[T/N: Actually đđ€ Vol.2 starts from Chapter 218, but due to technical error(my lazy @ss) it displayed Chapter 176 as start of Vol.2.]
The next morning, Lefiya and the others, who had gotten up early, split into several groups and headed into the streets.
Many things had happened last night, almost escalating into a full-blown conflict between two upper factions possessing first-tier adventurers, causing the girls to nearly forget their original purpose for coming to the port city.
However, Riveria did not forget this point. Early in the morning, she woke the girls and had them go out to gather information.
The objective of the investigation was to learn about the carnivorous plant mentioned by the god Dionysus, which had recently appeared near the port city.
"Carnivorous plant? I don't really know about that. After all, there are lots of monsters in the lake and the sea," A fisherman shrugged as he answered.
"If you count ship collisions, then monsters cause damage almost every day. Because of this, we shipwrights actually have work to do, and business is pretty good," A shipwright laughed.
"Recently, there haven't been many casualties, Melen has become a lot more peaceful now, nya," A young catgirl said.
"If a monster appears, just leave it to the [Njord Familia] to handle and it'll be fine. Those fishermen are even stronger than regular adventurers. If they really can't handle it, just ask the guild to request help from Orario," Another merchant answered optimistically.
In the alleyways, Lefiya and Elfy walked along the bustling main street, discussing as they moved.
"There's no useful eyewitness information."
"Seems like both the port and nearby sea areas are pretty safe."
"Yeah, if such a terrifying carnivorous plant monster really showed up, there would definitely be a major disaster."
If carnivorous plants that even Lv.3 high-level adventurers found difficult to handle appeared in this lake, Melen would likely fall into great chaos.
However, the residents all said that Lake Lolog and the nearby sea had been quite calm recently, which contradicted their expectations of carnivorous plant activity.
Meanwhile, Line and the others went to the outskirts of the town to carefully inspect the port city's drainage system.
Orario's wastewater flowed into Lake Lolog through a river, and this waterway sometimes became a breeding ground for monsters.
For example, monsters like the "Raider Fish" would swim upstream along the river into the city's underground waterways.
"The refined metal grating has indeed sealed off the drainage outlet," Line said, examining it while looking down.
"I heard it was damaged by monsters once before, so the guild later reinforced the protection."
A female adventurer in the group added.
The city's wastewater, after passing through a purification system, gushed out from a large circular hole set with silver-white grating, splashing into the river.
The grating firmly sealed the drainage outlet, large monsters couldn't break through, and there were no signs of damage nearby.
The girls worked hard for half the day, but it seemed there was nothing suspicious in this port city.
On the other side of the port, Loki visited the [Njord Familia] headquarters, [Noatun], to negotiate with Njord.
"Carnivorous plant⊠now that you mention it, I do recall hearing something like that," Njord, with a large pile of fishing gear slung over his shoulder, answered Loki's question.
"Heard some merchant ships mysteriously sank. The surviving crew said they saw snake-like monsters. Thinking back on it now, maybe that's what you're talking about," Njord said thoughtfully.
Loki, hands on her hips, narrowed her eyes and continued probing, "You're like a patriarch figure in the port city, heard any other suspicious rumors?"
Njord smiled helplessly, "Patriarch is an overstatement. Our [Njord Familia] just manages the fisheries here, nothing too big. We're not Poseidon's successors or anything."
The man paused and looked seriously at the goddess.
"Loki, you seem a bit out of it. Didn't sleep well last night?", Njord asked with concern.
"Ah, it's nothingâŠ", Loki waved her hand dismissively.
In fact, the reason the goddess was distracted was because while she was out investigating, her beloved pretty girls were helping Emiya with his special training back at the inn.
Just thinking about it made Loki's heart ache.
"Speaking of which, is your relationship with the guild still the same?", Loki changed the topic and asked.
