"...Why Nagumo? That guy was just an otaku in Japan, lazy and unmotivated, and he wasn't particularly good at sports or studying, was he?... He was always smiling and perfunctory in everything he did... Kaori was also very casual when she spoke to him... He's just an otaku again... If it were me, I wouldn't treat Kaori like that! I've always cared about her, I'd do anything for her... And what happened? Nagumo is a terrible guy, he treats the girls around him like objects! Not only that, he's a murderer! He kills women who surrender without hesitation. He's a complete psychopath! That's right, how could Kaori fall for someone like that? It's so strange! He must have done something to her—uh!?"

Guanghui grew increasingly furious, not only repeating the initial insults but also fabricating stories. Shizuku then gave him another powerful swipe at the forehead (and it was a snap). "What are you doing!" Guanghui roared, glaring at him, but Shizuku didn't seem to care, her expression showing impatience.

"Your bad habits are coming out again? Haven't I reminded you several times not to put all your mistakes on others?"

"Putting all the blame on others... How could I do that!"

"That's what you're doing now. Kouki, how much do you know about Nagumo? You have no idea what he did in Japan, what he did here, and yet you dare to talk nonsense... Those girls around him all look happy, no, really happy? But you ignore that fact and talk nonsense... What you said just now was just to portray Nagumo as a bad guy who is not worthy of Kaori, right? You're just shifting the blame onto others."

"B-but...he is indeed a murderer!"

Shizuku hesitated slightly at Kouki's clumsy rebuttal, but she continued as if making up her mind:

"...Back then, I intended to kill her. It was simply because I lacked the ability to do so. From now on... if the same thing happens again, I will definitely wield my sword with murderous intent. Not just to survive, but also for myself and the people I cherish most. I don't know if I could actually kill until the moment comes, but I can still count it as attempted murder... Will you still look down on me for being a murderer?"

Shizuku's revelation of the truth left Kouki speechless.

Shizuku, his childhood friend who cared for others and had a sense of responsibility and justice twice as strong as anyone else, had actually harbored murderous intent... Hearing this, Guanghui suddenly felt that she had become so distant. However, he noticed that within Shizuku's wry smile, there was indeed a flicker of worry and fear about harming others... In the end, he could not say anything and only shook his head.

Shizuku looked at that radiance and uttered what could be considered a monologue.

"Still, I'm surprised by his change. Considering his personality back in Japan, he's almost a completely different person now... Even so, Kaori probably still thinks he's 'Nangumo Hajime', and hasn't completely changed... But don't forget, he fought that woman to save us, and he killed her on our behalf."

"...Are you saying that killing is right?"

"Killing...how can it be right?! Killing is killing...it can't be justified, and it shouldn't be done."

"In that case..."

"But we have no right to blame Nagumo. After all, because he was too weak, the ones who had to pass the blame on to him were none other than us..."

Simply put, if you have a complaint, find a way to resolve it yourself. If you can't achieve the results you expect, it's simply because you don't have the skills. Leaving everything to others and then nitpicking the results is a complete mistake.

Kouki sensed a hidden meaning in Shizuku's words and, just as he was about to begin a heroic battle, he could only lie helplessly on the ground. Unable to refute her, he could only lower his head and remain silent. His expression was clearly discontent, as if to say, "But killing is definitely wrong!"

Facing Kouki's stubborn attitude, Shizuku used a teaching tone to tell him the advice she had secretly given him many times before, as well as what she had felt since coming to this world.

"Kuiki, to be honest, I don't dislike your straightforward personality and strong sense of justice."

"Shizuku..."

"But I think it's time for you to doubt your own correctness."

"Do you doubt your own correctness?"

"That's right. To accomplish something, you do need strong faith. But if you don't constantly question your own ideas, and just blindly believe and rush forward, something will inevitably become distorted. Therefore, at that moment, you should stop and think: Is it right to follow your own beliefs? If you realize you're wrong, should you still stick to your 'original philosophy'? No matter what you do, you should constantly reflect and think, right? ... Honestly, living by the right path is really difficult! I've killed many monsters since I came to this world, but monsters are also living beings... That's why I came to this idea."

