Vol 4 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3: Expeditionary Force

Part 1

Raynesia couldn't riffon A dance partner would put a hand around her

waist, but she had not been carried around casually like luggage since she was a baby

She didn't think it would be so eled to loosen

up her tense face and s up

It didn't feel like reality when she , it felt like she only acted on the

spur of the moment

Raynesia had spent toothis young man who

was like a s in front of the nobles was nothing

that was how she e

But she was unable to do anything about Krusty

Raynesia knew Krusty was concerned about her and protected her froriffon or

feeling too cold But the more concerned he was, the ht he could

see right through her as well

She appeared elegant on the surface but was actually lazy and hated interacting with people, only thinking

about rolling around in her room, a useless and incurable person But Raynesia didn't mind Krusty

knowing all this right now

But there was one thing if possible No, one thing sheof

embarrassment when she ith Krusty

”Please”

She took Krusty's hand for a round once more

This was Akiba

It was now late at night, but the lights in the streets were still burning bright, the light which looked like a

bonfire froht sources The seven bonfires in the city square were

orange, the streetlights were yellow, the hts were phosphorescent white

”That Thank you very much”

Raynesia thanked hi elsewhere A group

approached them hastily, they had a brand on their clothes similar to that on Krusty's cape

Krusty greeted the group and turned towards the young irl

down

”shi+roe-kun, can you help her with her dressing and schedule?”

”Of course, but is it okay with you?”

”I have no choice, let's steel ourselves”

After talking to the young roup that had similar brands as him and

the griffon took off at the same time

Raynesia felt lost as the young man shi+roe spoke to her

”Princess Raynesia, this is the first ti Horizon, this lady is

Akatsuki”

After shi+roe finished the introductions, the petite girl nae, seemed

like she kept to herself

”Please follow me”

shi+roe turned and started walking, the streets were filled with Adventurers and they see

about for some reason

Raynesia declared that she wanted to come to Akiba to convince the Adventurers, but she had no concrete

idea how to do that The Round Table Council should be so, from her

vague impression, she should first seek per the Adventurers one by one

Akiba was totally different from Maihama

Unlike the beautiful and gorgeous Maihama with fruit trees and crystals by the streets, this town seemed to

utilize the ruins of the centuries past She would be lost if she lost sight of the youngthe way,

so Raynesia focused on staying alert

A feave way to shi+roe and spoke a feords with him

before nodding and going off Raynesia thought that since shi+roe was chosen as a lieutenant of the

a in the Round Table Council

(But he is walking so fast)

The young girl Akatsuki was following effortlessly behind Raynesia heard before that the Adventurers

were very strong physically, but she never expected to experience this much difference

The young man named shi+roe covered his ear with one hand and talked to the air as he walked, probably

coic

They reached a gigantic black building shortly after

”shi+roe-dono!”

”Charasin-san, sorry foryou come so far”

There see in the lobby behind the door, one of them was dressed like a merchant

”This is Princess Raynesia”

”Hi! I heard about you, the daughter of clan Corwen I am a merchant Charasin, leader of the 8th District

Shopping Center”

The reeted Raynesia with a business smile But to

Raynesia who ca was both simple and practical

(This Adventurer seehtforward and dislikes hypocritical courtesies)

Raynesia responded with a graceful s 8th District

Shopping Center was a unique name, but from the way he introduced himself, it was probably a

prestigious family name in Akiba

”I am Raynesia from clan Corwen, please take care of me”

The merchant called Charasin blushed and averted his eyes, Raynesia was used to such a reaction

”And so, Charasin-san”

”Here”

” Eh, how should we do this, which one should we choose I was thinking sorabs

your eyes, we need to move everyone with the first impression Do you have the full set of 'Valkyrie

Mail'?”

”Hs for that set Will it be okay?”

But this sense of ease did not last too long The youth shi+roe and Charasin started to discuss so,

Raynesia didn't understand the content, but she could not pretend not to hear anything

”Yeah, no probleood if we push it to this level Please prepare

a set, I have the cape so you don't need to prepare that Can you choose a suitable weapon? A 1-handed

sith a beautiful design, any equipment below level 4 will do Akatsuki, can you rent a room for

an hour, it will be fine even if it is small No, the attack power doesn't matter, it just needs to look

good”

Following that were scenes of shame and confusion

Raynesia was brought to a simple room Stripped and adorned with battle equipment with the help of the

young girl Akatsuki

Most nobles changed their clothes with the help of their maids and Raynesia was the same, she didn't

resist being naked in front of others

The source of her sha battle armor

Firstly, it was as light as feathers

Breastplate and a shi+rt made from thin shi+ny silver chains

Gauntlets antly on it as if they were the works of elves

But the problem was the chain armor around her waist

The arhs and you could see her legs down to her knees Showing

your arn for dresses, but clothes that showed off your thighs seear,

Raynesia (probably) never wore so like this before

Akatsuki said simply: ”The skirt I will help you wear” But instead of a skirt, it looked more like a belt

with a scarf sized cloth

(MyAnd the breastplate's shape is so real, how should I put this, it seems a bit

inflated)

