An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

This must be because he had a premonition - the group before him, who could be said to be enemies of the Holy Church, might be able to change the world.

Ilva isn't dissatisfied with the status quo; he's undoubtedly a successful person, and his way of survival is the right one in this world. For Ilva, maintaining the status quo is the right and most beneficial choice.

Even so, he still couldn't deny the anticipation, a little fear, and the excitement that kept welling up in his heart - this was probably because Ilva Qianggu was a cadre of the Adventurer's Guild.

"May your journey be an adventure both dangerous and surprising."

"...Your blessing makes me wonder whether I should thank you or not."

For Ilva, those were the perfect words of blessing. Hajime thought they were a little subtle, but he also felt they sounded like something an Adventurer's Guild leader would say, and he couldn't help but smile wryly. Yue seemed to share the same thought, and they looked at each other, their faces filled with complicated expressions.

Seeing the reactions of Hajime and the others, Ilva couldn't help but laugh heartily. Due to his busy schedule in recent years, he hadn't laughed like this for a long time.

Afterward, Hajime and the others said goodbye to Ilva and headed to the VIP room of the guild's directly managed hotel in the central district of [Fren]. It was a twenty-story building, and Hajime and his companions were on the top floor, offering a sweeping view of the scenic area. The room itself was magnificent, boasting a spacious living room and four other rooms, all furnished with canopied beds. The sofas and carpets were so soft and fluffy that the very touch revealed them to be of premium quality.

As Hajime lay on the sofa with Yue snuggled up beside him, while Shia and Tio curiously explored the room, Will's parents, Count Gurelle Kudeta and Lady Salia Kudeta, arrived to visit, accompanied by Will. Unlike many of the nobles Hajime had met in the palace, they seemed quite reasonable, which was no wonder Will had such good character.

In order to repay Hajime, Count Kudeta invited Hajime and the others to his home for hospitality or offered them money as a reward, but Hajime replied—

"I'm thankful that Master Ling is safe. As for the reward, the guild has already given me more than enough. I simply accepted the commission and fulfilled it. It's no big deal."

Seeing Hajime's humble attitude, Shia screamed and called for medical help. Tio, as if she had seen a ghost, hid under the covers and cried out, "I hate this kind of Master! Master, you're crazy!" Her body trembled. The Kudeta couple were stunned by their reactions.

Hajime said, "Excuse me for a moment," to the Kudeta couple, then gently said to the confused Shia and Tio, "Go play outside," and threw them out the window. Since this was the VIP room, it was like throwing them out of a window twenty stories high.

Outside, the screams of "Ah ..." gradually faded, and the Kudeta couple turned pale with fear. Hajime closed the window, turned around, and said to them with a smile, "These two are really lively." The couple could only nod

As far as Hajime was concerned, even if they seemed nice, deliberately acting arrogant and giving the other party a bad impression wasn't the best idea. Hajime was just putting on a little show. However... for Shia and Tio, Hajime's words and actions seemed a bit too strong.

Yue was speechless. She said, "I'll pick them up," and jumped out of the window. The Kudetas were speechless, and like a machine that had been forgotten to be lubricated, they turned to their son stiffly.

Their son rubbed the goose bumps that had appeared on his arms for some reason, and stared at Hajime with cold eyes. He vaguely guessed the reason why Hajime pretended to be humble, and what would happen next.

"But I can't refuse the Earl's kindness."

"Eh? Ah, yes..."

Count Kudeta's mind was a bit confused due to the series of unusual events, but when Hajime said this, he quickly turned his attention back to Hajime. Hajime, with a smile, made the same request to Count Kudeta as he had made to Ilva:

"So I hope you can give us a little convenience when we need help. That's enough."

"Is that so? I heard you bravely protected the little dog from the dragon's breath. You performed such a great deed, yet you're so humble... By the way, your companion just fell from the window—"

"I'm not very modest... I might even ask for your help if I'm in dire straits. So, the reward I'm asking for might be a bit excessive and rude, isn't it?"

"Hahaha, that's a possibility. I can't guarantee it, but I promise to assist you as much as possible. Anyway, let me be frank. You just threw your two female companions out the window—"

"Thank you very much, Count. That will be enough."

Hajime ignored the Count's question without changing his expression. Because he acted so naturally, the Kudeta couple seemed to be unable to catch up with the situation. But a little later, they suddenly remembered, "Huh? Did a murder just happen right in front of us? There must be a bloody mess downstairs in the hotel!?" They began to tremble and sweat. At this time -

“Ugh~ You’re going too far, Hajime-san. This height isn’t fatal, but it’s still a little scary.”

