The abyss monster and the vampire princess fainted at the same time. No one could have imagined such a thing.

The room, which had returned to silence, was filled with a confused atmosphere of "what on earth had happened?"

"Anyway, we need to let the two of them rest..."

As expected, Tio was the one who remained calm and reliable at times like this.

Although Shia and the others still looked extremely confused, they looked at each other and nodded in agreement with Tio's words, and went to find a room where Hajime and Yue could rest.

A while passed after that.

The wonderful touch on the corner of his mouth gradually made Hajime regain consciousness.

"…What are you doing, Yue?"

"...Hmm? Good morning kiss."

It was a wonderful way to wake up.

Hajime gently returned the kiss to Yue who was lying on top of him, and then glanced around.

In the space where the two of them were, in addition to the common ice wall, there were also two beds and several pieces of furniture.

It looked like she was still in the palace deep inside the Ice Cave. Hajime speculated as he turned his gaze back to Yue. From a very close distance, Yue was gazing at him with her delicate eyes.

"After we fainted, we were moved into a room... Yue, what happened to the others?"

"...Um, sorry. I just woke up, so I don't know."

Hajime originally thought that Yue had woken up first and understood the situation before waking him up. This unexpected answer made Hajime stunned for a moment.

Yue was still lying on top of Shi, gazing at him with her chin in her hand, her slender legs swinging cutely.

"...How long ago did you wake up?"

"...Hmm~ ten minutes ago?"

"Has it remained like this ever since?"

“…Yeah. Because when I woke up, I found Hajime there too.”

Because the mountain is there—Yue said something like a famous mountaineer’s saying, and kissed Hajime at the same time.

When Hajime first looked around, he noticed that there was a bed at the edge of his field of vision, and the sheets on that bed were quite messy.

In other words, after Yue woke up in the bed next to him, he did not first understand the situation or contact Shia and the others, but chose to get into Shi's bed to create a wonderful waking experience.

Yue's heart wavered during the final trial, and she was even scolded by Shia. After finally reuniting with Hajime, she wanted to give in to her overflowing affection and kiss him, but her feminine charm got in the way...

Now that the trial is over, the beloved is still sleeping defenselessly beside me...

Therefore, Yue seemed unable to help herself.

Really, what a charming lover indeed—Hajime revealed a ferocious look in his eyes.

Yue smiled at Shi, her charming smile and lip-licking were extremely seductive and alluring.

"Yue, it seems like it will take some time for you to wake up."

"...Yeah. I'll let Shia and the others know when he wakes up."

He's clearly already up—someone who's complaining like that...

"Hmm? Are both of you up? — No! What are you guys doing?!"

It appeared. It was Shia with the bunny ears.

After her sensitive rabbit ears caught the sound of clothes rubbing against each other and Yue's soft and charming words, Xia suddenly opened the door.

As expected, he saw Hajime and Yue lying on the bed in dishevel, their limbs tangled together. His rabbit ears suddenly stood up.

Behind Shia, Kaori and Shizuku also appeared.

"Shia? What's wrong—Hajime-kun? Yue? What are you doing? What are you doing?"

“──!”

Behind Kaori, Hannya was ready.

Shizuku's cheeks flushed crimson, and she covered her face with both hands, though she still managed to peer at the two of them through her fingers.

Meanwhile, Hajime and Yue, interrupted before they could even begin their work, exchanged bewilderment. After a pause, they spoke in unison, their thoughts syncing.

"Let's talk in two hours."

The answer is of course -

“Idiot—!?”

“Of course not!!”

"You, you two, please respect yourselves!"

The roar was deafening. Only Shizuku's voice was slightly weaker, perhaps because shame had diminished the power of her anger.

Shia used her table flipping skill to flip the bed, sending Hajime and Yue tumbling off the bed. Kaori then used the "Binding Chain" in perfect coordination, restraining them. The two of them then forcibly brought the bound Hajime and Yue to the living room.

