Arifureta/ From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 10 Ch. 4

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Volume 10.

Chapter 4: The Key to the World.

“I see… So you used to talk more like a princess, Yue.”

“Huh!?”

Once all the trials had ended, a staircase leading underground had appeared from within the ice tree in the center of the trial room. At the bottom had been a long corridor that the party was currently heading down. Yue had just finished telling Hajime about her trial and subsequent fight with Shea, and that was what he responded with. Surprised, Yue thought, That’s what you’re bringing up!?

“Also, your original name was really long.”

“Huh!?”

That’s what you’re bringing up!? she thought again. Shea and the others all looked at Hajime in surprise as well. But Hajime ignored their nonplussed expressions.

“Hey, Yue. Go back to talking like a princess for a bit.”

“Wh-Why?”

“I just wanna hear what you sound like when you’re all formal.”

As usual, Hajime didn’t mince his words.

“You can talk like a princess or a queen or whatever, I just wanna hear it. I know, why don’t you try saying ‘I live to serve the people,’ or something?”

“Mmm… It’s embarrassing, so no.”

Going by her expression, Yue wasn’t lying.

“What about, ‘Hajime-san, you did well to clear this trial. I always believed in you. As a reward, I shall grant you any one thing you desire,’ then?”

“That’s way too long… I don’t wanna.”

Yue turned away in a huff. It was a testament to how embarrassed she was that she was refusing a request from Hajime of all people. Chances were she found it just as bad as Hajime would have if she’d asked him to start talking like he used to in his edgelord days.

I guess when I think of it that way, it’s understandable. Hajime ruffled Yue’s hair affectionately and apologized for teasing her.

Just then, Kaori snuck up behind Yue and said, “Come on Yue, what’s the big deal!? Why don’t you talk like a princess for us? Hey—”

“Die, Kaori…”

“Bwah!”

Yue turned around and punched Kaori in the face. She flew backward in a tailspin, but then regained her balance faster than anyone thought possible and yelled, “What was that for!?”

Yue ignored her and turned back to Hajime.

“I was being serious too… Stupid Hajime.”

Yue was worried that if she truly was more special than she’d realized, that perhaps she’d need to be sealed away again in the future. Of course, thanks to her fight with Shea, she wasn’t letting that worry get to her, but it was still a serious topic. Yue pouted, and Hajime smiled wryly at her.

“My bad. But you know, don’t you think it’s kinda late to be realizing this? If you ask me, the way you used to act when you were a queen was way more interesting.”

Yue blinked in surprise, her frown gone.

“Did you already figure it out, Hajime?”

“More or less. I mean, you’ve got the power to infinitely regenerate. I’m sure your uncle had plenty of ways to drain you of mana, so of course I’d wonder why he chose to seal you away instead of just killing you.”

If only you were completely immortal, I wouldn’t ever have to worry about you being in danger… Hajime thought with a sigh. He noticed Yue was tearing up and added, “But you know, from what you told me back in the abyss, it was obvious you didn’t remember everything. It seemed like the shock of being betrayed was so huge that you just sort of spaced out and before you knew it, you were sealed.”

“Mmm…”

“So I figured, rather than try to make you recall all those traumatic memories, it’d be easier if I just got rid of anything that tried to hurt you. It doesn’t matter what you really are, I’ll still love you, Yue.”

Hajime wouldn’t hand Yue over to anyone, and he’d kill anyone who tried to take her from him. Regardless of whether the world, or even the gods, wanted Yue dead, Hajime would stand by her. It didn’t matter what her circumstances were, Hajime’s conviction wouldn’t change. A world that made Yue suffer didn’t deserve to exist. And anything that hurt her, he’d destroy with extreme prejudice. Hajime’s eyes glowed with a bestial ferocity as he told as much to Yue. Even if it meant sacrificing the entire world, Hajime would choose Yue every time.

In the face of such overwhelming love, Yue blushed and looked up at Hajime with longing eyes. She leaned forward and bit Hajime on the neck. Then, after sucking his blood, she moved up to kiss him on the lips.

“Shizuku… What do you think you’re doing?”

But before she could, a black sheath blocked her path. Yue turned to the owner of the sheath, Shizuku, with a glare. Shizuku looked away, flustered. It seemed she’d interrupted them unconsciously, and not intentionally.

“U-Umm… Well, we’re still inside a labyrinth and the trial isn’t over yet so, you know? Save that kind of stuff for when we’re somewhere safe?”

“What are you really thinking?”

“I’m jeal— No, forget it. I just— No, not that either. Public displays of affection are bad. Yeah, that’s it.”

Considering Shizuku refused to meet Yue’s gaze, it was obvious she was lying. Next to her, Kaori shouted happily, “I can’t believe you managed to stop Yue… You really are amazing, Shizuku-chan!”

“Says the girl who just kissed me in public a few minutes ago.”

Hajime looked over his shoulder at Shizuku, a teasing smile on his face. Shizuku blushed a deep crimson.

“Err, that was, you know, I didn’t want to be the only one… who hadn’t kissed you,” she muttered quietly.

Joining in on the teasing, Tio said, “And yet you settled for a mere peck on the cheek. Swordsmen are supposed to be bold and resolute. You should have taken Master’s lips by force if you had to.”

“Th-That… would have been wrong. You need the right mood and get consent for stuff like that. Also, I’d prefer it if Nagumo-kun… was the one to initiate.”

Shizuku looked down shyly as she said that last bit. She brought her black katana, the gift she’d received from Hajime, back and hugged it to her chest. Almost as if hinting to Hajime that was what she wanted to do to him.

Incidentally, Shizuku had been walking three steps behind Hajime this whole time, matching his pace perfectly. Her ponytail bobbed back and forth as she walked, the hairpin that Hajime had made for her glinting in her hair.

“……”

Hajime stared at Shizuku as though she were some rare animal. Most of the girls who’d fallen for Hajime were extremely aggressive with their affection. Carnivores who would greedily devour Hajime for themselves given the opportunity. So he was pretty surprised that Shizuku was willing to be the passive one here. It reminded him of just how aggressive Yue and the others really were. Seeing Hajime’s expression, Yue shivered.

“What unbelievable femininity… Shizuku Yaegashi, you truly are a monster.”

As far as Yue was concerned, Shizuku was the girliest out of all of them. Kaori turned to Yue and grinned. She pushed Shizuku forward as if to show her off. At the moment, Shizuku was flustered by everyone’s comments and a far cry from the usual aloof, collected girl she seemed to normally be.

“Mrrr…” Yue groaned and pushed Shea in front of her. Confused as to what was going on, Shea stood there blankly while Yue used wind magic and made her soft ears flop back and forth. She grinned back at Kaori, confident that her protege was just as charming as Shizuku.

It appeared Kaori and Yue’s relationship had evolved to the point that they were fighting proxy wars. The two continued doing various things to try and prove that their best friend was the cutest.

As always, Shea ended up being the one to mediate between the two of them. Or rather, try to mediate between them. The two continued arguing like cats and dogs, ignoring Shea’s attempts to calm them down. In the end, Shea got so fed up with them that she brought Drucken out and threatened them with it. When they saw her angry smile, Yue and Kaori both froze. After a brief pause, both of them backed off and kept their gazes fixed firmly on the corridor ahead. Everyone else looked at Shea with newfound respect.

Even Hajime was impressed. He thought back to the story Yue told him earlier and said, “But I’ve gotta say, I’m amazed you were able to fight evenly with Yue when she was being serious. Plus, you deserve a reward for giving her a good scolding when she needed one. What do you want, Shea?”

“Huh? I-I don’t need anything.”

Shea was definitely the MVP of this labyrinth conquest. Especially since she’d been the one to remind Yue of her own determination. Yue herself seemed to have no objections, and she glared at Shea.

“Mmm… You’re the first person to ever slap me, Shea. Not even my parents slapped me before. I’ll never forget how much it stung. You deserve a reward for that.”

“Is it just me, Yue-san or are you holding a grudge about that? Anyway, I can’t think of any special requests. I already have everything I want. I guess a handmade present might be nice? I only yelled at Yue-san because I personally couldn’t stand how mopey she was being.”

In the past, Shea would have begged for a date, or for Hajime to take her virginity, but there was no need for that anymore. She smiled in satisfaction, looking oddly dignified. This time it was Kaori’s turn to be impressed with how charming Shea looked.

“Unbelievable… Shea’s already become just as formidable a rival as Yue. In fact, she’s even more formidable now. How could I have overlooked this?”

“U-Umm, Kaori? You don’t have to make it sound so dramatic.”

“Shizuku-chan. We can’t just remain underdogs forever. We need to win our place by Hajime-kun’s side and reach that level of fulfillment.”

“Err…”

Kaori seemed unhappy with the fact that Shizuku was satisfied with just being able to confess to Hajime. She crossed her arms and put a hand on her chin, trying to analyze ways to win Hajime’s heart. Naturally, her eccentric behavior left Shizuku confused.

A second later Kaori’s eyes flew open and she declared, “I know! We need to stop considering ourselves challengers and go on the offensive! From now on, we’re assaulters!”

“Kaori… I realize you’re tired after your trial, but you need to calm down.”

“Once this labyrinth’s conquered, we need to sneak into Hajime-kun’s bed, Shizuku-chan.”

“What the hell are you saying!?”

“Don’t worry. This trial helped me understand how to utilize this body’s full power. I should be able to do something about Yue and Shea.”

“We need to do something about your brain first. Cast restoration magic on yourself right now, Kaori.”

“I-I realize it’ll be a first for both of us… but we can do it if we’re together!”

“Maybe I should knock some sense into you like Shea did to Yue.”

Shizuku shook her head in exasperation as she watched Kaori clench her fists and work herself up. But imitating Shea wouldn’t be easy. Curing Kaori’s tendency to charge straight ahead would be a real ordeal.

“Stop acting out a rom-com anime and keep walking, you two.”

“How is it that meeting up made everyone even more tired instead of relieved?”

Suzu and Ryutarou complained to Kaori and the others, fed up with their flirting. Chastised, the party resumed walking down the corridor. No monsters or obstacles barred their way, and Hajime was getting optimistic that they’d be able to reach the end without any additional trials. After about ten minutes, they reached a dead end.

The ice wall in front of them had a heptagon-shaped crest carved inside it. Until now, Hajime had seen similar crests engraved somewhere near the end of each labyrinth. They were the personal symbol of each Liberator. As the party approached, the symbol started to glow, and the wall around it was covered in a film of light.

