Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Despite being exposed to such a hail of arrows, not a single one of them was injured.

Faced with this extraordinary outcome, they looked like deer in headlights. It was only a matter of time before they noticed the light shining from behind and turned their faces toward me, their expressions shifting to utter astonishment.

“Y-you… on your back…!?”

Even in a situation like this, their stunned gazes pierced right through me.

“We’ll… we’ll talk later. If you don’t want to die, come this way… Hurry!”

Though I was panicking about having finally exposed my light wings to everyone around me, my voice—barely a scream—snapped them back to their senses, and they awkwardly rushed toward me.

“Honestly, I’m not exactly thrilled to be saving you guys… ‘Force Field’!!”

From Nii-sama’s shield, a barrier appeared around us. Immediately afterward…

“Kya!?”
“Ugh… this is… terrifying…!”

Through the translucent barrier, a rain of countless arrows rained down with a “Gaga-ga-ga!” sound, causing the barrier to flicker violently with each impact. The arrows bouncing off just a dozen or so centimeters from the tips of our noses were unbearably terrifying.

We were still holding them off for now, but if this continued, we’d be worn down. There were limits to my and Nii-sama’s mana, and it would likely run out before long. The cooldown for “Wide Protection” was still over a minute. I had no certainty that Nii-sama’s mana—which was rapidly depleting as we were exposed to this fierce attack—would last that long, and that time felt like a distant horizon. No, more than that…

That fear quickly became reality. The High Goblins—including their leader, who had been standing by the General’s side—began to advance toward us. Naturally, they weren’t going to wait for our mana to run out, and besides, their hardened, reinforced skin would likely withstand a hail of arrows unlike ours.

“…It’s a long shot, but when the next volley of arrows stops, let’s retreat with all our might. Sol, you take Iris and retreat first.”
“…Rage-san!?”
“…Got it.”
“Nii-sama, why!?”

It was just like last time all over again. I couldn’t stand it any longer and raised my voice, but their eyes remained unwavering.

“Don’t worry. I’m not planning on dying this time. As long as you’re safe, we can recover no matter what. You know that, right?”
“That’s… but…!”

As if trying to reassure me, a hand stroked my head. Glancing around, I saw Vice and the others nodding in agreement with Rage-san, their expressions tinged with a sense of grim resolve.

—I understand. Rationally, I know that’s the right thing to do.

After much internal struggle, I was about to nod in agreement… but that moment never came.

.

“Second Squad, take your positions! Target the enemy’s right flank—burn it to the ground!!”

That voice suddenly reached my ears. A woman emerged from the forest behind me… Along with Phirias-san’s command, several fireballs were launched from the mercenaries dressed as mages who had appeared alongside her, heading toward the group of archers on the right.

—Impact, a deafening roar.

Those mere handful of fireballs… I’m certain they were “Lava Bombs,” an intermediate-level spell of the mage class. Several struck the very center of the enemy formation on the cliff to our right, causing the cliff where their archers stood to melt red-hot under the intense heat, and the dozens of goblin archers there vanished. Next, flaming arrows fired from behind us struck the enemy lines once more, and as flames rose one after another, the enemy was thrown into disarray, scrambling this way and that.

“First Squad, begin your charge on the left flank! This is your mission to rescue the lovely princess—give it your all!! Follow my lead!!”

Before the chaos had even subsided, a group of six—led by Zeltis-san, who had suddenly darted out of the forest on the left like an arrow, wielding two long swords—plunged deep into the enemy’s left flank like a sharp wedge, each armed with their own weapons. They cut down everyone who approached, sweeping through the enemy like a raging torrent. Even the goblins that managed to slip through were instantly wiped out by the second wave following from behind, gradually whittling away a corner of the enemy’s vanguard.

“Wow… So this is what a real mercenary…someone who makes a living from battle is like…”

Faced with the sudden reversal of the situation, Rage-san, who had been shielding me, muttered in a daze. Before we knew it, the rain of arrows aimed at us had thinned out.

