LN Arifureta CH 3 - 6 Vol 4

Chapter III: A Generic NPC’s Valiant Struggle

Somewhere deep within the 89th floor, there was an octagonal room with exits on four sides. There was also a concealed room that existed on one side, in between two of the exits. It wasn’t terribly large, but it made for a great hiding spot. The entrance was camouflaged, so it was hard to spot from the outside.

Kouki and the others were currently cooped up inside, taking a short break. Everyone’s expressions were dark. Their minds were all preoccupied with the battle they’d just escaped from. Many of them still hadn’t had their wounds healed, and were grimacing in pain.

Normally this would be where Kouki roused his companions with one of his characteristically charismatic speeches. However, using Limit Break for that long had taken a serious toll on him. He silently sat against the wall, his lips utterly sealed.

Worse, the ever-cheerful class mascot Suzu was still unconscious. Her face was pale from blood loss, and she rested fitfully, her breathing ragged. Seeing her so weak was part of what had the class down.

Suzu’s legs were still petrified from the knees down, and Kaori was still working on healing her.

Fortunately, she’d already closed the wound on her thigh. All that was left to do was unpetrify the rest of her legs. Unfortunately, she’d already lost way too much blood. From the looks of it, the cat’s tentacles must have hit a major artery. It was only thanks to Kaori’s prodigious skill that Suzu was alive at all.

However, even Kaori couldn’t replace all of Suzu’s lost blood. At least not immediately, anyway. There was no magic that created blood, so the most she could do was feed Suzu blood replenishing potions. For all intents and purposes, Suzu was out of commission for the near future. The party needed somewhere safe to rest.

Because Kaori was so focused on keeping Suzu alive, she hadn’t had time to really heal the others. Naturally, that meant Saitou and Kondou were still petrified too.

Once Suzu’s condition was stable, Kaori would have to heal them next. And so, the party knew that they wouldn’t get to be healed for a while, and aside from a small minority, most of them were okay with that. Or maybe they just didn’t have the energy to complain.

Shizuku furrowed her brows and massaged her temples. She knew that she had to do something about everyone’s low morale, but she didn’t know how.

She was a fundamentally quiet person, unlike Suzu. Words didn’t come easy to her.

But Kouki was too exhausted to even stand, and Suzu was unconscious. She was the only one left in a position to act, and she’d always been afflicted with the never-ending need to help people. In many ways, Shizuku was more like a wise old lady than a high school girl.

On top of that, she possessed a will of iron. She was just as exhausted as the rest of them, but she didn’t rest. Tired of thinking about it, Shizuku decided to at least break the oppressive silence with a joke about how badly they’d been beaten. However, before she could, Tsuji and Nomura walked through the room’s entrance.

“Phew. I think we managed to camouflage it better than before. I’ve never done such precise spellcasting, so it was pretty difficult. I don’t think I can cast anymore.”

“Altering the entrance to look just like the rest of the wall is outside your area of expertise, after all. We had to draw that whole magic circle from scratch too. You did good.”

“You too. Thanks for fixing up my arm. It must have been rough.” Nomura hadn’t just camouflaged this room’s entrance. He was the one who’d made this room in the first place.

Geomancers’ affinity with earth magic generally extended to directly controlling the earth, not shaping and molding it like Synergists did. Because of that, precise work such as this was difficult for them. They could open giant cracks in the earth, send boulders flying, make spears out of the ground, and if they were strong enough, even petrify foes and create golems, but separating out specific minerals from alloys, fusing them together, and creating new objects with things that fell under the “earth” category was the sole domain of Synergists.

So while it was easy for a Geomancer to make a huge hole in the wall, doing something precise like then covering that hole up with earth that looked just like the wall around it was almost impossible. Nomura had needed to draw an entire magic circle from scratch to make it happen.

The reason Tsuji had gone with him was so she could finish unpetrifying his arm.

“Good work, Nomura-kun. You’ve bought us some time.”

“I just hope it works. All we can do now is pray she doesn’t find us before we finish healing. As for Kousuke... all we can do for him is pray too.”

“Don’t worry about Kousuke. No one’s as unnoticeable as him.”

“Hey Jugo, I know you’re trying to cheer us up, but that’s just depressing to hear...”

The despondent atmosphere cleared up a little when the students heard that they were safely hidden. Shizuku thanked Nomura for lightening the mood.

Nomura smiled bitterly and prayed for his best friend’s safety. Endou was the only one not inside the safety of their hidden room. He’d headed out alone to inform Captain Meld of what they’d encountered on the 90th floor. Even for an overpowered summoned hero like him, running through ten floors this deep down was paramount to suicide. The only reason Kouki and the others had had a somewhat easy time of it was because they’d worked together as a team of 15.

However, he had one rather cheap trick up his sleeve that would allow him to traverse the whole distance safely.

His ability to go unnoticed. Despite the fact that he was neither overly gloomy, nor a terribly quiet person, his friends often lost sight of him. And when they looked around in a panic, they’d be surprised to see him still standing there right next to them. His naturally weak presence, coupled with his Assassin skills would easily allow him to run all the way to the 70th floor where Captain Meld was without being noticed by a single monster. He’d already been a master of hiding back on earth, but he’d polished his skills to new heights since being summoned here. Even those with the Sense Presence skill couldn’t easily find him.

It was for that reason everyone had entrusted Endou with delivering this information.

When he’d left, Endou had been in tears. Nothing was more frustrating than leaving your comrades behind and running away alone. Though those tears may have been due to the way his friends had tried to convince him he was the best suited for this mission. Saying things like “no one is as unnoticeable as you,” or “I can’t even tell when you’re around sometimes, so there’s no way the monsters will,” or “you know, you’re so forgettable I actually forgot your name for a few seconds,” probably didn’t do much for his confidence.

In all honesty, Kouki and the others had wanted to retreat to a higher floor, but they hadn’t had any strength left to fight. With everyone covered in wounds, three of their party out of commission, and Kouki severely weakened, they wouldn’t have survived a battle with the monsters on this floor.

Of course, they didn’t think Captain Meld would be able to come down to rescue them.

Including him, only six knights even had the strength to survive the 70th floor. Even if they gathered all of the best knights and all the highest-ranked adventurers, Kouki knew they would at best be able to make it to the latter half of the 70s. Any more than that was impossible for the humans of this world. And even if Endou managed to convince everyone to follow him on such a dangerous trek, that would still require the rest of the students to climb at least 10 floors back to the 70s too.

The reason they’d sent Endou off was not to ask for reinforcements, but to inform Meld and the others of the demon they’d encountered, and the monster army she led.

Ishtar and the others already knew that demons were able to control monsters. And that they didn’t use simple brainwashing, but a method that allowed the monsters to maintain some semblance of their will. However, they had grossly miscalculated the strength of those monsters. The humans were worried about the numbers demons could bring to bear against people, not the strength of those individual monsters.

Yet the monsters the students had faced were strong enough to not only wipe out everything on the 90th floor with ease, they had even been able to beat back a party of cheat-endowed heroes. If the demons had always possessed such power, humanity would have been annihilated long ago.

In other words, Ishtar’s information hadn’t been mistaken at the time, but the demons had since leveled up their monster taming abilities.

Not only had they gained the advantage of numbers, but they also eclipsed humans in individual strength. Kouki and the others knew that information had to be passed along to the Holy Church as soon as possible.

“Shirasaki-san, I’ll leave unpetrifying Kondou-kun and Saitou-kun to you. It would take me too long to do it. I’ll start healing the other members instead.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Don’t overdo it, Tsuji-san.”

“I’ll be fine. If anything, I should be saying that to you... Sorry. If I was stronger, you wouldn’t have to carry such a huge burden...” Tsuji had been downing mana potions one after the other while Nomura was talking. She’d recovered enough to start healing the others now.

Tsuji always pretended that she wasn’t bothered by the fact that her skills were far inferior to Kaori’s, but in truth her lack of skill constantly ate at her. She hated her own weakness and the burden it caused Kaori.

Kaori shook her head, but Tsuji just smiled bitterly and went to go heal her comrades. Seeing the pain vanish from their faces helped ease her own.

One again Nomura was dying to say something, but he didn’t want to interrupt Tsuji’s concentration while she was healing.

“We’re not even sure how much longer we can hold out. If there’s something you wanna say man, just say it.”

“Shove off.”

Nagayama watched Nomura with an amused expression, but Nomura sulkily turned away from him.

A few hours later. The students took naps in shifts, gradually recovering some of their strength.

Meanwhile, Endou made his way up the floors, avoiding contact with all monsters. Slowly but surely, he was approaching the 70th floor where Captain Meld was.

The monsters on 80th floor and below were all powerful enough that he could only take them on one at a time. If multiple came at him at once, he’d be overwhelmed. He moved as fast as he could without attracting attention, knowing every minute he spent on the lower floors was a risk. Fortunately, he was so well hidden that he could watch monsters go by right in front of him and not be worried.

Once the current group of monsters was out of sight, he dropped from the ceiling, silent as a spider. His artifacts all aided in his stealth, and he was wearing all black. He looked every bit the Assassin he was.

Had he wished to, Endou could easily have launched a surprise attack on the monsters that had passed him by, doing quite a bit of damage. Am I really that hard to notice? A tear glimmered in the corner of his eyes. It dripped to the ground, as silent as the rest of him.

“Anyway, I need to hurry...” Endou understood the importance of the task he’d been entrusted with. He also knew that they hadn’t sent him away just to inform the kingdom. His comrades had wanted him to survive, that was why they’d made him go. He was the only one who could escape. Nagayama and Nomura hadn’t said anything, but he could tell from their faces when they’d sent him off that they didn’t want him to come back.

Despite their wishes, he had every intention of returning to his friends once he’d completed his mission. He couldn’t bring himself to escape by himself when he knew his friends were struggling.

Though it disappointed him how invisible he was, he also knew that right now it was his greatest weapon. He sped up the escape route he knew by heart now, and safely made it back to the 70th floor.

Reining in his impatience, he cautiously made his way to the teleportation circle Captain Meld had made his base. Finally, he was close enough that he could sense six humans. No one else could make it this far down, so he was sure it was Captain Meld. He deactivated his Stealth, and got close enough that they should be able to sense him.

He rounded the last corner and walked into the room Captain Meld and the others were waiting in. Still, even though he was in plain sight, nobody seemed to take any notice of him.

He looked up at the captain with dead eyes and raised his voice to catch his attention. Not only was he annoyed that people still hadn’t noticed him, he was in a hurry to get back to his comrades.

“Captain! It’s me! Hello! We’re in big trouble!”

“Whoa!? What the!? Are we under attack!?” Captain Meld hurriedly drew his sword and leaped back. He looked around him warily. The other knights followed suit a heartbeat later.

“No, it’s me! Seriously, give me a break!”

“Huh? Oh, it’s just Kousuke. Don’t scare me like that. Wait, where’s everyone else? And how come you look all beat up?”

“Like I said, we’re in trouble! Big trouble!” Captain Meld had gotten used to Endou popping up out of nowhere, so he instantly relaxed when he realized it wasn’t an enemy.

A moment later, the fact that he’d returned earlier than scheduled, alone, and covered in wounds set alarm bells ringing in his head. He realized something catastrophic must have occurred and his expression grew serious.

He was a little hurt that even the country’s most elite knights couldn’t sense him unless he said something, but he also knew now wasn’t the time to worry about that. He quickly explained what had happened.

At first Captain Meld had just been confused, but as Endou’s story progressed, his expression grew steadily more grim.

Tears started streaming down Endou’s face as he finished his tale and explained why he’d escaped alone. Captain Meld gently patted his head and reassured him.

“Don’t cry, Kousuke. You did what you needed to do. Could anyone else make it up 20 floors this fast? Someone had to warn us, and you were the best person for the job. You did good, kid.”

“Captain... I-I’m going to go back. They said they’d make it back on their own somehow... and that they wouldn’t lose next time, but... Amanogawa used his Limit Break, so he’s exhausted. We barely managed to run away. Everyone’s tired from all the fighting... Even if they get healed up, next time the demon comes... next time those damn monsters show up, there’s no telling what’ll happen. We don’t even know if that was all of them... so please head back to the surface on your own.” Endou wiped away his tears and spoke to Captain Meld in a voice full of resolve.

The captain bit his lip in frustration and handed Endou his bag full of high-rank healing supplies. One by one, the other knights gave him all of their items and tools.

“I’m sorry, Kousuke. I’d like nothing more than to head there with you, but... I know I’d just slow you down.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. We were running out of healing items, so these alone are a great help.”

Endou smiled and held up the pack Captain Meld had given him. He’d been trying to reassure the captain, but instead his expression only grew darker. It wasn’t just frustration at his inability to help, but also bitterness at what he knew he had to say.

“Kousuke. I’m going to ask you for something despicable. I don’t care if you hate me for it. In fact, maybe you should, but please promise me all the same.”

“Huh? What are you...”

“If things look bad, make sure you at least bring Kouki back with you.”

“Huh?” Endou stared at Captain Meld, a puzzled look on his face.

“Kousuke. If you’ve encountered monsters strong enough to beat you guys back, we’re in deep trouble... Without Kouki, humanity’s as good as lost. Of course, I believe the lot of you can all make it out of this alive, and I’d like nothing more than to see that happen, but as Heiligh’s knight commander, I need to think about what’s best for our kingdom too. If the worst should happen, I want you to promise you’ll focus on keeping Kouki alive above all else.”

“......” Endou’s expression transformed into one of shock. Captain Meld wanted him to abandon his friends for the sake of someone more important to humanity. Leaders sometimes had to make cruel choices. The kinds of things Captain Meld had to worry about were things that hadn’t even occurred to Endou. And that was precisely why Endou’s expression darkened.

“Are the rest of us just Amanogawa’s sidekicks to you?”

“That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t lying when I said I want you all to make it out of this alive. No, nothing I say will be able to convince you... Kousuke, if nothing else, can you at least promise to pass on these words to Shizuku and Ryutarou?”

“......” Captain Meld’s words had shaken Endou. All of the students had spent a great deal of time with the grizzly commander. He was the one who’d taught them the ways of this world. They all looked up to him as a reliable older brother, especially those in the vanguard. Among all the people they’d met in Tortus, he was the one they trusted the most, which was precisely why Endou felt so betrayed by him in that moment.

Yet, in a tiny corner of his mind, he realized there was logic in what Captain Meld had said. Though he wanted nothing more than to yell at the captain, he knew it would be wrong. He nodded sullenly and turned on his heels. But just as he did so...

“Kousuke!”

“Wha—!?”

Captain Meld threw Endou to the side and swung his sword forward. Metal screeched against metal. The moment he realized his attack didn’t connect, he spun in a circle and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the enemy in front of him.

There was a loud thud, and the shimmering outline was pushed back. Deep claw marks gouged the ground in front of Captain Meld. It had used its claws to keep itself from being blown away. Endou’s face paled as he realized what the captain was fighting.

“N-No way. They already caught up to us...” Monsters started appearing in waves, surrounding Endou and the knights.

Endou was so shaken that he didn’t even get up. He hadn’t thought it possible for them to catch up so quickly, or to track him so easily. On his way here, he’d used every stealth skill he’d had to hide not only his presence, but every trace of his mana too. Moreover, he’d ran straight here. He’d expected the demon would have spent time searching for Kouki as well while sweeping her way up the floors.

Then, the woman he feared more than anything showed up.

“Tch... Just one of them, huh...? I figured if you were gonna run you’d head straight for the room with the teleport circle, but it looks like the rest of you are hiding somewhere else.” She flicked back her bangs and stared at Endou from atop her four-eyed wolf mount. Captain Meld and the knights readied for battle.

From the sound of it, she’d expected Kouki and the others to head straight here, so she’d done the same. Since they weren’t here, she’d have to search for them, which irritated her.

However, that also meant all of Endou’s friends were still safe. Captain Meld and Endou inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. The demon noticed the subtle shift in their expressions and snorted.

“Well, I still have my original mission to get back to... I guess I should finish you off and flush out the rest of you quickly.” The monsters charged the group.

The Chimeras wavered and blurred as they sped forward and the cats leaped around the battlefield with the speed of a typhoon. Meanwhile, the Super Bulltaurs raised their heavy maces high, and the four-eyed wolves quietly watched and waited for an opening.

“Everyone, get in a circle formation! Protect the teleportation circle with your lives! Kousuke! Don’t just sit there, get up and run! You have to get back to the surface!”

“Huh!?” The knights reacted with inhuman swiftness. Truly, they lived up to their name as the kingdom’s best. They even managed to hold the monsters at bay... for now. They knew from Endou’s account that they didn’t have the strength to actually beat these monsters, and so focused completely on defense.

Endou didn’t understand why Captain Meld wanted him to run to the surface. He had thought his mission was to return to the others and tell Shizuku and Ryutarou what he wanted from them. Plus, he didn’t understand why they couldn’t all try to escape together.

“Stop spacing out! You have to tell everyone about the demon threat!”

“B-But what about you guys...”

“We’ll... most likely die. Kousuke, once you’ve teleported, destroy the circle on your side! You need to buy as much time as possible!”

“B-But...”

Captain Meld had the right idea. Even if Endou managed to escape, he needed to slow the monsters down, or they’d catch up to him soon enough. Without a way to delay his pursuers, Endou would almost certainly be killed soon after Captain Meld.

In their current situation, the best course of action was for him to run, while leaving the others behind to buy what time they could. In that time, he needed to destroy the magic circle on his end to keep the demon from following. Since it was carved directly into the ground, it could easily be repaired later by anyone with the Transmute skill. Once he’d safely escaped, and come back with an army of soldiers, they could repair it again for Kouki and the others to use.

Anyone would have sufficed for the job, but Captain Meld had chosen Endou.

However, it was exactly that choice that confused Endou, and caused him to hesitate. Minutes before, Captain Meld had urged him to sacrifice himself and everyone else to keep Kouki alive if necessary. Yet now, Captain Meld was doing the exact same thing for Endou. As the battle grew in ferocity, Captain Meld desperately shouted out his final wish to Endou.

“I’m sorry I was so useless! I’m sorry I couldn’t save your friends! I’m sorry all I could do was tell you to sacrifice yourself! But Kousuke, pathetic though I may be, please listen to this final wish of mine!” Surprised, Endou looked up at the man he’d come to respect more than anyone.

“Don’t die!” Finally, Endou understood.

Captain Meld honestly wanted all of the students to survive from the bottom of his heart. If he had to sacrifice someone, he’d rather sacrifice himself to save all of them. Endou realized just how much it must have hurt Captain Meld to ask him to prioritize Kouki above everyone.

Endou bit his lip and ran for the magic circle as fast as he could. If he didn’t at least fulfill Captain Meld’s dying wish, then what kind of man was he?

“You’re not getting away!” The demon ordered her cats to chase after Endou while firing a spell at him. The cats launched their tentacles at the same time spears of stone shot out from her hands.

Endou managed to parry some of the tentacles with his daggers, while dodging the rest. However, he was completely defenseless against the spears that followed. They were aimed exactly at the spot he needed to be in to dodge all of the tentacles.

He gritted his teeth and covered his vitals. He didn’t mind taking a hit or two as long as he could still make it to the teleportation circle.

However, the impact he was expecting never came. One of the knights had broken formation and covered Endou with his body.

“A-Alan-san!”

“Gah... don’t mind me, go!” Even with a spear lodged in his stomach, the knight didn’t stop swinging his sword at the oncoming monsters. Despite his injuries, he managed to smile reassuringly at Endou. Endou bit his lip so hard he drew blood, then dashed straight for the teleportation circle.

“Tch! Persistent little pests! Everyone, target the boy!” The demon commanded her forces to attack Endou, but it was already too late.

“Hah, you lose! Don’t underestimate Heiligh’s knights!” Captain Meld smiled triumphantly as he watched Endou vanish into the magic circle.

The demon ignored him and charged her monsters toward the circle. Since they could manipulate mana directly, they didn’t need to chant an incantation to use it. This was her last chance to bring them over in time. However, Captain Meld wasn’t about to let that happen.

“I just told you not to underestimate us!” Though they were inferior to the students in terms of raw power, they possessed a level of coordination, skill, and experience that Kouki and the others lacked. Outnumbered they may have been, but they clung on with a persistence that could only be called exceptional.

But no matter how hard they struggled, the strength and numbers of the monsters they faced was too much. They weren’t going to last long. The first to fall was Alan, the knight who’d taken a spear to the stomach. In dodging a monster’s attack, he lost his balance and fell to one knee. A Chimera took advantage of the opening and leaped over him toward the magic circle.

Just as the Chimera vanished through it, the circle’s light began to fade.

“Ngh, we let one through... Kousuke... Don’t die.” Captain Meld’s words were drowned out by the monsters’ roars. Furious with the knights, the demon set her monsters on them.

“Heh... Since we’re destined to die here anyway, let’s go out with a bang, men. Show her the pride of Heiligh’s knights!”

“Yes, sir!” The knights all yelled in unison. Their resolve was so strong that for a second, the monsters around them faltered.

Ten minutes later. The room with the teleportation circle lay silent.

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!” Endou screamed in rage and frustration as he arrived on the 30th floor. Without a moment’s delay, he stabbed his dagger into the magic circle at his feet.

“Wh-What’s going on!? Hey, you, what are you doing!?”

“Stop that!”

“Someone, hold him down!”

The knights guarding the teleportation circle on the 30th were surprised when a black-robed boy suddenly appeared from its center. Though they were taken aback, they quickly recovered and tried to prevent Endou from destroying the circle.

These were the knights Captain Meld had left behind to guard the magic circle on this side. The ones he’d left behind were all too weak to accompany him past the 30th floor.

Endou struck a second time, then a third. Just before he’d destroyed the circle completely, the knights managed to pile on top of him. It was possibly the worst mistake of their lives.

“L-Let me go! I need to destroy this! If I don’t, they’ll follow me! Let me go!”

“Wait, you’re one of the heroes friends, aren’t you!? Why are you...”

The knights shouted in surprise as they realized the person who’d teleported in was a member of Kouki’s party. For just a second, their grips loosened. Endou took advantage of that to raise his dagger up again, but he was a second too late.

The magic circle began to glow. A second later, a blurry outline attacked Endou and the knights.

“Shit! Everyone, get back!”

“What’s happening!? Gwaaaaaaaaah!”

Endou leaped out of the way, barely dodging the Chimera’s attack. Unfortunately, one of the knights wasn’t able to react in time, and the Chimera’s claws tore right through his armor, mortally wounding him.

