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21.62% arifureta web novel / Chapter 16: vol 6 PT 2

Capítulo 16: vol 6 PT 2

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V6 C4

Chapter 4 : Branch Head's Request

The head of secretary; Datt, pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, and talked to Hajime with a composed tone.

"I've roughly heard the story. It looks like it isn't a lie that there are many witnesses. Although I think you're overdoing it… … well, let's just say it's within a permissible range because they didn't die. For now, before they wake up and give their side of the story, I assume you'll be staying in Fhuren. So, I want to verify your identities and your contact address… … you won't object if it's just that, right?"

What's implied was, 'I won't concede more than this, you know?', so Hajime replied to the head of secretary Datt while shrugging his shoulders.

"Aa, I don't care. If that pig still tries to complain, then it's me who wants to be called. I'll try a more polite method of persuasion at that time."

Hajime didn't refuse him, then he presented his status plate to the still amazed Datt.

"Our contact address, well we still haven't decided where to stay… … You can just ask that guide. We are going to stay at the inn she recommends after all."

Because Hajime turned his gaze towards her, Rishee twitched then dropped her shoulders with a resigned look because she'd still be their guide.

"Fumu, that's okay… … "Blue" huh. Even though the guy that lies there is "black"… … how about the status plates of the ones over there?"

Even a little, Datt was surprised when he saw Hajime's status plate displaying the lowest rank of an adventurer; blue. However, because he heard it was the two women that defeated Leganid, he thought the girls were the stronger ones and asked Yue and Shia to submit their status plates.

"Well, Yue and Shia… … these girls lost their status plates and we still didn't ask for a reissue. Look, isn't that expensive?"

Hajime casually said that lie. Although there'd be no problem to let them see the pair's abnormal strength, if possible he wanted to avoid the details being known.

"But, even if I can't clarify their identities, it'll be preserved in the record, so if you frequently cause trouble inside the guild, you'll be blacklisted regardless of who's the culprit and victim. If possible, can you pay the guild for a replacement?"

From Datt's tone, it seemed it was necessary to verify their identities by all means. But, if they got the status plates, then the two's peculiar magic would surely be displayed in the skill column before they could conceal it. That, along with the magic from the Age of the Gods that'd surely be displayed. It would definitely cause a ruckus. Although it's possible for Hajime and his party to just mow down everyone who tries to harm them during the ruckus, they wouldn't be able to stay here any longer. Hajime thought about a lot of troubles that would somehow come. Having read his thoughts, Yue talked to Hajime.

"… … Hajime, letter."

" ? Aa. That letter huh…"

Because of Yue's words, Hajime remembered that he had received a letter from Catherine of the Brook branch when they were about to leave Brook town. She said to show it to the one who managed the guild when they got into trouble in the guild, because it could help them. A mysterious letter.

If the letter was useless, according to the circumstances, Hajime considered to immediately leaving the city. Then he fished out the letter from his chest pocket and handed it to Datt. Because he only heard half of what Catherine had said, he didn't know the contents. That's why Hajime immediately regretted not checking the contents first.

"Although I don't know if it'll act as a substitute for our identification, I was told to hand this over to the one who manages the guild by an acquaintanced member of the guild staff when we got into trouble."

" ? An acquaintance in guild staff? … … Let me see."

From the quality of Hajime and his party's clothes, they didn't seem to have any problems with money, that's why Datt felt doubtful about his attitude that refused to replace the status plate, but they passed him a letter instead. When he opened it, he earnestly read it and floated a fish-like expression.

Following that, he turned to look at the face of Hajime and his party and the letter many times while he repeatedly reading the letter's contents. From his figure that read the letter with wide opened eyes, he was trying to determine if the letter was genuine. Before long, Datt folded the letter again and carefully put it again inside the letter's envelope, then he turned his gaze towards Hajime and his party.

"If the letter is real it'll certainly serve as your identification… …I cannot decide by myself if the sender is real. I'll confirm it with the branch head, so will you wait in another room? It won't take much time. I'll be back in ten, no, fifteen minutes."

Because Datt's response exceeded his expectations, "Seriously, who on Earth is Catherine?", Hajime and his party were slightly taken aback

"Well, I don't mind if it's that much. I understand. We'll wait."

"Let the staff guide you. Well then, later."

Datt called the staff at the side and left a message to guide them to another room, then he immediately disappeared into the guild, taking the letter with him. The designated staff asked Hajime and his party to relocate. Hajime and his party began to walk accordingly while being perplexed, but with a voice filled with anticipation rang out.

"Umm~, what should I do?"

It was Rishee's. 'If you still have to talk with the guild, can you excuse me?', was what her eyes said. She obviously wanted to quickly separate from a seed of troubles, like Hajime and his party.

Hajime, with an expression as if it was natural, nodded and frankly replied.

"Wait for us… … don't run away, kay? Aren't you a pro?"

"… … Yes."

Rishee dropped her shoulders and moved towards a seat inside the cafe. Her back said that although it was unpleasant work, she already accepted it, and the atmosphere of an upstanding member of society's pathos drifted in the air.

After Hajime and his party were guided into the reception room, exactly after ten minutes, a knock came from the door. Hajime only answered with a word, then the door was opened. What appeared were a sharp eyed male in the latter half of his thirties, with blonde hair that was made into a swept back hairstyle, and Datt, from before.

"Nice to meet you, I am Ilwa Chang, the head of the Adventurer's Guild — Fhuren branch. Hajime-kun, Yue-kun, and Shia-kun… … is it okay to call you that?"

After a simple introduction, the branch head; Ilwa confirmed the names of Hajime and his party and requested a handshake. Hajime returned the handshake while replying to him.

"Aa, we don't mind. Our names, is it from the letter?"

"Just as you said. It was written in sensei's letter. She seems to favor… … paid you a lot of attention. Your future is promising, but because you have a predisposition for trouble, if possible she wants us to take care of you, is the letter's content."

"Predisposition for trouble… … Huh. Trouble certainly continued to happen in Brook. Well, that's okay. So, essentially will that serve as our identification? Or are there other questions?"

"Aa, Sensei already wrote everything here so there's no need to question you further. She certainly has the eyes to discern people's characters. She even purposely wrote this letter, so I'll let this letter be your identification."

Apparently, Catherine's letter was really useful and let them meet the one who managed the guild. He seems to have close ties with Catherine, to have even called her "sensei". Shia, who sat next to Hajime, had been especially helped by Catherine, so she was interested in the story and timidly talk to Ilwa.

"That's~, who is Catherine-san actually?"

"Nn? Didn't you hear from the person herself? She was the Guild Master's head of secretary in the guild's headquarters located in the Imperial Capital. Afterwards, she became the one in charge of training everyone related to guild management. Currently, of the 5 branch heads sent to each town, 60% are her pupils. I am also one of them, so I can't go against her. Because of her beauty and pleasant character, at the time, she was a madonna-like existence to us, in certain ways she was also an adored big-sister-like existence. Afterwards, she married and transferred to the guild branch of Brook town. She said she wanted to raise her children in the country. Her marriage announcement was like a bolt from the blue. It became stormy after that. If you ask where, the guild in the Imperial Capital that is."

"Haa~ she really is an amazing person~"

"… … Catherine's amazing."

"Although I had thought she wasn't an ordinary person… … I never thought she was such a central figure. Rather, even though she was so popular… … Currently… … No, it's better if I stop here."

Hajime and his party came to admire her when they learned of Catherine's true colors. It seemed they had always imagined her as an important person. Moreover, Hajime was somewhat looking at the distance, remembering the cruelty of time.

"Well, that's that, if there are no more questions, is it okay for us to go?"

Originally, they came here only to verify their identity, so Hajime tried to confirm with Ilwa if it was over because staying any longer would be meaningless. However, Ilwa's eyes shone and said, "Can you wait for a little longer?", as he tried to stop Hajime and his party. It somehow gave them a bad premonition.

Ilwa urged Datt that stood next to him and an application form was presented in front of Hajime and his party.

"Actually, I've expectations for your help, I want you to accept one request."

"I refuse."

The moment Ilwa requested something of them, Hajime tried to decline as he stood up from his seat. Although Yue and Shia also followed after him, they stopped their feet when Ilwa spoke his next lines.

