Roland was wandering in a volcano.


    Magma flowing by.


    The sky was tinged orange and black.


    Fafnir" breathed his "breath of fire" and consumed the sky.


    Suddenly, arrows fly from high above, and a squad of "White Wolves" closes in from behind, swords flashing.


    Roland looked back at his allies.


    His troops were in a miserable state.


    Their weapons were in tatters, their legs were tired, and they all looked exhausted.


    He had to protect his troops somehow.


    With this single-minded determination, Roland desperately tried to inspire his allies.


    However, his allies were slow to react, and they were only inertially advancing, unable to even properly hold up their swords.


    The troops were tossed about by the "White Wolf''s" ever-changing attacks, which came and went like waves, and they were being overtaken at will.


    One by one, the allies fell, and soon Roland was the only one left.


    The deadly blade of the "White Wolf" was closing in on Roland''s back.


    Ha!


    Roland woke up on his bed.


    Sweat was pouring down his face like a waterfall.


    As Roland was puzzled, unable to grasp the situation, a woman with green eyes peeked out at him with concern.


    To Roland, she looked like a goddess.


    Roland," she said. You''re awake."


    ''Are you ...... Lily?　Why are you here? I mean, here at ......."


    I look around involuntarily.


    It was my room.


    There was a towel and a tub of water beside him.


    （Lily," he said. (Lily, you''ve been taking care of me all day, haven''t you?)


    You gave me a big surprise. I heard that you came back from the dungeon, so I rushed here. You were unconscious.


    Lillianne said as she wiped Roland''s face with a wrung-out towel.


    ''Dungeon ......, did I, did the troop make it out of the dungeon alive?''


    ''Yes, sir. According to Leon, as soon as I got back from the dungeon, I must have been knocked out or passed out."


    I see. So the unit was safe. Oh, yes. The people who were taken prisoner by the White Wolf are at .......


    Mr. Leon and the other members of the Shield of Dawn are negotiating on behalf of the Alliance. So far, there have been no problems, and it is expected that the prisoners will be released tomorrow.


    I see. No problems?


    Roland lay back on his bed as if his strength had been drained with relief.


    Yes," he said. So, Roland, you can rest a little longer. ......


    Lillianne was about to say this when she noticed that Roland was sleeping again.


    His face looked more peaceful than before when he had been dozing off.


    Lillianne was about to say this when she noticed that Roland was sleeping again, but with a more restful look on his face.


    When Roland was waking up, Alice, Claire, Will, and the others who had been captured were being released from the "White Wolf.


    The release of the prisoners was carried out without a hitch in accordance with the island''s prisoner of war agreement by the White Wolf and Leon, who had become the temporary representative of the alliance.


    Alice stretched out her wrists, which had stiffened completely due to the restraints.


    ''Haaaa. I''m finally free from captivity. My body is so stiff!


    It''s been a long time since I was a POW. I hope Hans is all right.


    I was like, "Hmmm. I don''t know. I don''t know. I hope he''s not a liability to the alliance.


    Alice worries about her brother with a difficult face.


    ''Whoa, talk of the devil, looks like we''ve got a pickup.


    Will said as he looked at Lana and Hans coming from the other side.


    ''Alice, Claire. Are you safe?"


    Brother..."


    Hans rushes toward Alice and Claire, while Lana rushes toward Will to make sure they are safe.


    We''re fine," Hans said. What happened to the Alliance?


    I managed to make it back to the city without collapsing. But thank God.


    They rejoiced for a while, celebrating each other''s safety.


    I see," he said. Roland collapsed.''


    I was pushing myself too hard, wasn''t I?


    I''m not sure I''m going to be able to do it," he said. I wasn''t much help during the retreat. I''ll have to go visit him when he wakes up.


    But what happens to the alliance now?


    Alice mumbled to herself.


    What?"


    ''Because this time it''s practically a failure, isn''t it?　Our losses are still minor, but the loss of the ''Arsenal of Spirits'' must be ridiculous, right?"


    The alchemy guild-led alliance has seen its limits.


    You don''t mean to tell me that the Arsenal of Spirits itself will end ......?


    I''ll have to ...... ask Roland about that. ......


    The five of them become uniformly somber.


    It was almost evening when Roland woke up again.


    Yes," Roland said. Uh-oh."


    Lillianne brings a cut apple to Roland''s mouth.


    Lily. I''m fine. I can move. You don''t have to be so careful."


    I''m not sure. It''s fine. Yes, it''s good. Ahn."


    "Mmm."


    Roland unavoidably takes the fruit Lilianne offers into his mouth.


    I''ve had a chance to look at the alliance''s lineup," she said. There were some poor adventurers in the unit who had not even adjusted their stats. Their equipment is also in shambles.


    Uh-uh.


    It''s not like you. To do something so reckless.


    The adventurer situation on this island is not straightforward.


    I heard this from a staff member at the workshop (atelier). I heard that adventurers are allowed to fight each other on this island.


    I''m not sure. There is a guild called ''White Wolf'' that makes its living by robbing adventurers, and these guys are just a nuisance. They do exactly what we don''t want them to do. The "Dragon''s Fires" are also a problem. I heard that it is the largest workshop on the island and one of the best alchemy guilds in the world. ...... Well, it is true that there are many excellent alchemists. But the reality is that they are merchants of death. They make profit by making adventurers fight each other and wear out their equipment. The situation is complicated by the small adventurers on the island. They pressure the adventurers'' guilds from outside to form alliances and depend on them, but when it comes time to fight, they are uncooperative, putting their own guild''s interests first. This makes it easier for the "White Wolf" to move around, which in turn spurs the malignancy of the "Dragon''s Fires.


    Hmmm." I see. So everything is different from the "City of Adventurers.


    How''s it going in the City of Adventurers?


    It doesn''t look good.


    Lillianne sighed with annoyance.


    ''Mr. Roland''s long absence from the guild is beginning to take its toll. Lillianne sighed in annoyance. "People are starting to ask how long it will take to prepare for the defeat of Grand Fafnir.


    I see."


    I have tried to defend Mr. Roland''s position as much as possible. ...... However, I am troubled. I was going to ask about the progress of the preliminary work and urge a deadline during this visit, but now that I''ve heard what you''ve said, I don''t think I can rush to a conclusion without a fight.


    Lillianne crosses her arms and ponders.


    I guess so," she said. Lillianne crossed her arms and thought about it. "Well, it pains me too that I can''t give you a definite answer.


    Roland also put his hand on his face and made a gesture as if at a loss.


    He said, "However, this incident has exposed that the alchemists in the workshop (atelier) are still mentally immature. I thought it would be okay if we shifted our focus to training adventurers, but I was naive. Looking at that defective equipment, it seems we took our eyes off the workshop (atelier) too soon. I don''t know what to do. ......"


    You seem to be struggling, Mr. Roland."


    Roland was startled by the voice that called to him.


    (This voice was ......)


    I looked toward the entrance and saw someone Roland knew well standing there.


    Ranju!"


    Aryeh and Cheal also appear from behind.


    We''ve finished our work in the ''adventurer''s town'' ......."


    I''m here to support you!


    I don''t know about dungeon exploration, but I think we can be of help when it comes to running the alchemy guild and workshop (atelier).


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