Tio - A13

***

A/N: Don't take this fanfic volume seriously; it's just a writing exercise for me and to help me. Butttttt it's also an Artiferia fanfic with some Yugioh elements on the side.

***

Gojo (POV)

You know, the funny thing is, I have my phone with me, but I completely forgot about it. 💀. Then again, it's not like it matters much. After all, I don't really use my phone all that much since the media side of the world of GX was practically empty. Hell, there might even be some phones inside the Gate of Babylon. However, I'm not going to mention it. I think Dark Magician Girl also forgot about it. Yep, let's keep that a secret. Could have probably played some songs through that.

***

Thank goodness they aren't judgmental about my taste in music. It's filled with weird stuff I come across and somehow end up liking, all thanks to those goddamn YouTube recommendations.

As we cruised along in Hajime's sleek, enchanted car, I cranked up a medieval bardcore version of Usher's "Yeah," filling the air with an unexpected combination of modern beats and ancient melodies. Caught up in the music, I couldn't resist blurting out some fucked up lines that would have been considered scandalous even in our current setting.

A/N: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kq00R4JbR4 

"Playing this song is guaranteed to make all the girls show their ankles," I joked, grinning mischievously.

Hajime was well-aware of some terminology and memes and understood the references I made. Since in the medieval times, women showing their ankles in public was scandalous because those were sexualized body parts.

We found ways to pass the time and joke around while grooving. However, our antics soon earned us scoldings from both Yue and Dark Magician Girl.

Dark Magician Girl sighed, shaking her head with a bemused expression. "Honestly, how do you even come up with these things?"

"I don't, I just remember them."

Hajime, focused on driving but clearly taken aback, chuckled softly. "I don't think we're in that type of world of ancient time, considering this world's norms…"

"True to that brother. This world is filled with fucking weirdos. Really ruined the vibe of adventuring to another world."

"...Gojo. What kind of person were you back in your world?" Yue asked.

"..."

I paused, realizing there was no good answer to that since I was considered a complete weirdo back in my world (GX). Back in the world of GX, all I did was laze around and try to have fun without doing anything noteworthy. Though I did save the world once, mentioning that doesn't sound impressive here (Since it was through card games), except maybe to Dark Magician Girl.

"I am a house husband." I said proudly and confidently.

"...house husband?" They all asked in unison.

Shea and Yue were surprised, understanding what a housewife was but never having heard of a house husband before. Hajime, on the other hand, could comprehend but immediately cast a suspicious gaze on me, wondering why I said that instead of mentioning me being a duelist or even a student.

Dark Magician Girl tilted her head, contemplating if this was an acceptable answer. Fortunately for me, she seemed to accept it.

"I see." That being said, Hajime wasn't sure if he wanted to dive in further than that so we switched topics of discussion.

As the conversation died down, the car continued to glide smoothly along the road.

***

"Oh yeah, I heard the village we're going to sits next to a lake, so they have a lot of water available. Apparently thanks to that they've become the largest cultivator of rice on the continent." Hajime said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Rice?" Yue asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Yep, rice. You know, that white grain. It's my homeland's staple crop. I haven't had a single chance to eat it since coming here. I'm not sure if the rice here is the same as the one from home, but I want to try it." Hajime replied, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"If you wanted to try rice again, you could have... you know what, never mind," Gojo murmured, almost to himself.

"Oh right, we had you..." Hajime sighed, realizing the missed opportunity.

"Not taking it out," Gojo responded, shaking his head. We shouldn't rely on the Gate of Babylon to cater all of our needs.

"...Mmm. I want to try it now too... What's the town's name?" Yue asked.

Yue smiled as she watched Hajime reminisce fondly about his hometown.

"The lakeside town of Ur," he said.

As we spoke, the sight of the village came into view. Workers picking grains and putting them into rag bags slung over their shoulders.

'Day is never finished,

Master got me working,

Someday Master set me free' Gojo thought to himself as he watched the scene of the workers laboring on the farm.

~

Eventually, they got off their vehicles and walked into the village on foot. Thankfully, it wasn't a hassle to cross the checkpoints. Once inside, they took in the sights before entering a tavern.

The bells jingled as they walked in.

"Bro, like I said, fried rice is just fried rice. What are you on about?" Gojo said.

"Huhhh?! Chahan and Yakimeshi are different!" Hajime retorted.

A/N: Chinese fried rice is Chahan and Japanese fried rice is Yakimeshi.

"And the hell is Yakimeshi?" Gojo asked, confused.

"It's a fried rice dish that uses short grain, whereas Chahan uses long grain," Hajime explained.

"Bro, why are you making this so serious? Both are just plain fried rice."

"Obviously, it sounds like you've never had Yakimeshi. You need to try it."

"It's just plain fried rice. It's going to taste just like any Asian fried rice." Gojo clicked his tongue.

"Hajime, I want to try onigiri." Yue said, butting into the conversation.

"Oh, I also want to try that too, Hajime!" Shea added.

"Sure, sure, we can order those as takeout."

"Surely I could have some too, right?" Gojo smiled.

"Fuck off." Hajime retorted.

Dark Magician Girl looked around, enjoying the smell of the food in the room while locking arms with Gojo and leaning on his shoulder. They strolled leisurely through the room, passing a curtain concealing other guests.

Behind the curtain, a woman stiffened, her gaze fixated as if willing it to pierce through the fabric. Aiko sprang to her feet so suddenly her chair toppled behind her, rushing to yank open the curtain.

It slid apart smoothly, revealing Hajime, Yue, Shea, Gojo, and Anam standing a few feet away.

Before she could even get a good look at him, Aiko shouted his name.

"Nagumo-kun!"

"Huh...? Sensei?"

Standing in front of Aiko was a surprised boy with white hair and an eyepatch covering one eye.

"Oh… This sounds like trouble." Gojo muttered.

***

He looked very different from the Hajime that Aiko remembered. Not just his appearance, but even his demeanor felt different.

The boy Aiko knew was a gentle, mature individual who always seemed to be spacing out in class. She had always thought that awkward smile he wore when people talked to him suited him well.

