Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 6

by Ryo Shirakome

  Liliana closed the room’s door and walked over to Hajime, with Kaori following behind her. It appeared she’d come here not to find Lundel, but to speak with him.

  She sat down in the seat next to Shizuku while Kaori attempted to situate herself on the other side of Hajime’s lap. A short wrestling match between Kaori and Yue ensued where they each tried to push the other off.

  In the end, they both remained sitting on the edge of Hajime’s knees, their arms locked. If Kaori had been in her old body, she wouldn’t have stood a chance against Yue. While Yue might have specialized in magic, her ability to control mana directly and strengthen her body had still put her leagues above Kaori. But in her new form, Kaori was the one with the advantage.

  “Kaori... you’ve become so strong...” Shizuku muttered.

  “Uh, Shizuku. Could you stop staring and break them up already?” Liliana replied, watching Yue and Kaori worriedly.

  The shock of Kaori’s death, however temporary, had turned Shizuku into a far less capable woman than she had been. Letting the only person with common sense left in their class devolve into a blubbering mess was something Hajime wanted to avoid, so he flicked Kaori’s forehead and forced her onto the seat next to him.

  “Aww, why is it always Yue?”

  “Fufu, I’m the only one allowed on Hajime’s lap.”

  “Can we get back on topic please...” Liliana asked hesitantly. Everyone ignored her.

  “Hajime-kun...”

  “Don’t give me that look, Kaori. Isn’t sitting next to me good enough?”

  “Fine. You can have his hand.”

  “Huh? Really? Then can you stroke my cheek like you always do for Yue? Or is that too much?”

  “If that’s all, then I don’t mind, I guess.”

  “Ehehe, thanks, Hajime-kun.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait. I’ll wait until you’re all done. Then you’ll finally listen to me, right? Sniffle...” Liliana sobbed to herself, having completely missed her opportunity to butt into the conversation.

  It was only thanks to Shizuku’s intervention that Hajime and the others finally returned their attention to the princess. Now that she’d had her fill of Kaori, Shizuku was back to her normal, serious self.

  The fact that Hajime was willing to indulge Kaori a little now proved that their bond had grown deeper, but Shizuku knew it wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

  “Ahem. What I wanted to discuss were the rumors you asked me to spread regarding the fate of the Holy Church, Nagumo-san... Surprisingly enough, people believe them. It appears Aiko-san’s fame as the Fertility Goddess is greater than I expected.”

  “I see. Well, people believe what they want to, after all. Especially when the story’s exaggerated and sentimental. I didn’t think there’d be any problems. The real question is how well the story’ll hold up when people start digging deeper... Well, no point worrying about it.”

  “Indeed. Though I still find it difficult to believe that our entire faith was built upon a lie... It’s fine if one or two individuals know, but if the truth gets out to the public we’ll have riots in the streets. Your suggestion was truly a lifesaver, Nagumo-san. Thank you very much.” Liliana thanked Hajime, a troubled expression on her face.

  Shizuku tilted her head, wondering what her friend was talking about. It turned out had asked Liliana to spread rumors about the head temple’s destruction. They wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that the cathedral had been blown up forever, and the faster the palace provided an explanation the better.

  Naturally, however, Hajime knew Liliana couldn’t tell the people the truth. The fact that Ehit, the god everyone praised, was actually an uncaring monster who treated people like playthings would have sent people into a panic. Especially if they discovered all of the priests and bishops they put their faith in were actually deranged maniacs.

  Therefore, Hajime had drafted an alternate explanation and passed it on to Liliana. She had then used that as a basis for what she’d told the people.

  Namely, that an evil god had brainwashed the high-ranking bishops. Liliana had claimed that they had been the ones to betray the capital to the demons.

  Which was why, according to Liliana, Aiko had reluctantly taken up arms against the corrupted church.

  Pope Ishtar had fought valiantly together with her and died in the resulting conflict.

