Dawn Pioneers

"Let's celebrate my rescue!" Kikkawa cheered enthusiastically.

"Yeah, free drinks!" Ranta, equally enthusiastic, joined in with the same fervor, his boisterousness adding to the celebration's atmosphere.

Haruhiro and Moguzo followed suit, albeit hesitantly. Sasha and Yume eagerly joined the festivities as well, smiling all over their face.

However, Merry, Shihoru, and I found it a bit difficult to fully engage in the festivities. Our personalities simply didn't fit with the jubilant atmosphere.

We had gathered for this impromptu celebration at the bar of Tuare's Inn, and our presence turned the typically quiet atmosphere into a lively one. The wooden walls of the inn echoed with laughter and cheers, a contrast to the usual solitude that enveloped the place. Luckily, there were no other patrons in the bar besides us, likely due to the late hour. The owner, a twenty-something woman with a warm smile, didn't seem bothered by the commotion. In fact, she encouraged our celebration, understanding the need for a moment of respite in our tumultuous lives. She is a volunteer soldier once herself, after all. She very well understood our feelings.

Turning to Merry, I said, "Sorry for the not-so-good first day."

Her response was delayed, and she didn't seem to expect my apology.

"...No. It's not your fault." She responded after a moment.

"But I was the one who made the decision back then, you know?"

"And I still decided to follow that decision."

"Right."

A faint smile tugged at Merry's lips, a stark contrast to her usual gloomy expression. Her transformation over the past few days, thanks in part to the paladin lady next door, hadn't gone unnoticed. Whatever transpired in that room was a mystery, but it had brought about a positive change in Merry.

Initially, I had considered taking the long route if there were no issues, with a force approach as a backup plan. However, it seemed unnecessary now; all I needed to do was wait patiently.

"Um, Kiyotaka-kun," Shihoru's voice barely rose above the enthusiastic chatter of Kikkawa and Ranta, who were currently shoulder to shoulder and dancing weirdly along the floor.

I turned my attention to the mage. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to ask questions... about our future goals." She sent an upward glance.

'She's scared, isn't she?'

There was no reason for her to fear me, though. I'm practically the kindest person the world could give.

"About what exactly?"

Sasha chimed in, "Yeah, I'm curious about that too."

Oh, yes. I hadn't told them anything yet.

But in the first place, it was weird Haruhiro that accepted my offer at all.

Was it his flaws, perhaps?

I decided to enlighten them, "It is to bring down Ishmal."

"What place is that?" Haruhiro appeared unfamiliar with the name.

Kikkawa, however, seemed to know, "Wait, Ishmal? Isn't that the main stronghold of the undead?!"

Ranta, catching on, asked eagerly, "Undead, you say? Are they some kind of zombies or something?"

Merry interjected, providing more information, "Not really. They have consciousness, just like us. Zombie isn't. We, ah..."

"Is something wrong?" Moguzo inquire.

"...You don't have to worry about such a small thing," I reassured her. It seemed that she was hesitant to bring up her party's issues with us, her new comrades, which actually is simply an overthinking on her part.

"Yeah, you're right," she acquiesced with a slight nod.

Kikkawa appeared excited. "I heard it's the main hunting ground of Soma's team, today's strongest volunteer soldiers! We're going to take over their place?! We will, aren't we?!"

"They are?" I furrowed my brow.

'Well, that was unexpected.'

I had heard of Soma's name, but I wasn't aware that his team operated there.

Ishmal was the name of a long-lost human kingdom, situated far to the north atop Mount Whiterock, where snow perpetually blanketed the land. In contrast, Arabakia lay in the far south.

As Kikkawa had mentioned, Ishmal was the stronghold of the undead, a race born from the curse of the Undying King, who was 'said' to be deceased.

I had chosen it over the Nahnanka Kingdom, inhabited by orcs, Broken Valley, home to grey elves, Cyrene Mines ruled by kobolds, and even Damuro, where pitiful goblins held sway. All of them are also part of the Alliance of Kings, but I had my reasons for the particular selection.

If our information held true, the Undying King is the be the primary cause of the Kingdom of Arabakia's retreat beyond the Tenryu mountains. Even if, unlike other kingdoms, Arabakia survived the calamity, they still lacked any significant advantages to prevent another downfall using their strength alone, as evidenced by our presence here as volunteer soldiers.

'The talk about the mainland behind the Tenryu mountains is most likely a lie.' I mused to myself.

All the chatter about the mainland sounds far too advanced from Alterna, to the point that it felt more like fiction than fact. After all, if the mainland truly held the promised benefits, Arabakia should have been more concerned with securing military assistance for Alterna to protect against external threats rather than relying on a group of amnesiacs like us, most of whom possessed no remarkable abilities to showcase.

"What a bother," a lady in paladin descended from the stairs behind the counter. A man, possibly another paladin, accompanied her, both adorned in pristine white cloaks. "Mt. Grief again, I presume? How many sacrifices until you are finally able to seize the den?"

"As many as it takes," the man, who exuded an air of unwavering tolerance, responded with a reassuring smile.

As they seemingly strolled past us, the man swiftly noticed our presence, his gaze landing on Merry beside me.

"Shinohara-san..." It was Haruhiro who called out his name.

"Seems like you all are having a good time, Haruhiro-kun. Merry, too." His voice was gentle, turning to me as he walked to our seats. "I believe we've never met before, yes? I've gotten to know your name, however. Kiyotaka-kun, isn't it?"

He extended his hand, which I promptly reciprocated with a handshake.

'This guy...'

"May I ask what your relationship with Merry is?" I inquired.

"Ah, a simple acquaintance," he replied with no reservations. "Merry once joined Clan Orion, see. She left no long after that. Well, it appears that she's settled in nicely with you all now. I hope you watch out for each other."

