Chapter 121
Reunion and Farewell
Translator : PolterGlast
On the day of Kazuma's
group's audience, I decided to have a final meeting with Miku. Though there
were things we couldn't predict, we had to rely on improvisation for a
significant portion.
"So, Miku will
persuade them, and I'll take them along, right?"
"Yeah, we don't
know how much time we'll have, so speed is the key."
Personally, I think
they'd be better off in the Empire, but I don't intend to force my opinion.
There are many who don't know about the Empire, and some have established their
lives here.
So, I'd be happy if we
could take about half of them. The most annoying thing would be if they
couldn't make up their minds about going or staying. So, Miku will tell them
straight, and we'll force them to decide quickly.
"Alright, let's
go."
"Yeah!"
I think this is a
pretty risky operation that could result in injuries or deaths, but Miku is as
calm as ever. I think I'm the one who's more nervous.
Well then, let's do
our best.
I entered the royal
castle using the door I set up, and then moved using Shadow Dive. Following the
route Alicia told me, I found everyone from Class 1-A in a large hall.
Since more than half a
year had passed, I thought they might have become more accustomed to this
world, but most of them were wearing their school uniforms. I guess we're
technically students, and it's a formal occasion, so they wore their uniforms.
Looking at everyone,
who seemed a bit tired from the audience, I felt a bit nostalgic. All
twenty-nine of them, excluding Miku and me, were in the room. In other words,
including us in the shadows, everyone from Class 1-A was gathered here.
We came to this other
world called Aristella, and despite the ups and downs, we've all managed to
survive... thinking about that made me feel a bit emotional.
But I can indulge in
sentiment later. First, I need to get rid of the annoying people.
"What!?"
"Ugh!?"
"A, an
intruder... (collapse)"
I used the lightning
magic, Stun Shock.
It's a magic version
of a non-lethal blow that paralyzes the opponent, though its attack power is
quite low. I've rarely used it in battles because its power is too low, but
it's useful in situations like this. I used it with very low output, so none of
the soldiers seemed to be dead.
"What's going
on!?"
"Enemy
attack!?"
"No, it's not.
Relax, they don't intend to harm us."
"Akira, do you
know something!?"
After seeing the
commotion among my classmates, Miku and I nodded to each other in the shadows.
They weren't used to being ambushed, so they were quite flustered.
Now, it's a race
against time. I activated Wind Search and prepared to detect anyone coming,
then jumped out of the shadows with Miku.
"Long time no
see, everyone."
"You're...
Kazuno!?"
"No way,
Miku!?"
Onda, the mood maker,
and Kishikawa, who's close to Miku, tried to approach us, but I held out my
hand to stop them.
"We don't have
time to celebrate our reunion, so please listen to Arisugawa-san's story
first."
"Everyone, the
kingdom tried to kill me! I would have definitely died if Kazuno-kun hadn't
been there..."
Miku then described
the kingdom's atrocities against her and talked about our escape. Except for
the fact that we didn't lack food, clothing, or shelter thanks to [Home], she
didn't lie.
"I can't trust
the kingdom. They summon us without permission, try to assassinate me, and send
Mitsukawa-kun to the front lines just because his gift has [king] in it. I
can't trust this kingdom."
"Well, I'm not
having any problems, though."
Mitsukawa-kun, please
don't interrupt Miku's speech. And it's only because you're abnormal that
you're not having problems. Izel II is doing some pretty terrible things, you
know?
"That's why I
defected to the Empire. I've made arrangements with Empress Emilia to guarantee
your living expenses if you seek asylum there. Of course, the environment might
be harsher than you have now. But she said she would respect your wishes and
even said you don't have to go to the battlefield if you don't want to."
...Well, except for
me! I made a promise to save the Empire once if they asked for help, in
exchange for guaranteeing everyone's living expenses.
If they're willing to
take care of all the trouble, it's a small price to pay. I'd be in trouble if
the Empire disappeared.