However, the boy in front of him had a gaze as sharp as a hawk's, making it difficult to approach him.

Still, close inspection revealed that his facial features and voice closely resembled the same Hajime she remembered. And more than anything... he had called her Sensei.

That was what made it certain. Even if his appearance and the way he carried himself had changed, the boy standing in front of her was none other than her student, Hajime Nagumo.

"Nagumo-kun... it's really you, isn't it? You're alive... You're still alive..."

"Uh no, you must have mistaken me for someone else. Bye."

Hajime started to head towards the exit and we soon followed suit.

"Huh?"

It was a miraculous reunion with the student she'd thought long dead. Tears sprung to Aiko's eyes. "What were you doing all this time? What happened to you? I'm so glad you're alright!" There were a mountain of things she wanted to say, but she couldn't get the words out. And yet, all Hajime replied with was a curt dismissal.

Aiko let out a confused mutter. Even her tears seemed to retreat back into their ducts. But when Hajime started walking toward the inn's exit, she suddenly returned to her senses and chased after him. She grabbed him by the sleeve and tried talking to him.

"Wait just one minute! It's definitely you, isn't it, Nagumo-kun? You called me Sensei just now! There's no way you could be anyone else."

"No really, you just misheard me. I just... said stunted, in a really thick accent. Yeah."

Excuse me, who are you calling short!? I'll have you know that's very rude! And that's the worst excuse I've ever heard. Why did you try to trick me? And that arm and that eye... What exactly happened to you? What have you been doing until now? And why didn't you come back to us? Answer me, Nagumo-kun! You can't fool your teacher!" Aiko's shouting echoed throughout the inn.

Most of the other diners were watching curiously, wondering what their fertility goddess was doing with this guy.

This teacher was starting to get on my nerves. Unlike Hajime, me and Dark Magician Girl were able to slowly back out and get out of here. They couldn't even recognize Dark Magician Girl as Anam, and they surely weren't even paying attention to me.

"Oi, get back here! Don't leave me with them" Hajime yelled, turning to face Gojo and Dark Magician Girl.

"I've never met that guy in my entire life! GOOD LUCK, HAJIME!" Gojo ran off, laughing, with Dark Magician Girl in his arms.

Hajime hadn't expected to run into his old teacher and classmates while out on a quest for the branch chief. His shock was what had led him to accidentally let slip that first "Sensei," all but sealing his fate.

Battered by Aiko's onslaught of questions, Hajime looked to the magic eight ball in his mind for suggestions, but all he got were worthless choices like "run away," "keep pretending she's got the wrong guy," "act like a weird foreigner, or "kidnap Ai-chan." The last one was especially terrible.

***

Gojo left Hajime to "enjoy" the reunion and set off with Dark Magician Girl, who wanted to explore the town. To keep her in good spirits, he occasionally treated her to snacks and drinks.

After a pleasant time together, they found themselves sitting on a wooden bridge, watching the sunset over the lake. Eventually the two returned to the tavern just as Hajime and the others were exiting.

"What a coincidence, deja hava nice reunion?" Gojo remarked.

"Tsk." Hajime clicked his tongue.

"Oh, right. Who am I kidding? It's always troublesome with people back in your world." Gojo shrugged, following them back to their accommodations for the night. Before they parted ways, Gojo handed Hajime a bag filled with onigiri and Japanese snacks, which Hajime accepted begrudgingly.

Later on, Gojo and Dark Magician Girl barged into Hajime's room, deciding to hang out for the night. They stayed up a little late, chatting and sharing stories before eventually calling it a night. The guys played Yu-Gi-Oh (with duel disks) while the girls chit-chatted, creating a lively atmosphere that lasted well into the evening.

However Hajime had a plan on his own late at night. To sneak into the teacher's room and explain what he has been doing and what he will be doing. He has a plan for this reason.

Hajime understood her quite well. Aiko was always thinking of her students, so she wouldn't be easily swayed by the pope's honeyed words like the students had been, and do what was best for them. Hajime believed her words would carry significant weight among them, potentially influencing their decisions more than his own could. Just how much of an influence that would be, he didn't know.

Eventually, tales of Hajime's labyrinth conquest would spread, and he was certain the god would eventually do something to intervene. So, by having Kouki stray from their plan, Hajime hoped to delay the gods' interference in his own business, or at the very least split their attention.

And the very faint hope that they too might start searching for an alternative way back home after learning they couldn't rely on the gods. Lastly, he knew that the Liberators had been defeated because the gods had manipulated the people and turned them against them, so in order to avoid having that happen with his former classmates, he wanted to plant the seeds of doubt early.

Though this was all something Hajime had just come up with after seeing Aiko again, so he wasn't exactly expecting much.

Hajime didn't hold any grudge against his old classmates, nor did he particularly care for them. If they could be useful to him, he would utilize them; if not, he would leave them be. He'd found a way they might help, which was the only reason he bothered to pass this information along.

***

It was Dawn.

The glimmer of the moon was fading rapidly, its light being siphoned by the sun rising to the east. Hajime, Yue, and Shea were already ready to depart. Dark Magician Girl was pulling Gojo by his arms as they walked. The five of them were standing outside the Water Sprite Inn, their packs filled with rice balls for the road.

Despite the extremely early hour, Foss (innkeeper) had prepared breakfast for them without complaint.

Truly a first-rate inn. Always one to give credit where credit was due, Hajime thanked Foss profusely for the riceballs and the service.

The food was considered quite good even by his standards. Might be due to the fact the crops were grown by a hero class farmer but it doesn't change the fact that the food was good.

They quickly left for the north gate, the morning mist still clinging to the ground. The path beyond the gate stretched on toward the mountains.

Today would mark the fifth day since Will Cudeta's party disappeared in the mountains. Chances were they were long dead. Hajime doubted he'd find anyone alive, but Anam insisted that he is. If he did bring them back alive, that would make Ilwa like Hajime all the more, so he wanted to start looking as fast as possible. Fortunately, the weather was fair. The perfect day for a search.

