Published at 25th of March 2019 11:06 pm

Volume 3: Chapter 1 To Summer Camp

1

According to the lore of the world, a black stone film covered the soil and several flourishing cities were built on top of it. But maybe it was a reaction to being suppressed for too long, nature, once it broke out onto its surface, invaded the urban cities.

This world was based on Japan, but the vegetation had incredible vitality. That's why the lush grass seemed to sprout from everywhere, and trees were so tall that it looked like a tunnel when you looked up.

Among the gaps of the growing plants, you would not only see black soil.

There were signs of tar roads everywhere, which showed that this forest trail used to be a road from the ancient lore.

The sun pierced through the barrier of leaves and left shadows on the ground. This tunnel seemed to go on forever.

But because of this, the scene beyond the trees was even more beautiful.

"Wah!"

Minori couldn't help herself and shouted happily.

The 30 or so comrades with her reacted the same.

"Yah Hah! So cool! So cool so cool so cool!"

Her brother Tohya rushed forward, as his horse shifted from a slow walk to a gallop down the slope.

The wind with the taste of the tides blew up the slope, towards Minori and the others. The lush greenery extended from the slope all the way to the beach.

What was this big river in front of them called?

On the other side of the beach was a hill, with several windmills built close together, not sure if it was operational or in ruins.

The beach was like a snow white line sparkling in the sun.

From the distance of 10 kilometers away, you could only see the flickering shine, you could not make out any details.

"Alright alright! We need to reach there before we can do anything. If we don't find our camp site soon, we won't be able to eat dinner!"

"That's right the whole lot of you, you won't be able to keep up with the trip if you miss any meals!"

Maryele said and Naotsugu added teasingly.

The beginners cheered happily, mounted the horses which they didn't have the chance to ride in the forest trail and moved down the slope in two rows.

This was the Sand Leaf zone.

In the real world, this was centered around the Boso peninsula.

Using the 'Half-Gaia Project', shrinking the proportions of the real world by half, the distance was roughly 50 km from Akiba. They had been traveling in this abandoned world for 3 days.

"Minori-cchi, still doing okay nya?"

"I'm… I'm still fine!"

The tall and thin figure blocking the sunlight that pierced through the trees was Nyanta from the same 'Log Horizon' guild as Minori. He squinted his gentle eyes and Minori hurriedly replied to him positively.

Turning to face the front, the Guardian leading the group Naotsugu was also looking this way and he waved at Minori signaling her to relax. Surrounded by her guild members, Minori felt safe.

Minori reaffirmed the fact that joining a guild like Hamelin and here were totally different matters.

But this group was not entirely composed of Log Horizon members, and was a mixture of many different guilds with a total of 60 people.

Including Oceanic Systems, Black Sword Knights, West Wind Brigade, etc, Akiba's top guilds had assigned people to participate.

This was the main party with 35 people, but an advanced party had already arrived at the destination. They planned to meet them there soon.

The reason Minori's group was in this training camp was because of Maryele.

Minori was not present, but from what her friend Isuzu said, this was what happened.

'… I want to go to the beach, want to eat shaved ice, ramen, and curry rice at the beach, I want to eat means I want to eat! Can we go? We can't? We really can't? I want to go to the beach! Let's go…!'

Crescent Moon Alliance master Maryele proposed in this way.

(I can roughly guess the situation then…)

Minori was in the guild Log Horizon, but before joining, she lived in the Crescent Moon Alliance guild hall for a short while. At that time, Minori had just escaped from the evil guild Hamelin (which had since been dissolved), and was busy the few days right after.

Crescent Moon Alliance members were very kind to her during her time there. Headed by Maryele, Henrietta, Shouryuu and the other members took care of her. Maryele saying such willful words and Henrietta's frowning face, this was a common sight in the guild hall, Minori could imagine it easily.

(She must have been waving her hands and feet around on the couch.)

Minori smiled as she pictured Maryele hugging her cushion and shaking her legs.

Having such feelings was unavoidable.

Minori knew that many players still wanted to return to the original world, but this was not a wish that could be achieved simply through hard work. There had been no news of anyone finding any clues on how to solve this problem.

If you just wanted to survive here, you just needed some money. Since there were no places for you to expend your efforts, it was no wonder the players were all bored out of their minds.

So even if anyone wanted to take a summer vacation, no one would stop them… probably.

But Maryele and the Crescent Moon Alliance were in a special position. In June, Shiroe proposed the formation of the Round Table Council to govern the various issues in Akiba. Crescent Moon Alliance was one of the 11 members of the council and guild master Maryele was also one of the senators.

After the founding of the Round Table Council, Akiba's trending topic was centered on revolution and they were the ones leading it.

It would be fine if the elected senator took a couple days off, but it would be troubling if the vacation lasted for weeks. The Round Table Council had only been in operation for 2 months, there was new information coming in daily, now was the time to appreciate the progress in Akiba.

With Oceanic Systems taking the lead, the 3 major production guilds' steam engine experiment was coming to an end. The original design used burning coal, but had been refined to Summoners controlling salamanders to provide heat. This made the device much simpler, a big technical breakthrough.

There was also the new grill box and water pipes for use in cooking. Clothes that were never seen before (mainly undergarments) were developed rapidly. There was even a giant onsen, these two months had been filled with a series of new inventions and discoveries.

But during this important period, if a senator left the city (in this case, for a vacation), it wouldn't be good for the council's reputation… But Maryele did not give up and thought of a plan together with Henrietta and Shouryuu.

The main topic was 'summer training camp for beginners'.

"The surrounding area seems to be farms nya."

Just as Nyanta said, along the slope of the small hills were trails cutting into farmland. Pumpkins, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers… the trees in the distance seemed to be fruit trees, the wind had a sweet aroma to it.

"Minori, look, these are pears, this is great!"

"Wait up Tohya!"

Tohya left the road and climbed up the stone wall as he shouted. How long had it been since she ate a pear? Minori couldn't recall, but it looked nice and delicious.

"Those are planted by the People of the Land, don't pick them!"

Minori warned Tohya as she thought about it.

A summer training camp for beginners.

In the end, rescuing the beginners from Hamelin was a personal decision executed by Shiroe and the others, it had nothing to do with the Round Table Council. They had also clarified with the public that Hamelin had been dealt with before the council was formed.

But 'providing aid to beginners' became an agenda for the Round Table Council anyway.

The reason the council approved Crescent Moon Alliance's request so fast was because out of the 35 rescued beginners, 19 of them were in Crescent Moon Alliance and it was even known as the beginners training guild.

But not all the beginners from Hamelin joined the Crescent Moon Alliance. Some of them wanted to go into production and joined the corresponding guilds.

There were also beginners who did not join Hamelin, who were lucky in a sort of way, and joined the various other guilds in Akiba.

Since the training camp was approved by the council, it wouldn't be fair if applications were not open to the public. With this decision, all beginners whose location was known received an invitation to participate. Notices were also put out announcing 'In order to support beginners below level 40, a summer training camp will be organized. '

As it came to this, the prestige of the guilds came into question.

