Arifureta: Similar Story, Different World

by ReavesTheReader

Save the world? Psshhh. Creation god Ehito? PSSSHHHH. Magic and Monsters? PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHIT Just let me go home! (Working Summary. This is an OC. Bear with me.) (Delayed Update: due to, you guessed it, Corona.)

10. Chapter 10

Arifureta: Similar Story, Different World

Chapter 10: Similar Trip, Different Happenings

---

Despite the sun having just crested the horizon and the cool morning air lulling most other passengers to sleep, the girl wearing a thick traveling coat failed to even yawn. Sitting next to an old lady and her snoring son, Iselda shifted her seat on the first of the four wagons in the caravan, quietly staring at the breaking dawn sky.

"What's got ya stayin' up, missy?" The wagon driver asked over her shoulder. "A bit too early fer a child yer age to be fully awake."

"It's nothing, sir. I'm fine."

Giving the man a polite nod and a fake smile, the man took it as such and turned away. Even he, a stranger, had the sensitivity to not pry. Instead of pestering her further, the old man went back to calling a stable boy to work on the horses. Said boy wasn't immune to the morning drowsiness as even he stumbled before managing to get to work brushing the horses as they fed out of a trough.

They were still waiting for the wagon train to be filled. Yet only two of the four carriages had people. The rest were crates and barrels being loaded on by other stable boys and laborers.

'I wonder if I should buy something for Leo and mother on the way home…'

Seeing the stable boys at work, Iselda thought about her own sibling who worked the same job in Horaud. As it was her day off, it had been decided she would take a trip back. But because traveling to Horaud Town from the capital city would take up to half a day at best, a day and a half at worst, Iselda opted to save her off days and use them up for an entire week to enjoy her time back home.

Only, her thoughts were a current mess to even consider enjoying a short nap, let alone her first time home in a while.

The cause? It was a meeting with a certain queen not a few days ago.

---

KNOCK KNOCK

"Luluaria-sama, we have arrived."

A soft 'enter' was heard on the other side of the door and Iselda's senior maid, Helina-senpai, opened the door with a polite greeting to the Queen of Heiligh.

"Pardon the intrusion, your Majesty."

"Pardon the intrusion."

The Queen's study was more of a parlor than Princess Liliana's office space. Less books, more flowers. More paintings of the Royal Family decorated the mantle of the fireplace. Notably more of the children than parents. Tea tables and couches at the center with a large closet to the side. On the wall hung the largest mirror Iselda had ever seen and knew would cost a fortune a simple maid as her would never be able to pay back.

Just across from the door where a desk would normally be placed, like Liliana's office layout, a comfy chair with the owner of the room sat comfortably.

"Don't stand around on my account. Please, sit."

"Understood, ma'am."

Helina-senpai immediately did as she was told and took a seat on the long couch adjacent to Queen Luluaria's own. It may have been because Helina was used to being before the Queen's presence, but she didn't hesitate, unlike Iselda.

"Don't make me repeat myself, child. Sit."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Once sat, she feared to even look in the Queen's direction. The old, yet beautiful woman simply nodded to her attendant before turning back to the seated pair.

"Now, what would either of you like?" Iselda had to pause and glance at the woman for a few seconds before she understood the question. Fortunately, Luluaria-sama added to that with a smile. "Tea? Water? We have something called 'cookies' as well. Liliana learned the recipe from one of the Apostles-sama and made some with them during her free time."

"Tea will be fine, your Highness."

"I-I as well… your Highness."

"Are you sure? Liliana's 'cookies' are delicious. You should have a taste."

Had she not been on guard in the presence of the reigning monarch's wife, the young maid would've called the boasting expression the adult wore cute. A mother speaking proudly of her child was not something you saw every day. More so when said mother was a queen.

The pair had to concede at the Queen's insistence they try her daughter's cooking. As soon as the queen's attendant returned with a plate of the snack, the smell struck Iselda first. A sweet aroma unknown to her nostrils had caused her stiff expression to waver slightly.

The 'cookies' were sweet to the taste. Some were a little salty and hard, but at Luluaria-sama's suggestion to try a bite while sipping tea, Iselda's expression melted with pure bliss. Her guard completely shattered.

"Leave us for now," Luluaria dismissed her attendant without Iselda ever even noticing. The sweet and salty mix in her mouth had distracted her far too easily for the maid to even perceive that only the three of them remained in the room. "I see you're enjoying it. How is the taste, child?"

It took Iselda a few moments to realize she was being addressed, another moment more to straighten herself out.

"I-it's delicious, your Highness. I've never tasted a-anything like it before."

"I'm pleased to hear that." A genuine smile was the queen's response. "I'll be sure to tell Liliana you enjoyed them." Turning to her fellow maid, the Queen's smile turned into a tease. "What about yourself, Helina. You don't seem surprised after tasting such treats. Don't tell me… you snuck a nibble before me while my dear daughter was still learning."

"Not so, your Highness." The maid's composure remained steadfast. "I've merely sampled one from Shirasaki-sama's failed initial attempts to recreate the same dish. Compared to this one from Liliana-sama's, the Apostle-sama's had a more… intense… flavor. Your Highness has tasted Liliana-sama's attempt before I have."

"Hmm, and? How does it fare compared to the Apostle-sama's?"

Helina sighed softly as she sipped the tea set before her.

"It's… delicious… more refined than I initially expected. Perhaps it may be due to Shirasaki-sama's inexperience with the local ingredients, but Liliana-sama's cookies have a certain… charm to it."

"You agree with me, I see. My daughter's done her best yet again."

"Yes. Yes, she has, your Highness."

The strange exchange between maid and queen about the princess was a bizarre sight for Iselda. Not that she hadn't been privy to more outlandish sights before. She'd seen magic performed by novices that far surpassed the Court Mage's. She'd witnessed healing magic that not even the priests of the Church could perform cure an incurable poison.

Such were the experiences she'd faced beforehand. And yet, despite the person responsible for the two examples before causing much confusion in her heart, the nonchalance shared by the two ladies over a teenage girl's cooking was like watching two mothers sharing praises for their children.

When said children was a single child, it made the spectacle all the stranger as they seemed to share motherhood over Liliana-sama.

After sharing a laugh, the queen finally got to the heart of the problem. All amusement and casual air was gone, replaced by the dignity of a Sovereign.

"Now that the two of you are relaxed, I believe it's time we talked about this morning. Is there anything either of you would like to ask first?"

Neither responded. That didn't mean they didn't want to. In Iselda's case, hers pertained more to the Apostle's reason itself. Specifically,

'Why tell me about his reasons at all?'

She had been in deep thought about what had occurred earlier that day. Not that it got her anywhere. The 'why' was completely lost on her as she didn't even think she had anything to offer to Yamamoto-sama. Even if she did know of his side of the problem, what would a commoner like her be able to do about it?

"Why did you not tell Liliana-sama about it first?" Helina questioned first. "She's the closest to Yamamoto-sama and would most likely want to know what troubles him. Why have us maids aware of the Apostle's situation first before the one most intimate with him?"

An obvious question.

With Helina's composed expression directed at the queen, Iselda couldn't see her face clearly as she sat to Helina's left. Though, the way her senpai worded it, Iselda felt that she was disappointed or upset. Like she'd rather let Liliana-sama deal with this personally. Iselda was just guessing, but it seemed like Helina-senpai wanted to push Yamamoto-sama onto Liliana-sama.

That thought sent a twinge through her chest yet again. But unlike that other day, it was accompanied by a sense of doubt.

'What is this feeling?' Iselda asked no one but herself.

"It's as you said, Helina. My daughter is the most intimate with the Apostle-sama." Luluaria-sama didn't seem offended or anything at all by her senpai. Instead, she kept her poker face to the maid in question. "But it is precisely why I can't just let Liliana know."

"Eh?"

"Liliana is but a child. Despite how mature she may act, how hardworking she may be, my child is still a child. This will only hurt her more than anything."

"Forgive my rudeness, your Highness," Helina made to scold but didn't stand. "But please, do not underestimate Liliana-sama. Despite how young she may be, she's—"

"Still a child." The Queen's voice cut through like ice. "I'm not doing this because I believe she can't take it. I'm doing it because Liliana is not ready for such a news just yet. Despite how she carries herself, my daughter is still disillusioned by naivety. To tell her the noble Saint-sama just wants to leave would not only ruin the trust she placed upon him, but also shatter that innocent dream she carries within her heart."

The Queen sighed, a gentle smile forming right after.

"I appreciate the trust you have in my daughter, Helina. You've raised my child and watched her grow for so long that you're practically an elder sibling to her. She trusts you and loves you just as much as she does Lundel, her father, and I."

Iselda noted that her senior maid's hand touched the crimson-jeweled brooch attached to the scarf around her neck. It was the only deviation from the normal maid's uniform. All this time, Iselda thought it was used to denote her rank as the Princess' aide. But with the stiff air around her senpai, Iselda guessed that it was more important than that.

"But as her mother, I don't want to risk ruining the childhood she has finally started to enjoy."

The Queen stood up and walked towards the fireplace. Her gaze drifted from the maids to the portraits of her family on the mantle. Her smile was one of pride, but Iselda saw sadness in her eyes.

"My son will be the new king once he reaches adulthood. My daughter has studied and trained herself to ensure that his rule won't fail. But in doing so, she has hardly spent the time being the child that she is." She turned to face Helina once again. This time, it was a face of determination smothered with motherly concern. "I do not wish for my daughter to endure the same path as I have. She will not be required to be a queen. Even if she may be wed to some noble for political gain, she need not be bound by the same chains and responsibilities as I was trained for when I was but a child."

"But if Liliana-sama finds out that I knew before she did, it would make it like I betrayed her—"

"Then make sure she never finds out. I do not want to protect her peaceful days with lies either. That is why I prefer it if we never brought this up to her until she or Eichirou-sama is ready. Be they to join hands in marriage or part ways forever."

Simply put, a pact of omitting the truth. It wasn't a lie, per say. But it still felt… wrong. At least, the young maid girl felt so. If her own mother were to do the same to protect her, she would feel hurt, betrayed.

But she wasn't Liliana. So what was said didn't bother her as much as it should have.

"To answer your second question, I made mention of this to the two of you first because of your current positions."

She walked back to the tea table, but instead of sitting down on her comfy chair at its head, she sat directly across the two maids. All emotion had been wiped from her face. She was back from being a mother to a queen.

"Helina."

"Yes, your Highness."

"You are Liliana's aide. Therefore, you have the power to protect my child by keeping this information from her. She's a perceptive one, that girl. If I was able to see Eichirou-sama's true wish just by observation alone, she will as well soon enough. As you are someone she trusts, she will come to you for advice in one way or another." She placed a hand on the maid's own. "I know I can leave this matter to you. Keep her oblivious. But I also urge that you remain a bit more neutral."

For a brief moment, the dignified face cracked a teasing smile.

"I know that you've been egging Liliana into wooing Eichirou-sama. I can tell you only did it due to my daughter's lack of self-confidence. But if Liliana wants to push, let her do it on her own when in front of Eichirou-sama. While you keep her away from the truth, I suggest you only assist her from the shadows. It may trouble Eichirou-sama. However, if my daughter manages to give him a reason to stay, it would be for all the better."

Iselda's eyes widened at that statement. Luluaria-sama was willing to use her own daughter to have Yamamoto-sama stay. It was true that he could be made to change his mind. But to have her own daughter take on that role without her knowledge?

Even if she was doing it for the kingdom, it seemed a bit too… manipulative.

"Don't look so down, Helina. Not telling Liliana is more out of respect for Eichirou-sama's privacy. At the very least, you need not feel guilty for betraying her when you are still helping her in your own way. I only ask that you keep the secret with my intentions in mind."

"… … … understood."

Contrary to the usual assertiveness, Helina seemed to deflate under the queen's gaze. Perhaps she just wanted the best for Liliana. As someone who had been her aide since she was young, she most likely had grown attached to the girl. Using the girl for the Queen's plan was just something she didn't seem to be comfortable with.

To Iselda, it seemed to be the natural course for her senpai to remain where she was, assisting Liliana-sama with this new awareness.

But then, where did that leave her?

"Iselda."

"Y-yes, your H-Highness?!"

With the woman's gaze locked onto her, the young maid tensed up immediately. Having her name known by the queen was supposedly odd as she was just another commoner, a nobody. And yet, the eyes of the queen seemed to shine with knowledge. Like she knew everything and anything about her.

"Calm down, child. I'm not going to punish you. Rather, I have a question for you."

"Eh? W-what is it you wish to know, your Highness?"

"Knowing that our dear Apostle-sama prioritizes on leaving more than he does saving us from the demons, are you still willing to remain as Eichirou-sama's aide?"

'Did she?' Iselda didn't know. At first, she thought she might want to quit. But the thought never lingered much on her mind as it did her other question. "I apologize for responding to your question w-with one of my own, your Highness… but…"

"Speak your mind, child."

The Queen merely nodded, awaiting her inquiry. Seeing the woman's patience, Iselda took a deep breath and asked.

"Why is it that you chose me? I understand Helina-senpai's position as Liliana-sama's aide is essential, however, I am merely a commoner."

'What did I have that made me special to Yamamoto-sama?'

She would've continued thus, had the queen not started giggling.

"Eh? Ah? Was it something I said?"

"Yes, child." Controlling her mirth, Luluaria-sama recomposed herself. "It seems you do not know your own worth."

By now, Iselda didn't really understand what that had to do with it.

"Iselda, I chose to reveal the truth to you because, compared to the majority of the palace's staff, you are someone Eichirou-sama trusts." The young maid didn't even get a chance to shoot that down as the queen merely continued. "You understand that Eichirou-sama is a very cautious person. Given that I know his secret, he would be all the more so with people he has never met before. It didn't have to be you, yet I chose to have you aware of this because, out of all the possible servants to be assigned to him, he can trust you the most."

"At the very least, he wouldn't be suspicious of you. After all, it was by Liliana's order that you be assigned to him. Had I removed you and put someone else that I handpicked in your position, Eichirou-sama would grow suspicious of me. He would take it as me replacing the people around him to keep an eye on him. He would lose trust, not just in myself, but in everyone else as well."

The smile faded from her face as a worried expression threatened to break past.

"Revealing what I knew then instead of in private may have been a mistake on my part, but I do not wish to cause my benefactor any more problems than I already have. I'm forcing my goodwill on him as it is, and I only wish to have Iselda aide him in his endeavors. Not for the sake of Tortus, mind you, but for my sake. This is a personal order."

That made it all the more peculiar. Why have her assist the Apostle out of a personal request when she already was supporting him under Liliana-sama's orders?

Did he need someone by his side that much?

"You still don't seem convinced." The queen sighed, seemingly reading her mind. "Would it make it more believable if I told you I suspect Eichirou-sama having enemies within the palace?"

"Eh?" Yamamoto-sama, having enemies? While it was obvious he had disagreements with his fellows, it didn't really seem possible that there would be people of Tortus that found any grievance with the Saint-sama. "What do you mean, your Highness?"

"While I do not want to suspect anyone specifically, there have been a few rumors that Ishtar-sama has it out for Eichirou-sama."

The pope himself? Was it because the Apostle disagreed with him?

"Do you recall the poisoning incident? When Eichirou-sama defended you and several others for your innocence?" Iselda nodded. "Ever since that time, my 'ears' have been hearing rumors of the pope holding a grudge. Though I cannot speak for Ehito-sama's servants, I do believe Ishtar-sama may be a threat to Eichirou-sama. As I owe him the life of my children, I have decided to stand by him and provide what support I could muster."

The girl could only sit in silence. Here was the queen, openly proclaiming to stand against the pope for the sake of her children's savior. Heretical it may be. Treasonous, to be sure. But it was a noble goal.

One that Iselda was sure would get the queen killed if anyone ever found out.

"Why would you stand against the Church?" For a moment, Iselda forgot to show respect to the queen. "What makes you so sure that supporting Yamamoto-sama is the best option to take?"

However, the woman sat before her merely smiled warmly.

"My husband told me that he was given a trial by Anima. Eichirou-sama told him he received two, in fact."

