The interlopers who had remained at home when the Shrine Maiden Skeleton Lord was summoned had surprisingly survived the explosion. To be honest, I wasn't particularly concerned for their well-being; what mattered was that even if these otherworlders died, they could resurrect within a month in a new body. Capturing them alive was crucial.
After that, the priest of the Alice Church would administer a forbidden soul execution, which would ensure that they could no longer play Alive In World Online. For some reason, even if they attempted to use their revived accounts, they would all be linked to the same singular body. So, if we executed that body, they wouldn't be able to log into any account.
Finally, the envoy from Drake Palace, who had been controlled by the necromancer, was returned as a lifeless corpse to the children.
The children, profoundly shocked by the death of their father, were left crying and wailing in a heartbreaking scene. Rumors circulated that an envoy from Drake Castle had absconded with a harp and treasures, spread by the real culprits who manipulated information through an insider in the thieves' guild. They even went so far as to use the envoy's corpse to lend credibility to their claims.
Now that the truth has emerged and the envoy's innocence is established, the thieves' guild has no choice but to take full responsibility for dispelling these rumors. Incidentally, the pirates' treasure they had acquired is set to cover the costs of this rumor control and provide for the two children left behind by the envoy. As their father was their sole guardian, the innkeeper decided to take them in and raise them.
With the incident finally resolved and a sense of relief settling in, Trinity suddenly asked, "What are we going to do now?"
"Right, I was looking for the envoy from Drake Castle," I remembered, leaning over the table in the inn's dining room, my head buried in my hands. The harp could only be played by the envoy; no one else could produce a single note. This meant I couldn't use it to dive into the sea and reach Drake Castle. After some thought, I reluctantly decided to pursue another option: challenging the Drake Cave.
As I resolved to inform Ava and Trinity of my decision, Laura suddenly appeared.
"Thank you for locating Lord Miltos," she said. "I would like to provide a reward for Suzanne and the others. Is that acceptable?"
Ah, I remembered that Laura had directly commissioned me to search for the envoy of Drake Palace. Besides the pearls and coral gems, we had agreed to negotiate an additional reward upon success.
"Ah, I see. Even though the envoy has passed away, you're still willing to consider the request a success?" I asked.
"Yes. It is unfortunate that he is gone, but I believe Lord Miltos would be pleased that he was able to safely return to the children."
"That's true; it would have been harder for them otherwise. So, how do we proceed with the reward? You mentioned negotiating…"
"Initially, I intended to give other jewels," she explained, "but… Suzanne and the others want to meet the envoy of Drake Palace, or rather, the 'Apostle of Drake Palace,' don't they?"
"Yes, that was indeed part of our purpose for searching for the envoy."
"In that case," Laura said, "I would like to offer a meeting with the 'Apostle of Drake Palace' as your reward. Is that acceptable?"
With that, she pulled the harp from the bag she carried, an instrument once possessed by the envoy of Drake Palace.
"Wait, why is Laura holding a harp? I thought the Thieves' Guild was responsible for delivering it to the lord of this town." Trinity stared at the harp with a puzzled expression. I felt the same way; if the Thieves' Guild claimed responsibility, it didn't make sense for it to be here.
"Oh, it's fine. The Thieves' Guild did their job properly. I got the harp back from the lord," Laura explained. Wait, she got it back from the lord? That didn't sound right—it's not that easy to get something returned. Besides, meeting the lord isn't something one can do casually.
"Hmm, I see. I was a bit suspicious when we first met, but now it makes sense. Suzanne, let's have Laura guide us to Drake Castle as compensation," Ava said, seemingly satisfied. She instructed Laura to guide us to Drake Castle as part of her reward. Weren't harps meant only for the use of the Drake Castle nobles?
Well, Ava seemed confident, and if Laura could guide us, it would certainly be better than facing Drake Castle unprepared. We followed Laura as she walked towards the beach near Longness, still holding the harp.
Standing waist-deep in the water, Laura began to play the harp.
Pling! Plong!
"The harp of the sea can only be played by those who have received it from the Mermaid Queen, the Apostle of Drake Castle. However, there are others who can wield it as well."
As she spoke, Laura's form began to change. Her long ears, characteristic of elves, transformed into fins, and her slender legs melded into a single tail.
"The true owner of this harp, the mermaid, can use it unconditionally."
Indeed, Laura was a mermaid.
"After Miltoce, who communicates with Drake Castle almost daily, stopped visiting, we mermaids became worried about him. Naturally, the Mermaid Queen was also deeply concerned that something might have happened to Miltoce. So, I was sent to the surface to search for him."
I see. That's how we happened to meet, just as we were looking for a messenger from Drake Castle.
However, due to the recent incident, it was decided that the harp would indeed be brought to the surface. It seems I was to officially meet with the lord as a mermaid dispatched from Drake Castle and, in light of this incident, return the harp to Drake Castle just once.
In the future, we would review the possibility of providing protection for the messenger from Drake Castle and prepare to negotiate with them again.
For a while, communication with Drake Castle will be interrupted, which will be quite a blow to the lord and the residents of Longness, but there's nothing to be done about it. They have been negligent in handling the envoys from Drake Castle until now.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
Under Laura's guidance, we arrived at Drake Castle, thanks to the power of the harp.
