Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 5 Read online

  Prologue

  A single man’s footsteps echoed loudly through the palace’s grand hall. Everyone he passed by was startled by the grim expression on his face.

  “Lord Freid.” A strained voice called out to him. Though the man was clearly in a hurry, he turned around.

  “Mikhail.”

  “Lord Freid. Is-Is Cattleya really dead!? I heard from the others when I returned from my mission. Tell me it’s not true! Cattleya can’t possibly be dead! She had your greatest monster, Ahatod, by her side, so she can’t have—”

  The man Mikhail had addressed as Lord Freid put a trembling hand on his subordinate’s shoulder. The strength he put into his grip told Mikhail everything he needed to know. It was true. Freid’s beloved Cattleya truly had perished during her mission to conquer the Great Orcus Labyrinth.

  “Why... How? Was the hero just that strong? If they’re strong enough to kill a monster of that caliber, then our hopes of winning are...”

  “Calm yourself, Mikhail. Our investigations were thorough. The current hero is nowhere near as strong as Cattleya.”

  “Then... how did she die!?” Mikhail clung to Freid, despair filling his eyes. Freid just shook his head and changed the topic.

  “The plan to subjugate Ur ended in failure as well.”

  “Wha? Did the target not betray his allies like we expected?”

  “No, he did. He raised an army of 60,000 monsters and should have had no trouble burying the ‘Fertility Goddess’ along with the town. However, his army was crushed by an unforeseen opponent.”

  “Unforeseen opponent?” Mikhail tilted his head in confusion. Freid’s eyes narrowed, and he gazed sharply at some unseen enemy.

  “A small band of four crushed the entire monster army. Reiss, who was in charge of the mission, even lost his arm. He had to use his emergency teleport to escape, and likely won’t be able to return to the front lines.”

  “No way, even Reiss lost? I know the monsters there weren’t strengthened by your ability, Lord Freid, but can four people really take down an army of that size? Surely you jest.”

  Freid returned his gaze to the shaking Mikhail.

  “I wish I was... At any rate, it seems that insane party of four rushed off to the Great Orcus Labyrinth after they finished at Ur. They must have reached Cattleya around the same time she made contact with the hero party.”

  “So you’re saying they were the ones that killed Cattleya?” A tiny red droplet fell to the floor. Mikhail was clenching his fist so hard his nails had broken skin. Anger welled up within him.

  His hand still on Mikhail’s shoulder, Freid warned him in a stern voice.

  “The enemy’s strength is beyond measure. I’m planning on heading to the volcano next. We must gain more ancient magic, no matter the cost. It’s our only hope of balancing the scales.”

  “Lord Freid...” Mikhail couldn’t believe their strongest general would ever admit to being outmatched. He shivered, and Freid gave him a look that chilled him to the bone.

  “Everything we do, we do for His Majesty, and the god which we serve. Hold down the fort while I’m gone, Mikhail. The war will begin in earnest soon. Polish your skills with what little time we have left.”

  “Ah. Yes, sir. I swear I will avenge Cattleya.”

  Freid nodded to him and turned on his heels. He saw Mikhail salute to him out of the corner of his eyes as he walked to where his partner was waiting.

  When he was finally out of sight, his stern expression crumbled. He’d been holding his anger back in front of his subordinates, but there was no one to see him now.

  “I don’t know who you are, but you’ll pay dearly for interfering with my holy mission. God is with me. The day we finally meet will be your last. Heretics have no right to live.” He muttered darkly to himself for a few more minutes before summoning his horde of monsters and leaving the castle.

  The castle that lay at the heart of Garland, the demons’ capital.

  Freid was the demon who had single-handedly destroyed the delicate balance between the humans and demons. And as fate would have it, he was headed to the very same place the monster of the abyss was.

  Who would the goddess of victory smile upon when they finally met?

  Chapter I: The Grand Gruen Volcano

  Sand stretched on as far as the eye could see.

