Chapter 83

Time moved forward slightly.

In the small town of Horuad, after the shock of the reunion and the complex feelings of parting, it has been three weeks since Hikari and the others spent that night. Now, they must quickly address their shortcomings, especially their lack of thorough consideration regarding "killing." If this issue is not resolved, they will not be able to fight. Therefore, they returned to the capital. Since they are to participate in the war against the demon race, experience in "killing" is essential. If they cannot overcome this, they will only be killed in the mutual slaughter.

However, the time left for them is not much, and it is more appropriate to consider this. The events in Urutown have reached their ears, and from the attack they suffered, it is clear that the demon race's activities have become more active. The approach of the war is something everyone has secretly sensed. Therefore, Hikari and the others must cross this hurdle as quickly as possible in some form.

For Hikari and the others, during these three weeks, they could only focus on human combat training with the knights led by Captain Merudo. Ryutaro, Kondo, and Nagayama, while to some extent, had made up their minds, but in reality, could they do the same as Aichi when they saw him blow the head off a demon woman? They repeatedly asked themselves this question. Although time is short, if they were forced to kill, it could result in them breaking down, which would be even more serious. Therefore, the knights, including Merudo, were also at a loss.

Just as they were stuck in a rut, a small piece of good news flew in that day.

Aiko and the others had returned. Normally, their classmates would be energized and attracted by Hikari's extraordinary leadership, but the current hero lacked his usual aura, and everyone was also depressed. The reason they had not succumbed to the painful defeat and the problems they faced was thanks to the support of thoughtful people like Shizuku and Nagayama, and the atmosphere creator, Suzu. Even so, it was a relief to have a trusted adult around to help resolve the confusion in their hearts.

Upon hearing that Aiko had returned, the first to act was Shizuku. Shizuku had various things she wanted to discuss with Aiko and ended her training early when she heard the news. The classmates had various thoughts about Aichi, and to exchange objective information without bias or preconception, Shizuku went to meet Aiko first.

Wearing the black sheath she inherited from Aichi, which contained a double-edged, black blade, Shizuku walked briskly through the palace corridors. For some reason, rather than men, the young ladies and maids blushed when they saw her. This was a problem that still troubled Shizuku, even after crossing worlds. Being called "Onee-sama" by older women made her want to say, "Please, let me off."

Having heard about the various things Aichi did in Urutown, Shizuku wanted to ask Aiko directly what she thought of Aichi. Shizuku believed that based on Aiko's impression, the balance of Hikari's heart, which was currently in deep thought, might tip in the worst direction. It seemed she was destined to bear the burden wherever she went.

"Surely, he must have caused chaos in Urutown too... This sword really gave me a shock... Really, it's just a very hard and sharp sword, isn't it? This is a national treasure-level artifact."

Shizuku muttered these things to herself while lightly placing her hand on the sword at her waist. As she walked toward Aiko's room, she recalled the time she visited the royal blacksmiths to maintain the sword.

She simply called the sword "Black Sword." This was when Shizuku first showed the Black Sword to the chief blacksmith of the kingdom. At first, they were somewhat intimidated by Shizuku, one of the "Apostles of God," but when they used their appraisal skills to examine the Black Sword, their attitude suddenly changed, and they surrounded her, almost grabbing her shoulders. Then, as if their previous attitude was a lie, they bombarded her with questions, or rather, inquiries: "Where did you get it?" "Who made it?"

Shizuku, rolling her eyes, managed to calm the chief and asked what was going on. He said that such a perfect sword could only be compared to the Holy Sword in the royal treasure vault. While it did not match the Holy Sword in terms of power output or magic capacity, it surpassed it in functionality and precision.

Further examination revealed that when magic was infused into the Black Sword, a wind blade up to sixty centimeters long could extend from the tip, and wind blades could form on both sides of the blade. Moreover, these wind blades could be shot out.

Additionally, the sheath also had a mechanism. When infused with magic, it could be electrified, and pressing a button near the mouth of the sheath would shoot out a high-powered needle from the tip.

Since the blade was made by Azanquim, it would not chip under normal circumstances and required almost no maintenance. If anything, it only needed the needles to be replenished.

However, the problem was that the Black Sword had no magic array for infusing magic. This was understandable, as Aichi could directly manipulate magic and had no intention of transferring the sword to anyone. Therefore, when Shizuku used it, it was indeed just a very hard and sharp sword.

Despite having all these functions, they were all unusable without the ability to directly handle magic. This mysterious Black Sword (as the blacksmiths saw it) ignited the spirit of the royal blacksmiths.