"Hmm? Yeah, still the same. The guild does everything it can to recruit our fishermen as adventurers. After we refused, they started taxing seafood goods entering Orario heavily," Njord sighed.
He lowered his voice, looked around, then whispered to Loki, "Ever since the Great Conflict, the guild's behavior has become more and more excessive."
"Huh? That serious?", Loki asked, puzzled.
Although there was indeed plenty to complain about regarding Orario's Adventurers' Guild, even some suspicious things, to be fair, they did a decent job in certain areas.
For example, the constantly updated monster encyclopedia, and in their main business of magic stone recovery, their prices had always been fair and brought convenience to adventurers.
The guild staff also had a good reputation, most of them treated adventurers like service personnel. In fact, members of some major familias were sometimes more overbearing.
"Not the Orario headquarters," Njord shook his head, "It's the port city's administrative branch, the guild's local division."
"Oh?", Loki became interested, "Tell me more."
"Speaking of whichâ", Njord suddenly held up a large fish: "I just caught this this morning, it's one and a half meters long."
Loki: "...Who asked about that?"
âââ
While the goddess Loki and the girls were investigating the port city, Emiya and the first-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia, as well as Anya, were training in the wilderness near the inn.
To avoid outside interference, Loki had specifically chosen a secluded and quiet inn and booked the entire place.
Now, it was convenient for Emiya and the others.
In the morning, Emiya didn't rush into the four-versus-one battle. Instead, he first had several rounds of swordsmanship sparring with Ais.
Unlike their previous training, this time Ais went all out, even using [Ariel].
When Ais got serious to this extent, even Emiya, without activating skills like [Knight of Goddess], could only be suppressed.
The power of [Ariel] was unquestionable, aside from Hedin's [Laurus Hildr], it was the most outstanding auxiliary magic in the world.
Hedin's move required using up all his mental energy, while Ais's wind magic consumed far less.
"All right, let's take a break," Riveria spoke, seeing that the two had been practicing for a long time.
Hearing the elf princess say this, Ais and Emiya both stopped.
"By the way, Riveria, aren't you going to investigate?", Ais asked curiously.
To little Ais, Riveria didn't need to stay if she wasn't sparring with Emiya.
Riveria's mouth twitched.
Doki! Doki! [T/N: Weird heart-thumping sound.]
She raised her staff and knocked it unceremoniously on Ais's head, then cast a healing spell to fix the swelling bump.
"Because I'm here to heal you all. Got it now?"
Little Ais held her head, "Guh⊠got it."
âââ
Sunlight spilled across the wilderness, dust rising slightly from the grass. Emiya stood in the center of an open field, and facing him were Ais, Tiona, Alicia, and Aki.
Four figures closed in on him from different directions, high-level adventurers sprinting at full speed, sweeping across the plain like a gust of wind.
"Trace, On."
Emiya began chanting, magical energy surging. The young man clasped both hands, and fierce blade-light condensed into reality, instantly manifesting into twin swords in his hands.
[Kanshou and Bakuya]
The Sword Princess launched the first attack. Her silver longsword stirred a gust of wind as it slashed rapidly toward Emiya.
Because it was a spar, little Ais hadn't used [Storm King] in a long time, instead, she equipped the long-benched [Desperate].
Her blade was precise and fierce, aiming directly at Emiya's face.
Emiya twisted his wrist, Kanshou in his right hand clashed with her blade, sparks flying, releasing a crisp metallic impact.
Bakuya in his left hand quickly slashed at Ais's waist, trying to force her back.
However, Ais instantly changed her stance, her body drifting like the wind, evading Emiya's counterattack. Her blade slashed out again, this time even faster, her movements sharper.
At the same time, Tiona leapt in from the side, her greatsword far heavier than a typical swordsman's weapon. The massive blade cleaved toward Emiya with terrifying force.
Emiya stomped his left foot hard, spun his body. Kanshou in his right hand vanished, replaced by a thick, heavy shield. He raised the shield and forcibly blocked Tiona's greatsword.