  Hajime and his companions had finally arrived at the Gruen Desert. The grains of sand were so fine that the whole thing looked like one unbroken brown sheet. The incessant winds had covered the sky in so much dust that even it looked brown. Anywhere one looked, all they would see is sand.

  The only thing breaking the monotony was the dunes that undulated through the desert like waves. The wind pushed them along at a steady pace, giving the desert the semblance of one massive living creature.

  The sun’s harsh rays heated the sand below until it glowed red. It was easily over 40 degrees Celsius. With sand flying everywhere too, it made for an inhospitable environment.

  For normal travelers, anyway.

  Brise tore through the dunes like it was nothing. And because it was completely enclosed, none of the sand or the heat bothered Hajime and the others. Furthermore, the magnetic compass Hajime had installed into the dashboard kept them from getting lost.

  “Thank god we’re not traveling by horse. It looks miserable out there...”

  “Indeed. I’m not so weak that a little heat and wind would hinder me, but... it certainly is more comfortable not having to brave it.”

  Shea and Tio stared out of the window at the unforgiving wasteland they were currently traversing. Tio may have been a masochist, but even she wouldn’t welcome that kind of discomfort.

  “It’s so different this time! Myu’s eyes don’t hurt, and it’s not hot! Daddy’s amazing!”

  “That’s right~ Daddy is amazing~ Myu-chan, do you want some cold water?”

  “Yeah! Thank you, Kaori-oneechan~”

  Myu was sitting happily on Kaori’s lap. She was excited at how different this trip through the desert was compared to the first time, when she’d been abducted.

  Her reaction was only natural. For an aquatic species like Myu, the desert crossing must have been doubly harsh. Considering how young she was, it was a miracle the trip didn’t kill her. However, she was traveling in completely different circumstances this time. Brise was air conditioned, and it kept the wind and sand out.

  Not only that, he’d stocked up on chilled provisions for the trip. It still bothered him a little that his opinion had been completely ignored when Yue had agreed to let Kaori join their party, but he was getting used to having her around.

  Kaori pulled a bottle of cold water out of the mini-fridge Hajime had added to Brise.

  “Hey, Shirasa... I mean, Kaori. Could you please stop calling me daddy? It just sounds really creepy.”

  “But Myu-chan calls you that all the time.”

  “It’s one thing if it’s Myu, but you know, being called daddy by someone my age is pretty weird...”

  Kaori’d always been good at looking after others, so she’d ended up taking on the role of Myu’s caretaker. However, because of that, she’d also taken to using Myu’s nickname for Hajime.

  It was acceptable, if still a little awkward, to have a little girl calling him daddy, but it was another thing entirely when a girl his age was doing it...

  As an aside, the reason Hajime was calling Kaori by her first name was because she’d insisted until he’d finally given in. She’d thought it was unfair that he called everyone else by their first names, but only her by her last name.

  “Really? Alrig
ht, I guess I’ll stop... Until we actually have kids of our own, at least...” Kaori trailed off, blushing furiously.

  An awkward silence descended upon the car. Hajime pretended he hadn’t heard anything, but Yue wasn’t about to let this go.

  “Too bad. I’m going to be first. Hajime promised.”

  “Hajime-kun, what’s the meaning of this!?”

  “Is it really that surprising? It’s not like I’m planning on having kids anytime soon, anyway.”

  “Fufu. I’m going to be the first to introduce myself to his parents too.”

  “Wha—!?”

  “I’ve already planned everything out.”

  “Huh!?”

  “Including all the dates we’re going on when we get back.”

  “Ah!”

  Yue’s words were like daggers, stabbing through Kaori’s chest one after another.

  Still, Kaori was a strong girl. She wouldn’t break from just this. She’d spent the better part of her time in this world believing in Hajime’s survival, and had even had the courage to stand up to Yue. If someone hit her, she hit back.

  “I know all sorts of things about Hajime-kun that you don’t! Like what he wants to be in the future, what his hobbies are, and even what genres he likes the most! I bet you don’t know what his favorite anime and manga are, Yue!”