Shizuku was thinking about this every time she killed a monster. Kouki, who knew nothing about this, widened her eyes in surprise.

"Koki, you can't always be right. I also hope you understand that even if your ideas are correct, that very right thinking can become a deadly weapon. However, this time you shifted the blame onto others because you were obsessed with it. The reason isn't about 'right or wrong'; it seems to be just pure jealousy."

"No, that's not right. I'm not jealous..."

"Is it lame to try to come up with excuses to get by?"

"..."

Guanghui lowered his head again, gazing at the moon's reflection on the water. However, the aura he exuded was no longer as heavy and gloomy as before; he now seemed to be deep in thought.

In short, he shouldn't be falling into a negative emotional spiral and losing control again. Shizuku, knowing that her childhood friend's personality could easily get out of control, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She guessed that Guanghui needed some time alone, so she stood up from the railing and prepared to leave. Guanghui whispered to Shizuku as she turned and walked away.

"Shizuku...you won't leave me, right?"

“…Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

"Don't go, Shizuku."

"..."

There was a plea in Kouki's words. The Japanese schoolgirls who were obsessed with Kouki, or the rich ladies of the kingdom, would have screamed at the sight of these words, but Shizuku's expression was only one of astonishment.

Perhaps it was the sense of loss after Kaori's departure that had defeated her... Shizuku glanced at the swaying moonlight behind her shoulder. It was the moon in the water that Kouki had been gazing at since a while ago.

"At least I'm not that kind of 'Moon'... I'm not interested in men who pester me."

Shizuku left with only these words before walking away. Hikari, who remained on the bridge, gazed for a moment at the alleyway where Shizuku had disappeared, before returning his gaze to the moon on the water. Then, he finally realized the meaning behind Shizuku's words.

"... Suigetsu... is that so?"

Mirror flowers and water moons. This phrase refers to "intangible things." Like the flowers reflected in the mirror and the moon on the water, they can be seen with the eyes but cannot be touched with the hands. If the moon reflection on the water that he unconsciously gazes at is compared to Kaori, then she is indeed someone he cannot reach.

Shizuku said she wasn't "Suigetsu," implying she was within reach, but the words she added afterwards were incredibly sharp and venomous. Kouki couldn't help but smile bitterly, wondering what on earth he had said to his childhood sweetheart.

Guanghui stopped gazing at the illusory moonlight and instead looked up at the sky. The "things" he had once believed he could reach were now so far away that they seemed unattainable. Guanghui sighed deeply, remembering the strict yet gentle words of his childhood sweetheart.

To change or not to change...it all depends on Guanghui's own decision.

After a period of time.

Three weeks have passed since the night in the hotel city of Holyard where Guanghui and the others were overwhelmed by the shock of their reunion and the complex emotions they couldn't handle due to their separation.

Now, Guanghui and the others have returned to the capital for a single reason: to overcome their fatal flaw—a lack of understanding of "killing." If they wish to participate in the war against the demons, they must have experience in "killing." Without this, even if they participate, they will only suffer a tragic fate.

There wasn't much time left to consider. Guanghui and the others had already heard about what had happened in Ur Town: after the attack, the demons' movements had clearly increased, signaling that war was approaching. Therefore, they had to overcome this problem as quickly as possible, by any means possible.

Kouki and his companions were now actively training for battle against the knights led by Captain Meld. Ryutaro, Kondo, and Nagayama had some level of confidence, but upon witnessing Hajime pierce the demon's head, their resolve began to waver. As they continued their battle training, they kept asking themselves, "Can I do it, too?"

Although time is running out, if they are forced to kill people and cause their sanity to collapse, they will lose both the wife and the army, so the Knights are also very distressed.

In a sense, the group of people who were living a depressed and unhappy life received a little good news one day.