There were also opinions that since this was a Round Table Council-approved event, they couldn't just leave everything for Crescent Moon Alliance to handle.

Sending beginners to participate but not taking part as a camp leader… Some senators felt that they couldn't do this with their position in Akiba. If it was a guild with tens of members, it should be acceptable, but if their member numbers were in the hundreds, it would be shameful to not send one or two members as camp leaders.

The guilds not only sent their members as support, but also provided all sorts of food and clothing. There was even a donation event, canvassing for equipment suitable for beginners after they level up.

As they proceeded with the preparations, the camp grew to the size of 60 people… This was what Minori heard from Isuzu about the training camp.

The slope gradually flattened out and the group moved into the abandoned ruins that was a city during the ancient times. The surrounding area should have been a residential neighborhood back then. Compared to the concrete high-rise buildings, the wooden houses deteriorated much faster.

With no obvious sign of concrete debris, there were only a few decaying residential structures which were covered by thick vegetation.

The peninsula of Sand Leaf was made up of forests, mountains, hills, and the uneven grounds. It was a place filled with the feeling of Mother Nature.

The river that was right in their field of vision was the Sand Leaf River, which flowed into the blue sea. In the real world this was a place called Choushi. Even in this alternate world, the Pacific Ocean in August was so clear and blue that you could see the bottom, it was beautiful, like the merging of the sky and blue sea.

Reaching the riverside, there were a few houses over there.

If you looked around there were several such houses along the river banks. Her lively brother who went to scout around reported that these houses seemed to be able to let boats dock there.

It was close to the coastline, there should be fishermen who went out to catch fish that were pushed by the river flow.

Keeping the boats away from the river mouth, they wouldn't be damaged even if there were raging waves, probably the wisdom of the fishermen. Maryele said that People of the Land who worked as fishermen lived near the riverbanks, if you walked upstream there would be a mid-sized town.

Minori's group left the riverside, made a detour around the dense forest and reached a pond roughly 500 meters wide. Beside the pond was a structure that was rare in this zone, a relatively new abandoned concrete structure.

"Woah! This is a school!"

Just as Tohya said, this should be a school in ancient times. Looking at it again with this in mind, the flat ground in front should be a field for sports. The wire fence around it was long gone but there were still signs of it having been here.

"Okay.. ! Everyone! From today onward, this will be the place we will sleep in! We will split into the 3 teams as previously arranged, we will be cleaning 3 classrooms. That is the 3 rooms on the east end of the 1st floor, with 20 people living in each room… If we can spare the time, we will continue cleaning tomorrow as well, let's make this a comfortable place to live in!"

As if on cue, the advance party members came out of the school and started working together with the beginners.

"Dinner tonight will be BBQ on the field! So please make do with bread for now. And also… Team 3 and people with the Chef subclass, follow me for grocery shopping at the town! Remember to greet the town chief properly and be courteous. We leave in 30 minutes, start the battle!"

Everyone responded to Maryele's cheer in high spirits and started setting up the training camp site.

2

Maryele and the food transport party walked along the farm trail with the loud sounds of cicadas.

The beginners she was leading displayed their 'summoning flutes' proudly and prominently on their necks or waists. This was an item to summon horses. There were different kinds of flutes and the ones they had could only call forth a low quality horse, and were restricted to only a few hours use per day.

But this was a precious magical item for beginners, as they caressed it gently and protectively with their fingers.

They were donated items distributed to them at the start of the trip.

Maryele and the others were traveling to the neighboring town on foot.

On their way there, they could see People of the Land working on their farms.

Maryele didn't want to alarm them with a large group of people, so they were moving at a casual speed.

Everyone owned a summoning flute and they would be riding on their way back with their groceries. But it was only 3 km from the campsite to the town and walking would take just an hour, so Maryele wanted to scout out the area at the same time.

"Hmm… Smells good!"

The sweet fragrance of the pears surrounded the area.

"That's right nya, if there are nice pears I hope we can get some nya."

"You are right, I want to eat pears!"

Nyanta was with the group as the head Chef, with Serara tagging along. When Minori heard this she nodded her head politely. The few beginner Chefs were also commenting on the quality of the fruits as they passed the farm.

Bathing under the summer light, the tomatoes and eggplants shone like jewels, the tomatoes were rubies, the eggplants were gemstones. Both of them looked solid and ripe, their condensation sparkling brightly.

Using the old cooking methods, there was no need to be concerned about the quality of the ingredients. Even ingredients that were small, dry, or even starting to turn bad, if you could identify it as the correct ingredient through the game menu, it would not affect the final product.

Tomato salads made with fresh or dried up tomatoes were absolutely the same, even the tasteless soggy cracker flavor was identical.

But if the Chef used their own skills to cook food manually, they would need to pay attention to the ingredients they used. If they used a rotting tomato to cook, no matter how good the Chef was, the food would still be bad. The skills of the Chef were important, but it required the use of fresh and pretty ingredients to complement it.

"I want to use this to bake pizza!"

"Making them into ketchup should be nice too."

With this fact in mind, the beginner Chefs moved on as they kept their eyes full of interest on the field.

Noon had just passed, there were People of the Land taking breaks in the shade after their lunch all over the place. The group waved at them sometimes, asking them about the vegetables sometimes, and even making arrangements to buy some on the way back.

Charasin of the 8th District Shopping Center had already informed the town about the training camp. The news must have spread around, the farmers were all very nice and kind.

"Seems like this will be a comfortable vacation♪"

Maryele said cheerfully, but Nyanta corrected her "This is a summer training camp nya." Maryele's true intent for the trip had already spread among the other members, but Nyanta still had the obligation to advise her as a senior.

But the advice was not from the heart, and more on the level of a punchline.

The town was situated near the Sand Leaf River.

It was some distance away from the riverbank, maybe as a precaution against floods.

The land in this area was relatively flat. The slightly undulating ground seemed to have been divided into individual squares, to be used for vegetables, paddy fields and fruit farms. The squares were further divided into smaller sections and you could see sheds and warehouses. They reached the inner part of the town eventually.

This was not a town you read about in Middle Ages knight tales, with fences, or militia walls protecting the town.

In the town center, wide tar roads and drains ran in parallel, giving it the feel of the national roads of the old world. Many houses made from wood or stone stood along either side of the road. There were few ancient towers that were abundant in Akiba, while only the giant warehouses by the river were similar to them.

There were 5 or 6 shops with signboards on the streets.

Maryele heard from Shiroe who described the villages he encountered while doing his Susukino quest, but he did not mention any shops.

Farmers were basically self-sustaining. Villages with livestock and farmland formed their communities and they helped each other.

You did not need gold living in such a place, so there was no need to set up facilities such as shops. At least that was what Henrietta explained.

But this Choushi was more like a town than a village, so shops had a reason to exist.

"Hmmm, this place… is more stylish than I imagined."

