Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 5

by Ryo Shirakome

  In a way, Bize had lucked out by being infected. It was the only thing that had kept the sandworms from eating him too. The poison had made him collapse, but it was also what had kept him alive, and what had led Hajime to investigating his location. Fate truly was a fickle mistress.

  “I would, that is to say, the dukedom of Ankaji would like to formally submit a request to you. Please, lend me your strength.”

  Bize bowed his head low. Silence fell inside the car.

  The sound of sand hitting the windows felt unnaturally loud. As the son of a duke, Bize knew bowing his head to others wasn’t to be done lightly. However, this might have been his only chance to save his countrymen, so he couldn’t afford to let pride get in the way.

  Everyone turned to look at Hajime. Though they were leaving the final decision to him, it was obvious Kaori and Shea wanted to help. Kaori especially. As a Priestess, she felt duty-bound to assist those in need. Tio and Yue didn’t seem to care one way or another. Myu was even more direct than the others.

  “Daddy, we’re going to help him, right?” Myu asked with all the innocence of a small girl. She honestly believed that Hajime could do anything, no matter how absurd. He was basically her hero. Seeing how both Myu and Kaori were clearly in favor, Hajime shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

  “Guess that settles it.”

  Shea and Tio giggled happily. Hajime turned his gaze to Yue and found her staring at him with the same deadpan expression as always.

  No matter what Hajime chose, Yue would always wholeheartedly support his decision. Even if she didn’t say it, he knew that was what she was thinking. He gently brushed Yue’s cheek before turning to Bize and accepting his request.

  Hajime had been planning on visiting the Grand Gruen Volcano anyway. Plus, he’d been planning on leaving Myu behind at Ankaji while he did so. Strong as he was, he didn’t want to bring a four-year-old girl somewhere that dangerous. He could easily pick up the stillstone Bize needed during his quest to reach its center, and since Myu was from a beastman tribe, she was safe from the epidemic that was ravaging Ankaji. She didn’t have any mana after all. Either way, all of Bize’s problems were something Hajime could solve without going out of his way.

  “Hajime-dono, as you are a gold-ranked adventurer, I have no doubt you could easily procure the stillstone that I need. However, we also need to solve my city’s water problem. Can anyone operate this Artifact, or only you, Hajime-dono?”

  “Well, everyone here except Kaori and Myu can drive it, but... There’s no need to go to the capital. I’ll do something about your water problem, so let’s head back to Ankaji for now.”

  “What exactly do you mean by ‘do something about it’?” Bize had no doubt of Hajime’s prowess, but he doubted even a gold-ranked adventurer could procure enough water to sustain hundreds of thousands out of nowhere. His doubt was to be expected. However, there was one way to procure water that Bize hadn’t thought of. Using strong water magic to collect the moisture in the atmosphere.

  Of course, most mages wouldn’t be able to draw nearly enough water for that many people, but Hajime had a genius magician within his party.

  Yue.

  And because she had multiple ways of restoring her mana quickly, she wouldn’t even tire doing it. At the very least, she’d be able to provide the town with water long enough for Bize or his father to appeal to the kingdom for aid.

  When Hajime told Bize as much, he was skeptical. However, it was also true that he was in no condition to make it to the capital. So with a little persuasion from Kaori, one of Ehit’s trusted warriors, he finally gave in and agreed to return to Ankaji.

  Bize was shocked to see how much ground Hajime could cover with Brise. However, at that point, it was just one surprise among an endless parade of them. He had no idea why a warrior of Ehit was traveling with these adventurers, why they had a Dagon girl with them, why she called Hajime daddy, why a rabbitman was traveling with them, or why the black-haired woman seemed so happy to be insulted. What he did know, though, was that there was still hope left. And that very hope was what allowed him to hold his head high as they continued their journey...

  After a short drive, the walls of Ankaji shimmered into view. They were truly a sight to behold, towering higher than even Fuhren’s impressive ramparts. The walls and buildings were all built from the same milky-white material, a stark contrast to the brown that surrounded them.

