"Pfft... What kind of conversation is this? It sounds like a conversation between a child and a relative they haven't seen in a while."

"Don't say that, Mao. Fufu... I almost spit out my soup laughing."

Mao burst into laughter, the ends of her always perky, medium-length hair swaying even more vigorously. Ayako covered her eyes with her hands, and the high forehead exposed by the bangs held up with a hairpin, to hide her snickering expression.

The two girls' laughter brightened the atmosphere, but it was Jūgo who paid the price. "Are you saying I look like one of your relatives' uncles?" His mood suddenly darkened.

Seeing this, Kentaro smiled wryly. To maintain the atmosphere that had finally improved, he tried to continue the conversation.

"So, how's it going over there? Security in the capital seems a bit unreliable right now... patrolling and security duties must be tough, right?"

"That's right."

"But we have Sonobe here."

"Sonobe-san is very popular lately, practically turning into an idol. If she steps in to talk it over, people won't cause any more trouble."

Aikawa Noboru, with dark brown hair, raised his hands, clasped them behind his head, and looked at the central square of the royal capital.

Nimura Akito shrugged and wiped his glasses, which were fogged by the heat of the soup.

When this topic was brought up, everyone's eyes naturally turned to the central square of the royal capital.

A large number of people were gathered there. They had gathered to watch the performance. Recently, the atmosphere in the capital had become more lively due to these performances.

The performance people are watching is Yuka Sonobe's stunt show.

Yuka's natural talent is a "thrower," and she demonstrates exceptional prowess in ball-throwing stunts. She performs a variety of incredible feats that would have instantly become a media sensation if performed on Earth.

In the public's perception, although the church's headquarters has collapsed, "the apostles of God led by the brave" are still alive. This is because Princess Liliana has explained it this way.

In other words, from the perspective of the residents of the royal capital, this was an event where Yuka, one of the apostles, comforted the believers.

For those who are deeply saddened by the loss of important relatives and friends, Yuka's comfort is undoubtedly the most effective encouragement.

"Besides, Nana and Taeko are also very good at reading the atmosphere."

"No wonder you guys aren't wanted by them, even though you're on the same team."

“““Stop talking nonsense!”””

Junshi, Sheng, and Mingren all responded in displeasure at the same time, but they had no way to refute it.

In fact, even if the three boys followed them, they would only be in the way.

Because of her appearance, Yuka is often mistaken for a bad girl who is difficult to get along with, but she is actually a very serious girl.

As for Miyazaki Nana and Sugawara Taeko, although they may appear frivolous, they are easygoing and playful, and can be described as unbeatable hotties who can handle anything with a cheerful attitude. Yuka is often teased by them.

Although Yuka's appearance makes her seem unapproachable, the presence of Nana and Taeko helps to soften her unfriendly image. The three of them often act together, making the people of the capital feel closer to them.

The three girls were happily getting along, but if three boys who were not very good at reading people's expressions joined them, it would be inappropriate. Not only others, but even they themselves thought so.

"Honestly, Yuuka is truly amazing. She's on guard, providing comfort, and taking care of the children. Is she really okay? If she collapses from exhaustion, it'll be troublesome."

"Aiko-sensei seems to have mastered some powerful magic, and can provide mental healing when necessary... But she's really trying too hard."

Mao said this, taking the last bite of her sandwich and turning her gaze towards the residential area in a corner of the palace where her classmates lived.

“…How useless.”

Shigeo sighed deeply and said this to himself.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, everyone present could tell he was talking about himself. Because everyone, like him, felt more or less helpless about their own inability to do things.

"That Endo guy... is he still the same?"

Junshi asked with some reservation.

"Since you can remember Kousuke's existence normally, there's no need to ask."

"The worse his mental state gets, the more noticeable he becomes, right? He's truly a weirdo, like an urban legend."

Noboru said this, his expression as if he was watching a special program in the middle of summer. Akito smiled ambiguously, not knowing what to say, and continued:

"But the truth is, we usually only remember Endo when we hear his name mentioned. We don't usually think of him on our own... at least, I don't remember such an experience."

A man known as the Legend of Earth among his peers──Endo Kosuke.

This person was born with an extreme lack of sense of existence. Even his family would forget about him and leave him alone at home dozens of times.

