Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou

Epilogue

「Even so……a remain of legend, and the last spirit? I still find it hard to believe right away even after hearing the explanation.」

Fernier was flying under the sunny sky. It had resumed its journey toward the sea of trees.

In its bridge, Liliana was sighing while sitting snugly on the sofa.

「But still, I am really glad that everything is resolved without any further incident.」

Hellina said that while brewing tea. Her gaze was exuding relieve.

Three whole days had passed after that.

During the incident, Liliana took command of Ur Town that was in chaos, took care of her important subordinates, while unable to hold back from sending glances toward the Norther Mountain Ranges where Hajime and others headed to.

She then witnessed it while continuously praying for their safety and the resolution of the problem.

The thick lightning clouds that kept pouring out rain all the time without stopping suddenly vanished.

And yet, the rain kept pouring down even with the sky clear from any cloud. The rain felt somewhat warm and gentle. It was shining with breathtaking beauty. Everyone in the town, not only Liliana came outside and looked up to the sky.

For some reason, everyone felt their chest tightened. It was a mysterious feeling that was a combination of sorrow and affection. Everyone was astonished and some of them even sobbed emotionally.

When she noticed, a hand was placed on Liliana’s shoulder. Hellina was staring at Liliana with a definite affection dwelling in her gaze. The royal guards also came running to her. The soldiers and adventurers were rejoicing all over the city for each other’s safety. Their memories had returned.

「Hellina-dono and everyone else in the town didst not recall anything from the side where thy memories were stolen correct?」

Everyone was sitting on sofa and enjoying tea. Tio was snuggling real close beside Hajime as she asked that question.

「Yes Tio-sama. It felt like I was watching a dream……I don’t remember any of the detail though.」

「Well, I think it’s better like that desu. We are also the same anyway.」

As expected Shia was also sitting while snuggling on Hajime’s side, opposite of Tio. Her rabbit ears shrugged. Yue also nodded while she was sitting on Hajime’s lap without any shame whatsoever. It was as though she would never leave that spot anymore. And then she stared at Hellina with a slightly different gaze compared to before.

「I-is something the matter?」

*Jii~* The girl with the beautiful face that was like a bisque doll observed with unblinking stare. It made Hellina felt shaken.

Hajime who had fainted for two whole days before waking up opened his mouth in Yue’s place.

He spent the day yesterday for repairing Fernier and replenishing his equipments. He was spending immense magic power even now to fly the ship so he looked sluggish. As expected, it seemed the price for using “Limit Break” in succession within short interval and forcefully prolonging the usage time was heavy.

「Did you work as royal guard or the like before this Hellina? Or perhaps a shadowy bodyguard job thing?」

「Yes? No, I’ve been a maid for the royal family from the start. Though I’m the princess’s personal maid, so it’s just as you say, I am also serving as bodyguard other than being a maid.」

It seemed that to the end she was a maid who could also double as bodyguard, not a bodyguard who was disguising herself as maid. Hellina tilted her head in puzzlement from being asked such question. She didn’t look like she was lying at all. Liliana gazed at the head maid with an affectionate gaze before adding explanation about Hellina’s family line.

「Hellina’s Ashe House is a house of count with many of its members have become personal servant of the royal family for many generations. The royal family holds the deepest trust for this house and will definitely choose our personal servant from there.」

It seemed Heiligh and Ashe had been tied with firm bond ever since the era of the first king, and even from far longer before that in the era of their ancestors. It was said that the first Ashe was a loyal knight who died to protect his master at that time. In order to repay the debt for that, Heiligh family started to give heavy patronage to the knight’s family.

Liliana explained that history while holding her head high like it was her honor. Hajime glanced at such Liliana while this time it was him who started staring *Jii~* at Hellina without blinking. Hellina became even more shaken and started to fidget a little.

「Umm, what could be the matter?」

「No……I’m just thinking that the princess has a very wonderful personnel.」

「I-I’m honored to hear that, Nagumo-sama.」

*Fidget fidget*. Kaori and others also started staring at her.

「For Hajime-kun to plainly praise a woman……」

「Even though he never really praise us honestly like that」

「Wha-, Nagumo-san!? Are you planning to lay a hand on Hellina!? I won’t allow it!」

「Nagumo-sama want to lay his hand on me!? That will be troubling-. ……But, if he really wish for it no matter what……」

「Hellina!? What’s with that maidenly expression! I never saw you like that though!?」

While the master and servant were making a ruckus, the stares from Kaori and others became even more piercing. Shizuku and others looked exasperated.