“…That should be enough for now. Let’s fall back, meet up with the captain who’s surely heading this way after hearing that noise earlier and regroup. Everyone, come on!”

At the command of Zeltis, who had broken through the enemy’s vanguard, wreaked havoc, and returned unhurriedly—Sol-niisama, having snapped back to his senses, scooped me up, and Rage-san, who had also regained his composure, began to retreat. Of course, the new recruits who had been with us followed suit.

“All right, Aniki’s squad have started their retreat. Lenny and Diaz, prepare some flashy magic as a distraction; the rest of you, I authorize the use of ‘Explosive Arrows’… You don’t need to aim precisely—just use them to blind and intimidate the enemy! Get ready! Fire!!”

Next, the three archers with Phirias-san in the rear nocked arrows with oddly bulging tips and fired. They flew in wavering, erratic trajectories, barely making it to the enemy lines, right before the eyes of the goblins who were drawing their bows…

—Impact. Another deafening roar.

The falling arrows exploded with a massive roar, a tremendous impact, and a shower of flames, causing the normally timid goblins to start running around in a panic. This time, the arrows that had been targeting us finally stopped coming. Then, just as we were about to retreat, another fireball flew in from behind us and exploded, engulfing us in a whirlwind of flames and dust that rose between us and the goblins, completely blocking our view. Using that dust cloud as a smoke screen, we fled, and ahead of us was the figure of Phirias-san, waving her arms wildly, her tied-up blue hair swaying like a tail.

“I’m so glad you’re all safe—Iris-chan, and you guys too! Oh, and Aniki, as an afterthought. You’re all safe, right?”
“I’m an afterthought? Come on, you… Well, I’ll let it slide. Thanks for the backup, Phirias. Alright, let’s retreat!”
“Ah, wait up, you idiot Aniki…!”

Watching those two—a whirlwind of energy who, as always, seemed completely unfazed even in a situation like this—we, too, left the scene.

.

.

.

“As promised, I’ve come to this crisis to claim the honor of saving you, my lovely princess… Ouch!?”

Zeltis-san, still holding my hand as I was cradled in Sol-niisama’s arms, tried once again to press his lips to the back of my hand. For some reason, Rage-san—looking rather grumpy—slapped his hand away. Amid this strangely tense atmosphere, a carefree voice rang out.

“Hey, you guys. You’ve all started looking pretty cheerful and bright-eyed since I last saw you. Since you guys got a head start, I was breaking out in a cold sweat, honestly.”

As he said that… Walter-san’s gaze instinctively shifted to behind us.

“…I’m guessing those newbies over there carelessly barged in and started a fight before anyone knew it.”

The others—starting with Vice-san, who hadn’t said a word since earlier—were glared at by Walter-san and clenched their fists in frustration.

“Eager to take credit, you broke away from your original squad and launched a reckless charge. On top of that, you put your allies in danger—normally, that would warrant severe punishment, but…”
“…No objection. We were reckless.”

As if driven by a sense of guilt, Vice-san spoke on behalf of the group, squeezing out those words with great effort.

“…Um, they are—”

Just as I was about to timidly speak up, hoping to plead for leniency, a large hand suddenly ruffled my hair vigorously.

“I get it. Just look at their faces—they’ve experienced a valuable setback. They just need to live through it and use it as fuel for the future. I’m not just going to toss them out onto the streets.”

Hearing those words, spoken with a broad, easy smile, everyone around us breathed a sigh of relief.

“That said, getting you all off scot-free isn’t good either. So I’m ordering you all to peel vegetables for a week. And of course, you’ll be doing it all by yourselves!”
“Uggh…!?”
“N-no way…”

Their eyes immediately welled up with tears. When it comes to meals for a mercenary group, the workload must be immense. “My condolences,” I thought to myself, feeling sympathy for them.

.