Nyanta commented in a quiet voice.

This place could not be compared to Akiba, but there should be a few thousand People of the Land living here right? This was what this town made them feel.

Maryele stopped in the middle of the road and gathered the group around her. Maryele had the reputation of being friendly and taking care of others. But she felt more like a big sister now and she was comfortable with that.

"Let me think, hmmm, what should we do, the groceries… I will leave that to Chief Nyanta. And, I remember your name is Lukisea? Here is some money, everyone split into two groups, decide among yourselves what you need to buy, you have the shopping list?"

"Of course nya." Nyanta accepted the task.

Maryele nodded and checked the contents of her Bag of Holding, confirming that she had brought the greeting gift. As a matter of courtesy, she needed to visit and greet the mayor. Her eyes wandered around the group.

Since this was just a greeting, there was no need to bring too many people, but bringing a person or two along to back her up should be okay.

As Maryele considered who she should bring, her eyes met with Minori.

(She looks reliable, so why not?)

Before Maryele asked, Minori already expressed her willingness to come along.

(This girl has keen instincts too.)

And so everyone went about their task.

Nyanta would head to the harbor, the warehouses at the riverside seemed to be selling seafood. Since Maryele and the others were Adventurers, they had less chances to see sea cuisine, they would be pleased to eat these.

"Let's move out."

"Okay, time to greet the mayor!"

Not sure if it was her nature, or if she really was a middle-schooler like she claimed, Minori was excessively tense and her back was straight as if she was marching in a band. Maryele rubbed her hair roughly.

(Even though she is now with Shiro-bou, she is still a nice kid… Hmmm, seems I missed out on a quality member.)

"May… May I ask…"

"What is it, Minori?"

"Why are you patting my head?"

"That is because I want to pat you♪"

Maryele smiled to appease Minori who was pouting slightly. The two of them were like sisters with a big age gap walking along the streets.

On their way there, the two of them asked a housewife who was carrying goods where the mayor lived. They found out that the mayor lived in a 2-story mansion at the junction ahead, he was a 70 year-old man who was kind and friendly, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Just greeting him should be enough, right?"

"Yes, just present a gift after greeting him…"

Maryele listed out the things she needed to say.

In her Bag of Holding was a barrel of peach wine. It was almost 100kg, not something Maryele could carry, but thanks to this magical bag, she felt no weight at all.

She also needed to explain to the mayor… They would be staying at the ruins for about 2 weeks, the place was about 5km from the town, and it shouldn't cause any problems. But they would be here to resupply every few days.

"Yes, we need to greet and build a relationship with them and ask about how to purchase the ingredients. If we only buy from a single farm, it could cause conflicts in this town…"

"Ah, you are right."

"Anyway, we should be fine if we follow the mayor's instructions. The next will be chatting… I want to gather information around this area."

"Information… right?"

"Right."

Maryele nodded in response.

The world had changed since the Catastrophe, NPCs were now People of the Land. Strictly speaking, the players did not know if the functions of Elder Tales were still working.

The People of the Land working in the market and banks were still at their posts, but just like the Round Table Council wanted to hire administrators, some People of the Land also wanted to do different jobs.

If you inferred from this discovery, Elder Tales' important quest system might not be working anymore.

Quests were challenges players took on and cleared to progress the story line of Elder Tales. For example, Choushi might have quests like 'Eliminate all the ghosts in the neighboring fields' or 'Escort fisherman to an island to fish'.

Some quests were started from secret items or locations, but most of them were in the form of an NPC request.

The quest givers which were NPC's were now People of the Land, was the quest system still in place? This was a serious question, because if the quest givers happened to be People of the Land who died, the quest would be gone forever.

(… This is what Shiroe is worried about,) Maryele also understood the danger behind this.

When Elder Tales was just a game, there were some basic quests available to all players.

The Bag of Holding was the reward for one of those quests, Maryele and all the other experienced players loved this bag, it was very convenient.

But if this quest was gone forever because of any reason, all the beginners wouldn't be able to acquire this bag, which would cause serious problems.

"Shiro-bou always pays attention to all the details, so he requested that I do all I can to gather data, anything related to Choushi and the People of the Land. As you can see, I don't know a lot of things."

"Oh I see… you are right."

Minori nodded with an enlightened look.

"I wonder what Shiroe-san is doing right now."

"Shiro-bou might be gathering intelligence in his own way, but maybe…"

Maryele remembered something and laughed.

"He might not have the time to do that."

3

The performance by the quartet of string instruments was elegant and classy.

The vast hall was beautifully decorated. It was filled with laughter from the ladies and whispers from the gentlemen, but only about 40% of the guests were here.

People gathered around the couches near the walls or the snack tables, leaving the center of the hall empty.

There was still some time before it began.

Banquets such as this usually started later than planned, even more so for the party of nobles. After confirming this with a waiter, he sighed softly.

(Seems we acted like bumpkins.)

Never having attended parties like this before, there was no way Shiroe could have known about this. Due to his sorrowful inexperience, he arrived earlier to be polite, but instead caused the opposite effect.

Shiroe's group had no choice but to gather near the wall and drink.

This was the 'Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice'.

According to the game lore, this palace which was 2 hours ride away from Akiba was built by the Alv during the ancient times. In the Elder Tales world, the ancient Alv were extinct. They had immense magical powers and all sorts of technology, but failed to withstand the flow of time. The only evidence of their existence was the half-Alv race, one of the 8 races available for selection by the players.

Situated in southern Tokyo of the real world, Minato district. The Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice had no distinct owner, and was ruled commonly by the nobles of the League of Freedom Cities Eastal.

… League of Freedom Cities Eastal.

This was the alliance that ruled over an area equivalent to the eastern mainland of Japan. Elder Tales divided the Japanese servers into 5 territories.

The real world Hokkaido was 'Ezzo Empire'.

Shikoku was 'Fourland Dukedom'.

Kyushu was 'Ninetails Dominion'.

Eastern main island was 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal'.

Western main island was 'Holy Empire Westelande'.

In the end, in the hopes that the players would enjoy a variety of different adventures, they showcased the native culture and art unique to each region.

This included League of Freedom Cities Eastal in the eastern Japan mainland, which was a country made from the alliance of different cities. They had 20 such fiefdoms united to rival the Holy Empire Westelande.

Compared to what Shiroe understood of real Japan, the population in this world was small even if you included the fact that the People of the Land increased 10-fold in number since the game became their reality.

In this world with monsters roaming about, the territory of man was very small. Compared to modern Japan, League of Freedom Cities Eastal was like an undeveloped wilderness, just a bubble of safety in this world.

Even if the population were small, there should be about 2 million People of the Land in the whole Japan server.

League of Freedom Cities Eastal only had influence over the eastern main island, but they still needed a political system of governance.

League of Freedom Cities Eastal's governing organization was controlled by the nobles. Elder Tales was based on Middle Ages European fantasy world view, and the territory owners were known as nobles.

