Chapter 34

When Chaos and the others arrived in Trev, it was already past evening. Rozeline, looking out from the carriage at the peaceful scenery of Trev, which was a stark contrast to the strict security in Clermont, let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the influence of the vampires had not yet reached the neighboring towns. There was also no sign of any pursuers having arrived here ahead of them.

Relieved, Rozeline began to think about what to do next. They were dealing with people who had control over the upper echelons of Clermont. The likelihood was high that the surrounding lords had also fallen into their hands, and without the military strength to reclaim the palace, she could not rely on them. This was also true for the three dukes, including Duke Chartres. If the three dukes had also fallen into enemy hands, there would be no one left in the country she could count on. The number of nobles with the military strength to retake Clermont was limited.

According to the original plan, they were going to buy horses in Trev and head to Charent. However, there were other means of transportation that could get them to Charent more quickly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. Chaos, can we make a detour?"

"Sure, but where to?"

"The airport."

It was a means of transportation known as the dragon mail. She had deliberately excluded it from her considerations, but perhaps the dragon mail was still operating. With this thought, she hurried to the airport.

The airport took up a large area for the giant dragons to land. Due to the noise from the dragons' flapping wings and cries, airports were often located on the outskirts of towns, and Trev was no exception. Unlike in Clermont, there were few users of the airport, and it was only used for temporary stops, so there were no stables for dragons. As expected, there was no sign of any dragons, just as Rozeline had predicted.

"The dragon mail is suspended, you know?"

"Yeah, the dragon mail ends in Clermont. So, it's impossible without a dragon flying from Clermont. Dragons rarely come to Trev, and even the dragons heading to distant places are not flying from Clermont. There are also reports that those who went to Clermont have not returned. What on earth is happening in Clermont?"

The airport staff, grumbling that this was a waste of time, answered. Clermont was both the starting and ending point of the dragon mail, and the source of routes across the entire Commune. If it was under strict security, the mail could not operate. As expected, Rozeline was slightly disappointed. If the dragon mail were available, she could have arrived in a few hours, but even if they proceeded smoothly on horseback, it would take at least a week. With the risk of interference from pursuers, it might take even longer. For her, who needed to meet Duke Chartres as soon as possible, this was very inconvenient.

However, with Chaos's carriage, it was different. With this carriage, which was faster than ordinary warhorses, they could reach Charent much more quickly.

"Hey, Chaos. Do you have any plans from here?"

"No, not really. I was planning to look for people at the adventurer's guild in Clermont, but that's impossible now. I'm not sure what to do."

"Then, would you like to come with me to Charent?"

While talking to the staff, she invited Chaos, who had been standing somewhere nearby. Her suspicion of Chaos had not completely disappeared, but if he was not one of the pursuers from Clermont, his cooperation could certainly shorten the journey. His strength would also be a great help to Rozeline, who was not confident in combat.

"Sure, I don't have any other plans. I'll come with you."

After a moment's thought, Chaos nodded. Rozeline's anxiety, which had been growing as she thought about the difficult journey ahead, eased somewhat. This might have been the main reason she had invited him.

"Great! Let's leave from here right away!"

"Hold on, it's almost night. If we're going to Charent, we have to go through the mountains. Crossing the mountains in the dark is dangerous. Why don't we stay here for the night?"

The staff, who had been watching their conversation, interjected. But Rozeline, who wanted to hurry, was prepared to take some risks.

"We were just attacked. If we get ambushed at night, we're in trouble."

"But—"

"If you're in a hurry, why don't you just speed up?"

Chaos, who was unaware of her urgency, stated the obvious. Rozeline tried to think calmly despite her frustration.

No matter how fast the horse, it was still a horse. Even if it could run at a monster-like speed, it would eventually get tired, and they couldn't keep running day and night. This meant they would need to camp somewhere. Rozeline, who had lived in the palace, had never camped before.

"Alright. Let's leave early tomorrow morning. Definitely!"

Weighing the risks and the speed of the carriage, Rozeline reluctantly agreed to stay. Thus, Chaos and the others spent the night in Trev.

***

As soon as I logged out of the inn, I reflected on the day's events.