  “Hmph... I... That doesn’t matter. None of those things exist here. I just have to learn about them when we go to Japan.”

  “Oh, but they do. Just look at Hajime-kun. His appearance practically screams anime character.”

  “Gah!?” Though Yue and Kaori were the ones arguing, it was Hajime who was suffering. That last statement had gone right for his jugular.

  “White hair, an eyepatch, even a magical fake eye... I’m pretty sure Hajime’s favorite character had all of those too... Even his weapons, those Cross Bits. They’re definitely based off of the ones in Gundam... It doesn’t matter what world we’re in, Hajime-kun will always be an otaku!”

  “Guh!? K-Kaori...”

  “U-Ugh... To think Hajime’s weapons were based off entertainment...”

  “Hehe. You don’t even know what kinds of things the man you love likes.”

  “You’ve got guts, Kaori. But do you know what kinds of positions Hajime likes in bed?”

  “Wh-Wh-What!? In bed!? Ugh, you’ve already gone that far...”

  “Fufufu. That’s how big the gap is between you and me.”

  Everyone had gotten used to ignoring Kaori and Yue when they started arguing like this. At first Shea had fussed over the two of them, trying to mediate and make them get along. Eventually, however, she’d come to realize it was more trouble than it was worth. Especially since the two didn’t seem to actually hate each other.

  In fact, the only person really suffering because of their arguments was Hajime. As almost all of their arguments were centered around him, many of his embarrassing secrets were turned into ammunition to make a point. All the things he was self-conscious about were poked and prodded at until he couldn’t take anymore.

  Kaori covered her ears, trying to shut out the truths Yue flung at her. Painfully gripping his heart, Hajime tried to break the two of them up. However, before he could do anything, Myu spoke up.

  “No, stop fighting Yue-oneechan, Kaori-oneechan! I hate it when you fight!” Myu hopped off of Kaori’s lap and crawled to the back where Shea was sitting. She glared, pouting all the while at the two girls in front. They both looked at each other awkwardly. Having a little girl tell them she hates them was a surprisingly effective weapon.

  “Sheesh, you two. You could at least stop when Myu-chan’s around. You’re a bad influence on her. I can understand getting worked up about Hajime-san, but you could at least act like adults about it.”

  “Unbelievable... To think I would be scolded by Shea...”

  “I-I’m sorry, Myu-chan, Shea.”

  Never in her wildest dreams had Yue thought she would sink so low that Shea would be scolding her.

  While Shea was Yue’s best friend, Yue also treated Shea like a younger sister. Though she was also vying for Hajime’s affections, Shea loved Yue just as much. It was a slightly different relationship than the one Yue had with Kaori.

  On the other hand, Tio was just a pervert.

  In a sense, Kaori was the first true love rival Yue had ever encountered.

  Yue was confident that her bond with Hajime was stronger than anything. She had unwavering faith that only she was special to him. That was why, at first, she’d seen Kaori as a mere challenger. And she’d believed that it would be easy to beat her down.

  And while her confidence remained unshaken, Yue had noticed Hajime and Kaori reminiscing about the life they’d had in Japan from time to time.

  This was the one advantage Kaori had over Yue. She’d known him for longer.

  And it was the one thing that let her fight Yue on equal footing.

  For her part, Kaori was jealous of the fact that Yue was Hajime’s current lover, but she was too honest and good-natured to try anything underhanded.

  Because neither of them wanted to “cheat” their way to victory, their squabbles never escalated into anything truly serious. However, they were so frequent that they grated on the rest of the party. And today, Myu and Shea had finally had enough.

  Normally, Hajime put an end to most arguments by professing his love for Yue, but he’d taken too much damage in a short span of time. He simply stared off into the distance, ignoring everyone else.

  “Hm? What could that be? Master, there appears to be some commotion to your right.”

  Hajime, who’d been muttering “I’m not an otaku” to himself over and over like a dead fish, suddenly returned to his senses and turned to his right. Kaori and Yue stopped trying to show Myu how well they really got along as well, and turned to see what was happening. Shea too, craned her neck to get a better look. They all spotted something in the distance.

