The world's top guilds had begun preparing for the 'Hall Procession.' The British Royal Guild also made as much effort as possible to join them.
Food to eat while crossing Central Asia, magic tents and cooking tools for camping, various magic crystals and artifacts, bribes to pay local officials, portal fees, etc... They spent their budget worth tens of billions in an instant.
After much consideration, they decided to use horses as their means of transportation, all eleven of which were chosen from those raised by the royal family and assigned to each hero. England was the 'land of knights,' meaning they didn't need to fret over the horses' breed.
Rachel also announced Dake's expulsion at a press conference. In doing so, they cooled down the boiling domestic public opinion to some extent.
The available information they disclosed made the people think James Finley wasn't such a good guy. Combined with the fact that there wasn't any other guild in their country invited to join the Hall other than the British Royal Guild, they decided to essentially leave the case unsolved until after the meeting.
Nevertheless, the guild became busy both internally and externally.
"They'll open a portal in Xining, China," Fermin said, standing in Rachel's office. She had her hair braided in a ponytail, perfectly matching her healthy, brown skin. After Dake's removal, she was promoted to his position.
"... All guilds in Korea will depart from New Delhi, right?"
New Delhi was the closest civilized city to the Hall.
However, since it raised the portal usage fee enormously, the British Royal Guild had no choice but to abandon the idea of using it.
Who in their right mind would pay for 1 billion per user?
"Yes, but it's not a viable option. Dozens of helicopters and drones are already there for press purposes. It's hell. Hell. Oh, more importantly, please take a look at this, boss. It's the magic tent we bought."
Fermin pulled a rubber-ball-like item out of her pocket.
Rachel's gaze turned towards it, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"What's that?"
"Check this out. It looks smaller than a soccer ball, at least until you roll it like this!" She exclaimed, rolling the ball excitedly. It hit the office's wall.
They waited for a while, but nothing happened.
Both of them blinked blankly at it.
"... What. What's wrong with this? Is it because it's second-hand? Wait." Tilting her head in confusion, Fermin walked over to it.
"Aaah!"
Only then did it open.
She jumped back in surprise. Rachel flinched as well, but she soon checked the tent calmly, pretending nothing had happened.
"It's not bad, but... It's stuck in the wall."
"... Yes. I'm sorry."
Perhaps it was because it unfolded in contact with the wall, but the tent's skeleton pierced through the office. It cost Fermin ten million won, but it broke as soon as she used it.
The office door soon swung upon.
"Um, Vice-captain! Please come with me!" Marcus, a senior member, exclaimed. He had been called out as an escort to the Hall procession. He was rude to come in without knocking, but he seemed strangely flushed.
"Come on, quickly!"
The two, taking notice of the urgency in his voice, rushed to the guild front yard, almost as if they were being dragged away. Many members had already gathered there.
As soon as they saw Rachel, they saluted and gave way to her. It didn't take long before the two to look as surprised as Marcus.
"What is all... this?" Her eyes widened. A mountain of materials they needed but failed to buy due to financial problems was piled up right before them.
Filled with excitement, Marcus shouted, "We received so much support! Look at this. A top-notch magic tent! This is designed to withstand even a mana storm for an entire week. It came in sets of 24."
Disasters called 'Mana Storms' were common in Central Asia. Without a tent specially made to defend against it, it would burn people up completely.
"... Who's the sponsor?"
Magic tents were indeed important for their survival, but she felt suspicious of this unwarranted favor due to their current situation.
"I don't know, but they left this." Marcus held out a card that looked tiny compared to the pile of goods they gave out for free. It was Christmas-themed and had a short letter inside.
[To: Rachel.
From: A Cube colleague.]
Fearing she would refuse the sponsorship if it came from someone else, Kim Hajin wrote it himself. Still, that wasn't enough to get rid of her doubts. She had many Cube colleagues.
"Eh? Vice-captain, look at the back page." Fermin said, squinting at the card. She immediately turned it over.
[I'm still putting the coat you gifted me in the past to good use. Please think of this as my way of returning the kindness I received before and continuously receive from you.]
"... Oh!" An unexpected gasp escaped her lips.
"Kindness he continuously receives from you... Is he someone you know?" Fermin asked.
