Hajime asked Tio to return the "treasure chest" and took out the status board and Ilva's letter of request from it, showing both items to the captain.

“…What? You’re only now revealing your identity—what!? Jin and others!? And you even got a request specifically from Branch Manager Frenn!?”

In addition to Ilva's letter of authorization, Hajime also produced a letter detailing the events. This was a letter Ilva wrote to the mayor of Enison and the commander of the garrison soldiers in front of him.

After carefully reading the letter, the captain sighed deeply, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and finally gave up resistance, lowered his shoulders, and saluted Shi.

"...I acknowledge that you have fulfilled your request, Mr. Nagumo."

"It's great to be able to clear up any doubts. I imagine you probably have many more questions, but we're also very busy, so please don't ask anything. I want to reunite this child with his mother first, is that okay?"

"Alright, but regarding the dragon just now, your jump, and that ship-like thing... As a soldier of the Kingdom, I can't just turn a blind eye."

The captain changed his previous high-handed attitude and showed a certain degree of respect for Hajime. Even so, he still looked at Hajime with an intense look, indicating that he would still ask the questions that needed to be asked.

"In that case, I'll tell you when I have time, okay? Anyway, I plan to stay in Enison for a while. But I think it would be a waste of time to report it to your country, as they almost know everything already."

"Well, I see. Anyway, as long as we have a chance to talk, you can take the child to see her mother... Do you know anything about her mother's condition?"

"No, I don't know yet, but it's okay because we have the best medicine and the best healer."

"I see. I see. I'll visit you again once you're settled."

The captain finally gave his name, saying that his name was Sarje, and began to disperse the onlookers and clean up the chaotic situation. It seemed that this person was quite loyal to his duty.

Although those who knew Myuu wanted to come forward and say hello, that would delay her return to her mother, so she stopped them with her gaze.

"Dad, Dad, let's go home, Mom is waiting for us! Myuu wants to see Mom!"

"Yeah, let's go see her quickly."

Myu desperately tugged at Hajime's hand, urging him, "Hurry up! Hurry up!" It was no wonder, considering she hadn't seen her home or her mother in two months. With Hajime and the others by her side during the journey, Myu managed to maintain a smile. But every night before bed, she still missed her mother and acted even more spoiled than usual.

Hajime and the others were led by Myuu to her house. On the way, Kaori leaned forward and asked in a low voice, looking very uneasy:

“Hajime-kun, what you just said to the soldiers…”

"No, Myuu's mother doesn't seem to be in danger of death. She's just seriously injured and has suffered a lot of mental trauma... As for her mental health, she should be fine as long as she returns home. Please carefully diagnose her injuries."

"Okay, leave it to me."

While the two were talking, there was a noise coming from the road ahead. It was the voices of a young woman and several men and women.

"Remia, calm down! You can't walk yet!"

"Yes, Xiaolei, we will bring Xiao Miao over!"

"No! Myuu is back, right? I have to go greet her!"

It seemed that several men and women were trying to stop a woman who was about to rush out of the house. Perhaps someone they knew had informed Mu's mother of Mu's return.

Myuu's expression brightened at the urgent cries of the woman named Remia. Seeing a woman in her mid-twenties collapsed at the entrance, Myuu shouted at the top of her lungs and ran towards her.

“Mom~~!!”

“!? Myuu!? Myuu!”

Myuu ran over quickly, put her feet together in front of the entrance, jumped forward, and threw herself into the chest of the woman lying on the ground - her mother, Remia.

The mother and daughter seemed to never want to be separated again and hugged each other tightly. People around them looked at the mother and daughter with warm eyes, and some of them shed tears.

Remia kept apologizing to Myuu. It was unclear whether her apology was for accidentally letting Myuu out of her sight, or for not being able to go out to greet her? Or perhaps it was both.

Her tears kept flowing, this is because of the relief of her daughter's safe return, but also because of the sense of guilt that she could not protect her daughter. Miao looked at her with concern and gently stroked her mother's head.

"It's okay, Mom. Myuu is here, so it's okay."

"Myuu..."

