted, and they would be collected and distributed the following month. That kind of automatic distribution process, however, was a member function of the official D.D.D. website, which existed outside the Elder Tail.
　While the catastrophe prevented these external sites from providing administrative support, that was not an immediate problem. The members were familiar with the application and payment procedures and voluntarily prepared such paperwork. The administration continued to compile the paperwork and provide the necessary supplies. That system is still alive today, and is an important driving force that keeps D.D.D., one of the largest guilds on the Yamato Server, alive.
　On the other hand, however, this was back when D.D.D. had an almost unlimited supply capacity. The ability to adjust the system when the Five Hundred Alternative Training Weapons were unavailable was not in the system. What's more, it's not just a matter of adjusting or changing such existing projects, but also a series of completely new requests and projects that cross departmental lines of responsibility.

　Riese is one of the executives of the D.D.D., known as the "Drei-Klauen" or "Three Ravens". You're going to be able to find out more about this guild's management system. In fact, the guild master had almost entrusted him with arranging supplies and managing schedules using an external site.
　However, the system that was already in operation - and that included semi-automated coordination and administrative assistance - was only to be managed, and to find the right solution to some problem, make it into a procedure, make it known, and get it to the point where it could be operated as a system. Designing is ... a completely different thing.
　--that it was a completely different thing, he didn't understand.
　Liese smiles bitterly at the fact.
　|I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get it right. Now I could honestly believe that.

　Stretching out, the makeshift office is becoming faintly dyed in lemon light. The afternoon had deepened. It's not the Akane color of dusk, but a soft light that indicates its coming soon. In the early spring of March, it was beautiful, calm and without heat.
　Liese stood up to change her mind and filled her glass with cold tea from the jug.
　This makeshift office was bleak and devoid of tea cups. It was only natural since they were using a rented conference room that could hold about twenty people. The D.D.D., of course, has a proper office, opulent yet powerful, like a dignitary's room, but it was a bit mentally awkward for Liese to use. It was strange, because when she had spent time with Krusty, she had taken the space for granted. Riese gave a small smile, saying that the Guildmaster must have had some sort of magical ability to make even the friends around him puff up.

