ã€ŠGrimgal of Ashes and Illusionã€‹


 Volume 1 - Prologue

    LEVEL 1 : A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    ¡°Awaken.¡±

    It was as if he could hear someone calling to him, and the boy opened his eyes.

    It was dark. Nighttime maybe? But it wasn¡¯t pitch black; there was light. A flame¡ªabove his head. A flame had been lit. A candle. Not just one candle, but a series of small candles spaced in even intervals in a line along the wall that seemed to stretch on forever. Where was this?

    It was hard to breathe for some reason. He touched the wall and found it hard and rough. It wasn¡¯t a wall really, it was rock, and, like what one would expect from sleeping on rocks, his back and bottom were sore. Maybe he was in a cave? It sure felt like it. A cave? Why was he in a cave?

    The candles had been placed fairly high above him, but if he stood up and stretched out his hands, he probably would have been able to reach them. However, it was dark enough that he could only see an arm¡¯s length in front of him and almost nothing beneath his feet.

    He could sense other presences there with him. If he listened carefully, he could hear the faint sound of breathing. Other people? What would he do if it were something else? He didn¡¯t know but it would be terrible. But in a way, the sound seemed to be that of other people.

    ¡°Is there someone else here?¡± he called out, tentatively and a bit fearfully.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The reply came immediately. A male voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± another voice, female, answered.

    ¡°Um,¡± another male voice said in response.

    ¡°I thought so,¡± someone else said.

    ¡°How many are here?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try counting?¡±

    ¡°More importantly, where¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    ¡°Does no one here know?¡±

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±

    He was confused. What was this? Why was he here? Why? How long had he been here already?

    The boy clutched tightly at his chest as if he were trying to tear something out. He didn¡¯t know. How long had he been here, why was he here? When he thought about it, it seemed like some part of his brain was close to grasping the answer, but it would quickly vanish before he could catch hold of it. He didn¡¯t know. It irritated him. He didn¡¯t know anything.

    ¡°Can¡¯t just sit here forever,¡± someone said. A male voice, husky and low.

    He could hear the sound of pebbles being ground underfoot. It seemed like the speaker had stood up.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± a female voice asked.

    ¡°Going to try following the candles down this wall,¡± he replied, completely matter-of-factly.

    Wasn¡¯t the guy afraid? Why wasn¡¯t he more upset? The man, standing two candles¡¯ distance away, was quite tall. He could see a little of the man¡¯s head, illuminated by the candlelight. His hair wasn¡¯t black¡ªit was silver.

    ¡°I¡¯m going too,¡± one of the girls stated.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m going too,¡± another person said. A male¡¯s voice.

    ¡°H-hold on! Then so will I!¡± Another boy said.

    ¡°There¡¯s also a path the opposite way,¡± someone else said. The voice was a little highly pitched, but probably a guy. ¡°No candles though.¡±

    ¡°If you want to go that way, no one¡¯s stopping you,¡± the silver haired boy said dismissively, walking on.

    It seemed like everyone was following the silver haired guy. If so, the boy should too. He had no desire to be left behind alone and hurriedly got to his feet. He walked along stiffly, one hand feeling along the stone wall. The ground wasn¡¯t smooth, but somewhat uneven, though it was still relatively easy to traverse.

    There were people in front of and behind him, but he had no idea who they were. From their voices though, he was guessing that everyone was rather young. Even if it¡¯s just a person or two, maybe there¡¯s someone here I know¡­ he thought.

    Someone he knew? An acquaintance? A friend? Odd. No one came to mind. No, that wasn¡¯t it. More accurately, it was as if the faces connected with the words ¡®acquaintance¡¯ or ¡®friend¡¯ were just about to surface in his mind, but vanished before he could grab hold of them. He didn¡¯t know. It wasn¡¯t just his friends, but even his family. It didn¡¯t feel as if the memories were lost to him. It felt more as if they slipped his mind when he should have been able to remember them.

    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s better just to not think about it,¡± the boy said to no one in particular.

    A reply came from someone behind him. Definitely a young girl¡¯s voice. ¡°Not think about what?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. Nothing really. It¡¯s¡­¡±

    Nothing? Really? Was it really nothing? What was ¡°it¡±?

    The boy shook his head. At some point, they seemed to have stopped moving. Keep walking. They needed to keep walking. It was better not to think about anything. He got the feeling that the more he tried to remember, the more he would come to forget.

    The row of candles continued. When they would end, he did not know. How far had they walked? Probably a good distance. Maybe not far at all. He couldn¡¯t tell. He had lost all sense of time and extent.

    ¡°There¡¯s something here,¡± someone ahead of him said. ¡°It¡¯s bright. A lamp?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gated,¡± Silver-Hair said, to which someone else replied, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the way out!¡±

    Instantly the boy¡¯s feet felt lighter. Even though he couldn¡¯t see anything, he had a feeling they were going the right way. Everyone¡¯s pace quickened and soon enough they could see it. Brighter than any candle, it was a lantern hanging off the wall. The light it gave off was illuminating something that indeed looked like a gate.

    Silver-Hair placed a hand on it and gave it a hard shake. On top of his hair color, he was dressed like some kind of teenage gangster too. ¡°I¡¯m gonna open it,¡± Silver-Hair stated, and when he gave it a yank, it opened with a creak.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± several people cried at once.

    ¡°Can we get out from there?¡± said a girl, directly behind the guy. Her attire was rather flashy, gaudy even.

    Silver-Hair took a few steps forward through the gate. ¡°Stairs. We can go up.¡±

    The stairs led into a narrow, moldy smelling corridor that further led to another stone staircase. There were no candles, but light was filtering in from somewhere above. Everyone formed a line and ascended one step at a time. At the top there was another gate, but this time it wouldn¡¯t budge.

    Silver-Hair banged on it several times with a fist. ¡°Anyone there? Open the gate!¡± he bellowed. He sounded quite angry.

    The Gaudy-Girl behind him joined in, shouting at the top of her lungs. ¡°Is anyone there?! Open the gate!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Open the gate!¡± The person behind them, a boy with short, messy hair, shouted as well.

    Something happened shortly after. Silver-Hair took his hand off the gate and backed away slightly. It looked like someone had come. Gaudy-Girl and Messy-Hair had also fallen silent. The sound of tumblers falling into place could be heard, and the door opened.

    ¡°Get out,¡± someone said. Somehow, the boy knew it belonged to the man who had unlocked the gate.

    The stairs led into a room built with stone. There were no windows, but lamps kept the room brightly lit. Along with the stairs that had led up here, there was another set of stairs that went to another floor. The room itself had an overall primitive appearance and smelled of must; it didn¡¯t look like anything out of the present day and age. The man who had opened the gate was dressed strangely as well. And by strangely, it meant that the things covering the entirety of the man¡¯s body weren¡¯t clothing. They were made of metal and¡­ Was that actually¡­ armor?

    And the thing that was covering the man¡¯s head¡­ the boy really wanted to call it a war helm. The object hanging at the man¡¯s waist, it wasn¡¯t a stick. Possibly a sword? Armor, helm, and sword. What time and age was this? Or considering everything else, should that have been the least of his worries?

    When the armored man pulled on something mounted to the wall, the walls and floor trembled slightly, and a heavy sound reverberated throughout the room. A portion of the wall moved, opening up slowly. The stone of it sunk away and a rectangular hole appeared in its place.

    ¡°Get out,¡± the armored man said once more, thrusting his chin towards the other side of the opening.

    Silver-Hair went first, followed by Gaudy-Girl. Everyone else followed in succession, as if being pulled along, stepping outside. OUTSIDE. This time, they really were outside. Was it dusk or dawn? The dimly sky stretched on endlessly in all directions. They stood on a moderately high hill, and behind them, a huge tower soared aloft. Was that the building they had been in only moments before? Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that they had been underneath it¡­

    Counting the number of people present, there were eight boys including Silver-Hair, Messy-Hair, and himself, and four girls including Gaudy-Girl for a total of twelve in all. It was still dark so he couldn¡¯t quite make out everyone¡¯s features, but build, clothes, hair styles, and general facial features were visible. The boy didn¡¯t recognize a single person here.

    ¡°That looks like a city,¡± someone said. He had silky hair and a slender physique. He was pointing to something beyond the hill.

    Looking in that direction, the boy could see buildings clustered closely together. A city. It certainly looked like one, at least. It had to be a city. Surrounding it was a tall fence¡ªno, not a fence. A towering, sturdy looking wall.

    ¡°It looks more like a castle than a city,¡± a skinny boy wearing black framed glasses said.

    ¡°A castle,¡± the boy whispered to himself. Why did his voice sound like it was not his own?

    ¡°So¡­ where is this?¡± a petite, shy seeming girl directly behind him inquired, nervously.

    ¡°No use asking me, dunno,¡± the boy replied.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. Does anyone know? Where are we?¡±

    No one knew anything. Unless everyone was conspiring to give Shy-Petite Girl trouble or was hiding the information for some reason, no one had the slightest idea.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Messy-Hair said, sifting his hands through it.

    ¡°Ah!¡± said another boy wearing a striped jersey, as he clapped his hands together. He had a sort of happy-go-lucky air about him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask him, the armored guy that was standing guard?¡±

    Everyone turned their attention to the door. It was then they all noticed. The doorway was getting narrower and narrower. Stone was rising from the ground, sealing the opening off bit by bit.

    ¡°Hold on a¡ª¡± The Happy-Go-Lucky boy rushed over to it in a panic but didn¡¯t make it in time. The doorway disappeared and it was now impossible to tell it apart from the rest of the wall. ¡°Hold on, how¡¯s that possible? Whoever¡¯s doing this, just quit it already¡­¡± he said, brushing his hands over the wall¡¯s surface, banging on it with both fists. Nothing happened.

    Soon, he gave up and slumped to the ground.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be good,¡± a girl with long hair tied into twin braids said. She pronounced her words slightly off, with the accent on the wrong syllables.

    ¡°Is this for real?¡± Messy-Hair was squatted down, head between his knees. ¡°Seriously? Seriously¡­?¡±

    ¡°And, there they are, perfectly on time!¡± A girl¡¯s shrill voice echoed around them.

    Who was that? There were four girls. Gaudy-Girl, Twin-Braided Girl, Shy-Petite Girl, and finally a girl even smaller than her, probably less than 4¡¯9¡±. The shrill female voice didn¡¯t seem to belong to the Gaudy-Girl, Twin-Braided Girl, or the Shy-Petite Girl. It probably wasn¡¯t Super-Small Girl¡¯s voice either.

    ¡°Everyone appeared, huh, came to visit, huh. Where, you say? Here, I say!¡±

    ¡°Where?!¡± Happy-Go-Lucky shouted, jumping to his feet.

    ¡°Doooon¡¯t rush, doooon¡¯t shout, doooon¡¯t let your hair down, doooon¡¯t pull your hair out!¡± For some reason the voice seemed to be coming from behind the tower. ¡°Cha-lalalalalaaan, cha-lalalalalaaan, lalan¡­¡± Humming a tune, another girl poked her head out from the side of the tower. Her hair was tied into bunches, in a kind of country-girl fashion.

    ¡°Hello. How are you. Welcome to Grimgal. I¡¯m Hiyomu, please allow me to be your guide. Pleased to meet you. Nice to meet you too? Kyapeeeee¡ª¡±

    ¡°The way she talks pisses me off,¡± a boy with a buzz cut said, his jaws clenched so hard his teeth ground together.

    ¡°Wah!¡± Hiyomu shrank back for a second then popped her head out again. ¡°Very scary. Very frightening. Please don¡¯t be thaaaaaaaat mad. Okay? Okay? Okay? Okay?¡±

    Buzz-Cut boy clicked his tongue at her. ¡°Then don¡¯t piss me off!¡±

    ¡°Unnnnnderstoooooood¡ª!¡± Hiyomu leapt out from under the tower and curtsied in front of everyone. ¡°Hiyomu will mind her manners from now on! Carefully mind her manners! Is this okay? This is okay? Kyoheee¡ª!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose!¡±

    ¡°Oops, they figured it out! Whoops, oops, please don¡¯t get mad, please don¡¯t hit, please don¡¯t kick, Hiyomu doesn¡¯t like pain, in general she wants to be treated kiiiiiiiiiiiiindly. So, can I go on with the conversation? Can I do my job?¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and get on with it,¡± Silver-Hair said in a low voice. Unlike Buzz-Cut boy, he didn¡¯t look obviously angry; however, the sound of his voice was rather threatening.

    ¡°Well then.¡± Hiyomu smiled broadly. ¡°I¡¯ll get on with my job, okay?¡±

    The sky was getting brighter with every passing moment and it was already much brighter than just moments before. It wasn¡¯t dusk; it was morning. The night was turning into dawn.

    ¡°For now, pleeeeeeeeease come with me. Or I¡¯ll leave you behind¡ª¡±

    Hiyomu¡¯s ponytails swung from side to side as she walked towards them. A road led from the tower to the bottom of the hill. To either side of the well-trodden black dirt road were clumps of grass, and in the grasslands around the hill, a great number of large white rocks lay strewn on the ground. Their quantity was excessive and they looked like they were organized into some sort of pattern, like someone had purposely placed them there.

    ¡°Hey, are those¡­¡± Messy-Hair pointed to the rocks. ¡°Would those happen to be gravestones?¡±

    The boy shuddered. Now that Messy-Hair had mentioned it, it did seem that there were letters carved into the stones. Some stones even had flowers placed in front of them. Graves. Could this entire hill be a cemetery?

    Hiyomu, making her way to the front of the group, didn¡¯t bother to turn around to look at him. ¡°Hehehehe,¡± she giggled. ¡°Maybe. Who knows. But no worries now, no need to worry now. It¡¯s not anyone here¡¯s time yet. It¡¯s great that it¡¯s not anyone¡¯s time yet, right? Ehehehehe¡­¡±

    Buzz-Cut boy clicked his tongue at her again and kicked at the ground. He looked pretty angry, but seemed to intend to follow Hiyomu wherever she was leading them. Silver-Hair was already following behind her and Glasses-Boy, Gaudy-Girl, and Super-Small Girl were following.

    Happy-Go-Lucky shouted, ¡°Oy! Oy! Me too, me too! Me too!¡± And began chasing after Silver-Hair, only to trip and fall.

    It didn¡¯t look like there was any other option but to follow, but where was Hiyomu intending to take them? Where was this? The boy sighed and turned his gaze towards the sky. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± He squeaked.

    What was that?

    It was hanging pretty low in the sky, but it couldn¡¯t have been the sun. It was too big to be a star and besides, it had already begun to wane. The shape was something between a half-moon and a crescent moon. Speaking of which, maybe it was the moon. But if it were, that would be strange too¡­

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s crimson.¡±

    The boy blinked several times and looked again. No matter how many times he looked, it was the hue of red ruby. Behind him, Shy-Petite Girl gasped. He looked back and saw that she was gazing at the moon as well.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Twin-Braided Girl seemed to have noticed too. She forced herself to blink a few times then chuckled softly. ¡°O moon-sama, you¡¯re so crimson red~yan. So very beautiful.¡±

    The silky-haired boy looked up at the crimson moon hanging in the dawn sky and his expression turned to one of amazement.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Messy-Hair said with a wide-eyed stare.

    An excessively large but seemingly mild-mannered boy grunted in a low tone out of admiration.

    The boy didn¡¯t know where this was, where he was from, or how he got here. He couldn¡¯t recall anything related to that. But there was only one thing that he was absolutely certain of. Where he was from, the moon wasn¡¯t crimson. A place that was not here.

    A moon that was crimson was¡­ unearthly.

 Volume 1 - CH 1

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 1: Without Knowing Anything

    There were areas where buildings made of stone lined the streets and there were areas filled with nothing but wooden ones. The cobblestone street was full of so many twists and turns that it was difficult to see where it led. Muddy water flowed down narrow waterways along both sides of the broad road, but not in any great amount. Now and then, a stench that might have been human waste filled their noses, but after a while of walking no one seemed to notice it anymore.

    Hiyomu led the group of twelve into the city that had been visible at the top of the hill. According to her, the town was called Altana. The group passed a large number of what appeared to be the residents, as might be expected in a city, even though it was still quite early in the morning. The townsfolk stared at the newcomers as if they were exotic animals. But the opposite was also true, just because the townsfolk were all dressed so strangely. Their clothing was much simpler, with no decorations, and rather shabby compared to their own.

    ¡°Is this place¡­¡± Happy-Go-Lucky began. ¡°I mean, is this place like some foreign country?¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Messy-Hair tilted his head to one side as if that answered everything. ¡°A foreign country. Country? Hold on, which country am I from? Weird, I don¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t know my address either¡­ Why?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed yet?¡± Silver-Hair said in a low tone. ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything but my name either.¡±

    Something about the way everyone phrased it bothered the boy. Can¡¯t remember. The connotation was different than if it was simply something they had forgotten. Maybe like himself, when Silver-Hair tried to recall certain memories, they also disappeared before he could fully grab hold of them.

    ¡°Name?¡± Messy-Hair thumped his chest. ¡°My name¡¯s Ranta¡­ But errr, I don¡¯t remember anything else. My memories are gone? Seriously?¡± His tone came across as something the wise guy would say in a two-man comedy routine.

    ¡°Putting it that way¡­¡± And the boy felt himself beginning to playact the straight man. It had been unintentional, and he regretted it a little, but he couldn¡¯t stop now. ¡°Sounds like maybe you¡¯ve got amnesia¡­ or something¡­ probably¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± Ranta sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna play the straight man, do it with more¡ªyou know. Say your line with more confidence. Doing it in a half-assed way makes my retard act look weak and no one¡¯s laughing either. Whatever, I¡¯ll forgive you this time. And your name¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll¡­ ¡®forgive¡¯ me?¡± And Ranta was calling him a retard? Ranta¡¯s the one who sounded even more retarded, saying weird things like that. He didn¡¯t want to leave it just at that but¡­ name. What was his name? ¡°My name¡¯s¡­ Haruhiro. I think.¡±

    Messy-Hair, Ranta, toppled himself over in an exaggerated fashion. ¡°You think? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t even know your own name! We just went over this, right? This whole conversation¡¯s about remembering nothing but our names, remember?¡±

    This kid. This kid was exceedingly annoying, Haruhiro thought, eyeing Silver-Hair as he walked behind Hiyomu. What was the silver haired guy¡¯s name? He wanted to know but was too afraid to ask. Haruhiro was not looking to avoid asking Silver-Hair on purpose, but still he instead asked about the silky haired boy next to him. ¡°What about you?¡±

    Silky-Hair gave Haruhiro a smile. He seemed like an extremely composed, cool-headed person. ¡°I¡¯m Manato. Can I call you Haruhiro? No need be too formal right?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yeah, sure, that¡¯s fine. Can I call you by first name only too then?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind at all.¡±

    Manato grinned and Haruhiro returned it without thinking. Outwardly Manato seemed like a good guy, a trustworthy person. Meanwhile the brat¡¯s name was Ranta. As for Silver-Hair, he was too afraid to ask and Buzz-Cut Boy had a rather unfriendly demeanor. Haruhiro got the impression that Gaudy-Girl was from a completely different world and even though Glasses-Boy looked approachable enough, he found him hard to actually ask for some reason.

    What about Twin-Braided Girl, Shy-Petite Girl, and Super-Small Girl? Shy-Petite Girl was nearest to him and he had been wanting to strike up a conversation with her for a while now. For starters, maybe he should try asking her name. But when Haruhiro opened his mouth to ask, he began to get a little nervous.

    He gave a short cough. ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ye¡ªyes¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s uh, it¡¯s nothing really but, um, not that it¡¯s important and I don¡¯t mean to pry or anything¡ª¡±

    ¡°The name¡¯s Kikkawa!!¡± Happy-Go-Lucky loudly cut in, striking a queer pose. ¡°Forget about the boys though, let¡¯s start with the girls! How about getting to know each other, right now, all in one go?¡±

    Twin-Braided Girl tilted her head to the side. ¡°Or how about no.¡±

    ¡°Awww¡­¡± Happy-Go-Lucky, Kikkawa, was pathetically shot down in one blow.

    Haruhiro thought it kind of served him right, but thanks to that he also regained a little of his own composure. ¡°Erm, what¡¯s your name?¡± he asked Shy-Petite Girl, doing his best to make the question as direct and short as possible. ¡°I mean, it¡¯d be easier to talk with you if I knew. Well, easier than not knowing.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Shy-Petite Girl¡¯s gaze dropped and she tugged rather forcefully on her bangs, as if she were doing her best to hide her face behind her hair.

    Her features were all rather modest but there was something considerably cute about her face. There was definitely nothing to hide.

    ¡°My¡­ My name is Shihoru. My first name. Probably. Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s a bad habit. Sorry, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±

    Shihoru was trembling like a newborn baby deer. Was she really going to be okay? Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but be worried; she was the sort that he instinctively wanted to protect.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty tall,¡± Haruhiro said to a seemingly mild-mannered but giant of a guy. ¡°How tall are you?¡±

    The giant blinked, his expression rather vacant. ¡°Height? 5¡¯9¡±.¡±

    ¡°Five-nine!?¡± Ranta cut in. ¡°You mean that makes my over 5¡¯6¡± officially short?!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right¡­¡± the giant said. ¡°I think it¡¯s something like 6¡¯1¡±, maybe. Oh. My name¡¯s Mogzo. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Give me 5 inches right now, Mogzo!¡± Ranta demanded impossibly, poking him. ¡°If I get 5 inches from you, I¡¯ll be 5¡¯11¡± and you¡¯ll be 5¡¯8¡± and our places would be switched! Awesome, right?¡±

    ¡°I would if I could¡­¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t have anyone to blame but himself for having his conversation taken over again by Ranta. ¡°You¡¯re not over 5¡¯6¡±, you¡¯re only 5¡¯5¡±.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! And that¡¯s bad how? Judging by looks, you¡¯re the same as me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just under 5¡¯6¡± though.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such an ass! A jackass that discriminates against people because of one little inch!¡±

    ¡°You are seriously one bratty little kid.¡±

    ¡°Did you say something? I couldn¡¯t hear you. What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°Liar! You just called me a lying perverted fiendish bastard, didn¡¯t you! You can¡¯t fool my devilishly good ears! I heard what you said! You said, ¡®Go to hell, curly haired bastard¡¯!¡±

    ¡°I seriously didn¡¯t say anything like that.¡±

    ¡°And you called me curly! No one¡¯s allowed to call me that! The very word is banned!¡±

    ¡°I told you, I didn¡¯t call you that. Don¡¯t put words in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±

    ¡°I heard you! These devil¡¯s ears hear too much! I listen so much my ears get talked off! Whatever. For now, just remember this! I¡¯ll never forgive anyone who goes so far as calling me curly! It¡¯s the death penalty for anyone who does. Death!¡±

    ¡°Curly,¡± Silver-Hair said, turning around. ¡°You¡¯re making a scene. Shut it.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Curly Ranta seemed to shrink. ¡°I apologize. I will now stop talking.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you wouldn¡¯t forgive anyone who called you that,¡± Haruhiro said with a shrug.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Ranta said in a whisper. ¡°I¡¯m a man who chooses his time and place. They call me the Choice-Master. I¡¯ll become King of Decision!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay. Become whatever you want, King of Derision.¡±

    ¡°Not King of Derision, King of Decision! When I¡¯m king, I¡¯ll show you¡­¡±

    ¡°Curly.¡± Silver-Hair stopped and turned to look back at Ranta again. ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Ranta immediately went to his knees and bowed. ¡°I beg your forgiveness!¡±

    ¡°Instead of the Decision King,¡± Haruhiro said, gazing down at Ranta, ¡°why don¡¯t you aim to become the Prostration King?¡±

    ¡°Prostration King?! No way! No matter how good I¡¯m with prostrating myself, that¡¯s just too uncool!¡±

    ¡°Curly.¡± Silver-Hair¡¯s tone now had a dark edge to it. ¡°This is the third time.¡±

    Ranta again went to his knees, bowing so low his forehead touched the cobblestone road. ¡°I-I¡¯m super ultra sorry! Please forgive me. Pleeeeeease¡­¡±

    This guy¡¯s already the King of Prostration, Haruhiro thought, but kept it to himself. If he said anything, Ranta was going to have a retort at the ready and the conversation would never end. They walked on in silence until Hiyomu brought them to a halt in front of a two-storied stone building.

    Raised above the building was a flag with a red crescent moon on a white field, and the same symbol appeared on a signboard. ¡®Alt front my serve for son on¡¯ was written there, but something didn¡¯t look right. Upon a closer glance, he noticed that parts of the words were faded and some of the letters had fallen off.

    ¡°Tada!¡± Hiyomu pointed to the sign. ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived! This is that famous place! Altana Frontier Army¡¯s Reserve Force, Crimson Moon¡¯s Headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Crimson Moon,¡± Haruhiro breathed, looking at the sign once more. Indeed if the missing letters were added back in, it read: Altana Frontier Army Reserve Force Crimson Moon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go on in!¡± Prompted by Hiyomu, they entered the building to find that the inside looked much like a pub. The room was spacious, equipped with tables and chairs, and there was a serving counter at the back. Behind the counter stood a man with his arms crossed in front of his chest. No one else was present.

    ¡°This is where Hiyomu leaves you!¡± Hiyomu bowed to the man behind the counter. ¡°Bri-chan, would you be kind enough to explain to them the details so on and so forth like usual?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± the man called Bri replied simply, waving Hiyomu off with a hand, his belly flopping with the waving motion.

    ¡°Then if you¡¯ll excuse me, bye-bye!¡±

    The tension in the room seemed to increase after the door swung shut behind Hiyomu. Perhaps it was due to the way Bri was looking at them, as if conducting an inspection. No, not ¡®perhaps.¡¯ It was definitely because of Bri. He was odd. Very odd.

    Bri leaned forward, placed his elbows on the counter, and rested his chin atop folded fingers. Haruhiro noticed he had a cleft chin. Enough about that though, it was his hair color. Green. And that maybe he had lipstick on, but the color of his lips were black. That he had long, bushy eyebrows encircling blue eyes¡­ a gorgeous sky-blue, which made them remarkably frightening. That his face was covered very heavily with makeup and his cheekbones were highlighted with bright red blush.

    But no matter how Haruhiro looked at him, he was definitely a man.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ very good,¡± Bri said, nodding. He straightened and continued, ¡°Welcome, young kittens. My name¡¯s Brittany. I¡¯m the commanding officer, or ¡®boss¡¯ if you will, of Altana Frontier Army¡¯s Reserve Force, Crimson Moon. You can call me ¡®commander¡¯ or Bri-chan. Whichever you use, make sure you use it affectionately, like a child to his mother. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Commander.¡± Silver-Hair strode up to the counter and tilting his head to one side, demanded, ¡°Answer me. I got that this place is called Altana. What¡¯s the Frontier Army? What¡¯s the Reserve Force? Why am I here? You know, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got spunk!¡± Bri remarked pleasantly, laughing. ¡°I like kids like you. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Renji. I don¡¯t like homos like you.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    What happened next, Haruhiro didn¡¯t quite catch. Bri¡¯s movements were not only fast, they were smooth as butter and almost casual.

    ¡°Renji. Let me give you some advice,¡± Bri had said, eyes narrowing to slits. But by the time Haruhiro realized what had transpired, Bri was holding the tip of a knife right under Renji¡¯s chin. ¡°No one who¡¯s called me a homo has ever lived long afterwards. You seem like a smart kid, so you should understand what I¡¯m saying. Want to keep pushing me?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Renji replied. Haruhiro gasped as Renji grabbed the knife with a bare hand. He was gripping it firmly enough in his fisted palm to keep it fixed in place; blood was running profusely from where the edge cut into the flesh below his thumb. ¡°I never had any intention of living a long life anyway, and it¡¯s not in my nature to back down to threats. If you intend to kill me, then kill me, Commander Homo.¡±

    ¡°Eventually¡­¡± Bri licked his black painted lips and stroked Renji¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll do you perfectly. Again and again. In a way you¡¯ll never forget.¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± Ranta whispered to Haruhiro, ¡°when he says ¡®do¡¯ he probably means a different ¡®do¡¯ than the usual do. Mostly likely.¡±

    ¡°How exactly is he going to ¡®do¡¯ him?¡± Twin-Braided Girl asked Ranta, expression confused.

    ¡°Err, that¡¯s uh, I mean¡­ He¡¯s gonna put ¡®it¡¯ in where it¡¯s not originally supposed to be put in. You know, the place where it usually comes out. You know what I mean? Right, Haruhiro?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me involved. You started this conversation, you take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cold. Are you anti-social or something? Your people skills are lower than absolute zero.¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey.¡± Happy-Go-Lucky Kikkawa inserted himself between Renji and Bri. ¡°Didn¡¯t you two just meet? There¡¯s no point in fighting over a misunderstanding. Let¡¯s just forgive and forget! Be happy and get along, okay? Okay? For my sake!¡±

    ¡°For your sake?¡± Renji scoffed, glaring at him. But nevertheless, he let go of the knife.

    Bri also withdrew the knife, wiping off the bloodied blade with a cloth. ¡°There always seem to be a few reckless ones in every group. Eight boys, four girls. A little short on girls, but I like it that way better anyway. Boys tend to be better at fighting, so no problem.¡±

    Manato¡¯s eyebrows narrowed. ¡°Fighting?¡±

    ¡°You heard me,¡± Bri chuckled softly. Actually, the sound kind of grossed Haruhiro out. ¡°Fighting.¡±

    ¡°This place is the reserve force¡¯s headquarters so¡­¡± Manato glanced downwards. ¡°We¡¯re volunteer soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Very good!¡± Bri applauded slowly. ¡°You show promise too. Precisely right. You can all become volunteer soldiers. Though you do have the choice to decline.¡±

    ¡°Choice-Master,¡± said Haruhiro, patting Ranta on the back. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Ah! Right! That¡¯s right! I¡¯m¡­ up?¡±

    ¡°You all can choose,¡± said Bri, flicking his index finger lightly at them. ¡°Take my offer or leave it. And my offer is this: Enlist as a member of Altana Frontier Army¡¯s Reserve Force, Crimson Moon. Well, to start you¡¯ll be trainees, meaning you¡¯ll be learning how to become self-sufficient soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Just what,¡± Gaudy-Girl asked, her expression frightened, ¡°do members of the reserve force do?¡±

    ¡°Fight, of course.¡± Bri flicked a hand in annoyance, as if reluctant to explain. ¡°Here on the frontier, we humans clash with the other races, and there are lots, and I mean lots, of things we call monsters. The frontier army¡¯s job is to kill those monsters and protect our borders. But to be honest, it¡¯s not an easy job. The frontier army has their hands full just maintaining Altana as a forward base. That¡¯s where we, the reserve force, come in.¡±

    ¡°In other words,¡± Glasses-Boy said, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, ¡°while the frontier army stays back and protects this city, the reserve force goes out to quell their numbers. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°To put it simply¡­¡± Bri said, putting his hands together then opening them in an impression of a blossoming flower. He was doing it to look cute, but in reality, it came off as rather disturbing. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re a part of the regular frontier army. Protecting the border isn¡¯t just about defending. Expeditions are sent out to hit our enemies where they lurk. However, these small-scale operations aren¡¯t for something the size of the regular army. Moving such a big force requires planning and preparation of logistics, supply lines, and such. That¡¯s where we¡¯re different.¡±

    Kikkawa nodded enthusiastically, perhaps excessively, at Bri¡¯s every word. ¡°And how¡¯re we different?¡±

    ¡°The reserve force.¡± Bri folded his hands and twiddled his fingers. ¡°We¡¯re mobile and adaptable. We scout, infiltrate, hit and run. We weaken the enemy¡¯s ability to fight. Even if we were to cooperate with the regular army, we wouldn¡¯t employ the same tactics. We¡¯re organized in small groups of about 3 to 6 people per group and each group uses their own wits, ability to collect information, and judgment when taking on enemies. This is what we, the reserve force Crimson Moon, do and how we operate.¡±

    ¡°And¡­¡± Renji flexed the fingers of his right hand. The bleeding seemed to have stopped. ¡°What if we were to refuse your offer to join?¡±

    Bri tilted his head to one side, and then thrust his hips back and forth. Was he trying to be funny or was he making a threat in some comical sort of way? Whatever it was, it was actually rather scary. ¡°Nothing. I said it before, you all can choose. If you choose not to become a member of the reserve force, you can leave here now and never come back.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I guess I¡¯ll pass,¡± said Ranta. He ran his hands through his disheveled hair. ¡°I still don¡¯t know exactly what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m a pacifist by nature.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Bri said. ¡°Bye then. Take care.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it!?¡± Ranta, who had been making his way to the door, stopped and turned on his heels. ¡°You¡¯re as cold as Haruhiro! But hold on a sec, if I were to leave now, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°I take no responsibility regarding that,¡± Bri laughed. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to become a member of Crimson Moon, you¡¯re free to go. If you decide to enlist as a trainee, you¡¯ll receive ten silvers from me. That¡¯s enough to live on for the time being, I think.¡±

    ¡°Silvers?¡± Manato¡¯s eyes widened as he searched his pockets for something. ¡°I forgot¡­ money.¡±

    Haruhiro searched the front and back pockets of his pants too and pulled his hands out empty. He had no money.

    ¡°Part-time job,¡± Ranta groaned, crumpling his face. ¡°Need to find a part-time job. Maybe. Temporarily¡­¡±

    ¡°Best of luck,¡± Bri said with an exaggerated shrug. ¡°Other available jobs are way more difficult than volunteer soldier. Even if someone were to hire you, your wages are so low you¡¯ll barely scratch out a living. You¡¯ll also start off as pretty much a slave-boy to your new master.¡±

    ¡°Guh,¡± Kikkawa smacked himself on the side of his head. ¡°I¡¯m no good at being a slave-boy. I guess there¡¯s no choice but to go the soldier trainee route?¡±

    ¡°I said it already, whether or not you enlist is up to every single one of you,¡± Bri said, pointing a finger at them all one by one.

    Renji heaved a long sigh. ¡°Then tell me, in practical terms, what I have to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Renji, you disappoint me. Weren¡¯t you listening? You fight enemies using your own wits, ability to collect information, and judgment. That¡¯s how we operate.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me, that we¡¯re supposed to figure out what we¡¯re supposed to do as trainees on our own?¡±

    ¡°In a nutshell,¡± Bri nodded, placing red colored coin-like objects and small leather pouches in a neat row on the counter, until there were twelve sets total. Bri picked up one of the coin-like objects, which portrayed a crescent moon in relief.

    ¡°This will serve as identification, and a symbol that you are a Crimson Moon trainee. This will be the only proof that you are a trainee, so don¡¯t lose it. Well, holding onto it all the time isn¡¯t a good idea either, but anyway, when you have the means to purchase your service contract for twenty silvers then you¡¯ll become a full-fledged Crimson Moon member with all related privileges and distinctions.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Buzz-Cut Boy said, rebelliously. ¡°You¡¯re making us pay money to enlist as volunteers?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Is there something wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unacceptable.¡±

    ¡°Would you be able to buy food or clothes or do anything without money? Don¡¯t complain about something because you have no money. If you don¡¯t like it, then go die in a field somewhere.¡±

    Renji grinned. ¡°Even when life is hell, it still costs money, eh?¡±

    ¡°¡®Hell¡¯?¡± Bri cocked his head to one side, unfamiliar with the word. ¡°Something like that, I suppose. Having said that, you will all need to figure out what you¡¯ll do and where you¡¯ll go from here for yourselves, but it would be wise to make your first priority the purchase of your Crimson Moon contracts.¡±

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Renji said, picking up a Crimson Moon coin and a leather pouch. ¡°Reserve force trainee or whatever, I¡¯ll do it and go from there.¡±

    Buzz-Cut Boy went after Renji, taking a red coin and leather pouch for himself. Gaudy-Girl, Manato, and Glasses-Boy did the same.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take one too, thankyouverymuch!¡± Kikkawa stated, picking up a coin and a pouch. He made to pick up a second pouch as well.

    ¡°Oy!¡± Bri scolded, slapping his hand away.

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t see any option but to enlist. But for what? He didn¡¯t know. Maybe for the money and to survive in this place? If joining Crimson Moon was the only way to earn money then he didn¡¯t see any other options, but a part of him didn¡¯t like it at all.

    Shihoru, Twin-Braided Girl, and Super-Small Girl all looked hesitant. So did Ranta and giant Mogzo. Bri¡¯s sky-blue eyes fell on them. ¡°And what about all of you?¡±

    ¡°I get this nagging feeling I¡¯m walking into some sort of trap,¡± Ranta muttered to himself while making his way to the counter.

    ¡°Where there¡¯s a will-a-will, there¡¯s way-a-way and where there¡¯s no will-a-will there¡¯s no way-a-way¡­¡± Twin-Braided Girl said, following Ranta.

    ¡°Um,¡± Haruhiro turned his head towards her. ¡°I don¡¯t think we say ¡®will-a-will or way-a-way¡­''¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Twin-Braided Girl turned to look at him while reaching out to grab the red coin and pouch. ¡°That¡¯s the way Yume remembers it though.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s the problem right there, then. The correct way to say it is ¡®where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. But isn¡¯t will-a-will and way-a-way so much cuter? Yume thinks cute is important too~yan.¡±

    ¡°¡­I guess that does raise your cuteness a few notches.¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± The Twin-Braided Girl, apparently called Yume, giggled with genuine happiness.

    While Haruhiro was talking to her, the super small girl had picked up her red coin and leather pouch as well. The only three remaining were Mogzo, Shihoru, and himself. For some reason, Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to end up last, so he took a coin and pouch too. As Haruhiro was checking the contents of his pouch, Mogzo slowly made his way over and took his share from the counter as well. Shihoru was the last to pick up hers.

    ¡°Congrats,¡± Bri applauded, putting on a smile for them. ¡°You are all Crimson Moon trainees now. Work hard and become independent as soon as possible, okay? When you¡¯ve become full members, you can even come back and talk to me if you have anything you feel like discussing.¡±

    Suddenly, there was a dull thudding sound accompanied by a grunt. When Haruhiro looked, he saw that Buzz-Cut Boy had fallen to the floor on his buttocks. It happened so fast, he hadn¡¯t turned in time to see anything, but it seemed that Renji had kicked Buzz-Cut Boy¡¯s legs out from under him. Tripped him on purpose? Why?

    ¡°Get up,¡± Renji said, face expressionless.

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing?!¡± Buzz-Cut Boy shouted as he scrambled to his feet. Renji shoved him back down, putting him on the floor on all fours.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Renji said. ¡°Get up.¡±

    ¡°Bastard, what the hell are you doing?¡±

    ¡°The moment you saw me, you had thought to yourself, ¡®Is he stronger than me or weaker than me?¡¯ I¡¯m about to show you. Get up.¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    Renji was waiting to attack the moment Buzz-Cut Boy tried to get up to his feet again. That much was obvious, even to a bystander like Haruhiro. All Buzz-Cut Boy had to do was block him. But no, Buzz-Cut Boy tried to dodge. Renji punched him before Buzz-Cut Boy could fully evade, then kicked him again. Renji grabbed him by the ears, pulled him up, and with a shout, kneed him in the chest. Not just once but several times in a row. Renji then took Buzz-Cut Boy¡¯s head in both hands and headbutted it with full force.

    There was a loud cracking sound and Buzz-Cut Boy slumped to the floor on one knee.

    ¡°You really are blockheaded,¡± Renji remarked, poking his forehead with a fingertip. Blood trickled down as Buzz-Cut Boy¡¯s forehead started turning red. ¡°Your name?¡±

    Buzz-Cut Boy was still down, one hand on the floor and the other across his knee. Probably, fully being down on all fours was not something he could bear.

    ¡°Ron. You¡¯re strong, you bastard.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty tough yourself. Join me, Ron.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. For now then.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. Who else¡­¡± Renji glanced around the room, his eyes stopping on Manato.

    Manato returned his gaze, his own eyes narrowing just the slightest bit.

    Renji looked away first and his eyes settled instead on Glasses-Boy. ¡°You look like you can fight. Come with me.¡±

    Glasses-Boy blinked several times and crossed his arms over his chest. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and gave a sharp nod, as if he were pulling his chin back. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m Adachi. Good to be on board, Renji.¡±

    Renji smiled crookedly, then his eyes fell on Haruhiro.

    What? Me? Is it possible that¡­ Haruhiro thought. Surprised, his heart seemed to leap in his chest. It was just that¡­ not only did Renji, by all outward appearances, look strong, but he had proved it judging by the way he had beaten Ron so easily. He also had the ability to think fast and take action. It seemed difficult to work with him without being in a constant state of fear, but if he could somehow get past that there was no doubt Renji was a person that got things done. If Haruhiro joined Renji¡¯s group, things from here on out would be a lot easier.

    Haruhiro admitted it: Yes, he wanted to join Renji¡¯s group. Very much so.

    But he was soon disappointed. Renji, the one central to the entire group, had turned his gaze elsewhere. Haruhiro had been passed up.

    ¡°You, runt.¡±

    ¡°Ay?¡± The Super-Small Girl squeaked. The smallest out of the twelve, and her voice was slight too.

    ¡°Come,¡± Renji gestured with a single hand. ¡®Chibi¡¯-chan looked confused but staggered over to Renji, then looked up at him. Renji patted her head.

    ¡°You seem like you¡¯ll be useful. Follow.¡±

    Chibi-chan nodded, ¡°¡­ay.¡± Her face was red, like the color of boiled octopus. It wasn¡¯t that she was attractive; it was more that her actions and presence were by themselves incredibly cute, like a mascot.

    But useful? Really? Renji had judged her to be more useful than Haruhiro. That irritated him and made him feel pathetic at the same time.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Renji said, gesturing with his chin towards the exit.

    As Renji, Ron, Adachi, and Chibi began to leave the gaudy-girl cried, ¡°Wait! Take me with you!¡±

    Renji heaved a short sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone I can¡¯t use.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything,¡± she said, clinging to him. ¡°I¡¯m Sassa. Please, I¡¯ll do anything you ask. Anything.¡±

    ¡°Anything, eh?¡± Renji said, pushing her away. ¡°Never forget those words.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t touch me without permission.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ understand.¡±

    ¡°Good. Come then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Renji!¡±

    Sassa opened the door and Renji¡¯s group filed out, Sassa leaving last. When the door closed behind them, only the seven rejects, the seven failures remained.

    ¡°Gah,¡± Kikkawa frowned, scratching his head. ¡°I wanted to be on Team Renji too. Renji and Ron are invincible in a fight, Adachi looks like a smart guy, Chibi-chan is adorable, and Sassa¡¯s sweet and a beauty. Such a good party. But no use complaining about it now, so I¡¯m going to go take a look around town. Bye bye!¡±

    And just like that, Kikkawa was gone. Haruhiro¡¯s eyes met Shihoru¡¯s for a brief moment before she looked away.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m going too,¡± Manato said, heading for the exit. ¡°Not going to learn anything by standing around here. I¡¯m going to take a look around and see what I can find out. See you guys later.¡±

    ¡°Right, see you,¡± Haruhiro said, waving him goodbye and at the same time wondering if it was better to follow. Unlike Renji, Manato was easier to approach and he seemed like a good guy; someone who could be depended on.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t care about Ranta, but what about Shihoru and Yume? What were they planning to do? And Mogzo was still here too. Oh, right. Maybe if they all followed Manato together¡­ but it was too late. Manato had already left. Though if they left now, it might not be too late to catch up.

    ¡°Hey, everyone, let¡¯s all follow Manato. It¡¯s no good staying here¡­¡± Haruhiro began to say when the door suddenly opened.

    Had Manato returned for them? Haruhiro thought, but no. The person who entered the building was a different man. He seemed older than Haruhiro and the others. His upper and lower body was covered with leather, on his head was some sort of feathered cap, and a bow and quiver were slung across his back. His eyes resembled those of a fox and his mouth was crooked.

    ¡°G¡¯afternoon, Commander.¡±

    ¡°My my,¡± Bri turned to the man. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Raghill. What happened? Is there something you need from me?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing from you,¡± the man called Raghill said, glancing at Haruhiro and the others. ¡°I heard that a new group just arrived.¡±

    ¡°Word sure travels fast. We only got twelve this time and only five are still here.¡±

    ¡°The dregs, huh?¡±

    Ranta¡¯s expression became stony. ¡°And that¡¯s a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be but bad?¡± Raghill said glaring at Ranta before turning his gaze to Haruhiro and the three others, sizing them all up briefly. ¡°Hmph. Our group¡¯s missing a tank, so you there, big guy. You¡¯ll do.¡±

    Mogzo pointed to himself. ¡°¡­Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you. Who else here is big and a guy? We¡¯ll let you join our party and teach you the ropes. As for money, we¡¯ll even loan you some. It¡¯s an amazing offer. If you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll take me up on it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Seriously, Mogzo? You¡¯re going to go with him?¡± Ranta grabbed Mogzo¡¯s left arm. ¡°Don¡¯t do it. It¡¯s obvious he can¡¯t be trusted¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not untrustworthy! Forget about him and just come with me!¡± Raghill pulled on Mogzo¡¯s other arm. ¡°It¡¯s unheard of for a trainee to get an invitation into a party. You should be thankful!¡±

    ¡°Uh, okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you, Mogzo! Untrustworthy bastards will never say that they¡¯re untrustworthy!¡±

    ¡°Uh, um¡­ ow¡­ that hurts¡­¡±

    Ranta let go. ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Raghill yanked on Mogzo with all his strength and dragged him out.

    Shihoru¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°¡­He¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°That leaves¡­¡± Yume counted them, pointing at each in order. One, two, three; Haruhiro, Ranta, Shihoru. Finally, herself. ¡°The four of us.¡±

    ¡°Just how long,¡± Bri said, stifling a yawn, ¡°do you all plan on being here? I¡¯m a busy person and I¡¯ve got work to do. If you¡¯re just going to stand there, I¡¯m going to throw you out.¡±

    Ranta, looking like a dog with its tail between its legs, turned to Haruhiro and the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Haruhiro replied, looking just as pathetic and defeated.

 Volume 1 - CH 2

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 2: Lost and Out of Options

    While it felt good to leave Crimson Moon¡¯s headquarters, where should he go from here? Even if learning more about Altana was the first step, Haruhiro and the others had no idea where to start. They didn¡¯t know anyone they could ask for help either. Renji¡¯s group, Kikkawa, Manato, and even Raghill and Mogzo were nowhere in sight. It seemed like everyone had gone their separate ways.

    Haruhiro, Ranta, Shihoru, and Yume stood outside Crimson Moon¡¯s headquarters in a daze for some time.

    Shihoru was the first to break the silence. ¡°¡­What should we do?¡±

    Why ask me? I¡¯m the one who should be asking you, Haruhiro wanted to snap, but in gentlemanly consideration to her being a girl, replied instead, ¡°Good question. What to do¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡­ should we do?¡± she repeated.

    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Ranta sighed heavily. ¡°You guys need to be more, you know, self-reliant or some phrase like that. Now isn¡¯t the time to be asking ¡®what to do, what to do¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Any ideas then?¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking really hard about it. What we should do, that is.¡±

    Yume giggled. ¡°So you have no idea either.¡±

    Ranta rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index finger. ¡°Damn straight I don¡¯t.¡±

    This honestly kind of sucked, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help thinking. Maybe Raghill was right, maybe they were the good-for-nothing leftovers. They were the four dregs who couldn¡¯t make any decisions, couldn¡¯t do anything on their own. It wasn¡¯t even like they decided to team up in the first place; they just sort of ended up all standing in front of the headquarters building with each other. Out of all the possible outcomes, this was probably the very worst.

    ¡°Mogzo¡¯s so lucky,¡± Ranta said, and inwardly, Haruhiro didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°Raghill seems like the shady sort, but he¡¯s a veteran. Mogzo¡¯s home free, maybe even having an easy time, joining up with a veteran party who knows their way around. Why did he get picked? I¡¯m the one that shoulda got picked. I¡¯m seriously way more useful. SERIOUSLY.¡±

    ¡°I dunno about that,¡± Yume said pleasantly, and Haruhiro added, ¡°I doubt it.¡±

    Ranta pointed an accusing finger at both of them in turn. ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because you have no idea what I can do! Don¡¯t forget this: I¡¯m a man of ability! I¡¯ve been famous as a man of hidden potential since birth!¡±

    ¡°Your potential wouldn¡¯t be very hidden if you were famous,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Minor details! You¡¯ll tire yourself out worrying about details all the time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of tiring myself out just by talking to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got no stamina at all, Haruhiro. Not useful at all. Nope, no good at all. No good, no good.¡±

    ¡°Says a guy whose only redeeming feature is his curly hair.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me curly!¡±

    ¡°I said redeeming feature. Curly hair is a strong point, right?¡±

    ¡°You really think so? Is curly hair really okay? I¡¯m not really convinced¡­¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s hair is straight~yan. Yume¡¯s always been jealous of naturally curly hair. Curly Ranta is great!¡±

    ¡°Really? Is my hair really that nice? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yep! Twisty hair means a twisty mind and it¡¯s adorable!¡±

    ¡°Adorable? I dunno about that, a guy being called adorable by a girl¡­ but it¡¯s not bad, I guess. Still, twisty mind makes me sound kinda like an idiot¡­¡±

    A small choked voice could be heard. Haruhiro turned and saw that Shihoru was hiding her face behind both hands, and her shoulders were trembling slightly.

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Ranta stared in surprise.

    Yume also looked over at Shihoru; she blinked. Of course, Haruhiro was surprised, too. Shihoru was crying.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong?¡± Haruhiro asked, extending a hand to place on her shoulder but stopping halfway. Maybe it wasn¡¯t a good idea to make physical contact. She was a girl, after all.

    ¡°¡­N-nothing.¡± Shihoru hiccupped. ¡°I just¡­ it¡¯s nothing¡­ I¡¯m just a little worried, that¡¯s all¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Haruhiro said.

    When he thought about it, he had nothing to say. Even under these circumstances, there the three of them were, bantering away without due gravity. At least Shihoru was saying what she really felt about the entire situation.

    ¡°There, there,¡± Yume gently patted Shihoru¡¯s back. ¡°Good girl, good girl, it¡¯s okay. Everything will be okay. How they¡¯ll be okay, Yume doesn¡¯t know, but¡­¡±

    Ranta frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not really reassuring¡­¡±

    Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to stand here and not do anything. Even if we stopped talking, it won¡¯t help. Maybe we should, you know, maybe¡­ There¡¯s got to be other veteran Crimson Moon members like Raghill around. Maybe we can look for someone like that and ask some questions.¡±

    ¡°In that case, go for it!¡± Ranta slapped Haruhiro on the back. ¡°Find someone quick and get info outta them! I¡¯ll leave it to you, Haruhiro!¡±

    ¡°How refreshingly original, making others do all the work.¡±

    ¡°Like a breath of fresh air!¡±

    ¡°You really piss me off.¡±

    ¡°To be totally blunt and honest, I don¡¯t really care about your feelings.¡±

    ¡°Asshole.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. It was your suggestion, so go do it. That¡¯s how things usually work,¡± Ranta stated. ¡°But fine, let¡¯s split the work then. Haruhiro, your job¡¯s to go find a Crimson Moon member and get information, Shihoru¡¯s job is to be all depressed, Yume¡¯s job is to make her feel better, and my job¡¯s to stay here and wait for you to come back!¡±

    ¡°Ranta, you really intend to just be lazy and stay here?¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m more than glad to do anything, but I don¡¯t wanna do anything that¡¯s not fun.¡±

    ¡°Having fun¡­ isn¡¯t the point.¡±

    ¡°But fun¡¯s the entire point! I¡¯m a guy whose entire goal in life is to enjoy life. If my life isn¡¯t enjoyable then it wouldn¡¯t be my life. What ¡¯bout you, Haruhiro? You¡¯re probably the don¡¯t-enjoy-life type, what with your sleepy eyes and all.¡±

    ¡°This is the way I¡¯ve looked since I was born!¡± It seemed that Ranta had another comeback ready to throw at Haruhiro, so he continued, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll look around for a Crimson Moon member.¡±

    ¡°Finally. Why didn¡¯t you just say so in the first place and save us all the trouble?¡±

    Haruhiro was tempted to snap back at him, but thought better of it. Guys like Ranta had a way of making you get your hands dirty. It just wasn¡¯t worth it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit, just wait here,¡± Haruhiro said to Yume and Shihoru instead and left the Crimson Moon headquarters behind. He still had no idea where he should go. The direction of the sun was probably east, so that meant over there was north, here was south, and west was that way.

    To the north, a huge castle-like tower soared into the sky. It made for a good landmark, so Haruhiro decided to head in the tower¡¯s direction for now. But it wasn¡¯t like he was here as a tourist, Haruhiro reminded himself. Was it a good idea to go there then?

    Haruhiro had no doubt that everything was going well for Renji¡¯s group. Manato was probably managing one way or another and the excessively happy-go-lucky Kikkawa was probably unreservedly questioning everyone in town. Haruhiro hoped that Mogzo hadn¡¯t been deceived by Raghill. If not, then Mogzo probably had the best start out of all of them.

    ¡°¡­Guess I have no choice but to find someone to ask,¡± Haruhiro said to himself. But who? Maybe those people, walking down the street there¡­ but wait. Firstly, what should he ask? The reserve force. Right, he should ask about Crimson Moon. Where would he find a Crimson Moon member then?

    He began searching the other passersby for someone appropriate to ask. Age didn¡¯t matter, but someone who looked friendly would be good. Almost half those he passed in the street met his gaze. More accurately, they were staring at him. Was Haruhiro that strange looking? He probably was. His clothing was entirely different.

    No matter where he looked, he couldn¡¯t find anyone who seemed approachable. He got the feeling that everyone saw him as some sort of alien. Or was he just being paranoid?

    ¡°Doing this is too high a hurdle. Or maybe I¡¯m just too cowardly¡­¡±

    Haruhiro wandered the unfamiliar streets, heading in the general direction of the tower and trying to summon up his courage. Well, something told him, from the back of his mind, that sooner or later his courage switch would suddenly flip on. Better sooner than later, but¡­

    Then he arrived. Past a spotlessly clean public square stood the lofty stone tower. The buildings surrounding it were mostly two stories high, with a few three storied buildings here and there. The shorter buildings might have made the tower seem even taller in contrast, but even so, it was huge.

    It was a magnificent structure. It looked extremely sturdily built and its windows and gate were adorned with finely crafted decorations. Beside the gate and here and there around the public square stood men covered in armor, standing guard, wielding spears in one hand and shields in the other. Such a heavily guarded building probably meant that someone high ranking lived there; the governor maybe, Haruhiro thought.

    While Haruhiro stood in the middle of the square, staring wide-eyed at the sight before him, a guard approached, armor clanking with the sound of metal on metal.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Do you have business with Tenbourou Tower?¡±

    ¡°Tenbourou? Err, no. No business¡­¡±

    ¡°Then leave. Or do you wish to be arrested on sight as a disturber of the peace of his Excellency, the Earl of Altana?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no, I don¡¯t want to be arrested¡­ Right. Sorry, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Haruhiro hurriedly left the square. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but apparently the tower called Tenbourou housed the person who was this frontier city¡¯s earl. He got the feeling that he had successfully collected his first piece of information about this place. But anyone who lived in such a conspicuous building would have been known by all the residents here.

    ¡°Altana. Earl of Altana. His Excellency. Tenbourou Tower. Frontier¡­ Frontier Army. Crimson Moon. Reserve Force¡­¡± Haruhiro whispered all the foreign words to himself as he continued to make his way north.

    As he walked, the number of people on the street started to increase little by little. Shops. He had arrived in an area where shop stands and street stalls were crammed next to each other on both sides of the road. While some of the stands were still being prepared, more than half were already open for business. Food stands, clothing shops, sundries, all kinds of goods in large numbers could be found. The loud voices of lively merchants promoting their wares echoed through the street.

    ¡°A marketplace?¡± Haruhiro said to himself.

    As if someone was luring him in, Haruhiro found himself heading into the marketplace. The level of liveliness was amazing. The prices of all items were written as 1C, 3C, 12C, and so on. Haruhiro could read the price tags well enough, but had no idea what it all actually meant. The merchants called out to him, ¡°You sir, how would you like to buy¡­¡± or ¡°You sir, come take a look at¡­¡± But Haruhiro avoided them and hurried on his way, cursing himself for his timidity even as he did so.

    Suddenly, a wonderful scent filled the air. The hair on the back of Haruhiro¡¯s neck rose.

    ¡°Meat¡­¡±

    His mouth began to water. Food¡­ A stand over there was grilling kebabs, something was bubbling in a huge pot in another stand, a mountain of bread was stacked in yet another stand. Some sort of sandwiches there, meat buns over that way¡­ The steam, the smoke, the smell. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. His hands went to his stomach and found that it was sunken inward. Why hadn¡¯t he noticed until now? He was starving.

    ¡°But¡­ but Shihoru and Yume are waiting,¡± Haruhiro admonished himself. ¡°Who cares about Ranta, but¡­ it¡¯s not right to leave them there while I stuff my face. But¡­ the old saying goes, ¡®can¡¯t fight on an empty stomach.¡¯ Can¡¯t walk on an empty stomach either¡­ don¡¯t want to walk on an empty stomach¡­ Excuse me!¡±

    Unable to resist any longer, Haruhiro made a beeline towards the meat kebab stand. He frantically searched the leather pouch and pulled a silver coin. Would he be able to pay with this? Would it be enough? What if it wasn¡¯t enough? He¡¯d cross that bridge when he got to it.

    ¡°One kebab, please!¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°What!?¡± The eyes of the potbellied man behind the stand widened. ¡°A silver?! You don¡¯t need that much! One kebab is four capas, look, it¡¯s written right here, see? I don¡¯t do discounts, but I won¡¯t take more than that either! That¡¯s how Dory Kebabs does business!¡±

    ¡°Four capas?¡± Haruhiro looked at the coin. ¡°You mean I can¡¯t buy a kebab with this?¡±

    ¡°One silver is worth one hundred capas. You can buy 25 kebabs with it. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll be able to eat that many, right? And it¡¯s not lunch time yet, so I only have 50 capas worth of change at the moment.¡±

    ¡°So a capa is¡­¡±

    ¡°The bronze colored coins, of course.¡± The potbellied man pulled out a coin that looked like the Crimson Moon trainee symbol, but maybe one or two sizes smaller, and showed it to Haruhiro. ¡°This is a capa. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know? You¡¯re sure dressed strangely though¡­ You¡¯re a Crimson Moon member?¡±

    ¡°Um, not really. Just a trainee. Just became one, actually.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, you Crimson Moon members are all a little ¡®different,¡¯ if you know what I mean. Even though you¡¯ve got silvers, you don¡¯t have any capas?¡±

    ¡°No, no capas. And one silver is a hundred capas¡­¡± In other words, the ten silvers Haruhiro had now was the same as one thousand capas. He could buy 250 kebabs. But just one of those kebabs was so big, it pretty much made an entire meal. So 250 kebabs was 250 meals. Three meals a day and that would equal more than 80 days of food. That was quite a lot. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m still just a trainee.¡±

    ¡°So you didn¡¯t know about capas.¡± The potbellied man frowned and then took a deep breath. ¡°I guess that means that you don¡¯t know about Yorozu¡¯s Bank then. Why don¡¯t you go there and have a look? You can get change from there and, for a fee, deposit your money too.¡±

    ¡°Yorozu¡¯s Bank¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s south of this marketplace. Exit from the Tenbourou Tower side, go three streets down, then make a left. It¡¯s around there. There¡¯s a sign outside so you shouldn¡¯t have trouble finding it.¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 3

    VOLUME 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 3: Yorozu

    Yorozu¡¯s Bank. Or at least that¡¯s what the sign said, outside of the thick-walled, warehouse-like stone building. The letters were written in gold relief, grand yet at the same time a bit garish. Haruhiro had reached Yorozu¡¯s without losing his way, which made him feel a little better about the whole situation. Now the only problem was his empty stomach.

    He was going to starve to death if he didn¡¯t hurry and get his money changed, return to Dory¡¯s, and scarf down one of those kebabs.

    The main entranceway led into a hallway and above a series of stone steps was a counter. Haruhiro stepped into the end of the short line. Before long, his turn was called with a ¡°Next!¡± Across the counter sat a little girl, quiet and dignified, in an enormous leather chair. She looked no more than ten years old.

    Her clothes were a flashy red and white with gold highlights. She wore a golden monocle and held a golden tobacco pipe in one hand. Her attitude also seemed as grand as her appearance.

    ¡°Hm.¡± The girl took a puff on the pipe as she scrutinized Haruhiro. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before. First time?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Haruhiro replied, suddenly timid. What was up with this little girl? He cleared his throat and continued. ¡°Yes, first time.¡±

    ¡°From your appearance, you¡¯re a Crimson Moon trainee. I see. Just arrived, have you?¡± The girl stood up on the chair and slapped her knee. ¡°I¡¯m Yorozu. Fourth generation. I flawlessly memorize the first and last names, facial appearance, deposits and balances, and all transaction records of all clients. However, I also keep paper records for the sake of those whose memories aren¡¯t as perfect as mine. Enough of the introductions; let¡¯s open your account. Your name?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yorozu leaned forward, opened an account book that had been lying on the counter, and began to scribble something into it with a feather pen. ¡°Done. Now you may begin to do business with Yorozu¡¯s Bank.¡±

    Haruhiro stole a quick glance at the book and indeed, on a brand new page ¡°Haruhiro¡± was written in elegant handwriting. When Haruhiro looked up again, Yorozu¡¯s face was right in front of his own. She may have had a small stature, but ten years old she was not. Probably significantly older than ten.

    Ignoring her height and looking more closely, he noticed she had very distinct features. Blue eyes as delicate as finely crafted glass, soft pink lips¡ªshe was quite a beauty, actually.

    ¡°What?¡± Yorozu puckered her lips and suddenly turned her head to the side with a huff. ¡°My face isn¡¯t something you need to be staring at, Mr. Lack-of-Manners.¡±

    ¡°S-sorry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make something clear.¡± Yorozu thrust her pipe right in front of Haruhiro¡¯s nose. ¡°This fourth generation Yorozu might be young, but she is a flawless Yorozu. Engrave it on your skull and don¡¯t make the mistake of underestimating me. Also, Haruhiro, I have you perfectly memorized as rude and impolite.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can you please forget about that?¡±

    ¡°Not possible. A Yorozu is a Yorozu, so she doesn¡¯t forget. If a Yorozu forgets, she must resign her position to the next Yorozu. That is the law governing all Yorozus.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty harsh¡­¡± Haruhiro glanced around the room. He was the only customer at the moment. No other bank employees were to be seen either. ¡°Would you happen to be the only employee at Yorozu¡¯s Bank?¡±

    ¡°Inconceivable. I¡¯m the bank¡¯s representative President and CEO. Transportation of money and goods, various areas of specialty, warehouse maintenance, and the like are handled by a large number of clerks, workers, and apprentices who work here. Do you know what kind of business we run?¡±

    ¡°Err, money deposits, changing money, and stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Not just money. Goods as well. In the case of cash, we charge a deposit fee of 1% of the total amount. In the case of goods, the fee is 2% the value of the object as determined by our professional appraisers.¡±

    ¡°One percent¡­¡± So for every one hundred capas deposited, one would be taken as a fee. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just plain expensive?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s your opinion¡±¡ªYorozu drew on her pipe¡ª¡°then don¡¯t deposit your money here. It¡¯s no skin off my nose. But allow me to say that a reserve force soldier like you will eventually see the value of our services. So then, Mr. Lack-of-Manners, what business brings you here today?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Lack-of-Manners¡­¡± Haruhiro repeated. Was he going to be called that from now on?

    He took out one¡ªno, he had better make it two¡ªsilver coins from the leather pouch. ¡°I wanted to get these changed to capas.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Amazingly, we offer money changing services at no charge. Two silvers is two hundred capas, but you do realize how cumbersome that is to carry, Mr. Lack-of-Manners?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Haruhiro recalled the bronze coins shown to him by Dory Kebab¡¯s potbellied man. They were pretty small, but two hundred coins probably added up to a pretty hefty weight. ¡°I see. And walking around with this much money is probably rather dangerous. So that¡¯s why people pay the fee to store their money here.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I can instantly calculate amounts down to one hundredth of a capa, so the fee for depositing one capa is one hundredth of a capa. I memorize that and record it in your account book. When the total reaches one capa, we deduct it from your account. So don¡¯t even try to get away with things like depositing 99 capa, one capa at a time.¡±

    ¡°In other words, don¡¯t try to cheat the system. Fine, I get it,¡± Haruhiro said, and placed one silver coin on the counter. ¡°Can you just change this into capas then?¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡± Yorozu struck a bell that was on the counter using her tobacco pipe.

    A young boy dressed in silver-lined clothing emerged from a door in the back of the room. Yorozu didn¡¯t say a word, just signaled something with her hand. The boy bowed silently once then disappeared through the door again. In a few moments, he emerged again carrying a black tray. On the tray were bronze coins. He placed them on the counter, then withdrew once more.

    ¡°One hundred capas. You may take them now, Mr. Lack-of-Manners.¡±

    ¡°Can you stop calling me that?¡± Haruhiro muttered, taking the coins and stuffing them inside the leather pouch. The bronze coins were only about the size of the tip of one¡¯s pinky, but a hundred of them filled the pouch to nearly bursting. ¡°Pretty heavy considering the size; this might not fit in my pocket.¡±

    Yorozu snorted. ¡°You may deposit any amount right away if you wish. You may lack manners, but our motto is to value each and every customer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine for now. Kind of inconvenient, but I¡¯ll just hold on to it.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yorozu took another puff from her pipe. ¡°Please feel free to come back whenever you need our services, Mr. Lack-of-Manners. Our business hours are from seven in the morning to seven in the evening and we are open all year round. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, this fourth-generation Yorozu is ready to process your requests at the service counter.¡±

    ¡°Whenever? What about lunch breaks?¡±

    ¡°No such thing. I¡¯m here from seven o¡¯clock to seven o¡¯clock. That¡¯s the law governing Yorozus.¡±

    ¡°¡­Have a good day then.¡±

    It was a tough job, Haruhiro thought as he left Yorozu¡¯s Bank, but taking into consideration her small size, she was a very hard working person. His stomach growled again. Meat. Meat kebabs were waiting for him. Haruhiro rushed back to Dory¡¯s Kebabs in the marketplace. He inhaled, filling his lungs with the smell of freshly grilled meat before buying a kebab. Not able to suppress his hunger a moment longer, he took a bite right there and then. The explosion of flavor and juiciness hit him immediately.

    ¡°DELICIOUS!¡±

    He devoured the first kebab and was seriously tempted to buy a second. After a long period of indecision, he finally decided to restrain himself. When he got back he could bring Shihoru and Yume, and the three of them could come again together. As for Ranta, Haruhiro didn¡¯t really care either way.

    Feeling much better, he left the marketplace only to be jolted as he remembered. ¡°Damn it. This isn¡¯t the time to be eating kebabs. Need to see what information I can find¡­¡±

    Looking around, he noticed a street that had ¡®Kaen Road¡¯ written on an arched signboard. A young looking man clothed in a white surcoat was walking a little ways down beyond the sign. Under the surcoat he was dressed in metal armor, and a shield was slung over his back. Some sort of sword was fastened to his belt. However, he didn¡¯t look like one of the guards from Tenbourou. In fact, he might have been a Crimson Moon member.

    Haruhiro placed a hand over his chest and exhaled. Summoning up his courage, he yelled, ¡°Excuse me!¡±

    The man stopped and turned to face Haruhiro. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m mistaken, but are you a Crimson Moon member?¡±

    ¡°I am, but¡­¡± The man blinked once or twice, then smiled broadly. ¡°I see. I¡¯m guessing you must be a trainee?¡±

    ¡°Um, y-yes! Though I just became one. But I don¡¯t know anyone or anything or anywhere, and¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for everyone at the beginning. Though lost and confused, we move forward one step at a time. Advancing steadily, our paths become clear.¡±

    ¡°I thought¡­ I figured it was something like that. But I¡¯m not sure what to do or where to go next¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± the man nodded sympathetically. ¡°But the knowledge you gain from this experience will be invaluable to you later on. No matter which road you take, those who don¡¯t find their own way out of the darkness will never reach their destinations.¡±

    ¡°Really? I mean, I get what you¡¯re saying. Kind of. Will everything really be okay though? You see¡­¡±

    ¡°My name is Shinohara, of Orion.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro, myself and other members of Orion frequent Sherry¡¯s Tavern quite often. If you need anything, come find us there.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, I mean, right. Orion. Sherry¡¯s Tavern.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I wish you the best of luck, Haruhiro. Until we meet again then.¡±

    Shinohara left, leaving Haruhiro with only the impression of person with a friendly smile and elegant manner.

    ¡°Question asking¡­ failed?¡± Haruhiro hung his head low. He should have stopped Shinohara and kept at it. But Haruhiro also had a feeling that Shinohara would have politely but firmly refused to answer. Shinohara didn¡¯t seem like it, but maybe he was unfriendly after all. Or maybe it was just Shinohara¡¯s way of giving guidance to newcomers. ¡°Find him at a tavern?¡±

    Haruhiro looked up at the sky and squinted at the brightness of the sun. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but he had a feeling that the tavern wasn¡¯t open this time of day. Having nowhere else in particular to go, he continued down Kaen Road, eyes peeled for anyone else who looked like a Crimson Moon member. He passed by a few that might have been, but they were either rather shady looking, seemed unapproachable, or returned his gaze glaring disdainfully. He didn¡¯t have the guts to stop any of them to ask.

    He didn¡¯t want to do this anymore. Haruhiro squatted down at the end of the street, past the flowerbeds and a big building that looked something like an inn, and stayed that way for a while. If he just remained like that, maybe someone would eventually get worried and ask him what was the matter. Not that he had any such ulterior motives. Okay, maybe he did. Just a little.

    But they were just wishful thinking.

    What other alternatives did he have? He had no idea where he was, he didn¡¯t remember anything but his own name, and he didn¡¯t have the slightest idea what any of this all meant. On top of all that, he had abruptly been made into a reserve force soldier. While he was busy being confused and indecisive, everyone who was worth anything had went about their own ways and the only ones left were the losers who couldn¡¯t get anything right. Such as himself.

    And now, for some reason, he had ended up being the only person out running around trying to find out something, anything, about this place. And even that wasn¡¯t going well.

    Because I¡¯m too cowardly to approach anyone, Haruhiro thought. And what was wrong with that? Nothing. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong if he were to wallow in self-pity either.

    Fine then. He would eat kebabs. He would return to the marketplace by himself and eat as many kebabs as he could. And not just kebabs. There was plenty of other tasty looking food too. He would eat all the food the market had to offer. When evening came, he would head to Sherry¡¯s Tavern. Maybe there was even one of those places were women would pour him drinks and keep him company. He would eat, drink, and enjoy himself until all his money was gone.

    ¡°No.¡± Haruhiro got to his feet. While he couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel entirely optimistic, it wasn¡¯t like him to despair either. He turned around and headed back towards the marketplace.

    What to do now. Maybe he should head back to the Crimson Moon headquarters. Although he didn¡¯t have any useful information to take back, a good amount of time must have passed already. Everyone else must be hungry as well. But if he was going to take them to get something to eat, they would have to make a trip to Yorozu¡¯s Bank to get their money changed first.

    When Haruhiro thought about it though, knowing about Yorozu counted as useful information. He had also met Shinohara. After they all got some food, they had the option of searching for Sherry¡¯s Tavern. It wasn¡¯t like he had to do everything alone. That¡¯s right. That was absolutely right. They were a team after all.

    So it was decided then. He started back to headquarters, in a more cheerful mood than he had been. But something was wrong. Using Tenbourou as a landmark, he was sure he was headed in the right direction, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn¡¯t find the headquarters building again.

    ¡°Am I¡­ lost?¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it seemed that way. It didn¡¯t seem like he had any other options, so he headed towards Tenbourou¡¯s public square again. From there he would carefully retrace his steps. He found the path he had used to get from headquarters to the square. So it has to be that way. If I go this way, it should lead me back, he thought. Probably.

    ¡°Or maybe it was that path over there? Or over there? No. Or yes. Which way was it again? Damn it. Can¡¯t remember¡­¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡±

    Haruhiro never imagined anyone would call him by name here, so he was startled hearing it called out now. It was like hearing the voice of an angel descended from the heavens. Of course it must have been some trick of the light, but it was no joke; the smile of the person who was running towards him, one hand raised in the air, seemed to radiate like a beam of sunshine.

    ¡°¡­Manato!¡± Haruhiro began running towards him as well. ¡°Manato! I¡¯ve been trying to find my way back to the headquarters, but I can¡¯t. So this is what it feels like to find a saint in hell!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating,¡± Manato said. He glanced around. ¡°Haruhiro, you¡¯re alone? Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°Ranta, Shihoru, and Yume are supposed to have stayed behind at headquarters. What basically happened was that Shihoru got upset and started crying, so I left to see what information I could gather while the others waited.¡±

    ¡°I see. And after getting the information, you¡¯re on your way back?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck. He was tempted to exaggerate his accomplishments, but it would be obvious that he was lying so there was no point. ¡°I didn¡¯t really find out much. There¡¯s Yorozu¡¯s Bank and that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°Yoruzu¡¯s Bank? Never heard of it.¡±

    ¡°Really? You can deposit your money, get money changed, and stuff like that. It seems like it¡¯s pretty important for Crimson Moon members. Then there¡¯s a food stall in the marketplace that sells delicious kebabs¡­ but I guess that¡¯s not really important¡­¡±

    ¡°I also passed by the marketplace, but didn¡¯t realize kebabs were sold there. If it¡¯s that good, I want to try some too¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you the place. I remember it perfectly¡­ even though I can¡¯t remember the way back to the headquarters.¡±

    ¡°We should head back together then,¡± Manato said, tone casual, as if it were only natural to do so. ¡°I was planning to head back there anyway.¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t know what to say. He never expected to hear those words from Manato. Of course, Manato had said ¡®see you guys later¡¯ as he left the headquarters, but Haruhiro assumed that had been just an offhanded statement and hadn¡¯t taken it seriously. Had he been wrong? Had Manato been intending to return to the headquarters from the start?

    It warmed Haruhiro¡¯s heart a little to think so.

    Manato tilted his head slightly to one side. ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing!¡± Haruhiro slapped Manato on the back in a friendly manner. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Back to headquarters. I don¡¯t care about Ranta, but Shihoru and Yume are probably missing us.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± Manato nodded and started off.

    Haruhiro followed, and privately thought to himself once more how glad he was to have bumped into Manato again.

    Manato led the way at a brisk pace, not giving even the slightest indication that he didn¡¯t know the way. However, the path that Manato chose was decidedly different than that which Haruhiro had thought was the correct way.

    That was because Haruhiro didn¡¯t properly remember the way back.

 Volume 1 - CH 4

    VOLUME 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 4: Enjoying Life in a Guild

    Various things happened after that, and now Haruhiro found himself standing alone at a street corner in an area of town called Nishimachi.

    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be this building here¡­¡± he said to himself.

    Nishimachi was where the destitute and impoverished lived; in other words, the slums. All the buildings were old and dilapidated, falling apart or falling over, and badly run-down. All the people he passed, also, were shabbily dressed. In truth, this wasn¡¯t a place where Haruhiro would want to walk in by himself.

    Why did he make that decision? He should have changed his mind when he had the chance. It was too late now though, the choice was already made.

    Haruhiro decided to take a look around the building, which was made of a complex mix of stone and wood, but soon found it impossible. Even when he, with difficulty, navigated the narrow pathway that seemed to circle it, a wall made out of the same materials as the building cut off access to both the sides and back of it. However, the pathway did lead down to an extremely low door.

    At the center of this rusty door was a device that had some sort of emblem-like design on it and which had a keyhole carved into it. Strange. Was this really the entrance?

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± When Haruhiro¡¯s inquiry got no response, he tried knocking. That made his hand hurt, so he tentatively grasped the doorknob, turning, pushing, and pulling on it. It wouldn¡¯t budge.

    Maybe he had the wrong place. He had made to turn back when a low voice echoed through the alleyway.

    ¡°State your business.¡±

    Where had it come from? Haruhiro didn¡¯t know. There was no one else there but him and the door was still shut tight. He didn¡¯t think that he was just hearing things either. It was definitely someone¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Erm¡­ I wish to join the guild,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Enter,¡± said the voice, and at the same time a clanking sound reverberated from the door.

    Had the door been unlocked? When Haruhiro gripped the doorknob this time, it turned. He pulled, finding it unusually heavy, but it opened. Beyond the door was a narrow walkway that smelled of old dust. Both sides of the path were lined with shelves crammed full of ropes, metallic objects, cogs, and other objects unfamiliar to Haruhiro.

    As he nervously closed the door shut, he found that it was brighter inside the building than outside. The light came from a lamp down the pathway and it was also there that the path turned and became even narrower. Haruhiro turned his body sideways and somehow made his way down until he finally entered a room.

    It was dim, so he had no idea how large the room actually was. A desk had been placed in there and sitting cross-legged on top of it was a woman. She was casually twiddling with a knife she held in her hands. Her hair was long enough to keep half her face hidden but the rest of her body was much less intentionally concealed. In fact, her arms, legs, and chest were all broadly exposed.

    ¡°So you wish to join the Thieves Guild.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Haruhiro gulped. It was probably better not to stare, so he averted his gaze. ¡°That¡¯s the plan, anyway.¡±

    ¡°By your appearance, you¡¯re a Crimson Moon trainee. The second to come here today.¡±

    ¡°Second?¡±

    ¡°Not that it matters. If you wish you join us, your training will be one-on-one for seven days. I will be your mentor. An honor, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡­¡± Haruhiro stole a glance at the woman from the corner of his eyes. It wouldn¡¯t do to look at her legs or chest, so he focused on her face instead. What was her age? Probably not that young. Somewhere in the thirties, he guessed. Pretty up there for Haruhiro¡¯s sixteen years.

    That didn¡¯t change the fact that she was HOT. Her sex appeal was off the charts. He continued, ¡°¡­an honor. Yes.¡±

    ¡°If you find this unsatisfactory, another can teach you.¡±

    ¡°No! No, not at all.¡±

    ¡°But let me tell you this,¡± she licked her lips and thrust the tip of the knife into the desk. ¡°I am very demanding. If you can¡¯t keep up, you will be punished.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please go easy on me.¡±

    The woman chuckled softly and tied up her hair. ¡°Are you familiar with the rules and regulations of the Thieves Guild?¡±

    In Altana, there were organizations consisting of people who worked in the same profession, called guilds. The Blacksmiths Guild, Carpenters Guild, Masons Guild, Chefs Guild, and so forth. Additionally, there was the Warriors Guild, Mages Guild, Paladins and Priests Guild, Hunters Guild, Dread Knights Guild, and finally the Thieves Guild.

    The guild protected an individual¡¯s rights, offered a place to learn the trade, and guild members offered mutual protection for each other. Those who wanted to pursue work in a given profession within Altana must join the related guild. Anyone attempting to enter a trade without becoming a guild member would soon find their businesses purposely impeded upon by the guild. And because everyone knew about this consequence, no one did business with those who operated outside of a guild anyway.

    Having two professions was frowned upon, but even though this was a rather severe restriction, the guild did also put effort into fostering younger generations of members. Once one became a guild member, the guild would also teach them the craft. In reality, there was no other way to learn the skills and techniques required of a profession without joining the guild.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t about simply being listed as a member. All members had to abide by established rules and regulations or risk being penalized.

    Well, according to what Manato had said, that is. Manato had even informed Haruhiro of one of the Thieves Guild¡¯s more peculiar laws. But even taking that into consideration, the Thieves Guild was still the one Haruhiro picked out of all the others.

    ¡°If I recall, the rules were that there aren¡¯t any rules,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Precisely,¡± the woman yanked the knife out and gave it a twirl. ¡°That isn¡¯t to say, of course, that we don¡¯t have a code of conduct. For example, we don¡¯t operate in an area claimed by another, nor do we conduct our business on fellow members. Conditions that apply to Crimson Moon soldiers are that one party is allowed only one Thief and that we don¡¯t steal from fellow Thieves or other reserve force members. You will be taught this code of conduct gradually; if you become a Thief, that is.¡±

    ¡°I want to become one¡­ I think.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about what you ¡®want¡¯¡­¡± the woman turned to face Haruhiro and held out her hand, palm up. ¡°¡­if you can¡¯t afford it.¡±

    Joining a guild wasn¡¯t simply just about applying for membership. Haruhiro reached into his pocket, pulled out the leather pouch he had forcefully stuffed in there, and loosened the drawstring.

    According to Manato, payment was necessary to join any guild, and on some sort of previous agreement the fee was the same across all guilds. Newly inducted members into any of the guilds were also required to make it through a demanding 7-day crash course on the basics of the trade.

    Haruhiro started pulling out silvers from the pouch. One silver, two silvers, three silvers¡­ the membership fee was very expensive in his opinion, but he had no other choice but to pay. It was impossible to become a Crimson Moon member without any knowledge or skills. Haruhiro acknowledged the necessity, but that didn¡¯t make it any less expensive. Four silvers, five silvers, six silvers, seven silvers¡­ eight silvers total.

    Eight silvers. Eight hundred cappas. Four cappas per kebab meant he could buy two hundred kebabs. Did he really have to join the guild? Yes, there was no way around it. Everyone had listened to Manato¡¯s explanation and agreed on this course of action. Everyone else was supposed to be joining their respective guilds at this time too.

    Haruhiro took a deep breath and without further thought, placed the eight silvers in the woman¡¯s palm.

    The woman closed her hand and smiled pleasantly. ¡°Our modus operandi is self-responsibility, freedom, and lack of restrictions, so we¡¯ll have you swear your oaths later on. You are now a Thieves Guild member. Feel relieved?¡±

    ¡°I guess? But, now that I¡¯m a member, what about my trade name?¡±

    ¡°Your trade name is what you make for yourself as a Thief. As of right now, you¡¯re simply called ¡®New Member.¡¯ Your real name has no more use here. After seven days of training, I, as your mentor, will give you a suitable trade name. If you want a respectable name, then work hard and learn fast.¡±

    ¡°Um, would it be okay to call you a ¡®Master¡¯?¡±

    ¡°My, my,¡± the woman leaned close into Haruhiro and cupped her hand under his chin. Her chest¡­ was even more absurdly large this close. Haruhiro was dangerously close to falling over right into it. ¡°That¡¯s not bad at all. How very nice of you.¡±

    The woman grinned broadly and stroked Haruhiro under the chin with the tip of her finger.

    ¡°My name is Barbara. This is going to be an enjoyable seven days.¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 5

    VOLUME 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 5: Rendezvous

    In reality, whether the following seven days were enjoyable or not¡­ wasn¡¯t something Haruhiro could talk to anyone about.

    One was free to quit the freedom-loving Thieves Guild at any time and, if another eight silvers were paid, one was readmitted quite easily too. However, those who were not qualified to be mentors were forbidden to speak to others about the guild¡¯s stealing techniques, surprise attack techniques, killing techniques, and other secret skills.

    As a corollary, that also included everything learned in the crash course. So Haruhiro couldn¡¯t speak of any of it. Nor could he mention the name that his mentor had given to him. It was a name to be known and used only amongst Thieves, and there was no need for outsiders to know. Not that Haruhiro wanted anyone to know his name anyway.

    ¡­That was because he had ended up being named ¡°Old Cat.¡± According to Master Barbara, it was because his eyes always had a sleepy look about them, like an aged cat. When Haruhiro thought about it, he admitted it might be true, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to go that far. She could have named him ¡®panther,¡¯ or ¡®jaguar,¡¯ or ¡®wolf,¡¯ or ¡®hawk,¡¯ or any number of other, cooler names. Anything was better than ¡°Old Cat.¡±

    For the time being though, Haruhiro had completed his seven days¡¯ training, which included housing and meals, and was now a full-fledged Thief.

    Or not.

    Master Barbara had beaten into him the rules of conduct and thieves ideology, along with the most basic thieves craft skill, [Pick Lock], the most basic of all basics in fighting skills, [Hit], and the importance of surprise attacks. However, Haruhiro could hardly say that he had mastered them; he would have to use those techniques more before they became second nature.

    When the time came to learn new skills, he would have to return to the guild and train with Master Barbara. And of course, payment was required, along with spending several days overnight again.

    Currently, the only skills Haruhiro had learned were [Pick Lock] and [Hit], but his proficiency levels with both were extremely low. He couldn¡¯t say that he could use either dependably.

    As a graduation present for completing his training, he had received a used cloak, a worn dagger, a second-hand set of thieves tools, and a pair of old boots, all of which he was wearing now. He certainly looked the part of a thief now, but he sure didn¡¯t move like one.

    Master Barbara¡¯s training had been draconian, and she made sure that Haruhiro understood that the path to becoming a Thief was steep and demanding. Haruhiro was a fledgling of a fledgling that was about to turn into a fledgling of a Thief.

    Was he really going to be okay?

    ¡°Old Cat¡± sighed and headed towards the meeting place. It was before noon, so the marketplace was not very crowded. Only two people were standing in line at Dory¡¯s Kebabs. One was wearing leather armor and a long sword strapped to his belt. His hair was quite disheveled. The other had a bow and quiver strapped to her back and a kukri hanging at her waist. Her hair was tied into twin braids.

    ¡°Ranta! Yume!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Ranta turned to face Haruhiro.

    ¡°Hrmph,¡± Yume said as well, biting off a mouthful of kebab and turning towards Haruhiro just like Ranta.

    It went without saying for Yume¡¯s cheerful expression, but even Ranta¡¯s messy hair was a sight for sore eyes. It had been a long, hard week of training. Yes, Master Barbara was sexy, but she was beyond sadistic and never cut Haruhiro any slack.

    Every night, right before he curled up with a single thin, dirty blanket and fell asleep on the hard floor of his solitary cell, he imagined that surely everyone else was having the same hellish time he was. The thought didn¡¯t give him much encouragement, but it did bring a morsel of comfort.

    This is actually, really, incredibly horrible. No more of this, he had thought. Having reached the limits of his endurance and unable to take any more, Haruhiro considered running away several times. His fear of Master Barbara, however, stopped him from doing so.

    ¡°Ranta¡­! Yume¡­!¡± Haruhiro ran towards them, raising a hand for a high-five.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ranta high-fived him back, but it was clear from Yume¡¯s expression that she had no idea what was going on, and Haruhiro¡¯s hand swooshed through empty air.

    Was he being overly happy? A little embarrassed, he cleared his throat lightly. ¡°Hey. How¡¯ve you two been? Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±

    ¡°Alright I guess,¡± Ranta replied, looking around. ¡°No one else here but us.¡±

    ¡°Hrmph erm murphm,¡± Yume said, hurriedly trying to swallow the mouthful of kebab and choking. She started coughing.

    Haruhiro looked at her. ¡°Yume, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Fine. Down the wrong pipe¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really not good to try talking with your mouth full. It¡¯s better to take your time, swallow first, then talk.¡±

    ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t know why but Yume tends to always eat in a rush.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s Guild Master was always saying, ¡®Yume, you should try to eat more slowly if at all possible.¡¯ But not exactly in those words, more like ¡®YUME, EAT MORE SLOWLY¡¯.¡±

    Ranta gazed sideways at Yume, his expression questioning. ¡°Can you actually use that bow and arrows? You don¡¯t really come across as a Hunter to me.¡±

    ¡°You mean does Yume know archery?¡± Yume tilted her head sideways and puffed out one cheek. ¡°Yume¡¯s Guild Master said that Yume may not really be good at it. No matter how much Yume practiced, Yume didn¡¯t really improve.¡±

    ¡°But a Hunter that can¡¯t use a bow isn¡¯t really considered a Hunter, right? All Hunters can use bows,¡± Ranta replied.

    ¡°But Yume wants a wolf animal companion so Hunter is fine.¡±

    ¡°A wolf, eh?¡± Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck.

    Apparently experienced Hunters were able to tame and share a common will with wolves. And actual wolves too, not common dogs. Haruhiro could see the appeal in that, and could understand a little about how she felt.

    ¡°A useless Hunter in addition to a Thief,¡± Ranta spat disdainfully. ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough going from here on out.¡±

    ¡°As if you¡¯re one to talk, Curly,¡± Haruhiro shot back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡±

    ¡°Um, excuse me,¡± interrupted a petite girl, wearing a blackish triangular hat and similarly colored clothing, standing directly behind Ranta.

    ¡°GAH!¡± Ranta yelped in surprise, jumping up and twisting in midair to face the newcomer.

    The girl¡¯s hat had a broad rim and she was leaning on a staff with her head slanted downwards so no one could see her face. Haruhiro, though, recognized her right away.

    ¡°Shihoru?¡± He asked.

    The girl nodded silently. It was Shihoru after all. Ranta opened his eyes wide and placed his hand over his chest.

    ¡°You scared me, sneaking up on me like that!¡± Ranta said. ¡°You¡¯ve become a Mage but you act more like a Thief.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. No one noticed me so I didn¡¯t how to approach everyone¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just say something normal? Like, ¡®hey¡¯ or ¡®hi¡¯ or ¡®oy¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t say anything normal. I¡¯m truly sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Quit apologizing for everything! You¡¯re making me look like the bad guy!¡±

    ¡°If it were between you and Shihoru,¡± Haruhiro said, putting himself in between the two of them. ¡°You are the bad guy. No need to get so pissed off at her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re a good guy, Haruhiro? Shihoru may keep them well hidden, but all you want are her HUGE BOOBS.¡±

    ¡°What? Hidden?¡± Haruhiro¡¯s gaze reflexively went to Shihoru¡¯s chest.

    Shihoru immediately wrapped her arms around her chest so Haruhiro couldn¡¯t tell if they were big or not, but¡­ Wait. What am I doing? He wasn¡¯t supposed to be looking. His face felt hot.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, bowing his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Shihoru replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re hiding them!¡± Ranta pointed his finger at Shihoru. ¡°You can¡¯t fool these eyes! They can see right through padding and pushups!¡±

    Haruhiro glared at Ranta. ¡°What kind of skill is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a skill, it¡¯s a natural gift!¡±

    ¡°Shihoru, your boobs are so big,¡± Yume said, poking at her own chest. ¡°Must be nice to have big boobs. Yume¡¯s chest is flat. That¡¯d be okay if Yume were skinny, but Yume¡¯s flabby and flat. It makes Yume sad~yan¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m just¡­¡± Shihoru shrank back as if trying to make herself vanish. ¡°It¡¯s just because I¡¯m just fat, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yume replied. ¡°Shihoru doesn¡¯t look fat at all though.¡±

    ¡°My clothes cover it up, that¡¯s all¡­¡±

    Ranta snorted. ¡°Shihoru. Other girls must hate you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not fat but you insist you are. Girls hate other girls who say they¡¯re fat when it¡¯s not true.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ I mean¡­¡± Shihoru¡¯s shoulders began to tremble. ¡°I mean, I really am fat¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ranta said, looking embarrassed. ¡°Wait a sec¡­ It¡¯s nothing to cry about.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not c-c-crying,¡± Shihoru stammered.

    ¡°Yes you are! Look at those tears! You¡¯re definitely crying!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Shihoru,¡± Yume said, wrapping her arms around Shihoru. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Yume doesn¡¯t hate Shihoru. But Yume doesn¡¯t really know Shihoru very well yet either¡­¡±

    Haruhiro frowned. ¡°That¡­ That isn¡¯t exactly reassuring her, Yume.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that so? But Shihoru¡¯s body feels nice. Soft and squishy.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, please don¡¯t touch there¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°You two.¡± Ranta inhaled sharply. Very sharply. ¡°You two are amazing! Right out in the open too! HELL YES! Give me more!¡±

    ¡°Everyone sure seems excited,¡± someone cut in.

    Haruhiro turned towards the newcomer. ¡°Manato!¡±

    Manato was dressed in a hooded, blue-lined garb. In his hands was a short staff.

    ¡°I seems I¡¯m the last to arrive,¡± Manato smiled broadly and looked at everyone in turn. ¡°I¡¯m a Priest, Haruhiro¡¯s a Thief, Yume is a Hunter, Shihoru¡¯s a Mage, and lastly Ranta¡¯s a Warrior. Looks like our party is ready to go.¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± said Ranta, frowning, ¡°are you addressing me the same casual way you address Haruhiro?¡±

    ¡°You prefer something more formal?¡±

    ¡°Being addressed informally pisses me off. You should call me Lord Ranta.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ No.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just say ¡®no¡¯ then laugh it off!¡± Ranta yelled.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to call Yume anything but ¡®Yume¡¯,¡± Yume said.

    ¡°Just ¡®Shihoru¡¯ is fine with me too,¡± Shihoru added.

    ¡°Thanks Yume, Shihoru,¡± Manato replied.

    ¡°Yeeeep!¡± said Yume, waving him off with a hand. Shihoru, appearing fairly embarrassed, muttered something in response as well, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t catch what she said.

    ¡°Manato.¡± Haruhiro raised his right hand and Manato, switching the hand that held his short staff, high-fived him. Their palms met and made a satisfying clapping sound.

    Haruhiro punched Manato lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Good to see you, Manato. What was your training called again? ¡®Priest¡¯s Apprenticeship¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. How did your Thieves Guild training go?¡± Manato asked in response.

    ¡°Piece of cake,¡± Haruhiro replied at once, but frowned and thought better of lying. ¡°¡­Actually, that¡¯s a lie. It was horrible. My mentor was terrible. Real sexy, but beyond scary.¡±

    ¡°A real beauty, eh? Must be nice. My master was a grizzly old man, stern, and had a booming voice that made my ears hurt.¡±

    ¡°Made your ears hurt? Manato, how much did he yell at you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember. But I imagine that his reason for being born was to yell at me. He was angry all the time.¡±

    Haruhiro, constantly chewed out by Master Barbara, had lost all his self-confidence before he could even build any up. Honestly, it had been quite depressing. But it seemed like Manato had had a similar experience as well. Maybe it was the same for everyone joining a guild for the first time. The thought that he wasn¡¯t the only one made him feel a little better. Maybe there was no need to be so depressed after all.

    Thanks to Manato, he was now quite relieved. Manato was also the one who had found out about the guild system and who also advised them all in deciding which guild to join. If it wasn¡¯t for Manato, where would they be now? Haruhiro didn¡¯t even want to think about it.

    ¡°I guess now¡¯s a good time as any,¡± Ranta sighed. His expression was a little off. ¡°Actually, I have an announcement for you all. A very important announcement.¡±

    Haruhiro raised his eyebrows. ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yume said, blinking in surprise. Shihoru gazed at Ranta nervously and Manato was looking at Ranta¡¯s equipment and armor suspiciously.

    Something was off. Ranta was dressed in hardened leather armor and a used longsword was hanging off his belt. But that was similar enough to a Warrior.

    ¡°Hm,¡± Manato said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Aren¡¯t Warriors supposed to be equipped with chain¡ª¡±

    ¡°Listen up!¡± Ranta was puffing his chest out so much that Haruhiro was afraid he was going to fall over backwards. ¡°I told everyone that I was going to become a Warrior, but I changed my mind! It became completely obvious that my ungodly, unworldly genius wasn¡¯t going to be put to use by joining the Warrior¡¯s Guild, so I didn¡¯t join!¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Manato started, but then was at a loss for words. His face drained of color.

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t blame him. After all, according to what Manato was able to find out, there were two classes that no party can be without: A Priest and a Warrior. The Warrior was the frontline fighter, the tank who faced enemies head on with strength and fury. The Priest was the party¡¯s healer, who supported his companions during fights. Because of that, Manato volunteered himself to become a Priest while suggesting that either Haruhiro or Ranta become a Warrior.

    Ranta had volunteered himself because he had thought it was cool, so Haruhiro decided to join the Thieves Guild.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Ranta¡¯s expression was completely nonchalant. ¡°Something a-matter? Act more shocked, will you? It¡¯s a super surprise, right?¡±

    ¡°Not shocked,¡± Haruhiro said, rubbing his temples. ¡°More like dismayed. Why did you decide to join a different guild without discussing it with the rest of us?¡±

    ¡°A feeling. A hunch. Intuition. Six-sense. The gods within me whispered to me: ¡®You¡¯re not meant to be a Warrior. It¡¯s unbecoming. You¡¯re a bigger man than that¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± Manato said, apparently having regained most of his composure, though his expression was still a bit agitated, ¡°which guild did you join?¡±

    ¡°Look!¡± Ranta pulled out a skull-like necklace¡ªno, an actual skull on a necklace¡ªand pointed to his chest. Seared into the leather was an emblem of a skull. ¡°I¡¯m a Dread Knight! Glory be to the Ruler of Death, the Dark God Skulheill!¡±

    Yume placed her index finger on her bottom lip. ¡°A ¡®trend light¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Ranta yelled, spit flying. ¡°A DREAD KNIGHT! Isn¡¯t it an awesome name? I¡¯m way above any regular Warrior!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say,¡± Shihoru softly whispered, ¡°that you became a Dread Knight just because the name was cool¡­¡±

    ¡°¡®Just¡¯?¡± Ranta sighed in an exaggerated manner. ¡°Do I need any other reason? No, I don¡¯t. No other reasons even exist, no matter how hard you think.¡±

    Haruhiro wanted to punch the daylights out of him. He was really tempted to. But he didn¡¯t. Even if he did, it would be too late and wouldn¡¯t help the situation.

    ¡°The Dread Knight Guild has a special rule, don¡¯t they?¡± Haruhiro said instead. ¡°Once you join, you¡¯re not allowed to leave. If you try, they¡¯ll come after you.¡±

    ¡°¡®Until thou art embraced by the dark god, thou shalt not embrace any god besides him,¡¯ is the commandment. Understand? ¡®Embraced by the dark god¡¯ means death,¡± Ranta said.

    ¡°So what can Dread Knights do?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°I can summon demons!¡± Ranta raised a clenched fist¡ªthen lowered it. ¡°But not at the moment. During the daytime, the God of Light Lumious¡¯ power is too strong.¡±

    ¡°So you can only summon it at night.¡±

    ¡°For now! He gets stronger as I collect Vices!¡±

    ¡°So what can the demon do?¡±

    ¡°It whispers to me, telling me when enemies are close. And once it a while it¡¯ll burst out with demon jokes!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean what? Dread Knight is perfect for me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Manato nodded, smiling lopsidedly, tone dripping with sarcasm. ¡°It suits you perfectly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ranta said proudly, missing it completely.

    What a carefree guy, Haruhiro thought. Ranta may have been happy about everything, but the outlook was not good at all for the party as a whole. Were they idiots for depending on a guy like him in the first place? Haruhiro hung his head.

    Yes, they were.

 Volume 1 - CH 6

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 6: +1/-1 Warrior

    For the time being, they had no choice but to make do with the way things had turned out. Haruhiro considered leaving the Thieves Guild to join the Warriors Guild, but it wasn¡¯t practical. He couldn¡¯t keep everyone waiting another seven days while he went through the training course. Then there was the matter of money.

    They had received a total of ten silvers for becoming Crimson Moon trainees, but eight of those were spent upon joining their respective guilds. That left only two silvers they could use freely. And even that wasn¡¯t entirely true. Though room and board had been provided during their crash courses with their guilds, after that, they were on their own for food and housing.

    If they didn¡¯t splurge on food, then ten capas a day were enough to get by. Housing, unless they wanted to sleep on the streets, was another matter. He hadn¡¯t done the proper research yet, but it seemed that renting a room averaged around forty to fifty capas per person per day. In order to save money, they could skip housing, but they had to eat. That meant a minimum of ten capas per day.

    Two silvers. Two hundred capas. Twenty days of food.

    They had a to find a way to earn money. Before they could even think about buying their Crimson Moon service contracts from Bri, they had to figure out a way to live from day to day. How could they make money?

    By working, of course.

    So Haruhiro and the others had left Altana through the northern gate to begin working as Crimson Moon trainees. They hadn¡¯t gone far when they encountered a large man, dressed in rather shabby, dirty chainmail armor sitting in the grass by the side of the road.

    ¡°¡­Mogzo?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    The big man looked up slowly and blinked. He opened and shut his mouth several times, but no words came out. Haruhiro and Manato exchanged glances.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Yume shifted her gaze to the fluffy clouds in the sky above. ¡°Mogzo, weren¡¯t you dragged off by Ragmound to join his party?¡±

    ¡°Not Ragmound, Raghill,¡± Haruhiro corrected mildly then approached Mogzo. ¡°Is something wrong? Are you here all alone?¡±

    Mogzo knitted his eyebrows together and gave a slow nod.

    ¡°I got it!¡± Ranta said, making a snapping motion with his fingers, though no sound came out. ¡°They threw you out, didn¡¯t they? Raghill asked you to join, but when he found out how useless and dim-witted you are, he changed his mind and kicked you out!¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡± Haruhiro began to warn, but cut himself off. It was pointless; the kid was beyond help.

    ¡°My money,¡± Mogzo groaned. ¡°He took it all. He told me to hand it all over, said he would show me the ropes¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± Shihoru whispered.

    ¡°I told you so,¡± Ranta bragged huffishly. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to go. I told you Raghill couldn¡¯t be trusted. I knew all along he was a heap of rags, a hill of trash.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Shut up, Haruhiro! How am I trash?! List the reasons! I dare you to list them!¡±

    ¡°Really? Fine then. First of all¡ª¡±

    ¡°Quit it! You actually keep a numbered list of a person¡¯s bad points? That¡¯s a trashy thing to do! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s trash!¡±

    ¡°Wow. Being called trash by trash, that¡¯s super insulting¡­¡±

    ¡°Mogzo.¡± Manato squatted down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You joined the Warriors Guild, right?¡±

    Mogzo was dressed in chainmail armor, was wearing leather gloves and boots, and had a sheathed bastard sword strapped diagonally to his back. All of the equipment looked like it was secondhand, but by appearances, Mogzo was none other than the Warrior class. Due to his large size, the new look was rather befitting.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mogzo replied, briefly glancing at Manato. ¡°I joined the Warriors Guild.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Haruhiro clapped his hands together. ¡°Even if it¡¯s that Trashhill¡¯s fault, our party¡¯s missing a Warrior¡­¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro, when you say Trashhill, you¡¯re talking ¡¯bout yourself, right?¡±

    Haruhiro ignored Ranta¡¯s comment and instead turned to Yume and Shihoru. ¡°What do you two think?¡±

    ¡°I think that would be great,¡± Shihoru readily approved.

    ¡°What would be great?¡± Yume asked, clearly not understanding.

    ¡°Well, you see, our party¡¯s missing a Warrior and Mogzo happens to be one without a party at the moment. I mean, it¡¯s perfect, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Yume replied solemnly, then focused her gaze on Mogzo. ¡°Mogzo, would you like to join Yume¡¯s party?¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that¡­ would it really be okay for me to join?¡±

    ¡°I, for one, would like that,¡± Manato grinned broadly at Mogzo. ¡°If that¡¯s okay with you, that is.¡±

    Haruhiro suspiciously glanced at Ranta sidelong. If anyone were to object, it would be that kid. But contrary to expectations¡­

    Ranta cantered over behind Mogzo and playfully headlocked him. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no choice then! I¡¯ll take good care of you, so become a good shield for me! Be prepared to die for me, Mogzo!¡±

    ¡°Oh. So that was your intention,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°What? Did I say something weird? Nope. Not at all. It¡¯s a Warrior¡¯s job to stand in the front lines and tank, right? They¡¯re the ones that are supposed to take the brunt of the enemies¡¯ attacks. That¡¯s why their entire body¡¯s covered in chainmail armor¡ªhigh defensive potential.¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡¯s absolutely right,¡± Manato said, expression grave as he gazed at Mogzo. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this to frighten you, but Warriors have it tougher than anyone else. But you can count on all of us to support you and if anything happens, I¡¯ll use my Light Magic to heal you. So rest assured.¡±

    Mogzo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do the best I can. But¡­¡± Mogzo rubbed his stomach. ¡°I have no money¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll lend you some. I¡¯ll find a way to make do for now and once we start earning money, we don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight,¡± Ranta grinned from ear to ear, patting Mogzo on the head. ¡°I¡¯m not lending you a single cent. I don¡¯t return any money I borrow, so I don¡¯t lend my money out either. That¡¯s my policy!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Haruhiro shot back immediately. ¡°You¡¯re a natural lowlife.¡±

    Ranta stuck his tongue out at him then raised his index finger. ¡°Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What do you get when you multiply a negative number with a negative number? A positive number, right?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I am.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Slow, aren¡¯t you? I became Dread Knight, not a Warrior, right? Then we found Mogzo, who¡¯s a Warrior and without a party. It worked out perfectly and it¡¯s ALL THANKS TO ME.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty jealous,¡± Manato said with a smile. ¡°You always have a way of looking at the bright side of everything. It¡¯s not something you can just want to do and then do it. It¡¯s a real ability.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Unlike that retard Haruhiro, I knew you¡¯d understand!¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡± Answering him back would just tire him out. Instead, Haruhiro turned towards Mogzo and stretched out his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work, Mogzo!¡±

    Mogzo took Haruhiro¡¯s hand and Haruhiro attempted to pull him up to his feet. ¡°Mogzo,¡± Haruhiro grunted. ¡°You need to help me out, I can¡¯t pull you up by myself¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Mogzo replied, standing.

    Maybe, they were going to be okay after all, Haruhiro thought.

 Volume 1 - CH 7

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 7: Slow Start

    South of Altana lay a series of tall, precipitous mountains known as the Tenryuu Mountain Range. The Tenryuu Mountains divided the Grimgal continent into two parts. The southern part was considered the mainland while the northern area, including Altana, was known as the frontier.

    Or at least ¡°frontier¡± was what the humans called it. The main continent, Altana, and the frontier territories, north of the Tenryuu Mountains, were in the possession of the human Aravakia Kingdom. However, until about one hundred fifty years ago, the frontier hadn¡¯t been a frontier at all. In the past, there existed several human kingdoms, and humans were the predominant race of Grimgal.

    However, everything had changed with the arrival of the fearsome, demonic-magic wielding Deathless King. He did not just possess military and magical might, but was a skilled politician as well. The Deathless King brought forth a new race of undead and, as their leader, did more than merely conquer. He convinced the leaders of other races to acknowledge his authority, formed a confederation of kings with them, and subsequently went to war with the human kingdoms. The humans were easily defeated and forced to flee south of the Tenryuu Mountains.

    Afterwards, the Deathless King was nominated by his fellow kings to become the emperor and thus the Undying Empire was born. Until the death of the Deathless King about one hundred years ago, humans were largely unable to set foot north of the Tenryuu Mountains, but with the loss of his unifying leadership the Undying Empire fell apart. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Aravakia Kingdom established Altana as their stronghold in the north and so it has remained to this day.

    And of course, all of this information had been obtained by Manato.

    The lands across the Tenryuu Mountains south of Altana were mostly used for farming or raising cattle, with villages dotting the landscape. To the north were open fields and forests.

    ¡°And around here,¡± Yume said, brushing her hands across the tall grass as she explained, ¡°there¡¯s deer and foxes and other animals~yan. And because it¡¯s springtime now, bears appear once in a while. Then there¡¯s Chimos; small, fluffy, round animals with beady eyes, long, thin tails, tiny ears, hands, and feet that hop around. They¡¯re pretty good little guys. Then there¡¯s the savage pit rats, big as cats with super hard fur.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ranta formed a visor with his hands and looked around. ¡°¡®Cause I don¡¯t see squat.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡± Yume frowned. ¡°But when Yume ventured outdoors with Yume¡¯s Guild Master during training, he¡¯d use his bow and arrow to bag game for us.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re all just hiding,¡± Manato said, as he pointed to a forested area to everyone¡¯s right. ¡°In the wooded areas.¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. ¡°You might be right. If I were a wild animal, I wouldn¡¯t feel really safe out in the open where there¡¯s no trees or brush to hide in.¡±

    Ranta snorted derisively. ¡°See? They all know to fear me.¡±

    ¡°So if we can¡¯t find any game, it¡¯s your fault.¡±

    ¡°Shut it, Haruhiro! It¡¯s THANKS to me! It¡¯s all in gracious indebtedness to me!¡±

    ¡°You shut it. Even if there were any game around, yelling like that will scare them off.¡±

    ¡°AND IT¡¯S ALL THANKS TO MY GODLY SELF.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no use, the kid¡¯s clueless¡­¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± It was the first time in a while that Shihoru, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, had spoken. ¡°Are we going to be¡­ killing animals?¡±

    Everyone suddenly stopped in their tracks.

    Come to think of it, a reserve force soldier¡¯s job was to defend against hostile races and fight monsters. Nothing in the job description said anything about hunting animals and selling the meat or pelts.

    ¡°Yume¡¯s Guild Master taught her the importance of giving thanks to the animals whose lives are taken.¡± Yume frowned. ¡°But Yume likes animals and doesn¡¯t want to kill them. They¡¯re so cute and it¡¯s just sad to kill them¡­¡±

    Ranta scoffed disdainfully. ¡°Save that sorta touchy-feely kindness for someone else, Princess. All living things eventually die and are embraced by Skulheill. I¡¯ve got no sympathy for things I kill in order for me to live.¡±

    ¡°In that case, then.¡± Yume suddenly nocked and drew an arrow, pointing its tip directly at Ranta. ¡°It would be okay if Yume killed Ranta so that Yume can live.¡±

    Ranta sprung back. ¡°I-i-idiot! Don¡¯t say stupid things like that, flat-chested girl! Are you serious?! Quit it already! What would you gain by killing me?!¡±

    ¡°Yume will feel good afterwards. You also called Yume flat-chested.¡±

    ¡°Y-you said it yourself first! ¡®Yume¡¯s chest is flat¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Even if Yume did, it doesn¡¯t mean she wants it to be said by someone else. Especially by a boy; it hurts Yume¡¯s feelings.¡±

    ¡°S-sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ranta hopped forward and prostrated himself on the ground. ¡°See, I¡¯m apologizing! My bad! Please forgive me! Yume isn¡¯t flat! Your boobs are big! Large! Gigantic! HUMONGOUS!¡±

    ¡°Ranta.¡± More than looking down to him, Haruhiro was looking down on him. ¡°You¡¯re not really sorry at all, are you?¡±

    ¡°How would you know?! How can you tell?! How am I not sorry? Where¡¯s your proof!¡±

    Yume sighed, then lowered her bow and put the arrow back in the quiver. ¡°¡­Not worth wasting an arrow.¡±

    Ranta exhaled in relief and stood up, wiping the sweat off his brows. ¡°Anyway, you would have missed even if you tried to shoot me. But I was apologizing just in case, you know¡­ Hey! Yume, quit that! Don¡¯t draw that kukri! It was a joke! It¡¯ll be painful to get cut by that! You¡¯ll kill me! I¡¯ll seriously die!¡±

    ¡°No different than killing a wild animal, I¡¯m sure,¡± Manato said with a wry smile. ¡°Though I can¡¯t be sure, I heard that we don¡¯t have to venture too far from Altana to find mud goblins, ghouls, and the like. Creatures that even trainees can probably handle.¡±

    ¡°Goblins and ghouls.¡± Haruhiro tilted his head to one side. He had the feeling he had heard of those before. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he visualized them as sort of humanoid creatures.

    ¡°So that means¡­¡± Shihoru began in a voice that was quite strong, considering the way she usually spoke. ¡°We¡¯re going to search for these mud robins and cools.¡±

    ¡°Mud goblins and ghouls,¡± Haruhiro corrected mildly, slipping into the part of the straight man again.

    Shihoru¡¯s face turned a bright red and she shrunk back.

    ¡°Whatever, that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Ranta agreed frivolously.

    ¡°It¡¯s better than killing animals,¡± Yume said happily.

    Mogzo nodded with a grunt.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s head towards the forest,¡± Manato said.

    With Manato, the Priest, leading the way, Haruhiro and the others headed toward the nearby woods.

    The forest was an actual forest, untamed and unforgiving. Unfamiliar broad-leafed trees and the thick foliage underfoot made it impossible to make out any animal trails. The ground ranged from hard as rock to somewhat soft to downright squishy. It was difficult to find footing, which made walking very difficult.

    The rustling of leaves when the wind blew and the singing of birds echoed all around.

    ¡°Mud puddings and mools,¡± Yume muttered softly. ¡°Maybe they frequent watering holes.¡±

    Haruhiro fulfilled his role, ever the straight man. ¡°Mud goblins and ghouls,¡± he corrected. ¡°You mean like a spring or stream? Or maybe a swampy area?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try finding something like that then,¡± Manato said.

    Manato had naturally taken the initiative, but considering that this was a forest, it should have been more Yume¡¯s area of expertise. She should have been the one in the lead. But whatever. It was fine this way too.

    The problem was they couldn¡¯t find any places with water. All the living creatures they¡¯d encountered so far were insects. The sound of birds surrounded them, but not a single one could be seen.

    Ranta gulped in an overly exaggerated fashion. ¡°This is like¡­ The Forest of Death.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s no doubt all Ranta¡¯s fault,¡± Yume puffed out her cheeks and stared at Ranta. It seemed like she hated Ranta now for calling her flat-chested. ¡°It¡¯s because Ranta¡¯s being so painful to their ears, all the animals have fled~yan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being quiet! I haven¡¯t said a word this entire time!¡± Ranta protested.

    ¡°Just the fact that you¡¯re here, your very existence is a pain in the neck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the compliment! And just the fact that you¡¯re there makes you flat!¡±

    Yume scowled, furious.

    ¡°Er¡ªsorry. That was my bad. Just a slip of the tongue, speaking the truth. I¡ª¡± Ranta suddenly jumped up into the air. ¡°What the! What the hell¡ª!¡±

    Haruhiro blinked several times. Ranta was lifting his feet up and down like he was dancing. There was something clinging to his leg, scratching and tearing at it. It was big as a cat and covered with needle-like fur.

    ¡°A pit rat,¡± Yume said. She started glancing around the area. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to attack in packs. There¡¯s probably more around him.¡±

    Shihoru let out a yelp and tried to turn and run, only to slam into Mogzo.

    ¡°Quick!¡± Manato brought up his short staff. ¡°There¡¯s more!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Ranta danced backwards. ¡°Help me guys! Your first priority is to save me! Help! Someone help me!¡±

    ¡°Fight, Dread Knight!¡± Haruhiro drew his dagger.

    The pit rats were swarming on the ground around them at amazing speeds. Haruhiro had no idea how many. The fighting techniques he had learned from the Thieves Guild were geared towards human or things that resembled human opponents. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what to do in a case like this, so he took aim and sporadically stabbed at them with his dagger.

    He didn¡¯t even come close to even scratching any of them. As expected. ¡°They¡¯re too fast!¡±

    Mogzo gripped his bastard sword with both hands, lifted it overhead with a grunt, and with a yell slashed downwards¡­ Right at Ranta. Ranta spung away with a yelp and Mogzo¡¯s blade hit the ground where Ranta had been standing just a split second earlier. Dirt flew where the bastard sword had hit hard enough to split open the earth.

    ¡°Mogzo, you bastard! Are you trying to kill me?!¡± Ranta had finally drawn his longsword. But that was all he did with it, because as expected, he ran. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I almost got killed by my own teammate! And he¡¯s going to come after me again! Screw this!¡±

    ¡°Mogzo was trying to save your ass! You should be thanking him!¡± Haruhiro was getting nowhere with the dagger, so he attempted kicking the pit rats instead. They dodged him with ease.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t save me at all!¡± Ranta swung his longsword with a yell. ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]! My Dread Knight skill! I can¡¯t hit them at all!¡±

    ¡°Quit wasting your techniques¡¯ uses!¡± Haruhiro chose one pit rat and focused on chasing after it. It ran and disappeared behind a tree. ¡°Argh!¡± He grunted in frustration.

    ¡°Malik em paluk.¡± Shihoru was drawing an elemental glyph with the tip of her staff as she spoke the incantation.

    It was the [MAGIC MISSILE] spell. A ball of light about the size of a fist burst from the end of her staff¡­ And hit Ranta squarely in the back of his head.

    ¡°GAH!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Shihoru opened her eyes. It seemed like she had fired off the spell with her eyes closed and had guessed the wrong target. ¡°S-sorry! I¡ª¡±

    ¡°BITCH! I¡¯ll kill you! Or rather, I¡¯ll make you let me touch your BOOBS!¡± Rubbing the back of his head, he started chasing after Shihoru.

    Without hesitation, Manato stuck his staff out at Ranta¡¯s feet. Ranta¡¯s foot caught and he tripped with an grunt.

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing!?¡± Manato said, berating Ranta and striking out at a pit rat at the same time.

    As far as Haruhiro could tell, Manato was handling the short staff with a good amount of skill, but still it wasn¡¯t enough to actually land any blows.

    ¡°Just a little!¡± Yume was swinging her kukri around wildly. Maybe that was why she couldn¡¯t get close enough to a pit rat to actually hit it. ¡°Yume¡¯s Guild Master told her that because they¡¯re just animals, we just need to hit them a little they¡¯ll run away! Everyone hang in there!¡±

    Mogzo swung his bastard sword and it hit the trunk of a tree. The force of the blow caused leaves and insects to rain down directly onto his head. Mogzo, now covered in bugs and leaves, howled.

    ¡°At this rate¡­¡± Haruhiro gathered up his resolve and crouched low, one knee on the ground.

    Without running, without moving, he waited for a pit rat to approach him. There. Directly in front of him. A pit rat. It was headed towards him. Haruhiro thrust out his left arm. Come. Take a bite. I dare you. It was no larger than the size of a cat but he was exceedingly scared of it. It was fast. This was bad. But he waited, staying absolutely still.

    Crippling pain suddenly shot through his leg, making him cry out.

    Another pit rat had approached from behind and was biting down into right calf. He was just about to try to stab it when the pit rat in front of him clamped it¡¯s teeth onto his left arm. ¡°Ahh!¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro! Don¡¯t move!¡± Manato ran to his side. He swung his staff down in a swift motion.

    There was low thud sound and Haruhiro immediately felt the release of pressure on right leg and left arm. The pit rats were running away at amazing speeds. And even while Haruhiro was gawking at the other rats, the pit rat that Manato had struck had disappeared.

    ¡°Are you okay, Haruhiro?¡± Manato was on one knee by Haruhiro¡¯s side, examining his wounds.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Rolling up his pant leg and the sleeve of his shirt revealed a series of small holes in his flesh; teeth marks from the pit rats, and blood was running from them. The injuries were hardly serious, but they still hurt.

    ¡°Let me heal you.¡± Manato placed his right hand on Haruhiro¡¯s forehead with his middle finger resting his between the eyebrows. His fingers formed a pentagram. ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE].¡±

    A warm light shot out from Manato¡¯s palm and as it flickered, Haruhiro¡¯s wounds began to close. Three seconds for his right leg, another three seconds for his left arm, and it was done.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Haruhiro touched the areas were the pit rats had bitten him. Blood was still present, but they neither hurt nor itched. And there was no trace of any sort of wound. ¡°Thanks, Manato. And you were the one who chased them off too¡­¡±

    ¡°Only because you used yourself as bait,¡± Manato replied.

    ¡°I was just intending to use my arm. I figured I could handle it alone¡­¡±

    ¡°Everything turned out okay. It doesn¡¯t matter who did what.¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s NOT okay!¡± Ranta was sitting on the ground, knees drawn up and stamping both feet on the floor like a spoiled only child. ¡°How is everything okay? We suddenly go attacked by some weird things! Even if we chased them off, we didn¡¯t get a single cent out of it. And look! I¡¯m injured too! Heal me now!¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Manato said, hurrying to Ranta¡¯s side.

    ¡°Why does he need to apologize to Ranta?¡± Haruhiro muttered under his breath, looking around.

    Mogzo was sitting too, perhaps tired out from swinging around his bastard sword so much. Shihoru was doing her best to hide herself behind a large tree, maybe in response to misfiring her spell. Yume was the only one who seemed to be in high spirits, glancing around here and there. Haruhiro met her gaze and she flashed him a grin.

    He returned her smile without thinking, even though this wasn¡¯t exactly a good time for the both of them to be smiling at each other. Or maybe it was. He didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°¡­Ranta¡¯s right that we didn¡¯t earn a single cent, even if we did drive them off,¡± Haruhiro sighed. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re still not skilled enough to be wandering around in this forest.¡±

    ¡°Alright! Good to go again!¡± Having been healed, Ranta jumped up again and swung his arm around. ¡°Okay! Everyone follow me!¡±

    Mogzo blinked. ¡°G-go? W-where?¡±

    ¡°Idiot! We all said that we¡¯d search for mud goblins, right? Tell me you¡¯re joking if you just want to stop at whatever those pit things were or whatever! We¡¯re not going to back off just because of that!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Manato nodded, seemingly deep in thought. ¡°It¡¯s exactly like Ranta said. It¡¯s risky, sure, but pit rats are carnivores, right?¡±

    ¡°They might be omnivores,¡± Yume replied. ¡°But when they¡¯re in packs like that, they¡¯ve been known to attack humans.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that they did attack us,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°So they eat almost anything.¡± Manato¡¯s eyes narrowed and he stroked his chin. ¡°If there are animals that hunt for food living here, then that means other game must be around too.¡±

    ¡°Of course there are,¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°You figured that out just now? I¡¯ve known it since a while back. If there are animals that hunt for food present here, then that means other game must be around too.¡±

    Haruhito glanced sidelong at Ranta. ¡°You¡¯re just repeating what Manato said.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Sleepy-Eyes! Go take a nap, little boy, if you¡¯re so sleepy!¡±

    ¡°I told you before! This is the way I¡¯ve looked since I was born! It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m sleepy!¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro,¡± Manato cut in with a grin. ¡°Most of the time, it¡¯s best just to ignore what Ranta says.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ranta thrust a finger at Manato. ¡°Don¡¯t say mean stuff like that! Where you just playing Mr. Nice Guy this entire time, you black-bellied traitor!?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Manato replied with a sigh, declining to take the bait. ¡°In the meantime, if no one is against it, why don¡¯t we explore a little more here?¡±

    No one was against it, so taking care to keep an eye out for more pit rats, they ventured further into the forest. There, they meandered until the sun started to set, with the only other game they found being a single deer. Yume attempted to shoot it but missed, and it ran off.

    They also caught sight of birds on several occasions and were attacked again by pit rats, but were able to fend them off. And that was about it.

    It wasn¡¯t funny to even joke about hanging around after dark, so Haruhiro and the others left the forest with heavy strides.

    ¡°What are we gonna do?¡± Ranta groaned. For once, he was hardly his energetic self.

    ¡°We don¡¯t do anything,¡± Haruhiro sighed in reply. Inwardly however, he was starting to feel a sense of desperation. It felt like something inside him was about to snap. ¡°We go back. To Altana.¡±

    ¡°This is like something out of the tale of ¡®The Wearisome Adventures of Working Boy¡¯,¡± Yume whispered.

    Haruhiro again playing the part of the straight man whispered back, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± He had a feeling there were four ¡®working boys¡¯ here and couldn¡¯t suppress yet another sigh.

    ¡°B-but,¡± Shihoru began to say, hanging her head as if she was void of all energy. ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Someone¡¯s stomach rumbled. Mogzo. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡±

    ¡°When we get back,¡± Manato said, looking at everyone in turn. ¡°Let¡¯s stop by the marketplace and get dinner. Afterwards, I know a cheap place where we can stay for the night. Near Nishimachi, there¡¯s lodging for reserve force soldiers. Full-fledged soldiers can show their Crimson Moon contracts to stay for free, but trainees have to pay. It¡¯s cheap though. One room for boys and one room for girls costs twenty capas total.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°We didn¡¯t earn a single capa today. We should just camp outdoors.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s better saved as a last resort,¡± Manato said bluntly. ¡°They¡¯re shared facilities, but the lodging also provides bathrooms and baths. Having them and not having them makes a huge difference¡­ especially for the ladies.¡±

    Shihoru renewed her grip on her staff and nodded silently several times.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yume also agreed.

    ¡°Bathtubs and toilets aren¡¯t life and death,¡± Ranta muttered.

    However, Haruhiro got the feeling that Ranta would be the one complaining the loudest if they had decided to make do without such conveniences.

    ¡°I agree with Manato,¡± Haruhiro said, raising his hand. Shihoru, Yume, then Mogzo also raised their hands as well.

    Ranta clicked his tongue at all of them, tut-tut, but didn¡¯t protest any further. And with that, without bagging any game whatsoever, their first day of actually working as reserve force soldier trainees came to a quiet end.

 Volume 1 - CH 8

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 8: Persistence

    Yume was crouched, concealed behind a thick tree trunk. Haruhiro approached Yume, quieting his footsteps so that they made no sound, and tapped her on the shoulder . Yume turned, stifling her own nearly escaped shout of surprise with a hand .

    ¡°What¡¯ve you found?¡± Haruhiro asked in a low voice.

    Yume nodded and made some sort of motion with her hands and fingers. Was that her way of signaling something? But the meaning was lost on Haruhiro, so instead he peeked out to take a look.

    There it was.

    It was just after noon, on their second day of work as Crimson Moon trainees. They had returned to the forest and had discovered a bubbling spring. That was where it was.

    It was skinny and about the height of a human child. Its skin, tinged yellowish, was wrinkly and covered in mud. Patches of hair resembling seaweed grew on its head and its ears were pointed. Its back was turned to Haruhiro, so he couldn¡¯t see its face. It wore no clothing but around its neck hung some sort of cord.

    A mud goblin. It was on all fours and making strange slurping sounds as it drank from the spring.

    Haruhiro took a deep breath, taking care to make sure that he wasn¡¯t making any noise. He looked behind him. The other four, Manato, Ranta, Shihoru, and Mogzo were a little ways away, poking their heads out from where the rest of their bodies were concealed behind the trees. They all had their eyes on Haruhiro.

    Haruhiro nodded. The others nodded back. They had finally found it. They were going to succeed. They had to succeed. There was no choice but to succeed. How would he signal them to go? They hadn¡¯t really agreed on any sign beforehand. What would be a good signal? He raised his right hand, high as he could.

    He was nervous. Way more nervous than he had been a second ago. This is bad. Stay calm. Let¡¯s do this. Let¡¯s get this done.

    He let his hand fall and Ranta charged out first with a shout. Idiot! Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but think. Startled, the mud goblin turned to look in Haruhiro and Yume¡¯s direction.

    ¡°I-it¡¯s running away?!¡± Haruhiro said.

    The mud goblin was running to the right. Yume shot an arrow at it. She missed, but the arrow hit the ground right in front of the goblin¡¯s feet. It gave a shriek of surprise and faltered.

    ¡°Nice, Yume!¡± Haruhiro said as he drew his dagger from its sheath and ran after the goblin, even though he had called Ranta an idiot for doing the same thing just moments before. He had a feeling that this wasn¡¯t really a very Thief-like thing to do, but oh well. They had to succeed. He couldn¡¯t let the goblin get away.

    Mud goblins. Called mudgobs for short. From birth, not once did they ever take a bath. Beady eyed and ugly, with blackened teeth, a purplish tongue, and a face like an old witch. It wore nothing except for that cord hanging off its neck. It was stark naked. And ¡®it¡¯ was dangling around.

    The mudgob looked straight at Haruhiro and let out a shriek. He didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, but it was coming straight at him. Was it serious? Did it intend to fight? It was 6 versus 1. Maybe it didn¡¯t comprehend the odds.

    Its hand. Aim for its wrist. Haruhiro slashed at the mudgob¡¯s wrist with his dagger; [HIT].

    The mudgob squawked and jumped back diagonally, into the spring. Had he missed? No, blackish-red blood was running from a shallow cut on its left hand. Haruhiro¡¯s knife had just grazed it. The mudgob leapt out of the water, away from the spring and straight towards Haruhiro.

    It¡¯s coming? It¡¯s really coming? NO WAY. Why would the stupid thing be coming at me? Haruhiro thought, as it let out a low roar.

    Haruhiro quickly dodged to the left and somehow avoided the mudgob¡¯s charge.

    ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡± Ranta jumped at the goblin, swinging his longsword aggressively but without any control. It was only natural that he missed, slipped, and fell on his behind.

    The mudgob roared and started charging headlong at Ranta, attacking from above while Ranta was on the ground. Its attack missed by a hair as Manato struck it on the shoulder with this staff. The goblin shrieked again and hopped backwards.

    ¡°M-malik em¡ª¡± Shihoru started to chant while drawing the elemental glyph with her staff, but Ranta cut her off. ¡°YOU¡¯VE GOT YOUR EYES SHUT AGAIN!¡± he yelled.

    Shihoru shrunk back. ¡°S-sorry!¡±

    ¡°Mogzo, directly in front of it!¡± Manato said brusquely, thrusting a finger out at the mudgob. ¡°Everyone else, surround it! Don¡¯t let it escape!¡±

    Mogzu grunted in assent, and encumbered by armor, sluggishly ran towards it. Once in position, he pointed the tip of his bastard sword at it.

    ¡°G-guess there¡¯s no choice!¡± Ranta muttered, getting up and moving to the right of the mudgob.

    Manato stayed on the left while Haruhiro and Yume, with her kukri unsheathed, took up positions at the thing¡¯s rear. Shihoru had her eyes open now and was pointing her staff directly at the goblin from a distance.

    The mud goblin looked around frantically, trying to move but finding itself cut off in all directions. It let out an ear-piercing shriek, wanting to run but knowing that it had nowhere to go. It was exactly according to Manato¡¯s plan.

    ¡°Mogzo! Threaten it more!¡± Ranta shoved his own longsword out at it. ¡°Pressure it!¡±

    Mogzo let out a battle cry and started swinging his bastard sword at it, once, twice, three times. The goblin nimbly dodged all of Mozgo¡¯s blows, but as it was occupied with Mogzo, Ranta was also stabbing at it with his longsword. The goblin picked up a dead branch and threw it at Ranta.

    ¡°Wah!¡± Ranta stepped back and barely managed to deflect it using the base of his blade.

    The net had been broken. The goblin tried to make a run for it through the hole in the spot Ranta had occupied, but Manato brandished his staff, not intending to let it go. Manato¡¯s staff connected with the top of the mudgob¡¯s shoulder and it let out a cry of pain.

    Now it was charging at Manato, letting out a terrible shriek that sent chills down Haruhiro¡¯s spine. Even Manato seemed to back away a bit. And why shouldn¡¯t they be frightened? The mud goblin was desperate. It didn¡¯t want to be killed. It wouldn¡¯t just stand there and tolerate it. It would try to kill, and kill, and kill some more before it was killed itself. And at the very least, it seemed to have resolved to take a few of them down with it.

    ¡°All of you!¡± Ranta licked his lips several times. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to get all scared! Kill or be killed! I¡¯m going to kill it and get my Vice!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be careless!¡± Manato warned as he landed another blow on the goblin with his short staff. This time, it was on the goblin¡¯s head. Without paying any heed to the blood spurting out, it glared at Manato and swung both its fists at him.

    ¡°The little guy is a tough one,¡± Yume whispered, voice trembling slightly.

    Jeez, Haruhiro thought. Even though blood was running profusely down its head, it seemed to be perfectly fine.

    Mogzo swung his bastard sword at it three times in succession. It backed up, but doing so of course brought it closer to Haruhiro and Yume.

    ¡°Here¡¯s our chance, Haru!¡± And even as Yume said it, a part of Haruhiro wondered¡­ when did she start calling him ¡®Haru¡¯? But she was right; it was now or never.

    As Haruhiro approached it with his dagger, it turned towards him. Haruhiro somehow managed to suppress the urge to turn tail and instead slashed wildly with his dagger. One of the blows actually landed. He knew it because his dagger suddenly hit something hard. The mugob¡¯s right arm, between the elbow and wrist. Surprised, he drew the dagger back.

    Not counting training dummies, this was the first time he had actually cut into something so deeply with a weapon. The feeling actually made him a little ill.

    Blood splattered as the mudgob flailed; it spun around and around threatening the humans in turn. It was 6 versus 1. And they had it completely surrounded, so anyone could attack from any direction. But no one was moving. Everyone¡¯s breathing was ragged. Even Mogzo¡ª and though it was true he wielded a heavy bastard sword, he really hadn¡¯t been moving that much.

    What¡¯s wrong with us? Haruhiro tried to calm his breathing. Why wasn¡¯t this going smoothly? Was the mudgob a strong opponent? Or were they just too weak? Were they really capable of doing this? No, they weren¡¯t.

    Thinking about it rationally, of course it was impossible. Haruhiro wasn¡¯t suited for fighting. No one else was either. This was all wrong. All of this was unimaginable. For what sake was he doing this ? Wouldn¡¯t it be better just to stop?

    What would they do if they stopped now? What would happen to them?

    ¡°No one said this was going to be easy!¡± Manato shouted. ¡°This is a fight to the death! Us, the mud goblin, we¡¯re all fighting for our lives! The outcome determines who lives and who dies! No one, no living creature wants to die!¡±

    ¡°Malik em Paluk!¡± A ball of light shot out from the tip of Shihoru¡¯s staff, flew between Mogzo and Ranta and hit the mudgob right in its face.

    ¡°GARGGG!¡± it shrieked.

    ¡°Now!¡± Manato commanded, striking at the mudgob at the same time.

    Ranta swung his longsword with a shout. The blade bit into the mudgob¡¯s right arm. ¡°Gah! I hit bone?!¡±

    Mogzo raised his sword overhead and with all his might brought it down right on top of the mudgob¡¯s head. The force of the blow smashed the goblin¡¯s head in, crushed to somewhere between a half and a third of what it had been.

    It was over.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Ranta pumped a fist in the air.

    Haruhiro started to exhale in relief then inhaled sharply. The mud goblin had gotten to its feet and was moving incredibly quickly.

    ¡°No way~yan¡­¡± Yume said, dumbfounded.

    There¡¯s gotta be some mistake, Haruhiro thought. But there was no doubt about it. The mudgob was running away, probably intending to make an escape.

    Manato too seemed stupefied for a moment, but then stuck out his short staff at the mudgob¡¯s legs. Haruhiro was taken aback when the mudgob jumped nimbly to avoid it. And it was headed straight towards him. Did it intend to try to slip past him?

    ¡°As if I¡¯ll let you!¡± Haruhiro stuck his foot out at the mudgob¡¯s legs as it tried to pass and, this time, the goblin wasn¡¯t able to dodge. It tripped and tumbled head over heels.

    Mogzo moved in, getting ready to strike it with his sword but was cut off. ¡°Mogzo, outta the way!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it!¡±

    Haruhiro inadvertently turned his gaze away. There was a sickening sound then Ranta¡¯s laughter. ¡°Behold me Lord Skulheill! Your Dread Knight has taken a life with his own hands and will offer up a portion of its body as Vice at the guild¡¯s alter! Ears are kinda big¡­ A claw would be perfect¡­ Oy oy oy!¡±

    Haruhiro looked in Ranta¡¯s direction where the gobin lay, supposedly dead, and was shocked at what he saw.

    Shihoru let out a little gasp and seemed as if she was about to cry.

    ¡°It¡¯s not dead¡­¡± Yume said softly. She put her hands together and muttered something indistinct in prayer.

    Haruhiro hesitated a little before entering into the role of the straight man. ¡°But it¡¯s not dead yet¡­¡±

    ¡°We need to finish it,¡± Manato said, lifting his staff above his head. ¡°Otherwise we¡¯re just prolonging it¡¯s suffering.¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to look, but also had a feeling that he needed to see this out to the end. Manato dealt the mud goblin a final, ruthless blow, and then confirmed that its breathing had stopped. He made a gesture that resembled a hexagram, and looked as if he was considering offering a few last words as well. But he didn¡¯t say anything. Perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t want to make any excuses for doing something that was considered his job.

    ¡°M-Manato!¡± Ranta pointed a finger at him. ¡°You bastard! You stole my kill! I told you I needed to collect Vices!¡±

    Manato forced a smile then scratched his head. ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡±

    ¡°Sorry doesn¡¯t cut it!¡±

    ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t cut it, I already apologized and said I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! I want a redo! DO EVERYTHING OVER! How are we going to do that? WE CAN¡¯T!!¡± Ranta moaned. ¡°My celebratory first Vice¡­ RUINED.¡± He dropped down on all fours and beat on the ground with a fist. ¡°Fine, whatever then.¡±

    Haruhiro blinked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± Ranta said, getting up and crouching down by the mudgob¡¯s body. ¡°Ew, pretty gross. This thing hanging off its neck¡¯s our reward? What is it?¡±

    Haruhiro crouched next to Ranta. He tried not to look at the actual body, but focused instead on the cord it had around its neck. ¡°What thing?¡±

    The thin cord looped through several small objects. One of them looked like some sort of animal¡¯s fang with a hole drilled into it. Another object was quite dirty but¡­ Indeed, it was some sort of coin.

    ¡°A silver?¡± Haruhiro guessed. ¡°It¡¯s got a hole in it though¡­¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡± Ranta reached out to pull the cord off, then quickly withdrew his hand again. ¡°Haruhiro, you remove it. It¡¯s too dirty for me to touch¡­¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Haruhiro cut the cord with his dagger then pulled off the fang and coin. It was a silver after all; damaged, but a silver nonetheless. ¡°I wonder if we can sell this¡­ How did it manage to punch a hole in something this hard?¡±

    ¡°In any case,¡± Manato put a hand on Haruhiro¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This counts as our first victory.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s all thanks to me!¡± If Ranta puffed out his chest anymore, he would have definitely fallen over backwards.

    ¡°Right,¡± Yume said, tone chilly.

    Ranta stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°So you still have a grudge against me, just for calling you flat. Pigheaded brat.¡±

    ¡°Being stubborn has nothing to do with the size of Yume¡¯s breasts~yan!¡± Yume cried .