Remia, who had never expected to be comforted by her four-year-old daughter, stared at Myuu with her eyes wide open and filled with tears.

Myuu looked directly at Remia, and his eyes showed genuine concern for her.

Before being abducted, the daughter was a spoiled and lonely child. She must have suffered more. However, after the reunion, compared to the pain she had experienced, she immediately cared about her mother.

Remia was surprised and couldn't help but stare at Muu. Muu smiled sweetly and this time took the initiative to hug her mother.

Thinking that her daughter had been kidnapped and might have suffered serious physical and mental harm, Remia was so worried that she couldn't sleep at night and even became depressed. However, her daughter seemed to have grown up and returned.

This fact made Remia smile bitterly. She immediately relaxed her shoulders, wiped away her tears, and her eyes were filled with only love for her daughter.

Myuu and Remia hugged each other again, but Myuu suddenly screamed.

"Mom! What happened to your foot? Is it hurt? Does it hurt?!"

It seemed that Myuu looked over her mother's shoulder and discovered that Remia's feet were injured. Her feet were wrapped in layers of bandages under her long skirt, and she looked very miserable.

This was the injury Sarge had mentioned earlier, and it was also what Hajime and the others had heard from the young Sea People on their way to Enisen. The Sea People's earlier murderous intent was certainly due to Myuu's abduction, but another reason was that Myuu's mother, Remia, had been severely injured, unable to walk.

Although Myu said that she was abducted when she was separated from Remia, in the eyes of the Sea People, Myu seemed to have disappeared suddenly. Since there were no witnesses, they should not be able to conclude that Myu was abducted.

And they were certain that Myuu was abducted because Remia encountered the suspect.

While searching for her missing daughter, she spotted a group of suspicious men erasing footprints on the beach near the coast. Despite a bad feeling, she approached them to ask if they had seen her daughter... only to be attacked.

Convinced they were the ones who had kidnapped Myuu, Remia desperately dodged their attacks, repeatedly calling out Myuu's name, hoping to recapture her. However, she lacked the skills to fight, and of course, her escape wouldn't last long. The fireball the men fired finally struck her foot, sending Remia careening into the sea.

Remia fainted from the pain and shock. When she woke up, she had already been rescued by members of the Self-Defense Force (who came out to search for her and her daughter because they came home late).

Although she survived, the nerves in her feet were damaged due to the passage of time, and now she can neither walk nor swim as well as before. Remia wanted to find her daughter, but her leg injury prevented her from doing so, so the search was left to the vigilantes and the Kingdom.

Therefore, Remia couldn't even stand on her own now.

Not wanting to worry her daughter any more, Remia smiled and was about to tell her, "It's okay," as her daughter did. But before she could say anything, Myuu had already turned to the most reliable "father" in the world for help.

"Dad! Help Mom! My feet hurt!"

"Eh!? Myuu, Myuu!? What did you just say…"

"Dad! Hurry up!"

"Oh my? Oh my? Did you really call me daddy? Myuu, who is this daddy you're talking about?"

Remia's mind was in a mess, with a lot of question marks popping up above her head.

The people around also began to talk about it, such as "Remia is going to... remarry? How... how is it possible!", "Xiaolei is finally going to have a second spring! Congratulations!", "Is this fake? Someone, tell me this is fake... My Miss Remia actually...", "Dad...!? Are you calling me!?", "It must be a stage name, something like the name of the wonderful chef 0 dad, yes, it must be like that.", "Hey, immediately notify all members of the Warm Guardian Miss Remia and the Little Myu Club! Tell them to hold an emergency meeting! Things are going to be very chaotic!" and so on. Dangerous remarks were made one after another.

It seemed that Remia and Myuu were a very popular mother-daughter pair. Remia was still very young, only about twenty-five years old. Although she looked quite haggard now, she had a beautiful face similar to Myuu's. It was not difficult to imagine that once she recovered, she would probably be a striking and virtuous beauty, and it was natural that she would be popular.

The noise grew louder as time went on, and Hajime thought to himself with a stiff expression, "I really don't want to go there."

