Vol 4 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 2: A Lazy, Cowardly Princess
Part 1
The group made preparations hastily
This was the abandoned school campus in Sand Leaf peninsula, the only Round Table Council member
present Crescent Moon Alliance's Maryele made a passive decision
They were to move in the direction of Choushi+
These Adventurers had noto the People of
the Land But if they left them alone in this moment of crisis, it would become an uncomfortable memory
They needed to at least warn Choushi+ about this based on this judge
there for now
But there was a party that wasindependently from this decision
It was Tohya's 5-man party
They finished preparations early and were the first aroups to head
towards Choushi+ The streets seemed to be safe for now, but Tohya's party had to stay alert They were
currently keeping a further distance away froeon,
h the fields
Rundelhous conjured Magic Light, illus more than a torch But in the untamed
lands of the alternate world, the darkness seehtfall
”What about there?”
Tohya said every ti by the river The party would act depending on the situation,
either shouting loudly or sending Isuzu to check the buildings alone
If the People of the Land were still in the building for soht lose their lives easily if
they were attacked by Sahuagin or goblins Tohya thought these people had to seek refuge in Choushi+ for
the night, and they were checking the houses out of their own initiative
”hello! Is anyone there?”
Tohya shouted towards the house then turned towards Isuzu She shook her head in silence Seems like
nobody was there, so there should be no problem After Tohya's party confirmed this, they continued
towards Choushi+
”Everyone seems to have evacuated”
”Yeah”
Minori answered Isuzu
Tohya scanned the area around the to their conversation
There were no signs of goblins in this farm that was near the coastline But it was close to the sea, no one
knehen the Sahuagin would jump out from the darkness
The party split their attention in all directions and moved on slowly
In the evening, Tohya saw countless specks of lights on the hills fro
the gravity of the situation and steeled hiht be involved in battles from now on, Nyanta,
Naotsugu, and Maryele were conversing in a low voice There were obvious feelings of fear, but there
was a strong sense of nervousness in the air
Tohya crossed his aration in the distance His sister Minori came
over
(Is so with Minori?)
Tohya was shocked
From what Tohya knew, Minori had never been so pale as she bit her lips tightly Minori looked around
her, then said to Tohya unhesitatingly
”Let's get ready to go, I think we should head to Choushi+ I need to speak to Nyanta-san again, please
help me convince everyone Tohya”
Minori turned and left Tohya with these words
Tohya seemed to be driven by the way his sister said these words, and started to gather his comrades
They wanted to be the first a camp to head for Choushi+ If you considered the
facts you could see that this was a highly risky h chance of
encountering monsters
He thought some of his comrades would object to this, but unexpectedly, he was able to convince them in
a very short tireed after Isuzu pleaded with her
Speaking of unexpected events, he didn't think that Isuzu would be so supportive of this plan
Tohya was so cal the situation with a high level of concentration
He was not doing this solely for Minori's sake; even if they were People of the Land, Tohya could not
allow himself to leave the defenseless townsfolk behind
(If we don't do sooblins in a blink of an eye)
Tohya learned the details about the life in the town froht of Choushi+ as a kind and
open town for the fisherman Choushi+ was in Sand Leaf peninsula and was not a fortress city or under the
jurisdiction of any nobles, they ht be able to forht
cohts But with the influence of Maihama and Tsukuba, they had maintained
relatively peaceful lives in this fishi+ng town
With the flow of the Sand Leaf River nearby, the plains nearby were fertile and relatively flat
The closer the land was to Choushi+, the faster they were irrigated The farm plots were squared and
shaped like bricks, heat, Cole crops and so beautifully in the land
Even in the darkness, Sand Leaf with the summer breeze from the sea was a really marvelous place
Theline as they walked from the school campus
towards Choushi+ Souilds, soether
with their friends
Even if they were inners were still Adventurers They cast their own ical
light sources and erous as you couldn't see
where you were stepping, so most of them preferred to walk
Minori's party was much further ahead from the front of this line
