A Simple Enchanter in Danmachi (Log Horizon x Danmachi)

Chapter 3

- Haruto Soma –

"That hurts, captain..." complained Finn as he rubbed the back of his head. He could still feel the phantom pain on his whole body after their little spar. Why did he have to offend his senior again…?

I snorted at Finn's grievance. "Oh, stop crying already! I barely did anything to you. Loki also told me that there are many strong monsters in Orario! So you better be prepared, Finn."

Loki, from the side, nodded. "Yup! So you better be prepared, Finn! Also, let's hope we don't attract their eyes on us, or we'll be screwed!"

Finn's whole body involuntary shuddered at the thought of facing people stronger than his captain. His little fight against his captain gave him a reality check. He thought he was already strong without Falna at the monastery, and when he received Loki's blessing… he was absolutely destroyed by his captain.

We were also finally on our way toward Orario with the help of an older man from a village who was willing to take us with his cart. We were lucky enough that the older man's destination was also toward Orario. Of course, I gave him some Valis to help us and help with the trouble.

So that's how we found ourselves sitting on a cart for most of the day until we reached Orario. It was honestly a painful experience.

"So, Haruto. I'm curious about something," Finn asked as he looked at me. Loki and I looked up at Finn with curiosity.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you curious about?"

"I'm curious about your origin and ability. I wonder where you came from." Finn asked curiously as Loki looked at Haruto with pure interest. She mentally patted the back of her vice-captain for this chance for her to know more about her first child.

I instinctively frowned when I heard Finn's question…That was a dangerous situation that could spiral badly if I didn't handle it right.

It's not like I can outright lie since every deity can detect lies based on what Loki told me. Also, it seemed that Loki was interested in me, which was fair by all means. Moreover, lying wouldn't be good for me in the long run since I'd spend my future with them. I honestly didn't want to build this new relationship based on lies.

I thought about handling this situation for a few minutes until I decided to go with half-truths for now. I can always tell the whole truth in the future. Then again, I wasn't sure how to transfer myself into this new world by playing on my computer. It didn't make sense for me to be isekai'd by playing a PC MMO.

I hummed at Finn's question. "Hmmm, let's see… so I'm Japanese from a small island named Japan. So I won't be surprised if you know anything about it."

Loki and Finn tilted their head. "Ja…pan?"

Loki frowned as she wondered if there was an island around here. Moreover, she didn't sense any lie from her dearest captain. Loki suddenly became curious about the place where Haruto was raised. It would be great if she could visit this place, find more strong people like Haruto, and integrate them into her Family.

Loki suddenly raised her hand. "Haru! I have a question." I lightly paused but still permitted her to speak. Sometimes, I can't follow Loki's weird train of thought.

"Are there other people like you in Japan?" asked Loki excitedly.

Ah… She wants to recruit more people like me, but unfortunately, I can only crush her dream. "They were indeed people like me, and I was, in fact, in a legendary party composed of various people from different origins, but unfortunately, I lost contact with them soon after the party disbanded."

Loki slumped in her seat when she heard Haruto's cold truth. She then recalled something and looked at Haruto with seriousness. "Then what about your name?" asked Loki with seriousness that perplexed me.

I blinked rapidly in confusion. "My name? What's wrong with my name? Is Haruto Soma bad or something?"

Loki was taken aback but shook her head. "Ah no, that's not what I meant. It's just Soma, the same name as a god in Tenkai. Are you related to him?"

I was surprised. "Huh? What a coincidence… but no, I'm not related to him. Will my name cause trouble for this…god?"

"Nah, not really. I was just curious about the origin of your name. That guy Soma is interested in brewing wines, so I doubt he will even notice you."

Well, that's a relief since it would suck if I had to change my name. As I finished talking with Loki, Finn suddenly raised his hand.

"…You don't have to raise your hand to ask me questions, Finn. Just ask away." I sighed and glared at Loki.

"Haruto, are you perhaps a noble? I never saw such quality clothes, ever," Finn asked curiously as Loki's face perked, and they looked at me with interest.

Loki suddenly became interested in my clothes as she quickly approached me and inspected my clothes. "Hey, Finn is right. This feels nice to touch~."

