Tl: Sam

…

” …… where am I?”

　I pick myself up, holding my head.

There is a deep forest spreading out in front of me　.

　There are several forests in Seven Knights Online, but this look different from any of them. You might think that I can’t distinguish between forests, but I can.

　The game has different trees in different areas. The trees here are different from any other trees I’ve seen in the game.

“That doesn’t make sense. If I died, I should be sent back to the respawn point.”

　This is the first time I’ve been resurrected in a place I don’t recognize.

　I first operated the console to open up the map. I thought I would be able to find out where I was by looking at the worlld map…… but I was wrong.

“What is this?　I’ve never seen NO DATA…… like this before.”

　Even if it is the first time to go to a new place, it shows where it is on the whole map.

　This is the first time that even the whole map is not displayed like this. The first thing that comes to mind as a possible cause is a bug. But if it is a bug, there is nothing I can do.

“I should contact the management. ……No, I think I need to make sure it’s safe first.”

　The forest may look peaceful, but you never know what kind of vicious monsters might be out there.

　Information is a weapon. I need to check out the situation and make sure we are safe.

“Activate skill 〈 Detect Presence〉”

　Unlike magic, a skill is a technique that does not consume MP.

　The “Detect Presence” skill is one of the skills that players can learn, and is useful for detecting the location of players and monsters within a certain range.

　The skill does not use MP, but it cannot be used indefinitely, and after a certain number of uses, a 《 cooldown time 》 will be given for reuse.

　The more powerful the skill, the longer the 《 cooldown time 》 . However, since “Detecting presence” is an easy skill to learn, the cool time is as short as 10 seconds, so it can be used with ease.

“Ah ……. There is a presence a short distance away. The presences that are actively moving are monsters. The one being chased by them is the player. Is he being attacked by monsters?”

　If so, I should help.

　Not just because that person is likely to have information. I’m on the side of justice as long as I’m in this avatar. Even if I am in a land that I don’t understand, I have to fulfill my role.

“I’m coming for you……!”

　I put strength into my legs and run as fast as I can.

　The first job of my character “Wang Dyle” is the main job of the holy knight.

　It is a versatile job that is strong in both swordsmanship and magic. My athleticism is, of course, high.

　I can move lightly even though I wear heavy armor. There are many players who are caught off guard by the heavy appearance and are killed instantly.

“There……!”

　There is a girl running 10 meters ahead.

　A ferocious-looking wolf is chasing after it with its fangs bared.

　The girl is running hard, but the wolf’s fangs are almost behind her. It was only a matter of time before she fell prey.

“Kya……!”

　The girl trips on a tree root on the ground and falls.

　The wolf doesn’t miss the opportunity and tries to sink its fangs into her soft body.

“No……..”

　The girl’s face is stained with despair.

　The moment the wolf’s fangs are thrust into her, I manage to shield her from the wolf’s fangs.

“Are you okay?”

“hee……?”

　The girl stares at me in surprise.

　I don’t think she understands what’s going on.

　Well, I’ll explain when it’s all over. We need to get you safe.

“Get away!”

　I hit the wolf that is biting my back with my fist.

　The wolf is blown away and rolls on the ground.

　And then, seeing the wolf that didn’t move at all, the other four wolves are wary of me and move away from me.

“Now’s my chance.”

　I quickly open the console and take out a recovery potion. I open the lid and hand it to the girl.

“Take this and wait for me. I’ll finish it right away.”

“Uh, yes.”

　The girl, perhaps understanding that I have no hostile intentions, obediently listens to what I say.

　Now, let’s make this quick.

“Let’s get this over with. Justice will be served.”

　I say the words that only I can say now, the signature line of the Knights of the Silver Knights.

　There were a lot of ideas for the line, but this simple line seemed to be the right one. I thought it was cool straight from the perspective of a guy who used to like the Sentai Hero(Tl: The predecessor of Power Rangers) stuff, but I was too embarrassed to say anything about it, so I kept my mouth shut.

『 Lulu …… Grrrr!”』

　One wolf bared its fangs and attacked.

　The only other way to attack it is with fangs and claws. The wolf monsters in 《 Seven Knights Online 》 have powerful magic, but this one doesn’t seem to have that.

“Cutting 《Slash》.”

　With a snap of my fingers, I activate the magic and the wolf’s body is severed from the torso.

　The wolf’s body is cut in two from the torso, and then it falls down, staining the ground red with bright red blood.

“Eeee!”

　I turn my face away from the grotesque sight.

　What is going on?　In ｜《 Seven Knights Online 》, defeated monsters are immediately turned into materials, and even if you attack them, they don’t bleed like this.

『 Garr! 』

『 Rugaga!”』

　The wolves attack all at once.

　They must have thought they had a chance to win when they saw me turn my face away.

“No time to think, huh?”

　The incident earlier is bothering me, but I put it to the back of my mind and concentrate on the battle.

　The other wolf’s movements are monotonous. I’m not a beginner that’d fall to such a straight line attack.

