As Hajime's daughter, there was nothing she couldn't do. Myuu puffed out her chest with confidence, declaring that if Hajime couldn't come to see Myuu, she would go find him herself.
Myuu certainly didn't understand that Hajime was going to cross the world and return to his hometown; moreover, it was impossible for Myuu to conquer the Great Labyrinth, obtain all the magic of the Age of Gods, and cross the world to find Hajime.
Therefore, that is just a childish idea and an impossible goal.
But who could laugh at her resolute declaration? Who could belittle her resolve and discard it like a worn-out shoe? No one would laugh at her, and no one should. Remia had said Myuu had grown, and Hajime only now understood the meaning of that statement. Though it was only a brief moment, Myuu had truly grown watching Hajime and the others.
At this point, could Hajime really let go of such a lovely daughter? Should he let go? No, of course he couldn't, and he shouldn't let go.
Because of this, Hajime made a decision. He decided to make another vow—
"Myuu, please wait here for me."
"dad?"
Perhaps sensing Hajime's change in mood, Myu tilted her head in disbelief. Hajime's face no longer had the annoyance it once had. He looked at Myu with the same unwavering determination he always had, a look Myu was used to seeing.
"Once everything is over, I will definitely come back to find Myuu and bring everyone to see Myuu."
"……Really?"
"Yes, it's true. Have I ever lied to Myuu?"
Myuu shook her head when Hajime asked that. Hajime gently stroked Myuu's hair.
"When I return, I will take you to my hometown and show Myuu the place where I was born. Myuu will be amazed because my hometown is like an amazing treasure chest."
"! Is this where Daddy was born? I want to see it!"
"Are you looking forward to it?"
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Myuu jumped up and down in delight. Hajime narrowed his eyes, looking at her with a loving expression. Hearing that they would meet again, Myuu's anxiety vanished. With a beaming smile, she leaped towards Hajime, but Hajime caught her steadily and lifted her into his arms.
"Then you have to be a good boy and wait for me with Mommy, okay? Don't do anything dangerous, listen to Mommy and do your best to help her, okay?"
"good!"
Remia watched the conversation with a smile on her face, and Hajime apologized to her with his eyes, "I'm sorry, I made the decision on my own."
Remia slowly shook her head at this, met Hajime's gaze and nodded, saying, "Don't worry about it." Her warm gaze contained no blame at all, but rather gratitude.
Perhaps noticing the eye contact between her father and mother, Myuu glanced at Hajime and Remia alternately, then tugged at Hajime's clothes.
"Dad, can Mom come too?"
"Ah~ That... Remia?"
"Yes, dear, what's the matter? You certainly don't mean to leave me alone, do you?"
"No, I wouldn't say that, but... is that really a 'different world'?"
"Oh my, oh my, of course I have to go wherever my daughter and husband are going, huh, huh."
Hajime was holding his daughter, and Remia was leaning against them. The scene was just like an ordinary couple.
Kaori and the others rushed in, saying, "I won't let you succeed!", and the scene suddenly became noisy, completely destroying the sentimental atmosphere. Kaori and the others engaged in a battle of smiles with Remia, leaving Hajime unnoticed. At this moment, Yue approached Hajime.
"...Hajime, are you going to take them to Japan?"
"Do you object?"
Shi asked Yue back, Yue shook her head in denial and looked at Shi with gentle eyes.
“…As long as it’s Hajime’s decision, I won’t object.”
"Yeah?"
"...But what if I can't choose when to go back?"
This was exactly what Hajime was worried about. Even if he obtained the magic of the Age of Gods and mastered the method of returning home, he might not be able to travel through worlds at will. Hajime might not be able to keep his promise to Myuu, and Myuu might suffer serious damage.
However, Hajime shrugged, a smile on his face, and looked at Yue with eyes full of determination. Yue also smiled, but in fact, Yue was just asking casually, and she already knew the answer.
"I'll find a way to solve it. No matter what, I'll return to Myuu and let her see Japan. If I have to leave Myuu behind when I travel through the world, I'll return to this world no matter how many times I travel through it. That's all, right?"
“…Yeah, that’s all.”
Hajime and Yue exchanged a smile, a smile that hinted at mutual understanding, as they gazed at each other closely. Seeing Hajime gain something he cared about, enough to convince him to make a vow, Yue felt happy for him. Hajime, too, felt a surge of love for Yue, who understood him and smiled at him. As always, Hajime and Yue activated their combined skill, "Create a World for Two Anytime, Anywhere."
