I give my body unto Him.
I give my life for Him,
so that I may please Him.
✦ ✦ ✦
People who do unassisted speedruns of giant RPGs are, in my opinion, a type of philosopher. They are enlightened.
Anyway! PotatoStarch here. I’ve run into a bit of trouble. I’m unable to use hyper mode to speed up time. Hmm. The event is still ongoing so I guess there’s no problem, but I can’t even skip sleeping times. What? You want me to do a stream of watching Kuroi’s sleeping face? Okay, that one was a joke.
But really, stuff like this is what makes streaming bittersweet. Like lemonade? Or maybe chocolate? While I’m still energetic, I can steadily up my stats, and when I’m feeling tired I should have been able to just let things play out in observation mode.
By the way, things have taken a pretty interesting turn. It’s quite the shocking, mysterious turn, too. Maybe this thing is bugged...
Ahem. So, it turns out the monsters were sent by the elves. Their forces number 600 elven troops and 400 familiars, for a total of 1,000 fighters. This is a formation the elves could use in unconventional warfare against the vampires. They have a reasonable number of troops, and their numbers make hiding, attacking, and running easier.
Part of the use of this frontier battle is to lure out their enemy. The strategy is to come to inspect the ruins of the Frontier before sieging and annihilating us. An army of a thousand could easily suppress one or two hundred.
But what is this? Why is this? There’s an Apostle among their ranks! This is no place for her. There’s a big difference between one’s own territory and someone else’s. I mean, Apostles are the strongest job. They’re the trump cards for each race. Normally, the elves have three and the vampires have three. There’s a hard limit on them, so it’s not possible to have any more. It’s part of the reason both sides are evenly matched. But now in this deluxe playthrough, the humans have their own special girl.
So what’s an Apostle doing in human lands with a small force? Not to mention this particular elven Apostle’s appearance is beyond bizarre. It’s Sakiel! Sakiel, guys! She’s the Vermillion Flower of the Trileaves and the only little girl character! She was second place on the official site’s popularity poll! Well, stats-wise she’s the weakest of all the Apostles and she can only use Summon and Call magic.
But she’s not someone you can afford to leave out of a battle with demons. She’s what you’d call defensively oriented. So to see her here... It just makes even less sense. And where’s her servant? That scary-looking older girl... There she is, up in the sky camouflaged with a white cloak. That’s the elves’ best flying unit for you.
Her name is Fleilyu, the Falcon. As servant to Apostle Sakiel, Angel of Ten Thousand Bells, she’s the character that many players speak of as “it’s game over if she spots you,” a.k.a. Sudden Death Girl. If she’s up there watching for enemies, does that mean this mysterious event is going to turn into a limited scale war? If that’s what this army is for, then I guess I can understand why Sakiel is here... Nope! It’s Sakiel, after all.
Is some big player about to appear? Since there are no demons... A vampire Apostle? Nah, no way. If that actually happened, the humans would be so screwed. Wiped out, in fact. The best I can think of is a mid-scale battle. I hope it’s that.
Then, are the elves laying a trap or will the vampires bring it to them? Either way, the frontier is guaranteed to be collateral damage. The humans are totally screwed. Oh! The elven army is entering the frontier. Things look fairly orderly, but there’s no avoiding trouble in this power dynamic. We did kill their scout familiars last night, after all.
Time to get ahead of this!
✦ ✦ ✦
I was seen.
Just now, something was looking at me. A gaze struck my body like an arrow... No, pierced it, like an invisible, silent, and fearsome spear.
I should lose altitude. Carefully. Weave through the air. Alighting on the unmoving ground, I can finally tell for sure. My body is shaking. This has never happened before. Even in my battles with demons, I remained proud and true.
This is dangerous. Something extremely dangerous lurks here. It’s not a vampire, either. Those creatures are nocturnal and essentially powerless against a sun-filled sky. I would never be afraid of them.
But this danger... It must be related to a demon. If that is the case, perhaps there is a secret hidden in the land itself. The humans have only recently started to settle here. There could be something buried underground that they are unaware of, melted into the darkness.
Say, perhaps, an ancient demon that was sealed away here in a war from the Old World. The legends often speak of an undead king’s curse. If that is the case, I can understand the Council’s emergency decision.
I must return to Lady Sakiel’s side. I must tighten my watch. I must be as a moonless night, even during the day.
“Where are you going, Dragon Warrior? This is not your post.”
“S-Second Commander Arcsem.”
“Sit among the clouds in case the bloodsuckers attack. That is your duty.” What a pain. Has he been watching me?
“My duty is to guard Her Grace the Dragon Commander. Let me through.”
“I cannot. We have not detected any sort of threat at present. Return to your post.”
“Detected? It’ll be too late once you do!”
“Do not speak so unclearly. It does not suit your rank, Falcon.” Damn him. I had taken his stubbornness into account, but there is a clear edge to his tone. This situation is against his will. Originally, this was to be an expedition to draw out and destroy the vampires, in which he would have been able to use his strength and talents to their full potential. As a Second Commander, such an opportunity would be almost worth killing for.
“Don’t forget, I have the right to command on this mission. I will have you obey my orders, Dragon Warrior.” His argument is stubborn and sound. The Council decided to change our duty and assigned us a scouting mission. As a result, his carefully raised platoon is being used as disposable bodyguards for Lady Sakiel.
“Fly, and do your best to find the bloodsuckers before they do anything terrible.”
“Her Grace is in that building, correct?”
“You won’t obey, then? Well—”
“Know your place, or find out the hard way. Her Grace’s safety is more valuable and precious than all of your lives, honor, and anything else you can think of combined. If you continue to bar my way, you will experience the Falcon firsthand.” Back off, Second Commander Arcsem. I can sympathize with feeling regret over being swept aside, but being patient in the face of such adversity is something to be proud of. You are a water mage. If you reach for the water canister at your waist... Good. That’s a good boy.
“...At the end of the second floor.”
“You have my gratitude.” That attitude. Those footsteps. I’d thought him a calmer man, but he’s surprisingly passionate. Perhaps that is how much he is risking with this mission.
Not good. I shouldn’t have left Lady Sakiel’s side.
The security is passable. Soldiers line the street, wind falcons sit atop the roof, frogs and lizards lurk beneath the rubble, and silver leopards lie in wait inside buildings. No openings. However, it is only a human-made building. I simply cannot relax around painted wood walls.
“Oh? Fleilyu, you’re back?”
“Yes, I requested to serve at Your Grace’s side... Erm, what are you doing?” Her loveliness knows no bounds. Clinging to the window in the back of the room, she looks much like a rainfrog.
“I was looking at the humans.”
“The humans?”
“I can see a group of whelplings. Five or six, I believe.” She beckons me over to the windowsill. Ah, so she can see the side of the well. A crowd of human children are gathered about.
“They’re drawing water with that bucket.”
“Hee hee! It’s a game, actually. A water game. I like such things, so I can tell.” That water is extracted from the ground without ever coming into contact with the wind. In other words, it is not suitable for our magic. This would not be a good location for a base.
“Hm? What are they doing with the beasts?”
“Oh, they are giving the silver leopards water.” We should be fine in terms of supplies. The horses and cattle are in enclosed spaces, so they cannot wander off.
“And feeding them.” Human children, their favorite food, are plentiful here.