Difference Between Two Sides

After the hunt, things had gotten pretty awkward, as expected. 

Kikyou, Chiaki, and Kei would appease Suzune once in a while, but, well, she didn't need to be appeased. Suzune was almost unaffected. 

Yousuke and Kanji were doing the same, the difference being Ken simply getting all the more irritated. Me, I don't give a damn, if you pick up Ken's line.

In any case, the hunting in Cyrene Mines was lucrative. The foremen and standard workers are especially nice.

To put it briefly, we slew 2 lesser kobolds outside, 6 more on the first floor, 12 low workers on the second floor, then 24 standard workers and 8 foremen on the third floor. 

The 20 kobolds' talismans on the upper second floor, consisting of rings, stones, necklaces, and the like provide us with 27 silvers and 59 coopers. That's enough to grant us 3 silvers and 44 coopers each. The rest of 32 kobolds, they're amazing.

Foremen possess talismans worth at least 5 silvers. We picked up one priced at 37 silvers, two at over 20 silvers, three at more than 10 silvers, and the rest fall below. They alone amount to 150 silvers, astonishingly. That's the equivalent of 1 gold and 50 silvers.

The workers in total gave about a third of the foreman— specifically, 52 silvers and 27 coopers. The total was 2 golds, 29 silvers, and 86 coopers. 28 silvers and 73 coopers each. It had been practically decided that the party would buy volunteer soldiers' badges on that day.

With them, we no longer had to pay the nightly lodging price at the volunteer soldiers' lodging house. The price and access available have also expanded. Not much of a discount, but I could speed up the time to buy my full sets of armor. 

During the afternoon meal, everyone was silent. The atmosphere between Suzune and Ken remained uncomfortable. The party split into groups to do their own things after the dinner.

"...Where are you planning to go, Kikyou?" I inquired.

Kikyou strolled next to me. The two of us hardly, if any, ever spoke to each other in depth. I'm not very close with girls, to begin with. I'm sure the guys are the same way. We've always been left to our own devices. 

"Where are you planning to go yourself, Kiyotaka-kun?" She returned the question with a smile. That smile.

"I'm just taking a walk," I gave a curt response.

Kikyou let out a "Hmm." I could slightly guess what she was trying to ask. "Aren't you worried about Ken-kun?"

This should be obvious, but Kikyou wasn't as nice as she seemed. She often puts on cheerful airs, yet they seem phony. Well, only if you watched her closely, that is.

Kikyou exploited that for her twisted emotional purposes. For the record, it's not necessarily a bad thing. At the moment.

"Not really. You're here just to ask that?"

She giggled. "Surprisingly, yes. Um... is there a reason you don't feel that way?"

I knew she didn't have any reservations to ask that question. "He's the one at fault. Though Suzune's attitude regarding it is a problem, Ken is the ultimate source of the problem."

"But I believe we ought to do everything possible to fix their relationship!"

"If you think you'll get the answer from me, I recommend you go to other people instead."

Kikyou laughed it off. "You're being modest."

I don't recall demonstrating any psychological intellect to them.

I sighed. "Kikyou, you don't have to bother comprehending me."

"Eh?" She didn't seem to get what I meant. "W-What are you talking about...?"

As I said, acquiring a profound understanding of her comrades wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, by utilizing them, Kikyou would be able to protect herself and, her comrades more competently using her power. She might let near-death injuries pass, but I highly doubt Kikyou has the mentality to sacrifice human lives.

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I wouldn't think you're up for anything funny with that, but, if you still dare to do it nonetheless..." The second I laid eyes on her, she stiffened. "...I'll kill you myself."

***

Of course, that was a lie.

I couldn't care less should Kikyou victimize the entire party to die. Suzune would do something before that point came anyway. Chiaki, and even Kei might stand with Suzune. Yousuke would surely be with them, though depending on the circumstances, he may very well die along with the others. Ken and Kanji, on the other hand, wouldn't even be aware of Kikyou's schemes. 

I went to locate Ken's whereabouts. Him in Sherry Tavern didn't seem like a likely possibility, but I still went to that place to take a look. I quickly found something else.

'Well, no. It's too crowded...'

I could only stay near the door as the people ahead of me formed a crowd so dense I couldn't force my way through them. Naturally, all the seats in the tavern were occupied. 'But many of them aren't even volunteer soldiers. Ordinary citizens, craftsmen, and even frontier soldiers are here alongside the volunteer soldiers.'

