Vol 5 Chapter 2.2 (1/2)

Vol. 5 Chapter 2 Part 2

s.h.i.+n and his group left the guild, taking Tiera and Kaede with them.

Shadow and the others were apparently famous among the people living in Balmel, because they were called out to from everywhere.

You guys get called out a lot around here, huh?

Even though there isnt a lot around the castle, a lot of regular customers are in this neighborhood.

Hmmby the way, is it the food or Kaede-chan that draws in more customers?

Its 50% the food, 30% Kaede, and 20% Holly.

s.h.i.+n had asked it as a joke, but Shadow unexpectedly replied seriously.

The popularity of cafe B&W, seemed to be split between the food and the female duo.

There are people aiming for Holly-san, too?

What? Is there a problem?

N-No, no! No problem at all. But since Holly-san is Shadow-sans wife, I only thought that the customers would go for Kaede-chan.

s.h.i.+n made excuses hurriedly to Holly whose eyes did not match the smile on her face.

(She is happy to be treated as a young wife.)

(I-I see.)

Kaede whispered to his ear in a small voice as s.h.i.+n had a fake laugh. Even coming to another world didnt change that a woman wanted to appear younger than their years.

In terms of the appearance, Holly was a High Elf in her early twenties. Though the same thing could be said about Shadow, generally speaking, she looked quite young. In addition, Holly was a beautiful woman. Side by side with Kaede, they seemed more like sisters than parent and child. Even though she was a married woman, it was not strange that she had become popular.

To begin with, from the perspective of a High Elf and a High Lord, Holly and Shadow were still an age that could be called children. Though they thought of themselves as old from the perspective of the real world, that didnt apply in this world.

Come to think of it, does an ex-player who came here have the same life span of their characters race? When I look at at Shadow-san that seems to be the case.

Thats right. Im not certain, but I believe I may have the same lifespan as my characters race. Not enough time has pa.s.sed yet in this world to know for sure.

Then, thats tremendous life span for the people with high race of the long-lived kind.

In the characters lore, High Elves and High Pixies were said to live for thousands of years. If thats the case, players would probably feel as if they had been given eternal youth, especially when compared to their prior human existence.

You may have noticed, s.h.i.+n-kun, but dont you also have a similar or rather, an even longer lifespan than we do?

Going by character lore, Im the one with the longest lifespan, was it?

A spirit, or something close to it was what had been written, I believe. I wonder how much of that was carried over?

IndeedAlthough I dont particularly feel any different. What about you, Holly-san?

HmmIts not something I can really explain, but I feel like Ive become proficient at harvesting plants.

Elves were dwellers of the forest. Their character lore described them as being able to communicate with plants on a simple level, so it might be the effect of that.

I dont feel any change in particular. Maybe because I dont have the inherent abilities of the elves and pixies.

No, I cant feel such changes either. I guess it also depends on the individual.

It seemed like Hibineko and Shadow could not feel any changes. In the past, when Schnee and Tiera held plant in their hands, they could see its life force aura. However those kind of things werent in the game either.

Theres no point in worrying so much. Isnt it nice that those kinds of things also exist?

Well, I was only a little interested, I dont intend to think about it so deeply.

As Holly had said, they could not find an answer no matter how hard they thought about it, so there was no point in worrying over it.

After arriving at the inn where s.h.i.+n and the others were staying, they parted ways for the day.

When he entered the inn, s.h.i.+zu just came out from the kitchen.

Welcome back! Shall I prepare a meal?

No thanks, we will eat later.

She was the female beast and landlady they had met on the first day.

s.h.i.+n and the others went to their own rooms for awhile, and waited for Tiera.

After training, s.h.i.+n and Schnee used the bath in feudal lord Tauls residence. They had to wait for Tiera to change her clothes because they were all sweaty.

Im hungry~

You moved around a lot after all.

Was it due to fatigue? Tiera put her face on the table exhausted.

Im relieved that the results from your special training have shown.

If I was made to do so much

What is it?

No, nothing at all!

Schnee reacted as soon as Tiera muttered absentmindedly.

Tiera didnt think that Schnee had heard her because she had said it in a low voice. She straightened up quickly, and shook her head.

What would have happened if the results hadnt shown? That was what s.h.i.+n had worried about.

Now then, should I head out?

When he had finished his meal, s.h.i.+n left the shop alone and began running towards the rampart.

Because there was a possibility that monsters would attack during the night, he intended to stand guard.

With his figure camouflaged by Hiding to match the rampart, he jumped to the top of the ramparts in one leap.

There was not a simple light outside the rampart. Visibility would fall down to zero if the clouds covered the moon.