She smiled softly. As she expected, he had become successful. How could a person with such a brain not be?
Rachel nodded happily. "Yeah, I think I know who he is. I'm the one who owes him a debt, though..."
"Whoa. Is that so? As expected from your connections~ so impressive. Have you dated some kind of Daddy-Long-Legs?"
"No. He's not that tall."
"... Oh. Okay."
Lancaster wouldn't be able to counterfeit their memories of those days.
She gently put the card in her pocket and approached Marcus, who was busy sorting out the list of sponsored items.
"Did it have an address from where it was sent?"
"It didn't. We can take this, right, Vice-captain?"
She thought about it for a few moments before nodding.
It wouldn't be polite of her to refuse a gift from her classmate. She wanted to thank him, but there had to be a reason he didn't leave an address.
"Yes. He's someone we can trust."
* * *
- The guilds participating in the Hall have arrived in the city.
Amid the gray sky and bladed winds of the still midwinter sky of China, I looked down at the beginning of the procession.
Thanks to my [Sharpshooter] talent, my vision remained dust-free. It was as if the event were unfolding right in front of me.
The Chinese correspondent filming the guilds' arrival continued.
- England's British Royal Guild, Switzerland's Resilaufer, and Japan's Dawn have all chosen our city.
There were 35 heroes gathered in it, 12 of which were from Japan, 12 from Switzerland, and 11 from the UK. The maximum number of people they could mobilize for the event was 12, but England had one vacancy due to Dake's expulsion.
- Let's go.
Rachel said, boarding a horse. The other members followed her lead as a nearby British television station, the BBC, captured their movements.
- The weather's quite cold.
Fermin shuddered. Compared to England, China's winds were like ice.
- The climate is definitely different here, so be careful.
I watched the shivering heroes, then shifted my gaze to the vast field in front of me again.
"... When are we going to get there?"
Civilization ended 300km from here, leaving only a 13-pronged road in its stead.
Those paths were further divided into eight, which were then further divided into six...
In any case, all of those routes had notoriously rough terrain. From here, it would take at least ten days, most likely more, to reach the former territory of Afghanistan, where the Hall was held.
- For the success of the royal family and the prosperity of our country!
Nevertheless, the British Royal Guild vigorously set out.
Sitting in a helicopter's driver's seat, I began following them slowly from the skies. This vehicle made no sound, and its fuselage was most likely unobservable from the ground.
[EH-64 Elioch] [Advanced] [Ride]
- Made by Essential Dynamics, this is a masterpiece that maximizes its unique functions. It's also equipped with several magic engravings.
- List of engraved effects:
1. 「Advanced Silence」
2. 「Advanced Color Protection」
3. 「Advanced Durability Enhancement」
4 ,「Intermediate and High-level Magic Resistance」
Carving a magic mark on this helicopter myself, I found out that combining [Young Dwarf's Dexterity] and [Stigmaj's mana produced a synergy close to balance destruction.
It was able to break through mana storms due to its [Intermediate and High-level Magic Resistance], which not even [Dexterity] could make possible, and the combination of [Advanced Silence] and [Advanced Color Protection] was breathtaking.
I also installed the [Random Consolidation System] to it, preventing most monsters from noticing its presence.
I flew and watched the procession of the British Royal Guild leisurely.
* * *
... Two hours had passed since their march started. They had passed through the city and reached the disintegrated civilization.
The ruined buildings and concrete remains were embedded around them like milestones with every step. Weathered and eroded, they became a part of nature.
The guild stood at the beginning of a vast field, passing the road known as the End of Civilization and the landscape where mankind had been reduced to traces.
"This is where it starts," Fermin said, and Rachel pulled on her horse's reins. When their horses stopped, the ranks of heroes behind them did as well.
"How many... branches is that?" Marcus muttered in shock.
On the far side of the field before them, the horizon divided into thirteen.
The numerous forks created after the mana storm were all steep and cramped like a canyon. Some roads soared sharply upwards, while others swept down far.
It was an overwhelming landscape that was unrealistic to the city dweller.
"Earth, which do you think is the best route?"
Rachel talked to the spirit of the young land, but it couldn't yet produce a definite answer. Rather, it only informed her of the presence of another procession approaching them.
