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Chapter V: The Events of a Single Day
 
After Hajime left, Shizuku fed Kouki the vial of Ambrosia and he recovered instantly. 
Once Liliana regained consciousness, she instantly took command and organized the chaos in the castle. Temporary hospitals were set up for the injured, and people were dispatched to find out what had happened. 
It was discovered that Eri had turned close to 500 soldiers into her puppets, and, excepting the few hundred Hajime had riddled with bullet holes, they had all vanished without a trace. Liliana surmised that they’d followed Freid in his retreat and were somewhere in demon territory now. 
Her scouts had also discovered magic circles made of mana crystals buried in the nearby hills, which explained how Freid had transported such a massive army without being spotted. Chances were that Eri had made her puppet soldiers draw them in secret. 
The king and all of the high-ranking ministers had been assassinated by Eri’s soldiers days ago as well. At present, Heiligh’s throne was empty. 
Until things settled down, Liliana would have to take charge. 
After the storm passed, it was likely that the prince, Lundel, would be crowned king. He’d survived the upheaval in the palace and was next in line for the throne. 
The most pressing issue now that the demons had left was that the Holy Church hadn’t sent any communications down. 
No priests or paladins had arrived during the fight, nor had any of them shown themselves in the aftermath of the battle. The people were beginning to grow worried, especially because the pope, Ishtar, hadn’t appeared either. 
A certain white-haired boy was morbidly curious to find out how the citizens would react when they discovered the main temple had been destroyed, and all of the highest ranking clergy killed. 
Rumors were beginning to spread that Lord Ehit had saved the humans by sending down that huge pillar the night of the battle, and most of the residents had only grown more devout since. The irony wasn’t lost on Hajime. 
He had, however, come up with a countermeasure for assuaging the people’s concerns. Liliana had nearly fainted when he’d sent down the letter detailing his plan. Aiko, too, had buried her head in her hands and groaned when she’d read its contents. They hadn’t been able to vent their frustrations at him either, as he hadn’t descended from the Divine Mountain. 
Naturally, there were a lot of people advocating a search party be sent up the mountain to see what had happened. But everyone in the capital was busy with the reconstruction effort, and no one could be spared to make the eight-thousand meter climb. The lift that went directly to the summit still wasn’t working, so that climb would be the only way up the mountain. 
Hiyama’s remains had been discovered a short distance away from the courtyard. 
His body had been half-devoured, making it clear that he’d been eaten by monsters after Hajime had kicked him out of the courtyard. There were traces of a struggle, so it was likely he’d been eaten alive. 
His left arm was completely gone. The bloodstains suggested that after he’d lost it he’d tried to crawl to safety, only to be caught and eaten from the feet up. A death so gruesome and painful that no one even wanted to think about it. 
The more people searched through the wreckage, the more they came to understand how the demons had taken them so completely by surprise. Five days after the battle, most of the pieces had been put together. Kouki and the others were assisting Liliana in rebuilding the city now that they’d fully recovered from the ordeal. Their thoughts often turned to Hajime, who hadn’t reappeared since that day. 
Most of the students had seen Hajime in action, so they’d had an inkling of how strong he was. But even they hadn’t expected he could call down an all-powerful laser from the sky. They were once again vividly reminded of the power gap between them. 
His strength was shocking enough to Kouki and the others, but for the students who had chosen not to fight it was a complete eye-opener. 
The others had told the stay-home group of Hajime’s strength of course, but now they realized they hadn’t truly understood how overwhelming he was. 
It wasn’t surprising that he and his comrades were a hot topic among the students. 
Another common topic of gossip was Shizuku. 
She seemed to be doing fine, and completed every task assigned to her. But she’d often stop in the middle of her work and look off into the distance. Everyone knew she was taking Kaori’s death hard, but no one knew what they should do to comfort her. 
They had all heard what Hajime had said, that he’d bring Kaori back somehow. But none of them really believed he could revive the dead, so it wasn’t much comfort to most of them. 
A few of the students worried he might bring her back as an undead doll, like Eri would have. Doing so would only hurt Shizuku more, which was why some of the students, especially Kouki, mistrusted Hajime. 
He was also down because not only had he needed to be saved by Hajime twice now, he’d watched Meld die before his eyes. Not only that, the difference in strength between them was obvious now. All of that, combined with the fact that he still believed Hajime had somehow tricked Kaori into leaving him meant he wasn’t very fond of Hajime right now. That being said, even Kouki realized he was directing his anger to the wrong person. But he still couldn’t help but be resentful of Hajime. 
Naturally, he was too dense to have realized his feelings stemmed from simple jealousy. Even if he had, he would have refused to believe it. It was likely he would have just reinterpreted everything to suit his own perspective... but it was also possible realizing it might have made him grow as a person. 
Regardless, both Kouki and Shizuku were stuck dealing with their own complicated feelings, and Ryutarou was too much of a musclehead for anyone to consider him reliable. 
Normally this would have been where Suzu took charge and kept everyone together, but she was as depressed as Kouki and Shizuku. Everyone could tell her smiles were forced, and that she was still hurting. 
Eri’s betrayal had hurt her more than anyone. After all, Suzu had thought they’d been best friends for years. Hearing that she’d just been used so that Eri could get closer to Kouki had stung. 
As all of the people who could have potentially held them together were busy sorting through their own feelings, it wasn’t surprising that a pall had fallen over the regular students. 
Hiyama and Kondou’s friends had retreated into themselves, and the other students had started growing suspicious of each other. There was no telling who might be a potential traitor, and many stayed holed up in their rooms to avoid contact with each other. 
Eri’s betrayal had lasting repercussions beyond just the immediate loss of a friend. 
Still, none of them gave in completely to despair. Plenty of students threw themselves into the reconstruction effort to avoid thinking too deeply about what had happened, and the efforts of Aiko and Yuka kept them, if not optimistic, at least less depressed. 
Aiko was of course as worried about Kaori as anyone else. If she could have, she would have been there with Hajime. But she knew what they were trying to do, and she knew with Tio and Yue there, Hajime had no need for her. 
Which was why she had prioritized taking care of the other students. She was a hard worker by nature, and she had gone to every student, listening to their worries and trying to cheer them up. 
And even if they had grown suspicious of each other, the students all trusted Aiko. She was in many ways their salvation. 
Yuka and the rest of Aiko’s guards were also a rock for many of the students, especially those who’d lost the will to fight. They’d been one of them originally, so they knew how the others felt. Without them, it was possible the non-combatants among the students would have been lost. 
Of course, both the students and many people within the palace asked Aiko what had happened up above at the Divine Mountain, but she refused to talk about it. 
She knew many people were wondering what had happened to the church, but she also knew now wasn’t the time to talk about it. 
If people went up the mountain now it would interfere with Hajime’s work. Besides, her thoughts grew dark every time she thought about what she’d done. 
Her spell might have been more effective than she’d expected, but it didn’t change the fact that she’d been prepared to kill back there. 
She decided she’d confess all of her sins when Hajime and the others returned. 
What she had done was a crime, after all. 
Though she acted cheerful, Aiko was actually terrified inside. What would her students think of her once they found out she’d helped Tio blow up the main temple and everyone inside it? She was responsible for the deaths of hundreds. 
She’d done it because she was tired of these people treating her precious students as pawns, and she certainly didn’t regret it, but murder was murder. 
It was possible they wouldn’t see her as their teacher anymore. But she was resolved to accept the outcome, whatever it might be. 
At the very least, David and the others had survived. 
They had used their position as Templar Knights to request an interview with Aiko after she’d first been kidnapped. However, Ishtar had denied their request, so they’d tried looking for her on their own. Tired of the knights snooping around, Ishtar had ordered them back to the capital and placed them on standby. In other words, he’d barred them from the cathedral. Their “standby” orders had actually consisted of being confined to a church prison in the capital, which was why no one had seen them until after the invasion. 
No one knew why they hadn’t been brainwashed, or turned into Eri’s puppets. 
Aiko suspected that they’d been spared because they were also pawns Noint’s god wanted to keep alive to play around with, but there was no way to confirm her hunch anymore. 
Like most others, David and his knights were helping with the capital’s reconstruction in order to avoid thinking too hard about the future. 
The only way everyone could keep calm was to ignore their problems by throwing themselves into work. Even the kingdom’s remaining knights were currently undergoing a test to see who would serve as each squad’s captain. 
The new commander of the knights was a woman named Kuzeli Reil. She had originally been part of the Royal Guard, and Liliana’s personal bodyguard. 
Her vice-commander was a man named Neyto Komold. He’d been promoted from his old post as captain of squad three. 
The two of them had organized a test where everyone would fight against Kouki to determine who was fit to serve as the new squad captains. As the battles wound down to a close, Kouki wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. 
“Thank you for helping out, Kouki-san.” Kouki turned to see Liliana smiling at him. 
“It’s no big deal, don’t worry about it. You’ve got it way harder than I do. You’ve barely slept these past few days, Lily. It must be tough.” Kouki smiled tiredly, and Liliana let some of her own exhaustion show through. 
In truth, neither of them had gotten much sleep recently. Though the reason for their respective insomnia was completely different. 
“There’s no time for sleep. We have to toll up the casualties, contact their families, repair all the destroyed buildings and homes, track down any missing people, repair the walls and the barrier, send out messages to the rest of the kingdom, restructure the army... It’s not an easy job, but someone has to manage all of it. Complaining about it won’t make the work go away. Mother’s been helping out as well, so it’s not that bad. The people who’re really suffering are those who lost their homes and their loved ones in the fighting...” 
“But you also...” 
Liliana’s father, the king, had been killed by Eri and transformed into a zombie. But Kouki could tell bringing that up wasn’t a good idea, so he trailed off. 
Lily guessed what he was about to say and smiled sadly at him. “Really, I’m fine,” she said, before changing the topic. 
“How’s Shizuku doing?” 
“Same as before. She’s doing her best to act normal, but whenever she’s not doing anything she starts staring at the mountain.” 
Kouki looked over to Shizuku, who was currently discussing something with Kuzeli. 
The two of them were actually quite close, and appeared to be engrossed in a discussion about how to organize the new knight regiments. 
Whenever there was a lull in the conversation though, Shizuku’s gaze would automatically turn upward, toward the Divine Mountain. 
“She’s... waiting for them to come back, isn’t she?” 
“Yeah. To be honest... I don’t really trust Nagumo. I’d prefer if Shizuku didn’t talk to him again, but...” 
Surprised, Liliana turned back to Kouki. 
Kouki’s brow was furrowed and it was clear his feelings on the matter were complicated. Jealousy, suspicion, fear, pride, gratitude, hate, and impatience all warred within him, resulting in a very difficult to read expression. 
Unable to find anything to say to him, Liliana looked up toward the mountain. 
The weather was so perfect it was hard to believe the capital had been nearly devastated days before. 
It almost felt as if the clear sky was mocking them, and Liliana glared angrily at it. 
Just then, she spotted a few black dots in the sky. She squinted, trying to get a better look. Before long, it became clear that these dots were growing larger. Something was falling right toward them. Panicking, she called out to Kouki. 
“K-Kouki-san! What’s that over there!? It looks like something’s falling at us!” 
“Hm? What do you... Guys! Be careful! Something’s coming from above!” 
Kouki followed Liliana’s worried gaze, and hurriedly called out a warning as he too saw the black dots descending. It was possible this was some kind of enemy attack. 
Shizuku and the others rushed over to where Kouki was, eager to get out of the center of the courtyard. No sooner had they evacuated that the dots landed. 
There was a tremendous crash and a huge cloud of dust filled the courtyard. From within it emerged Hajime, Yue, Shea, and Tio. 
“Nagumo-kun!” Shizuku rushed over the moment she recognized them. 
As Hajime had asked, she’d waited and put her trust him. After five days, her impatience was understandable. 
But when she noticed Kaori wasn’t among the group, Shizuku’s steps ground to a halt. Her face fell, and the worry she’d shut away began nagging at her once more. 
“Yo, Yaegashi. Glad to see you’re still alive.” 
“Nagumo-kun... where’s Kaori? Why isn’t she here?” 
Shizuku couldn’t hide the anxiety in her voice. Hajime’s casual tone had reassured her somewhat, but the fact that she didn’t see Kaori anywhere still worried her. What if Hajime hadn’t been able to bring Kaori back? 
Hajime looked away awkwardly. 
“Oh, uhh, she’ll be here soon. Just, uhh... her appearance is a little different from before... It’s not my fault though. This totally wasn’t my fault, so please don’t get mad at me, okay?” 
“Huh? Wait, what do you mean by that? What’s not your fault? You’re making me really worried now, you know that? What did you do to Kaori? Depending on your answer, I may have to cut you down with the sword you gave me...” 
Shizuku’s expression grew deadly, and she grabbed the hilt of the black katana at her waist. 
Hajime hurriedly tried to placate her, but before he could say anything a scream from above distracted them both. 
“Kyaaaaaaaaah! Hajime-kuuuuuuuuun! Catch meeeeee!” Shizuku looked up and saw a silver-haired girl falling toward them at high speed. 
Her outstanding kinetic vision allowed her to get a good look at the girl as she fell. She had beautiful blue eyes to match her silver hair, but her tearful expression ruined the effect of her looks. She flailed around wildly as she fell, as if flapping her arms and legs would somehow slow her descent. 
She fell straight toward Hajime, confident that he’d catch her. 
But of course, Hajime wasn’t that nice of a guy. 
A second before she crashed into him, Hajime jumped out of the way. She looked over in surprise, before slamming into the ground face-first. 
Is she dead? The students thought collectively as they stared at Hajime in terror. 
Lilliana and Aiko were terrified as well, but for a completely different reason. They’d never forget that face for as long as they lived. The blue-eyed silver-hair girl groaned in pain as the dust around her cleared. 
Liliana and Aiko hurriedly yelled out a warning. 
“Wh-What are you doing here!?” 
“Everyone, get out of here! She’s the woman who kidnapped Aiko-san and helped Eri take over the castle!” The students and knights all grabbed the hilts of their respective weapons. 