    ¡°That¡¯s right! It has nothing to do with it so just forget about it! Water under the bridge! I¡¯ll say it outright, pigheadedness leads to small-breastedness and it¡¯s been that way since forever ago!¡±

    ¡°Boobs are cute big or small!¡±

    ¡°BOOBLESS BOOBLESS BOOBLESS BOOBLESS BOOBLESS! Welcome Ms. Boobless, goodbye Ms. Boobless ! BOOBLESS!¡±

    Yume¡¯s face turned a bright red and her cheeks made like a pufferfish. She nocked an arrow onto her bow and aimed it at Ranta. ¡°Yume is going to shoot you, and she has a feeling she isn¡¯t going to miss¡­¡±

    ¡°W-wait! You¡ªSorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ranta twisted his body around, spun several times, and prostrated himself on the ground while still spinning. ¡°I¡¯ll stop! I¡¯ll stop it, so forgive me already!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear a ¡®please¡¯. And what you should say is, ¡®Please find it in the kindness of your heart to forgive me, Lady Yume¡¯!¡±

    ¡°L-Lady Yume! Please I am sorry forgive me I¡¯m begging I¡¯ll do anything you ask! ¡±

    ¡°Nope, not convinced.¡± Yume¡¯s cheeks were still puffed out but, unexpectedly, she lowered her bow a bit. She gestured with her chin to the bubbling spring. ¡°Jump in there then.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡±

    ¡°The spring. Jump in there. Jump in and I¡¯ll forgive you for what you said today.¡±

    ¡°I-idio¡ªyou¡ªthat¡¯s¡ªwho do you thi¡ª¡±

    Yume raised her bow again. ¡°Fine. Yume will simply shoot you then.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will be happy to jump in.¡±

    ¡°Good luck.¡± Haruhiro patted Ranta on the shoulder.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Manato said to him with a grin.

    ¡°Like I don¡¯t already know to be careful¡­¡± Ranta muttered.

    Just as he prepared to jump into the pool of water, Shihoru whispered, ¡°He had it coming.¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t miss what Shihoru had said, but Ranta was already leaping in midair, so he probably didn¡¯t hear her at all.

    ¡°H-he¡¯s definitely going to catch a cold,¡± Mogzo remarked.

 Volume 1 - CH 9

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 9: Heavy Resolution

    Scattered about Altana¡¯s marketplace were a few shops that sold sundries, but no matter which, the highest any would pay for a silver coin with a hole in it was thirty capas. Haruhiro found it rather incomprehensible that the value of the coin was cut by two-thirds just because it was a little damaged. But quite unexpectedly, the animal fang had been worth one silver.

    Three species of wolves dwelled in the forested areas of the frontier. There were the forest wolves, sometimes called grey wolves, there were the white wolves of Eldritch the White Goddess, and finally there were the enemies of the white wolves: the black wolves of the Black God, Rigel. Apparently, the fang they found on the mudgob belonged to a black wolf.

    It was believed that the fang of a black wolf contained magical power and made for a good charm against warding off evil. That brought the total of their day¡¯s earnings to one silver and thirty capas.

    Twenty capas were paid for their lodging that night while the rest was split evenly among the six of them. That made for eighteen capas per person while Manato held on to the remaining two capas, to be added to their earnings next time.

    After each of them got dinner at the marketplace, they made their way back to the shabby reserve force soldier lodge near Nishimachi. For some reason, it felt like they had finally returned home. Despite the fact that reserve force soldiers who presented their Crimson Moon contracts could stay for free, the place was empty.

    The public bath was a single room with a hole lined with stone, dug into the dirt floor, which acted as the bathtub. The boys went in and washed themselves first, then let Yume and Shihoru know that the baths were available to use before returning to their shared room. Haruhiro was rather tired, so he laid down on his straw-lined bunk and closed his eyes.

    The lodge offered two types of rooms; one of them could accommodate up to four people while the other could accommodate up to six. Both were the same price at ten capas per night, so the sizes of the rooms were probably the same as well. The only difference was that the six-person room was equipped with six beds, making it very cramped. Not to mention the six-person room beds were smaller than normal.

    The beds in the four-person room were already on the small end, but the beds in the six-person room were too small even for the 5¡¯6¡å Haruhiro. The 6¡¯1¡å Mogzo would definitely not fit into them. Their room was bare of all furnishings except for two straw-lined bunk beds and a single lamp that hung off the wall. Except for sleeping, the room couldn¡¯t really be used for anything, and no one was intending to use it for anything else either.

    It was going to be yet another early morning tomorrow and Haruhiro intended to turn in for the night. The soft crunching of straw could be heard in the bunk next to him; it seemed as if Mogzo also intended the same. Bunking was arranged with Haruhiro on a top bunk and Manato on a bottom of one set, while on the second set next to them was Mogzo on the bottom and Ranta on the top.

    ¡°¡­Manato? Are you still up?¡± Haruhiro whispered.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still awake. Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really¡­¡± But that wasn¡¯t entirely truthful.

    They had only earned eighteen capas each today. From the ten silvers Haruhiro had received from Bri, eight had been paid to his guild and he had spent four capas on a kebab. That had left him with one silver and ninety-six capa after the weeklong training course with the Thieves Guild. Yesterday, he had spent four capa on lodging, then another ten on food, without earning a single capa. Then today, he spent twelve capa and earned eighteen. Presently all the money he had came to one silver and eighty-eight capa.

    However, carrying around all those coins had become cumbersome, so he had deposited sixty capa at Yorozu¡¯s Bank, which meant that the deposit fee would eventually be deducted as well.

    Haruhiro was still okay, but he was concerned for Mogzo. His share of the lodging fee was split between everyone and Manato was lending him money for food. And perhaps it was because of his size, but he would eat quite a large amount. Mogzo was already in debt.

    How long would it be before Haruhiro ran out of money and had to borrow from someone else too? No, unlike Mogzo who could borrow money from them, Haruhiro wouldn¡¯t drop into the negative unless he could find someone to lend him money as well. He would just hit zero and be moneyless. When that happened, what would he do?

    They needed to find a way to increase their earnings. Food and lodging per day was about fifteen capas. It would be great if he could make around double that. Wait, double? Only double? The lodge they were using was run-down and dirty. The straw-lined beds were hard, uncomfortable, and lacked blankets. The shallow holes in the ground that served as toilets smelled sickeningly of human waste and the walls of the bathhouse were so thin that when winter came, the inside would probably be freezing.

    He wanted better lodging. But even before that, he wanted at least a set of spare underclothes. He only had one pair of underwear now, which he washed in the baths and hung up to dry overnight. That meant that even now, he wasn¡¯t wearing any underwear. Neither he, Manato, or Ranta had need to shave very often but Mogzo¡¯s face was starting to look extremely unkempt. They had to at least be able to buy a razor, or even a small knife.

    They needed to earn enough money to buy daily necessities. The mudgob they had run across today just happened to be carrying a black wolf fang that sold for one silver, but what if that was just a lucky find? Did that mean that today¡¯s earnings were on the high end? Or was it on the low end?

    Even if they were able to find and bring down another mud goblin tomorrow, it didn¡¯t guarantee that it would be carrying a damaged silver either. Damaged silvers were worth thirty capas, which meant five capas each when split among the six of them.

    Even if they spent the night on the streets, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to live on. When he thought about it, Haruhiro realized how bad of a situation they were all in.

    He wanted to say exactly that to Manato, but stopped. If he opened his mouth to say something about it, it couldn¡¯t be left just at that. He would have to actually do something about it. Today hadn¡¯t exactly been a horrible day and no one knew what the future had in store; tomorrow might be even better, so maybe it was better just to leave it as is.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Haruhiro concluded.

    ¡°I see,¡± came Manato¡¯s reply. ¡°If you say so then.¡±

    ¡°Alllllright!¡± Ranta suddenly jumped down from his top bunk. ¡°I¡¯m going out for bit!¡±

    Haruhiro sat up. ¡°What? Where?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday, I decided to pass.¡± A dark smile appeared on Ranta¡¯s face. ¡°But not today! A man¡¯s gotta do what a man¡¯s gotta do!¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Slow, aren¡¯t you? What¡¯s there not to get? The baths, idiot. B-A-T-H-S.¡±

    ¡°What about the baths?¡±

    ¡°The girls are in there right? Washing their bodies and hair¡­ and completely naked. So there¡¯s only one thing I, as a man, am supposed to do.¡±

    ¡°Y-you¡­ You¡¯re not¡­¡±

    Ranta cackled. ¡°Here I go!¡±

    ¡°No way! You can¡¯t do that!¡± Haruhito climbed down from his top bunk and chased after Ranta.

    Only at times like this could Ranta move fox-like, quick and nimble. Haruhiro wasn¡¯t able to catch up to him until he was already at the baths. They were located in a different building than the main lodge, but the two were still attached; it had been built as an annex on the side, so perhaps it was more accurate to call it a bathhouse rather than a bathroom.

    Ranta crouched low at the entrance and put his ear against door.

    ¡°Ranta¡ª¡± Haruhiro started to say, but was cut off by a furious-looking Ranta putting his index finger to his lips.

    Ranta¡¯s expression clearly said that he would murder Haruhiro if he said another word. Intimidated, Haruhiro shut up. What was he going to do? He quieted his footfalls and approached Ranta.

    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Haruhiro whispered in Ranta¡¯s ear. ¡°This isn¡¯t something any human being would do¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ranta mouthed the words silently to Haruhiro. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I lose my humanity. As long as I reach my goals, I don¡¯t care if I become a demon or an Asura.¡±

    ¡°Demon, Asura, whatever, you¡¯re still overdoing it. Don¡¯t you have any self control?¡±

    ¡°Self-control?¡± Ranta shrugged. ¡°Never heard of the word. You gotta use words that are in my dictionary.¡± He suddenly exhaled sharply.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Ranta pointed at the door. ¡°You can hear them, their voices.¡± He chuckled softly.

    Without thinking, Haruhiro started to put his ear to the door. Then he stopped, regaining control of himself. It¡¯s not right to do this.He admitted that he was curious, but if he gave in, he would become the same as Ranta.

    Ranta laughed soundlessly. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for self-control, Haruhiro. Besides, you¡¯ve already given in to your baser instincts. If you hadn¡¯t, then why aren¡¯t you dragging me back by force or yelling warnings at them?¡±

    Ouch. Ranta sure knew how to hit home. Haruhiro place a hand over his chest, looking around, and almost yelped in surprise¡ªsomeone else was there, just out of sight in the darkness. Two people. And they were coming his way.

    ¡°Hey.¡± The newcomer raised a hand in greeting. It was Manato. And behind him was a giant of a person. Mogzo.

    Ranta blinked as if his eyes had been lying to him. ¡°You guys¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I can expl¡ª¡± Haruhiro started to say, but was cut off when Manato brought his index finger to his lips to indicate silence.

    No way. Of all people, Manato too?

    Yes, Manato too. Was this really okay? Haruhiro looked questioningly at Manato, who gave him a silent nod in reply. Mogzo too, nodded. Haruhiro laughed soundlessly. They had lost.

    Congrats, animal instincts, congrats. We raise our glasses to you.

    Honestly though, he was rather curious. And it wasn¡¯t like they could see anything, so it wasn¡¯t actually peeping right? There happened to be a paneless window above them where light and steam was pouring out in a sort of ¡®please-come-here-and-take-a-look-through¡¯ sort of way¡­ but it was too high for any of them to reach.

    Maybe if he rode on someone else¡¯s shoulders or if someone boosted him up, it would be reachable, but he had no such intentions of doing any such thing. Nope, not at all. The mere thought of it never even occurred to him. He couldn¡¯t possibly do any such thing. No, no, no.

    Haruhiro and the others crowded together at the bathhouse entrance and put their ears to the door. They could hear voices, but rather faintly. Concentrate harder. He should be able to hear better. Yes, that was it. He could hear them now and clearly too.

    ¡°Even though you were wearing that¡­¡± Yume¡¯s voice.

    ¡°W-w-what?¡± Shihoru¡¯s reply.

    ¡°Turns out they¡¯re big, just like I thought.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? W-what are?¡±

    ¡°Your boobs. They¡¯re so big¡­ and adorably round¡­¡±

    ¡°A-adorable?¡±

    Whether it was by chance or not, Shihoru¡¯s words echoed exactly what Haruhiro was thinking. And probably not just Haruhiro either. Ranta, Mogzo, Manato, everyone was probably thinking the same thing: ¡®Big, round, and adorable¡­¡¯ Just what exactly did they look like?! He couldn¡¯t even imagine¡­

    ¡°Yes, adorable. Can I feel them, just a little?¡±

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s, ah, tha¡ªumm¡ªwha¡ªohhhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow. I had a feeling they would feel really good to touch, and they really do!¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ªahh¡­ nyaaa¡­¡±

    ¡°¡®Nyaa, nyaa¡¯ you sound like a cat, Shihoru.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yume, please¡­ don¡¯t¡­ please don¡¯t touch¡­ there¡­¡±

    ¡°They go boing-boing, BOING-BOING¡­¡±

    ¡°P-please don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s e-embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°It would be fun if Yume had bouncy boobs too. But Yume¡¯s boobs just do this¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I-I think Yume¡¯s boobs¡­ are cute too, though¡­¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true¡­ How are Yume¡¯s boobs cute?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ They¡¯re not fat like mine, but they still seem soft¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­But yours aren¡¯t fat at all. Yume¡¯s are flabby¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re soft so¡­ I¡¯m sure they¡¯re¡­ they look t-tasty.¡±

    ¡°¡®Tasty¡¯? Shihoru, don¡¯t say weird things like that. Yume isn¡¯t edible.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ Umm¡­ I know, that¡¯s¡­ that was just¡­ a figure of speech.¡±

    ¡°But maybe just try to give them a little lick? Here¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ B-but¡­¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s okay to take a big bite too¡­ maybe around this spot? Here, just a little taste¡­¡±

    What was going on? What was this? Haruhiro stepped away from the door and shook his head. This was no good. No good. No good at all. What were Yume and Shihoru doing in there? What was happening? His imagination was running in all sorts of directions.

    Were these the sorts of conversations girls had when boys weren¡¯t around? He didn¡¯t know. How was he expected to know stuff like this?

    When Haruhiro looked, Ranta, Manato, and Mogzo had also stepped away from the door. It was just too much¡­ stimulation. It was all a riddle. Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, and it all jumbled together inside his head. Haruhiro met Manato¡¯s gaze. Let¡¯s go back. Back to our room, he signaled. But Manato was already looking somewhere else.

    Haruhiro followed his gaze and saw that Ranta was gazing up at the night sky. No, that wasn¡¯t it. It wasn¡¯t the night sky he was looking at. It was the bathhouse window.

    Ranta was staring at the bathhouse window with the ravenous eyes of a starving wolf. Ranta stood up to full height and stretched to reach the window. He couldn¡¯t. He looked over at the rest of them, his countenance strangely Asura-like.

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t want to take a peek? Seriously? Is it really okay to let his chance slip by? Can you really say you¡¯re not going to regret it? Really?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Haruhiro gritted his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I might regret it,¡± Manato said frankly. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure that I won¡¯t regret it. But what¡¯s going to happen if we go any further?¡±

    Ranta knitted his eyebrows together and frowned. ¡°What do you mean ¡®what¡¯s going to happen¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Even now, we¡¯re all pretty¡­ excited. It¡¯ll be worse if we get even more so. There would be no turning back. Then we return. To our room. The four of us. Four boys. I won¡¯t be able to hold back then. But if we stopped here and now¡­¡±

    Haruhiro shuddered. As expected of Manato, he really thought things through. It would be more than horrible if things ended up like that. If they stopped now though, they could all just go back full of satisfying fond memories¡­ or something like that. Supposedly satisfying. Probably satisfying. Or maybe not satisfying at all.

    This was the critical moment though. If they crossed that line, there would be no going back. If it were up to Haruhiro, everyone would be on their way back already. He had already sort of crossed a line¡­ If only he had stopped then. But he wanted to avoid regretting it if this developed any further.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Haruhiro grabbed Ranta by the arm, intending to drag him back by force if need be. But he never anticipated that the real threat would come from another direction entirely.

    Mozgo stood up slowly and moved towards the window. When he was directly beneath it, he bent halfway down and put both hands against the wall. A platform? He had made himself into a platform? He looked up in Haruhiro and the others¡¯ directions and gave a thumbs up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, everyone, climb up.¡±

    Haruhiro looked at Ranta, then turned his gaze to Manato. Both of them looked as if they had been struck by lightning. Not possible, Haruhiro thought. But Mogzo¡¯s determination was set in stone. Could they really reject his offer? No, they couldn¡¯t. Not possible.

    There was no other choice.

    Haruhiro nodded at Manato. Who would go first? Haruhiro was okay with going afterwards or even last. The one who was probably the most eager to take a peek was Ranta. But Ranta was crying. He was actually crying, with tears running down his face and his nose dripping. Without bothering to wipe himself dry, he patted Mogzo on the back.

    ¡°Dammit, Mogzo. Don¡¯t make me cry like this!¡±

    ¡°Oy!¡± Haruhiro said, then turned on his heels towards the window to take a peek. Manato, however, was the faster and cut in front of Haruhiro.

    ¡°Why does Yume hear Ranta¡¯s voice!?¡± Came Yume¡¯s voice from the bathhouse.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Ranta made a run for it while proclaiming in a loud voice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I had nothing to do with it! It was Mogzo! It¡¯s all Mogzo¡¯s fault! I didn¡¯t see or hear anything!¡±

    Mogzo tipped over clumsily with a loud grunt and Shihoru¡¯s scream could be heard from within.

    ¡°Stupid Ranta!¡± Yume kicked the wall from the inside. ¡°Pervert! Idiot! Douchebag! GO TO HELL AND NEVER COME BAAAAAAAAAACK!¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 10

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 10: Damroww

    They confessed everything to Yume and Shihoru, and then apologized wholeheartedly. Haruhiro, Manato, and Mogzo, that is. Ranta defiantly claimed that he didn¡¯t see anything, so there was no need to make such a fuss about it, and thus incurred both Yume¡¯s and Shihoru¡¯s wrath; they thoroughly ignored Ranta from then on.

    However, it was hard to say whether their lack of teamwork became any worse, just from that. In fact, it probably had no effect. The next day, the day after that, and the day after that, they didn¡¯t earn that much. And by ¡°didn¡¯t earn that much¡±, what he really meant close to zero. And by ¡°close to zero¡±, what he really meant was ¡°exactly zero¡±.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t want anyone asking about the state of his finances, so he had no idea how the others were doing either. Of course, he was acutely aware of how much money he himself still had. During the last three days, he had spent fourteen, thirteen, and twelve capas each day. That meant thirty-nine capas spent with zero earned. If the one capa technically owed to Yorozu¡¯s bank counted, then the total sum of Haruhiro¡¯s remaining money came to one silver and forty-nine capas.

    All thoughts of buying daily necessities such as razors or a spare pair of underwear had vanished. Staying at a better lodge? An outlandish dream that was laughably ridiculous now. If he spent successively one less capa on food per day, how much longer could he make his money last? That was now his most immediate and pressing concern.

    Their earnings, having been zero for three straight days, resulted in dismay so immense that when they returned to the lodge for the night no one spoke a single word to each other. They all just went immediately to bed, but it wasn¡¯t as if anyone could fall asleep right away either. There was no one amongst them with strong enough nerves to just go to sleep in the situation they were in.

    Or so Haruhiro thought, until he heard Ranta¡¯s snores from the bunk beside him. That kid really was something. After getting past his initial disgust, Haruhiro found himself rather impressed. Maybe it was better for him to just go to sleep rather than keep thinking about the past. Today was over, tomorrow might bring something better, and tomorrow was more important since he couldn¡¯t do anything about what happened today. So what were they going to do tomorrow?

    Renew their hunt for monsters. Even if they only earned one capa, that would be fine¡ªno, one capa was no good, no good at all. He wanted to earn a lot of money. As much money as he could. He was determined to not be left with nothing. As he turned over in his bunk, he felt the movements of someone getting up.

    ¡°Manato?¡± Haruhiro called tentatively.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Where are you going? It¡¯s still nighttime. Rather, it just turned nighttime. The bathroom?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Manato stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit. It¡¯s not anything important so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Going out at this time of night? Where?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that late yet,¡± Manato said, as he flashed a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. It¡¯s been a long day, go ahead and get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡± But even as the words came from his mouth, Haruhiro thought that maybe it was better not to let Manato go alone. But it was too late. He was already gone.

    Still a little worried, Haruhiro struck up a casual conversation with the still-awake Mogzo and after a while, eventually fell asleep. When he woke, Manato had returned and was already up and about.

    ¡°Morning, Haruhiro,¡± Manato called. ¡°I thought we¡¯d try going somewhere different today. What do you think?¡±

    Apparently, Manato had gone to Sherry¡¯s Tavern located on Kaen Road the night before to gather information from other Crimson Moon members. At the tavern, he bought drinks for people, had drinks bought for him in return, and even now still seemed a little hung over. But the issue didn¡¯t stop at his overdrinking; Manato must have spent quite a lot of money, too.

    ¡°You should have taken me with you,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Haruhiro, you can drink?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I don¡¯t remember if I ever drank or not.¡±

    Manato smiled devilishly. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike drinking, so I wasn¡¯t there all for business. Maybe part of me wanted to loosen up a bit.¡±

    Later, when Manato brought up to the others his proposal to change location, they all readily agreed. Everybody was sick of forests.

    There was a city about an hour¡¯s walk, roughly two and a half miles northwest of Altana. In reality, it wasn¡¯t a city so much as a former city. Presently, no one, not even a single child, lived there¡ªno one human, that is. Eighty percent of the defensive wall that surrounded the city was in shambles and more than half the buildings, perhaps closer to sixty or seventy percent, were collapsed. Rubble lay scattered about, plant life had overtaken areas here and there, and rusty swords, spears, and other weapons lay strewn about or sticking out from the ground. And frighteningly, skeletal remains could also be seen all over.

    Animals that seemed to be neither dogs nor cats roamed about the crumbling walls and broken rooftops, but disappeared as soon as they sensed Haruhiro and the others approach. An incessant cawing sound could be heard and when they turned towards the source of it, they saw a few dozen crows gathered on the remains of a large building being used as a perch.

    Long ago, Damroww used to be the Aravakia Kingdom¡¯s second largest city and was by far larger than Altana. However, when it was attacked and taken by the Deathless King and his confederation, it became of the undead. Now, it was different. After the passing of the Deathless King, his former goblin slaves rebelled, drove the undead out of the city, and then claimed it for themselves. Damroww was now primarily goblin territory.

    However, located in the southeast area of the city was Damroww¡¯s Old Town, a section of the city that had been left long neglected by the goblins. That wasn¡¯t to say that there were no goblins around though. There were.

    ¡°Just¡­ one?¡± Haruhiro was hidden behind a wall that felt like it would collapse if he put even the slightest amount of weight on it. He was in the ruins of a house where all that remained of the actual building was the foundation.

    He was the Thief, so the task of scouting had been left up to him; however, he had no skill in either [STEALTH WALK] or [PILFER]. The most he could do was [PICK LOCK] which made him no different than an ordinary person who had some skill in opening locks. Was it really okay to let him do the reconnaissance for the party?

    The mud goblin they had killed in the forest before was one of many species of goblins. The one that Haruhiro had found here certainly resembled a mud goblin, but its skin had a yellowish tint and it wasn¡¯t covered in filth. It was also clothed and had a kind of club-like weapon hanging from its waist. Slung diagonally across its back was a small sack¡ªa goblin pouch.

    While mud goblins kept all their valuables on a cord around their necks, proper goblins kept theirs in pouches. Everything they had of value was kept in there, on their person, at all times.

    The particular goblin Haruhiro was watching had sat itself down, gruffly crossed its arms across its chest, and leaned back against a wall. It hung its head down and closed its eyes. It was still daytime though, so it seemed like the thing was about to take a nap. Haruhiro hurried back to where the others were waiting, taking care not to make any sound as he moved.

    ¡°One goblin and it seems to be asleep,¡± he reported.

    ¡°Okay, then. Let¡¯s go for it.¡± Manato¡¯s expression tensed as he went on. ¡°Mogzo¡¯s chainmail armor is going to make noise no matter how careful he is, so Haruhiro, Ranta, and I will approach it first. Mogzo, Yume, and Shihoru follow and close in after us. The three of us will try to close in and kill it in one blow without waking it up. If it does wake, however, Yume target it with your bow and Shihoru with your magic. Mogzo, come and back us up quick as you can. If it comes down to a dogfight, use the same formation as before. Everyone encircle it and don¡¯t give it a chance to run.¡±

    Everyone nodded immediately in reply. They hadn¡¯t made any money in the last three days, so even Ranta was dead serious now.

    Manato, Haruhiro, and Ranta set off with Manato in the lead. They reached the remains of the house in no time at all; from there, things got a little tougher. The ruins of the house were strewn with rubble, making any misstep potentially disastrous. Navigating towards the sleeping goblin took more time than they anticipated and there were several times when their footfalls produced noise.

    Finally, they were within two or three steps of weapon range. Mogzo and the others held their positions past the boundary of what used to be the house. Manato, Haruhiro, and Ranta looked at each other in turn. Ranta then pointed at himself. Haruhiro wondered if it was okay to trust Ranta to get this right, but Manato waved a hand in a signal to go ahead.

    Ranta let go of the breath he had been holding and approached the goblin. Rather than bringing his long sword up for an overhead swung, he thrust the tip of it at the goblin¡¯s head. The goblin opened its eyes with a grunt. It noticed Haruhiro and the others right away and seemed to realize exactly what was happening.

    With a loud cry, it stretched out an arm to make a grab at Ranta¡¯s head. Ranta ducked as Manato shouted, ¡°Watch out!¡± and spun his short staff around to hit the goblin on the arms and head in quick succession.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ranta thrust his long sword into it then pulled it back out with a twist.

    Haruhiro remained where he was, impotent. If he went in now, he had a feeling he would just be getting in Manato¡¯s and Ranta¡¯s way as they fought. The goblin flailed and thrashed about, cursing in some sort of unknown language, but gradually stopped moving.

    The mud goblin had put up more of a fight. Was it because they had caught this one asleep and unawares? Soon enough, it was still.

    ¡°¡­Did we kill it?¡± Ranta breathed heavily as he leaned forward and peered closely at the goblin¡¯s face.

    An image of the goblin springing back up and biting Ranta on the nose flashed through Haruhiro¡¯s mind, but nothing of that sort happened. Manato briefly closed his eyes and drew a hexagram in the air. It was over.

    Mogzo, Yume, and Shihoru entered the remains of the house. Ranta placed his boot on the goblin¡¯s head and pulled his long sword out, muttering, ¡°Gotta remove a claw, or something¡­ Need something for a Vice, need something for a Vice¡­¡±

    Manato gingery removed the goblin pouch from its body and opened it up. Haruhiro¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Silvers!¡±

    Did goblins have a fondness for collecting human-made coins? And not just one silver coin, but four. Unlike the one they found on the mud goblin, these didn¡¯t have holes in them. There was also a sort of glass-like stone and slender, finger-like bones from some sort of animal.

    Yume¡¯s eyes turned into dots, and she sighed. ¡°Wow. It¡¯s a record~yan. Though it¡¯s only our second kill¡­¡±

    ¡°Four silvers.¡± Shihoru blinked again and again, lost for further words.

    Mogzo simply gaped slack-jawed.

    Manato looked skywards. Then he gave a long sigh and shook his head. ¡°No, not yet. There¡¯s no point unless we keep going. It was easy this time, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll be easy every time. Now isn¡¯t the time to relax. We need to search for our next target.¡±

    ¡°Manato,¡± Ranta patted Manato¡¯s back. ¡°You need to loosen up. We finally got our first big victory! And IT¡¯S ALL THANKS TO ME! Why shouldn¡¯t we do a little celebrating?¡±

    Manato¡¯s expression turned stern for a brief moment, but was then quickly replaced with a broad smile. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m against celebrating. And you did really well, Ranta.¡±

    ¡°I sure did! That¡¯s because I¡¯m amazing! Especially that cruel smile I had on my face when I stabbed it with my blade. Super Dread Knight-like!¡±

    ¡°Nuh-uh.¡± Haruhiro waved him off. ¡°You were just flinging that sword around in pure desperation.¡±

    ¡°Idiot! I smashed its head in, piece of cake! Where were you looking?! Ohhh, right, over that way! Your sleepy eyes were too sleepy to notice!¡±

    ¡°Always saying the same things over and over. Sorry, but I¡¯m not taking the bait every time.¡±

    ¡°Take it! Take it or it¡¯ll make me really sad¡­¡±

    Everyone laughed and savored the moment for a while. Then just as Manato had said, they returned to the search for their next target seriously. Things went well in Damroww¡¯s Old Town area. Considering the days before this one, it was downright scary how smoothly things everything went.

    By evening, they had killed four goblins including the sleeping one, and from the four goblin pouches had collected eight silvers, a glass-like stone, a black stone, a reddish stone, a number of bones and fangs, some sort of key-like object, a small cog, and some sort of metallic object. They sold everything except for the coins at the market in exchange for an additional two silvers and forty-five capas.

    The earnings were split among the six of them resulting in one silver and seventy-four capas each with one capa leftover. Haruhiro used fifteen capas for food and lodging for the day so that meant he now had a total of three silvers and eight capas. If tomorrow went as smoothly, Haruhiro decided that he would buy a spare set of underwear and a small knife.

    The next day, however, did not go as well. They had found a group of five goblins but, though Ranta wanted to engage, everyone decided to avoid them. Without the element of surprise on their side, they would struggle even against one opponent. Two was decidedly risky so five was out of the question.

    Haruhiro thought that to be the correct decision, but evening was fast approaching and they hadn¡¯t found any goblin groups of two or less. Finally, as they were returning to Altana they accidentally ran into a single goblin, which resulted in a sudden fight.

    In the end, their earnings for the day amounted to one silver. Only a single silver¡­ but thinking like in terms of ¡°onlys¡± would only lead to trouble. They had earned a whole silver when they thought they were going to go back with absolutely nothing. Haruhiro accepted it as that. He would just have to earn a bit more before buying any personal necessities.

    On their third day in Damroww¡¯s Old Town area, they decided to make a basic map of the place as they searched for their quarry. Well, it was Manato¡¯s idea and in order to draw the map, he had procured a small notebook and a brush. Manato insisted that if they were able to get an idea of the layout of the area and kept notes on where they spotted goblins, the information would be useful later on.

    At any rate, it turned out that making the map as they wandered around the Old Town area was quite fun. ¡°Let¡¯s take look around here¡­¡± or ¡°we haven¡¯t been here yet¡­¡± They naturally memorized the roads and paths as they explored. They would grow nervous when they entered an area that wasn¡¯t on their map and conversely felt a sense of security in areas that had they had already mapped out.

    They killed three goblins that day and after selling the loot, their earnings totaled to seventy-four capa each. It wasn¡¯t like that could put everyone in high spirits, however. The amount wasn¡¯t exactly enough to get excited over. However, Yume and Shihoru wanted to go shopping, so Haruhiro also went with them to the market.

    He just happened to come across cotton underwear as he was looking around and even though he did his best to barter down the price, he still paid twenty-five capas for what looked to be like a used pair. Now that he had spare clothing, he also needed something to carry it in so out of necessity also ended up buying a backpack. Surprisingly, cheap used backpacks were fairly easy to find and Haruhiro had paid only thirty capas for one made of sturdy canvas. Compared to the underwear, he got the feeling that the backpack was the better deal.

    When they returned to the lodge, everyone talked for a while about what shops offered what kinds of goods and what they all wanted to buy next. The more they talked, the more animated the conversation became and no one could really fall asleep. Suddenly, Ranta, who had been jabbering away excitedly just moments before began to snore. Mozgo soon followed suit.

    Haruhiro too decided it was time to turn in. He was tired and feeling rather drowsy, but for some reason his consciousness refused to fall into the realm of sleep.

    ¡°Manato?¡± He called out tentatively and, just as he thought, Manato too was still awake.

    ¡°Yes?¡± came Manato¡¯s immediate reply.

    Although Haruhiro was the one who spoke up first, it wasn¡¯t like he had anything in particular he wanted to talk about. No, there should have been plenty of things to say; however, none of them came immediately to mind. But saying nothing at all was odd, so he had to say something.

    After a moment of panic¡ª

    ¡°Thanks.¡± The word spilled almost unintentionally from Haruhiro¡¯s mouth and he suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

    ¡°What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡± Manato grinned. ¡°I¡¯m the one that¡¯s grateful.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ grateful? Why?¡±

    ¡°For everyone. For you, being a real friend. I really am grateful. Saying it like this now, it might sound like lip service but I really mean it.¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t sound like lip service, but¡­¡± Haruhiro bit down on the inside of his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s just that, we¡¯ve been depending on you this entire time. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we¡­ We might not even be around.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. If it wasn¡¯t for you and the others, I don¡¯t know what would have happened to me. No matter how much I think about it, there¡¯s no way I could have survived on my own.¡±

    Haruhiro hesitated on what he wanted to say next, but he wasn¡¯t any good at hiding his thoughts, nor could he hold it all in either. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to take this the wrong way, but you could have made all the friends you wanted. You could have asked to join any party and they would have taken you.¡±

    ¡°A party of other Crimson Moon members? Honestly, I never really considered it. I don¡¯t really like deferring to others and I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be good at taking orders from higher ups. Though I don¡¯t recall anything I did before we all appeared in this place, so I don¡¯t really know.¡±

    And with a start, Haruhiro suddenly remembered. That feeling when he tried to recall something from his prior life. That feeling, as if the thing he was reaching for would suddenly disappear without a trace, just as he was about to grasp it. He had been so preoccupied with everything else that he had forgotten all about that.

    ¡°Me too,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything either.¡±

    ¡°But I get the feeling¡­¡± and then Manato stopped, seeming a bit hesitant to go on. ¡°That I wasn¡¯t the type of person that had a lot of friends.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± What Haruhiro really wanted to say was, No, you¡¯re wrong. But he fell silent. After all, he hadn¡¯t known Manato before coming here. And it was the same vice versa.

    Neither Haruhiro or Manato knew anything of themselves. The more he tried to think about it, the more confused he got. So he had decided that it was better not to think about it at all. None of it mattered now and it wasn¡¯t like he could remember anything to begin with anyway. Not to mention they had plenty of other stuff to keep their minds occupied, the first and foremost being on earning enough money to live from day to day.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who you were before,¡± Haruhiro said in the most cheerful tone he could manage. ¡°No one¡¯s gonna ask you about it either. What matters is you¡¯re our teammate now. And leader too. We¡¯d be in trouble if you weren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to do this without all of you either.¡±

    Haruhiro nodded, though Manato¡¯s bunk was beneath him and he couldn¡¯t see it. Haruhiro needed to say something in reply. Anything. But even as Haruhiro searched for the words, Manato started chuckling softly.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it odd?¡± Manato continued. ¡°Everything, that is. What are we doing, running around with swords and magic? It¡¯s like something out of a game.¡±

    ¡°A game, huh?¡± Haruhiro blinked and tilted his head to one side. ¡°Game. How so?¡±

    Manato was silent in thought for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s like I said, it¡¯s like a game. Or so I thought at the time.¡±

    ¡°No, now that you mention it, I think so too. A game¡­ But what kind of game?¡±

    A sense of discomfort fell over them. It was as if they had something caught in their throats and couldn¡¯t be dislodged. But it was definitely better to keep it sealed up inside. This wasn¡¯t the time or place. Tomorrow they would head to Damroww again.

    Haruhiro yawned. It seemed as if he would finally be able to fall asleep now.

 Volume 1 - CH 11

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 11: Don¡¯t Go

    ¡°Ranta! One headed your way!¡± From Haruhiro, a warning.

    ¡°I know! No need to tell me!¡± From Ranta, an immediate reply.

    Mogzo and Manato were positioned ahead, while Yume and Shihoru fought from range. One of the three goblins that Mogzo and Manato fought had slipped past them and gone for Yume and Shihoru. Ranta was closest to the one that broke through; though he and Haruhiro supported the front lines by staying behind and attacking enemies on the back and sides, they were there to defend the two in the back as well. Ranta moved to intercept.

    Even though Ranta would still sometimes break formation to run off and do his own thing, their teamwork had improved in the thirteen days had passed since they first came to Damroww and started hunting goblins. And today he was right in step with the rest of them.

    Ranta let out a battle cry, ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡±, and attacked.

    Or maybe he wasn¡¯t. Ranta had thrust his longsword at the goblin with his newly learned skill, but from outside the technique¡¯s range. It missed spectacularly.

    ¡°I missed?! It can¡¯t possibly be a normal goblin!¡± Ranta declared.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a normal goblin!¡± Haruhiro snapped, exchanging a glance with Manato.

    Manato and Mogzo could definitely hold their own against two opponents, so Haruhiro rushed to maneuver himself to sneak up directly behind the goblin attacking Ranta with its rusty sword.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ranta cursed, looking at Haruhiro as he deflected the goblin¡¯s blows.

    Quit looking at me! Haruhiro thought even as tried to decide on a point to target.

    It wasn¡¯t just Ranta who had learned a new fighting technique. Everyone had returned to their guilds and came back with one new skill each. However, they were all still at a level where they only understood how to use it in theory; none of them had the confidence to make practical use of their new techniques in a fight yet. But without at least trying to actively using their skills in a fight, they would never reach a practical level of proficiency.

    Since he had paid a good amount of money to the guild to teach him the new technique, Haruhiro was determined to make use of it.

    Easier said than done. The goblin had somehow suspected him and looked behind itself often, clumsily swinging its sword at Haruhiro in an attempt to thwart off any impending sneak attacks. He had a hard time finding any openings. If Ranta could just get its attention¡­ but that was too much to expect out of a guy like him. Ranta wasn¡¯t the type to fight an enemy head on and Haruhiro was the same.

    They were both afraid to face an enemy directly, preferring to attack from the back or at the very least from the side. Because of that, both Haruhiro and Ranta circled the goblin, trying to get into position behind it. The goblin, of course, didn¡¯t want any enemy at its back, so it circled too and soon, no one had any idea what was going on any more.

    ¡°Someone do something!¡± Yume drew her kukri and leapt at the goblin.

    Taken by surprise, the goblin stopped moving for a fraction of a second, and Yume slashed with her kukri in a crisscross pattern. ¡°[CROSS CUT]!¡±

    The goblin shrieked and quickly backed away, bearing a shallow cut from shoulder to chest. It now had its back to Haruhiro.

    Now! And even as he thought it, his body moved. In an instant, he had closed the gap between them and thrust his dagger into its back; [BACKSTAB]. The goblin donned only soft leather as armor, so Haruhiro¡¯s dagger went a good four inches into it. Grunting in effort, he pulled it back out and retreated just as the goblin twisted around.

    The goblin coughed blood, looked like it was preparing to do something, then suddenly fell over, twitching. It was still alive, but finished. If not, then it would have kept fighting.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Haruhiro stared at the downed goblin. It stared back at him. ¡°Did I¡­ stab it in a good spot? Or I guess a bad spot?¡±

    ¡°Gotta kill it!¡± Ranta jumped towards the goblin and slashed its neck with his longsword. ¡°YESSS! Got my Vice!¡±

    Yume narrowed her brows. ¡°Yume thinks the same thing every time but Dread Knights really are savages.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a savage! I¡¯m nobly cruel! Us Dread Knights do the bidding of Lord Skulheill. ¡®Inhuman we are, heartless by far; we knights bloodless, tearless, our foes will blades mar¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oom rel eckt,¡± Shihoru chanted, drawing an elemental glyph with her staff. ¡°Vel dash!¡±

    Mages used the power of magical beings called elementals, and the shadow elemental that Shihoru had just summoned in front of her had the appearance of a frizzy black strand of seaweed. It was the [SHADOW ECHO] magic spell and it flew forward with a peculiar voash! sound.

    Shihoru could have chosen to learn Alev, the magic of fire, Kanon, the magic of ice, or even Pfatlz, the magic of lightning. But instead she chose Das, the magic of shadow. Haruhiro had a distinct feeling that that was perhaps Shihoru¡¯s personality starting to reveal itself.

    The shadow elemental hit the goblin Manato was fighting square in the back of the head. However, it didn¡¯t only affect its head; its entire body began to tremble.

    ¡°Gah! Gah!¡± The goblin cried in a strange voice.

    [SHADOW ECHO] wasn¡¯t magic that burned, froze, or shocked, but rather did its damage through high frequency waves. As expected of Manato, he followed up with a blow using his short staff, then kicked the goblin down.

    ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡± Ranta viciously attacked the fallen goblin.

    Attacking something while it was already down was one of Ranta¡¯s ¡°special¡± abilities. Common sense would say that it wasn¡¯t necessary to use their fighting techniques on already weakened and nearly finished enemies, but it was a fact that was lost on him. Ranta¡¯s longsword slashed through the air and¡­ didn¡¯t finish it. It had been deflected, having hit the gobin on the hard, boney side of its head. Ranta was immediately enraged.

    ¡°BASTARD!! Who do you think you are! Take this! And this! And this!¡± Ranta screamed, beating on it again and again.

    While Ranta abused the dying goblin, Mogzo was still fighting the single one remaining. They had to finish it. But it didn¡¯t seem necessary for Haruhiro to help. The goblin attacked with a wild cry, slashing at Mogzo with its rusted blade. Mogzo intercepted the attack perfectly, using his bastard sword to lock blades with it, and stopped the goblin¡¯s movements.

    It was here that Mogzo had the upper hand. He had a good amount of strength and had learned a follow-up technique. With a grunt, Mozgo spun the goblin¡¯s sword around using his, then used the tip of it to cut into the goblin¡¯s face; [SPIRAL SLASH]. Mogzo didn¡¯t have speed, but he was fairly agile. The goblin winced and retreated back.

    Haruhiro shouted in encouragement, ¡°Go, Mogzo!¡± and Mogzo went.

    He stepped forward, then slashed diagonally with all his strength, shouting. ¡°THANKS!!¡±

    Mogzo¡¯s technique, [RAGE CLEAVE] was the most basic of basic skills taught to Warriors during after their initiation into the Warrior¡¯s Guild. It looked like something that could have been mastered just by watching and imitating, but it wasn¡¯t a skill that was easy to land. The reason why Mogzo shouted ¡°thanks¡± when using [RAGE CLEAVE] was because it stood for ¡°thanks for letting me kill you¡± amongst Warriors.

    But behind such a seemingly innocuous word was a formidable amount of strength. Mozgo¡¯s bastard sword had cut the goblin from the top of the shoulder to the middle of its chest. He spun around and the goblin was lifted into the air by the bastard sword, still stuck in its chest. Then, with a grunt of exertion, Mogzo hurled it away, sending it flying as he pulled the sword back out.

    Ranta ran after the goblin, letting out a loud cry of triumph then starting hacking at the goblin with his long sword. Yume didn¡¯t just think so; Ranta really was a savage. What he was doing was completely barbaric. And when he was done chopping at the goblin¡¯s body, he used a knife to cut off one of its pointed ears.

    ¡°Three Vices in a row!¡± He laughed with glee. ¡°That makes eleven total and an upgrade to my demon¡¯s power! If it feels like it, it¡¯ll whisper things in the enemy¡¯s ears to distract it! Awesome!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®If it feels like it¡¯?¡± Haruhiro sighed. ¡°So a Dread Knight¡¯s demon is useless in reality.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I heard that, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°Don¡¯t openly diss my Zodiac! I¡¯ll have it curse you!¡±

    Apparently ¡®Zodiac¡¯ was the name Ranta had given to his demon. Or was that its real name? Perhaps a pet name? Haruhiro didn¡¯t know but it didn¡¯t matter. It didn¡¯t change the fact that it was useless.

    ¡°I¡¯m right though. You can¡¯t even summon it during the daytime,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Idiot! After I collect eleven Vices, it levels up! I can now summon it at sunset and sunrise!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve returned to Altana by sunset and no one¡¯s awake at sunrise.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. But.¡± Yume had joined in; her cheeks were puffed out in annoyance but her eyes glistened. A complicated expression to read. ¡°Since it¡¯s master is all bumble-brained, it¡¯s probably kinda cute in that way too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not its master! Demons aren¡¯t like pets! Zodiac sort of possesses me. It¡¯s a demon after all!¡±

    ¡°So that means,¡± Shihoru said, chuckling softly and avoiding Ranta¡¯s gaze, ¡°that before you can use it to curse Haruhiro, you¡¯ll be cursed yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s right. Wait, WHAT?! Seriously?! Zodiac, is that true? Answer me, Zodiac! Oh, it¡¯s still daytime so he can¡¯t hear me¡­¡±

    ¡°Good work, everyone,¡± Manato said, looking at everyone with a smile. ¡°Is anyone hurt? Doesn¡¯t look like it but I¡¯ll heal anyone who is. If everyone¡¯s okay, then let¡¯s take a look at the goblin pouches.¡±

    ¡°Me! Me me me! I¡¯ll do it! Let me!¡± Ranta instantly volunteered.

    Inside the three goblin pouches were seven silvers, two precious-looking stones, three fangs and bones which no one was sure could fetch a price or not, and a few pieces of junk that were definitely not worth anything. Depending on how much the stones would sell for, that meant that they had earned around ten silvers¡ªor, at the very least, eight silvers.

    They had left Altana at seven in the morning, had reached Damroww at about eight o¡¯clock and now it was past noon. They proceeded to bury the goblin corpses in shallow graves then took a lunch break in an area a little ways away. Everyone had packed lunches consisting of bread, dried meat, and the like in their backpacks or bags and brought it with them. It was an enjoyable time for all.

    ¡°Need to give thanks.¡± Yume cut a little a few thin strips off the dried meat she had packed and placed them on the ground. Closing her eyes and folding her hands together, she prayed. ¡°Thanks, Eldritch. Here¡¯s an offering for your continued protection.¡±

    ¡°Is praying and making offerings,¡± Haruhiro asked, taking a bite of bread, ¡°before each meal something that¡¯s required by the Hunter¡¯s Guild?¡± He had bought it from Tattan¡¯s Bakery just outside of Nishimachi. It was hard as rock, but cheap and tasted fine.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yume opened her eyes and turned her gaze towards Haruhiro. ¡°The White Goddess Eldritch is a giant wolf and there¡¯s bad blood between her and the Black God Rigel, who is also a giant wolf. It¡¯s because of the protection of Eldritch that we can hunt and pass our days in safety.¡±

    ¡°In other words, Hunters worship her, right?¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°The Goddess Eldritch, that is. Is it really okay to pray so informally and offer so little?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yume laughed. ¡°Eldritch is big-hearted; I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll get mad at something like that¡­ Not that there¡¯s anything to get mad about.¡±

    ¡°I think¡­¡± Shihoru was holding some sort of bagel or other donut-like bread delicately in her hands. ¡°The Goddess Eldritch understands Yume¡¯s feelings. Or at least I believe so¡­¡±

    Manato took a drink from a leather flask and nodded in agreement. ¡°Sure, words and such are important, but even more important are the feelings behind the words. When we Priests use light magic, the spell doesn¡¯t work if we get the incantation wrong, but that¡¯s not really the same as Yume¡¯s prayer to Eldritch.¡±

    ¡°Yume is bursting full of feelings,¡± Yume said, spreading out both arms wide. ¡°When Yume sleeps at night, Eldritch comes to her in her dreams. Yume asked if she could ride Eldritch and Eldritch said yes. Yume climbed onto her back and Eldritch ran so fast! It was incredible!¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Ranta said, frowning as he chewed noisy on a strip of jerky, ¡°where¡¯s the punchline? I¡¯ve been listening to that silly story this entire time waiting for the punchline, so where is it? If you haven¡¯t prepared a good punchline, I swear I¡¯ll punch you!¡±

    ¡°Punchline?¡± Yume blinked and tilted her head to one side. ¡°There¡¯s no punchline.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Ranta tipped himself over dramatically. ¡°Idiot! What¡¯s the point of such a long story without a punchline?! What are you going to do when I drown in a downward spiral of shattered expectations?¡±

    ¡°How is that a bad thing?¡± Shihoru said in a tiny voice. ¡°If you just go drown and die.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ranta pointed his finger at Shihoru. ¡°Hey! Hey! I heard you! I heard what you said, Shihoru! You want me to die!¡±

    ¡°I was just saying. How is it a bad thing if you were to die by drowning?¡±

    ¡°If you suggest the cause of death it doesn¡¯t matter if you do it politely! You¡¯re the worst! The worst human being ever! The worst rotten villainess in all of history!¡±

    ¡°Just ignore him, Shihoru,¡± Yume said, hugging Shihoru and gently petting her on the head. ¡°No need to listen to anything the lowest of lowlifes says. Shihoru hasn¡¯t done anything wrong. It¡¯s the lowlife who¡¯s bad. He¡¯s so low that he can¡¯t even be considered human, really.¡±

    ¡°I am human!¡±

    ¡°A curly-haired human?¡± Haruhiro said and Ranta affirmed with, ¡°Yes, curly-haired¡­¡± Then glared at Haruhiro as he caught on.

    ¡°Curly hair has nothing to do with it!¡± Ranta said, pulling at said hair. ¡°In fact, a curly-haired person is a good person! People without curly hair aren¡¯t people at all, so there!¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± Mogzo swallowed a mouthful of bread the size of a fist. ¡°It¡¯s okay if I¡¯m not human.¡±

    ¡°Yume too,¡± Yume said.

    ¡°¡­Me too,¡± Shihoru added.

    ¡°Same here,¡± Haruhiro agreed.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Manato said, his expression almost, but not quite, solemn. ¡°Let¡¯s think about this rationally. Is curly hair really the problem? I don¡¯t think it is. There¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with curly hair in of itself. In fact, curly hair might even be the victim here¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranta pulled on his hair. ¡°Victim? My hair? So does that mean I¡¯m the criminal?! And it¡¯s because of me that curly hair has become a bad thing!?¡±

    ¡°Ranta, I¡¯m just joking.¡±

    ¡°God damn it, Manato! You¡¯ve always got that grin on your face so I can¡¯t tell when you¡¯re joking or being serious! You¡¯re a masked black-bellied traitor!¡±

    ¡°H-h-he¡¯s not!¡± Shihoru suddenly stood up, her face a bright red. She looked so outraged that steam seemed to rise from her head. ¡°Manato¡¯s not black-bellied or a traitor! You take that back right now!¡±

    Ranta flinched. ¡°H-hey, I have a point though, right? If you think about it, if I have to take it, I have the right to dish some out too.¡±

    ¡°Take it back!¡± Shihoru demanded.

    ¡°Fine, fine! I get it. I¡¯ll take it back. Manato¡¯s doesn¡¯t have a black belly. His belly is white. I see it in the baths every day, so I know it¡¯s white. It¡¯s white, that Manato¡¯s belly. Seriously. White. For a guy. Even for a girl, it¡¯d be a high level of whiteness.¡±

    ¡°White¡­¡± Shihoru swayed back and forth a little. ¡°Manato¡¯s¡­ belly¡­ baths¡­¡±

    ¡°Whiter than a girl, huh?¡± Manato lifted up his Priest¡¯s outer robes and then the shirt underneath. ¡°I don¡¯t really think so, but Haruhiro, is my belly that white?¡±

    ¡°Er, well¡­¡± Haruhiro looked from Shihoru to Manato, then to Shihoru, then to Manato again.

    Indeed his abdomen was white, but Shihoru¡¯s skin was fairer. But that wasn¡¯t really the point. Haruhiro already somewhat suspected, but now he knew for sure. Shihoru liked Manato. Was Manato pretending that he hadn¡¯t noticed? If so, then Haruhiro felt bad for her; however, he also had a feeling that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s pretty white, now that you mention it. Yeah, white. And your skin is very smooth too,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Smooth¡­ skin¡­¡± She looked as if she was going to fall over at any moment. ¡°Skin¡­ smooth¡­¡±

    ¡°Shihoru¡­ are you okay?¡± Yume moved to support the unsteady Shihoru. ¡°It¡¯s really not good to fantasize too much all at once. It¡¯s better to fantasize a little bit at a time. Shihoru? Shihoru?¡±

    Shihoru sighed heavily and leaned against Yume, in a complete daze.

    Oops, Haruhiro thought. Maybe I overdid it¡­ But at that moment, he suddenly noticed how interesting, that is to say cute, Shihoru was.

    Ranta scoffed in apparent disgust and turned away. He began to eat his lunch, putting on an air of general disinterest. Was it possible that Ranta liked Shihoru? And Shihoru seemed to be interested in Manato, so Ranta was upset over that?

    If so, Ranta should rethink a great many things. He had done nothing so far that would make a girl like him. In fact everything he¡¯d been doing seemed to make girls hate him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve really become a good team,¡± Manato whispered.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re able to take on three goblins at a time with no problems now and no one was hurt, meaning we were able to defeat them quite easily. Yume is much better handling a kukri than a bow; in fact, she¡¯s quite good with it. If we plan carefully, we can probably take on four at a time.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Haruhiro thought about it for a moment.

    Mogzo and Manato could take one each while he, Ranta, and Yume would handle the other two. Shihoru could immediately disable one with her [SHADOW ECHO] skill and if they could finish it off quickly, then he had a feeling four was manageable.

    ¡°Yeah, we can probably handle four,¡± Haruhiro agreed.

    ¡°Mogzo¡¯s become indispensible to us. He¡¯s so big that just his presence in a fight intimidates our opponents. He also handles that blade with a fair amount of accuracy, so when he swings it, hits tend to land.¡±

    ¡°I think so too,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Mogzo¡¯s swordplay is pretty skillful.¡±

    Mogzo swallowed another mouthful of bread. ¡°R-really? I don¡¯t know about that, but I do like handling jobs that require precision.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t suit you!¡± Ranta burst out angrily for no apparent reason, making Mogzo flinch. ¡°Or at least that¡¯s what I think.¡±

    Haruhiro glared mildly at Ranta. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. Mogzo isn¡¯t just some good for nothing juvenile delinquent, unlike someone else here.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°Are you talking ¡¯bout me? You know my nickname is ¡®Precision Whirlwind Machine,¡¯ right?¡±

    Yume, who was patting Shihoru reassuringly, peered at Ranta coldly. ¡°Yume is sure no one has ever called Ranta that, not even once.¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡¯s amazing,¡± Manato¡¯s solemn expression indicated that he wasn¡¯t joking around this time. ¡°He¡¯s always on the offensive, attacking all out. He¡¯s not afraid of failing, so he will probably master skills faster than anyone. Everyone else, myself included, we¡¯re averse to risk. If it wasn¡¯t for Ranta, we¡¯d never be able to keep advancing.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ranta¡¯s expression looked uncertain. ¡°In that case, my nickname¡¯s ¡®Advancement Cyclone Machine¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What happened to ¡®Precision Whirlwind Machine¡¯?¡± Haruhiro remarked as the straight-man.

    ¡°And Shihoru¡­¡± Manato paused. He must be carefully considering Shihoru¡¯s thoughts, Haruhiro guessed. ¡°Shihoru has a good understanding of the bigger picture. The majority of Das spells confuse or stun enemies and support the team in fights. She chose to learn shadow magic so she can help us in a pinch. Right, Shihoru?¡±

    Shihoru looked awestruck with surprise for a moment, then gave a silent but decisive nod. Haruhiro thought it was rather fitting of Shihoru to choose the rather specialized Das over easier to understand fire, ice, or lighting magic. Maybe it didn¡¯t exactly suit her, but Shihoru didn¡¯t simply pick the one she liked most, she had actually thought things out for the sake of the team before choosing.

    I¡¯m such an idiot. Haruhiro thought. I don¡¯t really know her at all.

    Manato shifted his gaze to Yume next. ¡°Yume is brave. She probably has more courage than any of us. As a healer, I sometimes wish that she would be more careful, but if anything happens, Yume wouldn¡¯t hesitate to jump in to help.¡±

    ¡°Yume wouldn¡¯t?¡± Yume pointed to herself. Her expression softened. ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t really feel scared in fights, but Yume¡¯s never been called brave before. Maybe you¡¯re right. Sorry for not being good with a bow, even though Yume¡¯s a Hunter.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has areas where they¡¯re weak and things that they can¡¯t do well,¡± Manato said, more to himself than anyone else. ¡°There¡¯s times when any one of those things might become fatal flaws for one lone person, but we¡¯re a team. We cover each other¡¯s weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Yume nodded several times. ¡°Very true. From now on, Yume will try her brestest to not drag the team down.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°You mean ¡®bestest¡¯ as in ¡®best¡¯. Not ¡®brestest¡¯, right? ¡®Brestest¡¯ sounds like some sort of special type of breasts.¡±

    Yume ran her hands across her chest. ¡°Yume wonders what having brestest breasts would be like. They¡¯re probably a completely different type from Yume¡¯s small ones.¡±

    It was too good of an opportunity not to interject, so Haruhiro said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a sub-type.¡±

    Yume looked at Haruhiro, her expression completely serious. ¡°Haru, you really think so?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ maybe. Who knows?¡±

    ¡°What kind of sub-type? Brestest. It does have a cute ring to it.¡±

    ¡°B-br¡­¡± Mogzo started to say. Everyone¡¯s attention suddenly turned to him. Sweat suddenly started to run down his forehead and he wiped it away with one hand. ¡°U-uh¡­ Nevermind. Really, nevermind.¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious,¡± Shihoru said, eyes never leaving Mogzo.

    Mogzo turned his own gaze to the ground and after a while, finally said, ¡°S-sorry.¡±

    With his apology, no one else pursued it any further but¡­ what in the world was it that he wanted to say? Shihoru wasn¡¯t the only one who was curious¡­

    The chit-chat went on for a while longer as they finished their lunches. Then the afternoon portion of their goblin search began. It was only after they had started off that Haruhiro realized something. Manato had plenty of praise for everyone else, but didn¡¯t say a word about Haruhiro. Maybe Manato had just forgotten about him. Or maybe there was nothing about himself that was worth praising.

    Did Manato have a low opinion of him? Even though they often spoke, did Manato see him as nothing more than someone to make small talk with? It made him quite depressed to think so. But it wasn¡¯t like he could go up to Manato now and ask, ¡®Hey, what about me?¡¯ Fishing for compliments was just too pathetic.

    Forget it, he told himself.

    Manato had either just forgotten or the direction of the conversation had changed before Manato had gotten to him. It had to be one of those two reasons, Haruhiro decided. He felt a little, just a tiny bit, better.

    Concentrate. He had to concentrate on the task at hand.

    Haruhiro raised a hand, a signal for the team to halt. ¡°Something¡¯s there¡­¡±

    Reconnaissance went first so everyone quickly concealed themselves behind cover while Haruhiro, as usual, went ahead alone. Ranta would also come along on rare occasions, but to be honest, it was easier when he was just by himself and the only person he had to worry about was himself.

    Of course he was doing his best not to make any noise as he moved, but once he had enough money, the Thief class skill [STEALTH WALK] would be one that he wanted to learn. There was definitely some sort of trick behind being able to move silently and he wanted to learn it. He wanted Master Barbara to teach him.

    The goblins were inside a crumbling two-story building made of stone. The balcony-like second floor was basically non-existent and a portion of the walls on the first floor had collapsed. On the second floor was a goblin in plate-armor with a sword strapped to its back. A second goblin was sitting on the ground on the first floor. It was big for a goblin.

    Normal goblins were about the height of human children and usually just around four feet. Any goblin that reached four and a half feet was considered a giant for the species. That goblin sitting on the first floor, though, was somehow different. It was hard to tell from that distance, but it seemed to be one or two sizes larger than the goblin on the second floor.

    It was the first time Haruhiro had seen a goblin like that, and he couldn¡¯t quite see what kind of weapon it carried, though it was wearing chainmail armor. Haruhiro continued to scout the areas around the building, but no other goblins were around¡ªso then it was only the plate-armored goblin and the giant. Haruhiro returned to the others.

    ¡°Bad news,¡± he reported. ¡°There¡¯s only two but one is huge. Almost the same height as us.¡±

    Manato¡¯s eyes widened ever so slightly. ¡°A hobgoblin. A sub-species of goblin but bigger and stronger than a normal goblin. They¡¯re savage but not very intelligent. Goblins use them as servants sometimes.¡±

    Ranta licked his lips. ¡°If it has a servant, it must be pretty wealthy. It¡¯s definitely gotta be carrying a bunch of valuables.¡±

    Haruhiro scratched his chin with the tip of a finger. ¡°You may be right. It had plate armor on and the hobgoblin was wearing chainmail armor, complete with a helm. That helm might even be big enough for one of us to use.¡±

    Mogzo sighed loudly. For Warriors, the ones who had to face their opponents head on in fights, protective gear was especially important. However, armor was expensive. Brand new gear was out of the question, so the only other options were only to chance upon used armor that fitted properly, which was extremely rare, or go to a blacksmith to get the size of used armor adjusted. Because of that, everyone, Mogzo included, were still using the second-hand gear their guilds had provided.

    ¡°Two goblins.¡± Manato cast his gaze downwards, deep in thought.

    Yume¡¯s eyes were slightly skyward as she said, ¡°If it¡¯s just two, Yume thinks we could take them.¡±

    ¡°If I can bind one with my magic,¡± Shihoru said, refreshing her grip on her staff. ¡°It should be easy after that.¡±

    ¡°Yume will also try to attack with her bow. If Yume misses it¡¯ll still get the gobbie¡¯s attention so Yume also thinks we can manage.¡±

    Manato glanced at each of his teammates in turn. Maybe it was because they had been complimented by Manato earlier, but everyone else¡¯s morale was high and they were eager to engage. The tension in the air was thicker than usual. Haruhiro himself didn¡¯t particularly share in that feeling, but he didn¡¯t want to put a damper on everyone¡¯s excitement either.

    ¡°We going to go for it?¡± he asked, to which Manato nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    A battle plan was quickly devised. Haruhito, Yume, and Shihoru would go in first, attacking from a distance. After the enemy realized they were under attack, Mogzo and Manato would take up positions at the front. While Mogzo took on the hobgoblin, Manato would engage the plate-armored goblin. Haruhiro, Ranta, and Yume would press the attack from the sides while Shihoru supported with magic from afar.

    The entire team formed a circle facing each other and stacked hands at the center.

    ¡°Fight!¡± Manato called in a low voice, to which the rest responded as one with, ¡°All or nothing!¡± in equally soft voices.

    They had started that little pre-fight ritual some time ago, but inwardly Haruhiro always found it a little odd. ¡°Why the words ¡®Fight! All or nothing!¡¯?¡± he thought out loud.

    Shihoru tilted her head to one side. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But it feels familiar for some reason.¡±

    ¡°Yume has that feeling too,¡± Yume said. ¡°But Yume doesn¡¯t know why. Strange.¡±

    Haruhiro led the way with Yume and Shihoru towards the two-storied building. Manato, Mogzo, and Ranta followed from about twenty to twenty-five feet behind. Yume¡¯s bow had longer range, but Shihoru¡¯s magic had a range of only about thirty-feet. Could they get within thirty feet of the goblins undetected?

    It wasn¡¯t going to be easy, and perhaps impossible even, due to a wall that fenced off the building. There was a good fifty feet of open space between the wall and the building itself. As soon as they crossed the wall, the goblins were sure to notice them.

    Haruhiro drew close to Shihoru. The faint scent of something sweet filled his nose. Lips right next to her ear, he whispered, ¡°Shihoru, are you wearing perfume?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? What are you talking about?¡± said Shihoru.

    ¡°Err, nevermind. Sorry. It¡¯s a little far, but can you hit the goblin from here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure¡­ but I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Shihoru pressed a hand to her chest and took a calm, deep breath. Yume had her bow up and arrow nocked and ready. Neither of the goblins were looking in their direction. Yume and Shihoru simultaneously stepped halfway out from behind the cover of the wall, and Shihoru drew an elemental glyph with her staff.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡±

    A frizzy, black, ball-like shadow elemental burst from the tip of her staff with a voash! at the same time Yume released her arrow. The arrow flew over the plate-armored goblin¡¯s head, surprising it, while the shadow elemental hit the hobgoblin on its left arm. The hobgoblin grunted as its entire body began to tremble.

    The plate-armored goblin turned to look in their direction.

    ¡°They¡¯ve noticed us!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Manato commanded.

    The hobgoblin picked up an enormous spiked club near its feet that it had put down earlier and got up clumsily. The [SHADOW ECHO] spell had done its job. The plate-armored goblin was also holding something in its hands. What was it? Some sort of weapon? It looked sturdily-built, with something like a miniature bow fixed on the end. And the plate-armored goblin was pointing it straight at Haruhiro and the others with him.

    Haruhiro quickly grabbed Yume¡¯s and Shihoru¡¯s shoulders and opened his mouth to warn them to get back in cover. But before the words came out, an arrow came flying at them. Yume and Shihoru fell backwards, pulled down by Haruhiro. He grunted and quickly scrambled back as well.

    Then pain hit him. His right arm. An arrow. An arrow was sticking out from his right arm. It hurts. It hurts, it hurts, IT HURTS. He bent down, crouched on his heels. It hurt when he moved, it hurt when he stood still. He was in so much pain, he could hardly breathe.

    Shihoru let out a gasp of shock when she saw.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Yume placed a gentle hand on his back.

    Haruhiro groaned in pain. Don¡¯t touch me. Please don¡¯t touch me. Because it hurt. This was bad. Was he going to die? He was going to die, wasn¡¯t he? Death. No way. He didn¡¯t want to die. But the pain. THE PAIN. Help me¡­ Someone¡­ This was bad. He wasn¡¯t going to make it like this.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡±

    It was Manato. Manato had come for him. And without any warning whatsoever, he pulled the arrow out of Haruhiro¡¯s arm. As the arrow came out, Haruhiro felt as if a huge chunk of something else had been yanked out with it. Blood was flowing from the wound fast and thick. Manato, I¡¯m going to die. You¡¯re going to kill me, doing something like that¡­

    But Manato paid no attention as he promptly formed a hexagon with his hand and began chanting, ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE].¡±

    The light that spilled from Manato¡¯s hand began to bind up Haruhiro¡¯s wound. Though it was probably healing, the pain wasn¡¯t fading at all. Haruhiro gasped and gasped and gasped again. It hurt so badly he couldn¡¯t exhale.

    Finally, the pain began to recede. He was finally able to breathe normally once more, and he tentatively touched his right arm; it was soaked in blood, but no longer hurt.

    ¡°Manato!¡± It was Ranta calling. ¡°Hurry! I can¡¯t stall it forever!¡±

    ¡°Will you be okay?!¡± Manato shouted at Haruhiro, and Haruhiro began a nod, but Manato was already moving away.

    Oh, right. While Manato was healing Haruhiro, the others were still fighting. Haruhiro glanced at the building and saw that Mogzo was battling the hobgoblin while Ranta and Yume were fiercely engaged with the plate-armored goblin. Did Manato intend to go reinforce Ranta and Yume? Shihoru was hitting the hobgoblin with [MAGIC MISSILE], but it was barely even affecting it.

    Haruhiro got back to his feet in a panic. If Manato was going to join Ranta and Yume, they could probably take on the plate-armored goblin. But something had to be done about the hobgoblin.

    ¡°Hang in there, Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro shouted encouragingly, while getting into position at the hobgoblin¡¯s back.

    The hobgoblin must have been only focused on Mogzo, because it paid zero attention to Haruhiro. If that was the case, then it should have been easy to land [BACKSTAB] but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t get close enough to use the skill at all. The hobgoblin was a little taller than Haruhiro, but not as tall as Mogzo, though it was much more broadly built.

    The spiked club it wielded was made of wood, but it was heavy and thick. If it landed a hit with it, even the chainmail armored Mogzo wouldn¡¯t be able to just shrug it off. On top of that, the chainmail that the hobgoblin was wearing was a problem. It wasn¡¯t just its upper body that was protected; the chainmail shirt was linked to chainmail pants, and its head was also protected by a helm. There was no place for Haruhiro to target; its entire body was covered in armor.

    ¡°THANKS!!¡± Mogzo shouted the Warrior¡¯s [RAGE CLEAVE] battle cry.

    A sudden cheer almost erupted from Haruhiro¡¯s mouth, but died just as quickly. Mogzo¡¯s bastard sword had hit the goblin square on its left shoulder, but the blow barely made it flinch and its counterattack was instant. Mogzo was barely able to deflect the incoming club in time. No, in fact Mogzo didn¡¯t deflect the attack; the blow had caused him to stumble backwards. His fighting stance had been crushed. This was bad. Mogzo was going to go down.

    Haruhiro rammed himself into the hobgoblin¡¯s back in a full body tackle, thrusting his dagger into it at the same time. The knife made a horrible noise at it scraped against metal. It was no use. His weapon couldn¡¯t penetrate the armor. Haruhiro did, however, manage to take its attention off Mogzo, and now the hobgoblin was swinging its club at him. He jumped, dodging the incoming blow¡ªnot just barely, but with room to spare.

    Still, this was bad. He was frightened. He felt like all his internal organs were collapsing in on themselves. He felt as if he were half dead already. Not able to help it, he backed away.

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t do this¡­¡± He whispered to himself.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± Shihoru chanted. The shadow elemental hit the hobgoblin¡¯s side and it began to tremble violently.

    Mogzo brought down his bastard sword on the momentarily shaking and immobilized hobgoblin¡¯s head. Sparks flew as the sword connected with its helm and put a large dent in it. It staggered.

    ¡°Now!¡± Haruhiro shouted, rushing towards it with a dropkick.

    The hobgoblin was scary, but if they could bring it to the ground¡­ Before Haruhiro could get back up on his feet, Manato shouted his name. ¡°Haruhiro, over here! Ranta¡¯s¡­ !¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Haruhiro saw that Ranta was down, blood running profusely from his neck. ¡°He got cut in the neck!?¡±

    While Manato tended to Ranta¡¯s wound, Yume was forced to face the plate-armored goblin alone. The goblin was slashing its sword at Yume, forcing her to scramble back. This was bad. Haruhiro faced the goblin and forced himself between it and Yume.

    ¡°Oy, gobbie! Over here!¡±

    Just as Haruhiro had intended, the plate-armored goblin¡¯s attention was now wholly on him. But that also meant that he was the one who would have to trade blows with it now. No, there was actually no way he could do that. The sword that the plate-armored goblin was swinging around was about the same length as Ranta¡¯s longsword. He dodged its attacks. Block, parry, and dodge¡ªthat was all that he could manage.

    This goblin was unlike any of the other goblins he¡¯d faced before. It was quick and agile and Haruhiro had a feeling that it had also had formal training with weapons, as it wielded its sword quite adroitly. Defending himself only with a dagger, if he made one careless move¡­ he didn¡¯t know what would happen.

    Was Mogzo doing okay alone? Haruhiro was worried, but didn¡¯t have the luxury of taking his eyes off the plate-armored goblin to look.

    ¡°[SWEEPING SLASH]!¡± Yume attacked the plate-armored goblin from behind.

    It was a powerful sideways sweeping attack using the kukri, but the goblin had read her movements. It spun to meet her attack then countered with a blow that stripped the kukri from Yume¡¯s hand. The plate-armored goblin prepared to finish her with a final follow-up blow.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Haruhiro threw himself at it, but the goblin had predicted his movements as well.

    It turned towards Haruhiro, sword raised. No way! Haruhiro thought. He brought his dagger up to meet the incoming attack, but he couldn¡¯t stop the other¡¯s blade. The goblin¡¯s sword slid along his dagger¡¯s edge with the shriek of metal on metal. Not even the cross-guard would stop it.

    The goblin¡¯s sword bit into his right arm, making him shout in pain. Haruhiro¡¯s dagger fell from his hands. The goblin moved in, pressing the attack. I¡¯m going to be cut down, Haruhiro thought.

    ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡± It was Ranta. The plate-armored goblin¡¯s attack missed Haruhiro by a hairsbreadth.

    Ranta had jumped in from the side, thrusting the tip of his sword at the goblin. It ducked, avoided Ranta¡¯s attack, and without even stopping to take a breath, counterattacked. Ranta retreated straight back to the side.

    ¡°Shit! Quit fucking around, you rich bastard!¡± Ranta cursed.

    Ranta¡¯s face was pallid and he was sweating profusely. His wound had been healed but that didn¡¯t mean the blood he had lost had been put back in. He did save Haruhiro, however. Though barely, Haruhiro was still alive. His arm hurt terribly. The goblin¡¯s sword had cut deep. The pain made it impossible to move his right arm, so he picked up his dagger with his left.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡± Manato had come running and immediately prepared a light magic spell. ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE].¡±

    Haruhiro gritted his teeth against the pain. As the wound healed, his eyes darted about the area. Mogzo was somehow managing to hold his own against the hobgoblin¡¯s attacks, but not without difficulty. He was beginning to become unsteady on his feet. Shihoru was crouched, probably exhausted from overusing her magic. It wasn¡¯t possible to expect more help from her.

    He had a feeling that although clumsily, Ranta would be able to keep dodging the plate-armored goblin¡¯s attacks for a little longer. Yume¡¯s arm had been cut somewhere and was bleeding.

    ¡°Done,¡± Manato said. Haruhiro touched his arm to confirm it had healed and turned his gaze towards Yume.

    ¡°Yume! Over here! Manato will heal you!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    ¡°Yume¡¯s fine!¡± Came Yume¡¯s reply. ¡°Yume can still keep going!¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro, switch with her! Yume, come here!¡± Manato ordered.

    But even as he moved to obey, Haruhiro was filled with uncertainty. He noticed that Manato¡¯s breathing had become a bit ragged. Had he been using his magic too much? Haruhiro¡¯s class was Thief, so he had no idea about the rules of magic. It was a matter of whose judgment he trusted more, his own or Manato¡¯s. Of course he trusted Manato more. So it was fine. He should still be okay. There shouldn¡¯t have even been any question in the first place.

    Haruhiro switched places with Yume. He wanted to put pressure on the plate-armored goblin but hesitation made him unable to do anything. If he attacked, he was afraid that he would be counterattacked. Was Ranta thinking the same? That goblin was too skilled of a fighter. There were no holes in its defense to exploit.

    At some point as well, the goblin had donned a helm. It was now helmed and plate-armored. No way. Even if Haruhiro could land a hit with his dagger, it would only be deflected by the armor. The same held true for Ranta¡¯s longsword. What about Mogzo¡¯s bastard sword? But Mogzo had his hands full with the hobgoblin, he couldn¡¯t take two at once.

    Checkmate, Haruhiro suddenly thought. They had been checkmated. They couldn¡¯t win this fight. There was no way in hell they could win. But he had already known. He had realized that they had lost a while ago. What would happen if they lost? If they were defeated? Would they die? Would all of them die?

    Haruhiro glanced over at Manato, who was nearly finishing tending Yume¡¯s wound. They both came over to Haruhiro¡¯s side.

    ¡°Haruhiro, help Mogzo!¡± Manato said and Haruhiro nodded reflexively.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea to leave them, but Mogzo did need help. Haruhiro moved to take up position at the hobgoblin¡¯s back.

    It was then that it happened. The hobgoblin let out a monstrous war cry and swung its spiked club down at Mogzo. He brought his bastard up to block, but he couldn¡¯t stop the hobgoblin¡¯s attack.

    The hobgoblin struck again and again, raining blows down on Mogzo¡¯s sword. The club was made of wood, but it didn¡¯t show any signs of breaking. Mogzo, at his limits, grabbed his sword with both hands, one at the hilt and one near the tip, to fend off the hobgoblin¡¯s hits. The attacks were overwhelming and soon, he was forced down to one knee. Blood was running down his head from where one of the spikes on the club had struck him.

    The hobgoblin kicked Mogzo to the ground and started to bear down on him. If Haruhiro let that happen then¡­ this was bad. Very bad. Without any self-consideration, Haruhiro latched himself into the hobgoblin¡¯s back. He would have liked to be able to pin down its arms as well, but it was just not possible.

    The hobgoblin struggled to shake Haruhiro off; Haruhiro clung desperately on. It let out a long howl of rage.

    ¡°That¡¯s it, Haruhiro! Keep it distracted!¡± Manato shouted as he healed Mogzo.

    No way. It was not possible for Haruhiro hold on for much longer. The hobgoblin elbowed him in the ribs so hard that it didn¡¯t just hurt¡ªit almost made Haruhiro lose consciousness. This is bad. If he passed out, then it would be over for him. If he got thrown off he would die. He would definitely die.

    It was then that something truly frightening happened. He had no idea what had actually transpired, but he was thrown off and had hit the ground on his back. The hobgoblin kicked him before he could get up, sending him tumbling. He couldn¡¯t breathe.

    ¡°H-hel¡­.¡± He croaked. Help me¡­ He didn¡¯t know who he was turning to for help, but it came.

    Manato landed [SMASH] on the hobgoblin¡¯s head with his short staff. The hobgoblin had a helm to protect it from the blow, but even so Manato¡¯s technique seemed like it had done enough give the hobgoblin a minor concussion.

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Manato shouted. ¡°Haruhiro, get up! Run! Everyone run!¡±

    Yes, Haruhiro thought as he jumped up to his feet. Run, yes. They had no choice but to flee. He turned to go, then stopped suddenly. ¡°What about you?!¡±

    Manato was attempting to retreat even as he continued to attack the hobgoblin. ¡°Of course I¡¯m going! Hurry and run!¡±

    Mogzo, whose head wound had just been healed, focused his sights on the plate-armored goblin and shouted, ¡°THANKS!¡± as he attacked with [RAGE CLEAVE]. He missed, but it did make the plate-armored goblin shrink back.

    Ranta and Yume turned their backs to flee, and Shihoru was also running away. The plate-armored goblin shrieked and slashed Mogzo across the back with its sword, but thanks to his chainmail, he didn¡¯t suffer any injuries. Haruhiro was right behind them, turning to look back as he ran.

    ¡°Manato, everyone¡¯s clear!¡± he cried. ¡°Get outta there!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± came Manato¡¯s reply, as he hopped back and paid the pursuing hobgoblin two successive hits to its chest.

    The hobgoblin faltered and Manato swiftly turned and ran. The plate-armored goblin sheathed the sword it was using, pulled out another, then swiftly gave chase. They weren¡¯t out of danger yet. Haruhiro focused on keeping going straight ahead. At that moment, the plate-armored goblin threw something at them. It spun around and around in the air before it seemed to hit Manato in the back.

    A grunt escaped Manato¡¯s lips and he seemed to lurch forward.

    ¡°Manato!¡± Haruhiro cried.

    Manato replied instantly even as he regained his balance. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±

    His feet were now solidly back under him, so the injury was probably minor. Both the hobgoblin and the plate-armored goblin were right on their tails now. They had to run. Just run away. It was a good thing they had made the maps, because knowledge of Damroww¡¯s layout now came in handy. They didn¡¯t get lost as they fled, and were able to avoid areas frequented by other goblins.

    Haruhiro and the others kept running. They ran even as their breathing became ragged, even as they became exhausted, and even as if they felt like they were about to drop dead. They ran on even after they could no longer see their pursuers. The first to stop running was Manato.

    No. No, he hadn¡¯t stopped running. He had suddenly fallen to the ground.

    ¡°M-Ma¨C¡± Haruhiro tried to called Manato¡¯s name, but no words came out.

    His back. Manato¡¯s back. Something was sticking out of it. Something bladed. The blade was curved. It looked like a throwing knife. No one said a word. Everyone was looking at him, but no one said a word. No one had any words. What could they say?

    Manato gasped for breath, trying to get back onto his feet. He couldn¡¯t. The best he could do was roll to his side. ¡°I think¡­ it¡¯s¡­ okay¡­ to go¡­¡±

    ¡°Manato!¡± Haruhiro dropped to his knees by Manato¡¯s side. Was it okay to touch him? Was it not? He didn¡¯t know. ¡°Manato¡­ your wound¡­ magic! Use your magic to heal yourself¡­¡±

    ¡°R-right.¡± His right hand moved to touch his forehead, then fell limp back to the ground as if the strength to keep it raised was drained from it. ¡°My magic¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ use it¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°Just take it easy, don¡¯t try to talk! What do we do!?¡± he asked the others.

    Shihoru staggered to Manato¡¯s side and dropped to the ground opposite of Haruhiro. She reached out with her hand, and just as trembling fingers made contact with the throwing knife lodged in his back, she drew them back sharply. Her face was drained of all color.

    Manato face too, wasn¡¯t just white, it was deathly pale. Mogzo¡¯s entire body was still and rigid as stone, like a large statue.

    ¡°W-wha¡­¡± Yume was rifling her hair, making a tangled mess of it. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°What¡­ what do you mean what¡­¡± Haruhiro felt like something was being ripped out from his chest.

    What were they going to do? Think! What could they do? There had to be something! They couldn¡¯t just sit there! Manato, please tell us¡­ Please¡­ Tell us what to do¡­ Manato¡­. But the breathing of the person he pleaded for was shallow, raspy.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re going to be okay,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine, so hang in here¡­ Hang in there, okay?¡±

    Manato looked at Haruhiro. ¡°¡­Haru¡­ hiro¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it? Manato, what is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Why? For what?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡­ everyone¡­ Haru¡­ hiro¡­ please¡­¡±

    ¡°Please? Please what? What do you want me to do? No¡­ no, don¡¯t say stuff like that, Manato¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t see¡­ Is¡­ everyone¡­ here?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here! We¡¯re all here! Manato, everyone¡¯s here, so don¡¯t go!¡±

    Manato seemed to exhale deeply as if sighing.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t go! Manato! You can¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go, Manato! Please¡­ don¡¯t go¡­¡±

    He inhaled, then exhaled once more. And at that moment, his eyes seemed to glaze over as if turned into glass.

    Shihoru placed her hand on his chest. ¡°His heart¡¯s stopped¡­¡±

    ¡°C-CPR! Give him CPR!¡± Ranta yelled in what Haruhiro admitted was a good moment of insight.

    They started CPR as if it would solve everything, everyone talking all at once about what to do. They pulled the knife out and rolled him to his back, giving him CPR and mouth-to-mouth. Minutes passed, tens of minutes passed, maybe even more than one hour passed as they tried to revive him.

    ¡°S-should¡­ shouldn¡¯t we stop?¡± Mogzo looked as if he was about to cry. ¡°Poor Manato¡­ We shouldn¡¯t do that to him anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want us to do?!¡± Haruhiro snapped angrily, before getting a grip on himself. He continued in a softer tone. ¡°¡­What should we do? We can¡¯t just leave him here. We can¡¯t just leave Manato here.¡±

    ¡°Magic.¡± Shihoru looked up. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. ¡°There may be a way to save him with magic. Light magic can heal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yume said, nodding vigorously. ¡°Shihoru¡¯s right. Magic will work. It¡¯s got to work. We can take him to the Priests guild and their temple.¡±

    ¡°Temple of the god Luminous?¡± Ranta wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. ¡°Me go there? You¡¯re saying for a servant of the Dark God Skulheill to go into enemy territory?¡±

    Mogzo lifted Manato up into his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take him.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Haruhiro with a nod.

    Ranta and Haruhiro both offered to take turns with Mogzo and help to carry Manato, but Mogzo brushed them off. He alone carried Manato all the way back to the north end of Altana until they reached the temple of the god Luminous. The moment they set foot inside the temple, they were stopped by a group of men all dressed in the same colored robes, white lined with blue, as Manato was.

    There was one amongst them that seemed to recognize Manato. Master Honnen seemed to be his name, according to what the others were calling him. The master came to them straight away. He was built like a monolith, resembling a Warrior more than a Priest.

    The first thing that came out of his mouth was, ¡°What has happened?¡±

    His voice was rather distinctive and it reminded Haruhiro of something Manato had once said, about his guild master¡¯s voice being loud enough to hurt his ears. As the memory came flooding back, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore. He threw himself down on his knees before Master Honnen.

    ¡°Please! Please help Manato! I¡¯ll do anything, anything you want! Please save him!¡± Haruhiro begged.

    ¡°Foolish boy!¡± Master Honnen thundered. ¡°Even the bright shining god of light, Luminous, cannot bring a person back from the dead! Manato, you fool! One so young with such a promising future is rarely seen. We took you in with such high hopes, taught you with such care, yet you have thrown your life away!¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Ranta made to grab Master Honnen. Yume stopped him, interjecting, ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡±

    Ranta didn¡¯t fight her, perhaps because he saw the stream of tears that flowed freely from Master Honnen¡¯s eyes. Shihoru sunk down to the cold temple floor; Mogzo stood frozen, though he still held Manato in his arms.

    ¡°The only thing we can do for him,¡± came Master Honnen¡¯s voice, rock steady, though the tears had yet to cease, ¡°is bury him properly. Here on the frontier, those who are not given a proper burial come under the Curse of the Deathless King and become his servants. At the most, the transformation into a zombie takes five days. Some have turned in as little as three.¡±

    Suddenly, and for some reason, Haruhiro wanted to laugh, even though he knew this wasn¡¯t any time to be laughing. ¡°So you want to cremate him?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Yes. The crematoria where we burn the bodies is located just outside of Altana. After the body is purified by flame to prevent it from falling under the curse, the remains are buried at the top of the hill.¡±

    ¡°One more thing,¡± said Haruhiro, ¡°if I may ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Will it cost money?¡±

    ¡°I will pay for it, if you cannot afford it.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Haruhiro sighed. It was a deep, deep sigh, filled with anger, even though being angry was by itself useless and dumb. ¡°We¡¯ll pay. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have money. Even if we don¡¯t have enough, we¡¯ll figure something out. Manato was more than just our friend; he was our teammate, and precious companion. We owe him at least that much.¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 12

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 12: Where to Turn Now?

    The place where they dug a grave and buried Manato¡¯s bones, wrapped in white cloth, would be better described as at the middle of the hill rather than the top. A slab of stone they had carried up with them was placed over the grave. It had Manato¡¯s name inscribed into it, along with the token red-painted crescent moon. Even if they were trainees, they were still members of the reserve force and Manato¡¯s grave was marked accordingly.

    Other graves bearing the crimson crescent moon symbol, some old enough that the paint was faded, could be found all around them. No small number of Crimson Moon soldiers called this hill their final resting place. At the very top of the hill was a tower that soared into the sky. It was a loathsome thing.

    That tower was where Haruhiro and the others had emerged. How long ago was that? Probably less than a month, but it seemed much longer. Had it really been from that tower? From all appearances, it had no doors or entryways. Where had they exited? Haruhiro didn¡¯t know, nor did he care.

    The cremation had cost fifty capas, the grave on the hill another fifty. Everything for the funeral had come to one silver. One silver for the death of a human being. No more than one silver. Haruhiro had paid it with his own money for the time being, but was that really okay? Manato had had seven silvers and twenty-one capas in savings. His clothes were burned with his body, but there was his short staff, his backpack, and other personal possessions. What where they going to do with those? It annoyed Haruhiro to have to think about something like that.

    Manato was gone. He was really gone. It hadn¡¯t even been a full day. They took him to the crematoria yesterday evening and were told by a worker there to return at midnight. After Manato¡¯s remains were returned to them, they were unsure of what to do next, so they returned to the Priests at the temple of Luminous. Master Honnen offered to let them store the remains there overnight, but there was no way they could just leave Manato there.

    What ultimately ended up happening was that Manato was placed at a corner of the temple grounds. Haruhiro and the others settled in a circle around him, remaining until dawn. No one slept. Maybe they did drift off now and then, but no one slept properly. Was that the reason why everyone seemed to be in such a daze now? Even as they all sat in front of Manato¡¯s grave, none of it seemed real.

    Shihoru, exhausted from crying, had both hands on the ground in order to keep herself propped up. Just sitting there seemed to take a tremendous amount of effort. Yume was staring up at the skies, now mockingly sunny and clear, perhaps watching the birds fly by. Mogzo¡¯s large frame seemed to have shrunken and his expression was vacant. Then there was Ranta.

    Why had he been staying silent this entire time? If he wouldn¡¯t talk, then who would? Fine. Haruhiro would break the silence then.

    ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± he started, plucking at the grass. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense. I¡¯m not the only one who thinks so, right?¡±

    Ranta looked in his direction, but didn¡¯t say a word. His expression said that he was currently void of intelligent thoughts.

    ¡°Manato said once,¡± Haruhiro continued, tossing the blades of grass away. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re in a game. I thought so too back then, but what kind of game is this? I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not a game. It¡¯s not a game at all¡­ I don¡¯t get it. Damn it¡­ DAMN IT.¡±

    In the end, Haruhiro had no idea what he really wanted to say.

    What time was it now? Way past noon, maybe even close to sunset. In Altana, bells rang every two hours to indicate the time. They rang once at six in the morning, twice at eight, three times at ten, and so on. How many bells did he hear last? He couldn¡¯t remember.

    Ranta got up, slowly, deliberately. ¡°I¡¯m heading out.¡±

    ¡°¡­Where to?¡± Yume asked.

    Ranta gave a short laugh, not caring about how he came across to her. ¡°Does it matter? It¡¯s no use sitting here forever. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it now.¡±

    ¡°Idiot!¡± Yume snapped.

    Ranta didn¡¯t return the insult. It wasn¡¯t like him at all. He left. Haruhiro went after him, with Mogzo following, but Haruhiro stopped once to look back. Yume had her arms around Shihoru¡¯s shoulders; she was looking in their direction, and Haruhiro was too far away to tell if she was nodding or shaking her head. He had a feeling though, that she was trying to tell him that the two of them would remain there. Was Shihoru going to be okay? She was in shock, probably more so than Haruhiro. After all, Shihoru definitely had a crush on him.

    Ranta seemed as if he intended to return to Altana, and Haruhiro considered asking him where he was going, but changed his mind. It didn¡¯t matter. The bell rang seven times before they had reached Kaen Road in the northern part of the city. So it was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening and, as usual for that time of night, the streets were full of people.

    Ranta was making to enter a large building. The signboard outside read: Sherry¡¯s Tavern. Haruhiro recognized the name as the place where Crimson Moon members gathered and, although he had passed by the place before, he had never gone in. Manato would go to Sherry¡¯s now and then to get information, but everyone had just left him to it alone. Everyone had just left Manato to do everything.

    And I was the same, Haruhiro thought. I just tagged along with him and did whatever he said to do.

    Sherry¡¯s was a large, spacious tavern, its entirety dimly lit by lamps that hung off the ceiling. It had two floors, though half of the second was actually the stairwell. It wasn¡¯t crowded yet¡ªless than half of the usual number of clientele were present¡ªbut there were still more than a hundred people there. The room was filled with chattering voices, loud laughter, and occasional shouts of anger, mixed with the lively voices of the serving girls.

    Ranta found an empty table in a corner on the first floor and took a seat. Haruhiro and Mogzo followed suit at the same table. When a serving girl finally came, Ranta promptly raised three fingers and said, ¡°Three beers.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t bothered to ask either Haruhiro or Mogzo what they wanted to drink.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to drink,¡± Haruhiro protested.

    ¡°What do you want then? Milk?¡± Ranta crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot on the ground. ¡°That¡¯s dumb. This is a tavern. A TAVERN. At taverns, people drink alcohol.¡±

    ¡°B-but¡­¡± Mogzo hunched over, his head seemingly shrinking into his shoulders. ¡°Drinking at a time like this?¡±

    ¡°Idiot! It¡¯s because of times like this you drink,¡± Ranta sniffed, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Manato. That bastard used to come here to drink right? But he¡¯s¡­ You know, he¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not like we¡¯re here in his place but¡­¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Haruhiro said, resting his elbows on the table, head hung low. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    The serving girl returned with their beers and after paying her, the three of them clanked their tankards together and drank. Maybe it was because they were all thirsty, but the bitter brew tasted great. Did Manato order the beer they were drinking now when he came here? Did he like the taste of it?

    Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Haruhiro¡¯s face grew hot and his mind went vacant. Ranta¡¯s and Mogzo¡¯s faces too were red. Ranta suddenly slammed his earthenware tankard on the table.

    ¡°This is the worst. It really is the fucking worst. I quit. I don¡¯t want to do this anymore. I¡¯m not kidding. It¡¯s not like I wanted to do this to begin with, but I did reluctantly go along. You two were the same, right? What the hell is a Warrior? A Thief? A Dread Knight? A¡­ a Priest? I¡¯ve had enough. I quit. I quit it all. From today, I quit forever.¡±

    ¡°Quit?¡± Haruhiro ground his teeth together. ¡°What are you going to do if you quit?¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna do anything,¡± Ranta replied. ¡°Nothing wrong with that. Do I have to do something? There¡¯s no rule making me do anything. Even if there was, I don¡¯t give a shit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about giving a shit, it¡¯s about not having a choice. That¡¯s how all of us ended up here.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that!¡±

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t know, then what were you thinking?!¡±

    ¡°How was I supposed to know?!¡±

    ¡°P-please,¡± Mogzo put himself between Haruhiro and Ranta. ¡°The both of you. Please don¡¯t fight.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ranta shoved Mogzo off roughly. ¡°Even if did keep going, how would we do it?! What are we gonna do from now on?! Manato¡¯s not here anymore!¡±

    ¡°I know that! It¡¯s not like I need you to tell me!¡± Haruhiro yelled.

    ¡°Then answer me! When you were injured in that fight, it was Manato that came and saved your ass! What are you going to do now that he¡¯s not here anymore, huh?! ANSWER ME!¡±

    ¡°I¨C¡±

    ¡°In fact, it was because you got injured so many times that Manato used up all his magic and things turned out like this!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ranta, you¡­ Is that what you really think?¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?! Is what I¡¯m saying wrong?!¡±

    ¡°No¡­ you¡¯re not wrong.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because you suck at fighting! You always got wounded and dragged us down! It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    ¡°STOP IT!¡± An angry voice roared. Mogzo. For a moment, the entire tavern went quiet. Mogzo¡¯s eyebrows were knit tightly together in rage. Haruhiro was taken aback. He couldn¡¯t believe that Mogzo was capable of becoming so angry. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be fighting with each other! Calm down, both of you!¡±

    Haruhiro shifted in his chair. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± Ranta shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re getting way too angry. You need to calm down too.¡±

    When Mogzo glared at him, Ranta shrunk back. ¡°Sorry! I¡¯ll be more careful from now on! Really, I mean it! There¡¯s no need to be so mad¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Mogzo took a gulp of beer and relaxed his shoulders. ¡°What we¡¯re going to do from now on is a good question.¡±

    Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I know, but I kinda don¡¯t want to think about that right now. Not that I really can think straight right now either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say one thing,¡± Ranta banged on the table with his tankard. ¡°I¡¯m not being a pessimist or anything, but I¡¯ve thought it through and it¡¯s impossible to keep doing this without him. Just try counting up how many times he¡¯s saved our asses and you¡¯ll understand.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Haruhiro glanced sidelong at Ranta. ¡°We do nothing? Isn¡¯t that just as impossible? What are we going to do about money? It costs money to eat and have a roof over our heads at night. Are we going to look for other jobs?¡±

    Ranta frowned, resting his chin in his palms. ¡°That¡¯s one option.¡±

    ¡°It is for me. But you¡¯re a Dread Knight. Your guild won¡¯t just let you leave to take up another job,¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    Ranta¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°Or did you forget?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget! But¡­ but once a Dread Knight, always a Dread Knight? FUCK! Why did I become a Dread Knight!?¡±

    Mogzo let out a long, heavy sigh. ¡°Other work¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± The voice that greeted them was one Haruhiro recalled hearing before. When he looked over in that direction, the person it belonged to was also familiar. He waved as he approached. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! It¡¯s you guys! I don¡¯t remember your names, but long time no see! How¡¯re you doing? Staying young?¡±

    ¡°Kikkawa¡­¡± Haruhiro blinked a few times.

    There was no mistaking it with that happy-go-lucky face of his. It was Happy-Go-Lucky Kikkawa. But he looked different now, or at least his appearance did. He donned armor reinforced with metal plating and had a sword with a fancy pommel strapped to his waist. From his gear, it looked like he was a Warrior.

    ¡°Yo yo!¡± Kikkawa¡¯s grin stretched from ear to ear and he raised his hand for high-fives from Haruhiro and the others. Haruhiro high-fived him automatically.

    Without asking, Kikkawa planted himself in a chair between Haruhiro and Mogzo. ¡°Beers, beers! Are beers for everyone okay? Beers!¡± He called the serving girls and ordered. ¡°So! So so so! How¡¯s everything? How¡¯s everything going? How are you guys? Bringing in lots of money? What was that place called¡­ Damroww! You guys are working in that area, right? I heard! I heard! A little while ago, I met Manato here so I heard it from him! Tell me! Tell me! How¡¯s it been going?¡±

    Kikkawa was as annoyingly upbeat as ever. A bit overwhelmed, Haruhiro replied honestly, ¡°¡­It¡¯s not been going well.¡± Perhaps a bit too honestly. ¡°Actually, Manato¡¯s¡­ Manato¡¯s a little¡­ well, not a little, but¡­¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Kikkawa tilted himself backwards. ¡°What what what?! No! No way! No waaaaaaaaaaaaay! H-h-he¡¯s GOING TO GET MARRIED!?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Haruhiro said, smacking Kikkawa on the back of the head like a true straight-man. Kikkawa yelped, his eyes seeming to bulge out of their sockets, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t regret hitting him a bit.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not it,¡± Ranta said, his expression sour. ¡°He¡¯s dead. Got killed yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Kikkawa rubbed the back of his head at the same time as he tugged on his chin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sorry. Really, really sorry, okay? I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. It¡¯s just that¡­ I never thought that he would die. I always thought that he was a guy that could get things done, but of a different sort from that Renji. Or maybe he wasn¡¯t different. I don¡¯t really get them, those kinds of people, that is, but¡­ Hey! Our drinks are here! Alright! Chee¨CI guess this really isn¡¯t the time for cheers. Well, let¡¯s just drink then.¡±

    Haruhiro craned his neck left then right. He suddenly felt extremely exhausted. ¡°You look like you¡¯re doing okay, Kikkawa. Did you find a party to join?¡±

    ¡°Yep! Almost right after I left you guys, I joined a guy named Tokimune¡¯s team. A good guy, but kinda dimwitted. Is he here? I¡¯ll introduce you¡­¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°I see. I guess there¡¯s no hurry. Manato was a Priest right? The backbone of your party? The death rates for Priests are not low, comparatively. They make for easy targets.¡±

    Mogzo slowly shifted his gaze to Kikkawa. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Kikkawa gulped enthusiastically from his tankard. ¡°What were we talking about? Oh right, Priests. Enemies know that Priests are a party¡¯s healer so it makes sense to kill them first. And Warriors like me? We put ourselves between them and the enemy in order to protect the Priest. That¡¯s how the course of a fight usually goes. The basic course, anyway.¡±

    Mogzo buried his face in his hands. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t protect him at all. All I did was ask him to help me all the time¡­¡±

    Kikkawa patted Mogzo on the shoulder in sympathy, as an old friend would. Except that he wasn¡¯t. ¡°Don¡¯t kick yourself over it. Everyone fails at some point or another. Mistakes and errors are how we discover the right path. It¡¯s okay, everything will be okay.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Mogzo shook his head. ¡°Manato isn¡¯t coming back.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Kikkawa raised both hands in acquiescence. ¡°That¡¯s true, but the way I see it, you gotta keep going forward. You might think that I can only say stuff like that because I¡¯ve never had a teammate get killed, but on the other hand, I can say that because I¡¯ve never had a teammate killed. Wait. Was that the same thing? Whatever, but for now, don¡¯t look back, just keep looking to what¡¯s ahead.¡±

    Haruhiro¡¯s gaze fell to the earthenware tankards resting in a line on the table. Was Kikkawa saying that he shouldn¡¯t be looking downwards like this? There was no reason to heed a word of anything Kikkawa had said, but what would Manato think? Manato didn¡¯t have to use words to tell any of them which direction to face. He created an atmosphere where everyone would naturally look forward to the future.

    ¡°Even if we were to go on,¡± Ranta began, half muttering. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what¡¯s ahead. We don¡¯t have a Priest anymore. Our party.¡±

    Kikkawa looked at them, his expression as if saying so what? ¡°So how about searching? For another Priest. Wait. I know what you want to say. ¡®There¡¯s no Priest who would want to join a trainee¡¯s party.¡¯ Am I right? By the way, I¡¯m no longer a trainee. I¡¯ve bought my Crimson Moon contract. I¡¯m a full member now. Want to see? Want me to show you?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Haruhiro sighed. ¡°But you just said it yourself. No Priest is going to want to join our party.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­ there is someone¡­¡± Kikkawa said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I know a lot of people and a lot of people know me. Crimson Moon members, that is. There¡¯s someone. One person I know. Someone even you guys might be able to recruit.¡±

    Ranta leaned forward with interest. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°But before that!¡± Kikkawa looked at each of them in turn. ¡°What were your names again? Sorry! I¡¯ve been trying to remember, but I don¡¯t recall at all. Could you tell me again?¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 13

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 13: Crucial Piece

    It would be morning soon. It didn¡¯t matter if someone died; morning came just as it always did.

    It was about eight o¡¯clock and everyone was gathered at Altana¡¯s northern gate. The echoes of the eight o¡¯clock bell had yet to fade, but Ranta was there shouting at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°¡­So there you have it!¡± he cried, sounding just a tad distressed. ¡°Everyone, I would like to introduce to you our new friend! Please give a round of applause to Mary, our new Priest!¡±

    Haruhiro and Mogzo clapped hesitantly, but Yume and Shihoru were obviously dismayed. They had been unceremoniously woken up that morning and dragged out, so Haruhiro understood their confusion. It would have been odd if they weren¡¯t, at least a little.

    However, they weren¡¯t even bothering to greet the young woman, Mary, even though it was their first meeting. To be fair though, from outward appearances, Mary seemed cold, almost hostile, and very¡­ obstinate. Not exactly the approachable type. Haruhiro wished, though, that they would at least put a little more effort in doing so.

    Haruhiro was beginning to see why Kikkawa said that even their party would be able to recruit her.

    Ranta gestured once more to Mary. ¡°A round of applause for Mary!¡±

    ¡°N-nice to meet you,¡± Shihoru stammered, with a slight bow.

    Yume, too, bent forward a little. ¡°W-welcome.¡±

    Mary didn¡¯t respond in kind. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she peered unblinkingly at Yume and Shihoru. Haruhiro, too, had been subject to the scrutiny of those same eyes last night.

    There was one thing, though, that he couldn¡¯t stand. She was beautiful. Not just normal, run-of-the-mill beautiful either. No; her big eyes, her curving lips, her shaped nose and the sheen of her straight hair could not be called merely ¡°pretty¡±. Her features surpassed anything of this world. It was like she wasn¡¯t even human. What was it exactly that made Haruhiro think so?

    It was the combination, the balance. The smallness of her head, her style. Just one look and anyone would say that she was something different. She had an air about her. It had made Haruhiro extremely nervous the first time he stood before her.

    Then he noticed. Her gaze was cold. Ice cold. Haruhiro had a feeling then and there that this person was trouble. She was the type who you did all you could to avoid coming close to; beauty to be appreciated from a distance. Unfortunately, the present circumstances required that they recruit her for the team.

    According to Kikkawa, there was no small amount of Crimson Moon members without parties, but few of them were Priests. Skilled Priests were always in demand and few in number, so teams competed to recruit them. Moreover, Haruhiro and the others were still trainees, so they weren¡¯t even in the running compared to veteran parties like Kikkawa¡¯s. Even Team Renji, formed at about the same time, would be considered superior.

    In other words, Haruhiro¡¯s group ranked the lowest of low within the Crimson Moon organization. They were so low they might as well have been slithering around on their bellies, so not in a position to pick and choose. Whether it was Mary or whoever else, they were thankful just to have a Priest willing to join their team.

    Mary tucked away a loose strand of hair and shifted her gaze to Haruhiro. ¡°Is this everyone?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­¡± Haruhiro quickly looked down.

    He didn¡¯t want her to accidently catch him staring at her, but he couldn¡¯t help it. It wasn¡¯t fair. She was a Priest, so her clothes were white, lined with blue. They looked stylish on her and weren¡¯t all that tight, but all the curves of her body were still plainly visible.

    Recovering, Haruhiro continued. ¡°Yeah, counting you, six total.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said, her expression just a touch disdainful. ¡°Fine. As long as I get my cut, I don¡¯t care. Where are we going? Damroww?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Haruhiro looked at his companions. The general mood wasn¡¯t good at all. Was everything really going to be okay? ¡°¡­I think.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Mary said. ¡°Be certain.¡±

    ¡°D-Damroww. We¡¯ll head to Damroww¡¯s Old Town. Look for goblins¡­ we don¡¯t really know any other creatures.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Go promptly then. I will follow.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Ranta said, purposely avoiding looking right at Mary. ¡°Can you talk a little less, uhh¡­ and act a little more¡­ you know¡­¡±

    Mary¡¯s icy eyes seemed to pierce right through him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°N-nevermind! S-sorry¡­ just forget I said anything¡­¡± Ranta quickly replied.

    Mary was scary. She was terrifying. She was beyond terrifying. She was¡­ just as Kikkawa had said.

    According to him, Mary had a number of nicknames. ¡°Wicked Mary¡± and ¡°Scary Mary¡± were just a few of them. Mary was almost constantly without a party and would often receive invitations to join from parties lacking a Priest. Mary never refused any invitations, but she also never stayed in one party for any extended period of time. She didn¡¯t think of others as real people, and also, her reliability as a Priest was questionable.

    No one had anything good to say about her. Sure, she was a beauty, but she lacked anything that resembled team spirit. And apparently, though she accepted invitations to parties quick enough, invitations for a date were rejected at superluminal velocities.

    Kikkawa knew from personal experience, having been rejected himself. The attempt must have been valiant though. A real gentleman, that Kikkawa, Haruhiro thought sarcastically.

    In the more or less hour it took for them to reach Damroww, no one said a single word. It was an awkward, uncomfortable silence. Mogzo and even Ranta were just plain terrified of Mary. Yume and Shihoru were doubtful, distrustful, and therefore disconcerted. They both seemed confused and angry at the same time. Haruhiro had no idea how to react.

    Maybe they were upset because of Mary¡¯s attitude. Maybe they were upset because of a new Priest joining so soon after Manato died. And actually, a small part of Haruhiro did think that maybe it would have been at least somewhat better to have waited a little more. On top of that, they hadn¡¯t discussed the decision to invite Mary with Yume or Shihoru. The three of them had just decided at the tavern, right there and then.

    They shouldn¡¯t have, though. They should have taken their time and thought things over. If it had been Manato, he wouldn¡¯t have let things turn out like this.

    Damroww. The place where Manato had died. It was too soon to be coming back here. Much too soon.

    ¡°What if we bump into them again?¡± Haruhiro whispered to Ranta.

    Ranta replied in a dark tone. ¡°Then we fight them. I want to slice off the ears of both the armored goblin and hobgoblin bastards and offer them on Skulheill¡¯s altar. I won¡¯t be satisfied ¡¯til I do.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Shihoru began coolly. ¡°We can¡¯t win. Not like we are now.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to fight anyways.¡±

    ¡°And what if Ranta dies?¡± Yume¡¯s voice quavered slightly. ¡°If Ranta dies, Ranta loses everything.¡±

    Mogzo gave a vigorous nod. ¡°Don¡¯t die. I don¡¯t want anyone else to die.¡±

    ¡°Are we going or not?¡± Mary said, frowning. ¡°If we¡¯re going let¡¯s go. If we¡¯re not going, fine. Whichever it is, be quick about it.¡±

    Ranta stuck his tongue out at her. Then he said, ¡°Be quick about it, Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Haruhiro replied.

    Who was this team¡¯s leader now anyway? Mogzo wasn¡¯t the type that could inspire others to follow him. Yume and Shihoru were the same. Me, then? Haruhiro thought. I¡¯m no leader. I can¡¯t make any decisions on my own.

    But Manato had asked him to. In the end, he was calling me by my name, saying ¡®please.¡¯ He was trying to say to me, ¡®Please take care of everyone.¡¯ But Manato, I can¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t do it. Haruhiro wasn¡¯t like him.

    ¡°L-let¡¯s go,¡± Haruhiro said to everyone nonetheless. Even a phrase as simple as that and his voice was shaky, small. He sounded pitiful, even to himself.

    Using the map they had been making, they searched in areas where goblins were known to frequent. Now that Manato was gone, taking on three at a time seemed unwise. It was just their luck that only in times like this all they could find were goblin groups of three or four. By the time they stopped for lunch just past noon, everyone was full of impatience, irritation, and weariness. Haruhiro had developed a stomachache.

    They couldn¡¯t keep going like this, and it wasn¡¯t just about money either. Haruhiro had already inwardly made his decision. They had a Priest, after all, so if there were no groups of two, they would go after groups of up to three. Somehow, they would make it work.

    Their chance came soon afterwards. Three goblins standing around a fire pit in an open area enclosed by a fallen wall. One was donning chainmail armor and carried a short spear, but the other two were dressed in plain clothing. One had a hatchet at its belt, the other a short sword. The spear-goblin was bigger than the others and seemed to be the one in charge, with the hatchet-goblin and sword-goblin being subordinates.

    They seemed manageable enough.

    ¡°Yume and Shihoru will attack the spear-goblin first. Me, Yume, Ranta, and Mary will keep the hatchet-goblin and sword-goblin busy while Mogzo and Shihoru take down the spear-goblin. If it puts up a fight, either me or Ranta will go help. If we can take down the spear-goblin, the others should be easy.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Mary¡¯s voice was edged with steel. ¡°You¡¯re telling me to fight the goblin?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Haruhiro wavered. ¡°Is that¡­ a bad thing? Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fight in the front. I¡¯m a Priest¡ªyou should know this already.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ranta was getting riled, but he held it back. ¡°Lady!¡±

    Mary¡¯s eyes, sharp as daggers, flicked to Ranta filled with near killing intent. ¡°¡®Lady¡¯?¡±

    ¡°N-not ¡®Lady¡¯ but¡­ It¡¯s not right! I can call you whatever I want!¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­M-Mary. Mary, then.¡± Ranta¡¯s veins were bulging in rage. ¡°That thing you Priests carry, you don¡¯t lug it around for nothing, right? That staff-like thing. It¡¯s for hitting, right? Or do you just carry it around for decoration?¡±

    Mary stood tall, gazing down on Ranta from her full height. ¡°For decoration.¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡±

    ¡°Bastard?¡±

    ¡°M-Mary. You¡­ you¡¯re¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that¡­ FUCK. I don¡¯t know. Whatever. Do what you want.¡±

    ¡°I always do what I want. I don¡¯t need you to tell me.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Ranta laughed fakely. ¡°Right. I knew that. Damn it¡­ who does she think she is¡­¡±

    ¡°Could you not talk so filthily all the time? It dirties my ears.¡± Despite how it sounded, it was definitely not a request.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! My bad! If it bothers you that much then just cover those ears of yours!¡±

    ¡°Why should I even have to bother doing something so annoying?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Haruhiro said, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°We get it. Mary will stay back, act as backup. Stick with Shihoru. Shihoru is our Mage so she¡¯s never in the front. That fixes it, right?¡±

    Mary tossed Haruhiro a glance that seemed to cut him down. ¡°It¡¯s only proper, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Right, okay. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± Haruhiro was as relieved as he was angry.

    Why did they have to go that far to make her happy? She had only joined their team today. Though it was true that she had more field experience, wasn¡¯t she just equal with the rest of them? But Haruhiro didn¡¯t have the guts to say so much to her face. She terrified him.

    Usually now what they would do was gather in a circle, and then everyone would put their hands in the center for their pre-fight ritual, but this time it didn¡¯t seem right.

    ¡°Yume, Shihoru, go ahead,¡± Haruhiro said instead.

    Yume and Shihoru nodded silently. Were they so upset that they didn¡¯t want to speak? Both of their expressions told him that they were not in good moods. He wished they would stop it. Their moods were making him irritable in turn. He couldn¡¯t do anything about it, but he wished that they made more of an effort to understand how he was feeling, too.

    He knew though, that if he spoke up about it, there wouldn¡¯t be an end to it, so he had shoved everything deep down inside of himself. Yume and Shihoru did what they were told and went on ahead. Shihoru should be in range soon. When she was, Haruhiro signaled her to attack.

    Shihoru spoke the incantation in a low, lifeless tone as she drew the elemental glyph with her staff. Yume nocked an arrow onto her bow and pulled the string back. The shadow elemental shot out from Shihoru¡¯s staff and hit the spear-goblin right in the chest. Its entire body started trembling uncontrollably, making it drop its spear.

    Yume¡¯s arrow missed, flying massively wide of its target.

    ¡°Not even close.¡± Mary¡¯s voice was a low whisper, but it traveled well enough for Yume to hear. Yume¡¯s grip tightened on her bow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Haruhiro said to Yume, drawing his dagger.

    Mogzo and Ranta were already moving to engage. Time for him to hurry up and move too. They would take down these goblins. They had to win. If they lost, they might die. They couldn¡¯t afford to lose.

    Mozgo was prevented from reaching the spear-goblin by the hatchet-goblin and the sword-goblin. Meanwhile, the spear-goblin was recovering from Shihoru¡¯s attack. Ranta moved in to engage the hatchet-goblin, trying to get him off Mogzo, but the sword-goblin proved more of a problem. Mogzo couldn¡¯t get away.

    Haruhiro went in. ¡°[BACKSTAB]!¡±

    He used the technique the moment he was in position behind the sword-goblin, but it turned around at the last moment and Haruhiro¡¯s dagger grazed it in the ribs. The goblin lunged with its sword at Haruhiro, shrieking in rage.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Haruhiro stepped back, dodged to the right, and retreated. The sword-goblin¡¯s movements were nimble, quick, and Mogzo probably would have had a hard time fighting it. But now, Mogzo¡¯s way had been cleared. The spear-goblin came lunging at him.

    Mogzo deflected the goblin¡¯s spear with his bastard sword. They were now all fighting one-on-one. No, Yume was coming to Haruhiro¡¯s aid. She held her kukri slanted, and slashed down at the sword-goblin.

    ¡°[CROSS CUT]!¡± She yelled.

    The sword-goblin bent low and sprung back a good two meters, avoiding her attack. They came across these types of goblins from time to time. Small, light, and agile, they didn¡¯t have much offensive power, but their evasion skills were off the charts; they were very difficult to bring down. These lightweight-class goblins were a pain to deal with.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± Shihoru had used [SHADOW ECHO] and the shadow elemental flew straight at the spear-goblin.

    The goblin dodged it. However, Mogzo was right there with the follow-up, already swinging his bastard sword. He did it too soon though and his attack sliced nothing but air. The spear-goblin launched a series of rapid thrusts with its weapon at Mogzo, who had no choice but to back away. It was a short spear, but even so, its length was longer than the goblin¡¯s height. Mogzo couldn¡¯t close in enough to get back into the range of his own weapon.

    Now that Haruhiro thought about it, this was the first time they had ever faced an opponent that wielded a spear. Inexperience. It was one of the reasons why Mogzo was having such a hard time with his opponent.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Ranta let out a shout of pain as he jumped back. His left calf had been cut, and bled.

    The hatchet-goblin was crouched low and swung its weapon in a circular motion, aiming below its opponent¡¯s waists. This fighting style was also difficult to deal with.

    ¡°Yume, I got this one!¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Take Ranta¡¯s place with the hatchet-goblin! Ranta, go get healed!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± came Mary¡¯s immediate reply.

    ¡°No?! What, why?!¡± Haruhiro exclaimed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an injury that requires immediate attention. Suck it up.¡±

    ¡°Baaaaaaaastard!!!¡± Ranta attacked the hatchet-goblin furiously. ¡°Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Just because you¡¯re hot doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want! Fuck you! Fuck you! FUCK YOU!!!¡±

    Haruhiro and Yume chased the lightweight, sword-goblin all around the place but they couldn¡¯t catch it. ¡°Ranta! Does your leg hurt?!¡±

    ¡°OF COURSE IT HURTS!¡± Ranta shouted. Ranta brought his long sword down on the hatchet-goblin in a diagonal slash. ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡± The hatchet-goblin avoided the attack easily. ¡°Look at how much I¡¯m bleeding! How can this NOT hurt?! IT HURTS GOD DAMN IT!!¡±

    Yume fell on her back as the sword-goblin swept out her feet from under her. This was bad. Yume was going to be cut down. Haruhiro threw himself between Yume and the goblin, dagger raised, intending to use his own body as a shield. Rather than face Haruhiro, the sword-goblin jumped backwards.

    In a series of short, quick hops, it had retreated beyond the range of Haruhiro¡¯s dagger.

    ¡°Quit wasting time,¡± Mary said softly.

    And whose fault is it that we can¡¯t finish the fight quickly? Haruhiro thought. If it had been Manato instead of Mary with them, they would have been able to take on these three goblins with ease. Manato had been just as much of a tank as Mogzo; he was also their healer, their strategist, and their leader. If Manato was here, it was like having a hundred more people on their team in a fight. That may have been an over-exaggeration, but to Haruhiro, that¡¯s how much different it felt.

    Manato wasn¡¯t like you, Haruhiro thought bitterly at Mary. A Priest who refuses to do anything but heal, then refuses to heal, too¡­ The difference is so big, you don¡¯t even compare.

    But Manato wasn¡¯t here anymore. He wasn¡¯t anywhere now. They had lost him.

    What are we going to do, Manato?

 Volume 1 - CH 14

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 14: Silver¡¯s Gold Coin

    ¡°I CAN¡¯T TAKE IT ANYMORE!¡±

    Ranta slammed his earthenware tankard onto the table.

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡± Mogzo mumbled. ¡°You¡¯re going to break it.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! I got it under control!¡± Ranta yelled. ¡°What ¡¯bout you, huh?! Doesn¡¯t she piss you off?!¡±

    Mogzo muttered something noncommittal.

    ¡°Admit it! That girl pisses you off!¡± Ranta ranted. ¡°What the hell is with that attitude?! It¡¯s been a couple of days now and she¡¯s not even trying to get along with us! Haruhiro!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Even you think so! Don¡¯t lie! Hey! I¡¯m talking to you! Tell me what you really think!¡±

    ¡°I already told you several times.¡± Haruhiro drank from his own beer tankard. ¡°I just put up with it. But I don¡¯t not agree with you.¡±

    ¡°Quit using hard to understand sentences! You¡¯re just defending her because she¡¯s hot!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s got nothing to do with it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too soft on her! You¡¯re soft on all girls! Way too soft!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t do it on purpose, but admit it, even you can¡¯t stand up to her. You talk about her like this behind her back, but you don¡¯t say anything to her face.¡±

    ¡°As if I could!¡± Ranta flopped forward, face down onto the tabletop. ¡°She scares the hell outta me! Those eyes, that voice, fucking scary! It makes me want to cry! ¡­Is it okay to cry?¡±

    Mogzo patted him gently on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Ranta¡­¡±

    ¡°Quit it!¡± Ranta slapped Mogzo¡¯s hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t try to console a man! A man doesn¡¯t want to be consoled! It¡¯s just too pathetic! I¡¯m a man! A manly man! I¡¯m a¡­ a¡­¡±

    Haruhiro sighed. ¡°Just leave him be, Mogzo. He¡¯s just being his usual self. There¡¯ll be no end to it if you bother with him every time.¡±

    Ever since Mary joined the party, Ranta, Mogzo, and Haruhiro had made it a habit to visit Sherry¡¯s after they got back from Damroww¡¯s Old Town. It wasn¡¯t like any of them wanted to drink, or anything, but without the distraction at the end of the day, no one could sleep well and no one wanted to return to working the next day.

    Beers were discounted three capas a tankard for contracted Crimson Moon members, but being mere trainees, they paid the full four. Though Haruhiro had only one tankard every time¡ªtwo tankards at most¡ªhe still realized that it was a waste of money.

    Their earnings were only half¡ªor actually closer to a third¡ªof what they had been when Manato had been with them. Now, days when everyone would pocket only one silver each weren¡¯t rare. Haruhiro knew he should be saving up his money. He knew, but¡­

    Counting the amount deposited at Yorozu¡¯s, all the money Haruhiro had came to just over seventeen silvers. Crimson Moon contracts cost twenty silvers to purchase, so he needed just a little more before he could become a full member. That¡¯d didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he could purchase one the moment he hit twenty silvers, though. Without having at least thirty silvers on hand, paying twenty in one lump sum wasn¡¯t wise. It would have been nice, though, if Commander Bri let them pay a little at a time.

    ¡°Crimson Moon. Reserve force soldiers¡­¡± Haruhiro whispered, looking around the tavern.

    Everyone in the room was outfitted with better equipment than them. Haruhiro was sure that most wore their precious armor into the tavern to keep it from getting stolen while they drank, and many of them had expensive-looking swords strapped to their belts. Not to mention stylish garments under that armor, too. The difference between them and Haruhiro¡¯s group was overwhelmingly obvious.

    ¡°I know.¡± Ranta slouched awkwardly forward, until his chin rested on the edge of the table. ¡°No need to tell me, Haruhiro. It¡¯s the contract, right? But it¡¯s not like our goal is to buy Crimson Moon contracts anymore. ¡®Becoming a full member or not, I don¡¯t care anymore¡¯ is what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I think,¡± Haruhiro said, ¡°about having words put into my mouth by you.¡±

    ¡°Rude. You asking for a beatdown?¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just apologize like that. The argument¡¯s never gonna get anywhere that way. Fight me more, stupid.¡±

    ¡°Annoying brat.¡±

    ¡°B-but¡­¡± Mogzo heaved a deep sigh. ¡°I get the sense we¡¯ve lost sight of our goal. It wasn¡¯t like this before.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so, then,¡± said Ranta. He tilted his head sideways so that one side of his cheek was flat on the table. ¡°Things have changed this much, just because Manato¡¯s gone.¡±

    Suddenly Haruhiro found himself incensed. Failing to resist, he snapped, ¡°Quit saying ¡®just because¡¯ like it¡¯s no big deal. It is a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ranta nodded sideways. ¡°My bad.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like you to apologize right away.¡±

    ¡°Annoying brat.¡±

    Haruhiro wanted to smack him, but decided that a guy like Ranta wasn¡¯t worth the effort of lifting his fist, of even curling it.

    ¡°Goals, huh.¡± Haruhiro glanced around the tavern once more. His eyes suddenly locked on one certain person, and there was a sudden tightening in his chest. ¡°Renji¡­¡±

    While Haruhiro and the others occupied a table in a dimly lit corner of the first floor, Team Renji sat around a nice, brightly lit table near the serving counter. Of course, the table itself wasn¡¯t nice; it was just that Haruhiro¡¯s group could never sit at a spot that made them so conspicuous. Something to do with rank, importance, pecking order¡­

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Ranta finally noticed Renji¡¯s party too. ¡°Goddamn show off, that Renji.¡±

    Mogzo, looking as if he¡¯d been rebuked instead of Renji, craned his neck to look, too. ¡°Wow.¡±

    Ranta and Mogzo were both justified in their reactions. As if silver hair wasn¡¯t attention-grabbing enough, Renji wore a fur-lined surcoat over his armor. The giant sword leaning against the table was equally impressive, and it made Haruhiro wonder how Renji had managed to acquire it. Had he bought it, he must have paid quite the coin, and if he hadn¡¯t, Haruhiro wondered where in the world he could have found it.

    It wasn¡¯t only Renji that was splendidly equipped. Buzz-Cut Ron, sitting next to him, was dressed in magnificent armor, and Glasses-Boy Adachi was in long, black robes that shone with the gleam of a high price tag. Sassa was dressed in a scanty way that reminded Haruhiro of Master Barbara¨Cleading him to guess that she had became a Thief too. Sassa, a beauty from the start, was now seductive to boot.

    Sitting at Renji¡¯s feet was Chibi, whose robes marked her as undoubtedly a Priest, but which, unlike what Manato or Mary wore, were made of finer material and finished with embroidery at the edges.

    ¡°They¡¯re rookies though¡­ right?¡± Ranta looked dumbfounded. ¡°They arrived the same time we did, joined Crimson Moon the same time. Why¡¯s there that big a difference between us and them?¡±

    Apparently, it didn¡¯t matter whether someone was a full Crimson Moon member or a trainee; all those who had only recently been with Crimson Moon were considered ¡°rookies¡±. But no one who saw Team Renji would have considered them amateurs, and any who did would be in for a nasty surprise.

    It was nigh impossible to catch up to Team Renji, Haruhiro admitted to himself. If anything, the gap between them would only grow wider; Haruhiro¡¯s party would remain at rock bottom, the small fry of small fries, while Renji climbed further and further up. Soon, everyone would acknowledge Team Renji as the best, and if they happened to meet Haruhiro¡¯s team somewhere in the field, Renji wouldn¡¯t even notice they existed. Haruhiro and the others would be forgotten as all the attention fell on Team Renji.

    If Manato hadn¡¯t died, would things have been different? ¡°We¡¯ve really become a good team,¡± Manato had said, genuinely meaning it. Manato often came to Sherry¡¯s, so he must have known how well Renji¡¯s party was doing. Had Manato ever felt held back? Disappointed? Frustrated? Perhaps Manato had thought, ¡®Renji is advancing higher and higher. And what¡¯ve I been doing? If only I had better teammates¡­¡¯ Manato was only human, after all, so the thought must have occurred to him, even if only in a far corner of his mind.

    Why didn¡¯t Renji invite Manato to join him in the beginning? Manato was more than capable of contributing. Had Manato been with Team Renji, they would have been even more formidable. If Manato had been with Team Renji then surely, surely he would still be alive now.

    ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± Ranta was pulling on his arm.

    Haruhiro hadn¡¯t even realized that his gaze had been on the floor. When he lifted his head up, a silver haired man was glancing down at him. He almost yelped in surprise.

    ¡°I hear Manato¡¯s bitten the dust.¡± Low and husky, Renji¡¯s voice was not something easy to forget.

    ¡°Th¨C¡± Haruhiro started, but stopped, unsure of what he wanted to say. That? This? There? What? Finally, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±

    Expressionless as ever, Renji held out a clenched hand and, unfurling his fingers, dropped something. Haruhiro caught the object without thinking. When he looked, he saw that it was a coin.

    Mogzo inhaled so sharply that he nearly fell backwards out of his chair. Ranta¡¯s eyes were so wide they were popping out of their sockets; he looked as if he wanted to say something, but was at a loss for words. Haruhiro¡¯s right hand, the hand that the coin now rested on, started to tremble.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t fake, so this would be the first time any of them had laid eyes on the real thing.

    ¡°A gold?¡±

    ¡°My condolences. Take it,¡± Renji said, dismissively, and then turned on his heels to walk away.

    ¡°¡­D-d-don¡¯t mess¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡± Haruhiro stood up abruptly, and he felt blood rush to his head.

    Haruhiro wanted to chase after Renji, to punch him with all his might. But he didn¡¯t. There wasn¡¯t any way he could. In the end, when he caught up, Haruhiro said, ¡°R-Renji! Wait up! Hold on a sec!¡±

    Renji finally stopped, turning to regard Haruhiro with an expression clearly stating the inconvenience. ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡± Haruhiro swallowed. Renji was damn scary. It wasn¡¯t normal for a person to be so intimidating. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I don¡¯t think I can accept this¡­ It just¡­ feels wrong.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Renji stretched out his hand, palm up.

    That was it? Haruhiro would have thought that Renji would have more to say. But he didn¡¯t. Maybe it was better that way; Haruhiro breathed a large sigh of relief, so large it felt like a lifetime¡¯s worth, and placed the gold coin back in Renji¡¯s hand.

    It was only later that he regretted it. Just a little. It was a gold he had returned. The equivalent of one hundred silvers.

    Renji had left after that, saying nothing more after reclaiming the coin. When Haruhiro returned to the table, Ranta immediately assaulted him.

    ¡°HARUHIRO, HOW MUCH OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU?!¡± Ranta railed at him. ¡°Why did you give it back? It would¡¯ve been fine to keep it! We could¡¯ve split it evenly between the three of us, thirty-three for you and Mogzo and thirty-four for me! ARE YOU RETARDED?!¡±

    ¡°Why do you get to so casually keep the extra silver?¡± Haruhiro remarked.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m me! What a fucking waste! We could¡¯ve bought our contracts with that and had plenty left over!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± Mogzo¡¯s eyebrows were knit tightly together, and the corners of his mouth set in a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good thing. If we bought our contracts using Renji¡¯s money, I don¡¯t think it would have made Manato very proud of us.¡±

    ¡°Like you would know!¡± Ranta spat. ¡°He¡¯s not here anymore! We have to look out for ourselves now! GOD DAMN IT. That was a GOLD. And that Renji just handed it out just like it was nothing. How many of those does he have? I only have three silvers left!¡±

    ¡°What? Only three?¡± Haruhiro stared hard at Ranta and his messy hair. ¡°No way¡­ Why do you have so little? What have you been using your money on?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! This and that okay? This and that! I can use my money however I want!¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll never save up enough to buy your contract.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to say shit! You ruined my best chance at buying my contract just now!¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Haruhiro placed both his elbows on the table and planted his face in his palms. ¡°We can¡¯t keep going on like this. It has nothing to do with Manato. It¡¯s our problem. It¡¯s just like you said, Ranta. Manato¡¯s not here anymore.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that this whole time.¡±

    ¡°Doing nothing but thinking it,¡± Mogzo said, with unusual force. ¡°You can¡¯t just think it. You need to take action and do something about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­We¡¯re a mess.¡± Haruhiro bit his lower lip. ¡°And it¡¯s not just Mary. Yume and Shihoru have stopped talking to us. It wasn¡¯t like that before.¡±

    Ranta put his cheeks in his hands and looked off to the side. ¡°Try to fix our relationship with them? Ain¡¯t gonna work. It¡¯s way too late now.¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t know whether it would work or not. All he knew was that he had to try.

 Volume 1 - CH 15

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 15: Apologies

    Haruhiro attempted approaching Yume and Shihoru with casual topics for starters. ¡®So, how was your morning? Did you have trouble waking up? Same as always? I see¡­¡¯

    Or, ¡®So, what¡¯d you have for dinner last night? Same thing as always? I see¡­¡¯

    Or, ¡®So, we met Renji last night. It was ridiculous. Not interested? I see¡­¡¯

    Or, ¡®So, what¡¯d you bring for lunch? Bread? I see¡­¡¯

    Or, ¡®So, you look tired¡­¡¯

    So¡­ so¡­ so¡­ Haruhiro was starting to sound like he compulsively started his sentences with ¡®so¡¯. He wasn¡¯t exactly being ignored, but it depressed him that all the replies he got were the bare minimum. Mary was her loner self¨Ccold, distant, and unapproachable. It made Haruhiro wonder if she found any joy in her life at all. He admitted that he wasn¡¯t exactly enjoying his own life now, but it wasn¡¯t as bleak as Mary seemed to make hers.

    They returned from Damroww to Altana¡¯s in the evening and sold their day¡¯s loot. The day¡¯s earnings came to one silver and fifteen capas each which, for a party like theirs, wasn¡¯t bad. But it wasn¡¯t good either.

    Haruhiro skipped going to the tavern that night and returned straight to their lodge. After he finished taking a bath, he squatted down to wait in the hallway until Yume came, having emerged from the bathhouse herself.

    ¡°Er, Yume?¡±

    Yume stopped, but didn¡¯t turn to look his way. She continued to pat down her hair with a piece of cloth. Yume always wore her hair braided, and now that it was down she looked like a completely different person.

    The awkward silence between them stretched a few seconds longer.

    ¡°Um, Shihoru¡¯s not with you?¡± Haruhiro said, finally.

    ¡°She¡¯s in the room.¡±

    ¡°I see. Umm¡­¡± Haruhiro stood up, rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Are you mad?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Really? But¡­ It seems like¡­¡±

    ¡°Yume said she isn¡¯t mad-yan. Has Haru just assumed that she was?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ might have.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because we invited Mary to join our party without asking you or Shihoru. I figured we couldn¡¯t be left without a Priest, but maybe I decided on her too early. Though I wasn¡¯t the only one who made the decision¡­¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you, then who?¡±

    ¡°¡­Kikkawa introduced Mary to us, and me, Ranta, and Mogzo made the decision. So I guess it¡¯s the three of us to blame.¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I said that it isn¡¯t-yan.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yume?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, Haru.¡± Yume wrung her hair with the cloth. ¡°It¡¯s not the three of you. It¡¯s not like that at all.¡±

    ¡°Yume, wait¡­¡± Haruhiro turned to face her, starting to reach out. But he pulled back. ¡°Hold on¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you? It¡¯s because you don¡¯t understand anything Yume and Shihoru are like this.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Haruhiro dropped his gaze to the floor. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I mean, you and Shihoru never even tried to talk to me. How could I understand?¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s not good at expressing how she feels-yan. It¡¯s hard for Yume. Shihoru, not so much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡ª!¡± Haruhiro felt his voice rising and consciously pulled himself back. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like I¡¯m good at talking either. And at the time¡­ it all came as a shock.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s so, then it was the same for everyone-yan.¡±

    ¡°The same¡­ for all of us. I guess that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t it everyone?¡± And Yume started to cry. ¡°It¡¯s not just one person¡¯s fault that things are like this now-yan. It¡¯s not just you, Haru, or Ranta, or Mogzo. It¡¯s Yume¡¯s and Shihoru¡¯s fault too-yan. Is Yume wrong? We¡¯re teammates, right? Counting Manato, the six of us were real friends. Was Yume wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, you¡¯re weren¡¯t.¡±

    She¡¯s right, Haruhiro thought. Yume isn¡¯t the one who¡¯s wrong. I am.

    Manato had said once that they had become a good team. He had meant himself, Haruhiro, Ranta, Mozgo, Yume, and Shihoru. The six of them, together, had become a good team. Even though one of the six was now gone, it wasn¡¯t as if Manato had been able to do everything by himself. Even if the rest of them only contributed in small ways, the six of them together could accomplish things that Manato couldn¡¯t do alone.

    Manato had surely understood that, and understood it well. That¡¯s why even though Ranta was selfish, Haruhiro was inept, Mogzo was dull-witted, Yume was awkward, and Shihoru was cowardly, Manato had never said a word in criticism.

    The five of them were so lacking that nothing would work if even one were missing. Manato completed them, filled in the gap left over when the rest of them fell short. It was the six of them together that made the team.

    When bad things happened, it happened to all of them. When good things happened, it happened to all of them. When things got tough, it was tough for everyone. None of them were strong enough to bear it all alone, but they could at least share in it, the hardship and the pain.

    Haruhiro hadn¡¯t thought to share anything. It was just him, Ranta, and Mogzo, three boys griping to each other over drinks every evening solely for their own sakes. What did Yume and Shihoru think about being left out? Of course they would have thought that they had been unwanted, been made to feel unbearably sad and lonely.

    ¡°Yume, I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡±

    And as the words came out of his mouth, Haruhiro finally understood why Manato used his dying breath to apologize to him.

    That day, Manato had praised everyone except for Haruhiro. To Haruhiro, he had said nothing, and so Haruhiro had been gloomy and depressed. That had been on Manato¡¯s mind the whole time, surely.

    ¡°¡­Manato.¡±

    Suddenly, he couldn¡¯t see. Were tears something that came this quickly, overflowed this fast? The small semblance of calm he had maintained was swept away in an instant. Haruhiro¡¯s knees gave out and he dropped, face in his lap.

    Stupid Manato. Why were you apologizing? Why? There was no need to. I didn¡¯t want¡­

    It wasn¡¯t right. That wasn¡¯t the time. Manato must have known that he wasn¡¯t going to make it. Surely, more than apologizing to Haruhiro, he had wanted to say other, more important things. He hadn¡¯t had to make his last words an apology. But of course Manato would have.

    Manato had said to Haruhiro: I don¡¯t think I was the type of person that had a lot of friends. But he was completely wrong about that. Completely, utterly wrong.

    Why? Why did he die? Why did he have to die?

    ¡°Haru¡­¡± Yume crouched down and embraced him. She was crying too.

    Weeping, she gently stroked his back, his shoulders, his head. Their touching cheeks were both wet with tears and he could hear her raspy breaths near his ear. Haruhiro didn¡¯t know how long he stayed like that, crying as he clung to her.

    When he finally regained calm, he felt empty, as if he had cried out all the tears he ever would. Yume, too, had stopped crying some time ago, but even so they still held on to each other. It was strange¡­ as if they couldn¡¯t find a reason to part. They embraced each other just to embrace each other now.

    But it felt good. Her body was soft and warm¡­

    No. No, no, no. He couldn¡¯t let his mind wander there. It would get awkward. Maybe even more than awkward. And naturally, Yume wasn¡¯t thinking anything like that. Of course Haruhiro wasn¡¯t either. They were teammates. Friends. Just friends.

    ¡°Haru.¡±

    ¡°Y-y-yes?¡± Hearing her say his name was so unexpected and flustered him so much, he only barely squeaked out his reply. He kicked himself for getting so panicked.

    ¡°Yume¡­¡± she continued.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Yume will try her best,¡± she said, hugging Haruhiro even more tightly.

    And though it Haruhiro admitted that it felt good, at the same time he wished she wouldn¡¯t do that. Wait. Where was she going to ¡°try her best¡±?

    ¡°Try what?¡± he asked.

    ¡°With Mary. Yume doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work, but Yume will try her best to get along with Mary-yan.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. Right. If you can do that, it¡¯ll help with stuff¡­ I think.¡±

    ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t know if she¡¯ll manage to. In fact, Yume¡¯s a little worried-yan. Yume thinks Mary might actually hate her.¡±

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think she hates you, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Once a while, Yume and Mary will make eye contact, and her eyes are super cold. Her eyes and her expression too-yan.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just you, though. She¡¯s like that to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Really? If that¡¯s so, it¡¯s okay-yan. Yume has a feeling it won¡¯t be easy though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re probably right.¡±

    ¡°Can Yume really do it? Yume will try her hardest, but Haru, can Yume ask a favor?¡±

    ¡°A favor? From me? Like what?¡±

    ¡°Yume has discovered that that being hugged tight like this is super calming-yan. Hug Yume tighter and tell her she can try her hardest.¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­ really okay?¡± he asked, uncertain. It would be a hug for encouragement, nothing more. It wasn¡¯t as if he would mean anything else by it; purely an encouragement hug, that¡¯s what it was. It should be fine. ¡°If you say so¡­¡±

    He drew her in closer, hugging her tight and with all his strength, until a sigh escaped her lips. He wanted to tell her to quit it, since he was hugging her for the sole purpose of encouragement, and yet at the same time, he felt a sort of excitement starting to come over him, threatening to overwhelm him, to make him explode.

