Chapter III: The Sack of Ur

“Hii!” A high pitched shriek echoed throughout a corner of a tunnel dimly lit by green glowstone, somewhere in the depths of the Great Orcus Labyrinth.

“What’s wrong, Shizuku-chan?”

Kaori Shirasaki, a member of the hero’s party, turned to her longtime friend, a puzzled expression on her face. It was uncharacteristic of Shizuku Yaegashi of all people to scream like that.

“U-Umm... it’s nothing. I was just surprised when a drop of water fell on my neck, that’s all.”

“I see. Fufu.”

Shizuku awkwardly averted her gaze. Kaori giggled when she realized her stoic friend had been scared by a mere drop of water.

Though considering monsters could attack them at any time, it didn’t seem so far-fetched to be frightened by a sudden chill running down one’s neck. Especially as the party was now traversing uncharted floors. But Kaori still couldn’t help but find her friend’s embarrassment at her mistake cute.

Thinking there might be some foul play at work, Shizuku snuck a glance back at Kaori. She was walking with a relaxed air, but despite that she still kept a close watch on her surroundings.

Was it just my imagination then? But it’s been happening more and more frequently... Maybe Kaori’s not the one doing things and I’m just tired? But then... Shizuku fell deep into thought.

The cause of her scream had nothing to do with water dropping on her. If that had been enough to startle her, she wouldn’t have made it as the vanguard commander of the hero’s party.

The actual reason was...

“Hya!”

“Shizuku-chan?”

“Shizuku?”

“Shizushizu?”

Shizuku’s scream was louder than before. It wasn’t just Kaori that noticed this time. Kouki Amanogawa, her childhood friend and the hero of the hero’s party noticed, along with their barrier master, Suzu Taniguchi. Kouki’s best friend, Ryutarou Sakagami, and Suzu’s best friend Eri Nakamura noticed as well, along with Jugo Nagayama, Kentarou Nomura, Ayako Tsuji, Mao Yoshino, Kousuke Endou, Daisuke Hiyama, Yoshiki Saitou, Reichi Kondou, and Shinji Nakano. Nagayama and Hiyama were both leaders of their respective units, and the entire party came to a halt as they stared at Shizuku.

Still shaken by what she’d just seen, Shizuku spoke in a faltering voice.

“Th-There was a demon mask. R-Right there, a demon mask, no a demon mask-san was floating in the air.” The others grew even more puzzled as Shizuku added “-san” to the demon mask. They each took out their artifacts and cautiously swept their surroundings.

“Shizuku...where did you see it? That demon mask-like monster?” Kouki asked and began pouring mana into his sword, causing it to glow pure white. Even using his Sense Presence skill he couldn’t sense any monsters nearby. Cold sweat poured down his forehead as he considered the possibility that they might be facing monsters skilled enough in stealth to evade his Sense Presence.

However Shizuku didn’t sense Kouki’s nervousness, and instead shot another suspicious glance at Kaori.

“...Ummm I saw it floating behind Kaori...”

“Huh!? Me!? No way, where!? Where is it!?”

Kaori began to panic. She circled in place with her head turned back, like a dog chasing its own tail, looking for the mask Shizuku’d seen. Her cleric’s robes fluttered around her, giving off the illusion that she was dancing.

Kaori’s adorable antics combined with Shizuku’s apologetic expression served to drain the tension from Kouki’s body.

“Sorry. I think I’m just seeing things.”

“Well, we are deep inside a dark dungeon. Don’t worry about it Shizuku. I’d rather you say something every time you think you see something than miss noticing an ambush. Meld-san said the same thing, remember?”

Kouki reassuringly patted Shizuku on the shoulder, and the other party members all nodded in agreement.

They had been making steady progress, and were now on the seventy-eighth floor. The reliable commander of the knight corps, Meld Loggins, was nowhere to be seen. Him, along with a retinue of handpicked elites were waiting on standby at the seventieth floor. They’d discovered a teleportation circle that went from there to the thirtieth floor. This was the first shortcut they’d ever discovered in this labyrinth, so Meld and his knights were making sure to guard it to guarantee safe passage through.

While Meld and his knights were the strongest the kingdom had to offer, they had been forced to retire around the seventieth floor. Even though their skills had grown as they’d continued exploring, the monsters they faced in the latter half of the seventies had proven too strong for the knights to handle, and they’d left the students to progress on their own.

Before they ’d set off on their own, Meld had repeated to them over and over all of the tips and tricks he’d learned about dungeon delving, to the point where Kouki and the others had gotten tired of his nagging.

At some point he’d started sounding less like a knight and more like their mother, saying things like “Do you all have handkerchiefs? Make sure you don’t scavenge for food in the dungeon okay? If you eat anything strange make sure to spit it out at once,” and so on. At some point they’d stopped being tricks about dungeon delving, and just plain fussing, as he said things like “Are you sure your equipment’s good enough?” The Kingdom’s treasure, the holy sword, had no longer been good enough for Meld, who was overcome with worry.

“These are the best treasures your kingdom has to offer!” Kouki and the others had retorted.

But in the end, it looked like this incident really had just been Shizuku seeing things.

“I guess even you get spooked sometimes, huh Shizuku?”

“I never thought I’d hear Shizuku say ’demon mask-san’... This is truly a day to remember.”

“Suzu, please stop snickering like that...”

The party resumed their search. Kouki took the lead, with Shizuku and Kaori following behind. Shizuku continued sneaking glances at Kaori as they walked.

“H-Hey, Kaori.”

“What is it, Shizuku-chan?”

“Are you okay?”

“?”

Kaori tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what Shizuku meant. However, a second later, her face went pale and she asked Shizuku a question in a shaky voice.

“S-Shizuku-chan. Don’t tell me that thing is still behind me? Shizuku-chan, how long has it been there!? Have I been cursed!?”

“N-No it’s not that! I don’t see anything, don’t worry!”

“R-Really?”

Kaori continued glancing over her shoulder making sure nothing was there. It was just like when walking home alone one felt like there was someone behind them, and looked back only to see no one. Even knowing there’s no one following them, they still become paranoid. Kaori was terrible with scary things like ghosts and demons, so she was doubly scared of the “demon mask-san” Shizuku had seen.

However when she glanced back for the hundredth time, Kaori actually did spot a black shadow out of the corner of her eye.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah it’s the demon mask-saaaaaaaaaan!”

“Wait, wha— Hebagfh!?”

Kaori let out a shrill scream, closed her eyes, and started wildly swinging her staff around. A second later she felt a thud as it hit something, and one of the male students screamed.

“Kousuke!”

“So that’s where you were hiding!?”

“Endou-kun just went flying.”

“Wow he really got some air time there!”

The person Kaori had mistaken as a demon mask-san had actually been Kousuke Endou, a member of Nagayama’s party and the world’s most inconspicuous person. He had such a weak presence that before they’d been whisked away to Tortus, even automatic doors in Japan had ignored him.

His job, quite aptly, was Assassin.

He’d been friends with Jugo and Kentarou for ages, but even they’d go “Wait, where’d Kousuke go?” “The bathroom, maybe?” “But he was right here...” almost every day, even when he was standing right next to them. Even before he’d been summoned his invisibility had practically been a super power, but after coming to Tortus, he’d honed his stealth skills even further.

So much so that, despite the fact that he’d been right behind Kaori, directly in her line of sight every time she turned back, she hadn’t even noticed him.

Seeing her tearful expression every time she turned back had been bad for his heart. His heartbeat accelerated to dangerous levels, and he decided for the safety of his health that he should move somewhere else. But just as he’d begun to do so Kaori had turned back, catching a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye... resulting in him getting smacked.

Which was bad for his health in a different sense.

“Huh!? Endou-kun!? Awawa, I’m so sorry!” It seemed the true identity of the demon mask-san had been Endou. The force of Kaori’s blow had sent him sprawling, and he was sitting on his knees, dazed. Embarrassed, she walked up to him and cast a healing spell. He looked off into the distance as Kaori’s light purple mana enveloped him. He looked truly pitiable.

Kaori apologized over and over, bowing her head as low as it could go, before Kousuke finally responded.

“It’s fine, really. I’m used to it... And besides, Hiyama’s starting to give me scary looks.” That only served to make him look more pitiable, and Jugo came over to comfort him. Finally the party’s best scout was fit for duty once more, and they resumed exploring the seventy-eighth floor.

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Kaori.”

“It’s fine. I was the one that overreacted. Don’t worry about it.”

Shizuku apologized, as it was her initial scream that had been the cause of all this. She let out a sigh of relief when Kaori forgave her. Then, thinking back on everything she’d seen recently, she expanded on her previous question.

“Anyway, Kaori, are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been feeling kind of different recently. You keep brooding over something... and sometimes it feels like you’re not all there, like you’re staring at something far off in the distance... or am I just imagining things?”

“Huh? Really? I don’t feel like I’m any different, though...”

“I see...”

Is it really just my imagination then? Shizuku tilted her head in confusion, but if Kaori was insisting she was fine, Shizuku told herself there was no reason to doubt her. But before she could say as much, Kaori suddenly remembered something and dropped her fist in her palm.

“Ah, but I do feel weird sometimes.”

“Weird how?”

“Hmm. I’m not really sure how to explain it, but...”

She tilted her head and looked around for a moment... then her face suddenly went blank. Her face was utterly devoid of expression, like she’d just turned into a robot of some kind.

“It’s kind of like someone just stole something important to me... you know?”

“K-Kaori? Umm Kaori-san?”

“Fufufu, funny isn’t it? Fufufu.”

“Kaori! I’m sorry! I won’t ask you weird stuff anymore so come back to us, please!”

Even though she was laughing, her expression remained blank, and even her laughter sounded monotone. Happening, cannot be! Shizuku was so shocked her thoughts became an incomprehensible jumble, and she tried to bring Kaori back to her normal self.

She had no way of knowing the cause of her best friend’s strange actions was due to a white-haired boy with an eyepatch flirting with a vampire princess thousands of miles away, and could only lightly slap Kaori’s cheeks.

“Hey Shizuku-chan, why are you slapping my cheek? Cut it out.”

“You’ve finally come back to us, Kaori. Thank goodness.”

The spell passed as quickly as it had come, and Shizuku sighed in relief as Kaori returned to normal. Shizuku couldn’t tell how or why, but it seemed like Kaori was reacting to some unpleasant events happening far away. She couldn’t tell how she knew that either, but she was worried Kaori was gradually slipping closer to the dark side.

This was a different world. If magic and monsters and even gods could exist, there was no reason strange psychic powers couldn’t... Probably. Shizuku tried to convince herself that was the case. Even if she didn’t fully understand the reason, her job was to make sure she brought Kaori back to her senses every time before she turned into Black Kaori for good.

As Shizuku was making that resolution, Kouki suddenly stopped a few paces ahead.

“Be on your guard, everyone. There’s something up ahead. I can sense it. There’s only one though.”

“Do you want me to go ahead and scout?”

“There’s only one of ’em right? Then we don’t need to bother scouting. Let’s just rush in and slaughter it.”

Normally whenever they encountered enemies that had yet to spot them they would send Kousuke out ahead to assess the monsters’ abilities. Hence why Kousuke offered to go preemptively, but Ryutarou smacked his fists together and suggested they fight instead.

When they ran into small groups or lone monsters the party often decided to fight without bothering to scout ahead. Which is why Kouki decided to adopt Ryutarou’s plan this time, and advance.

They continued through the dim corridor for a few seconds longer before spotting...

“Is that... a person?” Kouki muttered in surprise, and everyone else’s eyes went round as they saw what lay up ahead. The figure up ahead certainly looked human. Though it looked the lower half of their body had been trapped inside the wall. Long bangs covered their face, making it impossible to make out their features or whether they were even alive or dead. However their small frame suggested they were a girl.

“O-Oh no. We’ve got to help them!”

“Wait up, Kouki!”

Thinking it might be an adventurer that had been kidnapped by monsters, or caught in some trap that had teleported them further below, Kouki hurried over. Shizuku tried to stop him, but Kouki’s high stats made him too fast.

“Are you alright!?” Kouki yelled as he reached a hand out to them. A second later, Kouki’s feet sank into the ground. He just barely managed to keep his balance and avoid faceplanting. When he looked down he saw that the ground, which had been hard seconds ago, had turned into a murky quagmire, and was slowly sucking his legs into the floor. The mud in front of Kouki rose up and formed the rough shape of a human. It was a mud doll in the shape of a person... In other words, a Clay Golem. More Clay Golems rose up around Kouki, who was struggling to break free. They molded their arms into scythe shapes and swing them down at him.

“Kuh!” Kouki quickly wrapped his sword in mana and swung it around in a circle. When his right arm could stretch no further he quickly swapped his sword to his left and continued the arc. This was one of the Yaegashi-style techniques he’d learned at her dojo, Pale Moon. However halfway through the circle, he stumbled.

“S-Shizuku!?” The reason he’d messed up despite practicing this swing hundreds of times was because the golem in front of him had Shizuku’s face. More precisely, it had molded its face to look like Shizuku’s. As the rest of its body was still that of a golem it only took a single glance to realize his opponent wasn’t Shizuku. But seeing his childhood friend suddenly appear in the path of his swing was enough to break his concentration for a split second. In a way, it was only natural for him to hesitate a little.

But natural or not, that hesitation would have proven fatal, under normal circumstances that is.

“Hah!”

“Divine Shackles!”

The golems on Kouki’s right were cut down by a slash faster than light, while the ones on his left were shackled by chains of purple light. The golems quickly tried to dissolve back into mud to free themselves, but they were sliced in half by another sword slash. This was the next level of the technique Kouki had used, Rippling Pale Moon. The one who had cut them down was of course Shizuku.

“Are you alright, Kouki?”

“I’m fine. Sorry, and thanks!”

Kaori used her Divine Shackles to lift Kouki out the quagmire. More golems started sprouting up, surrounding not just Kouki’s party, but Hiyama and Nagayama’s units as well. They were using their face-morphing abilities and sharp scythes to press the students back.

“Damn it, there’s no end to them! How’re we supposed to beat these things!?”

“Even if we cut one down, it just reforms!”

Ryutarou blasted one of them away with a well-placed thrust, but it just dissolved into a pile of mud and reformed. The other students weren’t faring any better.

Kouki was running around assisting whoever was in trouble, but that was only a temporary measure. As he was pondering how to break out of this deadlock, he spotted Shizuku coming toward him. This time he was sure it wasn’t a golem. She looked like Shizuku from the neck down as well. Hoping to avail himself of Shizuku’s wisdom, he started wading his way through the golems toward her as well.

But as he drew closer, he noticed something. The person that had originally been trapped in the wall was no longer there. They should have been directly behind Shizuku. He suddenly felt shivers run down his spine. Where was she? He hurriedly glanced around the area.

“Shizuku, watch out! Whoever was trapped in the wall isn’t there anymore! They might be hiding—”

“Idiot, they’re right in front of you!”

Someone suddenly grabbed him by the back of his neck and threw him back. A gust of wind whooshed past his face an instant later. Coughing, he looked up. Standing in front of him was something that looked exactly like Shizuku, but had a longsword for a right arm. A few of Kouki’s hairs fell to the ground. He’d just barely avoided being decapitated.

“Looks like that thing’s their boss. It looks like it can mimic people’s body types and even clothes.” Kouki heard Shizuku’s calm voice directly behind him. Looking back, he saw the exact same Shizuku, except this one had a normal right arm. As Shizuku had said, the golem that had come from the wall seemed to be their leader.

The Grey Golem boss morphed its left arm into a sword as well and charged.

“I won’t fall for that a third time!”

The two swords came slashing down at him in a winding arc, almost like they were whips. He parried one with his sword and dodged the other. He tried to close the distance between them, but the golem summoned scythes made of mud and flung them at him. The barrage of scythes kept coming, forcing Kouki back. No matter how many of them he cut down, the golem just created more.

The only saving grace is that they were all made of mud, so while the scythes were deadly, they were easily ripped apart. So even weak swings could take them out, as long as they landed. But as their surroundings were filled with mud, the golems had a near infinite amount of resources to work with. Hence why Kouki had his hands full just defending against the boss golem’s onslaught. The other students were all being hard pressed by the golems as well.

Just around the time Kouki was debating using his Limit Break skill to blow them all away at once, someone jumped behind the boss golem. Kouki’s lips curled up into a grin.

I knew you could do it Shizuku! I’m counting on you! Roger. They had a short conversation with a single exchange of glances. Shizuku had used her vaunted speed to circle behind the golem. She cut down the golems guarding the boss golem with a single swing of her sword, her signature ponytail swinging from side to side. She resheathed her sword and leaped toward the boss golem with frightening speed.

In an instant, the golem changed its appearance. Into that of Kaori.

“Ah.” Shizuku let out a silent gasp. The thing in front of her was a monster. She understood that. At least in her head. But she wasn’t mature enough to be able to accept that wholly right away. And a person’s instincts always acted faster than their thoughts. To kill the golem, she would have to slice her best friend’s face in two.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Kouki couldn’t tell if that was a scream of anguish, or one to psych herself up. Either way, it was thanks to that that she managed to overcome her hesitation and let loose her fastest slash, the Yaegashi-style technique, Rising Dragon. Normally the attack was followed up by a jump kick and a finisher with the sheath, but the continuation was unnecessary in this case.

A crack formed at the golem’s base and quickly traveled up, just like a rising dragon. A second later there was a snapping noise, and the golem was cleaved cleanly in two, along with the mana stone inside of it. The golem collapsed in a puddle of mud, the two halves of its mana stone falling into its remains with a plop. At the same time, the other golems all crumbled as well.

“Great job, Shizuku!” Kouki let out an elated whoop as he ran toward Shizuku. Shizuku grinned and responded in a rather happy, exited tone, then Kouki turned around to congratulate Ryutarou and the others, while Shizuku looked down at her palms. Some of the mud from the Clay Golem was smeared on them. She furrowed her brows and quickly wiped it off. However, even after her hands were clean, Shizuku’s expression was still grim.

“Shizuku.”

“Huh?”

Kouki’s voice brought Shizuku out of her musings. She gave a distracted reply; her every instinct was screaming to her that death was approaching from behind. She turned around, then saw a massive spider dangling from the ceiling. Its eight red eyes were fixated on her, and some poisonous-looking fluid was dripping from its clawed legs, which stood ready to pounce.

Someone let out a gasp. This was the price they paid for letting their guards down for even a second. That was the harsh reality of the labyrinth. Those who braved its depths walked hand in hand with death. And more often than not, death would have its due. That was just the kind of place they were in.

“Binding Blades of Light!”

Luckily for the students, death had already had its fill for the day. Before its envenomed claws could sink into Shizuku’s flesh, crosses of amethyst light speared the spider’s body, blowing it back toward the wall and pinning it in place. As it was a binding spell and not an offensive one, the spider didn’t actually take that much damage, but the impact of being slammed against the wall still confused it for an instant.

Shizuku had avoided death’s embrace by a hair’s breadth, saved by her best friend’s magic. Next to Kaori, Suzu had hurriedly started chanting a barrier spell, but stopped mid-cast.

“K-Kaorin, how’d you get so fast...” she said, with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

“Kaori... thanks. You just saved my—” Before Shizuku could finish thanking her, Kaori started briskly walking toward the spider. For some reason, the phrase “Let sleeping dogs lie” flashed through her mind, and Shizuku fell silent. Even Kouki was a little overwhelmed by Kaori’s attitude.

She stopped in front of the spider and raised her staff, summoning her binding chains. Far more than she usually called forth. Chains sprouted from the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling. They wrapped around the spider, ripping it from the wall, leaving it suspended in midair. They then coiled about it over and over, until it was encased in a sphere of glowing chains.

“U-Umm, Kaori?” Shizuku called out nervously. Though the fear of death had since passed, Shizuku could feel goosebumps rising up on her skin.