"Fumu, isn't it fine to at least hear the story for now? If you listen, I think I'll turn a blind eye to this affair…"

"… …"

What was implied was, "If you won't hear me out, I'll make you go through the troublesome procedures for this affair, you know?", something like that. Using the testimonies from the surrounding people, even though Hajime and his party weren't guilty of what was done to Poom and Leganid, what they have done was excessive self-defense. So according to the regular procedures, the guild would judge them fairly by hearing both concerned parties and this procedure would take quite some time. As a result, even if Hajime and his party weren't in the wrong, on the other hand, they would spend time like fools until the necessary procedures were finished and the decision came. Also, if they escaped from these procedures, they'd likely be black-listed. In the future, that'd be troublesome because they wouldn't be able to use the town's guild facilities.

Hajime stared at Ilwa for a while, then he didn't say "I'll accept the request", but "I'll hear the story", because he thought it'd be okay to at least hear him out to avoid the trouble, then he sat on the seat.

"It looks like you'll listen to it. Thank you."

"… … as expected of a big city's guild branch head. You've a good character."

"Not as good as you though. Well then, the contents of the request is written here, to search for a missing person. A party of adventurers that accepted a request to investigate the northern mountain range area have not returned, so the family of one of the adventurers put up a missing person search request, something along those lines."

Ilwa's story if summarized, went something like this.

Recently, there were sightings of groups of demonic beasts in the northern mountain range area, which is why the guild made the investigation request. The northern mountain range area is a mountain that, once crossed, would lead you to an uncivilized area. Although not as strong as the demonic beasts inside the Great Dungeons, there are strong demonic beasts that only high-ranked adventurers could handle. It just that, besides the original members of the party that accepted the request, there was another member that tried to forcefully accompany them. By some happenstance, he eventually became a temporary member of the party.

This person was the third son of Count Kudeta; Will Kudeta. Count Kudeta always secretly made someone follow his son that had a tendency to rush out as an adventurer, just like a runaway. But because of this investigation request, the contact with his employer was lost, as it was unusual he was perplexed and put up a search request.

"Although the count had already tried to use his family's power to form a search party, too many problems kept popping up, which is why he put up the search request to the guild. Well, it was just put up yesterday. Because the missing party was considerably skilled, if they couldn't handle this, it'd just result in another disaster if accepted by regular Adventurers. That's why the big-guns should be the one to accept it. But unfortunately, such adventurers are all out on missions. Therefore, for you to come here with such timing, I want you to accept this request."

"From your statement, we don't have the required strength, so wouldn't that be useless? Unfortunately, I am a "Blue"-rank, you know?"

What Hajime implied was they wouldn't accept it because they didn't have the required strength.

"Didn't you instant-kill a "Black" called Leganid? Also… … for someone who easily searched around inside the Raisen Grand Canyon, do I need to say more ?"

" ! How did… … the letter? But, I didn't say anything…"

No one had heard the story of Hajime and his party searching around the Raisen Grand Canyon. Therefore, unless it was from the letter, there was no way for Ilwa to know about that. But, he was doubtful about how Catherine learn of this. While Hajime puzzled it over in his head, Shia timidly raised her hand.

Hajime turned towards Shia with a suspicious look.

"What is it, Shia?"

"U~mm, I inadvertently told her when we talked… … Teehee?"

"… … I'll punish you later."

" !? Y-Yue-san said it too!"

"… … Shia, you traitor."

"I'll punish both of you later."

Apparently, the culprits were Yue and Shia. Hajime declared to punish them, and the two were passively drenched in cold sweat. Looking at their appearances with a wry smile, Ilwa continued his talk.

"Although the probability of them being alive is low, it's not zero. Because the Count is my friend, I want you to begin as soon as possible. What do you think? There's no one but you here. Will you accept it?"

Ilwa's attitude was as if he was begging him, the guild was simply responsible for the commission, but he included more emotion in this. For him to be a friend of the Count, it's possible he's acquainted with the missing Will. So he personally felt anxious for his safety.

"Even if you say that, we already have a destination for our journey. We are only here because it's along the way. We won't go to the northern mountain range area. So, allow me to refuse."

Hajime, even though it's a matter of the life and death for a noble's third son, unhesitantly refused him. However, maybe he foresaw that, Ilwa immediately proposed a reward faster than Hajime could stand up from his seat.

"I can increase the reward, you know? Although the reward listed in the application is in the form of cash, let me add more appeal to you.. I'll promote your guild rank. If it's your abilities then becoming "Black" is okay."

"Well, I don't care about money and rank, that's why…"

"Then, in the future, when you have some trouble related to the guild, I can be your support, how is that? To have the guild head of Fhuren branch's support, you'll have influence inside the guild you can brag about, you know? You and trouble are pretty close after all. So, isn't it good as a reward?"

"That's a big treat for me. Aren't you putting in too much effort for a friend's son?"

Toward Hajime's words, Ilwa's expression crumbled. It became an expression full of regret.

"He… … Will accepted the request after I recommended it. I was also the one who passed the talk about the investigation request to the party. Even if you said there'd be an accident in the investigation, I thought there'd be no problem if he was with a party that had the required strength. I meant no harm. Will was not suited to be a noble, and he had yearned to be an adventurer for the longest time… … but, he didn't have the disposition. Therefore, if he were with strong adventurers, then he could go to dangerous places. I only wanted him to realize that it was impossible for him to be an adventurer. He was already attached to me at a young age…. … that's why, even though I wanted him to give up after this request…"

While he heard Ilwa's monologue, Hajime thought about it slightly. It seemed there was a thicker relationship between Ilwa and Will than Hajime thought. Although he had said that with a clarifying face, internally, Ilwa must be clinging to the last straw of hope. Will's odds of survival would become closer to zero as time passed. Having proposed such unreasonable rewards showed that Ilwa was in a hurry.

Hajime was also fed up with making excuses for Yue and Shia's identification every time they came near a town. That's why it'd be convenient to use this person's name in order to access a town's facilities from now on. Moreover, he had zero intention of catering to the Church of Saints or the Kingdom, and someday he might be labelled as a heretic. If that happens, it'd become extremely difficult for them to stay inside a town. That's why it was a nice thing to have a personal connection that could clear that hurdle.

So, Hajime thought that if he wanted the support of a big city guild's branch head, in this case, they must tell him their circumstances and forbid him to speak of it, so they could use him in times of inconvenience. Because he seemed extremely intimate with that Will person, if they brought him back alive, Ilwa couldn't be ungrateful to them.

"Although there's no need to think about it because you already said that much… … I have conditions."

"Conditions?"

"Aa, they are not something difficult. I want you to give status plates to Yue and Shia. After that, promise me you won't tell anyone about what's written there. Furthermore, even if it isn't related to the guild, I will use all of your connections, for our convenience. These two."

"That's too…"

"If you can't, then pretend we never talked about this. We are going."

Because of Hajime who tried to stand up from his seat, Ilwa and Datt displayed expressions filled with impatience and agony. Although the first condition was not a problem, his second condition essentially meant that he wanted the Fhuren guild branch's head to be the limbs of a single adventurer. Because he had his own responsibilities, he couldn't immediately accept it.

"Can I ask why you demand that?"

"There's no need to be that negative. They aren't unreasonable demands, you know? It's just that our existences are peculiar, that's why when marked by the church… … No, from now on, I am sure we'll be marked, so at that time I only want to use you to make it easier for us. It's also good if you just become our allies in times of trouble. For example, not refusing us to use the facilities when we become wanted…"

"Is it certain you'll become wanted people? Fumu, personally, your secrets make me anxious. Although Catherine-sensei said you're not bad people… … now that you mention it, Shia-kun over there has marvelous physical strength, and although I didn't see it, from the report Yue-kun has conjured a never before seen magic spell… … your secrets must be along those lines… … following that, you said that you'll sooner or later be marked by the church… … you also didn't try to hide it, and it looks like you are already prepared for that… … it'll surely be hard to move into towns when that happens… … that's why to make it easier for you…"

As expected of a big city's guild branch head. He quickly thought inside his head. Ilwa thought about it for a while, then he matched his gaze to Hajime's having decided what to do.

"I absolutely can't support you when you ask for help for doing a crime because of ethics. So, I'll hear the details of your request first, only then I'll judge what to do. But, I promise I'll at least be your ally… … I can't concede more than this. What do you think?"

"Well, if it's like… … I'll accept it. Also, it's okay for the reward to be given after the request is finished. I'll bring back the young master dead or alive, is that okay?"

For Hajime, it was his first priority to obtain the status plates for Yue and Shia. It's unnatural for them to not have status plates because it's somehow always being requested to be shown, this was his first reason, and ultimately to make an excuse every time they came to a town was troublesome.