Miku looked at each of
my classmates and spoke earnestly. She's beautiful and has a clear voice.
Everyone was captivated and listened intently to her story.
Wow, she's good at
capturing people's hearts. If I had done it, I would have been interrupted, and
it wouldn't have gone this well.
"I want you all
to choose. Will you continue to be used by Izel II in this kingdom, or will you
start a new life in another place? Of course, both Kazuno-kun and I will do
everything we can to help."
"Miku-san. Even
if you say that, I don't think everyone can make a decision so
suddenly..."
"Sorry, Kazuma,
but I'm going."
"Akira!? Are you
serious!?"
Mitsukawa-kun
interrupted Kazuma, who was trying to calm everyone down and take control of
the situation. He stood next to Miku and me, facing Kazuma.
"Yeah, it's true
that I almost got killed because of Izel II. Unlike you, who's marrying Misha,
I don't owe the kingdom anything."
"W, well, that
might be true..."
It wouldn't be good if
Kazuma's chatter dulled everyone's resolve. He has quite a bit of charisma,
after all.
"What do you
intend to do, Onii-sama?"
"O, of course,
we'll follow Kazuma-kun!"
"Ah, for those of
you who don't know much about the outside of the royal castle, the average face
value in this world is extremely high. So, you don't have to look at
Kotegawa-san and Mitsurugi-san, who have already been taken, there are plenty
of beautiful women out there."
"Hey, Kazuno,
what do you mean!?"
I completely ignored
Kotegawa-san, the [Sword Saint]. I don't want Kazuma's harem to stir things up.
I heard that when they
were first transferred, everything was decided by Kazuma and his harem.
I won't let that
happen here. We'll be the ones to organize and control this situation.
I've worked hard to
get here, so I don't want everyone to be swayed and decide to stay.
I was thinking of
knocking him and his followers unconscious depending on the situation, but it
seems that won't be necessary.
I don't want to turn
against my classmates either.
"Everyone, we've
taken quite a risk to infiltrate the royal castle, so we don't have much time.
So, you have one minute to decide what to do. This will probably be a choice
that will affect the rest of your life. I don't intend to say anything
irresponsible, but I won't let those who come with us regret it."
"It's not
mandatory, so you can stay. Some of you might be worried about being arrested
before reaching the Empire, but please trust us, who were able to get inside
the royal castle."
"That's right,
how did you get inside, Arisugawa-san...?"
"Didn't they come
out of the shadows earlier? They must have mastered Dark Magic to a high
level."
"Hey, time's
running out while you're talking about me!"
"Kazuno, when did
you become like that...?"
Why are you talking
about me? But I managed to avoid Kazuma's harem taking control of the
conversation, so it's not bad.
"Okay, one minute
is up. Those who want to come with us, come here and touch Kazuno-kun."
The minute passed
quickly, and those who decided to move to the Empire touched my body. Hey,
isn't that sexual harassment!?
"Let's see...
about twenty people? Kazuno-kun, is this okay?"
"Yeah, I prepared
to take everyone, so there's no problem."
After waiting for a
minute, about half of the thirty classmates decided to come with us.
Kazuma-kun, Aina-san,
Kotegawa-san, and Mitsurugi-san... Kazuma-kun and his harem seem to be staying.
And four classmates
who have partners in the kingdom, and about six students who didn't raise their
hands because they were suspicious of us, who suddenly appeared.
Well, this flow was
expected.
But what was
unexpected was that many of the classmates touching my body were men, probably
because my words worked. I'm not happy about being touched by guys, though!
Well, the number of
people who said they'd come is about what I expected. So, let's get out of here
before they notice anything.
"Wait, Miku-san,
Kazuno, listen to me..."
"Sorry,
Hijirikawa-kun. Aristella isn't kind enough to give us that much time."
I activated Jaunt
without paying attention to him. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, but we
don't have time to waste.
And I used the AoE
Casting skill to teleport everyone around me outside the royal castle.
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