He slumped to the ground, blood spurting everywhere. The other knights stared in shock. Endou frantically called out to the rest of them.

“Enemy attack! Watch out for the places where the air looks warped! We have to destroy the magic circle or more of them will keep coming!” His shrill screams brought the rest of the knights back to their senses. But in that short time, another knight was torn to shreds.

There were seven knights guarding the 30th floor teleportation circle. Of those, two had already died.

Endou activated one of his Assassin skills, Shadow Dance, and leaped up toward the ceiling. He was planning on jumping behind the Chimera and destroying the circle with one final attack, but the Chimera realized his intentions and jumped up to stop him.

“Dammit, what the hell is this thing!?” The knights still hadn’t fully grasped the situation, but they knew they had to stop the Chimera. The five of them leaped at it all at once.

All they could see of the Chimera, was a blurry outline in the air, so they had no way of knowing what kind of weapons the monsters possessed, or what they should be wary of. Because of that, they were totally unprepared when the Chimera’s tail started biting at their necks, or when its wings started buffeting them away.

However, their concentrated attack did succeed in throwing the Chimera off-balance a little, allowing Endou to just barely dodge its fangs. They still grazed his shoulder, but Endou lopped off its tail in return as he fell past it.

The Chimera flapped its wings to regain its balance and landed a few feet away. At the same time, Endou landed on the ground and swung his dagger at the teleportation circle.

The Chimera used the recoil of its landing to launch itself at Endou with frightening speed, but it was too late. Endou’s dagger had already reached its target. There was a loud crack as the circle shattered. Its glow began to fade. The residual mana from the previous teleports scattered.

“Now we’re... Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, the Chimera clamped its jaws down on Endou’s right arm. Then, it yanked its jaws back, trying to tear Endou’s arm off.

“We won’t let you!”

“Get off of him!”

Luckily, the knights rushed at it, distracting the beast. The Chimera’s grip loosened as a short spear embedded itself in its flank.

Due to the blood that had sprayed out when he’d been bitten, most of the Chimera’s face was now visible. Endou used that opportunity to throw a dagger at its eye with his left arm while he freed his right.

The knights closed in to deal the finishing blow, and two of them were killed as the Chimera thrashed about in pain. Endou threw more daggers at it, but even with one eye gone, it used its supernatural senses to dodge out of the way.

Another one of the knights screamed. Endou cast a quick glance in his direction. It seemed even after being cut off, the Chimera’s tail could still move. It had leaped up and latched on to the knight’s neck. The skin around where he’d been bitten turned purple, and after a few more seconds of screaming, he died.

“Damn it all!” The last knight tried to crush the snake-tail for good, but that was a grave mistake on his part. The Chimera instantly pounced on him the moment he turned his back on it. Covered in wounds, Endou desperately squeezed out the last ounce of his strength. He aimed his strongest skill at the Chimera’s neck, hoping to kill it before it reached the knight.

“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” He’d abandoned his comrades. He’d abandoned Captain Meld. He’d even let these knights be killed. He channeled all of that hatred and frustration into this one last attack. His blade struck true. He sliced through the back of the Chimera’s neck, slaying it instantly.

The force of his leap took him past the Chimera, so he hit the ground with considerable force, rolling a few meters forward.

Enduring the pain in his shoulder, right arm, and stomach, he propped himself up with his left arm and looked back to make sure the beast was really dead.

Its Camouflage had been dispelled, and there was a huge gash in its neck. As far as he could tell, it was done for. Still, rather than looking triumphant, Endou just cursed bitterly.

The last knight was a short distance away from the Chimera’s body. He was quite obviously dead. His right hand was still holding his sword, while his face was a swollen mass of purple. Next to him was the Chimera’s tail, cut in half. It seemed the knight had managed to cut down the tail right before the Chimera had reached him. However, just before the tail had died, it had shot its poison at the knight’s face.

In the end, all of the knights guarding the magic circle on the 30th floor had died. Endou wept, cursing himself for not managing to save even a single one of them.

Once his tears were all spent, he took out the strongest healing medicine he could find from Captain Meld’s bag and drank it. If he didn’t fix himself up quickly, he’d die of blood loss.

After he finished treating himself, he gathered all of the knights’ corpses and lined them up next to the broken teleportation circle. Then, he gazed at them for a few minutes before turning around and heading for the surface. His face was pale and his eyes empty.

Once again, he’d been the only one to survive.

That knowledge coiled about him like cold chains, weighing down his footsteps. The only thing keeping him going was the mission he’d been entrusted with by those who’d died. He ran mechanically, not thinking about anything else.

Chapter IV: Questioned Worth

“Woohoo! Hell yeah!” Steiff and Brise thundered westward, the Reisen Gorge falling off steeply to their left, while the vast green plains rolled by to their right. Though Brise was driving steadily down the highway, Steiff’s driver was clearly enjoying herself as she veered wildly from the rocky cliffside to the grassy plains.

“Shea’s sure in a good mood. She sounds like one of those bikers you see in movies.”

“Hmm... I kind of want to try driving it too.”

Hajime watched Shea drive with an amused expression on his face. He was driving Brise with one hand, his other arm hanging out the window. Shea was the only person not sitting inside Brise with him. At her insistence, he’d let her drive Steiff instead.

She’d been more taken with the motorcycle, as it allowed her to feel the wind on her face as she drove, but with how much their party had grown, Hajime had ended up using Brise for transport more often than not.

She could have stuck her head out of Brise’s window as they’d drove, but it wouldn’t really have been the same. And because Yue always took the seat next to him, she couldn’t stick to Hajime like before either. After much insistence, Hajime had finally caved and agreed to teach Shea how to drive Steiff.

Since it was operated via mana manipulation, it wasn’t actually that hard to master. Shea didn’t even have to move the handlebars manually if she didn’t want to, as it could all be done magically. Since Shea could control her mana directly too, learning how to drive had been a piece of cake. And once she’d mastered driving, she’d fallen in love with the motorbike.

Even now she was driving all over the place, drifting, popping wheelies, jackknifing, and generally doing crazy stunts that would have put a pro stuntman to shame.

Since both acceleration and braking were controlled magically, it was a lot easier to pull stunts with Steiff than a normal motorcycle. That being said, Shea’s driving skill had far surpassed Hajime’s at this point.

He didn’t particularly mind that she’d become a better driver than him. What he did mind was that now that her skills had improved she took every opportunity to show off and rub it in his face. It seemed Shea was one of those people whose personalities did a complete 180 when they started driving.

Yue also watched Shea drive around, a hint of longing in her expression. Hajime didn’t think his heart could take it if Yue turned into a 90s gangster too, so he swore in his heart that he’d never let Yue drive.

Heedless of the inner turmoil within Hajime’s heart, Myu clambered up onto Yue’s knees and stared at him, eyes glittering with excitement. She pointed at Shea, who was currently doing a handstand on the handlebars.

“Daddy, Daddy! I wanna do that too!”

“Not happening.”

“But I wanna!” Myu started thrashing about in Yue’s lap.

Yue got a firm grip on Myu so she wouldn’t fall down and scolded her gently. Myu started pouting, and Hajime finally relented.

“Myu. I’ll let you ride it with me later, so be good okay?”

“You will?”

“Yeah. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you get on with Shea, but if it’s with me, then I guess it’s alright.”

“I can’t go with Shea-oneechan?”

“Absolutely not. Just look at her. She’s posing on top of the handlebars. It’s kind of scary how good she is... But there’s no way I’m letting you ride with someone who drives like that.”

Shea was standing atop Steiff’s handlebars, covering her face with her right hand while raising up her left shoulder. It looked just like Jojo’s trademark pose.

Hajime stared as she laughed maniacally, vowing to himself that he’d never let Myu ride with Shea as long as he lived. He then glared at Myu, impressing on her that she better not ask Shea to drive her around in secret either.

“Two-wheelers are pretty dangerous though, so I don’t really want to let you ride in one as it is... Maybe I should make a children’s seat for Steiff? I could probably use... Hmm...”

“Yue-oneechan. Daddy’s talking to himself again. He’s weird.”

“He’s just worried about you... I didn’t think he’d be so overprotective.”

“Fufu, Master’s a surprisingly doting father. I must say, the discrepancy between how he normally is and how he’s acting now is quite... Haaah... Haaah...”

“Yue-oneechan. Tio-oneechan’s making weird noises again.”

“That’s just how she is, don’t worry about it.” Yue absentmindedly patted Myu’s head as she talked with her.

It had only been a short time since Myu’d started traveling with them, but Hajime had already given up on being called anything other than daddy. At first, he’d tried everything he could think of to get Myu to change her mind, but he’d be defeated at every turn by her teary-eyed face. He’d grown strong enough to kill the monsters that inhabited the abyss, but he didn’t think he’d ever match up to this little girl. And so, daddy had stuck.

As time had passed, Hajime had begun doting on Myu more and more. At this point he was just like those idiotic fathers he’d seen on TV. Shea was hopeless, and Tio was a pervert, so it fell to Hajime to raise Myu into an upstanding young woman. Or so he thought, anyway. At present it fell to Yue, the level-headed member of the party, to rein Hajime in when he was clearly being too overprotective.

Yue was a little disappointed that Myu was cutting into her alone time with Hajime, but at the same time she was enjoying acting out the motherly role.

She covered Myu’s ears so she wouldn’t be corrupted by Tio’s perversion, then shut the dragon up with her magic.

Hajime absentmindedly watched Shea, who wasn’t even riding Steiff at this point, but rather clinging to its rear as she sent it careening up and down the cliffside, while he considered what materials would make for the best car seat.

The party continued driving down the highway like that. After a few hours, they arrived at Horaud.

Originally, Hajime had planned on passing the town by, but Ilwa had asked him to deliver something, so he’d taken a small detour. It was more or less on their way to the Grand Gruen Volcano, so he wasn’t going that far out of his way anyway.

Hajime looked around nostalgically as he walked down the main street of Horaud. Myu noticed the slight shift in Hajime’s attitude and lightly patted his forehead from her perch atop his shoulders.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s just I’ve been to this place before... It was only four months ago that I was here, but it feels like years have passed...”

“Are you really okay, Hajime?” Yue laid her hand on Hajime’s arm and looked up at him worriedly. He simply shrugged his shoulders. A second later, he was back to his normal self.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got lost in thought for a little bit. It’s not like me to get sentimental, but this is where it all began, isn’t it...? I spent a night here nervous and afraid, then the next day we went into the labyrinth... And then I fell.”

“......”

As Hajime reminisced about that fateful day, Yue, Shea, and Tio looked up at him, their expressions unreadable. Yue seemed content to stay silent, but Tio couldn’t restrain her curiosity.

“Hmm... Do you never wish you could do things over, Master? I have only heard some of what transpired back then, but... you do not hate all of your previous comrades, correct? Are there not some you were particularly close to? Do you never wish you could still be with them?” Since Tio hadn’t known Hajime for as long as the others, she wasn’t as familiar with his past. And because she was straightforward by nature, she had no compunctions about asking whatever came to her mind.

Perhaps the way she went about it was a bit insensitive, it was just her way of showing she cared about her comrades. Her constant perverted antics always gave Hajime headaches, but he actually liked this blunt side of her.

He wasn’t offended by her question at all, and organized his thoughts as he considered the best way to answer her question. As he sifted through his memories, he suddenly remembered the conversation he’d had the night before his fall. Kaori had to come to his room, wearing nothing but a white negligee. They’d talked under the moonlight, drinking his sorry excuse for tea. She’d sworn she would protect him no matter what. And even when he’d fallen, he remembered her tortured expression as she tried to jump down after him. It was only her comrades holding her back that had stopped her.

Yue squeezed his arm, snapping him out of his reverie. When he looked down, he saw her staring intently at him. He returned her gaze, and his expression softened.

“You’re right, I was pretty close with some of my old classmates. Still, even if I could turn back time and return to that day, I’d do everything the same way.”

“Oh, and why is that?”

The reason why was obvious from Hajime’s expression, but Tio still asked anyway. He covered Yue’s hand with his own, and replied without ever taking his eyes off her. A faint smile formed on the edge of her lips. Her cheeks were slightly flushed too.

“Obviously... so I could meet Yue again.”

“Hajime...”

For an outpost town, Horaud was surprisingly lively. Mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers alike flocked to the Great Orcus Labyrinth both to gain experience and raise their levels, and hopefully to make a fortune harvesting mana crystals. Merchants followed in their wake, hoping to relieve said adventurers of some of that fortune. Because the strength of monsters was strictly regulated by floor, it was one of the most popular, safest training spots in the kingdom. As such, it stood to reason that the town’s main street would be the busiest section.

Yue and Hajime were standing in the middle of that bustling street, staring at each other.

They were so lost in each other that they took no notice of the hundreds of people walking around them. They received a lot of curious looks and jealous stares, but as always, the two ignored them. They only had eyes for each other now.

“Did you hear that, Tio-san? He didn’t say ‘us.’ Just Yue-san. And now they’re flirting in the middle of the street again. They don’t even care where they are anymore, do they? And what about us, are we just supposed to sit there and watch? When are we going to have those kinds of special moments with Hajime-san? I’ve been ready for him to come on to me for ages now, but I keep getting treated like some kind of comic relief character... I mean, I get it. I know Yue-san’s special to him. One of the reasons I joined them was because I wanted that kind of relationship the two of them have. So it’s fine if Yue-san gets special treatment. In fact, if Hajime-san started ignoring Yue-san, I don’t think I’d even like him anymore. If he ever did anything to make her sad, I’d be the first one lining up to kill him. But... But you know? I thought I was making progress with him too. I thought I was finally getting somewhere, but nothing’s happened. Even if Yue-san’s special to him, he could at least look at me every once in a while, right? I’m offering myself up on a silver platter here, but he still won’t take me. What kind of guy ignores a girl when she’s trying so hard to seduce him!? Someone needs to teach him a lesson. I wanna flirt with Hajime-san too! I wanna do all those things with him in bed too! I wanna do all those things he did with Yue-san too! What’s so wrong about that!? You’re the pervert here, Tio-san, so tell me what the problem is!”

“Sh-Shea. I understand your resentment very well, but you need to calm down. You cannot go around shouting things like that in public. Look, you’re attracting more attention than they are now. And wait, did you just insult me there at the end? I cannot believe you would call me a pervert in the middle of the street... Haaah... Haaah... I can feel people staring coldly at me... Haaah... Haaah... Mmm...”

Now the flirting couple had been joined by a bunny girl who’d screamed how she wanted to fuck a guy at the top of her lungs, and a beautiful older woman who was panting heavily after being called a pervert. A lot of the people who’d stopped out of mere curiosity hurriedly left.

“Daddy, Shea-oneechan and Tio-oneechan are...”

“Myu, don’t look at them. Pretend you don’t know them.”

“Shea... Maybe I should tie Hajime up and leave him with you for a night...”

Shea’s shouting had brought Hajime and Yue back to the real world, and they quickly began pretending Shea and Tio had nothing to do with them. At the same time, Hajime decided to pointedly ignore Yue’s last statement. He didn’t want to have to suspect she was luring him into a trap every time they were alone. Though, he didn’t want to actually get caught in said trap, either. Well, Yue wouldn’t really do something like that... right? She’d tried something similar before, but surely it would be fine to trust her now. At least, that was what Hajime kept telling himself.

The party had caused such a scene in the middle of the street that the guards had come out to see what all the commotion was about. Sighing, Hajime grabbed Shea and Tio by the collar and dragged them somewhere less crowded.

Hajime was used to receiving jealous glares every time he walked into a populated area, but for the first time he felt like people were looking at him in pity more than anything else.

After extricating themselves from the crowd, Hajime and the others finally arrived at Horaud’s adventurer’s guild.

Hajime pushed open the guild’s doors with Myu still sitting on his shoulders. Unlike the other guild branches that he’d visited, this one’s front doors were made of metal. There was a massive groaning noise as the double doors creaked open.

Last time Hajime had been in Horaud he’d had no need to visit the guild, so this would be his first time inside. The inside of Horaud’s guild was exactly how he’d imagined a guild hall should look like.

The walls were peeling and holes in the floor had been hastily covered up with wooden planks. Dust and grime gathered unchecked in the less-used corners of the room. The building’s layout itself was no different from the other guild branches he’d visited. There was a huge counter dead ahead, and a restaurant to the left. However, it seemed this one also served alcohol. A few grizzled old men were already well into their cups, despite the fact that it was barely past noon.

Some of the adventurers sitting on the second floor walked over to the railing to see who the newcomers were. As far as Hajime could tell, all of the adventurers on the second floor were pretty strong, relatively speaking. It seemed there might have been some kind of unspoken rule that only the higher-ranked adventurers used the upper floor.

The adventurers all had a different air around them compared to the ones Hajime had seen in other cities as well. There was an edge to them that had been missing from the laid-back adventurers Hajime had met in Brooke.

I guess they’re all so tough-looking because they’re used to fighting monsters in the labyrinth. You’d have to be decently strong to want to come here.

Though, even if one took all that into account, the atmosphere in the guild room was strangely strained. Something serious enough to put these hardened adventurers on edge must have happened.

Everyone’s eyes focused on Hajime and his group.

Myu let out a terrified squeal and tried to hide behind Hajime’s head.

Jealous glares settled on Hajime, as was usual whenever he walked into a crowded area accompanied by Yue, Shea, and Tio.

He took Myu off his shoulders and cradled her in his arms. She buried her face into his chest and shut out everyone’s stares.

A few of the adventurers got up from their seat and headed over to the group. It was obvious from their expressions that they wanted to teach this cheeky little kid who’d just barged in here a lesson. They had no real reason to be so hostile toward him, they were just jealous. That, and the strained atmosphere in the guild had gotten them itching for a fight.

They hadn’t even considered the possibility that he might be in trouble and had come to the guild to request help... not that something like that would ever happen. The only thing on their mind right now was beating Hajime up to vent their own frustrations.

Normally he wouldn’t have paid them any mind, but since he’d become an overprotective father, he was going to make them pay for scaring his daughter. He gently patted Myu’s head and shot the adventurers advancing upon him a withering glare.

Then, without warning... he unleashed a wave of Intimidation so powerful that it blew the adventurers back. The pressure was so strong that they could physically feel it.

They cowered before Hajime, their earlier confidence nowhere to be seen. The less experienced adventurers fainted on the spot, while most of the others returned meekly to their seats.

They shivered in fear, cold sweat pouring down their backs. It took everything they had to keep from fainting like the other adventurers had.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the oppressive presence vanished. The adventurers gasped for air, only just realizing they’d been holding their breath the entire time. More than a few of them had wet themselves, and some looked like they were about to hurl. Hajime flashed them all a feral grin.

“Hey, all of you bastards that glared at us.”

“Ah!” They all jumped when they heard his voice. Everyone was staring at Hajime like he was some kind of monster, which in a sense, he was. He ignored their fear and laid down a request... No, a command.

“Smile.”

“Huh?”

He was met with confused stares.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said smile. Like this. You’ve gotta show that you’re not scary. Wave your hands and stuff too. It’s because you all look so intimidating that you scared her. What’re you gonna do if you traumatize her for life, huh?”

Then don’t bring a little girl with you to an adventurer’s guild in the first place! The adventurers all thought unanimously, but none of them had the courage to actually say it. Cowed by his Intimidation, the adventurers all forced themselves to smile. A few feebly waved their hands at him too.

It was a truly surreal sight, all these hard-faced adventurers smiling stiffly, trying to pretend they were friendly. Hajime nodded in satisfaction, then whispered something into Myu’s ear.

She timidly looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Then, at Hajime’s urging, she slowly turned around. She was greeted by the sight of hardened adventurers trying their best to look friendly.

“Hiii!” As expected, their forced smiles did little to assuage her fears, and she buried her face into Hajime’s chest once more. And so, Hajime narrowed his eyebrows angrily.

“You call that a smile!?” Hajime roared, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Don’t be ridiculous! The poor adventurers turned to Yue for salvation, tears forming in the corners of their eyes.

Yue breathed a deep sigh, walked up to Myu, and whispered something into her ear as well. Once again, Myu hesitantly turned to face the crowd of adventurers. They once again tried their best to look friendly.

She stared at them for quite a bit longer this time. Finally, her face broke out in a smile and she waved back at them. The adventurers forced smiles suddenly turned into natural ones when they saw how cute she was. Hajime nodded in satisfaction and put Myu back on his shoulders. His business with the adventurers concluded, he walked up to the counter.

Silverware clattered to the floor as he walked past, but he paid no heed to the people around him.

For once, the person manning the reception counter was a cute girl. She was about the same age as Hajime. This was the first time the adventurer’s guild stereotype actually fit. Unfortunately, the effect was ruined because she was frozen stiff. Having Hajime that close to her made her unbelievably nervous.

“Is the branch chief here? I’m here to deliver a letter from the Fuhren branch’s chief... I was requested to give it to him in person.” He handed over his status plate to the receptionist. She accepted it with trembling fingers. Though she was nervous, she still did her job admirably.

“Y-Yes. Let me just confirm your identity. U-Umm, does this mean you’re here... on a direct request from Fuhren’s branch chief?” The reason she was so surprised was because it was rare for a mere adventurer to undertake requests from someone as high-ranking as a branch chief. However, when she saw the ranking on Hajime’s status plate, she understood why he’d been chosen.

“Y-You’re gold ranked!?” At most, maybe 10% of all adventurers were gold. And the names of all gold-ranked adventurers were kept on a roster that every guild worker had memorized, including this receptionist, and yet she’d never heard of Hajime before.

When they heard her exclamation, all of the other adventurers stared at Hajime in shock as well. After a few seconds of silence, the entire room burst into conversation.

The receptionist paled as she realized she’d accidentally blurted out Hajime’s personal information for everyone to hear. She bowed as low as she could.

“M-My deepest apologies, sir! I didn’t mean to say it so loudly!”

“Ah, I don’t really mind. Could you just call the branch chief over for me?”

“O-Of course! Right away!”

Hajime smiled to himself. If I hadn’t said anything, I bet she’d spend another hour apologizing. After all the commotion he’d caused in Ur and Fuhren, it was pointless to try and pretend he was just a normal adventurer anymore.

He attracted enough stares as it was by bringing along a kid and a harem of beautiful girls with him everywhere. Adding gold-ranked adventurer to the list of oddities didn’t really change much at that point.