Shizuku, who had reacted faster than anyone, was already in her drawing stance. Hatred glimmered in her eyes; she wouldn’t forgive anyone who’d had even the slightest involvement in Kaori’s death. The moment this newcomer showed an opening, Shizuku would strike. 
The beautiful girl, Noint, got to her feet instantly. The fall hadn’t damaged her in the slightest. 
She shot Hajime a reproachful glare before turning to Shizuku. She spoke to her in a flustered voice, a stark contrast to the emotionless tone she’d possessed when Hajime had fought her. 
“Ah, wait, Shizuku-chan! It’s me!” 
“Huh?” Shizuku stared at her suspiciously. She definitely didn’t recognize this girl. 
“You’re not gonna sound very convincing if you say it like that...” Hajime muttered, but then trailed off when she glared venomously at him. 
The two of them seemed too close to be enemies. And though this girl looked and sounded nothing like Kaori, her mannerisms and the way she addressed Shizuku were exactly the same. 
Shizuku slowly took her hand off her sword and stared dumbly at Kaori. 
“Kao...ri? Is that... really you?” Glad that her best friend still recognized her, Kaori’s face lit up with a dazzling smile. 
“Yep, it’s me, Kaori! Kaori Shirasaki, your best friend. I know I look pretty different now, but... I’m alive!” 


“Kaori... Aaaaaah Kaori!” 
After a few seconds of silence, the realization that her best friend lived sunk in. Shizuku burst into tears and hugged Kaori. She had no idea what had happened to turn Kaori into this, but it was clear that even if she was in a different body now, she was really, truly alive. 
Kaori hugged Shizuku back and whispered softly, “I’m sorry for making you worry. But everything’s okay now.” 
“Sniffle... Sob... Thank goodness you’re alive!” 
The two of them clung to each other, burying their faces in the other’s chest. 
All the others present watched on in silence as the two cried their hearts out under the noonday sun.


“So what exactly did you do?” Eyes still red from crying and blushing slightly in embarrassment, Shizuku rounded on Hajime and demanded an explanation. 
They had gone from the courtyard to the feasting hall that Kouki and the others usually ate in. 
All Hajime had managed to explain to Shizuku was that Kaori’s soul had been transferred to Noint’s body before Liliana had suggested they go somewhere more suitable to talk. 
Only the students, Aiko, and Liliana were present to hear this conversation. 
“Well... put simply, we used magic to preserve Kaori’s soul and transferred it to Noint’s healed...remains? Corpse? Whatever it’d be classified as.” 
“I see. That makes absolutely no sense.” 
Shizuku glared at Hajime. 
Her gaze seemed to say “Are you really trying to explain this properly?” 
Kaori sighed, and seeing that Hajime had no intention of expounding, took it upon herself to explain. 
“Umm, so Shizuku-chan. You know how all the magic we use is a degraded version of the magic they had in the age of the gods, right?” 
“Yes. I studied up a little on this world. Ancient magic is the stuff that comes up in all the old histories, right? They were able to control the core elements that govern the laws of this world, while the elements we have are all derivatives... Wait. Is that how Nagumo-kun did it? He’s capable of using ancient magic that... can control people’s souls? And that’s how he kept your soul intact even though you’d died? And then after that he transferred it to a new body?” 
“Yep! You’re so smart, Shizuku-chan!” Kaori puffed her chest out proudly. Shizuku really was quick on the uptake. Hajime had known that too, but it was still impressive to see how quickly she connected the dots. 
“But then why are you in that body? Was yours damaged beyond repair? I’m sure even regular healing magic should have been able to heal those wounds...” 
“Oh, actually we managed to preserve Kaori’s body, and at first we actually put her soul back into it.” 
Of the magic they’d obtained so far, Spirit Magic was likely the most broken. With it, one could theoretically attain immortality by transferring their soul every time their body grew old. 
Whenever a person died, their soul lingered for a few minutes before dispersing. What Tio had done was use Binding magic to tether Kaori’s soul to this realm and keep it from deteriorating until they’d been able to find a suitable host for it. Had they been any later, Kaori may really have been beyond saving, so it was fortunate that Tio had arrived when she did. 
After that, they had used Adhesion magic to tie her soul to her body. Technically, Adhesion magic could tie a soul to anything, whether it be organic or inorganic. 
If one tried to attach a soul to an injured or aged body, the subject would just die again, but if the soul was put into a healthy host they would be revived. One could also attach a soul to an inorganic object like Miledi had, and thus avoid the issue of aging entirely. 
Naturally, this magic wasn’t so easy to use that one could pull off a perfect transfer on their first try. 
Tio, who was an expert with hundreds of years of practice under her belt, had needed assistance from the magic genius Yue to even have a chance at making it work. 
And though they had ultimately succeeded, it had taken five days of nonstop casting to get it right. 
Fortunately, both Yue and Shea had been able to acquire Spirit magic without any difficulties. Neither of them had ever believed in Ehit, so clearing that condition hadn’t been an issue. 
They hadn’t proven that they’d destroyed any servants of the church though, so they’d been forced to go through the actual trial of the labyrinth, which consisted of various attempts to brainwash them into serving Ehit, alter their subconscious, lead them astray with visions, and all manner of misdirection and persuasion. Once they cleared that, they had to fight against illusions of past warriors from the church. Neither of those trials posed much of a problem for either Shea or Yue. 
“Then why are you... What happened to your original body? Was there something wrong with it after all?” 
“Calm down, Shizuku-chan. I’ll explain everything, don’t worry.” 
Kaori pushed Shizuku back into her seat and continued her explanation. 
At first, Hajime had fixed Kaori’s body with Restoration magic and they had attempted to revive her in her original form. 
However, it was Kaori herself who had objected to that. 
With Spirit magic, it was possible to converse with people who were just souls using Soul Link, a magic similar to Telepathy. 
Kaori, still in her spirit form, had asked Hajime to put her soul into a golem like Miledi had. She was confident he would be able to make one far more powerful than her original body. 
Though Kaori had come to terms with her own weakness in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine, that didn’t mean she wanted to remain weak. 
She had no intention of leaving Hajime’s side. 
But because of how weak she was, she’d been killed trying to fight alongside him. 
It had been humiliating, frustrating, and pathetic. Which was why she’d wanted strength at any cost, even if it meant throwing away her human body. 
And once she made her decision, there was no changing her mind. Hajime knew full well just how stubborn she could be. Hajime and the others did try and persuade her not to, but she refused to listen. In the end, Hajime had to give in. 
Just as he was about to get to work crafting the strongest golem he could, a flash of inspiration came to him. Maybe we can use her instead? 
By her, Hajime had of course meant Noint. 
Her body wasn’t too different from a regular human’s, but her strength and abilities were far superior. 
It seemed just as likely to work as putting Kaori’s soul in a golem was, and it would save Hajime the time of crafting one from scratch. 
Hajime had brought Noint’s remains back and asked Yue to restore them. 
They had then attempted to attach Kaori’s soul to Noint’s inhuman, Apostle, body. Surprisingly enough, the procedure succeeded. 
Unfortunately, the magic crystal that served as Noint’s heart no longer supplied her body with an infinite source of mana. Kaori was still able to use the special magic, Disintegration, that Noint had possessed. On top of that, she could wield Noint’s twin great swords and use the power of her wings freely. 
At the moment, Kaori couldn’t even fly properly in Noint’s body, but once she got used to using it she’d be every bit as powerful as the original God’s Apostle had been. All the experience and skills Noint had accumulated over the centuries were all stored in her body’s muscle memory; Kaori just needed to learn how to tap into it. 
She could also control mana directly in her new body, so she was every bit as broken as the rest of Hajime’s comrades now. 
Her reaction upon examining her new body had been quite a sight to behold. Not in the least because of how strange it had been to watch Noint’s body frolic around joyfully. Having someone who’d tried to kill you a few days before smile and hug you was a surreal experience, even for Hajime. Even if it wasn’t actually the same person in Noint’s body. 
In fact, he’d almost ended up punching Kaori on reflex. It was only because Shea had grabbed his wrists that he hadn’t. 
Yue had then frozen Kaori’s original body to preserve it. It was currently resting inside Hajime’s Treasure Trove. 
She looked like Sleeping Beauty, if Sleeping Beauty had been encased in a block of ice. Yue was confident she could restore Kaori’s ruptured cells using restoration magic, so if Kaori ever wanted her original body back, Hajime was relatively certain it could be managed. 
“I see. Haaah... You’ve done a lot of crazy things over your lifetime, Kaori, but this really takes the cake.” Shizuku buried her forehead in her hands as Hajime finished his explanation. 
She could feel a killer headache coming on. This was even worse than when Kaori had run into the 18+ section of the game store to get one of the eroge Hajime said he’d liked. Back then, when the man at the register had told her she had to be at least 18 to purchase the game, she’d blurted out “I’m getting it for my dad!” That episode had become legendary within that store. It had been so embarrassing Shizuku had practically died then and there. 
“Ehehe, I’m sorry I made you worry, Shizuku-chan.” 
“It’s fine... All that matters is that you’re still alive...” 
Shizuku smiled at Kaori, who still looked a little apologetic. She then turned to Hajime with a serious face and bowed her head. 
“Nagumo-kun, Yue-san, Shea-san, Tio-san. Thank you so much for saving my best friend’s life. You’ve done so much for me, and I honestly can’t think of any way to repay you, but... at least know that I’ll never forget this debt. If there’s anything, anything at all that I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll do it in a heartbeat.” 
“Uptight as always. Don’t worry about it too much. We just saved one of our own.” 
Shizuku smiled wryly at Hajime’s casual reply. He had saved not just Kaori’s life, but that of all the other students. This made for the second time he’d saved their lives. 
Shizuku knew that he’d probably only done it because helping them had aligned with his goals at the time, and that he really didn’t think anything of it, but his cavalier attitude still irked her. Shizuku pursed her lips and glared at Hajime. 
“So you say, but didn’t you also console me and give Kouki that rare medicine of yours?” 
“Dealing with Kaori would have been a pain if you’d broken down, Yaegashi, so...” 
“Th-That’s a horrible way of putting it, Hajime-kun.” 
Hajime met Shizuku’s gaze and continued, “But more importantly... a certain teacher told me that I shouldn’t live my life in such a lonely way. I’m not sure I can always follow that advice, but I figure I can at least try...” 
“Nagumo-kun...” 
Aiko had been listening quietly to Hajime and Shizuku’s conversation thus far, but at that she turned to him, teary-eyed. 
Most of the students were impressed that her words had reached even Hajime, who seemed like he didn’t listen to anyone anymore. They suspected that was what had moved Aiko, but Yue, Shea, Tio, Kaori, the members of Aiko’s personal guard, and Shizuku could tell that there was a slightly different emotion packed within that gaze. 
Unable to believe it, Kaori turned to Yue who nodded sharply, confirming her suspicions. She then looked over to Shizuku, who averted her gaze and looked up at the ceiling. Atsushi ground his teeth while Yuka smiled drily and refused to meet anyone’s gaze. 
Realizing the atmosphere was starting to grow awkward, Shizuku quickly changed the subject. There was still a mountain of things she wanted to ask, so it wasn’t hard to think of a new topic. 
“By the way, Sensei. What was it you wanted to tell us the day you were kidnapped? Is it related to why Nagumo-kun is going around acquiring ancient magic?” Hajime silently turned to Aiko. 
“Go on,” his gaze seemed to say. Aiko cleared her throat and began explaining how the gods were crazy, why Hajime was traveling the world looking for ancient magic, and the details of her kidnapping and the subsequent destruction of the Holy Church’s main temple. 
The first to speak after she finished her story was Kouki. 
“What the hell? So we’ve just been dancing to their god’s tune this whole time? Why didn’t you tell us sooner, then!? You could have said something when you saved us back in Orcus!” Kouki glared at Hajime, who just silently watched the outburst. 
Infuriated by Hajime’s attitude, Kouki leaped out of his chair and stalked over to him. 
“Say something! Why didn’t you tell us!?” 
“Calm down, Kouki!” 
Kouki was too angry to listen to Shizuku. Hajime furrowed his brow and heaved a weary sigh. Annoyed, he finally turned to Kouki and said, “If I’d told you, would you have believed me?” 
“What?” 
“We’re talking about you here. The guy who only believes evidence that fits his worldview. If I’d told you the god everyone else believed in was crazy, and that what you were doing was completely pointless, you definitely wouldn’t have believed me. Hell, you’d probably get mad at me instead.” 
“B-But if you’d explained it enough times, maybe...” 
“Moron. Why do I have to go out of my way to make you listen? Just because we’re classmates it doesn’t mean I have to bend over backwards to help you... If you keep spouting crap like that, you’ll end up like Hiyama.” The other students averted their gaze, unable to meet Hajime’s cold eyes. Only Kouki continued glaring at Hajime. That explanation wasn’t good enough for him. 
Yue looked disparagingly down at Kouki, but he was too angry to take any notice. 
“But if we’re going to be fighting the gods together from here on out, then...” 
“Wait, wait, wait. When did I ever say I was going to fight the gods? Don’t just jump to conclusions, hero (lol). If they come after me, yeah I’ll probably kill them. But I have no intention of going looking for them on my own. Once I’ve cleared all the labyrinths, I’m going home to Japan.” Kouki’s jaw dropped open. 
“Wha, you mean you don’t care what happens to the people of this world!? If we don’t do something, they’ll be toyed around with by the gods forever! How can you just abandon them like that!?” 
“I’m not so strong that I can just save everyone by snapping my fingers, dude...” 
“Why... Why won’t you help!? You’re way stronger than I am! You could pull it off somehow, if you really wanted to! If you have power, shouldn’t you use it for the sake of justice!?” Kouki screamed. As always, his single-minded adherence to justice reared its head. 
But when those words were uttered by someone as indecisive as Kouki, they weren’t persuasive in the slightest. At least not to Hajime. He gave Kouki a withering look. 
