“Don’t confuse Hajime-san with Tio-san! Hajime-san is not a pervert! He’s normal… so normal… insanely normal. Seriously, I’ve had to do that many times—”
Shia's eyes began to lose focus, and she was reminiscing about something, which was clearly visible from her blushing cheeks. On their last night in Feyaberrugen, the two seemed to have had a very passionate time.
Incidentally, Kaori, Tio, and many others attempted to peek, but were repelled by Yue's Thunder Dragon, so no one saw anything. In particular, a certain forest-human princess, having received a severe punishment, was currently recuperating at home in a daze.
Anyway, Hajime used his super finger-snapping technique to send the incessantly questioning Waste Dragon flying, allowing her to perform an artistic backflip and turn around four times before helping Shia regain her composure.
Xia suddenly came to her senses, folded her rabbit ears shyly, and shrank back.
“…Well, I helped Hajime accumulate experience points. Hajime is a berserker of the night.”
"Yue, could you please shut up for a moment?"
Hajime patted Shia's head with one hand to comfort her, and with the other hand he covered Yue's mouth to quiet her. Kaori fidgeted with envy, while Tio lay on the ground, her face dazed and her body twitching.
"Finally, we've reached the final dungeon! I really want to finish it quickly so I can go meet Myuu-chan!"
Shia barely recovered from the overwhelming sense of shame and, in an effort to change the tense atmosphere, changed the subject. Although Hajime couldn't help but laugh at her desperate attempts to change the subject, he still agreed and said:
"Yeah, I wonder if she's in good spirits..."
Myuu is a little girl from the Sea People tribe whom Hajime met after experiencing a tortuous and bizarre fate in this different world.
She calls Shi Dad, and her presence has a great impact on Shi's heart.
Hajime made a promise to her that one day he would take her to Hajime's hometown - Earth.
That’s right, it was the same agreement Hajime and Yue had made in the past.
Hajime looked off into the distance, thinking of the distant land on the other side of the continent. Shia smiled and said:
"She must be very spirited, since she's Mr. Hajime's beloved daughter, right? That child is incredibly strong, even declaring that if we don't see her, she'll travel all the way to find us."
Hajime smiled and nodded in affirmation, then turned his gaze back to Shia.
"We also need to find time to meet Cam and the others."
"Hajime-san... Hehe, thank you."
In fact, before leaving [Feiyaberugen], Shiyou suggested asking Kam and other members of the Hauriya tribe whether they wanted to go to Earth together.
Their answer was "No".
The reason was clear to Hajime, as he had witnessed their determination during the decisive battle with the Empire.
That's right, they are determined to earn the right to survive in this world with their own hands.
They decided to continue fighting in this world that was too cruel to demihumans.
That is the pride of the Haolia people after their rebirth from the ashes, and it is also their self-affirmation.
Thinking of Shia, who would be separated from her family, Hajime accepted their decision but couldn't help but sigh. Kam, with a kind and joyful smile, said to Hajime, "As long as you make Shia happy, that's all that matters, Boss."
Cam's expression at that time was undoubtedly the expression of a father who was thinking about his daughter.
As long as he wanted to, he might be able to prevent interference from God and travel between the two worlds.
That being said, the full scope of conceptual magic is inherently vague, and progressing to the point of being able to create and perform conceptual magic will likely not be smooth sailing.
At first, although he was sure that it would come true one day, he didn't know when it would happen. So he couldn't easily make a promise to ensure that they would meet again soon.
Because of this, after establishing a method for returning to Earth, Hajime thought that Shia should at least spend the last day with her family.
Shia understood Hajime's feelings very well. She looked as if she was enjoying a pancake drizzled with honey, with a happy expression on her face, and gently held Hajime's hand.
"But Hajime-san, I've already said goodbye to my father and the others. I'm glad you took the trouble for us, but please don't take it too seriously. I think my father and the others will be happy too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! Hehe, this reminds me of when I was with Myuu-chan. Hajime-san was really overprotective of his own people~"
Xia said this in a joking tone, laughing happily.
Yue also cooperated with her, hugging Hajime's arm tightly, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"...Well, Hajime dotes on his own people a lot, so we have to be careful not to become too obsessed with them."
"Ahahaha, if I rely too much on Hajime-kun, I'll really become useless."
Even Kaori was laughing happily and agreeing, so Hajime could only keep a straight face. Feeling like he was being called a useless woman-making machine, Hajime felt very uncomfortable.
At this moment, as if taking Hajime's mood into consideration, the sliding door opened.
Entering the bridge were Kouki, Ryuutarou, Suzu, and Shizuku.
Even though they saw Hajime sitting on the sofa with Yue and Shia in his arms, no one reacted because it was so commonplace...
