Lies & Ties

by AsheriteAbyss13

Nagumo Hajime saves Yaegashi Shizuku from certain death in a freak incident that left her stranded. Yaegashi grows feelings for him and returns the favour by plunging herself into the Abyss to save him when he is betrayed. This is a story about love and salvation. About family and struggle. About freedom and loss. About Lies and Ties

5. Chapter 5

This chapter is going to focus a lot on the Endou and Kaori plot line. I was intending them to meet back with Hajime and Co in this chapter but I thought to delay it after getting stuck on how it would work realistically. Now that Endou and Kaori are with Sensei in Ur Town, it makes sense for them to be involved in that plot line. I'm hoping that this will be the start of real divergence for this fanfic and the canon plot.

So I'll apologise in advance for the Shizuku x Hajime fans. Know that my heart is with you guys too. Don't worry. I've already got parts of chapter 6 written up with lots more lovey dovey nonsense with Shizuku and Hajime.

Edit 30/12/2022

Just Edits for Proofreading. Chapter 6 is out, and there wasn't as much lovey dovey stuff as I expected. It didn't work out as well.

---

Lies and Ties Chapter 5

The Town of Ur

Five o clock am. For a normal Japanese Highschool student that was an unthinkable time to wake up. But Endou Kosuke was not a normal highschooler. He had a mission. Something, no someone to protect. He had a duty to be prepared.

It had already been several weeks since he gotten use to this normal morning routine. Wake up before dawn and get prepared for a long day of work. Practice hiding his presence as he snuck past the rooms of his classmates before making his way to the door of the person that he was protecting; Shirasaki Kaori's room.

A few quick taps later the door opened revealing a still yawning Kaori Shirasaki.

"Get dressed." He said tersely, trying to ignore her state of half undress.

She nodded quickly, before quickly closing the door once more. In a matter of seconds, she came back out in her full work gear. Gone was the graceful priestly robes she normally wore, replaced with dirty and worn farming equipment.

"What's on the agenda today?" Shirasaki asked.

"We're ploughing the rest of the fields today. Then we're going to start planting the seeds. We'll need to meet the other workers in 30 or so minutes for the tools." Endou reported

30 minutes later they had made their way their location to today. An acre of farmland on the outskirts of the town of Ur, appropriated by the Heiligh Kingdom for the war effort.

As they met the other farm workers they were greeted by grunts and snorts. The treatment they received was a lot better than the cold shoulders they got when they first started. The overseer greeted them with a rough smile, before handing them their ploughs.

The agricultural level of Heliegh at most a feudal level, with extensive use of pack animals for farming. But Endou and Shirasaki did not use such methods, they decided to do everything by hand. Their purpose was not farming but to get stronger. At first the other workers had objected; saying that they would interrupt their work but Endou and Shirasaki being otherworlders managed to keep pace with their blessings and gifts.

It was tough work. They needed to focus on mana control, to make sure that they used enough to enhance their strength and stamina to get them through the full hours of work. It required being familiar with mana and how to use mana efficiently. The constant use of mana, meant their mana stores were slowly growing and that their overall mana use was becoming more efficient.

Of course they were slowly but surely getting stronger physically especially for Shirasaki who was in a non-combat class.

Work continued to several hours until lunch at midday where they farewelled the gruff workers with a wave with the normal grunts and scoffs in return.

Their sensei insisted that her student all gather in for lunch every day, no matter what everyone else was doing, no objections. After 30 minutes of making themselves presentable, they arrived at the designated location; a lakeside Inn, with its main attraction being the stunning lakeside views.

"Oh Endou-kun! Shirasaki-chan! You made it!" Cried out their cheerful teacher; Aiko Hatayama.

Their diminutive teacher made her way to them, flanked by her stone-faced Holy Knight guards.

"Oh…. Have they begun planting the new crops!?" Ai-chan asked, sniffing the air around them.

They nodded, before being led to their seats. After some time the rest of the Ai-chan-sensei party made their way.

As Ai-chan sensei busily chatted away with the rest of their classmates, Endou was furiously searching for someone, his eyes darting around for a certain classmate.

"He's not here." Endou muttered.

"Who?" Kaori whispered, leaning.

"Shimizu."

Yukitoshi Shimizu, by all accounts a rather normal classmate. Not part of the popular cliques or shunned like Hajime or ignored like Endou. Shimizu could only really be described as 'there'. He wasn't anybody whose absence would alarm anyone. Under normal circumstances. But this was not 'normal circumstances.'

On paper their classmates were bodyguards for their teacher, but in truth it was an excuse for Aiko-sensei to get those who did not want to fight some freedom. Her only rule was that they meet up every lunch time to which everyone (Shimizu included) agreed to.

He eventually came an hour than was normally agreed to. This time, Shimizu looked more haggard than normal, his eyes unfocused and strained. Sensei ran up to him immediately trying to take care of him. He slapped away her hands, causing her bodyguards to prepare their weapons.

"It's none of your concern!" He snapped angrily. "I'm just here because you told us all to be here. Now that you've all seen me, I'm leaving!"

It was suspicious. Obviously suspicious. Stupidly obviously suspicious. Yet despite this, no one did anything. Sensei was obviously heartbroken but despite her body guard's pleads, she refused to let them bring back the boy. The rest of their classmates simply resorted to muttering angrily at Shimizu behind his back. Their lunch continued largely in silence.

Perhaps it was nothing. But too much was at stake to leave things to chance. They had already lost too much by leaving things to 'chance.'

Their day continued with some more work on the fields, until 4pm when their overseer excused them for the days as they had agreed several weeks prior. They rushed to their barracks and put on their training gear. The rest of the day was to be focused on sparing and practice.

Shirasaki blocked a weak blow from Endou's knife aimed at her abdomen. It was clear that he wasn't focusing. In one swift move she swung her rod over Endou's head, stopping just before it hit his head.

"Endou, sparring is no use if you're not focusing….." She reminded him.

"Yeah, sorry…. I've got a lot to think about…" He apologised half-heartedly.

"Well alright then. Talk about it." Kaori ordered.

Endou explained his concerns about Shimizu. How uncharacteristic his outburst was and his concerns with what Shimizu is doing. He described his plan to tail Shimizu to find out what Shimizu is doing.

"Maybe I'm overthinking this. But I don't want another tragedy like that to happen again." He declared.

He grit his teeth, recalling his regrets and uselessness.

"Back when Nagumo-san voiced his concerns to me and confided in me, I felt happy to be useful." Endou recalled fondly. "It felt nice to have someone notice me for a change. It felt nice to be needed even if the work wasn't all that pretty."

"Fat lot of good I was when the push came to shove. I couldn't stop Hiyama from hurting Yaegashi-san and Nagumo-san. I never found out who was behind him. When Hiyama betrayed him, I couldn't do anything but watch. I couldn't do anything to stop Yaegashi-san from jumping in to save Hajime-san.

"All I could do was to carry out what Yaegashi-san wanted me to do… But if I fail at protecting you and Aiko-sensei….. How could I ever face Yaegashi-san and Nagumo-san?" He cried out angrily.

"If Shimizu is innocent then I'll apologise to him later but if there is even a tiny possibility that this whole thing could lead to another tragedy, I'm going to stop it before it spirals out of control!" He declared.

Kaori Shirasaki frowned and closed her eyes. She replayed that moment back in her head. Hajime's body falling before her very eyes. The forceful grip of Shizuku who held her back from jumping in. She remembers waking up without Shizuku or Hajime by her side. She remembered crying to sleep the first few days.

"What happened to Hajime and Shizuku…. I'm responsible for it." She confessed.

"You're not"-

"I am responsible. For putting my head in the sand, not acknowledging how my actions alienated Hajime… That's on me…" She explained. "Because I ignored what was happening Shizuku-chan was targeted. I'm more responsible for that tragedy than you are."

Endou shook his head, his eye briefly flashing in frustration.

"We're all responsible for our part to play in that tragedy. We're both got a lot to apologise for when those two come back to us. If we want to be able to apologise then we need to survive."

Kaori nodded, agreeing to work with Endou to expose any threats against them.

---

Their plan begun that very night. When everyone fell asleep Endou awoke and proceeded to sneak into Shimizu's room. Based on what their classmates had told them, Shimizu was last seen going into his bedroom. Their accommodation had graciously split the floors between the girls and boys, giving Endou easy accessing to Shimizu's room which was only a few rooms away from his. Each room had an adjoining balcony so it was child's play for an assassin to get to his room unnoticed.

"Looks like the intel was good. Makes things easy for me."

Focusing more intently he activated his skill [Hide Presence] which basically allowed him to erase his presence as long as they weren't directly looking at him. He tested the lock on the balcony doors, which was unlocked. Carefully he opened the doors, making sure that there was no sudden noises.

Shimizu Yukitoshi was in a deep sleep based on the heavy snoring he was doing. Endou peered inside, getting use to the darkness, trying to locate anything that could be useful. He spotted a bag that was carelessly dropped onto the floor.

Without making a sound he manged to extract the bag and its content outside. He rummaged around, noticing a book and Shimizu's staff. It wasn't a lot to go on but it was enough for now.

Without making a sound he removed himself from Shimizu's room and went to his agreed upon location; Endou's own bedroom, where Kaori was waiting for him. He handed her the bag and its contents.

