An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"Hmm, yeah! Uh, um, after this battle is over and we send Will back, you'll go on another journey, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, this is what I want to ask... I hope you will let me go with you—"

"I refuse."

“!?… Fufu, I, as expected, you rejected me outright. As expected of a master… Hmm! Of course, it won’t be without reward! From this moment on, I will call you ‘Master’ and dedicate everything to you! Both my body and soul! If—”

"Go away and return to dust."

Tio opened her arms and declared that she wanted to be Hajime's slave, but Hajime flatly refused with a look that looked like she was looking at something filthy.

That attitude seemed to send shivers down Tio's spine, and her cheeks flushed. No matter how you looked at her, she was a pervert, a major one. The people around her also gave her a wide berth. Especially Yue, who had previously held a strong admiration and respect for the Dragon People, her expression was like a Noh mask, all emotionless.

“How could this be… This is too much… It was you, the master, who caused this condition of mine… I hope you will take responsibility!”

Everyone looked at Hajime with surprised eyes. Seeing that he was about to be wrongly accused, Hajime couldn't just sit there and do nothing. So he turned around, veins popping out on his face, and glared at Tio, asking what she meant with his eyes.

"Ah, that look of disgusting wretch again... Fufu... Gurgle... Um, you see, I'm very strong, right?"

Seeing Hajime's gaze, Tio's body trembled again, and she began to explain what she had thought about before she came up with the sudden idea of ​​becoming Hajime's slave.

"My strength is among the best in the village, and I'm especially resilient. So whether I'm being subdued or feeling pain, it's something I've never experienced before."

Not knowing that Tio was a Dragonite Guard Knight nearby, she omitted any explanation and muttered:

"But in my battle with my master, I was beaten hard for the first time, subdued, and tasted both pain and defeat. Yes, that fist that hurt me to the bone! The impact was aimed at my sensitive spots! My entire body was filled with pain... whoosh."

Tio spoke animatedly, but the other knights, unaware she was a Dragonkin, looked at Hajime with a criminal's gaze. From an objective perspective, this was pure violence against a woman. "How could he assault such a delicate woman?" the knights whispered among themselves. The reason they didn't openly accuse Hajime was probably because Tio, the victim, showed no sign of grief, but rather joy. The knights, with their strong sense of justice, were perplexed, unsure what was going on.

"...To put it simply, is it that Hajime opened your new door?"

"That's right! My body can no longer be without a master!"

Yue's expression twisted as if she had seen something unpleasant, and she concluded with a tone that no longer contained any respect. Tio loudly agreed with her.

"……nausea."

Hajime couldn't help but reveal the truth, he was extremely afraid of her.

“And…”

Tio suddenly changed her previous perverted appearance, touching her fleshy buttocks with both hands, acting shyly and coyly.

"...My virginity was also taken away by the master."

Hearing that, everyone looked at Hajime in surprise. Hajime's cheeks twitched and he shook his head to show that he was innocent.

"I once made a decision—I would only accept men stronger than myself as partners... but there were no such candidates in the village... I was defeated and subdued by the master... and it was my first time... but suddenly I came from the bottom... and it was so intense. I can no longer marry... so, master, please take responsibility."

Tio placed her hands on her hips and looked at Hajime with tears in her eyes. Although the knights gave Hajime a look that said, "This guy is just a criminal!", when they heard her say, "It came from the butt all of a sudden," they all shuddered.

Although Aiko and the others knew the truth, they still looked at Hajime with accusatory eyes. Even Yue and Shia on either side showed disapproval and avoided Hajime's gaze. Before the attacking monster army arrived, Hajime was already in a situation where he was surrounded by enemies on all sides!

"You, you have a lot of things to do, right? Isn't that why you left the village?"

Ren Yue and the others avoided Hajime's gaze, so Hajime had no choice but to ask her what they were going to do about the "Investigation on the Dragon People".

"Yes, no problem. Staying by Master's side is definitely more efficient. It's like killing two birds with one stone... You know, a lot of things will happen during the journey, right? When you're angry, you can vent it on me, right? Even if you use a little force, it's okay. It will benefit Master a lot, right?"

"From the moment a pervert is around, there are only bad things."