There are even rumors that his figure in surveillance footage is blurry, and some people even thought he was a ghost. However, no one knows whether these rumors are true or not.

Even though Kousuke's presence is so low, as Sheng just said, there are sometimes exceptions.

But now, apart from Kousuke's friends like Kentaro and Jūgo, other people can also generally remember his existence - this means that his mood is extremely low.

"Because that boy really respects Mr. Meld."

Kentaro's face was solemn as he murmured this in a low voice.

"Kousuke is our teammate. Even we teammates can't cheer him up, let alone others. I don't know what to say to him."

"We also tried to communicate with Nakano and Saito, but... there was really no way."

"They're completely frustrated. Just letting us into their room is an improvement. But that's only for Ai-sensei and Sonobe's sake."

Junshi and Noboru looked at each other and sighed deeply, just like Jūgo and Kentaro.

At that time, no one could have imagined that Nakamura Eri and Hiyama Daisuke would betray them. Because of this incident, many knights and soldiers, including Kondo Reiichi and Meld, lost their precious lives.

Witnessing the tragedy unfolding before their eyes, Saito Yoshiki and Nakano Shinji, who were usually close friends with Daisuke and Reiichi, were both deeply traumatized. Not only them, but the students who had witnessed Hajime's descent into the abyss and had locked themselves in their rooms were also deeply traumatized.

Fear, despair, suspicion, these negative thoughts continued to corrode the students' minds, even to the point of mental collapse.

From that day on, it was teachers Aiko Hatayama and Yuka who patiently faced these students every day.

Although what they did could not be called professional psychological counseling, they patiently talked to the students every day and personally delivered three meals to the students' rooms, never asking the maids in the palace to do it for them.

They insisted on talking to the students face to face at least once a day. They didn't want any more students to die, not only their lives, but also their souls.

No matter how much the students rejected them, lost their temper, or even yelled at them unreasonably, Aiko and Yuka remained steadfast and unfazed, and continued to care for them.

"Girls, have you cheered up a lot?"

Akito asked, and Ayako nodded.

"Yes. Yuka holds a girls' party every day. Sometimes she prepares food that resembles Japanese cuisine and homemade sweets, and she patiently chats with everyone for a long time."

"As expected of the restaurant owner's daughter, the food she cooks is truly delicious. She's also a skilled seamstress. Not only does she alter clothes, but she sometimes gives away cute accessories as gifts."

"She should be able to replace Shizuku and become everyone's second big sister."

Recalling the girls' party they had attended, Ayako and Mao said this with a smile.

In fact, the contrast between Yuka's imposing, icy beauty and her remarkable feminine power seemed to attract quite a few people. It was said that many palace servants and soldiers had confessed their love to her.

"Also, if you let Yuuka find a topic to talk about, she always brings up Nagumo-san naturally. She may not be aware of it, but her expression tells it all."

"That's right! At first, everyone was afraid to bring up Nagumo-san, but lately, they've been looking at Yuuka with such warmth! Because she's just so adorable when they talk about Nagumo-san!"

“Ah, yeah.”

Junshi, Sheng, and Mingren spoke again at the same time.

"That's right. Their attitudes were obvious when we met again in Ur Town." They muttered, their eyes empty.

In the minds of the students who locked themselves in their rooms and refused to come out, Hajime was a man who could shred dead soldiers into pieces without hesitation. He also used some mysterious gadget to blast the Demon King's army to ashes.

Honestly speaking, a large part of the psychological trauma of these students was caused by Hajime.

However, every time Yuuka mentioned Hajime, she always said this—

"You don't need to worry about that guy. He probably doesn't take us seriously anyway... We should keep our distance from him to avoid being harmed by him. I think he's probably flirting with women all over the place during his travels."

When Yuka said this, her expression was always unhappy, and she pouted her lips awkwardly.

"Lily is the same. Nagumo always neglects her, but she always complains about him with a cheerful expression... As for the teacher... that shouldn't be the case, right? But..."

At this point, Yuka began to talk to herself, her mind completely immersed in her own world. Finally—

"Anyway, don't worry. That guy will definitely find a way to return to Japan. When the time comes, let's all ask him to take us back together... Even though he's that kind of guy, he'll still agree to such a small thing. He'll definitely do it, huh."

Yuka said this with a trusting smile on her face.