Landowners had their own castles, official residences, or official mansions, wearing crowns with capes or dresses, the typical wardrobe of the People of the Land nobles.

League of Freedom Cities Eastal's various landowners would gather at the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice once or twice a year to hold meetings to discuss all sorts of political issues. They would also use the chance to improve relationships with others and let their sons and daughters debut to the world as nobles. They would also conduct horse races or bring up marriage pacts with other nobles.

From a certain point of view this was an elegant culture. But on the other hand, the League of Freedom Cities Eastal alliance was a necessity to help each other in the face of monsters.

Built in the southern part of Tokyo where Hama Rikyu Garden is, in this palace made with magical ice, the People of the Land used it as a social meeting venue for the nobles.

Shiroe just stood around with nothing to do in the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice.

"Hmm, that is quite spectacular, now I'm nervous."

Michitaka from the production guild Oceanic Systems said. This should be his true feelings, he commented on the facility and decoration of the palace without reserve.

.

"Just imagine that you are surrounded by monsters and you can stay calm."

The one replying was the battle guild D. D. D's leader… 'Berserker' Krusty. Contrary to his nickname, Krusty looked like a pale, intelligent, and handsome young man. He was in a well-tailored tuxedo today, which suited him very well.

"The only one who will be calm that way is just you."

Michitaka laughed in reply.

He was also wearing a tuxedo, looking just as dynamic or maybe even more so than Krusty. A tuxedo was a type of western clothing. It looked better on people with a big body type, a perfect fit for these 2 warriors.

One of them was the guild master of the biggest production guild in Akiba, the other was the biggest battle guild D. D. D, also holding the post of senate leader of Akiba's governing body, the Round Table Council.

Considering the purpose of this banquet, being dynamic was a good thing.

"That is right leader, only you will feel safe being surrounded by monsters."

Krusty's words were too wild, the tall and elegant lady standing beside him counseled him as she served him a glass of champagne. Shiroe recognized her as a D. D. D member, Takayama Misa.

After hearing about the dress code, they predicted that there would probably be dancing during the banquet. The three representatives concluded that there would be a need to bring a female partner along to this social event.

"… My lord."

The petite young girl standing beside Shiroe was also wearing a beautiful dress. She did not seem to be listening to the conversation between the two guild masters and was talking to Shiroe with fear from the bottom of her heart.

Shiroe lowered his gaze to Akatsuki.

Their height difference was about 30cm, so he could only see the top of her head if they were too close, an inconvenience.

But if he bent down to meet her eyes, Akatsuki would say: "My lord, don't treat me like a child!" so he could only give up.

"What is it?"

"Is, That is… My appearance… it is weird right?"

Akatsuki asked with a voice like a mosquito, you wouldn't be able to imagine it with her normal attitude.

Shiroe didn't understand what she meant and was confused.

There was nothing wrong with Akatsuki. In fact, she looked absolutely stunning.

Her neatly combed hair, her petite body in a dress. The dress was pearl white, the bottom half of her long flying skirt was dyed in layers of Turkish blue, which gradually merged with the pearl white top.

The color combination contrasted well with her dark eyes and hair, giving her a pure and handsome feeling.

"Hnng…"

"It is not weird, in fact you look very cute, very pretty! Like a sweet and fresh loli strawberry! It makes people want to take you home, correction, I want to bring you home!"

(She actually asserted ownership!)

As Shiroe stressed over his reply, Crescent Moon Alliance's capable Accountant Henrietta butted in. She bundled her blonde hair up high, with the nape of her neck in plain sight, just like a high class lady.

Henrietta had the appearance of a cold beauty and she preferred low-profile clothes that didn't complement her looks, but had a refreshing feeling and was well received by her fans. But looking at her formal dress tonight, you could not deny that she was better suited in high class and elegant clothes.

"Is… Is that so? I am unable to keep calm, the weapons are also hard to hide."

"Really, where did you take these kunai from?"

"My lord…"

Akatsuki hid behind Shiroe perplexedly.

She wanted to hide from Shiroe's view, but she didn't want to be away from him.

(Akatsuki takes the meaning of bodyguard too literally.)

Henrietta was concerned about Akatsuki, but she still moved elegantly. Shiroe asked if she had ever been to a dance party, she answered no. She looked calm on the surface, but that might be an act. But Shiroe thought she might just be too engrossed looking at Akatsuki to care about her surroundings.

The petite beautiful young girl that was like a sparrow, Akatsuki.

An intellectual and beautiful blond Henrietta.

Shiroe's companions for this trip were these two.

Why was Shiroe's group in the hall of Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice? That was a long story.

One month earlier, in July. Akiba, revitalized with the revolution, had surprises popping up all over like popcorn.

The Round Table Council received a letter from the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, an invitation from the nobles. Their leader Sergead Corwen wrote in the letter apart from inviting the Round Table Council to join the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, they were also invited to the meeting and dance party at the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice.

League of Freedom Cities Eastal was an alliance formed by the nobles in the area corresponding to Japan's eastern main island. Akiba was one of the cities situated there.

According to logic, since Akiba had a governing body, League of Freedom Cities Eastal would naturally contact them, which was what Shiroe expected.

The Round Table Council members gathered to meet immediately.

Shiroe and the Adventurers were invited by the People of the Land for the very first time. Even if this was within expectation, the meeting still had a tense atmosphere.

… One of the governing organizations of this world, League of Freedom Cities Eastal, recognized the Round Table Council as one of them and wanted to establish diplomatic relations.

Round Table Council members discussed and analyzed the situation thoroughly.

How about accepting this invitation?

The intention of this invitation, should be for the League of Freedom Cities Eastal to recognize the governing body of Akiba, Round Table Council, as a League member. In this situation, Akiba's territory owner (in this case, senate leader Krusty) would be given a title as a noble.

Not only that, there would be future invitations to meetings. The good thing was that this was a way to gather lots of intelligence on the People of the Land, and a way to communicate and negotiate with them. The bad thing was that we would be involved in the politics of the People of the Land.

What would happen if they rejected the invitation?

They would lose the benefits that came with accepting the invitation, which was a communication channel to negotiate with the People of the Land. They would take part in the League, but would not be involved in the turbulence of their politics.

Another con… Would this anger the nobles and push them to war? The council also debated on this possibility.

But from their discussion, the conclusion was that it was very unlikely.

Akiba was a player city.

Not only was their trading infrastructure in place, with so many Adventurers gathered, their military might was beyond question. Because of the advances of weaponry technology in the real world, the prowess of a single soldier would not be the factor in determining the outcome of a war.

But there was magic in this fantasy styled alternate world, the fighting prowess of individuals was a major factor in wars. In this world, victory in one-on-one duels would affect how the battle would play out, and also how the war would end. The People of the Land had vastly inferior fighting strength compared to Adventurers. Even for the citizens in dangerous frontier cities, citizens with level 20 were considered very high in level.

The majority of the farmers and hunters were at levels less than 10, merchants, house wives, and kids were only level 5.