Kaori started shrinking the ball of chains, causing some disturbing creaking noises to come from the spider before slowly turning around to face Shizuku. Behind her was something that could only be described as a demon. A ghost dressed in pure white, with a horrific mask for a face.

“It’s the demon mask-san!” Shizuku finally realized the true nature of the terrifying illusions she’d been seeing. Even Kouki let out a frightened squeal as he took a faltering step back.

“K-Kaori? Umm, Kaori-san? Umm, behind you—”

“Fufu, what’s wrong Shizuku-chan? You usually just call me by my first name. Fufufu... How odd. It feels as if some thieving rabbit just stole something really important from me. I wonder why?”

The odd thing here is you! Not that Shizuku could say that out loud, though. The ghost-demon thing behind Kaori had pulled out a massive sword from somewhere and was tapping it on its shoulder threateningly. Just what kind of curse is she possessed by? Shizuku cradled her head, despairing over the state of her best friend. She had no way of knowing that thousands of miles away a white-haired boy with an eyepatch was getting kissed to death by a worthless bunny after saving her from drowning.

Kaori finally returned to her senses a few seconds later, by which time the spider was little more than a crushed ball of goop. After making sure she was okay, the party headed further into the labyrinth. As they continued, Shizuku had to deal with Kaori getting possessed multiple times, Kouki going crazy over Kaori’s madness, German-suplexing Ryutarou when he went a little overboard, keeping demon Kaori happy, keeping Suzu in line every time she tried to grope Kaori, and staring down Hiyama when he got full of himself and tried to rush through the rest of the floor.

“This stress is going to drive me bald...” Her worries about her hair faded away into the labyrinth, much like the lives of many hapless adventurers that had come before her. Whether or not a savior would appear to relieve her of her duty of looking after the others and her worries about balding... only God knew.

Hajime drove Brise even faster on the way back than he had on the way there. Because he was going faster than his road smoothening tires could work their magic, Tio, who was tied to the roof, and Atsushi and the guys, who were sitting in the back, were shaken around like rag dolls.

“N-Nagumooo, can’t you drive a bit more gently!?”

“I-I’m gonna falllllllllllllllll!”

“Noboru! I’m coming, don’t— Blagh my tongue, I bit my tongue!”

“Haaah... Oh how my wounds ache. Mas... Ahem, more.... Ahem... Please let me inside.” Atsushi was clinging on to the back window for dear life, Noboru was half out of the truck as it was, and Akito had managed to bite through his tongue while trying to reel him back in, and was now writhing in pain. Meanwhile, Tio was writhing in ecstasy as each bump dug into her wounds, calling out for help in a monotone that fooled absolutely no one. Had this been his world, Hajime would have been arrested, but it wasn’t, so he didn’t care.

About halfway to Ur, Hajime spotted Aiko’s guardian knights riding hard in his direction. They were all fully armored. Using his Farsight, Hajime was easily able to make out David, who was charging forward with a ferocious expression on his face, and Chase, who was struggling to keep pace with him.

A few minutes later, the knights spotted a giant black object racing toward them. From their perspective, Hajime’s truck looked like some kind of monster. They quickly pulled out their weapons and got into formation. Their quick response, even in the face of an unknown threat, showed just how well they had trained.

Hajime honestly wouldn’t have minded just driving right through them. Their attacks had no hope of even scratching Brise. However, he doubted Aiko felt the same, and it would be a problem if Tio or Atsushi and the others got hurt as he drove past, so he opened the truck’s sunroof and started shouting and waving his arms wildly to grab their attention.

David was just about to start raining magic down on the truck when he spotted something that looked distinctly human come out of it. He squinted, trying to make out more detail.

Normally, David would have gone through with the attack anyway, but something made him hesitate. His devotion to Aiko had given him some strange sixth sense when it came to detecting her presence. He raised his arm and gave the signal for his men to stand down. His men looked at him suspiciously, but then their eyes opened wide in surprise as the truck grew closer and they heard who was yelling from inside it. David muttered, “Aiko?” an expression of disbelief on his face.

For a second the knights were terrified some horrible monster had eaten Aiko, but then they saw her waving frantically at them, yelling at them.

“David-saaaan, it’s me! Please don’t attack us!” Joy spread through the knights as they realized Aiko was safe. True, they were still suspicious about the strange black object she was in, but they understood that it wasn’t an immediate threat.

David was perhaps a little too overjoyed as he spread his arms wide, as if inviting Aiko to jump into them. Following his example, Chase and the other knights also spread their arms.

Hajime stared with disgust as he watched the retinue of knights all stand there in a line, their arms spread to either side, obvious ecstatic expressions on their faces. Aiko had been certain he would stop in front of David and the others, but their attitude annoyed him so much that he instead accelerated as he got close.

The knights stared blankly at the rapidly accelerating truck for a second before hurriedly diving out of the way.

Hajime mercilessly rode Brise past the scattering knights. The knights watched, smiles still frozen on their faces, as the black thing sped away, Aiko’s questioning scream faded into the distance.

Then as one they screamed “Aikoooooooo!” like a group of abandoned lovers, and chased after Brise.

“Nagumo-kun, why did you do that!?” Aiko yelled furiously at Hajime.

“There was a good reason not to stop, Sensei. If we’d stopped, we’d have to explain what happened, which we don’t have time for. We have to explain everything once we get to town anyway, so I’d rather not waste time doing it twice.”

“W-Well, I-I suppose that’s true...” She still wasn’t happy about it, but considering how fast Hajime was driving, she had to admit they would have lost a great deal of time stopping for the knights.

Yue, who’d returned to her usual position next to Hajime, leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“...The real reason?”

“Those grinning knights were creeping me out.”

“Mmm, agreed.”

Incidentally, Tio had been moaning in ecstasy on the roof right behind Aiko during that entire exchange, but both Aiko and the knights had pretended not to see her. Yue had received quite a shock upon learning Tio’s true nature. Enough that she’d mumbled “...Is that really a dragonman?” She had already had misgivings when Tio had first transformed back to her human self, but after seeing how Tio got off to pain, her illusions about the dragonmen all being dignified and wise were completely shattered.

Upon reaching Ur the party got out of Brise and headed to the town hall. As Hajime, Yue, and Shea took their time strolling leisurely there, Aiko and the others ran as fast as their legs would carry them. Hajime had been hoping to just drop Aiko and the students off here and drive Will all the way back to Fuhren, but he’d jumped out of the truck before anyone else, so Hajime had reluctantly followed after him.

The main street was bustling with activity. Not only were this town’s dishes famous, but there was also a lake nearby. It attracted tourists and immigrants alike. It was hard to believe this town was about to be overrun by a horde of demons in less than a day’s time. The party gazed longingly at the rows of food stalls, but they dutifully headed toward the town hall first.

When Aiko broke the news to the city’s leaders, there was a huge uproar. The managers of the Ur branch of the adventurers’ guild and the local priests began arguing about what to do next. No one couldn’t believe what Aiko had told them. No, they just didn’t want to believe it. They kept on asking question after question, hoping against hope that maybe the party had just mistaken what they saw.

Had it been anyone else who had told them their town would be destroyed tomorrow, they would have dismissed it as the ravings of a madman. However, it had been one of Ehit’s messengers, the woman the townspeople referred to as a fertility goddess who had brought such news. And as the Holy Church had already made it public knowledge that demons might have found a way to control monsters, the story sounded entirely plausible.

While they had been driving back, Aiko and the students had agreed that it was better not to mention Tio’s true identity, or that the mastermind behind the monsters was likely Yukitoshi Shimizu. They hadn’t mentioned Tio because Tio herself had not wanted knowledge of the dragonmen’s survival to become public knowledge and had requested they stay silent, while not mentioning Shimizu was because Aiko didn’t want to incriminate one of her students until she was absolutely sure of the truth.

Leaving Aiko’s sentimentality aside, dragonmen were not looked fondly upon by the Holy Church. The students really hadn’t wanted to deal with the hassle of making the situation even more chaotic, and possibly be branded as heretics, so they’d unilaterally decided to keep quiet.

It was in the midst of this uproar that Hajime entered the town hall looking for Will. He seemed wholly unconcerned by the tumult.

“Hey Will, don’t just run off by yourself. Think about the guy that has to protect you. If you’re done warning everyone, then it’s time to go back to Fuhren.” Everyone turned to Hajime in surprise. The town’s leaders exclaimed things to the effect of “Who’s this kid?” angry at his sudden interruption.

“Wh-What do you mean, Hajime-dono? This is a huge crisis. You can’t seriously be suggesting we abandon the town...” Annoyed, Hajime retorted casually,

“What do you mean abandon? No matter what we’re going to have to evacuate until reinforcements come. A tourist town like this doesn’t even have any walls or anything to mount a defense from... and if we’re going to have evacuate anyway, may as well evacuate to Fuhren. I’ll just be evacuating you a bit faster than the others.”

“B-But... I mean, I suppose... but still, I can’t just run away before everyone else does! There has to be something I can do to help. Hajime-dono, please...”

“Please, won’t you help too?” is what he wanted to ask, but he trailed off after seeing Hajime’s frigid stare.

“How many times do I have to say it before you get it? My job is to deliver you safely to Fuhren. I couldn’t care less about what happens to this town. And I don’t care about your opinions either. If you refuse to come... I’ll just break your arms and legs and drag you back.”

“What...? Y-You...” Will went pale when he realized Hajime was serious. He involuntarily took a few steps back, unable to completely believe it.

To Will, Hajime was practically a hero. He’d easily beaten down the same black dragon that had annihilated Gale and his veteran party in a single attack. Will had assumed that despite his gruff nature, Hajime was still a good person who would have unconditionally helped the villagers in a crisis. That was why he felt betrayed when he heard Hajime speak so coldly.

He staggered backward, and Hajime took a step forward. He was clearly pressing Will for a decision. The tense atmosphere had everyone else frozen in place, but one person stepped in between the two. It was Aiko. She stared right into Hajime’s cold eyes and questioned him.

“Nagumo-kun. Isn’t... Isn’t there something you can do about that monster army? No... I know you can fight them.” Conviction crept into her voice by the end. She was certain he’d be able to save the town if he wanted. The townspeople broke out into another huge uproar at that.

According to Aiko, the army bearing down on them was tens of thousands strong. Plus, it included ridiculously powerful monsters from up to two mountain ranges over. This was already at the level of a full-scale war, so a single person’s effect was miniscule. A single normal person’s, anyway. The only person strong enough to change the tide of battle single-handedly would be the strongest person among those summoned to save the humans... Namely, the hero.

But even they wouldn’t be able to take on an army alone. Without the help of their party and the rest of the human race, they’d be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, so naturally they doubted that this boy, who wasn’t even the hero, could save them all singlehandedly. Even when it was their goddess saying it was possible. In the face of her determined gaze, Hajime waved his hand casually, as if to deny her claims.

“No way, Sensei. That’s impossible. From what I could tell, there was more than 40,000 of them. There’s no way...”

“But when Will-san asked whether or not you could do it back on the mountain, you didn’t say no. You said ‘In a forested place like this full of boulders and rivers, there’s no way I could be sure I’d gotten them all.’ That means out in the open on the plains you could definitely wipe them all out. Am I wrong?”

“I’m surprised you remember that.” Hajime berated himself for saying something like that when he knew how good Aiko’s memory was. Well, no point worrying about it now. Hajime averted his gaze, and Aiko pressed her case, urging him to help.

“Nagumo-kun, won’t you please help us? At this rate this beautiful town will surely be destroyed. Worse, many people will lose their lives.”

“...How unexpected. I always thought you prioritized your students before everyone else. Aren’t you even only helping this country with its war because you’re hoping it’ll let them get home faster? And yet now you want one of your students to fight and possibly die for the sake of some strangers? Even when they don’t want to? Isn’t that exactly the same thing those war-hungry priests were trying to get us to do?” Hajime’s rebuttal silenced Aiko. She bit her lip and furrowed her brows, conflicted over what she should do.

Still, she kept her gaze on Hajime the entire time, as if trying to read something in his expression. After a while shook her head, as if to clear the hesitation, and stared resolutely at Hajime. She had her teacher face on. Back in Japan, any time someone had come to her with a problem, this was always the expression she’d had.

The nearby priests narrowed their eyes when Hajime insulted the Holy Church, but Aiko ignored them, her attention focused solely on Hajime.

“...If there was some way back home, I’d take you all with me in a heartbeat. That hasn’t changed even now. But right now, there isn’t one... and if there isn’t, I’d at least like to do what I can for the people I’ve met, talked to, laughed with in this world. Isn’t it only natural to want to help other people? Of course I’m still your teacher, so if I have to make a choice, then I’ll always pick you guys over everyone else, but...” Aiko paused for a moment, then continued more slowly, as if she was deliberately choosing each word.

“I’m sure that something really terrible must have happened for a gentle boy like you to become like this, Nagumo-kun. Where you were, you surely didn’t have the option of worrying about others. Maybe what I have to say will just seem shallow... After all, I wasn’t there to help you when you were suffering the most. Still, I’d like you to listen all the same.” Hajime silently indicated for Aiko to continue.

“Nagumo-kun, I can understand your strong desire to return home. You probably want to go back more than any of us. But you know, do you plan to live like this when you return too? Ignoring everyone except those close to you? Eliminating anything that gets in your way? Can you really live like that in Japan? And if not, do you really think you can change your mindset the moment you get back?”

“......”

“Nagumo-kun, I understand that you have your own principles, and that you’ve already decided your path for the future. I won’t try to change that, but I also think that no matter which future you choose, it’s... too lonely to only live by ignoring everyone aside from those you care about. If you keep going like this, neither you nor the people you cherish will find happiness. If you want to find happiness... you can’t lose sight of your kindness or empathy. You have to think of other people, even if it’s only a little. Those are valuable qualities you possessed from the start... Please don’t throw them away.” Each and every one of Aiko’s words pierced Hajime to the core. Everyone else also listened quietly.

The students especially felt the weight behind Aiko’s words. They hung their heads, ashamed at how selfishly they’d wielded their powers until now. At the same time, they were both happy and somewhat surprised that Aiko had given so much thought to their lives after they finally returned home.

Hajime smiled to himself. Even if they got dumped into another world, no matter the situation, Aiko always put being a teacher before anything else. Even if one of her students had transformed into a completely different person. It was really something to be praised. Considering how nicely Aiko had been treated thus far, it would have been easy for Hajime to just say “You don’t know what I’ve been through!” or “How could you possibly understand!” Like she’d said in the beginning, he had every right to call everything she’d said shallow words from someone who’d never suffered.

And yet he couldn’t. She’d said those words from the heart, and to take them lightly would make him the shallow one. Worse, it would have been an insult to her dedication. Even if everything she said was full of contradictions.

And because she’d never once pushed him to do the “right” thing, her words had that much more weight. Everything she’d said, even if it had ostensibly been to save these townspeople’s lives, had still been out of concern for Hajime’s future and his happiness.

He glanced over at Yue. She was staring at Aiko with a nostalgic look in her eyes. But when she noticed Hajime’s gaze, she quietly turned to look at him. It was clear from her expression that she’d go along with Hajime no matter what he decided. If nothing else, Hajime definitely wanted this girl to be happy. She had been the one who had saved him when he was on the verge of losing his humanity. He had believed his current lifestyle had been the best way to achieve that, but if what Aiko said was true, it would only lead to misfortune. Not only for him, but for Yue as well.

Next to her, he saw Shea looking worriedly at him. She’d brought a much-needed dose of lighthearted levity into his and Yue’s lives. No matter how harshly Hajime had treated her she’d chased after him wholeheartedly. Now she was an important part of their family, and it was obvious from how much she doted on her that Yue really treasured her friendship with Shea. Was she not happier because Hajime had begrudgingly let Shea into their party? For Hajime, this world was nothing more than a prison. A cage that kept him from going back to the place he wanted to be. It was for that reason that he had such a hard time doing anything for the people that lived here.

The values he’d forged in the depths of the abyss, the determination he’d tempered to return to his homeland no matter the cost and to destroy anything in his way, weren’t something he could change so easily. So, even if he couldn’t sympathize with others right away, he could still act. And if those actions brought happiness to those he cared most about... to Yue and Shea, then he’d gladly do anything.

This didn’t mean he suddenly agreed with everything Aiko said, but it was still a heartfelt lecture from his teacher. He’d have to be a child to reject it all for no other reason than to be contrarian. If he did decide to help, it was possible things would come to a head with the Holy Church much sooner than he would have liked, but surely he could count on his teacher, Aiko, to help with that. After all, she had to take responsibility for what she’d said to him. And someone who loved her students this much wouldn’t refuse.

I knew I’d get found out eventually. It was just a matter of time. I already have a few countermeasures in place, and besides, I promised myself I wouldn’t hide who I am just for the convenience of the people in this world... Hell, it might be fun to cut loose and go all out every now and then. After justifying it to himself, Hajime looked up at Aiko again.

“...Sensei, do you promise you’ll always be my teacher?” The implied question was whether she’d always be his ally. His question was half-teasing, half-hopeful.

“Of course,” she replied without hesitation.

“...No matter what happens? Even if I decide on something you don’t approve of?”

“Yes. A teacher’s job isn’t to decide their students’ future. It’s to help them choose the future they want for themselves. If you choose not to help even after listening to what I have to say, I won’t hold it against you, Nagumo-kun.”

Hajime stared at Aiko for a while, trying to determine whether or not she really meant it. The reason he’d been so insistent was because Hajime himself didn’t want to ever have to fight Aiko. After confirming there was no falsehood in Aiko’s gaze, he abruptly turned on his heel and headed for the exit. Yue and Shea followed after him.

“N-Nagumo-kun?” Aiko asked, surprised. Hajime turned around and shrugged helplessly. He couldn’t ever win against Aiko when she was serious.

“If I’m going to take on an army, there’s some things I need to prepare first. You guys can keep talking if you want.”

“Nagumo-kun!” Aiko’s eyes lit up, to which Hajime smiled awkwardly.

“This is what the best teacher in the world advised me to do. And if it’ll make these two happy then... I can’t just ignore it, can I? Anyway, I’ll go beat the shit out of those monsters for you.” Hajime patted Yue and Shea on the shoulder, turned around, and left the building. This time he didn’t look back. The two girls exchanged happy glances and headed out after him.

Once the door closed, the town leaders, who had been silent until now, all started pressingly into Aiko with questions. Aiko just looked at the door Hajime had left through, her shoulders trembling. Her words had gotten through to him, but she wasn’t happy at all. What she’d told him, the things she’d said about his current way of life being too sad, they were all her true thoughts.

However, that didn’t change the fact that she’d guided a student into danger, and asked him to fight an army of monsters. She knew it was a contradiction, telling him she didn’t want him to get too used to fighting his way through problems, and then tell him to fight his way through a problem. She did want Hajime to rethink his views on life, but she also wanted to save the town of Ur. In practice, she had probably achieved both those things, but... she slumped her shoulders, thinking there must have been a better solution and blaming her own incompetence for not being able to discover it.

She had hoped her students could all return home without any of them losing sight of their original selves... but it seemed that wish could no longer be granted. When she’d spoken with Hajime last night, she’d already known her dream was lost, but she wouldn’t stop hoping.

Surrounded by a group of angry townsfolk, Aiko let out an almost imperceptible sigh. The students all stared at the door Hajime had left through as well, a myriad of emotions coloring their faces.

Incidentally, Tio had entered the building with Hajime, but all she said was “Even though I should be an important part of his fighting force... th-this kind of abandonment play is... Master truly is...” and so everyone present completely ignored her feverish mutterings.

The town of Ur. To its north were the Northern Mountain Ranges, and to its west was the Urdea Lake. It was blessed with natural resources of all kinds, and was now protected by walls that hadn’t existed the day before.

