An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

But for some reason, even though only one girl disappeared, it felt even more dead than usual.

A breeze blew.

"Meh~"

"Yes, Susanna, let's go back."

a few days later.

The people of Niez are at home. That being said, from a secular perspective, whether it can be called home is still a matter of much debate.

It was a cave, after all. Near the bottom of the massive pit, there was a balcony-like platform with a horizontal cavern carved into the wall. Inside the cavern were a bed, a table, and a storage room.

The most unusual thing is the lighting in the cave, which is actually red lava.

That's right, this cave is located within the crater of the Red Dragon Mountain, the most iconic volcano in the Red Desert. It's not a place humans can live in, nor would anyone want to.

The name "Red Dragon Mountain" comes from the fact that this volcano may erupt at any time. People in the past believed that there was a red dragon sleeping deep in the crater, so they named it "Red Dragon Mountain".

Even now, villages along the border still believe that a red dragon slumbers here and regard it as a sacred place.

In other words, it is physically impossible for people to live here. Even if they can, people will be afraid of the red dragon and dare not approach.

Despite this, Nizu lived here quite normally. He was currently standing on the balcony, gazing at the lava below, not seeming to feel particularly hot.

“…Nothing unusual.”

After saying this, Natsu turned and walked back into the house.

He walked to the table and sat down, reaching for the bamboo basket on the table. In the basket were bread, cheese and fruit bought with the money from selling Iraku.

Natsu took out parchment and a pen from the shelf beside the table and ate bread while writing.

"The Church is acquiring Eraku..."

Natsu muttered quietly to himself. This was news he'd heard from the apprentice boy. While he was concerned about the church's purpose, it had nothing to do with his near-secluded state, so he pushed it out of his mind.

Rather than this, he was more worried about whether there were any areas that would be short of Iraku due to the church's actions?

Since the Iraku is a means of transportation, it plays a vital role in transporting supplies for the desert people. Especially in border villages, the amount of goods that can be carried in a single movement can be a matter of life and death. After all, in the desert, monster attacks can occur at any time.

Losing an Iraku due to a monster attack was not uncommon. If a new Iraku couldn't be purchased quickly, the village would have to rely on human labor to transport the supplies it couldn't handle during that period.

"Let's take a quick look around..."

Natsu swallowed the remaining food, drank the water in the cup in one gulp, and stood up.

Suddenly, he remembered the duo that followed him wherever he went.

It is impossible for my home in the Red Dragon Mountain to be discovered, but I feel that I might encounter them if I go out.

"No, after all... this place is too far from where they are. There's no way they'll appear."

Considering they had met Meredith and his companions near the southeastern part of the Great Desert, their next area of ​​exploration would be the northern part. Niz wouldn't stay in one place and was planning to move quickly, so they probably wouldn't be able to catch up.

He told himself that if he encountered them again, it would be truly terrifying. This time, he needed to find out how to locate him and force them to swear not to pursue him again.

Natsu couldn't help but feel a little afraid to go out of the house. He used space teleportation to leave the house, feeling like a NEET from some other world.

After that, Niz spent almost the entire day touring the border villages before setting off on his return journey.

He was relieved when the duo didn't show up.

After confirming that there was no one around, he moved back to his home through the gap in the sand dunes.

"Ah, welcome back, Nai-chan!"

"Sorry for coming in without permission, but we did bring some souvenirs."

Meredith and Oscar sat at the table, drinking tea as if nothing had happened.

"Why?"

Anyway, Natsu complained first.

"Don't be so angry. We apologize for entering your house without permission. Please forgive us, Naruto."

"...I'm not angry, I'm just speechless. And don't call me Xiaonai."

Natsu sternly sat down on a chair that should have only been there but had been added without him noticing.

In fact, Naz was more speechless than angry about Meredith and Oscar's persistence and their determination to find such a place. Also, he hoped that Meredith would stop calling him "Little Naz".

"You'd better give up on the name. She's a bit of a fool—she's stubborn. And this is a souvenir. It seems to be a cake made with fruit from the desert town. You don't dislike sweets, do you?"

"Hmm? I don't mind."

"Hey, were you trying to say I'm crazy? Oh, hey, oh! You just—"

"Come to think of it, you didn't move us away right away this time."

"...Since you can even find a place like this, it doesn't matter where you move to. At this point, I have two options. Either you figure out how to locate me and then try to stop me..."

"Or listen to our explanation and then clearly refuse, right?"

“…Right.”

"Hey, hey, I feel like I'm being left out. Are you guys trying to exclude me? And Aou must have been trying to say I'm mentally ill—"

Nez and Oscar stared at each other. Was it possible to say they were testing each other's hearts? There seemed to be an invisible force wrestling between them.

After a while, the sound of deliberately fake crying came from under the table.

Nez and Oscar winked at each other, then bent down to look under the table, only to see Meredith drawing circles on the ground with her fingers, hugging her knees and pretending to cry.

The two of them sat up straight and took a sip of the tea Oscar had prepared.

"Speaking of which, this place is truly astonishing. It doesn't look like they're using any divine artifacts, yet the insulation is so good. Could it be related to your Age of Gods magic?"

"That's right."

"But why would you live in a place like this? It's true that no one would expect such a place to exist, so if you're looking for a place where no one would come, this is the best choice."