No, only one person's eyebrows twitched and his mouth curved into a "ㄟ" shape.
But Hajime didn't seem to notice, and took this opportunity to try to change the subject.
"You guys have been practicing really hard. How's it going? Are you used to the new functions of the artifact?"
As Hajime said, in order to familiarize themselves with the artifact that Hajime had improved, Guanghui and others had been training on the deck of Fornir.
Whether it was fatigue or something else, Shizuku let out a sigh and was about to explain the results of her training.
“Yes, Nagumo-kun. Thanks to you—eh! There’s someone with a disgusting expression here!?”
Midway through her words, she jumped in shock. She seemed to see the crippled dragon panting on the ground with a sickening grin on its face. This was quite an event, no wonder she was so surprised.
Because Kaori pulled the belt, Tio's kimono was opened quite erotically, but it did not feel obscene at all. Instead, she looked even more miserable and cowardly, worthy of being the useless dragon (Tio).
"Don't worry about the food scraps over there. Come, sit down."
Miss Feilong convulsed a few more times.
In order to avoid the kitchen waste, Guanghui and the others took a detour before sitting down on the sofa.
"So how did the trial go? Were there any problems?"
Hajime asked Kouki and the others. Seeing that Hajime seemed fine, Kouki replied, thinking, "I've seen this so many times, but this is the only thing I'm not used to." Incidentally, because he couldn't help but be concerned, his eyes kept glancing at Feilong, which was really adorable.
"No, there's no problem. Or rather, it's truly astonishing. The efficiency of mana transmission is completely different, the output itself has been greatly improved, and the new function is quite useful."
Despite saying this, Guanghui's expression was very complicated.
I don't know if it's because of the fact that he became stronger easily, or because the reason for his strength was Hajime... maybe it's both.
Ryutaro was completely oblivious to Kouki's complex emotions. He smiled brightly and continued:
"Oh my, that's really impressive! The air stepping is confusing, but it's really useful once you get used to it. The power of the gauntlet has also doubled. I'm really looking forward to using it in actual combat!"
In addition to improved weapons, Hajime also gave Kouki and the others several artifacts, one of which was a pair of boots with "air power" that could create footholds in the air.
Ryuutarou slammed his modified gauntlets against each other, looking delighted like a child who had just gotten a new toy. The gauntlets emitted shockwaves from the collision, as if reflecting his good mood.
Ling sat beside him, her braids blown violently by the strong wind. Although she felt a little troubled, she nodded and said:
"Unlike Ryuutarou and the others, only Suzu has a completely new Divine Gear, so she was a little worried about how to use it at first, but after trying it out, she's really impressed! Now... Suzu can fight too. She's no longer just guarding, she can fight! Thank you, Nagumo-san!"
Ling smiled innocently, but with a strong will.
Come to think of it, it was Ling who begged to join this journey.
Even if she had to separate from her companions, Suzu had to see that girl once again—Rie Nakamura—and talk to her face to face. To do this, she needed strength, so she made up her mind, bowed to Hajime, and begged for one last chance.
Ling's eyes were completely different at that time, and her will was very firm.
Her vocation was that of a "barrier master"—a natural talent for protection. Perhaps Hajime had given her the strength to fight because he sensed her feelings.
"That's fine with me. I'm a bit worried about the sheer number of functions. I'm worried I'll be hesitant about which one to choose in actual combat... but that can only be learned through experience."
Shizuku looked at her partner, Kuroto, on her lap, her expression twitching. She seemed to be trying to say, "I know, I know. That's called 'Magic Kai', right?"
"That's good. I was just practicing Sublimation Magic on the side, but it seems my careful transformation has paid off. That being said, I find it a bit hard to accept the Holy Sword of Tianzhihe..."
“Eh? Wait, wait a minute, Nagumo! Why does what you said give me a bad feeling?!”
Guanghui's face paled, wondering if Hajime's question about whether there was a problem just now was meant to be, "Huh? Why is there an extra screw after the modification... Never mind, as long as it works!"
Hajime gave a wry smile and shook his head in denial.
"Don't worry, that's not what I meant. It's just that the Holy Sword is a specially crafted artifact, meticulously crafted and perfectly balanced. There's no room for unnecessary modification."
"Uh~ what does that mean?"
"What I mean is that there's no room for modification on the holy sword; it's already a finished work. If we rashly tamper with its fundamentals, it might actually weaken its performance. Therefore, all I do is maintain and repair it, and add external accessories; it can't really be considered a modification."
It was said that the holy sword seemed to be a very ancient artifact, and due to the long years, its functions had become somewhat malfunctioning. What Hajime was doing could be said to be a job similar to rust removal.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise at the Holy Sword being able to make Hajime say there was no room for improvement. Kouki, in particular, stared at the Holy Sword intently.