The sounds of a town waking up could be heard as they headed down the main street. After a few minutes, they reached the north gate.

As they approached, Hajime sensed a few people standing by the exit and narrowed his eyes. They weren't moving.

As the morning mist cleared... he saw Aiko, Yuka, and the other six students.

"I'm not tryna sound rude. But are those your friends?" Gojo asked as he turned to look at Hajime.

"They aren't." Hajime retorted.

"Hoh… Sounds about right. Leftover scraps of the hero's party. Wouldn't want to associate with them." Gojo smirked, earning a pinch on the cheek from his wife.

The students, overhearing Gojo's remark, clicked their tongues in annoyance but chose not to argue, seeing Hajime's clear stance. Additionally, Gojo's overwhelming presence as he approached intimidated them, adding to their reluctance to speak up.

Despite the pinch on his cheek, Gojo exuded an unapproachable air. Beside him stood a woman shorter than him, her fingers still gripping his cheek, though she seemed to be affectionately close to him.

"Satoru Gojo. Strongest sorcerer of today. Pleasure to meet you, fertility goddess." Gojo greeted Hajime's teacher with a touch of humor.

"Please don't call me that." Aiko immediately replied, with a tired voice.

"Anam Gojo..." Dark Magician Girl reintroduced herself timidly, still pinching her husband's cheek. The students and even their teacher reacted with shock.

"Huh?! What? HAHHH!? Anam?!" Aiko exclaimed in surprise, staring between Anam and Gojo.

"Woah woah woah. Then that means that dude is Anam's husband," one of the students remarked, realization dawning on them. "Why is he wearing a blindfold?" another one asked.

As they took a closer look, they noticed Gojo's blindfold propping up his distinctive white hair, which had been obscured before. Some of the girls gulped at the sight of him—handsome was the first word that came to mind.

"What happened to you, Anam?! You disappeared for so long?!" one of the female students asked as she cautiously approached her.

"Things happened, and I ended up helping Hajime. Now, as you can see, I'm with my husband. We're traveling together with Hajime and the others due to some circumstances," Anam replied, her face radiating contentment and happiness. She had a dreamy look in her eyes as she faced Gojo.

Dark Magician Girl no longer looked the same as before. She had lost her white hair, blue eyes, tall stature, and bombshell figure. Yet, she remained as beautiful as ever.

Many of the guys felt extremely envious but couldn't do anything about it, while the girls blushed at Anam's statement and appearance. Their imaginations and misunderstandings ran wild.

"Oh, right!" Aiko exclaimed, remembering her original intention after being momentarily caught off guard. "We're coming with you. You're looking for a missing person, right? It's better to have more people searching. You see we are also looking for a person too!"

"No thanks," Hajime replied. "If you want to come, you're welcome to, but we're not going together."

"Wh-why not?" Aiko asked, clearly taken aback.

"Seriously? You dumbasses should just stick to farming. You are going to make us do more work covering your asses—"

Before Gojo could finish, his wife's hand clamped over his mouth, silencing him.

[You shouldn't be rude to the heroes of this world!] Dark Magician Girl scolded him, her voice sharp.

[I was just suggesting they stick to their roles] Gojo mumbled through his wife's hand, trying to defend himself. [It would save us a lot of time if they simply stayed out of it.]

"Because of the difference in our speed." Hajime ignored Gojo and nodded at Anam, "I'm not going to match your slow place, Sensei." Hajime stared pointedly at the horses standing behind Yuka. They couldn't hope to match a car's speed.

At Hajime's words, Yuka looked around, then tilted her head in confusion. As far as she could see, there wasn't any other means of transportation in sight.

"You're saying we're too slow, but... hey, Nagumo. You're not going to say something crazy like you can run faster than these horses or anything, right? Just because you don't care about us anymore doesn't give you the right to lie to us, you know? And if you really can run faster that's even worse... Honestly, that crazy pressure you released yesterday was like that too, it's like you've stopped being human."

Hajime was taken aback by Yuka's bluntness. Though he couldn't deny that he probably could outrun a horse just by running. In a sense, he really had stopped being human.

"For the record, we killed a lot of humans who were our enemies. So, yeah, we stopped being human for a long time ago—" Gojo declared boldly. He started to speak further, but his wife swiftly covered his mouth with both of her hands, silencing him.

"You did not need to mention that," Hajime responded, neither adding to nor rejecting what Gojo had said.

"They are a liability if they are allowed to come. On top of that, we might even have to look after them for the useless lot they are." Gojo managed to break free after licking the hands that were covering his mouth. "Letting them do as they please because they have a reliable teacher leading them is just wishful thinking."

Dark Magician Girl scowled briefly, but Gojo quickly placated her by taking out one of her most favorite drinks, a Hong Kong Style Coffee Milk Tea, and she forgave him instantly. 'Everything Gojo does is for a good reason,' she thought as she sipped the cold drink.

A/N: The drink is called Ying Yeung, a mixed coffee-tea drink based on Hong Kong.

Hajime pondered in silence, considering Gojo's words.

Aiko's face twisted in horror as she processed what Gojo had said. She wasn't too surprised since Hajime had come into her room last night and recounted the story to her.

"Then then… Oh my gosh…" Yuka was speechless. Gasps of surprise echoed among the other students at Gojo's revelation. Killing humans?

"Anyway, we're going, so get out of the way." Hajime took a car out of thin air, seemingly out of nowhere (from the treasure trove). However, Aiko, as determined as ever, blocked his path, insisting on joining them at any cost.

Though it was half-coincidence that Yuka and the others were here too. In order to ambush Hajime on his way out, Aiko had gotten up even before the crack of dawn. Yuka, who'd slept very little because of the previous day's events, had just happened to spot Aiko leaving her room.

Dressed in traveling gear as she was, there was no way she could have fooled Yuka. After learning that Aiko was going to try and join Hajime on his quest, Yuka had said "Then I'll come too! Just give me 40 seconds to get ready!"

