Vol-08 Ch 2 – Each Thought

Part 1

While Merl and the Dragonias were fighting on Earth, Lexia, Mai Kagurazaka, and the others who had remained in the Regal Kingdom since the recent attack by Avis were enjoying themselves.

"Mai! Let's go quickly!"

"P-please wait, Lexia-sama!"

As Mai tried to calm Lexia, who was about to pull Mai's hand and rush out right now, Luna sighed and followed as her escort.

"Mai, give up. If Lexia is like that, there's nothing we can do."

"Eeh?"

"Hey, Luna! Don't talk about me like I'm a wild animal!"

"Isn't that the truth?"

"That's not true!"

Mai was disconcerted by the sudden comical exchange. From Mai's perspective, Lexia is a princess, and she should not be in a position to walk around the city with her like this.

"Lu-Luna-san. It's all right."

"Mmm, really? If Mai says so, then…"

"Even so, Mai! What's with that tone?"

"Eeh? I-is there something wrong…?"

Mai's face turned pale as she wondered if she had done something wrong when her tone was suddenly pointed out.

But…

"There's only one problem! We're friends now, aren't we? If that's the case, please don't use such formal language; just treat me normally!"

"Eh? N-no, but…!"

"I said it's okay, so it's okay! Do you understand? Answer me!"

"Eh, well, um…"

Even though it was Lexia's request, she could not break her formal speech so easily. She was dealing with royalty, after all. But Lexia continued to stare at Mai's face as if she was planning to remain there until Mai changed her tone.

Luna quietly put her hand on Mai's shoulder as Mai was confused.

"Mai, give up. As I said before, once Lexia has made a decision, she will go through with it. Geez… What a selfish princess."

"What are you talking about? Luna, I'm a princess, remember? You should be more careful with me!"

"Is that so? Well then, is this what you want, Lexia-sama?"

"…Don't be so mean to me. I prefer the usual Luna."

In response to Luna's condescending attitude, Lexia sharpened her tongue. Seeing Lexia's appearance, Luna smiled bitterly and turned her gaze to Mai once again.

"She's such a princess. Of course, in public, you will be required to use language and attitude appropriate to the occasion… but at least in other places, you can treat her just like an ordinary person."

"Y-yes…"

"Of course, not just to Lexia, but to me as well. Don't hesitate to call me Luna."

Not only was Luna urging her to do so, but Lexia was also looking at her expectantly, and Mai finally surrendered.

"Understood… No, I get it. Is this okay?"

"Yes! That's perfect!"

With a big smile on her face, Lexia pulled Mai's hand again and started to move.

"Better yet, let's get going!"

"W-wait a minute! When you say to go quickly… I want you to tell me where we are going!"

"Ara? Didn't I tell you?"

"No, you didn't…"

"…This is just the same old Lexia."

"I-it's not that I'm always like this, you know! I just happened to forget it!"

Lexia hurriedly clears her throat and tells her again.

"Since Mai has a special power as a saint, I thought it would be good for you to register as an adventurer."

"An adventurer?"

"Yes. Doesn't it exist in your world? It's a job that involves exterminating monsters, guarding people, gathering herbs and other things…"

"Y-yeah. I've heard of adventurers, but I've never heard of them doing anything with monsters and such. But can I really become one?"

"Of course! Besides, you have special powers, don't you? It'll be a piece of cake!"

"W-what do you mean by "a piece of cake…?"

Mai's cheek twitched at Lexia's overly optimistic words.

"Well, despite what Lexia said, I agree that Mai should become an adventurer. There are many Evil Beasts in the world, not to mention Evil. In order to defeat them, an identity like being an adventurer would be useful. And above all, experience with fighting monsters will be useful in the battle against Evil that will eventually come."

"…Right."

"It's just, is it okay? You've been summoned as a saint, but are you allowed to work as an adventurer in this Regal Kingdom?"

"That's, this country… No, I think it's because of the circumstances of this world that I was summoned here, and I was allowed to go about doing things quite freely, so it should be fine. Of course, if I were to go out alone, I might have been stopped, but with Luna and the others present… I was allowed to move freely for the time being."

"I see. You've been summoned for their own selfish reason, so it's only natural that you are allowed to be free…"

Luna nodded at Mai's words.

