Around the time Second and the others were struggling to tame a wraith.
『Dizart』 the anti-church forces were steadily preparing for the revolution.
In the midst of all this, the key members of Dizart, led by their leader Brighton, were holding a meeting with a map spread out on a table.
"The conclave happens early in the morning. Therefore, the surprise attack should be carried out from dawn to early morning."
"Wait, wouldn't it be more effective to strike directly when the conclave takes place?"
"No, it's better to do it before Old Joh's security is set in place. If it's early at dawn, it should be lacking."
"Are there any other opinions? ...Then, a surprise attack at dawn it is. Brighton, what method would be used?"
"Let's take the northern route. We'll use Operation White Silver."()
Operation White Silver was one of the surprise attack methods that had been planned for the coming day of the revolution.
This plan was only effective in winter. In the northern part of the Sacred Country of Kamel, and especially so in the mountains north of Old Joh, snow fell and blanketed the mountains. By making use of this geographical advantage, all members of Dizart would don white cloaks and carry out a surprise attack under the cover of the white snow.
On one side were the members of Dizart, who had lived every season of their lives in hiding in the mountains, and on the other side were the soldiers of the Sacred Country, who had not fought a war of any kind in decades. It was hard to imagine which side would be better prepared.
However, Dizart was a collection of oppressed people and less than a thousand at that. It was inconceivable that they would be able to put up a fight against the standing army of the Kamel Church, which was around 10,000 men.
Still...If one could hit while the conclave was taking place, it was a different story.
They believed that no matter the cost, they could turn things around by killing the Pope, the root of all evil, and the cardinals who sucked up to him.
The Pope and all cardinals were in one place. There was a one-in-a-million chance of success if they aimed here. But conversely, there was no other chance of success for the revolutionary army, however small, if they didn't target this meeting.
Therefore, with the desperate resolution to abandon everything but this sliver of hope, they were about to rise up, betting their everything on this chance.
"..."
Brighton looked at the ring that dangled at the end of his necklace with a sad expression while holding it in his hand.
His wife's ring, who was now deceased. Their wives, children, fathers, and mothers―― they had all been killed. Brighton's only living family was now his brothers-in-arms.
...Closing his eyes, he grasped the ring tightly. Then he took one deep breath.
Almost everyone who arrived here at Dizart had some sort of tragic story to tell, as deep and as sad as Brighton.
So for their sake, and my own, he thought, we must avenge our dead.
No matter the cost, the revolution must take place.
And that time, had come――
"Aniki! They're over here too!"
There is an old proverb.
It says――Traffic accidents are most likely to happen to those who are just starting to learn to drive.
"Ploum! Don't get carried away! You're being reckless!"
"Eh?"
Ploum readied his "Soldier Archery" attack as before. However, the situation was different this time around. Ploum had gone too far forward.
Before Ploum could shoot the arrow, the monster noticed their presence. It was a monster called Madaradhir. It looked like a deer with a poisonous-like spotted body and large horns and was characterized by its quick movements.
"Tch...!"
With a click of his tongue, Jast immediately prepared a "Soldier Archery" attack and fired it before the dumbfounded Ploum could. He had come to the conclusion that there was no time to investigate whether or not it was a Wraith, so he fired the first shot.
"GYAAAOHH!"
A clean hit. The madaradhir, who had received a critical hit in its left shoulder with that arrow, switched targets from Ploum to Jast. Sure enough, the madaradhir was the real deal.
"Ploum! Back off!"
"O-okay!"
At Jast's command, Ploum ran backward. However, the order he gave was wrong. What he should've said was "out of the way".
"No, idiot! That's not it!"
"Ehh!?"
Ploum was stupidly honest, and foolishly ran straight back, that is straight back at him. Jast wanted to move back while staying out of his line of fire. It was common sense for those involved in [Archery] to not interfere with the line of fire of others, but Ploum had yet to acquire that common sense. That was all there was to it.
"Shit!"
