kscans

Chapter 453 - A Trust Upheld

"—Nia."

"I don't know. I think they're still some distance away, but..."

The density of the presence erupting from the forest was so distinct that even I could sense it.

If that was the case, then Nia, who possessed a detection skill—even if its performance was unreliable compared to the advanced skills of combat-oriented players—couldn't have missed it.

When I asked her as she quickly sat up from my lap, her answer was vague. Her search range was decent, but when the numbers were too high, the accuracy of everything dropped dramatically.

That was why her reaction had been a bit slow when we were attacked by the horde of monkeys at the beginning of the event. In other words—it was safe to assume that was a high possibility now.

"Okay, let's wake everyone up."

I picked Nia up and leaped off the roof, and we each dashed towards the separate men's and women's quarters. I burst through the swinging door and into the wide-open space, where everyone was resting in various positions, and—

" HEY, WAKE UP, YOU LAZY BONES! "

—I shouted, and what echoed through the room was, of course, a girl's voice.

The majority of them shot up, their bodies jolting in surprise... A few, still dazed and confused from sleep, panicked at the sight of the unfamiliar beautiful girl.

It wasn't quite on the level of the [White Throne] subjugation raid, but still, the battle line was formed at a respectable speed.

Thirty-six people minus three artisans, for a total of thirty-three—almost a full raid party. The base we had built by clearing the forest wasn't that large, so it wasn't impossible to establish a defensive perimeter around the entire area by dividing into units.

If I had to point out a concern, it would be that I didn't have a proper grasp of the strength of Arcadia's 'general combatants'...

On the other hand, the expressions of those waiting for the presence drifting from the depths of the forest seemed to lack tension, in a good way.

That was entirely because—

"The weight of their trust is heavy..."

"Ahaha, what are you talking about? Compared to the Four Pillar War or a 'Colored' raid, this will be a piece of cake."

"I doubt anyone is letting their guard down."

—of that. I mean, I understood and accepted it, but still.

On all the battlefields I'd been on until now, there had always been people who were stronger than me. So, in fact... well, you know.

This was the first time I was on a battlefield where I was the strongest, so my emotions were lost, and I didn't know what kind of face to make. They might not like me saying this, but that princess (Arche) is really amazing.

—Well, with that out of the way.

"Ah, the rustling is here."

"Looks like it's almost time."

"The fact that they're giving us time to prepare suggests that the basic setting is aimed at a general audience... I suppose."

It seemed that most of them had some kind of detection skill, as the three artisans, sensing something, all looked towards the forest and narrowed their eyes.

I had Nia and the others monitor the entire area from up on the roof here, and they would send me a message if a gap was about to form and I hadn't noticed.

Of course, the roof of the tofu house was a completely open space with no defensive walls. I had no way of knowing what was coming, but if any stray bullets or other unidentified flying objects came our way...

Well, there would be no problem. I'd just knock them down with my own hands, whatever they were.

It wasn't quite a ground tremor, but I could feel the presence of many things approaching from the depths of the forest with a loud noise. If even I, without a detection skill, could sense it, they must be very close.

In that case, I should probably brace myself so as not to embarrass myself.

"You're going in that form?"

"Yeah, I need to gradually get used to the combat movements."

"I see. ...Um, well, be careful... and do your best, okay?"

Whether to go in that form or this form... After a moment of hesitation, I drew my dagger, and my partner gave me a clumsy cheer.

As she herself had said several times, a dedicated artisan like Nia was a stranger to a real battlefield. I turned to her, who couldn't hide her slight tension, and—

"Well, you know. Just relax and watch the show. I don't know what's coming, but—"

—I grinned and leaped backwards off the roof.

"I won't let a single mouse get through."

It didn't matter how many of them there were.

I, along with the other guys, would shoot them all down outside the defensive line.

◇◆◇◆◇

"..."

My buddy, who had leaped off the roof without even looking where he was going, as casually as if he were walking down stairs. His smug tone and childish smile replayed in my head over and over again, and—

"...Well, you can't help but fall for that. Even as a guy, I get it."