"...Are you here just to ask me about something personal? Didn't you say you wanted to see me for something?"

"Oh, my apologies. As a refiner, your house really interests me."

Although it can't be said that the conversation was very pleasant, the two continued the conversation normally.

Meredith felt like crying and crawled out from under the table.

"Well, I'll be serious. Can you please not ignore me?"

She sat upright in her chair and pleaded with a polite tone that was unlike her.

Natsu and Oscar sighed together.

"Why do you two have such good chemistry?"

"Isn't it you who caused this?"

"I think it was you who did it?"

"Woo."

Mireidi felt a little lump in her throat and sniffed.

After calming down, Mireidi told Oscar what he had heard before - the true meaning of the creator god Esid, the truth about the church and the distortion of the world, the fate of those who disobeyed, the crazy common sense spreading in the world, and the misfortunes brought about by these factors.

Then there is the organization that resists them - the "Liberators".

It also tells about Meredith's life story and her encounter with Oscar.

After he finished speaking, it was so quiet that only the breathing of the three people could be heard.

"...My magic is spatial manipulation magic. I can connect spaces, allowing me to travel to distant places in an instant. Or, like the barrier I've erected in this house, I can create a spatial barrier to block out heat... but it can't cure any disease, any illness."

These were Natsu's first words after hearing what Meredy said.

It is clear to whom this sentence is addressed.

Oscar showed a little surprise on his face, then smiled and shook his head, asking him not to mind it.

Meredith also looked at him with warm eyes and commented:

"You're very gentle."

Because she knew that compared to this world and the truth about God, Niz felt more heartbroken for Oscar's brothers and sisters, and was sad that she could not help.

Now that I think about it, the same thing happened when Nizu came to rescue Oscar and the others. From Nizu's words, actions, and where he lived, it was clear that he didn't want others to know about his power.

However, he showed up without hesitation and used his powers to rescue the two.

Natsu knew that the news would get out and that he shouldn't show up, but he still couldn't help but help others.

However, upon hearing Meredith's praise, Natsu showed a look of heartache.

"Don't praise me, all I did was—"

He couldn't continue speaking halfway, but from his painful expression, it could be seen that he was very distressed.

Meredy looked directly at Natsu.

"Just what? I want to hear you say it."

She deliberately pressed the issue, knowing that even if it would cause Natsu pain, there would be no gain if she didn't ask.

Oscar added:

"While I don't know what your hidden secrets are, at least your deeds of saving lives have spread even to the East. The feeling I hold for you now is 'respect,' and my desire for you to join us has only intensified."

There was sincerity in the words of Meredith and Oscar, but Natsu's expression became even stiffer before he spoke his conclusion.

"...I have listened to your request and have finished speaking. My answer remains unchanged. Further persuasion is useless."

Natsu clearly refused, opening the portal as he did so, a gesture that meant he was leaving. His lips were tightly pressed together, a stark reminder that he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Meredith and Oscar looked at each other, and Oscar shook his head at her. Meredith slumped her shoulders, and after a moment's thought, she smiled sadly.

"I understand. Let's go then, Xiaonai."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meredith passed through the "portal" on his own. Oscar saluted him with his eyes and followed him.

After that, there was only the quiet and empty room.

Seeing the new chair Oscar had prepared with alchemy, I felt a sense of desolation for some reason.

Natsu stared at the two chairs for a long time.

the next day.

"Excuse me~! Is Na-chan here? Mi-chan is here to play!"

"Hi, hello, I brought cheese today."

The two of them came to visit as if nothing had happened.

Natsu's entire body was frozen, his expression saying, "Isn't this going to happen again?"

"Eh? Did you think we wouldn't come because of the atmosphere when we said goodbye? Did you think so? Hahaha! Mi-chan didn't say that~~~~! Na-chan was too prejudiced~~~~"

Yesterday's serious expression seemed like a lie, and Meredith revealed a cunning smile. Veins bulged on Natsu's forehead, and he immediately activated a "teleportation" on Meredith.

However, Meredi used gravity magic to dodge flexibly, moving left and right, up and down.

"How many times do you think I've been hit~? I can already see when and where you're going to attack~!"

He really wanted to punch that smiling face. It was the first time in his life that Natsu had such thoughts about a girl.

"I brought my own cup today. Since we might be coming here more often, I'm leaving it here. The cutlery cabinet is over there, right?"

In addition to the cups, Oscar also took the liberty of putting the plates and spoons used for tea into the cabinet.

Natsu thought, this guy looks like he has a hard-working life, but he is surprisingly thick-skinned.

In fact, Oscar has been influenced by Meredith, but if he realizes this, he will be devastated and will lie in bed for three days without getting up.

About a week passed.

They ate with Nizu every day and tried to persuade him to join the Liberator.

No matter how much Natsu refused, Meredith always tried to defuse the situation, defusing the tension. Even when he opened numerous "portals" at her, Meredith seemed accustomed to it, using gravity magic to evade them all.

Oscar seemed to be very interested in the minerals of the Red Dragon Mountain. He began to explore without permission and even used his black umbrella upside down as a boat to drift on the lava river.

Natsu hurriedly chased after him, but found that he easily found the reason why Natsu lived in the Red Dragon Mountain.

In fact, this active volcano erupts approximately once every fifty years, and it entered the cycle five years ago. It may erupt at any time now.