“If I have power, I should use it for justice? It’s because you think like that that you always end up messing up when it really matters. Personally, I think power should be wielded with a clear intent. You don’t do something because you have the power to. It’s because you want to do something that you obtain the power necessary to achieve it. If you really think you’re obligated to do things just because you have the strength to, then for you, strength is nothing more than a curse. You lack resolve, Kouki. Anyway, I’m not going to argue with you about the path I’ve chosen. If you keep pissing me off I’ll send you flying out of here like I did with Hiyama.” Once he’d said his piece, Hajime lost all interest in Kouki. 
It was then that Kouki finally realized Hajime didn’t hate his classmates or this world, he really just didn’t have any interest in it whatsoever. 
Furthermore, having his biggest weakness thrust before him like that had left him too shaken to argue. He wanted to say that Hajime was wrong, that he had more than enough resolve, but for some reason he couldn’t get the words out. 
The rest of Hajime’s classmates had more or less realized that it was too much to hope that Hajime had come back to help them. Naturally the other frontliners and Aiko’s guards already knew that he wasn’t going to rejoin their party. In fact, they were a little terrified of Hajime since they knew they’d really end up like Hiyama if they crossed him. 
After all, he hadn’t hesitated to kill Meld, Kondou, and all of the other knights. Sure, they might have already been undead zombies, but normally you’d still have a few reservations about killing people you knew. 
Moreover, most of the students who’d chosen to stay in the castle after Hajime’s fall had bullied him at one point or another, so they couldn’t even meet his gaze. 
“Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay? If not permanently, at least until the capital’s defenses are in working order again?” Liliana asked in a pleading voice. 
The capital was still reeling from the battle, and though Liliana had made sure all of the teleportation magic circles near the capital had been destroyed, there was no telling when and where the demons would attack from next. Hajime was the only trump card she might have against them. Their general had only retreated five days ago because of Hajime and his comrades’ actions. Their mere presence was enough to deter another invasion. 
“Now that we’ve killed one of God’s Apostles, we need to hurry. It took five days just to bring Kaori back. I was planning on leaving tomorrow.” 
Liliana’s shoulders slumped. But she couldn’t afford to give up. There was no telling when Freid might next attack. If Hajime wasn’t there to help, humanity would almost certainly lose. 
“In that case... that beam of light that destroyed the demon army had come from your artifact, right? Could you perhaps leave that behind to protect the capital? In return, I’ll do anything in my power as princess to aid you in your journey.” 
“Oh, you mean the Hyperion? Sorry, can’t do it. Actually, it was just a prototype... and that one shot busted it completely. I’m gonna need to improve its design before I can use it again.” Hajime’s newest weapon, Hyperion, was effectively a massive laser that focused sunlight. He’d launched it up into the atmosphere before descending from the Divine Mountain. 
There were a series of lenses inside it that focused sunlight and funneled it as heat into a partitioned space in his Treasure Trove. Once it had charged up enough heat, Hyperion enchanted the light with gravity magic and fired it out of a focused lens toward the ground. 
Hyperion’s greatest strength was that it could be charged even during the night. That was because he’d linked his Treasure Trove to the artificial sun located in Oscar Orcus’ hidden chamber. That artificial sun had been created through a combination of spatial magic, restoration magic, and likely some other ancient magic Hajime had yet to acquire. It was the joint work of multiple Liberators, and from what Hajime had seen, was probably their best work yet. 
With his current skills, Hajime knew there was no way he’d be able to duplicate that. Moreover, Hyperion was still in a prototype state. It hadn’t been able to withstand its own heat, and had shattered after one shot. 
Hajime had created a few other anti-army weapons, though, so he could have potentially left one of those behind. However, he was reluctant to do so. 
“I see...” Liliana’s shoulders slumped once more. 
Kaori, Shizuku, and Aiko all glared at Hajime. The three of them knew what he was like. Though he had softened around the edges somewhat, his fundamental stance of not giving a shit about the people of this world hadn’t changed. In fact, he’d only helped out as much as he had because he didn’t want to make Yue and the others unhappy, even indirectly. 
Which was why none of the three of them said anything. They didn’t have to; their disapproving glares was all they needed. 
Hajime sipped his tea and tried to ignore them, but they didn’t give up. Eventually, he grimaced and gave in. 
“Fine, I’ll repair the capital’s barrier before I go.” 
“Nagumo-san! Thank you so much!” Hajime ignored Liliana and turned to Kaori and the others. This good enough for you? The three of them beamed at him. 
Both Yue and Shea were thinking Hajime had gotten rather soft, but neither of them found it a bad thing. They both gave him a knowing smile. Well, I guess doing a good deed every once in a while isn’t too bad. Hajime thought, smiling faintly. 
“By the way, where do you plan on going next, Nagumo-kun? If you’re going after the ancient magics, then your goal would be conquering the remaining labyrinths, correct? And since you’re heading east... I suppose your current destination would be the sea of trees?” 
“Yeah, that’s the plan. I was originally gonna pass through Fuhren on my way there, but now I’d have to go out of my way to get there so I think I’ll just skip it.” An idea suddenly came to Liliana. 
“In that case, you would be passing through the empire, would you not?” 
“Yeah, I guess so...” 
“Would you be willing to take me along, then?” 
“Hm? Why?” 
“There are many things I need to inform the emperor of. I have dispatched an official envoy already, but I would like to get this information to him as fast as possible. That mobile artifact of yours can take me to the empire far faster than anyone traveling on horseback, can it not? I was thinking of going to the empire in person to deliver my report.” 
Hajime was taken aback by her boldness. A princess heading into a foreign country alone was a rather dangerous endeavor. Though now that I think about it, she snuck out of the castle all alone and joined up with a traveling caravan just to find help. I guess I should have seen this coming. 
It wouldn’t be any extra work for Hajime to drop her off either, since the empire’s capital lay directly in his path. A simple request like that was one Hajime didn’t mind granting. Though he made sure to make his intentions clear. 
“I don’t mind taking you there, but I won’t be staying in the capital. Don’t expect me to stick around for your talks with the emperor.” 
“Fufu, I wouldn’t dream of imposing. So long as you can take me there, that’s good enough.” 
Liliana chuckled at Hajime’s wary attitude. Kouki had remained silent after Hajime had raked him over the coals, but now he butt back into the conversation. 
“Then take us too. There’s no way we can leave Liliana in the care of a guy who says he doesn’t care about this world. We’ll be her guards. Also, if you won’t do anything to save this world Nagumo, I will! But first, I need strength! I need the same ancient magic you have! If I travel with you, I’ll be able to obtain it too, right!?” 
“Uhh, I’ll just tell you where all the labyrinths are, so just go there yourself. The last thing I want is you following me around.” Stop making these decisions on your own, seriously. It was pretty brazen of Kouki to beg Hajime for help right after complaining about his methods. 
Aiko timidly spoke up, remembering what Hajime had said about the labyrinths earlier. 
“But Nagumo-kun, didn’t you say before that if we went into the labyrinths with our current level of skill we’d just be killed?” 
“Err, well, you know. Look, if even an incompetent guy like me could do it, I’m sure you guys can. It’ll be fine, really. You just need determination and grit.” 
I can’t believe she remembered that. Hajime looked about nervously while saying some rather irresponsible things. 
“We won’t be able to do it, will we?” Hajime couldn’t meet her eyes. 
As far as he was concerned, offering the rest of his classmates a ride back to Japan once he found a way to transfer between worlds was being helpful enough. 
He had absolutely no desire to babysit them as they went around trying to conquer all the labyrinths. It would be nothing more than a waste of time. 
Shizuku looked up at Hajime, regret and frustration written all over her face. It was clear their recent defeats had weighed heavily on her. 
“Nagumo-kun, please. Just one labyrinth. If we can obtain even a single one of the ancient magics, we’ll have a solid chance at tackling the others ourselves. Won’t you help us with just one?” 
“You do realize you guys can’t just leech off me in there, right? You have to prove you contributed enough to clearing the labyrinth or else when the magic circle reads your memories, you’ll be denied.” 
“I understand. But leaving the talk of fighting the gods aside for now, all of us want to go home too. We’re more than determined enough to risk our lives fighting down there if that’s what’ll really get us home. So... please. I know you’ve already done so much for us, and I don’t want to ask another favor after saying I’d repay my debt to you, but you’re the only person we can rely on. Won’t you lend us your strength one more time?” 
Shizuku trusted Hajime’s assessment. If he thought they didn’t stand a chance as they were, she knew they’d need his help to make it. It was clear from her expression how much it pained her to ask for another favor without even repaying him for saving her life twice. 
“Please, I’m begging you to, Nagumo-kun. I want to get stronger, so I can talk to Eri again. Please! I swear we’ll pay you back somehow, so take us with you!” 
Inspired by Shizuku’s dedication, Suzu too lowered her head. 
There were still a lot of things she wanted to say to Eri, and she wouldn’t be able to unless she got stronger. Hajime could sense her desperation from her voice. 
“Come on, Nagumo. Just one. I wanna get strong enough to protect my friends at least. I don’t ever wanna be helplessly forced to watch my friends die ever again.” Even Ryutarou prostrated himself before Hajime. This was the first time Hajime had seen Ryutarou bow to anyone. 
He probably blames himself for not being able to do anything in the Great Orcus Labyrinth, or in the recent fight with Eri. Ryutarou clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood. 
Hajime deliberated for a few moments. Normally, he’d never agree to something this burdensome. Babysitting Kouki and the others through the Haltina Woods was the last thing he wanted to do. He was on the verge of telling them to try their hand at the Great Orcus Labyrinth or the Reisen Gorge and leave him alone. 
But then he thought back to his fight with Noint, and wavered. In the visions they’d seen in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine, there’d been a girl who looked exactly like Noint. She’d taken control of kings and emperors, and done the gods’ dirty work behind the scenes. 
Could Hajime really be sure Noint was the only one of God’s Apostles? That seemed far too naive an assumption. 
Noint herself had said that Hajime was an anomaly, and that it was her god’s wish that he die an agonizing death. It stood to reason that if one Apostle had failed, Ehit would simply send an army of them at Hajime. In which case, wouldn’t it be better to help Kouki and the others grow stronger? That way they’d make good fodder for the inevitable clash. 
He was seriously considering using other people as meat shields against enemies coming at him. Even for Hajime, that was a new low. 
Had anyone challenged his motives, he would have simply countered with “I mean, weren’t you heroes planning on fighting against the gods anyway? What’s the problem here?” And so, for completely selfish reasons, Hajime decided to let Kouki and the others join him in conquering the labyrinth in Haltina Woods. He sent a questioning glance to Yue and the others to make sure they had no objections. As usual, they didn’t. 
Shizuku and the rest breathed a sigh of relief. 
They thanked Hajime profusely, never realizing that he intended them to be his future meat shields. 
“Hajime’s a terrifying man.” 
“That’s Master for you. He really is a monster.” 
It appeared both Yue and Tio had already seen through Hajime’s plan. They kept their voices low enough that no one else heard. 
Hajime ignored their muttered comments and started thinking about the future. His journey was drawing to a close. No matter who stood in his way, no matter how dangerous things got, he’d fight his way through it all and go home. Together with everyone he cared about. 
He once again reaffirmed his resolve, steeling himself for what was to come.


After they finished hashing out the details, Hajime, Yue, and Shizuku headed out into the city. 
The main street was a lot noisier than usual. 
Normally, all that noise would indicate a bustling, lively city. But most of the voices today sounded subdued. The capital had seen too much tragedy to be lively. 
It had only been five days since the battle, and most of the citizens were still grieving the loss of their homes and loved ones. 
But despite their despair, they still worked diligently to repair the city. They worked through the pain of their loss, repairing homes and clearing streets. That, more than anything, spoke to how strong humans were. 
Hajime took in the restoration effort as he walked down the street, a large bag of pseudo-hot dogs in his arms. Tortus’ version of the popular street food used some kind of meat that was somewhat different than a sausage to fill its buns. 
Hajime, Yue, and Shizuku all stuffed their faces full of food as they headed to the Adventurer’s Guild. Once they finished their business there, Hajime would be going to repair the city’s barrier. Shizuku had tagged along because he needed someone to guide him there. 
Shea, Kaori, Aiko, and Tio were waiting inside the castle. Shea had realized non-humans wouldn’t be very welcome in the city right now, and had chosen to remain of her own volition. 
Even if the people knew in their heads that it had been demons specifically who’d attacked them, right now any non-human was a fair target to vent their anger on. 
As the capital was the seat of the church’s power, there weren’t many non-humans living there to begin with. Even possessing beastmen slaves was frowned upon. So Hajime had to admit, Kaori and the others had made the right choice. 
Though Kaori’s current body looked passably human, no one who saw would think she actually was one. Aiko could have tagged along, but she’d decided to help Liliana with her mounting workload. Tio could easily pass as a human, but she was exhausted after casting Spirit magic nonstop for five days and was taking a well-deserved rest. 
“So... what exactly are we going to the adventurer’s guild for?” Shizuku took another bite of her cheese-coated pseudo-hot dog and looked at Hajime. 
“I need to let them know I’ve completed a quest. To be honest, I wanted to go to Fuhren to tell the person who issued it directly, but it’s too much of a pain to detour south from here. Besides, I’m sure headquarters will pass the report along.” 
“Is this... about that Myu girl? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her around anywhere...” Hajime explained how he’d returned her to her real mother and Shizuku muttered sadly. 
“I wish I could have hugged her...” Though Shizuku hadn’t known Myu for long, her cuteness had won Shizuku over already. Yue’s reply to that was one Shizuku certainly hadn’t been expecting. 
“Don’t worry, you’ll be able to see her again. Hajime’s taking her to Japan.” 
“To Japan? Nagumo-kun, what’s that supposed to mean?” 
“Exactly what it sounds like. I promised Myu that I’d show her what my home looks like.” 
“Wait, but... Myu’s a Dagon.” 
Hajime shrugged his shoulders, as if that wasn’t any issue at all. 
“I get what you’re trying to say, but it’s really not a problem. There’s probably plenty of ways to make her blend in on earth, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll think of something else. You know what they say, it’s not about whether you can or can’t, it’s about whether you do or don’t.” 
“I suppose you do have a point, but...” 