Hajime tentatively touched the glowing wall, causing it to ripple. From the looks of it, this was the glow of a teleportation portal. Hajime turned back to his comrades and nodded to them. Yue and the others nodded back, ready. Hajime gathered his resolve and walked into the veil of light.

“Looks like we didn’t get separated this time.”

“Mmm… More importantly, look at that.”

“Hrm, it seems we have truly reached the end this time.”

“What a pretty room. That’s… a palace, right?”

As the light faded, Hajime and the others found themselves in a wide-open room. Cylindrical pillars made of ice supported the square-shaped room, which was of course also made of ice. However, this ice was perfectly transparent instead of functioning like a mirror. Most striking of all, though, was the floor. It was filled with water at the center, something the party hadn’t seen at all since entering this labyrinth.

This room was clearly kept at a warmer temperature than everywhere else. The surface of the lake was bubbling, meaning that there was a fountain pumping water in from somewhere. Miniature islands dotted the lake, connected to each other by a series of stepping stones made of ice. Flowers bloomed on the island, and the room looked more like a park than anything. And at the very center of the lake sat a palace. It was solemn and beautiful, its walls engraved with elaborate murals of nature and flowers.

The party felt as though they’d been transported to a fantasy dreamland where parks were made of ice. For a while, the party simply enjoyed the view in stunned silence. But then Hajime took his Air Zone off, and everyone returned to their senses.

“Yeah, it’s not cold anymore. It’s a bit chilly, but honestly, the weather’s nice.”

That could mean only one thing.

“No doubt about it. We’ve made it to the end. This is where Vandre Schnee lived.”

Hajime double-checked his compass just in case, then smiled. Suzu’s eyes welled up with tears.

“We… really did it… Hic…”

She was overcome with emotion. It had taken every ounce of her strength and willpower to get this far. Her reaction was only natural. Shizuku and Ryutarou wore similar expressions as well.

“We beat the labyrinth…”

“Yeah. I thought I was gonna die so many times, but we made it.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten in so many sticky situations if you just stopped to think before charging forward.”

“Haha, I guess. But I mean, I made it, so who cares, right?”

Shizuku gave Ryutarou a chilling glare, but then the two of them smiled at each other and laughed. Suzu joined them as well, and the three friends slapped each other’s backs, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Kaori, Shea, Tio, and even Yue smiled at the sight. Most surprisingly, Hajime closed his eyes and smiled as well.

“There’s no traps or anything, right Nagumo?”

Ryutarou took a step toward the palace, then thought better of it and turned back to Hajime.

“What, you didn’t enjoy getting turned into a popsicle?”

“C-Can’t we just forget about that? Anyway, even I’m not dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.”

Never again would he suffer the shame of leaving his crotch exposed to his party members. Chuckling as he remembered that incident, Hajime scanned the stepping stones with his Demon Eye and strode forward. He made it to the palace’s island without incident. Right in front of the palace proper was a detailed magic circle. He stepped into it and nothing happened, so he guessed it was the shortcut that would teleport them back to the surface.

The palace itself was constructed of opaque blue ice, a stark contrast to the clear ice that made up the rest of the room. Hajime looked up at the pair of double doors that served as the entrance to the palace. A crest shaped like a snowflake was carved into the center where the two doors’ handles would be. That was Vandre Schnee’s symbol.

Hajime pushed at the doors, and they opened effortlessly. The fact that they didn’t creak was proof that Freid had been here recently.

“Mmm… This looks a lot like Oscar’s house, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does. Though this one’s even bigger and fancier.”

The basic construction of the area was pretty similar to how Oscar’s house had been, though. It was just larger and filled with more unnecessary decorations. Everything from the chandeliers made of ice, to the banisters and room doors were filled with fancy carvings of nature. If Oscar had been someone who believed true beauty lay in simplicity and functionality, then Vandre was clearly the opposite.

Hajime had read in Oscar’s journal that he and Vandre hadn’t really gotten along, and now that Hajime saw Vandre’s house, he could easily imagine the two of them arguing about aesthetics and the like.

I get the feeling they were kind of like… Hajime glanced over at Yue and Kaori. They both gave him questioning looks. He shook his head, indicating that it was nothing, and picked the compass up again. He wanted to know which room had the magic circle that would teach him this labyrinth’s ancient magic.

“Straight ahead, huh?”

Taking the lead, Hajime walked down the hallway, cutting through the center of the first floor. They passed a few rooms on the way, but most of them were simple bedrooms with wooden and metal furniture. The ice walls were cool to the touch, but weren’t actually cold. Much like Hajime’s Air Zones, it seemed they’d been enchanted to control the temperature around them. Admiring the palace’s craftsmanship, the party arrived in front of a door that was larger and thicker than the rest.

“This has gotta be it.”

Hajime pushed the door open without hesitation. And as he expected, the magic circle he was looking for was inside. Suzu and Ryutarou turned excitedly toward Hajime, asking for permission to go in. Seeing no reason to blueball them, Hajime nodded and they all stepped into the circle.

Like always, the labyrinth read through their memories and, those who were deemed worthy, had how to use Vandre’s ancient magic poured directly into their brains. Feeling a little dizzy, Suzu, Ryutarou, and Shizuku stumbled as the secrets of metamorphosis magic, the last ancient magic left to learn, poured into their minds. Once the process was over, they turned to each other, smiling. But just then—

“Ngh!? Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Huh!? Uwaaaaaah!”

Hajime and Yue screamed. Shea and the others looked over to see the two of them on their knees, cradling their heads.

“Hajime-san!? Yue-san!?”

“What happened!? Are you okay!?”

Shea and Shizuku ran over, worried.

“Calm down! Kaori! This is no time to be standing around!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah I’ll heal them!”

Shocked by the sudden turn of events, it took Tio’s shout to bring Kaori back to her senses. She quickly dashed over and started examining Hajime and Yue.

“Ngh.”

“Mmm…”

But before she could do anything, the pain abated and Hajime and Yue slumped, covered in cold sweat. Shea grabbed Hajime and Shizuku grabbed Yue before either of them could hit the ground. From the looks of it, they’d lost consciousness. No one had expected two of the most overpowered members of their party to faint like this, and the others were completely stumped.

“I suppose we should lay them down somewhere for now…”

Calm as always, Tio suggested the most rational next step. Still flustered, Shea and Shizuku nevertheless nodded to each other and started looking for a room to put the two in.

Some time later, Hajime felt something soft on his lips and his consciousness returned to him.

“What’re you doing, Yue?”

“Mmmm? Giving you a wake-up kiss.”

What a wonderful way to be woken up… Hajime kissed Yue back, then looked around him. He was lying in a bed, the walls around him made of familiar ice. It seemed he was still inside Vandre’s palace. Hajime turned back to Yue and looked into her eyes.

“I guess the others carried us here after we collapsed. Yue, do you know where everyone else is?”

“Mmm… Sorry. I just woke up myself so I don’t.”

Hajime had thought she’d woken up a while ago and went to take a look around before she returned to wake him up, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Yue rubbed her cheek against Hajime’s face, her bare feet flapping up and down.

“How long ago did you wake up, exactly?”

“Mmm… Ten minutes or so?”

“And you’ve been like this the whole time?”

“Mmm… I mean, you were right there when I woke up, Hajime.”

That was the same logic as people who said they climbed mountains simply because they were there. Yue brought her lips toward Hajime, planning to kiss him again. In the corner of Hajime’s vision, he saw another bed. Judging by how its sheets looked like they’d been in use, he guessed Yue had been laid down there. And when she’d woken up, she’d decided sleeping with him was more important than finding out where Shea and the others had gone.

During this trial, she’d been shaken up so badly that Shea had needed to knock some sense into her. Then, when she’d finally been reunited with Hajime, she’d been prevented from getting more physical with him by Shizuku. But now the trial was over, and she’d woken up to find Hajime sleeping soundly next to her. Of course she hadn’t been able to resist.

Man, I have a really cute girlfriend… Entranced by Yue’s charms, Hajime quickly grew more aggressive. Giggling, Yue licked her lips and leaned closer to Hajime.

“Yue. I think it’ll take a bit longer for us to wake up.”

“Mmm… We can tell Shea we’re awake when we finally do wake up.”

Unfortunately for Hajime and Yue—

“Hm? Are you two already awake? Wait, what are you doing!?”

Someone was there to tell them they were already awake. Shea threw the door open and stalked into the room. Her superhuman hearing had picked up on Yue’s voice, and the sound of clothes rustling. The moment she saw what Hajime and Yue were up to, her ears shot straight up. Behind her, Kaori and Shizuku filed into the room.

“Shea? What’s wrong… Hajime-kun? Yue? What do you two think you’re doing?”

“Ah…”

Kaori’s devil-masked stand appeared behind her. Meanwhile, Shizuku turned beet-red and covered her face with her hands. Though, of course, she left a small enough gap between her fingers that she could peek through.

Hajime and Yue exchanged glances, annoyed that they’d been stopped just as they were getting in the mood. In perfect sync, they said, “Come back in two hours.”

Of course, no one was going to listen.

“Are you stupid!?”

“We’re not going anywhere!”

“E-Exercise some self-control, you two.”

Hajime and Yue were yelled at from all sides. Well, Shizuku’s scolding was more of a meek statement than a yell. She was too embarrassed to be properly angry.

Shea flipped the bed they were resting on, forcing them to roll off while Kaori bound them separately using her Binding Chains of Light. Shea then rolled the two of them into the living room, ignoring their protests.

“Hey, what the heck happened?”

“Ah, I think I can guess.”

There was a large wooden table in the living room, surrounded by leather sofas. Ryutarou and Suzu reclined on one of the sofas, sipping cups of tea. Shea hurled Hajime and Yue onto the sofa opposite the two of them.

After seeing their disheveled clothes, Ryutarou was able to figure out what had happened as well. A second later, something flew at his forehead, knocking him backward.

“Bwah!?”

He tumbled over the back of the sofa and fell to the ground.

“Hmph. That’s what you get for ogling Yue.”

“Why are you blaming me!?” Ryutarou complained, nursing his forehead. Even bound by Kaori’s chains, Hajime had enough freedom of movement to flick a rubber bullet at Ryutarou’s head with pinpoint precision. Ryutarou was in the right this time though, as this was no fault of his.

“Mmm… Are you jealous, Hajime? How cute.”

Yue blushed, causing Shea to snap at her.

“Sheesh! You two aren’t reflecting on your actions at all, are you!? Do you have any idea how worried we were!?”