After walking for 30 minutes, Minori suddenly said:
” I think we must protect this town”
Tohya understood her feelings
Tohya also wanted to protects, and felt they should protect them
But they had no reason to
The toas the residence of the People of the Land, they had nothing to do with Minori and Tohya
They didn't accept any quests, so they wouldn't receive any iteold as rewards if they saved the
town
It was not a player city, and they didn't really know anyone there, just townsfolk they met for the first time
during this training camp
Even though there were no reasons, they still felt an urgent obligation to help It ht be unfathomable,
but Tohya had this emotion in him, just like a rock in his heart
But because he couldn't find the reason to help, he couldn't describe it well
Maybe his other cohts, Isuzu, Rundelhous, and Serara were all deep in
thought as they moved
There was a dark feeling of unease in his heart, he could not dismiss this sense of helplessness and
confineled to leave, his limbs felt like they were
iered in the air around Tohya's group
”I think that way because we don't have any pressing reason to help but”
Minori was at a loss for words
Gazing up at the forest on the other end of the hts like needles that were
flickering with malice in the dark
”Although it is scary, I don't think we should stop”
Isuzu was a little uneasy, but you could feel her determination in her words
Two-thirds of the suinners, and they had various levels a
them Some were between level 20-30, some were even lower, you needed to be at least level 20 to
battle the goblins
And they could not ascertain the enemy numbers
Nyanta called it 'a ', Naotsugu estimated there
were at ood estimate in the dark
There were countless reasons why they shouldn't help
They had no reason to help
What they did have, was the e to help
The sound of the waves surrounded Tohya's silent-roup The sea was pitch-black, only the
waves that washed ashore could be seen under the ht
With the round, Tohya had a stroke of inspiration
”Do we need a reason?”
”Ah?”
Serara asked in surprise
”Do we need a reason to help?”
After Tohya finished, a strange and wonderful silence fell between them
”Even if there is no reason, we can still give theht? Because this is an
adventure, if the Adventurers want to help, we can do so even if there is no reason, right?”
As Tohya said these words, the murky eht Tohya
questioned himself on why he was so troubled over this
Why was he trying to find a reason?
Did he want to explain it to someone?
You didn't need a reason to help people
”Right? Minori and everyone, since ant to help, we should just help theht?
Because ant to help!”
Tohya puffed up his chest and shouted
”That's right!”
The first to respond to Tohya was Rundelhous, he nodded strongly and put his hand on Tohya's shoulder,
breaking his silence and showing his support
”Fu fu fu, to think I was in a slight disarray That is correct, we are Adventurers If we run away now, then
why did we become Adventurers in the first place, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse? The
goblins are nothing!”
Rundelhous let go of Isuzu's slightly worried hand
”I am also a small part of the Adventurers, I don't want to abandon Choushi+ and escape to Akiba
shamelessly!”
”Please Please wait ato protect the town? They
have no walls, and they have twice our numbers!”
Tohya and Rundelhous were congenial with each other, but Serara raised an objection in a shrill voice
”We will leave this to Minori”
”Ah?”
Tohya's change of subject made Minori's eyes open wide in astonish
unreasonable, but if he didn't push Minori on, his passion would be all a waste
Lighting a fire under Minori was Tohya's duty
Tohya understood that being rash like this was the best way to go about it
” protect City walls impossible Enemy numbers, impossible”
Minori started , her lips moved and said: ”What would shi+roe-san do” Tohya as
watching this scene felt a bit confused as well as an itching feeling of joy Since his sister started thinking,
there was nothing to worry about
3 steps, 5 steps
With Tohya's group's eyes focusing on her, Minori stopped and nodded
”I have an idea, there is one way”
(As expected of my Minori)
His sister had a strong sense of responsibility, Tohya feared that she would be crushed by the pressure,
but he also thought the pressure would becoth From what Tohya saw, Minori had
learned to turn this sense of responsibility into a driving force to push her forward after joining Log
Horizon
The source should be from her idolization of shi+roe, Tohya also looked up to Naotsugu the warrior from a
man's perspective, so he could understand this
”What is the way?”
