sus5u4r9

1Hai to Gensō no Grimgar - Volume 03
2
3
4Table of Contents
5
6
71. Social Status, Talent, and a Slight Bitterness
82. Coincidence
93. A Story of Impossible Dreams
104. Don’t Go With The Flow
115. That’s What it Feels Like
126. The Vote
137. Late Into the Night
148. Meat Shield
159. To My Little Kittens
1610. Graduation
1711. Warriors of the Frontier
1812. Later
1913. Our Mistake
2014. Not Saying, or Unable to Say
2115. The Line of Death
2216. Last Stand
23Afterword
24
25
26
27
28
29
301. Social Status, Talent, and a Slight Bitterness
31
32
33
34
35“Ranta! Don’t wander off too far!” Haruhiro cautioned.
36
37Even as he said that, he got in position behind a kobold foreman Moguzo was exchanging blows with and started to look for an opening.
38
39Yeah, there are openings. Lots of them.
40
41There was one a moment ago. Right then, too. We can do this. We can.
42
43The foreman was shaking its tail and moving around a lot, but Haruhiro had a grasp of its quirks. When Moguzo attacked a certain way, he knew how it would defend, and then he had a good idea what it might do after that. He could finish this with Backstab or Spider, of that he was confident.
44
45And yet, Haruhiro didn’t close in on the foreman. Because that wasn’t the point.
46
47Haruhiro was after something else.
48
49Will I see it? he was wondering. —That line.
50
51That vague, hazy line that shone just a little.
52
53If he could just see that.
54
55“That line you saw is something anyone who’s gained some experience will have seen once or twice—or felt, rather. That might be the more correct way to describe it.” That was what Barbara-sensei from the thieves’ guild had said to him. “Sometimes I see it, sometimes I don’t. It’s not something you can see by focusing, after all.”
56
57“That’s not a bad sign,” she had said, as well.
58
59“However, don’t misunderstand. It’s nothing special,” she had made sure to point out.
60
61It was a thing anyone who gained some experience would see once or twice. However, Haruhiro had seen that line a good number of times. Even the time he had taken down Death Spots—No, that time the line had been clearer, more defined. If he hadn’t been able to see that line, Haruhiro would never have been able to slay Death Spots. That giant kobold would have thrown Haruhiro off and chased down the rest of the party.
62
63If that had happened, there could have been casualties. Someone might have died.
64
65Haruhiro had—No, Haruhiro and the party had been saved by that line.
66
67What if it had been pure coincidence that he had been able to see it? Just then, at the perfect time, he had happened to see it by chance. What if that was all it was?
68
69It would mean fortune had been on his side then. Haruhiro had gotten lucky. Without that fluke, they might have all died.
70
71I don’t want to think I just got lucky—do I...?
72
73Haruhiro honestly didn’t know, but he knew for sure that being able to see that line would help him. He wanted to see it.
74
75If possible, I want to have complete control over when I see it.
76
77Whenever I want, however often I want, if I could see the line on those terms—Just maybe, I’d be kind of invincible...?
78
79It’s not that I want to be invincible, that’s not it. But, if I can get stronger, if I can gain a power that’ll give me that decisive edge in battle when I need it...
80
81“Thanks...!” Moguzo shouted.
82
83While Haruhiro was thinking about the line, the line, and nothing but the line, Moguzo used Thanks Slash, or what was more properly known as Rage Blow, to hit the foreman with the most powerful diagonal slash he could muster. Moguzo’s blade buried itself 15 to 20 centimeters deep inside the foreman’s shoulder. The foreman’s chain mail armor didn’t do anything to stop it.
84
85Moguzo’s dumb, brute strength is a thing to behold, Haruhiro thought. However, there’s more to it than that. It’s the sword.
86
87His cleaving blade, The Chopper.
88
89After discussing it as a group, ultimately they had gone with Ranta’s suggestion, and that was what it had been named.
90
91It was only about 1.2 meters long, which wasn’t that long, but it was fairly thick. While it did have a hand guard, it gave off the impression of a gigantic carving knife.
92
93That thing came from Death Spots. I’m impressed he can wield it so well.
94
95“Hungh...!” Moguzo kicked the foreman to the ground. Without missing a beat, he slammed The Chopper down on the foreman’s head, smashing it open with a wet thud. “Next...!”
96
97Somehow, I feel like I can rely on him.
98
99While he was busy admiring Moguzo...
100
101“Haru!” Merry shouted.
102
103“Huh?! Wh-What...?!” he stammered.
104
105“What do you mean, ‘What...?!’” Ranta demanded.
106
107I don’t want to hear that from you, Ranta, but, well, I guess I kind of deserve it.
108
109Haruhiro and the others had been frequenting the third level of the Cyrene Mines, a residential area for kobold workers, for their hunting and mainly targeting elder kobold foremen. The talismans the foremen carried, while they could be hit or miss, sometimes sold for a high price, and now that Death Spots was gone there wasn’t much danger on the third level. It was a good hunting ground for making a constant income.
110
111Even so, this was a stronghold of the kobolds, a hostile race, so it wasn’t without danger. Actually, if they let their guards down, they would pay for it.
112
113Moguzo had taken down the foreman, leaving only two followers. Ranta was taking on Follower A, while Yume and Merry were clobbering Follower B. With the scary foreman taken care of, it was easy to think this would be an easy win, but it was the way of the world to betray such expectations.
114
115Because here another foreman came, three little minions in tow, energetically running towards them.
116
117“Six...” Haruhiro whispered, having done some quick mental math, but then Moguzo bellowed “Thanks...!” and slammed The Chopper into Follower B, the one Yume and Merry had been facing.
118
119“—Ah. Five,” Haruhiro said.
120
121“Why, you...!” Ranta shouted.
122
123Ranta and Follower A had locked blades—Or so it seemed, but then Ranta knocked the follower back with a loud clang.
124
125That was his newly learned dark fighting skill, Reject. When an enemy gets in close, he uses his sword to push them back and gain some distance. It’s a rather plain skill. Considering Ranta’s personality, I’m amazed he decided to learn it. Though, if he follows Reject up with another skill, it leads to good combos.
126
127“Anger!” Ranta shouted.
128
129Once Follower A was pushed out of range, Ranta stepped in, stabbing at its gullet.
130
131I’m disappointed in myself. Just now, for a brief moment, Haruhiro had thought Ranta was cool.
132
133Ranta hasn’t just learned a new skill; because he’s not able to use his beloved bucket helmet anymore, he went and bought a visored helmet called a bascinet. He bought it used and it was darkened with tarnish, but he was probably thinking something stupid like that that just made it a better fit for a dark knight like him. Though, as a matter of fact, it does make him look kind of dark knight-y, and maybe just a little cool.
134
135“—Wait, it’s four now!” Haruhiro hastened to give orders. He was technically the leader, after all. “Moguzo, take the foreman! Ranta, one of the followers is yours! Take it out as quick as you can! For the other two, Yume and I will manage them for now...!”
136
137With a shout, Moguzo charged the foreman, crossing blades with it. He used Wind to make it back down, then pushed, pushed, and pushed some more.
138
139“Hatred...!” Ranta leapt at Follower C. It dodged his first slash, but with one blow coming after the next, he was still pushing it back.
140
141Follower D charged straight at Yume, but when it swung its shovel down at her, Yume let out a cat-like cry and did a low backwards somersault to avoid it.
142
143That was Weasel Somersault, which she just learned. It’s a machete fighting skill. I don’t feel like it’s directly related to fighting with a machete, though.
144
145As Follower D was looking surprised, Yume closed in on it. She executed a combo with Brush Clearer and Diagonal Cross. Follower D was faltering.
146
147“I can do something, too!” Haruhiro called.
148
149Haruhiro didn’t particularly want to show off, though, and taking on enemies in straight up fights wasn’t a thief’s specialty. Follower E came at him swinging its shovel. With not just the blade but the handle being made of metal, it was a sturdy shovel that could function in combat just as well as it could digging holes. Haruhiro knocked it aside with his dagger.
150
151Swat.
152
153Swat.
154
155Swat.
156
157Swat was primarily a defensive skill, but when the opportunity arose, it could be used like this, too.
158
159When Follower E went for a big swing with its shovel, Haruhiro dodged it, deliberately choosing not to use Swat this time. Follower E must have sensed the danger, because it quickly pulled back its shovel, using more compact swings from then on. It was focusing on speed over power.
160
161“Ngh...!”
162
163Haruhiro used Swat. A strong hit, meant to push the shovel away from Follower E’s body.
164
165As a result, it created an opening.
166
167Haruhiro got in close, seizing Follower E’s right arm with his left hand and his own right arm. Follower E yelped as he bent its elbow to an extreme, then he swept the legs out from under it, knocking it over.
168
169It was a fighting skill Barbara-sensei had taught him—or, rather, like she always did, beat into him—Arrest.
170
171It feels good to pull it off, but it sure isn’t showy.
172
173Haruhiro stomped on the fallen Follower E’s jaw, dislocating it. Kobolds had a dog-like head, giving them a lot of bite strength, but their jaws themselves weren’t especially sturdy. They were especially weak against strikes that came from the side. Follower E passed out, or was in a state close to it.
174
175“Ohm, rel, ect, palam, darsh!” A shadow elemental that looked like a mass of black seaweed launched from the tip of Shihoru’s staff, flying forward in a spiral. “Yume!”
176
177“Yikes!” Yume cried, crouching down as the shadow elemental soared over her head and collided with Follower D. The shadow elemental worked its way into Follower D’s body through its nose and ears. As soon as it did, Follower D stood there, staring into space.
178
179The confusing shadow, Shadow Complex.
180
181Despite saying she wanted more attack power, the new Darsh Magic spell Shihoru had learned was one that affected the target’s brain and caused a state of confusion. It was similar to the one that lulled them into a deep state of sleep, Sleepy Shadow, but Shadow Complex would also work on enemies that were prepared for it or were in a state of heightened emotions. It was the sort of choice he would expect from Shihoru, and it was useful in its own way.
182
183Despite Yume being right in front of it, Follower D threw its shovel away and clutched its head.
184
185“Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!” Yume unleashed a flurry of blows on Follower D. It seemed Follower D noticed, but it was much too late for it to do anything. By that point, it was slashed up so badly there was no way it could have turned things around.
186
187“Why, you...!” Ranta using Reject to push his opponent back and Anger to finish it, taking down Follower C with the combo he’d been using a lot lately.
188
189“Ungh...!”
190
191Is Moguzo struggling against the foreman? No. That’s not it.
192
193Just now, the foreman’s sword had hit Moguzo’s left arm, but he must have intentionally allowed it to. Moguzo had bought some reasonably priced arm and waist guards used and then paid an armorsmith to resize them for him. He had also learned one heavy armor fighting skill.
194
195The foreman’s sword bounced off of the armor on Moguzo’s left arm with a clang. It hadn’t been deflected in the normal way, though.
196
197Steel Guard.
198
199Not being a warrior, Haruhiro didn’t really understand it, but it was a skill that knocked away enemy attacks using defensive gear and particular methods of applying power.
200
201Incidentally, Haruhiro and the others currently had their athletic ability, their resistances, and their natural healing boosted by Merry’s new light magic spell, Protection. Maybe it had something to do with the symbol of the god of light Lumiaris being a hexagram, but its effect covered up to six people for a period of thirty minutes. When the spell was cast, a hexagram of light would appear on their left wrists, their bodies would feel noticeably lighter, and they would be in top form.
202
203Thanks in part to that, Moguzo was able to pull off his next move with panache.
204
205Of course, he used that one: “Thanks...!”
206
207It was the one that had become a fixed feature of all their fights, with both power and stability, the Thanks Slash.
208
209With the foreman’s sword deflected and it knocked off its balance, Moguzo slammed The Chopper down on its shoulder. It was nearly identical to when he had killed the first foreman.
210
211Moguzo may not look it, but he’s pretty skillful, and he doesn’t try to act cool or come up with little tricks like Ranta. He’s straightforward in a good way, you could say. He sticks to basics, and as he repeats the same actions he perfects them in his own way—If I praise him that much, I may be overstating it, but Moguzo’s Thanks Slash is definitely turning into a killer move.
212
213Of course, there are his strength, his polished technique, and the quality of his weapon, among other things, that go into it, I’m sure, but, anyway, his timing is good. The Thanks Slash always shows up at the ideal moment. It makes me want to applaud. Maybe I will.
214
215While Haruhiro was wondering whether to or not, Ranta came up behind Follower D, which Yume had been working on cornering, and brutally took it down.
216
217“Yeah! Got my vice...! Mwahahahaha...!”
218
219“Augh! What’re you doin’? Yume coulda handled that one by herself!” she complained.
220
221“What? You wanted to kill it yourself? Hah! You may have tiny tits, but you’re a bloodthirsty wolf, you know that? Are you going to convert and start worshiping Lord Skullhell like me now? Hmm?”
222
223“Nuh-uh, no way. Yume’s a hunter. And Yume loves her white god Elhit-chan, too. Yume just thinks, since she was facin’ that kobbie in solar combat, she shoulda kept it that way to the end! Also, don’t call my boobs tiny!”
224
225“—Yume, you mean solo combat.” Haruhiro tried to correct her because he couldn’t bear not to, but, as per usual, he was completely ignored.
226
227“It just goes to show, girls with tiny tits can’t do anything! If you don’t like that, make ’em bigger!” Ranta mocked.
228
229“You say that, but Yume, she doesn’t know how to make her breasts get bigger!”
230
231“Huh?! You do this...” Ranta mimed squeezing his own chest.
232
233Shihoru looked at Ranta with disdain, such incredible disdain. “...That’s sexual harassment.”
234
235Merry sighed a little. “You’re terrible.”
236
237“Damn straight!” Ranta said, standing tall. “I’m fine with being a harasser! And fine with being terrible! Keep it coming! Don’t think you’ll make me back down with just that! If that’s what you’re going to call me, I’m gonna become the terrible king of sexual harassers!”
238
239“Murrgh,” Yume mimed squeezing her own breasts, or, rather, actually squeezed them. “If Yume squeezes ’em, her breasts’ll grow bigger? If that’s all it takes, it’s not so hard, huh?”
240
241“Bwuh!” Moguzo spewed out whatever was in his mouth.
242
243“Y-Yume...” Shihoru grabbed Yume by the arm, stopping her. “I-I don’t think you should do that in front of other people...”
244
245“Huh? Does it work better if Yume does it when no one’s around?”
246
247“No, uh... That’s not the problem...”
248
249Ranta laughed derisively. “Your pitifully tiny tits ain’t big enough to squeeze anyway, so you don’t need to worry about it. Gwahaha!”
250
251“Augh! Ranta, you dummy!” Yume wailed.
252
253“I’m no dummy! I’m the terrible king of sexual harassers! Freshly crowned! Revere me!”
254
255“Don’t get so stubborn...” Haruhiro muttered.
256
257Haruhiro started checking over the kobold bodies. Their equipment and other stuff wouldn’t sell for enough to be worth the extra weight, so he was fine with just collecting the talismans.
258
259When he crouched down next to a follower and began to carefully remove an earring, Ranta came running over. He quickly tore a golden nose ring off of a follower that was right next to the one Haruhiro was working on.
260
261Come on, that crudeness is what people don’t like about you. Well, that and a whole lot of other things. Actually, they dislike pretty much everything about you.
262
263
264
265
266
267“Huh? What’s your problem?” Ranta glared at Haruhiro. “You got something to complain about?”
268
269“...Not really.”
270
271“Well, I do.”
272
273“Huh?”
274
275“About you, Haruhiro,” Ranta flipped the golden nose ring with his thumb, catching it in the palm of his hand. “Man, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
276
277“Misunderstanding? Huh...? What’re you on about?”
278
279“In other words, it’s like this. I hope you don’t want to be a hero or something like that, do you?”
280
281“A hero?” Haruhiro asked.
282
283Since it was coming from Ranta, he had to just be spouting nonsense. That was what Haruhiro thought at first. However, once he mulled over the words, he felt a weight quickly building in his stomach.
284
285A hero.
286
287I’m no hero.
288
289I’ve never even thought I want to become one. I haven’t—but...
290
291I really don’t want to be a hero, not in the least. It’s just...
292
293Just—What exactly?
294
295“Earlier...” Ranta said, lowering his voice. He was trying not to be heard. Could he possibly have been trying to be considerate somehow? Even though this was Ranta? “...the way you were moving was weird, man.”
296
297“...No, it wasn’t.”
298
299“No, seriously. It was strange. If I were to go further, I’d say you were the only one acting strange. It was like you were going at a slower pace, I could say. Maybe that’s not it. That’s not quite how I’d describe it. Or maybe it is. Well, either way, doesn’t matter. I know what you were up to. You were trying to take them down with one blow, weren’t you?”
300
301Haruhiro just shrugged a little, giving no answer. He did his best not to show any change of expression, but he was sweating inside. Because Ranta was dead on.
302
303This was Ranta. How had he figured it out?
304
305“It’s not like you, Haruhiro, you know that? Hmm? You ought to know your place. Okay?” Ranta slapped him on the shoulder.
306
307Haruhiro had a strong urge to knock Ranta flat, but he refrained.
308
309Even if I told you, there’d be no point. Would you understand? You, Ranta? I don’t think so.
310
311Ranta couldn’t possibly understand how Haruhiro felt.
312
313Haruhiro had nearly died. He had meant to give his life so his comrades could escape.
314
315True enough, his comrades had been fine, and Haruhiro hadn’t had to die. On top of that, he had even taken down Death Spots. It had gone great.
316
317The result had been great, but he couldn’t just say, “All’s well that ends well.”
318
319After all, he had just gotten lucky.
320
321Had he not happened to see the line that time, Haruhiro couldn’t have killed Death Spots.
322
323But I did see it, so what was wrong with that? I shouldn’t take it lightly like that.
324
325If he got in a similar situation again, would he leave his fate to the heavens then, too?
326
327He couldn’t do that. Well, what could he do, then?
328
329There were two things.
330
331One was to avoid getting into a life or death situation again. Of course, he intended to be careful not to.
332
333Then there was the other option: Make it not a fluke. He just had to make it so he was able to see that line at all times.
334
335But, it doesn’t work like that. Even Barbara-sensei said, “Sometimes I see it, sometimes I don’t. It’s not something you can see by focusing, after all.” It’s unreliable. It’s a mistake to try and count on it. I know that.
336
337But maybe, Haruhiro might have been thinking, it wasn’t a fluke at all. I might have some sort of talent.
338
339—If I do, that’d be nice.
340
341“Haru?”
342
343“Huh?”
344
345When he looked up, Merry was crouched down next to him.
346
347“Wh-What? Huh? I-Is something up...?” he asked.
348
349“I should ask you the same,” Merry said, laughing a little. “Worried about something?”
350
351“Nah—”
352
353If this hadn’t been the third level of the Cyrene Mines, and Merry had been the only one around, would he have opened up to her and been honest?
354
355Even then, he might not have.
356
357“It’s nothing,” he said.
358
359“I see. Well, that’s good, then.”
360
361The look on Merry’s face told him she didn’t think it was good at all. Haruhiro felt a dull pain in his chest, as if he had done something wrong.
362
363It’s kind of unfair, you know. All of this stuff.
364
365
366
367
368
3692. Coincidence
370
371
372
373
374They returned to Alterna, sold off their loot, split the proceeds, ate dinner, returned to home sweet home at the volunteer soldier lodging house, bathed, went back to their rooms, then all that was left was to go to sleep. That was all, yet Haruhiro couldn’t get in the mood to do so.
375
376The hanging lamp on the wall had already been put out.
377
378That lamp, and two bunk beds stuffed with hay. That was all there was in this room.
379
380I want to say farewell to this place and find a better room to stay in. It’s an option now, but I just can’t take that leap.
381
382Haruhiro was lying down in his upper bunk. Moguzo was in the lower bunk of the bed next to him while Ranta was on the top one. There were three of them in a four-person room. In the beginning, the room had been at capacity, and there had been four of them.
383
384Haruhiro was about to quietly call their lost comrade’s name, but he stopped himself.
385
386When he came down from his bunk...
387
388“...Haruhiro-kun?” Moguzo called out to him. “Is something up?”
389
390Ranta was snoring loudly. It seemed he was asleep.
391
392“Uh... Yeah.” Unable to come up with a good answer, Haruhiro was vague. “Well, it’s not really that anything’s up.”
393
394After saying it, he regretted not just saying he had to go to the washroom or something.
395
396“...Are you going somewhere?” Moguzo asked.
397
398“Huh? I’m not going anywhere. Just... outside... to get some fresh air?”
399
400Haruhiro just said whatever came into his mind, and it felt kind of awkward, but Moguzo didn’t push the matter any further.
401
402“...Okay.”
403
404Haruhiro was relieved. “Yeah. Moguzo, you must be tired. You sound it at least. You should sleep. Good night.”
405
406“Good night.”
407
408After leaving the room, he debated whether to actually go out for some fresh air. He wouldn’t have minded it, but he didn’t especially want to, either. If Moguzo was willing to talk with him, maybe he hadn’t even needed to leave the room.
409
410Should I have asked Moguzo to give me some advice?
411
412I couldn’t do that, could I?
413
414Why couldn’t he? He felt like he could explain it, but also like he couldn’t. It was just, he couldn’t talk to Moguzo.
415
416Moguzo’s a good guy, though. He seems like he could keep his mouth shut. But that’s not really the issue.
417
418Haruhiro crouched down, leaning his back against the wall in the first floor corridor of the lodging house. There were a number of old lamps in the corridor and, while it couldn’t be called bright, it wasn’t pitch black.
419
420Now as for whether he could have talked with anyone other than Moguzo, that wasn’t really the case. Like, Ranta, never, no way. He wouldn’t even consider it. If he talked with Yume, the conversation felt like it would go off into another dimension and make no sense to him. As for Shihoru—
421
422Hmm... Now that I think of it, I’ve never spoken at length with her, have I? It was hard to imagine a situation where he would be talking with Shihoru alone.
423
424Now Merry, she would surely listen to Haruhiro.
425
426But, was that okay? It didn’t feel like it. He didn’t want to make Merry indulge him any more, he didn’t want to show her his weaknesses, he wanted to act cool, he had those sorts of feelings, but there was more to it than that.
427
428Merry joined the party after it had already been formed, so while it’s not quite that she feels less of a member than any of us, she’s more enthusiastic about it, you could say, like she feels she needs to contribute to the party, I think. I feel like I’d be taking advantage of that, and that makes me hesitant. I may be overthinking it, though.
429
430Besides, what did he need to worry so much over?
431
432After getting through a life and death crisis through sheer luck, they were doing pretty well now. True, if their luck had been bad, they could have been wiped out. However, running into Death Spots at that particular time had been bad luck, too, and it had been Haruhiro’s good luck that had let him kill it. It all balanced out.
433
434In the end, Haruhiro may just have been dissatisfied.
435
436He was thinking so hard about the party. With desperation and sincerity, he was wracking his brains and agonizing. Yet, what of his comrades? They were taking it pretty easy. They were learning new skills, procuring new equipment, and feeling like they had become stronger by doing so.
437
438Well, actually, they might have been getting stronger, but even so, Haruhiro and his group were the lowest level of volunteer soldiers. It was no time to be getting full of himself just because Kemuri of the Day Breakers had treated them to a round after he’d killed Death Spots. That hadn’t been skill, it had been purely that he’d been blessed with good luck. He had to make sure he didn’t jump to wrong conclusions from it. Why didn’t the rest of them get that? Was Haruhiro the only one who understood? Were things okay like this?
439
440If we get carried away with ourselves, that’s dangerous.
441
442Bad things always happen.
443
444Everyone should know that very well by now.
445
446And yet...
447
448“—Ah... Geez.” Haruhiro pulled at his hair.
449
450This is getting to be too much trouble.
451
452All this muddled thinking isn’t going to change anything. If everyone else is fine with things, then maybe it’s fine.
453
454When he went to stand up, he heard a noise. Or, rather, he heard footsteps. Someone was walking this way.
455
456They were coming from the entrance hall.
457
458In the lamplight, he saw them. Two people. Both of them girls. Not Yume and Shihoru. The new volunteer soldiers, then?
459
460He knew that there were new people who had become volunteer soldier trainees after them. He had gone for a bath at close to the same time as two or three of the guys, so they’d spoken briefly, but he hadn’t even met the girls yet.
461
462Maybe I should go back to the room?
463
464But Haruhiro didn’t move. Because they were girls? Because he at least wanted to check out if they were cute or not? Because he was hoping he might get acquainted with them, that they’d become close? He couldn’t say that he was completely free of those ulterior motives, but he couldn’t say for sure that he had them, either.
465
466Well, I’ll just sort of see what happens.
467
468Haruhiro stayed crouching where he was. He tried not to look in their direction. Though, if he kept looking down, that would seem forced. He was looking at the wall, without staring off into space. That was how he was trying to look.
469
470Am I an idiot? What am I doing? They must be wondering who this weird guy is. It’s showing in the way they walk. They’re clearly on guard.
471
472It’s fine, I’m harmless, Haruhiro thought to himself. I won’t do anything, okay? Go on, go on. Don’t you mind me.
473
474He should have left before the girls came.
475
476It’s weird, isn’t it? I’m finding my own actions suspicious. It happens, I guess. Sometimes. I dunno. Does it? Hmm.
477
478The girls walked in front of Haruhiro.
479
480—Then, one of them stopped.
481
482Somehow...
483
484Huh?
485
486It feels like... someone’s looking at me?
487
488Haruhiro raised his face and looked towards the girls. He hadn’t been imagining it.
489
490A girl with her hair cut in a bob was staring at Haruhiro with her big eyes.
491
492Her eyes really were big. They looked like they might fall out at any moment.
493
494She had slight bags forming under her eyes. Her pouty lips gave her a moody appearance, and she gave off an impression of being hard to approach. Yet, on the other hand, he was strangely interested in her.
495
496—Hold on, this girl, why is she staring at me like this?
497
498“Choco?” the other, short-haired girl said, placing a hand on the girl with the bob cut’s shoulder. “Is something up?”
499
500“Huh—” The one who had spoken without intending to wasn’t the bob cut girl, it was Haruhiro. “...Choco?”
501
502Choco.
503
504—Did she say Choco?
505
506“Yes?” the bob cut girl asked, tilting her head to the side.
507
508I was crouched down in front of some big box full of light.
509
510There was someone standing next to me. A girl with her hair in a bob.
511
512—Choco.
513
514That was what I called the girl with the bob cut.
515
516...What was that?
517
518Just now.
519
520I was remembering...? I remembered? I dunno. But. Choco.
521
522
523
524
525
526Choco.
527
528That name at least, I remember. Just the name? No. That’s not it.
529
530Those big eyes. The slight bags underneath them. Those pouty lips. Her hairstyle. That bob cut.
531
532I know her.
533
534“Uh, hey.”
535
536But what should I say to her?
537
538Do you know me? Like that? If she did, she would be acting like it. This doesn’t feel like a meeting between old acquaintances.
539
540But, she was looking at Haruhiro. Everyone had forgotten what had happened to them before coming to Grimgar. Maybe she had forgotten, too, but there was something tugging at the back of her mind. Like there was for Haruhiro. If so...
541
542The short haired girl stepped between her and Haruhiro. “...If you’re here, you must be a volunteer soldier, too, right? Did you need something from us?’
543
544“No, it’s not that I need anything.”
545
546“Well, goodbye, then.”
547
548“Ah... Right.”
549
550“Let’s go, Choco.”
551
552“Okay.”
553
554They walked off quickly.
555
556As they did, Choco turned back just once. Their eyes met. However, she soon turned away again.
557
558Did they think I’m creepy?
559
560If so, it’s a bit of a shock. No, not just a bit. It might be a major shock.
561
562“...Choco,” Haruhiro whispered, and then thought, If she could hear me, she’d be even more creeped out.
563
564Is she that same Choco?
565
566“It’s a coincidence... right?”
567
568
569
570
571
5723. A Story of Impossible Dreams
573
574
575
576
577“—Heyyyyyy! Waaaaake uuuuuup!”
578
579“Gwah?!” Haruhiro shouted.
580
581What?! What happened?! An incident? An accident? A natural disaster? A manmade disaster?
582
583It was an elbow.
584
585Haruhiro was shocked into awareness when Ranta, the stupid jerk, elbowed him hard in the solar plexus.
586
587“...Wh-What was that for, out of nowhere?! What the hell, man! Don’t do that! I can only tolerate so much of your crap!” he shouted.
588
589“Huhhh? What’re you so mad about, Haruhiro?” Ranta asked. “You were sleeping the day away, so I decided to be a nice guy and gently wake you up, you know?”
590
591“I couldn’t get to sleep last night! Is there something wrong with that?!”
592
593“Yeah, there is! That’s why I’m saying something about it, duh!” Ranta said.
594
595“What could possibly be wrong with it?!” Haruhiro demanded.
596
597“When I went to the trouble of rushing back here to give you the extra special info I heard, you were snoring like a baby, that’s what’s wrong!”
598
599“U-Um, Ranta-kun...” Moguzo began.
600
601“Shove off, Moguzo! You just stay quiet! This is between me and Haruhiro! Until it’s settled, neither of us can move on! This is about setting things right between us, as men! Hey, Haruhiro! Right here, right now, we’ll settle this!”
602
603“...Settle what?” Haruhiro asked.
604
605“Huh?! You know what! That thing! Uh, basically... What was it again?”
606
607“How should I know?” Haruhiro sighed, sitting up. Every time he moved, his upper bunk of the bunk bed creaked. Looking up, he saw the familiar ceiling of the volunteer soldier lodging house.
608
609“—So,” Haruhiro reluctantly turned to face Ranta. “What’s this extra special info?”
610
611“Right, that!” Ranta grinned.
612
613What an incredibly aggravating expression. How can he manage to piss people off so badly with a simple grin? It’s practically a talent.
614
615Of course, it’s the worst, most awful talent ever.
616
617“You didn’t wake up at the usual time, and Moguzo said something stupid about waiting and letting you wake up on your own, so there I was, feeling real hungry, and so I went to the bakery. Yeah, the bakery. You know where I mean? Tattan’s Bakery, just outside of West Town. Well, when I did, there were a bunch of volunteer soldiers there. They were talking about it. Now, I’ll bet you want to ask what ‘it’ was, right? Well, hold your horses. There’s a proper order, a sequence, to all this. It’s like that in dating, too, isn’t it? Oh, maybe it’s too soon for you to understand that. You’re still just a little kid, after all. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you’re still a virgin. Not me, of course. I’m the king of the old in and out. It’s like they say, experienced candidates receive preferential treatment. You get me? With my incredible technique, I leave those she-cats in an ecstatic frenzy.”
618
619“...Okay, could you just let me know how long I’ll need to listen to your nonsense before you get to the point?” Haruhiro asked.
620
621“It’s not nonsense,” Ranta insisted. “The only thing that comes out of my mouth is truth. In other words, it’s all fact.”
622
623“So, what’s the extra special info?” Haruhiro asked.
624
625“Before that, man, get down here. It’s extremely unpleasant having to look up to talk to a guy who I feel is beneath me.”
626
627Yes, it was a bunk bed, but it wasn’t that high. The top level was at shoulder level for Ranta, who was standing on the floor. But, with Haruhiro sitting up in bed, he was looking down at Ranta. It may not have felt especially good doing so, but it didn’t feel bad either.
628
629“I don’t wanna.”
630
631“How about you try dying then? Huh?” Ranta exploded.
632
633“...Man, you whine about every little thing,” Haruhiro muttered.
634
635“Huh? Did you just say something?”
636
637“Yeah, I did,” Haruhiro said in irritation. “I said you’re a like a pesky insect. Ah. Sorry. That’s not it. I said you are a pesky insect.”
638
639“You dolt! I’m not a pesky insect, I’m a beneficial one!”
640
641“What, you don’t mind being an insect?”
642
643“Huh...?”
644
645Tired of the fruitless squabbling, Haruhiro got down from his bunk, taking a seat on the frame of the lower bunk.
646
647“So? What’s the extra special info?” he asked. “—Hold on, how many times am I going to have to ask that same question before I get an answer?”
648
649“Don’t try to get things without working for them,” Ranta said. “I sound like an old man now!”
650
651“Hah, hahaha...” Moguzo laughed, causing Ranta to crack a smile.
652
653“You get it, Moguzo. Unlike Haruhiro here. You get what makes a gag funny. Haruhiro’s hopeless. He doesn’t get a thing. He doesn’t have a single funny bone in his body!”
654
655Haruhiro did his best to clear away the murky feelings that were beginning to cloud his heart. “So? What’s the extra special info?”
656
657“You’re repeating yourself, Haruhiro-kuuuun,” Ranta said.
658
659“So? What’s the extra special info?”
660
661“Oh! There it is again! You’re trying hard now.”
662
663“Out with it!” Haruhiro leapt up, grabbed Ranta by the throat and started to throttle him. “Tell me! Just say it already! While I’m still holding back!”
664
665“Y-You’re not holding back...! Ow! That hurts! Sto— Are you trying to kill me?! Fine! I’ll talk! I’ll talk, okay! Okay?! It’s an order! There’s an order!”
666
667“An order...?” Haruhiro exchanged glances with Moguzo.
668
669Moguzo’s stomach grumbled. His face turned a deep shade of red. “Ah. S-Sorry. I’m hungry...”
670
671“No, it’s nothing to be sorry for,” Haruhiro said. “You can’t stop yourself from getting hungry. Look, we just so happen to have some bread here, so why not eat?”
672
673“I bought that, and you know it!” Ranta snapped. “At Tattan’s Bakery, the cheap place near West Town! I bought the bread, so it’s all mine!”
674
675Ranta was being a cheapskate, so Haruhiro and Moguzo decided to go get breakfast. Maybe he didn’t want to be left alone, because Ranta tagged along, snacking on bread. Along the way, he explained what an order was, acting as if the knowledge made him important somehow.
676
677According to Ranta, orders were issued for volunteer soldiers by the Alterna Frontier Volunteer Army Corps, Red Moon. However, despite being called orders, nobody was required to follow them. Volunteer soldiers decided for themselves whether to accept or not. That said, if someone suitable for the job chose not to accept without good reason, it did tend to cause other volunteer soldiers to look down on them.
678
679Well, that just meant that, if there was an order it looked like they could handle, it was best to just shut up and take care of it quickly.
680
681Of course, there was a more concrete reason why they would want to accept an order.
682
683Money.
684
685The reward for an order consisted of an advance payment and another payment on completion. As soon as they accepted an order, a volunteer soldier could collect the advance. The rest would be paid out if and when the task was successfully completed.
686
687If they pocketed the advance, but then didn’t work on the order, there would be a fine. If the volunteer soldier in question was judged to have acted maliciously, they would be summoned to the volunteer soldier corps office. If they didn’t respond to the summons, a bounty would be placed on their head, making them a target for bounty hunters.
688
689Incidentally, the work of capturing bounties was treated like an order. Sometimes, there would be bounties placed on criminals or dishonest merchants, and there were some volunteer soldiers who preferred the bounty hunter-like work of pursuing these targets.
690
691The compensation for orders came not as cash, but as a military payment certificate used by the Frontier Army. These were called military scrip, and were thin chits made of copper. Basically they were paid with a promissory note. Military scrips could be exchanged for cash at the Yorozu Deposit Company, or they could be used in place of money at businesses that had a contract with the Frontier Army or Volunteer Soldier Corps.
692
693While Ranta was explaining all this, Haruhiro and Moguzo decided to go to the food stall village near the craftsmen’s town to eat a noodle dish called soruzo.
694
695The stall village was busy with craftspeople even early in the morning, and at this time of day, it was even more lively than the marketplace in the northern district. Soruzo was a dish of meat thrown into a salty broth along with yellow noodles made from wheat flour. Haruhiro hadn’t thought it was that good at first, but it felt strangely familiar to him, and so he came to eat it sometimes. Having eaten it for a while, he’d gotten hooked on the stuff, and now it felt really tasty to him.
696
697As Haruhiro and Moguzo were blowing on their noodles to cool them, Ranta, who had been munching away at his bread, finally gave in to temptation and ordered a bowl, too.
