Chapter 76

At the sound of Aichi's muttering, the black-clad youth—Endo Kousuke—reacted with an exclamation mark above his head, just like an enemy soldier in a game with a protagonist who loves cardboard boxes (Extra: Wet X-pants~!!). He looked around frantically but couldn't find the person he was looking for, so he began to shout anxiously.

"Namiki! Are you there! Is that you! Where are you! Namiki! If you're still alive, come out! Namiki Aichi!"

His voice was so loud that people around him started to plug their ears. This wasn't just about confirming the possibility that his supposedly dead classmate was still alive; it also contained a desperate emotion beyond that.

The gazes of Tsuki and the others turned to Aichi. Aichi, seeing Endo still shouting his name loudly, couldn't help but scratch his cheek.

"Ah~ Endo? I heard you, so don't shout so loudly."

"!? Namiki! Where are you!?"

Reacting to Aichi's voice, Endo turned his head sharply towards Aichi. Aichi felt a bit deflated by his overly desperate appearance.

For a moment, their eyes met, but Endo quickly looked away and continued to search around.

"Damn! I can hear your voice, but I can't see you! Are you a ghost? Have you really become a monster!? Can't I see you!?"

"No, no, I'm right in front of you, fool. By the way, you should calm down. You, who have always been at the top of the 'Least Noticeable Person' ranking in the world."

"!? I heard a voice again!? And who is so unnoticed that even convenience store automatic doors don't react to them, so unnoticed that they might disappear without knowing when! Automatic doors only open properly one out of three times!"

"Two out of three times they don't open... That's just like you."

After this conversation, it seemed Endo finally realized that the white-haired, eye-patched man in front of him was the one he was talking to. Aichi, not interested in being stared at, turned his face away with a look of annoyance. Endo, with a "Could it be" expression, spoke up.

"Y-You... Are you Namiki...?"

"Yeah... That's right. I'm Namiki Aichi, no doubt about it."

Endo observed Aichi from head to toe. Despite the significant difference in appearance, Aichi's face shape and the fact that he knew about his lack of presence gradually convinced Endo.

"You... You're still alive."

"Of course, I'm standing right in front of you."

"It seems... You've changed a lot... Your appearance, your aura, your tone of voice..."

"I climbed out of the abyss on my own. Of course, I've changed a bit."

"Is that so? No, but, is that... You're really alive..."

Aichi's thoughtful attitude left Endo a bit confused. Even so, the fact that his supposedly dead classmate was actually alive seemed to bring him some relief, and his eyes relaxed. Even if he had felt jealous of other boys because of Kaori and had turned a blind eye to the bullying by Hiyama and others, he could never have wished for Aichi to be dead. Aichi's death had been a great shock. Now, Endo was purely happy that his classmate was alive.

"By the way... You became an adventurer? And a Gold rank...?"

"Um~ Something like that."

Hearing Aichi's response, Endo's expression changed dramatically. The relieved look on his face turned to one of urgency. Aichi, noticing Endo's ragged and tattered appearance, wondered what had happened.

"...So, not only did you survive the depths of the dungeon on your own, but you also have the strength to achieve the highest adventurer rank? Unbelievable..."

"Yeah, something like that."

Endo, with a serious expression, wanted to confirm if it was true. When Aichi nodded, Endo grabbed his shoulders with a desperate look and a voice distorted by pain, pleading with him.

"Then please! Help me infiltrate the dungeon! If we don't hurry, everyone will be wiped out! Even one more person's strength is necessary! Kenta and Shigeto might already be dead! Please, Namiki!"

"Wait, wait. What's going on all of a sudden!? I don't understand the situation at all? What do you mean, 'might already be dead'? If Amatsukawa is there, there should be a way out, right? If Merudo is there, a defeat like with Behemoth won't happen again..."

Aichi, confused by the unusually desperate Endo, asked. At the mention of Merudo's name, Endo's expression turned dark, and he fell to his knees as if collapsing. He muttered softly, as if trying to suppress his emotions.

"...Dead..."

"Huh? I can't hear you. What did you say?"

"...I said they're dead! Merudo, Aran, and everyone else! The knights who infiltrated the dungeon are all dead! To let me escape! It's all my fault! They're dead! Dead!"

"...Is that so."

To Endo, who was repeating "dead" like a child in a fit of anger, Aichi only responded with those words.

Since Aichi's vocation was not combat-oriented, he didn't have much interaction with Merudo. However, he remembered that Merudo was a kind and capable man who trusted the "useless" Aichi even in the final moments before falling into the abyss. If Aichi had just escaped the abyss, he might have simply said, "Oh, is that so?" and left it at that. Now, a hint of regret passed through his mind. At the very least, he would pray for his soul.