“Well then… I guess we’ll have to deal with ‘that’ of yours, too.”
“…Ah, it’s, th-they’re…”

I could sense the murderous intent radiating from Sol-niisama and Rage-san all around me, but…

“Well, leave that to me. I’ve got a promise to keep with an acquaintance, so I won’t do anything bad to you.”
“An acquaintance, you say?”
“Well, we’ll get to that later. I’ll tell you about it when I have a moment.”

He responded to my question with an ambiguous smile, gave my head a light tap—*pon, pon*—and slipped past me to face the mercenaries watching the situation from behind.

“Listen up, you lot! These youngsters have become our clients at the specific request of a friend of mine! Consider this adorable young lady, in particular, our top priority for protection!! Naturally, treat this information as strictly confidential—got it?!!”

Walter-san’s angry shout, which made the air tremble, echoed across the battlefield. The volume was so intense that I instinctively covered my ears.

“Anyone dissatisfied with this decision will be expelled from the group under a contract, bound by my Geass, that prevents them from speaking of this matter!”

Next came Phirias-san’s voice. A “Geass” is magic used in important contracts; if the terms are violated, the caster may inflict severe punishment depending on their power. In the game era, this magic couldn’t be used by players and only appeared by name in the game’s lore.

……No one raised any objections. Treating such matters as trivial, they simply and matter-of-factly checked the condition of their weapons, their tension mounting as they waited with bated breath for the moment they would clash with the enemy.

“Haha, of course! After all, a single delicate flower has appeared in this rough-and-tumble group, and we’ve been granted the honor of protecting her with our own hands!”

At Zeltis-san’s voice, raised in a playful tone,

“Oh yeah, that sure gets us fired up even when heading into a bloody battlefield!”
“Well, as a guy, I’d love to fight to protect a cute girl at least once.”
“Exactly. Since we’re like this, every once in a while, instead of being feared, we’d like to be thanked by a girl like her!”

Those around us chimed in, and cheers and voices of agreement rose up. Sol-niisama, who was holding me, and Rage-san, who had been standing nearby as if to shield me, both stood there dumbfounded by the warm, friendly atmosphere.

—These people are going to help me… help us.

That realization makes something warm well up in my chest. Because this was the first time anything like this had ever happened to me in this world. The townspeople have been so kind to us. I can’t thank the mayor and Madam Miranda enough. But… this is the first time anyone has ever said to us, “We’ll help you.” For me—no, for all of us—who’ve been living in this world tormented by anxieties far heavier than we’d ever realized, it felt like a light we’d finally seen. Tears began to stream down my face before I knew it, and Sol-niisama and Rage-san followed suit, their eyes welling up as well. Walter-san gazed at the three of us with gentle eyes, as if watching over his own relatives’ children.

.

.

.

We joined up with the Third Squad led by Walter-san, and Vice-san and his two companions agreed to travel with us as my escorts. With this, we now had six people per squad across all four squads, for a total of twenty-four. Just as we had regrouped, the horde of goblins led by the Goblin General—who had also settled the chaos and reorganized their ranks—reappeared before us. In terms of combat strength—and sheer numbers alone—they outnumbered us by about five to one.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Leave it to us—we’re not going to lose.”

As they passed me from behind—I was stationed at the rear, responsible for supporting the group and providing healing—they called out words of encouragement to us one after another as they headed toward the front lines. To repay them, I’ll do everything in my power. Fortunately, there’s nothing left here that I need to hide anymore.

As I renewed my resolve, six golden wings appeared on my back. At the sight, a murmur of “Ooh…” rose from the crowd around me.

“‘Let there be light, that unleashes our wisdom…and shines upon all…’ …!”

Centered on both my wrists, a ring of light formed from swirling geometric patterns appeared.

“‘Spell Extension’… Strength upon all!!”

Spells poured from my mouth in rapid succession.

‘Power Enchant’
‘Speed Enchant’
“Concentrate”
“Regenerate”
And then, “Vice Weapon”

As I cast one supportive spell after another, the light from each spell diffused brilliantly—as if peering into a kaleidoscope—as it passed through the halo around my hands. It filled the entire battlefield, showering down on the mercenaries and boosting their physical abilities.

