Playing music in a medieval world - A12

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.

***

The independent city-state of Fuhren. It was the largest mercantile city in the continent, guarded by thick walls that stood twenty meters high and wrapped two hundred kilometers around the entirety of the city. Craftsmen of all kinds competed ruthlessly with each other day after day to sell their wares. Some made it big and had their wildest dreams granted, while others were crushed by the dog eat dog nature of the city. With the amount of tourists and traders that came in and out of the place, it was easily the busiest in the world.

Because of its size, Fuhren was divided into four quarters. The bureaucrats' quarter, where the city's various administrative affairs were processed, the tourists' quarter, where most of the entertainment facilities were located, the makers' quarter, where weapons, armor, tools, and furniture of all kinds were made, and the traders' quarter, where goods of all kinds were sold. Two main streets ran from east to west and north to south, intersecting in the center. Generally, the closer to the center of the city one's establishment was, the higher the quality of its services. On the other hand, the fringes of the city were filled with unlicensed black market stores selling various goods and services. Occasionally, one would become famous for its prices or wares, and a lot of rough and tumble types like adventurers or mercenaries would begin to frequent it.

Hajime and the others heard this all from a tour guide while they sat at a cafe attached to the Fuhren adventurer's guild branch, which was located in a corner of the bureaucrats' quarter. Demand for guides in the city was high because of how big it was, and it appeared being a tour guide was one of the more respectable professions in the city. As there were a number of touring agencies in the city, each of them had to compete for customers, which led to the overall quality of service to rise.

After they'd gotten through the city gates, Hajime and the others had said goodbye to More's caravan and gone to turn in their stamped request slip to the adventurer's guild. As they were new to the city, they had also hoped to find a guidebook of some kind there, which was when they'd learned about the existence of tour guides.

And so, they'd hired a guide, Rithy, who was explaining the ins and outs of the city to them over a light meal.

"So if you're looking to find an inn, I'd recommend heading to the tourists' quarter first. There are a few inns in the bureaucrat's quarter as well, but most of them are temporary lodgings for people working here, so their service isn't nearly as good as the others."

"I see. Then I guess we'll head there next. What inn do you recommend?" Hajime asked. He was going to be doing pretty much all of the talking, since he is the leader of the group.

"Depends on what you're looking for. Each of them focus on different services."

"Let's see. Well, the main things are that it has to have good food and a bath. Location or the like doesn't matter too much. Oh, and if possible, I'd like somewhere where there's a guarantee."

Rithy nodded to herself as she listened to Hajime's preferences. The first two were common requests. She started making a mental list of recommendations after hearing them, in fact. However, Hajime's third request threw her off.

"A guarantee? Of what?"

"Ah, let me explain. Say, for example, we got into a dispute of some kind, and we clearly weren't the perpetrators, the inn will make those responsible pay for the damages. I want to stay somewhere decently high-end, but I want a guarantee that we won't have to pay for any broken furniture or the like if the incident is clearly not our fault."

"Umm, you shouldn't run into any trouble like that in the first place, I don't think..."

Hajime smiled awkwardly.

"Normally I'd agree, but as you can see, my four companions attract a lot of attention. And it sounds like most of the people that frequent the tourist quarter aren't exactly the restrained type. I'm worried some of the more forceful merchants might try something a bit... violent. But, well, like I said, only 'if possible.' If it's too difficult a request, then you don't have to worry about it."

Rithy looked over at the two girls sitting next to Hajime, happily chowing down on their food. Across from her, another man and girl were equally engrossed in their meals. But one of them caught Rithy's attention—he kept ordering the same dish repeatedly. Which was slowly ticking off Hajime (because he is paying). To which Rithy nodded at Hajime's explanation.

Gojo, in particular, kept repeatedly ordering the same expensive and delicious scallops; which came in servings of three pieces with a side of veggies. Interestingly, each time the dish arrived, Gojo would push the veggies aside, ignoring them completely. It seemed wasteful, but Gojo didn't care. After all, he wasn't the one paying.

"Those four certainly do stand out." Even now, they were attracting stares. Especially Shea, since she was a bunny girl. Assaulting another person's slave was a punishable offense, but that wouldn't stop some of the more zealous merchants, or a determined pervert.

Meanwhile, Gojo, who was enjoying his scallops, couldn't help but attract attention. Tall and blindfolded, he ate calmly, drawing curious gazes from onlookers. His striking features caught the eye of several passing women, who couldn't resist stealing glances at him.

To ward off unwanted advances, the girl sitting by Gojo's side, Anam, had to repeatedly raise her hand, showing off the wedding ring on her finger, and then gesture to Gojo's ring as well. Rithy watched the scene unfold, thinking Gojo was a natural troublemaker.

"Would it not then be wiser to pick an inn with increased security then? Since there are a lot more people who value that as a service, I can think of a few inns that provide—" Rithy turned back to face Hajime as she spoke, her eyes reflecting her concern.

"No, that's fine. People are liable to do some pretty crazy things when they're running on hormones. Security isn't always perfect, so it's easier for me to assume we'll have to persuade them by force."

"P-Persuade them by force... I see. So that's why you want a guarantee, then."

Hajime insisted once more that in the end it was only if possible, but Rithy was a guide through and through. Now that it had been requested of her, she would see it done.

"Leave it to me," she said. Then, she asked Anam, Yue and Shea if there was anything else they wanted out of their inn. Answering the needs of the customer to the best of her ability was both Rithy's policy, and her company's. Hajime had really picked up a good guide.

"I just need a bath. Oh, but the bath must have mixed bathing times." Yue voiced her opinion.

"Umm, as long as it has big beds, I'm fine." Shea answered.

After giving it some thought, Yue and Shea both told her their preferences. They were trivial requests, but Rithy could clearly see what the two girls were aiming for. Then came Anam, whose request caught Rithy off guard.

"Uhmm, maybe... a building that doesn't shake and a bed that's really sturdy and doesn't break easily?" Anam asked innocently, after much contemplation.

"Ahh, yeah, that too…" Shea and Yue agreed in unison.

She just said "Leave it to me," like before, but this time her cheeks were slightly red. As she glanced between Yue, Shea, Hajime, and then sneakily at Gojo and Anam, her blush deepened.

