Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8

by Ryo Shirakome

  “Eri, don’t interfere with my senses again, or I’ll have you tried for treason.”

  Not that he trusted a turncoat to begin with. Necromancer was a job that required a high level of proficiency in dark magic. In fact, necromancy was the most powerful dark magic spell. And since Eri could use that with ease, she of course had no trouble using other dark magic spells. She was the genius who’d created her own necromancy spell, Spirit Binding, so it was hardly surprising. The spell that allowed her to bind the souls of the deceased to her corpses and grant them a modicum of will was almost as powerful as ancient magic all on its own. Even Freid, general of the demon army and a master of ancient magic himself, hadn’t been able to sense her arrival, meaning he’d been completely taken in by the dark magic Eri had used to interfere with his senses. However, Eri waved off his threat and replied to him calmly.

  “Now now, don’t be so stiff. I’m just a frail little girl.” Her grin grew wider.

  Freid turned back to the beastmen training below and muttered “Vixen,” to himself.

  “Do you like my soldiers... the undead beastmen warriors?”

  “...I have no complaints regarding their strength.”

  “Don’t look so displeased. They only got this strong because you lent me a hand, you know?”

  Freid sighed at the cloying malice in Eri’s voice. Still, he couldn’t refute her words.

  The undead beastmen warriors weren’t actually beastmen. Freid had used transformation magic on the corpses of Heiligh’s knights and added the traits of monsters to them. After that, Eri had used necromancy to bind their spirits to their bodies and reanimated them as her personal soldiers. They felt no pain, and they didn’t fear death. They’d just continue mindlessly fighting until they were destroyed. Freid had been disgusted to learn that even after death their souls were being toyed with, and he pitied the poor creatures. But as much as he despised Eri, he couldn’t deny that he’d helped her create these abominations. Eri sniffed dismissively at him and changed the subject.

  “Oh yeah, where’d all those apostles go? They were all here last night, but I haven’t seen a single one today.”

  The 500 apostles that had come to serve the demon empire were terrifying enough that they made even Eri’s blood run cold. When she’d seen that army of god’s personal executioners, Eri had been convinced that betraying the humans had been the correct choice. After all, there was no way anyone could stand against that horde. Humans would be wiped from existence, and that would be the end of it. She doubted even that monster, Hajime, stood a chance.

  “They went to greet a guest. We have to gather all of the background actors first.”

  Eri tilted her head in confusion at Freid’s words, but then a second later understanding dawned on her. And so, she grinned maniacally as she spoke.

  “I see. Looks like the super fun party’s about to begin. I can’t wait until we get to see each other again...” Eri’s crazed laughter rang out through the courtyard.

  Capital of Heiligh.

  Yuka was performing at the capital square, as had become customary for her recently. Her knives glinted in the sunlight as they soared through the air. The children gathered around her cheered as she caught them without dropping a one. She even grabbed the objects other people had thrown into the air during her juggling act. With the Divine Mountain at her back, she threw one last knife high up in the air, her standard finisher.

  “Hm...? Wait, what’s that?”

  Yuka looked up to catch her knife and saw something sparkling coming down from the Divine Mountain.

  Reisen Labyrinth Entrance

  A single silver streak flew high above the gorge. Deep within the labyrinth, a small golem sighed as she watched the outside world using an artifact one of her dearest comrades had left behind.

  “Looks like it’s finally begun... Does this mean my long journey is at long last nearing its end?”

  An image of the girl Miledi Reisen had once been overlaid over her golem. A blonde girl with sky blue eyes looked up at the sky. Her expression was serious, devoid of the normal teasing playfulness it usually had.

  The Floating City of Erisen

  A young woman walked out onto the pier. She held a basket in her hands and was smiling softly. Men’s heads turned as she passed, but she ignored them and called out to her daughter, who was playing in the sea.

  “Myuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! It’s time for luuuuuuuuuuuunch!”

  A tiny figure popped her head out of the water and started swimming toward Remia. She swam with such elegance that she seemed made for the water.