    Don¡¯t give in! Don¡¯t lose! He thought to himself. What did it mean to lose anyway? What did it mean to win? He had no idea. He just had a feeling that if he lost here, it would be bad. Really bad.

    He closed his eyes. ¡°Do the best you can, Yume.¡±

    Yume didn¡¯t say a word, but simply nodded.

    Haruhiro opened his eyes and instantly froze. Shihoru was standing at the opposite end of the hall.

    ¡°Er¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Yume looked over that way, too. ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ umm¡­ uh¡­¡± Shihoru began to fidget with her feet, looking panicked.

    But it was the same for Haruhiro and Yume. How long had she been standing there? Why hadn¡¯t either he or Yume noticed her coming?

    It really wasn¡¯t what it looked like! But that wouldn¡¯t do any good. No matter what he said now, it was too late. They had been caught in a position that just begged for a misunderstanding. He had to clarify, and clarify right now.

    Haruhiro and Yume sprung away from each other.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¨C¡± They both said in perfect unison then looked back at each other at the same time.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¨C¡± Shihoru began to back away. ¡°I didn¡¯t know! My sense for this stinks so I didn¡¯t notice! I-I-I¡¯m really sorry!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s what I mean, it¡¯s not what you think!¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Haru¡¯s right! It¡¯s nothing like that-yan! Yume just asked Haru to embrace her tight, that¡¯s all!¡± Yume added.

    ¡°Yume, explaining it like that isn¡¯t helping!¡±

    ¡°Oh? How come?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll leave now!¡± Shihoru said, running away as fast humanly possible.

    Yume groaned and placed her cheek in her hand. ¡°Shihoru and Yume share rooms so Yume will explain everything to her later-yan. It¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ leave it to you,¡± Haruhiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

    He glanced back at Yume for a brief moment and for some reason felt embarrassed. He shouldn¡¯t really hug a girl if he didn¡¯t have any special feelings for said girl, but he had done it anyway. What was he going to do if, because of that, special feelings that weren¡¯t there before started to sprout?

    Nah, no way that¡¯s going to happen, he assured himself.

 Volume 1 - CH 16

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 16: Aiming for the Top

    Shihoru suddenly came to apologize as they left the lodge the next day. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry! Yume explained everything. Because I thought it was for sure that kind of relationship¡­ I¡¯m sorry for jumping to conclusions¡­¡±

    Although the apology was all well and good to Haruhiro, he kind of wished that she hadn¡¯t made it with Ranta and Mogzo in earshot.

    ¡°Relationship?¡± Ranta¡¯s nostrils flared as he brought his face close to Haruhiro¡¯s. ¡°What kinda relationship is ¡®that¡¯ kinda relationship¡¯? Relationship between who, hmmm?¡±

    Haruhiro leaned away from him. ¡°None of your business.¡±

    ¡°That ain¡¯t true. Tell me. C¡¯mon! Spit it out!¡±

    ¡°Like Shihoru said, it was just a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°I want to know about every single detail and exactly what sort of ¡®misunderstanding¡¯ it was.¡±

    Yume cut in. ¡°You see¡ª¡±

    Haruhiro, afraid that she was going to say more than necessary again, hoped beyond hope that his fears would turn out groundless. But it was just as he thought.

    ¡°Yesterday,¡± Yume continued, ¡°Yume asked Haru to hold her tight and Shihoru walked in on us. And¡ª¡±

    Mogzo made some sort of surprised choking noise and his eyes went wide.

    ¡°What?! What the hell, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta¡¯s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. ¡°Are you serious?! Are you frickin¡¯ serious?! Since when did you get to second base?!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®second base¡¯¡ª¡± said Haruhiro, and stopped himself. ¡°No wait, forget it. I told you, it¡¯s not like that¡ª¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s it ¡®not like that¡¯?! You were gonna do it but panicked and stopped because Shihoru walked in on you! You had to hit the emergency brake!¡±

    ¡°But Haru was crying¡­¡± said Yume, starting to explain.

    ¡°Yume,¡± said Haruhiro, ¡°you didn¡¯t have to mention that¡­¡±

    ¡°Crying?!¡± Ranta looked back and forth from Haruhiro to Yume several times, and then ran his hands through his already messy hair. ¡°¡­I get it now. So that¡¯s what it was all about. In other words¡­ You got rejected. Yume rejected you, then she felt sorry for this eeeeediot and tried to make you feel better. I see. It¡¯s all so obvious now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re completely, absolutely, thoroughly wrong, but whatever. I don¡¯t feel like explaining it to you anymore.¡±

    ¡°At any rate¡­¡± Yume began speaking, completely ignoring Ranta. It was an ability Haruhiro was rather jealous of. ¡°Yume¡¯s decided that she¡¯s going to try to get along with Mary-yan. Shihoru said she¡¯ll try too.¡±

    Shihoru was hugging her staff, her gaze downwards. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work, but I¡¯ll do the best I can.¡±

    ¡°Get along? With Mary?¡± Ranta frowned. ¡°Not gonna happen. That girl doesn¡¯t have any intention of being friends with us.¡±

    Mogzo hung his head. ¡°But¡ªbut we can¡¯t keep going the way we are now. We have to at least try convincing her to heal us in fights¡­¡±

    It was just as Mogzo said. The problem was more than her lack of desire to even try befriending the rest of them. She wouldn¡¯t heal them in battle. More specifically, she would ignore them if the injury was light when they asked her to heal, no matter how much it hurt. Well, not exactly ¡®ignore¡¯, and more like ¡®outright reject¡¯. She would only heal them if it was an injury that impeded movement or if it was life-threatening.

    Her attitude towards teammates who were in hurt and in pain was unacceptable. Manato used to heal them right away, no matter how slight the injury. Even if it wasn¡¯t a wound that needed attention, him being there for them provided a sense of security in a fight.

    With Mary, there was no such peace of mind. What if one of them was badly injured and she suddenly refused to heal them? Everyone was afraid that she would ditch them the moment they needed her the most.

    ¡°As a start¡­¡± Haruhiro began to speak, looking at each of the others in turn. Each except for Ranta. ¡°We need to build up trust with her. We won¡¯t make any progress without doing that first. Who knows? Mary might have her own way of looking at things. Maybe we¡¯re not getting along with her because we don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°You sure it isn¡¯t purely because she¡¯s a horrible person? It¡¯s gotta be some sort of disorder. Psychological disorder. Chronic Innately Horrible Personality Syndrome. With no known cure.¡±

    ¡°But we have to have a Priest¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, Haruhiro, you become a Priest! Then it¡¯s goodbyeeeeeeee forever to Mary! It¡¯s settled, then! BEST IDEA EVER! Damn, I¡¯m good!¡±

    Haruhiro had already considered it, but changing his class was best left as a last resort. Going off to scout alone, always positioning himself at the back of an enemy¡­ being a Thief suited him and he was looking forward to improving his skills as one.

    Also, he had realized something when speaking with Yume yesterday.

    ¡°Ranta,¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Me, you, and Mogzo decided to invite Mary to join the team, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and it was a huge mistake so that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been saying we should kick her out ASAP.¡±

    ¡°But she became one of us, our teammate and companion, when she accepted, right?¡±

    Ranta seemed as if he was going to say something, but then shut his mouth, turning his gaze downwards. He looked almost ashamed.

    Haruhiro continued, clasping his right wrist with his left hand. ¡°Mary is who she is. We can¡¯t suddenly discriminate against her for being who she is. If she always feels that it¡¯s us five versus her, she¡¯ll never feel comfortable around us even if she wanted to. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s a magical healing machine.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Yume said, putting a finger to her chin and nodding. ¡°Mary¡¯s been treating us coldly, but maybe we¡¯ve been treating her the same-yan.¡±

    Mogzo nodded his head slowly and gave a grunt of agreement.

    ¡°May¡ªmaybe¡­¡± Shihoru said hesitantly as if she didn¡¯t have very much confidence in what she was about to say. ¡°Mary¡¯s actually a good person¡­ on the inside.¡±

    ¡°NO WAY!¡± Ranta immediately turned his back to them. ¡°No frickin¡¯ way! There¡¯s no way in hell that¡¯s even possible. She¡¯s a stinkin¡¯ hell-spawned harpy to the core. I don¡¯t care what you guys say, I¡¯m not changing my mind! We should just get rid of her and eeeeediot Haruhiro should become a Priest.¡±

    ¡°If I become a Priest,¡± Haruhiro said, ¡°then I won¡¯t heal you no matter what. You¡¯re a Dread Knight. The dark god Skulheill is the enemy of the god of light Luminous. I¡¯m not nice enough to heal my enemies¡¯ wounds.¡±

    ¡°Disqualified! You¡¯re disqualified from being a Priest! Mogzo! Mogzo¡¯s a¡­ wait, we can¡¯t not have a Warrior so¡­ Yume! You become a Priest!¡±

    ¡°Yume wants a wolf, so she can¡¯t quit being a Hunter,¡± Yume stated.

    ¡°Damn it! Selfish brat! Shihoru! What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m suited to be a healer. If anyone gets hurt, I¡¯ll panic and¡­¡±

    ¡°Useless! All of you are seriously useless! You¡¯re a good-for-nothing bunch, the lot of you! Because of that¡ª¡± Ranta coughed. ¡°Because of that, it¡¯s¡­ better to have that girl around than not. Just pray that she¡¯s just an ice bitch on the outside¡­ But what if she¡¯s a true ice bitch and suddenly, she falls for me and wants to become my bitch and¡­¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ I-I doubt that¡¯s gonna happen¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up Mogzo! Mogzo?! I was just told off by Mogzo of all people?! No waaaaaay¡­¡±

    At any rate, their course of action had been decided. They would treat Mary as one of their own and, hopefully, she would begin to feel like she was part of the team too. Things had to start from somewhere, and everyone agreeing on the first step was indeed a start. Without clearing this first hurdle, there wasn¡¯t any way they could advance.

    However, it wouldn¡¯t be an easy path ahead by any means.

    Mary was waiting for them at Altana¡¯s northern gate as usual. Haruhiro thought it was best to start off by greeting her properly, so he cheerfully called out, ¡°¡®Morning!¡±

    It was just a normal greeting, so why did she have to gaze at him with that terrifyingly cold stare? Was she looking down on him? Trying to ridicule him? It was as if she was saying to him with that gaze, Burn hot, trash. And go rot, ash.

    Only after she finished piercing him with her freezing, absolute-zero eyes did she finally reply. ¡°Morning,¡± she said brusquely. ¡°Hurry up and get going. I¡¯ll follow.¡±

    So, that¡¯s the way she¡¯s gonna be, huh, Haruhiro thought.

    Even so, Yume and Shihoru attempted to engage Mary in conversation while they went to Damroww¡¯s Old Town. Where in Altana did she live? What did she usually have for breakfast and dinner? How long has she been a member of Crimson Moon? The questions were harmless but Mary refused to give any sort of answer.

    They endured terse replies such as ¡°Who knows¡± or ¡°Whatever I feel like¡±, but when Mary¡¯s temper flared and she replied with ¡°Why does any of that even matter?¡± both Yume and Shihoru fell silent.

    A formidable foe, she was. Well, not really a foe because she was actually their teammate. But even if a normal conversation with her proved impossible, at the very least Haruhiro wanted to improve their teamwork.

    Luck was with them that morning, as they chanced upon a group of three goblins. Haruhiro steeled himself for a hard fight and decided to engage. If they could work together as a team and win a fight, things were bound to change for the better.

    ¡°Mogzo, Ranta, you guys take one each. Me and Yume will take the third. Shihoru and Mary, support Mogzo and Ranta from range!¡± Haruhiro commanded.

    Even though he had tried calling Mary to support them so normally, what ended up happening was that she just stood there, staring contemptuously at Shihoru as the Mage hit the goblins with [SHADOW ECHO] and [MAGIC MISSILE]. She pretended not to notice Ranta¡¯s wild shout of pain when his left arm was lightly cut.

    When Mogzo lost his nerve after being grazed on the temple, she berated him with, ¡°You¡¯re a Warrior, aren¡¯t you?! Why are you backing off just because of that?!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! Who do you think you are?! You¡¯re just standing there not doing shit!¡± Ranta kicked his goblin with all the strength he could muster.

    It went flying backwards, but Ranta quickly closed the distance and thrust his longsword straight out. ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡±

    The goblin made a gargling sound as Ranta¡¯s sword went clear through its throat. It struggled violently for a few moments then stopped moving.

    Apparently a Dread Knight¡¯s sword techniques and fighting style were based on avoiding true close quarters fighting. It favored medium-range combat, where the Dread Knight would close in only to attack while staying just outside striking range at all other times. Haruhiro had a feeling that what Ranta just did wasn¡¯t exactly the perfect picture of a Dread Knight, but in the end it worked out okay.

    With Ranta¡¯s kill, it meant only two more enemies left.

    With a grunt of exertion, Mogzo locked blades with his opponent, then used [SPIRAL SLASH] to make the goblin stagger backwards. Without hesitating he followed up with his bastard sword down onto the goblin, giving a shout. The blow split the goblin¡¯s head open and it crumpled to the ground.

    One more to go.

    ¡°Malik em paluk!¡± Shihoru chanted, drawing the elemental glyph with her staff.

    A beam of light about the width of a fist hit the final goblin square in the head, eliciting a howl. Being hit by [MAGIC MISSLE] was about the same as taking a roundhouse from a fully grown man. The goblin was stunned for only the briefest of moments, but in that slightest of openings, Yume stepped in.

    ¡°[SWEEPING SLASH]!¡±

    The goblin yelped and leapt diagonally back to avoid the attack. It now had its back to Haruhiro. Now! Haruhiro thought, and his body moved on its own. He inhaled and held his breath as he used [BACKSTAB]. The dagger pierced the goblin at precisely the right point and the blade slid easily through the goblin¡¯s back and exited through its abdomen.

    Haruhiro knew for certain that that was the result when the technique was properly executed. The goblin staggered about, as if all its strength had been drained from it. Haruhiro pushed the dagger¡¯s blade deeper up into the goblin, then swiftly pulled it back out. The goblin toppled over and didn¡¯t move again.

    ¡°Muwahahahaha!¡± Ranta stripped a claw from the dead goblin¡¯s corpse, laughing high-pitched all the while. ¡°Teamwork was shit, but because of my awesomeness we won! I¡¯m the best! I guess things wouldn¡¯t be interesting if everyone got along perfectly from the start. My arm hurts! Mary! Heal me now!¡±

    Mary thoroughly ignored him and deliberately started to make her way over to Mogzo instead.

    ¡°Sit,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Mogzo sat down on the ground obediently, the image of a pet dog.

    Mary examined his forehead as well as the back of his skull, then touched the cut on his temple. Mogzo grimaced and Mary replied in voice too low for Haruhiro to catch.

    Mary then formed a hexagon with her hand and chanted, ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE].¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s perfectly happy to heal after the fight¡¯s over¡­¡± Haruhiro muttered to himself as he collected the goblin pouches.

    The contents came to two silvers, two shiny stones, and some animal fangs. Depending on the value of the stones, Haruhiro guessed that the total came to around four silvers.

    ¡°Hey, lady! Enough with Mogzo, get over here and heal me!¡± Ranta demanded.

    ¡°Your wound¡¯s nothing but a scratch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! Look! I¡¯ve been bleeding all over the place! It just¡­ sorta kinda stopped though¡­¡±

    ¡°How about putting some spit on it then? And don¡¯t call me lady. It really does try my patience.¡±

    Ranta backed off. And he was left unhealed with that. Haruhiro had to admit, Ranta would bawl like a baby at even the slightest of cuts, moan and groan at the lightest of grazes.

    To put it mildly, Manato was very sensitive to the well being of everyone on the team and he could never completely feel at ease unless everyone was in perfect condition at all times. Now that Haruhiro thought about it¡­ was it really necessary to use healing magic on every little scratch and cut? It did seem like overdoing it just a bit. Especially where Ranta was concerned, the kid had been spoiled rotten by the coddling.

    After they had disposed of the goblins¡¯ corpses, Haruhiro approached Mary.

    ¡°Could we be the ones that are going about this wrong?¡± he asked bluntly. ¡°As a healer, it seems like you¡¯re pretty set on the way you do things. Maybe¡­ Is that the norm for other parties?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Haruhiro winced. That ¡®what¡¯ alone was almost enough to make him lose his nerve. He wished she would stop using that.

    Somehow, he recovered and continued. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really, but¡­ isn¡¯t there, you know, different types of Priests or something like that? It¡¯s just that¡­ I really don¡¯t know anything about you guys. Call it lack of experience, or something like that.¡±

    Mary looked as if she was going to reply, then let out a long sigh as if answering would be too bothersome.

    ¡°Why ask me.¡± She crossed her arms over her chest and purposely turned away.

    And there it was. The ¡®why ask me¡¯ monster rears its ugly head again. Haruhiro felt himself beginning to grow irritated.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­ just tell me? I¡¯m a Thief, so I don¡¯t know much about Priests. I¡¯ll never know at this rate, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to not know anything¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your opinion. My opinion is that it¡¯s perfectly fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fine¡ª¡± Haruhiro cut himself off and took a deep breath, trying to subdue his rising temper. He had almost let it get the better of him.

    He needed to stay calm. But what was up with her and that attitude? It pissed him off.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a personal question or anything,¡± Haruhiro persisted. ¡°But in fights, there¡¯s the general flow of battle and everyone¡¯s roles to think about. I think it¡¯s something we should talk over more as a team¡­¡±

    ¡°How about saying it straight out if you don¡¯t like the way I do my job?¡± Mary replied. ¡°I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, it¡¯s just¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem, correct?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ No¡­ no problem.¡±

    Haruhiro wanted someone to tell him, was there any way to have any sort of discussion with her? There didn¡¯t seem like any.

    Aftwards, Yume and Shihoru valiantly continued to attempt engaging Mary in conversation, but were bitterly rejected at every go.

    By evening, they had killed seven goblins, earning themselves two silvers and five capas each. It wasn¡¯t too bad for a group like their own, but compared to how Renji threw around golds like they were pocket change made Haruhiro clench his jaw at how pathetic they were.

    Mary left as soon as she had received her share of the cut, so the remaining five of them had dinner and then went to Sherry¡¯s Tavern.

    ¡°Sure is crowded,¡± Yume said. ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t want to drink, so Yume will have juice.¡±

    ¡°And kind of noisy too,¡± Shihoru agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t want alcohol either¡­¡±

    This was their first time at Sherry¡¯s so both Yume and Shihoru were looking all about, wide-eyed and a little nervous.

    ¡°Quit gawking at everything, you two!¡± Ranta admonished, sounding for all the world like a regular. ¡°There¡¯s nothing outta the ordinary! It¡¯s just a normal tavern, so seriously, quit it!¡±

    Yume and Shihoru, however, probably didn¡¯t hear a word he said. When the serving girl arrived soon after, everyone ordered and paid for their drinks. Haruhiro also passed on alcohol and had a lemonade instead. It tasted great; naturally carbonated water from the Tenryuu Mountains, mixed with lemons and honey.

    ¡°So Mary is the source of the problem after all,¡± Haruhiro led off.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yume nodded. ¡°Yume and Shihoru tried to talk to her all day, and it mattered for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Naught,¡± Shihoru corrected immediately. ¡°The saying goes ¡®it mattered for naught¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yume blinked. ¡°Yume thought it was ¡®not¡¯, no a ways about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s ¡®no two ways about it¡¯, Yume. And it¡¯s n-a-u-g-h-t.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yume¡¯s messed up again?¡± Yume said. ¡°Yume seems to mess up a lot, yan.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for it but THIS,¡± Ranta said, drawing his hand across his throat, as if beheading. ¡°THIS. Just do THIS and get it over with. If we do THIS to that girl then everything will get better. THIS, I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you guys, THIS.¡±

    Ranta really seemed to like doing that gesture, probably because he thought it was cool or something. If so, then he was even more messed up than Yume.

    ¡°Er¡ª¡± Mogzo cut in, looking towards the entranceway to the tavern.

    Speaking of the devil really is a thing, Haruhiro thought. There she was. Mary. She entered and looked in their direction briefly. She pretended not to have noticed them, but Haruhiro would have bet at ninety percent chance that she had. There was an open seat at the end of the bar, and Mary settled in.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± Ranta slammed a fist on the table. ¡°What¡¯s with the attitude! Even if it¡¯s just for right now, we¡¯re still in the same party! It¡¯s normal to at least maybe give a nod in our direction!¡±

    ¡°Yume gets the feeling,¡± Yume said with a pout, her brows knit tightly, ¡°that what¡¯s normal for normal people isn¡¯t normal for Mary-yan. But even Yume got just an eensy bit annoyed just now¡­¡±

    However, Shihoru tapped on her lips with a finger. ¡°But we didn¡¯t greet her in any way either,¡± she pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s like the pot calling the kettle black¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. We kinda expected to get ignored, so we didn¡¯t even bother. Yeah, that¡¯s not really good either.¡±

    ¡°Fuck that!¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°Why the hell do we have to treat her nice?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be hated by all girls of all sorts with that attitude,¡± Yume remarked.

    ¡°Shut up! There¡¯s no way flat girls can talk for all girls!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Yume flat!¡±

    ¡°Flat, flat, flat, flat, flat-flat-flat!¡±

    Yume glared angrily at Ranta.

    ¡°Ranta,¡± heaved Haruhiro, ¡°you¡¯d be considered an all out lowlife no matter who talks for who.¡±

    ¡°As if you have the right to talk high and mighty, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°I don¡¯t care about a girl¡¯s feelings! All I care about are the chest, butt, legs, and arms!¡±

    Shihoru glanced at Ranta as if he was some filthy, despicable creature. ¡°It makes me sick to think that someone like you is human.¡±

    ¡°Y-you didn¡¯t have to go that far!¡± Apparently even Ranta realized that he was in a bad spot now. ¡°It¡¯s not just the chest, butt, legs and arms¡ªI care about their faces too! It doesn¡¯t matter how good their bodies are if they¡¯ve got animal faces! Wait. Why do I get the feeling you¡¯re even more pissed off? Why?¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s talking to her,¡± Mogzo said, pointing in Mary¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Haruhiro blinked several times. ¡°No way.¡±

    Though it wasn¡¯t exactly surprising, it was not something Haruhiro had really expected. Haruhiro knew him, the smiling person talking to Mary. They had met and spoken once. That friendly face. Those white garments, covering him from head to toe; that armor under his tunic, and that sword.

    ¡°That¡¯s Shinohara, of Orion,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Orion?¡± Ranta craned his neck to get a better view. ¡°Seriously? Orion¡¯s that pretty famous clan right? And Shinohara¡¯s Orion¡¯s leader, I think. Not that I care or anything. Why¡¯s he talking with her? Hey, our drinks are here. Hey! Let¡¯s toast, guys. Cheers!¡±

    ¡°C-cheers¡­¡± Mogzo was the only one who actually replied out loud.

    Haruhiro clanked his wooden cup against Mogzo¡¯s, Yume¡¯s, and Shihoru¡¯s and took a sip of the lemonade. Sweet and tangy, it was delicious.

    ¡°Hey, Haru.¡± Yume tugged on the sleeve of Haruhiro¡¯s shirt. ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®clan¡¯?¡±

    Haruhiro began to explain. ¡°A clan¡¯s what they call it when¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like Haruhiro himself was highly knowledgeable on the subject, but from what he understood, clans were groups formed in pursuit of some ideal or goal. Parties usually consisted of five or six people, always including a Priest, whose light magic-based protection was indispensible. However, there were cases when only six people weren¡¯t enough to deal with large groups or unusually strong enemies. There were also places where it was too dangerous for one lone party to enter. It was in these cases when several parties joined up and formed a clan.

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s several well known clans,¡± Haruhiro continued. ¡°The ¡®Dark Berserkers¡¯, ¡®Iron Knuckles¡¯, the all-girls clan ¡®Wild Angels¡¯. Oh, Orion is pretty famous too.¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± Ranta said, pointing to Shinohara. ¡°His cloak¡¯s got seven stars in an ¡®X¡¯ shape design on it right? That¡¯s Orion¡¯s clan emblem. There¡¯s a few others in the room with wearing the same emblem too.¡±

    Ranta was right. There were several others scattered about the tavern with the similarly decorated cloaks. Shinohara did say once that he and many other Crimson Moon members frequented Sherry¡¯s. Haruhiro supposed that he should greet Shinohara at some point or another, but¡­ he didn¡¯t think now was the time. He was reluctant to interrupt Shinohara while he was talking to Mary.

    What sort of relationship did Shinohara have with Mary anyhow? From what Haruhiro could tell, Shinohara was doing most of the talking while Mary just gave obligatory replies at the appropriate times. However, it didn¡¯t look like she was particularly annoyed by Shinohara; if anything, she seemed apologetic. Shinohara finally withdrew, and after continuing to watch him for a bit, Mary returned to her drink.

    Ranta snickered softly. ¡°Those two are doing it. The THINGY.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like that to me,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Haaaaaaruhiroooo¡­ You¡¯ve seriously gotta be blinder than a bat. ROMANCE was in the air! They¡¯re doing the THINGY. One hundred percent, the THINGY.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go say hi to Shinohara.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t just ignore me! You¡¯re making me sad here!¡±

    Feel free, Haruhiro thought, and just as he rose from his seat, a hushed clamor of voices began to rise from the other patrons. The reason for it soon became clear.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s Souma¡­¡± someone said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Souma?¡± said another.

    And yet another, ¡°It¡¯s Souma!¡±

    ¡°Souma!¡±

    ¡°Souma¡­!¡±

    Souma. It was the one name being spoken by all the other Crimson Moon members in the tavern. Who was he? No doubt it was a male name, but¡­

    A party of six, consisting of both men and women, entered. Souma must have been the name of the group¡¯s leader. He looked young and¡­ different. Way different. Most apparent was his armor. His entire body was covered in black armor, which fitted him so perfectly, no odd angles or juts could be seen. The material looked incredibly light as well.

    It was probably some sort of scale armor, forged by overlapping countless small metal plates. Here and there, orange light seemed to leak from within, rippling and simmering as if drawing breath. His lower body was covered in an unusually long tasset, probably part of the same set of armor that covered his upper body. It was asymmetrical on either side but looked incredibly awesome nonetheless.

    The large blade he carried strapped across his back was curved like a katana, the workmanship beautiful and sinister at the same time. It was a sword that would capture the imagination of even the unlikeliest of warriors. The blade at the man¡¯s waist was similar to one on his back, only shorter, and it was of equally splendid craftsmanship. Honestly, Haruhiro would have taken that over the larger one.

    The facial features of this man who owned such unique equipment was hardly ordinary, either. He couldn¡¯t be called handsome in a manly way, or gorgeous in a feminine, but it was clean-shaven and elegant. His almond shaped eyes were deeply serene yet menacing at the same time; they were filled with infinite calm and deepest sorrow. It would be impossible to be scrutinized by those eyes and not be unnerved.

    Clearly the men and women who followed him were not your average Crimson Moon members either. The large, dark skinned man with upturned eyes and dazzling green armor was taller than Mogzo. He seemed to be quite a solid build; however, a small head made him appear more lanky than muscular.

    Behind the dark skinned man was the exact opposite. A tiny man with a childish face¨Cexcept that his eyes were anything but innocent. One look from those eyes was surely a curse upon your head. The man next to him had arms that were so long, Haruhiro wondered if he were human at all. That man¡¯s face was hidden behind an eerie looking mask, so it was hard to tell, but Haruhiro had a feeling he was a creature of a different sort. Armor that could have been anything, leather or even metal, covered him from head to toe, and hanging off his back was a giant saw-toothed blade that was probably was just as deadly as it looked.

    The two women behind him, though¡­ One look at them and Haruhiro¡¯s heart began to melt. He felt as if he could rest his eyes upon them forever. Souma¡¯s party was composed of four men and two women, and the two women were both gorgeous. One was slightly older and stylishly outfitted, with toned skin. She wore something akin to a dress but her legs and chest were boldly exposed. She also sported an assortment of necklaces, rings, and bracelets, and she was armed with an expensive looking staff and a short sword. But despite all the accessories, she didn¡¯t come across as showy in the least¡ªprobably because her beauty was on par with that of the jewelry.

    The other woman reminded Haruhiro a bit of Mary. It wasn¡¯t that their faces looked similar or anything; it was her otherworldly beauty that made him wonder if she was even human. She looked younger than him yet older at the same time. He couldn¡¯t tell whether she should be called a beautiful woman or a beautiful girl.

    She wore an elaborately engraved breastplate, but was otherwise lightly armored. A sword hung off her belt which¡­ made her a Warrior? Female Warriors were rare indeed. That aside, her lovely silver hair was wholly different from Renji¡¯s. It was as if every delicate strand was made of melted silver, and with eyes of sapphire set within. And if there were such thing as skin white as snow, Haruhiro would call hers as fair. Of course, she wasn¡¯t made of snow; her skin was faintly tinged pink. Mary¡¯s cold ice wasn¡¯t nearly as bright as she was.

    But she wasn¡¯t human. Her ears. They were pointed.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she an elf?¡± Ranta whispered.

    ¡°Elf¡­¡± Haruhiro echoed unthinkingly, so awestruck that he forgot to blink as he stared.

    Elf. What was that? He had no idea what an elf was, but at the same time knew exactly what it was. Elf. That¡¯s right. That woman was probably an elf.

    ¡°Hey hey hey!¡±

    Someone¡¯s voice came. That voice. That overly hyper, overly happy voice couldn¡¯t have belonged to anyone but Kikkawa.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t Harucchi, Rantan, Mogcchi, Yumeppi, and Shihon!¡± he cried. ¡°How¡¯re you guys?! I¡¯m GREAT, thanks! Hey, hey! Did you guys notice? Isn¡¯t Souma AWESOME?! Never thought I¡¯d see him in the flesh! I¡¯m so lucky! EVERYONE¡¯S SOOOOO LUCKY!!!¡±

    Kikkawa was more hyper-excited today than last time. Perhaps it was because of Souma.

    ¡°Kikkawa¡­ who is he?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Whaaaaaaat?!¡± said Kikkawa, disbelieving. ¡°Harucchi, you¡¯ve never heard of Souma?! No waaaaaaaay! You¡¯ve gotta be kidding, right? There¡¯s no way! Souma¡¯s¡ªyou know! Souma¡¯s Crimson Moon¡¯s best warrior! The warrior of warriors!¡±

    Kikkawa barreled on without slowing. ¡°Well, there¡¯s some dispute about his actual fighting ability, but no one doubts that he¡¯s the best. This is my first time seeing him for real too, but he¡¯s something else, isn¡¯t he? Way different! Way cooler! If I were a girl, I¡¯d want him!

    ¡°SOUMA, I LOVE YOU!!!¡± he illustrated, and grinned. ¡°Just kidding. I can¡¯t say I¡¯d go that far, but isn¡¯t he awesome? He¡¯s highly respected by everyone. I hope I can become someone like that someday¡­¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Ranta agreed, his eyes literal stars. ¡°God damn it! How did he get his hands on that sorta armor? I want armor like that!¡±

    ¡°¡­I-I¡¯d like¡­¡± Mogzo¡¯s eyes dropped to the floor. ¡°¡­I¡¯d like a helm. And if possible, plate armor. If I had those I could be a little more¡­¡±

    Shihoru bit her lower lip as a thought came to her. ¡°I want to learn more spells. I want to help everyone more in fights, with my magic. All I can do now is¡­¡±

    ¡°Yume¡­ Yume wants armor too,¡± Yume said. ¡°Yume¡¯s no good with a bow, so she¡¯s fighting in the front all the time. Yume thinks having armor would help¡­¡±

    ¡°I want¡­¡± Haruhiro paused, his eyes still glued on Souma and company. What did he want for himself?

    To be honest, unlike Kikkawa and Ranta, Haruhiro had no desire to become like Souma. In fact, he didn¡¯t even believe they could fill the gap between themselves and Renji¡¯s team. To become as well respected and liked as Souma was nothing but a pipe dream. They had no hope of reaching Souma¡¯s level, so why even try? They would only look like idiots for the attempt.

    So was staying rock-bottom fine then? a small voice inside him asked. No, not that, either. Haruhiro wanted to keep advancing. Even if they couldn¡¯t climb the ladder skipping rungs like Renji, he wanted to keep moving up, if only one rung at a time. Even if it was only one step at a time, there shouldn¡¯t be any reason why they couldn¡¯t advance higher.

    Manato definitely would have thought the same. He wanted to move forward at their own pace, hopefully higher today than yesterday, higher tomorrow than today. But it was useless just to want; they needed to take action to make it happen.

    What should I do? Save up more money and use it to learn more skills? Buy better equipment? Money was important, sure, but it wasn¡¯t everything.

    Manato had asked him to take care of the others. Did he mean Haruhiro should do the same thing Manato had done? In other words, become the leader? Was he capable of leading? It was true that someone had to fill the position. But did it have to be him? He didn¡¯t want that. He didn¡¯t want to take on the burden of the spotlight, the responsibility of leadership. It was too much work.

    What about Manato? Did he take up the role of leader because he wanted to? Because he liked leading? Did he fill the role gladly¡ªor did he do it reluctantly? Maybe he hated it, and he really wanted to hurl the responsibility out of the window, but he grit his teeth and endured having to drag everyone else along behind him? Haruhiro didn¡¯t think that was the case, but he couldn¡¯t say for sure.

    ¡°¡­No! But but but!¡± At some point, Kikkawa had sidled up shoulder to shoulder with Ranta, and they were both snickering about something. Haruhiro never thought he would see the day Ranta found someone he could get along with. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d meet Souma! I heard his main operating area is where it was formerly Ishmael so he doesn¡¯t come to Altana much. I¡¯m SO LUCKY it¡¯s scary! Well, not really scary but¡­¡±

    ¡°Kikkawa! Let¡¯s go make friends with Souma! If it¡¯s me and you WE CAN DO IT!¡± Ranta proclaimed.

    ¡°Friends? LET¡¯S DO IT! Rantan! Let¡¯s go!!!¡±

    Kikkawa and Ranta both got up from their seats simultaneously. It seemed like they were serious about approaching and introducing themselves to Souma. Haruhiro half rose out of his own seat and looked around the tavern. Souma¡¯s group was sitting around a table near the counter, and already a horde of people swarmed around them, more joining by the second.

    Mary remained where she was, drinking from her own tankard. Shinohara was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go? Haruhiro sat back down and took a sip of lemonade. When he looked up again, it was straight into Yume¡¯s eyes. She tilted her head to one side, silently asking Haruhiro what he was going to do.

    Haruhiro shook his head, indicating to her just as wordlessly that he wasn¡¯t planning to do anything, and brought his cup to his lips for another drink. But doing nothing probably wasn¡¯t wise.

    A leader, huh? Did Haruhiro have it in him to become one?

 Volume 1 - CH 17

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 17: To Hold Dear

    It didn¡¯t matter whether or not Haruhiro could lead or not. As long as he was alive, time wouldn¡¯t stop for him. He went to bed, morning came like it always did, and then it was off to Damroww again.

    They caught two goblin unawares and, with a surprise attack, immediately wounded one. Ranta and Yume faced off with the injured goblin while Mogzo and Haruhiro took on the one remaining. The unwounded goblin was equipped with a dented helm, a crude chainmail shirt, and a worn-down sword. Still, it made for a tough opponent, though in terms of pure power Mogzo and his size clearly had the advantage.

    Mogzo could have thrown himself at the goblin. He could have won, using brute force alone, but he didn¡¯t. He was hesitating. But why? Was Mogzo a coward? Of course it wasn¡¯t necessary to fight like Ranta, recklessly bum rushing enemies, but why was Mogzo so cautious all the time?

    Haruhiro watched as Mogzo and the goblin faced off. It was rare for goblins to have helms, but this one was wearing one. It was then that Haruhiro realized: if protected by a helm, a slight blow to the head wouldn¡¯t be life threatening. Without one, even a graze from a blade might be a serious wound, and anyone would think twice about fighting aggressively.

    Mogzo had said last night that he wanted a helm and plate armor. He never mentioned anything like a new sword with a sharper edge¡ªwhat he wanted most was protective gear. Haruhiro guessed that if he had full body armor, he could fight more assertively and with less hesitation.

    As for Haruhiro, he always positioned himself behind the enemy, so that was all that he thought about. He wore no armor, so being attacked was frightening. One stroke of a blade could end it all for him, so he always did everything he could to avoid fighting head-on.

    But Mogzo couldn¡¯t avoid it. It was his job to take on enemies directly, and if he tried to fight like Haruhiro by always putting himself behind the enemy, things would fall apart for the team pretty quickly.

    Haruhiro had never realized this because all he thought about was his own position and role in fights. He had never considered anyone else¡¯s roles. The act of thinking about the roles of everyone else on the team never even occurred to him.

    ¡°Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro called as he slashed at the goblin with his dagger.

    When the goblin turned towards him, Haruhiro backed away as he always did. The goblin hesitated between its two targets for a fraction of a second, then turned to face Mogzo once more. But Mogzo was already moving, thrusting his bastard sword at the goblin with a shout. The sword impaled the goblin deep in the gut.

    Living beings, however, do not die so easily. The goblin made a high-pitched shriek and tried to bring its sword back around to bear on Mogzo. Haruhiro didn¡¯t intend to let that happen. Positioned directly behind it, he closed the distance and aimed for the goblin¡¯s sword hand; [HIT].

    It wasn¡¯t enough to cut off the goblin¡¯s wrist, but the dagger bit deep to the bone. The goblin dropped its sword. Mogzo gave his bastard sword a twist and the goblin let out a horrible scream, flailing its arms at Mogzo. Haruhiro grabbed the goblin¡¯s helm, pulled it backwards with all his strength as if to pry it off, and then rammed his dagger into its exposed throat.

    Even after that, it still took a good while before the goblin stopped struggling. Manato had said once that their opponents wanted to live just as much as they did. But fights were to the death, so opponents fought just so. There was nothing more somber and it was neither simple nor easy. Haruhiro and the others killed to take their opponent¡¯s valuables, and they did that in order to pay for food; they did it for their own survival.

    Yume and Ranta battled the remaining goblin with Shihoru¡¯s support. After Shihoru weakened it with a spell, Ranta delivered the killing blow.

    As Haruhiro collected the goblin pouches after the fight was over, Mary placed the fingers of her right hand against her forehead so that her middle finger was right between her eyebrows. It was a quick motion, so fast that Haruhiro almost didn¡¯t catch it.

    It was the same hexagon symbol gesture that Manato made after killing their opponents, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t expect to see it from Mary. She didn¡¯t seem like a person who would do any sort of ritual for the sake of a dead enemy, but then, Haruhiro realized, he didn¡¯t really know. He didn¡¯t know anything about Priests. He hadn¡¯t even thought to get to know anything about them.

    During their lunch break, Haruhiro tried approaching Mogzo.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help pay for it, so let¡¯s get you a helm,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a cheap one. Plate armor too; let¡¯s try to find you a used set that fits. If we can¡¯t find one your size, let¡¯s find out how much it costs to get it adjusted.¡±

    ¡°¡­But that¡¯s¡­ But¡­ It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve got money to spare¡­ I¡¯d be a horrible person,¡± Mogzo said, uneasily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. As long as I have this, I¡¯m fine for the time being,¡± Haruhiro insisted, indicating his dagger. ¡°But if you don¡¯t have the proper gear it affects the entire team, so it¡¯s for my sake too. Metal armor¡¯s super expensive, so unless we¡¯re making tons of money, paying for all of it by yourself isn¡¯t really feasible.¡±

    ¡°Now that Haru mentions it, Yume agrees,¡± said Yume, and smiled slightly. ¡°Yume will also help pay for it when Mogzo buys his armor. Let¡¯s all go shopping for an adorable helmet!¡±

    Shihoru timidly raised her hand. ¡°Me too. I don¡¯t have that much to spare, but I¡¯ll help too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna say it here and now, I ain¡¯t shelling out a single capa!¡± Ranta declared.

    ¡°Fine. No one expected you to contribute anyway,¡± Haruhiro said, briefly shooting a glance in Mary¡¯s direction.

    She was gazing at something in the distance, as if the conversation had nothing to do with her. For some reason though, Haruhiro got the feeling that she seemed to be a little lonely too. Maybe it was just his imagination.

    Next time he had a chance during a fight, he decided he would observe Mary. Everyone¡¯s general impression was that all she did was stay back and lean on her staff. She didn¡¯t properly do her job and heal them, and had no intention of ever properly doing it. That¡¯s what everyone believed, but was that really true?

    After lunch, the first goblins they ran into were a group of three, and Haruhiro didn¡¯t get a chance to worry about Mary all through the fight. After that, they didn¡¯t run into any lone goblins, let alone two.

    But just as they were about to leave Damroww¡¯s Old Town, they unexpectedly collided with a pair.

    Caught by surprise, the fight immediately turned chaotic; Shihoru and Mary didn¡¯t have a chance to move to protected positions at the rear, and one goblin went straight for Mary.

    ¡°Useless girl!¡± Ranta yelled at Mary, as he full-body tackled the goblin that attacked her. ¡°Quit spacing out!¡±

    ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± Mary retorted.

    As the remaining goblin leapt at Shihoru, Mary swiftly spun her staff and struck it with a massive amount of force. It was the Priest¡¯s self-defense skill, [SMASH]. Haruhiro knew it when he saw it; Manato had learned the same one. Mary had been paying attention after all.

    There were only two goblins, so the fight went well from then on. As Haruhiro attempted to get himself behind his target goblin, he occasionally stole glances at Mary. We were wrong, he realized. That staff wasn¡¯t just for decoration, after all; she had learned the [SMASH] skill so she could use the weapon. And she might not have wanted to fight at the front, but when it came down to it, she protected Shihoru.

    On top of that, her eyes never left Mogzo until the goblin he fought was dead. When Mogzo took a head-butt from the goblin to the chin, in that moment, Mary¡¯s expression turned grave as she watched. Shortly afterwards, she shook her head ever so slightly. She had determined the injury light enough not to warrant healing immediately.

    Mary just ¡°stood around doing nothing¡±? She had ¡°no intention of doing her job¡±? No, they were wrong about that. From the back lines, Mary carefully observed the fight, and every time one of her teammates took a hit, she made a judgment call to heal or not. And she could fight with that staff when needed.

    When the fight was over, Shihoru went up to Mary and said, ¡°Thank you. For earlier.¡±

    Mary turned away. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Did she really have to reply like that? Haruhiro thought. If she just responded with a smile and the normal ¡®You¡¯re welcome¡¯, Haruhiro had a feeling that Mary would be well-liked, by girls and guys alike. It wasn¡¯t like it was that hard or anything. And it would ease things up for Mary too. Why did she go to such lengths to antagonize people?

    After they returned to Altana and sold their day¡¯s loot, Mary wordlessly began to take her leave. Haruhiro stopped her.

    ¡°Mary, hold on a second.¡±

    Mary, running a hand through her hair, turned around, clearly annoyed. ¡°What business do you have with me now?¡±

    The formality. That was why, every single time, it terrified Haruhiro to talk to her. Sometimes, for lack of a better reason, Haruhiro thought Mary had to like being hated. But she was their companion, wasn¡¯t she? Wasn¡¯t it better to be liked? If it were something he had the guts to point out to her, he would have.

    But there was no way he could say something like that. Not at the moment¡ªnot so soon after she joined their party. Considering that it was Mary, she would just leave. She would say, ¡®Enough¡¯s enough. Goodbye¡¯, and leave.

    ¡°It¡¯s not really business,¡± Haruhiro said, ¡°but do you want to eat dinner with us? Then go to Sherry¡¯s afterwards?¡±

    ¡°I respectfully decline.¡±

    ¡°Why so formal?¡±

    Mary¡¯s gaze dropped to the ground and her eyebrows narrowed a tiny bit. She seemed angry, but Haruhiro sensed a little embarrassment as well.

    ¡°No reason in particular,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Ah, I see. Sorry, weird question.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Mary¡¯s scowl faded, but she didn¡¯t look up. She shook her head and began to say, ¡°I will¡­¡±

    Haruhiro guessed that she meant to say ¡°I will see you tomorrow¡±. He never possibly expected to hear that from Mary, who usually left them without a word at the end of the day. In the end, though, she never finished her sentence.

    Leaving it at ¡°I will¡±, she turned her back to him and walked away briskly. There was something off with her stride; it was almost as if she were leaving in a panic.

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°Horrible girl. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Mogzo stroked a stubbly chin. His facial hair was quite dark. ¡°I get the feeling that there was something different about her today.¡±

    Yume nodded vigorously in agreement. ¡°Mary was different today. Yume got the feeling that she was an eensy bit adorable.¡±

    Ranta glanced sidelong at her. ¡°Quit using adorable for anything and everything. Your definition of adorable is so broad, I have no idea what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if Ranta doesn¡¯t get it-yan. Yume doesn¡¯t particularly care if Ranta understands anyway.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that an adorable thing to say?!¡±

    As they pacified Yume and Ranta, they searched the marketplace for Mogzo¡¯s helm. They found a variety of used metal ones on display in an armor shop and bought an inexpensive ¡°barbute¡±-type. Barbute helms were cheap because they were forged from a single sheet of metal, making the crafting process relatively simple.

    They were shaped sort of like the big toe on a person¡¯s foot, with a ¡°T¡± shaped opening for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Upon first glance, it looked like it would slide off pretty easily, but an inspection of the leather-padded inside told them otherwise.

    The helm fit Mogzo¡¯s big head perfectly, but it was scratched and dented so Ranta haggled tenaciously until he brought it from forty-two silvers down to eighteen. Haruhiro paid four silvers, Yume and Shihoru three each, and Mogzo the remaining eight.

    As they ate dinner at a food stall, Ranta puffed out his chest and pointed out, ¡°It¡¯s like I pretty much paid twenty-four silvers, so you guys should be thanking me!¡±

    Yume and Shihoru both narrowed their eyes at him and Haruhiro was slightly taken aback by the brag, but had to admit that it might be true. If Ranta hadn¡¯t been such a shameless barterer, they might not have been able to bring the price so far down. Twenty-four silvers was an exaggeration, but thanks to Ranta, they probably saved about ten silvers more than what one would expect.

    ¡°Thank you, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro said with an deliberately serious expression.

    Ranta¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise and he looked away towards the ground. ¡°¡­A¡ªAs long as you guys know it. My amazing abilities of¡­ of¡­ Price bartering? Price evaluation? Whatever. You guys constantly underestimate my abilities, so be more respectful next time, okay? Seriously. I¡¯m asking a favor here. Not that I really expect anything¡­¡±

    They had planned to search the shops for plate armor after dinner, but it was late by the time they finished eating so they went straight to Sherry¡¯s. Mary was nowhere to be seen, and Haruhiro wondered if she purposely avoided coming tonight because he had invited her earlier.

    ¡°Seriously, that girl is anything but adorable. Same goes for Yume,¡± Ranta said. It seemed that he was bitter about Mary not thanking him after he saved her in the last fight. ¡°She doesn¡¯t say hi, she doesn¡¯t say thank you, she doesn¡¯t say sorry. It¡¯s over for her. All she has is good looks and nothing but good looks. She¡¯s top-class hot. Not as hot as that elf in Souma¡¯s party though¡­¡±

    ¡°B¡ªbut¡­¡± Mogzo hadn¡¯t taken off his new helm yet. It seemed that he was really into it. It must be hard to drink with it on, though. ¡°Last time she healed me, she said sorry to me. Mary.¡±

    ¡°Quit lying, Mogzo,¡± Ranta replied. ¡°She ain¡¯t that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying. When I got wounded on the head that time, she touched the cut and said she was sorry if she was hurting me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, she did¡­¡± Haruhiro remembered now. He was out of earshot, but Mary definitely said something to Mogzo. ¡°So that time, that¡¯s what she was saying. She was apologizing¡­¡±

    ¡°She protected me during that last fight,¡± Shihoru nodded. ¡°She¡¯s not friendly, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s cold-hearted, or a bad person.¡±

    ¡°Mary¡¯s super adorable!¡± Yume declared.

    ¡°I made it a point to watch Mary today and¡ª¡± Haruhiro explained everything he noticed from that last fight to the others.

    In her own way, it seemed that Mary did her job thoroughly and completely. It was just that she never told anyone what she was thinking, and that she spoke so curtly. She had an attitude problem, and that was what invited misunderstanding.

    ¡°I think that if we made an effort to understand why she does things the way she does,¡± Haruhiro continued, ¡°we could definitely work with her. But the question is, is it enough to stop there?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so bad about it?¡± Ranta scoffed, and took a big swig of beer. ¡°As long as that bitch does her job, then what¡¯s the problem? And I¡¯m not convinced that she¡¯s even properly doing her job in the first place!¡±

    ¡°But you thinking that is the bigger problem,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°How does what I think matter to you? You guys just ignore my opinions anyway.¡±

    ¡°Quit whining.¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t whining, just telling it like it is. That bitch is an outsider, but I¡¯m no different.¡±

    Did Ranta really feel that way? Haruhiro had never noticed. It wasn¡¯t just Mary; Haruhiro never properly made an effort to understand Ranta either. Thinking about it now, Ranta was like a little kid. He wasn¡¯t okay with callous treatment; but in that case he should be more careful about what he said to others. Whatever treatment he got, he brought it upon himself.

    However, telling him to fix that was like telling him to fix his personality, which was easy to say but wasn¡¯t nearly as easily done. It wasn¡¯t like Ranta had no redeeming qualities with the way he was. He had his good points too.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro apologized. ¡°It¡¯s my bad. I¡¯ll be more careful from now on.¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! Y-You¡¯d better be, idiot!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to go that far.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with calling an idiot an idiot, eeeeediot!¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡± Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck.

    He didn¡¯t even feel like getting angry anymore. Ranta was a little kid. A bratty little kid, through and through. Rather than respond properly, better just to say whatever and leave it there. And Haruhiro recalled Manato doing exactly that.

    Haruhiro sighed and taking a look around the tavern, noticing someone wearing a surcoat with Orion¡¯s symbol. It was Shinohara. He was heading up the stairs to the second floor.

    ¡°Er, I¡¯m gonna go say hi to Shinohara.¡±

    ¡°Whaaaaat?!¡± Ranta protested. ¡°You¡¯re planning to join Orion all by yourself, aren¡¯t you?! I won¡¯t let you! I¡¯m going too!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on any such thing. But I guess if you want to come along¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too, then,¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°And Yume¡¯s going too!¡± Yume declared.

    ¡°Umm¡­ then, me three,¡± Shihoru said. ¡°Being left here all alone is¡­¡±

    A small part of Haruhiro wondered if it was really okay for everyone to come, but the five of them filed up the stairs to the second floor nonetheless. Shinohara noticed him coming before Haruhiro had a chance to say anything, and stood up from his seat.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while, Haruhiro. Are those your teammates?¡±

    Wow. They had only met once but Shinohara remembered him. Haruhiro was impressed. He also noticed that around them stood only Orion clan members. There must have been twenty, no, more than thirty present. There were more males, but around a third were female. Everyone wore white Orion cloaks.

    ¡°G-good evening,¡± Haruhiro stuttered. ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Come, come, over here,¡± Shinohara invited. ¡°Hayashi, could you grab some chairs for them?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± The one called Hayashi was a short-haired, narrow-slit eyed man and he brought a few chairs over from where he was sitting. ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Shinohara sat back down and invited Haruhiro and the others to take a seat as well. Haruhiro noticed the other Orion clan members were incredibly well-mannered. Rather than stare at the newcomers, the other Orion members quietly chattered and laughed amongst themselves, and even though Haurhiro and the others didn¡¯t order anything, drinks were set down before them.

    Mogzo, Yume, Shihoru, and even Ranta. Each was as silent as a mouse; everyone was awed by Orion.

    ¡°So, how are things going for you, Haruhiro?¡± Shinohara asked. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t bought your Crimson Moon contracts yet, but have you at least gotten used to life here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but how did you know I haven¡¯t bought my contract yet?¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s interested in how rookies are doing. You¡¯re working in Damroww¡¯s Old Town area, right? It seems that behind your back, there are some who mock your party as ¡®The Goblin Slayers¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, we really don¡¯t go after anything but goblins¡­¡±

    Shinohara was silent for a few moments then straightened in his seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your friend.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± Haruhiro¡¯s gaze dropped to the table and clasped his hands tightly together.

    So Shinohara even knew about that. But maybe it wasn¡¯t all that uncommon for word to spread quickly. In the beginning, Altana seemed to be a sprawling behemoth of a city, but in reality, it was a town with everything crammed into a very limited amount of available space. The small world of Crimson Moon was just a mere chip.

    It seemed to Haruhiro one should assume that, as long as information wasn¡¯t deliberately being hidden, it would spread in an instant.

    Haruhiro continued, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what else to say, except that I¡¯m sorry too. He was a good person.¡±

    ¡°I may sound ostentatious,¡± Shinohara said, ¡°but I know how it feels to lose friends. I¡¯ve lost companions before too.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ that so? I don¡¯t know what to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Never forget that feeling.¡± Shinohara spoke in a quiet tone, but in his eyes was a deep, deep sadness as he looked from Haruhiro to each of the others. ¡°Although you move on bearing the pain, carve it well into your hearts and hold dear the companions who are with you now. Hold dear the time you spend with them, because once it goes, you will never be able to get it back. There will always be regrets, but try your hardest not to be left with any..¡±

    Haruhiro and the other¡¯s hands automatically went to their chests as they listened to Shinohara¡¯s words. Hold dear the companions who are with you now¡­ If only they had treated Manato more dearly, if only they had appreciated him more while he was still alive. If only they tried to understand him¡­ but they couldn¡¯t do any of those things now.

    But because of that, they had to hold dear the time they had with each other now, in order not to be left with any regrets.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t know when he was going to die. It was the same with Mogzo, Ranta, Yume, and Shihoru. And Mary as well. If someone else were to die, Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to regret not having said this, done that, not anymore. He didn¡¯t want to any of the others to have any regrets, either.

    ¡°Shinohara, can I ask you something?¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Sure, if it¡¯s something I can help with.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about Mary. I saw you talking with her yesterday and I¡¯m sure you already know that she¡¯s in our party now.¡±

    ¡°Yes. What about her?¡±

    ¡°Can you please tell me what you know about her? I might be asking the wrong person, but even if tried to ask Mary herself, I doubt she¡¯d talk to me.¡±

    Shinohara tapped his finger on the table. ¡°I believe¡­ that¡¯s something Hayashi would be more suited to answering. They were in the same party once.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Haruhiro shifted his gaze to the table next to him, where Hayashi was taking a drink from his tankard.

    Their eyes met. Hayashi held Haruhiro¡¯s gaze and nodded.

 Volume 1 - CH 18

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 18: Her Reasons

    ¡°¡­Mary and I were friends in the same party when we were still Crimson Moon trainees. Me and Michiki were Warriors, Mutsumi was a Mage, Ogg was a Thief, and Mary our Priest. Things went relatively well for us at the start.

    Like you guys, we started by hunting goblins in Damroww¡¯s Old Town area. We saved up our money, and after ten days, bought our Crimson Moon contracts. We then upgraded our equipment, learned new skills, and started going after kobolds in the Siren Mines around five miles north of Altana. Even then, we had an easy time of it, never really having any trouble in fights. Back then, I never realized how unusual that was.

    Without a doubt, Mary was the one who brought stability to our fights. In one regard, she¡¯s still the same: a real beauty, but she never let it get to her head. And back then she was always smiling, cheerful. She laughed all the time. With her around, there was no time for the rest of us ever to be in bad moods.

    She didn¡¯t just memorize light magic spells. She learned self-defense skills, too, to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with me and Michiki. And of course she never neglected her duties as the party¡¯s healer; she would treat us immediately, even if it was nothing but a scratch. Fighting with me and Michiki at the front, healing us when we got hurt, backing up Mutsumi and Ogg when they looked like they were in trouble¡­ it was like she was three people in one.

    Our party was only five people, but it really felt more like seven. Fights were easy. Way too easy.

    We didn¡¯t really get much attention though. A lot of people arrived at the same time we did, and some other parties excelled way past us. But the more we fought, the more confident we got.

    At that time, we didn¡¯t know about fear. We had never encountered anything that¡¯d give us even a semblance of fear, so I guess that was to be expected. I know now though. But Mary¡­ surely, it was different for her, back then. She must have been afraid for us every time we were wounded, and that would be why she healed us right away.

    Maybe she was afraid of the one little tear that could unravel the entire tapestry, and so she prevented it any way she could. I think she knew it all along. She knew that in reality, we were winning our fights by only paper-thin margins. It was the rest of us that didn¡¯t realize it. We had become arrogant. Overconfident.

    Other parties were also operating in the Siren Mines, and we didn¡¯t want them to outstrip us. So, confident that we were better than them, deeper we went. Deeper, deeper into the mines. There, in the fifth stratum, is where it happened¡ªand it¡¯s something I¡¯ll never forget.

    You may already know, but kobolds are hairy humanoids, but with dog-looking heads. They¡¯re usually a little shorter than the average person, but in the lower depths of the Siren Mines, kobolds larger than 5¡¯6¡å are very common, and they¡¯re incredibly strong. Although they¡¯re not as smart as humans in general, their society is highly hierarchical and they have the technology to work metal. They¡¯re advancing in magic, as well.

    Kobolds specialize in moving as many-person units, and at least a portion of their society consists of audacious fighters, afraid of nothing. We had gotten used to mowing down those kinds of kobolds on our way down to the fifth stratum and honestly, we believed that we were stronger, superior to them. But it wasn¡¯t like we were careless. As long as we didn¡¯t let ourselves get caught off guard, then certainly, we were way more capable than any usual kobold.

    He¡¯s called Deathpatch for his black and white patches of hair and for how he¡¯s killed numerous Crimson Moon warriors. We heard that he and a few of his underlings are always prowling the mines, and if we were to encounter them, we should run without hesitation. He¡¯s been spotted as far up as the mine entrance, so there was need for caution even in the upper strata.

    We knew of Deathpatch, but until then, we never saw so much as a sliver of his shadow, no silhouettes of his form. We didn¡¯t really see any need to be careful.

    When we saw Deathpatch¡¯s humongous figure coming at us, we weren¡¯t so impudent to think that we could engage him and win. But we were on the fifth stratum. The exit was levels and levels far above us, and there was no way we could easily escape. We thought we didn¡¯t have a choice but to fight.

    We decided on a battle plan where Michiki and I took turns keeping Deathpatch occupied while Mary, Ogg, and Mutsumi took care of his underlings. At first it went smoothly. Deathpatch was as strong and tough as the rumors said, but between me and Michiki, we were able to take him on. Mary and the others steadily whittled away at the others. And whenever one of us got hurt, Mary would heal us right away.

    Then came the time that all the underlings were dead. We thought we could do it. We could defeat Deathpatch. He was sporting a number of wounds and we were completely fine. To be more precise, we had been wounded, but we were healed to perfect shape.

    It was our immaturity and foolishness that led us to misjudge the situation. If we had taken the opportunity to run away at that moment, left Deathpatch behind without a second glance, we might have been able to conceal ourselves and get away.

    But we didn¡¯t. We pressed the attack on Deathpatch, reddening his black and white hair with blood. However, no matter how much me, Michiki, and Ogg cut into him, no matter how many times Mary bludgeoned him, no matter how much magic Mutsumi threw at him, he wouldn¡¯t go down. His movements became sluggish, sure, but his endurance was limitless. Rather than weaken him, the pain from his wounds only enraged him further and further.

    Deathpatch was an all out aberration, and we were only average. Ogg was first. He took a swipe from Deathpatch¡¯s claws that ripped his face open. While Mary healed him, Michiki¡¯s left arm was cut deeply. And while Mary was treating Michiki, I got hit so hard it knocked me out cold.

    I don¡¯t think I was out for any more than thirty seconds, but during that time, Ogg had been killed and Mutsumi was critically injured, with Mary trying desperately to save her life. Michiki was wounded all over trying to hold off Deathpatch by himself. When I came to, I frantically engaged Deathpatch, letting Michiki fall back.

    With her last breath, Mutsumi cast a spell that seemed to make Deathpatch falter. That¡¯s what I saw, since that¡¯s what I wanted to believe, but he overwhelmed me soon enough.

    ¡°Mary, Michiki, hurry!¡± I yelled, over and over, not realizing the problem until Mary shouted back, ¡°Hayashi, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! My magic, it¡¯s¡­¡±

    You see, magic isn¡¯t something that you can use as much as you like. Mages and Priests expend spirit power in order to call on the gods and elementals from which magical energy originates. That much I thought I understood, but it turns out that I didn¡¯t really understand at all. Even if I did occasionally glimpse Mary or Mutsumi mediating to restore their spirit power, I never knew how much they had left¡ªwhether their store was more than ample, or just barely enough, at any given time.

    Mutsumi and Mary never really gave us cause be concerned about things like that. I all knew was that Mutsumi would cast spells when we needed it and Mary would heal us when we needed it. I had no idea how hard it was on them. But I think that Mary had already used up much of her energy after the underlings had been taken care of. It was a long fight, and she had reached her limit.

    Michiki saved Mary and me. Michiki told us to run, and then, mustering the last of his strength, turned to Deathpatch and starting throwing skill after skill at the kobold. Mary, she refused to leave and rushed at Deathpatch, but I stopped her and dragged her away.

    I won¡¯t make any excuses. I left Michiki behind to die. He was already mortally wounded and wanted to use his life to give us a chance to get away. As his friend, I wanted to grant him his final wish.

    I don¡¯t know how we managed to make it to the surface from the fifth stratum. It took us half a day, and there were times when we thought we were done for. We made it back, but we had lost ourselves.

    Three of our friends, our precious companions, were gone forever in only moments. Mary especially was a mess afterwards. She was the Priest, the healer who was supposed to save lives, but she had let three people die and had her own skin saved instead. From that day on, I¡¯ve never seen her smile again. Sometimes I don¡¯t even think I have the right to smile either.

    After that, Shinohara found us and we joined Orion, but Mary left the clan before long. I think the companionship that Orion offered only came to cause her more pain. Mary ended up hopping from party to party, never staying in one for long; her reputation spread, but it didn¡¯t sound like the person I knew. I got worried and tried to talk to her but all she would say was that she was fine, fine, just fine.

    It was like talking to a wall. I think that it must have broken her heart every time she saw me. To her, I was like proof, a symbol of a past that had been lost. But she needs a future, and it¡¯s not with me. To her, I¡¯m as much of a ghost as Michiki, Mutsumi, and Ogg. There¡¯s no future for her in me.

    She needs to find herself again. If she doesn¡¯t, she¡¯ll only sink deeper and deeper into the abyss and when she¡¯s so far down, so far down she can¡¯t move anymore, it will claim her.¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 19

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 19: Ad Interim, Tomorrow

    Before they met up with Mary at eight that morning¡ªthat is, before falling asleep the previous night¡ªHaruhiro and the others racked their brains over what they would do, what they would say to her. But no one could think of anything. Then, when they reached Damroww¡¯s Old Town, they had to focus on work, and they didn¡¯t have the luxury to worry about anything else.

    This crucial time for all of them seemed to fly by, and it wasn¡¯t until they returned to Altana in the evening that Haruhiro finally mustered up the resolve to approach Mary.

    ¡°Mary, there¡¯s something I want to talk to you about,¡± Haruhiro said frankly, as they exited the store where they sold their day¡¯s loot.

    ¡°I see,¡± Mary replied, bringing her arms around herself defensively. ¡°Get on with it then.¡±

    Because everyone had been preoccupied last night with what turns their relationship with Mary might take, none of them could act like their normal selves around her today. They had heard Mary¡¯s story from Hayashi, and Mary couldn¡¯t have known that; but she couldn¡¯t have missed the change in everyone¡¯s behavior either, and she must have guessed something was up.

    She probably thought that they were preparing to kick her out of the party. She was probably playing out the scenario in her mind now, Haruhiro saying, ¡°Sorry Mary, but can I ask you to leave our party?¡±

    And not wanting to make a fuss, she would immediately reply, ¡°Fine¡±, and take her leave of them.

    She was steeling herself for the announcement, or so it seemed to Haruhiro. It had probably happened like that numerous times before, with many other parties. It was just too depressing, the way it always ended like that for her.

    ¡°Mary¡­¡± Haruhiro said, saying her name as a friend¡¯s, as one of them.

    He met her eyes and held them, as if to say, It¡¯s not what you think. Mary¡¯s eyebrows narrowed slightly. Haruhiro wasn¡¯t alone in this intent gaze; Mogzo, Yume, Shihoru, and Ranta had their eyes locked on her too. She noticed their stares and stiffened, uneasy.No, it¡¯s not what you think¡­ Haruhiro repeated inwardly again.

    ¡°Mary,¡± Haruhiro said, out loud this time. ¡°We had a Priest in our party before. His name was Manato, and he died¡­ or maybe a better way to put it is, we got him killed. You could say that he was almost a perfectionist, and we depended on him way too much. When we got hurt during fights, he would heal us even if it was just a scratch.

    ¡°Manato was our leader,¡± said Haruhiro, ¡°a healer we trusted, and he and Mogzo would always fight in the front, so he was a tank too. It was like he was three people in one. He was really an amazing person, but at the time, we didn¡¯t realize it. He was just an ordinary guy to us. I don¡¯t think any of it was easy on Manato, but he never showed it, and none of us ever tried to imagine how hard it really was for him. Even now, I don¡¯t think I can imagine¡­ but he¡¯s dead. He¡¯s not here anymore.¡±

    Mary surely must have seen the similarities between herself and Manato. She might have even figured out that Haruhiro was telling her all this because they knew the story of her past.

    Haruhiro had been debating it for some time. Having heard Hayashi¡¯s story, he had a pretty good idea of what happened to Mary, and he could kind of understand why she was the way she was. But should he tell Mary that he knew?

    Something told him it wasn¡¯t as clear-cut as that, though.

    ¡°A¡± happened, therefore ¡°B¡±. Haruhiro knew that human beings were neither simple nor straightforward creatures, and he didn¡¯t pretend to be able to see into Mary¡¯s heart. No one was going to be so flippant as to claim they knew everything there was to know about her. So, the only thing he could tell her about was himself.

    ¡°To be honest, with Manato gone, I thought that it was over,¡± began Haruhiro. ¡°I thought that it was impossible to keep doing this without him. But even if he was dead, we were still alive. We had to live on, and we couldn¡¯t live on by sitting around. We stayed on as Crimson Moon trainees, if only to feed ourselves.

    ¡°Then we invited you the join the party. A party has to have a Priest, that was why. No other reason. Now, me, Ranta, Yume, and Shihoru, we were the good-for-nothing dregs from the start. Mogzo was different. He was recruited by Raghill, but got thrown out after they took all his money. Manato¡¯s the one who brought us together, as ragtag as we might¡¯ve been, and we became teammates, and friends too.

    ¡°That was all there was to it in the beginning. But since then, we¡¯ve become a team for real. Sometimes things don¡¯t go so great, sometimes we get angry, sometimes we fight, but in the end, we still consider each other friends. The circumstances that brought us together don¡¯t matter. What matters is that here and now, everyone is my precious friend and companion. That includes you, Mary.¡±

    Mary didn¡¯t say a word. She stared long and hard at Haruhiro, motionless, except to blink now and then.

    ¡°Me too.¡± Shihoru quietly raised her hand. ¡°I consider you a friend, too.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Yume smiled broadly. ¡°Mary¡¯s super adorable!¡±

    ¡°O-of course I agree.¡± Mogzo still had his barbute helm on. ¡°Of course I consider you a friend. It¡¯s reassuring for me to have you with us.¡±

    Ranta harrumphed. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ you know. I make a big fuss when I¡¯m hurt. It¡¯s something I need to work on¡­ maybe. But, uhhh¡­ yeah, I guess. Aren¡¯t we friends?¡±

    ¡°Hell is gonna freeze over tomorrow,¡± Haruhiro said, looking up at the cloudless sky. ¡°Ranta, admitting he¡¯s not perfect. Hell, heaven, and earth are all gonna freeze over.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I admit all the time that I¡¯ve got things I can improve on! My self-improvement talents are off the charts! You¡¯ve known mehow long and you still don¡¯t know that?!¡±

    ¡°If you say so, then, sure.¡±

    ¡°Oy! Haruhiro! Don¡¯t just leave it at that! You make me sad!¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to set a goal for ourselves sooner rather than later,¡± Haruhiro continued. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a temporary goal¡­¡±

    He stole a glance at Mary. She looked unaffected so far, still staring intently at him. He hoped that she wasn¡¯t intending to rebuff them and their offers of friendship. It would be a good enough start for her not to.

    ¡°¡­Everything¡¯s become muddled recently,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°I don¡¯t even think we¡¯re working like crazy to save up enough to buy our Crimson Moon contracts anymore. We¡¯re just going from day to day with no real purpose. Let¡¯s stop that and at least figure out the direction we want to go next.¡±

    ¡°Our goal¡¯s to become BILLIONAIRES! Then WORLD DOMINATION!!!¡±

    Haruhiro thoroughly ignored Ranta and proposed his thoughts to everyone. Everyone except the irritatingly loud Ranta and the deathly silent Mary agreed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about anything other than money and power,¡± Ranta declared. ¡°And being popular with girls too, I guess. But girls come with money and power so¡­¡± He paused. ¡°I guess your idea for a goal is okay for something to do before the start of the beginning of the first step towards world domination¡­ I guess¡­¡± he said grudgingly.

    Yume heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°Ranta¡¯s talk is longer than long-winded and more monotonous than a monologue.¡±

    There they go again, Haruhiro thought, and turned to Mary. ¡°Mary, what do you think?¡±

    Mary, avoiding his gaze, seemed to give the slightest of small nods. He took it as a sign of her agreement.

    ¡°Would you like to eat dinner with us tonight?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Then she added, in the quietest of voices, ¡°¡­not yet, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    What did you expect? Haruhiro told himself. It¡¯s not like everything will magically fix themselves instantly, just with that. But of course he was impatient. No one knew when their time together would come to an end. They had burned up some of that precious time already, just to take this first step forward. And who knew if their end was already near, having pursued them all this while?

    But one step was still a step. For Haruhiro and the others, incompetents beyond incompetent, one small step at a time was their only way forward.

    And if his ears hadn¡¯t deceived him, just before Mary turned away to leave, she had whispered, ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±

    Indeed. Ad interim, tomorrow comes.

 Volume 1 - CH 20

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 20: Not-Quite-Glories of the Goblin Slayers

    They got up with the six o¡¯clock morning bell and ate breakfast on the go, getting ready for the day. At eight o¡¯clock, it was to Altana¡¯s northern gate to meet with Mary, and then off towards Damroww¡¯s Old Town. The map they were making of the area was still incomplete, so they worked it as they searched for goblins.

    At their level now, they could take on groups of up to three¡ªnot without difficulty, but at least without it being overly risky. The exception was when this included a light and agile ¡°evader¡± goblin. With those they had to be extra cautious. Also, from time to time they would encounter goblins wielding ranged weapons; usually crude short bows. But arrows shot from those had neither speed nor much piercing power, and so weren¡¯t anything to be overly worried about.

    Crossbows were what they had to be wary of. A well-placed shot from a crossbow meant instant death. Heavily armored goblins were also sometimes a problem, as some of them were very strong, making it a huge mistake to underestimate them.

    The upper limit for their party was four goblins. Even so, they chose to pass up groups of four unless the fighting conditions were exceedingly favorable. Groups of five they pretended to not have even seen, and when goblins assembled in groups of six or more, the whole place was best considered goblin family territory¡ªor clan territory, or whatever. These areas would be full of large groups and trying to take on one group was like walking into a den of not one pride of sleeping lions, but several.

    Goblins that wandered around alone were usually poorly equipped and poorly armed, but sometimes they kept highly valuable items hidden in their pouches. No one would think to steal from the poor, so it was protecting their valuables by appearing to be poor, perhaps.

    And once a day, every day, they went there.

    Goblins could be categorized into two major types: the ones who stayed put, and the ones who roamed. They were the latter type.They could be found there only every so often. When Haruhiro and the others watched them from a distance, the urge to take action would be almost overwhelming. But they couldn¡¯t. Now wasn¡¯t the time. They had to be patient.

    It¡¯s not as if there was anything stopping them. At the moment, Haruhiro¡¯s party was the only one operating in the Damroww Old Town area. With no other groups to take them out, they could take time building up their strength before they took on the offensive.

    Lastly, though it wasn¡¯t every day¡ªwhen they returned to Altana, the team would head to Sherry¡¯s Tavern. They didn¡¯t really go for any specific purpose, but just to drink and talk. Mary never really said much, but she was a thousand times better than the overly boisterous, highly annoying Ranta.

    Every time they were at Sherry¡¯s, at least one or two other Crimson Moon members would approach to ridicule them with ¡°Hey, Goblin Slayers,¡± or ¡°How¡¯s it going, Goblin Slayers,¡± or ¡°Having fun in Damroww, Goblin Slayers?¡±

    Ranta would always shoot back with a shut up! but Haruhiro knew if he got upset every time, the teasing would never end. And really, the nickname didn¡¯t even bother Haruhiro that much; it wasn¡¯t fancy and had a nice sort of ring to it.

    The Goblin Slayers. Not bad. Not bad at all. They would become the best goblin slayers in all of Crimson Moon.

    It was goblins the day after that, and goblins the day after that one too. Goblins, goblins, goblins, goblinsgoblinsgoblins. In the beginning, all the goblins looked the same, but after a while Haruhiro could start to tell individuals apart from each other. He noticed that the vast majority of those they encountered were male, with females hardly anywhere to be found.

    According to Mary, the majority of the females were taken by high-ranking goblins as wives, dwelling in the newer parts of Damroww.

    ¡°Man, I want a harem like that for myself too¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d feel bad for female goblins if they were in your harem, Ranta,¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°Stupid Haruhiro!¡± Ranta barked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? Even goblins find me irresistible beyond irresistible beyond irresistible! Don¡¯t insult Ranta, the Wandering Irresistible King!¡±

    ¡°Weird¡­ for an Irresistible King, all the serving girls at the tavern sure have a way of thoroughly ignoring you when you flirt with them-yan,¡± Yume remarked.

    ¡°Er¡­ Um¡­ Well, even undefeatable generals can lose a battle once in a while¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see that even the Irresistible King can be resisted-yan¡­ even though Ranta¡¯s the irresistible beyond irresistible beyond irresistible of Irresistible Kings,¡± Yume mused.

    ¡°Quit it with the ¡®irresistible beyond irresistible¡¯! You¡¯re saying that ¡®cause you just don¡¯t get how irresistible I am ¡®cause you¡¯re a stupid booger! People who get it, get it!¡± Ranta turned to Mary angrily. ¡°Mary! If you had no choice but to choose one of the three of us guys here, who would you pick? OF COURSE IT WOULD BE ME!¡±

    ¡°I would choose Mogzo,¡± came Mary¡¯s smooth reply.

    ¡°What¡ª!¡± Ranta squeaked.

    ¡°M-me?¡± Mogzo stared in wide-eyed disbelief, more astonished than embarrassed.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Haruhiro looked blankly from Mogzo to Mary several times.

    Yume¡¯s expression seemed to indicate that she was deep in thought while Shihoru blinked repeatedly, her eyes never leaving Mary.

    ¡°Oy! Oy-oy-oy-oy-oy-oy-oy!¡± Ranta would have bitten his own tongue off if he¡¯d oy-ed any faster. ¡°What?! Why?! Mogzo over me? No way! Not possible!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s big and charming,¡± Mary said, calm and collected as ever.

    ¡°Size?! Size doesn¡¯t matter! No way it can possibly matter¡­ fuuuuuck¡­ I just lost to goddamn Mogzo! What the fuck!¡±

    ¡°Too bad for you, Irresistible King,¡± Yume said.

    ¡°Quit rubbing it in and calling me Irresistible King, Bitsy Boobs!¡±

    Haruhiro was shocked that he too had lost to Mogzo. So Mary wasn¡¯t the type who cared about appearance alone. Maybe it was because she looked at her own gorgeously featured face in the mirror every day, so she didn¡¯t seek the same level of beauty in others. But it wasn¡¯t like either Ranta or Haruhiro were good-looking either, so looks probably didn¡¯t factor in this particular case anyway.

    Haruhiro¡¯s looks and intellect were about as mediocre as mediocre could be, but he didn¡¯t lack self-confidence when it came to fighting goblins. He fought them day after day after every single day. Careful not to get cocky, he told himself. He wasn¡¯t like Renji or Manato, or even Mary, who all possessed¡­ things he didn¡¯t.

    Before, when Manato was still alive, he had let Haruhiro play piggyback and get carried along. Now though, it was like Haruhiro was a wobbly legged toddler cum Goblin Slayer trying to walk on his own. For a nothing-more-than-mediocre guy like Haruhiro, overconfidence meant failure. Hell, he could fail even if he wasn¡¯t overconfident. At the very least, he needed to be on his toes at all times.

    As for money, on a good day they would earn about ten silvers overall, which meant he pocketed two. It seemed that Mary had permanent housing somewhere but Haruhiro and the others were still living in that cheap inn for Crimson Moon members. He kept the money he spent on food under twenty capas a day, and whatever remained, he used for himself or for the party.

    There were two other things that necessitated a monetary investment, and those were equipment and skills. Haruhiro had purchased for himself a secondhand vest, protective waistband, and forearm and shin guards. All were crafted from hardened leather, light and flexible so as to not impede movement. The higher protection potential the leather gear gave was more a psychological boon than real physical protection, but a little more peace of mind during fights was important too.

    As for his dagger, he had no intention of getting a new one yet. He had gotten used to the feel of his old one, and if he took it to a smithy, a knife sharpener would be able to put a new edge on it. Any extra money he had was better spent on helping Mogzo get his equipment.

    Mogzo was attempting to piece together the thing he had wanted most: plate armor. In reality, proper plate armor was supposed to be custom forged for its wearer, but asking an armorer to make a set for him would cost more than ten golds at the very least. Of course that was an impossible sum, so Mogzo bought everything used and took them to a blacksmith to get the size adjusted. And even this cost several tens of silvers per piece.

    So far, he had a breastplate and backplate, shoulder pauldrons, vambraces, and half-greaves that covered his shins to the top of his foot. All of those he wore over his chainmail. As for a helmet, he was still using the barbute from before. His blade, still the same bastard sword that his guild gave him, was getting quite worn down; it would have to be replaced soon.

    Ranta had bought himself chainmail and, for some reason, wore his leather armor over it. Perhaps Ranta thought it was cool because it had Skulheill¡¯s emblem on it. He had also gotten himself a helm shaped like an upside-down bucket, which apparently he liked, but was just plain weird to everyone else¡ªthis he wore to fights. He had also stumbled upon a sort of nice-looking longsword at the marketplace and bought it on impulse, which left him with utterly zero funds.

    Stupid. Incredibly stupid thing to do, Haruhiro had thought.

    Yume had gotten hardened leather armor for her upper and lower body, and Haruhiro had to admit, she wore it very well. She had also gotten herself a hooded cloak, which made her overall appearance very Hunter-like indeed.

    The mage¡¯s robes and hat Shihoru had received from her guild were so worn, tears were opening up all over the place, so she got herself a new set. Her staff remained without replacement, as shadow magic, unlike the other schools of magic, was not affected by the quality of the staff. In fact, shadow magic didn¡¯t require a staff at all. Shihoru had also learned a new spell, [PHANTOM SLEEP].

    Haruhiro had asked Master Barbara teach him [STEALTH WALK] and [SWAT], Mogzo had learned [WAR CRY], and Ranta had picked up [JUKE STAB] and [PROPEL LEAP]. Yume learned [SHARP SIGHT] which improved her accuracy with the bow and also let her avoid incoming attacks with a swiftness akin to pit rats. Mary was already heads and shoulders above everything else in terms of both ability and experience.

    There was no doubt that their fighting potential as a party had gone up, but by how much?

    They had found a band of five goblins in what was once a smithy on the west side of Damroww¡¯s Old Town. The building was half crumbled and the roof was completely gone, but remains of the furnace, anvil, and other tools still remained. Haruhiro and the others had come to this place many times before; sometimes for a work break, other times to stop for lunch. Until now, they had never seen any goblins there.

    It seemed that there was a large social gap between the goblins who lived in the new part of Damroww and those who loitered around Old Town. In the fights for supremacy that occurred between the upper class goblins, those who lost were no longer considered part of the group, and were banished. In other words, Old Town was where the exile goblins lurked.

    Those five goblins occupying the abandoned smithy now must have been newcomers, freshly exiled. The first thing newcomers did was to find a place to live and, if the group was big enough, stake a territorial claim on the surrounding area. Haruhiro guessed that they might be intending to use what remained of the building as a base.

    Haruhiro finished scouting the area and returned to where the others were waiting, a little ways away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try it,¡± Haruhiro proposed. ¡°There¡¯s five of them. One¡¯s wearing chainmail and is armed with a crossbow. The others are equipped with leather armor. One has a spear, one¡¯s got a short sword with a buckler, the other two have a hatchet and a sword. I think the crossbow goblin¡¯s probably the leader. It¡¯ll be a tough fight, but it might be a good chance to test ourselves¡­¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Ranta licked his lips and rested a hand on the great helm lying next to him. ¡°We should go for it. A few more and I¡¯ll have over forty-one Vices. When I do, I can summon Zodiac in the afternoons too¡­¡± he said, chuckling softly.

    Yume glared coldly at him. ¡°Is Zodiac going to actually do anything for us then? Right now, he just super occasionally whispers stuff to our opponents to distract them, but that¡¯s it. Super occasionally.¡±

    ¡°It surprises them, doesn¡¯t it?! When he levels up, he¡¯ll sorta yank on an opponent¡¯s arm or leg too, now and then! He¡¯ll hinder their movements¡­ when he feels like it!¡±

    Shihoru smiled wearily, as if tired of hearing the same thing over and over. ¡°¡­Capricious as ever.¡±

    ¡°And uhh¡­ one more thing. Yeah. He¡¯ll only do it in the evenings. Before evening it¡¯s, erm¡­ what we were saying earlier. Whisper attacks and he¡¯ll warn us if enemies are near and umm¡­ Demon jokes. When he feels like it.¡±

    Mary sneered. ¡°Capricious is right.¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Ranta put on his helm, switching on bucket mode. ¡°You guys don¡¯t know anything about Zodiac! And it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t because I¡¯m the only one who truly understands him! Heh. The lonely life of a Dread Knight. Or is it lonesome life¡­¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll take as many of them at once as I can,¡± Mogzo said, nodding vigorously. ¡°Two for sure. And if I have to, I¡¯ll use [WARCRY] to intimidate them.¡±

    Shihoru renewed her grip on her staff and gave a short nod. ¡°I¡¯ll use my magic and put one to sleep right at the start.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Haruhiro, nodding. ¡°Sleep the crossbow-goblin then, Shihoru. Taking that one down in one shot, or failing to, makes a huge difference.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Shihoru replied. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Yume spoke up. ¡°Yume will attack with bow and arrow first, then close in and take on one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep on trying to get in position behind the goblins and kill any if I have the chance,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°And Mary¡­¡±

    When Haruhiro met her gaze, Mary nodded to him. He noticed that she was quieter than before, but she also responded with a real answer whenever she was asked something, and she did her job properly.

    She didn¡¯t participate in fights in the way that Hayashi had described, but the shift in style was probably due to the massively disastrous ending of her time with her old party. Her attitude towards Haruhiro and the others was still lukewarm at best, but he believed now that they could trust her to do her job as a Priest. If she would only smile for them, maybe once every couple of days, he could ask for no more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Haruhiro looked at each of his companions in turn and put his right hand out for their prefight ritual.

    Ranta, Mogzo, Yume, and Shihoru did the same, stacking their hands on top of Haruhiro¡¯s. Finally, Mary added her hand over theirs as well.

    They weren¡¯t that far from the abandoned smithy, so Haruhiro kept his voice low and whispered, ¡°Fight!¡± To which everyone else responded equally softly, ¡°All or nothing!¡±

    Haruhiro led the way with Yume and Shihoru, while Ranta, Mary, and Mogzo followed. Haruhiro crouched low and kept his knees limber, making no sound as he moved using [STEALTH WALK]. Yume and Shihoru were not Thieves, so they couldn¡¯t imitate the technique even if they tried, but they placed their feet where Haruhiro had as they followed. The reduction in noise was still significant.

    They moved from the shadows of the ruined building to directly under its cover, sliding along a crumbling fence and concealing themselves behind a large pile of rubble. They were within [PHANTOM SLEEP]¡¯s casting range, about sixty-five feet away.

    Only two of the walls on the smithy¡¯s actual building still stood, and even those were full of holes. The remainder of the building had been reduced to nothing but rubble, so from their vantage point, they they could see four goblins, and thus four potential targets.

    Haruhiro hand signaled Yume and Shihoru, who then poked their heads out of cover. Yume readied her bow and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath. When her eyelids fluttered open, [SHARP SIGHT] had been activated. From what Haruhiro understood, [SHARP SIGHT] was a skill that increased visual acuity using specialized eye movement and specialized perception.

    In the meantime, Shihoru was already drawing an elemental glyph with her staff, chanting quietly, ¡°Oom rel eckt krom dash.¡±

    The shadow elemental, a black hazy ball, burst from the tip of the staff. This spell didn¡¯t fire nearly as fast as [SHADOW ECHO], so it was easily dodged by enemies that saw it coming. It¡¯ll be fine, Haruhiro told himself. It¡¯ll hit.

    And it did. The shadow elemental hit the crossbow-goblin directly in the face and seeped into its body through its ears, nose, and mouth. The goblin immediately began to sway unsteadily. The spear-goblin sitting against the wall noticed, and it jumped to its feet just as Yume made her shot.

    The arrow buried itself in the goblin¡¯s shoulder, sending it staggering back down.

    ¡°Mogzo, Ranta!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    Mogzo and Ranta rushed into the smithy ruins, yelling spirited battle cries at the top of their lungs. The crossbow-goblin was now prone on the ground, fast asleep. It was a much deeper sleep than the normal kind, but it would awaken if, say, given a hard kick. They had to finish the fight before its lackeys managed to rouse it.

    Haruhiro and Yume followed behind Mogzo and Ranta. Mogzo, shouting ¡°THANK YOU¡±, used [RAGE CLEAVE] on the hatchet-goblin, stunning it and making it stumble. Ranta attacked the sword-goblin with [ANGER THRUST], but missed.

    Mogzo then rushed past the hatchet-goblin, who had not yet managed to recover, to attack the buckler-goblin. The buckler-goblin brought its shield up to block Mogzo¡¯s attack as it retreated. Without a moment¡¯s delay, Mogzo then turned back to the hatchet-goblin, slashing with his sword. Good to his word, he was taking on two goblins at the same time.

    Ranta was fighting the sword-goblin, and Yume was rushing towards the spear-goblin that she had shot earlier. Haruhiro took a brief glance at Shihoru and Mary. Mary held her staff at the ready, watching the fight with such a deadly serious expression that it was scary. If any of the goblins attempted to get close to Shihoru, Haruhiro knew that Mary would protect her.

    As a Mage, Shihoru had almost no armor, but if she knew that Mary would protect her in a pinch, she could fight confidently. But Haruhiro didn¡¯t intend to let it come to the point where Mary was forced to intervene.

    ¡°Take them down!¡± Haruhiro confirmed the positions of both his companions and the enemy goblins once more, trying to determine which goblin he should focus on¡­

    Him. The hatchet goblin. Neither walking nor running, Haruhiro crouched low and moved as if sliding along the ground. He wasn¡¯t quite using the [STEALTH WALK] technique, but something close to it. Soon, he was in position directly at the hatchet goblin¡¯s back.

    It was in that moment.

    Haruhiro saw a line of light and it was as if the goblin¡¯s boney back was a zoomed-in photograph. It wasn¡¯t really light, however, just something only describable as light; it was a colorless line that streaked to a single point at the hatchet-goblin¡¯s back.

    He had no idea what this line of light was. It didn¡¯t appear every time, or even frequently for that matter, but recently, he had been seeing one every now and then. It disappeared just as fast as it came, but when it did appear, he knew. Without knowing why, without understanding how, he knew what do to. If he drove his dagger along the line of light to where it ended, his blade would slide into the flesh of his target like a hot knife through butter.

    He knew the exact spot to stab, but before his brain could process that information and tell his body to move, his blade had already pierced the hatchet goblin, as if something had been guiding its tip. The hatchet-goblin let out a short groan and was dead before it even hit the ground.

    The buckler-goblin backed up, perhaps unnerved after seeing its partner instantly killed. It had taken less than half a step back, but of course Mogzo took advantage of the opening. He brought his blade down on the buckler-goblin¡¯s buckler with all his strength, stripping it off its arm; then he charged the now bucklerless buckler-goblin.

    The bucklerless-goblin attacked with its sword immediately, but Mogzo didn¡¯t even try to avoid it. He simply let his plate armor deflect the incoming blow, then returned the blow with one that knocked the bucklerless-goblin off its feet. He brought his sword up high and swung it down on the bucklerless-goblin¡¯s head so hard that he cracked its skull wide open.

    Three more to go.

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]!¡± Ranta stuck his tongue out and leaped backwards with a tremendous amount of force.

    [PROPEL LEAP] was a specialized movement skill that allowed him to instantaneously put distance between himself and his opponent. The goblin chased after Ranta, as if sucked in by a vacuum, which was exactly what Ranta wanted. He grinned broadly and backed up a little more, then suddenly thrust his longsword forward, yelling ¡°[JUKE STAB]!¡±

    All of the goblin¡¯s momentum was directed completely forward, making it impossible to dodge Ranta¡¯s attack. Ranta¡¯s longsword went straight into its throat and out the back of its neck. Laughing, he kicked the goblin off his blade, giving the sword a twist as he pulled it out.

    The sound of Ranta¡¯s wild laughter however, was half-drowned out by Shihoru¡¯s incantation. ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡±

    [SHADOW ECHO]. A shadow elemental shot out from the tip of her staff and hit the spear-goblin square in the chest. Yume closed in on the spear-goblin, whose entire body was now quivering uncontrollably due to [SHADOW ECHO]¡¯s ultrasonic sound waves.

    Yume slapped away its spear with her kukri then followed up immediately with a vicious slash to the base of its neck. Her blade sank deep into it and it was unable to attack back, only shriek in rage. By the time its voice had fallen silent, its end already awaited, in the form of Mogzo.

    Mogzo stepped in firmly, bringing his sword down on the spear goblin. ¡°THANK YOU!¡±¡ªand finished it in a single stroke.

    ¡°We can do this,¡± Haruhiro breathed, nodding. ¡°We can definitely do this.¡±

    ¡°About time,¡± Ranta replied, making his way to the still sleeping crossbow-goblin. He raised his sword, grinning.

    Haruhiro thought that perhaps one day, that smile would come to resemble the ones put on by cruel, cold-hearted villains, just like Ranta wanted; but it wasn¡¯t today.

    ¡°But whatever,¡± Ranta continued. ¡°This is The End. Not just for this goblin, but for them too.¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 21

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 21: The Fine Line Between Innocence

    Things were always easier said than done, though.

    Haruhiro gulped reflexively. He had worked up the resolve and set off to scout that place, only to find himself in for a surprise.

    ¡°No way¡­¡± he whispered to himself. He had never even imagined the possibility of something like this happening. ¡°There¡¯s more of them¡­¡±

    On the balconied second story of the two-storied stone building, the plate-armored goblin lounged, looking self-important. On the ground floor was the large hobgoblin, still outfitted with full chainmail and helm. Haruhiro had expected those two to be there, but loitering around the outskirts of the building were two more. They both wore helms and chainmail as well, with shields in one hand, spears in the other, and even short swords at their waists.

    They were sentries, for sure.

    The armored goblin on the second floor wasn¡¯t just sitting on the ground, either. He was in a proper chair, one leg bent and the other stretched out in front of him. Where had he gotten that chair? It sure wasn¡¯t there before.

    Could the armored goblin possibly be planning to gather underlings and expand its power? There was no way to know without actually asking the goblin himself, not that communicating with it was even possible, but either way, this was not a good sign.

    Haruhiro returned to his companions and reported his findings.

    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s not two like we thought, it¡¯s four. And it¡¯s just a guess, but I think their numbers will keep increasing.¡±

    ¡°Four goblins.¡± Mary closed her eyes, eyebrows knit tightly in thought.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yume puffed her cheeks out round, while Shihoru dropped her gaze with a sigh.

    Mogzo tapped his barbute helm.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you guys?¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be frickin¡¯ scared. There¡¯s nothing we can do about their numbers. Quit acting so pathetic, retainers of Lord Ranta!¡±

    ¡°Since when did we become your¡ª¡± Haruhiro began, then thought better of it. ¡°Whatever, never mind.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop halfway,¡± Ranta baited. ¡°C¡¯mon! Where¡¯s the straight-man comeback? We can¡¯t be rivals like this! There¡¯s no way a peon like you can take away Lord Ranta¡¯s reason for living!¡±

    Haruhiro ignored him and instead looked at Mogzo, Yume, Shihoru, and Mary in turn. ¡°If we assume my guess that we¡¯ll have even more of them later, we need to make a decision now. It doesn¡¯t have to be at this very moment¡ªwe can wait a little longer¡ªbut should we go for it, or give up? I don¡¯t think I want to give up. We could definitely take four, as we are now.

    Mary looked steadily at him, her eyes trapping his gaze. ¡°Your basis for that?¡±

    ¡°Mogzo has much better defense now, and now that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about protecting himself all the time, he¡¯s got more offensive potential too. Shihoru can always take one goblin completely out of the fight, and Yume¡¯s bow arm has gotten way more reliable. With [SWAT], even I can take one on directly. And we¡¯ve got you now too, Mary.¡±

    ¡°Hey! What about me?¡± Ranta protested. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I in there, huh? HUH?!¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Mary turned her face and looked at the ground. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t depend on me. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m a Priest who let her teammates die.¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re a team that let our Priest die. I don¡¯t think we want that to ever happen again. Never. It¡¯s the same for you, right? I believe in you, Mary.¡±

    Mary didn¡¯t reply. She bit her lip, as if trying to keep¡­ something under control. Yume and Shihoru placed their hands on her shoulders.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna say it right here and now,¡± Ranta said, shoving his thumb at his chest. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna die even if I¡¯m killed. I¡¯m a man unknown to death, so don¡¯t do worthless shit like worry about me.¡±

    When Mary looked up again, her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, and the corners of her mouth quivered ever so slightly. Was that¡­ could it really be¡­ a smile?

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t say for sure, it was so modest, but he wanted to believe that it was. It vanished as quickly as it came, and Haruhiro regretted not holding her gaze.

    ¡°I understand,¡± said Mary with a nod. ¡°I won¡¯t let any of my companions die again. I¡¯ll protect everyone, so rest assured.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± When Haruhiro stretched out his right hand, so did everyone else; they stacked their hands on top of his for their ¡®Fight! All or nothing!¡¯ prefight ritual.

    Right after, Mary, tilting her head remarked, ¡°I always thought it rather strange. Why do you guys say ¡®Fight. All or nothing¡¯?¡±

    The others returned her gaze with smiles, and they began steeling themselves for the upcoming fight as they went over their strategy once again. This was it. Yes, today was the day they had been planning for, preparing for.

    Since the number of enemies had increased, they had had to make a few adjustments, but there was no need to make a new plan from scratch. Their first priority was to break through the sentries and get to the plate-armored goblin and the hobgoblin. In terms of strength, the sentries were small fry.

    To whatever possible extent, they would engage and finish the two sentries quickly, and then move to the real targets. All of them had long discussed how they would defeat the plate-armored goblin and hobgoblin, and this was the culmination of all their meetings, all their planning.

    They could do it. They would definitely win.

    As usual Haruhiro led the way, with Yume and Shihoru close behind, while Mogzo, Ranta, and Mary followed at a distance. The first obstacle was to get within range for Shihoru to use her [PHANTOM SLEEP] spell; a minimum of sixty-five feet. Up to about one hundred and twenty feet there was a wall that would conceal their presence, but after that there was nothing but open ground up until the building itself.

    However, after numerous simulations around the building and its wider surroundings, they had found that if they took a certain path all the way around to the other side, they could approach within thirty feet of the building without being seen. It was there that the three of them came to a stop, behind a large pile of debris.

    Here. It was here they would commence the attack.

    When Haruhiro gave the signal, Yume readied her bow and activated [SHARP SIGHT] while Shihoru refreshed her grip on her staff and took a deep breath.

    At last. The plate armored goblin and the hobgoblin would meet their end today. They were the ones who killed Manato. Haruhiro and the others did their best to not treat it as retaliation or revenge, because hatred would interfere with clear thinking. Those two weren¡¯t their hated adversaries; merely enemies. Strong enemies. A barrier that they had no choice but to overcome.

    Haruhiro stuck his head out from behind the debris, and¡ª

    His breath caught in his throat. Panicking, he quickly withdrew. The plate armored goblin had been looking straight at him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been spotted¡­¡± he whispered.

    But how? Had the plate armored goblin somehow sensed their presence? Maybe they had been spotted just out of coincidence; maybe the plate armored goblin just happened to be looking in their direction when Haruhiro had poked his head out.

    He didn¡¯t know, but it didn¡¯t matter. He risked another quick glance and withdrew again just as quickly, this time gasping, short and harsh. The plate-armored goblin had a crossbow in its hands now, and it was aiming it straight at them.

    ¡°¡­What do we do now?¡± Yume said, lowering her bow.

    Shihoru¡¯s face had gone pale; she had shrunk even further behind cover.

    Did Ranta and the others, holding position a little further away, realize their situation? Probably not. They were concealed in the shadows on the building¡¯s perimeter wall, and most likely couldn¡¯t see from where they were.

    What do we do? What should we do?

    Fall back? No, they couldn¡¯t. The plate-armored goblin had shouted something. An order. It must have been to the hobgoblin and the sentries. In another few moments, they would be attacked. Retreat was no longer an option. They had to engage, but the problem was the crossbow. If one of them got hit with a crossbow bolt, it could be fatal.

    ¡°Leave it to Yume,¡± Yume suddenly said.

    ¡°What?!¡± Before Haruhiro could stop her, she had already set her bow down and jumped out from behind the debris. The plate armored goblin shot a bolt at her, but she curled and rolled forward with tremendous speed.

    Pit rats. Back in the forest, those pit rats¡ªand the skill the pit rats had used, moving and protecting themselves all at once. Did Yume mimic that movement to deflect the crossbow bolt? It sure seemed like it.

    Haruhiro rapped Shihoru on the shoulder. ¡°Use your magic!¡±

    ¡°R-right!¡± Shihoru emerged from behind the debris, chanting the spell as she sketched the elemental glyph with her staff. ¡°Oom rel eckt krom dash!¡±

    The frizzy black shadow elemental soared towards the plate armored goblin. The hobgoblin downstairs had picked up its club, but still hadn¡¯t moved; the two sentry goblins, however, were making their way towards Haruhiro and the others. It didn¡¯t matter. If they could just put the plate armored goblin to sleep, they could still¡­

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Haruhiro exclaimed.

    The plate armored goblin had jumped from the second floor down to the first. The shadow elemental flew through thin air at the spot the goblin had occupied just moments before, its frizzy form fading, then disappearing altogether.

    They had messed up. Messed up badly. It was no good. They had failed. No! We can still do this. They could recover, regain the initiative. Don¡¯t panic! Haruhiro drew his dagger.

    ¡°Attack!¡± he shouted. ¡°Shihoru, fall back to Mary¡¯s position!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Ranta and Mogzo had come from behind the perimeter wall, and Yume used that pit rat-like movement again to avoid an incoming sentry¡¯s spear. The other sentry goblin was coming straight towards Haruhiro.

    What about the plate armored goblin and the hobgoblin? Damn it. He didn¡¯t have time to confirm their positions. Spear! The sentry goblin¡¯s spear was coming right at him; Haruhiro struck it with his dagger.

    The [SWAT] skill from the Thieves¡¯ fighting techniques wasn¡¯t a hard-hitting attack. Rather, it made opponents lose their balance and fall to the ground, and it inflicted critical injuries. However, the sentry goblin was fairly strong and no matter how many times Haruhiro landed the skill on the sentry goblin¡¯s spear, it kept coming at him. It was not a run-of-the-mill, average goblin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take both of them!¡± Mogzo yelled.

    Mogzo was intending to take on the plate armored goblin and the hobgoblin at the same time? No way. Not possible. But plate armored goblin or hobgoblin, the only one who could directly take on either one of them was Mogzo. That¡¯s why their plan had been to incapacitate the plate armored goblin right at the start. That was the point on which their entire plan hinged.

    ¡ªA plan that had fallen apart right at the start. Wasn¡¯t it better to have retreated right away? But it was too late and there was no use for regret now.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡± Haruhiro used [SWAT] as he fell back. And fell back. And fell back again.

    It seemed that Ranta and Yume were taking on the other sentry goblin. Shihoru had cast [PHANTOM SLEEP] again, but this time aimed it at the hobgoblin rather than the plate armored. The spell hit the hobgoblin squarely and it began to doze, but before it was completely asleep the plate armored goblin smacked the hobgoblin on the rear with the flat of its sword, waking it up.

    It knows about our spells, Haruhiro thought. It was like the plate armored goblin could see all the cards in their hand.

    ¡°Yume!¡± Ranta shouted angrily. ¡°We¡¯re never gonna kill it if you keep running around it! Quit that and hit it already, idiot!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± she shouted back. ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡±

    Yume tried to dodge using the pit rat roll again, but this time she was a bit slow. Or maybe the sentry goblin had gotten used to seeing her do it. Yume gasped as the sentry¡¯s spear connected with her shoulder. Not just connecting¡ªbut gouging.

    ¡°Fuck! Yume what the fuck!¡± Ranta jumped in, attacking the goblin with a diagonal slash of his longsword.¡±[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    The sentry goblin blocked using its buckler, grunting in exertion. It shifted its grip on the spear, choking farther up, and counter-attacked with a thrust. Thrust, sweep, thrust. Ranta, after barely deflecting the stream of attacks, braced his legs and shot away.

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]! Get over here!¡± Ranta taunted, but paused. ¡°What?! Why isn¡¯t it coming after me?!¡±

    ¡°Because it sees right through your tricks!¡± Haruhiro spat, [SWAT]-ing, [SWAT]-ing, [SWAT]-ing again.

    Meanwhile, Mary was chanting an invocation. ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [HEAL]!¡±

    Yume was rapidly enveloped in a warm light. Unlike [CURE], [HEAL] didn¡¯t require the Priest to hold their hand close over the injury. It could be used to heal a wounded person from a distance, and it was effective for injuries anywhere on the body. [HEAL] was a spell that Manato hadn¡¯t possessed.

    Yume was right-handed and the injury to her shoulder must have been serious, so Mary probably decided to heal her right away. With that, Yume could probably rejoin the fight in another moment or two. But now Mogzo was the one in trouble.

    He had somehow avoided the swings of the hobgoblin¡¯s club, but he was taking hit after hit from the plate armored one¡¯s sword. Even if it was just one sentry, they had to dispatch them fast to go help him. Was there no way? Some means, some method?

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t just sit back and think, of course. He was forced into [SWAT]-ing again and again to deflect the sentry goblin¡¯s attacks. His breathing was becoming ragged and his hand was going numb. If he messed up now, it was over. He felt as if he was teetering on the edge of panic.

    Don¡¯t give in. Hang in there. Gotta hang in there¡­ But even if he told himself that, what were they going to do?

    ¡°Haru!¡± Someone had called his name. Not his proper name, but his nickname. Someone who had never used it before. Mary. The voice belonged to Mary.

    He didn¡¯t have the luxury of sparing a glance in her direction, but she had called his name. He guessed that she probably wanted him to reach her. So, still [SWAT]-ing, he gradually made his way to Mary and Shihoru, drawing the sentry goblin in with him.

    When he thought he was close enough he stopped.

    When Mary yelled ¡°Switch with me!¡±, Haruhiro jumped to the side just as Mary stepped in. She stopped the sentry goblin¡¯s spear with her staff¡ªbut no, she didn¡¯t just stop it. ¡°[COUNTER STRIKE]!¡±

    For a split second, it looked as if their weapons had merely bounced off each other, but then Mary, carrying all the momentum of the rebound, jammed her staff directly into the sentry goblin¡¯s chest. It wheezed sharply and backed off.

    Now! It was that or never. Guessing Haruhiro¡¯s intention, Mary continued to press the attack on the sentry. The sentry had now switched to a defensive stance, leaving no way for Mary to break through, but she had done enough: Haruhiro was now in position at the sentry goblin¡¯s back.

    C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon! Appear! He wished with all his will for that guiding line of colorless light to appear. But it didn¡¯t. There was nothing. But even though it didn¡¯t show, things weren¡¯t necessarily hopeless.

    Haruhiro slammed the dagger into the sentry¡¯s back with the full force of his body weight, but because of the goblin¡¯s armor, the dagger didn¡¯t penetrate very deep. The goblin howled, but Haruhiro immediately snaked his other arm in a chokehold around the sentry goblin¡¯s neck, as he pulled his dagger out¡ªbut only halfway. He then thrust the blade back in. Again and again, over and over, he stabbed the goblin just so as it shrieked and flailed wildly in his embrace.

    He kept going until he felt the goblin¡¯s full weight collapsed upon him.

    ¡°Thanks, Mary!¡± Haruhiro heaved, dumping the finally lifeless and unmoving body of the sentry goblin to the ground.

    He glanced around and saw that Yume and Ranta were still struggling to take the remaining sentry down. Mogzo grunted with exertion as he blocked the hobgoblin¡¯s club with his bastard sword, staggering.

    ¡°Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro rushed towards him, but he didn¡¯t make it in time.

    The plate armored goblin leapt in, and rather than slash at Mozgo, it smashed him in the head with its blade. Sparks flew where edge of sword hit barbute helm. No matter how good a helm was, no one could be fine after taking a blow like that. Mozgo reeled, but he swung his sword wildly as he did, forcing both the two goblins to back off.

    Mogzo¡¯s breath came in ragged gasps. He didn¡¯t seem to be bleeding anywhere, but Haruhiro was sure that if were he to remove his armor, his body would be covered in bruises. Haruhiro had no doubt that Mogzo was having the hardest time of all. But even so, he kept swinging his bastard sword at the goblins.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± he shouted between swings, tone uncharacteristically ablaze. ¡°This is¡ªthis is nothing!¡±

    Something seemed to have changed in him.

    This was still bad. No matter what Mogzo claimed, there was no way he could keep holding out alone. Should Haruhiro help? He was armed only with a dagger. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy, was impossible even, to pierce that plate armor, to fatally hurt that large hobgoblin body.

    ¡°Ranta, go back up Mozgo!¡± Haruhiro bellowed. ¡°I¡¯ll take your place!¡±

    ¡°Ha! The lead actor¡¯s finally arrived!¡± Ranta quipped, closing the distance between him and the plate armored  goblin in three quick hops. ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡±

    The plate armored goblin parried Ranta¡¯s attack with ease, but at the very least, Ranta had managed to take its attention off Mogzo.

    ¡°Hey! What the¡ª!¡± It showered Ranta with a flurry of attacks, and suddenly he was thrown onto the defensive, unable to attack back.

    Hang in there, Ranta. And don¡¯t die¡­ With Ranta¡¯s help, some of the pressure had been taken off Mozgo, but that didn¡¯t change that if they didn¡¯t take down the remaining sentry soon, things were going to go downhill fast.

    The sentry goblin still had a firm hold on its small shield, and all its vital points were protected by armor. Yume wasn¡¯t a tank, so there was no easy way for Haruhiro to get in position at its rear. But as Haruhiro considered his options, the sentry goblin turned towards him and raised its spear to throw.

    It¡¯s aiming for me?! No way!

    Haruhiro twisted to avoid it, but not fast enough. The spear grazed him in the side of his ribs and then slammed point first into the ground. A groan of pain escaped his lips, and it made him want to curl up on the ground. When he put a hand the wound, it came away wet with blood. It hurt like hell¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t a serious injury.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Mary called his name, worried.

    He knew it was silly to think so, but her concern made him a little happy.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± he called back. ¡°We¡¯ve gotta take that sentry out!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Shihoru said, making a dash for the sentry goblin.

    Wait, what does she think she¡¯s doing?! Haruhiro thought.

    Apparently, Mary thought the same thing. ¡°What¡¯re you¡ª!¡± she yelled, before breaking off and running after her.

    The sentry goblin, sword drawn from the sheath at its waist, noticed Shihoru¡¯s approach just as she finished her elemental glyph.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± she cried.

    Voash! The frizzy black sphere shot out from the tip of the staff. But at that moment, Haruhiro realized something: although the [SHADOW ECHO] elemental wasn¡¯t as slow moving as [PHANTOM SLEEP]¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t so fast as to be unavoidable. So with that fixed, avoidable velocity in mind, a caster could still make it harder for enemies to dodge by moving closer.

    In other words, Shihoru took the risk of closing the distance between herself and the sentry to make sure her spell hit. And her gamble seemed to have paid off. The sentry goblin made a choking sound as the shadow struck it in the face, and its entire body started to tremble uncontrollably.

    Yume stepped forward, kukri already flashing. ¡°[CROSS CUT]!¡±

    [CROSS CUT]¡¯s half slashing, half smashing attack stripped the buckler entirely off of the sentry goblin¡¯s left arm and left a deep wound on its right. Even after the sentry goblin recovered from [SHADOW ECHO], it would no longer handle its sword properly.

    Yume did what they needed most right now; she pressed the attack. Without stopping to catch her breath, she kept advancing on the sentry. This made it easy for Haruhiro to get into position at its back. The light line didn¡¯t appear, so he did the same as before.

    The sentry goblin wailed as Haruhiro slammed and pulled and twisted his dagger into its back. Haruhiro wrapped his other arm around under its chin like before, and he kept going.

    When the first sentry had finally stopped struggling, Haruhiro hadn¡¯t really felt anything in particular. But this time, sick started to rise from his stomach. Killing like this was cruel. Brutal. Though despite his nausea, he did not stop.

    If we were switched, maybe you would kill me like this too. Sorry, but it goes both ways.

    When the second sentry goblin had become still, Haruhiro felt terribly exhausted, and his wound hurt. But now wasn¡¯t the time to complain about things like that. Finally. The time had finally come. He gathered up his strength in the pit of his belly and threw it behind his voice.

    ¡°Just a little more!¡± he yelled, with all the strength he had. ¡°I¡¯ll prove to you that we haven¡¯t come this far for nothing!¡±

    But despite having said it, Haruhiro didn¡¯t know exactly what he meant to say. Prove themselves to who? Manato was no longer with them, after all. ¡°Come this far?¡± But had they really come far at all, or did he just want to believe that?

    He wished he could have said something cooler, more inspirational. He wanted to become someone who said cool and inspiring things. He didn¡¯t want it all to end for them here. He didn¡¯t necessarily want to do this whole Crimson Moon solider thing, either, but he wanted there to be a tomorrow for himself. He wanted to live.

    He didn¡¯t want to die. At the very least, he didn¡¯t want to die.

    Manato, wasn¡¯t it the same for you? You weren¡¯t completely satisfied with everything either. You too; you wished you could have been more, done more. Haruhiro and the others, they had been lucky to have survived this long.

    We¡¯re not going to die. We¡¯re going to live, and keep moving forward. We¡¯re going to seize tomorrow with our bare hands.

    For the sake of that tomorrow, they had to win here. They had to kill those two goblins.

    ¡°Focus on the hobgoblin!¡± Haruhiro cried, as he ran behind it.

    Yume was attacking from the side while Mogzo brought two savage blows in succession on it, grunting with the effort. The hobgoblin deflected the first attack with its club, but the second tore into its left shoulder. Although his sword wasn¡¯t able to cut through its chainmail, the force of the blow still made the hobgoblin roar in pain. It had been wielding its club with both hands, but now, it was no longer able to.

    ¡°Keep attacking it!¡± Haruhiro said, but just as the words came out of his mouth, the plate armored goblin broke through Ranta and came at Mogzo.

    It put one foot down, hard, and brought its sword down in a diagonal swing. No, way¡­ Haruhiro thought. The movement was almost exactly like Mogzo¡¯s [RAGE BLOW], except a goblin was doing it. Mogzo blocked it with his bastard sword, locking blades with it. The plate armored goblin made to continue its attack, but it was from this position that Mogzo did his job best.

    He spun the plate armored goblin¡¯s sword around with his own, and in the same motion attacked with [SPIRAL SLASH]. The plate armored goblin leapt backwards immediately and, throwing a look behind, went after Ranta instead.

    Ranta, taken completely by surprise, took a crushing blow to his bucket helm that sent him staggering. Faster than a speeding arrow, the plate armored goblin thrust, slashed upwards, then slashed downwards again in three quick strokes of its sword.

    Ranta yelped. He couldn¡¯t do anything but back away. The flurry of attacks came so fast, he couldn¡¯t even use [PROPEL LEAP]. This was bad. Ranta was going to be overwhelmed.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡±

    Shihoru was the one who saved him, using [SHADOW ECHO]; the frizzy black elemental hit the plate armored goblin in the shoulder. It took the plate armored goblin mere moments to get its quivering body under control again, but it was enough to allow Ranta to retreat and catch his breath.

    ¡°Damn it! No one asked you to help!¡± Ranta spat angrily.

    ¡°Our trump card!¡± Haruhiro pressed his hand to the wound on his side.

    He was having a hard time ignoring the pain and the resulting panic was making it hard to think clearly. He glanced at Shihoru and saw how haggard she looked. She must have been exhausted. She used the massively energy draining [PHANTOM SLEEP] twice at the beginning of the fight, and now [SHADOW ECHO] twice, too. How many more could she cast?

    [PHANTOM SLEEP] wasn¡¯t a spell that was very effective on enemies who were vigilant and alert and [SHADOW ECHO] didn¡¯t seem effective enough to be the deciding factor in this fight. That meant they only had one thing left. Their final ace-in-the-hole.

    They had to finish things here and now with it. Before the fight could drag out any longer, they would finish off the hobgoblin.

    Haruhiro screamed, ¡°Mogzo, use it!¡±

    Mogzo gave a grunt of acknowledgment, planted both feet firmly on the ground, and let out a long, ear-piercing howl that made all the hairs on Haruhiro¡¯s skin stand on end. It was a Warrior¡¯s [WAR CRY]. It unfailingly crushed the resolve of any enemy nearby that wasn¡¯t expecting it; not really by surprising them, but by instilling fear in them.

    And that¡¯s exactly what happened to the hobgoblin. Its entire body went rigid, as if paralyzed by fear. It would regain its senses soon, but that one-second or even fractional-second opening was utterly invaluable to Haruhiro and the others.

    Yume brought her kukri hard across the hobgoblin¡¯s waist. ¡°[SWEEPING SLASH]!¡±

    Mogzo took a step back. ¡°THANK¡­¡± he began, then stepped in again, but this time throwing all of his body weight behind a single, dreadful stroke. ¡°¡­YOUUUUUUUU!¡±

    With a sickening crunch, Mogzo¡¯s bastard sword crushed deep into the hobgoblin¡¯s shoulder, probably smashing through its collarbone. It made a half gurgle, half groaning noise, and went down on one knee momentarily. It immediately made to stand up again.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t intend to get careless. As long as he was alive, he couldn¡¯t afford carelessness.

    ¡°Take this!¡± he cried as he dropkicked it, foot connecting with the back of the hobgoblin¡¯s head.

    That put the hobgoblin in a daze once more, letting Mogzo rain blow after blow.

    It wasn¡¯t simple nor easy. When it did come, death came so readily, so lightly, and yet taking a life was neither simple nor easy. It was a slow, gruesome process, and indeed Haruhiro was one of the participants in that process. So he had no right to look away, even if it was brutal and gory.

    When the hobgoblin finally stopped moving, Mogzo dropped down on all fours, his armored back rising and falling as he raggedly sucked in air. That was definitely not just exhaustion; probably he was bruised and hurting all over, as well.

    ¡°H-h-hurry!¡± Ranta cried. ¡°Hurry up and h-help me!¡±

    Haruhiro looked over in Ranta¡¯s direction and saw that Ranta was having trouble keeping his feet under him, stumbling backwards trying to parry the plate armored goblin¡¯s attacks. Ranta was at his limits. No, probably already past his limits.

    ¡°Well done, Ranta! You¡¯re amazing!¡± Haruhiro called.

    ¡°Hell yeah I am!¡± Ranta agreed. ¡°You figured that out just now!?¡±

    Haruhiro and Yume took up positions at the plate armored goblin¡¯s left and right, intending to attack in a pincer formation. The plate armored goblin, however, swung its blade at Ranta one last time, then started to make a run for it. It ran, it ran, it kept running. Did it intend to flee?

    No, that wasn¡¯t it. The direction it was heading in. It was running straight at Shihoru.

    Shihoru let out a little gasp, eyes going wide as she brought her staff up in front of herself. There was no way¡­ there was no way the easily-intimidated Shihoru could fight off an attack. But there was no need for her to.

    ¡°Get back!¡± Mary commanded, stepping out in front of her.

    Her slanted back stance put her parallel to the diagonal at which she held her staff. It was a Priest¡¯s defensive skill: [GUARD STANCE]. The plate armored goblin swung its sword at her, and Mary looked as if she was going to either parry or block.

    But she didn¡¯t have a chance to do either. The plate armored goblin¡¯s swing arched low, so low it struck the ground, but with enough force that it sent flying hardened, compacted dirt flying. Mary shut her eyes to keep the dirt from getting in.

    It was in that split-second.

    In that split-second, the plate armored goblin leapt backwards and threw something using its other hand. A knife. It was a throwing knife.

    Mary staggered, one hand pressed to her stomach. She had been hit. The throwing knife had lodged itself in deep.

    ¡°Mary!¡± Haruhiro cried.

    No way¡­ There was no way this could be happening. Manato. Mary was going to die like Manato did. No way. Without thinking, Haruhiro charged the plate armored goblin. He didn¡¯t know what to do, he didn¡¯t know what he was doing. Before he realized what he had done, he had come close enough to almost be face-to-face with it.

    Its sword was coming right at him from the top left. It had purposely swung in a diagonal line so that Haruhiro couldn¡¯t dodge to either side. What was he going to do? Keep rushing it. Reach it faster than its sword could reach him.

    Maybe I¡¯ll die, he thought. But he didn¡¯t. Haruhiro fully front-tackled the plate armored goblin. He wasn¡¯t dead yet. His face slammed painfully into its helmed head, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t care. He wrestled it to the ground. The plate armored goblin was saying something, but it wasn¡¯t in a human language so Haruhiro didn¡¯t understand.

    Its sword. He had to focus on its weapon. Haruhiro desperately held down the plate armored goblin¡¯s right arm with his left; it punched him in the jaw with its free hand, and not just once, but again and again. Haruhiro¡¯s head spun and it felt like his consciousness was going to fly off and away.

    Don¡¯t fly! Don¡¯t fly away! Don¡¯t fly, you¡¯re not a birdie! he kept telling himself.

    Haruhiro reversed his grip on his dagger.

    The plate armored goblin seemed to scream something that sounded like ¡°Stop it! Stop it!¡±

    Yeah, right¡­ like I¡¯m gonna stop. Like it¡¯s even possible. Haruhiro thought.

    The plate armored goblin¡¯s helm covered nearly the entirety of its head, except for the eye slit. It was there that Haruhiro aimed now, intending to ram his blade into its eye, but the plate armored goblin grabbed Haruhiro¡¯s dagger with its free hand, stopping it short of its target.

    Both of their hands trembled on the dagger. A little bit more¡­ Just a little more and his dagger would reach the slit. But that little bit was a great distance.

    ¡°Bastard! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why the hell are you so strong?!¡± Haruhiro cursed it over and over.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡± The voice belonged to Mogzo, and it was followed by the pounding of footsteps.

    Mogzo was running towards him. Without looking to confirm, Haruhiro sprang off and away from the plate armored goblin. Mogzo let out a furious battle cry, and he lifted his bastard sword so high over his head, his body bent backwards. Then he brought his sword down sharply; as sharply as the release of a spring, coiled for far too long.

    The resulting clashing sound was so heavy that reverberated down to the pit of Haruhiro¡¯s stomach, and Haruhiro wondered once more at Mogzo¡¯s strength. His bastard sword had sheared the plate armored goblin¡¯s head clean off its shoulders. It was, of course, fully and completely dead.

    ¡°We¡­ did it?¡± Ranta whispered weakly.

    Yume plopped herself to the ground. ¡°Looks¡­ like it¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Shihoru said.

    Mogzo lifted his sword up again, shouting the victory wildly skywards but he, too, couldn¡¯t really believe that they had done it either, so the shout was not nearly as ferocious as it could have been.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry to interrupt,¡± Mary said, raising her hand, ¡°but can I heal myself now? It kind of, uh, hurts.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯re you apologizing?¡± Haruhiro grinned, pressing a hand to his side and fighting hard not to groan.

    Maybe it was better not to touch the wound, but even when he let his hand drop, it still throbbed painfully. It was getting hard to stay standing, so he finally allowed himself to crouch down.

    ¡°Mary¡­¡± he began. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be right now, but¡­ It hurts like hell. Sorry, but can you heal me too?¡±

 Volume 1 - CH 22

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 22: Our Offering to You

    I always wondered what I would say when the time came¡­

    For some reason, it felt like they had been together for such a long time, yet it hadn¡¯t been long at all. No, not long. One might say too short, really. Much too short.

    I felt like I knew you¡­ but I didn¡¯t actually know you at all.

    Haruhiro had once thought that Manato was nice, easy to approach, and smart. He was someone who could do anything and a leader worth following. A flawless person, perhaps. But only because Haruhiro hadn¡¯t noticed any of his flaws. Or maybe it was because he kept his shortcomings well-hidden; but if their time together had been longer, perhaps Haruhiro would have gotten to see another side of him.

    He wanted to know. Haruhiro wanted to get to know the real him. He wanted more time. If they had had more hours between them, then surely there would be more experiences, too. Maybe they would have gotten angry at each other, or gotten into fights. Maybe they would have grown to hate each other. Or maybe their friendship would have grown, instead.

    One day, suddenly, Shihoru might have confessed her feelings. And what then?

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to believe that sentiments from the living failed to reach the dead. He didn¡¯t want to think that all he said now was meaningless. But the more he thought about it, the tighter the knot in his chest grew.

    When he closed his eyes, he saw an image of this friend from days since past. It was one of stillness; of being consumed by merciless¡ªmerciful?¡ªflames. Of being rendered into nothing more than ashes and bone. It was the only image that came to mind, for Haruhiro was all too aware that Manato now lay under this headstone¡¯s shadow, cast against the setting sun.

    ¡°We¡¯ve become Crimson Moon members,¡± Haruhiro said, finally. To the gravestone where a crescent moon and a name was engraved, he held up an emblem that resembled a silver coin.

    Ranta, Mogzo, Yume, and Shihoru, too, showed their Crimson Moon emblems to the one no longer among them. Mary stood a little ways away, eyes lowered and hand against her chest.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t actually take us this long to scrape up the money,¡± Haruhiro continued, tightening his grip on the emblem. ¡°But we had some extra business that we decided to settle first.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t care. It was you guys who decided that.¡±

    ¡°Stupid Ranta,¡± Yume said, and cuffed him on the arm. ¡°Why do you always have to be such a Smart Alex at times like this-yan? It makes people hate you.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Cause I¡¯m awesome like that. I¡¯m a Dread Knight, and I don¡¯t give a damn what people think.¡±

    ¡°Um, Yume,¡± Shihoru lightly tugged Yume¡¯s cloak. ¡°It¡¯s smart aleck, not Smart Alex¡­ there¡¯s no need to call him Alex¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yume replied, bemused. ¡°Yume always heard ¡®Alex¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°E-err¡­¡± Mogzo interrupted, gazing at Shihoru. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get on with¡­ you know?¡±

    Shihoru stepped forward towards the gravestone and crouched. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an identical coin-like emblem. She hesitated a bit, then shifted to the stone¡¯s engraved crescent moon, as if to wedge the coin in it.

    ¡°Wait, Shihoru, not there,¡± Haruhiro said quickly.

    Shihoru turned back, face beet red. ¡°S-sorry! Um, I wondered what would be a good place to place it, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, there is okay¡­ but it probably won¡¯t fit. The shape¡¯s entirely different¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, r-right. You¡¯re right. I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not just fat, I can be so empty-headed sometimes¡­ How¨Chow about here then?¡± Shihoru placed the emblem on the ground next to the gravestone.

    ¡°¡­Manato,¡± said Shihoru, ¡°this is your contract. We bought it using the money you had left, and everyone pitched in the rest. Mary contributed, too. Please¡­ take it.¡±

    If Manato could hear, perhaps he would have laughed and said, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have to do that, you know.¡± Perhaps he would have said, ¡°It¡¯s a waste of money, and you¡¯re better off using it to buy armor or weapons. Money has no use where I am now, but it does where you are.¡± Maybe it would have sounded cool and collected, like he often did.

    But no matter what he said to them, they wouldn¡¯t listen.

    After all, we can¡¯t even hear you now, Manato. If you want us to listen to you, then say something we can hear¡­ Let us hear your voice again¡­

    But Haruhiro knew that was impossible. And if they died, what would happen to them? Would they go to some sort of heaven? Would they meet Manato there? He didn¡¯t know. There was no way he could know. If they died¡­ but Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to go as far as dying in order to talk to Manato again.

    The rift between life and death was vast and deep, and cleft by a grand, swift river. Once that river was crossed, no matter what happened afterwards, there was no coming back. It was a complete and utter one-way trip.

    There were no more tears. Yet Haruhiro did feel like lingering here for a bit longer, so he sat down in the grass and drew one knee up against his chest. Shihoru laid a hand on the gravestone, her shoulders trembling. Yume crouched down beside Shihoru, wrapped an arm around her, and gently stroked her head.

    Ranta, both hands on his hips, was staring skywards. Mogzo inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. Mary held her hair down against the wind, her gaze distant.

    ¡°We¡¯ve really become a good team,¡± Haruhiro whispered; whispered to the friend who would never come back to them, whispered as he cast his eyes in the direction of the town. The bells were tolling the evening¡¯s six o¡¯clock hour.

    Hovering just over the horizon was a half moon, crimson in color. That¡¯s right¡­ why is the moon red here?

    ¡­¡°Here¡±?

    He turned towards the direction of the tower. The soaring tower that seemed to look down on all of them. The tower. That tower. There was something strange about it.

    Haruhiro felt as if he had forgotten something. They had arrived here and joined Crimson Moon, but what about before that? Where had they been and what had they been doing? He didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t remember. And it wasn¡¯t just Haruhiro; it was the same for everyone else too.

    Before they had realized it, they were here. Where was here? He recalled darkness. Darkness? But he couldn¡¯t be certain. Where had that been?

    The tower. That tower. It had something to do with that tower. But what? He didn¡¯t know. He more he thought about it, the more confused he got. Whenever he reached his hand out to grasp it, it vanished.

    Manato¡­ What are we doing here? For what purpose?

    This alone filled him with doubt. Even now, it didn¡¯t look like the answers would come.

 Volume 1 - CH 23

    LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

    Chapter 23: Prologue

    The bell tolled, sounding the evening¡¯s six o¡¯clock hour. When the echoes of the seventh toll suffused and reluctantly faded into the city, night had fallen upon Altana. It was the final bell of the day, as the bells only sounded the time from six o¡¯clock in the morning until six o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Though it was hardworking laborers who found it most useful, as their workdays began early in the morning and finished with dinner and a nightcap, many others used it too, as their signal to close up shop. Meanwhile, for food stalls it marked the busiest time of day, and for taverns it heralded the influx of patrons.

    And for Sherry¡¯s Tavern, from the six o¡¯clock bell until well into the night, they enjoyed their best business; large numbers of Crimson Moon members visited then, looking to replenish their spirits for work the next day.

    Tonight, however, Sherry¡¯s was livelier than usual. Members of Crimson Moon were not the only ones present; elderly craftsmen, young apprentices, portly merchants, charming businesswomen, and even soldiers from the regular army could be found scattered about.

    Everywhere Haruhiro looked was crammed full of people, and even the spacious second floor seemed cramped. And naturally, all the seats were taken, so many remained standing¡ªnot just on the first and second floors, but in the stairwell as well.

    Everyone had packed themselves into Sherry¡¯s tonight after having heard a certain rumor.

    Normally, a well-known Crimson Moon member would be referred to by the clan to which they belonged. That Man of Clan This or That Woman of Clan That. Though humans were the predominant race in Altana and the surrounding areas, the further one ventured from human territory, the more unfriendly races or monsters one could find in strength.

    Often, they relied on their superior numbers to kill any humans they encountered. Therefore, clans were born out of necessity, and if the objective was to achieve certain military goals, it was best to join one. In fact, it was perhaps more accurate to say that joining was a must; an indispensible measure.

    Despite that, there existed a party that had fought clanless this entire time. Four of them were Crimson Moon members, and one was an elf. One of the Crimson Moons, Pingo, was a Necromancer, and counting Zenmai, the human construct he created, that brought their party up to six members.

    They were considered the best of the best and their reputation in Altana always preceded them. They were the only Crimson Moon members ever to have been invited to a dinner party hosted by the Earl of Altana, Gerran Vedoy. They had even declined to attend.

    ¡°Souma, now is a good time, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    At the voluptuous woman¡¯s urging, Souma rose from his seat. That alone caused a hush to fall over a tavern so boisterous only moments before. It was to be expected, of course. After all, everyone was here to listen to the announcement he was to make. What was the point if they did not hear him out in silence?

    At any rate, today was a day for the history books. Today was the day that the famed Souma was, quite against expectations, going to form a clan. Rumor had it he came to recruit members.

    But was the rumor true? Maybe it was nothing more than a groundless, false whispering. Many thought exactly that, but Souma hadshown up for real at Sherry¡¯s, and he was mere moments away from addressing everyone gathered.

    ¡°Shima,¡± Souma said.

    ¡°Yep,¡± the voluptuous woman gave him a slight smile and slight nod.

    Souma then turned his attention to the man with dreadlocks. ¡°Kemuri.¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± the dreadlock-man called Kemuri replied, lazily flexing his neck; left, then right.

    Souma met the gaze of the child-like man. ¡°Pingo.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Pingo¡¯s gaze was on the ground and he let out a long sigh. ¡°I dislike things like this.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± The corners of Souma¡¯s mouth crinkled in the slightest of frowns before he turned to the construct and its fearsome mask. ¡°Zenmai.¡±

    Slowly, deliberately, Zenmai gave a single nod.

    Souma¡¯s eyes then went to the final member of his party, the elf. ¡°Leelya.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Souma.¡± Leelya stared back with striking sapphire eyes.

    Souma, closing his own, took a deep breath and mouthed one final name.

    ¡°Nino.¡±

    She was neither here nor there, not any longer. She was once their Priest, and when they lost her, Kemuri changed his class from Warrior to Paladin; Shima left the Thieves Guild, went to the elves dwelling in the Forest of Shadow, and became a Shaman; Leelya joined them, too, around this time.

    Ever since Nino¡¯s death, Souma had been seeking a way to bring her back, but to this day had not yet found the means. He suspected that there were clues to be found at the resting place of the Deathless King, deep within what used to be the Kingdom of Ishmael, but no one really knew.

    A means to bring back the dead might not even exist in this world. This world. What was this world anyway? Where had all of them come from, and how did they end up here? How could a ridiculous world where the moon shone crimson, where monsters were an ordinary part of life and beasts ran around as they pleased, ever be real?

    Once upon a time, Kemuri had commented softly, ¡°This is like something out of a video game¡­¡± and Souma had replied with, ¡°Yes, yes it is.¡±

    Or so they had thought at the time, but a short time afterwards, they no longer knew what they had been talking about. What was this thing called a ¡°video game¡±? The feeling of unease had gradually faded and at times almost been forgotten, but it never completely left Souma. Even now it remained carved in his heart.

    What if this world was not real, but some some sort of elaborate mimicry? Some sort of doppelganger? Then supposing that Souma and the others had come from the real world, what would have happened to the Nino who died in this world? Could it have be possible that Nino had simply returned to the real world? Could she be still alive?

    It was a possibility, yes, and nothing more. Still, as long as the possibility existed¡­ as long as it wasn¡¯t zero¡­

    Souma opened his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to form a clan.¡± Those words alone caused a stir throughout the tavern. ¡°Our goal is to invade the former Ishmael Kingdom, the domain of the undead.¡± Though he wasn¡¯t trying to speak loudly, his words carried through the entire room.

    His voice alone was deep and menacing; easily intimidated monsters ran away with their tails between their legs. Monsters that could make a stand before Souma were indeed the strongest of the strong.

    ¡°We¡¯ve obtained information that the Deathless King is showing signs of once again returning to deathlessness. We intend to investigate this further, and if the Deathless King has indeed returned, we will destroy him once more without hesitation. Of course, we don¡¯t expect it to be easy, but we must find a way. We need strength. Strength in numbers. Power beyond just the six of us.¡±

    All the Crimson Moon members in the tavern began speaking at once, while the civilians and other non-members applauded and whistled. The thunderous roar of clapping, cheering, and clamoring threatened to tear the very air apart.

    But all Souma had said was a half-lie. Naturally, he would reveal his true motives to those deemed trustworthy, but in time.

    ¡°Please, lend us your strength!¡± Souma called. ¡°Those who consider yourselves one of us, please join us!¡±

    ¡°Give us a name! What¡¯s the name of your clan?!¡± someone shouted.

    Souma nodded. ¡°From now on, we shall be known as the Daybreakers! Those who are valiant, those who are wise, those who are noble-hearted, and those who are dignified and resolute, join us! Do not fear death; defy it! We welcome all those who dare to seek life in its midst!¡±

    In the wild whirlwind of excitement that erupted in the tavern, Souma inwardly whispered, ¡°Nino¡­¡±

    I will unravel the mysteries of this world, and then, perhaps one day, we shall meet again¡­

    Haruhiro could never have known how their destinies would cross, and what awaited them at the end.

 Volume 2 - CH 1

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 1: A Different Level

    It happened as Haruhiro and the others loitered, having finished selling their day¡¯s loot and divided their earnings, perfunctorily discussing what they should do next.

    A loud, frantic clanging echoed through Altana¡¯s marketplace.

    ¡°Is that¡­¡± Haruhiro¡¯s eyebrows narrowed. ¡°The six o¡¯clock bell? But it sounded seven times, and all crazy, too¡­¡±

    ¡°What?! What?! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Ranta¡¯s messy hair flopped back and forth as he snapped his head around.

    ¡°Mm?¡± Yume blinked rapidly, tugging on her twin-tail braided hair. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Shihoru edged closer to Yume. ¡°Sounds like¡­ an emergency?¡±

    Mogzo rubbed the back of his helm, fidgeting, expression anxious.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Mary leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing to slits. ¡°An enemy attack?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Haruhiro tilted his head. He had understood the definitions of the words, but had no idea what she meant. ¡°Enemy attack?¡±

    A shout pierced through the air from somewhere. It sounded distant.

    Ranta¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°Oy! Oy! Oy!¡± he shouted. ¡°Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!¡±

    Why was he acting so intensely? Because he was an idiot?

    ¡°Mary, what do you mean by ¡®enemy¡¯?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    The reply was terse. ¡°Probably orcs.¡±

    Orcs? he wondered, unfamiliar with the word.

    ¡°Run!¡± someone cried.

    ¡°Orcs!¡± another shouted.

    ¡°It¡¯s orcs!¡±

    ¡°Orcs are here!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been invaded!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yume placed an index finger on her chin. ¡°I didn¡¯t know okras could invade.¡±

    Straight-man Haruhiro shot back, ¡°No, not okras, ORCS!¡±

    All the people scattered about the marketplace suddenly converged into a solid stream of bodies, and it swallowed up Haruhiro and the others in an instant. The tide of panicked shoppers swept him away, and he found it impossible to move against the tremendous force shoving at his back.

    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Ranta was attempting to fight against the crowd, but he too found resistance impossible. ¡°What the hell!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Mogzo¡¯s eyes seemed to spin crazily in their sockets. As large as he was, Mogzo had a rough time with the assaulting flurry of elbows and knees.

    ¡°M-my hat!¡± Shihoru cried, as her mage¡¯s hat flew off her head.

    Haruhiro snapped his hand out and caught hold of it rather neatly. Then everything went downhill after that. Shoved along by the people behind him, he was quickly separated from everyone else.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Yume called.

    ¡°HARU!!¡± Mary¡¯s voice.

    The top of Mogzo¡¯s head was the only thing he could see now, and that only barely. But making his way back over there was impossible.

    ¡°G-guys!¡± Haruhiro waved his hand frantically, but it was no good. He had lost sight of even Mogzo. ¡°Watch yourselves, everyone!¡±

    But though he told them that, Haruhiro realized that he had to be the most careful of everyone. If he tried to carelessly force his way against the stampeding crowd, he would be trampled. He could even die. To die like that¡­ no, just no. So for now, he had no choice but to submit to being rushed along.

    An attack¡­ or so Mary had said. Enemy attack? Orcs. What were orcs? Haruhiro felt like he had heard the word somewhere before.

    Whatever orcs were, this was definitely not a normal occurrence in Altana. Invasion. So they were being attacked? Altana was being attacked by orcs or whatever? And everyone was just running away? But to where?

    This was a town; everyone had their homes here. And Altana was encircled by a high, thick defensive wall, which meant that nowhere around was as safe. Probably. Most likely. Or so Haruhiro thought. The supposedly safest place around, under attack. Did that mean¡­ could it possibly be¡­

    ¡­that this was really bad?