──At this time, Lexia and the others didn't know that Avis, the ultimate perfection of Evil, had already been defeated by Yuuya and the others. That's why Lexia and the others were still steadily making preparations for the upcoming battle against Evil.

But that battle would never come.

"There it is! That's the Adventurer's Guild!"

"This is…"

"Fumu, the atmosphere is no different from the Adventurer's Guild in the Alceria Kingdom."

When the three of them reached their destination, the Adventurer's Guild, they each looked up at the building. However, there is no point in standing around forever, as Lexia quickly entered the building.

"Hey, Lexia! Is that okay? A princess can't be so defenseless!"

"She won't listen to us, you know. Besides, she is dressed like a commoner, and as long as it is not the Evil or the Holy that are attacking her, I can protect her from here."

"Lu-Luna is amazing…"

"Not really. Come on; we should go in too."

When Luna and Mai entered the guild, they found it packed with adventurers and was very lively.

"Heh… there's a lot of people here."

"Yeah. But it's rare to see so many people in a place like this… Is this a phenomenon unique to this country?"

As Luna twisted her head and looked around curiously, a drunken man with a reddish face approached her.

"Hey, girl. Is this your first time here?"

"Yeah. Is this normal for this place to be packed with people like this?"

"No? Not at all. It's just busy right now; there's a mountain not far from here called [Sky Mountain] where a precious herb that can only be gathered once every three years is being collected, and everyone is getting excited about it."

"Herb?"

"Haven't you ever heard of it? It's called [Hala Grass]…"

"──[Hala Grass]?"

"Whoa! What did you say?"

When the drunk man was explaining to Luna, Lexia interrupted with shining eyes. Seeing Lexia's reaction, Luna tilted her head even further.

"Hmm? I've never heard of it… Do you know about it, Lexia?"

"Of course I know about it! More importantly, Luna, how come you don't know about it?"

"W-well."

Lexia's enthusiasm was so great that Luna was taken aback. However, Lexia did not care about such a situation and continued.

"You know what? It is one of the materials needed to make the perfect love potion that everyone is chasing, without any side effects! It's a fantastic herb that can only be collected once every three years and rarely grows in clusters!"

"L-love potion?"

"I didn't even know there was such a thing…"

Luna rolled her eyes at the unexpected item, and Mai realized once again that she was in a different world.

"I can't let this slide! I never thought that this season would be the time to collect [Hala Grass]…! Luna, Mai! Are you ready? We're going to get some right now! That's why you should go and register as an adventurer!"

"Eeh?"

"Hey, Lexia. It's easy for you to say, but…"

"We have to collect as much as possible so that we can make the love potion without fail… And when I give it to Yuuya-sama… Kyaa! It's so embarrassing to be a loving couple!"

"…You're not listening to me…"

When Luna tried to pull Lexia back from her own world, the stunned drunk man laughed unpleasantly.

"Hey, hey, girls. You're not going to challenge it alone, are you? It's a dangerous place, and it's designated as a dangerous area. You girls can't go there alone, you know. But hey, it's okay. It's fate that we met here. I'll take care of it──."

"Shut up! We don't need you, so go away!"

"Eeeehhh?"

The drunken man was surprised at the sudden dismissal, but he was overwhelmed by Lexia's fierce determination and withdrew in a hurry.

"Geez… Who the heck is that guy? He interrupted our conversation…"

"N-no, we were talking, and you barged in…"

"That's not important! We're going to get the [Hala Grass], no matter what! Okay?"

"W-wait! You heard what that guy said, right? The place that the [Hala Grass] is located is said to be a dangerous area. It's a place like that──."

"Isn't it much better than the Great Devil's Nest?"

"…..Right!"

Luna shouted in desperation. However, Mai, who had never heard of the Great Devil's Nest, hurriedly stopped them.

"W-wait a minute! Why would I risk myself going to a place that was said to be dangerous? I want to gain some experience in combat, but my powers only work against Evil, and I've never fought a monster before, so even if I went to a place like that, I'd be useless!"

"Don't worry, Mai. I'll take care of the monsters. And compared to the environment of the Great Devil's Nest, everywhere is like heaven."

"What kind of place are you comparing this to?"