Hajime had originally thought that this matter would be simple. If he explained how Myuu had called him "Dad," they would understand that Hajime was only "like" a dad (regardless of what he thought in his heart), and had absolutely no intention of remarrying Remia. However, it seemed that the misunderstanding was spreading rapidly.

However, Hajime also thought that this might be lucky in a sense.

Hajime and the others must leave Myuu with their mother to continue their journey. After all, if they want to conquer the Melkine Undersea Ruins, they will have to be separated from Myuu. Previously, Myuu was forced to separate from her mother, and in a foreign land far from her home, Hajime and the others were the only ones she could rely on. Returning to her mother, she might initially be sad about parting with them, but time will surely ease the longing. The strong concern of the people around them for Remia and her daughter will surely be a support for them.

"Dad! Hurry up! Save Mom!"

Myuu's gaze was fixed squarely on Hajime. Following her gaze, Remia and the people around them also noticed Hajime's presence. Hajime gave up resistance and approached Remia and her daughter.

"Dad, Mom..."

"It's okay, Myuu. Your mother's injuries will heal, so don't look so sad."

"good……"

Myuu turned around with a sad face, and Hajime patted her head before turning his gaze towards Remia. Remia was stunned, staring at Hajime in astonishment.

Although Hajime thought this was a normal reaction, the commotion intensified with his appearance. In order to treat Remia, Hajime decided to go into the house first.

"Excuse me, I apologize for my rudeness."

"Huh!? Oh my god?"

As if not feeling the weight at all, Hajime lifted Remia up like a princess and, under Myuu's guidance, carried her home. As he lifted Remia up, wails and roars echoed from behind him, but Hajime ignored them. Remia herself was startled by being picked up so suddenly.

After entering the house, the first thing Hajime saw was the sofa in the living room, so he placed Remia on it. Remia sat on the sofa, blinking and looking at Hajime. Hajime looked after Remia in front of her and called Kaori over.

"Kaori, how's it going?"

"Let me see, Miss Remia, I'm going to touch your feet. Please tell me if it hurts."

"W-What? Uh, what's going on?"

Just when she was about to say her kidnapped daughter had suddenly returned, the man she idolized as her father appeared, and then strange beauties and beautiful girls gathered in her home. Remia frowned in confusion at the situation.

Before she knew it, Kaori had finished her diagnosis. She said that although Remia's foot had nerve damage, it could definitely be healed with her healing magic.

"It's just that the treatment will take some time. That area is very delicate. To avoid any aftereffects, I think it'll take a few days, and it'll be best to treat it gradually. It might be a little inconvenient until it's healed, but I'll definitely heal you, don't worry."

"Oh my, I thought I'd never be able to leave again... How can I thank you enough..."

"Hehe, you're welcome, since you're Myuu's mother."

“Well, speaking of this, what is your relationship with Myuu… and… why does Myuu call you ‘Dad’…”

Kaori immediately treated Remia, and during that time, Hajime and the others explained what happened, such as their encounter with Myuu in Frenn and the commotion they caused, and why Hajime was called "Dad".

While receiving treatment, Remia listened to the entire story, then bowed deeply on the spot, and expressed her gratitude with tears in her eyes.

"I really don't know how to thank you all... I'm able to reunite with my daughter thanks to you all. Even if it takes my whole life, I will repay you all. As long as it's within my reach, I'm willing to do anything..."

Although Hajime and the others told her not to worry about it, Remia wanted to thank her daughter's savior no matter what.

As they were talking, Kaori's treatment came to an end. Hajime said goodbye to Remia, saying he was going to find a place to stay for the night. Remia took this opportunity to ask Hajime and the others to stay at her house.

"Please at least let me do this. Luckily, our house is big and there are enough spare rooms for you all to use. You can use them as much as you want during your stay in Enison. Besides, Myuu will be happy with this, right? Myuu, you like Mr. Hajime and the others staying at home, right?"

"? Daddy, are you going somewhere?"

Myuu, who had been dozing on Remia's lap, blinked awake at her words, her eyes widening in surprise. It seemed that in Myuu's mind, Hajime's presence in her home was a fact more undeniable than the laws of physics. She looked completely bewildered as to why Remia had asked such a question.

