---- The dungeon appeared.

　The rumor broke the students' concentration and the whole school was talking about it.
　A school assembly was held in person by Principal Sabrina, and we learned that it wasn't a rumor.

'Our school strictly forbids dungeon challenges. If you still wish to participate, you must bring a seal with a magical contract signed by a parent or guardian. The school will not be held responsible for that.

　The principal went up on the stage and said in an unusually strong tone of voice, "Thanks to you, the auditorium was unbelievably quiet.
　Thanks to this, the auditorium was impossibly quiet.

　I couldn't stand the pause and left the place alone.
　I went outside and took a deep, carefree breath, when I was stopped by two people.

'Do you have a few minutes to spare?'

　It was a pair of demonic news reporters I saw sometime ago.
　''This is bad........

''Don't be so cautious, we already have the information that you are the heroic Nito-san. As for us, if you would allow us to talk to you for a moment.
I'm in a hurry.

　I'm glad she's wearing a mask.
　The stubbled old man behind her has been holding a camera-like magic tool the whole time.

-- ''There was a reaction to the 《Ring of the Dragon Crystal》.

　An announcement went off in my head.
　Zeke and the others again - fortunately I'm the only one who can hear the voices, but at a time like this.

'Nit.........can you hear me?'

　What a pain in the ass. What do you want?

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience but it's me, Alford.

　Hmmm ... could we have a conversation without saying it out loud?
　As expected of a dedicated telepathic device.
　I see, there was no need to say this out loud.

"I don't even know where to begin...

　I hear telepathic communication in my head and a woman calling herself Francesca is loud in front of me.

'Do you know what an ichigo is?'

　...What?

'My guess is that this guy is probably an acquaintance of yours... right?'

　Why did Ichijou's name come out of Alford's mouth?

'To put it simply, we've added Ichijou to our newest member.
What?

　I couldn't help but shout out.

''S-sorry, was there anything rude you wanted to ask me?''
Oh, no, no.

　Question?　I didn't listen to him at all.

''I know what you mean. I heard the conversation between you and Aries, and I've considered the possibility of Ichijo being in your revenge target. I just want you to listen to me first.''

　You want to talk about it?

'When I met Ichijo, this guy was being chased by another brave man. Ichijo intended to leave Grayberg at that point. To summarize, he's looking for Hidaka Masamune.

　...What?

You know what I mean, don't you?

　What do you mean, Ichijo is looking for me?
　I'm supposed to be dead.
　What's that for?

"We haven't talked about you yet, Nito, but what do you think?

　I won't tell you who I am, I promise.
　If I do, I'll be out of your sight.

Well, okay. I won't tell Ichijou about this, and that's fine. Then we'll cut to the chase.

　What's more....

'Do you know the great country of Artemias, we are about to attack it.

　Another complication.

"Don't say that. The King of Artemias has recently committed genocide against his own people. The purpose of the attack was to assassinate the king and the princess.

　...The princess is a Sufiria?

"Hmm, do you know him?　Yes, Sufilia Artemias. She is complicit in the massacre.

　Is Sufilia complicit in this? ...No, that can't be it.
　In fact, he should have been trying to stop the slaughter.

'The details can be discussed later. If you want to participate, cast the transference spell as usual.

Nito, may I take a picture of you?
What?
Here's a picture.

　Francesca chuckled.

'If possible, I would like you to take off that dwarf mask and show me your true face.
'We don't allow pictures. And I'm not Nito, I'm just a current student.

　I cast a magic spell of destruction on the camera held by the man behind me.

"Whoa, what the hell?

　Instantly the lens cracks and smoke rises from the camera.

What's wrong, Dolly?
My camera just blew up.

　Francesca glared at me.

It was you, wasn't it?
What's that? .....
''I just want to know. Who stopped that attack and what exactly is S-rank adventurer Nito?

　S-rated?
　I would have been ranked B....

"S-ranked, you're an amazing adventurer.
Yeah, that's why I'm looking for it.
We don't want to be photographed as we are.
So just ask me a question.
I'll just answer one question.

　They're not going to let me go if I don't answer.
　It's not these reporters I'm worried about, it's Sufilia and Ichijo.
　I need to question those guys immediately.

What is your profession?
Healer.
'Healer! ...Oh no, no way.......then where do you live?　Where are you from?
I have one question. I'll save any more for another time.
Hey!
Oh, absolutely no pictures, okay?
....
'If you found out I'm Nito, you're probably looking into your mate anyway, but no pictures. If you put that stuff up you know what I mean, right?

　I heard Francesca's throat.
　I chanted the transference spell and left the academy for now.

*

　After I opened my eyes, I couldn't look away from Ichijou's figure in the back.
　At all, why is this happening?
　Of all things, I didn't expect Ichijo to join the heart of the dragon.

　I was introduced to Ichijo.

''It's nice to meet you too.''

　He glares at Ichijo under the mask.
　A red mask and a lurking robe.
　In this form, they wouldn't know it was me.

'Tell me about your reasons for killing Sufilia.
I'll explain.

　Zeke said.
　But that was hard for me to understand.
　It was the Sufiria herself who had masterminded the massacre.

