Chapter 5: Contract
"...Please help us, we need your strength Shiroe-san!"
Minori was not a girl who would joke in this kind of voice.
Shiroe noticed that Minori saw him as her role model.
mimicking the way he walked. Because she was such a girl, Shiroe wanted to teach her all that he knew.
Shiroe didn't know what sort of life she lived in the old world and he never asked. Shiroe could not hope
could only hang on to each other.
This was a virtue Shiroe didn't have, he knew he had been running away, refusing to build his own abode.
Minori seemed to admire Shiroe, but Shiroe thought that he had been saved by her practical character.
him, she asked him for tutelage, but she had never asked for his help so defenselessly before.
high regards.
Shiroe himself, which surprised him.
"Someone fell, Rundelhous-san, he..."
Telepathy seemed to work like low-performance cell phones.
out loud to relay your message and the background noise would be picked up too.
background.
"Rudy is... a People of the Land."
Shiroe deduced the voice belonged to the bard Isuzu that Minori mentioned. To be able to hear the words
Shiroe understood everything from this.
blowing his whistle twice, he didn't waste time for the griffon to come and ran to the central plaza of the
"Minori, status report."
over now.
in the process. Resurrection magic failed, but he still has a pulse and body warmth... But remains
...Resurrection magic failed.
notice Akatsuki following behind and squeezing into his arms. He then gave a signal to the magical beast.
"The pulse... should be gradually weakening."
"We've already cast it twice, but he didn't regain consciousness..."
The magic seemed miraculous in nature, but was not difficult. Healer classes could learn it by level 20.
losing some EXP.
(No, there should be a more important reason...)
respawn at the cathedral. The background at the other end of the telepathy line was the sound of sobbing
"Your whereabouts and party members."
junction in the central district of Choushi."
"No enemies around, but they are probably still fighting at the coastal area, I don't know when the goblins
...It was ending.
was ending. According to ReGan's spirit theory, resurrection spells might work in the short moment
stage of 'Failing Essence'.
He could hear a strong voice in his ears.
"I am the one who brought him to the battlefield, no, I did not do that directly but I didn't stop Rudy from
This sobbing voice came from the other end of the telepathy.
He heard Minori's words.
He visualized an asphalt road that was going to be covered by snow in the winter night, and he was lying
imagination.
could imagine, going through the feasibility of all possible combinations.
This was not his will, but his prerequisite.
"Instruct Serara to use resurrection magic."
Minori replied immediately.
believed that Shiroe must have a way, that's why she contacted him.
There were things Shiroe could not do. Wrong, Shiroe could not do most things, in this strange and
But this was just a small issue, could not be done meant could not be done, he would think about it when
one answer for Shiroe.
The heart that believed reconstructed all kinds of combinations in his mind, seeing things from other
"The pulse seems to be strengthened... But he is still unconscious."
resurrection magic."
Shiroe recollected ReGan's words.
For People of the Land or Adventurers, dead meant dead.
the consciousness was disconnected from the body and trapped in darkness.
The 'Essence' would then start to dissipate.
Essence'. For powerful or high-level bodies, they had stronger 'Ki' and the 'Failing Essence' process
Rundelhous was a physically weak mage class, and he was at the beginner-level, the speed of his 'Failing
Probably... the resurrection magic probably came too late.
in order to magically repair the connection between the 'Soul' and the 'Essence'.
stimulating the body to recover.
but the connection between 'Soul' and 'Essence' was not repaired, so he did not regain consciousness.
The 'Soul' was starting to diffuse... reaching a state of 'Losing Soul'. 'Soul' was the energy that drived the
become a lost 'Soul' and lose its identity.
'Failing Essence'.
linked to this new body. As their body could respawn, they would not go through the state of 'Losing
"It has been 150 seconds, casting resurrection now."
casting magic for 8 minutes."
a long casting time and they would be defenseless, not practical for use on the battlefield and had a cool
But Rundelhous had both Serara and Minori by his side, they might be new but they were still healers.
