Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (WN)

Arifureta After III   Abyss Lord Arc Chapter 2   Epilogue   Second

–

AN: Before this, the「Epilogue   First」 was posted.

Two chapters are posted today.

Those who haven’t read it, please go to the previous chapter.

Kousuke and others passed through the solemn (projection) gate and managed to return to earth.

Like that, what entered into their view was……

――O king-, please answer-. Why, are you treating that kind of tiny human little girl as princess-

「You bastards-, as I thought you all are the pawns of demon-」

「You, you’re wrong nano~! Myuu doesn’t know about demon or anything! It’s true nano! It’s not a lie nano! Hell will freeze over before Myuu ever lie nano!」

Powerful greater demon that materialized with clear figure. And then, terrific number of demon swarms running rampant behind that greater demon and in the sky.

Director Dime was making a look that was more demonic than even demon even while bleeding from his head. And then, behind him the full force of Omnibus was standing.

Myuu who was waving around her hands while desperately making excuse about something. And then, the Deadly Sins Squadron Demon Ranger who were covering hteir face with one hand and looked up to the sky while going「Achaa~」.

Also, behind the heaps of collapsed cultists all around, were Yue and others and the classmates standing still in a daze wearing a face that seemed to say「Ee~, what is this situation……」. Plus Bernard and others who were all safe even though they were looking ragged.

An incomprehensible 3-way struggle (?) was created.

「Ee~, what is this situation……」

Hajime who spontaneously muttered. The three camps who were in an explosive situation gasped and turned their gaze toward Hajime and co.

「Claire! Also Wynn and others too! You all did well coming back!」

――Crossing over the world boundary? Who are you-

「Aa――――!! PAPAAAAAAAAA-」

Myuu who rushed through the demon ranger right away *sutetetetete-* toward Hajime. Without stopping *pyon* she vigorously jumped toward Hajime’s chest. Hajime firmly caught her and caressed his beloved daughter’s head while she was rubbing her face on his chest.

「Wai-, director! What in the world this situation is!?」

Just when they thought they had returned after risking their life, they found their comrades taking combat stance toward the side of returnees who should be cooperating with them, furthermore it was toward a little girl as the opponent. In addition, even though demons were flooding into this world as expected, for some reason they weren’t rampaging and instead in a dispute about something.

Honestly, it was incomprehensible. Even though they had resolved themselves to be suddenly thrown into battle depending on the situation until the path to hell was closed……

Director Dime answered while glaring at demon ranger with a demonic look that said「You bastards, I won’t let even a single one of you return alive!」.

「The returnees, the daughter of the codename “demon king” is colluding with demon! Most likely the source of power of returnees is also related somehow with demon, there is no doubt about it!」

There, Hajime-san suddenly recalled something.

The golems who possessed communication ability that he didn’t remember installing――demon ranger.

If he remembered correctly, Myuu said to him. She didn’t name them. In other words, demon ranger introduced their own name.

――”Bel-chan”, who was Belfego~r

――”Sa-chan”, who was Sataan

――’A-chan”, who was Asmode~us

――”Lu-chan”, who was Lusife~r

――”Ma-chan, who was Mamo~n

――”Levi-chan”, who was Levia~tan

――”Bal-chan”, who was Baalzebu~b

「Man, they are totally demon.」

Hajime-san muttered. He didn’t even imagine that demon really existed, to say nothing of how they could existence from earth’s fairytale could possess the living golems he created in other world Tortus.

Although, for Hajime, this could be said as an act that was a bit too careless, to an unnatural degree.

One thing came to mind.

「……You guys, you did interference huh?」

*Whoosh*, demon rangers averted their gaze with all their might.

Most likely, they were sending thought ‘Their name is the same like famous demons but, well, they don’t actually exist so it doesn’t matter I guess……’ so that they wouldn’t be deeply doubted.

If for example demon ranger had even the slightest ill will or hostility, a mind interference to make Hajime ignore that surely would become completely ineffective, but at that time the situation was like that. Various coincidences also piled up and until now he was overlooking them.

Although, now that he realized the existence of demons, his attention couldn’t be diverted anymore!

Hajime’s eye glint was intensely focused on demon ranger. Demon rangers somehow looked like they were shivering.

(Yue, please explain the situation concisely.)