'Eichirou-sama did?'

Despite the curiosity showing on her face, Iselda listened intently.

"One was the trial of the King. He would have to manage and maintain peace in his kingdom as long as it was under his rule. A trial that ends once Lundel takes his place. The other was the trial of the Father. Eichirou had complemented my husband in that he was close to accomplishing it once. All he had to do was continue raising Liliana to adulthood and then the trial would continue until he did the same for my son."

"Why tell me this?"

"Because I believe Anima-sama has given me a trial to repay my benefactor."

"Anima-sama… gave you a trial?"

"You are familiar with Yamamoto-sama's patron deity, correct?"

Iselda nodded. After all, who wasn't? A god that healed the sick that Ehito-sama could not? A god that unconditionally claimed all as her children? It was beyond benevolent. It felt like a dream.

"Eichirou-sama told my husband that Anima-sama sees everyone as her children. And to those, he gives certain trials. No matter who it is or how simple they may be, the god of Eichirou-sama places trials upon those she deems needing of them."

Luluaria-sama's hand rested upon her chest as she spoke.

"I believe it is my trial to 'think for myself' and decide my path from there. I have heard Eichirou-sama's stories about people that would stand in the face of adversity despite all odds. What I'm doing now is placing myself at risk against the Church."

A smile drifted on her face.

"If it's to repay the one who saved the people I love, then I would gladly take up Anima-sama's task. It won't matter to me what I have to do as long as I accomplish this for his sake. I owe him two lives I can never repay with a simple 'thank you'."

Iselda saw her eyes. They shone with beauty and passion, but also determination and resolve. Luluaria-sama was serious.

"As I've said, I believe that there are those who would mean harm for Eichirou-sama. Rather than blindly follow Ishtar-sama's word, I have begun to think, not just for my sake but my family as well. I believe that Eichirou-sama was correct in his decision to save my children. Ehito-sama would surely agree with Anima-sama in that regard. After all, it was Ehito-sama who summoned Eichirou-sama into this world."

The thought—no, the audacity of the queen to claim she had received a trial from god would have probably insulted more than a few of Ehito-sama's devoted followers, many of whom had been accepted into the Church on the basis of being born with holy skills such as Divination and Holy Light. To be blessed with proof was the only way to be seen with the grace of god on one's side.

But as she spoke of Yamamoto-sama's deity, the one who only demanded gratitude and nothing more, Iselda found herself believing her every word. That lit something up in her chest.

"What is it that you would have me do?"

"Aide him." Simple as that, Luluaria-sama stated. "Keep supporting him in my place. As someone who knows his secret, I ask that you alleviate the strain placed upon him by others. They may all see him as a Saint, but he may not like accepting such praise."

"Does he feel that he does not deserves it?"

Iselda had assumed that Yamamoto-sama may be feeling guilty. Saving so many that he was called a Saint could have been unintentional on his part. Knowing now that he was against helping them fight the demons, she thought he would feel as much.

But then, why would such a being as an Apostle feel such emotions when he had done the right thing, even according to his god's teachings as well as Ehito-sama's benevolence?

As his maid, she may have known the Apostles, but she hardly understood their ways. She had always watched him impress her with his every action, baffled the others with his humility, shown respect for even the commoners, succeeded in surpassing the expectations of the noblemen and higher officials, and yet all she had done was chalk it up as something only an Apostle was capable of.

She didn't understand the person known as Yamamoto Eichirou because she believed he was an existence beyond her comprehension. She was told he was a messenger of god after all.

This was the first time she saw something so… flawed… so human… about him.

"Don't be mistaken, Iselda. Eichirou-sama is a kind soul. He wouldn't have helped you, your fellows, or my family had he not been, but he is a humble man. Maybe even too humble. You saw how he refused to acknowledge the changes he had shaped within my children. Looking back a month from today, would you say Liliana and Lundel were the same as they are right now?"

No, she wouldn't.

Lundel-sama, despite being so young, was always, pardon her bluntness, an arrogant and boastful child. But after a few weeks with Yamamoto-sama, he came to be more idealistic. He was still immature like any child, but more generous and modest than before.

Then there was Liliana-sama. Although more mature than any other of her age, she had always kept everyone at arm's length with her neutral political mask. It was easy to work with her, but Iselda had always felt her to be a little cold on the exterior despite how her closest of aids kept telling them that she was merely misunderstood.

After Yamamoto-sama came along, she began enjoying life to the fullest and making friends with not just the Apostles-sama, but even Iselda's fellow servants. They were gifted with her greetings and joyous expression almost daily now. Before, there were many who supported her from the shadows as the girl who tried her best. Now, she was known as the child that brought the best out of everyone.

It was somehow felt both reassuring and envious.

"Will you take up this personal request of mine?"

The queen's voice snapped her back to reality. A stern but dignified façade gave the solemn air about Luluaria a definitive touch.

"Know that doing so could put you under scrutiny by the Church of Saints should Ishtar-sama use his position to oppose Eichirou-sama. I will not force you if it isn't something you can agree with. I shall compensate you for your silence, granted you keep said silence. Otherwise, my hand may be forced."

The air went freezing there for a second, but Iselda caught the implication and understood why it was needed. She was optional and could remain an outsider for so as long as she kept her mouth shut. The only reason she was here was because the queen wanted someone Yamamoto-sama could trust. This was all for his sake, not just Luluaria-sama's.

"I do not wish to use force, however. So please, could you give me your answer?"

"I—"

Her family could be in danger. If he was made Ishtar-sama's public enemy, something that Iselda still found hard to believe, she could be the same by proxy if she stayed by him. Though Ehito-sama's teachings were absolute, the queen's concern was hard to simply dismiss outright.

But she did owe him her life. She was saved from slavery thanks to his intervention. Indirectly, he saved her family as well through saving her. Even if Leo worked hard all his life, the meager earnings of an uneducated stable boy wouldn't be enough to support their mother as well as him.

She couldn't choose. She could remain silent and refuse to save her family, but then she'd be doing him a disservice by not repaying his kindness.

He had saved her by calling on his patron god Anima-sama for forgiveness. A god that demanded only gratitude.

'Anima challenges all no matter their circumstances, and only those that are truly deserving receive not the reward they desire, but the reward they require.'

He had stated that to her all those nights ago. She had interpreted it like so.

'Anima will test you and, if you succeed, you will get what you deserved.'

If she followed this assumption, then, like Luluaria-sama, she was being tested as well. Not by Ehito-sama or the Queen. Not even Yamamoto-sama was testing her. It was Anima.

If she was given a trial, would it be to test the lengths she would go to repay him, or would it be how far she would stoop to protect her family?

She couldn't choose. When she told the queen her reason, she thusly received a sigh.

"Then, I shall give you time, child. I'd rather you choose your path with a clear mind and heart. I shall wait for your answer until Eichirou-sama decides to take up my offer." The queen had a face of disappointment, but it wasn't directed at Iselda. By how Luluaria-sama directed it to the floor, it seemed like it was for herself. "If you've made up your mind, have my personal maid call for me so that I may directly hear your response."

A nod and a quick bow later, they were dismissed. As they still had the rest of the day to serve their respective charges, Iselda split off from Helina right after. Fortunately, Yamamoto-sama decided to turn in early for the day.

With some free time in her hands, the young maid was given a chance to have some peace of mind, or as much peace as Amelia-senpai allowed her. The older maid was perceptive enough to know it was not a good time and she didn't question it either. Iselda was able to get by without so much as raising her voice to her senior as per the usual.

Sad to say, however, she didn't sleep well that night, even though she had left her room that morning on a high note.

---

The day of her meeting with the queen ended exactly one week ago. Although brief, the decision she had to make stewed within her head for quite some time. Then, the day of her leave arrived.

She had yet to make her choice.

"Oh, they're finally here." The old wagon driver's voice drew her attention as he suddenly stood up from one of the nearby water barrels to approach the oncoming entourage of knights and three more wagons already partially loaded with people. "Oy! Took yer long enough! How long er ya plannin' on makin' us wait?"

"Sorry about that, Hector." Iselda recognized the Knight Commander anywhere. Be it his voice or the nonchalant yet sharp air about him, Meld Loggins cut a recognizable figure in the early morning hours. "We ran into a little… issue… with one of the horses."

"Haaah? Yer ran into a wut, now?"

Before Meld could respond, the loud whinny of a horse cried out from the end of the knights' group. It was so loud, the majority of resting passengers woke up to the sight of the Apostles pulling up their own group right next to theirs.

"WOAH THERE! Woah! Easy, Jacky! Easy."

Taking his time to calm the angry steed, Iselda's heart thumped ever so slightly at the sight of his dashing figure atop the dark horse.

"You alright, Eichirou?" Meld called up from the front.

"Yeah, we're good." Turning to face the waking passengers, Yamamoto-sama made to apologize. "Sorry about ruining your sleep. This one's a little testy this morn—Woah! Jacky! Easy, boy!"

The moment a stable boy approached to take care of one of the nearby wagon horses, the Apostle's steed began snorting in the child's direction, prompting Yamamoto-sama to pull him back by the reins.

"You alright, young man?" Jumping off, he made sure to check on the unfortunate boy while tossing his reins to Nagayama-sama sitting atop his own steed. "Sorry, he's been a little agitated. Are you injured?"

"No, I'm fine, sir." The boy could only shake his head as he recovered from the shock. As soon as he was up though, he was pointing at the steed with an incredulous look on his face. "Is that… Blackjack?"

"Oh, you know Jacky?"

"I heard that no one could ever ride him! How did you manage to calm him down enough to be able to mount the Dark Wind of the Plains?"

Hearing this phrase, Iselda almost fell back on habit and attributed the cause as 'because Yamamoto-sama was an Apostle'. Shaking her head, she decided to keep listening. She knew defaulting to that reasoning again would be the same as forgetting what the queen had asked of her. Iselda wanted to know.

That wasn't it. She felt she needed to know more about the Apostle named Yamamoto Eichirou.

"I… don't know what to say, kid." The Apostle shrugged, inducing a headache for Iselda. "One minute, he was ready to chase me down. The next, he was snuggling my palm after being tangled up in the poor tannery shop owner's wares."

The one time when she decided to learn more about him as a human being and all she got was his dumb luck of a reason. Calling it a skill may have been enough. Maybe Yamamoto-sama had training with mounts back in his world. But to declare that the imposing and seemingly infamous steed, who was receiving most of the stable boys' and laborers' awestruck expressions, was won over with a simple pat to its white-striped face, it was beyond impressive or befuddling.

It defied logic.

"It's seriously no fair! Why does it like Eichirou but runs away from me!"

"Aya-chan, he technically ran away from all of us."

"Give Eichin a break. He was the only one Blackjack ran towards."

"You mean 'chased down', Kentarou."

"But you have to admit, it was fun seeing Eichirou run away from something for a change."

"Kousuke-kun… I think that's a little too harsh."

"Oh just admit it, Hajime. Even you enjoyed watching that ass getting chased by a demon horse."

The other Apostles laughed at the expense of her… of Yamamoto-sama. He didn't so much as looked offended at all, however. In fact, as he gave his horse a head pat, Iselda noted that he was now sporting the widest smile she ever did see on him ever since she met him.

"Don't listen to them, Jacky. Ayako's just jealous that she doesn't get to ride a great steed like you."

The brown-coated steed seemed to recognize his words as it turned to Tsuji-sama, snorted, then returned to snuggling in his palms. It was enough to cause the female Apostle to squeal with envy as well as incite their fellows to laugh at her expense.

"Ah mou! Why do you always take the good stuff, Eichirou?!"

"Then, would Ayako-himesama like a ride?"

"Eh, is it alright?! Yes! Now I can—"

"On the condition that you'd be riding as passenger, of course."

"Eh…? EEEEEHHHHHH?!"

If the earlier whinnying of the horse didn't wake a few people up, the Apostle's shrill voice certainly roused the whole district.

The Apostles, however, remained in their own little world.

"Ara, Yamamoto-kun made a move on Aya-chan… Even though he already has Lili-chan."

"What do you mean 'made a move on me'?! D-don't you even think about me that way, y-y-y-you playboy actor!" Tsuji-sama was flustered and stammering with a frenzy.

Meanwhile,

"Kuho—!"

"You alright there, man?"

"Kentarou-kun, daijobu desu ka?"

Nagayama-sama and Nagumo-sama asked their fellow, Nomura-sama, as he stifled a coughing fit. It seemed that he started having one the moment Yoshino-sama mentioned her fellow Apostle and someone called… Lili-chan?

That was not a familiar name to the young maid on break.

As for the trio of boys, neither Nagayama-sama nor Nagumo-sama made a move to check on Nomura-sama as both rode horses while he remained on the carriage beside Yoshino-sama. Coincidentally, said female Apostle was glancing between her friend and the boy having difficulty breathing while smiling.

Iselda recognized it as the same kind of smile Amelia made when she was about to be annoying.

"Oh come now, Yoshino-kun. I was merely asking Ayako-himesama if she would like a ride. But seeing as Blackjack-kun here is a little afraid of her, I need to be around to reign him in in case of emergencies."

"Eh? You would go so far to treat her like a princess?"

"If she so wishes it, I shall treat her like one. Despite her unladylike manner being difficult to hide, I could at least try with my 'devoted servant act'."

"I like how you didn't deny already having Lili-chan. You're too smooth, Yamamoto-kun."

"I have no idea what you may be referring to, Yoshino-kun."

"Don't ignore me, you jerk! And what do you mean 'unladylike'?!"

To the other travelers on their own wagon, as well as the gathering audience on the street, the scene drew out chuckles and smiles and maybe a few bewildered but surprised stares. Many had started to notice who, or what, were the people happily fooling around before them. More than a few waking children began popping smiles as soon as their parents called them 'Apostles-sama'.

Iselda was the only one who didn't so much as budge. Her eyes locked on to the indirect cause of her inner turmoil. She had no idea if he would notice her as she had foregone her tidy bun and allowed her brown locks to bunch up around her neck and shoulders. Needless to say, she was in her traveling garb and not the black-and-white dress uniform and apron, standard for all palace maids.

The mere fact that the other Apostles glossed over her when they looked over her group's wagons was proof enough that no one recognized her. She would have let out a sigh of relief at being able to travel incognito from her charge, but fate didn't seem to let her off easy.

"Look, mama! The horse-riding Apostle-sama is looking at us!"

"Johann! It's rude to point at people! Especially Apostle-sama! Just smile and wave, my boy. Smile and wave."

The boy did so. But from behind the mother and son's shoulder, she could see Yamamoto-sama's violet eyes glance directly into her own amber orbs. He smiled slightly and waved back. The boy hiding her form was ecstatic at being responded to. Iselda knew otherwise.

'He noticed me.'

She didn't know how he could have. Especially since she had her cloak's hood pulled up to cover the upper part of her face. Not to mention being squashed against an excited child and his mother. Still, it was clear.

He saw her.

He acknowledged her.

Did that mean he was fine with her knowing what she knew? She couldn't say for certain. But looking back at his smile to her, why did it seem like he was a little sad? Or tired?

Was he relieved to see her now that she shared his secret? Or was he worried she would speak? She wouldn't. But the worry could still be there.

Like all her other questions, she didn't know the answer to any of it either.

"Right! We all ere? Make sure nothin' and no one's been left behind!" The lead wagon driver called up to the rest of the passengers. When none responded, he cracked his whip. "Right, off we go! To Horaud! Hya!"

With his signal, the wagon train left the open gates of the capital city. The rumbling of hooves and the wagon's shaking was all that she could hear now. Add the fact that they were now joined by a knight escort of several tens of the knight order's men surrounding them protectively and three additional wagons of Apostles trailing with, Iselda could only sink into her seat and watch as the mountainous scenery flew past as they trudged along the rough road.

With the loud noises obstructing her concentration, she was left with nothing to do for most of the morning. All she had on her mind was silence.

However, she would give anything to have an answer to all her questions instead.

---

I hated this day.

I'm tired. I'm stressed. The sun was reaching its peak in the sky. Yet I'm already fucking done dealing with this shitty day and all I've done is sit on a horse.

