Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
âSuch... a thing happened...â
Professor Cabbage was horrified after looking at the images of the round Adamantine rock.
âProfessor Bacon was possibly kidnapped, and Brainiac was also possibly kidnapped after discovering a few leads.â
âLike you saw, my employed Lich is involved. This is no longer just a matter of Specter College, it also concerns an employee of Eternal Kingdom.â
Professor Cabbage nodded and said, âI understand. Please follow me, Iâll take you to see the principal.â
...
In a medium-sized room, a cloaked Lich stood by the window. He was able to survey the entire Specter College.
It was a rest day for Specter College.
âPom, pom, pom!â
Door knocks were heard outside.
The cloaked Lich turned his head and said, âPlease enter.â
The door was opened. Professor Cabbage led Sherlock and his three pets into the room.
âPrincipal, this is a matter involving Professor Bacon. I feel I have to report to you on the latest information,â Professor Cabbage said frankly.
...
âIs it possible... that Professor Bacon is playing a prank on us?â the principal asked after watching the video shown by Sherlock.
Professor Cabbage wore an are-you-joking expression.
âOkay, I understand that the matter is serious and that we have to treat it seriously.â
The principal supported his chin and nodded as he said, âI noticed that Professor Bacon mentioned Specter College in the fantasy-scape. Did he leave any important leads in Specter College?â
âThatâs what I thought. Can you take us to Professor Baconâs room?â Sherlock said.
âOf course. Please follow me.â
...
As a single professor at Specter College, Professor Bacon stayed in the professorâs dormitory.
The dormitory was a single suite with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, washroom, and bathroom. Though it was small, it was well furnished.
âThis is Professor Baconâs room.â
When the dormitory supervisor opened Professor Baconâs suite using the backup key, a stale, dusty stench that indicated long periods of non-inhabitation pervaded the air.
Compared to the strict Professor Bacon, his room was chaotic. It was as though a robber had just ransacked the place.
Professor Cabbage and the principal stood at the door and looked around.
âAh, I told Professor Bacon to clean the suite. He wasnât listening,â the principal said in embarrassment.
Professor Bacon was a member of the teaching staff at Specter College. As the principal, he was ashamed to let Sherlock witness the mess.
âItâs going to be difficult to find leads in such a mess.â
Professor Cabbage was critical in her comment, even with Professor Bacon missing.
âNo, itâs not difficult.â
Sherlock went to a wall in Professor Baconâs room. It was full of various messy pictures and newspaper cuttings.
âI see.â
...
The gamers of Victoria City finally set off. Lilo decided to copy Sherlockâs method. She arrived at the destination first before setting up a Rune Mana Teleport Portal. It was different from the traditional marching of an army.
The convoy consisted of only tens of carriages with 80 members and some materials used for setting up the Rune Mana Formation.
The leader was the Human, Count Lancelot, while Big Boss Hamster was in charge of setting up the Rune Mana Formation.
Big Boss was able to set up a Rune Mana Formation because Queen Lilo trained him overnight. Big Boss was sobbing and referring to his revision book during the journey. It was a worrying sight.
Big Boss was sobbing not because of the difficulty of setting up the Rune Mana Formation, but because it was his first time separating from his brothers since birth. The separation was like missing home.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Besides the worrying Lancelot and the sad Big Boss, the gamers were extremely happy. They were the vanguards for attacking the York Territory and could possibly defeat the Dukeâs troops before the other gamers. Then, all of the equipment and horses would belong to them. The gamers felt thrilled by this thought.
There was a price. Lancelot said, âOur mission is to find a suitable location to build a reliable Stronghold. We may not be able to return for ten to twenty days. Please be mentally prepared!â
Did that mean that the gamers would be unable to do their Daily Missions during this period of time? They wouldnât earn any Reputation Points and game coins.
Most of the gamers were unwilling to be the vanguards and waste ten to twenty days. However, there were some gamers who volunteered.
