Chapter 27: The Demon Kings of Barlo

"Sensei, there is something I'd like to talk to you about. I'd like to do it in the counseling room, if you don't mind."

The week after exams, during our Wednesday lunch break, Aouji approached me with that request.

In the "Student Counseling Room," which I hadn't visited in a while, I sat facing the long black-haired girl. Her eyes weren't quite as sharp today, so it didn't seem like this was going to be a discussion about my execution. Not that I had any reason to be executed in the first place.

"What's wrong? Did something happen at the 'Stationary Abyss Cave'?"

"No, there are no issues there for the time being. In fact, everyone is feeling positive about it, saying they're gaining good experience."

"I've really got to hand it to the Aouji family. Even though it must be affecting your everyday lives. You got a good score on your Modern Japanese exam, too."

"I don't cut corners on my studies."

Aouji showed a slightly proud expression. She's actually really cute when she acts like this...

"More importantly, this is about Lea..."

"Did something happen? She seemed to have accepted the situation with you, at least."

"Ah, I'm sorry. The truth is, I don't know if it's actually Lea, but I've started feeling eyes on me when I leave the house. It started two days ago, but it definitely feels like I'm being watched..."

"That doesn't sound good. So, you thought Lea might be investigating you?"

"Yes. Nothing like this had ever happened before, so she's the only one I can think of. I'm sure she's curious about the Aouji family as well."

As Aouji said this, she didn't seem particularly bothered by it. Well, they had become reasonably good friends, and knowing Lea's duties as a public official, she probably understood why she'd be investigated. Aouji's ability to handle things logically rather than emotionally was one of her good points.

"It seems they still don't know anything about the Abyss Caves or the Abyss Beasts, either. By the way, how did you handle it?"

"I leave the house, hide in the shadows, and then use Concealment."

Concealment was likely a skill similar to my Stealth. If someone were just watching her from a distance with a telephoto lens, that should be enough to shake them off.

"I see. But what should we do? I could step in and make her stop again, but if I do that, it's like willingly advertising that there's something going on with you."

"If possible, I just want to know who it is. If it's Lea, I don't really mind leaving it be, but if it's something else, then..."

"Yeah, you've got a point. Alright, I'll head over near your house today and check it out."

"I'm sorry for asking you to do something like this, Sensei."

"No, no, it's a case of my cute student being troubled by a stalker, right? As a teacher, handling this much is only natural."

At my words, Aouji looked slightly surprised, then her expression returned to normal... or rather, she looked a bit displeased. Huh, did I say something wrong?

"As a teacher, you say. Ah, no, please take care of it for me. I'll be leaving the house at six."

"Understood. Leave it to me."

She went back to her usual attitude after that, so it didn't seem like I'd made a massive blunder, but still...

The subtleties of a girl's heart are just too difficult to grasp. I can't read the context at all.

Before six, I flew over to Aouji's house while hiding my presence, landed beside the gate, and waited in concealment. Right on time, Aouji came out and started walking.

I felt like she glanced in my direction—Aouji's mana detection abilities had grown incredibly sharp. In terms of sheer power, she was almost on par with a Heavenly King's lieutenant. For a human living in modern society, she was a girl with an unprecedented level of combat prowess.

Now then, I could definitely feel someone's gaze, and just as she'd said, it was the exact same presence I'd felt from Lea in front of the Kukami estate. I flew up again and searched the vicinity with Presence Detection, spotting Lea hiding on the roof of a nearby three-story building.

Well, Aouji's concerns were resolved for now, but I was still a little hesitant to just leave things as they were. Even if she was a transfer student with "special circumstances," as a teacher, it didn't sit right with me to have a student sneaking around behind the scenes.

Left with no other choice, I landed next to Lea and deactivated Optical Camouflage and Stealth.

In that instant, Lea jumped up and readied her knife, but the moment she realized it was me, her eyes went wide.

"Aiba-sensei!? Ah, ah... I-I-I-I-I'm..."

"I'm what?"

"I'm sooo soorryyy!!"

To my surprise, the blonde, ponytail-wearing girl performed a full-force dogeza. She was practically slamming her head into the concrete roof... Uh, what is this girl doing?

"Ah, I get how you feel, so just calm down."

"I'm sooo soorryyy, I'm sooo soorryyy!"

"I said I get it, so keep it down. Someone's gonna come."

Though I actually had a Soundproof Barrier up with magic, so no one was coming anyway.

When I patted her on the back, Lea slowly raised her head. She looked genuinely apologetic, but if this was an act, she was pretty damn good at it. According to my Hero's intuition, it was probably half-genuine and half-acting.

"So, who were you investigating this time?"

"Aouji-saaan... is who it was."

"Why did you decide to investigate Aouji?"

"During the battle with the Shadow the other day, I got the feeling that Soutou-san and Daimon-san were used to fighting monsters. But I've never heard anything about White Fox fighting monsters."

"Hmm..."

Does that mean Director Kochihara from White Fox hasn't told them about the Abyss Beasts? Well, bringing that up could potentially impact the Aouji and Kukami families, so it makes sense.

But in that case, it makes even less sense why Lea would target Aouji.

"That's when I remembered Aouji-san mentioning a 'swordsmanship for fighting beasts.' So I decided to look into it."

"I see?"

No, no, no matter how you look at it, those two from White Fox being used to monsters shouldn't connect to Aouji's story at all.

However, the ability to connect seemingly unrelated threads actually exists as a talent. After all, her logic was spot on in this case, meaning Lea likely possessed that very talent. It just went to show that she was no ordinary girl, either.

"I understand where you're coming from, but like I said before, I can't overlook you sneaking around. And for the record, Aouji's swordsmanship has absolutely nothing to do with Kzello's subjugation. There's no point in pursuing that angle, so drop it."

"Ugh, if you say that, there's nothing left for me to doooo. All that's left is to investigate Aiba-sensei's power, buuut..."

Lea looked up at me with eyes like an abandoned puppy. This gap moe attack, contrasting with her usual American vibe, was quite potent.

"When it comes to me, the story ends with me being a modern-day Ninja Master. Were you thinking there was something else?"

At that, Lea straightened her posture and stared intently at me.

"...To be honest, I suspect that you were the one who defeated Kzello, Aiba-sensei. If you really did defeat him, I want you to teach me how to take down Crimson Twilight's branch managers."

"Ah, I see..."

Well, I figured she'd reach that conclusion eventually. After seeing White Fox's aces, Soutou and Ayato, in action the other day, she probably realized they didn't have enough power to take down Kzello. When that happens, it's only natural for her attention to shift to their collaborator, the 'Ninja Master.'

I mean, I didn't mind just talking to her, but the biggest problem was that spinning a convincing web of lies while doing so sounded like a huge pain in the ass.

It was far too dark to continue our conversation on the roof, so we decided to move to a nearby family restaurant.

A beautiful exchange student and her homeroom teacher having dinner together at night would cause a huge uproar if anyone spotted us, so I used Illusion magic to disguise our appearances and a Soundproof Barrier to keep anyone from overhearing our voices.