What's worse, my ass hurts.

Not just a simple pain, oooooh no. I had to run straight through the market, got kicked in the gut through some poor sap's wooden wall, TWICE, and was forced to stumble around in a cramped warehouse filled with god-awful smelling hides and leather goods. All of this just a few hours after waking up. And now forced to ride on the troublemaker of my morning.

Yep, I wasn't having a good day. Not. At. All.

'Oh come now. There's no need to whine so much like a child.'

Says the child who didn't have to go through that ordeal. Fucking hell. She watched from the safety of the back of my head. What's more, she started fucking laughing! LAUGHING! I swear if she started humming Yakety Sax from Benny Hill, I might've just blasted the damn horse into bits with Mia's new magic!

'Don't you dare use that on him! He's a good boy!'

'Good boy, my ass!'

Even while I wasn't in control of my body right now, and I could still feel the pain in my rear from this morning! Fuck you, Ehito, and your stupid world and its stupid horses! The ones from earth were hardly this problematic! Why in the hell does yours have no chill?!

'You're just jealous that he doesn't like you!'

'Oh, sod off.'

Currently while I was steaming inside my own head, we were outside of the palace city. Around several miles out. Enroute to Horaud Town, the classmates, all thirty or so of us, and several tens of knight escorts were joined together with a merchant caravan on their way to the Labyrinth Town, or so they called it. The large escort was due to the recent incident, with around half of them being competent mages to repel anymore mind attacks.

The concern was warranted, but I never expected this many of them to be here all at once.

Rather than waste money on hiring guards or mercenaries, it was decided the knight order and Apostles take on the role of escorting the caravan. It was to serve as training for the class in terms of long distance travel, fighting experience if there were small monsters or bandits, and a kind of socializing with the locals to promote good public image.

Then again, with this many people, guard duty doesn't seem like much of a hassle. I was more worried for the payment the merchant's traveling party would have to give. But if it was sponsored by the kingdom, as most things for the Apostles sake were, then maybe the price was halved.

We weren't registered as either mercenary or adventurer so paying us was unofficial. It was the knight order who would be transacting with them in the first place.

Concerning the actual duty expected of us, the monster and bandit fighting bit was troublesome. As we were currently traveling along one of the country's central highways from the capital, it was expected to be safer than the roads leading to frontier towns. Though hiring us as escorts was just a formality, to have the responsibility of watching out for these civilians when combat experience was nil just sounded stupid to me.

'Haaah,' even in my head, I could only sigh at the idea. But it wasn't all demerits.

The reason for our being here that I actually had interest in was the last point I mentioned: socializing with the people.

I wouldn't disagree with it nor did I think it troublesome for the most part. I actually wanted to see for myself what the residents of Heiligh, and the rest of Tortus, thought of us beyond the praises and compliments within the palace. Nobles were typical in that they patronized us for the sake of gaining favor. The commoners, which were the majority, had yet to have any say. Apart from the servants of the palace, of course.

But what I could gather from this ride alone was too little information. They seem to like us, judging from how they accepted our being late to the rendezvous without much complaints. They've been very patient and accommodating. Conversation among the class and a few of the travelers was easy as there was nothing else to do.

Hell, even the introvert Hajime was having a fun exchange with an elderly man who seems to work in the mining business and his apprentice. The conversation initially started with the old merchant nostalgically watching Hajime and Shirasaki's exchange, but after some teasing and bashful denials, the topic turned to minerals and materials.

I sympathize with the girl for being pushed out of the conversation. I may have had a hand in that. I did stress the fact that the guy should prioritized info gathering as he was weak in all but creative thinking.

I'm rambling again. But apart from Hector, the carriage driver who was also this caravan's leader, no one else had any gripes with us for pushing back their schedule. So their opinion, I would say, was very positive of us.

It would've been perfect if not for the delay. Thanks a lot, you stupid animal!

'Stop blaming Jacky for everything!'

There she goes with the nickname. I swear, if this horse bucks me off and chases me again, I'll—!

No, calm down. Calm down.

Breathe. Hold. And release. Repeat.

Breathe. Hold. And release…

'Haaah…'

.

.

.

Moving on.

As to why I was interested in knowing, it was because information here moved slow.

Without the advent of modern tech, word about us wouldn't have spread fast enough to the outer regions of the kingdom. The mere fact we were riding on horseback for what was designated to be a several-day trip was proof that information, people and goods included, travelled slow. Information about us was sparse.

From what I can tell, all they know about us comes from the Church itself, the various rumors passed along by the palace servants and guards, or maybe what the noblemen from the poisoning incident spread to their own families and servants.

They know we were heroes and otherworlders. But they had no idea exactly who we were. Case and point, the child sat along with her mother looking to want to ask questions as I rode alongside their carriage.

"Mama, I want to ask!"

"Don't be rude, child! They are the servants of god. Show some respect!"

"But I want to know which Apostle-sama is the Saint-sama!"

"Sit down! If you anger the Apostles-sama, the Church will punish you! I'm terribly sorry, Apostle-sama. He's only four and hasn't learned all of the Church's laws just yet. Please, forgive Johann."

Ah, the innocence of youth. Curiosity is an endearing aspect of children. As long as they don't trouble the parent, of course. While the mother hissed angrily at her son, she turned to the nearest one of us to apologize. Coincidently, it was me. Better to just smile and wave. Cue Mia.

"It's nothing to apologize for, ma'am."

As the horse didn't like me, Mia had to pilot my body as we rode along.

I didn't remember when it started. But I could suddenly use partial control of my body even when Mia was in play. Strange as it was, it felt instinctual. Like a driving instructor stepping on the secondary breaks and taking the teacher's wheel before the student took a wrong turn and crashed.

Mia didn't like it when I did so without warning, however, so I mostly let her do the talking as long as she followed through with my wishes.

"If you don't mind me asking though, why is it that you want to meet the Saint, young man?"

Though, today she was extremely curious.

'Oy, what are you doing? Don't just pry like that!'

I couldn't stop her in time. Before I could even attempt to hijack my arm back and cup her mouth, the boy was already beaming.

"I-I heard that the Saint-sama is a great magician! And that he can heal a lot of sick people! I wanna meet him because I wanna help people. Just like him!"

The mother looked like she so desperately wanted her child to stop before he said something too far. I didn't see it as a bad thing. Children had their dreams too. Stupid as it may be, and though he didn't know all of the factors that lead up to it, it was an admirable dream.

'Then it's no problem if I encourage it, right? Right?!'

'… … Haaah… fine… But do it how I would—'

'OKIE!'

I internally sighed yet again.

The child in my head had been all giddy ever since we woke up. Excited as she may be to see the outside world, she was too hyper even by normal standards. Her usual insight would have put her at around twelve or thirteen years old, maybe the mid-teens. But right now, Mia was acting like she was four on a field trip.

Maybe it was to be expected. She'd only been in my head for around a month or so.

"What's your name, child?"

"Johann!"

"Well then, Johann, I'm sure the Saint would say that it's a wonderful dream to have." The boy's smile beamed even more. "But before your dream is fulfilled, you have to work and study hard."

It was then that his smile seemed to wane. Even his mother seemed a little sad to see his face.

"But… but we're commoners… We don't have money for school."

Well, that was to be expected. They lived in a medieval age. School was exclusive to the rich and nobles. But that didn't stop Mia.

"Let me tell you a secret child. Come closer." Leaning in, she whispered, though it was very much audible to anyone who was already listening in. "We, even the Saint, are all commoners in our world."

"Eh?! But… Aren't you Apostles?"

"And even though we are, status means nothing. If you truly want your dream to be fulfilled, you find a way." The boy didn't seem to understand the point. Giving Mia a pointer, she continued her performance with my voice and hands, putting a palm on her chest as she spoke. "There are many ways to heal people besides magic. If someone's arm was stabbed through and no mage is present to heal the wound, do you let them bleed out?"

"No, you cover it with clean cloth and stop the bleeding!" The boy shook his head and spoke up. "Mother taught me!"

"Good, you're a smart child. Most children your age would've probably started panicking." The compliment had him grinning from ear to ear. "And if your mother was sick and no healer is around? What do you do?"

"Ehh? Erm… F-find a doctor?"

"And if you can't? Will you let the sickness claim your family?"

"I-if I… I'll… then…. but…"

The boy was struggling now. Even as I rode the backseat, I could tell he was trying to come up with an answer and failing. He was young. That was to be expected. He didn't have enough of a life experience to grasp a proper answer, and since he didn't suggest anything out of place, it means his head is in the right direction.

"Eichirou, stop bullying him."

Speaking from across the carriage we trailed alongside, Hajime called Mia and I out. Her expression must've been gloating, or something along those lines—'WAS NOT!'—for him to notice. Regardless, the otaku riding his own steed turned to face the kid with a nervous smile.

"Johann, was it? Don't think too hard on it. The Saint's question is actually very easy to answer. Just 'become the doctor', see? No worries when you've become one yourself."

"But I can't study in school."

"Eh—Ah. That's right!"

Even Hajime had to scratch his head at the child's pessimistic outlook. When people gave children advice, the usual would've been something like 'how do I do that?'. Getting a 'but I can't' really made it difficult to convince them otherwise when even you didn't know how to explain it.

Even if Hajime had learned to be a bit more open recently, it's not like he could magically reason with the kid when he found it hard to offer advice himself.

"You can learn without going to school. As long as you pay attention." Kousuke spoke up from atop his own black colt. Though he was normally invisible, even to his own ride, he had suddenly drawn most of their eyes from speaking up. "If you don't have the skills, observe what the professionals do when you can. If it's about the medicine, learn to make it yourself. Even professionals don't know what works until they figure it out for themselves."

Simple logic quickly delivered by the resident ninja. Nice timing.

The boy looked a bit more hopeful now if his smile was anything to go by.

"If you become a doctor, you don't have to rely on a healer anymore. If you made your own medicine, then people will come to you to be healed. Sure, it'll take a lot of money and time, but if you can learn just by observing, then it's the same as learning in school but for free."

"The Apostles er right, kid. If a man be catchin' a cold, find herbs that can help 'im get better. Ain't no sense in waitin' fer them skilled mages if yer can do it yerself. Better off learnin' what yer can do on yer own than relyin' on people that aren always around."

The wagon driver named Hector spoke up without turning to look at either of us. But from his words, the boy was made to look at us all for our response.

"Is what Mister Hector saying true?" His eyes looked hopeful. "Are you not always going to be there to save us?"

"Eh? Uh…" Hajime looked to Kousuke, then to me when the ninja didn't move to support.

The jump in topic was unexpected. But then the mind of a child wandered wherever it pleased. It just so happened that this kid was smart enough to understand the implications of those words. He was close to tears by this point. Even Mia was unsure as what to say.

A child was still a child, after all.

'Mia, left hand and face only. Steer the horse a little closer to the carriage.'

'Eh?! But I can do that myself! I know what you're thinking.'

'I know, but I'm asking you to let me do it.'

She conceded after checking my feelings, albeit reluctantly. Phrasing that sounded off, but as we were, the mental link bridged more than our thought process and memories. She could feel my thoughts for the boy and understood.

The partial return of freedom in my arm allowed me to pat the kid on the head and give him a reassuring smile.

"No one can always be there to save everyone, Johann. If there was ever someone like that, you couldn't call them a person anymore, now could you? They'd be an angel, or a god. But we aren't either of those things." He lowered his head slightly. "Hey, don't look so down, I thought you said you wanted to be like the Saint? How can you heal people's hearts if you don't keep that smile on?"

"'Heal their hearts'? But I said I wanted to heal people like Saint-sama." He made to look up with a teary-eyed expression. It was as if I shot down his dream. It didn't take long for the waterworks to burst.

"Now, now. Yeah, that's true, but how are you gonna heal people looking so down?" I made to smile warmly as I always did with my own siblings. It stopped the crying at least. "No sick person wants to see their doctor looking at them with a sad face. If they see you like that, they might just think you were looking at someone who was already dead. How can you heal them when you look like you already gave up on them? Cheer up, okay?"

He made to wipe the snot of his face with his sleeve. Handing him a handkerchief of my own, he cleaned his face up with his mother's slightly shocked expression. Perhaps giving him one of my own was too casual of a gesture.

"If you want to heal people, first thing you have to do is learn to keep on smiling. As long as you can keep that smile, even in the toughest of times, you can always find some way and have enough time to heal them. Be it their sickness, wounds, pain, or their hearts."

"H-how?"

"By keeping the patients calm, of course. If someone was sick and all they did was scream and run around saying they will die soon, or if a guy got stabbed and he just kept shouting and crying without staunching the wound, do you think anyone could help heal them properly?"

"But-but Saint-sama wouldn't abandon them, would he?"

"No, he wouldn't."

'… unless there was no other way…'

I had to fake a smile as I omitted the grave condition for that statement. Lying to the kid was being too harsh. Why fill him with hope if all I will do is pop a hole in his already fragile bubble of a dream.

"But if the patient doesn't calm down and relax, how are you supposed to save them from themselves? Blood can't ever be replaced by magic and if the sick man caused his disease to spread, he'd have infected more people."

Realization dawned in the kid's eyes. His sniffling stopped. An expression of knowing replaced the panicked one from before.

Young, but intelligent. I hope he lives long enough to use his knowledge.

"If the problem blew up to such a scale, no one but an angel or god could save those lives. I know the Saint wouldn't be able to either. After all, he's only a person like you and I."

"Like… me?"

"Yes, Johann. Once upon a time, the Saint was also an idealistic kid that didn't want to abandon anyone to their fate. Just like you." I made to ruffle his head while checking if his face was properly cleaned of tears. "Feel better?"

A nod and determined smile from the boy and he returned my handkerchief, slightly dirty, but otherwise he was fine.

"Good, kid. You may have failed to answer my questions on your own, but at least you learned something new. Now, what do you keep doing when someone needs help?" He pointed to his upturned cheeks as he smiled toothily. I gave his head a pat while smiling. "Keep that up while learning by observing others. It'll take time, but if you really want it to come true, you can work hard enough to be one. You're a smart kid. You'll be able to do it."

"You really think so?!" He was back to ecstatic again.

"Hahah, I know so. And when you become a doctor in the future, who knows? We Apostles might end up being healed by you someday."

"Mm. If I can't become a healer, I will be the very best doctor when I grow up! I promise you, Apostle-sama… …" The boy smiled and nodded vigorously. But then he paused for a second. "Erm…"

"What's bothering you now child?"

"Er… I-I don't know… your name…"

"Yamamoto." I smiled at the kid. "Yamamoto Eichirou. But you can call me Eichirou, little Johann."

He smiled back in silence at the familiarity but at the same time paused. Taking this chance, the mother lowered her head.

"I truly apologize for my son's behavior, Apostle Yamamoto-sama. Your things were even soiled for his sake."

"It's nothing to worry about, ma'am." Drawing a small paper slip from my coat's chest pocket, I chanted a short spell. "Cleanse, as I command thee, Wash."

Water erupted from the slip to envelop the hankie I directed it at. In a few seconds, the cloth was pristine clean and a short dry spell later, it was back in my pocket, freshly laundered.

"Magic is helpful, sure. But if you ran out of paper to activate a healing magic circle, the people you want to save could die. If you can learn how to heal people without it as a doctor," I smiled warmly at the kid who was curiously giving me wide eyes. "Then forget being like the Saint, you can be better than he ever will be."

"… Saint-sama's questions… your questions…" It only took his first few words for me to realize the gears in his head were turning. "Yamamoto-sama… No way… are you…?"

'Aaahhh, shit! Okay, we're done here. Mia, to Meld!'

'Eh?'

'Now. Go. Go!' At my urging, Mia's foot lightly kicked the stallion. "Sorry, little Johann, but I need to confirm something with the Knight Commander. Ma'am, please excuse me."

A short excuse later, we were galloping to match the speed of the lead horse at the head of the convoy. All the while behind me, the child was beaming with admiration in his eyes.

God, how stupid of me. I wasn't planning on admitting anything. I actually just wanted to know what they thought about me but asking in such a direct manner was way beyond what I expected Mia to do.

