“Nagumo! Are you there! Is that you! Where are you! Nagumo! If you’re still alive, come out! Nagumo Hajime!”

Because he was shouting so loudly, people began to plug their ears with their fingers. His voice sounded very urgent, as if he was not only trying to confirm whether the students who were supposedly dead were still alive.

Yue and the others all looked towards Hajime. Hajime scratched his cheek at Endo, who continued to shout his name, and despite his expression of not wanting to have anything to do with him, he still spoke out:

"Ah~ Endo? I can hear you clearly, so please don't shout my name so loudly."

"? Nagumo! Where are you!?"

Hearing Hajime's voice, Endo suddenly turned around and looked towards Hajime. Seeing his anxious expression, Hajime couldn't help but be frightened.

Although Endo made eye contact with Hajime for a moment, he quickly looked away and glanced around again.

"Damn it! I can hear voices but I can't see anyone! Are you a ghost? Have you really turned into a ghost? Is that why I can't see you!?"

"No, I'm right in front of you, you idiot. Calm down, you man with the world's weakest life presence."

"!? I heard the sound again!? No, who are you talking about? He can't even sense the automatic door at the convenience store. Not only is his presence weak, but his very existence is almost gone! Automatic doors open only once in three times!"

"You can't open it two out of three times?... As expected of you."

After so much conversation, Endo finally seemed to realize that the person speaking to him was the white-haired man with the eyepatch, and he began to stare at Hajime's face. Hajime, who didn't enjoy being stared at by men, turned away with a look of disgust. Endo asked with an expression of disbelief:

“You, you…are you Nagumo…?”

“…Yes, that’s right. Although my appearance may be different, I am the real Nagumo Hajime.”

Endo carefully observed Hajime from head to toe, but he looked so different from the Hajime he remembered that Endo was still skeptical. However, judging by his facial shape and the fact that he knew his presence was weak, Endo finally decided to believe that he was Hajime.

"Are you... still alive?"

"I'm right in front of you now, so of course I'm alive."

"I feel like you've changed a lot... whether it's your appearance, your impression, or the way you speak..."

"I climbed up from the depths of the abyss with my own strength, you know? Of course, things will change."

"Will it, will it change that much? No, but, is that so... So you really are still alive... That's great."

Endo was confused by Hajime's nonchalant attitude, but when he realized that the classmate he thought was dead was still alive, he seemed relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

Even if Endo, like the other boys, had once been jealous of Hajime's affections for Kaori and had turned a blind eye to the bullying of Hiyama and the others, he couldn't have entertained the terrifying thought that it wouldn't matter if he died. Hajime's death was a huge shock to Endo, and precisely because of this, Endo was simply happy that his classmate was still alive.

"By the way, have you been an adventurer lately...? And a 'Gold' one at that..."

"I guess so."

Upon hearing Hajime's answer, Endo's expression suddenly changed. His expression, originally one of relief that his classmate was still alive, instantly transformed into one of being cornered.

Only then did Hajime realize that Endo was covered in wounds, and the question "What on earth happened?" came to his mind.

"...So, not only did you survive from the depths of the labyrinth on your own, but you were even so strong that you were recognized as the highest level adventurer? It's hard to believe..."

"That's right."

Endo asked Hajime with a serious expression, and Hajime confirmed. Then, Endo grabbed Hajime's shoulders as if about to pounce on him, his expression twisted in pain, and he pleaded with an extremely urgent tone.

"Please! Come with me into the labyrinth! If we don't rescue everyone quickly, they'll all die! Even one more person will help, we need the troops right now! Kentaro and Jūgo might die too! I'm begging you, Nagumo!"

"Wait, wait, what are you saying all of a sudden?! I have no idea what's going on. What do you mean they'll die? With Sky River here, we should be able to handle most situations, right? And with Captain Meld around, we probably won't have another failure like the one with Behemoth..."

Seeing the usually inconspicuous Endo so flustered and anxious, Hajime asked in confusion why. Then, when Hajime mentioned Captain Meld's name, Endo's expression darkened, and he fell to his knees helplessly, mumbling as if trying to suppress his emotions:

“…”

"What? I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

"...I said he's dead! Captain Meld, Mr. Allen, and the others too! All the knights who infiltrated the labyrinth are dead! Just so I could escape! Because of me! They're all dead! Dead!"