    The merchant tables that lined the streets were overturned, their goods scattered about and lost beneath the tide of feet. What a waste, Haruhiro thought. Some of the vendor stalls had had their frames broken apart, and others were completely flattened. Their owners must be so pissed off¡­

    Wait, now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about things like that!

    A wailing cry rose from the direction everyone was heading. ¡°They¡¯re here! The enemy¡¯s here! Run! RUN! The other way! Run!¡±

    Suddenly, the tide of people began to surge in the opposite direction. But an abrupt reverse was impossible; the people at the front made an about-face, while those behind them kept going straight ahead. And Haruhiro was unfortunate enough to be caught right at the center of the switch. He found himself smashed in, unable to move at all.

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡ªcan¡¯t breathe! Quit pushing!¡± he gasped.

    He was going to be crushed to death. To die like this¡­ you¡¯ve gotta be kidding! Somehow, Haruhiro shoved and dodged his way through the mass of people, until he reached a still erect merchant stall. He ducked through the black curtain that served as the entrance.

    ¡°Ugh, gross¡­¡± His nose rebelled at the stench.

    And it wasn¡¯t just the smell that was weird; the objects that lined the counter and shelves were odd as well, filled with mounted animals, animal remains, bones, fangs, feathers, and even accessories made from the aforementioned.

    ¡°Over here¡­¡±

    The suddenness of the voice made Haruhiro jump, yelping. When he looked, a crinkled old woman dressed in black was beckoning to him from behind a counter. It was evident to Haruhiro that she was totally shady.

    ¡°Come here!¡± the old woman commanded reprovingly when Haruhiro failed to answer straight away.

    Timidly, Haruhiro sauntered over. ¡°Err, this your store, ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°How rude! I ain¡¯t no old ma¡¯am! Call me young miss!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ miss¡­¡± Haruhiro started to correct himself as the old woman smiled.

    ¡°Go on¡­¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not a¡­ I mean, you don¡¯t look¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re going to play the straight-man, then don¡¯t half-ass it!¡±

    That¡¯s because the funny-man¡ªwoman¡ªis damn shady in the first place, Haruhiro thought, but didn¡¯t say.

    The old woman shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m Madam Baaba.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am is short for madam!¡± Haruhiro shot back.

    The old woman harrumphed. ¡°That¡¯s more like it, straight-man.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks. I guess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you start getting sarcastic with me, boy!¡± She stopped. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s start over. My name is Madam Baaba, a spellcrafter and, as you can see, owner of this magical goods shop. Are you a member of the reserve force?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± Haruhiro replied, trying his best to steal glances outside and not breathe through his nose.

    The door curtain prevented any view of what was going on. However, Haruhiro could still hear a significant clamor coming from out there. The attack was still ongoing, or so it seemed.

    ¡°An invasion? Really?¡± he whispered to himself.

    ¡°Orcs? Oh well. It happens once in a while,¡± Madam Baaba remarked off-handedly. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be a rookie, would you?¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been working for Crimson Moon that long.¡±

    ¡°I thought as much. Are you a virgin?¡±

    ¡°A what?!¡±

    ¡°Silly boy. I¡¯m not talking about whether or not you¡¯ve done it with a girl before! Reserve force soldiers are considered virgins ¡¯til they¡¯ve killed an orc. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡¯re a double-virgin?!¡±

    ¡°Single, double, triple, WHO CARES?!¡±

    ¡°Not an ounce of ambition!¡± Madam Baaba pointed an accusing finger at him. ¡°You¡¯re a man, aren¡¯t you? A young man, right? You want to kill orcs and sleep with girls, don¡¯t you? What are you going to do without the drive?!¡±

    ¡°So what? What¡¯s the big deal?!¡±

    ¡°Idiot boy!¡± Madam Baaba yelled, spittle flying.

    She looked as if she was going to rip into him more, but the door curtain suddenly flew open. Haruhiro blinked in surprise as someone entered. It wasn¡¯t someone though, it was something. No human being, after all, had green skin.

    It was huge, too. Not in height so much as girth. It was barrel-chested, with a nose that looked like it had been smashed in; pointed ears, boar-like tusks sticking out from the corners of its broad mouth, and blood red hair. It was armored and wielded a single-edged sword.

    Just as Haruhiro was wondering what the hell it was, Madam Baaba shouted, ¡°ORRRRRC!¡± She was holding something like a walking stick in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s in my shop! Soldier Boy, now¡¯s your chance to lose your virginity! Get to it!¡±

    ¡°M-me?!¡± Haruhiro stammered as he tried to unsheathe his dagger; he couldn¡¯t quite get a grip on it. ¡°N-no way! I¡¯m alone, and my class is Thief!¡±

    ¡°So what?! I¡¯m an old granny! Grow a backbone, Thief!¡± Madam Baaba scolded as she gave Haruhiro a rough shove in the back.

    ¡°W-whoa!¡± He almost fell flat on his face. She was pretty strong for an old granny.

    The orc had been drawing closer all the while and Haruhiro found himself in deep trouble. It lunged and swung and stabbed at him with its sword, shouting in a language that he couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°What the¡ª! No way!¡± He deflected and dodged the attacks but soon found his back pressed against the counter.

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing?!¡± Madam Baaba screeched at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me?!¡± Haruhiro flipped himself over the top of the counter and tried to make a run for it.

    ¡°OSHUU BAGDA!!!¡± the orc cried, leaping up and over in pursuit.

    There was no way. Haruhiro was going to die. He was going to be killed. He shouted wildly, grabbing any and all objects in reach to throw at the orc. But even if it got hit, the orc acted as if he didn¡¯t even feel it.

    No way! No way, no way, NO WAY! Words failed to express how bad things were. Haruhiro dove through the door curtain and was outside the shop once more.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not following?¡± he whispered to himself. No sooner were the words out of his mouth that Madam Baaba¡¯s came from within. ¡°Soldier Boy! How could you just leave an old granny to die?! Oh, the inhumanity!¡±

    ¡°And what exactly do you expect me to do¡­?¡± Haruhiro muttered.

    He could see the outlines of other orcs in the distance. After all, he reasoned, this was an invasion, so of course there would be more than one. Tons more. This was bad. Really bad. Horribly bad. He had to run. Hide somewhere, maybe, until people who could deal with the orcs came. It wasn¡¯t like Madam Baaba was a friend or anything. She was a total stranger. He had no obligation to help her. And it wasn¡¯t like he could help even if he wanted to.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice¡­¡±

    He took a single, deep breath¡ªand yanked the shop¡¯s door curtain open again. Damn it! What am I doing?! Hadn¡¯t he been about to run? He still wanted to. His desire to run away was almost overwhelming. But if he left her, even if it had been a total stranger, he knew that he would never sleep well again.

    So he didn¡¯t have a choice. It wasn¡¯t just because it would haunt him forever if he didn¡¯t¡ªit was because this was the only thing a decent human being could possibly do.

    The orc swung its sword down at Madam Baaba. She blocked it with her walking stick, grunting as the force brought her almost to her knees, her face turning bright red with the effort of staying afoot. It was a good thing the walking stick was sturdy, but though she had stopped the orc¡¯s attack, it was a close call. This was no time to be impressed, though; things were about as desperate as it got.

    Haruhiro drew his dagger and set his sights on the orc¡¯s back. ¡°[BACKSTAB]!¡±

    The blade, however, slipped off and was turned aside by the orc¡¯s armor. It turned towards Haruhiro and bellowed, ¡°GASHUU HA!¡±

    ¡°Soldier Boy!¡± Madam Baaba¡¯s eyes were visibly sparkly. ¡°I think I¡¯m falling in love!¡±

    ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t!¡± Haruhiro snapped, turning his back to the orc. ¡°Come over here! Or¡­ never mind!¡±

    Unfortunately, the attention of the orc had now shifted from Madam Baaba to Haruhiro. Should have stopped myself¡­ Haruhiro thought. Should have run while I had the chance¡­ But it was too late for regrets now.

    ¡°HASHUU HASHUU HASHUU!¡± The orc chanted as he chased Haruhiro out of the shop.

    Haruhiro ran until his breathing became heavy and ragged. His armor was light and he was running for all he was worth, and yet the orc, despite wearing heavy armor, kept up easily. He couldn¡¯t put any distance between them at all.

    ¡°Scary¡­¡± he muttered, turning into a small street. Trying to give the orc the slip, he wedged himself between the narrow rows of stalls, forcing his way through.

    But the orc was right behind him, armor clanking, following Haruhiro every step of the way. Haruhiro wanted to give up. He wanted to say to the orc, Excuse me, but can we cross the finish line now? Would that be okay with you?

    He decided to call the next turn that finish line. Haruhiro would stick it out until then, and after that¡­ it was probably not possible to keep going. He was at his limits, both mentally and physically. Sorry, but it was time to retire.

    Haruhiro turned the corner, half-stumbling around the bend, when a low, husky voice commanded, ¡°Get down!¡±

    He obeyed reflexively and felt something sweep across the top of his head. That something was a sword. Around the corner, someone had been waiting. The owner of the husky voice. He had swung his sword in a horizontal slicing motion, missing Haruhiro¡¯s head by mere inches, and connected with the orc.

    The orc made a surprised gurgling noise and Haruhiro turned just in time to see the orc¡¯s head fly off its shoulders. The silver-haired man who had killed it had his back turned to Haruhiro.

    Renji.

    Renji had joined Crimson Moon the same day as Haruhiro, but it sure didn¡¯t look that way. Over his stylish armor was a fur-lined cloak and in his hand was an impressive looking blade. Haruhiro knew Renji was a different sort the moment he laid eyes on him, but even so, it was hard to believe the difference was this big.

    One hit, after all. Renji had killed that orc in one blow. The difference was too great.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Renji asked, to which Haruhiro could only nod mechanically.

    Not cool. Not cool at all. Why am I so pathetic? Intensely embarrassed, Haruhiro hurriedly got back up to his feet thinking that he at least had to say thanks, but not able to find his voice.

    ¡°Renji, you¡¯ve pissed them off again!¡± The new voice had belonged to a splendidly armored man with short cropped hair. He was pointing to the other side of the street.

    It was Ron. When Haruhiro looked to where he was pointing, he saw three orcs coming directly at them.

    ¡°Jeeru mea gram fel kanon!¡± chanted Adachi, the Mage with the black-rimmed glasses, as he etched an elemental glyph with the tip of his staff.

    Haruhiro had no idea what type of magic that was. A bluish elemental flew towards one of the orcs and twined itself around its legs. The orc didn¡¯t trip or fall over, but it could no longer walk properly. The other two orcs didn¡¯t even blink at their disabled companion. They kept coming.

    Suddenly, a long leg shot out from the alleyway to connect to an orc¡¯s knee. The orc could not possibly have dodged, the kick was timed so impeccably. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t be sure, but it looked like the Thief¡¯s fighting technique, [KNEESHATTER]. The orc fell forward with a heavy grunt. The person who took it down was scantily dressed in bright, flashy colors.

    Sassa, huh¡­

    ¡°Nice!¡± said Ron, as he advanced forward to engage the last.

    Ron wasn¡¯t short by any measure; however, he still looked it compared to the orc. But despite his smaller build, Ron¡¯s string of attacks steadily pushed it back. Meanwhile, the orc that Sassa had disabled was starting to get back to its feet to rejoin its companions, though it looked to be in a lot of pain. Sassa did not intend to let it. She stood before it to block its way, and at less than five feet tall, she became dwarfed by its hulking form.

    A girl dressed in Priest¡¯s clothes and carrying a short staff was there in the thick of things, too, but she came across to Haruhiro like a small child doing her best to play adult. What was Chibi trying to do?

    Chibi muttered something and stuck her staff straight out at the orc. The orc roared at her and made to sweep her staff aside with its sword.

    ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± Haruhiro¡¯s voice caught in his throat.

    The orc¡¯s swing missed as Chibi brought not just the tip of the staff, but the entire shaft around in an arc.

    ¡°Yah!¡± she squeaked. Utilizing the momentum of the swing, she brought it back around to smack into the orc¡¯s lower back.

    It didn¡¯t bring the orc down, but it did get its attention. The orc stopped in its tracks, and Chibi hopped back to where Renji waited.

    He patted her head with a large hand and said, ¡°Well done, Chibi.¡±

    Chibi made a cooing noise, her face turning beet red.

    The next moment, Renji buried the edge of his heavy sword in the orc¡¯s shoulder. It hardly mattered that the orc wore sturdy-looking armor¡ªthis was Renji, after all. He yanked his sword out, and at the same time kicked the orc square in the chest with enough force to send it flying. This flailing orc, trying to keep from falling over, was nothing to Renji. He killed it easily by thrusting his sword into the base of its throat, twisting it as it cut through.

    A howl erupted from the orc that Ron was fighting; it had been forced back onto its knees by Ron¡¯s relentless attacks, and he would have no trouble finishing it now. Punctuating them with shouts, Ron rained blows to the top of its head in blazingly fast succession, and he didn¡¯t stop until its skull was wide open.

    Strong¡­ and loud, too, noted Haruhiro.

    In the time Haruhiro had spent watching Ron in awe, Renji had meanwhile been moving. Right now, he was closing in on the orc that Adachi had magically disabled earlier, and the way that Renji maneuvered¡ªit reminded Haruhiro of Master Barbara from his Thieves Guild. His motions were almost her motions, stealthy and silent.

    Haruhiro found himself captivated despite himself.

    Not to mention the way Renji handled his sword. It looked pretty heavy, and yet Renji swung and spun it as if it were simply an extension of his own arm. He had sliced through the first orc¡¯s neck, bone and all, like it was nothing more than tissue paper. Haruhiro thought that to be the most fascinating. How could Renji slice through something as hard as bone as if it were nothing?

    ¡°That¡¯s the last of them,¡± Ron said, tapping himself on the shoulder with his sword.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t move, he was so astounded¡ªand maybe his awe was why he noticed, when no one else did. Maybe it was because his eyes needed to be in more than one place, so that even though he wasn¡¯t trying to pay attention to absolutely everything, his view of the scene was still broader than theirs.

    Something had moved. From the top of a building. The roof.

    ¡°Renji, above you!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    Renji jumped backwards immediately. A split second slower and he would have been cut down, there and then.

    Something had descended upon Renji from the top of the building. It was an orc by all appearances; however, its hair was white, with some silvery sheen to it. Oddly enough, Renji¡¯s hair was silver too.

    It¡¯s some kind of law of the universe, Haruhiro thought. Silver hair equals damn cray.

    Just like Renji, that orc was damn cray, damn straight. It wasn¡¯t just its size. It was outfitted in ebony black armor, and the cloak draped over his shoulders was striped like a tiger¡¯s pelt¡ªor perhaps it really was a tiger¡¯s pelt. It was so flashy that you couldn¡¯t call it anything but frickin¡¯ insanely damn cray.

    Every inch of its face was covered in tattoos. Frickin¡¯ raw and damn cray. Its gaze. Damn cray. Yellow colored eyes. Ferocious and damn cray. Its expression was supremely composed and calm, so it was probably fairly smart. Damn cray.

    Finally, the sword it held in its hands. This purple tinted, single-edged sword, thick and long, its edge razor sharp, its tip serrated¡ªcray-cray to the max, goddamn.

    On top of all that, as the cray orc turned to face Renji, about ten more orcs appeared on the rooftops of the buildings around them. This was so beyond damn cray that it was probably one of those fucked-up-beyond-all-repair situations.

    The orcs moved to descend from the rooftops, but they stopped when the tiger pelt clad, boss-like orc raised its left hand. It opened its mouth and began to speak.

    ¡°I am¡­¡±

    What? Haruhiro was confused. Did it just say, ¡°I am¡±?

    ¡°¡­Ishh Dogrann. You, what?¡±

    It talked. Sure, its speech was a little broken, but it spoke in the human language. The corners of Renji¡¯s mouth curved slightly upwards. He was smiling. He did always seem to be smiling, but wasn¡¯t it just a little weird to be smiling at a time like this?

    ¡°The name¡¯s Renji. You gonna fight me, Ishh Dogrann?¡±

    ¡°ONN GASHUU RADDO!¡± The other orcs lowered their weapons as one at their boss, Ishh Dogrann¡¯s, command.

    Does that mean it wants to fight in single combat?

    ¡°No one interfere,¡± Renji ordered the others in his party, his voice low.

    Was he really going to do it? Fight one-on-one? Was Renji actually serious? It seemed like it.

    They clashed. Haruhiro didn¡¯t see who made the first move. Each blade met the other in a series of loud clangs; sparks flew, and their crossguards locked as both leaned in to try to overpower each other. But they weren¡¯t just pressing in there¡ªthey were also subtly shifting their body weight so they could use their knees, too.

    If Haruhiro had been kneed with the knees those two were dishing out, he would have been knocked head over heels with the first blow. They each wanted to break the other¡¯s balance, but they both remained on their feet. They separated in a flash.

    Ishh Dogrann targeted Renji¡¯s leg, but Renji jumped to avoid getting swept out and answered with a swing at Ishh Dogrann¡¯s head. The orc boss blocked it with a gauntleted forearm, ducked sharply, and¡ªand its tiger cloak. It had lobbed its cloak at Renji.

    Haruhiro was taken completely by surprise at the move, but Renji wasn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t panic, didn¡¯t make any noise, he merely snatched the cloak out of the air and thrust his sword at the orc. Ishh Dogrann had probably intended to surprise Renji with it and make an exploitable opening.

    When the ploy failed, the orc withdrew a little and crouched in a low ready stance.

    ¡°Good. Human. You¡¯re good. Warrior.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Renji replied curtly, closing the distance between them.

    Their blades met again. This time, though, it was Renji who was on the offensive. Haruhiro¡¯s hands had curled themselves into tight fists.

    Renji can do this. He can win. Kill it! Take it down!

    Or so Haruhiro believed. Or so it had seemed. Renji was dominating, keeping an obvious upper hand. Evidently, apparently¡ªyet in the blink of an eye, Ishh Dogrann¡¯s sword slashed deep into Renji¡¯s left arm.

    What? Haruhiro had no idea how it happened.

    Renji separated from the orc, flexing his arm. The blood flowing from the horrible gash near his elbow was incredible in its profusion. The others on Team Renji gasped and shouted their concern while cheers went up from the orcs surrounding them.

    Renji lowered his left arm, keeping his grip on his sword with his right. It seemed he intended to continue one handed¡ªnot that the wound on his left gave him any other choice. That arm was probably useless now. But Renji¡¯s sword was large and heavy. He was at a clear disadvantage.

    He took a deep breath¡­ and smiled. Despite all that, he was still smiling.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± he told the orc boss.

    The smile was different from the one he wore before. It wasn¡¯t just the corners of his mouth this time; his smile now stretched across his entire face. It made Haruhiro shudder.

    Scary¡­ that Renji¡¯s downright terrifying, he thought, and not for the first time. Renji had been so since the beginning.

    Renji went on the offensive again. Ishh Dogrann, still wielding his blade with both arms, parried Renji¡¯s one-armed attacks with ease. Renji¡¯s blows were lighter than before, and if they were to clash directly now, he might fail to match the orc boss¡¯ strength.

    Indeed, it seemed as if the orc was close to stripping Renji¡¯s sword out of his hand entirely¡ªRenji was only barely able to keep his grip on it. It left his upper body, from chest to head, completely open to attack.

    Chibi let out a high-pitched yelp as Ishh Dogrann slammed the back of his armored fist into Renji¡¯s face. The gauntlet he wore was mostly metal and the plates extended all the way to his knuckles. The blow broke Renji¡¯s nose; smashed it in so hard, he was covered in blood in mere seconds.

    Renji, still smiling, attacked again.

    His attacks were blocked or deflected at every turn even as the orc boss rained counterattacks down on him. Before long, Renji was covered in wounds. He had armor on, but it wasn¡¯t the type that completely enclosed its wearer from head to toe. Ishh Dogrann aimed his attacks at the open areas with surgical precision. Even worse, the orc boss¡¯ dreadful sword was able to rip off smaller pieces of armor entirely.

    ¡°OSHUU! OSHUU! OSHUU!¡± The orc underlings chanted excitedly, their feet stamping a tattoo into the ground.

    Renji kept on attacking, but Haruhiro could barely stand to watch. Pure willpower was the only thing that could be keeping Renji going now. Either that, or perhaps Renji knew that if he switched to defense, he would be overpowered in an instant. He had no choice but to stay on the offensive.

    ¡°Ron!¡± Haruhiro couldn¡¯t bear remaining silent any longer. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to help him?! You¡¯re just going to stand there?! Adachi! Chibi! Sassa! Renji¡¯s gonna die!¡±

    ¡°If we do that¡­¡± said Sassa, face pale and sweaty¡ªshe forced herself to smile sardonically. ¡°Renji will kill us afterwards.¡±

    Chibi said something as well, her expression as fierce as if she wanted to write her feelings on her face. Haruhiro didn¡¯t really think this was her hinting at something, but he couldn¡¯t be sure.

    Renji attacked yet again, and yet again Ishh Dogrann deflected it with ease. The scene had not changed. The orc looking as if it was going to strip Renji¡¯s sword out of his hand, Renji barely managing to keep a hold on it, leaving his upper body completely exposed to attack. This was bad. Nothing was changing. Renji was going to lose.

    Ishh Dogrann made to punch Renji in the face once more¡ªonly this time, Renji did not let him.

    Renji gripped his sword with both hands and raised it high. The orc boss quickly veered backwards to dodge the incoming blow.

    But that was impossible. This couldn¡¯t happen. Renji¡¯s left arm was supposed to have been rendered completely useless¡­ but right before Haruhiro¡¯s eyes, there he stood, handling his sword with a firm two-handed grip.

    Renji let out a savage, bloodcurdling cry. Haruhiro didn¡¯t think that Ishh Dogrann would back off just for that¡ªbut for a split second, the orc did freeze in his tracks. Renji brought down his sword in a diagonal slash, his blade cutting deep into the orc boss¡¯ shoulder.

    He then completely let go of his blade and knocked Ishh Dogrann down with a single punch. Relentlessly, Renji continued to pummel the orc boss, but his rage was not wild and aimless. It was a methodical fury. With discipline and meticulous precision.

    Ishh Dogrann was no longer moving. Silence fell upon the entire area, with the only noise echoing through the streets being that of a dull thudding, of Renji¡¯s systematic strikes. All was absolutely still except for Renji. He clasped both hands together, raised them high over his head, then smashed what little remained of the orc boss¡¯ face in.

    Renji heaved a deep sigh and flexed his neck left and right. ¡°Not bad. Not bad at all, Ishh Dogrann. I¡¯ll be sure to remember your name.¡±

    Ron snorted. ¡°You¡¯re a mess, Renji.¡±

    Light glinted off Adachi¡¯s glasses as he glared at the orcs on the rooftop above. Sassa still looked unsteady on her feet. Chibi scurried hurriedly over to Renji, but he merely waved her off, and picked up Ishh Dogrann¡¯s sword instead. He pointed it at the orcs loitering above.

    ¡°What? You want to give me a try? Then come down here! I¡¯ll take all of you on.¡±

    Isn¡¯t he being a bit over the top? Haruhiro thought. But of course Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but think that. If he wasn¡¯t still half-numb, he might have realized that it was a good idea to talk big in a situation like this.

    One of the orcs made a waving motion with his hand. Several of the others made grunting noises that sounded like a protest, but fell silent when the gaze of the first orc fell upon them. They then withdrew as a unit.

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­¡± Haruhiro barely managed to get a grip on himself and keep from sinking down to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve been rescued.¡±

    It had all happened right before his eyes, yet he still couldn¡¯t believe it. He gazed at Renji, looked away, then looked at him again. Renji was ridiculously strong and beyond incredible. Comparing his group to Renji, words like ¡°inadequate¡± or ¡°envious¡± just didn¡¯t seem to cut it anymore.

    Renji was strong. Just too strong.

    Haruhiro sighed and looked down at his hands. They were empty. He glanced around the immediate area, but it wasn¡¯t there. Shihoru¡¯s hat. When had he lost hold of it? It wasn¡¯t a huge deal, but he still couldn¡¯t remember. It was gone.

    ¡°¡­What have I been doing?¡± he whispered to himself.

 Volume 2 - CH 2

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 2: Inept Executive

    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s kinda how it happened!¡±

    Haruhiro still couldn¡¯t get over what had transpired even when he related the story to his companions later. Ranto, Mogzo, Shihoru, and Mary were all sitting at a corner at the back of Sherry¡¯s Tavern, but it wasn¡¯t just them. People drinking nearby were listening too. The attention made Haruhiro a little embarrassed.

    He cleared his throat and went on. ¡°Anyways, Team Renji¡¯s amazing. And Renji the person is beyond amazing. That orc Ishh Dogrann seemed really strong too, and halfway through the fight, I thought Renji was done for. But he wasn¡¯t. Not for real, anyway. It was like he was faking it, kinda like tricking the orc. Even I was completely sure that he couldn¡¯t use his left arm¡ªso was Ishh Dogrann.¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Ranta mussed and pulled at his already messy hair. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that his disadvantage was really his trump card? And he kept it up his sleeve until he was at a bigger disadvantage?! Screw that! Goddamn showoff! Fuck him! I can do that too! I can do that one hundred percent!¡±

    Yume glared coldly at him. ¡°So you¡¯re okay with dyin¡¯ if you mess up?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t mess up! There¡¯s no way I could mess up! It¡¯s a known fact!¡±

    Shihoru, who ended up having to get a new hat, also looked disdainful. ¡°What makes you so sure?¡±

    ¡°What? Um¡­ Because¡­¡± Ranta fell silent in thought. In the end though, it didn¡¯t seem like he could come up with anything. Instead he said, ¡°Stupid! I don¡¯t need any shitty reason! I just know it! SELF-CONFIDENCE! It¡¯s all about self-confidence!¡±

    Mary sighed softly as she brought her ceramic mug to her lips. ¡°I think that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°See?! Mary agrees with me! You guys are all amateurs and she¡¯s the veteran so she¡¯s right and you¡¯re wrong! Amateurs!¡±

    ¡°But overconfidence may also become one¡¯s undoing,¡± she added quietly, gazing meaningfully at Ranta.

    ¡°Er¡ª¡± Ranta seemed to be at a loss for another comeback.

    Mary had spoken the truth. She knew better than any other. Three of her original party had died this way. Because things went so well for them at first, they ended up overestimating their own ability, falling into disaster.

    ¡°B-but still,¡± uttered Mogzo. As usual, his prized helm lay on the table next to him. ¡°Team Renji¡¯s really something. We all arrived here at the same time, but they¡¯re miles above us¡­¡±

    Once Haruhiro had finished ¡°The Legend of Renji¡±, the other clients who surrounded their table to listen in laughed good-naturedly and slapped Haruhiro on the shoulder.

    ¡°Work hard and catch up, Goblin Slayers!¡± they told him, and went about their own business once more.

    Ranta stuck his tongue out at them and hissed, ¡°Piss off. Don¡¯t take us for losers!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up,¡± Yume said, resting her chin in both hands. ¡°Yume thinks we¡¯re fine goin¡¯ at our paces.¡±

    ¡°You mean our own pace, Yume,¡± Haruhiro corrected mildly, nodding in agreement. ¡°And I agree. I mean, now that I¡¯ve seen Renji in action first-hand, it¡¯s like he¡¯s cut from a different cloth. We couldn¡¯t imitate him even if we tried, and to be honest, I don¡¯t even think we¡¯ll get anything out of paying attention to him¡­¡±

    ¡°To force ourselves¡­¡± Shihoru started, but quickly fell silent.

    Her gaze dropped to the floor, as if she was trying very hard to keep herself from saying whatever it was she wanted to say. Perhaps she was recalling their own precious, lost friend.

    ¡°And if we end up in a situation where we¡¯ve got no way out, we might lose everything,¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    ¡°You guys have no ambition!¡± Ranta pointed from Yume to Haruhiro to Shihoru. ¡°Do you know how pathetic you guys sound?! No pain, no gain! No guts, no glory! No risk, no return! If you want a high return, then you gotta man up and risk it all!¡±

    Haruhiro felt his temper rising. ¡°I think it¡¯s better to minimize risks and maximize returns as best we can. In fact, that¡¯s what we¡¯ve been doing all along.¡±

    ¡°All along, huh.¡± Ranta scoffed disdainfully. ¡°I¡¯ll say it right here and now: That¡¯s why we¡¯re rock bottom! Don¡¯t you get it? Guys, look around you!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to see?¡± Haruhiro said skeptically, but looked around the tavern nonetheless.

    When he did, he realized Ranta¡¯s point. Out of all the other Crimson Moon members gathered at Sherry¡¯s, their appearance was the shabbiest of all. But Haruhiro felt they couldn¡¯t do anything about how they looked. Most of their armor and weapons were used, and because they were still living in the shared lodge with no locks, they carried all of their valuables with them.

    It didn¡¯t matter whether they were in Damroww or at Sherry¡¯s Tavern; they wore the same clothing no matter where they went. To be sure, it did make their appearance look grungy and dirty.

    ¡°Did you guys even think about it before?¡± Ranta said impatiently, tapping the tabletop with his finger. ¡°So what if Renji¡¯s on a completely different level? He started out when we did! Don¡¯t keep saying shit like ¡®there¡¯s nothing we can do about who-what-where¡¯. We¡¯re in a different position now!¡±

    Mogzo dipped his head, and he looked up at Ranta. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    Ranta continued. ¡°From what I hear, a new batch has arrived. We¡¯re not the newest arrivals anymore. Before our group, there was a batch of three. Actually, they haven¡¯t even bought their Crimson Moon contracts yet, but they¡¯re considered something of a deviant case anyway. Now, our group was twelve, but this next group¡¯s even bigger. They¡¯re all still training with their guilds now, but that¡¯s gonna be over soon. They¡¯ll form parties and maybe even start working in Damroww.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Yume replied, pouting. ¡°If they come, let ¡¯em come. If we¡¯re greedy and wanna keep the area all to ourselves what are we gonna do if we get into trouble? And Yume reckons with more parties around, we can all team up and take out bigger gobbie groups.¡±

    Haruhiro acknowledged Yume¡¯s opinion, but Haruhiro found that he couldn¡¯t welcome the newcomers as wholeheartedly as she did. Not counting Mary, Haruhiro¡¯s party was the least experienced of all Crimson Moon members. They couldn¡¯t help it if they were the weakest and most ineffectual.

    But it was just as Ranta said. Haruhiro realized they were rock bottom now, and when they were the newest of rookies, maybe there hadn¡¯t been anything they could do about it. But their situation was about to change very soon. They would no longer be the newcomers.

    If they took it too easy, they would be surpassed by the new batch. Wasn¡¯t that just¡­ beyond pathetic?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to be too impatient,¡± Mary said, as if she had read Haruhiro¡¯s mind.

    Maybe she¡¯s right. Even if they wanted to rush to advance, they were only capable of doing so much. Maybe some people could skip stairsteps or leap up entire flights, but not Haruhiro. Running risks would be fine if failure meant they could get back up and dust themselves off, but failure could very well mean death. Better to advance step-by-step, slowly and cautiously.

    But¡­ A small voice inside Haruhiro whispered. Are you sure you¡¯re advancing at all? Are you sure you¡¯re still moving upwards? Or are you just running circles around the same place?

    ¡°What if,¡± Haruhiro ventured, purposely keeping his gaze down at the table rather than meet anyone¡¯s eyes, ¡°and this is a very hypothetical ¡®if¡¯¡­ but what if we tried somewhere other than Damroww? We can¡¯t keep hunting goblins forever, right? I don¡¯t think it would be a bad idea to go somewhere else, maybe. Of course we don¡¯t have to move, but it seems like we¡¯ll get stuck in a rut if we¡¯re in Damroww all the time. And if it starts to get monotonous, we might get careless or something like that. I think maybe we¡¯d need something fresh and exciting. But I mean, it¡¯s just an idea¡­¡±

    ¡°Haruhiroooo,¡± said Ranta, grinning from ear to ear, ¡°you come up with some pretty good ideas once in a while. Only just once in a while! And of course I¡¯m completely for it!¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± Yume replied without skipping a beat, ¡°Yume ain¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then me neither,¡± Shihoru said.

    Clearly Yume and Shihoru¡¯s rebuff was based on their overriding dislike of Ranta. Mogzo didn¡¯t reply right away, but his expression was that of someone deep in thought. What about Mary? What did she think? Haruhiro could glean nothing from either her expression or body language.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really proposing anything,¡± Haruhiro said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s just hypothetical. Something to think about, maybe. But we¡¯ve explored Damroww¡¯s Old Town from end to end, and I think maybe it¡¯s a good idea to think about what we¡¯re going to do next.¡±

    ¡°Do next?¡± Yume fiddled with her twin-braids, pulling them right then left. ¡°If things were nice today, ain¡¯t that good enough? What¡¯s wrong with doin¡¯ the same thing every day? We haven¡¯t gotten ourselves into any really dangerous fights lately, and we¡¯ve been savin¡¯ up our money, too. Yume¡¯s alright with the way it is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause you¡¯ve got no desire to move up in life!¡± Ranta stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not even human, ¡®cause if you were, you¡¯d aim to grow. You¡¯re like a pig in its stall!¡±

    ¡°Baby piggies are just darlin¡¯!¡± Yume shot back. ¡°But once baby piggies become big ol¡¯ pigs, they¡¯re not as cute, so Yume reckons it¡¯s better for them piggies not to grow!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ranta said. ¡°Why are we talking about piglets all of a sudden? What do piglets have anything to do with anything?! I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause Ranta¡¯s stupid. Not Yume¡¯s fault,¡± Yume replied curtly.

    ¡°Quit blaming other people all the time! And I¡¯m not stupid, you¡¯re stupid!¡±

    ¡°Idiot! Retard! Jerk!¡±

    ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    ¡°Could both of you please stop?¡± Mogzo said, but too gently for his words to have any effect.

    Haruhiro took a sip of lemonade from his wooden mug. Was he in too much of a hurry to advance? He couldn¡¯t completely deny feeling the need to pick up the pace, but he wasn¡¯t really considering catching up to Team Renji either. They were on a completely different level, after all. Even so, was it okay for them to just remain the way they were?

    He could understand where Yume was coming from, but what if they really were surpassed by the next batch? Haruhiro was definitely not okay with that. Maybe he would be kind of upset if that happened. Perhaps even¡­ quite upset.

    What was their main goal? For all practical purposes, it was and had always been survival, at least for the time being. To live from day to day and to maintain at least a minimal standard of living.

    They had their Crimson Moon contracts now, so they got to stay at their current lodge for free. It was shabby, but it served to keep the wind and rain out. And since housing was no more than a place to sleep, the money they saved by not finding housing elsewhere was well worth it. Cheap food was available if they were careful in picking the right places, so minimal food expenditures were entirely possible.

    But staying in shabby lodgings and scrimping on food made for a hard life. It would be nice if they could rent a room equipped with a lockable door for a month, or even at least a week or so. There were more personal possessions all around lately, so they were carrying a good amount of stuff with them everywhere they went.

    If they continued working in Damroww, they would definitely be able to afford better housing¡­ one day. They wouldn¡¯t have to take any risks, and they wouldn¡¯t have to push themselves too hard. What if they decided to take on a new challenge and ended up meeting disaster?

    Maybe they¡¯d die. Not maybe. Meeting disaster meant they¡¯d definitely die, and nothing less. Like Manato. Haruhiro didn¡¯t want anyone else to die. He didn¡¯t want to make that mistake again, so the current matter needed to be given the utmost gravity.

    Which raised the question¡ªif life was at stake, then what was wrong with just doing what they¡¯ve been doing? However, when Haruhiro thought about it, he realized that after they had bought their Crimson Moon contracts, they weren¡¯t returning to Damroww day after day for money to learn new skills with, or spells, or to buy weapons and armor. Not anymore. They were doing it without any real purpose.

    Everyone¡¯s enthusiasm had been much higher when they were striving to accomplish a real objective. There was a sense of urgency¡ªa need to constantly push themselves to be better. Everyone knew that without becoming stronger, they would never be able to succeed in their desire to avenge Manato.

    But those days were over. It was a job well done, a mission completed.

    Or so it felt to Haruhiro. Was he able to say that somewhere between then and now, everyone hadn¡¯t become lax? That everyonehadn¡¯t become comfortable and complacent?

    That wasn¡¯t to say that carrying on as they were now was bad. It meant simplicity and an easy life. But Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but think that eventually, it would really come back to bite them in the ass.

    When no one offered any further opinions, the discussion ended without reaching any real conclusion.

    Shihoru timidly suggested, ¡°Um, should we call it a night?¡±

    Haruhiro and the others got up, said their goodnights to Mary at the exit, and started on their way back to the lodge. Halfway there, Haruhiro stopped.

    ¡°You guys go ahead,¡± he told the others. ¡°I¡¯m going to, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re goin¡¯?¡± Yume blinked. ¡°Goin¡¯ to what? Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ restroom! Yeah, the restroom! I don¡¯t think I can hold it all the way back, so¡­¡±

    Ranta snorted lightly. ¡°Just go behind a bush or something. There¡¯s plenty of them around here. We¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    Why is it, Haruhiro thought with annoyance, that only when I need him to the least, Ranta thinks to be courteous? He probably wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose, but it irritated Haruhiro to no end.

    ¡°No way I¡¯m going to pee in public,¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°I¡¯ll find a shop or something and use their bathroom.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Mr. High-Class-Act,¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Haruhiro allowed the irksome Ranta return ahead of him with his non-irksome companions, while he doubled back to Sherry¡¯s. He did have a feeling that he had seen Mary reentering the tavern after they¡¯d left earlier and a quick look around upon entering confirmed it.

    Mary was sitting alone at the far end of the bar. He approached her now and indicated the seat next to her. ¡°Mary. Can I sit?¡±

    Mary seemed a little surprised, but nodded. ¡°Sure. Didn¡¯t you all leave?¡±

    ¡°I thought the same for you,¡± Haruhiro replied with a slight smile as he settled into the chair next to her. ¡°You¡¯re actually drinking? Something alcoholic?¡±

    As if a little embarrassed, Mary dropped her gaze and pulled the ceramic mug closer to herself. ¡°I was in the mood for one last cup of mead.¡±

    ¡°Is mead that honey liquor? Then I think I¡¯ll have one too.¡±

    The whole reason Haruhiro returned was to talk to Mary about a certain subject, yet he found it hard to start. Though it had been quite a difficult subject to broach with everyone else present, for different reasons it was quite a difficult subject with everyone gone, too.

    The serving girl returned with the mead. It wasn¡¯t honey colored, but reddish. Other ingredients must have been added to it. Haruhiro took a drink and discovered it to be sweet with a hint of sour.

    ¡°It¡¯s flavored with a bit of raspberry syrup,¡± Mary informed him.

    ¡°Ah, I see. I thought it tasted a bit fruity. It¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡±

    Pathetic, Haruhiro scolded himself. His inability to start the conversation was pathetic. I suck. I completely suck.

    ¡°Mary, you¡¯ve been in lots of parties, right? I just wanted to ask¡­¡±

    Haruhiro thought he might have seen a change in Mary¡¯s expression, and knew right away that he had blundered. Mary was a committed team member now, but that did not mean she had left her past behind, nor that she had returned to the cheery self she used to be. It was understandable not to want reminders of those events past, and Haruhiro regretted it.

    But Mary gave him a tiny shake of her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t want to make you uncomfortable because¡ªwell, I don¡¯t want to, uh, y¡¯know¡ªI mean, I¡¯m the one who brought the whole thing up¡ª¡± Haruhiro was blabbering nervously.

    ¡°What did you want to ask me?¡±

    Maybe he was just reading too much into it, but Mary¡¯s expression seemed to harden. Stopping now, however, would make it worse.

    ¡°I was just wondering,¡± Haruhiro said carefully, ¡°what you think about our party. How well we do. Wait, actually, not ¡®we¡¯. Just me.¡±

    ¡°How well you do in what, Haru?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ It¡¯s kinda strange for me to talk about myself this way, but I¡¯m, you know, sorta kinda the leader?¡±

    ¡°Sort of, kind of? You¡¯re not the leader?¡±

    ¡°Um, maybe? I¡¯m acting like it and doing leader-like things, but¡­¡±

    Mary closed her eyes, thought about it for a moment, and then said, ¡°From my experience, leaders can be divided into two general types.¡±

    ¡°Types?¡±

    ¡°The Dictator and the Executive. I just made these names up, so don¡¯t take them too seriously.¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. ¡°The Dictator is like someone strong, right? Someone that leads by dragging people along by force? Or something like that?¡±

    ¡°Precisely. Most of them possess very fierce, uncompromising personalities, and they have the ability to force loyalty from others. The others in the party operate according to their will, and their will alone¡ªand if they fail to obey, then they are either punished or thrown out of the party. Members who can¡¯t be completely happy with that person¡¯s leadership don¡¯t last.¡±

    Renji¡¯s that type of leader, Haruhiro realized. No one would dare disobey him.

    ¡°And the Executive is the opposite?¡± Haruhiro asked. ¡°More diplomatic?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. They¡¯re charismatic and eloquent; very good at taking the opinions of others into account. They don¡¯t have to be especially strong or skilled at combat, and in fact they can be pretty useless at fighting altogether. At first glance, it seems strange that that type of person can lead, but it¡¯s them who can settle disputes and bring everyone together as a team.¡±

    ¡°Right. The Dictator and the Executive. Got it. And¡­ which one am I?¡±

    He was definitely not the Dictator type; that much he knew beyond a doubt. So that left Executive? But he wasn¡¯t really personable, and neither was he particularly articulate. He didn¡¯t consider himself to be charismatic, and even if he did possess a certain amount of willpower, it wasn¡¯t really enough to inspire loyalty.

    But even though Haruhiro knew that he was lacking in many areas, if there was a type he aspired to become, it was the Executive.

    Which type had Manato been? No matter how he thought about it, Manato was definitely the strongest fighter in their party. However, he didn¡¯t drag anyone else along. Everyone just naturally obeyed and followed him.

    ¡°Is there something like a type that¡¯s between Dictator and Executive?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Mary replied. ¡°I was overgeneralizing just now. There¡¯s no clear line separating the two. There¡¯s the archetypal Dictator, but there are also leaders who possess a mix of Dictator and Executive traits. Sometimes, it depends on the situation too.¡±

    ¡°In order words, everyone is different. And you can be anywhere on the continuum.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Sorry, I know my answer is not really helpful,¡± Mary added.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s helpful,¡± Haruhiro reassured her. ¡°If I had to pick one, I¡¯d say I¡¯m the Executive type, I think. Right?¡±

    ¡°I think so, yes.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Haruhiro shifted his gaze up towards the ceiling. ¡°I think that as an Executive, maybe I need to be more assertive. And say things like, ¡®I want to do this, I want to do that, it¡¯s better if we do,¡¯ or something. Within the team, isn¡¯t the only person who really speaks his mind Ranta of all people? The rest of us, myself included¡ªwe just kind of passively go with the flow.¡±

    ¡°You feel a little lost?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I feel not lost¡ª¡± Haruhiro cut himself off. ¡°Ah, you see? I just keep going back and forth.¡±

    The corners of Mary¡¯s mouth seemed to quiver ever so slightly. Suddenly, Haruhiro was reminded once more of how beautiful Mary was. And it was just the two of them, all by themselves¡­ No, if he thought about stuff like that now, he¡¯d confuse himself and things would get awkward.

    Was it really okay for him to be here now? He couldn¡¯t really help but think that, despite how it looked, Mary wasn¡¯t comfortable with him here.

    ¡°¡­Do you feel like you¡¯re unwelcome?¡± Mary inquired.

    ¡°Uh, I said that?¡±

    ¡°I thought you said something like that. Perhaps it¡¯s just me,¡± Mary said.

    Haruhiro forced himself to smile. Careless. He was thinking aloud and Mary almost heard it. I need to get a better grip on myself, he thought. I can¡¯t keep messing up like this. He was the party¡¯s leader so he had to live up to the role.

    But it wasn¡¯t like he was the leader because he wanted to be. He was the leader because he had no choice.

    ¡°About the conversation earlier¡­¡± Mary began.

    Haruhiro realized it then. Mary was definitely being considerate of him. He was making her concerned for his sake.

    ¡°R-right,¡± Haruhiro forced his expression to become blank again. ¡°Earlier? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°About working somewhere other than Damroww.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yume and Shihoru were against it because Ranta was for it, so the discussion stopped there. Stupid Ranta.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not suggesting it out of impatience, then I think it¡¯s an option worth considering,¡± Mary said.

    In truth though, Haruhiro admitted maybe a part of him was in a bit of a hurry to advance. He wanted to be honest with Mary, but he also didn¡¯t want to look lame, especially to her. But maybe it was already too late for that.

    ¡°I see. But if we were to go to someplace different, then where?¡±

    It was almost as if she had the answer prepared.

    ¡°The Siren Mines,¡± Mary said simply, without hesitation. Her expression was completely blank.

    ¡°But that¡¯s where¡­¡± Haruhiro began. But he fell silent. Wasn¡¯t the Siren Mines where Mary¡¯s previous teammates had died? There she had fought Deathpatch and his kobold minions and lost three companions. He recalled Michiki the Warrior, Ogg the Thief, and Mutsumi the Mage.

    What had become of them? Retrieving their bodies should have been impossible. And because their bodies hadn¡¯t been burned, they would have fallen under the Curse of the Deathless King. Wasn¡¯t it better to avoid such a place? Or perhaps it really was the logical next place to go? Haruhiro had no idea where to even start in considering the issue.

    He ended up asking Mary various questions regarding kobolds before calling it a night and heading out.

    I really¡­ suck at these things, Haruhiro thought to himself.

    At any rate, it wasn¡¯t a decision that had to be made right away, so he decided to give it more serious thought after his head had cooled down a bit. That was the plan, but that wasn¡¯t how it would turn out.

    It was back to Damroww¡¯s Old Town the following day.

 Volume 2 - CH 3

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 3: The Law of Resisting Your Inertia

    ¡°Whoa! Whoa-whoa-whoa! What the hell?!¡± Ranta grumbled through his bucket helm, his back pressed tight against a crumbling wall.

    Ranta wasn¡¯t alone. Haruhiro and the rest were all keeping themselves flat against the wall with him, trying to keep their presences hidden.

    ¡°Any idea what¡¯s going on here?¡± Haruhiro turned to his side, looking at Mary.

    Mary gave a tiny shake of her head. ¡°Even I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an awful lot of gobbies,¡± Yume whispered.

    Mogzo grunted his agreement. He was trembling all over as he did his best to make himself as small as possible.

    Shihoru had her eyes closed and appeared to be praying, her staff held close to her chest. ¡°¡­We can¡¯t, we can¡¯t¡­ there¡¯s no way we can¡­¡±

    Shihoru was right. If there was one phrase that could sum this situation up, it was ¡°we can¡¯t.¡±

    They were in the same Old Town area of Damroww as usual, but today it wasn¡¯t just scattered, sporadically distributed groups of goblins. Something had felt different the moment they got here¡ªno, even before they came, something had felt off.

    The place was chock-full of goblins. It was a massive gathering, and they even seemed to have organized themselves into units. Maybe they were even sending out regular patrols.

    ¡°Patrols¡­¡± Haruhiro murmured, gritting his teeth.

    Could it be possible? Could his hunch be right? The goblins gathered here now looked different from the usual ones Haruhiro and the others hunted every day. They had better equipment, for starters. And while the usual goblins always looked lazy and bored, these ones seemed alert and active.

    Haruhiro guessed that they must have been from Damroww¡¯s Upper City. Goblins exiled from the Upper City often came to Old Town, but those goblins always looked¡­ sullen. Morose, even. Even the hobgoblin and its plate-armored master had had an air of gloominess about them.

    But the goblins gathered here now were lively and high-spirited. They seemed like they were here with a purpose. Haruhiro wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were here under some kind of orders.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± snorted Ranta. There he went again, trying to act cool or something. He wasn¡¯t cool in the least. ¡°Looks like we overdid it. We drew a bit too much attention to ourselves around here¡­¡±

    No one bothered to give him the satisfaction of a response, Haruhiro included. He didn¡¯t have the energy to waste on silly things like that. But it was too dangerous to continue working here. Even though they had come all this way, they were now faced with the depressing prospect of returning to Altana with nothing.

    There wasn¡¯t really any other option. With things the way they were, there seemed to be no choice but to go back. Unless¡­ when he thought about it, Haruhiro realized that he should see this turn of events as an opportunity for a change of pace. Maybe Haruhiro was being forced into this decision, or being swept along with the tide, but it could still be a good chance anyway.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Haruhiro began. ¡°What do you think of going to check out the Siren Mines? It¡¯s a bit out of the way, but it¡¯s in the same direction. We can just take a detour around the rest of Damroww and keep heading northwest.¡±

    Ranta was thrilled. Yume, Shihoru, Mogzo, and Mary weren¡¯t against it, so they headed off. The Siren Mines¡­ They were around two and a half miles northwest of Damroww, but since Haruhiro and the others had never been there before, it took them almost two hours to arrive even after taking the most direct route.

    It looked the same as any other mountain. Long ago, when the human Aravakia Kingdom was still in control of the frontier, they put a good amount of resources into building the mine. Afterwards, when the Deathless King and his confederation forced the humans from the area, the Boshuu kobold faction took over and moved in. Currently, the Siren Mines were completely occupied by kobolds.

    Haruhiro¡¯s party could see the way into the mines from the foot of the mountain. The entrance itself was square and tunnel-like, and had sides reinforced by wooden beams. Haruhiro and the others were following a small river running parallel to the mountain path when they spotted a bear ambling about.

    Haruhiro doubted that it would attack; wild animals were supposed to be cautious to the point of cowardice. However, no one wanted to test their luck, so they gave it a wide berth.

    They continued up the mountain, following an animal trail into a forested area. A little ways in, they caught sight of two furry, humanoid creatures with dog-like heads. Each was outfitted patchily, in worn chainmail armor, and armed with rusted swords.

    No one had been expecting to run into any trouble. Certainly not the two creatures, who had appeared from the shadowed tree line very relaxed. Clearly they hadn¡¯t been expecting to meet anyone here either. The creatures and Haruhiro¡¯s party stared at each other, both sides frozen for a good two or three seconds.

    ¡°Kobolds!¡± shouted Mary.

    Haruhiro unconsciously let out a surprised yelp and instinctively scrambled backwards.

    ¡°Mogzo, let¡¯s go!¡± Ranta said, swinging his sword at the kobold on the right.

    ¡°R-right!¡± Mogzo, whose reaction lagged a bit behind Ranta¡¯s, closed in on the kobold on his left.

    Haruhiro thumped his own chest¡ªColumn! No. Wait. Not column, calm! Calm down! Damn it. He wasn¡¯t calm at all.

    ¡°Shihoru, Mary, stay back for now!¡± Haruhiro ordered. ¡°Yume, let¡¯s go backup Ranta and Mogzo!¡±

    Yume answered with something that Haruhiro couldn¡¯t really make out, but was right in step with him as they got into position at the front. In the meantime, Ranta was furiously hacking at a kobold, accentuating each swing of his sword with a shout.

    Mogzo grunted in effort as he lifted and whirled his bastard sword overhead, but he wasn¡¯t even close to landing a hit on his target kobold.

    ¡°Yume, to Mogzo!¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Haruhiro focused on the back of the kobold Ranta had engaged. His plan was to finish off one of the kobolds quickly, and then all jump on the second and kill it deader than dead.

    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± Haruhiro muttered.

    What was going on? Were kobolds supposed to be tough enemies? Strong and fast? For some reason, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t get into position at its back. His eyes weren¡¯t able to keep track of it, making it difficult for him to anticipate its movements.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Ranta cried. ¡°Haruhiro, what¡¯re you doing?!¡±

    Ranta was fully occupied by the kobold, but he wasn¡¯t on the offensive. If anything, he was steadily being pushed back. The kobold was doing most of the attacking while Ranta defended, unable to counter.

    What about Mogzo and Yume? Damn, he couldn¡¯t check. Haruhiro didn¡¯t have the luxury of looking away. He needed to focus on the kobold in front of him and figure out what to do.

    ¡°Ranta! Quit moving around so much!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯ve got my own problems to deal with!¡±

    ¡°But if it keeps moving around like that, I can¡¯t¡­!¡±

    ¡°Like I care! Whoa!¡±

    The kobold suddenly took a big step forward and locked blades with Ranta. Both of them had stopped moving. It was now or never.

    ¡°[BACKSTAB!]¡±

    Haruhiro¡¯s dagger seemed as if it was about to slide neatly into to kobold¡¯s back, but it didn¡¯t. It had been swatted aside. How? What happened? It was the kobold, it had sprung sideways and used its tail to slap the dagger away. That was just downright sneaky.

    ¡°You¡¯re frickin¡¯ useless, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta shouted.

    Ranta chased after the kobold. It moved using short, hopping motions, zipping left, then right, and then darting in nimbly to attack Ranta. The way the kobold moved was maddening to deal with. And Haruhiro, positioned directly behind it, found its tail to be the most troublesome. The thing¡¯s tail never stopped moving and forced Haruhiro to keep a wary eye on it.

    ¡°Why is it this hard¡­¡± he wondered.

    It probably had nothing to do with how strong or weak they were. The problem was that Haruhiro and the others knew nothing about kobolds. How did kobolds prefer to attack? How did they defend? How should he react if the kobold did this or that? How would the kobold react if he pressed the attack? No one had the slightest idea.

    ¡°If it were goblins, we¡¯d¡ª!¡± someone cried.

    That¡¯s right¡­ Haruhiro realized something for the first time. He was targeting the kobold¡¯s back as if it was a goblin. In fights, all he ever thought about were goblins. When looking at the kobold¡¯s back, his mind¡¯s eye saw a goblin¡¯s back. A goblin¡¯s body. A goblin¡¯s manners, movements, and mentality. Goblins colored his perception of everything and he found himself unable to detach himself from that mindset.

    We¡¯ve gotten too used to goblins, and nothing else¡­ he admitted.

    ¡°[SMASH]!¡± Mary had unexpectedly jumped into the fray.

    She landed a crippling blow with her staff on the shoulder of the kobold that Mogzo and Yume were facing. The kobold shrieked and jumped far away in a single, powerful leap. It half-barked, half-howled at them.

    ¡°These are lesser kobolds! They¡¯re not supposed to be tough opponents!¡± Mary said, thrusting the butt of her staff into the ground with a heavy thud. ¡°If you keep calm, there¡¯s no reason we shouldn¡¯t win!¡±

    Whoa. Mary. So cool¡­ But now wasn¡¯t the time to stand around admiring her!

    Haruhiro exchanged glances with Ranta. It disturbed him to think that he and Ranta could understand each other without actual words, but they were teammates after all. When fighting side by side, it seemed as if they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

    Watch it closely¡­ he told himself. Focus!

    The opponent was a kobold, not a goblin. An as-of-yet unknown, but just because they lacked the information, it didn¡¯t mean that Haruhiro and the others couldn¡¯t handle them. It was just as Mary said: they were not strong opponents.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± Shihoru cast the [SHADOW ECHO] spell, and voash! A frizzy, black shadow elemental flew towards the kobold that was closing in on Yume and Mogzo.

    The kobold went to its knees, its entire body shaking uncontrollably.

    ¡°Mogzo, now!¡± Yume cried.

    Mogzo rushed towards the disabled kobold. Haruhiro judged that he could leave the rest up to them and focus on his. Ranta was on the offensive, shouting with every strike. Unlike before, he wasn¡¯t randomly swinging his longsword around anymore, but rather watching his opponent intently.

    When the kobold jumped to the right, Ranta followed. When it went left, so did Ranta. He couldn¡¯t quite get a step ahead of the thing¡¯s movements, but he wasn¡¯t allowing the kobold to dominate him anymore. Nor was he stuck on the defensive; he was getting in some attacks now and then.

    Because of that, the kobold¡¯s full attention was now solely on Ranta. Now Haruhiro would be able to get into position perfectly at its back. Don¡¯t get distracted by its tail! he told himself. It¡¯s just a tail, come on!

    Goblins were similar in build to humans, but kobolds were more like wild animals. They had muscular legs, and they could jump, just like those legs were coiled springs. Haruhiro felt they were faster than goblins by a notch or two as well. But the time it took them to go from still to moving¡ªin other words, their reaction speed and reflexes¡ªwere comparable to that of goblins.

    A kobold¡¯s body was also not as limber as a goblin¡¯s. When he looked closely, Haruhiro noticed that when a kobold bent over, its upper body was actually kept quite straight and stiff. Kobolds also handled their swords differently. Goblins made use of their entire body when swinging a sword, but kobolds used only their arms. They depended on the flexibility of those arms, making it seem like their shoulder joints lacked a full range of motion.

    They were around five feet tall, so they were a little larger than goblins, but in terms of the force they put behind their blows, goblins might¡¯ve been stronger. However, while goblins put the full weight of their bodies behind their blows, a kobold¡¯s attacks were fast and compact. If they fought kobolds the way they fought goblins, they would forever be on the defensive.

    But just because they were so different, that didn¡¯t mean that kobolds were the superior opponent. Haruhiro¡¯s party could take on five goblins at a time now. Two kobolds were nothing.

    We can definitely do this. There¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t win.

    And that wasn¡¯t overconfidence talking either. It was a conclusion achieved through current observations and past experiences.

    Earlier, just watching Ranta and the kobold he was fighting took up all his attention. Now, he could see everyone and had a general idea of how they were moving and what they were doing. It was like his field of vision had expanded.

    It¡¯s amazing¡­ Haruhiro thought. It¡¯s amazing what can happen when you calm down and trust that you can win.

    ¡°THANK¡­ YOU!¡± Mogzo put the entirety of his strength behind [RAGE CLEAVE]¡¯s diagonal swing and instantly cut down the kobold.

    There¡¯s no way the surviving kobold won¡¯t hesitate after seeing its buddy getting brought down like that¡­ Haruhiro predicted.

    He was right. For the briefest of moments, the remaining kobold stopped paying attention to its rear. Haruhiro took in a breath, held it, and rammed himself into the kobold¡¯s back. But he didn¡¯t merely tackle the kobold. [BACKSTAB]. He drove his dagger through an opening in the chain link armor, deep into the kobold¡¯s body.

    The kobold let out a half cry, half yelping noise. Haruhiro leapt away from it immediately.

    ¡°All right!¡± Ranta stepped in, longsword already in motion. ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡±

    Ranta drove his longsword into the base of the kobold¡¯s throat. He had done it. It collapsed right there and then, falling completely silent.

    Haruhiro let out the breath he had been holding. ¡°¡­We won.¡±

    ¡°AND IT¡¯S ALL THANKS TO ME!¡± And Ranta lifted his sword and spun it, showboating.

    ¡°No it ain¡¯t,¡± Yume said, disgusted. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Mary. Back when she was sayin¡¯ how we should keep calm, how there¡¯s no reason we shouldn¡¯t win¡­ It was amazin¡¯! My spine went all tingly and it was like a fire lit up inside me.¡±

    ¡°S-stop,¡± Mary said with her head turned towards the ground, her face red with embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I said too much. It¡¯s not really my place¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Shihoru said with unusual force. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ I don¡¯t think you have any reason to apologize.¡±

    ¡°A-agreed,¡± Mogzo nodded slowly. ¡°I felt a lot braver hearing that.¡±

    ¡°You guys are pathetic!¡± Ranta spat.

    How was Ranta able to act so high and mighty all the time? Haruhiro really didn¡¯t have the slightest idea¡­ Maybe it was just because he was an idiot.

    Ranta didn¡¯t let up. ¡°You guys are telling me that unless someone says the magic word, Mogzo turns into a chicken and Yume can¡¯t get her ass moving? Fuck that!¡±

    Haruhiro ignored him, making his way over to the kobold corpse instead. He crouched down on one knee. ¡°The armor and weapons look worthless, but it¡¯s got some kind of nose stud¡­ Looks like it¡¯s made from an animal fang or something.¡±

    Mary crouched down beside Haruhiro after making the signature Priest¡¯s hexagon gesture that showed her respect for the dead.

    ¡°That¡¯s a talisman,¡± she explained. ¡°All kobolds carry at least one.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± replied Haruhiro. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll fetch much of a price though.¡±

    ¡°Kobolds that live on the first stratum of the mines are in the lowest echelon of kobold society. They dress in rags and barely receive enough to eat. We Crimson Moon members call them ¡®lesser kobolds¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What about the non-lesser kobolds? Their talismans are more valuable?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They are made from precious stones and metals. But sometimes lesser kobolds take human money, like coppers and silvers, and use them for talismans too.¡±

    ¡°I see. So it¡¯s like a raffle. Sometimes we might find a lesser kobold with a silver or something¡­¡±

    Mary had said quite a bit. It wasn¡¯t just the information either¡­ the very fact that she was talking to him made Haruhiro quite happy.

    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s just grab it and go,¡± Ranta snorted. He tore the talisman roughly off the nose of the kobold¡¯s corpse, earning him a look of displeasure from Haruhiro. ¡°What? You got a problem?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    Even if they were retrieving a well-deserved victory prize from the body of an enemy they had defeated, Haruhiro wished that Ranta would be more¡­ It was then Haruhiro realized something: to the kobolds, they were the invaders. What they were doing now was akin to murder. No amount of goodwill after the fact would make up for that.

    Whether they took the loot off the corpses with care or ripped it off with abandon, the end result was the same. It didn¡¯t change what they were doing. But watching Ranta now made Haruhiro realize just how morally indifferent to it he had become as well. The understanding was hard to bear.

    Ranta might not have had any qualms about thinking like this, but Haruhiro was determined not to be the same, even at the risk of being a hypocrite. So Haruhiro removed the talisman¡ªan earring made out of polished animal horn or something¡ªgently, doing his best not to further damage the kobold¡¯s body.

    He had no intention of changing the way he did things. It didn¡¯t matter if it was an enemy or even an animal. The dead were owed at least a minimal level of respect.

    Haruhiro drew himself up once more. ¡°Let¡¯s go. To the Siren Mines.¡±

 Volume 2 - CH 4

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 4: Pitch-Black Style

    It had ¡°mine¡± in the name, after all. Naturally, there would be a tunnel-like shaft that led into the mountain, and of course the tunnel was going to be pitch black. Or so Haruhiro had assumed, only to be proven flat out wrong.

    Flowers bloomed all along the tunnel road; not normal flowers, but ones that radiated emerald light. According to Mary, they were called ¡°glow blossoms¡± and were exactly what the name implied. Upon closer inspection, they were really more like beds of moss; whatever they were, though, it was because of them that the mine shaft wasn¡¯t completely dark. Not brightly lit, but navigable.

    ¡°Do you guys think we can¡­¡± Ranta plucked up a few, expression thoughtful as he promptly put them inside his mouth¡ªthen spat them out violently. ¡°BLEH! Tastes like crap! Bitter and shit.¡±

    ¡°Quit messing around,¡± Haruhiro sighed.

    ¡°What?¡± Ranta replied, wiping off his mouth. ¡°I just wanted to try them.¡±

    ¡°Why would doing that even occur to you?¡±

    ¡°No idea. The mood was a little boring, so I decided to make up for it. You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t make up for anything,¡± said Haruhiro exasperatedly. ¡°There was nothing wrong with the mood, and if there was, it was probably your fault!¡±

    ¡°WHAT. Don¡¯t say stupid shit like that. How is it my fault? Quit trying to blame others for everything!¡±

    ¡°Haru, you¡¯re better off not botherin¡¯,¡± Yume said, tugging on Haruhiro¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Nothin¡¯ gets through that thick skull of his so don¡¯t waste your breath.¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t just¡ª! OY!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best to be quiet,¡± Mary said softly, glaring at Ranta. ¡°We¡¯re in enemy territory now.¡±

    Ranta scrunched his brows together and twisted his lips into a grim expression. ¡°It¡¯s best to be quiet,¡± he mimicked, sniggering. ¡°Really quiet. Shut the hell up. I don¡¯t want to hear a single word, got it?¡±

    ¡°Little punk,¡± Shihoru murmured under her breath.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Ranta demanded, veins at his temple bulging.

    ¡°Quit it, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro said, tone unintentionally gruff. ¡°We¡¯re not here to screw around. If something happens, one of us might get killed.¡±

    Ranta turned away, perhaps out of embarrassment, and replied, ¡°No need to tell me, I already know.¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡± Haruhiro challenged. ¡°Do you really?¡±

    Haruhiro was furious. Is it okay? he couldn¡¯t help thinking. Is it really okay to keep Ranta in the party?

    For the sake of the team, shouldn¡¯t they kick Ranta out sooner rather than later? It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t fight or didn¡¯t contribute, but he seemed to go out of his way to piss everyone off every chance he got. He caused friction and stressed the team out. Didn¡¯t his cons outweigh his pros? Wasn¡¯t he doing them more harm than good?

    Now might have been a good time to think about it. However, if he started down that line of thought, then a decision would have to be made.

    As they made their way down the tunnel, they ran into three lesser kobolds barring the way. The kobolds seemed frightened, but they held their ground. After Mogzo and Ranta each dispatched one, the third fled.

    Kobolds usually walked upright on two legs, but when they ran, they loped, using their weaponless arm as a third leg. While it was strange, their weird way of running actually made them very fast, so chasing after the fleeing kobold was difficult and put everyone on edge. They would be in big trouble if other kobolds attacked.

    Fortunately, they were able to run it down and finish it off without any mishaps. Haruhiro made a mental note of the kobolds¡¯ running speed for next time; it might take a while, but it would be great if they could become as proficient with kobolds as with goblins. They just needed more experience.

    ¡°The Siren Mines extend more than ten strata deep.¡± Mary¡¯s voice echoed from the walls and seemed to reverberate in his chest. ¡°Here on the first stratum, ore deposits have long since been depleted, and all that¡¯s left are glow blossoms. The lowest of the lesser kobolds live here. Mining shafts used to lead to lower strata, but they¡¯re no longer accessible due to cave-ins. The only way to get to the second stratum now is using the sink wells.¡±

    ¡°Sink wells?¡± Shihoru asked.

    Mary nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what we Crimson Moon members call them. They¡¯re just vertical shafts between strata. From the third stratum down, the shafts are installed with gondola lifts, but for the most part we use the sink wells to move between strata.¡±

    Mogzo exhaled through his nose and said, ¡°Is it because security is tight around the lifts?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Kobolds are divided into three types: lesser kobolds, normal kobolds, and the large elders. Only elders are allowed to use the lifts freely. Normal kobolds can only use the lifts when ordered to or permitted by an elder.¡±

    ¡°Yume gets the feelin¡¯ these eldie guys think they¡¯re all that,¡± Yume remarked.

    Yume being Yume, Haruhiro guessed that she felt a tiny bit sorry for normal kobolds.

    Mary¡¯s expression softened slightly as she explained. ¡°Elders are the elite class while kobolds are the worker class. Lesser kobolds are not even considered full members of their society. The lower ranks of worker kobolds make their residence starting on the second strata. That¡¯s where things start to get tough.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s from here on out, huh¡­¡± Haruhiro licked his suddenly dry lips.

    They stopped when they reached a large, roughly circular opening. So this was a sink well. It was a vertical hole about ten feet in diameter with four rope ladders attached at its ledges. Haruhiro gulped, wanting to descend and also not.

    But while Haruhiro wavered, Ranta was already going down a ladder.

    ¡°Ranta, hold up¡­¡± Haruhiro called.

    ¡°What?¡± Ranta glared at him. ¡°Why hesitate? We¡¯ve come this far so there¡¯s no point in stopping now. It¡¯s not even a question, so hurry up! If you don¡¯t stop being a baby, I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡±

    ¡°Or maybe we¡¯ll just leave you behind down there,¡± Haruhiro retorted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll frickin¡¯ kill you if you do. I¡¯m not even kidding.¡±

    And that was that. Haruhiro and the others grabbed rope ladders and began going down. The general appearance of the second stratum was much less plain than the first. One could still see that it used to be a mine, but numerous hollows were cut into the walls. Haruhiro guessed they were probably kobold worker dwellings.

    His guess was quickly confirmed when they snuck a peek into one of the hollows and, much to their dismay, discovered kobolds snoring inside.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we pretty screwed if we wake them?¡± he whispered. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a lot in just this one hollow¡­¡±

    Before anyone could reply, the sound of snarling dogs echoed in the distance. Were the kobolds fighting amongst themselves? That¡¯s what it seemed like. The howling soon died down, but it wasn¡¯t long before more howling started from a different direction.

    ¡°Yume didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be so noisy,¡± Yume said, not sounding particularly concerned.

    ¡°S-shouldn¡¯t we go back now?¡± Shihoru clung tightly onto to Yume, entire body trembling.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Mary said calmly. ¡°It¡¯s always loud down here, so unless it¡¯s something out of the ordinary, they won¡¯t wake up. Even if we made a little noise, they rarely group to give chase.¡±

    Mogzo sighed in relief.

    ¡°Though that only applies to the second stratum,¡± she amended with a slight smile. ¡°We must be wary of the elders, beginning with the third stratum. And then there¡¯s Deathpatch.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Haruhiro. Even Ranta¡¯s expression hardened the moment they heard that name. A kobold with patchy black and white fur, bigger and more brutal than any elder, who wandered the mines with his entourage. The name came from both his fur and the Crimson Moon members he had killed, including Mary¡¯s former companions. And to Mary, the name must have been synonymous with revenge.

    Whoever killed such a creature would become the talk of the town. Since no such talk had been heard, he must still be alive.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that he¡¯s been spotted as far up as the first stratum,¡± Mary continued, her tone calm as ever. Haruhiro thought her serenity rather odd, as if she was forcing herself to remain impassive. ¡°But the reports are dubious, so I don¡¯t think we should be overly concerned at the moment. Beyond this stratum, however, we must never forget to keep the presence of Deathpatch in mind. If we don¡¯t start to run at the first sight of him¡­¡±

    ¡°You mean this?¡± Ranta, grinning broadly, made a throat slashing motion with his hand.

    ¡°Knock it off!¡± Yume punched Ranta in the shoulder.

    ¡°Ow! What was that for?!¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you act a bit more sensible?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°What? How am I not? You won¡¯t find anyone with more sensational sense than me!¡±

    ¡°Try sayin¡¯ that after you stop your stand-up comedy routines,¡± Yume snapped.

    ¡°Yume, if you¡¯re gonna say that, you might as well say you can¡¯t stand him outright,¡± straight-man Haruhiro cut in, but rather wished he had let them keep bickering.

    He cleared his throat and looked over at Mary. She looked like her usual self, but Haruhiro wondered if she was really okay. He had a feeling she was the type who kept her emotions bottled up.

    ¡°At any rate,¡± Haruhiro continued, ¡°Ranta, unless you have something constructive to say, just keep quiet.¡±

    ¡°Then how about I make a suggestion. Let¡¯s go for those guys,¡± Ranta said, using his chin to indicate the kobold workers asleep in the hollows. ¡°They won¡¯t wake unless we make a lot of noise, right? So let¡¯s just kill them in their sleep. It¡¯ll be easy¡ªstab, stab, stab, then we take the loot and leave.¡±

    Haruhiro was at a momentary loss for words. Finally, he responded, ¡°You have no sense of morality whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°Morality ain¡¯t got nothing to do with it. I¡¯m a Dread Knight¡ªa servant of Skulheill. We believe that all things are equal before Death. The Vices we collect are the opposite, the constrastitation of common sense and morals and everything you consider good. The constrastitation. This is important, so I¡¯ll say it again: CONSTRASTITATION. Though all are equally embraced by Death, to be bound by its absurdity just makes fools of us all. Can¡¯t take it, right? For if there¡¯s anything we can let in, it¡¯s our desires, base instincts, primal urges, and stuff like that. It¡¯s there that impartial Death awaits. Understand?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°And I don¡¯t even want to try.¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro¡­ You need to train yourself more. Your brain, I mean. There¡¯s no way you can be our leader with your current level of comprehension skills. Just a piece of advice from the bottom of my heart, because I¡¯m a nice person.¡±

    Wow. What? What am I even supposed to do with this? I really really REALLY want to punch the living daylights out of him.

    Had Ranta simply been taken in by the Dread Knights¡¯ teachings? No, that couldn¡¯t have explained everything. Ranta was supposed to have joined the Warrior¡¯s guild, but he changed his mind and ran off to the Dread Knights instead. He did it after having volunteered for the Warrior position, fully aware that a party couldn¡¯t be without one and without consulting anyone else beforehand. All because he thought Dread Knights were ¡°cool¡±.

    The only explanation was that Ranta had been selfish from the start. Selfishness was part of his nature; his personality, his natural disposition. There was no fixing or changing it. Ranta would always be that way.

    Would they be able to keep going like this? To be honest, Haruhiro didn¡¯t entirely believe they could. If he couldn¡¯t be confident that Ranta could change for the better, then it was over. It was for Ranta¡¯s sake too. This wasn¡¯t the time or place to make such decisions, but¡­

    But even so, Sorry Ranta, you¡¯re out was not something Haruhiro could just say right now. Kicking Ranta out here in the mines would drag Haruhiro down to his level.

    ¡°Suggestion rejected,¡± he said instead. ¡°No need to even put it up for a vote, right?¡±

    The others nodded vigorously. Everyone except Ranta.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°I figured as much.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t suggest it in the first place,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing you guys a favor by thinking of stuff you guys would never think of. You just don¡¯t understand my fatherly concern for everyone.¡±

    ¡°What kind of parent do you think you are?¡± Haruhiro countered.

    It would never end if he kept replying. Really, he should never have replied to start with.

    They continued on. There were supposed to be five sink wells to the third stratum scattered here, and they explored hoping to find one. Suddenly, they ran into a group of four low-ranked worker kobolds carrying shovels and picks over their shoulders. They must have been on their way back from work.

    ¡°Four?! That¡¯s too many!¡± Haruhiro engaged one immediately, only to have the kobold block his dagger with a whirl of its shovel.

    It counterattacked with the same shovel, once, twice¡­ four times in quick succession. Haruhiro aimed for the tool, countering each of the incoming thrusts with the Thief¡¯s fighting technique, [SWAT]. Defending this way wore his weapon out quickly so he tried to avoid using it too much, but there was no other choice right now.

    How was everyone else doing? Mogzo, Ranta, and Yume had each paired off with a kobold, and, for several seconds, neither side had an advantage.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± Voash! Shihoru¡¯s [SHADOW ECHO] spell slammed into Mogzo¡¯s opponent. The worker kobold¡¯s body began to tremble and it dropped its defenses for the slightest moment.

    Mogzo didn¡¯t miss his chance. ¡°THANK YOU¡ª!¡± he cried, unleashing [RAGE CLEAVE], also known as the ¡°thank-you-for-letting-me-kill-you attack¡±.

    Haruhiro never really paid attention to anyone else¡¯s personal improvement, but looking at Mogzo now he had to say that [RAGE CLEAVE] was, without a doubt, more accurate and deadly than ever before. Mogzo felled the kobold with that single blow and immediately headed towards Yume.

    Just as Haruhiro was thinking, Good. We can do this, something slammed into his back.

    ¡°What the¡ª! Haruhiro, you bastard!¡± Ranta raged at him.

    ¡°Ranta! Pay more attention to your surroundings!¡± Haruhiro shot back.

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking!¡±

    ¡°Fine! Sorry!¡±

    ¡°You better be!¡±

    Everything Ranta said pissed him off. Haruhiro had apologized first. Was it too much to expect an apology in return?

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Mogzo finished off another.

    With that, both Yume and Mogzo were now free to help, but Ranta shouted, ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯ll take this one down by myself! Go save eeediot Haruhiro¡¯s ass!¡±

    ¡°Eeediot? What the hell was that supposed to mean?!¡±

    Seriously what the hell I can¡¯t stand it anymore I can¡¯t believe him he¡¯s the worst, the absolute worst! Blood in his veins boiled on the brink of explosion, he was that pissed off.

    But Mogzo and Yume were coming and he needed to focus on the job at hand. The kobold was turning to face them, giving Haruhiro a chance to slip behind it. Now!

    ¡°[BACKSTAB]!¡±

    But it was no good. The point of his dagger hit bone. Haruhiro bit his lip in frustration and jumped back. Even if it wasn¡¯t fatal, the kobold couldn¡¯t ignore the wound and hesitated between turning back to Haruhiro or continuing to face Yume and Mogzo; the result was that it faced neither side fully. Mogzo made his move then.

    ¡°THANK YOUUU¡ª!¡±

    Three kobolds, three explosive [RAGE CLEAVE]s in a row. Haruhiro watched as Mogzo¡¯s sword ripped violently through the kobold¡¯s right shoulder.

    ¡°Mogzo, you¡¯re amazin¡¯!¡± Yume shouted, and Haruhiro agreed. Mogzo really was incredible.

    Some might have looked at Mogzo and seen only muscle and no grace. Some might even say he was dimwitted and slow, but Mogzo was earnest and trustworthy. Holding his opponents back with sword and armor, he either searched for openings or got them to lock blades with him before using [SPIRAL SLASH] to force them back, breaking their balance. Then he finished them off with [RAGE CLEAVE].

    There wasn¡¯t much variety to his fighting style, but because he didn¡¯t mind using the same techniques over and over, they had become highly refined. Of everyone on the team, Mogzo¡¯s had polished his skills the most.

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]!¡± Ranta readied himself before leaping backwards, drawing the remaining kobold forward with him like a vacuum. From there, Ranta thrust out his longsword: ¡°[JUKE STAB]!¡±

    The kobold twisted its body aside, avoiding the attack. Ranta leapt back once again: ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]!¡±

    For a brief moment, it seemed like the kobold would get sucked forward again but it didn¡¯t. Of course it didn¡¯t. There was no way something like that would work twice.

    ¡°Fucking bastard! Then eat this!¡± Ranta took a large, hopping step forward and swung his longsword at a diagonal. ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    The sound of metal on metal rang through the air as the kobold defected Ranta¡¯s sword with its pickaxe. Ranta took two, three steps back. ¡°Not bad for a scraggly mutt,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Fine then. I accept you as my rival!¡±

    The kobold bared its fangs at him, growling in a low tone.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Shihoru whispered dryly. ¡°Rival, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Feeling good about yourself, eh?!¡± Ranta shouted at the kobold.

    How is it feeling good? Haruhiro was tempted to ask, but refrained from opening his mouth. It was dumb to even think about it.

    ¡°But¡ª! I¡¯ll finish you in the next move!¡± Ranta leapt. ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    The kobold evaded and counterattacked. Ranta responded by using [PROPEL LEAP] to avoid it, then [JUKE STAB]. He cut nothing but air.

    [HATRED¡¯S CUT], [PROPEL LEAP], [ANGER THRUST], [PROPEL LEAP], [ANGER THRUST], then [PROPEL LEAP] again. After another [ANGER THRUST], [PROPEL LEAP], then [ANGER THRUST] and [PROPEL LEAP].

    [HATRED¡¯S CUT], [PROPEL LEAP]. [HATRED¡¯S CUT], [PROPEL LEAP]. [PROPEL LEAP], [PROPEL LEAP], [PROPEL LEAP], [PROPEL LEAP], [PROPEL LEAP], [PROPEL LEAP].

    Unsurprisingly, Ranta¡¯s breathing became ragged. Using skills that required so much movement so many times in a row would leave anyone exhausted.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s better if we helped him¡­¡± Mary remarked, looking at Haruhiro.

    Ranta glared at her with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! It¡¯s my rival! My prey! MINE! I said I¡¯d kill it, so I¡¯ll kill it! You guys go take a break¡ªsip some tea or something!¡±

    Why was Ranta so unable to take things seriously? Haruhiro had not the slightest notion, and he had a feeling that he still wouldn¡¯t know even after meditating on it for five hundred years.

    ¡°Really?¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°No one brought any tea!¡±

    ¡°It was a figure of speech!¡± Ranta said. ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    The attack finally grazed the kobold, forcing it back. Ranta dashed after it, shouting ferociously, long sword raised high. He slashed at the kobold wildly, erratically, using his sword more like a hammer than an edged weapon¨Cbut the kobold worker was also at the limits of its endurance. It could no longer block all of the incoming attacks. Ranta finished it off with a savage blow to the head.

    ¡°DIE!¡± Ranta cried, thrusting his longsword into the kobold¡¯s chest, then twisted it for good measure before pulling it out.

    He wiped the sweat off and let out a long sigh, expression full of satisfaction as if it was the end of the day and a job well done. But Haruhiro was disgusted. Disgusted on so many levels. What to do? What was he going to do? But it wasn¡¯t like there was anything that could be done at the moment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s grab the loot and go,¡± Haruhiro said instead.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? What the hell?!¡± Ranta protested. ¡°What about ¡®Good job, Ranta¡¯ or ¡®Awesome work, Ranta¡¯ or ¡®You¡¯re amazing and fantastic, Ranta¡¯?!¡±

    ¡°Um. No.¡±

    ¡°Idio¡ª¡±

    Haruhiro left Ranta to be as much of an idiot as he wanted while he collected the talismans from the worker kobolds. A worker kobold¡¯s ear and nose rings had precious stones embedded within, unlike those of lesser kobolds. These looked much more likely to fetch a price on the market.

    Disregarding Ranta¡¯s completely unnecessary overexertion, he was encouraged that taking on four low-ranked worker kobolds simultaneously hadn¡¯t been very difficult for them. Haruhiro and the others continued onwards, looking for a sink well that would lead to the next stratum.

    It took them another half hour to find one and when they did, they immediately ran into three ascending worker kobolds. After the party disposed of them, they were faced with the question of what to do next.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? We head down, of course.¡± The moment Ranta had finished expressing his opinion was the moment that the other five decided on theirs.

    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day and head back,¡± Haruhiro said, speaking on behalf of everyone else. ¡°This place is new for us and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to start thinking we can handle everything that comes our way. Besides, we¡¯ve still got to make our way to the surface. Let¡¯s go back, sort out what we¡¯ve learned about this place, and come again tomorrow.¡±

    Ranta was the only one vehemently against returning to Altana, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t care.

    Because the biggest problem now, he thought, is figuring out what we¡¯re going to do with you.

 Volume 2 - CH 5

    LEVEL2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 5: Container

    They returned to Altana before sunset and sold the day¡¯s loot at a shop near the marketplace. The talismans, collected from five lesser kobolds and seven low-ranked kobold workers, amounted to just a little over seven silvers.

    ¡°This is kinda sad,¡± Yume sighed, expression subdued as she gazed at the seven silvers and the handful of copper coins.

    ¡°It¡¯s not sad,¡± Ranta said, frowning deeply. ¡°It¡¯s fricking pathetic! Seriously, what the hell?!¡±

    ¡°I guess I was expecting a little more too,¡± Mogzo said, forcing a ¡°haha¡±.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Shihoru hung her head low. ¡°This is less than what we make fighting goblins¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Haruhiro wanted to say something to cheer everyone up, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything positive.

    ¡°All we fought were normal kobolds.¡± Mary immediately made up for Haruhiro¡¯s lack of words with her cool and calm voice. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to make more money once we start fighting elders.¡±

    Haruhiro, more than a little flustered, nodded vigorously. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s right. And it¡¯s not like the fighting was tough. In the beginning things were a little awkward, but later on we were taking down the kobolds easily and no one really got injured, I think. Fighting low level kobolds means we don¡¯t get much from them, right?¡±

    ¡°You better be sure,¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°If tomorrow isn¡¯t any better, be prepared to own up to it, Haruhiro!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Haruhiro demanded.

    ¡°It means that if you really mean what you say, you¡¯ll give me your share of the cut if things don¡¯t turn out how you think.¡±

    ¡°Why should I do something like that?¡±

    ¡°What? It was your idea to go to the Siren Mines, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°But you agreed with it, right?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea. All I did was give my approval. The retard that came up with the idea is the most responsible. It¡¯s been like that for a gazillion years!¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Haruhiro said, giving up.

    ¡°Damn straight, it¡¯s whatever I say!¡± Ranta declared.

    That much was absolutely true. Haruhiro¡¯s inability to argue back to Ranta left him despondent, even though there wasn¡¯t any reason to feel that way. Maybe he was just tired¡ªbut if so, it was undoubtedly Ranta¡¯s fault.

    Even while everyone ate dinner together at a stall (which, though cheap, had a good reputation), Ranta spewed stupid words every time he opened his mouth. It was only at times like this¡ªnamely, when Haruhiro was in no mood to talk¡ªthat Ranta would just provoke him nonstop. Ranta was just that type of person. Fine then. If he was going to be like that, Haruhiro would just ignore him completely.

    ¡°Hey, Haruhiro,¡± Ranta started.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Oy, Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Heeey,¡± said Ranta, drawing out the word, ¡°Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey. Haruhiro.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°STUPID IDIOT!¡±

    Still holding onto a half-eaten chicken skewer, Ranta began an odd dance around him. ¡°Hey hey hey! Oy oy oy! Heyyy heyyy, oyyy oyyy! Heeeey! Oyyyyyy! Hey hey hey! Oy oy oy!¡±

    Shit. Ranta was kicking up his legs and swinging his hips around madly, but why was it that his upper body stayed in place? It was incredibly gross, but strangely comical at the same time. Haruhiro turned away. He figured everyone one else was trying to avoid looking in Ranta¡¯s direction too, but then¡­ laughter.

    It sounded restrained but Haruhiro could definitely hear a soft chuckling. Not just from one person but from several. Suddenly, Yume burst into laughter.

    ¡°Whahoo!¡± Ranta¡¯s glee was apparent. ¡°Hoi hoi hoi!¡±

    Unable to contain herself any longer, Shihoru began laughing too. Ranta began to careen around in earnest. ¡°Hoi hoi hoi! Ho ho ho hoi! Hoi hoi hoi!¡±

    Mogzo was the next to give in, and only Haruhiro and Mary remained. Haruhiro looked her way and saw that, although her gaze was on the floor, her shoulders were trembling. Ranta drew close to her and danced even crazier than before, unleashing the full power of his Hoi Hoi Dance on her in an all out offensive.

    Mary! No! But she seemed at the limits of self-control. Her face was basically flat against the stall¡¯s counter now¡ªa posture that told Haruhiro she was holding out on willpower alone.

    ¡°Hoi hoi hoiiiii! Hoi hoi! Hoi hoi hoiiiii! Hoi hoi hoi! Hoi hoi! Hoi hoi hoiiiii! Hoi hoi hoi! Hoi hoi!Hoi hoi hoiiiii!¡±

    Mary struggled to stifle her laughter.

    Hang in there, Mary! Don¡¯t give in; resist! Resist it! How did it come to this? Why did Haruhiro even make this his fight in the first place?

    Suddenly, his urge to laugh faded, and then disappeared entirely. Haruhiro swiftly maneuvered himself behind Ranta and jammed his heel into the back of Ranta¡¯s knee. Ranta, cut off mid hoi, spun on Haruhiro as he returned to his spot at the counter.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing, retard!¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°I almost had her!¡±

    ¡°Quit spitting at me, it¡¯s gross,¡± Haruhiro replied calmly.

    Ranta responded by purposely spluttering on him.

    ¡°Hey! Stop it!¡±

    ¡°You stop it, idiot!¡± He continued spitting.

    Ranta¡¯s spit attacks were indiscriminate and turned the scene into an utter disaster as everybody else, and their food, became victims as well. The mood went from amused to angry, Ranta inappropriately delighting in it all. Because of that, everyone was in a foul mood as they returned to the lodge.

    ¡°Aaaaaalllright!¡± Ranta declared after they had reached their room. ¡°The girls have the baths first, so it¡¯s all-you-can-peep today!¡±

    How could Ranta think about that at a time like this? Haruhiro could only marvel at his lack of sensitivity. Not wanting to spend any more energy on him, Haruhiro turned over in his bunk so that his back was turned to the overly-excited Ranta.

    ¡°Haruhiro, what¡¯s your problem? You coming or what?¡± Ranta asked. ¡°It¡¯s useless over-thinking what would happen if we¡¯re caught again, so don¡¯t think about it, idiot! Hey, Mogzo! You coming?¡±

    ¡°N-no thanks,¡± Mogzo replied after a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    ¡°What?!¡± Ranta raged. ¡°C¡¯mon! I can¡¯t use you as a footstool if you don¡¯t come!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not a footstool,¡± Mogzo replied.

    ¡°So become one! You¡¯d be a great footstool!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to become one¡­¡±

    ¡°What you want has nothing to do with it! Just do as I say! Trust me! I won¡¯t get you into trouble, okay?!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m staying here.¡±

    For Mogzo, it was a pretty stern refusal. Ranta backed down, if only slightly.

    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll take on this great responsibility myself then. Don¡¯t come crying to me if you regret it later, ¡¯cause I won¡¯t give you any sympathy! Got it?!¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Really?! Is it really okay?! Really really REALLY?!¡± Ranta persisted.

    ¡°I said it¡¯s okay,¡± Mogzo insisted.

    ¡°It¡¯s not okay! Mogzo! If you won¡¯t be my footstool then my entire strategy will fail¡ªno, it¡¯ll be useless! So COME! I don¡¯t care what you say, I¡¯m taking you with me!¡± Ranta made to drag Mogzo along, but couldn¡¯t move him an inch. ¡°You¡¯re too heavy! C¡¯mon why won¡¯t you budge! Damn it, how much do you weigh, ya fatty?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess I am pretty fat¡­¡± Mogzo admitted.

    ¡°You¡¯re not fat,¡± Haruhiro interjected without thinking. ¡°You¡¯re not fat, Mogzo,¡± he repeated. ¡°It¡¯s not like your belly¡¯s sticking out or anything. You¡¯ve just got a lot of muscle.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I get it.¡± Ranta slammed a hand on Haruhiro¡¯s bunk. ¡°Finally decided you wanted in? What am I gonna do with you, huh? Whatever, let¡¯s go. C¡¯mon, hurry and get up!¡±

    How Ranta was able to interpret Haruhiro¡¯s defense of Mogzo like that, Haruhiro hadn¡¯t the slightest idea. Wasn¡¯t there anyone who could dispose of Ranta for him, sooner rather than later? And Haruhiro wasn¡¯t joking about that.

    After they had finished their turn bathing, the boys returned to the room. Haruhiro put out the lights, made his way over to his bunk and in the pitch darkness, stayed awake to think.

    The essence of it came down to this: should they keep Ranta in the party or kick him out?

    As far as Haruhiro was concerned, he admitted there were times he never wanted to see Ranta¡¯s face again. It would be an enormous relief if Ranta just went away and never came back. But it wasn¡¯t just Haruhiro. He wasn¡¯t sure about Mogzo and Mary, but Ranta was always spitting vitriol at Yume and Shihoru. They weren¡¯t the type to speak ill of people to others, but even so it was clear that they hated him. Ranta was just that insufferable.

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t make a decision based on emotions alone, though. He had to consider practical factors too; in other words, Ranta¡¯s fighting ability. If they kicked Ranta from the party, how would it affect their team during a fight?

    Is thinking about these things what it means to be a leader? he wondered.

    Currently, Ranta functioned as their second tank, behind Mogzo. He was reasonably well armored, equipped with chainmail under leather and a bucket helm. But the Dread Knight fighting style wasn¡¯t based on close combat. It was an idiosyncratic mid-range style where fighters darted in and out of striking range, doing everything they could to avoid short, blade-locking distances. Rather than involving straightforward attacks, their techniques made their fights into cat-and-mouse games.

    Strictly speaking, Dread Knights were actually supposed to be attackers, not tanks. And considering Ranta¡¯s personality, perhaps a Dread Knight¡¯s style suited him better than the Warrior class.

    Asking Yume to tank in her light armor was impossible, and Haruhiro wasn¡¯t suited for it either. Mary and Shihoru were out of the question as Priest and Mage, respectively. That left only Ranta. If they kicked Ranta out, they would lose their second tank and not having anyone to replace him hurt their fighting ability.

    Their fighting ability would be diminished if they kicked Ranta without having anybody to take his place as their second tank.

    If so, then it was simply a matter of finding someone to replace him. Unlike healers, fighters were plentiful. Haruhiro had a feeling they wouldn¡¯t have a hard time finding a replacement. If they asked the well-connected Kikkawa, he could probably help find someone who would fit in. After all, that was how they recruited Mary. Granted, working with her had been rough in the beginning, but they were slowly getting better at understanding each other.

    The overbearingly extroverted Kikkawa made good friends with everyone and he might have been a better judge of personality than most gave him credit for. Haruhiro wanted to think that there were was a slew of available Warriors who were better than Ranta. Perhaps. Maybe. It was definitely an option worth considering.

    Mogzo was snoring loudly, already fast asleep. Ranta was usually the first to do so, but no matter how much Haruhiro strained his ears, he couldn¡¯t hear the peculiar way of breathing that characterized Ranta¡¯s slumber.

    ¡°Ranta,¡± Haruhiro called tentatively, to which Ranta replied, ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Haruhiro hesitated.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Ranta asked impatiently.

    ¡°I want to talk to you about something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Not here. I don¡¯t want to wake Mogzo. How about going outside?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    As they exited the lodge, Haruhiro wondered why he was doing something like this. Did he have something he wanted to talk to Ranta about? He sure didn¡¯t want to speak with the guy but for some reason felt a sort of obligation.

    Whatever the decision was, one thing was certain: it would be horrible to plot and contrive behind Ranta¡¯s back now, only to tell him later, without warning, that his job was done and that the party no longer needed him. Haruhiro didn¡¯t feel like Ranta deserved something like that, no matter how badly he thought of him. Or maybe Haruhiro just didn¡¯t want himself to be a backstabbing coward.

    No, forget maybe. Of course he didn¡¯t want to become one. That was just too¡­ But why? Why did he have to plot and scheme and, all joking aside, bloody his hands just to get rid of Ranta?

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡±

    Haruhiro crouched against the side of the building, leaning back against the wall. Ranta followed suit.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ what do you think? About our party,¡± asked Haruhiro.

    ¡°It¡¯s a party,¡± Ranta replied evenly. ¡°All there is to it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? That it¡¯s ¡®all there is to it¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Look, do you have a problem with me? I think you know I¡¯ve always done my part.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Can you say I haven¡¯t? I dealt with one kobold myself today, didn¡¯t I? That¡¯s proof right there.¡±

    ¡°If everyone had surrounded it we would have finished it in a fraction of the time it took you alone,¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    ¡°Can you pull that off all the time?¡± Ranta countered. ¡°Hell no. If I can keep one enemy completely occupied in a fight you can do your¡­ what¡¯s it called? Flexibility to a certain extent? Battle tactics? Whatever, some fancy shit.¡±

    So despite Ranta being Ranta, he did put thought into things when they were fighting. But that didn¡¯t change anything.

    Haruhiro pressed a palm into his face. ¡°How am I supposed to know what you¡¯re thinking in the middle of a fight if you don¡¯t tell me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you want me to explain every intention behind every action then ask for your opinion before I do it?¡±

    ¡°I never said anything like that. But there¡¯s stuff that doesn¡¯t get conveyed if you don¡¯t say it, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m talking to you now. You¡¯re already easy to misunderstand and this just makes it worse.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t really think it¡¯s some kinda misunderstanding, do you?¡± Ranta picked up a nearby pebble then tossed it away. ¡°You guys just judge and make assumptions about what I¡¯m thinking based on your impressions of me.¡±

    ¡°Even if that were true, we formed our impressions of you based on what you do and what you say.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault.¡±

    ¡°If not you then who? Mine? Yume¡¯s? Shihoru¡¯s? Mogzo¡¯s? Mary¡¯s?¡± Haruhiro felt his temper rising. Need to stay calm. Need to keep a cool head. He didn¡¯t want to turn this into a fight. He sighed and said, ¡°We work as a team. There needs to be a certain level of¡­ cooperation between everyone.¡±

    ¡°So what? Are you saying I¡¯m uncooperative?¡± Ranta challenged.

    ¡°Are you saying you are cooperative?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re uncooperative.¡±

    ¡°Look Haruhiro, everyone has things they¡¯re good and bad at. So I have my faults, but what about you guys? Everyone except me¡¯s perfect? I¡¯m a goddamn sinner and you guys are saints, huh.¡±

    ¡°¡­I never said that.¡±

    ¡°So. Name my faults. You think I¡¯m selfish?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And annoying.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    ¡°And a foul mouth too. And you¡¯re pretty quick to blame everyone else.¡±

    ¡°What!? How is every single thing my fault? Collective responsibility, dumbass! Collective responsibility. That¡¯s why it¡¯s called a ¡®team¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something a six-year old would say. It¡¯s not even a logical argument.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s NOT logical about it? It¡¯s brilliantly logical. Insanely logical,¡± Ranta argued.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going off on another tangent with you.¡±

    ¡°Fine. What about you then, Mr. I¡¯m-Perfect-All-the-Time Haruhiro? Why don¡¯t I shut up then and we talk about your faults.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Haruhiro¡¯s mouth clamped shut. Faults. Shortcomings. What were his? It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t have any; he had so many it was like all his good points were buried under a mountain of them. But,¡± Why do I have to list them for you?¡±

    ¡°Oh. I get it now. It¡¯s bitch bitch bitch about Ranta all the time and when it comes to you, you ain¡¯t got shit to say. I soooo get it.¡±

    ¡°Get what? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You know damn well what I¡¯m talking about! It¡¯s easy for you guys to blame all OUR problems on me, so you do it all the time. And what? Does that make you feel better? More like a real team? Is that your idea of building solidarity?¡±

    ¡°Wait, we¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s NOT true? Fucking liar.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like we get together to conspire behind your back and blame you for everything,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Why? Why would you? No one needs to say shit ¡¯cause everyone¡¯s already in on it. You guys already decided that I¡¯m your scapegoat.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re beyond paranoid.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you really think?¡± Ranta¡¯s tone dripped with sarcasm. ¡°Fine. Whatever. Thanks to me, you guys can just keep ignoring your own faults. But let me ask you: Have I ever, EVER, said a single damn thing about everyone treating me like a scapegoat? I¡¯m only saying it now because you brought it up first, Haruhiro. If you didn¡¯t drag me out here, I wasn¡¯t gonna whine about it. I don¡¯t give a shit about baby games like getting along with the other kids in the class. If you want to hate me, hate me all you want, I¡¯ll play the bad guy or whatever. Sure. It¡¯s fine. But we¡¯re a ¡®team¡¯ and I¡¯ll do my part. Because that¡¯s what you call ¡®teamwork¡¯.¡±

    Haruhiro opened his mouth to reply, but couldn¡¯t find any words. He brought Ranta out here with the intention of asking him to leave their party. His reasoning had convinced him it was in the team¡¯s best interests. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t confident in his ability to kick Ranta out straight away but he at least wanted to lay down the terms. Give Ranta a chance to improve his behavior and let him know they could no longer be part of the same team if he didn¡¯t.

    That had been the plan, anyway.

    Maybe his reasoning was too one-sided. Were he and the others really using Ranta as a scapegoat? He had a hard time believing it. Ranta also shared responsibility in why everyone always faulted him. He could only blame himself for everyone emphasizing his shortcomings.

    ¡ªWe¡¯re not in the wrong here. Ranta¡¯s the one who¡¯s completely, totally, utterly wrong.

    If that was true, then it was better to get rid of Ranta now rather than later after all. Personally, it would be like a weight off Haruhiro¡¯s shoulders. He could explain it to everyone afterwards and they would understand, right? The problem was he couldn¡¯t say with unwavering certainty that he wouldn¡¯t regret it later.

    And if there were any regrets to be had, they would impact Haruhiro hardest of all. He was the one who weighed the factors, he was the one who made the judgment call, and he would be the one to kick Ranta out. In the end, the burden of responsibility was heaviest on himself.

    Why? Why am I the one who has to deal with everything?

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep,¡± Ranta declared, getting to his feet and returning to their room.

    Haruhiro remained where he was, unmoving. His insides felt heavy and his stomach hurt.

    I don¡¯t want to do this anymore, he thought to himself. I don¡¯t want to think about it anymore. Enough¡¯s enough. I¡¯m not suited to be a leader. I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t take the responsibility. Manato¡­ help me¡­

    He knew full well Manato was gone, but he couldn¡¯t help it. There was no one else he could ask.

    ¡°Is leadership really this lonely¡­?¡±

    It just wasn¡¯t in him to be a leader. It was like trying to fill a container riddled with holes.

 Volume 2 - CH 6

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 6: Taking the Long Way Around

    Human beings, though, were mysterious creatures.

    After waking up refreshed from a good night¡¯s sleep, it was like all the annoyance, doubt, and despair from the night before never existed. Ranta seemed completely normal too, unchanged from his usual self.

    Everyone already knew they planned to return to the Siren Mines today, and that decided, they were also acutely aware of the need to increase their earnings. They entered the mountain, easily cleaning up any first-stratum lesser and worker kobolds they ran into, and proceeded to descend to the second stratum.

    They had gotten this far yesterday, so today¡¯s goal was to reach the third stratum. Haruhiro wasn¡¯t convinced that everyone was completely used to fighting kobolds yet, but it was obvious they were predicting and following the enemy¡¯s movements better than yesterday.

    Easy. We got this, no problem, Haruhiro thought. But optimists were often in for a rude awakening.

    The sink well down to the next stratum appeared in the distance. Next to it was¡­

    ¡°Is that a kobold?¡± Haruhiro wondered out loud.

    With what appeared to be an enemy in sight, everyone waited while Haruhiro scouted ahead alone. When he got up close, he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. It was huge. Was that an elder kobold? Normal kobolds were just under five feet, and he had heard that elder kobolds were about a half foot taller.

    Only five and a half feet tall? No more?

    The especially large kobold had three underlings with it. The underlings were equipped defensively: plate armor, helms, round shields and swords. They looked larger than any of the regular kobolds Haruhiro had seen before, but even so, the large kobold was one or two sizes larger than them at about 6¡¯5¡å. It wasn¡¯t just its unusual height though¡­

    ¡°Black and white¡­¡± Haruhiro whispered out loud.

    It had black fur with patches of white mixed in. Patches¡­ Haruhiro¡¯s pulse quickened. Shit! It didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him yet, but if it did¡­ Not funny¡­ This was some joke, but it wasn¡¯t funny at all. Shit shit shit¡­ Its sword. What the hell?! Its sword was probably around four feet long with an incredibly broad blade¡­ it looked like a man-sized carving knife.

    That thing could probably split a person in two with a single swing. The sword must be enormously heavy, but the kobold carried it like it was feather light. It must be monstrously strong. Mary¡¯s previous party fought that thing?

    That¡¯s just insane, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help thinking. We¡¯ll die. We¡¯ll all die for sure.

    The strongest enemies they¡¯d ever fought were the plate-armored goblin and the hobgoblin, but this was on a totally different level. It wasn¡¯t even in the same league. Shit. It was strong. Crazy insane strong.

    Haruhiro returned to the others. Even though he couldn¡¯t see his own face, he knew it must be as white as a sheet.

    ¡°It¡¯s Deathpatch. He¡¯s here,¡± Haruhiro reported.

    Shihoru gasped and Mogzo exhaled sharply. Perhaps Mary had already been expecting something like this, since she merely furrowed her brows and gave a slight nod.

    ¡°Deathbatch¡­¡± Yume whispered.

    ¡°Deathpatch,¡± Haruhiro corrected automatically, the familiarity of the routine calming him a little. He looked over at Ranta.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! No choice but to take him on,¡± Ranta laughed softly. Maybe he was trying to be a badass with that grin on his face, but all he was accomplishing was idiot.

    Well, Haruhiro expected this from him by now.

    ¡°Okay Ranta,¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°You go ahead. We¡¯ll wait here. Good luck!¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how you¡¯re gonna be, huh?¡± said Ranta. ¡°Fucking coward.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Haruhiro agreed pleasantly. ¡°So. You going or not? What¡¯ll it be? Hurry up and decide.¡±

    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no other option¡ª¡± Ranta brushed his thumb across the edge of his chin ¡°¡ªbut to put it off ¡¯till later. Lucky for Deathpatch, he gets to live a few days longer¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes yes, very lucky for him.¡±

    ¡°Go tell him, Haruhiro. He just barely managed to escape death at my hands,¡± Ranta commanded.

    ¡°Go tell him yourself. I¡¯ve got better things to do with my time.¡±

    No one but Haruhiro made to involve themselves in Ranta¡¯s antics. Even Yume, who was always quick to rebuke him, remained silent throughout the exchange. Perhaps that just went to show just how tired she was of him. Haruhiro realized then: being the only one humoring Ranta while everyone else stayed out of it must have made them seem like best friends. The thought thoroughly disgusted him.

    There were five sink wells that connected the second and third strata, so it didn¡¯t take long to find another. There was no sign of any presence, kobold or otherwise, in the vicinity of the sink well, and nothing seemed to be at the bottom when they peered into it. Their view from the top was fairly limited, though.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°If it¡¯s all clear, I¡¯ll let you guys know and you can follow.¡±

    ¡°What if you run into trouble?¡± Yume asked, blinking.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯ll yell, so come save me.¡±

    Yume smiled broadly. ¡°Got it.¡±

    Feeling his spirits lifted a little, Haruhiro returned the smile and said, ¡°Here I go.¡±

    The rope ladders hanging off the lip of the sink well looked worn and well used, but they still held Haruhiro¡¯s weight when he began his descent. Being a Thief, keeping his balance on the way down was simple and he reached the bottom quickly. When he turned around though, the kobolds were waiting for him.

    ¡°Er¡­ good afternoon,¡± he greeted meekly. The kobolds growled at him. ¡°No time for pleasantries, huh?¡±

    Haruhiro jumped out of the way as one of the kobolds sprang at him. It was big¡ªnot as big as Deathpatch, but still large. An elder?So this is an elder¡­ It was equipped with chainmail and a single-edged sword. Two underlings accompanied it, armed in a similar manner.

    ¡°Guys! Down! Enemy! Bad! Hurry! Help!¡± All Haruhiro managed were single word phrases.

    Haruhiro circled around the elder kobold and its underlings, trying to put distance between himself and them. However, he couldn¡¯t run too far from the sink well either¡­ not until everyone else had come. He was limited to this general area, but with three of them¡­ If it had been just one, he might have somehow managed to keep it running in circles, but with three it was proving nearly impossible.

    When he tried to run straight, in front of him was a kobold. When he turned back around, kobold. To his side, kobold. Kobold, kobold, kobold. It was a goddamn kobold-palooza.

    Haruhiro dodged an incoming attack from the elder, grunting as the kobold¡¯s sword nicked his cheek. He hardly felt the pain, but getting cut caused him to panic anyway. He lost track of the enemy and had no idea if his companions were coming at all. Panicked and helpless, he simply ran the other way whenever a kobold appeared in his field of vision.

    Staying in the area below the sink well was not going to happen. He didn¡¯t have the luxury; no way there would have been such luxury.

    He heard Ranta¡¯s shout and wondered if he¡¯d ever thought of Ranta as this dependable before now. Nope. Never. Not even once. Ranta scrambled down the rope ladder first and immediately engaged the elder kobold, even though it would have been better for him to help Haruhiro first.

    But Ranta never thought before acting. He simply went for the closest and biggest enemy that came into sight, his actions lacking the motivation of a need to protect his friends or help a teammate in trouble. But because he never thought too deeply about anything, he did have a sort of ability to attack instantly and without hesitation. Maybe it was something like good and bad rolled into one.

    Haruhiro heard Mogzo¡¯s battle cry and then Yume shouting, ¡°Haru!¡±

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± Shihoru had come too.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Mary¡¯s voice.

    Everyone was down the ladder and with him now. Gradually, he felt calm fill him again. Ranta had engaged the elder kobold first but at some point had switched with Mogzo. Now, he and Yume took on one each, Kobold A and Kobold B, respectively.

    ¡°Haru, what about your wound?!¡± asked Mary.

    Haruhiro gingerly touched his cheek, and, although it stung with pain, it would be fine as long as he left it alone.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Heal me afterwards!¡± he replied on his way to support Yume. He maneuvered around Kobold B, aiming for its back while assessing the situation around him.

    I don¡¯t have the ability or the qualifications, but for the moment, I¡¯m the leader.

    All things considered, Ranta was doing fairly well. He employed [PROPEL LEAP] and [JUKE STAB] to stay out of the enemy¡¯s range while waiting for his chance to attack, and then struck with [HATRED¡¯S CUT] or [ANGER THRUST]. As usual, Haruhiro thought all that moving around was both unnecessary and inefficient, but maybe that was more just a Dread Knight¡¯s fighting style than Ranta specifically. Still, it was the fact that this particular Dread Knight was Ranta which irritated him.

    Mogzo and his opponent looked evenly matched. He hadn¡¯t managed to land any heavy blows on the elder kobold, and once in a while the elder would land a blow or two on him. Wait, no, that¡¯s not quite right¡­ Mogzo was allowing the elder kobold through his guard.

    He was wearing plate mail so a graze here or there would just put scratches on the armor, not actually hurt him. Mogzo was blocking heavy blows with his bastard sword while letting the plate mail absorb everything else.

    ¡°The hobgoblin was stronger!¡± cried Mogzo, suddenly stepping in aggressively and locking blades with his opponent. He immediately followed up by wrapping his bastard sword around the kobold¡¯s sword, then pulling his own sword back. With a shout, he unleashed [SPIRAL SLASH] straight at its face.

    Mogzo¡¯s attack grazed the kobold¡¯s cheek the same way Haruhiro¡¯s had been grazed, causing it to jump back in panic. Mogzo pursued, closing the distance once more. Watching Mogzo sent chills down Haruhiro¡¯s spine. The aura of stability Mogzo provided in a fight was amazing¡­ but was that due in part to Ranta¡¯s ability to keep one enemy fully occupied?

    Indeed, Ranta looked less harried now than he had been in yesterday¡¯s fights. Was that thanks to experience? Ranta had preposterously insisted on fighting that last kobold alone yesterday. Maybe because he had forced himself to go a bit over his head, he figured out the best way to deal with the kobolds for himself.

    We won¡¯t know unless we try¡­ Is that what it was?

    Facing everything with caution, not reaching for anything beyond their grasp, and having this safety first mentality meant advancement was impossible. Even if they did advance, the pace would be terribly slow. Without anybody to dispute Haruhiro¡¯s leadership, it would be only a painstaking improvement.

    Do we need Ranta around after all? Haruhiro wasn¡¯t convinced and maybe he didn¡¯t want to be convinced. But Manato acknowledged Ranta¡¯s necessity, even if he didn¡¯t really like Ranta as a person. So a decision had to be based on more than just personal likes and dislikes? But Ranta never butted heads with Manato the way he did with Haruhiro. When Manato was killed, Ranta, in his own way, had been just as upset as everyone else.

    What¡¯s the difference between Manato and me? wondered Haruhiro.

    Naturally, there were plenty of differences. In fighting ability and wits, Manato clearly had him beat. But Manato had established a sort of peace with Ranta, while Haruhiro just couldn¡¯t get along with him. What was the difference? Perhaps it was fine just to blame it on ability and wits and leave it at that.

    The line appeared, completely unexpected and unintended. That indistinct line of light, glowing hazy and faint, connecting the point of Haruhiro¡¯s dagger to a point on the kobold¡¯s back. It wasn¡¯t straight nor just a simple curve, but more like a winding trail.

    Haruhiro knew what to do: Follow the path it provided. He wished that he could see the line every time, but that was just wishful thinking. It appeared less than one in a hundred times, if even that many.

    When Haruhiro engaged an enemy, the first thing he did was get in position behind it. Then it was maneuvering to remain at its back while checking every second¡ªor even more frequently¡ªfor an opportunity to strike. He had repeated the process more than a thousand times now because he didn¡¯t know of any other way.

    He couldn¡¯t fight an enemy face-to-face. Those first fights with the pit rats and mud goblin had instilled deep into him that he didn¡¯t have what it took to win against any enemy fair and square, pound for pound. So even though it was sneaky and underhanded, he attacked from behind where the enemy was least protected.

    He admitted he was a little pathetic for using such methods but he didn¡¯t consider it that horrible. Fights were to the death and both sides battled with all earnestness and desperation. Nothing else more desperate, nothing more solemn; because it wasn¡¯t easy nor simple, no method was forbidden¡­

    Or so Manato had once said.

    When Haruhiro saw the line, he kept his breathing calm. When it became ragged and unsteady, the line that finally appeared for him would disappear. It would disappear if he tried to bend his knees to crouch, or if he tensed his wrists, elbows, or shoulders. He didn¡¯t even have time to think about letting this chance get away. He had to move immediately¡ªno, that wasn¡¯t quite the right way to put it¡­

    When the line appeared, Haruhiro felt as if his body reacted without him thinking. It would be impossible to land his attack if it didn¡¯t work that way.

    It landed this time as well. Haruhiro¡¯s body followed, smooth as butter, and his dagger slid into the kobold¡¯s back without resistance. Perhaps it was inaccurate to say that Haruhiro consciously followed the path the line provided, since he was already en route by the time he noticed.

    The kobold made a gurgling noise, then fell to the ground as its final breath left its body.

    ¡°Wh¡ª?!¡± Yume blinked repeatedly, awestruck.

    ¡°Yume, onto the next one!¡± Haruhiro exclaimed.

    Yume nodded several times. ¡°Sorry! Yume was just surprised, that¡¯s all!¡±

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± Shihoru chanted, casting [SHADOW ECHO]. Voash! The black seaweed-like shadow elemental flew at the elder kobold. It noticed and tried to dodge, but not quickly enough. The spell grazed its right shoulder, and, while the chainmail armor prevented the spell from injuring it, [SHADOW ECHO] didn¡¯t work like fire or electricity. It caused convulsions rather than doing damage.

    The elder kobold¡¯s right shoulder began to shake, preventing it from moving for a fraction of a second.

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± came Mogzo¡¯s [RAGE CLEAVE]. The elder kobold blocked with its sword, but its stance was broken. Mogzo pressed down with his bastard sword, forcing the elder kobold¡¯s weapon to the side, then reversed his swing and rammed his blade into the side of the elder¡¯s head.

    The elder kobold made to return the attack, but before it could move Mogzo kicked it onto its behind and then brought his sword straight down, crushing its skull.

    ¡°YES!¡± Haruhiro pumped his fist.

    One more worker kobold to go. Ranta was still trying to use [PROPEL LEAP] to retreat and try to draw the kobold back with him, but as expected, the kobold was having none of it. It refused to step forward so Ranta leapt in again, throwing [HATRED¡¯S CUT] at it. Again, the kobold read him like an open book and deftly dodged to the right.

    With Ranta effectively sidestepped, the kobold took advantage of its perfect positioning for a counterattack. It swung at Ranta, forcing him to throw himself to the ground with a grunt. The kobold¡¯s attack just barely missed.

    ¡°Ranta!¡± Haruhiro began to run over to help.

    ¡°Stay away!¡± Ranta yelled, up on one knee while deflecting the kobold¡¯s attacks. ¡°I can still do this! I¡¯ll kill this one on my own! I¡¯ll fucking kill it dead and get my Vice!¡±

    ¡°What happened to being flexible?!¡± Haruhiro countered.

    ¡°Two birds, one stone! [PROPEL LEAP]!¡± Ranta leapt backwards, still down on one knee. ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s a new [PROPEL LEAP]! I just fucking made my own original skill!!!¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t look all that different from the old skill¡­¡± Yume said coldly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shihoru agreed.

    ¡°True.¡± And Mary as well.

    Mogzo forced a dry-sounding laugh.

    ¡°Filthy maggoty bastard scum!¡± Ranta cursed the kobold over and over as he attacked frantically.

    Just let him at it, Haruhiro decided. Or at least until he looks like he¡¯s about to get killed.

 Volume 2 - CH 7

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 7: Leave it to the Master

    An elder kobold¡¯s talisman fetched quite the price. Whether it was an earring, nose stud, or on occasion a necklace, any was guaranteed to sell for over five silvers due to the precious stones embedded within. There were even cases where one stone alone sold for over forty silvers.

    While in the second stratum were low-ranked kobold workers¡¯ dwellings, the third stratum housed the higher ranked kobold workers. The elder taskmasters of these workers were called the ¡°foremen¡±. The foremen were similar in physique to the worker kobolds they led on the second or third strata, but, unlike the workers, they were properly outfitted in combat gear.

    Those foremen and their subordinate kobolds were the main target of Haruhiro¡¯s group. The difficulty of the fight depended entirely on the competence of the foreman. It wasn¡¯t just the foreman¡¯s martial prowess, but its ability to command its subordinates as well. Counterintuitively, fights where the foreman preferred to stand at the front and fight all by themselves were comparatively easy to win. On the other hand, when they encountered a foreman who stayed back to issue orders, it made for a tough battle.

    Humans were the same. In general, humans tended to focus entirely on the enemy standing before them first, and it wasn¡¯t hard to understand why. Going after a different enemy while ignoring the one right in front of you was a sure way to get yourself killed. Nobody was that silly, of course, so pragmatically speaking, the first priority in a fight was eliminating the immediate threat.

    But, sometimes priorities change. For example, when a companion is in trouble, you might risk leaving yourself open to attack in order to help them.

    Then there were times when it was a command, not a choice.

    Haruhiro would never force anyone to put themselves at such risk, but kobold foremen were different. They would howl and signal at subordinates to ignore Mogzo or Ranta and attack Mary or Shihoru instead. And whether it was out of bravery, submissiveness, or timidity before the alpha-male, the subordinates would obey without concern for the preservation of their own lives.

    If they were actually able to get past Mogzo and Ranta, that would land the team in big trouble. Shihoru¡¯s mage class in particular had no close combat ability and needed everyone to protect her. Their battle formation would collapse and the fight would become a disaster.

    On the other hand, if they could take the foreman out of the fight, the subordinates hardly posed a threat. The way Haruhiro saw it, all they had to do was come up with a strategy to take out the foreman as fast as possible to render the rest of the kobolds helpless.

    Currently, there was always one foreman and two or three subordinates in every fight. With this predictable enemy group composition, they held an advantage, and they had also become skilled at hunting them. At this rate, descending to the fourth or fifth strata didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea, and when the next ladder rung came into view so naturally, everyone¡¯s motivation went up.

    They had been working on the third stratum for ten days and had saved up some money so it was decided that they would return to their guilds to acquire new skills. Everyone was eager to broaden their combat abilities and being able to do more in fights would give them a sense of achievement.

    Haruhiro returned to Master Barbara and the Thieves Guild and paid four silvers to learn the Thief technique, [WIDOW MAKER].

    ¡°Shall we get started then, Old Cat?¡± Master Barbara smirked.

    The training area was a room within the Nishimachi Thieves Guild Compound called the ¡°Killing Venom Room¡±. It was a scary and foreboding name, but most of the rooms in the compound were named in a similar manner. The Killing Venom Room itself was quite spacious, but contained not a single window. A chandelier filled with candles which could be raised and lowered hung from the ceiling and provided some light, but even a generous person couldn¡¯t call the room well-lit.

    If not for the candles, the room would be pitch black even during the day. The entire atmosphere made Haruhiro slightly uncomfortable.

    Master Barbara was in her usual revealing clothing, except today, the lower half of her face was covered by a black scarf. Long hair concealed even more of her face, including one eye, making her appearance quite terrifying.

    ¡°Er¡­ yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Haruhiro replied politely.

    ¡°You¡¯ve really toughened up, haven¡¯t you? Or have you been working just on hardening yourself down there?¡±

    ¡°No, ma¡¯am. I haven¡¯t been particularly trying to¡ª¡±

    Haruhiro could not finish his sentence, because Master Barbara had suddenly moved behind him. Before he could even begin to turn, Master Barbara had him in a full nelson hold¡­ or something. She had both his arms firmly locked, but she also had her right leg snaked around one of his legs, rendering him completely immobile. And her knife was right against his jugular.

    ¡°[WIDOW MAKER] is a technique where you instantly seize your target from behind, like so, and then mortally wound them. If I wished, your throat would already be slit. If you don¡¯t have a knife, you might just break their neck. And when you want to disable, rather than kill¡­¡± Master Barbara moved the tip of her knife from his neck to down to his crotch. ¡°You may stab them here. It¡¯s particularly effective on males.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ right,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Er¡­ would it be possible¡­ to let go of me now? ¡®Cause, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, yes¡­ You¡¯ve never been intimate with a woman before, have you? Not used to being held like this?¡± Master Barbara chuckled softly.

    ¡°Errr¡­¡± Haruhiro tried to bend away, but Master Barbara held him down firmly. ¡°Wah! W-would you please q-quit it with the ear?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m just breathing normally,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I-it¡¯s just¡­ that¡¯s, er, my weak spot¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Haruhiro had no idea what happened next. He was suddenly somersaulting through the air before landing hard on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Master Barbara peered down at him from above.

    ¡°If you can combine [WIDOW MAKER] with other techniques, there are plenty of ways you can manipulate your opponents,¡± she continued. ¡°But first, I¡¯ll have you be intimately familiar with the technique¡¯s effects on yourself¡­ and we¡¯ll keep at it until you hack up blood.¡±

    ¡°¡­Um, and I won¡¯t die? Ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°No point in worrying about it, is there? You won¡¯t even realize that you¡¯re dead. But rest assured, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re cremated, and then the Curse of the Deathless King won¡¯t zombify you.¡±

    What was he going to do if he died? None of the others knew it, but even since their first meeting Master Barbara had been like this. Though, to her credit, she always stopped short of actually killing him and Haruhiro had gotten fairly proficient at using the fighting techniques she taught him. Maybe he just had to trust it and leave his training to her. Maybe. Perhaps. Was it seriously okay, though? Really?

    For the next three hours, Master Barbara used [WIDOW MAKER] in all its variations on Haruhiro, up until he collapsed and couldn¡¯t get back up.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Now¡¯s not the time to be lazy, Old Cat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t stand, then I suppose we¡¯ll have a break,¡± Master Barbara said and promptly sat herself on Haruhiro¡¯s stomach. Haruhiro made a half-gurgling, half-choking noise. ¡°Bear with it. Your training doesn¡¯t stop when you¡¯re resting. Toughen up those abdominal muscles. And maybe we can even do something for those groin muscles, hmm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll die, I¡¯ll die for sure¡­¡±

    ¡°But this is tolerable, isn¡¯t it? Not that many people have died from my training, you see.¡±

    ¡°People have actually died?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m joking. Why would I want to kill a precious source of monetary income? Now, level up.¡±

    ¡°Urghhhh¡­¡± Haruhiro groaned as she pulled in a leg, increasing the weight on him. He was already putting a lot of strength into keeping his stomach muscles tight. If he wasn¡¯t, there was no way he could have borne the weight.

    ¡°And double that,¡± she said as she lifted up her remaining leg.

    The entirety of her body weight was now on Haruhiro¡¯s stomach. This was supposed to be a break? If this was her idea of a joke, it wasn¡¯t funny.

    ¡°Let¡¯s chat for a bit,¡± Master Barbara proposed pleasantly.

    ¡°C-can¡¯t,¡± Haruhiro wheezed.

    ¡°Stupid boy. Don¡¯t talk back.¡±

    She was demanding the impossible. As usual. And if Haruhiro didn¡¯t obey, the consequences would be even worse.

    ¡°U-uhh¡­ talk¡­ about what, ma¡¯am?¡± he acquiesced.

    ¡°You could tell me a story.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ r-really have any, ma¡¯am. S-stories.¡±

    ¡°How boring. See, that¡¯s why you¡¯ll never be able to bed yourself a girl.¡±

    ¡°I-I suppose¡­ so.¡±

    ¡°You have girls in your party, right? How many?¡±

    ¡°T-three,¡± Haruhiro gasped.

    ¡°You need to at least claim one. Of course, claiming all three would make you quite the alpha-male.¡±

    ¡°N-no, ma¡¯am¡­ that¡¯s t-too¡­¡±

    ¡°That kind of drama between party members is too much of a hassle?¡± Master Barbara ventured.

    ¡°I-I¡­ don¡¯t know, ma¡¯am. I don¡¯t¡­ h-have any experience with that¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a little bothersome, a bit of it is quite necessary. It makes me recall when I was like you are now¡­ Going at it in secret with the party leader, while toying with our male mage at the same time, and while playing around with the leader from another party. Well, our party fell apart shortly after that and other things happened¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­M-Master Barbara¡­ when you say ¡®fell apart¡¯¡­ y-you mean you¡¯re the one who broke it apart, r-right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, the springtime of youth. Don¡¯t you feel it too?¡±

    ¡°It¡­ s-sounds more like¡­ crazy blind passion, ma¡¯am,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that,¡± Master Barbara chastised.

    Haruhiro gasped, unable to take it anymore when she lifted up both her legs and wiggled her butt deeper into his midsection. But if he tried to twist around to throw her off, he didn¡¯t know what she would do to him, so he had no choice but to remain motionless and take it. He had to admit, though, Master Barbara¡¯s sense of balance was amazing.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time but now,¡± she continued. ¡°You¡¯re what? Sixteen? And surrounding your sixteen-year-old self are girls and boys. It¡¯s sink or swim. Once the time has passed, you¡¯ll never be able to get it back. Never. If you don¡¯t make your move now, the girl you like might get stolen by someone else. Basically, other boys are going to want to do the girl you want to do too, and then she¡¯ll be gone. And when you realize that because you catch them making out in public, it¡¯ll be too late.¡±

    ¡°B-but, ma¡¯am¡­ there¡¯s no girl that I like,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Old Cat. You seem to have a tendency to always play it safe. You¡¯re just holding back because you don¡¯t want to cause any friction between your party members, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­ uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°In my experience, boys fall in love with girls who are close by. Boys are built that way by nature¡ªto fall in love with the girls around them.¡±

    The girls around him. Yume, Shihoru, and Mary. He didn¡¯t hate any of them. He sometimes thought that Yume¡¯s air-headedness made her pretty cute, and they had hugged each other once. It had been under some fairly unique circumstances, sure, but the way it felt still lingered. Or rather, he hadn¡¯t forgotten. But if asked whether he had ¡°feelings¡± for her, he didn¡¯t think he did. Probably.

    Shihoru¡­ well, her boobs were really big. What. Why is that the first thing that comes to my mind about her? Was he some sort of barbarian? A primitive caveman? He was the worst. The absolute worst. And there was also that¡­

    Shihoru had liked Manato. Or so it seemed. No, forget ¡°seemed¡±. There was really no doubt about it. There was no way he could¡­ no, just no. Out of the question.

    Mary, then? Mary was¡­ Stylish and beautiful. Haruhiro, a completely average person, didn¡¯t have a chance in hell of getting close to somebody like her. She was his teammate, so there had to be some degree of closeness, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t really think there was anything else between them.

    Not too long ago, during a conversation about their types, Mary had said that her type was Mogzo. Did that mean she wasn¡¯t just superficially into good looking men? But if it was Mogzo, then Haruhiro had zero chance, didn¡¯t he? Not a snowball¡¯s chance in hell. But it wasn¡¯t like he had those feelings for Mary anyway. Probably.

    He just¡­ wished he could make her smile more.

    It would touch him deeply if he could see someone as lovely as her smile for real. That would be more than wonderful. But he wasn¡¯t interested in her in a romantic sort of way, he didn¡¯t think.

    ¡°Err¡­ Master Barbara?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Old Cat?¡±

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s about girls, yes?¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­¡±

    ¡°Pathetic boy. Trying to change the subject now, are we?¡±

    ¡°No, ma¡¯am. I wouldn¡¯t dare. I wouldn¡¯t even think about it. That¡¯s not it. Really.¡±

    Haruhiro told her about the line that appeared now and then during fights. The lower half of Master Barbara¡¯s face was concealed by a scarf so her expression was difficult to read, but Haruhiro had the feeling that she was listening intently. She also placed her feet back on the floor as he talked, taking her weight off him.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said at length. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad sign.¡±

    ¡°Sign?¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t be mistaken. It¡¯s not anything special.¡±

    ¡°Mistaken? I don¡¯t even know anything about it¡­¡±

    ¡°Slow, aren¡¯t you? An old cat in every sense.¡±

    ¡°Slow? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m slow, ma¡¯am¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you are slow. But. For someone so dull-witted, your instincts aren¡¯t bad. The line that you see¡ªfeel, perhaps is a better way to describe it¡ªappears once or twice to anyone who¡¯s accumulated enough experience.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not just once or twice, ma¡¯am. I can¡¯t say that I see it all the time, not even once a day, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, that might be the case. The difference is rather large depending on the person.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Master Barbara?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Sometimes it appears, sometimes it doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like we can will it to appear by concentrating hard or anything.¡±

    ¡°But when you do see it, are you able to execute [BACKSTAB] perfectly too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something you can rely on though, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­Of course. It¡¯s too erratic. Almost like it¡¯s completely random.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Work on perfecting your fighting techniques. And build up those muscles.¡±

    Haruhiro gasped once more as Master Barbara lifted up her legs again. He couldn¡¯t see her expression, but she was probably grinning like a madwoman under that scarf.

    ¡°You still have a ways to go. You have to build the stamina and strength to last going once or twice with a girl after killing five, six orcs. Because you¡¯re not really an old cat.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine with being an old cat, ma¡¯am¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be cheeky, brat!¡±

    ¡°ARGH¡­¡±

    Master Barbara had hit him in the groin, almost making him pass out.

    ¡°Whoops. Put a little too much oomph in that just now¡­¡±

    If he kept training here, Haruhiro had a feeling that sooner or later, he would be rendered sterile.

 Volume 2 - CH 8

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 8: Grasping Beyond Reach

    After safely¡ªor perhaps not so safely¡ªacquiring the [WIDOW MAKER] technique, Haruhiro and the others resumed their daily routine in the Siren Mines.

    Ranta had learned a Dread Knight spell called [DARK TERROR] which instilled the fear of the Black God Skulheill into an opponent and robbed them of rational judgment. Depending on how it was employed, it seemed like a useful technique¡­ if Ranta was competent enough to use it right.

    Mogzo returned with the dual techniques [FORWARD THRUST] and [REVERSE THRUST]. [FORWARD THRUST] was a one-handed thrust with fairly long reach while [REVERSE THRUST] was a thrust used while retreating. These were like less fancy versions of Ranta¡¯s bait and confuse skills, [PROPEL LEAP] and [JUKE STAB].

    Shihoru learned the [SHADOW BIND] spell. A shadow elemental was placed on the ground, which would immobilize any enemy who stepped on it. It had drawbacks however; only one elemental could be placed at a time, strong enemies could force their way out of the bind, and it only lasted for up to twenty-five seconds. But like [PHANTOM SLEEP], any battle skill the opponent might have was irrelevant to its effects. It was more of a support spell than an attack skill, but it was a spell that matched Shihoru¡¯s personality.

    Yume returned with [STAR PIERCE]. She had practiced her new knife throwing skill so much and with so many different weapons that she¡¯d actually become pretty good with it. She had even bought a small set of throwing knives of her own¡ªwell, not exactly, as according to her, ¡°Yume didn¡¯t know what knife to choose so Yume¡¯s master took Yume shoppin¡¯ and told Yume this one, this one, or this one and to pick only one but he bought it for Yume and it made Yume sooooooo happy! Of course, Yume bought some with her own money too¡­¡±

    It seemed as if Yume¡¯s Hunter¡¯s Guild master had taken quite a liking to her and Haruhiro couldn¡¯t blame him.

    Mary returned with the light magic spell [LIGHT OF JUDGEMENT], an offensive spell that utilized the God of Light Luminous¡¯ power to punish the enemy. The range was short and the damage low, but it caused the bodies of its targets to go numb and slowed their movements for a short duration. Mary probably didn¡¯t intend to fight directly with this technique, but rather to support Mogzo and the other front line party members.

    With everyone¡¯s new skills, the team¡¯s base fighting ability had improved. The power of Shihoru¡¯s new spell [SHADOW BIND] was an especially crucial addition.

    ¡°Shihoru, that¡¯s amazing! You stopped an elder in its tracks!¡± Haruhiro crowed.

    They were on the third stratum of the Siren Mines, engaged with a kobold party led by one of those tough foremen who preferred to stand back and give orders rather than fight at the front. Shihoru¡¯s [SHADOW BIND] had rendered it unable to take so much as a step forward. Only its movement had been disabled, though, so it should have been able to continue giving orders to its followers, but it seemed the elder had fallen into a state of panic.

    ¡°Now! Take down the followers!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    Ranta however, not needing to be told, or disregarding that he hadn¡¯t been told yet, had his left hand extended, already charging at Follower A.

    ¡°Here comes the Dread Knight! For Skulheill! Tremble with fear, disbelievers! [DARK TERROR]!¡±

    A purplish mist engulfed Follower A, entering its body though its nose and mouth. The kobold let out a short howl and leapt wildly at Ranta.

    ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± Ranta immediately blocked the kobold¡¯s blade with his longsword, but the kobold didn¡¯t stop there. It launched a series of ferocious attacks void of any semblance of sanity. ¡°What the¡ª! Why¡ª?! What the hell¡ª?!¡± he shouted, deflecting the attacks. ¡°This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to be!¡±

    ¡°¡­It does seem to have lost the ability to make good judgments though,¡± Haruhiro remarked.

    In the end, Ranta was still Ranta. Haruhiro was dumb for expecting more out of him. There were two other followers; Mogzo made for Follower B while Yume headed to Follower C, but Mary was ahead of them both.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [LIGHT OF JUDGEMENT]!¡±

    Follower B, who was waiting for Mogzo, was bathed in light. Its entire body began to spasm violently.

    Mogzo followed up immediately with his killer [RAGE CLEAVE], shouting, ¡°THANK YOU!!¡±

    Follower B went down and Mogzo immediately shifted over to help Yume. It was very like the dependable Mogzo to not use a new skill when the situation didn¡¯t call for it.

    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no other choice,¡± Haruhiro murmured and started over to help Ranta.

    He was getting into position at Follower A¡¯s back when something suddenly occurred to him. Ranta¡¯s [DARK TERROR] wasn¡¯t a skill that was meant to frighten away its targets, but instead force them into making a do-or-die counterattack. Ranta failed epically with it earlier, but Haruhiro actually benefited. Follower A was so intently focused on killing Ranta that it didn¡¯t notice Haruhiro at all. He effortlessly took up his position at its back and¡­ [BACKSTAB]?

    No, might as well try, ¡°[WIDOW MAKER]!¡±

    Haruhiro latched onto Follower A and locked both of its arms in place for the moment. He had become proficient at that much, but he still hadn¡¯t mastered locking an opponent¡¯s legs in place as well. But just getting the opponent¡¯s arms pinned down increased the success rate of the technique massively. He rammed his dagger into the base of the kobold¡¯s neck, slit its throat, and jumped away.

    Follower A wasn¡¯t stone dead just yet and, though it was unlikely, staying that close invited the possibility of getting counterattacked. But that wasn¡¯t the only reason Haruhiro jumped away.

    ¡°TAAAAAAAAAKE THIS!¡± Ranta shouted, jumping forward as he thrust his sword into the dying kobold. Then he subsequently finished it by stabbing it again through its heart with all his strength.

    ¡°YESSSS! GOT MY VICE! GOT MY VICE!¡± Ranta declared with a gleeful shout.

    ¡°That was reckless! You could have stabbed me through it!¡± Haruhiro yelled.

    ¡°If you die, it¡¯s one more Vice for me! YES!!!¡±

    Dumbass. But that much Haruhiro already knew. All he had to do was remember that dumbasses will be dumbasses and then he wouldn¡¯t see so much red. But he was pissed. He was beyond goddamn ¡°pissed¡±. Maybe he should just give up holding it in.

    ¡°YAH!¡± Yume cried, using [SWEEPING SLASH] quickly followed by [CROSS CUT]. The combination attack put Follower C on its back foot.

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Mogzo¡¯s [RAGE CLEAVE] came without hesitation, ending the kobold on the spot.

    ¡°Everyone! To the foreman!¡± Haruhiro shouted, the obviousness of the statement making him a little embarrassed. But calling out to his team in moments like this also had the effect of encouraging everyone and boosting teamwork. And this was no time to start feeling shy. The kobold foreman was no longer disabled and the team moved to pound him into oblivion. Of course, the foreman was also desperate and would fight back hard. What was the best way to deal with an opponent like this?

    Haruhiro and the others had learned the answer through experience. Four of them would surround it and rather than everyone attacking randomly, they waited for it to attack. Then person it attacked would defend while the other three counterattacked. They would repeat this process until the enemy was down.

    As a result, they took down the elder kobold without anyone on the team getting injured. Ranta¡¯s movements were as questionable as always but Haruhiro decided to let it go, since it was a completely one-sided victory.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough of this stratum?¡± Ranta asked. ¡°These enemies are way too easy. It¡¯s about time we moved on, leveled up.¡±

    ¡°Here we go again¡­¡± Haruhiro sighed.

    Haruhiro still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced after they took down another foreman and two followers, but when they came across a sink well that led to the fourth stratum, Haruhiro seriously considered descending as a viable option. Everyone was fighting very well today and he wanted to keep the momentum going. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t want today¡¯s successes to make them overconfident. It was easy to get carried away at times like these.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± With the sink well right before his eyes, Haruhiro fell deep into thought.

    His own feelings put him at fifty-fifty, descend or not.

    ¡°When are you going to quit being indecisive?!¡± Ranta demanded.

    And Haruhiro had to admit that this time, and this time only, Ranta had a point. This was being a little too indecisive, even for Haruhiro. What were everyone else¡¯s opinions of a leader like this? Shihoru¡¯s and Mogzo¡¯s expressions were anxious. Yume stared at him blankly. Mary was regarding him with a thoughtful expression. Ranta was the only one who was pissed off.

    This was no good. When decision time came, he had to make a decision. So he did.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it tomorrow,¡± Haruhiro announced.

    ¡°WHAT!?¡± Ranta instantly protested.

    Haruhiro had anticipated his resistance, but it still annoyed him.

