Published at 20th of February 2023 9:06 pm

Side Story: Blu Ray Chapter 2: Lost Memory and Sudden Death Match

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Fernier was travelling above the raincloud that was increasing in blackness and thickness.

Its route wasn’t to the east like the original route but to the north. Its destination was the aforementioned ruin.

After going through such shocking and abnormal morning, Hajime and others endeavored to grasp the situation. As the result, they found out that there was a situation where everyone who excelled in fighting had lost their memory.

Yes, it wasn’t just Yue, Shia, and Tio. The majority of the royal guards, the garrisoned army, and the adventurers were amnesiac right now. The amount of memory they lost differed depending on each person. But, it seemed they all lost the memories from when they started training for combat in earnest.

「And, thou art saying, that the reason of the memory loss art in that ruin?」

There was prickling air of tension, confusion, and suspicion.

Tio’s voice echoed inside the ship that was filled with a somewhat choking atmosphere.

It seemed the current Tio only had the memory until she was nine years old. She had introduced herself as the princess of the dragon kingdom with her head held high. In her perception, her kingdom still hadn’t met its end.

She was sitting with great decorum at Hajime’s right side. She was endeavoring to be calm, but her gaze often wandered around. She couldn’t hide her fidgetiness and lack of composure.

Perhaps she herself was aware of that. She was drinking water frequently since some time ago. The way both her hands were snugly holding a glass and her throat making gulping motion when drinking from it gave a childish impression. She looked adorable like that.

「Yeah. The unit in the base camp abandoned their task and returned on their own this morning. They also lost their memory.」

They didn’t understand why they were there and decided to head south for the time being to reach human settlement.

「Errrr, in other wordsss……the humans of that unit, brought something from the ruin to the town desu?」

At Hajime’s left side was Shia who was curling into herself to make herself smaller while twitching fearfully. She was asking her question with a hesitant tone. When Hajime met her gaze, she meaninglessly apologized 「Hyah, I’m sorry!」 with her rabbit ears flattening on her head.

She was a good for nothing. Even more so than when she met Hajime and Yue for the first time. In Shia’s perception, it seemed she had been spending an unchanging daily life in Hauria’s settlement until yesterday.

In other words, Shia too had been turning into her past self when she hadn’t experienced getting chased out of her home and lost her family. She was weak willed and bad at fighting. Her direct manipulation of magic power was also poor. She had been reversed back into an unfortunate rabbit.

「I’m estimating that the chance of that is high.」

At the very least, they didn’t find anything that could be the cause in their current place. Naturally Hajime had tried using artifact that was enchanted with age of god magic to heal them, but there wasn’t any effect at all.

It was unthinkable that this incident was the work of some human. And the scale was too big for it to be the work of monster. If there was a specimen that powerful, it was strange that Hajime and Yue didn’t notice its approach at all.

In that case, it was the ruin that came up in their mind as expected. After all it was close to the only place other than the town where the memory lost also occurred.

That topic was discussed in the emergency meeting between Liliana and the town’s authorities. It resulted in Hajime and co heading out to investigate the ruin.

「Kouki too……was he also going to the ruin I wonder?」

「If that’s the case we’ll catch up with him yeah.」

「Really, where’s he running off in this kind of time……」

Shizuku, Ryuutarou, and Suzu were sitting on the opposite sofa while sighing and talking with worried tone.

In the end, they couldn’t find Kouki anywhere. Shizuku and the others were coming along in this trip because they thought that the ruin might have something to do with Kouki’s disappearance. Although, the difference in the traveling speed was obvious. There would be no chance that they would meet each other when they arrived there but, the chance of them running to each other would be higher there rather than searching randomly.

「Who knows. But, the princess is going to hold him in place if he return to the town.」

Liliana and the others from the kingdom weren’t coming together in this investigation.

『I can’t just leave Ur while it’s in chaos like this.』

Liliana said that and chose to remain in the town. Her figure was filled with dignity that was unbelievable coming from a 14 years old girl. But at the same time,

『I shall wait for good news. I hope that everyone’s investigation will lead to the resolution of this situation.』

She was also being tormented with anxiety. Unsure feeling that she could never show in front of the populace by all means could be glimpsed deep inside her eyes.

Her gaze was turned toward the head maid behind her who had lost ten years worth of memories. Surely Hellina was an important person to her who was like her own big sister. Liliana’s gaze had conveyed that feeling clearly.

Hajime handed a “Gate Key” to her who was in such satte. It was an artifact to cross through space. It could connect to the “Gate Hall” that was set up in the palace of Heiligh Kingdom. Hajime also had his own “key” so it was possible to evacuate until the palace with teleport just in case.

They ended up leaving behind the princess almost without any protection with her, but she smiled by Hajime’s unexpected consideration and sent them off with a smile.

「……Unbelievable.」

Such voice suddenly slipped out in a mutter, but it resounded through the bridge very clearly.

It was Yue. She was sitting in the furthest position from Hajime with a deep frown on her forehead.

Her lips were pressed together tightly to form a single line. She looked clearly displeased and on her guard.

「There is a limit even in how absurd something can be. Calling you a swindler will still sound more credible than that.」

「Wait Yue! Those words are too much!」

Kaori cautioned her because of her scathing comment she would never say if she was her usual self, but Yue said 「Please don’t talk to me so casually」 without any intention to compromise.

Although, it couldn’t be helped that she acted like that. The explanation of Hajime’s background and Yue’s relationship with them sounded like a bolt from the blue not only for Yue, but also for Tio and Shia after all.

「Well, it’s certainly hard to believe. The god and the church art pulling the wool over the world’s eyes? Weart going in a journey in order to obtain the power to fight them? Wouldst Chichi-ue really allow me to do something like that?」

Though it seemed that it was really true that they had lost their memories, Tio said as she looked at her own grownup body. 「This “nice body” surpassed even Haha-ue after all」She said while squeezing *monyumonyu* her own chest.

「T-that’s right desuu, it just sound impossible if you think about it normallyyy! For me, for this me……to be the strongest in Fea Bergen……」

Her existence had been found out even by Fea Bergen, but, she didn’t get disposed of because she was the strongest in the sea of trees. On the contrary she decided to leave to the outside world in order to learn about the situation of the world.

Her decision was also partly backed by her desire to repay Hajime and Yue who saved her family when they came to the sea of trees in search of the great dungeon there.

That was the fake story that was made up to explain about Hajime’s relationship with Shia and Tio.

As for the reason why they made up that kind of story, because they thought that the girls’ confusion would only deepen further if they were told about the actual state of things with stupid honesty.