Despite the anger in her voice, Shea’s eyes welled up with tears. She staggered over to Hajime and Yue, who’d already undone their bonds, and sat down between them. Her bunny ears drooped sadly in front of her. Hajime and Yue finally realized just how worried she’d been about them.

“Shea’s right. We really were worried…”

“Yeah. If you were okay, you should have let us know right away.”

It seemed Kaori and Shizuku had been worried as well. Like Shea, there were tears in their eyes. Hajime and Yue suddenly felt really guilty. They exchanged an awkward glance, then bowed their heads in apology.

“Uh, my bad, guys. I’m really sorry. When I woke up, Yue was already kissing me, so I forgot about everything else… Yeah, this is all Yue’s fault for being too cute.”

“Mmm… Sorry. I should have let you know I was fine right away. But Hajime’s sleeping face was so cute I couldn’t hold back. This is all Hajime’s fault for being too cool.”

However, their apologies didn’t sound anything like a proper apology.

“You two aren’t sorry at all, are you?”

“Haaah, oh, who cares. Arguing any more will just make me tired.”

“It’s painful to watch something like this after I’ve just confessed…”

Hajime and Yue flirted even as they apologized, and Shea glared at them. Kaori, on the other hand, just sighed in exasperation while Shizuku looked down, daunted by how big an obstacle she needed to surmount. Just then, Tio entered the room.

“Oh, I see you’re doing fine, Master. Wonderful. I’m glad to know my concern was unnecessary.”

“Ah, Tio-san. Sorry, I forgot to tell you.”

Shea turned to Tio and apologized. It seemed Tio had gone to check the palace’s library to see what might have made Hajime and Yue collapse. She’d been worried they might not wake back up on their own. When Shea had found Hajime and Yue awake and flirting, she’d been too relieved and angry to remember to tell Tio she didn’t need to scour documents anymore.

“No matter. I take it Master and Yue attempted to fornicate the moment they woke up?”

“How’d you guess?”

“Hmph. It was obvious. Were I in Yue’s position, I would have done the same! Then Master would have punished me more than ever… Haaah… Haaah…”

“Anyway, what happened to you two, Hajime-kun?”

“It must have been pretty painful if it made you even you guys scream.”

Ignoring Tio panting in the background, Kaori and Shizuku turned to Hajime. Naturally, Hajime, Yue, and Shea all ignored Tio as well. They rearranged their sitting arrangement so that Tio had nowhere to sit, though. Blushing, Tio sat at Hajime’s feet like it was where she belonged.

“Well, the reason for that is… I guess, simply put, our brains got overheated with information.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Shea cocked her head in confusion.

“Uh, so, when the knowledge of how to use the final ancient magic, metamorphosis magic, reached our brains, we learned how to do something else too. But that knowledge put too much stress on our minds, and we lost consciousness.”

“Hrmmm… The only thing powerful enough to bring you two to your knees would be… the knowledge of how to use concept magic, correct?”

“Mmm… That’s right. Even though you’re a pervert, you’re so smart, Tio. If only you weren’t a pervert.”

Yue repeated herself, though this was something everyone knew already. Despite her weird fetishes, Tio was a genius. Even if she was sitting at Hajime’s feet, she was the smartest member of the party.

“I’m sure you guys remember, but Lyutillis Haltina’s hologram told us we need to know every single ancient magic to be able to use concept magic. Only Yue and I have cleared every single labyrinth.”

Shea and the others nodded in understanding. It seemed there were no lasting side-effects to obtaining that knowledge, which was a relief. Kaori asked Hajime the question she knew was on everyone’s mind.

“Concept magic… is even stronger than ancient magic and can do anything, right? Does that mean we can go back home to Japan? Can you use it already?”

“No, not yet. Lyutillis gave us that super vague explanation of how we need an ‘unbelievably powerful will’ to use it, remember? Just knowing how to use it isn’t enough. Also, we weren’t exactly taught like, the steps needed to use it, more just the general idea behind how it all works.”

“General idea?”

Shizuku parroted Hajime’s words. This was their chance to return home. Shizuku, as well as Ryutarou, Suzu, and Kaori, all wanted to know as much as possible.

“Yeah. For example, you know how you guys all learned metamorphosis magic, right? How would you describe that magic to someone?”

Shizuku and the others were taken aback. After a few seconds, she hesitantly said, “Umm, well it’s magic that lets me create and transform monsters. It also lets me bend regular monsters to my will?”

“Yep, that’s how I understand it as well. Also, you can strengthen your monsters with it.”

Shizuku and Kaori’s explanation of the magic was more or less the same. If one wanted to get more specific, they could include the fact that metamorphosis magic’s strengthening ability had various levels.

If turning animals into monsters and monsters into familiars was the very basics of metamorphosis magic, then strengthening the stats and special magic of monsters was the first level. Granting familiars intelligence and a will of their own was the second level. The third level was magnifying that intelligence, as well as their special magic and stats to gargantuan proportions. After that, the familiar needed to start gaining experience before it could be strengthened further.

“Also, it seems monsters aren’t monsters because they have mana crystals inside them. That’s kind of a surprise.”

Like Shea had said, it wasn’t mana crystals that turned regular animals into monsters. In fact, it was the other way around. Once a creature had absorbed enough mana to turn into a monster, the mana solidified into a mana crystal.

Basically, when mana gathered together outside of a living body it turned into a Divinity Stone, but when it gathered within a living creature it became a mana crystal. However, mana crystallized easier inside a living creature, so mana crystals had a far smaller capacity than Divinity Stones. Of course, various factors like the creature’s temperament, the environment it lived in, and so on all influenced the capacity of its mana crystal once it turned into a monster.

The reason mana crystals didn’t form inside humans and demons was that the two races had crafted a formal system for using magic. They usually expended mana regularly, and if they accidentally stored too much within their bodies, there were ways to cure that so mana crystals wouldn’t form. In other words, technology and civilization kept sentient races from producing mana crystals inside them. That being said, it was possible that people who didn’t use magic for decades could still form mana crystals inside themselves.

Confirming that everyone had learned the same information regarding metamorphosis magic, Tio added, “It seems you can choose what special magic monsters you create with metamorphosis magic have as well. But that magic needs to be at least somewhat in line with the natural disposition of the creature the monster is originally based on.”

“Yeah, that white dragon Freid rides has a breath attack as its special magic… Come to think of it, how much has he strengthened that thing?” Ryutarou asked.

“It was able to break the capital’s barrier in one attack, so probably a lot. It’s easily like… five or six times as powerful as the monsters around floor 80 in Orcus’ labyrinth.”

Hajime framed his reply using the average monster strength within the Great Orcus Labyrinth as a benchmark.

“Anyway, that’s basically how metamorphosis magic works. However, you guys are subtly off. The more precise definition of metamorphosis magic is… magic that lets you manipulate organic substances.”

“Umm…”

Shea looked at Hajime in confusion. Kaori and the others might have heard the word in school somewhere, but Shea had no idea what “organic” meant. For that matter, neither did Tio.

Realizing he was using unfamiliar terminology, Hajime cleared his throat and explained, “This isn’t as accurate a definition, but to put it more simply, metamorphosis magic lets you mess with the stuff living things are made of. Meaning if you wanted to, you could use it on like food and paper and stuff too, not just plants and animals. Of course, you can use it on humans as well.”

Put simply, one could mess with their hair or eyes or so on. As Hajime finished talking, Yue put on a visual demonstration. She cast metamorphosis magic and turned her golden-blonde hair pale white. She also turned her crimson eyes sky-blue.

“Wooow! Now we match, Yue-san!”

“Mmm…”

Everyone watched in awe as Yue completed her transformation. Hajime stared intently at Yue, then grabbed a camera artifact out of his Treasure Trove and snapped a picture. When she realized what he was doing, Yue casually posed for him.

Once picture time was over, Yue turned her hair and eyes back to normal, then turned to Tio. The dragonman’s legs had gone numb from sitting on the floor for so long.

“I think dragomen’s transformations use the same principle as well… I have no idea how it gets inherited, though.”

“Oho. So metamorphosis magic is the foundation that our race’s abilities are built on… I see.”

Tio lapsed into thought, and Hajime continued his explanation.

“Anyway, what I meant about the general idea was that. Every ancient magic lets you manipulate some fundamental fact of nature, but until now, we didn’t realize which ones they all were. And in order to use concept magic, you have to understand the fundamental aspects of every ancient magic.”

“Mmm… Plus, understanding them all is so difficult that you need to be strong enough to clear every labyrinth to withstand the burden the knowledge places on your mind.”

That was the reason the Liberators had required potential challengers to clear every labyrinth before bestowing upon them the knowledge of concept magic. Now that Hajime and Yue had acquired all seven of them, they realized their understanding of each ancient magic had been lacking. Take for example creation magic, which had been Hajime’s lifeline all this time.

It wasn’t “magic that let you enchant ore,” but rather “magic that let you manipulate inorganic matter.” In other words, the polar opposite of metamorphosis magic. Now that Hajime knew this, he realized creation magic could be applied to water or salt too.

Furthermore, gravity magic was magic that manipulated the planet’s energy. In other words, those who knew it could interfere with a planet’s magnetic field or utilize geothermal energy like magma. It could be used to cause earthquakes or volcanic eruptions as well.

Spatial magic was magic that manipulated boundaries. Meaning it could be used to create entire dimensions as well as manipulate the boundaries between fantasy and reality. A skilled master could turn reality into illusion and illusions into reality.

Restoration magic was magic that manipulated time. Which explained why in her message, Meiru had described it as magic that restores and not magic that heals. However, it could do more than just restore things to a previous state. Since it could interfere with time directly, it could be used to look into the past or potential futures based on set decision variables. Shea’s Future Sight was, in fact, just one application of restoration magic.

Spirit magic was magic that manipulated the incorporeal elements of sentient beings. In more concrete terms, it could be used to manipulate the heat, electricity, and other matterless energy that circulated within a person’s body. That also included things like memories, thoughts, and consciousness. With enough skill, a spirit magic user could take those incorporeal elements, duplicate them, and create a new soul out of them. In other words, create another person.

Evolution magic was magic that manipulated information. When it was used to strengthen someone’s stats or skills, it effectively overwrote the “information” of their abilities with something of a higher tier. But evolution magic could also be used to view the information of any person or object, as well as interfere with their total mana capacity.

All the ancient magics had been given the names they had because those names best represented how that magic interfaced with people.

