Chapter 47 – Threads of the Frontier
The night was deep and cold, the kind that carried no stars—only the soft gleam of torches and the faint hum of distant magic.
E-Rantel slept, but not peacefully. The silence was heavy, stretched taut over streets that had seen too many soldiers march through them and too many adventurers never return.
From the rooftops, the city was a maze of shadows and lights.
I moved through them effortlessly, my Shadow form blending with the dark. Echo followed a few paces behind, his shape flickering faintly as he shifted between substance and nothingness. Below, Ethael glided along the alleys, her cloak absorbing the faint lamplight like a ripple of ink.
We were ghosts in a world that didn't know we existed.
Each of us had a different task: Echo infiltrating the outer wards, Ethael shadowing the noble quarters, and me—navigating the veins of the city itself, tracing the lines of its structure, its purpose.
And above it all, HIME's voice hummed faintly in the back of my mind.
> "Link stable, Ren-sama. All data incoming."
"Good," I whispered under my breath, crouching atop a high bell tower. "Let's start mapping this world's information."
---
It began with the walls.
From my vantage point, the three rings of E-Rantel stretched like the concentric circuits of an old machine—each built for defense, yet each pulsing with the life of a city that refused to die. The outer districts glowed with lanterns and the soft haze of cooking fires. Even at this hour, traders and guards walked the streets.
War or not, life found a way to keep moving.
I activated [Hawk Vision], one of the detection skills from the Reconciling Seeker build I'd borrowed earlier.
At once, lines of faint light appeared across my vision, marking mana signatures, patrol routes, and open zones.
> "Echo, status."
"Western market square clear," came his soft reply. "Detected multiple merchant caravans preparing for dawn travel. No anti-spy enchantments active."
"Ethael?"
"The inner walls are reinforced but mundane. Patrols consist of soldiers in standard plate—no magical users among them. I've marked the barracks and noble estates. No extraordinary activity so far."
"Good. Focus on the guild districts next. I want full profiles."
> "Affirmative," HIME replied. "Initiating data sort sequence. I will compile information in real-time."
---
We worked through the night.
Every alley, every district, every subtle trace of mana that might hint at importance.
The Hanzo scattered throughout the city acted as silent lenses, feeding their observations directly to HIME's data archive. Within hours, we had a living map—every key structure, every relevant power, catalogued and categorized.
When I finally regrouped with Echo and Ethael in a shadowed courtyard near the central plaza, my head was buzzing with data.
I projected the compiled map in a small illusionary display above my hand—a glowing sphere of light threads and glyphs.
Ethael looked at it with curiosity. "Is that… the entire city, my lord?"
I nodded. "Every street and guard rotation within five kilometers. But it's more than that. We also have their social structure, trade activity, and civilian networks."
I let the illusion expand, showing icons flickering over key locations.
> "E-Rantel," I began, speaking almost to myself as HIME's synchronized data scrolled before my eyes, "isn't just a fortress. It's the heart of Re-Estize's border control. Everything about its layout screams military necessity."
HIME's voice confirmed softly:
> "Correct. E-Rantel is the main defensive stronghold of the Kingdom of Re-Estize, designed to repel incursions from the Baharuth Empire. It is both a barrier and a gate—controlling trade, migration, and information flow between the two nations."
I crouched and traced a path through the illusionary streets with a finger.
"The outer wall protects the merchant quarter—where trade thrives despite the tension. The middle ring holds the barracks, noble manors, and administrative centers. And the inner core… that's their military command."
> "Observation," Echo interjected. "Despite being a frontier city, the walls are poorly warded. Even without your illusion magic, infiltration was simple."
"In this world," I said dryly. "They rely on soldiers more than spells. Still… they've survived this long. They must be doing something right."
---
As the night deepened, we expanded our investigation—moving through the quiet streets, visiting locations the Hanzo had flagged as significant.
The first stop was near the outer marketplace—a sprawling stone building adorned with a crest of crossed swords and a lion head.
Adventurer's Guild, E-Rantel Branch.
The heavy doors were shut for the night, but through the windows, I could see rows of notice boards, maps, and tables scattered with mission scrolls. A faint enchantment glimmered on the threshold—a simple ward against theft, nothing more.
Ethael watched silently from the shadows. "So this is where the adventurers gather."
"Yes," I murmured. "The kind of place that thrives on chaos. Missions, contracts, rumors—it's the perfect hub for information."
> "Ren-sama," HIME interjected softly. "I have identified the guild's leader based on cross-referenced data: Ainzach, chairman of the Adventurer's Guild, E-Rantel. A veteran coordinator and strategist. Known for discretion and for maintaining neutrality during military disputes."
"Neutrality in a border war," I mused. "Either a genius… or a fool."
Echo chuckled faintly. "Perhaps both."
---
Next, we moved to a quieter part of the inner ring, where the architecture shifted from military rigidity to quiet refinement. The faint glow of wards surrounded one particular spire of gray stone topped with runic glass.
HIME's voice chimed again.
> "Magic Guild identified. Registered leader: Theo Rakesheer, head of the E-Rantel Magic Guild. A mage of considerable ability and political influence. Ally of Ainzach, reportedly instrumental in magical education and scroll distribution."