Hajime had created those walls. He’d driven Steiff around the perimeter, transmuting walls behind him instead of leveling the earth in front of him.

As Hajime’s transmutation radius only extended four meters past his point of contact, they were only about that high. Large monsters would have had an easy time climbing over them. They were basically a last ditch effort made with the mindset of “Well, it’s better than nothing.” However, Hajime had no intention of letting the battle even reach those walls.

The citizens had all been made aware of the impending monster army invasion. Judging by their speed, Hajime guessed their vanguard would arrive by evening of the next day.

Naturally, the town was in a state of panic. There were those that blamed the mayor and the other town leaders for letting this happen, those that broke down crying, those that clung to their family in desperation, those that tried to run, and those that started fights amidst the chaos. Most people couldn’t remain calm knowing tomorrow their home would be destroyed and that if they stayed they’d die. Panic was the normal reaction to that.

However, someone managed to calm them down before the town devolved into full-scale rioting. That someone was Aiko. Taking the advice of the knights that had returned a short while ago, Aiko had stood up on a platform in the town square and spoken to the citizens. Her composed demeanor and overwhelming popularity helped her calm the citizens down to a reasonable level. In a way, Aiko Hatayama was more powerful than any hero.

Once the people had been pacified, they naturally divided into two groups. Those that couldn’t abandon their homes, and were willing to share this town’s fate, and those that were ready to flee and call for aid.

A lot of people in the group that chose to remain insisted the women and children escape at least. They believed Aiko’s words that the monsters would be repelled, and the men went around the town looking to see if there was any way they could help, while the women and children prepared to run. The town remained brightly lit deep into the night, illuminating groups of people crying as they parted with their loved ones.

Those that were fleeing packed their things and left before the sun rose. It was high noon now, and those that remained were swapping between sleeping and working in groups. Most of those that remained did so because they believed their goddess and her friends would deliver them salvation somehow. That being said, they weren’t just blindly praying. They too were doing everything they could to defend their home.

Despite the fact that the town only had a fraction of its population left within it, it was livelier than ever. Hajime sat down in his makeshift chair atop the city walls and cast his gaze far into the distance. Yue and Shea were next to him as always. The two quietly sidled closer to him and watched him lapse into thought.

Aiko, Yuka, the other students, Tio, Will, and David’s knights walked up to the trio. Despite their noisy approach, Hajime didn’t turn around. David raised his eyebrows in annoyance, but before he could say anything Aiko spoke up.

“How are your preparations coming along, Nagumo-kun? Is there anything you need?”

“Nah, I’m fine, Sensei.” Hajime didn’t turn around. Unable to stand his attitude, David angrily flared up.

“Hey, brat. Aiko... Your teacher’s talking to you. Is that the kind of attitude you take with her? She’s the only reason we’re not grilling you about your artifacts and how you plan on taking down this huge army, you know that? You could at least—”

“David-san, could you please be quiet?”

“Gah... Yes, ma’am...” One word from Aiko instantly shut him up. He was like a trained dog. Though he was no beastman, it was easy to imagine him having dog ears and a tail. He obediently hung his head in remorse after being remonstrated by his master.

“Nagumo-kun. About the black-robed boy...” This was what Aiko had really come for. A pained look crossed over her face as she spoke.

“You want me to find out who he is, right? And not kill him?”

“...Yes. I have to be sure. Nagumo-kun... I understand what I’m asking isn’t easy, but...”

“I’ll bring him to you.”

“Huh?”

“The black-robed kid. I’ll bring him to you. Do what you want with him... I’ll follow your decision.”

“Nagumo-kun... Thank you so much.” Aiko was surprised at how cooperative Hajime was being, but grateful nonetheless. Seeing as he hadn’t turned around once during their conversation, it seemed to her that he had his own thoughts to contend with as well. Internally bemoaning her own powerlessness once more, she thanked Hajime with a strained smile.

Once Aiko was done talking, Tio stepped forward.

“Hmm, I too have something to discuss with you, M— Ahem... with you. Will you please listen to my request?”

“Huh...? Oh, is that you, Tio?”

“Wh-Why the long pause? Y-You could not possibly have forgotten me already... Haah... Haah... To think this could be so pleasant...”

Tio’s voice grew so strange that Hajime couldn’t help but turn back. As he did so, he scowled. Her elegant black and gold kimono had come partially undone, revealing the silky smooth skin of her shoulder, and giving Hajime an exquisite view of her cleavage. The hem of her kimono had somehow been folded up to her thighs, giving a tantalizing view of her legs... Her beauty was stunning enough that no man could forget it after seeing it once, but Hajime’s response was incredibly casual.

“Oh yeah, I remember now.” Somehow, instead of getting angry at being forgotten, Tio’s blushed and her breathing grew heavy. Whatever the “this” she had been referring to as pleasant... was something Hajime decided he didn’t want to know.

“Mmmmmm! Umm, once your battle here is over, and you have safely seen young Will to his family, will you be resuming your travels?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Well I was hoping... that I may be allowed to join yo—”

“No.”

“...Haah... Haah... Such a prompt rejection. I knew you would make a wonderful ma— Ahem! Of course, I am not asking you to do this for free! If you agree to let me join you, then I shall call you master, and devote myself to you body and soul! Surely—”

“Go home. Better yet, go die.” Tio spread her arms wide, declared herself Hajime’s eternal slave, and Hajime just looked at her like she was dirt, and in fact told her to go become one with the dirt.

His instant rejection sent shivers down Tio’s spine. Her cheeks flushed a deep rose color. She was clearly a pervert. A massive, raging, pervert. Everyone else was creeped out by her as well. Yue especially, as she’d held dragonmen in such high regard before. Her expression was a blank mask as she stared at Tio.

“How... cruel... Even though you’re the one who made me like this... You have to take responsibility for your actions!” Everyone’s gaze shifted to Hajime, a look of surprise on their faces. Hajime certainly couldn’t allow his good name to be slandered like this, so he turned to look properly at Tio, a vein bulging on his forehead. He glared at her, waiting for her to explain.

“Aah, that scornful glare again...Haah haaah... Mmm... Well, you see, I am quite strong.” Trembling under Hajime’s gaze, Tio began explaining how she came to desire being his slave.

“Within my village, I am one of the strongest fighters. My endurance especially is far greater than the others. Even when someone did manage to get the better of me, they could never inflict any damage.” As the knights were present, Tio omitted the fact that she was one of the dragonmen.

“It was only after I fought you that I first came to learn the true pain and humiliation that accompanies a real defeat. Your fists rocked me to the core! And your dirty fighting style left a lasting impression! You left my whole body aching and... Haah... Haah...” Tio got excited telling her own story, and the knights, who didn’t know the details, looked at Hajime as if he were a criminal. The way she told her story, it definitely sounded as if Hajime had raped her. How dare he be so violent with a lady, the knights thought. The reason they didn’t give voice to said thoughts was because the lady in question didn’t look very upset. In fact, she looked euphoric, leaving the knights confused as to how they should react.

“...So Hajime opened a new door of experiences for you?”

“Verily so! I can no longer live without him!”

“...Disgusting.” Yue’s usually deadpan expression twisted into a frown. There wasn’t an iota of respect left in her voice. Hajime was so creeped out that he unintentionally let his thoughts slip.

“Besides...” Tio suddenly clenched her butt with both hands and said her next sentence in an extremely embarrassed voice.

“...You took my first.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped open as they stared at Hajime. Hajime’s face cramped up and he shook his head in denial.

“I most definitely did not.”

“I decided long ago that the only man I would consider being with would be one who is stronger than me... However, there was no one like that in my village... That was my first time... being held down and humiliated... and then you did that to my butt... You were so rough. I can no longer get married... so you must take responsibility for this.” Tio gazed up at Hajime with moist eyes, her hands still squeezing her ass. The knights looked at him with a mixture of fear and disgust. Disgust because he’d clearly raped this poor woman, and fear because he’d been so violent with her ass.

Even Aiko, who knew the truth of the situation, was looking at Hajime reproachfully. Even Yue and Shea averted their gazes, as if saying “Well, that was a bit much.” Hajime had found himself surrounded by enemies before the battle even began.

“D-Don’t you have a mission you need to finish? Isn’t that why you left your village in the first place?” Desperate, Hajime tried to plead his way out of the situation.

“Indeed. But fear not. My investigation shall be made even easier if I travel with you. Truly, it would be killing two birds with one stone... I’m sure your travels will grow stressful at times. Would it not be wonderful to have someone to vent those frustrations on whenever you need to? You can be as rough as you like. Is this not a wonderful deal for you, my master?”

“I can’t possibly see how having a pervert join my party would be wonderful in any way.” Tio clung desperately to Hajime, but he flung her away. That earned him the wrath of the knights, the disdain of Yuka and the girls, the jealousy of the boys, and a lecture from Aiko about not engaging in illicit sexual relationships. However, for some reason, Will was looking up at Hajime in awe.

Around the time Hajime was growing tired of this farce, he sensed movement on the horizon and quickly grew serious.

“...They’re here.” Hajime turned toward the mountains and looked off into the distance. They weren’t visible to the naked eye yet, but Hajime’s demon eye was receiving their images from his drones.

The horde of monsters was large enough to bury the earth. There were Bulltaurs, other humanoid monsters, massive black wolves three to four meters large, six-legged lizards, pythons with needles growing from their backs, praying mantis-like things with scythes for arms, spiders with tentacles growing out of their engorged torsos, white serpents with horns growing from their heads— Even through a video feed, Hajime could tell.

The army was massive. They kicked up a tornado of dust as they passed, and swallowed up the ground before them like a wriggling black tidal wave. Their murderous red-black eyes glinted in the black mass, a sea of corrupted rubies. There were even more than he’d initially seen at the mountain. At a guess, there seemed to be around fifty to sixty thousand in total.

Worse, the sky was filled with flying monsters as well. They looked like a flock of pteranodons. They were smaller than the wyverns Hajime had fought, but the dark red miasma oozing from their bodies spelled trouble. He was certain they were stronger than the Hyverias he’d seen in the Reisen Gorge.

Among the dozens of pteranodons, one of them was clearly bigger than the rest. And while it was hard to make out, there seemed to be a human-shaped figure riding it. That’s probably the kid. I know Aiko doesn’t want to admit it, but chances are he’s Yukitoshi Shimizu.

“Hajime.”

“Hajime-san.”

Yue and Shea tensed up, guessing from Hajime’s sudden change in mood that the enemy was coming. He nodded to them before turning back to Aiko and the others, who were looking around nervously.

“They’re here. And there’s more than I expected. They’ll be at the city in thirty minutes. There’s a little under sixty thousand of them. There’s a lot of different kinds, too.”

Their faces paled when they heard there were even more than they’d initially expected. They exchanged uneasy glances. Hajime jumped to the top of the wall and turned back to them, a fearless smile on his face.

“Don’t look so worried, Sensei. A couple thousand more’s no big deal. Anyway, like we planned, you guys man the wall in case anything slips past. Though you probably won’t have to fight.” He spoke as casually as if he were on a picnic. Aiko squinted at his radiant confidence and responded to him in a worried tone.

“Okay... I know I’m in no position to say this since I’m the one who asked this of you, but please... stay safe...”

“Should we really leave it all to him?” “It’s still not too late to evacuate.” The knights muttered amongst each other, then began heading back to alert the town.

Aiko and the students turned to follow after them. They’d only gone a few steps when Yuka stopped. She was staring at the ground, a conflicted expression on her face. Atsushi and the others stopped too when they saw Yuka wasn’t following. Confused, they called out to her. However, Yuka didn’t respond. Instead, she steeled her resolve and turned toward Hajime and the oncoming horde of monsters.

“U-Umm! Nagumo!” She stuttered a bit, but still yelled as loud as she could. Hajime turned around, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise. He had thought she’d left with Aiko and the others. Yue and Shea turned around as well. Hajime silently waited for her to continue. Yuka hesitated for a few seconds, but then she found her courage again and glared sharply at Hajime.

“Th-Thank you! Thank you for saving me back then!” Yuka had finally managed to put her feelings into words. Her expression, her tone, and even the loudness of her voice made it sound like she was trying to pick a fight, but it was clear from her gaze that her gratitude was sincere.

Hajime tilted his head in confusion. He tried to figure out what he was being thanked for and came to the conclusion that it must have been saving her from Tio’s breath. Though that was mostly just a side effect of the fact that he’d had to protect Will. It took him a second to even think of it since back then they hadn’t even registered in his mind, nor had he really been conscious of the fact that he’d protected them too.

Yuka noticed that Hajime seemed to be thinking of the wrong thing, and hurriedly added to her statement.

“Umm, thanks for saving me yesterday too, but... I was talking about that time in the labyrinth, when you saved me from that Traum Soldier, and then stopped the Behemoth for all of us.”

“...Oh. You mean that time you were about to get your skull split open... I forgot that was you, Sonobe.”

“Umm, could you please not... describe it so graphically? It’s a kind of traumatic experience for me.” She covered her head, memories of that day coming back to her. Hajime stared at her expressionlessly, his head still tilted to one side.

“And?”

“Ah Umm... well... you see...” Yuka started stammering again, but then she took a deep breath to compose herself.

“I won’t waste this life you saved! Maybe you don’t really think anything of it, Nagumo, but I’ll still treasure this life you gave me!” It was the same thing she’d felt when she’d first resolved to stand back up again. It was only because Hajime, who’d been laughed at as worthless, had given his life for them that everyone else was still alive. In the end they’d found out he hadn’t actually died at all, but Yuka’s feelings hadn’t changed.

He’d still risked everything to save them. He’d put his life on the line for the sake of his classmates. She wasn’t going to waste that life he’d saved. Even if she was so weak she couldn’t even compare to Hajime’s pinky finger. Even if the events in the labyrinth still gave her nightmares. Even if she couldn’t be of any use in the battle to come. Even then, she’d keep trying.

Atsushi and the others all turned to Hajime and nodded solemnly as well. Their feelings were the same.

Hajime’s response was just two simple words.

“I see.” Then, he looked back to the monsters in the distance.

Yuka couldn’t even tell if he’d accepted her thanks, or if her resolve had meant anything at all to him. She simply stood there dumbly, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she turned around and began heading back to Nana and the others.

Hajime felt stares from both sides. He glanced both ways and saw Yue and Shea smiling at him. After how harsh Hajime’s life had been since coming here, they were overjoyed to see this kind of warmth around him for once. They were also proud of how he’d done something that had left a positive impact on so many people.

Hajime scratched his head awkwardly and looked over his shoulder to say one last thing to Yuka.

“Hey, Sonobe.”

“Y-Yes?” She hadn’t been expecting him to say anything more and was so surprised that she jumped a few inches into the air. Everyone else was surprised too, though not to the same extent.

“You’ve got guts. I could tell even back then.” Despite having nearly been cut literally in two seconds ago, Yuka had still rushed to save the rest of her classmates without a second thought. And even now, despite the trauma she’d suffered, she still kept fighting. Hajime really meant it when he said she had guts.

“U-Umm...” Yuka stammered, unsure how to respond. She couldn’t figure out where Hajime was trying to go with his words. However, his next sentence cleared that up.

“A girl like you won’t die so easily.”

“......” Yuka stared silently at Hajime.

“Well, probably not, anyway,” he added, ruining the moment. Yue and Shea gave him exasperated looks, but they were still smiling. To a bystander, Hajime’s words probably seemed frivolous.

However, to Yuka they meant far more. They served to wipe away the dark sludge that had been gathering in the corners of her mind. And not just her. Atsushi and the other students had also first felt the fear of death when they’d seen Hajime fall. Hearing “You won’t die,” from the guy who’d actually almost experienced death carried far more weight than usual.

“...Thanks.” Yuka’s voice was barely more than a whisper, quiet enough to be carried away by the wind. She smiled at Hajime’s back before turning around and rejoining her friends. The other students all looked at her, unsure of what to say. Before they could say anything though, David shouted at them to hurry along. The students all responded with a cheerful “Roger!” and ran after him. They all looked somehow more energetic than before.

The only people left with Hajime now were Will and Tio. Aside from Yue and Shea, of course. It was obvious they had something they wanted to say as well, but they’d kept quiet until Yuka had finished.

Will dithered for a few seconds, unsure of whether he should say what he was thinking or not, but then he realized there wasn’t any time left. He shook his head, mumbled something to Tio, and then bowed to Hajime before hurrying to join Aiko and the students.

Hajime tilted his head in confusion, so Tio smiled and explained.

“He said that if I survive this battle he’ll forgive me for the deaths of his adventurer friends... And so, I humbly request that you let me assist you. My mana has mostly recovered, and even without transforming my flames and gales are quite powerful.”

The Holy Church looked down on dragonmen as subhuman and placed them in the same category as beastmen, but they were actually more like monsters in that they could directly manipulate mana. Sure, they weren’t like Yue, who could control all elements effortlessly without the need for chants or magic circles, but they could still at least use the magic they had an aptitude in without chants or circles.

Tio flashed her ample cleavage at Hajime in an attempt to convince him. He wordlessly pulled out one of his magic stone rings and flung it to her. She looked at it, puzzled, before realizing that it was a mana reservoir crafted from Divinity Stone.

“Master... to think you would propose to me before a battle... I... Of course my reply is—”

“Hell no. I’m lending that to you so you can be our turret. You better give it back when we’re done here. What the hell made you think I would ever propose to you?”

“...I see. So this is what they call a dark past.” Inwardly cringing at the fact that she’d once made the same joke as a pervert, Yue slumped her shoulders.

Hajime did his best to ignore Tio, who had completely tuned out Hajime’s words and was grinning at the ring in her hands. Finally, the demon army crested the horizon and grew visible to the naked eye. Soldiers gathered on the walls carrying bows, or papers with magic circles engraved on them. The battle would soon be upon them.

Before long the earth rumbled from the pounding of tens of thousands of feet. A massive cloud of dust followed in the wake of the monster army, which was now close enough that their howls could be heard by the men on the wall. Some of them clasped their hands in prayer, while others looked on, pale-faced.

Hajime stepped forward. He transmuted a pedestal for himself, then turned to address the townsfolk. He didn’t care too much for assuaging the crowd’s fears, but he wanted to avoid letting a panicked riot break out as that might have result in friendly fire.

Everyone’s gazes naturally focused on the white-haired boy glaring down at them, seemingly ignoring the horde at his back. Once he was sure he had everyone’s attention, Hajime sucked in a huge breath and spoke in a booming voice.

“Listen up, brave men of Ur! Our victory is assured!” The citizens looked at each other in confusion. Hajime ignored them and continued, his voice full of confidence.

“Why? Because we have a goddess on our side! Men, never forget that the great fertility goddess Aiko-sama stands with us!” The people suddenly started whispering excitedly to their neighbors. Aiko, who had been guiding people from the rear as per her guards’ instructions, suddenly turned around.

“So long as the great Aiko-sama stands with us, we cannot lose! She was sent to mankind by the heavens in order to lead us to victory and prosperity. And I am her sword and shield, an avatar born from her desire to protect the people! Behold! This is the strength of one who has received the goddess’ divine blessing, the strength of the holy sword!” Hajime pulled Schlagen out of his Treasure Trove, then placed it on its stand to stabilize it. He kneeled, carefully aligned his scope with one of the pteranodon’s that had gone ahead of the herd. The townspeople watched with bated breath.

Crimson sparks began running down Schlagen’s barrel. Within seconds the barrel was coated in a veil of scarlet, giving it a suitably ominous appearance. Then—

Schlagen proved its fearsome appearance wasn’t just for show.

Bang! The thunderous noise gave the onlookers a huge start. A single red streak blazed through the sky. It raced toward the pteranodon faster than the eye could follow.

Like a spear thrust unleashed from god himself.