Incidentally, the Compass of Eternal Paths used spirit magic to read the users wishes, then used spatial magic to pinpoint the location of what they desired, and finally used evolution magic to process all of that information and display it accurately. None of those three things were possible with the more well-known applications of ancient magic. Hajime explained all of that to the others, and Shizuku frowned a little.

“I see. So every ancient magic can interfere with some fundamental abstract concept. I guess that’s too much for normal humans to handle. No wonder you can’t just make something to take us home… From the sound of it, it’ll be pretty difficult to combine all the right elements together…”

“That’s definitely part of it. But the biggest thing is that concept magic requires an unbelievably powerful will.”

Hajime smiled ruefully. Starting from that very vague concept, he and Yue would need to clarify their objective, condense it into a series of steps that could be executed, then provide the requisite energy to achieve what it was they wanted while also strengthening themselves enough to bear the strain of casting such magic.

“Mmm… We also need to use your creation magic to attach the spell to an object.”

“Yeah. We’ve gotta synchronize your precise mana control with my transmutation abilities and create an artifact that’s capable of moving people across worlds.”

“But it’s possible, right?”

At Shea’s question, Hajime smiled fearlessly.

“Of course it’s possible. I worked my ass off down in the abyss, practicing until I could make anything.”

There was a fire in Hajime’s eyes. From the very start, the thought of going home had been what had given him the strength to keep pushing onward within the abyss. He wasn’t going to be deterred here. When they saw his expression, Kaori and the others were certain that no matter how difficult the task was, Hajime would pull it off. At the same time, a sudden longing for home welled up within them.

Hajime thought back to his days in Japan and his days in Tortus. He felt his chest constrict, and he exchanged glances with Yue. The two nodded to each other and got to their feet.

“Are you planning on attempting it right away?”

“Yeah, explaining it helped clear some things up for me. The final goal’s right in front of my eyes, so there’s no way I can just sit still. I’ve gotta give it a shot.”

Hajime made a fist and brought it down on his open palm. In an attempt to calm him down, Yue placed her hand over his. Her gentle touch helped Hajime rein in his emotions. He relaxed a little, and some of the tension drained from his muscles.

Hajime then smiled at Yue, but before they could start flirting again, Suzu asked awkwardly, “Umm, Nagumo-kun. Will it take a lot of time to make something that can take us home? Because if so, I think I might go try and meet Eri first…”

“Nah, it won’t take long.”

Even factoring in the time it would take to practice the new applications of all the ancient magic they’d learned, as well as the fact that this was their first trial, Hajime estimated it would take him and Yue only a few hours to prepare a suitable object to enchant, then focus their concentration and cast the spell.

“Once we’re ready, the spell should be cast in an instant. I bet I can do it in one shot. No one wants to go home as badly as me. The only thing I’m not sure of is how exhausting it’ll be.”

It’d be pointless if Hajime created a way back only to be summoned again. Which was why he’d also need concept magic that could prevent that. But depending on how exhausting casting concept magic would be, it was possible he wouldn’t be able to add that protection in right away. Meaning he had to give everything a try first before saying anything for certain. Suzu considered her options for a few minutes, then nodded.

“Okay. Gotcha. In that case, I’ll rest here until you’re done casting magic. I finally earned the right to use metamorphosis magic, so I should probably practice it too. We can go to the demon capital afterward. Umm, what’re you going to do, Shizushizu?”

Suzu turned to Shizuku, wondering what her plans were. Suzu was glad that Shizuku had finally decided to be honest with her own feelings, and wouldn’t mind if she also left the party to stick with Hajime. Suzu also turned to Ryutarou. Her business was personal, and she wasn’t going to force anyone to join her in infiltrating enemy territory if they didn’t want to.

“Of course I’ll come with you, Suzu.”

“Same here.”

Shizuku and Ryutarou replied immediately. There wasn’t the slightest bit of hesitation in their voice. Smiling, Suzu thanked Ryutarou. But when she turned to Shizuku, her expression turned timid.

“Shizushizu, are you sure? You finally…”

“What’re you saying? My feelings for Nagumo-kun are important, but so are you. I can’t just leave you in the hands of these two idiots. Besides, you’re not planning on staying for long, are you? Once you’re done talking, we can rush back to Nagumo-kun, so it’s not like I’ll be lonely or anything. Plus, I want to say my piece to Eri as well.”

Shizuku casually shrugged her shoulders after saying that. And in response, Suzu smiled in relief.

“That’s my Shizushizu! So manly she’s always making girls fall for her!”

Annoyed at being called manly, Shizuku gave Suzu a noogie so powerful that Suzu teared up. Trying to change the subject she asked, “A-Also, about Kouki-kun…”

Hajime cocked his head. He then looked around the room.

“Oh yeah, where’d that guy go?”

“Did you only now realize he’s not here? I put him down in one of the other rooms. He probably won’t wake up for a while still.”

Shizuku gave Hajime an exasperated look. She couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about the hero until now. Naturally, Hajime ignored her.

“Oh well, who cares about him. Yue and I are gonna start working in the room where the magic circle is. If Amanogawa wakes up before we’re done, make sure he doesn’t get in our way.”

“There’s no way he’d try to bother you if you’re in the middle of making a way back home, right?”

Conflicted, Ryutarou tried to stand up for his friends. Hajime just shrugged his shoulders and didn’t bother arguing back.

“I sure hope not. I’ll be too focused on casting, so it’s a just-in-case thing.”

“Leave it to me, Hajime-san. Since I can’t help you make the magic, I’ll at least make sure no one bothers you!”

“Thanks. We’re counting on you, Shea.”

“If you’re watching our backs, we don’t have to worry…”

Shea puffed out her chest proudly. Hajime and Yue smiled at her, their trust in her absolute. Then, they went off to the room where the magic circle was. Shea stayed outside the door to keep watch while Hajime and Yue filed inside.

Two hours later.

“I wonder…” Suzu’s worried voice echoed through the living room. She trailed off, her vague worries as indistinct as her statement.

Kaori, who was sitting next to her, asked, “What exactly are you wondering, Suzu-chan?”

“Umm… everything, I guess? I wonder if Nagumo-kun’s doing okay? I wonder if we can really go back to Japan? I wonder if Kouki-kun’s okay? You know. I wonder if we’ll be able to make it out of the demon capital alive…”

Despite looking like she was just lying down and resting, it seemed Suzu had a lot on her mind.

“Everything’ll be fine, Suzu-chan. No matter how hard things get, Hajime-kun always pulls through. And he has Yue with him too, so there’s nothing he can’t do.”

“Kaorin…”

“As for Kouki-kun, he’s the only one who can do anything to improve his situation. Of course, I’ll help as much as I can, but it’s on him in the end. And Eri-chan… Well, act first think later! No matter how much you think about it, you won’t know how your meeting’ll go until it happens.”

Kaori’s attempts at reassuring Suzu were so haphazard that Suzu couldn’t help but laugh.

“K-Kaorin… Hahaha. You’re too cool. I guess Nagumo-kun’s rubbed off on you.”

“You’re wrong, Suzu. Kaori’s always been like this. Once she makes up her mind to do something, she’ll just keep charging forward until it’s done.”

“Hey, that’s rude, Shizuku-chan, Suzu-chan. You make it sound like I’m just like Ryutarou.”

“Hey, Kaori. What’s so bad about being like me, huh? You picking a fight?”

Ignoring Ryutarou’s protests, Kaori pursed her lips and pouted. But a second later, she got over it and turned to Suzu while clenching her fist.

“Anyway, even if I don’t know how things’ll go with Eri-chan, I’ll at least make sure she doesn’t hurt you. I’ll be with you the whole time, and if she tries to kill you, I’ll disintegrate everything and buy us time to run.”

Suzu and Ryutarou raised their eyebrows at Kaori’s declaration of “I’ll disintegrate everything.”

Blinking in surprise, Suzu asked, “U-Umm, you’re coming with us, Kaorin?”

“Of course I am. I’m not going to leave you by yourself, Suzu-chan.”

“But Nagumo-kun…”

“Like Shizuku-chan said, it’s not like we’ll be apart for long. Besides, it’s not like I can help him add enchantments that’ll make it impossible for us to get summoned again, or get Myu-chan and Remia-san for him, so I may as well protect you instead, Suzu-chan.”

“Oh, Kaorin… You’re such a good girl… I wuv you.”

“Suzu, why are you talking like that?”

Suzu’d been so overwhelmed by Kaori’s kindness that she started acting silly to hide her embarrassment.

Smiling as she watched the group of friends play around, Tio said, “If Kaori is with you, I have no need to worry. Hrmmm, I suppose I should return to my own village at least once before following Master to his world. I must complete my mission, after all.”

“Oh yeah, you were investigating Tortus on behalf of your clan, weren’t you, Tio-san? I totally forgot about that until Hajime-san mentioned it a while back.”

Tio’s face fell in disappointment. She couldn’t believe Shea had forgotten such an important fact.

“Shea. You wish to meet with Cam-dono before you leave as well, correct?”

“Yep. But now there’s a teleportation artifact connecting to the Haulia village, so I can go see them whenever I want. Oh yeah, your village is on an island way past the northern mountains, right Tio-san?”

Shea rifled through her memories. While Hajime understood the girls all wanted to speak to their families before leaving, if their journeys took too long, he’d probably get tired of waiting.

“Indeed. It is quite a long distance, however… I’m sure Master will allow me to go after he punishes me for making him wait! Especially since I shall be able to return home via a portal.”

“Your family’s probably going to wonder why you look so happy despite being all wounded… I sure hope they don’t panic.”

Tio started drooling as she thought about how she was going to be punished by Hajime, and Shea and the others all backed away. They were used to her masochistic delusions, but that didn’t mean they wanted to see them. Shea didn’t want to imagine what the other dragonmen would think when they saw what Tio had turned into. The princess everyone had revered was now just a pervert.

“It’s going to be a tragedy…”

“Some people might even die from shock…”

“Hey, Kaorin. I’ll be fine, so could you go with Tio-san instead? You might need to bring the other dragonmen back to life.”

“Nagumo better take responsibility for what he did. Hell, he should go apologize personally.”

“Are you not all being a bit too unkind!?”

While everyone was joking around, the door suddenly opened and Kouki walked in.

“So this is where you all were…”

“Oh, you’re finally awake. How do you feel?”

Shizuku had hesitated for a moment, unsure what to say, but then she smiled at Kouki and asked after his health. But she remained wary, just in case. Kouki smiled back, but it was obvious there was a shadow behind his smile.

“I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you guys.”

“It’s fine. As long as you’re not hurt.”

“Yeah, we’re just glad to see you safe, man.”