Come to think of it, thanks to the fulfilling diet provided by Aouji and Niira's bento boxes, it had been a while since I'd visited a family restaurant. I was fully aware of how ungrateful that sounded, by the way.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"To be honest, I'm not even sure what I should be asking... But first, I want to know how powerful you think Kzello was, Aiba-sensei. For example, if we were talking about military forces, how much combat power would it take to beat him?"

"Hmm... As far as Kzello goes, normal weapons basically wouldn't work on him. Guns go without saying, but even missiles and bombs would be completely blocked if you just shot them at him normally."

"Is something like that even possible?"

"He has a magic... an ability that can almost completely block out physical force. Of course, he can't use it endlessly, so if you keep attacking past his limit, you can defeat him."

"And how high is that limit?"

"He could probably withstand continuous attacks for a whole day, twenty-four hours straight. Poison wouldn't work either. Oh, but maybe you could get him if there was no oxygen...?"

How would that work if I put myself in his shoes? Could I function without oxygen...? Yeah, probably. After all, I can create air with magic.

"Sorry, never mind. Biological and chemical weapons shouldn't work on him either."

"Hmm, I see. Truth be told, we've actually already tested that. That's a secret, though."

Lea held her index finger to her lips. She's honestly just really cute, which is a problem.

When I imagined what would happen if 'someone' currently fighting in the Abyss Cave saw us like this, a chill ran down my spine, like a blade was being pressed against my neck.

"Well, that's the gist of it. Naturally, hitting him with powerful attacks would exhaust him faster, and since he'd be attacking too, that would reduce the power he could allocate to defense, letting you deal damage sooner."

"Is that so... Just hearing about it makes me feel faint. But if that's the case, we could manage it if we just overwhelm him with sheer numbers, right?"

"Basically, yeah. However, it's not like he'd just stand there; he'd move around, counterattack, and he has lackeys, too. If you actually fought him head-on, your side would be completely devastated. If you screw up, it could cripple an entire nation."

"Ugh, so he really was on that level. And how did you manage to defeat an opponent like that, Aiba-sensei?"

She cast a probing look in my direction, but that was likely the most crucial piece of information for Lea. Now, what should I do? Though, it's not like there's any point in hiding it at this stage. It was my own fault for letting it slip in the first place.

"I basically just fought him head-on and beat him. With support from White Fox and the others, of course."

"In other words, you're just as strong as Kzello, right, Aiba-sensei?"

"Hmm... Yeah, I guess you could say that."

When I admitted it, Lea's face suddenly went blank.

"You're just going to admit it? Weren't you trying to hide that fact, Sensei?"

"Well, call it a bit of a mischievous impulse. It's not like I'm going to go around bragging about it, anyway."

"Isn't it more because it would be a pain if people found out?"

"Hiding it is more of a pain. Besides, even if I hid it, more people like you would just come snooping around anyway, right?"

"That's true. Crimson Twilight is an issue of national prestige for the States, so if there's any clue to solving it, I'm sure they'll investigate it thoroughly."

Yeah, I figured as much... I thought to myself, momentarily cutting off the conversation as I started eating the food that had just been brought to our table.

Things took a major turn the following day.

Not that it happened anywhere near me. The incident was unfolding on the other side of my TV screen.

"An incident occurred near Detroit, USA, on the afternoon of the 5th local time, where numerous residents were attacked by mysterious wild animals. While no fatalities have been confirmed at this time, there is a significant number of victims, and state police have cordoned off the surrounding area to respond to the situation. This is footage taken from a smartphone, and you can see a large, caterpillar-like creature writhing..."

I was watching the news in my apartment that evening, and when I saw a familiar caterpillar-like Type D Deep Beast appear on the screen, I almost spat out some of Niira's bento.

"Ah... they've finally started appearing outside of Japan, huh. Well, I guess that makes sense..."

From what I could see on the news, three Abyss Beasts had spawned, and since they were still Type D, the damage was barely being contained. But if a Type C or higher showed up, it was going to be no laughing matter.

Ten minutes after that broadcast, my smartphone rang. It was Aouji.

"Yo, what's up?"

"Sensei, did you see the news just now?"

"The one about Abyss Beasts showing up in America?"

"Yes. I figured you'd think they were Abyss Beasts, too."

"There's really nothing else that looks like those monsters."

"If the number of Deep Beast sightings continues to rise after this, what do you think we should do, Sensei?"

"Basically, we have no choice but to let the locals handle it as best they can. Is your family going to get involved?"

"My family has ties to the government, so they might approach us for cooperation. But we're already short-staffed, so if you ask me if we can handle it, I honestly feel like it's impossible."

"I hear ya. Though, knowing the circumstances behind all this, it does feel pretty awful to just sit back and watch people get hurt."

"Hehe, I knew you'd say that, Sensei."

"But what should we do...? Ah, I can just use Ouroboros to look into it. Sorry, Aouji-san, I'm going to look into things on my end for a bit. I'll hang up for now."

"Ah, Sensei, if you're going to Ouroboros, take me too. I want to stay informed."

"You sure? Alright, stay in your room, I'll teleport you."

"Yes! I'll be waiting!"

I sent a command to Ouroboros through my terminal bracelet and headed to my second home.

"Umm, it looks like the three Abyss Beasts that appeared in America have already been shot and killed!"

When I asked Ourobo-chan to gather information on the incident over on Ouroboros, she gave me an answer right away. The Galactic Federation's technology was still at a level I couldn't comprehend.

We were currently in the "Integrated Command Center," which served as the bridge for the battleship Ouroboros. I sat in the captain's chair, and for some reason, Aouji stood right next to it. I'd told her to sit in a nearby chair, but apparently, she preferred standing there. Maybe she harbored some sort of admiration for the role of an adjutant.

"How bad was the damage?"

"It looks like there were twenty-four casualties in total, both minor and severe! It seems there were no fatalities!"

"That was lucky. Shot to death, huh? So guns do work on them, at least."

"Judging from the state police's radio chatter, they fired at least a thousand rounds!"

"Yeah, I figured it'd be something like that."

When I shot her a glance, Aouji nodded.

"So ordinary guns really aren't very effective. If they struggle that much against Type D, a Type C showing up would be a disaster. Type Ds are slow, so it's manageable, but a Type C would definitely result in casualties."

"Yeah. We should probably share our information on Abyss Beasts with them, but that's something to be handled on a national level. There's nothing we can do about it from here."

"You're right. My father and mother both said it would be difficult for our family to respond as well. Especially when we already have our hands full with the Stationary Abyss Cave."

"That can't be helped."

If Abyss Beasts started popping up all over the Earth, even I wouldn't be able to handle it.

Just as I rested my chin on my hand, wondering what to do, my eyes landed on the silver-haired android girl with cat-ear accessories, who was staring right at me.

"Hey, Ouroboros. Is it possible for you to detect Abyss Beasts that spawn on the surface?"

