Chapter 115: Returning to a Normal Daily Life, More or Less~

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Lanser lay quietly on a tree in a forest near the front lines. Just yesterday, Vlad and Zhao Kuo had left one after another—Vlad returning on leave, while Zhao Kuo, it seemed, had made many unequal treaties with Lianhua for his own ambitions. Yet, when he left, Lanser saw genuine smiles on his face, not fake ones. For now, Lanser could only rest quietly. Though he could level up normally, the last battle had drained him too much to perform his usual extreme maneuvers. Accustomed to that style of combat, he decided to give himself a break.

“Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, Kirito should be able to get his hands on an S-rank ingredient, right? Even with my terrible luck, I’ve never seen an S-rank material drop. This time, I have to get involved.” Although it seemed unlikely to acquire anything directly from Kirito, Lanser believed he could leverage his own materials and perhaps play the family card with Asuna to get a share.

As he drifted into countless thoughts unrelated to the strategy, his sharp instincts warned him of danger. With a reflexive roll, he narrowly dodged a flying knife... but he forgot that his agility had temporarily diminished, and his current perch was precarious.

“Thud!” A heavy object crashed down, scattering countless leaves in all directions, and a group of wild creatures with no level designation fled the scene.

“That guy? How dare he attempt a sneak attack! Believe me, I’ll...” Lanser began, but realizing the attack didn’t continue, he assumed it was just some pranksters from the guild. After all, even though he escaped the fiery punishment, he was still officially on the guild’s watchlist. Such pranks weren’t new to him. Now, he just wanted to challenge these bored troublemakers to a duel and keep them occupied all day. But this time, he was clearly mistaken.

“It’s me. Lanser, what are you planning to do?” Asuna stood over him, arms crossed, looking down with a provocative gaze.

“Ah—” Lanser helplessly spread his hands, then steadied himself by holding his knees as he stood.

“How could I ever disobey Her Majesty the Queen’s orders? Don’t say you’re throwing knives at me—even if you threw a ship-cleaving blade, I’d still catch it.” He sighed, recalling how last time he’d woken up lying on her lap, so nervous he lost all sense and signed many unequal treaties.

“Hmph!” Asuna cast a proud glance around at the others nearby. Although Lanser’s words were mostly joking, only she could make him speak that way in the entire game.

“Alright, speak up. What brings you to me? If I recall, as vice-captain you must be busy, especially with that guy who likes to wash his hands of everything.”

“What else? It’s about the strategy.”

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“Oh? Have you found the boss room in the labyrinth?” Lanser found it odd since if it was a formal strategy meeting, Asuna wouldn’t come personally to ask—after all, she was vice-president of the largest guild.

“Not quite. I just wanted to check if you were dead or not.”

“Trying to kill me? Last time that guy didn’t have the guts to finish me off. Who else could? Or is this just an excuse?” Lanser said with a sly look at Asuna.

“Baka! What are you thinking? That’s impossible!” Asuna crossed her arms and turned away. Lanser stroked an imaginary beard and stared at her with a strange expression.

Just as Lanser was about to tease Asuna further, a reckless fellow appeared.

“Mr. Lanser, please show some respect to our vice-captain!” Someone who thought himself manly but clearly misunderstood the situation drew a jewel-encrusted, imposing weapon and stepped in front of Asuna.

“Asuna.” Lanser ignored the man and looked at Asuna, who was stunned behind him.

“What’s wrong?” Asuna asked reflexively, still uncomprehending.

“Has your guild lowered the entry requirements? Why would you recruit an idiot?” Lanser sneered at the man’s distorted face.

“You...” The man, not known for strong nerves, immediately wanted to retort but quickly learned what it meant to be overwhelmed by sheer presence.

Everyone who had been scattered around training gathered, brandishing weapons no less impressive than Lanser’s, their blades shimmering with various lights, encircling him.

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“You idiot, don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt when your superiors are talking?” Although Lanser was shameless, he wore the purple robe and wielded the scythe symbolizing their guild. Many had joined casually at first but stayed because they truly admired this leader—one who joked freely with members, commanded everyone during raids while minimizing losses, and always led from the front in critical moments. Everyone genuinely respected him. Now, someone drawing a sword before him was naturally unacceptable.

Tension rose sharply, but Lanser didn’t want Asuna to think he was showing off. Without her presence, he might have “educated” this troublemaker, but now, if he didn’t stop it, his favor rating might drop. He waved his hand, signaling no problem, and the crowd dispersed.

“Looks like you’re quite popular in the guild,” Asuna remarked casually. After all, she hadn’t even spoken, yet her subordinates had overstepped, which irked her slightly. As for Lanser’s men, others might see their behavior as a show of force, but they knew Lanser’s purpose in founding the guild wasn’t for power struggles. They felt no discomfort, only that he was deeply beloved within the guild.

“Well, that’s because he’s the president!” Lanser was about to boast when suddenly a chill ran through him. He realized he’d instinctively stepped forward a few paces. Everyone training there now regarded him and Asuna with hostile eyes.

“Close call!” Lanser silently sweated. Luckily, he had only stepped forward and hadn’t put an arm around a friend as usual; otherwise, no one would have listened to his excuses and would have gone straight to fiery punishment.

“Ah, haha~ Since we’re checking, let’s find Ekiru. After all, he’s one of the core members of the attack team.” If Lanser wanted to safely raise his favor, he needed to leave this hotbed of trouble, so he decided to change the subject.

“Right, let’s go.”

Lanser clearly noticed everyone’s hostile glare as he instructed the others to keep training and left the spot with Asuna.