After hearing her say this often, the students' fear of Hajime naturally faded.

Not only that, she actually cared more about Hajime in every way. Furthermore, Teacher Aiko often spoke up for Hajime.

Yuka's words and actions gradually changed her classmates' impression of Hajime and calmed their emotions. However, she was completely unaware of this and it was all unintentional.

"That's right. No matter what that guy was thinking, it's a fact that he saved us. Even though he's truly terrifying... I still can't help but have hope in him. Maybe he can actually bring us back."

Kentaro said this with a wry smile. Then, Jūgo glanced at him and continued.

"However, it seems that Tian Zhihe intends to fight against God."

The moment these words were spoken, the room fell silent. Kentaro's shoulders drooped, his smile growing even more helpless. He shook his head and spoke.

"I can't help it. I can't take it anymore. If I could go back, I would immediately... I'm tired of any life-or-death battles."

When he was first summoned, Kentaro's heart was filled with longing and excitement for the "fantasy world of swords and magic", but now all that was gone. Because in the past few days, he was forced to understand the cruelty of reality and his own shortcomings.

The same goes for Jūgo and the others, they can understand Kentaro's mood very well.

Although they inevitably feel guilty towards Kouki and the people of this world, they now only want to return to their hometown. Because they have also been hurt and are exhausted both physically and mentally.

They prayed that things would continue like this without any accidents, waiting for Hajime to find a way back and take them with him. This was their sincere wish.

But──

Unfortunately, this world and God seem to enjoy trampling on their wishes.

““““““““──!?”””””””””

Suddenly, everyone felt a strong chill.

Goose bumps appeared all over my body, my breathing became rapid, and my eyes seemed to be pulled to look up at the sky unconsciously.

"That is……"

No one had time to confirm who was muttering to himself.

Because an object emitting silver light suddenly appeared above the palace.

Although the distance was far, everyone could clearly understand that this sense of oppression was directed at them.

The figure enveloped in silver light began to fall, plummeting towards a corner of the palace—the area where he lived. His companions were all there.

"S-Stop daydreaming! Go!"

Juugo's furious roar brought Atsushi and the others back to their senses. They immediately ran over, their faces extremely tense.

At the same time, an unusual sense of foreboding welled up in my chest.

Let’s go back a little in time.

Somewhere outside the palace stood a tower of loyalty. Carved upon it were the names of the knights who had gloriously sacrificed their lives to protect the kingdom.

A man in all-black combat uniform stood in front of the Churei Pagoda. It was Kosuke. His back looked very lonely, his eyes fixed on the flower offering stand below the pagoda, his shoulders drooping listlessly.

"Mr. Meld..."

Kosuke muttered to himself, reciting the name of the man he trusted most in this world. The man he admired as his elder brother.

The leader of the Kingdom's Knights—Melder Loggins.

"That night... if I had noticed something was wrong..."

Kosuke whispered this, thinking and saying the same thing countless times. His heart was now filled with heavy regret and sorrow, weighing him down and making him breathless.

Because on that day, apart from the attackers, the last person to talk to Meld before his death was Kosuke.

It was completely accidental. Kousuke had pushed himself too hard to exercise, so he overslept and missed dinner. Since no one noticed he hadn't eaten, his portion was considered leftovers. So, Kousuke went hungry the entire day. By midnight, starving, he'd gone to the kitchen to grab some food. He ended up getting an upset stomach, requiring multiple trips to the bathroom. After wandering around in search of toilet paper, exhausted, he was heading back to his room when he happened upon Meld.

Meld was walking in front of him at the time. As soon as he shouted, Meld immediately turned around and slashed at him with a sword full of murderous intent.

Kosuke, nearly beheaded, was so frightened that his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. Upon realizing it was him, Meld quickly apologized and asked him what he was doing out there so late at night. Kosuke replied and they chatted briefly.

Looking back now, Meld's emotions seemed particularly tense that night.

Even if Kousuke's low presence scared Meld, it was impossible for him to suddenly swing his sword and attack. This was clearly wrong.

"Why didn't I ask anything then!?"

At that time, Kosuke was only concerned with his own affairs and did not ask Meld why he was so unusually nervous.

Although the entire palace was clearly shrouded in a strange atmosphere, Kosuke did not face the facts at the time and blindly believed that they could meet again tomorrow.

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