However, Myu still wasn’t used to getting so much attention. She squirmed uncomfortably as she looked at everyone. The way she moved was reminiscent of how Tio writhed in pleasure whenever Hajime insulted her. Hajime slapped her for teaching Myu such unwholesome things, which caused even more of a stir with the crowd.

Finally, after a few minutes, Hajime heard someone thundering down the corridor.

A black-clad figure burst out from the hallway situated on the side of the counter. He looked around wildly, his eyes passing through the crowd. He was obviously in a great hurry.

Hajime’s eyes went wide in shock. This was someone he recognized, and the last person he’d expected to see here.

“Endou?” The black-clad figure was none other than Hajime’s classmate, Kousuke Endou.

Endou wheeled around in surprise. He cast another panicked glance around the room, but didn’t spot the person he was searching for. Growing impatient, he loudly shouted,

“Nagumo!? Is that really you!? It is, right!? Where are you!? Nagumo! You’re alive, aren’t you!? Get out here, Hajime Nagumo!” Many of the adventurers clapped their hands over their ears. His voice was really loud. Endou’s extreme impatience implied that he wasn’t just in a hurry to see an old classmate he’d thought dead. There was something urgent he needed from Hajime.

Yue and the others stared expectantly at Hajime. He awkwardly scratched his cheek. If he was being perfectly honest, he’d rather not have talked to Endou right now. Nevertheless, he dutifully stepped forward and called out to him.

“Uh, Endou? I can hear you, so can you stop yelling so loudly?”

“Nagumo!? Where are you!?” Endou turned toward Hajime, reacting to his voice. The depth of the desperation in his voice shocked Hajime.

His eyes met Hajime’s for an instant, but then he looked away again and started looking around the room once more.

“Dammit! I can hear you, but I can’t see you! Are you a ghost!? Did you really die after all!? Is that why I can’t see you!?”

“I’m right in front of you, moron. Just calm down, man. Weren’t you supposed to be the world’s most unnoticeable person?”

“There it is again! That’s your voice! And just who are you calling the king of invisibility!? I’ll have you know that the automatic doors at stores open for me one-third of the time!”

“Wait, so even they don’t notice you two-thirds of the time...? You’re really something.” After that exchange Endou finally realized the white-haired boy with the eyepatch was indeed Hajime. He scrutinized Hajime’s face. Hajime turned away awkwardly. He wasn’t used to guys staring so intently at him.

“A-Are you... Are you really Nagumo?”

  

“Yep. In the flesh. I know I look pretty different now, but it’s me, Hajime Nagumo.”

He looked so different from the boy Endou remembered that he still couldn’t completely believe it. He looked Hajime up and down again. Eventually, he was forced to accept it really was Hajime. He had the same general facial structure, and only Hajime would know about how invisible Endou was.

“You’re... really alive.”

“Obviously. I’m standing in front of you, aren’t I?”

“Everything about you has, changed though... like your appearance, and the way you talk...”

“I had to crawl my way out of hell. There’s no way I’d stay the same after that.”

“R-Really? Well, I guess that makes sense... Still, I can’t believe you’re really alive... Thank god.” He may have turned into a drastically different person, but Endou was still relieved that his classmate yet lived.

Though he’d been jealous of the attention Kaori gave Hajime, much like the other guys, and had turned a blind eye to Hiyama’s bullying, he’d never once seriously wanted Hajime dead. Endou had been as shaken as the rest when he’d witnessed Hajime fall. It was only natural that he’d be happy to know his classmate hadn’t actually died.

“Wait, so... you’re really an adventurer too? Gold-ranked at that...”

“Pretty much.”

Endou’s expression did a complete 180. From one of relief, to one of panic.

It was then that Hajime noticed Endou was surprisingly ragged. What on earth happened to him?

“So not only were you able to make it back from the depths of the labyrinth alive, you’ve become strong enough to reach the highest rank in the adventurer’s guild? No way...”

“More or less, yeah.” Upon hearing that, Endou broke down and clung desperately to Hajime’s shoulders. His face was a mixture of desperation and regret.

“Then I’m begging you, come back to the labyrinth with me! If we don’t hurry, everyone’ll die! We need all the help we can get! Kentarou and Jugo could die any minute now! I’m begging you Nagumo, you’ve gotta help us!”

“W-Wait a second. What the heck are you talking about!? What’s going on? What do you mean they could die any minute now? You guys have Amanogawa, don’t you? Shouldn’t you be fine no matter what happens? Captain Meld and the others are there too, right? Even if you face a Behemoth now, you guys should be fine...” Hajime had never seen the normally composed Endou so distraught. Endou’s face fell and he sunk to his knees at the mention of Captain Meld. He managed to squeeze out a few words through his despair.

“...died.”

“Huh? I can’t hear you. What’d you say?”

“I said he died! Captain Meld, Alan-san, and all the other knights! They’re all dead! They died so I could escape! It’s my fault! It’s all my fault! And now they’re all gone!”

“I see.” Hajime replied solemnly.

As Hajime hadn’t possessed a combat class, he hadn’t been that close to Captain Meld. That being said, he’d always thought of the captain as a nice man. And the day he’d fallen, Meld had been the only one who’d believed in him despite the fact that he was labeled incompetent by everyone.

Had he been the callous person he’d turned into right after escaping the abyss, he might not have cared at all about Captain Meld’s death, but at present he felt a twinge of sadness. Enough that he prayed Captain Meld would find happiness in the afterlife.

“So what exactly happened?”

“Well...” Endou numbly began recounting the events that had led to his escape. However, before he could start in earnest, a voice stopped him.

“Shall we continue this conversation inside one of our private rooms? It seems that boy over there has something for me as well.” A grizzled old man well into his sixties stepped out of the hallway. There was a large scar running down his left eye.

Judging from the fact that the receptionist was with him, Hajime guessed that he must be this guild’s branch chief. He recalled the strained atmosphere that had filled the room when he’d first entered and looked back down at Endou. He was practically sobbing now. Yeah, maybe it’s best we don’t talk about this here.

Endou had probably broken down once here already, and spilled that something bad had happened to the hero party and their escorts. That was probably why everyone was on edge.

The branch chief took Endou by the arm, pulled him to his feet, and marched him back inside the hallway. All the strength had drained out of Endou after that outburst, and he meekly let himself be dragged along.

Hajime reluctantly followed along. Whatever story he was about to be told, he had the feeling he really didn’t want to hear it.

“Demons, huh...?” Hajime’s voice echoed through the quiet room.

Across from him sat Horaud’s branch chief, Loa Bawavis and Endou. Yue, Shea, and Tio all sat next to him. Myu was resting on his lap.

Endou had just finished recounting the story of what had happened in the labyrinth. Both Loa and Endou had dark expressions on their faces, and the air was heavy. No one had imagined the hero party would get done in so easily.

Myu was seemingly unaffected by the gloomy atmosphere, as she was happily stuffing her face with the snacks Loa had laid out for them. She’d actually looked a little worried at first, which was why Hajime had started feeding her snacks to pacify her. Though their conversation was too difficult for Myu to follow, she had at least been able to tell that it was nothing good.

“Anyway, what the heck is with that girl!? Why’s she just sitting there eating snacks!? Don’t you guys get how serious this is!? Everyone might die!”

“Hiii!? Daddy!”

Unable to stand it any longer, Endou angrily pointed a finger at Myu. She let out a terrified squeal and clung to Hajime.

Naturally, Hajime wasn’t going to let that slide. He wouldn’t forgive anyone that hurt his daughter.

“You bastard... how dare you take it out on Myu? You wanna die, huh!?”

“Hiii!?” Endou shrank back and shrieked in a high-pitched voice not unlike Myu’s.

Next to him, the girls all sighed.

“He’s totally become a father now.”

“He called Myu ‘his daughter’ earlier too~”

“I wonder if Master will be able to give her up when we reach Erisen.”

Hajime ignored their comments. The only thing in his mind right now was how to calm Myu down.

Loa sighed as he watched Hajime soothe Myu down and decided to move the conversation forward.

“At any rate, Nagumo. Thanks to Ilwa’s letter, I understand the gist of your situation. I see you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, though most of it just sort of happened.” Hajime spoke of his unbelievable feats as if they were no different than going on a walk for him. He shrugged his shoulders, and Loa smiled in amusement.

“According to this letter, Ilwa wants me to endorse your promotion to gold rank, and to assist you in any way I can. I more or less understand what’s going on, so that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve heard that you not only single-handedly annihilated an army of sixty thousand monsters, but that you completely destroyed Fuhren’s underground crime ring in half a day. Frankly, I find it hard to believe you’re actually capable of all of these things, but I can’t imagine someone like Ilwa lying. If he told me you were the demon lord himself, I’d still believe him.”

Endou’s eyes flew open in surprise. He’d assumed Hajime must have gotten a little stronger since he’d managed to escape the Great Orcus Labyrinth on his own, but he’d thought Hajime was still nowhere near his level.

After all, Hajime’s job was Synergist, and he’d been labeled incompetent by the rest of his class. Sure, he might have become a gold adventurer, but the people of this world were all fundamentally weaker than the summoned heroes. He’d expected the most Hajime could do was repair the broken teleportation circle and maybe support them from the rear.

The reason Endou had come to the adventurer’s guild in the first place was to recruit high-ranked adventurers to go rescue Kouki with him. Obviously they wouldn’t have lasted a second on the lower floors, but they could at least have guarded the circle on the 70th floor.

There were a few of Meld’s knights that had been stationed outside the labyrinth, but he’d tasked them with relaying everything to the capital. At best, they’d maybe been able to protect the circle on the 30th floor. Only adventurers silver rank or above would be strong enough to survive on the 70th floor.

He’d gone up to the second floor to try and convince adventurers to join in his cause, but all of them had turned him down. Not only did he want them to guard the 70th floor, a place no one had ever been to, he wanted them to fight against creatures that had decimated the hero party, the hope of all humanity. On top of that, all of the kingdom’s elite knights had been slaughtered. As it was, the adventurers were all fearing for the future of the human race.

When he’d heard the commotion, Loa had grabbed Endou and dragged him to the back to get the full story. It was then that the receptionist had shown up with Hajime’s status plate.

It finally dawned on Endou that he might have been severely underestimating Hajime’s strength. It was possible he was actually way stronger than him, and maybe even Kouki.

While Endou was still frozen in shock, Loa and Hajime continued their conversation.

“Don’t be ridiculous. The demon lord wouldn’t even be a threat to me.”

“Not even a threat, is it? You certainly have some confidence in yourself. In that case, I’d like you to prove your claims by taking on a certain request on behalf of the Horaud adventurer’s guild.”

“You want me to go rescue the hero party?”

Endou suddenly snapped back to reality when he heard the word “rescue.” He leaned forward and started begging Hajime once more.

“Th-That’s right! Nagumo, we need to go save them! If you’re really that strong, then you can do it, right!?”

“......”

Endou’s eyes lit up with hope, but Hajime’s reaction was not what he was expecting. Hajime stared off into the distance, weighing his options. Endou had thought Hajime would jump at the chance to rescue his comrades, so he was confused when Hajime didn’t reply instantly.

“What’s wrong!? They could be dying while we waste time here! What’s there to think about!? They’re your comrades!”

“My comrades?” Hajime turned his gaze back to Endou, his eyes cold as ice. Endou faltered in the face of his intense glare. Fear warred with his stubborn desire to save his friends. Eventually, stubbornness won out, and he held his ground against Hajime.

“Y-Yeah. They’re your comrades, so we’ve gotta go save—”

“Don’t just go make them my comrades for your own convenience. I’ll say this now, but all I’ve ever thought of you guys as is classmates. That’s all. Not really all that different from strangers, really.”

“What!? But... how can you...”

Hajime ignored Endou’s stuttering and went back to considering the merits and demerits of going to save Kouki’s party. As he’d said before, he considered the rest of his classmates mere acquaintances at best. He wasn’t terribly interested in getting revenge on the person who’d dropped him into the abyss, but neither did he think too fondly of his former classmates.

However, he also wasn’t going to just abandon them outright. Even now, Aiko’s words had a profound effect on his way of thinking. If he let them die for no good reason, it would be betraying everything he’d promised his teacher back in Ur.

Plus, there was at least one person who was more than just an acquaintance. There was a girl who’d promised she’d protect him, despite the fact that everyone else had called him incompetent. Just as she’d feared, her dream had turned into reality and Hajime had been cast into the abyss. He’d asked her to protect him that night to try and assuage her fears, but in the end she hadn’t been able to fulfill her promise.

Ever since he’d returned to this town, he’d been thinking about her more and more. Her tortured expression as she’d watched him fall into the darkness was still fresh in his memory.

“Shirasaki... Is she still alive?” Hajime muttered quietly. Endou looked up in surprise. He quickly realized he needed say something or Hajime would likely refuse to help him.

“Y-Yeah. Shirasaki-san’s alive. In fact, if it wasn’t for her, the rest of us would probably be dead right now. I honestly thought Jugo and Yaegashi-san were done for during that first attack... Shirasaki-san’s amazing. Her healing magic is something else... Ever since that day you fell, it felt like she changed, you know? Like, she started training so hard we were worried about her... And she kind of became more mature? Or well, that’s what it feels like, anyway. It’s like she’s always got something on her mind now. She’s not as scatterbrained as she used to be...”

“I see.”

Endou talked about everything that came to mind, even though all Hajime had asked was if she was alive. There was a brief moment of silence.

Hajime sighed loudly, scratched his head, and looked down at Yue.

“I’ll follow you no matter what your decision is. Do what you want.”

“Yue...” She took his hand in hers, and he gently squeezed back. He was eternally grateful to Yue for being so understanding.

“M-Me too! I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, Hajime-san!”

“Heh. Naturally, I too will always be by your side, Master.”

“Umm, umm, Myu will too!”

The others quickly spoke up before Hajime and Yue could start flirting again. Myu didn’t fully grasp what was going on, but she didn’t want to be left out of the fun.

“What’s with this harem development...” Endou muttered in disbelief. Hajime ignored him, then turned to face his reliable comrades.

“Thanks, guys. To be honest, I really don’t want to deal with god’s chosen hero... but there’s someone I owe a debt to, so I’m gonna go save her. Though knowing them, they might have fought their way out already.”

In all honesty, Hajime couldn’t have cared less about Kouki and most of the other students. In fact, he would’ve preferred not to get close to them, since they were effectively being manipulated by this world’s corrupt gods.

Still, he’d always felt bad about not letting Kaori know that he was still alive. He had no doubt the reason she’d pushed herself so far was because of him. She was one person he’d rush to save if she was ever in trouble. She’d been the only one who’d tried to protect him. And though he didn’t know it, even now she was soldiering on because she believed he was alive.

Besides, the danger to him would likely be negligible. From Endou’s description, he guessed the four-eyed wolves they’d encountered were the same ones Hajime had fought in Ur. And the chimeras and cats seemed no stronger than the monsters he’d fought in the first couple of floors of the labyrinth. He wouldn’t even break a sweat.

“U-Umm, does that mean you’re going to help?”

“Yeah. Chief Loa. If possible, I’d like you to still make this a formal request from the guild.”

“You don’t want the guild’s managers thinking they can ask you to do things for free?”

“Pretty much. Oh yeah, one more thing. Do you have a room I can leave Myu in?”

“Of course, that won’t be any problem at all.”

Endou breathed a huge sigh of relief when he heard Hajime was coming, but Hajime ignored him and continued talking to Loa.

He was hoping to leave Myu in the guild’s care while he went to rescue everyone. Strong as he was, he didn’t want to risk taking her somewhere that dangerous. Like before, Myu was not at all happy about being left behind. However, this time everyone managed to convince her together, and they left Tio to be her babysitter. Finally, they prepared to depart, with Endou leading the way.

“Hey, hurry up and lead us there, Endou.”

“Hey, don’t kick me! And how come your personality’s so different from what it was before!”

“Quit asking dumb questions. Hurry up, I want to reach them in a day... No, half a day. I’m not happy about having to leave Myu behind, so we’re gonna get this done as fast as possible. I’m worried about leaving her alone in the hands of that pervert.”

“Man, you’ve like, really become a dad, haven’t you? And you’ve got a harem of beautiful girls with you.... What the heck happened for that meek Nagumo to end up like this...” Endou grumbled to himself as they ran through the labyrinth floors. He’d regained some of his former composure now that he’d recruited Hajime’s help.

Endou had been pretty confident in his agility, but that pride had been ripped to shreds as Hajime and his friends easily outstripped his speed. He pushed on as fast as he could, praying that his friends were still safe...

“Ngh...”

“Suzu-chan!”

“Suzu!”

Suzu groaned and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was her two best friends, Kaori and Eri, looking happily down at her. It took her a few seconds to fully regain consciousness, but eventually her mind cleared up enough that she could speak.

“T-This is an unfamiliar ceiling.”

“Suzu, we know you’re a comedian at heart, but maybe you should lay off the jokes until you’re feeling better.”

Her voice came out as a hoarse croak. Shizuku had rushed over the moment she’d heard Suzu awaken. She was both impressed, and somewhat exasperated that Suzu would try to crack jokes even in this situation. She pulled off her leather canteen and brought it up to Suzu’s lips.

Suzu greedily gulped down the water.

“I feel like I’ve just come back to life, literally,” she exclaimed as she finished drinking. After that, she unsteadily rose into a sitting position. Kaori and Eri hurriedly supported her.

It was so very like Suzu to act cheerful even after she’d just recovered from near-fatal wounds. Her bright demeanor lifted the spirits of her classmates.

However, despite her forced cheerfulness, Suzu’s face was still pale. She’d burned through much of her mana with that last barrier, and she’d lost a lot of blood. There were dark circles in her eyes, and her smile was strained. It was a testament to the strength of her will that she managed a smile at all. Both Shizuku and Kaori really respected Suzu for this very reason.

“Suzu-chan. You should rest for a bit longer. Your wounds have closed up, but you lost a lot of blood...”

“Ah, so that’s why I’m feeling so dizzy~ I can’t believe that horrible demon could do such a horrible thing to my fair skin... She pierced right through me. Hey, don’t you think that’d make for a great line in porn?”

“Suzu! You’re a girl, don’t say such vulgar things!” Eri blushed as she reprimanded Suzu. Nomura and Nakano, who were nearby, snorted with laughter, but Shizuku’s stern glare shut them up.

“Suzu, I’m glad you’re finally awake. We were really worried about you.”

“Hey, you alright? You’re white as a sheet.”

Kouki and Ryutarou came over to check up on Suzu as well. Both of them were smiling tiredly.

Kouki especially had expended himself a great deal in the earlier battle. Fortunately, the after-effects of using Limit Break had finally begun to fade, and he was feeling a little better.

“Morning, Kouki-kun, Ryutarou-kun! So everyone managed to run away safely, then? Let’s see, everyone looks fine... Wait, is it just me, or are we missing someone?”

“Oh, you mean Endou. We told him to escape ahead of us. Since he’s the stealthiest out of all of us, we thought he might be able to slip through the floors unnoticed...”

Suzu glanced around the room, making sure all of her classmates were accounted for. Kouki explained everything that had happened since Suzu fell unconscious. Kondou and Saitou had been unpetrified some time before Suzu had woken up, so they’d already heard his explanation.

“I see. A lot happened while I was unconscious, huh... Oh yeah, thank you so much, Kaorin! It’s thanks to you that I’m still alive!”

“Healing’s my job, Suzu-chan. I only did what anyone would do. You don’t have to make such a big deal about it.”

“Man, you’re even cooler when you act all stoic like that! Will you marry me?”

“Suzu... you’ll just scare her if you propose while you’re still paler than a ghost. I really think you should rest for a bit longer.”

Suzu clung to Kaori, while Eri scolded her. Shizuku was waiting on standby to stop her by force if she went too far. In a way, it was business as usual for the four girls. Everyone else was worrying about the possibility that they might never see the light of day again, but these four girls were acting the same as always. Seeing them act so composed helped calm the other students down.

Unfortunately, someone had to go and ruin the atmosphere just as everyone was starting to look up.

“What are you guys smiling about? Nothing’s changed! We could still die at any minute! If you’ve got time to be cracking jokes, how about you think of a way out of this mess!” Kondou yelled at Suzu. Next to him, Saitou glared angrily at everyone.

“Come on, Kondou. You don’t have to put it like that. Suzu was just trying to cheer everyone up...”

“Shut up! You don’t have any right to talk to me like that! You... You lost! Thanks to that, I nearly died! Goddammit! Hero my ass!”

Kouki tried to calm Kondou down, but his words just added fuel to the fire. Kondou snapped, lashing out at Kouki this time.

“Bastard... Do you know why you’re still alive right now? It’s ’cause Kouki risked his life to make an escape route!” Ryutarou started yelling back, but Kondou wasn’t willing to back down.

“If you’d done your job and won, we wouldn’t have had to run away in the first place! Besides, anyone could tell that we were at a disadvantage! You should have just pretended to take the demon up on her offer and then killed her later! But no, you just had to act all noble and start fighting! This is all your fault!”

Kondou rose to his feet and stared Ryutarou down. Saitou and Nakano stood up as well, backing him up.

“Ryutarou, it’s fine. You’re right, Kondou. And I’ll take responsibility for my failure. Next time, I won’t lose! We know what those monsters are capable of, so we won’t get caught by surprise again. Next time that demon comes, we’ll win!” Kouki sounded confident, but Saitou wasn’t convinced. He turned to Kouki and muttered something darkly.

“But last time, you couldn’t win even with Limit Break.”

“T-True, but... I-I’ll win this time!”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because this time, I’ll use Divine Wrath. As long as you guys can protect me while I’m casting...”

“But if you start casting such a long spell, the demon’ll know something big’s coming, won’t she? She’s sure to do something to stop it. Besides, we don’t even know if that was her entire army or if there’s more monsters.”

No matter how Kouki tried to reassure them, Kondou and his friends had lost faith in his strength. They began complaining one after another.

Living with the constant fear of death had eroded their composure. It was inevitable that they’d try to push the blame onto Kouki and start demanding he provide proof that he could win against those ridiculously strong monsters.

Ryutarou’s aggressive response only served to fan the flames of their resentment. Tsuji and Yoshino tried to break up their argument, but they only succeeded in worsening the situation.

Finally, it got to the point where Ryutarou and Kondou raised their weapons at each other. Nervous tension filled the atmosphere. Kouki put a hand on Ryutarou’s shoulder, trying to hold him back, but the blood had rushed to Ryutarou’s head now, so he simply glared angrily at Kondou, fists raised. Kondou glared back, his spear at the ready.