　I step and duck from the attack and go around to the side of the wolf. Then, I press my right hand against the wolf’s torso and invoke magic.

“《 Thunderbolt! 》”

『 Gawrrr! 』

　With a “bang” sound, the lightning hits the wolf!　

　The wolf seems to have no resistance to attribute attacks, and is crushed by a single elementary magic like 《Thunder 》.

“The wolf’s body is not as grotesque as it was when it was cut by《Slash》, but I don’t like the smell of burning…….”

　I thought using 《 Thunderbolt 》 was a good idea, but that’s also rejected.

　The best way to do this is to use a magic that can be used to make the wolves look like wolves. I launch my magic at the two remaining wolves.

“《Wide Ice》”

　By adding more magic power, I strengthen the range of the 《 Ice 》 spell.

　Thanks to this, a wide area in front of me is instantly frozen, and the two wolves that had been standing apart to watch are frozen together.

　This is neither grotesque nor smelly. It’s all ice.

“Well, are you all right?”

“Hyah, hyah!”

　I turn around and ask the girl, and she makes a crazy sound.

　Well, If I was being attacked by wolves, but I was rescued by a mysterious knight in armor. I’m sure I’d be surprised.

“Let’s see…… can I ask your name first?”

“Yes. My name is Shea.”

　She was a girl in her early teens.

　She is a beautiful girl with purple hair and an innocent-looking face. She is very different from me, who was teased for having eyes deader than a dead fish.

“Thank you for saving me, Sir Knight. If you hadn’t come to my rescue, I would be in the belly of a wolf right now. Thank you so much.”

　Shea bowed her head deeply.

　She may look young, but she is intelligent and calm.

“I don’t care. I did what I had to do. I’d like to ask you a few more questions.”

“Yes, yes, of course!　Yes, of course!　Ask me anything you want!”

　Shea responds by tapping her chest.

　It seems that I’ve made a good impression by helping her out earlier. That’s a big help.

　I first ask her what I’m most worried about.

“Well, Shea is a player, right?”

　I have to check this first.

　Non-player characters, or NPCs, are not as expressive as she is, and they can only speak in a certain way. The skill 〈 Detect Presence 〉 also showed that it was a player, so there is no doubt about it.

　However, my opinion was easily overturned.

“Player?　What is it?”

　Shea tilts her head in a cute way.

　What are you talking about, ……?　How can you not know the word “player”?

　Shea, however, did not seem to be joking. She answered seriously. What the hell is going on?

We’re in a game, right? We’re in ｜Seven Knights Online, right?

“Wait a minute!　｜What are you talking about?”

“Such ……It doesn’t make any sense……!”

　The girl in trouble in front of me looks like a living person.

　What then?　Are you saying that I’m a game character and I’ve been transported to a world where humans are alive?

　…… Thinking about it, it’s strange that Shea is the player.

　In ｜The Heroic Tale of the Seven Swords Knight 《Seven Knights Online》, from an ethical point of view, it is not possible to create an avatar with the appearance of a child.

　And this is not limited to Seven Knights Online.

　In almost all FD (Full Dive) style MMOPRGs, except for R-18 ones, it is not possible to create and control child characters.

　So, is Shea really a living person and not a game avatar or NPC?

　That’s absurd. This is not a novel or a comic book.(Tl: If only he knew)

“That’s impossible. ……!”

　I operated the console with a sense of frustration.

　The first thing I looked for was the “logout” section.

　Seven Knights Online allows you to forcibly log out of the game no matter where you are on the map.

　If you log out outside of the city or safety area, only your avatar will remain, but there is always a way to return to the real world.

　The logout section of the game …… is cleanly gone, even though it should have been right there.

　All the other functions to contact others or the management, such as the message function, contact function, etc., were also gone.

　It’s a dead end.

　There was no way to return to the map of Seven Knights Online or the real world.

　Hopelessness weighs strongly on my shoulders.

　I’ve been through many adverse war situations in my life, but this is the first time I’ve felt so helpless.

　I looked over at Shea and saw her looking at me uneasily.

　……What am I doing? I need to do something about this girl before I worry. It’s not too late to start thinking about this world.

“I’m sorry, I’m a little distraught. By the way, where did Shea come from?

“Well, I’m from the village of Zimari, near here. A while ago I heard a loud noise and wondered what it was, so I went into the forest to search for it and was attacked by wolves.”

“I see, so that’s what happened. By the way, did you find out what that loud noise was?”

“Yes, I did. Yes, a little further from here. There is a big castle that had collapsed on the cliff facing the sea. I don’t think there was a building like that before. ……”

“A big castle……!”

　Shea’s words startled me.

　I’m not sure if it’s possible. I had to make sure of it.

“Shea. I promise to take you back to the village. So will you take me to where that castle used to be?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t mind.”

“All right, then, let’s make this quick.”

　I picked up Shea and carried her on my shoulder.

　I’m not sure if she was surprised or not, but she let out a cute little cry. She made a cute little noise.

“Which way?”

“Uh, that way.”

“Okay.”

　I ran in the direction she pointed.

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