"So? What happened?"

"That's..."

In response to Aichi's question, Endo, still on his knees, prepared to explain the situation. Just then, a hoarse voice interrupted him.

"Let's continue this inside. It seems my guest is here."

The speaker was a man in his early sixties, with a robust build and a large scar over his left eye, exuding a powerful presence. His eyes reflected years of experience, and his entire body radiated authority.

Aichi, seeing the receptionist standing nearby, immediately guessed that this was the branch chief. The atmosphere in the guild had become uneasy again due to Endo's cries, and this was not the place for such a conversation. It was best to follow his judgment.

Endo had probably already revealed what had happened to the Hero group or the knights, causing a similar commotion. The unusual atmosphere when they first entered the guild was likely due to this.

The man, who appeared to be the branch chief, forcibly grabbed Endo's wrist and dragged him into the guild. Endo, emotionally unstable and exhausted, couldn't resist.

The conversation was likely to be unpleasant, and Aichi had a bad feeling about it. He and the others followed behind.

---

"...Demons... huh."

In the reception room of the Adventurer's Guild Horuad branch, Aichi's low murmur echoed. On the opposite sofa sat Horuad branch chief Roya Babys and Endo Kousuke. Aichi was facing Endo, with Tsuki and Shia on either side, and Thea next to Shia. Miu sat on Aichi's lap.

After hearing the entire story from Endo, Aichi's first words were that low murmur. The situation, where the Hero group was in dire straits due to a demon attack, left both Endo and Roya with serious expressions, and the room was filled with a heavy atmosphere.

However, the atmosphere was somewhat lightened by the sight of the young girl on Aichi's lap, who was eating snacks like a squirrel, her cheeks puffing up and moving continuously. Although Aichi's words were complex, Miu sensed the unease and, unable to bear it, tried to feed Aichi a snack.

"Hey! What's going on! This kid! Why is she eating snacks!? Does she understand the situation!? People might die!"

"Kyaa!? Dad!"

Endo, unable to tolerate the presence that was disrupting the atmosphere, suddenly pointed at Miu and shouted. Miu, startled, let out a small cry and clung to Aichi.

Naturally, a non-human-like killing aura immediately erupted from Aichi. A father's wrath towards his child's enemy was absolute.

"You... What, are you trying to take out your anger on my child, huh? Huh?! I'll kill you!"

"Kyaa!?"

Endo let out a similar cry and fell back onto the sofa. From the sides, comments like "He's really become a dad" or "Just now, he casually said 'my child'~" or "I wonder if Master can ever be separated from children in Einson~" were ignored by Aichi. More important now was to comfort the frightened Miu.

While soothing Miu, Aichi glared at the trembling Endo on the sofa. Roya, though stunned, interjected the unproductive conversation.

"Then, Aichi. From Ilva's letter, I already have a general idea of your situation. Quite a commotion, huh?"

"Yeah, it was all... the flow of events."

While it was hard to judge if the flow of events could lead to such a feat, Roya found Aichi's nonchalant shrug amusing and curled his lips.

"The letter mentioned that I should approve your Gold rank promotion and provide you with as much assistance as possible. I have a general understanding of the situation... However, annihilating nearly 60,000 monsters with just a few people, and destroying the underground organization in Furen in half a day... While all of this is hard to believe, I don't think Ilva would write a letter just to joke around... I wouldn't be surprised if you were actually the Demon King."

Hearing Roya's words, Endo's eyes widened in shock. While he thought Aichi, who had escaped from the depths of the "Orkus Great Dungeon" on his own, was strong, he still believed Aichi was weaker than himself.

After all, Aichi's vocation was the non-combat-oriented "Alchemist," and he was once called "useless." Even with a Gold rank, it was a standard for adventurers in another world, not comparable to the overpowered summoned beings like Endo. Therefore, Endo thought Aichi could only help repair the damaged transfer array and provide support in battle.

Originally, Endo had come to the Adventurer's Guild to gather high-ranked adventurers to help rescue Hikari and the others. While he couldn't bring them to the depths, they could at least guard the transfer array. There were also garrisoned knights, but they had to report to the kingdom, and their ranks were too low. They could barely guard the transfer array on the 30th floor. To guard the 70th floor, at least a Silver-ranked adventurer was needed.

Rushing into the Adventurer's Guild with this in mind, he ended up revealing his group's current situation on the second floor and requesting support from the adventurers. However, the news of the Hero, the hope of the human race, being in dire straits, and the elite knights being wiped out, along with the request to guard the transfer array on the 70th floor, caused everyone to look away, and a sense of unease about the future of the human race spread.