'Hey, don't blame me! You were curious too!'

'And yet, we were found out quite fast. Nice going, you compromised their impartiality.'

'But you NAMED YOURSELF!'

Ah, shit. That was true.

.

.

.

Fuck me.

It didn't take long for the other passengers to figure me out as well. Just admitting they were my questions when Hajime stated it was the Saint's caught the more perceptive adults up to speed. Their gazes were pretty telling. If not by Hajime's words or introducing myself, the way the rest of the other classmates in the other carriages were curiously eyeing me certainly would have.

Speaking so much might've caught some unwarranted attention, but they at least get the general idea that I don't want to claim the title of Saint. I was hiding an identity that would've garnered me fame and fortune from the masses. If anything, that should paint me as humble, not suspicious. Possibly…

Hopefully…

But going back to the problem, I still slipped up there. Had Mia not asked in the first place, I could've listened to what they thought about the rumored 'Saint' without them even knowing I was the real deal.

'Haaah. I'm so out of touch. The stress of choosing the Labyrinth first before Luluaria's safe suggestion is getting to me. Can't even encourage the child without compromising my own cover.'

'Not that you were hiding it well at all. And if you'd be stressed, you shouldn't have picked going to the Labyrinth in the first place!'

Ignoring Mia, it was a minor setback. That was all.

We were heading into a faraway town. A place far too remote for intel on us to have spread in detail. I could gather information about us from there. This small group of merchants and travelers probably wouldn't be able to share news about our appearances so quickly.

And maybe, if I got the time, I could even see if a city not the capital had anything on interdimensional magic before we had to hop into the Labyrinth.

Pushing all that aside, I made it to the fore with Meld leading the way. Curiously enough, the unexpected person was there conversing with him as well.

"Ambrogio-dono, why're you so insistent on finding a place to stop so soon? We've barely made it halfway to our first stop."

"As I've said, Loggins-sama, the Apostles-sama aren't used to traveling like this. We should find a place to rest safely before they tire out from the ride."

Riding alongside Meld, Deene Ambrogio sat regally atop his own steed. Wearing white robes from the Church, he severely contrasted most of us who wore leather gear and/or low-quality armor. The exception was Amanogawa, of course. Being the 'Hero', he was given the best of the best. Spotless white and fashionable plate armor complete with a headpiece and a cape.

How such gear could be considered practical, I had no idea. He didn't even have a helmet on, for Christ's sakes!

Personally, my leather coat, boots, gloves, and long pants were all fine though. I would've asked for gambeson or other linen-based gear, as they were scientifically proven to be better. However, they tried to push armor on me when I tried. Apparently gambeson is considered only as under armor wear and not actual protection as it is just simple linen layers to protect from chafing here in Tortus.

Different culture perspectives make so much more sense when not about clothing.

A shame. But when I asked how leather was supposedly stronger, they only said that monster hide had better protective qualities than enchanting linen. I call bullshit. Gambeson was better than this stiff coat I was wearing. It didn't even feel warm and just chilled my ass.

Good thing I got used to the cold weather in Canada.

'Maybe they assumed you were looking for melee-protective equipment since you came along bringing a, oh I don't know… a spear?!'

Mia may have had a point there. Equipping me with what amounted to thick linen sounded bad when I was armed for frontline duty. Even my backup weapon was a sword. I should've gotten a staff so that I could be assigned to the back.

But I'd rather wear this than what the other mages had on.

Contrary to pretty-boy hero, there were others equipped lightly like Shirasaki and the other mages. Mantles, robes, excessively long sleeves, the typical things one would see on magicians from a fantasy RPG setup like DnD or a ridiculous cosplay of World of Warcrab characters. Kentarou was the exception as he opted for a leather coat and gloves. He apparently 'preferred to work with leather than dirty the clothes'.

All of our collective gears aside, the young priest that trailed after the Commander in charge did not look like he was prepared for a fight. Far from it. He looked more like he was ready to do a sermon.

When previously asked why he even needed to come, he only said he was needed to 'guide the Apostles' and 'keep them on the righteous path'. After a bit of clarification, and some well-deserved explanation, it was apparent he was here to prevent another incident like what happened with fire-berserker Nakano. Basically, the Church's representative on our current trip.

Why he couldn't lead with that instead of preaching, I blame the religious fervor of this stupid world.

Thankfully, Meld got the answer out of him before any of us lost patience this morning. With how much he was preaching, and avoiding me, it was easier for the knight to get the young priest talking.

That being said, I was already acting like I needed to talk to Meld to avoid the civilians and classmates. I guess I should try and converse with Ishtar's pet. Wouldn't put it past him to get even more suspect of me if I just ignored him.

"Is there a problem, Ambrogio-sama?"

"K—Yamamoto-sama." Visible hesitation. Definitely suspicious. "No, there's nothing wrong, per say. Just finding it difficult to convince Loggins-sama to not manhandle the rest of the Apostles as he has done for their training in the past month."

"If I babied them too much, they wouldn't learn a thing. If your word is the critique of the Church itself, Ambrogio-dono, I suggest you have them pass a note to my Vice-Commander."

"As interesting as your opinions are for each other's methods, that didn't really answer the question. What seems to be the matter? Maybe I could assist."

Stating as much, I was directly demanding either of them to get on with it. But as I phrased it quite neutrally, offering to help even, neither took offense. Surprising me, it was Deene who responded first.

"I've realized that the Apostles-sama aren't used to such norms as us as you are all from another world. Noon's already upon us and yet, see for yourself, Loggins-sama." He nodded his head towards the rear of behind him so as not to call much attention. "Riding for such a short time has already tuckered them out. Merely sitting in the carriage is already exhausting them mentally. If you're not careful, it may affect their bodies as well."

Glancing over my shoulder, there were more than a few who were already bored out of their minds.

Some tried looking around, but at the pace we were going, the view hardly changed from mountains, hills, meadows, and a few patches of trees. The area around here wasn't exactly fertile farmlands so it was a bit barren despite being green. Mountainside terrain did that sometimes.

Of the other classmates, a few began playing games to distract themselves from the boredom. Hatayama-sensei was helping in that regard but just barely. You can only get so far with only hand puzzles and I-spy games. A deck of cards would've been helpful. Too bad I left mine in my schoolbag back at the palace.

A few tried sleeping or taking a nap. Understandable as their morning was interrupted by the need to leave. But wheels without shock absorbers and unpaved roads denied them a wink. The carriages tended to bump about and if you weren't careful, getting tossed into someone else's personal space was a given.

On that note, having no luggage was both a blessing and a curse.

A lot of the girls didn't like the idea of not having a change of clothes when we were essentially going to a place where exercise was a given. But then again, it wouldn't really fit with the current carrying capacity of the wagons. There was barely enough space for them to sit with elbows drawn, and we couldn't exactly impose on the travelers and merchant's group that didn't even have wiggle room.

Back to the problem at hand, Deene's point was solid. His words were true with proof all around. Beyond that, however, I noticed there was insistence in his voice, non-threatening from what I could tell. It sounded like actual worry.

'Who knows, the young fool might actually be worried.'

'Can't deny that. The others are pretty much religious icons after all.'

With Mia confirming my guess, we both rode on in silent acceptance of the response. Meld, on the other hand, replied like he wanted to be anywhere the priest wasn't.

"Exhausted or not, they can rest for a day or two before we actually begin as long as we get there as soon as possible. I'm not planning on pushing them more than needed. I'm well aware that they still need to rest."

"And extending their stay beyond the safety of the capital's walls? Are the recent incidents not a cause for concern to you, Loggins-sama?"

"I'm rushing because I'm concerned. Those incidents are already proof enough that they are just as compromised inside the walls as they are outside of them." Meld's point could have silenced the priest for a moment. If not his words, the accusing eyes he gave the young man would've. "I don't know what the Inquisitors were doing before the incident happened, but even with them running around hunting down the culprit, they should already know that the security surrounding the Apostles is too lax."

Deene didn't respond back immediately. Meld took that opportunity to speak his mind. And speak it, he did. With solid contempt as well as disappointment, might I add.

"What's more, they and the rest of the Church have yet to inform the order or the Court Mages about their future contingencies about dealing with the problem. If it's concerning the Apostles safety, we who are at the forefront should at least get a heads up as we also have our own plans in place. Working with what we have without their input is a problem for us too, y'know."

While I could understand Meld's point, I also sympathized with Deene as soon as I saw his face.

He wore the expression of a man that was aware of the Church's actions. Or lack thereof, so to speak. He had been tasked with keeping watch over us, and with the knight order's current numbers in the escort group, he may have felt unwelcome as he was alone. The lacking contribution of the Church prevented his denying the older man.

It may be pride, or something else on contributing to the Apostles as their religion dictated, but whatever it was, it only served to guilt-trip him further.

On my own agenda, however, I agreed with him in giving the others some rest. The Church's silence on the recent matters was surprising and may need investigation later, but right now wasn't the time. I couldn't exactly pin the blame on one guy for all his sect's done to disappoint Meld.

Maybe, I should give him a hand? Supporting him now may also lessen his suspicion of me.

'But isn't he a little too rude to cooperate with? Didn't he jump to conclusions the first time you met?'

'He just didn't know, Mia. It may be that Ishtar's also not telling him everything. Cautious as I may be of the guy being a spy, I'm not really against working with people like him as long as he doesn't pay me too much attention.'

Mia didn't argue further. Instead, she just left it to me and returned her attention to driving the animal while I spoke up.

"Meld, while I do agree that rushing all the way to Horaud is the optimal plan, I have to agree with Ambrogio-sama that the others need a break."

The knight looked slightly surprised with his raised eyebrow. Given that he knew I was already suspicious of the Church's suspicion of me, to agree with the priest must've been odd. But Deene's dumbstruck expression was the most abnormal of all.

You wanted this, didn't you? Don't act all surprised when I'm agreeing!

"In our world, travels such as this would merely take less than a few hours due to technological advances, maybe minutes depending on the method. However, due to being used to such fast travel times, our people's patience and energy wore thin. It is simply in our world's culture to have a lot of time to do many things and not get bored due to that."

"You mean to say… this bore you?"

"Quite." I nodded at his understanding. "While I do enjoy getting back on a horse's saddle" —I actually did. But not with this particular creature.— "the others may not be finding the same enjoyment as I am. Right now, they're wasting away, even as they sit down quietly."

"I didn't know the people's lifestyle of your world was so different compared to our own. I'm guessing you're telling me this because there's a detriment that I should be made aware of? Like that time you had an 'adrenaline rush', was it?"

Sure, let's continue with that!

'Oh, you can't bee— Are you seriously bluffing him again with made-up knowledge? Was the friendly-fire-causing hormone not enough for you? Even that excuse was flimsy at best!'

'Shush!' Clearing my throat, I mentally quieted the child as I prepared to abuse the misunderstanding. "Boredom is a bane to most of my people. There is evidence of it causing a deterioration of the mental state. The longer it lasts, the more the deterioration affects us."

Now add a tablespoon of bullshit.

"As we were originally from a different world, I imagine this predicament that would cause some harmful effects on the other Apostles could very well translate differently in your world."

And mix well.

"I fear boredom would cause the others to lose vigilance, in turn, affecting their mindsets when going into battle. If, by any chance, it translates into your world as a debuff or abnormal status, it may even affect their Skills, either weakening them or through cursing."

Meld started making a contemplative gaze as we rode along. Deene, on the other hand, was listening intently despite having suspicions of me. Time to add more pepper.

"We may be humans like you, but that doesn't mean our world runs on the same rules as yours does. Being denizens of another world, we received the blessing of your god once we arrived. But who's to say that we still don't have the system of our own world affecting us right now?"

"Does such a system even exist in the Apostles-sama's world? I thought magic was nonexistent in yours, Yamamoto-sama?"

Deene wasn't buying it. Now, I need to sell it.

"It's not 'magic' by any means, Ambrogio-sama. It's called 'science'." I chose a vast subject lest one of the others picked up on my bullshit. "Studies have shown that skills and talents deteriorate over time when not in use. A spearman today could become a baker if he trains hard for a year. However, if the talents he had honed in the army were to go unused for long periods of time, he could very well lose them."

"But aren't you all fine, even after a day of rest? Your levels don't go down. In fact, all your stats have increased greatly. Even Hajime had started catching up ever since you started working with him."

"That may be true, Meld. Stats don't go down." The knight needed more pepper. "But if talents in our world were greatly strengthened after being translated to Tortus' magic system, I wouldn't want to know how severe mental stress from my world can be interpreted here."

"Stress? Is it that much of a danger in your world?"

Neither seemed to believe me.

'Then, it's time to give them a convincing act.'

'Let me take the lead.'

'Very well. I'll take Jacky.'

With my one hand to my chest, a sad expression, and some slouched body language by Mia to indicate depression, we made to play the tragic victim.

"I used to know someone who had such traumas before. After recently losing close family, he sunk into despair, wasted away, unable to focus on honing his talents and skills. The rest of his remaining family worried for him, pampered him, protected him. All so he could recover and not deal with the pain."

I dejected sighed escaped me while looking up at the sky with melancholy.

"But it was to no avail. Soon, he abandoned training entirely and disappeared from home. It's been so long. Years, in fact. I've not heard from him since. A shame, he was one of the best people I knew."

Neither of the two made to respond immediately. Meld had a hardened stare straight ahead but had glanced my way once to scowl even more. Deene's grip on his gelding's reins were taught and firm. His silence was telling in that he didn't wish to draw up bad memories.

Of course, 'bad memories' was an overstatement. It was a steaming pile of easily-misunderstood bullshit dashed with some more pepper for flavor and onion chunks for tears!

My friend used to be an okay guy, but ever since his cat died due to a car accident, he'd changed and become a full-on vet. Imagine that! My classmate from high school, Leeroy's hopeless jockey of an older brother, the dude who thought spray-paint graffiti and rap were the only skills he had, not that he was any good, turned into a dedicated animal doctor when his pet Twinkie got accidentally crushed by his mom while she was parking in the garage.

Huh. I guess life-changing moments come from the most unexpected of places.

'I'm impressed at the story. But the cat interests me more. How did anyone expect that fat balloon of a feline to survive at all when it couldn't even walk without someone carting it along?'

'Mia, you have to give the guy props. Any animal you needed taking care of for a few days that was given to him would come back looking healthier than a cow ready to be turned into ground beef.'

'Eichirou, I've seen your memories! That fool idiot managed to fatten your little brother's hamsters into beavers!'

'Hey, I called him the best for a reason. He had talent! But here I thought he would become the best dubious animal breeder for a slaughterhouse. Now, he works with PETA!'

Mia still protested my complimenting the guy for his ridiculous gift. I disagree.

Being able to keep any animal alive and satisfied despite bloated to the highest limit their body could take, it was amazing none of them either died of heart attacks or molted from stress!

If Ben were here, maybe he'd get a Breeder Class specialized for animal husbandry. He might be put on the top of the Broken Class for Economies List and make meat so cheap, the market crashes. He can join Hatayama-sensei if she abused her class to the limit and flatlines the price of grain and herbs. Or maybe even Hajime if he ignited a metallurgical revolution.

Hell, the guy's Transmute skill was already breaking magic circle science. Why not add a little help to destroy and recreate this world's understanding of biology? Botany under Hatayama-sensei and Zoology for Ben was pretty much stupid already. All they needed was someone for microbiology and chemistry to completely upset the balance!

Ruining the common sense and harmonic balance of nature in both worlds aside, I was going waaaay off tangent yet again. Damn this distracted mind of mine.

'It's your own fault, y'know.'

But I wasn't lying though. Not at all. When I said I hadn't heard from him in years, it was actually true. Being a full-time doctor, Ben couldn't join me and Leeroy for casual MMO get-togethers anymore. Even with the internet too. The guy was too invested in making sure another 'Twinkie' incident never happens again.

Well, we hardly talked after she exploded. Mostly because I thought it was fucking hilarious. He was so heartbroken by it that I doubt my reaction would be remotely acceptable. Getting him a new cat didn't help either.