The only problem was that the person who prepared the status plates at the beginning would make a commotion, so he wanted to avoid it, but Ilwa's existence solved this problem. However, even if he made a verbal promise as the condition, there are still doubts. Sooner or later, the peculiarity of Hajime and his party might come to light, so it was not preferable because he might change sides immediately. That's why Hajime said to give the status plates as a reward after the request was completed. Whatever Will's shape was, Hajime would gain the answer from his afflicted heart, and he could calculate if Ilwa was good or not.

Ilwa was also able to guess Hajime's intentions. With a bitter smile, he felt relieved finding someone who could accept the search request.

"Truthfully, although your secrets make me anxious… … that's, I'll wait for you to finish the request. Just as Hajime-kun said, no matter what shape he is in, I want you to find traces of Will and the other… … Hajime-kun, Yue-kun, and Shia-kun… … Please take care of it."

Lastly, Ilwa looked at Hajime and his party with earnest eyes, then bowed his head. A big city guild branch's head bowing his head to adventurers. It wasn't something usual. It was because he was Catherine's pupil that his goodness as a person oozed out.

Having seen Ilwa's appearance, Hajime and his party stood up and without any eagerness, they lightly answered him.

"Kay."

"… … Nn."

"Yes."

Afterwards, they were given the downpayment, and a letter of introduction for the lakeside town at the foot of the mountain range area. They also received information about the investigation request that was given to the adventurers, and finally Hajime and his party left the room. Batan, the door was closed with a slam. Ilwa stared at the door for a while, then, "Fuu~", let out a big sigh. Inside the room, no one spoke a word, then Datt anxiously spoke to Ilwa.

"Branch head… … Is that okay? Such rewards are…"

"… … Will's life hangs in their hands. I can't ask anyone besides them. So, it can't be helped. Furthermore, they already agreed that I can judge first whether to lend them my power or not. There'll be no problem. Also, their secrets…"

"What's displayed in the status plates will be an "inconvenience", is it…"

"Fumu, Datt-kun. Did you know? Herrlich kingdom's Hero party, it seems all of them have unexpected statuses, you know?"

Datt opened his narrowed eyes wide because of Ilwa's sudden story.

" ! Branch head, the summoned ones… … you mean one of them is "God's Apostle"? But, from their tone it seems they are opposing the church, isn't the Hero's party managed by the Church of Saints?"

"Aa, it's just as you said. But… … around four months ago, it seems one of them died inside the Orcus dungeon. He fell into the Abyss along with a demonic beast."

"… … don't tell me, that person's still alive? If you said four months ago, isn't the Hero's party still full of novices? Although I don't know what it's like at the bottom of Orcus, to survive that…"

Datt couldn't believe it as he shook his head, and denied Ilwa's guess. However, Ilwa who somehow gave out an interested expression and once again glanced at the door from which Hajime and his party had left.

"That is true. But, if that's so… … there must be a reason why he didn't rejoin with his companions and even went on a journey, right? Just what did he see in the bottom of the darkness, just what did he obtain?"

"Just what… … that is huh…"

"Aa, no matter what it is, surely, it's something worth making him decide to oppose the church. To put it frankly, he's determined to even oppose the world."

"The world…"

"For me, I want to make connections with such a peculiar man by all means. For example, even if they are chased by the church and the kingdom, right. Rather, Sensei might have guessed that, that's why she purposely gave them this letter."

"Branch head… … please be sure to know when to quit, okay?"

"Of course I will."

Towards the story on such a large scale, Datt became dizzy, even so, as Ilwa's head of secretary, he didn't forget to advise him. However, Ilwa was deeply in thought when he heard Datt's advice only replied in half absent-mindedness.

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ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V6 C5

Chapter 5 : Reunion at Lakeside Town

In the middle of the vast plain was a highway stretching far to the North. Although it was called a highway, it was actually just ground without weeds since it had been treaded on so many times, thus it naturally became a road. Since there's no such thing as a suspension in carriages of this world, the carriage crew would surely have sore butts by the time they reached their destination.

Suddenly, a shadow ran through the uneven road at an unbelievable speed. On its black body were two wheels advancing forward on the uneven road, carrying silhouettes of three people.

They are Hajime, Yue, and Shia. They moved on the highway at a speed incomparable to the time when they were at the bottom of the Raisen Grand Canyon. It might be more than 80km/h. Because there was nothing to obstruct his magic, the magic-driven two-wheeler's original specs could be displayed. Their seating order was just as usual: Yue between Hajime's arms, and Shia at his back. Shia's rabbit ears were pata pata, fluttering in the wind.

Warm sunlight poured down because of the good weather, and with Yue using her magic to adjust the wind pressure, it could be said it was good weather for touring. In fact, Yue and Shia were feeling the warm sunlight and comfortable wind with their entire bodies, closing their eyes because it felt pleasant.

"Hau~, it's niice~, Yue-saa~n. We should exchange places when we retuurn~"

"… … That won't do. This is my spot."

"Eh~, don't say that, let us change our places~, it's nice in the back~"

Shia demanded to Yue that they exchange their seats with a slackened and stretched tone. With an unpleasant face, Hajime looked at Shia's relaxed face over his shoulder and answered in Yue's stead.

"You know, you can't sit in front, right? Also, you'll only obstruct me. Especially those rabbit ears. They'll hit my eyes when the wind blows."

"Ah~, that's riight~"

"… … It's not good, she's almost asleep."

Apparently, Shia was half-asleep because of how comfortable it was. She laid her head on Hajime's shoulder with all of her weight. She was also half-asleep when she was talking to Yue before.

"Well, with this pace we only need one day. I'll go non-stop, so let's rest when it's time to rest."

Just as Hajime had said, Hajime and his party were going to a town only one day away; the town closest to the northern mountain range area where Will's party undertook the investigation request. They had advanced as is without taking a break, so they would probably arrive at sunset and start searching after a night's stay in town. The reason they were in a hurry was, of course, the fact that as more time passed, Will's party's odds of survival decreased. But because Hajime was being proactive for another person's sake, Yue was glancing upward with doubt on her face.

Hajime let out a wry smile when he saw Yue adorably incline her neck in between his arms.

"… … Proactive?"

"Aa, it's better if he's alive. If it's like that, he will truly be grateful. After all, problems from the Kingdom and Church are waiting ahead of us. So, isn't it better to have more support? I don't want to take care of them one by one, after all."

"… … I see."

In fact, he didn't know what could possibly be done with Ilwa's support. If anything, the possibility of him being a type of useless support was bigger. But, if it could be acquired with little work, then the work might not be regrettable.

"I have also heard that our destination, the lakeside town, has plenty of rivers. That's why the town's outskirts are the continent's number one rice-producing area."

"… … Rice farm?"

"Ou, in other words it's the rice. Rice. It's the staple food of my hometown, Japan. I haven't eaten it even once since I came here. So, although I don't know if it is the same thing or not, I want to hurry to eat it."

"… … Nn, I also want to eat it… … The town's name?"

Hajime looked far into the distance while remembering rice dishes. Looking at the Hajime with a content expression plastered across his face, Yue hadn't yet actually heard of the town's name and asked him. "Hah", Hajime was startled, he even was a little embarrassed when he noticed Yue's gaze. He then replied with a somewhat loud voice to hide his embarrassment.

"It's the Lakeside Town called Ul."

* * *

"Haa, there's no clue today, too… Shimizu-kun, where on earth did you go…"

With her shoulders dropping dejectedly, the person who was walking through Ul's main street was one of the summoned ones; the teacher, Hatayama Aiko. Her usual cheerfulness was gone. Currently, she was tortured with anxiety and worry, while a gloomy atmosphere hung around her. Somehow the main street's color, and even the streetlights were dimmer than usual.

"Aiko, don't be so disappointed. We still don't know anything. It's enough to just think he is safe. What can you do if you don't even believe." "That's right, Ai-chan-sensei. Shimizu-kun's room didn't seem to be attacked. So isn't the probability of him going out on his own be higher? Please stop thinking of just bad things."

Because Aiko was low-spirited, the commander of Aiko's exclusive bodyguards; David, and her student; Yuka, called out to her. In her surroundings were the familiar Knights and students. They were also severely worried about Aiko and tried to talk to her.

One of the classmates, Shimizu Yukitoshi had disappeared for a little over two weeks. Aiko and the others had tried to search for him, leaving no stone unturned. However, his whereabouts were still unknown. There had been no sightings in this town, so they had sent messengers to the other towns and villages in the vicinity, but in the end their efforts were still in vain.

