Chapter 64

For Kiyoshi Kōri, being summoned to another world was the dream he had always yearned for. Although he knew it was impossible, he read the light novels and web novels in his hands every day, dreaming of such a scenario. In his dreams, he had saved the world countless times and welcomed a happy ending with the female protagonists. Kiyoshi's room had no visible walls, as they were entirely covered with posters of beautiful girls. One wall had a glass shelf where his favorite figurines of beautiful girls were arranged in awkward poses. His bookshelves were filled with manga, light novels, erotic books, and adult games, with the overflow forming several small mountains in the room.

Yes, Kiyoshi Kōri was a genuine otaku. However, none of his classmates knew this fact because Kiyoshi had hidden it thoroughly. The reason was obvious; no one who had seen how their classmates treated Aichi would voluntarily reveal themselves as an otaku.

In class, if he were to describe himself, he would be someone with no presence. He had no close friends and always sat at his desk, reading silently. If someone spoke to him, he would respond minimally; otherwise, he would remain silent. In middle school, he was often bullied due to his gentle and honest nature. Naturally, he began to hide in his room and avoid school, spending his time on books, games, and creative works. His parents were always worried, but his older brother and younger brother seemed to find his room, filled with otaku paraphernalia, annoying, and their attitudes and words made Kiyoshi gradually lose his sense of belonging in what was supposed to be his home. In this depressive environment, even though it didn't show on the surface, Kiyoshi's heart accumulated a lot of darkness. As a result, he became increasingly engrossed in fantasies and creative writing.

When Kiyoshi realized he had been summoned to another world, he thought, "This is my chance!" Even when Aiko strongly opposed Ishhtar, or when Hikari was determined to return to the original world by achieving human victory, Kiyoshi repeatedly fantasized about his own grand adventures in the other world. The impossible fantasy had become reality, and at that moment, he had already pushed away the common trope of the protagonist being attacked by various unreasonable forces after being summoned to another world.

However, the reality of the other world was different from what Kiyoshi had expected. First, Kiyoshi did indeed have game-like abilities, but so did his classmates. Second, the "Hero" was Hikari, so the girls only surrounded Hikari, and Kiyoshi was just "one of the many others." This situation did not change from when he was in Japan. Although his wish had been granted, the reality was different from his expectations, adding to Kiyoshi's darkness and intensifying his dissatisfaction.

Why wasn't he the Hero? Why did the girls only surround Hikari? Why was Hikari treated specially and not him? If he were the Hero, he could do better. If someone confessed to him, he would accept them all... Such thoughts, blaming others for the bad things and believing that "only he was special," eroded Kiyoshi's heart.

At this time, the "Orkus Great Labyrinth" practical training was held. Kiyoshi thought it was his chance to shine. No one noticed him, and it didn't matter whether he was there or not. This time, even his classmates who treated him as a background character would finally recognize his talent. Kiyoshi was always a convenience seeker... but he finally noticed.

(Ps: Convenience seeker, where everything always unfolds in a way that is convenient for him.)

He was absolutely not a special existence, and there was no such thing as a convenience seeker. The moment he became complacent, "death" was there. Almost being killed by a skeleton soldier, watching the "Hero" fight more vicious monsters from a distance. The fantasy he had about the other world crumbled with a "crack."

Then, he witnessed a classmate fall to their death, and his heart collapsed. He had always made convenient explanations and looked down on others, and he was not strong enough to handle it.

After returning to the palace, Kiyoshi locked himself in his room again. However, the creative works that could comfort his heart in his Japanese room were not there. Following the natural trend, Kiyoshi began to read books about skills and magic related to his role as a "Dark Mage."

Dark magic directly affects the opponent's mind and consciousness, generally known for causing abnormal states in combat. Kiyoshi's aptitude was in this area, and by altering the target's perception, he could create illusions or interfere with their magic, making it difficult or impossible for them to cast spells. In more extreme cases, he could even cause cognitive disorders to control the target's body.

Reading these books lifted his spirits and swept away the darkness in his heart. Kiyoshi suddenly thought that if the target were subjected to extreme dark magic, he could control them. This thought excited him. If his idea was correct, he could make anyone fall in love with him. Yes, fall in love with him. The darkness in Kiyoshi's heart continued to spread. From that day on, he began to focus on practicing.

However, this method was not easy to implement. First, humans have a strong sense of self, and it would take several hours of continuous casting to brainwash them. Of course, this is under no resistance. Naturally, no one would remain passive after being subjected to magic. Therefore, it was necessary to use force to put the target to sleep. If the target was human, it would also be necessary to hide the brainwashing, which required strict time and environmental conditions. Considering the high risk of exposure, Kiyoshi had to abandon brainwashing humans.