Aiko and the others have returned. The class, usually drawn to the glorious presence of their leader, has lost all its dominance, leaving everyone feeling a bit down. They haven't been overwhelmed by the bitter defeat and the challenges they face thanks to the thoughtful words of Shizuku and Nagayama, along with the effort of Ken to create a positive atmosphere. But ultimately, the thick fog of uncertainty still lingers, thanks to the presence of a trustworthy adult. Everyone deeply misses their teacher, who always works so hard for them.

Upon hearing of Aiko's return, Shizuku was the first to take action. She explained that she had many matters to discuss with Aiko, and so she ended her training. She wanted to meet Aiko before the other students, who seemed to have some issues with Hajime, did. This allowed Aiko to exchange information objectively, without prejudice or preconceptions.

Shizuku tucked her long sword, sheathed in a jet-black sheath, into her belt and walked the palace corridors with a dashing presence. That jet-black double-edged sword was a gift from Hajime. For some reason, her presence made the daughters and maids blush even more than the men. Even after traveling through time and space, this was still Shizuku's biggest headache. She sincerely hoped that older women would stop calling her "Onee-sama."

Shizuku had heard that Hajime had done a lot in Ur Town, so she wanted to hear Aiko's thoughts directly. After all, based on Aiko's impression of Hajime, Guanghui, who was currently dwelling on her own issues, might be leaning towards the wrong direction. It was just her nature, and she would take the brunt of any hardship on herself.

"He must have been pretty reckless back in Ur, right? He just casually threw a knife like this at me, saying, 'It's just because it's hard and sharp.' Seriously! This is a national treasure!"

Shizuku muttered to herself, reaching for the sword at her waist. As she headed towards her son's room, she recalled the time she had consulted the kingdom's swordsmith about how to maintain the blade.

Shizuku simply called the sword "Black Blade." This happened when she showed it to her country's chief swordsmith.

At first, he thought Shizuku was one of God's "Apostles" and treated her with the utmost respect. But after using his identification skills to investigate the black knife's origins, his attitude suddenly changed, almost grabbing Shizuku's shoulders and interrogating her. Then, he launched into a barrage of questions—no, he demanded Shizuku where she had obtained the knife and who made it. His previous respectful attitude seemed completely fake.

Shizuku, nearly rolling her eyes at the pressure, finally managed to calm the chief down and question him about what was going on. He replied that of all the swords he'd seen, only the Holy Sword in the royal treasury could compare to the black blade. While the black blade couldn't release the same amount of energy or absorb the same amount of magical energy as the Holy Sword, its functionality and craftsmanship were superior.

The investigation revealed that by infusing the black knife with magical power, the tip of the blade could be extended to a wind blade up to 60 centimeters long, and two more wind blades could be formed on either side of the blade. Furthermore, it could also unleash flying knife attacks.

Furthermore, they discovered that the scabbard also had a mechanism that could generate lightning by injecting magic power. When the lightning was generated, pressing the button near the blade edge would fire a high-powered needle from the scabbard (the tip of the scabbard).

The blade is made of Azantium ore, so it won't chip and requires almost no maintenance. If anything, it only requires replacing the needles as they're used up.

The problem, however, was that there was no magic circle to inject mana into it. That was understandable. Hajime could manipulate mana directly, and he had no intention of handing the sword over to anyone else from the beginning. So, when it came into Shizuku's hands, it was probably true that "it was just because the sword was hard and sharp."

This mysterious black sword possesses such astonishing properties, but for some reason, it cannot be activated without the direct use of magic power (or so it seems in the eyes of the swordsmiths). This has ignited the fighting spirit of the kingdom's direct swordsmiths.

They thought: Even if they couldn't create a weapon this functional and sophisticated, they at least had to be able to use it! Simply put, they wanted to modify it so that the user could directly infuse it with magical power. They worked tirelessly for three days and three nights, with the chief swordsmith at the center, and all the kingdom's swordsmiths, abandoning their other tasks, devoted themselves to research. Finally, they successfully designed a magic circle for it.

This way, Shizuku could also draw out the black sword's power through chanting. After completing the process, almost all the swordsmiths, exhausted from their magic power, fell asleep for several days, but their expressions were filled with joy.