"Well, that's not important! Whatever the case may be, I need the [Hala Grass], so I will definitely be going there! I have to get it no matter what in order to become a hot married couple with Yuuya-sama!"

"…That guy is in trouble too, huh?"

Mai couldn't help but take a distant look when she heard Lexia's words.

"Now, hurry up and register as an adventurer! If we don't hurry, the [Hala Grass] will be completely collected!"

"Eh? W-wait!"

Mai was forcibly dragged to the reception desk. After that, Mai was able to register as an adventurer.

Part 2

"This is where the [Hala Grass] is located!"

"Hah… hah… this girl is so careless without even knowing my hardships…"

After Mai had registered as an adventurer, Lexia and the others immediately came to the entrance of the Sky Mountain, where the [Hala Grass] was said to grow.

Luna, who had been dealing with the monsters that attacked them one after another until they reached the mountain, was completely exhausted. Seeing this, Mai couldn't help but open her mouth.

"U-um, Lexia? Do we have to do it today as well?"

"Of course! We have to collect it right now and make a love potion for Yuuya-sama!"

"No, I think it's more for Lexia's sake than for his…"

Mai couldn't help but blurt it out, but it didn't reach Lexia's ears right now.

Mai, who decided that there was nothing more she could say, held up the sword that had been provided to her by the Regal Kingdom when she arrived in this world.

"I'm really an amateur when it comes to fighting monsters, as you can probably see from before we arrived here. This sword was also provided to me by the country, but I've never held a sword in my previous world."

"I'm not going to say that you don't have to worry… but I should be able to help you to some extent. So you can fight with all your might, Mai."

"If you insist, I'll take your word for it… and train myself in combat."

When Mai made up her mind, Lexia couldn't bear the excitement anymore and finally stepped into the forest.

While Lexia and Luna, who had experienced the Great Devil's Nest, did not feel suffocated because the atmosphere of this forest was overwhelmingly brighter than in the Great Devil's Nest, Mai felt a sense of oppression that she had never felt in Japan, and she felt somewhat suffocated.

This was a true sign that the monsters that inhabited the forest were strong. The surge of magic power leaking from the monsters' bodies made Mai feel nauseated.

As each of them carefully made their way through the forest, Luna quietly told them.

"Stop."

"!"

"…There's a monster."

As Luna glared sharply at a certain part of the forest, a boar with magnificent tusks jumped out of the bushes.

"Charge Boar, huh! Be careful, it's a C-class monster."

Normally, it was not the kind of monster that a newly registered adventurer like Mai would have to deal with. But since Luna, who was known as an assassin, was here, the danger was minimized.

As soon as it spotted Lexia and the others, the monster called Charge Boar made a run, accelerated, and charged at them. Luna swung her arm sharply in the face of the attack, and the Charge Boar stopped moving as if its body had been caught in something.

"Buruoo!"

"Mai!"

"Okay!"

Hearing Luna's words, Mai immediately rushed to the Charge Boar and swung down the sword in her hand.

When she was first summoned to the other world, she was hesitant to attack, even when the opponent was an Evil Beast. However, in front of the people of the other world who were suffering from Evil, Mai thought that if she didn't do her best, the people of this world would be in danger, and she was able to push aside her aversion to fighting.

Perhaps this mental aspect was also one of the reasons why Mai was summoned to this world as a "Saint."

While Mai was attacking the Charge Boar in cooperation with Luna, Lexia also attacked the Charge Boar with a self-defense knife.

"Eii! Iyaa!"

However, as a princess, Lexia's strength was feeble, and she didn't seem to be doing any real damage. With the addition of Lexia's attack, which was not certain if it was supposed to support them, the Charge Boar finally collapsed and disappeared as a particle of light.

"Yay! We defeated it!"

"Y-yeah. We managed it somehow…"

"Hmph. Putting Mai aside, I'm not even sure Lexia's contribution is worth mentioning."

"What did you say?"

As usual, while Luna tweaked Lexia's words and Lexia chewed on them, Mai stared at her palms.

"(As expected, I'm not used to fighting with weapons… But it's okay. If I do my best, the people of this world can be saved. I have to do my best…)"

"Mai?"

