ch41-ch60 · 067-ch59

Chapter 59

After that, they ended up spending another day relaxing at the hot spring inn in Kakuriyo.

Sai would have liked to take the opportunity to explore more of Kakuriyo, but unfortunately, his body wouldn't cooperate. His stamina hadn't recovered in a single day.

This is what happens when a guy in his forties runs himself ragged.

Hiyori and Mio were also groaning from muscle soreness.

Incidentally, the meals and hospitality at the inn were all handled by Hexaria's little maids.

Capable little spirits, those ones.

Now then, with their stamina somewhat recovered, it was time to return to the present world — but there was a bit of a disagreement over the reward.

Ginreibo, having prepared it who-knows-when, had loaded up a large cart with heaps of gold and Kakuriyo's secret treasures as a reward for defeating the Shadow-Eater.

But Sai and the others' response was...

"We require only this Shadow-Eater's magic stone."

The Shadow-Eater was a monster, so it possessed a magic stone.

And not just any magic stone — one from a monster powerful enough to bear the title of "Demon King."

Its value was immeasurable.

Normally, when a monster is defeated with Anti-Demon Annihilation Magic, the magic stone shatters along with the body. But this time — whether due to a lucky hit or because it was simply enormous — the magic stone remained intact. So they decided to recover it.

Incidentally, the Shadow-Eater was purely a shadow-based entity, so there were no other materials to harvest.

Even so, having had Kakuriyo saved through the very request he himself had issued, Ginreibo couldn't just give nothing. It would be a blow to his dignity.

"But..."

"Enough! Use it for the demons' restoration, at the very least."

Right now, the world of Kakuriyo was in a fairly critical state.

During their walk through Kakuriyo, Sai and the others had seen countless collapsed towns, villages, and settlements.

Demons or not, not all of them were villains.

As Hiyori and the others had witnessed, there were those who lived peacefully in Kakuriyo.

Hexaria was telling them to use it for the sake of Kakuriyo's common folk.

Ginreibo stood before Sai and Hexaria, straightening his posture.

"...! Sai-dono, Lady Hexaria. Allow me to say this once more. You undertook this matter with your very selves, and for that, I offer my deepest gratitude. This debt of gratitude, I shall never forget."

"Indeed."

Saying that, Ginreibo bowed his head, then turned to address Hiyori and Mio.

"Ichijō Hiyori, Kuri Mio. Your assistance was truly invaluable. I offer you my thanks."

Ginreibo bowed his head once more.

"Don't worry about it."

"That's right. There was a chance it could have come to the present world, too."

Last year they had fought each other in the present world, but now they were comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side.

And considering the possibility that the Shadow-Eater could have reached the present world, defeating it here was a stroke of fortune.

Then Ginreibo straightened his bearing slightly and continued speaking.

"...Also, it may be some time yet, but I intend to visit the present world once more."

"Huh, why?"

Surely he wasn't proposing another fight at this point.

"...Indeed. Following the example of my master and Sai-dono, I thought I would teach the exorcists how to fight."

Ginreibo had watched Sai and Hexaria teaching Hiyori and Mio all sorts of combat techniques and the fundamentals of adventuring throughout their journey through Kakuriyo.

It reminded him of how he himself had once learned from his own master.

Tengu were beings that originally possessed high spiritual rank, and sometimes even divinity.

While they fell under the category of demons, they were by no means purely hostile entities.

And Ginreibo's master was Sōjōbō. The Kurama Tengu.

A great tengu renowned for his legends of teaching.

If one could learn from the disciple of such a tengu, it would likely be the greatest reward any exorcist could ask for.

"Okay. I'll tell Papa."

"...This isn't going to be one of those things where you make your opponents stronger so you can enjoy the fight more, is it?"

"KAKAKA! If it gets my blood pumping, that might not be bad either!"

So said the tengu, laughing heartily.

Ginreibo loved fighting more than anything, but nothing too terrible would come of it.

After all, Hexaria — the being he revered — was in the present world now.

He wouldn't do anything too foolish.

And so, Sai and his party returned to the present world.

As for what happened after — they reported their return to Hiyori's father Hayato and let him know both girls were safe. The news that Ginreibo might come to teach combat techniques was more than enough to leave Hayato stunned.

The kill-or-be-killed relationship between exorcists and demons might just see a little change.

◇

Some days passed since their return.

The hot spring trip that Hiyori and the others had been planning as a graduation celebration had turned into an adventure in Kakuriyo, which they were a little disappointed about — but that was settled with, "Well, we got to soak in a hot spring in Kakuriyo anyway, so isn't that fine?"

And then, by late March, the cherry blossoms had begun to bloom.

Sai, Hiyori, and Mio were at the Ichijō dojo.

They were holding a mock battle to review the results of everything so far.

Sai wore his instructor's uniform from the other world, unarmed. His beloved blade hung at his hip.

Hiyori and Mio wore their dojo outfits — garments that looked almost like shrine maiden attire at first glance.

Each carried their weapon of choice.

Facing Hiyori and Mio, who stood ready with serious expressions, Sai took a relaxed stance.

"Alright, come at me anytime."

"This time, we're gonna make Sensei say 'uncle.'"

"...Here we come."

Sai had watched Hiyori and Mio's movements countless times.

