Three days had passed since Chiji and the others were summoned, marking a full week since their arrival.
As usual, Chiji woke up early for his morning training session with Rinyu. Laika, standing by the door, was called to help him get dressed—a habit Chiji had fallen into after trying it once and finding it quite enjoyable.
(Thank God my butler is cute. A burly guy wouldn't have worked, but this is definitely easy on the eyes.)
Thinking about this, Chiji reflected on the past few days.
Nothing particularly eventful had happened. Mornings were spent training with Rinyu, afternoons in casual conversation and training with Setsuna and the other lower-ranked heroes, and nights slipping out to investigate the royal capital, Reil.
They had only ventured into a dungeon once—when Il was killed—and since then, Chiji had been focused on tracking the movements of the enhanced species.
As expected, the adventurers soon discovered another enhanced species, along with Il Candle's adventurer identification. Other missing adventurer ID cards were also found within the dungeon, prompting the guild to formally protest to the knight order.
Though the knights tried to feign ignorance, the adventurers began to believe Chiji's theory—that the knight order was intentionally creating enhanced species. The rift between the adventurers and the knight order, which had always existed, was widening, as reported to Chiji by Eri.
This, of course, was all part of Chiji's plan.
Having gathered sufficient information, Chiji outlined his future objectives:
Previous Objectives:
Find classmates who can serve as pawns in the internal conflict. Establish influence and credibility within the class to facilitate the internal strife. Strengthen himself.
New Objectives:
Use the otherworlders to kill a hero.Recruit powerful otherworlders as allies.
The objective to 'use otherworlders to kill a hero' was already underway.
The goal was to amplify the anti-knight sentiment among the adventurers. Since the heroes were supported by the kingdom, adventurers would naturally see them as allied with the knight order.
Though it was unlikely that anyone would take action against the heroes just yet, when the knight order becomes a greater threat than the Demon Lord, the situation might flip.
(Even if it doesn't result in killing a hero, it's enough if they just disrupt their training.)
As for the other new objective, 'Recruit powerful otherworlders,' it stemmed from something Chiji realized while reviewing the 'traitor' information on his bed.
The description of the 'traitor' was as follows:
Job: Traitor
Must ensure the heroes are wiped out before the Demon Lord is defeated or will die.Cannot return to the original world unless the heroes are completely wiped out.Upon success, one wish will be granted.
What caught Chiji's attention was the second line:
'Cannot return to the original world unless the heroes are wiped out.'
This suggested that the act of wiping out the heroes and returning to the original world might not be as directly linked as it seemed.
Combining this with what Raiza had explained—how they were summoned with magic to return after defeating the Demon Lord—Chiji arrived at a realization.
After wiping out the heroes... they would need to defeat the Demon Lord to return to their original world.
This meant they would need to fight without the heroes, requiring alternative powerful forces.
Hence, the new goal: recruit powerful otherworlders.
With his plans solidified, Chiji organized his thoughts:
For the internal conflict:
Find pawns.Gain influence in the class.Strengthen himself.
For sabotage efforts:
Stir up otherworlder hostility.In the process, secure powerful otherworlder allies.
(Alright, let's work hard today.)
After thanking Laika for helping him get dressed, Chiji left his room, heading for his morning training.
§
Training with Rinyu had finished, and the midday 'training' had basically turned into a socializing time.
Until now, Chiji had mainly been conversing with his lower-ranked classmates, building relationships. However, pulling in only weaklings wouldn't be enough. Today, he decided to approach an upper-ranked hero.
He already had a target in mind.
A girl with a beautiful, sweat-beaded forehead, barely keeping her nervous expression under control—a school beauty with fine brown hair tied in a ponytail, said to be one of the top two prettiest girls in class.
"Hey, Amane... you okay?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah! I'm fine, Nakura-kun! What's up?"
Amane Fumika.
She was a Gold-ranked hero, with the job of...
"You're the 'Blessed Priestess,' right? I hit my shoulder pretty hard during training... think you could use your skill to heal it?"
"Oh! Leave it to me!"
Despite her nervous energy, Amane directed her hand toward his shoulder, quietly chanting something under her breath. A warm, soothing green light enveloped his shoulder.
Amane Fumika—the only healer among the heroes, and an irreplaceable one at that.
Her healing abilities could even regenerate missing limbs, making her a unique asset. Chiji absolutely wanted to keep her on his side—or at the very least, keep her from becoming an enemy. If she did, she'd be the first target for elimination.
"How is it?" she asked.
"...Whoa, this is amazing. The pain's gone, thanks."
Chiji hadn't actually hurt his shoulder; it was just an excuse to talk to her. But as he rotated his arm, the shoulder ache that had been bothering him recently had vanished. Lucky.
"I-I'm glad it worked," she murmured softly.
"Isn't it supposed to always work, though? It's a skill, right?"
"Well... about that. Actually, I'm still not fully sure how 'skills' work. My healing magic only succeeds about 70% of the time."
"Magic-based skills can be like that, huh?"
"I think it's just me... but it's so weird, don't you think? Healing injuries with mysterious power... What happens to the bacteria? The blood from internal bleeding? If I regenerate a missing limb, does it just grow back? The more I think about it, the more I mess up."
"Oh, I see. You can't accept magic because of your medical knowledge."
"Exactly! That's it! It's just... I can't wrap my head around it as a modern-day Japanese person!"
Chiji had avoided overthinking the mechanics of magic and accepted it for what it was. But he could see how it might be a mental trap if one dwelled on it.
"Why not ask someone for advice?"
"The girls with magic skills are... kind of dumb."
"Then ask the guys."
At this, Amane froze, blushing slightly before answering in a hesitant voice.
"W-Well... I'm a teenage girl, you know? I'm not comfortable talking to boys I don't know very well."
"You're talking to me just fine."
"That's because you started the conversation, Nakura-kun! Otherwise, I'd need a full day to muster up the courage, another day to actually talk, and a second to lose all motivation. I'm kind of a coward, you see..."
Chiji already knew this about Amane. Back in Japan, he had observed her enough to understand her mental state fairly well.
"How about that guy over there?"
Chiji pointed toward Agni, the 'Messenger of the Sun,' Setsuna Yukishiro's childhood friend.
"Eh, I haven't really interacted with him much..."
"But he seems kind, right?"
"Yeah, that's true... but... hey, is Yūnagi-kun dating Yukishiro-san?"
Amane suddenly whispered, changing the subject to romance. Smiling mischievously, Chiji dodged the question with a vague, "Who knows?"
"That's such a knowing face! Come on, tell me!"
"Why don't you ask them yourself?"
"But then I'd have to talk to him! Oh no, what a devious plan!"
"Right? But if you're too embarrassed to ask, I can bring it up for you. What do you say?"
"Hmm... no, I'll handle this myself. Thanks, Nakura-kun."
After some hesitation, she seemed to gather her resolve.
"Alright. Oh, and if you're ever nervous about starting a conversation, try talking over a meal. People are more willing to listen when they're eating."
"...That makes sense. You know some weird things, Nakura-kun. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
Amane smiled radiantly, though Chiji could tell that she hadn't fully shared everything on her mind.
(Well, for now, I've planted the seed. No need to rush.)
With Amane Fumika now associating Chiji with her internal thoughts, the groundwork had been laid. All that remained was to let the seed grow.