After all both Yue and Tio were royalties from destroyed countries. Shia too had experienced getting chased out of her hometown and also losing a lot of her families. If they were told the truth, they would definitely say 「There’s no way that’s true」. And most of all they would prioritize going back to their country.

Everyone felt weighed down for telling such lie to them, but those stories also weren’t completely a falsehood. Those stories were all the truth depending on how they were interpreted. That was what Hajime told himself as he resorted to such desperate plan.

Of course he also told similar story to Yue.

「For me to fall into the hands of the church and get sealed in Orcus Great Dungeon……」

She was told that she was in a secret mission. That she had noticed the disquieting movement of the church and headed to a great dungeon in order to conquer it and obtained an age of god magic so she could become stronger.

Yue never disclosed her true identity to the enemy, but it was clear that she was a high-born with outstanding strength. Perhaps that was why the church’s force thought that they would be able to get some use from her and sealed her instead of killing her.

「For my royal gua――nnh. For my comrades to be annihilated too, how can such thing……」

Yue was a royalty. It would be impossible for her to leave her country without any bodyguard. That was why the story had to be made up like that. But, Hajime showed no wavering. He answered casually without averting his gaze.

「I told you that it’s just my guess right? There was nobody else with you when I found you Yue. Not even corpse or anything.」

This too wasn’t a lie. The only thing that was with her was just a pseudo-scorpion that was acting as a guardian.

「But……」

Actually she had used up all kind of argument that she could think of before the departure. She said that it was impossible but, she also couldn’t say that for sure.

If her homeland sought for even more strength and chose to conquer a great dungeon for that, then certainly the possibility of Yue being chosen for that plan was high enough.

After all she was a royalty who would be the most difficult to die. She possessed a heavenly talent and she would be the next queen. And if she obtained power from the mythological age, her rule would be truly unshakeable. It would be like giving an iron club to an already formidable oni.

And it also wasn’t be strange for her to know about the age of god magic’s existence. It wouldn’t be strange for the strongest warrior of her homeland, the prime minister who was also Yue’s uncle who was charged to be her educator to possibly learn about the church’s movement and planned the countermeasure for that. Her uncle was just that capable.

In addition, considering her own personality, Yue could also understand why she wouldn’t immediately go home to her own country after conquering a great dungeon.

She had been raised with exceptional education for the talented in order to become the strongest queen, and yet she had allowed her own royal guards to be massacred and needed to get saved by a foreigner, and what she had to show for it was only creation magic that she didn’t really have any aptitude for.

She must be planning to take revenge for her royal guards in that case. She would obstinately try to do that because she wouldn’t have any face to meet with her uncle unless she did that.

(And most of all, the dignity of my country is on the line.)

She wouldn’t be able to go back to her country without first obtaining “power” that was clear to see and nobody wouldn’t be able to doubt. Her pride was on the line.

「I also had the same objective. We kept helping each other even after I saved you, and we also managed to build a relationship of trust during our journey. That was why we are continuing to travel together like this.」

「Tsu, that right there! How do you know about the existence of age of god magic? You said that you are affiliated with Heiligh Kingdom didn’t you? But, if my memory is correct, that country is just a small country that is located to the northwest extremity.」

Both Yue and Tio knew about Heiligh Kingdom’s existence, but it seemed that they considered it as simply a minor country at the frontier that wasn’t worth any consideration. Also, the only thing Shia knew about the outside world was that the empire was terrifying, so she wasn’t harboring much doubt about her story.

「Why are you all in possession of information that not even major countries possess?」

「That’s because despite our affiliation with the kingdom, we were living in the region called Japan. Apparently our land has special property that makes all the residents there to have high spec. We caught the church’s eyes because of that and became apostle candidates. And then, we learned about the truth and the age of god magic while being involved with the church.」

That was why, while the other Japanese was cooperating with the church as apostles, Hajime’s group was secretly travelling to obtain a method to oppose them. Perhaps the reason they didn’t lose their memory despite having combat strength was also related with their background as Japanese people.

Hearing that explanation made Yue went 「Nuguu」 at a loss for words.

(I-I can’t believe he can say all those words so smoothly like that……)

(Hajime-kun is really good with that kind of thing. Telling a story that’s not the truth but also not a lie.)

Hajime ignored the astonished gazes from Shizuku and Kaori while keeping his gaze fixed on Yue.

「I believe that you have a lot of questions. You must also still be unable to dispel your confusion. After all we the Japanese are the only ones to not lose our memory despite having combat strength. It’s only natural.」

Certainly they were suspicious. They couldn’t deny it. They couldn’t offer any definite proof.

「But, please. I want you to stay together with me. At the very least until we finish investigating the ruin.」

After that, he would send them to anywhere they wanted. Rather they would accompany them.

Hajime bowed his head without hesitation not only to Yue, but also to Shia and Tio after that.

In the end, Yue, Shia, and also Tio were agreeing to come along like this because of that.

Before the departure, Hajime had also bowed his head to the three of them while they were still in confusion and distrusting.

His gesture was earnest, sincere, and honest even in the eyes of Yue and others who prided themselves in having good eyes to judge people.

It made them thought that they would try going with this person for the time being.

「It’ll be fine. We will definitely get back everyone’s memory. I’ll give it my whole effort.」

In addition,

「I’ll remove all obstacles and nuisances that get in our way.」

「Nagumo Hajime, you……」

Despite his composure, there was still fury that he was desperately suppressing inside leaking out.

The leaking out pressure was ghastly, and stifling. If that was the other side of the coin of his feeling that treasured Yue, and perhaps also Shia and Tio, it was so deep and heavy that it sent shivers to their backs.

Normally it would make anyone who sensed it to pull back from him, but it had the opposite effect to Yue and others.

「H-how about thou calm down? Umm……there art no need to overdo it, alright?」

Tio was blushing. Her fingertips that snuck out from her sleeves were rubbing on each other fidgetily.

「P-please stop making such scary face desuuu……」

Shia was saying that, even so her rabbit ears were flapping up and down to pat Hajime’s shoulder.

It went without saying what they were feeling from the time they were sitting at both sides of Hajime.

Both of them was feeling, perhaps instinctually or intuitively that the safest place was at Hajime’s side.

「……fuhn」

Yue too, even though she looked aside with an even more displeased look, the tips of her ears were faintly red.

Her taking the furthest seat and expressing her vigilance was actually also so she could calm herself. Because she wouldn’t be able to keep acting like usual if she was at Hajime’s side.

Although, she more or less thought that she could trust him a little.