The pteranodon never stood a chance. There wasn’t even time for it to dodge. A bullet faster than sound, powerful enough to pierce through the toughest steel, and coated with a diamond-hard full metal jacket, ripped through the pteranodon flying a few kilometers away. The shockwave was so powerful that it shredded the nearby pteranodons’ wings, sending them hurtling to the ground below.

Hajime continued firing shot after shot without pause. The sky was filled with streaks of death, each one obliterating another pteranodon. He purposely avoided the huge one carrying the robed figure, but made sure the shockwave of his nearby bullets sent them flying back.

The massive pteranodon lost one of its wings to the shockwave, and spun to the ground with a piercing shriek. The robed figure atop it was flung off and flailed wildly as he hurtled to the ground.

Hajime wouldn’t have an opportunity to let Aiko meet with the robed boy until after he’d cleared out the monster army, so for now he’d made sure he wouldn’t be able to escape. Aiko would probably be horrified if she learned one of her precious students had fallen, but Hajime had only promised to bring him back alive, not unharmed. And since he’d fired from such a huge distance, he doubted Aiko had even seen.

In the span of a few seconds, Hajime had annihilated the monsters’ aerial corps. Then, he rested Schlagen on his shoulder and calmly turned to the gathered citizens. Their jaws were hanging open in shock. However, Hajime merely grinned fearlessly.

“All hail Aiko-sama!” He raised his arms up triumphantly, extolling Aiko’s greatness. A second later...

“All hail Aiko-sama! All hail Aiko-sama! All hail Aiko-sama! All hail Aiko-sama!”

“All hail our goddess! All hail our goddess! All hail our goddess! All hail our goddess!” In the eyes of the people of Ur, Aiko had become a goddess not just in name, but in truth. The citizens were no longer afraid. Each and every one of them looked at Aiko with eyes full of hope and worship.

Aiko blushed with embarrassment and started trembling. She looked up at Hajime and mouthed, “Just what do you think you’re doing!” Hajime, however, just shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to the oncoming army.

He’d had his reasons for hyping Aiko up so much. Firstly, to increase Aiko’s influence so that she would be more useful when the Holy Church and Heiligh turned against him. He had no doubt that they would feel threatened by his overwhelming might, and seek either to use him or to bury him. And at that time, Aiko would surely turn against them for his sake, like she had before for her traumatized students.

And with this incident, her fame as a holy goddess would spread. Even without Hajime promoting her any more, rumors would spread. Thus, Aiko would soon be more than just a useful tool for the Holy Church, she’d be the common people’s idol. Neither the Holy Church nor the king would be able to move against her for fear of inciting revolt. Furthermore, her leverage over the nobles and clergy would be massively increased.

Secondly, this way the townspeople wouldn’t be afraid of him for displaying godlike strength. They’d believe he was some kind of soldier sent by their goddess, turning their fear and suspicion into relief and trust. So, even when the Holy Church turned against him, he knew there’d be people willing to help him all the same... Hopefully.

Thirdly, as it was his teacher who had convinced him to do this, he wanted her to share in the responsibility of what she’d started.

Lastly, and most importantly, this had been the only way he could think of to avoid starting a full-scale panic. It was possible there might have been better solutions, but there wasn’t enough time to think. He had no doubt she’d scold him for this later, but this benefited Aiko too. Not only that, but this was a direct consequence of her own actions... or at the very least, that was how he was going to put it to her before making his escape and leaving her to deal with the aftermath.

The townsfolk’s cheers were almost loud enough to drown out the roars of the oncoming monsters. Hajime could feel Aiko glaring angrily at him, while David remarked “What do you know, the brat gets it after all.” He ignored them all and returned Schlagen to his Treasure Trove, pulling out two massive gatling guns, Metzeleis, in its place. Then, he put one on each shoulder and stepped forward.

To his right was Yue, and to his left, Shea. For this fight, he’d lent her his rocket launcher, Orkan. To Shea’s left was Tio, who was still enamored by the ring Hajime had given her.

The army hadn’t slowed at all when Hajime had shot down the pteranodons, and it was closing in rapidly. Four people stood against an onslaught of sixty thousand— It was so ludicrous that it didn’t seem real.

Hajime glanced over at Yue. She looked up at him and nodded. He then turned to Shea. She too, nodded confidently, her bunny ears standing at attention. Finally, he... ignored Tio.

A faint smile played on his lips as he stared at the oncoming horde. He then casually spoke the words that marked the beginning of a grand slaughter.

“Let’s get to it, then.”

What the fuck... What the fuck is going on!? The black-robed boy, Yukitoshi Shimizu, huddled in the far back of the monster army. He’d hurriedly dug himself a makeshift trench and hidden behind as many defensive barriers as he could muster. The earlier annihilation of his pteranodons and the current rout of his army had left him cowering in fear.

True, the sudden shock had left him speechless, but he was still cursing profusely in his mind.

As Aiko had suspected, the mastermind behind this monster army was indeed her missing student.

Thanks to a chance encounter he’d had in the mountains, he’d made a promise to wipe out the city of Ur, along with Aiko and her guards. However, what should have been an easy victory had quickly turned into a veritable hellscape. Even now, his massive army was being torn apart like it was nothing.

Tatatatatata! Tatatatatatatatatata! Innumerable red streaks dyed the sky crimson, each one heralding a death sentence for one of his monsters. Each lance of light pulverized another monster, regardless of its strength, race, or abilities. Without even an opportunity to resist, his army was quickly being reduced to a mountain of corpses. Hajime’s guns fired twelve thousand rounds every minute, making him the very incarnation of death. Worse, every bullet packed such a huge punch that it pierced through enemy lines, killing dozens.

The pierced monsters were hit so hard that they ignored the laws of motion. Instead of being blown back, they just exploded into chunks of flesh. The monsters fled wildly in every direction, scrambling to get out of the line of fire, but Hajime simply fanned his two Metzeleis out in either direction, letting none escape.

The barrage was so fierce that Hajime was more like a mobile fortress than a person, and none of the monsters could even get close. They died by the hundreds, leaving behind heaping mountains of dismembered flesh from which rivers of blood flowed.

To his left, Shea was pulling Orkan’s trigger as fast as its mechanisms would allow, firing missile after missile into the horde. Each missile impacted with an explosion dozens of meters wide, obliterating anything in its vicinity. Those in the center of the blast were blown to smithereens instantly, while those unlucky enough to only catch the shockwave had their bones shattered and their organs crushed, leaving them writhing in pain. Those behind them trampled the wounded to death in their mindless rush forward.

Once she ran out of bullets, Shea swapped out with a new launcher from the pile Hajime had left for her and continued blasting. The missiles fired from this one worked like napalm, exploding over the monsters’ heads and spraying burning hot flames over the hapless beasts. Like his incendiary grenades, the missiles were packed with tar extracted from flamrock. The very same one that burned at over 3000 degrees Celsius. Hellfire rained down on the monsters, searing them until only ashes remained. And as the screaming monsters flailed about in the moments before their death, they spread the flames to their neighbors, creating a chain reaction. The monsters in Shea’s area had one of two choices... be blown to pieces or burned to ash.

To Shea’s left, Tio was wreaking havoc as well. From her hands she emitted black beams of light so hot they scorched the air they passed through. It was the same breath she’d fired on Hajime in her dragon form. It seemed she could use it in human form as well. Flames powerful enough to test even Hajime’s best defenses ripped through the army, burning straight through rows of enemies.

Tio gradually swept her arms from side to side, mowing down large swathes of monsters with her black barrage. When it finally stopped, the only things that remained were deep gouges cut into the earth. However, that single attack had drained her mana considerably. Tio tottered back and forth, her shoulders heaving. But with a single kiss of Hajime’s ring, her reserves were replenished, and she straightened up once more.

She’d pulled mana out of the ring Hajime had given her. With a majority of her section already wiped out, Tio decided to forgo the breath and stuck to spells that consumed relatively less mana.

“Rise up, O furious gale, imbued with the crimson inferno of hell itself— Purgatory Blaze!” In order to keep her mana consumption even lower, she went out of her way to say the chant. A fiery whirlwind appeared in front of her. It was easily big enough to rank F4 on the Fujita Tornado Scale.

It was dozens of meters wide, and as it advanced it pulled nearby monsters into its whirling tempest. One after another, monsters were pulled into the rotating inferno of death. They were only freed after they’d been reduced to ash in the crimson furnace, and thousands of monsters’ worth of ashes sprinkled to the ground like gray snow. Tio didn’t stop until the ground was blanketed in soot.

To Hajime’s right, Yue’s extermination campaign was even more gruesome. When Hajime and the others had started, Yue had still had her eyes closed. Sensing that the right wing was safe, the monsters had all crowded in that direction to begin their assault. They were packed so close together that it was impeding their charge. Finally, when they’d closed the distance to within 500 meters of Yue, she opened her eyes. She muttered a single word. Despite her voice barely being over a whisper, it reverberated across the battlefield.

“Asura.” That was the trigger for her spell. A spell that incorporated the gravity magic she had inherited from Miledi Reisen, powerful enough to influence the laws of the universe. It was such a difficult spell to master that even Yue, a vampire princess gifted with godlike talent in all areas of magic, needed time to build up the mana to cast it.

A sphere of darkness appeared above the monsters, similar to the one she’d summoned when fighting Tio. However, unlike that sphere, this one started morphing. It stretched and stretched until it surrounded a section of the monster army on all sides. Then, once it had blocked out the sunlight and trapped the monsters, it fell.

The simplest way to explain what happened next was that the monsters, and the ground they were standing on, just vanished. To the people of Ur, who were watching the battle from the safety of the city, that was certainly what it looked like.

What had actually happened wasn’t much more complicated than that. The pitch black blanket had fallen atop the monsters, crushing them under an immense weight that had created a crater ten meters deep.

Without even a chance to comprehend what had happened, the army of monsters had been flattened like pancakes. All that remained was a compressed pile of bodies in the crater below. In a single stroke, Yue had slaughtered two thousand monsters. Those unlucky enough to have been caught on the edge of the dome had had their bodies bisected, entrails and organs spilling from the remaining half of their bodies.

Because of the crater’s sudden appearance, the monsters charging in from behind didn’t have time to maneuver, and fell in rank after rank. The charge didn’t halt immediately, and monsters continued falling in for a good few seconds after that. Within seconds the hole was filled with thousands of monsters, and Yue drew on her ring for mana, casting another gravity spell. And so, the first batch of corpses were joined by a second layer of crushed bodies.

The air was thick with the metallic, cloying scent of monster blood. The wind carried it over to the town, causing a number of people to start throwing up. But still, they couldn’t take their eyes from the overwhelming might Hajime and his party displayed. Cheers of triumph rang out across the town.

David and his knights were staring dumbfounded as they watched the carnage unfold. Yuka, Atsushi, and the other students felt conflicted when they realized just how big the gap was between their power and Hajime’s.

At first they’d been pumped to help him defend the town, but they soon realized they were just like the townspeople, simply being protected. And by the same kid who they’d all bullied for being “worthless.” There were a lot of complicated feelings bottled up there.

Aiko was simply praying. For Hajime and his friends’ safety. At the same time, she finally realized the full implications of what she’d suggested. Seeing the merciless slaughter before her, it felt like her naive heart was being pummeled by a sledgehammer of all the contradictions she’d averted her gaze from.

Around the time the horde of monsters had thinned enough that people could see the northern horizon between gaps in their lines, Tio collapsed. She’d used up all of her own mana, along with the mana stored in the ring Hajime had given her.

“Ngh, it seems this is as far as I go. My apologies... I cannot muster a single fireball more.” Tio fell to the ground face-down, but mustered all of her strength to look up at Hajime. Her face was deathly pale as she apologized. It was obvious she’d used up everything she had.

“...That’s good enough. For a pervert, you’re pretty strong. Leave the rest to us and rest.”

“You’re so kind, Master... I was certain you would insult me, and yet... Though, sprinkling a few compliments in between insults is certainly enticing... Can I expect even harsher treatment from now on?”

“Go to sleep and never wake up.” Tio’s exhausted body tingled with excitement. Despite being white as a sheet, her expression was ecstatic. Hajime shook his head in disgust, then turned back to the hugely diminished swarm of monsters.

There couldn’t have been more than eight to nine thousand left. The army had been well and truly decimated.

And yet, the monsters continued charging mindlessly. Or rather, a portion of the monsters were still mindlessly commanding the remnants to charge. Most of the monsters had completely lost the will to fight, but they still dutifully followed their leaders’ orders to charge. It had taken their numbers to be thinned this much for Hajime to notice.

In her initial explanation, Tio had speculated that the robed boy had only brainwashed the leaders of each monster race’s respective tribes, and had them control their clans. From the looks of it, her hypothesis had been correct. That was a very efficient way of gathering troops.

Even someone with overpowered skills like Yukitoshi, who had been able to brainwash a dragonman like Tio, wouldn’t have been able to gather so many monsters in such a short time. That meant the fastest way to bring this to an end was to simply cut down all of the leaders, whose movements had already been dulled by the fact that they were brainwashed. With their commanders gone, the monsters would return to following their instincts and flee in the face of Hajime’s devastating might.

Hajime looked down at his two Metzeleis. Both of them were smoking from the barrel. It was clear the cooling system was starting to fail. If he pushed them any harder, they’d overheat. They were more or less at their limit.

Of course he could always repair them later, but as complex as their machinery was, it would take time. It wasn’t exactly something he could do on the spot. It seemed smarter to just change tactics and weapons.

“Yue, how much mana do you have left?”

“...Mmm, about two rings worth. Gravity magic takes more than I thought. I need more practice.”

“You already took down 20 thousand on your own, I’d say you’re doing pretty well. I’m gonna try and pinpoint specific targets from now on, so just back me up.”

“Okay.” Yue managed to grasp the entire situation from Hajime’s brief explanation and nodded. They really were perfectly in sync. Satisfied, Hajime turned to Shea.

“Shea, can you tell them apart?”

“Yep. There’s the controlled ones that feel like Tio did, and then the scaredy-cat ones, right?”

“Scaredy... Yeah, pretty much that. The controlled ones are probably the leaders of each unit. If we can just get those, the rest of the monsters’ll flee.”

“Oh, good. I was starting to run out of bullets, so I wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer anyway!”

“Y-Yeah... Is it just me, or have you gotten a lot more fierce recently?”

“Of course I have. Who do you think I’ve been hanging around all this time?” Shea grinned at Hajime, who smiled somewhat kindly back. But there was no time for sentimentality on the battlefield. Hajime quickly put his Metzeleis back into his Treasure Trove and pulled out Donner and Schlag. At the same time, Shea threw down her Orkan and unslung Drucken.

There were about a hundred leaders left. Their manipulator was probably worried about losing control of the few remaining monsters he had left, so he’d kept them near the back.

With Tio down for the count, and both Hajime and Shea’s heavy weaponry no longer in play, the monsters finally saw their chance. They charged forth with renewed vigor.

In order to open a path for the duo, Yue cast another one of her spells.

“Draconic Thunder.” Dark clouds appeared in what had been a clear sky seconds before, crackling with electricity. Seconds later, a dragon composed of lightning descended from the heavens with a thunderous roar. It swept across the monster army vanguard, its gaping maw vaporizing anything unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. The monsters faltered, their charge broken.

“Let’s go, Shea!”

“Aye aye, sir!”

Hajime and Shea dashed through the gap. Hajime sped forward with Supersonic Step, firing Donner and Schlag nonstop. His bullets weaved through waves of monsters, finding the smallest gaps until they arrived at their intended targets, the monsters’ leaders. Each bullet accurately struck a vital point, killing the monsters instantly.

The monsters in the vanguard couldn’t understand why their leaders were dying one after another, so they started to panic. Around the same time, a shadow suddenly appeared above one of the monsters. It looked up, and saw a girl with rabbit ears hurtling toward it, a massive warhammer in her hands.

She used its head as a launchpad, and jumped further into the horde of monsters. Shea repeated that action a few times, skipping from monster to monster, until finally she jumped off the last one with enough force to crush it, and used gravity magic to lighten her body. When she reached the peak of her leap, she multiplied her weight exponentially and dove toward the ground. She was heading straight for where a clump of monster leaders were huddling together. Using the recoil from Drucken’s shotgun blasts to accelerate herself even further, Shea hit the ground at breakneck speed. She transferred all of that kinetic energy into her hammer and swung down.

“Uryaaaaaaaaaa!” Drucken slammed into the ground with the force of a meteorite. The ground trembled, as if an earthquake had just occurred, and massive shockwaves spread out from the point of impact.

The Bulltaur that had been struck directly by the hammer was crushed to a pulp, chunks of its flesh flying in every direction. After a long flight, they fell to the ground. All that awaited them now was a slow decomposition and a return to the earth from which they came. The monsters that had been nearby suffered a similar fate. Nearby rocks and boulders had been sent flying from the force of Drucken’s impact, and they blew through the nearby monsters, shredding them.

Shea hefted Drucken out of the ground and dashed for another group of leaders. Naturally, the monsters weren’t just going to stay idle and let Shea have her way with them. They crowded around her, hoping to overwhelm her with numbers.

“You’re going to need more than that!” Shea pressed a lever, extending Drucken’s handle by a good meter, and then used Drucken’s shotgun recoil to start spinning like a top. The massive hammer, backed by centrifugal force, sent the monsters flying.

No Bulltaur was spared her wrath. A single dainty-looking girl was knocking monsters around like ping pong balls with a hammer several times her size. It was completely surreal.

Shea completed one full rotation, reset her stance, and started heading to the next group of leaders once more. But before she got very far, her sensitive ears picked up the sound of something rapidly approaching from her right. She calmly swung Drucken around, turning with her swing.

“Grrrrrrrr!”

“Wha—!?”

However, the four-eyed black wolf that had come charging at Shea had predicted her attack and stopped just in time to avoid getting blasted away by Drucken.

Normally, monsters would charge the moment they saw an opening. Shea had expected this wolf to be no different, and so focused her body strengthening on her leg, aiming a kick at the wolf’s head. However, it acted contrary to expectations.

“Huh? Wawawah!” Instead of charging at Shea, the wolf leaped at Drucken, wrapped its powerful jaws around it, and tried to pin it to the ground. Though of course, with how much she’d strengthened her body, a mere wolf’s strength was nothing to Shea. That being said, its movements had been so unexpected that it still succeeded in confusing Shea for a moment, which was all the time it needed. With perfect timing, another wolf leaped at Shea from behind, jaws open wide. Shea quickly undid the body strengthening around her leg, then applied it around her entire body. This way, she’d be ready for the coming attack.

A second before it reached her however, something blocked its path.

A strange metal cross suddenly appeared, with a sixty centimeter by forty centimeter round shield attached to its center. The round shield blocked the wolf’s path, preventing it from biting down on Shea.

“Fweh!? Wh-What the heck is this thing?” The wolf angrily tried to bite and claw its way past the shield, but the light crimson object didn’t even budge. A second later, there was a deafening boom, and wolf’s jaw was blown off.

“Graaaaaaah!” As the wolf writhed in pain, the cross suddenly floated above its head and with a second boom, blew its head off.

There was another series of booms, and Drucken suddenly felt a little lighter. Shea turned around to see two more floating crosses. They had shot the wolf through the head and stomach.

“Don’t let your guard down, Shea. A few of these monsters are clearly on a different level than the others. They don’t seem to be either brainwashed or following any other monsters’ orders. I’ll lend you three of my cross bits. Get the group of leaders over there. Yue said she can only hold the frontline for another five minutes.” Hajime sent her a telepathic message to explain the situation. Shea quickly snapped out of her stupor and regained her focus. She touched the choker on her neck, which she refused to call a collar, and telepathically replied.

“Roger! Thanks for the save. You really helped me out back there!”

“Yeah, just be careful.”

“...Fufu. You’ve started acting a lot nicer to me recently, Hajime-san. Just a little more and you’ll be head over heels for me!”