(……Nn. Leave it to me.)

According to her, it seemed Myuu summoned demon ranger in the fight against the cultists to participate.

And then, the materialized demons noticed that what were inside demon rangers were their “kings” who had vanished a slight while ago. The demons were thunderstruck and went ‘what the hell you are all doing!?’.

Then, from that exchange between demons, Director Dime also noticed just what kind of existences were inside there. And so he resolved himself to fight to the death.

After all, they were the seven demon kings who governed over the famous Deadly Sins. Although they weren’t materialized, they were fully armed with unknown technology. Depending on the situation, they could lead the demons and trample this world……

Surely it couldn’t be help that Director Dime thought so. He was the absolute demon killer man after all.

「Se, seriously……Myuu-chan, what in the world you are keeping there……」

Kousuke spoke with a dumbfounded voice. Myuu spoke with a crisp expression.

「Because I am the demon king’s daughter.」

The little girl who was obeyed by the seven sins――certainly, it was worthy for a demon king’s daughter.

It seemed the materialized demons ran out of patience. They started moving to exterminate the humans here for the time being. Yue and others narrowed their eyes and heightened their magic power to exterminate them instead. Director Dime activated his sacred vessel.

And then, Kousuke glanced aside at Hajime with eyes that asked「What to do now」. Claudia and others were flustered and,

「Oi, demon rangers」

A terrifyingly low voice that resounded from hell reverberated.

Even though the voice was only at the volume of a mutter, it reverberated to every corner of the plaza and sent fear that grasped the listener’s heart tightly.

It was a bloody and ominous dominating aura that stopped everyone there at their track.

Especially the demon rangers who were targeted by that aura, their body jerked and trembled.

「I heard that the saint or something was targeted as a mother body. When the demons at the lower stratum saw Shia, they said she will become magnificent mother body. Don’t tell me……」

Demon rangers stood at attention with their golem body. Somehow they were oozing great amount of cold sweat (?), oil (?).

「You guys, you are possessing my golem because you are looking at Myuu with that kind of eye……it ain’t anything like that riiight?」

If that was actually the case, what would happen?

「Perishing for the second time. Want to try experience that?」

However, this time not even the soul would remain. Far from that, even the other world called hell might not even remained.

Demon rangers, they shook their head left and right *whoosh whoosh* with unprecedented high speed. They waved around all their arms. And then, unison prostration!! What a truly beautiful kowtow. It was like the kowtow that was inherited in Nagumo family.

Because, they knew! They knew a god who really god blown away until not even his soul remained! They also saw the destruction of the other world called holy precincts! They seemed to want to say that.

――Wha-, kings! Acting like that

The materialized demons were flustered and tried to remonstrate them but……

Are you guys idiot!? You guys don’t get it!? You guys will seriously get destroyed you know!? Come on, prostrate! Prostrate quickly! Come on, quickly!

As though to say that, all of demon rangers kept their head lowered while their hand was making a gesture that seemed to be telling the demons to bow too.

「Aa? You guys over there wanna have a go?」

The pupil in Hajime’s eyes shrunk and glinted. Bursting out crimson magic power. It was already Limit Break state! From the space behind him Cross Velt came out――a thousand of them. In addition, the swarm of Grim Reaper crawling out. Everything was clad with crimson magic power to annihilate the demons.

「Let’s have the continuation of the trip. It’s the start of the curbstomp tour of hell’s residents.」

A one man army, taken to the extreme here.

The members of Omnibus with the exception of Director Dime and Madam Maya couldn’t feel strength in their waist. Even those two were getting pale with their fighting spirit almost broken.

The demons finally noticed that the existence before their eyes might be a bit, no, might be a really bad news and backed away.

Bow down! Come one bow down quickly!

Demon rangers, desperately insisting.

「Papa, papa.」

「Nn? What, Myuu?」

Hajime snapped when thinking they were doing Hikaru Genji project to his daughter, that they would protect Myuu until she grew up and could bear children before they made her into mother body. But he then smiled gently when Myuu lightly tapped on his cheek *slap slap*.

The gap was terrifying.

