In front of the East Gate of Orario. The sun hadn't even shown its face yet, and the air felt biting cold. I was inside a caravan wagon preparing to depart from Orario.
I had finished training with everyone from the Loki Familia around 10 PM the previous night. After returning to the surface, I asked Hermes-sama, who was still awake, to update my Status. I received a gift from Asfi-san, then took a short nap.
After about three hours of sleep, I changed clothes and got ready. About two hours ago, I boarded a caravan wagon arranged through Hermes-sama's connections.
As I was dozing again, the noise outside woke me. Inside the box wagon, which I had boarded first, several adventurers were already present.
Fully awake now, I spaced out for a bit until one of the adventurers noticed me.
"Hey… You're the Shadow Devil from the Hermes Familia, right?"
"Hm? Yeah, that's me."
"I thought so! I heard you're here to help out with the War Game. Is that true?"
"Yes."
That sparked others nearby to gather around. The town closest to our destination, the ruins of the Shreme Castle, was a full day's journey by wagon from Agris. Honestly, running there would be faster, but since it's so far, we decided to take the wagon this time.
What I'm trying to say is, since we'd be stuck on this wagon for a full day, Hermes-sama taught me that keeping a good relationship with your fellow passengers was important during such a long trip.
As we chatted, someone suddenly jumped onto the wagon. I looked over and saw Bell, dressed lightly with a cloak thrown over his travel clothes, a bag slung over his shoulder.
"Hey, good morning."
"Ah, huh? Toki? Weren't you supposed to go ahead?"
"That's just Welf and the others. I was training until late last night."
"Oh, I see…"
Bell sat down beside me.
"…Hey, Shadow Devil, is that, "
"Yes, this is Bell Cranel, the main figure in this War Game from the Hestia Familia, known as the 'Little Rookie.'"
"So that's who you are!"
Immediately, people swarmed around Bell.
"You're facing some tough opponents, but good luck!"
"Here, take this as a token of friendship!"
"How about this?"
He was bombarded with sweets like sugar candies and fruit tarts. He glanced at me, silently pleading for help, but I just showed my empty hands. Mine were just as full as his.
Once the crowd calmed, we finally had a chance to talk.
"That was a close call."
"Yeah… I woke up early, but there were some circumstances…"
I sensed something off in Bell's awkward smile. Observing him, I guessed the reason.
"…Muscle pain?"
"Ugh…"
He trembled, then let out a strange little yelp.
"How'd you know?"
"…Because I'm in the same boat."
After some rough sparring with the Loki Familia's top members yesterday, we pushed our training to the limit and ended up with muscle pain all over.
"What about you?"
"...Same reason."
We exchanged wry smiles and sighed.
Soon, the wagon wheels began to turn slowly, and intermittent jolts shook the seats we were sitting on. In other words… the muscle pain was hurting.
"Bell-san!"
Suddenly, I heard a voice calling Bell from outside. Surprised, I looked out the wagon window and saw Syr, a clerk from the 'Hostess of Fertility' tavern.
"Syr-san!? That's dangerous!"
Bell hurriedly opened the window to warn her. Sitting down, I couldn't see outside anymore but could hear their conversation.
"Please take this!"
"Huh?"
"An adventurer who frequents our tavern gave this to us… it's a charm! Do your best! And please come back to our tavern! I'll make you a lunchbox and wait for you!"
As their voices faded, Bell leaned out the window, probably waving goodbye.
Back in his seat, Bell held a necklace amulet. It was shaped like a drop, made of metal, with a green jewel embedded in it. I didn't know its effect, but it was probably an accessory for adventurers. Bell put it around his neck and tucked it under his clothes.
"…Let's win."
"…Of course."
We exchanged determined smiles and silently vowed to win this battle.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Several hours passed, the wagon rocking us back and forth. We passed the time chatting, eventually discussing what kind of training we had been doing.
"By the way, thanks for that letter of introduction. Thanks to it, I got smooth training with Ais-san."
"Is that so? What kind of training?"
Bell's face suddenly clouded over.
"Um, basically endless mock battles with Ais-san and Tiona-san."
"...I see."
That made sense. It had been exactly one week since the War Game was announced, and Bell had likely been going nonstop.
"The worst part… was when I fell off the castle wall once."
Bell stared into the distance as he spoke.
Having refined his skills and tactics through daily training with me, Bell was apparently trying to keep up with the combined attacks of Ais and Tionr. But the day before yesterday, he dodged Ais's attack too far, lost his footing, and got hit by a powerful strike from Tiona. He fell off the castle wall.
"And then what?"
"I stabbed a knife into the wall and used magic to slow my fall."
He said he was barely alive at that moment.
"What about you, Toki?"
"Hermes-sama apparently talked to Loki-sama, so I did one-on-many mock battles against mid-level Loki Familia members."
"...Wow."
"On the last day, I had the honor of playing with the top brass."
"I guess normally you'd be jealous, but I'm not jealous at all."
"Yeah, I never want to do that again."
We both stared blankly at the wagon ceiling.
"…How did we even survive?"
"…Compared to this, the Apollo Familia was nothing."
We both learned firsthand that Orario's largest faction was no joke.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
That night, we arrived at Agris, our destination. Encouraged by the other adventurers on the wagon, we disembarked. A temporary guild branch had been set up in Agris, where we completed our procedures and met up with Welf and Mikoto.
Both had joined the Hestia Familia in the wake of the recent turmoil. Mikoto was a provisional member, which meant once she converted, she had to stay in the Familia for a year. Still, she came. She was truly loyal.
"You're late."
In the darkness, our conversation began.
"Sorry."
"Don't worry. I trained until the last moment to improve our odds."
"Well then, are you ready?"
"I'm good. Hermes-sama checked my Status too."
"Same here."
"Good. Here, the promised knife. It's sharper than the first one, I guarantee it."
"Thanks."
"Also… Toki, are you sure? I managed to forge two swords in a hurry."
Welf showed us two long swords, the legendary 'Crozzo's Magic Swords,' said to have once split the sea.
"No, I'm fine. I've learned to fight without relying on them. Plus, Asfi-san gave me a secret weapon."
"Still, keep these just in case."
"Got it."
I stored the swords in the shadows.
"But if you're not using the demon swords, the plan…"
"No worries. Bell told me about the plan. I'll fulfill my role without changing it."
"Understood."
"Alright, tomorrow, let's take that castle."
"Yeah… let's win."
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Note: VS Apollo Familia. Format: siege battle. Duration: three days. Victory condition: defeat the enemy commander, Hyacinthus.
The War Game was finally underway.
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