“Thank goodness.”

Shizuku, Ryutarou, and Suzu all smiled at Kouki. He briefly returned the smile, but then started scanning the room. His expression was unusually stiff.

Kaori easily guessed who he was looking for and said, “If you’re looking for Hajime-kun, he’s holed up in another room.”

“I see… I figured I should apologize for attacking him, but…”

At the very least, it seemed Kouki wouldn’t snap at Hajime like he had last time. His mental state was more stable than expected. However, he was clearly pretty depressed.

“You don’t have to worry about apologizing to Hajime-san. As long as you don’t start attacking him again, he probably won’t care.”

“Shea-san… I guess you’re right.” Kouki spoke hesitantly, as if he were swallowing quite a bitter pill by saying that.

In truth, while Hajime had found Kouki’s rampage a nuisance, he neither hated Kouki nor did he particularly care enough to want an apology. For him, he’d just done what he’d done to protect Kaori and Shizuku’s hearts from trauma. Labeling Kouki as an enemy would mean destroying what he’d already worked so hard to protect, so he’d decided to just not care about him. But the fact that he didn’t even want an apology proved once again that Hajime didn’t even consider him a rival.

“It looks like you’ve come back to your senses. Or do you still think Nagumo-kun’s brainwashed all of us?”

Shizuku’s glare was stern. While she was glad Kouki was awake and not in a murderous rage, she also knew that the only reason Hajime hadn’t killed him was for her sake. Meaning it was her responsibility to make sure Kouki never went on another rampage.

Kouki awkwardly averted his gaze, unable to meet Shizuku’s cold eyes. However, Shizuku was done coddling him.

“Look at me, Kouki.”

“Ngh… Yeah, I don’t believe that anymore. I wasn’t thinking straight back that.”

Though Kouki’s expression was still clouded over, he met Shizuku’s gaze and spoke firmly. Shizuku looked back at him, trying to determine if he meant it or not. Shea and the others did the same. While it was hard to tell if Kouki truly believed that in the depths of his heart, it seemed he at least believed he believed it. That was enough for Shizuku though, and she nodded.

“I see. Good. Kouki… is there anything you want to ask us?”

Trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, Shizuku smiled and spoke cheerfully. Sensing her intentions, Kouki smiled ruefully at her. He asked her what had happened after he lost consciousness.

Shizuku explained that everyone but him had cleared the trial and that Hajime and Yue were currently working to master concept magic enough to create a way home in the other room. Kouki sat down on a nearby sofa and listened to everything silently. His expression didn’t change at all throughout Shizuku’s explanation. However, he was the only one who’d failed to clear the labyrinth. There was no doubt that he found that a harsh truth to accept.

Shizuku could also easily tell that he was hesitating about whether or not to ask the one thing he was actually dying to know. It was the reason he’d gone berserk in the first place, and why he’d convinced himself Shizuku had been brainwashed. Shizuku waited for him to ask, but sensing that he probably wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do it, she decided to volunteer the information herself.

“Kouki. I’m in love with Nagumo-kun. And I want to be together with him.”

“Ah…”

At that, Kouki’s expression warped. Being told that flat-out by his childhood friend made it hard for him to try and interpret the truth in a more convenient manner, but it was also a difficult truth to accept. Kouki thought back to how peacefully Shizuku had been sleeping on Hajime’s back, and he suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to tear his heart out.

Keeping his emotions in check, Kouki asked as calmly as he could, “Does that mean… you’re going to travel with Nagumo too? Even though he already has a favorite, and Kaori? Don’t you think you should reconsider? I’m saying this for your sake, Shizuku, you—”

Shizuku shook her head and cut him off.

“Kouki, I’m not asking for your advice here. I’m simply letting you know because you’re my childhood friend.”

“……”

Kouki looked as though he’d just swallowed a thousand stinkbugs. He glanced over at Ryutarou and Suzu for salvation, as well as Kaori. Surely you don’t want your best friend fighting you for the guy you like, right? his gaze seemed to say. But none of them backed him up. They had already accepted Shizuku’s decision. No one would sympathize with Kouki at this point.

The color drained out of Kouki’s face. Realizing he could no longer run from reality, impatience, jealousy, hatred, and anger welled up within him. But he had no valid target for his rage, and he knew he couldn’t just start throwing a tantrum. After all, the last time he’d done that, he’d ended up unconscious.

The bitter knowledge that he’d been handily defeated was one of the main reasons he wasn’t about to go on another rampage. However, everyone could tell that Kouki was once again slipping down a dark path. Though Ryutarou knew this was a trial Kouki needed to overcome himself, he couldn’t help but want to help his best friend out. He gave Kouki a sympathetic look, but Kouki interpreted that as pity, making him even angrier.

Knowing he couldn’t just wildly swing his sword at people, Kouki instead said sardonically, “Hahaha, so you’re all his friends now, huh? Even though he’s a murderer who’ll abandon anyone he doesn’t like…”

“Kouki!” Shizuku yelled. Shea and Tio narrowed their eyes dangerously. Meanwhile, Kaori watched the whole scene play out with a worried look. But Kouki didn’t notice any of their reactions. Even if he had, he was like a spoiled child who didn’t know when enough was enough.

“Maybe I should have been the one to fall off that bridge inst—”

Kouki had gone too far. Kaori, the girl who’d been most hurt by Hajime’s presumed death, slapped Kouki to shut him up.

Bringing a hand up to his cheek, Kouki looked blankly at Kaori. Her hand still raised, she said in a sobbing voice, “Kouki-kun, you’re one of my precious friends… So please… don’t make me hate you.”

“Kaori…”

Kouki was at a loss for words. That slap had knocked them all out of him. Kaori’s expression burned itself into his retina. Still, determined to say something, Kouki opened his mouth. But before he could speak, a blast of wind tore through the room. It was followed by a wave of mana so dense and thick it looked like a wall. Though no one had fired a mana shockwave, it felt just like one to everyone.

“This feels like… Hajime-san! Yue-san!”

Indeed, the wall of mana was a mixture of crimson and gold. Shea dashed out of the room. Nothing like this had ever happened before when Hajime had made an artifact. More pulses of mana intermittently emanated from the room Hajime and Yue were in. Whatever was going on in there, it wasn’t normal. Kaori and the others came to their senses a split-second later and ran after Shea.

The closer the group got to the room with the magic circle, the more powerful the waves of mana became. It was like they were trying to fight their way to the center of a typhoon. If they weren’t careful, the torrent of mana would knock them unconscious.

Still, the group eventually managed to make it to the room. The door was open, and Shea stepped in first.

Covering their faces, Kaori and the others followed suit. Inside, they found a spiral of golden and crimson mana rising to the ceiling. Hajime and Yue knelt at the center of the spiral, facing each other. Their eyes were closed and their hands clasped together. Neither of them moved an inch. A bluish-white light emanated from their palms… and there was a glowing crystal in their hands. It was made of Divinity Stone combined with various other ores.

“Sh-Shea! What on earth is…”

“I don’t know. But it looks like the two of them are fine, at least.”

Shea’s bunny ears twitched. She smiled in relief as she picked up the regular sound of their heartbeats. Despite the storm of mana swirling around them, the two were perfectly calm.

Kaori and the others stared at Hajime and Yue as well. The two were quiet, making no noise. They were completely focused on the task at hand. Neither of them had even noticed Shea and the others had come in, and sweat beaded on their foreheads. They were clearly pouring everything they had into casting concept magic.

“If they’re fine, we should leave,” Shizuku said quietly. Tio nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. It would be a shame if they failed due to our interruption… Master would likely punish us all.”

“Please don’t look so happy about that, Tio-san.”

Quietly, the group backed out of the room. As they left, Kouki stared intently at Hajime. There was no emotion in his eyes. But that was because he was doing his best not to let his rage and frustration show.

“Kouki.”

Shizuku called out to him. But Kouki said nothing. In fact, he made to take a step forward.

“Kouki!”

“Ah!”

Shizuku grabbed his arm and glared at him. Her grip was like iron. Terrified by the look in her eyes, he retracted his outstretched foot and slowly took a few steps back. But a second later—

“What’s going on!?”

“I-Is that a movie?”

“It’s showing a… dark cavern?”

A projection of an unfamiliar location appeared in front of Shea and the others. The projection was reflected on a thin film of dense mist, and the projection itself was made out of mana. Shea and the others gazed at the strange scene, forgetting that they were supposed to be leaving.

Suzu muttered, “It looks kind of like the Orcus labyrinth…”

“Certainly, the only caverns I know of that are illuminated by green glowstone are the ones in the Great Orcus Labyrinth.”

Tio nodded in agreement. It was true that only the Great Orcus Labyrinth had that much green glowstone.

However, the reason Suzu seemed uncertain was that the cavern seemed far more natural than the man-made tunnels that made up the upper floors of the Great Orcus Labyrinth. These looked as though they hadn’t been shaped by human hands at all. Furthermore, the cavern was much wider and more spacious than any of the floors Suzu and the others knew of. But as the video played out, everyone quickly realized what was going on.

Deep within the dark cavern was a four-way intersection. Within that intersection stood a rabbit with white fur. Its legs were oddly enlarged, bulging dark veins running down their length. Another pulse of mana blew through the party, this one carrying emotions with it.

“Is this… unease? Or impatience?”

“I sense fear as well… I think this video’s a memory.”

“I suspect it is Master’s memory. A memory of his time in the place he describes as the abyss.”

The girls’ deductions proved correct. As the video continued to play, more emotions poured into the mana pulsing out of Hajime. He watched the unknown monster with fear and unease. No one had any idea how or why videos of Hajime’s past were playing, but everyone was certain this was indeed Hajime’s past, and the feelings being transmitted through his mana were his feelings. He had said almost nothing about the time he’d spent in the abyss before meeting Yue. Those events were behind him now, and Hajime wasn’t the kind of guy to brag about how much suffering he’d been through or how hard his life was or anything.

Shea and the other girls all glanced at each other. This was an opportunity to learn more about Hajime’s past, and they didn’t want to miss out. Their feelings united, they nodded to each other and decided to remain. They turned back to the projection, watching with rapt attention. None of them were about to miss what might be their only chance to learn what had turned Hajime into the person he was now. Ryutarou, Suzu, and Kouki watched as well. They, too, were curious about Hajime’s transformation.

As the strange rabbit leaped toward Hajime, someone let out a gasp.

“Hajime-san!”

“Hajime-kun!”

