"and then?"

"We don't know anything about the Divine Gate. We just thought the Apostle might have a solution..."

"Ah? Really? You're not sending me away, are you? You can only keep one of your faith and your son, understand?"

The eldest brother squatted in front of the man and gently tapped his face with a stone knife. His son, who had been clinging to the man from behind, let out a small cry of surprise and looked at him fearfully.

"He looks like a gangster..." Yoshiki muttered. "He looks more like a demon king," Shinji echoed. Both men spoke with a hint of fear. Hajime, though his back was turned, heard everything clearly. He decided to give them a good beating later.

"Dad's so handsome!" However, he heard Myuu muttering to herself again. His mood brightened, and he decided to let Yoshiki and the others go. "What!? How is that cool?!" Yuka and the others exclaimed in surprise. It didn't matter; he didn't want to bother with them.

Despite the subtle commotion behind Hajime, the demon man before him had no time to pay attention. Faced with this life-or-death question, the man broke out in a cold sweat and frantically struggled to form his words.

"Yes, it's true! Please believe me! This isn't a test of faith; I wouldn't lie! Besides, my son's life is at stake! Honestly, that's all I know!"

Hajime's eyes turned to the side, glancing at Tio. Tio was a better judge of people. True to Hajime's trust, Tio nodded confidently, indicating that she had judged the demon to be correct.

"Tsk, useless thing. Where are the others?"

"Uh, no, that's all I know..."

“Me too…”

"Please, at least let the child go."

Hajime stood up again and walked slowly around the demons, while constantly stabbing the ground with the tip of the stone knife.

The tip of the knife stabbed in, and the blade sank into the ground like a heated knife into a block of butter, easily slicing through the ground with absurd ease.

The demons all turned pale and began to beg for mercy loudly.

"No matter how you look at it, Nanyun-kun seems more like the bad guy." "...So handsome." "Huh!? Taeko-kun!?" Nana and Taeko's voices echoed from behind. I really wished they would just shut up immediately; it would ruin the atmosphere of the interrogation.

Hajime observed the demons thoroughly, and finally, he sighed.

"Alas, there's nothing we can do about it. They're just ordinary people after all."

Hajime shook his head, casting aside his disappointment. Seeing Hajime's reaction, the demons trembled in fear, thinking they might be killed because they were of no use.

At that moment, a crimson flash erupted from the center of the demonic mass. For a moment, the demons were so frightened that they tried to run, but they soon found themselves unable to move. Upon closer inspection, they saw that their feet were engulfed by the rising ground, stuck firmly in place.

"Anyway, all of you stay where you are. Don't try anything shady or cause us any trouble. Otherwise... understand?"

“Uh, I know…”

With this level of restraint, the demons can actually use magic to escape on their own.

However, from the expressions on their faces, it was clear that they had no such intentions. After realizing that Hajime had no intention of taking their lives, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Not only the demons, but the students themselves also felt relieved because they no longer had to witness the tragedy of children being killed.

Hajime left the demons and walked towards the center of the throne room.

Shia and the others, along with the other students, gathered behind Hajime. At that moment, Hajime stamped his foot, and three round tables appeared from the ground, arranged in a triangle. Each table was large, with chairs for eleven people around it.

"Let's sit down first and discuss our future plans."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi sat down.

He had been so exhausted not long ago that even his soul thought he was dead, and his magic power was almost gone. The little bit of "refining" just now must have been quite strenuous.

Even so, he specially made tables and chairs for the meeting instead of letting everyone sit on the ground. It seems that what he wants to discuss is very important.

At the first round table sat Shia, Tio, Kaori, Shizuku, Suzu, Ryuutarou, Aiko, and Liliana. Remia also sat down, holding Myuu.

Yuka kept glancing at the first round table, but decided to sit down at the second round table with Aiko's guards. The five members of Nagayama's team also sat at this table.

Finally, Yoshiki, Shinji, and the other nine students who had chosen to stay in the palace were forced to sit at the third round table. They sat down timidly.

Hajime looked around at everyone with a serious look, then spoke:

"Let's gather the information first. The god worshipped by the church—that is, Esid—has taken Yue's body. However, Yue is still trying to regain control of the body and hinder Esid. Therefore, it will take at least three days for Esid to fully control the body."