  One other thing of note was the pillars of light that jutted from the walls at regular intervals. The pillars of light curved into each other and converged high in the sky, creating a dome that covered the city. Whenever anything hit the dome, ripples spread from the point of impact, as if someone had thrown a stone into a pond. It made for a wondrous sight.

  From what Hajime could tell, the dome seemed to protect the city from the elements. The desert experienced fierce sandstorms every few months, so the dome was a necessity for the people living there. It turned raging storms into merely a cloudy day for the city’s residents.

  Hajime and the others approached the city gates, which were enshrouded in the same veil of light. It stood to reason that even the gates would need to be ensorcelled if they wanted to be sure of keeping sand out of the city. The gate guards had been mildly surprised to see Brise, but their reactions had been far more subdued than most people who saw it for the first time.

  Ankaji’s plight was likely occupying most of their attention. They were barely focusing on their job. When they saw their lord sitting in Brise’s backseat, however, they instantly snapped to attention.

  Ankaji’s gate stood at a higher elevation than the rest of the city. Apparently that had been done on purpose so that the first thing visitors would see was the entire city in all its splendor.

  The great oasis lay to the east, sparkling in the early afternoon sun. Great big palm trees grew all around it. They were the first bit of green Hajime had seen since entering the desert. Small canals branched out from the oasis, crisscrossing the rest of the city. Though it lay in the middle of the desert, it seemed most people traveled by boat. More trees dotted the streets, and there were entire squares that had been converted into gardens.

  To the north was the city’s agricultural district. Hajime had read before that many fruit species thrived in Ankaji’s warm climate. And it seemed that had been no exaggeration. The fruit groves stretched on past the horizon, further even than Hajime could see with his Farsight. To the west was the royal palace. Unlike the milky-white stone that seemed to be favored in the rest of the city, the palace was made of pure white marble. It set it apart from the rest of the city, which likely had been the intention of the architect. However, the effect was ruined somewhat by the crude rectangular buildings that surrounded it on all sides. Hajime assumed they were other administrative buildings.

  Despite being in the middle of a desert, there was more water here than Hajime had seen in any other city.

  “It looks... amazing.”

  “Yeah... It’s a beautiful city.”

  Hajime and Yue muttered, stunned. The others all exclaimed in awe as well.

  “But... it feels empty,” Myu said quietly. She was right. Despite its magnificent appearance, an air of gloom hung over the city.

  Normally, the city squares would be bustling with traders haggling over fruit and fish prices and tourists exploring the city’s marvels. Right now, however, the streets were practically empty. Everyone was hiding in their houses, as if waiting out a storm. An eerie silence filled the streets.

  “I wish I could have shown you what the city looked like before the plague struck. At any rate, my apologies, but we have no time to waste. I promise I’ll show you around the city once this crisis has been averted. For now, though, we must make for the palace. I need to report to my father.”

  Hajime nodded, and the party headed toward the palace.

  “Father!”

  “Bize! What happened... Wait, what in Ehit’s name is that!?” The party had been able to
head straight to the audience hall without being asked any questions thanks to Bize. Though he was still weak from the poison, it seemed Lanzwi had forced himself to continue working, using a combination of healing magic and guts to maintain consciousness.

  His son had gone out to request aid just yesterday. That wasn’t nearly enough time to make it to the capital and back. However, what surprised Lanzwi’s more than his son’s early return was the state he was in.

  It was only natural. After all, Bize was floating in the air.

  To be precise, he was lying on a Cross Bit that was floating in the air.

  Though he’d managed to recover a little during the car ride to Ankaji, he was still in no state to walk.

  Kaori had offered to lend him her shoulder, but he’d refused, giving excuses like “I couldn’t possibly ask one of Ehit’s chosen warriors to carry me...” Hajime hadn’t liked the bashful look he was giving Kaori, so he’d interrupted them by forcibly putting Bize on a Cross Bit.