Shea and Kaori reflexively shouted out warnings. The projection blurred slightly, and the fear in Hajime’s mana grew tremendously. Everyone watched as the rabbit toyed with him. It crushed his left arm, and anguish started mingling with the fear in his emotions. Shea and Tio grit their teeth in sympathy, and Kaori’s face twisted in pain.

“Oh no… Hajime-san, how could you be beaten so easily by…”

“This is the Nagumo-kun we knew. He was so weak he could barely fight.”

For a moment, the video cut out. Hajime was so afraid of the rabbit that he’d closed his eyes. As everyone was drowned in his fear, he opened his eyes again. In front of him, the rabbit that had been torturing him earlier was cowering in fear. Following the rabbit’s gaze, Hajime found a white-furred bear staring down at him.

Even at a glance, he knew it was on a completely different level than the rabbit. The bear cut the rabbit in half with a single swipe and ate it. Through the video, Shea and the others caught a glimpse of its eyes.

At their current skill level, a mere Claw Bear was hardly a threat. But the way it looked at Hajime, as if he was just food, went a long way to explaining why Hajime was so terrified of the creature. The girls watched in horror as the bear cornered Hajime, cut off his left arm, and ate it right in front of him. Their love for him made the scene that much more painful.

From the emotions coming off of Hajime’s mana, they could tell he wanted to escape from reality, but the pain of losing his arm and the blood spurting from the stump forced him to accept what was happening. Though they couldn’t hear Hajime’s screams, since the projection was visual-only, the rich emotions coming from his mana helped those watching recreate them in their mind.

Being treated as nothing more than food, Hajime’s fear reached a tipping point. No longer caring about how pathetic he looked, he fled as fast as he could, fear driving him forward. Unable to run, he transmuted a passage in the wall and scrambled deeper and deeper into the darkness. There were so many emotions running through his mind that they were hard to identify.

The video continued, showing Hajime sobbing as he kept crawling. Before long, those sobs died away, the embers of his life slowly fading away.

“Hajime-san…”

Tears spilled from Shea’s eyes and she bit her lip. Kaori, Shizuku, and Suzu covered their mouths with their hands, trembling. They looked as though they could feel Hajime’s pain. On the other hand, Tio had closed her eyes and was doing her best to keep her emotions under control.

The video went dark as Hajime blacked out, then returned a few seconds later. Confused that he was still alive, Hajime started to transmute himself further down the path he was creating.

Finally, he came face to face with the wondrous crystal whose liquid had saved his life. The Divinity Stone, which back then had been so full of mana it was leaking Ambrosia. Hajime licked up the healing liquid and squatted in a corner, his heart shattered.

For days he waited for salvation that never came. His memories of that time were clearly hazy, as the video cut out relatively often. However, the emotions he was feeling were still transmitted clearly through his mana. Shea and the others felt firsthand just how lonely he’d felt, waiting futilely for help.

The darkness he lived in was so absolute that at times he nearly forgot who and what he was. Starvation had gnawed at him every waking moment of his life. And to top it off, the phantom pain of his lost arm left him in agony. Day after day, Hajime lived through agonizing torture.

Eventually, he lay down and wished for death, but the miracle liquid keeping him alive prevented even that.

From there, he went from intermittently wishing for death, and desperately wanting to live. Like a broken radio, he kept swapping between those two modes. Over and over, he questioned himself wondering how things had come to this. With no outlet for his emotions, he eventually turned to hating his classmates and cursing the unfairness of the world.

Finally, his heart broke. But it didn’t end there. By discarding unnecessary emotions and retaining only the drive to survive, Hajime recreated himself into the kind of person who could kill anyone that got in his way without hesitation. The extreme pressure he’d been placed under had reforged his will into an unbreakable blade.

Once he’d decided he was getting out of here alive, Hajime began to act. He glanced down at the small depression filled with Ambrosia. He crawled over to it and lapped it up like a dog. As always, it only healed his physical injuries, doing nothing for his hunger or pain. The face reflected in that small glowing puddle was the face of a different person. He wasn’t the same Hajime he’d been before falling down here. Eyes glimmering with hatred, Hajime left the small shelter he’d made for himself. The only weapon at his disposal was his transmutation ability, an ability so weak it could hardly be called a weapon. Even so, he armed himself with it and set out to hunt monsters.

From there, he killed his first monster, and—

“Ngh, that looks so…”

“He mentioned he’d had to eat monsters but… this is horrible…”

Kouki and Ryutarou watched on, aghast, as Hajime ate monster meat for the first time. His hands and clothes and face were stained with blood. He truly looked like nothing more than a feral monster. After a few seconds though, he dropped his food and screamed.

The pain he was in boggled belief. Hajime banged his head against the ground over and over, and the video cut out multiple times as the meat destroyed his body while the Ambrosia put it back together. It was a horrific sight.

As the scene played out, Hajime’s mana transmitted just how painful that first transformation had been. If hell existed, that was the kind of suffering that awaited people in it. Had Tio not used spirit magic to stabilize Ryutarou, Suzu, Shizuku, and Kouki’s mental states, they would have fainted just from the feelings transmitted through Hajime’s mana. As it was, everyone was still pale-faced. Unable to bear watching any longer, Ryutarou averted his gaze… while Suzu did her best not to throw up.

Finally, the transformation ended, and Hajime’s figure was reflected in the pools of blood and spilled Ambrosia around him. He looked the same as he did now. His obsession with survival and his hatred for the world had been strengthened along with his body. It was at this point that he truly became the monster of the abyss.

Using the abilities granted to his commonplace Synergist job, which was perhaps the most generic job in Tortus, he crafted weapons he’d learned about in a different world. It took him weeks of constant practice and thousands upon thousands of attempts, but finally, he succeeded in creating a gun. He then challenged the Claw Bear, which was the same monster that had once crushed his spirit, to prove to himself that he could fight his way through anything that stood against him.

After a fierce battle, he conquered the Claw Bear. It was then that he realized what his true desire was. Namely, to return home. As if responding to that desire, the mana in the room pulsed. It then contracted, surrounding only Hajime and Yue.

I want to return home… It was a pure, simple wish. Shea and the others were so touched by the depth of that desire that they could feel their chests constricting.

Hajime’s crimson mana glowed with a dazzling light, while Yue’s golden mana supported it from the side. The dazzling pillar of mana slowly dimmed, then started swirling around Hajime and Yue. It looked to Shea and the others as if a galaxy was revolving around the two of them.

I want to return home to Japan… Hajime’s wish was a quiet, subdued one. But at the same time, it was a wish that would never waver, and the depth of his attachment to it was overwhelming. The Hajime in the video looked up at the dark ceiling and quietly closed his eyes, reaffirming his resolve. When he opened them again, an unbelievably powerful will was reflected within them.

Hajime strode forward, heading toward the bottom of the abyss. He no longer balked at the idea of advancing into the endless darkness. From there, the video faded away and the mana creating it was sucked into the whirlpool swirling around Hajime and Yue.

Shea, Kaori, Tio, and Shizuku were all sobbing. They had no words for the emotions they were currently feeling. But they were all smiling as they cried. They were proud of the man who’d managed to overcome despair and crawl his way out of hell through sheer willpower.

Even Ryutarou and Suzu were overwhelmed. At the same time, they realized this was why they’d always felt like they couldn’t match up to him. While being in Kouki’s party meant they’d had their fair share of rough battles, they’d always had Meld and his experienced knights backing them up. Furthermore, they’d always had reassuring comrades by their side, each of them overpowered in their own right. If you asked Suzu or Ryutarou whether or not they’d be able to overcome that harsh abyss, they would both confidently have said no. Especially since they knew what little they’d seen was only the beginning. There was no way they could have withstood what lay ahead.

Kouki, on the other hand, limply looked around, his eyes empty. He thought back to how he’d said it would have been better if he’d been the one to fall into the abyss instead.

Until moments ago, he’d truly believed that it was unfair that Hajime was so strong despite seemingly not trying at all. Even though Shizuku had told Kouki when Hajime had first returned that Hajime had likely gone through his fair share of hardship, Kouki hadn’t really believed it. He’d thought that Hajime had gained strength just by being dropped into the abyss, and was now doing whatever he pleased. But now that Kouuki had seen it all through Hajime’s eyes, he realized he’d been mistaken.

You wanna go home, huh? Kouki thought to himself. He asked himself if he’d ever truly wanted to return that badly. And at the same time, he realized how flimsy his own conviction had been. He’d claimed he’d be a true hero and save everyone who needed saving, but he’d never truly been resolved to do that.

N-No, that’s not right. I’m not the one who’s wrong here. Sure, I get where Nagumo’s coming from now… but still… he took everything from me… Kouki desperately tried to convince himself that he wasn’t in the wrong. But as he was going through his mental dilemma, Hajime and Yue’s spell progressed.

Their hands opened up like a budding flower and crimson mana started pouring into the Divinity Stone and other ore that they were holding. The metals began fusing together and started molding into something new. All of the surrounding mana started getting sucked into those tiny ores. They were being transmuted. Wiping her tears with the hem of her sleeve, Kaori watched on curiously.

“Is that… a key?”

As she’d said, the ores were forming the shape of a key. A translucent, dodecahedron-shaped crimson crystal formed at the base of the key, where it’d be held from. Motes of golden mana glimmered within the crystal like tiny stars. The key itself looked like some kind of old antique key with all sorts of artistic flairs added on.

Hajime and Yue, who’d had their eyes closed this whole time, finally opened them. It looked as though they were staring at nothing, but at the same time also staring at each other. As the mystical scene played out, someone gulped.

The two of them opened their mouths simultaneously and said, “Open the door to our desired land!”

Their voices echoed through the room like the tolling of a bell. The two of them lit up, glowing brighter than the sun. The swirling galaxy of mana around them erupted like a supernova and the room was inundated in red and golden light, blotting out everything. The mana carried with it an unshakable, indestructible will. The force of the mana knocked Shea and the others out for a second, but they regained consciousness before falling to the floor.

By the time they were lucid again, the light had disappeared. Staggering, Shea and the others regained their balance and watched as that tremendous amount of mana poured into the key’s crystal. At long last, Hajime had created what he wanted. A key leading back home.

More specifically, a concept magic teleportation artifact known as the Crystal Key.

“Hajime-san! Yue-san! Are you okay!?”

Shea hurried over to her two companions. Hajime and Yue sat next to the Crystal Key, slumped against each other. They were still holding hands. Kaori and the others ran over to Hajime as well, a second after Shea.

“Kaori-san, how are they?”