「See, Bel-chan and others won’t do such thing nano.」

「……How do you know that?」

「See, Bel-chan and others, they told Myuu nano. They all are just bored, doing nothing but ruling or quarreling, that they even got sick of their friends, and then, one day they felt power with presence that is similar with themselves, and when they tried going following the attraction, they came to Myuu’s place, they said.」

「Similar presence……」

Could it be, they referred to the self-proclaimed god of Tortus? Or else, did they mean the age of god magic? At that time, Tortus was just a step before the world’s demise. Certainly tremendous power was at work at that time.

Perhaps it somehow shook the worlds interval between Tortus and hell.

「Also see, Myuu has no power, so Myuu cannot become mother body? Or something anyway, and they are desperately saying that there is no way they would do anything like that to princess nano. It’s not really clear but, they are saying that it’s easeful being together with Myuu, and it’s fun with various things that happened.」

「……H~m?」

‘Is that so? That’s really the truth?’, Hajime looked at demon rangers with pupils that instantly shrunk. Demon rangers nodded in high speed simultaneously. They nodded *nod nod nod nod nod-*.

At the same time, Hajime’s eyes caught the demons.

Demon rangers emitted tremendous aura before the demons could say anything. It was a pressure that made even the returnees gulped unconsciously. They were oozing out cold sweat at the display of power that was definitely surpassing Unknown.

It went without saying how the demons reacted.

They simultaneously stood behind the demon rangers and prostrated similarly.

「Papa. Myuu like Bel-chan and others nano.」

「……I see.」

Hajime’s eyes returned to normal!

「Very well. Stay as Myuu’s ally from here on too. As long as you guys don’t show any suspicious act, I’ll allow you guys to stay beside her. However, if you turned traitor――you get it right?」

‘We understand that we will be blown up together with hell!’ Demon rangers performed an admirable salute simultaneously.

And then, they went 「Go home now! Look, go back quickly!」 toward the demons and chased them into the path that Unknown connected.

Although the demons looked like they wanted to ask various things to their kings, they turned a terrified gaze toward the figure of their kings who prostrated without hesitation, Hajime’s magic power that surpassed those kings, and the presence of age of god magic while returning into hell.

Hajime also returned Cross Velt and Grim Reapers back into the treasure warehouse.

Voice reverberated like a ripple through the plaza that had fallen quiet.

「De, demon king……」

Certainly, it was a demon king. Demon king-sama who was carrying his beloved daughter in his arm.

A really complicated atmosphere flowed in that area.

The gazes of Claudia, Director Dime, and others were swimming around wondering what they should do. The returnees were exchanging words like 「As expected from demon king」「Rather, as expected from papa」「Or rather, Myuu-chan is just plainly bad news」 at Hajime’s entrance and deed at this time.

And so, in order to return the atmosphere that had been absurdly messed up by the demon king back to normal, a hero stood up.

「Yosh-, the case is closed! Claire! Let’s eat the promised lemon cake!」

「Tha, that’s right! First it’s necessary to talk! Let’s talk while eating Maya’s lemon cake!」

The saint answered the hero’s expectation and responded right away. She pleaded loudly 「Maya-! Cake-! I demand lemon cake-」. Madam Maya was trickling out cold sweat as though she wanted to say 「I’m troubled instead if you are expecting that much!」.

Anyway, Kousuke somehow took charge of the place, and just in case, Yue also completely severed the path that connected from hell to here. Like this the battle of Vatican where the fate of the world was at stake was over.

–

–

–

A week passed since then.

After Hajime did his thing “as expected from demon king” against Omnibus, he quickly dealt with the aftermath including the heaps of body of the cultists everywhere.

Although, what was troublesome was the custody of the cultists, and dealing with the citizens of Roma and mass media that witnessed the concentration of armed group attacking Vatican. Other than those there was also things like fixing the wounded people and damaged building, though there was no problem to heal and fix all those using magic.

And so, at the surface the pope of Rome dealt with things skillfully, and this case was taken care of with the explanation of a kind of mass hysteric by the people who lost their faith due to the tragedy that visited them.

Of course it went without saying that a certain demon king who was chuckling because Vatican was owing him backed up that explanation with the aforementioned technology – magic hybrid information control. It also went without saying that Omnibus was getting faraway look once more.

A few days after that, an unofficial three-way meeting between Omnibus that was headed by Rome’s pope, the returnees, and then Britain national security bureau that had connection with returnees was opened once more.

