Chapter 3

"Ugh... This is terrible..."

She wore silver armor and a helm that concealed her face up to the nose. Her silver hair, tied back, reached down to her waist.

She carried a fine sword at her hip, but now she was sitting on the ground, her voice trembling with tears. A silver shield lay nearby.

"This is my first meeting with my new master, and it's just terrible!"

Nohl Fanya. A UR unit of the highest rarity.

In terms of unit performance in GC, she was rated among the top.

On the other hand, her appearance was not well-received.

In a game where cute girls were the selling point, she was one of the few units that didn't reveal her face due to her helm.

Still, she was one of my favorite units.

While her age wasn't clearly defined, she was probably around 16 or 17.

Her unique ability was [Blessing of the War Maiden]. Just by being in the same army, she could grant a 30% buff to all units' attack and defense.

And when she used her skill [Inspire], all stats would double for one minute. She was completely overpowered.

"Really, I'm so sorry. I was a bit distracted and lost my cool."

I had been lost in thought and inadvertently treated her terribly.

My first impression was undoubtedly the worst. I had to apologize properly.

After all, I had dropped her from a height of about 4 meters right after summoning her. Anyone would have a few complaints.

I was surprised she was unharmed after falling from that height.

"It's fine... But I would appreciate it if you could speak a bit more casually."

"Huh, I can speak normally. Did I seem a bit off?"

"You were trying too hard, and it was obvious."

"Master, did you summon me for something?"

This formal way of speaking was not something I was used to.

She had seen through me immediately, and since she was forgiving, I decided to return to my usual self.

Still, what was the purpose? I had just summoned her on a whim... but having her around was reassuring.

"Well, I don't really have anything specific. Oh, and I'd prefer if you called me by my name. I'm Heikuro Ooka."

"I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Nohl Fanya. Please call me Nohl. Nice to meet you!"

We shook hands and finished our introductions. Well, I already knew her name, of course.

"So, how much do you know about the current situation?"

"Yes! First, I know I was summoned to assist you. And this place is different from the world you were in!"

Ah, she understands that I'm from a different world.

It's reassuring to know that she understands the situation, and I don't have to explain everything.

And she's here to help me, just like in the game where the girls are summoned to assist the protagonist.

"Hmm, is there a time limit for the summoning? And how did you know I'm from another world?"

"When we are summoned, we receive some of the summoner's knowledge and memories. There is no time limit for the summoning. However, it's a cost-based system, so if I'm summoned, no one else can be summoned."

So, my knowledge is shared with her. Not just the game knowledge, but also the knowledge from my original world.

That means she has a similar understanding to me. It's also great that there's no time limit for the summoning.

It shouldn't be a problem to ask her to guard me.

And now, the cost system. In the game, the total cost of the units in the army was limited.

The initial limit was 15. Nohl's cost was also 15, so this is probably a carryover from the game.

The cost increases by 1 for each level, so the higher my level, the more units I can summon.

"Okay, then I'd like you to guard me until my safety is secured."

"Understood! Also, I'm here to guide you as well."

"Guide?"

"Yes! It's perfect that an enemy has appeared right away."

A tutorial. In games, it's a standard feature at the beginning to explain the controls and mechanics.

So, enemies are coming, huh?

I turned to where Nohl was pointing, and saw that the goblin that had attacked me earlier had now brought four more with it.

"Human! Kill! Hurt, It's You!"

"Whoa!? That's the one from earlier!"

"Stay calm. First, open the equipment screen on your smartphone."

The goblins were shouting and swinging their clubs as they ran towards us. Nohl calmly drew her one-handed sword from her hip and moved in front of me.

Her silver blade, with a beautiful blue streak, was simple but stunning in its elegance.

She also held a matching silver shield.

"Whoa! Is this...?"

"Next, select your armor and weapon from the equipment screen."

I was mesmerized by the blade, but I snapped back to reality when Nohl deflected a goblin's club.

I hurriedly followed her instructions and opened the equipment screen.

"Wow, wow!? This is..."

I tapped the cloth clothes, copper armor, copper leggings, boots, a pot lid, and Excalibur.

A light enveloped me from my smartphone, and when it faded, I was wearing the equipment I had selected.

In my hand, I held a pot lid and a glowing bar-like weapon.

"Are you ready? Then let's start the tutorial."

Nohl confirmed that I was ready and then took action.

Her movements were too fast for me to follow, but in an instant, she had slipped among the goblins, swung her sword twice, and returned to my side.

Four out of the five goblins had their heads severed and fell to the ground.

The goblin corpses then glowed and transformed into small objects.

"Wow..."

"That one is strong! Why, why?"

I was more impressed by her movements than the transformation of the goblin corpses.

Even with my eyes, I couldn't follow her movements... I must be completely out of the loop.

The remaining goblin, having lost its companions, was confused and flustered.

"First, to get used to it, I'd like you to defeat the remaining enemy."

"Defeat?"

"Yes. It's a necessary part of surviving in this world."

She sheathed her sword and leaned against a nearby tree, indicating that she wouldn't interfere.

"Ooka-sama, do your best!"

I had been so focused on her that I had completely forgotten about the goblin in front of me.

When Nohl pointed it out, I turned to see the goblin running towards me.

"Ode, Revenge! You, Die!"

"Whoa, wait, wait!"

The goblin, enraged by the loss of its companions, swung its club at me.

I instinctively blocked it with the pot lid, feeling a heavy impact in my arm.

The goblin, without pausing, let out a war cry and continued to beat the pot lid with its club.

"No, no, no! Help! Nohl, help!"

"Don't worry. You won't die even if you're hit 10 times."

Even though she said I'd be fine, the impact from the pot lid was definitely painful.

It was so painful that it felt like my bones might break.

What is she basing her confidence on!?

"Ah!"

"Chance, chance!"

After blocking multiple attacks, my arm finally tired, and the pot lid was knocked away.

The goblin, delighted, struck me in the stomach with its club.

"Ugh... Huh? It's not that painful."

I felt the impact of the club in my side, but to my surprise, it was only a light pain.

The goblin was stunned by my lack of reaction. Seeing this as an opportunity, I swung Excalibur down.

The goblin, caught off guard, had no time to defend, and my attack pierced its head.

There was no sensation of breaking through the skull. The goblin's head was sliced open like tofu and flew off.

The corpse immediately glowed and transformed into a club and a fang-like object.

"Ooka-sama, are you okay?"

Nohl approached, probably expecting the fight to end quickly.

Her character as a knight wasn't just for show.

"Are you okay? No, that's not the point! At least give me a bit more time to prepare!"

"Sure, sure!"

Maybe there should have been more explanation beforehand.

As a form of retaliation, I pounced on her and pulled her cheeks.

Nohl's cheeks were soft and had a nice feel to them.