Chapter 58

Dawn.

When the moon's glow began to fade and the eastern sky started to turn white, Aichi, Tsuki, and Kisa completed their preparations for the journey and walked outside the "Water Sprite Inn," holding bags filled with rice balls to eat on the go. Although it was very early, Fos had prepared breakfast without a hint of annoyance. Truly, a high-end inn, Aichi and the others admired Fos's meticulous attention to detail as they accepted and thanked him without hesitation.

In the morning mist, Aichi and the others headed towards the north gate of Uru Town, where a road led directly to the Northern Mountain Range. It would take about a day on horseback, or three to four hours on a magic-powered motorcycle.

Will Cuditta and his team had been missing for five days after heading to the Northern Mountain Range for an investigation, and the chances of their survival were disheartening. Aichi also believed the likelihood of Will and the others being alive was low, but there was still a slim chance. If he could bring them back alive, Ilva's impression of Aichi and the others would improve immensely. Therefore, Aichi planned to search as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the weather was clear, making it an ideal day for the search.

Sounds of human activity came from a few buildings as they walked north along the main street. Soon, they saw the north gate. At that moment, Aichi squinted, sensing the presence of several people near the gate. They were gathered there, showing no signs of moving.

Through the morning mist, he saw the figures of Aiko and six students.

"…I had a feeling this might happen, but I'll ask anyway… What are you doing here?"

Aichi and the others directed their gaze at Aiko, who was half-asleep. For a moment, Aiko seemed startled, but she quickly regained her composure and met Aichi's eyes with determination. The students, who had been chatting idly, gathered around Aiko. They were Sonobe Yuka, Sugawara Myoko, Miyazaki Nana, Tamai Jun, Aikawa Shou, and Kawahara Akira.

"We're coming too. It's a search for the missing, right? More people are better."

"Rejected. If you want to go, go on your own. But I won't go with you."

"Why… why?"

"It's simply a matter of different speeds. I don't plan to slow down to match your pace."

Seeing the horses prepared for the number of people, Aichi wondered for a moment, "Can these guys ride horses?" But it was an irrelevant concern, so he ignored it. Whether they could ride or not, they wouldn't be able to match the speed of a motorcycle. However, Aichi's words angered Yuka, the de facto leader of Aiko's guard, who was deeply fond of Aiko. She seemed to have momentarily forgotten the intimidation she felt from Aichi the previous day and her debt to him.

"Wait, that's not fair. Even if Nangumi doesn't like us, it's inappropriate to speak to Aiko-sensei like that."

No matter how you interpreted it, it was an off-topic statement. Aichi responded with a blank expression, "Huh?" Aichi found explaining to be troublesome, so he silently retrieved the magic-powered motorcycle from the "Treasure Vault."

The sudden appearance of a large motorcycle from thin air startled Aiko and the others.

"Yesterday, I said you could do as you pleased, and I meant it. I have no reason to hold a grudge against you. Understand? When I said different speeds, this is what I meant."

The imposing form of the magic-powered motorcycle and its otherworldly presence left Aiko and the others speechless, staring in amazement. At that moment, Aikawa, who liked motorcycles, asked Aichi with a slightly excited voice.

"Is this, like the gun from yesterday, something Nangumi made?"

"Yep. We're leaving now, move aside."

Aichi gave a perfunctory answer and prepared to leave, but Aiko was not about to give up. For Aiko, it was crucial to go with Aichi and the others. There were two reasons for this. One was to verify the truth of what Aichi said last night, "Being killed by classmates." This statement was something Aiko could not ignore. Was it really not a misunderstanding on Aichi's part? If it was true, did Aichi have any leads on the perpetrators? To avoid any potential future misfortunes, Aiko wanted to hear more from Aichi. She didn't know if she would have another chance to see Aichi after the search, so she couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

The other reason was the disappearance of Shimizu Koki. She had exhausted all means to gather information, but there were no sightings of Shimizu in the surrounding villages and towns. However, there was no substantial information about the uninhabited Northern Mountain Range. No one had considered the possibility that he might have gone there, whether it was an incident or a voluntary disappearance. So, Aiko wanted to take this opportunity to investigate the area herself, searching for Aichi's target while also looking for any clues about Shimizu.

Incidentally, Yuka and the others were there partly by chance. Aiko had woken up early to wait at the gate before Aichi, and when she was preparing to leave the inn, she was seen by Yuka, who was going to the bathroom. Seeing Aiko dressed for travel and leaving the inn at an unusual time, Yuka, the leader of Aiko's guard, did not allow Aiko to brush her off and questioned her. As a result, with the reason "I can't leave Aiko with the changed Nangumi," Yuka woke up all the students and had them join the search. She didn't wake the knights, fearing they would argue with Aichi, and left a note instructing them to stay behind. She didn't know if they would listen...