“Everyone, calm down! Whether you like it or not, Kouki’s our only hope of making it out of this alive! We need his Limit Break to have any chance of taking down that demon. There’s no way she’s going to let us go, and he’s the only way we can kill her. Why can’t you get that through those thick skulls of yours?” Shizuku tried to reason logically with Kondou and the others, but they weren’t in any mood to listen. Suzu even staggered to her feet and apologized to Kondou, but that didn’t help either. Just as Kaori was thinking the only way to get everyone to cool their heads was to bind the lot of them, she heard a low growl from outside the room.

“Grrrr...”

“Huh!?” Everyone present recognized that voice. They all froze, their frustration transformed into fear in an instant. Everyone knew what those monsters were capable of. They held their breath, afraid even the slightest noise would alert the monsters to their presence. Their eyes were glued to the hidden entrance to their room.

Claws scratched against the wall. Someone gulped. Endou had erased all traces of their scent from the area as well, so monsters, even high ranking ones, wouldn’t be able to find them that easily. That didn’t stop everyone from breaking out in a nervous sweat, though.

The party wasn’t anywhere near fully healed. Suzu especially was in no condition to fight. Kaori and Tsuji had taxed themselves to the limit to heal everyone, and had almost no mana left. The vanguard fighters had more or less made a complete recovery, but only half of the rearguard had enough mana to keep fighting. They were all out of mana potions too, so it’d be a few hours at least before they could be of any help.

The loss of Kaori, Suzu, and Tsuji would be especially hard to make up for. Everyone was hoping against hope that the wolves wouldn’t find them. All that separated them from death was a single door.

After a few minutes of pawing the walls, the monsters finally turned around. Silence filled the room. No one relaxed until they were sure the monsters had left. Once they could no longer sense the monsters’ presence, the students collectively breathed a huge sigh. Some of them fell to their knees in relief. Most of them were sweating buckets.

“If you’d kept arguing like that, they would have found us. For the love of god, just stay quiet until we’re all healed at least.”

“G-Got it...”

“W-We will...”

Shizuku wiped the sweat off her face. Kondou apologetically lowered his spear. Their close shave had given everyone a harsh wake up call.

Then, just as everyone started thinking they were safe...

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” The door to their hideout was blasted to pieces.

“Uwaaah!?”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

It was blown apart with such force that the rubble struck Kondou and Yoshino hard enough to send them sprawling to the ground.

Shimmering outlines informed the party that they’d been found by a pack of Chimeras, the one enemy they’d hoped to avoid facing.

“Everyone, get in formation!”

“Goddammit! How’d they find us!?” Kouki quickly gave out orders as he unsheathed his sword. Without hesitation, he charged forward. Kouki couldn’t afford to let the monsters regroup. Chimeras were impossible to spot when they weren’t moving. Ryutarou stopped at the entrance, determined to prevent even a single monster from getting into the room. However...

“Uwooooooooo!”

“Ngh!”

A Super Bulltaur slammed into Ryutarou with the force of a tank. Ryutarou grappled with it for a moment before being overpowered and pushed to the ground.

Dozens of cats with tentacles took that opportunity to dart into the room. They lashed out with their numerous tentacles, taking the rearguard by surprise. A barrage of tentacles headed toward Kondou, who was still standing dumbfounded at the same spot he’d been when their argument had ended. He desperately tried to fend the tentacles off with his spear, but there were too many of them. However, just as he was about to be turned into a living pincushion...

“Sacred Shields!”

“Sacred Shields!”

Thirty or so glimmering shields appeared in front of Kondou. They appeared at an angle, deflecting the storm of tentacles. Kaori and Suzu’s instantaneous reactions, plus the fact that they were able to cast the spell with barely an incantation, were truly impressive. Together, they’d managed to put out thirty shields in the span of less than a second.

Still, because Suzu barely had enough strength to stand, and because Kaori was practically out of mana, their shields were more brittle than usual.

One after another, the shields of light shattered. Even though they’d been summoned at an angle to deflect the tentacles and not take them head on, they still didn’t have enough strength to endure the tentacles’ onslaught. The ones directly in front of Kondou were repelled, but a few of the others made it through, heading straight for Nakano and Saitou.

They tried to dive out of the way, but as mages their physical stats weren’t very good. Though they managed to avoid any fatal wounds, they still took a considerable chunk of damage. One of the tentacles grazed Nakano’s shoulder, while another slammed through Saitou’s thigh, pinning him to the ground.

“Shinji! Yoshiki! Fuck! Daisuke, back them up!”

“O-Okay.”

Ever since they’d escaped, Hiyama had seemed lost in thought. Kondou hadn’t said anything to him because he’d wanted to give him some space, but the time for contemplating had long since passed.

Kondou dragged Nakano and Saitou to Suzu’s side. Though Suzu’s physical condition was terrible, she’d recovered a considerable amount of her mana. He figured they’d be safest next to her. And because Kaori was next to her, she could heal them easier too.

“Kouki! Use your Limit Break and fight the monsters outside! We’ll handle the ones in here!”

“But Suzu can barely move...”

“At this rate we’ll just be overwhelmed! Please, you’ve gotta cut open a path for us!”

“Leave things here to me! No one’s dying on my watch!”

“Got it! I’ll be counting on you, then! Limit Break!” Kouki hesitated for a moment, but Shizuku and Ryutarou managed to convince him. He realized if he didn’t do something soon, they’d all be dead.

This was his first time activating Limit Break twice in a day. As expected, it put a great deal of strain on his body. Normally, he could maintain Limit Break for around 8 minutes, but he suspected it wouldn’t last that long the second time around. That meant he needed to focus on defeating the demon as fast as possible. He dashed out of the room at top speed.

When he emerged into the octagonal room, he was met with a disheartening sight. The demon was staring coldly at him, protected by a veritable army of monsters. A white two-headed raven sat on her shoulders.

He could feel his anger boiling up. She was the one who’d hurt his comrades. She was the one who’d had them hiding like cornered rats. And she was the one he needed to defeat if he wanted his friends to survive.

“Hmph, you certainly wasted a lot of my time. I’ll have you know I have missions far more important than dealing with you...”

“Shut up! I’m gonna rip that arrogant tongue out of your mouth! Prepare yourself!” Kouki began chanting a short spell. Without the full incantation, he doubted his Divine Wrath could harm the demon, but he was confident it would at least be powerful enough to cut open a path. His sword began to glow.

The demon sneered at him. At her command, two of the Super Bulltaurs pulled something out from behind her.

Kouki went slack-jawed when he realized what that “something” was. He was so shocked he even lowered his sword. Wide-eyed, he spoke in a trembling voice.

“M-Meld-san?” Indeed, what the Super Bulltaurs had dragged forth was Captain Meld. He was drenched in blood, and obviously on the verge of death. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was groaning occasionally, Kouki would have thought him already dead.

“Y-You bitch! Let Meld-san—!?” Kouki’s anger overrode his common sense and he charged forward. Having predicted that would happen, the demon was already prepared for his attack. Just before he reached her, he found his way barred by a looming shadow. He looked up with a start and saw a massive fist bearing down on him with inhuman speed.

He instinctively held up his left arm to shield himself. The giant fist blasted through his puny arm with ease, then connected with Kouki’s torso. Kouki felt like he’d just been hit by a truck. The blow sent him flying so far he slammed into the wall behind him. The force of the impact was large enough to leave a Kouki-shaped hole in the wall.

“Gaaah!” The air burst from his lungs and he slid to the ground in a pathetic heap. He slowly raised himself up with his remaining good arm, blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. That attack had been powerful enough to damage his organs.

From the looks of things, it had given him a concussion, too. His vision blurred as he looked up at what had hit him. A huge, three-meter-tall monster stood before him, its fist still outstretched.

The monster had the head of a horse with tusks, the torso of a man with four arms, and the lower half of a gorilla. It glared at Kouki with bloodshot eyes, steam billowing from its snout. This monster was on a completely different level from the ones they’d been fighting so far.

The horse-head monster retracted its fist and mercilessly charged Kouki. He stopped mere inches from Kouki’s face and brought its hands down in a crushing blow.

Kouki, who was still on all fours, trusted in his instincts and rolled to the side at the last second.

The monster’s fists slammed into the ground a second later, reddish-black shockwaves spreading outward from the point of impact. The ground literally exploded, a huge crater forming where the monster’s fists had struck.

This was this monster’s special magic, Mana Burst. It was as simple as it sounded. It just created shockwaves of mana at the point of impact. However, just because it was simple didn’t mean it wasn’t powerful.

No longer reeling from his concussion, Kouki finally rose to his feet. Still, before he could do more than raise his sword, the horse-head monster was in front of him, swinging its fist down.

Kouki tried to block the blow with his sword, but his left arm was broken, and his right arm alone couldn’t bear the impact. He was blown away once again, barely avoiding a fatal blow. He continued desperately defending against the monster’s four arms, and the shockwaves that came from each Mana Burst. His movements grew duller, and he couldn’t find a single opening to launch a counterattack.

“Ngh! How strong is this thing!? I’m even using Limit Break!”

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Even with Limit Break active, Kouki was being easily overwhelmed. If he kept defending, eventually he’d just be beaten down. And so, he steeled himself to take a few hits, then went on the offensive.

However...

“Ah!?” Before he could launch an attack, his legs gave out. His Limit Break’s time limit was up. The recoil from using it twice in a short span of time was so great that he couldn’t even stand anymore.

The monster mercilessly pressed its advantage. As Kouki sunk to his knees, it slammed its fist cleanly into Kouki’s stomach. There was a massive boom as its fist connected.

“Gaha!” A spray of blood spewed from Kouki’s mouth as he flew back into the wall. The strain from using Limit Break, plus the damage from that last attack was more than his body could handle. He fell to the ground, unconscious. The only reason he wasn’t dead was because the monster had held back on its final attack.

It walked up to Kouki and gruffly lifted him by his collar. It presented the unconscious boy to its master, the demon. She nodded in satisfaction and recalled the monsters she’d sent into the students’ hideout.

A few minutes later, Shizuku and the others cautiously stepped outside. They despaired when they saw a massive monster more powerful than anything they’d faced before staring them down, a defeated Kouki in one of its arms.

“No way... Kouki... lost?”

“Th-This can’t be happening...” Shizuku cried out in disbelief.

Kaori and Suzu were too shocked to even say anything. They just stood there in stunned silence. Seeing that they’d all lost the will to fight, the demon coldly addressed the students.

“Hmph, I never thought it would be this easy. Looks like... you really were nothing more than overconfident brats after all. And here I was worrying I may have underestimated you.” Pale-faced, Shizuku nonetheless bravely asked the demon a question.

“How did you do it?”

“Hm? With this. See, look.” She nodded to Captain Meld, who was still held by the two Super Bulltaurs. When Shizuku spotted the half-dead knight, she realized instantly what must have happened. The demon had used Meld to distract Kouki and hit him with a sneak attack. Anytime Kouki saw someone he knew hurt, he was liable to lose his cool.

The demon must have realized that as well from their last battle. And so, she’d hidden her strongest monster with the Chimera’s magic, and then baited him into range.

“So what do you want with us, then? There has to be a reason you didn’t just kill us all when you had the chance.”

“Yep. Looks like I was right, you really are the brains of this outfit. Don’t worry, it’s not some crazy request or anything. I just thought maybe I’d try inviting you guys over to our side one more time. Last time your little hero started waving his sword around before we could really talk. Unlike him, some of you actually seem pretty skilled, so I thought I’d ask again. Well, what do you say?”

A few of the students hesitated. Shizuku watched them out of the corner of her eye and asked her second question.

“What are you going to do with Kouki?”

“Fufu, you’re a sharp one. Sorry, but I can’t let your hero friend here live. I doubt he’ll change his mind about switching sides, and you guys probably can’t convince him to either, right? He’s one of those guys who thinks he’s better than everyone else, after all. He’ll have to die here.”

“I take it the same holds true for us if we refuse, correct?”

“Naturally. There’s no way we can just let a future threat go, right?”

“Aren’t you worried we’ll go along for now and then just betray you later?”

“Of course. So, if you do agree, we’ll be putting you on a leash. Don’t worry. We’ll just make it so you can’t turn against us, but otherwise you’re all free to do as you wish.”

“So semi-free slaves, basically. We can do whatever we want as long as it’s not attacking you guys.”

“Bingo. Thank god at least one of you has a brain. Now, I recommend you use that brain of yours to make the logical choice, unlike your poor hero friend.”

The other students listened to Shizuku and the demon’s conversation, a mixture of unease and fear in their eyes. If they refused, they’d be attacked by the same monster that had easily defeated Kouki. They would almost certainly die. However, if they agreed, they’d be muzzled like dogs, unable to ever fight against the demons again.

In other words, they would no longer be “Ehit’s chosen warriors.” Even if they returned to Heiligh, they doubted the Holy Church would be willing to shelter a bunch of kids who were no longer useful for the war effort, which also meant they’d likely never get to return home. Either way, their future looked bleak. Finally...

“I-I think we should take her up on her offer!” Eri was the first to speak. Trembling, she voiced her opinion. Surprised, Shizuku turned to look at her friend. On the other hand, Ryutarou went red with rage, then rounded on Eri.

“Eri, you backstabbing bitch! You’re just gonna abandon Kouki, huh!?”

“Hiii!?”

“Ryutarou, calm down! Eri, why do you think we should say yes?” Eri shrank back in the face of Ryutarou’s wrath. Shizuku only just managed to restrain him in time. Eri took a deep breath and clasped her hands to her chest.

“I-I just... I just don’t want everyone to die... I don’t want Kouki-kun... to die either, but... Hic...” Tears began spilling from her eyes. Everyone else’s hearts began to waver as well. Another one of the students backed Eri up.

“I’m with Nakamura. There’s no way we can win. Our options are annihilation or survival. The choice should be obvious, right?”

“Hiyama... So you don’t give a shit about what happens to Kouki, huh!?”

“What do you want us to do, Sakagami? Die together with Amanogawa? That’s the only other option.”

“No! That’s not what I meant!”

“Then unless you’ve got a better plan, shut the hell up! Right now our priority is making sure as many of us get out alive as possible.” Hiyama’s words convinced even more of the students. Like he’d said, the only way to survive was to agree to the demon’s conditions.

The only reason they hadn’t agreed right away was because they’d felt guilty about abandoning Kouki just to save their own skins. They couldn’t bring themselves to sacrifice him like that.

The demon saw that they were beginning to waver, and offered a compromise.

“Hmm... If leaving your hero friend to die is the only thing you’re worried about... I don’t mind letting him live. Granted, I’ll have to put him on a much tighter leash than the rest of you. But if you want him to live, you all have to agree to defect.” Shizuku quietly clicked her tongue. She’d predicted the demon might try and make an offer like that. If she’d really planned on killing Kouki, she could have just killed him after defeating him. There was no reason to put on this whole show.

That meant the reason she’d kept him alive was so she could use him as a bargaining chip. Their first fight with the demon must have impressed her enough that she still wanted them for her army. The reason negotiations had broken down last time was because of Kouki’s self-righteous selfishness. Still, it was entirely possible the others weren’t so stubborn, which was why she’d devised this plan to win over everyone else.

First, she’d kept Kouki alive so the students wouldn’t hate her for killing one of their own. Second, she’d cornered the students into a choice between servitude and death. Third, she’d guided them into thinking submitting wouldn’t be such a terrible idea, as long as Kouki somehow got out alive. Finally, she’d promised to spare him as well, removing the final obstacle. This way, the students wouldn’t feel any guilt about choosing to surrender, making it seem like the only logical option.

This was despite the fact that there was no proof that she’d keep her end of the bargain. And it’d be too late for regrets if she killed Kouki after she’d collared all of them. That being said, it was still better than all of them dying here.

Even Shizuku, who had seen through the whole plot, was thinking agreeing would be for the best. As long as they could make it out of this situation alive, there was still some hope of saving Kouki.

It would be to the demon’s benefit for all of them to switch sides here too, so it was possible she’d try and treat them well. After all, losing Ehit’s chosen warriors would be a huge blow to the humans. Their best fighters would have defected. Their betrayal would undoubtedly leave the humans in despair. The demons could deal no greater blow to the humans.

Secondly, the students would be a huge boon to the demons’ fighting force. This particular demon’s primary mission was to clear the Great Orcus Labyrinth and obtain the godlike power said to be sleeping at its depths. So far, she’d easily been able to slaughter all the monsters she’d encountered, but there was no guarantee the lower floors would be as easy. She’d actually lost a good chunk of her fighting force to Kouki’s party, so she wanted to replenish her ranks. Recruiting Shizuku and the others was the most efficient way to do that.

And from her point of view, that was achievable with minimum effort. Her plan had gone without a hitch so far, and at this rate they would capitulate soon. Her lips twitched into a faint smile.

But then, at the last second, her carefully laid plans crumbled.

“G-Guys... don’t do it... Don’t listen to her...”

“Kouki!”

“Kouki-kun!”

“Amanogawa!”

Kouki had finally woken up. Everyone’s eyes were on him.

“She’s lying to you... She killed... Alan-san and the others... Don’t... trust her... She’ll just make you into slaves... She’ll make you fight against the humans... Run... Don’t mind... me... Just... run...” Kouki would rather die than let his friends agree to a deal that was so obviously a trap. Even if there wasn’t a sure chance of success, he hoped they would run instead. However, Hiyama shook his head.

“How many of us do you think will even get away? Wake up, Amanogawa! We’ve lost! It sucks that the knights died, but... well, they knew what they were getting into! Nothing we can do about it! Right now, we need to save as many of us as we can!” His voice echoed throughout the chamber. Hiyama couldn’t believe Kouki refused to bend, even when it was obvious all hope was lost. All he was thinking about was how to make it out alive. In his mind, it didn’t matter if everyone else died as long as he and Kaori survived. However, if they made a break for it now, it was likely they’d all die.

On the other hand, if he they defected to the demons, there was a chance he could show off his value and get appointed to a high-ranking post. If that happened, it was all but guaranteed that he could make Kaori his own. Especially if these “leashes” the demon was talking about could make someone do anything. As long as Kaori was his, he didn’t care if she still had any free will of her own or not. He saw her as little more than an object.

Once again, the students wavered. Hiyama’s words had swayed them, but they also respected Kouki.

Then, an unexpected voice chimed in with their opinion. It was a hoarse, barely audible voice, but everyone heard it clearly. It came from the person everyone respected the most in this world. The one they trusted to make accurate judgments no matter the situation. The one everyone saw as their role model. To many of them, his words were law. And this is what he said:

“Ngh... You kids... think only about how you’re going to survive! Do whatever it takes to stay alive! I’m sorry... for dragging you all into our war... The more time I spent with you all... the more I came to regret relying on you to solve our problems... so please, live to make it home... Don’t worry about us... From the start... this was our fight to fight!” Those weren’t the words of Heiligh’s knight commander anymore. They were the words of a single man, Meld Loggins. This was what he personally wished for, not what his job required of him. The reason he’d finally dropped his responsibilities was because he knew this was where he would die.

As the students all stared at him in shock, he squeezed out the last ounce of his strength and shook the Super Bulltaurs holding him off. His body began to glow with light and he threw himself at the demon.

“Demon... I’m taking you with me!”

“Wait, that’s... Heh, planning on blowing yourself up? How very gallant of you. I must say, I’m actually rather impressed.”

“Die!” The light grew to a blinding intensity. Meld looked just like Kouki did when he was using Limit Break, but upon closer inspection it became evident that the light was coming not from Meld’s body, but from the pendant hanging about his neck.

The demon recognized the pendant, and praised Meld for his resolve.

The jewel inside the pendant was known as “Loyalty’s Promise.” It was a magical item that created a powerful explosion in return for the caster’s life. All of the high-ranked members of the Heiligh Kingdom and Holy Church were aware of what it did. As the dark magic demons employed included spells that could read a portion of their target’s memories, all powerful people within the kingdom carried one around with them. If they were ever to be captured, they could use it to kill themselves, and hopefully their enemy, and keep the demons from learning any valuable information.

The students called out to Meld when they realized what he was trying to do. The demon, however, who was the target of the attack, seemed wholly unconcerned.

Meld’s jewel grew brighter and brighter. Just before it burst, the demon acted.

“Devour it whole, Absod.” And just like that, the light coming from Meld’s Loyalty’s Promise vanished.

“Wha—!? How on earth!?” Strictly speaking, it hadn’t vanished. It was being sucked away. He turned to the direction the light was going and saw a six-legged turtle with its maw open wide. That was what was sucking away Meld’s final attack.

It seemed that monster’s name was Absod. Its special magic was “Mana Absorption.” It could absorb the mana of other people’s spells and store it in its shell. However, it couldn’t absorb multiple spells at once, nor could it transform the mana into anything else. All it could do was suck in a spell and fire it back out. Still, it was capable of sucking up even high level magic. It was the natural enemy of mages.

Soon enough, all the light from Meld’s Loyalty’s Promise had been sucked up, leaving it no more than a simple jewel. As he watched, dumbfounded, something suddenly slammed into Meld’s torso. The impact wasn’t all that strong. He looked down to see what had hit him.

There was a dull brown knife sticking out of his stomach. More specifically, a blade made out of sand had been thrust so deep into him that the tip was poking out of his back. Drops of blood dripped from its tip, staining the rock below.

“Meld-san!” Kouki coughed up blood as he called out to his mentor. Meld looked from his wound up to Kouki. “Sorry,” he mouthed with a bitter smile.

The sand blade swung to the side, sending Meld flying. He hit the ground like a ragdoll, and lay unmoving where he landed. A pool of blood spread out from under his stomach. Everyone could tell the wound was fatal. It was a wonder he’d managed to move at all with the wounds he’d already had, but this time he really was done for.

Though she knew it wouldn’t make it in time, Kaori still desperately tried to cast long-range healing magic. She succeeded in staunching the blood loss for a short while, but Kaori was out of mana too, and she didn’t have the strength left to close the wound.

“Nooo! Please! Don’t die!” Kaori was so drained of mana that she couldn’t even stand, but she still continued casting without pause.