I can't say he would forgive me anytime soon. Twinkie was his baby.

A true shame. He was the best animal feeder IRL and suicidal PKer in-game. Ben Jenkins will never ride again.

Despite the sad, sad story on my end, judging by the two's still-gloomy reactions, they wouldn't think my friend's actually doing well for his life. Becoming a doctor out of depression really brought the guy bouncing back up.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I-I didn't think such tragedies occurred in the world of the Apostles-sama." The young priest did a complete 180. Compared to his usual hesitation to answering me, he now showed genuine sympathy. "I was under the impression that a peaceful world such as yours rarely had to deal with misfortunate events like that."

"I appreciate the thought, Ambrogio-sama. But there are worse things compared to my friend's. Stress does not simply pile up. They multiply. A man who lost his job a day before and his family today could turn into a murderer tomorrow. Such is the fragility of minds discovered using my world's system. My friend Ben was lucky he didn't lose more than one important individual and he didn't have to deal with the same dangers present in your world."

I didn't break the act just yet. As it worked so well, they fell for it, hook and line. Tragic as the story they misinterpreted to be, I still needed to word it right to convince them the gravity of my 'worries'. So I modified it from sad and depressing to a warning.

"But enough about me and my friend. We must focus on those we can help. Considering that the others are tired now, their minds are far from at ease. I also believe that the knowledge of magic capable of manipulating their minds to fool them into fighting amongst each other is also detrimental. Knowing it exists is helpful in preparing against it, sure. But it may also cause some undue anxiety if you pressure them from other angles. One being travel to unknown lands. Do not forget that were are still strangers to your world, Meld."

The knight nodded his confirmation. He understood my reasoning well as he didn't deny it. But the stern worry on his face was still present. He had been glancing around every so often, proof of his vigilance now that we were beyond the safe palace walls.

But being worried wouldn't do anyone any good. Looking around, an idea cropped up.

"Might I suggest a little exercise, Meld?"

"Exercise? But I thought that training would pressure them?"

"Ah, yes, that is true." I didn't avert my gaze but remained passively neutral. "But not all exercise should be considered as training. Some can be fun. Perfect for alleviating stress!"

"Then, what do you suggest, Eichirou?"

I shared with them my plan. As there were only the three of us, plus one disembodied voice, I was able to pass it off without incident.

"You should have them do their own thing every once in a while. Wandering too far off is a no go, of course. Even with all the guards, such risks shouldn't be left to chance. However, as it has less expectations of them to improve since you can disguise it as simple free time, they wouldn't feel as pressured like at the training grounds. And after all, showing them that they've improved should raise their spirits somewhat."

"That is indeed a good idea. It raises their morale if done properly, and it can still be training without being obviously so."

Deene said as much without breaking pace. Meld didn't move to deny it either. His expression remained contemplating. Shortly after, Meld made to wave someone's attention.

"Alan! Hand me a map."

"Sir!"

I would've fist-pumped in silent success, but it was too early for celebration and that would give me away, so no.

It didn't take long for Meld to settle on a nearby river located just between the capital city and our first pitstop village. As I peeked over at the map, I noted two more smaller markings almost similarly displaced after the first just before the road ended with Horaud Town.

"Perfect. With your suggestion, we can keep the rest of the Apostles from getting bored. And it's still free time disguised as training. This is an excellent idea, Eichirou."

"No need for compliments," I replied. "I'm just worried for the others. Being cautious is good and all. But being overprotective is worse for them in the long run."

"I understand now that it's a risk I'd rather take. I'll take measures to secure the area. Besides, this route wasn't told to anyone other than Eliheid-sama and Ishtar-sama. So the chances of demons ambushing us is low."

Meld's tone dropped low for a second. His expression darkened somewhat.

"Eichirou, about what you said. Your friend's... fall. If I let them get too stressed by holding them back, it would be the same as pushing them too much, right? Either way would end up letting what happened to your friend happen to all of them."

No, it wasn't, but sure, let's go with that.

"In the worst case scenario, yes. But if all goes well, they'll be smarter, more attentive, and relieved."

Deene simply nodded and Meld gave his orders to Alan who kept riding pace while standing by.

"Then, we'll make a quick camp here for noon. Tell Hector and the rest of the carriage drivers. We're watering the horses as well. Also," Meld's tone was lowered so only Alan, Deene and I could hear. "Tell Kyle and Lambert to split off and scout with a handful of men each. Tell them to report back to me after they've completed a perimeter sweep of here and here."

Though I could hardly see the map from this angle, Meld had leaned over to show only Alan, I could tell it was around the river zone he was interested in just moments ago. Nevertheless, his subordinate nodded and was soon off.

'Mission Success! I get a free break time!'

'Hooray… I cannot believe this is what you would use your talents for.'

'Oh come of it! I'm tired of riding. At least let me take a break every now and then. You got your wish to get out of the palace, didn't you?'

Mia didn't argue back. Knowing that I was stressed enough to not want to socialize with others, she didn't dare deny I needed the rest. I was straining at the edge of my rope just last week with Eliheid and Luluaria. Giving me this was the least she could do. The stress really was getting to me if I had to fake a friend's tragic end to buff these two with the risks of the others' situation.

Still, the adults falling for it was too easy. If one used logical reasoning, they could argue that my point was moot as there was no evidence to support my claim of 'Earth's system' still affecting us here in Tortus. How did I manage to convince them with simple drama and pure bullshit?

'It can't be…'

The hand still under my control tapped the Status Plate hidden in my coat. Having not had a chance to check its contents in a while, I didn't know just how far I progressed with the rest of my abilities. The magic spells were never listed and I already memorized them. No point in checking stats that I didn't use like, Strength or Agility, or had an abundance of, Magic and Resistances.

Knowing how my stats were scaling up, checking had taken a backseat. Unlike Hajime who I regularly see checking his own, I didn't really care much for the artifact as it really didn't help me with things besides my own abilities. Which begs the question:

'Forget about stats, what happened to my skills? Specifically, the one that kept on growing, derivative branches far exceeding the norm?'

I couldn't check it here. Not now. I needed to do it in private. Derived skills were a theoretical rarity. Having one that derived multiple times per weapon was broken as hell. If anyone where to find out my skill could do so with other branches of utility such as medical knowledge, I'd be in deep shit.

Fuck. I gotta get some time for rest, but another problem's begun to stress me out further. I really hate this fucking day.

'Earth had a saying, didn't it?' Mia made to interrupt my soliloquy. 'What was it? 'Karma's a bi—'.'

'Finish that sentence…,' I interrupted back. 'And I'll turn Jacky into jerky with your new wind magic.'

Needless to say, she kept quiet. But the stress didn't let up for me. Not even when we made our stop by the riverbank. Not even when I was able to get off the stupid steed. Not even when I was able to lie back for a few seconds before being pestered by the others to help with the new 'exercise'.

Safe to say, I really hated this fucking day.

---

"While the horses are getting watered and the others prepare the meals, you will all party up and take turns exploring the surrounding areas. Familiarize yourself with the terrain and take a break back here after you're done."

A few grumblings can be heard here or there as the weary students all mumbled their complaints. It had been nearly half a day since they left the capitol, and all that time was spent either on horseback or in the bumpy carriage.

Kouki, however, wasn't really as fazed like the others. Though he had ridden on his own white mare, he hadn't lost his usual vigilance. He had kept an eye on the area, observing the sights of the passing countryside, while he conversed with Ryutarou who was too heavy for any of the remaining horses. The big guy was similarly unaffected by the rough ride and was in fact pumped at the new activity.

However, the collective reluctance of the other classmates was bad for morale.

"Everyone, I think we should give Meld-san a chance to explain." Turning to the Knight, the Hero made an expectant face. "Isn't that right, Meld-san?"

"Yeah. Despite my telling you to take a hike, I'm not treating this as training. It's just come to my attention that sitting around doing nothing will just be detrimental to you all. This is your free time to spend while we make camp and have some lunch."

A few gazes softened up at the sound of 'free time'. Meld pressed on, ignoring the more persistent tired expressions with his own confident smile.

"My suggestion is for you all to get a feel for the place, join the knights in hunting and fishing, and also to get along with the civilians. Your heroes, after all. You should spend time getting to know the place and people you're saving. Let my men know who's going and where. They'll keep an eye on the area while you take the time to relax."

Dismissing them, the Apostles were left to their own devices with a few of the knights standing by, ready to follow through with their escort orders.

"Well, at least it's not more marching."

"Hey, wanna go fishing?"

"I think I'll just take a walk."

"Sensei! Wanna come with us to check out the forest while you walk?"

"Eh, ah, as long as you all behave—Kora! I said to behave!"

More than a handful of the teenagers began grouping up and splitting off a few minutes later, Hatayama-sensei's particular circle taking the excited lead by diving right into it with smiles and laughs. Kouki, on the other hand, stood apart from the group as he looked around. Many were helping the travelers unload some cargo, Ryutarou among them.

As they had been sitting still while they traversed the country, Kouki had to admit that the boredom had eaten away at him just as much as it did the others. The role of a hero seemed so straightforward from the start. He was told that he needed to face a great evil and win to save people. But the way the others were treating this excursion as an outing or a field trip, it was somehow more fun than what he had expected.

A river ran by the camp where they parked the carriages and horses. It was quite deep, maybe two meters, and as wide as ten. The bridge beside it was wide enough for three carriages side-by-side and a thick forest stood just beyond the clearing about two hundred or so meters away from the camp. The hill nearby had a vantage point over all of the area.

It was were Kouki was currently enjoying the beautiful view of the surrounding landscapes.

Though, that didn't stop the scowl on his face as his eyes drifted over to his close female friends and the company that they currently had.

"Something on your mind, Kouki-kun?"

"Ah, not really," Not noticing that he was spacing out, the girl's voice snapped him back to reality. "What about you, Nakamura-san? Aren't you going to join them?"

Though he gestured over to Nagayama's party, he was specifically pointing out Taniguchi Suzu, Nakamura's closest friend. She had recently been getting along more with the other Priest of their class, including Tsuji Ayako. Suzu had been socializing with Ayako and her party due to her magic training but usually had Nakamura along with her when she talked with them.

Because she was a Barrier Master, Suzu had been practicing with the other support magicians during lectures. It was only natural that she would grow close with her fellow mages. But there was a reason Kouki didn't dare approach that particular circle.

"Suzu's just asking Yamamoto-kun for some advice. After the other day's lecture, he gave her something new to apply in her training, but she just hasn't gotten the hang of it yet."

"Is that so…?" Kouki smiled wryly

He had been very wary of Yamamoto for a while now.

He didn't hate the guy. Despite stating his stance of not fighting and standing by his word, he wasn't against helping the others improve. In the beginning, only Nagayama's party and a few others asked for help. Nowadays, he was even lecturing the Court Mages and their apprentices.

From a non-combatant to a lecturer and researcher, Yamamoto made use of his skills in another way that Kouki couldn't really say was wrong and unhelpful. Saying 'no' to helpful suggestions to improve healing and support magic as well as mana efficiency and so on was akin to saying Break-san's lectures were nothing more than a bother. Kouki appreciated the help as he too was lacking in some of the mentioned fields.

But even still, Kouki avoided him out of anxiety as his mind always wandered back to their conversation.

The same conversation where he couldn't accept the message the guy conveyed despite the evidence put on display.

'I was wrong… About Nagumo's friendship with Hiyama. About Kaori's feelings. About the responsibility to help— No!'

He didn't notice his gloved fist tighten into a ball. Anger would've surged through him had his firm belief not taken the lead first and given his handsome features another scowl.

'It's not wrong to help others. There's nothing wrong about that!'

He may have misunderstood Nagumo. The guy wasn't weak-willed. His victory over Hiyama and the others was proof of that. Despite the underhanded method, he was still brave enough to protect Kaori with his life even when he ran out of mana. Kouki admitted that he was wrong about the guy and his circumstances, but only partially.

Had Nagumo been serious with training from the start, he wouldn't have been struggling to protect Kaori with his life in the first place.

On Kaori's case, he couldn't keep denying that she was only helping Nagumo out of pity. She was genuinely trying to find a way to repay him for saving her life. Shizuku said as much after the incident. When Kouki tried to deny it, however, saying Shizuku and Kaori might've just been mistaken or led astray by Yamamoto, the sharp slap to his face had the gallant Hero stunned to silence.

'Stop being so self-centered and think for a second. Or is it that you can't even trust your friends when we do what we think is right?'

Shizuku apologized immediately after but refused to even spare him a glance when he remained stubborn. The conversation had left him on a sour note with his two closest friends. And even when they did sit together, they kept him at a slight distance when it came to Nagumo or Yamamoto.

After giving it some thought, Kouki decided to just let the two do as they wish.

It didn't sit well with him, letting Kaori just express her kindness like that. Or Shizuku just agreeing to let her best friend do so. He was afraid of them being taking advantage of. It's not that he didn't trust his childhood friends.

He just didn't trust the people they had been associating with lately.

Looking over to Shizuku and Kaori, they were helping Nagumo water the horses while Yamamoto was being pestered by Taniguchi and the children that came along for the journey. Though it would've made for a pretty normal scene where the neighborhood big brother was playing around with the local kids, the sight bothered Kouki.

But he didn't understand why. So, he left them alone.

'They'll see. Someday, I'll prove that I'm correct about—!'

About what, though? About Yamamoto manipulating them? About Shizuku and Kaori being wrong? About Nagumo not being the person they thought he was? About all of them being wrong and bad for not letting him show them the error of their ways?

Kouki shook his head and wiped the train of thought from his mind.

'Stop it. They're not bad people. They're just wrong.'

He didn't like thinking people were evil. Even what Yamamoto stood for, having the ability and strength to help but staying back due to not wanting to be held responsible, could've just been misguided beliefs.

After all, having the power to help others was what power was all about! If it wasn't, then why have it in the first place? To do wrong? No. His beloved grandfather had taught him what he knew.

'Power is for the sake of the people. To abuse it is to hurt the people. To abandon it is to abandon the people. If one doesn't use the power they have for justice and righteousness, then they are wrong and have to be punished to be shown the right path.'

'Until they're ready, I'll show them. I'm a Hero, aren't I?'

"I knew it! Kouki-kun's really bothered by something." He didn't notice until now that Eri had her face thrust just in front of him. "It's really hurtful, you know, lying to your comrades like that."

"Eh? Ah—!" Kouki didn't get it until Eri pointed out his initial mistake: denial. Attempting to put the normalcy back on his face, he gave the bespectacled girl his confident smile. Or, about as confident as he could, considering his agitated self. "Sorry, Nakamura-san. I… I'm just not really feeling well today."

"Kouki-kun is still so harsh."

"Eh?"

"You keep calling me 'Nakamura'. Even though when we met, you told everyone to call you by your first name. Somehow, it's really upsetting."

"W-what's wrong, Nakamura?"

Kouki was even more flustered now. The girl with a short bob-cut was making a sad face behind her glasses as she looked away from him, telltale signs that he did something to offend her. But as he rarely conversed with one of the most reserved of his classmates, he didn't understand what was wrong at all or how to remedy it.

"If I've done something to offend you, I apologize, Nakamura-san! It's just… just that I—"

"'Eri.'" She interrupted him with her back turned. "Call me 'Eri' like I call you 'Kouki-kun'."

"… Sorry… Naka—," she gave him a slight glance over her shoulder as if waiting him to finish. "Eri… Sorry. I was just… thinking about a lot of things… I apologize I wasn't paying Eri any attention."

"… you finally look at me and only me…"

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

He thought he heard her whisper something, but when she gave him a smile, she merely shook her head.

"It's nothing. I just came here because I was worried for Kouki-kun. You've been strangely gloomy ever since that incident with Nakano-kun and Nagumo-kun. I was thinking you were concerned if it would happen again."

He wasn't. The thought never even crossed his mind. He had been so focused on Yamamoto and the actions that resulted because of him that he had been thoroughly ignorant and distracted from the cause of said incident.

'What a fool I've been!' he cursed his ignorance. 'Making her anxious for my sake…'

"Thank you, Naka—Eri. For worrying about me." He nodded after a deep sigh. "I caused you trouble. But thanks to Eri's words, I'm alright now."