Aiko approached Aichi and quietly conveyed her resolve. Aichi leaned in close to Aiko's face, as if not wanting others to hear, and if you looked closely, you could see the dark circles under her eyes, hidden by heavy makeup. She must have hardly slept after listening to Aichi.

"Nangumi-kun, as a teacher, I must hear more from you. I won't leave until I get the time to talk properly. If you run, I'll chase after you. For you, this isn't a big inconvenience, right? Even the time during the journey or the breaks in between would be fine. Can you give me a little time? Then, as you said, we'll split up in this town... for now."

Aichi saw the determination in Aiko's eyes and wondered if his final words last night were a mistake, feeling a bit regretful. He knew Aiko's determination (often futile), and if he brushed her off or ran away, it might lead to a large-scale search involving the guard knights. He sighed, looking up at the sky, which was gradually brightening. Even if he ignored the slim chance of Will's survival, arguing and wasting time was pointless. Aichi let out a deep sigh, accepting his self-inflicted situation, and looked straight at Aiko again.

"Understood, you can come along, but I don't have much to say..."

"That's fine, I just want to hear it from Nangumi-kun."

"Haah, really, you're so persistent, aren't you, teacher? No matter where we go, you're still a teacher, right?"

"Of course!"

Aiko's face lit up with joy at Aichi's concession, and she puffed out her chest. The students, thinking the negotiation went smoothly, also let out a sigh of relief.

"...Aichi, are you taking her?"

"Yeah, she's still a teacher no matter where we go. She won't compromise on student matters. If we leave her, it will definitely cause trouble later."

"Roar~ For the students, she's a great teacher~"

Tsuki and Kisa, surprised by Aichi's concession, approached him. After hearing Aichi's response mixed with a bitter smile, their gazes towards Aiko changed slightly, containing a rare hint of respect. Aichi himself didn't think Aiko's unwavering attitude was bad. Even though he found no value in the students and classmates, Aichi respected Aiko as one of the few adults he admired.

"But, this motorcycle can only seat three, what do we do?"

Yuka pointed out the most important fact. Matching the motorcycle's speed with the horses would be impractical, and it was impossible to leave Tsuki or Kisa behind while Aiko rode with them. Aichi put the motorcycle back into the "Treasure Vault" and retrieved a magic-powered four-wheeled vehicle instead.

Aichi's ability to make large objects appear and disappear at will was likely due to a divine artifact, and although Aiko and the others noticed this, they couldn't hide their surprise. Looking at Aichi now, who could imagine he was once called "useless"?

"Sit in the back if you can't fit in the front."

Leaving that, Aichi hurriedly walked to the driver's seat. Yuka and the others watched Aichi's back with a somewhat complex expression.

～～～～～～～

Staring at the road leading to the mountain range, the magic-powered jeep, similar to a Hummer, was roaring. Thanks to the shock absorbers, it could handle the bumpy road without any issues, and most of the impact was absorbed. It also had a land-clearing function like the motorcycle, so the male students sitting on the hard metal cargo platform at the back didn't feel particularly uncomfortable.

Incidentally, Aichi had installed the cargo platform despite having the "Treasure Vault" because he slightly admired the idea of mounting a particle cannon and firing while on the move. It was a small obsession of his.

Aichi walked briskly to the driver's seat, leaving that statement. Yuka and the others looked at Aichi's back with a somewhat complex expression.

～～～～～～～

Inside the vehicle, there were benches. Aichi, of course, sat in the driver's seat, with Aiko next to him and Tsuki beside her. Aiko sat next to Aichi to talk to him. She didn't want the other students to hear, so she immediately took the seat next to Aichi.

Originally, the seat next to Aichi was Tsuki's, but after learning the content of Aiko's words from Aichi, Tsuki reluctantly gave the seat next to Aichi to Aiko. Since both Aiko and Tsuki were petite, the space was ample.

On the other hand, Kisa, sitting in the back, seemed a bit uncomfortable. Unlike Kisa, Yuka and Sugawara were voluptuous, taking up a lot of space, which made Miyazaki, who was slender, very unhappy.

However, Kisa probably felt the worst. Since the beginning, she had been sandwiched between Yuka and Sugawara, who were bombarding her with questions about her relationship with Aichi. The topic of interspecies romance in a different world was something high school girls couldn't let go of. They repeatedly asked Kisa questions, and she struggled to answer them.

On the other hand, Aichi and Aiko's conversation was reaching a climax.

Aichi detailed the situation, and Aiko, though still unwilling to believe it, acknowledged the high possibility of a deliberate magical attack. She was troubled, wanting to hear if there were any clues. Aichi only sneered, saying everyone was a suspect.