  “Mama, what’s for lunch?”

  “I made your favorite... but I could only get fish, not meat. Sorry, Myu.”

  Myu leaped out of the water, and both mother and daughter sat down on the pier. Remia pulled a few fish skewers out of her basket. Skewers were Myu’s favorite food. She didn’t care what was on them, as long as it was staked onto a skewer.

  The reason she was so fixated on skewers was because that was the food she’d been given when Shea and Hajime had first saved her. Remia watched her cute little daughter bite into a mouthful of fish and took a bite of her own skewer. As the pair was enjoying their lunch, they suddenly heard someone call out to them.

  “Huh? What’s that? Is that... a person flying through the sky?”

  Remia and Myu both looked up. Indeed, flying directly underneath the sun was a beautiful figure with silver wings. And it was looking directly down at Remia and Myu with cold, emotionless eyes.

  Extra Chapter: Verbergen’s Monthly Magazine

  After conquering Haltina’s labyrinth, Hajime and the others decided to spend a few days recuperating in the beautiful city of Verbergen. As they were responsible for healing Verbergen’s wounded and helping the Haulia free all the slaves within the empire, Verbergen’s citizens spared no expense in giving Hajime’s group the best reception possible. Thanks to that, the party’s days in the beastmen capital were spent in the lap of luxury.

  But of course, they couldn’t stay there forever. Tomorrow they’d head for the seventh and final labyrinth, the Frost Caverns. The group gathered in a quiet clearing on the outskirts of the city to discuss the details of their departure. They all sat down on nearby stumps, and Hajime started off the meeting.

  “Alrighty, so to get to the Frost Caverns we’re going to have to go through the Schnee Snow Fields, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem since we have Fernir.”

  “Normally, we’d have to journey through the frozen wastes for months to get there. Really, thank you so much for agreeing to take us with you, Nagumo-kun.”

  “Just so you know, Taniguchi. Taking a shortcut means we might end up skipping some important experiences we’re supposed to go through to clear the labyrinth. You shouldn’t be too happy that you get to breeze through everything.”

  “Ugh. I’ll take that to heart... I promise not to let my guard down in the labyrinth...”

  Seeing as she’d failed to clear the previous labyrinth, she couldn’t really argue back when Hajime told her she was letting herself get carried away. Especially since she’d forced her way into his party again.

  Hajime’s piercing gaze passed over Kouki and Ryutarou as well. Both of them grimaced and nodded. Yue, Kaori, and Tio all gave him knowing looks.

  “What?” Noticing their gazes, he turned back to them.

  “Mmm... It’s nothing.”

  “Yep, don’t worry about it.”

  “Pay us no mind.”

  The three of them shook their heads, but they continued giving him the same knowing look. Hajime looked away uncomfortably, and Shizuku’s gaze flitted between him and Yue. She’d more or less guessed what was going on, though Hajime still seemed in the dark.

  Is it just me, or has Nagumo-kun changed a little? He feels less aggressive than before. Like he’s settled down and matured a little, almost. Normally, Hajime’s response to Suzu would have been far harsher, but now he’d shed a lot of his needless
antagonism. His heart had begun to soften now that he’d finally found a concrete way back. He was starting to become more human. As Shizuku was musing about the changes he was undergoing, the party’s final member arrived.

  “Sorry I’m late, guys. My dumb family was trying to give everyone in Verbergen edgy nicknames, so I had to beat them all up.”

  “You did good, Shea.” Hajime smiled and gave Shea a thumbs-up. She returned his smile and his thumbs-up.

  Hajime casually scooted to the side, and Shea sat down next to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. On his right was Yue, and on his left, Shea. Originally. Kaori had been sitting on Hajime’s left, but she hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise as Hajime had moved away from her and Shea filled the gap.

  “Mrrr,” Kaori growled to herself. Noticing her discontent, Shea turned to Kaori and silently asked “Wanna swap?” with her gaze. However, Kaori just smiled and hugged and Shea. Shea smiled back and leaned against the party’s priest.