698
699“—Yum...! This’s the stuff! It’s so good! Soruzo’s awesome!”
700
701“Oh, come on, you’re exaggerating... Also, your nose is running, Ranta,” Haruhiro said.
702
703“Of course it’s running! It’s gonna run like crazy! Haruhiro! Don’t you get it?! This soruzo, it’s perfect!”
704
705“S-Soruzo’s delicious, huh,” Moguzo said, already starting on his second bowl. No—
706
707“...Moguzo, correct me if I’m wrong, but is that your second—No, third, bowl?” Haruhiro asked.
708
709“Y-Yeah. It’s easy to eat, you know, so I just keep wolfing it down faster and faster...”
710
711“Gwahahaha!” Ranta laughed. “Nice work, Moguzo! You’re not my rival for nothing! But... I’m going for it, too! On to the second bowl! Pops! Hit me with another one!”
712
713“Coming up!”
714
715“Well, it’s fine if you want to...” Haruhiro scooped up the noodles with his wooden fork and slowly carried them to his mouth.
716
717Okay, sure, they’re delicious. But, it’s morning. I can’t wolf down food like that. It’d be too heavy for my stomach.
718
719“Still, though, Moguzo, this is delicious and all,” Ranta said, “but, you know what? If we tried to make it ourselves, I bet we could, don’t you think? Well?”
720
721“Huh...? Ah, yeah, uh... I’m not so sure...? The soup might be a bit hard...”
722
723“No, man, we could do it,” said Ranta. “This stuff is easy. You just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot. Just boil that, and it’ll come out tasting all right, I’m sure.”
724
725“No... I don’t think it’s that simple... You know?”
726
727“You think? It feels like we could pull it off. What’s in this soup?”
728
729“Let’s see, probably chicken bones... Pork fat, too, maybe. Then there’re the vegetables... there’re onions and carrots in here.”
730
731“Oh? Good job figuring all that out, Moguzo. Me, I had no clue, you know?”
732
733“...I’m amazed you said you could make it, then,” Haruhiro took a shot at Ranta, but he got ignored, as expected.
734
735I’m fine with that, Haruhiro told himself. Really.
736
737Moguzo brought his bowl to his lips and drank the soup, his brow furrowing. “...Yeah. If you add garlic, and maybe ginger... It might give it a more satisfying flavor.”
738
739“Ohh? Ohhh?!” Ranta exclaimed. “Moguzo, buddy, we could do it, don’t you think? Once we make some money, what say you and me open a restaurant?!”
740
741“Ah, hahaha... But, we’re volunteer soldiers and all...”
742
743“Buddy, don’t sweat the small stuff like that!” Ranta declared. “If we’re bringing in money, it doesn’t matter what job we’re doing. Besides, it’s not like we can stay in that violent world for the rest of our lives. Eventually, we’ll retire, and then we’ll need to start a second career. You know what that is? A second career. It’s a second, uh, you know. What is it? Um, it’s a second... career, yeah.”
744
745“You just said the same thing again,” Haruhiro said helpfully.
746
747“Shut up, Haruhiro. Just shut up. Seriously. Seriously. You can get lost! I’m having an important talk with Moguzo here! Anyway, how about it, Moguzo? Want to do that with me? Ranta and Moguzo’s Soruzo Shop. We’ll split the profits seventy to me, thirty to you... is what I’d like to say, but I’m fine with splitting it fifty-fifty. We’ll start studying now, so we’ll be ready when the time comes. How about it? Hm?”
748
749“A restaurant, huh?” Moguzo looked like he wasn’t entirely against the idea. “It could be nice. Doing something like that. Compared to fighting... Well, it seems easier at least. I’ll think about it.”
750
751“Yeah! You think about it! Be super positive about it! We’re gonna make so much money! Hand over fist! We’ll open a whole chain of restaurants! First, we start with ten locations in Alterna! Our goal will be 1,700 across all of Grimgar! You and I could do it, too! Well, that’s a long way off, though!” Ranta noisily slurped his soruzo soup, then let out a stinky, satisfied belch. “—So! Finally, I think it’s time for me to talk about the order! Are you mentally prepared? Am I good to start? I am, right? Don’t you tell me otherwise at this late stage of the game.”
752
753“You’re being seriously annoying, so just tell us already...” Haruhiro muttered.
754
755“Haaaaruhiroooo! When you call people annoying, you’re being one hundred! Nay! One thousand, ten thousand, no, no, no, five hundred million times as annoying! Get that through your head already!”
756
757“Yeah, yeah.”
758
759“You only need to say ‘yeah’ one hundred times,” said Ranta.
760
761“Yeah—Wait, not one time, one hundred times?! That’s too many!”
762
763“Don’t underestimate me! Brilliantly surprising people is what I, Ranta-sama, do!”
764
765“...Even Moguzo’s laughing,” Haruhiro said.
766
767“S-Sorry,” Moguzo murmured. “It’s just, that one was funny...”
768
769“Mooooguzoooo! What do you mean ‘that one’?! It’s not just that one, it’s all the ones! I’m always funny! The wandering comedian king, Rantaman, that’s what they call me! If you doubt my one-in-a-hundred sense of humor, even if you are my future business partner, I’m not going to be able to forgive you!”
770
771“One-in-a-hundred?” Haruhiro asked. “That doesn’t feel like anything special to me.”
772
773“Haaaaruhiiiiro-kuuuun...” Ranta said.
774
775“...What’s with that way of saying my name? It’s kind of creepy.”
776
777“I meant to say one-in-a-hundred-million, but I accidentally only said one-in-a-hundred, yeeees. Do you get it noooow?”
778
779“Well, if so, that’s fine. Now tell us about the order. This is going nowhere.”
780
781“That’s your fault!” Ranta shouted.
782
783“Don’t try to turn this on me, like I’m the bad guy...”
784
785“You are the bad guy!”
786
787“Enough already, just talk! What is it, this current order?!” Haruhiro snapped.
788
789“Mwahahahahaha! Don’t let this shock you, okay?!” Ranta suddenly stood up, wiggling both his arms, imitating... snakes? Or something... with them. “It’s this!”
790
791“...No, there’s no way I’m going to be able to figure it out from that,” Haruhiro said.
792
793“It’s a two-headed snake!” Ranta had his right-hand snake turn and say hello to his left-hand snake. “The operation to retake Deadhead Watching Keep and Riverside Iron Fortress, code name: ‘two-headed snake’!” Participating in this operation, let it be no secret, is the order! Well, the deadline for going to Riversides’s already passed, and they say that one’s a job for experienced teams, so if we’re going to take part, it’ll be Deadhead we go to. The upfront pay is 20 silver, with 80 more on completion, making one gold altogether! That’s a solid gold coin! And that’s for each of us, you know?! That’s incredible!”
794
795Moguzo’s eyes went wide, and he let out an “Oooh...”
796
797“One gold coin...” Haruhiro thought that was a lot. But, at the same time, he remembered that when they’d lost a comrade, Renji had come over to him and said, “Consolation money. Take it.” and thrown him a gold coin.
798
799Renji sure is rich, huh, Haruhiro thought, even though it was silly to dwell on it.
800
801“Now, Deadhead,” Ranta said, sitting back in his chair, “is here.” He pointed to a spot on the table. “...No, maybe here? Maybe around here? Or could it be around here?”
802
803“Won’t any spot do?” Haruhiro asked.
804
805“Well, yeah. But, you know. It’s an orc fortress 6 km north of Alterna. When I say 6 km, that sounds pretty close. Or, rather, it is really close. Of course, our Frontier Army has attacked the fortress many times, and even taken it in the past. However, they can never hold it long. Why do you think that is?”
806
807“Hmm...” Moguzo crossed his arms in thought, tilting his head to the side. “...Because they have no guts... or something? That’s not it, huh...”
808
809“Of course it isn’t! No, no! The answer is, right around here...” Ranta pointed to a spot near the edge of the table. “Riverside Iron Fortress. This fortress, it’s about 40 km west of Deadhead, on the bank of a jet river, and if you go further upstream, you’ll run into the territory of the former Kingdom of Nananka. You know what that is? No, I bet you don’t. The former Kingdom of Nananka. It means orcs, man, orcs. Nowadays, there’s a country full of orcs there. So, they’re able to travel by boat and carry in supplies and troops. Deadhead’s a teeny-tiny little keep, but when the Frontier Army attacks, they raise smoke signals, or something. When they do that, reinforcements get sent in from Riverside immediately.”
810
811Haruhiro furrowed his brow. “But it’s a full 40 km away.”
812
813“The orcish army’s got what they call dragoons,” Ranta said, taking on a funny pose.
814
815Is that supposed to be some sort of animal? An octopus? No.
816
817“They’re called dragoons, but they don’t ride dragons, they ride these huge lizards,” Ranta said. “The big lizards are called horse-dragons. They’re crazy fast, and they can make the trek from Riverside to Deadhead in as little as an hour.”
818
819“Ah,” Moguzo punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand. “Is that why we’re doing both at the same time?”
820
821“Clever thinking, just what I’d expect from my business partner.” Ranta tried to snap his fingers, but they didn’t make a sound. He tried again a few times, but he just couldn’t get it to work.
822
823Looks like he finally gave up.
824
825“...Dammit,” Ranta muttered. “Curse you, dry skin.”
826
827Haruhiro sighed. “Don’t try to blame your skin...”
828
829“Don’t butt in on everything, even me blaming my skin! What are you, my mother-in-law?!”
830
831“So, moving on... Where were we?” Haruhiro asked.
832
833“Ignoring me, huh?! You’ve got guts, pal!”
834
835“Riverside Iron Fortress, was it?” Haruhiro asked. “And Deadhead Watching Keep, they’re attacking them together... Wait, somehow, that almost seems like a war, don’t you think?”
836
837“...Tch. You just insist on ignoring me. Haruhiro, didn’t you know? We humans have been at war with the orcs, the undead, and more, all this time.”
838
839“Well, I had a sort of vague sense of that. But we didn’t seem to be going at it that hard, you know.”
840
841“When the chance comes along, we go at it hard,” Ranta said. “Not that long ago, a bunch of orcs fought their way into Alterna, remember?”
842
843“Ah... Ish Dogran? Was that it? The guy Renji killed.”
844
845“Yeah, that’s it. Apparently, this got started as revenge for that. That was what got it going. And so, if we’re going to do it, rather than just harass them, we might as well take the whole fortress good and proper, that’s my thinking. We’ve taken Deadhead a number of times in the past, but they always take it back from us in no time. It’s Riverside that’s to blame for that. So, we’re not making the same mistake again.”
846
847Ranta talks about it with a condescending tone, like “The Frontier Army’s learned from their mistakes, wahahaha,” but the more I hear, the more clear it is that this is a war.
848
849“...Isn’t it kinda dangerous?” Haruhiro asked. “And, hold on, we’re not attacking with just volunteer soldiers... there’s no way that’d be it, right?”
850
851“Obviously, the Frontier Army will accompany us, or rather, they’re the main force and we’ll be accompanying them,” Ranta snorted. “The volunteer soldiers are there in a supporting role, of course. Try to think a little. Are you a moron? Don’t just keep looking at it with sleepy eyes like that, Haruhirion.”
852
853“Don’t talk about my eyes. I’ll stab you from behind. Also, drop the Haruhirion thing.”
854
855“Haruhirion can’t take a joke, I see.”
856
857“Come on, man...”
858
859“U-Um,” Moguzo interrupted them. “H-How many people will be going to do that...? Like, numbers.”
860
861“Numbers?” Ranta stroked his chin with his thumb. “Let’s see, at Deadhead there’ll be five hundred or six hundred from the Frontier Army, they were saying. As for volunteer soldiers, it was one hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty. Riverside’s one tough fortress, so I expect it’ll turn into a pretty intense battle. I hear Soma’s Day Breakers, ‘Red Devil’ Ducky’s Berserkers, ‘One-on-One’ Max’s Iron Knuckle, and Shinohara’s Orion will be participating there. Honestly, that’s some crazy stuff. ‘If you aren’t confident in your skills,’ it feels like they’re saying, ‘if you come, you’re gonna die, so don’t come, you’ll only get in the way.’”
862
863I feel like I understand why Ranta’s acting like this’ll be easy, Haruhiro thought. Ranta’s taking it too lightly, that’s gotta be it. He thinks taking Riverside Iron Fortress will be hard, but Deadhead Watching Keep will fall easily. Actually, he probably thinks we’ll win the moment we start the attack.
864
865“So, there you have it.” Ranta had both his hand-snakes make bitey motions. “One gold coin! We’ve gotta do it, with that up for grabs! It’s decided! Yup! Let’s go and apply already! There’re three days left before the deadline, but you know that proverb about striking while the iron’s hot, right? Or was it an idiom? Well, whichever, it’s a thing they say, and I say I’ll go to the office right now and—”
866
867“Y-You can’t do that,” Moguzo said, stopping Ranta before Haruhiro had the chance. “...W-We’ve got to let everyone else weigh in on it first...”
868
869“Wahhh? Who cares about doing that? Just be like, ‘We’re doing this, okay, let’s go,’ and they’ll tag right along. They won’t even realize what’s up, not those girls!”
870
871“You can’t be right about that...” Haruhiro said, scratching his head. “Well, I’ll bring it up with them tonight, and we can make a decision after that. There’s still time, so it should be fine.”
872
873Ranta snorted. “Oh, fine, if you insist.”
874
875Next time, I’m going to punch him. Haruhiro promised himself that.
876
877
878
879
880
8814. Don’t Go With The Flow
882
883
884
885
886After a day of work in the Cyrene Mines, the party sold off their loot, grabbed dinner, and then all of them rushed in to Sherry’s Tavern.
887
888“Of course, I’m getting beer, like a real man should,” Ranta declared.
889
890“Well, m-me, too, then,” Moguzo added.
891
892“I’ll get mead,” said Haruhiro.
893
894“Ah, me, too,” said Merry.
895
896“Yume thinks she’ll go with lemonade. It’s so bubbly and delicious.”
897
898“...I’ll go with that, too,” Shihoru nodded.
899
900Soon after, the drinks came around. Ranta took it upon himself to start running the show.
901
902“Okay, everyone got theirs?! Good work today! Cheers...!”
903
904“G-Good work today!” Moguzo said.
905
906“Good work,” Haruhiro agreed.
907
908“Good work, everyone,” said Merry.
909
910“Good worky-worky-work,” said Yume.
911
912“...Good work,” Shihoru added.
913
914Ranta and Moguzo both knocked back their beers and chugged them. Moguzo was probably just doing it because he was parched, while Ranta didn’t want to lose to Moguzo.
915
916Haruhiro, sipping away at his slightly tangy, but sweet, mead, couldn’t understand it at all. What the hell? Why is he so competitive?
917
918“—Bwahh! I... win...!” Ranta slammed his empty ceramic mug down on the table.
919
920What’re you going to do if it breaks? Haruhiro wondered.
921
922“Moguzo! How do you like that? I won! Wahahahahahahahahahaha!”
923
924“Uh... sure,” Moguzo said, putting down his mug without finishing it. “Y-You’re amazing, Ranta-kun. Drinking it all in one go like that.”
925
926“I know, right? I am awesome, aren’t I? You really do get it, Moguzo,” Ranta said proudly. “I should’ve expected no less from my future business partner.”
927
928Yume blinked repeatedly. “Blinking partner?”
929
930“No, a business partner...” Haruhiro at least made the effort to correct her. “And, hold on, what kind of partner would that even be? A blinking partner...”
931
932Suddenly, Shihoru let out a strange “Hic.” When they looked over, Shihoru was covering her mouth with both hands and looking down. Her face was a little red.
933
934“What’s wrong, Shihoru?” Haruhiro asked.
935
936“...I-It’s nothing... Nothing, really...” she murmured.
937
938“Oh, yeah,” Ranta displayed one of his irritating grins. “Shihoru. I’ll bet you were imagining something weird.”
939
940“...S-Something weird...?”
941
942“I don’t know what it’d have been. I’m not equipped with a delusion engine as powerful as yours, you know?”
943
944“I-I don’t have an engine like that...!”
945
946“So, that means I don’t have the same delusion energy coursing through me that you do, get it?” Ranta went on.
947
948“It’s not coursing through me...!”
949
950“That’s some nasty accusation, Ranta!” Yume said, holding Shihoru close to her. “Shihoru’s not like that. She doesn’t have no delugin’ apogee, or whatever weird thing you said, got it!”
951
952“...You got the words wrong, though,” Merry whispered quietly.
953
954“Whuh?! Did Yume goof it up again?!”
955
956Ranta laughed, mockingly. “Your words are wrong way too often, you know that! It drives the people listening to you crazy, so don’t talk for a while! Shut up!”
957
958“Nuh-uh, no way!” Yume shot back.
959
960“You don’t get the right to refuse here!”
961
962“Yume has her own opinion, too!”
963
964“No one said anything about you having an opinion or not!”
965
966“Ranta, you did!”
967
968“I said you don’t have the right to refuse! Right! To! Re-fuse! You know what that is?! The right to refuse!”
969
970“Yume knows that much!”
971
972“Yeah, well, before we talk about what you do or don’t know, stop getting words wrong so often! Do you have holes for ears?!” Ranta shouted.
973
974“Ranta.” Haruhiro stuck his fingers in his ears. “Yep, they’re there. Holes in my ears. Everyone has holes for ears. Or are you blind? Do you have holes for eyes?”
975
976“Huh...?” Ranta realized his mistake, but that wasn’t enough to make him change his attitude. He gave it a sarcastic shrug. “—Here we go again. This is it. This here. This is the problem with our party’s leader. He likes to pick at any little mistake people make! On top of that, the way he criticizes them for it is downright malicious! What an awful personality!”
977
978“You’re the last one I want to hear that from...” Haruhiro muttered.
979
980“If you don’t want to hear it, then don’t act in a way that makes me say it, huh? Show some restraint, okay?”
981
982“...Hey, Moguzo,” Haruhiro said. “Listen, just a friendly word of warning, but if you’re planning to run a business with this piece of shit in the future, you really ought to reconsider. There’s no way it’ll be a success.”
983
984Moguzo laughed awkwardly.
985
986“A business?” Merry asked, cocking her head to the side.
987
988“Ohhh.” Haruhiro told her about what had happened at the food stall. “...So, once they’ve saved up some money and retired from being volunteer soldiers, Ranta suggested to Moguzo that they open up a soruzo shop together, you see.”
989
990“Ohh,” Yume mumbled. “Soruzo, that’s that stuff that’s like ramen, huh.”
991
992“Ramen...” For an instant, Haruhiro felt a salty taste spread through his mouth.
993
994Ranta crossed his arms in thought. “...Ramen.”
995
996“Ramen...” Shihoru touched her lips.
997
998Moguzo leaned out over the table. “...Ramen.”
999
1000“Ramen—Wait...” Merry said, a slightly frustrated look on her face. “What was that again?”
1001
1002“Whut?” Yume looked around restlessly. “Ramen is... Um... Huh? That’s odd. Yume, did she know it... from somewhere? Maybe? What was it again? Huh? What was Yume talking about with everyone again?”
1003
1004Haruhiro scratched his head. “...What were we talking about?”
1005
1006“About ramen,” Moguzo said in a strong tone. “We were talking about ramen. We... We probably know what ramen is. That’s right. Soruzo, it’s kind of like ramen. When I first ate it, I thought it tasted like something. It was ramen I was thinking of. I couldn’t remember it at the time. I wonder why not. I’ve always loved ramen. Ranta-kun.”
1007
1008“Huh? Oh...?” Ranta asked.
1009
1010“Someday, let’s do it. Open a restaurant.”
1011
1012“Huh?”
1013
1014“But, me, I don’t want to open a soruzo place, I want to make ramen. I’ll save up money, study, and when I can make ramen that tastes just right, let’s do it, let’s open that restaurant.”
1015
1016“A restaurant...” Ranta grinned broadly, grabbing Moguzo around the shoulder. Even though it was Ranta, this was a smile that wasn’t infuriating to see. “Yeah! You’ll be in charge of the cooking and raising capital! Leave everything else to me! I swear I’ll lead us to success!”
1017
1018“Yeah!”
1019
1020“...The cooking is fine, but raising capital, too...?” Haruhiro muttered. What, aren’t you putting in any money yourself? Haruhiro wanted to add, but he’d have felt bad doing so after seeing how excited Moguzo was about doing it. I can warn him any time. I don’t need to be a killjoy right here and now.
1021
1022Either way, it was a long way off. Probably an astonishingly long way off.
1023
1024The saying about the best-laid plans of mice and men came to mind, but Haruhiro wasn’t so boorish that he was going to tell them to stop talking about it. He felt things were fine the way they were.
1025
1026Honestly, he was even a little jealous.
1027
1028Haruhiro was only ever thinking about tomorrow, maybe three days into the future at most. Even if he wanted to think about more than that, he couldn’t.
1029
1030And, technically, he had something he needed to make a decision on within those three days that was the most he could think about, anyway.
1031
1032“By the way, since everyone’s here, I had something I wanted to talk about,” Haruhiro said.
1033
1034When Haruhiro gave them a quick rundown of the order—
1035
1036“Hell! Yeah!” Ranta cried, thrusting a fist into the air so hard it seemed like he might jump up on top of his chair. “We’ve gotta do it! That goes without saying, I mean! It’s a gold coin! Golden work! Not doing it isn’t an option! What’re we gonna do if we don’t?!”
1037
1038“...Hrmm...” Shihoru looked down, clearly not enthusiastic about the idea.
1039
1040Yeah, that figures, Haruhiro thought. I mean, it’s Shihoru. How does Merry feel?
1041
1042She was lowering her eyes, stroking her chin, looking like she was deep in thought, but she hadn’t approved of it yet, either. She probably planned to go along with the rest of them. She might be trying to be considerate.
1043
1044Everything up to this point was going as Haruhiro had expected.
1045
1046“Yume, yeah,” Yume puffed up her cheeks, looking up and away diagonally. “She doesn’t care either way, maybe?”
1047
1048“...Oh. Is that right?” Harurhiro asked.
1049
1050“Hm? What?”
1051
1052“Oh, it’s nothing.”
1053
1054If Ranta said he wanted to do something, Yume would usually oppose it. That was the way it usually went, but it looked like things were different this time. Why? If anything, Haruhiro wanted to ask that, but if he did something that would encourage conflict between Yume and Ranta, that wouldn’t be very mature, and he didn’t feel it would be right for the party leader to do that, either. Even if Ranta was a hopeless case, he was still a comrade, and it was best not to rock the boat.
1055
1056But, wait, hold on?
1057
1058That meant that Haruhiro was against, Ranta was for, Shihoru was weakly against, Merry was neutral, Yume was neutral, too...
1059
1060“I...” Moguzo looked more serious than ever.
1061
1062Somehow, that gave Haruhiro a bad feeling. That bad feeling was right.
1063
1064“I’d like to try it... maybe?”
1065
1066“Moguzoooo!” Ranta thrust his fist out at Moguzo. “Yeah!”
1067
1068“Y-Yeah...?” Moguzo asked.
1069
1070“Get over here! Say, yeah! Yeah!”
1071
1072“...Y-Yeah?”
1073
1074When Moguzo hesitantly bumped his fist into Ranta’s, Ranta said “Yeah,” and bumped his fist back, then he bumped their forearms, then elbows together, saying “Yeah,” finally finishing by locking their arms together firmly.
1075
1076“Wahahahaha! Seriously! Seriously! That’s my future business partner for you! We’re both frontliners, too! It’s no exaggeration to call him my partner! We’re like peas in a pod, Moguzo! Don’t you think so?! You do, right?!” Ranta shouted.
1077
1078“Ah! Er, yeah. Y-You’re right. Hahaha...”
1079
1080“Good, good, good, good! Hey, Haruhiro!”
1081
1082“Huh? Wh-What?”
1083
1084“Majority vote.” Ranta put his arm around Moguzo’s shoulders, licking his lips. He had a look in his eyes like a carnivore about to devour its prey. “Go on, let’s take a vote.”
1085
1086“No...” Haruhiro said.
1087
1088Wait, wait, wait.
1089
1090Hold on.
1091
1092This is no good. It’s bad. I don’t like where this is going.
1093
1094If Moguzo was voting for, then along with Ranta’s vote there were two fors. Haruhiro would vote against, and probably Shihoru as well, giving them two. Merry and Yume’s two votes remained unclear.
1095
1096If it comes down to it, I feel like Yume will follow me, Haruhiro thought. But, when I ask myself if that’s guaranteed—I dunno. Now that Moguzo’s sided with Ranta, I can’t be confident.
1097
1098“Ah—” Haruhiro started to speak, but then looked to Merry and Yume, sizing them up.
1099
1100Man.
1101
1102Which is it? Are the two of them for? Or against?
1103
1104I don’t know.
1105
1106“Let’s do it tomorrow,” he said.
1107
1108“Huhhhhhhhhh...?!” Ranta’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean tomorrow, you idiot?! Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today! Are you a sloth?!”
1109
1110“...It’s fine,” Haruhiro said. “We don’t have to rush. There’s still time before the deadline. We can take a day to think it over properly, and it still won’t be too late to decide then.”
1111
1112Merry raised her hand to support him. “I think that’s a good idea.”
1113
1114She’s like a goddess. She looks positively radiant. Oh, I guess she’s always like that.
1115
1116“Well...” Yume lay down on the table. She’d only drunk non-alcoholic lemonade, but she was acting tipsy. “Yume agrees with Merry, maybe. It should be fine, no?”
1117
1118“...Y-Yeah,” Shihoru nodded. “...It’s a good idea. I think so, too.”
1119
1120It didn’t look like Moguzo had any objections. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s fine. There’s no rush.”
1121
1122“You people...!” Ranta screamed.
1123
1124Ranta can hardly contain himself, but who cares about him. For now, it looks like I can get through this. Haruhiro breathed a sigh of relief, looking around the tavern.
1125
1126Sherry’s had the same crowd as usual. In other words, it was packed with volunteer soldiers.
1127
1128Among them, there should have been a good number who had already accepted the order and would be participating in Operation Two-Headed Snake. It might be a good idea to gather information.
1129
1130“...I’m not so good at doing this kind of stuff,” Haruhiro murmured.
1131
1132Honestly, I’d rather not talk to strangers. I can’t afford to be saying that now, I know, but still.
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
11385. That’s What it Feels Like
1139
1140
1141
1142
1143I understand that, so I tried my hardest, you know...? Haruhiro thought. Well, as much as I could, at least.
1144
1145He had tried calling out to the senior volunteer soldiers that he’d talked to in the past and asking them about it. The fact that the affable Shinohara and his gang hadn’t come to Sherry’s hurt his chances a bit—maybe?
1146
1147Shinohara was usually kind and polite, of course, and so were the other members of Orion. If he were to ask politely, without demanding too much of them, they would probably tell him what they knew.
1148
1149Well, outside of Shinohara, the only one Haruhiro could easily talk to was Kikkawa, the guy who had come to Grimgar at the same as him, but was super easygoing and had a lot of connections.
1150
1151But Kikkawa wasn’t there today, even though Haruhiro met him at Sherry’s pretty often. Had he gone off somewhere, maybe?
1152
1153Despite appearances, Kikkawa was a member of one of the more senior volunteer soldiers, Tokimune’s, party, so he had gotten a lot further than Haruhiro and his group.
1154
1155Come to think of it, he mentioned something, I think. If I remember correctly, some place called Wonder Hole is their main hunting ground now. That was somewhere in the Quickwind Plains, right? Wonder Hole, huh?
1156
1157Haruhiro was sitting in the hall on the first floor of the volunteer soldier lodging house, leaning with his back against the wall.
1158
1159Ranta and Moguzo were back in the room, fast asleep. Maybe it was the alcohol, but they both snored incredibly loudly. Because of that, Haruhiro hadn’t been able to sleep—though maybe that was just one of the many usual reasons.
1160
1161He had spoken to a handful of senior volunteer soldiers who had accepted the order, and from what they had told him, everyone seemed optimistic about their chances of taking Deadhead Watching Keep.
1162
1163When he asked why, it was apparently because Deadhead had fallen a number of times in past. They could take that keep any time they wanted to. It was just that the reinforcements from Riverside Iron Fortress were hard to deal with, so they usually left it alone.
1164
1165Even if the volunteer soldiers ignored them, the orcs there hardly ever came to attack Alterna. Even if an incident like the one with Ish Dogran occurred, it wasn’t going to shake the fortress city of Alterna. Even in the worst case scenario, if the orcs brought a massive army to attack them, they just had to bar the gates and settle in for a siege.
1166
1167They had supplies. They could even expect support to come from the Arabakia Kingdom mainland. Because the orcs knew that, too, they never got serious about sending forces after Alterna. The orcish position was that Deadhead was merely a watching keep, and they were monitoring the humans. They didn’t station a large force there, so if the humans suddenly attacked, it would fall easily.
1168
1169Because that was the general consensus, none of the volunteer soldiers doubted that the mission to take it would succeed. It was a given that they’d win at Deadhead, like they always had up until now. However, since there had never been a proper attack on Riverside before, nobody knew how that one would go until they tried it.
1170
1171It seemed like people expected it to go well, though.
1172
1173After all, it seemed the Frontier Army would be committing a good amount of manpower to taking Riverside, and as for the volunteer soldiers, Soma and his Day Breakers would be participating, along with many other influential clans. It just might work.
1174
1175That was what most volunteer soldiers seemed to be thinking, and Haruhiro hadn’t heard anyone sounding negative about it.
1176
1177It might be okay to do this... maybe?
1178
1179After all, it was one gold. One golden coin. Converted to silver, that was 100 coins.
1180
1181Recently, Haruhiro and the party had been going to the Cyrene Mines. There had been times when, on the best days, their daily earnings could exceed 30 silver each. Though, most of the time, it was questionable whether they would make 10 silver each or not. The talismans from elder kobolds like foremen always sold for around 5 silver at the minimum, so it was fairly stable. However, their living expenses were going up, too. Everyone was clearly eating better than before. They drank, too, and would go out to buy this or that.
1182
1183From what he’d heard, while the upfront payment and completion bonus were one gold all together, every full night they were out on the mission would earn them another 30 silver each.
1184
1185That meant, probably, that the higher-ups intended to finish this in a single day.
1186
1187One gold in one day.
1188
1189That was a big deal. A really big deal.
1190
1191It was very tempting.
1192
1193It seemed like a winning battle, and the money was really enticing, so why was Haruhiro so incredibly hesitant?
1194
1195After leaving Sherry’s Tavern, he considered consulting Merry about it. It wasn’t something that she always did, but Merry seemed to have a habit of first leaving with everyone else, then turning back and going for another drink by herself.
1196
1197He probably had the opportunity to do it, but Haruhiro didn’t. Why not?
1198
1199In the bar—no, it wasn’t just that—he didn’t know when it had started, but lately, Haruhiro had been sensing a wall. It had risen up between Haruhiro and his comrades. Haruhiro was being separated from his comrades by something that felt like a wall.
1200
1201It must have been his imagination, or rather, he was just overthinking it. It couldn’t be that Haruhiro was the only one on this side, and everyone else was on the other side. But, there was a gap between them.
1202
1203That was a fact.
1204
1205His comrades were starting to build confidence. In fact, Haruhiro thought that they were growing in strength, too. When they were on the third level of the Cyrene Mines, it was generally pretty easy, after all. That was partially because they no longer needed to worry about Death Spots, but he didn’t feel like they could lose. At their current level, if Haruhiro and the others took on a group of seven, no, eight goblins, they could probably handle them now. With kobolds, it would depend on how many of them there were elders, but usually there were two to three ordinary kobolds for each elder. Even if they went up against three elders and five ordinary kobolds, it wasn’t like they couldn’t manage that. Not that he wanted to take that sort of risk.
1206
1207—That’s it.
1208
1209I want avoid risks as much as possible.
1210
1211Safety comes first.
1212
1213As leader, I’m always keeping that in mind.
1214
1215I don’t want us to take any harm. I’d like to keep that to the absolute minimum. If possible, to zero. Actually, zero sounds good. No matter what it takes, I’d like to keep it to zero.
1216
1217I’m scared. I mean, it’s frightening. Everyone else seems calm and composed. Me, not so much. I may not feel like we’re going to lose, but I’m always on edge. If we keep thinking, “We can do this, we can do this,” I worry we’re going to get done in. Eventually, something weird could happen. One of us could mess up horribly. I can’t rule the possibility out.
1218
1219“—It’s kind of like...” Haruhiro held his head in his hands.
1220
1221Like, you know... I don’t believe... In my comrades...? But, even more than that, in myself.
1222
1223Is that okay? Is it really okay for a guy like me to be the leader?
1224
1225Haruhiro worried about whether any party with him as leader would be able to keep on going. Though, now, maybe he really was overthinking things?
1226
1227It wasn’t like he had messed up somehow. It was just, he felt like he was going to, and he was afraid because of that, that was all. If I were to screw up, then—what if one of my comrades got hurt? What if they died? Those guys, aren’t they thinking about that at all? If they aren’t, isn’t that a little naïve? They’re being way too optimistic.
1228
1229In the end, that’s probably because none of them is the leader. They’re not in a position of responsibility, so they can take it easy.
1230
1231“Ahh...” Haruhiro moaned.
1232
1233This is getting to be a pain.
1234
1235It’s always like this, though.
1236
1237Maybe I don’t care. I don’t need to think too deeply about it. When it comes to the order, just put it to a vote, and if everyone says they want to do it, let them. There’s not much else I can do.
1238
1239“No, no...” Haruhiro shook his head back and forth, still holding it in his hands.
1240
1241That’s no good. I have to care more than that.
1242
1243“Augh...”
1244
1245As he was groaning, he heard footsteps, but those footsteps immediately stopped. Because he’d been letting out strange noises, whoever the footsteps belonged to might have thought he was crazy and dangerous.
1246
1247He looked up, and at the other end of the corridor, the girl with her hair in a bob was standing there, pigeon-toed.
1248
1249“Ah,” Haruhiro lowered the hands he’d been holding his head with. “—Erm...”
1250
1251The girl started to walk towards him. Not slowly and cautiously, as if she were intimidated, but approaching at a leisurely pace.
1252
1253She was probably going to walk right past him. Well, of course she would. That was obvious, wasn’t it? What was she even doing here to begin with? It was past bedtime. He hadn’t thought he’d be able to meet her. He hadn’t, but maybe, deep down, he’d been hoping he would.
1254
1255No, it was an exaggeration to say he’d been hoping for it. I saw her here once before, so maybe I’ll meet her here again. He couldn’t deny that the thought had crossed his mind.
1256
1257Of course, the time being the time, there had been no guarantee he would meet her. He shouldn’t have been able to meet her. She should have walked past Haruhiro. Instead, she stopped. Then, as if after a moment of indecision, she bowed her head to him a little. Then: “...Hey,” she said, in an extremely brusque tone.
1258
1259Depending on the person, that attitude might make someone think she was picking a fight. Even Haruhiro got a little angry.
1260
1261She’s the one who greeted me! She can leave anytime now, and yet she’s not going.
1262
1263The girl made no attempt to make eye contact with Haruhiro. It felt like she wanted to leave, but leaving so soon would be awkward, so she didn’t know what to do now.
1264
1265Though, seriously, you can just go, okay...? Haruhiro thought. He seriously felt that way, but he also wanted to at least talk with her.
1266
1267Well, not that he’d have had any idea what to talk about. The words weren’t coming to him. Nothing even resembling words came out.
1268
1269“Ha... Hahaha...” Unable to come up with anything else, he tried laughing a little. The girl gave a little sigh.
1270
1271Ah, he realized. She’s going to leave.
1272
1273“Wait,” he said.
1274
1275“Huh?” She stopped walking. “...What?”
1276
1277“Nothing...”
1278
1279Oh, man.
1280
1281What now? I went and stopped her. My mind’s blanked out and gone all white. No way. It can’t have gone all white. My face, on the other hand, I’m sure it’s ghastly pale.
1282
1283“W-Well... You know. What is it...? Well... Um, nothing... Really.”
1284
1285“Ah, okay,” she said.
1286
1287“Y-Yeah.”
1288
1289“Bye.” She turned to leave.