"Phew! We finally made it. The underwater scenery was less impressive than I expected."
After about an hour, we reached Drake Castle, but I found myself bored while submerged.
The harp's magic felt like being encased in a soap bubble, and the views of the underwater world were breathtaking. Initially, Trinity was excited, but as the surroundings grew darker, she became quieter.
"At least it's bright around Drake Castle, so that's a relief. Honestly, thinking of Drake Castle being shrouded in darkness is a bit unsettling."
Trinity was right; the area around Drake Castle was surprisingly bright for the seabed. It must be due to some magic or the surrounding plants providing light.
"Even for a mermaid, living in darkness would be inconvenient," Laura remarked wisely.
If mermaids had dark vision, it might be different, but ordinarily, life in complete darkness would be quite challenging.
We were escorted by Laura to Drake Castle, where we had an encounter with the Mermaid Queen, known as the 'Apostle of Drake.' Without much fuss, we were granted the Apostle's token.
The Mermaid Queen, Selene, was said to be over a hundred years old, but to me, she appeared as a stunning mermaid right out of a fairytale.
Laura explained the situation surrounding the recent events and how she had come to seek our assistance, bringing us to Drake Castle as a reward for our help in resolving the issue.
"I understand," I responded. "Thank you. I'm sorry for the impertinent question, but what will happen to the role of the Apostle of Drake?"
It was a concern I wondered about. While we were fine since Laura had brought us to the castle, I couldn't help but think about how the upcoming Angel Quest regarding the Mermaid would be handled.
"As Laura mentioned, the next step involves negotiating with the lord of Longness and ensuring the safety of the Apostle of Drake, so there will be a temporary absence," came the reply.
That made sense. It would be unfortunate for those who would be tackling the quest afterward; they would have to either wait or take on the challenges of the Drake Caverns.
Afterward, we were treated to a welcome banquet by the Mermaid Queen, enjoying lavish hospitality and spending the entire day at Drake Castle.
And so, as promised—or perhaps not—was it Amy who was troubled by the gift of a tamatebako?
—Angel Quest: Testament of the Apostles, 22 left—
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
—Year AL 103, March 29—
"Wooow... What a breathtaking sight," I marveled.
In the Sekiga Basin, southeast of the Imperial Capital of Japan, the Japanese Empire's army of 3,000 faced off against the 1,000 soldiers of the Lonely Principality.
From the camp of the Lonely Principality, voices rang out, rallying the troops to boost their morale.
"Listen up! This battle is to lead King Lonely to victory! We dedicate this triumph to our King!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"We will seize the princess that our King desires!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Our hearts are united with King Lonely!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
...What on earth is happening here?
A thousand Loli Elves were loudly chanting their rallying cry.
In a way, it was magnificent.
"Wow, that's impressive. With morale that high, we might have a tough time," Zeke Fried remarked, standing beside me as we observed the forces of the Lonely Principality.
Zeke, appearing to be around twenty with his golden hair and charming demeanor, nonetheless carried a massive sword on his back that hinted at a much more formidable man than his looks suggested.
"That could definitely be a tough challenge," I replied as I turned to the voice behind me. Zeke's partner, Brynhilde, stood there, hand resting on the hilt of her sword, gazing at the encampment of the Lonely Principality's army over our shoulders.
Hilde was tall for a woman, towering at over 180 cm, while Zeke and I both measured around 175 cm. Despite her slender build, she boasted a striking figure that would make any model envious, with a notably generous bust. To my envy, Zeke and Hilde were in a romantic relationship.
"There's no problem. The strength ratio is three to one. Clearly, we have the advantage," declared a blue-haired girl draped in a wizard's robe. She was Aya Namirei, a magician who spoke flatly and matter-of-factly.
"Well, maybe, but don't you think they're aware of that? They might have some strategy up their sleeve. We shouldn't underestimate them," retorted a girl speaking in a mock Kansai dialect. She was Yuri Vanquish, Aya's partner, a knight who served as her sword and shield. By the way, Yuri was actually from the Tohoku region in real life, and her Kansai accent was part of her role-playing.
Interestingly, Aya's emotionless demeanor was also an act; in reality, she was said to be quite lively.
"That's true. It would be normal to assume they're preparing some countermeasures to offset the numbers," I acknowledged.
"Seriously, though, looking at them, I can't shake the feeling they're not thinking at all, am I just imagining that?"
It was Ava and Trinity. Before I knew it, the entire squad had gathered. We found ourselves within the ranks of the Jipan Imperial Army, assigned to the 8th Temporary Unit of the Emerald Knights, Black Steel. For some reason, we had been pulled into the war between the Jipan Empire and the Lonely Duchy.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
Let's go back two days. After leaving the Drake Castle, we made our way to our next target: the "Apostle of Awakening, Zone," in the Imperial City of Jipanes. Once we arrived, we each set off to gather information, as was our custom. I headed to the Adventurer's Guild, Trinity went to the Thieves' Guild and the Guides' Guild, and Ava tapped into her own information network.