Although, at first they thought he was involved in an accident, Shimizu's room was clean. Shimizu himself was a "Dark Magician," a class that possessed high aptitude toward dark magic. He also had high aptitude in other magic systems, that was why he couldn't be done in by the neighborhood thugs. A lot of them thought he left voluntarily.

Moreover, Shimizu was an obedient indoor type who had low sociability. Even among the classmates he didn't have an especially close friend. It was also surprising that he wanted to be Ai-chan's bodyguard. Because of that, other than Aiko, the students were sure of his safety. They were more concerned about Aiko, who became more low-spirited as the days passed. There was no need to say how worried her bodyguard Knights were.

Incidentally, they had reported it to the Kingdom and Church, and it seemed like a search party they had organized was coming. Shimizu was a summoned one with talent in magic, unlike the episode with Hajime in which the top management didn't even take an optimistic view. The search party would arrive in another two to three days.

Because words of concern came one after another, Aiko mentally hit herself. Whether he was involved in an incident or voluntarily disappeared, didn't matter, it didn't change the fact that it worried her. However, she must put it aside for now. Now her duty was to cheer up the other students at her side. That's why, "I am these children's teacher!". Aiko took a deep breath then slapped her cheeks with her hands to recover her spirit.

"Everyone, I am sorry for worrying you. It's just as you said. Nothing would be solved by brooding over it. Shimizu is an excellent magic-user. He'll surely be okay. Now, let us believe he is safe. Now, for today's dinner! Let's eat our fill and prepare for tomorrow!"

Although they knew she was overdoing it, the students obediently replied to her with a shout "Ye~s", as they cheered up. The Knights were also pleased with her appearance.

KARANh KARANh

When that sound rang out, the door of the inn Aiko and the others were staying at opened. It was the number one inn in Ul. Its name was "Water Fairy Inn". A long time ago, a pair of husband and wife fairies stayed in Uldeia Lake, and that was the origin of its name. Uldeia Lake was the lake boasted as the largest in the continent, and located on the outskirts of Ul town. Its size was about four times that of Lake Biwa in Japan.

The first floor of "Water Fairy Inn" was a restaurant. It served dishes that were also Ul's specialty products. The interior was calming, there were tables and bar counter that gave out a dignified atmosphere. Their ornaments were made with detail in mind, but did not stand out. Moreover, there was a modest chandelier on the ceiling, and flowers were arranged to add onto the calm atmosphere. It made one remembered the words "well-established", an inn where one could feel its history.

In the beginning, Aiko and her students weren't able to calm down because the inn was too high-class. It was impossible for Aiko and her student to stay at an ordinary inn because of their reputation, since people began to called them "God's Apostles" and "Goddess of Good Harvest". After some persuasion from the Knights, they agreed to stay at this place while they were in Ul.

In fact, they had spent time in one of the luxurious rooms of the Royal Palace, so Aiko and her students had gradually become accustomed to it. Now the inn had became a place where they could truly relax. For Aiko and the others who came back exhausted from farmland improvement and in search of Shimizu, this inn's dishes were their only daily enjoyment.

All of them were seated in VIP seats in the innermost section of the inn, as they enjoyed today's dinner.

"Aa, it's always delicious~ I never thought I'd be able to eat curry in this other world."

"Well, it looks like stew though… … No, is it white curry?"

"No, there is also the bowl of rice topped with tempura, remember? Even the sauce is superb, right? Won't Japan lose?"

"That, isn't it because Tamai-kun only eats the premade ones? It's not good to compare it with Hokaben's."

"Well, I'll choose the fried rice-like things. So, let's stop this."

The student's tension was raised every night because of the dishes closely resembled those from Earth. Although there were slight differences in appearance and taste, the concept itself closely resembled their counterparts on earth. The abundance of ingredient was one of the reasons that increased the quality of Ul town's dishes. Other than the rice, there were fishes from Uldeia Lake, in addition to herbs and spices from the mountain range area.

While Aiko and the others ate the delicious dishes happily, a splendidly mustachioed male of around 60 years of age, approached them with a smile.

"Everyone, what do you think of today's meal? If there is something you want to say, please tell us without any reserve."

"Ah, Owner-san."

The one who talked to Aiko and the others was the owner of the "Water Fairy Inn"; Foss Selo. He straightened his back, his eyes were gently narrowed, and gray hairs were mixed on his swept-back hair. He was a man who suited the calm atmosphere of the inn.

"No, today is also delicious. It heals us everyday."

When Aiko replied with smile, Foss gladly said, "Thanks for the compliment", and smiled. But, in the next moment, his expression was clouded as though he wanted to apologize. It was an expression unbecoming of Foss who always smiled gently. Wondering what had happened, everyone stopped eating and focused on Foss.

"Actually, although it's regrettable… I can only serve this much for the dishes that uses spices today."

"Eh!? You mean, we can't eat Nilshisseer (the version of curry in this other world.)?"

Sonobe Yuka, who favored the curry, was shocked and tried to ask again.

"Yes, I am sorry. Anyway, no matter how many ingredients were used… it would be enough if it were the usual… However, there's an unrest in the northern mountain range this month, so the number of people going to harvest the ingredients have sharply declined. Even a few days ago, a party of Adventurers who came to investigate the situation had gone missing. Thus, even more people don't want to go there. It became a situation where this store doesn't know when the goods will arrive."

"Umm… What do you mean by unrest?"

"Something like the sightings of groups of demonic beasts… It's a comparatively safe place as long as you don't go into the mountains of the northern mountain range. Although there seems to be strong demonic beasts inside the mountain, they never come near on purpose. However, there were sightings of groups of demonic beasts in the mountain where there shouldn't have been any."

"That's truly worrisome…"

Aiko frowned. The others were somewhat depressed and mutually looked at each other. Foss said with an apologetic expression, "It isn't the right topic to talk while eating, huh?", then he continued to speak with a bright tone to recover the atmosphere.

"However, that disaster should be solved soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Actually, today there were new customers who just arrived before the sunset. It seems they are going to the northern mountain range in order to search for the Adventurers who had gone missing. They were appointed by the Branch Head of Fhuren guild, so it looks like they are some serious big-guns. They might be able to determine the cause of this disaster."

Although Aiko and her students were still seated, the bodyguard Knights commanded by David and currently eating with them let out "Hou", with a half admiration-filled and half-interested tone. Even among the guild's staff members, the Head of Fhuren branch was considered first class. For someone to be appointed to accept a request from that Branch Head meant that they were capable of clearing something only powerful people could accomplish. Their curiosity was aroused because they wanted to fight in the same battle as such people. Inside the Knights' heads, they were listed the famous "Gold" class Adventurers.

Aiko and her students were looking at the unusual chatter of David and the Knights, then they began to hear voices from the stair connected to second floor. They were the voices of a boy and two girls. It seemed like one of the girls was complaining to the boy. It was Foss who reacted to those voices.

"Oya, speak of the devils. It is them, Mr. Knights. If you want to talk to them, please do it now because they are going to leave tomorrow morning."

"I see, I understand. But, those are fairly young voices. Are there any "Gold" class that young?"

David and the Knights had already memorized the famous "Gold" class in their minds, but because there was no one with such young voices. Some of them looked at each other with perplexed expressions.

While they were in a state of confusion, the trio were approaching while talking.

The seats where Aiko and the others sat were the innermost seats enclosed by walls on three sides. It was a place where they could look anywhere inside the restaurant. For now, it was made into a private room with the use of the curtain. Needless to say, inside was the conspicuous Aiko's party, was Aiko; the one hailed as the "Goddess of Good Harvest", which made them even more conspicuous. It was why they often used the curtain whenever they ate their meals. Even today, they closed the curtain so they wouldn't be seen.

From the other side of the curtain, they could hear the conversation of a boy and two girls.

"Mou, how many times I must say it until you understand. Please stop leaving me alone and create a world with just the two of you in it. It makes me feel really, really lonely. Did you hear me? "Hajime"-san."

"I heard, I heard you. Just stay in another room if you don't want to see it."

"Nmah! Did you hear what he just said, Yue-san? "Hajime"-san just said something coldhearted."

"…"Hajime" …Bad!"

"Yes, yes."

Within their conversation, the name the girls said instantly rattled Aiko's heart. What did the girls just say? What was the boy called? This boy's voice… isn't it similar to "that boy"?, were the question that immediately floated into Aiko's mind. She stiffened as though something had tied her down, so she could only stare at the curtain.