It wasn’t like Yue was dense. Rather, she could judge the meaning of the gaze that was directed toward her with more sharpness and accuracy than other people.

For example, about Tio. Yue knew. That the dragon kingdom had perished a long time ago. She was really shocked by Tio’s existence, that there was still survivor of the dragon race.

She also could understand the meaning of Hajime’s gaze that time. Don’t point that out, his eyes said.

She understood that his eyes were filled with consideration, that he wasn’t hiding the truth because of malice.

(This person, is hiding something. There’s something that he hasn’t mentioned. But, that’s……)

All this time, ever since she woke up, she had been aware of the heat in his gaze when staring at her.

Kindness and, affection and, consideration.

Maddening sincerity. A blazing hot――love.

What bewildered her the most was how herself wasn’t feeling any rejection or disgust toward that. She asked herself why she couldn’t tell herself to know her station and cut him off. Why was she paying attention to every single one of his movement?

The impulse that she herself couldn’t comprehend made her unintentionally let out a groan 「Kuuuuh」 in frustration from her lips.

「! What’s wrong Yue? Are you feeling hurt somewhere? Any change to your memory?」

Hajime rushed toward her in panic. He kneeled beside Yue’s seat and grasped her hand. Then he peered into her eyes from below with concern.

That gesture made her remembered. The thing from this morning that she had been desperately trying to ignore, it bubbled up inside her.

She had never permitted anyone from the opposite sex other than her uncle and father to touch her, and yet this morning she was clinging all over Hajime’s body, and she was even hugging his arm until it was between her legs――

「NNNAAAAAAAAH!!」

「Yue!? Really what’s wrong!? Shit-, Kaori! Healing please!」

She didn’t even notice Hajime’s yelling or Kaori’s blank stare.

Her brake stopped working the moment she recalled it once more.

「……It’s a, a lie right!? What should I……even though I’m a princess……」

She unconsciously muttered what she was keeping inside with unperceivable voice.

It was something that must never happened. A royalty, the next queen on top of that, was having a relationship with a human male with completely unknown background. It was truly a forbidden act.

Various thoughts instantly flashed at the back of Yue’s mind.

What should she tell her uncle? Would her father and mother cut off relationship with her? At the very least she would get disinherited.

How should she explain this to the populace……no, before that, this young man’s life was in danger.

Her uncle was very doting with her. Surely he would pursue this young man until the end of earth.

If that happened, should she take his hand and elope with him? In a hidden place that wasn’t known by anyone they would hold a simple wedding ceremony with just the two of them, built a house together, had children――

「-NOOOOOOOO-, IT’S WROOOOONGGGG-」

Yue shook her head left and right energetically to erase the delusion that filled her head before she knew it.

Hajime yelled 「Kaori! Heal her quick!」. Kaori said 「It’s fine, it’s fine, hmph」 with bad mood. Shizuku consoled herm while Suzu and Ryuutarou were talking to each other 「I never saw Yue-oneesama with such abundant expressions」「It’s refreshing huh」. But Yue had no leeway to pay attention to any of that.

「That was-, yes, that was some kind of mistake! Surely I was just sleepwalking and things accidentally became like that!」

「A, aah, so that’s what’s bothering you. Aa~, err, yeah. Yep, it was sleepwalking.」

Yue finally calmed down slightly after the person himself confirmed it.

And then she realized how they were staring at each other from really close with his hand being tightly grasped.

「Hyahn」 Yue let out such cry and shook her hand free. She jumped back from the sofa, pressed her hand on her chest, and her face became red like it was on fire.

Her face, from her ear tips until her neck was even redder than ripened apple. Globs of tear were gathering on the corners of her eyes perhaps because of embarrassment, while her light pink lips were trembling.

Her reaction was just too innocent. The gap from her usual atmosphere of bewitching woman was intense.

「Tsu, too cute……」

「Wha-, what are-, stup-, you!」

Hajime unconsciously let out his impression. But it seemed that Yue couldn’t find any word to complain about it.

Even though words like cute or beautiful were words that she had heard thousands of times before, it made her heart jumped this time for some reason. She was unable to hear anything due to the fierce beating of her heart. She couldn’t stop her face from reddening. In the end what came out from her mouth was,

「Y-you insolent fellowww~~」

Only those words. She covered her face with both hands and plopped down on the spot to sit femininely on the floor.

It was puzzling. Even though she should have lost her memories, but sure enough.

Between the two, it was like there was this pink colored barrier that was hard to enter……

「C-, cu-, kuh. What’s with this feeling! Even though it’s just Yue! This cuteness is brutal! Don’t screw with me!」

「K-Kaori? Are you praising? Or are you angry?」

「She’s too cute it’s irritating!」

Kaori-san stamped her foot on the floor. If the classmates and people in the palace who thought of her as the saint of healing saw her right now, there was no doubt that they would be taken aback greatly.

In fact it looked like that Suzu and Ryuutarou had also become taken aback. Their face were red and dumbfounded. And then,

「……Muu」

Shia puffed out her cheeks slightly while staring at Yue and Hajime alternately.

「……Say, Nagumo-dono. I hath a question.」

Tio had walked to Hajime’s side without anyone noticing. She was sending an upturned gaze with childishly innocent eyes that showed no sign of seduction at all. There were only confusion and expectation mixed in those eyes.

「Mu, what? Why art thou staring at me like I’m a strange person?」

「No.」

Hajime felt like his mind would spiral out of control seeing the perverted dragon behaving as an innocent young girl. But of course he couldn’t say that. Hajime sighed at himself who was missing that hardcore pervert mode.

「And, what is it?」

「I and, that person over there……Shia-dono. What kind of relationship, we hath with Nagumo-dono?」

「We are comrades. Reliable comrades.」

「Art that all?」

「You’re dissatisfied?」

「Uumu. Dissatisfaction, I doth not think that art the case. But, how shouldst I say it, there art a part of me, hoping that perhaps I’m in a lovely romantic relationship in mine future.」

Tio held up her sleeve to hide her lips as she stared at him with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Although the vector was different from Yue, Tio was also a peerless beauty. And her body that was wrapped in that kimono, it had a miraculous voluptuous figure that astonished even the person herself.

If such woman wasn’t a pervert, she would become plainly charming.

At the distance Ryuutarou looked down and started chanting like a monk 「That person is Tio-san that person is Tio-san someone who is happy from getting pile bunkered by Nagumo」 to desperately keep his reason from crumbling.

Yue was still crouching because of the feeling of embarrassment, but even she stole a glance at Hajime.