"Shirasaki-san, can you make a small light? We'll trying to read this book that Shimizu had."

She nodded and quickly recited a prayer;

"O Light be our hope in the darkness."

The spell produced a tiny ball of light, enough to act as a torch. Together they read its contents. It was a diary of some kind.

Day X, Month X

I'm leaving this record of events in case I become famous. After all I'm destined to be the hero after all. I'm sure that the records of a Hero would be most interesting.

I can imagine it now, me the hero and not that idiot Kouki. It'll be me that all the girls want. It'll be me that everyone admires. He might have the class Hero and the recognition in the class for now but that's no matter, I've got my genius cheat skills as well.

"It seems that Shimizu's got a bit of a hero complex." Shirasaki stated with simmering distaste.

"A bit?" Endou asked incredulously.

Much of the contents of the diary was Shimizu showing his open distaste for the members of the class. He bragged about his growing skills whilst bashing pretty much everyone else. He saw the males as annoyances getting in his way and the girls as too stupid to realise the truth.

"Is there anything here that's useful?" She asked groaning at the twisted mind of a teenage boy.

She flicked until they got to a more recent timeframe.

Day X, Month X

Serves that guy right, playing the hero. I knew that the world would make him eat his just deserts sooner or later. I knew that he would get his sooner or later, He would always look at me like I was some kind of idiot! Serves him right.

Day X, Month X

I can't stand these idiots anymore. Going with Sensei's not a bad idea, she's always been easy to fool and Yuka's going with her which is appealing.

I heard that Kaori is coming along as well. Maybe they're all starting to get that I'm the real hero.

At these entries Kaori became visibly enraged. Endou calmed her down, Shimizu might be a delusional asshole but that didn't prove that he was guilty of anything. He flicked to another page, these entries were only a few days ago.

Day X, Month X

I've finally met with people who see my vision. They recognise me for the hero I am. They promised to help me out. Ha, finally someone in this place recognises my genius.

Best to end things here, I'll need a good night's sleep, I'm meeting someone whose willing to become my benefactor and really ramp things up for me.

That was the final entry and it was the lead that they were hoping for. Someone was helping Shimizu. Someone who was feeding into his delusions. Whatever their intentions for Shimizu, the fact that they seemed to be feeding his delusions was a very bad sign.

"We've got a lead. I'll follow him tomorrow morning and try to find out who he is meeting." Endou decided.

"While you're doing that. I'll explain why you weren't able to come to the meeting. I'll try to convince sensei and the others to be on alert." Kaori affirmed.

Kaori nodded before turning off the light. They placed the book back into the bag before Endou quickly replaced the bag and its contents into Shimizu's room with none the wiser. He returned to the balcony where Kaori was preparing to keep watch over Shimizu's room.

"Go sleep. I'll wake up you up in 4 hours or if he wakes up. You'll need the rest to tail him the whole day."

Accepting her offer Endou, slept as best as he could in preparation for the following day.

---

For a potential scheming villain, Shimizu Yukitoshi was plain sloppy. It turns out that there was no need to keep watch over him at all. Shimizu woke up at the same time as the others. It was clear that he seemed unconcerned, following a standard morning routine.

He excused himself despite Ai-chan's objections and ran off, his bag tightly clutched. No one tried to stop him, most of their classmates did not hold a favourable opinion of him after yesterday's outburst. As far as they were concerned, it was good riddance for a bad egg.

Kaori joined her classmates for breakfast to to start making excuses for Endou.

"Sensei. Endou won't be able to make it today. He's come down with something, unfortunately." Kaori lied. "You don't have to worry about him, I'm taking care of him today but he is in no state to see anyone."

Aiko expressed some concern over his state of affairs but at the persistence of Kaori, Aiko decided it was best to leave it to their class's best healer. Ai-chan-sensei did not suspect anything, neither did any of their classmates.

The second that Shimizu left their accommodations, Endou also left shadowing him every he went. Shimizu's first order of business it seemed to be buying supplies. They were all given a stipend by the Kingdom for their expenses and Ai-chan-sensei also provided extra money. Shimizu went to the local market, using his money to fill up on supplies and food as much as he could fit into his bag.

Seems like a lot for a single person's daily intake.

When this was done, Shimizu hurriedly found the nearest exit out of the town of Ur. He followed the path that took him away from the lake. It seemed that he was in for the long haul, Shimizu's final destination appeared to be some distance away from town. This did not deter Endou who was used to this kind of hard work on a daily basis. Shimizu suspected nothing, continuing to lead his shadow to his final destination.

At times Shimizu stopped for a rest. Judging by his hunched back he was seriously tired. He eventually he returned on his way. Compared to the plains surrounding the lake town which promoted agriculture the terrain here was becoming increasingly rockier, with hills peppering the landscape.

Several hours later, his destination had become apparent; a forest that surrounded the Northern Mountain range. As he approached the treeline four figures wearing hooded cloaks appeared.

Endou quickly rushed forward, increasing his pace to make sure to make sure that he would not lose them in forest. Endou quietly marked the trees which he passed with a special symbol, allowing him to retrace his steps. None of the figures noticed Endou's presence but he was too far away to hear what their conversation was like. Shimizu himself held no such compunction to stay quiet. He loudly boasted about his heroic status and how they were truly gifted to recognise his prowess.

After sometime these figures had led Shimizu to a clearing in the forest. There Shimizu was presented with an amazing sight; fierce monsters were all lined up completely subdued, by demon soldiers. There was also a makeshift fortress next to a stream that supplied fresh water.

Shimizu's benefactors dropped their hoods and revealed their demonic heritage. Shimizu did not look shocked but remained excitable. At once he was led to one of the monsters; a horse-headed humanoid-like monster, with dark green skin and flaring red eyes. It had been put to sleep by this demonic handlers, but it seemed that it would tower over the average man if it was standing.

At once Shimizu began his work, muttering words of power and converting his mana into a spell. His staff touched the monster, which at once began to convulse and trash around. But after a while the struggle stopped. Shimizu lifted his staff and like a marionette on strings the monster began to follow Shimizu's control.

The demons were clearly impressed and started to feverishly congratulate the boy for his achievements. They urged him to continue his work which Shimizu seemed eager to complete. At once his hooded demonic benefactors left him to his own devices.

The demons had caught a myriad of monsters from the Great Northern Mountain Range to be bought under control by Shimizu. Amongst their number included direwolves, winged harpies, bears which could easily crush rocks and snake men. These monsters were beaten, caught, and trapped in cages dozens at a time.

Shimizu quickly proved that his show of force was not a mere once-off. In half an hour's time, several more prepared monsters were completely under the control of Shimizu. Endou's mind raced, his worse fears were being realised. Shimizu was collaborating with the Demons for some kind of purpose. These monsters under the complete control of a broken delusional traitor could not bode well for their own party or the town of Ur.

After some time, his demonic benefactors had returned and beckoned Shimizu to stop working and to come with them at once. Once again they began to trek through the forest.

This time they began to climb one of the nearby mountains. The air grew thin and Shimizu was visibly struggling to climb. The light was soon fading as the afternoon was slowly ending and the evening began.

Despite the hazard, the Demons continued to encourage him to push forward. The reward it seems was worth it. There sleeping in a rocky cavern, was a Dragon. It was straight of out the myriad fantasy novels that Endou had read throughout his life.

The dragon was covered entirely of jet black scales, its spine was protected by jutting red spinal plates. On top of its head of a large two-metre-long horn which was golden in colour. Whilst it slept it produced loud and frequent growling sounds, enough to sap the strength of any normal adventurer.

Shimizu did not seem to be frightened by this. He approached the sleeping dragon, his signature spell ready. The Dragon did not seem to react. Unlike the other monsters, the dragon was not corrupted instantly. Shimizu stopped the spell at once.

"This one will take a while. A high-level monster like this will need at least a day of work. I'm too drained from controlling the other monsters."

"Alright. Make it your priority for tomorrow. We'll escort you back to our base camp. Get a good night's rest."

"Is there any danger of the dragon waking?" Shimizu asked.

"There is. But if it comes to that we can have some of our elite magicians keep an eye out on it. Any signs of it waking and they'll cast a potent sleeping spell on it." One of the demons replied.

One of the demon leaders made a brief hand signal, ordering five of their number to stay posted here. Shimizu and the demons left the rocky cavern, leaving the five demons posted to observe the sleeping dragon for any signs of its awakening.

"Shimizu cannot be allowed to control this dragon! If it gets that Dragon on top of the other monsters, then we can kiss our lives goodbye!"

"Focus Kosuke! There are 5 demons here! I need to come up with a plan to reduce their numbers! Breathe Kosuke! Breathe Kosuke! Don't be in a rush. Shimizu and the other demons won't be back again until tomorrow. I just need a plan."

He checked his equipment. It was a basic set given to everyone in the Assassin class; several pairs of steel knives; some caltrops for basic traps and most ominously of all garrote wire. His assassin class teacher had provided him with this particular set.

"I'm giving these to you Endou."

His teacher passed on a set of garrotte wires to the 17 year old boy.

"This is garrotte wire!" Endou exclaimed. "Why would I need something like this?!"