The same thing happened to Sonobe Yuka and other students by her side. In their minds, thoughts of a certain boy who had disappeared into the abyss four months ago resurfaced. He was a boy who the classmates strongly believed to have "died in this other world". A boy they wanted to forget, a boy who stood out for better or for worse.

Because of the abnormal expression on Aiko's and her students' faces, Foss and the Knights tried calling out to them with dumbfounded gazes, but no one reacted. The Knights were wondering what on earth had happened as they looked at their faces. Then, Aiko blurted out a name.

"…Nagumo-kun?"

Because of the word she unconsciously let out, her body which had stiffened because of the unbelievable situation had regained its freedom. Aiko immediately stood up and her chair fell to the ground. She then pulled the curtain opened, so hard it might tear.

SHAAAA!!

Because of the unexpected loud sound that came from when the curtain was pulled, boy and two girls trio were only able to look with stupefied expressions.

Aiko shouted without confirming who the other person was. It was the name of her important student.

"Nagumo-kun!"

"Ah? ...… Sensei?"

In front of her, with his eye wide open in surprise, was an eyepatched, white-haired boy. He looked completely different from the Nagumo Hajime in her memory. Not only his appearance, his atmosphere was also completely different. Nagumo Hajime Aiko knew was a boy who always daydreaming, gentle, and quiet. Actually, Aiko admitted that a wry smile fit him, but it was her secret. However, the boy in front of her eyes had sharp eyes, clad with an unapproachable atmosphere. He was too different from her memory. If she passed by him inside the town, she was sure she wouldn't recognized the boy in front of her as Nagumo Hajime.

But if she looked carefully, his voice and face were the same as the one inside her memory. Above all… it was how the boy in front of her called her. That's right, it was "sensei". Aiko was convinced. Although his look and atmosphere had greatly changed, the boy in front of her was certainly her own student, "Nagumo Hajime"!

"Nagumo-kun… You're Nagumo-kun, right? You're alive… You really are alive…"

"No, you got wrong person. Bye."

"He?"

To meet the student who was thought to be dead, was a miracle. Being deeply moved, her tear glands loosened, and Aiko eyes became teary. "Where was he until now? What on earth happened? I am truly glad that you were safe." Were only some of the many things she wanted to say, but couldn't. Even so, the reply to her desperate words was a completely unexpected answer.

She unconsciously let out a stupid voice, and Aiko's tears were also withdrawn. She could only blankly stare at Hajime who had begun to suta suta, walk towards the exit. 'HAH', she returned to her senses, and panicky ran after him while gripping onto his wrist.

"Please wait a second? Aren't you Nagumo-kun? Didn't you just call sensei sensei? Just how is that the wrong person."

"No, you heard it wrong. That was… Right, it was a dialect meaning "small". Un."

"Even so, that's extremely rude! Rather, there is no way such dialect exists. Why are you trying to deceive me? That appearance too… Did something happen? What are you doing in this place? Why, why didn't you immediately come back to everyone? Nagumo-kun! Please answer! Sensei won't let you deceive her!"

Aiko's angry voice resounded inside the restaurant. Several people and guests looked at the rumored "Goddess of Good Harvest" as she caught and shouted at a man. "Suwah, is he Goddess's man!?", as they misunderstood, their eyes sparkled with curiosity. The students and the bodyguard Knights were also came out from the interior.

The students who had seen Hajime's appearance had shocked expressions as they couldn't believe what was in front of them. Half of it was because he was alive, while the other half was because of the drastic change to his appearance and atmosphere. However, they didn't know what should they do, so they could only blankly looked at Aiko and Hajime.

On the other side, although Hajime looked calm, his mind was attacked by petit panic. In the town he came to, after accepting the request from the guild's Branch Head he got acquaintanced by chance, he never thought there was a chance he would meet Aiko and his classmates again.

Because it was such a sudden event, he inadvertently muttered "sensei", he even thought, "That can't be~", as he tried to deceived himself. His lifecards after Aiko's angry barrage of questions were to "run away", "continue with the mistaken person act", "became a suspicious foreigner", and "let's just kidnap Ai-chan", were all the cards that came to his mind. He especially didn't know how the last one came up.

Then, Hajime was saved by his reliable partner. Of course it was not the regrettable rabbit ears character, but the Vampire Princess. Yue, came in between Hajime and Aiko, then she forcibly shook off Aiko's hand which was gripping Hajime's arm. On their side, the bodyguard Knights were letting out slight bloodthirst.

"… Let go, Hajime is troubled."

"Wh-What are you? Currently, sensei have an important talk with Nagumo-kun…"

"… Then, calm down a little."

Because the beatiful girl stared at her with cool eyes, Aiko slightly flinched. There wasn't much of a height difference between the two. Normally, it would be labeled as a fight between kids. However, Aiko was actually younger by age, and Yue wore a bewitching atmosphere despite her appearance. No matter who saw it, they looked like an adult (Yue) and an angry child (Aiko). Aiko was wary of Yue, so she quietly back away from Hajime with blushing cheeks because of her own words and the way she got mad at him. As she straightened her back to show her dignity as an adult, although it was too late, Aiko was… just like a child doing a stretch.

"I am sorry, I was distracted. Let's return from the beginning, you are Nagumo-kun, right?"

This time, Aiko said it quietly, but her voice was filled with conviction as she tried to ask Hajime, and matched her glance with him. Having seen such Aiko, Hajime was convinced no matter how he tried to deceive her, she wouldn't change her conviction and she would chase after him no matter where he go. Thus, scratched his head and replied with a profound sigh.

"Ah. Long time no see, sensei."

"As expected, you're Nagumo-kun after all… You're alive…"

Aiko's eyes became teary again, but Hajime didn't think anything about it as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Something like that. After a lot happened, I'm somehow still alive."

"I am glad. I truly am glad."

After he took a glance at Aiko who was unable to say more than those words, Hajime went to the nearest table and sat down. Having seen him, Yue and Shia also sat. Shia was somewhat perplexed. Aiko and the others were astonished by Hajime's sudden action. Hajime had regained his composure and he ignored the surroundings, only to beckon towards Foss who had watched how the situation progressed while he stood behind the students.

"Umm, Hajime-san. Is that okay? Aren't you acquaintances? Although it was just my guess… the other world's…"

"That thing doesn't matter at all. I was just surprised when they suddenly appeared, well, that's all. We are originally came for dinner, so let's order now. I have been truly expecting this. Don't you know? This curry… Ah, you didn't know it. The spicy dish was called Nilshisseer. I am happy just by imagining the taste…"

"… Then, I'll order that, too. I want to know what taste Hajime like."

"Ah, to casually appealed him… just a expected of Yue-san. Then, me too. Clerk-saa~n, we want to order~"

In the beginning, Shia was timidly sneaking glances at Aiko and the others, but changed her mind after Hajime said those words. Then Foss came by to take their order with a troubled smile.

However, naturally, there was no time for them to wait. Aiko, who was dumbfounded again by how Hajime seated himself at a nearby table and began to order, returned her to her senses and she approached Hajime's table. She said, "Sensei is angry!", with a truly angered expression as she pishi, hit the table.

"Nagumo-kun, our talk isn't over. Just how can you start to order as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In the first place, just who are these girls?"

What Aiko had said represented the feelings of everyone around them. The Knights who guessed Hajime was Aiko's student, who they heard had died four months ago, the students who waited behind Aiko, and everyone else were, "Un un.", nodding and they waited for Hajime's answer.

Hajime frowned because of it would be an annoyance. Because he thought he couldn't have a calm meal thanks to Aiko, who would keep waiting until he answers her questions even as they ate, he reluctantly turned his glance toward Aiko.

"I have come here in just a single day, without stopping, because of a request. That's why I am hungry, so just let me eat my meal. Also, these are…"

Hajime turned his glance towards Yue and Shia. And these two, before Hajime could say it, began an impactful introduction towards Aiko and the others.

"…Yue."

"I am Shia."

"" I am Hajime(-san)'s woman.""

"Wo-woman?"

Aiko somewhat stammered said, "Eh? Eh?", as she alternately looked between Hajime and the two beautiful girls. It seemed she couldn't processed the information. The students behind her were also perplexed. Well, the male students' expressions said, "That can't be!", as they restlessly looked between Yue and Shia. Gradually, their face reddened as they were charmed by their beauty.

"Oi, setting Yue aside. Shia, aren't you different?"

"That! Hajime-san so cruel. Even though you stole my first kiss!"

