Darius paced back and forth within a room of the citadel provided to him by members of the Rosenheim Knights, wondering why he was summoned once again by the Kingdom. Compared to them, he is still considered a temporary holder of that title, even though he completed a quest to reclaim Baran Village which was overrun by Lizardmen… his reputation amongst other players had plummeted and even his Guild Master scolded him because Darius had weakened the guild's influence as one of the top three in Rosenheim.

Although his guild had a bad reputation before that due to their players' behaviour, it was currently undergoing a period of recruitment and expansion to compete with the other two guilds… the tremendous losses at Baran due to Darius's leadership where only less than a hundred players survived out of three hundred was because he hurled non-guild members into the enemies traps.

In hindsight… it was also because of the bad command decisions he made. Even when recruiting the 300 players required for the force, he had only picked those below the level of 100 so as to maximise the fame gained for himself and his fellow guild members, all of whom were at least level 140. The only positive was that the two hundred Rosenheim troops that came with Darius were mainly intact as he left their detachment behind in the village to stand guard because he didn’t want to share exp with them while he chased the remaining Lizardmen forces. He had inadvertently preserved their lives which is why he believed that Duke Kanus was still interested in seeing him.

Unable to take Darius's pacing anymore, his friend called out to him, "Can you please calm down? You are starting to grate on my nerves"

"…Sorry Parros", Darius ruffled his hair with his hand, "You know me. All this waiting is terrible", as he sat at the desk across his friend.

"…can you please stop tapping your feet?"

"Do you think… it's another quest?"

Parros just shrugged his shoulder, the thief seemingly uninterested, "What will be, will be"

"Since when did you get all philosophical on me?", Darius felt surprised.

"… I don't know. Maybe after that Barran debacle?", he sighed in regret.

Both men cringed when they thought back to that time, looking back on it forced them to reflect on themselves… why were they so short sighted. Someone had definitely pilfered the place whilst the punitive force was battling with the Lizardmen so they had even raged and tried to investigate where most of the Lizardmen loot had gone from their lair after finally destroying them, antagonizing even more players.

It was only after that quest did they realised how important it was to not only have a good relationship with the Kingdom… but also with other players. Everywhere either their party or whether they singly went out to perform quests, no one was willing to team up with them… or they were hunted down to be pked.

Although minor, neither of them realised they were slowly forced to grow up and admit that what they had done was wrong. This may have been a game, but just because you log in to escape society, doesn’t mean society stops functioning on this side. And though both men don’t realise it yet, they were also starting to view the current actions of their guild in a negative light.

"Parros… it was right of us to just care for our own party wasn’t it?"

"Yeah… it was. I just don’t understand why everyone couldn’t understand. They would all have done the same too…"

"Yeah, you are probably right"

The room was then enveloped in a heavy silence as they tried to figure out whether the world was wrong… or were they? Suddenly there was a knock on their door to which it opened and a Knight came in to summon them, "Duke Kanus has called for your presence"

Getting up, Darius and Parros walked out the door together… however Darius paused for a moment before turning to the knight and said, "Thanks"

Parros just looked at his friend in surprise as they both followed another knight down the hallway as he said, "Darius that was strange. Usually you would only speak with important NPCs"

"… I don’t know. Just felt like it"

"Don't let that last quest get you down so much", Parros tried to cheer him up, "at least we are still able to see members of the Rosenheim nobility"

"Parros", looking at his friend with a strange glint in his eye, "Let's not make the same mistakes like before"

"…Yeah, let's not"

Before they realised it, they were finally in front of the same door where they had been invited to see the Duke previously for the last quest. As the door opened, they saw Duke Kanus sitting leisurely in his chair behind a desk made out of mahogany, as he signalled for the two of them to have a seat.

"Welcome back, Sir Darius", Duke Kanus began, "you completed that assignment marvellously and managed to even bring back the Rosenheim troop detachment mostly intact"

"…Thank you my lord", was all Darius could say.

"Oh? You are being quite modest today. Never mind though, I have another assignment for you"

Hearing that, Darius gained a hint of liveliness as he asked, "What do you require of me, my lord?"