Shea cut off the telepathic link before saying that last bit aloud. She smiled softly to herself as she looked at the mechanical protectors Hajime had sent her way. Her motivation renewed, she charged toward the remaining leaders, keeping an eye out for any more of those wolf monsters.

“Sheesh, that girl’s always getting herself into trouble...” Hajime muttered to himself as he mowed down another wave of monsters. There were four crosses floating next to him as well.

These were the omni-directional, gravity-controlled weapons he’d created, cross bits. They functioned on the same principle as his Ornises, but these were designed for offense. They were each equipped with a rifle and shotgun, and he controlled them with the seven spirit stones embedded into a bracelet he was wearing. He had enchanted their outer coating with Diamond Skin, and with a command from his spirit stone, they could be transformed into powerful shields on a moment’s notice.

His gun-fu, combined with the barrage from his cross bits, made him an unapproachable storm of death. He’d already downed forty leaders, and because his Intimidation was on full blast, many of the monsters had begun to flee.

“Hm? Isn’t that...” At the edge of his vision, Hajime saw someone yelling wildly at the fleeing monsters. It looked suspiciously like a person’s head, so Hajime used Farsight to get a clearer image of what it was. It was unmistakably a human head, covered by a black robe.

Shimizu was yelling at his retreating army like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Seeing as it was having no effect, he raised up his artifact, a staff, and began chanting. Hajime naturally had no reason to let him finish, so he blew the staff out of Shimizu’s hands with a well-placed shot from Donner. The force of the shot sent Shimizu reeling back into his hole.

Hajime wasn’t sure if it was Shimizu’s doing or not, but a number of black wolves chose that moment to leap out from the crowd and try to take him down. Their strength and coordination was far greater than that of the regular monsters. They reminded Hajime of the Twin-Tailed Wolves he’d fought in the abyss. He guessed their strength was about on the same level too. They didn’t have the ability to manipulate lightning like the Twin-Tailed Wolves did, but judging by how they sometimes managed to dodge Hajime’s attacks with impeccable timing, he surmised their special magic had to be Foresight. And their coordination was superb... In other words, they matched up to the strength of the weakest monsters in the abyss. Even that was an impressive feat, though.

Could they be from further out than the second mountain range? But even if that’s the case... is Shimizu really working alone here? Hajime put those thoughts in the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on the enemy in front of him. And so, he switched his attention from the monster leaders to the twelve black wolves leaping at him.

He spun in a circle, firing Donner and Schlag in all directions to try and shoot down the coordinated pack surrounding him. Sine he knew they’d dodge his initial barrage with Foresight, he used Foresight himself to aim for where he expected them to be after dodging.

Some of them managed to dodge even that though, which surprised him. It seemed that like the Twin-Tailed Wolves, they had a crude form of telepathy that allowed them to exchange information during battle.

In the split second it took Hajime to reload, one of the remaining wolves leaped at him from behind. However, one of his cross bit’s slammed into it from above like a guillotine. Another one tried to use its downed comrade as a stepping stone to leap at Hajime, but he blew it apart with a shotgun blast from his artificial elbow.

The rest tried to surround to Hajime, but with a concentrated burst of fire from the remaining two cross bits, they were forced to abandon the idea. Hajime used Supersonic Step to slide through the opening his cross bits created, firing his twin revolvers behind him as he slipped out of the encirclement.

Two of the wolves tried to chase after him and set up a pincer attack, but Hajime’s cross bits shot them down, so Donner and Schlag claimed the lives of two more.

“Graaaaaah!” Another one of the wolves was hit by one of the monsters that had been blown back, and hurtled toward Hajime. Hajime dodged to the side, killed the monster coming his way, and blew the head off the wolf that was tangled up with it. He then rolled to his feet, only to find a wolf inches from his face, maw open wide. It had picked the perfect time and place to attack. Almost as if it had known where he would be. Anyone watching would have been certain Hajime had been bitten. However, Hajime swayed a little, and the wolf’s teeth clamped down on empty air. He had somehow moved a step back in the span of an instant. He then pressed Schlag into the wolf’s stomach and fired.

The remaining wolves all leaped at him, but for some reason every time they closed in, Hajime would suddenly be in a different spot. And every time, Hajime would shoot them down from point-blank range.

It looked almost as if the wolves were mistiming their own attacks, which in actuality they were. Hajime was using the derivative skill Illusion Waltz to confuse their senses. It was a derivative skill of Hide Presence, which left a decoy presence in the spot Hajime had been standing in for a few seconds while hiding his real presence. Because it looked like he was still there, the wolves couldn’t figure out that he was hiding his presence. Of course, if they had stopped to observe him, they would have seen through the trick. However, it was very difficult to focus on observation while in the middle of a life and death struggle. And because these wolves relied more on their senses than most monsters, his deception was doubly effective.

Plus, he was augmenting his Illusion Waltz with Riftwalk, and using his cross bits at the same time, so wolves, even as strong as the ones in the abyss, would never have a chance to even touch him. And so, in less than a minute, Shimizu’s trump cards had been annihilated without so much as putting a scratch on Hajime.

With the wolves out of the way, Hajime sent his cross bits out to finish off the remaining monster leaders. From the images his other cross bits were sending him, Shea would be done with her side shortly as well. Meanwhile, Yue’s Draconic Thunder was keeping the remaining monsters at bay.

In another two minutes, they had successfully eliminated all of the brainwashed monsters they could find. After he was sure there was no one else left, Hajime sucked in a huge breath and let out a mana-laced roar of epic proportions.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” His voice resounded throughout the battlefield. The sheer pressure of it intimidated the monsters, striking fear into their hearts. The entire army froze for a second. Then, they realized there was no longer anyone ordering them forward, so they slowly began backing away. When no one gave chase, they turned on their heels and fled back to the mountains, all of them making sure to give Hajime a wide berth.

He was like a rock in the middle of a flowing stream, diverting the flow of their retreat around himself. As he watched the retreat, Hajime saw Shimizu try and make a break for it in the chaos. He was riding what was probably the last of the four-eyed wolves.

“What a shame. It’s already too late. If you’d ordered all of your forces to cover your retreat earlier, you might have had a chance.” Hajime got on his knees, took careful aim with Donner, and fired two shots in quick succession.

His aim was perfect. Sensing danger, the wolf quickly leaped to the side and dodged the first shot, causing the second to strike it directly in the femur. Without a leg to stand on, the wolf collapsed to the ground, throwing Shimizu off. With how high his stats were, the fall didn’t cause any real damage to Shimizu, so he instantly got back up. He ran over to the wolf and started yelling something. When it didn’t respond, he kicked it in the head.

He was probably trying to get it back on its feet so he could escape. From the looks of it, he was already in the grips of hysteria. Realizing it wasn’t responded, he placed his hand on its head and started chanting something, most likely a spell to forcibly make it stand.

But Hajime didn’t give him the chance. He fired another bullet at its head, putting the wolf out of its misery. Shimizu was sent sprawling from the force of the bullet. He got up again, and began running on his own two feet, mixing in with the horde of monsters fleeing north.

Hajime pulled out Steiff, then raced after Shimizu. The boy turned around when he heard an unfamiliar sound, and did a double take when he saw a motorcycle, something that shouldn’t belong in this world, barreling toward him. He started running even faster, trying in vain to outstrip the bike.

“What the hell! What the hell is going on! This can’t be happening! I’m supposed to be the hero— Gweh!?” He started spewing a stream of curses, but one whack from Hajime’s prosthetic arm shut him up. Shimizu faceplanted into the ground and slid a few meters before coming to an unceremonious stop.

“Now then, I wonder what Sensei’ll do with you? And depending on how things go... with me.” Hajime mumbled to himself as he tied Shimizu up with wire from his artificial arm and started driving him back to the city. Clouds of dust still hung over the devastated plains, which were covered in a sea of blood and flesh. Hajime drove Steiff through the carnage while dragging Shimizu along. He was well and truly defeated now.

For Yukitoshi Shimizu, being spirited away to another world had always been his dream. He knew it wasn’t possible in reality, so he’d spent his free time reading light novels about being summoned to another world and daydreaming about his own adventures. He’d had countless fantasies about saving the world and winning himself a harem of girls.

Every inch of Shimizu’s room was covered with posters of cute anime girls, and he had a display rack for all of his figures, many of which were in suggestive poses. His bookshelf was packed with manga, light novels, art books, and visual novels of all kinds. Those that didn’t fit in his bookshelf were stacked up in corners of his room.

Yukitoshi Shimizu was an otaku through and through. However, none of his classmates knew that. He did a perfect job of hiding his hobbies. The reason was obvious. He’d seen how his class had treated Hajime. He wasn’t brave enough to be open about his hobbies when he knew it would get him bullied.

In his own words, he was just some minor NPC in his own class. He had no close friends, so he simply spent most of his time in school reading quietly at his desk. He’d reply briefly if spoken to, but never initiated conversations on his own. Because of how much he’d been bullied in middle school, he’d grown into a shy and withdrawn young man. It had gotten so bad that he’d stopped coming to school, choosing to shut himself up at home. From there, it was inevitable that he would drown himself in books, games, and anime.

His parents had, of course, been worried about him, but as he slipped deeper and deeper down the otaku hole, his brothers started treating him like a nuisance. Soon enough, Shimizu felt unwanted even in his own house.

Though he never let it show, the constant bullying warped his personality. He began to harbor a desire to lord over other people. That desire manifested itself in the games he played, as well as the fantasies he had.

That was why when Shimizu had finally been summoned to another world for real, he’d been overjoyed. Even when Aiko had been yelling at Ishtar to send them back, or when Kouki had been rousing the students to fight for the people, Shimizu had been lost in his own thoughts, thinking of how he would finally get to the become the hero he’d always dreamed of. Though he was elated at first, he soon began to grow discontent with his new otherworldly life. He came to realize that reality was very different from the fantasies he’d always had. First of all, while Shimizu did have overpowered cheat abilities, so did his other classmates. And the supposed hero wasn’t even him, but Kouki. Because of that, he was still no more than a minor NPC in the eyes of his classmates, and the girls all flocked to Kouki.

It was no different from how it had been in Japan. Even though his biggest wish had been granted, Shimizu only grew more spiteful and dissatisfied with his life.

How come he wasn’t the hero? How come Kouki was the only one getting all the girls? How come Kouki was the only one getting special treatment? He was certain that if he were the hero, he could do a better job. He knew that he’d be nicer to everyone if they came to him... He blamed others for all of his problems, and the egotistic conviction that only he was special began to eat away at his psyche.

It was then that the first expedition to the Great Orcus Labyrinth happened. Shimizu saw this expedition as his chance. No one ever noticed him. No one cared if he was there or not. But if he could show how awesome he was in a fight, his classmates would have to take notice of him. He didn’t even realize how unrealistic his hopes were... but the events in the labyrinth later forced him to realize the truth.

He wasn’t anyone special, the universe wasn’t going to bend over backwards to make him seem special, and if he let his guard down for even a second, he’d die. All his fantasies were shattered when he found himself surrounded by an army of Traum Soldiers, with a raging Behemoth at his back.

And when he saw one of his own classmates fall to his “death,” his poor heart shattered.

He’d kept himself going by making excuses and secretly despising everyone around him, so he was by no means strong-willed. Defeated, he reverted to being a shut-in when they returned to the palace, but he could no longer turn to anime and video games to find solace. So instead, he lost himself in books about dark magic, as his profession was Dark Mage.

Dark magic generally influenced the target’s thoughts and perception. In combat, its main purpose was to debuff enemies. He took to it like a fish to water, and he quickly grew proficient at creating illusions to disorient foes, interfering with their ability to cast magic, and even making them hurt themselves in confusion.

In his depressed state of mind, Shimizu came to realize something about the magic he was practicing. If he mastered dark magic completely, could he not control another person’s mind? The thought brought him great excitement. If he was correct, he could manipulate anyone to do anything he wanted. Anything. That twisted thought took root in his mind. From that day, he devoted himself utterly to the study of dark magic.

However, things didn’t go as well as he’d hoped. He learned that creatures with high intelligence, like humans, couldn’t be brainwashed unless he spent a day or more continually casting magic on them. This also required them to not resist at all.

Of course, most people would react if someone tried to cast a spell on them. This meant he’d need to find a way to put his target to sleep for long periods of time if he wanted to control them. Trying to hide for hours at a time to cast a spell on someone was physically and temporally impractical. Furthermore, the risk of being discovered was far too great, so he’d been forced to give up on brainwashing people.

As he’d been despairing, he’d suddenly remembered the reason they’d been summoned in the first place was because demons had started taking control of monsters. Monsters were far more instinctual than humans, who had a much stronger sense of self, which meant brainwashing them wouldn’t be as hard.

In order to confirm his theory, he’d snuck out of the capital every night to experiment on the weak monsters found in the nearby plains. He’d found that brainwashing them was far easier than brainwashing a person. Though it was only easy to him because of how much natural talent he’d already possessed. According to Ishtar, normal humans would have to spend their whole life to take control of one or two monsters.

Once he was certain of his abilities, Shimizu started craving stronger monsters to place under his control. However, he would feel embarrassed if he asked to join Kouki’s party now after all this time. As he was worrying about what to do, he heard about how some of the students were going to form an escort party to guard Aiko. He figured if he went with them, he’d be able to find some pretty strong monsters during his travels.

That was why when Aiko and the others had come to Ur, he’d disappeared and headed to the mountains to make more monster puppets. When he next returned, it would be at the head of a great monster army, and everyone would finally give him the respect he deserved.

Originally, even with his outstanding affinity for dark magic, and even if he’d focused only on the leaders of each tribe, he wouldn’t have been able to control more than a thousand or so. And he wouldn’t have been able to control monsters any stronger than a Bulltaur.

However, thanks to the assistance of a certain individual, along with the stroke of fortune that had let him control Tio, he’d been able to command monsters from as far away as the fourth mountain range. He forged a contract with said individual, who then started sending him more reinforcements every day. All that power finally corrupted him.

Convinced that he actually was special, he waited for an opportunity to unleash his might on Ur. However... he was handily defeated by Hajime, and brought to Aiko in chains... or well, ropes.

His all-powerful army had been mercilessly slaughtered. Hajime dumped the unconscious Shimizu in front of the students. His head bounced a few times on the ground before coming to a rest. Aiko and the others all gasped.

When she’d seen Hajime dragging Shimizu back, she’d waited for him outside the town walls. The only people present at the moment were Hajime, Tio, Shea, Yue, Will, the students, Aiko, David and his guards, and a few of the town’s most important people.

If they’d brought the culprit into town, Hajime had no doubt it would have caused an uproar, so he’d met them all here. The mayor and many of the other town’s prominent figures were busy dealing with the battle’s aftermath.

Aiko hesitantly walked up to Shimizu, who was still unconscious. The fact that he was wearing a black robe, and that Hajime had taken him directly from the battlefield, proved his guilt. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but now she had no choice. Aiko looked down sadly at Shimizu and shook him to wake him up.

“Aiko, he could still be dangerous.” David tried to stop her, but Aiko simply shook her head. She asked he be untied as well. She said she wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with him otherwise. Aiko still intended to have a teacher to student talk with him.

“Shimizu-kun, Shimizu-kun! Please wake up, Shimizu-kun!”

“Ngh...” Finally, Shimizu regained consciousness. He gazed around with unfocused eyes. A second later, he realized where he was, and came to himself with a start.

He tried to stand up, but the concussion still hadn’t worn off, so he fell back to the ground. Terrified, he tried to crawl backward. His eyes darted from one person to another, his expression a mixture of wariness and fear.

“Please calm down, Shimizu-kun. No one’s going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you. Why did you do something like this...? That’s all I want to know. I just want to understand your feelings.” Aiko kneeled down until she was at eye level, then gazed patiently at Shimizu. His eyes stopped darting about. He guiltily averted his gaze and that started explaining... or rather insulting everyone.

“Why? You can’t even tell why? That’s why you’re all a bunch of incompetent losers. You all always look down on me... and go on about hero this, hero that. Even though I’m way better than that prick Kouki... none of you ever noticed. You always just pretended like I wasn’t even there... You’re all a bunch of retards! That’s why I wanted to prove my worth to all of you...”

“You little... Do you realize what you did!? You nearly killed everyone in the town!”

“And you called us losers!?”

“Do you even know how worried Ai-chan-sensei was about you?”

Shimizu didn’t show the least bit of remorse. Atsushi, Nana, and Noboru couldn’t take it anymore and started yelling at him. Intimidated, Shimizu hung his head and went silent. Aiko couldn’t bear to see Shimizu like that, so she stopped Atsushi and the others from going any further. Then, in as gentle a voice as she could muster, she responded to his words.

“I see. So that’s what you were dissatisfied about, then... But you know, Shimizu-kun. I don’t understand, why would you try and get back at your classmates because of that? Why’d you try and attack the city? If you’d succeeded... and killed all the people of this town... even if you had an army of monsters at your command, that wouldn’t have proven your worth.” He looked up at Aiko, dark eyes peering through dirty bangs. He smiled thinly and gave a most shocking answer.

“It would have... to the demons.”

“Wha—!?” Everyone except Hajime and his party let out a gasp of surprise. His smile turned into a triumphant grin, which only made his voice grow stronger.

“I went alone to the northern mountain range to brainwash monsters. But while I was over there, I met a demon. I was wary at first, but... the demon just wanted to talk to me. And they were the first one who understood. Who understood my true worth. That was why... I made a contract with them.”

“A contract... you say? What kind of contract?” Aiko was shaken at the fact that one of her own students had made a deal with the enemy. But more than that, she was furious. She was convinced it was the demon that had led her student astray.

However, Shimizu simply grinned maniacally and gave the most disheartening answer she could’ve possible heard.

“A contract... to kill you, Hatayama-sensei.”

“...Eh?” For a second, Aiko couldn’t even comprehend what Shimizu had just said. The others were the same, but they recovered from their shock faster than Aiko. They glared at Shimizu with eyes full of rage. He shrunk back in the face of their unbridled hate, then desperately continued talking in an attempt to shake off their glares.

“What’s with that dumb look? Did you really think the demons were just ignoring you guys? There’s no way they could have ignored you, you’re even more of a threat than the hero. The demon told me that if I killed you... if I killed the fertility goddess along with the rest of the town, that I’d be recognized as a hero. That was the deal.” The corner of Shimizu’s mouth twitched, and he continued in an increasingly louder voice.

“They told me. They told me my power was the strongest. That it was a waste for me to languish beneath the hero. They actually understood. They gave me all these super strong monsters, and the strength to make a huge army... so I thought that... that I’d be able to kill you for sure! So why!? How!? How did you beat my army!? Where did you get those kinds of weapons in a fantasy world!? Just... Just what the hell are you!?” At first he’d been sneering, looking down on the students and Aiko, but as he continued his tirade Shimizu’s expression grew more and more angry, and by the end of it he was yelling at Hajime and not Aiko.

A hint of irritation, hatred, and jealousy slipped into his expression, along with the weariness, the fear, and the odd sense of superiority. However, what eclipsed it all was the insanity in his voice.

It would seem that Shimizu hadn’t even realized the white-haired boy was his classmate, Hajime Nagumo. Though seeing as he’d never said a single word to him, perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising. He glared at Hajime with hatred so fierce that it wouldn’t have surprised Hajime if he’d leaped at him then and there. Despite his tirade, Hajime didn’t react at all until Shimizu said “You damn chuuni!” Those words had touched a sensitive spot. He gazed off in the distance, his heart shattered by Shimizu’s callous words. Thinking he was being ignored, Shimizu got even more worked up.

Realizing what must have hurt Hajime so, Yue gently patted him on the back. Her kindness nearly moved him to tears. Hajime and Yue ignored the serious atmosphere and started flirting in their own little world. Possibly thanks to their blatant unwillingness to read the mood, the silence stretched on long enough for Aiko to finally absorb everything Shimizu had said and recover from her shock. She took a deep breath and grabbed Shimizu’s hand. Though he talked big, it seemed he lacked the courage to do anything more, so he didn’t move.

