Chapter 453 - A Trust Upheld
“—Nia.”
“I don’t know. I think they’re still a ways off, but…”
The presence that erupted from the forest was so dense and distinct that even I could sense it.
If that was the case, then Nia, who possessed a detection skill—even one less reliable than the advanced skills of combat-focused players—couldn't have missed it.
She shot up from my lap, and when I asked her, her answer was vague. Her detection range was decent, but she said that when the number of targets was high, the accuracy of all her readings dropped dramatically.
That was why her reaction had been a bit slow when we were attacked by the horde of monkeys early in the event. In other words—it was safe to assume this was a similar situation.
“Okay, let’s wake everyone up.”
I lifted Nia into my arms, leaped from the roof, and we both made a mad dash for our respective gender-segregated lodgings. I burst through the swinging door and into the wide-open space where, with no partitions yet, everyone was resting in whatever position they found comfortable—
“ A L R I G H T, G E T U P, Y O U L O T ! ! ! ”
My shout, naturally, was a girl's voice.
A vast majority of them shot up with a jolt… while the few who were still groggy and confused looked utterly bewildered by the sight of the unfamiliar beautiful girl.
It wasn't quite on the same level as the raid to subjugate the `White Throne`, but even so, our “battle line” formed with considerable speed.
Thirty-six people minus three crafters, for a total of thirty-three—an almost full raid party. The base we’d carved out of the forest wasn't that large in terms of area, so it was no trouble to divide into squads and establish a defensive perimeter around the entire circumference.
If I had to point out one source of anxiety, it would be that I probably didn't have an accurate grasp of the standard combat strength of an ‘average combatant’ in Arcadia…
On the other hand, the expressions of those awaiting the presence approaching from deep within the forest were, in a good way, not particularly tense.
That was solely because—
“The weight of their trust is… heavy.”
“Ahaha, what are you talking about? Compared to the Four Pillar War or a `Colored Monster` raid, this will be a piece of cake.”
“It’s not like everyone’s letting their guard down.”
—that was the reason. I mean, I get it, I really do.
On every battlefield up until now, there were always several people who were ‘stronger’ than me. So, the truth is… well, you see.
This is my first time on a battlefield where I’m the strongest one, so my emotions are all over the place trying to figure out what kind of face I should be making. People might hate me for saying this, but man, the Princess (Ashe) is incredible.
—Well now, that aside.
“Ah, here comes the rustling.”
“Looks like it’s about time.”
“The fact that they’re giving us time to prepare suggests the basic design is for a general audience… I suppose.”
It seemed that most people had some sort of detection skill. The three crafters, as if sensing something, all narrowed their eyes as they stared into the forest.
I’d have Nia and the others monitor the entire area from up on the roof. If it looked like a gap was about to form in our defenses and I hadn't noticed, they were to send me a message.
Of course, the roof of our simple log house was completely open, with no walls or anything. I had no idea what was coming, but if any stray shots or other unidentified flying objects came our way…
Well, it wouldn't be a problem. No matter what it was, I’d just knock it out of the sky myself.
It wasn’t quite an earthquake, but I could feel numerous presences approaching from the depths of the forest, accompanied by a growing clamor. The fact that I could sense it without a skill meant they were already close.
In that case, I suppose I should get fired up enough not to embarrass myself.
“Are you going in your transfigured body?”
“Yeah, I need to get used to its combat movements bit by bit.”
“I see. …………U-Um, be careful… and, do your best.”
Should I go as that or as this… After a moment's hesitation, I drew my rabbit short-sword, and my partner offered me a clumsy word of encouragement.
As she herself had mentioned several times, a dedicated crafter like Nia was a stranger to real battlefields. I turned back to her, seeing she couldn't quite hide her nervousness.
“Well, just sit back and enjoy the show. I don’t know what’s coming, but—”
I grinned, then hopped backward off the roof.
“I won’t let a single mouse through.”
Come what may, it was no problem at all.
Alongside the men, I would shoot down every last one of them outside our defense line.
◇◆◇◆◇
“…………”
Without even looking where he was going, my partner had leaped off the roof as casually as one might walk down a flight of stairs. His cool tone and boyish smile replayed over and over in my head.
“...Well, that can’t be helped. Even as a guy, I get it.”
“So guys like that really exist, huh? Right~?”
