Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3: Negotiation in the Ancient Court

1

(Ha, seems like this is a nest of wily foxes)

Michitaka took the glass with a s in his heart This was in the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice, but not the zone reserved for the Round Table Council, this was the zone Marquis Dalute was residing in

As shi+roe predicted, the League of Freedo slowly

Fros would be held in the afternoons occasionally But in the 4 days since Michitaka arrived at the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice, there had yet to be a singleThe event lasted for 10 days, so there was no need to rush That was the opinion of one of the nobles, but on the contrary, there was a lot of turbulence in the under table negotiations

The proof was the numerous invitations the Round Table Council had received shi+roe, Krusty, and Michitaka attended the discussion together in the beginning, but they had to split up in order to process all the invites

They came up with a basic policy beforehand, and used a weapon not available to the People of the Land telepathy These two factors had been of great assistance

They would be helpful tonight as well

Marquis Dalute froami's banquet

League of Freedo party

Tsukuba's Marquis Kyriva's and its university's dinner party

The 3 invitations clashed

If they only attended one, there would be negative effects on the power balance between the nobles In order to be i the relationshi+ps took priority, so they decided to divide and conquer

Since it was an evening party with young knights, there should be musical performances or dances Because of this, shi+roe was nominated to attend it But Tsukuba's Marquis Kyriva's dinner party had scholars attending, which would be a heavy burden on Krusty and Michitaka

So Krusty would be going to the young knights' and princesses' party which was the gathering of future leaders shi+roe said with a mischievous smile: ”It must be so rudge from before

Crescent Moon Alliance's Henrietta was also worried about the dancing part, but Krusty replied calhly durable shi+eld recently, I just need soobtrusive, so there is no problem”

Michitaka did not knohat Krusty was talking about, so he just shrugged and left it to him Michitaka couldn't do much to help anyway

With two of the events decided, only he was left to attend Marquis Dalute's banquet

”Here, I brought the best beef froht!”

Marquis Dalute received Michitaka with these words You could say he was si a bit more ed h qualityhim look plain

Michitaka was a section chief salaryest production guild Oceanic Syste 5000 members The members saw hih to operate this h the Marquis' intent

Despite that, Michitaka still greeted hi Marquis Dalute's offer and took a seat Around the extravagant feast table was the Marquis' family

His as very young, a slightly plue of the last couple of grades in ele youth There was also a young daughter

”The food has changed dra ”

The banquet started after Marquis Dalute's opening speech The Fortress City Mogami territory of Marquis Dalute, was situated in the northeast of this region According to the ata Prefecture

The city had about 8000 people, according to Lord Dalute, it was a co the data collated earlier, there were ten-odd villages under Marquis Dalute's governance

The feast consisted of extravagant Middle Ages European styled dishes

Michitaka did not know the details, but from his experience, a meal such as French cuisine would serve food in small portion to the table But in this alternate world, the nobles seee portions of food

Beef steaks roasted with lots of spices were served, and Dalute cut them into fine portions himself

”This meat is reputed to be top class in my territory, how does it taste?”

”Yes, this is delicious!”

Michitaka praised the meal between bites

This was indeed top class, coher and brought a sense of wilderness with it and its original taste was very rich

Marquis Dalute focused on introducing the tastiness of this dish

(So that's how it is)

In this alternate world, cuisines were a critical part of the political world, the change 2 o revolutionized the world

All the other lordstheir top chefs and ingredients to attend thewas an opportunity that appeared suddenly Sain iredients or dishes The stronger nobles would seek higher quality foods to solidify their influence and fame

The League of Freedo was a place where you cos, but food had now taken center stage, beco crucial to a city's econoion

”My city is surrounded by hills and the lands are full of slopes Lu, and livestock trades thrive there For our feast tonight, ill also be serving pork that we are proud of”

Looking at the anticipation of the elder son, he could tell this would be a wonderful dish