In just half a year, the two had grown beyond recognition.

Earnestly, but never losing their composure.

Sai opened his stance wide, positioning himself to respond from any direction.

The two moved.

Hiyori appeared to be attacking from the left side.

And then, the moment his eyes flicked in that direction — the very next instant, after his center of gravity had shifted left, his body suddenly bounced to the right.

It was such a fluid feint that Sai couldn't help but click his tongue.

By the structure of the human body, someone about to fall left should never be able to spring right.

"!?"

There had to be a setup — but giving Sai no time to think, a sword flash came racing in from the right side, exploiting the opening.

Sai had no choice but to deploy a Hexa Shield in his right hand.

He deflected the attack.

"Nice."

The words slipped out at Hiyori's polished movement.

Hiyori's setup was nothing complicated.

She had placed a Hexa Shield at her feet, then moved the shield and let her body ride along with it. The result was movement that should have been physically impossible.

A beautiful sword stroke that caught the opponent off guard.

Against someone unused to that kind of movement, that alone would guarantee a decisive first strike.

Even so, something of this level wouldn't break a seasoned adventurer.

This was a man who had fought as an adventurer for a long, long time.

...But Hiyori wasn't the only opponent.

Right in front of him, Mio wore a dead-serious expression.

She held her stance, and at first glance, she didn't appear to be doing anything.

"I see!"

From the information flowing through his concentrated five senses — air currents and Mana Perception — Sai detected a magic bullet.

Coming at his back. From a blind spot. But he deployed a Hexa Shield behind his back and handled it.

During the entire exchange with Hiyori, Mio had been generating a magic bullet.

She controlled it, holding it in reserve behind him. She attacked the moment Sai let his guard down. Thinking about it that way, even Hiyori's tricky opening movement could be seen as a feint designed to draw the opponent's attention.

It was a fighting style that made full use of their coordination.

"You're both doing great. Let's keep going!"

The mock battle continued for about an hour.

Sometimes Hiyori and Mio attacked simultaneously while Sai went on the defensive.

Other times Sai's attacks had Hiyori and Mio breaking into cold sweats.

Sai, Hiyori, and Mio all continued the mock battle, clearly enjoying themselves.

Having confirmed the results of the past half-year, Sai addressed the two.

"Yeah. You've both genuinely gotten stronger. Honestly, I didn't think you'd improve this much in just six months."

"Hehe, after all that intense stuff we went through, yeah."

At the end of last year they'd fought a Majin, and just recently they'd taken on a Demon King in Kakuriyo.

Such dense combat experience had propelled the two, already in their prime growth period, to leap dramatically forward.

From chicks to great eagles.

"Alright... That's everything I can teach you. From here on, use what you've learned and train on your own."

Sai had taught them everything he could.

After this, it was up to individual skill and effort.

Applying what they'd learned, gaining their own experience, becoming more efficient and optimized.

This was something even Sai couldn't teach. Only when they could do this would they become full-fledged adventurers.

"So this time, let's see... Think of this as both a graduation gift for completing my training course, and something like a combat reward for the Shadow-Eater fight."

Sai opened his Item Box.

What he took out were two sheathed knives.

The sheaths were made by Sai, and the knives were crafted by Hexaria.

"Originally, this is something I'd gift to the students who completed my training course at the Adventurer's Guild in the other world."

For adventurers in the other world, a knife was an essential item for heading out on adventures.

Not just as a weapon — it came in handy in all sorts of situations.

It wasn't only for rookie adventurers, either. He'd also given them as "graduation certifications" to experienced adventurers.

"They're normally made of regular steel, but since this also counts as a combat reward for the Shadow-Eater fight, I consulted with Saria and had them made from magisteel — the same material as my beloved blade. So you can use them as backup weapons in combat, and we've added some custom enchantments tailored to each of you. Please, accept them."

At Sai's words, Hiyori and Mio's eyes grew a little misty as they stood before him.

He hadn't specified exactly "when," but they'd sensed it was coming soon.

They just hadn't thought it would be today.

"Hiyori-san. You really are a bundle of raw talent. But talent is something you have to keep sharpening — so put in the effort, and keep training. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish."

"Yes!"

Receiving the knife and Sai's words, tears streamed down Hiyori's face.

"Mio-san. Your magical talent is beyond anything I could ever compare to. But your stamina hasn't caught up to that talent yet, so train yourself comprehensively. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish."

"...Yes!"

She received the knife and Sai's words. She was already crying her eyes out.

"With that, the training course is concluded. If you ever find yourselves lost, or going through tough times, feel free to reach out anytime. I'm your teacher, after all."

"Thank you for everything!"

Hiyori and Mio bowed deeply to Sai, and their lessons came to a close.

Of course, their adventures would continue from here on.

Sai's adventures would continue, too.

There was still the matter of demon-related affairs, so there would likely be more consultations to come.

Hiyori's father, Hayato, had been supporting and assisting them in various ways, and through that connection, they'd surely cross paths again.

But this was a milestone — a place to pause for now.

March was the season of graduation.

Today, two adventurers had left the nest from under Sai's wing.

Beyond the dojo window, cherry blossoms were blooming.

They were only about twenty percent in bloom.

Sai prayed that one day, the two of them would become like cherry blossoms in full bloom.

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Thank you for reading.