She insisted that if Aiko was going, the Ai-chan defense force would too, and she woke up all the other students and got them to tag along. They didn't wake the knights, though, as they figured they'd just get into another fight with Hajime, so they just left a letter telling them to wait at the inn. Whether or not they actually would was a different matter... Aiko sidled up to Hajime and whispered to him quietly.

It was obvious Aiko didn't want others hearing what she had to say. This close up, Hajime could tell that she was hiding the dark circles under her eyes with makeup. Did she not sleep at all last night?

"Nagumo-kun. As a teacher, I have to know more about what you told me last night, so until you agree to sit down and have a proper talk I'll never let you out of my sight. And if you do manage to escape, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth. I'm sure you'd like to avoid that, right? It can be while we're traveling or searching even, but I need you to make time to talk. If you do that, then I'll be willing to say our farewells once your job here is done... for now." Seeing the determination in her eyes, Hajime regretted telling her that last bit of information the previous night.

"...Pause. Hajime, You did what now? Did you go to her room alone in the middle of the night? Yue, why are you letting your man play around—" Gojo's mouth was covered by Dark Magician Girl and was pulled inside to the car to prevent further misunderstanding. Naturally only the sensitive group heard everything (Yue, Shea, Gojo, Anam, and Hajime).

Aiko continued to give reasons and was stubborn to a fault. Even if Hajime slipped away here, he could easily see her organizing the entire knight corps of the kingdom to search for him.

He looked up at the sky, and saw it was quickly growing brighter. If he wanted to find Will alive, he didn't have time to waste on a long question and answer session. 'I guess you reap what you sow.' Hajime sighed deeply, then met Aiko's gaze.

He could send both Gojo and Anam to complete this mission alone, utilizing their ability to fly or move swiftly, but that would come at a cost—either owing them a favor or adding to their already complicated contract. Since he was already this far in he would see this mission to the end.

"Fine. You can come with us. Though I doubt we'll have any time to really talk."

"That's fine. There's just some things I want to confirm with you directly."

"Haah, you just don't give up, do you, Sensei? No matter what you do or where you are, you're still our teacher."

"That's right!" Aiko proudly puffed out her chest. Seeing that negotiations had ended favorably, Yuka and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Hajime agreed, the group had no choice but to comply. They didn't voice any objections

and went inside the car. However the other 'heroes' had to comply with sitting outside the car since the car was cramped inside.Only the teacher sat inside the car.

On the front seat there was Hajime, Aiko, and Yue. While on the backseat gamers, Gojo, Anam, and Shea. On the outside we had Yuka and 3 other students.

As Hajime and Aiko drove, they spoke in a serious discussion about specific details. Meanwhile, in the back seat, I took it upon myself to enlighten Shea about how to be a proper housewife in Hajime's world, since our world was similar (lie). Shea eagerly listened, completely absorbed with my bullshit. While the Dark Magician Girl was trying to shut me up with her hands and telling her to not listen to him. We were having a fun time, since we were unable to play music lest we disrupt Hajime and Aiko's earnest discussion.

Meanwhile, Hajime and Aiko's conversation was heading in an interesting direction.

Aiko had gleaned as much information as she could from Hajime. The more she learned, the more she was convinced someone had tried to kill him, but she still didn't want to believe it. When she'd asked him if anyone seemed particularly suspicious, Hajime had just snorted and said that everyone did. Hajime had floated the possibility that it might have been Hiyama. He was, of course, right on the mark, but at present he only saw Hiyama as one of the possible suspects.

"Hiyama did it," Anam declared loudly, ensuring everyone inside could hear.

"Yeah, definitely," Gojo agreed, backing her up.

"Seriously, Hajime. You'd have to be blind not to see it was him," Anam added with a sigh.

"I knew it was him when I first saw him through Anam's eyes." Gojo yawned.

Aiko slumped, exhausted from a sleepless night compounded by this new revelation. Now, one of their classmates was practically a guaranteed murderer.

"What… it was Hiyama-kun?" Aiko started drooping. From the lack of sleep she had today and then dealing with more new information on top of that. An exact student now who is highly likely a murderer. Aiko wasn't sure how to bring a potential murderer back on the right path, nor did she know how to make them atone for their crime. She continued agonizing over it for a while longer, but the gentle rolling of the truck and the soft sheet she'd wrapped herself in beckoned her to the land of dreams. Finally, her head drooped forward, and she fell fast asleep onto Hajime's lap.

"...Hiyama. I will remember it. The bastard who hurt Hajime." Yue coldly said.

***

Finally the group reached The Northern Mountain Range. Mountains ranging from 1000 meters above sea level to 8000 meters above sea level existed within the range, and the flora and even environment varied drastically from mountain to mountain. One mountain might be covered in trees with leaves the vibrant color of fall, but the next mountain over would be a dense green jungle. And then there were mountains that resembled desolate wastelands.

The first four rows of mountains had been somewhat explored, but beyond lay uncharted territory. Our current position was on the eastern side, approximately 600 kilometers (around 372 miles) from Ur town.

Eventually we all got out of the car, Hajime put Brise back in his Treasure Trove and pulled something else out.

A thirty centimeter long model bird and a ring with a tiny stone embedded inside it. The body of the bird was gray, but it had a crystal affixed to its head.

Hajime put the ring on, pulled another four model birds from his Treasure Trove, and threw them into the air. Contrary to expectations, the model birds did not fall to the ground. Instead, they floated freely in the sky. Aiko and the others gasped in surprise.

The four birds circled in place for a few seconds before gliding toward the mountain.

"Umm, what exactly..." Aiko trailed off as she watched the artificial birds glide away without making a single sound.

Hajime's reply was "Scouting drones." In a sense, these objects were even more unfit for a fantasy world than his guns or cars.

"Nice," Gojo thought to himself with a grin. 'Hajime's stock just keeps going up.'

As they watched Hajime's Ornises fly off into the distance, Gojo removed his blindfold and scanned the surroundings. After a moment of contemplation, he gestured towards a path, indicating the direction we should take. Then put his blindfold back on.