"Of course we would," Sasha retorted, looking somewhat offended.

The paladin woman briefly glanced at me but showed no intention of joining the conversation. Rather than that, she turned to Miss Tuare.

"I won't be here from now on, Tuare. You can hand it over to these kids. I'll pay."

Haruhiro's group was stumped.

"Why'd you do that for?" Yume got straight to the point.

"Don't you think it would be interesting?" The paladin shot a glance at Shinohara from behind, completely ignoring Yume. "An entire generation in one place, with their unique dynamics. I believe the developments will be worth the wait."

Either Shinohara thought it was directed at Yume or he was aware of it, but he chose to disregard the comment. Why the paladin woman had delivered such an enigmatic question in the first place likewise remained a mystery.

"Alright, I'll gladly accept your generous offer!"

"What are you deciding for..." Haruhiro sighed at Ranta's quick acceptance.

"But don't you think it's a good offer, indeed?" Kikkawa chimed in seriously. "The volunteer soldiers' lodging is, well, a crap. We should move on sooner or later, yeah?"

"...I agree," Shihoru murmured.

"Even you, Shihoru?" Haruhiro was taken aback.

"Yeah, Yume, she didn't like the bath, you know? It's filthy."

"But taking it from someone else..." Haruhiro expressed doubt.

"What are you hesitating for?!" Ranta exclaimed. "When a golden opportunity presents itself, you should seize it without hesitation! Are you too stupid to understand that much, Parupiro...?!"

"...Man, I so want to slug you."

The paladin woman tapped the table lightly. "Decide quickly. I don't have much time to spend with you rookies."

Haruhiro seemed ready to yield. "Can you at least tell us the reason for this? There isn't some hidden trap, forcing us to pay dearly later, is there?"

"Your caution is commendable," the paladin replied. "We can have Britney confirm it, you know, to make it official. If you're still unsure, why not invite the other party here to join your clan? Until then, you'll owe me five silver each night. Don't worry; that's the entirety of you, unless one of you dies, that is."

She delivered this odd statement in a matter-of-fact manner.

'What a weird woman...'

'Not that I was the one to talk.'

"...I'd like to check in the volunteer soldiers' corps first," Haruhiro finally said. He decided not to rush into things, it seemed.

"Tomorrow morning, it is then," the paladin agreed nonchalantly. "I can do it, right, Leader?"

"As long as it's done promptly, sure."

"Um, what's your name...?"

"Fuka." The paladin, Fuka, waved as she made her way to the exit.

'Fuka?' I recognize the name.

For obvious reasons, everyone except Yume, Merry, and I appeared utterly shocked.

"Then we'll be going off," Shinohara's nonchalant smile snapped them out of their stupor.

"She's that weird paladin, isn't she? The Sword Dancer or something," Ranta remarked.

"Yeah..." Haruhiro was still in a state of surprise.

If the strongest type of volunteer soldier were divided by gender, then Fuka personified that classification.

Volunteer soldiers had a keen eye for such distinctions. They would quickly notice such things, except when those volunteer soldiers deliberately kept a low profile.

"Well, anyway," I quickly lost interest. "Back to the main topic."

The priority for now is the Clan.

Yume tilted her head and spoke up, "Somen and the undead, was it? But ain't taking things away from people is bad?"

Everyone beside Yume widened their eyes at our ability to switch gears quickly.

But of course, I don't care about that.

"Well, it's not even decided. Also, it's Soma, not Somen." I replied, resting my chin on the palm of my left hand. "Kikkawa, does he belong to a clan?"

"Huh? Ah, yes, no," Kikkawa responded promptly. "He didn't join any. I mean, he is operating solely in the undead's den without any clan support, which is insane, I think."

I couldn't help but agree. It was indeed a daring endeavor. Without the aid of an insider, it was virtually impossible for a party of three to six members to advance as far as Ishmal. That's the whole reason why I was taken aback when I heard about a party attempting to even infiltrate Ishmal. To begin with, I had never heard of any clans operating in that region.

"And why would we do such a thing...?" Shihoru hesitantly asked.

I was honest. "Well, I'd say there would be a potential future where the Undying King makes his return."

"Eh? How did you know?" Sasha was puzzled, naturally.

"If he is really dead, then why is the curse still active until now? That's the most obvious trait."

Sasha couldn't refute.

"So is that means that all the story of him dying is just a lie?" Haruhiro understands the matter quickly.

"Could be. Either way, we have to be prepared for the outcome. If we don't know why, we search for when at least. Regardless, we can set that aside for now and focus on the Cyrene Mines," I suggested.

"Ahh, for gaining experience?" Haruhiro inquired.

"Yeah. And probably more. Our foremost task, quite obvious, is dealing with the notorious Death Spots."

If we are to take over the mines, that creature will be the first obstacle.

"Leeet's gooooo!" Ranta exclaimed with enthusiasm.

The others, while not as boisterous as Ranta, didn't appear disheartened either.

Merry seemed to tense up.

"W-What should we name our clan, I wonder?" Moguzo chimed in.

I contemplated for a moment, "The purpose of this clan is to uncover the unknown, to be the first in everything, and to make discoveries that no one has ever made before. All that taken into consideration..."

I thought of a cool name. "Dawn Pioneers. That's the name of the clan."

"Dawn Pioneers..." Haruhiro nodded. "That sounds okay."

///***\\\

It wasn't until a while later that Kiyotaka came upon a notice; the so-called strongest volunteer soldier created a clan with the same goal, Day Breakers.

They have their goal on the surface the same, even as far as the inner one is virtually similar.

---that his fate was going to intertwine with them in an unexpected way, Kiytaka had no way to know.