'Oops, Liese,'
　A young man with an unlikely wealth, Karashin of the Eighth Shopping District, peeks out of the room without even hearing a knock at the door. Karashin slipped in in an easygoing manner, closing the door and dropping off his bags. It had become a daily routine on both Karashin's and Liese's side, as they had him coming in quite often.
'Thanks for your help. Karasin-san.
'Hahaha. Already. It's a bad job.
Is it bad?
He's very busy, isn't he?
You're always talking shit like that.
　Liese continued to recommend a chair with her fingertips. Karashin continued to talk while unloading the canvas bag from his shoulders and organizing the contents of the paper bag he was holding.
''I don't know if there is such a thing.... Well, Liese-san seems to be busy.''
That's just clumsy.
Again. I'm serious and it's out of control.
　Liese points to a document with her gaze.
　These are the plans for large-scale combat (raids), belonging to levels seventy-five, seventy-seven, eighty-one, and eighty-five. This level of combat, before the Catastrophe, the D.D.D.'s would have done at least three hundred times a week. Even given their level range, this was a large-scale battle that belonged to the category of "patrol" rather than "challenge". However, everything has changed now.
　The difficulty of combat in this realised world has increased considerably. Level 75 raids used to be a challenge for adventurers in the 70-72 range. But nowadays, it would be difficult to win completely at that level. Even if it was possible, they would have to be prepared to suffer a certain amount of exhaustion. Even if it were possible, you have to be prepared for a certain level of attrition.
　The increase in travel costs was also a major problem. Since it was difficult to travel by fairy ring, the expedition would have to be conducted entirely on horseback, and they would also have to bring camping and food with them. It is a large scale battle to test your skills, now let's take it out a bit. There are only a handful of dungeons in the world that can say that.
Is this a raid?
Yes, just pick the right one in the neighborhood, but...
　Can I see it?　Liese nods at Karasin's question, "What do you think of this? In front of her, Karasin flips through it. There are many annotations and notes, but not many. The plan is simple.
We do want the materials for the fantasy class, don't we?
Yeah.
　Liese nodded.
　Akiba is booming with the rush of technological development, and all sorts of goods are currently being bought and sold in the midst of this activity. The same is true for food, and items such as weapons and armor. Amidst the chaos of wildly fluctuating prices of various things, there are two things whose prices are soaring.
　One is a luxury item that cannot be duplicated. Good food and entertainment items, for example, are priced very high. Comics and handmade figurines, for example, have no ceiling. Even though they are trapped in this fantasy world, Liese and her friends are modern earthlings and their thirst must be quenched with something. Even Liese can't help but loosen up her purse strings when they are advertised as a newly developed cake.
　The other is the "fantasy-grade" ingredients.
　In this world, the term "ingredients" refers to general items that can be used to create other items. Wheat, tomatoes, saury, and potatoes are all ingredients for cooking. In contrast, items that are processed from these ingredients are called processed goods. A processed item can also be a material for making another item.
　These "materials" can be obtained from the world itself. Wood comes from the forest. Ore comes from the mines. Fish comes from the sea. There are also fields and farms that require human hands. In most cases, these materials are produced by the Earthmen.
　Adventurers are more familiar with monster drops, which are known as drop materials or monster materials.
　In many cases, the materials have a level, even if not explicitly stated. For example, even for the same "iron ore", there are low-level and high-level materials. Low-level ore can be obtained in safe mines where the monsters are weak and few, and obtaining high-level ore requires a certain amount of risk.
　Illusory-class materials are the most difficult to obtain. These materials come from the monsters you have to kill in large scale battles. Illusory-class materials are valuable resources. They are not only needed to repair the weapons and armor of the Phantasmagoric class, they are also needed to create such weapons and armor. In the wake of the Catastrophe, the demand for weapons and armor as well as for all kinds of inventions and experiments is soaring. The story of the Roderick Trading Company's use of dragonscale bricks to create a super-heated furnace is well known.

"Do you think we can make good on our supply?
Well, yeah, of course it's all right. Food and mending material.
'The monster material is good, though. Everything else tends to stagnate.
Let's just call it a division.
Yes, sir.
　D.D.D. is essentially a stand-alone guild with completeness. At least that's what Krusty was interested in, Liese understands. It was a guild that could continue to function on its own, with a supply function inside.
　But now that the Great Disaster has passed, that function is also noticeably lacking. It's not just a game, but the complexity of the game has made it a part of the Round Table. As the expedition gets longer, the importance of getting supplies from the outside is increasing, and cooperation with the Eighth Shopping District, led by Karashin, is becoming essential.

It's just that Liese is a hard worker, you know. Like Minori-chan, the women of Akiba are all so dazzling.
　After a short flight of stairs about the food and supplies needed for the expedition and how to deliver them (as long as you can deliver them to the site, that's all that matters), Kalashin told Lise in a frightened tone.
'Not at all,'
　When Riese denied it, Karasin chuckled and said, "It's the wrong person to compare it to.
　That's probably true, Riese thought.
　Krusty (Milord) is still special. The more I come into contact with and understand the huge organization (system) he created called D.D.D., the more I am reminded of it. Riese's problems had been predicted and dealt with long before they ever occurred to her, and she found signs of having dealt with them later on. On the contrary, Liese says, "It's unnecessary. On the contrary, even the procedures that Liese thought were "unnecessary" and should be simplified are balancers and redundancies in case of trouble.
　Riese had only learned in the past few months that there was an art form or work of art in the form of "organization". D.D.D. was Krusty's work, which was undoubtedly the creation of an exceptional talent.
　Even Liese knew that Krusty was special and should not be compared.
　But Liese had no other teacher to look up to, and there were no texts in the world.