I could sense it even from the street below—the dense mana flow around the spire, carefully controlled. Not dangerous, but deliberate.
They were experimenting here—alchemy, enchantment, maybe even summoning.
> "Ren-sama," HIME continued, "there are minor magic fluctuations in this guild. it is likely one of the strongest magical points in the city."
"Mark it," I said. "We'll need that data later."
---
Afterward, we visited a narrow alley lined with wooden signs. The scent of herbs and alchemical smoke drifted faintly from one of the doors.
"Bareare Apothecary," the sign read in a looping script.
Inside, through the half-drawn curtains, I glimpsed a cluttered shop—vials, mortar and pestle, scrolls, and glowing herbs.
> "Owner identified: Lizzie Bareare," HIME whispered. "A master apothecary. Reputedly the most skilled potion-maker in E-Rantel."
Ethael glanced toward the shop. "A woman of medicine in a city built for war. An interesting contrast."
"Every war needs healers," I said softly.
---
The night stretched on.
From the adventurer quarters, we moved to the barracks, the merchant lanes, and the noble sectors. The Hanzo relayed constant updates—snippets of conversations, patrol patterns, even snippets of tavern gossip.
By dawn, our archive was overflowing.
HIME's data voice filled the mental link again:
> "Compiling summary for Ren-sama."
Lines of text and symbols streamed across my vision as she read off the results:
---
📜 City Overview: E-Rantel (Re-Estize Kingdom)
Role & Function:
Primary frontier fortress city of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Acts as both military defense and trade hub against the Baharuth Empire.
Landscape & Position:
Surrounded by agricultural plains and sparse forest. Positioned along key trade routes connecting the western kingdoms and the eastern empire.
Military Condition:
High alert status due to repeated wars. The city hosts multiple garrisons and armories. Majority of soldiers are human, equipped with conventional weapons and limited magic support.
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🏘️ Society & Economy
Population:
A balanced mix of civilians, soldiers, and transient adventurers. Civilian life unstable due to constant border tension.
Economy:
Moderate. Despite war proximity, trade in raw materials, herbs, and magical reagents thrives. Presence of multiple markets and mercantile guilds sustains the local economy.
Institutions:
Adventurer's Guild: Oversees monster-hunting, reconnaissance, and escort missions.
Magic Guild: Provides arcane education and artifact crafting.
Apothecary Network: Led by the Bareare family, specializing in high-grade potions and experimental alchemy.
---
🧍 Key Individuals
Title Name Notes
Adventurer's Guildmaster Ainzach Wise and pragmatic. Maintains stability among adventurers.
Magic Guildmaster Theo Rakesheer Veteran sorcerer. Focused on magical education.
Apothecary Lizzie Bareare Master alchemist. Renowned across the city.
Adventurers Peter Mauk, Lukrut Volve, Ninya, Dyne Woodwonder Group known as Swords of Darkness. Posing as Adamantite rank.
Adventurer Group Crimson Drop Genuine Mithril-ranked team. Operate widely across the frontier.
Adventurer Group Blue Rose True Adamantite-ranked. Based in capital but frequently interact with E-Rantel.
Military Staff Local Captains and Administrators Direct representatives of the Re-Estize crown; oversee city defense.
---
Summary Insight:
E-Rantel stands as the fragile spine of the Re-Estize frontier.
A city caught between vigilance and exhaustion, where adventurers, magicians, and soldiers coexist under the constant shadow of war.
Its people cling to survival not through strength, but through habit.
---
As the final lines of data flowed across my vision, I exhaled slowly.
"That's… quite a picture," I murmured. "A city still breathing between two blades."
> "Indeed, Ren-sama," HIME replied quietly. "The geopolitical structure mirrors Yggdrasil's lore data—yet these entities exhibit true autonomy. They are not NPC constructs."
I looked across the skyline. Dawn's first light was bleeding into the horizon, painting the rooftops gold. The bells began to toll again, signaling the start of another day.
"I see," I said at last. "Then it's settled. For now, we observe. No interference. We'll act only when necessary."
Ethael inclined her head. "Understood. Shall I begin establishing safe zones near the outer districts?"
"Yes. Coordinate with Echo and the Hanzo units. Keep contact minimal. No exposure."
> "Affirmative," Echo murmured, his form already dissolving into mist.
---
As they disappeared into the waking streets, I stood there for a while longer, watching the sun rise over E-Rantel.
The light fell across the city's towers and walls, illuminating its flaws and its beauty alike.
In Yggdrasil, places like this had always been static.
But here, the wind felt real. The smoke smelled real. The people moved with lives that didn't wait for a player's command.
And for the first time since that strange new dawn, I realized something simple—something powerful:
> Maybe this world doesn't need a god to rewrite it.
Maybe it just needs someone who remembers how to observe.
I turned, cloak rippling in the wind.
"Let's start the next phase," I whispered. "Archive all of it, HIME. Every word, every map, every breath of this world."
> "Acknowledged, Ren-sama," she replied softly. "Data preservation at one hundred percent."
And as the city of E-Rantel came alive beneath me, I smiled faintly.
Because even in a new world, old habits die hard—
and I was still Traveler_R, the watcher in the shadows, gathering data the way I always had.
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End of Chapter 47 – Threads of the Frontier