"Listen up Endou! Your enemies aren't just monsters. You'll have to fight demons of course, but anyone can become an enemy at the drop of a hat. Humans, Demons, Beastmen, it doesn't matter. Once they get their neck sliced by the wire they're all dead."

Reluctantly he knew that the time may have come to use this weapon. He looked through his equipment again seeing if he could find anything that could help him separate the demons. He came upon his other pack; some equipment that Nagumo had created for him. In it was some standard health potions. He opened another pouch from Nagumo, in them were smoke bombs and a whistle.

Endou smiled.

"You're still looking out for me even though you're not here, Hajime-san?"

A plan began to form in Endou's mind. He followed the rocky path down the mountain, to a place that was not too far off from the dragon's sleeping place. It was a large crack on the face of the mountain, that made for a convenient hiding place. There he rested for a while until nightfall.

Then his plan would begin. He blew the whistle as hard as he could, producing a sharp whistling sound that lasted several seconds. As expected of elite guards, Endou already heard the sound of metal boots approaching.

That sounds like two pairs!

[Presence Isolation]

Focusing on his abilities, Endou used his abilities to become practically invisible. It was only a few minutes before the elite demons walked past his hiding spot, in a single file line. He would have to be precise; the demons were highly armoured leaving only a tiny gap for their necks exposed.

Sneaking behind the first demon was simple enough. Swallowing his fear, he brandished the garrotte wire, looped it around the neck of the first demon, and then pulled. Endou's enhanced strength and agility meant that the demon was dead before he could react.

The other demon had noticed something was off and turned around, only to have a dagger stuck in his throat. The demon helplessly gagged for a few seconds, blood gurgling from the wound until he too died.

Endou rummaged around for anything useful before he pulled the bodies into the crack in the rock wall. He knew that the other three may soon be coming. He released his skill and proceeded to approach the cavern once more.

He smelt smoke in the air. Getting closer to the cavern he notice a small fire that the demons had lit. The three remaining demons sat around the fire, busily rubbing their palms to keep warm.

"Where are those idiots?" wondered one of the demons out loud.

He got no response only dismissive grunts. The demons were not concentrating which suited Kosuke just fine. Once again he activated [Presence Isolation]. With several silent strides, Endou Kosuke had already snuck behind one of the demons.

He lit the smoke bombs and threw them at their feet. The demons rose to their feet, frantically brandishing their weapons, as the smoke obscured their vision. But it was too late for one of them, his carotid artery had already been cut by a swift garotte. The other two had immediately backed away from the source of the smoke but could not escape the rapidly billowing smoke.

All the other two could hear was a thud. The smoke irritated their eyes and choked their throats. They began to cough uncontrollably. That was the last mistake they would ever make. Endou's enhanced senses did not miss the hunched figures and the uncontrollable coughing that they tried in vain to suppress.

With a swift move, Endou leapt onto the back of one of the hunched figures, pushing his entire weight onto the demon causing him to collapse. Endou heard the snap of several bones breaking. With no hesitation he slammed his knife into the neck of the demon, killing him instantly.

The last demon was now nothing more than a trembling mess. He stumbled over the words to the magic spell that he was trying to cast whilst desperately swinging his sword vainly trying to ward off the shadow that had attacked them.

Endou appeared behind him and kicked him to the ground. Once again he straddled the frightened demon. The demon desperately struggled, until Endou put the knife close to his neck.

"Stop struggling. You know it's over." Endou spoke coldy. "You're not getting out of this alive. So I'm giving you a choice. You can either die swiftly like the rest of your squad or you can die in pain."

As proof, Endou dislocated the demon's right arm. He howled in pain, each sob causing him deeper and deeper pain.

"I can end that pain quickly. So tell me what you lot are planning." Endou demanded. "Tell me everything."

The demon was not used to pain. He grew up on stories of the superiority of the Demon race and how the inferior races conspired to supress them. All of that was shattered by the pain, by the shadow that was threatening to inflict more of that pain. He sobbed and sobbed, but it seemed that with each sob the shadow grew angrier until at last it grew tired of his natural reactions and snapped his small finger, breaking it.

"Talk." The shadow said coldly.

The demon spilled everything he knew punctuated with loud sobs and unforgiving pains. At last when he no longer had anything of value, the shadow ended his life.

Endou got up. Wiping the blood of his face.

"That was unpleasant." He said matter-of-factly.

As the smoke stopped billowing, he silently observed his deadly handiwork. These five were his first non-monster kills. He noticed the scared, broken faces of his opponents. The last demon that he tortured was a complete mess, bleeding from the places where he dislocated and broke his bones. He smelt the foul scent of piss that was now wafting in the air.

The adrenaline in his veins broke down. His senses were overwhelmed by the sight, the sounds and smell. Unable to rationalise the horror of what he had done, Endou vomited. Endou, staggered and sat down, propping himself on the rock face. He tried to calm down, breathing slowly like Meld had taught him.

Calm down! You had to do this! If not the demons would have gotten hold of the Dragon! You know what they were planning! They're planning on killing Ai-chan-sensei, the party, and the entire town!

His mind warred inside of him. With each objection, he recalled the horrified face of the demons' he killed and the smell of iron and ammonia that overwhelmed him for the first time. All he could do was cry.

A loud booming voice came from the cavern.

"What foul stench is this? To be awoken in such a manner is….. Unpleasant."

Endou could feel the air vibrating with each word. The ground shook, as the dragon fully awake got up and directed its head to Endou.

"Are thou the one responsible for waking me in such a horrid manner?" The voice asked.

The dragon looked around, noticing his Endou's handiwork.

"Those corpses strewn about, they suffice as an answer to my question. Yet several questions still remain. Who are you, human child? What have you to do with me?" The dragon asked.

Endou opened his mouth to speak when he was abruptly interrupted.

"Poor thing it seems that you are shaken… Perhaps it is my form that gives you disquiet?"

A bright white light erupted from the dragon. An instant later, the dragon was gone. In its place was a beautiful woman, seemingly in her twenties wearing robes that looked like a kimono. Black hair cascaded down to her waist, tied by several brightly colored hairbands. All that remained of the dragon was her bright amber-gold eyes that seemed to outshine the moon.

"Does that give you some peace human child?" The dragon-turned woman asked.

Endou swallowed his spit and nodded. It was a lie but out of fear of displeasing the dragon-woman, he went along.

"Has my long sleep deprived me of sense and as well as my manners? Introductions are in order; My name is Tio Klarus. As you may have noticed I am from an ancient line of dragon-men and due to the stars which aligned before my birth; I happen to be the princess of that line."

"And you are?" She invited.

"Endou. Endou Kosuke." He replied, still visibly shaken.

"Endou…. That is not a common name among humans. It does not appear to match the records of recent human civilizations." Tio mused.

She walked closer to Endou until she could properly see his face. She used one of her hands to lift his head.

"Ah cerulean? What a beautiful eye colour. Now that I observe your facial features, they do seem difficult to make out." She observed.

"Once again my manners have fled me. I apologise young Endou… My curiosity got the better of me." She apologised. "You must still be frightened at this sight…."

She uttered a quick spell and instantly warmth flooded Endou's body. He no longer shivered and shook. His spirit strengthened and his posture improved.

"That seems to have done the trick. Come now young Endou. I daresay you and I have much to discuss."

She sat down beside him, urging him to speak about his story. She listened intently, interrupting him only in scant moments asking for clarification on certain points. When he got up to the point where he made the decision to prevent the demons from turning the dragon he paused…..

"And you can see the result of that decision." He spat.

"Was this your first kill?" She asked softly.

"Yes…. I don't think I'll ever forget his cries, his twisted bloodied face and the smell of piss and blood."

Tio paused for a while before grabbing his head and laying them to rest of her lap.

"What are you doing?" Endou asked, embarrassed at being treated like a child.

"Rest young Endou. You may be right that such a scene may never go away." She observed. "Memories of such a nature never leave your mind. They will haunt you…. I know that all too well."

"But listen to me Endou Kosuke; listen to the words built on the foundation of 500 years of life."

"Hold on to that sense of disgust, never lose that sense of it. I have known those who have forgot the disgust of their first kill. They never lived lives of peace and died horrifying deaths."

"As for the memories. I would advise against suffering them alone. Such deep pain only worsens when kept deep inside."

"And lastly. In my eyes you are a hero. Do not think of yourself the monster that you think you are. Perhaps others may criticize you but I will not. Had you not intervened, I may have had my mind taken from my control. I may have become an instrument of countless evils."

"So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You are my hero, Endou Kosuke. I owe you a great debt."

Endou began to cry once more. Tio did not try to his tears but simply remained by his side until the sobs stopped and sleep overtook him.

---

When Endou was finally asleep, Tio Klarus; Princess of the Dragonmen rose. She gritted her teeth in anger, displaying a rage she had suppressed, fearing that it would frighten Endou.

"It seems that 'God' are playing their tricks again…."

She gathered the corpses of the dead demons and scattered them around the cavern where she slept. She removed the steel dagger that was Endou's and took with her a trophy of the fight; a sword of demonic make. With a flick of her fingers, she burnt the bodies alongside their armor and the rest of their weapons.

"These demons cannot learn that Endou has been here. They must think only that I awoke and in my rage incinerated these bastards."