Resurrection magic needed a lot of MP, Shiroe didn't know how long they could last, but he could only
'Losing Soul' was triggered by 'Failing Essence', when the host body disappeared, the 'Soul' would also
The next would be...
This made the silent Akatsuki turn around slowly despite the terrifying conditions on the back of the flying
Shiroe closed his eyes and thought of what items he had in his Bag and reached in. He didn't know what
But to prepare for the 'spell' he would be casting, he searched for the suitable items.
world.
Raynesia arrived on the battlefield accompanied by the female knight in the evening.
"Woo..."
The female knight did not show much concern in her expressions, but she still asked kindly.
of the Land and demihumans died very fast, their bodies would disappear within half a day. No matter
But this battlefield was formed very recently.
the greenery making the smell more bearable, but she was unable to look down around her feet.
The female knight who introduced herself as Takayama Misa belongs to the 'Field Monitor' group.
limited, it would be hard to grasp the whole situation from the front-lines.
and support the 'Legion Raid' group fighting on the ground. Their main duty was to use optical items and
Raynesia thought Takayama Misa was a high ranking officer within D.D.D because of the attitudes of the
Because they scouted a trail without the need to bash through the vegetation, they reached the bottom of
the stream.
goblin corpses, only the cool flow of the stream warding off the summer heat.
others were doing weapon maintenance.
except the sentries working on shift.
But she did so from a balcony and gave a prepared speech. She would occasionally head into the parade
be in perfect alignment and holding their spears at the perfect angle for her review.
nobles' standards.
'League of Freedom Towns', as long as they didn't have a direct lord-subordinate relationship, the knights
gradually accepting the Adventurers had a different culture from her.
a bit surprised.
Whenever Raynesia passed by them, the Adventurers would greet her with a loud voice.
"Heavens, Caucasian-types look like angels."
"A real princess is here, where is the camera!"
"Ha ha ha! Our commander is just ahead princess."
"Be careful of stray arrows!"
not feel any distaste about them. Maybe she knew the Adventurers were not being rude and looking down
joke with her.
She did not converse well with others.
this was not effective on the Adventurers.
change in expression and overreact.
with simple etiquette to avoid shaming her Corwen heritage.
If someone gave her advice or spoke with her, she would think about the meaning for a while and reply
she only worked on her appearance. Even if she showed her side unbecoming of a lady, they were not
According to the strict standards of the social world, Raynesia's attitude was on the borderline of being
heart.
in her heart had made a good impression on the Adventurers in the blitz group who welcomed her readily.
ensure the integrity of the command structure. But if he only used D.D.D members, Krusty would be
Council when he arranged the raid group. So half of this hybrid army was formed by veteran players not
They included guild members from Black Sword Knights and Honesty, there was a variety in cape colors
to her.
making it more sophisticated. It may not be the same for all the nobles, but there were generally some
united.
From the colors of their capes and their coat of arms, they seemed to have divided themselves into
running around distributing resupplies.
With so many knights around, there were no squires or attendants around. Takayama Misa explained that
many knights without any squires?
Even though she knew they were very free, but to see it in action with her eyes, every little detail
"Yes, I can hear you, please continue."
topless body.
them when he saw Takayama Misa and Raynesia's group.
calm actions, as she approached him to report with documents in hand.
(What an amazing body...)
overwhelming strength just looking at his bare back. His muscular back had the beauty of a wild beast as
(...Eh! What am I looking at!)
She always lost her pace when Krusty was around.
sleep after eating and live lazily like plants. Her biggest hobby was sun-bathing, she was looking forward
According to Raynesia's ideals, it was not wrong to say she had changed or become depraved.
When Takayama Misa finished her report, Krusty had already dressed himself. He was wearing the same
'Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice', he was so calm that it made Raynesia mad.
Krusty asked as he walked towards her.
could neither feel the joy Krusty had when he fought nor the feeling that he might disappear like a flimsy
The mind-reading monster was standing prim and proper in front of her, that feeling she had seemed to be
"Did you feel scared?"