"We could detect them to some extent if we deployed reconnaissance drones over a wide area! Should I inform the Captain when we find one?"

"What if we dispatched armed androids to the scene to exterminate them?"

"That's completely possible! We can send them to the location via Lambda Transfer, have them subjugate the target, and then retrieve them via another transfer!"

Ourobo-chan clenched both fists in a confident pose, prompting Aouji to furrow her brows and look at me.

"Sensei, are you sure about this? Ririo might get angry with you..."

"It'll be fine as long as the androids don't get caught. And if they do, I'll go retrieve them myself."

"I see. In that case, maybe you could have Ouroboros help us out with that Abyss Cave too... Ah, I'm sorry, I can't ask you to go that far."

"You're so serious, Aouji-san. But yeah, giving the androids some combat experience wouldn't be a bad idea."

"The more combat data, the better! The more data we gather, the more useful we can be to the Captain!"

"Hmm... Then, could you prepare three of them for me? Let's take them to the Abyss Cave and see how they fight."

"Sensei, are you sure?"

Aouji looked at me apologetically.

"No, this is actually becoming more of a benefit for my side. You don't need to feel indebted to me."

"Thank you. And um... the androids we're bringing are going to be girls, aren't they?"

"Apparently the androids they have right now all look pretty similar to Ourobo-chan. Well, if we slap helmets on them and make them look mysterious, it should be fine, right? If I say they're with me, the people on site will probably just ignore them."

"That's true. Although, that's kind of exasperating in its own way."

Aouji giggled as she said that.

"Well, that settles our plan of action for now. Do you feel a bit more at ease now, Aouji-san?"

"Huh? Yes, I suppose so. After all, this is about Abyss Beasts, so knowing you'll be handling it puts my mind at ease, Sensei."

Honestly, if it were just a matter of Abyss Beasts showing up, I might have just left it to the locals and ignored it. But with Aouji and the others involved, I couldn't exactly feign ignorance and do nothing; it would look bad. In that sense, maybe they were becoming something of a safety valve, keeping my Heroic side in check.

Lost in thought, I must have ended up staring intently at Aouji's face. She blushed and looked away.

"Um, Sensei, is there something on my face...?"

"Hm...? Ah, my bad. I was just thinking about how precious of an existence you are to me, Aouji-san."

"Eh!?"

"Hmm?"

The long black-haired girl, whose eyes were usually so sharp, stared back at me with her eyes wide open.

Huh, did I say something weird?

"What... what do you mean by that?"

"Umm, I was just thinking that thanks to having you all around, I'm able to keep from straying from the right path. Like with this incident, if you hadn't mentioned anything, I might not have done anything at all."

When I hurriedly explained myself, Aouji let out a heavy sigh and shot me a somewhat intense, sultry look.

"...Is that what you meant? Well, I have a feeling you would've done the same thing even if I wasn't here, Sensei."

"Not necessarily. I'm actually a pretty sloppy person, so even though I have all this power, figuring out how to use it can be a pain sometimes. I'm genuinely grateful to have you guys around."

"If that's the case, I'll make sure to keep a close eye on you from now on. Though when it comes to certain paths, I think you've already strayed quite far off course. But I can't really warn you about that, so please try to manage it yourself."

"Eh?"

"For the record, you made a very dangerous remark just a moment ago."

"Aouji-san, could I trouble you to be a bit more specific..."

"No."

"Ehh..."

That felt like a much more critical issue for my standing as a Hero than the Deep Beast incident...

However, Aouji ultimately refused to say anything more on the matter.

The next day, after school on Friday.

Once homeroom had ended, Soutou came over to my desk with a big smile on her face.

"Sensei, Sensei, is it true that you're deploying the 'Ourobo-chans' into combat?!"

"The heck are 'Ourobo-chans'?"

"It's easy to understand, so isn't it fine? Anyway, is it true?!"

"Yeah, pretty much. Did Aouji-san told you?"

"Yep! This all started because of what happened in America yesterday, right? I'd expect no less from you, Sensei, you're so quick to act!"

"Only within reason. More importantly, has White Fox been approached about that incident?"

"I imagine America is still sifting through the information. I think it'll be a little while longer before they reach out to Japan."

"Makes sense. But it's a little suspicious that Lea is absent today."

Indeed, Lea had called in sick that morning. Naturally, there was no way she would actually fall ill at a time like this, so it was highly likely that her absence was tied to yesterday's events.

It didn't seem like the Americans were aware of the existence of Abyss Beasts yet, but there was a very real possibility that someone from Japan had contacted them via the hotline right after the incident.

"More importantly, I want to see the Ourobo-chans in action too! When are you deploying them?!"

"They said they could have them ready today, so I was thinking of heading out tomorrow."

"Ah, then I'll be waiting at the site bright and early tomorrow! Wow, I'm so excited~!"

From behind the carefree Soutou, a tall girl with lifeless eyes approached us. Naturally, it was the Galactic Federation Independent Judge, Niira.

"Sensei, was what you just said true?"

"Yeah, I can't exactly just ignore it, after all. Plus, I want Ouroboros to gain some combat experience."

When I gave her a nonchalant response, Niira let out her biggest sigh yet.

"I believe I asked you to be careful, Sensei."

"I can't this time. If it looks like we're going to get caught, I'll take full responsibility and retrieve them, so just let this one slide."

"It's not really a matter of letting it slide; it's not like I'm in a position to tell you what to do anyway... but if this really gets out, I won't be able to stay here either."

"I know. I'd be in a real bind if you left, so I'll make sure it doesn't come to that."

Setting aside how important Niira herself was, losing her bentos right now would be a catastrophic loss for me. I had to avoid making a mistake like that at all costs.

My determination must have gotten through to her, because Niira recoiled, seemingly overwhelmed. Soutou, on the other hand, was smirking for some reason.

"I... I see. In that case, I won't say any more. However, I'd like to see how they perform as well."

"In that case, you wanna come watch tomorrow as my 'associate'?"

"Will it be alright? I'd like to avoid drawing any attention to myself."

"With how good you look, it's probably impossible to avoid drawing attention entirely, but if you're with me, I think they'll just pretend not to see anything."

Niira recoiled once more. Soutou smirked again.

"U-Understood. In that case, I will meet up with you tomorrow when you depart, Sensei."

"Got it. I'll let you know beforehand."

And so, the Ourobo-chans' combat debut gained another spectator.

Separately from all that, Aouji was glaring at me coldly from the back of the room. Had I just committed the "straying off the path" behavior she'd warned me about yesterday?

But where in that conversation could she have possibly found anything like that? It was too great a mystery, and as a meathead Hero, I ultimately stood no chance of unraveling it.

The next day, Niira and I headed to the abandoned amusement park where the Stationary Abyss Cave was located.

By the way, Rirara, who'd been staying over since Friday night, wanted to tag along too, but I shot that down since she'd obviously stand out way too much.

After making sure there was no one around in the parking lot, I pulled the three androids out from my Spatial storage. It was a reckless stunt that was only possible because they weren't living beings.