"Yes, that's right. To suddenly throw someone out... This is the first time I've been thrown out, and my heart is pounding."

“…Shut up, pervert.”

Shia and Tio's pale hands grasped the edge of the window, their bangs drooping like willow leaves as they climbed up from the window sill; only Yue was floating in the air with the help of gravity magic, but the way Shia and Tio climbed up was so eerie and terrifying that the Kudeta couple had no energy to notice her.

The proof was this—Madame Kudeta let out a startled cry and fell backward. Will hurriedly called out, "Mommy," and held her up. As expected of a rare Oedipus who always carried a photo of her young mother, her reaction was even quicker than her husband, Count Kudeta.

"By the way, Hajime-san, why do you speak in such a disgusting way... I'm still getting goosebumps."

"Yes, I am afraid too. Master, if you have any troubles, you can tell me—"

Shi had a legitimate reason for using polite words, but the sorry rabbit didn't understand the situation and complained loudly about Shi's way of speaking. He was even ridiculed by the useless dragon who had no right to criticize him, which made the veins on Shi's forehead bulge.

Although Count Kudeta was startled, he unconsciously said to the two safe people:

"Are you all okay—"

There were only two gunshots, followed by a cry of "Ugh!" and a thank you, "Thank you, Master!" (?), and then Shia and Tio disappeared out the window again.

"Please forgive my companion's impoliteness."

"...No, that's not the case. My wife is tired, so let's take our leave for today."

For some reason, Count Kudeta was sweating profusely as he hugged his wife and said goodbye. Will looked at his father with a wry smile, saying, "It can't be helped." He said to Hajime, "Thank you so much for saving me. See you next time," and then turned and left.

Count Kudeta moved nervously, as if a wild beast was behind him, and he was afraid it might attack him at any moment. Hajime said to the Count from behind:

"Thank you for coming all the way here. I look forward to your assistance regarding the reward..."

"Dang, Dangnan, no problem!!"

He bit his tongue. Count Kudeta had lost the aristocratic dignity he had when he first arrived. Finally, Will smiled bitterly, bowed, and closed the door.

Hajime had originally intended to use a pleasant and courteous response to make a good impression on the other party, and then use the Earl's family's assistance as a bargaining chip; however, no matter how you look at it now, the Earl's family looks like pitiful victims who have been threatened and forced to obey.

"I don't understand why it turned out like this..."

"...Do you know the idiom 'you reap what you sow'?"

His beloved lover answered him very viciously.

After the Kudeta family returned home, Hajime lay down on the sofa in the living room again, relaxed his whole body, and exhaled deeply.

Yue lifted Hajime's head and rested him on her lap as usual; Shia sat at Hajime's feet; Tio seemed to continue exploring the room, examining and touching the furniture and decorations one by one, either admiring or feeling puzzled. Perhaps she was observing the differences between the styles of the past and the present.

"Anyway, let's rest today. We have to go buy food to replenish the food we've used up tomorrow."

Hajime felt Yue caressing his hair, squinting his eyes in pleasure, and started talking about tomorrow's schedule. Then Shia objected. She reached out and shook Hajime's body and said:

“Um~ Hajime-san, we agreed…”

"...Yes, I'm going to take you to the tourist area."

On the way back from Ur Town, Hajime agreed to spend a day with Shia in the tourist area of ​​Furen, as a reward for her saving her son's life.

Shia looked at Hajime with an expectant look. Hajime was hesitant about what to do, considering he would have to go shopping. However, Yue cut through his hesitation. She cupped Hajime's cheeks with her soft hands and said gently:

“…Let Tio and I handle the shopping. Hajime will take Shia shopping.”

“…Is this okay?”

"Hmm...but relatively speaking..."

"Relatively?"

Seeing Shia's genuine anticipation for her appointment with Hajime, Yue, acting more like a sister than a friend, looked at her with tender eyes and offered advice. Hajime, with a slightly complex expression, questioned her, but Yue, her gentle demeanor gone, licked her lips seductively, leaned close to Hajime's ear, and whispered softly...

"…Love me well tonight."

Hearing this, Hajime covered his face with one hand and replied, just like Yue, "...Hmm." He had already given it his all. Even the guardian of the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth, Hajime was confident he could defeat him, but he felt he probably wouldn't be able to defeat Yue in his lifetime. So, he surrendered early.