「Unfortunately, we are not in that kind of relationship.」

「I see, it’s a bit disappointing. Thy wild look before this, it made mine heart to beat slightly faster.」

「That was perhaps……no, it’s nothing.」

As expected, he couldn’t say that perhaps it was because her forgotten fetish got stimulated.

The way she was very modestly fixing her slightly scuffed kimono even while dropping her shoulders in dejection was just lovable. It really sent Hajime’s mind into disarray seeing that.

But there, he felt a slightly ticklish sensation on his nape. Shia had also approached near. She shyly touched him with only the tip of her rabbit ears. It was really ticklish.

Yue was sending him a blank stare. Her stare was so piercing that for a moment Hajime misunderstood that she perhaps had regained her memory.

「As I thought it’s impossible. It was absolutely some kind of mistake!」

She was muttering those words in low voice. She rubbed her still blushing cheeks with both her hands as though to say Get to normal already~. So cute. Hajime’s expression loosened into a smile.

「Very soon! Ve – ry – so – on! We will arrive at the fourth mountain I think! I think!」

「That’s true. Perhaps it will be better if we go under the cloud now!」

Kaori was putting on a smile that didn’t reach her eyes or even the rest of her face at all. She was approaching Hajime with stomping footsteps.

She got between Hajime and Yue, leaned forward, and peered at Hajime’s face.

Somehow it felt like Shizuku’s voice was also high-pitched. Was it just his imagination?

Hajime smiled wryly and nodded. Yue cleared her throat once. Then she returned to her seat with a prim and proper expression.

「We don’t know what’s going to be waiting for us there. Let’s pull ourself together.」

With those words as the signal, Fernier broke into the dark cloud below.

.

.

.

The mountain range was stretching on and on to the east and west. It also had multiple layers of mountains to the north and south.

At the north there was a ridge extending out with dense greeneries covering it. At the east there were mountains with the peaks covered with snow like they were mountains of swords. At the south red leaves were covering the surface all over. At the south they could see the mountain surfaces with only rocks everywhere.

This was one of the reasons why the [Northern Mountain Range] that was already a steep area to be also considered as an unexplored demonic area.

The environments there were all over the place. The season, the weather, the temperature, everything there was out of whack.

And that environment would become harsher the further north one went.

It was even said that the monsters became more powerful each time one crossed a mountain range perhaps because their ability had been trained by this out of order environment where adaptability was a necessity.

However, right now such demonic territory that denied the entry of ordinary people now had one common point in its varied environments.

It was the dark clouds that kept spreading out until the horizon and the heavy rain that never stopped. Mysteriously there was no wind. The uncountable water drops were falling in a straight line to the ground, like noise that entered the clear screen of a television.

「So it’s here……」

The fourth mountain range that was located to north-northwest from the Town of Ur.

Hajime found the caldera that was the landmark for the basecamp, just like he heard from the report. It was slightly to the east from the ridge that was gouged out from the perfectly round caldera. The basecamp was a simple tree house near the mountain peak.

Hajime returned Fernier that was floating in low altitude back to his “treasure warehouse”. Then the group landed on the mountain.

「There isn’t any sign of fighting.」

「The army here retreated in good order after making proper preparation.」

The tree house and its surrounding were clean. Kaori and Shizuku looked around while paying attention to the detail, but there wasn’t even anything like food remain or trash remaining.

「Let’s check inside」 Hajime said and jumped first toward the tree house’s entrance. Yue used wind magic to float followed by Kaori, Shizuku, Ryuutarou, and Suzu rushing up the ladder agilely in order.

「Awawawah, p-please waiitttt!」

Shia felt uneasy seeing the others left her behind and hurriedly started climbing up the ladder. But,

「Abyaa!?」

「Nowa!? Thou! Climb up properly!」

「I, I’hm showy-. Don’t be angryyy~」

Her foot slipped up splendidly and she did hip attack on Tio who was right below her. Tio endured the impact, so the two avoided diving together into muddy water, but Shia started whimpering from getting scolded. Her rabbit ears wilted down and her body trembled as her eyes turned teary……she truly looked pathetic.

「Can you believe it? This rabbit, she annihilated the demon king army’s elite force with physical force only you know?」

「……So the story that she was a disappointing rabbit in the past was the truth.」

「The demon king army’s elite force? By herself? That kind of rabbit person is unprecedented you know?」

Yue was looking at Kaori with a doubting gaze. It seemed that she didn’t believe it.

Certainly, the girl sobbing hicshicsright now while giving it her all to climb up the ladder didn’t look like an existence who was feared by her enemy as “monster” at all. Rather,

「Shizushizu, you have a sloppy look on your face you know?」

「!?」

She was so disappointingly cute that it almost knocked out a cute thing lover like Shizuku.

Yue sighed 「Good grief. How troublesome」 while collecting Shia with wind magic.

「Fuwaah!? What is this desuuu!?」

「Don’t make a ruckus for every single thing. Come on, don’t struggle and grab my hand.」

Shia was older age wise based on their current memory, but she replied 「Yeees」 pathetically while grabbing on Yue with a feminine sitting posture. She completely looked like a very handful little sister.

「Look, we already on the top. Let go of me.」

Yue patted Shia’s back with a gentle force. Shia sniffed 「Nnu」 and wouldn’t let go. She kept sitting on the floor while burying her face on Yue’s chest.

「What are you doing?」

「u, I’m sorry……somehow, this feels really reassuring. It’s like, I’m being hugged by a big sister desuu. Ehehe……」

「Big sister!? Nnnn-」

Shia lifted up her face from Yue’s chest and showed a relaxed *funya~* expression. The impact slammed at Yue’s heart.

「W-what a hopeless person. I don’t know who is older between us like this. Good grief……fufu, big sister, fufufu-」

Yue let out a suspicious laugh. Her hand unconsciously moved to pat Shia’s head while saying good girl, good girl.

It seemed the weakling rabbit had totally stimulated her desire to protect and she was unable to win against the “pampering” desire. Kaori and the others seemed to be in the same state. They were all blushing seeing that. Shizuku’s hands were grabbing repeatedly on empty air.

「Perhaps their body still remember even though their memory is gone huh.」

Hajime opened the watch window that was set up at the north side of the room while looking back across his shoulder. His eyes that were narrowed toward Yue and Shia looked terribly gentle. His mouth also broke into a smile when the two tilted their heads a little.

「For Shia, Yue was the first teacher who taught her the way to fight, the first friend from other race that she made, and also someone who was like her big sister who was always watching over her.」

Seeing Shia who absolutely wouldn’t yield or give up even though she sobbing like a child made even Yue felt moved and thought of her as an irreplaceable existence.