"Another guild is coming."
Everyone looked towards the crevices of the ruins, following the echoes of horses stampeding through.
Switzerland's prestigious family, Reisleufer, appeared. The members of the royal family looked at them with hints of envy.
Reisleufer brought everyone called the 'Golden Generation of Switzerland.' Sehit, Varga, Vais, Tilma, Maritz... All of their names were well-known. Their leader, Sehit, smiled generously at them as he walked over to them.
"Nice to meet you, fellow Europeans."
Rachel greeted him with a bow.
Even she knew him quite well. He entered Cube two years earlier, making him her senior. He later graduated with great success, ranking 10th.
"It's nice to finally meet the British Royal Guild we always look up to. And Rachel, too, their highly reputed Vice-captain. This is a most joyous occasion, so why not accompany us even for a little while?"
His kind words delighted the members of the royal family. On the contrary, some of the Reisleufers frowned. Based on their reactions alone, it was clear who'd benefit from this companionship.
Surprisingly, however, Rachel was the one to express rejection.
"Thank you for your generous suggestion, but it's fine. Well be no more than a burden to you."
Rachel knew she was in danger of being ambushed by Lancaster. She didn't want to attract those who had nothing to do with her.
Sehit raised his eyebrows slightly.
"You don't have to refuse. We hired mercenaries and guides who are familiar with the geography of this place, so it'll be easier for you to come with us."
"Oh. W-We hired a guide too!" Fermin raised her hand hastily, dragging Reisleufer's eyes to her. Awkwardly, she lowered her hand.
"... Ah. Is that so? I was told he wasn't officially hired. You know... because of that incident."
"A-a local. We hired a local. He's quite familiar with the geography of this place."
"Aha. As expected, you have a plan." Sehit smiled faintly, and the Reisleufer members laughed, sneering quite blatantly.
She bowed and scratched her head.
"If so, then well be going ahead. May honor and luck be with you."
Sehit went to the sixth fork without inviting them for the third time.
The members of the British Royal Guild looked at Fermin with resentment. In particular, Marcus approached her with a hooligan-like gesture.
"Why did you do that?"
"What?"
"I asked why you did that."
"Because we hired a local.
"Where is he, then?"
"... I already told you. I hired him in advance."
"Is he a real local?" He frowned.
"Y-Yeah. He's a local but half Korean." She replied, stuttering.
"He's half Korean but lives in China?"
"Y-Yeah, well. You can say that. Wait."
She took out a crystal ball. Central Asia's mana storms blocked the operation of electronic devices, making communication items like it essential.
"Yes. It's me, Fermin. Yes, yes." Putting it beside her ear, she nodded multiple times. Their guild members, Marcus included, stared at her suspiciously.
On the other hand, Fermin obliviously smiled brightly and pointed to the third fork in the road.
"He said we should go down that road. Let's go, Vice-captain."
The members still looked unhappy. However, Fermin's belief was too strong, and even if she were lying, they'd have to depend on luck no matter which one they chose anyway. That left them no choice but to proceed to the third path.
"Now, onwards!"
It led them to an excruciating climb up a narrow canyon. After an hour of walking down a trail even swift horses would have a hard time traversing, the road forked again, this time into eight branches. Fermin, leading their march, stopped for a moment and put her crystal ball to her ear again.
"Yes. Oh, okay... Follow me. He said we should go for the eighth path."
"Geez. Where is that local watching the situation and deciding for us from anyway?"
"Be quiet and just follow me. If you're dissatisfied, you can go find your own way."
"No, I'm not complaining... Sigh."
Marcus and the others didn't look that great. However, the most important person of them all, Rachel, continued following silently, leaving them no room to argue.
"Here."
"This way."
"Oh. He said we're close. We just need to walk a bit more."
She kept guiding them, her decisions still without proof to back them up.
Just as the night had fallen and their horses became completely exhausted, a somewhat flat ground appeared.
Marcus got off his steed.
"If we go any further, they'll die, Fermin. Let's sit down and have a quick rest. Where's the campsite?"
"Wait, bastard. Didn't I already tell you that this local knows the road quite well?"