"...Unconsciously, Miss Yue and Mr. Hajime have entered a world of their own... Miss Yue is too strong."

"Well, even so, Shia isn't discouraged. I think Shia is also remarkable. As long as I can receive Master's punishment, I'm satisfied, so it doesn't matter... But Shia must be having a hard time."

Shia looked at Yue with respect, a look that conveyed a sense of "As expected of a master." Tio noticed that Shia and Yue weren't jealous of each other and seemed quite interested in their relationship. Afterward, Hajime, who had lost his composure due to Yue's sudden action, finally regained his composure. The four of them chatted on a variety of topics until late at night.

Late that night.

As the moon reached its highest point in the sky, two stealthy figures appeared on the top balcony of the Adventurer's Guild's inn. Dressed in black like assassins, they crept towards a room's window, peering into the room.

As for the situation inside the room...

"Wow! Look, Tio-san! It's so intense... Yue-san will break down!"

“Ohhhh! Master, you’re so intense! But, Shia, look at Yue’s expression… Honestly, it’s not good! Even as a woman, I’m starting to feel strange…”

“Ha, that melting expression is truly unbearable! He looks so happy! I’m so envious~”

"Hmm~ I originally thought I'd be satisfied just by being abused, but... being treated like that isn't bad either~"

...After that, Hajime sensed the presence of the two, and needless to say, he gave them a good beating.

"Hehehe~ Hehehe~! What a beautiful day today! It's the perfect day for a date!"

The bunny-eared girl was in such a good mood that she seemed ready to dance as she walked down the streets of [Fren].

Her attire wasn't the usual durable and overly revealing adventurer's attire, but a lovely white dress. Decorated with thin straps and open wide, Shia's ample breasts swayed with every step she took. A thin black leather belt cinched her waist, gently cinching it in and accentuating her slender waist. Combined with her ample hips, it created an alluring curve. The skirt, which reached just 15 centimeters above the knee, revealed long, slender, toned legs, drawing the same attention as her undulating breasts.

But perhaps her most captivating aspect was her aura and smile. Her cheeks flushed, and she radiated an unabashed joy that said, "I can't help being this happy!" Whether she was a demihuman or not, or even the beautiful ornaments and the necklace still around her neck—those minor details seemed unimportant. Those around her were captivated by her, and even the older ones smiled at her adorable appearance.

Hajime, with a gentle expression that was not usually on his face, walked behind Shia.

Perhaps because she was impatient, every time Shia advanced a little, she would turn around and smile at Hajime, waiting for her to catch up, repeating the same action over and over again. Seeing Shia like this, Hajime, like the people around him, couldn't help but smile.

"You're too excited, Shia. If you don't look where you're going, you might fall, right?"

"Hehe, I won't make that mistake, because I've received training from Miss Yue, huh!?

Hearing Shia's warning, Shia turned again, proclaiming she was fine, but as expected, she tripped. Just as she was about to fall, Shia immediately grabbed her waist, supporting her. With Shia's physical abilities, regaining her footing shouldn't be a problem, but her dress was short, so Shia helped her up just to be safe. Shia wouldn't let the man drooling over Shia have any chance of catching his eye.

"S-Sorry."

"Okay, I know you're happy, so just walk beside me."

Shiya, hugged by Shi's waist, shrank back shyly. This time, she held Shi's sleeve with her fingers and walked beside him in small steps. Her blushing face captivated the men around her, though a few were knocked down by her girlfriend's fists.

The two attracted the attention of everyone around them and finally entered the tourist area.

Tourist areas offer a wide variety of entertainment facilities, including theaters, acrobatic streets, circuses, concert halls, aquariums, arenas, game centers, observation decks, colorful flower fields, giant flower mazes, and magnificent buildings and squares.

"Mr. Hajime! Mr. Hajime! Let's go to Measutat first! I've never seen living marine life before!"

Shia, clutching the guidebook in one hand, urged him on, her rabbit ears wagging. Born in the Hartrina Sea of ​​Trees, she'd never seen marine life before, so she wanted to visit the renowned aquarium called Measutat in the Fren tourist area.

Incidentally, the Sea of ​​Trees also has vast lakes and rivers, so Shia wouldn't be unfamiliar with freshwater fish. However, even though they both look like fish, the feel of marine life and freshwater fish seems different. Hajime thought, aren't all fish the same? But he wisely kept quiet. For Hajime, today was the day to be gentle with Shia.