“Besides, it’s a bit late to be worrying about this now. Shea’s got bunny ears... Hell, even Yue doesn’t look that normal. She’s whiter than any person on earth, and her teeth are pointed. It’s not like I can change how they look. You didn’t think I’d leave them behind here, did you?” 
I suppose that’s true. Shizuku smiled to herself. Next to her, Yue smiled faintly as well. She tugged on Hajime’s sleeve. 
Is it just me, or did it suddenly get hotter around here? Shizuku finished off her hot dog and started fanning herself. 
She left Hajime and Yue to their flirting and thought back to Kaori. Though at this point she was confident Hajime could do anything he put his mind to whether it seemed possible or not, she couldn’t deny that the path Kaori had chosen was a difficult one. 
“You’ve been taking care of Kaori, right?” Shizuku said in a worried voice. 
“Hm? Well, you should probably ask her that instead of me. It’s how she feels that matters here, right? Well, at the very least I’d like to think I’ve been keeping my promise to you. I haven’t done anything terrible to her, anyway.” 
Shizuku knew from how happy Kaori seemed that Hajime probably was treating her well, but she couldn’t help but ask. Hajime shot her a look that clearly said “You’re being really overprotective, you know that?” and Shizuku turned away in embarrassment. Yue sighed, and dropped a bombshell statement. 
“It’s because you’re so soft that she tries to assault you. You need to be sterner with her, Hajime.” 
“O-Okay.” 
“Wait, what? Hold on a second. Hajime’s getting assaulted? By who?” 
“By Kaori. She already managed to sneak in a kiss. Curse you, Kaori.” 
“I-I see. You’ve climbed the stairs to adulthood before me, Kaori...” 
Shizuku gazed off into the distance, marveling at how far Kaori had come. In more ways than one. It left her feeling a little lonely. 
“Watch out for Aiko too, Hajime. She’s dangerous.” 
“You don’t seriously think she’s in love with me, do you?” 
Hajime muttered, averting his gaze from Yue’s sharp stare. Their conversation snapped Shizuku out of her reverie and she too gave Hajime a hard glare. 
“It appears to me that you’re well aware of the possibility. So, what did you do to her, Nagumo-kun?” 
“Hey, don’t automatically assume that this is somehow my fault.” 
“You know, Ai-chan was acting pretty weird when she came back to the capital from Ur. She’d start blushing whenever your name came up... I get the feeling you did more than just kill a monster army while you were over there. Now hurry up and confess. This is important! I need to know whether or not Kaori has more rivals to contend against!” 
“Look, I really didn’t...” Hajime desperately wracked his brains for anything he could have done that might have made Aiko like him. Before he could figure it out, Yue spilled the beans. 
“He kissed her. Passionately.” 
“Nagumo-kun! How could you!? She’s your teacher!” 
“Wait, calm down. There’s a perfectly good explanation for this, so stop shaking me!” You damn harem protagonist! Shizuku thought to herself as she grabbed Hajime by the collar and rattled him back and forth. Hajime hurriedly explained that Aiko had been poisoned, and that he’d needed to feed Ambrosia to her directly or she would have died. 
Naturally Yue supplemented that by mentioning that he’d shot Shimizu to spare Aiko mental anguish and rescued her from the church’s clutches as well. 
Now I’m certain... Ai-chan’s fallen for him. 
“Well, I get that you weren’t doing it on purpose at least... But surely you must have noticed Ai-chan’s feelings too, Nagumo-kun. When did you first suspect it?” 
“Probably around the time I comforted her after she blew up Ishtar and the others. She was looking at me kinda... longingly, I guess? I wasn’t sure, but I was starting to think, maybe... So she really is in love with me?” 
“Yep. She is.” 
“She definitely is.” 
Yue and Shizuku nodded without hesitation. Hajime looked tiredly up at the sky. He couldn’t believe the possibility he’d written off was actually the case. “What are you going to do about it?” Yue and Shizuku both asked, their gazes piercing into him. Hajime agonized over what to do for a few seconds before coming to a simple, if inelegant solution. 
“Alright, I’ll just pretend I never noticed.” 
“Well, I doubt Ai-chan’s going to try to come on to you. I suppose it’s better than trying to address it and making a mess of everything...” 
“Hm...? Oh, I get what you mean now. She definitely cares a lot about being our teacher. So as long as she still thinks of me as her student, pretending I haven’t noticed is the best course of action.” 
I really just thought it was the easiest way of dealing with it. Of course Hajime didn’t say that aloud, but Shizuku’s penetrating stare told him she’d guessed as much anyway. 
Hajime ignored her and started on another pseudo-hot dog. By the time they reached the guild, the three of them had eaten their way through the entire bag. 
The capital’s Adventurer’s Guild was even more impressive than Fuhren’s. The grand double doors sat wide open, and throngs of adventurers came in and out. After the invasion, the number of requests brought to the guild had increased exponentially. 
The three of them stepped into the guild and got in line at one of the reception counters. There were ten in total, and all were busy. But the receptionists were all consummate professionals, and the line moved forward at a steady pace. 
For some reason, each and every one of the receptionists were beautiful women. Beautiful, and cute. Very, very cute. 
However, their looks didn’t stir Hajime’s desire in the slightest. As far as he was concerned, there was no one cuter or more beautiful than Yue. Plus, she was holding his hand. There was no way he’d let his gaze wander to other women in this situation. 
Which was why he really wished Yue would stop trying to crush his fingers. No really, I don’t care about any of those other girls! Hajime lamented to himself. 
Shizuku breathed an exasperated sigh, which Hajime ignored, and walked to the now free receptionist’s desk. 
He parsed over his Status Plate, and the documents proving that he had fulfilled the request to deliver Myu safely to her family at Erisen. 
“By the way, would it be possible to report the completion of this quest to Ilwa, Fuhren’s branch chief, from here?” 
“I believe so? Was this... a personal request? Please excuse me for a moment, sir.” The receptionist tilted her head quizzically. 
Branch chiefs rarely made personal requests of mere adventurers, so her confusion was understandable. 
The adventurers at the adjacent receptionists’ desks were staring slack-jawed at him. 
When the receptionist saw the details printed on Hajime’s status plate, her jaw dropped open too. 
She looked from the Status Plate to Hajime, then back down to the plate and back again. 
“Y-You are Hajime Nagumo, correct?” 
“Hm? Yeah, that’s me. Says so on the Status Plate, doesn’t it?” 
“My sincerest apologies, but could you head to the guild office? I was given instructions to bring you there if you ever appeared at our guild, Nagumo-sama... Please wait just a short while, I’ll bring the guild master out right away.” 
“Uh, all I want to do is let Branch Chief Ilwa know I completed his request. I need to go repair the capital’s barrier after this, so I really don’t want to waste too much time here.” 
“U-Umm, but I really can’t allow... I promise I’ll bring him out right away, so please just wait a few seconds!” The receptionist sprinted away with Hajime’s Status Plate and the documents proving he’d returned Myu safely. 
Hajime slumped his shoulders and looked glumly at the floor. Yue and Shizuku both patted his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him. 
Just as Hajime was starting to think letting Ilwa know wasn’t worth the trouble of whatever these people wanted from him, the receptionist returned. She was accompanied by an old man with shrewd eyes and an impressively long beard. 
Judging from his bulging muscles, Hajime was certain that he was one of those buff old-dude types he’d seen so often in anime and manga. 
The moment this old man, who Hajime assumed was the guild master, appeared, the main hall broke out in muttered conversation. News spread through the rest of the guild, and before long the guild master’s appearance was what every adventurer was talking about. 
The guild master’s name was Balse Laputa. Mere mention of his name could bring down floating castles. Fortunately, it seemed Balse didn’t have any requests to make of Hajime. He had just heard a lot about Hajime from Ilwa, and had wanted to meet him in person. 
So far, every one of Hajime’s visits to an Adventurer’s Guild had ended with him getting mixed up in something he wanted no part of, so he breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered Balse just wanted to talk. Sadly, nothing Hajime did could ever end without some kind of incident occurring. 
“Balse-dono, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your guests? If you hold them in high esteem, they must be admirable adventurers indeed. I would love to get to know them better. Especially those two pretty ladies over there. A gentleman such as myself simply cannot leave without learning their names.” A handsome, blond-haired man sauntered up to Hajime and the others. Four beautiful women followed behind him. The other adventurers all began whispering to each other as they spotted him. 
Apparently his name was Abel, and he was a gold-ranked adventurer. Furthermore, he’d earned himself the nickname of Blade Lord among other adventurers. 
Balse introduced Hajime to Abel. When he mentioned that Hajime was also a gold-ranked adventurer, the others in the guild hall started whispering even more furiously. Hajime didn’t like where this was going one bit. He hurriedly tried to usher Yue and Shizuku out of the Adventurer’s Guild, but Abel wasn’t going to let them leave so easily. It was obvious his interests in Yue and Shizuku were anything but pure. 
Shouldn’t this guy know Shizuku’s part of the Hero party? 
Abel flashed Hajime a dazzling smile and said, “Oh, so you’re also gold-ranked. You look rather young... How did you gain such a prestigious rank so quickly? Let me guess, you cheated your way into gold... Oops, I probably shouldn’t have said that in public. My bad.” His perfect smile didn’t even waver as he spewed vitriol. 
At this point, Hajime was certain Abel wasn’t worth his time. Nothing good would come of talking to him. Yue and Shizuku wholeheartedly agreed, and the three of them once again tried to leave. 
“Now now. No need to run away because you’re up against a real gold ranker. I promise I won’t bite. Well if you’re too embarrassed to show your face here, I don’t mind if you leave, but what about you two beautiful ladies? Could I entice you to join me for a meal? Let me show you what a real gold ranker is like.” Abel blocked Hajime’s way. It was obvious from his attitude that he couldn’t dream of any woman ever turning him down. 
His arrogance might have impressed someone else, but Yue, Hajime, and Shizuku were all far stronger than him. They just found his posturing laughable. 
Balse, who had heard of how powerful Hajime was, struggled to hide his chortling. 
“Hey, Yaegashi. Dealing with handsome losers like these is your specialty, right? I’ll let you handle him. This guy’s like Amanogawa-lite.” 
“Excuse me? What do you mean that’s my specialty? Also that’s an insult to my childhood friend. Kouki might be bad, but he’s not this bad... is he? I don’t think he is... Actually, at this point, he’s more pitiable than anything.” 
“You’re harsh, Shizuku. But I agree.” 
The three of them ignored Abel and walked around him. He frowned. No one had ever treated him with such disrespect since he’d obtained his gold rank. The girls hanging around him glared at Yue and Shizuku. 
Of course it had to turn into a fight. Resigned, Hajime decided that if he was doing this anyway, he’d beat up Balse too. The guild master was roaring with laughter as he watched from the sidelines. Before he could make a move, a very deep yet girlish voice called out to him. 
“Oh my. If it isn’t Hajime-san and Yue-oneesama~” Chills ran down Hajime’s spine. He reflexively gripped Donner and fell into a battle stance. Everyone turned around at once. 
“I-It’s a monster!” Abel screamed. 
“And just whooo do you think you’re calling a grotesque, vulgar monster who drives people insane just by glancing their way!?” 
The walking bundle of muscles glared at Abel. 
His face looked like something out of a juju manga, and his muscles looked bulkier than plate armor. At two meters tall, he towered over everyone. And yet, his red hair was braided in twintails with cute ribbons tying the ends. Not only that, he was wearing a cute yukata. One with fluttering frills everywhere. His musclebound legs were on full display. 
For a second Hajime thought it was Crystabel, the clothing store clerk they’d met in Brooke. But on closer inspection, he realized this was someone else. 
Assuming Crystabel can’t use camouflage magic or something anyway... 
“Eek, g-get away from me! I’ll have you know I’m Abel the Blade Lord, a gold ranked adventurer! If you take one more step toward me, I’ll cut you down where you stand!” 
“How cruel! First you call me a monster, now you say you’ll kill me... and we’ve only just met! The other gold-rank adventurer I know is much more courteous. Though... you’re more my type?” 
While Hajime was still recovering from the shock of meeting another one of Crystabel’s kind, Abel was being driven into a corner. That guy... or would it be girl? Anyway, just by standing there they’re making Abel lose his mind. 
The guy? girl? sighed as they as watched Abel back away screaming. Still, Abel was right in their strike zone, so they continued closing in on him. They licked their lips in anticipation and pounced on their prey. 
“Get away from me, you monster!” Terrified, Abel drew his sword and brandished it at the musclebound hulk. 
He may have been a pompous jerk, but he was still a gold-ranked adventurer. Everyone present assumed a single attack from him would be enough to end the fight. Which was why what happened next was beyond anyone’s expectations. 
Abel thrust so fast he left afterimages in his wake. Yet the muscle maiden batted it aside with one hand. They then grabbed Abel in a wrestling hold. 
Abel’s bones creaked from the force of the grapple. He struggled desperately against the muscle maiden, but was unable to escape. It was then that the real horror began. 
“Nufufu. Naughty kids need to be punished?” 
“Stop! Let me— Mmmf!?” 
Abel started spasming uncontrollably. 
After a few seconds his body went limp, and his sword dropped from his hands. It almost looked like he was dead. 
The women who’d been hanging around with him turned pale and ran out of the guild hall. Silence blanketed the guild. Finally, the muscle maiden released Abel and he fell to the ground with a dull thud. 
At this point, he was clearly the victim. 
However, his gold rank wasn’t just for show. 
He had somehow stayed conscious through the whole ordeal. He squeezed out the last of his strength to glare angrily at the muscle maiden. But then a second later his facade crumbled and he turned to Hajime for help. 
“H-Hey, you! You’re a gold-ranker too, aren’t you!? Help me out here! You probably just cheated your way into gold rank anyway, help me and I’ll give you a legit recommendation! You have the honor of helping THE blade lord here! So hurry up and beat this crazy muscle monster for me, you loser!” Hajime just looked pitifully at him. It took a certain kind of scumbag to insult the person you were begging help from. Actually, if this is the best the Adventurer’s Guild has to offer, aren’t they kind of screwed? Hajime shot a questioning look at Balse. 