Kaori and the others could only look helpless as they watched Hajime and Yue ignore their quarrel and enter their own world of their own. However, such an ability seemed to have no effect on Myuu, who was their daughter.
Myu nonchalantly barged in between the two and asked for another hug from Hajime's father. Although they had agreed to meet again, they would be separated from Hajime for a while, so Myu decided to spend the last night acting like a spoiled child to her father.
The next morning, Hajime and his group finally set off from the [Maritime City of Enison] with Myuu and Remia seeing them off.
A day and a half has passed since I stepped into the copper-colored world again.
Hajime and the others boarded the Brijete, stirring up clouds of dust as they raced towards the Principality of Ankaji. Their original destination was the Hartrina Sea of Trees, but Kaori, believing that regeneration magic might restore the oasis in the Principality of Ankaji, suggested going there to try.
Regeneration magic, as its name suggests, has the effect of restoring anything to its original state. Even an oasis that has been contaminated and cannot be cleansed by restoration magic should be able to be restored by regeneration magic.
Since it was on their way, and they didn't even have time to try the local specialties last time, Hajime and the others had no reason to object and decided to adopt Kaori's suggestion.
They had now reached a point where they could see the Ankaji Gate, but unlike their last visit, there was a long line outside. Many large freight carts were lined up outside, seemingly a queue of merchants.
"This caravan is quite large."
"...Well, the line might be quite long."
"I suppose they're transporting supplies into the city?"
Just as Kaori had guessed, this long line of merchants were arriving with the relief force after the Principality of Ankaji requested assistance from the Kingdom of Heilig. The Kingdom's relief force had already entered the city, and Ankaji would allow any caravans they saw into the city, as long as they weren't engaging in illegal trade.
After all, the water source was contaminated, and apart from the crops that had already been harvested and stored, the remaining crops had to be destroyed for safety reasons. Therefore, in addition to water, Ankaji also needed a lot of food and could not afford to be picky.
Ignoring the caravan waiting in the wind and heat, Hajime drove the Brijet directly to the city gate without any intention of queuing.
Seeing the black object suddenly pass by, the people in the caravan shrank back in fear, no doubt shouting in their hearts, "Wow, is that a monster!?" The guards at the gate seemed to feel the same way. Seeing Britje approaching with a cloud of dust, they held weapons in their hands, their serious eyes filled with vigilance and fear.
However, upon hearing the commotion at the door, another soldier emerged from the lounge to investigate. The moment he saw Britt, his eyes widened, as if realizing something. He persuaded his colleagues who were trying to stop Britt, then, unarmed, he stepped out to greet Hajime and the others, instructing the other soldiers to report.
Hajime and the others arrived at the gate and disembarked, ignoring the surrounding gazes. As usual, the people around them were captivated by Yue and the others' beauty, but then they were stunned to see Britt disappear into the "treasure vault."
"Ah, it's the Apostle and his group! You're back."
The soldier heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Kaori. He might have seen Britt before, either when Hajime and the others brought Biz back, or when they were about to set out to the Gulun Volcano to collect the "Serenity Stone."
Kaori, known as the "Apostle of God," was a household name in Ankagi, and he seemed to believe that Britt was Kaori's means of transportation. Since that was generally true, Hajime and the others didn't bother to correct him. Kaori was the most well-known, so she spoke for everyone.
"Yes, actually, we have obtained a spell that may be able to purify the oasis, so we came here to test it out. We would like to seek the Lord's permission first..."
"Purification Oasis!? Are you serious!?"
"Yes, yes, but there is a pure possibility of purification..."
"Please don't say that. You are indeed an Apostle. Ah, how rude of me to have you wait in such a place. I have sent someone to inform the Lord. To avoid any confusion, I will lead you all to the reception room. As soon as the Lord is informed of the Apostle's visit, he will surely come quickly."
As expected, the soldiers seemed to know that they had saved the country, and their eyes showed great respect, giving them VIP treatment. Under the curious gazes of the merchants, they followed the gate guards and once again entered the [Principality of Ankaji].
After Hajime and his companions had waited in the reception room for fifteen minutes, Lord Longji arrived, breathless. His arrival was quite rapid, proving how important Hajime and his companions were to Longji.