Perhaps it was the work of Hinoyama and his group. Aichi's words were more correct than close to the answer, but even at this point, conveying one of the possibilities to Aiko wouldn't help her make a definitive judgment. Even if she could identify the culprit, how could she restore a twisted heart to its original state? How could she make them compensate? These were issues that troubled Aiko.

As she groaned in frustration, the movement of the vehicle and the soft cushion invited her to sleep, and Aiko unknowingly drifted into a dream, her body sliding down and resting on Aichi's thigh.

Normally, one would pull her up because it was bothersome, but Aichi felt it would be embarrassing to treat Aiko roughly. What should he do? In the end, he decided to leave her be. After all, the reason for her sleep deprivation was that he had given her too much information for his own purposes. "This much, well, can't be helped," Aichi rarely showed leniency.

"...Aichi, you're being gentle with Aiko."

"...Yeah, she's been very kind to me, so this much is fine."

"...Hm~"

"Tsuki?"

"..."

"Tsuki, please ignore me~"

"...Next time, I want a lap pillow too."

"...I understand."

Aiko was enjoying a lap pillow, and despite this, Aichi and Tsuki inadvertently created a private world. The high school girls and the sulking rabbit-eared girl in the back watched them intently. The commotion that followed made it hard to believe they were heading to a dangerous area with unknown anomalies.

～～～～～～～

Northern Mountain Range

This area has mountains ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 meters in altitude, with unnamed trees and plants growing there. The rustling of leaves in the wind created a mysterious place, reminiscent of the colorful autumn mountains in Japan. The trees in the front area were in full summer, with green leaves shading the sky, while there were also areas with only dead trees.

Furthermore, beyond the visible mountains, more mountains extended to the north, layer upon layer. The confirmed mountains extended to the fourth one, and beyond that was completely unknown territory. How far did they extend? An adventurer aimed to cross the fifth mountain, but the monsters became stronger with each mountain, and he did not succeed.

Incidentally, the first mountain, the highest, was the "Divine Mountain." This time, Aichi and the others visited a place 1,600 kilometers east of the Divine Mountain. The large trees there had leaves of bright red and yellow, making the scenery beautiful. An informed person could notice that the area was rich in spices and wild vegetables, thanks to the nourishment of Uru Town. Aichi and the others stopped the jeep at the foot of the mountain, temporarily lost in the beauty of nature.

One of the women exclaimed, "Wow," breaking the silence. Until just a moment ago, she had been sleeping with a student on her lap, and now she blushed and apologized. However, in the face of such vibrant scenery, even her embarrassing moment was pushed to the back of everyone's minds.

Aichi, suppressing his desire to slowly appreciate the scenery, put the jeep back into the "Treasure Vault" and retrieved another item.

It was a bird model about 30 centimeters long and a ring with small stones embedded in it. The gray head of the bird model was inlaid with a crystal.

Aichi put the ring on his finger, took out four similar models, and slowly threw them into the air. The fake birds, which were expected to fall due to gravity, instead hovered in place, causing Aiko and the others to exclaim, "Ah."

The four birds circled a bit and then glided and flew towards the mountains.

"That, what is that...?"

Watching the bird models fly silently into the distance, Aiko asked on behalf of the group.

Aichi's response was "unmanned reconnaissance drones," an item that, in a certain sense, was even more out of place in this world than the car and the gun.

Aichi's unmanned reconnaissance drones, inspired by the remotely controlled magic puppet knights in the Lysandus Great Labyrinth, were made from materials he obtained. Aichi, lacking the ability to directly use gravity magic on objects, used creation magic to imbue minerals with gravity magic, creating gravity stones that could neutralize gravity and float. Additionally, Aichi embedded the core components of the magic puppet knights, the sensor stones, into the bird models. He also embedded far-seeing stones in their heads. The minerals used in the eyes of the magic puppet knights were also far-seeing stones, which, when infused with the same type of magic, could project the image from one mineral to another, even from a distance. Millie used this to track Aichi and the others' exact locations. Aichi embedded far-seeing stones in the magic stones' eyes, allowing him to see the images captured by the "unmanned reconnaissance drones" with his magic eyes.

However, the human brain's processing capacity has limits, and operating four drones simultaneously while they circled in the air was the limit. How Millie managed to control fifty magic puppet knights was a complete mystery.

In general, if one awakened the "Instant Light" ability to enhance brain processing power, it was possible to control one drone with perfect precision. For precise operations, Aichi could control seven drones simultaneously while in the "Instant Light" state.

This time, the search area was very wide, and conducting a broad survey from the air was very useful, which only the unmanned reconnaissance drones could do. Watching the drones fly into the distance, Aiko and