She recalled the scenes that still haunted her in her dreams. The choking smoke. The intense heat of the fire. The smell of blood and burned bodies. The unending screams. Those bloodied arms wrapped around her, telling her to live and to fight on.

She spat at the burning bodies, once again making a vow to ensure that the perpetrators of the horrors her people experience would meet justice in the same blazing fires. The fires soon died out, leaving only scraps of twisted metal and the wafting smoke of carbon.

Her work done, Tio Klarus, sat down once more waiting for when Endou would her awaken and her quest for justice would begin in earnest.

Next Day

Endou was accustomed to waking early, so it was still dark when he awoke. In the distant horizon he could see the sun peeking through signalling the start of a new day. Tio Klarus; the Princess of the Dragonmen had appeared in his line of sight confirming that last night's events were real.

"Good morrow, Endou. When you are ready we should be off."

She handed him a skewer with some meat on an stick. It tasted like some kind of deer meat. After urging him to eat, she pressed forwards with her explanation.

"Once you are done we should leave for the town of Ur. You'll be riding on my back, so do not worry about preserving your strength."

"Is that safe?" He questioned.

"Quite safe. I can assure you that I've done similar things with the children of my tribe. Their first experience of being in the air is on the backs of older dragons. With some precautions your ride will not induce any trauma."

Endou seemed to hesitate. Choosing to focus on something else he glanced around the immediate vicinity. He noticed the distinct lack of dead bodies. When he mentioned it, her eyes grew sharper and darker.

"I burned them as part of the ruse." She explained. Endou noticed the sharp edge in her tone.

"The most likely conclusion they'll come to is that I incinerated them and then left. That works fine for both of us. We can't let them know that we are on to them."

He nodded, agreeing with her assessment of the situation. Once he was sufficiently awake, he ate his breakfast and took stock of his gear. Tio handed him his daggers and his garrotte wire. When they were both ready, Tio Klarus once again turned into the jet black dragon that Endou had seen yesterday.

"Come young Endou. Come aboard and hold tightly."

Endou climbed onto her back and clung tightly. Slowly she ascended giving time for Endou to adjust to the sensation. Endou peeked open his eyes and saw the vast expanses of the Great Northern Mountain range with their peaks piercing the heavens above. Looking down he saw the forest that he traversed but a mere day ago, each tree blurring into a sea of green.

Endou amazed at what he saw.

"Wow, that's really beautiful."

For a long time Endou Kosuke had thought little about this place called Tortus. Being forced into this world coloured his view of the land and its inhabitants . He thought of it as a struggle, something to fight against not something to fight for.

"I envy you Tio!" Endou shouted. "Being able to see something like this whenever you want."

Tio gave out a chuckle, which in her dragon form boomed in Endou's ear. She craned her neck to look at Endou's amazement and wonder.

"Yes, it is certainly something every dragonman holds dear. To take to the skies, to take in creation for all its glory, it is a privilege."

"That is why I seek to protect it from those who would twist it for their own gains." She concluded.

Endou could sense bitterness in her resolve. But before he could question it any further, Tio suddenly accelerated. He gripped on to Tio's back even tightly now, the world around him becoming a messy blur of blue and green.

"Come! Let us tarry no longer. We must make it back to the town and your friends as soon as possible." Tio shouted, in the midst of Endou's uncontrollable screaming.

---

Great Northern Mountain Range –Demon Base Camp

"Sir the scouts we sent to report back on the Dragon have come back. The guards have been incinerated."

The demon guard presented to his commander the mangled remains of their armour and some personal effects. The demon commander; Reiss looked on with displeasure.

"Reports also say that a black dragon was seen flying over the Northern Mountain range." The scout commander reported.

"Hmm. I guess pursuing the dragon any further would be a folly and waste of resources. The dragon would be long gone by now."

"A waste?! If your people weren't so incompetent then we would had a dragon to use!" Cried out Shimizu Yukitoshi, who was apoplectic at the news. He demanded that the Demons chase after him

Reiss clicked his tongue in displeasure. It was bad enough that they lost such a good prize, but being berated by a lowly human was the worst kind of insult. Yet the plan required the human's immediate co-operation so he bore with it, vowing to personally kill the stupid human boy when he no longer became useful.

"Shimizu-sama. We are deeply sorry for the mistake we have caused." Reiss said kowtowing. "Luckily the dragon was only bonus and we are not delayed in the slightest when it comes to the main plan. We have already taken the liberty of procuring more monsters for you to control."

"We would very much like to see the day when that human settlement goes up in smoke due to your heroic achievements," chimed another demon.

These words of praise, satisfied and served to distract Shimizu. He demanded to be led to the monsters that had been captured. All the while his delusions continued to push him towards his inevitable glory and destiny.

---

Town of Ur - Outskirts

Endou Kosuke vomited for the second time in two days. Tio for her part profusely apologised noting that she had forgotten to take into account the difference in constitution between dragonmen children and humans. Endou had tried vainly to glare at her, but all that induced was a puzzled look on the princess's face. Eventually, Endou forgave her, seeing that by all accounts she was right to get them to the town as soon as possible.

Endou had no problems getting back into town as he could produce papers noting his identity but Tio had some difficulty, eventually, he had to vouch for her character, alongside a 'tiny' deposit of gold which Tio had produced from her pockets sewn into her robes.

By all accounts it was already about 6:00 in the morning with the last of the purplish sky retreating to blue as he spoke. He and Tio rushed back to the Inn which their party stayed. Tio opted to wait outside the lobby, whilst Endou sneaked back into his own room.

Once he changed from his vomit-smelling clothes into a fresh pair he promptly awoke Shirasaki Kaori. Upon seeing Endou, she cried out in delight and joy before dutifully checking up on him like a good healer. Once she was done with her overall check, Kaori asked him what happened. Endou reported to her all that he had learned.

"Sensei and the town is in danger. They intend to attack and destroy the city making it look like a monster flood destroyed it." Endou concluded. "Shimizu is a traitor who is under the employ of the Demons. He is controlling the monsters for the demons to co-ordinate the attack."

"How many monsters does he have under his control?" Kaori asked

"Hundreds. Its barely any effort for him." Endou replied. "I believe that given enough time he'll have enough to overwhelm the city."

"We need to tell sensei and the others. We need to stop him while he doesn't have enough monsters to attack the city." Kaori concluded.

Kaori paused for a brief second before frowning.

"Sensei may be more difficult to persuade. When Shimizu disappeared she was frantic, getting everyone to search the town. When I broached the possibility of him running away she refused to listen to me. She seems intent on not questioning his intentions."

"We've got no choice. She has to see reason or else she'll endanger the party and this town." Endou replied bluntly.

"Sensei has been good to us so that does leave a bad taste in my mouth but I agree. I will not stand for another tragedy happening before my eyes." Kaori declared.

They decided that they needed confront Ai-chan-sensei as soon as possible. Endou left to get Tio to make a compelling case against Shimizu. Kaori immediately got dressed in her full attire as if preparing for battle once more. She grabbed her staff, twirling it to ensure that she was ready for the fight ahead.

When she got to the lobby of the restaurant, she saw Endou her friend conversing with a beautiful lady in her twenties. She appeared inhumanly beautiful, graced with a poise that came from a being that did not seem normal. There was no doubt that this was Tio; the Dragon Princess from Endou's report.

"Ah Tio-san, let me introduce you. This is Shirasaki Kaori." Endou introduced. "Shirasaki-san, this is Tio Klarus-san."

"Ah Endou's erstwhile charge…. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Shirasaki Kaori." Tio greeted.

"Ah yes me too. I'm glad you were able to help out Endou. I would have been lost without him." She admitted.

"Yes, if only we could have met under better circumstances. I understand that you require my assistance to convince your teacher to stop your traitorous 'friend's' scheme."

Kaori nodded.

"Yes. Sensei and are the others will be coming soon. There is absolutely no way that she can leave this room without being convinced. The town will not mobilise unless someone they trust gets them to move."

They did not need to wait long, several of their classmates begun to stream into the inn's breakfast hall. They did not appear to notice Endou (which was a common occurrence) but rather their eyes gravitated to the beautiful woman that stood before them. They all seemed rather scared to approach her as Tio was a being that seemed to radiate power.

At least their diminutive teacher; Aiko Hatayama walked into the restaurant. She was clearly still in distress because of Shimizu's disappearing act, the bags underneath her eyes and the heavy steps that, evidence of a rough night. She too was surprised by the appearance of Tio but it was Kaori that shook her out of her system.

"Sensei we need to talk about Shimizu." Kaori declared, causing some grumbles amongst the rest of the party.

"Yes about that. I think we need to-"

Kaori interrupted her.

"Sensei, no. We don't need to search the entire town again. Endou knows where he went."

"But you said that Endou-kun was sick yesterday." Aiko objected.

"I lied. That was a cover story so that he could track down Shimizu." She explained bluntly giving her no opportunity to interrupt her. Endou appeared behind Aiko, shocking her and his classmates. He offered no apology for his sudden appearance. Things were too urgent mere unimportant trivialities.

Endou gave his version of events from their initial suspicions to his long trek to the Great Northern Mountain Range. He explained what Shimizu had done and that he was colluding with the demons to destroy the town and kill Aiko. The class looked shocked whilst Aiko turned white and grew visibly distressed.