"There's a lake by that direction with what seemed to be a kamehameha blast." Gojo said. Naturally Hajime then controlled his drones to that direction and scout and also headed towards that area.

Gojo, Shea, Yue, and Anam went ahead to scout, leaving Hajime in charge of guiding the group of students.

After a little over an hour of walking, they finally reached their destination. They stopped there in order to investigate more thoroughly, and because…

"Haah... Haaah... F-Finally, we can take a break...Ugh... Haah... Haah..."

"Haah... Haaah... Are you alright... Ai-chan-sensei?"

"Ack... Urgh... Can we rest now? Haah... Haah... We can, right? I'm sitting down, okay?"

"Ahhhhhh..." "Haaah... Haaah... You and your friends are monsters, Nagumo..." Aiko and the students had even less stamina than Hajime had expected. Of course Aiko and the others had far greater stats than most people in this world, so climbing this far wouldn't normally tire them out so.

Hajime's group had been going so fast that they'd had to sprint all out just to keep up. And sprinting nonstop up an unfamiliar mountain path was more draining than they had expected.

Hajime sighed as he looked over at the other students.

He decided to go ahead of the group of students as well. Thanks to the view from his Ornises, he had a pretty good idea of the overall geography. He told Aiko how far the river was from them and left the students there.

Soon enough, Hajime heard the sound of rushing water, indicating the river was nearby. The sounds of nature were pleasing to the ears. Shea especially was enjoying the river walking around barefoot, her rabbit ears flopping about happily.

Yue was just dipping her feet into the river and relaxing for a bit.

Dark Magician Girl and Gojo were deeply immersed in play by the riverbank. Dark Magician Girl giggled as she splashed water around playfully, while Gojo suddenly just shouted, "Konoha's Leaf Whirlwind!" With a swift, powerful kick, he sent a massive wave surging diagonally, soaking Dark Magician Girl in a spectacular splash.

Not content with just one target, Gojo aimed the same move at Shea and Yue. Yue reacted swiftly, raising a barrier and glaring at him, while Shea, now soaked and furious, retaliated with a similar kick, sending a wave towards Gojo. In response, he countered with his own wave, the water play escalating between them.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gojo roared with laughter, effortlessly countering each of Shea's attacks. Shea, visibly annoyed by being drenched, was determined to retaliate. Seizing her chance, Anam joined in, attempting to splash water from behind, but Gojo was quick to counter her move as well.

They were clearly having too much fun. Eventually, Gojo roped Hajime into the game, whether he liked it or not. In the end, Gojo, thanks to his powers, Infinity, was the only one who didn't get soaked, even after all four of them ganged up on him.

Finally, Aiko and the others recovered enough to catch up to Hajime. They weren't very happy about being left behind, so they glared testily at them when they arrived.

Fortunately, by the time they arrived, Yue and Anam's magic had already dried all their clothes off.

After stumbling upon the mountain stream, we discovered Will lying face down, concealed by the riverbank. Thankfully, he was alive and unharmed, just unconscious. Rather than waking him immediately, we decided to make the most of the serene river, passing the time until Aiko and the others caught up with us.

After taking in the sight of everyone gathered there, Hajime ventured further, stumbling upon clues and discoveries that stretched belief.

"Do you think it could have been a dragon?" Hajime asked Gojo, seeking his opinion.

"No shit. The myths about dragon no longer existing is bullshit if I ever heard one. We are in a god damn fantasy world." Gojo shrugged. "Though it could have been a kamehameha blast though."

"It doesn't matter if it's a dragon or what not. If any of them are my enemies, I'll kill them," Hajime asserted firmly.

"Hai, hai." Gojo waved him off.

Returning back to the river. Hajime went over to the unconscious Will and flicked his forehead with his artificial arm.

"Guwah!" He awoke with a scream and covered his forehead with both hands. Aiko shuddered at Hajime's callousness. He didn't bother mincing words.

"Are you Will Cudeta? The third son of the Cudeta family?"

"I, uhh... Who are you guys? What are you doing here?" The man's eyes darted about wildly. Hajime got his hand ready for another flick and rested it against the man's forehead.

"Answer the question. Every time you tell me something other than an answer, I'm going to flick you twice as hard as the last time."

"Huh!?"

"Are you Will Cudeta?" "Umm... Uwaah, yes! I am! I'm Will Cudeta! That's me!" The man stammered for a moment, but Hajime's sharp glare silenced any protests he might have, and he answered with more vigor than his pale face would suggest.

'So he really is Will Cudeta.' By some miracle, he had actually survived.

"I see. I'm Hajime. Hajime Nagumo. I've come looking for you at Chief Ilwa Chang's request. I'm glad you're alive." That'll make life much easier.

"Ilwa-san sent you!? I see. I guess... I owe him another debt for this. Umm, thank you for coming here. If Ilwa-san sent you, you must be pretty strong."

There was a mixture of gratitude and respect in his gaze. It seemed he wasn't too bothered by that earlier flick to his forehead. He seemed like a surprisingly nice fellow. Completely unlike that other pig-faced noble Hajime had encountered. Glad he didn't have to beat an answer out of Will, Hajime motioned for Yue, Shea, Gojo, and Anam to introduce themselves before asking what had happened.

Seeing now there are two silver ranks in Hajime's party, Will was more relieved.

They were minding their own business and hunting when they stumbled upon ten Bulltaurs. These powerful monsters were a formidable sight, and more were approaching. Realizing they were outnumbered, the group retreated, running toward a nearby mountain. Soon, they found themselves surrounded, and advancing from another direction was a black dragon, waiting to strike.

As they burst out onto the riverbank, the dragon unleashed its searing breath, sending Will flying into the river. As he was swept downstream, the last thing he saw was one of his party members being incinerated, while the remaining two were trapped between the dragon and the horde of Bulltaurs.

After tumbling down a waterfall, Will stumbled into a cavern and had been hiding there ever since. His tale eerily resembled that of someone else he knew.

