The Latest Game Is Too Amazing

Chapter 36.2 - Ill Intent (2)

Theres something Id like to ask you.

After I talked to Roseline, Raoul called me over and said he wanted to talk in private. He had a serious look in his eyes and the atmosphere was heavy. It must be a pretty important conversation. An important conversation with Raoul, who is overprotective of Roseline W- wait, hes not going to ask about our relationship, is he?

Oh no. Im so nervous. This is definitely about Roseline. Its one of those What sort of relationship do you have with my daughter? type things. This is the niece version.

Theres nothing between me and her for me to feel guilty about. Nothing at all. Ive been thinking about stuff like Were on good terms, arent we? or I could probably call her my friend now, right? but it isnt a romantic relationship at all.

No, its nothing so serious. I was wondering why you accompanied us to Clermont. We did invite you, but did you also have your own reason?

His question is so different from what I was expecting that all the tension disappears. Come to think of it, I never did say. If I said something like Because I wanted to stay with Roseline, Im sure Id be judged guilty. Hes not in a joking mood in the least. Though, thats not actually the real reason.

I thought if we freed Clermont, I might be able to reunite with my party members.

Party members?

I was in an adventuring party with them a while ago. I invited them to come to Clermont with me. But then we ran into some trouble and got separated, and thats where it ended.

Is that so?

It was bad timing. As a result of the servers going down during the open beta, we werent able to meet. Then on top of that, even after the official release, we havent had a chance to search for each other because of the event.

But I think its too early to give up. Its true that we didnt actually make any promises. This world is so big that reuniting would probably be difficult. And there might be a better way to search for them. But the feeling of wanting to see Alexia and Irene again, thats what Im certain of.

But if Clermonts like that, theres no telling when well see each other again. And its not just me. With a city that big, Im sure theres lots of people who have stuff to do there. Theres probably even people who feel the same as me. So I cant just leave it like that.

Im sure Raouls guild will be able to free Clermont. Theyve helped me out a lot, so I want to repay them at least a little bit. Thats why I wanted to go with them and work together with them. But Im so weak that all I did was end up even more in their debt.

Raoul stares at me long and hard.

You are a kind person. And you care for your comrades.

Its probably a bit different from caring for them. In the end, I think Im just lonely. After being alone for so long, I finally managed to make friends, but we couldnt be together anymore, so I was lonely. I was really lucky to meet Roseline back then.

Do you also think of Her Highness of Lady Roseline as a friend?

Of course. Though, itd be more accurate to say that I want to be her friend. After all, we traveled all the way to Charante together.

Hm, I see. It seems I was worrying needlessly.

Ah, I knew it, he was suspicious of my relationship with Roseline. Its not a romantic relationship like Raoul was thinking.

Chaos. As her uncle, Im glad you think of Lady Roseline as a friend. However, I dont want you to openly declare her to be your friend. Im giving you this warning for your own good.

I cant accept that. But before I can object, I start thinking about what Raoul said. Hes probably warning me because of his position. The guild members treat him with respect. Its similar to loyalty, sort of like Irenes devotion towards Alexia. He probably has an important position in the guild, like the guildmaster or an officer.

Maybe because of that, the other members of Raouls guild all wait on her hand and foot like a princess. Since shes his niece, shes probably important to them, like shes family. But Im just a total stranger who wants to be friends with her. Im not exactly close with Raouls guild members, were not even acquaintances. Theyd probably be offended if I came out of nowhere and tried to have an equal friendship with her and Raoul.

Actually, when Im with Roseline, I get some kind of angry looks. Since Raoul is always with us, maybe he thinks theres a risk that theyll explode at me. He probably doesnt want that to cause interpersonal issues. Worst case scenario, it might lead to the guild disbanding.

When I think about it that way, I dont really feel much like arguing anymore. Im still not entirely convinced, but I dont want the guilds interpersonal relationships to become strained because of me. I nod weakly.