Then Lexia, who sensed something wrong with Mai, looked into her face with concern.

"Eh? Ah, I'm fine! More importantly, let's quickly find the herbs that Lexia is looking for, okay? The longer we wait, the later we'll get back."

"Oh, yes! We have to find it quickly!"

Lexia and the others began their search for the [Hara Grass] again.

"I'm surprised to learn that Mai and Yuuya-sama are from the same world! What's Yuuya-sama like in your world?"

"Eeh? I don't know much about him either…"

The only time Mai had met Yuuya was at the shrine where he and Kaori had gone for a test of courage.

"Ara, I see. I like how mysterious he is! I'm going to use the love potion… to get to Yuuya-sama no matter what it takes!"

While searching, Lexia is burning with love for Yuuya.

"In order to do that, I have to find the [Hala Grass] no matter what!"

However, there is no sign of the [Hala Grass] that Lexia is looking for, and the time is flying by.

"Hey! We can't find it!"

"I don't need you to tell me that. You're the one who suggested it, right?"

"You want it too, don't you? The love potion!"

"I'm not the same as you! I don't need it──."

"If you have the love potion, you can do anything you want with Yuuya-sama, you know!"

"…Alright, let's find it."

"Luna?"

Mai retorted to Luna, who immediately switched her mind.

While searching for the hard-to-find [Hala Grass], Luna noticed a certain sign.

"What's… that…?"

"What's wrong?"

"There's a powerful presence…! Lexia!"

"Eh?"

The strong presence that Luna felt was getting closer and closer to Lexia, she hurriedly called out, but the source of the presence suddenly appeared in front of Lexia.

"──Ara? You ladies are…"

"S-Sword Saint-sama!"

The identity of the strong presence that Luna sensed was actually that of Iris, the Sword Saint. Moreover, behind Iris, there's also Usagi, the Kicking Saint.

(What is it? Little girl. You were here too?)

"Ah, you're Yuuya-sama's master… why are Iris-sama and Usagi-sama here?"

Lexia forgot about the [Hala Grass] and asked in surprise. And Usagi nodded once.

(It's just perfect. I have to tell you girls about something.)

"Eh?"

(Especially that little girl over there.)

"M-me?"

Mai, who hadn't expected that she would be called, shouted in surprise. Although Mai herself did not know much about the two people who appeared here, she sensed from Lexia's attitude that they were not ordinary.

What on earth would such a person want with her…?

As Mai waited anxiously for Usagi's words, Usagi told her plainly.

(Your role is over.)

"Eh?"

(As I said, your role is over.)

"….."

Not understanding the meaning of Usagi's words, Mai fell silent. Then Iris, who was watching the scene, let out a sigh.

"You know… there's no way she can understand with just that, right?"

(I don't know. That's just it.)

"You really are an unreasonable lump of meat…"

Letting out a sigh at Usagi's behavior, Iris gave Mai a wry smile.

"The only thing is, what he said is true. You are the saint who was summoned from a different world, aren't you?"

"Y-yes. It is said that I was summoned to defeat the Evil that exists in this world… "

"…That Evil is no longer around. It has already been defeated."

"Eh?"

"No way!"

"…What did you say?"

Mai was stunned by Iris's words, and Lexia and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. Then Lexia quickly came to her senses and opened her mouth in a panic.

"P-please wait, Iris-sama! It has been defeated, you say…? Do you mean that horrible being has been defeated?"

"Yes, that's right."

Mai had never seen Avis, so all she knew was that there were such beings called Evil, but Lexia and the others who had seen Avis in person and seen how he had overwhelmed Iris and Usagi with his incredible power could hardly believe it.

"Who in the world defeated him? Could it have been Iris-sama and the others?"

"As expected of Iris-sama! And Usagi-sama is also very strong, as he's Yuuya-sama's master!"

"Amazing… the power of those who are called Holy is incredible…"

Lexia's gaze shined on Iris and the others. Mai also had been told by the king of Regal when she was summoned to this world that there were people called Holy who opposed the Evil. She, too, was aware of the fact that they were, in fact, extraordinary.

However, Iris and Usagi looked at each other and smiled bitterly when such a reaction was directed at them.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you when you are praising us like that… but it was Yuuya who defeated the Evil."

