An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"You three... it's too much to talk about Yuuka like that!"

Nana, Taeko, Mao, and Ayako came into the office one after another.

They have also been assisting in the restoration work. Looking at the trays of light meals they carry, it seems like lunchtime has arrived before they know it.

“I’ve already told you! I don’t have that kind of intention towards that Nagumo guy!”

“Alright, alright.”

Nana and the others' responses were perfunctory; it seemed Yuka had said this many times before. Only Ayako smiled wryly. Perhaps this was because she, like Yuka, was particularly weak in relationships. However, there were some differences between the two: Ayako was overly reserved, while Yuka was tsundere.

"Anyway, Teacher Xiao Ai, you can rest assured."

"What?"

Nana brought the food to everyone, raised the corners of her mouth, snickered, and continued.

"Even after we return to Japan, we won't tell anyone about this forbidden love between a student and a teacher!"

"This is a secret between our entire class!"

"Did you enjoy last night?"

The word "taboo", Taeko's thumbs-up gesture, and Mao's question all severely stimulated Aiko's mind, causing her to freeze for a few seconds, her face flushed red, and she ran away with her hands covering her face.

She couldn't bear it anymore and didn't want to stay there. As she ran to the office door -

“—Ah.”

“Ugh!?”

She noticed a few more people leaning against the wall outside the door. They were male students who had also come to support the reconstruction effort—Atsushi, Noboru, Akito, Jūgo, Kentaro, and Kouki.

Atsushi, standing at the front, made eye contact with Aiko. The silence was awkward for both of them.

"Of course we will keep it a secret, Sensei."

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Teacher Xiao Ai covered her face and ran back to her office. She huddled in a corner, hugging her legs and closing her mind. She felt dizzy with self-loathing and shame.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, there's no other way to put it."

"Come to think of it, I never thought it would turn out like this... Back in the Demon King's Castle, the teacher asked Nagumo to call her by her name, and I thought that was the case... Nagumo is really not a good person."

Hearing Mingren and Sheng say this with a wry smile, Xiaoai flinched even more.

"You stinky boys! Stop bullying Ai!"

"You're the one least qualified to say that, aren't you? Miyazaki!"

While he was bickering with Taeko, Atsushi and the others walked into the office, carrying bags filled with sandwiches.

Other students should come in soon.

It is an unwritten agreement among partners to eat together.

As a result, the office became a little more lively than before.

However, there was another person standing outside the door, hesitating whether to come in.

"...Amanohe, what's wrong with you?"

Jūgo turned around and looked at Guanghui in confusion.

"Uh, it's okay... I-I think I'll go somewhere else..."

Guanghui said this with an ambiguous smile on his face. Then, he took a step back. At this time—

"Stop it! It's like we're ostracizing you. Don't overthink it, just come in."

Kentaro, who was standing at the back, gave a gentle push with his foot, pushing Guanghui into the room.

"Wow!?" Guanghui stumbled and stepped into the office.

The girls' eyes were all focused on Guanghui at the same time, causing him to gasp.

"What are you still standing there for? Just sit down somewhere."

Yuka took out a chair from the "treasure house" and asked Guanghui to sit down. Because her attitude was too casual, Guanghui couldn't find the right time to turn around and leave, so he had to sit down timidly.

Now, he looked timid, completely devoid of the charisma he had when he was first summoned to this world. It was as if he had lost even his presence and confidence, his demeanor becoming quite subdued.

As a brave man, Guanghui chose to be hostile to humans when humans faced a crisis of survival. This fact is too heavy.

His identity as a hero had long been known to all nations, and there was no way to conceal it.

While they could easily fabricate a false story to exonerate him, Shizuku and the others couldn't agree to that approach. More importantly, he himself didn't want to do that either.

During this month, Guanghui has not concealed his true self. He has bowed his head and apologized to many people, and has devoted all his energy to the revival activities.

Of course, even so, people still couldn't accept him easily.

Not only the dignitaries of various countries, but also those from outside the country who came to support the reconstruction always looked at him with caution and suspicion, and the atmosphere between them was always tense. Even now, Guanghui still had to face the cold eyes every day, and he was always on pins and needles.

His classmates were no exception and still felt distrust and anger towards him.

However, for the past few days, Kouki's expression has been stern, and his air is filled with regret and guilt. More importantly, he has been struggling to change himself. Seeing this, and with those who were once closest to him, such as Shizuku, Ryutaro, and Suzu, deliberately keeping their distance, his classmates have also somewhat changed their views of him, allowing him to face his current situation sincerely and silently.

The other students came into the office one after another and happily ate lunch. After a while...

"I said, the River of Heaven."

Suddenly, Yuka started talking like this.

Guanghui sat alone, some distance away from his classmates, quietly eating his lunch. When Yuka called him, his shoulders trembled, and he lowered his head, staring at his hands, like a criminal awaiting condemnation.

"I've said this before. If I said I had no problem with you, I'd be lying. I can't help but feel uneasy about your future actions. I think everyone feels the same way."

"……Um."

"But I'm really glad you came back alive, and that's from the bottom of my heart."

Guanghui raised his head tremblingly. Unconsciously, the classmates stopped chatting and everyone looked at Guanghui.

"Restoring your trust is difficult, at least for now. However, we all trust Shizuku and the others. They risked their lives to bring you back, so we can't just abandon you and stop considering you as a companion."

"...To be honest, we're not entirely without responsibility. We've always relied on you, but in the critical moment, we were completely unable to stop you."