"Hey, hey, what happened?"

"Ah~ Ling now roughly understands what's going on."

The living room is furnished with a large wooden table and leather sofas surrounding the table.

Ryuutarou, who was sitting on the sofa drinking hot tea, had his eyes wide open, while Ling let out a dry laugh as she roughly realized what was happening.

After a cry of "Hey!", both Hajime and Yue were thrown onto the sofa opposite.

Seeing the two men's disheveled appearance, Ryutaro seemed to realize what was going on. But that only lasted for a moment, because then something flew straight towards him.

“Huh!?”

Ryutaro's head was flung back with such force that he somersaulted and fell behind the sofa.

"Hmph. This is your punishment for looking at the moon. Not even for a moment." Hajime said.

"Isn't this too unreasonable!?" Ryutaro protested in pain, pressing his forehead and rolling around.

Indeed, it was Hajime's finger that flicked Ryuutarou's forehead. While bound, Hajime aimed and struck Ryuutarou with his fingertips. This skill, so honed over and over again, was a waste of energy. And it was only to punish Ryuutarou for having, despite himself, glanced at the disheveled Yue. It was truly unreasonable.

"...Hmm? Jealous? Hajime is really cute."

Yue was intoxicated and blushing without considering the occasion.

The rabbit went crazy on the spot.

"That's enough! You two haven't reflected on your actions, have you?! Do you know how worried we are?"

Xia roared angrily, and then tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Shia walked towards the two people who had been silently freed from the "Binding Chains" with a gloomy look on her face, and sat down beside them. Her rabbit ears drooped listlessly.

That look faithfully reflected how worried she was about the two people who were unconscious for unknown reasons.

"Shia's right... We're really worried."

"Yes. We have been praying that we can see you recover soon."

Kaori and Shizuku seemed to share the same sentiment. Like Shia, they looked at Hajime and Yue with tears in their eyes.

Seeing them like this, even Hajime and Yue couldn't help but feel guilty. They exchanged a guilty glance before bowing their heads together in apology.

"Ah~ No, I'm really sorry. As soon as I woke up, Yue kissed me, and I lost my mind... Well, if you want to blame it, it's Yue being so cute."

“…Yeah, I’m sorry. I should have informed you right away. I couldn’t help myself when I thought about Hajime being defenseless right next to me. Blame it on Hajime being so handsome.”

Bowing his head... apologizing? It seemed like an apology, but it also seemed not to be. No, it wasn't an apology at all.

"You two really haven't reflected on your actions, have you?"

"Oh, forget it. It would be exhausting to pursue this further."

"After realizing my feelings for him, my heart flutters even more every time I see him..."

Seeing Hajime and Yue apologizing and showing affection, Shia stared with her almond-shaped eyes, Kaori had a tired expression, and Shizuku realized again how powerful Yue's existence was, and had an indescribable look on her face.

At this moment, Tio, who had been absent just now, came in.

"Oh, Master and Yue seem to be alright. That's great, that's great. Working for nothing is perfect."

"Ah, Miss Tio. Sorry, I forgot to inform you."

Tio's tense expression relaxed as soon as she saw Hajime and Yue. Shia, looking apologetic, spoke to Tio.

Tio was afraid that Hajime and Yue might not be able to wake up, so she went to investigate the magic circle of the Age of Gods magic and the library of the palace to find out the reason.

Shia was suddenly happy that Hajime and the others had woken up, but then she was furious that the two of them were flirting without realizing that others were concerned. She was completely distracted and forgot to contact Tio.

"Never mind, never mind. Master and Yue probably did something good after waking up, right?"

"You really understand..."

"Hmm. Of course. If I were in Yue's shoes, I would do the same thing! And then, the master looked at me, a wanton concubine, with contempt, and did this and that to me... Hmm! Hmm! Hahahaha!"

"So, what happened to you, Hajime-kun?"