Serara asked Minori gingerly
”Miss Minori, I am all ears”
Rundelhous and the troubled Isuzu beside hiathered by her side
”With our nuoblins Other than the goblins, we
also need to contend with the Sahuagin, their numbers are more than double that of ours Not all of the
caht want to take part, even if we fend thee
the town greatly that's why we cannot protect”
Minori was firm with her words, even her brother Tohya was dumbstruck by her attitude
The party was silent after hearing her words
Minori looked at the faces of her co
”Ah”
”Hmmm, Minori-cchi's instincts have become sharp nya”
”The big brothers have coirls who are up to no good,
baby!”
”I am a old man nya”
”Nyanta-san!”
Minori saw Nyanta and Naotsugu, Shouryuu and Rezarick were also not far behind Serara was already
hugging Nyanta's slender arround
”Teacher Naotsugu!”
Tohya straightened his back on reflex Naotsugu was not a strict teacher who stood on ceremony, the
problehten his back naturally in the presence of this
veteran Guardian, but the two of theirls and panties
”Nyanta-san”
Minori's expression was a bit worried, she didn't want to back down, she looked at Nyanta as if she
wanted to stare hiive your permission”, then bowed
”That's right Chief Nyanta, teacher Naotsugu, this is the time where you should watch us walk away in
silence, that's the manly way to do it!”
Tohya stood beside Minori
Minori ht of a way She looked up to shi+roe and had been learning things in order to catch
up to him She must have a plan to break this stalemate, and if that were so, Tohya could not let Minori be
the only one caught in the spotlight
”There is no need for permission, Adventurers are free by nature nya If you have made up your mind,
even if the eneuilds, Adventurers are free to work
towards their goal nya But Minori, this will be quite a difficult path to travel nya”
Nyanta see, Minori nodded her head to show her determination
”Understood nya, Puck also said that 'night is short, the suht
Minori-cchi?”
Nyanta allowed Serara to hang froave them a sharp look Tohya and Minori looked at
each other and buether
Part 2
”1 party approaching from the eastern hill, another party 40 from the
northwest”
The ht casted dark shadows of trees in the forest
Minori used the binoculars she borrowed frou to survey the area from the top of the tree and
reported to her teammates below
”Roger”
”Understood, I will start chanting”
Minori's party was at the tip of the forest in the hills near the Sand Leaf River It was alht,
they were a distance away fro by in the forest
Minori clis and relayed the findings to her
coht noas to reconnoiter the area
Tohya who already had daic cast on him used this barrier which had the effect of a
e into the darkness
He was on his way to lure the goblin party from the eastern hills After a while, there was a sharp sound
of a bowstring followed by the roar of goblins rushi+ng nearer through the grass
Tohya received an all-round battle training in Log Horizon, including the use of the bohich was not
suitable for dungeons Samurai were co
bows or strong bows Tohya used a strong bow to attract the attention of the goblins from a distance
away, atte to lure them to his party's position
” Approaching, 2 parties noticed us”
Minori's warning made her comrades take up their weapons and steel themselves for battle In this open
space, the distance where a battle would start was much further away, the tactics were different from that
of the narrow dungeons The monsters and Adventurers would see each other froed
attacks would start before they engaged in a ht
But there was a downside to this long-range battle as they
enemies as well Tohya attacked with a bow and drew 2 parties of about 10 monsters in They were
unable to confirm the nu torches and the sound of
the grass
”Please start the countdown”
Serara's tense voice stated
Minori looked closely into the darkness with her binoculars, phosphorescence appeared in the darkness
illuht 'Moon Fae Drop' was an expensive mid-level eye potion made by
phar these eye drops, you would be able to see clearly in the dark like a cat, the effect
lasted for 24 hours This was also a consuu
”5432”
Minori concentrated and started counting down
Serara filled her staff with the spell she prepared, and activated it when Minori counted to 0
About 30 meters away from the party, a sudden noise carass twisted
densely in the night
One of the 3 healer classes Druid
Each of the 3 class had their own unique spells, but they were not li
Druids were ic cas of
Mother Nature They were not proeons, but in the open world like this, the
potential power of nature could not be ignored Druid was not a ic attack class, their direct attack
ic
The spell Serara casted, Willow Spirits, could affect the surrounding plants, stirowth of
branches and vines to entangle and bind the enemy
”Here they come!”