1290
1291“Ummmm, listen.”
1292
1293“Huh?”
1294
1295“Huh?!” he yelped.
1296
1297“Seriously, what?”
1298
1299“Wh-What? What... I wonder what,” he stammered. “Er... Ba...sically, yeah... Uh... Hm...”
1300
1301Yeah, this is bad. No matter how you look at me, I’m acting like a total weirdo right now, aren’t I?
1302
1303Maybe I should apologize? Say I’m sorry? Would that be weird, too? Too sudden? Would it be bad?
1304
1305Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.
1306
1307“Heh...” She covered her mouth with her sleeve.
1308
1309Did I just... get laughed at?
1310
1311With her sleeve still covering the lower half of her face, she said, “You’re weird.”
1312
1313“Ah—weird? Am I weird, you think...?” he managed.
1314
1315“Weird,” she said. “And gross.”
1316
1317“No way?!”
1318
1319“Yes, way.”
1320
1321“Seriously? Augh... This is a huge shock...” he moaned.
1322
1323“What is it?” She looked back and forth. “What are you doing here?”
1324
1325“Me? I’m not... doing anything weird, you know? Just being normal, and, well... thinking about some stuff, you could say...” It wasn’t funny, but he almost laughed again before he could stop himself. “What about you, Choco?”
1326
1327“...What, no honorific for me?” she asked.
1328
1329“S-Sorry. It’s just—”
1330
1331It feels more natural that way. But if I said that, she’d probably be even more creeped out. Really, that’s how it is, though. Choco-chan, or Choco-san, maybe—Yeah, no. It’s not right. Choco is Choco.
1332
1333“Are you,” Choco narrowed her eyes a little, “a ladies man? You don’t look like it, though.”
1334
1335“...I’m not, okay?” Haruhiro said. “I’m exactly what I look like. I’m not. I’m not a ladies man at all. Umm, uh—Choco...chan? San?”
1336
1337“It’s fine. Just Choco.”
1338
1339“Ah. Really?”
1340
1341“Yeah,” she said. “Somehow...”
1342
1343“Somehow, what?”
1344
1345“...This is going to sound weird, but somehow—You know what, never mind.”
1346
1347“Huh? Tell me,” he said. “You’ve got me wondering.”
1348
1349“I won’t say.”
1350
1351“R-Really? Well... That’s fine.”
1352
1353“So you’re fine with it,” Choco said.
1354
1355“Huh?! No, I’m not really fine with it. But you said you wouldn’t tell me.”
1356
1357“You weak-willed wussy.”
1358
1359Haruhiro eyes shot wide open. His heart was beating strangely fast. This wasn’t his normal pulse. What was it?
1360
1361Those words. “You weak-willed wussy.” They sound familiar.
1362
1363Maybe I’m just imagining that. Still, it’s not a common thing to call someone—at least, I don’t think so.
1364
1365At least, Haruhiro had never heard the phrase before.
1366
1367No, that’s not true. I have heard it before.
1368
1369“Choco,” he said.
1370
1371“Yes?” she asked.
1372
1373“I’ll bet you don’t remember either, do you? What it was like before you came here.”
1374
1375“...Yeah. I don’t remember.”
1376
1377“Neither do I. Not even my family or friends. I don’t remember them at all.”
1378
1379“Yep,” she said.
1380
1381“So, on that note,” he said nervously, “could it be... Like, for me, I joined a party, and I think I met them all for the first time here, but maybe that’s not the case, right?”
1382
1383“...You might have known each other from before?” she asked.
1384
1385“Well, I’m just saying that it’s a possibility.”
1386
1387“It could be. For instance, with me and...”
1388
1389Choco looked at Haruhiro. Just a brief glance. She immediately looked away again.
1390
1391“...you, too,” she finished.
1392
1393Haruhiro took a deep breath. “...We could have, right? That’s a possibility.”
1394
1395“But...” she began.
1396
1397“Yeah?”
1398
1399“...since we don’t remember it, it doesn’t matter.”
1400
1401“That’s not...”
1402
1403...true, he wanted to say.
1404
1405But, it was just like she said.
1406
1407No matter what had been between them in the past—whether they had been friends, lovers, or family, if they both didn’t remember it, it didn’t mean anything.
1408
1409It didn’t mean anything.
1410
1411“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked your name yet,” Choco asked.
1412
1413“My name?” Haruhiro felt like he’d been sucker punched.
1414
1415Choco didn’t know Haruhiro’s name.
1416
1417“Ah... Yeah, that’s right, isn’t it?” he asked.
1418
1419Of course.
1420
1421They had only just met, so there was no way she would have known it.
1422
1423It really was just a coincidence. Before he’d come to Grimgar, Haruhiro had known a girl named Choco. This girl here now just happened to be called Choco, too.
1424
1425”You weak-willed wussy.” It sounds like I’ve heard it before—but that’s just what it feels like.
1426
1427In the end, that was all there was to it, nothing more.
1428
1429“I’m Haruhiro,” he said.
1430
1431“Haruhiro...” Choco lowered her eyes, then glanced at Haruhiro again. “...Hmm. Well, can I call you Hiro?”
1432
1433“Sure.”
1434
1435It was really weird. Why were his eyes getting all hot? Haruhiro didn’t understand it.
1436
1437Yume called Haruhiro Haru-kun. For Merry, he was Haru. That was generally how it went.
1438
1439But, somehow... I’ve been called that before—that’s what it feels like.
1440
1441Called Hiro.
1442
1443By someone, somewhere.
1444
1445“I’m okay with that,” he said. “Of course.”
1446
1447“I see.” Choco crouched down, peering at Haruhiro’s face. “...Are you okay?”
1448
1449“Huh? What do you mean?” Haruhiro rubbed his eyes with one finger. “I’m fine, you know?”
1450
1451Choco seemed suspicious.
1452
1453Haruhiro stood up, stretching a little. “Better hit the hay. ...What are you up to, Choco? It’s pretty late.”
1454
1455“A walk, outside,” she said.
1456
1457“Can’t sleep?”
1458
1459“Yeah. It happens, sometimes.”
1460
1461Well, we may run into one another occasionally, then.
1462
1463Who cares about some past I don’t even remember properly? There’s still the future to come.
1464
1465Right now, the Choco in front of me seems kind of gloomy, unsociable, and hard to approach. Her big eyes remind me of a little animal, full of caution, and she doesn’t look people in the eye when she speaks to them. But, when she occasionally stares at me, it makes my heart race.
1466
1467She’s probably the kind of girl I like. At the very least, I’m interested in her. What’s wrong with that?
1468
1469“Choco, you’re a thief?” he asked.
1470
1471“...How could you tell?” she asked.
1472
1473“I can tell by your equipment, and such. I’m a thief, too, after all.”
1474
1475“Ah. You look like one,” she agreed.
1476
1477“Huh? What part of me?”
1478
1479“You’re lanky.”
1480
1481“No, that may be true, but... I’m a thief because I’m lanky? Is that the image you have? Is that what thieves are like to you? Why did you become a thief?”
1482
1483“I just sort of did.”
1484
1485“Going with the flow?” he asked.
1486
1487“Something like that.”
1488
1489“What’s your trade name?” Haruhiro asked her.
1490
1491“The one we only use with other thieves?”
1492
1493“Yeah. Since we’re both thieves, and all.”
1494
1495“...I kind of don’t want to say,” Choco said.
1496
1497“No, well, I’m not that fond of mine, either...”
1498
1499“It’s something someone else gave me, anyway,” she added.
1500
1501“Well then, how about we both say them at the same time?”
1502
1503“The same time?”
1504
1505“We’ll do it with a one, two, three, go.”
1506
1507“Okay,” she said.
1508
1509“All right. One, two, three... Go!”
1510
1511“Cheeky Cat.”
1512
1513“Old Cat.”
1514
1515They looked at one another.
1516
1517Choco let out a little burst of laughter.
1518
1519“Wh-What? What is it?” Haruhiro stammered.
1520
1521“I mean, come on, Old Cat?”
1522
1523“...Yeah, I know. I get told I have sleepy eyes all the time. I must look like an old man, I’m sure.”
1524
1525“I probably got mine because of my eyes, too,” Choco said.
1526
1527“Because they look cheeky? Not because you act that way, too?”
1528
1529“Could be.”
1530
1531“And wait, we’re both cats,” he added.
1532
1533“That’s some coincidence,” she said.
1534
1535“It really is...”
1536
1537Is it just a coincidence?
1538
1539Of course, it probably is.
1540
1541“Is your mentor Barbara-sensei?” he asked.
1542
1543“Who’s Barbara?” she responded.
1544
1545“Oh, she isn’t. Well, she’s there. There’s a person at the thieves’ guild called Barbara.”
1546
1547“Hmm,” Choco said.
1548
1549“Is your mentor a man?” he asked.
1550
1551“Yeah. He’s scary.”
1552
1553“Barbara-sensei, too,” he agreed. “She’s a woman, but she’s insanely scary...”
1554
1555“I should never have become a thief,” Choco said.
1556
1557“I hear it’s hard at the other places, too, though,” Haruhiro told her.
1558
1559“There are thorns on every path?” she asked.
1560
1561“I’d say so.”
1562
1563“I want to take it easy,” she complained.
1564
1565“Well, yeah, if I could take it easy, I think that would be for the best, too...”
1566
1567“Do you find it all a pain?” she asked.
1568
1569“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m always quick to think that. ‘Ahh, this is such a pain.’”
1570
1571“Same here.”
1572
1573“I see.”
1574
1575“Hey,” Choco said.
1576
1577“Huh?” he asked.
1578
1579“Hiro, is your party accepting the order, too?”
1580
1581“The order...”
1582
1583This time, he really had been caught by surprise. For a moment, he honestly thought he’d been punched in the chest with something not all that hard.
1584
1585“The order... Wait, ‘too’? Choco, your party’s participating? In that operation...?”
1586
1587“I don’t want to do it, though. It seems kind of dangerous.” When Choco let out a heavy breath, her bangs shook slightly. “But, apparently, we are.”
1588
1589
1590
1591
1592
15936. The Vote
1594
1595
1596
1597
1598“Okay, we’ll put it to a vote, then.”
1599
1600One night had ended... and now it was night again.
1601
1602Having made a tidy profit on their volunteer soldier work for the day and retired to a corner of Sherry’s Tavern, as usual, Haruhiro and the party were planning again today.
1603
1604They had ordered drinks, which were already laid out on the table, but nobody had touched them.
1605
1606Haruhiro looked at each of his comrades’ faces.
1607
1608Ranta had his arms crossed, looking all smug and self-important.
1609
1610Moguzo must have been rather tense, because he had a stern look on his face.
1611
1612Shihoru was looking downwards.
1613
1614Yume looked like she was praying that this would end soon.
1615
1616Merry looked like she was keeping her calm.
1617
1618Haruhiro sighed deeply. “The subject is whether or not we participate in the order for Operation ‘Two-Headed Snake.’ All in favor, raise your hands.”
1619
1620“Yeah!” Ranta immediately raised both of his hands.
1621
1622Moguzo followed.
1623
1624Yume kept her hand at table-level, raising it a little, then lowering it again.
1625
1626Merry remained stiff and unmoving.
1627
1628When Haruhiro gently raised his hand, Shihoru raised her own, as if being dragged along.
1629
1630“...Huh,” she said, looking back and forth from her own hand to Haruhiro’s.
1631
1632“...Hoh,” Yume let out an odd sound in surprise.
1633
1634Merry’s eyes went wide, “...Huh?”
1635
1636Moguzo blinked repeatedly, tilting his head to the side, “Hm?”
1637
1638“Wha—” Ranta jumped out of his chair, his eyes darting around as he counted the number of hands. “One, two, three, four, five... Five?!”
1639
1640“No, Ranta, you just counted both of your hands,” Haruhiro said.
1641
1642“Huhh?! I did not! Like I’d do that! No, wait, maybe I did. Yeah, I did. So, what then, it’s four? Four. That’s a majority, huh.”
1643
1644“Yeah, it kind of is,” Haruhiro said. “So, that settles it. We’ll accept the order.”
1645
1646“R-Right,” said Ranta, looking uncertain.
1647
1648“What?” Haruhiro asked. “That’s what we voted. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
1649
1650
1651
1652
1653
1654“I don’t have a problem with it.... But, wait! Haruhiro! You’re in favor?! What’s brought this up?!” Ranta exclaimed.
1655
1656“Not ‘up.’ You mean ‘on,’ right?”
1657
1658“Shut up! You’re such a pain! It doesn’t matter, really! You’re a coward to the core, so if you’re voting in favor, what are you plotting—No, don’t tell me! I’ve got it! I’ve got you figured out! I’ll bet it was clear that you’d lose the vote even if you voted against, so you figured it’d rock the boat less if you voted in favor, or something lame like that! Bullseye, right?! That’s so like you!” Ranta slapped Haruhiro repeatedly on the shoulder.
1659
1660That hurts, you know, when you slap me like that. Hold back a little, will you? You’re making me mad. Why do you have to be so ill-mannered? Is it because you’re Ranta?
1661
1662“...Don’t just decide that,” Haruhiro said, brushing Ranta’s hand away. “That’s not what I’m thinking at all. Besides, if I hadn’t approved, we wouldn’t have had a majority.”
1663
1664“Don’t be so picky about every little thing,” Ranta scoffed. “What are you, a magnifying glass?”
1665
1666“Magnifying glasses don’t speak.”
1667
1668“See, that’s called being picky.”
1669
1670“You’re too imprecise.”
1671
1672“I don’t sweat the small stuff, so call me magnanimous!” Ranta exclaimed. “It means kingly! Because I’m fit to be a king!”
1673
1674“No, it doesn’t quite mean that,” Merry coldly corrected him.
1675
1676With an “Urkh...” Ranta fell silent, though only momentarily. He recovered in no time. “—Well, what, then?! Haruhiro! What did you vote in favor for?! Spill your guts! Come on, puke!”
1677
1678Yume grimaced. “That’s filthy...”
1679
1680“...Yeah... His very existence is...” Shihoru said, looking at Ranta as if he were something unclean.
1681
1682Hold on, his very existence is? Haruhiro thought. Little harsh there, Shihoru? Well, Ranta doesn’t seem to care, so it’s fine, I guess. Still, it’s impressive he can just take that. If she said that to me, it’d get me down, and I probably wouldn’t recover for a while.
1683
1684“I’d like to know...” Moguzo took a sip of his beer. “I’d like to know your reason for it, too... maybe? I thought you were opposing it because you were concerned for all of us. You know... since you’re our leader.”
1685
1686“He’s garbage at it, though!” Ranta knocked back his beer, then guffawed heartily.
1687
1688“That’s not true,” Moguzo protested. “Haruhiro-kun is trying his hardest for us!”
1689
1690“Yeah, yeah! Moguzo’s right! Haru-kun’s doin’ a great job!” Yume added.
1691
1692“...I think so, too,” Shihoru put in.
1693
1694“Agreed,” Merry finished.
1695
1696“What’s this?” Ranta shouted. “Ganging up on me?! Well, I don’t care, it doesn’t matter to me one bit! Bring it on!”
1697
1698Haruhiro covered his mouth with his hand. Oh, man. Oh, man. I must have the dumbest grin on my face right now. Somehow, they have a higher opinion of my work than I expected...? Well, Ranta’s opinion was a bit off. Then again, Ranta himself is a bit off.
1699
1700But this isn’t the time to feel all giddy about it.
1701
1702Haruhiro coughed politely. “There were various reasons...”
1703
1704Like being worried about Choco.
1705
1706He didn’t know much about Choco’s party, but he was sure they weren’t hyper competent rookies like Team Renji. If they were, the other volunteer soldiers would have talked, and Haruhiro would have heard about it.
1707
1708Haruhiro’s party wasn’t particularly strong, but if an even more inexperienced group was planning to join an operation to attack an orcish keep, that was just reckless. It was clearly way too dangerous.
1709
1710That said, even if they joined the operation as well, that wouldn’t mean he could protect Choco. After all, they weren’t in the same party. But if he were close by when something happened, he might be able to help a little.
1711
1712I can’t say that, though.
1713
1714I can’t tell my comrades that, of course.
1715
1716Besides, Choco being there was just an added bonus.
1717
1718More than anything, Haruhiro had decided they should accept the order for their own sakes.
1719
1720“First, there’s the reward,” he said. “The fact that we’ll be getting one gold between the advance payment and the rest of the payment is a big deal. If it’s not wrapped up in a day, from the second day on we’ll be given a stipend of 30 silver a day. Also, there may be special compensation awarded in the field, too, right, Ranta?”
1721
1722“Yeah,” Ranta said, shrugging his shoulders. He was probably trying to look cool, but he didn’t. “If we take down strong enemies, like their commanders, I guess. Sounds like there’s a lot of stuff like that.”
1723
1724“Well, I don’t think we need to actively aim for them if it would mean pushing ourselves,” Haruhiro said, slapping his hands down on the table. “—That’s the point.”
1725
1726“Hmm?” Yume asked, screwing up her face and tilting her head to the side. “What’s the point?”
1727
1728“You know, for this order, we get paid just for participating in it, right?” Haruhiro asked. “Even if we can’t accomplish—or don’t accomplish—anything, we’ll receive the fixed payment. If things look bad, we don’t have to do anything crazy.”
1729
1730“You gutless coward!” Ranta flipped him the bird and stuck his tongue out. “You loser!”
1731
1732“Call me whatever you want. I don’t care in the slightest.”
1733
1734“Haruhiro, you weakling!” Ranta shouted.
1735
1736“Yeah, yeah.”
1737
1738“You piece of shit!”
1739
1740“...Come on, man.”
1741
1742“You’re small, too!” Ranta added.
1743
1744“That’s got nothing to do with this!”
1745
1746“Small...?” Yume asked, puffing up one of her cheeks and tilting her head to the side.
1747
1748“...Y-Yume, he means...” Shihoru began.
1749
1750What was Shihoru trying to explain to her in a whisper? Haruhiro couldn’t say he wasn’t curious.
1751
1752“Anyway,” Haruhiro said, scratching his head.
1753
1754He had agonized a lot before coming to this decision. Finding out Choco’s party would be participating in the operation had just given him an excuse. It had only been that, an excuse; it hadn’t been the deciding factor. This was the decision he’d come to after all that agonizing.
1755
1756“Rather than try to pull off some glorious display of heroics, it’s better if we all make it out of this safely,” Haruhiro said. “That’s what I think. But our line of work isn’t so easy that we’ll be able to get through it without taking any risks whatsoever. If we want to live longer in this harsh environment, we have to get stronger. We need to build up more experience. They say you’re not a real volunteer soldier until you’ve killed an orc. So there’s going to come a time when we have to challenge ourselves to face orcs. In that case, why not do it now? During this operation, we’ll have other volunteer soldiers with us, so it’s not a bad situation to do it in, right?”
1757
1758Shihoru gulped.
1759
1760Yume said “Ooh,” her eyes widening with excitement.
1761
1762Moguzo looked intently at Haruhiro while Merry listened quietly.
1763
1764“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh...” Ranta suddenly put on a villainous smile. “Wahahahaha! Gwahahahaha! Haruhirooo! Your really are a hoooooooopelessly, seriously, pitifully pathetic chicken, huh?! Aren’t you embarrassed to even be alive? Hmmmm?”
1765
1766“...Right back at you. I’m amazed you can live with yourself with that awful personality of yours.”
1767
1768“Awful personalityyyyyy? Huhhhhhhhhh? What are you talking abouuuuuuut? I just tell it like it is, you knoooooooow?”
1769
1770If I see that line the next time I’m behind Ranta, I’ll Backstab him without hesitation.
1771
1772Well, for now, I have to hold back. Yeah. Okay. Patience, patience, patience, patience. If I give him the time of day, he’ll just get worse. Ignore him.
1773
1774“Besides,” Haruhiro said aloud, “say what you will about us, we’re the party that took down Death Spots. And the keep this time is called Deadhead. The names are close. I dunno, don’t you think it’s a sign? It could be.”
1775
1776“Wow!” Moguzo’s huge body bent backwards. He must have been surprised, but he ended up surprising Haruhiro, too. “N-Now that you mention it, you’re right! Death Spots and Deadhead... I never noticed...!”
1777
1778Yume looked excited. “Whoo. Yume, too. Yume, too. That’s right. Death Spots and Deck Rot, they’re real similar. But Death Spots sounds like date spot, too, huh?”
1779
1780“...Not Deck Rot, Deadhead, okay?” Haruhiro corrected her, as if out of some sense of duty. “‘Death Spots’ and ‘date spot’ are kind of close, though... Anyway, are you against it after all, Yume?”
1781
1782“Hmmmeow,” Yume said. “If everyone says they’re gonna do it, y’know, Yume’s gonna think it’s okay to try it, too.”
1783
1784“How about you, Merry?” he asked.
1785
1786Merry nodded with something resembling a smile. “If that’s what everyone’s decided, I’m okay with it. I’ll just do everything I can to keep you all alive.”
1787
1788“M-Me, too!” Moguzo thumped his chest. “My role’s different from Merry’s, but if I do my job right, it helps to protect everyone! I’ll do it! I’ll work hard!”
1789
1790“Well, then,” Ranta grinned. “It’s unanimous. Everyone’s hugely in favor, right?”
1791
1792Ranta, the man with a smile that pisses people off. Oh, how I envy that gift of his.
1793
1794No, not really.
1795
1796Like I ever would.
1797
1798Haruhiro lifted his porcelain mug full of mead. “Let’s go with that.”
1799
1800
1801
1802
1803
18047. Late Into the Night
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809Once the decision was made, the time flew by.
1810
1811They went to the Volunteer Soldier Corps office to accept the order, went about their work as normal, waited nervously for the moment to come, and now the operation was tomorrow.
1812
1813They were to gather first thing tomorrow morning—though, actually, because the assault on Deadhead Watching Keep and Riverside Iron Fortress began at dawn, they had to be at the north gate of Alterna by three o’clock in the morning.
1814
1815The bells in Alterna only rang from six in the morning to six at night in two hour intervals, and Haruhiro and the others didn’t own a clock. They had seen them for sale, but apparently only dwarven craftsmen could make them, or something like that, so the price was high enough to make their eyes bulge out. Fortunately, there was a wall clock in the front hall of the volunteer soldier lodging house, so they could check the time there.
1816
1817They aimed to rise from their beds at two o’clock—or thereabouts. Well, if even one of them woke up around then, they just had to go around rousing everyone else, so it’d work out somehow.
1818
1819In preparation for tomorrow, Haruhiro and the others went to sleep around sunset. More precisely, that was when they lay down to bed and started trying to get some sleep.
1820
1821“—This is impossible!”
1822
1823In the darkened room, Ranta was the first to start squirming, of course, but this time Haruhiro felt the same way.
1824
1825“You can’t just suddenly expect us to fall asleep at this time of day...” Ranta griped.
1826
1827“Y-Yeah...” Apparently Moguzo agreed. “I can never get enough sleep, but I’m not tired yet...”
1828
1829“If we can’t sleep anyway, you wanna go?!” Ranta shouted. “Launch a little raid?!”
1830
1831“What do you mean ‘a raid’...? Hold on, Ranta, we’re already having enough trouble trying to get to sleep, so pipe down a little, would you?” Haruhiro complained.
1832
1833“U-Um, Ranta-kun, go where?” Moguzo stuttered.
1834
1835“Huh?! Buddy, I mean the girls’ room, of course!”
1836
1837“Huh...?” Moguzo asked.
1838
1839“There’s no way we’re going...” Haruhiro said with a sigh. “Besides, what would you go there for?”
1840
1841“What would I go there for?” Ranta demanded. “There’s only one thing.”
1842
1843“One thing?”
1844
1845“The one thing is... that one thing!”
1846
1847“Again, what thing?” Haruhiro asked.
1848
1849“Ah—”
1850
1851“Ah?”
1852
1853“Uh.”
1854
1855“Uh?”
1856
1857“Boo...”
1858
1859“Boo? What?”
1860
1861“...What starts with ‘boo’?” Ranta asked.
1862
1863“Don’t ask me,” Haruhiro said. “You’re the one who started this. Are you just making it up as you go along? If you haven’t thought of something, why not just say so?”
1864
1865“I have been thinking! I’ve been thinking like crazy! Boo... B-Boo... Moguzo! Boo!”
1866
1867“M-Me?” Moguzo stammered. “Boo...? Bo... Boo... Boooo....”
1868
1869“Keep it up, Moguzo! It’s coming out! You’re almost there! Go on!”
1870
1871“...Bootlicking?”
1872
1873“You dolt! Moguzo, you moron! What kind of guy charges into the girls room, then asks them to lick boots with him?! Are you some king of pervert?! If it starts with ‘boo,’ I can only mean one thing! Boobs, duh!”
1874
1875“...Uwah.”
1876
1877“What, Haruhiro? What’s the ‘uwah’ for? You like boobs, too! Because you’re a dude! If you call yourself a man, all of us love boobs!”
1878
1879“Don’t just decide that...” Haruhiro muttered.
1880
1881“Oh, ho. Well, do you hate them, then? If there were a pair of boobs in front of you right now, you wouldn’t feel anything? I’m talking a nice hefty pair of knockers here, you know?”
1882
1883“...Well, it’s not like I wouldn’t feel anything.”
1884
1885“Moguzo, you like ’em too, right?” Ranta demanded. “Boobs.”
1886
1887“Huh...? W-Well... Sure, as much as the next guy...”
1888
1889“Stop it, Moguzo,” Haruhiro said. “You don’t have to engage with him.”
1890
1891“See! You both like them, too! Gwahaha! In the end, you’re male, too! Now, let’s go, come on!”
1892
1893“Seriously, what are you going to do there?” Haruhiro demanded.
1894
1895“I’m gonna squeeze them, that’s what!” Ranta declared. “I’ll squeeze them! I’ll squeeze them like crazy!”
1896
1897“...That’s practically rape, man.”
1898
1899“I’m not gonna go that far!” Ranta snapped. “I’m just gonna squeeze them! I’ll just squeeze their boobs, that’s all! That ought to be fine! It’s all okay!”
1900
1901“No, that’s not okay to do, as a person...”
1902
1903“Well, yeah,” Ranta agreed suddenly.
1904
1905“Right?” Haruhiro said.
1906
1907“Besides, it’d be awkward, y’know,” Ranta added. “Even if I forced them to let me squeeze them, it’d be pointless, wouldn’t it? What then? I want a ‘You can squeeze them.’ Or rather, a ‘Please, squeeze them.’ It’s gotta be something like that. You’ve gotta have love.”
1908
1909“What’s this, all of a sudden?” Haruhiro asked. “You’re creeping me out.”
1910
1911“You moron, this is the time for talking about love, obviously!” Ranta shouted. “You know what’s up, right? Yume and Shihoru’ll be doing it too. No doubt about it. They’re doing it. They’re doing it like crazy. I mean, they’re girls, after all.”
1912
1913“Yeah...” Moguzo grunted in agreement.
1914
1915Haruhiro turned over in bed. “...Is that how it is?”
1916
1917“Damn straight it is,” Ranta said firmly. “Girls and talking about love are inseparable. They’re as closely connected as old men and fires. Yeah. Forget that comparison. It failed. But these creatures called girls, their heads are seriously, seriously filled with nothing but love. They’re talking about it now. ‘Shihoru, Shihoru, who do you like? Whaa? What about you, Yume?’ Like that. They are so doing it.”
1918
1919“No... I’ll bet they aren’t talking about anything like that.”
1920
1921“Haruhiro, you don’t get girls at all,” Ranta said scornfully. “They’re these bizarre little creatures who would sooner fall in love than eat. When they fall down, they don’t just get up. They fall in love. If they fall down seven times, they’ll fall in love eight. That’s what girls are like. So? How about you?”
1922
1923“Huh? How about what?” Haruhiro asked.
1924
1925“Who do you like?”
1926
1927“Huh...?”
1928
1929Perhaps it was because he was completely unprepared for the question. Bam, bam... Two faces appeared in his vision. The order they appeared in was... Haruhiro wasn’t sure, himself. The two faces seemed to flicker back and forth.
1930
1931“...What do you mean, who?” he asked.
1932
1933“Want me to take a guess? It’s Yume, yeah?”
1934
1935“Wha—”
1936
1937“Bullseye, huh? Merry’s got the best looks, no question there, but she’s clearly out of your league. Shihoru’s got huge boobs, which is a big point in her favor. Her face is decently cute, too. But that personality of hers seems like a pain, and she doesn’t talk to guys much, anyway. An indecisive guy with low self-esteem like you is gonna go for an airhead like Yume. That’s just how it is.”
1938
1939“...Well, sorry for being indecisive,” Haruhiro snapped.
1940
1941“It’s not okay. It’s annoying. Girls don’t go for that, man,” Ranta said. “To be blunt.”
1942
1943“I’m pretty sure girls aren’t into you, either, for an entirely different reason.”
1944
1945Also, you weren’t even right. He almost said it, but Haruhiro was under no obligation to correct Ranta. That’s not how it is. I don’t have any feelings of love. At least, it hasn’t gone that far yet—I think. Probably.
1946
1947“Ha!” Ranta declared. “You’re the kind of moron who can’t tell that I ooze charm. That’s why girls aren’t into you. Haruhiro, that’s enough out of you. Moguzo, what about you? Who do you like?”
1948
1949“I-It’s not that there’s anyone I like, or anything...”
1950
1951“Nuh-uh, there’s gotta be someone,” Ranta said confidently. “If there are men and there are women, there’s no way you don’t have someone! Our male instincts naturally select a female.”
1952
1953“It sounds so raw... when you put it like that...” Moguzo murmured.
1954
1955“That’s because we’re alive. We’re young, too! If we aren’t raw and full of life, what are we? Let’s cut to the chase! Moguzo, who do you want to breed with?!”
1956
1957“Ranta...” Haruhiro said with exasperation.
1958
1959“Huh? What, Haruhiro? I’m just putting it plainly. Because when a man is looking for a woman, that’s basically what it’s about.”
1960
1961“B-But, Ranta-kun,” Moguzo stammered. “I don’t think like that... You know?”
1962
1963“Well, what do you think like? Come on, say it. Talk.”
1964
1965“It’s more like... I admire her, you could say,” Moguzo said.
1966
1967“Oh, ho?”
1968
1969“Or I sometimes think... ‘She’s so pretty...’”
1970
1971“So, Moguzo, you’re gunning for Merry, then!”
1972
1973“Whaa?! H-How did you know?! I-I’m not gunning for her, though...”
1974
1975“Of course I’d know,” Ranta smirked. “If you say pretty, Merry’s the only one of them that fits.”
1976
1977Haruhiro shook his head. “...You only ever say things you shouldn’t.”
1978
1979“Wroooong,” Ranta retorted. “I’m a man who only speaks the truuuuth. No matter how you look at Yume or Shihoru, neither of them is what you’d call a real beauty. Dig the wax out of those sleepy eyes of yours and take a proper look, dammit.”
1980
1981“You don’t dig wax out of your eyes, that’d go terribly, and how many times do I have to tell you not to talk about my eyes?” Haruhiro asked.
1982
1983“Still, though,” Ranta mused. “Moguzo wants Merry, huh. Nice choice. Yep, that’s my partner for you.”
1984
1985Moguzo laughed nervously. “Ha... hahaha... Um, but, I just think she’s pretty, that’s all...”
1986
1987“Still, man, Merry said it herself,” Ranta added. “If she had to choose one of us, it’d be Moguzo, or something like that.”
1988
1989“...Y-Yeah,” Moguzo agreed. “The truth is, after that... I don’t know, but just a little... I’ve been more... conscious?... of her...”
1990
1991“Conscious...” Haruhiro mumbled. Moguzo had quietly been developing an interest in the opposite sex, weird as it was to put it that way. Still, it was kind of a shock.
1992
1993“Gwahahaha!” Ranta was strangely excited for some reason. “Moguzo, you dog, you! Push, push, and push harder! Who knows, maybe it’ll even work out for you?!”
1994
1995“Ah, no, I-I couldn’t...”
1996
1997“Moguzo, buddy, let me tell you something, since I’m your partner. Life may seem long, but it’s short. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, you know? So that you have no regrets, okay? So confess your love!”
1998
1999“Mrgh! I can’t do that...”
2000
2001“Just confess, okay?!” Ranta ordered. “Do it tomorrow!”
2002
2003“I’m telling you, I can’t...”
2004
2005“You can’t because you think you can’t! If you think you can do it, you can! That’s how it works! Right, Haruhiro? I’m right, aren’t I?”
2006
2007“Huh? Ah, um, yeah, well, I suppose—Hey, wait, don’t suddenly drag me into this!”
2008
2009“You idiot, aren’t you going to support Moguzo?” Ranta retorted. “We’re comrades, aren’t we?”
2010
2011“Support him...?” Haruhiro muttered. “Well, it’s not like I don’t, but...”
2012
2013“Don’t you want him to find happiness?!”
2014
2015“I do...”
2016
2017“Then he should confess! He oughta confess! He’s got to show off his love confession dance!”
2018
2019“What the hell is a love confession dance supposed to be?” Haruhiro demanded.
2020
2021“It’s a traditional performance you put on while confessing your love! That kind of stuff exists! I just decided it does! Okay, dance for us, Moguzo! Do the I Love You dance!”
2022
2023Moguzo didn’t move. “...I’m not going to dance... Okay?”
2024
2025“Yeah, that figures,” Ranta said. “It’d be awkward for me if you did, anyway. I was just saying it! I’m first-rate at just saying stuff!”
2026
2027“Ranta, you’re totally third-rate,” Haruhiro retorted.
2028
2029“If a fifth-rate guy like you says that, Haruhiro, I don’t even care.”
2030
2031“And who do you like, anyway?” Haruhiro demanded. “You asked me and Moguzo, but you haven’t said anything for yourself.”
2032
2033“Y-Yeah, that’s right,” Moguzo agreed. “Ranta-kun, you tell us, too.”
2034
2035“Huhh? Meeee? You want meeee to? What, guys, do you reeeeally want to know?”
2036
2037“If you’re asking whether I actually want to know, I’m really iffy on that...” Haruhiro said.
2038
2039“I-I think I want to know, maybe,” Moguzo mumbled.
2040
2041“You want to know thaaaat badly?”
2042
2043“...Honestly, I don’t care that much,” said Haruhiro.
2044
2045“I want to know... okay?” Moguzo said. “Pretty badly.”
2046
2047“You’re hopeless, you know that. Well, if you insist...”
2048
2049Haruhiro sensed Ranta turning over in bed. He sure was making a big deal out of this. No matter how you looked at it, wasn’t he making way too big of a deal out of this?
2050
2051But then, after all of that, what did he do?
2052
2053“I’m not goooonna tell you, moooorons.”
2054
2055“Man, don’t screw with us...!” Haruhiro shouted.
2056
2057“Y-You’re awful, Ranta-kun!”
2058
2059“Gwaaaahahahahahahaha! Don’t think you’ll get a secret out of me so easily! I got your secrets perfectly, though!”
2060
2061“Tell us! You’re being cowardly!” Haruhiro snapped.
2062
2063“Y-Yeah! It’s not fair if you’re the only one who doesn’t say!”
2064
2065“If you don’t like it, then make me talk!” Ranta shouted. “You! Can’t! Do! It!”
2066
2067“I swear, I’ll make you talk!” Haruhiro snarled.
2068
2069“I’ll twist your arm if I have to...” Moguzo murmured.
2070
2071“Hey! Hold on, Moguzo, hey! No, brute strength is—Gwarrrrgh...!”
2072
2073
2074
2075
2076
20778. Meat Shield
2078
2079
2080
2081
2082Beneath the still dark sky, there was a raucous gathering in front of Alterna’s north gate.
2083
2084The “Blue Snake Force” which would set out to take Deadhead Watching Keep was to be led by Wren Water, a Brigadier General in the Alterna Frontier Army. At his command were 500 warriors and 100 paladins, 100 hunters, as well as a number of priests, bringing the total to a little over 700 for the main force. They were accompanied by a detached force consisting of 37 volunteer soldier parties, for a total of 197 participants. These were to be led by the chief of the Volunteer Soldier Corps Red Moon Office, as well as its host, Britney, or Bri-chan as he preferred to be called.