“…I see.”

Endo kept saying the word "dead" over and over again like a tantrum child, to which Hajime only gave a short reply.

Hajime's vocation wasn't a combat one, so he hadn't met Captain Meld that often. Even so, he remembered him as a man of integrity, and how, even on the day he fell into the abyss, he'd believed in his 'incompetent' self until the very last moment.

Upon hearing the news of his death, if it was Hajime who had just emerged from the abyss, he might have felt that it had nothing to do with him. However, now Hajime felt a little regretful, and at least he would mourn for him in his heart.

"And then? What happened?"

"That is……"

Hearing Hajime's question, Endo knelt on the ground and was about to tell the whole story when an old voice stopped him.

"If you have anything to say, go inside and talk. Besides, they seem to be my guests."

The owner of the voice was a man in his sixties, with a strong physique, a huge wound on his left eye, and a very strong presence.

The receptionist from earlier stood beside him, and Hajime assumed he was the guild's branch manager. Endo's cries, like a wailing cry, had once again filled the room with the same tense atmosphere he'd had when he'd first entered the guild. Hajime decided it wasn't the right place for a conversation, so he obediently followed his advice.

Endo must have cried and made a scene like he did just now, and told everyone about the situation of the hero and the knights, so there was such a strange atmosphere when he entered the guild.

The man who looked like the guild's branch manager grabbed Endo's arm, forced him to stand, and then led him into the guild without saying a word. Endo seemed quite unstable and dejected.

The content of the conversation must not be good, Hajime and the others followed with a bad premonition.

“…A demon…”

Such whispers began in the reception room of the Horya branch of the Adventurer's Guild.

The head of the Holya branch, Loya Bawabis, sat on the sofa opposite Endo, while Hajime was directly opposite Endo. Yue and Shia were on Hajime's left and right. Tio sat next to Shia, and Myuu was on Hajime's lap.

After listening to Endo's account of the entire incident, Hajime's first words were the same mumblings he had just made. Kouki and his companions had been attacked by demons, leaving the heroic team in dire straits. Endo and Roya's expressions were heavy with worry, and the air seemed to have turned to mud, weighing heavily on them, filling the room with a heavy atmosphere.

...But the girl sitting on Hajime's lap, puffing her cheeks like a squirrel and devouring the snack, didn't give the impression of seriousness. Hajime and his friends' conversation seemed a little incomprehensible to Myuu, but she also sensed the unusual atmosphere and became uneasy. Hajime couldn't bear to see this, so he offered her a snack.

"What's wrong with that kid?! Why are you feeding her snacks?! Are you sure what's going on? We could all die!"

“Eh!? Daddy!”

Endo finally lost control of himself and pointed his finger at Myu, who was ruining the atmosphere. Myu was startled by him and hugged Hajime with a scream.

Naturally, a monstrous murderous aura erupted from Hajime. As a father, he wouldn't forgive his daughter's enemies.

“You… why are you mad at Myuu! Huh? I’m going to kill you?”

"babble!?"

Endo let out the same scream as Myuu, and sat down again after standing up.

Although he heard voices from both sides such as “…He’s completely become a dad now”, “He just blurted out ‘my child’~”, and “Now that we’re at Enison, can the master say goodbye to the child?”, Hajime ignored them. It was more important to comfort the frightened Myuu than what they said.

Endo collapsed on the sofa, shaking uncontrollably. Hajime glared at him and tried to comfort Myuu. Roya looked as if he couldn't stand them anymore, thinking this would never end, so he interrupted their conversation.

"Alright, Nagumo. After reading Ilva's letter, I understand what you're up to. It seems you made a scene, didn't you?"

"It's all just going with the flow."

Even though those situations were definitely not something that could be accomplished simply by going with the flow, seeing Hajime shrug his shoulders and not taking it seriously at all, Loya seemed deeply interested, a smile playing on his face.