Shea turned to Kaori, a worried look on her face. After a brief pause, Kaori relaxed and said, “They’re fine. They just used up so much mana they lost consciousness.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Kaori’s diagnosis. Kaori quickly cast a spell to transfer some of her mana to Hajime and Yue. After a few seconds, the two of them groaned and opened their eyes.

“Huh? How’d it go?”

“Mmm… Where’s the artifact?”

Kaori gave them a quick summary of the situation and handed them the Crystal Key.

“You two collapsed after using up all your mana. I’ve given you some of mine, so you should be fine now. I’m not sure if you succeeded or not, but this is the artifact…”

“I see. Thanks, Kaori. It’s been a long time since I’ve fainted from mana overuse. I wasn’t sure how much we’d need, so I just used everything I had, but… you’ll be able to adjust how much we use next time, right?”

“Mmm… Yeah. I think I’ve got the hang of it now. The question is if we’ll be able to exhibit a will that’s strong enough to be turned into a concept next time.”

Hajime turned to the key in his hands and examined it with his Demon Eye. It was saturated with more mana than anything he’d ever made before, and through his Demon Eye it looked like a tiny bundle of light.

“We did a pretty good job… I can feel the energy inside of it. It feels just like the Compass of Eternal Paths.”

Hajime smiled in satisfaction. Even Yue couldn’t read the emotions in his eyes as he looked down at the Crystal Key.

Hajime was so deeply moved that his hands were shaking. His entire journey up until now had all been for the sake of obtaining this key. The Crystal Key had the name it did because it was a crystallization of Hajime’s strongest feelings.

Yue smiled gently and put her hand over Hajime’s.

“Thank you, Yue.”

“Mmm…”

Hajime wasn’t just thanking her for helping him make this key. He was thanking her for keeping him human back when he first met her in the abyss, for always being by his side, for loving him, and of course for creating the embodiment of his will with him. He was thanking her for everything.

Looking up, he saw that Shea and the others were also looking gently at him. Feeling a little embarrassed, Hajime cleared his throat loudly and said, “Let’s test it out.”

He pulled the Compass of Eternal Paths out of his pocket. Unlike his Gate Keys, which could be used to open portals to the respective keyholes they connected to, the Crystal Key did exactly what its concept magic had designed it for. It opened a door leading to the user’s desired destination. But in order to do that, the user needed to have an accurate mental image of their destination, as well as a good grasp of the physical or metaphysical distance to it. But that meant so long as Hajime had the compass as well, he could have the key take him anywhere.

Hajime set a destination in mind and filled the Crystal Key with mana. The key glowed deep crimson, while the golden particles within the crystal set into its base began to dance.

A spiral of mana rose up from Hajime. Nervously, he thrust the key into the air in front of him. It melted seamlessly into the air as if there was some invisible door there. Its crimson and golden glow grew brighter.

Like they’d expected of an object enchanted with concept magic, it drained an enormous amount of mana to activate. Hajime could feel his mana leaving him at an alarming rate. Furrowing his brows, he glared at the shimmering air in front of him and took a deep breath. Then, he turned the key. It flashed, and a second later the space around it swirled, transforming into a circular portal.

Hajime had succeeded. Smiling happily, he turned to inform his comrades of his success.

“Aaaaaahn!”

But before he could say anything, he heard a girl moan in ecstasy from beyond the portal. It was followed by the distinctive sound of flesh slapping against flesh. Feeling as though they were peeking into the depths of the abyss, Hajime and the others peered inside the fully opened portal. What they saw scarred them.

“You like that, don’t you, you shameless little bitch!?”

“Aaah! Cam-sama! You really are Shea’s father! You’re amaaaaaazing!”

Cam was whipping Altina, who was lying on a bed beneath him.

“Bwah.”

Shea staggered backward, looking as though her soul had left her body. Kaori hurriedly patted her on the back, bringing Shea back to the land of the living. While the others hadn’t taken quite as huge a shock as Shea, they were nevertheless aghast.

Sensing there was someone there, Cam turned around. When he saw Hajime and the others on the other side of the portal, his eyes widened.

“B-Boss!? H-How did you manage to open a gate here!?”

“Huh? Shea! And everyone else, too!”

Cam looked utterly bewildered, while Altina quickly recovered from her confusion and smiled happily at the party.

Somehow managing to recover from his shock Hajime said, “Yo, Cam. Sorry for interrupting you. I didn’t realize you were in the middle of something.”

“Mmm… I didn’t know you two had that kind of relationship. Shea, don’t die on me now,” Yue added.

“Fufu, Comrade Altina. I am glad to see you have found a worthy master.”

Ignoring Tio entirely, Cam turned to Hajime and Yue and stammered, “Th-Th-Th-This is a misunderstanding!”

However, he wasn’t fooling anyone. Shea, who’d returned to her senses, trembled with rage. A pillar of pale blue mana rose from her body. She silently took a step forward and retrieved Drucken from her Treasure Trove. Glaring coldly at Cam and Altina, she transformed her warhammer into bombardment mode. Her hand rested on the trigger, ready to unload an exploding slug into her father.

“H-Hold on, Shea! This isn’t what it looks like! Your dad would never—”

“Shea! Cam-dono is a wonderful man! I should have expected as much from your father! I just wanted to sneak a peek at some of your stuff, but when he caught me, he punished me sooo hard!”

Altina smiled innocently, crushing any chance Cam might have had to talk his way out of this. He glared at Altina and growled, “Shut up, you!” But that only caused her to shiver in pleasure. It appeared Altina was beyond saving now.

According to Cam, the truth was that Altina had gotten so obsessed with Shea that she’d tried to sneak into Shea’s old room and look through some of her stuff. Cam had caught her and had been in the process of chastising her.

“You say that, but you looked like you were enjoying whipping her…”

“Boss!?”

Not only was Hajime not convinced, but Cam’s daughter also wasn’t either.

“Die, you shitty perverted dad!”

Shea mercilessly pulled the trigger on her father. An explosive slug hit him square in the torso. Hajime closed his eyes in sympathy, then closed the gate. Just before it shrunk to nothing, everyone was able to hear Cam and Altina’s screams. No one seemed inclined to help them, though.

“Shea, cheer up…”

“Don’t worry, Shea. That was just… a moment of weakness. I’m sure your dad will come to his senses now.”

“Hic… Yue-san, Kaori-san, thank you. But I know that wasn’t enough to kill Dad. Before we go to Hajime-san’s world, I need to make sure to finish him off for good… by mincing him into little pieces.”

Shea couldn’t believe she’d seen her dad engaging in something borderline sexual with a girl her age. She had been well and truly scarred.

The unfortunate incident they’d witnessed notwithstanding, Hajime had at least confirmed the Crystal Key worked. Relieved, and feeling a little sorry for Shea, Hajime ruffled her bunny ears.

“Uhh, look Shea. I’ll discipline him properly, so please don’t cry.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah, Hajime-saaaaaaaaan!”

Shea leaped into Hajime’s arms. Her ears flopped back and forth as she tried to deny the reality she’d just seen. Every time they did, they hit Hajime in the eye. But he endured, for Shea’s sake.

Behind him, Suzu muttered, “I feel like their relationship isn’t any different from Nagumo-kun and Tio-san’s…”

For Shea’s sake, Hajime ignored that too.

Everyone silently returned to the living room. No one wanted to talk about what they’d just seen, and the atmosphere was awkward. But soon enough, Shea stopped crying and everyone put the sight out of their mind.

Hajime and the others lounged on the living room sofas and rested for a bit. Once they were recovered, Hajime looked at everyone with a smile.

“Alright, the first test had some unforeseen hiccups, but…”

He held up the Crystal Key. Choking up with emotion, he said, “It works. We have a way home, guys.”

Suzu jumped to her feet, grinning. Ryutarou also got up and pumped his fist in the air, whooping with joy. Shizuku and Kaori hugged each other, broad smiles on their faces. Even Kouki, who’d been depressed this whole time, couldn’t help but smile a little.

Hajime smiled, a profound sense of accomplishment washing over him. Seeing such a genuine smile on his face, Yue, Shea, and Tio smiled as well. Everyone was in a festive mood. For a good thirty minutes, everyone cheered and laughed and joked with each other.

Once people started settling down again Hajime said, “That’s great and all but… it looks like it’s going to take some time before I can work out concept magic that’ll protect us from being resummoned.”

Just creating the Crystal Key had left Hajime and Yue more exhausted than ever. It seemed the process of turning a concept into reality left the casters in a state of such weariness that not even spirit or restoration magic could cure it.

It made sense, considering casting concept magic required a level of knowledge and stamina that could only be attained by clearing all seven labyrinths. The only way for Hajime and Yue to recover was regular old rest.

Furthermore, Hajime now knew just how “unbelievably powerful” of an unbelievably powerful will he needed to cast concept magic. His desire for something had to be as great as his desire to return home. But of course, it was obvious his desire to return home was much greater than his desire not to be resummoned. In order to cover for his lack of will, he needed to have a much more concrete understanding of what it was he was trying to achieve.

Was he trying to block magic from any other world from affecting him? Was he trying to repel only Ehit’s power? Or was he trying to nullify summoning magic itself? Moreover, he needed to make sure whatever concept magic he created, it didn’t prevent him from returning of his own free will. Otherwise, Myu, Remia, Shea, and Tio wouldn’t be able to see their friends and families again. And that was something he wouldn’t allow.

“So yeah, I’m going to need to do a lot more trial and error. I guess I can try stuff out while we’re going to grab Myu and see Tio’s family… but I’m not 100% sure I’ll be able to do it.”

Hajime scratched his head apologetically, but honestly, Kaori and the others could care less about not being 100% sure they wouldn’t be called back.

“Even then, this means we can actually go home… This is… amazing… Hic… Hajime-kun… Thank you…”

Overcome with emotion, Kaori grabbed Hajime’s hand and started crying. Her thank you was as packed with feeling as Hajime’s earlier thank you to Yue had been. She was especially grateful after having seen his memories. She was thankful he was still alive, thankful he hadn’t given up back in the abyss, thankful that he’d come to save her when she needed him most, thankful that he cared for her, and thankful that he’d found them a way home.

Hajime used his free hand to scratch his cheek. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he hugged her. Kaori’s eyes widened, but then a second later, she smiled and hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. Seeing that, Yue just shrugged her shoulders and gently patted Kaori’s shoulder.

“I’ll forgive it just this once,” she said.

Shizuku watched Kaori enviously for a moment, but then glanced back at Kouki, shook her head to herself, and smiled at Hajime and Kaori. In all honesty, she wanted to hug Hajime too, but she didn’t want to risk destabilizing Kouki any further right now.

