Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 187
187. Mari-nee Returns to Liberta
As I gazed at Caldia slowly disappearing from the deck of the ship, I felt confused by how different my emotions were from the excitement I felt last time.
“Back then, I was moved by the blue vastness of the sea, seeing it for the first time…”
Now, I felt something like fear of the dark depths hidden beneath the blue and the seemingly endless expanse.
The day I decided to head to Liberta, I asked the King’s messenger to relay a message to him, just in case.
The message was simple: I wanted us to be taken to Liberta too.
In less than an hour, the King came flying out of his “small room.”
Seeing his reaction, which was too quick, I was taken aback. He declared, “I forbid you from going!”
I tried my best to convey my thoughts and feelings, but the King didn’t budge.
When I was at a loss for what else to say, everyone else came to my aid.
Finally, the King relented, agreeing to let me go to Liberta on the condition that the entire clan, along with Graham-san and his group, accompanied me and that I was never left alone.
At that point, the King also said he would go, but his aides, who somehow caught wind of this, suddenly appeared and gave him a severe scolding, making it impossible for him to go.
The scolding was so intense that even we were taken aback, and Vel hid behind Gils, trembling.
Yet, the King calmly returned to the castle as if nothing had happened, showing incredible mental strength.
Oops, I’m getting carried away with random thoughts.
It’s probably a reflection of my anxiety. After all, a rebellion has already broken out.
And Joshua-san’s brother might be there too.
I felt an urgency, but the ship could only move at a steady pace.
That made me feel so frustrated…
We were on a military ship this time, which moved much faster than the previous one.
Thanks to that, we crossed the sea in half the time it took before, but the situation in Liberta upon arrival was dire. The riots had destroyed many shops, and goods had been looted.
Smoke rose everywhere, and angry shouts filled the air.
The situation was clearly urgent, but the area was so chaotic that we couldn’t just rush in carelessly.
Officially, we were here to provide supplies.
“With things like this, it seems difficult to dock at the port,” I said.
“But we don’t have time to waste,” replied Roulette-san, pointing toward a large white palace with a dome-shaped roof perched on a hill.
The palace, with its tall spires, was raining down arrows and magic without interruption.
Those under the intense attack were, if Sahar-san’s words were correct, the rebelling slaves.
We could see many wounded even from a distance, hit by arrows and burned by fire.
No matter how many potions we had, it surely wouldn’t be enough.
I wanted to deliver them quickly, but the ship bypassed the area and headed east.
We finally reached the pier where I had first met Jade-san.
It seemed preparations had been made beforehand, as the pier was now about twice as long as when I had seen it before.
At the base of the pier, fortifications had been set up to block several pathways.
We quickly divided the supplies and rushed to the base.
That’s when Sahar-san came to greet us amidst giving instructions.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Due to the rebellion starting earlier than expected, we’ve been consuming supplies at a rapid pace. You’ve really helped us out.”
“I’m guessing you couldn’t suppress the discontent among the gathered slaves? If you’d tried to forcefully, things would have turned even more chaotic,” replied Mareus-san, his face pale from seasickness.
“Just as you guessed. You are, after all, someone who represents the King of Caldia,” Sahar-san responded.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” Mareus-san muttered, still looking sick but attempting to appear composed.
During the war with Legios, Mareus-san had seen through the opponent’s intentions, which led to him being appointed by the King as his representative this time.
I was surprised back then, but seeing this exchange now, I realized just how amazing he really was.
It was almost unbelievable that this was the same person who was usually teased so much… until Kanna-san, as usual, physically pushed him to quickly set the next steps in motion.
Ah, that’s the Mareus-san I know.
We left the discussions to Mareus-san and began placing the supplies in the designated areas, each starting with whatever tasks we could do.
Kanna-san gathered the clerics, and with Estelle-san, began healing the wounded.
Roulette-san, along with the swiftest people, started transporting the injured to the fortifications.
Graham-san and his group joined in defending the fortifications.
Though our actions had deviated from our official mission, I believed the King had anticipated this, probably.
I joined Gils and Vel in distributing food.
I was worried about whether they’d like the taste, but everyone devoured it hungrily.
Though relieved, the sight of the injured being carried in one after another and the distant sounds of intense battle filled me with unavoidable anxiety…
………
………
……..
Four days later, as we continued our tasks, taking turns to rest, an urgent report came in.
A large force of monsters was approaching from the north, while adventurers were swarming in from the south and west.
The palace was positioned almost at the center of the great highways that ran north-south and east-west through Liberta.
Surrounding it were high, white walls and four spires overlooking the highways.
We were located near the southeast, close to the sea, and it seemed that the rebels were surrounding the palace and attacking from all directions.
Then, with the latest report, the situation changed drastically.
From three directions, excluding the east, they were now sandwiched between the approaching enemies and the palace.
“I heard monsters were coming from the northern sea, but nothing about the west or south,” Mareus-san growled at Sahar-san in frustration at the unforeseen development.
“The opponents are the Three White Merchants. Just as we had anticipated the movement from the north, they probably did the groundwork with the adventurers, most likely by offering high rewards.”
“So that’s why we didn’t see any players in the city… But Sahar, you knew this, didn’t you?”
“Not at all. I was equally surprised. I was keeping an eye on the adventurers’ movements, but I never expected them to gather in such numbers.”
“Don’t lie with something so boring as ‘it was unexpected.’ With so many slaves around, it would be strange not to notice. The only thing I can’t figure out is why this side remains untouched. I thought maybe they were creating a path of retreat to avoid a desperate counterattack, but the sea is the only escape route. It’s clear to anyone that we can’t flee.”
“In that case, we’ll have to fight like mad,” Sahar-san said, with a calm demeanor that showed no hint of desperation.
“You seem quite confident. If this has anything to do with your so-called plan, I’d appreciate it if you shared it sooner rather than later.”
“In due time, you’ll understand,” Sahar-san replied with a slight smile.
“Heh, just make sure not to drag us into your mess,” Mareus-san muttered as he left, apparently deciding further discussion was pointless.
I followed him, and he spoke to me in a low voice.
“Be ready. If it comes to it, we’ll leave Liberta on our own.”
His voice, cold and determined, made it clear just how serious Mareus-san was…