2085
2086In addition, there were the well-wishers and rubberneckers, as well as merchants not about to miss a chance to sell their wares, so there were more than 1,000 people gathered in the area. “Noisy” didn’t even begin to describe how loud it was.
2087
2088Incidentally, the “Red Snake Force” setting out for Riverside Iron Fortress was composed of 1,000 warriors, 300 paladins, 200 dread knights, 300 cavalry, and 50 priests, all from the Frontier Army, led by General Graham Rasentra, for an incredible total of 1,850 troops in the main force. There was also a commando unit centered around Soma’s Day Breakers that was composed of 55 parties, a total of over 300 people, so it was even more incredible.
2089
2090Furthermore, the defense of Alterna would be carried out by the remaining soldiers of the Frontier Army under the command of Brigadier General Ian Ratty.
2091
2092Haruhiro didn’t know much about General Graham Rasentra or Brigadier General Ian Ratty, or rather he hadn’t even heard their names before.
2093
2094Brigadier General Wren Water was way up at the front, right next to the north gate. He looked neat and trim in his shining white armor, and had a look that was, to use a somewhat old-sounding expression, ruggedly handsome. He didn’t seem like a bad guy, but he was cold towards the volunteer soldiers somehow, as if he had a lot of pride. His armor bore the hexagram sign of the god of light, Lumiaris, so he was likely a paladin.
2095
2096The internal ranking of the Blue Snake Force was apparent at a glance, with the paladins and priests around Wren Water, the warriors behind them, and the hunters behind the warriors. The detached force was even further back.
2097
2098The main force were standing in relatively orderly rows, with superior officers yelling at anyone who stepped out of line, but the volunteer soldiers in the detached force were a real mess. They were divided into parties, for the most part, but they did as they pleased, standing and chatting, sitting around, or wandering here and there.
2099
2100Is this really okay? Haruhiro thought, unsure, but it didn’t seem like it was particularly going to be a problem.
2101
2102Actually, the detached force were probably being left to their own devices. Surely the main force must have looked at them and thought, Do what you want, as if we care. We in the regular forces aren’t like you volunteer soldiers, or something like that.
2103
2104He didn’t know anyone in the Frontier Army, but Haruhiro had lived here in Alterna long enough to have a vague sense that that was the case. Volunteer soldiers were outsiders to begin with, so the regular soldiers saw them as untrustworthy, somehow. The volunteer soldiers didn’t particularly like them, either.
2105
2106However, for someone who had achieved as much as Soma, and who was held in such high esteem, it was a different matter.
2107
2108All of the famous volunteer soldiers like him were participating in the Red Snake Force’s commando unit, so the Blue Snake Force’s detached force were thought of as the dregs. And ranked even beneath those dregs were, let it be no secret, Haruhiro and his party.
2109
2110That said, even in the detached force, there were powerful volunteer soldiers who they respected, or who they were forced to respect. The ones who stood out most were the Wild Angels, led by Kajiko.
2111
2112The Wild Angels were, without exception, women, and all of them wore white feathered stoles, along with helmets, hats, bandannas, or hairbands decorated with the same white feathers.
2113
2114Not only were the members all women, they didn’t let any men get close to them. If a man tried to approach, they would shout loudly to intimidate him into backing off.
2115
2116They were super scary.
2117
2118In particular, when it came to Kajiko, who was tall, terrifyingly beautiful, and carried a long, katana-like sword, her eyes were seriously crazy. If Kajiko ever glared at him, Haruhiro was confident that that alone would be enough to nearly kill him.
2119
2120Still, there was another group that was just as intimidating as the Wild Angels, a group that had enlisted at the same time as them.
2121
2122Team Renji.
2123
2124Just by standing there, Renji was so imposing that it felt like a low rumbling sound effect might start to play. He seemed so blindingly brilliant that Haruhiro couldn’t bear to look directly at him.
2125
2126Renji had the sword once carried by the orc Ish Dogran slung over his back. As for the sword Renji had used before, it had been given to Ron, who was sitting on his haunches next to him. Renji was self-possessed and looking around contemptuously at his surroundings, but Ron was blatantly staring people down. Even if he was a small-time goon compared to Renji, there weren’t many who could remain calm and composed when faced with the Ron’s gaze, given his buzz cut and violent appearance.
2127
2128Sassa, who was standing behind Renji, had a mature aura about her, or rather an incredibly adult sexiness, and Adachi with his thick black-rimmed glasses looked like a world-shaking genius.
2129
2130Beside Renji—or rather, within arm’s reach of him—even Chibi, who was standing there small and adorable, started to look like a mascot with some unknown and threatening power hidden within her, so Renji seriously had an incredible presence.
2131
2132Even Kajiko herself seemed to have taken note of Renji. She’d been staring at him hard for a while now. Whether Renji noticed or not, he was completely ignoring her.
2133
2134I just hope it doesn’t spark any conflict later, Haruhiro thought. Guess that’s not any of my business, huh? Yeah, it’s definitely not.
2135
2136
2137
2138
2139
2140For Haruhiro, both the Wild Angels and Team Renji were so far above him as to be out of reach. Each person had their own station in life. They had their business; he had his.
2141
2142Haruhiro’s eyes met Choco’s. He greeted her with his eyes, and she gave him a little nod in return.
2143
2144Behind the main force, in the very, very back of the detached force, that was where Haruhiro and the others had taken up their positions. If you went by their experience and ability, well, it was a suitable spot for them.
2145
2146Choco’s party was a little bit ahead of Haruhiro’s.
2147
2148How am I supposed to feel about that? Nah, it’s fine, really.
2149
2150From what Haruhiro could tell, the pleasant warrior who had a face that probably made him popular with girls seemed to be the leader of Choco’s party. They had formed into a ring around Mr. Pleasant, who was chatting away merrily, so there was little doubt about it.
2151
2152There was also the girl with the short hair who had been with Choco when he first met her. Ms. Short Hair was a mage.
2153
2154Other than that, there was a man in priest’s clothes and a couple guys in what looked like warrior equipment. One of the warriors was pretty tall, but Mr. Tall seemed moody, like he’d be hard to get close to. The other warrior was always laughing like an idiot. Laughing Man also seemed to be making a lot of passes at Choco.
2155
2156Choco looks kind of bothered by it. Cut that out, man. You’re pissing me off.
2157
2158Not that me being pissed off means anything. They’re comrades in the same party, while I’ve only talked to her a bit, after all.
2159
2160“...Hahh. Hahh. Hahh...” Moguzo’s breathing was weirdly rough.
2161
2162Was he excited? Or rather, he was probably feeling tense, like you might expect. He kept taking his helmet off and putting it back on at high speed, after all.
2163
2164Haruhiro slapped Moguzo on the back as hard as he could.
2165
2166“Moguzo!”
2167
2168“—Ow?!”
2169
2170“What’s up?” he asked. “Feeling tense?”
2171
2172“Huh? Ah, y-yeah... J-Just a little. No, a lot...”
2173
2174“Well, I can’t blame you there,” Haruhiro said. “We’ve never been in an atmosphere like this before, after all.”
2175
2176“B-But, Haruhiro-kun, you’re not that tense... are you?” Moguzo asked nervously.
2177
2178“Do I not look it? Well, that’s... not entirely untrue.”
2179
2180True enough, Haruhiro wasn’t feeling very tense. In fact, he wasn’t feeling tense at all. He was calm. Though, in the end, it had taken him a long time to get to sleep, so he was a bit tired.
2181
2182Yume let out an odd little laugh. “Haru-kun’s always unsweatin’, y’know.”
2183
2184“U-Unsweatin’...?” Haruhiro repeated uncertainly.
2185
2186“E-Erm...” Shihoru quickly stepped in to explain. “I think she means he doesn’t sweat the small stuff, and tries to be magnanimous, maybe...”
2187
2188Yume cocked her head to the side. “Magnanimous?”
2189
2190“Let me say right now,” Haruhiro added, just to be sure, “‘magnanimous’ doesn’t mean ‘kingly,’ okay? It’s read ouyou, but it can’t be written with the kanji for king-like. That wouldn’t even be a proper word...”
2191
2192“Ouyou...?” Yume thought for a moment, then turned her palm towards him. “Oh!”
2193
2194“O-Oh?” Haruhiro went along with it and clapped his hand against Yume’s.
2195
2196Then, Yume held out the opposite hand. “Yo!”
2197
2198“...Yo?” Haruhiro pressed his hand against Yume’s and it ended up with them having both hands pressed together.
2199
2200What is this?
2201
2202Yume held both of Haruhiro’s hands tight. “Oh! Yo!”
2203
2204“...Yeah. Yeah...?”
2205
2206“This’s it, y’know,” Yume said. “It’s what comes to mind when you say ouyou.”
2207
2208“Th-This... does?”
2209
2210“Hrm. Yume’s not sure herself, but it’s kinda like this?”
2211
2212“Kind of, huh...” Haruhiro kind of glanced in Choco’s direction.
2213
2214By coincidence—yes, he was sure it was coincidence—Choco was looking in his direction. She quickly looked down, though. It felt kind of awkward.
2215
2216“...Um, Yume,” Haruhiro said. “Can we let go now?”
2217
2218“Ho? Sure. Guess so. Ah, Haru-kun, Haru-kun!”
2219
2220“Huh? What?” he asked.
2221
2222“Just now, Yume was thinkin’, Haru-kun’s hands, they sure are warm. Why’s that?” she asked.
2223
2224“Dunno...”
2225
2226Haruhiro tried touching his left hand with his right. Was it really warm? It felt normal to him. Though, maybe it wasn’t something you’d notice yourself.
2227
2228Moguzo was still taking his helmet off and putting it back on. It didn’t look like his nervousness would be cured so easily. Even so, Haruhiro couldn’t just leave him be. He was about to call out to Moguzo again when Merry beat him to it.
2229
2230“Moguzo-kun.”
2231
2232“Yesh?”
2233
2234—Wait, what’s yesh supposed to be? What’s a yesh?
2235
2236Moguzo had a look on his face like he’d just run into a deep-sea fish on land.
2237
2238Merry put a hand on his shoulder. “Take a deep breath.”
2239
2240“A d-d-deep breath... Uh—Hooooooooooo... Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—Urkh, i-it hurts...”
2241
2242“Gently,” she said. “Calm down.”
2243
2244“Y-Yeah. Hoooooooooooooo. Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
2245
2246“One more time.”
2247
2248“Hoooooooo. Hahhhhhhhhh... Ah! Th-That calmed me down a bit... maybe.”
2249
2250“Normally, breathing is something you do unconsciously,” Merry said. “Because of that, if you focus on breathing, you can gain control of your feelings, and of other things as well. That’s what I do when I can’t calm down.”
2251
2252“Th-Thank you, Merry-san. I’d gotten really rattled, and—”
2253
2254“You know, probably...” Haruhiro began.
2255
2256Would it be best not to interject? Haruhiro hesitated a bit, but it was a good opportunity, so he wanted to say this. Honestly, it was something that had been nagging at him all along, and he was concerned about it.
2257
2258“We’re relying on you pretty heavily, aren’t we, Moguzo?” he asked. “I think that’s got to put a lot of pressure on you, doesn’t it?”
2259
2260“...Huh? Ah, no, n-not really...”
2261
2262“But, to be honest, I think we’re going to keep relying on you from here out,” Haruhiro said. “You’re a warrior, and the party’s tank, so that’s part of it, of course, but that’s not all, you know. Moguzo, you’re seriously reliable. That’s why I want you to build up more and more confidence. I mean, if we think about whose growth is most apparent in our group, who’s leveled up the most, that’d have to be you, Moguzo. I’m sure everyone feels the same.”
2263
2264“You dolt!” Ranta jumped up like a monkey. “If anyone’s leveled up to the max, it’s me, duh! If I’ve leveled up 30 times, Moguzo’s leveled up, like, 25, maybe!”
2265
2266“That’s awfully humble, coming from you,” Haruhiro said.
2267
2268“Whaaaat?! I-Is it...? Then, well, it’s 50 level-ups for me, and around 25 for Moguzo!”
2269
2270“What, you’re not lowering Moguzo’s number, just raising yours...?”
2271
2272“Well, duh!” Ranta shot back. “I’m the man who’ll rule the world, you know?!”
2273
2274“...The people all around us are laughing at you,” Shihoru said with a cold sneer on her face.
2275
2276“Whaaaat?!” Ranta cried. “That’s cruel! You’re serious!”
2277
2278“Yume, yeah, she thinks Moguzo’s real amazin’,” Yume agreed. “We wouldn’t get nowhere without Moguzo. He’s our meat shield!”
2279
2280“Meat shield...” Merry’s face twitched a little.
2281
2282“Fwah? Is it no good callin’ him a meat shield? Yume meant it as a compliment, though.”
2283
2284“No, um, actually...” Moguzo shook his head, then nodded. “I’m happy about it. I don’t know how to say it, but if I can be everyone’s meat shield, I want to be.”
2285
2286“Yeah!” Ranta put an arm around Moguzo’s shoulder. “I’m counting on you, partner! No, meat shield!”
2287
2288“I-I think I’d prefer to be called partner...”
2289
2290“Hm? You would?” Ranta asked.
2291
2292It pissed Haruhiro off to see Ranta getting carried away like that, but Moguzo looked a lot more relaxed than before.
2293
2294Haruhiro was relieved, too. Without any hyperbole, Moguzo was the core of the party. It was no exaggeration to say that whether the party could perform well or not depended on Moguzo. So long as Moguzo was fine, things probably wouldn’t change even if Haruhiro wasn’t around. Basically, it was all a question of how best to use Moguzo.
2295
2296“Hey, now!” Bri-chan called, clapping his hands. “All of you darlings, pay attention! Gather around me, right now! I’m going to give a rundown of the plan! Okay? Quickly now! Hurry, scurry!”
2297
2298
2299
2300
2301
23029. To My Little Kittens
2303
2304
2305
2306
2307“—And that’s about the sum of it.”
2308
2309Bri-chan had a cleft chin. Not just a slight cleft, either: it was a deep, clear cleft. His lips were dark black. He probably wore black lipstick. If they were that color without lipstick, he would be a monster. He had a lot of eyelashes and they were fluttery. Were those natural? His cheeks were red. It looked like he wore rouge. Actually, he wore way too much make-up.
2310
2311Today’s Bri-chan was fully clad in armor and had a sword at his hip. He still wriggled when he moved, though. Scary.
2312
2313His armor had the hexagram carved into it, so was he a paladin like Brigadier General Wren Water?
2314
2315Bri-chan had a strange sparkle in his light blue eyes, and his hips were swaying. “The area outside of Deadhead Watching Keep is as I was just saying. To quickly review, camps centered around towers are dotted around the area near the fortress. In each of these camps there are two to five orcs. Well, I think most of you here would know, but since a handful of you look like you don’t, I’ll say this just to be sure. These camps and the keep itself are collectively called Deadhead Watching Keep. Everyone follow me so far? Any questions? No? None, right? It would be a problem for me if there were. Anyway, next I’ll talk about the keep itself.”
2316
2317Bri-chan spread out a map on the ground, illuminating it with a lamp. It looked like a map of the main keep at Deadhead Watching Keep. He now pointed at it.
2318
2319“The walls surrounding the keep are around six meters high on the south side, where the main gate is. They’re lower on the east and west sides, about four meters high. On the north side with the rear gate, they’re around five meters. If we’re going to go over the walls and get into the keep, we have to use the exterior stairs to go up to the roof. There’s no entrance on the first floor, you see. So, the entrance is here,” Bri-chan said, using the tip of his sheathed sword to point at a spot on the roof.
2320
2321“—I’m sure you can tell just by looking,” he continued, “but it’s built so that the southeast corner of the wall is connected to the keep. The exterior stairs are on the east side, way towards at the south, see? In short, even if we go in through the main gate at the south, we’ll have to go almost the entire way around clockwise to reach the stairs. So, if we race up the stairs and go inside through the roof entrance, now we’ll have to go all the way back down to the first floor. You all realize why it’s been designed in such a cumbersome way, right? For defense, of course. Once we go all the way down to the first floor, there are more stairs going up to the watch towers in the northwest, southwest, and northeast.
2322
2323“—Ah, right, right, I should say this for our rookies’ benefit, this keep has three watch towers sticking up out of it. That’s where the ‘Watching Keep’ part of the name comes from. We anticipate that the enemy boss, the keeper, will be in one of these three towers. Do you have the image down in your head, for the most part?”
2324
2325Haruhiro nodded a little, still staring intently at the map. They were going to attack this place soon? Somehow, it just didn’t feel real.
2326
2327
2328
2329
2330
2331“Next, for an outline of the operation.” Bri-chan began playing with his sword with one hand. It was a fairly heavy sword, but he handled it easily. “We will begin the attack at dawn. The main force will attack the main gate, while the detached force will split into two groups to handle the east and west sides. Okay, you there, don’t get scared! It’s fine. Because the detached force’s role is purely to keep the enemy in check and to act as a diversion.
2332
2333“The detached force will move first. We will begin the attack from the east and west. When the enemy tries to defend themselves, the main force will rush up to the main gate and quickly break through. I said we would be splitting into two groups, right? Twenty parties will go to the east. I’ll be commanding this group, so we’ll call them the Green Storm Force. You get it, right? Their name comes from my fabulous hair color. Seventeen parties will go west, and I’ll leave Kajiko in charge of them. So, their name will be the Wild Eagle Force. Well? Not bad, don’t you think?”
2334
2335Kajiko raised one eyebrow. “Yes. It’s not bad.”
2336
2337“I’ve already thought about how the forces will be divided,” Bri-chan said. “Okay? I’ll just point out who’s in the Green Storm Force. Ready? Okay, you, and you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, and then, Renji.”
2338
2339“Yeah,” Renji said.
2340
2341“Your party is with me. Disappointed, aren’t you, Kajiko?”
2342
2343“Who’s disappointed?” Kajiko glared at Bri-chan. “Are you looking to get killed, Britney?”
2344
2345“Heavens, no. If I got killed, I wouldn’t be able to take good men in my arms, now would I?” Bri-chan said, showering Renji with his passionate gaze. “Right? Re-n-ji!”
2346
2347Renji was completely impassive. If he could stay expressionless after a look like that from Bri-chan, that was amazing all by itself. Even Haruhiro, who wasn’t involved, had gotten goosebumps from it. To be blunt, that look had been repulsive.
2348
2349Bri-chan let out a disturbing giggle before turning to look at Haruhiro. “Also, you.”
2350
2351“...Ah. Yes, sir,” Haruhiro said.
2352
2353“Lastly,” Bri-chan said, pointing at Mr. Pleasant from Choco’s party. “You. That’s twenty parties. The rest of you are in Kajiko’s Wild Eagle Force. Understood?”
2354
2355The volunteer soldiers each gave their own response. It didn’t sound like anyone was going to object. Even if they didn’t like it, it would have taken a lot of bravery to stand up to Bri-chan. After all, he was terrifyingly creepy.
2356
2357“Kajiko, you had a timepiece, right?” Bri-chan asked.
2358
2359“Yeah,” Kajiko said, pulling a sparkling silver pocket watch from her chest and showing it to him.
2360
2361“Oh, my.” Bri-chan looked like he had been about to display what looked like a pocket watch in his hand, but had thought better of it. “That’s a nice piece you have there, darling. Oh, gosh. Mine just seems like a piece of junk in comparison.”
2362
2363Kajiko laughed nasally. “The truth is, it is a piece of junk, isn’t it?”
2364
2365“Oh, you do have a mouth on you,” Bri-chan said. “It’s old, so it’s expensive, you know? I have my doubts about its accuracy, though. Anyway, if you have a watch, the timing should be fine. I’ll tell you what the starting time is later. Now then, how the operation will progress. Once the operation begins, we take whatever camps we come across as we advance towards the walls. Crush any camp that has orcs in it. If we dawdle, the orcs may come out of their camps to surround us, so crush them as fast as you can manage. That is the first stage.”
2366
2367Moguzo gave a powerful nod. He really should have conserved his energy, though, so that he didn’t get too psyched up.
2368
2369Bri-chan used his sword to point at the wall. “The second stage is when we reach the walls and launch our attack. The enemy will likely respond with archers, but according to the thief team sent out as scouts, there are around 200 orcs on guard. Their numbers aren’t that impressive, so there’s no need to be scared. That said, if you get hit in the wrong place, it could kill you instantly. We’ve prepared shields, so...” Bri-chan gestured with his chin towards a pile of board-like objects piled up at the side of the road. “Before we set out, each of you take one. You can treat these shields as expendable.”
2370
2371“Well, that’s generous!” Ranta gave him a big grin, but Bri-chan ignored him.
2372
2373“...Anyway, we’ll be attacking a wall with no gates, so we’ll be putting up ladders to climb right over. Of course, we’ve prepared the ladders for that, as well. On that note, we need people on ladder duty. Their job will be to carry the ladders until we arrive on site, assemble them, and raise them against the walls. My Green Storm Force and the Wild Eagle Force will each have four ladders. While I’ll let Kajiko decide who her ladder teams will be, the ones to have the honor of being the ladder team for our Green Storm Force will be...”
2374
2375Haruhiro had a bad feeling.
2376
2377He didn’t know why, but even though every time he had a good feeling about something he turned out to be wrong, if he had a bad feeling it was guaranteed to be right.
2378
2379This time was no exception.
2380
2381Bri-chan pointed at Haruhiro, then to Mr. Pleasant, one after the other. “Your party and your party will do it.”
2382
2383“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?” Ranta screwed up his face until his lips rolled back. “Why do we have to do it? We already have to carry shields! Like we can carry big, heavy ladders on top of that!”
2384
2385...Ranta, man, you’ve got guts.
2386
2387Before Haruhiro could say anything, Bri-chan drew his sword and pointed the tip of it at Ranta’s throat. “I am the commander here. You don’t like it? Leave. After returning your advance, of course, okay?”
2388
2389“...I-I’m not giving back the money! Actually... I can’t.” Ranta lowered his eyes, letting out a little laughing snort. “...Already spent it all.”
2390
2391Haruhiro nearly fell over. “—Already?!”
2392
2393“Oh, shove it! It was money I earned, so it was mine! I was free to do whatever I wanted with it!”
2394
2395“Well, yes, but...”
2396
2397“Well then,” Bri-chan tucked his sword point under Ranta’s chin, giving him a little poke. “Do as you’re told. If you disobey me and try to run off, you’ll be a fugitive from that moment onward.”
2398
2399“A fugitive...?! Th-That’s so cool! Wait, no, it sounds like it might be a little dangerous...?”
2400
2401Shihoru shook her head back and forth. “...Not ‘might.’”
2402
2403The look Merry gave him was reminiscent of an ice statue. “It’s absolutely dangerous.”
2404
2405“Now, listen here,” Bri-chan pulled back his sword and gave it a little spin. “The ladder team has a very important job, you know? They have to do everything they can to avoid combat before we reach the fortress, but when the time comes, they charge up to the walls and raise the ladders with a bang. It’s a cool job.”
2406
2407“...Cool,” Ranta repeated the word to himself, as if carefully considering it, then his face broke into an ugly smirk. “—Well, if that’s how it is, you know? There’s no other choice. Guess we’ll do it. I mean, for such an important job, you’ve got to be as big a man as me, or it’s just not gonna happen, right?”
2408
2409“We’ll be doing it, too, though,” Mr. Tall from Choco’s party said, openly taking a shot at Ranta.
2410
2411“Shut up!” Ranta said, glaring hard at Mr. Tall. “That’s one thing, this is another! Besides, you’re my junior, dammit! Don’t get in the way when your senior is having a good time, octopus-brain!”
2412
2413“I’m not an octopus.”
2414
2415“What are you, a squid, then?!”
2416
2417“...Fine. Whatever.”
2418
2419“Wahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I won! Victory is mine!”
2420
2421Ms. Short Hair from Choco’s party was looking at Ranta the way one might look at a cockroach from a distance. “...You’re the worst.”
2422
2423Haruhiro covered his face with his hands. “Please, don’t embarrass us any more...”
2424
2425Regardless, Haruhiro and Choco’s parties needed to carry four ladders. He’d have liked to play the reliable senior and take one more than they did, but that wasn’t going to be possible. Two ladders each seemed reasonable.
2426
2427The ladders were long. By combining two ladders that were a little over two meters long, they would create super long ladders that were over four meters long. In other words, they actually needed to transport eight ladders that were each a little over two meters long.
2428
2429Haruhiro, Ranta, and Moguzo would each take one. The three girls would take one between them. That seemed about right.
2430
2431Choco’s party was composed of four guys and two girls, so it looked like the guys would each be carrying one.
2432
2433They needed to carry the shields in addition to this, so they were all looking at some rather heavy labor. Somehow, it felt like they were going to be exhausted before they even arrived.
2434
2435“Now then,” Bri-chan said, bending over and thrusting his butt out. “Entering the fortress and sweeping it clean of enemies is primarily supposed to be the job of the main force, but I’ll go over the enemy’s forces just so that you’re all aware. As I said before, we anticipate 200 orcs, the majority of them belonging to a clan called the Zesh. They dye their hair black and have red tattoos on their faces. Their equipment is mostly standardized, too. They use a sword with a single-edged blade called a gahari, shields with fur on them, red helmets, as well as a bow and arrow. As you would expect from a group that’s come to the front line, the Zesh clan are not weak. However, the orcs in the camps are of various clans, and the bonds between them shouldn’t be strong.”
2436
2437The challenge would come in the time it took to get the ladders up on the wall. The detached force’s job would be to keep the enemy in check, to be a diversion. If they put up the long ladders and made it so they could climb the walls, that would make the enemy worried.
2438
2439When you thought of it that way, being on the ladder team really was a big responsibility. They had to avoid battles, or, in other words, they didn’t have to fight, which was probably why the job had been given to volunteer soldiers as low down as Haruhiro and Choco’s parties, but, if they failed, it would mean big trouble.
2440
2441“The keeper is Zoran Zesh of the Zesh Clan,” Bri-chan said. “Zoran-chan is well-built enough that you should be able to tell it’s him at a glance. We have intel saying he fights with a two-sword style. The twenty or so orcs who are Zoran-chan’s closest associates are all supposed to be very skilled. On top of that, it looks like there are a small number of sorcerers. Orcish sorcerers are lightly equipped. They don’t wear armor or helmets, so they’re easy to pick out, but I think a good number of you will never have faced one, so be careful. Orcish sorcery is centered around psychokinesis and insects. It’s quite different from magic: they don’t chant spells or make elaborate gestures, so it’s quick. They’re dangerous, so if you see a sorcerer, prioritize taking them out. Other than that... Right, right, the smoke signals.”
2442
2443Yume tilted her head to the side. “Smoking kills?”
2444
2445“Yes, someone’s collapsed... They’re coughing up blood. Now they aren’t breathing. Could it be... They’re dead?! Who could the culprit be?! Who was it?! This was caused by—Wait, no, that’s not what we’re talking about! Gosh! Look what you made me go along with! What are you going to do about it? Nobody even laughed!” Bri-chan shouted.
2446
2447“Could it be you’re gettin’ mad at Yume? Maybe?” Yume asked.
2448
2449“...I’m not mad. There’s no way I would ever be so petulant, is there?”
2450
2451“You aren’t, huh?” Yume said. “Oh, but, Bri-chan, sorry. Yume, she might’ve gone and done that thing. She may’ve detailed the conversation.”
2452
2453“Listen now, we don’t have time for you to detail the conversation,” Bri-chan said. “You have to derail it. Well, no, you don’t have to do that, okay?”
2454
2455“If Yume doesn’t have to do that, what should she be doin’? Yume wonders about that.”
2456
2457“Let it go! Just close your mouth and let me talk! I don’t mind girls like you, but you’re throwing me off balance here, so be quiet! Please! Zip your lips!”
2458
2459“Zip.”
2460
2461“Okay. Now, back to the smoke signals. When Deadhead Watching Keep is under a large scale attack, they use smoke signals to alert Riverside Iron Fortress. I’m sure the signal will go up right away this time, too. But, the attack will be starting over there at the same time. Even if they call for them, reinforcements won’t come. That’s why you shouldn’t panic even if you do see a signal go up. Well, that’s about it, I suppose. I know I’ve talked a lot, but as long as we don’t make some incredible blunder, we should be able to win this. The keeper, and the bounty on any famous sorcerers, will likely have nothing to do with our detached force. Either way, it’s not going to be a difficult battle. You kids without much experience can put your minds at ease, too.”
2462
2463Bri-chan seemed to be directing those words at Haruhiro and his group specifically. Even if they couldn’t put their minds at ease, Haruhiro was starting to feel that it might not be as bad as he’d thought. Just maybe, carrying some ladders and shields the six kilometers from here to Deadhead Watching Keep would be their biggest difficulty.
2464
2465“That said!” Bri-chan went on, suddenly taking on a dangerous tone. “We’re up against our natural enemies. With No-Life King dead and gone and the undead suppressed, the orcs are the largest faction in the frontier. Let your guard down, and you won’t get off with just a slap on the wrist. You could die quite easily, you know?”
2466
2467Haruhiro gulped.
2468
2469Boost them up, then let them down. That was what Bri-chan was doing, huh?
2470
2471Still, it might be an effective strategy. In fact, Haruhiro had been getting a little optimistic, so being knocked down from that high had put him in a good state of readiness, both mentally and physically.
2472
2473Bri-chan’s pink tongue licked his black lips. “Well, there you have it. Get your butts in gear and let’s go, my little kittens.”
2474
2475
2476
2477
2478
247910. Graduation
2480
2481
2482
2483
2484Soon, the dawn would come.
2485
2486No one was speaking. Nobody so much as stirred. Even when they breathed, they did their best to stifle it.
2487
2488Yet there was that idiot, Ranta, covering his mouth with his hands, shaking his body back and forth.
2489
2490Is it a sneeze, maybe? Haruhiro thought. He’s about to sneeze, and he’s trying to hold it back? You’re kidding me. What the hell is he doing?
2491
2492Aw, crap.
2493
2494Not good.
2495
2496He’s gonna blow.
2497
2498He so is.
2499
2500—No.
2501
2502Looks like he managed to hold back. Haruhiro let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.
2503
2504In that moment, it must have come back.
2505
2506“Achoo!”
2507
2508A few dozen glares stabbed into Ranta over his inability to hold in a sneeze.
2509
2510Yet, Ranta, when he looked to the other volunteer soldiers around them, gave a gesture that was less an apology and more an “Oh, just calm down.”
2511
2512He doesn’t feel guilty in the least. What’s wrong with him?
2513
2514Haruhiro poked his head out from behind a pile of scrap wood, looking at the camps here and there.
2515
2516The camps generally had one tower and one, two, sometimes three tents. On top of some towers there was an orc, but not always.
2517
2518It didn’t look like there was any movement. The sound of that sneeze must not have reached them. They were safe.
2519
2520The sun wasn’t up yet, but it was already pretty bright.
2521
2522The Green Storm Force led by Britney, or Bri-chan, was to the east of Deadhead Watching Keep. They were laying low in what seemed to be the remains of a camp, at least judging by the lumber, cloth, and stones lying around.
2523
2524Orc camps were attacked by volunteer soldiers, destroyed, and then rebuilt. It was something that had happened time and again, so there were plenty of places like this one to hide in. Even so, Haruhiro was beside himself with worry that the orcs might find them any moment now.
2525
2526He was feeling restless and impatient, too. Having to wait like this, it was tough. He wished it would just start already. He would feel better that way.
2527
2528He could see the keep in the distance, the three towers rising from it ominously, like horns. The walls were made of stone, with some black substance having been used to fill the gaps. Red paint had been used to write letters, or to draw symbols of some sort on it. The towers were covered in jagged metal and wood, but that didn’t seem to be decorative. They might have been aiming to make it a more effective defense that way.
2529
2530The east and west walls were four meters high, right? Haruhiro thought. That’s not crazy high, but we won’t be able to climb over them if they’re like that. Yeah, looks like the ladders are going to be necessary after all.
2531
2532The camp towers were decorated with animal skulls, as well as dried severed heads on pikes that hadn’t rotted away to become skulls yet.
2533
2534Looks like there are human skulls and heads in the mix, too. That’s where the name Deadhead comes from, huh? I don’t want to end up like that, he thought, suddenly. Nah, I’m not going to, okay?
2535
2536Haruhiro checked how the ladder he was carrying felt. It had been pretty heavy to carry. Not so much the weight, as how bulky it had been. The shield he was carrying to block arrows was tied to his back with a string. It was getting in the way, too.
2537
2538—Then, Bri-chan stood up.
2539
2540Bri-chan was looking at his golden pocket watch. He nodded. He raised one hand.
2541
2542It was finally time. Haruhiro waited with bated breath.
2543
2544Bri-chan swung his hand down. “Begin the attack!”
2545
2546At the same time, they heard cheering. From the main force, maybe? Or was it Wild Eagle Force?
2547
2548“Charge! Destroy the camps!” Bri-chan shouted.
2549
2550As soon as Bri-chan shouted the order, volunteer soldiers emerged from the mountain of scrap one after another, quickly attacking the orc camps.
2551
2552“L-Let’s go! We need to go, too!” Haruhiro cried, his voice shrill. He lifted up the ladder, advancing along with the very rear of Green Storm Force.
2553
2554“O Light, may Lumiaris’ divine protection be upon you... Protection!” Merry cast a spell. A shining hexagram appeared on his left wrist, making his body feel lighter.
2555
2556What about the others? They had them, too.
2557
2558Haruhiro was trying to run, but he was slow. He blamed the ladder. Man, it was hard to run with this thing.
2559
2560Ahh. You know, maybe I’m feeling pretty tense? For a moment, he forgot what he was doing. Is Choco all right? Where is she? I don’t have time to worry about that, huh?
2561
2562Still, everyone sure was amazing. The orcs were dropping like flies. Was that Arve magic?
2563
2564The tents were on fire. There were even volunteer soldiers knocking the towers down. The camps were being captured right before his eyes.
2565
2566How far had the guys at the very front gotten? He couldn’t see them, so he didn’t really know. He doubted they could’ve made it to the wall yet, though.
2567
2568Just maybe, we ought to be hurrying a bit more? Though, we can’t do what we can’t do.
2569
2570“There’re smoke signals going up!” he heard Merry shout. When he turned to look, Merry was pointing towards the fortress.
2571
2572There were thin trails of thick grey smoke rising from the three towers. A call for reinforcements. However, Riverside Iron Fortress should have been under attack now, too. Reinforcements wouldn’t be coming.
2573
2574“Waaaay off in the distance, there’s smoke goin’ up, too!” Yume said.
2575
2576It was true.
2577
2578There were a few smoke trails to the west, too.
2579
2580What could it mean? Was it one of those things? A relay? There might have been places other than Deadhead Watching Keep to raise smoke signals.
2581
2582It was around 40 kilometers from here to Riverside, so they might not be able to see them from there otherwise. But, wait, the smoke trails, didn’t it seem like they were going up two at a time?
2583
2584That was it. He understood. It wasn’t just Deadhead. Riverside also raised a signal when they were attacked. That had to be it: both sides were trying to communicate to the other that they were under attack.
2585
2586Still, if that were the case, it would mean the orcs at Deadhead now knew they couldn’t count on reinforcements from Riverside. If they’d thought reinforcements were coming, the orcs would have been likely to try to keep their losses to a minimum and bide their time until they arrived.
2587
2588If not, then what would they do? Wouldn’t they desperately resist, mad with the fear of death?
2589
2590Well, the higher-ups had no doubt thought about all of this. It was nothing for the rank and file to worry about. Haruhiro and the others just had to do their own jobs properly.
2591
2592In other words, ladder duty.
2593
2594Once their allies crushed the camps, they had to get the ladders up on the walls. It looked like the camps around them had been destroyed already.
2595
2596Choco’s party was behind them. They were going slower than Haruhiro’s.
2597
2598We can go now, he thought.
2599
2600He was quickly proven wrong. It wasn’t going to be so easy. And, hold on...
2601
2602Who let these guys get by? There are orcs. Two of them. Coming our way.
2603
2604Well, not so much our way.
