Chapter 3: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The chilly autumn air gave the sky a cool and refreshing feeling. Akiba's night sky was filled with
The stars were brighter and more numerous in the world of Elder Tales than in the original world.
world was aglow with stars.
As Akiba was the primary city of Adventurers, its functions were extremely specialized. Said functions
still a game, Adventurers only needed these five facilities to survive. In other words, Akiba had no
Before the Catastrophe, Akiba had lacked proper living quarters. While places such as taverns and inns
feeling of being in an alternate fantasy world — they were like stage props which were not truly usable.
accomplished, a number of facilities were required just so they could remain within the city. The thriving
had opened as well.
and People of the Land or had been established by the People of the Land themselves.
Adventurers were capable of earning more money in a shorter period of time. Just by grinding mobs, even
month.
the eyes of Adventurers, even a Person of the Land hailed as a master of their craft would only be as
Of course, regardless of whether you were a Chef or a Tailor, as long as you reached level twenty, the
fresh-baked breads, delicious soups, crispy fries, as well as chicken fried to a perfect golden-brown. A
leather vests.
Adventurers would focus on tasks that only Adventurers were capable of doing, leaving the more generic
After these changes, Akiba was incomparable to its limited 'in-game version,' and now hosted a great
increasing in a geometric manner. This resulted in shops which were run exclusively by People of the
There was another reason for the growth of the city's People of the Land population.
Adventurers simply viewed this place as a convenient staging ground, a point of departure. But this place
Adventurers were completely different beings compared to the People of the Land, having both superior
the pioneer settlement for the Adventurers in this world.
Adventurers who dealt with the various wild beasts and monsters in the land of Yamato were considered
the Land. This fear was also directed towards the city which housed their revival mechanism, the
themselves.
had lived in Akiba long ago. In a sense, they were like priests or priestesses who served gods in shrines.
However, the age of such fear had ended.
monsters such as dragons, saving the People of the Land's lives numerous times. Meanwhile, Adventurers
only form superficial relationships with People of the Land.
The significance of the agreement signed between the League of Freedom Towns Eastal and the Round
It signified the declaration of the Adventurers to the People of the Land, that Adventurers were not just
Adventurers as such.
Raynesia did not just represent the nobles, she was also a living example of a "People of the Land living
Because of this reason, the population of People of the Land in Akiba increased each day.
were included into Akiba's society, even this streetscape started to change. The rubble was gradually
Nearly all the Adventurers living in Akiba were Japanese.
clearing up the streets, they decided to help out since they were bored and had nothing better to do. While
In the current Akiba, the number of Adventurers who employed People of the Land increased greatly.
— The "Linguine", a tavern run by People of the Land.
day of the Libra Festival.
"It's delicious!"
the restaurant. They were consultants from Log Horizon, Chief Nyanta to be exact, and the Crescent Moon
The place was filled with customers to the point that it was nearly overflowing. Even though it was now
Over the course of the past few days, many People of the Land came to visit this city for the sake of the
set up for the festival by the Round Table Council.
alleys were filled with both Adventurers and People of the Land, toasting to the success of the upcoming
The new cooking method publicized by the Round Table Council spread like wildfire throughout Yamato.
than ten percent of the population could be considered good at cooking. Using limited ingredients, these
Adventurers tended to try recreating normal Japanese food. In contrast, the People of the Land, who had
their fancy. Although the method of preparation could be relatively simple, some stores were extremely
"Linguine" was one such place.
it was currently happy hour, the tavern was filled with a vulgar din. While it was rather inappropriate for
together with her favorite Nyanta. Even though the place was packed, the thought that their knees were
"Is Nyanta-san tired?"
Although Nyanta gave such a reply, it was as though he had a superhuman performance that day. Crescent
Crescent☪Moon kiosk, their Tailors' sewing department would be selling clothes and providing fitting
Crescent Moon Alliance was just a small guild, the size of its departments was not more than five people.
"Have I... done well?"
"I can't wait for tomorrow!"