"Can't argue with that, can you?
Yes.

　But I know I'm not lying to you.
　But I need to be sure.
　I need to know for sure, and I need to know for sure.

"We are now going to raid Artemias. The plan is the same as before.
Another frontal assault.
'Yes, this country is a technological powerhouse, but in terms of military might it is inferior to Greberg. Probably not a problem. But I'd like to say something first.

　Zeke prefaced.

'This will be Ichijo's first battle. I know I've said it before, but we can't afford to lose.
You want me to cover him?
Can you do that?

　What a bad character he is.
　Zeke knows I can't say no.
　He's too lazy to ask or answer.

"No problem. Is that all you have to say?
Yeah, that's it.
I understand. Well, I have one thing for you. Leave the princess to me.
All right.

　Zeke agreed.

*

What kind of magic do you use, Nito-san?
When you get a chance, I'll show you what I'm talking about. But don't get your hopes up, because I'm not very good at it.
'Incompetent?
You buy too much. I am after all........I heard it by the way. Ichijo-san was summoned by the summoning of a hero. I heard you're an otherworlder, right?
'Yes. I didn't know what to expect at one point, but we made it.
Well....
By the way, I have a question for Nito.
Excuse me?
Do you know anything about a man named Masamune Hidaka?
...It's an unusual name. It's an unfamiliar name, but are you a friend or something?
'Well I don't know, he wouldn't think so. We've abandoned him.
There seems to be a problem. I'm afraid I don't know. But if I hear of it during my travels, I will tell you.
Thank you.

　Carotid artery.
　Cutting it would prevent blood from going to the brain and eventually cause a person to die of blood loss.

　A single strand of neck flickering in my vision.
　It can be killed at any time, but not now.
　Now we wait.

　We both walked over the defensive walls of Artemias.
　Zeke was surprised when I showed him my black wings - the private wings of laziness, but Ichijo was used to it.
　He talks to me like we already know each other.
　The social aspect is annoying.

　The guards were placed at regular intervals on the defensive wall.
　The reason why they were able to enter without being noticed by this number of guards is because of their 《God Speed》.
　Ichijo was not swung down even with this speed.
　Of course, it's because I was supporting him to prevent that from happening, but....
　If you kill him now, Zeke and the others won't believe you when you say that you couldn't save him.

Shall I go?

　One of the guards was behind a pillar.

'No, Ichijo-san, please stay here. This country is a technological powerhouse. It's going to get even bigger. I don't want to kill the guards unintentionally.
But this country...
I know. But I'll have to check with the Princess directly. Until then, please wait.
Okay.

　I ordered Ichijo to stay put, and approached the guards at Godspeed.

"What!

　He captured her and brought her to the shadows.

The Binding Man-Dies Obligeradio

　I tie him up with my white arms.

'Please be quiet. I won't harm you.'
Mmm-hmm!
If you resist, I will kill you. Again, I say, stop resisting.

　The guards stopped resisting when the words were understood.

''We call it the Dragon's Heart.

　The guard's eyes widened.
　His eyes drooped downward.

'I'm glad to hear that you understand. From your reaction, I take it that you know about the king's folly?'
Huh ... huh ... huh ... are you guys here to kill the king?

　The ungagged guard said as he caught his breath.
　He didn't look frightened.

''That's right, sir.''
I see.

　It's a surprisingly easy reaction.
　I wonder if he knew we were coming.

"We need to ask you some questions about the king's daughter.
Lady Sufilia?
Yes,
'Tell me what you know. You know that the king committed genocide against some of his people, is it true that it was not the king who ordered the massacre, but the princess?
It's true.
It's very straightforward.
I'm not going to hide. It's probably true for most of us, me included. We've been waiting for you for a while now, in a way.
What do you mean?
'This country is done for. No, it may have been that way for a long time now. It monopolized advanced technology, and the king was consumed by money and greed. And he ruled the country as he wished. Anyone who defied him was killed, even those from the House of Artemias. That king is mad!
Is that why you were waiting for us to kill the king?
Yes.
'What do you mean by the princess ordering the slaughter, the king's order?
I don't know much about it. But I don't think so, because the princess is crazy, too. In a way, she is worse than the king. A child who doesn't know right from wrong, growing up with the king's folly in his head. You know what kind of people are born, don't you?

　But it didn't look like that at the time.

'Let's head to the throne room, Ichijo-san.
Wait a minute. What about the rest of the guards?
Let me tell you a good thing for all that you've taught me. Our target is the king and the princess, as you said. And his entourage will be among those killed. I'm not going to kill them, but the rest of my people might kill them, maybe even the guards. If you don't want that to happen, you need to run. Tell your friends. That it would be best to stay away from this place for a while.
Okay.

　I let my guards go.

'What can I say, Nito, you're calmer than I've heard you say.
Calm?

　Ichijo said surprisingly.

'I heard from Zeke-san that it was Nito-san who erased the royal castle in Greberg and killed Aries and the king. But to me, Nito-san doesn't seem like the kind of person who would go that far, or rather, I feel a little strange about it.
'That country is different. It's hard to keep up with how many darknesses have been created by the existence of Aries and Johannes so far...I can't even begin to imagine. Isn't the Hidaka-san you're looking for, Ichijo-san, one of those darknesses?
Darkness, I guess...
Why are you looking for Hidaka-san, Ichijo-san?