2605
2606They were heading in the direction of Choco’s party.
2607
2608“O-Orcs!” he shouted. “T-Two, incoming...!”
2609
2610When Haruhiro raised his voice to warn them, Choco’s party stopped—
2611
2612Wait, what? What’re you stopping for?
2613
2614It seemed they didn’t know themselves.
2615
2616“Ah!”
2617
2618“Oh, crap!”
2619
2620“Whoa, the ladder...!”
2621
2622Not good. This is pretty bad. They’re hopeless.
2623
2624Choco’s party was confused and panicking. There was no way they could either run or put up a proper fight like that.
2625
2626“We can’t afford to lose half the ladders!” Haruhiro called. “We have to help them! Let’s take on the orcs ourselves! We’ll set down our ladders and shields for now!”
2627
2628“Y-Yeah!” Moguzo shouted, letting his ladder drop to the ground and taking the shield off his back.
2629
2630“Sure thing!” Ranta was always quick at times like this. “It’s finally time! To graduate! I’m losing my virginity!”
2631
2632“Umph!” Shihoru picked up the shield Yume had discarded and put it together with her own.
2633
2634Merry laid the ladder down at her feet, nodding to Haruhiro.
2635
2636“Conserve your magic for now!” Haruhiro shouted as he ran forward.
2637
2638First, he needed to get a feel for the orcs’ strength. They had a long fight ahead of them—possibly, after all.
2639
2640Slipping in between Choco’s confused party, Moguzo slashed at Orc A and Ranta charged towards Orc B. For equipment, the orcs had some sort of scaled armor, a helmet that covered everything but their faces, and some hefty swords. The hair poured out from their helmets. Yellow for Orc A, red for Orc B. Their skin was green.
2641
2642Haruhiro signaled to Yume with his eyes, then they tried to flank or get behind Orc B.
2643
2644Man, orcs sure are big.
2645
2646Their height wasn’t all that impressive. They were taller than Haruhiro, but still shorter than Moguzo. Still, they were much thicker and wider. To use a little hyperbole, they looked like they were twice as big as a human.
2647
2648Taking their whole body into consideration, they were a full size larger than Moguzo. Moguzo was a big guy, standing 186 centimeters tall, and they were a full size bigger than him. What was more, these were probably average orcs.
2649
2650They said that orcs were the largest faction in the frontier of Grimgar, and Haruhiro could believe it. They looked tough, and it wasn’t all show; they actually were strong.
2651
2652Ranta was, of course, being pushed back by Orc B, so he used Exhaust to go straight backwards and run like crazy. When he did that, naturally, Orc B chased after Ranta.
2653
2654Haruhiro and Yume would have to chase Orc B, so there was no way they had time to be getting beside or behind him.
2655
2656It was hard to say that Moguzo was winning, either. He was taking a lot of slash attacks, but somehow managing to block them with his armor. Though, that was still defending against them, so in some ways you could have called it an even fight. From the looks of things, Orc A was at a slight advantage.
2657
2658Muscle strength, huh?
2659
2660It was the way they were built. Orcs had stronger muscles than humans. Muscle didn’t just affect their arm strength; it affected their leg strength, too. The more muscle they had, even if it made them heavier, the faster they could run and the higher they could jump. Being big didn’t necessarily mean being slow. Even agility was affected by the muscles, after all.
2661
2662The orcs had smushed noses, large mouths, and boar-like tusks. From Haruhiro’s human perspective, they weren’t pretty. Though, hideous as they might have been, they didn’t look especially unintelligent. From the assembly of the towers and designs of the tents, it was more than apparent that they were intelligent.
2663
2664Haruhiro thought displaying skulls and severed heads on the towers like that was barbaric, but the humans and orcs were in conflict. If the orcs were doing that to intimidate humans, it wasn’t like he couldn’t understand why.
2665
2666The orcs were superior to humans physically, and it was hard to say which side was more intelligent. In that case, when it came to simple combat potential, weren’t orcs stronger than humans?
2667
2668“Don’t be intimidated!” Merry shouted. “Once you get used to it, you can fight them!”
2669
2670She’s right, he thought. At the very least, we have to think that way. If we lose in spirit, even fights we should be able to win will become unwinnable.
2671
2672“Merry’s right!” he shouted. “We aren’t used to how orcs move yet, that’s all! Moguzo, you can do it! There’s no way you can’t!”
2673
2674“Muh...!” Moguzo went on the attack. Or rather, he had used a skill. A heavy armor combat skill, Steel Guard.
2675
2676Moguzo deliberately used his armor to knock back Orc A’s sword. Then, while Orc A was off balance, he slammed The Chopper into him. Even when the orc defended, he pounded it into him.
2677
2678Seeing Orc A faltering, Orc B’s footwork became more cautious.
2679
2680Haruhiro’s eyes met Ranta’s.
2681
2682“—You don’t have to tell me!” Ranta shouted.
2683
2684Even when Orc B closed in, Ranta didn’t run away with Exhaust. Orc B had closed in less intensely than before.
2685
2686“There!”
2687
2688It was Reject.
2689
2690Ranta pushed Orc B back, immediately stepping in after him.
2691
2692“Anger...!”
2693
2694I thought it was a good thrust, too.
2695
2696Orc B twisted and avoided it.
2697
2698But he only barely dodged it. It was close. Ranta almost had him.
2699
2700“I know! I’m unbeatable!” Ranta called.
2701
2702“Since when?!” Haruhiro shouted.
2703
2704His back.
2705
2706Orc B had its back to Haruhiro. He couldn’t see that line.
2707
2708He went for a Spider, but the orc noticed him at the last moment and avoided it. But Haruhiro wasn’t alone.
2709
2710“There! Ha!” Yume attacked with a combo of Brush Clearer and Diagonal Cross.
2711
2712Orc B knocked Yume’s machete aside with a loud clang and tried to go for a counterattack.
2713
2714“Hanyaa!” Yume rolled away like a pit rat.
2715
2716Orc B tried to go after her immediately, but, again, Yume wasn’t alone.
2717
2718“Hey, hey, hey!” Ranta swung his longsword around wildly. He was practically throwing himself at Orc B.
2719
2720Meanwhile, Yume got back into a fighting posture. Haruhiro was looking to get behind the orc, too. Orc B had less and less leeway to work with. He was definitely feeling pressed. They just needed one more push.
2721
2722That push came.
2723
2724“Thanks...!” Moguzo slammed a Thanks Slash into Orc A’s shoulder.
2725
2726Orc A didn’t go down, but he was unsteady. He couldn’t wield his sword properly. It was only a matter of time.
2727
2728Orc B was confused and panicking.
2729
2730Haruhiro was right behind Orc B, so he couldn’t see his expression. Still, it was readily apparent how flustered he was.
2731
2732Backstab.
2733
2734Silently closing the distance, Haruhiro slid the dagger in smoothly. Considering that he couldn’t see the line, the dagger’s blade broke through Orc B’s scale armor easily and struck flesh.
2735
2736That wasn’t a fatal strike, he thought to himself.
2737
2738Still, it was good enough.
2739
2740When Haruhiro leapt back, Yume struck Orc B twice, three times with her machete. The machete was shorter than a longsword, but it still had a good amount of weight to it. It didn’t manage to cut through, but the blunt force should have done a decent amount of damage.
2741
2742Orc B reeled.
2743
2744“Hatred!” When Ranta leapt in from outside Orc B’s reach, the orc couldn’t avoid it.
2745
2746The shoulder. Ranta’s longsword hit, but it slid across Orc B’s armor with a screech.
2747
2748Was that intentional?
2749
2750Ranta didn’t cut open the tough scale armor, instead aiming for the face with a flick of his wrist.
2751
2752Still, that result had to have been pure chance. I can’t believe he did it intentionally.
2753
2754Ranta’s longsword severed the chin strap holding the helmet on Orc B’s head, then got caught on the helmet. The helmet came off.
2755
2756“Ta-dah!” Ranta was wearing a blackened bascinet. He had the visor lowered, so his face was hidden, but he was probably sticking his tongue out right now.
2757
2758Ranta used his longsword not so much to cut Orc B as to slug him. He slugged him like crazy.
2759
2760Orc B wasn’t able to stand for long. Even when he went down, Ranta showed no mercy. He didn’t even try to stop.
2761
2762Moguzo used a second Thanks Slash to cut down Orc A. Orc B wasn’t moving anymore. Once that happened, Ranta finally stopped.
2763
2764Choco and her group looked horrified. Even so, Haruhiro didn’t criticize Ranta. It hadn’t been pleasant to watch, but Ranta hadn’t been wrong in what he’d done. Even if it was cruel, he was right to finish off the enemy. And living creatures could be so tenacious. Though they’d die so easily when their time came, sometimes they would launch a fierce counterattack even after taking a deadly blow.
2765
2766“Heh, heh, heh...” Ranta raised his longsword aloft. “I got my vice! Finally, I graduated from being a virgin! Congratulations, me!”
2767
2768Yeah, he’s right, isn’t he? Haruhiro thought. And with no casualties, to boot. Merry and Shihoru didn’t even have to use magic.
2769
2770“Yay!” Yume cried, jumping into the air. “Yume and everyone, we’re kinda amazin’, huh?!”
2771
2772Ranta let out an obnoxious laugh. “Your tits are so tiny, they don’t shake even when you jump around, huh? —Yow. You didn’t have to punch me!”
2773
2774“You said somethin’ that deserved a punchin’,” Yume told him.
2775
2776Moguzo pumped his arm with a “Yeah!” and nodded to himself.
2777
2778Shihoru had a hesitant, but still seemingly happy smile on her face.
2779
2780Merry looked relieved.
2781
2782It wasn’t that Haruhiro didn’t feel something welling up inside him, too. He did. It started at his fingertips, tickling Haruhiro’s heart and turning it upside down, then rising to his head and intoxicating him. Honestly, for a while, he basked in it.
2783
2784“...Awesome,” Mr. Pleasant from Choco’s party mumbled.
2785
2786“Those are our senpais for you,” said Laughing Man. The words could have been read as sarcastic, but it seemed that wasn’t his intent.
2787
2788“Y-You saved us...” Mr. Priest was sitting on the ground. It looked like he’d been pretty scared.
2789
2790“Wow...” Ms. Short Hair said, looking a little out of it.
2791
2792Choco was looking at Haruhiro. Like Mr. Short Hair, she was dazed. Her mouth was slightly agape.
2793
2794It wasn’t a bad feeling.
2795
2796Then, Mr. Tall went and ruined it. “Well, there are people killing orcs all over the place, though.”
2797
2798“Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” Ranta pointed his orc-blood-soaked longsword at Mr. Tall. “Listen, pal! Don’t go killing a guy’s buzz when he’s feeling proud of himself! Who do you think you are? Old Man Buzzkill?”
2799
2800“...I’m not that old,” the man said. “And who’s that supposed to be? Who’s Old Man Buzzkill?”
2801
2802“Like I should know!” Ranta flared.
2803
2804“You’re the one who said it.”
2805
2806“Shut up! Just shut up! Just because you’re a little tall doesn’t mean...!”
2807
2808“Ranta! Enough!” Haruhiro barked.
2809
2810Mr. Tall had Haruhiro annoyed too, but this wasn’t the time to be getting full of themselves. Haruhiro raced back to where they’d dropped the ladders and their shields.
2811
2812“—We’ve go to go! We’re the ladder team!” he shouted.
2813
2814Hurriedly strapping the shield to his back, he picked his ladder up once more. There were already a not-insignificant number of volunteer soldiers closing in on the wall.
2815
2816Haruhiro and the party ran. They ran.
2817
2818Choco’s party was following them.
2819
2820The camps they passed were all uninhabited. All that they saw in them were orc corpses.
2821
2822He thought he heard Yume say, “Ow...!” but that wasn’t it. She had actually said “Arrows...!”
2823
2824The orcs had formed a line on the wall, bows and arrows at the ready. No, not just at the ready. They were firing.
2825
2826“Oh, crap!” Haruhiro shouted. “Shields! There’re arrows! Everyone, get your shields up...!”
2827
2828The arrows rained down. Haruhiro used his shield like an umbrella. It was difficult to carry the ladder while holding a shield, but he had no choice. While there weren’t that many arrows, sometimes one would come their way. If they took a hit, it might kill them.
2829
2830“Ladders! Hurry!” the volunteer soldiers by the wall were shouting.
2831
2832“All right!” Ranta shouted, but Haruhiro stopped him before he could charge.
2833
2834“We’ve got to assemble them first!” Haruhiro shouted.
2835
2836“—Oh! That’s right!”
2837
2838“Merry, Yume, Shihoru, use the shields!” Haruhiro called.
2839
2840He had the three of them line up with their shields next to each other, and assembled the ladders behind them. He had to fit the ladders together and pound the nails in. His hands were shaking. An arrow pierced one of the shields, and Shihoru let out a little shriek. Haruhiro couldn’t find the strength to do it.
2841
2842“Give me that!” Moguzo snatched the hammer from Haruhiro, pounding the nails in one after another. He tried pushing and pulling on the ladder.
2843
2844It’s good to go—I think.
2845
2846“Okay, let’s go!” Haruhiro called.
2847
2848The completed ladders were more than four meters long. They couldn’t be carried by one person. Haruhiro and Ranta formed a team, taking one of the ladders, while Moguzo and Yume formed a team and took the other.
2849
2850The orcs were desperate. As they got closer to the wall, the number of arrows increased. The intensity continued to build. Arrows stabbed through their shields.
2851
2852Hey, wait—aren’t we being targeted here?! Haruhiro thought.
2853
2854
2855
2856
2857
2858“Ohhhhhh, crap, crap, crap crap!” he shouted.
2859
2860“Whoooooooooa! This is scary!” Ranta yelled.
2861
2862“Hunnnnnnnnnngh...!” Moguzo grunted.
2863
2864“Eeeeeeeek!” Yume screamed.
2865
2866“...E-Everyone, do your best...!” Shihoru called.
2867
2868“It’s fine! We’ve got shields!” Merry hollered.
2869
2870Don’t stop, Haruhiro thought. We can’t stop. If we stop walking for even a second, we probably won’t be able to move forward anymore. All at once. We have to do this all at once.
2871
2872While screaming something in a loud voice, they charged forward, feeling like they might trip at any moment, then brought the ladder up on the spiky wall.
2873
2874The volunteer soldiers roared as one. The air shook and trembled. It was like a cry of victory. The rush was even more intense than when he’d killed the orc.
2875
2876How’s that? How’s that?! I did it! I really did it! Look! Look at that! Is this what they call a rush of endorphins?
2877
2878“Move...!” Renji shoved Haruhiro aside. He was trying to climb the ladder. He didn’t have a shield. Even though there were orcs with bows right above.
2879
2880Isn’t he afraid? Haruhiro thought. That takes some serious guts.
2881
2882“Hold on, Renji!” they heard Bri-chan shout. “There’s no need to be in such a rush!”
2883
2884Again, the air shook and trembled.
2885
2886It didn’t come from here this time, Haruhiro thought. Where did it come from? Was it Wild Eagle Force on the west wall? Or was it—either way, those weren’t human voices. They were probably orcs. An angry roar. That mass of sound made the heavens and earth rumble. Could it have been...
2887
2888“From the main gate?!” Haruhiro screamed.
2889
2890
2891
2892
2893
289411. Warriors of the Frontier
2895
2896
2897
2898
2899His name was Anthony Justeen.
2900
2901A proud warrior of the renowned Alterna Frontier Army 1st Brigade Warrior Regiment.
2902
2903He was not just any old warrior. He was a master warrior.
2904
2905Anthony had placed his honor as a warrior on the line, participating in Operation “Two-Headed Snake” in the glorious position of Platoon Commander. He was attacking Deadhead Watching Keep head-on, trying to take it fair and square.
2906
2907Of course, if a warrior as great as Anthony was going to grace the battlefield, he belonged at the very front. At this very moment, he was leading his manly subordinates as they pressed towards the keep, but, in his heart, there was one thing that he found somewhat unpleasant.
2908
2909Wren Water.
2910
2911That gutless milksop. Who’d made him a paladin? Who’d made him a brigadier general? He was a mainland-born sissy.
2912
2913A proper paladin would stand at the front of his army, putting his life on the line to protect his comrades. At least, a frontier-born paladin with a backbone would, but that rotten paladin and fake brigadier general wasn’t like that. He had a hundred paladins and a handful of priests there guarding him while he sat smugly at the rear of the main force.
2914
2915He was a fool. A damn fool and a coward. He was shit. This was supposed to be the scion of the famous Water family?
2916
2917Like Anthony cared. He could go die. Die and rot.
2918
2919Even if it was a given that General Graham Rasentra would be the one to lead the attack on Riverside Iron Fortress, ordinarily, the frontier-born, frontier-bred warrior among warriors, Brigadier General Ian Ratty, should have been the one to lead this main force of incomparable power to conquer Deadhead Watching Keep. Wren Water should have stayed in Alterna, crying and trembling like the freshly-hatched chick that he was.
2920
2921In fact, even now, as Anthony had trampled the orc camps underfoot, pushed up to the walls through the rain of arrows, and was about to put the battering ram to the main gate, that wretch had contributed nothing.
2922
2923At the beginning, he had ordered them forward. That was the only thing he had done. Even a brat could have done that.
2924
2925The majority of the warriors in the Frontier Army were from the frontier. Frontier-born warriors prided themselves on their gruff manliness and looked down on the feeble mainlanders with utter contempt. That was because the mainlanders had a lot of pride and not much else. Unable to even wield a sword properly, they were a bunch of good-for-nothings entirely deserving of that disdain.
2926
2927Honestly, from the moment Wren Water had been chosen as their commander, the warriors’ morale had sunk. Not to mention that, in this operation, Riverside Iron Fortress was the main objective, so every one of them must have been somewhat disappointed to be assigned to taking Deadhead Watching Keep, the fight it was a given they would win.
2928
2929Of course they would complete their mission. They would take the keep, but Wren Water would take the credit for it. It was unthinkable that this would end in anything but a victory.
2930
2931Curse Wren Water.
2932
2933That piece of shit.
2934
2935So, this was the power of a famous family, was it? Basically, that was what it had to be. He wasn’t here because of his talent. Even if he did nothing, the accolades would roll in to him and accumulate on their own. That was how it was all set up.
2936
2937The man who could be called the symbol of the Frontier Army, General Rasentra, was turning 46 this year. He was still in the prime of his life, but there were persistent rumors that the mainland might want the general. It was also said he had repeatedly declined requests to take the position of Commander-in-Chief. However, someday, the general would be taken away to the mainland. Could it be that Wren Water was aiming to take his place when he left?
2938
2939There were currently three brigadier generals who were next in rank after the general in the frontier. Brigadier General Ian Ratty, Wren Water, the piece of shit, and lastly, Brigadier General Jord Horn, who was always at the general’s side.
2940
2941Common sense dictated that Brigadier General Horn would be the general’s successor, but they were much too close for that. The general might want to take Brigadier General Horn back to the mainland with him. If that were to happen, Brigadier General Ratty would be the next general.
2942
2943In terms of talent, there was no doubt that was how it should have been, but Wren Water was a piece of shit, so he might be plotting to seize the position through the influence of his family.
2944
2945It was possible. It wasn’t impossible, but with that piece of shit being a piece of shit, he might have just wanted to get back to the mainland as quickly as possible.
2946
2947He was welcome to go. Hurry up and leave. Shit belongs in a world full of shit.
2948
2949On the other side of the Tenryu Mountains, in the mainland that Anthony had yet to see, there were tens, hundreds of human cities. The countryside spread out as far as the eye could see, and there were cattle leisurely grazing everywhere. There were barbarians in the south that had not yet submitted to the Arabakia Kingdom, but they were no threat to the kingdom. There were occasional wars, but it was rare for soldiers to die.
2950
2951The barbarians mostly fought among themselves, the kingdom occasionally mediating. The kingdom was like a benevolent father, and the barbarian tribes his children.
2952
2953Industry had developed in the mainland, and its people loved songs, dance and music. The blessings of the light god Lumiaris were strong there, filling the land with light. The currency in Alterna was all minted in the mainland, but things that cost one gold in the frontier could be bought for only ten silver in the mainland. The mainland was wealthy. Anything and everything was available there, and if the poor just bowed before the wealthy, they could find food, drink and clothing. It was said that even the poorest of beggars in the mainland lived better than the soldiers of the frontier.
2954
2955It’s shit, thought Anthony. It’s all a bunch of shit.
2956
2957Who did those pieces of shit in the mainland think it was who let them maintain their shitty lifestyles? It was Anthony and warriors like him, shedding blood out in the frontier. If Alterna were ever to fall, the Earth Dragon’s Aorta Road under the Tenryu Mountains, which linked the frontier to the mainland, would soon be found. The orcs and undead would come in force to invade the mainland. They would likely take control of it with ease.
2958
2959The mainland was built on the sacrifices of Anthony and his men.
2960
2961It was a tower built on sand.
2962
2963So, no matter how wonderful the tales they heard of the mainland were, even if it sounded like paradise, it was nothing but shit.
2964
2965If he were to speak frankly, Anthony wanted to take the place of the orcs and undead, conquer the mainland himself, and pillage it for all it was worth. He had every right to.
2966
2967Because Anthony had worked hard in his duties, he was defending their property and making them able to amass a fortune. That fortune had been created thanks to Anthony. It was fair to say it was Anthony’s fortune.
2968
2969Of course, he would never do it.
2970
2971There was the fact it was an unrealistic goal, but Anthony also had his pride as a warrior. He also liked wine, women and good food, but those all existed because of men’s battlefields. Here in the frontier, there were battles for men.
2972
2973“Drop dead, Wren Water!” Anthony shouted.
2974
2975When Anthony shouted that to encourage them, the warriors who were getting ready to swing the battering ram smiled broadly.
2976
2977“Drop dead, Wren Water!” a warrior agreed.
2978
2979“Drop dead!”
2980
2981“Go and drop dead!”
2982
2983“Drop dead, Wren Water!”
2984
2985“Drop dead already!”
2986
2987“Drop dead, Wren Water!”
2988
2989If the warriors’ voices carried back to the rear and Wren Water heard them, there would be hell to pay later.
2990
2991Like I care? We’ll do our duties. Our duties as warriors. By our warrior pride.
2992
2993“We’ll go on the count of three, two, one!” The warrior in charge of keeping time raised his sword. “Three—”
2994
2995The rest was drowned out.
2996
2997There was a roar. A roar fell down on them.
2998
2999It was orcs.
3000
3001“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhsh...!”
3002
3003Orcs leaped down from the wall. They were falling.
3004
3005The southern wall was six meters high. It was by no means low. But the orcs were brave. They leapt with no sign of fear, landing on the ground. Some orcs even crushed members of his army as they did.
3006
3007Mainland-born pieces of shit tended to look down on the orcs and other hostile races, but frontier-born Anthony did not have that bad habit. He even felt a certain amount of respect for the orcs with their daring and integrity.
3008
3009Orcs were robust, tenacious, and audacious. They appeared from practically right above the heads of the front line.
3010
3011Straight at soldiers who had been expecting only arrows, ten—no, likely more than twenty—orcs came swinging at them. —No, flying at them.
3012
3013It was over in an instant. The soldiers trying to man the battering had been mowed down by orcs before they could even register what had happened. While they had let their guard down, who could have predicted that experienced warriors would fall so easily? Still, it was nothing to be surprised about.
3014
3015The front gate wasn’t open yet. Those orcs had launched an assault with no way to return. They were a suicide squad. Death troops.
3016
3017On the other hand, his men had gone into this operation with the presumption of victory. They’d thought they were guaranteed to win. They’d thought there was no way they could lose. Everyone had thought that.
3018
3019The enemies were ready to die. Yet his men had had no intention of dying here. It’d made a difference in how ready they were. The difference had been too great.
3020
3021“Calm down!” Anthony swung at the orc.
3022
3023Their blades locked, so he went for a Wind. But his opponent knew that would be coming. They jostled, then separated.
3024
3025“Surround them! Surround them! There aren’t many of them!”
3026
3027His subordinates tried to act on Anthony’s orders immediately, but many of the warriors were confused and panicking. They couldn’t move the way they wanted to.
3028
3029Then, down came the arrows. The confusion deepened and spread.
3030
3031“We should pull back temporarily!” someone shouted.
3032
3033“Bullshit!” Anthony shouted while deflecting the orc’s slashes. “Have you forgotten your pride as warriors?! Listen here! This is all because of that damned incompetent, Wren Water! It galls me to do it, but we need to wipe his ass for him! We, the warriors of the frontier, will turn this around! Let’s do it! Warriors, follow me!”
3034
3035
3036
3037
3038
303912. Later
3040
3041
3042
3043
3044On the southern wall, where the main gate was, something was very clearly wrong.
3045
3046What on Earth is happening there? Haruhiro thought. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Actually, I’ve got nothing but bad feelings about this. Are we in trouble?
3047
3048Regardless, Green Storm Force had no choice but to keep assaulting the eastern wall. The enemy was mounting a defense. If they didn’t wipe out the orcs on the walls, the rain of arrows was going to make things dangerous.
3049
3050“First, we take the east wall!” Bri-chan shouted, pointing to the top of the wall with his sword. He wasn’t carrying a shield.
3051
3052It looked like the four ladders had made it to the walls intact. Not just Haruhiro’s party, but Choco’s party were alive and well, too.
3053
3054Haruhiro pressed himself up against the wall, holding up his shield. What’s going on up there? I can’t see, so I can’t tell. Though Renji and the others who went up first must be raising some hell up there. Maybe that’s why? Somehow, it feels like the rain of arrows has let up a little compared to before...?
3055
3056While he was under his shield, catching his breath, someone grabbed him by the collar.
3057
3058“Gwah!”
3059
3060“Hey! Quit wasting time! We’re going too, Parupiro!”
3061
3062It was Ranta. Stupid Ranta. Didn’t he realize that hurt?
3063
3064Haruhiro brushed Ranta’s hand aside. “...What’re you calling me Parupiro for? And, wait—Huh? Where are we going...?”
3065
3066“Up the ladders, over the wall! Obviously!”
3067
3068“No, but...”
3069
3070“No butts, no farting around, none of your crap! We’re going!”
3071
3072Ranta tried to pull Haruhiro by the arm. Seriously, give me a break, Haruhiro thought angrily before tripping Ranta.
3073
3074“Whoa...?!” Ranta fell over, but quickly jumped to his feet. “—You ass!”
3075
3076“Wha...?!” Haruhiro exclaimed. “Man, you’re seriously trying to punch me?! At a time like this?!”
3077
3078“It doesn’t matter!” Ranta shouted.
3079
3080“Yes, it does! If you’d just think about it!”
3081
3082“I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t let common sense get in his way! You could call me a revolutionary!”
3083
3084“While you’re spouting that nonsense, everyone else is going up the ladders!” Haruhiro shot back.
3085
3086“What’d you say? Whoa! You’re serious!”
3087
3088They could see Choco’s group getting ready to climb the ladder. Even Haruhiro was starting to think it would be best to get moving at this point.
3089
3090“L-Let’s get going already!” Moguzo stammered.
3091
3092When Moguzo said that, Haruhiro made up his mind. “Okay, let’s go! Moguzo and I will take the lead! Everyone else, follow after us!”
3093
3094“You moron! I oughta be first!” Ranta shoved Haruhiro aside and started up the ladder.
3095
3096“Fine, have it your way...!” Haruhiro fastened his shield to his back, continuing up after Ranta.
3097
3098Moguzo was going up a different ladder. Yume was behind Haruhiro, while Merry was behind Moguzo. Shihoru came last.
3099
3100The rain of arrows had already stopped.
3101
3102It was a chaotic melee up on the walls, but their side had the clear advantage. There were no orcs near Haruhiro and the others.
3103
3104In a place near the northeast corner of the wall, there were stairs leading down. The enemy looked ready to defend them to the death, but a group centered around Team Renji were pushing them hard.
3105
3106“Go!” Ranta screamed.
3107
3108That probably wasn’t what caused it, but Renji cut down one orc and kicked another off the wall.
3109
3110The enemy defense was breaking down, and the volunteer soldiers rushed forth.
3111
3112“We’re going in!” Bri-chan shouted. His voice carried well.
3113
3114Renji and Ron descended the stairs. The orcs were massed on the stairs, trying to impede their advance.
3115
3116How are they going to get past that? Haruhiro wondered. Oh, that’s how.
3117
3118Renji and Ron rammed themselves into the orcs.
3119
3120“Push...!” Ron screamed.
3121
3122No way.
3123
3124Seriously?
3125
3126Team Renji and the other volunteer soldiers pushed Renji and Ron from behind. They pushed like crazy.
3127
3128If you do that, you’re going to crush them. They’ll be crushed to death.
3129
3130The orcs tried to push back, but Renji and the others were pushing downwards while they had to push up. Renji and the others had the overwhelming advantage to begin with, and probably having made the first move helped more than anything.
3131
3132The orcs fell down one after another.
3133
3134What about Renji and Ron? They were still there.
3135
3136Well, no, of course they were there, but they were still standing. Renji and Ron stepped over the orcs and headed down.
3137
3138They’d done it. They made it down the stairs.
3139
3140“Damn, Renji’s awesome!” Ranta bellowed.
3141
3142I can understand why Ranta’s so excited. He’s right. You’re just too amazing, Renji. To think, those guys came to Grimgar in our group. I don’t want to compare us with them. It’ll only make me depressed.
3143
3144Even so, I’m a little bit proud. Those guys are my contemporaries. I want to be able to brag to people about that. I won’t do it, though. That’d be depressing in its own way.
3145
3146Still, you’re cool, Renji.
3147
3148I already knew it, but you’re amazing. You’re not like us. It’s like you’re so different, all I can really do is laugh.
3149
3150“Don’t push in too hard! The main force hasn’t broken through the front gate yet!” Bri-chan was shouting from on top of the wall as arrows came flying from one of the watchtowers sticking up out of the keep.
3151
3152Bri-chan knocked one of the arrows out of the air with his sword. He hadn’t even been looking in the direction it came from, so it was amazing how easily he’d done it.
3153
3154Bri-chan didn’t have so much as a scratch on him, but there had been more than a few arrows. A number of volunteer soldiers had been hit and were squatting down.
3155
3156“It’s dangerous to stay here!” Haruhiro shouted loudly enough for Choco’s party to hear, as well. “Hurry! It’ll probably be safer once we get down off the wall!”
3157
3158“I know that, you dolt!” Ranta shouted.
3159
3160Ugh, Ranta, just shut up. You always say too much. Actually, you being here at all is too much. No... restrain myself, I have to restrain myself. Think of it as a trial. The worst kind of trial imaginable.
3161
3162The watchtowers had been built strong, and they had slits, or tiny windows to fire arrows out of. Haruhiro’s side couldn’t see the enemies, so they couldn’t tell when they would fire.
3163
3164As they were about to head for the stairs, more arrows came. The volunteer soldiers going down them were being targeted.
3165
3166“Shields!” Haruhiro cried, holding up the shield that had been fastened to his back.
3167
3168However, none of the others had shields.
3169
3170“...Huh? Why don’t you have shields?” he called.
3171
3172“Yume, you know, she thought she wouldn’t be needin’ hers anymore. So, down below, she threw it away. It was heavy, y’know.”
3173
3174“...I-I did that, too,” Shihoru admitted.
3175
3176“M-Me, too,” Moguzo said.
3177
3178“Me, too, dammit!” Ranta yelled.
3179
3180“...Same here,” Merry added.
3181
3182“Urkh... Even Merry did it...”
3183
3184In fact, Haruhiro was in the minority. From the looks of it, Choco’s party and nearly all of the other volunteer soldiers no longer had their shields.
3185
3186It seemed Haruhiro’s penny-pinching nature had served him well. Though, that said, one shield wasn’t going to—
3187
3188“Ah! We do have shields!” he called. “The orcs’ shields!”
3189
3190As far as he could see, Green Storm Force hadn’t taken any serious losses yet, but there were a lot of dead orcs. Along with the corpses and swords, there were shields scattered around, too. They were fur-coated Zesh clan shields.
3191
3192“Oh! This is just what the doctor ordered!” Ranta cried.
3193
3194Once Ranta and the others had picked up some shields, the other volunteer soldiers started to imitate them.
3195
3196They held up their shields towards the watchtowers and rushed onto the stairs. An arrow or two stabbed into the shields, but that was no problem. They were managing to protect themselves just fine.
3197
3198Halfway down the stairs, the path in front of them became too crowded to move ahead.
3199
3200In order to get inside the keep, they would need to ascend the outer stairs and make it to the entrance on the roof. The outside stairs were near the southeast corner of the walls. It would take nearly a full circuit around the outer walls to reach them from the front gate. In fact, the east wall was the closest to them.
3201
3202Renji and his group were almost at the stairs that went up. However, more and more orcs were piling out of the keep, so even the incredible Team Renji was starting to get slowed down.
3203
3204“You’re doing fabulous! If we keep on pushing, eventually our allies will come!” Bri-chan was shouting things like that as he batted arrows out of the air with his sword, but was this okay?
3205
3206“...No, it’s not!” Haruhiro shouted.
3207
3208Haruhiro opened his eyes wide. There were orcs incoming from the north wall where the rear gate was. The main force had attacked from the south and the detached force had attacked from the east and west, so there had been no one attacking from the north. When they’d learned that enemies had broken through on the east wall, the orcs defending the north wall might have come to reinforce the east wall.
3209
3210“This is bad!” Haruhiro moaned. “Renji and the others are going to get caught in a pincer!”
3211
3212“Anyone with hands to spare, go defend against the enemies on the other side!” Bri-chan ordered immediately. A number of parties headed to intercept them at once.
3213
3214Though, of course, it wasn’t going to be that simple. Even if they were going to try to intercept the enemies from the north wall, the area between the stairs down off the wall to the stairs going up the side of the keep was packed with volunteer soldiers. Thanks to that, most of the volunteer soldiers couldn’t move very well.
3215
3216“We’ll do it, too!” Mr. Pleasant, the guy who seemed to be the leader of Choco’s party, said, jumping down off the wall stairs. Choco and the others looked surprised, but they were about to go after him.
3217
3218“Hey, wai—” Haruhiro began.
3219
3220I don’t know if you’re excited or what, but there are limits to how reckless you can be. There are probably around twenty enemies coming from the north wall. You guys are rookies, okay? Think this through a little.
3221
3222“Don’t we need to go, too?!” Ranta hollered.
3223
3224When Ranta poked him in the shoulder, Haruhiro hesitated for around two seconds. Dammit. I can’t just watch.
3225
3226“Okay, let’s go!”
3227
3228When Haruhiro leapt from the stairs, the battle had already been joined. The orcs’ momentum was incredible. In no time flat, a number of volunteer soldiers were taken down.
3229
3230—They’re down. Are they dead?
3231
3232The orcs got past the volunteer soldiers’ front line.
3233
3234Two—no, three—orcs attacked Choco’s party.
3235
3236Mr. Pleasant, Laughing Man, and Mr. Tall each went to take on an orc, but they clearly weren’t up to the task.
3237
3238First Laughing Man got knocked flat on his backside, then Mr. Tall got pushed back against the wall. Mr. Pleasant was managing to trade blows with his orc, but it looked like he might get killed at any moment.
3239
3240Mr. Priest moved up, trying to block an orc’s blow with his short staff.
3241
3242No good. He’s being overpowered.
3243
3244Choco and Ms. Short Hair were holding each other tight and cowering.
3245
3246What are they doing? That’s like asking them to kill you.
3247
3248Of course, the orcs wouldn’t pass up that chance.
3249
3250He wanted to help, but—Haruhiro couldn’t possibly make it in time.
3251
3252“Ohm, rel, ect, palam, darsh...!”
3253
3254It was Shihoru. Shihoru did it.
3255
3256An elemental that looked like a ball of black seaweed fired forth from the tip of Shihoru’s staff. The shadow elemental flew in a spiral, striking an orc in the face just as it was about to brutalize Choco and Ms. Short Hair.
3257
3258It was Shadow Complex.
