“In that case... that beam of light that destroyed the demon army had come from your artifact, right? Could you perhaps leave that behind to protect the capital? In return, I’ll do anything in my power as princess to aid you in your journey.”
“Oh, you mean the Hyperion? Sorry, can’t do it. Actually, it was just a prototype... and that one shot busted it completely. I’m gonna need to improve its design before I can use it again.” Hajime’s newest weapon, Hyperion, was effectively a massive laser that focused sunlight. He’d launched it up into the atmosphere before descending from the Divine Mountain.
There were a series of lenses inside it that focused sunlight and funneled it as heat into a partitioned space in his Treasure Trove. Once it had charged up enough heat, Hyperion enchanted the light with gravity magic and fired it out of a focused lens toward the ground.
Hyperion’s greatest strength was that it could be charged even during the night. That was because he’d linked his Treasure Trove to the artificial sun located in Oscar Orcus’ hidden chamber. That artificial sun had been created through a combination of spatial magic, restoration magic, and likely some other ancient magic Hajime had yet to acquire. It was the joint work of multiple Liberators, and from what Hajime had seen, was probably their best work yet.
With his current skills, Hajime knew there was no way he’d be able to duplicate that. Moreover, Hyperion was still in a prototype state. It hadn’t been able to withstand its own heat, and had shattered after one shot.
Hajime had created a few other anti-army weapons, though, so he could have potentially left one of those behind. However, he was reluctant to do so.
“I see...” Liliana’s shoulders slumped once more.
Kaori, Shizuku, and Aiko all glared at Hajime. The three of them knew what he was like. Though he had softened around the edges somewhat, his fundamental stance of not giving a shit about the people of this world hadn’t changed. In fact, he’d only helped out as much as he had because he didn’t want to make Yue and the others unhappy, even indirectly.
Which was why none of the three of them said anything. They didn’t have to; their disapproving glares was all they needed.
Hajime sipped his tea and tried to ignore them, but they didn’t give up. Eventually, he grimaced and gave in.
“Fine, I’ll repair the capital’s barrier before I go.”
“Nagumo-san! Thank you so much!” Hajime ignored Liliana and turned to Kaori and the others. This good enough for you? The three of them beamed at him.
Both Yue and Shea were thinking Hajime had gotten rather soft, but neither of them found it a bad thing. They both gave him a knowing smile. Well, I guess doing a good deed every once in a while isn’t too bad. Hajime thought, smiling faintly.
“By the way, where do you plan on going next, Nagumo-kun? If you’re going after the ancient magics, then your goal would be conquering the remaining labyrinths, correct? And since you’re heading east... I suppose your current destination would be the sea of trees?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. I was originally gonna pass through Fuhren on my way there, but now I’d have to go out of my way to get there so I think I’ll just skip it.” An idea suddenly came to Liliana.
“In that case, you would be passing through the empire, would you not?”
“Yeah, I guess so...”
“Would you be willing to take me along, then?”
“Hm? Why?”
“There are many things I need to inform the emperor of. I have dispatched an official envoy already, but I would like to get this information to him as fast as possible. That mobile artifact of yours can take me to the empire far faster than anyone traveling on horseback, can it not? I was thinking of going to the empire in person to deliver my report.”
Hajime was taken aback by her boldness. A princess heading into a foreign country alone was a rather dangerous endeavor. Though now that I think about it, she snuck out of the castle all alone and joined up with a traveling caravan just to find help. I guess I should have seen this coming.
It wouldn’t be any extra work for Hajime to drop her off either, since the empire’s capital lay directly in his path. A simple request like that was one Hajime didn’t mind granting. Though he made sure to make his intentions clear.
“I don’t mind taking you there, but I won’t be staying in the capital. Don’t expect me to stick around for your talks with the emperor.”
“Fufu, I wouldn’t dream of imposing. So long as you can take me there, that’s good enough.”