  Hajime wasn’t jealous of Bize. That was what Kaori had thought, but in truth he just didn’t want to have to deal with people being jealous of her affection for him. He’d already had enough of that with Kouki and Hiyama.

  Bize clung to the Cross Bit, afraid of falling off, as he explained what had happened to his father. Once he’d explained the situation, a butler came and gave him a small vial of powdered stillstone. The stillstone, combined with Kaori’s healing magic, was enough to get Bize back on his feet. He wasn’t fully recovered just yet, but it was still a far cry better than how he had been minutes ago.

  The biggest issue was that this still hadn’t cured him. The stillstone could suppress the symptoms, but the root cause of his mana going berserk, the poison, was still running through his veins. Though it was possible his body would eventually be able to expel the toxin. All they could do for now was wait and see.

  “Alright, let’s get moving. Kaori and Shea, you two go check up on the patients. Take all the empty magic stones with you. The rest of us are going to get the city some water. Lord Lanzwi, is there a wide open space anywhere in the city? At least two hundred square meters large, if possible.”

  “Huh? Oh yes, there’s one in the agricultural district...”

  “That’s where we’re headed, then. Shea, once the magic stones are saturated, bring them over to Yue.”

  Hajime swiftly gave out orders. His plan was simple. Kaori would use her Sanctorum to drain the infected people’s mana just like she had to Bize. Then, she’d siphon that mana into the empty magic stones Shea would bring her. Once they were full, Shea would pass them to Yue, who’d use the mana to create water.

  Hajime would then use his Transmutation to create a makeshift reservoir to store all of that water in, after which he would start investigating the oasis. If he could analyze the poison he’d solve the city’s problem first. If he couldn’t, he’d head to the volcano like he’d originally planned. Simple, but efficient.

  Everyone set about their respective tasks.

  Kaori and Shea headed off to the makeshift hospitals that had been set up near the palace, while Lanzwi, along with his guards and attendants, led Hajime, Yue, Tio, and Myu to the largest open area in Ankaji.

  The open field was over three times as large as Hajime’s minimum specifications had been. The area was normally used to grow crops, but it had been left fallow this year to let the soil replenish.

  Lanzwi still wasn’t convinced Hajime could do what he claimed. If it turned out it was all some sort of elaborate trick, he would order Hajime executed on the spot.

  His town was in desperate need of water, and he had no time to waste on charlatans. He’d only agreed to this crazy idea at all because he had no better options.

  Fortunately for everyone involved, Lanzwi’s suspicions proved unfounded.

  Though there was no wind, Yue’s hair started to flutter. The air became so saturated with mana that it glowed gold.

  Yue was using one of the spells she’d created with the ancient magic she’d acquired.

  “Asura.” A swirling black sphere appeared above the empty farmland.

  The sphere stretched and flattened until it had morphed into a rectangle 200 square meters in size. After a brief pause, the rectangle silently sank into the ground, crushing the earth beneath it.

  A massive depression formed where the rectangle had been.

  Asura had gouged the earth with such force that it caused a localized earthquake. The shaking stopped relatively quickly, the earth’s cries of protest fading away.

  In an instant, Yue had created a massive reservoir to store all the water she was about to summon.

  Hajime snuck a glance at Lanzwi and saw that his jaw was nearly hitting the floor. Him and his attendants were flabbergasted by what had just happened. They were all at a loss for words, which was the only reason they weren’t screaming in shock.

  Yue breathed a tired sigh. She’d only unleashed Asura at half strength, so it hadn’t drained all of her mana. However, it had still taken a lot of effort to cast.

  She could replenish her mana using the jewelry set Hajime had given her, but she wanted to save what was stored in there for the volcano. There wouldn’t be any time to restock in between, so the more she used now, the less she’d have later. And since she wasn’t in the middle of a fight, she had the time to replenish her mana using an alternate method.

  Yue let her body fall backward. She didn’t bother taking a falling stance or anything. After all, she knew she wasn’t going to hit the ground. As she’d expected, Hajime caught her in his arms.

  He lifted Yue up and turned her around. Yue smiled faintly and wrapped her arms around Hajime’s neck.