The chase turned around.
In that time, the madaradhir was closing in on Ploum and Jast.
The moment Ploum retreated to his side, Jast unleased the "Silver Archery" attack he had prepared.
"Aw, shit."
The madaradhir dodged the incoming arrow.
When dealing with agile monsters, such things can happen, so an archer can't let their guard down even for a moment. Therefore, the distance from the monsters is a very important factor to consider.
"Damn...Take this then!"
Jast immediately readied "Soldier Archery" and fired it at the madaradhir at zero range.
The madaradhir launched a body slam attack just before receiving Jast's blow, and both sides ate both attacks almost at the same time.
The "Soldier Archery" was a critical hit to the head, killing the madaradhir instantly. However, it seemed the momentum of the Body Slam attack remained, and Jast received a direct hit from it and was blown backward.
"Aniki!!"
Ploum shouted at Jast, who fell to the ground three meters behind him.
It was my fault, he thought, and regret washes over him. But in reality, 80% of it was Jast's fault for bringing him here. Therefore, both of them should be expecting a scolding from Yukari when they returned that night.
Half-crying, Ploum rushed to Jast.
Jast was sprawled on his back, stunned and unconscious. In Mobius, the stun effect had a 6.25% chance of occurring when a strong impact was applied to the head. Perhaps he had hit his head hard when he was blown away and fell. Seems like he was unlucky enough to hit the stun lottery.
"Aniki! Aniki! Are you okay!? A-Ah, that's right, a potion...!"
There is an old proverb.
It says――When it's not your day, it's not your day.
"Ahh."
Ploum took the abnormal status recovery potion he had received earlier, out of his inventory.
However, perhaps because his hand was trembling, he dropped it.
"Eh, wait. Come back."
The potion then rolled down the slope, and Ploum chased after it.
"Huh!?"
―Suddenly, his foothold was gone.
The place the potion had rolled off was a cliff.
But by the time he realized it, it was too late. Ploum's body was completely off of the cliff.
"Uhwaaaaaaaaaa!?"
I'm falling! Ploum immediately noticed this fact――.
"...ly..."
"Seriously, I can't be taking care of you, is what she said."
As Ploum's body hung tied by a string, came a voice that seemed to be in a bad mood.()
He was rescued by Luna's, an assassin from the Yve Squad, "Gold Thread Manipulation"―― a skill to bind opponents within a four-meter radius with a thread.
"Uh, geh...T-Thank you ver-gu-guuu!"
Ploum was hanging by a thread from the cliff. I was a very hard restraint, but given the circumstances, he couldn't complain, not that he could even do it if he tried, given that even giving his thanks was hard.
"...te...en."
"I won't let you waste a potion given to you by Master, is what she said."
Yve, on the other hand, was twirling the potion that should've fallen, on a string.
Her own body was hanging by another thread that hung from a tree that was growing on a side of the cliff.
"Ohh, gehh! ...It hurts, thank you very much. Ou-ouch, hurts..."
Luna jerked up the string, pulling Ploum up and throwing him roughly over the cliff. Ploum had bruises all over his body, but it wasn't a big deal considering that she saved his life, so he thanked her again.
Next, using centrifugal force, Yve threw the abnormal status recovery potion over the cliff. With quick movements, Luna caught it. Everything seemed to be settled now, but...
Crack...The tree Yve was hanging from made a scary noise.
"!"
Luna, who immediately understood the situation, without a moment to waste, stretched out her thread in order to restrain Yve.
At the same time, Yve too searched for a place other than the tree to hold on to.
However, they didn't make it in time.
"uh...!"
Crunch, crack, crackcrackcrackcrack, a loud sound echoed――And the tree broke.
Yve was thrown into the air, falling down helplessly.
...The cliff was quite high. And no matter how high your skills were in rank, a fall from this height was not something one could get away with.
Hence, Luna, with an unusual expression of impatience on her face, moved her legs in order to jump off the cliff to save Yve.