  A large number of sandworms, earthworm-like desert monsters, were congregating on a sand dune to their right. Their heads poked out of the top of the hill.

  Sandworms were twenty meters long on average, and some of the really large ones grew up to 100 meters. They could only be found in the Gruen Desert. Normally, they lived underground and only surfaced to swallow their prey with their triple-layered jaws. Travelers who crossed the desert lived in fear of their nigh-imperceptible sneak attacks.

  Fortunately, the sandworms didn’t have very good perception abilities themselves either. Unless someone was unlucky enough to walk over their lairs, they wouldn’t be spotted. If they’re all surfacing now, they must have found some unlucky sap to prey on. But from the looks of it...

  “Why are they circling around like that?” Had they just come up to feed, Tio wouldn’t have considered it something worth pointing out either. Hajime’s skills let him sense incoming attacks himself, and Brise could easily outpace a sandworm. What was strange about this particular colony was that they’d surfaced, but were hesitating to attack their supposed target. They simply circled around the hill.

  “They seem uncertain, as if they are unsure of whether their prey is safe to eat.”

  “Looks like it. Does that happen often?”

  “Not to my knowledge. They can eat most anything, so they normally don’t hesitate...”

  Tio might have been a masochist and a huge pervert, but she had also lived longer than even Yue. And since unlike Yue she hadn’t been sealed for most of her life, her knowledge of the world was vast. Including the habits of obscure monsters. So if this had even her confused, it was definitely something worth taking note of.

  However, it was also true that there was no reason for Hajime to get involved. He decided to leave before they got wrapped up in something troublesome.

  Just then—

  “Wha—!? Hang on tight, guys!” Hajime gunned Brise’s accelerator. A second later a giant brown creature erupted from the earth, grazing Brise’s rear. A sandworm had just tri
ed to swallow them whole. It looked like Hajime and the others were on the menu too.

  Hajime swerved sharply, zigzagging through the dunes. Sandworms erupted one after another from the ground, each of them coming out from the spot Brise had been seconds before.

  “Kyaaaaaa!”

  “Hiii!”

  “Wawawawah!”

  Kaori, Myu, and Shea all screamed. Worried about Myu, Kaori turned around to check up on her. At the same time, Hajime made another sharp turn. Kaori lost her balance and tumbled forward... right into Yue and Hajime. She collapsed with her butt in Yue’s lap and her head in Hajime’s.

  After a few surprised blinks, Kaori blushed slightly and clung to Hajime’s waist. Much to Hajime’s chagrin. His expression stiffened, and he tried not to think dirty thoughts. The lower half of Kaori’s body was still sprawled across Yue’s lap.

  “Hey, Shira... Kaori! What are you doing!?”

  “It’s dangerous, so I’m hanging on to you for safety!”

  “Kaori, you vixen. To think you would stick to Hajime while sealing my movements at the same time... You’re craftier than I gave you credit for.”

  While they were fleeing for dear life, Yue and Kaori were still only interested in winning points with Hajime. Yue spanked Kaori’s defenseless behind, but Kaori refused to loosen her grip. Instead, she buried her face in Hajime’s crotch.

  Having failed their initial ambush, the three sandworms began an overland pursuit of Brise. They moved far swifter than their size would suggest.

  Had Hajime and the others been riding in a normal carriage, they would have been toast. However, Brise was an artifact with all of an otaku’s ingenuity poured into it. Even if they managed to swallow it, it wouldn’t suffer a single scratch.

  Moreover...

  “Come to think of it, this is a good chance to test that thing out.” Hajime drifted so hard that he was driving in reverse, and then began pouring mana into another one of the attachments he’d put on Brise.

  A series of metallic clunks reverberated throughout the car. Brise’s hood slid back to reveal a quadruple rocket launcher.

  The launcher swiveled back and forth, seeking out its prey. After a few seconds, it locked on to the nearest sandworm. With a flurry of red sparks, the launcher unloaded its salvo.