  She brought her face close to his—

  “Thanks.” Then bit into his neck.

  Drops of blood spilled forth. Yue ran her tongue down Hajime’s neck, making sure to lap up every last bit of his blood. Yue had always acted more mature than her appearance would suggest, but she looked downright seductive when she was drinking Hajime’s blood.

  The bloodsucking went on for a good few minutes. The way Yue moaned softly between gulps made it almost seem like a sexual act. Despite the fact that having your blood sucked should have been something to fear, most of the men were watching Hajime with a look of longing on their faces.

  Only Lanzwi had the presence of mind to maintain an austere expression. He recovered from his surprise and organized his thoughts. His breathing was labored and his eyes slightly bloodshot, but surely he wasn’t thinking of anything lewd.

  Off to the side, Tio watched with an ecstatic expression on her face. She at least still had the presence of mind to cover Myu’s eyes, though. Some things were too stimulating for a four-year-old girl to see.

  Myu squirmed and complained, but she couldn’t break free from Tio’s boob prison.

  Once her mana was fully replenished, Yue removed her fangs from Hajime’s neck. She looked up at him and kissed him, her lips still stained with his own blood.

  The two gazed deeply into each other’s eyes for a few seconds until a loud cough brought them back to reality. Lanzwi couldn’t bear to see much more of this or his self-control would crumble too. Hajime and Yue smiled awkwardly at each other... before turning away from the group and kissing again.

  “Wait, wait, wait, wait. Whether we can see you or not isn’t the problem here. There’s a mountain of things I’d like to ask about the bloodsucking and all, but first could you get us that water you promised!?”

  Lanzwi was so nonplussed that he dropped his regal facade for a few seconds. Hajime and Yue shrugged their shoulders and reluctantly got back to work.

  Hajime hopped down into the reservoir and brought Brise out of his Treasure Trove. He drove it around the reservoir, using his Ore Desynthesis skill to separate out the components of the soil that could absorb water from those that couldn’t. Once that was done, he coated the surface of the reservoir with a thin layer of metal.

  After he finished coating the
floor, Yue stuck her arms out and cast a high-level water spell.

  “Tidal Wave.” As the name suggested, Tidal Wave was a spell that blasted its opponent with a wave of water.

  Normally, the wave wouldn’t be that huge, but Yue’s spells were on a completely different level than those of an average mage. She summoned forth a wave 150 meters wide and 100 meters tall. It flowed into the reservoir, filling it up a few centimeters. The reservoir was large enough to hold 200,000 tons of water. Yue repeated the process multiple times, stopping every so often to suck Hajime’s blood. But he didn’t have an infinite supply of blood, and by the time Yue had gotten the reservoir half-full, he was starting to get anemic.

  If he lost any more, he’d probably faint. Fortunately, it was then that Shea came running over. Her arms were laden with magic stones Kaori had filled. Though she’d only drained a little from each patient, she’d already gone through thousands of people. Altogether, it was quite a lot of mana. What was even more impressive was that it had only been two hours since Kaori had started draining people. It was easy to forget because of how ridiculous Hajime and the others’ abilities were, but Kaori was pretty overpowered herself.

  Shea handed Yue all of her magic stones and ran back to help Kaori. A few hours later, the reservoir was filled to the brim with pure, drinkable water.

  “This is unbelievable...” Lanzwi muttered to himself. He was staring at a reservoir of water nearly as large as the oasis itself. And it had been made from nothing in the span of a few hours. He didn’t even know what to say.

  “This should last you guys for some time. All that’s left now is to investigate the oasis... If we can’t purify it, then you should send a messenger to the capital for help. The water here should be enough to sustain you until then.”

  “O-Okay. There’s still a mountain of questions I have for you, but... thank you. Truly. You’ve saved my people. Let me guide you to the oasis.”

  Lanzwi still hadn’t completely recovered from his shock, but he knew now that Hajime and his friends were people he could trust. He no longer suspected them of having ulterior motives.