Feeling discouraged, Kiyoshi suddenly remembered the reason for his summoning: demons could control monsters. If the monsters, with weaker self-awareness and relying on instinct, were easier to brainwash, he thought. Every night, he would go outside the capital to experiment on low-level monsters. The results showed that they were indeed much easier to control. However, this was only possible for Kiyoshi, who had extremely high dark magic abilities, almost like a game cheat. Previously, Ishhtar had said that in this world, controlling more than one or two monsters for a long time was the limit.

After the experiments in the outskirts of the capital, Kiyoshi thought that if he could control powerful monsters, it would be great. However, he was afraid to go to the front lines of the dungeon with Hikari. While he was pondering what to do, he heard about the formation of Aiko's guard team. He thought that if he went with them to a more distant place, he might encounter suitable monsters.

As a result, he and Aiko's group arrived in the town of Uru, in the Northern Mountains, where there were suitable monsters. Seeing the monsters gathered to become his subordinates, he was overwhelmed. He dreamed that the next time he met, everyone would be in awe and respect of his great deeds, and he would be treated specially. (Asault: Indeed, he was treated specially.)

Originally, even for a dark magic specialist like Kiyoshi, brainwashing a thousand monsters in just two weeks was the limit. This was only the level of controlling a group of blue trolls in the Second Mountain Range.

However, with the help of a certain existence and the accidental control of a being named Thea, Kiyoshi gained the power to efficiently control monsters even in the Fourth Mountain Range. At the same time, a certain existence made a contract with him, helping him to strengthen his monster army every day. Kiyoshi's moral底线 completely disappeared. Then, he immersed himself in the joy of "being special" and sent a well-prepared monster army to the town.

However, the result was...

He ended up in a pitiful state, lying in front of Aiko and the others. Incidentally, the reason he was in this state was that Aichi, riding a magic-powered motorcycle, had dragged him from the ground covered with monster blood and dust. Kiyoshi had rolled his eyes and lost consciousness, his head thudding against the ground. Seeing Kiyoshi brought to them in this state, Aiko and the others' expressions of shock were understandable.

The location had been moved outside the town, and those present were Aiko and the other students, the guard knights, and a few important figures from the town, as well as Will and Aichi. After all, bringing the mastermind of the attack into the town would only cause more chaos, making it difficult to have a conversation. The important figures who remained in the town were now busy with the aftermath.

Aiko approached Kiyoshi, who was still lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back. Wearing a black robe, the fact that he was brought directly from the battlefield was clear evidence that he was the culprit of the attack. Aiko, with a sad and twisted expression, tried to wake Kiyoshi up, not wanting to believe this fact.

David and the others, sensing the danger, wanted to stop Aiko, but she shook her head in refusal. Restraint was also out of the question. Otherwise, a serious conversation with Kiyoshi would not be possible. Aiko was simply planning to have a teacher-student conversation.

Soon, in response to Aiko's calls, Kiyoshi's consciousness began to awaken. His dazed eyes scanned the surroundings, and he seemed to understand his situation. He suddenly sat up. Although he tried to stand up and distance himself, the injury to the back of his head made him stumble and sit back down, then he scooted backward. His expression was a mix of caution, humility, and anxiety, his eyes darting around.

"Kiyoshi, please calm down. No one here intends to harm you... I just want to talk to you. Why did you do this... Whatever it is, I want to hear your thoughts."

Aiko squatted down and met Kiyoshi's gaze. Kiyoshi's eyes stopped darting. Then, he looked away and lowered his head, mumbling in a barely audible voice... or rather, he started cursing.

"Why? Don't you know? Everyone thinks I'm useless. They treat me like a fool... always talking about the Hero, the Hero. Even though I can do better... no one pays attention to me, always treating me as a background character... really, they're all idiots... so I wanted to show my worth..."

"You... understand your position! The city was almost destroyed!"

"You're an idiot!"

"Aiko-sensei has been worried about you!"

Not only did Kiyoshi not show any remorse, but he also lashed out at those around him. The students, such as Tamai and Sonobe, were furious and rebutted him one after another. Overwhelmed by their momentum, Kiyoshi's head drooped even lower, and he decided to remain silent.

Aiko, not wanting to see Kiyoshi like this, restrained the more agitated students and asked Kiyoshi in as gentle a voice as possible.

The students, not buying Kiyoshi's act, became more vocal. Aiko, trying to calm them down, asked Kiyoshi with a warm tone in her voice.