"No such thing, I believe Krusty-sama will protect me."
had much more experience in the rhetoric and culture of the aristocrats.
Raynesia turned around and saw a group of Adventurers observing Krusty and Raynesia from afar without
went about their business with smiles on their faces.
Raynesia faced Krusty again bearing the frustration of going off-topic. Krusty was always showing this
Adventurer's way.
Just as Raynesia stepped forward to speak, the howl of wolves echoed through the entire valley. It came
heart.
"Dire wolves, should be large in size judging by the sound."
"The goblin king is not here, he will not leave 'Seven Falls', this is the goblin general's royal guards."
Raynesia clasped her hands in front of her chest, she saw the rampage of Krusty's army and believed in
dangerous when he threw himself into battle.
As Raynesia hesitated, the wolves howled again. Krusty grinned at the sound and did not notice how
"We will wipe out their nest later, let's take out the trash in Sand Leaf for now."
The long central road in Choushi was an excellent landing runway for the griffon. The magic beast did not
clear the area, don't let any players or monsters come near."
Even though the speed was faster than a horse, the 2 of them jumped off the griffon without any concern
roof of the stone building.
There were 5 people in Minori's group, all of them had anxious faces. From the reports he received
Naotsugu's party was dealing with the goblins in place of Minori's group.
Shiroe did not know if the spell would work. Even though the theory was sound and Shiroe had
have fewer witnesses even if it succeeded.
A young man lay motionless under the roof of an open concept building, the crying girl beside him should
Familiar faces surrounded Shiroe, Tohya with his painful expression, Serara with her look of worry, and
Shiroe calmed his heart.
"Minori, add me to your party."
Minori nodded without further questions. Shiroe was thankful that she was not talking in this situation. He
but he was still unconscious. The party status screen was flashing the word 'death'.
this an absolute secret."
"If you cannot agree then give up or leave."
"Alright, let's begin."
unknown functions.
(Correct... The psyche lies in the 'Soul', and MP is the manifestation of the 'Soul', if that is the case...)
Shiroe out-leveled all of them, the draining part of his 'Mana Channeling' was a heavy burden on Minori's
Minori, Tohya, and Serara looked pale. Their MP was gradually drained away, making them feel dizzy
white.
The MP he gathered from his allies was all under Shiroe's control. He could feel the lingering scent of
expanded out under Shiroe's control.
The MP with different subtle tastes mixed into primitive spiritual energy and was guided along the
Shiroe divided the MP evenly and distributed it.
The rapid loss of MP gave Shiroe a feeling of anemia.
was among the highest among the classes. And Shiroe was level 90, re-allocating the MP evenly with
"Minori cast Resurrection, Serara continue to heal."
only be one chance and one sentence.
He was not an Adventurer, so he would not revive after dying.
That's why Rundelhous would not revive.
The mana-channeling spell of the enchanter restored the MP of the group... in other words, revitalized
He did not regain consciousness because his 'Soul' and 'Essence' were not connected. This was the same
For the next phase, Shiroe took something out from his backpack.
Shiroe used 'Hades Incense of Soul Recovery' as he finished his sentence.
monsters. The effect was not resurrection, just regaining of consciousness for 3 minutes before you died
But for Rundelhous whose 'Essence' was dissipating continuously, this item held a certain possibility.
would also perish.
the expense of death after 3 minutes. He could only pull Rundelhous back to this world for 3 minutes.
The group seemed to understand this as Isuzu tightened her grip on Rundelhous' hand with tears flowing
"Ah..."
Isuzu couldn't stop crying as she held his hands. It was unclear if he had regained consciousness, even his
"Rudy...?"
He had some awareness after death, just that the connection between his 'Soul' and 'Essence' had been
fighting in black and white. It was not clear how it was for the People of the Land, but Rundelhous
Rundelhous smiled and spoke with a tired voice to the others.
"Only... natural..."
It was something they didn't joke about in the game, the heavy topic of death... was only natural for the
"I wanted to be an Adventurer despite that, please don't blame Miss Isuzu okay? I wanted her to help me
"No, I already noticed, but I chose to ignore it!"