The old man shook his head sadly, as if denying that Abel should ever have been granted such a rank. It was possible he was the one who’d obtained his status through illicit means. 
Tired of hearing Abel insult Hajime, Yue stepped forward to put an end to him. Abel misunderstood and thought she was coming to his rescue. 
“Oh, you’re really going to help me? In that case, I promise to set aside my evening for...” 
“Shut your mouth.” Though her tone was still neutral, Hajime and Shizuku could tell she was pissed. It appeared Abel had gone too far. Yue held out her hand, and a tiny black sphere appeared in her palm. 
“If you don’t have the balls to fight on your own, then you don’t need them anyway.” 
“Huh? What do you mean!? Wait, sto— Aaaaaaaaah!”



And so, yet another man vanished from Tortus, and was reborn as a “maiden.”


After crushing Abel’s testicles, Yue returned to Hajime with a satisfied look on her face. 
Every male adventurer in the room was grimacing, their hands over their family jewels. A few of them were weeping. Just watching had traumatized them. 
The silence was eventually broken when the adventurers started whispering to each other. 
“H-Hey, do you think that blond-haired girl and that white-haired boy with the eyepatch are actually...” 
“Wait? Y-You really think she’s the Ball Crusher!?” 
“No way... So then those two are the Love Smashers...” 
“What kind of nickname is that?” 
“You haven’t heard of them? They’re adventurers who came out of nowhere a few months ago. They say that blond-haired red-eyed girl is like a rose. If you let her beauty fool you, you’ll find yourself stung by her thorns. She might look like a goddess, but she’s actually a demon who goes around crushing men’s balls. That white-haired boy with the eyepatch is her companion. He’s the very embodiment of irrationality. Words can’t get through to him. Don’t meet his gaze. Don’t talk to him. Don’t even let him know you exist. If you value your life, you’ll never get near those two. Those are the stories I heard from a bard who came from Brooke. Apparently there’s a bunch of guys in Fuhren and Horaud who had their manhoods crushed too.” 
“That’s terrifying!” 
It appeared traveling bards had carried rumors about Hajime and Yue all the way to the capital. 
The adventurers shivered in fear and averted their gazes. They were fully convinced that Hajime would kill them if their eyes met his. They edged away, keeping their balls firmly tucked behind their legs. 
“What on earth... did you guys do?” Shizuku turned to Hajime and Yue, amazed. 
Yue didn’t seem to mind the rumors, but Hajime’s lips twitched as he heard the nicknames people had made up for him. 
Before either of them could reply to Shizuku, the muscle maiden interrupted them. 
“It’s been ages since I last saw you two. I’m glad you’re still the same as always,” the muscle maiden said with a wink. 
“Seriously, who the hell are you? Are you a friend of Crystabel’s?” Hajime asked warily. The things Crystabel had done to him the day they’d left Brooke still appeared in his nightmares. 
Shizuku, who was normally so tactful, was at a loss for words. Her face spasmed, and she hid behind Hajime, using him as a shield. 
“Oh my, not even a greeting? Where are your manners... Though, I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me like this. I confessed to Yue-oneesama long ago, and she crushed my balls for me... Do you remember now?” 
“Oh... Is that really you?” Surprised, Yue looked up at the muscle maiden’s face. 
They smiled, glad that Yue still remembered them. 
It turned out that they were a former adventurer who’d confessed to Yue at Brooke. The same one who’d been so persistent that Yue had ended up crushing their balls. After that incident, they’d come under Crystabel’s wing and learned the ways of a muscle maiden. 
Their name now was Mariabel (As you can guess, Crystabel was the one who named them.) 
“I understand now how inappropriate my actions had been before. I’m sorry, Yue-oneesama....” 
“Mmm, you’ve learned well. You can enjoy your new life with your head held high.” 
“Ufufu, I thought you’d say that, Onee-sama. By the way, there’s plenty of other people who’ve come to Crystabel seeking to be her disciple. We had some former black ranked adventurers, some former gangsters, and a few mercenaries who used to operate out of Horaud... There’s so many Crystabel’s thinking of expanding her shop. I actually came here today to find a suitable place to open a branch store.” Shivers ran down Hajime’s spine as he imagined an army of Crystabels. It appeared that thanks to his and Yue’s actions, this world had received in an influx of muscle maidens. 
The strangest thing was that before, Mariabel had been of middling height. Yet in the span of a few months, she had grown to her current hulking size. Whatever methods Crystabel used to rear her disciples, they weren’t normal. 
Moreover, as Mariabel had accidentally let slip, Crystabel was actually a gold-ranked adventurer herself. Which was why all of her disciples were such skilled fighters. Mariabel had proved as much when she’d incapacitated Abel without a fight. 
A massive army of muscle maidens was the most terrifying thing Hajime could think of. 
We really need to get back to our own world, fast. Hajime thought to himself while he watched Yue and Mariabel converse amicably. 
“You reap what you sow...” Shizuku muttered behind him. 
Annoyed, Hajime pushed Shizuku closer to Mariabel. 
Mariabel took quite a liking to Shizuku, and ended up hugging her until she was blue in the face. After they’d left, Shizuku and Hajime got into a huge shouting match, which ended up leading to a lot of people speculating that the two of them were secretly lovers... but that is a tale for another time. 
Hajime did his best to avoid thinking about the new threat he’d unleashed onto the world as he headed to where the city’s barrier generator was located. 
The building was heavily guarded by a contingent of soldiers who glared warily at Hajime as he drew close. Though their expressions softened when they saw it was Shizuku who’d brought him there. 
No one challenged them, so Shizuku led them to a spacious marble hall inside the building. At its center stood a cylindrical artifact with magic circles engraved on its sides. 
It would have stood two meters tall at its full height, but something had smashed it in the middle. The top half lay in ruins a short distance away. 
A number of men and women milled about the artifact, scratching their heads and muttering to themselves. They were probably the people originally charged with repairing it. 
“Oh, if it isn’t Shizuku-dono. What brings you here?” An old man with an impressive mustache walked over to Shizuku. He appeared to be in his mid-sixties, and had the look of a veteran craftsman. Judging from his tone, he and Shizuku knew each other relatively well. 
“Good afternoon, Volpen-san. I’ve brought a Synergist who might be able to repair the artifact here.” 
“Truly? Do you mean that boy standing next to you?” Volpen turned his gaze to Hajime and examined him. Though he didn’t say it to Shizuku’s face, he doubted this young boy could do something so difficult. 
Volpen was the head of Heiligh’s Synergists, and the best craftsman the country had. The barrier-generating artifact was a relic from the age of the gods, and even someone with his considerable amount of skill was having trouble finding a way to repair it. That was why he found it difficult to believe a teenage boy would be able to accomplish the task. 
Hajime ignored him completely and began weaving his way through the other craftsmen. He reached the ruins of the artifact and placed his hand on the cylindrical pillar. First, he cast Ore Appraisal. 
“Huh, I see now... No wonder it’s such a tough barrier.” 
“Hmph, what can a brat like you accomplish?” Volpen harrumphed dismissively, but Hajime had already understood the principle behind the artifact that had protected the capital for centuries. 
He put both hands to the stone and began transmuting. Red sparks ran down the length of the pillar, and the pieces started knitting themselves back together. The speed and accuracy of his transmutation left Volpen and the other Synergists stunned. 
“It’s beautiful...” Shizuku muttered, entranced by the red sparks dancing through the air. This was the first time she’d seen Hajime transmute anything. 
“Well, there you go.” Less than a minute later, the artifact had been perfectly repaired. Hajime poured a little of his mana into it to reactivate the barrier. Particles of white light rose up from the cylinder, diffusing into the air. 
A soldier ran into the artifact chamber and reported that the third layer had been repaired. 
“Unbelievable... You repaired an ancient artifact so easily...” Shizuku smiled wryly and explained to Volpen that Hajime was, like her, summoned from another world. 
“No wonder...” Volpen muttered. 
When Shizuku mentioned it was Hajime who had made her katana as well, a predatory gleam appeared in Volpen and all the other craftsmen’s eyes. Hajime ignored them and started walking toward the room that housed the next artifact. 
But Volpen and the others weren’t going to let him leave so easily. Not after such an envious display of skill. 
“Please wait! Take me as your disciple! I’ll do anything!” 
“Whoa! Wh-Where the heck did that come from? And stop clinging to my legs! You’re creeping me out!” 
Volpen continued begging, and his disciples decided to join in. They clung to Hajime’s legs, rooting him place. Disgusted by the horde of old bearded men rubbing their faces against his legs, Hajime tried to kick them all off. But they were surprisingly stubborn, and held on with all their might. 
In the end, he was forced to use Lightning Field to shock them all off. Still they crawled after him, squeezing out every last ounce of their strength. Unable to ignore them any longer, Hajime finally told them no directly. 
“Look guys, I’m leaving the capital tomorrow and I have no idea when I might come back. The last thing I want right now is a disciple, and honestly I probably couldn’t teach you anything even if I did take you on.” 
“But you repaired that artifact with such ease. Not only that, you were the one who created Shizuku-dono’s weapon. I couldn’t even begin to guess how to construct such a thing. If you would just teach me your secrets...” 
“That’s because I used creation magic along with Transmutation. You guys can’t use magic like that, so...” 
“No way...” Volpen’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. The artifact that protected the capital was actually enchanted with spatial magic, which was why the barrier it produced was so powerful. Because of that though, normal transmutation had little effect on it. With enough people working at it for long enough, it could be partially restored enough to be usable, but never fully repaired. 
Thinking he was finally free, Hajime turned to leave the room. But though Volpen looked defeated, he hadn’t given up yet. 
“That doesn’t change the fact that your Transmutation skills are beyond anything I’ve ever seen! Please, teach me all you know!” 
“God you’re persistent!” 
A craftsmen’s dedication to his art was not to be underestimated. Volpen was the kind of person who’d go to any lengths to improve his skill. 
In the end, Hajime had to repair the other artifacts while listening to the pleadings of the kingdom’s finest Synergists. It was a surreal feeling to have a train of wailing old men following after him. 
Somehow the rumor spread beyond just this building, and more and more craftsmen started trickling in to beg an apprenticeship of Hajime. He got so fed up that he threw them all past the city walls, but they just kept coming back, like zombies. 
Hajime knew it was probably a bad idea to send all of the capital’s capable craftsmen to the hospital while the city was still being repaired, so he attempted to flee instead. However, the Synergists Guild’s information network had tracked his every move. No matter where he ran, Volpen and the others were there waiting for him. They piled on question after question, and it was clear they wouldn’t leave him alone until he answered them. 
Hajime spent the better part of the afternoon playing an impromptu game of hide-and-seek as he attempted to escape the Synergists’ clutches. 
“Damn, how are you guys still finding me? I’m using Hide Presence and everything!” 
“Hahaha, such skills are meaningless against a craftsman’s intuition!” 
“Your passion for your art betrays your location, Nagumo-donoooooo!” 
“Haaah... Haaah... We can sense the supremacy of your skill from miles away!” When it came to sensing like-minded people, the Synergists were even better at it than Hajime. 
Hajime seriously considered using Donner and Schlag on them. They were creeping him out so much that he almost would rather kill them then let them touch him. 
Eventually, news of the commotion reached the castle. All of the Synergists had left their post at once, and the city had devolved into chaos. Liliana had to head out personally to restore order, so the craftsmen were convinced to give up.


“Yaegashi... you could have helped, you know. They’re your friends, aren’t they?” Hajime trudged back to the palace and glared at Shizuku, who was enjoying a cup of tea. 
Yue, who was sitting next to her, got up to pour Hajime a cup as well. She really was devoted to Hajime. 
So devoted that when a horde of bloodthirsty craftsmen had started chasing him around the city, she’d surreptitiously left along with Shizuku. 
“Don’t ask for the impossible. It’s true that I got to know them pretty well since they did some work on the katana you gave me, but there’s no way I could have gotten them to stop.” 
“You must be tired, Hajime.” Yue walked over to Hajime and tenderly took his head into her arms. He hugged her back, and then carried her over to his seat. 
“Now that is just unfair. Yue left you too, so how come...” 
“What are you talking about? There’s no way I’d treat you and Yue equally, is there? There’s a lot of things that would piss me off if you did it, but if Yue did it I wouldn’t care.” 
“Well, seeing as she is your girlfriend, I can understand that, but... I still want to punch you in the face.” 
Just because Shizuku could understand the difference in their treatment didn’t mean she had to like it. Besides, even if it was natural for a couple to flirt with each other, it still irked her to see them flirting in front of her face. 
Hajime sat Yue on his lap and started feeding her tea cakes. I’m totally just a third wheel here, aren’t I? Shizuku thought to herself. Just as she was about to flee to the safety of Kaori’s room, Hajime’s door was flung open with a bang. 
They all turned to see a young, blond-haired blue-eyed boy standing in the corridor. He couldn’t have been more than ten years old. 
He glared at Hajime, his glare growing in intensity when he saw Yue sitting on Hajime’s lap. It seemed their intimacy bothered the boy. 
“You monster! How dare you do that to Kaori! A-And why are you off playing with other girls when you have her... Unforgivable!” The prince of Heiligh, Lundel S. B. Heiligh, stalked into the room. 
He balled his hands into fists and rushed at Hajime with a primal roar. He wasn’t going to be satisfied until he punched Hajime. 
Hajime casually plucked a sugar cube from the tea tray next to him and flung it at Lundel. It flew faster than Lundel’s eyes could follow and smacked him squarely in the forehead. He fell to the ground, the back of his head slamming into the floor. Then, he cradled his head in his hands and rolled around the on floor in pain. 
Finally, he recovered enough to stand up and charge at Hajime again, so Hajime fired off another sugar cube. This one hit Lundel with such force his head snapped back. The cube bounced back up in the air while Lundel soared a few meters back before crashing into the floor. 
“Y-Your Highness! How dare you do that to the crown prince!?” 
“I’ll kill you for that!” 
“Men, protect the crown prince!” 
Lundel’s bodyguards poured into the room and rushed at Hajime. 
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Each guard was met by a sugar cube that sent them flying in a beautiful somersault. 
