Chapter 6

I returned to where my companions were and began to speak the words I had prepared.

"It wasn't a mistake. The traces I found led to Outpost 28, and there I could confirm the White Soldiers."

"......"

At that moment, the expressions of the squad members quickly froze as if they had seen a ghost.

Lirisa quickly covered the blonde’s mouth, who opened it wide with a terrified expression, as if about to scream thoughtlessly.

Despite her gentle nature, she seemed to have a strong resolve, as she tried to understand the situation more calmly than Theo.

"Did you go there alone? What if something dangerous happened to you?"

I was surprised by her concern for my dangerous actions, more than the current situation.

"...It's fine. I was confident I wouldn't be discovered if I moved alone."

Theo also sighed and joined the conversation.

"Alright. If that's what you judged, I won't press the matter further. But next time, give us a heads-up. After all, I'm the field commander; shouldn't I be aware of the situation?"

"I apologize."

It was an unexpected reaction.

We had only met today, hadn't we?

I thought they would be overjoyed if I had voluntarily entered a dangerous place and brought back valuable information.

But their displays of intimacy beyond just being members of the same unit, and their genuine concern, felt unfamiliar.

Was this just the nature of people here?

Or were these two just exceptionally kind?

It was hard to understand.

"By the way, if the White Soldiers are stationed at Outpost 28... do we have to fight to take the outpost?"

Theo's mumbled voice trembled.

I could feel his shoulders tensing, indicating considerable nervousness.

"There's no need for that."

"What do you mean?"

"The enemies have already succeeded in achieving their objective at Outpost 28. I confirmed that they abandoned the outpost and retreated, so as planned, we just need to occupy the empty Outpost 28."

"...I see."

Only then did Theo's shoulders slump, as if the tension had released.

Lirisa let out a deep sigh of relief, and the blonde was already wetting Lirisa's hand, which was covering her mouth, with her flowing tears.

Theo patted my back, telling me I did well.

After a brief reorganization, we again headed towards Outpost 28.

Perhaps because they thought there was no possibility of encountering the enemy, the group's footsteps felt much lighter, and we soon reached our destination.

Perhaps due to repeated occupation and abandonment, the atmosphere of Outpost 28 was bleak.

A colossal ancient tree, exuding a mysterious aura, stood on the mountainside, encircled by partially ruined wooden palisades.

Inside, there were barracks for soldiers and watchtowers, but like the palisades, they bore numerous traces of repeated destruction and repair.

Theo hoisted the Alliance flag at the outpost.

"But... how do we occupy it? Is it over just by hanging this flag? If we say 'this is now Alliance land,' does it become Alliance land?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself..."

Here, it became clear that all of us lacked military-related knowledge.

I was no different.

In D&K, I had performed operations to occupy enemy territory many times, but usually, the player's role was to wipe out the enemy, and the other parts were handled by White Soldiers, the NPCs, so I didn't know the detailed procedures.

Here, I cautiously offered my opinion.

"Theo, how about we lightly scout the surroundings and then report mission complete?"

"Hmm... Shall we? I guess that makes sense, right?"

Theo nodded at my suggestion.

He divided the area around the outpost into three sections and instructed everyone to scout their assigned areas for about 15 minutes before regrouping.

Why were there four people but only three sections?

It was because of the blonde, who insisted she couldn't do it alone even if she died.

Given the situation, my annoyance towards her was steadily accumulating.

"Alright, everyone, don't go too deep into the forest. Don't stray too far from the outpost, you might get lost. Don't be late..."

Hwaaaaak!

"......?"

Before Theo could finish his sentence, the world was suddenly filled with light.

More precisely, such brilliant light emanated from the tree in the center of the outpost that it felt that way.

A brilliant, multicolored light.

It gathered and burst towards the sky, dazzlingly decorating the twilight.

It was like a giant flower blooming on the ground, rising into the sky to create an aurora.

"W-what is that!"

"Oh my god... what is that? The tree is glowing!"

Theo shrieked in surprise, and Lirisa stared blankly at the tree in the center of the outpost.

The blonde, her legs giving out, was sitting on the ground, hiccupping, exhausted from crying.

And I.

“…Fuck.”

I hastily activated my Dragon's Gaze to check the chat window.

And sure enough.

Huh huh? What is this!

Stage 1-1 special event popped up!

Wow, that's happening now? Where's that person who just cleared Stage 1-1? Turn your airship back now!

The gates of hell were opening.

From a D&K player's perspective, Stage 1-1 is basically an uninteresting tutorial that teaches the basics of combat.

Due to the characteristics of the starting area, it is peaceful to the extent that there is almost no chance of combat except at Outpost 28, and its primary purpose is not combat but rather to collect magic-infused fruits that periodically grow on the Lake of Magic Tree to develop heroes.