While they could not create a weapon with such functionality and precision, they at least wanted to make it usable.

In short, they aimed to allow the user to infuse magic. The royal blacksmiths, led by the chief, mobilized all their resources, set aside all other work, and worked tirelessly for three days and nights, finally succeeding in installing a magic array on the Black Sword.

Thus, by performing the incantation, Shizuku could now activate the Black Sword's abilities. Afterward, almost all the blacksmiths fell into a deep sleep due to magic exhaustion, but their faces were filled with joy.

Recalling the terrifying spirit of the craftsmen, Shizuku couldn't help but look far away. At this moment, she arrived at her destination—Aiko's room. She knocked on the door, but there was no response. She had heard that Aiko had gone to report to the king and was probably not back yet. Shizuku leaned against the wall and waited for Aiko's return.

About thirty minutes later, Aiko returned. From the depths of the corridor, Aiko walked with her head down, staring at the floor, looking disappointed. Despite this, she seemed to be deeply thinking about something.

She walked past Shizuku, who was standing by her room door, as if she hadn't noticed her. Shizuku, not knowing what had happened, was surprised and called out to Aiko.

"Teacher... Teacher!"

"Ah!"

Aiko let out a strange exclamation, shuddered, and timidly looked around before finally noticing Shizuku. Seeing Shizuku's energetic appearance, Aiko breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily.

"Yamaguchi! It's been a while. Are you well? Are you hurt? Are the others safe?"

Despite being in deep thought just a moment ago, the first words out of her mouth were concerns for her students. Seeing that Aiko was still the same, Shizuku naturally smiled and felt a sense of relief. For a moment, the two were happy to be reunited and safe, and then they entered Aiko's room to exchange information and discuss matters.

"Is... that so... About Kiyomizu-kun..."

The room was filled with a heavy atmosphere. Aiko, with her shoulders drooping, was clearly troubled by Kiyomizu. Shizuku knew Aiko's character and values and understood that it was inevitable for her to be troubled by such matters. However, she couldn't find the right words to say at the moment.

But it wasn't good to stay depressed, so Shizuku tried to be cheerful about Aiko's safety.

"Kiyomizu-kun's situation is regrettable... But, despite that, it's a relief that you survived. We really have to thank Nanakumo-kun."

Aiko, looking at Shizuku's smile, reflected on how she had troubled her student again and returned a smile.

"Yes. When we first met, he seemed completely uninterested in our affairs and this world... But now, he's helping Yamaguchi and the others. And he even protected such a young child... Hehe, maybe he's starting to return to his old self. Or perhaps, he's grown and changed... He's quite reliable."

Aiko stared into the distance... for some reason, her cheeks were slightly flushed. Shizuku, surprised, thought that the atmosphere seemed a bit strange for someone just recalling a student. She watched Aiko, who occasionally chuckled to herself.

Aiko, noticing her gaze, coughed and sat up straight. However, the feeling of trying to hide something couldn't be erased. Shizuku had a bad feeling, and her cheeks twitched. She observed Aiko more closely. (It can't be... that kind of thing, right?) Shizuku thought, half to herself.

"...Teacher? Earlier, you said you were in a dangerous situation and were saved, but what exactly happened?"

"Eh!?"

"Not that I'm prying, but you said you might have died. I'm a bit curious about how you were healed..."

"That... that's..."

Shizuku recalled the secret medicine that healed the near-dead Merudo in a short time. It must have been that, but she pretended not to know and asked. Aiko's cheeks turned even redder, and she avoided eye contact, mumbling incoherently. ...It was suspicious.

Shizuku, being a swordsman, quickly got to the heart of the matter.

"...Teacher. Did something happen with Nanakumo-kun?"

"! ? No, nothing! What do you mean, something happened? I'm just a teacher and he's just a student!"

"Teacher. Please calm down. Your tone is strange."

"!"

Aiko was visibly shaken. She muttered, "I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher..." as if trying to convince herself, but the words slipped out. Shizuku was certain. To some extent, Aiko had developed special feelings for Aichi that were different from her feelings for other students!

(Nanakumo-kun! What did you do to Aiko-sensei!)

Shizuku's cheeks tightened as she silently shouted in her heart. In terms of setting flags, Aichi had reached a level where he had no right to criticize Hikari. Unlike Hikari, however, he could understand the other person's feelings and would clearly and firmly reject them... but with Aiko, it was a bit more complicated.