He despised himself even more for feeling relieved when help finally arrived, despite the fact that his comrades had all perished. Those emotions came to a head as he recounted his story, leaving him a sobbing mess. "I-I'm the worst. Everyone died, but even though I was useless, I survived... and then... I even felt happy when I learned I was saved!"

Will's sobs echoed through the cavern. No one said anything. No one knew what to say to the sobbing young man who blamed himself for his comrades' deaths. Yuka and the others especially so, because they understood exactly what he was feeling.

"Well. To be honest if you want to unalive yourself now's your chance." Gojo muttered, his eyes focused on the riverbank outside rather than on the group.

"What the hell? Why would you say that—" someone started, but their words trailed off as they noticed Gojo staring intently at something despite wearing a blindfold. The rest of the group turned to see what had caught his attention.

Despite the distractions, they couldn't ignore what Gojo had noticed. Outside, a small, dark figure steadily advanced along the riverbank, moving closer with each passing moment.

As the figure drew nearer, Anam squinted, trying to make out what it might be. "Hey, isn't that...?" she started to say, but her words trailed off as realization dawned on her.

The moment the group quickly exited the waterfall cavern using Yue's magic, they were greeted by a fearsome sight.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A dragon, its scales jet black and its eyes glinting a cruel gold, glared down at them from the sky.

It was easily seven meters long. Claws as big and sharp as swords jutted from its forelegs. The wings sprouting from its back were glimmering faintly, covered in a sheen of mana.

Every time the dragon flapped its wings, an unbelievably powerful gust of wind blew past them. Still, what stood out most of all were the two eyes that glowed as gold as the moon amidst a sea of pitch black. Its pupils were slitted, giving them a reptilian appearance, while its eyes were narrowed in a dangerous glare, making the light they emitted all the more beautiful.

"A dragon," Gojo whistled in awe. A real-life fantasy dragon. But this black dragon is a heroine...

Aiko and the others froze in place, like deer caught in headlights. Will trembled so fiercely that he looked ready to collapse. He was probably having flashbacks to the last time he'd been attacked.

This dragon was at least three times more powerful than Hajime had anticipated. Though he was certain its strength couldn't compare to the Hydra he'd fought at the bottom of the abyss, it was at least as powerful as the monsters he'd encountered ninety floors down.

Upon spotting Will, the dragon's gaze locked onto him. Suddenly, it reared its head back and opened its jaws, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. A tremendous amount of mana began to gather in its mouth.

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaa! A strange keening sound echoed throughout the sunset orange mountains. Hajime suddenly remembered Will describing the breath that had gouged out part of the river and incinerated an adventurer on the spot.

"Everyone, run!" Hajime leaped to the side as he screamed. Yue and Shea followed suit. However, most people... No, everyone else didn't react to Hajime's warning.

Naturally, Hajime's expression turned incredulous. "Seriously?"

Aiko, Yuka, the other students couldn't react, and even Will was still frozen in place. Aiko and the others were too surprised to react properly, but Will was frozen in fear. He couldn't even summon the presence of mind to look away.

Suddenly, Dark Magician Girl comically shoved Gojo to the front of the group just as a beam blasted out from the dragon's mouth. Gojo's face registered complete surprise as he blinked, finding himself face-to-face with the dragon's fiery blast.

Knowing that Gojo's Limitless technique was deactivated, she swiftly pushed him to the front of the group, using him as a shield while hiding behind him. Because his limitless ability will help save them all!

Hajime quickly activated his Supersonic Step, instantly returning to his previous position between the dragon and the students. Using telepathy, he relayed urgent orders to Yue and Shea.

A second later, the dragon's black breath sliced through the air with the precision of a laser. Gojo activated his Limitless technique, and Hajime quickly retrieved a two-meter-tall, coffin-shaped shield from his treasure trove. The beam traveled faster than sound, most of it was blocked by Gojo's technique; the remainder crashed into Hajime's shield, mere moments after it was fired. The intense heat from the black laser was so great that it melted the ground around them.

The dragon roared, its massive wings beating furiously as it advanced.

Thanks to Gojo, Hajime easily blocked the remaining force and quickly formulated a plan. Anam, Shea and Yue were already in formation and making moves of their own. Anam and Yue continuously launched magic attacks, one after another, to grab aggro while Shea leaped into the air, hurtling down toward the dragon with Drucken at the ready.

"Eat this~ Desu!" Shea yelled, rabbit ears flapping wildly in the wind. She used numerous shotgun blasts to accelerate her fall, swinging her hammer down at the dragon's head. She gave it her all, reinforcing her body to the highest level. That was Hajime's order to Yue and Shea: go all out and let Shea deliver the finishing blow.

There was a thunderous impact as she landed.

The force of her blow created a crater so large that it looked like the area had just been bombed. Her smash had been a magnitude more powerful than the one she'd used on the Miledi Golem.

It slammed into the dragon's head with a resounding crash.

The force of the blow had Shea doing a near handstand as her body flew into the air, and the dragon's head slammed into the ground with earth shattering force. After the shockwaves died down, silence reigned on the mountainside.

"Way too anticlimactic. All that armor and scales, and what we did was give it a concussion," Gojo remarked, his eyes still on the fallen dragon.

"Hmm? Yeah, looks like it's at least as tough as the monsters in the abyss I faced. Wonder how many mountain ranges it had to pass to get here." Half-amazed, half just annoyed, Hajime walked up to the collapsed dragon. His Sense Presence told Hajime the dragon was still alive, so he moved in to finish it off.

He extracted a pile bunker that was attached to the coffin and readied it for the final strike.

"Oh my," Gojo covered his mouth, knowing what was about to happen.

Hajime carried it on his shoulder as he circled around to the dragon's rear. Then, he held the spike like a javelin, and prepared to toss it into the dragon's ass. The massive black spike would be more than enough to finish the job.

Honestly at first Anam didn't understand what Hajime was doing… until Gojo whispered the details into her ears. Anam's face flushing red and eyes widened as she turned to look at Hajime.