Perhaps that bond didn’t get severed even with their memories lost. It was,

「The physically strongest Shia and the magically strongest Yue. The two of you standing side by side like that is really like a match made in heaven.」

Making even Hajime feeling jealous. Hajime said those words while shrugging. Yue and Shia looked at each other. They immediately felt really embarrassed for some reason. They slowly separated from each other while blushing.

It seemed they had become aware of the lack of feeling of rejection toward each other even though they were so close like that. Their own feeling apparently was naturally accepting the other. That awareness made them stealing glances at each other.

「Yue-oneesama and Shiashia’s flirting……priceless!」

Suzu going haahaalike that was honestly putting off, but nobody there had any objection to her words.

「Nounou, Nagumo-dono. What about me?」

Tio-chan (9 years old inside) was looking at Hajime with eyes that were sparkling with expectation.

Was there also such beautiful episode going on with me and the others? Her eyes were asking that without even a shred of doubt in it. What pure innocence. Who could possibly even dream that five hundred years later she would end up like that.

That was why, Hajime endeavored to put on a gentle smile on his face.

「It’s alright?」

「Alright what!?」

「Really, I’m sorry.」

「That’s why I ask thee what!? Just what in the world thou didst to me!? Why art everyone averting their gaze!? Just what kind of adult I became in the future!?」

Well that, it’s really hard to say but you became an awakened person from pile bunker in the ass. There was no way they could say something like that. Tio was shaken with uneasiness, but, well, such behavior too was cute because of the gap with her usual behavior, so they left her alone.

Hajime focused his eye toward the ruin that was visible from the window. This was a good monitoring spot. Not only the whole mountainous area between the fourth mountain range and fifth mountain range was visible from there, he could also see the ridge of the sixth mountain range at the distance.

「I see. They really went at it there.」

「Hajime-kun? You can see something?」

Hajime enlarged the window with “Wind Claw” before jerking his chin to outside. He must meant that it would be faster to see it themselves. Kaori and others all looked outside at the norther mountain range.

「Uwaa……are they, all dead?」

「That’s a hell of number. It was like there was a war there.」

「There are also signs of collapse here and there. The trees are also in horrible state……」

Suzu and Ryuutarou’s expressions were twitching, while Shizuku was grimacing.

The state of the area between the mountains was just that horrendous. The number of smashed or burned trees was as many as the stars. The bare surface of the mountain was collapsed here and there, while the ground was filled with a lot of craters as though it had been bombed to hell and back.

And there, a lot of monster corpses from various races and sizes were lying. There would be a sea of blood there without the rain washing all the bloods away.

「All of them are the same kinds of monsters that attacked Ur.」

This place must be the center of the conflict. The reason for that was also in the middle of the overflowing corpses.

「Fumu. Art that the aforementioned ruin?」

A part of the foot of the fourth mountain range was caving in wide area. It was half buried with soil and corpses but, they could see a vertical hole at the bottom. They could see a wall with perfect square shape that must be colored white if not for the dirt covering it. The structure was manmade no matter how they looked at it. It must be a passage. The ground’s collapse was definitely because a part of the underground passage was caved in.

They could also see how the monsters aimed to use it as their base. They couldn’t guess how the inside was structured but, from how wide the range of the collapse was, there was no doubt that a lot of the ruin’s inside was still safe. But, that was exactly why Yue frowned.

「……Isn’t it, a little bit strange?」

「Yeah. It’s too quiet.」

There wasn’t anything alive. They could only see corpses as far as their eyes could see. If there was a conflict here over turf, where was the victorious pack then? Why wasn’t there even a single alive monster outside?

「……Perhaps they got scared and ran away or something? There is something inside the ruin.」

Shia said that and got scared by her own words. She started trembling.

「S-Shiashia, don’t say something strange like that!」Suzu said. Even she got a chill and her body shivered.

「In any case, if we check it out then we will find――」

Hajime turned around to erase the unpleasant atmosphere――it was then.

「Ha?」

An astonished voice unusually came out from Hajime. It couldn’t be helped. The others also had the same reaction.

Because at the entrance, there was a something that was shaped like a square pyramid floating. Nobody had noticed its presence there.

It had the size of something that could be held with both hands, with metallic frame that had white base color and no seam at all on its surface. It was also making no sound and floated by ignoring gravity completely. From the side, it was like a terminal that came out in SF movie.

It felt like time stopped for Hajime and co seeing the object that looked really out of place in a fantasy world.

Using that opening, *Uuunn* it made a sound like a pulled bowstring. An uncomfortable feeling that would go unnoticed unless the person focused passed through their bodies.

「Tsu, what’s this? We’re scanned?」

Surely that was correct.

.

――iIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINN-

.

「「「「「Tsu!?」」」」」

Explosive sound that made them felt like their eardrums would burst came down from the sky. It was an unpleasant sound like someone was clawing a blackboard. Everyone covered their ears. Suzu and Ryuutarou unconsciously crouched down.

「Hih, noooo-」

Shia looked up above in astonishment. Hajime felt his hairs stood on end seeing that.

The next moment, their field of vision was dyed pure white. A beat later and a thunderous sound rocked the whole mountain range.

It was lightning. A gigantic lightning suddenly fell on the tree house with pinpoint accuracy.

Naturally, the tree house was smashed to pieces along with the large tree that was supporting it. But,

「Hah, thanks for that Shia. I barely made it in time thanks to your Foresight.」

The people inside were safe. They were standing midair. To be more accurate, they were inside a space isolation barrier that was deployed by four Cross Bits that were connected with wires.

「That floating object was also got caught by the attack? There should be a limit at how uncompromising you can be.」

Hajime glared at the sky. Yue and others were dumbfounded seeing how very close they had gotten to death, but Hajime’s words made them gasped and returned to their senses.

「W-what was that just now!?」

「Inside the damn cloud. There’s something there. The floating object just now must have sent a signal to it.」

Yue and others also looked up to the sky. They could see a huge shadow inside the black rain cloud. A flying object with size that rivaled Fernier was circling there.

But, it was clear that it wasn’t just a flying object. A pressure, a definite will of obliteration was pouring down from it. It caused goosebumps on the skin of Hajime and co.

「W-what in the world art that――nngyaa!?」

Tio looked scared, but she was unable to speak to the end. That was because Hajime’s kick flew at her. It wasn’t just Tio. The kick moved at Ryuutarou who was nearby next and blew him away to the corner of the barrier.