    ¡°Nothing wrong with coming back tomorrow, right?¡± he replied. ¡°We¡¯ll have time to mentally prepare beforehand so its fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already mentally prepared!!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just one person! What about everyone else?!¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault that I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s ready and the rest of you are chicken shit!?¡± Ranta spat.

    Wow. Holy shit that pissed him off. He was going to explode with rage. Haruhiro closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. Getting angry didn¡¯t do anyone any good. He had to control himself. Yes, self-control. But why? Why did he have to go to such lengths to control himself on Ranta¡¯s account?

    It was Ranta¡¯s fault. It was all goddamn Ranta.

    When Haruhiro opened his eyes, he didn¡¯t look at Ranta. His self-control would evaporate if he so much as glimpsed Ranta¡¯s face right now.

    ¡°We¡¯ll call it a day now on the third stratum and descend to the fourth stratum tomorrow. Ranta disagrees with me. Anyone else feel the same?¡±

    Everyone else agreed with Haruhiro. He expected Ranta to continue protesting, but to his surprise, Ranta merely shrugged his shoulders and backed off. Haruhiro didn¡¯t get him at all. What was Ranta thinking?

    On their way back, they brought down another foreman and four kobold workers on the third stratum without suffering any injuries and then returned to Altana without further mishaps. Their earnings were comparatively good today. After eating dinner together, they headed to Sherry¡¯s Tavern for drinks.

    When Kikkawa dropped by, the conversation grew lively. Kikkawa and Ranta were birds of a feather, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and creating quite the ruckus together. They¡¯ve got matching personalities, Haruhiro thought. And the more he thought about it, the more Haruhiro realized that he was the one most often at verbal odds with Ranta. Was it because he didn¡¯t have a matching personality?

    Haruhiro left with everyone else, but then after they were well on their way back, he turned back to the tavern alone after offering up a few random excuses to the others. Mary was sitting alone at the far end of the first floor bar counter. She noticed Haruhiro approaching and turned her gaze towards him.

    For a moment, he wondered anxiously what he would do if she told him to go away¡­ Maybe he was chicken shit, just like Ranta said. He certainly wasn¡¯t courageous by any means. Luckily, his fears were unfounded.

    Mary gave him a slight smile and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Ah, nothing in particular, really. Just¡­ Do you mind if I sit here?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡±

    Haruhiro took the seat next to her. He noticed she was nursing a cup of that honey mead again, so he ordered the same for himself. He¡¯d been eating and drinking pretty much anything he wanted lately. He wasn¡¯t worried about money, and a part of him was considering moving out of that shabby reserve force lodge, too.

    ¡°Mary, where do you live? Err¡ª¡± He panicked, not meaning it to come out like that. ¡°No! No, I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t mean I want to know where you live. I was just thinking it was probably time to think about moving out of that lodge and¡­ and I was err, wondering where would be, you know¡­ just asking¡­ for reference¡­¡±

    ¡°I rent a room at a run-of-the-mill lodge on Kaen Road,¡± Mary replied casually. ¡°It¡¯s a place only used by women, and I¡¯ve lived there since the start.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I see¡­¡± Haruhiro felt like an idiot for making a scene. If there was a hole nearby, he would crawl into it. Or not. He felt beads of sweat starting to run down his forehead and, careful to look casual, wiped it away with one hand. ¡°Hm. Must be nice. I can see how it would be awkward to have a guy living next door.¡±

    ¡°If you decide to move out of the lodge, I can probably introduce Yume and Shihoru to the owner,¡± Mary offered.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll probably appreciate that a lot. But it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve decided to move or anything yet. We haven¡¯t even talked about it, really. Everyone¡¯s okay with living there even though things get pretty inconvenient sometimes. We¡¯re all used to it now.¡±

    ¡°The reserve force lodge¡­¡± Mary closed her eyes and took a sip of her drink. ¡°Brings back memories.¡±

    Haruhiro was certain that Mary was still with her old companions at the time she was living in the lodge. The companions no longer with her now.

    ¡°But the lodge has gotten pretty crowded recently,¡± Haruhiro said with a laugh. He hadn¡¯t meant to laugh and didn¡¯t know why he did it. ¡°The new arrivals are there now, though our rooms are pretty far apart, so I haven¡¯t really said more than passing greetings to any of them.¡±

    ¡°What sort of people are they?¡± Mary asked.

    ¡°No one like Renji,¡± replied Haruhiro. ¡°But no one as pathetic as us either.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason to look down on yourself like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Is that how I came across?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess I did.¡± Haruhiro felt like hanging his head in his hands, but settled with mussing his hands through his hair instead. ¡°That¡¯s not good. I wish I could project more confidence in myself, but¡­ I guess I¡¯m just not that type of person.¡±

    ¡°A cocksure, self-assured Haru?¡± Mary¡¯s expression softened. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s not like you at all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think so either. But there I go again with ¡®I think, maybe, probably¡¯. That¡¯s not good either.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not overthinking it? Taking things too seriously?¡±

    ¡°Too seriously? Overthinking? Me? No way,¡± Haruhiro denied.

    ¡°Ranta too, you take him too seriously and that¡¯s why you get into fights with him all the time,¡± Mary pointed out.

    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see. That might be true, yeah. I should figure out a way to just let it go every time he says something.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you want to find a perfect solution that makes it so difficult. I think it¡¯s better to just be more half-assed with him. Save the seriousness for when you really need it.¡±

    ¡°Half-assed¡­¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t think he was the type of person who took everything seriously, but when it came to matters related to leadership of a party, he found himself agonizing over and ambivalent about every little decision. It was true that he did the best he could to seriously consider everything, but that was probably because he wasn¡¯t a natural leader.

    If he was suited for the role, if he had what it took to lead within him already, then he wouldn¡¯t have to think about everything so deeply. And the conclusion he reached at the end of these extended periods of thinking was the same every time: If there was someone around who could take his place, he would give it to them.

    Even during these chats with Mary, he got the overwhelming feeling that she was better suited to lead the party than he was and was tempted to ask her to do it. But he didn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to do something that pitiful.

    ¡°Mary, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°About the Siren Mines.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Mary seemed to have more to say, but shut her lips abruptly.

    Starting tomorrow, they would descend to the fourth stratum then eventually down the fifth, just like Mary¡¯s previous party had. If they kept heading in this direction, then surely one day they would reach the place where Mary¡¯s previous companions had died. Mary would have to set foot in that place once again.

    Haruhiro knew, from personal experience, how tough that could be. It was bitter and heart-wrenching.

    Anger welled up in the pit of his stomach every time he returned to that place to scout the plate-armored goblin and hobgoblin. It was sadness and anger beyond what he could bear. They had never returned to the place Manato died, always gave it a wide berth in fact, after their business there was done. If he could, he would forget its very existence.

    ¡°I was just wondering if you were okay with us working in the Mines. You¡¯re not pushing yourself too hard, are you? I mean, it doesn¡¯t seem like it, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ easy,¡± Mary said through gritted teeth. ¡°Being down there doesn¡¯t bring any good feelings. Not now, probably not ever.¡±

    ¡°I thought as much¡­¡±

    ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s something I have to do,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s something I want to do. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll never be able to move on. I¡¯d never be able to do it alone though, and if I have to borrow the strength of others to do it¡­ then I want to borrow yours. You and everyone else. Because you and the others consider me your companion and friend.¡±

    For some reason, Haruhiro was deeply moved by those words. No, not for some reason, it was because he was very happy. Mary was actually depending on them. She considered Haruhiro and the others to be her friends and believed in them to see her through this. And she had actually said it out loud to Haruhiro. That made him happier than anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to put such a burden on all of you,¡± Mary added.

    It was sweet of Mary to say that and made Haruhiro want to give her a hug¡ªnot that he would even consider doing something as crazy as that. He couldn¡¯t do it and he didn¡¯t think Mary was looking for anything like that. But in that moment, she was undeniably cute in a way that made Haruhiro want to protect her¡­ though his ability to actually do so was questionable.

    ¡°It¡¯s no burden,¡± Haruhiro assured her with a smile.

    He wished he could have shown her that it was worth placing her trust in him, but that wouldn¡¯t be like him. At the very least though, he wanted her to rest assured.

    Haruhiro continued, ¡°It¡¯s no burden at all. We¡¯ll lend you all the strength we have. Well, we¡¯ll do everything we can and if we can¡¯t do it, then we can¡¯t do it, but¡ªI¡¯m not coming off as very cool, am I?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re fine just the way you are, Haru.¡±

    ¡°Really? You really think so?¡±

    Then in the quietest of whispers, almost embarrassed, it seemed, Mary said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Whoa. And in that moment, he felt as if he was going to fall in love with her. Except not really. He wasn¡¯t her type, after all.

 Volume 2 - CH 9

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 9: Let Go of Jealousy

    Haruhiro was not a natural leader. He lacked both character and ability, and that was very difficult to remedy. But after talking to Mary last night, Haruhiro had renewed his determination to do his best as one. He doubted that he would ever become a great leader, but he decided to make that his goal nonetheless.

    Now here they were, on the fourth stratum of the Siren Mines, just as Haruhiro had promised yesterday.

    ¡°Hey everyone, look here! Look! Look!¡± Yume bubbled, leaning over a fence while pointing to some kind of animal beyond it. ¡°Ain¡¯t those just darlin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What the¡ªhell no!¡± came Ranta¡¯s prompt refutation, and for once, Haruhiro had to agree.

    The creatures tottering about beyond the fence looked sort of like pigs at first glance, but then again also resembled rats. They were something like shaved rats the size of pigs. No one knew what the kobolds called them, but reserve force soldiers referred to them as ¡°pigrats¡±. And an appropriate name it is, Haruhiro agreed.

    The area contained a number of these fenced pens to raise pigrats in them. But that wasn¡¯t all.

    ¡°Yume thinks they¡¯re absolutely darlin¡¯. Those things over there are adorable too!¡± Yume said, running over to another pen. ¡°Or¡­ maybe not. Never mind. These aren¡¯t cute at all¡­¡±

    ¡°What are those?¡± Rather than approach the barrier, Shihoru leaned forward for a look, but drew back terrified. ¡°Eww, gross. Disgusting¡­¡±

    Mogzo nodded and grunted his agreement.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­¡± Haruhiro glanced briefly at the creatures in the non-pigrat pen and wished that he hadn¡¯t. ¡°Absolutely horrendous. I get the feeling things that ugly were never meant to be seen.¡±

    The corner of Mary¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. ¡°I think¡­I know exactly what you mean.¡±

    The creatures had no arms, legs, or tail. Their bodies weren¡¯t thin; they were plump, and they were long. It was like someone took a pig, tore off all its appendages and tail, then stretched it out lengthwise. Apparently, they were called ¡°pigworms¡±, a name given to them by reserve force soldiers, and they were unexpectedly terrifying in appearance.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ranta reached out with his sword, attempting to poke one.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Haruhiro grabbed him. ¡°Ranta, don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What? Shut up, Haruhiro. Just trying it to see what happens. It¡¯s not like I was being serious or anything.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s it possible to try and not be serious?¡± Haruhiro demanded and regretted the words the moment he did. All he had to do to was let it go, let the moment pass, but here he was again, treating Ranta way too earnestly.

    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly possible for me,¡± Ranta retorted.

    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±

    ¡°More-than-way-beyond perfectly possible. Got it?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, got it,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Then repeat it for me!¡± Ranta demanded.

    ¡°It¡¯s more-than-way-beyond perfectly possible for you,¡± Haruhiro repeated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it using my exact words!¡±

    Haruhiro ignored the raging Ranta and instead looked back at the herd of pigworms. The way they scrunched up their bodies and slithered along the ground was like something out of a nightmare.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s what kobolds eat¡­¡± Haruhiro murmured.

    It was said that the fourth stratum of the Siren Mines was the agricultural sector. Their immediate surroundings was more for animal ranching than crops, but darkshrooms and ogreferns¡ªeven glow blossoms that produced their own light¡ªall manner of plants that did not require sunlight were cultivated here.

    Kobolds were living beings. If they didn¡¯t eat, they would die. With the exception of lesser kobolds, they rarely ventured outside the mountain, so they had to sustain themselves down here somehow. The result was that, after all mineral ore here had been exhausted, the spacious fourth stratum was converted to farmland.

    ¡°Get down!¡± Mary suddenly said, pointing to the ground.

    Haruhiro, Shihoru, Mogzo, and Ranta dropped immediately, but Yume remained standing.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s goin¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just do it!¡± Haruhiro grabbed her arm, intending to force her down to a crouch, but ended up making her fall backwards instead.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Yume yelped.

    ¡°S-sorry! But¡ªwait, shh!¡± Haruhiro hushed, index finger at his mouth.

    He said no more, but Yume nodded, apparently getting the message. Haruhiro and the others stayed crouched by the fence, motionless for a good three minutes before Ranta peeked over.

    ¡°Gone¡­ I think,¡± he reported.

    ¡°You think?¡± Haruhiro slowly poked half his head above the fence and took a thorough look around. There was one elder kobold in the distance, but it had its back to them and was moving away. ¡°It¡¯s still there. Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡±

    When Haruhiro looked again a minute later, a different elder had appeared and was coming their way. ¡°Trouble!¡± he hissed.

    ¡°Oy oy oy,¡± Ranta sighed. ¡°How long are we gonna hide? Let¡¯s just take it out!¡±

    Haruhiro¡¯s expression turned thoughtful for a moment, but then he looked over at Mary and met her gaze. She shook her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she advised. ¡°This isn¡¯t like the upper strata. If we fail to kill it in an instant, the noise from the fight will be like the spark that ignites an inferno.¡±

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°Fine. Then we take it out in one blow.¡±

    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Haruhiro snapped, thoroughly annoyed.

    ¡°Maybe¡­ it¡¯s possible,¡± Shihoru suddenly said. ¡°With my magic.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Haruhiro¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°That¡¯s right. [PHANTOM SLEEP].¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Shihoru said. ¡°But¡­ we¡¯ll be in real trouble if I miss. Maybe it¡¯s better not to risk it¡­¡±

    ¡°You guys,¡± Ranta had his I-am-about-to-say-something-that¡¯s-going-to-piss-everyone-off expression on again. ¡°Always thinking about stuff negatively is like being afraid to drink water because it might be poisoned or something. You get what I mean? Yeah?¡±

    Haruhiro wished that if Ranta was going to try to make up analogies, he could have at least put more effort into thinking up one that was more appropriate to the situation. And with that silent rebuttal, Haruhiro let the moment of confrontation pass. As the party leader, it was vital that he acquired this let it go skill.

    ¡°Shihoru,¡± Haruhiro said instead. ¡°If you¡¯re not confident, we don¡¯t have to do it. But since you came up with the idea, I think we should try, if you believe you can pull it off.¡±

    It was rare for timid Shihoru to speak up on her own and Haruhiro wanted to encourage that, and give her his support. Shihoru¡¯s gaze remained on the ground for several moments before she finally lifted her head and said, ¡°¡­I want to try it.¡±

    No one was against it. They approached to within sixty-five feet, the maximum cast range of [PHANTOM SLEEP], before Shihoru popped her head and staff up over the fence, chanting, ¡°Oom rel eckt krom dash!¡±

    The shadow elemental that shot from the tip of her staff wasn¡¯t as fast as [SHADOW ECHO]¡¯s elemental, but it was stealthy. It flew without a sound and hit the elder right in the face. The elemental seeped into the elder¡¯s body through its nose, ears, and mouth. The elder began to sway, and it fell over in short order.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Haruhiro gave the signal and everyone attacked the sleeping elder as one unit. No time to think about the dishonorable tactic¡ªthey had to finish it quickly. The one to do so was Ranta. Why was it that Ranta was always fastest to act in these types of situations?

    ¡°PIece of cake Vice!,¡± laughed Ranta fiendishly. Everyone, hurry up and strip it of its valuables!¡±

    ¡°Since when did you become the one giving the orders?¡± Haruhiro retorted without thinking. This was no good. Let it go. Gotta let it go.

    Unlike the elders occupying the third stratum, fourth stratum elders were equipped with iron scale mail and iron-tipped whips that hung looped at their waists. The elder¡¯s talisman was a blue-tinged silver earring and looked like it would fetch quite a good price.

    ¡°Easy win for us, but Yume feels kinda sorry for the eldie. Nicely done, Shihoru,¡± Yume complimented. ¡°You sure pew-pew¡¯d it with your magic.¡±

    ¡°A-agreed,¡± Mogzo added. ¡°Shihoru deserves all the credit for that one.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡­ err¡­¡± Embarrassed by the compliments, Shihoru shrank back.

    ¡°They¡¯re right,¡± Haruhiro said, turning to Shihoru and giving her a thumbs up. ¡°You were perfect. Really. Now we know that we can use this method to take out one enemy if we can manage to sneak up on it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the one who actually killed it,¡± Ranta interjected.

    Right, Haruhiro thought. Let it go.

    ¡°The body,¡± Mary said as she made the Priest¡¯s hexagon gesture. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t leave it out in the open like this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Haruhiro said, looking at the pens surrounding them. ¡°Let¡¯s move it into one of the pens for now.¡±

    After stripping the elder¡¯s body of its valuables, Haruhiro and Mogzo carried it into a pigrat pen. Haruhiro wanted Ranta to help out too, but didn¡¯t think it was worth the trouble of asking.

    It was then that something truly horrifying happened.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± Haruhiro started.

    The pigrats surrounded the body, making boo-hee boo-hee squealing noises and then¡­ No way¡­ They¡¯re not going to eat it¡­ right?

    Wrong. They devoured it in a frenzy, each greedily fighting another over the carcass..

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s what we call the ¡®food chain¡¯,¡± Yume whispered.

    But was that really the issue here? Haruhiro had a feeling that she wasn¡¯t quite grasping the crux of the matter.

    Shihoru crouched down, holding onto her staff for support, looking faint. Mary put one hand over her mouth, as if suppressing the urge to vomit; Mogzo¡¯s expression was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Well, well. How convenient,¡± Ranta said, strange smirk on his face and looking the picture of uninvolved bystander. Even though he wasn¡¯t. ¡°We can kill, kill, kill all we want and then dump the bodies for the pigrats to clean up. It¡¯s kinda gross, since the kobolds are gonna eat the pigrats at some point, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re the cannibals, so whatever. I pretty much knew this was gonna happen though.¡± Ranta finished with a weak laugh.

    ¡°Then, why are your legs shaking?¡± Haruhiro asked, to which Ranta replied with, ¡°W-w-what?!¡±, and a threatening gesture. But Ranta¡¯s face was so pale, Haruhiro wasn¡¯t in the least bit intimidated.

    Ranta continued, ¡°M-my legs aren¡¯t shaking! I-I¡¯m not shaking anywhere! I-it¡¯s cause you¡¯re shaking that makes it look like I¡¯m shaking, ¡®kay!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®kay¡¯?¡± Haruhiro asked mildly.

    ¡°Shut it! ¡®Kay¡¯ is¡­ ¡®Kay¡¯ means¡­ Uhh¡­ ¡®K¡¯ stands for Killer!¡±

    ¡°No need to force yourself if you¡¯re feeling queasy, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro offered.

    ¡°E-eeediot! I¡¯m fine! This is nothing! In fact, it¡¯s my favorite! Because Dread Knights love the grotesque and erotic!¡±

    ¡°Grotesque, fine. Erotic doesn¡¯t seem to be relevant to anything here.¡±

    ¡°But I want it to! ¡®Cause I¡¯m a manly man!¡±

    Before they had any more time to think deeper about this particular method of disposing bodies, the sudden noise caused by the pigrats getting an unexpected treat brought four elders running to the scene. Haruhiro and the others were forced to hide again, but this time, remaining where they were would be dangerous. They had to get away from here.

    The pigrat and pigworm pen fences were tall, making it relatively easy to keep themselves out of sight; however, the number of kobold elders at the pens had suddenly increased again. The darkshroom, ogrefern, and glow blossom plots were wide open without any fences. They would be plainly visible to low ranked and regular kobold workers there.

    Haruhiro and the others were forced to make a covert rush from one end of the fourth stratum, and then back to the center where they hid in the corner of an empty pen.

    ¡°Do you think this stratum might be too much for us?¡± Haruhiro, leaning against the fence wall, asked Mary.

    Mary looked thoughtful before saying, ¡°The conditions here aren¡¯t very good. My team also¡ª¡± She cut herself off, expression troubled.

    Afraid of making things awkward for Haruhiro and the others, she hadn¡¯t intended to say ¡°my team¡± or make any mention of her former companions while with them. Haruhiro was about to tell her not worry about it, but he was beaten to it.

    ¡°Whatever. No need to worry about stuff like that all the time.¡± And by Ranta, of all people. Ranta continued, ¡°Does it look like we¡¯re that petty? Not me. I¡¯m big-hearted. Big, wide, and wild too. Feel free to fall in love with me any moment now.¡±

    ¡°Um, no thanks,¡± came Mary¡¯s prompt reply.

    Ranta purposely fell himself over at the instant rejection, his silliness actually making Mary smile ever so slightly. Haruhiro suddenly felt his chest tighten with annoyance. What? Could it possibly be jealousy he was feeling now? Jealous of Ranta? No way¡­

    Haruhiro cleared his throat, getting a grip on himself. ¡°What about conditions on the fifth stratum then?¡±

    ¡°Compared to here? Better, probably¡­¡± Mary replied carefully.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Yume nodded.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then¡­¡± Shihoru offered nervously. ¡°Should we descend?¡±

    Mogzo gave a firm nod.

    Ranta grinned broadly. ¡°It¡¯s decided then.¡±

 Volume 2 - CH 10

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 10: Not Supposed to be Cool

    Hot¡­ that was the first thing that came to mind after descending a sink well from the fourth to fifth stratum. While the fourth stratum was comfortably cool, the fifth stratum was completely not. The temperature was much higher and the reason was immediately apparent. Forges, both large and small, lined the tunnel paths.

    The fifth stratum was a refinery, where excavated ore was brought to be smelted. Not all the forges were in use, but the lit ones were occupied by busy-looking kobolds. Other worker kobolds lounged around spaces apparently used for breaks. Some areas were crammed full of kobolds while others were fairly quiet. Once in a while, an elder and its underlings would appear.

    There were also spots that made for good hunting grounds for reserve force soldiers, one of which Mary guided them to. It was a cul-de-sac at one end of the stratum, but the path made a large, round-about loop, so it wasn¡¯t actually a dead end.

    The spot was a good distance from any of the forges, but not too far from the worker kobolds¡¯ break areas or the lookout posts where the elders supervised everyone. It was an area kobolds might enter if they went for a walk between shifts and once in a while, kobolds could be seen drawing near.

    This was where Haruhiro and the others laid in wait¡­ except no kobolds came. Ranta, growing impatient, growled in exasperation.

    Yume sighed in annoyance. ¡°If you can¡¯t be patient, then why not try taking a nap?¡±

    ¡°If I fall asleep,¡± Ranta countered, ¡°you guys will decide it¡¯s boring here and leave me behind.¡±

    ¡°Darnit. Foiled again.¡±

    ¡°Damn right, Ms. Washboard. I know what you¡¯re thinking before you even think it. I see right through you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Yume that!¡± Yume said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you whatever I want, stupid! Flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat!¡±

    Yume¡¯s expression turned stormy.

    ¡°Y-Yume¡­¡± Shihoru said, gently patting Yume on the back, ¡°I don¡¯t think your boobs are small.¡±

    ¡°Shihoru¡¯s got big boobs, so that doesn¡¯t make Yume feel better!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­ sorry¡­ but I¡¯m just fat¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Yume too,¡± Yume said apologetically. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what Yume said. It ain¡¯t your fault you have big boobs and it ain¡¯t like Yume made her boobs small on purpose. And Yume uses a bow now ¡®n then ¡¯cause Yume¡¯s a Hunter so she sometimes thinks havin¡¯ big boobs would just get in the way¡­¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ that might be true,¡± Shihoru agreed hesitantly.

    ¡°Yume¡¯s prob¡¯ly a natural born Hunter,¡± Yume said.

    ¡°What kind of weird reasoning is that?¡± Ranta challenged.

    Haruhiro found himself agreeing just a tiny bit with Ranta this time, but it was definitely better not to involve himself in the conversation. This was one of those let it go moments. Let it go¡­ Just let it go¡­ He had a feeling that gaining experience with thislet it go skill with the intention of leveling up got him closer to achieving some goal.

    The fifth stratum was a clangorous place, but this hunting spot they occupied now was relatively quiet. Noise also echoed easily, since it was a mining tunnel. They could hear footsteps approaching. Most likely kobolds.

    Haruhiro lifted his hand and pointed a finger in that direction. He then gave a thumbs up, and turned it down immediately. It was the hand sign for ¡°enemies approaching, get ready¡± they had all decided upon after they had starting coming to the mines.

    Yume readied her bow and nocked an arrow, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Shihoru and Mary readied their staves. Mogzo unsheathed his bastard sword, Ranta did the same with his longsword, and Haruhiro followed suit with his dagger.

    The kobold came into view. An elder. Yume opened her eyes; they moved with that particular motion indicating that she had activated [SHARP SIGHT], a skill that allowed her to track movement with a higher amount of precision. She shot. The elder cried out as her arrow hit it in the face.

    The elder went down writhing in agony but behind it came another. That one was an elder too. Two of them, Elder A was wounded while the other was unharmed.

    ¡°Mogzo, to the unwounded one!¡± Haruhiro ordered and Mogzo ran to obey.

    ¡°DIEEEEEE!¡± Ranta was already charging at Elder A.

    Yume had dropped her bow and unsheathed her kukri. Shihoru chanted, ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash!¡± the [SHADOW ECHO] spell. The black seaweed-like shadow elemental burst from the tip of her staff.

    Elder B was fending off Mogzo¡¯s attacks with a broad-bladed sword but in that moment, the shadow elemental hit it right in the stomach. It started quivering uncontrollably. Mogzo pressed Elder B¡¯s sword down with a shout then lifted his own bastard up and brought it down on the elder¡¯s head. The elder kobold twisted its body away at the last second, and Mogzo¡¯s sword only grazed the side of its head instead of splitting its skull.

    In the meantime, Ranta while shouting his fury, had driven his longsword through Elder A¡¯s chest. Just as Haruhiro and Yume made to help Mogzo, Elder B made an about-face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get away!¡± Mary shouted.

    Yume switched her kukri to her left hand and with her right, pulled out a throwing knife and hurled it at the elder. Her [STAR PIERCE] skill hit Elder B right below its shoulder but rather than go down, it kept running. Mogzo was right behind it, heavy armor clanking with ever step, sword raised but out of range.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get him!¡± Haruhiro quickened his pace, pushed Yume aside and passed ahead of Mogzo. Elder B¡¯s back was to him and since it was so preoccupied with running away, it wasn¡¯t taking any precautions to protect itself. It was also wounded and unsteady on its feet. At this rate, Haruhiro could catch up.

    ¡°[WIDOW MAKER]!¡± Haruhiro jumped onto it back, slit its throat in the same motion, and leapt away again.

    The elder staggered for a bit, then crashed to the ground.

    Haruhiro let out a sigh of relief, ¡°I did it¡­¡±

    ¡°Got my Vice!¡± Ranta cried in a savage tone.

    So it seemed that Kobold A was now dead too.

    ¡°For some reason¡­¡± Haruhiro found himself loose-lipped and couldn¡¯t help it.

    It wasn¡¯t the cleanest fight ever, but it didn¡¯t go too badly either. They didn¡¯t put any unnecessary burden on their Priest, Mary, everyone contributed their combat specialties, and they were able to finish it quickly. It was almost like actual teamwork.

    ¡°For some reason, I think that went really well,¡± Haruhiro continued. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys think so too?¡±

    ¡°A-agreed,¡± Mogzo said, his barbute helm moving up and down in a nodding motion. ¡°I think so too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yume said, nostrils flaring as she used her left hand to pat herself on the right shoulder. ¡°Yume¡¯s arrow and throwin¡¯ knife were amazin¡¯. Yume kinda feels sorry for the eldie but feels pretty good about herself.¡±

    Shihoru smiled, ¡°It was like we had a good rhythm going. Like we naturally knew who was going to do what next and that¡¯s exactly how it worked out.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mary flashed them a slight smile. ¡°I think it was well done.¡±

    ¡°AND IT¡¯S ALL BECAUSE OF ME!!!¡± Ranta proclaimed. ¡°ALL BECAUSE OF ME AND ALL IS MINE!¡±

    Haruhiro guessed it was too much to expect Ranta to act any differently. Well, all he had to do was let it go¡­ but he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Haruhiro challenged. ¡°Is that supposed to be some sort of cool line?¡±

    ¡°No, wait a sec¡­ I meant THE WORLD! Not all! I meant the world is mine!¡±

    ¡°Oh. Good for you then.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s good at all! You¡¯re just saying that!¡± Ranta accused.

    ¡°Nope. I think it¡¯s good,¡± said Haruhiro. ¡°It¡¯s great. Congrats.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Ranta kicked at the ground. ¡°And why do I have to thank you of all people anyway?!¡±

    If it was the same pattern as usual, Haruhiro would be pissed off at this point, but he actually found it kind of funny and laughed despite of himself. Everyone was in good spirits while they collected the loot. Suddenly, Haruhiro felt something strange¡­ something wrong. He quickly glanced around.

    ¡°What¡¯s wro¡ª¡± Mary started to say, but before she could finish, she saw the same thing as Haruhiro¡­ A head poking out from just beyond where the tunnel path curved out of sight. A kobold. It had to be.

    When the kobold realized that Haruhiro and Mary had noticed it, it ducked back out of view.

    ¡°Hey¡­ pretty nice,¡± Ranta said as he relieved Elder A¡¯s corpse of its talisman. ¡°Looks like this¡¯ll fetch a really good price¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Haruhiro said, raising a hand to shut Ranta up. ¡°Mary, thoughts?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ranta craned his neck for a look. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yume, on one knee by the body of Elder B, asked. Shihoru, crouched next to Yume turned to Haruhiro, blinking in confusion. ¡°Hm? What¡ª¡±

    Mogzo grunted and bent down low.

    Mary placed a finger on her chin, ¡°Thoughts, you say¡­¡±

    A long, ear piercing howl resembling a dog¡¯s split the air. But the howler was certainly no dog. A kobold. A worker or an elder, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t tell, but it had to be that kobold that had spotted them just now.

    ¡°O-oy¡­¡± Ranta gulped hard and put a hand over his mouth. ¡°What the¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound good¡­¡±

    Mary¡¯s eyes were wide, the panic in them obvious. ¡°This is bad. That¡¯s a¡­¡±

    Another loud howl, answered in return by several others of the same kind. The howling had now become one continuous stream. That first kobold had started it, then another had answered, then another, and another, and another in succession.

    ¡°R-run!¡± Haruhiro¡¯s decision came immediately.

    Yume grabbed Shihoru by the arm and dragged her to her feet, ¡°C¡¯mon Shihoru, get up!¡±

    Run. They had to run. Run like hell. But where to? For a split second, Haruhiro had no idea. Calm down! Then he remembered, it didn¡¯t matter. This tunnel path at the end of the cul-de-sac was circular. It was the same no matter which direction they went. But after this then where to next?

    The fifth stratum was a like a twisted maze of passages. Could they get back to the sink well that led to the fourth stratum without getting lost? He didn¡¯t have a terrible sense of direction, but he wasn¡¯t great with them either. It¡¯ll be okay¡­ For some reason, he had the feeling that they would be okay, but he wasn¡¯t entirely confident. It was very much like him to waver back and forth like this.

    ¡°Follow me!¡± Mary said, springing into a run.

    Oh. Right. Mary had been down here once before. All they had to do was follow her.

    ¡°E-everyone, let¡¯s go!¡± Haruhiro said, even though no one had to be told.

    He trailed close behind Mary, turning to look back as he ran to make sure everyone was still with him and acutely aware of how much of a loser he was. Though he was the leader, he had been the first to turn tail. In that moment, he had forgotten all about his companions. Completely pathetic. Beyond embarrassing. Yume and Shihoru were completely panicked. He had to calm them down.

    Calm down?! At a time like this? How?!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! So just¡ª¡± Haruhiro immediately felt like swallowing his words. Just how is it fine? the straight man in him wisecracked. He was not fine. If he wasn¡¯t so preoccupied, he would have laughed at how not fine he was. He was going mad, surely.

    He couldn¡¯t run very well with his head turned backwards, so he shifted his gaze forwards again. Everything was shaking. His field of vision was swaying. Things were shaking and swaying so hard he wanted to ask why in the world everything was shaking this hard. His heartbeat drummed loudly in his ear. Oh. Maybe that was why. It felt like his heart was going to jump up and leap out of his mouth.

    They exited the cul-de-sac and a little further down, ran past a lookout post then a break area. Both were empty when they had passed by earlier, but not anymore. The break area was full of worker kobolds who immediately rushed towards them.

    ¡°Shit! Shit shit shit!¡± The expletives unwittingly rolled off his tongue. Shit! and What do we do?! alternately rampaged through his mind.

    Mary¡¯s pace slowed so Haruhiro followed suit. Oh. So that¡¯s why. A pack of kobolds were directly in their path; they would run straight into them if they kept going. But it was a dead end if they turned back. The only option was to force their way through. Not with Mary in front though.

    ¡°M-Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro turned and yelled. ¡°F-front! Get up here! Use [WAR CRY]!¡±

    ¡°R-right!¡± Mogzo replied, a hint of desperation in his tone, as his armored form clattered its way past Mary and Haruhiro to the front.

    Fourteen kobolds, maybe more, met Mogzo with flaming brands, intent on killing him. Mogzo suddenly halted as he was pelted with a number of those flaming sticks. Without so much as flinching, Mogzo planted both feet firmly down and roared into the air; a Warrior¡¯s [WAR CRY] skill.

    Through a special way of pitching his voice, the deafening [WAR CRY] shout intimidated enemies. Being unprepared for [WAR CRY] would stop human, monster, or any other living being in its tracks. It made some of the kobolds in front of them jump into the air while incapacitating others with fright. Some even backed away, head in their hands.

    ¡°NOW!¡± Mogzo yelled, tone gruff and masculine.

    Haruhiro ran as if his life depended on it, shouting, ¡°Everyone at once!¡±

    Ranta shouted as he charged. Mary was right beside Haruhiro. What about Yume? Shihoru? Haruhiro glanced behind him. Both were present.

    ¡°R-run! Go! Go go go!¡± He cried.

    Was that the only thing he could think to say? Pathetic. Haruhiro and Mary quickly caught up with Mogzo. Mogzo wasn¡¯t a fast runner by nature and his armor slowed him down even more. The clanking of his plate mail echoed through the tunnel. Should I pass him and run up ahead? Haruhiro wondered. No, not a good idea. More kobolds had appeared in their path. Lots more. How many? He had no idea.

    ¡°I can¡¯t use it again! Not so soon!¡± Mogzo said raggedly, running for all he was worth.

    So [WAR CRY] wasn¡¯t a skill that could be used in succession. What were they going to do?

    ¡°W-we¡¯ll have to charge through them!¡± Haruhiro said.

    A small voice inside of him asked, Charge? Bum rush? Really? But there wasn¡¯t a better option, was there? What he really wanted was to take all the frustration at the indecisiveness he was feeling now out on someone, but this wasn¡¯t the time or place.

    ¡°ARGH!¡± Mogzo cried out.

    Kobolds were ramming themselves into him, shrieking their own battle cries. Three of them, then a fourth threw themselves at him, piling themselves on top. Mogzo fell to the ground, rolling over repeatedly, but the momentum of the roll also somehow brought him back to his feet. Mogzo too, looked bewildered as if he had no idea what just happened.

    ¡°Keep going, Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro yelled.

    Mogzo recovered immediately and continued running with a series of shouts. Haruhiro had no idea what he was shouting, but whatever.

    ¡°Turn right!¡± Mary said.

    Ranta suddenly shouted, accompanied by Shihoru¡¯s shrieks. Haruhiro turned around and saw that a kobold had latched itself onto the hem of Shihoru¡¯s mage robes. Yume chopped at the kobold¡¯s hand with her kukri, lopped it off, and prevented Shihoru from being dragged to the ground.

    In the meantime, Mogzo was swinging his sword in broad strokes as he ran, forcing the kobolds directly in their path to scatter. Mary too, struck any kobold that got within range of her staff. And I¡¯m not doing anything¡­ Haruhiro thought. Just running. Not that there was much he could do but run.

    How did this happen? How did things turn out like this? Everything was going well. Really well. Everyone was feeling good, the mood was light, and morale was sky high. Was it perhaps¡­ they got overconfident because everything was going so smoothly? No, things hadn¡¯t gotten to that point. They were on the verge of it though. One step away from crossing that line.

    Had they been careless then? Inattentive?

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t deny it. They hadn¡¯t noticed that whistleblower kobold until it was too late. Too late? Really? Wasn¡¯t there something Haruhiro could have done then, but failed to do? He couldn¡¯t say with certainly that there was absolutely nothing he could have done to prevent this.

    They had gotten too lighthearted.

    Nothing good ever came of getting caught up in the moment. They had lost Manato too, when they all thought that they had everything handled. And now here they were again, repeating the same mistake. Haruhiro had failed to learn the lesson Manato had paid for with his life.

    ¡°What am I doing¡­¡±

    He was pathetic. Worse than worthless and irredeemably so. But blaming himself for the mistake wasn¡¯t going to make their situation any better. But he also didn¡¯t think there was anything he could do turn things back in their favor.

    Not possible. They wouldn¡¯t be able to get away. It was over. Finished.

    The kobolds were too numerous. There were just too many. If they went straight ahead, kobolds. Turned around, kobolds. To the right, kobolds. To the left, kobolds. The tunnels were full of kobolds. Where were they? Haruhiro had no idea. He was just following Mary.

    Mogzo had slowed down considerably, but if Haruhiro went past him, he would be in the lead. He couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t be in the front. There was no way he could be at the front lines.

    Mogzo¡¯s breathing came in ragged gasps. He must have been exhausted but he never stopped swinging his sword as he ran. No, he was forcing himself as if it was a matter of life or death. Mogzo was doing his best for them.

    I¡¯m sorry, Haruhiro apologized silently, wanting to cry. ¡°Mogzo¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m a useless good-for-nothing¡­¡±

    But even if he was, he still had to do something. Even if it was just a moment, he had to let Mogzo rest or he would never make it. And without Mogzo the rest of them would never make it out of here either.

    ¡°Mogzo, fall back! I¡¯ll take your place!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    He was afraid. So scared that he wanted to cry. But whatever happened, happened. With a furious cry, Haruhiro charged ahead, out in front of Mogzo and was immediately assaulted by kobolds charging in at him.

    Kobolds, kobolds, what the hell, kobolds, Mogzo, what the hell, ridiculous crazy scary, shit shit shit, NO WAY, shit I¡¯m gonna die, I¡¯m gonna die, I¡¯m gonna die¡­

    It hurt, so he had probably been hit and cut all over the place, but he had no idea where he¡¯d been injured. He also had no idea how he was forcing the kobolds back enough so they could keep running ahead. He was operating on pure¡­ instinct? Or something resembling that. Wait. Am I even moving? No idea.

    At that moment, all he knew was one thing and one thing only: An elder kobold was standing right in front of him, sword raised and ready to split Haruhiro¡¯s head open. To Haruhiro, everything seemed to have suddenly stopped and silence fell over the entire scene.

    He couldn¡¯t hear a single sound¡­ A strange silence.

    Haruhiro saw himself sitting in a chair, in a room somewhere that was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. What am I doing there, in that place? Then he was in a different place, surrounded by people who looked familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. He was laughing. Now he was in some sort of vehicle, going somewhere it seemed. There were others riding in the same vehicle. Who? They seemed familiar, but he didn¡¯t recognize them. Who were they?

    He was crouched in front of a large, box-like thing glowing with bright but indistinct lighting. Standing next to him was a girl with a bob-cut style hair.

    Choco¡­

    That¡¯s what Haruhiro called Bob-Cut Girl. Choco. Who was she? He didn¡¯t know. But Choco¡­ for some reason, he got the feeling that he knew her.

    Who was she?

    Where had they met? Had they met somewhere? He saw it now, that place. Where was it?

    Choco. Hey, Choco¡­ Who are you? Do you know me? Where was it? When was it? When and¡­ there at that place, I knew you¡­

    But Haruhiro didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t remember¡ªno, it was as if the knowledge would disappear the moment he was about to recall it. Choco¡¯s face¡­ her physique¡­ he couldn¡¯t recall what they looked like. Choco. But her name he did remember. That was the only thing that didn¡¯t disappear; it remained with him.

    Not that it mattered because he was about to die. The kobolds¡¯ movements seemed slower than usual, but they were no longer completely still like they were moments before. Things were moving now but Haruhiro couldn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t dodge the elder¡¯s sword and he wasn¡¯t wearing a protective helm like Mogzo either. There would be no saving him if he took a blow from a sword like that to the head.

    He was probably going to die. Oh, what¡¯s this? Something like his life flashing before his eyes? So he was going to die after all.

    Choco, I¡¯m going to die. I wish I could meet you. I don¡¯t know anything but your name, but I wish we could have met¡­

    It wasn¡¯t possible now.

    Nevertheless he wanted to at least go down trying. Dodge! Do something! Anything! But Haruhiro didn¡¯t think he had even the slightest chance of actually avoiding the blow. The kobold blade¡¯s approach was accelerating. Down it came. Haruhiro raised his arm. He had to do something to block it. His arm wasn¡¯t going to make it in time.

    ¡°[ANGER THRUST!]¡±

    Haruhiro, his arm half-raised, thought that if Ranta hadn¡¯t leapt in and thrust his sword into the base of the kobold¡¯s throat, Haruhiro¡¯s head would have been split in half.

    ¡°Haha! Make way for Lord Ranta!¡± he proclaimed.

    Haruhiro had no idea how Ranta could move like that, spinning his body around and around as he swung out with his longsword, and then suddenly reversing the spin direction.

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]!¡±

    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Haruhiro was rendered speechless.

    It was an ass attack. He had used [PROPEL LEAP] to launch himself backwards, zooming directly into the kobold standing behind him; but rather than ramming into it with his body, Ranta had sent it flying with his butt.

    ¡°YES! I¡¯m frickin¡¯ awesome!¡± Ranta said with relish.

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Mogzo¡¯s [RAGE CLEAVE] came less than a heartbeat behind, taking down its target kobold. Mary sent another flying another with [SMASH]. Yume drove a kobold back with her kukri while Shihoru¡¯s staff landed a blow as it retreated.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡± Ranta shouted as he, using his helmet, withstood a kobold¡¯s red-hot brand and then drove his sword through its stomach. ¡°You¡¯re weak as balls, so be more careful! We¡¯ll be in trouble if you die!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Haruhiro yelled back.

    He didn¡¯t need to be told. Not by Ranta¡­ the only person Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to hear it from. But he deserved it. Haruhiro completely gave up. He was near desperation. He was useless like this. A leader, huh? He was too incompetent. He was weak, just like Ranta said. It was impossible for him to make decisions so calmly.

    But even so, he was going to do it. He couldn¡¯t afford to become mentally defeated. The enemy wasn¡¯t kobolds. Hardly. The true enemy here was his own weak self.

    ¡°Mary! How much further to the sink well?!¡± Haruhiro called.

    ¡°Just a little more!¡± came her reply.

    ¡°Alright! Hang in there everyone, we¡¯re almost there!¡± Haruhiro cried. ¡°Get closer to the walls! Put your backs to it if things get too bad! Better to be surrounded in just three directions instead of all four! Ranta, to the front! We¡¯re counting on you! Mogzo, protect our rear! Yume and Mary stay at the sides! Shihoru, don¡¯t do anything rash! We¡¯re going to get out of here, one step at a time, forward!¡±

    No one was unhurt. Everyone bore injuries all over, but no one had lost hope either. Haruhiro had been close to despairing, but he was fine again. Now that he had taken a good look, the kobolds surrounding them weren¡¯t stacked that deeply. It wasn¡¯t so bad as ten or twenty layers of kobolds. There were a lot of them, yes, but no one was commanding them.

    Their movements were disorganized, scattered, and they backed away quickly at any counterattack made by Haruhiro¡¯s group. Maybe it was because they had the overwhelming advantage in numbers, but they weren¡¯t fighting very seriously. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like they were playing around, but rather than surrounding, pressing in, and finishing them, the kobolds were chasing them around; toying with them.

    On the other hand, Haruhiro and the others fought gravely and desperately, killing any kobold in their way without hesitation. To the kobolds, dying wasn¡¯t the preferred outcome, so they were quick to back away. So Haruhiro and the others were only looselysurrounded. They were still able to continue moving, to continue running.

    There was no avoiding fear with truly terrifying things, but there was no need to be more afraid than necessary. Overestimating a threat and falling into panic resulted in inability to do the things you usually could.

    ¡°That¡¯s the sink well!¡± Haruhiro called out. ¡°Shihoru, you¡¯re first. Mary¡¯s next! Then Yume, me, Ranta, and Mogzo!¡±

    With Ranta leading the way, Yume, Mary, and Haruhiro cut a path the rest of the way to the sink well. This particular well was small, with only one rope ladder attached to its lip. Shihoru climbed on but stopped, hesitant. Yelling at her to hurry wasn¡¯t good, Haruhiro knew. It would just fluster her more.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± he said instead. ¡°Take it slow! You don¡¯t have to rush!¡±

    The moment the words came out of his mouth, the hazy line of light appeared, connecting to a kobold that just happened to have its back turned towards him. Haruhiro¡¯s body moved, smooth as butter, and his dagger slid easily into its back.

    Mary was now making her way up the ladder, followed by Yume.

    ¡°Go, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta stripped off his bucket helm, took aim, and hurled it at his target kobold with a yell. ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]! [HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    With [PROPEL LEAP] he sent himself flying backwards; he hit the kobold behind him with another ass attack and the follow-up [HATRED¡¯S CUT] hit the kobold directly in front. It was another pretty convincing fa?ade of bravery.

    A loud cry echoed through the air. Mogzo¡¯s [WAR CRY] had cowed the kobolds around the sink well. It was now or never. Haruhiro started to climb nimbly up the rope ladder; he was actually pretty good at stuff like this.

    ¡°Ranta, you¡¯re next! C¡¯mon!¡± Haruhiro called down.

    ¡°No! Mogzo, you first!¡± Ranta said, slapping Mogzo on the back with the flat of his sword. ¡°You¡¯re slower so get moving!¡±

    Mogzo did as he was told. Probably not because he was convinced by the argument as much as he was taken by surprise. Mogzo was coming, so Haruhiro couldn¡¯t stop. He had no choice but to continue climbing too.

    ¡°Ranta! Hurry up!¡± Haruhiro said again.

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Haruhiro heard the reply, but Ranta never came. Instead of Ranta, kobolds began scrambling up the rope ladder. Mogzo kicked them back down, but others clambered up in their place.

    ¡°Mogzo, get yourself up here first!¡± Haruhiro ordered as he reached the fourth stratum and tried to help pull Mogzo the rest of the way up too. But¡­ heavy. He was way too heavy. ¡°ARGH!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡± Mary, Yume, and Shihoru grabbed Mogzo and between the four of them, they somehow got Mogzo up out of the well.

    Mogzo was alright, but Ranta¡­ What about Ranta? Ranta was¡­

    Ranta was not coming up the ladder. It was kobold after kobold after kobold. And they kept coming and coming.

    ¡°RANTA!¡± Haruhiro cried. No response, but then through the furious howling of the kobolds, he thought he heard Ranta¡¯s muffled voice, ¡°Get going! I¡¯ll be right behind!¡±

    ¡°Right behind¡ª¡± Haruhiro repeated incredulous. ¡°Mogzo! Take care of the ones coming up!¡±

    Mogzo yelled, bashing any kobold that arrived at the top of the ladder with his bastard sword. He crushed one kobold¡¯s face in with a swing, making it fall into those beneath it. They all fell down the well in a big jumble, causing the kobolds below to bark and yelp. The prospect of meeting the same fate seemed to be making them hesitant to climb themselves.

    ¡°¡­the ladder!¡± Shihoru grabbed the rope ladder.

    Right. If they pulled the ladder up¡­

    ¡°Alright!¡± Haruhiro hurried to help Shihoru and together they began reeling in the rope. It was about halfway up when he stopped and said, ¡°B-but¡­¡±

    Yume placed her hands on the edge of the well and leaned over for a look. ¡°Ranta!¡± she called.

    ¡°Just for now¡­¡± Shihoru said.

    Haruhiro nodded and pulled the ladder the rest of the way up. Shihoru was right. Once the kobolds down there had given up, they could descend again. As things stood now, even Ranta wouldn¡¯t be able to get anywhere near this particular sink well.

    Ranta¡­ Had he been able to get away? Make a run for it somehow? To be perfectly honest, Haruhiro doubted it. Ranta always seemed to have the devil¡¯s luck with him, but this time even that wouldn¡¯t help.

    ¡°Stupid!¡± Haruhiro pounded at the ground. ¡°Ranta, what the hell! ¡®You go first¡¯¡­ trying to act cool! It¡¯s not like you! You¡¯re not supposed to be cool¡­¡±

    No one said a word. The kobolds were still in an uproar at the bottom of the sink well. Damn it¡­ What to do now? What were they going to do?

    Haruhiro and the others were fine. No one was uninjured, but no one was hurt badly enough that they were incapacitated. Not counting Ranta. If it weren¡¯t for Ranta, there would be no question about hastily making their way out of the mines right away. IfRanta were still with them.

    But even without Ranta, they would probably be able to make it out of here. Leave Ranta behind¡­ Should they go after him? Descend down a different sink well and search? Of course it would be dangerous. They didn¡¯t even know if he was still alive. Maybe he was already dead. If he was already dead, then any effort they made to search would be a futile effort.

    What am I thinking? Why am I assuming Ranta¡¯s dead? But the reality was, it was a possibility. Haruhiro didn¡¯t think that one person being chased by that many kobolds could get away for long. If it were Haruhiro down there, he knew that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to. He would have just given up.

    What about Ranta? Maybe Ranta wouldn¡¯t give up¡­

    ¡°Haru¡­¡± Mary had called his name, pulling him out of his preoccupation.

    Damn. He really had fallen deep into thought.

    ¡°Err¡­ Yes?¡± he replied.

    ¡°Kobolds!¡± she yelled.

    ¡°No way¡ª!¡±

    But it was true. Haruhiro looked in the direction Mary was pointing and saw that kobolds were running straight at them; elders in the lead, their workers close behind.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ton of them!¡± Yume cried, looking as if she was really about to cry.

    Mogzo stuttered something incomprehensible. Shihoru shook her head back and forth as if saying, no, no, no. Then she said, ¡°W-we have to r-run!¡±

    Haruhiro¡¯s mind went blank for a fraction of a second. But only a fraction. There was no more time for hesitation. He sprung to his feet. ¡°Everyone, run!¡±

 Volume 2 - CH 11

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 11: Leave this to Me

    Aren¡¯t I awesome?

    Fuck yes. I¡¯m such a badass. I¡¯m the man, bigger than Jesus. Wait, who¡¯s Jesus? Um, the Black God? Skulheill? Whatever, doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m still the shit.

    ¡®Cause I¡¯m not dead yet.

    Ranta huffed a heavy sigh. Even for the genius of Lord Ranta, however, this might have been a bit too much to chew. Maybe he was even¡­ finished? Everything¡­ kind of looked that way. Sort of. Like it was THE END. Maybe.

    It¡¯s not as if the thought failed to cross his mind.

    He started to shit himself. Except not really. Okay, maybe he did. Just a little.

    But the most important thing was that he was still alive. It was a miracle. Ranta was able to do what no one else could. Nothing¡¯s wrong with boasting about it. He felt like complimenting the hell out of himself. Every intelligent being in the world should be complimenting the crap out of Lord Ranta.

    ¡°¡­Ain¡¯t that right, Zodiak?¡± Ranta asked, turning to the purple-blackish demon floating by his face.

    Demons were servants of the Black God Skulheill, summoned by using the Dread Knight magic spell [DARK INVITATION]. A demon¡¯s appearance changed depending on the number of Vices a Dread Knight has amassed, and Ranta¡¯s demon resembled a headless human torso, with two pits in the chest area for eyes, below which was a great slit of a mouth.

    {Nope, nope, nope nope nope, not at all, nope nope¡­} the demon hissed.

    Zodiak¡¯s mouth rippled when he talked and his voice sounded like numerous children whispering as one. Until Ranta had gotten used to it, it had been quite disturbing¡ªand even now that some time had passed, it was still enough to give him goosebumps.

    ¡°Fine. It¡¯s still better having you here than being alone¡­¡±

    {Wimp, wimp, wimp¡­ wimp imp¡­ wimp wimp wimp¡­ imp imp¡­ imp imp imp imp imp¡­}

    ¡°Oy. You changed it to ¡®imp¡¯ at the end.¡±

    {Imp, imp, imp¡­ Eeeehehehehehe¡­ imp¡­ hehehe¡­ imp imp imp¡­}

    ¡°Quit it already.¡± Ranta raised a hand to give the demon a good smack, but as soon as he did, Zodiak floated up and out of reach.

    {Eeeehehehe¡­ ehehehe¡­ ehehehe¡­ imp imp imp¡­ eeeehehehe¡­}

    ¡°God damn it, why? Zodiak¡­¡± Ranta hugged his knees to his chest and pretended to cry. But Zodiak failed to respond to the bait, so Ranta gave up and said instead, ¡°Whatever. I can¡¯t believe I made it back to the fourth stratum¡­¡±

    Yes, Ranta was no longer on the smithy-like fifth stratum; he had made it back to the fourth stratum, the agricultural sector. How the hell he managed to make it out of that god-awful mess¡­ even he had no idea. He had let Mogzo go up the ladder first and then it was run, run, run for his life until he came across a different sink well by chance.

    He recalled kicking down a number of kobolds as he climbed up the rope ladder, but some fifth stratum kobolds managed to follow him up regardless. Luckily, on the fourth stratum, a gate to one of the animal pens had been left open. When Ranta dove into it, the pigrats inside panicked and made a mad rush for the exit, confusing his pursuers.

    It wasn¡¯t a perfect plan, but Ranta thought it was better than nothing. After that, he weaved his way in and out of pigrat and pigworm pens and threw the pursuing kobolds off his trail little by little, until the last one was out of sight. And now here he was. In a pigworm pen, surrounded by pigworms.

    Just Ranta, Zodiak, and a mass of the creatures.

    ¡°Wait¡­ what if¡­¡±

    He poked one of the pigworms. No response. So then he patted it with the palm of his hand. Still nothing.

    ¡°Nice. Awesome.¡±

    If that was the case, then¡­ he tried giving its thick skin a sharp pinch. The pigworm glared at Ranta with black, droopy eyes that were half buried in its body and made a noise like gufuu gufuu at him.

    ¡°D-don¡¯t be mad¡­¡±

    Gufuu! Gufuu!

    ¡°Whoa¡ªwait, quit it already! Don¡¯t¡­ rub yourself against my face! Eww¡­¡±

    Bufuu¡­ bufufu¡­ gufuu!

    ¡°No, don¡¯t¡ªlick¡­ gross¡­ And what the hell is up with your tongue? Feels like fricking sandpaper¡­¡±

    Fuu¡­ gufuu¡­ fuufuu¡­ fuu¡­ fuu¡­

    The pigworm started to nestle up to him. Ranta tried to shove it away, but couldn¡¯t. It was very strong. He couldn¡¯t get himself away. Suddenly, the pigworm wrapped itself around him, and when Ranta twisted and turned to throw it off, it clung on even tighter. But when he tried staying still, the pigworm calmed down with him.

    ¡°Seriously¡­? This thing¡¯s getting itself comfortable on me¡­ what the hell¡­¡±

    {Imp imp imp¡­ keehehehe¡­ imp imp imp¡­ keehehehe¡­ imp!}

    ¡°Quit making fun of me, Zodiak!¡±

    {Die! Die now, die now! Be taken by Lord Skulheill! Taken taken taken!}

    ¡°Don¡¯t say scary things like that¡­¡±

    {Wimp¡­ wimp wimp wimp¡­ eeehehehehe¡­ imp imp imp imp imp!}

    ¡°Still imp at the end there, huh¡­¡±

    He wasn¡¯t alone. He had Zodiak with him and the pigworm that had taking a liking to him¡­ But he was very alone. Alone and with no help coming.

    ¡°This thing stinks¡­ gross¡­¡±

    It was no use trying to deny it so he might as well say it: The pigworm smelled like layered shit and piss. Being inside the pigworm pen was worse than beyond disgusting, but if he left, he risked getting caught by one of the elders on patrol. If it was a one-on-one fight against an elder, Ranta was pretty sure he could do it. He could win. He was powerful enough.

    But he was fatigued, too. He didn¡¯t want to waste his strength. If he went all out, he could easily take down one, maybe two elders, but he felt like taking a break now. Even a fearless, dauntless Dread Knight needed a break once in a while.

    The plan would be to rest, recover his strength, and then get moving.

    ¡°Gotta get outta here on my own¡­¡±

    Mogzo. Yume. Shihoru. Mary¡­ Haruhiro. Everyone¡¯s faces suddenly appeared in his mind¡¯s eye. No¡­ they weren¡¯t coming. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe that they¡¯d come back for him.

    Ranta gave a short, humorless laugh. ¡°¡­Because I already know. You guys hate me. I¡¯ve known all along.¡±

    But why? Why does everyone hate me? No one could recall their pasts, so he didn¡¯t understand the reason at all. Maybe it was because he just couldn¡¯t kiss ass and pretend to like it. It made him sick to even think about being nice to people or to be considerate of them. And to say something that he didn¡¯t think was true¡­ he wouldn¡¯t do it even if someone threatened to pull his teeth out.

    And even if he did think something was true, there were still loads of times he left his thoughts unsaid. He supposed his behavior would piss some people off. He was never unaware of that; now and then, the thought crossed his mind. There¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t have.

    But even though he knew, he couldn¡¯t stop himself. And why did he have to try to stop? He was just being himself, after all. Going as far as being some Mr. Nice Guy, just to trick people into liking him, was out of the question. He didn¡¯t want people to like him because of a fake persona.

    And he was fine with not being liked. If people wanted to hate him, then fine. Haters were going to hate. Those who understood him would accept him, or so Ranta thought. And there had to be a few people out there who understood his¡­ his what? His value? Something like that.

    People who would accept him, and give credit where credit was due, they had to be out there too. So it was fine. Those who didn¡¯t understand him can just go on not understanding. But even so, weren¡¯t they all companions? Ranta was part of the team too.

    In his own way, he had been contributing to the team this entire time, and he intended to continue. He believed that, sooner or later, the others would understand that. They would come to understand Lord Ranta¡¯s value. And once they acknowledged his importance, their attitudes towards him would change.

    Ranta realized that they hadn¡¯t gotten to that point yet. Not enough time had passed. Then he went and did that¡­ the ¡°you guys go on ahead, leave this to me¡± thing.

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Yes. Anyone would have done it, if the chance came. It was the natural course of action, for a man. There was no choice but to do it. A man who didn¡¯t do it couldn¡¯t be considered a man. Even if they were a girl, they might have done it. If Ranta were a girl, he knew he would probably still do it.

    He just wished that¡­ the chance had come a little later. After his companions realized just how awesome he was. It would have been so badass, if the chance to do THAT came only after they had fully and unquestionably realized how indispensable he was to the team. Haruhiro, that eeediot, would have been crying his eyes out. Mogzo would have bawled. And the girls, every one of them would have fallen in love with him.

    There¡¯s no way we can leave our precious Lord Ranta behind! they would say. Everyone, we have to save him! they would say. That¡¯s how things would have been for sure.

    But it was too soon. The time had come too soon.

    ¡°Which means that I¡¯m way ahead of the times¡­?¡±

    Or am I wrong? Ranta thought to himself, heaving a deep sigh. But no, he couldn¡¯t count on everyone coming. No one would be coming to save him. He had to find a way out of here on his own.

    {Die! Keehehehehe! Die imp! Die die die! Keehehehehe¡­ imp imp imp!}

    The demon¡¯s bad attitude cut Ranta right to the heart. His Dread Knight guild master had once said, ¡°A demon is a mirror of its summoner. It resembles the Dread Knight that calls it.¡±

    You¡¯ve got to be fucking joking, was what Ranta wanted to scream, but his master, Cidney Agguro, was goddamn terrifying. His master wasn¡¯t here now, but Ranta was sure that if he ever doubted his master¡¯s words, he would still be killed on the spot. That was how scary the man was.

    ¡°Which I guess means that I still have enough left in me to be raging at him now,¡± Ranta muttered as a smile graced his face.

    I can do this, I¡¯ll be fine, Ranta told himself. You¡¯ll see, Haruhiro. I¡¯ll make it out of here on my own. Then after you¡¯re done being surprised, you can fall to your knees before me¡­

 Volume 2 - CH 12

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 12: Critical Time

    They had reached the third stratum and were just about to sigh in relief when an elder and two of its underlings appeared, taking them by surprise. The fight quickly turned chaotic.

    Haruhiro grunted as he rapidly [SWAT], [SWAT], [SWAT]-ed and deflected Kobold A¡¯s successive attacks. There wasn¡¯t anything else he could do. This was just what happened when he fought an enemy face-to-face. And because he had to devote all this attention to the kobold¡¯s weapon and arm movements, he had no idea what was going on with everyone else.

    Was everyone okay? How were they doing? He was worried but couldn¡¯t spare any further thought on it. Time. He had to buy time, even if just a little, by keeping the attention of one enemy on himself. Mogzo¡¯s current skill level should allow him to take on the elder alone. Yume wasn¡¯t afraid of a fight so she should be holding her own against Kobold B.

    He also had Shihoru and Mary to back him up. If Haruhiro could keep Kobold A fully occupied, there was a good chance everything would be okay. He probably couldn¡¯t kill it on his own, but at the very least he could keep it busy.

    Kobold A growled and suddenly turned its back towards him. Shit! By seeing the way its tail moved, Haruhiro knew he was in trouble. Kobold A spun around, swinging its sword, arm fully extended. Haruhiro realized that there was no way he could deflect a blow like that, but his body moved to execute [SWAT] out of reflex.

    Whenever he was being attacked, [SWAT] just came out. He had overused the technique until it had formed a bad habit. Things turned out exactly as he¡¯d feared.

    ¡°Argh!¡± Haruhiro grunted as the kobold¡¯s sword crushed through his dagger and knocked him off balance. Kobold A pressed the attack, barking furiously.

    Haruhiro had no time to block, so he dodged instead. Avoiding wasted motion never even crossed his mind; instead, he put everything he had into twisting his body away. He knew that his movements were entirely inefficient and wished that he could calm down enough to fight properly. But he couldn¡¯t. He was panicked.

    Haruhiro felt himself gasp as the kobold¡¯s sword bit into his left arm, just above the elbow. It¡¯s fine¡­ it¡¯s just a graze¡­ he told himself. But the amount of blood that was flowing from the wound was staggering. And it hurt. What the hell?! Kobold, give me a break, would you? I¡¯m asking nicely, here! Why was he asking in the first place? Haruhiro hadn¡¯t the slightest.

    Even if Haruhiro asked nicely, the kobold probably wouldn¡¯t listen. Kobold A would probably reply with, Don¡¯t take me for an idiot. It barked at him again and turned its back once more. It was readying the exact same attack.

    Go ahead and try! Haruhiro thought now. He saw right through it this time. After seeing the technique performed once already, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. Haruhiro leapt back, putting between enough distance that the kobold¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t reach him. Or so he thought. But the kobold suddenly performed a back flip, coming right towards him.

    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Haruhiro stared wide eyed in surprise.

    Rather than attack with its weapon, Kobold A kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying. He landed on his behind, hard, with the kobold still coming straight at him. Shit! He was done for.

    ¡°[LIGHT OF JUDGEMENT]!¡±

    A beam of blinding light shot towards Kobold A. Mary¡¯s spell. The kobold hurriedly leaned backwards hard to dodge it. As Haruhiro got back up to his feet, Mary slipped in, graceful and smooth. She brought her staff up and around in a wide arc.

    ¡°[SMASH]!¡±

    Mary¡¯s weapon connected crushingly with the kobold¡¯s side. It was a brilliant, gorgeous combination of the [LIGHT OF JUDGEMENT] and [SMASH] skills. Can¡¯t just stand around and admire it though! Haruhiro thought. Kobold A swayed on its feet. Haruhiro deftly went behind it, closed the distance between them, and, using [WIDOW MAKER], he rammed his dagger under its chin.

    As he quickly jumped away, his eyes met Mary¡¯s for the briefest of seconds. ¡°Thanks!¡± he said, before turning his attention to the scene around him.

    Mogzo was dominating his fight with the elder foreman, but Yume was struggling against the remaining worker kobold and appeared to be hurt, too. She needed help immediately. Shihoru cast [SHADOW BIND] on the elder, stopping its movements and allowing Mogzo an all-out offensive to finish it off. After that, everyone fell in on Kobold B and killed it easily.

    Things quieted down afterward and they were finally able to catch a break. They hurriedly collected the talismans from the kobolds¡¯ bodies and had Mary heal them.

    ¡°Seems like we managed, even without Ranta,¡± Yume said with a slight smile, though exhaustion was evident in her expression.

    Like Haruhiro, she had also been injured in the previous fight. To him, it seemed ¡°managed¡± was less accurate to say than ¡°they made it out by the skin of their teeth¡±.

    ¡°But¡­ it was a close call, I think,¡± Shihoru said, gaze on the ground. ¡°Maybe¡­ Yume, Haruhiro, you two just aren¡¯t good at fighting in the front lines. Ah¡­ but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to criticize you or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Haruhiro smiling at Shihoru, though his grin came across more bitterly than he intended. ¡°I agree. Me and Yume just aren¡¯t suited to take on enemies directly in fights, no matter how much we try. For me, at least, when things go badly I get manipulated by my opponents. And if things are going well, it¡¯s because I¡¯m barely managing to avoid that. Or that¡¯s the way it feels to me. And because of that, there¡¯s too much motion, the fights turn messy, and it makes things tougher for you and Mary. I think it makes it hard to keep track of everything that¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not as if Ranta stays in one place all the time either,¡± Mary pointed out.

    Though Mary probably intended to support Haruhiro¡¯s argument with that statement, something made Haruhiro tilt his head to one side in uncertainty.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. But I think Ranta intentionally tries to keep one enemy¡¯s attention completely on himself during a fight. When we offered to help him before, he would always get pissed at us. Sure, that¡¯s stupid sometimes, but if we just let him do it, he does keep one enemy off our backs. I just realized how much of a difference that makes. And he¡¯s also¡­¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it would be unfair of him not to. And it was the truth, so he felt obligated.

    He took a deep breath and said, ¡°The reality is he¡¯s also gotten much stronger. He¡¯s way better in fights than before. I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s because he uses his skills so much, but he¡¯s become pretty good at combining his techniques with ours. Without a doubt, he¡¯s become a real asset.¡±

    Maybe even more of an asset than me, Haruhiro thought and was about to say it too, but stopped himself short. There wasn¡¯t any point in belittling himself now.

    ¡°M-maybe we should go¡ª¡± Mogzo started, then fell silent.

    ¡°Everyone knows Yume hates Ranta,¡± Yume said, one side of her cheek puffed out and gaze glued to the ceiling. ¡°Whenever Ranta calls Yume flat-chested, it hurts Yume¡¯s feelin¡¯s ¡®n no matter how much Yume hollers at him to knock it off, he doesn¡¯t. So even if people tell Yume there¡¯s reasons to like a person like that, Yume can¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Haruhiro nodded, encouraging her to continue.

    ¡°But even so,¡± Yume¡¯s gaze fell to the floor and puffed both her cheeks out. ¡°But even though Yume hates Ranta¡¯s guts, the team is havin¡¯ a hard time without him. Even though he¡¯s just one person. When Yume thinks about what it must be like for Ranta¡­ he¡¯s lost Haruhiro, Mogzo, Shihoru, Mary, Yume¡­ all five of us. Imagine how tough it must be on him to lose all of us at once.¡±

    ¡°Yume¡­¡± Shihoru whispered, hugging her around the shoulders.

    ¡°When Yume thinks about it¡­¡± Yume seemed close to tears. ¡°If it were Yume in that situation, all alone in this dang place, Yume would be so lonely and disheartened that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything at all. What¡¯s it like for Ranta, Yume wonders¡­¡±

    ¡°First of all, he¡­¡± Haruhiro began to say, then clamped his mouth shut, and took a deep breath through his nose.

    It completely and utterly sucked to have to think seriously now. It felt as if he was hanging off a ledge on Mt. Crazy, but he had to somehow make a cool-headed, logical decision. Could he do it? Could he rise to the occasion?

    To be honest, he wouldn¡¯t know until he tried. And even if he tried, maybe he still wouldn¡¯t know. Was he cool and calm right now? How would he even know if he was? By asking someone else, maybe? Turn to the others and ask: Hey guys, do I look calm and collected to you? What the hell, no way.

    Everyone was looking at him, waiting to hear what he had to say next. Everyone was looking to him for a decision. He had no choice but to make the judgment call.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure whether or not Ranta¡¯s still alive,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°But I want to believe that he is. And I want to move on the assumption that he is. If we don¡¯t believe, then there¡¯s no point in doing anything. Yes, Ranta¡¯s still alive. And if he¡¯s still alive, I want to go after him.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t force anyone else to make the decision nor could he just toss everything aside and run away from the responsibility either. That was the reality of it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head down to the fourth stratum first, then see if we can make it back to the fifth. But I don¡¯t want to take any risks. Ranta stayed to give us the chance to get away. We¡¯d be ignoring everything he was trying to do for us if we got ourselves killed trying to save him.¡±

    I¡¯m such a horrible person, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but think. He didn¡¯t say anything out loud, but if it was any one of his companions other than Ranta, he probably would have made this same decision, but with reversed priorities and less caution.Ranta¡­ maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s you, I was able to avoid making that sort of rash decision.

    ¡°Our own safety will be our top priority. We¡¯re not going to force ourselves and if things look too dangerous, we¡¯ll turn back and head towards the surface. If that¡¯s what happens, we can figure out our next move afterwards. Anyone against my proposal?¡±

    He didn¡¯t believe in the slightest that anyone would raise their hand. And no one did.

    But Haruhiro was the one who made the decision; everyone else merely agreed. He would have thought that the weight of the responsibility, the heaviness of the all the fear and doubt suddenly laid onto his shoulders, would have crippled him; yet that wasn¡¯t the case at all. For some reason, he felt oddly relieved.

    The decision to go had been made. Now all they had to do was do it. And they might even have a chance of pulling it off.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Ranta¡¯s waiting for us.¡±

 Volume 2 - CH 13

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 13: Combo

    He couldn¡¯t stay in the pigworm pen forever¡­ one of the pigworms had fallen in love with him, and it grossed him out.

    ¡°Look, I just don¡¯t think this relationship is going to work,¡± Ranta told the pigworm that had attached itself to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Actually, no. I¡¯m not frickin¡¯ sorry at all¡ªHey! Quit following me! Quit it or I¡¯ll roast you up and eat you whole!¡±

    He was protesting in vain however, as the pigworm buu-hee buu-buu-ed at him and attempted to snuggle even closer.

    ¡°Stupid love-struck pigworm! See ya!¡± Ranta shook off the pigworm and jumped over the fence.

    The only creature who followed now was his demon, Zodiak.

    {Wimp imp! Heehehehehe¡­ imp imp imp! Keehehehehe¡­ imp imp imp imp!}

    ¡°Shut it, Zodiak!¡±

    {YOU shut it! Hehehehe¡­ FOREVER shut it!}

    ¡°You telling me to die?! Is that what you¡¯re saying!?¡±

    {Keehehehehe¡­}

    ¡°You take that back right now!¡±

    But no, hold on a second¡­ Before Ranta could complete the thought, Zodiak suddenly drew near, put its rippling mouth close to Ranta¡¯s ear and whispered, {It¡¯s here¡­ it¡¯s here¡­ hehehe¡­ the one who has come to silence you¡­ it¡¯s here¡­}

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Panicked, Ranta hurriedly looked around him. There it was: an elder kobold, one of those foremen who carried an iron-tipped whip and barbed wire. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t looking in Ranta¡¯s direction, but it was definitely coming his way. He hesitated for a brief second before jumping back into the pen with the pigworm he¡¯d just rejected.

    In the pigworm pen he wouldn¡¯t be noticed by any nearby kobolds. There was another pigworm pen close by, but earlier he and the others had thrown the elder they killed into that one. After witnessing them greedily devouring the body, Ranta decided to refrain from entering that particular pen. Getting eaten was not preferred.

    He was immediately jumped by a pigworm¡ªno, not exactly ¡°jumped¡±; one of the pigworms just sort of sidled up and wrapped itself around him. Soon, another one did the same and now he had not one but two pigworms that were into him. They licked his face so enthusiastically with their sandpaper tongues that it hurt. He might actually be bleeding, it hurt so much.

    Shit¡­ ¡°Guess I¡¯m irresistible,¡± he said to himself.

    {Irrrrresistable! Irrrrresistable! Heehehehe¡­ irrrrresistable¡­ keehehehe¡­ irrrrresistable!}

    ¡°Zodiak, you bastard¡­¡± Ranta swore from the bottom of his heart that one of these days, he was going to beat the crap out of that little shit.

    But not right now. Zodiak wasn¡¯t like the pigworms who had snuggled up to Ranta, but he wasn¡¯t a Dread Knight¡¯s demon best friend either. A demon¡¯s special abilities depended on the number of Vices its Dread Knight amassed.

    Zero to ten Vices was rank one and the demon would give a warning when enemies were near. If it felt like it. Eleven to forty was rank two and the demon would distract enemies by whispering things in their ears. If it felt like it. Rank three was after have collected forty-one or more Vices, the demon would trip up enemies or otherwise obstruct their movement. But only if it felt like it, of course.

    However, the above only applied after sunset, when Luminous¡¯ power waned; the god of Light and Lord Skulheill¡¯s born enemy. At rank one, Dread Knights couldn¡¯t even summon their demons during the daytime. And at levels above the second rank, the effectiveness of a demon during daylight hours was always one rank lower than its current rank.

    Ranta was currently rank three and even though it was hard to tell time within the mines, he guessed that it wasn¡¯t evening yet because Zodiak performed rank two abilities¡­ if Zodiak felt like it.

    ¡°My master told me that the more Vices I collect,¡± he muttered. ¡°My demon would become stronger, become more obedient but¡­¡±

    {Really? Is that really true? Keehehehe¡­ did he really say that? Heehehehe¡­}

    ¡°Yeah, he did.¡±

    {You got tricked! Tricked! Keehehehe¡­ tricked tricked tricked! Heehehehe¡­}

    ¡°Quit saying stuff like that. It¡¯ll jinx me.¡±

    {Jinx! Jinx! Jinx! Eeehehehehe¡­ you¡¯ll be biting the dust today! Heehehehe¡­}

    ¡°Fuck you, Zodiak. This is why I don¡¯t like summoning you.¡±

    That said, there were times¡ªlike when Zodiak warned him about the elder earlier¡ªthat the demon was helpful. And¡­ because being all alone down here made him feel almost a tiny little bit lonely.

    No no no, Ranta shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not lonely. Fuck that. No way. I don¡¯t even know the meaning of the word.¡±

    {Liar! Liar liar liar! Keehehehe¡­ big fat liar! Hehehe¡­ hehe¡­ dirty liar!}

    ¡°I¡¯m not big or fat or dirty or a liar!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help getting pissed off at the demon, but thanks to Zodiak being around, at least there was never a dull moment. Ranta nodded to convince himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s clearly a huge constituent of things. Constituent. Man, I know some pretty damn cool words. Not ¡®factor¡¯, CONSTITUENT. Goddamn it sounds so awesome because I¡¯m the one saying it. So that means that I¡¯m goddamn awesome too. Got it, Zodiak? Consti¡ª¡­ Zodiak! Oy! Zodiak, say something insulting back!¡±

    {¡­}

    ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you saying anything now? Say something!¡±

    {¡­¡­}

    ¡°Zodiak! Oy! Zodiak!¡±

    {¡­¡­¡­}

    ¡°Zoooodiak! ¡­Zodiak?¡±

    {¡­¡­¡­¡­}

    ¡°Wha¡ªwhat¡¯s going on? Zodiak, what¡¯s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?¡±

    {¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­}

    ¡°Z-Zodiak?!¡±

    {Aaahahaha¡­ tricked you! Keehehehe¡­ triiiiiiiiiicked youuuuuuu!}

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    Ranta attempted to punch the demon as chastisement, but missed completely as Zodiak bounded away and out of reach.

    {You don¡¯t know how to hit a demon¡­ even though you¡¯re a stupid Dread Knight¡­ Keehehehehe¡­}

    ¡°I-idiot! ¡®Course I can! But you¡¯re my demon, right? What kind of person would I be, hitting my own demon?!¡±

    {Really? Really? Hehe! Do you reeeeeeally mean it?}

    ¡°Of course! Would I say it if I weren¡¯t serious?¡±

    {¡­Fuck you a hundred million times!}

    ¡°What?!¡±

    {Keeehehehe¡­ Heehehe¡­ Keeehehehe¡­ Hehe¡­ Keehehehehe¡­}

    Damn it. This was turning into something resembling a goddamn soap opera lover¡¯s quarrel. It was kind of fun earlier, but not anymore.

    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t just hide. It¡¯s not like me. But I don¡¯t see any other choice¡­ maybe?¡±

    But even if he did remain here, he didn¡¯t think help was going to come. They¡¯re not coming. No way they¡¯ll come¡­ No, there wasn¡¯t any reason to expect anyone to come. Why am I even hoping they would? Pathetic. Am I a man or what?

    ¡°If I see the others again, I¡¯ll deal with it then,¡± Ranta told himself as he decided to gamble on leaving the pen. Being on the move was more like him. It made him feel better.

    He shoved all his attached pigworms aside and leaped out of the pen. There was still a long way to go before he could completely make an escape, so he scurried along the paths between pens rather than running at full speed.

    ¡°Easy. Piece of cake.¡±

    The areas in and around the darkshroom, ogrefern, and glow blossom fields were dangerous; they were completely exposed and many kobold workers milled about. But only the occasional elder and maybe a regular kobold or two patrolled around the pigworm and pigrat pens so it was definitely safer around here. The fences around the pens were also high, so if Ranta bent low, he could remain unseen. But maybe he was being a little too careful.

    ¡°At this rate, I can probably jump around with no problems¡­¡± he chuckled.

    Growing bolder, Ranta jumped between two pens and suddenly collided with a worker kobold as he landed. The kobold yelped and Ranta was about to shout, too, before realizing there was no time for talk. He moved to engage all out, but it didn¡¯t look like he had time to even draw his longsword.

    What was he going to do¡­?

    Inspiration suddenly struck. He had seen Haruhiro use a new skill recently, [WIDOW MAKER], probably it was called. Maybe he could use that. Ranta had no idea how the skill was actually executed, but he¡¯d seen it enough that if he just copied Haruhiro, things would somehow work out.

    ¡°Hey! Quit moving around!¡± Ranta demanded as he moved in to lock down the kobold¡¯s arms.

    Naturally, the kobold fought back and it was goddamn strong too. But Ranta was also desperate to win. He pinned both the kobold¡¯s arms down with his own, and attempted to wrap his own leg around the kobold¡¯s, but it didn¡¯t work out the way he imagined. They went down together in a mess of tangled limbs.

    As they both rolled around on the floor, Ranta hit his head several times. The thing also elbowed him repeatedly in the ribs and it hurt far more than he thought it would. This [WIDOW MAKER] skill looked easy, but it really wasn¡¯t. Even though he temporarily held down the kobold¡¯s arms, it didn¡¯t look like he could do anything more.

    ¡°Gotta¡­ strangle it!¡±

    He let the kobold¡¯s arms go for now, wrapped both hands around its throat instead, and applied pressure like mad. As the kobold started to suffocate, it thrashed around even more wildly than before, trying to throw Ranta off. Ranta yelled, holding on with all his strength.

    The kobold swiped and clawed at his face, stuck its fingers into his mouth and tore the corner of his lip open.

    ¡°ARGH!!!¡± Ranta bit down on the kobold¡¯s fingers in response and clasped down on its neck even harder.

    Then finally, finally the worker kobold¡¯s body went limp.

    ¡°Did I¡ª?! No, not yet!¡±

    He refused to believe it was dead and kept his strangle hold on it for a good five, ten seconds more, never taking the pressure off its throat. It¡¯s okay now¡­

    He checked to see if the kobold was still breathing. It wasn¡¯t. It was dead. Ranta shoved himself away from the kobold¡¯s body and started to get back onto his feet, but couldn¡¯t. All his strength felt drained from his body. Zodiak bounced and floated around Ranta and looked down at him from above.

    {Keehehehe¡­ what¡¯re you doing? Rookie! Rookie rookie cookie! Hehehehe¡­.}

    ¡°Cookie? What the hell¡­?¡±

    That was a really close fight though. Too close for comfort¡­ or was it? Nah, not dangerous at all¡­ He was flawlessly, perfectly fine.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just leave it at that¡­¡±

    Ranta rolled onto all fours and pushed himself back up onto his feet. How to dispose of the body? Before that, he retrieved its talisman. The acquisition of loot made him feel a little better as he shoved the body into a pigrat pen with a grunt of effort.

    ¡°Done!¡±

    The sound of barking filled the air. A kobold. No, not just one, a good number of kobolds were rushing towards him from a bit of a distance away.

    {Man up, Dread Knight! Eeehehehe¡­ Fight fight fight! Keehehehe¡­}

    ¡°No frickin¡¯ way! I can¡¯t take on all of them!¡±

    {Wimp imp! Imp imp imp! Eeeehehehe¡­}

    ¡°Fuck you, Zodiak!¡±

    Ranta turned on his heels and ran, his body like lead. Maybe the heaviness of his body was just his imagination, but his torn lip sure hurt. A lot. How badly had the kobold torn it? Shit. He was going to be called Cleft Lip Boy for the rest of his life now. It¡¯ll spoil his killer looks.

    Not the time to be thinking about that! his inner voice told him.

    When Ranta turned back to look behind him, he saw at the kobolds had nearly caught up to him. Of course he wanted to say something smartass-y, but he¡¯d had enough of Zodiak¡¯s jeers. In his current state, he didn¡¯t know whether he could take more of the demon¡¯s acerbic responses.

    Wordlessly and without looking back, he ran for all he was worth.

 Volume 2 - CH 14

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 14: That Boy

    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s some sort of commotion going on over there,¡± Haruhiro said, pointing into the distance. The others turned their heads.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yume placed both hands, shaped into binoculars, in front of her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t see too well ¡¯cause of the fences, but it looks somebody¡¯s head is bobbin¡¯ up and down over there¡­¡±

    ¡°You can also hear them howling,¡± Mary added, straining her ears. ¡°They sound numerous.¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Shihoru said, her grip tightening on her staff, ¡°it¡¯s because of¡­¡±

    Mogzo nodded. ¡°R-Ranta¡­?¡±

    Haruhiro and the others were now on the agricultural fourth stratum, having descended from the third. They had been approaching a sink well to the fifth when Haruhiro noticed the unusual amount of activity.

    ¡°You mean he managed to somehow get back up here from the fifth stratum all alone?¡± Haruhiro wondered.

    Too rare to die, Haruhiro thought, and though he didn¡¯t really consider it the greatest achievement in the world, it was still pretty impressive. At the very least, Ranta¡¯s ability to survive surpassed that of any normal person. It was perseverance of an intensity that Haruhiro and the others just didn¡¯t possess.

    They exchanged glances with one another. Haruhiro said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Everyone headed towards the uproar of kobolds. They took care to advance cautiously, never rushing; there was no point in doing any of this if they got caught and chased around too. However, entering an area with so many kobolds in frenzy seemed nigh impossible.

    Haruhiro made everyone fall back while he approached the end of a creature pen and poked his head slightly out for a look.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    The kobolds were rampaging like a swarm of ants on fire, running around crazily; here, then there, then back again. Sometimes they would even hop the fences into one of the pens then jump back out, all while barking like rabid dogs. Haruhiro observed the kobolds for some time since luckily, none of them were looking in his direction.

    He finally withdrew and said to the others, ¡°¡­there¡¯s no way we can even get close.¡±

    No other conclusion was possible. If they went any further the kobolds would find them for sure. Of course, one option was to let themselves be discovered, and then try to lure the kobolds away from the area to give Ranta a chance to run or hide. But there was no guarantee that they would be able to draw all of the kobolds to them. Besides, it also occurred to Haruhiro that, compared to any of the five of them, Ranta might have an unexpectedly easier time running, hiding, and adapting to the circumstances in general.

    And even if the five of them allowed themselves to be chased, there was no guarantee they would all be able to get away safely. In fact, maybe it was better to just assume the worst and rid himself of unwarranted optimism. No, it was better to remain undetected, but on the other hand, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t think of any other way to help Ranta.

    Priorities. What was the order of priorities here? What¡¯s the most important thing I have to do now? What comes after? The first was¡­ the well-being of the five of them. Rescuing Ranta came second. Getting the order of these two priorities reversed was not an option. It was simply unacceptable.

    If it was Yume or Shihoru or Mogzo or even Mary in Ranta¡¯s place, the order of priorities wouldn¡¯t change. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t allow himself that, even if it hadn¡¯t been Ranta. That¡¯s what being a leader meant.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Haruhiro said with a firm nod. ¡°No doubt Ranta¡¯s nearby, but if the kobolds find us here too, they¡¯re going to go even more insane and the situation¡¯s just going to get worse. Kobolds don¡¯t seem all that persistent to me; if we let things be, maybe they¡¯ll give up and go away. They¡¯ve got their own work to do too. I think eventually things will quiet down. We¡¯ll keep searching for Ranta then.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ what if Ranta¡­¡± Shihoru started hesitantly. ¡°What if, before we come back¡­ they find him and¡ªI¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡ª¡±

    ¡°If that happens¡­¡± Yume bit her lip hard, frowning. ¡°If that happens, we¡¯ll be searchin¡¯ for his body¡­ or what¡¯s left of it¡­¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s right,¡± Mary said, her face stark white.

    Mogzo exhaled long and deep.

    ¡°I have to make these sorts of decisions.¡± Haruhiro clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Whatever happens, the responsibility is on me alone.¡±

    ¡°Nuh uh!¡± Yume protested, shaking her head vigorously. ¡°It¡¯s not just yours, Haru¡­ it¡¯s everyone¡¯s, and¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Haruhiro said firmly, glad his voice did not emerge trembling.

    He didn¡¯t want to allow anyone to see his pathetic, weakling side, especially at a moment like this. Any other time was fine, but not at a time like this. Not now.

    Haruhiro continued, ¡°If everyone agrees to do what I say, then I¡¯ll take all the responsibility. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m saying this right, but¡­ we can¡¯t just keep depending on each other to keep ourselves propped up. I think every party needs something; someone like a backbone, like a central pillar to support it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. I know it for sure. The problem is whether or not I have what it takes to be one¡­ I don¡¯t know, but I want to try. I¡¯ll do my best. Please let me try.¡±

    Yume suddenly slapped him on the back. ¡°Now that¡¯s bein¡¯ a boy, Haru.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ but I¡¯ve always been one. A boy.¡±

    ¡°Heck, Yume didn¡¯t mean it that way,¡± Yume said. ¡°Uhh¡­ Yume meant¡­ Yume meant¡­ Yume doesn¡¯t know what Yume meant, but it did feel like you were one.¡±

    Haruhiro felt his chest tighten all of a sudden. ¡°Err¡­ Thanks? I think¡­¡±

    His emotional well-being was threatened, being told that by a girl¡­ what she said could definitely have other connotations. For now though, Haruhiro took it as Yume¡¯s approval of his leadership.

    ¡°Haruhiro,¡± Shihoru had her head bowed for some reason. ¡°Thanks¡­ and thanks for everything later, too.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Shihoru,¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°Wait, why are you thanking me?¡±

    ¡°It just felt right,¡± Shihoru said.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Mogzo too, flashed him a thumbs up and for a moment, Haruhiro was lost on how to respond. He finally returned it with a thumbs up of his own. Mary said nothing, but offered an open hand to him instead. Flustered, Haruhiro got his hand caught on his own cloak and it took him a moment before he could free it to shake Mary¡¯s hand¡­ which he found to be silky soft.

    Wow. I¡¯m riding this like a real idiot, Haruhiro thought.

    Haruhiro looked again towards where Ranta probably was. There was no change in the kobold¡¯s level of activity so charging in now would be like committing suicide.

    ¡°Let¡¯s retreat as far as we can while still being able to keep an eye on this place,¡± Haruhiro said. He turned back towards the others and added, ¡°Ranta¡¯s fine. If this was all it took to kill him, then he would have been dead long before now.¡±

    Of course it was all empty, obligatory reassurances. Everyone already knew that, but his companions all answered him with nods anyway, for which Haruhiro was very grateful.

    It would be indeed shitty if you came back to haunt us as a ghost, Haruhiro thought.

    As they left the area Haruhiro whispered in the back of his mind, So don¡¯t die, Ranta.

 Volume 2 - CH 15

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 15: The Rising-Falling Dread Knight

    Groaning in pain, Ranta hugged his longsword against himself with his right arm and simultaneously pressed down on his injured left arm.

    ¡°Owww¡­¡± The word escaped his lips as he attempted to flex his left hand. No! He needed to stay absolutely silent.

    He was hidden, as usual, in a pigworm pen¡­ more precisely, he was actually hidden in a mass of pigworms. More precisely still, the pigworms were hiding him. They were all gathered in a corner of one of the pens, Ranta right in the middle of them, trying to keep his breathing quiet. He was alone. Completely and utterly alone.

    Even Zodiak was no longer with him, as the time limit of the Dread Knight spell [DARK INVITATION] had run out. Demons could only be summoned for thirty minutes before they returned to their places at foot of Lord Skulheill and Ranta didn¡¯t have the mental strength left to summon it again. The demon¡¯s taunts had really left him dejected.

    Even someone as awesome as Lord Ranta would be beyond dead tired after making such a graceful and elegant escape from what seemed, to him at least, to be a million and four kobolds. He was injured all over too; the wound on his left arm so deep that he could no longer move the limb. It was also hurting so badly that Ranta could no longer feel pain from any of his other numerous injuries. He didn¡¯t even want to look at those or think about how much blood he must have lost.

    His entire arm was pounding and, with each throb, blood left him in a steady stream. He didn¡¯t realize that he had started to pant in shallow gasps.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna cry ~¡ï ¡­¡± he said to himself in the cutest sounding tone he could manage, but even that failed to bring him a single quantum of solace.

    Hot girls. Dancing naked. POR FAVOR. He wanted super-hot girls dancing naked for him. No, no¡­ entirely naked wasn¡¯t good. It would be better if they were somewhat clothed. Maybe wearing only panties or something. Mmm¡­ Mary. Nah, Mary was so beautiful his imagination couldn¡¯t generate anything appropriate. No, if anyone it had to be Shihoru. Because her boobs were humongous. Yes. Gigantic. Yume wasn¡¯t bad either. Her boobs weren¡¯t enormous but that¡¯s okay. Her plain looks were more his type, anyway. Yes.

    Hmm¡­ but somehow, he wasn¡¯t satisfied. It was all¡­ too real. They were his companions and they were always together day in and day out. Were. Not anymore. Thinking about it that way depressed him a little.

    But whatever, it¡¯s fine¡­ They weren¡¯t coming. Of course they weren¡¯t. Naturally they weren¡¯t. There was no reason for them to, and he wasn¡¯t expecting it either¡­ right? He had to make it out of here on his own. Could he do it?

    He had been highly confident about being able to make it a little while ago. He never doubted that he could. At the very least, he made himself believe it. But now¡­ he didn¡¯t know. His arm was hurting. It hurt so badly. At this rate, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it at all. And it wasn¡¯t just that. Running or any sort of physical exertion sent waves of pain into the wound, causing him to groan out loud and grow lightheaded.

    All attempts to block out the pain also failed.

    Can¡¯t do this. Can¡¯t go any further than this. There¡¯s no way out of here for me¡­ NO! Ranta wanted to rid himself of those weakling thoughts. Rather than on the things he couldn¡¯t do, he would focus just on the things he could.

    Why had things turned out like this? Because he wanted to look cool. You first, he¡¯d said to Mogzo. He wished he hadn¡¯t now. He really did. Why did he go and do something like that? Maybe because he wanted to try it just once? Because it was a cool phrase he wanted to use just once? Was that really why?

    No. That wasn¡¯t it.

    I just wanted to be accepted. Doing something self-sacrificing, or some phrase like that, would have made the others think he was awesome. Yeah, there was a little of that too. I¡¯m me. Others are others. I don¡¯t give a shit what others think of me, that was a lie.

    Of course he wanted others to think well of him if possible. He wanted to be liked. He wanted others to care about him. And it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t know how to get others to like him. It¡¯s definitely by doing that. Right? Acting like a good guy. Doing stuff for everyone¡¯s sake, being considerate of people and all. Even saying the right things at the right time if he was smart enough.

    Heh. That was Manato. Not me. Ranta wasn¡¯t Manato and couldn¡¯t get near Manato either. And it was too late to start trying. No one thought well of him, no one liked him. And certainly no one cared about him.

    But he was happy about that at least. The, ¡°Mogzo, you first,¡± thing. If the others had been able to get away because of that, then maybe they were grateful to him. Maybe they would have said, ¡°Thank you, Ranta, you saved us.¡± Man, in that moment back there, he was so damn cool.

    That¡¯s enough. Here at the end, it was nice to think about just the good things. Ranta had saved his companions and now he was going to die down here.

    ¡°Will you guys think about me once in a while?¡± Ranta whispered and as he did, the pigworms surrounding him started squealing and vigorously cuddling up to his face.

    ¡°Hey! No! I didn¡¯t mean you guys! I meant my team, not you freaks!¡±

    Just when he had worked himself into a sentimental mood, the pigworms had to ruin everything. Maybe that was a good thing though. But if he was going to die here, he really didn¡¯t want to die by getting cuddled to death by pigworms. He wanted to die in a cooler way. Like going out fighting.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He shoved the pigworms aside and jumped over the fence out of the pen. A little while earlier¡ªhe wasn¡¯t sure how much earlier, but the area had been full of kobolds, and was not anymore. It was completely quiet now.

    ¡°¡­did they give up?¡±

    Cowards, Ranta grinned broadly. Maybe he would make it out of here after all. He tried giving his longsword a swing with only his right hand and though the motion caused his left arm a pang, the pain was bearable.

    ¡°No way I¡¯m gonna die that easily, now that I think about it¡­¡±

    A thought occurred to him as he strolled along, humming a tune. Did they really abandon me down here? Yeah, his team was all weaklings, but in principle, not bad people. They may have hated him, but they were all comrades and comrades wouldn¡¯t abandon each other lightly, would they? Ranta had a feeling that real companions just didn¡¯t do that to each other no matter how much they wanted to.

    Maybe, just maybe, they were looking for him after all. It wasn¡¯t out of the question.

    ¡°I hope you guys aren¡¯t still down here though¡­¡± Ranta sighed. Because you guys are weaklings. It¡¯s not like you to risk your lives for me. Doing stuff like that¡¯s more for a manly man like me.

    If one of the others ended up dying because they came back to look for him¡­

    ¡°Not frickin¡¯ funny.¡± Chills went down Ranta¡¯s spine just thinking about it. He shook himself off. No way. No goddamn way. He didn¡¯t want to be indebted to them like that. No way. Stop that shit. If his voice could reach the others at the faraway place they probably were now, he would have told them not to think about him and just get themselves out of the mines quick as possible. Maybe not all the way back to Altana, but to wait near the exit somewhere.

    ¡°Ugh.¡± Ranta grunted as a sharp pain shot up his injured arm when he leaned against a fence rail. It was fine though. He was fine.

    A pair of kobolds appeared from a turn up ahead. They weren¡¯t looking his way now but it was just a matter of time before they did. He had no choice but to take the initiative first. Decision made, Ranta picked up his pace. He couldn¡¯t really run because of his injured arm, so he slid his feet along the ground and approached the kobolds.

    They turned towards him and in that moment, Ranta leapt in, using [ANGER THRUST]. But it wasn¡¯t just the same old [ANGER THRUST] he always used. It was [ANGER THRUST] version two: [SILENT ANGER THRUST]. Ranta¡¯s longsword pierced the target kobold¡¯s throat perfectly center. It flailed about, but severed vocal chords prevented it from making a single sound.

    Ranta swung his longsword low next, sweeping the other kobold¡¯s feet out from under it. As it fell over, he stomped his foot hard into its head, instantly rendering it motionless. He crouched down, his arm hurting almost unbearably. The more he was determined to bear it down, however, the less intense the pain seemed to become.

    After he finished collecting the talismans from the bodies, he nodded forcefully to himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all, one at a time.¡±

 Volume 2 - CH 16

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 16: Resolution and a Wish

    Haruhiro noticed how things had calmed down. His ears, rather than his eyes, told him.

    He and the others had hidden themselves inside a pen occupied by neither pigrats nor pigworms. They were a fair distance from where they thought Ranta was, but before, the clamor the kobolds had made around Ranta had been obvious. Not anymore.

    Either the kobolds had caught Ranta or he had gotten away. Which was it?

    In the latter case, he could possibly even be up to the third stratum by now¡­ such a possibility now occurred to Haruhiro, and the fact that he failed to consider it earlier greatly unsettled him. Someone smarter would have been able to imagine the possible scenarios and pick out the most probable. Unfortunately, Haruhiro didn¡¯t think himself endowed with such intelligence. He could only do the best he could with what he had.

    Let¡¯s get a move on. We need to find him, he thought, and was about to say it out loud too, but clamped his mouth shut.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haru.¡± Mary put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Just do things your own way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Yume said, patting him on the head. ¡°Be you ¡¯cause you¡¯re you!¡±

    Haruhiro had no idea what she was saying but that was probably because what she said didn¡¯t really mean anything anyway and wow, being petted by her sure felt so embarrassingly good, so whatever.

    With a grunt, Mogzo got to his feet. Shihoru took several deep breaths. They moved out, heading towards where they thought Ranta was. Haruhiro had been right: Few kobolds remained in the area now¡ªand what he meant by few was absolutely zero. Not even one. It was almost too quiet.

    As they walked from creature pen to creature pen, Haruhiro started to get a really bad feeling about this. It shouldn¡¯t be this quiet, whatever the situation. Maybe¡­ Ranta had been caught after all.

    Ranta! Haruhiro wanted to try calling his name. But he didn¡¯t. It would just feel weird. That wasn¡¯t all though; saying anything in a loud voice probably wasn¡¯t a good idea. Looking at the others¡¯ expressions, Haruhiro got a good idea of what they might have been thinking. No one was imagining anything good, that¡¯s for sure.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be certain yet,¡± Haruhiro whispered, realizing only afterwards that the way he said it hardly inspired confidence.

    He should have said something like ¡°Ranta¡¯s definitely fine¡± instead of something so apparently half-assed. Do it your way, they had told him, and while it made him really happy that his companions were so supportive, he also knew that his shortcomings needed work. But real human beings didn¡¯t change with a flip of a switch.

    A long howl split the air.

    Mary halted in her tracks. ¡°Was that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Did we get spotted?¡± Yume glanced around hurriedly.

    ¡°No,¡± said Shihoru wide-eyed and shaking her head slightly. ¡°Not us.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ Ranta?¡± Mogzo drew his sword and assumed a defensive stance.

    But where? To their left. The kobold that originally howled had fallen silent, but other howls followed from that direction. It didn¡¯t seem like there were that many of them though. Or so Haruhiro guessed. The noise was much more subdued than before.

    What to do?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Haruhiro broke into a run.

    Was this the right decision? He might be leading all of them into a really dangerous situation¡­ What if his guess was wrong? If it looked bad, then they could just turn back. Right. Yes. It wasn¡¯t like they were at the point of no return. Or so he told himself. But why did he always tell himself these kinds of back doors? His own indecisiveness irritated him. He wanted to be a confident leader, but maybe it just wasn¡¯t in him.

    If he really couldn¡¯t do that, then what he could do was at least project an image of confidence. Just fake it. He¡¯d come off cool and masculine, and everyone else would feel less uneasy to boot.

    There they were; three or four¡ªno, make that five worker kobolds and one elder chasing a lone human at a run. There weren¡¯t that many of them, but they had their target surrounded. The human was armored and swinging a longsword in wide arcs with his right hand in an attempt to keep the kobolds at bay. He was not succeeding. The human leapt straight back to put distance between him and his attackers but the kobolds closed the gap easily.

    ¡°Ranta!¡± Haruhiro cried.

    When Ranta looked, the expression on his face was like someone who had seen a ghost.

    That¡¯s what I should say, Haruhiro thought, which was the wrong phrase, since Ranta hadn¡¯t actually said anything. What was the expression for that then? Not ¡°say¡± maybe¡­ wait. Now wasn¡¯t exactly the time to be thinking about that.

    Shocked at everyone¡¯s appearance, Ranta halted in his tracks, just as a worker kobold leapt at him.

    ¡°Argh!¡± Ranta grunted as the kobold brought him to the ground.

    ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    The other four kobolds remained focused on Ranta and his kobold, not paying any attention to Haruhiro and the others. This might actually work.

    ¡°Everyone, attack as one!¡± Haruhiro ordered and just as the words came out of his mouth, the line appeared.

    The hazy, indistinct line of light ran from the tip of Haruhiro¡¯s dagger to one of the kobold workers then curved around to end at the back of the elder foreman. Whoa, that¡¯s a pretty long¡­ Haruhiro mused inwardly.

    He didn¡¯t have to think; his body moved on its own, as if it was being controlled by some unseen passenger. First he stabbed his dagger into the worker kobold¡¯s back, and next the elder. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t describe how it felt as his blade pierced both kobolds in fatal spots. It was like a sudden tightening in his chest and instant awareness that the kobolds were dead.

    At the same time that Haruhiro¡¯s targets went down, Mogzo finished another with his signature [RAGE CLEAVE]. Mary struck a worker with her staff and Shihoru followed up with [SHADOW ECHO]. Yume pressed the attack with [SWEEPING SLASH] and [CROSS CUT] in tandem. Mogzo then finished it, using [RAGE CLEAVE] once again.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ranta yelled, as he was forced back by a kobold¡¯s attacks.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t respond, but rather drew himself near the kobold¡¯s backside. He grabbed it from behind, pulled it to the ground, and thrust his dagger into its throat; the [WIDOW MAKER] technique.

    ¡°I¡¯ll heal you,¡± Mary said, helping Ranta to his feet then casting a light magic healing spell immediately.

    Ranta glared at Haruhiro sidelong, shoulders heaving. ¡°Don¡¯t suddenly shout my name like that! You almost got me killed from surprise, idiot!¡±

    Despite his bravado Ranta looked worse for wear. Mary was concentrating her efforts to heal a particularly deep-looking wound on his left arm, but his face was torn up too. It was hard for Haruhiro to get angry, seeing Ranta in that condition.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he replied sincerely. Ranta looked away.

    ¡°Heeey¡­¡± Yume sauntered to the other side to get a better look at Ranta¡¯s face. Her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Ranta¡­ are you crying?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± Ranta spat vehemently.

    ¡°But you¡¯re all teary-eyed¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ¡¯cause it hurts all over!¡± Ranta insisted.

    ¡°No need to act like someone hogtied you by your underpants¡­¡± Yume said. ¡°You¡¯re alive and we¡¯re all able to see each other again.¡±

    ¡°I really hoped I would! No! I mean¡ª¡± Ranta quickly amended, flustered. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t mean I wanted to see you guys again! I meant I thought I¡¯d never see your faces again and my chest got all¡­ my chest got¡­¡±

    ¡°Got what?¡± Yume pressed. ¡°Got all tight like your heart was breaking?¡±

    ¡°S-shut up!¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from someone with a washboard for a chest!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Yume a washboard!¡± Yume cried.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you whatever I want! If I want to call you a washboard a gazillion times, I will! Washboard! Washboard! Washboard! Washboard!¡±

    ¡°Stay still,¡± Mary commanded, grabbing Ranta under the chin. ¡°And be quiet. Or would you rather not get healed?¡±

    Mary¡¯s face was expressionless, her tone flat¡ªand it only made her all the more intimidating.

    ¡°U-uh, n-no¡­¡± Ranta sat up ramrod straight. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯ve made her mad¡­¡± Yume taunted, invoking a glare from Ranta but nothing more. Ranta was deathly afraid of Mary, and he remained absolutely still.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so glad,¡± Shihoru said, sinking to the floor.

    Mogzo heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°Me too.¡±

    We can¡¯t let our guard down yet, Haruhiro thought. Not at a time like this¡­ They had to stay alert in this situation. Their worst enemy would be any mistakes they made when they let their guard down. Haruhiro swept his eyes around the area. There! He was right; two, maybe three kobolds, leaping out of a pen in the distance. If that was all of them, the team would be able to clean them up without a problem, but there was no guarantee more wouldn¡¯t come.

    ¡°Mary, how¡¯s Ranta?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re leaving then. Ranta, get up. Can you run?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can! Who do you think you¡¯re talking to, idiot!¡±

    Who are you calling idiot? You should be thanking me for saving your ass! Haruhiro thought but did not say. Yume once said that it couldn¡¯t be helped that Ranta was Ranta and he would always be Ranta because he was Ranta. Haruhiro concentrated on how much he agreed with her at the moment, and let it go.

    A long, high-pitched howl filled their ears.

    That particular howl was the kobold¡¯s alarm call and it was exactly what Haruhiro had thought would happen. Good thing they had already begun to make a run for it, even though that didn¡¯t change the fact that they were being chased. Again. Sure it was still a scary situation, but overreacting posed a far greater danger.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna head back to the third stratum!¡± Haruhiro decided. ¡°Sorry Mary, but can you take the lead? I don¡¯t know the way as well as you! Get us to the closest sink well!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± came Mary¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Ranta, stay with Mogzo and watch our backside!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°But it still pisses me off to take orders from you!¡±

    ¡°Quit talkin¡¯ back all the time!¡± Yume admonished, saying what Haruhiro was thinking. Thanks to that, Haruhiro didn¡¯t get as annoyed as he usually did.

    With Mary leading, their path was clear and certain. Haruhiro realized this unconsciously. Maybe she had always borne the desire to return here and, because of that, she had reconstructed the layout and paths within the mines over and over in her mind. She said once that she wanted to move on, to be free of this place.

    Was there something left, some unfinished business for her to do here? Something that she had always hoped to do but never mentioned? To Haruhiro, it had to be revenge. In other words¡­

    They reached the sink well. The girls went up first, followed by Ranta, Mogzo, and finally Haruhiro bringing up the rear.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t we staying to fight?¡± Ranta protested, despite everything that had transpired.

    Haruhiro, as much as he trusted his teammates, didn¡¯t want to take any unnecessary risks. By the time they had all reached the third stratum, signs of pursuit from the kobolds had disappeared. Everyone was exhausted, so they searched for a relatively hidden area devoid of glow blossoms where they could rest.

    Or that was the plan, at least.

    It was dark. So completely and utterly dark that they couldn¡¯t see a thing; like suddenly being surrounded by a pool of darkness.

    Haruhiro suddenly stopped. ¡°Wait. Do you guys hear that? That sound¡­¡±

    ¡°Sound?¡± Shihoru repeated, craning her neck.

    He strained his ears.

    Clack, clack¡­

    He could hear it.

    Clack, clack, click¡­

    Clack, clack¡­

    A faint sound. But something was moving. Not a kobold. It didn¡¯t sound like a kobold¡­

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Ranta said, then ran off somewhere.

    He returned moments later with a bundle of glow blossoms in his arms and started to place them, two handfuls at a time, in a circle beyond the darkness surrounding them. The clusters of light from the glow blossoms revealed¡­ footprints.

    ¡°G-g-g¡­¡± Mogzo shrank back. ¡°G-ghosts¡­¡±

    Yume let out a yelp and jumped back, crashing into Ranta and clinging to him. When she realized who it was, she let go just as quickly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny!¡± Yume said to him.

    ¡°You grabbed me first!¡± Ranta shot back.

    ¡°Do you think it could be¡­¡± Shihoru grasped her staff even tighter, her breathing heavy. ¡°S-skeletons?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mary replied, stepping forward.

    When Mary tapped the ground with the tip of her staff, a shoom sort of sound reverberated through the air.

    ¡°When the transformation first begins, the Curse of the Deathless King breathes false life into a corpse,¡± Mary explained. ¡°Skeletons are what they become when their flesh begins to rot away and fall off.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Haruhiro stopped, at a loss for words.

    The skeletons¡ªthe people¡ªilluminated by the faint light of the glow blossoms, were¡­ they were¡­

    There were three of them. Each of them was fully clothed and equipped with weapons and armor but their flesh, or more accurately their white and sickly-yellow bones, peeked out from underneath all their gear. One was covered in plate armor, sword held high. Another, dressed like Haruhiro, held his dagger out as if guarding. The last wore mage¡¯s robes, accompanied by a staff.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, everyone¡­¡± Mary said.

    What kind of expression was she wearing? She was standing in front of him now, so Haruhiro couldn¡¯t see her face. Her voice was rock steady, though, as if casually greeting an old friend after a long time apart. Mary had probably made up her mind long before this moment.

    She had lost three friends down here in the Siren Mines. No one had said anything about having come back to retrieve their bodies. Even if she¡¯d wanted to hold a proper funeral out of respect for her lost companions, the situation at the time had probably made it impossible. She had no choice but to leave their bodies behind.

    But out here, on Grimgal¡¯s frontier, a body not cremated three to five days after death was all it took for the Curse of the Deathless King to take hold and begin their transformation into the undead. Mary knew all along of this cruel fate that awaited her former companions.

    ¡°Michiki. Ogg. Mutsumi.¡± Mary whispered their names softly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Haruhiro shouted as he saw the skeleton mage, Mutsumi, raise her staff.

    A pile of bones shouldn¡¯t be able to talk. Mere bones didn¡¯t have voices, but somehow they all heard her voice. ¡°Derem¡­ hel¡­ en¡­¡±

    It sounded more like a rush of wind than words. It was one of the most eerie things he¡¯d ever heard.

    ¡°Everyone, dodge!¡± Mary yelled as she leapt to the side.

    Haruhiro and the others followed suit after a split second, jumping left and right.

    The skeleton mage continued her chant, ¡°Van¡­ alev¡­¡±

    Wind. They were being blasted back by a flurry of wind, but not normal wind. It had the heat of fire.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Haruhiro raised his arm to protect his face.

    The wind felt almost hot enough to burn. Scorching. The heat defied belief. If he opened his eyes, he was pretty sure his eyeballs would melt. Probably. Maybe not.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to [PURIFY] them from this blasted curse!¡± Mary shouted. Unlike usual, Mary aggressively moved to the front of party. ¡°I need to get closer!¡±

    There¡¯s no stopping her, Haruhiro thought. It was no use telling her to fall back just because it was dangerous. Now, it was just about letting her do it in her own way. All they could do was support her.

    ¡°Mogzo, take the warrior! Ranta, the thief is yours!¡± Haruhiro ordered.

    Mogzo engaged the skeleton warrior Michiki with a shout, sword swinging.

    ¡°I got this!¡± Ranta yelled, leaping at the skeleton thief Ogg.

    ¡°Yume!¡± Haruhiro cast his eyes in Yume¡¯s direction.

    Mary probably intended to use [PURIFY] on Mutsumi first. He and Yume needed to help, or she wouldn¡¯t be able to get the spell off.

    ¡°Right!¡± Yume nodded.

    It might have been futile, considering that their opponent was a skeleton, but Haruhiro yelled at the top of his lungs and attacked Mutsumi head on. Yume did the same. Mutsumi moved as if she was going to cast another spell, but dodged instead. That spell earlier was probably [SIROCCO], a fire element spell. Fire magic was offense-based and focused on destruction, so getting hit by one of Mutsumi¡¯s spells meant trouble.

    ¡°Derem¡­ hel¡­ en¡­¡± Mutsumi chanted as she carved an elemental sigil into the air with the tip of her staff.

    There it was again. Derem hel en, it sounded like the same spell she cast earlier.

    ¡°Run!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    He dodged left while Yume went right, running for all they were worth.

    ¡°¡­Rig¡­ alev¡­¡±

    What? Fire. Flames. Actual, real flames. A blazing curtain right in front of Mutsumi.

    ¡°That¡¯s [WALL OF FIRE]!¡± Shihoru shouted with surprise. She brought up her own staff and chanted, ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das!¡±

    It was Shihoru¡¯s [SHADOW BIND] spell. The shadow elemental fixed itself to the ground exactly where Ogg was about to step. The skeleton thief stepped in it and found himself unable to move.

    ¡°Nicely done, Shihoruuuuu!¡± said Ranta, extending the last syllable as he charged headlong at the stuck Ogg. Ranta unleashed a flurry of attacks.

    Ogg, however, was the same class as Haruhiro. He simply used [SWAT] to deflect, deflect, deflect Ranta¡¯s longsword. If the attack had been something heavy like Mogzo¡¯s [RAGE CLEAVE] the technique wouldn¡¯t work, but since it was Ranta, even Haruhiro would probably be able to deflect his attacks. It didn¡¯t look like Ranta would be able to bring Ogg down by himself.

    A short distance away, Mogzo grunted as he locked blades with Michiki. They pressed against one another with terrible strength. Mogzo intended to twist his sword around Michiki¡¯s and follow up with [SPIRAL SLASH], but Michiki was also a warrior and knew the same techniques. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to pull them off on him. It meant that in the present state of things, Mogzo had a tough fight on his hands.

    ¡°W-what do we do now?¡± Yume asked, stopped in front of the wall of fire.

    Mutsumi was on the other side, but they couldn¡¯t see her behind the flames.

    ¡°I¡¯m not su¡ªwhoa!¡± Haruhiro bent back, trying to avoid a ray of light launched from behind the wall.

    It hit him right in the face. For a second there, he actually thought himself dead. But he wasn¡¯t. It felt like he¡¯d taken a roundhouse to the jaw, and though hurt like hell, he wasn¡¯t critically injured. Was that¡­ [MAGIC MISSILE]?

    ¡°Ahh!¡± Yume cried. She¡¯d been hit by the spell too.

    [MAGIC MISSILE]¡¯s rays of light were flying everywhere. Haruhiro backed away from the wall of fire, unable to do anything more than avoid getting hit by the spell. He didn¡¯t even know that spells could be combined like this.

    Suddenly, Mogzo shouted. Is Mogzo down? was the first thing that came to Haruhiro¡¯s mind. No, it appeared as if Mogzo was able to barely avoid getting hit. Michiki. And that technique. Haruhiro only caught a brief glimpse of it, but it looked like Michiki had performed a front-flip while bringing his sword down at the same time. It must have been a warrior skill, but Haruhiro didn¡¯t realize warriors could possess such acrobatic techniques.

    Mogzo immediately moved to counterattack but Michiki leapt back swiftly, and the two were deadlocked once again. Michiki. So strong. He was more agile and his techniques were better than Mogzo¡¯s, though in terms of strength they were pretty much even.

    If the fight remained one-on-one, Mogzo would eventually be at a disadvantage. Already he was beginning to get pushed back. If Mogzo went down, no one else would able to take Michiki on. Sure, they had the advantage in numbers, but that meant nothing if their opponents managed to take them out one by one. They needed to back Mogzo up.

    The moment Haruhiro came to that conclusion, Shihoru fired another spell.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel das!¡± she chanted.

    [SHADOW ECHO]. The black seaweed-like elemental hit Michiki in the shoulder. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The spell might have made Michiki tremble all over, but it sure didn¡¯t look like it did anything significant. Maybe the [SHADOW ECHO] was less effective on skeletons.

    ¡°Shihoru, use [SHADOW BIND]!¡± Haruhiro said.

    At the same time Ranta shouted, ¡°The spell¡¯s wearing off!¡±

    Haruhiro looked and saw that Ranta was right. Ogg was moving about freely again, moving in and around Ranta, seemingly toying with him. The duration of [SHADOW BIND] was about twenty-five seconds. Had it been that long already? No, Haruhiro had a feeling that it had been less than that. He wasn¡¯t really an expert on magic, but as far as he knew, magic worked better on some types of opponents than others. Depending on the caster¡¯s strength of will, among other factors, a spell could sometimes be less effective.

    ¡°N-now! Oom rel eckt nem das!¡± Shihoru cast [SHADOW BIND] once more, again at the spot where Ogg was about to step next.

    This time though, he saw right through her. He stepped over the spot on the ground where the shadow elemental had fixed itself and pressed the attack on Ranta.

    While all that was happening, [MAGIC MISSILE] rays never stopped shooting out from the wall of fire. Haruhiro was forced to continue dodging them. What are we gonna do?

    ¡°Mutsumi!¡± Mary shouted her friend¡¯s name.

    ¡°Wait, Mary!¡± Haruhiro cried in disbelief. ¡°What are you¡ª¡±

    What was she doing? What the hell was she thinking? Mary had leapt straight into wall of fire. No way! She was going to get burned to a crisp. She was going to die, doing something crazy like that. Haruhiro wanted to stop her, but there was no way he would reach her in time. She disappeared behind the flames.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [PURIFY]!¡±

    Haruhiro heard Mary¡¯s voice and moments later the flames began to die out, then disappeared altogether. Mary crouched low. At her feet a mage¡¯s staff rolled on the ground near a mage¡¯s robes, hat, and¡­ a pile of ash.

    Haruhiro¡¯s voice caught in his throat. He had no words for this.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Mary said, getting to her feet.

    Alright? Haruhiro thought to himself. What¡¯s alright here? Nothing. Nothing is okay right now at all. Her hair had been singed, her face and other places burned raw red. But it wasn¡¯t just that. Mutsumi was her teammate, maybe they had even been friends, and with her own hands, Mary had¡­ she had¡­ How was that alright? How could anyone ever say it was?

    But any sort of consolation would have to come later.

    ¡°Yume, Shihoru, get to Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Got it!¡± Yume replied.

    ¡°O-okay!¡± said Shihoru.

    Leaving the two of them to backup Mogzo, Haruhiro concentrated on taking up a position behind Ogg. But Ogg was a thief too; he moved nimbly, keeping Ranta in check while careful not to let Haruhiro get behind him. He¡¯s more skilled than me, Haruhiro realized. Despite being a skeleton, Ogg¡¯s motor skills were far superior. Skeletons must have retained the same abilities they had before becoming undead.

    Haruhiro would lose, maybe even quite easily, if they went head to head. I hate to do this to you, Ogg, since you¡¯re Mary¡¯s old friend and all. Yeah, I¡¯m weaker than you, but sorry buddy, I¡¯m not fighting alone!

    ¡°Ranta!¡± Haruhiro cried.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Ranta sharply.

    Ranta and Haruhiro switched places. The two of them were surprisingly in tune with each other at times like this. Ranta¡¯s instincts were good.

    Ogg appeared confused for a moment as he tried to find Ranta again. Finding his opening, Haruhiro attacked. Ogg deflected with [SWAT], then counterattacked, and this time it was Haruhiro¡¯s turn to [SWAT]. When Ogg attacked, Haruhiro used [SWAT]. When Haruhiro attacked, Ogg used [SWAT].

    Around the fourth time they exchanged [SWAT], Ogg did something that made Haruhiro¡¯s blood run cold. Bit by bit, Ogg had been modifying his [SWAT] skill so that on the fourth time they clashed, Ogg came dangerously close to making Haruhiro drop his weapon.

    I was right, Haruhiro thought. I can¡¯t win against him. But he didn¡¯t have to. Haruhiro suddenly stepped forward and thrust his dagger out. [SWAT] was, at its best, a defensive technique meant to block an opponent¡¯s attacks. In order to execute it, you had to devote the entirety of your concentration to your opponent¡¯s movements for at least a moment. The technique became almost second nature once you got used to it, and executing it became somewhat habitual.

    In other words, you ended up using it automatically, whether it was a good thing or not.

    Ogg used it now, against Haruhiro¡¯s sudden attack.

    ¡°Take this!¡± Ranta came in from behind, his diagonal slashing attack impeccably timed. His long sword connected with Ogg¡¯s right leg.

    To be honest, chills went down Haruhiro¡¯s spine. He and Ranta hadn¡¯t coordinated anything beforehand, but still¡­ Ranta, you knew exactly what I was thinking. It made Haruhiro feel a little dirty, actually.

    ¡°Ogg!¡± Mary called.

    With one leg shattered, skeleton Ogg was no longer able to stand. Mary approached him now.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [PURIFY]!¡±

    Haruhiro wasn¡¯t sure if it was good or bad that he witnessed what unfolded before him next.

    Blinding light enveloped Ogg and moments later, his body¡ªor rather, his bones¡ªcrumbled slowly into dust. The sight made Haruhiro¡¯s heart ache and almost brought tears to his eyes. Perhaps it was a relief for Ogg, to be freed from the curse by his companion. But to Haruhiro, it wasn¡¯t anything to feel glad about, because for Mary, it must have been almost unbearably cruel.

    Mary dropped down near the pile of ash that had once been Ogg and scooped up a handful. No matter how tightly she clenched her fist though, ash continued to spill from the gaps between her fingers. Without looking up, she nodded.

    ¡°Only Michiki now,¡± she said.

    ¡°Oy!¡± Ranta pointed the tip of his sword at Mary. Haruhiro had no idea why he would do such a thing. Ranta continued, ¡°You¡¯ve got all of us with you now! Don¡¯t forget that!¡±

    Oh. Haruhiro understood the point Ranta was trying make, but he had a feeling that there were gentler, more appropriate ways to put it. And why did he need to point his sword at her too?

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t pursue it though, because Mary looked up at Ranta. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said with a slight smile.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡± Shihoru shouted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this!¡± Haruhiro replied, turning to Michiki.

    Mogzo retreated continuously from Michiki¡¯s attacks while Yuma and Shihoru tried to support him, but it was in vain. Even if Shihoru tried to cast [SHADOW BIND] it could backfire if Mogzo was caught in it instead.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s me-time!¡± Ranta attacked Michiki from the side.

    Michiki blocked with ease, but it gave the exhausted Mogzo a chance to catch his breath. Haruhiro set his sights on Michiki¡¯s back. The skeleton warrior was nimble, but not agile as Ogg. Ranta was attacking with everything he had. Mogzo possessed a certain grace when fighting in tandem with the team; he was pretty skilled at coordinating with everyone else. They could do this.

    Now! Haruhiro latched onto Michiki¡¯s back. Since Michiki was a skeleton, it was useless to stab him, so Haruhiro went for his neck instead. He grabbed Michiki¡¯s skull with one hand and his neck vertebrae with the other and twisted in opposite directions. Mogzo followed up by smashing Michiki¡¯s right arm with his bastard sword, forcing Michiki to drop his weapon.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous,¡± Mary invoked.

    She rested the fingers of one hand, formed into a pentagon, on her forehead and pressed her middle finger between her eyebrows to complete a hexagon; the symbol of Lord Luminous. She then threw her palm out at Michiki.

    ¡°[PURIFY]!¡±

    Despite how bright it was, it was a sorrowful light. Michiki started to crumble in Haruhiro¡¯s arms. It was uncanny, how nothing but ash remained of his body. But it had been the same for Manato. It was the same for everyone, once they died. That¡¯s what death ultimately meant.

    The light faded and Haruhiro slumped to the ground. He couldn¡¯t say anything, he couldn¡¯t think, not a single thing came to mind. Mary crouched down in front of Michiki¡¯s remains. Mogzo and Ranta were still on their feet, as was Yume. Shihoru held her hat down with one hand, breathing hard.

    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Ranta said simply.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mary scooped up a handful of Michiki¡¯s ashes and closed her eyes. ¡°With this, it¡¯s finished once and for all. I did what I had to do. And I was able to do it because of you all. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°He was strong, Michiki.¡± Mogzo sighed. ¡± I have to become stronger too.¡±

    Shihoru nodded emphatically. ¡°I want more attack spells. I¡¯ll learn offensive magic¡­ I have to.¡±

    Ranta snorted and stuck his chin out, expression thoughtful. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll make up a secret killing technique that¡¯s perfect for me.¡±

    There he went again, saying stupid things. This one was easy to let go.

    ¡°Yume wants a wolf companion,¡± Yume said. ¡°A wolf pup costs one gold but it¡¯ll take time to raise it ¡®till it¡¯s big¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you planning to do until then?¡± Haruhiro ventured tentatively.

    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡± Yume tilted her head to one side. ¡°It¡¯s gotta stay with me, or else we won¡¯t bond. I guess I¡¯ll just hafta carry it in my pocket.¡±

    ¡°Will it fit in there?¡± Mary asked.

    Yume patted her shirt pocket. ¡°Hmm, dunno¡­ maybe it¡¯s a bit small after all. Or maybe I¡¯ll buy a puppy bag¡­¡±

    Ranta, as usual, ruined the mood by interjecting, ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big bag to carry around.¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s gonna carry it herself so why does Ranta care?¡± Yume said. ¡°And Yume¡¯ll never, ever, ever, EVER let Ranta touch it.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Ranta asked. ¡°Me petting it isn¡¯t gonna hurt it. In fact, it¡¯ll make it stronger for sure!¡±

    ¡°No it won¡¯t!¡± Yume said.

    ¡°Yes it will!¡±

    ¡°No. It. Won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It will!¡±

    ¡°No way in tarnation it will!¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah it will, dumbass!¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± Haruhiro cut in with a wry grin. ¡°They say, ¡®Don¡¯t count your chickens before they¡¯ve hatched.''¡± He let out a sigh and left it at, ¡°but whatever.¡±

    Become stronger, huh? Stronger. What did that mean for him? Sure, he had a few skills in mind that he would like to acquire, but he didn¡¯t think that they would suddenly make him dramatically stronger. Working on refining [BACKSTAB] and [WIDOW MAKER] had its limits too. In any case, raising his combat abilities was important for his own sake, but if he became a better leader, that would result in raising the level of the party as a whole.

    He had a feeling that such advancements weren¡¯t exactly visible to the eye. But that was fine; Haruhiro was best suited for backstage roles after all.

    ¡°Mary¡­¡± Haruhiro began.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Mary replied.

    ¡°Is it really okay? I mean, not getting a memento or something. To take back with you.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± she said, blinking rapidly as if caught off-guard by the question. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it. You¡¯re right. I think I¡¯ll do just that. When we return to Altana, I have to let Hayashi know too¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Haruhiro nodded. ¡°Right. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be relieved to hear the news.¡±

    ¡°I hope so¡­¡±

    Mary started looking through Michiki¡¯s leftover equipment. Haruhiro was tempted to ask her to heal those that needed it, but stopped himself. It was probably best not to disturb her while she was with the last remains of her precious friends, Michiki, Ogg, and Mutsumi.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a hard day,¡± Shihoru whispered.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Yume said, rotating her shoulders slowly.

    ¡°We¡¯re not out of this yet,¡± Haruhiro reminded them, careful not to make it sound like a reproach. ¡°It¡¯s better not to let our guards down until we¡¯re back in Altana¡­ not that I think we¡¯ll run into any more trouble.¡±

    ¡°We might,¡± Ranta snickered unpleasantly. ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    Haruhiro wished Ranta would quit it. It¡¯s because he said stuff like this that trouble always found them. A chill suddenly ran down Haruhiro¡¯s spine. He turned to look behind him.

    ¡°De¡ª¡± Haruhiro began.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranta turned too. ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    ¡°Not good¡­¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Yume looked dumbstruck.

    Shihoru let out a tiny gasp.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Mary whispered.

    Why now? Of all the times, why now? Not that there would ever have been a good time for this.

    ¡°R-run¡ª!¡± Haruhiro couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say.

    He was coming. He was here. What? Come on, don¡¯t do this. What the hell¡­ Black and white spotted fur, so large that it was hard to believe he was a kobold, holding a huge, thick-bladed sword that resembled a meat cleaver¡­ Deathpatch. The monster kobold breathed in heavy huffs as he ran, saliva running down his chin in streams, and his blood red eyes shone as he closed in.

    Deathpatch had three elder kobold minions with him, each equipped with plate armor and full helms, swords and round shields. No way could they win a fight against those. But could they turn tail and run? No. If they turned their backs, they would just get cut down, one by one.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to do this, but he didn¡¯t see any other alternative. And if standing to fight was the only option, then he couldn¡¯t let himself get mentally defeated before the battle began. They had to win, and to win, they had to¡­

    ¡°Mogzo, sorry, keep Deathpatch busy! Everyone else, the elders!¡± Haruhiro said.

    In his panicked state, Haruhiro didn¡¯t hear their replies. He couldn¡¯t help it. That didn¡¯t change that they had to bring down the minions as fast as they could though. After the elder kobolds were down, the real fight would begin.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das!¡± Shihoru cast [SHADOW BIND], stopping one elder in its tracks.

    Thanks to that, Haruhiro was able to calm himself down a little.

    ¡°Ranta, take one on by yourself! Yume and I will take the other!¡± Haruhiro said.

    Both shouted their agreement.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help too!¡± Mary held her staff at the ready, following close behind Haruhiro and Yume.

    Haruhiro was about to stop her, but decided against it. Until the minions were down, maybe it was better to have Mary actively fighting too. After they took care of the elders, she could retreat to the back again. Yes, that was good.

    ¡°THANK YOU!!!¡± Mogzo unleashed [RAGE CLEAVE] with all his strength.

    Deathpatch, handling his meat cleaver sword as if it was made of tinfoil, deflected Mogzo¡¯s attack with ease and counterattacked immediately. The force behind the blow was monstrous. Deathpatch then continued to rain blows, and Mogzo barely managed to block. If even one of those hits got through his guard, it would be fatal for Mogzo, armored or not.

    It scared the shit out of Haruhiro, but Mogzo must have been even more terrified. He couldn¡¯t think about Mogzo right now, though; he had to find a way to block out Mogzo¡¯s fear. But was there something else he had to do? No, that wasn¡¯t even a question. He had another job right now¡­

    The two elder minions ignored Deathpatch and Mogzo, their attention focused entirely on Haruhiro and the remaining party members.

    ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡± Ranta leapt at Minion C, and it shrank back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Haruhiro said, rushing past Yume and charging directly towards Minion B.

    However, he had no intention of actually attacking it. Minion B swung its sword at him repeatedly, and Haruhiro used [SWAT] to deflect, deflect, and deflect again. In the meantime, while Minion B had its attention on Haruhiro, Yume and Mary flanked it on both sides and attacked simultaneously.

    ¡°[CROSS CUT]!¡±

    ¡°[SMASH]!¡±

    Minion B blocked one with its sword and the other with its shield, but it was knocked off balance nonetheless. Now! Haruhiro thought. He deftly maneuvered himself behind Minion B and used [WIDOW MAKER]. Clinging onto its back, he lifted up the visor of its helm, plunged his dagger into the elder¡¯s right eye, twisted it in, and then pulled it back out before leaping away.

    It wasn¡¯t dead yet, so Mary bashed it again with her staff while Yume kicked it to the ground. It didn¡¯t get back up. Two more to go. Their options were finishing Minion A, who was still bound in place by Shihoru¡¯s [SHADOW BIND], or helping Ranta with Minion C. Haruhiro didn¡¯t hesitate to go for Minion A, and Yume and Mary followed his lead. It couldn¡¯t move, so the fight should be easy.

    Yume and Mary were right behind him as he circled around to Minion A¡¯s back and executed [WIDOW MAKER]. The three of them killed it the same way they killed Minion B, then it was on to Minion C.

    How was Mogzo doing? He was probably having the hardest time of all. Every blow from Deathpatch¡¯s meat cleaver blade was bringing Mogzo down to one knee. He was somehow finding a way to get back on his feet between attacks, but Haruhiro knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out much longer by himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish this one on my own!¡± Ranta shouted.

    Haruhiro wavered for a moment, before replying, ¡°Thanks!¡± He trusted his companions. He believed in Ranta. ¡°Mary, fall back!¡± He ordered, while he and Yume moved to engage Deathpatch from the back and side.

    The question was, even with the two of them helping, would they be able to keep Deathpatch contained? Why was he feeling so intimidated? Deathpatch had his back to Haruhiro now and wasn¡¯t even thinking of tossing a glance back. Despite that, Haruhiro had not the faintest idea how he should make his attack. It seemed to him that nothing he could throw at the monster would be effective.

    It didn¡¯t matter. Effective or not, he had to try. There was nothing for it now. They were committed to this

    He¡¯d try [BACKSTAB] first¡­ or he¡¯d intended to at least. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, tumbling head over heels. Huh? Had he gotten kicked by Deathpatch just as he was closing in to attack? He vaguely recalled something like that, but he wasn¡¯t really sure.

    Was he injured? He tried getting up. His body was sore all over and his head was still spinning a little, but otherwise he felt okay. Probably. He couldn¡¯t really tell.

    ¡°Take this and this and this and this!¡± Ranta attacked with a lightning fast succession of blows, stripping both the sword and shield from Minion C¡¯s hands. With a shout, he rammed it with his shoulder, bringing it to the ground.

    It was nothing but a display of brute force, but it worked. Ranta used his sword to knock the helm off Minion C¡¯s head and thrust it deep into the kobold¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Haha! Another Vice for me!¡± he declared.

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t believe that Ranta could think about collecting Vices at a time like this. But though there was much to be said about his lack of character, Haruhiro had to admit that Ranta was pretty dependable.

    ¡°Only Deathpatch left now!¡± Haruhiro shouted as loudly as he could, attempting to boost morale.

    But a part of him knew it was futile. Haruhiro heard Deathpatch¡¯s guttural shout, Wro-ga-huah! Wro-ga-huah! Wro-ga-huah! and in that moment, Mogzo was completely overwhelmed.

    Of course Haruhiro, Yume, and Ranta all wanted to come to Mogzo¡¯s aid, but there was something holding them back. An air of intimidation¡­ or something. Was it really for such an uncertain, unclear reason?

    No. It was the way Deathpatch moved; dynamic and swift. He lunged and bounded as if he had springs installed in his legs, all while deftly handling that meat cleaver sword of his. And he never stopped moving, so it was hard to find an opening to attack.

    There had to be some pattern or habit that they could exploit. Haruhiro and the others just had to find it. But nobody had time to carefully analyze and pick apart his movements.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel das!¡± Shihoru¡¯s [SHADOW ECHO] came with beautiful timing, but it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Deathpatch swung his blade with a roar and neatly sliced the seaweed-like shadow elemental in half, making it disappear. It was then. It was almost too small to be called an opening, but it was then that Mogzo struck. For the first time since the fight began, he went on the offensive.

    He was completely out of breath and injured all over, but Mogzo must have known that he would be cut down for sure if he took any more abuse. He had no choice but to take a chance and go all in. Mogzo had made a calculated decision and Haruhiro thought it was okay. No other conclusion was possible. But just as this conclusion crossed his mind¡­

    Gro-huah! Deathpatch shouted and blocked Mogzo¡¯s bastard sword not with his blade, but with his left arm.

    What the¡ª! Is that even possible?! Haruhiro thought. He was completely and utterly shocked; Mogzo probably even more so. Surprised or not, it wouldn¡¯t have changed what happened next.

    Deathpatch brought his sword down viciously on Mogzo¡¯s left shoulder. The blade tore through the plate armor, the chainmail beneath, and down and down and down.

    ¡°MOGZOOOO!¡± Ranta threw himself at Deathpatch.

    Shit! Ranta wasn¡¯t ready to take on an opponent like Deathpatch. The huge kobold swung his sword at Ranta with enough force to both crush him flat and cut him in half. Somehow, Ranta ducked in time to avoid the blow. Good move. And thanks to Ranta¡¯s intervention, Mogzo was able to roll away and get some distance between himself and Deathpatch.

    However, his wound looked awful and was bleeding heavily.

    ¡°Mary, heal Mogzo!¡± Haruhiro needn¡¯t have said; Mary was already on it.

    She cast a healing spell on him straightaway, but it would take time to work. They had to buy more time for her. Yume had drawn her bow at some point and now loosed an arrow at Deathpatch. At such close range, it was impossible to miss. The arrow buried itself in the kobold boss¡¯ side. Deathpatch roared and turned his attention to Yume.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have time to look away!¡± Ranta shouted, attacking again.

    Deathpatch blocked Ranta¡¯s longsword with ease and then came for Yume violently. Yume, of course, ran for it.

    ¡°Wah! Scary scary scary¡­!¡± Yume yelped, flinging her bow away and using her pit rat rolling skill to get away.

    Haruhiro chased after Deathpatch, but couldn¡¯t catch up. It wasn¡¯t just now, either; Haruhiro hadn¡¯t been able to get into position since the start.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Haruhiro grunted.

    ¡°O Darkness, O Lord of Corruption¡­¡± Ranta chanted a spell. ¡°[DARK INVITATION]!¡±

    A purple-black, headless torso appeared from out of nowhere. It had two eyes like pits and a rip for a mouth. A demon. Zodiak.

    ¡°Get him! Zodiak!¡± Ranta commanded.

    {I don¡¯t wanna! Don¡¯t wanna! Don¡¯t wanna! Don¡¯t wanna! Keehehehehe¡­ Heehehehe!}

    ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Ranta sighed.

    Haruhiro couldn¡¯t even begin to express how disgusted he was. Of all the idiotic, lazy¡­ he didn¡¯t even have words. Yume cried out as Deathpatch kicked her. It was hard, and it sent her flying.

    ¡°Stupid demon! Come here!¡± Ranta caught Zodiak by the arm and pulled him close.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t even know that demons could be grabbed like that. Ranta then spun towards Deathpatch and hurled Zodiak at Deathpatch with all his strength.

    {Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! FUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOUUUUUUUUU!}, shrieked the demon.

    The demon hit Deathpatch smack in the face. Except it wasn¡¯t really ¡°hit¡± so much as ¡°got stuck on.¡± Deathpatch immediately peeled the demon off and flung him away, but that moment of inattention gave Ranta the chance to close in again with [ANGER THRUST].