Seeing that Shi spoke as if nothing had happened, the classmates showed expressions of heartache and restlessness.

Only a single day had passed since the demons invaded the capital. Yet, everyone present had witnessed firsthand the love between Hajime and Yue. After Asilde left for the Divine Realm, he heard Hajime's near-wailful screams and could not help but feel deep sympathy for him.

"We must find a way to infiltrate the divine realm. The problem lies in that divine gate."

Shia continued, her expression and tone unwavering.

Because Myuu had already wiped away all their hesitations, including Kaori, Shizuku, and Tio.

"That door can only be entered by those personally approved by Esidhee—Isn't that correct? We can't go in unless we think of a way."

"That's right. Furthermore, 'three days from now' is also the end of this world. By then, God's army will surely appear at Mount Kamiya... and an unimaginable number of apostles will descend."

"Let's call it the 'Decisive Battle' for now. Esid's goal is to completely deprive this world of its magic power and transfer the divine domain to Earth. If he succeeds, Todas will become a world of death."

After reorganizing the information, I still feel that the situation before me is too unreal.

At this point, more than half of the students still thought it might be some kind of joke.

Even the guards, led by Yuuka, and the members of Nagayama's team, could only listen to Hajime and the others' conversation in silence. Perhaps they were also avoiding reality.

At this time, Aiko raised her hand timidly.

Hajime and the others' eyes were fixed on her. She trembled like a small animal. But she was still their teacher after all. After taking a breath and calming herself, she asked the question she had been wanting to confirm.

"Nagumo-san, when you shot Yarbu just now, you said 'We'll return to Earth once we're ready,' right?"

"Teacher, you have a good memory. It's still the same as always."

Hajime said with a wry smile. At this point, the students all spoke up, saying they had heard this as well.

"Uh, hey! Nagumo, have you found a way to get back?"

"Then we can just escape back to Earth! Can we go back right away?"

The sound of a chair falling from the third round table was heard as Yoshiki and Shinji excitedly stood up. The other students who stayed behind also looked at Hajime with expectant eyes, as if they had finally found a glimmer of hope in despair.

Of course, Yuka, Kousuke and the others also looked at Hajime in surprise.

Hajime was clearly troubled by the stares from the crowd, so he waved his hand and said:

"I did find a way to get back. But, that guy Esid destroyed everything along with the treasure vault. So, there's nothing I can do now."

“What!? No way!?”

"You said it was destroyed. Do you mean the artifact that can get us back is the one that can get us back? Then just make it again!"

Yoshiki and Shinji desperately tried to persuade Hajime. The other students at the third round table followed suit, shouting, "I've had enough! I want to go back!" "Think of a way!" "Please, just try your best!" and other willful words echoed one after another.

After all, these students had already given up on adventure and chose to stay in the palace. Now that they've missed their chance to return, they can only cling on.

But to Hajime, their thoughts were none of his business. He grew impatient as they kept the conversation at a standstill, a vein popping out on his forehead. So, he picked up his stone knife. Perhaps hitting them with the flat of the blade would silence them. However, that was the least reliable way to show mercy.

"Everyone, be quiet! Stop making noise! ​​Calm down!"

Aizi seemed to sense a bad omen, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. She spoke up to stop the students at the third round table.

Seeing Aiko's extremely nervous attitude, coupled with the way she kept glancing at Hajime, as if she were looking at a bomb that could explode at any moment, the students at the third round table fell silent. Their faces turned slightly pale.

Then, Aiko carefully and sincerely persuaded the students.

"Everyone, please listen to me. I understand how you feel. I, the teacher, want to go back too, and take you all home. But, we should all listen to what Nagumo-san has to say first, okay? Arguing right now is just a waste of time."

Although Yoshiki and Shinji couldn't accept it from the bottom of their hearts, they still sat down reluctantly.

After making sure the students were quiet, Aiko continued asking her questions.

"Nagumo-san, I want to confirm that since you have a way to return to Earth, can you also reach the Divine Realm? What you mean by means is some kind of divine artifact, right? Isn't it possible to create one from scratch?"