To find a rival in an unexpected place, Shizuku covered her tightened cheeks and sighed. She felt an inexplicable hatred for Aichi and even considered spreading his nicknames, but she managed to suppress this dangerous thought.

Aiko and Shizuku cleared their throats repeatedly, regained their composure, and continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"So, Teacher. What happened when you reported to His Majesty? You looked serious just now."

In response to Shizuku's question, Aiko sighed, her face contorted in a mix of anger and disbelief.

"...Formally, Nanakumo-kun has been declared a heretic."

"! ? This! ...What's going on? I had a feeling it might happen, but this decision is too hasty, isn't it?"

Aichi's power was formidable. With a few companions and unknown artifacts and magic, he repelled an army of over sixty thousand monsters. His companions also possessed extraordinary strength. Despite this, they chose not to cooperate with the Holy Church and instead took a stance of opposing it when necessary. It was understandable that the Church and the Kingdom would view them as a threat.

However, even so, declaring them heretics immediately was too hasty. The definition of a heretic is someone who is declared to be an enemy of God for violating the teachings of the Holy Church. With this declaration, anyone could legally attack Aichi at any time. Depending on the situation, the Temple Knights or the Kingdom's army might also act.

If someone attacked Aichi under the pretext of heresy, they would also be declared his enemy and face his merciless and brutal attacks... The upper echelons should have understood the danger. Despite this, they declared him a heretic on the spot after hearing Aiko's report. It was no wonder Shizuku was surprised.

Hearing Shizuku's question, Aiko knew she had understood and nodded in admiration, thinking, "She's still a quick thinker."

"You're completely right. Despite his great power and lack of obedience to the Church, he still saved Urutown. No matter how much I protested, they ignored me. This situation was within Nanakumo-kun's expectations, so he further elevated the reputation of the 'Goddess of Harvest' in Urutown. From the guards, I heard that the reputation of the 'Sword of the Goddess,' which is on par with the 'Goddess of Harvest,' has spread widely. Now, declaring him a heretic is equivalent to denying the 'Goddess of Harvest' who saved them. They shouldn't have ignored my protests so easily. But they made the decision forcefully, which is clearly abnormal... Looking back, Ishitar and the others aside, the people on the Kingdom's side also seemed a bit strange..."

"...That's concerning. What are they thinking... At the very least, there's one thing they can't ignore: who will they send to attack the already powerful Nanakumo-kun?"

"...Yes. Probably..."

"Um. Us... I'm sorry, but I can't do it. I don't want to die. Opposing Nanakumo-kun... just thinking about it is unpleasant."

Shizuku shuddered, and Aiko understood her feelings, smiling wryly.

Then, to avoid being deceived by the sweet talk of the state and the Church before opposing Aichi, Aiko resolved to inform Hikari and the others about the crazy god Aichi had told her about and the purpose of his journey. Since there was no evidence, she didn't know if Hikari and the others would believe her. Until now, they had believed that if they won the war against the demon race, the god would return them to their original world, and they had been working hard toward that goal.

"Suddenly saying that the god is actually a criminal who enjoys crime and the chances of being sent back are very low, so we should look for the residence of those who rebelled against the god and find a way to return on our own... they probably won't believe it. Will Hikari and the others laugh it off as a joke and continue fighting, or will they believe it and change their approach... even Aiko doesn't know. But it's necessary to warn them not to trust the Church too much. Through this incident, Aiko is convinced of this."

"Yamaguchi. There are some things that Nanakumo-kun thought you wouldn't believe and might even offend Tenogawa and the others, so he only told me."

"Are... you going to say it?"

"Yes. About the god the Church worships and the purpose of Nanakumo-kun's journey. Although there's no evidence... it's an important topic, so I want to tell everyone tonight... no, this evening, when everyone is gathered."

"That's... no, I understand. Should we gather everyone now?"

"No, I don't want the Church to know about this topic, so I'll wait until everyone naturally gathers and then tell them at dinner. I want to talk about things only we know, without any outsiders, with my long-lost students."

"I see... I understand. Then, at dinner."

After that, Shizuku and Aiko chatted for a while and parted ways. At this moment, Aiko didn't know that she would miss the dinner appointment...

---

It was evening.

The bright orange was a daily gift. As the sun sank toward the horizon, Aiko walked through an empty corridor. The sunset shone through the windows on one side of the corridor, casting beautiful light and shadow on the opposite walls and floor.

Aiko, captivated by the beauty of the sunset, walked toward the dinner location