    The attack was aimed straight at the kobold boss¡¯ throat, but Deathpatch twisted away just enough for Ranta¡¯s longsword to only shave a few inches off the fur at the side of his neck and nick the skin a bit. While blood didn¡¯t spray all over the place, Deathpatchwas bleeding a little.

    Yes! Haruhiro thought. They had finally scored a hit. Deathpatch wasn¡¯t invincible and this wasn¡¯t a losing fight after all. They could do this. He was an opponent they could fight if they did things their way. Haruhiro had a feeling that maybe they could even win. That feeling evaporated the next moment.

    Deathpatch let out a horrible shriek. The color of his eyes had changed; up until just a moment ago the light that shone in his eyes was somehow a different shade. Suddenly, in less than a fraction of a second, Ranta was down and unmoving on the ground.

    What just happened? Haruhiro hadn¡¯t seen it. All he saw was Ranta¡¯s form prone on the ground, his body in a pool of blood, and Deathpatch lifting his sword high over its head to deliver the finishing blow. Something clung onto its sword arm however¡­ a purple-black shape. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    ¡°Zodiak?!¡± Haruhiro muttered.

    {Keehehehe¡­ Eehehehe¡­ Heehehehehehe!} snickered the demon.

    Deathpatch half-grunted, half-sneered as if to say ¡°you¡¯re in my way,¡± grabbed the demon like an eagle would its prey, and slammed it to the ground. With a hissing sound, the demon evaporated like rising steam and disappeared. Thanks to Zodiak¡¯s interference though, Ranta¡¯s life had been saved.

    When Deathpatch lifted his sword once more and turned his attention back to finishing Ranta, Mogzo jumped in and blocked the kobold¡¯s meat cleaver sword, just as Deathpatch was bringing it down. What would have happened had Zodiak not obstructed Deathpatch when he did? Mogzo most likely wouldn¡¯t have made it in time. Zodiak had just saved Ranta¡¯s life.

    Shihoru was helping Yume up, but she had one hand pressed against her midsection and was clearly in pain. Mogzo, even as he was being slowly beaten back by Deathpatch, made sure that he was drawing the kobold away from Ranta.

    ¡°Deathpatch gets stronger the more he¡¯s hurt!¡± Mary said, as she ran towards Ranta. ¡°Haru! I¡¯m almost at my limit! I can only cast two more spells, maybe three if I push it, but that¡¯s all!¡±

    Haruhiro held his breath, jaw clenched tight. Mogzo. Even if Mary had healed his wounds, she couldn¡¯t restore stamina, and he was already showing signs of fatigue. Deathpatch. The more he was hurt, the stronger he got? That meant the more hits they scored on him, the tougher the fight would get. What the hell was that? How were they supposed to fight something like that? They couldn¡¯t.

    They had to run. That was their only option now. But could they really escape? Were that an option, they would have run from the start. No, Deathpatch had three elder minions with him then. The circumstances were different. Now, it was just him. The question was, would all of them make it to safety if they ran now?

    Deathpatch was fast. If the kobold decided to give chase, they wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun him. If they were attacked from the back as they ran, they¡¯d be finished. They would be cut down in a fraction of a second. One fraction, one person. Two fractions, two people. Three¡­ and yeah. Not an option. Haruhiro had hoped everyone could retreat together, but the reality wouldn¡¯t allow that.

    If they all ran, then a number of them would get killed for sure. If they were lucky, maybe a few of them would make it out. If they were unlucky, all of them would die.

    One. At the very least, one of them had to stay behind. One of them had to keep Deathpatch occupied. It would be a fight to the death. Whoever stayed behind would die. One would die, the other five would live.

    That was their only option now. Haruhiro understood that. There was nothing for it. Even as he debated with himself, Deathpatch might kill Mogzo at any moment. If Mogzo went down, then it was over for all of them. If Mogzo died, everyone would follow. That was the worst possible outcome. It had to be avoided at all costs.

    Let Deathpatch kill one person so the remaining five could live. Who then? Who would remain behind? And did Haruhiro have to be the one to ask? Did he have to say to one of the others, ¡°everyone¡¯s going to run now, so keep ¡®im busy while we do that¡±? Did he have to ask one of the others to die for them? Maybe someone like¡­ like¡­ Mogzo.

    Ranta, with his healing spell resolved, sat up with a grunt.

    Haruhiro closed his eyes. ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    I¡¯m sorry for being such a pathetic leader¡­ But doing the impossible was just that, impossible. Haruhiro jumped onto Deathpatch¡¯s back just as the kobold was about to beat Mogzo to the ground. The maneuver didn¡¯t knock the wind out of the kobold boss, but Haruhiro was able to latch on with unexpected ease. His decision was made, he didn¡¯t have anything more to fear. Or that¡¯s the way it felt, anyway. Whatever will be¡ªwill be¡­

    Deathpatch spun, trying to throw Haruhiro off. I won¡¯t let you! No way he was going to let himself get shaken off. Haruhiro clung on with desperate strength, hitting Deathpatch again and again and again on the top of the head with the pommel of his dagger.

    As he continued to pummel the kobold, he shouted, ¡°Mogzo, Ranta, Mary, Yume, Shihoru¡­! Now, while he¡¯s distracted¡­! RUN!¡±

    ¡°B-b-but!¡± Haruhiro thought it was Mogzo talking, but he couldn¡¯t be sure.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay!¡± Haruhiro said, but all of his concentration was on emptily pounding away with his dagger.

    Hit, hit, hit. Continuously hit. Deathpatch was a kobold, and as such, his body was built differently from a human¡¯s. A kobold could reach backwards with more range than a human, and Deathpatch took advantage of that to hit Haruhiro. Even though he couldn¡¯t reach that far back with his sword, Deathpatch still landed blows all over Haruhiro¡¯s back and head with his elbow.

    Shit. Haruhiro wanted to whimper in pain, but felt that all his strength would leave his body before he had a chance. But his strength did not leave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me throw away my life for nothing!¡± Haruhiro yelled instead. ¡°I¡¯m this beaten up already! There¡¯s no saving me now! I¡¯m finished so just GO! Please, run! PLEASE!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ranta shouted.

    Ah, Ranta. Good. That was good. That was what made Ranta who he was. They needed someone like him, or the team would have been in real trouble. He could persuade the others to go. Only Ranta could do it. I¡¯m counting on you, Ranta¡­ In the corner of his eye, Haruhiro saw Yume turning her head to look back at him, but her body was facing the other way. She was going too, which reassured him a little.

    If Yume went, then Shihoru would too. Yume. He recalled how good it felt when Yume petted his head. Shihoru¡­ he hoped that she wouldn¡¯t keep dwelling on Manato.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Mary called.

    Go. Just run for it¡­ He was just starting to like Mary a little, so he wanted her to survive and live on. So go on, get out of here¡­ He could hear Mogzo¡¯s shout and it rang distant. Yes, alright, Haruhiro thought. Run, Mogzo. You¡¯re strong and you can get even stronger. Become stronger¡­ Mogzo was the team¡¯s core. We¡¯re nothing without him.

    Except that it wasn¡¯t ¡°us¡± anymore. Haruhiro wouldn¡¯t be part of the team anymore. It was just him left now. There was nothing for it. He had made the decision because there was no other way. He couldn¡¯t ask one of the others to die for them. He would die himself, rather than asking someone else.

    It would be tough on everyone though; no one could feel good about being alive, because Haruhiro had sacrificed himself. He didn¡¯t want them to think of it that way, but they probably would. He hoped that they would at least be able to get over it eventually. If they didn¡¯t, then doing something stupid crazy like this wouldn¡¯t be worth it.

    Michiki. Ogg. Mutsumi¡­ If he died here, would Haruhiro become like them? If so, he hoped that Mary would return and [PURIFY] him. Please, turn me into ash¡­ By that time, would the team have found a replacement for him? The thought made Haruhiro feel hopelessly lonely and depressed.

    It was good then that he didn¡¯t have to think about it further, because he was at his limit. He felt as if he was could float up and out of his body any moment. Shit. He¡¯d been thrown off. Deathpatch had finally thrown him off.

    Haruhiro hit the ground and Deathpatch turned to run after the others. He wasn¡¯t going to kill Haruhiro? Deathpatch would let Haruhiro go and Haruhiro would escape death while the kobold chased after his companions? No. No, no, no, NO!

    How much time had Haruhiro bought so far? How far away had everyone else been able to get? His internal clock told him that a good amount of time had passed, but maybe it only felt that way. Maybe no time had passed at all. He didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Hey! Over here!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    Haruhiro got to his feet, but Deathpatch didn¡¯t look his way. Can¡¯t let him get away, can¡¯t let him get away! It was then, in that moment¡ªhonest to god¡ªthe line appeared. It wasn¡¯t the hazy, indistinct line that he usually saw, this one was sharp, defined and glowed bright. Haruhiro felt himself move.

    So slow, he thought to himself. Why am I moving so slowly? But it wasn¡¯t just his own movements; Deathpatch moved also as if the air was molasses. Maybe that was a good thing. Easier for him to close the gap that way. He was close now. There!

    Haruhiro leapt forward towards Deathpatch. There, a point on the kobold¡¯s back, a vital organ or something. Haruhiro¡¯s dagger slipped in smoothly with no resistance at all to hit that vital spot.

    Haruhiro had not the slightest doubt. It was over. Deathpatch pitched forward and slumped to the ground. For a moment, Haruhiro¡¯s head was buried in the kobold¡¯s patchy, dirty fur as they fell forward together, but he quickly rolled off and to the side. He wanted to say something, but all that would come out from the base of his throat was a heavy grunt-like noise.

    He felt his head and neck and realized that they were covered with blood. He hurt all over too. A thought suddenly occurred to him.What if I¡¯m left behind down here like this? Shit, not good. But he didn¡¯t think he could move right now.

    ¡°H-hey! Guys! Everyone, come back!¡± He finally managed to call after the others, believing, without a doubt, that they would come back for him.

    And they did.

 Volume 2 - CH 17

    LEVEL 2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable

    Chapter 17: Lies and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

    ¡°Heeeeey! Harucchi! I heard all about it! You killed Deathpatch! You¡¯re AMAZING!!! I¡¯m soooooo JEALOUS! I¡¯m superrrrrrrrr ENVIOUS!!¡±

    They were having drinks at Sherry¡¯s when Kikkawa approached their table, loud and boisterous as usual. It was all Ranta¡¯s fault for opening his big mouth. The news spread fast, and now everyone knew that Haruhiro and his team were the ones who killed Deathpatch.

    That was fine with Haruhiro though. He knew killing Deathpatch was one hundred percent luck, but dead was dead, and this felt much better than being mocked as ¡°The Goblin Slayers¡± all the time.

    ¡°Yume¡¯s so glad.¡± Yume fell flat onto the table with a sigh. ¡°Yume sure thought we were done for a dozen times¡­¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ me too,¡± Mogzo agreed, looking sleepy. ¡°It was a really close call.¡±

    Shihoru glanced reproachfully at Haruhiro. ¡°And someone almost got himself killed¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ that was¡­ you see¡­¡± Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck and gave a short cough. ¡°Yes. I regret my decision. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Shihoru¡¯s gaze dropped to the floor, her expression bashful. ¡°I-I was just kidding. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s your fault or anything. Really¡­¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Yume said looking thoughtful. ¡°If Haru didn¡¯t stay behind to keep Deathbatch distracted, we all might have been wiped up.¡±

    ¡°Yume, the expression is ¡®wiped out¡¯,¡± Haruhiro, ever the straight man, corrected.

    ¡°Ho¡­ that so?¡± Yume asked.

    ¡°And it¡¯s Deathpatch, not Deathbatch¡­¡±

    ¡°It all sounds the same to me,¡± Yume frowned.

    ¡°B-but!¡± Mogzo indicated the meat-cleaver sword he had his arm wrapped around. ¡°Everything turned out fine in the end. All¡¯s well that ends well, as they say¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mogzo,¡± Yume agreed. ¡°And you got yerself a new sword!¡±

    Shihoru nodded. ¡°Your old bastard sword was getting really worn out too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Mogzo said, beaming with delight. ¡°What do you guys think I should name it? I¡¯ve been trying to think of something, but nothing¡¯s come to mind¡­¡±

    Yume¡¯s suggestion was ¡°Meat-Cleaver Sword #1¡± which Shihoru timidly, but immediately, shot down. Surely Mogzo wanted to name it something awe-inspiring and cool. What was his definition of ¡°cool¡± though? Something like, ¡°Eternal Blaze of the Executioner¡± was what Haruhiro came up with, but he declined to propose it out loud. It sounded horrible even to his own ears. So¡­ a name¡­ name¡­

    Ranta was with Kikkawa, retelling the ¡°Legend of the Heroic Deathpatch Slaying Warriors¡± to the other Crimson Moon members gathered. The way Kikkawa was telling it, it was almost like he¡¯d been there too, and Haruhiro wasn¡¯t sure if that was amusing or annoying.

    Mary had said earlier that she wanted to talk with Hayashi, so she was up on the second floor with him. Haruhiro hoped that after this, she would be able to find some peace within herself.

    He took another swig of beer and frowned at the bitter taste. He was really glad that no one died back there. But despite how relieved he was that everyone got out alive, he couldn¡¯t be entirely happy about it, deep down in his heart. Did he really perform flawlessly? Could there have been a better way, could he have made a better choice?

    At the time, he¡¯d believed, he had chosen the best option. If they were put in the same situation again, Haruhiro thought that he would make the same decision. But was that really the best thing to do? Maybe there was something he could have done before they were driven into a corner with no way out. Something like preventing the team from getting into that kind of situation in the first place?

    The self-criticism that filled his mind overshadowed any happiness he was feeling from everyone surviving. But that wasn¡¯t the case for anyone else. Why? Why was he the only one who couldn¡¯t be happy?

    Because he was the leader.

    The others were different. That was why. There was a gap between him and the rest of his companions. Was this a gap that couldn¡¯t be filled? Not now, not ever?

    Suddenly Haruhiro felt a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mary asked.

    She was so close, it almost made him jump.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± He stalled for a moment before finally asking, ¡°You¡¯re done talking with Hayashi?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just now,¡± she replied. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°U-uhh¡­ why do you ask?¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°You seemed a little out of it,¡± Mary explained.

    ¡°Really? Er, n-no, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s nothing, really,¡± Haruhiro assured.

    Mary smiled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar, Haru.¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Haruhiro said, sliding his chair over to make room for her.

    Yume, Shihoru, and Mogzo were still hotly debating names for the sword. Truthfully, Haruhiro would very much have liked to confide in Mary about his doubts. And just a few days ago, he probably would have. But not now. Not anymore. He was more self-aware now than before.

    He was the leader. Even if he lacked ability and was ill-suited for the role, he was still the leader. If he didn¡¯t keep a good enough grip on himself, all of his teammates might die.

    ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine,¡± Haruhiro said, this time with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a lie, but it¡¯s also the truth.¡±

    Mary patted him softly on the shoulder once more. She withdrew her touch almost immediately, but for Haruhiro it was reward enough. A poor, simple reward it may have been, but he didn¡¯t criticize himself for feeling that way. It was fine to enjoy the things that were meant to be enjoyed, because no one knew when these happy times would come to an end. It might be soon, for all anyone knew.

    ¡°Oy! Haruhiro!¡±

    Ranta and Kikkawa, arms linked, skipped over to him. ¡°The rest of you guys too! Get over here! Kemuri from the Daybreakers is here tonight and he just so happens to want to buy the slayers of Deathpatch a drink!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll never get a SUPE-CHANCE like this again, Harucchi!¡± Kikkawa declared. ¡°SUPE-DUPE CHANCE!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®supe-dupe¡¯?¡± Haruhiro sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Then he blinked several times as the information sunk in. ¡°Wait, you mean Souma¡¯s Daybreakers?¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Yume¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­¡± Shihoru said, trying to make herself appear as small as possible.

    Mogzo stood up and sat down several times, unable to decide which was appropriate. ¡°W-w-what should we do¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity,¡± Mary said, cool and collected as ever. ¡°We should take him up on it.¡±

    Haruhiro nodded right away, surprising even himself a little. Were he the same Haruhiro as he had been yesterday, he would have hesitated. Today, he was no longer that person. It made him wonder what changes tomorrow had in store for him.

    Not dying today meant that he would get to see the person he became tomorrow. And who knows, that might just be a wonderful thing indeed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone.¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 1

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 1: Myself, Natural Talent, and Bittersweetness

    PART 1 of 2

    ¡°Ranta! Don¡¯t get too separated from us!¡± Haruhiro warned as he circled behind the kobold foreman Mogzo had engaged, looking for an opening to exploit.

    Not that it was hard to find. There! Again now! The elder kobold¡¯s defense was full of holes. He could easily take it down. Haruhiro watched as the elder¡¯s tail swiftly swished all around, but he had grasped the pattern of its movements now.

    If Mogzo attacked in ¡®A¡¯ way, then it would react with ¡®B¡¯, then do ¡®C¡¯ next. And if not ¡®C¡¯, then it would do ¡®D¡¯ for sure. Haruhiro was able to predict its movements. He was confident he could finish it quickly with either [BACKSTAB] or [WIDOW MAKER].

    But he didn¡¯t close in. He didn¡¯t want to finish it. Simply killing it was not his goal.

    He wanted the line to appear for him. That hazy, indistinct line that glowed like fire. He wanted to be able to see it. Master Barbara of the Thieves Guild had once told him, ¡°The line that you see¡ªfeel, perhaps is a better way to describe it¡ªappears once or twice to anyone who¡¯s accumulated enough experience.¡±

    She had also said, ¡°It¡¯s not like we can will it to appear by concentrating hard or anything.¡± And though she told him, ¡°That¡¯s not a bad sign,¡± she also warned him. ¡°But don¡¯t be mistaken. It¡¯s not anything special.¡±

    It appears once or twice to anyone who¡¯s accumulated enough experience. But it had appeared more than once or twice for Haruhiro. And it had appeared for him bright and distinct when he killed Deathpatch. If the line hadn¡¯t appeared, there was no way Haruhiro would have been able to kill the kobold boss.

    Deathpatch would have left Haruhiro behind and gone after everyone else; maybe even killed them. How many would have died? Theline had saved Haruhiro¡ªhad saved them all.

    But it appeared by coincidence. It just happened to appear for him. And if that was the case, then it had been pure luck; Haruhiro had just gotten lucky. If fortune hadn¡¯t been with him, then everyone might have died.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to believe that they had been saved by nothing but fortune. He didn¡¯t really understand his own reasoning, but he did know for certain that he wanted to see the line. He wanted to be able to see it at will. If he could make it appear whenever he wanted, then he would be¡­ invincible?

    Not that he had any ambitions to become godlike or anything, but he did want to be strong. He wanted the strength to turn the tide of battle when it mattered.

    ¡°THANK¡ª!¡± came Mogzo¡¯s finishing blow.

    Line¡­ c¡¯mon, appear! C¡¯mon! Appear, line! Haruhiro begged. But diagonally down Mogzo¡¯s sword came; behind the [RAGE CLEAVE] technique came all of Mogzo¡¯s terrible physical strength in a single crushing blow.

    Mogzo¡¯s sword cut a good twenty inches down into the elder kobold¡¯s shoulder, rending the chainmail it wore as if it didn¡¯t exist. Mogzo¡¯s strength was unbelievable. It wasn¡¯t all muscle though, it was also his new sword: The Chopper.

    Everyone had given suggestions for the name of Mogzo¡¯s new sword, but in the end Ranta¡¯s suggestion ¡°The Chopper¡± was adopted. The sword was of average length at about four feet long, but its blade was incredibly thick. And though it had a cross guard, its overall appearance was that of a giant meat cleaver.

    It was the sword previously owned by Deathpatch, but Mogzo was also making very effective use of it. He kicked the kobold foreman down with a grunt, then brought the blade down onto its head, cracking its skull open like an egg.

    ¡°NEXT!¡± Mogzo shouted.

    Damn. Awesome and badass, Haruhiro thought.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Mary called, while he was being awed by Mogzo¡¯s prowess.

    ¡°Er¡­ y-yeah!?¡± Haruhiro yelled back.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing!?¡± Ranta railed.

    Ranta was the last person Haruhiro wanted to hear that from, but he had to admit he¡¯d been a little spaced out just now.

    Lately, they had been hunting elder kobolds in the residential-like third stratum of the Siren Mines. Most elder¡¯s talismans fetched high prices at the market, and after they eliminated Deathpatch, the third stratum was a relatively safe place to do their hunting. The income they garnered here was very stable.

    That wasn¡¯t to say that the danger was zero, however. This was still enemy territory and they would pay a price if they let themselves become complacent. Mogzo had taken out the foreman, leaving only two kobold workers. Ranta worked on Kobold A while Yume and Mary teamed up to take on Kobold B.

    But just then another elder leading three little piggies¡ªer, workers charged towards them from a little ways off. Right when they thought the remainder of the fight would be a breeze because the toughest of the bunch was down, the world went and threw a wrench in their plans.

    ¡°Six of them!¡± Just as Haruhiro finished the headcount, Mogzo yelled ¡°THANK YOU!¡± and crushed Mary and Yume¡¯s opponent, Kobold B.

    ¡°Uh, make that five!¡± Haruhiro amended.

    ¡°Take this!¡± Ranta locked blades with Kobold A and shoved in hard.

    It was his new Dread Knight skill, [EXPEL FRENZY], where he¡¯d press in with his sword to hold back an opponent who had gotten in too close before leaping back and putting more distance between them. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be a flashy technique, but Ranta had a way of over-exaggerating anything he did.

    Haruhiro had to admit, though, that [EXPEL FRENZY] did have the potential to combine well with other techniques.

    ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡±

    Ranta had executed the technique outside of range, but took a step forward to make up for it and drove his sword into the base of Kobold A¡¯s throat. It was instant death for the kobold and Haruhiro reluctantly admitted that Ranta looked kind of cool for a split-second there.

    It wasn¡¯t just his fighting techniques that had improved; Ranta was also equipped with a new helm. The bucket-shaped helmet that he had been so partial to was damaged beyond repair, so he¡¯d bought a new bascinet helm, complete with a pull-down visor. It was used, but painted black and Ranta had said something dumb about that making him look like a kickass Dread Knight should.

    Well, Haruhiro had to concede to that a little now, because Ranta did seem very Dread Knight-like in that split-second of a moment.

    ¡°Uh¡­ four more to go!¡± Haruhiro yelled, slightly flustered as he began to call out orders again. He was the leader, after all. ¡°Mogzo, you¡¯ve got the elder! Ranta, take one of the workers and take it down fast! Me and Yume will take the other two!¡±

    Mogzo engaged the elder with a shout. When they locked blades, Mogzo executed [SPRIAL SLASH] and pressed the attack, forcing the foreman back.

    ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡± Ranta leapt at Kobold C. His initial attack was deflected but Ranta kept pressing forward, unleashing an offensive flurry.

    Yume attacked Kobold D head-on, and when it countered with a swing of its shovel she performed a low somersault to avoid it; her new skill, [FOX VAULT]. It was actually considered to be a kukri-based technique, although Haruhiro didn¡¯t see why; the weapon was never used directly. Yume closed in again on the surprised Kobold D and executed her [SWEEPING SLASH] and [CROSS CUT] combo, forcing it to retreat.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Haruhiro shouted, though he wasn¡¯t trying to make a ruckus or anything.

    Dueling a single opponent wasn¡¯t really a Thief Class forte. Kobold E swung its shovel at Haruhiro multiple times while Haruhiro deflected its attacks with [SWAT]. The shovels were used for mining, but made with metal from handle to tip, so they were also effective as weapons.

    [SWAT] was mostly a defensive skill, but if the opportunity arose, Haruhiro could also use it to create an opening in his opponent¡¯s defenses.

    He did so now as Kobold E brought its shovel down in a wide arc. Haruhiro dodged rather than deflecting with [SWAT]. Kobold E realized the danger and quickly drew its weapon back in. It attacked again, but this time with a smaller, more compact swing, going more for speed than power.

    Now! Haruhiro thought and deflected Kobold E¡¯s shovel with [SWAT]. It wasn¡¯t the usual [SWAT], though. Haruhiro put strength behind the technique to force the kobold¡¯s shovel off to the side and away from its body. The kobold was now wide open.

    Haruhiro stepped in towards it, using his left hand and right forearm to grab and arm lock Kobold E¡¯s right arm. Kobold E yelped when its elbow became immobilized, even as Haruhiro swept its feet out from under it and brought it to the ground.

    It was the new technique that Master Barbara taught, or rather, pounded into him: [ARREST]. And while it felt nice when he executed it perfectly, it wasn¡¯t really a flashy technique.

    While Kobold E was still on the ground, Haruhiro stamped his foot hard on its jaw. A kobold¡¯s head was shaped like a dog¡¯s; their bite was powerful but the bone structure was delicate. The way their jaws were built made them especially vulnerable to attacks from the side. Kobold E was now unconscious, or close enough.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt pram das!¡± cried Shihoru.

    A fuzzy, black seaweed-like shadow elemental shot from the tip of Shihoru¡¯s staff, flying through the air in a tight spiral.

    ¡°Yume, watch out!¡± Shihoru warned.

    Yume ducked with a yelp as the shadow elemental flew past where her head had been. It hit Kobold D straight in the face and began to seep into its body through its ears, mouth, and nose. Kobold D¡¯s movements ceased, its body stiffening like a wooden board.

    Shihoru¡¯s new technique, [SHADOW COMPLEX], was a spell that literally got into the heads of enemies to bewilder them. She had picked up this particular spell because she wanted more offensive abilities and, indeed, unlike [PHANTOM SLEEP], it would work even on alert and strong-willed enemies. The spell choice suited Shihoru very much and was incredibly useful in combat too.

    Even as Yume watched, Kobold D suddenly tossed aside its shovel, looking incredibly confused. Yume attacked furiously with her kukri, punctuating each swing with a shout. By the time Kobold D regained its senses, it was too late. Yume had shredded up its body so badly that there would be no counterattack.

    ¡°ARGH!¡± Ranta finished off Kobold C with the [EXPEL FRENZY]-[ANGER THRUST] combo he had been so enamored with lately.

    PART 2 of 2

    Mogzo¡¯s grunt came from nearby, and Haruhiro wondered if the elder was putting up a tough fight. No, that¡¯s not the case,Haruhiro realized. The elder seemed to have found an opening and was bringing its sword down on Mogzo¡¯s left arm. But only because Mogzo was purposely letting it.

    Mogzo was now equipped with a steel fauld that protected his waist and steel vambraces on both arms. Both were bought used, but had been refitted by an armorer. And Mogzo had also acquired a new fighting technique to complement his heavy armor.

    The elder foreman¡¯s sword came down on Mogzo¡¯s arm with a heavy clang, but glanced off. It wasn¡¯t simply a normal deflection though; it was the [STEEL GUARD] technique. He didn¡¯t belong to the Warrior¡¯s Guild, so Haruhiro didn¡¯t really know the details behind it, but it was some sort of special way of reinforcing one¡¯s armor with one¡¯s energy so that all the enemy¡¯s attacks would bounce off.

    And as if that wasn¡¯t enough defense, the entire team was under Mary¡¯s [LIGHT OF PROTECTION] spell which enhanced physical ability, resistances, and sped up the body¡¯s ability to heal itself. The spell probably had something to do with the God of Light Luminous, as his hexagon symbol floated above everyone¡¯s left wrists while they were under the spell¡¯s effects. According to Mary, it could be cast on up to six people and lasted for up to thirty minutes. Haruhiro felt the spell¡¯s effectiveness as his body became noticeably lighter, which enhanced his fighting ability enormously.

    And maybe thanks to [LIGHT OF PROTECTION], Mogzo also moved swiftly to finish off the elder.

    ¡°THANK YOU!!!¡± Mogzo shouted.

    Of course Mogzo would use [RAGE CLEAVE]. It wasn¡¯t just his standard finishing move, it was a powerful, stable and most of all, a magnificent, technique. Mogzo¡¯s sword crushed into the shoulder of the already off-balance elder. It was almost the exact same way he had killed the first foreman.

    Mogzo¡¯s form and style were elegant and, unlike Ranta, he never resorted to doing weird shit and cheap tricks just to try to look cool. He was a simple person in the good sense of the phrase. He stuck to the same basic techniques, but practiced them so often that he gave them his own customized, unique form of their own.

    Maybe Haruhiro was overstating it a little, but there was no doubt that [RAGE CLEAVE] in Mogzo¡¯s hands had gone from an average, run-of-the-mill technique to a devastating killing blow. Of course [RAGE CLEAVE]¡¯s effectiveness must also have been affected by things like the user¡¯s physical strength, proficiency, and weapon quality, among other factors, but what made it so effective for Mogzo was undoubtedly his timing.

    Whenever he recognized an opening, Mogzo used it. The precise timing with which he used [RAGE CLEAVE] made Haruhiro want to give Mogzo a standing ovation every time he saw it. In fact he wanted to applaud Mogzo even now¡­ should he actually do it?

    As Haruhiro considered that, Ranta attacked Kobold D from behind. Yume already had it on the run, but Ranta¡¯s attack finished it.

    ¡°Hahaha! YESSSSS! Got my Vice!¡± Ranta proclaimed.

    ¡°Stupid Ranta!¡± Yume shouted. ¡°Yume could¡¯ve handled it alone!¡±

    ¡°What was that? You were gonna kill it with your own hands? Ms. Washboard, seeking blood like a wild beast!? Ha! You wanna devote yourself to Lord Skulheill too?¡± Ranta offered.

    ¡°No way!¡± Yume replied. ¡°Yume is a Hunter who loves the White Goddess Eldritch. Yume just thought that if she¡¯s goin¡¯ to battle against the poor kobos one-and-one, Yume might as well see it through to the end! And don¡¯t call Yume flat!!!¡±

    ¡°Yume, it¡¯s one-on-one¡­¡± Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but correct her but was, as expected, thoroughly ignored.

    ¡°Flat-chested is flat-chested! If you don¡¯t want me calling you flat, then grow them bigger!¡± Ranta shot back.

    ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t know how to grow boobs bigger!¡± Yume said earnestly.

    ¡°You do it like this!¡± Ranta turned to Yume and made some sort of massaging, fondling motion on his own chest.

    ¡°Sexual harassment!¡± Shihoru protested, glaring daggers at Ranta while Mary sighed and muttered, ¡°Utterly despicable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the best!¡± Ranta shouted, veins in his temple bulging. ¡°The best sexual harasser! The utterly despicable best! Bring it on! Nothing you say will faze me! I¡¯ll become the most utterly despicable sexual harassment king!¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Yume pondered and copied Ranta¡­ or rather, she was actually fondling her own breasts. ¡°Do they really get bigger? ¡®Cause I sure don¡¯t feel them growin¡¯! Or is it harder to grow ¡®em than it looks?¡±

    Mogzo made some sort of choking sound while Shihoru quickly grabbed Yume¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Y-Yume¡­ that¡¯s not something you do in front of other people!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so it only works if I do it in private?¡± Yume asked.

    ¡°Um, no¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Shihoru replied.

    Ranta scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Keep massaging them! They¡¯re so small no one watching is gonna see anything!¡±

    ¡°Douchebag Ranta!¡± Yume cried.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a douchebag! I¡¯m the Most Utterly Despicable Sexual Harassment King! It¡¯s my newly gained title and don¡¯t you forget or regret it! Now bow down to my pervertedness!¡±

    ¡°Quit saying that like it¡¯s a good thing,¡± Haruhiro said as he began to search the kobolds¡¯ belongings.

    None of their equipment was sellable, so he contented himself with their talismans. As he crouched near a body and carefully removed an earring talisman from one of the worker kobolds, Ranta suddenly jumped near him and tore off a gold nose ring from a dead kobold nearby.

    Haruhiro deeply disliked Ranta¡¯s rough treatment of the bodies. There were also plenty of other things Haruhiro disliked about Ranta. In fact, he disliked almost everything about the guy.

    ¡°What?¡± Ranta glared at Haruhiro. ¡°Got something you wanna say to me?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Let me say this to you then.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro,¡± Ranta used his thumb to flick the gold nose ring into the air and let it land in his open palm. ¡°Don¡¯t start getting any big ideas.¡±

    ¡°Big ideas?¡± Haruhiro asked. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯ve become some kind of hero, don¡¯t you?¡± Ranta accused.

    ¡°Hero?¡± Haruhiro repeated.

    Only stupid Ranta would think something retarded like that, was Haruhiro¡¯s instinctive response. But the words quickly grew heavy in his chest and he didn¡¯t reply right away. A hero, huh? Haruhiro had never entertained any thoughts of becoming one. None at all. Not even the slightest shadow of a thought. But¡­

    ¡°Your movements in that fight just now,¡± Ranta continued in a tone so low that none of the others could hear him. Strange, since Ranta wasn¡¯t the considerate type. ¡°Were really weird.¡±

    ¡°No way. It was just the usual,¡± Haruhiro denied.

    ¡°No. You were acting weird,¡± Ranta said. ¡°Like you were one step slower than usual. Or maybe not slower¡­ you were trying to dothat, weren¡¯t you? The one hit kill move.¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t answer but shrugged his shoulders minutely. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but felt himself breaking into a cold sweat. Because Ranta was right. How could a guy like him even notice in the first place?

    ¡°You¡¯re not hero material, Haruhiro,¡± Ranta continued. ¡°Got it? Know your limits.¡±

    He patted Haruhiro on the shoulder sympathetically. Haruhiro wanted to slug him in return, but he didn¡¯t bother. Nothing Haruhiro could say to a person like Ranta would matter. Ranta, would you even understand? No, he wouldn¡¯t. Ranta didn¡¯t understand how Haruhiro felt at all.

    Haruhiro had almost died. In return for his companion¡¯s lives, he had almost traded his own. But everyone lived, they even killed Deathpatch, and everything was wonderful. All¡¯s well that ends well, as the saying goes. But it only ended well because they had gotten lucky.

    Haruhiro wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it if the line hadn¡¯t appeared. He supposed that maybe he should just be satisfied with receiving fortune¡¯s favor that time and not think too deeply on it. But what about next time? What if they ran into a situation like that again? Should he just leave it up to chance then as well?

    No, that wasn¡¯t an option. So what could he do?

    He had two choices. The first was to bet that they could avoid getting into dangerous situations in the first place. And, of course, Haruhiro intended to try his best to. The second was to turn chance into certainty. All he had to do was make it so that he could see the line all the time.

    But it wasn¡¯t that simple. Master Barbara had told him before, ¡°Sometimes it appears, sometimes it doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like we can will it to appear by concentrating hard or anything.¡± It wasn¡¯t a reliable technique and becoming dependent on it would be a mistake. And Haruhiro realized the wisdom of her words.

    However, he couldn¡¯t resist entertaining the possibility. If he could make the line appear at will, then it would mean that he was a born warrior. Naturally talented. And wouldn¡¯t that be awesome? he thought to himself.

    ¡°Haru?¡± Mary inquired.

    Haruhiro hadn¡¯t even noticed that she had crouched next to him.

    ¡°Err¡ªsomething wrong?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I should ask you the same,¡± Mary said with a slight smile. ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ not really,¡± Haruhiro lied.

    If they weren¡¯t on the third stratum of the Siren Mines and if no one else was around, then maybe he would have confided in her. Or maybe not, regardless of where and who was there.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he tried to reassure her.

    ¡°Really¡­ if you say so then,¡± Mary said, entirely unconvinced.

    And Haruhiro knew from her expression that she didn¡¯t believe him. The look on her face made him feel like he had done something horrible to her and made his chest ache with a dull pain.

    This is¡­ completely unfair.

 Volume 3 - CH 2

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 2: Coincidence

    After returning to Altana, selling the loot, splitting the profit, eating dinner, heading back to the now familiar reserve force soldier lodge, taking a bath, and returning to his room, Haruhiro was ready for bed. Except that he didn¡¯t feel like going to sleep right away. The lamp hanging from the wall had already been put out. Besides the two straw-stuffed bunk beds, that lamp was the only other furnishing in the bare-bones room.

    Haruhiro wanted to say goodbye to the lodge and find a better place to stay. It wasn¡¯t as if they were financially incapable of this, but for some reason he still found himself undecided. Haruhiro rolled over onto his side as he lay on the top bunk. Mogzo was on the bottom bed of the opposite bunk while Ranta occupied the top. The bed under Haruhiro was empty.

    A room meant for four people, but currently only housing three. In the beginning, there had been a full four. Haruhiro started to whisper the name of their dead companion but stopped. He started to climb down.

    ¡°Haruhiro?¡± Mogzo asked from the opposite bunk. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Ranta was snoring lightly, already asleep.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t come up with a good answer so just avoided the question. ¡°Wrong? No, nothing¡¯s wrong. Not really¡­¡±

    As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that he could have just said something like, ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom,¡± and regretted not thinking of it sooner.

    ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Mogzo pressed.

    ¡°Ah, no. Just¡­ going outside. For some air,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    He was just saying the first thing that came to mind now, making the mood entirely awkward. But Mogzo didn¡¯t pursue the subject.

    ¡°Oh, okay then,¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a long day, right? And you sound pretty tired so get some rest, okay?¡±

    ¡°Right. Goodnight, Haruhiro.¡±

    Haruhiro left the room and wondered if he really should go outside and get some air, but he eventually decided not to. He didn¡¯t really feel like heading out now. If Mogzo had decided to chat with him or something, he probably wouldn¡¯t have had to leave the room in the first place. A part of Haruhiro wished that he had taken the opportunity to talk with Mogzo.

    But he couldn¡¯t.

    Why? Haruhiro thought he knew exactly why, but at the same time couldn¡¯t completely comprehend it. He just¡­ couldn¡¯t confide in Mogzo, even knowing Mogzo was a really decent human being. Haruhiro was confident that Mogzo wouldn¡¯t repeat anything they talked about to others. But the ability to keep quiet wasn¡¯t the main issue.

    Haruhiro wandered into a hallway on the lodge¡¯s first floor and slumped down into a crouch, leaning his back against a wall. An ancient-looking lamp provided some light, so it wasn¡¯t pitch black, but it also wasn¡¯t enough for the hall to be considered well-lit.

    It wasn¡¯t like he could talk about it even if it had been somebody else. Ranta was out of the question. He had a feeling that if he talked to Yume, the conversation would derail into something weird. And Shihoru¡­ now that he thought about it, he¡¯d never had any sort of serious conversation with Shihoru before. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what a private conversation with her would be like.

    What about Mary? She would definitely lend him her ear. But he had a feeling that confiding in her wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. Part of it was that he didn¡¯t want to rely on her too much; he wanted her to think he was cool, not some weakling brat, but there was another reason too.

    Because Mary had joined their party afterward, Haruhiro got the feeling that Mary sometimes felt like she owed them a debt and was always looking for ways to contribute in order to pay it off. Haruhiro didn¡¯t want her to think that he was capitalizing on those feelings. But maybe he was just over thinking it.

    He didn¡¯t even understand why he felt so confused. So far, they had been fortunate enough to avoid most life-threatening situations. If luck hadn¡¯t been with them this entire time, they would all be dead by now. They had been extremely unlucky that Deathpatch appeared right after the fight with Mary¡¯s former companions and Haruhiro had been extremely lucky in killing him. The good and bad luck always balanced out.

    Maybe he was just dissatisfied. He was constantly thinking about the team; wholeheartedly and desperately, he was always weighing his choices and considering everything, all for the sake of his companions. Yet what about the others? They were just enjoying life without a worry in the world. All they had to concern themselves with was learning new skills, buying better equipment, and becoming stronger. And though they had gotten stronger, they were still the bottom of the barrel as far as reserve force soldiers went. Just because they had killed Deathpatch, and Kemuri from the Daybreakers had bought them a round of drinks, it didn¡¯t mean that they were top class or anything.

    Because it wasn¡¯t their fighting ability or skill that had defeated Deathpatch, but sheer dumb luck. And that was something Haruhiro must never forget.

    Why didn¡¯t any of the others understand something that simple? It was only Haruhiro. Only Haruhiro realized that it was pure blind luck that had saved them. Was it really okay to leave things like this? Overconfidence was dangerous and led to horrible things. The others should understand that, but everyone was¡­

    ¡°Ugh, screw this!¡± he grunted, ruffling his hands through his hair.

    It had become really aggravating thinking in circles like this. If everyone was fine with it, then that was good enough for him. As he started to get up, he heard some sort of sound coming from down the hallway. It was the sound of footsteps. Someone was coming his way from the direction of the entrance.

    He could barely make out the shapes from the dim light of the lamp. Two people, both girls, but it didn¡¯t look like Yume and Shihoru. New arrivals, maybe? He had heard that there was a new group of reserve force rookies around. He had almost bumped into two or three of the guys at the baths, but this was the first time he saw the girls. Maybe now would be a good time to go back to his room.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t move, however. So what if they were girls? He should at least check if they were cute or not and if he got lucky, maybe they would become friends and could even get to know each other¡­ privately. He couldn¡¯t deny that he kinda sorta had an ulterior motive of that sort, but he didn¡¯t admit it either. Well, whatever. He stayed crouched against the wall, not looking in the girls¡¯ direction but purposely keeping his gaze focused on the wall in front of him so he wouldn¡¯t look like he was just staring off into space or something.

    That¡¯s what he was going for, anyway. Am I just being stupid? he wondered. The girls must be thinking that he was a weirdo or something. He could tell by the sound of their footfalls that they were approaching him cautiously.

    It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m harmless, Haruhiro said inwardly. Come closer, I¡¯m not going to do anything, so no need to worry¡­ But if he wasn¡¯t going to do anything, then he should have left before they approached. Things were way weirder this way, but it wasn¡¯t completely unheard of, right? It happened from time to time, right? Yes.

    The two girls were passing him now¡ªhad passed him¡ªwhen one of them suddenly stopped. Why did she stop? What was going on? Had they noticed that he was there?

    Haruhiro looked up at them. He was right; the girl with bob-cut style hair was staring at him, wide-eyed. In fact, her eyes were so wide that it seemed as if her eyeballs would fall out at any moment. He noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes. Pouty lips and a stand-offish air about her gave Haruhiro the distinct impression that she was the hard to approach type. Yet Haruhiro found himself slightly fascinated.

    And why was she staring at him so intently?

    ¡°Choco?¡± the other girl whispered, putting a hand on bob-cut girl¡¯s shoulder. She was tall with short hair. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Haruhiro replied instead of bob-cut girl. ¡°¡¯Choco?¡¯¡±

    Choco¡­ that name¡­

    ¡°Yes?¡± Bob-cut girl replied, tilting her head to one side.

    ¡­He was crouched in front of a large, glowing box-like object. Someone was standing next to him. Bob-girl. Choco. That was her name¡­

    Huh? What was that just now? He couldn¡¯t remember. He didn¡¯t know. But¡­ Choco. Choco. He knew the name. Just the name? No, more than that. He remembered those eyes and the dark circles under them. Those pouty lips. He remembered her bob-cut style, short hair. He knew her.

    ¡°Um¡­ you see¡­¡± he started, but didn¡¯t know what to say.

    What could he say? Could he ask her, Do you know me? or something like that? If she recognized him though, she would have said something already. But this didn¡¯t feel like two people meeting again after not having seen each other for a while. She was staring at him, as if something about him had caught her attention. The same way he was staring back at her. If that was the case then¡­

    The other girl stepped between them. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, that means you¡¯re also a Crimson Moon member, right? Do you need Choco for something?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re leaving,¡± the other girl declared.

    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Choco,¡± the girl prompted, and Choco replied, ¡°Okay.¡±

    The two of them left briskly, but before they disappeared from sight, Choco turned to look at Haruhiro. Their eyes met. But Choco quickly spun back around. Haruhiro might have made her uneasy, maybe surprised her a little. Perhaps even really surprised her.

    ¡°Choco¡­¡± Haruhiro whispered.

    And if Choco could hear him, it probably would have made her feel even more ill at ease. Could she really be the same person?

    ¡°Nah,¡± Haruhiro told himself. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be a coincidence.¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 3

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 3: Talk of Unfinished Dreams

    PART 1 of 2

    ¡°WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!¡±

    ¡°Argh!!¡±

    What the hell!? What happened?! An accident!? Fire!? Hurricane!? Earthquake!? An¡­ an elbow? Stupid retarded Ranta had elbowed him in the chest, smack on the breastbone, jolting him awake.

    ¡°What the hell, Ranta!?¡± Haruhiro raged. ¡°Quit doing dumb shit and leave me the hell alone! I¡¯ve had enough of your stupid antics!¡±

    ¡°No need to get so pissed off!¡± Ranta said. ¡°You were sleeping like the dead and I had no idea when you were gonna get your ass outta bed, so I did you a favor and politely woke you up!¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t fall asleep last night so I was up late!¡± Haruhiro roared. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me sleeping in!?¡±

    ¡°So even you admit you¡¯re wrong!¡±

    ¡°How the hell did I admit that!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong to sleep like sleeping beauty when I went through all the trouble of getting the information early so I can tell you!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ Ranta¡­¡± Mogzo interjected hesitantly.

    ¡°Shut up, Mogzo!¡± Ranta yelled. ¡°This is between me and Haruhiro! You stay out of it! Neither of us can move on with our lives until this problem is solved, so this is what¡¯ll determine who¡¯s the real man! You got that, Haruhiro!? We¡¯ll finish it here and now!¡±

    ¡°Finish what!?¡± Haruhiro demanded.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯!? That, you idiot! THAT! In other words¡­ what was that again?¡±

    ¡°Like I would know!¡±

    Haruhiro let out a heavy sigh and sat up. Above his head was the same lodge ceiling as always, and because he slept on the top bunk, the bed creaked when he moved.

    ¡°So,¡± Haruhiro turned reluctantly to look at Ranta. ¡°What¡¯s this information you¡¯ve got?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡ª!¡± Ranta grinned fiendishly.

    The expression on Ranta¡¯s face annoyed Haruhiro to no end. How the hell Ranta could piss someone off just by grinning, Haruhiro didn¡¯t know, but it pissed him off. It must be another one of Ranta¡¯s ¡°special¡± talents; the talents of the lowest of low-lives.

    ¡°Since you decided to sleep in,¡± Ranta continued. ¡°And Mogzo said something dumb about waiting until you were up, I got super hungry, so I went to the bakery by myself. B-A-K-E-R-Y. Got it? That cheap but good one right outside of Nishimachi, Tattan Bakery. There just happened to be a couple of Crimson Moon people hanging around and they were talking about it. So I asked what they were talking about, and¡­ hold on! Everything¡¯s got a sequence, order, progression. Just like dating girls, yeah? Whoa, whoa, Haruhiro¡­ it¡¯s waaaaaaay too early for you. No reason to get pissed off about it. ¡®Cause you¡¯re still a virgin, right? Not me! I¡¯m the Fucking King. Fuck is my middle name. Experienced in all the positions. Got it? The grandeur of my manhood gets all the female tigers to dance in wild ecstasy for me¡­¡±

    ¡°And¡­ how long are you going to make me listen to you spouting shit?¡± Haruhiro casually inquired.

    ¡°I¡¯m not shit talking! Everything that comes out of this mouth is nothing but the truth! The facts!¡± Ranta exclaimed.

    ¡°Fine. And the information?¡±

    ¡°First, you get down from there. I don¡¯t like it when you¡¯re looking down at me, like you¡¯re high and mighty. It¡¯s ridiculously stupid.¡±

    The bunk beds weren¡¯t that high. The top bunk was just about the height of Ranta¡¯s shoulder when he was standing. And Haruhiro wasn¡¯t even standing; he was sitting up on his bunk. He didn¡¯t feel particularly good about looking down on Ranta, and it wasn¡¯t from all that high up, but it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling either.

    ¡°I¡¯m staying right here,¡± Haruhiro stated.

    ¡°You got a death wish or something!? Want me to kill you!?¡± Ranta shouted.

    ¡°You¡¯re a pain in the ass.¡±

    ¡°What? Did you say something to me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did. I said that you¡¯re like a parasite. No, I¡¯m sorry. Not ¡®like¡¯. I said you ARE a parasite.¡±

    ¡°Idiot! I¡¯m not a parasite, I¡¯m a worker bee!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re okay with being an insect?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Not wanting to continue the annoying and pointless exchange, Haruhiro climbed down from his bunk and sat down on the bottom bed.

    ¡°Just get to the point already and tell me what that information is,¡± Haruhiro demanded.

    ¡°Quit making fun of me! I¡¯m not some senile old retard!¡±

    That made Mogzo chuckle, which in turn caused Ranta to grin from ear-to-ear.

    ¡°Unlike Haruhiro, Mogzo knows where I¡¯m coming from!¡± Ranta said. ¡°Mogzo can appreciate a good joke! Haruhiro sucks. He doesn¡¯t get anything ¡®cause he doesn¡¯t have even a shred of a sense of humor!¡±

    Haruhiro felt his thoughts becoming darker and darker but strived to keep his head clear and temper in check.

    ¡°The information, Ranta,¡± he prompted again.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go blaming me for your shortcomings, Haruuuuuhirooooo¡­¡±

    ¡°Ranta. The information.¡±

    ¡°Whoa. Here we go again. Persistent, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± Haruhiro lunged at Ranta and began to choke the life out of him. ¡°Spit it out! I¡¯ve had enough of you so quit messing around!¡±

    ¡°E-enough!? W-wait¡­ C-c-can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­ you trying to¡­ k-kill me!? F-fine! I¡¯ll t-tell you¡­ Crimson Moon¡­ directive¡­¡±

    ¡°Crimson Moon directive?¡± Haruhiro repeated, exchanging glances with Mogzo.

    Mogzo, or rather his stomach, replied with a loud grumble, and his face turned red with embarrassment.

    ¡°S-sorry¡­ I¡¯m kind of hungry¡­¡± Mogzo explained.

    ¡°No need to apologize, Mogzo,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can help it. Ah, there¡¯s some bread over there. Why not have some of that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s MY bread!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°I¡¯m the one who bought it at Tattan¡¯s cheap but good bakery just outside of Nishimachi! I bought it, it¡¯s MINE, and I¡¯m NOT sharing!!!¡±

    Since Ranta was being such a selfish greedy-guts, Haruhiro and Mogzo decided to go into town together to grab breakfast somewhere else. Not wanting to be left out, Ranta tagged along with them, ostentatiously eating the bread he had bought while they walked and haughtily explaining the Crimson Moon directive to them.

    Apparently, a directive was a set of orders given to the members of Crimson Moon¡¯s Altana branch. At least, they were called a ¡°set of orders¡±, but compliance was not enforced. It remained up to the individual members themselves whether or not to respond to the directive. However, those who were capable of carrying out the mission given but chose not to do so without a good reason tended to lose respect amongst their fellow Crimson Moon members.

    That basically meant that if it was a reasonable directive, everyone was expected to just carry it out without complaining too much. And there was also another incentive for agreeing to participate in missions.

    Monetary compensation.

    A portion of the payment was given in advance when they signed up and the rest was paid upon successful completion of the mission. If someone were to accept the advance payment but not do the work, a monetary penalty would be applied. If it was judged that the person had acted with malicious intent, they would also be summoned to appear at Crimson Moon¡¯s Headquarters. Failure to obey the summons would result in a bounty being placed on their heads.

    Bounties were also considered directives and were placed on criminals or dishonest merchants. Some Crimson Moon members actually liked collecting this sort of prize money and made a living out of it. They were aptly called Bounty Hunters.

    Compensation for taking on a directive wasn¡¯t paid in cash, but rather a thin bronze coin that served as a payment certificate of sorts. The coin could be exchanged for cash at Yorozu¡¯s or any financial institution contracted with either the regular army or Crimson Moon.

    Haruhiro and Mogzo decided to stop for breakfast at a food stand in Laborer¡¯s Alley that specialized in a noodle dish called sorruz. The food stands in the area were packed with workers since early morning, and it was much livelier here at this time of day than the marketplace in the Altana¡¯s northern sector.

    Sorruz was a dish with yellow-colored wheat noodles and broiled meat in a salty broth. Haruhiro didn¡¯t think it was all that good when he first tried it, but it reminded him of something faintly familiar, so he ended up coming here to eat every now and then. ¡°Every now and then¡± soon became habit and in the end, he developed a fondness for the dish.

    Haruhiro and Mogzo blew on the hot broth as they ate, slurping the noodles vigorously. Even as he munched on his bread, Ranta couldn¡¯t stand just watching them eat and ended up ordering himself a bowl of noodles too.

    ¡°Man, this is awesome! Sooooooooo good! Sorruz is the best!¡± Ranta declared.

    ¡°Quit making a scene. And your runny nose is dripping snot into your bowl,¡± Haruhiro admonished.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it! It¡¯s running like crazy! Haruhiro! You just don¡¯t get how good sorruz is!¡±

    ¡°Sorruz is really good,¡± Mogzo agreed, working on his second order of noodles already. Or not¡­

    ¡°Mogzo, that couldn¡¯t be your third bowl already?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°W-well¡­ yes,¡± Mogzo admitted. ¡°It¡¯s so good I can¡¯t help it¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn Mogzo!¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re a worthy rival, alright! But I¡¯m not gonna lose!¡± He turned to the middle-aged cook. ¡°Hey mister! Another order of sorruz!¡±

    ¡°Coming right up!¡± the cook confirmed.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Haruhiro grunted, taking his time bringing the noodles to his mouth with the wooden fork. Yeah, it was good, but he couldn¡¯t stuff himself full this early in the morning. His stomach couldn¡¯t take it.

    ¡°But you know, Mogzo,¡± Ranta continued. ¡°Good as this is, couldn¡¯t we make it ourselves if we tried?¡±

    PART 2 of 2

    ¡°Err¡­¡± Mogzo hesitated. ¡°Uh¡­ y-yes, I suppose we could¡­ maybe? But the broth is¡­¡±

    ¡°Nah, we definitely could,¡± Ranta insisted. ¡°The soup¡¯s just throwing stuff in a pot and boiling it ¡¯till it looks done and tasty. Yep, no problem!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? Doesn¡¯t seem all that complicated¡­ what¡¯s in the soup anyways?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ let¡¯s see,¡± Mogzo mused. ¡°Probably chicken stock with some pork lard and meat. Vegetables, like onions and carrots¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Ranta replied, impressed. ¡°You¡¯re pretty pro at this, Mogzo. I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess.¡±

    Haruhiro wanted to say that knowing the ingredients didn¡¯t mean they could replicate the taste, but decided to let it go. Yeah, he didn¡¯t need to say anything.

    Mogzo lifted the bowl up to his mouth and took another sip of the broth. ¡°Yes, and garlic too. If they added a little ginger, it might make the flavor even bolder¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mogzo, you can do it! Once we save up enough money, let¡¯s open another sorruz stand!¡± Ranta proposed.

    Mogzo laughed good-naturedly and replied, ¡°But I¡¯m a soldier for Crimson Moon.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dumb! That doesn¡¯t matter! If we can make enough money, it doesn¡¯t matter what sort of work we do! Who says we gotta keep doing this hack-and-slash stuff our entire lives? We can retire someday and start second careers! Get what that means? It means¡­ uhh¡­ a number two career!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t define a phrase with the same phrase,¡± Haruhiro sighed.

    ¡°Shut up, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta replied sharply. ¡°I mean it! I¡¯m having a super important talk with Mogzo so shut up and go away!¡± He turned back to Mogzo. ¡°So, Mogzo, how about it? You and me! We¡¯ll call it ¡®Sorruz Stand: Ranta & Mogzo¡¯. We can split the profits, seventy percent for me, thirty for you¡ªbut okay fine, fine, fifty-fifty. We¡¯ll start trying to figure out the recipe now so that everything will be ready to go afterwards! What do you say!?¡±

    ¡°A shop, huh¡­¡± Mogzo¡¯s expression was thoughtful as if he didn¡¯t think it was a bad idea at all. ¡°That might be nice. Seems more enjoyable than fighting, too. I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°Right! You do that! Way to think positive, Mogzo!¡± Ranta said. ¡°Let¡¯s get rich! Wildly rich! We can even start up a chain! Ten shops in Altana and then seventeen hundred stores throughout Grimgar! If it¡¯s you and me, we can do it! Eventually!¡±

    Ranta practically inhaled the rest of his soup then exhaled deeply in satisfaction. Then he continued, ¡°Anyways, about this directive thing. You guys ready to hear it!? Ready to hear what I got to say!? Are you!? Really? You guys really ready!? Because once you hear it, I won¡¯t take no for an answer, got it!?¡±

    ¡°Ranta, you¡¯re already beyond excessively loud and annoying so just say it,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Haaaaaaaruhiroooooooo¡­ you¡¯re one to talk ¡®cause you¡¯re a hundred times louder and more annoying than me! No, wait! A thousand times! Ten-thousand times! No, five billion times more annoying! Just admit it, dumbass!¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±

    ¡°Say okay sure a hundred times!¡±

    ¡°Okay sure a hundred times.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Quit treating me like an idiot! I see what you did there! ¡®Cause I can outsmart you any day! Bow down to Lord Ranta!¡±

    ¡°At least Mogzo¡¯s getting a laugh out of this¡­¡± Haruhiro sighed.

    ¡°S-sorry¡­ I just thought that just now was pretty funny¡­¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Moggggggzoooooo! ¡®Just now¡¯? What do you mean by ¡®just now¡¯? I¡¯m always funny! I¡¯m always awesome! I¡¯m the Comedian King Rantaman! If you doubt my one outta one hundred comedic genius, future business partner or not, I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think one in one hundred is all that rare,¡± Haruhiro quipped.

    ¡°Hey! Haruhiro!¡± Ranta shouted.

    ¡°What are you shouting for?¡± Haruhiro asked. ¡°It¡¯s kinda irritating.¡±

    ¡°I meant one outta a hundred thousand! Not a hundred! Got it!?¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Now talk about the directive. We haven¡¯t gotten anywhere on that topic yet.¡±

    ¡°AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT!?¡± Ranta yelled. ¡°YOURS!!!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so pissed? I¡¯m the one who should be pissed off at you.¡±

    ¡°¡®Cause it¡¯s my turn to be pissed!¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Just tell us about the directive.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Wait ¡®till you hear what I gotta say, you guys are gonna flip your shit!¡± Ranta suddenly stood up, twisted his arms around each other and fashioned his fingers on both hands in the shape of a¡­ snake? Or something resembling one. ¡°This, guys! THIS!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re gonna have to give me more than that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a twin-headed snake! Get it!?¡± Ranta made his right-hand snake head say hello to his left-hand snake head. ¡°The offensive to retake Capomorti Fortress and Steelbone Stronghold, codenamed ¡®Operation Twin-Headed Snake¡¯! The directive is apparently aimed at covering up something about the operation. Signups for the Steelbone front is already over, but that was meant for highly experienced warriors anyway. If we participate, we¡¯ll be part of the forces going to Capomorti. The compensation is twenty silvers in advance with eighty more after the completion of the mission. That¡¯s one whole gold! And entire gold! One per person! Awesome, ain¡¯t it!?¡±

    Mogzo¡¯s eyes went wide even as his jaw dropped.

    ¡°A gold¡­¡± Haruhiro breathed.

    It was no small amount to him either. Haruhiro suddenly remembered the time right after they had lost Manato. Renji had given them a gold coin saying, ¡°My condolences. Take it.¡± And he also recalled his surprise at Renji causally tossing around such a huge amount.

    ¡°If Capomorti Fortress,¡± Ranta sat down again and pointed to a spot on the table. ¡°Is around here¡­ or is here better? Maybe here instead¡­¡±

    ¡°Does it really matter where?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Okay, whatever. It¡¯s about four miles north of Altana and occupied by orcs. Four miles is like nothing, right? Super close. So of course Altana¡¯s attacked it a number of times and managed to drive the orcs out too. But no matter how many times we attack and win, we¡¯re never able to keep hold of it for long. The orcs always take it back. You know why?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mogzo crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head a little. ¡°Not enough¡­ patience? Or something like that?¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­ NOT! No way! The correct answer is¡­ here.¡± Ranta pointed with the index finger of his other hand to a different spot near the edge of the table. ¡°Steelbone Stronghold. It¡¯s about twenty-five miles west of Capomorti, by the side of the Great Funryuu River. If you follow the river upstream, you¡¯ll soon enter into what remains of the Nananka Kingdom. You guys know that what means? Probably not. The Nananka Kingdom. It¡¯s orc territory now. The entire kingdom¡¯s been taken over by the orcs. They use ships on the river for transportation. Commodities, soldiers, you name it. Capomorti is a super small fortress, but when it gets attacked, the orcs send some sort of message upriver. Then Steelbone sends reinforcements back.¡±

    Haruhiro¡¯s brows furrowed in thought. ¡°But it¡¯s twenty-five miles away¡­¡±

    ¡°The orcs have a special type of unit called a ¡®dragoon¡¯.¡± Ranta said, striking a strange pose. It looked like some kind of animal¡­ an octopus, maybe? ¡°But they¡¯re not dragons or anything, just huge lizard-like beasts called dragon-horses and apparently they run ridiculously fast. At top speed, it only takes them about an hour to cover the distance between Steelbone and Capomorti.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Mogzo smacked his right fist into his left palm. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re attacking both sites simultaneously this time.¡±

    ¡°Right on! I knew you had the brains to be my business partner!¡± Ranta snapped his finger, or attempted to but no sound came out. He tried several times but had to give up in the end. ¡°Stupid dry skin.¡±

    Haruhiro sighed. ¡°Blaming it on dry skin, huh?¡±

    ¡°What do you have against me saying my own skin is bad!? You my evil mother-in-law or something!?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°Quit pretending! You wanna fight me!?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t attacking Steelbone and Capomorti at the same time pretty much the same as declaring open war on the orcs?¡± Haruhiro asked instead.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re ignoring me now, eh. And didn¡¯t you know? We humans are already in a state of war against the orcs and undead. Have been since forever ago.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I got the idea, but it¡¯s just been skirmishes here and there. Nothing really huge,¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    ¡°We attack each other whenever we get the chance if that¡¯s what you mean by skirmish. Orcs attacked Altana a while back, didn¡¯t they?¡± Ranta said.

    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ Ishh Dogrann? I think was his name. The guy Renji killed.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. This operation is probably partially in retaliation for that attack. At least originally. But this time, it¡¯s not just some casual poke to annoy them, Altana¡¯s army is serious about retaking and holding the fortress. They already failed to hold the fortress a number of times so I guess they¡¯ve decided to stop repeating the same mistake.¡±

    Ranta laughed haughtily as if he was some sort of master strategist, schooled in the military practices of Altana¡¯s regular army. The more Ranta explained though, the more it seemed like open war to Haruhiro.

    ¡°Sounds like a pretty dangerous move. It¡¯s not just Crimson Moon that¡¯ll be attacking the fortress, right?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Nah. Of course the regular army will be there too. They¡¯re the main force; we reserve force members are just supporting them. Are you retarded or something Haruhiro? Use your head a little. Quit looking sleepy all the time and wake up, Haru-Heroine.¡±

    ¡°Quit making fun of my looks or I¡¯ll backstab you. And what the hell is a Haru-Heroine?¡±

    ¡°You just don¡¯t get my jokes, do you, Haru-Helium.¡±

    ¡°Ranta, I swear I¡¯m gonna¡­¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Mogzo interrupted. ¡°How many? I mean¡­ how many people are participating in the operation?¡±

    ¡°How many?¡± Ranta stroked his chin. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ about five or six hundred from the regular army plus a hundred to a hundred fifty from Crimson Moon for Capomorti. The fighting looks like it¡¯s going to be tougher at Steelbone so I heard that Souma¡¯s Daybreakers, the Red Devils, Dak¡¯s Berserkers, Taiman Max¡¯s Iron Knuckles, and Shinohara¡¯s Orion clans will all be over there. Crazy, ain¡¯t it? It¡¯s almost like they¡¯re saying small fry aren¡¯t needed there because we¡¯d just get in the way and die.¡±

    Why Ranta just had to add that last bit of information even though it was completely superfluous, Haruhiro could guess. Ranta was thinking that the tough fight was going to be at Steelbone, while Capomorti would be taken down with ease. He probably even thought that maybe Capomorti would surrender as soon as Altana¡¯s army and Crimson Moon marched up to the gates.

    ¡°Anyways!¡± Ranta had his arms twisted together again and was making his snake head hands snap at each other. ¡°An entire gold! It¡¯s decided then! We¡¯re gonna do it! Let¡¯s go get ourselves signed up right now! There¡¯s only three more days before the deadline so gotta strike while the iron¡¯s hot or some phrase like that. Whatever! Let¡¯s head over to headquarters!¡±

    ¡°H-hold on¡­¡± Mogzo beat Haruhiro to it. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we at least ask the others?¡±

    ¡°Whaaaaaaaat!? WHY!? Who cares about them? About that? The convo¡¯s gonna be, ¡®We gonna do it?¡¯ ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s do it¡¯ ¡®Okay go¡¯ and everyone¡¯s gonna agree so no worries! They¡¯re just girls, too!¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t just assume that,¡± Haruhiro said, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°Let¡¯s get everyone together tonight and talk it over. Besides, we¡¯ve still got plenty of time before the deadline.¡±

    Ranta frowned, exhaling noisily through his nose. ¡°Fiiine. Whatever.¡±

    The next time he says inconsiderate things like that, I¡¯m going to reply by punching him in the face, Haruhiro decided.

 Volume 3 - CH 4

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 4: To Not Get Swept Along

    After a day of work in the Siren Mines, selling their loot at the marketplace, and eating dinner, everybody was now gathered at Sherry¡¯s Tavern.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have beer, the manly drink for men!¡± declared Ranta.

    ¡°T-then, uh, me too¡­¡± Mogzo followed suit.

    ¡°Mead for me,¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°Same,¡± said Mary.

    ¡°Yume¡¯ll have a lemonade! It¡¯s bubbly n¡¯ fun n¡¯ great!¡± Yume giggled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have that as well,¡± Shihoru said.

    Their order arrived in no time at all and Ranta raised his cup, even though no one had asked him to do the toast. ¡°Everyone¡¯s here? You guys ready? Alright! Cheers!!!¡±

    Everyone responded with variations of ¡°cheers,¡± clanked their beverage vessels together, and drank. Ranta and Mogzo gulped their beers; Mogzo simply because he was thirsty, Ranta because he didn¡¯t want to be outdone by Mogzo. Haruhiro, sipping his sweet and slightly sour mead, didn¡¯t understand why Ranta had to be so contrary. Why did that kid always have to make everything into a competition?

    ¡°Ha! I win!¡± Ranta shouted, slamming the empty ceramic cup onto the table. He¡¯d better have been prepared to pay for that if it broke. ¡°Take that Mogzo! I win, you lose! Wahahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± Mogzo agreed. Unable to finish the entire contents of his own cup, he placed it back down on the table. ¡°That¡¯s pretty amazing, Ranta, downing it all in one go.¡±

    ¡°Damn straight! I¡¯m the MAN! You said it all, Mogzo! That¡¯s why you¡¯re my future business, venture, entrepreneur partner!¡±

    Yume blinked, uncomprehending. ¡°Entree pre-noir partner, hm?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s en-tre-pre-neur, Yume,¡± Haruhiro piped in. ¡°What would an entree pre-noir partner be anyways?¡±

    Shihoru made a strange half giggle, half coughing sound and when Haruhiro looked, her face was bright red, and she had both hands over her mouth and was staring down at the ground.

    ¡°Something the matter, Shihoru?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°No¡­ nothing¡­ nothing in particular¡­¡± Shihoru replied.

    ¡°Shihoru,¡± Ranta smirked at her in an exceedingly irritating manner. ¡°You were imagining something weird just now, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°W-weird?¡± Shihoru repeated. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re the fully-loaded, wild delusions wagon.¡±

    ¡°W-wagon¡­? That¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, an entire wagon. So don¡¯t ask me ¡®cause I¡¯m not nearly as flooded with wild delusions as you are¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not flooded!¡± Shihoru protested.

    ¡°Quit spoutin¡¯ lies, Ranta!¡± Yume hugged Shihoru protectively. ¡°Shihoru ain¡¯t a wild wagon and she ain¡¯t fully delusional!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s quite what he said¡­¡± Mary pointed out in a whisper.

    ¡°Huh? You mean Yume¡¯s uncorrect again!?¡± Yume asked.

    Ranta sneered at her. ¡°You¡¯re getting everything wrong! Listening to you is starting to mess with my head so just quit talking, okay? Just shut up!¡±

    ¡°Nuh-uh! Yume doesn¡¯t wanna!¡± Yume cried.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to say no!¡± Ranta shot back.

    ¡°Yume has the right to state Yume¡¯s opinions!¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about opinions!?¡±

    ¡°You did, stupid Ranta!¡±

    ¡°I was talking about the right to say no! Right. To. Say. No. Got it!? THE right to say no!¡±

    ¡°Yume knows that!¡±

    ¡°No you didn¡¯t! You didn¡¯t hear what I said at all! You deaf as a doorbell or something!?¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡± Haruhiro interjected. ¡°It¡¯s not doorbell. Are you dumb as a doornail or something?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Though it appeared that Ranta noticed his mistake, he wasn¡¯t going to back off just because of something minor like that. He shrugged his shoulders petulantly and said instead, ¡°Annnnnnd here we go again. There HE goes again, Lord Party Leader jumping down people¡¯s throats because of some teensy-weensy mistake! And doing it in some I¡¯m-Mister-Clever-Smartass way! You¡¯ve got a shit personality, Haruhiro!¡±

    ¡°Like you¡¯re one to talk,¡± Haruhiro said mildly.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear it from me, then quit making me say it. So watch your mouth, idiot!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Mogzo,¡± Haruhiro turned to Mogzo instead. ¡°Just a bit of advice. You¡¯re definitely better off not making that little lump of fecal matter your future business partner. Your sorruz shop will never make it.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­¡± Mogzo laughed it off dryly, expression uneasy.

    ¡°Sorruz shop?¡± Mary asked, tilting her head slightly.

    Haruhiro started giving everyone a brief explanation about the conversation between Ranta and Mogzo at the sorruz stand. ¡°And Ranta suggested to Mogzo that when they save up enough money, they could quit Crimson Moon and open up a sorruz shop,¡± he finished.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Yume pondered softly. ¡°Sorruz is that ramen-like noodle soup, right?¡±

    ¡°Ramen¡­¡± Haruhiro echoed and for the briefest of moments, a salty, almost-remembered taste sprang to mind.

    Ranta crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Ramen¡­¡±

    ¡°Ramen¡­¡± Shihoru touched a finger to her lips.

    Mogzo leaned further over the table. ¡°Ramen¡­¡±

    ¡°What is¡­¡± Mary started, expression troubled. ¡°What is it? This ¡®ramen¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s¡­¡± Yume¡¯s eyes darted this way then that way. ¡°Ramen¡¯s that¡­ umm¡­ it¡¯s good. It¡¯s a, uhh¡­ that. The thing. Huh? What was Yume talking about again?¡±

    Haruhiro scratched his head. ¡°I forgot¡­¡±

    ¡°Ramen. We were talking about ramen,¡± Mogzo said firmly, unusually forceful. ¡°We¡­ we probably all know it. Yes, sorruz is very much like ramen. When I first tried it, I had a feeling it tasted like something I knew. It tastes like ramen. I couldn¡¯t remember then, but I do now. I loved ramen. Ranta¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranta said, startled. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s do it,¡± Mogzo replied. ¡°Start a shop.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want it to be sorruz,¡± Mogzo continued. ¡°I want to make it a ramen shop. While we save up money, we can keep experimenting with the flavor. And once we¡¯ve got it right, let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s open a shop.¡±

    ¡°A ramen shop¡­¡± A smile spread on Ranta¡¯s face and for once, it wasn¡¯t one of his aggravating, snarky smirks. He put a hand on Mogzo¡¯s shoulder, squeezing tight. ¡°Yeah! You can be the chef and I¡¯ll manage the finances and everything else! I¡¯ll make it a huge success for sure!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Mogzo agreed.

    Haruhiro wanted to say that although it was all good and well that Mogzo was the chef, Ranta only put himself in charge of the finances because he didn¡¯t want to contribute any money to the venture himself. But Mogzo seemed so excited by the idea that Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to put a damper on his feelings by saying anything negative. No need for him to be a wet blanket, after all. Besides, plans like that were still in the distant future, so far away that it probably wasn¡¯t worth seriously thinking about at the moment.

    Nobody even knows what things are going to be like a year from now, Haruhiro thought to say, but kept that to himself, too. He wasn¡¯t about tell them to quit dreaming or say anything cold and insensitive like that. Besides, he didn¡¯t think it was a bad thing for them to dream of the future.

    In fact, Haruhiro was just a bit jealous of their ability to dream, because he couldn¡¯t think any further into the future than tomorrow, or perhaps three days at best. Even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t¡­ because there was a very big decision that had to be made within the next three days.

    ¡°Guys¡­¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°There¡¯s something we¡¯ve got to talk about, and since everyone¡¯s here¡­¡±

    He gave them the details of the Crimson Moon directive and when he was finished, Ranta leapt up from his seat and shot a fist into the air.

    ¡°OF COURSE we¡¯re gonna do it!¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°No need to even think about it! We get a gold for participating! A HUNDRED silvers! We gotta do it! No choice but to do it! We¡¯re gonna do it!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Shihoru¡¯s eyes were on the floor. It was apparent she was not excited at all about the prospect. Yep, that was Shihoru for you.

    What about Mary though? What did she think? Her gaze was downwards too and she had a finger on her chin as if deep in thought, but she gave no indication of which way her vote would swing. Maybe it meant that she would just go with the majority vote. Perhaps she was just trying to be considerate of everyone else¡¯s opinions. Haruhiro had pretty much predicted she would react like that.

    ¡°For Yume,¡± Yume said, puffing her cheeks out slightly and letting her gaze drift diagonally towards the ceiling. ¡°Either way is fine.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Haruhiro asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Hm? What do you mean?¡± Yume replied, confused.

    ¡°Nah, nevermind¡­¡± Haruhiro said.

    He had predicted that Yume would be totally against participating because Ranta was all for it. That was the way Yume¡¯s vote usually worked, but not this time, it seemed. But why? Haruhiro wanted to ask her, but he had a feeling that, as the leader, it would be childish to do something that would most likely exacerbate Ranta and Yume¡¯s animosity towards each other.

    There was nothing he could do to fix Ranta¡¯s personality. Ranta was their companion, after all, and there was no such thing as going through life always getting along with everyone else.

    But wait, then that would mean that Haruhiro was a no, Ranta was a yes, Shihoru was a kinda-sorta no, and Mary and Yume were on the fence. That left only¡­

    Mogzo spoke up, expression unusually solemn. ¡°I think¡­¡±

    Suddenly Haruhiro had a bad feeling about what Mogzo was going to say next¡­ and he was right.

    ¡°I want to give it a shot,¡± Mogzo finished.

    ¡°Mogzoooooooo!!!¡± Ranta stuck out his hand towards Mogzo. ¡°Gimme a high five!¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Mogzo blinked.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Just get over here and high five!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± Mogzo hesitantly reached out with his own hand and touched his palm to Ranta¡¯s.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! YESSSSSS!¡± Ranta said, then smacked his forearm then elbow against Mogzo¡¯s forearm and elbow until finally Ranta was practically hugging him. ¡°Hell yeah! You¡¯re the man, Mogzo! THE MAN! My future business partner rocks! We¡¯re also frontline tanks and brothers in arms! Damn right! We¡¯re like twins! You think so too, right Mogzo!?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ um¡­ sure? Haha¡­ okay?¡± Mogzo replied.

    ¡°Hahaha! Awesome! Hey, Haruhiro!¡±

    ¡°What now?¡± Haruhiro sighed.

    ¡°Majority wins!¡± Ranta wrapped an arm around Mogzo¡¯s shoulders. He eyed Haruhiro like a carnivore stalking its prey and licked his lips. ¡°It¡¯s decided!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Haruhiro started.

    Whoa¡­ whoa whoa whoa! Slow down there¡­ Just hold on one fricking second. Damn it, this wasn¡¯t good. At this rate, everything was going to go to hell in a¡­

    If Mogzo was a yes, then he and Ranta would make two yeses. Haruhiro and Shihoru (most likely) would be two noes. Mary¡¯s and Yume¡¯s votes were currently unknown. Haruhiro was fairly sure that if it came down to a tiebreaker, he could get Yume on his side. However, he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent certain. Not anymore. Mogzo¡¯s surprise siding with Ranta had shaken Haruhiro¡¯s confidence in his own predictions.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Haruhiro pondered, then glanced at Mary¡¯s and Yume¡¯s expressions.

    He couldn¡¯t discern what they were thinking at all. Which way would they vote? Both of them yes? Both of them no? He had no idea anymore.

    ¡°Let¡¯s decide tomorrow,¡± Haruhiro suddenly declared.

    ¡°WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!?¡± Ranta glared at him wide-eyed. ¡°Are you fucking retarded or something!? What the hell!? Why tomorrow, moron!? We can decide today so why put it off!?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve still got plenty of time before the signup deadline. Let¡¯s take a day and think about it. Then we can vote again.¡±

    ¡°I think that would be wise,¡± Mary raised her hand in Haruhiro¡¯s support.

    Gods, Mary is a goddess, Haruhiro thought. At times like this, Mary seemed like a radiant, brilliant, shining light from the heavens. Actually, that¡¯s the way she always looked¡­

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Yume said, flopping down on the table. She was drinking lemonade, but was giving a decent impression of being drunk. ¡°I agree with Mary. Tomorrow is good.¡±

    ¡°A-agreed,¡± Shihoru gave a single vigorous nod. ¡°I also think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    Mogzo didn¡¯t object. ¡°Yes, no need to rush.¡±

    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Ranta couldn¡¯t find the words to finish his sentence but that was perfectly fine with Haruhiro.

    It looked like he was going to be able to stall this one for now. He let out a small sigh of relief and looked around the tavern. All the regulars were around so that meant a good number of Crimson Moon members mixed in with the townsfolk. And among them might be a good number of parties who had already responded to the directive and decided to participate in Operation Twin-Headed Snake. Maybe he could get more information by asking them.

    ¡°I hate information collecting¡­¡± Haruhiro sighed.

    He just wasn¡¯t good at approaching people he didn¡¯t know and talking to them. But he also knew that now wasn¡¯t the time to let his timidity get the better of him.

 Volume 3 - CH 5

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 5: Just a Feeling

    PART 1 of 2

    I know, that¡¯s why I gave it my best shot¡­? Kinda sorta¡­

    In order to get more information about the directive, Haruhiro had approached some of the veteran Crimson Moon members he often saw around the tavern and attempted asking them. It was unfortunate that none of Shinohara¡¯s reputable Orion Clan members were there tonight. Shinohara himself was kind and well-mannered, and members of his clan tended to be the same. Haruhiro knew that as long as he was mindful of his own manners, any Orion Clan member would tell him what he wanted to know to the best of their knowledge.

    Other than the Orion members, the only person Haruhiro knew well enough to ask questions of him freely was the well-known, overly-cheerful Kikkawa, who had arrived in Grimgar the same time he did. Haruhiro often talked with Kikkawa at Sherry¡¯s, but as luck would have it, he wasn¡¯t here tonight either.

    Haruhiro wondered where he had gone. Kikkawa had ended up joining a veteran party led by someone named Tokimune, so he got a huge head start and was now frequenting areas way beyond the ability of Haruhiro¡¯s team. In fact, Haruhiro recalled Kikkawa saying something about a place called the ¡°Wandering Abyss¡± somewhere on the Kazahaya Plains being their main area of operations recently.

    Haruhiro slumped down against a wall in a hallway on the first floor of the reserve force soldier lodge. Mogzo and Ranta were in their room, fast asleep. Whenever they drank, both of them tended to snore very loudly. This was one of the things, perhaps among many, that kept him up.

    He had talked to a few Crimson Moon members who already accepted the directive to participate in Operation Twin-Headed Snake, and every one of them was of the opinion that taking Capomorti Fortress would be easy. When Haruhiro asked them why they were so optimistic, they said that it was because Altana had already managed to take the fortress several times in the past. And they told him that it remained ripe for the taking whenever Altana felt like capturing it.

    It was only the threat of reinforcements from Steelbone Stronghold that had prevented them in the past. Even if they left the orc fortress alone, there was no way the orcs would try to mount a large-scale attack against Altana from Capomorti anyway. Incidents like Ishh Dogrann¡¯s raid weren¡¯t going to topple a fortress town like Altana.

    Even if, by some highly remote possibility, a large orc army managed to use Capomorti as a staging point to attack, all Altana had to do was shut its gates, hunker down, and wait out the siege. The city was well-supplied and reinforcements from the Aravakia mainland would come. The orcs were well aware of this as well, so they never sent forces to attack Altana in earnest.

    Capomorti Fortress was at most an observation post the orcs used to keep an eye on the human kingdom. And, as a mere observation post, it was lightly manned and guarded. If Altana were to mount a serious offensive against it, it would fall quite easily.

    Apparently, all of the above was common knowledge and no one in Crimson Moon doubted that the assault on Capomorti would succeed. They would capture the fortress again, just like they had many times before. The only uncertain factor in the overall strategy was Steelbone Stronghold. Altana had never tried to capture it before, so no one could predict the outcome. But of course, everyone was confident in their odds of winning.

    Altana¡¯s regular army was committing a huge portion of their resources towards the assault on Steelbone and a large number of very strong reservist clans, including Souma¡¯s Daybreakers, were helping too. The offensive should succeed.

    Every one of the Crimson Moon members Haruhiro approached thought that way, so none of them doubted that victory was assured.

    Isn¡¯t it fine to participate then? Haruhiro thought.

    The one gold, a full one hundred silvers compensation, was not a small sum. Haruhiro¡¯s party had been operating in the Siren Mines lately and an elder kobold¡¯s talisman sold for no less than five silvers apiece. On a really good day, they could make up to thirty silvers each after splitting their earnings, but on average, each of them ended up pocketing less than ten silvers a day.

    But while their earnings were greater than before, their expenditures had become higher too. They were all eating better, they frequently visited Sherry¡¯s tavern for drinks, and they spent money on various other things as well.

    It was little advertised, but apparently, in addition to the one gold¡ªafter totaling the advance and completion portions of the normal compensation¡ªthere was also a thirty-silver stipend for every whole day they spent participating in the fighting. Because of this, Haruhiro figured that the higher-ups anticipated that it would take no more than one day to take the fortress.

    One gold in one day. It was a huge amount. Enormous, even. It tempted him sorely.

    It was going to be an easy fight and the amount of money they would earn was appealing. Why, then, was Haruhiro so hesitant about signing up?

    After they exited Sherry¡¯s, Haruhiro had considered going back to confer a little more with Mary. She had a habit of staying for another drink or two after Haruhiro and the others called it a night, so if he went back, he would have had a chance to talk to her alone. But he didn¡¯t. Why?

    He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, but recently he felt as if there was some sort of wall between them. He had no idea when that wall had popped up, but it was constantly there, not just when they were in the tavern. And it wasn¡¯t just with Mary either. It was a wall between him and everyone else, separating Haruhiro from the rest of his companions.

    Maybe it was just a feeling, maybe he was overanalyzing it. They were a team. How was it possible for him to be on one side while they were on the other? But the reality was, the gap was there.

    Everyone else was now self-assured; they had found their confidence. Haruhiro also agreed that each of them had grown stronger. They could handle anything the third stratum of the Siren Mines threw at them with ease. With the danger of Deathpatch gone, no one felt that they couldn¡¯t handle any fight they faced.

    As a team, they were strong enough to take on groups of seven to eight kobolds at a time, if it came down to that. Of course, it depended on how many elders were mixed in there, but one elder could be considered the equivalent of two or three normal kobolds. Fighting three elders was about the same as taking on a group of five worker kobolds; if they really had to, they could probably handle it¡ªnot that Haruhiro would ever want to put the team in such a risky situation.

    And that was the crux of the matter.

    He didn¡¯t want to take any unnecessary risks. The lives of his companions were the most important thing to him. It was the one thing that was constantly on his mind. He didn¡¯t want any deaths. He wanted to keep casualties to a minimum. If he could, he would keep the number of deaths at zero. Yes, zero was the ideal. No matter what happened, he didn¡¯t want anyone to die. But fear was always with him. The possibility that zero might become one or more terrified him during all their fights.

    But none of the others felt that way. Only Haruhiro. Even fights that he knew they would win scared him. They could overestimate their own ability in a given battle, lose and die. Maybe they would go into a fight overconfident, do something weird, and pay with their lives. Maybe someone would make a slight mistake and it would end up costing someone their life. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t say that any of the above was out of the realm of possibility.

    ¡°What am I thinking¡­¡± Haruhiro whispered to himself, holding his head in his hands.

    Does this mean¡­ I don¡¯t trust my companions? Or was it just himself that he didn¡¯t trust? Was it really okay for someone like him to be the leader? Can a party with someone like him as a leader survive? Or was he over-thinking things again? It¡¯s not like they had failed in any spectacular way since he became the leader¡­ it was just the possibility of failure that he was afraid of; the possibility that if they messed up, someone could be permanently crippled, or even end up dead.

    What the hell. Had that possibility never occurred to any of the others? If so, didn¡¯t it mean that they were taking everything way too lightly? Or maybe they were entirely too optimistic.

    No, Haruhiro knew that, in the end, it came down to one fact: None of the others was the leader. They could be carefree because they didn¡¯t bear the burden of responsibility.

    Haruhiro heaved a deep sigh. This train of thought was starting to annoy him, though he felt that he¡¯d been riding it often, lately. I should just care less, he thought. And not think about it too deeply. Let the majority vote make the decision of whether or not they would respond to the directive. If the team wanted to participate, then that was that.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Haruhiro said out loud, shaking his head. It wasn¡¯t right. He couldn¡¯t just neglect his duty as leader¡­

    Suddenly, Haruhiro heard someone let out a small gasp a little way down the corridor, along with the sound of footsteps. The footsteps stopped and Haruhiro figured that seeing his crouched form in the middle of the hallway must have surprised whoever had come. Maybe they thought he was some wierdo lying in ambush or something.

    When Haruhiro looked up, he saw a girl with a bob-cut hair style standing with her toes pointed in towards each other, looking nervous.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Haruhiro let both his hands fall to his sides, after which the girl resumed walking towards him.

    Her approach wasn¡¯t scared or timid, but still cautiously slow. Haruhiro figured that she probably intended to pass him without a word. Of course that was what she was going to do. What was she doing out here in the first place though? It was late enough that everyone should have gone to bed, and Haruhiro hadn¡¯t thought that anyone else would still be awake.

    He had to admit though, that perhaps a small part of him had been hoping that he would bump into her again. Okay, maybe a large part of him. They ran into each other here once before, so maybe they would again. He would be lying if he told himself he wasn¡¯t thinking that.

    At this time of night though, he was hardly expecting it to actually happen. He wasn¡¯t supposed to see her here. And she was supposed to walk past him now without a word. But she didn¡¯t. She stopped.

    After what Haruhiro thought was a moment¡¯s hesitation, she suddenly bowed her head slightly.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said in a brusque, haughty tone.

    Depending on the personality of the person that sort of tone was directed at, some might even think that she was trying to pick a fight. Haruhiro wasn¡¯t perturbed, though. She had chosen to stop and greet him even though she could have just walked past without a word, after all.

    Though he was looking at her, she refused to meet his gaze. It looked like her better judgment was telling her that she should leave immediately, but another part of her wanted to stay, so she was currently trying to decide between the two. Seriously, just go?Haruhiro thought. He wanted her to walk off, but at the same time, he wanted to strike up a conversation with her, even though he had no idea what they would talk about.

    He couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. Nothing that even resembled the thing called ¡°words¡± came to mind.

    ¡°Heh¡­ heheh¡­¡± Since words wouldn¡¯t come he resorted to chuckling instead, which elicited a sigh from the girl. She started to leave.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± she demanded, stopping.

    ¡°Err, nothing¡­¡± Haruhiro said.

    Whoa. What was he going to do now? He had asked her to wait without thinking and now his mind had gone blank. Completely white. No, that was a lie. It wasn¡¯t white, but maybe a sort of blue.

    ¡°Uh, what¡­ do you mean by what? Just what? Yeah¡­ nothing¡­ I guess¡­¡± Haruhiro blabbered.

    ¡°I see,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he answered.

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    ¡°Hold on¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± she demanded again.

    ¡°Huh?¡± he asked.

    ¡°WHAT?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ what? What¡¯s what¡­? Umm¡­ I mean¡­¡± he said.

    Crap. There¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t think that he was some weirdo on drugs or something by now. Maybe he should apologize? Was this a good time for an apology? Would that be weird too? Too sudden, maybe. Crap. Crap crap crap.

    The girl gave a small snicker, but quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve. She was¡­ laughing?

    ¡°Weirdo,¡± she said, the bottom half of her face still hidden behind her sleeve.

    ¡°Am I? Ahh¡­ maybe,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°Weirdo. And freak,¡± she clarified.

    ¡°No way!¡± Haruhiro protested.

    ¡°Yes way.¡±

    ¡°You serious? No way¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing here then?¡± she asked, glancing left then right.

    ¡°I¡¯m, uh¡­ er¡­ I¡¯m not doing anything weird. I just¡­ had some stuff on my mind. Like a normal person,¡± Haruhiro explained. Even though he hadn¡¯t said anything funny, the girl seemed like she was about to laugh again but was doing her best to contain herself. ¡°What are you doing out here, Choco?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re friends now or something?¡± Choco said. ¡°Mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°S-sorry, I was just¡­¡±

    But the question came so naturally that it almost felt like a friend casually asking another friend. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t think of anything to say that wouldn¡¯t make things even more awkward than they already were. But the truth was, he did feel a sort of familiarity about her.

    Choco narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°So it¡¯s your hobby to get close to every girl you meet? You don¡¯t seem like that kind of guy though¡­¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± Haruhiro denied. ¡°What you see is what you get. I don¡¯t chase after girls, so I guess we¡¯re not friends.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If we were friends,¡± Choco stated.

    ¡°Really¡­¡± Haruhiro replied, doubtful.

    ¡°Yeah. I get the feeling that¡­ nevermind.¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 6

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 6: Outcome of the Vote

    ¡°Alright, majority rule.¡±

    It was the following night. After the usual day of work, they were once more gathered around a table at the back of Sherry¡¯s tavern. Drinks were ordered and delivered to the table, but no one had made a move to take their respective cups as of yet. Haruhiro glanced at his companions one by one.

    Ranta was leaning back in his chair; arms crossed over his chest, pompous look on his face. Mogzo¡¯s expression was solemn, but his nervousness was apparent. Shihoru¡¯s gaze was glued to the floor while Yume seemed to silently plead, Can we get this over with already? Mary was her usual cool and collected self.

    Haruhiro took a deep breath. ¡°The question is whether or not we sign up to participate in Operation Twin-Headed Snake. Those for participating, raise your hand.¡±

    ¡°ME! I SAY YES!¡± Both of Ranta¡¯s hands shot straight up into the air.

    Mogzo¡¯s followed a little more tentatively. Yume raised her hand slightly, then lowered it again, then raised and lowered it again. Mary remained still, as if frozen in place. When Haruhiro started to lift his hand up, Shihoru followed suit, just like he thought she would. She looked from her own hand to Haruhiro¡¯s and then back to her own again.

    ¡°Ho¡­¡± Yume breathed in a strange tone.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Mary¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Mogzo blinked several times and tilted his head to one side.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Ranta jumped out of his seat, looking from raised hand to raised hand as he counted. ¡°One, two, three, four, five¡­ FIVE!?¡±

    ¡°Uh, Ranta¡­¡± Haruhiro sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t count both your hands.¡±

    ¡°What!? No I didn¡¯t!¡± Ranta denied. ¡°No way, I¡¯m not that retarded! Oh wait¡­ oops. Yeah, I did. So, uh¡­ four. That¡¯s still the majority.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess it¡¯s decided then,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°We¡¯ll sign up to participate.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Ranta started to say.

    ¡°What? Majority wins, so what¡¯s the problem?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Er¡­ no problem¡ªwait, hell yeah there¡¯s a problem! Haruhiro, what the hell!? You want to participate now? Why the sudden change of head!?¡±

    ¡°Change of heart, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro corrected. ¡°The right way to say it is change of heart.¡±

    ¡°Whatever! Shut up, Haruhiro! No one cares about that!¡± Ranta ranted. ¡°There¡¯s no way a big spineless chicken like you could say yes so what¡¯re you up to? Spit it out, Haruhiro! No, wait! I got it! I know exactly what you¡¯re scheming! You figured that you¡¯d lose the vote if you said no, so you decided not to go against everyone else and changed your vote to a yes! I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I? ¡®Cuz that¡¯s something you¡¯d totally do!¡±

    Ranta slapped Haruhiro several times on the back so hard that the sound echoed. What the hell. Quit that shit already¡­ Haruhiro raged silently as his anger started to grow. Why did Ranta have to do such goddamn annoying things all the time? Because Ranta was Ranta, that¡¯s why.

    ¡°Quit making assumptions about me,¡± Haruhiro replied, knocking Ranta¡¯s arm away. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking that at all. Besides, if you didn¡¯t have my vote then you wouldn¡¯t have gotten your majority.¡±

    ¡°Quit getting caught up in tiny details!¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°What are you, a magnifying glass or something?¡±

    ¡°Magnifying glasses can¡¯t vote.¡±

    ¡°SEE WHAT I MEAN!? Tiny details!!!¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re so brash that you look at everything way too broadly,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°I¡¯m the King of Broad! I¡¯m the Vassal of the Broad King! Broad-armed, broad-minded, and broad-hearted!¡± Ranta proclaimed.

    ¡°The correct term is ¡®big-hearted¡¯, Ranta,¡± Mary pointed out icily.

    ¡°Err¡­¡± Ranta croaked, falling silent for a brief moment before recovering with, ¡°Haruhiro you still haven¡¯t answered my question! Why are you agreeing!? HACK IT UP AND SHIT IT OUT!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got such a dirty mouth, Ranta,¡± Yume frowned.

    ¡°His entire existence is dirty,¡± Shihoru added, regarding Ranta as if he was something that just crawled out of a sewage pipe.

    Entire existence? Whoa. That was pretty harsh. But Haruhiro doubted that Ranta would be affected in any way, so¡­ maybe he should just let it pass. He had to admire the thickness of Ranta¡¯s skin, though. If it were any other guy being told that by a girl¡­ their feelings would be hurt pretty badly.

    ¡°Actually, I want to know too,¡± Mogzo said, taking a sip of his beer. ¡°Haruhiro, why? I thought you were against participating because you were worried that we might end up getting ourselves killed. I mean, it¡¯s natural that you¡¯d be hesitant because you¡¯re the leader¡­¡±

    ¡°Ha! A shitty leader too!¡± Ranta scoffed, gulping his beer then laughing.

    ¡°N-no way! Haruhiro¡¯s been doing his best for us!¡± Mogzo protested.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Yume agreed. ¡°Like Mogzo said, Haru¡¯s doin¡¯ a darn good job!¡±

    ¡°I think so too,¡± Shihoru said.

    ¡°Same,¡± said Mary.

    ¡°What the hell!?¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°Is today ¡®Let¡¯s-Carpet-Bomb-Ranta¡¯ day or something? Well it ain¡¯t gonna work so bring it on!¡±

    Haruhiro put a hand over his mouth, trying to contain his rising elation. Damn¡­ god damn it¡­ He never thought that the others regarded him so highly. Except Ranta, that is. But Ranta¡¯s entire existence was an exception.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to get excited though, so Haruhiro cleared his throat and said, ¡°There¡¯s lots of reasons¡­¡±

    For one, he was worried about Choco. He had never seen Choco¡¯s party in action, but he was certain that they weren¡¯t an all-star, ridiculously strong rookie team like Renji¡¯s. If they were, then they would have already made a reputation for themselves, and Haruhiro would have heard the talk.

    So the party Choco was in wasn¡¯t particularly strong, and they were less experienced than Haruhiro¡¯s team, and yet they had signed themselves up to fight orcs at Capomorti. It was just too reckless. Haruhiro was certain that they were in over their heads.

    Haruhiro knew that he wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to protect Choco even if his team participated. They were not in the same party, after all, but if he was at least in her general vicinity then maybe there was a chance that he could help her if she got in too deep.

    But he couldn¡¯t tell the others any of this. Of course there was no way he could tell his companions that it was the reason he voted yes. Besides, the possibility of being able to aid Choco was just a bonus. Haruhiro had made his decision based on what he thought was best for his team.

    ¡°First of all,¡± Haruhiro continued. ¡°The money. The one gold in one day payment we get for participating is huge. And if the fighting goes for two days, then it¡¯s thirty silvers on top of that. Also, there¡¯s several other bonuses being offered, right Ranta?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ranta shrugged as if it was no big deal to him. He was probably acting nonchalant in order to look cool again, but as usual, he was failing. ¡°There¡¯s bounties being offered for the orc officers. The commander of the garrison and his subordinates and stuff.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we need to force ourselves to go after those targets,¡± Haruhiro said, placing a hand on the table¡¯s surface. ¡°But that¡¯s the thing, see?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yume frowned and tilted her head at him. ¡°What¡¯s the thing?¡±

    ¡°We get paid the hundred silver just for signing up,¡± Haruhiro explained. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how useful we are in the fighting. We get a hundred silvers just for being there. We don¡¯t have to force ourselves to do any of the tough fighting if we think we¡¯re in over our heads.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a spineless coward, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta yelled, expression disgusted. ¡°You¡¯re already running away with your tail between your legs!¡±

    ¡°Say what you want,¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re chicken shit, Haruhiro!¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a big pussy!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±

    ¡°And your stick¡¯s pathetically tiny!¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with anything!?¡± Haruhiro yelled.

    ¡°But Haru doesn¡¯t use a stick¡­¡± Yume said, puffing one side of her cheek out and tilting her head slightly.

    ¡°Um, Yume¡­ I don¡¯t think he meant that sort of stick,¡± Shihoru whispered.

    Haruhiro was a little curious to find out exactly how Shihoru intended to explain it to Yume, but instead interrupted, ¡°Anyways¡­¡±

    His change of heart was something that he had spent a lot of time thinking about. In the end, he came to the conclusion that news of Choco¡¯s party participating in Operation Twin-Headed Snake was no more than an opportunity for him to rethink his position. It didn¡¯t have any influence on his final decision, which he had made after a prolonged internal debate.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s well-being at the end of a fight is more important than doing flashy things and showing off,¡± Haruhiro continued. ¡°Or at least that¡¯s what I think. But this isn¡¯t an easy job where we can get away with never taking any risks. We¡¯ve got to gain more experience, make ourselves stronger while finding a way to survive. It¡¯s said that rookies aren¡¯t considered real warriors until they¡¯ve killed an orc, so sooner or later, a time will come when we¡¯re going to have to fight orcs. If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t you guys rather do it during a large-scale operation where we¡¯ll have help from other Crimson Moon members? All the factors look really favorable.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Shihoru said in understanding.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yume¡¯s eyes went wide in sudden comprehension as well.

    Mogzo stared openly at him while Mary listened quietly but intently.

    Ranta suddenly started chuckling villainously, which soon turned into full-fledged laughter. ¡°Haruhiro! You¡¯re fucking pathetic! You¡¯re the most spineless sissy I¡¯ve ever met! How can you even live with yourself, eh?¡±

    ¡°I always wondered the same about a douchebag jerk like yourself,¡± Haruhiro retorted.

    ¡°Jerk? How am I a jerk?¡± Ranta asked. ¡°You¡¯re the coward¡ªI¡¯m just telling it like it is.¡±

    Haruhiro decided at that moment, if the line were to appear when he was standing behind Ranta, he would [BACKSTAB] the shit out of the little prick. So for now, patience. Yes. Patience, patience, patience. Good. The more he talked back at Ranta, the more stubborn the other would become so it was best to let it go.

    ¡°Besides, even if it was blind luck, we¡¯re the party that killed Deathpatch,¡± Haruhiro said instead. ¡°And now the Capomortiopportunity got dropped in our laps so¡­ It may be a stretch, but it feels like it¡¯s meant to be.¡±

    ¡°WHOA!¡± Mogzo jumped up in surprise. Haruhiro was equally surprised to see someone as big as Mogzo make such a sudden motion. ¡°I get it now! Morti means ¡®death¡¯ in some language or something right? Death and death! I never thought of that before!¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Yume nodded. ¡°Yume never thought of that neither! Deathpatch and Cappimorti do have the whole death thing in common! Death Patch always makes Yume think Cabbage Patch though¡­¡±

    ¡°Not ¡®Cappimorti¡¯ Yume, Capomorti,¡± Haruhiro corrected automatically as if it had become his natural role. ¡°But at least you got the death part right¡­ Yume, are you really against participating in Operation Twin-Headed Snake?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yume pondered. ¡°Well, I guess if everyone¡¯s goin¡¯ then Yume¡¯ll go too. Yume¡¯s okay with tryin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like that.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°What about you, Mary?¡±

    Haruhiro could have sworn that Mary almost smiled just now.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with the majority¡¯s decision,¡± Mary replied. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to protect everyone.¡±

    ¡°M-me too!¡± Mogzo said, pounding his chest once with a fist. ¡°It may not be the same as Mary, but if I do my job right, then I can protect everyone too! I¡¯m gonna give it my all! For everyone¡¯s sake!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Ranta grinned broadly. ¡°Everyone¡¯s all for it so we¡¯re gonna do it, right?¡±

    Sometimes Haruhiro thought he envied Ranta¡¯s ability, bordering on genius, to piss people off with nothing but that moronic smile of his. Only sometimes though. Okay, maybe not ever.

    Haruhiro brought the ceramic mug of mead to his lips, took a sip and said, ¡°It¡¯s decided then.¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 7

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 7: Late Into Night

    Time seemed to fly by after all was said and done.

    They visited the Crimson Moon headquarters to sign themselves up for Operation Twin-Headed Snake and then continued to go through their daily routine, though with a good amount of restlessness. Before they realized it, the day before the start of the offensive had come.

    All participants were instructed to gather early in the morning¡ªmore accurately, the simultaneous attacks on Capomorti Fortress and Steelbone Stronghold were to begin at dawn, so they were ordered to assemble at three in the morning outside Altana¡¯s north gate. The bell toll that kept track of the time only rang once every two hours after six in the evening and it wasn¡¯t like any of them owned watches.

    Watches were indeed sold in the marketplace but only someone like a dwarvish craftsman was able to make such things. They were so outrageously expensive that Haruhiro¡¯s eyes almost fell out of their sockets when he saw the price tag. Luckily for them though, there was a wall clock near the entrance of the reserve soldier lodge they could use to keep track of time.

    The goal was to wake up at two o¡¯clock, or something like that. Well, as long as one person woke up, they could rouse the others, so Haruhiro figured that it would work out one way or another. In order to prepare for the early start tomorrow, they all went to sleep right after the sun had set¡ªrather, they all climbed into their bunks and made a valiant effort.

    ¡°Damn it, I give up!¡± Ranta declared loudly as he flailed about on his bunk in the pitch-black room.

    Ranta was always tossing and turning in his sleep, but this time Haruhiro joined him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t force myself to sleep this early,¡± Ranta continued.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Mogzo agreed. ¡°I like getting a lot of sleep, but this is too early, even for me.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Ranta replied loudly. ¡°Let¡¯s BUM RUSH it!¡±

    ¡°Bum rush what?¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°And quit being so loud. Just because you can¡¯t sleep, doesn¡¯t mean others aren¡¯t trying to.¡±

    ¡°Er, Ranta, where are you planning to go?¡± Mogzo asked quizzically.

    ¡°The girls¡¯ room o¡¯course!¡± Ranta said gleefully.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Mogzo replied in disbelief.

    Haruhiro sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t be dumb, Ranta. What would we even do if we went?¡±

    ¡°We could do THAT,¡± Ranta said stubbornly.

    ¡°¡®That¡¯?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Of course, that!¡± Ranta said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Ranta paused.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Haruhiro persisted.

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°¡®Hm¡¯ what?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± Ranta said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who started it. Quit saying stuff when you¡¯ve got no idea what you want to say.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it right now,¡± Ranta insisted. ¡°I¡¯m thinking really hard! Um¡­ uhh¡­ MOGZO, GO FOR IT!¡±

    ¡°M-m-me?¡± Mogzo stuttered. ¡°Erm¡­ uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Hang in there, Mogzo! You can do it!¡± Ranta encouraged. ¡°Just a little more!¡±

    ¡°Arm-wrestling?¡± Mogzo finally ventured.

    ¡°What!? Don¡¯t be an idiot!¡± Ranta spat. ¡°No one goes to the girls¡¯ room to arm-wrestle! Are you a pervert or something? We¡¯re gonna go for THAT! For, uh¡­ BOOBS!¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°What, Haruhiro!?¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°What¡¯s that ¡®er¡¯ for? You like boobs too, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re a man, aren¡¯t you? ALL MEN LOVE BOOBS!¡±

    ¡°How do you know what I like and don¡¯t like?¡± Haruhiro challenged.

    ¡°Ah-ha¡­ so you¡¯re saying you hate ¡®em?¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°So if you got boobs shoved in your face right now, you¡¯d just turn away!? Even if they were massive triple-D sized!?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯d just turn away,¡± admitted Haruhiro.

    ¡°What about you, Mogzo? You like boobs, right?¡± asked Ranta.

    ¡°W-well¡­ I-I guess¡­? Just as much as the next guy¡­¡± replied Mogzo.

    ¡°Forget it, Mogzo,¡± advised Haruhiro. ¡°We don¡¯t have to join Ranta in his stupid conversations.¡±

    ¡°Oy!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°You guys admitted it so it¡¯s decided! The male primates within us are calling, so let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told us what we¡¯re going to do when we get there,¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna fondle, o¡¯course!¡± Ranta declared. ¡°FONDLE AND RUB AND FONDLE SOME MORE!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rape, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro said coldly.

    ¡°Nuh-uh! No one said we¡¯re going that far!¡± Ranta protested. ¡°It¡¯s like a massage! We¡¯re just gonna ¡®massage¡¯ their boobs! It¡¯s no problem! We¡¯re totally safe!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d still lose your decent human being status.¡±

    ¡°Okay, yeah,¡± Ranta admitted.

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°But you know,¡± Ranta continued a much more serious tone. ¡°There¡¯s no point if it¡¯s unwanted anyways. She¡¯s gotta say, ¡®Please Ranta, touch me here,¡¯ or it¡¯s weird. The girl¡¯s gotta want do you to do it, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡± Haruhiro began. ¡°What¡¯s up with you all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Idiot! I¡¯m at my most gentlemanly at times like this!¡± said Ranta. ¡°Besides, you guys know right? Even Yume and Shihoru want a knight in shining armor in their lives. They¡¯re girls after all!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mogzo nodded, as if he found himself agreeing with Ranta¡¯s point.

    Haruhiro turned onto his side. ¡°And that¡¯s what all girls want?¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± said Ranta. ¡°Girls can¡¯t resist a good romance, even if they tried. Especially secret romances where forces of nature and overprotective dads and stuff try to break them up. Yeah, uhh¡­ okay, not a good example. Forget that. But seriously, all girls have nothing but romance on their minds all the time because they¡¯re girls. Yume and Shihoru are thinking about it even now. They¡¯re talking about it. Shihoru is saying ¡®He¡¯s my type of guy,¡¯ and Yume is saying ¡®I like him,¡® to each other right this moment. I know it.¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt it.¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro, you seriously don¡¯t understand girls at all. Girls are strange creatures that don¡¯t need to eat as long as they have love. If they happen to trip and fall, it ain¡¯t regular falling, it¡¯s falling in love. If they fall seven times, eight of those will be in love. That¡¯s what girls do. So, Haruhiro. What about you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What about me?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the girl for you?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The question took Haruhiro by complete surprise. Yume¡¯s and Shihoru¡¯s faces suddenly appeared in his mind¡¯s eye. Who appeared first though? He didn¡¯t know. They kept switching places with each other, fading away then appearing again.

    ¡°Who, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°How about I take a wild guess for you?¡± Ranta offered. ¡°It¡¯s Yume, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I? If it was just about looks, then it would be Mary hands down, but she¡¯s way outta your league. Shihoru has high value boobs and I guess her face can be considered sorta cute but she¡¯s got a pain in the ass personality and she¡¯s immune to the usual pickup lines. The way I see it, for a guy like you with zero self-esteem who¡¯s also indecisive as shit, an airhead like Yume¡¯s your only bet.¡±

    ¡°And being cautious is a bad thing¡­¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°How¡¯s it a good thing?¡± Ranta retorted. ¡°It¡¯s annoying as fuck and ain¡¯t gonna win you points with the ladies. Quit being so wishy-washy and try saying stuff confidently for once.¡±

    ¡°Ranta, you know you¡¯re unpopular with the ladies, too,¡± said Haruhiro. ¡°Even if it¡¯s for totally different reasons.¡±

    And besides, Ranta¡¯s guess was totally off. Haruhiro would have told Ranta that he was completely wrong, but he was under no obligation to politely correct Ranta¡¯s flawed thinking. Besides, the line of questioning itself was moot. Haruhiro simply didn¡¯t look at any of the girls on his team in a romantic way. At least so far¡­ or so he thought. Maybe.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m bursting with gentlemanly charm. You just can¡¯t see it because you can¡¯t score a date with a girl to save your life. Whatever, I¡¯ve lost interest in you Haruhiro. Mogzo! Who do you like?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mogzo hesitated. ¡°No one in particular¡­?¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± Ranta said. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be someone. When you¡¯ve got boys mixed with girls, there¡¯s gotta be someone. Males sort, separate, and select available females by base instinct.¡±

    ¡°You make us sound like savage beasts, putting it that way,¡± said Mogzo.

    ¡°We¡¯re living creatures, aren¡¯t we?¡± Ranta replied. ¡°Gotta be savage while we¡¯re still young. What¡¯re we gonna do if we ain¡¯t, huh? Damn straight! So, Mogzo, who are you gonna mate with?¡±

    ¡°Ranta¡­¡± Haruhiro, tone warning.

    ¡°What?¡± Ranta said. ¡°What do you want, Haruhiro? I¡¯m just saying it like it is. Boys chase after girls because it¡¯s in our nature. And that¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°But Ranta¡­¡± Mogzo started. ¡°I don¡¯t think of it like that at all.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you think, huh?¡± Ranta challenged. ¡°Go ahead, try me. Say what you think.¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s more like¡­a sort of longing that starts from admiration¡­¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Oh? Go on,¡± Ranta prompted.

    ¡°And I also think to myself, ¡®She¡¯s so beautiful¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°A-ha!¡± Ranta cut in. ¡°It¡¯s Mary isn¡¯t it!? It¡¯s her you¡¯re chasing, isn¡¯t it!?¡±

    ¡°W-what!?¡± Mogzo exclaimed. ¡°R-Ranta¡­ how did you know!? But it¡¯s not like chasing or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course I know!¡± Ranta said. ¡°Mary¡¯s the only one outta the three who¡¯s actually hot!¡±

    Haruhiro shook his head. ¡°Do you do anything with that mouth of yours except insult others? You¡¯re the rudest guy ever.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dead wrong, Haruhiro,¡± Ranta answered. ¡°I¡¯m a guy who just says it like it is. Nothing but the truth comes out of this mouth. One look at Yume and Shihoru is enough to tell anyone that they ain¡¯t in the ¡®Hot¡¯ category. But maybe those sleepy eyes of yours just can¡¯t tell!¡±

    ¡°That joke is dead, Ranta,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°I¡¯ve told you several times so quit it already.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Ranta brushed him off. ¡°But Mogzo, nicely done! It wouldn¡¯t expect any less from my business partner!¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Mogzo smiled hesitantly. ¡°B-but¡­ I really do think so. I think she¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°And you know,¡± Ranta continued. ¡°Mary said it before. She said she prefers you outta the three of us.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. Actually that¡¯s when I¡­ I started to pay attention¡­ I started to notice, you know?¡± Mogzo replied.

    ¡°Pay attention?¡± Haruhiro muttered to himself under his breath.

    Mogzo started to notice his own¡­ well, ¡°desires¡± wasn¡¯t exactly the right word for it, but Mogzo¡¯s confession surprised Haruhiro nonetheless.

    Ranta laughed, good-naturedly for once, and Haruhiro could tell that he was growing more excited by the second.

    ¡°Mogzo, you¡¯re awesome!¡± Ranta said. ¡°You gotta go after her! Chase, chase, chase until you¡¯ve got her! You gotta pursue it!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that kind of person,¡± Mogzo admitted.

    ¡°Mogzo,¡± Ranta said. ¡°You¡¯re my business partner so I¡¯m gonna give you some advice, okay? People live a long time, but life is really short, too. You gotta do stuff while you can, otherwise you¡¯ll end up regretting it. So that¡¯s why you should just ask her out!¡±

    ¡°N-no way!¡± Mogzo said, shocked. ¡°I can¡¯t do that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Just do it!¡± Ranta assured him. ¡°Ask her out tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t think I can do it¡­¡± Mogzo insisted.

    ¡°You can¡¯t because you think you can¡¯t! If you believe you can, then you can! That¡¯s the way it works, right Haruhiro!?¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°I dunno¡­ I guess so? And don¡¯t drag me into this all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Dumbass!¡± Ranta spat. ¡°You don¡¯t support Mogzo? Friends support each other! You¡¯re his friend, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Support?¡± Haruhiro repeated. ¡°I¡¯m not being unsupportive of him¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want him to be happy!?¡± Ranta continued.

    ¡°No, I do.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it¡¯s better if he just asks her out! He¡¯s gotta ask her out! Do the Will-You-Date-Me Dance!¡±

    ¡°What the heck is that?¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°The Will-You-Date-Me Dance?¡±

    ¡°The traditional dance you do when you ask someone out!¡± Ranta explained. ¡°It has been done since the lost ages! Why? Because I decided just now! Mogzo, get dancing!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to fall asleep if I do,¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Oh. Right,¡± Ranta conceded. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to see you try to bust out any moves either. I just wanted to say it. Because I¡¯m first-class.¡±

    ¡°More like third-class,¡± Haruhiro quipped.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a fifth-class person,¡± Ranta shot back.

    ¡°What about you then, Ranta?¡± Haruhiro said instead. ¡°You asked me and Mogzo, but you never told us who you prefer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Mogzo agreed. ¡°Tell us, Ranta.¡±

    ¡°Me? You guys talking about me?¡± Ranta said. ¡°You guys really wanna know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I really want to know,¡± Haruhiro admitted. ¡°Call it morbid curiosity.¡±

    ¡°I-I think I want to know,¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°You guys really, really want to know?¡± Ranta asked.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really want to know after all,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°I really want to know,¡± Mogzo said with conviction this time.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Ranta said. ¡°If you guys want to know that much, then I guess¡­¡±

    Although he couldn¡¯t see in the pitch dark room, Haruhiro got the feeling that Ranta had just turned over on his bunk. Actually, Ranta made it really obvious that he had turned away from them. Did he do it on purpose? Yeah, he totally did.

    ¡°Like I would tell you, retards!¡± he finally said.

    ¡°What the hell, Ranta!?¡± exclaimed Haruhiro.

    ¡°That¡¯s just mean, Ranta,¡± accused Mogzo.

    Ranta laughed in response. ¡°No one is gonna get Lord Ranta to give up his secrets so easily! But I¡¯ve got both of yours now!¡±

    ¡°Not fair!¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s completely unfair if you don¡¯t tell us,¡± Mogzo chimed in.

    ¡°If you guys really want to know, then get over here and try making me tell you!¡± Ranta said. ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to no matter what!¡±

    ¡°Yeah we can,¡± Haruhiro said darkly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll twist your arm off if I have to!¡± Mogzo declared.

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°Mogzo¡ªOW THAT HURTS! Guys, wait a¡ªARGHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 8

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 8: Meat Shield

    The sky was still dark but the vicinity just outside Altana¡¯s northern gate was lively and boisterous. The division assigned to the attack on Capomorti Fortress was called the Azure Snake Brigade. The soldiers from the regular army consisted of five hundred Warriors, a hundred Paladins, a hundred Hunters, and around seventy Priests. They were led by Brigadier General Ren Waters. Thirty-seven Crimson Moon parties were assigned to the Azure Snake Brigade as a detached brigade, totaling a hundred and ninety seven reservists under Commander Bri, short for Brittany.

    Others were present too, including townsfolk who came to see the brigade off and curious onlookers, as well as with opportunistic merchants attempting to sell their wares. There must have been over a thousand people gathered; no wonder the area was full of clamor and noise.

    On the other hand, the force being sent to Steelbone Stronghold, called the Ruby Snake Brigade, consisted of a thousand Warriors, three hundred Paladins, two hundred Dread Knights, a three-hundred member strong cavalry unit, and a healer corps composed of five hundred Priests. The regulars of Ruby Snake Brigade alone were eighteen hundred men strong and were led by General Graham Lasentora himself. Add to that fifty-five Crimson Moon parties, over three hundred highly mobile reservists centering around Souma¡¯s Daybreakers, and it was a force to be reckoned with.

    Altana¡¯s defense was left to the remaining members of the regular army under the command of Brigadier General Ian Latti. Haruhiro had heard of both Latti and Lasentora, but knew neither personally.

    General Waters had been standing near the doors of the north gate the entire time. Manly and handsomely clad in shining off-white armor, he looked like the old-fashioned, meticulous sort. While he didn¡¯t seem like a bad person to Haruhiro, he seemed to regard the reservists with a condescending air, which made him come off as just a bit arrogant. Emblazed on his armor was the hexagonal sigil of Luminous, the God of Light, which must have meant that he was a Paladin.

    The Azure Snake Brigade ranks were formed up in a way that could be easily understood, even to those uninitiated in military matters; Paladins and Priests stood closest to General Waters, followed by the Warriors behind them, and finally the Hunters. The Crimson Moon members milled about at the rear of the formation, their reservist ranks messy and disorganized compared to the neat rows of the regular military, even with officers occasionally barking at them to form up properly. Moreover, the reservists were grouped by party and everyone meandered about, and sat or stood as they wished.

    The faint-hearted part of Haruhiro wondered if behaving so casually at a time like this was really okay, but no one else seemed to be worried about it. Reservists were irregulars and a separately commanded division for all intents and purposes, so they were mostly left alone. The regular army soldiers must have looked at them and thought, ¡®We¡¯re different from that bunch of idiots standing behind us so we don¡¯t give a damn anyway.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t like Haruhiro had any friends amongst the regulars, but having lived in Altana for a while now, he sensed the divide between the regulars and the reservists. And besides, Crimson Moon was full of foreigners and outsiders who couldn¡¯t be trusted anyways. In fact, they weren¡¯t even liked by the locals.

    The exceptions were people like Souma, whose track record and reputation set him above the rest. The problem was, reservists like him were all attached to the Ruby Snake Brigade which naturally left Azure Snake Brigade with the dregs. The thought made Haruhiro, whose party was at the rock bottom of the dreg pool, want to crawl under a rock to hide.

    There was one clan among them that deserved at least a passing glance, however. The Wild Angels, led by Kajiko, stood out like a sore thumb amongst the other trash-tier reservists present. The Wild Angels were an exclusively female clan, and all of them were dressed in white cloaks with a white feather affixed to their headgear, be it a helm, cap, bandana, or headband.

    Not only were they all women¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t even let men come anywhere near them. If a guy tried to approach, he would be threatened loudly until he was forced to back off. All of the Wild Angel members were scary. Especially the tall, terrifyingly beautiful Kajiko, who wielded a katana-like long-sword. It was her eyes. Haruhiro swore that one look from those eyes was enough to kill. There was one other party here that gave off the same air of overwhelming formidability.

    Team Renji.

    Renji and his party arrived at the same time as Haruhiro, but the grandeur of Renji¡¯s presence among the reservist ranks alone was like a low rumbling echo and Haruhiro found that the sight of his towering, fully upright form was so radiant that he couldn¡¯t stand looking at the other directly for long. Slung across Renji¡¯s back was the sword that had once belonged to the orc Ishh Dogrann.

    Renji¡¯s previous sword had gone to Ron, who was crouched nearby. Renji regarded the scene before him impassively, like a lord regarding his subjects while Ron stared overtly at Renji. The skin-headed Ron¡¯s presence was clearly overshadowed by Renji, but the gaze of someone who had such blatant tendencies towards violence wasn¡¯t something that everyone could simply ignore. Renji, however, seemed perfectly unperturbed.

    Behind them was a very ¡®adult¡¯ looking Sassa, who had apparently set her sex appeal meter to overload before coming. Black-rimmed glasses boy Adachi looked as if he surely possessed genius that could shake any world to its foundations. Next to Renji was the diminutive and unbearably adorable Chibi. Just on the account of being on Team Renji, she must have possessed some sort of mind-blowing secret mascot ability hidden in that tiny frame of hers. That was exactly the kind of power Renji¡¯s existence lent to those around him.

    He even seemed to have the attention of the intractable Kajiko, who had been openly staring at him for some time now. If Renji noticed, he thoroughly ignored her. For the future¡¯s sake, Haruhiro hoped that the two wouldn¡¯t become sparks that started any wildfires, but maybe he was just worrying too much. No, he was definitely worrying too much. Both the Wild Angels and Team Renji were like gods, or goddesses, compared to Haruhiro. They weren¡¯t even the same species of human being.

    Haruhiro suddenly spotted Choco. He gave her a nod in greeting, which caused her to immediately drop her gaze to the ground. Haruhiro¡¯s party was lined up behind the main army, at the very back of the reservist ranks. Muster order was decided by experience and ability, so Haruhiro supposed that it was appropriate that they were at the very back. Except that Choco¡¯s party was positioned ahead of them.

    Was he really okay with that? Yeah, he was.

    From the looks of it, Choco¡¯s party was led by a handsome, nonchalant Warrior whose looks probably made him pretty popular with the ladies. His party was formed up around him in a circle with everyone chattering away at him, so there was probably no mistake that he was the leader. The girl with short hair who was with Choco the day Haruhiro first encountered her at the lodge was also there. Her clothing made it clear she was a Mage. They also had a male dressed in Priest¡¯s robes and two other males outfitted like Warriors. One of the Warriors was a very tall, dour and unfriendly looking fellow; the other seemed something like a bit of an oafish goof. The Oaf Warrior was making obvious passes at Choco, who seemed highly annoyed by his unwanted advances.

    Quit it, already. You¡¯re pissing me off, was the first thought that came to Haruhiro¡¯s mind but he also knew that he had no right to be angry. That guy was Choco¡¯s teammate and companion, while Haruhiro on the other hand had talked to her a grand total of twice.

    Next to him, Mogzo was breathing hard. Excited for the battle to come, maybe? Or just plain nervous? From the way he kept taking off his helm and putting it back on, Haruhiro guessed the latter. He patted¡ªmore like pounded¡ªMogzo on the back.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mogzo?¡± Haruhiro asked. ¡°Nervous?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a little,¡± Mogzo admitted, then amended, ¡°Okay, a lot.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, this is a first for everyone,¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem nervous at all though,¡± Mogzo pointed out.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m doing a pretty good job of hiding it then,¡± Haruhiro replied.

    Even though he wasn¡¯t perfectly calm, Haruhiro was actually not that nervous. He had hardly gotten any sleep so he was more sleepy now than anything else.

    Yume made a strange giggling sound and declared, ¡°Haru¡¯s always stout-chested!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I have no idea what that means,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think she means stout-hearted,¡± Shihoru said, doing her best to interpret.

    ¡°Stout ¡®hearted¡¯?¡± Yume repeated, cocking her head to the side.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Haruhiro said then added, ¡°Stout-chested means something different, Yume. At least it¡¯s better than Ranta¡¯s ¡®broad-hearted¡¯ though¡­¡±

    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± Yume nodded in understanding, then raised her hand, palm out towards Haruhiro. ¡°Broad!¡±

    Haruhiro reached up, met her palm with his own with a smack and asked, ¡°Broad?¡±

    ¡°Chested!¡± Yume exclaimed as she offered her other hand.

    ¡°Chested?¡± Haruhiro took the cue nonetheless, high-fived her with his other hand, and now they had their hands up in the air, both their palms touching the other¡¯s.

    What the heck is going on¡­? Haruhiro thought.

    Yume then gave both his hands a firm squeeze and said, ¡°Broad-chested!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ right,¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a salute to the broad-chested!¡± Yume explained.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t really get it either,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s just instinct.¡±

    ¡°Instinct¡­¡± Haruhiro repeated.

    For some reason, Haruhiro suddenly found himself looking in Choco¡¯s direction again. Coincidentally, or maybe not so coincidentally, she just happened to be looking at him as well. As soon as they saw each other, Choco dropped her gaze to the ground just like before. Haruhiro had a bad feeling about this¡­

    ¡°Uh, Yume?¡± he said. ¡°Can you let go of my hands now?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right,¡± Yume said, as if she had forgotten. ¡°Um, Haru? Hey, Haru?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes?¡±

    ¡°Yume noticed just now, but why are your hands so warm?¡±

    ¡°No idea¡­¡±

    Haruhiro touched his left palm with the fingers of his right hand. Yume was right, it was pretty warm. But isn¡¯t this normal? He didn¡¯t know though, because it wasn¡¯t like he noticed these sorts of things.

    Mogzo had returned to nervously putting on and taking off his helm repeatedly once more. It seemed like Mogzo¡¯s nervousness wasn¡¯t so easily dissipated. Still, Haruhiro had a feeling that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to just leave him in that state and was about to say something reassuring, but Mary beat him to it.

    ¡°Mogzo,¡± she called.

    ¡°Hrmph?¡± Mogzo half yelped.

    Hrmph? What¡¯s a ¡®hrmph¡¯? Mogzo¡¯s expression was akin to that of a land animal encountering a deep sea fish for the first time.

    Mary placed a hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°Deep breaths, Mogzo.¡±

    ¡°D-d-deep breaths?¡± Mogzo asked, but did what he was told anyway, inhaling then exhaling slowly.

    ¡°Good,¡± Mary said. ¡°Nice and easy now¡­¡±

    ¡°R-right,¡± Mogzo inhaled again, then exhaled once more.

    ¡°One more time, calmly.¡±

    Mogzo did so, and when he exhaled a final time said, ¡°I think I feel a little better now.¡±

    ¡°Breathing is normally automatic,¡± Mary started to explain. ¡°So if you actually concentrate on doing it consciously, it also gives you a chance to get a grip on your emotions and the like. Whenever I can¡¯t seem to calm down, I just stop and take a few deep breaths.¡±

    ¡°T-thanks, Mary,¡± said Mogzo. ¡°I feel like a bundle of raw nerves¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because¡ª¡± Haruhiro started to say, but cut himself off.

    For a moment, Haruhiro considered whether or not it would be better to stay silent. In the end though, he decided to say it anyway. Now was a good opportunity and he had been wanting to say it for a long time. Never having had the chance had started to bother him.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because our entire team depends on you so much,¡± Haruhiro continued. ¡°It probably puts an unfair amount of pressure on you to perform.¡±

    ¡°A-ah¡­ but that¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± Mogzo stuttered.

    ¡°But to be honest, I don¡¯t think we can stop relying on you any time soon,¡± Haruhiro admitted. ¡°Of course you¡¯re our Warrior and our frontline tank, but it¡¯s not just that. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve clearly demonstrated that you¡¯re someone who we can depend on without fail. So have more confidence in yourself! Out of all of us, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s improved the most. There¡¯s no one else here who has come further than you and we all know it.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Ranta sprung to his feet like an angry ape. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s improved the most, retard! Forget Mogzo! If Mogzo is level twenty-five then I¡¯d be level thirty!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that difference too modest for you?¡± Haruhiro said dryly.

    ¡°WHAT!?¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°Uhhh¡­ in that case¡­ if Mogzo is level twenty-five then I¡¯d be level fifty!¡±

    ¡°Raising yourself rather than lowering Mogzo, huh,¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯m a GOD among mortals!¡± Ranta declared loudly.

    ¡°Everyone around us is laughing at you,¡± Shihoru commented with a frosty, humorless smile.

    ¡°What!?¡± exclaimed Ranta. ¡°Uhh¡­ seriously¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yume thinks Mogzo¡¯s amazin¡¯!¡± said Yume. ¡°If we didn¡¯t have Mogzo, we¡¯d be in real trouble. He¡¯s like our meat shield!¡±

    The corners of Mary¡¯s mouth twitched ever so slightly as she repeated, ¡°Meat shield?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yume blinked. ¡°He can¡¯t be a meat shield? Yume thinks the word¡¯s just darlin¡¯ so it was a compliment!¡±

    ¡°U-umm, I¡­ but¡­¡± Mogzo shook his head then nodded immediately after. ¡°It makes me really happy you think so. If I could, then I¡¯d like to become a meat shield.¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Ranta hugged Mogzo around the shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s my partner¡ªI mean, meat shield¡ªfor you!¡±

    ¡°E-er¡­ in your case, I¡¯d rather be your business partner¡­¡± Mogzo confessed.

    ¡°Oh. Really?¡± Ranta asked.

    Ranta¡¯s unasked for interference earlier pissed Haruhiro off, but Mogzo seemed much calmer now so Haruhiro decided to let it slide. It was a relief because he was not exaggerating when he said that Mogzo was the axis upon which the entire party rotated. The team simply wouldn¡¯t be able to function without him. As long as Mogzo was with them, the team could lose someone like Haruhiro, for example, and still be okay. That¡¯s how crucial Mogzo¡¯s presence was.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Commander Bri clapped his hands loudly. ¡°Everyone, attennnnntion please! Gather around me and listen up! I¡¯m going to explain the plan of attack so quickly now, quickly! Gather up!¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 9

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 9: Briefing for Kittens

    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    Bri had a bit of a cleft chin. No, not ¡°a bit,¡± not ¡°slight,¡± it was a huge, raging cleft chin that jutted out from the bottom of his face. His lips were black thanks to the black lipstick he wore and though he wasn¡¯t beastly person, that lipstick sure made him look it. His eyebrows were thick and bushy, and Haruhiro wondered if they were natural or stick-ons. His rosy red cheeks were obviously painted on with blush. In fact, his entire face was covered with a thick layer of makeup.

    Leaving aside his face, he was dressed in full plate armor today, complete with a sword at his belt. His movements were, as usual, curvalicious, which was terrifying in its own right. His armor bore a hexagonal emblem, which probably made him a Paladin like General Waters.

    Bri regarded everyone gathered with eerie pale blue eyes and swiveled his hips around suggestively.

    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s the status of the immediate area around Capomorti Fortress,¡± Bri finished. ¡°To summarize, the fortress is surrounded by scattered orc camps centered around lookout posts. Each of these camps consists of two to five guards. I¡¯m sure most of you already know this, but some might not, so I¡¯m just making sure we¡¯re all on the same page.

    ¡°What we call ¡°Capomorti Fortress¡± actually includes the main fortress plus the lookout posts and all the camps. Everyone still following? Any questions? No? No questions? Good. I can¡¯t be bothered to answer them anyway. Onto the main fortress then.¡±

    Bri spread a map face-up on the ground and drew a lamp over to illuminate it. It was a drawing of the main fortress area of Capomorti Fortress.

    ¡°The heights of the walls surrounding the fortress are as follows,¡± Bri continued. ¡°The main gate is located in the southern wall and about twenty-feet high. The eastern and western walls are both lower at around thirteen feet. Opposite of the main gate is the northern wall and rear gate, standing at more or less sixteen feet. Just inside of the northern wall is a set of outer stairs that leads to the rooftop. These stairs are the only way to reach the first floor because no other access point exists. The outer stairway is here,¡± Bri used the point of his scabbard to indicate a spot on the map that depicted the rooftop area.

    ¡°As you can see, the outer wall is built to connect to the main keep with an extension in the southeast corner. The outer stair to the rooftop, however, is located on the eastern side of this extension. In other words, even if we were to break through the main gate, we¡¯d have to fight clockwise almost all the way around the entire fortress in order to reach the stairs. After that, we¡¯d have to fight our way up the stairs to the rooftop, make our way to the rooftop entrance, and then fight our way back down to the first floor inside the main keep.

    ¡°Everyone knows why the fortress was built in such a maddeningly annoying way, right? Defense, of course! Once you reach the first floor, there are stairways to the watchtowers located on the northwest, southwest, and northeast corners of the keep. Oh yes, this is mostly information for you rookies out there, but these are three fabulously tall towers. That¡¯s why they¡¯re called watchtowers. The master of the fortress, the Guardian, is thought to reside in one of these three towers. Everyone got a mental image of the place now?¡±

    Haruhiro stared at the map and bobbed his head up and down slightly. That was the place they were about to attack. He still had trouble believing it.

    ¡°Next is an overview of the attack strategy,¡± Bri shifted his sword to one hand and started to casually spin and twirl it around. It looked like a pretty heavy weapon, but he was handling it as if it was feather-light. ¡°Our attack will begin at first light, but no worries! It¡¯ll be fiiine. We¡¯re detached from the main army so our role is to create a diversion. We move in first to attack the eastern and western walls. After we lure the enemy into diverting enough of their forces to deal with us, the main army hits the south wall and breaks through the main gate. Divide and conquer! Twenty parties will stay with me to attack the eastern wall. We¡¯ll be called the Green Storm Regiment because of my fabulous green hair. The remaining fifteen parties will hit the western wall under Kajiko¡¯s command. How about we call you the Wild Eagle Regiment? Pretty good name, right?¡±

    Kajiko raised a single brow and replied, ¡°Yeah, not bad at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already divided the parties into their respective regiments,¡± Bri said. ¡°I¡¯m only going to call out members of the Green Storm Regiment so pay attention! Ready everyone? Here we go¡­ You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, and¡­ Renji.¡±

    ¡°What,¡± Renji said.

    It wasn¡¯t a question.

    ¡°You¡¯re with me,¡± Bri said. ¡°Too bad, eh, Kajiko?¡±

    ¡°Who you talkin¡¯ to, huh?¡± Kajiko demanded, glaring at Bri. ¡°You got a death wish, Brittany?¡±

    ¡°Nahhh, if you kill me then I can¡¯t score with any more handsome men, can I?¡± Bri cast a fiery, lusty glance at Renji. ¡°Right, Renji-boy?¡±

    Renji didn¡¯t even blink. He just met Bri¡¯s eyes with a blank, impassive expression which, in and of itself, was impressive. That look in Bri¡¯s eyes gave even Haruhiro, who had nothing to do with the exchange, goosebumps. Bri was just that terrifying.

    ¡°Drat,¡± Bri sighed with a creepy suggestive smile, looked straight at Haruhiro, then said, ¡°And you.¡±

    ¡°U-uh,¡± Haruhiro stuttered. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am¡ªI mean, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Lastly¡­¡± Bri pointed to the leader of Choco¡¯s party. ¡°You guys. That makes twenty. Everyone else is with Kajiko, got it?¡±

    Everyone responded and no one made any motions of disagreement. Even if they didn¡¯t like where they had been placed, no one had the guts to bring it up with Bri. He was obscenely creepy.

    ¡°Kajiko, you¡¯ve got a watch, right?¡± Bri asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kajiko raised the pocket-watch dangling underneath her breasts for Bri to see.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Bri said, looking as if he was going to make a comment on the object resembling a pocket-watch he was holding in his own hands but thought better of it and said instead, ¡°Someone¡¯s spent a pretty penny somewhere. No, no, no, this won¡¯t do at all. You make mine look like a P-O-S.¡±

    Kajiko snorted. ¡°That¡¯s because yours is a piece of shit.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight,¡± Bri replied. ¡°Mine is expensive because it¡¯s old, okay? It kind of stops working randomly sometimes, but WHATEVER! As long as we¡¯ve got watches, we can coordinate our timing. I¡¯ll let you know what time to commence the attack later. For now, let¡¯s talk attack plan. Once the operation kicks off, we¡¯ll advance towards the outer walls while taking down all the orc camps along the way. Whichever parties run into orcs, kill them all, quickly. If you don¡¯t, the orcs from other camps will come to reinforce and then you¡¯ll get surrounded and be in real trouble. That¡¯s Phase One.¡±

    Mogzo nodded vigorously. He needed to calm down more and save his strength for when he really needed it, Haruhiro thought.

    ¡°Phase Two begins after we reach the walls. We¡¯re going to attack, but the enemy will probably be raining arrows down on us the entire time. According to the scouts in our Thief unit, there are about two hundred orcs manning the walls. It¡¯s not a huge number, don¡¯t wet your panties! Then again, if you get hit by an arrow in an unlucky spot, it most likely means instant death. So that¡¯s why we¡¯ve prepared shields!¡±

    Bri¡¯s chin twitched to a spot along the road where a bunch of flat boards that looked like shields had been stacked.

    ¡°Everyone, be sure to pick one up before we move out,¡± Bri continued. ¡°The shields are disposable, so no need to return them!¡±

    ¡°Super generous of you!¡± Ranta yelled with a grin, but Bri ignored him thoroughly.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any gates for us to use, so once we¡¯re at the base of the walls, we¡¯re going to scale them en masse with ladders. We¡¯ve got the ladders prepared, of course, but we¡¯re going to need people to carry them to the wall for us. The ladder-carriers¡¯ jobs will be to get the ladders to the proper spots, assemble them, and then run them up the walls. We¡¯ve got four ladders each for both the Green Storm and Wild Eagle Regiments. Kajiko will be in charge of assigning the ladder-carriers for her regiment. As for my regiment the glorious ladder-carriers will be¡­¡±

    Haruhiro had a bad feeling about this. He always turned out to be wrong whenever he had a good feeling about something, but his bad feeling predictions were always spot on. And this time, he hit the jackpot once again. Bri pointed to Haruhiro and then to the leader of Choco¡¯s party.

    ¡°You people will be in charge of the ladders,¡± Bri ordered.