But the People of the Land also had their own military forces.

Each landowner would have their own soldiers, cavalry and magicians, but they were small in number. From what Shiroe gathered, the elite of these armies were at about level 50-60.

Not only that, some People of the Land like the city guards had unique abilities. Their levels were not really higher than Adventurers', but their special equipment 'Moveable Armor' allowed them to protect specific city zones.

'Moveable Armor' was magically engineered armor, powered by the magic that was available around the city, giving them powerful combat abilities.

Other than that, some NPCs were also far stronger than them. In Elder Tales, they were called Ancients, Shiroe was not sure of their relationship with the other NPCs, but the People of the Land viewed the Ancients as one of their own.

The Ancients… leaving aside the game lore, they had a specific function in the game.

The People of the Land were set to be inferior to Adventurers in all aspects.

Adventurers could power up indefinitely through battles, and their strength would be stronger by tens of folds after constant leveling.

Even after receiving a fatal injury, they would not disappear forever, but respawn back at the cathedral. They could raid ancient ruins and loot powerful equipment and weapons, increasing their prowess even more.

In the eyes of the People of the Land, Adventurers were like a type of supermen.

This was correct in the game setting, in a character developing role playing game system, if all the characters were stronger than the player, it would be a source of shame and cause stress on the players.

From the view of the game developers, setting the People of the Land as the weakest had its uses. But some stories require a powerful People of the Land to be the companion of the player.

When Elder Tales was still a game, the countless story quests were one of its selling points. It could be the background story of an adventure, or come in a form of a quest, stories were scattered all around the world.

There were all kind of stories, and some of them needed heroes. For instance, something like 'please help that hero in trouble!'.

Since it was a game, the one who was rescuing was the player, but if the NPC that was saved had a level that was too low, it would affect the willingness to execute this quest.

Even though they had their advantages, the League of Freedom Cities Eastal forces could not compare to Akiba's Adventurers.

The council was still hesitant on joining the League of Freedom Cities Eastal.

Those who agreed based their argument on the lack of cons in joining. Joining would also open a communication channel with the People of the Land. Since there were few worries over the military threat, it was unlikely they would raise up unreasonable requests, so there were not many cons in joining.

For the opposition, their main question laid with the nobility title. Players accepting titles from NPCs and becoming one of them, this did not sit right with them.

After discussing all the points, they were trending towards joining the League.

It was obvious that those opposing did so out of emotion, not logic. But being emotional made things more troublesome than it should, and most players understood why they felt this way.

The Round Table Council thought about this point and put up notices in the central square. It mainly explained that the Round Table Council had decided to join the League of Freedom Cities Eastal to exchange information with the other members of the League.

And when it was August, the Council chose and sent their representatives to the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice.

4

The group reached the Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice in the morning. The journey from Akiba was uneventful. It took only 2 hours, closer than Shinjuku Gyoen.

Shiroe's group numbered about 10 people.

A bigger group might cause the League to be wary, and so the group members were carefully selected.

No matter what, the first choice to go was the senate leader of the Round Table Council, 'Berserker' Krusty.

League of Freedom Cities Eastal had a deep rooted cultural system based on nobility and titles. Shiroe's group did not know how they would receive an organization like the Round Table Council. But since they were treating the nobles as equals, the Round Table Council must send their senate leader as well.

The next in line was the 2nd-in-Command of this team of envoys.

Krusty was the leader of the biggest battle guild D. D. D. And so to maintain balance and form, they should send someone from the production guilds as well.

Candidates were Oceanic Systems' boss 'Strong Armed' Michitaka, The Rodrick Firm's Rodrick, and 8th District Shopping Center's leader Charasin, but the 3 of them kept pushing this responsibility around.

After a short discussion, Michitaka from Oceanic Systems was chosen.

The 3 major production guilds were on good terms, each had their own unique points, forming the pillars that supported Akiba. But with all the new discoveries around the city, production players wouldn't want to leave the city, which was the hidden reason for their reluctance to take on the role.

Michitaka announced "Following the news reports of all the upcoming inventions is more interesting" and wanted to decline, but after losing the best out of 11 'rock paper scissors' matches, he accepted the role. He tried convincing Charasin to take the job, but he failed.

Michitaka was a helpful person by nature, and he displayed the fortitude of a guild master of thousands, saying in an inspiring tone "Since there's no other way, leave everything to me". But he expressed begrudgingly later "If anything important happens, I will rush back to the city, it's just a 2-hour trip." This was a secret among the Round Table Council members.

For balance, someone who could analyze and put available data to use should be chosen as the 3rd representative. When the council came to this conclusion, all of them stared at Shiroe.

The senators that formed the Round Table Council were all leaders of their guilds as well. They had their own intelligence departments to gather and analyze information.

But Shiroe's display of tactics and strategy was still fresh on everyone's mind. The important thing was everyone still had the feeling 'you are the culprit behind the forming of the Round Table Council, take responsibility and do work'.

Shiroe was interested in the summer training camp that was taking place at the same time.

This was an event for the training of beginners, so Minori and Tohya from Log Horizon were also participating. participating. Other than this, it was also a chance to gather intelligence from the villages around the border of Tokyo. Shiroe had occasionally gone out to investigate these past two months, but he still felt there was a serious lack of contact with the People of the Land.

He didn't want to give up on either activity, it gave Shiroe a headache. But Michitaka expressed "No, you need to come, I cannot allow just me leaving the city" and invited him passionately. Shiroe had no choice but to accept and be part of the palace visiting team.

Shiroe accepted the task from the Round Table Council as the 3rd in command of the ambassador party. Akatsuki announced before hand 'I will ensure my lord's safety' and followed Shiroe automatically. Instead of an attendant, she was more like a retinue.

On the other hand, Naotsugu and Nyanta were assigned as the camp leaders. Naotsgu and Nyanta had always taken good care of their juniors. They had plenty of fighting experience in the alternate world and were reliable in both live battle practice and handling any emergency situation.

Shiroe miscalculated. When Akatsuki decided to join the ambassador team, Crescent Moon Alliance's Henrietta who was also present decided to join in too.

Henrietta was taking part as 'Shiroe's attendant'.

This part was fine, but being Shiroe's attendant meant she would be in the same bedroom as Akatsuki. Henrietta was overjoyed by this prospect.

(… She is obviously in this for Akatsuki.)

Shiroe had nothing to say.

Shiroe didn't hate Henrietta. She was beautiful, smart and reliable. Shiroe had a good impression of her. But her abnormal passion turned Shiroe off. But in the eyes of the Round Table Council members who did not know about her hidden intentions, Shiroe seemed to enjoy the attentions of both a young maiden and a beautiful lady at the same time. Shiroe's claim that "That is not true" was rejected.

After rounds of selection, the members attending the League of Freedom Cities Eastal banquet were decided. The ambassador team representatives were Round Table Council's senate leader Krusty, 1st deputy was Oceanic Systems' Michitaka, 2nd deputy was Log Horizon's Shiroe, with secretary and attendants accompanying, a total of 10 people.