Therefore, for some players who haven't advanced beyond Stage 1, it's a "honey farming" area they periodically visit to raise new heroes.

However, there are times when this peaceful Stage 1-1 transforms into hell.

With extremely rare probability, an anomaly occurs in the Lake Tree, and the value of the tree fruits collected at this time is incomparably higher than usual.

Thus, when this phenomenon occurs at Outpost 28, one can witness the unique spectacle of nearby airships all heading towards the lake.

From a player's perspective, the only rivals are other players.

Even if there were Alliance soldiers guarding Outpost 28, they would be no more than paper dolls that would fall with a puff.

Currently, I was playing the role of those paper dolls.

"Theo!"

In a panic, I grabbed Theo's shoulder, who was still disoriented, and shook him hard.

Only then did Theo's focus turn to me, having somewhat regained his senses.

"We need to retreat right now."

"Oh... oh? Ryan, do you know what that light is?"

"......"

For a moment, I was speechless.

What excuse should I make?

It was an emergency, so wouldn't it be better to briefly explain the situation and secure confidentiality later?

Should I just run away alone?

A myriad of thoughts came and went.

At that moment, a helping hand reached out from an unexpected place.

"I don't know what it is, but it clearly looks dangerous. With this much light, the White side might observe it and send troops here."

Following my assertion, Lirisa's reinforcement was added, and Theo made a decision.

"You're right. We've achieved our objective of occupying Outpost 28, so retreating won't violate orders. Alright, then right now..."

[Wait!]

Someone's shout was heard from above.

Without anyone acting first, we all simultaneously looked up at the sky.

A rabbit plushie, which had become familiar after seeing it a few times, was flying clumsily towards us.

It was Viscount Lemming's familiar.

The rabbit doll's mouth opened, and Viscount Lemming's gruff voice uttered shocking words.

[Retreat will not be tolerated. I am changing the objective. Squad members are to secure the fruits!]

"...Is he sane?"

A truly heartfelt remark slipped out of my mouth involuntarily.

Viscount Lemming, who flew in after discovering the light from the airship, would know.

That the light emanating from the center of Outpost 28 was showcasing an insane presence in this area, and that White airships, having observed that light, were at this very moment flying towards Outpost 28.

[I'll say it again. Squad members are to secure the fruits. It is estimated to take about 12 minutes for the fruits to mature. Secure the fruits and move to the initial rendezvous point. This is an order. Violation will result in immediate execution under military law.]

"I-immediate execution..."

Lirisa gasped in surprise at the appearance of such an utterly chilling word.

I felt my teeth grind and blood rush to my head.

I felt immense anger, but I felt like I was going crazy due to the reality of not being able to express it.

Viscount Lemming was being greedy right now.

The fruits that could be collected when an anomaly occurred wouldn't just be valuable among players.

It wasn't that I couldn't understand his desire to get his hands on them somehow.

The problem was that we were the ones being ground down for it.

Only soldiers would risk danger.

Viscount Lemming wasn't even willing to take the minimal risk of hovering his airship above Outpost 28 to allow for simultaneous fruit collection and retreat.

"I-is there support?"

It was Theo.

It must have been a question thrown out of a desperate hope, but Viscount Lemming boldly shattered even that shred of expectation.

[There is no support.]

"......"

Theo despaired.

Viscount Lemming, while giving an impossible order, didn't even try to soothe and comfort the precarious mental state of the soldiers.

No, perhaps he didn't even think he needed to.

To him, soldiers were probably just expendable items to be treated however he pleased.

"N-no, I don't want to!"

Finally, the blonde, pushed to the brink, bolted.

Viscount Lemming, who watched the blonde’s back as she ran south, crying and leaving Outpost 28, shrugged.

[Disobedience of orders and desertion.]

No sooner had he finished speaking than something bright was fired from the distant sky.

It flew in an arc, landed right in front of the blonde who was running at full speed, and exploded with a flash.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

When I opened them again, the blonde was gone.

A large crater, big enough to fit a person, and bloodstains scattered within it were all I witnessed.

"......"

None of us said a word.

Our minds couldn't process what to say.

Staring blankly at the crater, as if by unspoken agreement, was all we could do.

Regardless.

[Alright, Unit 707. Operation commence. I wish you a safe mission completion and return.]

Viscount Lemming's emotionless words made me feel like throwing up.

I looked up at the sky.

It had clearly been clear just moments ago, but now it was filled with gloomy, dark clouds, as if a downpour was imminent.

It was as if the sky was reflecting my feelings.

How wonderful it would be if I could cry like a child and run away.

How happy I would be if I could return to the midst of that incredibly boring daily life that repeated like a hamster on a wheel.

I closed my eyes, imagining such things.

My left eye caused a slight pain.

Oh, yes.

I quickly redirected my troops! I can see the Outpost 28 watchtower, so I'll arrive soon.