"We have a minor rebellion that I want you to personally crush in the east. One of our villages has been occupied by a rebel officer and he has instigated the region to rebel against the crown", Duke Kanus gazed at both men seriously, "this needs to be stamped out before it infects the loyal members of the Rosenheim army".

Rebellion in the East!

Ernst Rommer has been found to be guilty of treason as he had endangered the King's road to make it all but impassable by loyalist troops while he had colluded with Orc and human bandits to raid villages all along the eastern border. King Theodarren has ordered that Ernst Rommer be brought to justice and the rebellion quelled before it can destabilise the border.

Difficulty Level: C

Quest Requirements

Acknowledged as reliable by Duke Kanus

Must form an expedition force with a Minimum of 1000 players

"I accept", Darius responded with resolve.

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INTRO SONG: Trust Me

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When Mayumi and Masumi logged back in, they weren’t surprised that Gerhard's trial was already over, considering a day had already passed. Mayumi squeezed her sister's hand in apology but Masumi just gave back a gentle smile, her expression clearly saying 'don't worry about it'. However there was a strange liveliness and intensity in the village that wasn’t there yesterday, causing the two sisters to look to one another and wondering what was going on.

"Neesan, I think we should go meet up with Gerhard-sama to find out about the current circumstances"

"Ohooo, my cute sister, when did you start calling his name so intimately?", Mayumi teased.

"Mooou, are you sure you still want me to bring sweets when I visit?"

"Wakatta wakatta, look at you blushing, I can't believe you would used such a highly level threat just because of that"

"Hmph, If I don’t scold you from time to time, you will never learn"

"…What am I, five?"

"Yes"

"…"

"I am going to see who is online right now", Masumi checked the friend's list and was unsurprised to see that Gerhard's name was flashing green however the others have yet to log in.

"Gerhard-sama", Masumi private messaged him, "we have just come back in… can we meet up?"

There was a long moment of silence which made her heart thump wildly in anticipation before there was an answer, "Masumi? Sorry I am not used to this function, where are you right now?"

"We are… currently in the audience area, but we can go to your location if…if you're not busy"

"Oh, it's ok, I will come and pick you up", Masumi deliberately hearing what she wanted to hear from Gerhard's reply.

"Hai! See you soon, Gerhard-sama", she replied happily.

To the side, Mayumi was looking at her sister strangely, "I am going to say this again…you do realise he is older than our grandfather…"

"He is still perfectly in my strike zone, nee-san"

"… Like I have been saying all this time, that strike zone is too WIDE!"

"I can't just turn off my feelings, nee-san. Love should not have any boundaries"

"…Your feelings will get Gerhard arrested in real life if he does accept them", Mayumi sighed in exasperation.

"Then I shall destroy the society that treats our love as taboo", she clenched her hands in determination. Inwardly she was thinking of abusing her power by forcing the Japanese government to change the law for the age minors can start dating by lowering it… failing that she can always ask her sister to replace the ministers.

"…Masumi, why do I have the feeling you are about to ask me to do something totally crazy?"

"Do you want sweets and snacks when I visit or not?"

"… I thought I was the older twin here. Fiiine, I will support you in whatever you want"

Masumi beamed before kissing her sister on the cheek, shocking Mayumi because she knew how her usually cool silent sister rarely showed outwards display of emotion, especially in public. Realising how far Masumi had fallen, Mayumi could only hope that Gerhard will somehow talk sense into her sister.

"Oh! He is here! ...eh?", Mayumi could only look on dumbfounded as Gerhard waved care freely as approached them. The waving wasn’t the problem… it was the fact that all the elves who saw him, immediately bowed towards him in reverence, while he seemed to be trailed by an entourage of 40 elite guards. These warriors were amongst the ones who had escorted them to the council earlier however they were now equipped for war; full leaf shaped scale mail armour the colour of silver with polished arm and shin guards, intricate patterned half helms, and a cloak that shimmered as though it wanted to blend into the surroundings. They no longer look like 'wild' elves but a bunch of walking mini bosses…

"Ahhh!", Masumi said dreamily, "a kind gentleman that is being escorted like a precious flower… it is like a beautiful living portrait"

"Gerhard-san… ", Mayumi complained, "can you go into your settings and turn off your 'Charm' mode…"

"? I never saw such an option last I checked", he replied honestly in confusion. He then turned to the warriors behind him, "Frankly no harm will befall me in the village, so please return to your normal duties. I need to have a private word with my companions"

"Sainür", one of the guards protested, "this is already the bare minimum of an Honour guard that is usually assigned. Although there is no danger, it would be disrespectful to have no one attend to you"

Gerhard sighed, "Ok, I will accept a single guard-"

"Denied. We are all coming with you-", the guard gulped abruptly as he felt a blade on his neck.