The guys sitting at the surrounding tables were all glaring daggers at Hajime and Gojo, but Hajime was used to it at this point, so he ignored them. Gojo, equally unfazed, continued eating his scallop, completely unbothered.

Rithy then began explaining the different quarters in more detail. Halfway through her explanation, Hajime felt a strong gaze pointed their way. It was far more impolite than any they had felt so far, including the ones they'd received from some of the perverts that had lusted after Yue and Shea in Brooke. As they had grown accustomed to such attention as well, they only raised their eyebrows slightly at it.

Hajime turned to see who was staring and saw... a pig. There was no other way to describe him. He easily weighed over a hundred kilograms, his face was greasy, he had pig snout for a nose, and his blonde hair was slick with oil. The only thing positive about his appearance was the fancy clothes he was wearing. Said pig was glaring hungrily at Anam, Yue and Shea.

'God, what a pain,' Hajime thought. At the same time, the fat pig started slowly lumbering over to where they were sitting. Looks like it was too late to make a stealthy escape. Not that Hajime would ever run.

Gojo could have noticed if he wanted to. But food always came first.

Rithy must have noticed the change in her customers' attitudes, or perhaps the fat pig simply stood out that much, but she looked up too. When she saw a tub of lard walking over, she forgot her business smile and let out a disgruntled sound.

While Gojo was happily eating, a very strange disturbing sound finally caught his attention. Curious, he looked up only to see a fat pig approaching, wheezing heavily with a disgusting smile on his face. The sight immediately turned his contented expression into one of disgust and revulsion.

"Urgggg," groaned Gojo, feeling nauseous at the sight of the overweight person before him. The sight was so revolting that he began to vomit rainbows onto the floor.

"… Now that's a whole new level of disrespect," someone in the crowd muttered.

Anam rose from her seat and approached Gojo, her hand gently patting his back in a gesture of comfort.

But instead of calming down, Gojo started to vomit even more rainbow-colored liquid.

Hajime couldn't help but smile a bit at the scene. 'Served him right for ordering nonstop,' he thought.

The fat pig stopped next to their table and leered at Anam, Yue and Shea. When he saw Shea's slave collar he frowned. He looked over at Hajime, as if just noticing him for the first time, and demanded the following in a haughty voice.

"H-Hey, brat. I-I'll give you a million Luta, s-so hand over that bunny girl. And you two Blondies. C-Come with me. You're both going to be my concubine." His stutter didn't match his arrogant tone. He tried to reach out to take Yue by the arm, thinking she was already his. That instant, a wave of bloodlust unlike any other washed over him. Even people sitting a few tables away balked. Some fell out of their chairs in their haste to get away from Hajime.

The walking pig, who had taken that bloodlust head on, screamed incoherently and fell on his ass. He wet himself on the spot, unable to muster the presence of mind to even crawl away.

Had Hajime activated his Intimidation at full power, the pig would have fallen unconscious instantly, so he made sure to hold back.

"Let's go, you guys. I don't feel like staying here." As he didn't want his meal to be tainted by the smell of piss, Hajime opted to leave. Hajime had honestly wanted to kill the bastard, but as he hadn't done anything more than talk to them yet, he wouldn't really be able to justify it to the authorities. And no city would let a murderer roam free. Unless he could reasonably say it was in self-defense, Hajime wanted to avoid killing people as long as he was in a city.

The five of them stood up, with Rithy looking on in confusion. The only reason Rithy hadn't been affected was because Hajime had specifically excluded her from his list of targets when he'd activated Intimidation. Basically, it was the opposite of when he'd focused his Intimidation on More alone. This was the fruit of his training.

From Rithy's perspective, the pig had just started talking all high and mighty before suddenly falling on his ass and pissing himself, so her confusion was understandable.

"Hold up. I need to kill this fat fuck for making me throw up," Gojo interrupted, finishing his business. Honestly, he had even forgotten that this fat, obnoxious noble existed in the story.

"Are you sure it wasn't because of what you ate?" Hajime laughed a little at Gojo's statement.

"Hubby! You mustn't!" Dark Magician Girl exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency. "You promised!"

Gojo's expression was starting to turn cold as he turned to face the pig, scaring the pig even more. "Ah... right. We're in a town..." he muttered.

"No! That shouldn't even be the main reason! You can't just kill people for dumb reasons!" she protested, frustrated.

Just then, a huge man blocked Hajime's path. He too looked to weigh over a hundred kilograms, but his bulk was all muscle. A well-worn long sword was strapped to his waist.

Suddenly, we all heard the fat pig's stuttering voice again.

"I-It's those two, Reganid! Kill those brats! T-They tried to kill me! Tear their limbs off!"

"Young Master, I cannot just kill someone in broad daylight. I'll leave them barely alive."

"Get them! I-I don't care if you don't kill, just get them! B-But don't hurt the girls. They're mine!"

However, Gojo turned to face Dark Magician Girl with the smuggest look on his face, while she facepalmed in exasperation.

"Very well, but I expect to be well compensated," Reganid demanded.

"I-I'll give you as much as you want. Just get him!" the pig sputtered.

[I have a reason now! Self-defense, see~] Gojo telepathically highlighted the words with excitement as he spoke to Dark Magician Girl.

It appeared that this Reganid fellow was one of the pig's hired guards. He kept his eyes mostly on Hajime the entire time he was talking, then smiled in satisfaction when the matter of money was settled. It was rare for someone to take no notice of Anam, Yue or Shea. He was more interested in the money than the three beauties standing before him.

"Sorry about this, kids. But I'm being paid to beat you up. Don't worry, I won't kill you at least. And well... sorry, but you probably won't get to see your three friends ever again." Reganid cracked his knuckles. They were in the middle of the street, so naturally he couldn't use his sword. Many of the spectators started murmuring amongst themselves when they heard the name Reganid.

"B-By Reganid, does he mean Reganid the Black?"

"R-Reganid the Gale!? Why's a guy like that working as a guard..."

"Isn't it for the money? They say Reganid'll do anything for gold."

Judging from the surrounding people's conversations, Hajime more or less figured out what kind of person Reganid was. He didn't know if Reganid had a combat class or not, but if, as his name suggested, he'd risen to the third-highest adventurer rank, black, he must be quite the experienced adventurer.

