The Adventurer's Guild was packed with people when I arrived. Apparently, some duchy had declared war on the Jipan Empire. In a bid to reinforce their forces, they were calling on adventurers for support, prompting a throng of them to rush in, eager for fame and rewards. Rumor had it that if you played your cards right, you could even join the Jipan Knights.
At that moment, I thought the war was none of my concern. But that assumption was about to be shattered.
"Wait, the king of the attacking Lonely Duchy is 'the Apostle of Awakening, Zone'?"
"Didn't you know? I just assumed that was why you came to the Adventurer's Guild!"
"Wait, what? You can't obtain the Apostle's Proof unless you participate in this war?"
"Not exactly. If you join the war and the Jipan Empire wins, it seems you can acquire the Apostle's Proof without having to face the 'Awakened Apostle' directly. But if you choose not to fight in the war, you'll have to confront the 'Awakened Apostle' in person, which I think is impossible for now."
In the midst of the chaos, I caught a young adventurer and asked her for information about the 'Awakened Apostle.' This was her response. Seriously? While I would love to avoid a direct confrontation with the 'Awakened Apostle,' the idea of participating in the war gives me pause. I thanked the girl and decided to consult Ava and Trinity for their opinions.
When we gathered at the inn where we had agreed to meet, we shared the information we had collected. Ava and Trinity were already aware that the 'Awakened Apostle' was involved in this war, so they didn't look too pleased.
"There's no doubt that Clem Hart Bolti, the Duke of the Lonely Principality, is the 'Awakened Apostle: Zone,'" Ava stated.
"What I found out is even worse, in a different way. Clem is nicknamed the 'Lolita King.' He has an outrageous obsession with young girls, and this war is about targeting Emperor Charlotte's daughter, Josephine. It's just gross. Plus, for some reason, this Lolita King seems to attract girls like crazy, so the Emperor is doing everything he can to keep her away from him."
What the hell is that? A king of the Lonely Duchy, a loli king, and the "Awakened Apostle" all rolled into one. And he's unconditionally liked by girls? Of course the emperor would be terrified to expose his daughter in front of a loli king. It seems that the duchy is swarmed with girls. In fact, it appears that King Clem is the only man there. What a loli harem that must be.
"I hear some girls are actually volunteering to go to the Lonely Duchy, which makes it even more unmanageable."
"Huh? Why would they willingly walk into the lair of a lolicon?"
"Apparently, the loli king has the power to slow aging. So, in essence, they're offering themselves up in exchange for eternal youth. That power only works on girls, so they're flocking there while they can!"
Strictly speaking, they define 'girls' as those aged between 5 and 12. Given that this country is a land of elves, that translates to ages 20 to 50 in elf years. It seems the Lonely Duchy exists by luring people with the promise of eternal youth. In a way, it's a terrifying place.
"So, what's the plan? Are you going to participate in this war? By the way, outside of warfare, it seems you can receive a token from the 'Awakened Apostle' by offering up a girl."
I'm grappling with the information Trinity just revealed. What is that? There's no way I can do something like that!
Seriously, I wish this duchy would just cease to exist. Or maybe I should join the war and thoroughly wreak havoc instead? Oh, and now that I think about it, this time we're not just facing the loli king, but also the girl soldiers. That's going to be a real challenge.
In this AIWOn game, despite it being a game, the residents—both celestial and earthly—are almost indistinguishable from us humans. Is it really acceptable to kill beings who are just like us, even if it's for the sake of the game?
"Hey, we're talking about war here, which means killing people. Are you two okay with that?"
I could see Trinity gasp at my question, but there was a visible resolve in her eyes.
"I've never harmed anyone, but I've been ready for this since I became an adventurer. Sometimes, adventurers have to kill, whether they want to or not. Otherwise, I wouldn't be an adventurer."
"I won't hesitate to kill if it's necessary," Ava added.
Trinity and Ava had already steeled themselves from the beginning. It seems I'm the only one struggling with this. To survive in such a harsh world that supports the heavens and the earth, this kind of resolve might be essential.
"Well, still, I don't think we need to worry too much this time. The Lonely Duchy has a puppeteer, so most of the soldiers we face will probably be puppets."
"Wait, what?! Seriously?! Why in the world is there a puppeteer in the Lonely Duchy?!"
Trinity let out a near-scream.
"What's going on? Is he famous?"
"Famous? More like ultra-famous. That puppeteer is an S-rank adventurer, just like Mibani."
No way, seriously? So we might have to face that S-rank?
"By the way, this is apparently the third war for the Lonely Duchy. They're even calling it the Third Great War in some circles, which makes no sense at all."
What the hell? But the Lonely Duchy has some nerve, trying to start a war again after failing twice.
And what's with the Jipan Empire getting provoked so many times? I really hoped they would handle things through negotiation or something more sensible.
"Both the last and the one before it saw minimal damage for both countries. In fact, it seems the Jipan Empire suffered more losses compared to the Lonely Duchy, where the damage was almost entirely to puppets."
Ah, that's why. Ava's reassurance about not needing to worry must be based on those previous outcomes.