Masumi had suddenly appeared, releasing such an intense killing aura as she coolly looked at the elf, "Do not interrupt Gerhard-sama while he is speaking"

"…Masumi, there is no need to unsheathe your sword over a simple conversation", Mayumi scolded her.

"Nee-san, words are a form of violence so we must respond in kind-"

"Masumi, put your blade down. He is only doing his duty", as Gerhard also remonstrated her.

"Hai! Gerhard-sama!", she responded immediately, meekly sheathing her sword as she looked up with puppy dog eyes towards him.

"Now apologise to him", he continued.

Turning back to the elf guard she had threatened, she bowed deeply from the waist, "I am sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to kill you over such a simple matter"

"Oh…", the elf could only wave off the fact that he was almost cut down as he accepted her apology, "Its fine, all of us are here to protect Sainür after all… I guess uhh… we will just have a meal in the tavern while we wait for you". The other Elven warriors also nodded their heads simultaneously in agreement.

'Do not get involve while the crazy female is here', was the thinking that appeared in their minds.

"…Masumi… where did my cool beauty of a sister go…"

"At least she is a prim and honest girl", Gerhard smiled.

"Gerhard-san… please have your eyes assessed. Anyway", Mayumi asked curiously looking about, "where is Max? Will he log in soon?"

"Oh Max? He said he will go do a little errand for me. I am not too sure what he means though"

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Max yawned as he stretched himself in bed, blinking his eyes blearily as he scolded the sun for interrupting his dreams before trying to crawl back under the blanket. However, the room to his door opened suddenly, to which his mother walked in without a word and pulled the blanket away in a single practised motion.

With his protective cocoon gone, Max curled himself even further into the foetal position as he mumbled, "Mom, just 5 more-"

"No, out of bed NOW! You will be late for uni again!"

"Mom, it’s the uni holidays-"

"Don’t lie to me Max. I checked your calendar in your course book!", she scolded him, "move or I am going to vacuum your bed!"

"Mutter, I have a fever-"

Before he could even finish, she suddenly shoved a digital thermometer expertly into his mouth, took it out and said, "No, you don't"

"…tsk", he clicked his tongue, "You may have won this battle mum but-"

"Max", his mother interrupted exasperatedly, "This war was over before it ever began. Now get out of bed!"

Hearing the word 'war' from his mother suddenly caused Max to sit bolt upright in bed as he remembered what he needed to do for his grandfather. Like a cat that had its tail stepped on, Max leapt out of bed like a professional athlete before his shocked mother as he ran into the bathroom to shower while brushing his teeth at the same time.

His mother was still standing there stunned, fully having expected to waste 10 more mins to try to wake Max however not even 3 mins passed before he kissed his mother on the cheek in good morning. Fully dressed as he walked out of his room he asked, "What's for breakfast mutter?"

"…Max, I think I need to check your temperature again…", as she eyed the thermometer suspiciously, wondering if it is faulty.

"??? Why mom? Hurry up, I am hungry", calling back to his mother as he walked into the dining room.

His dad was reading the newspaper, only for him to raise his eyebrow shortly in surprise before returning back to reading.

Max quickly scoffed down the breakfast of bacon and eggs, stealing more hash browns from his unsuspecting dad's plate before shouting out, "Thanks mom!", as he left the table in a hurry.

"…Honey, do you think something's wrong with Max today?", she asked her husband worriedly.

Hermann just muttered, "Maybe he is going to see a girl?"

"…I hope he isn’t being led astray", she rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Don’t worry madam… at this rate your son will be a wizard.

Walking past his grandfather's room, he suddenly paused for a moment and decided to enter quietly, approaching the peaceful figure of Gerhard, the gentle rise and fall of his chest coupled with the rhythmical beep of the life support system, reassured Max that his grandfather was physically still in this world.