All three combat androids had appearances similar to the original Ourobo-chan. Which meant, at first glance, they looked like beautiful silver-haired girls in their mid-teens.

I'd told them to dress inconspicuously, but for some reason, they were wearing sailor uniforms.

When I asked Ouroboros why, she replied,

"All the girls around this age dress like this, right?"

Well, she had a point, but still... I decided to just accept it, figuring there wouldn't be any issues since some of the girls in the Aouji family fought in their uniforms too.

Though that excuse wasn't enough to deflect Niira's icy glare.

The three androids had almost identical faces to Ourobo-chan, but their hairstyles were different. So, I decided to name the one with a ponytail Ichiha, the one with short hair Futaba, and the one with pigtails Mitsuba.

By the way, when I tried to put helmets on them, they rejected the idea, saying, "It'll interfere with our sensors!"

"Alright, I'll give the three of you your weapons."

With that declaration, I handed the  Trident to Ichiha, the longsword Mournblade to Futaba, and the double-edged axe Ukonvasara to Mitsuba. Naturally, I was the one who came up with all those names.

Furthermore, since they are strictly for combat purposes, they rarely speak outside of battle.

"Sensei, are you going to have them engage in close-quarters combat?"

"Yeah. Guns are a bit too much in here. There are stray bullets and all that to worry about."

"I see. However, I never thought I would see combat androids actually fighting with spears and swords."

"It's a fusion of sci-fi and fantasy. Looks like we'll be able to gather some good data."

"It's a shame we can't provide feedback to the Galactic Federation's technology."

Having that conversation, we entered the abandoned amusement park. Even with four girls in tow, we naturally got a free pass at the entrance. I returned the salutes of the "White Fox" personnel as we made our way onto the premises.

As we approached the temporary office, Aouji, Soutou, and Ayato, as well as Miruma-san, also known as the "Saint", who were waiting outside, came over.

By the way, since I was taking full charge of watching the Stationary "Abyss Cavern" during the day today, many members of the Aouji clan, the Usa family, and the "WhiteFox" squad were given the day off.

"So these girls are the Ourobo-chans! Wow, they're all so cute. Are the sailor uniforms your personal preference, Sensei?"

At Soutou's unreserved question, the sharpness in Aouji's gaze increased.

"No, I just asked them to make them stand out less, and they ended up dressing them like this."

"Ahhh, in a certain sense, I suppose it is a look that doesn't stand out."

Soutou said this while petting the Ourobo-chans all over. You look a bit like a pervert, so please stop.

Watching that from the side, a girl with long silver hair who was the very picture of neat and tidy—Miruma-san from the middle school—stepped in front of me.

"Sensei, it's been a while. Since I can't see you at school, I unreasonably asked Daimon-san to bring me here today."

"It has been a while. I've heard from 'White Fox' that your powers have been a great help, Miruma-san. You haven't been in any danger, have you?"

"Yes, I basically don't enter the 'Abyss Cavern', so I'm fine. Plus, I have the ring you gave me, Sensei."

Miruma-san blushed as she stroked the 'Ring of Protection' she wore on her finger. It was a magic item that cast a thin, defensive barrier of magic power around the wearer; for someone not suited for combat like her, it was an essential piece of equipment that served as a lifeline.

"I think balancing this with your studies will be tough for a while, but if these girls do a good job, things might get a little easier for you too, Miruma-san."

"Umm, who exactly are these girls...?"

Miruma-san looked curiously at the Ourobo-chans. Soutou was still totally engrossed in petting their heads and giving them physical checkups. Or so I thought, until she tried to flip up their skirts and received a fist to the head from Aouji. Is she an idiot?

"Ah, well, just think of them as the Hero's companions. They might look cute, but they're incredibly strong girls, so it's fine."

"You certainly know a lot of girls, Sensei."

Oh dear, for a moment the "Saint's" aura felt a bit like an executioner... quite similar to Aouji's, actually. No, it's just my imagination, definitely my imagination.

"Well then, let's head straight into actual combat. Sorry to ask, Ayato, but could you show these girls how you fight first?"

I called out to Ayato, who was carefully observing the Ourobo-chans' weapons.

Ayato turned around and winked, saying, "Understood. I'll show them a good example." It was a bit frustrating how naturally cool she looked. Come to think of it, based on looks alone, Ayato seemed much more like a Hero than I did. I wish I hadn't realized that.

Making a bitter face, I took the Ourobo-chans, as well as Aouji, Soutou, Niira, Ayato, and Miruma-san, who wanted to tag along, and entered the black, hemispherical dome that served as the entrance to the 'Abyss Cavern'.

Inside the 'Abyss Cavern', a field modeled after a closed amusement park stretched out as usual.

For the time being, I used the crystal-shaped magic item 'Dragon's Eye' to search for magic power, heading toward where the Abyss Beasts were. After walking through the abandoned amusement park for a while, three Type C Abyss Beasts immediately appeared. They were six-legged tigers.

"Then I'll show you a good example first."

Ayato used her 'High-Speed Movement' skill to close the distance in an instant, slashing one down as she passed by, and effortlessly decapitated the other two. She then dispatched another three that subsequently appeared in the exact same manner.

The three Ourobo-chans watched her movements intently, their expressions shifting faintly every time Ayato displayed her superhuman agility.

After having them observe her defeat other variations of Type C and a giant mantis-like Type B, Ichiha of the Ourobo-chans turned her face toward me.

"Learning complete, Captain."

Since she spoke so suddenly, Soutou looked over at us with a surprised expression.

Miruma-san tilted her head in confusion, probably because I was addressed as "Captain."

"Okay, then the three of you will handle the next ones that show up."

"Understood. Data link between all units complete. Commencing extermination."

I thanked Ayato and had her fall back, while the Ourobo-chans stepped forward in her place.

Because the Ourobo-chans were fully equipped with sensors, they acquired the Abyss Beasts on their own and began walking in their direction. We ended up following along closely behind them, though from an outside perspective, we looked like a weird group stalking girls in sailor uniforms.

A short while later, five Type C Abyss Beasts in the shape of large crabs appeared from between the playground equipment.

"Enemy encountered. Commencing attack."

At Ichiha's signal, all three Ourobo-chans readied their respective weapons and closed the distance in a flash. Their movements were similar to the 'High-Speed Movement' skill, but since the scenery around their backs and feet looked distorted, it seemed they were using some kind of propulsion device.

Approaching the Abyss Beasts with a gliding motion, the three androids swung their spear, sword, and axe to inflict damage upon the creatures. From the looks of it, they still weren't going all out. They were likely fighting while simultaneously gathering data.

The three units fought for a few minutes, each delivering the finishing blows to the Abyss Beasts, and then returned after collecting the Abyss Drops. The way they lined up in front of me to hand over the Drops was somehow reminiscent of dogs. I had a premonition that the Hero's reputational damage was only going to expand.

"Did you encounter any problems?"

Ichiha responded to my inquiry.

"We did detect an unknown resistance energy, as expected. Our current weapons can penetrate that resistance, but any other forms of attack would likely require a substantial amount of energy."