"""Eh?"""

"To be more precise, it's Yuuya's family."

As Iris explained, Mai tilted her head because she didn't know much about Night and the others, but Lexia and the others, who knew about Night and the others, opened their eyes even wider.

"T-those Night and the others… no, or did the Genesis Dragon lend them a hand?"

"Nope, not at all. Usagi and I also witnessed the moment directly… and before we knew it, Yuuya had taken a bluebird as his new family member, and together, the three of them, including Night and Akatsuki, defeated the Evil."

"T-that's ridiculous…"

(…It's really ridiculous.)

Even Usagi seemed somewhat tired when talking about it, which made Lexia and the others realize that this was the truth.

And then──.

"As… as expected from Yuuya-sama! I knew he was different from the rest of us in this world!"

As usual, Lexia's eyes sparkled at Yuuya's actions. However, Mai would not like to be thought that all earthlings can do such crazy things, so she hurriedly denied it.

"No, I'm not as crazy as that guy! The rest of the people on Earth, including me, are normal!"

"Earth?"

(Hou? That sounds like an interesting story. Please continue.)

Then Iris, who still had no idea that Yuuya was from the same world as Mai, tilted her head. On the contrary, Usagi also urged her to continue with a curious look.

Mai, who could not refuse the urging of the two, told them that Yuuya was from the same other world… and that he had the power to travel back and forth between the two worlds.

"I-I see… He wasn't a resident of this world, huh…?"

(Even if he was, he wouldn't be able to get that much talent. And even in that world, he is probably not normal. Am I right?)

"It's not normal at all. Please don't use him as the standard for our world. A world based on him would be too scary."

In addition to Usagi, who nodded her head in agreement with Mai's words, Iris was somewhat confused.

"I-I've found the perfect man for me, but he's not from this world… But then again, Yuuya, you can go back and forth between two worlds, right? But is that something that can be done indefinitely? Or is it finite? If it's finite, which world will he end up in…?"

"Eh? Um… Iris-sama?"

When Mai called out worriedly to Iris, who was acting strangely, Iris abruptly made up her mind.

"I've decided! Let's go to Yuuya-kun's house right now to talk to him!"

Part 3

"I've decided! Let's go to Yuuya-kun's house right now to talk to him!"

(Huh?)

The decision was so sudden that Usagi couldn't help but raise his voice, but Lexia quickly agreed.

"Iris-sama! I'm coming too! I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask as well! It's just that I've been searching for something here…"

"W-wait a minute, Lexia! As expected, going to the Great Devil's Nest without Owen and the others is…"

"What are you talking about? Iris-sama and Usagi-sama are here, right? We don't need Owen."

"…You're right. But don't say that in front of Owen…"

Luna couldn't say anything to Lexia, who answered so matter-of-factly. In fact, if Iris is around, it's certain to be safe unless it's in the depths of the Great Devil's Nest.

"Besides, Luna must be curious too, right? About Yuuya-sama."

"…Well, yeah."

"Then let's go!"

Just as the story was about to be settled, Usagi, who was dumbfounded and was listening to the conversation, hurriedly intervened to stop it.

(Wait a minute! Iris, did you forget about our purpose today? Besides, I thought you were looking for something here…)

"You're talking about telling the Magic Saint about Evil, right? That can wait. It's not like there's any need to hurry since there's no more Evil around anyway, and if anyone has a problem with it, I'll cut them down. And besides, I've already got everything I came for, so it's fine!"

(When did you get it?)

"A-aaaahhh! [Hala Grass]!"

When Lexia saw the grass taken out of the bag on Iris's waist, she shouted out. This was the herb that Lexia had been looking for.

Iris smiled somewhat triumphantly at Lexia's appearance.

"Fufu. Unfortunately, I've already collected all that can be collected at this time of year. So you should just give up."

"Gnununu…"

Lexia looked at the [Hala Grass] in Iris's hand with bitterness, but couldn't complain anymore because she didn't want to lose her chance of getting taken to the Great Devil's Nest if she complained here.

As expected, Iris smiled bitterly at the sight of Lexia and told Usagi.

"So, let's go to Yuuya's house right away! Is that okay? Usagi."

