Chapter 71

Drip, drip.

Water droplets continuously fell from the stone pillars above, landing on the rock surface below.

On the stone walls, embedded stones glowed as water trickled over them, illuminating the dim cave. Waves of shock continuously reverberated throughout the entire cavern.

The white light dissipated as Hiroshi stood steady on the trembling ground, holding Klee and Kuroneko's hands. Suppressing his instinct to unleash his abilities, Hiroshi looked towards where he sensed Riku's aura. He casually opened the livestream, heading over to join them.

A massive telescope was set up in the middle of the cave, extending from the inside all the way out. Two figures were intently observing through the scope.

Approaching Riku and Schwi, Hiroshi looked down at the two, whose eyes were fixed on the telescope screen. A massive goblin airship, resembling a fortress, soared through the sky, while three mushroom clouds of magma spread across the horizon. Dragons with torn wings emerged from the fiery plumes as the war once again began.

"Riku, everyone has gathered," Hiroshi said, patting Riku's shoulder.

Turning around, Riku moved his gaze from the screen, holding Schwi's hand. He looked at Hiroshi and everyone who had just arrived, his eyes shining brightly.

A large map was spread across a stone table. On the shaking ground, everyone gathered around, listening to the muffled explosions echoing from outside that caused the cave to shake even more violently.

Under the shimmering light reflected off the walls, Schwi, sitting beside Riku, swayed along with the trembling ground, her eyes filled with curiosity as she watched everyone around her.

"Hi, Schwi!" Klee had climbed onto the stool beside Schwi, ignoring the shaky chair. She looked up at Schwi with a big smile, her voice bright, "Schwi, I'm Klee. I like you a lot!"

"Schwi... doesn't understand. This is our first meeting."

"Hehe, but I've watched Schwi's Destiny Recap so many times! I think you're a good person!" Klee said, swinging her short legs.

"But I don't have my own Destiny Recap, otherwise, I could show it to you," she said wistfully.

Schwi reached out, mimicking the gesture Riku used to comfort her, and patted Klee's head. "Schwi doesn't know, but Klee's words made me feel warm."

"Thank you all for coming. Let me explain the plan from here on," Riku said, sneaking a glance at Schwi, who was affectionately patting Klee's head. His eyes showed a trace of warmth as he faced everyone else, who were already seated.

"From now on, unless it's an emergency, try not to use any abilities," Riku began. "We've tested it—our mana and spirit energy, refined by the chat group, can indeed be used here on Disboard." 

"However, our powers are different from those in this world. Though they cannot be directly identified, enemies will still detect unknown forces. So, everyone, please be cautious and avoid leaking any energy that could expose our position."

Riku paused, then smiled slightly, "That said, we can also use this to lure the enemy. The unknown is frightening, and a powerful unknown force is even more so."

"I have something to add!" Aqua suddenly raised her hand, with an uncharacteristically serious expression. She seemed almost smug as she continued, "The unknown could also make people curious, right? There's a saying that curiosity kills the cat. What if the enemy becomes interested in us because of this unknown element?"

Sitting beside Megumin, Kazuma couldn't believe his ears, exclaiming, "Aqua, what happened to you today? I knocked your head before we arrived to make sure you wouldn't say anything stupid, but now you're actually contributing?!"

"Hmph! My divine wisdom, as Aqua, the goddess of water, is not something a mere mortal like you could fathom!" Aqua retorted, her chin lifted in defiance. She turned to Riku, "Riku, how are you going to solve this?"

Seeing Aqua's serious demeanor, Riku was at a loss. Her lines sounded so familiar, almost like they came straight out of a manga he'd once seen Klee reading, laughing her head off. That line had left a strong impression—especially when Hiroshi had secretly shown him a picture of Kuroneko with her cute, fuzzy ears.

Clearing his throat, Riku signaled Aqua to sit down. He then pulled out a box of chess pieces, saying, "This topic ties into our upcoming plan."

Riku placed a king piece on their current position on the map, then pointed to a circled area. "This is where we are right now. The circle indicates the remaining human settlement. Instead of gathering all 179 ghost comrades from the Destiny Recap, as previously discussed, I've instructed most of them to retreat and join the settlement. Only Allet, proficient in speaking foreign languages, has been assigned as a guide."

"The first objective is to evacuate the remaining humans and keep them away from danger," Riku said, placing a soldier piece at the area occupied by the Werebeasts. He looked at Kazuma, his expression serious.

"Kazuma, you've watched the Destiny Recap, so you know what's next. You'll be working with Xiaohei, Infinity, and Allet to deliver information about the Core Explosion to the Werebeasts. Xiaohei's mobility, your luck and stealing ability, Infinity's power, and Allet's language skills will ensure the mission's success. We want to persuade them to evacuate."

"The Werebeasts, with their strong physical abilities, will undoubtedly send members to infiltrate the lab and confirm the Core Explosion. Once verified, they'll dispose of the cores, forcing the goblins to retreat from the battle and withdraw from this land. This will temporarily remove two factions from the ongoing conflict."

Confident, Riku picked up another piece and placed it on the map.