"I was planning to send Myuu back to her mother and then gradually distance myself from her..."

"Oh my, how can a father distance himself from his daughter?"

"No, I've already explained this, haven't I? We..."

"I understand that you will all embark on your journey sooner or later. Therefore, until the day of separation comes, please continue to be Myuu's 'father'. Saying goodbye after estrangement is too cruel... right?"

“…That’s not wrong…”

"Uhuhuhu, actually, it doesn't have to be limited to the day we part. You can be 'dad' forever, that's fine, right? I just said it before, even if it takes 'a lifetime', I don't mind."

After saying this, Remia stroked her slightly flushed cheek with one hand and laughed, "Mmmmm..." Normally, a dignified and virtuous smile would have eased the situation...

A blizzard appeared around Hajime.

"Don't joke like that, the atmosphere is so cold..."

"Oh my, you're really popular, but I've been a widow for almost five years... Besides, Myuu also wants a father, right?"

"Huh? Daddy is Daddy?"

"Uhuhuhu, she said so, the child's father."

The blizzard has become more intense and the ground is frozen.

I don't know if Remia noticed the cold atmosphere, but she calmly said something that was unclear whether it was a joke or serious. Even though Yue and the others looked at her as if saying, "You are so brave!" Remia just laughed and didn't take it seriously at all. Maybe she was unexpectedly a big shot.

As a result, Hajime and the others stayed at Remia's house. While assigning rooms, Remia said something like, "Since we're married, why don't we sleep together?" and engaged in a silent argument with Yue and the others. Myuu even added to the chaos by saying, "I want to sleep with my parents~" As the night progressed, the situation calmed down somewhat.

Starting tomorrow, in preparation for conquering the Great Labyrinth, Hajime would need to spend some time repairing or crafting any previously damaged or lost equipment. He would also need to experiment with new Age of Gods magic. However, his time with Myuu was running out, so he had to cherish it. Hajime pondered these things in bed as he drifted off to sleep.

Five days later—

Seeing Hajime and Remia so close, the men of the Sea People, their eyes burning with jealousy, came to pick a fight with Hajime. The gossipers on the streets tried to pair Hajime and Remia up. This angered Yue and the others, and their attacks on Hajime intensified. At night, Yue became even more adorable. Despite all this, Hajime made every possible effort and finally began exploring the Melkine Undersea Ruins.

At the moment of parting, Myu showed a very lonely expression. Hajime felt extremely reluctant to leave, but he still tried his best to cut off his hesitation and boarded the submarine from the repaired pier.

Myuu waved her hands bravely and shouted, "Dad, be careful on the road~" Remia waved her hands back, and it was hard to tell whether she was joking or serious as she shouted, "Be careful on the road, my dear❤"

To others, the two looked like a wife and daughter sending their husband off to work. Yue and the others behind him, as well as the surrounding Sea People, glared at Hajime with sharp eyes. Hajime couldn't help but hesitate whether to return from the Great Labyrinth.

Located approximately 300 kilometers northwest of the maritime city of Enison.

That place is the location of the Melkine Underwater Ruins, one of the seven great labyrinths mentioned by Mireidi Lesin in the past.

However, when they first heard this information from Meredith, she didn't have time to explain it in detail. She just said that she would follow the guidance of the "Moon" and the "Evidence of the Grun Volcano", so they didn't know the exact location.

In short, Hajime and his companions sailed the sea, following the direction and distance indicated by Meredith. However, they had already reached the location indicated by the instructions during the day and explored the seabed, but found nothing. Hajime thought that since it was called an underwater ruin, there should be some traces on the seabed, but it seemed that his assumption was too simple.

However, compared to the water depth of the surrounding 100 kilometers, the water around the target location seemed relatively shallow, so the location should be correct... At least that was what Hajime hoped.

At first they had no choice but to stop searching, follow Meredith's instructions, and wait for the moon to rise.

It was sunset, the blazing sun, half hidden on the horizon, illuminating the world with its final rays of light. The sky and sea were dyed orange, and the sunlight reflected off the water, forming a dazzling path that stretched straight to the other side of the horizon.

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