Fundamentally the meeting was about declaring their non-interference policy toward the returnees. If the returnees people got involved with some kind of incident in Britain or Europe, they would report it and depending on the situation Omnibus and security bureau would take cooperative stance.

And then, the side of Vatican and Britain would also contact the returnees if they wanted cooperation about something.

However, the agreement was settled with something like ‘the contact person and also the responder will be Abyssgate-san!’.

It went without saying that Kousuke’s eyes opened wide in shock.

Also, regarding the seven pillar of deadly sins, the pope of Rome pushed through to leave it to the demon king. A certain cardinal insisted 「Annihilate them!」 till the end, but rather it felt like that was the cause of the decision to entrust the matter to the demon king.

After all, a certain someone wouldn’t hesitate to trample down sacred vessel or even if the church was destroyed if it was for the sake of killing demon, in a sense he was a berserker. It seemed the pope even said 「Please stay quiet! I’m almost died from overworking here!」.

Like that, the Unknown case was resolved more or less despite all the commotions, and everyone sighed in relief at this day.

Claudia who was the one with the greatest involvement and also service in this case asked for a brief holiday and stepped on the land of her birth.

She was walking on a quiet suburb path while her soft blonde hair and her gentle white dress were fluttering.

Sometimes, the local people, especially the youngsters who passed her by would unconsciously gulp when seeing Claudia. Their eyes opened wide, their feet stopped walking……

They were charmed by her expression that was gentle and soft like her hair and clothes.

Several youths were showing hesitation whether to call out to her or not, but in the end, they were unable to take a step forward because they felt she was a woman who was living in a different world from them.

Yes, she was like a sheltered young lady. Or perhaps, that was exactly how a saint would look……

「――Ah!?」

The beautiful person who really looked like a sheltered young lady and a saint tripped on her own feet and tumbled down.

*BAM-!* A comical and laughable sound resounded. The sound came from the face. Her stretched posture didn’t even twitch. It was a blessing in disguise that the ground at least wasn’t asphalt.

Although, seeing how she at least had protected the bouquet her hand was carrying to the end could be said as an astonishing progress for the people who knew her.

The brand new saint who had accomplished her long standing desire, even if she stumbled, it wouldn’t occur that easily! No, it might still occur so easily, but the damage was minimized!

Anyway, the people who kept glancing at Claudia were dumbfounded at the sudden happening.

They came back to their senses with a gasp and the youths stepped forward thinking ‘If I help up the beautiful lady, than perhaps-!‘……but, they were already too late.

When they noticed, a man was standing beside Claudia. It was Kousuke.

「……How can someone make blunder like that so skillfully?」

「……He, heheh」

It seemed she couldn’t lift her face from shame. Only laughing voice to cover up the blunder like a henchman who easily got carried away laughing apologetically to the boss he idolized could be heard from her.

Kousuke pulled up Claudia on her feet.

「Kousuke-sama, why are you here?」

「Right, I’ll explain, so first how about wiping that nosebleed?」

「! He, hehe……」

「Ehehe, huh?」

「Ehehe……」

She was helped to stand up, the dirt on her clothes was brushed off, her nosebleed was wiped off, and next her hair was also put in order.

While being taken care of, Claudia asked while Kousuke was here beside her when she was returning to her birthplace using her day off. It seemed, the cause of it was also Claudia’s carelessness.

When exorcist went far away other than for mission, they had to report their destination beforehand no matter what. It was in order to deal when something emergency came up.

And, Claudia-san, she splendidly forgot to do the paperwork for that report and thoughtlessly went out.

Unknown had been exterminated, regarding the lower stratum demons too, at their side they more or less had the cooperation of the seven deadly sins who were being led by the demon king and his daughter, so surely she wouldn’t be targeted to become mother body anymore, even so the opponent was demon. It was impossible to hold them in check absolutely, and there was also danger from the cultists.

When Omnibus tried contacting her in panic, for some reason the call didn’t connect.

As the result, it became 「Kousuke-san! Help!」.

「Ah, my smartphone……」

Claudia took out her smartphone from her pouch. It was splendidly split into two.

「What did you do that it become like that!?」

Is she swordsman!? Was it used to test new sword!? Did she use her smartphone in a flash for substitution when she was slashed!?  Kousuke tsukkomi-ed.