'Oh. Yeah, well. You know. Haraguro-dono would be a good choice, don't you think?
Mr. Shiroe, is it?
Yeah, yeah. That. Lord Shiroe.
　It was a surprising and rather irresponsible tone of voice to the stammering Lise.
'Why is that, sir?'
Shiroe-dono can be clumsy, too. From the looks of it, she's Riese's type, right?
　Karashin replied smoothly to the balking Lise.
　It was as if she had been prepared for the answer.
'Is that so?'
That's about 50% of it. Shiroe-dono, really.
What's the fifty percent?
Shiroe's a guy who's 50 percent ordinary. Forty percent brilliant and ten percent jaded.
"Huh?
　Karasin's tone was frightening as he crossed his arms and clenched his mouth.
　Fifty percent ordinary--.
　Riese chewed on the meaning of that.
　Oh, I see, it became clear to me.
　Fifty percent ordinary and forty percent brilliant, it was strange to say. I chuckle.
　If you're completely ordinary, you don't even know where you stand. I know enough to know how little I understand and how ignorant I am, so I can't get away with it, even though I am an ordinary person. I guess that's what it means.
　It's just like the little footprints Liese made.
　After days of frantically thinking and researching, there are five notes, about the size of an A4. That's the life-size Liese. The "cleverness" in Liese ordered Liese herself to make those notes. Because the Wise in Liese knew that was the only way left to learn the right way to do things.
　However, on the other hand, 'ordinary Liese' could only make five of those notes. That's what Liese is capable of now. Clumsy, inscrutable, and incompetent. But it can't be helped. That's the extent of Liese's reality right now.
　Yes, that was very shameful, but on the other hand, it was also a relief.
　These five cards are Liese's territory. Riese's considerations in this note are the extent to which Riese has given them enough thought and trouble. Of course, outside of that, there are many things that Liese doesn't quite understand. There are many things that even her own guild, which she spent many years in, doesn't understand. And Liese can only slowly increase her territory to the point of being disgusting like this. I almost despaired of this, but Karasin's words made me realize that this was not the case.
　It's no use being slow. That's life size.
　In fact, it was a reminder that we had no choice but to increase our territory in this way, and that such a method, no matter how detached it may seem, was fine.
　There is a young man who used the same method to set up the Round Table, which brought a deep smile to Krusty's face. Kalashin told Liese about this.

''I think you'll still be more helpful than the super-pectacled one, the one who's a hundred percent demon, don't you?
Yeah.
Ehehe. You finally feel like you have good eyes.
　Kalashin put his hand to his chin and smiled at Liese in a pretentious pose. Liese felt embarrassed that she might have made this bright young man feel uncomfortable. There were plenty of people who could help Liese. Every day from Akbarade was also a reminder of help that she hadn't noticed before.
'No, no. This Karashin, I know you don't have to say anything. How do you like your Dorayaki?
Oh. Waka-danna, are you picking on me again?
　When Karashin was about to accept the dorayaki he had taken out of the paper bag, a boy in short pants opened the door with a resounding sound and threw it open. I believe it was a fellow Karashin who had asked him to deliver a message or an agency at the Eighth Shopping Street.
'Taro, that's not it,'
That's the guy I just bought. He really sells a lot of oil. Come on, let's go deliver it.
Oh, so, Mr. Riese?　Again!　Oh, oh. When you're feeling better, let's have dinner sometime!
Thank you for the purchase.
What, really?　Taro. That was a nice reaction, wasn't it?
Mr. Karasin, here, here. You'll strike out anyway, so just give it up.
This is a lubricated conversation at work, Taro.
That's why it's so lubricated.
　Lise chuckled as Karashin's voice faded as the boy dragged her away. The three Takayama majors would be back from renewing their prosthetic hands soon. I'm blessed, Liese thought.
　The Roundtable was going through a difficult time. Liese knows that.
　So now she wanted to improve her abilities as much as possible.
　It's not about the level, it's not about this other world, it's about a girl named Liese's one determination that she expects from her future self.



