The pale light coming in through the window was turning white.
　When she can no longer hear the birds chirping in the morning, Aisha slowly opens her eyes on the bed, which feels too wide.
　She tries to sit up as it is and fails.
　In her dazed consciousness, she turned her attention to the weight she felt on her stomach and saw Shtel breathing comfortably in her sleep. Apparently he was sleeping with Aisha's belly as a pillow instead of Nacht, who always woke up a step ahead of him to make breakfast.　
　She really is a mischievous sleeper.



That's rude!

Fuu!　

　Gently replacing the happy sleeping Shtel's head on the pillow, Aisha crawled to the corner of the large bed and sat down on the bed again as she got ready.
　Seeing Shtel sleeping happily, I thought to myself that she was a sleeper, but apparently Aisha woke up earlier than usual.

　I somehow know why.
　Nervousness, I guess.
　Aisha's fight to protect Shtel. Even though she was prepared, Aisha, a villager at heart, was unable to contain her nervousness. She felt like she slept a little bit less yesterday, too.

　She hadn't intended to, but there was just enough time, so Aisha's hands had moved naturally.
　From the mysterious bag of whatever she had received from Nacht, she took out a transparent treasure ball that was as clear as a drop of water.
　Aiming it at the precious tool that bound them together, Aisha softly threw a voice at it.

'Hello, can you hear--Isna?'

　My heart pulsed strongly.
　Perhaps because it's been so long since I've had a conversation with my best friend, I felt slightly nervous and my voice was higher than usual.

''-- Aisha!　Yeah, I can hear you!

　A girl was reflected inside the transparent crystal.
　Her bright eyes, which seemed to be filled with the brilliance of the stars twinkling in the night sky, were gleefully wide open, and from those who once knew Izuna, an unbelievably straight radiance flashed in her eyes. Aisha smiled back, slightly pressured by the smile that was growing brighter and brighter every day.

''Sorry, so early in the morning--is it okay to have time now?''

Of course, I'm fine!　There's nothing more important to me than to talk to Aisha!

　The girl, who refuses to do so without any hesitation, looks at Aisha with a cheerful smile and a single mindedness. Aisha almost shuddered at the sheer intensity of her eyes.

'So, what's the matter, Aisha?　You look worried... haha, no way!　What did that evil bastard do to you?　Are you okay, Aisha?

No, no, it's not, and it's okay. Nacht-sama doesn't have any--
　And after saying that much, I remembered the special training I've been doing for the past few days, and I couldn't help but blush.



"Wha--!　That guy.........what in the world did he do to my Aisha.......

　Izuna opens her eyes and says to Aisha.

'Aisha!　If you get sick of it, you can always come to me!　There's always room next to me!　

Um, yes, thank you?

'Yes!　So, what's going on?

No....well...I mean...I just, for some reason, wanted to hear Izuna's voice...

What's going on?　No--something you're going to do--Aisha, I'm kind of nervous.
　Aisha gasped at Izuna's words, which seemed to see through our inner thoughts.

You can't hide anything from Izuna - you have to fight for a little while... but Aisha is a novice, so when the moment comes, she gets nervous, and that's why she suddenly wants to hear Izuna's voice. I've become.
　'Isn't it funny,' laughs Aisha.

'Enemies?　Are you okay?　If you want, I can come running in now!　Oh, but I'm in imperial territory now, so it might take a little while - but for Aisha, I'll go for it.

'Huh?　
　Otherwise, there was no point in breaking up with her in Estor.
　It wasn't Aisha's intention to bind Isna's actions for Aisha's little selfishness.

'Yeah?　But - if you need help, definitely call me. Anytime, anywhere, and this time I'll come to Aisha's aid.

Yes, thank you, Izuna. Hmm, listening to your voice makes me feel better!　I'll do my best, and I hope you do too, Izuna!

　Aisha hadn't been able to talk to Izuna in a long time, and her mood was uplifted without even realizing it.
　It had caused her to speak a little too loudly, even though she was beside Shtel, who was sleeping peacefully. That was more than enough volume to wake up Shtel, who was sleeping in the morning.



　A sleepy-eyed Shtel came up to Aisha's side with her adorable eyes dimly open.



　Apparently, he is not yet fully awake, but the voice and figure of Shtel, who is leaning closer and trying to grab Aisha's hand, is clearly reflected through the Crystal of Utsukimi.

''........Hey, Aisha.......Who is that girl.......?''

　Izuna's voice, which had been bright, lost its inflection and grew cold.
　It was as if the tone of the deep darkness of the time when Izuna and I had just met was felt.

''Dad... what do you mean by...?