「Wha, what do you mean testing new sword? There is no way it’s like that. This is, that, I stumbled for a  bit……and then on the dropped smartphone, should I say I fell on it……that, my butt, it’s a bit big so……」

It seemed there was accidentally a stone below the dropped smartphone. The smartphone that received Claudia’s butt attack was tragically split into two because of the stone acting as fulcrum.

Claudia-san shyly pushed her butt with her hands while fidgeting.

From distance, the youths sulkily said 「So she has a boyfriend already, keh-」 and stared intently while getting slouched forward for a bit.

Claudia’s body bugled out greatly at the places where it should bulged out, and tightened greatly at the places where they should tighten. Her style rivaled Tio so the destructive power was extraordinary.

「I see……so, the smartphone was split into two by your butt……」

「E, heheh……」

‘Hahaa, I’ve really done it now……’, Claudia laughed while scratching her head as though to say that. As expected that appearance looked more like a person who got carried away easily rather than a saint.

Kousuke contacted Omnibus that he had secured Claudia, then he asked her.

「And, you came here……to report to your parents?」

「……Yes.」

Going back to her birthplace while carrying flower bouquet, there would be no other reason than that.

「Got it. I’ll kill time around here then. Call me when you are going back.」

Kousuke considerately returned back.

But, the sleeve of Kousuke who was turning around was caught by Claudia.

「If it’s not a bother to you, will you come together with me?」

「……I don’t mind but, is it fine?」

Claudia nodded with a smile. Kousuke shrugged and accepted.

Sometimes Claudia would do an artistic blunder, but Kousuke’s fine play supported her while they somehow reached the grave without her dress getting dirtied.

A lot of pure white crosses were lined up orderly.

One of them was a cross with the name of Barenberg family and the name of her parents carved on it. Claudia stood still in front of it. Kousuke also stood slightly behind her.

Claudia slowly put the bouquet that she had desperately defended in front of the cross. Wind blew gently, caressing Claudia’s hair and the flowers.

「Mama, papa. I’m back.」

She plopped down to sit with girl posture while tracing the names of her parents that were carved on the grave stone with her fingertip.

And then, she put both her hand on her chest and closed her eyes quietly.

There was no word, but, Kousuke beside her understood well that she was reporting a lot, really a lot, yes,  the track of twelve years worth she had taken with a flood of emotions behind it.

That was why, Kousuke also moved closer beside Claudia while quietly closing his eyes.

Claudia said that she had hatred. That she wanted to kill Unknown with her own hand.

But, she said that she wanted to get revenge for her parents even more.

Seeing the current Claudia, what would her father and mother think?

Were they thankful that Claudia had taken revenge for them?

Or else, would they get angry that they didn’t wish for her to force herself to do such thing?

Or perhaps, they would accept everything, and said the words that Kousuke thought they surely would say……

The dead couldn’t talk.

That was the truth of the world.

But, exactly because that absolute was overturned, human――called it a “miracle”.

――You have, worked hard

「Eh?」

Claudia gasped and raised her face. Kousuke too. Both of them looked forward together and opened their eyes wide.

Because there it was.

Over there.

A man with drooping eyes that looked really gentle, and a woman smiling while her blonde hair was softly fluttering.

「Papa? Mama?」

They looked like they would vanish even now. It was a transient, faint figures that perhaps could be called as just visual hallucination.

However, those figures that there was no way Claudia could mistake were certainly her father and mother who she was eternally separated from twelve years ago.

Claudia was dumbfounded.

Kousuke too couldn’t move right away. But, he gasped as though noticing something, and a beat later, he made a small smile.

And then, he gently put his hand on Claudia’s shoulder.

With that, Claudia also came back to her senses.

「Papa, mama……I……Claire is……」

Even though she had just talked a lot inside her heart, even though there was a lot of things she wanted to say and ask, she couldn’t make any word.

Her feeling only became tear that flowed down Claudia’s face.

Claudia’s father and mother formed a heartrendingly gentle smile looking at their daughter who was like that……

「a……」

The softly embraced Claudia.

Even though there should be no sensation of touch, a nostalgic warmth enveloped Claudia.

And then,

――Be happy alright?

――Live happily and energetically

Saying that, they vanished as though melting into the breeze.