Everyone grimaced as they realized what Hajime was planning on doing. True, destroying or piercing through the dragon's scales seemed like a daunting task, but this was still too much. Everyone except Gojo, Yue and Shea shuddered at his merciless decision, but Hajime paid them no mind.

"Let's see how you like this being shoved up your ass, you stupid dragon." Without a moment's hesitation, he plunged black the spike as far into the dragon's butt as he could.

A second later—

"Aaaaaaaaah! How dare youuu!" The dragon let out an anguished scream as it opened its eyes.

As the spike had only gone in halfway, Hajime had been planning on punching it in further, but the dragon's screams, which sounded very much like words, surprised him so much that he unclenched his fist.

"My backside~ My poor backside~" Its pained, agonized, and oddly impassioned scream was so unexpected that it shocked everyone but Gojo.

While everyone else was surprised to hear a voice that came from the Dragon. Gojo saw the red-slit eyes of the black dragon dragon abruptly turn yellow.

"Take it out~ Please take it out~" The voice that echoed through the riverbed sounded pitiful. And decidedly feminine. The dragon's jaws weren't moving, so she was clearly using some kind of wide-area telepathy to broadcast her voice.

Seeing this happen in reality was quite a jaw-dropping surreal experience. Gojo thought.

Though the presence of a black dragon here itself was out of the ordinary. It made absolutely no sense for a monster on par with the creatures Hajime had faced off in the labyrinth to be wandering the surface like this. And if by some chance there was a dragon's nest nearby, there's no way it would have remained hidden.

That left only two possibilities. First, that it was an undocumented kind of monster that had come from beyond the fifth layer of mountains, where no one had ever explored. Or second…

"Are you... one of the dragonmen?" The dragon stiffened up upon hearing Hajime's question. It appeared that it hadn't wanted the fact that it was a dragonman to be found out.

"How could I make such a blunder..." she muttered regretfully. She wasn't sure if the boy before her had found out because of how odd her movements had been while she was controlled, or because she'd accidentally spoke after being nailed in the ass... Chances were it was both.

"...Indeed. I am a proud member of the dragonman race. There are a number of reasons why I ended up here. I will explain all, so may I please ask that you remove that object from my anus? I am nearly out of mana. And if I was to return to my original form as is... suffice to say my backside would end up in a most... unsightly state."

"...What are you doing here?" Yue took over the questioning. Even for a vampire the dragonmen were a legendary race. And just like Yue, this dragon was quite possibly the last survivor of her race. Naturally, Yue was interested. Curiosity sparkled in her eyes.

"Like I said, I will explain so please take that thing out of me... My mana is nearly depleted... Hey, stop that! Don't keep pounding it in! The stimulation— The stimulation will—"

"Yue's the one asking questions here, you punk!" Hajime said, acting like a common thug, and started pounding on the spike with his fist.

Gojo whispered to Dark Magician Girl, explaining the predictable fate of such protagonists. "This guy is going to court her and add her into his harem in the future."

The black dragon writhed and screamed. The solemn dignity she'd radiated upon their first meeting was nowhere to be found.

In essence, here's what happened: The black dragon had a mission—to investigate visitors summoned from another world—which led her away from the dragonmen's secluded village. Several months ago, a dragonman with keen perception sensed a significant surge of mana, indicating someone had entered their world. Although the dragonmen typically avoided meddling in external affairs, they couldn't ignore these mysterious visitors and dispatched the black dragon to gather intelligence. Her plan was to cross the mountains, assume a human guise, blend in, and discreetly gather information. During a rest in the valley between mountain ranges, she transformed into her dragon form to rest, safeguarded by the innate magic of her kind, Dragonification.

While asleep, she was attacked by a shadowy figure cloaked in black robes, who used dark magic to slowly manipulate and corrupt her mind. Normally, such an assault would awaken anyone, but…

While she was still sleeping, a man hidden in the shadows of a black robe had appeared before her. He had used a combination of dark magic to brainwash her and erode her mind little by little.

This is where the dragonmen's bad habit worked to the man's advantage. Dragonmen were notoriously hard to wake in their dragon forms. Only a good kick to the arse could rouse them from their slumber. That being said, dragonmen were also known for their immense willpower, and a dragonman of her caliber wouldn't have been easy to control. 

The reason that man had been able to take over her mind so perfectly was because…

"He was a truly terrifying human. His proficiency with dark magic was so great that I daresay he must have been some kind of genius. And he had had nearly a whole day to work his magic on me. I may be fearsome, but even I cannot withstand such an attack..." She trailed off sadly, as if that had been the greatest blunder of her life.

Unfortunately for her, Hajime was merciless with his words.

"So what you're telling me is that you were in such a deep sleep that you didn't even notice when someone was hovering over you casting magic on you for an entire day?" Everyone looked at her like she was an idiot.

However the dragon only stared off in the distance and continued as if he'd said nothing. Eventually the story continued until it reached the point where the rest everyone knew.

"...Are you fucking kidding me." Once the dragon finished her explanation, a low, trembling voice echoed through the silence. Everyone turned around in surprise. There was a murderous rage in Will's gaze as he glared at the dragon, his hands balled up into fists.

"...Are you saying it's not your fault because you were controlled... that it's not your fault you killed Gale-san, Navare-san, Lent-san, Wisry-san and Kurt-san!?" The anger he'd felt at the death of his comrades had continually been building up underneath the mountain of panic that had occupied his thoughts until now. Finally, it had boiled over in a violent outburst of shouting.

"..." The black dragon didn't reply. She stared quietly into Will's eyes, absorbing his pain and anger. That calm attitude only served to enrage Will further.

"Besides, who's to say you're even telling the truth! For all we know this is all bullshit you made up so we spare your life!"

"...Everything I told you just now is the truth. I swear it's my pride as a dragonman." Will opened his mouth to protest again. But he was cut off by Yue.

"...She's not lying."

"What proof do you have that..." Will's voice trailed off as a single look from Yue silenced him. Later, Yue and Tio engaged in a deep conversation, discovering a lot about each other.