As Jūgo murmured to himself, Kentaro smiled wryly and shrugged.

"Sonobe is right. We're all so glad you made it back alive... We don't want to lose any more friends, really."

No one raised any objections or objections. Everyone present was of the same mind.

Aiko no longer cowered like a little animal, but now had the look of a teacher as she spoke to Guanghui:

"Amanogawa-san. Over the past month, everyone has witnessed your genuine regret and desire to atone for your sins. Of course, the lost credibility and the uneasiness you've felt cannot be easily reversed. However—"

Having said that, Aiko walked up to Guanghui, looked him straight in the eyes, and continued.

"I won't ask you to stop worrying and just move on. But at least don't leave everyone and make yourself lonely, okay?"

“I…I…”

Guanghui looked around again. Everyone was looking at him.

The expressions on everyone's faces were no longer gentle, nor were they as full of intimacy and trust as before.

However, no disdain or contempt is intended.

There was a firm will in everyone's eyes, treating Tian Zhihe Guanghui as an equal partner, treating him as a human being, and never looking away.

Guanghui didn't know when his classmates' views on him changed so much, because he had been trying to accept the accusatory looks these days.

Although everyone's views are not friendly, it is undoubtedly a salvation for the current glory.

“I’m sorry… I really am… Ugh, I’m so sorry… Thank you everyone…!”

Guanghui frowned and shed tears.

"Silly boy, don't cry. You're ruining your handsome face."

"Today might be an important day, so you can't look so sad, Tian Zhihe."

"That's right. The moment everyone's been waiting for is finally here, and this would really spoil the fun."

Atsushi and the others had embarrassed expressions on their faces and patted Kouki's back.

This kind of treatment is also a salvation for the current glory.

The atmosphere at lunch returned to a lively state. The "important day" Sheng had mentioned naturally became the focus of the conversation. Guanghui, though still choking with sobs, gradually began to smile.

Just as everyone was about to finish lunch──

"Princess, please forgive me for interrupting your meal."

"Helena."

Liliana's personal maid, Holina, came into the office and glanced at Aiko, Yuka, and the others. A kind smile then appeared on the face of this icy beauty.

"I received a notification from Mr. Nagumo. He said he's ready."

After hearing this report, Aiko, Yuka, and the others looked at each other, then stood up at the same time, their expressions full of anticipation.

"Let us mourn all the heroes who fought alongside us. At the same time—"

In the square in front of the imperial city of the [Horusha Empire], loud speeches were heard.

The square was packed with people, so packed that no one could move. Even the windows and rooftops of the surrounding buildings, wherever the platform could be seen, were filled with people.

Dignitaries from various countries and church officials, including the highest-ranking bishop, also attended the event and were seated in the front row.

Today's event is a memorial service for the Imperial soldiers who died in the Mythical War. However, there's more to it than that.

A memorial service had already been held at the site of the decisive battle.

At that time, the participants included not only the generals and soldiers who survived the battles alongside the deceased, but also hundreds of thousands of people. The scale was very grand.

Since people can easily travel back and forth through the "Space Gate", people from all over the world come to participate.

In this case, what is the focus of this event held in the Empire today?

"I hope this ceremony can change the consciousness of the people of the empire..."

"When the Hauriya people started a commotion and demanded the emancipation of their slaves, people were left confused. People living at the grassroots level probably still have discriminatory attitudes, which is perfectly normal."

"But, it shouldn't be a problem. It seems to be going smoothly so far."

Observing the ceremony from the imperial castle's large balcony were Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryuutarou. As they had said, this was part of a larger effort to reform the Empire's perception of demihumans—a peace treaty signing ceremony.

On the left side of the podium sat Emperor Gaharud and high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the empire.

On the right were Alfred and several elders. Also sitting in the seating area was Cam.

Today, Gaharud and Ælfrelik will sign a peace treaty here.

Ryutaro said with a smile while observing the people in the imperial capital.

"During the last war, they worked hand in hand, trusting each other with their lives. Even those not on the battlefield witnessed this through the divine relic. Anyone who still views demihumans as 'a race unblessed by God, abandoned' will likely be looked down upon."

"That's... true. I believe everyone has experienced that the presence or absence of magic power is actually a negligible difference. While it may not be easy for everyone to get along happily right away, I think... no, I think this trend will definitely develop from now on."

"And Mr. Simon did contribute to this, after all."

What Ling was talking about was the announcement issued by the church.

—From now on, we will no longer refer to them as "demihumans." Their official name will be "beastmen." Because the term "demihuman" implies "less than human," it will no longer be used. Beastmen are just as "human" as we are.

This is the official announcement made by Pope Simon.

Furthermore, the valiant actions of the Dragon People during the war were clearly visible to all. More importantly, among the companions of the savior heroes who entered the [Divine Realm] were also girls from the Rabbit People and women from the Dragon People.

They will surely be regarded as heroes and their names will be recorded in history books. In this case, who can still treat their race and families with contemptuous ideas and words?

Because of these factors, the perception of the Orcs has changed not only in the Empire but also around the world. At least no one will dislike and reject them without reason like before.

Judging from the results alone, the Myth War can more effectively subvert discriminatory ideas than any other words.

It is ironic that Eshid Rujuye, who has long fostered discrimination and is seen as a common enemy of humanity, has instead united humanity and become the main reason for eliminating discrimination.

"Rin! What do you mean by 'good or bad'?... This is so rude to His Holiness the Pope."

"But……"

Ling's expression was awkward as she once again looked towards the podium. More precisely, towards the person currently speaking on the podium.