In Illeves, not only the middle but also parts of the east and west had been breached, and a chaotic battle was already underway. However, just because they lost their leadership, it didn’t mean they completely turned into a crowd of ravens. This was because many players, unaccustomed to acting under NPC command, were now free to make their own decisions.
“Seriously, fighting with our usual members is the best!”
“Let’s go! Fire Lance!”
Compared to a well-organized army, the strength of a single party was limited. But the truth was that many could exert their full potential now that they were freed from the unfamiliar constraints of military actions.
“Don’t fall behind the wanderers! It’s our duty to protect the city!”
“””Uooooooh!”””
Additionally, the NPC soldiers were fighting desperately. Their numbers were only at the scale of squads or platoons, but they were more agile in the current situation. It was natural, as hesitating would only lead to death. Even though the situation would normally cause confusion, the players, now free to fight in their own style, had inspired a rise in morale among the soldiers as well. Despite the breached walls, there was an absence of a sense of tragedy.
These factors combined led to fierce battles on and below the city walls. Meanwhile, surprisingly few monsters had entered the city. The event’s defeat condition was the city’s fall, defined by the destruction of more than half of the five “Guardian Towers” where non-combatant NPC civilians had taken refuge. Thus, the city’s defense was on the edge.
“Spear squad, get ready! Archers, mages… fire!”
“””””Oooh!”””””
Especially noteworthy were the performances of large guilds like the “Warring Turbulence” one. Although there were NPC soldier units of similar sizes, the player groups were significantly larger. Freed from the burdens of command, the guild leader, Taro Saemon-no-jo, could now maneuver only the people he could control like a single entity. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he contributed the most in this situation.
They had positioned themselves in the middle of a wide road, skillfully blocking the monsters attempting to enter the city. The vanguard, composed of spear-wielding players, formed a spear wall to halt the enemy’s charge. Those whose momentum was stopped were then pierced by arrows and magic. Any monsters that survived this onslaught were quickly dispatched by experienced fighters. This operation was efficiently executed under the precise commands of Taro Saemon-no-jo.
“Hey there, handsome gentleman.”
“Nuuh!?”
At that moment, a shadow lunged at Taro Saemon-no-jo, who was fully engaged in commanding. Surprised by the sudden aerial attack, he instinctively raised his command baton to block it. The attacker, having launched the surprise assault, immediately leaped into the air, spinning and landing on the shoulder of an orc who was outside the encirclement.
The fact that the attacker went out of their way to announce their presence, despite it being a surprise attack, indicated that they did not intend to kill Taro Saemon-no-jo. Nevertheless, the attack was real and posed a threat to him. Therefore, Taro Saemon-no-jo confronted the attacker.
“Who are you? A player?”
“Very perceptive of you. Sorry about the other time, okay?”
“So it’s you… You were the player from that time!”
“Hehe, correct.”
The one who launched the surprise attack was Usaji, one of Isam’s companions. There was a history of conflict between her and Taro Saemon-no-jo from the previous fortress defense battle. She made his last desperate charge with his companions meaningless with her dividing attack.
Taro Saemon-no-jo was unaware that Usaji was the strategist behind that operation. However, from her words, he inferred her involvement. To him, she could be considered an enemy.
“So, is that orc warrior one of your companions?”
“Yes, he’s reliable… maybe, I guess.”
“What? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“I just thought I should say hello since you were nearby.”
Ignoring Eiji’s mild protest, Usaji announced her intention. Even though they had grown stronger than before, she knew they couldn’t possibly confront the “Warring Turbulence” guild with their limited levels and numbers. She genuinely only planned to greet Taro Saemon-no-jo, fully aware that it might come off as mere provocation.
“Well, you’ve got some nerve showing your face!”
“Because of you, we were wiped out!”
“We’ll take you down right here!”
“Stop this.”
