Chapter 59

"……I don’t recognize this ceiling."

Putting aside the joke, when I woke up, I found myself in a room that looked like a hospital room.

"Relax. This is the infirmary of the so-called 'youth house.'"

"Kuro!"

Kuro, in black cat mode, was sitting on a chair next to the bed. Not only Kuro, but Shiro, Rin, Nia, and Uru were also there. Everyone except Kuro was crowded and sleeping on the bed next to mine.

"Why are you all here?"

"Various things happened..."

When I asked, it turned out that Rin, being stubborn, had rushed from Sapporo to see me. However, we got involved in various incidents, and it was only just now that we finally met up.

It seems that the mages from the Mizukami family, who were lurking around the forest to be on guard for this incident, had already heard the situation and knew what had happened to me.

Incidentally, because we were proceeding cautiously through the forest with maximum alertness right after the incident, the mages couldn't make it in time for the battle. From the perspective of those who were fighting for their lives, it's not hard to think, "What the hell were you doing!?"

"By the way, my tracksuit is brand new. Did Kuro fix it?"

"It was probably prepared by the mages of the Mizukami family. They also made sure to cover up things so the teachers wouldn't suspect anything while transporting you here, and they guided us to this room without being noticed."

"I see."

I'm sorry for thinking, "What the hell were you doing!?"

If I can convey it through Juna, I'll make sure to thank them later.

"What happened to the students and teachers? What about the survival recreation?"

"Everyone is fine. Right after you defeated the mastermind of this incident, those under the spell returned to their normal selves. Since the whole thing only took about 30 minutes, no one noticed the time skip, and the survival recreation continued as usual."

"Continued as usual... What!?"

Looking at the clock, it was already past 6 PM. The deadline for the survival recreation had long passed.

"Trouble, what should I do!"

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"The survival recreation is judged by various evaluations to determine the ranking of the teams. I had a little bet with a certain team over one of those evaluations..."

"A bet? I think such verbal agreements between students can be easily broken... But more importantly, the existence of the enemy you defeated is far more significant."

"The enemy I defeated, was it the person in the black dress?"

Indeed, reflecting on it, it was an incredible opponent. They controlled a large dragon, Owl's skeleton giant, and the surrounding natural objects, and even manipulated light at the end. I couldn't analyze any of their abilities, and it felt like a completely different level from anyone I've fought before.

"Still, because of that, the survival recreation is more important to me now. I want to feel the reality of what I fought to protect."

I ended up saying something cool.

"I see, indeed. You are right."

Kuro agreed without hesitation. I felt a bit embarrassed.

Well, it might be a peace-loving thought, but for me, a peaceful daily life is more important than the nature of the enemy I defeated.

"If that's the case, you should return to the survival recreation as soon as possible. Rin seems satisfied to have seen you. We will help with the cleanup and then return."

"Cleanup?"

"Things like a little search and helping to transport the culprits. I think we can manage without us, but just to be safe. We should be able to return by tomorrow."

"I also plan to return tomorrow, so I'll see you at home. Be careful on your way back."

"You too."

I gently stroked the sleeping Rin and Shiro, and carefully put Nia and Uru, who were sleeping, into the pockets of my tracksuit before leaving the room.

By the way, Nia does sleep.

"Oh, by the way, was the person in the black dress I defeated okay?"

"Yes, they seem to be fine."

"Good, see you later."

I ran to the gym where everyone was supposed to be.

"You are too kind..."

I thought I heard Kuro say something, but it was probably just my imagination.

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"Not... interesting at all..."

Chrom muttered, looking down from a tree at Ioh and Ferum being escorted by the mages of the 'Mizukami family' and the 'Twilight and Dawn Group.'

"It seems Ioh's brainwashing has been undone, the fairy seed is lost, and the heart of the evil god is missing. I can no longer return to the Twilight and Dawn Group. Well, such trivial matters are of no importance."

The matters Chrom listed were very important to the 'Twilight and Dawn Group,' the 'Mizukami family,' and Wako, who managed the seal of the evil god. However, he felt no issue with these facts.

What made him uncomfortable was—

"The command from Ioh, who had the power of the evil god, worked on me. Yet, it didn't work on Saito."

Unable to resist Ioh's command to "be quiet," Chrom was unable to speak and had to observe Saito and Ioh's battle in hiding. During this time, he witnessed Saito resisting Ioh's command, which made him increasingly uncomfortable.

"I thought he was a blessed one like us, an apostle of the gods... but he could resist the power of the evil god. Perhaps my thinking was wrong."

It might have been a mere coincidence that he could resist. However, if he is a truly unknown existence that can resist the power of the gods, he could become a significant obstacle if we become enemies. More than that, he might even possess power that surpasses us, the apostles of the gods.

Thinking this far, Chrom shifted his gaze and changed his mindset.

"Well, if he becomes an obstacle to our goals, I'll deal with him with all my strength when the time comes."

Chrom, gazing at the sunset, quietly disappeared into the deepening darkness of the forest.