(…Sigh. Whatever happens later, I'm not going to help you.)

While saying this, Usagi also seemed to be concerned about Yuuya, and together with Iris and the others, he headed to Yuuya's house.

＊＊＊

At the same time, a huge spaceship was drifting through space. The ship was shaped like a dragon and flew through space without any trouble.

This spaceship was the mother ship of the Dragonia aliens who attacked Merl. Inside the spaceship, one of the Dragonia aliens furrowed his brow.

(…It's time for the scheduled contact, why is there still no contact?)

"….."

The other Dragonias stiffened at his grumpy look. He wore luxurious clothes that were different from those of the other Dragonias and sat cross-legged like a king.

He was Draco III, the ruler of the Dragonias.

Draco III didn't try to hide his displeasure and asked again.

(I'm asking. Why isn't there any regular contact?)

"….."

However, no one could answer Draco III's words. The only people gathered here were the commanders who were leading the troops, the warriors who represented the Dragonias.

Originally, the Dragonias were a race that boasted powerful bodies and outstanding technology, and they were among the most powerful in the universe.

They are terrified of the only one from their kind, Draco III.

(In this universe, the slightest delay in communication can lead to death. I have always told them to be on guard. But… what is this mess? ──Answer me.)

At that moment, tremendous pressure assaulted the Dragonias who were present. The invisible pressure was so heavy that it seemed as if gravity had been applied, and everyone knelt down, unable to remain standing.

(This delay in communication, you lead the platoon directly under the Third Corps, right? Why don't you answer me?)

Draco III turned his gaze to one of the kneeling Dragonias. The Dragonia he saw hung his head and struggled to speak.

(W-with all due respect, my Lord. We are not entirely sure about this situation…)

(You don't have any idea?)

The pressure increased. While feeling as if he was about to be crushed, Drade, the captain of the third corps, desperately continued.

(Y-yes. We were also suspicious when there was no communication during the regular communication time, and we tried to contact them by various means. But it's not that they don't respond to communications; it's that we can't connect with them. We assumed and verified various things, including time differences over long distances. But…)

(Hou?)

Draco III leaned back in his chair and lessened the pressure he was exerting on the Dragonias. The sudden release of pressure caused the Dragonias to catch their breath as they tried their best to hide it from Draco III.

(So you're saying that our Dragonia soldiers have been killed?)

(…Y-yes.)

(Fumu… So I ask you, where were those soldiers headed?)

(T-that's… a remote planet called Earth in the 983rd universe.)

(Earth? I've never heard of it. What brings them there?)

(Apparently, they're on their way there because they've received an electromagnetic signal that appears to be the blueprint for a weapon developed by the Amel aliens.)

(What?)

Draco III raised his eyebrows at Drade's words.

(A destruction weapon of those damned Amel aliens. I see… So? I assume they were able to retrieve it?)

(N-no… um… I haven't been able to get in touch with them since…)

(What did you say?)

Draco III's face twisted in displeasure once again. The Dragonias stiffened, wondering if they were going to be subjected to intense pressure again, but Draco III only snorted unhappily.

(On such a remote planet, there is an entity that can compete with us…)

(I-I'm only talking about a possibility. There is no one better than us, the soldiers of Dragonia…)

(The possibility should not be dismissed so easily. You see? If we are to remain the strongest, we must not overlook even the slightest possibility. Be on your guard.)

(Y-yes. I'll keep that in mind…)

(Then I command you. Go to that planet and look for any trace of the missing soldiers.)

(Ha!)

Draco III nodded his head in satisfaction as he looked at Drade who was bowing deeply and accepting his orders.

(Umu. …Oh, yes. If the planet can be used in any way, you may conquer that Earth. In that case, it would be troublesome to take the time to rebuild it. Do not destroy too much of the planet with your attacks.)

(Understood, sir.)

Drade immediately withdrew and left, calling his men to follow him.

(Commander! Everything's ready!)

(I see. We'll leave immediately. The king has given us permission. This is the first invasion in a long time. It makes my arms quiver.)

While Drade trembled in front of Draco III, he was still one of the most powerful men in the universe, and he smiled ferociously. His subordinates smiled as well, captivated by it.

──In a place unknown to Yuuya and the others, a new existence began to move.