The players who thought they were being provoked raised their voices, but Taro Saemon-no-jo calmly restrained them. He knew that by pursuing Usaji right here, they could likely defeat her with their numbers and coordination. However, if some of them left this spot, it would increase the risk of monsters infiltrating the city. Therefore, for the sake of the main event, they couldn’t afford to fall for such cheap provocations.
“Getting heated here would play right into their hands. Besides, who’s to say there aren’t more of their comrades waiting in ambush?”
“True, that makes sense…”
“We must hold this position. We will not deviate from this strategy.”
Of course, Taro Saemon-no-jo had his own thoughts. But he prioritized victory over his feelings. As a leader, it was a natural choice, and his ability to make it so effortlessly showed his competence as a leader.
“Oh, you’re not coming after us? Then, we’ll go have fun elsewhere.”
“…Do as you wish. I hope you don’t achieve much.”
“That’s to be expected. Well then.”
“Ah, um, let’s both do our best.”
Leaving behind Eiji’s harmless farewell, the two blended into the crowd of monsters and left. The members of “Warring Turbulence” watched their retreating figures with a mix of emotions.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Armed with map data entrusted to them by Usuba, Shiitake and her companions were looting their target stores without any hesitation. They plundered weapons and armor suitable for everyone in their group from a store dealing in such items and had already collected a variety of useful and interesting magical tools.
“I’m worried since Seventh Armor and Moth-san haven’t arrived yet, but let’s head to the next place for now.”
Their next destination was an alchemy-related store located in a back alley. Shiitake intended to steal alchemy-related items from there.
“Are there no NPCs inside?”
“Probably not, they must have evacuated. It’s been like that in all the stores we’ve been to so far.”
While Shishu appeared concerned, Wool was optimistic. This was because, in all the stores they had visited so far, the NPCs had already evacuated to one of the “Guardian Towers”. Knowing about the existence of the “Guardian Towers”, and seeing how there were a lot of empty shelves, Wool surmised that the NPCs must have fled there.
Furthermore, most of the alchemists in Illeves were on the battlefield. They were called to repair the city gates, throw items created through [Alchemy], and provide magic support. The apprentices, not yet fully trained, had evacuated to the “Guardian Towers” along with normal NPCs. Therefore, there shouldn’t have been any alchemists left in the stores.
“Right~, right~. Don’t worry, Shishu-chan. Let’s go in then.”
“…Welcome.”
“””!?”””
Upon hearing a greeting from within the store, which they thought impossible, the trio was momentarily frozen in surprise. Many questions swirled in their minds, but Shiitake was the first to snap out of the shock.
“Hey, hey, old lady. Why haven’t you left? The situation outside the city is pretty serious.” Shiitake said.
“Hehehe… isn’t this a surprise. Even monsters are concerned about this old woman, huh?”
Shiitake’s words seemed to hit the mark, as the old woman, who appeared to be an alchemist, chuckled for a while. Once she had calmed down, she began to speak.
“What’s the big deal? I’m just an old, senile woman. I’m of no use in battle, so no one called for me. Besides, my legs are bad, so I couldn’t make it to the ‘Guardian Tower’ in time. I figured it’s better to die in my own castle than to flee.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“So, you’re here to kill this old lady, right? Then hurry up and do it. Even if I look like this, I’m quite frightened.”
At that moment, Shishu and Wool realized something. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the old woman’s hands and body were trembling slightly. Despite her brave and nonchalant appearance, she was frightened like a real human being.
“No, no, we’re not here to kill. How about we make a business deal with you?”
“…A business deal, with monsters?”
“It’s not that surprising. There are several monster countries on other continents, and even on this continent, there’s one in the south.”
“I’ve heard rumors…. but is it true?”
“It seems to be. It’s not from my own experience but from some of my acquaintances who were there.”
The acquaintances Shiitake mentions are none other than Eiji and Usaji. The two of them had used the city-state, which was primarily inhabited by orcs, as their base of operations until the event started. Though she didn’t know the details, she was certain of its existence.