"The letter asks me to approve your promotion to Gold rank and to provide as much assistance as possible. Basically, I understand the outline of the matter... you, with just a few men, annihilated nearly 60,000 monsters and crushed the underground organization based in Ephren in just half a day. While it's unbelievable, I don't think Ilva would write to you just to spread such nonsense. With all that information, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you were the Demon King."

Hearing Loya's words, Endo's eyes widened in shock. Hajime had escaped from the depths of the Orcus Labyrinth on his own, and Endo thought he'd become slightly stronger, but he still believed Hajime was weaker than him.

After all, Hajime's vocation was that of an Alchemist, not a combat-oriented profession, and he was once considered incompetent. Even adventurers like Jin were merely standard-bearers of otherworldly adventurers, incomparable to summoners like them. Therefore, Endo had originally assumed that Hajime could only repair damaged teleportation arrays or provide combat support.

Endo had appeared at the Adventurer's Guild to ask for the assistance of high-ranking adventurers in rescuing Guanghui and the others. Of course, taking them to the depths was impossible, but at least they could be asked to guard the teleportation array.

Although there are knights stationed here, they must return to the kingdom to report. Moreover, their level is too low and they can only guard the 30th floor of the transfer array at most. To guard the 70th floor of the transfer array, the team must have the strength of a "Silver" or above adventurer team.

With this in mind, Endo stormed into the Adventurer's Guild, revealed their current situation on the second floor, and pleaded with the adventurers for assistance. However, the hero, humanity's hope, was in dire straits, the elite Knights had been annihilated, and the commission involved defending a seventy-story teleportation array, a task exceedingly difficult. Everyone averted their gaze, afraid to look at him, and a growing sense of unease about humanity's future grew.

Later, Roya noticed the commotion and rushed over, grabbing Endo by the scruff of the neck and dragging him into the back room to listen to his report. At this moment, the receptionist also ran into the room with Hajime's status board.

Endo then realized that he had underestimated Hajime. His current strength might be above his own. When compared with Hajime in the past, Endo couldn't help but feel astonished.

While Endo was stunned in shock, Roya and Hajime were still talking.

"Don't be so foolish. Don't compare yourself to me, the king of a mere country."

"...You're so arrogant to call the Demon King a mere 'little thing'. However, if you truly possess that kind of ability, I hope you'll accept the commission to become the branch manager of the Adventurer's Guild, Horya."

"...Do you want me to rescue the hero?"

When Endo heard the word "rescue", he immediately came to his senses, leaned forward, and spoke rapidly:

"That's right! Nagumo! Let's go save everyone together! Since you're so strong, you can definitely save everyone!"

"..."

Seeing hope appear before his eyes, Endo's eyes were filled with excitement, but Hajime's reaction was unconcerned. Hajime looked into the distance, as if thinking about something. Endo had always assumed that Hajime would naturally go with him to rescue people, so when Hajime didn't agree immediately, he couldn't help but feel confused.

"What's wrong with you?! While we're talking here, everyone might be facing a life-or-death situation! What are you hesitating about?! We're all companions, right?"

"……companion?"

Hajime's gaze, which had been averted to reflect, returned to Endō, his expression cold and indifferent, gazing at the agitated Endō. Encountering Hajime's icy gaze, Endō flinched, a wave of fear lingering in his memory, recalling the murderous intent he had displayed earlier. Even so, Endō couldn't afford to lose this valuable fighting force, Hajime, and he retorted, half defiantly.

"Y-yes, we're all comrades! Of course we should go save—"

"Don't take it for granted that I'm your companion. Let me be clear, I only consider you fellow countrymen. Nothing more, no different from strangers."

“What!? How could this happen… What are you talking about…”

Endo was in a state of panic after hearing Hajime's unexpectedly cold words. Hajime ignored him and continued with what he was thinking just now - what harm would it bring to rescuing Kouki and the others?

As Hajime had said, his understanding of his classmates had become little more than acquaintances. At this point, Hajime neither wanted to seek revenge for past grudges nor, on the contrary, he was unwilling to fully help them.

Even so, if you ask Hajime if he could abandon them without hesitation, the answer is still no. This is because the idea of ​​abandoning them is closely related to what Teacher Aiko talked about as "a lonely way of life." If he really did so, his experience in "Ur Town" would become completely false.