"That's why I gave the three of you those weapons. Keep that in mind and continue accumulating experience."

"Understood. Resuming extermination."

After that, the girls continued to seek out and dispatch Abyss Beasts one after another on their own. A large Type B mantis also appeared, but they had no issues taking it down when two of them teamed up against it. To begin with, their reaction speeds far surpassed that of any human, so they were virtually flawless, especially when fighting defensively.

"Sensei, they're growing stronger in the blink of an eye."

Aouji stepped up beside me, watching the battles with a sharp gaze.

"Well, their baseline physical abilities are overwhelmingly high. But I don't think it'll be easy for them to reach your level, Aouji."

"You think so? I can't imagine being able to imitate those movements."

"When you've trained as much as you have, Aouji-san, you begin to acquire abilities that machines absolutely cannot imitate. Magic power is one example, but it also applies to perception. So it's not a problem."

"I see. In that case, it seems I won't lose my confidence."

"I guarantee your strength, Aouji-san. Plus, you can still get a lot stronger. You'll need to reach a point where you can take on a Type Special-II, at least."

"I think that would be impossible..."

I only said it half-jokingly, but to face a Type Special-II, which was practically a kaiju, you wouldn't stand a chance without using magic. Since she can use magic power, I could have her undergo the ritual to use magic in the other world... but that was definitely a tough call to make.

For now, since we seemed to have gathered data on the Ourobo-chans' performance up to Type B, and because it was getting close to noon, we decided to temporarily retreat.

We exited the 'Abyss Cavern' and entered a large prefabricated building set up nearby for breaks.

I took out the large amount of convenience store sandwiches I'd bought for lunch from my 'Spatial Magic' storage and laid them out on the table. I let Aouji, Niira, and the others grab whatever they wanted and eat freely. However, since the Ourobo-chans couldn't eat, they had to be left on standby outside, which I couldn't help but feel would further escalate the reputational damage to the Hero.

Aouji and Niira knew the circumstances, but I hadn't told Miruma-san that the girls were androids yet, so she was giving me a somewhat weird look. To the "Saint," it was probably quite concerning that I wasn't letting the girls eat. However, since both the androids and I acted like this was completely normal, she didn't seem to be able to bring herself to say anything.

Just as we finished our break and were about to start the afternoon session, a 'White Fox' squad member came out from the temporary office and relayed a message to Soutou. Upon hearing it, Soutou initially looked surprised, and then gave me a meaningful look.

"Soutou-san, did something happen?"

"Umm, well, actually, it seems there's already been movement regarding the incident in America yesterday."

"You mean regarding the 'Abyss Beasts'? What kind of movement?"

"Apparently, there's been some movement within the upper echelons of the government, and they've decided to fundamentally disclose all information regarding Abyss Beasts in Japan to the American side."

"That was incredibly fast. Or rather, it feels more like this agreement was already in place beforehand."

"Ah, you're probably right. They might have set the actual appearance of a Deep Beast in America as the trigger. Well, there's nothing we can do about that anymore, so it's fine. The problem is that, starting today, people from America are coming to inspect this 'Abyss Cavern'."

"By 'people coming', do you mean embassy officials? Or the military?"

"Actually, it seems members of 'Outfox' will be coming as specialists."

"Huh? You don't mean..."

"Exactly. It looks like Lea is coming. By the way, they're also going to make Misono's family public knowledge. Oh, it looks like a message just came in."

Looking at where Soutou was pointing, Aouji was talking to someone on her smartphone. Since she was frowning and nodding, she was probably being told by her family how to handle the situation.

However, it seemed like there was almost nothing left to hide in the end. The only real problems were Niira and the Ourobo-chans. When I called Niira over and explained the situation, she immediately caught on.

"If Lea is coming, it's definitely not good for me to be here. I'll go into hiding right away. What will you do with the androids?"

"I'll say they went home with you. I'll hide them on my end."

"Understood, see you later."

Niira hid behind some cover and immediately teleported back. I also took the Ourobo-chans out of sight and put them back into my 'Spatial Magic' storage.

When I walked toward the temporary office, Lea had just arrived. She was accompanied by Director Kochihara of 'White Fox' and a woman with brown hair in her early thirties. I had met the woman once before as her homeroom teacher; she was the woman playing the role of Lea's 'mother'.

Lea and her 'mother' were wearing navy blue coveralls. It was likely their operational gear for 'Outfox'.

"Oh! Soutou-san, Aouji-san, Daimon-san, it's a pleaaasure working with you today! So this is what you meant by fighting beasts, Aouji-san!"

Lea greeted Soutou and the others with her usual attitude and quickly blended into her surroundings. She didn't show the slightest hint of caring that they had kept the Deep Beast stuff a secret from her. I supposed this was one of her strengths.

She looked around curiously, and when she made eye contact with me, she ran straight over.

"Aiba-sensei, it's a pleasure working with you too. You realllly are everywhere, Sensei."

"I've got my nose stuck in a lot of different things. More importantly, how is the monster incident in America being handled for now?"

"For now, it's being treated as a wild animal rampage. However, since it was recorded on smartphones, we're still figuring out how to handle that aspect."

"So you're not planning to inform the general public?"

"I wouldn't know about that. My mission is to gather information on what exactly those monsters are and report back to my superiors."

"Makes sense. Well, take a good look around."

"Understood. Aren't you coming with us, Sensei?"

"No, I..."

Director Kochihara was here too, and it felt like a case for 'White Fox' to handle. I didn't think I needed to step in... but then Aouji came over and whispered in my ear.

"Sensei, we reduced our numbers today because of those girls' training. We won't have enough manpower if you don't come along."

"Ah, right. Guess I'll tag along then."

"Oh, we'll geeet to see Aiba-sensei fight too! We're so luckyyy."

And so, we ended up giving Lea a tour of the 'Abyss Cavern'.

There wasn't anything particularly troublesome or surprising about the tour of the 'Abyss Cavern'.

Lea simply made a fuss when she saw the Abyss Beasts, saying, "So this is a monster!? I'm amazed such creepy creatures exist!" Watched Soutou and Ayato defeat Abyss Beasts and nodded in understanding, "I see, so the members of 'White Fox' are used to monsters. That's why you were able to handle 'Shadow' so calmly the other day." And upon seeing Aouji's swordplay, she was deeply moved, exclaiming, "Aouji-san's swordsmanship is beautiful! It's the true essence of Japan, a modern-day Samurai!" I was a bit worried if she was actually gathering any useful information, but her 'mother' seemed to be checking various things, so I assumed it was fine.

After finishing the tour of the 'Abyss Cavern' and approaching the black, hemispherical dome that served as the entrance, a young man dressed in all black emerged from it.

"Hmph... so monsters are appearing in this world too... Just as the Guru said..."

The man muttering to himself as he was standing there was a handsome, brooding figure with long black hair slicked back and a jet-black coat.

"Now then... they said that guy was here, but..."