“Shimizu-kun. Just calm down.”

“Wh-What the fuck!? Get away from me!” He tried to shake Aiko off, but she strengthened her grip, making it clear that she wasn’t going to let go.

“Shimizu-kun... I understand how you feel. You want to be special. There’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone wants to feel like they’re special. And I’m sure you can even become someone special. Even if your methods were mistaken, you were able to do so much... Still, you mustn’t side with the demons. They only wish to use you. As a teacher, I cannot allow you to entrust yourself to such selfish people!” Unable to bear the weight of Aiko’s serious gaze, Shimizu gradually calmed down. He hung his head once more, his bangs hiding his face. Aiko continued appealing to his rationality.

“Shimizu-kun. It’s not too late to start over. If you say you’re willing to try again, I promise I’ll help you. Someone as strong as you can surely fight together with Amanogawa-kun. Don’t you want to help everyone find a way home and go back to Japan with us?” Shimizu quietly listened to Aiko, but his shoulders were trembling. Everyone thought he’d been so moved by Aiko’s speech that he was crying. In fact, Yuka, who was the most stoic person among their classmates, was already weeping. That was how heart-wrenching Aiko’s speech was.

Sadly, reality was cruel to them on that day. Aiko moved closer to pat his head, when suddenly Shimizu tightened his grip on Aiko and pulled her forward. He then wrapped his arm around her neck and started squeezing.

He pinned her arms behind her back, and pulled out a short, ten centimeter needle from somewhere and pointed it at her neck.

“Nobody move! Move and I stab her!” He tried to sound threatening, but he came across as hysteric. His mouth was twitching, and he glared at Hajime with eyes full of madness. The reason his shoulders had been trembling before was because he’d been trying to hold in his laughter.

Aiko desperately tried to peel Shimizu’s arm off her neck, but to no avail. Everyone froze, unwilling to risk Aiko’s life on a rescue attempt. Shimizu was crazy enough at this point that they believed he’d do it. Everyone started talking at once, screaming at Shimizu, or worriedly calling out Aiko’s name.

It was then that Hajime and Yue finally came back to reality. He’d been fretting about his over the top appearance this whole time, and was surprised to come back to see Aiko being threatened.

“Huh? When did all this happen...”

“This is a poisoned needle I took off one of the monsters in the mountains! One prick and she’s dead! So, if you don’t want your precious teacher writhing on the ground, drop your weapons now! All of you!” Everyone’s faces went pale. Shimizu grinned, then turned to look at Hajime.

“Hey, you damn chuuni bastard! You, no not the person behind you, you! Are you making fun of me, you fucker!? Keep this up and I’ll stab her! Hurry up and give me your gun! Your other weapons too!”

Still trying to escape from reality, Hajime turned around, as if Shimizu was talking about someone other than himself. However it didn’t work, so Hajime turned back around with a frown. Despite the tense atmosphere, Hajime seemed unruffled. His nonchalant attitude irked Shimizu to no end. Thinking he was being looked down upon, Shimizu completely lost it. Still hysterical, he demanded Hajime hand over his gun.

Hajime looked at Shimizu with eyes cold as ice.

“Um, you say that, but... if you don’t kill Sensei the demons won’t accept you, so you’ll have to kill her eventually anyway, right? In that case, what point is there in me handing my weapons over?”

“Shut up! Shut the fuck up! Shut up and give me everything you have! Retards like you should just listen to what I say! O-Oh yeah, hehe, why don’t you hand me that slave while you’re at it. Bring her to me!” Shimizu’s screams were nearly incoherent. He’d been driven so far into a corner that he could no longer make rational decisions. Shea shivered when he looked at her, looking back at him with eyes full of disgust.

“You can tell me to shut up all you want, but you’re still a loser... Hey Shea, don’t hide behind me just because he creeps you out. You’re just gonna make him more mad.”

“But he’s so disgusting... Just looking at him makes me sick... See, look at all these goosebumps! I didn’t even know people could be this gross.”

“Well, I suppose I can’t blame you. He said he wanted to be a hero, but he acts more like a two-bit villain that dies in the first chapter.” Whether because they didn’t care, or because they couldn’t keep their voices down in the face of such creepiness, their discussion was loud enough for all to hear. Shimizu’s face went from beet red, to sickly green, to pale white. It would seem he’d literally become so angry that he’d gone insane.

With empty eyes, Shimizu mumbled “I’m a hero. I’m special. Everyone else is just a moron. It’s all their fault. But that’s okay, because everything’ll work out. Because I’m a hero. Because I’m special.” Then suddenly, he started laughing deliriously.

“Sh-Shimizu-kun... please... we can... talk... this out...” Despite the situation she was in, Aiko still tried to reason with her student. Aiko’s words cut his maniacal laughter, and he started squeezing down on her neck even harder.

“Shut up! You keep pretending to be a good person, but you’re just a hypocrite! I don’t care about what you have to say. Just shut up and be a good hostage.” Shimizu’s gaze returned to Hajime. His earlier hysteria was gone. Now, his eyes were filled with nothing but hatred. He shot a quick glance at the revolvers strapped to Hajime’s thighs. Even without words, his intentions were clear. If Hajime hesitated for even a moment, he’d kill Aiko without a second thought. He no longer cared anything for his own safety.

Hajime sighed. Thinking he could just shoot a wire and shock them both with Lightning Field when he went to hand over his guns, he slowly reached for Donner and Schlag.

With how small Aiko was, and how fast he could draw and fire, Hajime could easily shoot Shimizu before he had a chance to do anything, but he decided Aiko needed to be taught a lesson too.

However, before he could hand his guns over, something happened.

“Huh!? Oh no! Get out of the way!” Shea yelled out as she leaped toward Aiko faster than anyone could blink.

Panicking, Shimizu tried to stab Aiko with the needle. Shea pulled Aiko free and dived out of the way. A second later, a torrent of water slammed into Shimizu’s chest, directly where Aiko’s head had been not even a second ago.

Hajime, who’d also been in the line of fire, diverted the stream with a shot from Donner. Someone must have cast Rupture.

Shea hit the ground shoulder-first, and sliding a few meters before coming to a stop. A cloud of dust rose up behind her, and she groaned painfully.

“Shea!” Yue frantically called out Shea’s name and rushed over to her. She took a protective stance in front of the two of them.

Inwardly thanking Yue for knowing what to do without him having to say anything, Hajime steadied Donner with both hands and used Farsight to find the source of the spell. He spotted a dark-skinned man in dark clothing with pointed ears and swept back hair riding atop a giant bird-like monster.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! After a second’s hesitation, he fired a volley of shots at the monster and the figure riding it. The man had predicted Hajime’s attack, so he made his mount do a barrel roll, barely avoiding the volley of shots. However, one had still grazed past its mount’s foot, blowing it clean off. Another had hit his arm, doing the same. Still, he didn’t falter for even a second, and fled as fast as he could. He was clearly well practiced at making his getaways after assassination attempts.

Hajime guessed that was the demon Shimizu had made a deal with. He fled into the town and flew low, using the city’s buildings as a shield.

Hajime grimaced as he realized this demon had a pretty good grasp of Hajime’s offensive capabilities and was most likely planning on reporting that to his people. If he managed to escape into the woods that surrounded Urdea Lake, Hajime would have had a hard time tracking him down even with his Ornises, but there was something that took priority over all of that.

“Hajime!” For the first time in Hajime’s memory, Yue’s voice was tinged with panic.

Hajime holstered Donner and ran toward Shea, ignoring Shimizu entirely. She was resting in Yue’s lap, her face scrunched up in pain. Next to her was Aiko, still cradled in Yue’s arms. She too looked to be in considerable pain.

“H-Hajime-san... Ngh... I’m... fine... Please... l-look after your teacher... the needle grazed her skin...” There was a gaping hole in Shea’s stomach. She’d managed to use her body strengthening to halt the bleeding, but it was obvious from her expression that she was in a lot of pain. Despite that, she still smiled faintly and put Aiko’s safety above her own.

Hajime looked over and saw that Aiko was even paler than Shea, and her limbs were convulsing. Aiko’s eyes locked with Hajime’s. She weakly shook her head and pointed to Shea. It seemed she’d heard their conversation, but the poison had already left her unable to talk. If Shimizu had really been telling the truth she would only last for a couple more minutes, but judging from her condition, she didn’t have more than a minute left in her. And the longer it took to heal her, the greater the chance that the poison would cause permanent damage.

Hajime looked over at Shea, nodded, and pulled out a vial from his Treasure Trove. It was around that time that the other students and guards finally caught up, and the area around Hajime turned into a cacophony of screams.

“Aiko, Aiko!”

“No... Sensei! What do we do? What do we do, Nagumo? Sensei’s going to die!”

“S-Shea-san looks like she’s in bad shape too! Goddammit! It’s going to happen again...”

Yuka and David were particularly shaken. The person they loved was on the brink of death, so it was only natural. It was even worse for Yuka since seeing Aiko on the verge of death triggered flashbacks to when she’d seen Hajime fall. She didn’t want to see someone she knew die again. The students and guards all crowded around Hajime, some of them were worried about Aiko’s safety, others tried to shove past him, and yet others tried to cast ineffective healing magic. With a single scream Hajime silenced the entire crowd, and they took a hesitant step back.

Hajime was honestly a little surprised. He was angrier about Shea getting hurt than he thought he’d be. Without him even noticing it, she’d become someone dear to him. And that was why he was so furious with himself for failing to consider the possibility that the demon Shimizu had made a deal with was waiting somewhere nearby.

He’d assumed that if anyone wanted to harm Aiko or the students, they would have done it while he was away fighting on the front line. So when no one had come for them during the battle, he’d mistakenly felt that they were safe from further threats, despite having no basis for that conclusion.

In reality, the demon had been hoping to assassinate Aiko in the confusion of the battle, but Hajime and his party’s strength had been so overwhelming that all he could do was watch. And so, he had waited for another opportunity while Shimizu and Aiko had been talking. He had actually planned on letting Shimizu finish Aiko off and just watch from the shadows, but midway through their conversation he realized with how powerful Hajime was, it was likely he could rescue Aiko before Shimizu had a chance, so instead, he’d tried to kill them both with his magic.

However, the nimble demon had made a single mistake. He’d included Hajime and the others as a target, in an attempt to eliminate all dangerous threats at once. Unfortunately for him, that had caused Shea’s special magic to activate.

Namely, Future Sight. Because Hajime, and Shea who had been standing behind him, had been in the path of the demon’s rupture, Shea had been able to see it seconds before it actually happened. Thanks to that, she’d been able to save Aiko’s life. At the risk of her own, she’d changed the future. Hajime wasn’t sure why she’d risked herself for Aiko when she hadn’t even known her all that well, but he wasn’t about to let her sacrifice go to waste. And so, he didn’t hesitate to use one of his Ambrosia vials on Aiko. There wasn’t enough time to try anything else.

Hajime took Aiko from Yue’s arms and gently poured drops of Ambrosia into her mouth. Aiko glared at Hajime, angry that he’d helped her before helping Shea, but he ignored her. Right now, Aiko’s, and even Hajime’s desires weren’t important. Shea’s feelings took precedence over all of that.

That was why Hajime kept treating Aiko despite her protests. However, Aiko’s entire body had started spasming, and she was having trouble swallowing the liquid that could save her life. Worse, she ended up getting it down her airway and coughed a lot of it back out.

“Tch, this doesn’t look good... Looks like I don’t have a choice.” Seeing that Aiko no longer had the strength left to swallow on her own, Hajime poured the remnants of the vial down his own mouth and covered Aiko’s lips with his own, forcing the liquid down her throat.

“Wha—!?” Aiko’s eyes opened wide. The people around Hajime all yelled in surprise. He ignored them and plunged his tongue deeper into Aiko’s mouth to ensure all of the Ambrosia went down her throat. There was no embarrassment or guilt in his expression. He was simply doing what he needed to save her life.

Finally, the last drops of Ambrosia slid down Aiko’s throat. The pain began to recede from her body, the exhaustion and chills fading as the liquid worked its magic. Aiko felt as if someone had lit a fire inside her. In fact, it was almost as if someone had taken her frozen body and dipped it into a hot springs. Her entire body started trembling.

The Ambrosia had been effective, as always. Compared to repairing a body destroyed from the inside by monster meat, poison was nothing. The effects were instantaneous.

After a second that felt like an eternity, Hajime pulled his lips away. There was a single silver strand connecting their mouths. Hajime continued watching Aiko for a few seconds more, just to make sure the Ambrosia had healed her through the worst of the poison.

Meanwhile, Aiko was staring at Hajime with a blank look on her face.

“Sensei.”

“......”

“Sensei?”

“......”

“Snap out of it, Sensei!” “Fweh!?” Hajime called out to his teacher multiple times, but she didn’t respond. Annoyed, Hajime slapped her cheek, making Aiko let out a startled cry.

“How are you feeling? Does it still hurt anywhere?”

“Eh? Ah, umm, no, I-I-I’m fine. In fact, I feel better than fine... Wait, that’s not the problem here! I-I didn’t mean to imply that what just happened was what felt good, I mean the medicine!”

“Alright, good.” Hajime dismissed the flustered Aiko with a curt nod and released her. Then, he looked back at Shea in concern. Though she was surprised by the sudden kiss, Aiko quickly composed herself, realizing now was neither the time nor place to worry about such things.

Hajime splashed half of another vial of Ambrosia onto Shea’s wound, and then brought the remainder up to her lips. There was a faint hissing noise as the hole in her stomach started closing up. However, Shea refused to drink the rest of the Ambrosia and shook her head.

“H-Hajime-san...”

“Shea, why—”

“I want you... to feed it to me... ngh... mouth to mouth too~”

“A-Are you kidding me...” Even though she was drenched in sweat from the agonizing pain, the maddening rabbit still prioritized seducing Hajime over everything. Even Hajime couldn’t help but admire such staunch opportunism. Still, he had no reason to kiss her in public, so he ignored Yue’s silent entreaty and forcibly shoved the vial into her mouth.

“Mmph...!? Mmmgh... Pwah... Hajime-san, you meanie. I’m jealous of your teacher now.”

“Hajime... Hmph.”

“Huh!? S-Shea-san, that was different. He only did that to save my life! It’s completely different from what you’re thinking! I’m his teacher, I could never do that with a student!” Flustered, Aiko started explaining what everyone present already understood. Hajime sighed, a mixture of exhaustion and relief on his face as he turned away from Shea’s pouting stare and Yue’s disapproving gaze.

Then, before the peanut gallery could start up again, Hajime brought everyone’s attention back to the person they’d forgotten. Well, everyone except Aiko, anyway. After all, he was one of her important students. However, while she hadn’t forgotten, she also hadn’t processed everything that had happened. Hajime called out to the guard standing next to Shimizu.

“...Hey you, is Shimizu still alive?” There was a collective sense of realization as everyone’s attention returned to Shimizu, who was still collapsed on the floor. Only Aiko looked around with a confused expression for a second before remembering what it was that Shea had protected her from. Her face paled, and she quickly ran over to where Shimizu was laying and grabbed his hand.

“Shimizu-kun! Aaah how... awful.” He had a hole in his chest as large as the one Shea had had in her stomach. It was still spurting blood, despite the massive pool of it that he was already lying in. If he wasn’t dead already, he wouldn’t last more than a few minutes more.

“I-I don’t want to die... S-Someone please save me... It wasn’t supposed to... This... can’t be happening...” Whether he was talking to Aiko or just to himself, no one was sure. Aiko desperately cast her glance around her, but the people around her awkwardly averted their gaze. He was already beyond help. And it was clear from their expressions that even if he wasn’t, they didn’t want to save him anyway. Only the students were different. True, they couldn’t forgive Shimizu’s atrocities, but they still didn’t want him to die. They haltingly looked over at Hajime. Aiko, too, turned to Hajime and shouted desperately.

“Nagumo-kun! If we use that medicine of yours we can still save him! Please!”

“Figures...” Hajime sighed and walked over to Shimizu. He’d expected this, but even knowing what her answer would be, he still asked to make sure.

“Do you really want to save him, Sensei? He tried to kill you. Even if you’re his teacher, you don’t have to go this far for him.”

I wonder how many teachers out there would be this desperate to save their student even after they tried to kill them. Especially for a reason as flimsy as “because he’s my student.” That was far above and beyond what was required of any teacher.

Aiko realized what Hajime was really trying to ask with his question. For a second her gaze wavered, but then she set her jaw and answered resolutely,

“You may have a point. In fact, you’re probably right. However, this is the kind of teacher I want to be. When I became a teacher, I swore an oath that I would always be there for my students. Nagumo-kun... please... save him...”

Hajime scratched his head and sighed unhappily.

“I guess that’s just how you are,” he said, defeated. He looked up at the sky and lapsed into thought for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, he came to a decision. He opened his eyes and knelt next to Shimizu.

“Shimizu. Can you hear me? I can save your life.”

“Huh!?”

“But before I do, I need to ask you something.”

“......” At Hajime’s words, Shimizu stopped his mumblings and looked at Hajime, eyes bulging in surprise. Whether those mutterings had been begging for salvation or cursing the world around him, it seemed Hajime had his attention now. After a brief pause, Hajime continued.

“Are you...my enemy?” Shimizu shook his head without hesitation. He smiled weakly and started talking.

“I-I’m not... I-I don’t know what came over me. I promise... I won’t do it again. If you save me, I-I’ll do anything you ask. I’ll make you... an army... I’ll even brainwash any girl you want... I-I swear... I’ll be loyal to you forever. Please... I’m begging you... save me...” Hajime’s face went blank. He stared hard into Shimizu’s eyes, as if trying to discern the veracity of his words.

Feeling as if his every secret was being laid bare, Shimizu hurriedly averted his gaze. However, Hajime had seen all that he needed to. Shimizu had sunk even further into insanity. Hatred, anger, jealousy, desire, and a hodgepodge of other negative emotions were all that he had left to him. He had sunk so deep into the darkness that the light could no longer reach him.

Hajime was certain. No matter what Aiko said, she could no longer sway Shimizu’s heart. And if he saved him now, Shimizu would definitely come back as an enemy someday. Of course, there was only one fate that awaited enemies...

Hajime looked over briefly at Aiko. Their eyes met. In that instant, Aiko realized what Hajime was about to do. The blood drained from her face, and she tried to stop him.

“Don’t!” However, Hajime was faster. Two gunshots resounded throughout the town.

“Huh!?” Someone let out a gasp of surprise.

One shot to the head, another to the heart. Shimizu was granted a certain and swift death at Hajime’s hands.

No one said a word in the seconds that followed, and the only thing that moved was a thin plume of white smoke rising from Hajime’s revolver. Finally, a tiny voice broke through the oppressive silence.

“Why?” Aiko. She stared dumbfounded at the empty shell that was Shimizu’s corpse. His soul had already begun the journey to the afterlife.

Hajime turned to look at Aiko. She quietly met his gaze. In her eyes was a mixture of anger and sadness, doubt and fear. Each of her emotions vied for supremacy, appearing and disappearing at regular intervals.

“Because he was my enemy.” His answer was short and to the point.

“No! Shimizu-kun was...”

“Did you honestly believe you could reform him? Sorry, but I’m not trusting enough to believe that. And more importantly, I have faith in my ability to judge people.” At the end, Shimizu’s eyes had betrayed just how far he had fallen.

Hajime had hoped that Aiko’s compassion would have shown him the error of his ways, as he was on the brink of death. He had hoped she could save Shimizu the way Yue had once saved him...

That was why he’d asked what he did. If there was any hope for him at all, Hajime would have been willing to hand Shimizu over to Aiko and give him a second chance, though he would have kept an eye on him. However, even as he lay dying, there was not an iota of remorse in him.