Michitaka enjoyed the food while listening to Marquis Dalute's words

The Marquis' wife joined in the conversation occasionally, chatting about the weather, geography, and culture of the northeast part of the archipelago For the Marquis, this was preparation for business talks and a display of the features of his territory For Michitaka, this was valuable intelligence

The northeast region of the archipelago was full of es, with forests spread all over the place The hilly region was full of nature, holding inexhaustible amounts of forest resources The rainfall was abundant, with ion

There were few flat lands, most of them near the coast or in the mountain valley

These even plains were primarily used for wheat or rice

Froion was the central zone of the League of Freedoest problee of monsters

The kind-hearted humans were one of the races players in Elder Tales were able to choose According to shi+roe's and Rodrick's calculations, the population here was roughly 1 of the real japan's But the population was not equivalent to the nuoblins or orcs Their intelligence was not at the level of the kind-hearted huh reproduction abilities Most importantly, they were cruel and evil

The evil deions, pillaging day and night in an attempt to rule the world

The oblins Goblins were short dely, and twisted short huether taking on different jobs

Most of the tribes, but soht settle in one location The northeastern tribes trended towards staying in one place, and even built gigantic co tens of thousands

Sioblins had hybrids of low social status frooblins, which were oblins, but maniacally loyal They were arht to the death for their tribesman

There were also high-class goblin shamans who could su undead monsters and spirits Goblin taryphs and dire wolves

Goblins individually eaker than mid-level adventurers, but had a variety of abilities They were a force to be reckoned with

The zones demihuman lived in differed from those ruled by huhting to protect the land from them In the northeast, the demihumans lived in the deep mountains and the dense forests

”But, the situation is changing yes, because of the revolution”

Marquis Dalute continued

”Firstly, the food has been affected greatly by the revolution As you can tell, the citizens in my territory have been co I can do about that”

The Marquis said seriously His wife cut in with a bitter smile

”You are also engrossed in the Pecorino salad and s it like the citizens are the only lazy buood food, that is despicable”

The lady smiled mischievously, Michitaka nodded and replied

”Yes, great food can ”

”Cough, cough, anyway, there see too After the revolution, our citizens are alsotie there, but vegetables and livestock have major developments Put simply, in order to eat delicious food, the far, and are careful to avoid wastage in deliveries”

Michitaka nodded to acknowledge, thinking this was a good summary

”The deredients spurs the entrepreneurial redients for a good price, allowing theredients a cycle like this”

Michitaka was frouild, so he understood perfectly and nodded

”And because of this there are some problems in delivery”

Michitaka thought about it

This was obvious Their lands consisted rains There were also redients that could only be planted in the south Michitaka also had a hard tiar which was exclusively produced in the south

Sugar was the native product of 'Ninetail Sovereign' After the Catastrophe, because of the low supply level, its price was increasing without restraint

It wasn't like this before

The food in the past all tasted the saredients would not have any effect on the final product In other words, sugar was akin to medical supply

(No, that is not a meal, just a nutritious ration)

But it was different noith delicious ingredients and fresh products There was an increase in demand for different foods In this pure and si the products from their own land

Delivery required ti fresh produce took even , tobacco, alcohol, or tea, there was a need to ioods, the fastest as through export

And the biggest barrier to this was monsters

When you thought of that, you could understand the feeling of nobles anted to request for mercenaries from the Round Table Council

”To suami”

Marquis Dalute shrugged

”But I heard that raiding just one hill will require a few hundred soldiers To extero, you would need an astrono on Akiba's forces would not be enough It's a sha the city, our numbers are unable to maintain a full day watch indefinitely”

Michitaka replied

Security for the whole region was beyond their scope of consideration, the population of this world was not enough to secure all the zones And it was because of this dangerous world, that the human communities were sparse like the bubbles in an ocean, they could only live in peaceful zones centered around cities