Roya, noticing the commotion, grabbed Endo by the neck and dragged him into a room, where he was explaining the situation when the receptionist ran in with Aichi's attribute card.

Only now did Endo realize he had severely underestimated Aichi's strength. Aichi might be stronger than himself, and the difference from the past Aichi was shocking.

While Endo was stunned, the conversation between Roya and Aichi continued.

"Don't talk nonsense... I'm not that weak to be a Demon King."

"Huh, treating a Demon King like a common enemy? You sure talk big... But if it's true, I, the branch chief of the Adventurer's Guild Horuad, have a request for you."

"...Rescue the Hero and the others?"

At the mention of "rescue," Endo immediately snapped out of it. Leaning forward, he started talking non-stop to Aichi.

"Right! Namiki! Let's go rescue them! Since you're so strong, you can definitely save everyone!"

"..."

Endo's eyes sparkled with hope, but Aichi's reaction was lackluster. He seemed to be thinking about something, looking into the distance. Endo, assuming Aichi would naturally join him, was confused by his lack of immediate response.

"What's wrong! While we waste time, they might be dying! What are you hesitating about! We're comrades, right!"

"Comrades?"

Aichi put aside his thoughts and returned his gaze to the emotionally charged Endo. The intense coldness in his eyes made Endo shrink back. Though he remembered the killing aura and was hesitant, he couldn't let go of such a valuable ally. Gathering his courage, he replied.

"Y-Yeah. We're comrades! So, helping in the past was natural..."

"Don't casually consider me as one of your comrades. To be blunt, you're just 'fellow humans' to me, nothing more. No different from anyone else."

"Wh-What!? How can you... What are you saying..."

Endo, caught off guard by the unexpectedly cold words, was flustered. Aichi, glancing at him, continued to think about the drawbacks of rescuing Hikari and the others.

As Aichi himself said, his perception of his classmates was just that of acquaintances. He had no intention of seeking revenge for past events, nor did he have any desire to become a source of strength for everyone. Truly, they were just uninteresting and indifferent to him.

However, if asked whether he would abandon them without a second thought, the answer was no. The reason was tied to what Teacher Aiko had said about "living alone in loneliness."

Moreover, Aichi remembered the conversation under the moonlight. The girl who, to the "useless" and "weakest" Aichi from another world, said, "I'll protect Namiki-kun." After his reckless actions, he fell into the abyss, unable to keep the promise he made to reassure her. In that final moment, the image of the girl, with a devastated expression, reaching out her hand, frequently appeared in Aichi's mind after returning to this town.

"Shirasaki... Is she safe?"

Aichi asked Endo, who was in a flustered state. The unexpected question made him "Huh?" for a moment, but Endo, realizing he needed to say something to get Aichi's help, hastily spoke about Kaori.

"Ah, ah. Shirasaki is fine. In fact, if it weren't for her, we might not be. In the initial attack, Shigeto and Yawarakai might have died... Shirasaki is really amazing. Should I say, recovery magic is no joke... Since the day you fell, she's been training seriously, to the point where we all wanted to stop her... Her demeanor has changed a bit, more mature, always thinking about something, and the gentle and calm aura she used to have is gone..."

"...Is that so."

Even if Aichi wasn't listening, Endo continued talking frantically. Aichi only responded with those words, then scratched his head and looked at his adorable partner.

"...Do what you think is best. I'll follow you wherever you go."

"...Tsuki."

Tsuki, looking at Aichi with a gentle and loving gaze, quietly held his hand and said those words. Aichi, holding her hand back, looked at her with eyes filled with tenderness and gratitude.

"I, I will too! I'll go wherever you go! Mr. Aichi!"

"Hehe, this little one will follow you too, Master."

"Hei, that, that, Miu too!"

Seeing Aichi and Tsuki about to create their own world, Shia and the others quickly volunteered. Miu, though confused, didn't want to be left out and tightly hugged Aichi, making the same claim.

Endo, with a stunned expression, muttered, "Huh? What kind of harem is this..." Aichi glared at him, then expressed his will to his companions.

"Thank you. I have no intention of getting involved with the Hero, chosen by the gods, and I don't like involving you... But there's someone I need to repay. So, I'll help a bit. Besides, it might be that they're unexpectedly close to solving the problem on their own."

In truth, Aichi didn't want to know how Hikari and the others were doing, and the presence of a mad god near the Hero was not someone he wanted to get close to.

However, Kaori, who was worried about