He gave her his confident smile in its full luster. This brought a blush to her face, but Kouki just dismissed it as her worries being relieved. That or she was just tried from the journey and was still worried for his sake.

Glancing over to Kaori and Shizuku who were now enjoying a laugh with Nagumo as they watched Suzu kick Yamamoto's shin, Kouki still felt a deep sense of unease. But he held it together. As he was a Hero, he shouldn't let the little things get to him.

'One day.' He thought. 'One day, they'll see that I'm right. When that time comes, I'll change their minds and be there to help them.'

As he watched his two female childhood friends, he felt another set of eyes bore into his very being. Turning to come eye-to-eye with Nakamura, the sharpened gaze lessened somewhat, but he knew it came from the girl stood next to him.

"Is something wrong, Eri?"

"No, not at all." She smiled reassuringly while sadly turning away.. "I was just worried you'd start making that troubled face again. I don't like you making that face."

"I won't." He reassured her back. "I told you, didn't I? Eri's words have calmed me down."

She didn't look him in the eyes this time, but she nodded to acknowledge his response.

"Hey, want to go take a walk along with the others?"

"Sure." Being invited, he wasn't one to turn her down. As he had nothing to do, with the light manual labor already taken care of by his other, bulkier childhood pal, Kouki nodded and led the way around the camp. All the while, Naka—, no, Eri, accompanied him with a smile on her face.

They were soon joined by the usual group and others. Taniguchi was a little late and in a sour mood due to Yamamoto's apparent teasing. Kaori and Shizuku also joined in for the walk. Even though they didn't interact as much with Kouki, they weren't so mean as to completely ignore him. The rest of the class that followed didn't bother them much. They never noticed the worries that plagued Kouki besides Eri.

For that he was grateful to her.

As for his childhood friends, he disagreed with them, yes. But that wasn't enough to compromise their friendship. At least, Kouki believed they weren't that shallow. So he decided to just enjoy this moment.

They joked, laughed, enjoyed exploring the hillside while interacting with their escorts. One of which, a knight they often saw in training, was kind enough to give them tips as to identifying notable environmental factors in case of an encounter. He also pointed out landmarks to note in case they got lost.

"From here, you can see the Divine Mountain just by looking towards the north. The Church's Holy Temple is just right above those thick white clouds, Apostles-sama."

"Oh, it's a beautiful sight from here."

"Kaori's 'mounds' are also a beautiful sight from—Owowowowowowow!"

"Suzu, reign in your perverted old-man-mode."

"That really hurts, Shizu-neesama!"

"It's your own fault, Suzu-chan."

"Eh?! E tu, Eririn?!"

"Thanks for guiding us, Alan-san. The tips are sure to be helpful in the future."

"Think nothing of it, Hero-sama. I'm glad I could be of help."

The smile he received from the knight was so reassuring that Kouki couldn't help but return it with his own genuine one. The sun was shining. He was having fun with his friends. They even got a few tips from the nice people of Tortus.

All in all, it seemed like any other normal day for the Hero.

"CAPTAIN! WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!"

That is, until one of the groups returned with bad news.

---

The expression Meld had on was a bit too relaxed. Even though the other travelers had worried faces on, he approached the panicked group calmly. It seemed like a monster encounter within the country's borders was still something to be worried about, but the rumored strongest man alive in Tortus shrugged it off like it was another normal day. Hajime respected the guy's composure.

"Oi, Meld! Should'ah ready the wagons fer leavin'?" The exception of the civilian group, Hector, casually raised his voice to be heard from the front of the parked carriages.

"No need. Have the civilians stand by at the camp while we prepare for engagement." The Knight Commander then turned to the rest of the Apostles and one of his men. "Everyone, gather round now! Reed, organize a protection detail for the non-combatants. Take twenty, half and half between knights and mages."

As soon as the order was given, the man turned and was followed by nearly two dozen men and women. This left the rest of the Apostles to stand behind Meld with an approaching knight carrying what appeared to be a person wrapped in a thick coat and a heavily panting party consisting of Hatayama-sensei's group plus fan club trailing after him. Hajime winced at the sight of their faces. They looked like they saw a dead body.

"Report, Kyle." Meld ordered the man as he arrived and kneeled to lower the unconscious figure. "What's this you've found?"

"Sir! Our group found this girl as we were hiking." Pulling back the hood, the face of a young woman covered in bruises and blood was made clear by those in the front. "When we heard Sugawara-sama's screaming, I ordered two others to scout out the area where she came from following her blood trails. Alex and I checked on the Apostles-sama. When the other two came back, there were signs of a ruined carriage just beyond the earlier established safety perimeter. Dire Fang prints were found all over the place."

"Any other victims?" Meld calmly strode forward. His brows furrowed even more at the news but relaxed as he checked the girl's pulse. Her chest seemed to rise slowly every now and then, proof she lived. "Any one left alive to explain?"

"I'm sorry, sir. No one else survived. But before this girl fell unconscious, she was rambling about a pack. Kept saying 'They're coming' until she fell quiet."

Meld winced at this before checking on the girl again. This time, he pulled back the rest of her coat. It was then that everyone else recoiled in abject horror.

Hajime had to cover his mouth lest he spill the lunch they just had.

"What the—?!"

"Hurk!"

"Ugh, what the hell?!"

Lacerations, bruises, and gouges the size of sword wounds, baseballs, and knife stabs respectively covered her torso and abdomen. Her limbs weren't safe either. Her arms were not only bent at an awkward angle, one of them was snapped between the wrist and elbow. Blood streaked down her thighs in large amounts. Other sections of her skin had tissue and what looked like bone fragments sticking out. There was also a somewhat greenish fluid here and there accompanied by what looked like yellow pus.

Despite the skimpy rags the woman had on to cover the essentials, the sight was neither titillating nor embarrassing to look at. It was just godawful. Such a sight wasn't even legal for broadcasting on public television and was more of the body horror type found on the dark side of the internet.

Hajime couldn't take it and joined the many that reeled back to avert their gazes from the gruesome sight.

"This is horrible. Fetch a healer. See if she can be saved—"

"That will not be necessary, Loggins-sama." A younger man's voice interrupted the older knight's. The priest named Deene stepped forth and gave the victim something Hajime can only describe as a look of pity mixed with disgust. "There's no point in wasting Ehito-sama's blessing on a slave. Even more so on a demi-human."

"We don't have time for sermons, priest." Meld made to argue, but Deene Ambrogio stood tall against the glowering man. "This kid could very well be the only surviving witness to—"

"Are you, perhaps, willing to disobey Ehito-sama's edicts and lower yourself to heal their spawn?"

There was hate in his tone. A fanatical one. Hajime knew the nuances of those words. It was the Church's teachings that forbade mercy upon demi-humans and demons alike. He more than got the gist of that aspect of their religion from the library alone. Right now, Meld needed to know what was happening, but the only way to do so was by saving the girl. This put him in a tight spot.

"Then, if it's by Anima's, it shouldn't be a problem. Is that correct, Ambrogio-sama?"

Not wasting time, Eichirou approached the woman and kneeled down. He checked her breathing with an ear to her partially wounded chest then slowly ran a hand around her wounds, checking each and every injury. His hand had checked the back of her head, her arms, even noting the scaly deformed stump on her lower back.

Arriving at the slightly bulging torso, Eichirou had winced and immediately wrapped her back into the cloak. Not waiting for an answer from either of the two dumbstruck men, he picked the girl up carefully. Blood spilled on his chest and arms as he shifted slightly under the additional weight.

Yet his violet eyes remained determined as he adjusted his glasses and relayed orders.

"Kentarou, I need a stone table, waist high and flat, length two meters, width half, by the camp. Jugo, get me some containers for water and a knife. The one used for meat and bone. If not, find me the shortest dagger you can find. Kousuke, I need towels, a lot of them. Yoshino, please assist Kousuke. Ayako, Hajime, follow me."

It took them a moment. Just one. But as soon as it passed, they were already moving. Hajime quickly followed after his friend who brushed past the stumped classmates and knight mages with a nervously fidgeting Ayako following just behind.

"Oy, E-Eichirou!" She quickly said. "Shouldn't we leave her to the knight order's heal—"

"There's no magic in their repertoire that can heal snapped bone. Fractured ones and open wounds, maybe, but this woman's arms and legs are beyond that now."

"…. As I command thee, Stone Wall!" The earth parted as their resident Geomancer whipped up the table with as precise measurements as Eichirou had requested. "Eichin, this good?"

"Perfect." A wave of his hand above the stony surface and Hajime noted the whisper that followed. "Purifico"

To serve as proof to his earlier words, the woman's cloak was pulled back as he settled her atop the stone. The limb that flopped out was twisted at an unnatural angle. So much so that Ayako, who stood on the side where the limb fell towards, immediately turned around, falling to her knees, and vomited heavily.

"Hajime, prepare two water spell slips. One to fill Jugo's container, the other to give Ayako a drink."

"Should I purify both?" At his friend's nod, Hajime pulled out two stone tablets from his person. Normally, he would've drawn up the slip via writing on paper with his alternatively transmuted pencil. But after much deliberation, and a suggested joke from Eichirou, he made this contraption.

"Transmute." With two slips of paper back-to-back squeezed between the tablets, the desired spell circle was quickly printed on the two slips in less than half a second. One was even edited to be of a smaller effect than the other. All this was made possible due to the Portable Spell Printer(Copyright-Free Because Isekai). Or PSP(C-FBI) for short. "Collect from the air and disperse all impurities. Gather, as I command thee, Water Sphere."

A swirling ball of clear water the size of a fist collected before the slip but didn't fall. Instead, it remained suspended in the air barely an inch from the piece of paper. Previous iterations of this spell was muddled and tasted awful due to dust and other impurities getting mixed in with the basic water ball spell. But after a little tinkering, and some review on science and chemistry, something that Hajime was glad he had a minor interest in due to the alchemy manga, Eichirou had managed to create a water spell with drinkability.

Certain tweaks could even give it flavoring if needed.

"Ayako-san, please sit up." Once she was done with her business, he floated the ball over to her, letting her sip off the clear orb. The vomit on her lips didn't mix in, instead being washed away and dropped to the ground by the water entirely. It didn't shrink much either. These were special properties of the magic circle that did its job and collected even more water from the air to replenish its stock while keeping out impurities. "Feel better?"

At her nod, Hajime dispersed the spell slip into ashes and stood back up. Then his eyes locked with Nomura Kentarou whose brows and cheek were visibly twitching.

'Ah! Shit… This is awkward...'

"Kentarou, watch over Ayako for a bit until she calms down. Hajime, the water spell." They quickly broke their staring contest as Jugo and the other two arrived. "Yoshino, please put the towels in there then activate Hajime's water spell in the container."

Doing as she was told, Yoshino Mao complied to the letter. Her class as Invoker allowed her flexibility in casting all elements and was, by technicality, more adept at casting Eichirou's custom spell. The only reason Hajime was able to cast the water sphere spell for Ayako was due to it being as small as a glass of water. The one he drew up and gave to Yoshino was large enough to full the large, tub-like bin.

"I couldn't find a knife like you were asking for. So I brought this." Jugo had pulled out a dagger slightly longer than a knife and handed it, handle-first, to Eichirou. "It's from one of the knights. They said it's a bit dirty and hadn't been used for anything else other than carving up monsters for their magic crystals."

Eichirou took a glance at the blade, measured it by hand, then passed it to Hajime.

"Transmute it down, about hand-length. Don't get rid of the metal, just compress it into the blade. Sterilize via the boiling variant of the spell."

Prep work took seconds. The actual morphing of the blades, only a few more. It was different compared to turning a table utensil into a deadly weapon all those weeks ago. That day when he took a fork and turned it into a long needle, he failed miserably. Abysmally. It was to the point that he had nearly given up using his skill for combat as even utilizing it to make weapons seemed like a far flung dream.

He was glad he didn't give up. Even more so that he practiced with Eichirou. His skill now wasn't like back then.

The metal shift and shrunk. The knife in general grew slightly heavier by the handle as its center of gravity realigned to the hilt of the smaller blade that it was now. Perfectly shaped, a sharpened edge, the weight was equally distributed from blade to handle as it was morphed carefully so that it didn't ruin the craftsmanship or the pommel.

"Collect from the air and disperse all impurities. Vibrate with heat until liquid turns to gas. Gather and Simmer, as I command thee, Boiling Water Sphere."

A light tweak in temperature and an additional line was added. The spell circle succeeded with a steaming ball of water in the air before him. As it had an additional line, Hajime was forced to drink one of his on-hand magic potions.

Empty bottle tucked away, he plunged the knife into the orb, blade-deep. He allowed the tool some time to heat up for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Kentarou and Jugo had stepped up to help Eichirou as the guy carefully checked on the patient.

"Relieve this poor soul. Ease, as I command thee, Respite!" The spell activated without incident and the girl was quietly breathing, seemingly asleep. With the knife currently in his hand and the excuse he gave Ayako just a minute ago, Hajime understood what Eichirou was planning on doing and was glad she was asleep. "Lift her up so we can adjust her on the stone."

A nod and grunt later, the girl's arm was held on the wrist gently by Jugo. After giving instructions to slowly move her arm up to her head in circular motions, Hajime realized it was the FARES method for treating dislocations. How he noticed such an injury was beyond Hajime.

"I didn't know you were a medical professional. First the poison, now this." Even Kousuke sounded impressed.

"You pick stuff up when you travel. You can only fret over your siblings getting injured so much until you try learning to take care of them on your own. First-aid was easier when it wasn't bone and internal organs, though."

"Are you planning on cutting her open then?!"

The question they all wanted an answer for. What other conclusion would they arrive to when he readied a lot of water and a sterilized knife?

"Only if necessary."

That's the only excuse he gave until others arrived. Three most notably, Deene who wore an infuriated expression, Meld who wore a concerned one, and finally Ai-chan-sensei. She was a jumble of emotions packed thick with the spice of 'panic'.

"Yamamoto-sama! You shouldn't dirty your hands with the filthy demi-human! Please, leave that thing be—"

"Ignore him, Eichirou! Do what you can. Right now, we need to find out what she knows about the attack—"

"Yamamoto-kun! What do you think you're doing?! You should leave this to the professionals! Sensei won't allow this—"

"Confuto."

The trio were silenced with a wave of his hand. Even Hajime felt something tighten around his own throat. Eichirou glanced at them all before waving again once more, the mysterious spell that required no circle lifted.

Hajime knew about this method of casting. He didn't understand if it was a certain skill that Yamamoto was hiding or something else. Even still, he didn't pry. He never tried again after Eichirou refused to answer him the first time he asked. For helping him and even saving his life, he thought he should at least respect the guy's privacy.

But he did know one thing about it. Whenever Eichirou used the mystery skill, his eyes would glow with violet light. Even behind his glasses, it was a mesmerizing sight. One that had the other three stunned silent.

But be it either by the spell suddenly holding their tongues or Eichirou's glowering expression, not one made to talk after the effects were dispelled.

"Kousuke, please escort the noisy ones away from the operating table. Hajime, keep the water boiling and take out the knife."

He complied. The three were ushered away by Kousuke and they were left with the rest of the class and knights as an audience that remained a fair distance away. The civilians at the other side of the camp watched with awe and worry as they wondered what was going to happen. With the knife out, Eichirou plunged his own leather gloves into the steaming-hot orb of water.

Disinfecting done and sterilized knife in hand, Eichirou went to work.

With a knife, he made to cleanly cut open her skin and right a few out-of-place bone fragments. It drew disgust from the class, but none stepped up to stop him. Hajime noted Kouki being held back by Kaori as Eichirou, seamlessly unbothered by the gruesome nature of the task, pressed on.

Wiping those with cleaned cloth and healing them shut, he then turned to do check her green-hued stab wounds. After verifying those a few minutes into the operation, he ignored them for now and moved over the cleaned yet oddly shaped swelling. It was then Hajime had to look away in disgust but, with a glance, saw the true reason as to why Eichirou needed to cut her open.