As Raynesia was stunned by this, Akatsuki hung a sword on her waist and tightened all the straps all over

her body All ar so you would not feel its weight

Froical armor, Raynesia was impressed But the

curves of her body were also showing and she could not bear to watch

Raynesia thought her figure was not bad, but this set of arination Raynesia

moaned

”Ermm Akatsuki-san? If I wear it like this, the curves of my body are a bit”

”You are tall enough, so bear with it”

Raynesia was too inti

Akatsuki took out a cohtened Raynesia's hair beautifully Her actions were more smooth and

delicate than anymore and more tense

It irl had been strangely agitated from just now

Akatsuki grabbed the procrastinating Raynesia and dragged her outside where shi+roe and Charasin were

waiting The 2 of the all this time Raynesia

attempted to hide behind the short Akatsuki, Charasin s her

This expression of lauding frohts' and bureaucrats' But shi+roe seemed

to just have the expression of so Raynesia entered shi+roe's name into her

mental note of someone to look out for

”Charasin-san, it is pretty good right?”

”Yes, I think she is beautiful”

” Thank Thank you for your compliment”

Raynesia almost pulled up her skirt to do a curtsy but she restrained herself The cloth she earing

(she didn't want to recognize this as a skirt) was too short to pull

”Now, let's proceed to the h hopes for the princess”

shi+roe's words and smile sent a chill down her spine for some unknown reason, but she could only nod

now

Part 2

And so

”Thank you everyone for gathering here so early in theHorizon The time

is non, the war is co upon us, let me explain our situation”

It was dawn

The city square was full of Adventurers, the numbers were uncertain, but from the crowds jam-packed in

the city square, there should be more than a thousand

Akiba central city square

The debris in the city square had been cleared in the past few months, it was now 20 more spacious

than before the Catastrophe When Elder Tales was still a game, the debris was just part of the

iround, but now they could be moved or destroyed

There were still shops open at this unearthly hour, the stores had been refurbished and looked very clean,

Akiba look more vibrant and lively

Raynesia did not know these details, she only felt this was a city full of life The sun had just started

rising in the east and yet there were so athered here For Raynesia who had not

been through any battles, this was an unusual sight

And those gathered here were not just huhts

There were elves, dwarves, even carpenters and s of

nobles, the stalls peddled their food and drinks to the crohich seemed to be the norm in this city

Raynesia did not know the Round Table Councilby on shi+ft had made all

the preparations after shi+roe contacted thee, and

parking the 'secret weapon' beside Akiba's riverbank had all been done

Raynesia as staying inside the tent next to the stage could only see the Lumiere called by the

Su the podium

They were using the valuable ehand This went against the

common sense of Raynesia, but the contents of the speech made her even more lost

” Because of these reasons, centered around Sand Leaf peninsula, in the northern hills and forests of the

Kanto region, there is an ar the surrounding areas

There are several Adventurers in Sand Leaf reporting about this attack The governing organization in

Kanto, the League of Freedo to the analysis of the

Round Table Council, this threat is just a threat, the League of Freedom Towns Eastal will not be wiped

out if we leave the force this number is

equivalent to the destruction of theirout all the People of the

Land”

The report shi+roe was reading out was more detailed than that of the nobles and he was merciless in his

speech If Raynesia was not wrong, his words had hidden poisonous barbs

But the scene that amazed Raynesia the most was not shi+roe's attitude, but the comprehension in the eyes

of all the Adventurers listening

From what she could observe from the tent, not one person looked bored or confused Some of them even

opened up pieces of paper, probablydown the important points in the speech

This was a scene that made Raynesia, one of the People of the Land, aathered

here equivalent to peasants? Why did they have so much comprehension skills?

Raynesia thought that the Adventurers gathered here were just common soldiers, but their comprehension

level surpassed that of officers, and was on par with the bureaucrats of the courts There were so many

people with e, and they seemed to know the political situation of the

League of Freedom Towns Eastal, this almost made Raynesia fall down in shock

What were nobles? What were peasants? What were farmers?

The worldview in Raynesia's heart had been shattered

”On the other hand, we feel that defending Akiba fro simple apart from food,

this city is very self-sufficient and even h

defense capabilities, it is not necessary for us to aid the League of Freedom Towns Eastal In terms of

gain and losses, we do not need to help them, let me repeat, we absolutely do not need to send aid I

hope everyone will listen to the words fro this in mind”

It was as though everyone present gulped

When ether, they would create a certain warmth In the heat of the silence, shi+roe

looked to the tent and pointed to this 'person'

”Ah?”