They were going to complain about what he did. But the space before their says blurred just before they could.

It appeared quietly, separating Hajime, Yue, Shia, and Kaori from the rest.

「Space severance-. It can also use age of god magic!」

The Cross Bit at the top was slashed into two. Naturally the barrier also vanished. If Hajime was unable to detect the flow of magic power and distortion in space with his magic eye, Tio and Ryuutarou would have gotten bisected.

The two became pale from learning that, but nobody had any leeway to call out to the two of them.

The situation was moving rapidly the moment they landed on the ground.

There was a quake. And then a thunderous sound.

A sound like a dynamite destroying bedrock burst up from the ground along with a physical impact. Everyone other than Hajime fell on their knees.

「What is it this time!? Earthquake!?」 Shizuku yelled. Kaori yelled back with a shuddering voice.

「No-, this is……the mountain is collapsing-」

The ground under their feet crumbled the moment she said that. Just like when the snow under one’s feet and the surrounding would slide down during avalanche in snowy mountain, everything became earth and sand and slid down the mountain surface. The trees were snapped and swallowed by it.

「Yue! Tio!」

「Iknow!」

「L-leave it to me!」

The two immediately activated wind magic. The whirling gale pulled up Hajime and co from the ground. But, as expected the skill of the two who had lost their combat experience felt like it was brute forced by relying only on their talent. In addition their magic backlashed against each other. The group didn’t float, instead they were blown away to the sky at the north.

「Awawawawah, help mee~~~」

「Shiaa! Don’t strangle my neckkk!」

Shia who had completely forgotten about the “Air Force” boots was caught by Kaori. Suzu who might got blown the furthest because of her light weight was also protected by Ryuutarou in his arms.

Yue and Tio hurriedly adjusted their magic, but the unstable wind half rampaged and blew Hajime and co around chaotically. It scattered them from each other for several dozen meters.

「Nuuwaa! Yue-dono! Thy interference art too strong! Match me!」

「Your wind is too rough! And you’re calling yourself a member of the dragon race that is the heaven-sent children of the sky!?」

「Don’t ask for the unreasonable! I hath only begun mine training!」

「This isn’t the time to say that! I’ll take out Fernier! Jump on board!」

Inside his heart Hajime regretted it a little 「If I knew this would happen, I’d give everyone Air Force equipment」 even while activating his “treasure warehouse”. That was his intention.

「W-whaat!?」

The crimson light that was the proof that “Treasure Warehouse” activated dispersed and died out. Not only that,

「Tsu, why!?」

「What!? What happened!?」

Yue and Tio’s winds also vanished. They immediately noticed the cause. Because they had experienced it before.

「The magic power, dispersed!?」

Yes, it was like at [Raisen Grand Valley]. A similar situation like that special environment that was said as an execution ground was occurring here. Naturally they kept falling. Toward the rocky torrent below.

Hajime instantly looked toward Yue and Tio. The two of them were completely distracted with reactivating their magic in panic. Shia was still like usual. Naturally Shizuku and the others also had nothing they could do. Only Kaori was trying to secure a foothold with brute force. That was why,

「CA-TCHHHHHHH-」

Hajime used immense magic power to force the matter and summoned three Cross Bits. It was impossible to summon something as big and heavy as Fernier, but his fighting spirit burst. He called four more Bits from “Treasure Warehouse”.

If he relaxed even for just a little, it felt like his connection with the “receiver stone” that enabled him to control the Bits remotely would be severed.

He gritted his teeth from the feeling of his magic power flooding out as though a hole was opened at the bottom of bucket and somehow sent the bits to Yue and others.

Originally Cross Bits didn’t have the output to move with someone riding on it. It could only glide to soften everyone’s falling speed while getting them as far as possible from the slope.

「Things here are too unexpected-. We’re retreating for now!」

Hajime decisively made his decision and his hand reached for the “Gate Key” in his pocket. In this environment that was dispersing magic power, he would only be able to activate it for five seconds at best. Before that he at least needed to drag everyone to one spot.

For that he needed to reel in the Cross Bits that Yue and others were hanging on to his side.

That time spending was fatal.

――iIIIIIIIIIIINN-

At the corner of his sight, he saw the space at the peak of the fifth mountain range distorting.

The entire ridge was gouged out in an instant, creating a caldera. It looked exactly the same like the caldera at the fourth mountain range.

A huge object appeared there. A giant that was a fusion of human and horse. Its total length must have reached 200 meters.

Its shape was similar enough to be described as Centaur. Its face was like the status of a beautiful man. It was one armed.

Its only arm was stretched horizontally. A huge war hammer manifested from empty air into its grasp――

All these happened in less than a second.

Nobody noticed it. They had no leeway for that. Hajime alone detected it inside the world that was moving in slow motion because of his survival instinct. Crap, we’re going to die, he thought.

「Limit-, BREAAAAAAAAAAAKKK-」

Shia saw the vision of death a beat later and went pale. Yue and the others were taken aback by Hajime’s sudden roar. Meanwhile a terrible explosive sound reverberated.

It was the sound of the Centauros’s step, breaking the caldera of the fifth mountain range.

Right after that, its giant body rushed between the mountains in an instant and closed the distance to Hajime and co.

Hajime too stepped forward with “Air Force” and put himself between his comrades and the Centauros.

He summoned a great shield. He activated “Light Speed”, the technique to expand his senses.

The giant war hammer was swung horizontally. The width of its striking force was so huge it wasn’t funny. It was as though a small building was coming at them. It was impossible to block it head on. That was why,

「RAAAAAAAAH」

Hajime parried it upward with a piercing cry of fighting spirit. He intentionally lowered the “Air Force” foothold at the moment of impact, and using all his strength, he moved the great shield with a scooping up movement and deflected the attack.

His technique was superb. The collision created a thunderous sound that ripped the eardrums. The surface of the great shield was shaved off while the giant war hammer passed through above their heads.

Yue and the others only noticed the danger after they were hit by the gust that was caused by the offense and defense that happened in an instant.

But, there wasn’t any time for them to feel relieved. The Centauros showed an action that was unbelievable coming from such gigantic body.

It didn’t resist the recoil from getting parried and half turned. It kicked the air and astonishingly somersaulted to pass above the head of Hajime and co. And then it stomped hard on the ground, breaking the collapsing slope even more and securing its foothold instantly.

(The war hammer-, and then its way of fighting! This guy-)

Hajime was assaulted with déjà vu even while quickly summoning additional Cross Bits. He created a shield of space isolation barrier that was connected from three points. But, as expected it was a poor plan to block such overwhelming power from head on.

