IMPORTANT:
Edited Chapter 29
‘my home that’s an animal husbandry farm family’ to ‘my home that’s an animal husbandry family’
‘a newly joined guild as well’ to ‘the newly joined guilds as well’
Onward To The First Battle
The moment Sana and Runa came into the tent, Eleanor and I faced a different direction so as to hide our faces.
The question of what we should talk about at this point in time and the question of why they’re here jumbled, and we avoided facing them at this place.
And then, two other guilds who are participating for the first time joined in, the guild that’s directly under the Kingdom also eventually arrived, everybody took their seats, and the conversation proceeded.
It seems the Guild Leader who’s directly under the Kingdom serves as the leader of this entire quest.
“Well then, since it looks like there are first-timers as well. Firstly, let’s introduce ourselーー”
“It’s fine to just skip such things, isn’t it”
It’s a given at a Joint Quest to first introduce yourself and get to know each other, but Fabiola brushed it off and refused.
A bearded man who’s the Guild Leader that’s directly under the Kingdom looks at Fabiola dubiously.
“But, there are many of those who are meeting them for the first time. It’s better to at least know each others’ names, right?”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with us what kind of fellows the bunch that newly came is, right? ーーAfter all, they might die right away anyway. Besides, we aren’t comrades, it works out better for you too if the number of people is reduced, right?
“Don, don’t say stupid things……the more people there are, the better the chances are to complete the quest. If that’s the case, isn’t it natural to cooperate!?”
Each and every one of them who belongs to the guild that’s directly under the Kingdom and wore a Knight-like armour objected to what Fabiola said.
But Fabiola sneers at that even.
“You say that, but aren’t you guys those fratricidal traitors? Your aim is the enormous reward from the King, isn’t it?”
“Wha, we won’t do such things! We’re participating under the King’s order. You as well, didn’t you do it because you need money in order to purchase those slaves!? Your objective is to loot the valuables!”
“Hah, I’m not gonna do such things”
Tit for tat.
The pair’s conversation was going nowhere and all they could do was doubt each other and speak ill of each other.
Those from the other guilds who are around watching also didn’t say a single word.
I guess the traitor is probably somebody who’s stronger than anybody here. Perhaps they’re keeping silent and don’t want to stand out because they’re afraid of being targeted by someone like that, or, perhaps they find that the relationship with the other guilds is inconsequential.
It really is, the worst Joint Quest.
And then upon seeing the present state where the conversation isn’t making any progress, Eksvein, who’s in the guild that directly under the Kingdom and who serves as the leader of this quest, suggested that the strategy discussion hereafter be carried out with just the Guild Leaders, and everyone agreed to it.
Those who stayed behind are the leaders of the two guilds who are participating for the first time; Eksvein, the leader of the guild that manages this quest; the slave guild’s Fabiola; the jumpy Relic; and Levia who had been laughing from the beginning until the end.
And thenーーthe man who appeared alongside Sana and Runaーーthe Guild Leader named Gale was left behind and the rest dissolved.
I was on the fence on whether or not to call out to Sana and Runa who are about to return to their own tent.
Why did they suddenly disappear before Eleanor and me. And why did they participate in this dangerous quest. I want to ask those questions.
However, Eleanor narrowed my choices down to one.
“What will come of it, if you talk to the both of them right here right now?”
“That’s……”
“It is because they cannot tell neither Egil-sama nor me the reason that the both of them left without saying a word, no? If that is the case, the both of them will not be glad even if Egil-sama calls out to them now, you know? I think the both of them surely do not wish to reunite with Egil-sama here”
ーーIf, I’m carrying some kind of burden, and I reached the end of the ropeーーat that time, will you save us?
I was asked that by Sana when we parted.
And then I nodded and said that I won’t forcibly ask her what she’s being troubled by.
If that’s the case, I guess she still hasn’t reached that limit of hers for now.
Both of them cheerfully return to their tent.
“If something happens……discuss it with me……”
To those backs, I called out.
“Look at this, a White Rabbit!”
Immediately after returning to the tent, as we’re taking off the bothersome robes and relaxing, a rare visitor appeared by our side.
A pure white fur and crimson eyes White Rabbit uprightly intruded from the entrance.
Serina who saw that was frolicking about with sparkling eyes.
“How rare for it to be at a place like this. It’s wild, right?”
“Erm, I have heard before that White Rabbits do not warm up to people, so I think it is not somebody’s pet?”
“Is that so. Nevertheless, does Serina like animals?”
Serina, who strokes the White Rabbit that’s strangely friendly, says while recalling her past.