Of course, now that she’d decided to live for herself more, she wasn’t going to be satisfied just watching. Later, when Kouki wasn’t around, she’d get Hajime to hug her. She had no idea if she’d be able to work up the courage to actually ask, but she’d at least hold his hand. Despite the fact that she’d already kissed him on the cheek, Shizuku was easily embarrassed still.

Hajime was able to read Shizuku’s thoughts just by looking at her expression, but he pretended not to and instead talked about their future plans.

“I want to spend some time trying to make a summon blocking artifact, so we’ll take Fernir to go get Myu.”

Using the airship to travel instead of the Crystal Key would help preserve Hajime’s mana, which he would need if he was attempting more concept magic. He’d also need to conserve his mana to get back home. Opening a gateway to earth would take far more mana than Hajime possessed. At least 4-5 times as much as his maximum mana pool. And while he did have his Gate Keys, which used comparatively little mana, he could only use them to open portals to locations he’d set up Gate Holes in beforehand. Since he’d only developed the Gate Key after returning to the capital, he hadn’t been able to set a hall in Erisen yet.

“In that case, we’ll go to the demon capital in the meantime. Now that we finally have this cool ancient magic, I want to tame some monsters to take with me, but…”

Suzu wasn’t sure how useful taming monsters from within the Frost Caverns would be. While labyrinth monsters were far stronger than the variety you found outside, the ones in these caverns were all ice-based. Here, where the sub-zero temperatures nullified most fire magic, that wasn’t much of a problem. But most other places weren’t this cold. Not only would the monsters here easily be shot down by fire magic up on the surface, but they also wouldn’t even be able to regenerate like they could using the ice down here.

Hajime considered Suzu’s plight for a bit, then casually threw one of his Gate Keys at her. Fumbling, Suzu barely managed to catch it. She gave Hajime a confused look.

“Yue and I are gonna rest here for a bit to get our mana back. That Gate Key connects to Verbergen, so why don’t you guys go there to tame some monsters from the forest while we’re resting here? Most of the monsters there are good at manipulating their presence. If you tame and strengthen them, they’ll definitely come in handy.”

“I see… Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Thanks, Nagumo-kun!”

Suzu smiled at Hajime, and he waved at her to go on.

In the end, Suzu, Ryutarou, Shizuku, Kouki, and Kaori all decided to go to Verbergen, while Hajime and Yue recovered as much as they could from the exhaustion of using concept magic. Kaori was tagging along because she was worried about leaving Suzu and the others alone, while Kouki was ostensibly going to help his friends. In truth, he just couldn’t bear to stay in the same place as Hajime.

Once they left, the living room felt a lot emptier. Of those who remained, Tio decided that rather than trying to tame monsters, she would be better off using her newly acquired metamorphosis magic to strengthen her dragon transformation. Shea, on the other hand, was much like Hajime in that her aptitude for metamorphosis magic was woefully low. She could have gone with the others anyway, but right now, she really didn’t want to meet with her Dad or Altina. If she saw them now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop herself from crushing them flat.

Hajime and Yue lounged for a while longer, regaining their strength. Hajime’s expression was more peaceful and relaxed than it had ever been. He looked as though he was sunbathing on a pleasant spring day. Having finally found a way home, Hajime was returning more and more to his old, kind self. It made sense, considering his long, arduous journey was finally behind him.

As Hajime and the others rested, they discussed in greater detail everything that had happened during their respective battles against their copies. After Tio finished her tale, she once again begged Hajime to punish her for daring to use him as a tool to get her revenge. And though everyone knew he was growing kinder, Shea and Yue were utterly shocked when Hajime started lightly patting her on the back instead of flicking her away like usual.

In fact, even Tio was surprised. So surprised that the strength drained from her limbs and she started fidgeting in embarrassment. It was only after Shea shouted, “Did you stop being a pervert for once!?” that she returned to her senses.

“H-Hrmm. You’re too kind, Master… but while I enjoy being tormented, this feels surprisingly pleasant in its own way. Though it’s quite embarrassing as well.”

“Tio-san, if only you were like this all the time. You’d be the most charming and capable woman around…”

“Mmm… Hajime definitely needs to take responsibility for ruining her.”

Blushing, Tio straightened her back and sat formally in front of Hajime. Shea and Yue smiled wryly as they watched.

Hajime smiled too and said, “Well, I guess I wouldn’t want Tio calling some other guy Master, so I’ll have to take responsibility…”

“H-Huh? Master, are you saying that you finally see me as a worthy lover… just like Shea?”

Tio’s eyes glimmered with hope.

Hajime responded with a straight face, “I mean, would you like it if your pet dog started wagging its tail for some other guy?”

“Mmmmmm!? Is this my punishment!? To think you would impart such harsh words onto me after being so kind, Master! You truly are amazing!”

Tio hugged Hajime and started panting in excitement. But for once, Hajime didn’t push her away.

They’re both beyond saving… Yue and Shea thought simultaneously.

Half a day passed while Hajime and Yue rested and Tio trained. Finally, a portal opened in the center of the living room. Suzu and the others had returned. They’d brought with them a menagerie of tigers, wolves, snakes and other high-level monsters from Verbergen. It seemed their taming attempts had been successful. The party rested for half a day longer, and Suzu and the rest took that time to strengthen their new familiars.

Hajime also fashioned collar artifacts enchanted with his Gate Keyholes for everyone’s familiars. This way, Suzu and the others could let them roam free in their homeland and still summon them whenever they needed them.

“Alright, we should probably get going now,” Hajime said.

Suzu and the others nodded. Their preparations were complete.

“Oh yeah. Here you go, Hajime-san.”

As they left the palace, Shea handed Hajime a teardrop-shaped pendant. It was made of a transparent blue crystal that looked like ice, and it was engraved with Vandre Schnee’s crest. This was proof that Hajime and the others had conquered the Frost Caverns. In truth, when Hajime and Yue had fallen unconscious, part of the wall had slid away to reveal an alcove with the pendant. Shea had retrieved it back then, but she’d forgotten to give it to Hajime until now.

Hajime took the pendant and stepped into the magic circle that was at the entrance of the palace. There was a sharp crack, and the fountain in front of the palace froze. An egg-shaped chunk of ice then rose up from the frozen fountain. A second later, the egg burst, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. From within the egg appeared a dragon made of ice. The translucent ice was made of shimmered white light.

Hajime and the others were in awe as they watched the spectacle. The ice dragon descended to where the party was and lowered its neck so they could climb on. It seemed this ice dragon was the shortcut that would take them out of the Frost Caverns.

“This is one hell of a way to make a shortcut.”

“Mmm… Maybe it’s our reward?”

“Never thought the guy who made such a nasty trial would give us something like this.”

Hajime and the others clambered onto the dragon’s back, using its scaled neck like a staircase. Once they were situated, the dragon flapped its wings and shot into the sky.

It looked like the dragon was going to crash into the ceiling, but a moment before it did, a circular hole appeared to let it through. It flew through the opening without slowing down.

As the party enjoyed the breeze, Tio muttered, “The only dragon worthy of bearing Master upon its back is me… Is it too late to swap?”

Hajime and the others laughed, and a few seconds later they were through the tunnel. The dragon emerged inside the snowbound land of the Schee Snow Fields. Hajime expected the dragon to drop them off here, but it continued flying upward. It shot up through the dark clouds covering the snow fields and came to a halt only when the party was basking in the warm light of the sun. From there, it banked and started flying horizontally.

“Judging by the position of the sun, it’s taking us northwest. I guess it’ll take us all the way out of the snow fields.”

“Mmm… Miledi and Meiru should have learned from Vandre.”

“I feel like all the female Liberators had nasty personalities.”

West of the snow fields was the Demon Kingdom of Garland, while the Reisen Gorge was to the north. Since the dragon was going northwest, it’d drop them off somewhere close to both locations, so regardless of the race of the challengers, they’d be near some part of their own home territory. Judging by the fact that the party didn’t feel cold despite the altitude, the dragon had also erected a simple weatherproofing barrier. Vandre’s shortcut was a far cry from Miledi’s toilet or Meiru’s seawater torpedo. And while Haltina hadn’t unceremoniously evicted challengers from her labyrinth, she’d incorporated cockroaches into her trial.

Meanwhile, Vandre had not only provided a comfortable and convenient shortcut, it looked cool too. Hajime couldn’t help but feel grateful toward Vandre. At the same time, he couldn’t help but pity the male members of the Liberators. They’d no doubt had a rough time dealing with their female counterparts.

“You know, I’ve never seen Nagumo-kun make an expression like that…”

“I don’t know what happened in Miledi-san’s labyrinth, but I distinctly remember how horrible the end of Melusine’s ruins were.”

As Suzu and Kaori chatted, the dragon began to descend. It seemed it was nearing its destination. From the looks of it, the ice dragon was incapable of going past the boundaries of the snow fields. It plunged back into the clouds that perpetually covered the snow fields and brought them down to the very edge of the snow.

“Thanks. I’m sure the guy who made you was a great man.”

“Unlike Miledi, Vandre Schnee knows how to treat his guests!”

“Mmm… Thank you. I’m glad Vandre was a much better person than Miledi or Meiru.”

Hajime, Shea, and Yue thanked the dragon as they got off it. Hajime wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the dragon seemed pleased by the praise. It waved its tail happily, then flew back into the icy blizzard.

Hajime and the others weren’t happy they were stuck in the snow field’s blizzard again, but at least they knew the exit wasn’t far. The party hurried toward the border of the snow fields, but then Hajime and Shea suddenly stopped.

They narrowed their eyes and said, “Everyone, be careful. It looks like we’ve got a welcome party waiting outside.”

“I definitely recognize this presence. There’s a lot of them too. This isn’t good.”

Everyone tensed up upon hearing Hajime and Shea’s warnings. They drew their weapons and prepared for battle. Hajime and the others exchanged glances, nodded to each other, then walked out of the snowstorm. Outside, they saw—

“So you came out here after all. It’s the same place I was deposited. So, did you all manage to clear the labyrinth, white-haired boy?”

“Fufu. Long time no see, Kouki-kun. Have you been well?”

The demon general Freid Bagwa, and his white dragon Uranos. He’d brought with him a few hundred flying monsters, most of them dragons. Eri was there as well, her gray hair fluttering in the breeze. She was flying, a pair of gray wings sprouting from her back. But scariest of all were the apostles. There were five hundred of them. An army large enough to blot out the sky awaited Hajime.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.