“I honestly didn’t think he had enough strength left to stand, let alone pin me down. So this is what the kingdom’s strongest knight is like. You’ve earned my respect. Unfortunately, you’ll have to die here... This time, I’ll be sure to finish you off. How about the rest of you? Is this as far as you all go as well?” The demon flung the blood off her sand-blade and stared at Kouki and the students. Most of the students were trembling in fear. This was the second time they’d seen someone close to them die. They knew in the back of their minds that unless they submitted, they’d be next.

Hiyama opened his mouth to accept, but someone cut him off before he could.

“...us.” Kouki muttered something so quietly that it was barely audible. Even though he was in no state to do anything, there was a heavy pressure emanating from him. Hiyama swallowed the words he was about to say.

“Huh? What was that, you half-dead hero?” The demon scoffed at Kouki, certain the most he could do was whine like always. He lifted up his face and glared daggers at the demon.

She fell silent when she saw the look in his eyes. Possibly because his pupils had turned silver and were now glowing. The immense pressure he was radiating forced her to stagger backward. Her instincts screamed that whatever he was doing was dangerous. Now was not the time to worry about appeasing the other kids. She needed to kill the hero right away.

“Ahatod! Finish him!”

“Rwaaaaaaaaah!” The horse-headed monster, Ahatod, roared obediently. It activated its Magic Shockwaves and pounded on Kouki with two of its fists.

However, just as they reached him, Kouki’s entire body was enveloped in a violent whirlpool of white light. It rose up to the ceiling, turning into a solid glowing pillar. He slammed his fist into the arm that was holding him, pulverizing it instantly.

“Raaaaaaaaaah!” Ahatod screamed in pain and dropped Kouki. With movements that seemed impossible given his current wounded state, Kouki followed up with a swift roundhouse kick.

There was a loud boom as his foot connected, and this time it was Ahatod that was sent flying into the wall. Ahatod tried to rise back to its feet, but it no longer had the strength to move. It lay there in the wall, struggling fruitlessly.

Kouki hopped from foot to foot and stretched his hand out. His sword responded to his call and flew back to him. He glared coldly at the demon. The giant pillar of light subsided, and Kouki’s body began to glow even brighter than when he’d used Limit Break.

The dire situation had unlocked his full potential, and he’d learned Limit Break’s only derivative skill, Overload.

While Limit Break only tripled someone’s base stats, Overload multiplied them by five. Though, it also put even more of a strain on the body than Limit Break, forcibly drawing out every ounce of strength its caster possessed. At best, Kouki could maintain this state for 30 seconds. And the exhaustion that followed would be twice as debilitating.

Still, he was too angry to worry about any of that right at the moment. He let his wrath take over and charged the demon. His only thought was to get revenge for Meld. That was what was giving him the strength to remain standing.

The demon seemed flustered for the first time, and she hurriedly ordered her monsters to defend her. The Chimeras, cats, and Super Bulltaurs all rushed him as one. Claws, tentacles, and maces all descended upon him. However, Kouki didn’t even bat an eyelid. He swept them all aside with a single stroke of his blade and continued charging the demon.

“You monster! How dare you kill Meld-san!”

“Tch!”

Kouki swung his sword down without a moment’s hesitation. The demon clicked her tongue and transformed her sand sword into a sand shield, but Kouki’s sword sliced through it like it was butter, and bit deep into the demon’s shoulder.

The only reason she hadn’t been sliced in half was because she’d had the foresight to leap back before Kouki’s blow struck. Still, her wound was deep, and the shockwave from his attack had sent her flying backward.

She slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground. Kouki swung his sword from side to side as he advanced upon the demon.

“Unbelievable... I didn’t think it was possible for you to make a comeback from that... If this is some kind of joke, I don’t much like the punchline.” This was as cliched as it got. The hero getting a sudden burst of strength just when everything was beginning to look hopeless. The demon’s mouth curled up into a sardonic grin. She seemed resigned to her fate.

The white raven perched on her shoulder had started casting healing magic, but it was too late. She wouldn’t recover in time to defend against Kouki’s next attack. Realizing this was checkmate, the demon pulled out a small locket from her pocket.

Thinking she was planning on blowing herself up like Meld had been, Kouki hurriedly closed the distance between them. He didn’t care if the demon died, but he didn’t want his comrades caught up in the explosion. He needed to finish her off before she set off the bomb. However, the locket didn’t have a Loyalty’s Promise in it.

“I’m sorry, Mikhail... it looks like I’ll be going on ahead of you... I love you...” Surprised by her words, Kouki hesitated for a second. He hadn’t expected the demon to have a lover. Confused, the demon looked back up. She should have been dead by now, but Kouki’s sword had stopped a few millimeters in front of her face.

Kouki stared at her dumbly. The two locked gazes for a few seconds. There was something in her eyes that made shivers run down Kouki’s spine.

Seeing his hesitation, and guessing what had caused it, the demon sneered at him again. Her scorn shook Kouki even further

“Pathetic. Did you only just realize that you’re about to kill someone?”

“Ah!?” Up until that point, Kouki had been taught by Ishtar that demons were heartless and cruel, no better than monsters, really. In fact, he’d thought they were basically like an advanced form of monsters. The fact that they were using monsters to fight had only further cemented that idea in his mind. He had never considered that they might be just like people, that they had friends, lovers, parents, things they were willing to fight and die for. Rather, he hadn’t wanted to consider that possibility, but when he’d seen the demon staring at her locket, Kouki had been forced to confront reality. The reality that who he was about to kill wasn’t some heartless “demon,” but a person with feelings just like him. Killing her, whether it was justified or not, would make him a murderer.

“To think you didn’t even consider us people until now... Rather arrogant of you, don’t you think?”

“N-No, I... I just didn’t know...”

“Hmph... More like you didn’t care to find out.”

“I-I...”

“Well, what are you waiting for? I’m just another monster to be hunted down, right? Another soulless creature to be eliminated. Get it over with already. You’ve done this hundreds of times already.”

“I-If we just talked things out... I-I’m sure we could...” Kouki lowered his sword. The demon looked at him with eyes full of contempt. By way of a reply, she gave out orders to her monsters.

“Ahatod, get the swordswoman! The rest of you, attack the others!” Ahatod had finally recovered enough to move. It dutifully got up and lumbered toward Shizuku. While Shizuku didn’t possess the overwhelming charisma Kouki did, she was the one who always calmly analyzed every situation and came up with the optimal solution. In a way, she was the most dangerous member of the party.

That was why the demon had sent Ahatod after her, while the rest of the monsters kept the others at bay. She’d made up her mind. It would be better to kill them all here than try to bring them over to their side. Kouki’s sudden power spike had proven too dangerous. He couldn’t be allowed to live.

“What!? Why!?”

“You still don’t get it, do you? We’re at war, kid! An immature brat like you having so much power is a threat! That’s why I have to kill you all. You better go save your friends or they’ll all die!” The demon had no interest in negotiating anymore.

Kouki turned around just in time to see Shizuku get sent flying by Ahatod. Ahatod was far stronger than even the other monsters the demon had brought with her. Surprise attack or no, it had managed to overpower Kouki even while he was using Limit Break. There was no way Shizuku stood a chance.

Pale-faced, Kouki rushed over to Shizuku. With his body strengthened with Overload, he was able to block Ahatod’s fists. Then, in one fluid motion, he cut off one of Ahatod’s arms.

But before he could deal the finishing blow, he felt himself go weak at the knees once more. He pitched forward, unable to maintain his balance.

Overload’s time limit was up. Taxed far beyond its limits, Kouki’s body froze up. After using Limit Break twice in one day and then Overload right after, he didn’t even have the strength to move.

“D-Dammit, why now of all times!?”

“Kouki!” Shizuku rushed forward, covering for Kouki. She aimed her slash at the wound Kouki had just created. Even a powerful monster like Ahatod couldn’t endure having its wounds gouged out, so it backed away screaming. Shizuku took that opportunity to grab Kouki and retreat to the safety of their comrades.

Kouki was out of commission, and everyone had their hands full keeping the other monsters at bay. I’m the only one who can do it! Shizuku thought to herself. She glared coldly at the demon. Unlike Kouki, she was prepared to kill.

“Oh my, I see you’re prepared to kill. You’re more fit to be the hero than that spoiled brat over there.” The white raven had finished healing the demon, and she slowly got to her feet.

“It doesn’t matter who the hero is. It’s our fault that we didn’t realize he wasn’t prepared to kill, but I’ll rectify that mistake here and now!” Shizuku had known just how straightforward and naive Kouki was, and she’d known he’d never fought another person before. She blamed herself for leaving that problem alone until it was too late.

It wasn’t as if Shizuku had any experience killing others either. Honestly, she didn’t particularly want to experience it, either. However, she’d known that if they were fighting in a war, the day where she had to would come eventually. Ever since she’d first picked up a sword, she’d been taught about the weight of a life, and what it meant to hurt another person.

It finally seemed like the moment had come, but she could feel her resolve wavering. The reality of what she was about to do weighed heavily on her, and she felt like just curling up into a ball and crying. Still, she stamped down her feelings and resolutely stared down the demon.

She settled into her stance, then prepared to launch her fastest attack.

However, a second before she could, she felt shivers run down her spine. Trusting her instincts, she leaped to the side. Not even a second later, one of the cats’ tentacles shot through the spot she’d been standing.

“I never said Ahatod was the only monster after you. Your resolve is admirable, but do you really believe you can kill me while evading your other foes?”

“Ngh!”

“And it’s not like I’m going to just stand here doing nothing, either.” As she said that, the demon began chanting a spell.

Thanks to her No Tempo, Shizuku’s attacks couldn’t be predicted. She continued fending off the waves of monsters that came after her, but she was unable to find an opening to close in on the demon.

The worst part was that Ahatod could match Shizuku’s inhuman speed. Despite its massive frame, it was able to keep up with her. Every time Shizuku thought she was getting close, Ahatod would show up and blow her away with its fists.

Shizuku mainly relied on her agility in a fight, so her defense was paper-thin. Instead, she used only her speed to dodge and parry blows, but because Ahatod’s Magical Shockwaves still hit her even if she dodged its fists, she kept on taking more damage. At this rate, it was a matter of time before she was beaten down.

Worse, every bit of damage she took dulled her movements ever so slightly. And in a battle as close as this one, that would be fatal.

“Gaaah!”

Finally, one of Ahatod’s blows connected. Shizuku tried to parry with her sword and sheath, but its powerful fist smashed right through her weapons and into her shoulder.

She skid across the ground, coming to a stop a few meters away. Drained of all her strength, she lay there, unmoving. Her right arm was bent at an unnatural angle. It was clearly broken. The blow had done a number on her internal organs as well, and she was coughing up blood.

“Shizuku-chan!” Kaori cried out, but her friend simply lay there, her hands still tightly gripping her broken blade and sheath.

At that moment, thoughts about their current plight and the fact that she was completely out of mana vanished from her mind. Kaori knew she couldn’t do anything even if she went to Shizuku’s side, but all she could think about was how her best friend was in danger.

She ran toward Shizuku. Because she was completely drained of mana, her footsteps were unsteady, and she nearly tripped. Her comrades tried to stop her, but she didn’t listen. Nothing was more important than Shizuku right now. Naturally, monsters swarmed toward the now defenseless Kaori.

However, walls of shining light rose up to block their path. The glowing barriers created an unbroken road toward Shizuku.

“Ehehe. No one wants to be alone at the end.” Suzu had done the impossible. Though she was on the verge of fainting, she’d managed to create a wall of barriers stretching from her to Shizuku. There was a faint smile on her lips.

Suzu knew they were all going to die here.

And so, the least she could do was use the last of her magic to make sure her best friends didn’t die alone. This, of course, meant her barriers protecting the rest of the party weakened. Suzu mentally apologized to the rest of her friends, but even if she’d done her best to fight, they were doomed.

A few attacks managed to get through and graze Kaori, but she was able to reach Shizuku more or less intact. She lifted Shizuku’s limp body and held her close.

“K-Kaori... what are you doing... Hurry up and go back to the others. It’s too dangerous for you to be out here.”

“No. It’s dangerous no matter where I go. If this is where it ends, I at least want to be by your side, Shizuku-chan.”

“Sorry. I couldn’t beat her.”

“I’m sorry I can’t do more either. I don’t have any mana left.”

Kaori smiled at Shizuku and cast a small spell to dull Shizuku’s pain. It was such a basic spell that it cost practically no mana. Shizuku gripped Kaori’s hand with her remaining good hand and smiled back.

A huge shadow covered the two of them. Ahatod had arrived. It stared down at the two girls with bloodshot eyes. With a ferocious roar, it raised all four of its fists.

Suzu’s barrier was still protecting the two of them, but it may as well have been tissue paper in the face of Ahatod’s immense strength. One blow would have been all that it would take to smash Suzu’s walls to pieces, and the shockwaves would be enough to kill Kaori and Shizuku.

As she stared death in the face, memories of her life flashed through Kaori’s mind.

So this is what they mean when they said your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die. For some reason, Kaori felt extremely calm. The last thing to pass through her mind was that moonlit night she’d vowed to protect Hajime. She remembered every word they’d exchanged. The terrible taste of the tea he’d made. The way he’d smiled awkwardly when he’d suggested she protect him. It was only after he’d fell that she realized she loved him. She’d come this far because she’d believed he was still alive, but all of that was coming to an end.

“In the end, I couldn’t keep this promise either.” Tears spilled from Kaori’s eyes. She’d hoped if they ever met again that they could start calling each other by their first names.

If this was going to be the end, she at least wanted the memory of having said his name at least once.

“Hajime-kun...”

And so, she resigned herself to her fate, but...

There was a thunderous crash, and the ceiling above Ahatod’s head crumbled. A giant jet-black spike punched through the hole, red sparks running down its length. The spike smashed into Ahatod’s head with considerable force. Ahatod never stood a chance. The spike tore through Ahatod like he was butter, destroying the monster that had caused Kouki and the others so much trouble with ease.

The spike drilled into the floor, Ahatod’s ravaged body pinned to the ground by its 120 centimeter long length. The fearsome monster was barely recognizable.

Everyone present was stunned into silence. Kaori, Shizuku, Kouki, and even the demon stared blankly at the spike.

A silence unbefitting of a battlefield fell across the room. A single figure dropped from the hole in the ceiling, breaking the fragile silence.

He landed softly, his back facing Kaori and Shizuku. Carefully, he examined his surroundings as he kicked away bits of Ahatod’s flesh. Then, he turned to face the two girls huddling behind him.

The moment Kaori locked eyes with him, she felt a shiver of electricity run down her spine. Ever since that fateful day, it had felt like her heart had been encased in a block of ice, but in an instant it had thawed, and now she could hear it pounding loudly in her ears.

“I see you two are as inseparable as always.” Kaori could feel her heart bursting with joy.

His hair color was different. He looked like a different person. The way he talked was different. Even the look in his eyes was different.

But Kaori knew. She could tell instantly.

It was him. The person she’d been searching all this time for.

It was Hajime.

“Hajime-kun!”

  

Chapter V: The Best at being the Worst

“Huh? Hajime-kun? Wait, you mean that’s Nagumo-kun? What!? No way!? How!?” Confused, Shizuku glanced back and forth between Hajime and Kaori. Kaori may have been able to instantly tell the white-haired boy with the eyepatch was Hajime, but Shizuku had no such supernatural powers of recognition.

However, his wry smile was certainly the same one she’d remembered seeing many times before. Moreover, his facial features still resembled the Hajime from Shizuku’s memories.

“Wait? Seriously!? Is it really you? Is it really you, Nagumo-kun? How? How on earth are you here!?”

“Slow down, Yaegashi. You’re supposed to be the calm and composed one, aren’t you?”

Even Shizuku couldn’t remain calm after such an unbelievable chain of events. Seconds ago she’d been prepared for death, and now she was faced with a classmate who was supposed to be dead.

While Shizuku was still stammering incoherently, Hajime looked up at the hole he’d come through. He caught Yue as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground. Then, he caught Shea right after, putting her down as well. Last came Endou.

“N-Nagumooo! You bastard, that nearly gave me a heart attack! What the hell was that!? You just plowed right through the ground with it! What the hell were you thinking!?” He looked around as he complained, spotting his best friends, along with the rest of his comrades, surrounded by a horde of monsters. His friends were both overjoyed at seeing him again, and angry that he’d returned.

“Kousuke!”

“Jugo! Kentarou! I’ve brought reinforcements!”

At the word “reinforcements,” both Kouki and the demon turned to look at Hajime and the girls he’d brought with him. However, Hajime ignored the stares and started barking orders to Yue and Shea.

“Yue, sorry, but can you guard those idiots over there for me? Shea, look after that collapsed knight over there. The one wearing all that armor.”

“Okay... leave it to me.”

“Aye aye, sir!”

Yue casually walked over to the other students, completely ignoring the monsters surrounding them. Meanwhile, Shea leaped over to Meld with surprising agility.

“H-Hajime-kun...” Kaori once again called out to Hajime, her voice trembling. She was feeling so many different emotions that she couldn’t process them all. Naturally, there was the joy of knowing he was still alive, and the happiness she felt at seeing him again. However, there was also a mounting feeling of dread along with a sudden fear creeping its way into her mind. After all, Hajime was here in this dangerous place. She had no idea how he’d found his way down here, but all she wanted was for him to flee to safety.

Hajime noticed her unease and tried to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Just sit back and watch.”

He activated Riftwalk, honing his senses to the limit. Then, pulled three Cross Bits out of his Treasure Trove and set them to guard Kaori and Shizuku. The two girls’ eyes darted about as they watched these floating crosses that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Hajime then turned to the demon and arrogantly stared her down. He offered her a single chance at mercy. As of yet, she wasn’t his enemy.

“You, the red-haired girl over there. If you flee now, I won’t chase you. I recommend you run, if you want to live.”

“What was that?” It was ludicrous to think that this puny human could harm her, especially with so many monsters surrounding him. She was so surprised by his words that she didn’t comprehend them at first. Hajime sighed and repeated himself.

“You’re not very quick on the uptake, are you? I said if you run now, I’ll let you live. Is that so hard to understand?”

So I didn’t mishear him. Her expression turned cold. All she said in response was a simple, short statement.

“Kill him.” She pointed at Hajime, ordering her monsters to attack.

And so, the demon made a most fatal mistake. She should have paid more attention to the fact that Ahatod, her strongest monster, had been obliterated by a single attack.

Hajime’s arrogant attitude, and the fact that Ahatod was a precious monster that had been gifted to her by her boss, must have caused her to lose her cool. She failed to accurately assess the situation, and let her anger get the better of her. She hadn’t even realized what Hajime drilling through the labyrinth floor meant. Everyone, including the demons, had thought the floor made of material that was literally unbreakable.

Had she not been so quick to anger, she might have made a wiser decision. Still, it was too late. The die had been cast.

“I see. I guess that means you’re my enemy.” Hajime muttered softly under his breath. At the same time, one of the invisible Chimeras attacked.

“Hajime-kun!” “Nagumo-kun!” Kaori and Shizuku both cried out a warning. Hajime nonchalantly grabbed the Chimera with his artificial arm and lifted it into the air as if it were no heavier than a kitten.

The Chimera started thrashing wildly, trying to break free from his grip. Hajime watched the air warp and bend as it struggled, sighing in disbelief.

“Oh come on, are you serious? This half-assed magic is the best you’ve got? Are you even trying?”

What’s the point of having invisibility magic if the air shimmers every time you move?

He’d fought monsters in the abyss that had been able to conceal themselves. Each and every one of them had proven a troublesome foe. Compared to them, the Chimera he was facing was nothing. A concealment skill that still left traces was no concealment skill at all.

Everyone watched in dumbfounded amazement as Hajime fought. He’d just lifted up a monster weighing a couple hundred kilograms with a single hand as if it was no sweat.

As always, he ignored the stares and put more strength into his grip. There was a loud crunching noise, and eventually the air stopped shimmering. The Chimera fizzled into view, its head mercilessly crushed. The intimidating creature that had given Kouki and the others so much trouble now hung limply from Hajime’s hand.

“No way...” Someone muttered in the ensuing silence.

Hajime tossed the dead Chimera to the side, then casually pulled Donner out of its holster. His movements were so smooth that they felt almost unnatural. He took aim at what seemed like nothing, and fired. Bang! Bang!

As always, Hajime didn’t miss. Two crimson streaks cut through the air, piercing through their intended targets. The air shimmered again, and another Chimera fizzled into view, its head blown apart, along with a Super Bulltaur, its heart shot clean through. Both monsters slumped to the ground, dead.

“H-How did he know...” The demon could no longer hide her surprise.

Hajime just scoffed. Even if they were completely invisible, they shifted the air around them, which caused slight vibrations along the ground. On top of that, Hajime could easily pick up on their gazes, and their auras, along with the flow of their mana and even their body temperature. To him, the monsters were no more than sitting ducks.

Hajime didn’t even spare the dead monsters a glance, and began the battle... no, the slaughter, in earnest.

The fight was too one-sided to be called a battle. The monster of the abyss had descended, and he wasn’t leaving until his enemies were annihilated.

The demon couldn’t believe how easily her monsters were being killed, while Nagayama and the others couldn’t understand how Hajime possessed weapons that clearly didn’t belong in this world.

Heedless of anything but their orders, the monsters continued attacking in waves. Had they not been mind-controlled, they likely would have fled.

A few black cats got behind Hajime, and tried to launch their tentacles from his blind spot. However, with a single flick of his wrist, Hajime spun Donner around and fired at the enemies behind him. Bullets traveling faster than the speed of sound tore through the cats’ skulls.

Next, a pack of four-eyed wolves surrounded Hajime from two sides. And yet, Hajime simply pulled Schlag out as well and mowed down the wolves leaping at him. The bullets fired from practically point-blank range destroyed not only the wolves’ skulls, but their bodies as well.

Another black cat leaped on top of a Chimera, and used the Chimera’s camouflage to launch a barrage of invisible tentacles. Still, none of them reached their mark. Hajime fired off a non-Lightning Field enhanced bullet and ricocheted it off the wall to hit the cat. The force of the bullet flung it into the air. Then, he enhanced his legs with Steel Legs, and dropped the chimera with an axe kick.

He finished both the cat and the Chimera off with shots from Donner.

“Graaaaaaaaah!”

“Uwooooooooo!”

Two Super Bulltaurs moved to flank him. Their maces tore through the air with unbelievable force. Hajime simply ducked out of the way, and tripped the Super Bulltaur to the right while he was at it. Arms pinwheeling, the Super Bulltaur crashed into its comrade.