"Ha ha ha, yeah, thank you Miss Minori... there is no need to feel bothered about this."
Shiroe interrupted.
Shiroe let his mind run free as he thought about the horrifying thing he was about to do. It might be a big
He didn't know how this would affect the world if he was successful, or how the world would receive
But the young man who had accepted his fate and was bidding farewell to the rest called himself an
This was not the term to describe players, but the term for traveling the world and seeing a sunrise that no
Since he called himself that, he was also a scion of 'hers'.
Adventurer will only trouble others. This is not enough... Did you spend your whole life training and
strategy, but the will to survive, the grit to do anything to keep living on no matter how hard you have to
"Shiroe-nii..."
"Then what do you expect me to do?"
accept it as his tears started to flow.
"Pay attention and listen up!"
Rundelhous' face.
"A contract?"
Ink' on the 'Fairy King Paper' made from top-class ingredients, the only one in the world.
1. Effective immediately, Shiroe invites Rundelhous to join the guild Log Horizon.
member of Log Horizon.
including the identity of an Adventurer.
remain in effect even if the contract lapses.
as proof."
"Adventurer...?"
This was developing a spell that was not in the game.
Chefs could cook food manually without using the game menu, making dishes with normal taste.
And this had proven to be correct.
People with the corresponding skills could use them to create items without using the game menu, making
This was the real meaning behind Nyanta's discovery.
repeatedly. He kept this as a hidden ace to be used if the Round Table Council meeting did not go
His conversation with ReGan about Spirit Theory gave Shiroe an inspiration and one of his research
Rundelhous was a People of the Land.
People of the Land could not revive.
If that was the case, the answer was obvious...
His experiments proved that scribes could make simple contracts and all sort of documents such as
could create these with magical ingredients.
Allowing a Person of the Land to join a guild and bestowing the identity of Adventurer on him, this
ingredients and ink he collected during the time when Elder Tales was a game without regret in order to
Shiroe moved the contract closer to Rundelhous' face.
"...Ven...turer..."
The young sorcerer with mud all over him said in a weak voice, as Shiroe explained to him.
different being. Adventurers are still new to this world, you might get caught in some other events,
"I want to become..."
replied without hesitation.
after the glory... I just want to be... an Adventurer."
Incense of Soul Recovery' was losing its effect, Rundelhous might be unable to keep his 'Soul' and
"Rudy... don't worry."
Isuzu held his hand.
Isuzu embraced Rundelhous from behind, Tohya helped from the side, Minori and Serara cast healing
His trembling hands gained warmth with his comrades' encouragement, Rundelhous used the magical ink
this alternate world, becoming a brand new law.
Shiroe said as he felt the cogs turning somewhere by this spell. The dissipating 'Essence' turned into
stunned expressions.
future.
The battle continued in the dark.
The venue was a valley like the previous battle, the only difference was the size of the place and the scale
group needs a lot of space to gather, we can organize ourselves in the forest or the hills, but it will be
Raynesia thought about it and agreed.
they would follow certain rules.
Takayama Misa's observation team was based on one of these ridges but it was different from last time.
or because Raynesia declined the chair, but from the looks of relief from Takayama Misa, Raynesia
But these were trivial matters.
Takayama Misa explained that the team leading the dire wolves were goblin tamers. The barbaric goblins
Most goblins were lightly armored warriors or spearmen, but some of the goblins had special classes, the
Hippogriffs, and dire wolves.
sentience and squirmed, a scene from nightmares.
Takayama Misa explained calmly:
have raised so many means the goblin king has a tribe of goblin tamers... Elder Tales has such an
"Would... Would they be alright..."
Takayama Misa maintained her cold attitude and words, but Raynesia was not so optimistic. There were a
the exotic tent with wheels that was essentially a mobile fortress.
though they wouldn't die, it would still be painful if they got hurt, which pained her too.
"Square shape... so pretty."