Without a doubt, it was the master swordsman I had briefly clashed with at the end of my little trip to the other world, at Marquis Auguste Bavalent's mansion—Barlo, one of the 'Demon Folk' executives of 'Crimson Twilight'.

"...!? Who are you?"

Ayato reacted first, sharply challenging him. However, as Ayato tried to step forward, I put my arm out to stop  her. Unfortunately, with Ayato's current skill, I wasn't sure if she could withstand even a single blow from that guy.

"Sensei?"

"I think he's here for me. He's on par with Kzello. Step back."

"Kzello? Then he's from 'Crimson Twilight'...?"

"Probably one of their executives."

Hearing that exchange, Aouji and Soutou gulped. Lea also seemed to realize the danger of the man in front of her upon hearing the name "Kzello."

After looking around, Barlo turned his crimson eyes toward me. Without a hint of hesitation, he shot me a piercing glare.

"Kuh... found you, the warrior from that time... I see... A terrifying amount of magic power, and a stance like a forged blade... To think a man of this caliber was in this world..."

Barlo curled his lips into a smile and slowly stepped forward.

Stopping about ten meters away, he drew a large knife from his coat. A faint, negative magic power flowed from its crimson, undulating blade.

"I won't ask who you are... I have no interest in why you were there either... Just fight me... right here and now..."

Judging by his words, he seemed to be the type of battle maniac executive who only cared about fighting. He had seemed reasonable enough back at the Marquis' mansion, so it wasn't like he was completely detached from everything besides combat.

"Ah, before that, at least tell me your name. And if possible, how did you figure out who I am? I'm Aiba Hashiru, and over here I'm just a normal school teacher."

"Barlo... one of the 'Demon Folk'... I heard from a comrade that you were in this country..."

"Ah, you heard it from the guy controlling that 'Assassin Shadow' thing."

"...Exactly..."

I see, so that's how his line about "finding me" connected to this.

But the Demon Folk executives seemed to get along surprisingly well. The Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's army had all hated each other's guts.

"Okay, I'll play along and fight you, but wait until the girls step back."

"...I have no interest in the weak. Have them fall back..."

"You heard him. Everyone, step back. Do not interfere. Make sure you don't get distracted and taken out by a Deep Beast."

"Oh, Aiba-sensei, is it true that man is on the same level as Kzello?"

"We can talk about that later. Step back while he's keeping quiet. I can't guarantee your lives if you do anything unnecessary."

I gave Lea a stern nail of warning. She probably desperately wanted to bring back information about this sudden development for her mission, but I really couldn't recommend it. If Barlo and I went all out, the entire surrounding area would be leveled into an empty lot. Especially with that knife he's holding. That's probably—

"Lea, let's fall back immediately. If Sensei is going this far to warn us, it must be truly dangerous."

"Aouji-san... Ugh, understood."

Nice one, Aouji. My long-time student is reliable as expected.

Once I confirmed everyone had fallen back, I took out the 'Magic Sword Diabla' from my 'Spatial Magic' storage.

Seeing the black, ominous greatsword, Barlo's eyes widened slightly.

"That sword... is the same as my 'Diablo'...?"

"Probably. Both are swords made of anti-magic material. By the way, this one's name is 'Diabla'."

'Diablo' and 'Diabla', sounds like a matching pair of swords. I didn't know if that was actually the case, though.

"...Heh, how interesting. Our duel... must have been predestined..."

"I wonder. Shall we begin?"

As I readied Diabla, Barlo took a half-stance, thrusting Diablo forward.

"...Here I come!"

In an instant, a black gale enveloped in a red flash of light bore down on me.

I repelled his preemptive strike with Diabla, but Barlo's movements didn't stop. He flashed Diablo in all directions, launching lethal strikes at every vital spot.

I deflected them with minimal movements, focusing first on grasping Barlo's patterns. A strong warrior of this caliber was bound to have several tricks hidden up their sleeve. Therefore, aiming for a short decisive battle wasn't a good idea; carefully gauging the opponent's true strength was crucial.

"Tch!"

Seeing that my defense was solid, Barlo further increased his rotational speed.

But he was fast. Counting purely by the number of strikes, his attacks per unit of time were easily ten times that of Ayato.

Of course, it still wasn't enough to surpass my 'Sensory Acceleration' skill. Before a skill that stretched out perceived time, even a master's movements were reduced to those of a normal person.

Exploiting the slightest opening, I swept Diabla and drove back the black whirlwind.

"What reaction speed...!"

Barlo contorted his mouth into a smile and began swinging Diablo wildly on the spot.

Invisible blades shot forth from its edge. Countless unseen slashes descended upon me.

"That's annoying when the opponent uses it."

I struck them down using my Hero's intuition. When I casually launched my own flying slashes from Diabla in return, Barlo dodged them with a flip of his body as if he could see them perfectly.

A brief ranged battle ensued. Playground equipment caught in the crossfire of the invisible slashes was repeatedly sliced apart and blown away.

"As I thought, we're making no progress...!"

Barlo unleashed dozens of unseen blades with an ultra-high-speed slash, then charged in right behind them.

I shattered the vanguard of transparent blades with a single swing, then launched a counter-slash at Barlo behind them. Barlo blocked the unexpected attack with Diablo, but unable to completely parry the impact, he was blown backward.

A Hero wouldn't overlook such an opening. I instantly closed the gap with 'High-Speed Movement' and chased after Barlo, swinging Diabla.

"This isn't enough...!"

Barlo had been holding his ground with masterful physical techniques and swordsmanship, but as I kicked things up a gear, he gradually became unable to dodge everything. My Diabla roared, and the tears in Barlo's coat multiplied. It was about time for the next stage.

"Gwooooh...!"

Right before Diabla's blade could reach Barlo's flesh, a massive amount of magic power erupted from within him. An overwhelming burst of ultra-high-speed movement that made his previous speed seem like a calm breeze. Escaping Diabla's blade with that speed, Barlo once again took a stance with Diablo while radiating a crimson aura from his entire body.

"Impressive, Aiba... From here on, I shall release my full power as well..."

"A speed-specialized 'Physical Enhancement' skill. I've never seen one at that level before."

"...There is no one, not even among the Demon Folk, who can force me to use this power... You have my thanks, Aiba..."

"I've never faced a close-combat master on your level either. The only comparison I have is the warrior from the Hero's Party. You could definitely take the top spot among the Four Heavenly Kings in the Demon King's army."

"...You speak nonsense..."

"It's a high compliment. The Hero has acknowledged you, so you can be proud."

"...I see. Then it's not a bad thing... I suppose."

Barlo grinned broadly, and vanished.

An electric current on my neck—when I protected it with Diabla's blade, a high-pitched metallic clang and impact followed. Then my chest, stomach, thighs, back—a tingling, electric sensation ran across every part of my body. Each time, I slid Diabla's blade over to guard against Barlo's attacks. I couldn't see anything, but Barlo was definitely attacking those spots. An extreme speed bordering on the speed of light, far beyond what vision could keep up with. It seemed Barlo's physical skills and abilities had heightened to the point of making that a reality.