But… adventurer or not, he's no match for these exceptional individuals who cleared this world's great labyrinth. Especially when someone's in a foul mood after throwing up expensive food paid for by someone else.

Reganid settled into a battle stance. Hajime, too, could justifiably beat him to within an inch of his life in the name of self-defense. He made to pull out Donner but was stopped unexpectedly.

Gojo clapped his hands and activated Lapse Blue. Instantly, all four of Reganid's limbs twisted off, and he was flung against the wall and pinned there, all without Gojo even touching him. Reganid cried out in disbelief and pain, rendered completely helpless.

Naturally, this phenomenon scared everyone watching. "Was that magic?" "Fool, there was no magic circle!" Such remarks were uttered by everyone, horrified at how easily Reganid's limbs were torn off.

"SoRrY AbOuT tHiS, KiDs. BuT I'm beiNg PaiD tO BeAt yoU uP." Gojo mocked Reginald, who was crying his ass off.

Hajime however walked up to the fatass. His footsteps echoed across the cobblestones as he walked forward. Everyone's eyes followed him. He stopped right in front of the pig.

"Hiii! S-Stay back! Wh-Who do you think I am!? I'm Poom Min! You think you'll be able to get away after harming a member of the Min family!?"

"Apologize to all the pig mascot fans in the world, you damn hog." Hajime grimaced as he thought about how the Poom's name resembled a certain famous mascot character back on earth, as he stepped angrily on Poom's face.

"Oink!?" He even let out a pig-like squeal when he screamed. Hajime bore down harder, until he could hear Poom's skull cracking.

The pig-like screams caught Gojo off guard, erupting into loud laughter. Dark Magician Girl shot him an annoyed glance; she wasn't finding the situation funny at all.

As Poom's screams grew louder, Hajime increased the force. Bloodied and battered, Poom's face became a gruesome sight with a broken nose and eyes swollen shut. Finally, Poom fell silent, either realizing his screams were futile or simply too exhausted to continue.

"Hey, pig. Don't ever show your face to me again. You ever try to do anything to me again, directly or not... and I'll kill you." Poom desperately tried to nod, his face still stuck underneath Hajime's foot. He didn't even try to act tough. His pride had been completely shattered.

"I could just kill him right now and make it look like an accident," Gojo joked loudly, his words chilling the onlookers. Hajime knew Gojo wouldn't follow through, especially with Dark Magician Girl glaring daggers at both of them, preventing any rash actions.

Besides Hajime wouldn't be satisfied with Poom's quick death. Letting Poom live happily after this incident felt too lenient. Since he couldn't kill him outright, he'd carve terror into his soul so deep that Poom would never recover.

And so, he raised his foot a little, transmuting his soles into spikes. Then, he drove his foot into Poom's face once more. "Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

The spikes drilled countless holes into Poom's face. Poom let out a single high-pitched squeal before losing consciousness. After Hajime moved his foot, Poom's ugly face was exposed for all to see... Well, his face had already been ugly, but now it was covered in blood too.

"You want to take a swing at him too?" Hajime asked Gojo.

"Nawh." Gojo was head patting Dark Magician Girl to calm her down.

Finally satisfied, Hajime walked back to Yue and Shea. They were waiting for him with a smile, seemingly unaffected by the carnage all around them. Hajime smiled at his tour guide, Rithy, as well.

"Now then, shall we head somewhere else?" Hajime asked, completely ignoring Gojo's pleading eyes as he faced a scolding from his wife. She had reprimanded him for casually joking about taking a human life and passing it off as an accident in public.

~~~

Dark Magician Girl had always possessed a keen instinct for detecting the darkness within human hearts. To her, taking a life was akin to ingesting poison—it harmed not only the victim but also the perpetrator. She understood how easily such actions could become routine for those who crossed that line, while others struggled to cope with the gravity of such deeds.

Her worry for Gojo was constant and deep-seated. His exceptional abilities and his seemingly indifferent disposition towards killing, compounded by his unusual circumstances, set him apart in her eyes. It wasn't just his capabilities that concerned her; it was the toll such actions could take on his soul.

Gojo was a special case. Reincarnated into a new body with new memories seamlessly merging with himself, his perspective on killing was radically different. Unlike others, he seemed completely unfazed, almost indifferent to the act itself. This troubled Dark Magician Girl deeply. She could never shake off her constant worry for him, knowing how dangerously easy it could be for him to embrace a path she feared he might never return from.

She could tell that Hajime had his reasons for killing, usually as a last resort or in self-defense, likely with countermeasures in place. But Gojo? He would do it because it was the quickest way to solve problems and simply because he could, without a second thought about the consequences and no hesitation. For instance, during the case with the shadow duelists on Academy Island in season one, when Nightshrouder controlled Atticus, Titan, Jinzo, and some shadow riders, Gojo had wanted to kill almost all of them just because he could. His actions were only restrained by the rules of the shadow game that had preceded it—he had to adhere to protocol.

In this world where none of the laws seemed to restrain him, she found Gojo's mindset dangerously, especially considering the knowledge he possessed.

The Gojo Satoru from the world of JJK had always been worry-free and indifferent to negative emotions because sorcerers were trained to be. Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer in such a world required a certain level of craziness that Dark Magician Girl could never understand. Now, this was even more true for the real Gojo Satoru. His level of confidence and selfishness knew almost no bounds.

And this was precisely why Gojo here allowed Dark Magician Girl to lecture and scold him, acknowledging in his own way that he might be in the wrong. Though he sometimes found her concern annoying, he always always always appreciated her worrying for him. Her concerns were one of the few things anchoring him in the world of GX, and it was why he bothered to listen to her all the time.

So there was that promise. Gojo was prepared to kill in self-defense or to protect Dark Magician Girl from any threat.

~~~

"Hiii! U-Umm, I, well..." Terrified, Rithy tried to compose herself. It was obvious from her expression that she wanted nothing to do with them any longer. That was how intimidating Hajime and the others' display of force had been. She was starting to understand 'persuading by force.' by seeing it happen in front of her.

Hajime understood that he'd probably scarred their current tour guide, but he didn't really feel like searching for a new one after all the commotion that had happened. Realizing Hajime didn't want to let this guide escape, Yue and Shea causally walked to either side of her and took her by the arms.