Takayama Misa walked to Raynesia's side probably to chat.
"This is a common formation used in raids, the groups are usually formed in multiples of 4, the same
basically a defensive formation, with the tanks and melee fighters in the front supported by the ranged and
against enemies with powerful wide-area attacks. But against groups of wild beasts, it can be an iron-clad
"So that is how..."
The strong vanguards deflected the attacks of the wolves easily, with arrows and magic flying out from
the valley made it so bright that she could see without any assistance.
Takayama Misa pointed straight at the battlefield.
advanced, taking out the enemies in its way.
This was the first time Raynesia viewed a large-scale battle, she had never seen the defensive battles of
defensive.
Krusty's army seemed to be digging a dark hole into the goblin army. Both the goblins and wolves would
freak, giving off a sense of madness.
At this moment, a bonfire seemed to be lit in the center of the formation and 4 flaming birds flew out from
had never heard of summoned beings like this. From what she knew, summoned beings ranged from the
"That is the Phoenix you can form a contract with at level 86, a high-level spirit with fire affinity. The
graceful and holy beast... what is wrong?"
(That creature has flame on it?)
Raynesia finally understood.
No wonder Takayama Misa said worrying was absurd.
were fine in this unpredictable battlefield and used their extraordinary experience no common man could
The army this man was leading were also Adventurers who had accumulated overwhelming experience
be applied on them.
The goblin general's giant mobile fortress exploded with a bang. The heavily-armored guards and gigantic
Raynesia heard an impossible voice.
The calm words with a hint of joy definitely came from Krusty.
hear his voice.
black spears came out of the square formation. A group of warriors dual-wielding blades shredded
"We have finished the main course... Let's leave the rest to the nets spread out by our headquarters'
Takayama Misa closed her report file with a soft sound, her voice so calm she seemed to be saying
Part 5
The resistance of the Sahuagin was stronger than expected, Ocypete took a lot of time to dock. Ocypete
It was not a military amphibious assault landing craft.
maneuvers.
defenses of Choushi. With summoners on both sides of the coastline, it was only a matter of time before
"Wah, I didn't expect you to come Shiro-bou!"
Shiroe who appeared out of nowhere walked out from the town just as the sun was setting. He reorganized
Shiroe was the guild master of Log Horizon.
The background behind the formation of the Round Table Council was no secret, so well-informed
guilds, or Maryele with her wide social network, the number of people who knew his face was much
If you talked to him, you would know that he was a good young man who valued friendships. But he
(He is a good kid! But that face! Those eyes! So scary!)
in Maryele's eyes."
significant.
increase when headquarters sent reinforcements over.
who led them here.
She raised her voice to motivate the defense team.
of reinforcements arriving and Maryele urging them on. With the artillery support by summoners conjuring
passion.
time, the fierce battle continued until midnight.
The Adventurers taking part in the summer training camp were exhausted, relaxing in their own way at the
The sentry and defensive tasks were handled by the reinforcements who still had energy to help. All those
Maryele was thinking of maintaining a more spirited attitude as a role model, but she ended up spreading
(Fu... We somehow made it through...)
never commanded such a complicated battle line before.
of the beginners, as well as the support of the veterans led by Naotsugu.
This voice was closer than she expected.
"Woo wah?"
shirt.
"Wah, that was sly of you Naotsugu-yan, when did you change?"
Maryele's relentless questions made Naotsugu gaze wander all over.
clothes too.
"Are you okay?"
heavy and numb.
magic. If you focused only on defense and healing, the variety of skills of the cleric was the best among
In this group battle, Maryele did not form a party, running all over the battlefield by herself casting
She didn't think that was a wrong tactic to use, but it was more tiring than she imagined. Maryele
"Rest a bit more?"
To be honest, Maryele didn't want to move at all.
"There is a bathhouse?"
installations.
Adventurers does not include shower facilities. Or rather, we can craft such facilities, but only for
there was no need for us to bathe, but the People of the Land had to shower from the very beginning so
"Is...Is that so?"