Tio pleaded with Hajime, but Hajime flatly refused. The knights of the escort were furious; Yuka and the others looked at Hajime with inexplicable eyes; Atsushi and the others, though feeling mixed emotions, were simmering with jealousy towards Hajime, who had a strong connection with women from another world; Aiko lectured him non-stop about inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex; and for some reason, Will looked at him with respect.

Despite the approaching monster army, this chaotic situation continued to spread, and just when Hajime began to feel impatient, the enemy finally attacked.

“…Is he here?!”

Hajime suddenly looked towards the North Mountain Range, squinting his eyes and pretending to gaze far away. Even though he wasn't yet within sight of the naked eye, Hajime's 'Magic Eye Stone' could clearly see the image from the drone.

It was a horde of monsters covering the entire land.

In addition to humanoid monsters like Brutal, there were also black wolf-like monsters three or four meters long, lizard-like monsters with six legs, snake-like monsters with swords growing out of their backs, mantis-like monsters with four sickles, giant spider-like monsters with countless tentacles growing from all over their bodies, and pure white snakes with two horns.

Even through the images you can understand.

The earth rumbled, smoke and dust billowed like an avalanche. The swarms of demons stirred, like a black tsunami. The army of demons and rakshasas advanced with ferocious force, their red and black eyes filled with murderous intent visible deep in the dust. Their numbers seemed even greater than when they had confirmed them from the mountain, estimated at around fifty to sixty thousand. (Editor's note: A major demon in Hindu mythology.)

There was also a flying monster hovering above the army. If I had to describe it, it would probably be a pterodactyl. While smaller than a flying dragon-type monster, the miasma and unusual aura emanating from it made it clear that it was far more dangerous than the flying dragon Hybelia we had seen in the Raison Grand Canyon.

Among the dozens of pterosaurs, there was one particularly large one with a faint human figure on it. That was probably the man in the black robe. Although Aiko didn't want to believe it, it was most likely Shimizu Yukitoshi.

"……beginning."

"Mr. Hajime."

Yue and Shia sensed the moment had arrived from Hajime's change in expression, and called out his name. Hajime turned his gaze back to the two of them, nodded once, and then looked behind him—towards Aiko and the others, whose faces were frozen with nervousness.

"They're here. Although they're much earlier than planned, we still have about thirty minutes until the enemy arrives. There are nearly sixty thousand of them, a mix of various monsters."

Hearing that the number of monsters had increased, Aiko and the others turned pale and looked at each other anxiously. Hajime jumped onto the wall, turned around, and said with a confident smile:

"Don't look like that, Sensei. It's only a few tens of thousands more, it's not a problem at all. As planned, as a precaution, those who can fight are on standby at the wall, but they probably won't get a chance to fight."

Hajime took all the responsibility with ease, and Aiko squinted her eyes, as if she saw something dazzling.

"I understand... Perhaps the teacher who sent you to the battlefield doesn't have the right to say this... but you must be safe..."

After saying this, Aiko rushed back to the town to inform the enemy of their arrival, dealing with the numerous comments from the escort knights, such as "Is it really okay to leave it to him?" and "Should we just evacuate now?"

Yuka and the others followed Aiko and turned to run back into the castle. But after a few steps, Yuka stopped, as if hesitating about something, with a troubled expression on her face, and stood there with her head lowered.

When Nana realized that Yuka didn't follow, she asked Junshi and the others to stop, showing a surprised expression and calling Yuka's name.

However, Yuuka didn't respond to Nana and the others' calls. As if trying to escape something, she raised her head with a determined expression and ran out. That's right, she ran towards Hajime, who was looking towards the monster army.

“Um, that! Nagumo!”

Despite stuttering a bit, Yuuka still called out to Hajime. Hajime, who had assumed she had gone with Aiko and the others, raised an eyebrow and turned back to look at Yuuka. Yue and Shia also turned around in confusion.

Seeing Hajime remain silent, as if asking her what was wrong, Yuuka panicked for a moment... But then, for some reason, she immediately frowned and glared at Hajime, saying:

"Thank you, thank you for saving me back then!"

Her expression, tone, and volume might seem like she was about to have a quarrel, but from her words, it was clear that Yuka was expressing her gratitude with all her strength.