"Opi", Max held the aged hands of Gerhard, "I will try to lessen the burden for you soon", he promised, "I want you to enjoy the remainder of your time here for as long as possible… so please wait. I will create a place for you". He kissed his grandfather's hand before placing it back down gently.

On the train to university, Max thought back to all the problems that his grandfather will face in the future and especially now that he was bound by duty once again. Although Max wished that his grandfather would live his remaining days peacefully… he had to admit he could not even imagine his grandfather not in uniform anymore, especially now that he saw the 'younger' version of Gerhard in battle, where he seems to… come alive.

Since Gerhard has joined the Rosenheim army, Max understood that the greater danger to his grandfather will not come from NPCs and Mobs, but by other PCs, human beings whose power are virtually unmatched and are bound by the greed to self-improve and be dominant. Most of them care not about their surroundings and will only seek some form of profit, seeing NPCs as disposable tools in their quests. Knowing his grandfather, Max implicitly knew that he will stand on the side of the weak… but his grandfather's heart would shatter as the normal human NPCs do not have any strength to battle or defend against PCs. If PC's were also involved in the invasion of Basterni…

As Max thought and thought whilst browsing the forums, he found a topic in regards to items that can be made in Royal Road… and instantly his eyes lit up. Skimming through the content, he felt it was possible, but most people only did it as a hobby and weren't particularly interested in utilising it as it required intense effort to even make it applicable for battle. With Royal Road set within a medieval fantasy setting, there is just not enough prerequisite technology for it to be feasible.

However, Max's mind kept churning at an incredible rate as past history lessons and lectures all pointed to a common point… earth somehow made such weapons during the Middle Ages… a plan began to form in his mind as he excitedly called a few friends from his engineering course. If he could make these weapons for the NPCs… it will provide them with a fighting chance against Player Characters. It was probably impossible to do on such short notice, however there were other uses for it that could help them defend Basterni.

As Max walked into his class 20 mins early, he found the Lecturer flicking through some documents and preparing for the class, the plan that Max had conjured up with his friends seemed feasible as he called out to the professor excitedly, "Sir, I was wondering if I could discuss with you about our end of year project…"

*********************************************************************************************

Gerhard stood in front of Taisei and shook his hand, "We will see you shortly then…friend"

"There is no doubt about that Sainür", Taisei grinned reassuringly, "Once we have organised our village defences, our war parties will rush to Basterni within a few days".

"The hundred warriors that you have lent to escort us is more than enough though", Gerhard tried to decline once again, "After all, it was said to be a threat, so nothing may eventuate in the end"

" Sainür amongst our kind, it is said to plan for the best-"

"-but prepare for the worst", Gerhard finished, "I understand, in that case, I must apologise for imposing on your goodwill"

"Think nothing of it. My daughter shall keep me informed while she guides you back to your village", indicating to her who was pointedly ignoring Masumi's glare.

Seeing Gerhard notice her, Mist just gave a small smile in greeting which caused Masumi to become more agitated, shouting something that seemed like the word 'Temptress' multiple times… and when Mayumi noticed Max logging back in, she smiled happily as she skipped over and proceeded to welcome him back… eh wait, what? She just shyly kissed him on the cheek?... Oh wait it was a feint… the poor distracted Max was then flipped easily to the ground with Mayumi sitting on his back locking him into a camel clutch.

"…Excuse me for one moment", Gerhard noticed the plight of his grandson as he sighed, "sometimes I wished that this was a different era so I can throw him into at least the Königlich Preußischen Kadettenkorps "… although deep down he felt glad that Max grew up during such peaceful times.

While Gerhard appreciated that a girl had taken an interest in Max… he just wished that Mayumi would show some restraint in her affection for his grandchild. Seriously, even his wife Hannah only ever smacked his head when she was displeased but is it normal for the current generation to perform wrestling moves on each other when they are intimate? What has happened to the world while he hasn’t been paying any attention to it? (Gerhard… this situation is abnormal. Please recognise that)

"Maaax", Mayumi called out sweetly, "I missed you!"

Chokingly he responded, "M-Mayumi! I d-don't have time for this!"

"Haaaaa?! Is that how you respond to your master?!"