There was a sound of destruction. At the same time although the direct hit was blocked, the shockwave from the impact assaulted Hajime and others.

Everyone screamed and got sent flying together until around the center of the area between the mountains.

It was worth of praise that everyone kept hanging on the Cross Bits even in such situation.

Thanks to that, Hajime’s control made it in time and prevented anyone from at least crashing on the ground. Although, they couldn’t perform a smooth landing and their body hit the ground hard before rolling away.

「Kuuh, what the hell is going on-」

「Suzu-, Tio-san-, are you two alright!?」

「I-I’m fine. But, what just happened……」

「Mine life flashed before mine eyes just nowww~」

Ryuutarou and Shizuku stood up even while moaning in pain. Suzu who was protected by Ryuutarou and the toughly built Tio alone were unharmed, but mentally it felt like they were going to lose the strength in their legs even now.

In fact, Shia had completely lost the strength in her legs. She couldn’t stand properly even with Kaori helping her up.

「Yue, you alright?」

「Yes, no problem. More importantly, that’s――」

She looked at the Centauros once more. It had just avoided the avalanche of soil and rock before moving once more.

It appeared from the ridge of the fifth mountain range. She gulped once more after seeing its absurdity once more.

「……Is that, a golem?」

It was made from some kind of alloy. Its coloring that was formerly white had faded out from being neglected for many years. As the proof of that it had damaged parts here and there. Most likely it had four arms originally. Right now it only had one right arm, but its left body side was mostly missing. It also only had one rear leg. The area of its buttocks was also missing parts.

Rainbow colored liquid was flowing from there. It was sticky. Perhaps it would look like blood if it was red.

Grooves were engraved over its whole body like tattoo. They were forming gigantic and complicated magic circle.

It was then, the reason why the ridge of the fourth mountain range was destroyed showed itself.

「Hajime-kun! That! The mountain……what’s that……」

Kaori’s voice was trembling. It was only natural.

The ridge was rearing its head. No, something that looked like a snake so gigantic appeared and made them to mistake it like that.

The diameter of its torso must be around 80 meters. Its total length was immeasurable. Just its reared neck had reached 300 meters. It was made from the same material like the Centauros and similar patterns carved on its body……

Perhaps it should be called as Serpent. And,

「Is today a parade for legendary creature or something?」

Hajime reflexively sported a dry smile.

The thing that stirred the black cloud in the sky also showed its appearance. It was a golem with female upper body and hawk lower body with wings on its back. Its total length was more than 200 meters.

If he described it using earth’s mythology, then perhaps this was a “Harpy”.

The Serpent and Harpy were also terribly damaged as expected. Their decayed figures made them felt that these golems must have extraordinarily long age.

It naturally made them understood that these existences were so outrageously old that they couldn’t even imagine it.

These were ancient golems based on super technology that was far outside the imagination of the current Hajime. The guardians of the ruins.

At the sky was Harpy. Then there were the Serpent and Centauros at the mountain ranges at both sides.

Nobody could make any movement seeing they were completely surrounded. Like a frog that was being glared by a snake. Or perhaps like a rabbit in the presence of a lion. The tension was stretched to the limit.

A slight calm before the storm filled the area.

The combat strength of Yue and others was drastically decreasing. Kaori too was unable to draw out the apostle’s ability sufficiently. Presently Hajime was the only one who could protect everyone. His brain that was operating in full drive was looking for a way to escape from this situation.

「The gate is the only way. If we can somehow gather and jump into it……」

As expected, that was the only way. They could only retreat for the moment, gathered information, and then made preparation.

He gauged the timing. Kaori and others must have also understood Hajime’s intention. The sound of gulping saliva could be heard clearly. The atmosphere felt like they were in a duel between western gunmen.

Water drop that didn’t come from the rain was trickling from Hajime’s forehead to his cheek. It arrived on his chin before falling.

Right after that. For an instant, that, it couldn’t be helped.

Hajime’s thought halted completely.

Because those burst up. Because he was shown three lights.

The lights of magic powers with the color of light blue, and jet black, and golden.

Hajime’s eyes snapped wide open. Yue and others were also became speechless in astonishment. That became a fatal opening.

――iIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINN

The Serpent’s roar. It was clad in Tio’s magic power, enchanting it with the soul magic “Soul Impact” to directly attack the soul.

It was a surprise attack that hit them while they were shaken up. That attack ignored any armor or the body’s toughness and hit them directly. Even Hajime had his consciousness almost blown away.

The effect to Suzu, Ryuutarou, and Shia went without saying. Rather, it was a miracle that everyone else other than those three could endure it.

Although, they were prevented from acting immediately. Therefore, the attack arrived.

――GOAAAAAAAAAH

The roar reverberated from thunder. From the dark cloud above the Harpy, a mythical beast that didn’t exist in this world descended. They were created from lightning, from azure flame, from ice and snow, from smoke of petrification, from storm of wind blades.

――Yue’s original highest class composite magic of gravity and five elements The Five Heavenly Dragons

In addition to that, there were also magic bullets of every element covering the sky to the brim like meteor shower.

「Guh, so it’s you, it’s you guys who took everyone’s memories-!!」

The fury and hatred that he had been suppressing welled up. The impulse to rush forward and destroy them right away drove through his body, but the others would die if he didn’t get a hold of himself.

Hajime endured the feeling of his magic power getting consumed in great chunks by gritting his teeth while summoning Schlagen.

The electromagnetically accelerated anti-material sniper rifle that was specialized for piercing ability, its target was the “core that formed the magic”.

「I’ve seen it too many times! The composition of Yue’s magic-」

Shoot, shoot, shoot. Crimson flashes gouged the heavenly dragons that assaulted from the sky with unrivalled precision.

Even though the shots were dampened by the magic power dispersion effect, they could still at least do something to the “core”. The “storm dragon”, “ice dragon”, and “stone dragon” that took the lead were dispersed.

「I too-」

Kaori kneaded her magic power with a desperate look and fired disintegration magic. It was terribly weakened because of her inexperience.

But, it was the world’s most atrocious magic that was used by god’s apostle. It splendidly erased the “flame dragon”.

「Don’t move from there!」

Hajime shot the last “lightning dragon” just barely in time before deploying a space isolation barrier with his Cross Bits.

His remaining magic power had dipped below 30%. Just from a battle that hadn’t even lasted one minute.

It was a bad move to deploy a defense with inefficient fuel consumption, but that was the only way in order to protect everyone.