Even in the dark, s.h.i.+ns night vision skill would normally allow him to see the shadows of any monsters. Yet, he still couldnt see any. There were no reactions to his detection system skills either.

Its really weird that theres nothing out there.

s.h.i.+n muttered alone, and then activated the earth technique wind combination skill Silent Whisper.

It was a skill which would notify a player when a monster invaded a fixed area. It worked not only on the ground but also detected monsters coming from underground.

He didnt neglect the underground because hed heard that monsters had come from underground in the past war.

I guess this is alright. If only the boss who leads the monsters could be found, it would be over quickly.

Though Taul and the others had already been informed, what s.h.i.+n and his group had really worried about was the opponent what should be said to be the princ.i.p.al offender of the war event: a monster called Raid Vice. Raid Vice itself wasnt a strong enemy. However, because it controlled the other races and moved them like its hands and feet, it was extremely troublesome.

In addition to having a military-like chain of command, it was a commander-like existence which controlled the Leaders of every monster race. The monsters under its control had bonuses added to their abilities as well.

If the Raid Vice was defeated, its control would be dissolved. If it could be defeated before the real fight, the resulting lack of leaders.h.i.+p meant there would be no need to be cautious of a surprise attack. In reality, though, it wouldnt be discovered so easily.

Though they didnt know whether or not Raid Vice would be the princ.i.p.al offender this time, the defenders were told to report immediately if it was found.

Since Silent Whisperdidnt require s.h.i.+n to stay on the ramparts, he left the area and headed toward the forest where he had materialized Tsuki no Hokora the day before.

He then recalled the sensation of Schnees lips at the place where he took out Tsuki no Hokora, he almost writhed in agony but endured it somehow.

s.h.i.+n shook off this feelings and reinforced the equipment, stored Tsuki no Hokora, and then went back inside the city. When he arrived at the inn, he went straight to bed.

A few days later, the scouts reported incoming monster hordes.

s.h.i.+n and his party of upper cla.s.s Chosen Ones, the first group of Balmel knight squadron, and the second war group were deployed in front of the city gate.

No surprise attack in the end, huh?

s.h.i.+n, you neednt worry too much about the upcoming fight. We, the party behind you will support you in case of emergency. Fight at the front with confidence!

Standing next to him, Rionne tried to re-a.s.sure s.h.i.+n while answering his monologue. Her equipment was the same as when she had fought in Kalkia. She carriedMuspelm across her back. Her gear was the same as before because it was currently the best equipment she could equip.

Its a war of extermination, you know? Dont cut corners. They will probably come. Although its just my intuition.

Do you think so too, s.h.i.+n? I wonder why, but I get that feeling too.

When asked, Liege and Guile said they also felt the same way. It appeared that their senses had become sharper as the large-scale war got closer. It was probably a feeling shared by those experienced in fighting wars.

Dont let your guard down!

You dont have to tell me.

Rionne did not look excited even though she had previous experience in warfare.

Then Ill leave my back to you.

Yeah, go!

In response to Rionnes parting words, s.h.i.+n joined Hibineko and the others. When he pa.s.sed Schnee, they nodded to each other.

(The alarm system has been set up. Please be cautious just in case.)

(Certainly.)

Because Berett and his subordinates were keeping a close watch inside the city, he didnt have to worry too much.

However, there was a possibility that monsters could pa.s.s through the barrier like the previous Skull Faces had on the Wraith Plains. He didnt think that there was a monster that could infiltrate without being detected by Silent Whisper, but no one know what would happen so he couldnt be too careful.

When s.h.i.+n arrived at the place where Hibineko and the rest were, they had already gathered and prepared for battle.

You came? Hows the situation over there?

No problem in particular. However, everyone seems to feel a little uneasy.

As expected, huh? When it comes to that, leave this place to us. In case the previous war event should happen, you should move to the rear, s.h.i.+n. All the more so if you use the equipment in question.

Hibineko who knew about the equipment, said while smiling. Hibineko carried the weapon which s.h.i.+n had reinforced in his hand.

Hibineko was able to maintain his composure because, no matter the number of monsters, even if s.h.i.+n was required to pull back from the front lines, s.h.i.+ns weapons reinforcements would be more than enough to counter them.

In addition the combination of, Hibineko, Shadow and Holly, in a party would represent a powerful fighting force on the front lines.

Ill be counting on you at that time. That equipment is hard to use when there are people around.

Its nice to be powerful, but there is a big disadvantage. Although against opponents like this time, it will be terribly effective when s.h.i.+n uses it.

The disadvantage was reduced a little with my smithing ability, so it became better than before. Well, even if it became easy to use, the risks of using it, however, may have increased.

The equipment s.h.i.+n was talking about was the kind of equipment that wouldnt be equipped by a normal player during the game era.