At her sudden thanks, Hajime tilted his head, pondering what she was talking about, and guessed it must be about blocking Tio's breath and protecting her. Since that was something he did incidentally to protect Will and Aiko, he hadn't considered Yuka and the others at all, and he hadn't even consciously saved them, so it hadn't occurred to him for a moment.

Although it wasn't completely wrong, Yuka noticed from Hajime's expression that he had misunderstood something and quickly added:

"Well, I'm also grateful for what you did just now, but it's not just that... That day in the labyrinth, you saved me from the Nightmare Warrior, right? And after that, you also helped us hold back Behemoth."

“…Ah, someone was almost shot in the head that time… So, it was Sonobe, huh?”

"Headshot...don't describe it so realistically. It's traumatic for me."

Yuka shook her head, as if she truly hated this past. Hajime looked at Yuka with a blank expression, tilting his head and asking:

"Then?"

“Ah, uh… um… so…”

Yuka stuttered again, but after taking a deep breath—

"I won't let what you did go to waste! Even though it might not matter to Nagumo, I won't let the fact that you saved me go to waste!"

Yuka shouted. This was the feeling she'd had on the day she'd decided to stop getting discouraged and pick herself up again. They were able to survive because Hajime, who they'd mocked as incompetent, had fought tooth and nail to carve out a path. Even though Hajime didn't die in the end, her feelings remained the same.

The fact that Hajime had saved her, the fact that he had risked his life to allow his classmates to escape—

Yuuka would never let that go to waste. Even if she was incredibly weak compared to Hajime, even if she couldn't shake the trauma, even if she couldn't help in the upcoming battle, she wouldn't stop.

Looking closely, Junshi and the others who were listening to Yuka's words not far away were also looking directly at Hajime and nodding deeply in agreement. They must have felt the same way as Yuka.

Seeing Yuka and the others like that, Hajime just said:

"That's it."

He quickly shifted his gaze back into the distance.

Did he accept her thanks, or not? Did he sense her resolve, or not? Yuka didn't even understand these points. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before finally turning back to Nana and the others.

Hajime felt uncomfortable glances coming from both sides, and he glanced over to see Yue and Shia looking at him with unusual joy. Because they knew the harsh reality Hajime had faced since entering this world, they were likely simply happy to see his surroundings warm up, no matter how it took. Furthermore, seeing that Hajime's efforts were being rewarded in this way made them proud of him.

Facing the two people's gaze, Hajime scratched his head and turned back to Yuuka and said:

"Hey, Sonobe."

"W-What is it?"

Yuka didn't expect Hajime to call her and jumped in surprise. To the surprise of Atsushi and the others, Hajime said:

"That's what I thought at that time. You are a very courageous person."

Back then, she was nearly cut in half by the Nightmare Warrior. After experiencing a near-death experience she couldn't even imagine, Yuuka immediately took action to help Nana and her classmates. Even now, despite the fear of psychological trauma, she still took action. She truly was a courageous high school girl, as Shiji had said.

“Uh, that…”

Yuka didn't understand what Hajime meant by that, and her eyes darted around in confusion, but she was greatly surprised when she heard what Hajime said next.

"People like you can't die."

"..."

Yuuka remained silent, staring at Hajime. "It's just my guess," Hajime added with a timid remark, ruining the already tense atmosphere. Yue and Shia stared at him with a warm, helpless expression. To the outsiders, the remark seemed rather frivolous.

However, for Yuuka, those words were powerful enough to sweep away the mud that had previously accumulated in her heart. Not only for Yuuka, but also for Atsushi and the others, Hajime was the key to their awareness of death. Because of this, hearing Hajime say to her, "You won't die," it was impossible not to be deeply shocked.

"……Thank you."

Yuka thanked him, her voice so low it seemed lost in the wind, a whisper. She stared at Hajime's back, a wry smile on her face, then turned and ran off. Atsushi and the others greeted her with indescribable expressions. Yuka shouted energetically, "Let's go!"—a command from the courageous captain of the Ai Guard. Atsushi and the others responded with a powerful "Yes!" and followed her out.

Their response seemed a little stronger than before.