So there were shower rooms if they visited one of the few homes of the People of the Land in Akiba?
secretly in the middle of the night. It almost ended in a big commotion. Just remembering Henrietta's scary
"But we all rushed to the showers at the hotel and mayor's place, so it is full right now. By the way, the
"Oh, now I know... I will enjoy the breeze here for a while more."
Naotsugu sat with his legs crossed.
The two of them basked in the clear moonlight.
Naotsugu looked at the bright and clear moon as he fanned Maryele using a big leaf from a tropical tree.
Maryele could feel the remnants of the heat in her blood that boiled during the battle cooling down finally.
finally calming down and gaining peace.
"About what...?"
survived and protected this town. Some of the Adventurers were hurt too badly and went back to the
"We did well right?"
Maryele was aware that her smile was more brilliant than normal, it must be a giddy smile that she could
Just for this moment, she wanted to immerse in the kind and gentle wind Naotsugu was giving her under
Part 6
There was a refreshing fragrance and particles sparkling around him.
(This is...)
In this room made of stone, the plants placed all around were spreading out shiny pollen that illuminated
(I see, so this is... the cathedral.)
People of the Land were different from Adventurers after all, even if they prayed in church, they would
The cathedral was one of the facilities related to the Adventurers, it was more like a magical architecture
visited it before.
He sat on the bed and moved his body carefully.
probably an after-effect of respawning.
stunned.
reflect stats gained from his equipment, the details of how his equipment affects his stats were also
He looked at his EXP gauge which had dropped significantly. It couldn't be helped, he not only
He was alive.
He was not after the identity or status of the Adventurers, nor was he after their way of life. Rundelhous
fought for the people were dazzling and stole his heart.
word Adventurer.
Class: Sorcerer
Rundelhous stared blankly at these words for a long while.
Rundelhous checked the abilities of the subclass in a hurry, a list of unfamiliar abilities he heard about:
warehouse', 'detailed status screen', there were also many more abilities Rundelhous didn't understand,
(So many... If I have this power...)
frustrated and helpless at his weakness.
friends he had grown close to during the training camp. Rundelhous might be able to rebuild his old home,
Rundelhous tried to recollect.
That was what he wanted to be, but was cursed to never achieve. Rundelhous swore that given another
This small stony room was his new starting point. The serious young man with glasses was also an
(That young man Shiroe should know about places I have never seen before...)
"Rudy!"
from the entrance.
"Is... Is anything wrong... You ask..."
Her head was in a taller position than the sitting Rundelhous, so he could not see her expression. He could
"Overexerting yourself so much, what if you die stupid Rudy!"
your life. Just like no one can put a collar on the free spirited Adventurers, no one can stop my battles."
"You are being unreasonable..."
Isuzu's voice sounded aloof and Rundelhous felt anger rising from his heart.
Isuzu was the only companion who knew Rundelhous was a People of the Land. Actually, Minori noticed
Isuzu.
cathedral in Akiba.
The moment Rundelhous said these words, a punch so painful that it made him cry fell on his head.
he had to apologize repeatedly in a soothing voice when a woman was in this type of condition.
me why?"
conscious was starting to fade.
"Really?"
"You must tell me about your childhood Rudy."
"If you are so reckless, it won't be enough no matter how many lives you have."
"Okay, shake." [2]
This word made Rundelhous look blankly at Isuzu.
hint of shyness as she extended her hand gently.
Rundelhous gently placed his hand on hers in response.
knight guiding a lady, so it was somewhat embarrassing.
mad. But right now she had him cornered, he had no way of venting his frustration.
Part 7
future as the west also sent out an expedition army to deal with the 'Suzaku Gate's Ghost Festival' incident
The expedition army did not defeat the goblin king, they only trapped the invasion army in Sand Leaf
general.
signs of them until the very end.
This was about a fifth of the whole goblin invasion army, but the numbers were not a big threat.
the difference in fighting power varied a lot, they could be as strong as a soldier or as mighty as a tank, so
numbers were not an absolute gauge for milita