“Grah!?” Both of them let out a surprised shout. While the two of them were hugging each other, Hajime had fired off another volley of bullets. The Super Bulltaurs died in each other’s arms.

Another eight cats leaped into the air, trying to hit Hajime with a synchronized attack. This time they relied on their claws rather than their tentacles.

Hajime’s two arms moved independently of each other. With his right, he mowed down the enemies in front of him, while with his left, he shot down everything behind him. With Donner, he took out everything to his right, with Schlag, everything to his left. When he had to take enemies to his right out with Donner, he fired in front of him with Schlag. When he had to take enemies to his left out with Schlag, he fired behind him with Donner.

Each and every streak of red found its mark without fail. This was the result of Hajime’s extensive training.

His movements lacked the polish of Meld or Shizuku’s, both of who had trained in styles that had been refined for generations. They were definitely rough around the edges. However, they were effective. Extremely effective.

He fluidly moved to a corner of the room that was easy to defend, then took out his enemies with lethal precision. Every single one of his moves linked perfectly to the next. They were backed by a level of experience that no amount of martial arts practice could ever reach.

A smile played about Hajime’s lips. It wasn’t that he was deriving pleasure from trampling his enemies. It was just the happiness that came with knowing he could finally challenge this unreasonable, unfair world. His way of saying “Try and kill me if you dare.” Packed into that smile was his resolve to stay alive and annihilate anything that dared stand in his way.

Just as both Donner and Schlag ran out of ammo, another wave of Chimeras and four-eyed wolves charged.

Hajime leaped a few meters into the air, did a somersault, and reloaded his guns while upside-down. He moved so fast that the Chimeras and four-eyed wolves lost sight of him for a second. While they were still looking around in confusion, Hajime dealt them all finishing blows.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere. Two Super Bulltaurs charged, hoping to take advantage of the moment Hajime landed.

But he never did. By using Aerodynamic, he launched himself further into the air. He spun around like a top, firing Donner and Schlag in every direction.

The rain of bullets decimated not only the two Super Bulltaurs, but many of the Chimeras and wolves waiting behind them as well. One after another, the charging monsters fell dead, their inertia carrying them into a massive pile of corpses growing directly below Hajime.

Hajime landed soundlessly atop the devastation he had wrought. He once again paused momentarily to reload. And just as he finished, one of the monsters let out a strange screech.

Hajime turned to see Absod staring at him, its mouth opened wide. A blinding sphere of white light was growing inside its mouth.

It still had all the mana it had absorbed from Meld’s Loyalty’s Promise. Though the spell’s range was limited, it had more than enough force to kill a single person.

Once it had finished charging, Absod fired. The light cut through the ground as it traveled toward Hajime, carving out a huge groove in the rock. He calmly pulled out his massive, coffin-shaped shield, and attached it to his left arm. At the same time, he activated Diamond Skin. He planted himself firmly into the ground, like a tree taking root, and nonchalantly waited for the light to strike.

There was an earth-shattering boom as the light struck his shield. The very air trembled in the wake of Absod’s attack. And, to the shock off all the spectators, Hajime didn’t even budge an inch. Still smiling, he tilted his shield ever so slightly to deflect the beam of light. Its new trajectory set the beam right in the demon’s path.

“Ah!? Curses!” She leaped out of the way. The moment Hajime had started decimating her army, she’d realized she was in big trouble. In order to somehow turn things around she’d began chanting a long, powerful spell. Hajime had, of course, been aware of that, which was precisely why he’d deflected Absod’s attack toward her.

As she ran, Hajime began adjusting the angle of his shield so that the beam continued chasing after her. The walls behind her were vaporized, and the demon picked up the pace. Her calm arrogance from before was nowhere to be seen.

Just as she thought she was about to be killed by her own attack, Absod finally ran out of stored mana.

“Tch...” Hajime sighed. Meanwhile, the demon didn’t even have time to catch her breath. Her expression froze and cold sweat poured down her back.

There was a huge explosion, and a wave of heat washed over the right side of her face. White feathers rained down around her.

The raven that had been resting on her shoulder until now had been killed. Since his plan to kill the demon with her own attack had failed, he’d used Donner to kill Absod and Schlag to destroy the raven.

Absod hadn’t even had time to scream before Hajime’s supersonic bullet had consigned it to the void.

The raven had also been decimated in an instant, without ever realizing what had hit it.

The shockwave from Hajime’s bullet had been strong enough to throw the demon off-balance. She tumbled to the ground and absentmindedly touched her cheek. It was splattered with the raven’s blood, and stung to the touch. The friction and heat had been enough to burn her cheek.

If her head had been just a few inches closer to the raven, she would have died then and there.

Still, even though she’d survived one attack, it was already over for her. Her supposedly invincible monster army was being steamrolled with unbelievable ease. She knew that boy could kill her whenever he chose to. Her life was utterly and completely in the palm of his hand. Until now she’d had great pride in her unbreakable warrior’s spirit. Faced with Hajime’s overwhelming strength, however, that spirit began to crumble. Nothing she did would be able to even scratch that monster.

What the hell is he? How does someone like him even exist? And how am I supposed to survive against him!? Questions whirled around inside the demon’s head, but no answers presented themselves.

Many of those same questions were going through Kouki and the others’ minds too. Most of them hadn’t recognized the silver-haired boy with the eyepatch as Hajime, so they were curious about the identity of this kid who was able to trample these monsters they’d barely been able to fend off.

“What the... What the heck is he!?” Kouki watched in disbelief, still too exhausted to move. Though they didn’t say it out loud, everyone was thinking the same thing. The one who provided them all with answers was Endou, the one they’d sent off to escape alone.

“Haha, you probably won’t believe me, but... that’s Nagumo.”

“What!?”

Everyone stared at Endou. He could tell they all thought he was crazy. Granted, it was understandable. He hadn’t believed it at first either, but it was the truth, so all he could do was shrug his shoulders.

“Like I said, that’s Nagumo. Hajime Nagumo. The same Nagumo that fell off the bridge that day. He somehow survived, and crawled his way back out of the labyrinth. He tore through all the monsters on our way here too. It was crazy! I can’t believe it’s really the same guy, but... it is.”

“Wait, so Nagumo was alive this whole time!?” Kouki shouted in surprise. Everyone turned to look at the boy who was annihilating the demon’s army once more. They all thought “That couldn’t possibly be Nagumo. There’s just no way.” Endou could guess what they were thinking from their expressions, so he decided to provide further proof.

“I’m serious. He’s totally different now, but I saw his Status Plate.” He smiled drily as he watched the reinforcements he brought tear through the monsters’ ranks. No one could believe that the weak boy they’d all ridiculed had become so strong. One person was particularly unhappy about this development.

“Y-You’re lying. Nagumo died. I mean, we all saw him! There’s no way he’s still alive! Don’t give me this crap!”

“Uwaaah, what’s wrong with you!? I saw his Status Plate and everything, it’s him for sure!”

“I don’t believe it! It has to be some kind of trick! That has to be an imposter!”

“Dude, what the heck are you on about? Why would anyone want to impersonate Nagumo?”

Hiyama grabbed Endou by the collar and started grilling him. His face was pale, and he denied Hajime’s survival with an abnormal ferocity. Even his friend Kondou was shocked by how vehement Hiyama was.

In order to calm him down, someone quite literally doused him with cold water. A mini-waterfall appeared above Hiyama’s head, drenching him from head to toe. This happened just as he tried to suck in a breath, so he choked a little. Coughing and spluttering, Hiyama looked to see who’d done that. Standing in front of him was Yue. She spoke to him in a voice colder than the water she’d just poured on him.

“Quiet. You’re getting in my way.” Hiyama wanted to retort back, but he swallowed his words when he saw the look in Yue’s eyes. He was nothing more than a bug to her, and if he argued back he had no doubt she would squash him like one.

Though her stare chilled him to the bone, Hiyama couldn’t help but admire Yue’s perfect figure. He wasn’t alone, either. The other students, Kouki included, had all been entranced by her doll-like features. Suzu even let out a very unladylike whistle. Despite how young Yue looked, there was an air of maturity about her that inadvertently drew people in.

Just then, at the demon’s urging, a few of the monsters split off to attack Kouki’s group. She was trying to take them as hostages. Since there was no way she could beat Hajime in a head-on battle, she’d resorted to this.

Suzu hurriedly tried to put up a barrier, but her exhausted body cried out in protest. She’d been casting almost nonstop since waking up. Still, she bit her lip to keep herself from blacking out and continued chanting. Eventually, Yue gently put a hand on her head to stop her. Surprised, Suzu stopped chanting.

“Don’t worry.” Though there was no reason for that to suddenly make things okay, a wave of relief washed over Suzu. Suzu herself didn’t know why Yue’s words felt so comforting, but she seemed to know she could trust Yue.

Yue stared down the monsters bearing down on them. With their claws, tentacles, and maces inches from her face, she calmly mouthed two words.

“Sapphire Serpent.” A pale-blue sphere, about one meter in diameter, appeared directly above her head. The fire mages in the party instantly recognized it as one of the strongest fire spells: Azure Blaze, a spell so powerful it incinerated everything in its vicinity.

It was unthinkable that anyone could cast it instantly without even an incantation. The mages of the party all stared dumbly at the massive fireball floating above them.

However, this was just the beginning. Next, the sphere uncoiled itself, transforming into a snake. The flaming serpent swallowed a Super Bulltaur whole, leaving not even ash in its wake.

The serpent then sprouted wings, completing its transformation.

A flaming sapphire dragon stood where the sphere had been.

The thirty meter long dragon coiled itself around Kouki and the others, forming a protective barrier. The burning blue blaze was so hot that the monsters couldn’t even get close to it. The dragon then opened its maw wide, surging forward.

Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Its roar shook the room. The monsters were all lifted into the air and flung into the dragon’s waiting jaws. They struggled desperately, but it was futile. One after another, they were thrown into the furnace of hell and incinerated beyond recognition.

“What is this...” one of the students muttered. None of them had ever heard of magic that could control the bodies of others in a manner like that.

That made sense. After all, Sapphire Serpent was a spell Yue had created herself by combining Azure Blaze with gravity magic.

The reason she’d picked Sapphire Serpent over her usual Draconic Thunder was because she wanted to get more practice with her control. Summoning a massive fire dragon in an enclosed space meant she had to regulate how much oxygen she let it consume, or everyone would suffocate. It required far more precision than Draconic Thunder.

However, Kouki and the others didn’t know that. They all turned back to Yue, intent on demanding an explanation.

But when they saw her regal figure, calmly guiding the dragon like it was nothing, they swallowed their words. A few of the students, Suzu included, fell for her then and there.

The demon despaired when she saw the dragon. She’d thought it was only one crazy monster she’d had on her hands, but it seemed this mysterious boy’s companion was just as dangerous. Quickly running out of options, the demon looked at what was left. The only other people she could feasibly target were the bunny girl next to the half-dead knight, and the two girls hugging each other a good distance away from the group.

Still, the demon would soon find they weren’t easy prey either. One swing from Drucken took a charging Super Bulltaur’s head clean off. Shea used the momentum of her swing to turn in a complete circle, crushing the four-eyed wolf that had tried to pounce on her from behind.

Meanwhile, Chimeras and cats surged toward Kaori and Shizuku. Shizuku gritted her teeth and valiantly held up her shattered blade, but before her enemies could reach her, Hajime’s Cross Bits took action.

Shizuku watched in amazement as the floating crosses took aim at the Chimeras and let out a bang.

What on earth is that thing!? Something whizzed past her cheek and fell to the ground with a metallic clang. On the other side, the same thing happened next to Kaori.

Still confused, the two turned toward the monsters bearing down on them, only to find they’d all had their heads blown off. They looked back at the Cross Bits, understanding finally dawning on them.

“Was that... gunpowder?”

“Wait, so this is... a gun?”

The two girls exchanged a look. Then they turned toward Hajime. The guns in his hand confirmed their suspicions. The weird floating crosses protecting them were also weapons of his.

“A-Amazing... When did Hajime turn into a human gundam?”

“I’d say he’s more like a Newtype than an actual gundam...”

Now that the immediate threat had been dealt with, and it was obvious Hajime was in no real danger, the two girls had managed to calm down some. Hajime’s Cross Bits also had a recording function built into them, so he’d heard what they’d said. He was pretty surprised the two of them knew so much about Gundam. He wanted to make a comment about it, but decided to refrain.

“Unbelievable... What is he?” The demon muttered to herself. All of her schemes had been destroyed by simple brute force. Despair got the better of her, so she resigned herself to her fate. She didn’t have many monsters left, and the outcome of this match was clear.

As one last-ditch attempt, she flung the strongest spell she could muster at Hajime and made a break for one of the exits. The spell she’d used was the same one that had caused the other students so much trouble, Dark Gaol.

Hajime spared the gray sphere a brief glance, and then judged it not to be a threat. He ignored the spell entirely and continued slaughtering monsters. The sphere exploded next to Hajime, enveloping him in petrifying smoke. Kouki and the others gasped, while Kaori screamed.

The demon watched them out of the corner of her eye as she ran.

However, just as she made it to the exit—

“Haha... Looks like you were one step ahead of me the whole time.”

“That’s right.”

One of Hajime’s Cross Bits was waiting for her at the exit, its muzzle pointed directly at her. She realized now, she’d been doomed from the moment she’d decided to attack him. For some reason, the thought struck her as funny, so she started laughing. Hajime slowly walked up to her. She’d come to hate that overly calm demeanor of his.

She turned around, giving up for good. Hajime hadn’t been affected one bit by her petrification spell. And to add insult to injury, he was radiating mana in waves toward another exit to blow the smoke away. He could have avoided it if he wanted to, but he’d just taken the hit to make a point.

“You damned monster. Are you really human? No measly human can do those things.”

“To be honest, I’m not really sure anymore. But I don’t really mind being a monster, so let’s go with that.”

He stopped a few feet away from the demon. She looked around the room and saw all of her monsters lying on the ground, dead. She smiled bitterly and mentally berated herself for picking a fight with him.

Hajime slowly took aim with Donner. The demon’s expression was oddly relaxed. There was nothing else she could do. All that was left for her was death, and she’d come to terms with that.

“Normally, I’d ask if you have any last words, but... sadly, I have no interest in what you have to say. Though, I guess there is something I want you to tell me... What’s a demon like you doing down here? And where’d you get those monsters?”

“What makes you think I’ll tell you? Why would I give information to our enemy? Just kill me and be done with it.” The demon sneered at Hajime. He glared coldly at her, and without warning shot her in the leg.

“Agaaaaah!” The demon screamed and tumbled to the ground. Her screams echoed throughout the room. Kouki and the others watched silently, shocked at Hajime’s callous cruelty. Hajime ignored them all and continued talking to the demon.

“I have no interest in your stupid war, or this world. I’m not asking you as a member of the human army. I’m just curious. Now answer me.”

“......” The demon gritted her teeth and stared Hajime down. Realizing she wouldn’t break, Hajime decided there was no point in interrogating her any further.

“Well, I can more or less guess. The reason you’re here is because you want to conquer the true labyrinth that lies beneath this one, right?”

The demon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Noting her reaction, Hajime continued.

“And those monsters were controlled using magic from the age of the gods... Bullseye, huh? So the demons managed to conquer one of the Seven Great Labyrinths, and are using the magic they found there to tip the scales... That means the reason you’re here isn’t just to extend an invitation to the hero party, but also to clear the other labyrinths?”

“Impossible... How...” The demon grimaced. Somehow, Hajime had guessed all of their plans. Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her. Maybe Hajime had also cleared one of the labyrinths. She looked up at him for confirmation, and he nodded silently.

“I see. So you’re just like that person... That explains your strength... Are we done here? If so, get it over with already. I hope you’re not thinking of taking me prisoner. You’ll never take me alive.”

“That person, huh? So they’re the one who gave you this army of monsters.”

It was clear from her gaze that the demon would kill herself before she allowed herself to be taken captive. But if possible, she wanted to die a warrior, at the hands of her enemies. For his part, Hajime had gotten all the information he’d wanted out of the demon. He no longer had any use for her.

The demon cursed Hajime with her final words, in one last act of spite.

“Someday my lover will come to kill you.” Hajime smiled fearlessly.

“I’ll kill anyone that makes themselves my enemy, even the gods themselves. I can’t imagine someone stuck as their pawn is much of a threat.”

Done with their final exchange, the two of them fell silent. Hajime pointed Donner at the demon’s head. But before he could pull the trigger, someone called out to him.

“Wait! Wait, Nagumo! She can’t fight anymore! There’s no need to kill her!”

“......” Hajime looked over his shoulder at Kouki, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Is this guy serious? Kouki stumbled to his feet, swaying unsteadily. Hajime still had his finger on the trigger.

“Let’s... Let’s just make her our prisoner. There’s no way we can kill someone who can’t even resist. Heroes aren’t supposed to do things like that. You’re one of my comrades too, so shouldn’t you be obeying my commands?”

Hajime could scarcely believe the things coming out of Kouki’s mouth. He ignored Kouki entirely and pulled the trigger.

There was a sharp crack as the bullet robbed the demon of her life.

Silence fell. Kouki’s jaw was hanging open. He understood what had just happened, but his mind still couldn’t accept that his classmate had mercilessly killed someone without any hesitation. The person who’d been most shocked by Hajime’s actions was Kaori.

Not because he’d killed someone. She’d been prepared for that too. She understood that was what it meant to help the humans of this world with their war. This entire labyrinth excursion was simply training for when they’d actually have to kill people.

She knew one day she might have to kill someone. Sure, it would be Shizuku and Kouki and the other frontliners doing the actual killing, but she had to be prepared to help them in that endeavor. To bear the same guilt as them.

What had shocked Kaori was how easily Hajime had done it. She couldn’t believe that he had no aversion to killing whatsoever. He’d done it as naturally as breathing. The Hajime she’d known was a kind, powerless boy. Even though he had no strength of his own, he’d always done everything he could to help others. That was what had made him strong. Even though he could barely fight, no matter the situation, he was always sacrificing himself for others. Which was why she was so surprised that he hadn’t hesitated to kill someone. Someone who couldn’t fight back, even.

Shizuku could easily tell what was going through Kaori’s mind. They’d been friends for long enough that she understood Kaori’s thought process. After all she’d heard about Hajime from Kaori, Shizuku knew just how big of a shock that had to be.

When she saw Hajime’s cold expression, she too thought to herself that he’d changed far too much. Still, she also knew that she had no right to say anything about it when she didn’t even know what Hajime had experienced thus far. All she could do was hug Kaori and try to comfort her somehow.

However, Kouki had no such inhibitions. His strong sense of justice compelled him to protest. And protest he did.

“Why... Why did you kill her? There was no need to.” Hajime looked at Kouki out of the corner of his eye. He wondered for a few seconds how he should respond, and then realized there was no need to respond at all. Pretending he hadn’t heard anything, he walked over to Shea and Meld.

Yue broke off from the students and trotted up to Hajime. Suzu watched her forlornly as she left.

“Shea, how’s Meld doing?”

“It was pretty close. Any later and he’d probably be dead. I gave him some Ambrosia like you asked, but... are you sure it was okay to use some on him?”

“Yeah. He deserves that much at least for all the times he helped me. Besides, if he died, the hole left behind would be too big to fill. Things would just get more troublesome in the future if someone less noble took over the job of guiding the hero party. Well, I guess he wasn’t strong enough to stop this mess from happening, but... at least he’s a man of honor. I wouldn’t want to see him die.”

Hajime didn’t want someone shady like Ishtar taking over the job of training Kouki and the others. Meanwhile, Kouki, supported by Ryutarou, made his way over to Hajime and the others. The other students followed close behind. He wasn’t going to let this issue be ignored.

“Hajime.”

“Thanks, Yue. For protecting them, I mean.”

“Mhmm.” Yue arrived just as Hajime finished explaining his reasons to Shea. He gently cupped Yue’s cheek and thanked her for her help. She looked up at him happily, saying it was no sweat with her gaze. Before long, the two of them started flirting again.

“There’s a time and place for this, you two... Come on, give it a rest already! There’s other people here!” Shea started clapping her hands loudly to get their attention. She was getting used to their chronic flirting in inappropriate places.

Hajime’s other classmates started glaring at him for a completely different reason than Kouki. One stare in particular was fierce enough to send shivers down Hajime’s spine.

“Hey, Nagumo. Why did—”

“Hajime-kun... there’s a lot I want to ask you, but first, is Meld-san alright? His wounds seem to have closed up, and his breathing is steady, but he should have been mortally wounded...” Kaori interrupted Kouki and knelt next to Meld. She checked his vitals and examined the wound as she talked to Hajime.

For a second, it had felt like Kaori had given him a glare terrifying enough to make his blood run cold, but he didn’t feel that pressure anymore, so he chalked it up to his imagination playing tricks on him. He was wondering why she was suddenly calling him “Hajime-kun” now too, but he decided to save that question for later.

“Yeah, he should be... Shea gave him a rather special medicine. It’s potent enough to heal even fatal wounds.”

“I’ve never heard of any items like that.”

“Well, it’s not exactly common... You wouldn’t be able to find it normally. Sorry Yaegashi, but you’ll have to get someone to heal you. I have mana potions at least, if you need those.”

“A-Ah... Th-Thank you.” Shizuku stammered a little as she took the mana potions from Hajime. She still wasn’t used to how different he’d become. Hajime seemed unconcerned by her reaction and threw a mana potion to Kaori as well. She deftly caught the vial, said a word of thanks, and downed it in one gulp. The lingering aftertaste of cough syrup filled her mouth, and Kaori could feel her mana returning. Once Kaori recovered, she could easily heal the other students.

She heaved a sigh of relief after making sure Meld’s life wasn’t in any danger.

Kouki attempted to grill Hajime once more.

“Hey Nagumo, I’m grateful you saved Meld-san, but why—”

“Hajime-kun. Thank you for saving Meld-san’s life. And... thank you for saving ours, too.”

However, he was interrupted again by Kaori. He glanced at her in annoyance, but she ignored him, her attention focused entirely on Hajime. Though Hajime’s transformation had shocked Kaori greatly, there was still something she needed to tell him. She stood up and brought her face inches from Hajime’s.

She gripped the hem of her skirt, trying to hold back the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. But she couldn’t do it, and tears started to drip from the corners of her eyes.

Changed or not, Hajime was still standing in front of her, very much alive. She couldn’t stop herself from breaking down. Hajime looked into her eyes, and saw a thousand glimmering stars of emotion.