"What are those?"

"Ugh, don't look!"

"HRRRMP! URRRGGHH!"

More than a few of the civilians had to turn away. The knights kept watching, not as disgusted but still somewhat disturbed. The rest of the classmates all started looking at the operator and the surgery with horror and revulsion.

Hajime, getting the front row view with Jugo and Yoshino, sympathized with them. After all, he didn't expect bloody sacks of god-knows what to be taken out of the bulge in her belly. What he originally thought was a bruised swelling in the torso was actually an inhumane storage compartment made from a cavity in her own stomach.

Scrunched up right next to her internal organs, the objects obviously foreign to her system caused the girl to shift slightly in her sleep as Eichirou moved quickly and closed the incision with a short recovery spell before bleeding overflowed. He then had Yoshino use what clean water was left to wash the green-fluid oozing wounds and sealed them shut, where they suddenly turned into greenish bruises.

A sling had been prepared for her limb, and soon, she was mostly done.

"This will do. Ayako, the one we practiced. Only her body, okay?" Once her body was wiped clean with another towel, Eichirou spoke up. Less panicked and more composed, the teen surgeon looked to the girl with a voice as calm as the sea. "Remember. You don't have to look at her when casting. Just maintain your stance, use only a small amount of exposure, and focus on the image in your head."

"Eh, er…"

"Don't worry, Ayako. Trust me. You can do it." Trying to sound helpful, Kentarou whispered his support with a hand to her shoulder.

"Right…"

Gulping deeply, the girl took a slip of paper from her belt pocket, breathed deep, and began chanting. She had her eyes closed all the while. Hajime suspected it was more to keep from remembering the previous gore than it was to concentrate on the spell.

"Mend the bones and seal the cracks. Restore this child's foundation. Let her walk under morning's light once more. Light's Ray!"

The staff she wielded shone with bright light that bathed only the patched-up woman under the recovery spell. Despite being a type of light mage, Tsuji Ayako's Priest class was more of an exorcist and anti-undead barrier-making magician. Healing magic was her weaker side and offensive magic was beyond her.

But the aptitude to light magic was in her favor, and having been training under Eichirou, she had a better grasp of the heavily modified healing spell that worked differently compared to the surface level recovery spells.

"What is that healing magic?"

"Even the broken bones are—?!"

The mages of the Knight Order stared in awe as the leg bones that had their fragments shattered and the arm that was snapped beyond recognition quickly return to their original form and straightened out under the glow. The patient's head shifted slightly but didn't wake. A relief as Hajime knew if she wasn't, she might have felt pain all over.

The relief spell may have been in effect, but it was hardly anesthesia.

That being said, the spell Ayako was using to mend the broken girl was flashy, literally and figuratively. On cast, it seemed like an advanced healing spell that required higher aptitude and magic power. But on paper, it was so much more than that.

The light element had an intriguing aspect to it. It was, obviously, 'light'. But in science, it was part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In other words, besides accelerating the body's natural healing, the light element could access certain radiation levels. Specifically X-rays. Using this property that reached into the target's skeletal structure, Ayako was able to manipulate the light's scientific aspects to grasp the skeletal injuries of the person in question and even affect it.

As a safety precaution, it resembled a lamp light directed over just the body of the patient on the table more. It wasn't like the grand majestic holy beam from a cleric using a high-tier healing spell. And instead of lasting like a glorious eternity, this one more resembled a flash from those ancient cameras.

As it was just an instant and had a limited scope, the patient wouldn't be harmed much by the possible radiation effects.

Limited to X-rays, the effects gave the mage a clear image as to what they wanted to heal. In this case, the slave girl's shattered limbs. With the spell's light attribute instructed to make a scan of the target, the image was then stored inside the caster's head.

An instant was all she needed to know where and how to apply healing magic accordingly to the damages beneath her skin. Not flesh nor clothing could block the spell's effects as the light attribute was manipulated to only jump back after coming across bone.

What Eichirou essentially did was create a magic capable of X-ray scans. As recovery magic required an image of the injury in question, both what needed to be healed and how it can be healed were normally limited to skin and flesh. As it were now, Ayako could use it to heal microfractures as well. And thanks to her image practicing, she managed to remember the image received via the spell perfectly.

All Eichirou had done was put back what needed to be returned. Bone fragments, external fractures, and a dislocation. All the things that, by normal healing, would require extra work. Once that was done, he sealed the wounds with the cleaned towels to let Ayako work her bone-mending magic.

"Heal the wounds, relieve the flesh. Light's Blessing!"

Under the light of the follow-up spell, the girl's body was restored. Her fair skin was slightly pale but wasn't as bloody and grotesque as it was before. Her long limbs were now straightened. Even her once marred face now only had light scratches. The remaining lesions were possibly old wounds.

She was a plain-looking girl. The long hair that was dirty and splayed out was straight and dark with a hint of orange. Had it been cleaned of blood and grime, it might've been vibrant orange. Despite the dirty rags she had on, her figure wasn't really that bad other than being scarred in places and malnourished. She looked younger than expected. There were also scales scattered all over her body.

Hajime never noticed it, probably due to the horrible injuries before, but she had reptilian scales covering her arms, shins, shoulders, chest, and neck. She even had a tail that regrew quickly from the stump under Ayako's healing spell. Though Hajime couldn't confirm if her entire back was scaly as well now that her other physical features were restored, he didn't have time to see everything to recognize a lizard girl.

Somewhere in his heart, he wanted to squeal in excitement at seeing something so much templated from an isekai. However, he was also slightly disappointed as it wasn't a cat girl. Or dog girl. Hell, he would've settled for a bunny girl as long as he had something fluffy to rub.

But now was neither the time not the place.

"Hajime, we're using that spell." Eichirou had the girl wrapped up in his own coat, her bloody one already tossed onto the ground. "The poisons shouldn't have gotten far so we'll use the one-circle variant. If we hurry, we can drain both without much side effects."

'Both?' A quick glance at the greenish fluid stuck to one of the towels and the bloody sacks that were spilling an oddly-colored powder on the ground and Hajime understood. A hand to the stone table, Hajime drew it up from memory. The so-called antidote spell he had the greatest ease in recreating through Transmuting but only Eichirou could activate. "Transmute."

The complex diagram of words written in circles using a language he understood but knew not its origins formed beneath the girl's body without having to lift her up off the table.

It was a strange thing at the time, this spell's creation that is. One moment, they were relaxing and having a break. In the next, Eichirou was quickly jotting down a sketch of the piece. It was like he was a raving lunatic having a migraine at the time. After a while, he explained he just remembered something, and, for fear of losing it, wrote it down as fast as he could.

A likely excuse, however, it was amazing. Amazing enough that though Hajime was curious about it, he also felt something off about the formation. The lines were made out of phrases and symbols. Not the standard traced line or curved arches used by the other spells found in the library's records. It was so unlike Tortus' magic circles, but they worked to a degree with the mana present in this world.

It also felt so familiar. As if it was something he should've known as common sense yet forgot as soon as he tried remembering.

It was… peculiar.

Hajime didn't have time to contemplate as the circle's rainbow light blessed the woman's body upon activation. The magic began to work and color returned to the patient's skin. She also began to visibly breathe heavily.

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was also that moment that a howl cut through the distance.

"DIRE FANGS!" One of the knights standing guard by the forest area shouted. This prompted the others into action.

"Vanguards, Defensive line! Mages, at the ready!"

Recovering his voice, Meld stood tall as he ordered his men into position. Without a moment's hesitation, around twenty or so knights all followed accordingly, positioning themselves between the tree line and camp by the riverside. The mage group behind them also readied themselves. However, there was an oddity to the formation. There were several obvious gaps to it. As if they were lacking manpower to fully form a line.

"What are you waiting for? Get into formation! Don't tell me your training's all talk!"

Directing his voice at their classmates, they all began scrambling to join their respective parties in a panic. Their expressions were tense.

"Ayako should need some potions to recover her magic after that." Even Eichirou was nervously sweating as he handed Hajime a few bottles while maintaining the spell that caused the girl to cry and cough up yellow-green fluid from her closed eyes, nose and mouth. "Here, use mine and go. I'll handle this."

'You sure?' Hajime would've asked, but Eichirou just gave him a reassuring smile and a nod before he could.

"Her life is out of danger. She'll be fine and just needs to rest. Go." The reassuring smile turned into a knowing smirk. "Show them what a Synergist can do when he gets seriously into magic."

Hajime paused at this. He had already shown his classmates just how impressive his growth was. Even having the weakest stats, he was able to stand toe-to-toe with four of them. Though severely underestimated, he succeeded just barely. There was no point in showing off that he wasn't the same weak kid before Tortus.

But if he was being asked to show the results of his research-turned-hobby with Eichirou, that was another thing. It wasn't to show off his growth. It was to display the fruits of he and his friend's labor.

"You got it." Returning that smirk to his best friend, Hajime rushed after the rest of the class, Jugo and co. sprinting along with him.

"So, Hachin, what's the plan?" Kentarou asked as soon as they got into position.

Hajime was no strategist. He wasn't even made party leader. That honor was unanimously given to Eichirou by everyone. Mostly because when it came to who talked loudest, Ayako and the others tossed him into the fire. Wanting to avoid responsibility, Jugo and Kousuke did the same.

It was more dumping the troublesome job to the guy than actually thinking he was a good person for the job.

But in all honesty, Hajime couldn't hold a candle to Eichirou as he didn't have the skills of a leader. Despite his reluctance and humility, the guy who could counter each and every move they threw at him in practice was much more knowledgeable about their group's cohesion than the hastily added member that was the Synergist.

But that wasn't a detriment. After all, he had grown to at least trust these people as friends after getting to know and train with them in the months' time he improved. They trusted him back as well. Not to the degree of deep friendship, but enough for watching each other's backs in a fight.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a start compared to the animosity they all gave him on Earth.

"First things first. Ayako-san, please cast this on everyone here. Kentarou-kun will use this there. And Yoshino-san will be ready with these…"

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Just as he gave them their instructions and custom spell slips, the wolves made their appearance.

---

The knights were in formation and ready to intercept. The Apostles were too. And even though they had the strength of twice his men each right now, Kouki being four times that, they still held reserved faces.

That much was obvious. This was their first real fight with monsters after all. Their opponents were no pushovers either.

Dire Fangs. Monsters that resembled wolves but with darker fur. Some say that their dark coats was due to being soaked in the blood of their victims. Hence the darker patterns and streaks. However, that was just hearsay. The beast was more than just a simple variant of wolves.

Not only were they faster than their animal counterparts, the older monsters grew tall enough to dwarf a man by a head. With their leg power, it was enough for them to leap over two rows of spear infantry. They even had the muscles to brush past three rows.

Their fangs were notably dagger-like and had a potent poison made from certain glands in their throats being infused with power from their core magic crystal. Originally thought to be some form of incurable curse, this meant that any poison that dripped from their fangs were magical in nature and would require magic-infused antidotes.

One look at Eichirou's work on the slave girl, however, such worries were unwarranted as his original healing magic was taking care of it with apparent ease.

The inventiveness of the boy was impressive. Taking a few weeks of research, he had grown to a competent level comparable to that of the Court Mages. He more than impressed them with his alterations to their circles that boasted efficiency and scale.

His spell would also come in handy if anyone were to get infected with poison. Though Meld prepared antidotes in case, he would still ask Eichirou if it would be okay to have him heal it instead. Knowing the boy's pragmatic nature, there was no chance of him disagreeing.

If his protégé was anything to go by, Meld would commend such ingenuity, even if it offended the priest.

However, something else caught Meld's eye.

It was the one group that didn't seemed fazed at all. They stood on the rear with the rest of the mages and had more unsettling visages than the ready vanguards or the cautious civilians.

Eichirou's party, unsurprising that they voted him the leader when he accepted the King's invitation, was readying a contraption with their leader currently absent. In his place, the Synergist, originally dismissed as incompetent by his peers due to Meld's lack of forethought on privacy, was giving instructions that each and every one of the party members took calmly yet resolutely.

Strange to see the role reversal in the absentee from training. More so now that he was instructing those who attended almost every day.

Though interested in their plan of action as well as their stone-built tool that resembled a leaning pipe, he didn't really have the time to watch over it all, or most of the Apostles for that matter. Due to his position as their trainer, he needed to prioritize their growth as well as their survival. But because of the war, he needed the Hero on the top of that list.

It was why he accepted Eichirou's suggestion in the first place.

'Give them a chance to explore the surrounding area at their own leisure. If they didn't perceive it as training, they wouldn't be stressing out about it even if it was a break from the travel.'

A training session that was not. How was such a thing possible? You manufactured it to be so.

By giving them an opponent to fight, it was possible to reduce their stress by providing a controlled scenario where they utilize their training to win against an 'unexpected opponent'.

Originally, he planned on clearing the area and have the knights bait some low-level monsters in 'by accident'. It was lucky that Dire Fangs were present in the area. Though he was no actor, the victim's circumstances led to the perfect outcome for this 'exercise'. However, the cause for their presence was concerning.

'What were they even doing out here?'

No one should've been camping out in the forest. It was against common sense to do so when monsters could be afoot. There was a reason their group opted for the riverbank in the first place.

It was easily defensible with the river blocking one side and the nearby elevated hills giving them a vantage point for incoming attacks. It was also a fair distance away from the trees, an anti-ambush position, so to speak. There was also the road which allowed for a quick escape given the need for it.

But in any case, Meld decided he'll save that investigation for later. Concerning as the monster's first victims were, he had a job to do right now. Though, he hoped for the child's recovery even if it was a demi-human.

He needed information, sure. But he didn't wish for the girl to come to more harm than she might've already endured.

"Meld-san," One of Eichirou's party members approached Meld, the peace of mind in his expression was like that of a disciplined veteran soldier. He even saluted like one, the old-man-face he was born with betrayed his teenage youth. "We need to ask you a favor."

"What is it, Jugo?"

"We'd like to request that you hold off on having the others engage until we've done our part."

Though he expected some of them to be eager to test their skill, he didn't expect the overly cautious Nagayama Jugo to be one of them. From training alone, the knight already noted that this Heavy Knight didn't move to offense as long as he believed he couldn't succeed in the first try.

"You want to start first?" Meld asked in mild surprise. "Even if you're feeling that confident in your skills, I think it's better to fight alongside your comrades as a team."

"Oh, no worries, Meld-san. We plan on it." The young man smiled. "However, we'd appreciate it if you bought us a little time to test something."

Meld was second guessing whether he should stop the guy and his party, but then he remembered Eichirou's words.

'And after all, showing them that they've improved should raise their spirits somewhat. This should be done on their own though. Hand-holding isn't going to help any.'

Taking those words into account, he was to 'show' them. Not interfere, or instruct, but rather allow them to learn of it through their own success.

'I guess his suggestion of a stress relief requires me to stand down. Hmph. Even I get the benefit of just playing observer.' A grin crept up the unseen side of Meld's face. 'Stress relief indeed. If Jugo and the others were pumped enough to try attacking first, then it would be a damper of me to interfere, now wouldn't it?'

"Go on then. Alan!, have everyone hold. That goes for all of you! Do not engage unless ordered to!"

Giving his permission, he instructed the knights and the other Apostles to stand their ground. Not one showed much resistance to his command.

The wolves were still gathering at the edge of the clearing, barking and howling as more of their numbers emerged from the trees. They currently numbered around thirty, less than half of which was close to adulthood. This meant that around twenty or so of their numbers were mere pups.

Perfect for long-range target practice.

The larger ones would be more difficult. But with his most well-trained knights holding the flanks, it shouldn't be too difficult to hold them back until the Apostles manage to take it down. His men could take adults with three per beast.

How would a mere six or seven compare against thirty children with the strength four times that of his soldiers while they were being guarded?

This was all going to plan.

"CLEAR!" FWUMP

That is, until he heard the shout and thump.

"What was that?"

"Are? Doesn't this sound like…?"

"Oy, Nagumo, what the hell are you guys doing?"

The Apostles on the front line were abuzz with talk at the sound. They took glances, but due to the knights standing by to support them from the rear, not one of them could see what the rear was doing. They were only able to hear Hajime's warning.