Rithy let out another terrified scream. But then her savior, the guild attendant, finally showed up.

"Umm, excuse me, but would you all be willing to answer a few questions for us?" Several other guild attendants warily surrounded Hajime and Gojo. None of a single one of them looked eager to get close to them. The crowd had begun to grow, as more people came to look at what had happened to Poom and Reganid.

"Well, that pig over there tried to kidnap my companions. When I tried to stop him he went crazy and ordered his guard to attack me, so I fought back. That's all there is to it. This tour guide and all those spectators are all witnesses. Especially those guys sitting at the tables over there, they seem to enjoy eavesdropping." Hajime glared at the men that had been listening in earlier, and they all nodded vigorously, fearing Hajime might tear their heads off.

"Yeah! That pig even used some sort of weird artifact to get me sick and made me puke all the expensive food!" Gojo quickly added, but he was promptly ignored.

"I understand, but as this happened on guild property, we need to go through the proper procedure. Both sides need to present their case so justice can be dispensed... Those are the rules, so if you would just be so kind as to..."

"What kind of shitty ass rule is that?! Everyone here saw it happen! Are you seriously going to try to defend that piece of shit?!" Gojo shouted, unleashing intimidation on everyone but his group. "Ain't no way you guys are trying to act like a civil court." he coldly added, with some guild attendants attempting to calm him down.

"Come on, it's just about hearing both sides," one of the attendants pleaded with Gojo.

"Both sides, huh?" Hajime glanced over to where Poom and Reganid were lying. It didn't look like either of them would regain consciousness anytime soon. The guild had sent some medics over to treat them, but he doubted they'd wake up for another few days at least and a few weeks to fully recover from that mentally.

"You want us to wait in the guild until they wake up? Even though we were the victims...? You've gotta be kidding me. Maybe I should just drag them out of the city and kill them there." It was Hajime's turn to use intimidation as he glared angrily at the guild attendant.

"Please don't glare at me like that, I'm just doing my job," the attendant said in a panicked voice. But when Hajime suggested killing them, he still diligently tried to stop him.

"Yeah, well, your job fucking sucks," Gojo snapped coldly. "I will do you guys one better. What if they both magically disappear, huh? What's your plan then? Hell, I will have everyone's memories completely forget about them, and as I kill those two and their family—!" His words were turning sinister, with a chilling smile spreading across his face, until Dark Magician Girl yanked his ear and dragged him into a corner for another lecture. Her intervention diffuses the conflict and leaves a strange silence.

Seeing how Gojo's plan will never work. Hajime decided to try and forcibly wake the two up. The guild attendants were in the middle of trying to stop him when a new voice cut through the crowd.

"What are you all doing? What's going on here?" A slender man in glasses stared sternly down at Hajime.

"Chief Secretary Dott! Perfect timing! You see..." The attendants all rejoiced at the appearance of this man called Dott. After he listened to their explanation of what happened, he returned his sharp gaze to Hajime and raised an eyebrow at a blindfolded man kneeling in front of a woman.

'Looks like things are just getting more and more complicated.' Hajime sighed to himself.

Dott adjusted his glasses with his middle finger and calmly addressed Hajime.

"I more or less understand the situation now. And it appears there really are quite a few witnesses. I do think you might have overdone it a little, but... well, they're still somehow alive, so it's fine. I was hoping you would at least be willing to stay inside Fuhren until they wake up. May I at least ask for your identification and the address you're be staying at... I'm sure that's not too much to ask, right?" His tone was surprisingly firm. Hajime shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, that's fine. In fact, if that pig starts causing trouble again, I'd like you to contact me. I'll be gentler next time, don't worry." Hajime tiredly handed over his status plate.

"As for where we're staying, we haven't decided yet, so... ask that tour guide over there. We were planning on staying wherever she recommended."

Rithy got a little startled when Hajime mentioned her name, then sadly muttered, "I guess I'm stuck guiding you after all..."

"Hmm, very well... I see your rank is blue. That man lying on ground over there is black... May I ask for your four companions' status plates as well?"

Dott raised his eyebrows when he saw Hajime's rank was only blue, the lowest rank. Not only that but his job class is a synergist. But since the eyewitnesses had said it was Gojo, despite not making a move, had defeated Reganid, he thought maybe Hajime was a lot stronger.

"Well, my two companions next to me, Yue and Shea, both lost their status plates, and we haven't been able to get replacements yet. I mean, they're pretty expensive, aren't they?" Hajime lied without batting an eyelid. Hiding their strength after they'd displayed so much of it already was pointless, but Hajime still wanted to avoid letting anyone know exactly what they were capable of.

Gojo stepped forward and presented his own status plate, and in it was silver—the second-highest rank for adventurers. The inspector looked visibly taken aback. Anam followed suit, revealing her status plate modified with her curse technique, Black Illusion, also containing a silver rank. Dott was even more surprised now.

The adventurer, Gojo Satoru, was understandable. He was known as THAT mysterious silver-ranked adventurer who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Catherine herself had verified the legitimacy of the existence of Gojo Satoru for the guild. But another silver-ranked adventurer? The inspector had never even heard of her. But she too also bore the name Gojo, and that she was Gojo's wife, which made things slightly more understandable, but also more troublesome. Two silver-ranked adventurers in one party and a blue-ranked adventurer as their leader… It was certainly an extremely rare sight.

Dark Magician Girl made a mental note to thank Catherine next time.

"Well…thank you, I have confirmed all but two identities." Dott explained, as he adjusted his glasses.

Before Gojo could make things worse with his potentially rude remarks, Dark Magician Girl silenced him by kissing him in front of everyone. It was a literal shut-up-damn-it kiss, aimed at preventing any further escalation. She knew Gojo well enough to anticipate that he might say something ridiculous next, like "Let's bomb this whole place… without killing anyone, of course!" Her quick action spared them from any additional trouble that Gojo's outspoken nature might have stirred up.

Many onlookers watched with envy as Gojo received a sloppy kiss from Dark Magician Girl.

Dotts, ignoring the two, went to confront Hajime once more.

"However, we must confirm their identities as well. In the event that you start constantly causing trouble for the guild, regardless of whether you're the victim or the aggressor, we will need to blacklist you. Thus, we need a record. If you would like, the guild will pay for their replacements." It appeared Dott wished to confirm their identity no matter what.