　Ichijo said reluctantly.

'When Hidaka-kun was sent to Aries, I put myself first. I thought that if I made one mistake, I would be sent away. When I came to my senses, Hidaka had disappeared right in front of me. I abandoned him.
I see...
I wanted Hidaka-kun to realize Relying on others.
Depend on it?
'Yes. He was a bit of a klutz.

　How can you say so much about someone else without knowing much about them?

'But in the end, I abandoned him. I told him to rely on me, but I abandoned him.
I see. By the way, did you say you just got blown away?
Yes, sir.
That means he's already...
'No, Hidaka-kun is alive, he should be alive!

　His tone was emotional.

'So what are you going to do with him, if he's still alive?
"He told us right before he was sent away. I'll be back to kill you.
Revenge....

　Good memory.

"Yes, sir. But I don't want him to go down that road. Vengeance can only produce vengeance. I don't know where you are now, Hidaka, but this world is full of death. Of course, there was death in the world where I lived, but it wasn't as close as it is in this world. In a world where such death is so commonplace, what he would do I know what he would do.
Can I ask you one question?
What is it?
Ichijo-san, what do you think he's going to do?
''I don't know what exactly he's going to do, but he may not choose the means to seek revenge. There may be some damage done in the process.
'Then we should kill them, we need to take care of them before they do any damage.
'He's not a bad person! ...I'm sorry.
No, no, I'm the one who's out of line.
I'm trying to find him so I don't have to.

　This guy seems to think I'm really alive.

What are you going to do when you find out?
I'll help you. Help me I won't abandon you this time.

　There seemed to be no lie in those words.

*


　The corridor is the same as when I visited the other day.
　If you continue on like this, you will eventually arrive at the big door of the hall.

"I thought I detected a suspicious spell, and when I came here...
'Sorry, Nito, I'm sorry. I have no cognitive inhibitions.
No, it's just what I have to do.

　They found me out of the blue.

'You're not from this country, who are you?'

　I remember this guy's face.
　He was the man who was guarding Sufilia when she met that red dragon.
　His name was Heathcliff, I believe.

"We're here to kill the king and princess, do you have any objections?

　I asked in a straightforward manner.
　This question is not only simple, but efficient.
　The first response from the other person says it all.
　So, there are only two main answers to this question.
　You can either be convinced, as the guards did, or you can try to stop them.
　Since we are suspicious, we should be restrained or pointed at them.
　But otherwise, this guy is one of the people who question the system of this country just like that guard.

''........Are you kidding me?''

　Heathcliff drew the sword in his waistband.
　That's what it means.

''Mr. Ichijo, it seems he's a royalist.
Then I'll do it.

　Ichijo had a golden sword appearing in his hand along with a light source.
　That was the Sword of the Brave (Excalibur), as I recall.
　It's a boon that only the brave can handle.

''Nito-san, this is almost the first time for me to fight against a person. This is my first time exchanging lives.''
Okay, I'll use my judgment. We'll cover you.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

　Ichijo quickly closed the distance.
　His body language and swordsmanship was adequate.
　Perhaps it was taught by the Alford area.
　Immediately after Heathcliff's sword and blade touched each other, Heathcliff's blade tip was slashed by Ichijo's sword.
　This is the power of a brave man........

　Showing confusion, Heathcliff took a distance.


''【Forge (Claycell)!

　Heathcliff held his hand over the sword that had broken the magic circle that had appeared in his hand.
　With a slow slide of his palm, the edge of the blade that should have been cut was repaired.

''It's a magnificent sword. But the wielder must be a treasure in this one.'

　Indeed, Heathcliff was right, the sword of the single-stripe was also full of gaps.
　It's a powerful blow, but it's inexperienced.
　I, who understood swordsmanship, could understand that.

''《Wind Blade (Soled)!

　Ichijo released a blade of wind.
　But Heathcliff taunted him with his sword, adjusted his stance and released multiple knives from the light source in his right hand.
　But Ichijo slashed off all the knives with his golden blade.
　Without a break, a huge magic circle appeared at Ichijou's feet.
　A white magic circle.

''Nito-san, I don't have the luxury of time. I'd like to settle it with this.''
It's all yours.

　Ichijo's magic power rises--.

《Bombing Explosions》!

　At that moment, a magic circle appeared at Heathcliff's feet, and as soon as it appeared, a massive explosion erupted.
　The momentum was so great that it engulfed and destroyed the surrounding buildings, as well as the pillars, walls and ceilings that formed the corridors of this castle.
　Debris flew away with the blast.
　The space is filled with dust.
　When my vision cleared, I saw not only Heathcliff, but also the various objects that formed the corridor that had been there a while ago, reduced to a pile of rubble.

　If you ask me, it's magic that embodies irrationality.
　If you have this power, you'll have no trouble capturing the dungeon.
　It's a good thing that Saeki didn't have this power in his hands.