"It's not been that long, but I'm so glad to see you safe and sound, Hajime-san. I was so worried about you when you entrusted the 'Stone of Tranquility' to Miss Tio and didn't return. You're the savior of our principality, and if you died without even thanking me, I would be deeply troubled."
"Isn't it a bit exaggerated to say such things to a mere adventurer? But as you can see, I am in good health. Thank you for your concern for me. By the way, Lord, it seems that the reinforcements have arrived safely as well."
"Yes, thanks to the stored food and the water reservoir built by Miss Yue, we were able to buy enough time. In addition to the aid from the kingdom, thanks to other merchants, the people were able to avoid starvation."
As he finished speaking, Longki, his face slightly gaunt, smiled gently. He must have been running around for days trying to save Ankaji. While Longki's fatigue was evident, his efforts were certainly paying off, and judging by his expression, Ankaji should be functioning normally again.
"Lord, regarding the purification of the oasis..."
"Apostle-sama... no, Miss Kaori, the oasis remains the same. Although it is gradually being cleansed naturally by fresh groundwater... the progress is extremely slow. At this rate, it will take at least six months to completely cleanse. If the contaminated soil is to be cleaned as well, it will probably take another one to two years."
Langji said this sadly, and Kaori told him that it might be possible to purify it immediately.
Hearing her words, Langji reacted with agitation. He seemed ready to pounce on Kaori, his tone changing with a shimmering stream of mist as he exclaimed, "Really?!" Kaori, startled, nodded in affirmation. Seeing Kaori hiding behind Hajime, Langji realized his own loss of composure. He coughed dryly, straightened his composure, and immediately asked Kaori to purify him.
Kaori had come for this purpose, so she agreed. Hajime and his group, led by Langji, headed to the oasis.
The oasis was practically deserted. Normally, it was a bustling place, filled with people relaxing... Thinking of this, Langji's face remained expressionless, yet his loneliness was palpable.
Kaori stood by the oasis and performed regeneration magic.
Despite receiving regeneration magic, Hajime and Shia still lacked any affinity for it. However, in Shia's case, even if she couldn't activate regeneration magic, she still had the ability to automatically recover. Furthermore, with conscious use, her injuries, magic power, physical strength, and mental strength recovered much faster, making Shia increasingly superhuman. As her physical enhancement level and proficiency in weight manipulation increased, she now resembled a heavy tank equipped with automatic recovery mechanisms.
The person with the highest aptitude was Kaori, followed by Tio, and then Yue. Yue's situation remained the same as before. Perhaps due to the influence of her unique magic, "Auto-Regeneration," she was not good at any magic that could be used arbitrarily or with a healing effect. She probably unconsciously denied the need for healing magic.
On the other hand, Kaori, as a "healer," possesses the highest suitability due to the similarities between recovery and "regeneration," allowing her to cast regeneration magic over a wider range and with greater efficiency. However, this requires chanting and magic circles, so in actual combat, Yue is still more useful.
Kaori began chanting. This spell was quite lengthy. After training in Enisen, the spell, which initially took seven minutes, had now been reduced to three. With such progress in just a week, Kaori could be considered a master of her craft. However, since Yue and the others were clearly guilty of breaking the rules, Kaori's performance pales in comparison. But she herself seemed to have come to terms with this.
Langji and his men held their breath, watching the chanting in a tranquil yet solemn atmosphere. They all felt that it was a sacred ritual that could not be disturbed. In the tense atmosphere, Kaori's regeneration magic finally activated.
"—『Absolute Elephant』."
Kaori closed her eyes, held out her sacred white staff, and pronounced the name of the magic.
The next moment, a faint violet-colored light appeared ahead, like a firefly, landing in the center of the oasis's flowing water. Then, the entire oasis glowed, and faint particles of light climbed toward the sky. It was a mysterious and moving scene, as if all the evil in the world had been purified and returned to heaven.
Seeing that scene, everyone was mesmerized, almost forgetting to breathe. Even after the spell ended and the mysterious light covering the oasis disappeared as if melting into the sky, Langji and the others remained immersed in the aftermath, standing in silence for a long time.
Kaori seemed exhausted, her body swaying. Hajime supported Kaori and urged Langji to confirm. Langji immediately regained consciousness and ordered his subordinates to investigate the water quality. A male subordinate hurriedly used inspection magic to investigate the oasis. Under Langji and others' breathless gaze, the man finished the inspection with an expression of disbelief, slowly turning back to report the results:
“…I’ve recovered.”