Liliana chuckled at Hajime’s wary attitude. Kouki had remained silent after Hajime had raked him over the coals, but now he butt back into the conversation.
“Then take us too. There’s no way we can leave Liliana in the care of a guy who says he doesn’t care about this world. We’ll be her guards. Also, if you won’t do anything to save this world Nagumo, I will! But first, I need strength! I need the same ancient magic you have! If I travel with you, I’ll be able to obtain it too, right!?”
“Uhh, I’ll just tell you where all the labyrinths are, so just go there yourself. The last thing I want is you following me around.” Stop making these decisions on your own, seriously. It was pretty brazen of Kouki to beg Hajime for help right after complaining about his methods.
Aiko timidly spoke up, remembering what Hajime had said about the labyrinths earlier.
“But Nagumo-kun, didn’t you say before that if we went into the labyrinths with our current level of skill we’d just be killed?”
“Err, well, you know. Look, if even an incompetent guy like me could do it, I’m sure you guys can. It’ll be fine, really. You just need determination and grit.”
I can’t believe she remembered that. Hajime looked about nervously while saying some rather irresponsible things.
“We won’t be able to do it, will we?” Hajime couldn’t meet her eyes.
As far as he was concerned, offering the rest of his classmates a ride back to Japan once he found a way to transfer between worlds was being helpful enough.
He had absolutely no desire to babysit them as they went around trying to conquer all the labyrinths. It would be nothing more than a waste of time.
Shizuku looked up at Hajime, regret and frustration written all over her face. It was clear their recent defeats had weighed heavily on her.
“Nagumo-kun, please. Just one labyrinth. If we can obtain even a single one of the ancient magics, we’ll have a solid chance at tackling the others ourselves. Won’t you help us with just one?”
“You do realize you guys can’t just leech off me in there, right? You have to prove you contributed enough to clearing the labyrinth or else when the magic circle reads your memories, you’ll be denied.”
“I understand. But leaving the talk of fighting the gods aside for now, all of us want to go home too. We’re more than determined enough to risk our lives fighting down there if that’s what’ll really get us home. So... please. I know you’ve already done so much for us, and I don’t want to ask another favor after saying I’d repay my debt to you, but you’re the only person we can rely on. Won’t you lend us your strength one more time?”
Shizuku trusted Hajime’s assessment. If he thought they didn’t stand a chance as they were, she knew they’d need his help to make it. It was clear from her expression how much it pained her to ask for another favor without even repaying him for saving her life twice.
“Please, I’m begging you to, Nagumo-kun. I want to get stronger, so I can talk to Eri again. Please! I swear we’ll pay you back somehow, so take us with you!”
Inspired by Shizuku’s dedication, Suzu too lowered her head.
There were still a lot of things she wanted to say to Eri, and she wouldn’t be able to unless she got stronger. Hajime could sense her desperation from her voice.
“Come on, Nagumo. Just one. I wanna get strong enough to protect my friends at least. I don’t ever wanna be helplessly forced to watch my friends die ever again.” Even Ryut
arou prostrated himself before Hajime. This was the first time Hajime had seen Ryutarou bow to anyone.
He probably blames himself for not being able to do anything in the Great Orcus Labyrinth, or in the recent fight with Eri. Ryutarou clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood.
Hajime deliberated for a few moments. Normally, he’d never agree to something this burdensome. Babysitting Kouki and the others through the Haltina Woods was the last thing he wanted to do. He was on the verge of telling them to try their hand at the Great Orcus Labyrinth or the Reisen Gorge and leave him alone.
But then he thought back to his fight with Noint, and wavered. In the visions they’d seen in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine, there’d been a girl who looked exactly like Noint. She’d taken control of kings and emperors, and done the gods’ dirty work behind the scenes.
Could Hajime really be sure Noint was the only one of God’s Apostles? That seemed far too naive an assumption.