A tremendous force slammed into the shield, causing Emiya's arms to go slightly numb.
Taking advantage of the impact from Tiona's mighty strike, his figure quickly retreated, opening distance from Ais directly in front of him.
However, before he could stabilize, Alicia suddenly rushed in from the other side. Her rapier slithered like a snake, lunging straight for Emiya's shoulder. Emiya swiftly turned, Bakuya in his left hand transforming into a thin sword, skillfully deflecting Alicia's attack.
Just like Ais, neither Tiona nor Alicia were using their main weapons.
Because she'd recently often appeared as a "heavily armored warrior riding the [Ice Giant]," people easily overlooked that Alicia was actually an agile swordswoman specializing in swift attacks.
Aki attacked from the rear, the catgirl moved with extreme agility, quickly circling behind Emiya, her blade slashing toward his back.
Emiya sensed the attack behind him but didn't turn. At the same moment, the catgirl, just about to strike, suddenly felt her hairs stand on end.
The black sword Kanshou carved a circular arc through the air, striking from Aki's side.
The catgirl hurriedly raised her sword to block, and Emiya seized the opportunity with a side kick, slamming into Aki's chest and sending her flying.
Though both were Lv.4, the difference in strength was obviousâAki staggered back several steps, finally rolling a full circle on the ground before stopping.
However, that level of damage wasn't enough to force a second-tier adventurer out of battle.
Aki spat out a mouthful of blood-flecked saliva, then in under ten seconds, bounced back and dove once more into the fray.
Under the siege of four, Emiya, apart from the passive effects of [Innocent Monster] and [Mind's Eye (True)], hadn't activated any other skills, and it was clear he was struggling.
The girls' offensive surged like a tidal wave. At times, even four arms can overpower two fists, facing four powerful swordswomen, Emiya was constantly pushed to his limits, which was exactly the outcome he sought.
And even so, the boy's persistence lasted longer than anyone could have imagined.
Emiya kept moving across the open ground, doing his best to avoid being fully surrounded. He dodged swiftly, using projected weapons that changed rapidly for both offense and defense.
But no matter how skilled, facing four experienced, quick-reacting opponents at once had its limits.
No matter how he resisted, the terrain was too open, with no cover to utilize. Eventually, he was inevitably surrounded.
In the final round of their clash: Tiona with her greatsword was in front, Ais and Alicia with swords on either side, and Aki lurking behind, ready to strike at any moment.
Surrounded on all sides in this desperate situation, Emiya knew he could no longer keep going. Once he exhausted his stamina, he gave up resisting.
He sat down on the ground, breathing heavily, sweat soaking his clothes, chest heaving violently. His body was covered in bruises, blue and purple splotches, mostly from Ais and Alicia striking with sword hilts or scabbards.
However, the four girls weren't unscathed either.
Tiona had a large purple bruise on her chest near the sternum, a mark left by a heavy punch from Emiya during a moment of carelessness.
Alicia had been struck on the shoulder with the back of a blade, not a fatal blow, but enough to cause sharp pain when swinging her sword.
Ais's situation was even messier. Her cheek was slightly swollen, but that injury wasn't from Emiya, but from friendly fire.
It happened in the latter half of the fight. After Tiona was struck in the chest by Emiya, the Amazon girl, in her urgency, activated her skill, [Berserk].
[Berserk], a skill that increases attack power based on received damage, while also reducing Tiona's rationality and unleashing her more feral combat instincts.
As a result, in her diminished state of reason, Tiona's movements became wild and wide. Ais, who was fighting beside her, was directly elbowed by the Amazon girl.
[đ Shoutout to Naut_De, Alex & Roger for joining patreon. Thank you very much.đ€
Also 'âšAugust Special Discountâš is ongoing for 7 days on my Patreon. Grab it now đ€Ł]
âââââââââââââ
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
đ„łJoining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.đ„° You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y