　　◆04


　Isaac had never been a fan of the season of spring to begin with.
　It was only slightly better weather and warmer temperatures, and the air was dusty, and it was far too much of a mid-season thing, like it wasn't even winter when it wasn't summer.
　I didn't understand why the city was starting to get weirdly buoyant. Well, he could understand why the atmosphere would be fidgety due to the financial year end and, in school, the change of school year, but that didn't mean it was beneficial to Isaac, and it belonged more to the annoyance.
　Throughout his childhood and school years, spring was just a messy time, a season of fighting that didn't have to be done. It had gotten a little better once he started earning money, but that was due to the freedom he'd gained to distance himself from the people who were floating around.
　Anyway, Isaac had never been a fan of the season of spring to begin with.

　However, spring in this world seemed to be somewhat different from that.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it. Of course, as adventurers, Isaac and the others were not hindered by the snow and the frozen forests, but the Earthmen were not.
　The city of Maihama, where Isaac has been staying intermittently since February, is located in Chiba. The city of Maihama, where Isaac has been intermittently staying since February, is located in Chiba.
　It was a season of limited activity for those who lacked the equipment of the Adventurers.
　The Alliance of Free Cities of Eastal, which occupies the eastern part of Yamato, is not a poor alliance, and today they enjoy the benefits of new adventurer-derived technology, but winter is also a time when the crops are less plentiful than in summer or autumn. The same is true of the Maihama, although not as much as in the snowy lands, and we tend to eat a more subdued diet of mainly preserved food. Spring isn't just a dusty halfway point of spring; it's the end of winter.
　As a Japanese who used to be able to move around in a down jacket and eat whatever he felt like at the family restaurants along the street when he got hungry, Isaac felt somewhat out of touch with that.
　I'm sorry, you guys, go ahead and enjoy yourselves," he muttered to himself.

　With that thought, not to mention the fact that Isaac is now resting on a hilltop in the April breeze with his back resting against the trunk of a large tree.
　It was a thirty-minute drive from the capital of Maihama.
　Strictly speaking, this area is not within the capital of Maihama, but the villages around the capital are almost as close as its borders, and there is an expanse of idyllic fields.
　The Black Sword Knights, including Isaac, who accepted Shiroe's request rather than the Round Table, have been training the Glass Grieves, a group of duke knights belonging to Maihama, in this land.
　However, Isaac himself was bored, as he was stopped by the group members who said it would be disrespectful if he left for the practice of training the knights. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but you can't just throw it away completely.

　The hill is circular in shape with an approximate radius of one kilometer. The center of the hill is a wooded area the size of a small schoolyard, but it stretches out toward Isaac's back. It wasn't so bad to see, and if there were any animals, they were only wild dogs or foxes or weasels.
　The slope of the hill that Isaac looks down on is covered in bright green spring grass that looks freshly washed out with water, and a squad is running up the slope. They are part of the Glass Grieves, led by three or so members of the Black Sword Knights, led by Isaac. There are probably about forty of them in total.
　The Glass Grieves' training is not very efficient for such a large group.
　The whole group was divided into five or so units, and three of them were in the vicinity of this hill. They should be running around in circles at the foot of the hill and practicing their assault on the trees. I'm not born and raised in Cerdesia, much less a knight, Isaac doesn't understand it at all, but if you say it's a knight's drill, I can only think of it as such.
　The young spring grasses are surprisingly lush.
　The Glass Grieves, as their name implies, wear metal armor issued by the Duke of Cowen's family, so they are reasonably heavy. They're the kind of people who come up the slope of the green grass, driven by their instructor's role. Many of them were caught in the wet grass underfoot and rolled about unceremoniously. Thirty minutes into their training, their well-groomed silver armour would be mired in green grass and mud.
　But the Glass Grieves didn't complain; they jumped up without complaint and rushed furiously to get back to their lines.
　The three adventurers in front of them, Kouboumaru, Efuri, and Li-Jent, called out to them, "Ola!　Arm waving spoiled! Come on, Orac! And so on and so forth, shouting and squeezing. They are a hot and humid bunch, Isaac thinks, but he doesn't know that he was removed from the training program in the first place because the Daichijin gave him unbearable hot-headed Spartan guidance, and even his subordinates were appalled by him.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the best out of the situation. It's a good thing that you're not a fan of this kind of thing. Isaac himself doesn't dislike the idiot. In fact, there is a part of you that can't help but be cute. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be the leader of such a sweltering guild for even a second.