"It hasn't even been 12 hours yet. If he can lead us to the Hall within a week, I'll admit I was wrong about him."
Despite how he talked about their guide, they trusted him to some extent. After all, they hadn't encountered even one monster throughout their entire journey.
Fermin spoke to the crystal ball for a bit, then nodded.
"If we go a little further from here, he said we'll find a pretty deep cave. If we set up camp on this empty field, we'll stand out to the monsters and enemies too much. It'll be best to use that place instead."
"... A cave?"
"Yeah. Let's go. Come on, Vice-captain~"
It didn't matter how well he knew the geography of this area. It wouldn't make sense for him to know the location of a cave as well.
The members doubted him, but they followed his instructions anyway. Soon enough, they found what he was talking about.
"Woah. So it's true."
"Holy..."
At that moment, the members' doubts almost completely disappeared. Rachel's, on the other hand, became even more certain.
"I told you, bastards~ This guy is a hit. Hurry up and go in." Fermin smiled proudly and pushed the members into the cave. They entered the cozy den with the horses that worked hard today.
"Oh, come inside already, Vice-captain!" She urged, but Rachel just stood still. When she tilted her head in confusion, the princess narrowed her eyes at her and held out her hand.
"Give me that."
"Uh... What?"
"Your crystal ball."
"..." Fermin's expression hardened slightly. She gulped. This situation was within her expectations, but she still got a little scared now that it had unfolded.
More importantly, it was still too early. She thought she'd only ask for it after at least three days.
"Don't worry~ This is my responsibility. I'll take care of it."
"Give it to me."
"Uh, that's... I can't. I'm the only one allowed to talk to our guide. It's part of the contract."
"Give. It. To. Me."
"... I-I mean, t-the contract's w-written this way because this guy likes me. He said it was love at first sight, which is why he refuses to talk to anyone but me-"
"Dake told you to tell me that. I already know everything."
“…”
When she mentioned Dake's name, who was no different from being her mentor, she was left with no other choice but to follow her order. This way, at least, she wouldn't be scolded.
Fermin pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"Um... That's... sigh..."
After a few more moments, she finally surrendered the crystal connected to Xtra.
The world's top guilds had begun preparing for the 'Hall Procession.' The British Royal Guild also made as much effort as possible to join them.
Food to eat while crossing Central Asia, magic tents and cooking tools for camping, various magic crystals and artifacts, bribes to pay local officials, portal fees, etc... They spent their budget worth tens of billions in an instant.
After much consideration, they decided to use horses as their means of transportation, all eleven of which were chosen from those raised by the royal family and assigned to each hero. England was the 'land of knights,' meaning they didn't need to fret over the horses' breed.
Rachel also announced Dake's expulsion at a press conference. In doing so, they cooled down the boiling domestic public opinion to some extent.
The available information they disclosed made the people think James Finley wasn't such a good guy. Combined with the fact that there wasn't any other guild in their country invited to join the Hall other than the British Royal Guild, they decided to essentially leave the case unsolved until after the meeting.
Nevertheless, the guild became busy both internally and externally.
"They'll open a portal in Xining, China," Fermin said, standing in Rachel's office. She had her hair braided in a ponytail, perfectly matching her healthy, brown skin. After Dake's removal, she was promoted to his position.
"... All guilds in Korea will depart from New Delhi, right?"
New Delhi was the closest civilized city to the Hall.
However, since it raised the portal usage fee enormously, the British Royal Guild had no choice but to abandon the idea of using it.
Who in their right mind would pay for 1 billion per user?
"Yes, but it's not a viable option. Dozens of helicopters and drones are already there for press purposes. It's hell. Hell. Oh, more importantly, please take a look at this, boss. It's the magic tent we bought."
Fermin pulled a rubber-ball-like item out of her pocket.
Rachel's gaze turned towards it, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"What's that?"
"Check this out. It looks smaller than a soccer ball, at least until you roll it like this!" She exclaimed, rolling the ball excitedly. It hit the office's wall.
They waited for a while, but nothing happened.
Both of them blinked blankly at it.
"... What. What's wrong with this? Is it because it's second-hand? Wait." Tilting her head in confusion, Fermin walked over to it.
"Aaah!"
Only then did it open.