"Anyway, if you master its use, you won't be defeated immediately even in the Demon Territory. You'll need to clear the Great Labyrinth first, though... Anyway, just keep doing your best."
Although Hajime's expression and words were cold, the power he bestowed was genuine. For Kouki and the others, it was an invaluable favor in achieving their goals, and even more so for Suzu.
(It seems like Nagumo-san has changed a bit...)
Shizuku vaguely felt this way. After conquering the Great Labyrinth in the Sea of Trees, although Hajime's words and actions hadn't changed much, there seemed to be a softer feeling behind his actions.
Suzu, whose request was accepted, seemed to feel the same way. For a moment, she wondered, "Is Nagumo-san a tsundere?"... Of course, she wouldn't say such a terrible thing out loud.
At that moment, Hajime's gaze suddenly fell on the compass. He narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze back forward, his demeanor shifting from relaxed to serious.
"We've reached the Ice Canyon. I'm about to descend below the clouds."
In just a moment, the body seemed to be freed from gravity, a floating feeling came over him, and then Fornil rushed into the clouds.
Enduring the sensation of a caressing lower abdomen that was unique to rapid descents, everyone stared out the window with grave expressions. The sunlight vanished, replaced by a blanket of gray clouds.
At that moment, a flash like lightning struck. Instantly, Fornil was struck by a shock, as if struck by lightning. Ling uttered a small, mournful "Ah~!?" and flinched. Kouki and the others also tensed their faces.
"Relax, Fornil is different from Earth's aircraft. Weather conditions won't affect it."
The wind and rain pelted the windows like bullets, and the bridge echoed with sounds like stones being ricocheted off. It seemed as if countless hailstones were hammering the hull, and the thunderstorms were becoming more intense.
If an aircraft is built based on ordinary aviation mechanics, it would probably be close to crashing in this environment.
However, just as Hajime's confident words suggested, even after being struck by dozens of lightning bolts and bombarded by icy bullets, Fornil was still unable to be shaken.
"Controlling gravity, that's straight out of a science fiction movie..."
“…Really?”
Ryutaro relaxed his shoulders and spoke dumbfoundedly. Kouki stole a glance at Hajime's confident profile, then quickly looked away and nodded in agreement.
It only took a few seconds to pass through the clouds that seemed to embody the power of nature, and soon Fornil broke through the dark clouds and came down.
"Wow~ Hajime-san! Look how amazing it is outside!"
"Calm down, Shia. I know you're excited about this first time, but your bunny ears are wiggling so much they've been poking me in the eyes."
A violent snowstorm was blowing sideways outside the window, and ice was gradually forming on the surface of the window, making a crackling sound.
Seeing the world of ice and snow for the first time, Shia was filled with excitement. She hugged Hajime's arm and flapped her rabbit ears violently, aiming them at Hajime's eyes!
"Hmm, this is indeed a scene worthy of being called 'extremely cold'... I'm not very cold-resistant."
Seeing the silver world below and the blizzard that obscured her vision, Tio showed a look of disgust.
Hajime looked at Tio, seeming surprised. He had originally thought... if it was this incredibly perverted, useless dragon, she would surely be able to transform even the biting cold into happiness. If she was too arrogant, he would strip her naked and throw her outside.
Miss Tio seemed to understand everything. She trembled and gasped, feeling that her beloved master understood her too well.
Hajime decided to pretend he saw nothing and took out the necklace from his chest.
It is a necklace pendant made by processing highly transparent blue crystal into an octagonal column and then strung together with a chain. It is a magical artifact used to regulate the external air, the "Air Zone".
"I won't make the same mistake I made at the Grun Volcano. Don't lose the artifact I gave you. With it, you'll have a comfortable journey through the Great Labyrinth."
Yue and the others also took out the necklace pendants they had hidden on their chests.
“…Yeah, Hajime made this himself, it’s amazing.”
"Yeah~ The way it imitates snow crystals is really quite brilliant."
"The third gift from Hajime-san... hehe."
It was a necessary item, but it was a gift from the man she loved after all. Furthermore, unlike Hajime's crudely designed necklaces, Yue and the others' necklaces were crafted in a delicate and beautiful way, imitating snow crystals.
The necklace absorbed the light, shimmering beautifully like a dream, and Yue and the others naturally smiled happily. Then, a subtle voice rang out.
"Master, why is mine the only one with a snowman? No, snowmen are cute too... but if possible, I also want some intricately carved jewelry..."
Tio showed an indescribable subtle expression, pinched the necklace pendant, and raised it to the height of her face.
It's a lively snowman-shaped necklace. I can almost hear the American-style laughter, "HA-HAHAHA!"
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