    ¡°Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?¡± Ranta¡¯s frown was so deep that Haruhiro thought his jaw might twist off. ¡°What the hell!? Why do we have to be the ones with the sucky job? We gotta carry shields and now you¡¯re making us carry ladders too!? That¡¯s way too much baggage!¡±

    Ranta¡­ Haruhiro thought. You¡¯ve sure got guts. Before Haruhiro could say anything out loud though, Bri drew his sword and put the tip to Ranta¡¯s throat.

    ¡°I¡¯m the commander,¡± said Bri. ¡°If you disagree with my orders, then go home. Of course, I¡¯ll have to ask you to return the advance payment you received.¡±

    ¡°N-no way!! I-I mean, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± Ranta¡¯s gaze dropped to the ground as he gave a small snort. ¡°I spent it all.¡±

    Haruhiro almost fell over with astonishment. ¡°ALREADY!?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Haruhiro!¡± Ranta yelled. ¡°It¡¯s my money so I can do whatever I want with it! How I spend it is none of your business!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± Bri raised his sword slightly so that it touched the underside of Ranta¡¯s chin. ¡°Stay quiet and obey orders. The moment you disobey is the moment a bounty gets put on your head.¡±

    ¡°B-b-bounty!?¡± Ranta repeated. ¡°Uhhh, that kinda sounds like a bad thing¡­¡±

    Shihoru shook her head, ¡°Not ¡®kind of¡¯.¡±

    Mary¡¯s gaze was glacial. ¡°It¡¯s unequivocally, irrefutably, indisputably bad.¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± Bri withdrew his sword and gave it a spin. ¡°The ladder-carriers¡¯ job is vital to the success of the assault. They need to avoid fighting to the utmost of their ability, reach the base of the wall in one piece, and when they¡¯re there, BAM! Run the ladders up swiftly as possible. It¡¯s a cool role for cool people.¡±

    ¡°Cool people,¡± Ranta repeated, as if tasting the word in his mouth. His mouth then twisted into an unseemly grin. ¡°Welllll¡­ I guess if that¡¯s the case, then I gotta do it. If it¡¯s that important of a job, then no one else is cool enough to do it, right?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do our part too,¡± the oafish Warrior from Choco¡¯s party pointed out.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ranta shot him a vicious glare. ¡°You guys are you, I¡¯m me. Besides, you guys are rookies that got here after us so you got no right to steal your elder¡¯s spotlight, octopus-balls!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an octopus-ball!¡± the other protested.

    ¡°Squid-head then!¡± Ranta exclaimed.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± the Warrior sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! I WIN, YOU LOSE,¡± Ranta gloated.

    The short-haired girl in Choco¡¯s party eyed Ranta like she had just spotted a cockroach on the side of a room and said, ¡°Scumbag jerk.¡±

    Haruhiro buried his face in both hands, ¡°I don¡¯t think it can get any more embarrassing than this¡­¡±

    At any rate, they were assigned to transport the four ladders so that¡¯s what they would do. As the more experienced team, Haruhiro would have liked to take three and leave Choco¡¯s team with only one to worry about, but it was just not possible. Two each would be the most appropriate considering that the ladders were a little over six and a half feet tall. More importantly, each one consisted of two halves. When assembled, they would stretch to over thirteen feet high. That meant there were actually eight ladders total that needed to be carried up to the base of the wall.

    Haruhiro, Ranta, and Mogzo would take one each while the three girls handled the remaining one. Choco¡¯s party consisted of four boys and two girls, so he guessed that the four boys would carry one each. Considering that each of them also had to carry shields, Haruhiro got the feeling that they had just been assigned the most labor-intensive role of all. They might not even make it to the wall before someone dropped from fatigue.

    ¡°And now,¡± Bri swung his hips around and thrust his butt out straight into the air. ¡°It¡¯s the main army¡¯s job to penetrate the keep and clean up all the resistance inside, but I¡¯ll go over the enemy troop strength just in case.

    ¡°Like I said before, we estimate the fortress garrison is two hundred orcs strong. Most of them belong to the Zesshu Clan. Members of this clan dye their hair black and sport red tattoos on their faces. They¡¯re all equipped in a similar manner with single-edge swords called Gharii, bows and arrows, fur-covered shields, and red plate armor. Just because they¡¯re assigned to guard the outer walls doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re weak, so don¡¯t be mistaken. The orcs within the keep are a mix of various clans, so they aren¡¯t the most unified bunch. Supposedly.¡±

    It seemed like the hardest part of their job was going to be getting the ladders to the wall. The reservists¡¯ role was to be a diversion. If they really did run the ladders up and start going over the wall, the enemy would probably retreat rather than only get distracted like they were supposed to. If that was the case, then the ladder-carriers really did play a critical role.

    Ladder-carriers were supposed to avoid the fighting so the bottom of the barrel teams, Haruhiro¡¯s and Choco¡¯s, had been assigned to the role; but if they failed, the entire plan would fall apart.

    ¡°The Guardian, Zoran Zesshu, is the chief of the Zesshu Clan. Zoran-darling is so big that you¡¯ll know him when you see him. His hair is black and gold, and I¡¯m told that he dual-wields a pair of swords. He¡¯s also surrounded by an honor guard of about twenty orcs at all times, and they¡¯re all pretty nasty customers. Oh, there¡¯s also a couple of orc shamans mixed in. They¡¯re lightly equipped and don¡¯t wear armor or helms so you should recognize them pretty easily. I¡¯m sure a few of you here have never fought shamans before, so be on your guards.

    ¡°Orc shamans have psionic and insect-swarm control abilities. Their magic is also very different from ours; they don¡¯t rely on verbal chants or physical gestures to cast spells, so their attacks can take you by total surprise. They can make a fight extremely tough so if you encounter one, make sure you prioritize taking them down first. And umm, what else? ¡­Oh yes, the smoke signal.¡±

    ¡°Smokin¡¯ kills, you know¡­¡± Yume commented off-handedly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bri replied. ¡°Someone gets cut down, and blood, blood, blood everywhere, no more breathing, DEATH!? Okay, who did it!? WHO KILLED¡ªno one said anything about killing! Dangit, now you got me all into your killing talk! Me!? Preposterous! What are you gonna do to fix this, HUH!?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yume hesitated. ¡°Are you angry at Yume? Maybe?¡±

    ¡°I am NOT angry!¡± Bri shot back. ¡°Do I look like some six-year-old brat throwing a tantrum to you!?¡±

    ¡°Oh gosh¡­¡± replied Yume. ¡°Yume¡¯s sorry, Cap¡¯n Bri! But Yume¡¯s lendin¡¯ you her ears properly, really!¡±

    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be lending me anything!¡± Bri said. ¡°I want you to be ALL ears, got it? But I guess you don¡¯t have to be if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    ¡°If not all ears then what?¡± Yume asked. ¡°Yume¡¯s curious now¡­¡±

    ¡°Just drop it!¡± exclaimed Bri. ¡°Shut it and let me talk! It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like you, I do, but you¡¯re distracting me so SHUSH, ZIP IT, SHHHH!¡±

    ¡°Yessir¡­¡±

    ¡°Now then. The smoke signal,¡± Bri went on. ¡°Whenever Capomorti gets attacked en masse, the orcs send up a smoke signal to alert Steelbone Stronghold. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll send the signal right away like always, but this time, Steelbone¡¯s got their own troubles. Even if Capomorti requests reinforcements, they won¡¯t come. Don¡¯t be surprised by the signal and don¡¯t stop advancing.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think that¡¯s about it? I¡¯ve done a bunch of doom and gloom talking, but unless we screw up royally, the operation should succeed. There are bounties on the heads of the Guardian and a few of the more well-known shamans and even reservists like us can claim them. This is NOT a difficult battle. So children with no experience, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be just fine.¡±

    Haruhiro was certain that Bri was looking straight at his party. He couldn¡¯t completely relax, but he did feel like this wouldn¡¯t be as hard as he initially thought. The most difficult part was probably going to be carrying the ladders and their shields the three and three-quarter mile distance to the fortress walls.

    ¡°HOWEVER,¡± Bri said dramatically, tone menacing. ¡°These are orcs we¡¯re dealing with. They¡¯re the ones who drove out the undead after the passing of the Deathless King and they¡¯re proud of the superiority of their strength out here on the frontier. Get careless and it won¡¯t end with some weak counterattack you can just brush off. You¡¯ll die, understood?¡±

    Haruhiro swallowed hard. Work someone up then slap them back down. Haruhiro supposed that was just Bri¡¯s way of doing things, but it might have been pretty effective. Just when he was getting slightly overconfident about the entire thing, Bri cut him back down to size and now he was feeling physically and mentally balanced.

    Bri licked his black-painted lips with a pink tongue and said, ¡°Come along then, my kittens, summon those fighting spirits and let¡¯s be off.¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 10

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 10: Graduation

    PART 1 of 2

    It was almost dawn. No one moved or made a sound¡ªeveryone was even trying to keep their breathing to a minimum. In the profound stillness and silence, idiot Ranta suddenly pressed his hands over his mouth and leaned forward then back again. A sneeze? What the hell? He was trying to suppress a sneeze? He had to be goddamn joking! What the heck was he thinking!?

    Oh crap. Ranta was going to sneeze¡­ he was actually going to do it. Crap. Crap, crap¡ªjust kidding. He had somehow managed to stop himself. Haruhiro breathed a small sigh of relief. They were safe.

    The moment he thought that, Ranta sneezed, ¡°ACHOO!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t manage to stop himself after all. Everyone¡¯s heads suddenly snapped towards him. Rather than apologize to all the Crimson Moon members now staring at him, he made a gesture that seemed to say, ¡®Quit making a big deal outta nothing!¡¯ The idiot wasn¡¯t afraid of anything. He had skin thicker than a brick wall.

    Haruhiro poked his head out from behind a mountain-like mound of debris left from timber logging. Orc-made tents were scattered all over, one or two and sometimes even three under each lookout post. Some of the posts were manned while others were empty. There was no sign of movement. The sound of Ranta¡¯s sneeze hadn¡¯t caught the attention of the orcs, Haruhiro was relieved to see.

    The sun hadn¡¯t risen yet, but it was light out already. The members of Brittany¡¯s Green Storm Regiment, assigned to assault the eastern wall, had concealed themselves behind logs, cloths, and boulders of former orc camp sites. These camps were the remains of previous attacks made by Altana on Capomorti Fortress. The camps were attacked and the orcs manning them killed, but when they had failed to hold the fortress, the camps outside were also rebuilt in slightly different locations. That left the landscape cluttered with clumps of debris that was now being used as hiding places.

    But even if they were all hidden, Haruhiro had this uneasy feeling that they would be discovered anytime now. Maybe it was just his nerves. Playing the hide-and-wait game was nerve wracking. Can¡¯t we just start and get it over with? he wished. That was almost preferable to what they were doing now.

    The fortress and its three watchtowers formed a sort of corner shape and loomed in the distance like an ill omen. The fortress walls were made of stone, held together by some kind of black-colored mortar that filled every crack and crevasse. Some kind of pattern was painted on it in red¡ªa word or maybe a letter. It was also studded with spikes made of either metal or wood, a measure clearly more for defense than decoration. The western and eastern walls were both thirteen feet high. It wasn¡¯t an impossible height, but still too tall to scale without ladders.

    The orc camps were littered with animal carcasses. Some had been picked clean while others were¡­ not so picked clean. The latter were animal heads, and had been placed on spikes or strung up on sticks and arranged in neat rows. So that¡¯s why this place was called Capomorti Fortress. It was the fortress of dead heads. Haruhiro hoped his head wouldn¡¯t end up like that.

    Nah, I¡¯ve got nothing to worry about¡­ right?

    Haruhiro¡¯s attention went back to the ladder he was carrying under his arm. It was heavy, but more than the weight, the damn thing was just bulky and extremely unwieldy. The square plank that he was going to need to shield him from orc arrows was slung over his back with rope. That thing was bulky and unwieldy too.

    Bri suddenly stood up. He glanced at his pocket watch, nodded once, and raised his hand. Haruhiro¡¯s breath caught in his throat. It was about to begin. Bri then lowered his hand with a swift chopping motion.

    ¡°Attack!¡± he commanded.

    Battle cries filled the air almost immediately and Haruhiro couldn¡¯t tell whether it was from their regiment or the Wild Eagles.

    ¡°Go, go, go! Take out the orc camps!¡± At Bri¡¯s command, the reservists streamed out of their hiding places behind the debris and charged the camps as ordered.

    ¡°C-C¡¯mon! We¡¯re going too¡­¡± Haruhiro¡¯s voice came out more high-pitched than intended.

    He hoisted the ladder under his arm and followed everyone else from the tail end of the Green Storm Regiment formation.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous,¡± Mary chanted. ¡°[LIGHT OF PROTECTION]!¡±

    A hexagonal symbol appeared above his left wrist and he suddenly felt his body become lighter. How was everyone else doing? They were all still with him. He wanted to go at a full run, but couldn¡¯t actually do it. The ladder was cumbersome and slowed him down a good deal. Oh, and he was extremely nervous. He had no idea what he was doing. Was Choco still okay? Where was she? Wait, now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that.

    Everyone around them was amazing. They were cutting down the orcs manning the camps one after another, burning down the tents using Alev fire magic, and knocking down the lookout posts. Camps were systematically obliterated before his eyes. How far had the front line advanced? Haruhiro couldn¡¯t see them so he had no idea. He didn¡¯t think they had reached the eastern wall yet, but maybe he should pick up the pace in case they had? Not that going faster was possible, though.

    ¡°The smoke signal¡¯s been lit!¡± exclaimed Mary.

    Haruhiro turned towards her and saw that she was pointing towards something in the direction of the fortress. A thick column of smoke was billowing from the watchtower that occupied the corner position between the other two. The signal calling for reinforcements. This time though, Steelbone Stronghold was also supposed to be under attack so no reinforcements should arrive.

    ¡°There¡¯s smoke comin¡¯ from over yonder too!¡± Yume cried.

    Yume was right. Several pillars of smoke were also rising from a distance in the west. What was that supposed to signify? Maybe it was one of many relay stations along the way to Steelbone. The Stronghold was twenty-five miles away so there was no way they¡¯d be able to see smoke coming from Capomorti directly.

    Wait¡­ isn¡¯t that two columns of smoke rising from the relay station? Haruhiro wondered. Suddenly it clicked. Smoke signals weren¡¯t used only by Capomorti; if Steelbone got attacked it would light up a signal too. Both locations were being attacked, so both were trying to communicate to the other. That meant the Capomorti orcs would now know that they couldn¡¯t rely on Steelbone to send reinforcements.

    If they thought that reinforcements would come, they would probably attempt to hunker down and hold out until help came. But if they knew they couldn¡¯t expect reinforcements, how would their strategy change? Would they fight desperately to the death, attempting to resist to the end?

    Well, Haruhiro figured that the higher-ups would have already considered that possibility. It wasn¡¯t something the rank and file needed to concern themselves over. All they had to worry about was doing the job assigned to them, which meant the ladders.

    Once the other reservists had taken care of the camps, they¡¯d run the ladders up the walls. It looked like the majority of the camps in the area had already been destroyed. Choco¡¯s party was behind them and was moving slower than his own team. Yes¡­ we can do this! he thought for a split second before rejecting the notion. Things were never that easy.

    He hadn¡¯t even completed the thought when two orcs managed to somehow slip past the other parties and came charging straight at him. No, not at him. They were going for Choco¡¯s party.

    ¡°Watch out! Two orcs coming your way!¡± Haruhiro shouted, trying to give the alarm.

    Choco¡¯s party stopped in their tracks¡ªwait, what!? Why were they stopping? It seemed that the members of Choco¡¯s party had no idea either.

    ¡°Oy!¡± one of them shouted.

    ¡°Crap!¡± another said simultaneously.

    ¡°The ladders!!¡± cried a third.

    This was bad. Really bad. Everyone in Choco¡¯s party was completely panicked, running around like headless chickens. There was no way they would be able to put together a defense against the attacking orcs.

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to lose half our ladders!¡± Haruhiro yelled. ¡°We have to help them! Drop your shields and ladders for now and take out the orcs!¡±

    ¡°R-right!¡± Mogzo placed his ladder on the ground and unstrapped the shield buckled to his back.

    Shihoru picked up the shield that Yume dropped and stacked it on top of her own. Mary nodded to Haruhiro and placed the ladder she carried on the ground at her feet.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do this without magic for now!¡± Haruhiro said, sprinting forward.

    He decided to test the strength of the orcs first. It was too early to expend magic; they still had a long fight ahead of them¡­ probably. Team Haruhiro slipped neatly between the orcs and Choco¡¯s disarrayed party. Mogzo attacked Orc A straightaway while Ranta set his sights on charging Orc B. The orcs were equipped with scale mail, helms that covered everything but their faces, and durable looking swords. Orc A¡¯s yellow hair spilled out and down from his helm as did Orc B¡¯s red hair. Both of them were green skinned.

    Haruhiro winked at Yume then took up position behind Orc B¡¯s back. Orcs were huge, not so much in stature but in bulk. They were taller than Haruhiro and not quite as tall as Mogzo, but their bodies were broad and thick. Two humans side by side could probably fit inside the skin of an orc. All considered, Haruhiro¡¯s impression was that they were probably one size above Mogzo, and Mogzo was about six feet tall. And these orcs were probably just average. No wonder it was said that orcs were the biggest humanoids that occupied Grimgar. And they were as strong as they appeared.

    Of course, Ranta was being pushed back by his opponent and using [PROPEL LEAP] repeatedly to retreat. Naturally, the orc gave chase, forcing Yume and Haruhiro to chase after it in turn. They couldn¡¯t get into their respective positions at the flank and back of the orc.

    Mogzo was having a tough time too. In fact, he was taking several hits and only his armor was preventing him from being cut down. If armor could be counted as a defensive strategy, then Haruhiro would say that Mogzo and Orc A were about evenly matched with a slight edge going towards the orc. The difference was in the orc¡¯s raw strength and sheer bulk.

    Orcs had stronger muscles than humans; it wasn¡¯t just in their arms, it was their legs too. Even if the extra muscle density gave them more weight, they had longer endurance running over distances and they were able to jump higher. And just because they looked big and bulky didn¡¯t mean that they were slow and dumb. Agility was also related to muscle mass, after all. Orcs had wide mouths with tusks sticking out of them and their noses looked like something that got smashed into their faces.

    To humans, they were NOT attractive. Actually, they were rather hideous. But they didn¡¯t seem stupid. For example, they possessed enough intelligence to build lookout posts and design tents. The carcasses and animal heads stuck on poles made them look like savages, but they were wily enough to offer the human kingdom real opposition. And it was perfectly possible that they purposely kept their camps looking grisly and barbarous to frighten humans.

    Orcs were physically superior compared to humans and intelligence-wise they were probably on par. If so, then in a simple, straightforward fight an orc would probably win against a human.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let yourselves be intimidated!¡± Mary called out. ¡°We can take them if we get used to fighting against them!¡±

    She was right. Or at least Haruhiro couldn¡¯t afford to let himself think otherwise. If he didn¡¯t believe he could win, then he would lose, even when victory was possible.

    PART 2 of 2

    ¡°Mary¡¯s right!¡± Haruhiro exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯re just not used to fighting orcs yet, that¡¯s all! Mogzo, you got this! You¡¯re stronger than any orc!¡±

    With a grunt of effort, Mogzo went on the offensive. Or rather, he used the heavy-armor skill [STEEL GUARD]. He purposefully warded off Orc A¡¯s swing with his shoulder pauldron and, while the orc was reeling from the recoil of its own deflected blow, Mogzo returned the attack with his huge meat cleaver sword, The Chopper. The orc managed to block, but Mogzo¡¯s swing was powerful enough to crush through it.

    Orc B saw its ally stagger backwards, and its own movements faltered for a split second. In that moment, Haruhiro¡¯s and Ranta¡¯s gazes met.

    ¡°No need to tell me!¡± shouted Ranta.

    When Orc B stepped forward this time, Ranta didn¡¯t use [PROPEL LEAP] to retreat. Orc B¡¯s movements were slower, more hesitant than before. With a yell, Ranta leapt forward and met the orc head on. He pressed in against the orc with [EXPEL FRENZY] and then followed with [ANGER THRUST]. To Haruhiro, the combination looked well executed, but the orc managed to twist its body sideways and dodge.

    It was a close call though. Probably too close for the orc¡¯s comfort; Ranta¡¯s attack missed it by a hairsbreadth.

    ¡°I know!¡± said Ranta. ¡°I¡¯m invincible!¡±

    ¡°Since when!?¡± Haruhiro shot back.

    Haruhiro was finally in position directly behind the orc. The line failed to appear so he settled for [WIDOW MAKER]. Before Haruhiro could latch onto its back though, the orc sensed the attack coming and avoided it. It was a good thing Haruhiro wasn¡¯t alone.

    Yume leapt in with a [SWEEPING SLASH]-[CROSS CUT] combination. The orc deflected Yume¡¯s kukri with a loud clang and moved to counterattack. Yume yelped and quickly rolled away using that pit rat dodging skill of hers. Orc B tried to pursue, but hadn¡¯t gotten the fact that he was up against a team through its thick skull.

    Ranta charged in again, longsword raised high, shouting at the top of his lungs. From the way Ranta was moving, it seemed like he intended to tackle the orc. While it was distracted by Ranta, Yume got back on her feet and Haruhiro moved to get behind it again. Orc B was feeling the pressure now and clearly panicking. Another round of attacks¡­ all they needed was another round to bring it down.

    Their chance came.

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Mogzo sunk his sword into Orc A¡¯s shoulder with [RAGE CLEAVE]. The orc wasn¡¯t down, but it was completely off balance and staggering blindly. It could no longer properly wield its sword. Its defeat was only a matter of time now.

    Meanwhile Orc B had become thoroughly confused. Haruhiro was directly behind it, so he couldn¡¯t see its expression but he could tell from its movements. Haruhiro stealthily closed the distance between them and with [BACKSTAB], buried his dagger into it. Even without the line Haruhiro did a decent job of getting his dagger between the scale armor and into the orc¡¯s flesh.

    He didn¡¯t think the wound was fatal, but it was enough. Just as Haruhiro jumped back and out of the way, Yume came in and slashed at the orc once, twice, three times. Her kukri was shorter than a longsword, but its blade was broader. Even if it didn¡¯t cut through the orc¡¯s armor, the damage inflicted by the sheer force of the blows was significant. Orc B teetered, on the brink of collapse.

    ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    Ranta¡¯s attack came unexpectedly from outside the range of Orc B¡¯s reach and it couldn¡¯t react in time to block. Ranta¡¯s sword slashed into the orc¡¯s shoulder but glanced off its armor. Was that on purpose? Haruhiro wondered when Ranta didn¡¯t try to cut through the sturdy scale armor but smoothly swung his sword around, aiming for the orc¡¯s exposed face. What happened next¡­ No way Ranta had planned it, he just got lucky, right? Ranta¡¯s longsword sliced through the chin strap of the orc¡¯s helm and in the same motion hooked itself under the helm to strip it completely off its head.

    ¡°Take that!¡± Ranta shouted.

    Ranta was wearing a darkish bascinet helm and his visor was down so that it covered his face, but Haruhiro could swear that Ranta was sticking his tongue out at the orc right now. He brought his sword up and then cut¡ªactually, it was more like struck¡ªthe orc over and over. The orc went down under the rain of blows but Ranta didn¡¯t let up and didn¡¯t stop pounding away at it.

    By now, Mogzo had finished off Orc A with [RAGE CLEAVE]. Orc B, too, soon stopped moving. Only then did Ranta finally relent. Choco¡¯s entire team was backing away from them, appalled. This time though, Haruhiro didn¡¯t criticize Ranta for his savagery. It might have been gruesome to watch, but Ranta wasn¡¯t in the wrong here. Cruel as it was, there was no stopping until the enemy was dead.

    Living creatures, hung stubbornly on to life. When death came, it came quickly. But while living creatures clung to life, they fought viciously and desperately, attacking and counterattacking through injury and pain.

    ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Ranta laughed. ¡°Got my Vice AND graduated from virginhood! CONGRATS TO ME!¡±

    That was true enough. No one was injured, and Mary and Shihoru hadn¡¯t been forced to use magic either.

    ¡°We were amazin¡¯!¡± Yume jumped with glee.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Ranta snickered. ¡°For being tiny triple A cups, they sure jiggle hard when you¡ªOW! Quit punching me!¡±

    ¡°Then quit sayin¡¯ things to make Yume punch you!¡± Yume shot back.

    Mogzo pumped his fist into the air and gave everyone a single nod. Shihoru¡¯s response was more muted but even she couldn¡¯t help smiling. Mary looked obviously relieved. Haruhiro, too, felt an inexplicable feeling welling up within him. It started from the tips of his toes and worked its way up from there, filling up his chest and filtering through all the way to the top of his head until he felt himself becoming almost intoxicated by it. It was such a good feeling, he wished that he could lose himself in it for a while.

    ¡°That was incredible¡­¡± the leader of Choco¡¯s party whispered.

    ¡°As expected of veterans,¡± the oafish Warrior said in a manner that could be taken the wrong way depending on the listener. It seemed devoid of sarcasm to Haruhiro though.

    ¡°W-we¡¯re saved,¡± the Priest sunk to his knees, still looking terrified.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Choco¡¯s short-haired friend stood shell-shocked.

    Choco herself gazed at Haruhiro, mouth slightly agape, astonished expression similar to her friend¡¯s. I could get used to this,Haruhiro thought. Then the tall Warrior went and ruined the mood.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Everyone¡¯s killing orcs everywhere. It ain¡¯t no big deal.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ranta pointed his bloody longsword in the Warrior¡¯s direction. ¡°Quit being a frickin¡¯ wet blanket when people are trying to feel good about themselves! What are you, Wet Blanket Man!?¡±

    ¡°Am not! What¡¯s a ¡®Wet Blanket Man¡¯ supposed to be anyway?¡± the Warrior retorted.

    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to know!?¡± replied Ranta.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Shut the hell up! Just ¡®cause you¡¯re tall doesn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± Ranta started.

    ¡°Ranta, enough!¡± Haruhiro made his way back to the area where he had dropped his ladder and shield. Now wasn¡¯t the time to bicker with the obviously socially awkward Warrior. ¡°We gotta get the ladders to the wall!¡±

    Haruhiro quickly slung his shield behind his back and tucked his portion of the ladder back under his arm. A few of the other reservists were already at the wall. Team Haruhiro ran as fast as they could and Choco¡¯s party followed slightly behind. All the orc camps they passed had been obliterated, their former occupants now corpses.

    Suddenly Haruhiro thought that Yume was shouting something like, ¡°Rows, rows¡± before he realized that she was actually crying, ¡°Arrows! Arrows!¡±

    Orcs were lined up at the top of the outer wall, bows and arrows at the ready. No, not just at the ready, they were firing them.

    ¡°Damn it! Shields! Everyone, get your shields up!¡± ordered Haruhiro.

    Arrows rained from the sky. Haruhiro held his shield up like an umbrella, making it extremely difficult to also carry the ladder. There was no choice but to do it though. Although the number of arrows coming down at them wasn¡¯t overwhelming, they did come. Getting hit by one might mean death.

    ¡°Hurry up with the ladders!¡± the reservists already at the walls shouted angrily at them.

    ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡± Ranta exclaimed, gearing up to charge the wall so he could run his ladder up.

    Haruhiro grabbed him before he could take off, saying ¡°We gotta assemble them first!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Ranta acknowledged.

    ¡°Mary, Yume, Shihoru!¡± Haruhiro called. ¡°Cover us with the shields!¡±

    The three of them locked shields while Haruhiro, Ranta, and Mogzo worked on the ladders under cover. In order to assemble the ladders, they had to stack the overlapping joints together then fasten them into place with nails. Haruhiro¡¯s hands were shaking, unsteady. Every time an arrow thudded into the locked shields, Shihoru gave a small yelp. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t steady his hands enough to hammer the nails in properly.

    ¡°Here, let me!¡± Mogzo was suddenly with him. He took the hammer from Haruhiro¡¯s hands and steadily pounded one nail after the next into place. He tested the connections by pulling then pushing on them then nodded. ¡°Done! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Both the ladders were now assembled at their full thirteen feet plus length. One person could no longer carry it alone so Haruhiro and Ranta took one while Mogzo and Yume got the other. The orcs were growing desperate. The closer they got to the wall, the heavier the arrows rained, and the harder they hit. Arrows smacked into their shields at an incredible rate.

    Isn¡¯t this¡ª Haruhiro thought frantically. We¡¯re being targeted!?

    ¡°Crap!¡± he shouted. ¡°Crap, crap, crap!¡±

    Ranta and Yume, even Mogzo was shouting now.

    ¡°Just a little further, we can do this!¡± someone, Haruhiro wasn¡¯t sure who, encouraged.

    Someone else said, ¡°We¡¯re okay! As long as we¡¯ve got the shields, we¡¯re okay!¡±

    Don¡¯t stop. Don¡¯t stop no matter what. If he stopped for even a split second, Haruhiro knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to continue. They were going to get the ladder to the wall in a single attempt. There wasn¡¯t any choice but to get them there in the first attempt. He charged on, shouting who knows what, feet tumbling and tangling beneath him as he ran as fast as possible. Finally, they set the ladders against the spike-ridden outer wall.

    The Green Storm Regiment let out a wild battle cry as one cohesive unit. The air vibrated, the ground shook. It almost sounded like a victory shout and made Haruhiro feel even more elated than when they took down those two orcs. We did it! We succeeded! Look at us, we¡¯re awesome! His head spun from the realization.

    ¡°Outta the way!¡± Renji shoved Haruhiro aside and started climbing the ladder.

    He had no shield even though orcs armed with bows above him had him directly in their sights. The crazy brave Renji showed no fear though.

    ¡°Renji, stop!¡± Bri¡¯s voice carried over the chaos of battle. ¡°We¡¯re not in a rush to go over the wall!¡±

    The air vibrated, the ground shook once more. But it wasn¡¯t them this time. Was it coming from the western wall, on the Wild Eagle Regiment¡¯s side of the fortress? No, the voices weren¡¯t human. The orcs were bellowing their own battle cry. Their voices rose as one, shaking heaven and earth. It had to be coming from¡­

    ¡°The main gate!?¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 11

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 11: Warriors of the Frontier

    His name was Anthony Justin. He was a dignified and much honored Warrior attached to the Frontier Army¡¯s First Brigade, Warrior Regiment. He wasn¡¯t just some run-of-the-mill fighter though, he was skilled and masterful. Anthony led the Warrior Regiment assigned to assault the main gate of Capomorti Fortress as the regiment¡¯s illustrious captain, staking his honorable name on doing his part in Operation Twin-Headed Snake. And he and his warriors had been steadily gaining ground since the assault began.

    Naturally, the most appropriate position for a Warrior of his skill and stature was at the front lines. Thus, he had been leading his courageous men in the charge upon the outer wall at the head of the main army. Deep in his heart, however, there was something about this entire situation that he deeply resented: The person named Ren Waters.

    Brigadier General Ren Waters was a cowardly old man who couldn¡¯t hurt a fly. There was nothing Paladin-like about him. He was mainland-born and a spineless pansy. A real Paladin would stand at the head of the army, would be willing to risk his own life to protect his fellow soldiers. In fact, any frontier-born Paladin with any guts at all would do at least that much, but that filthy mockery of a Paladin, Waters, was different.

    He had surrounded himself with a hundred other Paladins and several Priests in order to protect himself, positioned himself at the back of the main army, and then attempted to look as authoritative as possible. He was an idiot. A shameless, gutless retard, worse than garbage. He was a member of the well-known House Waters, but possessed none of the family¡¯s qualities. He should just die. Die and rot in hell.

    Even if General Graham Lasentora was unavailable because he was leading the attack on Steelbone Stronghold, Brigadier General Ian Latti should have been the one to lead the formidable, peerless soldiers of the regular army in the assault on Capomorti Fortress. Latti was born and bred on the frontier and had a reputation of being a warrior amongst Warriors. Waters should have been left behind in Altana, cowering behind the city¡¯s fortifications like a newly hatched chick.

    This entire time Anthony¡¯s men had been taking down the lookout posts and orc camps, braving torrents of arrows while charging the walls, and even now attempting to break down the main gate with battering rams, yet Waters was doing absolutely nothing to contribute. All he had done was cry the order, ¡°Move out!¡± at the very beginning and that was it. Even a six-year old brat could have done it.

    Altana¡¯s Frontier Army was composed mostly of soldiers who were locals of the area. They were rugged and tough, proud of their native roots, and they treated the spineless, cowardly soldiers from the mainland with contempt. Soldiers from the mainland talked big and were always quick to boast, but they couldn¡¯t handle a sword to save their lives. They were so pathetic, they deserved every bit of the scorn and bile thrown at them.

    In reality, when it was announced that Ren Waters had been assigned overall command of the Capomorti front, morale amongst the men had plummeted. It was like adding insult to injury, having been assigned to Capomorti in the first place. Everyone knew Steelbone was the main objective and no one wanted to be left with the job of attacking Capomorti, where victory was assured. As soldiers, they would do their jobs and bring the fortress down, of course¡­ but when they won, it would count as another feather in Ren Waters¡¯ cap. And victory was the only expected outcome.

    Damn that Ren Waters. Damn him to hell. This was the power of family influence; there was nothing else to explain it because Waters certainly didn¡¯t obtain his position through merit! Waters didn¡¯t have to do anything to move up the ladder, he was simply elevated. That was the way these things worked.

    General Graham Lasentora, the unofficial symbol of the Frontier Army, was forty-six years old this year. He was still young, but there was a strong rumor that the mainland was also after his military services. He was offered the position of High General no less than three times, all of which he had refused. Everyone believed, however, that he would eventually transfer to the mainland. There were also rumors that Ren Waters was maneuvering to take Lasentora¡¯s position here after he left.

    Three Brigadier Generals served under Lasentora. Brigadier General Ian Latti, Shithead Ren Waters, and Brigadier General Jorrud Horn, who was constantly at Lasentora¡¯s side. Logically, the most obvious successor to Lasentora would be Horn, but the reality was, Lasentora¡¯s and Horn¡¯s relationship was much too close. If Lasentora went to the mainland, then there was a good chance that Horn would want to follow.

    In that case, the next person in line would be Ian Latti. In terms of skill and ability, there was no doubt that he was head and shoulders above Waters, but that shithead Waters might already be using his family¡¯s power and influence to take the title of General for himself. It was definitely a possibility. On the other hand, shitheads were shitheads so he might want to return to the civilized mainland. Good. Hurry up and go. A shithead should go back to the world of shitheads where he belongs.

    Anthony had never seen the mainland that lay on the other side of the Tenryuu Mountains. He imagined, though, that it was a land filled with dozens, even hundreds of human cities. Its rural areas, too, would have stretched as far as the eye could see, where livestock leisurely roamed the open ranges.

    The wild tribes in the south remained unconquered and defiant of the authority of the Aravakia Kingdom, but they were not a major threat. On the infrequent occasions that conflict did break out, it was rare for the kingdom¡¯s soldiers to actually die in battle. In fact, the wild tribes were too preoccupied fighting each other.The Aravakia Kingdom sometimes even stepped in to mediate the inter-tribe disputes. It was almost as if Aravakia was a compassionate father and the wild tribes were its quarrelsome sons.

    Industry was well-developed, the people loved arts and entertainment, and they enjoyed the favor of the God of Light, Luminous. It was a society overflowing with happiness and prosperity. Altana and the mainland shared the same currency (the coins were minted in the mainland), but something that cost one gold on the frontier was as cheap as ten silvers on the mainland. The mainland was so highly developed that anything and everything was available at the markets. Even the poor could obtain meals and clothes quite easily by begging and even the most wretched beggars on the mainland lived better than soldiers on the frontier.

    Shitheads. They were all goddamn shitheads.

    Did any of the mainlander shitheads think about what made it possible for them to continue living their shithead lives? The blood of soldiers like Anthony, here on the frontier, that¡¯s what. If Altana fell, then it would only be a matter of time before the earth-dragon tunnels running under the Tenryuu Mountains were discovered. Masses of invading orcs and undead would flood in. Even if there was never a full-scale invasion, the threat of one would always be there.

    The mainland had built their riches and prosperity on the corpses of people like Anthony. It was like building a castle on a foundation of quicksand.

    So no matter how great and wonderful the tales made the place out to be, no matter how much of a paradise it was, the mainland was still a stinking pile of fucking shit. To be completely honest, Anthony would rather invade the mainland and plunder their riches than fight then orcs and undead out here. He had the right, after all. He was the one protecting their wealth by doing his duty, and because he did his job, they were able to continue acquiring wealth. They owed their prosperity to Anthony and the other soldiers out here and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration when Anthony said that all of the mainland¡¯s riches belonged to them.

    But of course Anthony wouldn¡¯t do any such thing. It wasn¡¯t just the impracticality, it was his pride as a soldier. As much as he liked wine, women, and luxury food, he knew the domain of real men was the battlefield. Real men fought their fights here on the frontier.

    ¡°DIE REN WATERS!¡± Anthony shouted, making it his battle cry.

    The men manning the battering ram responded as one, combining their might as they grinned and responded with shouts of, ¡°Rot in hell Ren Waters!¡± or ¡°Die shithead Waters!¡±

    If Waters heard them from his position at the rear, it would mean trouble afterwards. But Anthony didn¡¯t give a damn. They would do their jobs because it was their duty as soldiers. Their pride as warriors was on the line.

    ¡°Three, two, one, CHARGE!¡± Anthony yelled, waving his sword. ¡°Three¡ª¡±

    Deafening roars of rage split the air. The god damn orcs! They were jumping off the walls directly into the fray. The southern wall was more than twenty feet high. That was NOT an insignificant distance from the ground. But the orcs were fearless; they leapt off the wall without hesitation, even crushing some of the soldiers unfortunate enough to be positioned where the orcs happened to land.

    Those shithead mainlander soldiers constantly tended to underestimate orcs and other enemy races, but Anthony was true frontier bred and born. He had no such bad habits. He was wary of the daring and audacity of the orcs; they were unparalleled in both physical strength and toughness. The ten¡ªno, closer to twenty¡ªmen at the front of the formation who weren¡¯t expecting the attack from above were instantly cut down. Actually, not down, back; they were sent flying into their fellow soldiers in the deeper ranks.

    It happened in an instant. The men manning the battering ram were dead even as they stood slack-jawed at the unexpected angle of attack. These were all veteran soldiers and they weren¡¯t prone to carelessness, yet they had been cut down with ease. Anthony refused to give the orcs more opportunity to surprise them.

    The front gate was still shut, so the orcs who had jumped down had no retreat. They had no option but to charge forward. They were a suicide squad and would die to the last orc. The orcs were, literally, deathly desperate. Come to think of it, Altana had launched this offensive because victory was guaranteed. They would succeed because failure was unthinkable. Everyone knew it for a fact. But the orcs never thought that they would die this way. Their will to fight was completely different and entirely inferior.

    ¡°Steady, men! Steady!¡± Anthony commanded.

    He engaged a nearby orc, locking blades with it and looking for an opportunity to use [SPIRAL SLASH]. The orc, however, saw through him. It leaned in, not giving an inch, then sprang back and out of range.

    ¡°Surround them! We¡¯ve got the numbers, surround them now!¡± yelled Anthony.

    While some of his men obeyed at once, a large number of others hesitated, looking bewildered. They were paralyzed by indecision, unable to move even if they wanted to. Arrows descended from above again. The confusion in the ranks deepened and spread.

    ¡°We should retreat for now!¡± a soldier yelled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool!¡± Anthony exclaimed angrily, fending off an orc¡¯s slashing sword at the same time. ¡°Our warrior¡¯s prides are on the line! This is that shithead Ren Waters¡¯ fault, but we¡¯ve got no choice but to cover his sorry ass! Rise, Warriors of the Frontier! To me! To me! We¡¯re going to break down that gate!¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 12

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 12: Afterwards

    PART 1 of 2

    Something was clearly wrong at the southern wall, near the main gate. What was happening? Haruhiro had a really bad feeling about it. Actually, he had only bad feelings about it. Surely it meant trouble¡­

    The Green Storm Regiment¡¯s assault on the eastern wall continued nevertheless. The orcs were fighting conservatively, concentrating only on defense. If they didn¡¯t clear the wall soon, the arrows raining down on them from above would never stop.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take control of the parapets first!¡± Bri raised his sword, pointing to the top of the wall. He was not carrying a shield.

    They had somehow managed to get all four ladders in place and no one on Haruhiro¡¯s team or Choco¡¯s party had been hurt. Haruhiro stuck close to the wall itself, shield raised above his head to fend off stray arrows. He couldn¡¯t see anything happening above him so he had no idea what was going on up there, but he assumed that Renji had been the first to make the climb and was raising all sorts of hell already. Thanks to that, the volume of arrows being shot at them visibly decreased.

    Just as Haruhiro let out a deep breath of relief at the reprieve, someone grabbed him roughly by the scruff of the neck, making him yelp.

    ¡°Oy! Quit zoning out, Parupiro! We¡¯re going too!¡±

    Ranta. It always had to be stupid Ranta. His grip hurt, so Haruhiro slapped Ranta¡¯s hand away, making him let go.

    ¡°That¡¯s not my name,¡± Haruhiro snapped. ¡°And go where?¡±

    ¡°Up the wall, where else?¡± Ranta shouted.

    ¡°No, wait¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Wait, bait, straight my ass!¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡±

    This time, Ranta grabbed Haruhiro¡¯s ear in an attempt to drag him to the nearest ladder. Haruhiro wished that kid would quit his antics and felt himself getting genuinely pissed off. He swept Ranta¡¯s legs out from under him.

    ¡°What the¡ª!?¡± Ranta sprang back up to his feet even as he hit the ground. ¡°Bastard!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± exclaimed Haruhiro as Ranta curled his hand into a fist and raised it. ¡°You¡¯re really going to start a fist fight at a time like this!?¡±

    ¡°Time¡¯s got nothing to do with it!¡± Ranta yelled.

    ¡°Of course it does! What the hell are you thinking!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a man restricted to the laws of common sense! In fact, I¡¯m gonna revolutionize logical thinking!¡±

    ¡°And while you¡¯re doing your revolutionizing nonsense, everyone else is already over the wall!¡± Haruhiro pointed out.

    ¡°WHAT!?¡± Ranta cried. ¡°Seriously!?¡±

    Even Choco¡¯s team was lined up underneath a ladder, ready to begin the climb up. Haruhiro took that as a sign that they should probably get their behinds moving as well.

    ¡°L-let¡¯s go too!¡± Mogzo said, his words finally spurring Haruhiro into action.

    ¡°Okay! Me and Mogzo will go first!¡± Haruhiro ordered. ¡°Everyone else after us!¡±

    ¡°Quit being retarded!¡± Ranta spat, cutting in front of Haruhiro and starting his scramble up the ladder. ¡°Me first!¡±

    ¡°Fine, whatever!¡± Haruhiro shouted after him.

    He slung his shield over his back again and followed Ranta up, Yume close behind him. Mogzo and Mary were using a different ladder while Shihoru brought up the rear. The orc arrows had ceased some time ago. At the top of the wall, orcs and humans were scattered and mixed in a chaotic mess but it looked like Green Storm had the clear upper hand. There were no orcs remaining on the parapet anywhere near them.

    Haruhiro could see a set of stairs leading downwards on the other side of the wall, near the northeast corner. The orcs were gathered near it, fighting to the death to prevent the humans from reaching it while the humans, rallied around Renji and his team, assaulted relentlessly.

    ¡°Go, Renji!!¡± Ranta shouted.

    It wasn¡¯t like Ranta¡¯s shout of encouragement made any difference at all, but the next moment, Renji swiftly stuck down an orc with a single stroke and viciously kicked another, sending it flying off the ramparts. With that, the orcs¡¯ defensive line broke down entirely, inviting a thunderous cheer from all the reservists.

    ¡°Now! Charge the stairway!¡± commanded Bri.

    Renji and Ron were the first to reach it. The orcs were massed in a tight shoulder-to-shoulder formation around it, desperately trying to prevent the humans from going down. How the heck were those two going to deal with that? Haruhiro wondered. By body slamming them, apparently.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Push!¡± Ron shouted.

    No way¡­ is the guy completely insane? The rest of Team Renji and all the other reservists in the area obeyed immediately, throwing their own weight against Renji and Ron. Everyone was shoving with all their might. What the hell¡­ They were going to get crushed to death. And between the orcs and the reservists, Renji and Ron were going to get turned into pancakes, because the orcs were shoving back as hard as they could too.

    Renji and the other reservists were pushing downwards from above, while the orcs were pushing upwards from below. The advantage was obviously on the human side, especially since Renji had taken the initiative to charge in the first place. The orcs were falling like dominos. But what about Renji and Ron?

    There! They were still standing, stomping and kicking orc after orc back down the stairs even as they began their own descent.

    ¡°God damn!¡± Ranta said. ¡°Renji¡¯s awesome!¡±

    Haruhiro admitted that he had to share the sentiment. Renji was incredible. Haruhiro could hardly believe that they had all arrived here at the same time. Haruhiro and his own team couldn¡¯t even compare, and if they tried, it would only make them feel even lousier.

    It kind of gave Haruhiro a certain amount of pride, when he thought about their shared arrival. Anyone would be proud to admit that they came in the same group as Renji. Or maybe not. It was also pathetic in a way. But that Renji¡­ he was amazing. He was so cool. Haruhiro already knew exactly how amazing Renji was, but that didn¡¯t stop him from thinking it again now. Renji was cut from a different cloth. The gap between him and everyone else was so wide, laughing at it was the only thing Haruhiro could do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far ahead!¡± Bri warned from the top of the parapets. ¡°The main army hasn¡¯t broken through yet!¡±

    Suddenly a volley of arrows flew at Bri from one of the watchtowers of the main keep. Bri deflected the ones flying at him almost lazily with his sword, without even turning to glance in the direction they were coming from. But while Bri was unharmed, some of the other reservists weren¡¯t so fortunate. Several went to their knees as they got hit.

    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here!¡± Haruhiro said, loud enough for the wide-eyed, slack-jawed members of Choco¡¯s party to hear. ¡°It¡¯s probably safer down the stairwell! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°No need to tell me, idiot!¡±

    Ranta. Always stupid Ranta. He always had to be mouthing back unnecessary shit. In fact, his entire existence was unnecessary. No, no¡­ calm down, let it go¡­ Endurance training, that was what Ranta provided. Horrible, hellish, heinous endurance training.

    The watchtowers were made for defense. There were narrow, slit-like windows cut into them that the orc archers were shooting from. The reservists couldn¡¯t see the orcs, so it was hard to even determine how to time their shots. Just as Haruhiro and the others headed for the stairway, more arrows came at them. The orcs were purposely aiming for anyone who was trying to approach the stairs.

    ¡°Shields!¡± Haruhiro quickly unstrapped his shield form his back and brought it to bear in front of him. However, no one else followed suit. ¡°Guys, where are your shields!?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Yume hesitated. ¡°Yume thought that we wouldn¡¯t need them anymore, so Yume left it below the wall. It was heavy!¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Shihoru admitted.

    ¡°Y-yeah, I did too,¡± Mogzo said.

    ¡°Same,¡± said Ranta.

    ¡°Same here,¡± Mary said as well.

    ¡°Even you, Mary?¡± Haruhiro sighed in exasperation.

    Looking around now, Haruhiro noticed that he was in the minority. Everyone in Choco¡¯s party and almost all the other reservists were no longer carrying shields. Maybe it was because Haruhiro was a hoarder that he had instinctively held onto his. But one shield wasn¡¯t going to help at all¡­ Suddenly an idea came to him.

    ¡°Use the ones the orcs dropped!¡± Haruhiro said.

    The Green Storm Regiment hadn¡¯t made that big of a dent in the orc garrison numbers, but there were a good number of orc bodies scattered around them. Lying with the corpses was their equipment; armor, swords, and shields. The furred shields were of Zesshu Clan make.

    ¡°Gotta take what we can get!¡± Ranta declared as he picked up an orc shield.

    The reservists around them followed suit. Everyone held their shields between their bodies and the watchtower as they ran for the stairwell. Arrows smacked into Haruhiro¡¯s shield one after another, but none hit his person; the shield was doing its job.

    PART 2 of 2

    They made it part of the way down the stairs before they were forced to come to a halt, unable to advance further. In order to get inside the keep, they had to ascend a different set of stairs, the outer stairway, leading to the rooftop. The outer stairway was located in the upper half of the southeast corner of the fortress, meaning that those who came through the main entrance would be forced to circle around the entire fortress before they could reach it. But it also placed the members of the Green Storm Regiment assaulting the eastern wall closest to it.

    Renji and his team were already heading there, but orcs kept pouring out of other places within the fortress. Their sheer numbers almost completely stopped even Team Renji¡¯s advance.

    ¡°So far so good!¡± Bri said as he deflected arrow after arrow with his blade. ¡°Keep it up and the others will eventually arrive!¡±

    Is that really true? Haruhiro wondered.

    ¡°Uh-oh! Here comes trouble!¡± Bri shouted.

    Haruhiro blinked in surprise. A large group of orcs was charging at them from the rear gate in the North. The main army was hitting the southern side while the Wild Eagle Regiment assaulted the western wall, but that left the orcs manning the northern wall completely untouched. Word that the humans had breached the eastern wall must have reached them, and now they had come to reinforce their peers.

    ¡°Shit! Renji¡¯s gonna be caught between!¡± someone shouted.

    ¡°Whoever¡¯s available, attack the reinforcements!¡± Bri¡¯s order came swiftly and Crimson Moon parties responded instantly, rushing to meet the orcs from the northern wall.

    Or at least they attempted to. But moving in the midst of battle wasn¡¯t so easy. Even if they wanted to meet the orc reinforcements coming from the north, the majority of the regiment was sandwiched in the area between the stairway to the wall and the outer stairway to the roof of the keep and couldn¡¯t reposition themselves even if they wanted to.

    ¡°We¡¯re going too!¡± the leader of Choco¡¯s party said, rushing down the last of the stairs from the wall.

    The other members followed, clearly confused, each of them wearing bewildered expressions.

    ¡°No, wait¡ª!¡± Haruhiro shouted.

    He didn¡¯t know whether Choco¡¯s group was too caught up in the excitement or what, but this was way too reckless. There were more than twenty orcs in the group coming from the northern gate. A rookie group like them would never be able to take them. Haruhiro wished that they would use their brains and consider the odds against them. It was too late though, they were already gone.

    ¡°We¡¯re just gonna stand here!?¡± Ranta demanded, tone taunting.

    Haruhiro hesitated for several seconds. Damn it! He couldn¡¯t just let Choco rush to her death.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Haruhiro decided.

    Haruhiro leapt to the ground, and didn¡¯t even have time to recover his balance before he was attacked by the orcs. The orcs¡¯ ferocity was unbelievable. Within seconds, several of the reservists around him had fallen¡ªbeen cut down. Probably dead. The next moment, the orcs had broken through their front lines.

    Two, make that three orcs were headed straight for Choco¡¯s party. The leader and the two Warriors took one orc each, but it was clear they were completely out of their league. The oafish Warrior was on the defense almost immediately while the other Warrior was knocked flat on his behind before he could do much of anything. The leader, too, was being overwhelmed by his opponent and it was only a matter of time before he was finished.

    Their Priest then rushed forward and attempted to strike one of the orcs with his short staff. Haruhiro already knew the attack would be ineffectual. The difference in strength was just too great. Choco and the other girl, the Mage, held tightly onto each other, trying to make themselves appear invisible. What the hell were they thinking!? They might as well be shouting at the orcs to please finish them off first.

    And of course, the orcs didn¡¯t miss the opening. One of them moved to oblige the obvious death wish.

    Haruhiro wanted to help them, but he was too far away.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt pram das!¡±

    Shihoru. She had intervened when Haruhiro couldn¡¯t. A black, seaweed-like shadow elemental shot from the tip of her staff in a spiraling motion. It hit the orc, who was about to turn Choco and her friend into two bloody stains on the ground, right in the face. The elemental then seemed to shrink and started to seep into the orc¡¯s mouth and nose. The effect it had was immediate, as the orc¡¯s expression suddenly turned blank.

    Some spells, such as [PHANTOM SLEEP], were easy to resist if the intended target was alert and wary but [SHADOW COMPLEX] was a little stronger. The orc was also caught completely off guard by Shihoru¡¯s spell, so it was even more effective. [SHADOW COMPLEX] first caused its victim to fall into a state of stupor, then its entire body would begin trembling, and finally, it would lose the ability to think rationally.

    ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡± Ranta leapt in, attacking it before it reached the third stage, the point of his sword aimed at the base of the orc¡¯s throat.

    Haruhiro wanted to be the one to deliver the finishing blow, but Ranta beat him to it. It annoyed him, but he brushed off the irritation. Instead, he maneuvered himself behind the orc who was forcing the oafish Warrior up against the wall, where the Warrior couldn¡¯t retreat any further. He had unburdened himself of the shield earlier. Of course, the line failed to appear for him this time, too.

    These orcs were different from the ones manning the camps outside the fortress. They were equipped with red painted plate mail armor that left no gaps on their backsides and was too thick for his dagger to penetrate. Rather than [BACKSTAB], he moved to put the orc in a full nelson hold, and rather than locking his hands behind the orc¡¯s neck, he thrust his blade into the gap between its helm and breastplate.

    As soon as his dagger had punched completely through the orc¡¯s windpipe and arteries Haruhiro jumped off of it. The oafish Warrior then brought his longsword down hard onto the already staggering orc. The guy was fairly tall and had time to raise his sword high over his head, so his cut had a lot of force behind it. The orc fell, but the Warrior didn¡¯t stop hitting it until he had completely stopped moving.

    ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± he said to Haruhiro, completely winded and gasping for breath.

    Rather than reply, Haruhiro assessed the situation around him. Another orc was going for Choco again.

    ¡°Choco! Behind you!¡± he shouted.

    Choco leapt to the side and the orc¡¯s swing missed her by mere inches. It roared in rage or frustration, turned its sights on Haruhiro, and charged. Haruhiro knew that he couldn¡¯t take any orc head on. It simply wasn¡¯t possible. So he gathered his wits and shored up his defense, concentrating solely on the orc¡¯s movements. It was armed with a single-edged sword; Haruhiro remembered the weapon being called a Gharii.

    Down its blade came, from the upper left side. He deflected it with [SWAT], using his wrist to redirect the blow. The next attack was from the upper right; [SWAT]. [SWAT], [SWAT], [SWAT]. The orc¡¯s attacks were powerful, swift. If he messed up even slightly, the fight would be over. If the orc chose to bide its time, to test Haruhiro¡¯s defenses with uncommitted attacks, then it could force Haruhiro into erring eventually.

    But it was too impatient for that. Good. It raised its sword high, intending to crush through Haruhiro¡¯s defense with its next blow. [SWAT] wouldn¡¯t work this time. The orc was putting too much force behind its attack. Instead of defending against it, Haruhiro purposely stepped into the orc¡¯s attack, twisting his body sideways. Rather than deflecting, he let the orc¡¯s Gharii slide down and off the blunt back of his dagger. It was more of a soft parry than a hard deflection.

    In the same movement, he grabbed hold of the orc¡¯s arm¡ªthe [SWAT] into [ARREST] combo. Master Barbara had put this particular move on him for two straight days and he had practiced the move against her in what was practically true combat for two days. The orc¡¯s arm, however, wouldn¡¯t bend to let him complete the technique. It was too sinewy, too thick. So in a split-second decision, Haruhiro locked its elbow into place, and then swept out its feet from under it.

    The orc reacted instantly. Rather than let Haruhiro take it down, it threw itself into the fall, used the extra momentum to turn it into a roll, then sprang smoothly back onto its feet. In was in that very instant¡ª

    ¡°THANKS!¡±

    Mogzo leapt towards it, his fatal [RAGE CLEAVE] descending from above, aimed for the top of the orc¡¯s head. There was no recovery. The blow split the orc¡¯s helm, and the head under it, clean in half down the center. Holy shit, Mogzo¡­

    ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Choco whispered, staring wide-eyed, hands clasped at her chest. She stared at him in half stupefied state.

    ¡°No prob¡ª¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t get a chance to finish his reply. He quickly grabbed Choco¡¯s arm, dragging her towards him. Another orc was coming. Mogzo stepped in again, intercepting the orc, smooth as butter. Disaster was averted for now, but quite unintentionally, Haruhiro now had Choco completely in his embrace. He quickly let her go, stepping away.

    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± he said.

    ¡°Hiro, don¡¯t apologize,¡± Choco replied. ¡°You just saved me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but¡­¡± Haruhiro started. ¡°Er, maybe afterwards!¡±

    Maybe what afterwards? Haruhiro thought to himself. What was he going to do afterwards? He had no idea but he was too busy to think more about it right now.

    ¡°HAHA!¡± Ranta snickered loudly. ¡°Mogzo¡¯s bagged himself two orcs already! That¡¯s my business partner for you!¡±

    Ranta was using [PROPEL LEAP] unreservedly to keep the attention of one of the orcs on himself. Mogzo was furiously and relentlessly raining blows down on another. Shihoru concentrated on orcs further away, keeping them from approaching with her magic. Mary remained close to Shihoru, guarding her in case any orc went for her. Shihoru was in good hands with Mary.

    Haruhiro cast his gaze on Yume. All they had to do was fight like normal; support Mogzo and Ranta, and attempt to finish enemies off as fast as possible.

    ¡°HARUHIIIIIIRO!¡± Ranta jump backwards using [PROPEL LEAP]. ¡°What¡¯s up with you and that girl!?¡±

    ¡°You really have time to ask me that!?¡± Haruhiro shot back.

    ¡°I got all the time in the¡ªWHOA!¡± Ranta yelped as he was attacked again.

    ¡°Yeah, sure!¡± Haruhiro scoffed.

    ¡°Shut up, stupid Haruhiro!¡± Ranta let out a guttural shout at the orc he was engaged with. ¡°[EXPEL FRENZY]!¡±

    The moment he locked swords with the orc, he attempted to push off and leap away, but he didn¡¯t manage to put much distance between him and his opponent. Meanwhile, Mogzo was suddenly fighting against two orcs at once. When Haruhiro had checked only moments ago, there was only one orc. Yume was attempting to draw the attention of one of the orcs away from him, but that in and of itself was highly problematic. Haruhiro at least had the [SWAT] skill; he was better suited than Yume to take on an orc alone. Glancing in Shihoru¡¯s direction, he saw Mary swing her staff at an approaching orc, trying to get it to back off. The two of them were in trouble, too.

    They were going to be overwhelmed. Don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t panic! He told himself. They weren¡¯t fighting alone. Other Crimson Moon members were here too. They didn¡¯t need to kill the orcs, only hold them off. But with orcs, it wasn¡¯t as simple as it sounded. Haruhiro had his hands full just trying to keep himself calm. Damn, he was terrified.

    Mary and Shihoru. He had to take care of them first. They were the priority. No wait, scratch that. First he had to¡ªa high-pitched battle cry sliced through the air. What the heck? Whose voice was that!? It didn¡¯t belong to any orc, that was for sure. It was human. A woman¡¯s.

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Bri jumped into the air from his position atop the parapets.

    The movements of the orcs from the northern wall slowed visibly. No, not just slowed, they were downright confused. Something was coming from behind them, a chorus of frenzied shouts.

    ¡°Reinforcements are here!¡± Bri blew a kiss in the direction of the new arrivals. ¡°The Wild Eagle Regiment! KAJIKO, I LOVE YOU!!!¡±

 Volume 3 - CH 13

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 13: Our Mistake

    PART 1 of 2

    Things got one-sided after that.

    The orcs from the northern wall were caught between the Green Storm Regiment and the Wild Eagle Regiment and their numbers steadily declined. How long did it take for the reservists to completely wipe out the orcs? Haruhiro didn¡¯t know, but it wasn¡¯t long. One or two minutes at most. The twenty plus orcs probably didn¡¯t even know what hit them before they died. They were the enemy, so Haruhiro didn¡¯t feel too sorry for them, but still¡­ it was a horrendous massacre. He thought he¡¯d gotten used to the stench of blood and corpses, but nothing had prepared him for the overwhelming reek of the scene before him now.

    Kajiko and her Wild Angels rushed past Haruhiro¡¯s party. The white feathers decorating their scarves, helms, hats, and bandanas were splattered with bloodstains.

    ¡°Damn, they look HOT!¡± Ranta exclaimed.

    ¡°Brittany!¡± Kajiko¡¯s angry shout rose above the clamor of battle. ¡°What¡¯s going on at the main gate!?¡±

    Commander Bri, who was still standing atop the ramparts of the eastern wall, shook his head. ¡°They haven¡¯t broken through yet! I can¡¯t see them from here, but it seems like they¡¯re having a tough time!¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll bring down this fortress ourselves!¡± Kajiko raised both arms to rally the reservists. ¡°Listen up, everyone! The army¡¯s got a bounty of a hundred gold on the head of the Guardian, Zorun Zesshu! And fifty gold for the head of the orc shaman Avaael, who¡¯s killed several regular army troops and Crimson Moon reservists!¡±

    ¡°What? A hundred!?¡± someone shouted.

    ¡°Ten thousand silvers!?¡± another cried, incredulous.

    ¡°No way! A hundred gold!?¡± cried another.

    Yet another, ¡°FIFTY gold!?¡±

    ¡°A hundred and fifty GOLD!? Seriously!?¡± shouted someone else.

    When they heard the incredible bounty sums, most of the reservists in both regiments froze in their tracks, as if cold water had been poured on them. And right when everyone was distracted, fresh arrows from the watchtowers assaulted them once more. Several reservists were hit and went down. The oafish warrior in Choco¡¯s party was among them, taking an arrow in the shoulder. Their Priest began to heal him immediately.

    ¡°S-Shields!¡± Haruhiro hurriedly scooped an orc shield off the ground.

    However, the other reservists didn¡¯t care about orc arrows anymore. Their focus was on something completely different now. Reach the outer stair. Get into the keep. Kill the Guardian. Kill the shaman. Fifty gold. One hundred gold. One hundred and fifty gold. Everyone¡¯s thoughts were on nothing but that now. Even Haruhiro found himself lured in by the promise of such a huge bounty. He couldn¡¯t even fathom such a large sum.

    An ear-splitting battle cry in a voice Haruhiro had heard before rose above the noise of battle. It belonged to Ron. ¡°We¡¯re gonna break into the keep first! No one can beat us!¡±

    There had been a deadlock in the battle at the stairway by the eastern wall for a while now, but suddenly the enemy¡¯s hard defensive line collapsed and the reservists broke through. There was no telling the difference between Green Storm and Wild Eagle members; everyone was rushing towards the outer stairs in one large mob. Arrows flew in streams from the slotted watchtower windows, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the reservist tide. Individual reservists disappeared in the torrent, and no one could remain stationary.

    Haruhiro was also picked up and swept along with the flood. He knew nothing except that his companions were still with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the main gate to see what¡¯s going on!¡± Bri shouted. ¡°Kajiko, you¡¯re in command here!¡±

    ¡°The battle will be over by the time you get back!¡± Kajiko shouted back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away!¡± Bri warned. ¡°You¡¯re all big kids now so act like it!¡±

    ¡°Tell that to the useless regular army!¡± said Kajiko. ¡°I¡¯m gonna claim the bounty for myself!¡±

    ¡°Whatever!¡± Bri said with exasperation. ¡°Just try not to bite off more than you can chew!¡±

    Bri disappeared. Haruhiro had no idea where he went-probably towards the main gate. It didn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t care. Bri could go where ever he wanted, Haruhiro was going to the outer stair. Actually, he was already there, but the entire area around the entrance was so jam packed with people he didn¡¯t think there was any way he¡¯d get through.

    Yet he was still moving forward as the people in front steadily ascended the stairway. In fact, they were clambering up the stairs quite swiftly. Before he knew it, Haruhiro was almost on the roof of the keep, too. Whoa! What the hell!? The arrows. There were three watchtowers at the corners of the keep and arrows were being shot at them from all three. It was a cascade of orc arrows. A torrential downpour of the damned things.

    Haruhiro barely managed to get his shield up in time. Several arrows lodged in his shield before he managed to cross the distance to the entrance of the keep. He ditched the shield just as he was shoved inside by the stream of reservists behind him. What about the others? Mogzo? Check. Ranta? Still here. Yume, Shihoru, Mary; check, check, check. He even thought he spotted Choco somewhere.

    The passageway inside the keep was so packed that he had no idea what was going on. Rather than attempt to fight it, he let himself get pushed along with the flow. Quickly through the corridor, down a flight of stairs, from the third floor to the second to the first. The ceiling of the keep towered high above and the floor was spacious. It was like one open room with no walls.

    Stairways were built into the four corners and Haruhiro guessed that the one he was descending now was the one in the southeast. He recalled that the stairways on the first floor were the only way to enter the watchtowers. So he assumed that it was also possible to access the watchtowers from the northwest, southwest, and northeast stairs. There were also four doors on each of the watchtowers¡¯ inner walls, and all of them had been breached.

    Which meant that the inside of the watchtowers had already been searched? On his way through the corridor and down the stairs, Haruhiro recalled stepping on and over several orc corpses. The situation on the ground floor of the keep was completely different, however. It seemed as though there had been some tough fighting going on before Haruhiro arrived. Scattered around were the bodies of more than ten orcs, with a number of reservists mixed in.

    Some reservists were sitting off to the side, getting healed by their companions while others were¡­ not getting healed. Dead, in other words.

    ¡°Ah¡­ now we find out which one holds the jackpot,¡± said Kajiko.

    It seemed that the Wild Angels had taken the northwest watchtower while Team Renji had claimed the southwest one. The other reservists had realized this and were going for the remaining northeast tower.

    ¡°Which one are we going for!?¡± Ranta asked, lifting his helm¡¯s visor and looking at each of the three watchtowers in turn. ¡°My vote¡¯s for the northeast one! We ain¡¯t gonna win against Kajiko and Renji!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Haruhiro said.

    He had to make a decision. So he decided before hesitation could set in and he started considering options too deeply; it was more instinct than cognition.

    ¡°We¡¯ll follow Renji,¡± Haruhiro announced.

    ¡°Are you retarded!?¡± Ranta snapped. ¡°We don¡¯t have any chance of claiming the bounty if we follow them!¡±

    ¡°Does that matter? We never had a chance to begin with!¡± Yume retorted.

    ¡°Idiot girl!¡± Ranta shot back. ¡°Where¡¯s your self-confidence!?¡±

    Shihoru smiled sardonically. ¡°The person who claims that we don¡¯t have a chance if we follow Renji has no right to talk about self-confidence.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Ranta said. ¡°I guess. Whatever! Let¡¯s go steal his kill then!¡±

    Mogzo forced a laugh while Mary glared at Ranta coldly. ¡°Coward.¡±

    Ranta grinned smugly. ¡°Awesome! For a Dread Knight like me, that¡¯s the highest compliment I can get! Wahahaha! O Darkness, O Lord of Corruption¡­ [DARK INVITATION]!¡±

    A blackish, purplish cloud rose from just above the back of Ranta¡¯s head. The cloud began to spin itself into a cyclone and form itself into some kind of shape. It resembled a headless human torso with two holes at the center of the chest area for eyes and a wide slit below for a mouth. A demon summoned through Dread Knight magic.

    {¡°Keeehehehehe! Heeehehehe! Kehekehe! RANTA WILL DIE!}

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s not ¡®DIE RANTA¡¯ for a change? You¡¯re predicting that I¡¯m gonna die now, Zodiak!?¡±

    {Eeeehehe¡­ KILL RANTA¡­}

    ¡°Now you¡¯re saying I¡¯m gonna be murdered!?¡±

    ¡°Zodiak, shake!¡± Yume stuck her hand out to the demon as if it was a dog.

    {DIE HUMAN PIG} Zodiak said even as he obediently reached out to touch Yume¡¯s offered hand.

    ¡°Wow! Good boy, Zodiak! Good boy!¡± Yume said. ¡°It ain¡¯t nice to call Yume a pig though¡­¡±

    {Kehehe¡­ SORRY¡­}

    ¡°Zodiak, what the fuck!?¡± Ranta said. ¡°You¡¯re seriously apologizing?¡±

    Zodiak¡¯s response was to gaze blankly at Ranta. Wow. One-upped by his own minion, thought Haruhiro as he debated what to do about Choco¡¯s party.

    Finally, he settled with telling them, ¡°I know it¡¯s none of my business, but you guys should try not to overdo it!¡±

    He didn¡¯t know whether they would take his advice or not, but it seemed that they weren¡¯t planning to go beyond the first floor for now. Several other parties had stopped here as well. The floor had already been cleared out, so it was safer. Yes, it was better if Choco stayed here.

    In fact, maybe it was better if Haruhiro¡¯s party stayed as well. So why weren¡¯t they? Maybe because they¡¯d already killed an orc. They were no longer virgins and maybe that made everyone feel more confident than usual. Morale was high and everyone wanted to keep a good thing going. Or maybe that wasn¡¯t it at all. At least Haruhiro didn¡¯t think so. But the usual Haruhiro would have at least stopped to consider sitting out the rest of the battle here. So why had his decision come so quickly this time?

    Perhaps he thought that as long as they stayed close to Renji, it wouldn¡¯t be as dangerous? Yes, that was probably part of the reason. Team Renji was strong. As long as they stayed in Renji¡¯s proverbial shadow, there was no danger of getting themselves killed¡­ most likely. But it wasn¡¯t as if Haruhiro intended to cower behind Renji the entire time. They would lend a hand in the fighting if they got a chance. By this point, there ought to be something they could do, however menial.

    Maybe it was strange for Haruhiro to think so, but part of him wanted to help Renji. Even if they couldn¡¯t play a decisive role, it wasn¡¯t like they would be completely useless to have around. At the very least, Haruhiro wanted to be more useful to Renji than any of the other parties around, even if there was a risk of getting in the way and becoming a nuisance.

    If it was only Haruhiro by himself, then he would have been called an idiot and become a laughing stock for having such thoughts. But he wasn¡¯t alone. His companions were with him. Mogzo alone was an incredibly strong Warrior. Ranta pissed him off in every conceivable fashion, but his unique way of using his skills made him a formidable fighter. So what if Yume tended to be airheaded? That¡¯s what let her approach things with such optimism. Shihoru¡¯s personality was unremarkable in every way, but she was far-sighted and cared deeply about her companions. And Mary was always there for them when they needed it.

    Manato¡­ we¡¯re a good team. I¡¯m sorry you aren¡¯t here to see how far we¡¯ve come.

    With this team, together with his companions, Haruhiro wanted to aim higher. There was no need to rush or be impatient, but Haruhiro knew that they had it in them to rise above where they were.

    ¡°Let¡¯s gooooooooo!¡± Ranta charged at the head of their party as they chased after Team Renji.

    Unwilling to compete with Renji, few of the other reservists were going for the southwest watchtower. They ascended the spiral stairs at a run.

    ¡°Yume¡¯s gettin¡¯ kinda dizzy!¡± Yume giggled.

    Haruhiro could hear an incredibly loud clamor coming from above them; the sounds of battle.

    ¡°Jackpot!?¡± Haruhiro wondered.

    Just as they were reaching the top of the stairs, they ran into a group of five reservists huddled together.

    ¡°What¡¯re you guys doing!?¡± Ranta demanded angrily.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t go further even if we wanted to,¡± someone equipped like a Warrior gazed up at them. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous!¡±

    ¡°Fucking idiots! You go in and fight because it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Ranta gave his demon a hard shove forward. ¡°Zodiak! Get in there and tell us what¡¯s going on!¡±

    {I don¡¯t wanna! Don¡¯t wanna, don¡¯t wanna, don¡¯t wanna!! Keeeshishishishiii!}

    ¡°What the hell, Zodaik!? Why!?¡± Ranta yelled.

    Haruhiro clicked his tongue at Ranta. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go take a look! You don¡¯t have to sacrifice poor Zodiak¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Haruhiro! He¡¯s my demon and I¡¯ll do whatever I want with him!¡±

    {W-w-w-who¡¯s yours? Nuh-uh, stupidhead! DIE! Eeehehehe¡­}

    ¡°If I die, then you¡¯ll disappear too! Is that what you want!? HUH!?¡±

    {Eeeehehehe! DIE RANTA DIE! Me wants! Wants, wants, wants! Heheheheeee!}

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    Haruhiro shoved Ranta aside before he could say more. The other Crimson Moon party got out of his way and he poked his head out from the stairwell to take a look.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± he whispered in disbelief. ¡®Dangerous¡¯ didn¡¯t even begin to describe the situation.

    The circular room at the top of the tower had a fairly high ceiling and was more spacious than Haruhiro expected. He counted ten orcs as his eyes swept across the room and at the center of a flurry of activity saw Renji and Ron. It looked like the fight was going in their favor, but the opposite was true for Chibi, Sassa, and Adachi. They were steadily being pushed back against the walls.

    Chibi was spinning her staff around and around furiously, apparently in an attempt to protect Sassa and Adachi. Renji¡¯s party were the only humans in the room, and they had only managed to take one orc down so far. Haruhiro withdrew back into the stairwell.

    ¡°The situation¡¯s not good,¡± he reported. ¡°Renji and Ron are fine but at this rate, Chibi and the others¡­¡±

    They had to get in there and help, but was it feasible? Haruhiro¡¯s team bailing Team Renji out of a situation even Renji couldn¡¯t handle? That had to be some kind of joke. But Renji was in a really bad situation. Five versus ten. Team Renji might have been super human, but even they couldn¡¯t handle those odds. Not against enemies as strong as orcs.

    If Haruhiro¡¯s party went in, they could at least even things out numerically. They would have to help Chibi¡¯s group first. Renji and Ron could hold their own for now. And if Haruhiro¡¯s team could free up Renji¡¯s other party members, then the fighting would become easier for Renji and Ron, too.

    ¡°Mogzo, head up and to the right!¡± Haruhiro ordered. ¡°Protect Chibi¡¯s group! Me and Ranta will be right behind you! Yume, Shihoru, Mary, do what you think is best depending on the situation!¡±

    PART 2 of 2

    Mogzo rushed in with a battle cry.

    ¡°Goddamn it! It¡¯s like babysitting kids!¡± Ranta said as he followed.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try saying that to Renji¡¯s face?¡± Haruhiro shot back.

    ¡°No way! Are you retarded!?¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking! Let¡¯s go!¡± Haruhiro ordered.

    Mogzo, Ranta, and Haruhiro ascended the stairs to the top. Suddenly, the hazy, indistinct line appeared. Haruhiro was already moving by the time his brain registered its appearance. His body followed along the line¡¯s path in something between a walk and a run, as if he was gliding across the surface of the floor.

    Everything went absolutely silent. Time didn¡¯t stop, but everything seemed to move much slower than normal. He was right behind the orc now. [BACKSTAB]. Even though the orc was armored in thick plate mail, Haruhiro¡¯s dagger slipped smoothly through it. He could feel it hit something beneath. A vital point. When Haruhiro pulled the dagger back out, the orc fell over without a sound, dead.

    ¡°What was that¡­?¡± Sassa whispered, expression disbelieving.

    Haruhiro shook his head; he couldn¡¯t explain it properly even if he tried.

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Mogzo sent one of the orcs who were attacking Chibi flying with [RAGE CLEAVE].

    ¡°Oy! Zodiak! Get your ass back here and help me!¡± Ranta demanded.

    {Feehehehehe¡­ Eeeehehehehe¡­ I don¡¯t wanna! Wimp imp! Wimp imp! DIE RANTA¡­}

    ¡°Damn it! There¡¯s not enough space here!¡± Ranta complained.

    Ranta¡¯s fighting style was based on avoiding direct clashes; he ran around until he saw a chance to strike. Oftentimes, it worked out quite nicely because it kept the attention of one enemy entirely on him.

    Yume, Shihoru, and Mary were up the stairs now.

    ¡°Renji!¡± Haruhiro shouted as he used [SWAT] to deflect the blows of another orc, leaving Sassa with the opportunity to go on the offensive.

    He noticed that Team Renji¡¯s Thief was very good with the [SWAT] skill. Haruhiro was above her in terms of raw strength, but Sassa was spry and agile. She moved rhythmically.

    ¡°Chibi and the others are fine!¡± he shouted towards Renji.

    Renji¡¯s gaze shifted towards Haruhiro for a brief moment. He flashed Haruhiro a slight smile. Whoa. Renji¡¯s so cool¡­ He was swinging Ishh Dogrann¡¯s sword with all his might, but with the grace of a ballroom dancer. What kind of Warrior technique was that? Was it a technique at all? He slashed at two orcs and brought both down, one immediately after the other. Ron also took one down using brute force, but Renji was already on his third. He lopped the next one¡¯s head clean off its shoulders.

    ¡°Jeeru mea gram fel kanon!¡± Adachi cast the [BLOOD FREEZE] spell and froze the legs of an approaching orc, but the orc kept coming in spite of it. So he cast another without hesitation, ¡°Jeeru mea gram tera kanon!¡±

    The [ICE COMET] spell. The ice elemental froze the moisture in the air instantly as it sped towards the orc, creating a ball of solid ice that smacked the orc right in the face. It must have been as painful as it looked, because the orc went down to one knee. Sassa was already moving. Just as she passed by the orc, she slammed her dagger down into its neck. Haruhiro didn¡¯t even realize [BACKSTAB] could be used like that. It was a gorgeous Mage-Thief combination. Team Haruhiro, however, had no intention of being outstripped.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das!¡± Shihoru chanted.

    [SHADOW BIND] locked the orc in place. Mary held nothing back as she smashed her staff into it, and Yume followed up with a vicious slash while it was still dazed, sending it reeling backwards. Mogzo¡¯s turn now. Instead of [RAGE CLEAVE], he darted forward, sword extended, and rammed it through the orc¡¯s throat. It was the one-armed attack, [SPEEDING THRUST]. Of course the orc went down and didn¡¯t get back up after that.

    Haruhiro glanced around. The orcs? None. They were all dead.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Ron waved a bloody sword at Haruhiro and the others. ¡°We didn¡¯t need your help!¡±

    ¡°You ungrateful¡ª¡± Ranta began, but one icy look from Ron and he immediately backed down. ¡°S-sorry¡­ never mind.¡±

    ¡°Wimp¡­¡± Mary whispered.

    {Wimp wimp wimp! Keehehehehe¡­ wimp imp! Eeehehe¡­ imp imp imp!}

    ¡°Imps are preferable,¡± Shihoru said.

    Ouch. Not that Haruhiro disagreed.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± came a low, slightly husky voice.

    Damn, even Renji¡¯s voice was cool. Despite that though, a feeling of melancholy hung in the air. Haruhiro never expected to hear the word ¡°thanks¡± from such an awesome voice and to be honest, it touched him deeply. Hiding his inner turmoil under a cloak of calm, Haruhiro shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°I owed you one,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Now we¡¯re even,¡± Renji replied.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±

    Renji then turned to Mogzo and said, ¡°You¡¯re pretty useful.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Mogzo glanced this way and that as if to confirm that Renji was talking to him, before finally pointing to himself. ¡°Me!? N-n-no way¡­ I-I mean, I¡¯m not¡­¡±

    Haruhiro was bothered by Renji¡¯s choice of the word ¡°useful¡± and he wondered if it was really a compliment. However, both Renji and Mogzo were Warriors. A Warrior knew a fellow Warrior best, or so the saying went¡­ or so Haruhiro thought he had heard somewhere before. There was no doubt though, that one Warrior was in the position to best judge another.

    Besides, it was no exaggeration to say that Renji was one of the most reputable members of Crimson Moon at the moment. Of course being acknowledged by Renji in any way whatsoever was a compliment. And Mogzo deserved it. He was the best of Team Haruhiro.

    ¡°Anyways,¡± Adachi pushed his glasses back up his nose. Now that he was calm again, there was a streak of sarcasm in his tone. ¡°Looks like we chose the wrong tower. Mind if we sit out the rest of the battle here, Renji?¡±

    Renji didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he merely turned and headed down the stairway again. A shout suddenly echoed through the tower.

    ¡°What the¡ª!? Ground level!¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t know whose voice it was, but it was nobody from their parties.

    Haruhiro tilted his head to the side. ¡°Ground level?¡±

    Renji took off at a run.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡± Ranta slapped Haruhiro on the back. ¡°We¡¯re going too!¡±

    What was going on? Haruhiro felt his heartbeat suddenly quicken. Strange. It was beating fast and hard. Ground level¡­ What about it? He and the others flew down the spiral stairs. Down and down and down. His ears felt stuffy, all sound was muted. Weird. What was going on? Why did his senses feel so dull all of a sudden? He didn¡¯t know. Reason? Cause? The more he didn¡¯t understand the more it confused him.

    He felt shaky on his feet. Down they kept going, one floor after another. Finally, he reached the ground floor.

    They were dead. The reservists. So many dead bodies. Crimson Moon bodies. The floor was littered with corpses. Orcs were present too. But why? The area was cleared earlier so where had the orcs come from? And not just one or two, but a large group. Among them was one bigger than the rest. It was armored in bright, flashy scarlet plate mail from head to toe. Hair dyed black and yellow spilled from underneath its helm. It had one sword in each hand.

    It looked strong. Dangerously and deathly strong. Strong enough to dual-wield swords like they were made of tinfoil. Zoran Zesshu. There was no doubt about it. The orc matched Bri¡¯s description perfectly. Zoran, the chief of the Zesshu Clan, whose head was worth a hundred gold. The Guardian of the fortress.

    Zoran swung his swords with monstrous strength at the leader of Choco¡¯s party. It seemed like he was attempting to block Zoran¡¯s attack with his own sword, but he couldn¡¯t even get his weapon up in time. Haruhiro thought that he heard the guy gasp in surprise just as Zoran brought both blades down on him. The next moment, his head was separated from his shoulders.

    It was an effortless final blow. What the hell¡­ What about the others in the party? The other Warrior, the Priest, the short-haired Mage? They were nowhere to be found. Then, Haruhiro spotted them. They were all on the ground in a bloody heap, dead. Their third Warrior, the oafish looking one, was still on his feet, fighting a different orc who had him almost backed against the wall. Next to him was Choco. The Warrior was trying to protect her.

    From the looks of it though, he was going to be overwhelmed. Choco was going to be left wide open in a few more seconds. The orc was strong. Stronger than any of the ones they had fought so far. Even their weapons and armor were different. The difference was so vast, it made the equipment the other orcs used look like toys. They must have been the Guardian¡¯s personal entourage. There were also a few orcs with Zoran who weren¡¯t wearing any armor. At their belts hung large, flask-like objects. They must have been the mages¡ªshamans.

    Team Renji was already charging in. The orcs, however, numbered more than ten; there were probably closer to twenty. The ground level was also large and spacious. Illogically spacious.

    What was happening with the oafish Warrior and Choco? The Warrior had locked blades with his orc opponent, but the next moment, he was down on ground after the orc kneed him hard in the stomach. Shit. This was bad. Really bad. Shit, shit, shit. Choco grasped her dagger in both hands and raised it in a guard position, tip pointed at the orc. Her hands trembled and her body was teetering backwards. At this rate, she would be finished.

    ¡°CHOCO!¡± Haruhiro yelled, rushing towards her.

    Haruhiro thought that she turned to look at him in that moment. Or started to, at least. But the orc brought his sword hard and fast down into Choco¡¯s shoulder, burying the blade deep. He then drew it back out, kicked her off it and turned towards Haruhiro.

    ¡°No!¡±

    Once, twice, three times the orc¡¯s sword came slashing at him. All he could think about was Choco. No way. Choco¡­ Why? Why did this happen? No¡­ Haruhiro held his head in his hands. He could hear himself saying something, but he didn¡¯t know what it was. He didn¡¯t know what anything was anymore.

 Volume 3 - CH 14

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 14: Words Unspoken, Left Unsaid

    The vending machine was one, maybe two minutes from his house. A little further up the road was a convenience store, but if he went there he would probably bump into someone he knew no matter what time it was. He didn¡¯t like that, so he took shelter in the refuge area¡ªnot that it was for refugees or anything¡ªnext to the vending machine.

    It wasn¡¯t like he often wanted to run away, to get away or anything, but maybe once in a while, when he did sort of feel like getting away, or when he simply had to get away, he would leave his house and make his way to the vending machine and kill time for a while. He probably got into this habit around the time he was in elementary school. Maybe fifth grade? Probably.

    At home, he shared a room with his older brother so it wasn¡¯t like he could get any privacy in there when he wanted to be alone. Whenever he tried to get his brother out of the room when he did want to be alone, his brother would always tell him to quit complaining and maybe threaten to kick him or something. But that didn¡¯t change what Haruhiro wanted.

    So he started to retreat to that vending machine. Sometimes he would buy a drink, sometimes he wouldn¡¯t. Sometimes he¡¯d drink the drink, sometimes he wouldn¡¯t. He¡¯d space out for a while and go home when he felt like going home.

    The pattern repeated itself for a while until one summer day when he was in sixth grade. He was taking shelter next to the vending machine as usual when someone else came. He considered hiding but there was nowhere to hide, and then he considered pretending not to know them, but he did because she lived in the same neighborhood. Choco.

    Choco always wore her hair in a short bob cut that made her look like a Japanese kappa creature. He had known her since she was small, and he couldn¡¯t remember a single time her hair wasn¡¯t cut like that. In fact, whenever he thought of the word ¡°kappa¡± Choco would immediately come to mind.

    She wasn¡¯t exactly the open, friendly type, and even now Haruhiro had no idea what to think of her. Even at school, she was slightly distant and aloof. Well, just a little bit because it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t have any friends. However, rather than having any close friends, she was the sort that was merely included in a group.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t understand why, but he had been interested in her since he was in preschool. Maybe because she was¡­ different from all the other kids. Actually, it wasn¡¯t really a conscious thing on his part, it was a sort of subconscious interest that bordered on being a real liking of her.

    Ever since he was born, Choco was the first girl he had ever liked and his feelings hadn¡¯t changed since. They were in preschool together and were in the same class several times in elementary school, too. They lived closed to each other and often talked about this and that. Haruhiro supposed that would make them close friends, but he never said anything about his like of her.

    Not that he dared to, anyway.

    When they were both in third grade, there was a rumor circulating that Choco liked a boy named Kawabe. One day, when Haruhiro and Choco were walking home together, he asked her offhandedly if the rumor was really true and after thinking about it in silence for a couple of moments, she told him yes.

    Traumatized didn¡¯t even begin to describe Haruhiro¡¯s feelings then. Kawabe was a slender kid who didn¡¯t exactly excel at sports, but he was learning the piano and seemed like he came from a refined household. And apparently, he was the type that Choco was into.

    Really. Really now. Was she really serious? No way¡­

    Kawabe was the polar opposite of Haruhiro, possessing all the qualities that Haruhiro lacked, but he and Haruhiro were friendly enough that they played together from time to time. Kawabe was a decent guy who didn¡¯t have anything unlikeable about him and placed pretty highly amongst Haruhiro¡¯s friend ranking list. In fact, Haruhiro rather liked him.

    So Choco likes him. Oh. Kawabe¡¯s a good guy. Right. I need to help her out even if I don¡¯t know how. Yeah.

    Or so Haruhiro thought and began to take steps towards it. Did Choco want him to deliver a note to Kawabe? Kawabe¡¯s family was pretty strict so he didn¡¯t have a cell phone, but if Choco wrote him a note Haruhiro was sure Kawabe would read it. He would probably even write a response back to her because he was a nice guy like that.

    Haruhiro asked Choco if she wanted to do that, but she declined, telling him that it was fine and that she didn¡¯t intend to do anything of the sort. When Haruhiro responded noncommittally, she went on to say that it was a casual kind of like.

    A casual kind of like¡­? Well, it wasn¡¯t like Haruhiro didn¡¯t try. He did. Stuff like attempting to get Choco and Kawabe to talk to each other, setting things up so that they would be alone, etc. When he thought about it now, it all seemed rather silly, but it was serious business back then. Kawabe was a good guy and Choco¡­ well, Haruhiro liked her.

    At any rate, it was that summer day in sixth grade when Choco came to the vending machine. Haruhiro asked her what she was doing, but she told him not much, nothing, I¡¯m just here. Then she went on to say that it was hot so she wanted a soda but there were no sodas in the fridge at home, so here she was at the vending machine. They talked for maybe another ten or fifteen minutes after that and from that day on, they would bump into each other at the vending machine now and then.

    Choco favored carbonated drinks, but during the winter she would buy canned corn soup. When she drank soda, she would make comments like, ¡°Ow, my throat hurts,¡± and when she drank the corn soup, she would yelp, ¡°Wah, hot¡± and blow on the contents to cool it down. Yes, this was the Choco he liked. However, it wasn¡¯t some sort of desperate, intense like¡­ more of a natural, mellow, matter-of-course like. Yes, he liked those things about her and that continued for a long, long time.

    For her part, Choco was the type who was naturally attracted to boys. It didn¡¯t show on the surface, but she had a history of casually saying how nice X or Y boy was and for the time being, thought of no one else but that person. She would only realize that she liked the person after she admitted to herself that she actually liked him, so it was almost like her fondness for the person grew more as she thought about how much she liked him.

    Haruhiro would ask if she wanted to go out with the person, and Choco would reply by saying that she didn¡¯t not want to go out with him, but she didn¡¯t really like him that much. No, not that much¡­

    And it wasn¡¯t as if Haruhiro didn¡¯t not want to go out with her, if he could, but Choco was always in love with some other guy and Haruhiro found himself unconsciously asking her about who she currently liked. Even if he wasn¡¯t truly interested in knowing, she always answered him earnestly, which made him put effort into attempting to hook the two of them up or at least help them to get to know each other better, even though he never really intended to. Choco, of course, never asked him to; Haruhiro did it all on his own.

    He often wondered why he did such things and couldn¡¯t find an answer. Probably because he was an idiot, he thought on more than one occasion.

    Choco was always impassive and expressionless, but when she talked about the boys she liked, she all of a sudden became animated and lively. At the end of their conversations, her cheeks would be a little rosy, making Haruhiro believe that she enjoyed such conversations, which made him happy in turn. They had been friends for such a long time, but even so, he was always trying to think of ways to make her happy. He didn¡¯t even understand why himself.

    Choco was a real mystery. She didn¡¯t like to read books, never listened to music, didn¡¯t watch TV, and even if she picked up a hobby now and then, she would soon lose interest and drop it. When he asked her if there was anything she absolutely loved doing, she answered him swiftly with, no, nothing. Haruhiro couldn¡¯t find anything that pleased her, which made him want to try more so that he could see her smile, but nothing he said or did ever worked.

    That night, he was squatting next to the vending machine again, staring out into space when Choco came. He had a feeling that Choco would come¡­ but all the times he had feelings like that in the past, she never did. Tonight though, she did, and he thought to himself, YES! It made him want to do a victory pose right there and then but he resisted the urge, forcing himself to calm down.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he greeted casually.

    Choco waved a hand at him. ¡°Hey.¡±

    Her wave and return greeting was adorable and he was reminded once more of why he liked her. Currently though, Choco¡¯s crush of the week was one of her classmates, a boy with a rare name, Hidemasa. Hidemasa was also a decent guy and good looking too, which made Haruhiro wonder if Choco went for the attractive ones.

    Hidemasa wasn¡¯t super popular with girls, but from a guy¡¯s perspective, he was one of those people you had to admit was cool even if you didn¡¯t want to, so it made him wonder why girls couldn¡¯t see that in him, too. No, actually there were always one, two, a couple girls secretly in love with him. Choco was right to like a person like that. And Haruhiro couldn¡¯t blame her.

    In fact, he supported her and wished her well. There was no way Haruhiro could win against competition like Hidemasa, after all. And in the long term, it seemed that Choco would be happy with a guy like him.

    Choco bought a soda. Some sort of fruity soda. She pulled back the pull-top to pop the can open and took a sip. Then her face scrunched up as a small sigh escaped her lips.

    ¡°Ow. My throat hurts,¡± said Choco.

    ¡°Does it?¡± asked Haruhiro.

    ¡°Yeah, it does.¡±

    ¡°If it hurts, why do you drink it then?¡±

    ¡°Because I feel like it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I heard soda isn¡¯t really healthy,¡± Choco said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Haruhiro confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s why sports stars don¡¯t drink it. Soda.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t play sports.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s okay to drink soda.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t drink it that often,¡± remarked Choco.

    ¡°I see you drinking it all the time,¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°Only when I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Then Choco went on to tell him in a bored tone about how she went to karaoke with Hidemasa recently. It seemed as if karaoke didn¡¯t interest her. Haruhiro also made it seem like he was equally disinterested as he listened but he was actually paying close attention as Choco talked about the songs Hidemasa chose. They were all songs from popular artists, so everyone knew the melodies and got really into it.

    Apparently that was the type of person Hidemasa was, Choco said. And when Choco got tired after a little while into the karaoke session, Hidemasa approached her to ask if she was okay. That Hidemasa¡­ he was a really cool guy.

    ¡°You see,¡± Choco suddenly said. ¡°I¡¯m not really good with paying attention to how other people feel, so I think guys who can do that are great.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s like looking for things you lack yourself in others?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°Hiro, you also think that I¡¯m insensitive?¡±

    ¡°I never said that. It¡¯s not like you go out of your way to make people feel uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t,¡± Choco agreed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you do.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t either, Hiro.¡±

    ¡°Really? You think I¡¯m a sensitive person?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°To me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Hiro, you don¡¯t have anyone?¡± Choco abruptly inquired.

    ¡°Anyone what?¡±

    ¡°That you like. You know, a girl.¡±

    Haruhiro had no idea how to respond and as he thought about it, his heart drummed hard in his chest. Even as he thought this was this big chance to tell her, a part of him was telling himself, Chance? What chance? This isn¡¯t a chance at all!

    He thought he liked Choco, but what if he was wrong? He wasn¡¯t wrong, but he was. He didn¡¯t know how to put it. Or maybe what he felt went beyond a simple like. Maybe it surpassed the notion of like. It was almost as if what he liked or didn¡¯t like hardly mattered anymore, as long as Choco was happy. He felt like an idiot for thinking that, but that¡¯s the way he truly felt¡­ or so he thought. Maybe.

    It was because of the distance that they had always kept between them that he could talk to her the way they were talking now. Once she had a boyfriend, maybe these chats would come to an end too. Well, he¡¯d cross that bridge when he got to it. It was an unrelated matter, anyways. Painful as it was, Haruhiro had always watched on the sidelines as Choco fell for other boys. He was used to it.

    But, yes, he liked her.

    ¡°Nope, no one. If there was, I¡¯d tell you,¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really care anyways,¡± Choco replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s mean. I always listen to stories about your crushes.¡±

    ¡°Dork,¡± she whispered inaudibly.[1]

    ¡°Huh? Did you say something?¡± asked Haruhiro.

    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± said Choco.

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear you¡­¡±

    Haruhiro had no idea what that was all about, but suspected that Choco had noticed. There was no doubt she realized that he liked her. She must have realized. Maybe. Did she really? Suddenly, she crouched down next to him. Her shoulder was so close, it almost touched his. Her gaze was fixed on the ground in front of her.

    ¡°If you ever get a crush on someone,¡± Choco started.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me, okay?¡±

    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t interested.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but tell me anyway.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡±

    Choco turned to look at him now, the corners of her lips curved up in a tiny smile while her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

    ¡°Hiro, you wouldn¡¯t lie, right?¡± Choco asked.

    ¡°I might, depending on the situation,¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°But probably not to you, Choco.¡±

    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Yet he was lying to her at that very moment. And she probably knew it. Because Choco, I¡¯ve always loved you. I¡¯ve loved you and only you for a long, long time. Not that he could tell her. Not that he would ever be able to tell her¡­

    [1]Note: This was previously translated to ¡°chowderhead¡± but after some internal debate, it was changed to ¡°dork¡±. All previous usages will also be updated in the near future. We apologize for any confusion.

 Volume 3 - CH 15

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 15: Line Between Life and Death

    Haruhiro remembered it all¡­ or he had a feeling he did. He suddenly recalled many things¡­ or he thought he did. But the memory left as fast as it returned. There was no doubt he had been able to grasp the memory for a moment, but it was out of reach again. A second ago, he had recalled everything. Or what he thought was everything, since he couldn¡¯t be sure. But he couldn¡¯t remember anything now.

    Why couldn¡¯t he be sure? Why didn¡¯t he know? He had known a few moments ago. That feeling was the only thing that remained. Deep within himself, something remained. A feeling that something had once been there but was now gone, as if whatever it was had been pried clean off and left a hole where it had once been. If he were to inspect the hollowness, he could somehow make a guess at what it used to contain.

    Choco.

    The return of his memories of Choco, forgotten once more. He had a feeling that the memories had something to do with Choco. Haruhiro probably knew her. They were acquaintances, maybe even friends. But that was all he knew. He couldn¡¯t remember anything else about her. Nothing was left, not even the tiniest clues that could have hinted to what their relationship was.

    ¡°Haruhiro!¡± Ranta shook him hard. ¡°Hey! Quit spacing out at a time like this!¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Haruhiro croaked. He wasn¡¯t? Really? No, Ranta was right. He had spaced out.

    The Guardian Zoran Zesshu, his honor guard, and the orc shamans had descended upon the first floor of the keep and begun a massacre. Nearly all the reservists who had been there were dead. Choco. Yes, Choco too. She was dead and so was her party. They were all dead. The leader, the Warrior, their Priest, the girl with the short hair, and Choco herself. What about the oafish Warrior? He was sprawled next to a wall and at least wounded, if not dead. Probably heavily wounded. They had all been killed by the orcs.

    Choco had been killed.

    Her death had taken Haruhiro by surprise and he was completely shocked by the turn of events, but he wasn¡¯t as sorrowful, outraged, or pained as he perhaps should have been. It was more of an intense dissatisfaction at the way things turned out. Was it really okay that things turned out like this? He thought to himself. He felt a sort of deep consternation at it. After all, they were both Crimson Moon reservists and she was his junior in the organization. They talked on occasion and¡­ maybe they had known each other before they came to this world. And now she was dead.

    Haruhiro felt something was intrinsically wrong with his reaction to her death. He should have felt more¡­ more¡­ well, more than what he felt now. But he didn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t a natural reaction. It was terrible for him not to feel anything more at her death. Yet he didn¡¯t know why it was terrible. They might have known each other, but he had no idea what kind of relationship it had been. Maybe they had been mere acquaintances and talked once or something and that was it.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about it. Ranta was right; their current situation needed his immediate attention. The remaining reservists, Team Renji included, were fiercely battling Zoran as a group, yet even Renji himself couldn¡¯t gain an upper hand over the orc leader.

    No, never mind gaining an advantage; Renji was barely able to ward off Zoran¡¯s powerful attacks in the first place. Renji was blocking and dodging desperately, unable to counterattack. And he was covered in blood. It wasn¡¯t a fatal injury, but he had taken a blow to the head and was bleeding profusely.

    Ron let out a loud battle cry, intending to join the fight, but Renji shouted, ¡°Stay away! You¡¯ll only get in the way! Stay back!¡±

    It probably wasn¡¯t about having a manly duel one-on-one with his opponent for the sake of pride, Haruhiro realized. It was simply too dangerous for anyone else to approach. Zoran¡¯s reach, the raw strength in his arms, his broad shoulders, and powerfully built chest¡­ even his movements were far superior to Ishh Dogrann, the last orc Haruhiro witnessed Renji fight when Altana had been invaded.

    One hit. That¡¯s all it would take. A single hit from Zoran would mean instant death.

    Even members of Zoran¡¯s honor guard were careful to keep a generous distance away from Zoran, as if they feared accidently getting caught by a stray attack. So it was Renji and Zoran fighting one-on-one while the other reservists, including the rest of Team Renji, took on the other orcs and the orc shamans. And they were losing. The reservists were being overwhelmed.

    Ron locked blades with his orc opponent, but it was obvious to Haruhiro that he was having a tough time. Chibi, Sassa, and Adachi had been forced to retreat until their backs were nearly against a wall. Haruhiro wondered how many of the reservists remaining could hold their own against the orcs. Probably not many. Even now they were fighting a losing battle and the tide didn¡¯t look like it was going to change.

    ¡°A shaman!¡± Shihoru cried.

    One of the orc shamans was approaching the spot beneath a stairwell where Haruhiro and his group were huddled. Mogzo leapt out first to meet the shaman head on. The shaman halted then lifted up the large flask-like object hanging off its belt high. It pulled out the stopper and things started swarming out. Insects. A massive horde of them.

    ¡°What¡ª!?¡± Mogzo gasped.

    The insect swarm went straight for his face. Mogzo was wearing a helm, but the bugs were small and poured in from the gaps. Mogzo let out an agonized shriek and looked as if he was about to go down. Shit! Without Mogzo they were in trouble.

    ¡°Mogzo! Stay on your feet!¡± Haruhiro exclaimed. ¡°You can¡¯t go down! You can¡¯t stop!¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAAGH!¡± Mogzo shouted, staggering about and swinging his sword wildly around.

    ¡°God damn it!¡± Ranta jumped out from the stairwell and rushed towards the shaman. Midway there however, his entire body suddenly went rigid and he stopped moving. Ranta let out an ululating howl but couldn¡¯t do anything more.

    ¡°What the¡ª!?¡± exclaimed Haruhiro.

    It had to be the orc shaman. It had sicced its insects on Mogzo and now had its palm raised towards Ranta.

    ¡°Is that what Bri meant by psionic abilities!?¡± Haruhiro wondered.

    Yume pulled out her bow and shot an arrow at the shaman. When it jumped to the side to avoid getting hit, Ranta was free to move again. But while that was a good thing, Yume¡¯s arrow also narrowly missed Ron¡¯s face after it flew past the shaman.

    ¡°What the hell!?¡± Ron yelped.

    ¡°S-sorry!¡± apologized Yume.

    ¡°Yume, you can¡¯t use a bow in here!¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°The fighting¡¯s too chaotic!¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Yume thought about it for a second, then. ¡°Okay, got it!¡±

    ¡°Oom rel eckt pram das!¡± Shihoru fired the [SHADOW COMPLEX] spell from her staff. The elemental flew in a tight spiral towards the shaman, hit it in the face and started seeping into it through its nose and mouth.

    Was it enough? The shaman swayed on its feet for a second, then shook its head vigorously but that was it.

    ¡°It resisted the spell!¡± Shihoru said between clenched teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill it then!¡± shouted Ranta. ¡°[HATRED¡¯S CUT]!¡±

    Ranta¡¯s movements were swift but the shaman had anticipated the attack. It sprang backwards effortlessly and, at the same time, Orc A from Zoran¡¯s honor guard stepped forward to take its place. Orc A blocked Ranta¡¯s attack with its own sword in a resounding clang of steel. They almost locked blades before Ranta yelped and leapt back, trying to put distance between them with [EXPEL FRENZY]. Orc A chased without hesitation, not intending to let Ranta get out of range. It attacked immediately and crushed Ranta¡¯s guard.

    Shit! Ranta was in huge trouble now. They had to back him up or he was finished. But can I actually do it? Haruhiro whispered to himself. He had no choice but to try. Just as Haruhiro made to join the fight, another orc emerged and cut him off. Orc B was also an honor guard member and the air of intimidation surrounding it was incredible. Haruhiro broke into a cold sweat. Do I really have to do this? A part of him wondered. Seriously?

    Orc B attacked in rapid succession while Haruhiro deflected with [SWAT]. The orc¡¯s attacks were so powerful, Haruhiro¡¯s head spun and his arm went numb. He was terrified. Scared witless. No way¡­ there was no way he could fight this orc. It was too strong. He was going to die.

    ¡°[SMASH]!¡±

    Mary¡¯s attack was impeccably timed, but ultimately unsuccessful. The orc immediately brought up its shield to block. It turned its head towards Mary while keeping its body facing Haruhiro. Maybe Mary hadn¡¯t completely failed after all. Now! Haruhiro threw himself at the orc. Perhaps Orc B intended to whack Haruhiro with its shield, but Haruhiro sidestepped it and, imitating what Sassa had done earlier, raised his dagger and aimed for the orc¡¯s neck.

    He was close. So close. He gasped as a swarm of insects assaulted him before he could carry out his attack. He shut his mouth and eyes tight and dropped low to the ground. What the hell!? Bugs¡­ bugs everywhere. Bugs, bugs, bugs. Where were they coming from? When did the shaman attack? Bugs. Bugs all over him¡­

    ¡°Haru, get back!¡± Mary yelled.

    As much as he wanted to retreat, he had no idea which direction to go. They were in his mouth now. The insects. It made him reflexively want to spit, but if he opened his mouth, more insects would pour in. He couldn¡¯t open his eyes either. What was happening? He had no idea anymore. Shit. He was in deep shit. He was going to die. Even now, Orc B was probably moving to finish him off. In another moment, he would be cut down. Dead.

    ¡°Over here, Haru!¡±

    Yume¡¯s voice. She grabbed his wrist, pulling him away somewhere. Water, was the first thought that came to his head. Water. He fumbled for his canteen, opened it and poured its contents over his face then rinsed out his mouth, spitting bugs out. He could see again. He could breathe without inhaling insects.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay now!¡± he told Yume. He wasn¡¯t okay though. Nothing was okay. Everything was going to hell.

    Ranta was being overwhelmed by Orc A. He could go down at any moment. Despite having been assaulted by insects, Mogzo had somehow managed to draw Orc B¡¯s attention away from Haruhiro. Mary was attempting to defend Shihoru from Orc C¡¯s attacks and probably couldn¡¯t keep it up for much longer. He had to do something.

    Team Renji was also struggling. Renji was in a constant state of retreat, trying to fend off Zoran¡¯s attacks. The other four members of his party were grouped close, fighting defensively and trying their best to cover each other. Were any of the other reservists still alive?

    Annihilated.

    That was the only word that came to Haruhiro¡¯s mind. The others had been completely and utterly annihilated. No way. This had to be some sort of joke¡­

    ¡°Yume, help Mary!¡± Haruhiro ordered while moving to help Ranta himself.

    The problem was, how was he going to help? He couldn¡¯t get in position behind Orc A without exposing his own back to another orc. He suddenly spotted a sword lying on the ground. He didn¡¯t know whose it was and didn¡¯t care. He scooped it up and hurled it at Orc A in desperation. Orc A blocked it easily with its shield, but did stagger backwards a little. That gave Ranta a moment¡¯s reprieve.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Ranta yelled. ¡°This is bullshit! Seriously, what the fuck!¡±

    ¡°What happened to Zodiak!?¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°Gone! Taken out in one hit!¡± Ranta replied. ¡°Stupid weak ass demon! [ANGER THRUST]!¡±

    Haruhiro had to give Ranta credit for having the guts to take the offensive again in these circumstances. Orc A was prepared, however, and knocked Ranta¡¯s longsword aside with ease. Its counterattack caught Ranta on the head.

    ¡°ARGH!¡± Ranta yelled wordlessly as he reeled from the blow.

    He was wearing a helm, but a hit like that to the head was still devastating.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Haruhiro tackled Orc A with no regard for his own safety¡ªor rather, made it seem like he was going to tackle it.

    The orc took the bait and turned its full attention to Haruhiro now. It attacked, and Haruhiro deflected with [SWAT], [SWAT], [SWAT].

    ¡°Get up, Ranta!¡± shouted Haruhiro.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me!¡± Ranta yelled back. ¡°[HUNDRED CUTS OF REPENTANCE]!¡±

    Was that even a legit skill? Ranta was making shit up again. He rained a flurry of blows in rapid succession on Orc A, all of which the orc blocked. But at least the orc was on the defensive now. Now was the time to press the attack. Even if it was in desperation, even if it was only a single orc, they had to decrease the number of enemies.

    Haruhiro had to get into position behind Orc A to [BACKSTAB]. He would finish it in one blow. He had to. And in the moment he made up his mind¡­ Yume¡¯s sudden cry rang in his ears. She had been sent flying head over heels by Orc C. A wide strip of red blood ran from her shoulder down the front of her chest. Orc C began to stalk after Yume to finish her off, but Mary stepped into its path.

    She spun her staff around in a wide arc at the orc, but it deftly caught the attack on its shield and shoved her aside.

    ¡°No!¡± Haruhiro rushed towards Orc C, but he wasn¡¯t going to make it.

    Yume, however, hadn¡¯t given up yet. She pulled out a throwing knife and, gasping ¡°[STAR PIERCE]!¡± lobbed it at the orc. Orc C stepped to the side and the knife flew harmlessly past, but it bought them another brief moment. Thanks to that, Haruhiro got there in time. At this point, he couldn¡¯t care less about his own safety anymore. He was going to full body tackle the orc and whatever happened to him next would happen.

    That was his intention, but something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Something to his left. Haruhiro didn¡¯t mean to look, but was glad that he did. An orc shaman was taking a deep breath and preparing to exhale. What was it doing? It opened its mouth and¡­ Fire!

    Haruhiro threw himself to the ground and narrowly avoided getting enveloped by the stream of fire that erupted from the shaman¡¯s mouth. Hot! Hot, hot, hot! His cloak had caught fire. But he didn¡¯t care about that, he had to get to Yume.

    But it was over. Orc C was standing over her, mid-swing in the finishing blow. Yume was done for. Dead.

    Or not. It wasn¡¯t over yet. They had Mogzo. By some fortuitous providence of chance, Team Haruhiro had Mogzo. Mogzo slammed his body into Orc C and sent it sprawling back and away from Yume. But the orc shaman came again. It spit out another stream of white-hot fire that seemed to swallow Mogzo whole. Mogzo never stopped however. He swung his sword around with terrifying determination and the shaman, cowed by Mogzo¡¯s force of will, quickly scrambled away.

    ¡°Fall back!¡± Haruhiro shouted, realizing that it was the only thing they could do now. ¡°Retreat!¡±

    This wasn¡¯t a battle they could win. If they tried to fight, they would all die. If they kept trying to fight, the entire team would be wiped out. It wasn¡¯t his own unwillingness to die. He was less afraid of death for himself than he was of his companions dying. He didn¡¯t want the others to die here. He refused to let them die here.

    ¡°To the watchtower! Fall back for now!¡± he said again.

    But would they be able to retreat successfully?

 Volume 3 - CH 16

    LEVEL 3: Even the Best Laid Plans go Awry, but Such is This World

    Chapter 16: Last Stand

    We recommend not reading any reader¡¯s comments here until you¡¯re done, unless you like spoilers.

    PART 1 of 3

    Long answer short, yes, they got out.

    Haruhiro remembered ripping off his burning cloak, hurling it at a nearby orc, dragging Yume to her feet and forcing her to run. After that, he was so preoccupied with getting away that everything was a blur of events he couldn¡¯t recall with any clarity.

    They eventually ducked into one of the stairwells leading up to a watchtower. Another party had hidden themselves there without any intention of joining the fight on the ground floor. Haruhiro didn¡¯t recall whether they switched places or chased the other party out, but that¡¯s where Team Haruhiro stopped now to catch their breath.

    Mary had healed the critically injured Yume right away and was now working on Mogzo. His armor and helm were still intact, but he had taken the brunt of an orc shaman¡¯s fire blast and was badly burned. Was he okay? Haruhiro didn¡¯t think so.

    ¡°Thank you, Mogzo,¡± Yume went to sit down beside the Warrior. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t come, Yume would¡¯ve been killed.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uhh¡­¡± Mogzo hesitated. ¡°We¡¯re friends, right? We look out for each other.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yume replied. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Ranta sat on the stairs, knees drawn up to his chest, uncharacteristically silent. Neither Mary nor Shihoru said a word either. Even Haruhiro didn¡¯t feel like talking. Shit. The silence was suffocating. It was a miracle that everyone was still alive. If anyone had made even a single mistake¡ªno. They had made lots of mistakes already. It wasn¡¯t about messing up or doing everything perfectly, in the end it came down to sheer, dumb luck.

    If they had been unlucky, one of them would¡¯ve died. And if one person had gone down, then a second or third person would¡¯ve followed and then the entire team would¡¯ve been gone in the blink of an eye. It was pure luck; fortune was the only thing that had saved them.

    Was retreating the right call? If one of them had been cut down as they withdrew, then the majority of them, if not the entire team would have followed. The only reason it didn¡¯t happen that way was because their luck had held. Haruhiro was glad that it worked out, but he also knew that it wasn¡¯t due to some brilliant decision he made in the heat of the moment. It was because they had gotten lucky.

    ¡°What now?¡± Ranta whispered.

    Good question, Haruhiro thought. What were they going to do now? Going back in was out of the question. They were too outmatched; it wasn¡¯t a fight they could win. If even Team Renji was struggling, then it was impossible for them. And struggling was probably an understatement¡ªTeam Renji looked like they were going to be overwhelmed sooner or later. Maybe they were all dead already.

    Haruhiro looked up. When he saw the gazes of all his companions locked on him, only then did he realize that his eyes had been glued to the floor this entire time. Why was everyone looking at him? Oh yeah¡­ because he was the leader. Everyone looked to him for instructions, for a decision. What were they going to do now?

    Even if that was the question they were all silently asking him, he didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t make a decision and he wished that they would quit trying to shove the responsibility onto him. He didn¡¯t have what it took to be a leader. The responsibility was too heavy a burden to bear. I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t. There was too much death. Everyone was dead and he was afraid. Just quit it. Stop it already. He was terrified that his friends would die too.

    She had already died. Choco. And Haruhiro¡¯s companions would follow. Even Team Renji would die. Just like Choco, everyone would die. He wanted to say to the others, I¡¯m finished, I¡¯m done. I can¡¯t make a decision, so quit looking at me. He didn¡¯t want to be the leader anymore. He couldn¡¯t do it; he had no idea what to do. He wanted to tell the others to go do whatever they want. Just do whatever the hell you guys feel like. Don¡¯t look at me for answers and don¡¯t expect me to have any. He couldn¡¯t shoulder the weight, he couldn¡¯t lead.

    Let¡¯s just all die. The situation was hopeless and there was nothing left to do but die. That was his decision and if anyone had a problem with it, then they could be the leader instead. They could come up with another idea. They could tell him what to do next.

    But he kept those thoughts to himself. No way he could say something like that out loud because if he did, their party would fall apart. He could imagine it happening in his mind¡¯s eye. He had to keep himself from falling apart for their sake. No, that wasn¡¯t right. He would be lying to himself if he said that he was doing it for the others.

    In the end, it was for his own sake. Even in a desperate situation like this, Haruhiro wanted to keep up appearances, wanted to act cool. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint his companions. He might not be a great leader and maybe he would never become one, but he didn¡¯t want the others to see him as bottom of the barrel pathetic. He didn¡¯t want the others to hate him and he didn¡¯t want them to abandon him. No matter how things ended, Haruhiro wanted to be part of this team until the very end.

    When it really mattered, this was the type of person he turned into? He wasn¡¯t a Manato, but this? No, it was too pitiful. There was a limit to how pathetic he could be. If he said what was really on his mind, it wasn¡¯t merely a matter of coming off as uncool.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to assess the situation,¡± he announced instead. ¡°Stay here.¡±

    Everyone was currently perched a little ways up the stairs. Even from here, they could hear the sounds of pitched battle but no one knew what was really going on. No one wanted to know. That¡¯s why they were hiding here. That¡¯s why no one wanted to leave this spot, Haruhiro included. But doing something was better than enduring the greedy stares of the others demanding answers from him. Maybe it was too harsh to call it ¡°greedy¡± but that¡¯s what it felt like. Their gazes were terrifying. He descended the stairway, reached the ground floor, and poked his head out.

    ¡°Renji¡­¡± he whispered through gritted teeth.

    Team Renji was still fighting doggedly. Ron and Chibi were covered in blood, struggling to defend Sassa and Adachi from the orc onslaught. Renji was still heroically fighting Zoran one on one. Zoran looked mostly uninjured while Renji bore so many wounds that Haruhiro didn¡¯t know how to begin to describe it. Even so, Renji was still on his feet, dodging Zoran¡¯s attacks and moving without pause. Renji was epic. There was no other way to describe it.

    There were maybe five or six other reservists still in the fight, but the orcs had hardly suffered any casualties. How did the situation become this bad?

    Everyone had come down to the first floor through the roof access stairway and then spread out to search the watchtowers. Zoran had not been present then. Had the Guardian and his underlings been hiding somewhere? There were other rooms besides the watchtowers on the ground floor, but all of them had been searched and cleared out. Zoran hadn¡¯t been on the first floor then. Maybe there was a hidden sublevel? Zoran concealed himself down there, biding his time and waited for the reservists to scatter to the watchtowers before coming out. Haruhiro guessed it was something like that, at any rate.

    Zoran¡¯s honor guard consisted of twenty orcs, including three shamans. They were the elites, plainly two or three times stronger than the average orc. Team Renji consisted of five members, there were six¡ªmake that five, other reservists, and six in Haruhiro¡¯s party. The orcs not only outnumbered them, but their fighting ability was probably superior, too. Was this what you called a hopeless situation?

    The party-less reservists would go down first. Then the orcs would eliminate one or two members of Team Renji, and the fight would be hopelessly lost. What about the current situation though?

    In terms of numbers, the sixteen here wasn¡¯t their entire force. Kajiko and her Wild Angels were still searching one of the watchtowers. They were eighteen in number; at least fifteen even if they lost a few. Kajiko herself was a strong fighter. If they joined the fight, the tables would turn in moments. What about Bri? He said that he was going to check the situation at the main gate. The strategy had called for the reservists to act as a distraction while the regular army broke through the main gate and took down the fortress. Maybe it was taking them longer than anticipated, but the regular army would come sooner or later. Supposedly. When the army arrived the battle would turn in their favor for sure.

    Should Haruhiro and the others wait then? If they stayed hidden in the watchtower stairwell until reinforcements arrived¡­ no. There was no way of knowing when reinforcements would get here. If Team Renji got wiped out before then, they were all finished. The orcs would search the keep for any human survivors and eliminate them. Even if they hid at the very top of the watchtower, they would be found sooner or later.

    They couldn¡¯t wait for the regular army, but Kajiko¡­ maybe it was worth the risk to wait on her. They could remain where they were until Kajiko got here. Would Renji¡¯s party be able to hold out until then? Haruhiro honestly wished he could say yes. He didn¡¯t want to put his companions in danger. Team Haruhiro would stay hidden, Team Renji would stay alive, and Kajiko would come. The tide would then turn in their favor. It was the ideal scenario, but there was no guarantee things would work out that way.

    A part of Haruhiro wanted to help Renji, too. To Team Renji, Haruhiro and his party might have been worthless dregs, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that they all arrived here at the same time. And Team Renji now stood at a precipice. Haruhiro grasped the terrible significance of this moment of decision and deciding to do nothing now didn¡¯t sit well with him. If he failed to take action, he would never sleep well at night again.

    There was one more consideration to take into account: Team Renji needed to be alive when Kajiko arrived. Haruhiro didn¡¯t know how good the Wild Angels were, but if they lost Renji, his team, and the remaining five reservists, Kajiko¡¯s arrival would at best even out the numbers. Depending on how many she¡¯d lost, the orcs might still have a numerical advantage. Zoran was too strong for him to assume that Kajiko¡¯s Wild Angels could win against the orcs alone. And if Kajiko lost, then Team Haruhiro was in danger of dying too.

    How long had he been standing here deliberating? Haruhiro didn¡¯t know but he knew that they didn¡¯t have any more time to dawdle. He didn¡¯t know much else, but he knew that he had to hurry and make a decision.

    If they sat back and did nothing, they would probably all die. Actually, all of them already had one foot in the grave. Thinking about it that way, things seemed more clear. Choco¡­ I might be able to see you again soon. We can take our time talking and recall all the things we¡¯ve forgotten, one by one.

    Haruhiro returned to where his companions were waiting.

    I¡¯m sorry, everyone. I know it¡¯s horrible of me to ask, but we need to get back in there, is what Haruhiro wanted to say, but he didn¡¯t. We have to help Renji. We¡¯ll go after the shamans. The other orcs are less of a threat. He didn¡¯t give voice to that either.

    ¡°The orc shaman Avaael is probably down there,¡± Haruhiro said instead. ¡°His head is worth fifty gold. Zoran might be too tough for us to take on, but we can definitely claim Avaael¡¯s bounty. It¡¯s fifty gold. Let¡¯s do it.¡± He was lying to his companions; lying to himself. But for some reason, he didn¡¯t feel the least bit guilty.

    ¡°YESSSSSSS!¡± Ranta exclaimed. ¡°FIFTY GOLD! ALLLLLLLLRIGHT!¡±

    Ranta was as simpleminded as they came. He started to rush down the stairs, eyes glittering with the prospect of hitting the jackpot.

    Haruhiro patted Mogzo on the back. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you, Mogzo. I know you won¡¯t let us down.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Mogzo replied with swift confidence that surprised even Haruhiro. He followed Ranta down the steps.

    Next, Haruhiro nodded once to Mary, Yume, and Shihoru. That was good enough, right? Yes, it would have to do. The moment they reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, Haruhiro spotted a shaman. They would take all the shamans down one by one. Haruhiro pointed to Shaman A.

    ¡°Him first!¡± he ordered.

    Team Haruhiro attacked as a single, unified unit. They ignored both Zoran and the orcs in his honor guard. Shaman A noticed Haruhiro and the others approach and began to open the lid on the flask at its hip, but it was too late.

    ¡°[ANGER THRUST]!¡± shouted Ranta.

    Ranta lodged his sword into the base of the shaman¡¯s throat for an instant kill. They were off to a good start, but Haruhiro suppressed the urge to let that small victory affect him. Stay calm, pick off the shamans one by one¡­ The honor guard orcs noticed their presence now and lumbered over, but Mogzo leapt out to meet them first, roaring a guttural battle cry. Haruhiro spotted another shaman.

    ¡°Him next!¡± Just as Haruhiro pointed to Shaman B, Zoran¡¯s guards went to cover him. The orcs realized what Team Haruhiro was up to now.

    It didn¡¯t matter. They would force their way through without getting distracted from their real target. Mogzo stepped to the front, cutting open a path for them. Haruhiro blocked incoming attacks relentlessly with [SWAT]. Shihoru used [SHADOW BIND] to immobilize nearby orcs while Mary rained blows down with her staff, forcing the orcs to block with their shields and back away. Yume did the same by hurling throwing knives left and right, exclaiming each toss with a cat-like ¡°rawr!¡± noise. Haruhiro wondered what that was about, but whatever.

    Ranta was the first to reach the now wide-open Shaman B. From this range, he could use that skill¡­

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]!¡±

    Just as Ranta reached Shaman B, he rotated his body around so that his back was to the orc. From Shaman B¡¯s point of view, it must have looked like an attacking human had come at him then suddenly and inexplicably turned around. Before the shaman could make sense of it, Ranta¡¯s butt had crashed into him and Shaman B stumbled backwards in shock. Ranta¡¯s ass attack had knocked it off balance and it looked like it was going to fall over.

    Now! Haruhiro thought and dashed towards the fallen shaman at full speed. He rushed just slightly past it, reversed the grip on his dagger and buried the blade into the side of the shaman¡¯s neck. It was the modified [BACKSTAB] technique, borrowed from Sassa. Shaman B went down instantly.

    ¡°That¡¯s two down!¡± Haruhiro called out.

    As if the announcement suddenly instilled renewed vigor in Team Renji and the other reservists, the humans began to assault the orcs anew. It was all about momentum. Momentum and morale. But now¡¯s not the time to get caught up in the excitement and act carelessly, Haruhiro thought, more to himself than anyone else. But if not now, then when?

    ¡°We can do this!¡± Haruhiro encouraged.

    He didn¡¯t know whether he should have acted with more restraint, but he didn¡¯t want to regret being overly cautious. The situation might have called for it, but now wasn¡¯t the time to hesitate. The tide could turn again at any moment and then it would be too late. It wasn¡¯t the time to be afraid of making the wrong call.

    ¡°We can defeat them!¡± he shouted again. ¡°Fight!¡±

    A familiar high-pitched battle cry filled the room. Once the momentum shifted, good things happened¡­ she was here, the owner of that terrifying voice: Kajiko and her Wild Angels. They poured out of a watchtower staircase, Kajiko in the lead. Two of Zoran¡¯s honor guard were cut down¡ªcut to pieces¡ªright off the bat. When Haruhiro saw that, he no longer doubted that they could win.

    If they kept this up, total victory was theirs. And at that moment, Haruhiro believed it without a shred of doubt.

    The last orc shaman, it had to be Avaael, let out a jet of fire towards the Wild Angels who were still coming down the staircase. But it wasn¡¯t just fire¡­ he had shot something else at them as well. Ropes? No, they were moving, squirming. Snakes. Live snakes. And not just one or two, but scores of them. They were slithering furiously along the ground at the feet of the Wild Angels. Cries went up as the all-female clan was thrown into a hysteria.

    Zoran Zesshu then suddenly disengaged from Renji and went after the main body of the Wild Angels, double swords hacking and slashing in a frenzy. Four, five of the Wild Angels died in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Kajiko commanded as she moved to stop Zoran.

    They clashed. Kajiko¡¯s sword met Zoran¡¯s double blades in a shower of sparks.

    PART 2 of 3

    Kajiko backed, not because she wanted to, but because she was forced to by Zoran¡¯s raw strength.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Kajiko cursed. ¡°We can¡¯t take any more losses! Everyone except Mako, Kikuno, and Azusa retreat!¡±

    Those she didn¡¯t name did as they were told. Renji came chasing after Zoran and it looked like he got through, but his attack was suddenly effortlessly turned aside by the Guardian. Zoran was toying with him. The orc boss was toying with a person like Renji. But Renji was injured and exhausted. No way he wasn¡¯t fatigued. Something had to be done about his wounds at the very least.

    Chibi, however, was occupied with healing Ron. If Haruhiro remembered correctly, light magic had a good cast range. Priests could use healing magic at a distance. And they had a Priest, someone besides Chibi.

    ¡°Mary!¡± Haruhiro said. ¡°Heal Renji!¡±

    ¡°He needs to stop moving first!¡± came Mary¡¯s reply. ¡°Heal spells have a limited area of effect!¡±

    ¡°Limited area!?¡± Haruhiro echoed.

    Oh yeah¡­ Healing magic¡¯s light spells illuminated the area where they were cast and only worked if the person being healed remained there throughout the duration. While Renji remained engaged with Zoran, he couldn¡¯t stay in one spot.

    ¡°But Renji¡¯s not gonna last like this!¡± Haruhiro said. They had to give Renji a chance to rest, even for a few seconds.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go! I got this!¡±

    The voice didn¡¯t belong to Ranta. It was Mogzo. There was no hesitation, no doubt as Mogzo clashed violently with Zoran. His swings were powerful and fast; each blow was forceful and heavy. They were almost on par with Deathpatch¡¯s attacks. Zoran was forced onto the defensive. Renji was about to renew his offensive as well¡ªhold on! That defeated the entire purpose of Mogzo going in. Haruhiro grabbed Renji¡¯s arm.

    ¡°No!¡± Haruhiro yelled. ¡°You need to get yourself healed!¡±

    ¡°Let go,¡± Renji said.

    ¡°Forget it!¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°Mary, now!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Mary etched the hexagon emblem in the air as she ran towards them and pressed her palm to Renji. ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE]!¡±

    As soon as the God of Light¡¯s spell took effect, Renji stopped resisting. Haruhiro didn¡¯t know whether he resigned himself to getting healed or what, but he no longer tried to move. Mary healed Renji¡¯s head and shoulder injuries first, then pressed her hand to the deep gashes on his chest and ribs. But no matter how many times Mary healed him, there were so many wounds, it seemed like she would never be done. Renji¡¯s breathing was labored and his face looked ashen as well. He had lost too much blood.

    Ranta was busy with one of Zoran¡¯s underlings and Yume with another. Yet another was coming for the exposed Shihoru and Haruhiro intercepted it with [SWAT] just in time.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Renji said, cutting down the orc that had attacked Shihoru with one savage blow of Ishh Dogrann¡¯s sword before running towards Zoran. ¡°Outta the way, dimwit!¡± he said to Mogzo. ¡°Zoran¡¯s my opponent!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Mogzo said. ¡°Don¡¯t try to take him alone!¡±

    Mogzo shifted to his left, leaving a spot open on the right. Renji moved in smoothly, filling the gap. It was two versus one now.

    ¡°And I¡¯m not a dimwit!¡± he yelled. Mogzo swung his sword in all directions endlessly. In his all-out offensive. He never paused, even for breath.

    Renji also made Ishh Dogrann¡¯s blade dance in his hands. To Haruhiro, the two of them were the amalgamation of power and finesse; Mogzo with the power and Renji the finesse. Mogzo fought with strength, Renji with technique. Between the two of them, even the dual-wielding Zoran had his hands full fending off their attacks. The scene before his eyes was so incredible, Haruhiro could hardly believe it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Renji replied. ¡°No, you¡¯re not! Show me what you¡¯ve got, Mogzo!¡±

    He was like a different person¡­ or perhaps Mogzo was really like this all along. He must have been called dimwitted and dumb all the time. They couldn¡¯t remember who they were or where they were from before they had come to Grimgar, but the effects of the relentless teasing must have remained with him. That¡¯s why Mogzo never had much self-confidence.

    But then he joined with Haruhiro and the others. They fought together and struggled together, and Mogzo had become an outstanding person. Mogzo was the core of their team. If something happened to Haruhiro, then Mary could fill the role of leader and the team would be able to move on. But without Mogzo, they would be in trouble. He was irreplaceable and everyone knew it. Mogzo was the most dependable of all of them and he knew that the team relied on him.

    He remembered that now and his self-confidence had returned with a vengeance. Finally, he was fighting at his full potential. And it wasn¡¯t just in this battle, his newfound confidence would serve in all the ones to come, too.

    Renji had misjudged. Mogzo truly belonged with Team Renji. But since Renji had underestimated him and passed him up, he had joined Haruhiro¡¯s team instead. For that, Haruhiro felt obligated to thank Renji for giving them the chance to meet Mogzo and having things work out this way.

    ¡°Letting boys do all the fighting ain¡¯t my style!¡± Kajiko said and attacked Zoran from the back.

    Zoran sidestepped and jumped back. The orc boss ran. That Zoran Zesshu was actually running away from them.

    ¡°We split the reward evenly!¡± Kajiko shouted.

    ¡°Back off!¡± Renji demanded.

    Kajiko¡¯s reply was to chase after Zoran. Renji and Mogzo weren¡¯t far behind.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!¡± Ranta shouted.

    Avaael. The orc shaman shot a stream of fire at Ranta, who couldn¡¯t avoid it and was engulfed instantly by the flames. Avaael was nimble and quick, using hit and run tactics to avoid being attacked. Ranta and the others were having a horrible time trying to pin him down.

    ¡°Mary! To Ranta!¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°I know!¡± Mary acknowledged.

    ¡°Yume, cover Shihoru!¡± he said next.

    ¡°Waah!¡± came Yume¡¯s reply.

    ¡°Waah? What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡± Haruhiro asked, having no idea what she was saying.

    It didn¡¯t matter because Yume shifted over to stand closer to Shihoru. Maybe she meant to say ¡°yeah¡±¡­

    ¡°Oom rel eckt pram das!¡± Shihoru chanted.

    Shihoru¡¯s [SHADOW COMPLEX] spell hit its target and caused it to fall into a state of confusion, but it was like a bucket of water on a goddamn forest fire. There were more than ten of Zoran¡¯s honor guard orcs left, not to mention Zoran himself and Avaael. They only had Team Renji¡¯s five, Team Haruhiro¡¯s six, four remaining from the Wild Angels, and three other scattered reservists. Wait¡­ that means they won? No, they had the advantage in numbers but it hardly meant victory.

    Avaael toasted another reservist with his fire stream attack. The guy took the brunt of it and went down. Crap, someone had to heal him. Actually, his clothing was distinctly Priest class. Even if it was on fire. In that case, he would have to take care of himself. Even if he wasn¡¯t in any condition to. Because neither Chibi nor Mary could be spared to heal him.

    ¡°We¡¯re going after Avaael!¡± Haruhiro declared.

    Mogzo, Renji, and Kajiko were too busy with Zoran. Ron was covering Sassa, Chibi, and Adachi and wasn¡¯t in a position to move.

    ¡°Mako, Kikuno, Azusa!¡± Haruhiro called, recalling the names of the remaining members of the Wild Angels. ¡°Avaael is the priority!¡±

    Each of the three was engaged with one of Zoran¡¯s guards, but one of them had just finished off her opponent. She was a Warrior almost as big as Kajiko. Avaael was probably waiting for that exact moment. The orc shaman shuffled quickly towards her and opened up the flask at his belt. Insects came swarming out. Before the woman could react, the swarm of insects was on her. She screamed.

    The woman attempted to swat the bugs away. It was a reflexive response and Haruhiro couldn¡¯t blame her, but it was still not the right reaction. Instead, she needed to get some distance between herself and Avaael, and this time, the shaman didn¡¯t run. Instead, he purposely approached her, intending to do¡­ something. But maybe this was his chance, and even as Haruhiro thought that, he was moving.

    Avaael was armed with a short mace. He clobbered the woman in the knee first and then smashed it into her head. The woman¡¯s helm prevented the blow from being lethal, but she still went down in a heap. Avaael then spun around. Crap! The shaman had noticed Haruhiro¡¯s approach.

    ¡°Gashu grasha!¡± the shaman hissed, swinging the mace at Haruhiro.

    The mace wasn¡¯t large, so Haruhiro could have deflected it with his dagger but he was already ducking out of reflex before he realized what he was doing. Avaael was running away before Haruhiro even managed to straighten.

    ¡°He¡¯s fast!¡± Haruhiro gasped.

    As he went after the shaman, Haruhiro wondered if he was making the correct decision. Right or wrong, he had no idea, but he knew that letting Avaael run around doing whatever he wanted wasn¡¯t good. The shaman was too dangerous. He could whittle their numbers down one by one until the orcs had the advantage again.

    Haruhiro was terrified though. Could someone like him handle Avaael alone? He didn¡¯t think Avaael was the type of opponent that anyone could handle alone.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Haruhiro hurriedly threw himself to the ground again because Avaael had suddenly turned around and Haruhiro thought that the shaman was going to throw another attack at him.

    Haruhiro¡¯s instincts were right. A jet of flame roared over his head. If he had been a half second slower to react, he would have been caught and roasted alive. Avaael ran again and Haruhiro pushed himself back up to chase; this time though, he kept a little more distance between them. This isn¡¯t going to work, Haruhiro thought to himself. He couldn¡¯t catch Avaael and even if he could, there was the problem of what to do once he did.

    He was worried about his companions, but he knew he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Avaael, even for a moment. Meanwhile, Avaael occasionally stole looks back at Haruhiro. Then all of a sudden, Haruhiro lost sight of him. The shaman was gone. Haruhiro stopped cold in his tracks.

    ¡°Osshu!¡± barked one of Zoran¡¯s underlings as he attacked Haruhiro.

    Haruhiro dodged and backed away, but another orc came charging at him from behind. Just as the second orc got into attack range, Haruhiro twisted sharply away to let the second orc crash head-on into the first one. While the two orcs untangled themselves, Haruhiro slipped away. He scanned the room as he moved. How could he have suddenly lost sight of Avaael?

    It wasn¡¯t possible. The ground floor was entirely open space so he would find the shaman sooner or later if he kept looking. But no matter how much Haruhiro searched, the shaman was nowhere to be found. Avaael had simply disappeared. Now that he thought about it, Avaael always seemed to disappear and reappear. But that was impossible, of course. Actually, Avaael was simply dodging behind the other orcs and then appearing again when everyone¡¯s attention had turned elsewhere.

    Haruhiro wanted Avaael to think that he had turned his attention elsewhere, too. To Avaael, Haruhiro had lost interest and forgotten about him. Then the shaman would come out to attack. So when Avaael appeared again and began moving towards Ron, Sassa, and the others, Haruhiro pretended not to see. Or maybe it was towards the two remaining Wild Angels members? Wait, or was it towards Renji, Mogzo, and Kajiko? Damn, the shaman¡¯s movements were hard to predict.

    Is that how Avaael closed in and attacked by surprise? In that case, Haruhiro mimicked him. Like the Thief he was, Haruhiro stole Avaael¡¯s movement techniques. Then, he figured it out. Avaael¡¯s next target.

    It was Adachi. Team Renji¡¯s Mage was using Kanon water and ice spells to obstruct and injure enemy orcs. Avaael was intending to get into range to throw a fire spell at Adachi but the moment before the shaman could, Haruhiro struck with [BACKSTAB].

    ¡°What¡ª!?¡±

    Just before Haruhiro¡¯s dagger found its mark, Avaael twisted around. Haruhiro¡¯s dagger sunk itself into the shaman¡¯s left shoulder. Haruhiro¡¯s attack had failed, but rather than counterattack, Avaael ran. It seemed that the orc shaman was the type who didn¡¯t engage in a fight unless the odds were overwhelmingly in his favor. He sure was meticulous. It was cowardly, yeah, but smart too. Cunning.

    With that, Avaael probably figured Haruhiro out. The shaman knew that Haruhiro had stolen his strategy and was using it against him now. The same thing wouldn¡¯t work twice. He couldn¡¯t let Avaael get away again. If he did, the shaman would constantly be on his guard for the same trick and there would no longer be any openings for Haruhiro to exploit.

    ¡°[MODIFIED PROPEL LEAP]!¡±

    Avaael yelped in surprise. In that moment, he had no idea what happened. The orc shaman never imagined that some human would fly at him from the side and attack him with his butt. Eating Ranta¡¯s ass attack, the shaman stumbled back. What the hell is up with Ranta¡¯s timing!? It was perfect. Too good. So good it was dirty.

    Now that the fight was completely in their favor, Haruhiro was confident he could finish it even if the line didn¡¯t appear for him. Being extra cautious, Haruhiro used [WIDOW MAKER] rather than [BACKSTAB]. He jumped onto Avaael¡¯s back, put the shaman in a full nelson hold, then jammed his dagger up under the shaman¡¯s chin in a single, swift motion before leaping away.