But Lundel and his guards were both tougher than Hajime expected, and they got back up. Impressed by their persistence, Hajime grabbed one giant handful of sugar cubes and fired them all off. 
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Sugar cubes slammed into the guards at the rate of a machine gun. Lundel and his guards spasmed on the ground, as if they were having a seizure. 
Though Hajime made sure not to use too much force, the cubes still hurt. 
Shizuku watched on in shock as Hajime continued tormenting the prince and his guards. By the time she finally returned to her senses enough to try and stop him, everyone was lying on the floor writhing in pain. 
Hajime stopped once he’d ran out of sugar cubes and surveyed the damage. Lundel was lying on the ground bawling his eyes out. 
He hadn’t been seriously injured, but the barrage of attacks had broken his soul. 
His guards rushed up to him, trying to reassure him. 
“Don’t worry, Your Highness, the wounds aren’t too deep!” 
Just then, Liliana stepped into the room and analyzed the scene. Shizuku was scolding Hajime for going too far, while Hajime ignored her and continued sipping his tea. Yue sat on his lap, stuffing herself full of tea cakes. Lundel was crying on the floor while his attendants tried to console him. 
She massaged her forehead, more or less understanding the situation from that single snapshot. 
“Looks like I was too late...” 
“Princess. I think your brother’s a little mentally unstable. Think you could take care of him for us?” 
And whose fault is it that he’s like this!? Liliana wanted to yell at Hajime, but it was partly Lundel’s fault for starting things, so she just heaved a heavy sigh and went to comfort Lundel instead. 
The source of Lundel’s anger was of course what had happened to Kaori. 
When he’d seen how different Kaori looked, Lundel had demanded to know what had happened. 
The answers he’d received basically pointed to Hajime being the culprit. That alone had made him pretty angry, but when he’d seen how fondly Kaori spoke of Hajime, his rage reached a fever pitch and he’d gone after him. 
Then, when he’d seen Hajime, the man who had forced Kaori into a new body (or so he’d convinced himself), the man who Kaori loved more than anyone else, wrapped around the arms of another girl he’d completely lost it and rushed at him. 
He’d fully believed himself the brave knight rescuing the poor princess from the clutches of the demon lord. Sadly, the demon lord he was up against was far stronger than him. 
Lundel hadn’t even been able to get close to Hajime. He’d been beaten down with one hand, and a trayful of sugar cubes. It was the shame of such a humiliating defeat that had left him in tears, not the pain. 
He sobbed into Liliana’s chest, crying her name over and over. 
Maybe I really did go too far. Hajime thought as he scratched his cheek awkwardly. 
Shizuku shot him another angry glare. Yeah, that was probably really immature. 
Sadly, Lundel’s travails were far from over. For it was then that Kaori walked into their room. 
“Oh, Prince Lundel. And Lily, you’re here too...? Wait, is Lundel crying!? What’s wrong!?” 
“K-Kaori!? Uhh, I-I wasn’t crying in my sister’s arms or anything...” Lundel quickly extricated himself and wiped his tears. No man wanted to be caught crying in his sister’s arms by the girl he loved. 
Kaori could easily tell what had happened when she saw Hajime, Shizuku, and Liliana’s expressions. She rebuked Hajime, but in a way that did more damage to Lundel than her intended target. 
“Jeez... Hajime-kun. Don’t go making the prince cry. You shouldn’t be bullying little kids.” 
“Hey, he’s the one who came at me. I just thought I’d punish him a little for it...” 
The fact that Hajime had never been taking him seriously in the slightest shocked Lundel. But what hurt him even more was the way Kaori had talked about him. Lundel clutched his chest and groaned in pain. 
“Punish him... Did you at least go easy on him? Remember, the prince is still a child!” The searing pain in Lundel’s chest grew tenfold. Being treated like a child by the woman you loved was the greatest shame a man could suffer. 
“Of course. I just flung a few sugar cubes at him. Look, he’s not even that hurt. You don’t really think I’d pull my gun out on a kid, do you?” 
“But he was crying in Lily’s arms... Plus, look at how red his forehead is. How could you ruin his cute little face? I know he’s a little prone to misunderstanding things and rushing in without thinking, but Lundel’s a good kid at heart. You should be nice to him...” 
And now Kaori was pointing out how cute he looked. Furthermore, she’d clearly seen through the fact that he’d been crying in his big sister’s arms. Lundel fell to all fours and hung his head in despair. 
“Uh oh...” Lily muttered to herself. Shizuku and Lundel’s bodyguards begged Kaori to stop. Any more of her inadvertent verbal barbs, and they were worried she might really kill him. 
Unfortunately, Kaori wasn’t done yet. She went over to Lundel and spoke in a voice filled with worry, 
“Are you okay? See, Hajime-kun, you were too hard on him...” 
“No really, I’m fine. More importantly, Kaori... What do you think of me?” Though he was covered in scars, Lundel worked up the courage to ask the question burning in his heart. 
“What do I think of you? Let’s see... I’m kind of jealous of Lily, I guess. I wish I had a rambunctious little brother like you.” 
“Gah... L-Little brother...” 
Kaori delivered those words with a smile, but they were poison to Lundel’s ears. 
Why do you have to rub salt in the poor kid’s wound!? Shizuku yelled to herself. She implored Lundel to quit before he hurt himself any further with her gaze. 
Lundel, unfortunately, had far too much foolhardy courage to stop now. His father had died only a few days ago, and until just recently he’d been crying into Liliana and his mother’s arms every night. But just the other day he’d made a promise at his father’s grave. That he’d be strong. And he wasn’t going to turn back on his word. He would be king one day. He couldn’t let himself be so weak that a little pain could deter him. 
“So then... you’d rather be with him? What’s so good about that guy anyway!?” Lundel glared daggers at Hajime. It was obvious he thought himself the better man. Even now, Yue was nestled in Hajime’s lap. You couldn’t blame Lundel for thinking of Hajime as a terrible womanizer. 
Sadly, Kaori had set her heart on Hajime and Hajime alone. 
“Huh? Wh-What’s this all of a sudden? Jeez, that’s so embarrassing. But, fufu, yes, I suppose I would. He’s the man I love the most in the world. As for what’s good about him, well... everything. Fufu...” 
With that, Lundel’s hit points finally reached zero. He sunk to all fours again, his entire body trembling. 
Kaori worriedly rubbed his back, but he slapped her hand away and struggled to his feet. Once he was up, he dashed straight for the door. 
Before departing for good, he turned back at the doorway and screamed. 
“I hate you alllllllllllllll!” After that, he dashed down the hallway and out of sight. 
Tears glistened in his eyes as he fled from the room. His screams echoed loudly through the halls. 
His dumbfounded bodyguards returned to their senses and hurriedly chased after him. 
“That’s youth for you.” 
“D-Don’t sound so unconcerned... It’s your fault he’s crying right now.” 
“Nah. I mean, I guess I started it... but Kaori’s the one who finished him off.” 
“Grr, I can’t deny that...” 
Hajime and Shizuku bantered with each other as they watched Lundel’s first love wither away in a spectacular fashion. Kaori made to go after Lundel, but Liliana stopped her. Kaori had done enough damage. Liliana knew her brother would eventually have had his heart broken by Kaori, so she was prepared for this. She’d just sleep together with him tonight and comfort him like usual. Lundel would be the king of Heiligh very soon. It was probably best he experienced having his heart broken once or twice before he had to deal with the rigors of kingship. 
Liliana closed the room’s door and walked over to Hajime, with Kaori following behind her. It appeared she’d come here not to find Lundel, but to speak with him. 
She sat down in the seat next to Shizuku while Kaori attempted to situate herself on the other side of Hajime’s lap. A short wrestling match between Kaori and Yue ensued where they each tried to push the other off. 
In the end, they both remained sitting on the edge of Hajime’s knees, their arms locked. If Kaori had been in her old body, she wouldn’t have stood a chance against Yue. While Yue might have specialized in magic, her ability to control mana directly and strengthen her body had still put her leagues above Kaori. But in her new form, Kaori was the one with the advantage. 
“Kaori... you’ve become so strong...” Shizuku muttered. 
“Uh, Shizuku. Could you stop staring and break them up already?” Liliana replied, watching Yue and Kaori worriedly. 
The shock of Kaori’s death, however temporary, had turned Shizuku into a far less capable woman than she had been. Letting the only person with common sense left in their class devolve into a blubbering mess was something Hajime wanted to avoid, so he flicked Kaori’s forehead and forced her onto the seat next to him. 
“Aww, why is it always Yue?” 
“Fufu, I’m the only one allowed on Hajime’s lap.” 
“Can we get back on topic please...” Liliana asked hesitantly. Everyone ignored her. 
“Hajime-kun...” 
“Don’t give me that look, Kaori. Isn’t sitting next to me good enough?” 
“Fine. You can have his hand.” 
“Huh? Really? Then can you stroke my cheek like you always do for Yue? Or is that too much?” 
“If that’s all, then I don’t mind, I guess.” 
“Ehehe, thanks, Hajime-kun.” 
“Okay, I’ll wait. I’ll wait until you’re all done. Then you’ll finally listen to me, right? Sniffle...” Liliana sobbed to herself, having completely missed her opportunity to butt into the conversation. 
It was only thanks to Shizuku’s intervention that Hajime and the others finally returned their attention to the princess. Now that she’d had her fill of Kaori, Shizuku was back to her normal, serious self. 
The fact that Hajime was willing to indulge Kaori a little now proved that their bond had grown deeper, but Shizuku knew it wasn’t the time to dwell on that. 
“Ahem. What I wanted to discuss were the rumors you asked me to spread regarding the fate of the Holy Church, Nagumo-san... Surprisingly enough, people believe them. It appears Aiko-san’s fame as the Fertility Goddess is greater than I expected.” 
“I see. Well, people believe what they want to, after all. Especially when the story’s exaggerated and sentimental. I didn’t think there’d be any problems. The real question is how well the story’ll hold up when people start digging deeper... Well, no point worrying about it.” 
“Indeed. Though I still find it difficult to believe that our entire faith was built upon a lie... It’s fine if one or two individuals know, but if the truth gets out to the public we’ll have riots in the streets. Your suggestion was truly a lifesaver, Nagumo-san. Thank you very much.” Liliana thanked Hajime, a troubled expression on her face. 
Shizuku tilted her head, wondering what her friend was talking about. It turned out had asked Liliana to spread rumors about the head temple’s destruction. They wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that the cathedral had been blown up forever, and the faster the palace provided an explanation the better. 
Naturally, however, Hajime knew Liliana couldn’t tell the people the truth. The fact that Ehit, the god everyone praised, was actually an uncaring monster who treated people like playthings would have sent people into a panic. Especially if they discovered all of the priests and bishops they put their faith in were actually deranged maniacs. 
Therefore, Hajime had drafted an alternate explanation and passed it on to Liliana. She had then used that as a basis for what she’d told the people. 
Namely, that an evil god had brainwashed the high-ranking bishops. Liliana had claimed that they had been the ones to betray the capital to the demons. 
Which was why, according to Liliana, Aiko had reluctantly taken up arms against the corrupted church. 
Pope Ishtar had fought valiantly together with her and died in the resulting conflict. 
Supposedly Aiko’s sword had turned into a pillar of light in the middle of the fight, which was the huge ray that had killed the demon army. 
Or at least, that was the story Liliana told people. 
It wasn’t the truth, but it wasn’t technically a lie either. At the very least, the most important facts were true. 
Furthermore, Aiko had gone around telling people that this new evil god was going around masquerading as Ehit. And that if they wanted to stay true to the teachings of the real Ehit, they needed to start thinking for themselves. For otherwise, they would be led astray. They needed to decide what was right and wrong for themselves, and not just rely on the teachings of the Holy Church. It was only by doing so that they would be able to honor Ishtar’s memory. On top of giving such speeches, Aiko had also attended Ishtar’s memorial service. 
In other words, Hajime’s plan had been to create a fictional “good Ehit” and tell people that Aiko was working for him. That way he could pretend all of the problems stemmed from this fake evil god who was actually the real Ehit, and plant the first seeds of doubt in the people’s minds. 
If both the evil god and the “good Ehit” called themselves Ehit, then people wouldn’t just blindly be able to put their faith in “Ehit.” They would need to think for themselves whether or not anyone invoking the name of god was preaching something good or evil. 
This story also helped avert the panic that would occur if Liliana had just told everyone the god they’d believed in was a deranged lunatic. Most importantly, though, it meant that if Hajime ever had to seriously pit himself against Ehit, he might be able to count on the people’s help. 
“I see. You like to plan pretty far ahead, Nagumo-kun. I guess that’s why you only told Ai-chan the truth of what you’d learned at first too...” 
“I hope you didn’t think I was a brainless musclehead. Though, usually they’re just things I come up with on the spot and try in the hopes that they might work. It’s not too much of a loss if they don’t, and I can always fall back on shooting my way through things if I have to...” 
“Fufu. I didn’t mean it like that. I was praising your foresight. If anything, it’s reassuring that you think this far ahead.” 
Shizuku looked at Hajime, impressed. He simply shrugged in response. 
Kaori and Yue glared at Shizuku, angry that she understood Hajime in some way that they didn’t. Shizuku started when she noticed their glares and stammered. 
“Wh-What? What’s wrong?” 
“Yue, what do you think?” 
“Hmm... She’s still okay. They’re just friends for now.” 
“I suppose. For now, anyway...” 
“Mhm... We must be careful.” 
Yue and Kaori whispered to each other. Shizuku couldn’t hear them, but she had a sinking feeling she knew what they were discussing. And once again, Liliana was ignored. 
Hajime stared at the two of them warily, worried about their whispered dealings. Whenever those two started colluding, nothing good came of it.


That evening, a single figure stood in front of the massive monument honoring the spirits of Heiligh’s dead. The sun’s final rays cast the palace grounds a dazzling shade of crimson, and the monument cast a long shadow into the mountain wall from which it had been carved. 
“I’m so sorry...” Aiko muttered. 
Numerous flowers and offerings dotted the monument; many brave soldiers had died recently. 