"Say that again."
Langji confirmed again, and the male subordinate took a deep breath and reported clearly:
"The oasis is normal! It's back to its original state! It's completely cleansed!"
At that moment, Langji's subordinates cheered loudly, throwing documents and other items into the air, hugging and patting each other on the back to express their joy. Langji also breathed a deep breath, closed his eyes with emotion, and looked up at the sky.
"Next is soil regeneration. Lord, are all the crops destroyed?"
"...No, we just put them in one place. Since we don't have the time or manpower to destroy them, could it be that... even crops can be purified?"
"With Yue and Tio, we should be able to do it, right? What do you think?"
“…Yeah, no problem.”
"Well, it would be a shame to throw away all the crops you worked so hard to grow. Leave them to us."
Hearing what Shi and the others said, Longji finally felt the true potential for soil and crops to recover. He placed his hand on his heart and bowed deeply in public before them in gratitude. While that wasn't the proper behavior of a lord, Longji's deep gratitude for Shi and the others compelled him to bow. This gratitude stemmed from his deep love for the principality.
Hajime and the others accepted Langji's thanks and immediately prepared to head to the agricultural area.
However, they sensed something strange in the atmosphere and stopped. Looking out, they saw a murderous group rapidly approaching them from afar. A line of soldiers, their uniforms different from those of the Principality of Ankaji, were moving in a straight line. Hajime, using his farsighted vision, confirmed that they appeared to be members of the Holy Church and the Knights Templar associated with this city.
When they arrived at where Hajime and the others were, they immediately formed a semicircle around them. An elderly man in a luxurious white robe stepped out from among the Temple Knights.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Langji hurriedly stood between the man and Shi and the others.
"Lord Jegan... please come here. They are in danger."
"Bishop Forbin, what is going on? You say they are dangerous? They are heroes who saved our duchy twice. As the Lord of Ankaji, I forbid you to be disrespectful to them."
The old man called Bishop Forbin sneered at Longhi:
"Hmph, hero? Please be careful with your words. They've already been labeled heretics, and rash remarks will endanger you, you know?"
"Designated a heretic...? How is that possible? I've never heard of that!"
Hearing that Hajime had been labeled a "heretic," Langji couldn't help but gasp. Langji, a member of the Holy Church, was well aware of the seriousness of this matter, so he found it hard to believe, believing there must be some mistake.
"Of course, I just received the notice this morning. I didn't expect the heretics to arrive at this time... Kaka, don't you think it's a coincidence? This must be God's will, for me to destroy the enemy of God. This way, I can also come to the main mountain..."
Although the last sentence was too quiet to be heard, it seemed that Hajime was considered a heretic. After Langji understood, he couldn't help but look back at Hajime behind him.
However, Hajime himself showed no signs of panic or surprise, merely shrugging his shoulders. He seemed to have anticipated this, believing it was finally happening. His gaze seemed to be asking Longji, "What are you going to do?"
Seeing Hajime's gaze, Longji frowned. Bishop Forbin seemed very pleased with himself and said with a grin:
"Alright, now I must defeat the enemy of God. I've heard he's quite a vicious man, but against a hundred Temple Knights, I'll see how long he can hold out. Now, Lord Jergen, please step aside. You don't intend to make an enemy of our Church, do you?"
Langji closed his eyes and pondered over Shi's power, personality, and other information. He could probably guess why Shi was deemed a heretic—the Church would not tolerate such a huge power that was not under its control.
However, considering the power of Shi and his group, Langji thought that the church's decision was a suicide. And before facing the demons, did they intend to start a war with Shi and his group? Langji couldn't help but doubt the mental state of the church's leaders. While Langji felt that something was wrong, he thought of the most important thing -
They had saved Ankaji. They had treated the people who had fallen victim to poisoning, prepared the water resources they relied on for survival, and defeated the monsters lurking in the oasis. Now, they had returned here to even purify the oasis, the symbol of the principality.
Langji had just been worrying about how to repay their kindness. He opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, and thought—isn't this a great opportunity? Seeing Langji's silence, Bishop Forbin seemed impatient. Langji, assuming the majesty of a lord, looked at Bishop Forbin sharply and told him the reply of the Lord of the Duchy of Ankaji:
"I refuse."
"……What did you say?"
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