“My home was an animal husbandry family and we had raised quite a few animals. Well, although it’s primarily livestock, animals are cute nevertheless. ーーAh, let’s try to giving it some feed or something, shall we”
Serina looks for food that looks like she can give it.
Really, this White Rabbit is friendly.
It doesn’t matter if you stroke it or pull its skin, it doesn’t run away no matter what you do to it.
“Does Eleanor not like animals?”
When I speak to Eleanor, who’s responseless by herself, she frowned and made a glum look.
“Ever since I was bitten by a dog that we had kept in the mansion when I was a child……I am bad with animals no matter what”
“It’s what you’d call a ‘trauma’ huh”
“Eleanor is such a scaredy-cat. Even though it’s so cute”
Serina who brought over ingredients that look like it can eat.
Sitting on top of both her hands are ingredients like rice and bread that human likes to eat.
“Serina, will it eat such things?”
“Livestock that we had at our house ate it, you know?”
Those are animals such as cows, I think White Rabbits prefer grass and vegetable-related things thoughーー.
“Ah, it ate! It looks like this child’s favourite food is corn!”
“Why……”
Why corn.
And then, the White Rabbit handily works its tiny hands to carry it and,
“Ah, wait!”
left as it is.
“It, got stolen huh”
“……Yeah. But it looks like its favourite food is corn huh”
“It is huh. It was cute so I wanted to play with it more though, what a pity”
Serina who stares dejectedly at the entrance that the White Rabbit went out of.
While I’m feeling satisfied that I got to see a side of Serina that’s slightly different from usual, we waited for Hart’s return.
“Thank you for waiting”
It was an hour after we left the tent that Hart came back.
I take them as a bunch that doesn’t come up with any strategy-like strategy, and for that, I have a feeling that it took a little too long……
“Good work, it was surprisingly long, wasn’t it?”
“Eeh, it ends up taking quite some time no matter what whenever the bunch in this quest gather…… We don’t decide on any proper strategy and yet the time we spend on it is tiringly long”
“I see. And, when will we set off?”
Today will end with this, is probably not how it’ll go. It only just turned 13 o’clock.
We led Hart into the tent and he spread out an old map.
“It seems we will be getting the feel of things for today. And, it seems we’ll adopt the strategy of proceeding separately in pairs for all four gates respectively from now on”
“We’re not going to focus and attack one gate?”
“Eeh, although this is Fabiola’s suggestion,『We don’t know who will target us from behind when we’re together in a crowd』, so it seems he wants to keep the number of guilds that act together to the minimum”
“Well, I understand what he’s thinking but……the guild that’s unknowingly grouped with the traitors will be in danger”
“However, Egil-sama. Although it is not the nicest way of putting it, we would immediately know who the traitors are if a guild somewhere was targeted, right? It is difficult to target a guild that is at a faraway location if we invade from different gates. If that is the case, the paired guild will naturally be the suspicious one, right”
“Aah, yeah. But it’s dicey if everybody thinks that”
“I suppose so huh. The traitors also probably understand that they will be suspected if they target their paired guild, so I think they will not act without putting enough thought into it either”
It’d be great if the traitors quiet down with this but……who knows.
“And, has the guild that we will group with been decided?”
“It is a first-timer guild called《Treasured Sword》”
“First-timer huh. In that case, it’s a safe guild”
“Eeh, as for the other guilds’ line-up and the gates they will attackーー”
Hart told us while pointing at the map.
At the northern gate, there’s the first-timer guild《Treasured Sword》, and us.
At the eastern gate, there’s《Flash of DecapitationRuins・Sail》that Fabiola commands, and《Panacea BoxElix・Irbeth》that Relic commands.
At the southern gate, there’s《Sunset‘s BondSunset’s Bond》that Levia commands, and《Fereril》that Sana and Runa are in.
At the western gate, there’s《Felistina Chivalric Order》, the guild that’s under the Kingdom, that Eksvein, who’s the leader of this quest, commands and, a first-timer guild,《Sea Dragon’s DreamSerpent’s Dream》
And then Hart leaves the tent in order to make preparations.
“Sana and Runa are at the south huh……”
We’re on the opposite side of both of them.
We won’t be able to join up unless both groups reach the middle area.
“Are you bothered by it?”
I was asked by Eleanor.
Rather than ‘bothered’.
“I’m worried……although that girl, Sana, said that they’re fine”
“Is there Egil-san’s acquaintance?”
“Eleanor and mine”
Serina who doesn’t know anything tilts her head.
And then the entrance’s cloth was opened.
“ーーAlright then, let’s go, shall we”
We set off, towards our first time at the Goliath Fortress Invasion Battle.