(How should I say this… How uneasy.)

Shiroe recalled the selection process as he kept a low profile in a corner of the hall and mumbled to himself.

The number of guests in the hall increased gradually, Akatsuki hid behind Shiroe, Henrietta stood beside Shiroe with a bright smile.

"Shiroe-kun is amazing, showing no sign of unease."

Krusty mentioned this to Michitaka, but this was just a misunderstanding.

"That's normal for a hero like him. Hee, even in this grand event, with 2 such beautiful girls with him, he remains totally at ease, right?"

"That's rude, a party like this is the hunting ground for Pitch Black Shiroe-sama."

Michitaka understood the true reason but couldn't help teasing him. Shiroe decided he would take revenge later. Henrietta's praise seemed pretty misleading as well.

There was a reason for this.

After the formation of the Round Table Council, Henrietta's setting of Shiroe in her heart was 'an invincible scheming master and black-hearted tactician'.

If that was the case, he could dismiss it as a rant. But when she expressed that she had absolute trust in his black heart, it made Shiroe speechless.

He was not sure why Henrietta considered black heart to be an important quality. Shiroe was unable to dismiss her praise casually, which troubled him even more.

"Welcome everybody and thank you for coming."

Even so, he needed to say something to Henrietta. When Shiroe was about to speak, a man in a white cape with furry edges who was definitely a noble addressed Shiroe's group.

(Wah, this is serious… he is the real thing.)

Just as Shiroe was thinking of this, this elderly man who looked like the 'real thing', was a noble with a short beard and sharp eyes under his silver hair. His muscles lines were obvious because of his advanced age, but his sturdy muscles suggested that he must have been active in the battlefield as a young man.

Dark blue shirt and pants with dark brown edges seemed to be summer clothes which didn't look thick or heavy, decorated with several metallic designs and fastened by a belt. He was wearing high class leather boots that were black and shiny.

"It is nice to meet you, thank you for inviting us, I am the representative of Akiba's governing body 'Round Table Council', known as Krusty."

(Krusty-san is so graceful and steady, just like a noble.)

Krusty responded smoothly, his expression showing no sign of retreat.

Michitaka introduced himself next, and also seemed to be smooth and at ease, in terms of courage, these 2 led the Round Table Council members in terms of fearlessness. Shiroe thought choosing them as representatives was the right choice.

"I am Shiroe, please take care of me."

Thinking about this, Shiroe introduced himself simply. This simple attitude seemed to be the opposite of nervous to the others. All present didn't see them as 'the fearless duo' but as 'the fearless trio', but Shiroe didn't notice this.

(I will introduce myself in detail later, I want to know his identity anyway.)

"I am Sergead Corwen, holding the position of director-general in the League of Freedom Cities Eastal."

(So this man is… the man with the most authority in the east.)

Akiba was the largest player city in the Japanese server, but that doesn't mean it was the largest city.

The largest city on the Japanese server was the 'Maihama capital' which was centered around 'Castle Cinderella'.

In this alternate world, Tokyo had lost its function as a capital.

Compared to the real world Japan with a population of over 100 million people, the alternate world had only 1 percent of the populace.

People formed small communities everywhere, building walls to keep out threats, living in shelters like these. It was the same at the border of old Tokyo. Including Akiba and this palace, there were remnants of high technology and magical culture in the ruins. A few cities were built using these ruins as a base, the population was too sparse, it was impossible to manage and govern the whole zone.

The kind and gentle human race had lost their place as the main characters in this world, unable to maintain the influential range of ancient times.

Hence, the old capital was separated into several small cities that could defend themselves, with Maihama being the biggest.

(The second biggest is Akiba and the player city Shibuya. Ikebukuro has the tower of sunlight, so it is also very big. As for the alternate world counterpart for Shinjuku, the game lore said it was destroyed by an underground giant beast. So the next will be Yokohama and Asakusa which is far away… that's about it.)

That was the summary of the humans living in the Kanto region.

The elderly noble in front of them, was the ruler of the biggest city in the Kanto region, Maihama. There were no cathedrals in Maihama, so it was not a player city. But apart from that, the trading infrastructure in that city was all in place, and there were a large variety of quests available there. When Elder Tales was just a game, all mid to high-level players had visited it at least once.

The sky gardens and the stairs made from delicate steel pieces left a grand impression, and the landmark 'Castle Cinderella' was said to be the most beautiful, clean, and white palace in the whole of Japan's servers.

Krusty immediately continued the conversation with Sergead.

Krusty explained the make up of the Round Table Council, how it was made up of senators representing the citizens. He acted as the senate leader, and was happy to be part of this banquet.

"Yes, yes… I understand, put simply, guilds are like nobles without land, and your council is made up of powerful and influential guilds, governing through mutual consensus? This is a smaller scale of the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, which also gathers the nobles to discuss future actions and policies.

"That is correct."

Krusty nodded in response to Sergead Corwen's words.

"But if that is the case, hmmm…"

As an elf waitress passed by, Sergead took a glass from her to drink as he thought.

"Even if there is a senate leader, giving the title of the noble to just one person will cause unnecessary conflicts?"

"That is the case. If possible, please allow me to decline this offer."

"Hmm, but if this happens, our position will…."

"How about this, can you recognize the 'Round Table Council' itself as the equivalent of a noble, and bestow upon us the right to participate in your meetings? This way, we will be able to participate as equals."

This was Michitaka's suggestion. He had the calm air of an important person as he assisted Krusty in convincing this old noble.

(I feel that we have a big generation gap, but it seems to be going well.)

Shiroe remained a step behind, paying attention to the conversation between the three.

Krusty was definitely young, but Michitaka was probably less than 30 in the real world too. But they showed no signs of fear or unease while talking to the nobles of this world. Even if they failed in their negotiation, Shiroe entering the fray would not be of any help anyway.

"We are drawing a lot of attention."

Henrietta whispered into Shiroe's ear. Shiroe turned his head, and saw that a lot more guests had arrived, making the banquet more lively. From previous investigations, League of Freedom Cities Eastal was an alliance of 24 cities.

Each city would have one representative, 2 advisers, 4-5 attendants. Some were bringing their children to debut in the social world, so the total should be a few hundred. From an estimate, about a hundred were present.

The spacious hall was decorated with red and gold, and didn't feel crowded even with so many people. There were groups chatting all over the vast hall, with many peeking over here. Shiroe could feel the gazes of the crowd.

(Even so, they are not coming over to chat… because of Sergead? Or maybe they have decided to do this beforehand. Or maybe they are discussing some weird news we don't know about?)

Shiroe thought slowly.

Just like Shiroe's council did not have all the intelligence regarding the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, they probably also had limited information on the Round Table Council as well.

The invitation letter was a good example.

The League had influence over their member cities, should they accept them and join the League? Or do they need to be wary and treat them with respect, or would they receive painful punishment? Both organizations did not understand each other well enough.