Noint herself had said that Hajime was an anomaly, and that it was her god’s wish that he die an agonizing death. It stood to reason that if one Apostle had failed, Ehit would simply send an army of them at Hajime. In which case, wouldn’t it be better to help Kouki and the others grow stronger? That way they’d make good fodder for the inevitable clash.
He was seriously considering using other people as meat shields against enemies coming at him. Even for Hajime, that was a new low.
Had anyone challenged his motives, he would have simply countered with “I mean, weren’t you heroes planning on fighting against the gods anyway? What’s the problem here?” And so, for completely selfish reasons, Hajime decided to let Kouki and the others join him in conquering the labyrinth in Haltina Woods. He sent a questioning glance to Yue and the others to make sure they had no objections. As usual, they didn’t.
Shizuku and the rest breathed a sigh of relief.
They thanked Hajime profusely, never realizing that he intended them to be his future meat shields.
“Hajime’s a terrifying man.”
“That’s Master for you. He really is a monster.”
It appeared both Yue and Tio had already seen through Hajime’s plan. They kept their voices low enough that no one else heard.
Hajime ignored their muttered comments and started thinking about the future. His journey was drawing to a close. No matter who stood in his way, no matter how dangerous things got, he’d fight his way through it all and go home. Together with everyone he cared about.
He once again reaffirmed his resolve, steeling himself for what was to come.
After they finished hashing out the details, Hajime, Yue, and Shizuku headed out into the city.
The main street was a lot noisier than usual.
Normally, all that noise would indicate a bustling, lively city. But most of the voices today sounded subdued. The capital had seen too much tragedy to be lively.
It had only been five days since the battle, and most of the citizens were still grieving the loss of their homes and loved ones.
But despite their despair, they still worked diligently to repair the city. They worked through the pain of their loss, repairing homes and clearing streets. That, more than anything, spoke to how strong humans were.
Hajime took in the restoration effort as he walked down the street, a large bag of pseudo-hot dogs in his arms. Tortus’ version of the popular street food used some kind of meat that was somewhat different than a sausage to fill its buns.
Hajime, Yue, and Shizuku all stuffed their faces full of food as they headed to the Adventurer’s Guild. Once they finished their business there, Hajime would be going to repair the city’s barrier. Shizuku had tagged along because he needed someone to guide him there.
Shea, Kaori, Aiko, and Tio were waiting inside the castle. Shea had realized non-humans wouldn’t be very welcome in the city right now, and had chosen to remain of her own volition.
Even if the people knew in their heads that it had been demons specifically who’d attacked them, right now any non-human was a fair target to vent their anger on.
As the capital was the seat of the church’s power, there weren’t many non-humans living there to begin with. Even possessing beastmen slaves was frowned upon. So Hajime had to admit, Kaori and the others had made the right choice.
Though Kaori’s current body looked passably human, no one who saw would think she actually was one. Aiko could have tagged along, but she’d decided to help Liliana with her mounting workload. Tio could easily pass as a human, but she was exhausted after casting Spirit magic nonstop for five days and was taking a well-deserved rest.
“So... what exactly are we going to the adventurer’s guild for?” Shizuku took another bite of her cheese-coated pseudo-hot dog and looked at Hajime.
“I need to let them know I’ve completed a quest. To be honest, I wanted to go to Fuhren to tell the person who issued it directly, but it’s too much of a pain to detour south from here. Besides, I’m sure headquarters will pass the report along.”
“Is this... about that Myu girl? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her around anywhere...” Hajime explained how he’d returned her to her real mother and Shizuku muttered sadly.
“I wish I could have hugged her...” Though Shizuku hadn’t known Myu for long, her cuteness had won Shizuku over already. Yue’s reply to that was one Shizuku certainly hadn’t been expecting.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be able to see her again. Hajime’s taking her to Japan.”
“To Japan? Nagumo-kun, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I promised Myu that I’d show her what my home looks like.”
“Wait, but... Myu’s a Dagon.”
Hajime shrugged his shoulders, as if that wasn’t any issue at all.