"Yes, Kiyoshi, you have a lot of grievances... But if you wanted to make everyone see you differently, I don't understand why you attacked the town. If the town had been attacked... many people would have died... If that happened, regardless of your ability to command many monsters, it would not show your 'worth.'"

Aiko's pointed question made Kiyoshi lift his head slightly. Through his dirty bangs, his dark, turbid eyes looked at Aiko, a faint smile on his face.

"...To show... the demon race."

"What!?"

Kiyoshi's unexpected words shocked not only Aiko but everyone present except Aichi. Satisfied with their reactions, Kiyoshi, still speaking in a barely audible voice but with more force, began to explain.

"To capture monsters, I went to the Northern Mountains alone. There, I met a demon. At first, I was naturally cautious... but that demon wanted to talk to me. Then, that demon understood me and recognized my true worth. So, I... signed a contract with the demon."

"Contract...? What kind of contract?"

The fact that the contract involved the demon race, their enemies in the war, shook Aiko. But she also thought that the demon must have deceived her student, suppressing her rising anger, she asked.

Looking at Aiko, Kiyoshi sneered as if he had seen something amusing and said something shocking.

"...Hata-sensei... killed you, you know."

"..."

Aiko couldn't understand what he said and let out a dazed sound. The others were also momentarily stunned, but they understood the meaning before Aiko, their eyes filled with intense anger as they glared at Kiyoshi.

Pierced by the students' and the guard knights' gazes filled with intense anger, Kiyoshi's body shrank for a moment, but halfway through, he seemed to give up and continued speaking.

"What are you doing, looking so stupid. Do you think the demon race would overlook me? The demon said that, in a certain sense, I was more troublesome than the Hero and could not be ignored... 'Goddess of Harvest'... If I could kill you and the residents of this town, I would be invited to be the 'Hero' of the demon race, such was the contract. My abilities are the best. It was a waste to be under the Hero. Indeed, the one who understood me knew. In fact, they even lent me super-strong monsters, so I was able to create an army beyond my imagination... So, I thought, I thought I could definitely kill you! Why, why! Why did an army of sixty thousand lose! Why are there such weapons in the other world! What are you, what are you!"

After using the word "killed" towards the teacher and students, Kiyoshi, seeing Aiko's stunned face, began to mock and then became excited, shouting and turning his gaze towards Aichi. His eyes, filled with darkness and inferiority, also showed frustration with the reality that didn't go his way, hatred towards Aichi who obstructed him, and jealousy of Aichi's power. These mixed emotions, like sticky mud, harbored a murky madness.

It seemed that Kiyoshi did not notice that the white-haired, eye-patched boy in front of him was his classmate Nanami Aichi. Since he had never been told, it was understandable that he didn't recognize him...

Kiyoshi continued to curse Aichi, who didn't seem to care about the sudden shift in his curses. However, when Kiyoshi's curses included phrases like "just a middle-schooler," Aichi was deeply hurt and looked away, gazing into the distance, somewhat avoiding reality. That attitude, which seemed to say "I don't even see you," was what made Kiyoshi even more agitated.

Noticing Aichi's feelings, Tsuki gently stroked his crying back from behind.

Thanks to Aichi, who had entered his own world and ignored the serious atmosphere, Aiko had time to recover from the shock. After a deep breath, she held Kiyoshi's hand, who was agitated but lacked the courage to stand up, and spoke calmly.

"Kiyoshi, please calm down."

"What, what! Let go!"

Kiyoshi, startled by the sudden touch, tried to shake off Aiko's hand, but Aiko, as if saying she would not let go, gripped his hand even tighter. Kiyoshi couldn't meet Aiko's serious gaze and gradually calmed down, lowering his head again, his bangs hiding his expression.

"Kiyoshi... I understand your feelings. You want to be 'special.' There's nothing wrong with that. It's a natural human desire. And if it's you, you can definitely become 'special.' Although the method was wrong, it is actually possible... But, you cannot go to the demon race. The demon you mentioned is clearly using your thoughts. I have no intention of handing over my important student to such a person... Kiyoshi, can we start over? No one wants to fight with you. If you want, I will support you. You can definitely fight alongside Tennohara and the others. And one day, we will find a way to return to Japan and go home together?"

Kiyoshi listened to Aiko's words in silence, and his shoulders began to tremble. The students and the guard knights thought that Kiyoshi, moved by Aiko's words, had started to cry. In fact, Enbu Yuka, known as the most tearful in the class, was already teary-eyed, watching the two.