Chapter 61

The magic-powered four-wheeled vehicle sped back even faster than on the way there. The ground-leveling function couldn't keep up with the vehicle's speed, and Tia, tied to the roof, endured continuous impacts. The male students on the cargo bed were also treated like a milkshake in a blender.

At this moment, in the middle of the area between Uru Town and the Northern Mountains, they suddenly spotted the fully armed guard knights galloping on horseback. Aichi saw them with [Far Sight]. Leading the charge was David, who was charging forward like a demon, and beside him was Charles, who was riding alongside with an expression that couldn't hide his anxiety.

After running for a while, they also noticed the black object approaching from the front, and they became agitated. To them, this was an unseen monster, so it was natural. They drew their weapons, and the formation quickly reorganized into a horizontal line. The speed of their response was truly commendable for the escort of a super important person.

Even if they were attacked, it wouldn't be a problem for Aichi to break through. However, Aiko couldn't think like that. If Tia, who was emitting a fragrant cry from the roof, or the male students, who were pale and tightly gripping the edges of the cargo bed, were exposed to the attack, it would be disastrous. Aiko poked her head out of the roof window and waved her hands frantically, loudly asserting her presence to David.

Just before casting a spell, David squinted and saw a human-like object growing out of the top of the black object. Normally, in such a situation, even if he saw something, he would immediately launch a preemptive attack, but something in David's body made him stop. If he had to say, it was his highly sensitive Aiko sensor, or perhaps a sixth sense for Aiko.

He extended his hand horizontally, signaling his subordinates to halt the attack. The subordinates were surprised, but soon they heard a familiar voice from the human-like object on top of the black object and were even more surprised, their eyes widening. David, with an expression of disbelief, muttered, "Aiko?"

For a moment, he thought Aiko's lower half had been devoured by a monster! David and the others turned pale. But seeing Aiko energetically waving her hands and hearing her lively voice, "Mr. David—, it's me—! Please don't attack—!" the knights realized this wasn't a dire situation, though they were still puzzled by the black object. Despite their confusion, the joy of reuniting with their beloved one was evident. David, with a dazed expression, opened his arms wide as if to say, "Come on! Jump into my arms." Charles and the others also opened their arms, exposing their chests.

Seeing the knights with their dazed expressions and arms wide open, Aichi showed a look of disgust. So, Aiko and the others naturally assumed Aichi would stop in front of David... but Aichi poured more magic power into the vehicle, further accelerating.

The distance was already clearly one where they needed to decelerate. Seeing the black object suddenly speed up, the knights hurriedly retreated from its path.

Aichi's magic-powered four-wheeled vehicle passed by David and the others, who were smiling and holding their arms wide open. Aiko's cry of "Why—?" accompanied by the Doppler effect drifted to the rear. David and the others, with their smiles frozen, then, in the next moment, let out a scream as if intimate lovers had been forcibly separated, and began to chase the vehicle.

"Mr. Nanami! Why are you doing something so dangerous!"

An angry Aiko returned to the vehicle and immediately protested to Aichi.

"There's no reason to stop, teacher. If we stop, we'll definitely be asked for an explanation. Do we have time for that? We'll have to explain anyway when we reach the town, so why waste time explaining twice?"

"Ugh, y-yes, that's true..."

She seemed slightly unable to accept it. However, indeed, explaining everything, including their unauthorized departure and Aichi's vehicle, would waste a lot of time, so Aiko fell silent. Aichi's seatmate, Tsuki, had already reclaimed her territory. She leaned her face close to Aichi's ear and whispered,

"Really?"

"Seeing the knights' smiles made me feel bad."

"…Yeah, I agree."

Incidentally, Tia was tied behind the roof window where Aiko had poked her head out. Her injured body was further stimulated by the continuous vibrations of the vehicle, and her face showed a dazed expression, but neither Aiko nor the knights saw her.

Furthermore, when they reached the town, Tsuki learned of Tia's grotesque state and said, "…Is this a dragon person?" with a slightly shocked expression. Since the first time she saw Tia de-dragonized in the Northern Mountains, Tsuki's feelings had become quite complex. It seemed that due to Tia's appearance, which seemed to be "enjoying" the pain, Tsuki's admiration and respect for the dragon people had shattered like a fantasy.

---

They arrived at Uru Town. While Aichi and the others strolled leisurely, Aiko and the others ran towards the mayor's office with a momentum that made their legs tangle. Aichi wanted to part ways with Aiko and the others here and quickly return to Fren with Will, but to his surprise, Will ran even faster than Aiko and the others, leaving him no choice but to chase after from behind.