  Supposedly Aiko’s sword had turned into a pillar of light in the middle of the fight, which was the huge ray that had killed the demon army.

  Or at least, that was the story Liliana told people.

  It wasn’t the truth, but it wasn’t technically a lie either. At the very least, the most important facts were true.

  Furthermore, Aiko had gone around telling people that this new evil god was going around masquerading as Ehit. And that if they wanted to stay true to the teachings of the real Ehit, they needed to start thinking for themselves. For otherwise, they would be led astray. They needed to decide what was right and wrong for themselves, and not just rely on the teachings of the Holy Church. It was only by doing so that they would be able to honor Ishtar’s memory. On top of giving such speeches, Aiko had also attended Ishtar’s memorial service.

  In other words, Hajime’s plan had been to create a fictional “good Ehit” and tell people that Aiko was working for him. That way he could pretend all of the problems stemmed from this fake evil god who was actually the real Ehit, and plant the first seeds of doubt in the people’s minds.

  If both the evil god and the “good Ehit” called themselves Ehit, then people wouldn’t just blindly be able to put their faith in “Ehit.” They would need to think for themselves whether or not anyone invoking the name of god was preaching something good or evil.

  This story also helped avert the panic that would occur if Liliana had just told everyone the god they’d believed in was a deranged lunatic. Most importantly, though, it meant that if Hajime ever had to seriously pit himself against Ehit, he might be able to count on the people’s help.

  “I see. You like to plan pretty far ahead, Nagumo-kun. I guess that’s why you only told Ai-chan the truth of what you’d learned at first too...”

  “I hope you didn’t think I was a brainless musclehead. Though, usually they’re just things I come up with on the spot and try in the hopes that they might work. It’s not too much of a loss if they don’t, and I can always fall back on shooting my way through things if I have to...”

  “Fufu. I didn’t mean it like that. I was praising your foresight. If anything, it’s reassuring that you think this far ahead.”

  Shizuku looked at Hajime, impressed. He simply shrugged in response.

  Kaori and Yue glared at Shizuku, angry that she understood Hajime in some way that they didn’t. Shizuku started when she noticed their glares and stammered.

  “Wh-What? What’s wrong?”

  “Yue, what do you think?”

  “Hmm... She’s still okay. They’re just friends for now.”

  “I suppose. For now, anyway...”

  “Mhm... We must be careful.”

  Yue and Kaori whispered to each other. Shizuku couldn’t hear them, but she had a sinking feeling she knew what they were discussing. And once again, Liliana was ignored.

  Hajime stared at the two of them warily, worried about their whispered dealings. Whenever those two started colluding, nothing good came of it.

  That evening, a single figure stood in front of the massive monument honoring the spirits of Heiligh’s dead. The sun’s final rays cast the palace grounds a dazzling shade of crimson, and the monument cast a long shadow into the mountain wall from which it had been carved.

  “I’m so sorry...” Aiko muttered.

  Numerous flowers and offerings dotted the monument; many brave soldiers had died recently.

  The battle was still too recent for the dead to have all been tallied, so the most recent casualties didn’t have their names carved into the stone yet. Once all of the names were in though, Captain Meld wou
ld be the first to be added here.

  Among the offerings, Aiko spotted a pair of weapons that she recognized. A longsword and a spear. They had been the artifacts of choice for two of Aiko’s students— Daisuke Hiyama and Reichi Kondou.

  Aiko wasn’t even sure what she was apologizing for anymore. Was she sorry she’d never be able to bring them back to Japan? Sorry that her students had caused the deaths of innocent people? Or sorry that she herself had killed so many? Dispirited, Aiko hung her head. She only stirred when she heard footsteps heading her way.

  Aiko knew he’d made his footfalls heavy to alert her of his presence. Hajime normally walked much quieter.

  Aiko slowly turned around.

  “Nagumo-kun...”

  “Fancy meeting you here, Sensei.”