''Stop, stop!''
Thirty minutes of pause!
Rest!　Soft ponies!
　And the instructor role shouted out from about a hundred meters away. They were Isaac's friends. It was obvious that they were enjoying themselves, no matter what it was. They glanced at Isaac, talked secretly and bowed to each other. They have nothing to report to us. I've told them they are free to do what they want during the training session, so Isaac waved them off as they went along.
　I'm sure they'll do well.
　It's the Daichijin who are more surprised.
　The Glass Grieves, the Knights of the Duchy, are the knights of House Corwin who guard the territory of Maihama. House Corwin is the de facto leader of the Alliance of Free Cities of Eastar, and since it is their territory's knights, they are the most elite of the men of the land. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's a group that's only level twenty-five or so. I thought it was impossible for them to be strong. Well, I still think about that. We're not strong.
　But they're not as weak as I thought.
　The Glass Greaves have grit.
　Even now, they could run for two hours in that armor.

　Of course, that's only a morning walk for a ninety-level adventurer. In this world where the concept of levels exists, it's probably not something to be admired that much. But even though they are sweaty, covered in mud, and yelled at by outsiders like Isaac and others, they are trained harder than ever before, and yet they do not whine. I must say, he has a lot of spirit.
　When Isaac's companions returned to their quarters, they also praised the Glass Grieves when they weren't there. It has been two months since they began their training. The Black Sword Knights and Glass Greaves must be getting to know each other.
　Of the remaining two of the five divisions, one is on vacation in the city, while the last one is in the Duverture's Birdland, engaged in a battle with a monster. They have been broken up into smaller groups to hunt high-level monsters under the leadership of the Black Sword Knights. This is what is known as power leveling.
　The growth rate of the Daichijin was far less than that of the Adventurers. Reportedly, they are only about one-fifth as fast as the adventurers. However, even with this disadvantage, if the Daichijinshi were to defeat monsters that were twenty levels higher, their levels would rise at a joke-like pace.
　Of course, if you let them level up and then leave them alone, they wouldn't know how to use their combat power, and that would cause problems. Therefore, after power-leveling, they would be trained to tamper with their bodies like this, and even engage in mock fights to the point where they would be stunned by the increase in their physical capabilities. This routine was the leveling up drill that the Black Sword Knights had been doing for the past two months.