The town was full of vitality. The food was diverse, and there was a lake nearby, naturally drawing people to it. The people here couldn't imagine that in a day, this place would be ravaged by a horde of monsters. Aichi and the others looked at the town, and since they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, the three of them bought skewers from a street vendor and walked towards the town hall, enjoying their meal.

As Aichi and the others approached the town hall, it was already in a state of chaos. The branch chief of the Uru Town guild, the town officials, and the priests of the church had gathered, creating a noisy scene. Everyone looked incredulous, or rather, unwilling to believe the information Aiko and the others had brought back. They were now aggressively questioning Aiko, Will, and the others.

Normally, even if they said the town would be destroyed the next day, they would be laughed off as madmen. But this was [Apostle of God] Aiko, known as the [Goddess of Harvest], and recently, it had become a known fact that the demon people could control monsters. Ignoring the information Aiko and the others brought back was impossible.

Incidentally, during the discussion in the vehicle, they decided to keep Tia's identity and the possibility that the mastermind was Kishimi Shizuki a secret. Tia herself had asked them not to reveal the existence of the dragon people, saying it was better to keep it quiet. As for the mastermind, Aiko felt it was only a possibility and didn't want to make statements without solid evidence, so she firmly refused to budge.

Aiko aside, the dragon people were indeed treated as taboo by the Holy Church, and revealing them would only add to the chaos. If exposed, it wouldn't be surprising if a local extermination force was organized, so to avoid such trouble, they all agreed to keep it secret.

In this chaotic atmosphere, Aichi came to pick up Will, indifferent to the surrounding chaos.

"Hey, Will. Why did you suddenly run off? Have some awareness that you're the one being protected. The report is done, let's head back to Fren quickly."

Hearing Aichi's words, both Will and Aiko looked at him in surprise. The other important figures, seeing Aichi interrupt the critical discussion, asked, "Who is this guy?" and gave him an unpleasant look.

"What are you talking about, Mr. Aichi? This is a critical moment, right? Are you planning to abandon this town and leave…?"

Hearing Aichi's words, Will's face showed disbelief. As he spoke, Aichi, with a look of annoyance, replied coolly,

"Talk about abandoning, in any case, the town must be abandoned and evacuated before help arrives, right? You know the defenses of a tourist town are limited... If we're evacuating anyway, it doesn't matter if the evacuation site is Fren, does it? I just want you to evacuate earlier than the others."

"That... that might be true... But, in such a critical moment, I can't just run away! I must be able to help in some way. Mr. Aichi, you... you should help too..."

Will was about to say, "Mr. Aichi, please help too," but was frozen by Aichi's cold gaze, unable to finish his sentence.

"...Do you not understand unless I spell it out? My job is to bring you back to Fren. I don't know about this town, okay? I won't listen to your opinions. If you refuse to come... I'll break your limbs and drag you back."

"That... that's too much..."

From the atmosphere Aichi created, Will sensed he was serious and stepped back, his face pale with disbelief. To Will, Aichi was a small hero who had defeated a black dragon that effortlessly wiped out experienced adventurers like Gail. So, even with his ruthless character, Will had always believed that Aichi would help if the town's people were in danger. Therefore, hearing Aichi's cold words, Will felt betrayed.

Will, who had lost his words, unconsciously distanced himself from Aichi, who approached him, forcing him to make a decision. An unusual atmosphere enveloped the two, and the onlookers watched them in silence. Suddenly, someone stepped forward and stood in front of Aichi.

It was Aiko. She had a determined expression, her eyes looking straight up at Aichi.

"Mr. Nanami. If it's you... you might be able to deal with the horde of monsters, right? No... you definitely can, right?"

Aiko's voice carried a sense of certainty, as if she believed Aichi could definitely handle the horde of monsters, meaning he could save the town. Hearing this, the gathered dignitaries of Uru Town stirred.

If the threat Aiko and the others reported was credible, the enemy would be a horde of tens of thousands of monsters. Moreover, they had crossed several mountain ranges to gather. This was on a war scale. And the impact of one person on a war was almost negligible, a common sense. The only one who could overturn this common sense, even among those summoned from another world, was the Hero. Even so, it was impossible for the Hero to defeat an army alone in a real sense; he would need to work with human allies, or he would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Therefore, the idea that the boy in front of them, who wasn't even a Hero, could handle this crisis and turn the tide was hard for the dignitaries to believe, even if Aiko, the [Goddess of Harvest], said it.

Aichi, looking at Aiko's determined eyes, waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, trying to brush it off.

"No, no, teacher. That's too unreasonable. It looks like more than forty thousand, very, very..."