Aiko must have also realized it, but because she believed in her principles as a teacher, she couldn’t abandon him. Not without abandoning who she was.

“That doesn’t mean you had to kill him! If we’d just locked him up in the palace, maybe when we’d finally made it back to Japan he’d... There was still a chance!”

“I know no matter what I say, you won’t be able to accept what I did, Sensei. I killed one of your precious students. I’ll let you decide what you want to do with me.”

“But that’s...”

“You said that my way of life was ‘lonely.’ Those words really made me rethink a lot of things. Even so, I don’t think I can change my mindset so easily... not in this world where life is cheaper than dirt. And honestly, I don’t want to. Rather, I don’t have the luxury to.”

“Nagumo-kun...”

“I may do the same thing again. If I think it’s necessary... I’ll pull the trigger as many times as it takes. If you think I’m wrong... then do what you think you must, Sensei. Just remember, whether it’s you, or any of my other classmates, I’ll kill anyone that becomes my enemy without hesitation.” Aiko bit her lip and hung her head. She was the one who had told Hajime that she wouldn’t hold it against him if he chose not to help after listening to what she said. Now she didn’t know what else to say.

Hajime silently turned on his heel and headed back to Yue and Shea. There was nothing more for him to do here. Seeing his piercing gaze, Will reluctantly followed behind Hajime, though he frequently glanced back to see how Aiko and the town was faring.

The mayor and Aiko’s guards reached out to stop Hajime, but gave up when he unleashed his Intimidation. Though they were interested in his artifacts, and in himself as a person, the memory of what he’d done to the monster army was still fresh in their minds, so their outstretched hands limply fell to their sides.

“Nagumo...” Yuka muttered. She didn’t want to stop him. She wasn’t even sure why she’d called out to him. The whirlwind of events that had just occurred had left her too confused to know what she was feeling anymore. Atsushi and the others looked like they wanted to say something too, but their emotions were too jumbled up for them to get the words out.

“Nagumo-kun! I... I...” Though she still didn’t know what to say, Aiko’s pride as a teacher refused to let Hajime go just like that. Hajime stopped and said something without looking back.

“Sensei, your ideals are already dead, but despite all that, I’m glad that even in this world, you continue to be our teacher no matter what. I hope you can continue to stay strong.” He started walking again and didn’t stop until he was outside the ring of villagers. Then, he pulled out Brise and rode off into the distance, leaving behind a solemn group of students and a town full of people still happy to be alive.

Hajime drove south down the highway, with Brise kicking up clouds of dust that obscured the mountains to the north. It was more a trail that had been pounded down by thousands of feet over hundreds of years than a proper road, but it was still infinitely better than the rough path they’d taken to the mountain. Brise was equipped proper suspension, so the drive was far smoother than their last trip.

Shea seemed to prefer Steiff over Brise however, as she’d opened her window and stuck her head outside to enjoy the outside air. Her rabbit ears flapped wildly in the breeze. She much preferred a style of travel where she could feel the wind whistling past her ears and could wrap her arms around Hajime.

As always, Hajime was in the driver’s seat. Next to him was, of course, Yue. Next to her was Shea, while Will sat in the back. Will leaned forward and asked Hajime something in a hesitant voice.

“Umm, was it really okay to just leave like that? Shouldn’t you have talked things through a bit more... especially with Aiko-dono?” Hajime responded casually without turning around.

“Hm? Nah, not really. If I’d stayed any longer, then things would have just became more of a pain... Plus, I think it’s better for Sensei if I’m not near her for a while.”

“I suppose you have a point...”

“You’re... really soft, you know that? Like... you’re always worrying more about others than yourself.”

Will smiled awkwardly at that. Not only had he mourned over the deaths of adventurers he couldn’t have known for more than a few days, he stayed behind to help townspeople that had nothing to do with him, and even forgave Tio. And now, despite the fact that Hajime had practically kidnapped him, Will was still worried about Hajime’s relationship with Aiko. Hajime had figured any noble willing to throw their life away to become an adventurer would have to be an oddball, but this was even more than that. Will was kind to a fault, to the point where even Hajime worried about him a little.

“...You’re a nice person.”

“Yeah, you really are~”

“Indeed, you are a kind man.”

Will was momentarily flummoxed. He knew they were praising him, but it felt weird as a guy to be called nice by girls.

“Wh-Who cares about me... I just wanted to say you should have explained your reasons properly.”

“My reasons?” Hajime raised his eyebrows in confusion. Will scratched his cheek awkwardly before continuing.

“Yes. Your reasons for killing that boy... even though you knew it would cause Aiko-dono pain.”

“I did, didn’t I? He was an enemy, so...”

“Even if that was a good enough reason not to save him, that wasn’t a good enough reason to kill him, right? After all, he’d already been fatally wounded. You could have just left him there to die, but you killed him instead. We both know there was a reason for that.”

“...You’re a pretty sharp kid.” Will was absolutely right. Hajime had assumed the impact of killing Shimizu while Aiko was begging him to save him had been enough to hide his true intentions, but while his other classmates had been shocked, it seemed Will had seen right through him.

Are all nobles this good at observing people, or just him? Hajime was honestly impressed.

“Come to think of it, that was bugging me too,” Shea said, as she pulled her head back in to better hear their conversation. Hajime hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to answer. But before he could say anything, Yue answered for him.

“Hajime’s a tsundere.”

“.....”

“Tsundere?” Hajime kept a perfect poker face, hiding his true thoughts from plain sight. The others all repeated the unfamiliar word, confused.

“Were you trying to repay her kindness? Or was that just your way of looking out for her?”

“I just did it because the opportunity was there.” Hajime sulkily turned away. Realizing Yue must have figured it out, Shea and Will huddled in closer for an explanation.

Since it didn’t look like Hajime would elaborate, it fell to Yue to explain. The gist of it was that Hajime hadn’t wanted Aiko to feel responsible for Shimizu’s death.

Shimizu had said it himself. The demon he’d made a contract with had wanted to kill Aiko. It was obvious he’d used Shimizu for that very purpose. That last attack of his had clearly been aimed at Aiko. Shimizu had just been collateral damage.

Naturally, his death was in no way Aiko’s fault. He’d sold his soul to a demon of his own free will because of his greed. He’d reaped what he’d sown. And even if you decided he wasn’t to blame for his own actions, it was clearly the demon who had dealt the fatal blow, and thus his fault.

However, would Aiko have been able to accept that? It was obvious to everyone present that the last attack had been aimed at her. Furthermore, Aiko had a strong sense of justice, especially when it came to her students. It was highly likely that she would have thought it was her fault for getting Shimizu involved in that attack. She would have believed it was her fault that he had died. Would she have been able to bear that guilt? Hajime at least hadn’t thought so.

From the start, Aiko had been the most uneasy and afraid of the world they’d been summoned to. Despite that, she’d never once stopped, complained, or given in to her fear. No matter the situation, she had always done everything in her power to help her students. After all, that was what it meant to be a teacher in her mind.

It was easy to imagine what would happen if she started to believe she was responsible for killing one of the students she had sworn to protect. The pain would be far greater than when she’d heard Hajime had died, far greater even than when he’d told her one of her precious students had been the one that had betrayed him. Enough to break her, basically.

Hajime obviously hadn’t wanted Aiko to break so that he could keep her as a future ally, but he had also been genuinely worried about her. He had always felt Aiko had been a bit too idealistic. That had been the reason she was so full of contradictions.

But even so, he’d believed the words she’d given him would lead Yue and Shea to a better, happier life. That was why, even though they were in a different world, even though Hajime was a completely different person, he’d still been grateful for the lecture she’d given him as his teacher.

That was why Hajime had killed Shimizu himself. He had wanted to impress as strongly as possible that Shimizu had been his enemy. And that it was Hajime who bore the responsibility of his death. He had felt that had been the least he could do to keep Aiko from breaking, to make sure she could always be the teacher she dreamed of being.

“Fufu, you really are a tsundere, Hajime-san.”

“So that’s what it was...”

“I see. So Master has a cute side to him as well, then.”

Everyone looked playfully at Hajime after Yue finished explaining his motives. Hajime pointedly continued not looking at anyone.

“But I think Aiko will find out.”

“......” Hajime looked silently over to Yue. She gazed back at him, eyes full of kindness.

“Aiko is your teacher. Someone whose words are powerful enough to move you. She’ll discover the truth eventually.”

“Yue...”

“Don’t worry. She’s strong. Things won’t end up the way you fear.”

“......”

Yue held a lot of respect for Aiko. She was the only one who’d managed to get Hajime to think back on the humanity he’d thrown away, something even Yue hadn’t been able to do.

Hajime saw an unwavering strength and kindness in Yue’s eyes, which softened his own gaze. Yue’s words had cleared away the dark thoughts he’d been brooding over. He no longer felt as worried about Aiko and what would happen to her in the future.

“Haah, there they go, off in their own little world again. When will I get to be like that with him?”

“Th-This is... really sweet, isn’t it?”

“Hmm, while I personally prefer being insulted and debased... that looks somewhat enticing as well.”

The other three watched Hajime and Yue with a mixture of awkwardness and jealousy. Shea had puffed her cheeks out and was pouting loudly.

Sensing her displeasure, Yue looked over at Shea, and then back to Hajime. The silent entreaty in her gaze was clear. “Shea deserves a reward too.” Shea had risked her life to save Aiko. If it hadn’t been for her Future Sight and timely intervention, Aiko would have died. Hajime definitely owed Shea for saving his teacher’s life. He understood that full well, so though he grumbled a little he dutifully turned to Shea.

“Shea. Umm, you were a real lifesaver. It’s a bit late, I know, but... thank you.”

“...Who are you?”

He’d worked up his courage to finally convey his gratitude, and all he got in return was a surprised stare and those words. A vein throbbed in Hajime’s forehead, but he knew he deserved it, so he held his anger in.

“Well, I guess it’s my fault your reaction’s like that... but honestly, I really am grateful, you know?” This time Hajime properly met Shea’s gaze and showed his gratitude once more. Shea felt a jolt of electricity run through her body, then she started fidgeting abashedly. Her cheeks were bright red, and she was looking anywhere but at Hajime. Her rabbit ears danced from side to side as well.

“U-Umm... It wasn’t anything special, so you really don’t need to thank me or anything... J-Jeez... What’s with you all of a sudden! That’s really embarrassing, you know... Ehehe.”

Hajime smiled faintly and asked something that had been bugging him for a while.

“Shea. I was wondering... why’d you jump in to save Sensei? It’s not like you knew her that well or anything. Not enough to risk your life for her, at least...”

“Because she’s someone important to you, Hajime-san.”

“That’s it?”

“Huh? Well, yeah, that’s the only reason.”

“I see...” Hajime’s expression was hard to read. Aiko certainly was an important existence to him. Unlike most of his classmates, he would’ve actually cared if she died, so he was glad she’d survived.

Though he couldn’t remember ever saying or doing anything that had shown he cared about Aiko more than other people... it looked like both Yue and Shea could read him like an open book regardless. I guess it shows that’s how much they’re always thinking of me. I know it’s a bit late to be realizing it now, but I really have some great companions.

Even without Yue urging him on, Hajime knew Shea deserved some kind of reward.

“Shea. Is there anything you want me to do for you?”

“Eh? Anything I want you... to do for me?”

“Yeah. Think of it as like... a reward for your hard work. Just keep it reasonable, okay?”

Shea was taken aback. She’d just done what anyone would have for their comrades, so she felt like Hajime was exaggerating her achievements a little. She groaned to herself and looked to Yue for help, but Yue just looked back kindly and nodded. “This is Hajime’s way of saying thanks, you should just take it,” her gaze seemed to say. Shea thought about it for a few seconds more, then broke out into a wide grin. She nodded back to Yue and turned to Hajime.

“Okay, then I want you to take my first—”

“Denied.” Hajime instantly shot her down. Shea glared sulkily at him.

“But why? That was clearly supposed to be your dere moment! Right? Right? Come on, can’t you read the mood a little!?”

“I told you to keep it reasonable.”

“That’s totally reasonable! You do it with Yue-san all the time! Don’t think I don’t see you two sneak off every now and then! How do you think I feel, watching you two go off to have sex all the time!? I bet you two are going to send me off on some errand when we get to Fuhren so you can fuck like rabbits all day again! Hic... I’m... I’m going to be sent off alone again. And then I’ll have to pretend I don’t notice Yue-san’s disheveled hair when I get back... Poor me...”

“Come on, don’t cry... Yue’s the one I’m in love with, I can’t change that now. And you, well, I do care about you, but that’s not really the same thing as love... so you know...”

“Waaa... Hajime, you limp-dick bastard!”

“Hey...”

“Dickless wimp! Homo! Good-for-nothing loser! Pervert!” In the span of a few seconds, Shea’s excitement had transformed into indignation. She let out all of her pent-up frustration at once, pelting Hajime with insults. Behind her, Will and Tio let out a chuckle.

“Hahaha... She really called the guy who wiped out an army of sixty thousand monsters... a limp-dick bastard... Hahaha.”

“Master is surprisingly pure at heart. To think he hasn’t even lain with her yet... I suppose that means even I’m ahead of her, as he violated my anus...”

They made no effort to hide their voices. Hajime seriously considered throwing them out of the car for a second, but Yue’s reproachful glare kept him in check.

Hajime awkwardly turned back to Shea. He promised to himself he’d strangle Will later. As for Tio... she’d only enjoy it, so he decided to ignore her.

“Shea. Can’t you lower the bar a bit? Anything else, I’ll...”

“...Hajime, is it really impossible?” For some reason, Yue was taking Shea’s side. Shea hugged Yue and started sobbing in her arms.

It was obvious Yue had no problem with Hajime sleeping with Shea. Yue had really started taking a liking to Shea. At first their relationship had been more like friends, but it had grown into something more akin to an older sister looking after her excitable younger sibling. And said older sister seemed to have a huge sister complex.

It wasn’t everyday someone’s lover asked them to have sex with another girl. Hajime buried his face in his hands, despairing. But no matter what anyone said, he had his own principles.

“The only person my heart desires is you, Yue. I don’t have anything against Shea, and I do care about her, but... I can’t treat her the same as you.” Yue let out a strange sound in response. Shea’s rabbit ears perked up and she looked suspiciously at Hajime, suddenly wary.

“I want to be faithful to you Yue. And no matter what the reason is, I don’t think I could accept you having another man, either. Call me selfish or petty all you want, but... I was hoping you’d feel the same way about me, Yue. So whether it’s Shea, or any other girl, could you please stop telling me to have sex with them?”

“...Hajime.” With Shea still in her arms, Yue stared into Hajime’s eyes, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Hajime gently stroked her cheek. The two were lost in their own world again. It almost seemed as if the air around them turned visibly more pink. Shea slowly nudged her way closer and closer to their faces.

“They’ve totally forgotten about me again, haven’t they? Even though this was supposed to be about my reward...” Shea glared daggers at the two of them. However, they were too busy flirting to notice. Finally, they came back to reality and slowly broke away from each other. Yue shyly twirled a stray strand of hair with her fingers.

She hadn’t been ready for such a passionate confession, so there was still a faint smile on her usually expressionless face. Other people might have found Hajime’s words a bit too possessive, but Yue couldn’t have been happier to hear them. That was why she’d forgotten about everything but him for a few minutes.

“I see. So that’s how your relationship is, then... It must be hard for you, Shea-dono.”

“Hmm... Master’s bond with Yue certainly is strong. Squeezing your way inside it won’t be easy... but well, I’m satisfied just being insulted, so it’s of no matter to me.”

Will quietly watched their sickeningly sweet displays of affection. Next to him, Tio was panting heavily, but he pretended not to hear her.

“...I’m sorry, Hajime. But I really think... Shea deserves to be rewarded too... Can’t you at least spend one day... with just her?”

“Yue-saaaaaaan.” Despite everything, Yue still insisted on including Shea. She gently patted Shea’s head, who dug her face even deeper into Yue’s chest. Hajime smiled, clearly defeated, and replied to her.

“If that’s all, you don’t even need to ask. But Shea, are you really okay with me just saying yes because Yue asked me? If there’s anything else you want to ask, I won’t say no.”

“Hajime-san... it’s fine, really. I don’t care how I get you to like me, as long as it happens somehow!”

“You really don’t give up, huh...?”

“Well, I guess that’s too much to ask for right now, so I’ll settle with a date for now. I’ll just have to work my way up. When we get back to Fuhren, you’re taking me around the tourists’ district, alright?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Hajime had tried to emphasize once more that it was only Yue that he gave special treatment to, but despite picking up on his hint, Shea refused to give up. In a way, he had to respect her tenacity. Well, I guess it’s okay to do what she wants every now and then, Hajime thought to himself as he agreed to the date.

Hajime still held Shea dear, and she had saved Aiko’s life, so this time he was willing to take Shea on a date for her own sake, not because Yue had asked him. Shea let out a whoop of joy, and Yue gently stroked her twitching rabbit ears.

“I feel rather out of place here. It’s like I’m intruding on a happy family gathering.”

“I-Indeed. This is completely different from being deliberately ignored... Rather than stimulating, it just feels lonely... Honestly, I do wish someone would say something to me. I am here, you know? You can let me into your conversations, you know?”

Will watched the trio’s flirting with an awkward expression. Though no one had invited her to join, Tio had stowed away in Brise’s truck bed. At some point she’d stuck her head in through the window and joined in the conversation of her own accord.

She’d asked Hajime to be allowed to travel together with him before the battle, but once it had ended he’d more or less forgotten she’d even existed and left without her. Tio had hurriedly chased after him and managed to leap into Brise’s trunk before Hajime took off. Her excessive panting had creeped everyone out, however, so they’d ignored her even when she stuck her head through the window.

At first Hajime had driven like a madman to try and throw her off, but Tio had used her considerable mana reserves to hang on through even the roughest turns. As his rough driving had only served to excite Tio more, Hajime had eventually given up and resorted to just ignoring her. After all, giving a pervert attention of any kind was just playing into their hands.

At first Tio had enjoyed deliberately being ignored, but before long she grew lonely as she saw the trio up front having fun, and started begging for attention.

However, even then they ignored her, so she slowly started trying to slide into the backseat through the window. The way her black hair covered her face as she creeped forward bore a striking resemblance to the girl from The Ring.

Though he’d been trying to ignore her, when he caught sight of how she looked, Will let out a high-pitched shriek and backed away. Hajime and the others turned around to see what the problem was.

“Hm? I-I seem to be stuck. My bosom is... getting in the way. Excuse me, young Will, could you lend me a hand?” Tio stretched out a hand to Will, her massive breasts contorting painfully due to the window’s small size. She really looked like a banshee trying to curse someone. Hajime casually pulled Schlag out of its holster and fired at Tio over his shoulder.

“Nuooh!?” The bullet hit her square in the forehead, sending her flying back into the truck bed. She slammed into the back wall and started rolling around in pain.

“H-How could you do that. If you don’t give me any warning... I won’t be able to contain myself.” She rubbed her forehead happily, blushing as she complained to Hajime... or rather asked for more. Hoping to avoid a repeat of last time, Tio tried entering through the window feet first.

This time, it was her plump butt that got stuck in the window. She started squirming back and forth, trying to squeeze her voluptuous behind through.

Hajime fired another set of bullets with Schlag, but he was unable to excise Tio from the window. Not only was her butt more firmly stuck than her boobs had been, the soft layers of fat cushioned the bullets’ impact, weakening their force.

And so, instead of dislodging Tio, all Hajime succeeded in doing was giving her more pleasure.

“More, Master,” she moaned, and Hajime disgustedly holstered his gun, giving up on shooting her out. The moment he engaged with that pervert was the moment he lost.