I slapped Loki's hands away as she started to get a little bold with her touch on my body, but when Finn asked me about my suit, my liver instinctively began to hurt as I held my stomach.

Finn panicked, feeling like he had landed on a taboo subject. "Oh, wait! You don't have to answer if it's not something you want to share!"

But, of course, he was overthinking it. I waved his kind concern. "Ah no, you are good, Finn, but I'm not a noble and far from one. As for my clothes… let's say I spent much money obtaining them."

Loki looked at me with disdain. "Aren't you exaggerating? While I admit the suit looks nice and all, I don't believe it was this hard to get one."

My gaze lingered on the empty sky as I recalled painful memories. "If only that were the case, Loki. This suit cost me so much money and pain. I spent at least—1 million for a chance to get this suit. It was a painful process and luck."

Finn and Loki looked at me, horrified, as they looked back at my suit in fright. "What kind of black-hearted merchant would dare to sell for such a prize! Wait! How dare you wear this suit to fight!?" screamed Loki as she held me by my collar. I honestly didn't have the heart to fight back against Loki as I remembered my darkest time with the Fashion Gacha box Elder Tales launched.

I remember looking at this fine suit in the cash shop. At this moment, I knew I had to whale and get it, but who would have thought that my luck was this bad?

At the same time, Finn caught a keyword in my sentence. "Wait a minute… did you say a chance?"

I nodded blankly as I shed a lonely tear. "Yup, I spent almost my whole fortune on a chance to acquire those clothes. I think I opened around 300 blind boxes?"

Loki exploded at the thought of spending this money on stupid clothing. "What the hell, Haruto! We could have spent this money together!? You're good for nothing! How dare you spend so much money on this obvious scam!?"

As Loki continued to trash me for my dumb life decision, the cart suddenly stopped, and Loki almost fell from her seat. I immediately caught her before she flew out. I frowned and looked at our driver. "Old man! Did something happen?"

"There's a fallen tree blocking our path toward Orario. We can only take another road if we can't deal with it." Said the older man respectfully. As he was going to order his horses to take on another road, I immediately stopped him since it was an easy task for us to deal with it.

I looked at Finn with a smile. "Finn, you are up!"

Finn sighed as he decisively jumped out of the carriage to deal with the tree. "Wow, you are so shameless. I thought you were to deal with the tree since you offered it," Said Loki as she looked at me in awe.

I snorted. "Why should I? I'm a poor supporter, wizard! Finn is the best choice for physical tasks."

"Well, that makes sense…" muttered Loki as she understood my point. At the same time, Finn quickly cleared the fallen tree and jumped back inside the cart. "Good job, Finn!" I said and gave him a thumbs-up. "No worries, captain. It was an easy job," Said Finn humbly as he returned to his seat.

"Are we good to go now?" I asked the driver for confirmation.

"Oh yeah, lads, thank you for the help. It would have taken us more time if we took a detour!" praised the older man.

As the carriage started to move, Finn deliberately moved closer to Loki and me and spoke in a hushed tone. "Captain, the fallen tree was not normal."

I frowned. "Explain. Did you find something wrong about it?" Finn nodded. "Yes, the tree was cleanly cut and deliberately placed in the middle of the road. I don't believe the tree fell naturally."

I was lost in my thoughts when Finn finished talking. Why would someone do all of this trouble… My eyes narrowed as I observed the forest that would eventually lead us to Orario. It was a dense forest and vegetation.

It is a great place to ambush someone… if I'm not wrong, there should be some people around us, but I don't sense anyone…

Am I wrong? No, I shouldn't be…

What if…!

"Fight! Bastard!" "How dare you!" "Protect the princess!"

"Stop!" I shouted to the startled, who stopped the horses from going further. The older man looked back at me with a shocked face, as he couldn't understand my sudden shouting.

Loki and Finn looked at me strangely because of my strange behaviour. "Haru? What's wrong?" asked Loki with concern.

I didn't look at Loki to explain myself but at Finn. "Finn! Did you hear something?"

Finn was startled by the urgency in my voice but focused nonetheless on his senses.