“—…………Hmph, just be quiet, both of you!”
For what felt like the umpteenth time since they’d met.
The indigo-haired girl, once again ‘done in,’ could only manage a feeble complaint as she kneaded her own cheeks, which had turned to mush—she was completely defeated.
◇◆◇◆◇
“Right then…”
I twisted my body mid-fall, scanning my surroundings and committing the entire scene to memory.
The light was dim, relying on the few bonfires we’d set up around the base, but for the eyes of a virtual world avatar, it was more than enough.
The defense team was standing by, positioned just inside the forest from the cleared-out plaza. And beyond them, I could already see their forms emerging from the darkness.
Just as I expected, a starry sky on the ground—a horde of [Stardust Beasts (Lim)].
I could see at least three types at a glance. Besides the ‘monkeys’ I’d fought earlier, there were creatures the size of large dogs… probably ‘wolves,’ and massive ‘boars’ over three meters tall.
It wasn't quite what I'd call a horde—though that was probably because my standard for a ‘horde’ had been set by that ‘Crimson’ incident.
Still, their numbers easily surpassed our own. Seeing them actually charge didn't feel particularly threatening, but I had no intention of underestimating them.
That being the case, the first place I should provide support is—here, I think.
[Rocket] wasn't necessary. Combined with the fact that we only had three healers, I shouldn't waste HP recklessly. The moment I landed, I kicked off the ground with my raw leg strength.
My sense of scale was skewed, but an AGI of 230 was still slightly above that of a typical high-speed warrior. And when you added my agility-based skills like [Hare Real] on top of that…
“—Whoa, there.”
“Whoa, you scared me!?”
It was a simple matter to rush over and cut off a monkey that had leaped from above to ambush a party member who was being tied down by wolves—in two senses of the word.
It seemed I’d startled the person I was trying to help, but I had already checked the wolf that tried to press the advantage with a quick jab from my short-sword. You’ll have to forgive me.
“So? How strong are these things to you guys?”
“Urk… well, there are a lot of them, so I don’t think we’ll get through this completely unscathed, but they aren’t that tough! Even if we get surrounded, I doubt we’ll get taken out by accident!”
I asked while sending a wolf that charged head-on flying with a simple backhand, and he answered while dealing with two others with his longsword.
Judging by his cheerful reply, he seemed to have a decent amount of leeway, just as he said.
“Ah, but the boars hit hard, so if we get caught in a melee and one of us back-liners takes a direct charge, it could be dangerous!” added one of his squad mates from behind. I see, then for now—
“The source of any accidents… uh, well.”
……………………Is it okay for me to just go around and crush the source of the problem? I wonder. Would that turn this into an unwanted snoozefest for them?
“Hey, Acrobat-san?”
Another squad member from the side called out to me. The man, holding a massive hammer, grinned as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I think you can just go wild—fighting alongside a hero is its own kind of awesome festival for us regular folk, you know?”
“Totally!”
“No doubt about it.”
“To be honest, I’ve been looking forward to seeing that insane maneuvering of yours in person!”
And so on and so forth, they said whatever they pleased.
Ha ha… Okay, if that’s how it is, I won’t hold back.
“—Then I guess I’ll have some fun, too.”
In that instant, I stepped forward.
“Heah?!”
“Whoa, hey…”
“Wha—?!”
“S-So fa—?!”
“There it is, the casual afterimage…!”
“Fuuuuuuuuuu!”
“Hey, all the big ones were wiped out in an instant!!”
After finishing one full lap around the perimeter, I sheathed the rabbit short-sword that had devoured all the big game. Nine of them in total. Unlike the small fry, there weren’t that many.
Now, for the rest…
“Time to thin the herd.”
Activate [Mistlurade]. Deploy [Parabellum Bullet].
My targets are the troublesome ones who are numerous and move through the treetops—now, fly.
The crimson blades unleashed by the running white figure were truly countless. The daggers glittered, reflecting the scarce light, and with terrifying precision, they pierced and shot down the pitiful attackers.
That spectacle was, without a doubt—
““Whoa…””
“…………Incredible. So that’s the [Acrobat (Crown)] who fought the [Sword Queen] to a standstill.”
—more than enough to steal the tension from the crafters watching from the roof.
Nia-chan-san's slightly rough way of speaking when she's excited is a low-key favorite of mine.