3259
3260The shadow elemental splattered on impact, working its way in through the orc’s nose and mouth and quickly taking effect. The orc suddenly stood there, staring vacantly. It was a spell that was easy to resist if you were anticipating it, but not as easy as Sleepy Shadow. The orc hadn’t seen it coming at all, so the spell had worked well. First the orc stood there in a vacant stupor. Soon it would go into a state of confusion and excitement, losing the ability to make rational decisions.
3261
3262“Anger...!” Before it could get to that stage, Ranta leapt in and skewered the orc’s gullet.
3263
3264Haruhiro had wanted to be the one to take down that orc, but Ranta had beat him to the punch.
3265
3266Oh, well. Not much I can do about it.
3267
3268Haruhiro got behind the orc that had Mr. Tall pushed back against the wall. He threw away his shield.
3269
3270He really couldn’t see that line.
3271
3272They weren’t like the orcs in the camps. The back plate on the red armor that these Zesh Clan orcs wore had no weak points. It was plate mail. His dagger wouldn’t go through that. Backstab wasn’t going to be good enough.
3273
3274Haruhiro pinioned the orc, jabbing his dagger into the gap between the orc’s helmet and armor. Once he stabbed through its throat and jumped away, Mr. Tall hit the staggering orc with his longsword. He had a reasonable height advantage, so when he swung his longsword down from overhead, it was pretty powerful. Until the orc fell to the ground motionless, Mr. Tall kept on swinging his longsword down at him.
3275
3276“...Th-Thanks,” Mr. Tall said breathlessly at last.
3277
3278Ignoring that, Haruhiro looked around the area. Choco had another orc after her.
3279
3280“Choco, behind you!” he shouted.
3281
3282“...!”
3283
3284She reacted just in the nick of time. Choco jumped to the side, dodging the orc’s slash.
3285
3286“Gashwarl!” the orc roared.
3287
3288The orc turned his way. It was charging at Haruhiro. A straight-up fight was out of the question. Haruhiro wouldn’t stand a chance in one.
3289
3290Sharpening his senses and mustering them, he focused on the orc’s movements.
3291
3292The weapon. That single-edged sword. I think it was called a gahari. It’s coming. From the top left. Knock it back. Swat. Wrist back in position, the next strike is coming from the top right. Swat. Swat. Swat. Swat.
3293
3294He sure is strong. He’s got power. He’s not letting up. If anything goes the slightest bit wrong, I’m done for.
3295
3296If the enemy had made it a test of endurance, relentlessly pushing Haruhiro with safe attacks, Haruhiro probably would have made a mistake eventually. Thankfully, his opponent went in for the kill, which saved him.
3297
3298Next it’ll be a big swing. I can’t stop that.
3299
3300Haruhiro took a risk and moved up. He stepped in on the diagonal and, rather than block the gahari with his dagger, he slid his dagger along the gahari’s blade. He turned the blow aside.
3301
3302At the same time, he grabbed the orc’s arm. After two days of Barbara-sensei using this technique on him, he had received two full days of practical combat training with it. He followed up his Swat with an Arrest.
3303
3304This won’t break.
3305
3306I mean, seriously, orcs have some thick arms.
3307
3308Making a snap decision, he tried to sweep the orc’s leg out from under it while still pushing its elbow joint as far as it would go.
3309
3310The orc responded. Haruhiro didn’t manage to trip it; the orc jumped on its own.
3311
3312It rolled, then started to get back up. As it did...
3313
3314“Thanks...!”
3315
3316There was Moguzo.
3317
3318Rushing in, Moguzo landed his most deadly attack, the Thanks Slash, on the orc’s head. It had been deadly, all right. The orc’s head split in two, helmet and all.
3319
3320Damn, Moguzo’s awesome.
3321
3322“Th-Thanks,” Choco stammered, her big eyes open wide as she was clutching her chest. She seemed half-stunned.
3323
3324“Nah—” Haruhiro began to respond, then grabbed Choco by the arm.
3325
3326It was an orc. Another orc had come.
3327
3328Moguzo took it on for them, so they were safe for now, but—though he hadn’t intended to, Haruhiro noticed he was holding Choco tight to him. He immediately let go and pushed her away.
3329
3330“S-Sorry.”
3331
3332“...No. Hiro, you saved me.”
3333
3334“Well, yeah, but—Ah! Later...!”
3335
3336Later, what? Haruhiro didn’t really know that himself, but right now he was busy.
3337
3338“Gahaha! Moguzo’s already taken down two of them, huh! That’s my partner for you!” Ranta bellowed.
3339
3340Ranta was using Exhaust to take on one of the orcs. Moguzo kept on swinging hard, looking like he was going to take down yet another.
3341
3342Shihoru took aim at a distant orc, using her magic to keep him in check. It was reassuring to see Merry there guarding Shihoru.
3343
3344Haruhiro traded glances with Yume. They would do their usual routine. Support Moguzo and Ranta in order to deal with the enemies as quickly as possible.
3345
3346“Haruhiro!” Ranta shouted, leaping back with Exhaust. “What’s your relationship with the girl...?”
3347
3348“Why’re you acting like you can afford to ask questions right now?!” Haruhiro screamed.
3349
3350“I’m acting like I can afford to because I can, duh! Whoa...?!”
3351
3352“You can’t afford to at all!” Haruhiro shouted.
3353
3354“Shut up, moron! Take that! Reject...!”
3355
3356When Ranta locked blades with the orc, he tried to push him back, but he wasn’t able to put much distance between them.
3357
3358At some point, Moguzo had ended up fighting two-versus-one. Even though it had been one-on-one just a moment ago.
3359
3360Yume was trying to pull one of the orcs away from Moguzo, but that was dangerous in its own way. Haruhiro felt like they would probably be better off if he bought time against the orc by using Swat.
3361
3362When he looked over to Shihoru, Merry was swinging her priest’s staff to keep an orc away. He needed to do something about that, too.
3363
3364We’re stretched to our limits, he thought. Still, don’t panic. We’re not alone. There are other volunteer soldiers here, too. We don’t need to be able to defeat them. We just have to slow them down.
3365
3366Still, they’re not easy enemies. It’s taking everything I have just to keep calm. They’re scary. For now, deal with Shihoru and Merry. After that... After that... No, don’t worry about after that. First—
3367
3368“Eryeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!”
3369
3370What was that voice?
3371
3372It wasn’t an orc. It was a human. The ear-splitting shriek of a woman.
3373
3374“They’re here!” Bri-chan shouted, leaping for joy up on the wall.
3375
3376The orcs from the north side slowed noticeably. Actually, they were losing their heads. Behind them. That cry had come from behind them.
3377
3378“They’re here! Our reinforcements!” Bri-chan cried, blowing a kiss. “It’s Wild Eagle Force! I love you, Kajiko!”
3379
3380
3381
3382
3383
338413. Our Mistake
3385
3386
3387
3388
3389From there, the fight became one-sided.
3390
3391Caught in between Haruhiro and the others in the intercepting group from Green Storm Force and Wild Eagle Force, the orcs from the northern side dropped like flies.
3392
3393How many minutes did it take to eliminate them? It was fast. In mere minutes, more than twenty orcs were transformed into silent corpses.
3394
3395They were his enemies, so Haruhiro didn’t feel sorry for them, but he did think it was kind of brutal. He’d grown used to the smell of death, but when there were this many corpses, it was still pretty hard on him.
3396
3397Kajiko’s Wild Angels walked past Haruhiro’s party.
3398
3399The feathered stoles around their necks, their helmets and hats, even the feathers on their bandanas... all of them were dyed red with the blood of their enemies.
3400
3401“...A-Awesome...!”
3402
3403Ranta’s staring in admiration, but... that’s not awesome, it’s scary, Haruhiro thought.
3404
3405“Britney! What about the main gate?!” Kajiko asked in a menacing voice, but Bri-chan, who was still up on the east wall, simply shook his head.
3406
3407“It’s no good! It doesn’t look like they’ve broken it! I can’t see from here, but it looks like they’re fighting a hard battle!”
3408
3409“In that case, we’ll just have to take the keep ourselves!” Kajiko said, spreading her arms wide. “Listen up, volunteer soldiers! The Frontier Army has put one hundred gold coins on the keeper, Zoran Zesh! Also, there are fifty gold coins on the head of Abael, a sorcerer who’s killed many soldiers and volunteers with his black magic!”
3410
3411“One hundred...!”
3412
3413“A hundred coins!”
3414
3415”A hundred gold coins!”
3416
3417“Fifty coins?!”
3418
3419“One hundred gold?!”
3420
3421“Did she say one hundred gold?!”
3422
3423“That’s incredible!”
3424
3425“Seriously...?!”
3426
3427As if trying to pour cold water on Green Storm Force and Wild Eagle Force as they buzzed with excitement, arrows rained down from the watchtowers. It looked like a number of volunteer soldiers had been hit by them. Laughing Man from Choco’s party had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, and Mr. Priest had started to treat it.
3428
3429“Sh-Shields...!” Haruhiro hastily picked up an orcish shield. However, it looked like nobody was worrying about the arrows much anymore. The volunteer soldiers had a different look in their eyes now.
3430
3431They wanted to get up the keep stairs. Then from the stairs to inside the keep. There were one hundred gold coins, then fifty more. One hundred. Fifty. One hundred. Fifty.
3432
3433One hundred and fifty gold total. Was that the only thing in their minds now? Sure, one hundred and fifty gold was a tempting sum. It was so much money that it hardly felt real, but still.
3434
3435Haruhiro heard a familiar war cry echo through the courtyard.
3436
3437It was Ron. “Get into that keep! We’re gonna be the first ones in!”
3438
3439While he had been watching from the stairs on the eastern wall earlier, they had been being pushed back as often as they’d advanced, but finally the enemy’s tough defense had been broken.
3440
3441Green Storm Force and Wild Eagle Force were jumbled together, rushing up the outside stairs. It was like a flood of volunteer soldiers. Arrows were raining down from the watchtowers, but there was no stopping this flow.
3442
3443The wills of individuals in it no longer mattered. None of them could stop. Haruhiro was being pushed along, as well. His comrades were at his side. That much, he could still tell somehow.
3444
3445“I’m going to the front gate!” Bri-chan shouted. “I’ll go check on the main force! Kajiko, I’m counting on you!”
3446
3447“Britney, by the time you get back, it’s all going to be over...!”
3448
3449“Don’t get them worked up! Show some restraint! You’re not a bunch of children, you know!”
3450
3451“You go tell the worthless regular army that I’m going to take that bounty!”
3452
3453“Honestly...! Don’t be reckless, now!”
3454
3455Is Bri-chan going somewhere? Haruhiro wondered. He said something about the main gate. I guess it’s fine. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got bigger worries. It’s the outside staircase. Finally, we’re on the outside staircase. We’re in a real traffic jam here, though.
3456
3457Can we go up like this? It’s so crowded, I wouldn’t think so, but we’re moving. Why are we moving so fast? That took no time. We’re already on the keep’s roof.
3458
3459—Whoa. Who-oa. Wow. The arrows. They’re coming at us from three watchtowers. There are arrows coming from three directions. Now this is a real rain of arrows. It’s like a downpour.
3460
3461Haruhiro managed to get his shield up, somehow. In the time it took to reach the keep’s entrance, several arrows thudded into his shield.
3462
3463Just before being pushed through the entrance to the keep, he threw away his shield.
3464
3465Moguzo. There. Ranta. There. Yume. Shihoru. Merry. There.
3466
3467He could see Choco’s face, too. At least, he thought he could. They were packed in so tight, it was hard to tell. He didn’t really have a sense for the inside of the keep, either. For now, he had to go with the flow.
3468
3469He ran through a corridor, then went down some stairs. From the third floor, to the second, then the first.
3470
3471The first floor of the keep had a high ceiling. It was wide, too. It was so wide that it felt like the whole floor was just one open area.
3472
3473There were staircases in the four corners, with the one Haruhiro and the others came down probably being in the southeast. If he recalled, they would have to go up the stairs from the first floor to reach the watchtowers. That meant the other three sets of stairs, in the northwest, southwest, and northeast, should lead to the watchtowers.
3474
3475There were also four doors on the walls, all of them open. Had they already been searched, then? He’d stepped on or jumped over a number of orc corpses in the corridor, but that was nothing compared to this first floor. In the time it took Haruhiro and the others to get here, a fierce battle must have been fought.
3476
3477There were ten—no, more than that—dead orcs, as well as a number of fallen volunteer soldiers. Some were being treated by their comrades, while some others weren’t. In other words, they were dead.
3478
3479“Now then, which way’s the jackpot?” Kajiko called.
3480
3481Kajiko and her Wild Angels looked ready to assault the northwest watchtower. Team Renji had chosen the southwest watchtower. Having seen that, most of the other volunteer soldiers were gravitating towards the northeast watchtower.
3482
3483“What’re we gonna do?!” Ranta lifted his helmet’s visor, looking from one set of stairs to another. “I doubt we can compete with Kajiko or Renji and win, so should we go for the northeast tower like the others...?”
3484
3485“Nah—” Haruhiro began.
3486
3487I need to decide.
3488
3489Before he could start over-thinking things, Haruhiro made his decision. He went on something like a hunch. “Let’s go with Renji and his group.”
3490
3491“Are you stupid?! If we go to the same place as those guys, there isn’t a chance in hell that we’ll be able to take one of the leaders’ heads, and you know it!” Ranta shouted.
3492
3493“Yume and everyone wouldn’t be able to take their heads anyway, y’know.”
3494
3495“You idiot! Stupid Yume! You’ve got to aim higher!” Ranta bellowed.
3496
3497Shihoru cracked up laughing. “I don’t think anyone who believes that if we went with Renji and his group, there’s no way we could take one of the leaders’ heads has any right to say that...”
3498
3499“Yeah. Well, sorta. I guess you’re right. All right! Plundering it is, then!” Ranta declared.
3500
3501“Hahaha...” Moguzo laughed.
3502
3503“What a coward,” Merry said coldly.
3504
3505“And I’m fine with that!” Ranta said with a grin. “For a Dread Knight, those words are the highest of compliments! Mwahahaha! O Darkness, O Lord of Vice, Demon Call!”
3506
3507From behind Ranta’s head, slightly above it, something like a blackish purple cloud appeared. The clouds whirled into a vortex, rapidly taking shape.
3508
3509It was like a headless torso, with two holes for eyes on its chest and a slit-like mouth beneath. It was a dread knight’s familiar, a demon.
3510
3511“...Kehe... Kehehehehe... Kehehehe... Kehehehehehehehe... Kehe... Ranta dies.”
3512
3513“Not ‘die, Ranta,’ but ‘Ranta dies’?! You’re suddenly predicting my death, Zodiac-kun?!”
3514
3515“...Ehehe... Kill Ranta.”
3516
3517“And now you’re uttering death threats?!” Ranta shouted.
3518
3519“Zodiac-kun, paw!” Yume called, putting out her hand.
3520
3521Zodiac-kun said “...Die... Ugly...” but still put his hand in hers.
3522
3523“Ohh!” Yume cried. “Zodiac-kun’s such a good boy. But, y’know, callin’ people ugly is mean...”
3524
3525“...Kehehe... Sorry...”
3526
3527“You’re all meek now?!” Ranta exclaimed.
3528
3529Ranta’s comedic jab got no reaction from Zodiac-kun. Why did even his own demon torment him?
3530
3531Choco’s party seemed torn on what to do, too.
3532
3533“You may not appreciate the advice, but you guys shouldn’t push yourselves!” Haruhiro told them.
3534
3535It wasn’t clear whether they had taken Haruhiro’s advice or not, but regardless, Choco and her group seemed like they’d be staying on the first floor. There were other parties that were making no attempt to move, too. They were safe this way. It was a good choice.
3536
3537In truth, Haruhiro and his party might have been better off staying on the first floor, too. Why weren’t they doing that? Because they had killed orcs. Having lost their virginity, were they letting it go to their heads? Did they feel like they could do orcs now?
3538
3539Haruhiro didn’t think that was the case. Normally, Haruhiro would have at least hesitated here. So why had he made his decision immediately?
3540
3541Was it because he’d felt like it wouldn’t be that dangerous if they were with Renji and his group? That was probably part of it. He couldn’t deny it.
3542
3543Team Renji were strong. If he stayed hiding behind Renji, he probably wasn’t going to die that easily.
3544
3545That said, he had no intention of just hiding. Haruhiro knew his party should be able to help, at least, and he intended for them to.
3546
3547It was strange to say, but Haruhiro felt, at least somewhat, like he wanted to help Renji. Nothing they did would be the deciding factor in the battle, but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t be able to contribute anything by being there, either. If they were going to go help someone, he would rather it be Renji. Even though they would just be seen as unwanted help, or even treated as an outright hindrance. He didn’t want to think that they couldn’t do anything.
3548
3549If Haruhiro had been alone, he wouldn’t have minded being seen as a good-for-nothing. If they’d mocked him, he would have been able to laugh it off. He could give up on himself. However, he was in a party. He had comrades.
3550
3551Moguzo was a pretty amazing warrior. Even Ranta, annoying as he was, had tenacity, and there was something unique about the way he used his skills. Yume was always easygoing, so she was easy to get along with, and Shihoru might look plain, but she was always thinking about her comrades, and she could look at the big picture. Merry was working hard to support everyone, too.
3552
3553Manato. We’ve shaped up into a good party.
3554
3555Though it’s really unfortunate that you can’t be here with us.
3556
3557I want to take this party as high as it can go.
3558
3559I don’t think there’s any need to rush, but even at this stage, I think we can go a little higher.
3560
3561“Let’s gooooooooo....!” Ranta called.
3562
3563With Ranta taking point, Haruhiro and the others chased after Team Renji. Maybe because they didn’t want to compete with Team Renji, not many volunteer soldiers were heading towards the southwest watchtower.
3564
3565Team Renji climbed the stairs. They raced up them.
3566
3567“Yume’s eyes’re spinnin’ round and round!” Yume called, laughing.
3568
3569They could hear noises from above. The sound of battle.
3570
3571“Did we hit the jackpot?!” someone shouted.
3572
3573There were volunteer soldiers bunched up near the very top of the stairs.
3574
3575Five of them. A party, huh.
3576
3577“What’re you doing?!” Ranta bellowed.
3578
3579A volunteer soldier who looked like a warrior’s eyes went wide. “Even if we wanted to go, we can’t... it’s gotten really crazy in there!”
3580
3581“Are you stupid?! If it’s gotten crazy in there, that’s all the more reason we’ve got to go in!” Ranta shouted, pushing Zodiac-kun forward. “—Go, Zodiac-kun! Go forth, and come back to tell us what’s happening!”
3582
3583“...Nnnnnn... No, no, no, no, no, no, no... Kehehehehehehehehe...”
3584
3585“Why not?!” Ranta screamed.
3586
3587Haruhiro clicked his tongue. “—Forget it! I’ll go look! Don’t you feel bad for Zodiac-kun?”
3588
3589“Oh, shove it! Zodiac-kun’s mine, so I can do whatever I want with him!”
3590
3591“...Wh... Who’re you saying is yours...? I’m not yours... Are you stupid...? Die...”
3592
3593“If I die, you’ll vanish, too! Are you fine with that?!” Ranta shouted.
3594
3595“...Eehehehe... If you’ll die... I... I-I-I couldn’t be happier... Ehehehehehe...”
3596
3597“Wha—”
3598
3599Pushing aside a speechless Ranta and passing between the volunteer soldiers who were ahead of them, Haruhiro poked his head out from the stairs.
3600
3601“—Whoa!”
3602
3603They were serious.
3604
3605This really is crazy.
3606
3607The round room at the top of the watchtower was wider than he’d expected, with a ceiling that wasn’t low. At a glance, there were more than ten orcs. In the center of the room were Renji and Ron, who were raising hell and seemed to be putting up a good fight, but Chibi-chan, Sassa, and Adachi had been chased to the edge of the room.
3608
3609Chibi-chan was waving her staff around, somehow managing to protect Sassa and Adachi. The members of Team Renji were the only volunteer soldiers there, and there was only one orc down at this point.
3610
3611Haruhiro ducked his head back into the stairwell. “This is bad, guys. At this rate, I don’t know about Renji and Ron, but Chibi-chan and the others...”
3612
3613They had to save them.
3614
3615Could they do it? Them?
3616
3617It was presumptuous to the point of absurdity to think that they could. Still, Team Renji was in serious trouble. Currently, it was five-on-ten. Team Renji might be strong, but they weren’t superhuman. Their opponents weren’t weak, either. Actually, they were strong. However, if Haruhiro’s party of six joined in, they could turn things around numerically at least.
3618
3619First, they’d help Chibi-chan’s group. Renji and Ron didn’t need it. They could handle themselves. Besides, if Haruhiro and the others helped Chibi-chan and her group, it would make it easier on Renji and Ron, too.
3620
3621“Moguzo, go up and head to the right!” Haruhiro called. “Chibi-chan and the others are there, so protect them! Ranta and I will go, too! Yume, Shihoru, Merry, keep an eye on the situation and decide for yourselves!”
3622
3623“Mm-hm!” Moguzo said.
3624
3625“Yeesh, they’re so needy...” Ranta muttered.
3626
3627“Ranta, man, just try telling Renji that to his face!” Haruhiro shot back.
3628
3629“I can’t and you know it! You damn fool!”
3630
3631“You’re the damn fool! Let’s go!”
3632
3633Haruhiro, Moguzo and Ranta went up in that order.
3634
3635He saw it.
3636
3637The faintly shining line of light.
3638
3639From the moment he thought he saw it, Haruhiro’s body was already in motion, following the line, neither walking nor running. He advanced as if sliding across the floor.
3640
3641There was no sound.
3642
3643It wasn’t as if everything had stopped, but it all moved at a very gentle pace.
3644
3645That orc was about to take a swing at Sassa.
3646
3647Right here.
3648
3649Backstab.
3650
3651Even though it was through armor, Haruhiro’s dagger slid in smoothly.
3652
3653It touched something. A vital point.
3654
3655When he pulled out, the orc crumpled without uttering a noise.
3656
3657“...What was that?” Sassa seemed dumbfounded.
3658
3659Haruhiro shook his head in response. Even if she asked, he couldn’t explain it well.
3660
3661“Thanks...!” bellowed Moguzo, using his Thanks Slash to blow away an orc that was about to attack Chibi-chan. “H-Hey, you! Zodiac-kun! Help out, would ya! You’re not being fair...!”
3662
3663“...Huhehehehehehehehehehe... Nnnnnnn... No... You wimpy, wooly caterpillar... Die...”
3664
3665“Dammit...! There’s not quite enough space, so this is hard!”
3666
3667Ranta was running around to avoid a direct exchange of blows. Still, he was handling an orc by himself, so he wasn’t doing too badly.
3668
3669Yume, Shihoru and Merry came up, too.
3670
3671“Renji!” Haruhiro used Swat on an orc’s slash, then backed away, leaving the next attack to Sassa.
3672
3673Sassa was good at using Swat. Haruhiro must have had considerably more muscle strength than her, but Sassa was flexible and moved with comfort. She had a sense of rhythm.
3674
3675Haruhiro shouted out, “Chibi-chan and the others are fine!”
3676
3677Renji glanced over at Haruhiro, smiling faintly.
3678
3679Ahh.
3680
3681He really is amazing.
3682
3683Renji used his entire body to make Ish Dogran’s sword spin around. It almost looked like he was dancing. What kind of technique was that? Was it a skill?
3684
3685Slice, slice—Renji laid two orcs low, one after another. Ron took one out as well, cutting it down with all his might. Then Renji took out yet another, decapitating the orc this time.
3686
3687
3688
3689
3690
3691“Zeel, mare, gram, fel, kanon.”
3692
3693Adachi used the spell Freezing Blood to freeze an orc’s feet. Despite that, the orc still continued to stumble along.
3694
3695“Zeel, mare, gram, terra, kanon.” Without missing a beat, Adachi began chanting his next spell.
3696
3697It was Ice Globe. The ice elemental instantaneously froze the water in the atmosphere. The resultant sphere of ice smashed beautifully into the orc’s face.
3698
3699It looked painful. The orc dropped to his knees.
3700
3701Without a moment’s delay, Sassa moved up.
3702
3703She went past the orc. Immediately after, Sassa buried her dagger in the orc’s neck.
3704
3705So you can pull off a Backstab like that, too? Haruhiro thought. What a combo. Well, we aren’t doing bad, ourselves.
3706
3707“Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh!” Shihoru stopped an orc with Shadow Bond, Merry gave it a good hard whack with her priest’s staff, Yume stabbed it with her machete to make it back off, then—Moguzo.
3708
3709“Hunghh...!”
3710
3711He didn’t use the Thanks Slash. He stepped in, sticking his arm out straight in a one-handed thrust. It was First Thrust.
3712
3713The orc’s throat was basically pulverized. Of course, that meant its neck was broken. There was no way it would be getting back up.
3714
3715Haruhiro looked around the area. Were there any enemies?
3716
3717None.
3718
3719The orcs were all collapsed on the ground.
3720
3721“Dammit...” Ron shook his bloody sword. “We didn’t need your help.”
3722
3723“What was that?!” Ranta closed in on Ron assertively, but one glare was all it took to make him shrink back at the speed of light.
3724
3725“...I-I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
3726
3727“Wimp...” Merry muttered.
3728
3729“Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy... Kehehehehehehe... Wimpy, wooly caterpillar... Ehehe... Caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar...”
3730
3731“...An actual caterpillar would be more useful, don’t you think?” Shihoru asked.
3732
3733It doesn’t stand out, but Shihoru can be pretty mean, Haruhiro thought. I agree with her, though.
3734
3735“Since caterpillars’re cute, y’know,” Yume nodded.
3736
3737That, I can’t agree with.
3738
3739“You helped,” Renji said.
3740
3741Man, even Renji’s voice is cool. It’s low and husky. It’s intimidating, but there’s a vague sadness there. When I hear him saying we helped, with that voice—Honestly, it’s just overwhelming.
3742
3743It frustrated him, so Haruhiro tried to feign calmness, shrugging. “We owed you one.”
3744
3745“Now we’re even,” Renji said.
3746
3747“...Are we?” Haruhiro asked.
3748
3749“Yeah,” Renji said, looking to Moguzo. “You. I could use you.”
3750
3751“Huh...?” Moguzo’s eyes darted around rapidly, then he pointed to himself. “—Whaaa?! Y-Y-Y-Y-You mean me...?! N-No, that’s not... Uh, I-I’m not that impressive...”
3752
3753What did he mean, he could “use” him? That may have bothered Haruhiro a little, but both Renji and Moguzo were warriors. “It takes a warrior to know one”—he didn’t know if there was an expression like that, but a warrior had to know a lot about what it meant to be a warrior. What was more, he was being recognized by Renji, the guy who had the attention of more volunteer soldiers than anyone else. Moguzo had to be proud of that.
3754
3755Moguzo really is amazing, Haruhiro thought. Our Moguzo is amazing.
3756
3757“Regardless,” Adachi said, adjusting the position of his glasses, taking on a calm and sarcastic tone, “it seems the prize isn’t here. Should you be taking it easy now, Renji?”
3758
3759Renji didn’t respond. In place of a response, he turned towards the stairs. That was when it happened.
3760
3761“Hey! Below!” someone said.
3762
3763Someone. Not from Team Renji or Haruhiro’s party. Not here.
3764
3765Haruhiro twisted his head. “Below...?”
3766
3767Renji took off at a run.
3768
3769“Haruhiro!” Ranta slapped Haruhiro on the back. “We’re going, too!”
3770
3771What could it be? Weird. My heart. It’s pounding like crazy. Below. What’s happening below? Below. Wait, below...?
3772
3773They descended the spiral staircase.
3774
3775It felt like his ears were plugged. Strange. Why? Why was he so shaken? He didn’t understand. What was the reason? The cause? Haruhiro had lost his head to the point where he couldn’t make sense of anything.
3776
3777He was unsteady on his feet.
3778
3779Even so, his body had to keep moving.
3780
3781Downwards.
3782
3783To the first floor.
3784
3785They were dead.
3786
3787Volunteer soldiers.
3788
3789So many of them.
3790
3791There was a large number of corpses.
3792
3793There were orcs. Why? Where had these guys come from? It was more than just one or two. There were a ton of them.
3794
3795In the middle, there was one orc bigger than all the others. The orc wore a deep, venomously deep, red suit of armor and helm, with hair dyed black and gold spilling out from underneath it. What was more, he used a two-sword style. He was built incredibly tough, carrying two scimitars that screamed danger, one in each hand, of course.
3796
3797Zoran.
3798
3799Zoran Zesh.
3800
3801There was no doubt about it. He matched every distinguishing trait Bri-chan had told them. This was Keeper Zoran, the head of the Zesh Clan, who had a one hundred gold coin bounty on his head.
3802
3803Zoran was using his scimitars to cut people down.
3804
3805That’s Mr. Pleasant, Haruhiro realized, recognizing one of them. From Choco’s party.
3806
3807Mr. Pleasant might have been trying to block Zoran’s scimitar with his sword. However, he didn’t make it in time.
3808
3809“Ahh!” Mr. Pleasant let out a scream that sounded a little stupid. Both his arms were severed at the same time.
3810
3811Then, without any delay, his head.
3812
3813Mr. Pleasant’s head went flying.
3814
3815It happened so easily.
3816
3817What is this?
3818
3819What’s going on?
3820
3821Where’s Laughing Man? Mr. Priest? Ms. Short Hair, the mage? They’re not here.
3822
3823No, there they were.
3824
3825They had fallen.
3826
3827All of them, chopped to pieces.
3828
3829Mr. Tall was just barely holding on, fighting with his back to the wall against an orc who wasn’t Zoran. Next to him, Choco.
3830
3831Choco was here.
3832
3833Mr. Tall was trying to protect Choco. However, he was clearly taking a beating, and he couldn’t fully protect her.
3834
3835Strong. Those orcs were strong. They were nothing like the orcs they’d gone against so far.
3836
3837It wasn’t their equipment—it was something about the way they were built, or even the air about them. They were totally different. These were the keeper and his close associates.
3838
3839There were a number of unarmored orcs with pots of some sort hanging from their hips that looked like mages. No, not mages—they were called sorcerers, right?
3840
3841Team Renji was already attacking the orcs. However, there were more than ten of them, probably around twenty, and the first floor was wide and open. Needlessly so.
3842
3843How were Mr. Tall and Choco?
3844
3845“—Urkh!” Mr. Tall had locked blades with one of the keeper’s associates, but he must have been kicked in the belly or something, because he had doubled over.
3846
3847Hey.
3848
3849No.
3850
3851You can’t do that.
3852
3853You can’t be doing that.
3854
3855Choco had her dagger in a fighting stance. With both hands on the hilt, she had the blade pointed towards the orc.
3856
3857The blade’s tip quivered. She was terrified.
3858
3859No. That isn’t going to be good enough.
3860
3861“Choco!” Haruhiro screamed, starting to run.
3862
3863In that moment, it felt like Choco looked at him. Probably, she did try to look.
3864
3865The orc’s sword sank into Choco’s shoulder. It went in really deep.
3866
3867The orc kicked her to the ground, tearing his sword free and immediately swinging it down at her.
3868
3869“Sto—”
3870
3871Once.
3872
3873Twice.
3874
3875Three times, the orc swung his sword down.
3876
3877Choco.
3878
3879Ahh!
3880
3881Choco.
3882
3883How? Why? This can’t...
3884
3885No.
3886
3887Haruhiro clutched his head. A voice came out on its own. He didn’t know what was going on, he really didn’t know himself what the voice was. He didn’t know.
3888
3889What the hell was this?
3890
3891
3892
3893
3894
389514. Not Saying, or Unable to Say
3896
3897
3898
3899
3900That vending machine was right next my house. It was really just a minute or two’s walk away, and if I walked a bit further there was a convenience store, too, but no matter what time of the day it was, if I went that far I’d run into people I knew, and I kind of didn’t want to, so that vending machine was like my refuge... I mean, I say refuge, but it’s not like I really wanted to run away, or wanted to escape, not all the time, it’s just, well, when I kinda wanted to run away, sort of, like I couldn’t take it anymore, I would get out of the house and kill time near that vending machine.
3901
3902When did I start doing it?
3903
3904Was it in elementary school?
3905
3906Well, around fifth grade or so? Maybe.
3907
3908I didn’t have a room to myself, and my older brother was there, and I couldn’t relax, so I wanted to be alone, I guess. Though, if I said that, I’m sure my brother would tell me not to be a cheeky brat, and he’d kick me, but, yeah, I’m sure there were times I wanted to be alone.
3909
3910So, I would go to the vending machine and buy juice, or not buy juice, and drink it, or not drink it.
3911
3912As I was staring off into space, I’d start to feel like maybe it was time to head home, and then I’d just sort of do it.
3913
3914That was what it was like at first, but one time, when I was in sixth grade, it was hot outside, it was summer, I think, and when I went to where the vending machine was, someone came along and I thought maybe I should hide, but that felt kind of awkward, so I thought maybe I’d just pretend not to notice them, but it was someone I knew, Choco, who lived nearby.
3915
3916Choco had her hair cut like a kappa. A bob cut, I think it’s called. Like, seriously, she’d had it like that ever since she was little, and if I ever looked up bobbed hair, I wouldn’t be surprised to find a picture of Choco, that’s how strong the connection between the two was.
3917
3918She wasn’t sociable at all, and you could never tell quite what she was thinking. At school and places like that, she was the type who always seemed a little bit out of place. But, well, only a little bit.
3919
3920It wasn’t like she had no friends, or anything like that. But rather than being really close friends with anyone, she just hung out with a group of people, sort of.
3921
3922I dunno why, but from the time we were in preschool, I had been interested in Choco. Like, “Y’know, there’s something kind of different about her.” To be honest, I just couldn’t get her out of my head, because, well, I guess you could say I loved her.
3923
3924Actually, Choco was the first person I’d ever fallen in love with, and I’d been in love with her ever since. I mean, we’d been together since preschool, after all, and we’d been in the same class a number of times, and our houses were close, and we talked, too, because we were pretty close, but I’d never confessed my love to her, or anything like that.
3925
3926Well, it wasn’t like I could have.
3927
3928I think it happened in third grade. There were rumors going around that Choco liked Kawabe-kun, and when we were alone together after school I asked her if they were true, just like that, as subtly as I could, and she thought for a little while and then answered “Yeah”...
3929
3930That. That was a shock.
3931
3932A pretty major one.
3933
3934Kawabe-kun was slender, not really athletic or anything, but he was learning piano. He came from, I guess you could say, a good upbringing...
3935
3936Ah, so that’s what Choco’s into, I thought. I see.
3937
3938So that’s it.
3939
3940Is that it?
3941
3942Nah, it can’t be, I thought.
3943
3944Kawabe-kun had all these things I didn’t, but, actually, once in a while we would play together, and Kawabe-kun was a really good guy. I had no complaints about him. He was pretty high up on my friends list, you could say, and I had a good impression of him, so it was like, “Oh, Choco likes Kawabe-kun, huh...”
3945
3946Like, “Well, Kawabe-kun is a good guy, after all.”
3947
3948Like, “You know, I don’t really know what to do, but I’ve gotta be supportive.”
3949
3950I mean, it’d have been awkward if she’d fallen for some weirdo, but this was Kawabe-kun. Kawabe-kun was a good guy.
3951
3952That was what I thought, so I made a suggestion. “Hey, Choco, why don’t you give him, like, a letter, or something? Kawabe-kun, his house is pretty strict, so he doesn’t have a cellphone, but a letter, yeah, I think Kawabe-kun would read it. I think he’d give you a response, too. I mean, it’s Kawabe-kun. How about it?”
3953
3954Choco said she didn’t need to. That she was fine without it. She had no intention of doing anything like that.
3955
3956Oh, okay. I see. Hmm.
3957
3958She just liked him, that was all.
3959
3960That was Choco’s answer. She just liked him.
3961
3962Still, you know, I tried a lot of things. Like finding ways for Choco to talk to Kawabe-kun as much as possible. Or setting it up so Choco and Kawabe-kun could be alone together. When I look back at it now, it was all pretty blatant and awkward, but I was frantically doing everything I could back then. I mean, Kawabe-kun, he was a good guy, and Choco... I loved Choco.