The relationship between volunteer soldiers and frontier citizens isn't the best. That's the general knowledge. And Sherry Tavern has the unwritten rule that it's exclusively for volunteer soldiers. Something happened here.

"Kiyotaka-kun!"

I turned around. A mage with striking hair was waving her hand among the crowd. Honami.

The mass in my section was less dense, so I was able to get closer to her with little trouble.

"Honami, and you people too."

The other three colleagues gave their own reactions to me. I hadn't seen them for the past week after our first encounter. It doesn't seem that Honami hates coming to this place, judging from our last conversation, so maybe they just stay somewhere far from Alterna that they can't make a roundtrip casually.

I turned back to Honami. "What's with this mob?"

Anyway, she was a rare figure among volunteer soldiers. With how her attitude is pretty positive, and pretty much contrasts with Kikyou. Honami had been lenient in lending intel for her juniors, basically.

As expected, Honami was more than happy to answer. "It's because Team Soma announced the creation of his clan."

"In case you didn't know, they happen to be the strongest volunteer soldiers, acknowledged by Team Akira themselves." Ryuji elaborated.

I knew some hearings about them. Akira's party is said to be a faraway legend, while Soma is the walking legend, or something along those lines. I don't know anything other than that, which brings up another question.

"Did you have a guess for what reason he decided to create one in the first place?

A clan is a collection of parties in pursuit of a goal that cannot be achieved by a single party. They are primarily needed due to the effect of certain essential priests' spells which can only include six people. The greater the goal, the greater the effort to achieve it, naturally. That means there's something the strongest volunteer soldier can't do without making one. That alone isn't particularly surprising. Even if they have the quality, some type of quantity could overwhelm them easily.

I had minimal knowledge of this strongest volunteer soldier. I also paid little attention to finding out about it. It wasn't my highest priority.

"I heard they operate in Ishmal," Mako chimed in. "Dens of undead and all. Y'think it'll have something to do with No Life King?"

Sou agreed. "If you put it that way, yeah, it sounds like a fitting thing for 'the' ultimate volunteer soldier."

"But no matter how strong he is, he still can't make up for his team's lack of human resources," Yuki, who looked like she'd be silent the whole time, broke in. "Ishmal is still a huge kingdom, even if it is already in the hands of the undead. Its geography atop Mount Whiterock (Everest) would also be troubling. I don't know what they're trying to accomplish there, but if they're looking to bring down the undead kingdom completely, they'll need more help from others eventually. Hence the clan."

'All that information sounds important.'

"Okay, okay, enough with the theorizing session," Honami settled that with a dry smile before turning to me. "Kiyotaka-kun seems lost, okay?"

I had them stuck in my mind, don't worry. They were incomplete, of course. I was about to inquire further when the crowd suddenly went silent. It was enough to get me a little distracted. 

Everyone, Team Honami included, had their attention directed to the center of the tavern. I trailed after them.

'That's Soma...?' I thought.

I can only barely see the man in the middle of the tavern. He's dressed in a strikingly unusual suit of armor. The most eye-catching is the glow of illumination emanating from the slits of many tiny plates linked together into one pair of armor. How does that thing even function?

The man, presumably Soma, opened his mouth. "—We have decided to form a clan."

A commotion arose at once, and the whole tavern shook.

"Our goal is to invade Undead DC in the former Kingdom of Ishmal." Even without having to raise it, his voice carried well. He's young. He should be still in his early or middle twenties. "We have information that there are omens suggesting the revival of No-Life King. We will investigate this, and, if No-Life King has revived, we will immediately destroy him once more. Of course, this will not be easy. We will need to find a method to accomplish that. We will need power, as well. The six of us alone are not enough. We need a greater power."

The volunteer soldiers raised their voices in joy while the curious onlookers cheered. The air was ready to burst with all of the voices, clapping, and whistling.

"Please, lend us your hands! If you feel this is for you, come and offer to participate!"

"The name! What's the clan's name?!" someone shouted.

Soma nodded. "—From this moment onward, we call ourselves the Day Breakers! You who are brave, you who are wise, you who are noble, you who are decisive and awe-inspiring, come unto me! If you fear not death, will fight death, and seek life when faced with death, whoever you are, brave ones, I will welcome you!"

So it's the truth, huh...?

I'd love to find out what the undead even is, but the atmosphere is too boisterous and inappropriate for that.

I went outside. There's no need for me to stay there any longer.

Given the unpredictability of odds, our fates might be intertwined. Who knows? 'I'd like to see that happen personally.'