"No, just how long you want to drag that thing. That was lif—"Nagumo-kun?"…What is it, sensei?"

Because of the remark that he "stole Shia's first kiss", it seemed her thought process had finally caught up. Then, Aiko's voice dropped an octave. Inside Aiko's head, it seemed she imagined the scene where Hajime was laughing loudly while being attended by the two beauties in each arm. Her expression said everything.

Blushing, Aiko interrupted Hajime's words. Her face was filled with determination to return her misconducting student into the right path. Following that, a large thunder called "Sensei's anger" fell into Ul town's number one and first class inn.

"To steal a woman's first kiss, and even t-two-timing! So, you didn't immediately return because you wanted to play around! If so… that's unforgivable! Ee, sense will absolutely not forgive it! It's time for scolding! Just wait there, Nagumo-kun!"

Hajime looked at Aiko with a skeptical gaze, who yelled "kyan kyan," as he let out a deep, deep sigh thinking it was going to be troublesome.

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ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V6 C6

Chapter 6 : Aiko's Worries

Because of Aiko's roar, Hajime and his party were guided to a VIP seat, away from the eyes of the other guests. Then, Aiko, Sonobe Yuka, and other students bombarded him with questions. However, Hajime was focused on the Nilshisseer (other world's version of curry) in front of his eyes. He answered them in a daze.

Q : You fell from that bridge, what happened afterwards?

A : I did my best.

Q : Why did your hair turn white?

A : The result of me doing my best.

Q : What happened to your eye?

A : The result of me doing my ultra best.

Q : Why didn't you immediately return?

A : No reason to do so.

After hearing that much, Aiko yelled angrily with her cheeks puffed, "Please answer us seriously!" Indeed, her being unable to show any intensity in that action was a sad thing. As usual, Hajime looked like a willow when the wind blew. Without matching her gaze, he deliciously enjoyed the Nilshiseer, while sometimes listening to Yue and Shia's quarrel. His face was full of satisfaction.

Angered by his appearance, was the commander of Aiko's bodyguards, David. He couldn't endure the woman he fell for being ignored. That's why he threw his fist onto the table and a loud sound rang out.

"Oi, you! You're being asked by Aiko! Answer her seriously!"

Hajime took a glance at David, then "Haa", let out a sigh.

"Aren't we eating now? Behave yourself."

His protest was completely ignored. However, David has great pride because, as a Temple Knight, he was entrusted as the commander of an important person's bodyguard, so he couldn't endure it and his face turned red. Following that, because Hajime wouldn't give him a clear answer, he changed his target as he turned to look at Shia.

"Hmm, did you say behave? That word, I return it back at you. To have a dirty animal share the same table as humans, you are the one who has no manners. Won't you at least chop off those ugly ears? She will look more human like that."

Shia's body trembled as she was stared at with eyes full of disdain. In Brook town, from her impression of the inn, having been close to Catherine, added to Hajime's existence, it was full of amiable people. Although there were lots of discriminating eyes in Fhuren, and even though they recognized her as a slave, no one made fun of her by directly saying that.

In other words, since the beginning of her journey with Hajime, this was the first time she had directly received discriminating words as a demi-human. Although she wanted to think nothing of it, she was slightly surprised by the attack, even after she had got accustomed to the outside world, she could still feel the damage. Shun, Shia looked down depressedly.

If she looked carefully, she could see that it wasn't limited to just David. Chase and the other Knights also looked at Shia with the same eyes. No matter how intimate they were with Aiko and her students, they were Temple and Imperial Knights. They were men from the Church of Saints and the Kingdom, so their discrimination towards the demi-human race was strong. After all, the source of discrimination were the Church of Saints and the Kingdom. Even though David and the Knights were influenced by Aiko and could think for themselves, they wouldn't have changed after only a few months because this sense of value was not so shallow-rooted.

Because it was something unreasonable, Aiko instinctively tried to protest. But before that, Yue who grasped the downcast Shia's hand, directed a glare as cold as absolute zero at David. A cold gaze that seemed to be able to freeze one's body came from the highest class, bisque doll-like beautiful girl. David flinched for a moment, but became enraged when he saw that the pressure was coming from a girl with the appearance of a child. Usually, he wouldn't easily lose his temper, but the words he'd just spoke, and looking at his dear Aiko, he had lost it.

"What, what's with those eyes? That's rude! Even though you aren't a God's apostle, you are trying to oppose a Temple Knight!"

David spontaneously stood up. Although the vice-commander Chase tried to stop him, faster than that, Yue's words clearly rang out in that uproar.

"…A small man."

Those were words of ridicule. Words that ridiculed how small his vessel was, to shout just because of a difference in race, and lose his temper when glared at by a girl. David was already lost in anger. As a man, being called small in front of Aiko drove him over the edge.

"… You pagan. I'll send you to hell along with that animal."

As he quietly muttered that without any expression, David reached for the sword by his side. Because the carnage appeared all too sudden, the students were flustered, while Aiko, Chase, and the Knights were all trying to stop him. However, as though he didn't hear the surrounding voices, David finally slightly pulled the sword from its sheath.

At the same time,

DOPANh!!

A dry, explosive sound echoed inside "Water Fairy Inn". At the same time, David, who was about to pounce at any time, was hit in the head and got blown away. As it were, the back of David's head hit the wall behind him, hard, and a terrific sound resounded. His eyes turned white as he collapsed. The sword was released from David's hand and gashan!, it fell to the floor.

No one was able to comprehend what had happened just now, and were all stunned. Their gazes turned to David who collapsed with the whites of his eyes showing. Then someone was curious as to what had happened to emit such a large and explosive sound, it was Foss, who pulled the curtain. Following that, he became wide-eyed as he was stunned by the disastrous scene in front of him.

On the other side, Aiko and the others were finally able to regain their senses when Foss entered. Their gazes which were then directed toward David, were naturally drawn to the source of the explosive sound.

In that place was something Aiko and her students had knowledge of, but had never actually seen. It was something from the other world, something completely unknown to the Knights. There was the figure of Hajime holding a "gun" while seated. White smoke came out of Donner. At least the bullet he shot was a non-lethal rubber bullet.

Although they didn't know the details, the Knights had guessed it was Hajime's attack, so they simultaneously put their hands on their swords while letting out killing intent. However, what immediately followed, was by a violent killing intent incomparable to the Knights'. It was as though they were attacked by a hammer that fell from heaven, as the Knights who began to stand were forced to sit back down into their seats.

Although they weren't submerged in the killing intent, having felt the pressure Hajime emitted, Aiko and the others turned pale as they trembled.

Hajime put Donner on the table and gotoh, it made an unnatural noise. Its purpose was to threaten them. Following that, he clearly declared his standing and asked where Aiko and the others would choose to stand.

"I have no interest in you lot. I have never thought of wanting a relationship with you guys. Moreover, I won't say anything about what had happened to me or what I want to do. I am only here for work, so I'll resume my journey once it's over. That's where we say good bye. Also, let's not intervene with each other. No matter what kind of selfish things you want to do, just don't obstruct me. Just like now, if you become hostile… I'll likely kill you."

Understand? Was what Hajime's eyes asked, but no one said anything. Immediately, he turned his gaze towards Chase and the Knights, who desperately endured the Pressure, and all they could do was slightly nod.

Next, Hajime turned his gaze towards Aiko and her students. Aiko didn't say anything. No, more like she couldn't. It was not only because of the pressuring feelings that gushed out, but also because of Hajime's words, and how her student change without her knowing. Those were not something Aiko's pride could allow.

Hajime sighed as he shrugged his shoulders and canceled the "Pressure." Although there was no answer from Aiko, Hajime could somehow sympathize with her feelings, so he didn't force her for an answer. The other students were obviously frightened, so he guessed they wouldn't dare challenge him.

With the tremendous feeling of oppression vanished, the Knights collapsed and let out deep sighs. Aiko and her students were also exhausted and sat deeply on the chairs. As though nothing had happened, Hajime resumed his meal, and talked to the depressed Shia.

"Oi, Shia. That's something normal "outside." There is no need to take it seriously, okay?"

"Yes, that's right… Although I understand that,… as expected, for humans, these ears are disgusting."

With self-derision, Shia patted her ears with her hands and let out a bitter smile. To such a Shia, Yue whispered words to comfort her with honest eyes.

"…Shia's ears are lovely."

"Yue-san… Is that so?"