“Haha, this is amazing!”
“Yeah, I don’t feel like we’re gonna lose. Thanks, kid!”

One after another, the mercenaries set off with confident smiles and light footsteps.

“Princess, may we win this battle! Please witness the might of my sword!!”
“Don’t worry about what that idiot Aniki says! But… just relax and leave it to this Onee-san!!”

The two of them dashed off with such momentum that they left even the other mercenary groups in the dust. Splitting to the left and right, Zeltis-san—who reached the front lines before anyone else—wielded his twin long swords, while Phirias-san’s rapier and dagger bloomed with the first crimson blossoms… As I sensed earlier, these two were truly strong. Their speed and skill right now were on par with Rage-san and Sol-niisama…!

The High Goblin leaders closing in on the right and left flanks engaged in combat with Zeltis-san and Phirias-san, who were leading the charge. Following them, the mercenary corps also engaged the surrounding High Goblins.
And, sure enough, arrows rained down from above. As expected, this volley—which inevitably draws in our own allies because it causes nothing more than a slight tingle on the High Goblins’ tough skin—is exactly what I anticipated…!

“‘—―Let there be light that repels all malice and protects us… Wide Protection’!!”

A light radiating out from me like ripples across the battlefield enveloped my allies in a protective shield of light. In that instant, arrows rained down like a storm… but, however.

It was they who ended up bleeding. The sight the goblins must have expected—us lying on the ground, covered in blood—did not materialize. Instead, taking advantage of their complacency, the mercenaries charged fearlessly through the rain of arrows, and several High Goblins were pierced by blades and collapsed.

“…Haa! Haa… Ha… Ha…”

The series of defensive maneuvers had greatly depleted my mana, and as a wave of exhaustion washed over me, I leaned on my staff, gasping for breath. Just then, Walter-san appeared behind me and held out a small vial of potion.

“Good job. Thanks to you, young lady, we’ve gained the upper hand for now. You should rest while you can.”

I took the bottle he handed me—already uncorked—and gulped it down desperately. I still had plenty of work ahead of me; I didn’t have the leeway to get worn out… After all, I’ve never had the experience of supporting the front lines as the sole healer before.

“…Well then, I’m heading out too. As planned, Phirias will take command from here.”

With that, Walter-san, accompanied by just a few of his men and wearing a camouflage cloak, vanished from sight, heading for the enemy’s rear—toward the group of goblins… goblin mages—who were maintaining support spells around them. Although the frequency of attacks has decreased since the archers in the rear began firing back, they hadn’t stopped completely. It was an extremely dangerous role, cutting deep into enemy lines… yet their eyes held unwavering confidence, without a trace of nervousness.

“Oh, right, those goblins are dexterous. It wouldn’t be surprising if they had anything prepared… Whatever you do, don’t let your guard down. See you later.”

With those words, they dashed off in a crouched stance so low they were practically crawling along the ground, vanishing silently into the forest—and we, in turn, braced ourselves.

.

…Even now, at this very moment, the enemy was closing in. Among them, one figure stood out with an exceptionally intense killing intent and a bestial lust lurking beneath the surface that made one’s spine tingle. The “Goblin General” was staring right at me. Given that I’d been casting flashy support spells all this time, it was only natural that I’d caught its eye. And I’m sure I’d read somewhere that, in order to produce strong offspring, they tend to specifically target women with high mana.

……I was completely locked on. At that realization, my heart began to race slightly. In the game, he was one of the earliest raid bosses, and while even random parties could handle him these days, this was reality—a world governed by different rules than the game—and we didn’t yet possess the same level of ability we had back then. He was by no means an easy opponent, and we couldn’t afford even a moment’s lapse in concentration.

Rage-san, who had been standing guard just ahead of me, drew his greatsword, and Sol-niisama raised his great shield.

――The battle had only just begun.