Even with 'Sensory Acceleration', all I could see of those movements was a black gale rushing about. If not for my Hero's intuition, I would have been carved to pieces and defeated.

"I can go... even higher!"

Seeing me perfectly defend against his lethal strikes, Barlo increased his speed even further. It reached a point where Barlo was simultaneously present and absent in every space around me. Such a contradiction was now reality.

Of course, speed is accompanied by energy. Buffeted by the aftershocks of his extreme speed, the entire surrounding area was leveled, as if gouged out by a tornado.

"Can you... still keep up with this...!"

I felt like I could hear that voice around me, as if I were standing in the eye of a tornado.

Crimson flashes aiming for my vitals from every angle, at every speed, mixing in every possible feint. The magic power spatter that scattered every time our magic swords clashed. And the gradually emerging sound of the master Barlo's breathing—

With a seemingly casual motion, I extended Diabla... into empty space.

"Guh...!"

The man in black instantly materialized, and his right arm fell to the ground, still clutching the red magic sword.

"What a... man... To think you were this strong..."

Barlo opened up some distance, clutching his right shoulder with his left hand as he glared at me.

Fresh blood gushed from the gaps between his fingers, but the bleeding seemed to stop immediately. A warrior of this caliber had a body structure that was fundamentally different from an ordinary human. Losing a single arm wouldn't incapacitate him.

I picked up 'Diablo' from Barlo's severed right arm lying on the ground and tossed it into my 'Spatial Magic' storage. One more addition to the Hero's collection.

"This settles the match. Do you still want to continue?"

"...No, as you said, this match... is decided. Are you... really going to end it here...?"

"I wouldn't mind finishing you off, but there are people watching, so I can't exactly do that. I'm an upstanding citizen, you see."

"...Heh, you, an upstanding citizen... with that power, there's no way you can be upstanding..."

"I'm neither for nor against that opinion. But well, maybe against it."

The members of the 'Hero's Party' leaned pretty heavily toward the "upstanding" side, after all. I'd probably get yelled at if I agreed with Barlo's opinion.

"Besides, capturing you would just be a hassle. If you want a rematch, I'm heading over to your world soon, so ask me then."

"...I see. Then allow me to withdraw. I cannot afford to die yet either... Not until the Guru's desires are fulfilled..."

Saying that, Barlo vanished from the spot in an instant, taking his leave. I thought he might demand I return 'Diablo', but he was surprisingly indifferent about it.

When I called out, "It's safe now," Aouji and the others walked over from the distance.

Since this was the second time Aouji, Soutou, and Ayato had witnessed a battle against a Four Heavenly Kings-class opponent, they didn't look completely unaffected... their faces were a bit pale. In other words, they were strong enough to actually comprehend how terrifying Barlo was.

On the other hand, I expected Lea to be even paler, but...

"Fantastic! Excellent! Unbelievable! Aiba-sensei, that was a wonderful battle! So this is the power of a Ninja Master! Please come to the States and lend us your strength!"

Faced with an American exchange student clinging to me with sparkling blue eyes, I was left scratching my head over how to handle this incomprehensible level of enthusiasm.

"Umm, so what are we going to do about Lea in the end?"

Soutou looked at me with slightly exasperated eyes. In her hands was a cup of juice, brought to her by Ichiha of the Ourobo-chans.

The following Sunday, I called Aouji, Niira, and Soutou to the 'Ouroboros' to decide on our future course of action. I hadn't thought it was particularly necessary, but Aouji scolded me, saying, "There's no way that's true."

"Even if you ask me what to do... Lea is still here as an exchange student, so won't things just stay like this for a while?"

"You mean she's going to keep constantly trying to scout you?"

"Well, I'll make her stop doing that. But nevertheless, Lea pretty much found out everything except about Niira."

"Technically, the fact that you're the Hero is still barely a secret, Sensei."

"Well, true, but in the end, it was revealed that I can go toe-to-toe with an executive of 'Crimson Twilight', so it's practically the same thing."

"I suppose so. Well, we expected she'd find out eventually anyway. You never really intended to hide it in the first place, did you, Sensei?"

"That's just my personality. I hate hiding things. It's a pain."

"But doesn't that just cause more troublesome situations for you?"

"Are you talking about yourselves?"

When I pointed that out, Soutou stuck her tongue out and gave a wry smile. I wasn't going to be fooled, even if she made such a cute face.

As Soutou started drinking her juice, Aouji spoke up in her stead.

"Since Abyss Beasts have appeared overseas as well, the Aouji family received a request for cooperation from the government. So it seems I'll be cooperating with Lea moving forward."

"I see. So there was already a behind-the-scenes agreement in place after all. But how exactly is the Aouji family supposed to cooperate? America is ridiculously huge, how will you manage?"

"For that part, we'll respond if they appear, so..."

Aouji trailed off ambiguously, stealing a glance at Futaba of the Ourobo-chans, who had brought the juice.

"Well, as for the Abyss Beasts, we'll try to handle them here as much as possible before they appear over there. We don't even know how frequently they'll show up anyway."

"That's true. Since the Stationary 'Abyss Cavern' appeared in Japan, appearances in other locations have significantly decreased. That's why the appearance in America was so surprising."

"It looks like this won't be resolved unless we do something about the other world side after all. Summer vacation starts in two weeks, so I'd like to reach some sort of conclusion regarding the other world then."

"I might be imprudent for saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to that a little."

"Ah, me too, me too! The other world just sounds so exciting! Plus, monsters have started appearing, and a war is about to start, right? The stage is perfectly set for Sensei to take action~. I also really want to meet the Queen~."

"Honestly, Kagari... By the way, is it true that Sekai is going to the other world too?"

Did the sharpness in Aouji's eyes increase because she felt a sense of rivalry with Kukami Sekai?

"Actually, taking Kukami along is one of the main objectives this time. Thanks to her, we might be able to find a resolution to this 'Abyss' commotion."

"Is that so? And for what reason..."

"I can't say right now. Kukami told me not to. Well, you'll understand once we get there."

"...I see. So it was also true when Sekai said she made a direct request to you, Sensei."

"That's true as well."

Upon hearing my answer, Aouji got a slightly pouting look on her face. Seeing that, Soutou started poking Aouji in the side while grinning.

As I watched the two of them mess around, Niira spoke up from the side.

"By the way, Sensei, Director Raidoban actually contacted me last night."

Director Raidoban was the head of the Galactic Federation Investigation Bureau, to which Niira belonged. An intellectual, furry, nice middle-aged alien.

"It's been a while since I've heard from the Director, I suppose. Come to think of it, what's the situation with the Galactic Federation? Are the 'Abyss Caves' still appearing?"

"They appeared on two planets after that, but the deployment of portable Lambda Cannons was approved, and they were able to deal with them. Additionally, the movements of 'Fymaqud' had seemingly died down temporarily since the Elkrud incident, but..."

"Did something happen?"

"Recently, the 'Fymaqud' fleet has begun making major movements."