Lady Roseline is in a difficult position. She doesnt have anyone she can call a friend. But if she has someone like you, Im sure it would put her at ease.

Huh, Roseline was also alone? As a solitary player, I sort of feel a sense of kinship towards her. But shes always so full of energy, so I thought shed have a bunch of friends. So shes the type who doesnt have friends in real life, huh?

Maybe she cant make friends because of her family situation. Like, shes changed schools a lot or something. That might be the reason why she couldnt meet Raoul for so many years. If so, then her familys circumstances must be pretty complicated.

I want to continue supporting Lady Roseline. However, I cannot stay by her side forever. Therefore, if Im not there when Lady Roseline is struggling, I want you to support her.

Alright, I will. I promise.

I dont know how dependable Ill be, but I at least want to be helpful to her.

Also Lady Roseline is beautiful, but you are absolutely not to lay a hand on her, Raoul says, his face suddenly turning serious again. I knew it, hes the overprotective parent type.

A man with childlike naivety and ignorance which doesnt suit his age? Come to think of it, Roseline, who lives in the palace, would never open her heart to someone who approached her with ill intent. She may have unconsciously perceived this. How has he lived to turn out this way? Lying and deceiving a person such as that Good grief, it makes me want to vomit. Perhaps I am the one with ill intentions.

We arrived at Clermont, but the gates were shut tight. I guess the barricade was removed when I destroyed it with the runaway carriage, or maybe its on the other side of the door. However, weve been able to enter cities up until now because they were small towns with no walls, but what are we going to do about the door being shut like this?

Raouls guild stops their march and holds a strategy meeting in front of the city walls. Raouls guild isnt the only one here. Theyre not as large as Raouls, but there are other guilds gathered here, big and small. Because of this, the number of people here has more than doubled. Apparently, Raoul called them here. It looks like Raoul is serious about freeing the city. I think our combined strength should be plenty, but I guess thats just how many enemies there are.

When the strategy meeting is over, Raoul approaches me. Roseline is also there, but she looks mad for some reason and she immediately goes off somewhere. Concerned, I watch her as she walks away, but this is interrupted when Raoul calls out to me.

Chaos, I have a favor to ask of you.

What is it? I listen while staring blankly.

As it stands, capturing Clermont will be difficult. In essence, the defending side has the advantage, and breaking through the city gates will take a great amount of time and damage. Thats why Id like you to use teleportation magic to invade directly inside Clermont and open the gates from the inside.

Teleportation magic I guess he means Warp Portal. Its true that since the portal is inside the walls, I can get in without having to worry about the walls defenses. In that case, the story changes depending on how many enemies are inside. Warp Portal can only teleport six people including myself. Even if a small number of people successfully teleport in, if there are too many enemies, theyll inevitably be killed. Even if we make several trips to bring the soldiers inside, Warp Portal can only teleport to a portal, so going back and forth between here and the Clermont portal is impossible.

Of course, a small unit will soon be overwhelmed. The main force will be here on standby, but the selected soldiers will temporarily gather at the nearest city and then be teleported from there.

Ah, I see. Teleporting back and forth between portals would be possible. So after the gate is opened, the main force on standby will rush in and start the real battle.

However, there is a hole in this strategy. There are few mages who can use teleportation magic. That is what Id like to ask of you. You can use teleportation magic, cant you?

I do know Warp Portal. But I havent used it even once since the start of the official release, so how does he know that? Maybe he heard my level from the guild members I was partied up with and made a rough estimate of my skill composition. Well, this skill is almost essential for Magicians. Maybe he thought it was obvious that Id have it.

But they dont have many Magicians? Hmm, this is gonna be a pretty big job.

Her Highness is making every effort to free Clermont as quickly as possible for everyones sake. It is truly heartbreaking. Chaos, will you help us for Her Highnesss sake?

Alright, Ill help.

Maybe thats why she was mad earlier. Shes upset because she hasnt leveled up very much. Yeah, Ive gotta do all I can in her place.