"They really do exist, don't they? Guys like that. Right~?"

"—...Ugh, just shut up, shut up!"

For the umpteenth time since they'd met.

Once again, the indigo girl who had been 'done in' could only manage a feeble complaint as she kneaded her completely limp cheeks, looking utterly defeated.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Now then..."

As I fell, I twisted my body to survey my surroundings, committing the entire scene to memory.

The light was dim, relying on the few bonfires we had set up around the base, but for the eyes of a virtual world avatar, it was more than enough.

The defensive line was on standby just inside the forest from the clearing we had made. And beyond them, I could already see their forms emerging from the darkness.

Just as expected, a starry sky moving across the ground—a horde of [Stardust Beasts].

At a rough glance, there were three types. Besides the 'monkeys' I had fought earlier, there were wolf-like creatures about the size of large dogs, and giant 'boars' over three meters tall.

It wasn't quite a horde—but that's probably because my standard for a horde has become that 'red' one.

At the very least, they outnumbered us. Even seeing them actually attacking, I didn't feel any threat, but I had no intention of underestimating them.

So, the first place I should provide support is—here, I guess.

No need for [Rocket]. Combined with the fact that we only had three healers, I shouldn't needlessly deplete my HP. The moment I landed, I kicked off the ground with my natural leg strength.

My senses are numb to it, but even an AGI of 230 is slightly above that of a typical high-speed warrior. Add to that the agility-based skills I possess, like [Hare Real], and—

"—Whoa, there."

"Whoa, you scared me!?"

—rushing over quickly to cut off a monkey that had leaped from above to ambush a member who was being toyed with by a wolf was an easy task in two senses of the word.

It seemed I had startled the person I was trying to help, but I had also kept the wolf in check with my dagger at its feet, as it had shown signs of going on the offensive, so forgive me.

"How are they? Their strength, from your perspective?"

"Uh, well... There are a lot of them, so we probably can't win without a scratch, but they're not that tough! I don't think we'll have any accidents even if we get surrounded!"

As I asked, I sent a wolf that had charged head-on flying with a bare-knuckle backhand. He replied with his impressions while fighting off two of them with his longsword.

Seeing him reply so cheerfully, it seemed he had a fair bit of leeway, just as he said.

"Oh, but the boars hit hard, so if we get into a melee and us backliners take a direct hit from their charge, it could be dangerous!"

Added a note from one of his squad members behind him. I see, then for now—

"The source of the accidents... ah, um."

...Is it okay to quickly go around and crush the source? I wonder. Would that turn it into an unwelcomed easy game for them?

"Oh, Acrobat-san?"

Another squad member called out to me from the side. He, who was holding a huge hammer, grinned as if it were the most natural thing in the world and said,

"I think you can just go wild without worrying—fighting alongside a hero is the best kind of festival for us regular folks, after all."

"Totally!"

"No doubt about it."

"Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing that perverted maneuver of yours live!"

And so they said whatever they wanted.

Ha... Okay, if that's the case, I won't hold back.

"—Well then, I guess I'll have some fun too."

In that moment, I stepped in.

"Heah?!"

"Whoa, hey..."

"Wha—?!"

"Sweeeet!"

"There it is, the afterimage as if it's nothing...!"

"Fuuuuuuuuuu!"

"Hey, the big ones were wiped out in an instant!"

I finished a full circle, devoured all the big game, and sheathed my dagger. A total of nine. Unlike the small fry, there weren't that many.

Then, for the rest,

"Time to thin the herd."

Activate [Mistlurade]. Deploy [Parabellum Bullet].

My target: the troublesome ones that were numerous and moved through the treetops—alright, fly.

The red blades swung by the running white figure were truly countless. The daggers, glinting as they reflected the scarce light, pierced and shot down the pathetic assailants with terrifying precision.

That sight was, truly—

""Whoa...""

"...Overwhelming. So that's the Acrobat (Crown), who fought the [Sword Queen] to a standstill."

—more than enough to steal the tension from the artisans watching from the roof.