"ARGH!" "HAHAHAHA" "Ba-BASTARD!" "HOW DARE YOU!"

"THWUNK" "CLASH" "BANG"

Finn's face immediately hardened as he finally understood my shouting. Finn looked at me. "Yes, I also heard people's voices and the sound of fighting further from where we are."

It suddenly made sense now… Those people were already ambushing someone unluckier than us. They blocked the road to prevent another third party from entering during their raid.

Finn and I exchanged looks as we debated whether to involve ourselves. We could still be wrong about our prediction, as it might be an elaborate scheme against us. Nevertheless, I can't honestly ignore people helping. I would let Shiroe and my friend down…

I took a deep breath as I made my decision on this matter. I looked at Finn and Loki and jumped off the carriage. I called my inventory to the forefront of my mind and took something out of it.

I threw the object to Loki, who clumsily caught it and curiously observed it. "This is?"

"This is a magic tool that I made in my early days but never had the chance to use. It's called a cellphone and is used for long-distance communication," I said as I prepared to go toward the source.

Loki looked at the mysterious object in her hands. "Wait! How do I use it? How do I know when you'll communicate?"

"Don't worry. You'll know easily when I call, but you will see a green button," I said as I prepared to leave the cart at the source.

"Wait! I'm coming too!" Finn exclaimed, ready to jump out of the carriage, but I stopped him immediately from going with me.

Finn frowned at my action but stopped and looked at me. "We need someone behind to protect Loki and the driver. We are still not sure if there won't be more of them hiding near us, so you should stay behind and protect them. I can only count on you in this task."

Finn sighed but still understood my simple logic. "Fine."

"Good, I'll go first," I said, running toward the battle. I only hope the bandits aren't too powerful.

[x][x][x]

30 minutes before…

- Riveria Ljos Alf –

Riveria sighed in boredom as she looked outside of her carriage. She didn't know how long she had sat inside this beautiful carriage sponsored by her father. She never thought that her father would let her visit the outside world. Alas, when he did accept her plight, he imposed some conditions to allow her outside.

Riveria looked outside again and saw a group of elves' bodyguards surrounding the carriage. She sighed and felt irritated, but she could understand her father. He only wanted to ensure his only daughter would arrive in Orario safely, so she could only silently acknowledge it.

At least her father allowed her second best friend, Ariane, to follow her. She looked outside and saw Ariane leading the guards.

Her full name was Ariane Glenys Maple. Ariane is a beautiful woman with golden eyes, flawless light purple, almost amethyst-hued skin tone, long slender legs that end at wide hips, and huge breasts. Her waist-long snow-white hair is tied back in a ponytail.

She carries a silver sword and wears maroon-coloured corset-style leather armour, a matching skirt and stocking, and a dark-coloured cloak. She shows a generous amount of cleavage, partially due to the large size of her breasts.

"Is there something wrong, mistress?" said Ariane as she left her position and walked to Riveria when she saw Riveria looking at her.

Riveria pouted. "Ariane, you can call me Riv, you know…"

Ariane shook her head. "I'm sorry, princess, but I can't do it while working."

Riveria sighed while Aina chuckled lightly. They knew their friend took her job very seriously, so it wasn't surprising that she refused to call Riveria by nickname. She only allowed herself to put off her guard persona when they were alone.

"When can we expect to arrive at Orario?" asked Riveria as she felt bored.

Ariane hummed in thought. "We can reach Orario in two more hours after we leave this forest. We will be able to see this city more clearly."

Riveria's eyes sparkled with excitement at finally seeing the legendary city for adventurers. She could finally step into this unknown future and hopes to find a good Familia for her dream.

However, when Riveria was lost in her thoughts, the carriage abruptly stopped, throwing Riveria off her seat as she collided with Aina. "Oof! Are you fine, Riv?"

Riveria rubbed her reddened nose. "I'm fine, Aina. It's just my nose, but still, I wonder what happened."

As Riveria was going to open the door of the luxurious carriage, Ariane abruptly stopped her. "Stay inside the carriage, mistress. We might be in trouble," muttered Ariane as she warily looked around them.

