“…An unknown ceiling.”

Jokes aside, I find myself in a room that looks like a hospital room.

“Be at ease, this is the medical area of the training institute.”
“Kuro!”

On a chair beside the bed is Kuro in his black cat mode. He isn’t alone either. Shiro, Rin, and Urd are also present. Unlike him, they are huddled up asleep on the other bed.

“Why are you all here?”
“There are various reasons…”

Apparently, they rushed all the way to Sapporo to see me due to Rin’s willfulness. However, they were swallowed up by various incidents, and thus were only able to recently join up with me. The magicians from the Mizukami Household hidden around the forest’s circumference, who were also keeping watch, informed them of the situation, so they probably already heard about what happened to me.

Incidentally, those magicians immediately set off through the forest once the incident started. They moved so cautiously that they missed the battle.

As the person who fought with his life on the line, I can’t help but wonder, The hell were you doing!?

“At any rate, this jersey is brand new. Did Kuro restore it?”
“It was prepared by the magicians of the Mizukami Household who carried House Head here. To avoid rousing the suspicions of the teachers, they strived to make everything consistent and also secretly guided us to this room.”
“So it’s like that.”

Sorry for thinking, “The hell were you doing!?” If I can pass a message along through Uruna-chan, I’ll make sure I properly express my gratitude.

“What happened to the students and teachers? And what about the Survival Recreation?”
“Everyone is safe. Immediately after House Head brought down the mastermind behind this incident, everyone held by her technique seems to have returned to normal. As it only lasted 30 minutes, no one noticed the passage of time, allowing for the Survival Recreation to continue as it was.”
“So it continued as it…eeh!?”

Looking at the clock reveals it’s 6 pm. The end time for the Survival Recreation has long passed.

“Not good, why!?”
“Mu? What’s wrong?”
“In the Survival Recreation, the group’s ranking is determined by various evaluations, and I was competing against a certain group, we made a small wager…”
“A wager? In my opinion, a verbal promise between students is irrelevant… but, more than that, you realize that the enemy House Head defeated was a much more incredible existence?”
“The existence I defeated, that black dress woman?”

Certainly, thinking back, my opponent was absurd. Being able to control a giant dragon and Owl-chan’s giant skeleton, the surrounding natural environment, and in the end, even light. My learning ability couldn’t pick up a single thing. She feels like she was in a different dimension compared to everyone I’ve fought so far.

“Either way, that’s exactly why this Survival Recreation is more important. That which I risked my life to protect, I properly want to experience it.”

I totally said something cool there.

“I see, that is certainly the case. It is as House Head says.”
Kuro agrees without any hesitation.

That’s a little embarrassing.

Well, it might be an idiotic sense of peace, but a tranquil everyday life is more important to me than the type of existence of the opponent I defeated was.

“Speaking of which, House Head should best hurry and return to the Survival Recreation. Rin is already satisfied with having met you. We shall assist some in dealing with the aftermath and return home.”
“The aftermath?”
“A trifling matter of searching for and transporting the culprits. I believe they will be fine even without our assistance, but it is for caution’s sake. We should be back by tomorrow.”
“We also plan to be back tomorrow, so let’s meet up at home. Have a safe trip back.”
“House Head as well.”

I stroke Rin and Shiro who are deep asleep. Then I pick up the slumbering Near and Urd and gently place them in my shirt pocket so as to not wake them before leaving the room.

Wait, Near sleeps?

“Ah, thinking about it, is that black dress-san I defeated alright?”
“Umu, she is well.”
“Really? Great, alright then.”

I trot to the auditorium where everyone seems to be.

“House Head… is too kind.”
I get the feeling Kuro says something, but it must be my imagination.

– –A Noble Diamond should be here– –

Practitioners from the [Mizukami Household] and [The Order of Twilight and Dawn] apprehended Io and Ferrum.

Chrome mutters, “Interesting… this isn’t, de gozaru naa.” while watching from atop of a tree.

“Io-dono’s brainwashing has been undone, de gozaru, the fairy all seed lost, and even the whereabouts of the heart of the evil god is unknown. I won’t be able to return to The Order of Twilight and Dawn anymore. Well, that’s an insignificant matter, so it’s probably fine, de gozaru ka.”

The matters listed off by Chrome are of momentous importance to [The Order of Twilight and Dawn], the [Mizukami Household], and the keeper to the seal of the evil god’s heart Wako and her group, but for him, they are none issues.

An issue that does discomfort him– – –

“– – –The [commands] of Io-dono after acquiring the power of the evil god were effective on me. However, they weren’t effective on Yuuki Kousuke…”

Unable to go against Io’s command of [Be silent], Chrome was in a state where he couldn’t utter a sound. As such, he hid himself and quietly observed the battle between Kousuke and Io. In doing so, he witnessed Kousuke resist Io’s commands and felt a strong sense of discomfort.

“I thought he had the same divine protection as us, that he was an apostle of god, de gozaru, but…he could resist the power of the evil god. My line of thought may have been mistaken, de gozaru na.”

His resistance might have been some sort of coincidence, but if he truly is some sort of unknown existence that can oppose the power of god, he’ll become a major obstacle should he become hostile. If anything, he might be a higher existence then we apostles of god and possess strength that surpasses our own.

Upon thinking that much, Chrome averts his gaze and switches his state of mind.

“Well, should he become a nuisance to our goals, engaging him with all of my power then will be fine, de gozaru na.”

Muttering that while gazing off at the setting sun, he quietly disappears into the darkness of the forest’s depths.

---

T/N: Translating this chapter took way longer than it should have… again.

Lyfe~

<55.2 A Rock in my Mouth
57. Boy Scouts… are Seriously Incredible>