"Sensei. I know that you want to believe in the best of us but Shimizu has turned traitor against us. He's going to kill you if we don't stop him now."

"You must have made a mistake." She cried out. "You can't just accuse him without evidence!"

At this Tio undid the sword tied to her back and brandished it.

"That's a demon sword, sensei. I had to fight demons in that forest to stop Shimizu from twisting Tio-san's mind. He's already turned hundreds if not thousands of monsters to his control by this point. He's poised to destroy this town and everyone in it."

"I know you two are hurting because of what happened to Nagumo-kun and Yaegashi-san but you can't just….." She denied.

"Sensei! Are you seriously going to ignore all of this?!" Kaori growled. "Are you telling us that Endou's a liar?!"

"No. I just think Endou-kun might be mistaken! Maybe Shimizu-kun was threatened." She replied weakly.

"That's BS and you know it." Kaori replied bluntly. "We read his diary Sensei. He's delusional. He hates everyone here including you. He thinks that we don't get his genius and the Demons offered him a chance to make his sick fantasies a reality."

"You don't have proof of that." She whimpered, shaking her head.

"Are you trying to close your eyes to this again sensei? Are you really going to do nothing again?" Kaori accused. "Are you going to hide your head in the sand again?"

"Again?" Aiko asked dreading the answer, her eyes widening as she slowly realised what she was talking about.

With fierce determination, Kaori confronted them all about the wrong that they all had committed against Hajime.

"We all knew what Hiyama was like back on Earth. He was a bully. Everyone knew it. But everyone stayed quiet… Sensei, there's no way that you didn't know but I never saw you do anything to stop it. Hajime-kun was bullied by Hiyama and we, all of us we looked away."

"I claimed to love him….but I couldn't see pass my own obsession. I ignored anything that didn't fit my own narrative. I blinded myself and ignored what he was feeling. He had every reason to treat me badly but he always smiled and continued on."

"He fought for us even though no one expected him to… All of us turned our heads away. We're all guilty of letting that tragedy happen." She concluded. "I still have nightmares about that day. I still replay that memory in my mind. If only I was faster… If only I stopped Hiyama. Those questions still eat at me."

"I refuse to have this tragedy replay in my mind, haunting me, possessing me like an evil spirit."

"If you all want to stick you heads in the sand and wait for the monsters to kill you all… Then fine, we all deserve that fate anyway… But as for me and Endou, we're fighting. I need to atone for my sins against Hajime-kun and Shizuku-chan and dying a pointless death won't allow me to be forgiven."

Everyone uttered not a word. They all looked down unable to say anything or commit to anything. Kaori looked around to see that no one stepped forward. She bit her lip angrily, her eyes flaring with rage and strode out of the inn with Endou in tow.

Tio was left in the inn but approached the trembling Aiko. Grabbing her by the collar Tio lifted her up so that she could not avoid the words that she had to say.

"You are an educator are you not? Your calling is to guide and protect these students…. If you let them fight alone, then you are sorry excuse of an guide." Tio condemned. "Turning a blind eye to the sins of your students. Ignoring their worse tendencies. That is a failure on all fronts."

"If you do nothing now, I swear to you that your every waking moment will haunt you. You will find no rest in sleep." She spat bitterly. "Your wards will die a pointless death, and then in the midst of the ruins that you helped to create, you will despair and die."

She bought Aiko down, but her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor. Tio spun on her geta sandals turning around to address the rest of the class.

"Based on what I heard about Nagumo Hajime, you all failed. Now you have a chance to make up for it. Do not make the same mistake twice."

"What you accuse me of is certainly right." Aiko admitted. "I still think about Nagumo-kun and Yaegashi-san every day. I always ask for them to forgive me… I thought by taking away my students I could protect them….. But I was just running away wasn't I?

"But what can I do? I'm not a fighter. My students aren't strong enough to fight against a monster horde….." Aiko cried out in despair.

Throwing a bone at the helpless teacher, Tio offered one suggestion.

"Those children can't fight alone….They told me that you're respected in these parts. Why don't you think about utilising you influence to help your students."

"Now the ball is in your court; Hatayama Aiko. I pray that you make the right decision"

"If you need us, we will be at the town square." Tio mentioned.

Tio Klarus did not tarry any longer. She had no time to waste on people that would not fight. She strode out of the room, leaving Aiko and her bodyguards to stew in their own thoughts.

---

Endou and Shirasaki waited for Tio in front of the town,

"What are we going to do now?" Shirasaki Kaori asked, frowning.

Kaori was still fuming that Aiko was not clear in supporting them. Still they needed to formulate a game plan to survive this.

"I daresay that our biggest advantage lies in two things. Firstly, we have the element of surprise. Our enemies are not aware that we are on to them. They should not be aware that Endou had infiltrated them yesterday." Tio explained.

"If we could can locate their key players without alerting them we can end this fight before they have the chance to resist. This should eliminate the threat of the monsters as they should still be subdued." Tio concluded. "If we capture Shimizu, we can prevent him from unleashing his monster horde onto the town.

"So we should focus primarily on locating Shimizu. That shouldn't be too difficult, I should be able to retract my steps back to the forest. We've also got a rough idea of where to find the Demon's base is located since we were able to extract that information from that Demon I tortured."

"I'll sneak in undetected, eliminate any threats and subdue Shimizu." Endou concluded.

"You're not going at it alone." Kaori insisted. "Five demons is one thing but you could be facing a whole troop of them this time. I'm going with you! You'll need my spells against the demons."

"As am I. Whilst I have every confidence in Endou's ability to sneak around you will need my firepower for a pitched battle."

Endou would not refuse help, especially at this critical juncture.

"The only problem is the monsters. Even if we subdue Shimizu he could still use them to threaten us. At this point we no clue about their monsters and we lack the manpower necessary to destroy them with just the three of us."

Endou and Shirasaki were hoping that they could receive back up from their teacher but earlier events had proven otherwise. Tio chided them, asking them to remain open minded about their teacher and their classmates.

"Now, now do not discount your teacher or your friends. Despite her failings I sense that she is not a bad person at heart. It may take some time for her to get to realise what she needs to do but I suspect she will pull through."

As if on cue, one of the Holy knights tasked with protecting Aiko ran up to them short on breath.

"Your teacher has agreed to assist you. She is talking to the town mayor as we speak to convince him to mobilize the garrison forces to assist with the subjugation. She is also heading to meet the head of the local Adventurers Guild, to mobilise some adventurers to assist. If all goes to plan we should have skilled reinforcements for you all."

"All she asks is that you see her again. We need to coordinate your attack with our forces. But most of all… Your teacher wishes to apologise." The Holy Knight implored.

Endou and Shirasaki looked at each other elated at the news that their teacher finally agreed to assist them. They eagerly accepted their teacher's invitation to meet her and their other classmates at the mayor's house. They followed the holy knight to the mayor's house.

They were greeted warmly by Aiko Hatayama, who hugged them and sobbed. Apologising profusely for her actions.

"I understand if you decide not to forgive me…. After all, I am a sorry excuse for a teacher but let me help you." Aiko implored, bowing her head.

Sonobe Yuka, who headed the Ai-chan-sensei's bodyguards bowed down and begged to help as well.

"Shirasaki-san, you are right to call us cowards for failing Nagumo-kun. So let us atone and fight with you." Sonobe begged. "Let us fight and survive so that we can apologize to Nagumo-kun and Yaegashi-san when they return."

At Sonobe's lead their other classmates; Sugawara Taeko, Miyazaki Nana, Tamai Atsushi, Aikawa Noboru, and Nimura Akito all bowed their heads deciding to join the fight against Shimizu and the demons.

Endou and Shirasaki gratefully accepted their decision to fight with them. Adventurers from the local guild and the soldiers from the local garrison also pledged their support to protect their town. All in all they would have at least 200 that they could use immediately to support them.

Endou and Shirasaki quickly gave a brief rundown on the situation. They spoke about the Demons amassing a monster army in the Great Northern Mountain Range, their classmate turned traitor; Yukitoshi Shimizu, and their basic plan of attack.

With 200 men all going into the forest there was little hope that they could continue undetected by the demons who had control of the woods. Therefore the turned their focus to hampering the monsters and giving their elite strike force time to subdue their actual targets.

The experienced commanders of the 200, decided that they would have to establish a strong base camp to threaten the demon's position in the forest. More men had already been called on as reinforcements to bolster their position.

"Sonobe-san. We want you and the other bodyguards to contain the monsters under Shimizu's control. Work together with the Holy Knights, Adventurers and Soldiers to reduce their numbers as much as possible. We need to separate Shimizu and the monsters as much as possible." Endou said.

Typically they hadn't noticed Endou, so many people there were startled at the sudden appearance of the assassin. Endou promptly ignored them and continued on.

"Don't take unnecessary risks. Remember your job is to contain the monsters and to stop them from getting in the way of us getting Shimizu." Endou warned them.

Tio chuckled at their surprise and introduced Endou to those were unfamiliar with him.

"As you can see young Endou is our trump card. He has already scouted the area which we are assaulting. His extremely thin presence will mean that subduing Shimizu Yukitoshi will be his responsibility."

Kaori continued from Tio, explaining her role in the fight to come.