Tohya threw his strong bow behind the tree, drew his sword and faced the front The binding ic
Serara prepared in advance had been activated based on Minori's gauge of distance to only trap the
ene Tohya and Rundelhous to take care of the enemies in front
”I can see the ceremony to you Tohya, make us proud”
Rundelhous had been adjusting his thinking in the recent battle training
He understood that he would have a chance to shi+ne even if he left the start of the battle to Tohya He was
ics and would not think about stealing the show He was now casting a
spell to buff Tohya's attacks, Icicle Blade
After Rundelhous finished casting, a chilling cold entwined Tohya's blade, the icy surface flashi+ng in the
dark
”My spell is different from an Enchanter's, it will only cause a few additional attacks, so go all-out right
from the start”
Tohya nodded to acknowledge Rundelhous
(We need to end this fast)
The goblins were roup at the back broke free from the binds and
were on their way here after some time Serara's spell could bind all monsters within a certain area and
hinder their movement, but the effect was short
Not only the group behind, the 2nd party was also on its way, there oblins in
the hills
Nyanta said there were atmovements all around the
dark shadowy forest, they could not iine how many enemies were still in the dark
”Rudy conserve your powerful spells, in this by superior numbers I can support for 30
seconds Maestro Echo!”
As Isuzu supported with her oblins
Swords and ic danced in the air
Rundelhous understood Isuzu's instructions and repeatedly used small-level spells in lieu of powerful
single-shot e, but the cast time and cool down time were short, so it
was suitable for consecutive use
Rundelhous abandoned his powerful spell with a 5 second cast tiic
attacks with 15 second cast times The ice and fire he conjured were beautifully echoed by Isuzu's
singing
A dark red music note followed every fire attack that hit, a sea-blue note would complement any ice
attack that connected
Isuzu the Bard had low attack power
This was the fate of all support classes, so that could not be helped
But she was able to do other things because of this
Isuzu received inforic through singing half a
beat slower
Being able to replicate an ally's ic attack, the ultimate skill of the Bard
A Sorcerer naturally had high ics were doubled? Isuzu's
voice could only last for 30 seconds, but it was oblins
Following right after was the 2nd wave of goblins that wounded Tohya all over But Minori's Dae
Intercept spell negated the daic The 2 healers took
turns to heal and Rundelhous finished chanting his powerful roup
successfully took down the 10 goblins
Part 3
”It may be difficult, but it is possible to win”
Serara as healing Tohya responded, ”Don't be careless”
Isuzu drank fro his shoelaces Rundelhous took
the bottle and advised Serara, ”Miss Serara, it is taboo to be careless, but ill lose the chance to take
victory if we lack courage”
As the 4 of the with a folded iven to her by
shi+roe at the beginning of training cah I don't think it is necessary' It was a map
centered around Sand Leaf peninsula, with details of the abandoned capital Eastal, Tsukuba and other
cities drawn finely on it
Even with their enhanced night vision, it was hard tothe
grasses where the light would not leak out and conjured Bug's Light
”Yes Yes, we are fine, we are resting for now, heading towards north-northwest correct? Okay about
3ker, please ask Nyanta-san and the rest to take care too”
Serara sounded like she was coh telepathy
Minori's choice of tactics was pure and simple
They were going to infiltrate and attack the goblin pillaging group in the forest on the hill
Since they could not completely protect the town, they had to take the initiative to attack and make use of
the forest the goblins were hiding in to hold night strikes There was no need to destroy all of their forces,
goblins were different froht be evil but they were still deave them
a big enough blow, it would sap their morale and make them flee
In the process of protecting the village, if they could reduce the numbers of attackers in advance, the
defenders would have an easier job This strategy seemed so barbaric and looked desperate, but it was
working ined
Minori only had a rough plan inthe details and
lending theroup was taking part in the operation as
well
Nyanta, Naotsugu, Shouryuu, and Rezarick headed straight to the center of the goblins' pillaging group
They lured in the goblins at the heart of the zone and proceeded to pick them off one by one Minori's
group was on standby to the south of theoblins or isolated parties They had
been executing this battle plan for 2 hours
Minori's party defeated about 20 goblins during this period The parties of 5-6 goblins were easy to
handle, but the solitary goblins were unpredictable, it was hard to tell what they were trying to do
They did not have permission from the supervisor Crescent Moon Alliance's Maryele to engage the
aruilty about this, she tried not to think too
deeply about it She felt she deserved the fierce lecture froh
telepathy
There was a need forforces to be stationed at Choushi+ to make this battle plan
work The suerrilla forces, the more the impact and confusion they would create
This would balance out the difference in nu forces and
i up the attack
Maryele was not convinced by Minori, but she ended with the words ”Really, if you act recklessly, I
won't forgive you, okay?” Minori thought she illing to forgive her actions (Just a guess, but it
should be correct)
”We see enemies, shall we move?”