    ¡°NOOOOO!¡± Ranta groaned.

    Was the kid an idiot? Yeah, he was. Ranta lifted up his long sword then brought it diagonally down onto Avaael¡¯s neck but it only cut halfway through. Ranta then kicked the orc to dislodge his sword and swung again. And again, then a third time until Avaael moved no more.

    ¡°YES!¡± exclaimed Ranta. ¡°Got my fifty gold! AND a Vice!¡±

    Ranta was Ranta and would always be Ranta. It was really quite admirable. Or not. Yeah, not.

    ¡°Only Zoran now!¡± Haruhiro said.

    Several of Zoran¡¯s underlings were left, but Zoran Zesshu was the priority. With the ever present danger of Avaael¡¯s backup out of the picture now, it was truly three on one. They could win.

    ¡°MOG¡ª!¡± Just as Haruhiro called out to Mogzo, Zoran jumped into the air.

    The orc boss somersaulted forward, avoiding Kajiko¡¯s swing at his back and flew away from Mogzo and Renji who were attacking from the front.

    ¡°What¡ª!?¡± exclaimed Renji.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Kajiko cursed.

    ¡°Huh?¡± said Mogzo.

    Zoran let out a long, ear-shattering roar and then spun. He added several full rotations to his front flip before landing. Then he began to spin horizontally like a top. He was fast and the spin was incredibly powerful. Renji and Mogzo couldn¡¯t do anything but back away, and even then, they didn¡¯t back up fast enough. Both their swords got caught by Zoran¡¯s rotating blades and Renji and Mogzo were sent flying.

    PART 3 of 3

    The orc then pressed the attack on Mogzo without hesitation. When Renji approached to back Mogzo up, Zoran turned to him immediately, using a single, powerful sword stroke to drive Renji back. The orc then slashed at Mogzo again with both blades.

    Kajiko let out another high-pitched cry as she attacked Zoran from behind. Zoran spun around and forced her to retreat with one swing then another of each of his double blades. Then he turned his attention to Mogzo once more, going after the human stubbornly and methodically. When Renji attempted to interfere, Zoran swiftly did that forward somersault-spin combo and returned his focus on Mogzo.

    Why? Why was Zoran so intently focused on only him? Mogzo was barely blocking the orc boss¡¯ attacks with his sword; his plate armor was in tatters and his helm dented and crushed in. It was like Zoran was whittling Mogzo down little by little. Haruhiro wanted to help, but he didn¡¯t know how.

    Emboldened by Zoran¡¯s vicious offensive, the other orcs started to chant ¡°Osshu! Osshu!¡± as they attacked the humans anew. One of them came after Haruhiro, too, and even as he blocked with [SWAT] he knew that he was outmatched. The orc was too strong and its attacks nearly ripped the dagger out of his hand.

    ¡°PARUPIROOOO!¡± Ranta shouted.

    Ranta¡¯s backup arrived just in time to prevent Haruhiro from getting into a really bad situation. But why the hell is he calling me that!? Ranta did save him though.

    ¡°Argh!¡± Kajiko yelped as Zoran¡¯s blade ripped her helm off her head. Her entire face was covered in blood.

    ¡°Get her away from here!¡± Renji shouted angrily, and one of the three remaining Wild Angels members came and dragged Kajiko away.

    They were finished. The fight was lost. Haruhiro really thought that they could win when Kajiko and the Wild Angels arrived but he was wrong. Zoran Zesshu was not Ishh Dogrann. He was just too strong. He wasn¡¯t an orc, he was a goddamn monster. But Haruhiro also noticed something¡­ something off about Zoran that he couldn¡¯t quite describe. Balance. Yes, that was it. Balance. What about it? Zoran¡¯s body, the orc¡¯s left and right sides. Whenever Haruhiro turned to look, Zoran was always turning to his left. The exception was when he did that spinning attack, he spun to his right. Why? Haruhiro couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, but it nagged at him.

    ¡°PARUPIRO QUIT SPACING OUT!¡± Ranta yelled.

    Haruhiro wasn¡¯t spacing out though. And he wasn¡¯t Parupiro either. Ranta might think he was daydreaming, but Haruhiro¡¯s mind was racing. And he had a feeling that he was onto something significant. Zoran was dual-wielding, but¡­ could Zoran possibly be left-handed? What made him think that?

    Because of the occasional stiffness in Zoran¡¯s movements. He handled the sword in his left hand way more smoothly than the sword in his right. The orc never really swung the sword in his right hand up and down. All he did was thrust it forward, and it seemed like the muscles in that entire sword arm were tensed all the time¡­ like they were overexerting themselves to prop something up.

    An old shoulder injury or wound to his right side, for example. If not, then Zoran wouldn¡¯t be moving like that. It wasn¡¯t as if he was doing it on purpose, but flesh and bone naturally worked around injuries like that. Renji and Mogzo were fighting Zoran up close and they probably didn¡¯t notice. Haruhiro was watching from afar, so he picked up on the slight incongruity.

    So what now?

    ¡°Ranta!¡± Haruhiro said.

    ¡°What!?¡± replied Ranta.

    ¡°Do you want a hundred gold!?¡±

    ¡°HELL YEAH! Why even ask!?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re gonna have to draw Zoran¡¯s attention!¡± said Haruhiro. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can do it!¡±

    ¡°Ha! So you¡¯ve finally figured out how to use me to my full potential!¡± Ranta declared. ¡°Tell me what to do!¡±

    Haruhiro quickly explained. Ranta¡¯s job was dangerous, but not difficult. For a Dread Knight like Ranta, it wasn¡¯t about succeeding or failing, all he had to do was try. That made it easy. The problem was communicating the plan to Renji and Mogzo.

    ¡°Mogzo! Renji!¡± Haruhiro called. ¡°Zoran¡¯s got a habit of favoring his left when he turns! He¡¯s weak on his right side! Maybe an old injury or something! Ranta¡¯s gonna attack head-on! You two hit him from behind!¡±

    Did they understand what he was talking about? And even if they did, would they be able to pull it off? There was no way to be sure. Haruhiro glanced in Mary¡¯s direction. She and Yume were covering Shihoru, fending off attacks from Zoran¡¯s underlings. Shihoru was casting [Shadow Bind] at an orc further away.

    Choco¡­ I hope you¡¯re still alive. But her prone form was on the ground, lifeless. Once you¡¯re dead, everything is finished. And so it was time to finish this, too. Time to bring things to a end.

    ¡°Ranta, you ready!?¡± Haruhiro asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a hundred gold ready!¡± came Ranta¡¯s reply.

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Haruhiro took off towards Zoran at a run, even as the orc rained vicious blows down on Mogzo and Renji.

    Zoran was sharp. Haruhiro was moving to get into position at Zoran¡¯s back, but Zoran saw him coming from a mile away. But that was fine, because¡­

    ¡°Hey, pigface!¡± Ranta taunted, jumping out right in front of Zoran. ¡°I¡¯m more than enough for a wimp like you! You hear me, pigface!? Fight me, you big, fat piggy!¡± Ranta thrust the point of his longsword at Zoran¡¯s face in a dramatic pose.

    Yeah, he distracted Zoran just like Haruhiro wanted but damn, Ranta was crass. Even if orcs didn¡¯t speak the same language, he figured Zoran knew that he was being insulted¡ªand it pissed the orc off immediately. Zoran did a front-flip and started spinning again, shouting his rage all the while.

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]!¡±

    Rather than get knocked back, Ranta jumped back first in an attempt to avoid Zoran¡¯s spinning blades but it wasn¡¯t far enough. When he landed, he was still in range of Zoran¡¯s attack.

    ¡°GAWRRRRRRRR!¡± Zoran roared.

    ¡°Idiot!¡± Ranta scoffed. ¡°I see right through you, pig¡ª[PROPEL LEAP]!¡±

    It seemed like Ranta had pushed his luck too far and was now frantically trying to get away, but every time he used [PROPEL LEAP] to put distance between them, Zoran immediately closed the gap. It was exactly as Haruhiro planned. In battle, Mogzo and Renji were way more skilled than Ranta. If Ranta was fighting Zoran one-on-one, Ranta would definitely lose. However, it wasn¡¯t as if the two of them did everything better than Ranta. There was one thing neither of them could match Ranta in.

    When Zoran performed that somersault-spin combo, there wasn¡¯t anything Renji and Mogzo could do but defend with their swords. It wasn¡¯t just the first time, when the technique had caught them by surprise, but every time after that too. Neither Mogzo nor Renji were dumb enough to let themselves get caught a second time, but even if they knew the technique was coming, all they could do was block. The attack was too fast and the range was too long for the two Warriors to properly avoid it.

    But Ranta could and did dodge it. Part of it was the [PROPEL LEAP] skill, because it allowed those of the Dread Knight class to disengage from an opponent when Warriors couldn¡¯t. In other words, a Dread Knight like Ranta was better equipped to counter that technique than Warriors like Renji and Mogzo.

    ¡°GAWRRRR! GAWRRRRRR!¡± Zoran chased.

    ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]! [PROPEL LEAP]!¡± Ranta retreated.

    The orc boss was infuriated. He couldn¡¯t seem to catch Ranta, which enraged him beyond reason. Thanks to that, Haruhiro was now at Zoran¡¯s back, chasing. So were Renji and Mogzo.

    ¡°Remember, he favors his left!¡± Haruhiro said.

    If they were going to attack, it would have to be from the right or the back. Zoran rapidly countered attacks from the left, so if they hit him from the right or from behind, where Zoran was a touch slower, they would have time. Not a lot of it, but some.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Ranta laughed. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me if you can¡¯t catch me!¡±

    The words were hardly out of his mouth when Zoran roared and attacked with the somersault-spin combo again. And once more, Ranta used [PROPEL LEAP] to dodge it. However, the moment Zoran came out of his spin, Renji attacked from the right. It was a single silent, swift, sharp and savage strike. He had approached quickly and quietly, then chopped down at Zoran with his sword. And Zoran¡¯s reaction was¡­ just as Haruhiro expected.

    The orc spun towards his left, swinging the sword in his left hand in a backhanded arc, and blocked Renji just in time. But it was close. One fraction of a moment slower, and Renji would¡¯ve had him. Though the attack had failed, it was still different this time as Zoran¡¯s sword was knocked aside. But the orc was dual-wielding. He swung his other sword at Renji¡¯s stomach.

    Renji had put everything he had into that one attack, betting that it would connect. He hadn¡¯t left any way to defend himself if it failed and now he was wide open. Zoran got him.

    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Renji groaned as Zoran¡¯s sword connected with armor. It didn¡¯t penetrate through the steel plates, but it was a clean hit. Renji went down.

    Shit! His plan had failed. Haruhiro stopped in his tracks, but Mogzo kept going.

    ¡°THANK YOU!¡±

    [RAGE CLEAVE] or not, it was too reckless. Mogzo had put all his power into the technique, bringing his sword up high overhead and slashing down diagonally. But Zoran wasn¡¯t caught by surprise this time. The orc was ready and waiting. Zoran didn¡¯t even block; the orc was faster so he attacked first. He hit Mogzo in the left shoulder, then the upper right arm, then the right forearm, then the right hip, and finally the head. Zoran¡¯s sword came crashing into the upper left side of Mogzo¡¯s head.

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t even know that plate mail and helm could withstand such a beating. None of Zoran¡¯s blows had cut through the armor, but that didn¡¯t mean Mogzo was okay. His plate mail was dented and unrecognizably misshapen. There was no way Mogzo was alright underneath it, but he was still standing. He wasn¡¯t even on one knee or bent over or anything. He was still standing tall and firm.

    Oh yeah¡­ the [STEEL GUARD] technique. It allowed Warriors to reinforce their armor and defense for up to twenty minutes to deflect any attack an enemy could throw at them. But to Haruhiro, it didn¡¯t look like any of Zoran¡¯s attacks were being deflected. Mogzo was taking hit after hit. How much longer could he last? As tough as Mogzo was, no one could take that kind of abuse indefinitely.

    Which meant that there was only one thing Haruhiro could do. He moved without thinking. Haruhiro was a Thief. He was a coward who always positioned himself behind an enemy¡¯s back and this time was no different. Zoran¡¯s attention was wholly was Mogzo. The orc must have been wondering why the human he was pounding relentlessly refused to go down. Strange, weird, inexplicable, Zoran would¡¯ve thought. Maybe the orc was even starting to get worried.

    Haruhiro approached Zoran, aiming for his back. What about the line? No such luck. It didn¡¯t matter. Haruhiro knew where he had to target. Zoran was wearing bright crimson plate armor and a helm, but between the helm and chest plate was a small gap. Probably wide enough for his dagger to slip through. Zoran was tall, so Haruhiro reversed his grip on his weapon. He brought it up, aiming for the space between Zoran¡¯s neck and upper back.

    His dagger slipped through the opening and pierced into flesh. In that instant, Zoran¡¯s entire body stiffened. Haruhiro pulled the knife out and was about to stab it in again, but Zoran spun to his left and attacked, forcing Haruhiro to jump away.

    ¡°THANKS!¡±

    Just as Haruhiro hit the ground, Mogzo came in again with [RAGE CLEAVE], catching the orc boss right in between neck and shoulder. Zoran viciously kicked Mogzo away, and then began to scramble away from them. I won¡¯t let you run! Haruhiro grabbed Zoran¡¯s right leg. Zoran immediately stamped his heel into Haruhiro¡¯s head and for a moment, Haruhiro blacked out.

    When he came to, Kajiko had reengaged. Ron was also nearby. Adachi was hitting Zoran with Kanon magic while Chibi smashed her staff into him. Ranta was also attacking and Shihoru fired [SHADOW ECHO] at Zoran. Yume was slashing frantically with her kukri while Mary pounded on him with her own staff.

    Still dizzy from being kicked in the head, Haruhiro wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but it seemed like everyone had ganged up on Zoran and was beating the shit out of him. He sort of understood the reason. Zoran was scary as hell and everyone wanted him dead. Yes, Zoran was terrifying beyond words.

    The orc boss was on the ground now and no longer defending himself. Was he still alive? Haruhiro had no idea. What about the orcs in his elite guard? There were a few left, but the majority of them were dead and none of the ones left alive were in any position to help their boss. Now the numbers advantage was firmly on the reservists¡¯ side. The entire Wild Angels clan, the reservists that had stayed out of the fighting before now, all of them had reappeared. They surrounded the remaining orcs and would finish them off soon.

    Haruhiro touched a hand to his head. No blood. But when he got stomped, his nose and chin had smashed into the ground and he was bleeding from somewhere. It was also a little hard to breathe, so maybe his nose was broken?

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Renji said, getting back to his feet.

    He pushed Kajiko, his own teammates, and Haruhiro¡¯s companions aside as he approached Zoran. Ranta, seemingly angry about something, refused to move. Renji slugged him in the face. He raised Ishh Dogrann¡¯s sword high overhead. No one attempted to stop him. Renji brought his sword down, neatly decapitating Zoran.

    ¡°There. It¡¯s done,¡± Renji declared.

    Silence fell in the room.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± someone shouted.

    Several of the remaining orcs in the room shouted something their language and tried to attack the Wild Angels. They were beaten back.

    ¡°Haru!¡± Mary came running. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. He wanted to say something, but his voice wouldn¡¯t work properly.

    ¡°A HUNDRED GOLD!¡± Ranta leapt into the air. ¡°YES!¡±

    ¡°Renji¡¯s the one who killed him!¡± Sassa protested, to which Kajiko shouted, ¡°We split it evenly!¡±

    Haruhiro didn¡¯t really care what they did with the money. Well, maybe he cared a little because it was an unfathomable sum. He could use it to learn new skills, or move into more private housing, or buy arms and armor, and plenty else. Maybe armor first. His gear had gotten pretty worn down, so it would have to be repaired or replaced.

    Ugh¡­ he couldn¡¯t think straight. All of the remaining orcs were dead now and Shihoru was crying in relief that it was all over. Yume wrapped an arm around the Mage¡¯s shoulders, patting her head and whispering, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s alright¡­ I¡¯m glad it¡¯s over too¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you stand?¡± Mary asked him.

    Yes. Wait, no. The lie had bubbled to his lips unwittingly, because if he said no, maybe Mary would be nice and sympathetic to him¡­ but he decided against it.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Haruhiro said, getting to his feet. ¡°Forget about me though, I¡¯m more worried about¡ª¡±

    Why was Mogzo just standing there? Everyone else was celebrating the victory, arguing about the money, getting healed or whatever but Mogzo was just standing there. And something seemed off. Both his arms hung limp at his sides and he was no longer holding his sword. Actually, Haruhiro was amazed that he was still able to stand.

    In his condition, just being on his feet in and of itself was an impressive feat. His helm wasn¡¯t just a misshapen mess, it was slanted off to one side on his head. Blood seeped from all over and trickled to the ground. Then slowly, ever so slowly, he started to fall over. He fell as if the supports holding up something heavy had suddenly been removed.

    Mary¡¯s breath caught in her throat. Haruhiro called his name.

    ¡°Mogzo¡­?¡±

 Volume 4 - Prologue

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    All of the remaining orcs were dead now and Shihoru was crying in relief that it was all over. Yume wrapped an arm around the Mage¡¯s shoulders, patting her head and whispering, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s alright¡­ I¡¯m glad it¡¯s over too¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you stand?¡± Mary asked him.

    Yes. Wait, no. The lie had bubbled to his lips unwittingly, because if he said no, maybe Mary would be nice and sympathetic to him¡­ but he decided against it.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Haruhiro said, getting to his feet. ¡°Forget about me though, I¡¯m more worried about¡ª¡±

    Why was Mogzo just standing there? Everyone else was celebrating the victory, arguing about the money, getting healed or whatever but Mogzo was just standing there. And something seemed off. Both his arms hung limp at his sides and he was no longer holding his sword. Actually, Haruhiro was amazed that he was still able to stand.

    In his condition, just being on his feet in and of itself was an impressive feat. His helm wasn¡¯t just a misshapen mess, it was slanted off to one side on his head. Blood seeped from all over and trickled to the ground. Then slowly, ever so slowly, he started to fall over. He fell as if the supports holding up something heavy had suddenly been removed.

    Mary¡¯s breath caught in her throat. Haruhiro called his name.

    ¡°Mogzo¡­?¡±

    Hearing his name called, Mogzo slowly struggled back onto his feet.

    ¡°What the heck,¡± Haruhiro breathed, pressing a hand to his chest in relief.

    Mogzo really surprised him. For a second there, he totally panicked. He thought something that couldn¡¯t possibly have happened had just occurred and was glad he was wrong.

    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, Mogzo,¡± he said.

    ¡°Ah, sorry, sorry,¡± Mogzo chuckled bashfully, scratching his head.

    Mogzo¡¯s face was covered in so much of his own blood that Haruhiro had a hard time making out his expression. But he somehow seemed to be alright.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay,¡± Haruhiro whispered. He closed his eyes and, burying his head in his hands, suppressed a sudden urge to cry. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re alive.¡±

    Haruhiro had no idea what to do in that horrible moment when he had thought the worst. If something like that really happened, it would¡¯ve been awful. Worse than awful¡ªit would¡¯ve been unimaginable. But it didn¡¯t. Something like that could never happen.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad¡­¡± Haruhiro was actually crying now. Both his hands were wet with tears, he was that relieved.

    He¡¯d never felt more relieved and happy his entire life. He seriously thought that they were all done for and everyone pulling through in more or less one piece was like a dream. In fact, this felt like a dream he¡¯d had before. A prophetic dream, perhaps. A dream from last night, where everything went wrong. Strange. Why would he have a dream like that? But whatever, everything was alright after all. Mogzo was wounded and bloody, but he was alive. That was all that mattered.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s okay¡­¡±

    Haruhiro heard the whisper of his own voice in the darkness. He let his hands slide back down to his sides. The shabby reserve force lodge room was pitch black. He had been asleep? He must have been. Which meant¡­ he didn¡¯t want to think about it. Yet a part of him also needed to be certain.

    Needing to be absolutely sure, he sat up on the bed. It was the same room they always occupied; the one with two bunks of double beds. Ranta occupied the top bunk across from him and was asleep, snoring softly. The bunk below Ranta¡¯s¡­ was empty. No one slept in it now.

    Because Mogzo wasn¡¯t here anymore. He was gone and would never be back.

 Volume 4 - CH 1

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 1: This Near Unbearable Weight of Reality

    PART 1 of 3

    A person¡¯s death is no trifling matter.

    And in recent days, Haruhiro never imagined that someone¡¯s death would be something he would have to experience once again. Of course, he realized there was the possibility that anyone could die at any time. More than anything else, the safety of his companions was always foremost on his mind, and their deaths were the fear rooted most deeply in his heart. But his assumptions of death, of loss, had clearly been too detached from reality. Then, before he knew it, death had come and gone, leaving only pain entirely different from the pain he felt at Manato¡¯s death in its wake.

    They carried Mogzo¡¯s body back to Altana, and then to the crematorium outside the city to have his body burned. They then took his ashes to the hill where the tower with no entrance or exit stood. The events after that Haruhiro remembered clearly enough, but everything seemed surreal nonetheless. He recalled Team Renji helping them through it all, so everything up to that point went as smoothly as could be expected.

    Afterwards was when the true difficulties began.

    Their companion, their friend, was dead; turned into bone and ash, put to eternal sleep atop a hill where he would be disturbed no more. Haruhiro and the others had lost Mogzo. Yet even though Mogzo was gone, the vestiges of his presence remained. His arms and armor, for example. His damaged plate mail, dented helm, and the sword that he claimed from Deathpatch, The Chopper. Those couldn¡¯t be burned and buried with him. They had wanted to, but the equipment was metal-forged and physically impossible to burn. Getting rid of it was out of the question, but they didn¡¯t have anywhere to keep it either.

    Finally, it was Shihoru who suggested, ¡°Maybe we can store it somewhere?¡±

    So they headed to Yorozu¡¯s Bank and there discovered another unpleasant reality.

    ¡°Certainly, we here at Yorozu¡¯s Bank can handle the safe-keeping of more than just money,¡± they were told by the fourth generation Yorozu. She was dressed in a flashy red and white garment with metal pieces hanging off here and there, and she regarded them from behind a steel-framed monocle. She tapped the countertop with her golden tobacco pipe and continued, ¡°Regarding the storage fee, while we charge one percent of the total amount for monetary deposits, storage of equipment is two percent of the value of the goods as appraised by us. In your case, there¡¯s no need to even appraise the armor, because it¡¯s worth nothing.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Haruhiro stuttered. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Do I really need to explain myself, Mr. Lack-of-Manners?¡± Yorozu sighed.

    She had given him that horrible name the first time they met and she was still using it.

    ¡°That plate armor and helm are too badly damaged and are worth nothing,¡± she said. ¡°Even if you took it to a blacksmith, I doubt equipment in that condition can be repaired. How about seeing if anyone can use it as scrap metal?¡±

    ¡°Hey! Watch your fucking mouth!¡± Ranta exclaimed, lunging over the counter in an attempt to grab the little girl sitting so dispassionately behind it.

    Haruhiro held Ranta back, but inwardly, he felt the same as Ranta. Scrap metal¡­ Yorozu had the nerve to call their dear friend¡¯s possessions scrap metal. The only memento they had of Mogzo, and she treated it as if it was nothing more than trash. Well, it wasn¡¯t. How dare Yozoru talk so brazenly about something she knew nothing about. She was wrong. She didn¡¯t know a goddamn thing.

    Yorozu¡¯s eyes narrowed to slits, then she shrugged magnanimously. ¡°I see. So it belonged to a former companion of yours. While I understand your situation, there are rules that even this fourth generation Yorozu cannot bend. No matter what the reasons, we cannot accept items that fall outside of the established regulations. Storage space is a resource too, and we do not store items that have no monetary value. If it¡¯s too precious for you to dispose of, then I suggest you find a way to keep it on hand.¡±

    So this was what it felt like to be lost for words. If it means that much to you, then figure out what to do with it yourselves, is what she was basically saying. And the worst part was, she was right. It was their responsibility to take care of Mogzo¡¯s possessions, not hers.

    ¡°Then¡­ what about the sword?¡± Shihoru asked softly.

    Yorozu nodded. ¡°Yes, we can store that for you. However, it once belonged to the Deathpatch, correct? The storage fee is not going to be cheap.¡±

    A weapons appraisal specialist then came to look at the sword, and just as Yorozu warned, its market price was through the roof at twenty-five gold. One fiftieth of that meant fifty silvers. They had the money to pay for it, but the cost was astounding nevertheless. Haruhiro hesitated in committing.

    ¡°Would it make a difference even if we don¡¯t decide now?¡± Yume asked.

    She was right. If they put the decision off until later, carrying it around with them would turn out to be impractical and they would be back here eventually anyway. Still, they didn¡¯t have to do it right this moment. They would have time tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that¡­ Because apparently, they had more pressing concerns to take care of, according to what Yorozu asked them next.

    ¡°Also, and I inquire out of concern, what will you do with the sum remaining in the deceased party¡¯s bank account?¡±

    ¡°Sum remaining?¡± Haruhiro echoed.

    ¡°The deceased had an account with us. Normally, only the account owner would be able to withdraw funds, but in the case of death, it¡¯s possible to transfer the account to a different owner given the completion of the necessary transference procedures.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ is that so¡­¡± Haruhiro replied.

    ¡°To be precise, you will need to obtain an official death certificate and proof of next-of-kin from the frontier governor through the Crimson Moon headquarters and present it here,¡± Yorozu explained. ¡°Once we confirm validity, we will then relinquish all of the deceased party¡¯s funds over to you.¡±

    ¡°Death certificate¡­? Proof of next-of-kin¡­?¡± Haruhiro repeated.

    ¡°We are also unable to divulge any information regarding the amount of money stored in the deceased party¡¯s account at this time.¡±

    PART 2 of 3

    How much had Mogzo saved up? Haruhiro knew that he¡¯d been spending his money on parts to shore up his armor¡­ and with his appetite, no small amount would have gone towards food, so he doubted any great sum remained. But leaving the account unclaimed didn¡¯t seem like the proper way to handle things either. When Manato had died, no one could tell right from left so Haruhiro had no idea how to take care of things like that. This time though, he wanted to do things right. He had an obligation to do things properly.

    Haruhiro wondered if he was the only person who felt that way because the next day, he ended up going to the Crimson Moon headquarters alone. Ranta had no desire to get out of bed and when he asked Yume and Shihoru, they never gave him a straight answer. Mary didn¡¯t live with the rest of them, so he couldn¡¯t even ask.

    Haruhiro entered the headquarters building and was about to make his way over to Brittany, or Bri for short, to ask about the next-of-kin paperwork, when the Crimson Moon commander surprised Haruhiro by calling out to him first.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you!¡± exclaimed Bri. ¡°Perfect timing. About the bounty¡­ um-hmm, the bounty. What are you going to do? I was told you haven¡¯t even talked to the others about how you were going to split it. That Renji and Kajiko, they can be such pains in the rear¡­ I¡¯m getting off topic though, this is about YOU. If you don¡¯t make a claim for your share, you¡¯ll lose out big.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡± Haruhiro replied. ¡°What bounty?¡±

    They had received the remainder of the payment for participation in the Capomorti siege immediately after returning to Altana. It came in the form of a thin copper plate, a military bank note for the compensation of eighty silvers for each of the five people in the party.

    ¡°Oh wait,¡± he suddenly recalled. ¡°You mean for Zoran and Avaael?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Who else?¡± Bri licked his black painted lips and gave Haruhiro a wink. Haruhiro wished that he would stop. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to put up with Bri¡¯s antics. Bri continued, ¡°Zoran¡¯s head was worth a hundred gold and Avaael¡¯s fifty. That¡¯s a hundred and fifty gold altogether. And from what I hear, your party took out Avaael almost completely on your own.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah. Right. Now that you mention it, I think we did.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll have you know, the majority argument for cases like this is still for an even split. You should argue for the entire share. You¡¯d be a fool not to.¡±

    ¡°Really? I guess so, yeah. I don¡¯t really know much about stuff like this though.¡±

    ¡°What!? You don¡¯t want to be rewarded for your fabulously stupendous achievement? You¡¯re not happy about it!?¡±

    ¡°Happy¡­?¡±

    Haruhiro wanted to laugh, and not out of happiness. What else was there to do but laugh when Bri put it that way? No, laughing wasn¡¯t appropriate. What he really wanted to do was call Bri a dumbass and punch him in the face. Instead, Haruhiro let his gaze drop to the floor and clenched his hands at his sides.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I feel very happy,¡± Haruhiro finally said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would,¡± replied Bri with a heavy sigh. With his gaze glued to the ground, Haruhiro couldn¡¯t see Bri¡¯s expression. Nor did he want to see it. ¡°At any rate, you¡¯ve got the right to make a claim on the bounty. I¡¯m holding the entire amount for now, but Kajiko proposed¡ªafter some rather choice words from Renji¡ªthat your share be sixty gold.¡±

    ¡°Sixty!?¡± Haruhiro exclaimed. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. It was like waking from a dream¡­ if only all this had been a bad dream he could wake up from. ¡°Sixty¡­ gold?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Bri affirmed. ¡°If you want to count it in silvers, that¡¯s six thousand silvers. Split evenly amongst six¡ªer, I mean, five¡ªpeople, that¡¯s twelve gold each.¡±

    ¡°Twelve¡­¡±

    He was irritated and angered by Bri¡¯s oh-so-casual correction from six to five, but that amount of money was still unfathomable. Yet Haruhiro wasn¡¯t happy. No, not even in the slightest.

    ¡°I guess if that¡¯s our share then we¡¯ll take it,¡± said Haruhiro. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Just what?¡±

    ¡°Er, nothing. We¡¯ll take it. Thanks. It¡¯s better to have money than not to have it. Money is useful for lots of things. Yeah. Actually, what I¡¯m really here for is¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªDeath certificate and proof of next-of-kin, correct?¡± Bri finished for him.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take some time to process the paperwork.¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Depends on the paper pushers at the governmental offices. Expect to wait a minimum of ten days, however. Maybe seven if you¡¯re lucky, but sooner than that is unheard of. What? Your expression tells me you thought everything would be done in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I was maybe half hoping¡­¡±

    ¡°Things are never that simple,¡± Bri stated. ¡°If you were a real relative of his, then you could go to the offices yourself, but being in the same party doesn¡¯t make you family. Matters would be different, of course, if he were married.¡±

    Again, Bri¡¯s words felt surreal. Marriage¡­ it was yet another reminder of something that Mogzo would never be able to do, and Haruhiro couldn¡¯t help but think about it in those terms. Mogzo would never marry because he was dead. Mogzo¡¯s death felt like such a lie. Haruhiro could hardly believe that he had lifted up Mogzo¡¯s still body with his own hands and carried him to the crematorium. He watched with his own eyes as Mogzo turned to ash and bone before him. He couldn¡¯t believe it. He didn¡¯t want to believe it.

 Volume 4 - CH 2

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 2: Funya-Funyan

    (Funya-Funyan is Japanese onomatopoeia for flabby, limp, lacking energy. We might change it at some point, but probably won¡¯t. -hika)

    Yume was funya-funyaing. What did that even mean anyhow? Yume had no idea either. All she knew was that she was funya-funya and didn¡¯t know how to describe it any other way.

    Because she was funya-funya, getting up and out of bed was way too much effort. So she remained sprawled on her reserve force lodge bunk. Once in a while she would flip over to one side or the other, but since she was funya-funya, even that required a tremendous amount of effort.

    She also had to pee. She¡¯d been holding it a long time now and she reckoned that it¡¯d be best to get up and go do the necessary. Sooner or later she¡¯d have to get up, no mistake about it, but because she was funya-funya she didn¡¯t feel like it now.

    ¡°Yume?¡± Shihoru called her name.

    As much as Yume wanted to reply, she was funya-funya so it was too much effort to get her vocal chords to respond.

    At last, Yume managed with, ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not hungry?¡± Shihoru asked.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yume thought about it. She supposed she wasn¡¯t not hungry; if she were to eat something then she would have eaten it, so by all accounts she could eat. But she didn¡¯t really feel like eating. Whatever, she felt fine enough without eating so that must¡¯ve meant she didn¡¯t have to eat.

    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Yume, it¡¯s not good to starve yourself¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Yume?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    This won¡¯t do, the funya-funya Yume thought to herself. She should reply properly. No matter how much she reckoned she should¡¯ve, though, she couldn¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t trying to give Shihoru a hard time, it was just total lack of energy and motivation to do anything. She wasn¡¯t just physically funya-funya, but mentally too.

    ¡°You need to get a grip on yourself,¡± Shihoru suddenly exclaimed in a half-whisper.

    Because she had said it so quickly and in such a hushed voice, Yume couldn¡¯t tell if Shihoru meant for her to hear it. She knew though, that Shihoru was annoyed. Maybe even mad. It was the first time Shihoru said anything to her in that tone. Yume couldn¡¯t recall Shihoru ever having spoken to her like that.

    Yume flopped over to regard Shihoru, who was sitting on the bed next to hers. She was hanging her head, gaze towards the floor.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Yume apologized. Shihoru quickly shook her head without looking up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anythin¡¯ to apologize for,¡± Yume said.

    ¡°But I¡­¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anythin¡¯ wrong.¡±

    ¡°No, I did¡­¡± Shihoru insisted.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I think I did.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Yume finally capitulated.

    ¡°What¡­ are we going to do from now on?¡± Shihoru whispered.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yume tried thinking about it, but her brain refused to work. The wheels and cogs inside stayed at a dead stop. She tried thinking anyways, uncharacteristically desperate to find adequate words.

    ¡°Um, Shihoru?¡± Yume finally said.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s really bad at these kinda things. Yume hates hurtin¡¯ and feelin¡¯ sad¡­ everyone does, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I suppose¡­¡±

    ¡°But you know, for example, if there was a big rainstorm¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Yume continued, ¡°And it was rainin¡¯ super hard, you wouldn¡¯t go outside for a walk, right? You¡¯d stay inside and hope. You¡¯d hope for it to stop rainin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I guess I would, yes.¡±

    ¡°But who could really make it stop? It¡¯s like that¡­ There¡¯s nothin¡¯ no one could¡¯ve done about it.¡±

    ¡°Nothing at all¡­?¡± Shihoru asked, doubtful.

    ¡°Err, meanin¡¯ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anyone¡¯s bad that things turned out like this. It¡¯s just the way things turned out. It all feels like some big ol¡¯ lie. Yume never thought somethin¡¯ like this could happen.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ me too.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Yume ever expect it?¡± Yume asked herself. ¡°It¡¯s not like these things don¡¯t happen. Yume was supposed to have known that it might¡¯ve, at least¡­¡±

    Because it wasn¡¯t the first time. No, it had happened once before but Yume had never dreamed that it would happen again. The death of a friend. That Mogzo would die.

    ¡°Yume is such an idiot,¡± said Yume, flipping over to lie on her stomach. Her entire body felt heavy, funya-funya. ¡°Yume was too stupid. This happened because Yume is a big, stupid idiot.¡±

    This time, Shihoru didn¡¯t reply.

    Yume suddenly felt very sleepy, but she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep. She flopped over onto her back. Her body was heavier and more funya-funya than ever before. She had no desire to move. And for the time being, she remained unmoving, unable to move.

 Volume 4 - CH 3

    ¡°Hey Mister! Another bowl of sorruz!¡± Ranta exclaimed, raising an index finger as soup and noodles dribbled from his full mouth.

    The only place to get sorruz noodles around here was from a small food stand in Altana¡¯s southern district in the food court area for common laborers. Sorruz was a soupy, salty dish made from thinly cut, yellowish wheat noodles with stewed meat added in. Not everyone thought it was totally delicious, and there was a clear divide between people who liked it and people who didn¡¯t. At least on the first bite.

    The problem was, the more you ate, the more it would grow on you and after a period of not having any, you would start craving it. After a while, it would become an addiction. You¡¯d want to have a bowl once every ten¡ªno, five¡­ wait, three¡ªdays.

    A huge pile of empty sorruz bowls was stacked next to Ranta¡¯s face on the counter. Seven, to be precise, and Ranta was fervently working on conquering the eighth. He had ordered the ninth just now and it would be arriving momentarily. Freshly made sorruz was scalding hot. He wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he said that it was fucking scalding hot. But he didn¡¯t have time to blow on the noodles to cool them.

    He had probably burned several layers of skin off in the insides of his mouth already and to be honest, he could no longer even taste the flavor. His stomach was also at the point of rebellion. It was so full and swollen, he looked like he was pregnant or something. Continuing to eat was torture, but Ranta didn¡¯t stop. One more mouthful and the eighth bowl was finished.

    ¡°Eight down!¡± Ranta exclaimed as the ninth was put before him.

    His eyes teared up from the steam rising off the fresh bowl. The delicious smell from a perfect combination of onions, carrots, chicken bone broth, and fatty pork would¡¯ve been enough to make anyone¡¯s mouth water, but the only thing Ranta felt was the agony of heartburn.

    ¡°You okay, kid?¡± the cook and owner of the stand peeked out from over the counter to regard Ranta.

    Ranta nodded, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. His face was dripping with sweat, snot from a runny nose, and soup that missed his mouth. It was gross by anyone¡¯s account, but Ranta didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°Here I go!¡± Ranta dug into bowl number nine, slurping the noodles down even as he felt like they were going to come back up.

    He hurriedly pressed both hands to his mouth, refusing to throw up. He would never, ever throw up. He couldn¡¯t let himself. He was going to eat, eat, and eat the shit out of these noodles.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Start a shop.¡± His friend; his companion, Mogzo¡¯s face appeared in his mind¡¯s eye, exactly like it was that time. He had never seen Mogzo¡¯s expression light up like that before. ¡°But I don¡¯t want it to be sorruz, I want to make it a ramen shop. While we save up money, we can keep experimenting with the flavor. And once we¡¯ve got it right, let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s open a shop.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it,¡± Ranta muttered, knowing that Mogzo couldn¡¯t hear him.

    So all he could do now was eat. Eat, eat, and eat some more. Keep eating the sorruz that Mogzo had liked so much. Eat until he couldn¡¯t eat more, then eat more. Eat until he was fuller than full, until he didn¡¯t want to eat any more, then eat more. Eat, eat, eat.

    ¡°Ughhhhh¡­¡± Ranta groaned. But he had to keep eating because¡­ because¡­ ¡°Because you won¡¯t be able to eat ever again.¡±

    Right, partner? No matter how much Mogzo wanted to eat now, he couldn¡¯t anymore. So Lord Ranta¡¯s gonna eat instead. What was the point of doing something like this anyways? Fuck if he knew and he didn¡¯t give a shit either. It just felt like the right thing to do. He couldn¡¯t help feeling that way and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from doing it.

    ¡°Mister! Another bowl!¡±

    ¡°Look, kid¡­¡± the shop owner started to protest.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Ranta cut him off. ¡°Just hurry up and bring another!¡±

    ¡°A-alright¡­¡±

    ¡°Bowl number nine!¡± Ranta declared.

    Determined to finish this one in a single go, he started to eat faster. Or wanted to, but no matter how fast he thought he was eating, the amount of noodles in the bowl didn¡¯t seem to decrease. He stopped, his stomach in full rebel mode. He couldn¡¯t breathe. He was going to suffocate to death.

    Then, he noticed; it¡¯d gotten awfully noisy all of a sudden. When he looked up, he saw a mass of workmen and Crimson Moon reservists crowded around him. What the hell? Why were they all staring at him?

    ¡°Whoa¡­ he¡¯s going onto his tenth bowl,¡± someone murmured. Then another, ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± And a third, ¡°No way¡­ is that even possible?¡± To which someone else replied, ¡°He¡¯ll throw up before then. No way he can hold down ten bowls¡­¡±

    Ranta scoffed loudly and suddenly felt an entire noodle shoot into his nose. He made to pull it out and throw it away, but then thought better of it. Mogzo wouldn¡¯t do any such thing. So he extracted the noodle from his nostrils, put it back into his mouth, and swallowed.

    ¡°You idiots just watch,¡± Ranta said. ¡°Ten bowls ain¡¯t NOTHING! I can eat double that no problem!¡±

    Here goes! Ranta tackled the remainder of bowl number nine with renewed vigor, polishing it off in one gulp. The tenth arrived. He started to feel dizzy and sick but whatever. He got to his feet with a battle shout, brought the steaming hot bowl to his lips, and started downing the scalding contents. Noodles, meat, vegetables, whatever. They all went down his throat at once.

    Those around him started to get excited, cheering and shouting encouragement. Fueled by the crowd, Ranta finished the tenth bowl in less than a minute, soup included.

    ¡°Take that!¡± Ranta shouted. ¡°Mister! Bring on another!¡±

    ¡°Coming right up!¡±

    ¡°Whoaaaa!¡± someone exclaimed.

    ¡°He did it!¡± said somebody else.

    ¡°Keep going! Go, go, go!!¡± another encouraged.

    ¡°Fuck you all!¡± Ranta flipped his middle finger at everyone around him. ¡°The name¡¯s Ranta! Everyone say it!¡±

    ¡°RANTA! RANTA! RANTA!¡± they chanted thunderously.

    ¡°Mister, hurry it up!¡± Ranta yelled at the shop owner.

    ¡°Here you go!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Bowl number eleven!¡± Ranta laughed as he took the bowl into his hands and for a passing moment, wondered why he was doing this.

    Whatever. He didn¡¯t give a shit. Eat, eat, eat. I hope you¡¯re watching, partner. Because it was the only thing he could do for Mogzo now.

    ¡°Urk¡ª!!¡± he suddenly choked and noodles came flying out of his nose. The crowd erupted into laughter. Rather than getting angry, Ranta laughed too, louder than anyone else. He¡¯d show them. He¡¯d eat until he exploded.

 Volume 4 - CH 4.1

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 4: The Worst

    Part 1 of 2 (translated by Lono)

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should give it a rest, already?¡±

    It felt as if someone was speaking to her.

    But who? The man next to me, I suppose. But I don¡¯t know who he is, and I can¡¯t discern his expression.

    She strained her eyes, trying to see. He was terribly blurred. Just who is he? Why is he sitting with me? I don¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Who¡­ are you, again?¡±

    ¡°Huuuh?¡± he drawled. ¡°You¡¯re asking who I¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªAnd why are you sitting here¡­?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re asking why? We came to this joint together.¡±

    ¡°You came together¡­ with who?¡±

    ¡°You. With you, Mary.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, someone¡¯s had too much to drink.¡±

    ¡°Who did?¡±

    ¡°Well, you, of course.¡±

    ¡°Is that right¡­.?¡±

    Mary sighed and lifted her cup. She brought the contents to her lips, but there were no contents.

    A joint? What joint? What kind of place was it? Mary surveyed her surroundings. Ah. It¡¯s a bar.

    A cramped and unfamiliar bar, with nothing but stools. She didn¡¯t know this place at all.

    Mary pushed her empty glass to the side, in front of who was probably the barman. She was about to call for another glass when the man held her wrist.

    ¡°Stop it already.¡±

    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± she snapped.

    ¡°As if I can. Do you even know how much you drank?¡±

    ¡°Maybe not. What does it matter¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that,¡± he said. Somehow, he looked fed up with something.

    Why do I have to deal with someone I don¡¯t even know, scowling at me? This is ludicrous.

    ¡°¡­Fine, have it your way.¡±

    Mary stood up from her chair, staggering. The man moved to support her, but she shook him off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    ¡°You were about to fall over.¡±

    ¡°So what¡­?¡± said Mary. ¡°You have a problem¡­ with people falling over¡­?¡±

    ¡°Anyone would have a problem with that,¡± he argued.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­¡±

    ¡°Say what?¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ opinion¡­¡± she said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t give a damn¡­¡±

    I don¡¯t know what I was trying to say, let alone what I actually did say. Whatever. It doesn¡¯t really matter.

    Mary left the bar.

    When she awoke, she was somewhere unrecognizable. A dark and unknown street.

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    My staff is gone. Did I mislay it? Where? She couldn¡¯t even begin to guess.

    ¡°Hey, are you alright?!¡±

    Who is it? The man from before. What¡®s he doing here? Why is he following me?

    ¡°The hell do you want¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Huh!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Is that how you talk to someone who foots your tab?¡±

    ¡°My tab¡­? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Your booze tab. You didn¡¯t pay, did you? I had to take it all on myself, Mary.¡±

    ¡°Why do you know my name¡­?¡±

    ¡°You told me, obviously.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ you paid¡­¡±

    Mary hadn¡¯t a firm grasp of things, but she didn¡¯t want to get caught up in whatever nonsense this was. She tried to retrieve her money. If she handed it to him, he would probably be satisfied.

    But her hands shook, and her legs; she couldn¡¯t remain standing. She was just about to fall when he propped her up in his arms.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what this is about, Mary. I¡¯m not telling you to pay me back.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me¡ª¡±

    Mary tried to free herself from the man¡¯s arms, but she couldn¡¯t budge him.

    He embraced her still tighter and drew his face closer to hers, but she pushed it away by the chin.

    ¡°Listen to me, you¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Quiet, you dumb bitch! After all of this, you really think I¡¯ll let you go? Don¡¯t forget, you wanted this!¡±

    ¡°What? Wanted what?!¡±

    ¡°You were feeling down, so you came to me for a good time! Didn¡¯t you?! Any fool could tell that much!¡±

    ¡°A good time¡­?¡±

    What is this man talking about? I understand nothing. A ¡°good time¡±? I am not in the mood for a ¡°good time¡±. What really happened? What exactly could this fool tell?

    A chill passed over Mary¡¯s heart.

    ¡°I¡­ what exactly did we talk about?¡±

    ¡°Huh?! You told me your name and, oh, what else¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t much of a talk¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, good¡­¡±

    She felt relief from the bottom of her heart. It would have been horrible had she confided anything in this man.

    No matter how drunk she was¡­ and Mary was certainly drunk. Not any run-of-the-mill drunkenness either. Mary was considerably drunk, extraordinarily drunk¡­ she was hammered, far beyond belief.

    This is bad. With myself in this condition, in this situation, I am without a doubt in danger. I have to get out of here.

    ¡°Mmph!¡± Mary head-butted the man with everything she had.

    He recoiled and cried out in surprise, but he still didn¡¯t release her.

    ¡°You bitch! That¡¯s it, no more playing nice!¡±

    ¡°AAAHHH¡ª¡±

    part 2 of 2 (translated by NanoDesu)

    Mary felt herself hoisted up. Her feet were no longer in contact with the floor. She thrashed around but the man¡¯s grip did not budge. What did he want? It seemed he had an aim to take her somewhere. In the darkness, Mary couldn¡¯t see very clearly, but she could see he was ferrying her into a narrow alley. She tried to yell out for help. He slapped a hand atop her mouth. Mary bit down.

    The man yelped and threw Mary to the floor. Mary felt the collision bang at her waist and again at her skull.

    ¡°Owww¡­¡±

    Her vision blurred and twisted. She had to escape. She tried to crawl away, but the man caught her by the waist, and pulled her close again. He forced her onto her back. Mary was pinned, and once again she felt a hand clasped against her mouth.

    Was he going to¡­

    Right here, right in this place?

    Not happening. Go to hell. Mary sent her knee straight into the man¡¯s crotch.

    ¡°Get off¡­!¡±

    ¡°Hngh¡­?! Dammit! This little¡­!¡±

    A fist smashed into her face, and for a moment, Mary¡¯s consciousness flickered.

    When she came back to her senses, her priest outfit was already half removed.

    Maybe this is it, Mary thought. Maybe this is my punishment.

    She had let him die.

    Yet again, she had let a teammate die.

    Even though she was a priest.

    Even though she was supposed to protect her companions. That was her one, her only job.

    She had one job and she failed.

    She couldn¡¯t even claim that she failed despite trying her best. No, she had slipped.

    Mary had slipped fatally.

    [LIGHT OF PROTECTION].

    It was a light spell that enhanced an ally¡¯s physical abilities, defenses, and natural healing rate. For a priest that was no longer a beginner at her craft, it was also the most basic of spells. Most of all, its magic could never be allowed to expire in the midst of battle. Even minute differences could mean life and death on the battlefield. So when [LIGHT OF PROTECTION]¡¯s effects ended after around thirty seconds, it was the priest¡¯s duty to recast it without a moment¡¯s delay. This duty had to be engraved into a priest¡¯s very soul. It was a duty that should never, ever, ever be forgotten. And yet¡­

    ¡°Just give it up already. Stop struggling¡­!¡±

    The man let out a brutish chuckle and tugged on Mary¡¯s clothes. She could hear the stitching rip apart.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like this is your first time anyway, right?! Just take it easy and have some fun!¡±

    ¡°You really think she¡¯ll have fun like that?¡±

    The voice of a second man was heard, and the thug turned around.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°I apologize in advance, but I don¡¯t think I can go easy on you.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hyah!¡±

    The brute toppled, landing right on top of Mary, but the other man helped Mary peel him off.

    ¡°¡­ Eh?¡±

    What in the world was happening?

    Someone had saved her, but why? Who was it?

    ¡°You okay? Can you stand?¡±

    Mary didn¡¯t respond to the question. He sighed and scratched his head.

    ¡°Look¡­ I¡¯m not suspicious, really. Honest. Your clothes okay and everything?¡± This new man¡¯s tone was surprisingly blunt.

    He had gotten her out of a tight spot; that, she couldn¡¯t deny. What would have happened had he not appeared? Well, Mary couldimagine, but¡­

    Mary picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself off. There were a few tears on her sleeves, and plenty of dirt everywhere, but nothing else seemed very far out of order.

    ¡°¡­ Sorry. And thank you.¡±

    ¡°No worries. Glad you¡¯re okay, I guess.¡±

    The area was dark and Mary couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face very clearly. But there was something about him¡­ the voice, maybe? She felt she had heard it before¡­ and there was also something about his proportions. He was really quite tall. Did Mary know this man from somewhere?

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± The man took half a step back. ¡°Probably shouldn¡¯t say anything to anyone. About this, I mean. Yeah, that¡¯s probably for the best.¡±

    This man probably also knew Mary, judging by his tone.

    ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Me? Ah, I mean¡­ my name¡¯s Kuzak, but that probably doesn¡¯t ring a bell¡­¡±

    He was right. It didn¡¯t. When Mary stood up, Kuzak began to back even further away. It seemed he refused to move within a certain distance of Mary. Perhaps to make clear that he wasn¡¯t going to try anything.

    Mary looked down at the thug from before. She didn¡¯t know if Kuzak had punched or kicked him, but either way he was entirely passed out. She felt an urge to kick his body, but fought it down.

    She walked out of the alleyway. Kuzak stood off to the side, still maintaining his distance.

    With the moonlight now striking his face, Mary could see him clearly for the first time. She recognized him immediately.

    ¡°We were in the Green Storm Regiment back at Capomorti¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. So you remember?¡±

    ¡°But, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I almost died back there, yeah.¡± Kuzak looked down at the ground. ¡°But then I didn¡¯t. Someone healed me, and the next thing I knew I was there all alone.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I see.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I wish I¡¯d gotten here sooner. Actually, I¡¯d been watching you guys a while. Since the two of you left. I felt curious, so I tailed you. That¡¯s how it goes, I guess.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I was in really bad shape back there, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°No. I mean, I was drinking too.¡±

    ¡°Kuzak.¡± Mary inclined her head. ¡°Let me apologize once again. I¡¯m sorry¡­ and thank you.¡±

    Kuzak stayed silent for a while.

    ¡°¡­ Okay,¡± he said, after a long deliberation.

    ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    Mary lifted her head and strode past him. Of course, she was still feeling the effects of the alcohol, the nausea. How much had she drunk? She couldn¡¯t even remember that much. But it was surely too much. This was the first time in her life that she had drunk enough to affect her memory.

    But she had wanted to abandon reason. She had wanted to ruin herself as much as she could.

    If she could manage that, then she might feel better afterward. So maybe that was why she drowned herself in drink. Maybe that was why she didn¡¯t tell the thug to leave when he sat himself next to her.

    Kuzak had interfered. He had crossed personal boundaries to help her. But, what if the thug really had done something? Just thinking about it sent a chill down Mary¡¯s spine. It disgusted her. She was never one for touching others or being touched. But this time, he had touched her, touched her everywhere. Groped her, felt her up. It was the worst. The absolute worst.

    ¡°Errgh¡­¡±

    Mary suddenly had a strong urge to vomit, and she stopped in her tracks.

    She wanted to vomit. But there was nothing inside her to vomit. So she could not. She squatted to the ground. It hurt. She wanted to die. She wanted to just fall apart and die right here.

    But some people actually had died. Not just one person, but two. And for a useless priest, someone who had failed to protect a teammate not just once, but twice¡­ for such a useless priest to sit, going on about dying herself¡­ for this useless priest to even have it cross her mind¡­

    ¡°¡­ There is nobody here worse than me,¡± Mary murmured.

 Volume 4 - CH 5

    Chapter 5: This Sorry Mess

    (translated by NanoDesu. Also please see note [2] at the bottom!)

    What time was it? Haruhiro knew it was in the dead of night, but he had no grasp on what time it was exactly.

    But, they had already been here for quite a long while.

    They were in Northern Altana, on Flower Park Road. [1] Why was it called Flower Park Road? Haruhiro had no idea. Maybe far in the past, at some point there had been a field of flowers here. Or something like that?

    Flower Park Road extended all the way from the city marketplace, and there were inns lined up on both sides of the road as well as its side road. Near the road¡¯s entrance point, there were many tasteful inns meant for temporary dwellers. As you moved away from the marketplace along the road, you could see more and more big buildings spring up; expensive-looking inns that imprinted their proud majesty on their surroundings. But once you passed those, you would see more average looking inns, and then more so-so looking inns, until you got to the district outskirts and were treated to the sight of worn-down crumbling dwellings.

    Haruhiro¡¯s group had just turned off Flower Park onto its side road, and were standing in front of a so-so looking inn.

    At first, he had been standing, but at this point he was slumped down and leaning against the inn¡¯s outer wall. Haruhiro was, that is.

    But she was still standing.

    They were both completely silent. How long had it been since someone had said something? Haruhiro felt like it was quite a while back. He couldn¡¯t even remember what had been said back then. Neither she nor Haruhiro were really the type to start blabbing on and on in the midst of silence. Both of them were just too reserved for that, he supposed, or maybe too introverted.

    Haruhiro was huddled over and holding one knee in his arms as he began to think. Were the two of them really so incompatible? Neither Haruhiro nor the other person gave each other any push nor pull. Nothing happened. Conversation was a moot point.

    This was way too awkward. Haruhiro wished the other person would just say something. Anything, really. Whatever she said, he would try hard to follow up and maybe they could get a conversation going. But maybe she was thinking the exact same thing? Why was she just so silent this entire time? Maybe she really was waiting for him to say something?

    Okay. Got it. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do this for you. Yeah, what¡¯s the harm in just giving it a go?

    ¡°Umm¡­ hey, Shihoru?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Y-Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°How you holding up?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m alright.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    And that was that.

    That was the end of the spark of conversation Haruhiro had exhausted so much effort to strike up.

    What the hell was that? Give me a break. Come on, let¡¯s try a bit harder please. Communication is important. Really important, right?

    Why was he here alone with Shihoru in the first place? Well, it wasn¡¯t technically a reason, but Haruhiro could recount the course of events that led to this. First, they needed to get in touch with Mary to settle all accounts and divvy up the spoils from the last operation. Ranta had somehow eaten too much and was rendered immobile (pigs must be flying today), while Yume was too funya-funya to be of much use (whatever that meant). Meanwhile, Shihoru seemed to be in decent health and also knew where Mary was staying, so they had left the inn together. Also, if memory served, Mary should be staying in a woman-only establishment, so it would be weird if Haruhiro just went to visit himself. Because of that, Haruhiro was definitely grateful that Shihoru had offered to tag along. But that was the only thing he was grateful for.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like Shihoru. But he would be lying to say she was his first choice to be alone with.

    They just didn¡¯t make a great combo. They didn¡¯t mesh with each other. That was all. In other words, they weren¡¯t compatible.

    Shihoru was probably feeling this just as much as Haruhiro was. And it wasn¡¯t like Haruhiro wanted this state of affairs to continue just because their personalities weren¡¯t very compatible, but Shihoru wasn¡¯t really trying to do much to lighten the atmosphere either. They had come to Mary¡¯s place, realized she wasn¡¯t there, gone to check at Sherry¡¯s Tavern, realized she wasn¡¯t there either, and then come back here to wait¡­ this entire time, Shihoru had barely talked. Even when Haruhiro asked her something, she would respond with only a word or two. That was all. What kind of game was she playing exactly?

    Sigh¡­ Haruhiro heard a rush of breath.

    Was she also feeling frustrated with all this? But later, Haruhiro would think that perhaps the frustration was what let her break the silence.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Shihoru began to speak in a quiet voice.

    Haruhiro looked up at her. She was gripping her shoulders, trembling lightly.

    ¡°I¡­ you know¡­ I thought if I said this¡­ you all would think I¡¯m a horrible person¡­ but I¡¯m feeling just fine.¡±

    ¡°Just fine¡­?¡± repeated Haruhiro.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not feeling like all the others. I¡¯m not¡­ in as much shock as all of you, I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­ so¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s awful, right? I¡¯m sure you think it¡¯s awful¡­ I think it is too. I guess for me¡­ I¡¯m less in shock that Mogzo died¡­ but more in shock that I¡¯m just not that sad about it¡­ it¡¯s depressing. Makes me think I¡¯m a bad person¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±

    That¡¯s not true, he wanted to counter, but could he really? Mogzo had died, but she wasn¡¯t shocked? That was impossible. They were all companions, after all. They had stuck with each other through thick and thin. Mogzo was a precious, precious companion, the axis around which their party spun. Why wasn¡¯t she in shock¡­?

    But, it seemed that Shihoru herself didn¡¯t know what to make of this. It would be natural for her to feel such intense sadness and feeling of loss here that her chest would be bursting at the seams, but she was confused that this was not the case. And she couldn¡¯t forgive herself for feeling this way¡­ she was in pain over it¡­ ahh, he understood.

    It was Manato.

    This was only Haruhiro¡¯s educated guess, but Shihoru was probably feeling this way because of what had happened to Manato.

    Shihoru had likely been in love with Manato. And the person she had fallen head over heels for had died. Shihoru had most likely taken his death harder than anybody else. Of course, Shihoru also felt pain at Mogzo¡¯s passing, but it wasn¡¯t as bad in comparison.

    She had become used to pain. Even if she hadn¡¯t wanted to become used to it, it happened naturally.

    That was what she¡¯d had to do to continue moving on.

    As long as you lived, these are the experiences you would continue to go through. Again and again and again.

    If you got knocked down every time something like that happened and found it hard to stand back up again, then going on with life would become very difficult.

    To be honest¡­ to be honest, even Haruhiro wasn¡¯t as utterly dumbfounded now as he¡¯d been right after Mogzo had died. That didn¡¯t mean everything was going swell, but he could at least try to move forward. And he hoped everyone else was trying to do the same. Not doing that would be doing a disservice to Mogzo¡¯s memory. If only they could use their companion¡¯s death and change it into a renewed will to live, then¡­

    Haruhiro was trying to live. Call him greedy or stubborn, but he wanted to keep living.

    Shihoru was probably the same. Manato¡¯s death had made her strong. And she was now using her strength to try to live onwards.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re horrible. Or a bad person. I¡¯m really glad you came with me actually, that you¡¯re here with me. That¡¯s what I really think.¡±

    Shihoru looked like she wanted to say something, but then she shut her mouth and averted her gaze. Her shoulders started trembling slightly again. She might¡¯ve been trying to hold back tears. After a bit of time, Shihoru sniffled once.

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m also really glad you¡¯re here, Haruhiro. That¡¯s¡­ what I really think.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ thanks. And I mean, how you feel about Mogzo¡­ I mean, at least you¡¯re not saying ¡®good riddance¡¯ or something¡­¡±

    Haruhiro held his head in his hands. He felt incredibly embarrassed. And then felt a sense of guilt at how embarrassed he felt. To be honest, at this point, whenever he had a nice meal, or a good drink, or a restful night of sleep, Haruhiro felt an urge to apologize to Mogzo. Even though apologizing wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything.

    Eventually, this prickling pain in his chest would probably go away, too.

    He would get used to the pain.

    He wanted to live. And he would get used to the pain in order to do so.

    ¡°Mary sure is late. I wonder where she went off to,¡± said Haruhiro.

    ¡°¡­ I guess in the end, I don¡¯t know much about her either, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true. But I¡¯m a guy, so it¡¯s not like you can expect me to get close to her¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ But just because we¡¯re both girls doesn¡¯t mean I can get close to Mary either¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ well, the way my personality is¡­ if I were more perky like Yume, then things might be different, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Nah. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s about just being perky. Well, Yume¡­ I guess it does feel like she can get along with anyone. Anyone except Ranta, that is.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Ranta might be an exception to the rule.¡±

    ¡°That guy is an idiot. Seriously. He ate too much? What the hell is that? Ugh.¡±

    ¡°¡­ He was eating sorruz, wasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°This is just a guess, but¡­ he probably was trying to eat enough for Mogzo too¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    Haruhiro idly tampered with a lock of his hair. I see. That was it. He hadn¡¯t understood anything. Hadn¡¯t seen anything. So that was Ranta¡¯s own way of paying respects to the dead¡­ Haruhiro let out a small chuckle. His chest throbbed for a moment.

    ¡°Yeah, I really don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person at all, Shihoru. I think it¡¯s amazing how much you understand about all of us.¡±

    Shihoru shook her head from side to side and then squatted to the floor. ¡°Mary¡­¡± she managed to say. ¡°I think Mary is taking this harder than anyone¡­ since she¡¯s the priest¡­¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. He at least could infer that much himself.

    After all, this was the second time this had happened.

    Mary had lost companions before. Multiple companions. Since then, she had become consumed with self-blame, and was no longer the Mary she was in the past.

    After she teamed up with Haruhiro and the others, Mary had begun to occasionally smile again. But then¡­ just as that was happening, she lost a companion once again. And she was the priest of the party. In other words, she was the one who took responsibility for keeping everyone in the party alive. So it wouldn¡¯t be out of the question for her to blame everything on herself; to believe that she was the one at fault here.

    This might be a bit presumptuous for him to think, but honestly Haruhiro was worried about Mary the most.

    ¡°¡­ I hope she¡¯s not getting any strange ideas right now¡­¡±

    The minute he said that though, he felt a heavy sense of worry.

    That¡¯s why, the minute he heard footsteps, and looked up to see someone wearing white clothes coming towards them, he felt an intense weight lift off him.

    ¡°Mary.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Why.¡±

    That was all Mary said before she turned away.

    ¡°Eh¡­? Hey, Mary, don¡¯t run¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°H-Haruhiro, we have to chase her!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah!¡±

    Haruhiro thanked the heavens that Mary wasn¡¯t moving very fast. Actually¡­ she didn¡¯t seem very steady at all, and rather than running it was more that she was wobbling back and forth while somehow still moving forward.

    When Haruhiro caught up to her and clapped a hand on her shoulder, Mary shook the hand off but no longer tried to run. Even if she did, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get away. Mary turned her back towards Haruhiro and Shihoru and almost toppled to the ground.

    ¡°¡­ What? What do you want?¡±

    ¡°There were¡­ a few things. But uhh¡­ Mary, have you been drinking¡­?¡±

    ¡°Problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, not really, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ Leave me alone. Just go.¡±

    ¡°We¡­ can¡¯t leave you alone,¡± said Shihoru, squatting next to Mary. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s¡­ we definitely can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Why?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re worried about you¡­ seeing you like this¡­ we can¡¯t just watch that happen and look the other way.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I had no wish to be seen. Not in a place like this. Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°We¡­ we came here to see you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ desired no such thing.¡±

    ¡°But we want to see you.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I desired absolutely none of this!¡±

    Mary was still fairly articulate, but it was clear she was quite drunk. She probably didn¡¯t want to be seen in that state. And who would? Haruhiro didn¡¯t want to see Mary like this either. Maybe they shouldn¡¯t have come. But it was too late to go back. They couldn¡¯t unsee what was already seen.

    ¡°Mary.¡±

    ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Could you meet us in front of the North Gate at eight tomorrow morning? If you¡¯re feeling up for it, I mean¡­ with yourself like this.¡±

    Haruhiro waited a bit. But Mary didn¡¯t respond. Didn¡¯t utter a single word. Instead, she stood up and began to walk. It seemed like she wanted to go back to her inn.

    Shihoru began to chase after Mary, but Haruhiro stopped her and called out at Mary¡¯s shrinking form.

    ¡°We¡¯re not done yet. You can stand still for a moment if you want, but we have no choice but to move forward.¡±

    Mary didn¡¯t answer as she went back into her inn.

 Volume 4 - CH 6.1

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 6: Unsteady, but¡­

    (Part 1 of 2, translated by NanoDesu.)

    The next morning (or maybe it¡¯s better to say the morning of the same day), Haruhiro and the others waited at the North Gate until the clock bell chimed at ten o¡¯clock, but Mary was nowhere to be found.

    The next day, they waited for two hours, but Mary never came. Ranta loudly proposed that they should launch an attack on Mary¡¯s inn, but Haruhiro and Shihoru strongly opposed the idea. Yume was still a bit funya-funya, but she had gotten better.

    And then, the third day came.

    Haruhiro and the others arrived at North Gate before the eight o¡¯clock bell rang.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ranta let out a breath.

    Shihoru sucked in a breath.

    ¡°Unyaa,¡± went Yume.

    Haruhiro let just a glimmer of a smile show on his face before covering his mouth with a hand. He still felt a dull pain in his chest every time he smiled.

    One girl wearing priest clothes was standing in front of the North Gate, leaning on a short staff. She was looking down at the ground, almost as if she was busy counting her toes. She wasn¡¯t a very small girl, but at that moment she seemed quite small for some reason.

    ¡°Mary.¡±

    When Haruhiro called out to her, Mary lifted her head and looked in his direction. And then she looked right back down. Or maybe she was trying to give him a nod of acknowledgment.

    But either way, it was fine.

    Indeed, it didn¡¯t matter. Mary had come. Nobody was forcing her. And Haruhiro hadn¡¯t resorted to begging either. Mary had come here of her own free will.

    Haruhiro and the others walked over until they were next to Mary. Shihoru was the first to walk up to Mary, and she just silently gripped Mary¡¯s hand in her own. Mary didn¡¯t show any signs of resistance.

    Yume suddenly threw her arms around Mary.

    ¡°Kyah?!¡±

    And Mary was completely caught off guard by that. Well, Haruhiro was surprised too, so he couldn¡¯t blame her.

    ¡°Sorry, Mary.¡± Yume hugged Mary as tight as she could, rubbing her own cheeks all over Mary¡¯s cheeks and neck like a fawning kitten. ¡°Really really, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Eh? S-Sorry about what¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for leavin¡¯ you alone. Yume always had Shihoru right there next to her, but Mary was always by herself. And at a time like this. Sorry. Yume won¡¯t leave you alone anymore, so please forgive her. Yume¡¯ll always be with you from now on.¡±

    PUT IMAGE HERE

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±

    Mary¡¯s eyes darted around desperately. Initially, Haruhiro thought that she must¡¯ve just been flustered, but it seemed that initial impression was wrong. Mary¡¯s face was completely red. All the way to the tips of her ears. And she was gritting her teeth. Like she was holding something in. Holding something in with all her might.

    Could it be that she was holding back tears¡­?

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°S¡¯ okay now. Go ahead, say whatever you want. But Yume¡¯s made up her mind. Yume won¡¯t leave Mary alone anymore. So Yume is going to start staying at the same place Mary is at. That¡¯s been decided. Shihoru is coming too.¡±

    Haruhiro glanced at Shihoru. ¡°¡­ Is that so?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ guess¡­?¡± Shihoru gave me a complicated look that was awkwardly somewhere in between a strained smile and an expression of bewilderment. ¡°I guess¡­ last night¡­ we talked about something like that? It¡¯s all a bit hazy though¡­¡±

    ¡°Hazy, huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ranta scratched his nose with his thumb. ¡°Well I guess there¡¯s no point in arguing about it anymore. I¡¯m gonna go rent a place over there too!¡±

    ¡°Not happening.¡± Mary did a 180 and sent Ranta a cold glare. ¡°The inn I stay at is supposed to be for females only.¡±

    ¡°W-What?! B-But, can¡¯t we¡­ also, you said ¡®supposed to,¡¯ right?! That means they can make exceptions, right?! I¡¯m a super special person anyways so of course I can be the exception, right?!¡±

    ¡°The only exception they make is for small children. So if you lived there with your parents, it would be fine.¡±

    ¡°Awesome! Okay, Mary, from today on I¡¯m gonna be your son! I guess it might be hard to pass for your real son, so I can be adopted! Got it?! Now there¡¯s no problem anymore, right?!¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure the problems just multiplied¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Parupiro! Nobody¡¯s asking the likes of you for any input here! Okay, Mary, from today on you¡¯re my mama! Looking forward to it, mama!¡±

    Mary continued to stroke Yume¡¯s back as she let out a sigh. ¡°Maybe I should just go back¡­¡±

    ¡°No no no!¡± Yume hugged Mary even tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t go back, Mary! You don¡¯t have to listen to anything Bakaranta has to say! Don¡¯t listen to anything that twitty twit dimwit has to say!¡±

    ¡°Who the hell are you calling a twit, you flat-chested loser?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Yume flat!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s what you are, so what do you want me to do?!¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s breasts are waaaaaaay bigger than Ranta¡¯s! Forever and ever!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a guy, dammit! And it¡¯s not like this was ever a breast size contest in the first place!¡±

    ¡°Okay, what size do you want to compare then?!¡±

    ¡°Hahh?! Well, I mean¡­¡± Ranta glanced down at his crotch before looking at Haruhiro. ¡°¡­¡­ Right?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me¡­¡±

    ¡°Funyuu~?¡± Yume cocked her head to the side.

    ¡°¡­ Excuse me¡­¡± Mary began to squirm around in Yume¡¯s tight embrace. ¡°I will not go back. So can you please let me go¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nyah?! Does it hurt! Sorry sorry¡­ sometimes Yume doesn¡¯t remember her own strength. Yume¡¯s arms are coming along quite nicely, you see, and Yume was talking to Shihoru about how she might get a six pack soon too. And then Shihoru said, you see, she said maybe when Yume¡¯s chest muscles come in, her breasts¡¯ll get bigger too!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Y-Yume. Just stop it with all that¡­¡±

    ¡°Nueh? Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something we should be talking about in front of the guys¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Hah.¡± Ranta chuckled. ¡°You really have no delicacy, do you Yume?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like Yume¡¯s the only one who can¡¯t use telepathy. Ranta can¡¯t either, can he?!¡±

    ¡°No shit I can¡¯t! Also, I¡¯m talking about delicacy, not telepathy. Delicacy!¡±

    Ugh, it seems things were getting a bit lively now. Haruhiro scratched himself a bit on the neck. But to be honest, because of Ranta and Yume¡¯s antics, the mood had lightened considerably.

 Volume 4 - CH 6.2

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 6: Unsteady, but¡­

    (Part 1 of 2, translated by NanoDesu.)

    The next morning (or maybe it¡¯s better to say the morning of the same day), Haruhiro and the others waited at the North Gate until the clock bell chimed at ten o¡¯clock, but Mary was nowhere to be found.

    The next day, they waited for two hours, but Mary never came. Ranta loudly proposed that they should launch an attack on Mary¡¯s inn, but Haruhiro and Shihoru strongly opposed the idea. Yume was still a bit funya-funya, but she had gotten better.

    And then, the third day came.

    Haruhiro and the others arrived at North Gate before the eight o¡¯clock bell rang.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ranta let out a breath.

    Shihoru sucked in a breath.

    ¡°Unyaa,¡± went Yume.

    Haruhiro let just a glimmer of a smile show on his face before covering his mouth with a hand. He still felt a dull pain in his chest every time he smiled.

    One girl wearing priest clothes was standing in front of the North Gate, leaning on a short staff. She was looking down at the ground, almost as if she was busy counting her toes. She wasn¡¯t a very small girl, but at that moment she seemed quite small for some reason.

    ¡°Mary.¡±

    When Haruhiro called out to her, Mary lifted her head and looked in his direction. And then she looked right back down. Or maybe she was trying to give him a nod of acknowledgment.

    But either way, it was fine.

    Indeed, it didn¡¯t matter. Mary had come. Nobody was forcing her. And Haruhiro hadn¡¯t resorted to begging either. Mary had come here of her own free will.

    Haruhiro and the others walked over until they were next to Mary. Shihoru was the first to walk up to Mary, and she just silently gripped Mary¡¯s hand in her own. Mary didn¡¯t show any signs of resistance.

    Yume suddenly threw her arms around Mary.

    ¡°Kyah?!¡±

    And Mary was completely caught off guard by that. Well, Haruhiro was surprised too, so he couldn¡¯t blame her.

    ¡°Sorry, Mary.¡± Yume hugged Mary as tight as she could, rubbing her own cheeks all over Mary¡¯s cheeks and neck like a fawning kitten. ¡°Really really, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Eh? S-Sorry about what¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for leavin¡¯ you alone. Yume always had Shihoru right there next to her, but Mary was always by herself. And at a time like this. Sorry. Yume won¡¯t leave you alone anymore, so please forgive her. Yume¡¯ll always be with you from now on.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±

    Mary¡¯s eyes darted around desperately. Initially, Haruhiro thought that she must¡¯ve just been flustered, but it seemed that initial impression was wrong. Mary¡¯s face was completely red. All the way to the tips of her ears. And she was gritting her teeth. Like she was holding something in. Holding something in with all her might.

    Could it be that she was holding back tears¡­?

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°S¡¯ okay now. Go ahead, say whatever you want. But Yume¡¯s made up her mind. Yume won¡¯t leave Mary alone anymore. So Yume is going to start staying at the same place Mary is at. That¡¯s been decided. Shihoru is coming too.¡±

    Haruhiro glanced at Shihoru. ¡°¡­ Is that so?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ guess¡­?¡± Shihoru gave me a complicated look that was awkwardly somewhere in between a strained smile and an expression of bewilderment. ¡°I guess¡­ last night¡­ we talked about something like that? It¡¯s all a bit hazy though¡­¡±

    ¡°Hazy, huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ranta scratched his nose with his thumb. ¡°Well I guess there¡¯s no point in arguing about it anymore. I¡¯m gonna go rent a place over there too!¡±

    ¡°Not happening.¡± Mary did a 180 and sent Ranta a cold glare. ¡°The inn I stay at is supposed to be for females only.¡±

    ¡°W-What?! B-But, can¡¯t we¡­ also, you said ¡®supposed to,¡¯ right?! That means they can make exceptions, right?! I¡¯m a super special person anyways so of course I can be the exception, right?!¡±

    ¡°The only exception they make is for small children. So if you lived there with your parents, it would be fine.¡±

    ¡°Awesome! Okay, Mary, from today on I¡¯m gonna be your son! I guess it might be hard to pass for your real son, so I can be adopted! Got it?! Now there¡¯s no problem anymore, right?!¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure the problems just multiplied¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Parupiro! Nobody¡¯s asking the likes of you for any input here! Okay, Mary, from today on you¡¯re my mama! Looking forward to it, mama!¡±

    Mary continued to stroke Yume¡¯s back as she let out a sigh. ¡°Maybe I should just go back¡­¡±

    ¡°No no no!¡± Yume hugged Mary even tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t go back, Mary! You don¡¯t have to listen to anything stupid Ranta has to say! Don¡¯t listen to anything that twitty twit dimwit has to say!¡±

    ¡°Who the hell are you calling a twit, you flat-chested loser?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call Yume flat!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s what you are, so what do you want me to do?!¡±

    ¡°Yume¡¯s breasts are waaaaaaay bigger than Ranta¡¯s! Forever and ever!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a guy, dammit! And it¡¯s not like this was ever a breast size contest in the first place!¡±

    ¡°Okay, what size do you want to compare then?!¡±

    ¡°Hahh?! Well, I mean¡­¡± Ranta glanced down at his crotch before looking at Haruhiro. ¡°¡­¡­ Right?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me¡­¡±

    ¡°Funyuu~?¡± Yume cocked her head to the side.

    ¡°¡­ Excuse me¡­¡± Mary began to squirm around in Yume¡¯s tight embrace. ¡°I will not go back. So can you please let me go¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nyah?! Does it hurt! Sorry sorry¡­ sometimes Yume doesn¡¯t remember her own strength. Yume¡¯s arms are coming along quite nicely, you see, and Yume was talking to Shihoru about how she might get a six pack soon too. And then Shihoru said, you see, she said maybe when Yume¡¯s chest muscles come in, her breasts¡¯ll get bigger too!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Y-Yume. Just stop it with all that¡­¡±

    ¡°Nueh? Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something we should be talking about in front of the guys¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Hah.¡± Ranta chuckled. ¡°See, Yume? You don¡¯t have a shred of class!¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re crass, too, Ranta!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with it? Besides, I said class, not crass!¡±

    Ugh, it seems things were getting a bit lively now. Haruhiro scratched himself a bit on the neck. But to be honest, because of Ranta and Yume¡¯s antics, the mood had lightened considerably.

    (Part 2 of 2, translated by Lono.)

    First Haruhiro had a businesslike talk with Mary, and after that they decided to go to the Crimson Moon headquarters for the sake of dealing with the procedures. With that finished, they went to Yorozu¡¯s Bank to trade the bounty bank note into actual cash; a whole 60 gold, which, needless to say, they would divide evenly. They also thought it would be a good idea to deposit The Chopper while they were there.

    ¡°¡ªThen, about what we are going to do now.¡± Haruhiro tried to speak as light-heartedly as possible. They were already facing a harsh reality, and everyone was feeling devastated; there was no need to make things even gloomier.

    ¡°I have been doing some thinking on my own. How about we try going to Damroww for now?¡±

    Yume gave a rough ¡°Uooh,¡± breath and then continued ¡°Been so long.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Ranta crossed his arms and frowned ¡°As I am now they wouldn¡¯t be very worthy opponents.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You mean, because you can¡¯t handle them¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? Did you say something, Shihoru?¡±

    ¡°It was nothing¡­ don¡¯t worry¡­ there¡¯s no cure for idiocy¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey! I totally heard that one, you know?!¡±

    ¡°Damroww¡­¡± Mary casted her eyes down.

    ¡°We are originally goblin slayers after all.¡±

    Haruhiro tried to say that in a joking way, but Mary¡¯s expression didn¡¯t brighten up. Guess it¡¯s impossible so soon. It will take some time. Yeah, let¡¯s go step by step. Hurrying won¡¯t do any good.

    ¡°Lately we have visited the Siren Mines and got used to fighting kobolds, but in the end we still need to go down until at least the third strata. I think it¡¯s dangerous after all. We¡¯re too complacent there now, and we know almost every nook and corner of Damroww¡¯s Old Town. If we choose the location carefully and don¡¯t push ourselves, I don¡¯t think it will be too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Always having that negative way of thinking eh, Haruhiro.¡± Ranta shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea for now.¡±

    ¡°¡­For Ranta not to complain¡­¡±

    ¡°The hell you think I am, Shihoru? I have always been a fair and just man, you know? Good things are good! Bad things are bad! I say what I want to say! I do what I want to do! In other words, I am the man among men!¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±

    ¡°Haruhiro! No, Parupiro! Don¡¯t you try to sweep that under the rug!¡±

    ¡°I would much rather sweep you under the rug.¡±

    ¡°Bring it on! Just try and sweep me! Just try and think of sweeping me! If you think you can sweep this great Ranta here then go right ahead, you shit!¡±

    ¡°No thanks. Sounds like a chore.¡±

    ¡°Boing!¡±

    Ranta stiffened up his entire body and started hopping up and down. Maybe he was trying to get a laugh with those weird movements, but there wasn¡¯t even a single chuckle. However, Ranta didn¡¯t give up and repeated it over and over.

    ¡°Boing! Boing! Boinnnggg!¡±

    He kept doing it without getting any laughs. In fact, everyone was getting more and more bored. It was impressive how his spirit wouldn¡¯t break. Ranta then started making weird faces while doing the Boing jump.

    ¡°Haah¡­¡± Yume sighed, shaking her head in extreme exasperation.

    Mary was somehow giving Ranta a sad look.

    Shihoru¡¯s body shivered to her very bones. ¡°¡­Disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Boing! Boing! Boing-boing-boing!¡±

    Ranta seemed happy. To get happy from making people disgusted with you¡­ is he a masochist? Either way, Shihoru is really playing along with Ranta today. She is probably thinking about a lot in her own way.

    Haruhiro ignored Ranta and looked at the girls.

    ¡°Any other comments?¡±

    ¡°Yume thinks that¡¯s okaaay.¡±

    ¡°¡­I also think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± Mary put her hand over her chest and let out a small sigh. ¡°¡ªI think that¡¯s for the best.¡±

    It won¡¯t be like last time. For sure. Haruhiro and the others had already lost something they shouldn¡¯t have. There¡¯s nobody who will ever be able to replace Mogzo. Nowhere in this world. Someone like that simply doesn¡¯t exist.

    A big hole had been drilled inside and between them. A hole so big that they would probably never be able to fill it.

    Then¡­ just¡­ just what are they supposed to do?

    Right now Haruhiro didn¡¯t know. But not knowing didn¡¯t mean it was fine to just stay like that. If he didn¡¯t know the answer, he had to look for it, search for it, and then find it.

    Haruhiro gave an affirmative nod.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Volume 4 - CH 7.1

    Chapter 7: Past Glory Lost

    Part 1 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Look for it.

    Find it no matter what.

    In this situation, with how we are now, there must be some way we can pull this off.

    Of course he hadn¡¯t dared to think it would all go well from the very start. It couldn¡¯t be that simple.

    Even so, to think that it would be this bad¡­

    ¡°¡ªku! Ranta¡­! Don¡¯t back off¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro was trying to get a grasp of the situation while parrying the attacks of goblin A with [SWAT].

    Goblin A was wearing a leather helmet and chainmail armor, and was armed with a short sword and a small shield, but it wasn¡¯t like it had an orc¡¯s big body, nor were its blows as heavy. Even fighting it one-on-one wasn¡¯t that hard; the problem was Ranta.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m backing off¡­!¡±

    Ranta yelled ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]¡­.!¡± to retreat in a hurry. Goblin B was drawn in and gave chase.

    Without a moment¡¯s delay he attacked the approaching goblin with his long sword.

    ¡°Eat this! [JUKE STAB]¡­!¡±

    However, thanks to its good physique, the heavily armed goblin managed to avoid Ranta¡¯s sword by a hair¡¯s breadth. Well, even if he¡¯d landed the attack between the neck and shoulder of the armor, a blow of that caliber wouldn¡¯t have dealt much damage. Goblin B didn¡¯t falter and closed the distance between them. Ranta slashed his long sword at Goblin B¡¯s blade,

    ¡°[EXPEL FRENZY]¡­!¡±

    And immediately knocked the goblin¡¯s sword down. It was all going fine, but then¡ª

    ¡°Kiran! Got you! [HATRED¡¯S CU¡­]!¡±

    Ranta stepped in aggressively and performed a full body slash, landing a perfect strike on top of Goblin B¡¯s left shoulder. However,it wasn¡¯t enough. It was the armor. The armor was so strong, Ranta¡¯s long sword failed to penetrate, leaving only a dent.

    ¡°You¡¯re being too aggressive¡­!¡± Haruhiro complained while still parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Ranta yelled back. He then showered Goblin B with attacks.

    ¡°Orya orya orya orya orya¡­.! Ura ura ura ura ura ura ura¡­!¡±

    Though Goblin B was recoiling, Haruhiro could see it was somehow fending off the swings.

    That¡¯s why a brute force approach is impossible. Do you understand, Ranta?

    ¡°You bastard¡ª¡±

    Because you aren¡¯t Mogzo.

    Haruhiro almost said as much, but he swallowed his words. That was something he shouldn¡¯t say. Because Ranta was doing his best in his own way. He had tried to take on the tank role of the party, and from the beginning of the battle, plunged himself right into the middle of the enemies.

    But unlike Mogzo, Ranta was never the type to hold position and continually exchange blows with the opponent.

    To begin with, the core of the Dread Knight¡¯s fighting style was to make use of its mobility to lead opponents around by the nose, confusing them. Moving around was inevitable. If he didn¡¯t do that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his real strength. Ranta wasn¡¯t like that. He wasn¡¯t a tank. Haruhiro and the others would have to change the very basics of their strategy. But what would their new tactic be¡­?

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Haruhiro tried to [SWAT] the Goblin¡¯s sword, but his hand slipped. The goblin will break through. This is bad¡ª

    ¡°Tsuaaa¡­!¡±

    Mary. Mary rushed in aiming her short staff at Goblin A. The goblin was sent flying despite blocking with his shield.

    ¡°Are you preoccupied with something¡­!?¡±

    ¡°S-sorry, Mary!¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡±

    While answering yes in his mind, Haruhiro attacked Goblin A. Pretended to attack, to be exact. As soon as Goblin A turned to counter attack, Haruhiro switched to [SWAT]. He somehow managed to connect [SWAT] with [ARREST] and tried to incapacitate Goblin A, but it didn¡¯t look like it would work.

    Goblins are a bit too small. I¡¯ve never used [ARREST] against a goblin. What¡¯s up with this? Damnit. I was able to kill an orc, and happily lose my virginity, but I can¡¯t defeat a single goblin facing him fair and square? I¡¯m too weak. But I know. I know well enough that I¡¯m too weak.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das¡­.!¡±

    Shihoru used her magic, [SHADOW BIND]to shoot a shadow elemental at the ground. It attached itself near the right foot of Goblin C, which had locked blades with Yume.

    Nice, Shihoru.

    Goblin C panicked and planted its left foot, trying to pull its other foot away, but the shadow elemental clung tightly and didn¡¯t let go.

    ¡°Funya!¡±

    Yume jumped at Goblin C, and showered it with a combo of [SWEEPING SLASH] and [CROSS CUT]. However, Goblin C was wearing chainmail in addition to its hatchet-like weapon, so it didn¡¯t suffer a fatal wound. Even so, its shoulders, arms and torso were hit with the kukri¡¯s full strength, so they should be in quite a lot of pain.

    Goblin C began to randomly swing its hatchet. It must have been really desperate, but Yume pulled back.

    If Yume took a hit from that with just her leather armor, it would be bad.

    ¡°Yume¡­!¡±

    She briefly glanced in Haruhiro¡¯s direction, and seemed to understand just from being called.

    Yume is coming here.

    Parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword with [SWAT] once more, Haruhiro dashed away. Goblin A tried to keep up with him, but Yume took over and stopped it.

    Goblin C¡¯s right foot was still affected by [SWADOW BIND]. It noticed Haruhiro coming and tried turning around to face him, but was too slow. Or rather, because it couldn¡¯t freely use its legs, it couldn¡¯t move or turn around. Of course, taking someone like that from behind would be easy.

    Haruhiro circled around to Goblin C¡¯s rear and leapt in. He immediately pinned the goblin¡¯s arms behind its back and slit its throat in one go with his dagger. After Haruhiro pulled away, Goblin C¡¯s knees bent and audibly hit the ground. His right foot was still fixed to the ground, so it didn¡¯t collapse completely.

    ¡°¡ªAlright! Finally got one¡­.!¡±

 Volume 4 - CH 7.2

    Look for it.

    Find it no matter what.

    In this situation, with how we are now, there must be some way we can pull this off.

    Of course he hadn¡¯t dared to think it would all go well from the very start. It couldn¡¯t be that simple.

    Even so, to think that it would be this bad¡­

    ¡°¡ªku! Ranta¡­! Don¡¯t back off¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro was trying to get a grasp of the situation while parrying the attacks of goblin A with [SWAT].

    Goblin A was wearing a leather helmet and chainmail armor, and was armed with a short sword and a small shield, but it wasn¡¯t like it had an orc¡¯s big body, nor were its blows as heavy. Even fighting it one-on-one wasn¡¯t that hard; the problem was Ranta.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m backing off¡­!¡±

    Ranta yelled ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]¡­.!¡± to retreat in a hurry. Goblin B was drawn in and gave chase.

    Without a moment¡¯s delay he attacked the approaching goblin with his long sword.

    ¡°Eat this! [JUKE STAB]¡­!¡±

    However, thanks to its good physique, the heavily armed goblin managed to avoid Ranta¡¯s sword by a hair¡¯s breadth. Well, even if he¡¯d landed the attack between the neck and shoulder of the armor, a blow of that caliber wouldn¡¯t have dealt much damage. Goblin B didn¡¯t falter and closed the distance between them. Ranta slashed his long sword at Goblin B¡¯s blade,

    ¡°[EXPEL FRENZY]¡­!¡±

    And immediately knocked the goblin¡¯s sword down. It was all going fine, but then¡ª

    ¡°Kiran! Got you! [HATRED¡¯S CU¡­]!¡±

    Ranta stepped in aggressively and performed a full body slash, landing a perfect strike on top of Goblin B¡¯s left shoulder. However,it wasn¡¯t enough. It was the armor. The armor was so strong, Ranta¡¯s long sword failed to penetrate, leaving only a dent.

    ¡°You¡¯re being too aggressive¡­!¡± Haruhiro complained while still parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Ranta yelled back. He then showered Goblin B with attacks.

    ¡°Orya orya orya orya orya¡­.! Ura ura ura ura ura ura ura¡­!¡±

    Though Goblin B was recoiling, Haruhiro could see it was somehow fending off the swings.

    That¡¯s why a brute force approach is impossible. Do you understand, Ranta?

    ¡°You bastard¡ª¡±

    Because you aren¡¯t Mogzo.

    Haruhiro almost said as much, but he swallowed his words. That was something he shouldn¡¯t say. Because Ranta was doing his best in his own way. He had tried to take on the tank role of the party, and from the beginning of the battle, plunged himself right into the middle of the enemies.

    But unlike Mogzo, Ranta was never the type to hold position and continually exchange blows with the opponent.

    To begin with, the core of the Dread Knight¡¯s fighting style was to make use of its mobility to lead opponents around by the nose, confusing them. Moving around was inevitable. If he didn¡¯t do that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his real strength. Ranta wasn¡¯t like that. He wasn¡¯t a tank. Haruhiro and the others would have to change the very basics of their strategy. But what would their new tactic be¡­?

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Haruhiro tried to [SWAT] the Goblin¡¯s sword, but his hand slipped. The goblin will break through. This is bad¡ª

    ¡°Tsuaaa¡­!¡±

    Mary. Mary rushed in aiming her short staff at Goblin A. The goblin was sent flying despite blocking with his shield.

    ¡°Are you preoccupied with something¡­!?¡±

    ¡°S-sorry, Mary!¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡±

    While answering yes in his mind, Haruhiro attacked Goblin A. Pretended to attack, to be exact. As soon as Goblin A turned to counter attack, Haruhiro switched to [SWAT]. He somehow managed to connect [SWAT] with [ARREST] and tried to incapacitate Goblin A, but it didn¡¯t look like it would work.

    Goblins are a bit too small. I¡¯ve never used [ARREST] against a goblin. What¡¯s up with this? Damnit. I was able to kill an orc, and happily lose my virginity, but I can¡¯t defeat a single goblin facing him fair and square? I¡¯m too weak. But I know. I know well enough that I¡¯m too weak.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das¡­.!¡±

    Shihoru used her magic, [SHADOW BIND]to shoot a shadow elemental at the ground. It attached itself near the right foot of Goblin C, which had locked blades with Yume.

    Nice, Shihoru.

    Goblin C panicked and planted its left foot, trying to pull its other foot away, but the shadow elemental clung tightly and didn¡¯t let go.

    ¡°Funya!¡±

    Yume jumped at Goblin C, and showered it with a combo of [SWEEPING SLASH] and [CROSS CUT]. However, Goblin C was wearing chainmail in addition to its hatchet-like weapon, so it didn¡¯t suffer a fatal wound. Even so, its shoulders, arms and torso were hit with the kukri¡¯s full strength, so they should be in quite a lot of pain.

    Goblin C began to randomly swing its hatchet. It must have been really desperate, but Yume pulled back.

    If Yume took a hit from that with just her leather armor, it would be bad.

    ¡°Yume¡­!¡±

    She briefly glanced in Haruhiro¡¯s direction, and seemed to understand just from being called.

    Yume is coming here.

    Parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword with [SWAT] once more, Haruhiro dashed away. Goblin A tried to keep up with him, but Yume took over and stopped it.

    Goblin C¡¯s right foot was still affected by [SWADOW BIND]. It noticed Haruhiro coming and tried turning around to face him, but was too slow. Or rather, because it couldn¡¯t freely use its legs, it couldn¡¯t move or turn around. Of course, taking someone like that from behind would be easy.

    Haruhiro circled around to Goblin C¡¯s rear and leapt in. He immediately pinned the goblin¡¯s arms behind its back and slit its throat in one go with his dagger. After Haruhiro pulled away, Goblin C¡¯s knees bent and audibly hit the ground. His right foot was still fixed to the ground, so it didn¡¯t collapse completely.

    ¡°¡ªAlright! Finally got one¡­.!¡±

    Part 2 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Yume was fighting Goblin A, and Ranta Goblin B. Haruhiro could target either of the goblins¡¯ backs. Should I go for A, or B?

    Goblin B is protected by decent-looking armor, and dealing with that will probably be troublesome. Guess I¡¯ll start by getting rid of Goblin A.

    Haruhiro had barely started running when he felt a dull impact on his left flank. It felt like he¡¯d been kicked.

    ¡°Urgh¡­?¡±

    Looking down, he found an arrow sticking out of his left side. What¡­ is this?

    ¡°Why¡ªFrom where¡­!?¡±

    He was more surprised than in pain. At the moment anyway.

    Haruhiro looked around. Judging from its trajectory¡ªThere. To the left, a little bit behind. It looks like a mostly crumbled wall. It¡¯s a little too small to hide a person¡¯s body, but for a goblin¡­

    ¡°They have reinforcements¡­!¡±

    ¡°Haru, healing!¡± Mary tried to run towards Haruhiro.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±

    Haruhiro shook his head and ran towards the wall. ¡°Mary, Shihoru¡­!¡±

    There was a chance the enemy could target Shihoru while Mary was healing Haruhiro. There was also the possibility of Mary being shot by an arrow. That would be catastrophic.

    ¡°Ku¡­!¡±

    Of course, running makes my side hurt a lot. But not so much that I can¡¯t move. It¡¯s still tolerable.

    To begin with, could Haruhiro even do anything, going there alone? Hard to say. However, he felt that being treated by Mary right now wasn¡¯t a good idea. If he were in their place, he would definitely make use of that opening. Goblins were smaller than humans, but they were by no means stupid.

    Haruhiro came to a stop on the other side of the wall.

    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s not here¡­!?¡± Haruhiro yelled, astonished. Suddenly an arrow came flying from his right. He managed to duck at the last second, dodging it by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    About seven or eight meters from where he was, Haruhiro could see Goblin D holding a short bow, half hidden behind a pile of rubble. Goblin D had probably anticipated that Haruhiro would rush to find it and moved there from its previous location. Really¡­ they aren¡¯t stupid at all.

    ¡°But I won¡¯t let you run away anymore¡­!¡±

    Goblin D tried to nock another arrow, but from that distance, Haruhiro could not only know the timing of the shot, but could also grasp where it would be aimed. Even if the goblin did release the arrow, he would be able to dodge it. Or at least he should have been able to.

    He felt dizzy.

    His heartbeat was weird. It sounded like violent stomping. It was pounding like crazy.

    Goblin D shot its arrow. Needless to say, Haruhiro tried to dodge. However, his movements were a little¡ª just a little¡ªdifferent from what he expected.

    The arrow pierced his chest, near his left shoulder, and Haruhiro fell backwards. Uwa. I ended up taking a second one.

    ¡°It¡¯s a poisonous arrow¡­!¡± yelled Haruhiro, mustering up all the voice he could.

    Goblin D threw its bow aside, pulled out a small sword, and went flying at Haruhiro.

    What should I do? [SWAT] it? Is that possible? Definitely not.

    Goblin D pushed Haruhiro down and straddled him. It then tried to stab his face with its small sword. He didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d dropped his dagger or something, but it seemed he was no longer holding it. He could only try to protect his face using his arms. His arms and his hands; Goblin D¡¯s small sword vigorously pierced them again and again. Haruhiro was desperate. He wasn¡¯t supposed to have time to think about unnecessary stuff, and yet, the words ¡®I screwed up¡¯ still crossed his mind.

    Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have gone there himself. Maybe he should have left it to Yume. But his mind hadn¡¯t thought that far. Though that might just be hindsight. The outcome. This is the outcome huh? So disappointing. Guess this is what happens when you make a mistake. But to get killed by a goblin¡­ No, no, no, no. It¡¯s not like that has already been decided. Not at all. Yeah, that¡¯s right.Goblin D kept swinging his small sword down. The bone in Haruhiro¡¯s right arm was able to brush the blade aside. Rather than letting his flesh be cut to sever the opponent¡¯s bone, he left his flesh be cut to block with his bone.[1]

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash¡­!¡±

    Huh? Magic? Is it Shihoru? Yes, it is. Shihoru performed a thrusting movement with her staff in Goblin D¡¯s direction and shot a [SHADOW ECHO] at point-blank range. It flew through the air with its characteristic voash! sound and Goblin D¡¯s head snapped back as it began convulsing. The black seaweed-like shadow elemental hit Goblin D right in the side of the face.

    Shihoru wasn¡¯t that only one who came to help Haruhiro.

    ¡°Haa¡­!¡±

    Mary hit Goblin D with her short staff.

    Goblin D was blown off its feet, but quickly got up again. It ran. It retrieved its bow and tried to run away. Shihoru pointed her staff at its back.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash¡­!¡±

    Another [SHADOW ECHO]. However, Goblin D quickly leapt for cover and managed to avoid the shadow elemental.

    Though it depended on the area, Damroww¡¯s Old Town had a quite a lot of debris from ruined walls and buildings scattered around. This area was especially bad. Why did we choose this place for hunting? Maybe that was our first mistake.

    ¡°Fu¡­ hah¡­ fu¡­ fu¡­¡±

    Such ragged breathing. Who is that? Me, huh. It was Haruhiro himself. Haruhiro was lying flat on his back.

    I can see the sky. Mary¡¯s face too. The arrow was pulled out. ¡ªAaaaaah¡­ it hurts.

    ¡°I will start by detoxifying¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. I wonder if she¡¯ll manage. It would be nice if I didn¡¯t die. Haruhiro thought, as though it was someone else¡¯s problem.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [PURIFY]!¡±

    Detoxification. Guess it¡¯s poison cleanser. I wonder if the poison was removed with that. I¡¯m not so sure. Yume, Ranta¡­ would they be alright? The Goblin who escaped was.

    ¡°Haru! Pull yourself together! O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE]¡­!¡±

    Pull¡­ Pull myself¡­ Together. Umm. I got it. I got it, Mary. That¡¯s right. As unsightly as this is. It¡¯s completely lame. But there¡¯s no way I can let myself die. I won¡¯t die. If you die, that¡¯s it. And not only me. My friends too. Everyone.

    It¡¯s starting to feel better.

    Magic sure is amazing.

    ¡°How is it going there¡­!?¡± Ranta yelled from somewhere.

    ¡°Oook!¡± replied Yume from some distance.

    Those two¡­ What are they doing?

    Shihoru stood by Mary¡¯s side while she treated Haruhiro. His eyes met Shihoru¡¯s.

    ¡°¡­Shihoru, what about the enemy?¡±

    ¡°Only one was able to run, we still¡­¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    So they were able to deal with them afterwards. Ranta, Yume and Shihoru sure did their best.

    Haruhiro closed his eyes and laughed.

    ¡°¡­ Just what the hell am I doing?¡±

 Volume 4 - CH 7.3

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 7: Past Glory Lost

    Part 1 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Look for it.

    Find it no matter what.

    In this situation, with how we are now, there must be some way we can pull this off.

    Of course he hadn¡¯t dared to think it would all go well from the very start. It couldn¡¯t be that simple.

    Even so, to think that it would be this bad¡­

    ¡°¡ªku! Ranta¡­! Don¡¯t back off¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro was trying to get a grasp of the situation while parrying the attacks of goblin A with [SWAT].

    Goblin A was wearing a leather helmet and chainmail armor, and was armed with a short sword and a small shield, but it wasn¡¯t like it had an orc¡¯s big body, nor were its blows as heavy. Even fighting it one-on-one wasn¡¯t that hard; the problem was Ranta.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m backing off¡­!¡±

    Ranta yelled ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]¡­.!¡± to retreat in a hurry. Goblin B was drawn in and gave chase.

    Without a moment¡¯s delay he attacked the approaching goblin with his long sword.

    ¡°Eat this! [JUKE STAB]¡­!¡±

    However, thanks to its good physique, the heavily armed goblin managed to avoid Ranta¡¯s sword by a hair¡¯s breadth. Well, even if he¡¯d landed the attack between the neck and shoulder of the armor, a blow of that caliber wouldn¡¯t have dealt much damage. Goblin B didn¡¯t falter and closed the distance between them. Ranta slashed his long sword at Goblin B¡¯s blade,

    ¡°[EXPEL FRENZY]¡­!¡±

    And immediately knocked the goblin¡¯s sword down. It was all going fine, but then¡ª

    ¡°Kiran! Got you! [HATRED¡¯S CU¡­]!¡±

    Ranta stepped in aggressively and performed a full body slash, landing a perfect strike on top of Goblin B¡¯s left shoulder. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. It was the armor. The armor was so strong, Ranta¡¯s long sword failed to penetrate, leaving only a dent.

    ¡°You¡¯re being too aggressive¡­!¡± Haruhiro complained while still parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Ranta yelled back. He then showered Goblin B with attacks.

    ¡°Orya orya orya orya orya¡­.! Ura ura ura ura ura ura ura¡­!¡±

    Though Goblin B was recoiling, Haruhiro could see it was somehow fending off the swings.

    That¡¯s why a brute force approach is impossible. Do you understand, Ranta?

    ¡°You bastard¡ª¡±

    Because you aren¡¯t Mogzo.

    Haruhiro almost said as much, but he swallowed his words. That was something he shouldn¡¯t say. Because Ranta was doing his best in his own way. He had tried to take on the tank role of the party, and from the beginning of the battle, plunged himself right into the middle of the enemies.

    But unlike Mogzo, Ranta was never the type to hold position and continually exchange blows with the opponent.

    To begin with, the core of the Dread Knight¡¯s fighting style was to make use of its mobility to lead opponents around by the nose, confusing them. Moving around was inevitable. If he didn¡¯t do that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his real strength. Ranta wasn¡¯t like that. He wasn¡¯t a tank. Haruhiro and the others would have to change the very basics of their strategy. But what would their new tactic be¡­?

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Haruhiro tried to [SWAT] the Goblin¡¯s sword, but his hand slipped. The goblin will break through. This is bad¡ª

    ¡°Tsuaaa¡­!¡±

    Mary. Mary rushed in aiming her short staff at Goblin A. The goblin was sent flying despite blocking with his shield.

    ¡°Are you preoccupied with something¡­!?¡±

    ¡°S-sorry, Mary!¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡±

    While answering yes in his mind, Haruhiro attacked Goblin A. Pretended to attack, to be exact. As soon as Goblin A turned to counter attack, Haruhiro switched to [SWAT]. He somehow managed to connect [SWAT] with [ARREST] and tried to incapacitate Goblin A, but it didn¡¯t look like it would work.

    Goblins are a bit too small. I¡¯ve never used [ARREST] against a goblin. What¡¯s up with this? Damnit. I was able to kill an orc, and happily lose my virginity, but I can¡¯t defeat a single goblin facing him fair and square? I¡¯m too weak. But I know. I know well enough that I¡¯m too weak.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das¡­.!¡±

    Shihoru used her magic, [SHADOW BIND]to shoot a shadow elemental at the ground. It attached itself near the right foot of Goblin C, which had locked blades with Yume.

    Nice, Shihoru.

    Goblin C panicked and planted its left foot, trying to pull its other foot away, but the shadow elemental clung tightly and didn¡¯t let go.

    ¡°Funya!¡±

    Yume jumped at Goblin C, and showered it with a combo of [SWEEPING SLASH] and [CROSS CUT]. However, Goblin C was wearing chainmail in addition to its hatchet-like weapon, so it didn¡¯t suffer a fatal wound. Even so, its shoulders, arms and torso were hit with the kukri¡¯s full strength, so they should be in quite a lot of pain.

    Goblin C began to randomly swing its hatchet. It must have been really desperate, but Yume pulled back.

    If Yume took a hit from that with just her leather armor, it would be bad.

    ¡°Yume¡­!¡±

    She briefly glanced in Haruhiro¡¯s direction, and seemed to understand just from being called.

    Yume is coming here.

    Parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword with [SWAT] once more, Haruhiro dashed away. Goblin A tried to keep up with him, but Yume took over and stopped it.

    Goblin C¡¯s right foot was still affected by [SWADOW BIND]. It noticed Haruhiro coming and tried turning around to face him, but was too slow. Or rather, because it couldn¡¯t freely use its legs, it couldn¡¯t move or turn around. Of course, taking someone like that from behind would be easy.

    Haruhiro circled around to Goblin C¡¯s rear and leapt in. He immediately pinned the goblin¡¯s arms behind its back and slit its throat in one go with his dagger. After Haruhiro pulled away, Goblin C¡¯s knees bent and audibly hit the ground. His right foot was still fixed to the ground, so it didn¡¯t collapse completely.

    ¡°¡ªAlright! Finally got one¡­.!¡±

    Part 2 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Yume was fighting Goblin A, and Ranta Goblin B. Haruhiro could target either of the goblins¡¯ backs. Should I go for A, or B?

    Goblin B is protected by decent-looking armor, and dealing with that will probably be troublesome. Guess I¡¯ll start by getting rid of Goblin A.

    Haruhiro had barely started running when he felt a dull impact on his left flank. It felt like he¡¯d been kicked.

    ¡°Urgh¡­?¡±

    Looking down, he found an arrow sticking out of his left side. What¡­ is this?

    ¡°Why¡ªFrom where¡­!?¡±

    He was more surprised than in pain. At the moment anyway.

    Haruhiro looked around. Judging from its trajectory¡ªThere. To the left, a little bit behind. It looks like a mostly crumbled wall. It¡¯s a little too small to hide a person¡¯s body, but for a goblin¡­

    ¡°They have reinforcements¡­!¡±

    ¡°Haru, healing!¡± Mary tried to run towards Haruhiro.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±

    Haruhiro shook his head and ran towards the wall. ¡°Mary, Shihoru¡­!¡±

    There was a chance the enemy could target Shihoru while Mary was healing Haruhiro. There was also the possibility of Mary being shot by an arrow. That would be catastrophic.

    ¡°Ku¡­!¡±

    Of course, running makes my side hurt a lot. But not so much that I can¡¯t move. It¡¯s still tolerable.

    To begin with, could Haruhiro even do anything, going there alone? Hard to say. However, he felt that being treated by Mary right now wasn¡¯t a good idea. If he were in their place, he would definitely make use of that opening. Goblins were smaller than humans, but they were by no means stupid.

    Haruhiro came to a stop on the other side of the wall.

    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s not here¡­!?¡± Haruhiro yelled, astonished. Suddenly an arrow came flying from his right. He managed to duck at the last second, dodging it by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    About seven or eight meters from where he was, Haruhiro could see Goblin D holding a short bow, half hidden behind a pile of rubble. Goblin D had probably anticipated that Haruhiro would rush to find it and moved there from its previous location. Really¡­ they aren¡¯t stupid at all.

    ¡°But I won¡¯t let you run away anymore¡­!¡±

    Goblin D tried to nock another arrow, but from that distance, Haruhiro could not only know the timing of the shot, but could also grasp where it would be aimed. Even if the goblin did release the arrow, he would be able to dodge it. Or at least he should have been able to.

    He felt dizzy.

    His heartbeat was weird. It sounded like violent stomping. It was pounding like crazy.

    Goblin D shot its arrow. Needless to say, Haruhiro tried to dodge. However, his movements were a little¡ª just a little¡ªdifferent from what he expected.

    The arrow pierced his chest, near his left shoulder, and Haruhiro fell backwards. Uwa. I ended up taking a second one.

    ¡°It¡¯s a poisonous arrow¡­!¡± yelled Haruhiro, mustering up all the voice he could.

    Goblin D threw its bow aside, pulled out a small sword, and went flying at Haruhiro.

    What should I do? [SWAT] it? Is that possible? Definitely not.

    Goblin D pushed Haruhiro down and straddled him. It then tried to stab his face with its small sword. He didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d dropped his dagger or something, but it seemed he was no longer holding it. He could only try to protect his face using his arms. His arms and his hands; Goblin D¡¯s small sword vigorously pierced them again and again. Haruhiro was desperate. He wasn¡¯t supposed to have time to think about unnecessary stuff, and yet, the words ¡®I screwed up¡¯ still crossed his mind.

    Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have gone there himself. Maybe he should have left it to Yume. But his mind hadn¡¯t thought that far. Though that might just be hindsight. The outcome. This is the outcome huh? So disappointing. Guess this is what happens when you make a mistake. But to get killed by a goblin¡­ No, no, no, no. It¡¯s not like that has already been decided. Not at all. Yeah, that¡¯s right.Goblin D kept swinging his small sword down. The bone in Haruhiro¡¯s right arm was able to brush the blade aside. Rather than letting his flesh be cut to sever the opponent¡¯s bone, he left his flesh be cut to block with his bone.[1]

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash¡­!¡±

    Huh? Magic? Is it Shihoru? Yes, it is. Shihoru performed a thrusting movement with her staff in Goblin D¡¯s direction and shot a [SHADOW ECHO] at point-blank range. It flew through the air with its characteristic voash! sound and Goblin D¡¯s head snapped back as it began convulsing. The black seaweed-like shadow elemental hit Goblin D right in the side of the face.

    Shihoru wasn¡¯t that only one who came to help Haruhiro.

    ¡°Haa¡­!¡±

    Mary hit Goblin D with her short staff.

    Goblin D was blown off its feet, but quickly got up again. It ran. It retrieved its bow and tried to run away. Shihoru pointed her staff at its back.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash¡­!¡±

    Another [SHADOW ECHO]. However, Goblin D quickly leapt for cover and managed to avoid the shadow elemental.

    Though it depended on the area, Damroww¡¯s Old Town had a quite a lot of debris from ruined walls and buildings scattered around. This area was especially bad. Why did we choose this place for hunting? Maybe that was our first mistake.

    ¡°Fu¡­ hah¡­ fu¡­ fu¡­¡±

    Such ragged breathing. Who is that? Me, huh. It was Haruhiro himself. Haruhiro was lying flat on his back.

    I can see the sky. Mary¡¯s face too. The arrow was pulled out. ¡ªAaaaaah¡­ it hurts.

    ¡°I will start by detoxifying¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. I wonder if she¡¯ll manage. It would be nice if I didn¡¯t die. Haruhiro thought, as though it was someone else¡¯s problem.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [PURIFY]!¡±

    Detoxification. Guess it¡¯s poison cleanser. I wonder if the poison was removed with that. I¡¯m not so sure. Yume, Ranta¡­ would they be alright? The Goblin who escaped was.

    ¡°Haru! Pull yourself together! O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE]¡­!¡±

    Pull¡­ Pull myself¡­ Together. Umm. I got it. I got it, Mary. That¡¯s right. As unsightly as this is. It¡¯s completely lame. But there¡¯s no way I can let myself die. I won¡¯t die. If you die, that¡¯s it. And not only me. My friends too. Everyone.

    It¡¯s starting to feel better.

    Magic sure is amazing.

    ¡°How is it going there¡­!?¡± Ranta yelled from somewhere.

    ¡°Oook!¡± replied Yume from some distance.

    Those two¡­ What are they doing?

    Shihoru stood by Mary¡¯s side while she treated Haruhiro. His eyes met Shihoru¡¯s.

    ¡°¡­Shihoru, what about the enemy?¡±

    ¡°Only one was able to run, we still¡­¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    So they were able to deal with them afterwards. Ranta, Yume and Shihoru sure did their best.

    Haruhiro closed his eyes and laughed.

    ¡°¡­ Just what the hell am I doing?¡±

    Part 3 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    He instantly regretted voicing that. Both Shihoru and Mary reacted badly, and Haruhiro felt even more ashamed.

    It seemed like the treatment was finished, so Haruhiro opened his eyes and got up. He was about to thank Mary when Ranta suddenly popped up.

    ¡°You fucking idiot! The hell are you doing dropping dead like that!? You got done in by a freaking goblin! How much of a blockhead can you be!? That¡¯s even lower than shit, you damn Haruzero!¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t really explain myself.¡±

    Was it really necessary to bash me that much? Well, I guess just this once I did deserve a bashing.

    I really did it this time.

    And worse, I had to screw up today of all days.

    The day of the party¡¯s restart. It was a big day. There could be no mistakes. That¡¯s why they chose this place. Damroww¡¯s Old Town. The place where they¡¯d previously earned the title of goblin slayers. It might have been a somewhat mocking title, given to them ninety percent from teasing and ten percent from accomplishment, but that was just how often Haruhiro and his team had frequented Damroww¡¯s Old Town. Maybe it was because they had murdered way too many goblins, but the goblins¡¯ security had become tighter, so many people had moved their hunting grounds to the Siren Mines. However, this was a place they were thoroughly familiar with. Maybe even with a party like this, they would still be able to win here, even after losing one of their pillars¡ªno, their central pillar, Mogzo.

    Had they been careless? Maybe so. Maybe not. Frankly, Haruhiro didn¡¯t know. He wasn¡¯t able to make a levelheaded judgment.

    ¡°What should we do about the goblin who ran away!?¡± Yume yelled from a distance.

    ¡°Forget about it already! It went somewhere else, right!? It probably won¡¯t show its face again!¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t thinking like that too easy-going¡­?¡±

    ¡°Haaah!? Did you say something, Shihoru!?¡±

    ¡°I said, isn¡¯t thinking like that too easy-going?¡­ didn¡¯t you listen¡­?¡±

    ¡°What d¡®ya mean by that? You saying I¡¯m being thoughtless?¡±

    ¡°¡­To put it simply, you could say that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actin¡¯ pretty defiant, huh? If you¡¯re gonna defy me, you¡¯d better be prepared.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t threaten people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not threatening anyone. You spewed some cheeky shit and I got pissed, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s any excuse, though.¡±

    ¡°Why the hell do I need to make excuses? Don¡¯t screw around. Even my big heart has its limits. You better stop¡ª¡±

    ¡°HEEEEEYY¡­!¡±

    Yume dashed in and hit Ranta in the head with a small thud.

    ¡°Ouch! Yume you bitch! The fuck you cuffing me for¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t get what coffeeing is! Don¡¯t say weird things!¡±

    ¡°What¡®s weird here is you! Completely and thoroughly, get it!?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, moron!¡± Yume hugged Shihoru. ¡°You were bullyin¡¯ Shihoru! What¡¯re you doin¡¯ when you¡¯re just a scumbag Ranta! Yume¡¯s gonna beat you up, idiot!¡±

    ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t bullying her! We were just exchanging some ideas!¡±

    ¡°¡­No matter how you look at it, that wasn¡¯t the case.¡± Shihoru muttered.

    Ranta glared at Shihoru and clicked his tongue. ¡°If there¡¯s something annoying you, then spit it out! That shit gets on my nerves!¡±

    Part 4 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Mary was about to open her mouth, but instead cast her eyes down and briefly glanced at her left wrist. A shinning hexagram floated there. Proof that [LIGHT OF PROTECTION] was still in effect.

    Now that I think about it, Mary¡¯s been checking on the hexagram quite frequently. And thinking even further, she¡¯s using a short staff now. I wonder what happened to the weapon she was using before. ¡ªNo no. This isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about stuff like that, right? But¡­ what was it that I was supposed to do¡­? My mind feels hazy. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any poison left, and my wounds should¡¯ve been healed by Mary¡­ so why?

    ¡°¡­Ehh,¡± Haruhiro shook his head and blinked a few times. ¡°This is¡­ I¡¯m sorry for messing up. Now, first of all¡­ Ah, yes. I don¡¯t think that goblin we saw just now was normal. And I¡¯m not saying that just because he beat me up. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a goblin act and move the way that one did. How can I say it¡ªAh, I get, uhm, yes, I don¡¯t think we should stay here any longer. We could get shot again. It might even bring allies.¡±

    Ranta made a sour expression and jerked his chin. ¡°Then get up already.¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mary asked, offering a helping hand.

    ¡°¡­Um.¡±

    Haruhiro stood up. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t stay standing, but he was definitely feeling weird. His body felt weak and sluggish.

    ¡°Nuu¡ª¡­?¡± Yume leaned in and stared at Haruhiro¡¯s face intently. ¡°Wahhh!? Your face is lookin¡¯ terrible, Haruhiro!¡±

    Shihoru too stared at him and frowned. ¡°¡­It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°He did lose a considerable amount of blood,¡± Mary said as she adjusted herself to support Haruhiro. ¡°His wounds were healed by magic, but that doesn¡¯t replenish lost blood. Going any further today will be¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey hey hey hey heeey.¡± Ranta had been rummaging through the goblin corpses, but at that statement, his face distorted and his veins popped out. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you guys fucking plan on going back to Altana? We¡¯ve barely earned anything, you know? If we go back with just this, we¡¯ll end up in the red! Bankrupt!¡±

    ¡°But we have lots of money!¡± Yume protested.

    ¡°Shuuut up, Yume! The thing with money is, no matter how much you have, it immediately disappears!¡±

    ¡°¡­Because you waste it all on pointless stuff.¡±

    ¡°Shihoruuuu! Don¡¯t go around talking about wasting stuff with those huge tits! I will fucking fondle you!¡±

    ¡°Wh¡­!¡± Shihoru brought her arms to her chest in an attempt to hide it. ¡°¡­Scumbag.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! That doesn¡¯t bother me at all!¡±

    ¡°Ranta, you¡¯re really¡­¡± Haruhiro said with a sigh.

    My head kinda hurts. Everything is too bothersome. I really want nothing more than to go back, but¡­ is that really okay? It¡¯s probably¡­ not, right?

    ¡°¡­Sorry. Let me rest a bit first. Somewhere far away from here¡­ I think I¡¯ll feel a little better after a break. How about we decide what to do after that?¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s an alright plan. But,¡± Ranta pointed at Haruhiro, ¡°I¡¯ll just say this, Haruhiro. This situation is completely your fault. You better remember this. ¡®Cause even though you¡¯re shitty, you¡¯re still the leader.¡±

 Volume 4 - CH 7.4

    LEVEL 4: Chapters of the Chosen and Choosers

    Chapter 7: Past Glory Lost

    Part 1 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Look for it.

    Find it no matter what.

    In this situation, with how we are now, there must be some way we can pull this off.

    Of course he hadn¡¯t dared to think it would all go well from the very start. It couldn¡¯t be that simple.

    Even so, to think that it would be this bad¡­

    ¡°¡ªku! Ranta¡­! Don¡¯t back off¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro was trying to get a grasp of the situation while parrying the attacks of goblin A with [SWAT].

    Goblin A was wearing a leather helmet and chainmail armor, and was armed with a short sword and a small shield, but it wasn¡¯t like it had an orc¡¯s big body, nor were its blows as heavy. Even fighting it one-on-one wasn¡¯t that hard; the problem was Ranta.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m backing off¡­!¡±

    Ranta yelled ¡°[PROPEL LEAP]¡­.!¡± to retreat in a hurry. Goblin B was drawn in and gave chase.

    Without a moment¡¯s delay he attacked the approaching goblin with his long sword.

    ¡°Eat this! [JUKE STAB]¡­!¡±

    However, thanks to its good physique, the heavily armed goblin managed to avoid Ranta¡¯s sword by a hair¡¯s breadth. Well, even if he¡¯d landed the attack between the neck and shoulder of the armor, a blow of that caliber wouldn¡¯t have dealt much damage. Goblin B didn¡¯t falter and closed the distance between them. Ranta slashed his long sword at Goblin B¡¯s blade,

    ¡°[EXPEL FRENZY]¡­!¡±

    And immediately knocked the goblin¡¯s sword down. It was all going fine, but then¡ª

    ¡°Kiran! Got you! [HATRED¡¯S CU¡­]!¡±

    Ranta stepped in aggressively and performed a full body slash, landing a perfect strike on top of Goblin B¡¯s left shoulder. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. It was the armor. The armor was so strong, Ranta¡¯s long sword failed to penetrate, leaving only a dent.

    ¡°You¡¯re being too aggressive¡­!¡± Haruhiro complained while still parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Ranta yelled back. He then showered Goblin B with attacks.

    ¡°Orya orya orya orya orya¡­.! Ura ura ura ura ura ura ura¡­!¡±

    Though Goblin B was recoiling, Haruhiro could see it was somehow fending off the swings.

    That¡¯s why a brute force approach is impossible. Do you understand, Ranta?

    ¡°You bastard¡ª¡±

    Because you aren¡¯t Mogzo.

    Haruhiro almost said as much, but he swallowed his words. That was something he shouldn¡¯t say. Because Ranta was doing his best in his own way. He had tried to take on the tank role of the party, and from the beginning of the battle, plunged himself right into the middle of the enemies.

    But unlike Mogzo, Ranta was never the type to hold position and continually exchange blows with the opponent.

    To begin with, the core of the Dread Knight¡¯s fighting style was to make use of its mobility to lead opponents around by the nose, confusing them. Moving around was inevitable. If he didn¡¯t do that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his real strength. Ranta wasn¡¯t like that. He wasn¡¯t a tank. Haruhiro and the others would have to change the very basics of their strategy. But what would their new tactic be¡­?

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Haruhiro tried to [SWAT] the Goblin¡¯s sword, but his hand slipped. The goblin will break through. This is bad¡ª

    ¡°Tsuaaa¡­!¡±

    Mary. Mary rushed in aiming her short staff at Goblin A. The goblin was sent flying despite blocking with his shield.

    ¡°Are you preoccupied with something¡­!?¡±

    ¡°S-sorry, Mary!¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡±

    While answering yes in his mind, Haruhiro attacked Goblin A. Pretended to attack, to be exact. As soon as Goblin A turned to counter attack, Haruhiro switched to [SWAT]. He somehow managed to connect [SWAT] with [ARREST] and tried to incapacitate Goblin A, but it didn¡¯t look like it would work.

    Goblins are a bit too small. I¡¯ve never used [ARREST] against a goblin. What¡¯s up with this? Damnit. I was able to kill an orc, and happily lose my virginity, but I can¡¯t defeat a single goblin facing him fair and square? I¡¯m too weak. But I know. I know well enough that I¡¯m too weak.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt nem das¡­.!¡±

    Shihoru used her magic, [SHADOW BIND]to shoot a shadow elemental at the ground. It attached itself near the right foot of Goblin C, which had locked blades with Yume.

    Nice, Shihoru.

    Goblin C panicked and planted its left foot, trying to pull its other foot away, but the shadow elemental clung tightly and didn¡¯t let go.

    ¡°Funya!¡±

    Yume jumped at Goblin C, and showered it with a combo of [SWEEPING SLASH] and [CROSS CUT]. However, Goblin C was wearing chainmail in addition to its hatchet-like weapon, so it didn¡¯t suffer a fatal wound. Even so, its shoulders, arms and torso were hit with the kukri¡¯s full strength, so they should be in quite a lot of pain.

    Goblin C began to randomly swing its hatchet. It must have been really desperate, but Yume pulled back.

    If Yume took a hit from that with just her leather armor, it would be bad.

    ¡°Yume¡­!¡±

    She briefly glanced in Haruhiro¡¯s direction, and seemed to understand just from being called.

    Yume is coming here.

    Parrying Goblin A¡¯s sword with [SWAT] once more, Haruhiro dashed away. Goblin A tried to keep up with him, but Yume took over and stopped it.

    Goblin C¡¯s right foot was still affected by [SWADOW BIND]. It noticed Haruhiro coming and tried turning around to face him, but was too slow. Or rather, because it couldn¡¯t freely use its legs, it couldn¡¯t move or turn around. Of course, taking someone like that from behind would be easy.

    Haruhiro circled around to Goblin C¡¯s rear and leapt in. He immediately pinned the goblin¡¯s arms behind its back and slit its throat in one go with his dagger. After Haruhiro pulled away, Goblin C¡¯s knees bent and audibly hit the ground. His right foot was still fixed to the ground, so it didn¡¯t collapse completely.

    ¡°¡ªAlright! Finally got one¡­.!¡±

    Part 2 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Yume was fighting Goblin A, and Ranta Goblin B. Haruhiro could target either of the goblins¡¯ backs. Should I go for A, or B?

    Goblin B is protected by decent-looking armor, and dealing with that will probably be troublesome. Guess I¡¯ll start by getting rid of Goblin A.

    Haruhiro had barely started running when he felt a dull impact on his left flank. It felt like he¡¯d been kicked.

    ¡°Urgh¡­?¡±

    Looking down, he found an arrow sticking out of his left side. What¡­ is this?

    ¡°Why¡ªFrom where¡­!?¡±

    He was more surprised than in pain. At the moment anyway.

    Haruhiro looked around. Judging from its trajectory¡ªThere. To the left, a little bit behind. It looks like a mostly crumbled wall. It¡¯s a little too small to hide a person¡¯s body, but for a goblin¡­

    ¡°They have reinforcements¡­!¡±

    ¡°Haru, healing!¡± Mary tried to run towards Haruhiro.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±

    Haruhiro shook his head and ran towards the wall. ¡°Mary, Shihoru¡­!¡±

    There was a chance the enemy could target Shihoru while Mary was healing Haruhiro. There was also the possibility of Mary being shot by an arrow. That would be catastrophic.

    ¡°Ku¡­!¡±

    Of course, running makes my side hurt a lot. But not so much that I can¡¯t move. It¡¯s still tolerable.

    To begin with, could Haruhiro even do anything, going there alone? Hard to say. However, he felt that being treated by Mary right now wasn¡¯t a good idea. If he were in their place, he would definitely make use of that opening. Goblins were smaller than humans, but they were by no means stupid.

    Haruhiro came to a stop on the other side of the wall.

    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s not here¡­!?¡± Haruhiro yelled, astonished. Suddenly an arrow came flying from his right. He managed to duck at the last second, dodging it by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    About seven or eight meters from where he was, Haruhiro could see Goblin D holding a short bow, half hidden behind a pile of rubble. Goblin D had probably anticipated that Haruhiro would rush to find it and moved there from its previous location. Really¡­ they aren¡¯t stupid at all.

    ¡°But I won¡¯t let you run away anymore¡­!¡±

    Goblin D tried to nock another arrow, but from that distance, Haruhiro could not only know the timing of the shot, but could also grasp where it would be aimed. Even if the goblin did release the arrow, he would be able to dodge it. Or at least he should have been able to.

    He felt dizzy.

    His heartbeat was weird. It sounded like violent stomping. It was pounding like crazy.

    Goblin D shot its arrow. Needless to say, Haruhiro tried to dodge. However, his movements were a little¡ª just a little¡ªdifferent from what he expected.

    The arrow pierced his chest, near his left shoulder, and Haruhiro fell backwards. Uwa. I ended up taking a second one.

    ¡°It¡¯s a poisonous arrow¡­!¡± yelled Haruhiro, mustering up all the voice he could.

    Goblin D threw its bow aside, pulled out a small sword, and went flying at Haruhiro.

    What should I do? [SWAT] it? Is that possible? Definitely not.

    Goblin D pushed Haruhiro down and straddled him. It then tried to stab his face with its small sword. He didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d dropped his dagger or something, but it seemed he was no longer holding it. He could only try to protect his face using his arms. His arms and his hands; Goblin D¡¯s small sword vigorously pierced them again and again. Haruhiro was desperate. He wasn¡¯t supposed to have time to think about unnecessary stuff, and yet, the words ¡®I screwed up¡¯ still crossed his mind.

    Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have gone there himself. Maybe he should have left it to Yume. But his mind hadn¡¯t thought that far. Though that might just be hindsight. The outcome. This is the outcome huh? So disappointing. Guess this is what happens when you make a mistake. But to get killed by a goblin¡­ No, no, no, no. It¡¯s not like that has already been decided. Not at all. Yeah, that¡¯s right.Goblin D kept swinging his small sword down. The bone in Haruhiro¡¯s right arm was able to brush the blade aside. Rather than letting his flesh be cut to sever the opponent¡¯s bone, he left his flesh be cut to block with his bone.[1]

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash¡­!¡±

    Huh? Magic? Is it Shihoru? Yes, it is. Shihoru performed a thrusting movement with her staff in Goblin D¡¯s direction and shot a [SHADOW ECHO] at point-blank range. It flew through the air with its characteristic voash! sound and Goblin D¡¯s head snapped back as it began convulsing. The black seaweed-like shadow elemental hit Goblin D right in the side of the face.

    Shihoru wasn¡¯t that only one who came to help Haruhiro.

    ¡°Haa¡­!¡±

    Mary hit Goblin D with her short staff.

    Goblin D was blown off its feet, but quickly got up again. It ran. It retrieved its bow and tried to run away. Shihoru pointed her staff at its back.

    ¡°Oom rel eckt vel dash¡­!¡±

    Another [SHADOW ECHO]. However, Goblin D quickly leapt for cover and managed to avoid the shadow elemental.

    Though it depended on the area, Damroww¡¯s Old Town had a quite a lot of debris from ruined walls and buildings scattered around. This area was especially bad. Why did we choose this place for hunting? Maybe that was our first mistake.

    ¡°Fu¡­ hah¡­ fu¡­ fu¡­¡±

    Such ragged breathing. Who is that? Me, huh. It was Haruhiro himself. Haruhiro was lying flat on his back.

    I can see the sky. Mary¡¯s face too. The arrow was pulled out. ¡ªAaaaaah¡­ it hurts.

    ¡°I will start by detoxifying¡­!¡±

    Haruhiro nodded. I wonder if she¡¯ll manage. It would be nice if I didn¡¯t die. Haruhiro thought, as though it was someone else¡¯s problem.

    ¡°O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [PURIFY]!¡±

    Detoxification. Guess it¡¯s poison cleanser. I wonder if the poison was removed with that. I¡¯m not so sure. Yume, Ranta¡­ would they be alright? The Goblin who escaped was.

    ¡°Haru! Pull yourself together! O light, under the divine grace of Lord Luminous¡­ [CURE]¡­!¡±

    Pull¡­ Pull myself¡­ Together. Umm. I got it. I got it, Mary. That¡¯s right. As unsightly as this is. It¡¯s completely lame. But there¡¯s no way I can let myself die. I won¡¯t die. If you die, that¡¯s it. And not only me. My friends too. Everyone.

    It¡¯s starting to feel better.

    Magic sure is amazing.

    ¡°How is it going there¡­!?¡± Ranta yelled from somewhere.

    ¡°Oook!¡± replied Yume from some distance.

    Those two¡­ What are they doing?

    Shihoru stood by Mary¡¯s side while she treated Haruhiro. His eyes met Shihoru¡¯s.

    ¡°¡­Shihoru, what about the enemy?¡±

    ¡°Only one was able to run, we still¡­¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    So they were able to deal with them afterwards. Ranta, Yume and Shihoru sure did their best.

    Haruhiro closed his eyes and laughed.

    ¡°¡­ Just what the hell am I doing?¡±

    Part 3 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    He instantly regretted voicing that. Both Shihoru and Mary reacted badly, and Haruhiro felt even more ashamed.

    It seemed like the treatment was finished, so Haruhiro opened his eyes and got up. He was about to thank Mary when Ranta suddenly popped up.

    ¡°You fucking idiot! The hell are you doing dropping dead like that!? You got done in by a freaking goblin! How much of a blockhead can you be!? That¡¯s even lower than shit, you damn Haruzero!¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t really explain myself.¡±

    Was it really necessary to bash me that much? Well, I guess just this once I did deserve a bashing.

    I really did it this time.

    And worse, I had to screw up today of all days.

    The day of the party¡¯s restart. It was a big day. There could be no mistakes. That¡¯s why they chose this place. Damroww¡¯s Old Town. The place where they¡¯d previously earned the title of goblin slayers. It might have been a somewhat mocking title, given to them ninety percent from teasing and ten percent from accomplishment, but that was just how often Haruhiro and his team had frequented Damroww¡¯s Old Town. Maybe it was because they had murdered way too many goblins, but the goblins¡¯ security had become tighter, so many people had moved their hunting grounds to the Siren Mines. However, this was a place they were thoroughly familiar with. Maybe even with a party like this, they would still be able to win here, even after losing one of their pillars¡ªno, their central pillar, Mogzo.

    Had they been careless? Maybe so. Maybe not. Frankly, Haruhiro didn¡¯t know. He wasn¡¯t able to make a levelheaded judgment.

    ¡°What should we do about the goblin who ran away!?¡± Yume yelled from a distance.

    ¡°Forget about it already! It went somewhere else, right!? It probably won¡¯t show its face again!¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t thinking like that too easy-going¡­?¡±

    ¡°Haaah!? Did you say something, Shihoru!?¡±

    ¡°I said, isn¡¯t thinking like that too easy-going?¡­ didn¡¯t you listen¡­?¡±

    ¡°What d¡®ya mean by that? You saying I¡¯m being thoughtless?¡±

    ¡°¡­To put it simply, you could say that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actin¡¯ pretty defiant, huh? If you¡¯re gonna defy me, you¡¯d better be prepared.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t threaten people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not threatening anyone. You spewed some cheeky shit and I got pissed, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s any excuse, though.¡±

    ¡°Why the hell do I need to make excuses? Don¡¯t screw around. Even my big heart has its limits. You better stop¡ª¡±

    ¡°HEEEEEYY¡­!¡±

    Yume dashed in and hit Ranta in the head with a small thud.

    ¡°Ouch! Yume you bitch! The fuck you cuffing me for¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Yume doesn¡¯t get what coffeeing is! Don¡¯t say weird things!¡±

    ¡°What¡®s weird here is you! Completely and thoroughly, get it!?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, moron!¡± Yume hugged Shihoru. ¡°You were bullyin¡¯ Shihoru! What¡¯re you doin¡¯ when you¡¯re just a scumbag Ranta! Yume¡¯s gonna beat you up, idiot!¡±

    ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t bullying her! We were just exchanging some ideas!¡±

    ¡°¡­No matter how you look at it, that wasn¡¯t the case.¡± Shihoru muttered.

    Ranta glared at Shihoru and clicked his tongue. ¡°If there¡¯s something annoying you, then spit it out! That shit gets on my nerves!¡±

    Part 4 of 4 (translated by Lono)

    Mary was about to open her mouth, but instead cast her eyes down and briefly glanced at her left wrist. A shinning hexagram floated there. Proof that [LIGHT OF PROTECTION] was still in effect.

    Now that I think about it, Mary¡¯s been checking on the hexagram quite frequently. And thinking even further, she¡¯s using a short staff now. I wonder what happened to the weapon she was using before. ¡ªNo no. This isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about stuff like that, right? But¡­ what was it that I was supposed to do¡­? My mind feels hazy. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any poison left, and my wounds should¡¯ve been healed by Mary¡­ so why?

    ¡°¡­Ehh,¡± Haruhiro shook his head and blinked a few times. ¡°This is¡­ I¡¯m sorry for messing up. Now, first of all¡­ Ah, yes. I don¡¯t think that goblin we saw just now was normal. And I¡¯m not saying that just because he beat me up. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a goblin act and move the way that one did. How can I say it¡ªAh, I get, uhm, yes, I don¡¯t think we should stay here any longer. We could get shot again. It might even bring allies.¡±

    Ranta made a sour expression and jerked his chin. ¡°Then get up already.¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mary asked, offering a helping hand.

    ¡°¡­Um.¡±

    Haruhiro stood up. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t stay standing, but he was definitely feeling weird. His body felt weak and sluggish.

    ¡°Nuu¡ª¡­?¡± Yume leaned in and stared at Haruhiro¡¯s face intently. ¡°Wahhh!? Your face is lookin¡¯ terrible, Haruhiro!¡±

    Shihoru too stared at him and frowned. ¡°¡­It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°He did lose a considerable amount of blood,¡± Mary said as she adjusted herself to support Haruhiro. ¡°His wounds were healed by magic, but that doesn¡¯t replenish lost blood. Going any further today will be¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey hey hey hey heeey.¡± Ranta had been rummaging through the goblin corpses, but at that statement, his face distorted and his veins popped out. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you guys fucking plan on going back to Altana? We¡¯ve barely earned anything, you know? If we go back with just this, we¡¯ll end up in the red! Bankrupt!¡±

    ¡°But we have lots of money!¡± Yume protested.

    ¡°Shuuut up, Yume! The thing with money is, no matter how much you have, it immediately disappears!¡±

    ¡°¡­Because you waste it all on pointless stuff.¡±

    ¡°Shihoruuuu! Don¡¯t go around talking about wasting stuff with those huge tits! I will fucking fondle you!¡±

    ¡°Wh¡­!¡± Shihoru brought her arms to her chest in an attempt to hide it. ¡°¡­Scumbag.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! That doesn¡¯t bother me at all!¡±

    ¡°Ranta, you¡¯re really¡­¡± Haruhiro said with a sigh.

    My head kinda hurts. Everything is too bothersome. I really want nothing more than to go back, but¡­ is that really okay? It¡¯s probably¡­ not, right?

    ¡°¡­Sorry. Let me rest a bit first. Somewhere far away from here¡­ I think I¡¯ll feel a little better after a break. How about we decide what to do after that?¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s an alright plan. But,¡± Ranta pointed at Haruhiro, ¡°I¡¯ll just say this, Haruhiro. This situation is completely your fault. You better remember this. ¡®Cause even though you¡¯re shitty, you¡¯re still the leader.¡±