"The fact that you two screamed in pain and fainted like that is truly serious."

Tio seemed to be imagining some indescribable scene, with an intoxicated look on her face, panting loudly. Kaori and Shizuku ignored Tio and asked the two of them directly.

Of course, Hajime and Yue pretended that Tio didn't exist and sat back on the sofa.

Shia and the others also took their seats one by one, leaving Tio alone with nowhere to sit.

With his cheeks flushed, Benlong had no choice but to kneel down at Shi's feet.

"So, how should I put it...the reason Yue and I fainted? To put it simply, it was a feeling of overheating of the brain or spirit."

"Overheating?"

Shia tilted her head, confused by Hajime's explanation.

"That's right. Back then, after carving the final Age of Gods magic—and transforming it into magic, Yue and I were forced to comprehend something further. The burden was too great, and we couldn't maintain consciousness."

"Hmm. A load that even Master and Yue can't bear... Did you learn the details of concept magic?"

"...Hmm. As expected of Tio. She's a pervert, but she understands quickly. She's a pervert."

Hajime repeated the unimportant words twice. Tio, despite being a pervert, was as perceptive as ever. And even though she was a pervert who secretly delighted in being seen kneeling alone, she still had that "capable older sister" side.

"I think everyone remembers that according to Ludirise Hartrina's video recording, the absolute prerequisite for learning concept magic is to possess all the magic of the Age of Gods. Among us, Yue and I are the only ones who have obtained all the magic of the Age of Gods."

Upon learning the reason why Hajime and Yue fainted, Shia and the others nodded in relief. Regardless, upon hearing that there were no aftereffects or anything bad happening, Shia and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Kaori changed her mood and asked about the thing that she cared about most:

"Concept magic... magic that transcends the magic of the Age of Gods, magic that manifests concepts. With that, we can return to Japan, right? Could it be that you've already mastered it?"

"No, not yet. Just like Lutiris used the vague term 'Ultimate Will', it seems that conceptual magic isn't something that can be mastered simply by having knowledge. Furthermore, the knowledge we've acquired isn't a specific method for learning or using it; it's more like prerequisite knowledge."

"Prerequisite knowledge?"

Shizuku chewed over these four key words and asked rhetorically. After all, this was a crucial point concerning the possibility of returning home. Besides Shizuku, Ryuutarou, Suzu, and Kaori all leaned forward, serious expressions on their faces.

"Yes. For example, the transformation magic you received this time, how do you understand it?"

Hajime's question caught everyone off guard. Shizuku answered first.

"Hmm~ Let me think about it. Based on what I know now, it's magic that transforms ordinary creatures into monsters. Furthermore, it's magic that can subdue wild monsters."

"Yeah. That's what I understand. Also, it can strengthen captured monsters."

Shizuku and Kaori's understanding roughly matched.

To further explain, there is a so-called strengthening stage in becoming a magic.

If the starting point is the transformation of a creature into a monster, or the transformation of a monster into a demon, then strengthening physical abilities or inherent magical abilities is the first stage. Further granting rationality and thinking ability, allowing it to achieve a certain degree of mental communication with the magician, is the second stage.

The third stage is to further strengthen the physical ability, inherent magical ability, and mental ability. Then, as the proficiency of the magician increases, the limit of the monster's strengthening will also increase.

"Another surprising fact: it turns out that it's not because of the magic stone that one becomes a monster."

As Shia said, the magic stone is not the cause of the transformation into a monster.

In fact, it is quite the opposite. When enough magic power accumulates in a living organism to become a monster, the excess magic power crystallizes and becomes magic stone.

In other words, if the crystallization of natural magic power is divine crystal, then the crystallization of magic power in the body is magic stone.

Another major difference is that the easier it is to crystallize the magic power in the body, the smaller its capacity becomes, even to the point of being incomparable. Of course, various factors such as the nature of the organism, the environment, and so on will also lead to differences in the time required for crystallization and the capacity.

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