[X][X][X]

- Ariane Glenys Maple -

Ariane looked at the fallen tree blocking their path toward Orario with suspicion. Usually, she would call someone to clear the log and continue their path, but…

She looked around the trees and bushes on high alert. She also focused on her senses to find anything suspicious. Her guts told her it wasn't a simple tree that fell on the road. She felt it was much more than that.

They might even expect some enemy anytime soon, and she didn't want Riv and Aina to be involved in a possible ambush—

"Woosh"

Ariane suddenly turned around with her sword out as she sliced the incoming arrow aimed at her head.

"ENEMY!" shouted Ariane as the rest of the guards immediately circled the carriage. Fifteen knights were at her command when they left their home. She clicked her tongue and hoped there wouldn't be many invaders after them.

Unfortunately for Ariane and the guards, various people emerged from the brush and trees around them. Ariane's eyes narrowed as she looked at the humans with pure disgust and hatred.

Ariane wasn't surprised when she saw humans leaving their hiding places. As expected of those filthy, no-good humans.

"Halt! How dare you attack us, humans!" shouted Ariane, with venom dripping from her voice as she pointed her sword at what seemed to be the group's leader.

The one-eyed man snorted at the threat and walked to the front of his group with a mocking sneer. "Heh… We found some great, beautiful boys!"

"YES!" "YEAH!" "Yippie!"

Ariane's disgust only intensified at this moment. She knew this man didn't see them as anything beyond good, and her hatred against humans only intensified as it made her recall painful memories.

The leader looked at Ariane from up to down as he licked his lips. "It's such a shame that such a beautiful woman to be an elf… I'm sure you'll be worth a lot of money. I might even keep you around rather than selling, Hehehe."

"How about you surrender before me, and my boys won't hurt you much? Deal? I honestly don't want to scar your beautiful skin. Also, I see that you are guarding a carriage, right? How about you let Daddy see their face? I'm sure they must be beautiful like you if you guard them, girl."

Ariane sneered but didn't take the bait. She knew that this scum was only playing around with their mentality. She furtively looked around as she bit her lips. Too many bandits surrounded them, and she didn't know if there were more hiding.

It was also impossible for them to surrender to those human scum. Moreover, they took an oath to protect Riveria, so they could only fight now.

"Dream on, you human scum. We won't surrender to people like you." Said Ariane as she immediately ordered the guards to fight.

"FIGHT!" "HUMAN SCUM!" "DIE!" "FOR THE PRINCESS"

"Heh, you really don't know how to cherish this favour, you filthy elves…" snarled the one-eyed man as he turned his head back to his boys. "YOU ALREADY KNOW THE DRILL! FIGHT AGAINST THOSE BITCHES!"

"YEAH! "LETS FUCKING GO!" "YIPPIE!"

Soon, chaos ensued between the elves and bandits.

[X][X][X]

- Riveria Ljos Alf –

"I have to get out and help them!" Riveria shouted as she tried to leave the carriage, but her friend, Aina, stopped her.

"No! Riv, you can't!" shouted Aina in fright. She closed her eyes and tried her best to ignore the cries outside.

Riveria whipped her head toward her scared friend. "B-But! Can't you hear them? We have to help them, or they will all die!"

"… I'm scared! I'm sure Ariane is protecting us! I don't want to see you injured, Riv…" cried Aina as she left Riveria silent.

"ARGHHHH" "SCUM!" "CAPTAIN!" "SISTER!"

"I'm sorry, Aina, but I have to help them. I can't let them die when they come here because of my selfishness to explore a world beyond our home. I must fight alongside them," Whispered Riveria as she knocked out Aina before she could respond.

"Riv…!" muttered Aina in shock before she dropped on her seat.

"I'm sorry, Aina, but I had to do it, and it might be a blessing for you to be asleep now," Riveria said resolutely.

She opened the door of her carriage and saw chaos as she almost threw up. She had never seen so much blood and bodies in her life. Riveria closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she calmed down.

Her eyes became firm as she looked for Ariane in the sea of people fighting. It took her a few seconds to see her best friend slicing and weaving through the group of bandits. Riveria also saw her guards fighting for their lives.

