"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 farfetched 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 ghostdemon 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, Germansuplexing 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 fullscale 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."