They wanted intelligence on each other, but they needed to be careful when conversing and gathering info, to avoid being taken advantage of.

So they needed a longer time to interact.

(Seems like this meeting will be a challenge.)

Shiroe closed his eyes and pressed his thumb between his brows. Krusty and Michitaka were doing all they could to negotiate, so Shiroe's responsibility was to find any gaps to cut in, but he had no good ideas so far.

Shiroe had put in a lot of effort before the trip to collect intelligence on the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, but that was only from city bars and books. The first-hand information of the nobles' social network rarely flowed out to the commoners.

The noises in the hall disappeared like a retreating tide, the people near the door separated to either side. A prominent group appeared from the door. In the midst of the crowd's gentle expectation and soft chatter, 3 ladies appeared with their male escorts.

5

"This is my granddaughter Raynesia, she is turning 15 this year."

Duke Sergead squinted his eyes.

He reigned in the dignity and pride of a noble, replaced with the gentleness of a grandfather.

"You may not be familiar with our customs. When a lady reaches a certain age, she will debut in the social world at the banquet. The meeting starting tomorrow will last 10 days, and aside from handling all sorts of issues of the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, this will also be the place for us to socialize… We nobles use the military might and wealth that is accumulated daily to protect our territories, but that is not enough in this harsh world. No, we cannot guarantee that we will always be ready. Compared to swords, money, and walls, friends and families would serve better in protecting us and our citizens."

Maybe because he had slightly let down his guard, Sergead explained the meaning behind the noble social circles to Krusty and Michitaka.

"I understand, we also formed an organization like this with guilds, with comrades helping each other like family. Sometimes we will go beyond the invisible lines of a guild and help each other, that is the mission of the Round Table Council."

Michitaka answered.

"There are limits to the power of an individual."

Krusty continued.

These noble and stately words fit right in with this stately occasion.

"You are absolutely right."

Sergead found their words pleasing and smiled in return.

As Michitaka and Sergead looked towards the main attraction, the 3 young ladies just reached the center stage. The knights led them gently by the hand, all of them were handsome and manly.

"All of them are beautiful."

Michitaka expressed his thoughts.

This praise was very merchant-like, Michitaka was glad that he didn't need to lie out of courtesy this time.

The beautiful young lady that was stepping forward seemed younger than her age of 15. Her slender neck gave others an ethereal impression.

"The one in the middle is my granddaughter Raynesia, the one on the right with green hair is Marquis Lester's daughter Appletta from Owly. The girl with fiery red hair is the granddaughter of Freedom City Iwafune's Baron Sugana. The 3 of them are debuting in the social world this year."

(So that is how it works.it works… The 3 of them are all beautiful young girls who will be ushered into the social world in this way.)

The music resumed under the stares of the crowd.

This should be their first time dancing in front of the crowd. But maybe they had gone through lots of training, their movements were smooth and graceful, although their facial expressions remained stiff.

The gentle string instruments and the new sound of wind instruments gave the music more depth. Shiroe found the music familiar, this was the opening soundtrack when you started up Elder Tales the game.

Only the 10 people in Shiroe's group felt the nostalgia and surprise from the music. As they looked at each other, their faces were covered in bitter smiles.

At the moment their eyes meet, all of them felt "I am really in an alternate world with no way to leave", a sense of loss. But they couldn't give in to emotions here, they had heavy responsibilities to bear.

As the music drew to a close, the princesses gracefully curtsied to thank the crowd.

"Next will be the 2nd piece… Please join us in the dance too."

"Ah?"

Michitaka gave a look of confusion in lieu of a formal question for the aging Sergead.

"I explained before right? This banquet is a socializing event before the meeting, look around you. Everyone is interested in your group, I'm just taking the lead for them as the representative. But they are on guard because they are not sure on how to socialize with Adventurers. If we maintain this status quo, we won't be able to exchange information properly, let alone mutual trust."

The old lord representing the League of Freedom Cities Eastal said his piece, his majestic face showed a hint of mischief.

"Everybody wants to enjoy dancing with our guests. The young girl with black hair, how about it?"

Akatsuki who was suddenly questioned jumped as if she was shocked by electricity and hid behind Shiroe in a hurry.

"I am the shinobi of my lord, shinobi are like shadowy bodyguards, there is no… no… no way I can show myself in public!"

The duke gazed towards Michitaka next, but he had a face with cramps and shook his head: "No no no, I am very clumsy, so not me!"

Michitaka focused on production, but he had the strength of an Adventurer, he was so fast that when he shook his head he left afterimages, it looked very funny.

(Seems like the best candidate will be Krusty,) Shiroe thought with a laugh.

Krusty had the scary nickname 'Berserker', but he looked intelligent and handsome.

He was best described as an American footballer who had a 'Strong body, talented, elite, stylish, glasses-wearing gentleman'. His position should be quarterback, a commander who was capable of breaking through the defensive lines himself.

With a muscular body, he looked good in a tuxedo, and had a female companion from the same guild accompanying him.

"It is time for Shiroe-kun to shine."

Before Shiroe could speak, Krusty suggested calmly. Shiroe wanted to ask if this was a joke, but Krusty who made the first move had a serious expression.

"I would like to talk with Lord Sergead for a while, considering Shiroe-kun's talent, what was mentioned just now… I remember, 'this party is like a hunting ground' correct? I hope you can contribute your skills for the sake of the Round Table Council."

(K… Krusty-san, you did that on purpose, right? S… Sheet…)

The color was gone from Shiroe's face.

When faced with a high-level monster or a grand scale discussion in a meeting, Shiroe could manage to win. But he was a tactician-type of a person and preferred to prepare a detailed plan beforehand. In other words, he built his battles with tactics that were sure to succeed.

For instance, no matter how hard a problem was, Shiroe would come out with some sort of plan if he had 10 days of prep time. But if he were faced with a request all of a sudden, he would be dumbstruck.

But Krusty who was representing the Round Table Council had official business with the leader of the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, so asking Shiroe to cover the dance for him was within reason.

And add in the fact that Krusty and Michitaka had been holding the conversation the whole time while Shiroe did nothing. He was thinking hard on the future plans, but he had not found any good ideas yet. So when he was assigned this task, he could only accept it out of guilt.

(Haah… This is going to be embarrassing.)

Shiroe hung his head in depression. As he raised his head, he saw Henrietta smiling beautifully in front of him.

"Shiroe-sama, being depressed doesn't suit you."

"Even if you say that… This is something I can't do."

Shiroe who had given up sighed hopelessly, but Henrietta shook her index finger like a teacher.

"Guys cannot display their insecurity, even if you have to fake it, even more so for a guild master, right? Mary is slow and dense, putting it simply only her breasts are big… But she understands this rationale."

As she said, Maryele smiled even when things were hard, cheering her members on to this day. Shiroe reflected on his actions.