She decided at this moment. It was time for the magic she learned to shine at this moment. After all, it would be a shame if she didn't show off all the time she spent learning magic with her teacher back in her hometown.

Moreover, it was the perfect time when no one noticed her presence on the battlefield. Riveria took out her staff, the Sacred Royal Tree's wand, made in Alf's Royal Forest exclusively for High Elves. She closed her eyes and started to chant a long twelve-verse chant.

"Ariane! My magic is ready!" shouted Riveria as she opened her eyes. She pointed her staff toward the large group of bandits that preoccupied Ariane.

Ariane immediately escaped from the bandits when she heard the familiar voice of her best friend. She knew it wasn't time to scold her friend for joining the battlefield.

[FLARE BURN]

Riveria shouted as a sea of flame engulfed the bandits. Those directly hit by the spell immediately burned to death, while those behind suffered minor burns.

The one-eyed leader fought the scowl on his face as he kicked a female elf guard away from him. "Shit! They have a fucking wizard with them."

He gritted his teeth as he overlooked the battlefield. He hesitated whenever he called for his backup. They quickly lost the fight as many of his boys fell under pressure.

The one-eyed leader took out a crystal from his pocket and crushed it. "BOSS, HELP US! THEY HAVE A WIZARD WITH THEM!"

His loud shout suddenly attracted everyone's attention to him. While the elves became even more cautious, the bandit's grunts, on the other hand, became excited.

"HAHAHA! This is the end for you, elf scum! The big boss is coming!"

"Yippie! The big boss!"

Ariane snorted, not caring about their so-called boss. She doubted this new addition would change anything. However, Riveria became worried about their reaction and wanted to retreat from his fight with the rest of her guards.

Of course, the one-eyed man noticed the sneer on Ariane's face. "Hehehe, don't think the big boss is an unblessed person like us…"

Ariane and Riveria's faces immediately changed at the implication of those words. The one-eyed boss laughed gleefully at their expression. "HAHAHAHAHA! That's right! The big boss is a level 2 adventurer! Prepare to be fucked, you filthy elves! I told you to surrender when you had the chance!"

"We have to leave! We can't fight against a blessed adventurer!" shouted Riveria as Ariane gritted her teeth. Looking at the exhausted guards at her command, Ariane decided to retreat.

Riveria asked a guard to drag Aina out from the carriage as they started running away and leaving the battlefield. They couldn't fight against a blessed adventurer and even more so against a level 2.

"HA! As if we are going to let you leave! Boys! Fight them!" shouted the one-eyed man as he led the pursuit.

"Ariane, please support me while I chant!" Riveria directed urgently, brandishing her staff toward the approaching bandits. Ariane nodded in swift comprehension. Their only hope of survival rests in stalling their pursuers.

Yet, as Riveria reached the sixth verse of her magic, her concentration broke with the sudden interruption of a dagger hurtled towards her, forcing Ariane to dodge swiftly. Despite her evasion, the blade grazed Riveria's cheek, leaving a trail of blood.

Stunned, Riveria instinctively touched her cheek, her fingers stained with blood. "What...?" she uttered in disbelief, her voice trembling with shock.

Simultaneously, a figure cloaked entirely in black emerged amidst the chaos of the battlefield. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," came the disdainful voice, echoing with disappointment. "I had hoped for better from you, Will."

Will, the one-eyed leader, swiftly dropped to one knee and bowed his head low to the ground. "Welcome back, big boss," he spoke respectfully.

The other grunts mirrored his gesture, kneeling in unison and echoing the sentiment. "Welcome back, big boss!" they chorused in unison, their voices ringing across the battlefield.

The big boss looked at the elves with disdain, his expression twisted with contempt. "Tsk, to think you would struggle against such lowly elves, Will. Your incompetence disappoints me. There will be consequences for this failure."

"Yes, big boss! I will accept any punishment you deem fit," Will responded with unwavering loyalty, his tone resolute.

Meanwhile, Riveria trembled in fright at the appearance of this adventurer. Will her adventurer finish before it even starts?