"Just saying, her eyes were red at first, After that stick up her ass, her eyes turned yellow. Pretty sure she was being mind-controlled," Gojo chimed in with his discovery.

"...Even so, it doesn't change the fact that you killed them... Even if it was against your will... you still did it! Gale-san said he was going to propose once this mission was over! Just what did they die for..." He understood logically that the dragon wasn't to blame. But he couldn't help himself. Even if he understood it in his head, he couldn't accept it in his heart. He ground his teeth together as a dark fog of anger enveloped his thoughts.

"Oh my god, bro. Who the fuck care about your friends dying or not. Just go make new friends." Gojo complained. "Sheesh."

Gojo's nonchalant remark cut through the tension, drawing ire from Will. "Seriously? You don't care that my friends were murdered?" Will snapped, his anger boiling over.

"Bro I am not getting paid enough to take care of this kid. Anyways this mission is pretty much done. Ima teleport him out, yeah?" Gojo asked to confirm with the group leader.

"Yeah mission complete… but before that lets kill the lizard first." Hajime stared at the fallen lizard and was going to finish what he first started.

"If you say I must die for my crimes, then I shall accept that punishment. However, could you not give me some time? Before I die, I must at least destroy that dangerous man. That man is trying to create an army of monsters. The dragonmen have always kept their distance from the affairs of the continent, however after what he did, it is my responsibility to stop him. I cannot allow him to run free... I understand what I am asking of you is selfish. But will you please grant me the opportunity to stop this tragedy before it gets any worse?" Everyone's expressions changed when they heard the words "army of monsters." They all looked to Hajime. At some point, he had become the effective leader of their group. The one who'd fought the dragon off had been him, so it seemed natural to entrust the decision to him as well.

His response was as casual and swift as always. "I really don't give a damn about your responsibilities. You caused us quite a bit of trouble. So for that you'll have to die."

He raised his artificial arm and made a fist. Dark Magician Girl was about to make a move but Gojo stopped her.

"Please wait! Y-You cannot seriously mean to kill me now, not after all I just said! I'm begging you, please let me go. Once I settle my affairs I'll let you do whatever you want with me! So please! Think of the future generations that might yet be saved!"

Hajime ignored her and brought his fist down. But it never reached its intended target. Before he could pound the spike further in, Yue hugged him from behind. She lifted her face to his ear and muttered some words in a hushed tone.

[Told ya so.] Gojo said telepathically.

Dark Magician Girl couldn't believe that Hajime was going to stop. Hajime had shown no mercy to his enemies before, and here he was completely disregarding anything the dragon said. Hell, she was going to make a move and protect the dragon if Hajime was dead set on killing it.

Yue didn't want to let the dragon die. As she had growing up respecting the dragonmen race, letting Hajime kill her would leave a bad taste in Yue's mouth.

And while the battle had eventually devolved into the death match, technically speaking she had initially been after Will.

There was one other reason Yue had stopped Hajime.

Yue understood very well Hajime's worldview. But she couldn't see the dragon before her in the same light as the enemies they'd killed before. After everything she'd experienced as the vampires' monarch, Yue had a good eye for people. And Yue could tell that the dragon truly had no intention of becoming Hajime's enemy. Yue didn't want Hajime to kill anyone that wasn't truly his enemy.

Sensing Yue's worries, Hajime cocked his head and thought about whether that black dragon really was his enemy. Hajime wasn't so naive as to worry about whether his opponent was being controlled or not in the middle of a fight. He would kill anything standing in his way. But seeing how Yue didn't want the dragon to die , he gave it a lot more thought.

'This is good. Very good. Things are still following like canon.' Gojo happily thought. 'Not that far until we collect all 7 ages of god magic…'

After a while Hajime had to take the stick out of the Dragon's ass and that was hard to look at. A few seconds after her incoherent rambling, the dragon's body was wrapped in a cocoon of mana and gradually started to shrink. When she'd shrunk to about human size, the cocoon of mana dissipated.

What emerged from the cocoon of black mana was a beautiful woman. She had black hair and piercing golden eyes. She was sitting on her knees, supporting her body with one hand and rubbing her butt with the other. Her luxurious, thick hair fell straight down to her waist, and her disheveled bangs were stuck her blushing face. She was panting heavily, and her expression was ecstatic. Anyone would find her current appearance seductive.

As the group of student took in the transformation, they exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to make of this unexpected turn of events.

She had the figure of a woman in her early twenties. Though her height was easily over 170 centimeters. She was very well endowed, and every time her shoulders heaved, her twin mounds threatened to spill out of her clothes. If Shea's were melon sized, then this girl's were watermelon sized.

"Haah... Haah... Thank you for sparing my life... My butt still feels weird... but it's nothing compared to how much the rest of my body aches... Haah... Haah... to think pain could feel so sweet..." Both her expression and her words were rather ominous, or so Hajime thought. After a few minutes, she composed herself enough to sit up straight, and introduce herself calmly. Though her intermittent panting ruined the stately effect her sharp posture and crisp tone created.

[Hubby… she is weird.] Dark Magician Girl couldn't help but telepathically state that to Gojo.

[She is very funny though.] Gojo smiled.

"I have caused you all much grief. Please understand that I truly, truly am sorry for what I have done. My name is Tio Klarus. I'm a dragonman of the Klarus clan."

Tio then went on to explain how the robed figure who was gathering a monster army was planning on attacking the nearby villages. And that he had already gathered a mob of three to four thousand monsters. Most of the monsters that inhabited the second mountain range lived in packs, so all he'd needed to do was subjugate their respective leaders, and the packs had followed.

Tio explained that the black-robed man had been a black-haired, black-eyed human, and that while she'd called him a man, he was young enough to be considered a kid. She also distinctly remembered what he had said after taking control of her mind. Elated by his success, he had yelled, "This proves I'm better than him. I'm the real hero here!" He had seemingly harbored a massive grudge against this hero person.

A black-haired, black-eyed boy who knew the hero well and was a genius at using dark magic.

"So it's one of your classmates. How ironic. You people are more troublesome than I thought." Gojo snickered.

***