3963
3964Anyway, during the summer that I was in sixth grade, Choco came to the vending machine, and when she called out to me to ask what I was doing, I answered, “Oh, nothing, I’m just sort hanging out here,” and Choco, she was feeling hot, so she wanted a cold can of soda, but there weren’t any in the refrigerator at home, so she had come here to buy one, so, well, we talked there for, like, ten, fifteen minutes, and after that, when I would go to the vending machine, sometimes Choco would be there.
3965
3966Choco would buy a cold soda, or, when it was cold, a warm can of corn potage.
3967
3968Choco would complain that soda bothered her throat, but then still drink it, or call corn potage “conpotage,” or say “Hot, hot,” and blow on it to cool it down, and I really did love her for all of that, but, I dunno, it wasn’t that I loved her so much it was unbearable, it was a natural love, you know, it was just there, like the air, like, “Well, yeah, of course I love her,” and it had always been like that.
3969
3970Choco was the type to fall for boys pretty often. She didn’t let it show, though.
3971
3972According to her, she would just vaguely start thinking, “Hey, he’s nice,” and then she’d find herself thinking about that guy all the time, so then she’d realize, “I’m in love, huh,” and as long as she could keep thinking that, she would stay in love.
3973
3974Didn’t she want to go out with them?
3975
3976When I asked her that, she answered that she wasn’t completely uninterested in that, but that she didn’t feel strongly about it. I guess that was just how it was.
3977
3978Since I loved Choco, I did think I’d want to go out with her if I could, but Choco was in love with someone, some other guy, and when I couldn’t help but ask her who it was that she liked now, she would always tell me honestly. Then I’d think, “Well, you know, even if she doesn’t intend to do anything about it, I hope they can be friends, or that they can get to know each other better”... and somehow, I’d end up trying to make that happen.
3979
3980Even though Choco never asked me to, I did it on my own.
3981
3982It’s not that I didn’t think, “Why am I even doing this?”
3983
3984I mean, I thought that a lot. And that I was being an idiot, too.
3985
3986Choco was unsociable, and she was kind of expressionless, but when she was talking to a guy she liked she would get excited, and when they were done talking she would stare off into space, or her face would turn a little red.
3987
3988When I thought “Ah, Choco’s happy,” it made me happy, too.
3989
3990I don’t know how to say it, but even though I had known Choco a long time, think about it as hard as I might, I didn’t really know how to make Choco happy.
3991
3992Choco was pretty mysterious. She didn’t read, she didn’t listen to music, she barely watched TV, and when, once in a while, she found something like a hobby, she tired of it in no time.
3993
3994When I asked her, “Is there nothing you really, really like?” she immediately responded, “Yeah, there’s nothing.”
3995
3996She was hard to grasp, which was why she interested me, and I wanted to make her happy, wanted to see her smile, but I just couldn’t figure out how.
3997
3998That was what Choco was like.
3999
4000So, no matter what it took, I wanted to make Choco happy.
4001
4002Though, yeah, it was a little painful.
4003
4004That night, too, as I was sitting in front of the vending machine, Choco came along.
4005
4006I kinda had a vague feeling she would, but often when I got that feeling, she wouldn’t end up coming. But that night, Choco actually came, and, in my mind, I wanted to shout out “Yes!” and pump my arm, but I held back.
4007
4008With feigned calmness, I greeted her with a “Yo,” and Choco raised her right hand in response, saying “Yo” herself.
4009
4010The way she spoke and her little gestures, they were super adorable, and I thought, “Yeah, that’s it,” reconfirming for myself that I loved Choco, but right now Choco loved this guy in our class who had an uncommon name, Hidemasa... This Hidemasa, he was a good guy, and he looked good, too, so I thought Choco had good taste in guys.
4011
4012How should I put it?
4013
4014He was one of those guys who weren’t super popular with the girls or anything, but when you looked at them as another guy, you thought, “But he’s a good guy, you know? Why don’t girls see that?” But no, they did see it, and there was always one, or two, or maybe a few girls who were secretly crushing on them. That type. Choco always fell for guys like that.
4015
4016Like, “Yeah, even I can totally see why.”
4017
4018Like, “Well, if it’s him, I can’t complain.”
4019
4020Of course I’d want to support her, and I did. I mean, I was no match for guys like that. I’d start getting ahead of myself, thinking things like, “He could make Choco happy.”
4021
4022Choco bought herself a soda. One of those lemon-lime drinks. She opened it with the pull-tab, then took a sip. She grimaced just a little, letting out a groan.
4023
4024“My throat hurts.”
4025
4026“Hey,” I said.
4027
4028“Hm?”
4029
4030“If it hurts, why drink soda?” I asked.
4031
4032“Because I want to drink it.”
4033
4034“Of course.”
4035
4036“But, you know, drinking it too often is probably bad for my health,” she added.
4037
4038“Could be. Athletes aren’t supposed to drink it, I hear. Soda.”
4039
4040“Oh, I see,” she said. “Not that I’m athletic at all.”
4041
4042“Well, maybe it’s okay, then,” I said.
4043
4044“It’s only once in a while.”
4045
4046“You say that, but don’t you drink it pretty often?” I asked.
4047
4048“I only really drink it here,” she said.
4049
4050“I see.”
4051
4052I tried telling her about how I’d gone to karaoke with Hidemasa recently. Choco didn’t seem interested. She also seemed like she might be feigning disinterest, but listening closely.
4053
4054I figured that, yeah, she had to be listening, so I told her about the songs Hidemasa sang. Like how it was mostly pop idol songs that were popular a little while ago, and he seemed to be trying to match everyone else’s tastes. But since they were songs everyone knew, everyone really got into it.
4055
4056I talked about how Hidemasa could be like that sometimes. When I was feeling a little exhausted and went quiet, Hidemasa struck up a conversation with me because he was concerned. I talked about what a great guy Hidemasa could be.
4057
4058“Me,” Choco said, speaking up suddenly. “I can’t be considerate, and I can’t look out for other people, so maybe I like people who can do that.”
4059
4060“Oh,” I said. “That makes sense. Like looking to find what you, yourself lack in others?”
4061
4062“Do you think I lack consideration for others, too, Hiro?” she asked.
4063
4064“No, that’s not it. You don’t do things that make people feel uncomfortable, do you?”
4065
4066“Maybe I don’t.”
4067
4068“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
4069
4070“You don’t either, Hiro.”
4071
4072I was surprised. “Really? Huh? Am I managing to be considerate?”
4073
4074“Like you are to me?”
4075
4076“Hmm. Well, we’ve known each other a long time, after all.”
4077
4078“Don’t you have one, Hiro?” she asked.
4079
4080“Huh? One what?”
4081
4082“A person you love, or a girl you’re interested in.”
4083
4084I was at a loss for what to say, and I thought hard, my brain racing like crazy, and I did think this might be my big chance to tell her, but then I thought, no, it wasn’t my chance, how could it possibly be, and thought better of it.
4085
4086I love Choco, but it’s not quite like that, I thought.
4087
4088It was like that, but it wasn’t.
4089
4090What was it?
4091
4092It felt like it had already gone past that point. Like it had transcended it.
4093
4094I didn’t care about myself, and I was happy as long as Choco was happy. It seemed stupid, and if you asked me whether I really felt that way—I wonder about that.
4095
4096Things are fine the way they are. That’s what I might have been thinking.
4097
4098If I kept the same distance from her that I always had, we could talk like this sometimes. If Choco got herself a boyfriend someday, that might change, though. If it happened, it happened. That would be fine in its own way, I felt.
4099
4100I mean, Choco had always loved someone else, and I had always watched her, so painful as that would be, I was used to it.
4101
4102I did love Choco, though.
4103
4104“I don’t,” I said. “If I did, I’d tell you.”
4105
4106“Not that I really want to know,” she said.
4107
4108“Wow. You’re awful. After all the times I’ve listened to you talk about yours.”
4109
4110“You weak-willed wussy,” she said.
4111
4112“...Did you say something?”
4113
4114“Yeah. I said something.”
4115
4116“I heard you...”
4117
4118I wondered what that insult was supposed to mean.
4119
4120Though, maybe, Choco might have realized. That I was in love with her.
4121
4122Would she have been able to figure out that much? She would, huh.
4123
4124Choco crouched down next to me. Her shoulder was next to mine. Choco was looking downwards.
4125
4126“Someday, Hiro, if you find a person you love...”
4127
4128“...Yeah?”
4129
4130“...tell me.”
4131
4132“I thought you didn’t want to know.”
4133
4134“Not really,” she said. “But tell me.”
4135
4136“Well, okay.”
4137
4138Choco turned a little to face me, smiling slightly, her eyes narrowing a little. “Hiro, you don’t lie.”
4139
4140“Well, there’s a time and place for everything,” I said. “But I don’t lie to you... I think?”
4141
4142“I know.”
4143
4144I’m lying, though. It’s probably blatantly obvious, too.
4145
4146Listen, I... For a long time now...
4147
4148For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved you, and only you.
4149
4150I can’t say it, though.
4151
4152I’m sure I’ll go my whole life without ever sayi———
4153
4154——————————————————————
4155
4156
4157
4158
4159
416015. The Line of Death
4161
4162
4163
4164
4165———————I recalled something... I think.
4166
4167He’d recalled many things. That was what it felt like. But he didn’t remember.
4168
4169He had reached that place. There was no doubt about that. And yet, he didn’t remember anything.
4170
4171Not now.
4172
4173For a moment, it had been different. He had recalled everything.
4174
4175But, as for what that “everything” had been, he didn’t know.
4176
4177There was no way he shouldn’t know. He had known what it was. He had a strong sense of that, if nothing else.
4178
4179There was something left behind.
4180
4181Right here.
4182
4183Deep inside his chest.
4184
4185There had been something here.
4186
4187It was gone now.
4188
4189It had been gouged out, and now there was only a hole left where it once had been.
4190
4191If he traced the shape of that hole, he could take a pretty good guess at what that was.
4192
4193
4194
4195
4196
4197It’s Choco.
4198
4199
4200
4201
4202
4203He had recalled Choco, then forgotten her. It was something about Choco.
4204
4205Haruhiro had probably known Choco. They had been acquaintances. Or friends, or something.
4206
4207Really, that was all he knew.
4208
4209There was nothing else left. Not even a hint.
4210
4211“—Haruhiro...!” Ranta was shaking him hard. “Hey, man! What are you spacing out on us for?! At a time like this! You can’t afford to be doing that...!”
4212
4213“I—”
4214
4215I know.
4216
4217I know that. I do.
4218
4219—I know that?
4220
4221Really?
4222
4223No, Ranta’s right. It’s just like he said. What am I letting my mind wander for? Keeper Zoran Zesh, his attendants, and the orcish sorcerers are unleashing their fury on the first floor of the fortress. There are volunteer soldiers dropping left and right. Choco. Ohh. Choco.
4224
4225Choco and her party died, too. They’re dead. Mr. Pleasant, Laughing Man, Mr. Priest, Ms. Short Hair, and even Choco. What about Mr. Tall? He’s on the ground over by the wall. He’s not unharmed, that much I can tell. He’s taken a serious wound. They were all killed. By the orcs.
4226
4227Choco was killed.
4228
4229Yes, I’m shocked. But while I do feel some sadness, some sorrow, some pain, it’s not that bad.
4230
4231Somehow, that doesn’t sit quite right with me. It’s like I’m wondering if this is all right. Of course I’m shocked. She was a volunteer soldier, like me. My junior. I’d spoken to her before, and I might have known her before I came here. Now she’s dead. But that’s not it.
4232
4233It’s more, well... I feel like there should be more to it than this.
4234
4235It should be far worse than this. Choco’s dead, yet this is all I feel? Isn’t that awful?
4236
4237Not that I have any basis to think that.
4238
4239Even if we knew each other, I don’t know what our relationship was. We might have just known each other and maybe talked before.
4240
4241Regardless, now was not the time to dwell on it. Ranta was right. They were in a tense situation.
4242
4243The surviving volunteer soldiers, including Renji and his group, were fighting a desperate battle against Zoran Zesh and his party. As for Renji himself, he was trading blows with Zoran. He was being pushed hard, too.
4244
4245No, it was far worse than just that. Renji wasn’t even deflecting Zoran’s scimitar with his sword.
4246
4247Can’t he do it? Haruhiro wondered.
4248
4249Renji was dodging. He was desperately dodging. He was covered in blood. He didn’t seem to have taken a fatal blow, but he had a lot of cuts on his head.
4250
4251“Dammit!” Ron shouted, rushing in to aid him.
4252
4253But Renji yelled, “Don’t you dare come over here!” at him. “You’ll get in my way! Nobody come near us!”
4254
4255It probably wasn’t because it was a one-on-one duel between men, or anything like that. It was because it was too dangerous.
4256
4257Zoran’s long, fat arms. His thick shoulders and chest. Those movements. And finally, that scimitar. Zoran’s probably even more dangerous than Ish Dogran, the one who came and attacked Alterna. It’d only take one hit, I’m sure. If he got one solid hit in, it would be over in an instant.
4258
4259Even his own attendants must have been afraid of getting hit, because they weren’t trying to get closer to Zoran.
4260
4261As a result, Zoran and Renji were facing each other one-on-one, but there was a battle going on between the orc attendants and sorcerers and the volunteer soldiers, too.
4262
4263A battle we’re losing, Haruhiro thought. One we’re losing badly.
4264
4265Ron’s locked blades with an orc attendant, but looks like he’s having a hard time. Chibi-chan, Sassa, and Adachi have been pushed back up against the wall. How many volunteer soldiers are actually fighting on even footing with the orc attendants? Very few. The rest could go down at any moment, or are going down already.
4266
4267“Sorcerer!” Shihoru shouted.
4268
4269Haruhiro looked and saw there was an orc who seemed to be a sorcerer coming in their direction from near the bottom of the stairs.
4270
4271“Hungahh...!” Moguzo shouted.
4272
4273When Moguzo moved up, the sorcerer stopped walking and lifted up the pot hanging from his waist, opening the lid on it. Something was coming out of the pot.
4274
4275Bugs, Haruhiro thought. Bugs, huh. It’s probably bugs. A swarm of bugs.
4276
4277“Ow?!” Moguzo cried out in confusion as the bugs swarmed over his head. He was wearing a helmet, but the bugs were tiny. It looked like they were getting in through the opening. “—Gwahhhhhh....!”
4278
4279Moguzo screamed in agony, looking like he was going to sit down.
4280
4281That’s dangerous, Haruhiro thought. He can’t.
4282
4283“Don’t sit down!” Haruhiro shouted, reacting immediately. “Moguzo, don’t sit down! You can’t stop!”
4284
4285“Hungh!” Moguzo shouted, swinging his sword around unsteadily. “Hwahhhhh...!”
4286
4287“Damn you and your petty tricks!” Ranta shouted, but as he was running forward, he froze in a bizarre pose.
4288
4289“...Guh, nghhhhhhh....” Ranta muttered.
4290
4291“What...?!” Haruhiro gasped. Could this be sorcery, too?
4292
4293The sorcerer who had unleashed the bugs on Moguzo now had his palm pointing towards Ranta.
4294
4295“Is it psychokinesis?!” Haruhiro cried.
4296
4297“Nyeh!” Yume shouted, readying her bow and firing an arrow.
4298
4299The sorcerer leapt backwards to dodge the arrow, but it looked like Ranta was able to move now.
4300
4301That’s great, but her arrow grazed Ron’s face, Haruhiro thought.
4302
4303“Watch it! Hey!” Ron shouted.
4304
4305“Wah! S-Sorry!” Yume cried.
4306
4307“You can’t use your bow, Yume!” Haruhiro called. “This is a melee!”
4308
4309“Right, yeah, got it!”
4310
4311“Ohm, rel, ect, palam, darsh!” Shihoru called.
4312
4313A shadow elemental fired out of the tip of Shihoru’s staff. The shadow elemental flew in a spiral, hitting the sorcerer and then forcing its way into his body through his nose and mouth.
4314
4315It was Shadow Complex.
4316
4317Did she get him? Haruhiro wondered.
4318
4319The sorcerer stumbled for a moment, then shook his head. But that was all.
4320
4321Shihoru clenched her teeth. “He resisted it!”
4322
4323“Leave this to me!” Ranta shouted. “Hatred...!”
4324
4325Ranta took a sharp step towards him, but the sorcerer had seen it coming. He leapt back nimbly, with Orc Attendant A moving up to take his place.
4326
4327Orc Attendant A’s gahari and Ranta’s longsword collided.
4328
4329Their blades locked.
4330
4331“Hah! Reject!” Ranta immediately pushed him away, trying to put some distance between them, but Orc Attendant A pushed back into him.
4332
4333“Ooosh...!” the orc grunted.
4334
4335“—Nwah!” Ranta shouted.
4336
4337Ranta’s losing his balance, Haruhiro thought. This is really bad. He’s gonna get taken out. I’ve gotta support him. Can I do it? Haruhiro asked himself. I’m going to do it.
4338
4339When Haruhiro tried to leap in, Orc Attendant B moved up and blocked his path.
4340
4341He’s really intimidating, Haruhiro thought. I’m breaking into a cold sweat. Do I really have to do this? This is nuts.
4342
4343“Osh! Osh! Osh! Osh!” the orc called.
4344
4345“Ah! Ah...! Ah! Ah...!” Haruhiro gasped out.
4346
4347Swat. Swat. Swat. Swat.
4348
4349This is bad. My hands are going numb. My eyes are spinning. I’m scared. Way too scared. I can’t do this. He’s strong. He’s got power.
4350
4351I’m gonna get killed.
4352
4353“Smash!” Merry’s timing was perfect. She whacked Orc Attendant B with her priest’s staff.
4354
4355No, it wasn’t good enough, huh? Haruhiro realized.
4356
4357Orc Attendant B easily knocked her staff back with his shield, and then, with his body still turned towards Haruhiro, he looked towards Merry.
4358
4359—It was good enough, Haruhiro thought. Now.
4360
4361Haruhiro charged towards Orc Attendant B with all his strength.
4362
4363Orc Attendant B may have been trying to bash Haruhiro with his shield, but Haruhiro slipped past it.
4364
4365As he went by, he copied Sassa’s trick and rammed his dagger into Orc Attendant B’s neck.
4366
4367I almost had him.
4368
4369“Gwah...?!” Haruhiro yelped.
4370
4371Bugs. It’s bugs.
4372
4373Haruhiro immediately closed his mouth, shut his eyes, and lowered his posture.
4374
4375Bugs. It’s bugs. The sorcerer. When? Where was he? Bugs. The bugs.
4376
4377“Get back, Haru!” a voice yelled.
4378
4379That’s Merry. She’s telling me to get back, but where do I back off to? Wait, there are bugs in my mouth. I want to spit them out, but if I open my mouth, I think more will get in. I can’t open my eyes, either. What’s going on? I have no clue. This is bad. Seriously bad.
4380
4381I’m gonna die.
4382
4383There might be an orc trying to kill Haruhiro right now. He could die at any moment.
4384
4385“Haru-kun, this way!” someone shouted, grabbing him by the arm and pulling.
4386
4387Yume, huh? he thought.
4388
4389Suddenly, something occurred to him.
4390
4391Water. Use water.
4392
4393Haruhiro pulled out his canteen, pouring its contents all over himself. He rinsed off his face and spat out the bugs.
4394
4395I can see. I can breathe, too.
4396
4397“—It’s okay now!” Yume called.
4398
4399No, this is not okay at all, Haruhiro thought. Ranta’s being overwhelmed by Orc Attendant A. He could go down at any moment. Maybe it’s because of the bugs, but Moguzo looks like he’s just barely managing to handle Orc Attendant B. Merry’s putting up a good fight to protect Shihoru from Orc Attendant C, but it’s looking dicey. I’ve gotta do something.
4400
4401As for Team Renji, Renji’s still being chased around by Zoran, and the other four look like they’re stuck on the defensive and just barely holding out.
4402
4403How many volunteer soldiers are still alive?
4404
4405Wiped out.
4406
4407Those words just came to mind.
4408
4409Like I’d let that happen, Haruhiro thought. Us getting wiped out. Don’t be ridiculous.
4410
4411“Yume, look after Merry!” he shouted.
4412
4413Haruhiro sent Yume over to Merry and decided to help Ranta himself. The problem was, how would he help him? If he tried to get behind Orc Attendant A, he worried another orc would get behind him.
4414
4415I saw a sword, he thought. It’s on the ground. A sword. Whose is it? Doesn’t matter.
4416
4417Haruhiro picked up the sword and threw it at Orc Attendant A. It was a desperate move, but Orc Attendant A used his shield to block the incoming sword and backed off slightly. It looked like that had let Ranta catch his breath for a moment.
4418
4419“Damn, I can’t keep this up...!” Ranta panted. “Seriously! Seriously...!”
4420
4421“What happened to Zodiac-kun?!” Haruhiro yelled.
4422
4423“He got taken out!” Ranta shouted. “In one blow! That idiot’s weak! Anger...!”
4424
4425If Ranta was turning to go on the offensive even in this situation, he might be pretty impressive. However, Orc Attendant A was even better. He swept Ranta’s longsword aside like it was nothing. Orc Attendant A used his riposte to strike Ranta in the head.
4426
4427His head, Haruhiro thought. That was his head.
4428
4429“Ow!” Ranta moaned.
4430
4431Sure, he’s wearing a helmet, but the head is dangerous.
4432
4433Ranta staggered.
4434
4435“I’m not gonna let you kill him!” Haruhiro charged at Orc Attendant A with reckless abandon—or that was what he made it look like, before falling into a defensive stance when Orc Attendant A turned to face him.
4436
4437Bring it. Come attack me. Here he comes. Swat, swat, swat.
4438
4439“Pull yourself back together, Ranta!” he called.
4440
4441“I don’t need you to tell me that! Ohhhhhhhh! One Hundred Rending Slashes of Repentance!”
4442
4443There’s no skill called that, Haruhiro thought. He’s spouting nonsense.
4444
4445Ranta was using his longsword to unleash a flurry of blows on Orc Attendant A.
4446
4447Well, they’re all getting blocked, though. Still, Orc Attendant A is going on the defensive.
4448
4449I know. I’ll attack.
4450
4451Even if it means being a little reckless, I need to attack. I’ve got to reduce the number of enemies, even if it’s just by one, or we’re not going to get anywhere.
4452
4453Behind him. Get behind Orc Attendant A. Take him down with a single Backstab. I’ll do it. I’m doing this.
4454
4455It happened the moment Haruhiro made his decision.
4456
4457“Myeek!” somebody screamed.
4458
4459It’s Yume, Haruhiro thought. That scream is Yume. She’s fallen to the ground. Or rather, she must have been sent flying.
4460
4461She was covered in blood from her shoulder to her breast.
4462
4463Did she get hit? he thought. By Orc Attendant C?
4464
4465Orc Attendant C went to attack Yume. Merry tried to stand in his way, swinging her priest’s staff around, but, cruelly, Orc Attendant C was able to easily deflect it with his shield.
4466
4467“Oh, crap!” Haruhiro dashed. I might not make it.
4468
4469Yume, however, did everything she could. She tossed a throwing knife. “Star Piercer!”
4470
4471Orc Attendant C took a step back, dodging the throwing knife.
4472
4473Even if that only bought a few seconds, it looks like I’ll make it in time, Haruhiro thought. I don’t care what happens to me now.
4474
4475Haruhiro was planning to grapple Orc Attendant C.
4476
4477But what’s that? he thought. There’s something coming from the side. A presence to my left.
4478
4479Despite himself, he looked. It was a good thing he did. It was the sorcerer. He had inhaled deeply, and looked like he was about to spit something.
4480
4481What is it? Coming out of his mouth— “Fire...!”
4482
4483Inhaling sharply in surprise, Haruhiro quickly threw himself to the ground.
4484
4485I just barely managed to avoid taking a fire bath, but it’s hot, he thought. Man, it’s hot. Wait, I’m on fire. My cloak is. But before that, Yume.
4486
4487It’s over.
4488
4489Orc Attendant C was about to swing his sword down on her.
4490
4491It was over. Yume was going to get taken out.
4492
4493No.
4494
4495“Hungahh...!”
4496
4497It wasn’t over. Moguzo was here. Haruhiro and the others had Moguzo.
4498
4499Moguzo slammed himself into Orc Attendant C, knocking the orc away. But there was still the sorcerer. The sorcerer was coming again. Using that flamethrower. He spewed flames, turning Moguzo into a ball of fire. The sorcerer ran away, perhaps scared by Moguzo’s intensity as he seemed to shrug that off, swinging The Chopper around wildly.
4500
4501“Retreat!” Haruhiro screamed, thinking that was their only option.
4502
4503It’s too much. We can’t win this. We’ll die. At this rate, all of us will die. I don’t want to die. Not because I’m afraid of death, but because I don’t want to let my comrades die. I don’t want them to die. They can’t. I won’t let them die.
4504
4505“Let’s pull back!” he called. “To the watchtower we were in before!”
4506
4507But... can we do it?
4508
4509
4510
4511
4512
451316. Last Stand
4514
4515
4516
4517
4518—To answer that question, yes, they managed it.
4519
4520Haruhiro remembered pulling off his burning cloak and throwing it over a nearby orc, then pulling Yume to her feet and making her run. Honestly, he didn’t remember what happened after that. It was all a blur.
4521
4522There had been a party that hadn’t gone down to the first floor who’d been staying on the watchtower stairs to wait and see what happened. After taking their places, or forcing them out, Haruhiro and the others were now taking a short rest.
4523
4524Merry had treated Yume’s serious injuries first, and she had now moved on to treating Moguzo. His armor and helmet were intact, but having taken a direct hit from that flamethrower attack, he must have been burned.
4525
4526Was he okay? No, there was no way he could be totally okay.
4527
4528“Thanks, Moguzo,” Yume said, sitting down next to Moguzo. “Moguzo, if you hadn’t come, Yume thinks she would have died.”
4529
4530“N-Nah,” Moguzo said. “Uh... but what are comrades for?”
4531
4532“Oh, yeah,” Yume said. “That’s right, huh.”
4533
4534Ranta was sitting on the stairs, holding his knees. He was being awfully quiet. Merry wasn’t doing much talking, and Shihoru had fallen silent. Haruhiro didn’t want to speak, either.
4535
4536This is bad, he thought.
4537
4538
4539
4540
4541
4542That was seriously dangerous. It’s a wonder that everyone is still alive. A miracle. If we had made one mistake anywhere—no, we did make mistakes. Lots of them, probably. Then again, regardless of whether we made mistakes or not, if our luck had gone bad, someone would have died. Once one person died, it would all have fallen apart from there. A second and a third would have died, and in no time, we’d have been wiped out. It was luck. We got lucky. That’s all.
4543
4544Retreating.
4545
4546Even now, he wasn’t sure if that had been the right call. If one of them had gone down while withdrawing, they would have been wiped out, or close to it. It had been pure chance that that hadn’t happened.
4547
4548It was a good thing it hadn’t, but Haruhiro couldn’t take credit for that. They had just gotten lucky.
4549
4550“...What do we do?” Ranta asked in a whisper.
4551
4552No one answered. What would they do?
4553
4554What do we do? Haruhiro thought. Hold on. It’s impossible. We can’t fight anymore. We’re totally outclassed. Even Renji and his party are struggling. Not just struggling; they were on the verge of going down. They may already have.
4555
4556Haruhiro raised his face. When he did, he realized he’d been looking down.
4557
4558All of his comrades’ gazes were focused on him. Why was that?
4559
4560—Oh, right.
4561
4562Was it because he was the leader? Because Haruhiro was the leader of this party? Did that mean he had to make a decision about what they were going to do?
4563
4564Well, even if they ask me, I can’t decide that, he thought. Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t push this off on me. I don’t have the power for that. The responsibility is too heavy. I can’t do it, okay? I mean, too many have died. There are a ton of people who’ve died. It’s scary, okay? All of this stuff. Just stop it already. Dying—
4565
4566She did die, didn’t she, he realized. Choco died, too.
4567
4568Are all of us going to die? Renji, his party, and then us? Everyone?
4569
4570We’ll die, just like Choco.
4571
4572We can’t do it.
4573
4574It’s already over. I want to say that to them, but I can’t decide anything. I don’t want to anymore. Stop it. I can’t take being leader anymore. I don’t care. Do whatever you want. You can all do whatever you want. Don’t look to me for anything. Don’t expect anything. I can’t bear that burden. I can’t, okay? Well, I guess we’re gonna die. We have no choice but to die. There’s nothing we can do about it. If you don’t like that, then someone else make a decision. Put out some ideas. Say, “Why don’t we do this?” Tell me what we can do.
4575
4576I can’t say it.
4577
4578If he said that, it was plain as day what would happen. The party would fall apart.
4579
4580—Ahh, he realized. No, It’s not like that. It’s not.
4581
4582That wasn’t it.
4583
4584In the end, this was all about him.
4585
4586Even in this desperate situation, he wanted to keep up appearances. He wanted to look cool. He didn’t want his comrades to give up on him in dismay. Haruhiro wasn’t an upstanding leader, and he probably couldn’t become one. Still, he didn’t want his comrades to think of him as the worst leader ever. He didn’t want everyone to hate him. He didn’t want to be given up on. Until the very end, he wanted them to think of him as a comrade.
4587
4588There’s a limit to how pathetic I can let myself be, he thought. Giving up... it doesn’t get lamer than that. It’s just too awful. But in the end, was this all I could manage? I’m not Manato so, well, I guess it was.
4589
4590“...I’ll go scope things out,” he said.
4591
4592Haruhiro and his party were huddled together a small distance up the spiral staircase. If they stayed here, they’d continue to hear the sounds of battle and voices, but they wouldn’t have a good idea what was going on.
4593
4594They were probably here because they’d rather not know. No one made any attempt to move.
4595
4596Haruhiro felt the same. However, it was better than staying here, exposed to everyone’s greedy—well, that word would be a bit unkind—clinging gazes that pleaded for him to do something. Besides, it wasn’t like he wasn’t feeling morbidly curious.
4597
4598Haruhiro went down the stairs and poked his head out. He clenched his teeth.
4599
4600“...Renji.”
4601
4602Team Renji was still fighting hard. Ron and Chibi-chan were bloody from fighting to protect Adachi and Sassa, while Renji’s epic duel with Keeper Zoran Zesh was still ongoing. Zoran was hardly scratched, while Renji was in such a state that you couldn’t even tell where his injuries were, but he was still on his feet, constantly moving to avoid Zoran’s two swords.
4603
4604Epic. Yes, epic was the only word to describe it.
4605
4606As for other surviving volunteer soldiers... there were still maybe five or six. The orcs had hardly taken any losses.
4607
4608But how had it come to this in the first place...?
4609
4610When they had first descended to the first floor and then climbed the stairs to the watchtowers, Zoran had been nowhere to be seen. Had he been hiding somewhere?
4611
4612There were doors on the first floor leading to places other than the stairs. All of those doors were open. That meant that volunteer soldiers had at least checked them for orcs. But they’d never found Zoran.
4613
4614Perhaps there was a secret basement or something. Zoran and his men could have hidden there, then come out when the volunteer soldiers went up to the towers. That could be it.
4615
4616Zoran’s attendants, including the three sorcerers, were around twenty people in total. Their strength was clearly a full level or two above the other orcs the volunteer soldiers had encountered today. They were a group of elites.
4617
4618Team Renji was five people, and there were six other—no, five other volunteer soldiers. Then there were Haruhiro and his party, for another six. The enemies outnumbered them, and they were probably stronger on average, too.
4619
4620But is this... is the difference in strength a hopeless one? Haruhiro wondered.
4621
4622It wouldn’t be long before the remaining volunteer soldiers were struck down, and then Renji and his party would fall one after another, rendering the situation hopeless. But now? Right now? At this point in time?
4623
4624—At this point in time... he thought.
4625
4626Assets. Not all of our strategic assets are here now. Kajiko and her Wild Angels probably haven’t come down from the watchtower yet. Their force had a total of eighteen people. Even if they’ve lost a few, that’s still around fifteen. Kajiko seemed tough, so maybe it’ll be possible to turn things around when they come.
4627
4628What about Bri-chan? He said something about checking on the main force. The detached force was originally supposed to serve as a diversion and to keep the enemy in check, with the main force breaking down the main gate and then taking the fortress. They’ve been delayed due to some unknown issue, but the main force ought to be here eventually. When they arrive, we’re guaranteed to have the upper hand.
4629
4630Do we wait until then? If we hide out in a watchtower until the main force arrives—No. We don’t know when they might arrive, and if all of Team Renji goes down before then, that’d be bad. If that happens, the enemy is sure to search the keep for any remaining humans. Even if we’re up in a watchtower, they’ll find us eventually.
4631
4632We can’t rely on the main force.
4633
4634But I want to count on Kajiko.
4635
4636Then should we stay here until Kajiko comes down? It’s a question of whether Renji and the others can hold out until then. To be honest, I want them to hang in there somehow. I don’t want to take any more risks.
4637
4638We stay here. Renji holds out. Kajiko comes. The tables are turned. That would be ideal, but there’s no guarantee it will happen.
4639
4640I want to save Team Renji, too, of course. Our party might be inconsequential small fry next to Renji, but we arrived in the same group. Renji and his party are being pushed to the brink. If I know that—no, more than know, I’m watching that—and then I do nothing, I’ll have trouble sleeping at night afterward.
4641
4642Besides, as assets in combat, we need Renji and his party to stick around.
4643
4644I don’t know how good Kajiko and her Wild Angels are, but if Team Renji and the other volunteer soldiers get wiped out, they’ll have equal numbers, or even be at a slight disadvantage. Zoran’s crazy strong, so I can’t imagine Kajiko’s guaranteed to win a fight like that. If Kajiko and the Wild Angels lose, our lives will be at risk.
4645
4646How long have I been thinking for? I don’t know. But there’s no time to dawdle around. That much is for sure. I’d better hurry. We’ll decide what we’re going to do.
4647
4648If he did nothing, Haruhiro—no, Haruhiro and everyone else in his party—would die. That meant they were practically half-dead already. When he thought of it that way, it made things easier somehow.
4649
4650Choco. I may be seeing you soon. When that happens, let’s have a good long talk and recall the things we’ve forgotten one at a time.
4651
4652Haruhiro went back to his comrades.
4653
4654“Sorry, guys,” he said. “I know it’s scary, but let’s keep trying a little longer. We’re going to help Renji and the others. We’ll focus solely on the sorcerers. Aside from their sorcery, they’re nothing special.”
4655
4656He left out the “I think.” He deliberately chose to assert it as fact. He felt like that was being deceptive to his comrades, but also to himself. But for some reason, he didn’t have a guilty conscience over it.
4657
4658“One of those sorcerers is probably that Abael guy,” he continued. “He’s worth 50 gold coins. We can’t get Zoran, but we can kill Abael. Let’s take it. Our 50 gold.”
4659
4660“Fiiiiifty! Gold! Yeahhhhhhhh!” Ranta shouted.
4661
4662It was a good thing Ranta was so simple. With gold coins spinning in his eyes, Ranta rushed down the stairs.
4663
4664Haruhiro slapped Moguzo on the back. “Come on, Moguzo. We’re counting on you.”
4665
4666“Mm-hm!” He gave a manly response, which surprised Haruhiro a bit. Moguzo then followed after Ranta.
4667
4668Haruhiro nodded to Merry, Yume and Shihoru.
4669
4670Is this all right? he wondered. It is.
4671
4672When they finished descending the spiral staircase and set foot on the first floor, they immediately spotted a sorcerer.
4673
4674They would take them out one by one.
4675
4676Haruhiro pointed at Sorcerer A. “That guy!”
4677
4678Zoran and his orc attendants didn’t even pay attention to them. Haruhiro and the party charged forward as a group. Sorcerer A noticed Haruhiro and the others. He tried to open his pot, but it was too late.
4679
4680“Anger!” Ranta skewered Sorcerer A’s throat with his longsword.
4681
4682We’re off to an auspicious start, Haruhiro thought. But we can’t let it go to our heads. We have to keep our heads level, and stick to killing them one by one.