Just like that, only Will and Tio remained. They both seemed to have something to ask Hajime, but because of the atmosphere just now, they were silent.

Will seemed to be hesitant about whether to tell Hajime, but because he didn't have enough time, he just shook his head, said a few words to Tio, and then bowed to Hajime and ran after Aiko and the others.

Seeing Will's expression, Hajime tilted his head in confusion. Tio replied with a wry smile:

"Brother Will said that if I do my best to help the town through this crisis, he'll forgive me for the adventurers' deaths... So, let me help you. Don't worry, my magic power has recovered a lot. Even if I can't transform into a dragon, my fire and wind are still very powerful, okay?"

As the church had said, the Dragonoids were neither above nor below. Though classified as demihuman, they could manipulate magic directly, just like monsters. Therefore, while she couldn't cast all-attribute magic without chanting or magic circles like Yue, a genius, she could still cast magic that suited her.

While emphasizing her chest, which was making an unusually strong presence, Tio ignited her fighting spirit. Hajime wordlessly tossed the magic crystal ring to her. Tio was initially puzzled, but after realizing that it was a magic storage tank crafted from divine crystals, she opened her eyes wide, her voice trembling, tears welling as she spoke to Hajime:

"Master... you actually proposed to me before the battle... Of course, my response is—"

"No, I mean, I'm lending it to you so you can play the role of a turret. And you absolutely have to return it to me later. By the way, didn't that just happen to be a repetition of someone else's joke?"

“…I see. This is the dark history.”

Yue couldn't help but show a disgusted expression and drooped his shoulders in frustration when he realized that his thinking pattern was the same as that of a pervert.

Seeing Tio glamorously ignoring his denial and admiring the ring with a smile, Hajime tried his best to ignore it. At this time, the monster army finally came within visible distance, and people using bows and magic circles gradually gathered at the defensive wall.

The earth shook, and in the distance, dust billowed and demons roared. Everywhere, people could be seen praying to God. More and more people, their faces pale and swallowing nervously, were seen.

Seeing this, Hajime stepped forward and used his alchemy to raise the ground, creating a makeshift podium. He wasn't trying to ease the crowd's anxiety, but rather fearing the possibility of being caught in the crossfire of panicked friendly forces. That was no joke.

A white-haired boy with an eyepatch suddenly climbed onto the mound outside the wall, his back to the approaching monster, and glared at his own side. The residents looked at him in confusion.

After confirming that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Hajime took a deep breath and shouted as if to reach the heavens:

"Listen! Brave people of [Ur Town]! We have secured victory!"

What was this person suddenly saying? The residents exchanged glances with those around them. Hajime glanced at the confusion and continued shouting confidently, his voice shaking the air.

“Because we have a goddess on our side! Yes, it’s the ‘Goddess of Fertility’ that everyone knows—Aiko-sama!!!”

Hearing him say that, the residents whispered to each other, "Aiko-sama?", "Goddess of Fertility-sama?" Aiko, who was leading the knights in the rear to help guide the people, turned around and looked at Hajime in surprise.

"As long as Aiko-sama is by our side, we cannot be defeated! Aiko-sama is a living deity sent by heaven to stand by us humans, bringing us 'harvest' and 'victory'. I am Aiko-sama's sword and shield—I come to answer her longing to protect you! Open your eyes and see! This is the power of the 'Goddess's Sword', taught by Aiko-sama!"

Hajime finished speaking, then produced the Shurajan from thin air, inserted the extended bracket into the ground, and knelt on the ground, raising the gun. As the townspeople watched, he locked the sights on the pseudo-pterodactyl flying ahead.

As the residents waited with bated breath, Shurajan began to emit red electric light, and the brilliant color became brighter by the second, showing an unparalleled shocking power against the backdrop of Shurajan's ferocious appearance.

After a pause—

Shurajan proved that its majesty was not just for show.

There was a loud bang.

The fierce explosion mercilessly struck the residents' eardrums, causing them to reflexively shrink. At the same time, a huge red flash, accompanied by the shooter's murderous intent, flew through the air and instantly reached a tiny dot visible to the naked eye - the Pseudo-Pterodactyl.

It was like a fatal thrust from the spear god.