On the other hand, there was a hint in Michitaka's statement

Before the Marquis could propose 'deal with the other territories later, please send soldiers toan attitude of 'if we are sending help, we need to be fair to all the zones, if we can't do that on't send help blindly'

The banquet wason to desserts

Uncertain if this was a local flavor or if it was a result of 2 ia As Michitaka complemented this simple desert with black rose tea, Marquis Dalute said seriously

”No, there is no need to destroy theaccess to sea delivery”

Michitaka was dumbstruck

Ferrying by sea, that was providing them with the steam powered shi+p

Marquis Dalute's proposal allowed the resources to defeat them, and made import and export smoother

2

The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy

In fact, it was suffocating

Isuzu turned in her sleeping bag

They just had dinner, and the cah the tent's canvas, the ti to the real world, it was not sleeping ti to do in this vast nature even if you stayed up

Even though there was nothing to do, she was still tired and listless, but she couldn't sleep even if she lay down

She got into her sleeping bag with s on her mind

There were people in the tent usingcare of their equipment

”Woo”

Isuzu looked towards the light

Minori as alorking hard, Tohya as in a bag like Isuzu, Serara as lying in a corner of the tent, Rundelhous as sitting on his bag with his ar displeased

Everyone had a heavy air about them

This could not be helped, since their raid ended miserably

The battle of Isuzu's group evolved into a free-for-all, attracting skeletona battle of attrition

In this chaotic forroups' HP, it also drained a lot of MP, their reserved skills, and their focus They could ed too long they would need to rely on healing spells

But even healing spells were lione as the battle went on

' Because you did not heal properly that I had to suffer such grave injuries!' Rundelhous complained, but fro their all

Isuzu did not kno healing worked, but seeing the exhausted Serara and the troubled Minori, she could tell they held nothing back

Isuzu was one of the beginners rescued from Hamelin, her class was Bard

She had been close to Minori since their time in Hamelin

You could say she took good care of her

Minori, a irl

Isuzu had great respect for this young girl who had a lower level and less experience than her Minori's use of the phrase 'the knowledge shi+roe-san shared with me' was one of the reasons, but the ht, and intelligence

(Because I a on Minori-chan)

Isuzu thought as she sulked in her sleeping bag, recalling all her experiences She felt that she was useless in this situation

She joined the band in high school, her interest was instruments, the contrabass in particular

She was tall and skinny like an athlete with a horood too), and she thought her face was not ugly, just plain, but still a long way fro beautiful

Freckles were her biggest concern, her hair was thick too Even tying them into braids didn't keep them in place, which made her depressed

She had a number of friends, and was not bullied But she was just a norirl you could find anywhere

She started playing the netgame on a spur of the moment, because her brother who loved the piano said: ”I have extra passes, want to try playing it?” so she tried it

It was interesting in the beginning, and you could choose the class Bard which was related to music, which made her happy Even so, she was not really into it If soed her money, she probably wouldn't

Isuzu was then involved in the Catastrophe and was trapped in the evil guild Hamelin

She felt lost in the beginning, her head filled with confused thoughts, and slowly she fell into a deep yes, deep sense of despair

Isuzu was in absolute despair, her hopes was crushed, she gave up fighting, hated God and the world She became an eht of nothing but feeding herself every day

'Ah, this must be how the children in poverty nations lived,' she co Even if she resisted maniacally, deep in her heart she still accepted this She could hear her heart saying in a tired voice This was how the story ended for side-characters

Isuzu had been defeated by the Catastrophe

Minori treated the other beginners well even under these conditions

So it had its uses By hogging it, you could save yourself in critical moments

Despite that, Minori chatted with the other beginners in the rooame

Her brother Tohya was also the same in a sense

The fact that both of them were in middle school shocked Isuzu

They were strong in a way that could only be described as special Isuzu felt that without Minori, she would fall into deeper depravity in Haain her cheerful character

On the other hand, Serara was about her age

After Isuzu was saved froive her hot soup and bread was Serara The conditions in Ha to say this herself, she was probably very smelly when she was rescued