4683
4684One of the orc attendants came at them, but Moguzo let out a battle cry and blew him away.
4685
4686A sorcerer, Haruhiro thought. Found one.
4687
4688“Him next!” he shouted, pointing at Sorcerer B.
4689
4690As soon as he did, the orc attendants started to converge on them.
4691
4692They’re onto us, Haruhiro thought. Well, even if they are, we have to finish the job.
4693
4694They didn’t engage with the orc attendants. Moguzo howled and charged forward, cutting open a path, while Haruhiro used Swat to let him dash past them.
4695
4696“Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh!” Shihoru shouted. She used Shadow Bond to stop an orc attendant, while Merry cried out and smashed another orc attendant’s shield with her priest’s staff to force it aside.
4697
4698“Star Piercer, meow!” Yume shouted as a series of throwing knives made the orc attendants back off and—
4699
4700Wait, meow? What are you meowing for? Haruhiro thought. Oh, whatever.
4701
4702Ranta was the first one to get close to Sorcerer B. This was where that technique showed up.
4703
4704“Exhaust Plus!” Ranta did an about face in front of Sorcerer B, then leapt backwards.
4705
4706From Sorcerer B’s perspective, the human who had come to attack him suddenly turned tail, then the next thing he knew, there was a butt flying at him. It must have been quite the shock.
4707
4708Sorcerer B was hit full on by Ranta’s hip attack and nearly fell over.
4709
4710Now, Haruhiro thought.
4711
4712He dashed past Sorcerer B’s side.
4713
4714Here. When he buried the dagger he was holding backhandedly into the nape of Sorcerer B’s neck, he felt it connect with something. He’d stolen Sassa’s best move, a Backstab as she passed by the enemy.
4715
4716Sorcerer B crumpled.
4717
4718“We’ve taken out two sorcerers!” Haruhiro bellowed.
4719
4720Hearing that, Team Renji and the surviving volunteer soldiers seemed to come back to life, pushing back against the enemy.
4721
4722It’s the flow, Haruhiro thought. The flow’s on our side.
4723
4724Don’t let your guard down, don’t get carried away, Haruhiro kept telling himself. Still, he also felt that if he let this chance slip by, he’d regret it. Which was the right answer? He didn’t know. But the situation would continue to change while he agonized about it. He didn’t have time to worry about making the wrong choice.
4725
4726“We can win!” he shouted.
4727
4728We’re going to ride this flow.
4729
4730“We can win!” he shouted again. “Push through!”
4731
4732Look, he thought. Once the flow is on our side, things like this happen.
4733
4734“Eryeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!” a voice screamed.
4735
4736There it is, he thought. That scary voice. Kajiko. It’s Kajiko and her group.
4737
4738The Wild Angels came down from the watchtower with Kajiko at the lead. In their first charge, they didn’t so much cut down two of the orc attendants as demolished them. That was the kind of impression they left.
4739
4740They could do this.
4741
4742This was going to work out. This was the pattern for a total victory. That was what he thought, but...
4743
4744As the Wild Angels swarmed onto the first floor, the third and final sorcerer, who must have been Abael, let loose that flamethrower again.
4745
4746That wasn’t all. Abael also threw something.
4747
4748A rope? Haruhiro thought. No. It’s moving. Snakes. Those are snakes. More than just one or two of them.
4749
4750The sorcerer threw a large number of snakes at the Wild Angels’ feet. There were screams. The Wild Angels were panicking.
4751
4752Then Zoran Zesh abandoned Renji and charged in, slashing, slashing, and slashing like crazy. It was over in an instant. Four, then five of the lady warriors were mowed down.
4753
4754“Don’t falter!” Kajiko shouted, trying to stop Zoran.
4755
4756They traded blows. Kajiko’s sword intertwined with Zoran’s twin blades. Sparks flew.
4757
4758She backed down. Kajiko did. But it wasn’t so much that she’d backed down herself, as that she’d been forced back.
4759
4760“Damn!” she screamed. “We can’t take any more losses! Everyone except Mako, Kikuno, and Azusa, withdraw for now!”
4761
4762It seemed Kajiko intended to have the rest withdraw, keeping only the most experienced with her. Renji chased after Zoran, trying to get a slash in, but it was easily deflected.
4763
4764Zoran’s treating him like a child, Haruhiro realized. Treating Renji like a child. Nah, Renji is injured. He’s short of breath, too. He must be exhausted. Someone should do something about his wounds. It looks like Chibi-chan is treating Ron with her light magic. Light magic. The Heal spell can cure wounds from a distance. A priest. We have one. A priest other than Chibi-chan.
4765
4766“Merry! Use your magic on Renji!” he shouted.
4767
4768“Heal won’t work if he’s moving! It targets an area!” she yelled back.
4769
4770“It targets an area...” he murmured.
4771
4772I see. Heal is a spell that makes healing light shine on a specific place. Until the light heals your wounds, you need to stay put there. Renji’s fighting Zoran. There’s no way he can stay still in one place.
4773
4774“Still, we’ve got to let Renji rest a little!” Haruhiro called.
4775
4776“Me! I’m your man!” a voice shouted.
4777
4778That wasn’t Ranta. It was Moguzo.
4779
4780He seemed to be stressing his manliness. I’m your man, he’d said.
4781
4782Moguzo roared and howled as he charged fiercely into Zoran.
4783
4784Those hits are incredible, Haruhiro thought. They’re fast. Each and every blow is heavy. He’s like Death Spots. Zoran’s on the defensive now.
4785
4786Renji immediately tried to attack Zoran.
4787
4788—Come on! What do you think Moguzo’s fighting so hard for? Haruhiro thought, grabbing Renji by the arm.
4789
4790“No! Come get healed!” he shouted.
4791
4792“...Out of the way,” Renji snapped.
4793
4794“I’m not moving! Merry!”
4795
4796“Right!” Merry rushed over while making the sign of the hexagram, then held her palm up towards Renji. “—O Light, may Lumiaris’ divine protection be upon you... cure!”
4797
4798Bathed in the light of Lumiaris, Renji seemed to have resigned himself to it and didn’t move. Merry directed her palm to the wounds on Renji’s head, shoulders, and sides, healing them as she went. She healed and healed, but there was no sign of it ending. His breathing was ragged, and he was looking pale. Renji had bled out too much.
4799
4800Ranta was fighting an orc attendant. Yume was with a different orc attendant. Yet another orc attendant started attacking Shihoru. Haruhiro hurriedly intervened, using Swat to buy time.
4801
4802“Enough!” Renji struck down the orc that was attacking Haruhiro with one swing of Ish Dogran’s sword, then took off running towards Zoran. “I’ll take over, you dull-witted oaf! That’s my prey!”
4803
4804“No! Don’t try to handle things all by yourself!” Moguzo cried.
4805
4806Moguzo quickly shifted to the left of Zoran, leaving an opening on the right. Renji filled in that gap as if being sucked in and it turned into a two on one fight.
4807
4808“I’m not a dull-witted oaf!” Moguzo added.
4809
4810Moguzo attacked, swinging The Chopper around left and right. He continued his assault without ever giving his enemy a moment to catch his breath.
4811
4812Renji made the sword of Ish Dogran dance, too. Moguzo was sturdy while Renji was flexible. Moguzo had power while Renji had skill. That was how it looked. It was all Zoran could do to use his twin blades to fend off both of their swords. It seemed like it couldn’t possibly be true.
4813
4814But it was. This was real.
4815
4816“Yeah! That’s right!” Haruhiro shouted. “You’re no dull-witted oaf! You’re doing great, Moguzo!”
4817
4818He was like a totally different person. No. Maybe this was Moguzo. Moguzo had probably often been called slow, or dull-witted, and a lot of other nasty things. It had probably happened before he’d come to Grimgar, so he may not have remembered it, but he had internalized those insults, and Moguzo had lost confidence in himself. But by fighting alongside Haruhiro and the others, he had become a great, almost too great, central pillar of the party.
4819
4820Without Haruhiro there, the party could function so long as Merry or someone else took over as leader, but without Moguzo they’d be in trouble. None of them could replace him. Everyone felt that way; they all relied on Moguzo.
4821
4822Moguzo must have sensed the trust his comrades had for him, and now he was fully aware of it. He was building confidence, and was finally able to show off his abilities.
4823
4824This must be Moguzo’s natural level of ability. Renji had misjudged him. Moguzo should have been brought onto Team Renji.
4825
4826However, Renji’s loss was their gain, as that meant Haruhiro and the others were able to have him in their party. In fact, perhaps Haruhiro ought to be grateful for the good fortune that had brought Moguzo and the rest of them together.
4827
4828“I don’t like fighting alongside men, but...!” Kajiko butted in, attacking Zoran from behind.
4829
4830Zoran leapt to the side and ran.
4831
4832That Zoran was running away.
4833
4834“The bounty’s an even split!” she called.
4835
4836“Get lost!” Renji shouted.
4837
4838“Rarrrrrgh...!” Moguzo added.
4839
4840Kajiko, Renji, and Moguzo all chased after Zoran.
4841
4842They could do this. This might work out.
4843
4844The moment Haruhiro thought that, Ranta caught on fire, tumbled to the ground, and flipped over. “Whoa! Gwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!”
4845
4846It was the sorcerer. Sorcerer Abael.
4847
4848Abael had caught Ranta with his flamethrower, then immediately turned and run off.
4849
4850That guy’s fast, Haruhiro thought. What’s more, he faithfully follows a hit-and-run strategy. Thanks to that, he’s hard to catch.
4851
4852“Merry, go to Ranta!” he shouted.
4853
4854“I know!” she called.
4855
4856“Yume, defend Shihoru!” he added.
4857
4858“Meow!”
4859
4860“What’s ‘meow’ supposed to mean?!” He didn’t really get it, but she was staying next to Shihoru, so it must have meant “yes.”
4861
4862“Ohm, rel, ect, palam, darsh!” Shihoru used Shadow Complex to confuse one of the orc attendants, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference. The orcs still had more than ten of the attendants, plus Zoran and Abael, while they had the five members of Team Renji, the six members of Haruhiro’s party, the four members from Kajiko’s Wild Angels, and three other volunteer soldiers—
4863
4864Huh? We’re winning? If you only look at the numbers, we’re winning, aren’t we? Haruhiro thought.
4865
4866But then Abael caught another volunteer soldier with his flamethrower.
4867
4868“Arrrrgh...!” The volunteer soldier screamed, bursting into flames and then falling to the ground.
4869
4870Someone’d better heal him, or he’s in danger, Haruhiro thought. Wait, that volunteer soldier is wearing the priest uniform. It’s burning, though. If he’s a priest, can he heal himself? Probably not when he’s like that. But neither Chibi-chan or Merry can afford to go heal him.
4871
4872“It’s Abael!” Haruhiro called. “We’ve gotta finish that guy!”
4873
4874Moguzo, Renji and Kajiko were preoccupied with Zoran. Ron couldn’t leave Sassa, Chibi-chan and Adachi.
4875
4876“Mako-san, Kikuno-san, Azusa-san!” Haruhiro shouted. “Go after the sorcerer first!”
4877
4878He happened to remember their names, so Haruhiro tried calling out to the women from the Wild Angels. They were each facing an orc attendant on their own. One of them, a woman as big as Kajiko who looked like a warrior, was heartily beating down an orc attendant.
4879
4880Perhaps that was the moment Abael had been waiting for. He swiftly moved up closer to her, opening the lid on the pot he carried.
4881
4882Bugs, Haruhiro remembered. But before Haruhiro could warn her, the bugs ambushed the large woman.
4883
4884“Eeeeek!” the woman screamed, trying to brush the bugs off of herself.
4885
4886It was reflexive, no doubt, so it was hard to blame her, but this was bad. She needed to run or something and fast. This time, Abael didn’t withdraw immediately. He was closing in on her, trying to do something.
4887
4888Hey, wait, couldn’t this be an opportunity...? The moment that thought occurred to him, Haruhiro was running.
4889
4890Abael was carrying a short, metal mace. He used it to strike the woman in the knees, then followed it up with a hard blow to the head. The woman was wearing a helmet, so it wasn’t clear if it was a fatal blow or not, but she slumped to the ground.
4891
4892Abael turned around, looking in Haruhiro’s direction.
4893
4894—Damn, Haruhiro thought. He noticed me.
4895
4896“Gashgrasha!” Abael shouted and swung his mace.
4897
4898It’s short, I can dodge it, Haruhiro thought, but his body reacted in an exaggerated manner. He threw himself to the floor, rolling over and then getting up, but by that time Abael was already fleeing.
4899
4900“He’s fast!” Haruhiro cried.
4901
4902After he started to give chase—
4903
4904Is this really all right? Haruhiro wondered. I don’t know whether it’s good or bad. But if I let him act freely, he’ll only do more damage. We’ll be taken down one by one, and our numerical advantage will eventually vanish.
4905
4906It’s scary, though.
4907
4908Could someone like Haruhiro stop an enemy like that?
4909
4910I certainly don’t think I can handle him on my own. I mean, look at that.
4911
4912Abael turned towards him, and Haruhiro dove to the floor once again.
4913
4914It’s coming, he thought, and he was right. It was flames. A flamethrower. Had he reacted even a moment slower, Haruhiro would have been burned to a crisp.
4915
4916Abael ran away again. Haruhiro quickly resumed his pursuit, but the gap had widened between them.
4917
4918Y’know... this may be hopeless, he thought. It’s not looking like I can do it.
4919
4920I can’t catch him, and even if I did, what am I even going to do? I’m worried about my comrades, too, but if I take my eyes off Abael for a second, I feel like I’ll lose sight of him.
4921
4922As Abael ran, he seemed to be peeking back occasionally to check on Haruhiro.
4923
4924—I’ll lose sight of him. Haruhiro stopped.
4925
4926“Osh!” An orc attendant took a swing at him.
4927
4928Haruhiro dodged the orc attendant’s blade, turning around and taking the calculated risk of running straight towards another of the orc attendants. He made a sudden turn just before he entered his new opponent’s reach, and the two orc attendants almost ran into one another.
4929
4930While that was happening, Haruhiro got away from them. He looked around, making sure not to stop moving as he did.
4931
4932—Lose sight of him? he thought. Not a chance. The first floor’s big, but it’s only so big. If I look for him, I can find him in no time.
4933
4934Despite that, Abael would vanish. He would disappear, then suddenly reappear. Of course, he couldn’t actually vanish. He left their field of view, then mixed in with the other orcs, making it look like he had vanished. Then, once they forgot about him, he would launch a surprise attack.
4935
4936Haruhiro had given up on Abael. That was what he needed Abael to think. For Abael, Haruhiro would disappear. If he did that, Abael would go on the attack again.
4937
4938Haruhiro wasn’t looking at Abael anymore—or so he pretended.
4939
4940Looks like Abael plans to go towards Ron and his group, he thought. Either that, or the two Wild Angels who were now alone together. Or possibly Moguzo, or Renji, or Kajiko. It’s difficult to tell from the way he moves.
4941
4942Is that how he gets up close to his targets? I’ll imitate him. No—I’m a thief. I’ll steal that from him.
4943
4944A moment later, he had figured it out. That’s who Abael’s next target is— the one who’s being protected by Ron and Chibi-chan while he uses Kanon magic to disrupt the orc attendants and give them frostbite. It’s Adachi.
4945
4946Abael locked his sites on Adachi, preparing to catch him with a blast of flame, but Haruhiro went for a Backstab right before he could.
4947
4948Abael gasped and twisted out of the way at the last moment. Haruhiro’s dagger only managed to gouge Abael’s left arm.
4949
4950Haruhiro had screwed it up, but Abael didn’t fight back, he ran away immediately.
4951
4952Does he only fight when he’s at an absolute advantage? Haruhiro thought. He’s committed to that. I don’t know whether to call that cowardly or clever. He’s cunning.
4953
4954Abael had probably seen through Haruhiro’s plan. Haruhiro had stolen Abael’s methods and copied them, but the cat had to be out of the bag now. The same trick wouldn’t work again. If he let him get away now, Abael would grow more cautious and there might not be another opening to take him out.
4955
4956“Exhaust Plus!” Ranta screamed.
4957
4958“Ubogeh?!” Abael exclaimed.
4959
4960For a moment, Abael must not have known what hit him. Most people wouldn’t expect a human buttocks flying at the side of their head at extreme speeds.
4961
4962The solid hit from Ranta’s hip attack sent Abael pitching forward.
4963
4964Still, how does Ranta have such ridiculously good timing sometimes? Haruhiro wondered. It’s too good. You’re creeping me out, man. Anyway, I don’t need to be able to see that line to be able to kill Abael now.
4965
4966Haruhiro took every possible caution, choosing to use Spider instead of Backstab. He grappled Abael from behind, putting him in a pinion. He then shoved his dagger under the orc’s chin, violently slitting the orc’s throat open before immediately leaping away.
4967
4968“Smirk!” Ranta said aloud.
4969
4970Is he an idiot? Haruhiro thought. Well, yes, I know he is, but still.
4971
4972Ranta swung his longsword down diagonally, slamming it into the back of Abael’s neck. It may not have decapitated the orc, but it went about halfway through.
4973
4974He kicked the orc to the ground, then followed up with another strike. Not satisfied with one, he went for a second, then a third. Abael stopped moving.
4975
4976“Yes! 50 gold!” Ranta screamed. “Oh, also, a vice, too!”
4977
4978That’s Ranta for you, Haruhiro thought. He never breaks character. You almost have to admire the guy. Well, I won’t. There’s no way I would.
4979
4980“Now it’s just Zoran!” Haruhiro called.
4981
4982There are still orc attendants left, but Zoran Zesh comes first. With the danger Abael posed gone now, and them fighting Zoran three on one, we can do this.
4983
4984“Moguz—Whoa...?!” Haruhiro exclaimed.
4985
4986Just as he’d been starting to cheer, Zoran leapt. It was a forward somersault.
4987
4988Kajiko tried to take a swing at his back but missed, while Renji and Moguzo who were in front of him leapt backwards.
4989
4990“Wha—?!” Kajiko yelled.
4991
4992“Urkh!” Renji yelped.
4993
4994“Oh...?!” Moguzo gasped.
4995
4996“Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!” Zoran roared.
4997
4998Then the orc spun. His forward somersault had used a vertical spin, but now he was moving forward while whirling around like a top. His spin was horizontal this time.
4999
5000It was fast. With incredible momentum. It wasn’t that Renji and Moguzo didn’t do anything. They backed away. But they couldn’t get back far enough. They both tried to block Zoran’s twin blades with their swords and were sent flying.
5001
5002Zoran wasted no time in attacking Moguzo. It was a relentless onslaught. When Renji tried to step in and help, Zoran immediately turned towards him and attacked. After forcing him to back off with a powerful slash, he wailed on Moguzo with his twin blades.
5003
5004“Eryeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Kajiko attacked Zoran from behind. But Zoran took a swing or two at her as he turned around, bouncing her back, then attacked Moguzo again.
5005
5006Moguzo. Moguzo. Zoran persistently focused his attack entirely on Moguzo. When Renji tried to get between them, he used his forward somersault and spinning slash combo to make him back off, then returned to Moguzo.
5007
5008Why? Haruhiro wondered numbly. Why is he so focused on him? Moguzo can barely block anymore. His armor is all dented. His helmet is crushed. He’s being ground down. Moguzo is. Second by second. Of course I want to do something. But what can I do?
5009
5010Perhaps emboldened by Zoran’s attack, his attendants pushed in closer, chanting, “Osh, osh!” One of the attendants attacked Haruhiro. He was defending himself with Swat, but this guy was strong. Haruhiro felt like his dagger was going to be sent flying.
5011
5012“Parupiro!” Ranta shouted.
5013
5014Ranta came to his aid right in the nick of time, which got Haruhiro out of a jam, but Ranta’s calling him “Parupiro” was not okay. Ranta had saved him, though.
5015
5016“Gah!” Kajiko screamed. Zoran got in a hit with his sword, and Kajiko’s helmet came off. Her face was covered in fresh blood.
5017
5018“Get back!” Renji yelled at her.
5019
5020I dunno if that’s Mako, or Kikuno, or Azusa, but she’s dragging Kajiko away, Haruhiro thought. This is no good. It’s no good at all. I was sure we had it this time.
5021
5022He’s too damn strong. Zoran Zesh. Ish Dogran was like nothing next to him. He’s a monster.
5023
5024But somehow—I dunno. There’s something strange, you could say, or something that bothers me. His balance.
5025
5026Yeah. It’s his balance. The balance of what? His body. Left and right. The balance between his left and right. Left—he spins left. When he turns around, Zoran always turns to the left. And yet, when he does his spinning slash, it’s the opposite. He spins right. Why? It’s weird. Something about it bugs me.
5027
5028“Paroporo!” Ranta screamed. “Quit standing there like an idiot!”
5029
5030This is no time to stand around like an idiot, Haruhiro thought. Well, yeah, he’s right. I’m not Paroporo, though.
5031
5032Ranta was right in what he was saying, but Haruhiro kept thinking.
5033
5034This is important. I get that feeling.
5035
5036Those twin blades. Is Zoran left-handed? Left-handed? Why did I think that?
5037
5038It’s because they’re stiff. His movements. When he moves his left arm, it seems more fluid than his right. His right arm moves up and down less, like it’s stiff. Either that, or like it’s under some weird stress.
5039
5040Like he’s trying to cover something.
5041
5042If, for example, he has an old wound on his right shoulder or right side, could that be what’s causing it? Even if it was unconsciously, he’d naturally try to cover it.
5043
5044Well, so what?
5045
5046Renji and Moguzo, who were desperately confronting him from up close, probably wouldn’t notice it. Haruhiro had only noticed it by chance because he was watching from a distance.
5047
5048Again, so what? he thought.
5049
5050“Ranta!” Haruhiro called.
5051
5052“Huh?!” Ranta asked.
5053
5054“Do you want 100 gold?!”
5055
5056“Damn straight I do!” Ranta yelled.
5057
5058“Then be a decoy!” Haruhiro told him. “You’re the only one who can do it!”
5059
5060“Ha! Looks like you’ve finally figured out how to use me properly!” Ranta hollered. “What do you need done?!”
5061
5062Haruhiro gave him a brief explanation. Ranta’s role was dangerous, but simple. With a dread knight doing it, even if it didn’t work, just attempting it wouldn’t be that difficult. The problem was Moguzo and Renji.
5063
5064“Moguzo! Renji!” Haruhiro shouted. “He has a habit of turning to the left when he turns around, and his right side is weak! He’s got an old wound there or something! Let Ranta take the front! You two get behind him!”
5065
5066Would they get it? Even if they understood, could they do it? There was no guarantee.
5067
5068Haruhiro looked over towards Merry and the others. Merry and Yume were working together to stop an orc attendant and protect Shihoru. Shihoru used Shadow Bond to stop another orc attendant in his tracks. It was good just knowing they were alive.
5069
5070—Choco, Haruhiro thought. Choco’s fallen. She’s dead.
5071
5072Once you die, that’s the end.
5073
5074Let’s end this.
5075
5076I’m going to settle things.
5077
5078“We’re doing this, Ranta!” he shouted. “Are you ready?!”
5079
5080“Hell yeah!” Ranta hollered. “It’s 150 gold!”
5081
5082“That’s your response?!”
5083
5084Haruhiro ran. Zoran followed Haruhiro with his eyes while continuing to rain harsh blows on Moguzo and Renji. He was perceptive. Haruhiro was trying to circle around behind Zoran.
5085
5086He’s seen through me, Haruhiro thought. But how about this?
5087
5088“Hey, loser!” Ranta came out in front of Zoran. “I can handle you all by myself, you damn loser! Did you hear me, loser? Loooo-ser, loooo-ser, loooo-seeeer!”
5089
5090He stood in front of Zoran, pointing his sword at him and striking a grand pose. It was all according to their script, but still, how crass.
5091
5092Still, with Ranta taking it that far, Zoran had to know he was being insulted, even if he couldn’t understand the words. Maybe that was what made him snap. Zoran used a forward somersault, followed by a spinning slash.
5093
5094“Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!” Zoran roared.
5095
5096“Exhaust!” Ranta wasn’t blown away. He blasted himself backwards, evading Zoran’s spinning slash, or flying out of range of it. “Ha! Moron, you’re so obvious, you loooo—whoa, Exhaust...!”
5097
5098Ranta had gotten carried away and Zoran had chased after him in a rage. It would only take Zoran an instant to cover the distance that Ranta could fall back using Exhaust.
5099
5100Still, Haruhiro had been right. Moguzo and Renji were both more powerful in combat than Ranta, of course. In a one-on-one fight, Ranta would absolutely lose. Even so, those two weren’t superior to Ranta at everything. Ranta had things he was better at than they were.
5101
5102When Zoran launched his forward-somersault-and-spinning-slash combo, Moguzo and Renji couldn’t avoid it. They were forced to block with their swords. It hadn’t just happened the first time. It had happened repeatedly.
5103
5104Moguzo and Renji were by no means slow. Even if they knew it was coming, they couldn’t get out of the way. Zoran’s combo was just that fast, and its reach was long, which made it dangerous. Despite that, Ranta had shown he could dodge it.
5105
5106The way his Exhaust skill worked played into that, but, at the very least, when it came to dodging that combo, Ranta the dread knight was superior to Renji and Moguzo the warriors.
5107
5108“Gahhhhhhhhhhhh! Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!” the orc roared.
5109
5110“Exhaust! Exhaust!” Ranta bellowed.
5111
5112Zoran was getting mad. He couldn’t even hit someone like Ranta, so it was easy to see why that would make him angry.
5113
5114Thanks to that, Haruhiro was able to get behind Zoran. Moguzo and Renji were both chasing Zoran along with Haruhiro.
5115
5116“He spins to the left, remember!” Haruhiro called.
5117
5118If they were going to attack, it should be from the right. Compared to attacking from the left or from right behind him, Zoran’s sword would take just slightly longer to reach them.
5119
5120“Wah ha ha!” Ranta hollered. “You’re not good enough to beat me!”
5121
5122As Ranta incorrigibly continued his provocations, Zoran howled and executed a combo. A forward somersault, then a spinning slash.
5123
5124Ranta escaped with Exhaust yet again.
5125
5126Just as the spinning slash was ending, Renji came at Zoran from his right side. His attack was quiet, swift, sharp, and fierce. He seemed to creep in, yet he closed the distance rapidly, then swung his blade.
5127
5128Zoran reacted with a spin to the left, of course. Using the sword in his left hand, his back hand, you could say, he swung to the outside to deflect Renji’s sword. It was so close.
5129
5130Making it by a hair’s breadth, Zoran’s sword blocked Renji’s.
5131
5132But it was different from before. While Renji’s blade may not have reached Zoran’s body, it pushed Zoran’s sword aside.
5133
5134Though, that said, Zoran was a dual-wielder. Zoran quickly swept Renji’s torso with his right-hand sword. Renji had probably put everything he had into that one strike. He’d abandoned his defense.
5135
5136He couldn’t dodge.
5137
5138“Guh...!” Renji gasped.
5139
5140It must have been thanks to his armor. He didn’t get cut in two. Still, it was a direct hit. Renji was mowed down.
5141
5142It’s a failure, Haruhiro thought. It didn’t work.
5143
5144Haruhiro slowed down and was about to stop running. Moguzo, however, didn’t.
5145
5146“Thanks...!”
5147
5148But Moguzo was being reckless. It was his Thanks Slash, or Rage Blow. He dug his feet in, swinging down diagonally and slashing with all his might.
5149
5150It wasn’t a surprise attack. Zoran was ready for it. He waited for the opportune moment, not even bothering to use his swords to catch the blow. Zoran’s blade was faster than Moguzo’s.
5151
5152He first struck Moguzo’s right shoulder. Then his upper right arm, left forearm, and right hip. Then, he went for the head. The left side, then the top of it.
5153
5154Plated armor and helmets are that sturdy, huh? Haruhiro thought with relief. He can’t cut through them. But even if he can’t cut through, there’s no way Moguzo’s fine after that. There are huge dents all over his armor.
5155
5156Still, even though there’s no way he’s fine, Moguzo’s not going down. He won’t even take a knee. He’s standing there like he’s dug his feet in hard. Oh, I see.
5157
5158Steel Guard.
5159
5160The heavy armor skill that uses armor and defensive items to their fullest, and then some, by bouncing back enemy attacks.
5161
5162However, no matter how I look at it, those attacks aren’t being bounced back. He’s taking a one-sided clobbering. Can he withstand that? No matter how tough Moguzo is, he can’t take that for long. In that case...
5163
5164There was only one thing for Haruhiro to do.
5165
5166His body was already moving on its own.
5167
5168Haruhiro was a thief. He was a coward who was always watching his opponents’ backs, always thinking about how to get behind them, and now was no different.
5169
5170Zoran was focusing on Moguzo. He must have been wondering why this human just wouldn’t go down. It was strange. Wrong. Just maybe, he was feeling a creepiness from it. He may even have been being driven by irritation and impatience.
5171
5172Haruhiro charged in towards Zoran’s back.
5173
5174The line? I can’t see that thing, he thought. It doesn’t matter. However, I do have a vague sense of where to strike. Zoran’s wearing some high-quality red armor and a helmet, but there’s a slight gap between the two. Maybe I can get in through here?
5175
5176Zoran was tall, so Haruhiro held his dagger with a backhanded grip, then swung down. He aimed for the seam between his head and back.
5177
5178He stabbed.
5179
5180In that moment, Zoran’s body stiffened.
5181
5182Haruhiro pulled his dagger free, getting ready to stab again, when Zoran’s left arm came at him and he was knocked away.
5183
5184“Thanks...!” Moguzo bellowed.
5185
5186As Haruhiro was rolling across the floor, Moguzo unleashed his Thanks Slash and landed a hit on the tip of Zoran’s shoulder. Zoran kicked Moguzo away and might have been trying to make a temporary retreat.
5187
5188I won’t let you. Haruhiro clung to Zoran’s right leg.
5189
5190Zoran immediately stomped on Haruhiro’s head with the heel of his right foot, knocking him senseless for a moment.
5191
5192When he came to, Kajiko was showering blows on Zoran. Ron was nearby, too. Adachi unleashed Kanon magic on Zoran. Chibi-chan bludgeoned Zoran with her staff.
5193
5194Ranta slashed him. Shihoru used Shadow Beat. Yume hit Zoran with her machete. Even Merry was there using her priest’s staff to clobber Zoran.
5195
5196
5197
5198
5199
5200Because of the blow to his head, Haruhiro was feeling a little out of it.
5201
5202Huh, that’s a little weird, he thought. Everyone is wailing on Zoran as if they were possessed. Well, I can’t blame them. We’ve had a terrifying experience. A lot of people have died. Seriously, that guy was so terrifying it’s not funny. Now Zoran’s cowering on the ground, not resisting.
5203
5204Is he still alive? I wonder. What about his attendants? It looks like some of them tried to save Zoran, but they got taken out. You know, there aren’t a lot of attendants. No, that’s not it—there are a lot more of us.
5205
5206The rest of the Wild Angels and some volunteer soldiers who had been hiding came out. They surrounded Zoran’s attendants one by one and beat them to death.
5207
5208Haruhiro touched the back of his head. He wasn’t bleeding. But his face was all wet. It looked like his head, nose, or jaw had hit the floor when Zoran had stomped his head, and he was bleeding from that. It was hard to breathe, so maybe his nose was broken.
5209
5210“Enough.” Renji stood up, pushing his way past Kajiko, the members of Team Renji, and Haruhiro’s party.
5211
5212Ranta yelled something and tried to stop him, but Renji just punched him.
5213
5214Renji grabbed the Sword of Ish Dogran. No one had time to stop him. He swung down, decapitating Zoran.
5215
5216“It’s over,” he said.
5217
5218The room was silent.
5219
5220“Woooooo!” someone cheered.
5221
5222The few remaining attendants shouted something before charging the Wild Angels, only to be slaughtered.
5223
5224“Haru!” Merry rushed over to him. “Are you okay?!”
5225
5226Haruhiro nodded. He tried to say something, but he couldn’t speak.
5227
5228“150!” Ranta cried, jumping into the air in joy. “150 gold!”
5229
5230“Renji struck the killing blow!” Sassa tried to protest, but Kajiko shouted, “It’s an even split!”
5231
5232I don’t really think I care, Haruhiro thought. Well, no, I do care. I mean, it’s a fortune. We could learn new skills, or we could move out of the lodging house and rent at a place with doors that lock, or we could order new equipment; there are a lot of things we could do with it. Our defensive gear in particular is getting pretty battered. We need to get it fixed or replaced.
5233
5234Oh, but I’m not thinking straight.
5235
5236It looked like the orc attendants had all been killed. Shihoru was crying tears of relief and Yume was hugging her, saying, “There, there. You did great. Just great,” as she patted her on the head.
5237
5238“Can you get up?” Merry asked him.
5239
5240Yeah, no, I can’t. Haruhiro was about to say that lie, because it seemed like Merry would treat him gently that way. But he didn’t.
5241
5242“I can manage, yeah,” Haruhiro said, getting up. “Though, really, before you help me...”
5243
5244Why’s he just standing there? Haruhiro wondered.
5245
5246Everyone was dancing, chatting, having their priest treat them, or doing something, but Moguzo was just standing there.
5247
5248There’s something weird about it, Haruhiro thought.
5249
5250Moguzo wasn’t holding his sword. His arms were slumped at his sides.
5251
5252It’s incredible that he’s standing at all, though, Haruhiro thought. I’m amazed he can stand. That he managed to stay on his feet. Especially in that state. Like, his helmet, it’s not just crushed, it’s not even on completely. There’s blood dripping off him here and there, too.
5253
5254Suddenly, Moguzo slowly fell over. Like when something big and heavy suddenly loses its support and collapses. That was the sort of fall it was.
5255
5256Merry gulped.
5257
5258Haruhiro called his name. “...Moguzo?”
5259
5260
5261
5262
5263
5264Afterword
5265
5266
5267I am, thankfully, able to make a living writing novels.
5268
5269For some reason, I’ve received a steady stream of offers from different people, which has put me in the privileged environment of being able to support my lifestyle just by writing the manuscripts that I need to work on. It keeps me fairly busy, but if I set my mind to it, I can make as much time for myself as I’d like, so the reason I constantly keep writing is because I enjoy writing.
5270
5271When I find myself without work to do for a day or two, rather than play through all of the games I’ve bought and set aside, I think of how to make the ideas I’ve been incubating into novels.
5272
5273There’s basically no distinction between work and play for me. I’ve never had many friends to begin with, so for me play meant playing video games by myself, so writing novels by myself is a kind of play, too.
5274
5275Of course, the experience of writing novels isn’t always fun. It can be painful, difficult work. However, even with video games, there are times where you just can’t beat them and you struggle. The joy of overcoming those challenges and beating a game, that feeling of release, is incredible.
5276
5277It’s the same with novels. When you go through hardship to finish writing them, it’s very rewarding.
5278
5279I am half—no, more than half—making my living by playing around. I often run into difficult situations while writing, but I’ve overcome them many times before, and I take the relatively optimistic view that I’ll continue to overcome them. Even if I make a mistake, it’s not like I’m fighting on the battlefield, so it’s not going to kill me, and I’m sure I’ll have chances to redeem myself. Well, I’ll get by somehow.
5280
5281I no longer play games the way I once did. This is probably the reason why. For me games were, at least for a time, the only kind of play I knew. But now I play by writing novels. Thanks to that, I don’t have time to play games.
5282
5283That said, I’m sure there are kinds of excitement and new experiences that I can only find through games. That’s why, to this day, I continue to look for information on games. I buy the ones that interest me, play them for a bit, and then get a little disappointed when they don’t live up to expectations. Still, I can never stop looking forward to my next experience with them. I’m sure I won’t stop until the day I die.
5284
5285I’ve run out of pages.
5286
5287To my editor, K, to Eiri Shirai-san, to the designers of KOMEWORKS among others, to everyone involved in production and sales of this book, and finally to all of you people now holding this book, I offer my heartfelt appreciation and all of my love. Now, I lay down my pen for today.
5288
5289I hope we will meet again.
5290
5291
5292
5293
5294
5295Ao Jyumonji