The good thing was meeting Rosa. Since I hadn't met Alexia or Irene, I was going to be alone again, so her appearance was a great help. Still, I wondered why she was heading to Charent. I had planned to move to a safer place, so it was convenient for me.

Charent is farther away from Trev on the map. Without money and limited means of transportation, it would be a long journey on foot. It would be too difficult to go alone. Honestly, I didn't want to go back to being a solo player after meeting her.

The official service of "Another World" seemed a bit off today. Especially the strange events in Clermont. Why wasn't the adventurer's guild even open? Trev seemed normal, but for new players starting with the official service, it must have been confusing. I wondered what the developers were thinking.

The high-level monsters I encountered on the way to Trev. The level of monsters tends to increase as you move away from Clermont, but I didn't expect to see such high-level monsters on the southern route. There were rumors that new types of monsters had been added to the Commune, so it's possible that the spawn points changed with the official service, but the levels were still too high.

What were the players' reactions? Given the abnormalities at the starting point, I expected a lot of criticism. Checking the "Another World" forums, the reactions were indeed harsh. The positive opinions that had previously dominated were gone, and most people were criticizing the developers.

It seems that the strange events were part of a large-scale event called "The Invasion of the Evil God" to celebrate the official service launch. Around the end of the open beta, there were hints of "something happening in the Commune," which turned out to be this event.

As the name suggests, the minions of the evil god in "Another World" are wreaking havoc in various parts of the Commune, and some cities are even occupied. The goal of the event is for players to liberate these cities from the monsters. So, the strange events in Clermont are due to it being occupied by monsters.

I was quite taken aback. It's too unreasonable. If the starting point is occupied by monsters right from the beginning, level 1 players can't do anything! At least exclude Clermont from the event!

The event started suddenly, and the NPCs in the city disappeared. I probably logged in right after that. Some players who started at the starting point deleted their characters and moved to a different starting point. When I logged in, I only met Rosa, but there were other players.

The developers might have been burdened with the official service launch and the large-scale event, but starting off like this is unforgivable. It's no wonder the players' reactions are harsh. No matter how interesting the game is, if the developers' response is poor, players will leave. I hope this great game doesn't suffer because of this.

However, monsters occupying cities. I don't know how strong or numerous they are, but they must be very powerful and numerous. It's impossible to do alone. I guess I need to form a party, or rather, a "guild."

A "guild" is not the adventurer's guild. It's a community and a group of players. It might seem similar to a party, but it's different. Unlike a party, you can't share experience points or items, but there are "guild skills" that benefit all guild members, and there are quests that only guilds can undertake. A guild can have over a hundred members. In military terms, a squad is a party, and a platoon is a guild.

For example, the group of knights I encountered in the Trent forest was probably a guild. To fight a boss monster, you have to fight the surrounding monsters as well. Sometimes one party isn't enough. Besides, boss monsters are powerful, and it's difficult to defeat them with just one party. Multiple parties need to work together, and guilds often lead these efforts.

For a solo player, it's a dream. Even forming a party is difficult. The reward for liberating a city is the territory, including the palace and the town's tax rights. There might be more guild vs. guild battles over territory in the future. Even if you can't get it yourself, there are rewards for participating in the battles. I hope to join one someday.

First, I need to get to Charent. I hope I can reach it soon.

***

Four days after leaving Trev, the unexpected speed of the carriage paid off, and they did not encounter any pursuers from Clermont. Rozeline felt a bit let down.

She was amazed by the carriage's performance when she first rode it, but she was once again reminded of its abnormality. This horse never got tired. Normally, you would need to take breaks and push as hard as possible when traveling by horse, but this horse could maintain its top speed even on mountain roads. In fact, it was the humans who needed to take breaks. Thanks to this, they arrived in towns earlier than expected and avoided camping, and Charent was just a short distance away. It seemed that this horse-like creature was not just an ordinary animal.

Most likely, it was a magical horse. She realized this in Trev. As soon as they arrived at the inn, a dark hole suddenly appeared in front of them, and the horse neighed and entered the hole. The inn staff, who cautiously approached to lead the eight-legged horse to the stable, were so shocked that they fainted. The next day, the carriage emerged from the hole, and Rozeline realized that the horse was summoned by some kind of magic.