Passing a busy day together with Nyanta in this manner, having to spend the whole day manning a booth
circumstances, it could be said that her anticipation came from "Being able to spend the whole day
Honestly speaking, Serara was able to sympathize with Isuzu when she decided to leave Crescent Moon
she had not considered doing the same to be with Nyanta.
who could start afresh after leaving Hamelin, Serara had comrades who relied on her.
this resolution of hers, which she treasured, to be viewed as a hollow statement.
gentleman had always been a warm person, however, he became much warmer after that... even listening
interests.
stew, the orange juice with added ice was very good. Chatting with Nyanta was also delightful. Serara
Suddenly, the sharp noise of something breaking was heard, silencing the clamor of the store for a
the floor, dyeing the stone with red geometric patterns.
However, just as the clientele were about to resume their normal activity, they were interrupted by the
Serara looked up from the table in time to witness the waitress falling to the ground. A man was towering
"Don't joke with me! How are you going to deal with this since it's been stained like this?"
Serara quickly checked their descriptions and noted that both of them were probably People of the Land
expensive clothes. The man who seemed to be a noble chastened the waitress for her negligence in a
The silence within the establishment seemed to encourage the man. He began to criticize the tavern in a
taste. He scoffed at how it didn't live up to its reputation even after he had bothered to go there himself.
Serara felt a sense of distaste.
The food here was delicious. While it was indeed rather noisy, this sort of ambiance was not a bad thing.
Whether you liked it or not, there was no reason to disturb the dining experience of other people, Serara
"Is this guy an idiot?"
This man was mistaken. This place was not this man's—most likely a noble—usual eating place nor a
tomato stew.
by his status or authority. They were simply stunned by the sheer foolishness of his actions.
In response to the man's shrill cries of indignation, three Adventurers rose from their seats. Feeling
development caused the atmosphere within the establishment to be filled with tension.
Serara cried out as she huddled in her seat.
involved in its worst part, the defense of Choushi. She was a qualified Adventurer who had also fought
moment was not frightening to her. However, the tension resulting from people's conflicting emotions and
everybody being trampled upon in this manner, Serara felt as though she was being swallowed by an
"No need to worry nya."
the same manner as how one would grab hold of a cat. The young man was stupefied at being held in this
"Don't cause a commotion nya. This is a place for people to enjoy dining nya."
"Yours truly is an Adventurer nya."
Indeed, even if the number of People of the Land had increased in the city, this was still Akiba where
With great difficulty, the man made a neutral expression. He had probably forgotten this fact.
"Ooo~"
People of the Land. Since this matter does not concern you Adventurers, please don't butt in. I have no
"Oh~ It doesn't seem that way to me."
eh?"
them performed a healing spell on the young waitress.
The disparity in strength between the two groups was evident just by glancing at their equipment. This
even another high-level Adventurer. However being a guard of such a trashy noble, he was only around
As far as Serara could tell, this particular guard was only good for decoration.
"This is Akiba nyan. Akiba has its own rules and regulations nya, don't cause a commotion here nya. "
nobleman was going to throw a tantrum; however, the fact that the tall and slender Nyanta could
wordlessly. When Nyanta reached the door, he swung the young man in front of him with ease.
to enjoy yourself instead of going around starting fights nya."
throw the young nobleman out the door.
long as there were no weapons drawn or any physical injury inflicted, the guards would not treat it
"Nyanta-san..."
Serara sighed in relief after hearing these warm words from Nyanta.
about issuing apologies to the other customers. Receiving replies such as "No need to worry" and "It
"That incident just now was certainly unexpected though."
festival, this city will be filled with people who are unfamiliar with it nya."
"The People of the Land seem to have an aristocratic society nya, they would probably be shocked after
(Why would they be shocked...) Serara was stumped.
period of time and was unfamiliar with its urban atmosphere, as she had spent her time hiding in Nyanta's
Serara felt that it would be tragic if the discrimination and abuse she saw were common practices among
However, People of the Land were a part of this world. They had the right to freely promote their own
true significance of those words.
the fun and entertainment of festivals should be enjoyed nya... When it looks as though conflict is
Serara sighed in relief after Nyanta finished speaking, nodding her head in agreement.
organized with the People of the Land in mind. While situations such as the one before might arise in the
conclusion by herself.
storm might have left an impact on people, it did not dampen the hearts of the Adventurers. If such a small
Akiba's Adventurers had faced many trials and tribulations over the past five months.