Using his intellect to consider all details was a good thing, but Shiroe also realized his weakness lay in worrying unnecessarily, or being anxious of the uncertain future.

"I understand, I will reflect on that."

"A good answer, and so… let's give some magic to our good kid Shiroe-sama as a present."

"Ah?"

Henrietta turned gracefully on her toes and extended her silk gloves to him.

"Akatsuki-chan? Watch this carefully."

Shiroe touched her fingers as if he had been enchanted, Henrietta took his hand into hers and led him to the middle of the dance floor.

(Wait… Henrietta-san!)

Shiroe thought this was too much.

Even if they needed to dance, they could choose a place with less people and finish in a low-profile manner through one piece of music. Like deep in the corner of the hall, near the southern entrance, there were many places to choose from. The middle of the dance floor should be reserved for the host, main guest, or excellent dancers.

"Shiroe-sama, please smile and push out your chest."

"…"

Shiroe swallowed. He felt just as nervous as he did at the meeting that led up to the formation of the Round Table Council. He experienced similar feelings before a PK battle or a big-scale raid, but this was a unique sense of fear.

The hall was crowded with people who seemed to be observing them and laughing at them. Shiroe was unable to wipe this delusion.

"Listen to me, maintain this posture, put your hand on my waist… no, higher.. yes, just like supporting me from the back."

"I need to confess, I totally don't know how to dance."

"Ah, listening to your confession in this position will make me flustered."

Henrietta smiled at Shiroe with her head raised.

Probably to complement her dress, Henrietta was not wearing her career woman frameless glasses, and her eyes appeared to be bigger. Looking at her smile made Shiroe's face red and heart beat faster.

"That is not what I meant, please don't change the subject!"

"Shiroe-sama? You know what is my profession?"

"Aren't you an Accountant… ah!"

Henrietta lowered her gaze to Shiroe's chest, listening carefully to the music and talking softly. She spoke so softly that you almost couldn't hear it, just like the gentle song of birds.

Even though she was listening to this waltz for the first time, Henrietta was able to grasp the beat and then predict the timing.

"Okay Shiroe-sama, shall we dance."

Like the bubbles coming out of a champagne bottle, the hall was filled by the music of the 3rd music piece. Henrietta seemed to be lost in the melodies as she danced with Shiroe.

Shiroe pumped out his chest and supported Henrietta by her waist as Henrietta spoke gently to him, like the flower petals circling in the air and guiding Shiroe.

"Oh right, Henrietta-san is a Bard."

Bard.

This was one of the 12 classes in Elder Tales.

This was a weapon-based class, but compared to the high damage potential of Assassins and Swashbucklers, it was more of a support class in Elder Tales.

Support classes mainly served to increase the battle potential of allies and decrease the power of the enemies in order to gain the advantage in battle. Only Shiroe's Enchanter and Henrietta's Bard were considered support classes in Elder Tales.

Bard's unique feature was the control of music. As you could see from the name, a Bard had abilities based on music, and could learn many status effects that lasted for a long time. Most skills in Elder Tales lasted between an instant and 10 seconds, but Bards had many skills that could last for minutes, some were even permanent effects, they were a very unique class.

Henrietta had never taken part in a major raid. Compared to normal battles, players were more stressed and had to fight for a long period of time. You could really see the value of Bards in this situation.

Other than this, Bards were not as skillful as Assassins and Swashbucklers in melee combat, they specialized in light weapons like rapiers and bows.

Weapon attacks did not consume MP. So in long battles, using 'attacks that do not consume MP' together with 'MP efficient long effect skills' made their MP to damage efficiency very high, suitable for long term fighting.

On the other hand, this class was designed for long battles, so its attack, heal, and support skills were comparatively low, lacking the ability to break through stalemates with excellent reflexes. When using this class, you needed to plan far ahead and predict how the battle would shift in the future, it was a hard class to master.

Henrietta leaned into Shiroe in the middle of the dance floor and turned repeatedly with grace.

She did not force Shiroe to move his feet, but took the initiative in leading him to move. Shiroe grew accustomed to her actions slowly.

Their alternate world bodies were better than their old ones by tenfold. Even a mage class like Shiroe, compared to his real life body that was addicted to the internet, had an agile and strong body here, just like an athlete.

As Shiroe began to grasp the feeling with his body, she continued to hum quavers to guide him.

"Shiroe-sama, do you understand?"

"Yes, I get the basics."

Henrietta asked softly while humming the quaver.

C was sweet orange.

D was the color of lemon.

E was yellowish green, F was dark blue.

G was the color of the deep ocean, A was the beautiful purple.

B was the red of the evening sky between day and night.

He didn't understand how Henrietta was communicating the musical notes, he also didn't know how she could hum while she was speaking. But the colorful notes appeared from her chest, dancing like fairies around them before disappearing into the air.

This should be the effect of some skill unique to Bards, but the notes and music were synchronized so perfectly, that it should be her own talent right? Or was any Bard able to do this?

(In simple words… this is like a music game.)

Shiroe was not good at this type of game, but he played it before in the original world. The real world had drums, disc-jockey stations and huge consoles with stepping mechanism for gamers to dance.

Compared to these games, the music beat was slower, the steps were simpler. Shiroe concentrated in synchronizing the music with the colorful notes that were flashing in front of Henrietta's delicate face.

"That's right, right step, right forward step… half a turn."

"Yes teacher."

Shiroe laughed in response, Henrietta looked distracted for a moment, then pouted a little. Even a tiny interaction like this made him feel happy.

(Ah, it's been so long, listening to music is fun, I haven't exercised for quite a while,) Shiroe thought.

WebTV, podcasts, MP3, the music that was always around him, because it was so prevalent and free, he forgot how special music was.

Music was very special.

It didn't exist in nature, it was a man-made discovery.

This experience was similar to food, you only knew how good it was after you lost it. Everybody had forgotten about music in this period of time, but Bards continued to play their songs, Shiroe was thankful for the beautiful lady in front of him.

"Since you have the found the heart to tease me, can you straighten your back, we are the center of attention in this hall alright? We need to dance as gracefully as feathers… Because Shiroe-sama is our tactician that is darker than black."

But Henrietta did not know how to interpret Shiroe's smile and adopted the attitude of a teacher to warn him.

Shiroe focused on straightening his back, being aware of Henrietta in his arms. He lifted his left hand to avoid unnecessary actions, leading the dance with his fingertips.

Shiroe and Henrietta danced elegantly.

The music sounded clearer than before, his body moved naturally to the melody, his feet and Henrietta moved in sync with the beat of the music up and down the dance floor in beautiful steps.

His heart was at ease, the scene of the hall which was just a background filled his eyes.

The dancers around them moved like flower petals, lost in the music of the performers.

There were countless pairs of eyes on them, the soft conversation of the guests saying 'seems like we can't underestimate these plebeian bumpkins' could be heard clearly.

"So, let's go another round to shut them up?"

"Understood… my lady."

She and Shiroe started to dance to the tune of the new music piece.

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