  Shea’s changed quite a bit as well. It’s like she’s gotten more generous, kind of. Or maybe calmer. Either way, the reason is obviously Nagumo-kun. Shizuku’s astute observations said much about her perceptive abilities.

  Having her love finally reciprocated had done wonders for Shea’s self-confidence. It was as though she’d grown from a girl into a woman in one fell swoop. Her charm had an aura of maturity to it, too.

  “Oh yeah, I got this on the way here.”

  Shea laid out something that looked a lot like a magazine on the table in front of her. She then pulled out a few more of the same volume and stacked them together. “Verbergen Monthly — Volume 1 Re-edited” was written on the front cover in bold letters.

  “Hm? Is this what those winged guys were handing out earlier?”

  “That’s right. The harpies are the ones in charge of spreading the news to everyone in Verbergen. They stopped publishing news when the demons and the empire attacked, but normally they release these once a month. Someone probably came to interview you guys over the past few days, right?”

  “Oh yeah, they did. Some girl called Mao asked me a bunch of questions. I think she was the harpy chief or something?”

  “Oh yes, she asked me some questions too.”

  “That was the first time in my life anyone ever interviewed me. It was quite the interesting experience.”

  While Verbergen had grown more lively with the return of the beastmen’s freed comrades, it had still suffered heavy losses. Plenty of soldiers had died during the consecutive battles, and plenty of slaves had died in the empire without ever getting a chance to return home. And it was precisely because so many had come back that those who didn’t left even bigger holes in the hearts of their grieving families. It was for that reason that the harpies had decided to resume publication of their monthly magazine. They hoped that lighthearted news articles and funny editorial columns would be able to ease the pain of Verbergen’s citizens, even if only by a little.

  In commemoration of their grand re-opening, Mao had wanted to interview Hajime and the others to give the first volume some punch. And so, she had gone to each member of the party and asked to interview them. Smiling, Kouki picked up one of the volumes.

  “Man, that was nostalgic. Reminded me of the times I got interviewed back in Japan.”

  As a good-looking kendo champion, Kouki had often appeared in kendo magazines and the like. He’d also debuted in a few fashion magazines and any other magazine that needed hot guys for its covers. Hajime and Ryutarou didn’t particularly mind his popularity, but if any of the other guys from their class had been present they probably would have clicked their tongues in irritation. Kouki absently flipped through the pages until he spotted a certain headline.

  —The Hero Is Actually Gay!? And He’s After Nagumo, No Less!—

  “What the hell is this!?”

  Kouki threw the magazine to the floor. Everyone else picked up a magazine and flipped to the same article. This was part of what was written within:

  —The hero, Kouki Amanogawa, played a major role in helping the Haulia free the slaves the empire had captured. He snuck into the city and created a diversion by acting out a role given to him by Hajime Nagumo. His efforts should certainly be lauded, as it is thanks to him that so many of our brethren were able to return safe and sound. According to this humble reporter’s investigations, a good third of the unmarried girls he freed have attempted to flirt with him in one way or another. Unfortunately, none of their feelings have been answered, but this intrepid reporter discovered that there’s a jaw-dropping reason behind that.

  According to my interview with a certain girl, upon her confession, Kouki told her, “I’m sorry, but right now there’s something else on my mind. Until I make Nagumo...” As he said that, Nagumo happened to be passing by, and Kouki was distracted by the sight of his broad back. I’m sure you perceptive readers can already tell what Kouki’s next words would have been. “Until I make Nagumo mine!” of course. The reason Kouki has rejected every woman’s advance until now is because he harbors a deep, burning love for Nagumo. Kouki had gazed so passionately at Nagumo’s back for that very reason, as well. This may be rather presumptuous of me, but I will continue to support Kouki’s love from the shadows—

  Yue rose to her feet and glared daggers at Kouki.

  “Prepare to die,” she muttered as she readied her Divine Purgatory.

  Shea, too, rose to her feet in a hurry.

  “Don’t worry! I’ll protect your ass, Hajime-san!” Shea said as she pulled Drucken out and held it aloft.