Lips trembling, Kaori finally choked out the words she’d always wanted to say.

“Hajime-kun... Shank you... hic... for staying alive. And I’m... sho sorry I couldn’t protect you... Hic...”

The girls, who’d all guessed how much Kaori cared for Hajime, and some of the guys, who’d figured it out as well, all felt a warm fuzziness spread through them as they watched. Only Kondou and Hiyama looked like they’d swallowed a bug. Kouki and Ryutarou, who were the most clueless of the bunch, still hadn’t caught on and seemed confused. Kouki was basically a real-life dense anime protagonist, while Ryutarou had more muscles than brains. One could rightly understand why Shizuku always had so much trouble keeping those two in line.

On the other hand, Shea was fretting over the appearance of another potential rival, while Yue was staring at Kaori with a more deadpan expression than usual.

Hajime watched on silently. He’d heard from Endou that his supposed death had weighed heavily on Kaori’s mind, but he’d never realized it had affected her this deeply. He struggled to find the right words to say.

When he’d told Yue about what had happened to him, he’d of course mentioned Kaori, but since then he hadn’t even thought of her once until he’d reunited with Aiko in Ur. He felt a little guilty for forgetting about her when she’d spent this entire time worrying about him.

After a lot of internal debate, Hajime finally smiled awkwardly and settled on a response.

“Looks like I really made you worry. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you right away. Still, as you can see, I’m alive, so you don’t need to apologize... Please, uhh, don’t cry.” His eyes held the same kindness they’d had back when Kaori had first come to his room and he’d asked her to protect him.

Kaori recalled that night as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. It seemed not all of him had changed. Overcome by emotion, she clung to Hajime’s shirt and sobbed uncontrollably.

Unsure of how to respond, Hajime just stood there, his arms raised up in the air. Had any of his other classmates done something like this he would have flung them off without hesitation, possibly even give them a good kick for their trouble, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that to Kaori. She was the only one who’d cared so much for him this whole time, and the time they’d spent together before he’d been cast into the abyss was slowly coming back to him.

At the same time, though, he didn’t want to hug another girl in front of Yue. And so, he just stood there, his hands in the air, not exactly embracing Kaori, but not pushing her away either. Such an indecisive attitude was completely unlike him.

Shizuku glared at Hajime, her gaze seemingly saying “That’s my best friend crying in your arms right now! The least you could do is hug her, you wimp!” But at the same time, he could feel Yue’s cold stare boring into his back.

He eventually compromised and gently patted Kaori’s head a little. He was being a lot more meek than usual.

“You really are kind, Kaori. Still, Nagumo mercilessly killed someone who couldn’t resist. We can’t just ignore what he did. Please get away from him.”

Nagayama and his friends glared at Kouki. Read the mood, you moron! It was baffling to them that he still hadn’t noticed Kaori’s feelings for Hajime. Kouki glared angrily at Hajime as he attempted to pull Kaori off him.

Hajime wasn’t sure if Kouki didn’t like Kaori touching another man, or if he was worried about leaving her in close proximity of a killer. It might have been a bit of both, honestly.

“Hold on, Kouki. Nagumo-kun’s the one who saved us. You don’t have to sound so mad.”

“But Shizuku, she couldn’t resist anymore. She’d lost the will to fight. There was no reason to kill her. That’s not something I can forgive.”

“Come on, Kouki, can’t you just give it a rest?” Shizuku narrowed her eyes and glared at Kouki. Nagayama and the others glanced around uncomfortably, unsure of which side to take. However, Hiyama and his cronies had always disliked Hajime, so they instantly took Kouki’s side. They riled the others up, and soon most of the students were against him. Kaori had since left Hajime’s side and dried her tears. She was deep in thought, contemplating how different Hajime was from what she remembered.

Yue silenced all of them with a few harsh words. Her voice was as cold as ice.

“What a worthless bunch. Can we leave, Hajime?”

“Ah, yeah. May as well.”

Yue dismissed the lot of them as just a “worthless bunch.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but it somehow carried clearly through the room. Its frigidity silenced the students, and they all turned to look at her.

Hajime had initially only agreed to help because he owed Kaori. Now that he’d repaid that debt, his work was done. He had no reason to stay, so he let Yue herd him out of the room. Shea ignored the students and hurried after Hajime as well.

But of course, Kouki wasn’t going to let them leave just like that.

“Wait. I’m not done here. Unless I understand your reasons, I won’t feel comfortable keeping you around as a comrade. And who are you, anyway? I’m grateful that you saved us, but don’t you think it’s rude to call someone you just met ‘worthless’? Besides, what do you even mean by that?”

“......”

As always, Kouki was utterly misguided. Taken out of context, everything he said was perfectly rational. But considering the circumstances, it was obvious he was in the wrong. It was as if he was obsessed with that demon’s death.

Yue had already decided Kouki wasn’t even worth wasting her breath on, so she didn’t bother meeting his gaze. Kouki frowned, but a minute later his irritation vanished and he gave Yue the same killer smile he flashed all of the girls in school.

However, all he succeeded in doing was making Yue more annoyed. Realizing that at this rate they’d get nowhere, Hajime sighed and decided to answer Kouki.

“Amanogawa. You’re basically a walking joke, and I have no obligation to answer any of your mundane questions. Still, because I know you won’t quit no matter what, I’ll at least give you a bit of advice.”

“Advice? Are you saying I’m the one who’s wrong? I’d like to think what I’m saying is common sense.”

And this is why you’re such a pain to deal with!

“Quit deluding yourself.”

“What do you...”

“You’re not mad because I killed that demon. You just didn’t want to see anyone die in front of you. Even you know you can’t say it’s wrong to kill someone who tried to kill all of you, and nearly killed the knight commander. That’s why you’re focusing on the fact that she was defenseless when I killed her. You saw something you couldn’t stomach, and you’re mad that I did what you couldn’t. And now, you’re trying to take it out on me. All while pretending you’re in the right. Of course, you’re not doing it maliciously. You probably don’t even realize it. You never change. You always interpret things however you want without ever considering the opinions of others.”

“Th-That’s not true! Don’t talk like you know me! Besides, that doesn’t change the fact that you killed a defenseless opponent!”

“What’s wrong with killing your enemies?”

“Wha—!? What do you mean, what’s wrong!? It’s murder! Of course it’s bad!”

“I really don’t feel like arguing with you. Let’s just end it here. It’s my policy to kill anyone who becomes my enemy. Unless I have a good reason not to, I’ll make sure to kill them. It doesn’t matter whether they’re good or evil, or whether they can resist or not. The moment you show mercy is the moment you die. I learned that the hard way at the bottom of the abyss. Those are just my values though, and I have no intention of pushing them on anyone else. Still, if you plan on standing against me just because you don’t like that, then...” Hajime closed the gap between them in an instant and pressed Donner against Kouki’s forehead. Then, he activated his Intimidation and hit his classmates with the full brunt of it.

They all gulped uneasily. Kouki could at least follow Shizuku, who was the fastest of their group, with his eyes still, but he hadn’t even sensed Hajime moving.

“Even if you are my former classmates, I won’t show you any mercy.”

“Y-You...”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t come here to rejoin your little group. You guys aren’t my comrades. I only came back because I owed Shirasaki a debt. Once we get out of here, we’ll be parting ways. I have my own goals in mind.”

Hajime stared at Kouki for a few seconds longer before holstering Donner and turning away. He canceled his Intimidation as well, and everyone breathed a massive sigh of relief. However, Kouki still wasn’t willing to accept this. He opened his mouth to argue further, but this time Yue shut him down. She was tired of his prattling.

“Hajime’s the one who fought. All you did was cower in fear and run away. The loser has no right to say anything.”

“Wha— I didn’t run...”

It wasn’t a coincidence that Hajime and the others had fallen into the exact room Kouki and the others had been fighting in. When they were on the floor above, Hajime had sensed a massive explosion of mana. Guessing that was where they must be fighting, Hajime had used his perception skills to track down their location. He’d then used a combination of transmutation and his pile bunker to dig through the floor.

What Hajime had sensed was Kouki’s activation of Overload. Hajime had figured with Kouki’s current strength, he would easily be able to overpower the demon. From the situation that followed, he’d correctly surmised that Kouki hadn’t been able to kill her, which was why they’d fallen into such dire straits.

Just as Kouki was about to argue, Meld joined the discussion.

“Leave it, Kouki.”

“Meld-san!”

Meld had regained consciousness a while back, and had been listening in on their conversation. He still felt a little dizzy, but his consciousness was clear. He eased himself to his feet. He put his hand over where his wounds should have been, but found his stomach surprisingly whole.

Kaori had told Meld a summary of what had happened while he’d been unconscious. When he’d learned Hajime was still alive, and that it was his medicine that had saved Meld’s life, Meld had been overjoyed.

Meld prostrated himself before Hajime, thanking him for saving his life, and apologizing for being unable to save Hajime’s own. Hajime awkwardly accepted Meld’s thanks, stunned by his sincerity.

Frankly, he’d completely forgotten Meld’s promise to save him when he’d offered to hold the Behemoth off, but it seemed it had weighed on Meld heavily.

Once he finished apologizing to Hajime, Meld turned to Kouki and apologized to him as well.

“M-Meld-san? Why are you apologizing?”

“Because I’m your instructor. And yet, I forgot to teach you the most important thing. That you need to be prepared to kill. I’d planned to set some bandits on you guys at some point so you’d experience what it’s like to kill someone... After all, you’d have to do a lot more killing in the war... but the more time I spent with you guys, the more I felt it would be wrong to make you kill someone... so I wavered. As the knight commander of Heiligh, I should have taught you this right away, but... I kept putting it off until finally, it led to this. My indecisiveness nearly cost you all your lives. I’m ashamed to call myself your instructor. Truly... I’m so sorry.” Meld once again bowed his head to Kouki and the others. They all crowded around him and tried to reassure him. It seemed Meld had been dealing with his fair share of worries as well. He was torn between his duty as a knight, and his personal feelings for the children.

Meld was a central figure to the kingdom, but he was also a devout follower of Ehit. His religion told him that teaching these “Warriors of Ehit” to fight in the war was the noblest thing he could do. However, he still felt reservations. His kind-hearted nature had played a part in his misgivings, but more than anything he was as Hajime had said, a man of impeccable virtue.

Kouki suddenly fell silent. It was finally dawning on him that in the near future he’d have to kill people too. He recalled the fear he’d felt at the prospect of taking someone’s life. It had been quite a shock that Meld would have even contemplated setting humans on them for the students to kill. Bandits or not, people were people. The students would have no trouble dealing with bandits, but to kill them was a completely different story.

Kaori had fallen silent as well. Not because of what Meld had said, but because of Hajime’s earlier words.

About how the abyss had taught him to kill his enemies without hesitation, no matter who they were. That was something the old Hajime would never have said. Still, the murderous malice he’d exhibited earlier proved that it was no bluff. The Hajime that had once been willing to sacrifice himself to save them was now saying he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them if they crossed him. Kaori felt lost. The Hajime she knew and the Hajime standing before her were just too different. She was beginning to think she might just have imagined the remnants of his old self that she’d seen earlier.

At some point, Kaori realized someone was staring at her. She looked up to see a golden-haired, red-eyed beauty standing in front of her. It felt to Kaori as if her gaze was devoid of all emotion.

Kaori stared back, curious about this girl who seemed to be so close to the new Hajime. The two gazed at each other for a few minutes.

“Hmph.”

“Ah...”

The first one to look away was Yue. She sneered at Kaori and turned away.

Kaori involuntarily gulped. Even without words, she understood what Yue meant. “If your feelings for Hajime are that superficial, then you may as well forget about him entirely.”

Yue had easily been able to tell that Kaori had feelings for Hajime. She’d expected to have another rival on her hands, and had been prepared to fight for Hajime’s affection. However, when Kaori had seen how much Hajime had changed, she’d faltered. It was perhaps a natural reaction, but from Yue’s point of view, all it meant was that Kaori wasn’t even worth considering as a rival.

If this is all it takes to scare you off, you don’t stand a chance. You won’t be able to take Hajime away from me. Kaori flushed. Whether from embarrassment or anger, she didn’t know. Yue had all but declared that she was the most important person to Hajime, but Kaori couldn’t say anything back. She’d lost that right the moment she’d thought of Hajime as something other than human. The first clash between Kaori and Yue ended with Yue’s victory.

Hajime collected all of his spent pile bunkers, rounded up Yue and Shea, and went to leave through one of the passages.

Kouki and the others hurriedly followed behind. As the party was exhausted, Endou suggested they all follow Hajime to the surface so they wouldn’t have to fight monsters on the way back. When Meld asked if they could, Hajime said he didn’t mind.

On the way back, they watched Hajime easily dispatch monsters that had given the entire party trouble. Once again, they were reminded of how overwhelming his strength was. They could hardly believe he was the same guy they’d all laughed at for being “worthless.”

Hiyama and Kondou glared jealously at Hajime the whole way up. Nagayama and the others were impressed by Hajime’s newfound strength, but they weren’t sure what to make of the fact that Hajime didn’t see them as comrades.

Hajime’s newfound strength intimidated Hiyama and Kondou. They hadn’t forgotten how they used to bully him, and they were sure he hadn’t either. Nagayama and the others felt guilty for turning a blind eye to the bullying too. The more they thought about it, the more they realized it made sense for Hajime not to think of them as comrades, but Hajime just ignored all the various glances the other students shot his way.

Suzu was the only one brave enough to try and talk to them. She attempted to engage Yue in conversation, and asked Hajime all sorts of questions about what he’d been doing. When she realized the two of them weren’t giving her the time of day, she turned her attention to Shea. Shizuku had to stop her from trying to grope Shea’s boobs on multiple occasions. Emboldened by her straightforward attitude, Kondou and Hiyama attempted to get closer to Yue and Shea as well, but the two girls ignored them completely, and when Hiyama got annoyed and tried to grab Shea’s ears, he was hit by a rubber bullet from Hajime. Finally, the group made it back to the surface.

Kaori was still lost deep in thought. Shizuku was hovering around her like a worried mother hen. When they stepped out of the labyrinth entrance though, Kaori was forcibly brought back to reality. After all, an event occurred that she absolutely couldn’t ignore.

For someone who loved Hajime, it was perhaps the most shocking event possible.

“Ah! Daddy! You’re back!”

“Oh, Myu!”

A little girl calling Hajime her father appeared.

Myu’s voice carried over the din of the bustling market street. A few onlookers smiled as they watched the little girl totter up to Hajime.

She made a beeline for Hajime and leaped up into his arms. He caught her in midair and lifted her high into the air.

Normally, this would have been the scene where she barreled into Hajime and knocked him over, but he was hardly so weak that he couldn’t catch a little girl. If anything, Myu would have been the one to get hurt had she headbutted into his chest.

“Did you come here to see me? Where’s Tio?”

“Yep. Tio-oneechan said that daddy would be coming back around now, so I should go see him. Right now, Tio-oneechan’s...”

“Right here.” Tio made her way through the crowd, her beauty attracting the attention of the nearby merchants and adventurers. Hajime couldn’t believe Tio would let Myu out of her sight in such a crowded place.

“Hey, Tio. You can’t leave Myu alone in a place like this.”

“She was never out of my sight. I had to deal with a few thugs though, and I thought it prudent to do it somewhere Myu couldn’t see.”

It seemed some foolish kidnappers had tried to abduct Myu. Hajime had told her to wear a hood whenever she went out in public, so she wouldn’t attract attention. He assumed that was why her would-be kidnappers hadn’t noticed she was a Dagon, a member of a species under the Holy Church’s protection. Myu was an incredibly cute girl, so she made for an appealing kidnapping target. Though Hajime had no way of knowing whether they’d just been after money, or if they were just pedophiles.

“I see. I guess I can’t blame you then... So, where are those thugs?”

“Fear not, Master. I have already dealt with them.”

“Tch, they got off easy.”

“Are you sure you’ll be able to part with her when the time comes?”

Hajime had clearly intended to kill the unfortunate kidnappers, so Tio quickly cut him off before he turned the thing into a huge incident. Though he’d hated being called daddy at first, he’d gradually taken to the role of a father more and more. It had gotten to the point where his companions were worried he wouldn’t be able to part with her once they got to Erisen.

Hajime’s classmates had thought nothing could surprise them anymore after witnessing his sudden transformation, but they were wrong. Never in their wildest dreams did any of them imagine he’d become a father. The guys all looked from Yue, to Shea, to the newly arrived Tio, wondering whose kid it was, as well as just how much more experienced Hajime had become in these past few months. It was possible this was an even bigger shock than Hajime’s unbelievable strength.

Logically, it was impossible for Hajime to have a four-year daughter, since they’d only been apart for a little over four months, but the students were all too shocked and exhausted to be thinking straight.

Kaori stepped forward, swaying slightly. There was a smile on her face, but her expression was anything but happy. She stumbled up to Hajime and grabbed him by the collar.

“Hajime-kun, explain yourself! Is she really your daughter!? Who did you get pregnant!? Yue-san!? Shea-san!? Or that beautiful lady over there!? Wait, are there even more girls I don’t know about!? How many of them have you gotten pregnant!? Answer me, Hajime-kun!” It seemed Kaori had finally snapped. Hajime tried to explain that it was all a misunderstanding, but Kaori wouldn’t let him go. He couldn’t understand where she was getting such strength from.

“Calm down, Kaori! There’s no way that girl could actually be his kid!” Shizuku tried to pull Kaori off Hajime, but to no avail.

The people in the streets started whispering to each other.

“What’s that? A lover’s quarrel?”

“It looks like he went and got another girl pregnant even though he already has a lover?”

“More than just one girl, too.”

“Did he get all five of them pregnant?”

“I’ve heard that he has a whole harem of girls, and got ten of them pregnant.”

“I guess he was hiding it all from his wife.”

“Yeah... And it looks like she just found out.”

“A harem huh...? I’m jealous.”

  

“What a guy... Lucky bastards like him should all go die.”

The rumors were exaggerated at breakneck speed, and in the span of a few minutes Hajime had become a married man with a harem of ten pregnant girls on the side. Still being rattled back and forth by Kaori, Hajime looked up to the sky and sighed. Myu looked up at him in confusion, and he gently patted her head.

Face bright red, Kaori buried herself in Shizuku’s arms. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Once she’d finally calmed down enough to think things through rationally, Kaori had realized just how embarrassing the things she’d said were. Shizuku looked more like Kaori’s mom than anything as she comforted her.

Hajime and the others had moved from the labyrinth entrance to a square near the town’s edge. Rumors had already begun to fly about how Hajime was a man amongst men, but also a scumbag cheater. Hajime had already finished reporting his success to branch chief Loa, and was in a hurry to get out of this town. He’d only stopped here to deliver Ilwa’s letter, and there were no supplies he needed to replenish at the moment, so there was no problem with leaving right away.

The reason Kouki and the other students had followed Hajime to the edge of town was because Kaori had chased after him. She was still embarrassed at her earlier outburst, but she also knew she had to make a decision soon. Whether to travel with Hajime, or let him go for good. Traveling with him was what she wanted. After all, she’d finally managed to reunite with him, so she definitely didn’t want to let him go again.

Still, she hesitated. She’d feel guilty for leaving Kouki’s party. And more than anything, she was still shaken by how different Hajime was. Worse, Yue had seen through just how shaken she was.

Kaori could tell Yue cared a great deal for Hajime as well.

What stung the most, though, was that Hajime loved Yue as well. They seemed so perfectly in sync. And when Yue had sneered at her, Kaori had begun doubting the depths of her own affection.

Maybe she really did care less for Hajime than Yue did. Maybe if she confessed to him now he’d only see it as a bother. Was she even willing to accept Hajime as he was now? Was she actually just pining for the old Hajime?

In short, Kaori had been overwhelmed by Yue’s overbearing presence. The fact that Yue possessed strength that rivaled Hajime’s own only added to her intimidation.

Kaori had lost her confidence that she could beat Yue, both as a mage, and even in the depth of her feelings for Hajime. That was why she’d been unable to make a decision. And now, Hajime was about to leave. However, before he could step out of the gates, he was stopped. Kaori looked up to see around ten men blocking their path.

“Hey brat, where do you think you’re going? You really think we’ll let you go after you beat up one of our buddies!?” The scruffy-looking men were all glaring at Tio. They were friends of the kidnapper Tio had dealt with, coming to avenge their comrade. Though judging from their ogling stares, they were motivated more by lust.

Hajime was getting tired of all these petty thugs picking a fight with him. The thugs interpreted his silence as fear, and they grew even bolder.

Their gazes slid over to Yue and Shea. Disgusted by the men’s gazes, Yue and Shea slunk back behind Hajime. Once again, the men misinterpreted their actions and thought they must’ve be scared, so they began threatening Hajime.

“Brat, you better not be thinking of doing anything stupid. If you don’t wanna die, leave the women and scram. Don’t worry, we’ll give them back after they’ve apologized properly.”

“Though they’ll probably be broken by then.”

The men all laughed. Unfortunately for them, the moment they’d turned their fangs on Hajime, their fate had been decided.

As always, his Intimidation exerted a pressure so strong it could be felt physically. Enraged, Kouki had stepped forward to punish the men, but he found himself assailed by the same pressure as the thugs. His vision went blurry, and he fell to his knees.

Hajime stepped forward, and the thugs realized too late that they’d picked a fight with the wrong guy. They hurriedly tried to apologize, but the pressure on them was so strong that they couldn’t even open their mouths. They fell to the ground, struggling futilely to move.

Hajime didn’t feel like listening to their bleating any longer. Anyone who scared Myu deserved a fate worse than death.

Hajime eased the pressure enough that they could struggle to their knees. Then, he went to each one and shot them in the balls.

Kouki and the others were so shocked by his ruthlessness that they backpedaled away from him. The guys all covered their crotches in sympathy.

Once he was done, Yue and the others walked up to him.

“No mercy as always. I was right to make you my master. I may not be a man, but even I winced watching that.”

“You looked even madder than usual this time. You’re really too overprotective of Myu, you know that?”

“Mmm. That wasn’t the only reason... He was mad for our sake too.”

“Eh!? Does that include me too? Ehehe, Oh Hajime-san... But thanks~”

“You always see right through me, Yue.”

“Yeah. Because I’m always watching you.”

“Yue...”