Well, you know, it's kind of a deep thing...
　Aisha flinches under pressure from Izuna. Izuna looks at Aisha with even colder eyes.

''Ha.........you don't think.......you mean.......they did a lot of things to you...?　I was out of sight for a moment, and then my Aisha........this, this child.......

Um, Izuna, I'm sure what Izuna is thinking right now is a very big misunderstanding...



Uh, uh, Izuna?　I'm sure that Izuna is definitely mistaken!

'Yeah, Aisha I know I was wrong...'
　Izuna's eyes, which have lost their highlights, continue in a small voice and continue indifferently.

''I'm coming over there right now...!　That color-blind man will be defeated...!

'Ah!　You don't know what you're talking about!　It's not, originally, because Aisha asked for it, and anyway, it's not!

'　It's okay, I know. Aisha didn't do anything wrong, it was all that unreasonable Lord!

That's not what I'm talking about!

　Aisha's exclamation was a wooden spirit in the room.




◇






　It was about three hours since the early morning bustle.
　A group of fully armed elves were in formation with their backs to the World Tree.
　No one wears heavy armor. Instead, the elves, wearing magical engraved spiritual clothing, line up with bows and swords.
　It's a good idea to have a good-looking group of elves standing quietly in front of you.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

''Hey, are you alright, Aisha - it's not nervousness... why are you wounded in pride before you even started fighting, you...''
　Sylphy, standing next to me, said that while dumbfounded.

''No ... well ... there's a lot going on ...''

Well, okay but make sure you're in good hands, Aisha - the battle is going to be very much about what we do today.

Yes. But I'll do my best!

I'm counting on you.

　To Aisha's upturned voice, Sylphy returned a gentle smile.
　While each of them were restless with tension and elation, Nacht slowly lowered his gaze and looked at the faces of the warriors.

　Morale was neither high nor low.
　While some of them were blazing with determination, others trembled as they remembered the days of yesteryear.

　Nacht gently straightened his gestures and stood still, and everyone gazed at him in amazement. You will be able to get a good deal more than you think.
　You can't take your eyes off of them.

Well, gentlemen--

　A stern voice rips through the silence.

'Absolute gaps in strength, overwhelming gaps in force, desperate situations - what do you think people need most when they have to confront them?'

　Nacht said this as if he was seeing a vision that no one could understand.
　Those words had been said by the head of the guild before to one of his companions (Gilin).

　There was a time when a newcomer, who had just joined the Otherworld Café (guild), had shown tremendous luck and brought about a disturbance.
　One of the many uncompleted quests, she had successfully tamed a rare monster that was a flag for the Phantom King's Treasure. A war had broken out over her, pitting numerous guilds against each other.

　It was rumored that the quest, which was still uncompleted after more than a year of implementation, was at least a new ancient class (Ancient Class (Ancient)), possibly the ultimate treasure (Ultimate Item). The darkness of the internet gamers was deep, and there were those who wanted to sidestep it with that or that trick.

　There were guilds that had studied the quest for many years, and the small sparks even generated a war between the guilds.
　A girl who felt responsible for the situation had even considered retiring or asked to leave the guild.

　On the day of the decisive battle over one such quest.
　The head of the guild asked her about such things in front of everyone.
　Some said it was preparation in advance, some said it must be a rare item, or some replied that it was wisdom and tactics.

'That man had assured me - the thing I needed most was a companion worthy of my back,'

　Nacht spoke up, thinking of his companions, who had been burned into his memory and never left him.

You are trustworthy," he said, "to stand beside your comrades, with whom you have shared your hard times and with whom you have risked your lives. They will be trustworthy. Then they already have what they need to fight.

　That man said confidently.
　My entire guild is on your side, what do you need to be afraid of, he said.
　That's why Nacht speaks up too.

'What do I need to be afraid of?　All that's left to do is fight and win--that's all.

　At Nacht's words, the warriors' eyes changed.
　Quietly, but the eyes that burned with fighting spirit evoked an intimidating atmospheric tremble.
　The unconscious overflowing of magical power makes them growl harder and harder.

'Now, fight to your heart's content. Nacht will give you a reward for your efforts.

　A battle cry filled the place.　
　In the midst of the never-ending clamor, Aisha and Sylphy stood at the front of the crowd and raised their hands.
　The spirits gathered to the two of them, who were concentrating on each other.

　Then, suddenly, the sound, a sound, disappeared.
　Their exhaled breath turned white, and the area grew so close to darkness that it seemed as if the sunshine that was pouring down was gone.

　A deep fog blocked the sunlight.
　Not to mention my own camp, even the enemy's camp was covered by the fog to cover the wards, and now - for the second time - the battle between the elves and the demon race had begun.