"That means... what I think it means, right?"

"Yes, without a doubt, they are going to dispatch a large fleet to Earth."

When Niira nodded gravely, Aouji turned a worried look toward me, while Soutou's eyes sparkled like a child in front of a toy.

"Sensei, it's finally starting! The great decisive battle of space fleets!"

"What are you getting so excited for?"

Honestly, this small-animal-type girl... She seemed to think this was some sci-fi movie, but she shouldn't forget that if a battle broke out, many lives would be lost.

I was already completely numbed to all that since I'm the Hero, but even though she engages in life-or-death battles, Soutou is still just a high school student. It's too early for her to acquire that kind of mentality.

"Either way, if they're coming, we have to repel them. Even so, if we start a firefight after they get close to Earth, it'll be detected by the Earth side as well. I'd like to intercept them while they're still far away. Niira, got any good ideas?"

"Let's see... How about using this 'Ouroboros' as bait?"

"Bait?"

"Yes. Fymaqud absolutely wants to take back the stolen 'Ouroboros'. So, if we leave 'Ouroboros' on standby far away from Earth, they'll likely be drawn to it on their own."

"Ah, that makes sense. Then all we need to know is the timing of their arrival."

"Yes. That being said, we just need to leave 'Ouroboros' on standby and wait for them to come. We can have 'Ouroboros' conduct its own reconnaissance, and once they approach, it will send a signal to 'Fortuna'. As soon as we receive it, we can simply transfer you, Sensei, to 'Ouroboros' via 'Fortuna'."

"That's a good plan. I won't even have to miss work."

"Ehh~, is that really the part you're worried about?"

Soutou gave an exasperated face, but it's an important matter for a working adult.

As I nodded in agreement, Aouji sighed watching me.

"If you're acting like that, Sensei, I suppose there won't be any problems... But what are we going to do about Lea in the end?"

"Like I said, just leaving it alone is fine, right?"

"But if we do that, her organization will eventually contact us. Are you going to refuse if that happens? What if the American government puts pressure on Japan, or something like that?"

"Hmm... true, if Lea reports up the chain, that is a possibility."

Ugh, at this point, maybe I should just give up and cooperate fully... But as the Hero, I'm kind of against that. Having people in power think they can use me freely is a definite no-go.

While I was making a sour face, Soutou leaned forward with a grin.

"Why not just drag Lea into the Hero's space like you did with us? If she properly understands your way of thinking, Sensei, I'm sure Lea will convey that to her superiors. As long as her superiors are as reasonable as our Director Kochihara, I think they'd handle it well."

"I don't really know what you mean by 'Hero's space', but you're saying I should just have a heart-to-heart talk with her? That might indeed be the fastest way."

"Exactly. You're basically forced to be involved with her now anyway, right? If you just show Lea a bit more of your power, Sensei, I think she'll be totally swooning over you."

"'Swooning' is a pretty outdated expression..."

While I was nitpicking at such trivial details, Aouji grabbed Soutou, dragged her to the corner of the room, and started lecturing her.

Eh? What part of that conversation warranted a lecture...? I wondered, but since Niira silently shook her head, I decided to just let it be. It would be troublesome if the executioner's axe was turned toward me, after all.

But well, in the end, after everything that happened, it seems Lea is going to end up being treated just like the other girls. The only question now is where the American branch of Crimson Twilight will reach out toward Japan...

Things have been a little too busy lately, haven't they?

── Somewhere on the West Coast, United States of America

"Come now, Barlo, surely you're joking? I think it's rather questionable to just leave a monster like that alone and return to the other world."

"...You can press me all you want, but there's nothing I can do with my current strength. That man was far beyond what I had imagined..."

"To think he'd make you say such a thing. Still, it's surprising that you'd retreat. I thought you were the type of man who considered dying in battle against a strong opponent to be his greatest desire."

"...It's not as if I have a death wish. Besides, right now... The Guru's goal is more important than my personal desires..."

"Well, I suppose. I'm acting for the sake of The Guru's goal as well, that hasn't changed. But if a man like that were to attack us, we'd have no choice but to turn tail and run, would we?"

"...At the very least, you'd best avoid carelessly crossing paths with him. He's a man who might not fall even if three of the Demon Folk were to attack him at once. Perhaps if The Guru regains his power..."

"But didn't you say he's coming to our world soon? It's impossible for The Guru to regain his power before then, isn't it?"

"It might be... In that case, we either fight him with all the Demon Folk, or..."

"Or we temporarily retreat to the new world The Guru spoke of. Honestly, having to think this far ahead just for one man is incredibly infuriating."

"...It can't be helped. We already know of an existence like The Guru. It shouldn't be so surprising that an equivalent being exists in this world..."

"Honestly, for a man who seems to only care about fighting, you can say some surprisingly intellectual things. Oh well, monsters have started appearing in this country too, so 'Outfox' will likely shift their attention to them. I'll lay low for a while."

"...That would be for the best. Kzello probably misjudged that. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain..."

"What worries me is that the local agencies here are starting to sniff around as well... Maybe I should just strike a deal with the government and have them acknowledge our existence."

"...You could consider that as an option... But if that agency drags that man out here, consider it the end of us..."

"Understood. I'll make sure not to waste your advice."

──Planet Iedopriol, Fymaqud Headquarters Top Floor, The Boss's Chamber

"Boss, all preparations for the sortie are complete."

"Finally. What about the Galactic Federation?"

"We've poked at the politicians and military brass to ensure the Federation forces won't be able to make a move for at least a month. Even if we deploy half our fleet, they won't be able to exploit the opening."

"Excellent. It seems the time has finally come to pay him back."

"Yes, sir. By the way, what should we do about the Ouroboros? I reckon it wouldn't be too hard to sink it if we launch a frontal fleet battle."

"A lot of money went into that. I'd like to take it back if possible."

"But as expected, recapturing the Ouroboros completely intact would result in considerable losses on our end too."

"Hmm... Gilmelt, the deployment of those soldiers is finished as well, right?"

"The Dragoneuts? We kicked Jengetto into gear, so one hundred and twenty of them are fully tuned and scheduled to board the assault landing ships."

"We'll have them and the android soldiers take care of him. If we dangle some bait in front of him, it should be possible to draw him into close-quarters combat."

"What do you mean by that? I can't quite grasp what you're thinking, Boss..."

"Heheh, going by the communications we intercepted, he seems to be quite arrogant. With a personality like that and an overwhelming disparity in military strength, it should be possible to lure him out alone. When it comes to him, merely killing him won't be enough to satisfy me. Gilmelt, load the Dragoneuts onto the Vritra. Put a battalion of android soldiers on board as well. We sortie in two days."

"Understood. I'll shuffle the deployments right away."

"Now then, I'd also like to find out if he really is an Untouchable Entity. If such a thing were being created on an underdeveloped planet, it would be quite the scandal for the Galactic Federation... but what I'd rather have is the manufacturing method. If we could obtain that information, even The Guru would be pleased. Heheh..."

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