But, Hajime’s lover Yue was the only one who sympathized with him. The two of them looked at each other and recalled the human golem that was even more troublesome than the royal guards. They understood from that why a maid like Hellina also got her soul stolen like the others.

「Cough. More importantly, is it alright to consider that facility as belonging to the god, Ehito in the end?」

Everyone had heard from Yue about the past recording. Shizuku asked that question in order to change the topic too.

「I wonder about that. Though I think the possibility of that is high seeing how Ehito is a sole god right now.」

「Then……as expected, won’t it be better to investigate that ruins more?」

Kouki said that there might be a hint to defeat the evil god who was toying with the world there. His eyes were burning with sense of justice. Suzu and Ryuutarou also nodded deeply.

「Even the degraded pseudo spirits were that absurd. If we’re going to defeat the real Ehito, Suzu also think it’ll be better to investigate that place……」

「That guy’s already absurd just from how he summoned us here from earth though. I can appreciate now just how dangerous that guy might be from fighting the monsters of the mythological era.」

「Look here. I already said this before but, my priority isn’t to fight Ehito you know?」

Hajime’s objective was different from Kouki and others who intended to liberate the world from the god in the end.

Hajime said that with a shrug. Then he added further toward Kouki who was about to object.

「In the first place, how much time do you think it will take to make that destroyed place that is a lake now return back like before using regeneration magic……」

Hajime glanced at Yue. She nodded back to him.

「……Nn. I think it’ll take several years even if we do our best. Considering that the ruins is made from a material that is hard to affect with magic, it’ll surely use up magic power excessively to do that.」

「We will need a fully fledged excavation plan for that won’t we? It’s unfortunate.」

For someone in the princess’s position, a ruins from the age of god must be very enticing.

Although, the whole place had collapsed into the bottom of the abyss that was isolated from the deep lake and the earth layer. In the first place it would be impossible to excavate it without regeneration magic.

「In any case, conquering the great dungeons is the priority. If we can’t obtain a way to go home from there, it might be a good idea to go back there and check the place with full effort.」

I don’t want to imagine it though, Hajime said with a wry smile. Kouki looked like he was still a bit dissatisfied but he closed his mouth. The others also looked convinced and tension left their shoulders.

「Well, if there’s a time where I face Ehito, I’ll say this to him.」

It’s not like I don’t hold any of your weakness at all, Hajime said with a laugh. He had a really lovely vulgar expression.

「Eh? What do you mean?」 Kouki asked. Hajime looked at Kaori and spoke.

「Even though he got rejected by his special woman, he still can’t let go of her at all and made dolls with her looks. What a real creep! I’m gonna tell him that.」

Everyone had also heard about “her” who Noint was based on, so they went 「Uwaa」 with a disgusted expression. Those words must be taboo for Ehito. Just imagining it made them wanted to run away from there.

「This must be what it means to not fear even the god.」

Liliana who held faith toward said god until not long ago made a very conflicted expression.

「Also, maybe I’ll say this too at him, thanks for the gift.」

After saying that, Hajime took out something from “treasure warehouse” on his palm.

*Washa washa* Eight legs squirmed. It had a black body and red lines.

「Kyaah, just what are you taking out!?」

「Nooooo! Suzu just can’t deal with that kind of thinggg!!」

Shizuku and Suzu fell off from their sofa. It was no wonder they reacted like that. After all Hajime suddenly showed a palm sized spider to them. Kaori hid herself behind Shia while trembling. The distance between the two had shortened greatly since returning from the ruins. What a great thing.

「……Nn~? Is that based on the golem from the ruins?」

「Ou. I also snatched some materials and blueprints from there. It’s impossible to do it right away, but I’ll also reproduce “God’s Eye” one day. I’m going to mass produce autonomous living golem then.」

This guy, all’s really grist that comes to his mill! Kouki and Ryuutarou looked half exasperated and half impressed. Meanwhile Kaori peeked out from behind Shia’s shoulder and protested.

「Even so, why a spider!? Furthermore it looks really realistic!」

「T-that’s right! You can make it humanoid or centaur shaped rather than that!」

「Even making it pyramid shaped will be better!」

Shizuku and Suzu also gave a bad evaluation to the golem. Hajime stared at the prototype of his newest creation in great mood while giving his reply as though it was only natural.