But Serara hugged Isuzu and said: ”Don't worry, you are safe now”

The guild hall was like a refugee ca badly, Serara told theinner, my level is about the same as yours”

”I was also also targeted by hu noruild now”

Serara's words must have saved many of them

In Crescent Moon Alliance, Serara was one of the inners Isuzu felt close to her as they were about the sae They were now best friends in Crescent Moon Alliance, spending alether

Because of the above reasons, Isuzu saw Minori and Serara as trustworthy acquaintances Actually, they were already friends, but she had an inexplicable feeling that she needed their permission before that happened, or she would feel bad about this declaration Because of this feeling, Isuzu addressed theht of them as friends in her heart

So they could not have been sloppy in their healing duties, Isuzu knew them well

So, as the reason behind the miserable state they were in? Whose fault was it?

This question confounded Isuzu

The free-for-all battle lasted about 30 minutes

After e if any of them died, their party was in a h cool-down skills If they were detected and had to fight again, they would definitely be wiped out

The party rushed back to the entrance in a hurry, but they were attacked by the skeletons that respawned on their way back, and had to fight abattle

(Today was really bad)

A total loss

Isuzu's party's first dungeon challenge, set a record of 1 hour before retreating

(It is not Tohya's fault)

Isuzu didn't know Tohya as well as Minori, but they are acquaintances

Isuzu saw hi his job or playing around? If someone asked Isuzu, she would answer no

In their short raid, Tohya did charge in by hi so But if you analyzed the case, you would feel that 'it ht be a mistake, but Tohya had his reasons, you cannot blame him based solely on that'

Isuzu also thought of other reasons

For instance, she only knew Rundelhous through this training cath were unknown to the party

Rundelhous was lofty when he talked, had a snobbish attitude, his proud and boastful deing by Isuzu's standard, he was a frivolous man

Was Rundelhous the reason for today's defeat? If so question mark

Rundelhous' overconfidence and carelessness made the situation worse, but similar to Tohya, his actions were based on his considerations in order to achieve victory

Most importantly, Rundelhous loved his class and worked hard to display his strengths, there was no doubt about that, since Rundelhous had narcissistic tendencies He considered destroying the enemy to be a virtue, there was no way he went easy on them

(He is not a bad guy)

Isuzu thought it was true

Isuzu peeked at Rundelhous fro and crossed his ar under the waterfall

He looked totally Caucasian, so he was very prominent, but his attitude was very serious

(Hean after action review by himself)Isuzu thought heRundelhous always said whatever ca the others for the today's adventure But he was also strict with himself and seemed to be deeply remorseful

(Haaaaah)

If it was like this, doesn't that mean that no one was at fault?

(No no no, hold on for a ht)

Yes, there was one person she did not consider, that was Isuzu herself Unable to deny the fact that she ht be the reason for the party's crisis

(I aood at this)

No aht of survival in the wilderness in the real world, so she should be bad at fighting

But it had been 2 months

Isuzu knew she had been through many battles in this world,noforever? And Isuzu was different frouard support class, not meant to tank direct attacks from the enemy

But as she reviewed the day, Isuzu felt that there werefor today's adventure Her wrong referred to 'in hindsight, this is not the best course of action'

Why didn't they knoill end up like this? Reviewing the day, she felt she made many mistakes

Bards had a variety of supports, theThis was a music that Bards emitted subconsciously from their body

The pero on forever as long as the Bard willed it By using per of the adventure, they wouldn't need to do anything else for it to continue its effect It was a skill players wanted to use whenever possible

The probles was that you could only use 2 at a tis, but Isuzu at this stage had only learned 10

Choosing 2 out of these 10 songs was a bothersome choice all Bards will face, and would continue to have even if they reached the level cap

Isuzu chose Harmony Carol' and 'Speedy Sword Etude

The forranted an additional attack for every successful attack, the latter was a support song that raised weapon attack speed They were both basic support songs Bards commonly used