Part 2
amount of work they had to finish.
constantly giving instructions in preparation for the temporary shop's opening and fashion show the next
Crescent Moon Alliance presently had sixty five members. Although the Hamelin incident increased their
same manner as the three large-scale production guilds.
New ideas did not just come from the large guilds. As long as an artisan with enough skill had inspiration,
products came from the large guilds, they would be publicized and spread by these large guilds. But if the
Such points were given much consideration and formed the basis of this Libra Festival.
booths of the small and medium guilds, but even new products could get exposure and popularity from
Crescent Moon Alliance had been hoping for such an outcome when they registered their booths.
worked long hours simply because they hoped to enjoy the cultural festival-like atmosphere. Even though
Currently in Akiba, the small and medium guilds had an opportunity to make a fortune. The small-scale
Daybreak was just moments away.
the guild hall. In the center of the room which the duo were in, there was a table big enough to play pingpong
possible to partition the workspace in such a manner.
took a deep breath, then began talking with Henrietta.
"Agreed."
figures on the tally next to her, she attached them to crates.
After hearing these words, Maryele gave a long sigh.
In Akiba, there were two main roads which ran perpendicular to each other, dividing the city into four
Crescent Moon Alliance had managed to obtain one such store. It was a small booth located at the central
would obviously be sold at a substantial discount this time around.
"It was robbery indeed."
Even though "the confident, beautiful and big breasted, Kansai-ben guild leader" Maryele and "the
Crescent Moon Alliance, they were lazing around the office as it was just the two of them. In this manner,
Henrietta felt as though she would doze off if they continued like this. She shook her partner by the
and even though she nodded repeatedly in acknowledgement, she was totally wasted.
"If you feel like sleeping, go sleep on your bed." However, she insisted on wanting to take a bath first,
"If you feel like bathing, why don't you go ahead and do so?"
"Your HP bar is completely within the green safe zone. Even if it weren't, can't you just heal yourself?"
exertion of packing for ten hours straight was no different from light exercise. She was still far from the
Even though Maryele said and looked like she was physically exhausted, Henrietta suspected that it was
"Lemme rest a while!"
"Marie, what's the matter?"
"Don't try to lie to me."
She could roughly guess the reason why Maryele was being so troublesome.
the past month.
"— Yes, it's me. Yes, that's correct... No, sorry for troubling you since it's already this late. Hence it's
Henrietta seemed to be talking to the empty air after calling someone through telepathy. As she was
Regardless of that, this form of magical communication could be used to communicate with faraway
Maryele was aware of this fact, so she was not worried about her friend's mental health. Instead, a look of
"Henrietta? Who is it? Who are you talking to?"
acting in a troublesome manner again and it's really cute--when she does that she even jiggles her
"Who is it! Who are you talking tooo~!"
"You're obviously talking about me, how do you expect me to be quiet!"
experienced enough to deal with such a situation, having known her for such a long time. Using her pale
her to the couch.
will also be happy."
conversation leisurely, completely ignoring Maryele.
Henrietta had a bright smile on her face. She noticed Maryele pouting awkwardly.
"Bully? Marie must be mistaken."
contours of her smooth, oval face, her sparkling eyes, full of expression, were extremely bewitching.
included both teasing and encouraging her.
out."
"Indeed. Since it's hard to just rely on ladies to do all the moving."
electric shock, grabbing her cardigans which lay beside her before running off, most likely to go back to
"I... I'm going out to pick some flowers!"
Henrietta waved at the departing figure and proceeded to sit down on the vacated sofa.
— this might be for the best.)