Naturally, this troubled Hajime mentally. If he had gotten Yue and Shea new status plates now, he would need time (which he don't) to disguise the plates. However, he could ask Anam to use her weird magic to disguise the status plates for him. However, that would mean more work for himself in the future, as he'd owe her a favor or have to create another artifact in the contract.

'This whole thing's turning into more of a pain than I'd have liked.' As if reading Hajime's thoughts, Yue offered a suggestion.

"Hajime, the letter."

"Huh? Oh yeah, that letter..."

Yue was, of course, talking about the letter Catherine had given them before they'd left Brooke. The one Catherine had said would help them out if they ever got into any trouble with other adventurer's guild branches.

Not like we have anything to lose. Hajime pulled the letter out of his pocket and gave it to Dott, thinking they could just flee town if things really turned south. After all, while Catherine had explained what it would do, he had no idea what was actually written in it. He regretted not checking the contents now.

"I'm not sure if this will work in place of identification, but a friend of ours from another guild branch told us to show this to someone high ranking if we found ourselves in any trouble."

"Hm? A friend from another guild branch...? Let me take a look." Dott found it somewhat suspicious that Hajime was unwilling to pay for new status plates considering he and his companions were rather well dressed and didn't seem strapped for money. However, he still obediently took the letter and skimmed through his contents. As he read further, his jaw gradually dropped in surprise, and by the end, he let out a startled gasp.

Dott's gaze darted between the letter and the trio before him and then shifted towards the duo who was coming back from a lecture. His scrutiny lingering longest on Gojo and Anam. With the way he kept poring over the words, it looked like he was trying to determine the authenticity of the letter. No matter how he sees it, this letter is definitely 100% legit.

Finally, he folded it back up and placed it neatly into the envelope it had come in.

"If this letter is authentic, then it will indeed serve as identification... However, I myself am unable to determine whether the sender is really who she claims she is. I shall confirm the details with our branch chief, so could you please wait inside the guild until? I promise it won't take long. Ten, no fifteen minutes at most."

'Who on earth is Catherine, really?' They all wondered. Well, Gojo knows who she is, at least he thinks.

"Alright, if it's only that long I don't mind. We'll wait." Hajime replied.

"The attendants can guide you to a waiting room. I'll be back shortly."

Dott called an attendant over and instructed him to guide them before vanishing inside the guild building. The attendant motioned for Hajime and the others to follow him. As Hajime and the others followed after him, Rithy asked him a question in a confused, but somewhat hopeful voice.

"Umm, what should I do?" Since they were now entangled with the guild, she was hoping she wouldn't have to guide them anymore. With how dangerous they seemed, she wanted to be free of them as soon as possible.

Hajime nodded and replied to her question with some questions of his own.

"Wait for us... You won't run, right? You're a professional, right?"

"Okay..." Rithy drooped her head sadly and went to sit down on one of the empty chairs in the cafe. No matter what world one was in, employees had to take on unpleasant jobs for their company.

"Oh, wait, Yo. Did we even pay the bill for the food?" Gojo whispered to Hajime, trailing behind with Dark Magician Girl at his side.

"Ah, well, who cares?" Hajime replied casually, motioning to the guild attendants to handle it, deftly shifting the responsibility of payment onto them.

***

Ten minutes after Hajime and the others were led to the waiting room, there was a knock on the door. Hajime called for whoever it was to come in, and the door opened. Dott entered the room, accompanied by a man in his late thirties. He had slicked back blond hair and a discerning look in his eyes.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am the head of the Fuhren branch's adventurer's guild, Ilwa Chang. You five are... Hajime-kun, Yue-kun, Shea-kun, Satoru-kun, and Anam-kun, correct?" Ilwa introduced himself and offered his hand to Hajime. He shook it and responded.

"Yeah, that's right. Were our names in that letter?"

"They were indeed. My old master's letter told... or rather, warned me about you five. She said that all of you would show a great deal of promise, but that you're rather very troublesome kids, so we should keep an eye on you. It's really rare for her to say that about someone." Dott's gaze lingered at Gojo for a bit, as he spoke the last sentence.

Gojo clicked his tongue at the mention. She definitely wrote some shit about him.

"Troublesome, huh? I guess Brooke was nothing but trouble. Well, whatever. Does that letter settle our identification issues or no?"

"Yes, she said that you five aren't a threat to the guild, so that's good enough for me. She's a very good judge of character. If it's a letter from her, it'll serve as sufficient identification. After all, she wouldn't write one for people of dubious character."

Meanwhile, Dott who was behind Ilwa was visibly sweating, stealing nervous glances at Gojo. Recalling his crazy ridiculous statement about killing a noble and a black-rank adventurer and their families, disguised as accidents, flashed through the attendant's mind. However the letter states that Dark Magician Girl will fix him, so it's fine?

Meanwhile, Gojo, who had been observing the conversation, let out a sigh. Catherine was a genuine good person and had been helpful to them as well. It was hard to find anything negative to say about her, despite her somewhat quirky personality. She kept pointing out Gojo's shortcomings and encouraging him to improve, which he sometimes found exasperating yet appreciated deep down.

It seemed Catherine really did hold a lot of clout with the guild. 'Everyone in the guilds really trusts her'. Since Ilwa called her his master, they must know each other pretty well. Shea seemed especially curious about Ilwa's relationship with Catherine. She'd gotten along rather well with the old lady, so it made sense. 

"Umm, what kind of person is Catherine-san?" Shea couldn't help but asked.

"You didn't ask her yourself? She used to be the chief secretary of the adventurer's guild's main branch. After that she became a guild instructor and then receptionist. More than half of all the branch chiefs learned their trade from her." 

Hajime looked up in surprise. Smiling wryly, Ilwa continued.

"I was one of them. Though I'm nowhere near her level. Back then her unparalleled beauty and skill captivated everyone who studied under her. Later she ended up getting married and transferred to the Brooke branch. She said she preferred to raise her kids in the countryside. Her marriage announcement was really sudden too. I was pretty shocked when I heard it. In fact, the whole guild, no the whole capital was."

"Haah, I didn't realize she was such an amazing person."

"Yeah... Catherine's incredible." Ilwa reminiscing about the past. He even pulled out a photo of the time when he was working under her.