In the end, the usual pattern of the two of them flirting, Shea breaking it up, Myu trying to get Hajime’s attention, and Tio getting herself beat up for something stupid happened again. Whenever Hajime was around, the dynamic between the five of them always ended up like that.

Kaori watched the spectacle from the sidelines.

That scene earlier had firmly impressed onto her that Hajime didn’t hesitate to resort to violence. At a glance, it seemed as if his old kindness had all but vanished.

But when Kaori thought about the reason behind his actions, she saw things from a different perspective. He’d done it to protect the smiling girls around him.

Was it possible for a truly unkind person to be surrounded by such smiles? Even that little girl adored Hajime like a father. Besides, wasn’t the reason Hajime had come back in the first place so that he could let Kaori know he was alive? She’d been too shocked by his transformation to notice at the time, but he’d come back thinking of her. Plus, even if he’d come mainly for her, he still hadn’t abandoned the other students. He’d saved Meld’s life too, using his valuable medicine.

And so, after watching them for a while, Kaori finally realized the truth. The reason Hajime didn’t hesitate to use violence was because he knew he needed it to protect the things important to him. Naturally, his own life was included in that, but it wasn’t the only thing that mattered. The girls smiling next to him were proof of that.

For the first time, Kaori tried to think about what he must have gone through. His hair had turned white. He’d lost his right eye and left arm. There was no doubt that he must have suffered more than she could ever imagine. His body and soul must have been pushed close to the breaking point many times. In fact, they may have been pushed past that. This new him was likely a result of that. Still, despite everything that had happened to him, Hajime was able to make others smile.

The fog that had settled around Kaori’s heart lifted. Everything began to click. She couldn’t believe she’d been so blind. The man standing in front of her was Hajime. He was the very same Hajime she’d fallen in love with. The boy who’d been berated as worthless and cast into the abyss, only to crawl out with his own strength to come back and save her.

Sure, some of him had changed, but just as much of him hadn’t. And that was only natural. All people changed with the passage of time, with new experiences and new meetings. What reason did she have to be afraid of him? What reason did she have to lose faith in him? Most of all, what reason did she have to lose faith in her own judgment?

If there was a new side that she didn’t know, she just had to spend time with him and get to know it. Hadn’t she spent all her time in high school doing the same?

There was no way she was going to lose to Yue in the depth of her feelings for him. She’d be part of that smiling group too. She wouldn’t let Yue laugh at her any longer. Determination welled up within Kaori. Shizuku smiled as she saw the resolve in her best friend’s eyes. Kaori straightened her back, then nodded gratefully to Shizuku. It was time for her to step forward into a new battlefield. A battlefield of love. Hajime looked back and spotted Kaori coming toward him. He thought she was simply coming to see him off, but Yue stared at her warily. Shea watched on with great interest, while Tio mused her thoughts.

“Hoho, this will be quite the spectacle.”

His companions’ reactions alerted Hajime to the fact that this was no mere send-off. He suddenly had a bad feeling about the whole situation.

“Hajime-kun, can I also join your party...? Rather, I’m coming no matter what you say. Thanks for having me.”

“...What?” Hajime was surprised by the fire in her voice. She hadn’t started with a request, but a demand. For a moment, he wasn’t sure how to respond. Yue stepped forward, answering in his place.

“You don’t have the right.”

“Why not? Do you have to love Hajime-kun to join? If so, my feelings won’t lose to anyone.”

Kaori didn’t falter. Yue frowned. The two of them stared each other down. It felt as if a raging inferno blazed between them. Yue realized Kaori would probably be the strongest rival she would ever face.

She could see the determination in Kaori’s eyes. After a few seconds, Kaori turned away and looked at Hajime. The determination was still there, but now it was accompanied by something more.

She clasped her hands together and took a deep breath. Her cheeks were red. She took another deep breath. This was the moment of truth. It was finally time to say the words she’d wanted to the first time she’d seen him kneeling in front of those thugs way back in Japan.

Her voice trembled a little, but it carried clearly.

“I love you, Hajime-kun.”

“Shirasaki...” Seeing her determination, Hajime felt he had to respond truthfully.

“Sorry, but there’s already someone I’m in love with, so I can’t respond to your feelings. That’s why you can’t come with us.”

Kaori bit her lip and hung her head. However, after a few seconds, she found her determination again. Holding back tears, she looked up at Hajime and nodded.

Behind her, the other students groaned in despair, but she paid them no mind. She’d already decided on her course of action.

“I know. It’s Yue-san, right?”

“Yeah, so...”

“But that’s not a reason to refuse to let me come with you.”

“What?”

“After all, Shea-san and Tio-san are in love with you too. Shea-san especially, it seems. Am I wrong?”

“That’s...”

“They know you’re in love with someone else, but you still let them join you. So tell me, why is it any different here? After all... my feelings for you are stronger than anyone else’s.” Kaori looked back at Yue as she said that, the fire burning bright in her eyes. She wouldn’t let Yue laugh at her any longer. This was her declaration of war. She would steal the spot of Hajime’s most beloved person for herself.

Yue’s lips curled up into a rare smile. It seemed Kaori would be a worthy rival after all.

“Fine, you can come. I’ll show you just how huge the gap is between us.”

“My name’s not ‘you.’ Call me Kaori.”

“Then you can just call me Yue. I’ll accept your challenge, Kaori.”

“Fufu. Very well, Yue. Don’t come crying to me when you lose, though.”

“Fufufufufufu.”

“Ahahahahahaha.”

The two of them were lost in their own world. Even though he was the one who’d been confessed to, Hajime felt as if he was suddenly left out. The decision to let her join had been made without even consulting him. Myu and Shea hugged each other and fearfully watched the two girls verbally duke it out.

“H-Hajime-san, is there something wrong with my eyes? I can see dark thunderclouds forming behind Yue-san. There’s a dragon there, too!”

“No, you’re seeing right. I’m pretty sure there’s a sword-wielding demon standing behind Shirasaki too.”

“Daddy! Onee-chan’s scaring me!”

“Haaah... Haaah, my body’s tingling just imagining what it would feel like... to have that scorn directed at me.”

Kaori and Yue had both brought out their stands and were staring each other down. Were those two always like this? Hajime wanted to break them up, but he was worried about what they’d do to him if he tried. And so, he just stood there, Myu and Shea clinging to him. Wise men knew when to hold their tongues.

Sadly, the resident hero was no wise man. As always, Kouki felt he needed to interject.

“W-Wait! I don’t understand. You love Nagumo? You’re going to go with him? What? What’s happening? Where did this all come from? Nagumo, what did you do to Kaori!?”

“The hell, dude?”

Kouki couldn’t seem to accept that Kaori actually liked Hajime. Dense as he was, this seemed to come out of nowhere. That was why he assumed Hajime must have done something to her. Hajime was amazed at just how clueless Kouki could be. He’d known it was bad, but this was on an entirely different level.

He was about to pull his sword out when Shizuku stopped him. She rubbed her temples in exasperation and tried to explain things in a way Kouki could understand.

“Kouki. Do you honestly believe Hajime would do something like that? Think about it calmly. You may have been too dumb to notice it, but Kaori’s been in love with Hajime for a long time. Since we were in Japan, in fact. Why do you think she always talked to him?”

“Shizuku... What are you saying? That’s just because Kaori’s kind. She just felt bad because Nagumo was always alone, right? How could she possibly have been in love with that lazy, uncooperative otaku?”

While Hajime couldn’t deny any of those allegations, they were still annoying to hear.

Noticing the commotion, Kaori finally broke eye contact with Yue. She turned to face her fellow classmates. It was best if they heard it from her own mouth.

“Kouki-kun, everyone, I’m sorry. I know it’s selfish of me to leave like this, but... I want to go with Hajime-kun, so I’ll be leaving the party. I’m truly sorry.” She bowed. Suzu, Eri, Tsuji, and Yoshino all cheered her on. They’d realized for a while now, and they had no problem with it. Nagayama, Endou, and Nomura had all known for a while too. While it was regretful she’d be leaving them, it wasn’t unexpected, so they sent her off with smiles.

However, Kouki still refused to accept it.

“You’re joking, right? This doesn’t make any sense. You’ve always been with me, Kaori... Why would you want to leave now? You’re my childhood friend... so... you have to stay with me. Isn’t that right?”

“Umm... Kouki-kun. We might be childhood friends, but... that’s no reason for me to stay with you all the time. I’m not sure why you think that’s even a factor, really...”

“Give it up, Kouki. Kaori isn’t your possession, and it isn’t for you to decide what she does with her life.”

After being ganged up on by the two girls, Kouki finally fell silent. He turned to face Hajime.

He wasn’t even paying attention to them. He was busy dealing with the rest of the girls in his harem. Kouki’s eyes narrowed in anger. The thought of Kaori joining that harem filled him with jealousy. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before. He tried one last-ditch attempt to convince Kaori to give up.

“Kaori. You can’t go with Nagumo. I’m saying this for your own good. Look at him. He has girls all around him, and he’s even got a daughter now... Worst of all, he’s put a slave collar on that rabbit girl. And that black-haired girl called Nagumo her master earlier. He’s probably forcing them to come with him. Nagumo probably thinks girls are nothing more than objects to add to his collection. He’s scum. Look at how easily he kills people. And even though he’s so strong, he’s refusing to help us, his comrades. Going with him will only bring you misfortune. It’s better if you stay with us. No, I’ll make sure you stay with us. Even if you hate me for it, it’s for your own good. I won’t let you go, no matter what!”

The other students stared at Kouki in shock. They’d never seen him act like this. Still, now that he’d gotten himself fired up, it was too late to stop him. He turned to the other girls around Hajime, then started lecturing them as well.

“You girls as well. You shouldn’t stay with him. Come with me! Our party would love to have people as strong as you. We can save the human race together. You said your name was Shea, right? Don’t worry. If you come with me, I’ll free you right away. We don’t keep slaves here. You too, Tio. You won’t have to call Nagumo your master any longer.”

He flashed them his most handsome smile and held out his hand. Shizuku just slapped her forehead and stared at the sky, while Kaori was so dumbfounded she couldn’t speak. Yue, Shea, and Tio just stared at Kouki.

“......”

There were no words that could express their feelings. They awkwardly turned away from Kouki and rubbed their arms. Upon close inspection, one could see there were goosebumps all over them. Kouki’s statement had been so sickeningly off the mark that it had mentally scarred them. “This is not the kind of pain I like...” Tio muttered softly to herself.

Seeing them clearly ignoring his invitation, Kouki’s smile stiffened. Not only were they unwilling to meet his gaze, they’d even retreated behind Hajime for safety.

Kouki’s shock slowly transformed into anger. He recklessly drew his sword and glared at Hajime... before thrusting it into the ground. He pointed at Hajime and declared his intent for all to hear.

“Hajime Nagumo! Duel me! No weapons! If I win, you have to promise to never get near Kaori again! And to release those girls you’re holding captive!”

“Oh god. This is so cringe. I can’t watch this anymore.”

“Stop mumbling! Are you a man or not!?”

The reason he’d challenged Hajime to a bare-handed duel was because he knew his sword could never match up to Hajime’s guns. Yue, Shea, Tio, and even Kaori stepped away from Kouki. His actions had done nothing to impress them.

Still, Kouki had convinced himself of the righteousness of his cause. He fully believed he was saving his childhood friend, as well as those poor girls, from Hajime’s clutches. His jealousy, combined with his straightforward attitude, had mixed together to form a disastrous combination. There was no going back for him now. And so, without even waiting for Hajime’s reply, he charged.

Sighing, Hajime took a few steps back. Thinking he was scared to fight bare-handed, Kouki doubled down and charged faster. He was just a few steps away now. Hajime’s arms were still at his side, and he hadn’t taken any kind of stance. Certain of his victory, Kouki threw a punch with all the momentum of his run-up behind it. Just then—

“Ah!?”

Kouki vanished. Or rather, he fell. But he fell so fast it looked as if he’d disappeared. He’d fallen into a pitfall. When Hajime had taken his first steps back, he’d transmuted a pitfall where he’d been standing. He’d infused his shoes with the same transmutation magic circles on his gloves, which was why he hadn’t needed to bend down.

Once Kouki fell through, Hajime transmuted the floor back to its original shape. A muffled explosion shook the earth. As an afterthought, Hajime had chucked a flashbang grenade, a tear gas grenade, a noise grenade, and a paralysis grenade down the hole as well. Nothing fatal, obviously.

Chances were, Kouki had been hit with them all as he was trying to claw his way out of the hole. Each of his senses had been momentarily destroyed, and the paralysis grenade prevented him from even writhing around in pain.

Hajime then transmuted a small breathing hole near his head, so he didn’t suffocate to death.

All of this he’d done so fast it looked like he hadn’t moved at all. To the onlookers, it seemed as if Kouki had fallen of his own accord. In a way, it seemed almost pitiable.

“Hey, Yaegashi. He’s still alive, so you can dig him up later if you want.”

“There’s a lot I want to say about what just happened but... okay.”

Even when they’d been in Japan, it had been an implicit rule that Shizuku had to clean up after Kouki and Ryutarou’s messes. Shizuku sighed, lamenting the job she’d been saddled with.

Finally, Hajime was ready to depart for real. Only to be interrupted again. This time, by Hiyama. According to him, their party wouldn’t last without Kaori’s support. He was apparently worried there might be casualties if she left, so he also tried to convince her to stay. He argued his case passionately. Everything he’d been working for was about to slip through his fingers... And his expression made it clear that was what he was really thinking.

Hiyama and his gang knew Kaori was too stubborn to change her mind, so they instead focused on Hajime. They pleaded with him to rejoin the group. Spouting bullshit like, “We’re sorry for what we did in the past so please come back.”

Everyone, including the other students, knew Hiyama wasn’t one bit sorry for what he did. Even they found it disgusting how shamelessly he tried to butter up Hajime. Hajime looked at Hiyama properly for the first time since he’d seen him again. There was a madness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. The prospect of Kaori leaving had really rattled him.

Hajime decided now was as good a time as any to learn the truth of what had happened the day he fell. He figured he may as well get his questions out of the way before Shizuku started tearing into him. And so, he smiled sardonically and asked Hiyama the top question on his mind.

“Hey, Hiyama. Have you gotten better at using fire magic?”

“Huh?” Hiyama was caught off-guard by the sudden question. His face paled as what Hajime was trying to ask slowly dawned on him.

“Wh-What are you talking about? I’m part of the vanguard... And the element I have the highest affinity with is wind.”

“Huh. And here I thought it was fire.”

“I-It’s not. Why does it matter, anyway...”

“Well, you must like fire a lot still. Fireballs specifically. Remember throwing any recently?”

“......” Hiyama was as white as a sheet. His reaction all but confirmed Hajime’s suspicions. And judging by how distraught he seemed at Kaori’s departure, Hajime could guess his motives, too. Hajime was amazed Hiyama hadn’t assaulted her already.

At this point, he really didn’t care about getting revenge anymore. If Hiyama insisted on making himself Hajime’s enemy, he’d kill Hiyama without hesitation. Otherwise, though, Hajime would just leave him alone. To Hajime, Hiyama wasn’t even worth the trouble killing him would bring. Hiyama’s very existence itself was worth less than nothing in his mind.

Hajime distanced himself from Hiyama and addressed him, along with the rest of his group.

“I don’t want your apologies, and I don’t care about what happened in the past. As far as I’m concerned, you guys are worthless. The same goes for anything you have to say. If you understand, then get out of my sight! You’re all eyesores!”

Kondou and the others bristled at Hajime’s attitude, but Hiyama understood what was behind that knowing grin of his. He nodded silently, then told his cronies to back down. Hiyama knew that Hajime knew. If he wanted to stay alive, his only option was to obey Hajime’s commands.

Kondou and the others were surprised by Hiyama’s uncharacteristic obedience, but his serious tone brooked no argument, so they reluctantly gave up on persuading Hajime.

At last, there was nothing else to take care of. Kaori had gone back to grab her things from the inn, which was the last thing Hajime was waiting on before he left. Hiyama and the others had offered to go with her, but Hajime had put a stop to that. While Ryutarou was digging Kouki out, Shizuku walked up to Hajime.

“Umm... Sorry. For everything, I mean. Also, thanks again. Both for saving us, and for coming to see Kaori.” Hajime chuckled to himself. She tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s so funny?” Shizuku asked.

“Ah, sorry. It’s just, it feels like you haven’t changed at all. Even when we were in Japan, you’d always be coming up to me to apologize and say thanks. And now you’re doing the same thing here... You should really look after yourself more too, or those wrinkles on your forehead will become permanent.”

“I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Anyway, you seem to have changed quite a bit yourself. I can’t imagine the old you having so many girls hanging around him... and a daughter to boot...”

“I’m only in love with one of them, though...”

“I know it’s not my place to say this, and I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but... try to look after Kaori too, okay? Please.”

“......” Hajime had no reply. Seeing as he had no intention of returning her feelings, he honestly didn’t even want to bring her along. Yue had made the decision regardless, of course. He couldn’t fathom why his girlfriend, of all people, was okay with all these other girls openly vying for his affection. Still, he put those thoughts to the side and looked off into the distance.

Realizing he was trying to ignore her, Shizuku pulled out her trump card. She wasn’t going to hand her best friend over to Hajime without some guarantees.

“You better promise me, or else... I’ll make life miserable for you.”

“Miserable? How would you—”

“What do you think of Alabaster Executioner?”

“Huh?”

“Or wait, how about something more overt? Devastator: Lord of all Destruction, maybe?”

“Wait a second, what are you...”

“I’ve got more. How about Obsidian Tyrant? Or the Crimson Thunder Synergist?”

“D-Don’t tell me you...”

At first, Hajime had been confused by the barrage of strange titles, but Shizuku’s planning became evident soon enough. He paled in response.

“Fufufu, you know, I’m one of Ehit’s chosen warriors, and a member of the hero party. If I wanted to make certain nicknames popular around the world, I could. With my influence, they’d spread like wildfire. So, Nagumo-kun, which do you prefer? The way you look’s made it real easy to think up of quite a few. I get the feeling they’d stick, too.”

“Wait! Please, wait! How do you even know about every otaku’s greatest weakness!?”

“Kaori dragged me around everywhere when she was trying to learn more about you. She spent a lot of time watching anime and reading manga so she had things to talk about you with. And I got roped into doing it with her, so I’d say I’m pretty knowledgeable about these things. I believe in Japan they call people like you chuuni—”

“Stop! Please stop!”

“Oh my, it looks like it’s even more effective than I thought... You’re surprisingly self-conscious.”

“Y-You damn demon...” Hajime fell to his knees, shivering in fear. His dark middle school past was coming back to haunt him. All the memories he’d sealed away flooded through his mind.

“Fufu. So, do you promise to take care of Kaori?”

“......”

“Hmm. Eulogy of Demise: Shotgun Chaos. Disaster of Disasters: Reverse Calamity...”

“O-Okay, okay, I get it! Just stop with the names already!”

“Do you promise to take care of Kaori?”

“...I promise I won’t treat her badly, at least.”

“That’s good enough for me. I’d feel bad about tormenting you any more than this, but... If you ever go back on your word, I swear I’ll write a novel about you and spread it everywhere. Both here, and back home in Japan.”

“You’re the actual last boss, aren’t you? You’re scarier than everyone else.” Hajime cradled his head in his hands and kneeled at Shizuku’s feet. Everyone else, Yue and the others included, trembled in awe. Shizuku had brought the almighty Hajime low with words alone.

While Hajime was struggling with the traumas of his past, Kaori jogged back into view. Her eyes went wide in surprise when she saw Hajime on his knees before Shizuku.

Interested in this terrifying girl, Yue asked Kaori about her. After getting a basic description of Shizuku, and explaining to Kaori what had happened, Yue lapsed into thought. Kaori looked from Shizuku to Hajime and muttered her thoughts.

“Come to think of it, the two of them often talked about something in secret back in Japan...”

Both of them came to the same conclusion. It was possible Shizuku was the last boss they’d have to face in the battle for Hajime’s affections, too.

With new questions to ponder, Yue and Kaori got ready to depart. Shizuku, Suzu, the rest of the girls, Nagayama, his companions, and Meld all came to see Hajime off at the town gate.

Still not completely over the shock of Hajime’s survival, and his subsequent transformation, everyone awkwardly wished Hajime safe travels and thanked him again for saving them.

Still, today’s surprises weren’t over. Their jaws dropped open again when Hajime pulled Brise seemingly out of thin air.

Shizuku and Kaori held each other’s hands. Out of all of them, Shizuku was the one Kaori would miss most. Thinking this was a good opportunity, Hajime pulled a sword out of his Treasure Trove and presented it to Shizuku.

“What’s this?”

“You lost your old sword, right? I’m giving you a new one. You have it hard enough as it is, and I’m taking your support away from you. Plus, you helped me out a lot back when we were in Japan.”

Shizuku accepted the sword and carefully pulled it out of its jet-black sheath. The blade, too, was jet-black. In fact, it was so dark that it seemed to suck the light out of its surroundings. There was no markings on the hilt, and the blade had a slight curve to it. The whole thing was double-edged. It had a striking resemblance to one of Japan’s most famous swords, the Kogarasu Maru. Hajime wasn’t very well versed in Japanese blades, but he’d had a lot of practice making the Haulia clan’s weapons. He’d used his extensive transmutation experience to cover for any deficiencies and used the manga he’d read as a reference for the basic framework.

“It’s made from a compressed sheet of the hardest ore in existence, so I can guarantee it’ll never break. Even an amateur could cut through steel with this. As for maintenance... Well, you know swords better than me, Yaegashi.”

“This is amazing... I guess you’re still a Synergist at heart. Thank you. I’ll gladly accept it.”

Shizuku gave the sword an experimental swing. It effortlessly sliced through the air. She smiled and thanked Hajime. Shizuku had learned all of her sword techniques with a Japanese sword, so she’d had a hard time adapting to the swords of this world. That was why she was so happy to obtain a proper katana.

“So she’s the last boss?”

“Shizuku-chan...”

“Huh? What is it? Why are you two looking at me like that?”

Yue watched Shizuku with a guarded expression, while Kaori seemed at a loss for what to say. They left the town of Horaud, Shizuku’s question left unanswered.

The weather was perfect. Their destination was the Gruen Desert. Within it was one of the Seven Great Labyrinths they needed to conquer, the Grand Gruen Volcano. This miraculous reunion had ended with Hajime adding a new comrade to his ranks.

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Siti Dara

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

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