Hmm, if I let this chance slip by, it might be a while before I can get a chance to obtain the Apostle's Proof again…
Sigh, it can't be helped. I need to come to terms with this.
The condition for obtaining the Apostle's Proof is winning the war, so if I play my cards right, I might avoid any lethal confrontations.
I informed the two of them that I would be participating in this war.
Having received a summons from the Jipan Empire at the Adventurers' Guild, I arrived at the designated battlefield that day, only to be informed of my assignment and see a temporary unit formed.
The heavy warrior Zeke Fried, B-rank adventurer.
The fighter Brynhilde, B-rank adventurer.
The knight Yuri Vankish, C-rank adventurer.
The sorceress Aya Namirei, C-rank adventurer.
The magic warrior Ava, D-rank adventurer.
The rogue Trinity, D-rank adventurer.
And then there's me, the blade warrior, a D-rank adventurer.
Our party clearly leans toward the front line, but the rank disparity is striking.
"Looks like you showed up after all," Yuri greets, his accent a mockery of Kansai dialect. He's the girl from the Guild who mentioned that 'the Apostle of Awakening' is the king of the Lonely Duchy.
"Yeah, seemed like the right choice," I reply.
"Can't argue with that."
Prompted by Yuri's remark, we share brief introductions and exchange any information we have. When I mention that most of the enemy forces appear to be puppets, Yuri squints in the direction of the army deployed by the Lonely Duchy.
"All of these are puppets? They look just like ordinary elf girls."
"Yeah, I expected a horde of rough-looking puppets when they mentioned a puppeteer..."
What stands before us are indeed puppets that, as Zeke pointed out, resemble nothing but elven girls from any angle.
Behind the puppet, a small unit of the Lonely Duchy Army, consisting of just a dozen men, stands ready, and among them is King Clem, the very catalyst of this war. We must break through this army of 1,000 puppets to reach the enemy commander.
"Seriously? Expecting us to charge through all these puppets? Is our general even thinking straight?"
"Maybe it's because they see us as otherworlders," one suggested.
"Is that the rumor about otherworlders coming back to life after dying?" another chimed in.
"It seems that rumor has spread quite a bit," he replied. "If that's the case, it would make us a bothersome presence to the inhabitants of this world, but ideal disposable soldiers for a war like this."
Yuri questioned the motives of the Jipan Imperial Army's leadership, while Hild speculated on the reasons behind it. When Trinity mentioned it might be due to the rumors, Zeke nodded in understanding.
Our mission as the Jade Knights' temporary unit 8 is to carve a path through the center of these 1,000 puppets to the enemy's stronghold. This operation involves a combined effort of three units: the Black Steel temporary units 7 and 9. To be frank, it's a reckless undertaking.
Rumors have been circulating among the locals that otherworlders can return to life within a month after they die, and it seems some of them find us rather unsettling because of it. Ironically, the source of those very rumors stands right before them.
"I am the third one.
When I was the second, I told Tenchi people everything as it was to someone I used to be close with. That's when I was called a monster."
Aya confesses this.
That experience taught her that if you die once, it's better to cut ties with your previous body on the world and reality message boards.
Rumors, once spread, are hard to dispel, and it's likely that the higher-ups among the Tenchi people understand how the bodies of otherworlders function. They might be keeping this information under wraps out of fear of panic.
This could be affecting the current operation.
By the way, in our Eighth Auxiliary Unit, aside from Trinity, everyone is an otherworlder. The Seventh Auxiliary Unit consists entirely of otherworlders, while the Ninth Auxiliary Unit has three Tenchi people and four otherworlders.
"Well, complaining won't change anything.
Our mission is to pave the way for the elite force of the Jipang Empire, the Crimson Jewel Knights. Right now, we are just hired mercenaries, so we'll keep our heads down and follow orders."
Zeke, the leader of our B-ranked Eighth Auxiliary Unit, begins issuing combat formations.
With the Seventh Auxiliary Unit at the forefront, we're to position the Eighth and Ninth Auxiliary Units to the sides and rear, breaking through the enemy lines in a wedge formation.
In our ranks, Zeke and the knight Yuri take the lead as heavy warriors in the front, while Aya, the core of this operation with her magical firepower, is flanked by me and Hilda. In the rear, we have Ava and Trinity.
In fact, only one important magic user is assigned to both the 7th and 9th Temporary Units. Clearly, they're just special attack squads focused solely on brute force. Is the military headquarters seriously planning to wear us down with this operation?
As if reading my thoughts, Aya mutters softly, "Don't worry. We've won with similar strategies before."
"...I hope they don't have any countermeasures prepared."
I see. They've had success in past operations, so it's reasonable to assume they've got something up their sleeve. The Loli King doesn't seem the type to give up so easily, so it's only logical to think there's a counter in place... Sigh, if it comes to it, pulling out of the front lines might be unavoidable.
Meanwhile, we take our positions as the battle commences. From the opposing side, elf girls charge at us, shouting "Noja! Noja!" with swords and spears in hand. We each grip our weapons, ready to counterattack as we charge straight through the center.