But Ploum pulled her back by the hand before she could do it.
"What are you doing...?!"
"It's okay."
Luna let her anger be visible on her face. After causing so much trouble, this guy still tries to get in my way...she thought. However, even on the receiving end of such an accusatory look, Ploum¨ continued to speak as if to reassure Luna.
"I've called. So, I'm sure it'll be fine."
Ploum had already called when the tree started to creak.
Called using the team-limited communication, informing that Yve was about to fall off a cliff right now.
"...uh...e...!"
How many more seconds until she reached the ground? Yve was in a strange state of mind as if one second felt like ten or twenty. And all the while, she was desperately racking her brain, trying to figure out a way to soften the impact of her landing.
But then, those thoughts suddenly vanished. And in their place, fear took hold. An emotion she hadn't felt in a long time took over her mind.
It will be very painful. Worst case, I might die. When she started on that line of thought, Yve was scared and helpless.
I wonder if Luna, who's said to no being able to feel fear, would deal with this situation calmly――She wondered. At that moment, she had given up hope, and her mind was wandering into unnecessary thoughts.
Suddenly, she felt a shadow swell up behind her.
And then, something softly enveloped Yve's body.
"――Don't bite your tongue."
"...er..."
Was this a dream, or an illusion? The one who spoke those words into Yve's ear was the master she served, Second Firstest.
She will never forget the sight of that moment.
Looking up from his chest, she could see a halo shining behind his face.
She had never looked directly at the sun, but it was at this moment that she saw it for the first time in her life.
What an amazing person, she thought. And she felt that way from the bottom of her heart. He was exactly like a knight who gallantly rushes to save a princess in peril. She had read that tale of the knight in a dimly-lit prison cell when she was a child. And right now it was a beautiful reproduction of that scene, leaving a sweet numbness as if she had just become the character of that story that she had longed for all that time but had to forget about.
And this time, she had indeed fallen. While falling out, she had fallen in.
And as to what, it would be a tactless thing to say in this situation.
＊ ＊ ＊
Well then.
What the heck?
This is one hell of a situation, seriously.
What should I do?
If I just land like this, well, it will hurt like hell, but I won't die.
Still, even if I'm fine, I should absolutely avoid a situation where my innocent servants are hurt.
Hence, the need to nullify the fall damage for two people.
And I know of five main methods to do so.
First. Maximize the value of 'fall damage resistance' with equipment effects.
Second. Use the eight-second invincibility window of "Transform".
Third. Use a skill that "automatically starts a specific motion just after activation", moments before landing.
Fourth. Log out just before landing, then log back in.
Fifth. Immediately before landing, activate the "Horse Riding" skill within a radius of 2 meters from the "riding unit".
Of these methods, one that can be chosen without inconvenience at this moment and that satisfies the requirement of serving two people――It's only the fifth one.
"Anko, transform."
"As you wish."
The above decisions were made in less than one second.
Mostly as a 'gut feeling'.
As soon as I realized that I was falling off a cliff, I had given Anko the order to use "Darkness Shift" to transform. To be honest, I felt a little impressed, to think the human brain was such a wondrous thing to accomplish such feats even while falling.
The same was true of the moment I was transferred. I immediately understood with my senses that Anko has used "Darkness Transfer" into Yve's shadow that was cast on a side of the cliff, and "Darkness Summon" to call me to Yve's back. I'm really amazed at my brain, I wonder how I was able to grasp so much information in such a short period of time.
Now that I think about it, the fact that Pupupu-kun said in the team communication "about to fall" was also very helpful. It's probably thanks to him that I'm taking this situation so easily.
"...K-Kya!"
Yve, who was being carried by me in a princess carry, let out a short yelp as we landed on Anko's back using the "Horse Riding landing".
Maybe she was scared. No, I think it would be normal to be scared in this situation.
Probably she couldn't help it, after all, where had all that energy from them falling down gone? It's indeed a mysterious phenomenon that defied the laws of physics, and it occurred right in front of her eyes. I'm sure I let a scream or two when I first experienced it on my own.