Lancelot selected 80 gamers with the best discipline. The other ill-disciplined gamers were excluded since they could cause the death of other gamers. It was safer to build a Stronghold and the Rune Mana Formation before letting them come over for the battle.
Lancelot had given up hope of making the gamers behave like normal troops.
The carriage convoy made its way on a plain outside the Moonlight Forest. On the first carriage was Count Lancelotâs wife. He was the man who claimed to be the successor to the York Territory that was shot by Softieâs arrow.
His name was Guinevere.
âIs Guinevere a man or a woman?â On a quivering carriage behind the first carriage, TakeASpearHit was befuddled as he looked at his companion.
âAh? Why did you ask such a question?â SealHeadLingChong looked blankly at TakeASpearHit.
âHeâs a man. The Elf NPC confirmed that heâs a man, and the gamers who took care of him also said that heâs a man,â a gamer said.
âWe didnât confirm his gender, and his name is Guinevere. Isnât this the name of the wife of Arthur? That is a female name, and heâs married to Lancelot.â
Softie was on the same carriage, and she gave her opinion. She suddenly recalled something and clapped her hands as she said, âYes, is this a preparation for the future marriage system? A lot of online games have marriage systems. Maybe âDungeonâ will have one too.â
âThe marriage of a Gnome and an Orc? I can imagine the beautiful image,â TakeASpearHit said, and all of the gamers on the carriage broke into laughter. They were in a good mood.
The carriage in front suddenly stopped. Dragonborn saw Lancelot, Big Boss, and Guinevere leap off the first carriage. The other gamers also got off their carriages.
âWhatâs the situation?â
TakeASpearHit was taken aback. Nobody knew what was happening. After they got off the carriage, they walked forward and saw a burnt land before the convoy. There were fragments of metal and wood and cooked fowl on the ground. However, there was no smoke, so they had been burnt quite a while ago.
The grotesque thing was that besides the animals, there were humanoid creatures being burnt.
There were a few dispirited Humans sitting on the ground nearby, and there were a few severely burnt Humans.
It looked as though their convoy was attacked by rockets.
There were no rockets in the game, only Magic Cannons, which didnât have the devastating power of rockets.
If they were attacked by Magic Cannons, they wouldnât leave any corpses or carcasses.
Lancelot surveyed the burnt land. He was in disbelief. What had happened?
Those Humans sitting down noticed the Victorians, and a few of them stood up and walked towards them.
âAre you from Goldshire Town? Where is my son? Didnât he come with you?â
A man whose beard was burnt in half looked over with hope.
âApologies, weâre...â
Lancelot was about to inform them of his identity, but the gamers had already started shouting.
âThatâs right, weâre from Goldshire Town!â
âDo you have any missions for us?â
âIf you have missions, assign them to us. Weâll complete the missions for you!â
âThatâs right. Absolutely!â
âWeâre not from Goldshire Town. Weâre from Victoria City!â
âAre you silly? Why are you soliciting for missions? Arenât you from Victoria City? Itâs only right to answer honestly!â
Those Humans who had just gone through a calamity were dumbfounded by the gamersâ conversation. But Lancelot quickly answered, âApologies, weâre not from Goldshire Town, weâre from Victoria City. What happened here? Who attacked you?â
Lancelot asked these questions to determine if there was any nearby danger. If his convoy encountered the same situation, he would be embarrassed. Though the gamers could revive, he and Guinevere could not.
Lancelot wasnât willing to admit it, but he had the intention to protect Guinevere. Just a little.
âIt was a Wyvern! We encountered the attack of a Wyvern! That evil Wyvern glided down and breathed fire! He treated us as his prey!â
âMy family was burnt to death by that evil creature!â
âWe have to take revenge!â
They started to wail in pain. Even the happy-go-lucky gamers were saddened by their plight.
It was such a calamity.