But the battle failed because of that

Harical attacks, but it attractedshe did not expect

And the nu the battle to turn into a free-for-all

At that point in tih she was in thecasting time, which was best performed when not in battles She also hesitated and wasted a lot of ti the current situation would result in the

Hared to Meditation Nocturne

Speedy Sword Etude changed to Dancing Peacock Melody

Meditation Nocturne was a support song that recovered MP even if you were in battle In Elder Tales, you would recover MP slowly as long as you were not in battle It would recover speedily if you rested But you could not recover MP if you were in battle

Meditation Nocturne was a support song that allowed party members to recover MP even in battle, but it wasDancing Peacock Melody raised the agility of all partythem evade enemy attacks

Since there were reinforce No, it had already been a dragging fight before Isuzu decided to change her songs She changed the support songs once she deter to take quite a while

That's all she could do then, she still didn't think she rong now

But froement call did not improve the battle situation

Evade rate increased, the drain of MP dropped, and the support song was supporting the party as intended, recovering their MP

But this also meant that Hare were no longer in effect

With lower da slow in taking down the eneer which caused the HP to be in a healthy range, but MP to be drained faster

This was a vicious cycle

(But)

Yes, she had to say but

Isuzu didn't think this was a mistake Even if it was one, that was only at the level of 'not going with the best choice' which was the same level as Tohya and Rundelhous She didn't think this was the reason for the battle falling into chaos

Anyway, if this was a mistake, what should she have done instead?

Isuzu thought

(Actually, I a)

She was not good at setting a battle plan

analyzing and executing were areas Isuzu was not proficient in, but co with the heavy atmosphere in the tent

So she carried this feeling like a heavy rock in her stomach, and continued to worry

Not only Isuzu, all the beginners in the tent including Minori and Tohya were the same

As they killed tiht in the Sand Leaf Hill region had only begun

3

Even if it was described as a 'ser than a classroom in the old world In this sround, the people in the rooathered in many small circles

This was the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice

In a corner of its upper level was 'The Hall of Seven Maidens'

Young knights stood around and chatted cheerfully, noble ladies sat on the classy couches that were placed all over the hall, gossiping and laughing happily There were also the courteous sons of nobles,bureaucrats

This was supposed to be a party where the young people of the League of Freedoard to their titles and positions Their ages ranged fro

” Are you planning to stay here the whole night?”

”Yes”

Krusty replied without hesitation to Raynesia as sitting across the small round table

Raynesia tried to reply with a s up

Raynesia did not find Krusty annoying

This bulky knight was a man of feords, and would not say any pleasantries co nobles In sientle lady in the rain', thank God for that

But she was a daughter of the Corwen clan

If she spent too le man, who knehat sort of ru this party, it should be fine But if this carried on, ould they say about her? Raynesia was starting to get depressed

(Does this s like this)

Krusty was drinking alcoholic black rose tea unfazed The two of the these seats since the party started an hour ago But they did not have a proper conversation in this whole time

In the short ter this situation This helped Raynesia by keeping the nobles, knights and bureaucrats and their hollow pleasantries at bay, giving her the room to breathe

She was the granddaughter of the leading nobleead

In the whole of Yamato, there were only 2 clans with the noble title of Duke, they were the noble of the nobles This title was bestowed by Westelande during ancient times After the fall of the ancient erave of Westelande, clan Itsuki, ranked higher than clan Corwen

With a lineage as prestigious as this, there were hts and bureaucrats anted to woo her Raynesia had an elder sister and a kid brother With her sister e, clan Corwen needed either Raynesia to take a husband into the family or her brother to take in a wife in order to pass down the clan na to see sofor her

(Ha)

When she thought about things like that, her heart felt heavy, and she couldn't help but sigh Raynesia treated e as an unknown country far away from here Her parents' relationshi+p seemed more cautious than common wedded couples, while her sister's in-laws seelue