The vague details about Shiroe that Naotsugu disclosed reminded her of something which bothered her.
groups and individuals who had applied to set up booths. The sheer scale of this festival exceeded
This was mainly due to the People of the Land. It wasn't just the League of Freedom Towns Eastal;
than its population would suggest. The People of the Land were captivated by this fact and scrambled to
The members of the liaison committee led by Charasin had foreseen this. However, they realized that the
day's festival, especially the small and medium guilds.
flash. The intentions of the People of the Land and the Adventurers could not be more different. While the
fancy.
Henrietta readjusted her glasses with her index finger.
something amiss. While Henrietta did not have an extensive work history, she was still well-read and had
Henrietta bit her lip. The fear of the unknown was disconcerting.
She could not remember when she started being able to recall that young man's face with such clarity.
never had the opportunity to have a frank conversation with Shiroe, whenever that youth was dealing with
conference which led to the formation of the Round Table Council and the one in which Raynesia was
This keen and resolute youth might be able to uncover the reason for the uneasiness in Henrietta's heart.
contact him. It was a decision that she made after much consideration.
Shiroe should be spared from chores related to the festival if possible. This was something that both
out, both agreed that the Round Table Council had piled too much work onto Shiroe.
From Henrietta's point of view, these two young ladies possessed incomparable charm.
a traditional doll's.
upon, yet her sense of responsibility made her distinct to other girls her age.
Henrietta had always believed that she lacked appeal.
relationships like Maryele's. She had the desire to doll up Akatsuki, but Henrietta understood that those
While she did pay special attention to Shiroe, even thinking "Could it be...?" at one point, her feelings
There was a lack of such burning desires.
Henrietta had given Shiroe such as assessment.
(In other words, my personality is too plain...)
Even though she felt that it wouldn't become anything more serious, she was content with the way things
To Henrietta, Akatsuki was a cute friend whom she wished to cherish, while the newcomer Minori was
either.
She hoped that Shiroe—
Perhaps Shiroe was the type who could spread happiness to the people around him once he himself was
Henrietta certainly believed so.
Henrietta sighed.
they would encounter difficulty even under smooth-sailing circumstances. This was rather tantalizing
As Henrietta contemplated the love issues faced by the members of the sister guild, she had all but
Akiba and too many things to consider.
The sky was stained with a shade of gray.
ascent yet; the atmosphere was laden with moisture and tranquility.
layout. However, they obviously had their differences as well.
had become moss patches or grass fields.
ruined buildings were fused together with nature, turning the city into an intriguing scene.
Minori could feel the dew on the tips of her toes as she hurried towards the guild building.
Today was the second day. Unlike the first day, where there had been a gradual build up in anticipation
The activities from the second day onwards included various conventions, a dinner party hosted by
the highlights of the Libra Festival. Indeed, the festival's main events would start today.
filled with a flurry of activity. People were moving packages around, obviously to stock their booths or in
Arriving at the entrance of the guild building, it was clear that the level of activity present was even
greetings full of energy and spirit, Minori entered this obsidian-black building.
came here frequently in order to help Shiroe. Including the People of the Land lady who manned the front
Minori headed to the floor where the reference room and office of the Round Table Council were located,
there once, so she knew its location.
ungodly number of wooden boxes. They spilled out through the wide open door and into the corridor.
even at this hour. Things that sounded like curses could be heard from within and people could be seen
Minori entered the room quietly, greeting an Adventurer who she knew. She remembered he was a
"What's the matter Minori-chan?"
Minori felt out of place. The correct description would be the feeling that she had 'Carelessly stepped into
The smith, noticing Minori's anxious appearance, smiled and said, "Ah, he's inside, why don't you come
Minori timidly stepped into the depths of the office.
After Minori witnessed the private scene between Akatsuki and Shiroe last night, she had become
Libra Festival: that was to rectify Shiroe's negative image.
competition. There would subsequently be an opportunity to get him an invitation to the Grand Dinner
Shiroe more favorable to the public. That had been her original strategy.
Minori felt that finishing twelve whole cakes was an insurmountable task.
However, a failure was still a failure. Since giving up was not an option, she had to find an alternative
mind was to get the Production Guild Liaison Committee to help out directly.