She couldn't accept this, and her selfishness had brought everyone such a terrible fate. She wanted to speak, but Ariane beat her to it. "Riveria, you have to leave with Aina. We will delay this man for you."

Riveria opened her eyes wide. "No! I can't! It's my fault!"

Ariane stopped her as she gripped Riveria's hand. "Please, it's not your fault. I—"

Ariane whirled around, intercepting the dagger aimed at them with swift precision. "You despicable human filth! How dare you?" she spat, her voice dripped with fury. "Aren't you blessed by a god?"

The man sneered in response. "Heh, who said you can't be a bandit with a god's blessing?" he retorted, his tone dripping with disdain.

Undeterred by his crude remarks, Ariane held her ground defiantly. "You've got a sharp tongue, girl. I like that. Let's see how those lips look wrapped around my cock later, huh?" he taunted, preparing to strike at Ariane once more.

The big boss then turned his attention to Will. "You'll handle the other elves," he commanded, his voice cold and authoritative. "Keep most of them alive. But the silver-haired girl... She's mine and mine alone."

With a resolute nod, Will acknowledged his orders. "Yes, big boss," he affirmed, wasting no time before charging into action.

"Go, Riveria!" Ariane's voice rang out as she battled the big boss, who seemed content to toy with her rather than swiftly finish the fight. Despite being a level 2 adventurer, he showed no inclination to end the battle immediately.

"Heh, so you value this little girl's life," the big boss remarked mockingly. "Let's see how she'll do under me."

Ariane's glare burned with intensity. "You dare! You scum!"

As Riveria prepared to escape with Aine in tow, an unexpected obstacle suddenly halted their progress.

[Blackout]

Although it does not cause damage, the target will be incapacitated briefly if it succeeds. If they are already debuffed, there is a very low chance of inflicting instant death based on the level difference between the caster and the target. This skill cannot be used on bosses-type monsters.

"What is this!" shouted Will, as he and the other bandits were caught off guard by a thin curtain of darkness that wrapped and tightened around them.

"ARGH! HELP US BIG BOSS!" "BOSS!" "HELP US!"

"WHO IS IT? WHO DARED TO GO AGAINST ME?" shouted the big boss in fury. Riveria and Ariane looked around as they saw a handsome man appearing behind a tree. They were immediately captivated by his presence. Riveria also noticed a staff in his hand and guessed he must be a wizard.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I'm almost ashamed to call myself a human because of people like you." Said the red-haired man nonchalantly.

"You! How dare you! You better let them free!"

The man immediately sneered. "Who are you to order me?"

[Mind Shock]

This attack unleashes a blinding burst of light that damages enemies both mentally and physically. It causes confusion and reduces their accuracy and evasion. Like a flashbang grenade, it disorients opponents and leaves them vulnerable to attacks. The skill has a cooldown of 180 seconds.

"AHHHHHH!"

"Bastard! Who are you!" shouted the big boss with fury.

"Me?" The man's voice cut through the tension as he approached Riveria and Ariane with measured steps. Though they remained on high alert, their defensive stances softened slightly, recognizing that he was there to help them.

"My name is Haruto Soma, and I am the captain of the Loki Familia. It's a pleasure to meet you, trash," Said Haruto with a murderous grin.


Danmachi Status v2

Haruto Soma

Level 1

Strength: l15

Endurance: I13

Dexterity: l35

Agility: l33

Magic: H99

Skills:

[Apprentice of the Villain in Glasses]
Access to the Scribe Subclass (Level 1)
Increased awareness of the battlefield.

[Debauchery Tea Party]
Significantly increase all allies' stats by two ranks (Cap at SSS) while following commands.

[Legendary Artificer]
Significantly increases the rates of success of all magic tools.

Magic:


[Elder Tales Status]
Name: H4RUT0
Race: Human
Main Class: Enchanter Lv. 90
Subclass: Magical Artificer Lv. 90, Scribes Lv 1
Money:

Gold Coins: 31,143,495

Valis: 150,000

Builds:

[O] Evil Eye, [x] Mana Controller, [x] Enhancer, [+] Available Skill Tab (Go to Cash Shop?), [-] Locked Skill Tab (Go to Cash Shop?) [/SPOILER]