「Many legged thing is romance.」

「「「I don’t get you at all.」」」

Hajime went 「No way……」 and looked at Yue and others, but even Yue who was fundamentally a total supporter of Hajime averted her gaze quietly. It seemed that she didn’t understand man’s romance. Kouki too didn’t look like he got it even though he was a man. He was smiling bitterly. Only Ryuutarou gave back a thumb up with a nice smile. It seemed that he was a man who got it. Very good.

「I think it’s real cool though.」

Hajime tinkered around with the engraved seal of the “God’s Eye” that was still a prototype. Even though it still shouldn’t have any autonomy, the spider type golem moved around its legs *washa washa* as though it was delighted.

The expression of the girls spasmed. Especially Kaori. She wanted to change the topic and took a stab at Yue reflexively.

「Even so! Yue’s polite language was funny wasn’t it!」

「……Nn-!? What do you mean funny!? No, no need to say anything! All of you, forget it!」

Yue’s face turned bright red. Usually Yue would take on Kaori’s challenge head on, but it seemed she was really embarrassed having her past way of speaking got talked about.

「Ee? It was fresh and nice to hear you know?」

「Umu. It hath the elegance that was just to be expected from a former royalty.」

「It was in the past. I had abandoned it.」

It seemed that Yue hated it quite much that she spoke her denial a bit insistently. Apparently her time as royalty might be something like a dark history for her.

This was like that. Like when someone got teased about their strange way of speaking during their middle school period.

「But, it was certainly cute.」

「Hajime!?」

An unforeseen betrayal. Even Hajime who was fundamentally prioritizing Yue above all things apparently had his heart tickled by Yue’s reaction that he reflexively grinned.

「”Insolent fellow!” was your catchphrase wasn’t it? And the way you did your best to act mature, or the way you got so embarrassed that you became tsundere, they were all really rare that I’m definitely saving them all in my brain folder for eternity.」

「Wha-, whaaa-」

「Say Yue, if you were like that during your immature princess era, how were you during your queen era? I really want to hear the way you speak as queen.」

Perhaps it was that, you had a commanding tone filled with bewitching aura? If you said something like 「Kneel」 with sensual tone, then even me might become like Tio, Hajime said.

Tio who got casually insulted went haa haa. Meanwhile everyone else especially Kaori was getting high tensioned saying 「What’s with that, I want to try hearing that!」.

*Tremble tremble, tremble tremble* Yue-sama turned bright red while her body was shaking. It seemed her embarrassment was overloading. She jumped down from Hajime’s lap and lifted up her hands to the sky with tearful eyes!

「Original magic “God’s Eye”! Those memories should just be gonee!」

She hadn’t made that kind of magic. In the end it was just the soul recovery magic. It seemed that she forcefully reversed it.

Golden light exploded blindingly. 「Wait, Yue!?」 There were screams.

The bridge got buried in golden light. Several seconds passed.

「Eh? Nothing happened?」

「Y-yes. We are fine?」

Kaori and Shizuku looked at each other. Shia and others also seemed to be fine. As expected, magic to take away a fragment of soul was too advanced. Even Yue couldn’t possibly do such thing immediately――

「Eeeh? Where is this place? What in the world I……eh? Who, are you guys?」

Oh? Hajime’s condition was……

Everyone looked at each other. On Hajime’s hand, the spider type golem that was engraved with imperfect “God’s Eye” magic circle was convulsing disgustingly.

「P-perhaps, it’s only affecting Hajime-kun because of the chain reaction, or something?」

Everyone’s gaze turned toward Yue. She was sweating rivers seeing Hajime who was like the “peaceful youth” in his past. It seemed that she had messed up.

But, that too only lasted for a moment. Hajime looked at Yue. His face blushed red like it was lit in fire.

「Eh, cute……ah, that’s not it! Sorry for saying that so suddenly! Err, you are?」

The figure of a boy falling in love at first sight like the cliché was right there. His reaction was really innocent.

Yue’s eyes widened and her cheeks blushed……she spoke to Kaori and others who were wearing unamused expressions.

「……Can I enjoy this a little?」

「「「GET HIM BACK TO NORMAL QUICKLYYYYYYYYY-」」」

The angry yells of Kaori and others echoed until far away of the blue sky.

After that, in the end “dispute over the pure and innocent Hajime-kun” broke out. Then for some reason, even after Hajime’s memory returned, only his memory about Yue’s way of speaking stayed hazy. Hajime went crazy from feeling too much frustration and flew the ship with superb acrobatic movement.

The travel through the sky continued even with the group getting into big ruckus.

At that time they never even imagined that several hours after that they would reunite with a certain completely transformed clan and a great commotion at the empire capital would occur with that as the impetus.