Black Iron Magician

Chapter 467 Mysterious Sense of Trust

It was just around the time that Hund struggled in many ways against the Irygal Sisters. In the courtyard of Crocus Castle, where brightly colored flowers were in full bloom, the three girls, Haruna, Chinatsu, and Touko, along with the uneven trio of Oda, Fuchi, and Mani, were gathered.

「Well, I do this from the time I wake up to the time I prepare for breakfast!」

「Wheeze… wheeze…!」

「And then, after I eat breakfast――」

「――K-Katsuragi-san, please stop for a moment! Oda-kun is in a terrible state! O-Oda-kun, are you kay? You’d better drink some water.」

「Hey, we’re still in the warming-up stage, but you’re out of breath already, huh? If you’re like that, you will never be able to raise your level, you know?」

To protect his beloved person and the country, Oda threw his pride to ask Haruna and the others, who are now overwhelmingly superior to him, what kind of training they usually do. Thus, the classmates gathered. For a starter, Oda tried Haruna’s training menu, but unfortunately, her training was far from the common sense point of view. Even Oda, who belongs to level 5, which is considered to be an expert class, was in this state just by doing warming-up in the early stages. It probably would be the same for the training method used by Chinatsu and Touko.

「Well, it’s impossible for him to have the same training menu as Haruna…. In the first place, the type of skills to be raised is also different, so the direction is wrong from the start, right?」

「Hahaha, you knew it from the beginning, huh? I think it’s best to ask Deris-san to create a training menu for Oda. We’ve sent him some useful scrolls, so I think he would accept it if it’s just this much.」

「P-Please say that… f-from the start….」

Chinatsu and Fuchi’s tsukkomi pierced Oda, who was sweating and fell to the ground, as if to finish him off. Thinking about it, what they said was very reasonable.

「Let’s set the dying Oda aside. Well, Touko-san and the others have really become strong, huh? You are far stronger than before.」

「Is that so? Well, I think the three of us now can have a good match against Lily-shishō, so I guess you’re right. Ah, by the way, I just noticed yesterday that my job level went up to level 9! I’m now at the same level as Lily-shishō!」

「L-Level 9..!?」

「As for me and Haruna, we’ll reach level 9 soon. We have to narrow down the candidates for the next skill to pick now.」

「Right~」

「T-The two of you too…!?」

「O-Oda-kun, don’t force yourself to talk! Your mouth and nose are bleeding, you know!?」

Touko was very happy to have reached level 9 first. On the other hand, Oda was in disorder.

「But well, the higher you are, the more the total skill level required to reach the next level…. Touko, how many skill level do you need to reach level 10?」

「Hmm… 3000! It’s about 1900 now, so I need 1100 more!」

「Another endless journey, huh…」

「Yes, it’s really worth doing!」

「I see, it seems that the number is bugged. Isn’t that strange?」

「………」

「Oda-kun, don’t forget to breathe!」

For Fuchi and his friends, who are aiming for a total skill level of 400, the numbers that Haruna and the others are aiming for are too unrealistic that they couldn’t believe their ears. Oda, on the other hand, was so shocked that he fainted.

「We also have to think about the difference in level, huh? The three of you are too far ahead of us that we can’t use it as a reference. Katsuragi-san, you’re now unparalleled in this world, aren’t you?」

「No, I still have a long way to go! There are Shishō and Nell-san above Lily-senpai, and I understand from this battle that Maria-san is stronger than them. I’m sure the second rank of the Great Eight Demons Vakala-san is strong too…. Yes, I have to train harder!」

「Haha, the moment you compare yourself to the Great Eight Demons, you’re completely out of our reach, you know? You’re so humble, Katsuragi-san.」

「Eh, is that so?」

「I think it’s a little different from being humble. In Haruna’s case, she’s just facing reality and seriously thinking about how to overcome the next obstacle.」

「Yeah, no matter who the opponent is, she’s only thinking about winning. Haruna is not different from when she was in Japan. Damn you~」

「Wah, Touko-chan, stop noogying my head~」

「Fufu.」

The three girls were laughing with Haruna at the center. It was a very pleasant scene. The Crocus soldiers and servants who passed by the scene all had their faces broken into a smile. Fuchi, on the other hand, was looking at them with a somewhat convinced expression on his face.

(I see, the ones who have changed are the two of them, huh? Rokusai-san didn’t have confidence in herself, but now she’s not losing to Katsuragi-san. Touko-san has calmed down that she’s now broad-minded and composed. I can understand why they are able to run alongside Katsuragi-san without being shaken off by her growth speed. I’m surprised at how much a person can change in just about two months. I’ve learned a lot.)

For Fuchi, who aspires to be a detective, observing people is one of his profitable hobbies. More than the status and simple strength, Chinatsu and Touko have grown the most on the inside. Fuchi judged so and he looked happy in a different sense from the surroundings.

「Ah, that’s right. I heard from Deris-san that you found a way to return to Japan. As someone who aspires to be a detective, I wanted to at least discover the way to go home first, but you beat me to it. To be honest, I’m so frustrated that I want to bite a handkerchief.」

「That said, it was mostly because of Nell-shishō and Deris-san’s connections. There’s no need to be so frustrated, you know?」

「That’s right! In conclusion, Danna is amazing! Well, we have to clear the trial from the first and second ranks of the Great Eight Demons, but I’m sure we’ll manage somehow! I’m going to stay in this world for Deris-danna’s sake, though!」

「Hee, so Touko-san is going to stay, huh? Like you, Oda also intends to stay for the sake of Crocus even if he has the means to return to Japan.

「W-Well, after all, I belong to the Knight Order of Crocus even if I’m like this…!」

「Oda-kun has come back to life!」

Oda came back to life.

「Well, in Oda’s case, he’s engaged to the Queen, so he doesn’t have any other choice from the beginning. By the way, Mani-kun wants to return, and I’m still wondering about it. Besides, we still don’t know yet if we can return with you.」

「Huh? Didn’t they say that they would give us permission to use the door after we complete their trials?」

「That’s only for the ones who cleared the trials, right? We are not so naive to think that we can use it without doing anything.」

「H-Hmm, come to think of it, I feel like they didn’t mention it that far….」

「They are the type who don’t care so much about minor details, right? I feel like they will listen generously as long as we clear the trials. Also, it seems that they will allow us to go and return between two worlds. Rather, it seems that Lily-shishō’s mother will allow it since she seems to be expecting a lot from us, right?」

「Even if that’s not the case, I think Shishō will use sophistry to force his way.」

「「You’re right.」」

「Hmm, this overwhelming sense of trust toward Deris-san is a mystery, isn’t it?」

Everyone believed that Deris would do something about it. And tomorrow is the day Deris is scheduled to be discharged from the hospital.

――――The 73rd day of training is over.