She jumped back in surprise. Rachel flinched as well, but she soon checked the tent calmly, pretending nothing had happened.
"It's not bad, but... It's stuck in the wall."
"... Yes. I'm sorry."
Perhaps it was because it unfolded in contact with the wall, but the tent's skeleton pierced through the office. It cost Fermin ten million won, but it broke as soon as she used it.
The office door soon swung upon.
"Um, Vice-captain! Please come with me!" Marcus, a senior member, exclaimed. He had been called out as an escort to the Hall procession. He was rude to come in without knocking, but he seemed strangely flushed.
"Come on, quickly!"
The two, taking notice of the urgency in his voice, rushed to the guild front yard, almost as if they were being dragged away. Many members had already gathered there.
As soon as they saw Rachel, they saluted and gave way to her. It didn't take long before the two to look as surprised as Marcus.
"What is all... this?" Her eyes widened. A mountain of materials they needed but failed to buy due to financial problems was piled up right before them.
Filled with excitement, Marcus shouted, "We received so much support! Look at this. A top-notch magic tent! This is designed to withstand even a mana storm for an entire week. It came in sets of 24."
Disasters called 'Mana Storms' were common in Central Asia. Without a tent specially made to defend against it, it would burn people up completely.
"... Who's the sponsor?"
Magic tents were indeed important for their survival, but she felt suspicious of this unwarranted favor due to their current situation.
"I don't know, but they left this." Marcus held out a card that looked tiny compared to the pile of goods they gave out for free. It was Christmas-themed and had a short letter inside.
[To: Rachel.
From: A Cube colleague.]
Fearing she would refuse the sponsorship if it came from someone else, Kim Hajin wrote it himself. Still, that wasn't enough to get rid of her doubts. She had many Cube colleagues.
"Eh? Vice-captain, look at the back page." Fermin said, squinting at the card. She immediately turned it over.
[I'm still putting the coat you gifted me in the past to good use. Please think of this as my way of returning the kindness I received before and continuously receive from you.]
"... Oh!" An unexpected gasp escaped her lips.
"Kindness he continuously receives from you... Is he someone you know?" Fermin asked.
She smiled softly. As she expected, he had become successful. How could a person with such a brain not be?
Rachel nodded happily. "Yeah, I think I know who he is. I'm the one who owes him a debt, though..."
"Whoa. Is that so? As expected from your connections~ so impressive. Have you dated some kind of Daddy-Long-Legs?"
"No. He's not that tall."
"... Oh. Okay."
Lancaster wouldn't be able to counterfeit their memories of those days.
She gently put the card in her pocket and approached Marcus, who was busy sorting out the list of sponsored items.
"Did it have an address from where it was sent?"
"It didn't. We can take this, right, Vice-captain?"
She thought about it for a few moments before nodding.
It wouldn't be polite of her to refuse a gift from her classmate. She wanted to thank him, but there had to be a reason he didn't leave an address.
"Yes. He's someone we can trust."
* * *
- The guilds participating in the Hall have arrived in the city.
Amid the gray sky and bladed winds of the still midwinter sky of China, I looked down at the beginning of the procession.
Thanks to my [Sharpshooter] talent, my vision remained dust-free. It was as if the event were unfolding right in front of me.
The Chinese correspondent filming the guilds' arrival continued.
- England's British Royal Guild, Switzerland's Resilaufer, and Japan's Dawn have all chosen our city.
There were 35 heroes gathered in it, 12 of which were from Japan, 12 from Switzerland, and 11 from the UK. The maximum number of people they could mobilize for the event was 12, but England had one vacancy due to Dake's expulsion.
- Let's go.
Rachel said, boarding a horse. The other members followed her lead as a nearby British television station, the BBC, captured their movements.
- The weather's quite cold.
Fermin shuddered. Compared to England, China's winds were like ice.
- The climate is definitely different here, so be careful.
I watched the shivering heroes, then shifted my gaze to the vast field in front of me again.
"... When are we going to get there?"
Civilization ended 300km from here, leaving only a 13-pronged road in its stead.
Those paths were further divided into eight, which were then further divided into six...
In any case, all of those routes had notoriously rough terrain. From here, it would take at least ten days, most likely more, to reach the former territory of Afghanistan, where the Hall was held.