Isuzu substituted for Minori and surveyed the area with the binoculars
”Towards the southwest direction Ah, they are a so stealthily”
Isuzu sounded impressed as she reported in
The party Nyanta and the others u and Rezarick, with the 2
Swashbucklers Nyanta and Shouryuu as the e dealers
Swashbucklers used their high attack speed to build up dae on the enemy, the 2 of them didn't have
flashy or loud explosive spells like Sorcerers They were able to deal consecutive area attacks on the
eneuerrilla warfare in the forest
(Hme Destination will be the abandoned
shrine we visited We should avoid the forest trail)
This route would lead down the valley, but they could e
”What should we do, Minori?”
Minori kept the map with everyone's eyes on her and nodded
”We go down the valley to the west, then head northwest, stay alert”
The group moved as planned
Minori received periodic reports fro this
with the People of the Land? Had the other campers returned to Akiba with 'Call of Home'? No, there
must be some who stayed behind to defend Choushi+
Minori walked in the darkness, a sense of unease and futility filled her heart
They were just engaging a soblin army Minori did not know the details, but Nyanta
spoke of a large tribe of goblins to the north, they even reached the ruin capital Eastal, which was the start
of this incident
In other words, they were just fighting the tip of the iceberg of the goblin arroup of
unregulated goblins
When she thought of this, she felt a sense of emptiness
Would fending off this pillaging group just be delaying the inevitable? Minori could not stop her doubts
fro like rain clouds
”It is dangerous to battle at night”
Tohya as leading the group said
”The silver flash when I draweven with my enhanced vision We need to be wary of
fast, the stench of the blood and gore stinks, but”
Tohya didn't turn around
He reetation as he made his way down the valley
”But I will do my best I will just do my part to help”
Tohya's voice was like a torch burning in the darkness
Minori lifted her gaze
She watched the back of her brother, Tohya had the strong feeling that he must protect and help This was
a strength Minori did not have, Tohya's deterhtforward, his speed was
fast enough to leave any doubts and confusion behind
”Yeah, that will be enough”
Isuzu was the first to nod in agreement
(As I suspected)
The free-spirited Isuzu was actually agreeing with this, seemed like Minori's prediction was correct
Isuzu had been hesitant before the battle and had been concerned about Rundelhous' safety Since that was
the case, they could not afford to lose
Because Rundelhous was also Minori's comrade
In order to protect his secret, in order to help her coh
”Why are you saying this? Tohya, Miss Isuzu, isn't it obvious that we need to help these people since we
are Adventurers? I a this because I want to, because I want to be an a Adventurer”
Rundelhous said spiritedly
Tohya agreed in a loud voice
Minori's duty was to protect this silly but adorable group
Daic
And froic
This was a pro on the same battlefield, she
wanted to protect everyone and to shoulder any crisis She didn't even want the
hit, that was her ability and will as a Kannagi
(I afully)
She thought in her heart
But even so, she carried on to think
She would not say soue like 'One day I will', she wanted the strength tomorrow or even today
For this reason she faced the darkness without fear
”Halt!”
Isuzu's voice pulled Minori back to reality
Isuzu squinted at the e, there was only a pitch dark forest ahead, but Bards seemed to be
movements in the dark
She signaled with her hand and moved ahead to scout
”It's a deoblins riding on giant canine creatures”
Isuzu reported softly, the wind blowing through the hill would not bring their voices and scents to the
e But the eneround so the terrain was in their
favor