"Tio and myself will take down the demons. We'll stop them from interfering and protecting Shimizu." Endou will be charge of swiftly apprehending Shimizu and ending this entire conflict. Once we take control of Shimizu then the threat should be over."

Aiko spoke up concerning Shimizu's fate.

"After all of this is done, what will happen to Shimizu?"

At this the mayor of the town spoke. He was a man in his fifties with a round belly and thinning hair.

"Normally that would come under our jurisdiction. But since he is part of Aiko's party then I will leave the decision to your hands Aiko."

After my seconds of deep thought Aiko responded, with a grim face.

"Then if its alright with you, I'd like him captured alive. I wish to speak to him first before making a decision." Aiko said asked. "As an educator, it's my job to guide him to the right path. If there is any chance that he can be turned back to the light….. I have to take it."

"Alright sensei…. But if we have to choose between ending him and saving a life or keeping him alive and losing someone we care about…" Endou warned.

"Then I won't hold it against you. I will mourn for him but…"

Endou nodded. At this they dismissed the strategy meeting, leaving each force to make preparation as they saw fit.

---

Demon Base Camp

"Tell that to me again!" Demanded the demon commander Reiss.

The scout swallowed his saliva nervously as he repeated his report.

"As we reported Sir. The humans have made an encampment overlooking the forest. Judging by the number of wagons they have bought it is a substantial number. It is unlikely to be some wayward adventurers seeking to hunt in the mountain range."

In a rage the demon commander punched a nearby wall causing the building to shake. Their plans had been discovered. There was no doubt that given enough time the humans would gather a substantially larger force and seek to exterminate the demonic presence in the Great Northern Mountain Range.

Taking several deep breaths he collected himself. At this time they still held the advantage. Their human tool had already taken control over 1000 individual monsters and if they held the forest they would still hold an advantage.

Formulating a plan he barked his orders to his subordinates demanding that they get their monster tamer up to speed on the situation. When Shimizu heard the news he was at enraged screaming that somehow, some classmates of his had discovered his plans. He railed against his former classmates to anyone that would hear them.

"Those b***ches! That crap teacher! She must have put them up to this! They never recognised my genius. Now that I've got the power they're jealous and they want to eliminate me!"

At once Shimizu smiled with a frenzied crazed look on his face. Desiring to immediately destroy them he eagerly offered to send a portion of his monster army to destroy the humans and his perceived enemies. With little effort, Shimizu Yukitoshi the dark mage master mobilised his monster army to assault the human encampment.

Reiss smiled, the foolish human needed little convincing to do their dirty work for them. Soon the humans would be crushed and there would be nothing that they could do to stop their plan.

---

Base Camp - Hill Overlooking the Forest.

With limited preparations, their base camp was formed by the wagons that they had bought with them. The air around the camp was grim as there was no doubt that the demons would soon learn that the humans were onto them.

Endou, Shirasaki and Tio had already gone ahead to begin their assault on the demon base. They could only hope that their enemies would not notice them until it was too late for them to stop the strike force. The day slowly turned to night. They are now in the moment of greatest danger. Torches were lit around the wagons to provide some light in the growing darkness.

Everyone was busy making last-minute preparations until one of the soldiers on guard duty raised the alarm. A powerful rumbling sound could be heard coming from the bottom of the hill. Terrible inhuman cries and shrieks cut through the silence.

At once Sonobe Yuka ordered her friend Miyazaki Nana to climb on top of the wagons to prepare her powerful ice magic spell. The mages in their troop also mounted the wagons and began to fire spells at the direction of the monsters.

Balls of fire streaked across the night sky, briefly illuminating the sheer force of monsters that were coming against them. Some of the unluckier monsters were hit directly by magic but many more advanced undeterred.

One of the priests that was using their spells to light up the battlefield screamed as he was being picked off by the harpies which were swooping down to pick off vulnerable targets. Sonobe Yuka jumped onto the wagons to protect the mages firing the spells, using her expert dagger skills to shoot down harpies that were swooping in.

The ground monsters were rapidly gaining ground, with the hardy monster bears leading the charge. At last Miyazaki Nana finished her strongest ice magic' [Ice Fortress]. At advanced stages, it was possible to create a literal ice fortress but Miyazaki was currently capable of was creating a single line of battlements rising 4 metres high with a single tower rising about 6 metres high.

Still it was a boon for the defenders as the holy knights and archers rushed to defend the battlements against their monster foes. The mages also charged in to take control of the ice tower, following it up with a barrage of spells against the monsters who crashed into the Ice Battlement.

With their front protected, the rest of the forces had to protect their flanks against the monster. The adventurers took to lead in this fight. All throughout the battlefield sounds of steel clashing against claws could be heard as the adventurers clashed with the powerful bear monsters that now led the flanks.

The harpies continued to swoop for vulnerable priests and mages but the allies alert to their tactics posted strong physical fighters to protect them. A group of ten harpies attempted to swoop in against Miyazaki Nana, but her comrades; Tamai Atsushi, Aikawa Noboru and Nimura Akito rushed into defend her, swords and shields brandished.

Tamai Atushi swung with his twin shamshirs and produced blades of wind that cut apart two harpies each. Nimura Akito, as a Shield master executed [Fortress] a shield master exclusive skill that protected Miyazaki from further harm. Aikawa Noboru with his spear held aloft executed [Serpent Rising Strike] taking down several harpies from the air.

Sonobe Yuka fought desperately at the flanks with her best friend Sugawara Taeko. Taeko was using her whip to capture smaller monsters to use them as mace against the other monsters. Yuka, expertly weaved and dodged the monsters using her superior dexterity to run rings around the monsters and to strike them with her daggers.

The initial battle was going well for the defenders as the experienced soldiers, holy knights and adventurers stood their ground with the heroes from another world. They continued to fight taking as little risk as possible to remain fighting for as long as possible. Each of them remained united under a single wish, to defend until their trump card will pull through for them .

---

The Great Northern Mountain Range – The Forest Assault.

Illuminated by a single bright white light, the trio consisting of Endou Kosuke, Shirasaki Kaori and Tio Klarus traversed the forest. The marks which Endou had left had yesterday proved instrumental in guiding them to the right place. The forest was alit with noise and chaos as thunderous monster cries echoed throughout the forest and mountain range. This was particularly convenient for the trio as they simply had to follow the source of the noise to find the monsters which the demons were hiding.

At last they had come to a large clearing which Yukitoshi Shimizu and the Demons were using as their monster controlling site. This was one of the many sights which the demons were using to turn monsters into their unquestioned control. Cages were filled to the brim with monsters that had not yet been controlled by Shimizu. The ones that under his control were squeezed into cages, numbly and docilly staring at nothing. Tree stumps littered the ground, evidence of the demons reckless disregard for the forest and their insatiable drive to wipe their enemies from the face of the map.

In the centre of the camp was large tent filled with the demons that were posted to this part of the forest. The demons in this camp did not notice the trio sneaking in, the loud intermittent monster cries preventing anyone from hearing them. As the trio got closer they noticed that the demons were playing and relaxing.

"Oi boss! Come join us. We know you like a good game! Bets start a 5 bronze a pop!"

Their leader chided them for their inattention and slothfulness.

"Oi you idiots….. Didn't you hear that the humans are encamping near the forest there might be an attack…."

They ignored his reprimand, insisting that there was no reason for concern.

"Psssh….. They've got like 200 guys? We already sent like triple their number in monsters to fight them…. Don't worry about it boss!"

Suddenly a figure appeared behind their leader, clothed in all black pressing a black knife at their leader's throat.

"You really should have listened to your leader." Endou chided, as he pressed the knife further, drawing some blood.

The demons who were somewhat lucid got the message. With a little pressure Endou managed to extract the location of the main camp housing the overall commander and where Shimizu was likely to be found. Tio and Shirasaki hadbegun to strip the demon of their weapons, armour and anything valuable. With a simple fire spell she melted the weapons and armour into twisted piles of metal.

Once they were done Tio gave them an ultimatum.

"You have two choices. You can run back to your commander. If you go to him alert the other demons, sure you might be able to put up a fight but you will die an agonising death. Or you can sneak off, run away, survive for another day… I'm sure the calculations are not that difficult for Demons and their 'superior' intellect."

The Demons would not take their chances. The demons all fled fearing that their deaths would be an inevitability should they encounter these monsters ever again.

The next few demon encounters ended similarly. Some were resisted despite the trio's overwhelming power but even they eventually surrendered when some of the more gungho soldiers were subdued quickly and put out of commission permanently.

At last they were nearing the demon fortress where Shimizu and the demon commander; Reiss (a name they learnt from some 'pliable' demons) was found. The encampment was rightly called a fortress, made entirely out of wood and stone the fortress featured guard towers, wooden battlements and gates. Considering how well built the fortress was the demons had likely been planning this operation for months.

Surrounding the fortress was the near ubiquitous monster cages that littered the remaining grounds with threes being cut and felled to make the fortress and for space for the monster cages. On the other side was several rows of tents for the demons soldiers who were manning the operations here.

The demons here were the elite of elite. The guards of the fortress were not slacking off. Bloodshed was inevitable in these circumstances. If they played this wrong it could become quite troublesome.

"Tio-san can you cause a bit of chaos?" Endou Kosuke asked.