The battle was still too recent for the dead to have all been tallied, so the most recent casualties didn’t have their names carved into the stone yet. Once all of the names were in though, Captain Meld would be the first to be added here. 
Among the offerings, Aiko spotted a pair of weapons that she recognized. A longsword and a spear. They had been the artifacts of choice for two of Aiko’s students— Daisuke Hiyama and Reichi Kondou. 
Aiko wasn’t even sure what she was apologizing for anymore. Was she sorry she’d never be able to bring them back to Japan? Sorry that her students had caused the deaths of innocent people? Or sorry that she herself had killed so many? Dispirited, Aiko hung her head. She only stirred when she heard footsteps heading her way. 
Aiko knew he’d made his footfalls heavy to alert her of his presence. Hajime normally walked much quieter. 
Aiko slowly turned around. 
“Nagumo-kun...” 
“Fancy meeting you here, Sensei.” 
Her eyes met his. The fading orange light of the sunset was reflected in his clear pupils. In his hands he carried a single flower. It appeared he’d come here to make an offering. Aiko was surprised that Hajime of all people would do such a thing. 
Hajime saw the bewilderment on her face and smiled awkwardly. 
“Even I feel a little sad when people I know die, Sensei.” 
“Huh? Oh, uh, I didn’t mean to imply that...” Flustered, Aiko flailed her arms around wildly. She hadn’t expected to hear such hurt in Hajime’s voice. 
He shrugged his shoulders, indicating that it wasn’t a big deal, and silently walked up to the monument. 
Aiko kept shooting him sidelong glances, but his attention was completely occupied by the memorial in front of him. It seemed he had no intention of talking, either. 
Aiko found the silence unbearable, and spoke more to dispel the gloomy atmosphere than anything. 
“Umm, are those flowers... for Hiyama-kun and Kondou-kun?” 
“Hell no. They’re for Meld.” 
Hajime raised an eyebrow at Aiko. You seriously thought that? 
“Why Meld-san...?” 
“Well, it’s not like we knew each other that well or anything, but I respected that guy. He was the country’s knight commander. He could have had anything, but he still worked so hard for us. And even though he messed up a bunch of times, he always kept on trying to improve himself... He deserves at least this one flower for all of that.” 
“Nagumo-kun... Yes, I suppose he does...” Aiko watched Hajime with a gentle look in her eyes. She was glad there was still so much humanity left in Hajime. He might kill his enemies without any mercy, but he also mourned for those he cared about. Enough that he was willing to bring an offering to their graves. 
In truth, Hajime had just wanted to escape being dragged into the bath by Yue and the others. He’d been walking down the palace halls and spotted a flower in a vase, and had thought bringing Meld an offering would be a good way to kill time. Of course, he didn’t mention that to Aiko. Besides, he’d meant what he said. He may have come here on a whim, but he truly believed Meld was someone who deserved to be remembered. 
Hajime put thoughts of Meld in the back of his mind and focused his attention on Aiko. 
“You’re not blaming me...” 
“Huh?” Aiko tilted her head in confusion. 
“About Hiyama’s death. This isn’t like what happened with Shimizu. Sure, maybe monsters were the direct cause of his death, but I’m the one who killed him. I killed one of your precious students. Kondou too. Even if he was already dead, I was the one that blew apart his body. I figured you’d be mad at me.” 
“......” Aiko’s smile vanished, replaced by a brooding frown. 
Hajime waited patiently, giving Aiko as much time as she needed. 
The two of them stood there silently for what seemed like hours. 
Finally, Aiko spoke hesitantly. 
“To be honest, I’m not sure it’s that simple. Hiyama-kun murdered Shirasaki-san. That’s not something I think can be easily forgiven. Of course, I do think he should have lived so he could repent for his crimes, but I can understand your choice. The same goes for what you did to Kondou-kun. You must have been furious, Nagumo-kun. You cared deeply for Shirasaki-san, and she had been murdered before your eyes... It would be unfair of me to get angry at you just because this wasn’t the outcome I hoped for. Besides, I no longer have the right to judge you.” Aiko crossed her arms and absently rubbed her elbows, as if trying to warm herself up. 
“Because of what you did to the Holy Church?” 
“......” She nodded silently. Hajime’s words and Tio’s restoration magic had helped Aiko keep her sanity right after the event. But as time passed, the guilt had started eating away at her again. 
Hajime noticed that there were dark circles under Aiko’s eyes that she’d hidden with makeup. She hadn’t been sleeping well the past few days. She probably sees nightmares about that explosion. 
Silence returned to the small field they were in. Hajime didn’t know what to say. 
Unable to withstand the oppressive silence, Aiko once again spoke up. 
“Nagumo-kun... doesn’t it ever bother you?” 
“The fact that I’ve killed people? No, not really. I think the time I spent in the abyss broke those parts of me, so I can’t really sympathize.” 
“.....” Aiko’s looked sadly up at her student. It pained her that Hajime had suffered so much that he’d been forced to throw away parts of his humanity to survive. 
“No one... blames me.” 
“Hm?” 
Aiko’s true feelings spilled out. 
“No one blames me for killing them. My students still look at me the same, and the people in the palace even thank me for what I did.” 
It was true. The other students had been too shocked by Hajime’s display of brutality to think much of the fact that Aiko had killed a couple of bishops and the pope. In fact, they respected her for fighting on their behalf. The nobles and ministers, too, all were grateful to Aiko for saving them from Noint’s brainwashing. 
“I told David-san and the others what I’d done, but all they said was that they needed some time to think. Even though I was the one who destroyed the foundations of their faith, even they didn’t blame me.” Aiko bit her lip so hard she drew blood. 
She wanted someone to condemn her. After all, she was a murderer. Knowledge of that sin was a heavy burden. Only madmen and monsters thought nothing of killing. Most people would be agonized by guilt. 
It would actually have eased her pain if someone condemned her for her crimes, which was why Aiko had unconsciously looked for someone to denounce her. However, no one did. 
Hajime was confident that Tio would have been able to obliterate the Holy Church even without Aiko’s help. It might have taken some more time, but she would have done it. So to Hajime, it felt like Aiko was taking on too much responsibility for something that wasn’t really her fault. He scratched his cheek awkwardly, looking for the right words to say. 
“I mean, in the end, it was Tio’s breath that killed everyone. You just helped her do it, right, Sensei? You don’t have to take responsibility for all of their deaths...” 
“That doesn’t matter! At that time... I helped Tio knowing that it might lead to their deaths. That makes me no different from a murderer!” 
Aiko retorted with more vehemence than Hajime expected. Embarrassed by her outburst, she shrunk back into herself. 
After a moment’s silence, Hajime asked her a question. 
“Do you regret helping?” 
“Ah... No. I was prepared for the consequences... There was no way I could ignore what the pope and the bishops were trying to do... And I didn’t want you to die... Plus, if I’d left them alone, it would have been my students who would have suffered later, so...” 
Pained though her voice was, there wasn’t an ounce of regret in it. She’d known Ishtar was trying to help Noint kill Hajime. And she’d also known that the rest of her students would be next. She’d resolved herself to dirtying her own hands, if it meant saving them. 
Even now, she still believed that was the right decision. But that logic didn’t help ease the anguish she felt at being a murderer. Feelings weren’t rational, after all. 
Hajime let out an inaudible sigh. I’m the student here, so how come I’m the one who has to give out advice? I just came here to kill time, too... 
He thought back to what Yue and Shizuku had said about Aiko being in love with him. Maybe that was why she was confiding to him now. She was starting to see him more as a man, and less as a student. 
Hajime glanced about, trying to think of the right words to say. 
“Sensei, are you going to continue being my teacher?” 
“What?” Aiko didn’t expect that line of questioning. She remembered Hajime asking her something similar before. 
Back then she’d replied “Of course!” without hesitation, but now... 
“......” She hesitated. Was it really alright for someone who’d murdered to guide others? 
Aiko grit her teeth so hard they almost cracked. She felt incredibly conflicted. Hajime knew she’d have a hard time replying, so he continued. 
“If you still want to keep being our teacher, even after this... could you listen to this one selfish request of mine?” 
“A selfish... request?” Aiko looked up at him in confusion. Her face was pale, and she looked ready to collapse at any minute. 
“Yeah.” Hajime turned away from the monument and looked Aiko in the eyes. 
There was a warmth to his gaze that sucked Aiko in. She felt a little more reassured. 
Hajime saw himself reflected in Aiko’s eyes, and felt the weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. He made sure to choose his words carefully. But no matter how carefully he phrased it, his request was certainly the epitome of selfishness. 
“Sensei... I want you to hold on to that guilt you feel forever. I want you to feel burdened by it. I want you to do things the right way. Fight for the right reasons, agonize over those you kill, and cry about what you’ve done. To me, you’re the most human person here. You feel all these emotions I’ve long since lost... You’re the role model I look up to as what it means to be truly human. That’s why I want you to continue suffering. Because you’re the example I’m learning from. I think, if I keep watching you, I’ll at least be able to act more like a human should when we return to Japan.” 
“Nagumo-kun...” Aiko’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Hajime hadn’t tried to comfort her, or condemn her. No, he’d asked her to continue suffering. 
Yet it was these words that chased away the dark clouds that hung about her heart. This selfish request had done what no amount of comfort or condemnation could have. 
Accepting the consequences and necessity of her actions would be the hardest thing Aiko had ever done. Especially because of how traumatizing the event had been. There had already been so many times she’d wanted to just run away from what she’d did, or broken under the strain. There would probably many more times like this in the future, too. But her personality and her resolve wouldn’t let her. That would just make the ordeal more painful. 
She only knew she could do it because there would always be someone there to prop her back up if she was about to collapse. Someone who’d lost his humanity, but was trying his best to remember what it meant to be human. 
This really is the most selfish request I’ve ever heard. It was a merciless, kind request. Clear teardrops streaked down Aiko’s cheeks. She’d held in her tears all this time, but now the dam finally burst. 
Hajime turned away awkwardly and mentioned one last thing. 
“Well, if you absolutely feel like you can’t bear it anymore... and there’s no one else you can rely on... and I mean no one else... I don’t mind lending you a shoulder to cry on.” 
“You... really are...” Aiko smiled weakly and leaned against Hajime’s back. He was purposely acting like he hadn’t seen her already start crying. 
“In that case, I’d like to borrow your shoulder for a little bit, Nagumo-kun.” 
“Go for it, Sensei.” 
Aiko leaned into Hajime, entrusting herself to him. Crying, she reaffirmed her dedication to always being everyone’s teacher. And to always bear the sins of what she’d done. She felt that as long a certain selfish student of hers was watching, she could keep on going. 
Their shadows elongated as the sun slipped below the horizon. Aiko’s sobs were the only thing that could be heard in the darkening palace grounds. 

Once Aiko had finished crying everything out, the two of them had returned to the palace. Aiko’s flushed face and embarrassed expression raised a lot of eyebrows, and Hajime broke out into a cold sweat when he realized how this looked to Yue and the others. 
As always, Yue, Shea, Tio, and Kaori had then dragged Hajime into their room. 
Shea’s noisy complaints did bother him a little, but what truly terrified him was Yue’s silent glare. 
In the end, David and the others returned to serve under Aiko again. It appeared their love for her had won over any loyalty they might have felt to the Holy Church. 
Traveling with Aiko had introduced them to many different ways of thinking, and their perspective on the world was different from when they’d first been assigned as her guards. Plus, they’d started growing suspicious of the Holy Church when Ishtar had refused to let them meet Aiko and ordered them to remain on standby in the capital. 
Naturally, the knowledge that Ehit cared nothing for them and that the Holy Church had been decimated had still come as a shock. But in the end, they’d come to accept that they couldn’t hate Aiko, and that she’d made the right decision. 
It was of course possible that they were just looking for something to cling to. For they had converted and become adherents of the Fertility Goddess Aiko. Either way, they had sworn to protect her with their lives. 
Their love for Aiko had sublimated into a kind of cult fanaticism, but it was possible that was what they needed to accept the destruction of the Holy Church. 
“I can’t believe you! Why do you keep doing this!?” 
“Hajime-kun... You really should be more careful about what you say to people.” 
“Fufufu, I expected no less from Master. I take my eyes off him for a moment, and he has already gotten another woman to fall for him...” 
The three girls complained about Hajime while eating dinner in the main hall. Hajime ignored their pointed glares and continued enjoying the splendid feast laid out before him. 
Next to him, Yue said nothing, but she did shoot Hajime a dirty look. Considering the situation, she couldn’t really blame Hajime for doing what he had, but that didn’t change the fact that Aiko clearly thought of him more as a love interest than a student. 
It was a complicated situation all around, and Yue did have a little sympathy for Aiko. After all, Hajime’s plan for dealing with her feelings was to pretend he hadn’t noticed them. 
“Hajime, do you think Aiko will break?” When Hajime had told her what had happened between him and Aiko, Yue had grown a little worried. Hajime lowered his fork and thought about it for a few seconds. 
“Hmm, I think she’ll be fine. Worst comes to worst, I’ll just make her an artifact with spirit magic that’ll keep her sane. Knowing her though, I don’t think we have to worry. She’ll get better in time.” 
“I see. That’s good.” Yue’s gaze softened, and Hajime smiled. 
“Yue-san... I should have known. You’re always two steps ahead.” 
“Is this... what makes Yue better than me? Gah, I won’t lose! I definitely won’t lose to her!” 
“Impressive. I know not whether she does it unconsciously or on purpose... but she always knows how to tug at Master’s heartstrings. She truly is a master of seduction. I cannot help but be amazed.” 
“That doesn’t feel like praise.” 
Shea looked shocked, Kaori was gritting her teeth in frustration, and Tio watched Yue in admiration. Yue grimaced slightly in response, but Hajime simply stroked her hair reassuringly and smiled wryly. 
Kouki and the other students walked into the dining hall, interrupting the party’s lively meal. Aiko was with them as well, so everyone who’d been summoned from earth was gathered here. 
Hajime looked over at them and raised an eyebrow. He’d actually asked what time Kouki and the others usually ate so that he could pick a time they weren’t there. However, it seemed his plan had failed. 