Yue had long since lost any respect she might have originally held for the dragonmen, but this was a new low. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

Realizing the barrage had stopped, Tio continued worming her way into the back. Eventually, she managed to squeeze her way in, and she let out a sigh of relief as she sat down.

“Haah... Haah... Unbelievable... No matter the situation, you don’t hesitate. What a hopeless master you are. But fear not. For I can take any kind of love you wish to dish out. So... don’t hold back. You can be even more violent with me if you desire. In fact, please be more violent with me.”

“Shut up, pervert. And get away from me. In fact, open that door and jump out right now.”

“Wha—!? Haah... Haah... I am truly blessed to have such an understanding master. However, I must refuse. I have decided to follow you wherever you may go. Not only is it the most efficient way to complete my mission, I must have you take responsibility for teaching me such pleasure. Thus, I have no reason to leave. No matter what you say, I shall chase after you. You will not escape me.” Hajime’s blunt refusal set Tio panting again, but she stubbornly refused his request. Her tone was in stark contrast to her ecstatic expression.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. I don’t have to take responsibility for anything. I was just trying to kill you back there. You should be glad I didn’t actually end up finishing you off. And as for your mission, why not just go straight to the hero? He’s the one at the center of this whole summoned warriors business, so go bug him.”

“I wholeheartedly refuse. I know not what kind of man this hero is, but I am certain no one is more merciless and unforgiving than you, Master! Don’t underestimate my tenacity. I have already decided you are the only one fit to command me! I am not so fickle that I would change masters on a whim!” Tio’s eyes were open wide and her hands clenched into fists. She was trying to sound cool, but in the end she was just a hopeless pervert who wanted Hajime to walk all over her.

“No matter where you run, I’ll find you. I’ll go to every town I can find and tell people I’m searching for the man that cruelly took my first, did this and that to me, made me unable to live without him, and then abandoned me.”

“Now look here...” Hajime narrowed his eyes dangerously. He toyed with the idea of just killing her, but she wasn’t an enemy and Yue definitely wouldn’t let him. Another option was to beat her until she forgot ever meeting him, but with how tough she was she’d probably keep her memories and end up enjoying it.

All he could do was glare at her, but even that glare served to excite her. Maybe it’s already too late to get rid of her...

“Don’t look so disgusted, Master. I promise I’ll be of use to you. I may not be as strong as you, but surely you saw what I was capable of in our previous battle. I’m not quite sure what your goals are, but I will help you achieve them. I’m begging you, Master.”

“You’re too repulsive to take along.”

“Wha—!? Haah... Gaah... Mmmm!” Tio wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her thighs together. Everyone just stared at her in revulsion. Finally, Hajime breathed a long sigh, then rescinded his statement.

“...Or so I’d like to say, but it won’t really matter if I refuse, will it? As long as you don’t get in our way, you can do whatever you want. I can’t muster the willpower to deal with you anymore...”

“Oh? Oooh, very good! In that case, I will be in your care from now on, Master, Yue, Shea. You may call me Tio! Fufufu, this is going to be an enjoyable journey.”

“Hmph.”

“G-Glad to have you aboard...”

Hajime sighed again, Yue just harrumphed unhappily, while Shea was the only one that tried to be polite. With that, the perverted reptile, Tio, joined Hajime’s party as they sped toward the city of Fuhren.

Little did they know that another meeting awaited them there. And that even further down the road, there would be one even more important reunion.

Three days after Hajime left the town of Ur.

The land around the city had been ravaged, and there were still mountains of monster corpses that needed to be disposed of. However, by some miracle, the townspeople had all come out of the ordeal alive.

Messengers had been sent out to inform those who had already evacuated of the good news. The town had also sent out runners to notify the surrounding towns and the capital. There was much rejoicing as the evacuees returned and people were reunited with their family, lovers, and friends. Despite the work that still needed to be done, Ur was filled with a festive atmosphere.

The townspeople decided to leave the walls Hajime had erected as is. Those that had remained behind gesticulated wildly as they recounted the unbelievable fight that had taken place just outside those walls.

The children’s eyes lit up with wonder as they heard about Hajime and his party’s heroic deeds. Meanwhile, the merchants were discussing how they could turn Hajime’s wall into a new tourist attraction to make money.

The townspeople hadn’t seen what had happened between Hajime and Aiko after the battle. They still believed he’d been a warrior sent by their fertility goddess. They had even dubbed his wall “The goddess’ shield.”

Similarly, they referred to Hajime as “The goddess’ sword” or “The goddess’ knight.” David and the other knights were furious when they found out what the people were calling him. They were her actual knights, and yet Hajime had been the one to kiss Aiko. Sometime in the future, Hajime would cringe inwardly when he discovered people were really calling him that.

With the minor hiccup that was his own cringe-worthy nicknames, Hajime’s plan to raise Aiko’s popularity worked perfectly.

Anytime she walked through town, the people would stop and stare. Some of them even clasped their hands together in prayer. She was after all, the goddess who had saved their town from certain ruin. Her fame had started spreading to nearby towns as well. In Ur, her words were already held in greater reverence than the teachings of the church.

For her part, Aiko had busied herself by assisting the town’s leaders with the restoration effort. However, those close to her knew her heart wasn’t really in it.

She was still in pain over Shimizu’s death. There was also the disturbing truths Hajime had dumped on her head before the battle, but those weren’t the main cause. She couldn’t get the image of Hajime shooting Shimizu out of her head.

Once the day’s work ended, Yuka and the others retired to the Water Sprite Inn to eat dinner. Today too, Aiko mechanically spooned food into her mouth and gave absentminded replies to any question directed at her.

“Ai-chan-sensei... your magic is amazing! I can’t believe you can even restore land that was so badly damaged... At this rate, it’ll look normal again in another week!”

“I see... Well, that’s good.”

Yuka knew Aiko was still in shock, but she deliberately spoke cheerfully. She wanted to cheer Aiko up however she could. However, Aiko responded in the same generic monotone as always.

But Yuka herself was still shaken by the fact that her savior had shot her classmate. Though she tried to hide it, her classmates could tell she was forcing herself to act happy. Hence why her attempts to lighten the atmosphere failed, and she was unable to cheer Aiko up. The other students were too depressed to be of much use either.

“Aiko...did the mayor or the bishop give you trouble again? If they’re bothering you, just let us know. I won’t forgive anyone that tries to harm you, even if they are a holy man. I swore that I would serve you and you alone Aiko. No matter what happens, I’m on your side.”

“I see...that’s good.”

At this point it was hard to tell if David was trying to cheer her up or proposing.

It was borderline heretical for a holy paladin to state they’d fight against the church, but he didn’t care.

His men realized he was trying to steal a march on them by emphasizing “I” over “we.” They glared angrily at David. No way they were going to let him use them to make him look good.

However Aiko casually brushed them off with the same absentminded response. She probably wasn’t even listening. Atsushi and the other shrugged their shoulders. There was a smug “serves you right” expression on their faces. Some of David’s knights were looking at him like that too.

Aiko ignored their little squabble and continued robotically eating her dinner.

If only I’d talked to Shimizu-kun more... if only I’d realized his pain earlier... this wouldn’t have happened... If only I hadn’t asked Nagumo-kun for help... If only I hadn’t let myself get taken hostage... If I’d... If I’d died... he wouldn’t have had to kill Shimizu-kun... For the thousandth time, the scene of Hajime shooting Shimizu flashed through her mind. She gripped her spoon tighter.

Why did Nagumo-kun kill him? They were classmates, weren’t they...? Was it because he was an enemy? Is that all it takes...? Is killing someone really that easy? Is life really that cheap? That’s not right... Humans aren’t monsters... you can’t just kill them like that... Is he just someone who can kill easily...? If I leave him alone will he kill other students too...? Is he that dangerous? If he hadn’t been here, would Shimizu-kun still be alive? If he died, would all the other kids be safe? As long as he’s here... Wait, what am I thinking! No, that’s not the answer! She was trapped in an endless spiral of regret and remorse. Her dark thoughts continued until she started fear and resent Hajime. Then, suddenly realizing what she was doing, she quickly put a stop to such thoughts and returned to hating herself.

There was so much to think about, and so much she didn’t want to think about. Aiko’s mind was like a collapsed bookshelf. Filled with information but completely unorganized.

A gentle voice interrupted her brooding.

“Aiko-sama. Was the food not to your liking?”

“Hweh?”

Foss Seluo, the owner of the Water Sprite Inn, was standing beside her. His voice was quiet enough to be lost in the din. But everyone in this inn knew when he was talking to them. His words possessed some strange quality that made them impossible for their recipient to miss. Even Aiko, who had been lost in a sea of her own thoughts, reacted to his voice.

Realizing she’d just blurted out a weird squeal, Aiko blushed as she turned to Foss.

“U-Umm what did you say? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“My apologies for disturbing you. You seemed unhappy, so I was simply worried whether my food was not to your taste. I can bring out another dish if you’d prefer...”

“N-Not at all! Your food is delicious. I was just thinking about something...”

Though she couldn’t actually remember what said food had tasted like. She looked around and saw everyone was staring at her worriedly.

She took another bite of food to convince everyone she was doing fine, but she swallowed too quickly and started coughing.

Everyone crowded around her in concern. Foss casually provided her with a napkin and a glass of water.

“S-Sorry. I keep causing you trouble...”

“Oh it’s no trouble at all.”

Foss’ gentle smile never left his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a compassionate voice,

“By the way, Aiko-sama. This may be presumptuous of me, but may I offer you a word of advice?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. It’s not presumptuous at all.”

“Why not just believe in what you feel is right?”

“Huh?”

Aiko tilted her head in confusion. Foss smiled wryly. I suppose I should explain that better.

“It appears to me that you are struggling with something important. And there are so many things you have to think about and so many things you don’t want to think about, that you’re unsure of what to do. You can’t tell what’s right and what’s wrong. But you’re convinced that you still have to do something, and so you’re rushing to make a decision. But all that does is serve to make you even more unsure. Am I correct?”

“H-How did you...” Foss had read her like a book.

“I’ve had all sorts of guests stay over the years,” he replied with a serene smile.

“When you’re not sure what to do, it’s okay to trust in your instincts. People often warn others that blind faith blinds you to the truth. And that certainly is the case, sometimes. But I believe people need faith in something before they can act on it. So if you find yourself stuck, I think it’s okay to just believe in what you feel is right.”

“...Believe in what I feel is right.”

Aiko turned those words over in her head.

All of the regret, guilt, and growing resentment toward Hajime was still whirling around inside her. Hajime was one of her precious students, but he’d also killed another one of her precious students. And depending on the situation, he might kill more of her students as well. She had been forced to accept that he was a potential threat.

But Hajime was still one of her students. She couldn’t just abandon him. Just as she hadn’t been able to abandon Shimizu, even though he’d plotted a massacre. That was why she was so confused. She knew she was being contradictory, but she couldn’t help it. That was just the kind of person Aiko Hatayama was.

Foss didn’t know the details of what had happened to Aiko. So he had no way of knowing that she was in this predicament right now precisely because she’d believed too hard in what she felt was right. And she couldn’t move on because her beliefs were dead. But Foss’ advice was still sound. Changing her perspective might shed new light onto her struggle.

Aiko put her fork down and started thinking.

Believe in what I feel is right. What even is that now? I wanted to return back to Japan with all of my students. But that’s not possible anymore. Now I just want to go back without losing anyone else. And then there’s what Nagumo-kun told me. That one of his classmates tried to kill him. I don’t want to believe that... I don’t want to believe that he’s a ruthless killer either...Or that he’d really kill us if we get in his way. But the truth is...he killed Shimizu-kun without hesitation. So then...no, I have to believe in what I feel is right. She closed her eyes, banishing unwelcome thoughts. The others all watched her worriedly.

Nagumo-kun said he did it because Shimizu-kun was an enemy. And that he didn’t have the luxury of changing his mindset. Nagumo-kun killed him because he was worried Shimizu-kun would attack the people he cared about if he let him live. He did it out of concern. If he truly was as heartless as he claimed, Yue-san and Shea-san wouldn’t trust him so much. For their sake, he wanted to eliminate a potential threat. That’s why he couldn’t let Shimizu-kun live. Which means he didn’t believe I could convince Shimizu-kun anymore. Nagumo-kun would have let Shimizu-kun live if I could have proven to him I could reform him. ...So in the end it’s all my fault...because I was powerless...but still, Nagumo-kun didn’t have to kill him so mercilessly...Shimizu-kun was on the verge of death as it was... The more she thought about it, the closer she grew to understanding the reason behind Hajime’s actions. Hajime was neither a broken murderer, or an unfathomable monster, nor even Aiko’s enemy. He was still her student, one who her words could still reach.

As she went over the chain of events again with a clear mind, Aiko suddenly remembered something. Something the shock of Shimizu’s death had made her forget.

Wait. How could I have forgotten? Nagumo-kun had only come over when I called for help. But even if he hadn’t done anything, Shimizu-kun would have died. He didn’t have to shoot him! So why? Why did he do it? To make sure Shimizu-kun was dead? No, he knew as well as we did that he was beyond saving. Shimizu-kun would have died in a few minutes anyway. That’s why I asked Nagumo-kun for help in the first place. Because I couldn’t do anything... even though it was my fault he was— Aiko’s eyes shot open. She couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to figure it out.

That’s right... Shimizu-kun was only shot because he was holding me. I was the target. He was just collateral damage. It was my fault he died! But we all thought Nagumo-kun was the one who killed him! We convinced ourselves it was his fault!

The blood drained from Aiko’s face. Just as Hajime had feared, she blamed herself for killing Shimizu.

It was her love for her students that kept Aiko going. The realization that she’d caused the death of one of those students crushed Aiko. Her brain shut down, trying to protect her from her own realization. Her vision swam, and she nearly fainted.

Just before she fell into unconsciousness, Hajime’s final words to her flitted across the back of her mind.

“I hope you can continue to stay strong.” Back then she’d been too shocked to fully process the meaning behind those words. She’d just assumed he was giving her a few words of encouragement.

What if he said that because he knew this would happen...because he was worried about me? Worried that I would break if I learned the truth of why Shimizu-kun died. That’s why...that’s why he killed Shimizu-kun so brutally. He wanted me to think it was his fault... He wanted me to continue staying strong...to be the teacher everyone needed... Of course, Aiko understood Hajime by this point. She knew it wasn’t just a selfless act on his part.

But she was forced to admit that he’d partly done it because he was worried about her.

The door to her heart, which had been about to slam shut forever, stopped. And slowly began opening again. Her blurry vision cleared. That realization didn’t solve everything, but it did light a small fire in her heart. Where before there had only been the dark depths of despair, there was now a faint, warm glow.

He protected me... And not just him. So many other people protected me too. Even now, my precious students are looking over me. I was so focused on protecting them, that I didn’t realize they had been protecting me in turn...I still have a lot to learn. This is no time to be breaking down. Aiko steeled her resolve.

She’d probably regret being the cause of Shimizu’s death for the rest of her life. But as long as there were still students who were relying on her, she couldn’t wallow in despair. No, she didn’t want to wallow in despair.

She swore once more that no matter what happened, she’d be there for the students. And this time, she wouldn’t let herself be manipulated by her own ideals.

The fear and suspicion she’d felt toward Hajime vanished in an instant.

Nagumo-kun sure is bad at expressing himself. Even though he knew I might hate him forever for doing this, that I might even try to fight him... Come to think of it, he said he’d given my words a lot of thought. Was this his way of thanking me for my advice? He’s saved me so many times since we were reunited. Not only did he warn me about the church, he even saved the town. And despite being such a fierce battle, he still brought Shimizu-kun to me like he promised. I can’t believe I was such a mess. I kept chasing after an ideal that didn’t mean anything...and even went so far as to force him to go along with it...I’m still immature when it comes to being a teacher. And despite all of that he still helped me... It’s true he’s become a harder person than he was before... but he still has some of his old kindness left. Or maybe he’s getting it back little by little. Could it be that those two girls are helping him remember his former self? Aiko smiled bitterly to herself. She owed Hajime a great debt for what he’d done. She’d been nothing but a bumbling, inexperienced embarrassment of a teacher. And yet Hajime, the boy who’d had the weakest stats out of all of them, had returned against all odds and saved her more times than she could count.

More than anything, it made her happy that despite how much it looked as if he’d changed, his old self was still alive somewhere underneath.

But she felt a sharp twinge in her chest when she thought of how it was Yue and Shea that had kept the old him alive. Aiko tilted her head in confusion. It vanished as quickly as it came though, and she decided it must just have been her imagination.

Come to think of it, I never thanked Shea-san for protecting me. I owe her my life... I need to make sure I thank her properly when I see her again. ...I suppose I owe Nagumo-kun my life as well. Their faces popped into Aiko’s head. Then she blushed crimson as she remembered just how exactly Hajime had saved her life.

Th-That was just CPR! He just did it to save my life, there was no deeper meaning behind it! Th-There was nothing enjoyable about being kissed so roughly! I definitely did NOT enjoy that! She started slapping the table wildly, mentally denying accusations no one had said.

In case anyone had forgotten, Aiko was 25 years old. An adult. She had gone on dates before too. That being said, her actual experience when it came to love was very little.

The reason being, the only people who would willingly date a woman who looked like a little girl were “gentlemen.” Also known as lolicons. There were a great deal of people who found Aiko’s particular body type attractive. Some doubly so when they discovered she was legal. However they were all afraid of being labeled the l-word, so their relationship with Aiko usually stopped at friends.

In Tortus it wasn’t strange for a girl in her early teens to be married already, so most people weren’t bothered by her child-like appearance. Which was why David’s infatuation with her was considered normal in this world. However Aiko had convinced herself at this point that no one could possibly be attracted to a short woman like her. So she failed to notice his roundabout professions of love.

Hence why the CPR Hajime had performed had been so stimulating. And now that she’d remembered, the image just wouldn’t leave her mind.

Besides, he already has two lovers... though I guess if he already has two, what’s a third— Wait, what am I thinking!? I’m a teacher, he’s my student! Wait, that’s not even the problem here! I’m not even in love with him! In fact, he’s already two-timing as it is! That kind of immoral relationship isn’t something a teacher should condone! It’s dishonest! Love is supposed to be sincere! Sleeping with two girls at once is...immodest! I cannot let such an impure relationship be! I won’t allow it! Her hands curled up into fists. Instead of slapping the table, she was banging on it now.

But it seems like he treats Yue-san as someone particularly special. And her height and figure aren’t too different from mine...D-Don’t tell me he’s into smaller girls!? Girls like m-me? Wait, wait, wait, what am I saying!? What does it matter what his type is? He’s eight years younger than me...! Though Yue-san’s a vampire, so there’s probably an even bigger age gap between them. So does that mean he likes small girls who are older than him? Wait, why do I even care!? Get a grip, Aiko Hatayama! You’re a teacher, he’s your student! You can’t get all worked up over just one little kiss! She stopped banging the table and buried her head in her hands. A few seconds later, she started banging the table again, only to repeat the cycle. Finally, she screamed “I’m his teacheeeer!” and banged her forehead against the table.

The others were all taken aback by her strange behavior. Foss, on the other hand, simply said “I see you’ve found your energy again,” with the same calm smile on his face. What a formidable old man.

Eventually Aiko came to the conclusion that her heightened emotions at the time were to blame and that she had no feelings for Hajime whatsoever. However, that didn’t change the fact that he was still her student. And in order to protect him, she needed to return to the capital. Reports of what he’d done would have reached the capital by now. She needed to be there to make sure the king and the church didn’t brand him a heretic.

Little did she realize,

That her feelings for Hajime were more than just that of a teacher for her student.

Even though she mentally referred to all of her students as children, in her mind she’d started thinking of Hajime as a man. Feelings of love had slowly but surely begun to bloom.

She wouldn’t realize that until much later, of course.

During a pitched aerial battle 8000 meters in the sky.

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.