"A bit? I can do more than that if you asked….." She said.

"Ignis"

A tongue of flame appeared on her right hand. In a flicking motion she sent the flame onto one of the tents that housed the demon soldiers. In quick succession, she lit several more fires. It didn't take long before the tents burned and spread throughout the camp. Panic spread throughout the camp as Demons fled their tents screaming. Demons from the fortress came out to assist their comrades in putting out the blaze. That was Endou's opening to enter the fortress.

"I'll get going. Wish me luck."

Focusing on his skills once more Endou vanished from sight, his presence no longer felt by anyone. Tio and Shirasaki observed the situation for a minute, as demon mages skilled in water magic had doused the flames. Now that the chaos was over, they had to prevent the Demons from backing up the fortress.

"Well now that he's gone, Shirasaki-san how about me and you cause a bit more chaos?" Tio offered.

Kaori nodded. In full view of the demons that had successfully put out the fires in the camp they step out and bought all of their attention to themselves. Using a simple magic spell to increase the volume of her voice, Tio declared in a loud voice;

"Given the poorly made propaganda that you feed your younglings, I had believed that the 'Demon' race was of superior stock… Rather disappointing….. Isn't that right, Shirasaki?" Tio mocked.

At his provocation, several demon mages fired a myriad of spells at the duo, intending to eliminate them.

"Tio-san… I know that Endou asked us to be a diversion but isn't mocking them too much?" Kaori hissed.

"May thy Holy Light Protect me. Be my Rock, My Refuge against the Enemies that Hound me."

Slamming the end of her staff onto the ground, Kaori erected a massive light barrier that blocked the incoming spells without breaking a sweat. She then turned her attention back to Tio and glared at her.

"Just riling them up and agitating them, my dear… It's a tactic….." Tio explained.

As the light barrier fell, Tio retaliated with a spell of her own.

"May the Fires of Hell Consume my Enemies."

Seven spheres of fire appeared in front of Tio. She sent them flying at the enemy mages, one after the other. The enemy mages blocked the spells, but each impact created a massive explosion that injured many of their forces.

Noticing an opening, five elite demon knights charged at Tio and Kaori intending to prevent them from using another spell. Using magic to propel them, they closed the gap between them in milliseconds.

Tio rushed towards one of them and blocked one of their swords with her arms catching their sword in her black scales, before landing a devastating blow to the demon's abdomen. The blow crumpled their armour and sent him flying hitting two of his comrades.

The other two demons also attacked Kaori, but Tio's sudden attack gave Kaori the opening she needed to use a spell of her own.

"May the Hosts of Heaven Restrain Him. Foul Spirits of Evil be bound to Eternal Torment."

Chains and shackles of light restrained the two remaining demons, just as they were about to strike Kaori. Kaori pulled out a dagger that she received for her own protection.

"I'm sorry but this is war… I promise to make it quick." Kaori apologized, as she stabbed one of the demons in the neck, killing him instantly. She removed the blade and proceeded to do the same to the other one. She released her restraining magic, letting their lifeless bodies slump to the ground.

She felt like retching out the contents of her stomach but she held it in. There was still a battle to be won after all. Tio was already done finishing off her own opponents.

"Are you alright?" Tio asked, concerned noticing the same pale look on her face that she saw in Endou's last night.

"Let's just focus on the battle for now." Kaori dismissed.

Kaori raised her staff once more and shouted her next spell.

"The Heavens are yours for thou hath made them. The thunder and lightning your rod and spear."

Lightning danced from the tip of her spear and struck demons, frying the unlucky ones that were struck.

Tio also responded with spells of her own, sending a rain of fire arrows and the enemy's position. The demons had erected serval barriers to protect them from the incoming magic but they struggled against the arrows which caused cracks in their barrier. The other mages that survived hastily helped to repair the cracks in the barrier.

"Troublesome….." Tio muttered as she clicked her tongue.

"Shirasaki, can you hold time off for a bit? I need some time to bring down that barrier."

Kaori nodded, as she readied herself against several more enemies that came at her.

"Day from Night he separated. The Righteous he saved and the Evil he tore asunder."

Kaori created a wall of holy light that pushed back some of her attackers. Those that were not caught in her spell continued to attack her. Remembering her lessons in staff combat and her practice lessons with Shizuku, she stepped back, before thrusting forward with her staff, striking one demon who held his sword aloft to strike her. Activating some strengthening magic, she twisted her body and swung her staff in an arc to knock back several more attackers.

At this Tio was done with her own spell.

"Grand Fire Magic – Dragon's Maw."

A dragon head made entirely of fire, opened its mouth lined with teeth made of searing flames and crushed the barrier that was being erected by demon mages. Despite their best efforts the Dragon's Maw spell instantly shattered their shield magic and consumed them in a raging inferno.

The battle was over. What remaining demons survived the attack had already fled to the wooden fortress. Now it was on Endou to neutralise the threat.

---

Side; Endou Kosuke

Finding Shimizu Yukitoshi wasn't that difficult. Shimizu wasn't exactly quiet and it wasn't as if anyone knew Endou was even there. In the command post Shimizu had attempted to control the monsters that were currently assaulting the humans, as the other demons were busying trying to stop the two intruders who apparently set fire to their camp. He shouted at them insisting they stay to protect the 'hero.'

In other words it was complete shambles. Sighing internally, he entered into the command tent passing in when one of the demons stormed out the tent. There he saw Yukitoshi Shimizu, screaming and shouting at the one that was they had identified as the demon commander; Reiss. He was in full combat gear. On his face a look that seemed to strain the limits of his patience.

Several demons were also in the tent as well, complicating matters for Endou. Whilst sneaking up on one individual and killing them was easy, a whole crowd was another matter. And on top of that Ai-chan-sensei's request made the task at hand far more difficult. He was running out of time as his [Presence Isolation] could not hide him much longer.

The tent was lit by several lampstands, with open fires. It was likely his best option for a distraction. He knocked one of the lampstands nearest to the entrance of the tent. The lamp shattered, lighting the tent on fire. As the demons noticed the flame engulfing the tent, Endou rushed forwards, knocking the other lamp stands to cause more fires in the tent.

The demons immediately evacuated the tent, all thoughts about keeping the human child alive gone. Shimizu was slower in running away and Endou used this opportunity to sneak behind him and with a strong strike to his side, crumpling him and knocking him to the ground. Despite his best efforts Shimizu was in no condition to stand, with several ribs instantly broken. He seemingly passed out in shock.

Using his skills broke what little time he had remaining with [Presence Isolation]. He as soon as he was noticed, the eyes of the Demon troop grew wide in shock at the presence of their assailant.

Before they could react to his presence, Endou slammed his knee into the head of one of the demon soldier. Giving them no chance to react he threw one of his daggers at a demon immediately to his right, precisely piercing his throat. He slashed the demon that was underneath his knee, ending him with an effective slash to his throat.

This left three demons and their commander who was now ready for the assassin clad in black.

"Who are you?!" shouted the demon commander.

Endou stayed silent, eyeing them carefully as he pulled his light arming sword in preparation for direct combat. Reiss, the demon commander quickly retreated to the battlements whilst his men confronted Endou.

Endou was clearly faster than the demons but they worked together and had the skills to put pressure on Endou who was not use to fighting head on. To make matters worse, Reiss had managed to gain the higher ground and begun to shoot compressed water bullets at Endou. It took all of his focus to dodge these attacks whilst evading and parrying the other demons. Endou was taking damage and if he was not being careful the battle could end is his death.

Reiss was clearly being reckless, disregarding the lives of his subordinates to ensure that this assassin died. For the most part the demons underneath him were not bothered by this, accepting that they were to die for the mission. Endou took full advantage of this constantly moving and never allowing Reiss to get a clear shot. Several shots grazed his demon opponents, weakening them and providing openings to Endou.

One such shot grazed one of the demons, who missed the proper timing for his strike, allowing Endou to easily counter attack with his own arming sword, killing him. This seemingly enraged Reiss a member of the prideful demon race, who became desperate to end the Assassin. Paying no attention to his mana reserves, Reiss began firing more rapidly, paying even less attention to the other demons.

In a hail of machine gun-like fire, the other demons were seemingly gunned down by water bullets. Only Endou's superior speed and senses allowed him to evade this attack. Endou focused his remaining mana on his feet, propelling him to greater speeds and activated his Assassin exclusive skill; [Shadow Step].

It was a skill that allowed a skilled assassin to move in a way that left distant targets unable to target them by positioning them in their target's blind sides. Using this skill, he easily evaded Reiss' attacks who could not follow him.

Endou ran towards the battlements, whilst evading all of his attacks before he had to release [Shadow Steps]. Coming to the wall he activated his next movement skill [Shadow Dance] which allowed him to run on walls if he had enough momentum. He rushed up the wall and then once he was on top of the battlements he turned to face Reiss.

Reiss was now low on mana due to his reckless firing, his next shots losing the force they once held. Calmly Endou delivered a roundhouse kick to Reiss, knocking him out entirely. It was at this exact time that he noticed the giant flame dragon appear in the night sky. He smiled knowing that this battle was over.

Endou quickly restrained the demon commander and then collected the unconscious Shimizu Yukitoshi, restrained him and lifted him and the demon commander, one in each arm. He quickly came outside to greet the victorious war maidens, presenting them with the spoils of today's battle.