"But, in the mountains, when Mr. Will asked if you could do something, you didn't say 'impossible.' You even said it would be difficult to conduct a decisive battle in such rugged terrain with obstacles everywhere, right? So, if it were on a plain, a decisive battle would be possible, right?"

"...You have a good memory."

Aiko's memory was excellent. Aichi's face twisted at his own careless words. He regretted it. Aiko, looking at Aichi who averted his gaze, conveyed her plea with an even more serious expression.

"Mr. Nanami. Can't you lend me your strength, no matter what? If things continue like this, this beautiful town will surely be destroyed, and many people will lose their lives."

"…Surprising. I thought you would prioritize your students. All your actions, in the end, would be linked to the possibility of returning a little earlier, right? But, to send a student to certain death for strangers? Is that what you mean? It's like the people who drive wars in the Church."

Aichi's words were like a rebuke, but Aiko didn't waver. Her expression, without her realizing it, was no longer the one immersed in worry but the resolute [teacher] expression. The priest of the Uru Town Church, listening to Aiko and Aichi's conversation, frowned, his eyes narrowing, as if trying to suppress his anger at Aichi's words, which contained a slight insult to the Church.

Aiko, not backing down, continued to speak to Aichi.

"…If there's a way to return to our original world, I still want to take the students back immediately. That hasn't changed. But, if that's not possible... then, now that we live in this world, and have met in this world, conversations, people's smiles, at least, I don't want to give up on these things within my reach. As a human, it's natural to think this way. Of course, as a teacher, my priorities in critical moments remain the same..."

Aiko confirmed her words one by one.

"Mr. Nanami, the experiences that transformed you into your current self must have been unimaginable. In such a situation, you didn't have the luxury to consider others. Not being able to be by your side and give you strength in your most difficult times... Mr. Nanami might think my words are trivial. But, please listen to me."

Aichi remained silent, looking at Aiko as if urging her to continue.

"Mr. Nanami. Last night, you said you would definitely return to Japan, right? So, Mr. Nanami, are you going to live in Japan, discarding everyone except important people? Will you eliminate anyone who gets in your way? Is that a viable lifestyle in Japan? Or will you change your lifestyle after returning to Japan? I don't want the students to be too eager to fight, but I'm concerned about whether they can return to their original lives after going back to Japan. I don't want them to get used to killing and wielding power."

"…"

"Mr. Nanami, you have your values, and your future is your choice. And what I'm saying isn't a command. But, no matter what future you choose, a lifestyle that discards everyone except important people is... very [lonely], I think. I believe that such a lifestyle won't bring happiness to you or the important people in your life. If you want happiness, do what you can... don't forget the feeling of considering others. Originally, the important and precious thing you possess... don't lose it."

Aiko wove her words, infused with her thoughts, and slowly conveyed them to Aichi. The important figures of the town and the students listened quietly to Aiko's words. Especially the students who wielded power as a game, feeling as if they were being scolded, lowered their heads in guilt. At the same time, the students felt a sense of happiness, as if they were tickled, realizing that Aiko truly hoped for their return home and considered their lives after that.

Even across worlds, even in the current situation, and even with the students thoroughly changed, Aiko, as a [teacher], remained unwavering. Aichi couldn't help but inwardly smile at such Aiko. It wasn't a mocking smile but one of admiration. Aiko, who was treated specially due to her rare value and had not experienced the hardships Aichi had, could easily retort, "You don't know anything!" or "You act like you know everything!" Or, as Aiko herself said, she could ignore these [trivial] words.

However, Aichi couldn't do that. Rebuking the [teacher] who was still looking at him straight in the eye with such [trivial] words seemed too ugly. Moreover, Aiko never imposed [justice] on him. Everything she said was for Aichi's future happiness.

Aichi turned his gaze to Tsuki beside him. Tsuki, for some reason, was looking at Aiko with an expression as if she had seen something nostalgic. But, noticing Aichi's gaze, she met his eyes with her straightforward, calm gaze. From her eyes, Aichi saw the will, "I will follow you no matter what answer you give."

Aichi truly hoped that the cute girl who had pulled him back from the brink of [falling] in the depths of despair could be happy. He thought his current way of life was fine, but if he believed Aiko, his way of life might make Tsuki unhappy to some extent.

Turning his gaze again, he saw the rabbit-eared girl who was worried about him. The girl who had brought liveliness to the small world of just him and Tsuki. How many times had she been treated coldly by him, yet still pursued him with enthusiasm, and was now cherished by Tsuki as a partner and friend. Wasn't accepting Sh