“In the first place, among the monsters, there must be play… wanderers, right?”
“Now that you mention it, I’ve heard such stories. And if they can communicate, they’re good for business. After all, there are plenty of ruffians around here who are humans but can’t speak a lick.”
The old woman spoke reflectively; the fear in her voice was also nearly gone. This was probably due to Shiitake’s conversational skills. Or it could simply be that she and the old woman got along well.
“So, what kind of deal are you looking for?”
“First off, I’d like to buy some alchemy materials from you. I’ll, of course, pay.”
“Alchemy materials, you say? Don’t tell me, are you an alchemist?”
“That’s right. Though I’m kind of like a material myself! Ahahaha!”
“Indeed you are! Hehehehe!”
It seemed that Shiitake’s self-deprecating joke quite appealed to the old woman. It was safe to say that her fear had dissipated.
“Sure, I’ll sell to you, but do you have the necessary gold?”
“I do. But let’s not talk about where it comes from, okay?”
The gold Shiitake had was a mix of a small amount distributed at the time of character creation and what she had stolen on her way to the fortress and here. She couldn’t claim, even if her life depended on it, that this money was obtained through clean, legitimate means.
“Hmph, I don’t care. In this area, it’s the honest ones who are rare. Go ahead, pick what you need.”
“Thanks, granny!”
For a while, Shiitake and the old woman discussed back and forth as they selected items. After about five or six minutes, she finally seemed to have decided on what to purchase. The two completed the transaction with a sense of satisfaction.
“Hey, granny, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Around here, is there someone who hoards a lot of stuff and yet, if their things were stolen, no one would sympathize with them?”
The old woman sighed deeply as if she were exasperated by Shiitake’s question. It was clear that Shiitake had no intention of hiding her true motives.
“You, well… alright. I’ll tell you. Around here, the ones who fit that description are the Carone Family.”
“Really? What are they like?”
“To put it simply, they’re loan sharks. They charge insanely high-interest rates, and their collection methods are terribly strict. They quickly sell off the things they seize for a pittance and then hound the borrowers for the shortfall until they can’t pay anymore. It’s said they’re also involved in laundering for the thieves’ guild.”
“I see. Sounds like they’ve hoarded quite a bit, huh?”
Shiitake seemed very excited, but the old woman continued as if to caution her.
“Don’t get any reckless ideas. Those people surely haven’t gone to the ‘Guardian Towers’. They live in a fortress-like mansion and have skilled bodyguards. You’d likely be defeated if you tried anything.”
“I guess you’re right… Well, then, here, take this.”
“Is this… your spikes?”
“Yes, exactly! I thought they might be rare.”
“Indeed, they are rare…”
Shiitake had offered some of her spikes that grew from her umbrella as payment for the information. Her race, the Poisonous Stinging Mushroom, was extremely rare on this continent. As a result, there was hardly any trade in its materials, thus rendering Shiitake’s spikes a rarity that the old woman had only read about in books.
“Haah, I can’t accept this much. In return, I’ll tell you another rumor.”
“What rumor?”
“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but they say that they’ve hidden their hoarded items in several warehouses. The most important items are probably heavily guarded and kept close by, but right now, the security in the warehouse district might be lax.”
“Wow, granny, that’s great! I’ll check it out! By the way, aren’t you going to escape? I can guide you to the ‘Guardian Tower’ if you want.”
“That’s a good idea… If those two don’t mind, I might take you up on that offer.”
Shiitake and the old woman turned their gazes to Shishu and Wool, who silently nodded their heads. They had a map and knew where the warehouse district was, so they could make a good guess based on the old woman’s information.
Besides, neither Shishu nor Wool were the type to be so insensitive as to refuse in this situation. To be honest, they hadn’t had much to do with the store, so they were reluctant to interfere. Wool silently lifted the old woman onto his back and started walking.
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