"I knew she wasn't just some ordinary old lady... but to think she was that important. So if she was so good looking back then, how come... Actually, never mind." Hajime said, eyeing the photo.

"Oh, she definitely looks like Scáthach," Gojo muttered, catching Hajime's attention. He understood the reference instantly. [A/N: Fate Nasuverse Scáthach.]

"Man, age did a number on her..." Hajime muttered.

Anam, Yue and Shea were astounded to discover just how impressive Catherine had been. Only Hajime looked away wistfully, lamenting what the ravages of time had done. Anam had been briefly informed about this ahead of time a long time ago but still hearing it directly from Gojo had only covered the surface.

Meanwhile, Gojo pondered the idea of gifting Catherine a Gae Bolg from his treasury, perhaps to bring her closer to the looks of legendary Scáthach. He couldn't help but think ahead, knowing that in the future, Yue would use her age of god magic to make Catherine regain her youth or something like that.

"Well anyway, if there's no problem with identification then we're free to go right?" Hajime had only agreed to wait so that they could get their identification issues resolved, and now that they had been, he saw no reason to stay. However, Ilwa's eyes sparkled mischievously as he called out to them.

"Actually, could you please wait a moment?" Hajime felt a sense of foreboding, as Gojo remained fixated on his gift idea.

Ilwa gestured to Dott, who handed Hajime a certain request flyer. Aware that Gojo and Anam were collaborating with his party, with Hajime as their leader, he couldn't ignore their unusual composition—two silvers working under a blue. Yet, their group was anything but ordinary.

"The truth is, we were impressed by your skill so we were hoping you would be willing to undertake a task for us."

"No thanks."

Hajime refused instantly and made to leave. Yue and Shea followed suit, but Ilwa's next words brought them back. Gojo remained unmoved beside Anam, both silently knowing in the future that Hajime would reluctantly accept the quest in the end.

"Hmm, are you sure you won't even listen to what it is? We'll overlook this whole incident if you agree to just listen."

"..."

That of course had the unsaid implication that they would make this whole affair far more of a pain than it had to be if he didn't stay to listen.

Thanks to all of the eyewitness testimony, Hajime and the others wouldn't be charged with a crime. But because of how overboard they'd gone, the guild could force them into a long and tedious hearing about what had happened and require an account from both sides.

In the end, they'd still probably not be punished, but it would still waste a great deal of their time. And if they ignored the guild's orders, they'd be blacklisted everywhere. Not being able to access the information at various guild branches would be rather inconvenient. It would also be a disservice to Catherine, considering the help she had provided. Even if they have two silver ranks in their party they too would be blacklisted.

Hajime glared at Ilwa for a moment. He'd only asked that they hear him out, not that they accept the request. If that was all it took to avoid weeks of legal proceedings, then it wasn't such a bad deal. Hajime sat back down.

"So you'll listen. Thank you."

"You're not a branch chief for nothing I see. You're pretty gutsy."

"And annoying," Gojo added, only to be swiftly silenced by Dark Magician Girl covering his mouth.

"I could say the same to you... Now then, as you can see on the flyer, this particular request is to search for some missing people. Some time back, a party of adventurers set off to investigate the northern mountain range. When they didn't return, one of the adventurers' family put out a search request."

The rest of Ilwa's explanation could be boiled down to the following: There had been reports of increased monster activity in the northern regions, so the guild had issued an investigation quest.

Only the mountain nearest to town was well charted, the rest of the range was marked simply as wilderness. While they weren't as strong as ones encountered in the labyrinths, the mountains were still inhabited by powerful monsters. So the party that had accepted that request had been rather high rank. However, before they embarked someone else had begged to join them. They were rather forceful in their entreaties, and in the end they were allowed to tag along.

This newcomer was the third son of the noble Cudeta family, Will Cudeta. Count Cudeta had secretly sent someone to follow after his son, who'd basically ran away from home to become an adventurer. But even the person he'd sent to tail his son had vanished, so he had sent out a search request to the guild.

"Well, well, well, he fucked around and found out." Gojo whistled, having managed to evade his wife's hand covering his mouth, as he listened to the story. Ilwa, however, ignored Gojo's comment and continued with his narration.

"The count sent out his own independent search party as well, but he asked the guild for help because he wanted as many people out looking as possible. This all happened just yesterday. The party that had gone out to investigate was among the most experienced in the guild, so if they ran into something they couldn't handle, most adventurers wouldn't stand a chance. So the only people we can afford to send out on this quest are those of considerable skill. However those that fill that criteria are all out on other quests at the moment. Fortunately for us, you happened to show up just at the right time."

"I thought you needed people of considerable skill? Sadly I'm just a blue rank adventurer."

Ilwa didn't fall for Hajime's feeble attempt at feigning weakness.

"You guys just took out Reganid, a black rank adventurer without even breaking a sweat. Besides... anyone who can survive down at the bottom of the Reisen Gorge can't be that weak." 

"How did you... The letter? But I never told Catherine..."

'What the hell did she write in there…' Gojo thought, his mouth covered once more by Dark Magician Girl.

Hajime hadn't told anyone they'd gone to explore the Reisen Gorge. The only way Ilwa would have known that was if it was written in the letter. But then that begged the question of how Catherine had learned of their trip. As Hajime was scratching his head in confusion, Shea timidly raised her hand.

Hajime looked suspiciously at Shea.

"What is it?"

"Well, I may have accidentally told her... Tehe?"

"Looks like I'll need to punish you later."

"Y-Yue-san was with me too!"

"Shea, you traitor."

"Guess I'm punishing both of you."

'So it was Yue and Shea's fault.' While both of them looked outwardly calm, they were sweating at the thought of what Hajime might do to them. Ilwa smiled knowingly and continued.

Gojo turned to face Dark Magician Girl, who vigorously shook her head as if denying any involvement. Then he redirected his attention to Ilwa.

"It's unlikely any of them are still alive, but the possibility isn't zero. The count is a personal friend of mine, so I'd like to begin the search as soon as possible. Please. There's no one else I can ask. Will you please accept the request?"

It was obvious from his tone that Ilwa was very personally invested in this particular request. If he was friends with the count, it was quite possible he was close to the missing Will as well. He was probably just as worried for their safety.