  Her eyes met his. The fading orange light of the sunset was reflected in his clear pupils. In his hands he carried a single flower. It appeared he’d come here to make an offering. Aiko was surprised that Hajime of all people would do such a thing.

  Hajime saw the bewilderment on her face and smiled awkwardly.

  “Even I feel a little sad when people I know die, Sensei.”

  “Huh? Oh, uh, I didn’t mean to imply that...” Flustered, Aiko flailed her arms around wildly. She hadn’t expected to hear such hurt in Hajime’s voice.

  He shrugged his shoulders, indicating that it wasn’t a big deal, and silently walked up to the monument.

  Aiko kept shooting him sidelong glances, but his attention was completely occupied by the memorial in front of him. It seemed he had no intention of talking, either.

  Aiko found the silence unbearable, and spoke more to dispel the gloomy atmosphere than anything.

  “Umm, are those flowers... for Hiyama-kun and Kondou-kun?”

  “Hell no. They’re for Meld.”

  Hajime raised an eyebrow at Aiko. You seriously thought that?

  “Why Meld-san...?”

  “Well, it’s not like we knew each other that well or anything, but I respected that guy. He was the country’s knight commander. He could have had anything, but he still worked so hard for us. And even though he messed up a bunch of times, he always kept on trying to improve himself... He deserves at least this one flower for all of that.”

  “Nagumo-kun... Yes, I suppose he does...” Aiko watched Hajime with a gentle look in her eyes. She was glad there was still so much humanity left in Hajime. He might kill his enemies without any mercy, but he also mourned for those he cared about. Enough that he was willing to bring an offering to their graves.

  In truth, Hajime had just wanted to escape being dragged into the bath by Yue and the others. He’d been walking down the palace halls and spotted a flower in a vase, and had thought bringing Meld an offering would be a good way to kill time. Of course, he didn’t mention that to Aiko. Besides, he’d meant what he said. He may have come here on a whim, but he truly believed Meld was someone who deserved to be remembered.

  Hajime put thoughts of Meld in the back of his mind and focused his attention on Aiko.

  “You’re not blaming me...”

  “Huh?” Aiko tilted her head in confusion.

  “About Hiyama’s death. This isn’t like what happened with Shimizu. Sure, maybe monsters were the direct cause of his death, but I’m the one who killed him. I killed one of your precious students. Kondou too. Even if he was already dead, I was the one that blew apart his body. I figured you’d be mad at me.”

  “......” Aiko’s smile vanished, replaced by a brooding frown.

  Hajime waited patiently, giving Aiko as much time as she needed.

  The two of them stood there silently for what seemed like hours.

  Finally, Aiko spoke hesitantly.

  “To be honest, I’m not sure it’s that simple. Hiyama-kun murdered Shirasaki-san. That’s not something I think can be easily forgiven. Of course, I do think he should have lived so he could repent for his crimes, but I can understand your choice. The same goes for what you did to Kondou-kun. You must have been furious, Nagumo-kun. You cared deeply for Shirasaki-san, and she had been murdered before your eyes... It would be unfair of me to get angry at you just because this wasn’t the outcome I hoped for. Besides, I no longer have the right to judge you.” Aiko crossed her arms and absently rubbed her elbows, as if trying to warm herself up.

  “Because of what you did to the Holy Church?”

  “......” She nodded silently. Hajime’s words and Tio’s restoration magic had helped Aiko keep her sanity right after the event. But as time passed, the guilt had started eating away at her again.

  Hajime noticed that there were dark circles under Aiko’s eyes that she’d hidden with makeup. She hadn’t been sleeping well the past few days. She probably sees nightmares about that explosion.

  Silence returned to the small field they were in. Hajime didn’t know what to say.

  Unable to withstand the oppressive silence, Aiko once again spoke up.

  “Nagumo-kun... doesn’t it ever bother you?”

  “The fact that I’ve killed people? No, not really. I think the time I spent in the abyss broke those parts of me, so I can’t really sympathize.”