"Teacher, your perspective is indeed sound. Your theory makes sense. Using the Crystal Key, it is indeed possible to enter the divine realm. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be easily created... Unless you work together with Yue, it's impossible."

"Do you need Miss Yue...Is that so..."

Aiko's expression was filled with remorse, as if she felt she had touched a sore spot for Hajime. Hajime smiled at her, saying she didn't need to worry about it. At this point, Shinji interrupted again.

"Really? You're not just trying to save her first, are you...?"

"Nakano-san!"

Aiko corrected him immediately. However, all the students at the third round table looked at Hajime with suspicion.

Hajime sighed. He knew that these students had become narrow-minded due to fear and despair. So, he decided to force them to face reality.

"Of course I prioritize saving her."

"What!?"

The place became abuzz. Hajime's cold voice echoed in every corner.

"What makes you think I'll prioritize getting you back instead of saving Yue? Stop trying to avoid me and face reality."

"Reality?"

"As I said, Ecide's next target is Earth. We must strip that scumbag god naked, take back his vessel, the moon, and then kill him. Otherwise, we have no future!"

Hajime's roar echoed through the air. At that moment, not only the students at Table Three, but also Yuuka and the others, realized the severity of the situation. They lowered their heads, trembling all over. It felt like they had been slapped hard in the face.

Forced to face reality, some of the girls burst into tears like scolded children, while others slumped over the table, shouting, "I've had enough!"

"Alright, alright, we don't have time anymore, let's continue. Master, what are your plans?"

In order to change the tense atmosphere, Tio clapped her hands twice and got back to the topic.

Hajime thought for a moment, then continued:

"...Just now, when I used the Chains of Existence Denial, part of the Divine Gate dissipated. In other words, that gate isn't absolutely invincible. Even if the Crystal Key I created on my own is inferior, I might still be able to break through that gate."

"Then, we will charge into the Divine Gate at the decisive moment in three days."

"It would be much easier if they realized Yarbu hadn't returned and took the initiative to open the road connecting to here."

Kaori said this half-jokingly. Now that the tentative plan had been finalized, her expression softened slightly.

At this time──

"But... did we win?"

The extremely weak voice was Ling.

It was then that everyone realized that she hadn't spoken a word since Hajime regained consciousness. The class's bright and cheerful girl had remained silent until now. Ling lowered her head, a deep shadow cast over her face.

Looking closely, Ryuutarou, sitting next to her, had a similarly solemn expression. This brash man, his head all muscle, remained silent, looking troubled.

Facing these two people, Hajime said firmly:

"I will win."

Seeing him speak so casually, Ling's expression became quite impatient. Then, her expression twisted into sarcasm, and she said sarcastically:

"...Aren't you completely helpless against them?"

"Yes. Even so, I will still win next time."

“W-why… why can you say that with such certainty!? The other party is omnipotent with just one word. Even their words are incredibly powerful, magic is no match for them. And then there are the countless armies of apostles… They are true monsters!”

Ling roared, her braids waving excitedly.

Anyone could see that she was quite frustrated.

Her best friend Huili, with whom she longed to reunite, ignored her, and the only demon she could rely on was also annihilated by the corpse beast army.

She had tried so hard. After vowing to see Eri again, she kept pleading with Hajime, finally managing to get something. But in the end, she got nothing.

Even more terrifying was the damage caused to her by Esheed's illusion.

She could still vividly recall the feeling of the invisible blade slicing through her body. She couldn't help but recall it.

His hands and feet fell to the ground, blood splattered everywhere, his consciousness became blurred due to the severe pain, and finally the world was spinning before his eyes. When he came to his senses, he found that his body was missing limbs.

I felt my life force draining away, and the "feeling of death" was so real, almost unreal.

The horror of feeling dead even though you're clearly alive is indescribable and unbearable.

The mere thought of possibly being treated the same way again made my body tremble involuntarily, and I couldn't even breathe smoothly.

To this bell, Hajime continued to answer as if nothing had happened.

"so what?"

"W-What's going on?! Suzu is saying—"

Suzu's eyes welled up with tears as she glared at Hajime. However, Hajime's expression was surprisingly serious.

He looked at Ling intently.

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