"I get that, but we're in the middle of our own journey too. We only stopped here because it was on our way. The northern mountains are pretty far out of our way, so I'm afraid I'll have to refuse." Hajime could care less about some noble's brat. Ilwa must have realized that as well, since he headed Hajime off before he could get up.

"I promise you'll be rewarded handsomely. There'll be a bonus from me waiting for you along with the reward already offered. I'll even raise your rank. Considering your skills, I could even bump all of you guys up to silver in one go and write a letter of recommendation for Satoru-kun and Anam-kun to reach gold."

"To be honest, I don't need that much money, and we don't really care about ranks."

Gojo nodded his head at Hajime's reply. If they wanted, they could have Gojo cough out infinite gold.

"Then how about this? If you ever get into any trouble with the guild from here on out, I'll personally vouch for all of you. The title of Fuhren's branch chief holds a lot of clout, you know. And I have a lot of personal connections within the guild as well. You five are definitely the type to attract quite a lot of trouble so it's not a bad deal, right?"

"You're being quite generous. I can't imagine it's worth going that far just for your friend's son."

For the first time, Ilwa's facade of calm crumbled. He looked deeply remorseful.

"Well... the one who recommended Will take that particular request was me. I was the one who also convinced the party to let him join. While it was a rather difficult request, I thought he would be fine if he was together with a strong party. He'd never actually fought before, you see. From the start, Will was never interested in living a noble's life. He always dreamed of being an adventurer... Sadly, he didn't possess the requisite qualities for one. So I hoped that by sending him on a mission together with a strong party, he'd see the dangers adventurers face, and realize he wasn't fit for such a life. That he'd give up on becoming an adventurer. I've known the boy for quite some time, you see... that's why I wanted him to see his limits and give up, but..."

[Ohhh… So, this was all your fault, dumbass! Should have given him a quest to hunt kobolds or something! Look at where this got you! A literal shit show. I bet you want us to clean your ass next, huh?!] Gojo's words were muffled by Dark Magician Girl's hand as she calmly closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with the other.

Listening to Ilwa pour out his feelings, Hajime lost himself in thought.

'Ilwa and Will are even closer than I thought then. He tried to look calm, but it's obvious he's really desperate.' After all, the longer it took to find them, the greater the likelihood that they had died in the meantime. The fact that he'd offered such an extravagant reward was proof that Ilwa was starting to run out of options.

More importantly… Hajime was starting to get tired of making excuses for Yue and Shea's lack of status plates, and having the support of an influential guild member would make their future town visits a lot less of a hassle.

Especially since Hajime had no interest in playing pretend believer for the Holy Church, so there was no telling when they'd brand him and Anam a heretic. When that did inevitably happen, it would make traveling between towns rather inconvenient. But if he had guild connections, they might be able to help with that issue as well.

After weighing his options, Hajime decided it would be more beneficial to explain his circumstances to Ilwa, make sure he wouldn't speak about them to others, and use his influence to deal with any problems that might arise. 'Considering how much he seems to care for this Will guy, he probably wouldn't turn on us if we brought him back alive.'

"If you're willing to go that far for him, I guess I might be willing to do it... but I have two conditions."

"Conditions?"

"Yeah. They're nothing huge. First, I'd like you to get status plates for Yue and Shea. And I want you to swear not to tell anyone what you see displayed there. Second, regardless of whether they're part of the guild or not, I want access to all of your connections. Those are my two conditions."

"You're asking quite a lot..."

"If you can't do it, then the deal's off. We'll be continuing on our way." Hajime stood up for the third time, and Ilwa and Dott held their heads in anguish. The first condition wasn't a big deal, but the second one would effectively turn a branch chief into a single adventurer's lackey. Considering his position, it wasn't a request he could easily acquiesce to. However, they hesitated refusing due to Catherine's letter.

"What exactly would you ask for using my connections?"

"Don't look so worried. I'm not going to ask for anything crazy. It's just we're too... special, I guess, so the Holy Church won't think too kindly of us if they find out. And they'll find out eventually, so it'd help to have someone on our side when that happens. I just want you to help us out if we ever get stuck in any trouble is all. Basically let us use your facilities and the like even if we become wanted."

"...You're certain you'll be wanted by the Holy Church eventually? Since Master Catherine has taken a liking to you I doubt you're bad people, but... come to think of it, the eyewitness reports did say that Satoru-kun over there possessed monstrous strength, and used some new form of magic. Are the secrets you're hiding related to that...? And they are the reason you're so sure the Holy Church will probably try and purge you... If that really is the case, I can see why you'd need my assistance to move freely between cities... hence your request..."

'I guess he's not a branch chief just for show. He's a bit sharp.' Hajime thought.

After a deep contemplating for a while, Ilwa finally came to a decision and turned to Hajime.

"...I will personally need to hear the particulars of each request and decide then whether or not we will aid you. But I do promise that we will help you in any other way possible... That's the most I can offer. What do you say?"

"Well, makes sense... That's fine. As for the reward, we'll take it once we complete the mission. I just have to bring the kid back, right? Or his remains if he's dead."

Hajime's main goal had just been getting status plates for Yue and Shea. Hajime was getting tired of making up excuses for why they didn't have any, so it would be more convenient for any future stops in towns if they both got one.

The problem was making sure whoever issued them didn't cause a fuss when they first saw both of their stats... but Ilwa's appearance had solved that issue.

Of course, even if Ilwa did promise not to say anything, there was no guarantee he'd keep his word. Eventually their unique traits would become public knowledge, but Hajime preferred to keep them secret for as long as possible. Hence why he had decided to claim his reward once the request was complete. Whether for good or ill, Hajime would give Ilwa closure on the matter that had been tormenting him thus far. Hopefully that would make him feel indebted to Hajime and therefore more likely to keep his mouth shut.

"As you said, Hajime-kun, all you need to do is find any traces of Will, regardless of whether he's alive or dead... Hajime-kun, Yue-kun, Shea-kun. Satoru-kun, Anam-kun. Please find him." With a serious expression, Ilwa bowed his head. The head of a major city's guild branch, lowering his head to an adventurer. It looked like he'd learned proper manners from Catherine too.

Hajime and the others stood up and said casually,

"Sure."

"Okay."

"We will."