"You guys in the front, pay attention to the enemy!" Walking over to the troublemakers, Meld tried checking on what it is they were planning. "Oy, what's the idea? I thought you guys said you were planning on testing your magic?"

"Oh?" Responding to him with a serene face akin to Jugo's, Hajime answered. "We are, Meld-san. However, we couldn't actually test something like this if everyone was stuck in melee."

"What is it you're testing?" Now Meld was honestly curious. What form of long range magic required friendlies to stand back over a hundred meters and could reach the target at the same distance?

"Oh, just a little something from our world."

BOOM

That was the only answer Meld received until the explosion crashed into the beasts in the distance. From his position behind his men, he noted the burning earth and fallen trees as the Dire Fangs started scattering from the initial hit and began charging.

"CLEAR!" FWUMP

"CLEAR!" FWUMP

"CLEAR!" FWUMP CRACK

BOOM

"Hachin, this one's no good anymore. Should we make another?"

BOOM

"No need. We're moving to Phase Two."

BOOM

Another crater, and another, and another. More explosions were made from whatever objects they were dropping from the sky, killing another handful of pups and injuring an adult. For every object that landed, there were at least a handful of victims torn to shreds upon impact. All the while, the level-headed party calmly discussed their plans aloud.

Still, more of the Dires emerged from the forest and attacked. Two of which caused Meld's eyes to widen. Alarm bells rang in his head.

"The hell—? Alphas incoming! Brace!" ordering the vanguard to hold firm, he was about to tell the mages to ready fire, but Hajime's shouting yet serene tone overshadowed his voice.

"Kentarou-kun, lay the trap!"

"On it!" The Geomancer was positioned directly behind the knight's mages that his shout had a few of them jumping in surprise. A burning piece of paper vanishing from his hand as he struck the earth. "Weave and weld. Hold tight and taut. Stay all who struggle. Let nothing escape thy grasp. Spread through the earth. Reach out and entangle all. Entrap, as I command thee, Terra Adhesive!"

The ground before him or his staff wasn't affected at all. But the ground in front of the vanguard rumbled and churned. A yellowish brown ooze erupted from beneath the green grass and spread nearly halfway across the field, towards the oncoming Dires.

A warning was warranted. As one of the Alphas started charging, it breezed through halfway the first adult had already ran through in less than a few seconds. It's speed was incredible. It would soon be upon them.

And Meld doubted their trap would be enough to stop it.

"Oy, Hajime! That's an Alpha charging us!"

"I know."

"That's a pack leader! Where it goes, up to forty more pups are soon to follow!"

"I know."

"It'll take at least ten of my men to hold one back."

"I know."

Despite the anxiety in Meld's voice trying to caution the boy, Hajime's calm tone didn't let up. In fact, he just nodded and looked to his teammates.

"Yoshino-san, your turn. Meld-san, I advise you order everyone to duck." The warning was delivered as he ran up to support his other teammate, abandoning the contraption and leaving Jugo, Kentarou and Ayako to stand behind Mao. "Kentarou-kun, on my mark!"

"Freeze the sky and the those that ride the wind. Hold them still for but a moment's grasp. Let not a single drop of their blood splash but shatter to the frozen air."

"Kuh! To hell with it! Vanguard, get down!" Gritting his teeth, Meld didn't even need to hear the end of that chant to know what element the Invoker girl was going to use. And by the long aria it needed, it was going to be a big one.

"Now."

"… as I command thee, Stone Spires!" "Transmute!"

Spikes jutted out from the ground before the yellow tar. As they timed it simultaneously, the wolves found themselves rushing into a spear wall made up of multiple rows of stones and minerals made by the Geomancer and Synergist. The charge ground to a halt. The not-so-lucky early birds were massacred on the spot.

Meld noted that a few had turned to the sky, leaping over their skewered brethren. Some followed after by hopping over the dying corpses while more trampled them. Poison-dagger-like fangs were bared to tear into whatever they struck first.

But they weren't fast enough in a race against the drop in temperature.

"By my finger's signal, I command thee, Cold Snap!"

CLACKPSSSSSHHHHHHHH

That sounds of a clicking finger and shattering ice was all that was heard from the frontline as flying Dires in the air froze in one instant then shattered in the next. Those that initially thought they could leap over their fellows, coincidentally the only ones in Mao's line of sight, were vaporized with the snap of a finger, leaving only snow and ice to drift into the vanguards' dumbstruck faces.

"Defend my people. Rise up and protect the masses. Let none enter this domain. Stand fast, as I command thee, Stalwart's Wall!"

Ayako's timing was on point. Though the sound of cracking was heard, the defense didn't shatter as the Dires that escaped the flash freeze and were about to hit the front struck the barrier with yelps and whimpers. This caused the surviving attackers, several dozen pups, the remaining adults and the audacious fast-charging Alpha, to impact the fragile yet holding wall and bounce into the sticky trap beneath them.

The trap planted earlier worked wonders as strands of the adhesive clung to the fur of the hapless monsters. The more they struggled, the more they get entangled.

"Yosh, everyone! It's your turn! HAAAAAAH" CRUNCH

At Jugo's signal, the others paused for a second in hesitation. Who could blame them when they expected a struggle? This was a massacre.

When Kousuke began stabbing necks one after another, however, they all joined in, beating down on the trapped beasts. With the awkward landings placing the Dires on either their sides or backs, they were left vulnerable as swords, claws, spears, axes and hammers made short work of them. Though the Alpha took a little longer to put down, Kouki's Soaring Slash ended its resistance.

The pups that were stopped just outside the spear wall were also not left alone.

"Mages, at the ready!" Alan had that covered with his organizing the backline into formation. Soon he let his order fly. "Fire!"

Streams of fire and wind struck true at the Dire pups. Those that tried to circle around the front were met with a hail of water bombs and the spears of the elite flank guards.

It was all too easy. The number of casualties would've probably jumped to the seventies with the pups alone. With as many as forty or so in a valid assumption, the Apostles just cleaned house of two full Dire packs. But a thought immediately had Meld glaring at the tree line.

'Where's the other Alpha?!'

Dires were persistent beasts. They hunted in packs and never alone. Only out of desperation do they try one-on-one. But another factor to their nature was that they never retreated even in the face of death. Wolves and dogs were smart enough to know when to retreat. But Dire Fangs were always on the offensive. It was why they always had more pups than adults. Very few actually survived into adulthood due to their fervent nature of continuous attacks. With these numbers, they had nothing to fear as long as they won.

So begs the question: Where would the second Alpha Dire Fang be if it will never retreat?

"SAINT-SAMA!"

The answer was from the rear.

Popping out of the river, soaked black coat dripping wet, the second Alpha pawed its way towards Eichirou.

"Shit!"

They had been fooled. While their attention had been drawn by the charger, the second one took the riskier approach and dove into the river that flowed along the left flank. Even if he had posted his elite men on that flank, they were trained to always focus on the visible threat.

The sneaky pack leader managed to bypass them by hiding beneath the surface of the deep river. It's height that reached three heads above a man more than enough to challenge the two-meter-deep water.

"Eichirou!" Meld made to charge in swinging. Four of his men followed through. Training kicked in and his second-in-command for this mission, Alan, took control of the others in his absence. "We'll distract him! Hurry up and—"

"Protect the girl!"

"Wha—?!"

"I SAID 'PROTECT THE GIRL'!" Jumping away from the stone table where the teen performed surgery, Eichirou made to run back, away from the river and towards the hill. "Over here, you oversized rug! Explode, as I command thee, Firebolt!"

The flaming streak struck the beast on the head. It had been eyeing either side of itself, the civilians on its right and the rear of the mages in combat to the left, but then it let out a yelp upon fiery impact.

The firebolt struck true.

GRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAARF

Soon, it turned to growl as it rushed after the boy, quickly ignoring the demi-human slave on the nearby table as well as the guards and civilians standing still just a few meters away. It's target was made apparent by who struck first.

And it didn't stop running.

---

'Eichirou! What the hell are you—!'

'Less chatting, please!'

The hunt was almost over as soon as it started. With great leaps and bounds, the monstrous beast of a wolf-copycat dashed faster than he could run. It was just about to chomp on his shoulders when, Mia instinctively hijacked his arm and pulled out a slip

"Light and Blow, as I command thee, Flashbang!"

FLASHBOOM

The resounding crack and blinding light originating from the piece of paper he chucked over our head was enough to stun the beast into biting air. Eichirou took this chance to leap to the side as the Alpha crashed into the dirt, furiously rubbing its eyes.

However, he didn't make it far. I, as his passenger, was taken along for the ride.

"KUHO!"

'Eichirou, get up! We don't have time to sleep!'

'Do you think I want to, Mia?!'

Due to the size of the beast, its sudden erratic flailing had its tail swung directly into Eichirou's side. Rolling over with blood spurting from his mouth, I knew he wouldn't be able to get back up from that one unscathed. Hence why I hijacked his legs as he resisted the pain on his side.

I felt his frustration. But as I was only holding control of his legs, I didn't feel the same pain.

To prove a point, Eichirou leaned awkwardly to one side as I stood him up straight by his legs alone.

'What's the plan?'

'Um…'

'YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN?!'

He drew the knife he had used earlier in the surgery. The short blade gleamed with sharpness.

'Hey! Think of a better plan!'

'Call the damn horse if you want me to have one. He has my spear!'

Though he may have a point, I couldn't just call out to Jacky. Though I could communicate with the animal and interact with it better than he ever will, there was no way I could switch over and call Blackjack in without getting the poor thing caught up with this… this monster!

"Oy," Meld, bless the man's brave soul, was trying to get close to assist. "Stand back and let us handle—!"

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Alpha's bellows was unexpectedly strong, it summoned a gale of wind that not only silenced Meld but threw off my balance. This in turn let Eichirou fall on his backside. Due to the incline, he began to helplessly roll down the hill. Away from the Alpha Dire.

'I have an idea!'

'Is it a good one?!'

All the while, the monster recovered its eyesight and charged once again.

'No, but it's better than nothing.' Just as he tumbled further, he threw the knife with precision timing into the thing's eye. "Gotcha!"

It struck true as a yelp escaped the beast as it leapt over us. But then there went our only hope.

'Great! Just fucking great! It's blocking our only path of escape!'

'Stuff it and help me think of a plan to escape!'

The fact that it stood between Meld and us was problematic enough. But as soon as it recovered from the knife to the eye, the monster had its remaining one locked onto us.

"Damn, Mark, fire a spell!"

"Wind Blade!" A short chant later, something struck its backside. It didn't even turn around. "Dammit! It won't turn around!"

'Meld's still fighting. We need a plan. Come on! Think!'

I was in a panic. I couldn't think of anything to do. But then again, even Eichirou had stopped thinking rationally ever since ignoring my pleas. He very nearly pissed himself when he distracted the damn thing away from the civilians and the patient. There was no way he could think straight now that it was stalking him less than two meters away.

I was afraid. We both were. Death was staring at us in the face, and all we could do was pray it would leave us alone.

'… Is… is this it?'

'… wha—?'

'Are we… going to die?'

'Sshhh…'

'What are you…!' I was about to ask, but he shushed me again.

'… don't… don't be afraid…' I didn't know whether he was trying to reassure me or himself. But I couldn't help myself.

'… I'm… already afraid…'

The brutal honesty was all I had left. I was just a voice in his head. I didn't even know if I could be called alive. But I wanted to live. I want to live. I don't like the idea of death. I didn't want to die.

The monster's bloodshot eyes thought differently.

'… die…'

'… what the….?!'

'… the toy… must… die…!'

"OVER HERE! HYAH!"

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Neither I nor Eichirou had time to process the deep voice that growled in our heads as Meld did what he could only do to save our life. The sword must've struck its hind legs and dug into flesh because, for a second, the wolf demon howled in pain. But it merely knocked him back into his men with a sudden shove of its shoulder.

"GUHO!"

'Do not interfere… master's… orders… LYING TOY… MUST… DIE!'

"Oho? You're really only after me… uho, aren't you…, you giant… bitch?"

From beyond the darkness of our panic, I heard Eichirou's coughing voice. It was defiant. Like he finally realized something. Being connected to him, I figured out why he was mad. His response was enough to call the Dire's attention.

'… false prophet… must… die… lying toy… must… DIE!'

"Come on then!" Raising himself off the ground after taking back control of his body, Eichirou raised his weaponless right arm towards the giant beast. Like he was winding up a punch to challenge it. "Try me!"

'Mia, cast the spell just like I want you to! Time it while I cover us!'

I didn't even have time to argue as I immediately immersed myself in our connection and took over his entire body.

"COME ON!"

'DIE!'

His rage was my rage. His anger, my own. With these emotions amplified, it muted the pain that should have assaulted my psyche. I knew what I had to do as well as what he planned to do. A gamble, to be sure. But like Eichirou said.

It's better than nothing.

I charged. Reckless as it was fueled by rage, I drove his fist towards the monster who similarly charged forward, accepting our challenge with open jaws.

"Five times, shield this fragile soul. Protect its path straight and true. Hold Firm, as I implore thee, Pentashell!"

Without the pain to distract his mind, he assumed control of his mouth, chanting and cast the protection spell in mere seconds. The beast snapped shut on the outstretched arm just in time for its activation.

CRICK CRACK CLANG CRACK CLANG CRACK CLANG

'Nguh…?! Why… not… die?!'

The sound of barriers breaking and then holding was heard from the jaws of the beast as its thoughts emanated in our head with a guttural snarl. Perfect, it was her turn!

"Go to hell, VENTUS HASTAM!"

The sudden drain I felt as the gust of wind escaped my palm tore all my energy away, weakening me as magic left my… being… and into the new spell I… we… learned. It broke past the remaining barrier, through the Alpha's mouth and out the other end of its skull. The burst of pressure was enough to stop its lifeless jaw from clamping down on our arm. But the sudden loss of magic was enough to throw me back into his head as I relinquished control over to him.

Despite having great amounts of magic, the spell we spontaneously discovered was stupidly costly. More so because neither Eichirou nor I had any idea to control it. A first considering it was the first time since we got here that magic was able to knock us out.

Funny. And here I thought we were invincible. Guess not.

'Stop… being… conceit—' I fell into a half-slumber as Eichirou's exhaustion hit him as well.

"Oy! Eichirou?! Eichirou!"

"Stop… yelling so… much…" Eichirou whispered, probably chuckling as well. "Someone's… trying to… sleep here…"

There he went again, being considerate to others. He stepped forward to heal an unknown girl, probably angering that foolish Church spy as well. And now, here he was, trying to shush Meld for me, a voice in his head that was trying to fall asleep.

'You're really troublesome…'

'… heh… funny… my siblings… kept telling… me… the same…'

He fell asleep in Meld's arms just as I did in his head. The exhaustion this time was too much. Doubly more for him as the stress hadn't let him get a proper rest in weeks. Maybe, he deserved it for now. He did save the both of us after all.

But as I dreamt of relief, the new experience of traveling, the feeling of the sun, wind, and water of nature, as well as the near-death survival, the dark voice that was the monster's thoughts crossed my mind.

Who would order Eichirou's death through a monster?

What's more, who knew he was a liar to begin with?

---

And there. I managed to reach a comfortable endpoint. To be honest, this is one of my most rushed chapters. Rushed in the sense that I made, remade, redid, and finalized it with very little time spent on actually checking it.

IRL is currently troublesome this week and having to run back and forth getting documents from A to B then back and repeat is being such a hassle that I spent more time walking than asleep.

Because of that, I apologize if this isn't the Labyrinth chapter you were all expecting. But I am working a way out to make it happen within the next two chapters. I promise this time. :3

Short free time in the coming weeks will most likely delay updates for maybe another week. So even if I update next, it could be shorter and not be the Labyrinth. SOOOOOOOO please, have patience.

Oh, I may also update a Status Plate next week. Not sure whose yet as I have to set up the reason for the checking in the first place. But we only have two important plates that you all expect. 50-50 guess. XD

That is it for today. Until next week. Or the week after, worst case scenario.