Charasin had spare invitation cards to the Grand Dinner Party, was it possible to obtain one from him?
However, it seemed that Charasin might be too busy for such matters. Minori had arrived at the central
was a wall of documents.
In this world without computers, it was easy for documents to pile up. However, the mess in Shiroe's
taken to tidy or minimize the mess. The only thing evident within this room was chaos and disorder.
their best to defend the borders of a territory known as "work space". However their efforts were in vain.
Minori was hesitant to disturb Charasin due to the situation he was in. At this moment, behind Minori, a
"Charasin-san! Here are the southern district's inventories and ledgers! I'll leave things to you~!"
massive change in the battlefield that was the table. The scene likened to a horde of barbarians charging
like dominoes.
Charasin and his assistant screamed aloud, their faces went pale with despair. After swearing
good time to help, and timidly raised her voice.
"This is screwed up. Eh? Aren't you..."
"That's right. Let me give you a hand."
documents alone. Furthermore, if she helped out now, Charasin might develop a good impression of her
"Yeah, that would be great, thanks... Taro, make me a cup of tea, make it a strong one please."
The youth who had been working non-stop for an unknown length of time left the room unsteadily. After
of them looked like booth application forms. There were also trade-related applications, letters of
together under the rationale that "the contents are roughly the same anyway", forming the mountain of
"Charasin-san... um, these are all different types of documents."
or standard to begin with. Even documents of the same type have completely different contents."
"I never knew it would be so troublesome. Seriously, People of the Land can be so hard to deal with. I
"People of the Land? What about them?"
minute. But I never expected such a large number of people. Or the fact that the documents would be
own guild, it wouldn't be much of an issue. But the Round Table Council wanted this festival to be
'You can see the rest, I'm sure?' Charasin indicated with a shrug. The mess in front of them was rather
various inquiries and tasks made it almost impossible to organize the documents properly.
when needed, could come to a decision quickly. The people under him, too, seemed very diligent.
to his sound judgment. The current situation was still manageable, but Charasin was becoming desperate.
"I'll stay here and help out today."
Minori gave a moment's consideration before offering to help. The plan involving the cake-eating contest
"I'm quite free right now."
time to sort out these documents. Henrietta also seems rather busy today."
also involved in the business of the liaison committee. Perhaps the current mess was due to her absence,
"I guess I'll just have to sort them out one at a time."
parchment and ink. Although her level was not high, she had crafted these herself.
the top. There was no need to rush, however speed was essential— this one was a warehouse receipt.
receipt. This here was a report made by patrol officers regarding the discovery of a security breach. That
This was just the start and it was only the first step. Even if it was a small step, it wasn't cause to be
focused and consistent while moving forward.
Even though she worshipped Shiroe—and even had feelings for him—she had not taken any steps. The
Since it was like this, she needed do something about it.
She was just an ordinary middle-schooler. But in order to meet these feelings of love head-on, Minori
This was the resolution that Minori had made after she overcame the agony that had seared in her heart on
Before, she just blindly worshipped him and chased after him, seeking to reach his level without any other
Had she only wanted to follow in Shiroe's footsteps, wanted to see the same scenery that he saw, then
abilities. Walking down his path but seeking to acquire a different set of abilities would definitely be
The physical abilities of the Adventurers, such as their sight and reflexes, had been greatly enhanced.
contents, documents that she thought took priority were placed in a wooden box to the side. These were
appropriate categories.
switch out of it as soon as she was able. However, she had found it difficult to decide on a new subclass.