　Isaac slightly opened his eyes, which he had been meditating on, and closed them again.
　Then he closed them again.
　I think I heard something. It must have been my imagination.
　But the reality that I was about to go through came to catch Isaac with an innocent "Isaac-sama" voice.
　One of the boys who ran in a rather light gesture stopped near Isaac, who was leaning against a large tree, his cheeks dyed and he breathed. He was a clever-looking boy with white skin and silver hair. He must have been lightly pigmented to begin with. Looking at his physique, there is not the slightest hint of robustness. So even after running just a short distance, his cheeks would turn rosy and his breathing would be disrupted.
　His throat is almost painfully choked, but what comes on his face is a big smile.
'Dear Isaac!'
Just call me Isaac. I hate it when you call me that.
　Isaac's call to catch his breath nearly cut him off midway through the ride, and he jerked his upper body up. The hooded adventurer and his maidservants, who had followed him, set up a huge parasol to provide shade from the sun, and draped the canvas over the spot where Isaac had shifted. The boy looked at Isaac for permission, but the adventurer in the hood - Rezalik, Isaac's second-in-command - invited him to sit down.
But,
Doesn't that give you goosebumps, this whole "like a child" thing?
　Isaac spoke to the maidservant, who was preparing a drink with her mouth in a crooked line. The handmaiden smiled in annoyance and said vaguely, "Yes, well, I guess... I suppose that means she has no business talking about the etiquette of her employer's children. It's a waste of a nice titty, Isaac says, and he makes an even bigger dent in his mouth.
'It's you,'
Icells.
'Ah. Icelus.
　When Isaac spoke to him, having given up on the plan to get him to manage to get away from the maidservant, Icelus responded happily. Why do I miss it so much, Isaac asks himself.
'Why can't you just talk like that?
Your father and mother told me to be polite to you.
　'Father, mother,' Isaac held his forehead in exasperation.
'I'm not very good at that sort of thing.
Isaac, you are the Adventurer, and now you are the trainer and mentor of the Knights of Maihama, and you have also protected Maihama.
　Isaac had avoided this kind of elegant and troublesome stuff in the original world and in the Elder Tail. It was in charge of Krusty and Siloe, the eyeglass people, not Isaac.
　But this little kid apparently took a liking to Isaac for some misunderstanding.
　He was a child, smart, and weak. Totally out of control, Isaac gave him a sideways glare with his mouth in a crooked line.
　And Ycells is smiling at what he's thinking.
'I liked doing all those things,'
Really?
That's right. I'm not much of a mister or a lord or anything like that. I'm good at that kind of thing, the elite glasses are just traveling.
Are you traveling?
Well, I don't give a shit!
Yes, sir.
　Icelus doesn't know Krusty, so it's no surprise, but he nods without any doubt.
　Isaac thinks that he wouldn't have been in this role if that (Berserker) was there in the first place. It's not that he's not a good fit for the role, but he has a habit of looking like Isaac, only the way he wears the cat's head is top-notch. This is the perfect opportunity for the training of the Order of the Earth People.
　I've heard that he's missing for unknown reasons, but Isaac isn't so worried about Krusty the Mad Warrior. I'm sorry for the inconvenience," he said, popping up and saying, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sorry to have caused you trouble, but I've discovered a new Massive Combat Quest," he thinks.
　However, it is true that his absence has created a foul odor in Akiba.
　It could be said that the banner (leader) is the team itself. A group without it is a fragile thing. Isaac had seen several of them. Most of them ended up being uninteresting. It's not that Krusty's D.D.D. is defenseless, though. --I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
'Isaac-kun,'
You don't have to kiss me.
You see, Miss Yserus? You can call me by my nickname.
Isaac, is that you?
　The deputy, who was usually a poor man, never missed a chance to make fun of Isaac. He glanced at Isaac with such a chuckle.
'You guys seriously--'
It's kind of cool, isn't it? Isaac.
　Ycelus and Rezaric come in a circle in the surround sound. Icelus nods his head in agreement, wondering what is so funny. Even the maidservants begin to chuckle at this.
'Your mouth is square, Isaac-kun,'
　The annoying thing about Rezarik is that he always manages to stay on the verge of exploding Isaac. It's like a race of chicken, and he always retracts his words at the very edge of the boiling point.
"d*mn. Do you guys really want to use Sword of Pain Black?
　Shrugging his shoulders at Isaac's shout, Rezalic quickly pulled away from Iserus' hand and said, "Come on, let's give the Knights a pep talk on training. It's the work of the lord's family," he began to say something like that.
　Brushing his bangs languidly, Isaac shifted his gaze to the knights in training.
　If you look at them, they're starting to slow down their rush. It would be a good idea to blackmail those guys, as well as the gloom that Rezaric teased him about.
　Isaac took his beloved sword and made his way down the gentle hill.