âThis...â Big Boss nodded. He was about to order everyone to board the carriages when loud sounds were heard from a distance.
A group of Humans armed with various weapons were approaching them, a few of them even riding horses. When they discovered the convoy, they made haste.
The bearded man who was talking with the gamers ran excitedly over as he shouted, âSon! Son!â
Those Humans must be from Goldshire Town.
âPrepare for battle!â someone shouted, which caused the gamers to immediately unsheath their weapons. Lancelot almost pulled out his weapon instinctively, but he stopped himself and shouted to the gamers behind, âPut away your weapons. Theyâre not bandits! Theyâre not bandits!â
There werenât many gamers, so the convoy was disguised as a Merchant Band to sneak into the York Territory before setting up a Stronghold. This was because Queen Lilo wanted to declare war based on succession rights and not launch an invasion. As long as they occupied the York Castle, the war would be over. However, from the viewpoint of succession law, many things werenât in their favor.
Lancelot glared at the gamers, but they were excited over the horses and equipment. They hesitated about whether to put away their weapons.
Guinevere came forward and said to everyone, âBelieve me, everyone. I know the mayor of Goldshire Town. He took care of me when I was down and out. He wasnât on the side of the evil Duke of York. Heâs not our enemy, but our possible ally.â
The gamers were still hesitating when Dragonborn said, âPut away your weapons. There might be further Plot developments.â
Hoodlum waved his hand and said, âPut away your weapons. They donât have quality equipment. Thereâs no need to fight.â
The other Guild leaders also said similar stuff, and the gamers put away their weapons.
The chatting didnât diminish. As there were only 80 gamers, the chaotic nature of the gamers wasnât prominent.
Lancelot and Guinevere were relieved to see the gamers put away their weapons. Big Boss frowned during the journey. He was annoyed by the delay in the journey.
The group of Humans approached the gamers. The leader was a Horseman, and from his armor, he looked like a warrior.
âWho are you? Why are you here?â
As there werenât many Victorians and there were no archers, the residents of Goldshire Town werenât wary. They ran over as a large group and stood before Dragonborn and the gamers. The leader surveyed the surroundings and questioned them.
âUncle mayor!â
Guinevere pulled off his hood, his feminine face almost in tears. The Horseman dismounted and ran forward in disbelief, saying, âGuinevere? I was worried about you. I thought you were killed by the Victorian barbarians. Thatâs great! Thank the Holy Lord!â
The warrior hugged Guinevere tightly, unaware of Lancelot staring with his large eyes.
When the mayor mentioned the Victorian barbarians, Guinevere was embarrassed. He pushed off his uncle mayor and pointed at the gamers behind him.
âThey are residents of Victoria City.â
âSwoosh!â
The mayor pulled out his weapon and pushed Guinevere behind his back. He looked warily at the empty space around as though he expected an ambush.
The gamers were excited to see the NPC brandishing his weapon. If a fight ensued, then the gamers couldnât be blamed for not holding back.
The armed residents of Goldshire Town, who were behind the mayor, became wary. Before they started fighting, Guinevere came forward and said, âUncle, this isnât what you think. The Victorians arenât barbarians. They are helping me to fight against the Duke of York! Theyâll help me regain my Dukedom and territory!â
The mayor hesitated for a moment. He looked at the relaxed gamers and put away his weapon. Then, he looked at Guinevere and said, âNobody can defeat the Duke of York, not even the Victorians who defeated the golden-haired George. The next attack from the Duke will be more intense. Youâre meeting your doom. Listen to me, Guinevere, and leave for the Empire. You can have an ordinary life there.â
Guinevere lowered his head and didnât respond. The mayor sighed and said, âI know that I canât convince you.â
He walked two steps and approached the survivors while speaking to Lancelot and the gamers, âApologies, Victorians. If youâre going somewhere, leave immediately. Thereâs a Wyvern, and itâs not safe anywhere. May the Holy Lord bless you all.â