"N-no! I mean you are looking incredibly beautiful today!"

"… Aren't I beautiful every day?"

"O-Oh? I thought you did something to your hair?"

"…No. No, I didn’t"

"Really? I think your clothes match your eyes…"

There was a moment of silence before Mayumi applied more pressure of the camel clutch on Max.

"W-wait! Wait! I. AM. BREAKING!", he screamed.

To the side Gerhard just rubbed his temple when he heard Max and decided to just private message him, "Max! What on earth are you doing?!"

"Opi!", Max replied instantly, "Save me!"

"… LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE! And where did you come up with the courage to say such terrible lines to a woman?!!"

"Eh?! Lydia was the one who taught me-"

"…Are you trying to commit suicide?! Lydia has about as much experience with romance from the terrible movies she probably watched…"

"What should I do Opi?! I feel something dislocating!"

"Max listen and repeat what I am going to say…"

As Max felt his consciousness beginning to fade and the confusion debuff began flashing in the corner of his eye, Max felt his mouth opening robotically as the words of his grandfather filter into his mind.

"M-MAYUMIIIIIII!!!!", Max screamed with all his might, causing everyone, Elven warriors, Mist, Mayumi, Lydia, William and even a few passersby to turn and stare at him. Even Mayumi appeared shocked as she suddenly released her hold and Max's face almost snapped back and smash into the ground… however he still managed to continue.

"I LIKE YOU! I LIKED YOU FROM THE FIRST MOMENT WE MET! EVEN WHEN I AM DREAMING I SEE YOU-", Max suddenly stopped as he realised what he was saying.

"… Opi", Max private messaged back, "What is this?"

"Hmm? Keep going, you are doing quite well"

"N-no, what are you making me say!"

"Oh this? These were the exact same words I used when I was chasing your grandmother. Although you should have said it more gently though"

"…I AM GOING TO GET MURDERED!"

"Really? I think you underestimate yourself"

Noticing the surroundings had gotten quieter, Max somehow fearfully turned his head to look back at Mayumi sitting across his back.

"…Eh?", Max could only mutter in shock.

Mayumi… her face was totally flushed red. Seeing Max looking at her she immediately leapt off of him as she furiously waved her arms about in panic, "JUST WHAT ARE YOU SAYING BAKA!!", before running off to hide behind Masumi.

"Max!", Lydia gave him a thumbs up, "I taught you well!"

"Hmph!", there was a sound of an imaginary door slamming inside Max's head before an onset of a massive headache slammed into his mind.

The surrounding Elven warriors were grinning as one of them came forward and helped him to his feet, dusting him off as the elf said, "That was braver than facing an army of Orcs!", as he clapped his hand on Max's shoulder in approval.

Max felt heat rushing up to the tip of his ears as he didn’t know where to look, too ashamed to even glance in Mayumi's direction. However if he did… he would notice that Masumi was eyeing him with a stony face.

Deciding that escape was the better part of valour, Max kept his eyes to the floor as he rapidly approached his grandfather and grabbed him by the arm.

"Opi, I have something I want to discuss with you", as Max dragged Gerhard away from the group, many of whom were watching his embarrassment in amusement.

"Oh, what is it Max?"

"… I shouldn’t have said those irresponsible words"

"…so you have no feelings for her?"

"I don’t know what I feel Opi… but I know I don’t dislike her"

"Haaaa… you should stop being so indecisive. You are still a Von Natzmer, Max…"

"Urgh… A-anyway Opi, I need to check something with you"

"Oh? What is it about Max?"

Max hesitated slightly before he asked, "Do you know much about the differences between the denizens of this world and people like us?"

Gerhard pondered for a moment before replying, "I do have a vague feeling that we have more of an opportunity to gain skills and power rapidly?"

"It is not just your feeling Opi, we can be considered a cheat like existence in this world… that was how the game was designed. Though there are of course some exceptions due to race or importances to storyline, the vast majority of human NPCs have exactly the same strength as normal humans on earth".

"…I think I understand what you are trying to say Max"

"If… and I do mean if, there are people like us involved in invading Basterni in any numbers", Max concluded grimly, "then it will definitely fall"

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Ending Song: Kore wa Koi