  “Wait! Please wait! It’s all lies! That article is nothing but lies! Surely you two can tell, right Yue-san, Shea-san!? That’s obviously slander made up by the biased views of the reporter!” Kouki desperately tried to clear his name.

  “A-Amanogawa, you...”

  “Stoooooop! Don’t give me that look, Nagumo!”

  “B-But Kouki-kun. You really do give Hajime-kun these intense stares sometimes...”

  “You too, Kaori!? I’m begging you, stop taking things the wrong way! I only look at him like that because I’m trying to show him my resolve! I won’t stop until Nagumo’s admitted I’m stronger than him that’s all!”

  “Wait, you wanna be on top?”

  “Ryutarou, now is not the time to be joking around. If you don’t cut it out, I’m gonna send you into next Tuesday.”

  It took some time to calm down Yue and Shea, who were glaring at Kouki like a pair of yakuza debt collectors. Shizuku, who’d done most of the calming, slumped in her chair, exhausted.

  “Thank you so much, Shizuku,” Kouki bowed his head and said. That was just how scared he’d been of Yue and Shea.

  “I’m not sure I want to know what comes next, but should we keep reading, guys?” Hajime looked dubiously down at the magazine in his hands. Shizuku gave him a tired nod.

  “I don’t really want to know either, but it’s scarier not knowing what Mao wrote about us.”

  “Y-You’re right. I finally made friends with some of the beastmen children. I need to know if there’s something in there that’ll make them hate me...”

  And so, the party decided to keep going. They flipped back to the beginning and started reading through more carefully.

  —Special Feature! Princess Shea Of The Haulia Clan’s Heart-Throbbing Romance!—

  “Princess!? I’m a princess!?” Shea’s bunny ears shot straight up. Hajime grinned ruefully and spoke up.

  “The article’s not wrong, technically. The Haulia are an officially allied nation of Verbergen and have the equivalent of a seat on the council. Plus, you guys are heroes. And since you’re the daughter of those heroes’ chief, that basically makes you something like a princess, right?”

  “Mmm... Lower your heads, commoners. You stand in the presence of the great Shea-sama!”

  “Please stop, Yue-san! You’re going to embarrass me to death!” Shea definitely didn’t have the personality of a princess. Blush
ing, she hid her face in her hands and looked away.

  Hajime and the others snickered as they watched her reaction. Past that point, the article continued with:

  —Shea-sama is the daughter of the Haulia’s chief, Cam Haulia. Despite her position, she’s lived a life of hardship and strife. She lost her mother at a young age and later had to flee her home along with her clan in order to survive. But once they left the forest, Shea-sama and her family were chased by the empire all the way to the Reisen Gorge. After numerous scrapes with death, Shea-sama and her family returned to Verbergen, only to be exiled!—

  “And you’re one of the elders who voted to exile us out of Verbergen...” Shea glared at the magazine’s pages. Her evil eye was almost as intense as Yue’s. However, right now, Mao was writing from the objective standpoint of Verbergen Monthly’s editor.

  —But though the odds were stacked against her, Shea-sama never gave up! After many trials and tribulations, she finally met the love of her life, Nagumo!”

  Shea stopped glaring and started blushing.

  “I-It’s kind of embarrassing when she puts it like that.”

  “Yeah, this kind of stuff really makes you blush.”

  Hajime and Shea discovered just how awkward it was to have their story written down by someone else. Yue smiled at the flushed pair, while Kouki turned away awkwardly and Ryutarou clicked his tongue in irritation.

  —I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to interview Princess Shea directly.

  Interviewer: When you met Mr. Nagumo for the first time, what was it like? Did you know from the start he was the one for you?

  Princess Shea: Actually, I knew he was my fated partner even before I met him! I wasn’t surprised to see him, since it was our destiny to meet. But the first time our eyes met, I felt this huge shock, and then my head went blank, and it felt like I was flying!—

  “...Were you referring to the time Hajime electrocuted you with Lightning Field, elbowed you in the face, then threw you at the flock of wyverns?”