- For the success of the royal family and the prosperity of our country!
Nevertheless, the British Royal Guild vigorously set out.
Sitting in a helicopter's driver's seat, I began following them slowly from the skies. This vehicle made no sound, and its fuselage was most likely unobservable from the ground.
[EH-64 Elioch] [Advanced] [Ride]
- Made by Essential Dynamics, this is a masterpiece that maximizes its unique functions. It's also equipped with several magic engravings.
- List of engraved effects:
1. 「Advanced Silence」
2. 「Advanced Color Protection」
3. 「Advanced Durability Enhancement」
4 ,「Intermediate and High-level Magic Resistance」
Carving a magic mark on this helicopter myself, I found out that combining [Young Dwarf's Dexterity] and [Stigmaj's mana produced a synergy close to balance destruction.
It was able to break through mana storms due to its [Intermediate and High-level Magic Resistance], which not even [Dexterity] could make possible, and the combination of [Advanced Silence] and [Advanced Color Protection] was breathtaking.
I also installed the [Random Consolidation System] to it, preventing most monsters from noticing its presence.
I flew and watched the procession of the British Royal Guild leisurely.
* * *
... Two hours had passed since their march started. They had passed through the city and reached the disintegrated civilization.
The ruined buildings and concrete remains were embedded around them like milestones with every step. Weathered and eroded, they became a part of nature.
The guild stood at the beginning of a vast field, passing the road known as the End of Civilization and the landscape where mankind had been reduced to traces.
"This is where it starts," Fermin said, and Rachel pulled on her horse's reins. When their horses stopped, the ranks of heroes behind them did as well.
"How many... branches is that?" Marcus muttered in shock.
On the far side of the field before them, the horizon divided into thirteen.
The numerous forks created after the mana storm were all steep and cramped like a canyon. Some roads soared sharply upwards, while others swept down far.
It was an overwhelming landscape that was unrealistic to the city dweller.
"Earth, which do you think is the best route?"
Rachel talked to the spirit of the young land, but it couldn't yet produce a definite answer. Rather, it only informed her of the presence of another procession approaching them.
"Another guild is coming."
Everyone looked towards the crevices of the ruins, following the echoes of horses stampeding through.
Switzerland's prestigious family, Reisleufer, appeared. The members of the royal family looked at them with hints of envy.
Reisleufer brought everyone called the 'Golden Generation of Switzerland.' Sehit, Varga, Vais, Tilma, Maritz... All of their names were well-known. Their leader, Sehit, smiled generously at them as he walked over to them.
"Nice to meet you, fellow Europeans."
Rachel greeted him with a bow.
Even she knew him quite well. He entered Cube two years earlier, making him her senior. He later graduated with great success, ranking 10th.
"It's nice to finally meet the British Royal Guild we always look up to. And Rachel, too, their highly reputed Vice-captain. This is a most joyous occasion, so why not accompany us even for a little while?"
His kind words delighted the members of the royal family. On the contrary, some of the Reisleufers frowned. Based on their reactions alone, it was clear who'd benefit from this companionship.
Surprisingly, however, Rachel was the one to express rejection.
"Thank you for your generous suggestion, but it's fine. Well be no more than a burden to you."
Rachel knew she was in danger of being ambushed by Lancaster. She didn't want to attract those who had nothing to do with her.
Sehit raised his eyebrows slightly.
"You don't have to refuse. We hired mercenaries and guides who are familiar with the geography of this place, so it'll be easier for you to come with us."
"Oh. W-We hired a guide too!" Fermin raised her hand hastily, dragging Reisleufer's eyes to her. Awkwardly, she lowered her hand.
"... Ah. Is that so? I was told he wasn't officially hired. You know... because of that incident."
"A-a local. We hired a local. He's quite familiar with the geography of this place."
"Aha. As expected, you have a plan." Sehit smiled faintly, and the Reisleufer members laughed, sneering quite blatantly.
She bowed and scratched her head.
"If so, then well be going ahead. May honor and luck be with you."
Sehit went to the sixth fork without inviting them for the third time.
The members of the British Royal Guild looked at Fermin with resentment. In particular, Marcus approached her with a hooligan-like gesture.