  “.....” Aiko’s looked sadly up at her student. It pained her that Hajime had suffered so much that he’d been forced to throw away parts of his humanity to survive.

  “No one... blames me.”

  “Hm?”

  Aiko’s true feelings spilled out.

  “No one blames me for killing them. My students still look at me the same, and the people in the palace even thank me for what I did.”

  It was true. The other students had been too shocked by Hajime’s display of brutality to think much of the fact that Aiko had killed a couple of bishops and the pope. In fact, they respected her for fighting on their behalf. The nobles and ministers, too, all were grateful to Aiko for saving them from Noint’s brainwashing.

  “I told David-san and the others what I’d done, but all they said was that they needed some time to think. Even though I was the one who destroyed the foundations of their faith, even they didn’t blame me.” Aiko bit her lip so hard she drew blood.

  She wanted someone to condemn her. After all, she was a murderer. Knowledge of that sin was a heavy burden. Only madmen and monsters thought nothing of killing. Most people would be agonized by guilt.

  It would actually have eased her pain if someone condemned her for her crimes, which was why Aiko had unconsciously looked for someone to denounce her. However, no one did.

  Hajime was confident that Tio would have been able to obliterate the Holy Church even without Aiko’s help. It might have taken some more time, but she would have done it. So to Hajime, it felt like Aiko was taking on too much responsibility for something that wasn’t really her fault. He scratched his cheek awkwardly, looking for the right words to say.

  “I mean, in the end, it was Tio’s breath that killed everyone. You just helped her do it, right, Sensei? You don’t have to take responsibility for all of their deaths...”

  “That doesn’t matter! At that time... I helped Tio knowing that it might lead to their deaths. That makes me no different from a murderer!”

  Aiko retorted with more vehemence than Hajime expected. Embarrassed by her outburst, she shrunk back into herself.

  After a moment’s silence, Hajime asked her a question.

  “Do you regret helping?”

  “Ah... No. I was prepared for the consequences... There was no way I could ignore what the pope and the bishops were trying to do... And I didn’t want you to die... Plus, if I’d left them alone, it would have been my students who would have suffered later, so...”

  Pained though her voice was, there wasn’t an ounce of regret in it. She’d known Ishtar was trying to help Noint kill Hajime. And she’d also known that the rest of her students would be next. She’d resolved herself to dirtying her own hands, if it meant saving them.

  Even now, she still believed that was the right decision. But that logic
didn’t help ease the anguish she felt at being a murderer. Feelings weren’t rational, after all.

  Hajime let out an inaudible sigh. I’m the student here, so how come I’m the one who has to give out advice? I just came here to kill time, too...

  He thought back to what Yue and Shizuku had said about Aiko being in love with him. Maybe that was why she was confiding to him now. She was starting to see him more as a man, and less as a student.

  Hajime glanced about, trying to think of the right words to say.

  “Sensei, are you going to continue being my teacher?”

  “What?” Aiko didn’t expect that line of questioning. She remembered Hajime asking her something similar before.

  Back then she’d replied “Of course!” without hesitation, but now...

  “......” She hesitated. Was it really alright for someone who’d murdered to guide others?

  Aiko grit her teeth so hard they almost cracked. She felt incredibly conflicted. Hajime knew she’d have a hard time replying, so he continued.

  “If you still want to keep being our teacher, even after this... could you listen to this one selfish request of mine?”

  “A selfish... request?” Aiko looked up at him in confusion. Her face was pale, and she looked ready to collapse at any minute.

  “Yeah.” Hajime turned away from the monument and looked Aiko in the eyes.

  There was a warmth to his gaze that sucked Aiko in. She felt a little more reassured.

  Hajime saw himself reflected in Aiko’s eyes, and felt the weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. He made sure to choose his words carefully. But no matter how carefully he phrased it, his request was certainly the epitome of selfishness.