Well, it’s not that big a deal, Hajime thought and returned to his meal. Yue went back to eating as well. 
The classmates all milled about uncertainly. Some were brimming with curiosity, others weren’t sure how to approach Hajime and his friends, while others felt uncomfortable in their presence. 
They kept on shooting Hajime furtive looks throughout their meal. The students all knew by now that he had absolutely no interest in any of them, and didn’t see himself as one of their comrades anymore, which was why they hesitated to speak to him. Aiko was shooting Hajime glances as well, but for a very different reason. 
“Ah, Shizuku-chan! Come sit with us!” 
“Is it really alright if I sit next to you guys?” 
“Of course it is.” 
Hajime wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to Noint’s grim face smiling so openly. Shizuku didn’t seem to mind though, and she took a seat next to Kaori. 
The other students had found it hard to believe that Kaori had really been reborn in a different body, but that smile was just so her that they had to accept it was really Kaori in there. 
Even in Noint’s body, Kaori’s warm smile had the power to make an entire room relax. Compared to the time everyone had thought Hajime had died, Kaori’s temporary death had been far less of a shock. 
Kouki sat down next to Shizuku, and Suzu and Aiko settled in across from them. That put Aiko directly next to Yue. 
The other classmates all settled in on either side of Hajime’s party. Suzu appeared to be rather nervous in the presence of Yue. When she first sat down she stammered some odd words. 
“S-Sorry for interrupting your meal, ma’am...” 
Yue tilted her head, wondering why Suzu had referred to her as “ma’am.” 
The moment Kouki and the others were seated, the palace servants brought out food for them. It was the same high-quality fare they had served Hajime. 
As everyone began eating, Aiko accidentally met Hajime’s eyes. She blushed beet-red and turned away. After a few more furtive glances, Aiko whispered, 
“U-Umm, Nagumo-kun... If possible... could you not tell anyone...” Yue felt a little miffed that the two of them were talking with her sitting right in between them, but she held it in. She knew how embarrassing it must have been for Aiko to cry in front of Hajime, and she could understand wanting to make sure he didn’t say anything to anyone else. 
Hajime mentally thanked Yue for not saying anything and turned his gaze to Aiko. 
When their eyes met again, Aiko blushed to the tips of her ears. Shizuku and the others knew it was already too late to do anything about Aiko’s infatuation, but that didn’t stop them from glaring at Hajime. Fortunately, the other students couldn’t see Aiko from their angle, so most of them didn’t even notice. Only Kouki and the other frontliners sitting nearby saw, but they didn’t immediately understand the reason for Aiko’s blushing. 
Atsushi and the other male members of Ai-chan’s guard squad all glared resentfully at Hajime. 
“That bastard, he’s totally gotten her to fall for him now,” they muttered under their breath. 
Yuka, Nana, and Taeko tried to look uninterested, but it was obvious they were trying to sneak glances at Aiko and Hajime. 
“What are you talking about, Sensei? Did something happen?” 
“Huh?” 
Hajime put on a perfect act. For a second, Aiko was confused, but then she realized he was playing dumb on purpose and smiled knowingly. 
“No, of course not,” she replied. 
Though it was a little vexing that Hajime was always looking out for her, Aiko felt a little happy about it too. She smiled faintly. 
The more they watched, the angrier all of the girls got at Hajime. Only Yue was still on his side. She patted his shoulder affectionately and started feeding him food. 
Such was the power of the main heroine. She was on a completely different level from the others. 
I really do have the best girlfriend in the world! Hajime fell for Yue all over again. As he was mentally thanking Yue, Shea tugged on his sleeve from the other side. 
“Hajime-san, say ahhh...” Shea was tired of all these new rivals popping up, and was determined to remind them that she was vying for his affections too. Blushing slightly, she brought her fork to Hajime’s mouth. She made sure her bunny ears brushed against him as she did so. Shea was just as crafty as the others. 
Hajime was used to this at this point, and he let her feed him without a fight. Shea’s ears and tail twitched happily as she watched Hajime eat her food. 
Naturally, Tio and Kaori weren’t going to let this go without a fight. The two of them thrust out their forks as well, intent on feeding Hajime themselves. 
“H-Hajime-kun, have some of mine too! Say aaah!” 
“Master, I implore you to try some of my food. Please open wide.” 
“Just this once, you two.” 
There was only so much of the same food he could eat before he got tired of it. To be fair, he ate some of Kaori and Tio’s food, then put a stop to the feeding. Both Kaori and Tio melted when they saw him eating it. 
“This is... starting to get really awkward...” Shizuku muttered, her expression stiff. Suzu, Kouki, and Ryutarou all grimaced awkwardly. 
For a moment, Aiko considered trying to feed Hajime as well, but then snapped back to reality and mentally berated herself for even considering such a thing. The others ignored her one-woman comedy act. 
Fortunately, the other girls all started squealing to each other, dispelling the awkward atmosphere. They’d been afraid of Hajime before, but now they were gossiping about his love life. On the day Hajime had fallen into the abyss, no one would have even imagined that he would have returned with a harem of girls. It stood to reason that all of the girls in the class were burning with curiosity regarding his relationships. 
Even the guys had stopped being so timid around Hajime. Though that was mostly because they were burning with jealous rage instead. 
Every single one of the girls in Hajime’s harem was a beauty without peer. Shea especially drew a lot of attention. Otaku or not, most guys found bunny girls irresistible. The way her bunny ears twitched when she smiled at Hajime had everyone smitten. 
But no matter how jealous they were, no matter how badly they wanted to ask Hajime the secret to getting Tortus girls to fall for him, none of the guys had the courage to speak to him. 
They felt bad for making fun of him before, back when they’d all thought he was incompetent. Furthermore, the innate pressure Hajime exuded made it hard to go up to him. 
Only those who had spent some time with Hajime were able to converse normally with him. And those that could, like Nagayama and Yuka, were eager to ask him questions. 
But before they could engage him, Hajime turned his attention to Kaori, who was blushing while looking at her fork. 
After a moment’s deliberation she came to a decision and apologetically popped the fork into her mouth. She blushed even deeper. 
Hajime was about to say something scathing like “What are you, twelve!?” but Yue beat him to the punch. 
Kaori noticed Yue’s gaze on her and met her eyes. It was then that Yue pounced. 
“Pervert...” 
“Y-You’ve got it all wrong! I’m not a pervert! I-I was just eating my dinner!” 
“Dinner seasoned with a side of Hajime.” 
“Th-That’s not true! Besides, Tio’s way more of a pervert than I am! Look, she’s licking her fork all over!” 
“Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! Hm?” 
Red-faced, Kaori pointed to Tio. She stopped slobbering all over her fork and looked questioningly at Kaori. 
“What seems to be the matter?” Tio showed Kaori the fork, emphasizing that there was nothing on it. She was definitely tasting something other than the food. Hajime tried not to think about it. Over time, Tio had transformed from a perverted masochist into a plain regular pervert. 
“Tio, stop that before I send you flying.” Hajime rubbed his temple and gave Tio her only warning. 
“Mrrr, if you insist. But you have yet to kiss me, Master. Unless I do this, I will be unable to sate my burning lust.” Her reply only irked Hajime more. 
Just then, Tio’s eyes lit up as she remembered something. 
“Oh yes! I remember now! You still have not given me the reward you promised, Master! I demand you do so now!” 
“Huh? Reward?” Hajime scrunched up his face, but then clicked his tongue when he remembered what Tio was referring to. 
The others looked at him quizzically, and Shea asked the question they were all thinking. 
“What’s this... about a reward?” 
“You see, when we were fighting at the Divine Mountain, Master promised me a reward if I could keep Sensei-dono safe. And as you can see, she is still hale. Nufufufu... Master. You would never go back on your word, now would you?” 
“Hey, that’s not fair!” Shea and Kaori yelled at the same time, but Tio wasn’t swayed. With everyone’s attention on him, Hajime turned reluctantly to Tio. He put his chin in his hands and responded to her. 
“Alright, what is it you want? Don’t forget, I only promised to do anything as long as it’s reasonable.” Like the time he’d given Shea her reward, he wasn’t going to acquiesce to requests like “sleep with me.” 
Tio nodded in an exaggerated fashion, indicating that she understood. Then, fidgeting a little in embarrassment, Tio spoke her request. 
“Fear not, I shan’t ask for the impossible. I just want you to punish my arse... like you did when we first met.” Tio put her hands to her cheeks and squirmed in shame. I can’t believe I really said it! As far as she was concerned, it was a reasonable request because Hajime had already done it before. Forget the fact that it was a pretty hardcore fetish. I should have expected this from a pervert like her. 
As Hajime had feared, everyone but Yue and the others shrunk back in disgust. 
They looked at Hajime as if he were some kind of heinous criminal. 
“Hell no, you perverted dragon. And stop saying that in a way that people’ll misunderstand.” 
Shocked at his refusal, Tio vehemently protested. 
“B-But why? Surely this is a reasonable request! All you have to do is drive that thick, hard, black pole into me like you did last time! Then, when I beg you to take it out you simply must ignore me and keep pushing deeper! All I wish is for you to mercilessly torment my arse!” 
“How many times do I have to tell you, stop causing misunderstandings!” 
Hajime had been upgraded from “heinous criminal” to “monster” in the other students’ eyes. 
“But you can’t deny that that is the truth, right Nagumo-kun?” Unhappy that all the other girls had gotten to feed him, Aiko followed up with a barbed statement. 
“She isn’t lying...” 
“Yeah, he really did stab her with it.” 
“Yeah, Nagumo-kun, you have no mercy!” 
Yuka, Nana, and Taeko decided to dogpile onto Hajime as well. They ostensibly sounded like they were whispering, but Hajime could tell they’d meant for everyone to hear. 
The students’ suspicion transformed into certainty, and they all glared at Hajime. 
“Hajime-san, you can’t really call it a misunderstanding...” 
“Hajime, it’s because of you that Tio’s a pervert. Accept responsibility.” 
Even Shea and Yue had betrayed him now. 
“N-Nagumo-kun... How could you do such a thing... to Tio-san...” 
“Hajime-kun, I’m so jealous... I mean, you need to answer for your actions...” 
Everyone was looking at Hajime as if he were the demon lord himself. Hajime abruptly stood up, his chair clattering backward. He raised his right hand high, and pulled his black pile bunker out of his Treasure Trove. It was already covered in red sparks. 
A bead of cold sweat dripped down Tio’s face. 


“Okay, Tio. I’ll give you the reward you wanted. You wanted it in your ass, right? I’ll gladly stick it in harder and deeper than last time. It’ll be over so fast you won’t even have time to scream.” It was only then that Tio realized she’d gone too far. 
He’d only driven it into her ass last time because they’d been in the middle of a fight. Seeing everyone look at him as if he were some kind of pervert had tipped him over the edge. 
Perhaps the most maddening thing was that he couldn’t actually say Tio was wrong. 
“W-Wait, Master. I know this is what you used last time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I want you to use it every time. If you put that inside me, I’ll truly die! I’ll apologize for being so impertinent, so please put that dangerous weapon away!” 
“No need to be shy, Tio. Didn’t you say you wanted this? Going to your room would take too much time, so let’s just do it here.” 
“Oh nooooooooo, Master’s serious! Yue, Shea, Kaoriiiiii, help me! Stop him!” 
Sobbing, Tio turned to Yue and the others for help. Even she wasn’t so much of a masochist that she wanted to die. Or perhaps she was. The fact that she was panting a little meant she was beyond help now. 
She fled to Kaori and tried to hide behind her chair. Her terror was enough to satisfy Hajime, and he returned his pile bunker to the Treasure Trove with a hmph. 
Though now the other students were convinced he was scarier than a demon lord. Rumors of a white-haired demon lord with an eyepatch started circulating through the capital after that, but fortunately for Hajime’s sanity, he never found out. 
“Alright, what do you really want? I don’t mind giving you a reward, as long as it’s nothing perverted.” Sighing, Hajime flopped back into his chair. Around him, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 
No one present had wanted to see a beautiful young woman’s ass ravaged by that deadly weapon. 
“V-Very well. In that case, may I request for the right to sleep next to you? Usually it’s always Yue and Shea next to you. I’ve never once had the opportunity to do it. Is that a reasonable enough request for you?” 
“Yeah, that’s not a problem. You should have just said that from the start.” 
“My surging passion cannot be quelled so easily. Please try and understand.” 
Hajime turned back to Shea, who shrugged. 
“I guess I have to let her,” she said in a resigned voice. 
It appeared Hajime would be spending tonight sandwiched between Yue and Tio. Once they got in bed he had no doubt he’d be sandwiched by something else entirely, though. 
The girls began gossiping with each other again, while the guys muttered angrily to themselves. 
After that, Hajime was treated to a lecture from Aiko about how indecent it was to sleep with multiple women. Though she sounded respectable, her issue wasn’t so much that Hajime was sleeping around than it was simple jealousy. Shea interrupted midway to point out that after the things he’d done with Yue, something as innocent as sleeping was hardly a problem. That led to Yue smiling seductively and flirting openly with him, which in turn led to the students getting even noisier, and a number of the male students got very uncomfortable boners. Needless to say, it was quite a chaotic dinner. 
Hajime watched the ruckus while thinking back on the events of the day. 
He’d brought Kaori back from the Divine Mountain and showed everyone her new body, watched as a gold-ranked adventurer was robbed of his family jewels, and spent an afternoon running from crazed Synergists, which had resulted in Liliana having to personally come to put an end to the chaos in the city. He had then beaten down the crown prince and watched his first love wither away. And after all that, he’d run into Aiko while looking for a way to kill time, and ended up consoling her. Finally, at dinner he’d struck terror into the hearts of his former classmates. 
All that, in a single day. It seemed that trouble and mayhem were fated to follow him, wherever he went. 
Tomorrow he would leave for the empire together with Liliana. He had no intention of actually stepping foot in the empire’s capital, but he’d learned now to never say, or think, never. 
I wonder what’ll be waiting for us in the east... Hajime smiled his usual fearless smile, ready for anything the world might throw at him. 
 



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