Incidentally, Chaos's strange behavior was not limited to this. Once they were shown to their room, he stayed there until morning. Rozeline invited him to dinner a few times, but he didn't respond at all, as if no one was there. When she asked if he was eating, he said he was eating alone. Rozeline thought he might be a man who preferred solitude and didn't like socializing.

If that was the case, why was he accompanying her? In the carriage, he would respond properly when spoken to, and unlike the frivolous men who tried to flirt with her during meals, he didn't try to approach her. Was it out of kindness, or did he have some other reason? Rozeline couldn't tell.

However, their journey together was almost over. Once they reached Charent, Rozeline would face a difficult decision. The days she spent without revealing her identity were carefree and supported her anxious heart. Thinking about this, she felt a bit reluctant to part ways with him, but it couldn't go on forever.

As Rozeline was lost in thought, a shadow fell over the carriage. She looked up from the driver's seat and saw several dragons gliding through the sky, heading from the northern Clermont to the southern Charent. According to what she heard in Trev, the dragon mail from Clermont was suspended. It was hard to imagine that the strict security in Clermont had been lifted. Therefore, it was highly likely that these dragons were sent by the pursuers.

Rozeline urged the carriage to go even faster, heading for Charent. She could see soldiers dismounting from the dragons that had been ahead of them. They were definitely pursuers.

"Chaos! Hold on!"

"What!?"

Rozeline pulled the reins, veering off the road leading to the city gate. The carriage tilted, and Chaos, who was in the back, tumbled around inside, but she had no time to worry about him. A heavy weight fell on the carriage. A soldier had jumped onto it. Rozeline tried to shake him off by swerving, but the soldier held on tightly, refusing to fall off.

He looked human, but according to Chaos, he was a member of a race with incredible strength—vampires. Using their strength, they skillfully moved around the carriage, trying to achieve their goal. Their objective was to enter the carriage and kill Rozeline, who knew their secret, and her accomplice, Chaos.

The walls of Charent were in sight. Without slowing down, Rozeline maneuvered the reins. A violent impact hit them. Just before the horses collided with the wall, they turned right, and the box carriage swerved and hit the wall. The soldiers, unable to withstand the impact, fell off, their blood splattering the black carriage.

Fortunately, the carriage remained intact despite the violent collision, but it slowed down. Seizing this opportunity, a soldier who had been clinging to the right side of the carriage moved to the driver's seat and kicked Rozeline. The attack was not strong enough to knock her off, but she lost control of the reins.

The soldier tackled Rozeline. Despite her struggles, the vampire's strength overpowered her, pinning her down. His heavy breathing brushed against her forehead. His face, though human, had bloodshot eyes that looked mad. His mouth opened so wide it seemed his jaw had dislocated, revealing sharp fangs. A thick, viscous fluid dripped down her cheek.

"Rosa!"

At the sound of Chaos's voice, the soldier looked up. A dry sound echoed. The soldier's face was struck by a wooden staff. The soldier, holding his face, flinched. Seizing the opportunity, Rozeline pulled out a knife, slashed at the soldier, and kicked him away.

Without a second glance at the soldier rolling off the carriage, Rozeline took the reins. The carriage had slowed down due to the temporary loss of control, and the soldiers who had fallen behind were now surrounding it.

"No! After all this!"

"Looks like we're done for."

"What are you saying!?"

While Chaos spoke as if it were someone else's problem, Rozeline thought. The risk was high, but they could forcefully break through. Alternatively, they could return to the city gate along the wall and enter Charent. However, the soldiers would not give up. If they fled into Charent, the soldiers would continue to pursue them, leading to a battle in the city, potentially harming the residents.

Rozeline chose to break through and flee outside the city walls. She turned the carriage and charged through the encirclement. She hadn't thought about what to do after fleeing. She just needed to buy time or get away from Charent.

"Rosa, look ahead!"

Pointing ahead, Chaos saw a line of cavalry emerging from the city gate, heading straight for the carriage. The lances, longer than the mounted knights, were lowered in unison,