Furthermore, Hajime recalled their conversation under the moon. After arriving in this other world, that girl had told Hajime, the "incompetent" and "weakest," "I will absolutely protect Nagumo-kun." However, her fears were realized, and Hajime, through his stubbornness, fell into the abyss. Hajime had promised her to protect him in order to allay her fears, but he ultimately failed to keep that promise.

In that final moment, she watched Hajime fall into the abyss, her hands stretched out in a look of grief that was almost broken. Since returning to this town, Hajime has often thought of her at that time.

"Shirosaki...is she okay?"

Hajime calmly asked the flustered Endo. Endo was momentarily confused by the sudden question, but he figured he had to say something to get Hajime's help, so he quickly shared the news about Kaori.

"Y-yes, Shirosaki-san is safe. Or rather, we wouldn't be safe without her. If it weren't for her, Jūgo and Yaegashi-san might have died in the initial attack... Shirosaki-san is truly amazing. It's not so much her recovery magic that's remarkable, but rather... she's been training diligently since the day you fell off the cliff. Her aura is so intimidating, to the point where we were tempted to stop her... Her impression has changed a bit, too. She's become more mature, I'd say. She's always lost in thought, not as carefree as before..."

“…I see.”

Endo desperately explained, even revealing things Hajime hadn't asked. Hajime gave a brief reply. The next second—

He let out a long breath, scratched his head roughly, and looked at his beloved partner who was watching him next to him.

“…Just do as Hajime wants. I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

"……moon."

Yue showed a loving look and gently held Hajime's hand and said. Hajime shook her hand in return and looked back at her with a look full of gratitude.

"Me, me too! I'll follow you wherever you go! Hajime-san!"

"Well, of course I'll go too, Master."

"Eh, um, um, Myuu is going too!"

As Hajime and Yue returned to their own world, Shia and the others quickly made their proposal. Myuu didn't seem to understand, but she didn't want to be left out, so she hugged Hajime tightly and made the same proposal.

Endo, who was sitting opposite, had a stunned expression on his face and murmured, "Huh? What's going on with this harem..." However, Hajime ignored him and made his will known to his companions.

"Thank you. Although I don't want to be associated with the God's chosen hero, nor do I want you to be associated with him, but... I want to repay someone's kindness and plan to rescue them. But with their abilities, they might be able to handle it themselves."

Honestly, Hajime didn't care what would happen to Kouki and the others. Besides, when he was with the hero, he always felt that the crazy god would be nearby, so Hajime didn't want to get close to them.

However, Kaori was probably worried about Hajime, so Hajime wanted to at least let her see that she was safe. If she was in danger, Hajime also planned to help her. Kaori once wanted to protect herself, and now she believed that she was still alive and worked hard for her. These were the favors that Hajime wanted to repay.

Hajime wasn't particularly concerned about the danger level of this matter. Based on Endo's description, the four-eyed wolf he'd fought in Ur Town seemed to have reappeared. However, even monsters like Chimera were likely only at the tenth level or lower in the Abyss's labyrinth, so they wouldn't be a problem at all.

"Um, um, would you like to come with me?"

"Yes... Director Loya, I hope to continue to handle this matter through delegation..."

"You don't want the people above you to think you're helping unconditionally, do you?"

"Yes, and I hope you can lend us a room to stay in until we return."

"Okay, this little thing is no problem."

Finally, Hajime ignored Endo, who was greatly relieved to hear that he was willing to go with him, and quickly negotiated terms with Roya.

After all, they couldn't take a child deeper into the labyrinth, so Hajime decided to leave Myuu behind at the guild. Before leaving, Myuu strongly objected to being left behind, but after everyone tried to appease them, they finally decided to let Tio stay behind as a nanny and guard. Finally, Hajime and the others were able to set off, with Endō leading the way.

"Alright, hurry up and lead the way, Endo."

"Uwaa ...

"Such a fuss! We need to be back quickly. We need to finish this in a day... no, half a day. We have no choice, but we left Myuu behind after all, so we need to be back soon. And the guy she's with is a pervert, which is also worrying."

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