"Oh~ Raising marine life inland... That's really thoughtful. Whether it's transporting, managing, or maintaining it, it must be very hard work."

Although Hajime's interests were somewhat unique, he had no reason to refuse, so he agreed to Shia's request. Shia smiled and held Hajime's hand, walking in front to lead the way, her rabbit ears and tail wagging.

They passed through Acrobatics Street, and although their attention was drawn to the stunts that challenged human limits, they eventually reached their destination. Meiyasutat was a magnificent facility, its entire building inspired by the ocean, with a predominantly blue exterior. It was packed with people, and it was bustling with activity.

The interior of Meiasutra is very similar to an aquarium on Earth, but the technology seems to be inferior to Earth's, and it is impossible to create a transparent tank that can withstand the heavy water pressure. Therefore, thick glass is installed on the lattice metal fence, which makes viewing a little difficult.

However, Xia didn't care about such shortcomings at all. Seeing the marine life swimming in the water for the first time made her look excited. She frequently pointed at the marine life and talked to Shi.

The girl next to him, accompanied by her family, also showed excitement and made the same gesture. Suddenly, Hajime met the eyes of someone who looked like the girl's father. He felt a sympathy in his eyes. Hajime awkwardly took Shia's hand and hurried away.

Although Shia was surprised by Hajime's actions, she was happy that he was holding her hand, so she blushed and nervously shook it back.

About an hour into the aquarium, Xia suddenly looked at a tank twice in surprise, and then even began to stare into it.

The one in the tank was... SEAMA○, ​​who looked exactly like the fish with a human face from a certain game that Hajime had known about.

“…why, why is it here…”

Shia took a step back, a frightened expression on her face. Aman, perhaps noticing Shia as well, stared at her with a lazy expression. An inexplicable tension grew between the two of them. Hajime ignored them (?) and looked towards the commentator leaning against the sink.

"Let me see...it says it can talk to people?"

According to the description, this SEA○N is an aquatic monster that can communicate with humans through its unique magic, "telepathy." Among the currently confirmed monsters, it is known for being the only one that can communicate with humans.

However, it seems to be naturally timid and rarely speaks. Even when it does speak, its responses are usually unenthusiastic, and it even has the side effect of making those who speak to it feel listless (?). Therefore, if you want to talk to it, you must be extremely careful.

It also seems to love drinking, and once it drinks, it becomes quite talkative. However, it's just one-sided preaching, so conversation doesn't really work... Incidentally, its scientific name is Liman.

Shia sweatdropped as she continued to stare at the merman, or should I say, confront him? Hajime ignored her and tried to talk to Liman. However, it rarely responded to normal conversations, so Hajime also used telepathy.

"I heard you can use telepathy? Can you really speak? Can you understand what I say?"

The mermaid's eyes twitched momentarily at the sudden telepathy, and she stopped glaring at Shia and slowly shifted her gaze towards Hajime. Shia, for some reason, had a look on her face that said, "I've won!", but Hajime ignored her.

"...Ahem, this is our first meeting, so out of courtesy, you should introduce your name first. Seriously, young people these days are so unruly..."

Being taught manners by a fish that looked like an older man was a serious oversight. Hajime's cheeks twitched as he tried to talk to it again.

"...Excuse me, this is Hajime. I see you can actually talk. What exactly is this so-called Liman?"

"...If someone asked you what a human being is, how would you answer? How would I know? Honestly, I'm just me, that's all. Also, I don't have a name, so you can call me whatever you want."

Hajime was at a loss for words, as every word it said made sense and was even a bit cool, completely unexpected. "Isn't it said its responses are always uninspired?" He wanted to complain to the aquarium staff.

Hajime looked away as if escaping reality, and now it was Liman's turn to ask:

"I also want to ask a question. Why do you have telepathy? It doesn't look like you're using human magic... It's almost like me, no, I should say, the same as us."

This question was perfectly natural. After all, a human was using telepathy in a uniquely magical way, and it must have been curious why a human would naturally use the same ability as a monster like itself. Perhaps this was why Liman, who rarely spoke to Hajime, responded to Hajime.

Hajime cleared his throat, regained his composure, and briefly explained that he had eaten a monster that could use telepathy and had taken away its ability.

"...You look so young, but I didn't expect you've suffered so much. Okay, feel free to ask anything you want. I'll answer anything I know."

It felt sorry for Hajime, apparently believing him to be so poor he could only eat monsters. Seeing that Hajime was now dressed respectably, it sniffed and acted like, "You're working hard! I'm not crying!"