Even so, Shia was still unconvinced about it, so this time Hajime followed up with a somewhat amazed expression. Because Yue often said "Bad!" to him, Hajime's attitude towards Shia had softened little by little, and he tried to comfort her with the utmost of his ability.

"You know, their education was practically brainwashing from the Church and nobles of the Kingdom, so it's just their feelings of aversion. Don't you know that the Rabbitman tribe are the number one most popular pet slaves? In other words, no one thinks of you as disgusting in general."

"Th—… that's so… …U-umm, by the way Hajime-san,… Umm… what do you think… about my ears?"

Having guessed that those words were Hajime's own way of comforting her, Shia felt slightly happy. Then she asked him with an upward gaze with blushing cheeks. As if saying, "I want to know, but at the same time don't want to," her rabbit ears completely drooped, and sometimes they twitched towards Hajime.

"… I don't think anything about them…"

Stealing a glance at the rabbit ears, Hajime returned his gaze towards his meal as he tried to deceive her, and replied snappishly. The rabbit ears drooped even more as though they regretted asking. However, with the next line from Yue, they immediately regained their energy as they stood up;hyupa!.

"… They are Hajime's favorite. He cuddles them when Shia's sleeping."

"Yue!? Didn't you promise not to tell her that!?"

"Ha-Hajime-san… you like my rabbit ears… Ehehe."

With her cheeks dyed red, Shia tried to suppress her grin with both hands, and as if saying "Wa~i!", her rabbit ears above were moving, expressing her delight.

The awkward and strained atmosphere of massacre that floated in the air until now had dissipated as if it were an illusion. The atmosphere had mysteriously turned pink-colored, so Aiko and her students, even the Knights were blinking in amazement. For a while, they watched Hajime's love-comedy interaction, then one of the male students; Aikawa Noboru muttered.

"Huh? How strange. Although until just now Nagumo was truly scary, now it isn't killing intent that's gushing out…"

"You too, huh. Rather, those two, although they are dangerously cute,… although they're totally in my strike-zone,… but, to flirt in front of my eyes is torture for me…"

"… It's just as Nagumo said, those things don't matter at all. But, having the skill to get along with girls from another world… I want to ask him how!… Noboru! Akira!"

""Heh, we are going to hell together, Atsushi!""

With their eyes boiling with envy, they stared at the Hajime who made them shudder until just now; it was the unison of three males from Ai-chan's bodyguards. The serious atmosphere was completely blown away. The female students began to regain their original demeanor, and they looked at the male students with terribly cold eyes.

Chase, having realized the atmosphere had calmed down, started to heal David. At the same time, with his caution and hostility were subdued, he asked Hajime with a smile. Apart from Hajime's circumstances, there was something he had to hear by all means.

"Is it okay to call you Nagumo-kun? About before, my commander had been rude. No matter what, we are Aiko-san's bodyguards after all, so we become oversensitive if it concerns Aiko-san. Somehow, I would like for you to forgive us."

Although Hajime wanted to interrupt him and say, "How can oversensitivity turn into murder?", but the word 'murder' itself made him unable to say anything. That's why he just silently waved his hand to tell him to stop that. Because of this perfunctory attitude, Chase's eyebrows slightly twitched, but his poker face-like smile didn't crumble. Following that, with quick thinking, because he couldn't just leave it at that, he cut to the case about Hajime's artifact-like thing in front of him.

"I assume… that's an artifact. Although I can't be sure with my limited knowledge, I can see that it's quite a powerful one. It's much faster than a bow, it also didn't need chanting or a magic circle. Just where on Earth did you get it?"

Although he was smiling, Chase's eyes weren't. Judging from his words, since there wasn't the presence of magic being used, he thought it had a bow-like pure physical mechanism and could be mass-produced. If so, it'd be a great help for the sake of dominating against enemies before war breaks out. However the Knights weren't a match for Hajime, so he at least wanted to get information out of him.

Hajime stole a glance at Chase. Following that, before he could say anything, he was interrupted by an excited voice. It was a male classmate; Tamai Atsushi.

"Th-That's right, Nagumo. Isn't that a gun!? Just, how did you get ahold of that!?"

Chase reacted to Tamai's shout.

"Gun? Tamai, do you know anything about that?"

"Eh? Ah, that's right, I know of it. It's a weapon from our world."

Chase's eyes shone because of Tamai's words. But afterwards, he stared at Hajime.

"Hou, in other words, it isn't an artifact from this world… If that's so, it must be made by someone from a different world… and of course the maker is…"

"It is me."

Hajime easily answered that he made it. Chase, because he held the impression of Hajime as a secretive person, was surprised by how easily he admitted it.

"You admit it so easily. Nagumo-kun, do you know what it means to hold that weapon? That…"

"It could completely change the situation of the war in this world,… right? That's if you can mass-produce it. Mostly, you want me to return with you and teach you how to make it, or something like that? Naturally, I reject it all. Just give up."

Hajime's words had left him completely helpless. Those words seemed to be prepared beforehand. But, Chase didn't give up. That's how attractive the gun was.

"But, the Soldiers with low levels can have high offense if it could be mass produced. When that happens, we can make use of a lot of people in the upcoming war, and our chances of victory will also greatly increase. If you cooperate, doesn't it mean you also help your teacher and friends? If so…"

"No matter what you want to say, I won't cooperate. If you try to take it, then it means you're my enemy. At that time… be prepared to be annihilated even before the war breaks out."

Hajime's quiet words sent a chill toward Chase's whole body and he shut his mouth. Then, Aiko managed to intervene there.

"Chase-san. Nagumo-kun has his own intentions. Please don't force my student. Nagumo-kun too, please stop saying such extreme things. Be more peaceful… Nagumo-kun, are you seriously not coming back?"

"Ah, I don't want to return with you. Tomorrow morning, after I complete the request, I'll leave as is."

"Why…"

Aiko looked at Hajime with a pained expression, she wanted to know his reason, but Hajime rose from his seat before she could ask. Unbeknownst to them, Yue and Shia had also finished their meals. Although Aiko tried to stop him, Hajime ignored her and climbed the stairs to the second floor, accompanied by Yue and Shia.

At the time Aiko and the others were left behind, a subtle and indescribable atmosphere was in the air. They were glad the classmate they thought was dead was actually alive. But, for the person himself, they seemed to have not even registered in his eyes. Moreover, he had become strong to the point, that it was impossible to compare him to his past self. He was not the same as the one who was once called "incompetent" in contempt as they looked at him from above.

Moreover, about the contempt, they had pretended not to notice Hiyama and his friends bullying him. Followed by that "friendly fire" incident, they could only feel more indebted because of Hajime's ambiguous attitude. As a result, no one could proactively reach out to Hajime.

Aiko herself was greatly shaken by her student's change and angered by the current development in her mind, so she was unable to stop Hajime.

Chase, while he looked at the currently recovering David at the side, seemed to think of something.

With their meals completely cooled, their appetites also disappeared. Without looking at the food in front of them, all of them began to deeply think about how "Hajime survived" after he left them.

Just what on Earth could completely change a person like that, what did Hajime think at that time when the "friendly-fire" incident happened, what the current Hajime thought of them… Most likely, he held a grudge against them. With those thoughts making revolutions in their minds, all of them became depressed, and the day was over.

* * *

In the middle of the night. Surrounded by the night, they were completely exhausted. Both physically and mentally, thanks to the unexpected development. All of them fell asleep, but Aiko wasn't able to sleep even now. Aiko's room was a single room, so it was not a large one. A table set and bed with carved wooden feet, a small fireplace, and a leather sofa in front of it. In the winter, the flame would surely brightened the room, and the inn guests would be warmed just by seeing it.

Aiko was thinking about what happened earlier today, she watched the unlit fireplace while deeply entrusting her body to the sofa. The insides of Aiko's head was like an unarranged bookshelf, with all of that information in disorder.

Even if she couldn't think about it, she wanted to think. And from then on, her head that ran round and around in circles didn't give out any constructive opinions at all. She recalled smiling when she found out her student was alive, then she could only knit her eyebrows because of his unamicable attitude.

She had seen a glimpse of Hajime's power through David's speech and conduct, she thought he wouldn't have been able to survive if he didn't change, and how much hardship Hajime must have experienced. At that point she could only let out a sigh because she couldn't help him at all. However, she recalled his interactions with the two girls, she thought he must have found companions he could trust, and she smiled again.

And, suddenly, a voice rang out inside the room where there should be no one but her inside.

"Why do you keep changing your expression, sensei?"

"Kh!?"