Sorabbed Raynesia's hand while she was stunned

She turned around and saw Krusty in a sky-blue armor, she was not sure if it was for ceremonial or

practical use Krusty had his usual gentle expression and se”

”Eh? Eh?”

”Come”

Krusty dragged her out of the tent and a sudden bright white light shone onto the city square

It was the light of dawn, the first ray of sunlight in thethe whole square from the

east

In the coolbreeze of the summer, Raynesia was suddenly pushed forward

This was the center of the stage, the forefront where there was no escape

Raynesia felt hot as she cae and did not knohat to say or do In front of her were several

thousand Adventurers, a being that was different from the People of the Land Even if they had the same

fore, they were fundamentally different creatures

She could feel this from her short contact with them

Her lips were treth

A sharp sound caht

She turned and saw Krusty with his calel He stuck his twohanded

axe into the floor and placed both his hands onto its handle The sound just noas the axe

hitting the floor

This was followed immediately by a dull thud fro a

ceremonial pewter staff that was taller than him vertically like a spear shi+roe didn't have the staff a

o

With Krusty and shi+roe on either side of her, Raynesia took a step forward on the stage Her temperature

was rising gradually, the scenery in her eyes was changing its shape, but her thoughts were unexpectedly

clear Her breathing was so loud that it irritated her, and she could strangely hear the conversation of the

Adventurers chatting softly in a corner clearly

” Everyone, this isall of you, I am one of the People of the Land I am a resident of

the League of Freedo Maihama My name is

Raynesia Elart Corwen, I ca a request for everyone”

Her voice was so clear she surprised herself

Raynesia's words reached every corner of the city square in theair

”Just as shi+roe-sareat crisis I announce without any reservation that

the guardians of Yaht now The League of Freedom Town

Eastal will need to handle this crisis theest ever in history,

and they are advancing fast They are already within the sphere of influence of the League of Freedom

Towns Eastal The People of the Land have city walls, ic barriers, and soldiers, but how effective our

defenses will be is still an unknown Even at this moment in time, my fellow People of the Land are

polishi+ng their blades and fortifying the walls in preparation for war But even with all these efforts, we

cannot avoidmajor sacrifices to protect our homelands”

Raynesia threw her gaze far away

What she saas not the crowd before her, but the scene a few hours ago

”It ue of Freedom Towns Eastal has not come to a consensus even at

this critical stage Before I arrived here, they were still arguing selfishly for the safety of their own

territories and were reluctant to send aid to each other Not only that”

Raynesia hesitated at this point

But she was unable to stop

”Not only that, we are wishfully thinking about pushi+ng the holy task of defending our homeland to the

Round Table Council's a to rely on the immortal Adventurers, rely on

everyone here for help, hoping to use everyone's battle power to protect our lives and territories I am not

worthy of apologizing on their behalf But I am deeply sorry, and I also feel remorse over one more

thing The thing is, I am here today to raise the same willful request”

Raynesia did not notice the bright purple cape and 'Valkyrie Mail' that shi+roe chose complemented

Raynesia's feht was the ie of a valkyrie that

everyone respected and adored

Raynesia did not realize this

When she made her plea to the Adventurers, shi+roe turned his head slightly and gave Krusty a look

Krusty gave a bitter smile and an expression of resistance

”Both the League of Freedom Towns Eastal and I do not have much to offer in terms of rewards

Everyone is living in such a prosperous city, I do not knohat to prepare to give as thanks, and I don't

want to use worldly itehter of the Corwen family, I

love Maihaation to protect my nation that's why I have come here before

everyone today”

Deluding the their own interests was indeed

shameful

Raynesia fell to her knees naturally and gave a deep bow

If the Adventurers present were knights or bureaucrats, or in other words nobles, she wouldn't lower her

head this way In the culture of nobility, a lady was treated as a valuable iteh status

was their top protection priority

But she learned one thing after knowing Krusty, the Adventurers were not the same

With her title, she would also be respected as a noble in Akiba But she would not have a group of people

attending to her needs which was the norm in nobility culture, she would at most receive the 'respect' of

the people on the street

This was a heterogeneous city

She would not receive the princess-level of attention she was so used to in this city But she would also

not be discriminated at all like a lady in a noble's social circle

The wohts

She was treated kindly, would receive all sorts of gifts, and be given numerous compliments and hollow

words of admiration

She just needed to frown slightly and the young knights would present her with the most valuable

her as an individual to adore

They were just after her as a 'noblewo the nobles, that's why

she was treated with care

A 'noblewoem in the noble's social circle, she was a 'noblewoman' who came

with a guarantee of high pedigree, she was just a top-class trophy

Raynesia who spent her days brooding in her room was more aware of this than anyone else, and she

understood that she was powerless to deny this fact

”I ao to the battlefield, so, if you are able to, if it

is fine with you, will you be willing to go withto help me based on your kindness

and freedom? I wish to do all I can to protect the 'Freedom of the Adventures'”