"Why did you do that?"
"What?"
"I asked why you did that."
"Because we hired a local.
"Where is he, then?"
"... I already told you. I hired him in advance."
"Is he a real local?" He frowned.
"Y-Yeah. He's a local but half Korean." She replied, stuttering.
"He's half Korean but lives in China?"
"Y-Yeah, well. You can say that. Wait."
She took out a crystal ball. Central Asia's mana storms blocked the operation of electronic devices, making communication items like it essential.
"Yes. It's me, Fermin. Yes, yes." Putting it beside her ear, she nodded multiple times. Their guild members, Marcus included, stared at her suspiciously.
On the other hand, Fermin obliviously smiled brightly and pointed to the third fork in the road.
"He said we should go down that road. Let's go, Vice-captain."
The members still looked unhappy. However, Fermin's belief was too strong, and even if she were lying, they'd have to depend on luck no matter which one they chose anyway. That left them no choice but to proceed to the third path.
"Now, onwards!"
It led them to an excruciating climb up a narrow canyon. After an hour of walking down a trail even swift horses would have a hard time traversing, the road forked again, this time into eight branches. Fermin, leading their march, stopped for a moment and put her crystal ball to her ear again.
"Yes. Oh, okay... Follow me. He said we should go for the eighth path."
"Geez. Where is that local watching the situation and deciding for us from anyway?"
"Be quiet and just follow me. If you're dissatisfied, you can go find your own way."
"No, I'm not complaining... Sigh."
Marcus and the others didn't look that great. However, the most important person of them all, Rachel, continued following silently, leaving them no room to argue.
"Here."
"This way."
"Oh. He said we're close. We just need to walk a bit more."
She kept guiding them, her decisions still without proof to back them up.
Just as the night had fallen and their horses became completely exhausted, a somewhat flat ground appeared.
Marcus got off his steed.
"If we go any further, they'll die, Fermin. Let's sit down and have a quick rest. Where's the campsite?"
"Wait, bastard. Didn't I already tell you that this local knows the road quite well?"
"It hasn't even been 12 hours yet. If he can lead us to the Hall within a week, I'll admit I was wrong about him."
Despite how he talked about their guide, they trusted him to some extent. After all, they hadn't encountered even one monster throughout their entire journey.
Fermin spoke to the crystal ball for a bit, then nodded.
"If we go a little further from here, he said we'll find a pretty deep cave. If we set up camp on this empty field, we'll stand out to the monsters and enemies too much. It'll be best to use that place instead."
"... A cave?"
"Yeah. Let's go. Come on, Vice-captain~"
It didn't matter how well he knew the geography of this area. It wouldn't make sense for him to know the location of a cave as well.
The members doubted him, but they followed his instructions anyway. Soon enough, they found what he was talking about.
"Woah. So it's true."
"Holy..."
At that moment, the members' doubts almost completely disappeared. Rachel's, on the other hand, became even more certain.
"I told you, bastards~ This guy is a hit. Hurry up and go in." Fermin smiled proudly and pushed the members into the cave. They entered the cozy den with the horses that worked hard today.
"Oh, come inside already, Vice-captain!" She urged, but Rachel just stood still. When she tilted her head in confusion, the princess narrowed her eyes at her and held out her hand.
"Give me that."
"Uh... What?"
"Your crystal ball."
"..." Fermin's expression hardened slightly. She gulped. This situation was within her expectations, but she still got a little scared now that it had unfolded.
More importantly, it was still too early. She thought she'd only ask for it after at least three days.
"Don't worry~ This is my responsibility. I'll take care of it."
"Give it to me."
"Uh, that's... I can't. I'm the only one allowed to talk to our guide. It's part of the contract."
"Give. It. To. Me."
"... I-I mean, t-the contract's w-written this way because this guy likes me. He said it was love at first sight, which is why he refuses to talk to anyone but me-"
"Dake told you to tell me that. I already know everything."
“…”
When she mentioned Dake's name, who was no different from being her mentor, she was left with no other choice but to follow her order. This way, at least, she wouldn't be scolded.
Fermin pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"Um... That's... sigh..."
After a few more moments, she finally surrendered the crystal connected to Xtra.