Now, we're straddling the back of Anko, who has turned into a wolf, making it seem like the falling off the cliff from a couple of seconds ago like a lie.
The way it worked is quite simple. The moment the "Horse Riding" skill was activated, the starting position of the fall was reset, and so was the velocity. That's all there is to it.
Incidentally, whether the target unit is a horse, a flying dragon, or a Darkness Wolf, the skill to ride them is "Horse Riding" all the same. I wonder why is it called Horse Riding when it's not for riding only horses?
"Anko, that's enough."
Having landed safely at the bottom of the cliff, I ordered Anko to Transform again.
When Anko returned to her human form, she then slumped down into my body.
"Uh...Cant move..."
Seems like she was overexposed to the sun since this place has a notorious lack of shades.
I thanked her and told her "Go get some rest" before using "Unsummon" to send her back. She really did great. I'll have to think of some kind of reward.
"What a disaster, huh?"
"M...b..."
"Huh? Ohh, don't worry about it. Well, stuff like that can happen."
"...ed...od!"
"Are you relieved? You can cry if you want, unfortunately, this is the only place available."
When I said so as a joke to try to calm her down, Yve buried her face in my chest and quietly started crying.
In the meantime, I'll send a "rescue successful" message via team communication. I'm sure Luna and Pupupu-kun will be worried.
...One moment. Now that I think about it, I was able to hear what Yve was saying. Was it because we were near each other?
"I...ow..."
"Eh, you're fine already? That was really fast...Uh, isn't your face way too red!?"
Yve looked up saying, "I've calmed down, master," but looking closely, her cheeks, ears, neck, and even her hands were bright red, which was quite the contrast with her usual snow-white skin. In addition, her thin body was trembling. I can tell for sure, this girl has definitely not calmed down.
"I won't get mad, you can stay like this for a while, okay?"
"...ut...n"
"Okay?"
"...ay"
Regardless of what she responded, I planned to keep her in a princess carry for now.
It's sort of weird that she, the most combative and silent maid among the servants would be so distraught just by falling head-first from a cliff. Could it be that she also 'fell' in another way? No way, right?
...Huh? Suddenly it's getting very cold.
Yve was still shivering. Maybe her shivering isn't one of relief but she's simply cold.
That's one thing that's both good and bad in this world, the temperature. Back in Mobius, it was neither hot nor cold...Thinking about it, I think it would be for the best to try and find some equipment that feels cool and fresh for the next summer title matches.
"Huh...? Oh."
As I looked around, taking in our current situation, I found a cave on the side that seemed to be able to be used as a shelter from the cold winds. I decided to walk over with Yve in my arms.
However, if winter gets this cold it must be hard for the animals. I wonder if they are hibernating or something.
"..."
...
...Hibernation?
No way. That can't be, right?
Monsters hibernating? Do they do it? Is it something normal?
...Wait a moment. The Ookaratezaru and the Madaradhir are monsters modeled after monkeys and deer, right? Do monkeys and deers hibernate?
Then, what happens with the rest of the monsters? What about the Judou Bear? And the Hanten Lizard? Now that I think about it, I haven't seen any of those monsters in the past six days.
What was the Wraith modeled after? A ghost? An urban legend? A doppelganger? Ahh...
...A chameleon, right?
"...Yve, look at that."
"...u...?"
"Yes, it's a huge discovery."
Deep inside the cave we've entered.
Some Hanten Lizards were sleeping huddled together in a natural bed of soil and dead leaves.
There are, let's see, three, four, five in total. But there were some strange ones mixed in.
For some reason, an Ookaratezaru and a Madaradhir were sleeping next to the Hanten Lizards.
And, you see... Those aren't monsters that have to hibernate like reptiles, right?
"These five monsters are definitely wraiths. No wonder we couldn't find them. They didn't want to be exposed to the freezing winter so they came to this place...!"