“I get what you’re trying to say, but it’s really not a problem. There’s probably plenty of ways to make her blend in on earth, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll think of something else. You know what they say, it’s not about whether you can or can’t, it’s about whether you do or don’t.”
“I suppose you do have a point, but...”
“Besides, it’s a bit late to be worrying about this now. Shea’s got bunny ears... Hell, even Yue doesn’t look that normal. She’s whiter than any person on earth, and her teeth are pointed. It’s not like I can change how they look. You didn’t think I’d leave them behind here, did you?”
I suppose that’s true. Shizuku smiled to herself. Next to her, Yue smiled faintly as well. She tugged on Hajime’s sleeve.
Is it just me, or did it suddenly get hotter around here? Shizuku finished off her hot dog and started fanning herself.
She left Hajime and Yue to their flirting and thought back to Kaori. Though at this point she was confident Hajime could do anything he put his mind to whether it seemed possible or not, she couldn’t deny that the path Kaori had chosen was a difficult one.
“You’ve been taking care of Kaori, right?” Shizuku said in a worried voice.
“Hm? Well, you should probably ask her that instead of me. It’s how she feels that matters here, right? Well, at the very least I’d like to think I’ve been keeping my promise to you. I haven’t done anything terrible to her, anyway.”
Shizuku knew from how happy Kaori seemed that Hajime probably was treating her well, but she couldn’t help but ask. Hajime shot her a look that clearly said “You’re being really overprotective, you know that?” and Shizuku turned away in embarrassment. Yue sighed, and dropped a bombshell statement.
“It’s because you’re so soft that she tries to assault you. You need to be sterner with her, Hajime.”
“O-Okay.”
“Wait, what? Hold on a second. Hajime’s getting assaulted? By who?”
“By Kaori. She already managed to sneak in a kiss. Curse you, Kaori.”
“I-I see. You’ve climbed the stairs to adulthood before me, Kaori...”
Shizuku gazed off into the distance, marveling at how far Kaori had
come. In more ways than one. It left her feeling a little lonely.
“Watch out for Aiko too, Hajime. She’s dangerous.”
“You don’t seriously think she’s in love with me, do you?”
Hajime muttered, averting his gaze from Yue’s sharp stare. Their conversation snapped Shizuku out of her reverie and she too gave Hajime a hard glare.
“It appears to me that you’re well aware of the possibility. So, what did you do to her, Nagumo-kun?”
“Hey, don’t automatically assume that this is somehow my fault.”
“You know, Ai-chan was acting pretty weird when she came back to the capital from Ur. She’d start blushing whenever your name came up... I get the feeling you did more than just kill a monster army while you were over there. Now hurry up and confess. This is important! I need to know whether or not Kaori has more rivals to contend against!”
“Look, I really didn’t...” Hajime desperately wracked his brains for anything he could have done that might have made Aiko like him. Before he could figure it out, Yue spilled the beans.
“He kissed her. Passionately.”
“Nagumo-kun! How could you!? She’s your teacher!”
“Wait, calm down. There’s a perfectly good explanation for this, so stop shaking me!” You damn harem protagonist! Shizuku thought to herself as she grabbed Hajime by the collar and rattled him back and forth. Hajime hurriedly explained that Aiko had been poisoned, and that he’d needed to feed Ambrosia to her directly or she would have died.
Naturally Yue supplemented that by mentioning that he’d shot Shimizu to spare Aiko mental anguish and rescued her from the church’s clutches as well.
Now I’m certain... Ai-chan’s fallen for him.
“Well, I get that you weren’t doing it on purpose at least... But surely you must have noticed Ai-chan’s feelings too, Nagumo-kun. When did you first suspect it?”
“Probably around the time I comforted her after she blew up Ishtar and the others. She was looking at me kinda... longingly, I guess? I wasn’t sure, but I was starting to think, maybe... So she really is in love with me?”
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 6 Page 19