---

Aftermath

With Shimizu dispatched, the monsters attacking the encampment lost their coordination and were quickly routed by the remaining force of summoned heroes, holy knights, soldiers and adventurers. Casualties were thankfully low but each loss was mourned. The strikeforce all rejoiced when they saw Shirasaki Kaori and Tio Klarus (they did not notice Endou Kosuke, despite his best efforts). They cheered even further when they bought their prisoners; Shimizu Yukitoshi and the demon commander; Reiss.

Hatayama Aiko cried tears of relief when her students returned to her unharmed. The town of Ur hailed Aiko and her bodyguards as heroes. Cries of 'Fertility Goddess' could be heard throughout the town much to Aiko's dismay. Their prisoners were summarily thrown into a gaols for further questioning.

Reiss talked. He explained that he was under orders to kill Hatayama Aiko. His superiors had not explained why she was a threat but rumours swirled when he was about to leave for his mission. Apparently, they were under orders from some collaborator inside the Heliegh Kingdom. Apparently, they had some kind of plan to take over and Aiko was in the way of that.

In the end Reiss was tried by the town of Ur. For the crime of plotting the murder and destruction of the town, he was sentenced to death. It is said that when the verdict was handed down Reiss cried. Many of the onlookers thought it was a tear of despair, his life ended at the hands of the humans whom he hated so much.

He was summarily executed the next day by beheading. As for Shimizu Yukitoshi, he was locked up in the dungeon. Hatayama Aiko had tried to talk to him, pleading with him turn back and repent. He did not listen.

Endou, Shirasaki, Tio and the others had gathered once more at the mayor's place to discuss the conclusion of the battle.

"He was following the orders to kill Ai-chan-sensei. Apparently Ai-chan-sensei is a threat to their plans to takeover Heliegh Kingdom." Endou explained, reporting on their findings.

"Based on what Reiss said it seems that the demons are supporting someone who's looking to take over the Heliegh Kingdom. If they're in a position to be ordering demons to do their dirty work then I suspect they might have taken over Heliegh already."

Sonobe Yuka spoke up.

"So it's not safe for sensei to stay in the Kingdom anymore."

Endou nodded agreeing with this conclusion. The question remained about what they should do.

"I would suggest heading to the Holscher Kingdom." The mayor suggested. "I have no love for them but at least it'll be a lot safer than a demon-infested place like Heliegh."

"We should travel incognito. Slowly make ourselves to border towns like Brooke. We need to make sure that the demons don't know where we're going this time." Sonobe suggested.

Others objected and a back-and-forth ensued.

Throughout this discussion, Hatayama Aiko remained silent. Her thoughts were primarily occupied by her student Shimizu Yukitoshi. He had been retrieved by Endou as she had requested but he refused to open up.

"All of you! You're all looking down on me! I knew you lot were gunning against me! You sent that loser Endou to spy on me right! You lot never trusted me! I was right to work with the demons! You all wanted to stifle my genius!"

Despite her appeals to the contrary Shimizu refused to her. She was a complete lost as to what to do with him. Shimizu was not apologetic in the slightest. Evidence extracted from his belongings showed that he never considered anyone his friend and deluded himself into thinking he was a hero better than anyone else.

Was she even qualified to lead her students anymore? Such questions plagued her mind.

"Sensei….. Sensei… Sensei… Ai-chan-sensei?"

Aiko jolted from her seat. It seemed that she had lost track of the conversation. Sonobe Yuka looked at her concerned.

"Sensei. You're the reason we all came out here. Ultimately it's your decision. What do you want us to do?"

Aiko did not answer. Instead she dismissed the meeting saying that there was still a lot to think about. Everyone agreed noting that a good night's sleep would be helpful in thinking things through.

That night, when everyone was asleep she alone sat on her balcony thinking but getting nowhere. Until she was interrupted by Tio Klarus, the dragon princess. She came to the balcony and sat down.

"You're thinking about Shimizu Yukitoshi."

"How?" Aiko asked.

"I possess no means to read the contents of one's mind, I assure you. Your countenance is a book however. That and your deep love for your students, makes my answer a good guess."

Aiko expressed her frustration at the situation and at her own weakness. She sorrowfully despaired over consequences of her inaction.

"I just don't know what the right thing is anymore." What I should do with Shimizu? And what about the other kids? I claimed to look out for their wellbeing but in the end, what's come of it? Nagumo-kun and Yaegashi-san are lost to us and Shimizu betrayed us because I never noticed his delusions. What right do I have to lead anyone anymore?"

"I cannot answer these questions for you but I can offer some thoughts." Tio offered.

Aiko nodded, listening intently to the wisdom that the dragon sage would provide.

"Have you ever wondered why we are free to choose? Beings of all kinds from humans, beastmen, demons and dragonmen we all possess free will. Yet some question why it exists at all. After all you need only look at the recent history of Tortus to see the devastating consequences of free choice."

"There have been attempts of the years to correct our worse impulses of course yet we still abuse the free will that was given to us. Makes you wonder the point of it all….." Tio mused.

"But let me posit to you a theory; We are given that freedom to truly choose the right path. It is in the act of choosing the good in times when choosing the good is not so easy that makes it valuable. It is the choice to do good, that makes the act infinitely more valuable."

"Let me conclude this talk for you. Ultimately people are free to choose the good and evil. I believe that you are responsible for the choices you make, the good and evil that you choose. You should not burden yourself if despite your best efforts they choose evil." Tio concluded.

"The moment your students looked up to you for support, you are burdened with shouldering that responsibility. So choose the good. Even when others choose evil, still choose the good."

"What if the right choice means condemning one of my wards?" Aiko asked fearfully.

"That was their choice. They chose evil. So let them make their bed with the workers of iniquity." Tio replied coldly. "To abrogate the just decision, because you feel sorry for the evil one means that you are no better than them."

---

Tio remained with Aiko until she felt ready to sleep. Tio bade her farewell and left Aiko to sort out her thoughts. The following day Hatayama Aiko visited Shimizu Yukitoshi once more. This time she was escorted by the city guards.

"Are you here to preach to me again sensei?" He drawled.

"No… I been thinking about how to deal with you Shimizu-kun. I admit I thought there was a chance that I could turn you back. But I can see that my words won't reach you. I've tried my best. Everyone has done their best to help you. But I can see that you don't want to be with anyone. You prefer yourself and only yourself."

"If that's the case then I'm going to give you what you want. A chance to be free from anyone else. Shimizu Yukitoshi, you have been found guilty of attempted murder and treason. By the powers vested in me as a representative of this city, I sentence you to life imprisonment. Furthermore, you will be confined to solitary confinement for a period of three years."

At this, the guards came and dragged Shimizu out of his gaol. He was kicking and screaming but Hatayama Aiko hardened her heart to his cries and offered up a single prayer.

"I hope that one day you find peace Shimizu-kun."

After this, she re-convened her students and the representatives of the city. They all waited in bated breath for her decision.

"Since you have placed a great responsibility on my shoulders, I choose not to run away from it. I acknowledge that the demon threat is greater than ever and that the Heliegh Kingdom is in danger of falling. Some may even say it has fallen."

"My first responsibility is to my students. I cannot with a right conscience put them into more danger. I don't know if this will ultimately be the right decision but I chose to make my way towards the town of Brooke, with the intention of crossing the border to the Holscher Empire. I do not know what I will be capable of when we cross the Empire but if we offer my skills, we may be able to get somewhere."

"I hope that my students will forgive their useless teacher. I attempted to bring you out of the fighting but it seems that I will be a target no matter where we go. There is no guarantee of your safety once we cross the border but I offer the choice to you. You may choose to stay here in the town of Ur or follow me."

Her students did not hesitate and agreed to join their teacher in her journey. Endou and Shirasaki also agreed to tag along noting that amongst their classmates, they are the only ones to have actually fought against the demons. Tio also made it clear that she would be joining their group.

"Do not leave me out of the picture… I owe Endou Kosuke a debt, so I will also be accompanying you."

And besides that I sense the winds of change in this group. Whether it is for good or for ill, I feel a pull to see it through.

It was soon decided that Hatayama Aiko would travel with just her immediate bodyguards and Tio Klarus. They would be going incognito with merchants who agreed to let them travel on their caravans disguised as workers. They would be making their next destination the town of Brooke, a town close to the border between Heliegh and Holscher before making another ride to the Holscher Empire.

The next day with preparations complete they left with the merchants towards the town of Brooke. Their first step in a war that would consume all of Tortus; for better or for worse.

---

Once again that is a wrap. Hopefully with this slight detour covering events that would occur in volume 3 of the light novel we can see our two main groups converging.

I'll admit I had a hard time characterising Endou since he isn't a main character in the main Tortus arc. I figured his story is going to change from how he ended up in After Story anyway. As for Tio, I decided to do away with 'pervert' Tio because I'm not a big fan of her characterisation in the main story. I hope that the Tio fans don't rake me over the coals for this.

I already have stuff written down for chapter 6, so I don't expect another 3 month gap but I certainly won't be doing another 4 chapters in one month again.

Thank you once again for the favourites and follows. Any criticism is welcome and will be considered.