Aiko turned around to the source of the voice while wide-eyed. There was Hajime who stood at the entrance door with his arms folded. Aiko was so surprised that she became tongue-tied, but somehow managed to speak.

"Na-Nagumo-kun? Wh-Why are you here, how…"

"Even if you ask how, I just came through the door, no more no less."

"Eh, but the lock…"

"My class is transmutation master, you know? Unlike the locks on earth, I can open this kind of lock mechanism."

Hajime lightly answered, which stunned Aiko for a while. Her heart loudly throbbed in surprise and that somehow managed to calm her down. She frowned, then criticized him.

"At such a time, moreover it's rude to suddenly barge into a woman's room without even a knock. To purposely open the lock… just what do you want?"

For a moment, the word yobai came into Aiko's mind but she immediately erased the thought. She slightly shook her head as she recalled the fact that the other person was her student. Hajime only warded off Aiko's scolding like a willow blown by the wind, and he told her the reason for this thoughtless visit.

"Well, I am sorry about that. I just didn't want anyone to know about this visit. I wanted to talk to sensei, but before, there were the fellows from the Church and the Kingdom, so I couldn't do it. After all, the contents of this talk might have angered those guys."

"A talk? Nagumo-kun, it was okay to talk to sensei and the others…"

By chance, she thought he wanted to return with them, and Aiko's eyes shined in expectation. If it was a consultation from her student, then it was as though the room was a teacher's office. But her expectations were immediately denied by Hajime.

"No, I don't want to return, you know? So stop looking at me with those eyes filled with expectation… What I want to talk about now is something I thought sensei would be the most calm to listen to it. After this talk, I'll leave what you want to do to your own."

Having said that, Hajime began to talk about the story of "Liberators" and the Mad Gods he heard from Oscar.

Hajime obviously had his own reasons for telling Aiko this story. According to the Gods' intentions, the heroes; Kouki and the others, were made to dance in their game, and the Gods never intended to return them to their own world. To save the human race from the demon race, in other words to win the upcoming war, is the result of the Gods pulling the strings behind the stage in the first place. The heroes themselves were only interesting pieces they had gathered without any real reason. Rather, they only thought it was more appropriate to start a new game using the heroes.

However, for Hajime, there was no reason to pointedly explain this to Kouki and the other students. He wasn't interested with what his classmates wanted to do, and it would also only be a hassle for him. Even if he told him, that man who believed that justice always laid with the majority wouldn't believe him.

Because he was alone, between the words of a boy who had changed drastically and words that requested to save the majority, he didn't even need to think about who they would trust. Rather, because many people believe and worship "Ehito-sama," he'd only be mocked and criticized. Because of that, Hajime didn't want to become related to Kouki in the least.

However, by coincidence upon coincidence, it resulted in him meeting Aiko. Hajime himself knew Aiko's main principles always centered around her students. In other words, regardless of the circumstances of this other world, she would calmly make a decision for the sake of her students. Following that, judging from the attitudes of his classmates today, and how they yearned for Japan, if it was Aiko, surely her words would be able to influence them. Those were Hajime's thoughts.

Although, he didn't know how her influence would change their actions. With this information, if the movement of Kouki and the others became different from what the Gods intended, they'd surely put much more attention towards Kouki and the others. Hajime already knew that his existence would stand out like a sore thumb when he journeyed to conquer the Great Dungeons, and there was the possibility of receiving interference from the Gods. That's why, by indirectly passing the information using someone they trust, he could rearrange the actions of Kouki and the others. Thus, he could delay being noticed by the Gods. His only objective was to draw attention away from himself.

In addition, without relying on the Gods, Hajime's aim was to search for different ways for them to return. Furthermore, just like the "Liberators," he wanted to show Kouki and the others how their original allies became manipulated enemies, it's his intention to plant the wedge of distrust towards those Gods.

In the first place, he was only able to think of this idea because of the coincidental meeting with Aiko, so Hajime never expected anything out of it. For Hajime, there was no grudge nor hatred towards his classmates. He was just indifferent towards them. If they could be used, then he'd used them, and he'd leave them alone if they didn't seem useful. That's why he didn't disclose this information only by chance.

Having heard the truth of this world from Hajime, Aiko was dumbfounded. It was not known if she truly understood it. Processing this information, no matter what kind of ideas she got, it still took her more time.

"Well, that's all. That's what I came to know from the depths of the Abyss. I'll leave what to do after knowing this to sensei. It's okay to think of it as just nonsense, and it's also okay to move into action if you think it's the truth. Just do as you want to."

"Na-Nagumo-kun, don't tell me, to deal with those "Mad Gods"… you began your journey?"

"Hah, that can't be. I feel from the bottom of my heart that it doesn't matter what happens to this world. I am only searching for a method to return. That's why I went on a journey. The reason I'm telling you this is because it seems like it'd be convenient to do so, that's all."

Aiko wore an indescribably subtle expression because he snorted at her question. Although she was relieved he didn't rashly poke his head into danger, she couldn't help but frown as a teacher because of how easily he said he could cast the others away. But, she herself also made her students her first priority in this world, so she couldn't say anything back. As a result, she tried to change the topic with a subtle expression.

"Do you believe in that?"

"That's so. The Great Dungeons are the keys. It's okay if you search for it if they interest you. Once you exceed the 100th level of Orcus, you'll happily find the real Great Dungeon. First of all, by looking at your appearances today, you'll immediately die when you go there. It's out of the question if you can't ignore "Pressure" of that level."

Aiko was reminded of the pressure that gushed out from Hajime at dinner time. Following that, she opened her eyes filled with complex feelings of sympathy, admiration, and other various feelings when she thought again about the harsh conditions he must have lived through.

For a while, their silence continued. The room was filled with silence. Hajime was certain the information was received after looking at Aiko's appearance. And because he had no more business, he immediately turned his heels and walked towards the door. Behind him, Aiko told him about a certain student she remembered when they talked about the Orcus dungeon.

"Shirasaki-san still hasn't given up on you."

"…"

Hajime stopped walking because of the unexpected words from Aiko. Then, Aiko spoke softly with Hajime's back in front of her.

"Although everyone believed you were dead, she is the only one who didn't give up on you. Before she confirms it with her own eyes, she believes you are still alive. Even now, she's still fighting in the Orcus Great Dungeon. Even though Amanokawa-kun and the others are only going to the dungeon for training, her only purpose is to search for you."

"… Is Shirasaki okay?"

After a long silence, Hajime asked Aiko. Hajime who took an indifferent attitude towards them, began to ask about another with words of concern. Aiko, who discovered that the original Hajime still existed, displayed a joyful expression.

"Y-Yes. Although the Orcus Great Dungeon is a dangerous place, her ability has developed well, and she continues to conquer the dungeon. Sometimes letters come from her. Are you curious about her? Nagumo-kun and Shirasaki-san got along after all."

Aiko talked with a bright smile, but Hajime only expressionlessly looked back over his shoulder without denying or affirming anything.

"Although I didn't mean it like that… it's good if you tell her this when you exchange letters. What she should be cautious of is not the demonic beasts in the dungeon. It's her companions."

"Eh? What do you…"

"Sensei, I can already guess the situation from the attitude of Tamai and the others today. The cause of me falling in battle against the Behemoth, you think it was just an accident « … », right?"

"Th-That's… Yes. Some magic went out of control and resulted in accidental friendly-fire… Nagumo-kun still holds a grudge against everyone after all…"

"I don't think of anything like that. The thing I want to say is this. Friendly fire? That's wrong. That was a magic bullet clearly specifically cast with me as target."

"Eh? Specifically cast? Targeted, you say?"

Aiko's expression said she couldn't understand what he meant. But, Hajime left words that mercilessly pushed Aiko's worry further.

"It means, a classmate was trying to kill me."

"Kh!?"

Aiko was stunned and her face paled, "I only know that the culprit is someone related to Shirasaki, it's someone who's able to kill another person out of envy. Because she is still okay, it's good to advise Shirasaki to be careful of an attack from behind." After leaving this message, Hajime went out of the room.

Shin, there was an illusion of cold wind blowing inside the room, and Aiko embraced her own body with both arms. There was a possibility that one of her precious students tried to kill a companion. Furthermore, they used a cowardly method by aiming at his back when he was at the brink of death. For Aiko, who treasured her students, it was something she couldn't accept easily. But, she couldn't deny Hajime's words without any evidence. Her mind that wanted to believe her students clashed with each other.

With her worries deepening, Aiko's sleepless night increased.

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