A meteor shower of flame bullets, lightning bullets, ice spears, wind blades, and light swords rained down. It was like an aerial bombing. The ground of the mountain was battered and plowed up instantly. The ground was shaking.

「Enter the gate while we-」

*Vun* A shadow covered them from above. Everyone shuddered. The Centauros had teleported right on top of them. Shia couldn’t do something like teleportation because she had no aptitude for it. Were the golems also sharing their abilities with each other?

「Everyone, get down――」

The extremely heavy weapon was swung down from overhead stance. All the space isolation barriers were deployed overhead. Two layers of triangle barriers were formed with three Cross Bits each.

「「「「――tsuu!?」」」」

A shockwave with absurd power spread out. Everyone’s eardrums were paralyzed temporarily. The Cross Bits of the first layer were pulverized. The second layer also started creaking in an instant. But, they managed to buy time to at least parry the attack.

The giant war hammer slid on the barrier’s surface and struck empty ground.

But, even just the shockwave from it was destructive enough. As expected, Hajime and others were blown away to every which way.

While everyone lost sight of each other, Yue’s body strongly hit a jutting up rock. But she immediately recovered with “Automatic Regeneration” and stood up.

「How are the others――ah」

How were the others doing? Were they alive? Yue looked around with uneasiness and impatience. Then she noticed.

On top of the fourth mountain range, the Serpent was gathering an outrageous amount of magic power. That scorching heat that was exuding radiance like the darkness of night was truly a “dragon’s breath”.

She could see how the Serpent’s focus was directed at her. Would her “Automatic Regeneration” activated if she was erased until not a single dust remained behind?

「D-don’t……」 She unconsciously let out a voice that had fear and doubt mixed in.

*GOU-* The black flash cleaved through the area between mountains when it was fired. In front of that sight that was more than enough for her to imagine her death,

「Yue-」

There was one person who jumped in front of her without hesitation.

Her vision was completely filled with scorching flash. The sight of a man holding up a great shield was reflected in Yue’s eyes.

「OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-」

A war cry reverberated. It rivaled even the thunderous sound of the breath attack.

The stakes that shot out from the shield pierced the ground and fixed it in place. And yet the shield was still being pushed back while leaving behind furrows on the ground. Hajime endured it with a desperate look.

The great shield was melting. He was doing everything he could to repair it with “transmutation”. He didn’t even pay attention to his skin that was burning from the after wave.

He was unwavering. He would absolutely protect her to the end. That iron will was conveyed to her.

「Tsu, w-why, to go that far……」

Hajime’s back was gradually nearing her.

Inside Yue, there was confusion along with something that she couldn’t describe welling up.

(I……I, this scene……I know it?)

The last trial of [Orcus Great Dungeon], Hydra. Hajime had protected Yue to the end from the ultimate light that was fired from the silver head that was that monster’s final form. Using only his body and rifle as her shield.

Of course, Yue didn’t remember it. But, even knowing that this wasn’t the time for that, she couldn’t stop herself from having her mind seized by the intense pain in her chest.

「LIMIT BREAAKKK-, SUPREMEEEEEEE-」

He went a step further. The genuine trump card that he obtained from his death match against Noint. The final derivation of “Limit Break”.

The effect that quintupled his specs allowed him to completely block the breath that was far superior than the real thingTio.

The ground area with Hajime at the center lost against the pressure and sank in. Countless cracks covered the whole surface of the area between mountain range like a spider web.

But, the monster of abyss successfully endured through the ancient monster’s attack.

The powerful beam vanished into thin air. The heated rain evaporated and steams were diffused to the surrounding in great quantity.

Steam was also rising up from Hajime who was standing stock still using the great shield as support. It was as though his blood was also boiling.

「Nagumo Hajime! Are you alive!?」

Yue scolded her shaking legs and stood up. Hajime wasn’t even twitching. Seeing him like that made her unable to stand still and she was about to run toward him.

But, that half reflexive action was immediately interrupted.

「Agh, this is-!?」

Her knees bent and she fell face down. It was as though something was pressing on her from above.

It was the Harpy. It struck them with wide range super gravity field. As though commanding them to prostate.

As though to make doubly sure, the Centauros also teleported to them once more.

This time it might be intending to make use of the gravity field to its advantage too. Yue’s expression was colored with despair.

「Dammit allll-」

She was already being held in an embrace when she came to herself. The arms held her tightly, as though to protect her from everything, using his own body as a shield.

「Y-you, what are――」

「Be quiet-」

The blasting slug bullet that was fired from the elbow of his artificial arm exploded in close quarter. The shot recoil and the shockwave from the explosion hit his back to blow himself away.

He kept shooting, shooting, and shooting after that. He couldn’t waste even a drop of magic power anymore, so he slipped past through the line of death with physical force.

Right after that, impact.

Hajime who was obtaining distance with reckless way of exploding himself to blow himself away was struck on the back by the Centauros. The attack’s destructive power was definitely the greatest one so far. The ground was undulating from the impact. A half spherical dome came into view from the rain drops that were blown away.

Naturally, Hajime who took in that whole impact from shielding Yue with his body had his body along with his consciousness blown away.

That was a finishing blow.

For Hajime and others――it was not. It was for the ground.

Cracks spread out. To abnormally far away with the giant war hammer as the center. Some kind of sound, a lethal sound of something was radiating from underground the earth. That sound that even resembled the sound of thunder came from the fourth and fifth mountain ranges too.

Cracks that were like breaking glass were forming on the mountain surface.

Right after that, the ground between the mountains collapsed.

It seemed that it was also an unexpected situation for the golems. They took off their focus from Hajime and others and stopped moving while focusing on something else.

They were falling. Falling. Just like in the past, to the bottom of the abyss.

「――Tsu, just now, the wind――」

「tsu――Hajime-kun! Take my――」

『Nagumo-donooo~, ――tsu――!?』

「GAHAH」

Hajime’s consciousness returned. Yue who was inside his arms was saying something, but a horrible ringing in his ears made him unable to hear her clearly.

He also felt like he was hearing Kaori and Tio’s voices from “Telepathy”, but even those felt hazy in his mind. Perhaps his brain was shaken up.

Inside his hazy consciousness, he saw the collapsed ground and the darkness of the abyss with the gaping wide opening above.

There was nothing that could be done. He was convinced of that, however, there wasn’t any resignation or despair there.

Rather, This again……he got a strange feeling and smiled wryly.

「I’m alive」

He didn’t know whether he was saying that with his mouth or with “Telepathy”.

He didn’t know but, in any case.

He put his strength into his arms so that he wouldn’t let go of the very important warmth in there while mustering out his last strength.

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