Shizuku gazed into the distance, recalling the artisan's perseverance. As she walked, she arrived at her destination: Aiko's room. She knocked on the door, but received no response. Later, she heard that Aiko had gone to report to the king. Shizuku, believing that Aiko might not have returned yet, decided to lean against the wall and wait for her return.

About thirty minutes later, Aiko finally returned. She looked dejected and unsteady as she walked down the hallway without even glancing ahead. Her face was stern, a look that made it clear she was deep in thought.

She walked over without noticing the door to her room or Shizuku standing next to her. Shizuku, confused and wondering what was going on, called out to Aiko.

“Teacher…Teacher!”

“Hurrah!?”

Aiko made a strange sound, her body trembling, and she turned her head around, finally noticing Shizuku's presence. Seeing Shizuku's cheerful appearance, she breathed a sigh of relief, a happy expression on her face.

"Yaegashi-san! Long time no see. How have you been? Are you hurt? Are the other students okay?"

She had clearly been incredibly depressed until just now, but all she said was worry about her students. Seeing that "Teacher Koai" was still the same, Shizuku's cheeks naturally broke into a smile, and a sense of relief filled her heart.

The two were happy for each other's reunion and safety, and then went into Aiko's room to exchange information and discuss things.

"I see...Shimizu..."

Shizuku and Aiko sat across from each other in a room where they were alone, at a cute cat-legged table, sipping tea and exchanging information. This was the first thing Shizuku said after she learned from Aiko about what had happened in Ur Town.

An overwhelming sadness filled the room. Aiko's shoulders slumped, and it was clear she was still feeling bad about Shimizu. Shizuku thought about Aiko's personality and values, knowing that no matter what happened, she would still care so much, so she couldn't say anything to comfort her.

However, it would be of no use to continue feeling depressed, so she tried to appear cheerful and happy that her beloved son had returned safely.

"It's sad what happened to Shimizu...but it's great that the teacher is still alive. I have to thank Nagumo!"

Aiko looked at Shizuku who was smiling at her, and besides reflecting on herself for causing her students to worry, she also smiled back.

"That's right. When we first met, he acted completely uninterested in us or the world... but he went to save you! He even protected the children... Hehe, maybe he's slowly returning to his old self. Or maybe he's changed, but he's also grown... He's truly trustworthy."

Saying this, she gazed at her Aiko in the distance...for some reason, her cheeks flushed slightly. Shizuku wondered, "Is the atmosphere a bit strange just because she's thinking about a student?" She watched Aiko, who occasionally laughed and reminisced about something.

Aiko, sensing her gaze, coughed awkwardly twice and sat up straight. But the feeling of concealment persisted, so Shizuku, with a nauseating premonition, tensed her cheeks and decided to ask more questions. At the same time, she kept telling herself that there was no way that could happen.

"...Teacher? You just said that Nagumo saved you from a critical situation. What exactly happened?"

“Eh!?”

"No, you said you almost died, so I'm a little curious about how he cured you..."

“Well, that’s…”

Shizuku remembered the secret drug that had cured the dying Captain Meld in a fraction of a second, but she felt it was unlikely. She feigned ignorance and questioned Aiko. However, Aiko's face turned even redder than before, her eyes darting around, and she mumbled something without saying anything… It was incredibly suspicious. Shizuku decided to strike through the core like a swordsman, all at once.

"...Sensei. Did something happen between you and Nagumo?"

“!? No, no? W-What do you mean!? He and I are just a normal teacher-student relationship!”

"Teacher, calm down. Your tone is getting weirder."

"!"

Teacher Xiao Ai was deeply shaken! She frantically kept repeating to herself, "I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher..." She might have thought she was saying these words in her heart, but in reality, they were all flowing freely.

Shizuku was completely convinced. She didn't know the extent of it yet, but Aiko had already developed a special feeling for Hajime that was different from other students!

(Nanyun! You! What the hell did you do to Ai!?)

Shizuku, whose expression was clearly tense, screamed in her heart.