Gojo, whose mouth was still covered by Dark Magician Girl, simply nodded alongside her, indicating no problems. Before leaving, they received a token amount of funds to get supplies, a letter of invitation to the guild branch to the nearby lake town that rested at the foot of the mountain, and documents detailing the request the previous adventurer party had taken on from Ilwa, and then left the guild room.

The door closed with a soft thud. Ilwa breathed a long sigh as he stared at the door. Dott, who'd been silent until now, finally spoke, his voice full of concern.

"Was that... really alright, Chief? Agreeing to those conditions?"

"Will's life is at stake. And there's no one else we can rely on. I had no other choice. Besides, they agreed to let me ultimately be the one to decide whether or not to assist them for each matter. There's no problem there.

Eventually the two here were then talking about events on an imaginative scale they could scarcely imagine, but Dott still had the presence of mind to warn his boss not to bite off more than he could chew. However, Ilwa was deep in thought and only gave an absentminded reply.

***

Though it was called a road, it was more a path that had been paved into a highway by centuries from horses and caravans. As the carriages of this world didn't have any suspensions, travelers often found themselves nursing sore bottoms by the end of their trip.

Yet, against this rugged backdrop, a lone silhouette raced down the road at an unthinkable speed given its poor condition. It was a black-framed vehicle on four wheels, carrying five passengers inside.

Hajime, Yue, Anam, Gojo and Shea. They were pounding down the uneven road at a speed many times faster than when they had been traveling through Reisen Gorge. Hajime was easily doing two hundred kilometers an hour. Without anything to inhibit his mana, Hajime was able to power his car to its full speed. 

The sky was clear, and warm sunlight streamed through the windows. Gojo and Dark Magician Girl had mastered gravity magic, taking turns using it to flatten the road as they traveled, ensuring a smoother ride. Meanwhile, Yue employed earth magic to level the path ahead, making their high-speed journey as comfortable as possible.

Shea was thoroughly enjoying the weather, basking in the sun's warm glow from the window while listening to music Gojo played from his memory. As she listened, Shea also watched the passing sights through the car window, captivated by the scenery unfolding outside. Though it was an odd use of his technique, it kept everyone here really happy. The music from Hajime and Gojo's world was exceptionally good, ahead of its time, especially considering the world they are in right now.

A/N: if you want to hear it; A Kingdom dance remix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7GmvgPfey4

During his time sealed within Dark Magician Girl's body, Gojo had honed his ability to create songs and music using curse energy. With Hajime's guidance, he made significant advancements in this area. Instead of simply reproducing songs, he developed a technique to play memories directly from his mind.

Initially, Gojo focused on harnessing curse energy to replicate the exact sounds and wavelengths of music stored in his memories. This proved challenging, requiring precise manipulation to achieve the desired sound output.

Realizing the complexity of this approach, Gojo shifted his strategy. He began working on a technique akin to a speaker, aiming to play only music and audio related directly from his memories. This new approach promised to leverage curse energy in a more streamlined manner, enabling him to manifest auditory experiences with greater clarity and fidelity. Though challenging, Gojo was determined to master this innovative application of technique.

With Hajime's help and thoughts (Back in Brooke). Gojo eventually found the breakthrough he needed. Hajime's guidance clarified how to utilize curse energy effectively. This involved first extracting a copy of the memory and then converting that memory into a 'program' that is compatible with curse energy. Then, creating a technique involving positive energy (reverse curse techniques), to project these formatted memories into audible sounds.

That's how Gojo was able to play songs from his world in this medieval-like setting. However, playing songs directly from memory required flawless concentration and perfect memory for this to work. Thanks to his six eyes, Gojo had no issues with concentration. Though his memory of songs was considered weak, it was just sufficient to execute this technique to play songs that he knew.

Currently, they were all listening to Gojo's music back from his original world. He had chosen to play instrumental tracks or OSTs since Yue and Shea couldn't understand English, Korean, or Japanese. Although there was that language comprehension skill that automatically translated spoken words, it didn't extend to songs played directly by Gojo using his own abilities.

At one point, Hajime requested some Japanese songs. Knowing him, Hajime was probably hoping Gojo would play an anime track. Given the story's backdrop involving Arifteria and its anime references, it was clear anime knowledge existed in his world too. However, Gojo took his time deciding on a Japanese song.

Gojo started playing Yoasobi "Racing into the Night." Within five seconds into the song, Hajime shot him a look that said, "Seriously?"

Yue and Shea didn't fully understand the lyrics, but they enjoyed vibing with the song anyway. Thankfully, Dark Magician Girl understood both Japanese and English. Hearing the song, she immediately objected to her husband playing it, finding it too dark.

"Huh, so Hajime does know Yoasobi," Gojo chuckled, pausing the song in his head.

"Say… I don't know if I am imagining things, but am I being treated like a bard or something in our group?" Gojo asked, feeling a bit uncertain and uncomfortable.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now hurry up and switch the song," Hajime replied impatiently.

As Gojo thought of another song to play, he decided on Yoasobi again, but this time it was "Oshi no Ko". He remembered the day this song was released vividly.

This song was a huge hit back in his world. When the song started, everyone but Gojo was surprised by this song. Even Dark Magician Girl had never heard it because Gojo hadn't bothered with it before.

Hajime frowned as he continued listening to this song. "Who's the artist for this one?" he asked, while focused on the road. He seemed to like this song a bit.

"Yoasobi," Gojo replied.

"..." Hajime's frown deepened as he thought. 'This song was from Yoasobi? It's quite usual for her to change her style.'

On top of that Hajime doesn't recall this song either. Because this song would have been a huge hit and he would have heard it before.

"That's odd," he muttered to himself, realizing that this song made from Yoasobi, a potential hit, was unfamiliar to him.

The realization struck him that Gojo hailed from another world, albeit in a different way.

"What year are you from?" Hajime turned to ask.

"2023… and 2006 (Yugioh GX World)."

"I see," Hajime nodded thoughtfully. 'Now if only that made a lot more sense…'

Naturally there were a lot more things Hajime wanted to ask but not now. They saved that discussion for later. Dark Magician Girl, seeing this, rolled her eyes, knowing what those two were going to be talking about later on. While sitting on Gojo's lap, she too, like everyone else here, vibed to the song.

***