(Even if I say that Even if I want to protect their freedom)

She was a member of the Corwen family, but she did not have such authority because she was born a girl

She could plea with her father or grandfather to buy clothes or jewelry for her, she could grant

testimonials to one or two Adventurers and she could hold dinner parties

But she had no further political powers

Raynesia also thought she was giving an empty promise

But instead of saying it was a lie, it was more like her aspiration

Krusty was the first one to acknowledge she had the freedom to take to the battlefield, Adventurers

probably had never doubted the freedo this Raynesia wanted to protect their freedom For

Raynesia who never had such freedom all these years, this was the first time she had such an aspiration in

her heart

”I sincerely ask everyone to help me”

As she finished her speech in a whi In the middle of the city

square, a group of people in blue with a coat of arms on their cloaks clashed their weapons and shi+elds

and stomped their feet

A cohts in black armor unsheathed their swords and swore to take to the battlefield; on the

open balcony of a ruin a band of elves with bows on their backs sounded their war horns; dwarves

holding axes howled htily in the crowd

Werecats, wolf fangs, foxtails, and other minorities did not seem to be discriminated in this city

(Ah)

Krusty walked to Raynesia's side while she was stunned, shi+roe was at her other side the next second

”And so, this city We will be sending out our first expedition ar is level

40 and above This is a quest given by the Round Table Council, there is only one reward, the gratitude

and respect of this People of the Land onstage Co to take up the quest please ride

for Maiha the crisis of this situation, ill also be sending a blitz force against the

enemy The formation of parties will be done while on the move, I hope everyone will cooperate I am

Krusty and I will be the commander-in-chief for this expedition army”

”The role of tactician will be taken by me, shi+roe Within 15the

blitz group through telepathy The e please head downstream of Akiba to

Akiba River and the experi for you there For the members who

do not receive theto the main expedition force, please head to the

registration counter situated at the city's east gate to collect your quest forms You can proceed as

instructed after being registered on the friend list of the registration staff There will be instructions for

the formation of parties while you make your way there, the preparation tiive

me your utmost support”

”Ah, ah”

An army of a thousand soldiers howled in front of the speechless Raynesia

”Why are you acting so lost and panicky?”

”How How can you say that, as a gentleentleman”

Raynesia's voice was tre as she couldn't find the words to say

The city square was full of the noises of ar, the words that shouldn't be

heard remained a secret Except for Krusty

Krusty extended his hand gracefully like a noble He and Raynesia were full of suspicion, overexertion,

andas their eyes met But to the bystander, they were the perfect couple s

beautifully at each other

Anyway, the expedition plan had been set

The ene towards the ruined capital Eastal from Sand Leaf

peninsula, nu over 10,000 And so, Akiba for

straight for Sand Leaf peninsula

Part 3

Minori's group headed towards Choushi+ in the

They were exhausted both physically and mentally, but their expressions were still spirited

Although it was only one night, the tense hours in the darkness sapped the energy of the 5 people in

Minori's group The consecutive battles froain several

levels

After going through radually became more polished They could

so even without saying anything

The 5 in Minori's group werein the forest, but they

did not let down their guard, watching each other's back and blind spots as they surveyed the

surroundings, but they maintained a peaceful atmosphere as they advanced

(I am still scared when I face battles, but)

Minori er fearful

Real fear was the feeling of dread flowing in your veins, o of your life,

this feeling was al up

In this world without death, giving up was equivalent to death But inversely speaking, you would still

stand a chance as long as you didn't give up, even if it was sha, there

would be a chance for things to get better if you stood up and fought

It was a bit late to call this

It should be close to afternoon

”hello! hello!”

As confir in an empty space behind the trees

In this alternate world, dirty equipped items will become clean automatically when they were repaired

All sorts of itenificant when you used it normally

Since it was insignificant, the visual cleanliness would correspond directly This was the logic behind

the equip clean when it was repaired

But since there was a set durability value, if you used the equiphly, the value would drop

Ar periods of battling, so there was a need to send

it to the blacksmith for repair periodically

The 4 in front of Minori were all veteran level 90 Adventurers, they were several times more powerful

than Minori They took advantage of their roup to

disrupt theuerrilla warfare

The formation centered around 2 Swashbucklers roup

”Doing okay? Hi Tohya, did you protect everyone?”

”Teacher Naotsugu, I did!”

Tohya gave a standard bohile Naotsugu rubbed his head