Regarding the issue of playing fast and loose with each other, Hajime had no right to criticize Kouki. However, Kouki was too obtuse to realize that the other party had feelings for him. Unlike him, Hajime should have given a clear answer... However, Aiko's situation seemed a little ambiguous.

Unexpectedly, her best friend's rival lurked in an unexpected place. Shizuku couldn't help but cover her tense face with her hands and look up at the sky. For some reason, she suddenly hated Hajime so much that a dangerous thought flashed through her mind: just make his extremely embarrassing nickname public... But in the end, she decided not to do it.

Aiko and Shizuku coughed continuously, but after regaining their composure, they pretended that the previous conversation had never happened and continued talking about the original topic.

"So, Sensei. What happened when you were reporting to His Majesty just now? You looked very serious."

Shizuku's question brought Aiko back to her senses, and she had an extremely bitter expression on her face, showing anger and distrust.

“…They’ve officially accepted Nagumo-san’s designation as a heretic.”

“!? How could this be!… What’s going on? No, I’ve already anticipated this possibility… But wouldn’t that be a rather ill-considered decision?”

Hajime's abilities are immense. With the help of an unknown divine artifact, a mere handful of men repelled a demonic horde of nearly sixty thousand. Hajime's companions also possess extraordinary strength. However, the Holy Church refuses to cooperate with them, sometimes even turning against them. It's no surprise that both the Kingdom and the Holy Church view them as dangerous.

Even so, it would be extremely inconsiderate to immediately label him a heretic.

The so-called heretic designation refers to the designation of heretics who violate the teachings of the Holy Church as enemies of God. Once someone is designated as a heretic, anyone can legally suppress them. Depending on the circumstances, even the Knights Templar and the Kingdom's military may be dispatched.

If she attacked Hajime as a heretic, it would mean that Hajime would also consider her an enemy, and she would undoubtedly be subjected to Hajime's ruthless and harsh attack. The higher-ups naturally understood the risks of doing so, but after hearing Aiko's report, they still declared her a heretic on the spot. No wonder Shizuku was so surprised.

Aiko was impressed to find out that Shizuku had noticed this much, and nodded, saying, "This kid is still the same, his mind works so quickly."

"It's just as you said. Although he disobeyed the Church's mighty power, he ultimately saved Ur Town. However, no matter how much I protested, they ignored me. They said that Nagumo-san had anticipated this situation, and that's why he elevated the already high reputation of the 'Goddess of Plenty' even further when he was in Ur Town."

Aiko paused and shook her head in annoyance.

"I heard from the guards that the 'Goddess of Plenty' and the 'Sword of the Goddess' are already renowned. To label him a heretic would be to deny the very 'Goddess of Plenty' who saved him. They shouldn't have so easily ignored my protests. But they still made the decision. Something's clearly fishy!... Now that I think about it, Ishtar-san and the others aside, His Majesty and the other officials of the kingdom seem a little strange..."

“…That’s really concerning! What are they thinking… But first, we need to consider who they’re going to send to deal with the already invincible Nagumo, right?”

"!... That's right. I think it might be..."

"Yeah. Probably us... I'm not going to accept that, okay? I don't want to die yet. And let alone become an enemy of Nagumo... Just thinking about it makes me sick!"

Shizuku shook herself, and Aiko said with a wry smile that she understood how Shizuku felt.

Before Kouki and the others fall for the Kingdom and the Church's sweet talk and become enemies of Hajime, Aiko decides to tell them what she's heard from Hajime: the story of the Mad God and the purpose of Hajime's journey. Without any proof, it's unclear whether Kouki and the others will believe it. After all, they've always believed that if they defeat the demons, the gods will return them to their original world, which is why they've worked so hard until now.

In reality, that god is a pleasure-seeking criminal who enjoys watching people suffer. The possibility of him allowing everyone to return to Japan is extremely low. Therefore, Hajime has decided to find the secret base of those who once rebelled against the god and find a way back to Japan on his own! Hearing these words suddenly, Kouki and the others probably wouldn't believe it.

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