The Apprentice was one of the 'subclasses'; however, it was quite different from the others. It was similar
An Apprentice could register another player as a "teacher" and receive abilities based on that player's
registered Shiroe as her teacher— that was to say, those skills were copied over from Shiroe.
were copied over from the teacher made it even more easy. However, because an Apprentice could only
not very popular.
that had specific requirements, an Apprentice could switch to any subclass, and the skills pertaining to the
For example, when a level 30 Apprentice switched subclasses to a Chef, he or she would become a level
It was perfectly fine to start out as an Apprentice if you wanted to be a Blacksmith, which was quite
as you leveled up so you would have to resort to other methods to increase your repertoire, which was
Minori was not concerned with such issues.
access to Shiroe's Scribe abilities was a great help in tackling this mess of documents in the current
Minori roughly [formatted] the inexpensive parchment. Taking a sales application form, she listed down
wooden box. Extracting desired information from documents was a task which Minori was very familiar
Minori looked at the mountain of documents.
was not able to obtain from the fights in Elder Tales. Minori currently was unable to grasp or understand
The knowledge which Shiroe had imparted to her held many clues. The "Teachings of Shiroe" that Minori
not contain just that.
happiness, sadness, injustice, forgiveness—the conflicts beyond the game itself, and the situations that
Shiroe had taught her.
— That was why she wished to stay here and help out.
once been Shiroe's battlefield, but it was now the target of her objective.
"That's because I'm Shiroe-san's disciple."
before.
"Thanks—!"
"Hey, I'm out! Bring some more here!"
Such a festival was unprecedented. No one was able to grasp the overall situation; not even Charasin, the
been initiated at the behest of the small and medium guilds who had wanted an opportunity to publicize
Due to the large scale of the festival, the Production Guild Liaison Committee had its hands full. It was
However, the reality was rather different. This was because the city's Adventurers were filled with spirit
In this alternate world, many of the Adventurers did not know what to do with their enhanced capabilities.
depression or, in a case like the festival, help out and work. Because the latter was the default choice, the
Located on "The Bridge of All-Ages", a main road in Akiba, there was a large tent set up beside the
consisting of a roof supported by heavy metal struts at its four corners. It served as a simple field HQ.
a folding chair planted in the middle of the tent, sticking out like a sore thumb, was their guild master,
"Give me a drink!"
"There are no more Summoners available, so if you need more manpower, you'll just have to make do
"We're not just replacements for Summoners, you bastards! Ah, the ice is ready, go on and take it."
Akiba had a handful of combat guilds and Black Sword Knights was one of them. It was famed as the
known as a guild which specialized in completing challenging, high level quests. Most of its members
to outsiders. However in truth, they were just a rowdy bunch.
A loud coarse voice silenced the warriors' racket. It was the guild master, a Guardian named Isaac, who
on his face.
"You should just stay in your seat, boss."
The comments made by the people who surrounded him caused Isaac to laugh heartily, as though he had
reproachful looks by his surrounding subordinates, yelled things such as "Ha! You guys seem rather
"The third sector's patrol team had returned."
Isaac greeted the three-man team which had just returned to the city. 'Ain't I a great guy, who shows
monologue that played out in Isaac's mind. Regardless, Isaac did indeed have the appearance of a leader.
"Indeed. We rescued a carriage which was stuck in a ditch, appeased a few brokers who were quarreling
"Good, that's the way!"
Indeed, Black Sword Knights had taken the initiative to patrol the downtown area.
nobles and merchants who had heard of the Libra Festival. Many merchants and businessmen had come in
which broke out.
organization which coordinated the interests of the guilds. Furthermore, their main duty was related to
Given these circumstances, Isaac had formed a patrol force responsible for policing the People of the
This place was the "Bridge of All Ages", erected over the Kanda Canal, south of the downtown area.
"policing" duty was actually rather simple. They would note down the merchants' names, the number of
Compared to an immigration checkpoint in the old world, the checks were rather lax.
That was to say, you just had to be bold and resolute.
tactic. Their striking appearance put "the fear of the law" into the hearts of those who came to visit the
was handled using a combination of intimidation and prudence.
"Don't bother me for nothing. How are things at your side?"
Isaac's peer, one of the eleven members of the Round Table Council and the leader of D.D.D.
was the only one in the server who could match Isaac.
Krusty raised the corners of his mouth slightly. Isaac judged this was how this bespectacled man smiled.
They had known each other since the days when this was a game. Though they belonged to different
spoken to each other quite a number of times. It would be completely wrong to say that they did not give a
damn about each other's existence—they were rivals.