With tears that wouldn’t stop keep trickling, Claudia digested the voice of her parents that miraculously reached her, and then she made an expression of crying and smiling with gentleness that resembled her parents while,

「Yes. I’ll live.」

She said that.

She kept sitting down while continuously shedding tears. Kousuke simply stood close to her quietly.

After that, it was unclear how long they stayed in front of the grave. Before long, Claudia wiped her tears and stood up while sniffling.

「Let’s go, Kousuke-sama.」

She put on a beaming smile as though what was possessing her had gone away and she was reborn.

It was the best radiant smile that couldn’t be expressed with words, that made him convinced a new Claudia Barenberg would start from here.

Kousuke gulped for a moment and……

「……Yeah, let’s go.」

He replied with a soft smile and nodded.

Both of them left the grave and walked silently for a while.

The miraculous phenomenon just now. Claudia didn’t try to talk about it. She also didn’t question whether Kousuke had seen it too or not.

For Claudia, something like the cause was trivial. Even if it was just a kind of daydream, even so Claudia understood. The feeling of her parents certainly existed there.

She understood that much. That much was enough.

There wasn’t even the slightest awkwardness in the silence. They shared a deeply emotional and gentle time as though their heart had become one, walking through the street with roadside trees beside them in the aged townscape.

……

……

……Although, surely this time should be ended soon. Kousuke thought.

He turned his gaze toward Claudia and opened his mouth.

But, it seemed Claudia had been staring at Kousuke before that. Their eyes met and she averted her gaze in a bit of embarrassment.

「Kousuke-sama, are you hungry?」

「Eh?」

Claudia asked a bit unexpected question with a slightly fast talk.

Leaving behind Kousuke was unable to respond right away, Claudia talked quickly while looking down and her cheeks slightly blushing.

「A, ahead from here, there is a really delicious pancake restaurant. I often went there with my parents. It was managed by husband and wife, the wife was really close with my mother. They were also really affectionate with me.」

「O, ou, is that so. But wait a second, Claire. Actually――」

「A, and, sometimes I exchanged letter with them, but I haven’t met with them since becoming exorcist. When I looked from afar before coming here, they were still opening the restaurant, so I thought to visit there! That, if you like-, let’s have tea, together with me-」

Claudia-san was talking innocently with a tension like someone who was inviting opposite sex to a first date.

There was no doubt that until now she couldn’t even approach the places of memory with her parents. That was, until now that she had accomplished her longstanding desire.

The inside of her heart needn’t to be said after seeing her inviting him to such important place with an attitude that would make anyone writhe just from looking from the side.

It was an invitation filled with all the might of the fidgeting saint-sama. A normal man would be openly happy without restrain in respond to this.

Of course, Kousuke was……going pale. He was absurdly going pale.

Because,

――This is Saber 1Bernard. The target seems to plan to head to a café four block ahead.

――Saber 1, roger. Nagayama party is waiting three block ahead.

――This is ArcherVanessa. Contacting everyone. Light is disappearing from “Doctor”’s eyes. What should I do?

――This is Caster 1Wynn, there is a bad news. Director is guessing the movement there. It seems he is already heading there with personal airplane. He will launch airborne assault in two more hours.

――Caster 1, this is QueenYue. No problem. I’ll shoot it down.

――This is Ange……uu, it’s embarrassing as I thought! Calling myself angel make me looks like a painful person! Also, Yue! No shooting down! Absolutely!

――O, oi! That saint-san, he is staring at that bastard Endou with moist eyes there! Is it okay to burn him!? Is it okay to turn Endou into cinders!? Using my flame of envy!

――Calm down Shinji! Ah, no, Envy! Wait, this guy is crying blood here!? Someone, Saito――not, Envy 2-, Envy 1 is going to go berserk! Lend me a hand!

――This is Archer. Contacting everyone. “Doctor” is starting to tremble all over while staying expressionless. What should I do?

――Aah geez, this is Caster 2Anna! Saber team and also Returnerreturnees team too, if you are only going to be a hindrance just go home right away! Claudia-sama is doing her best right now!

Because Kousuke’s excellent ears caught such conversation. The overhearing skill of vocation Assassin was perfect.

Or rather, he was feeling countless familiar presences at the surrounding buildings’ rooftop and interior encircling around him and Claudia.

To say more, there was even a classmate shedding tear of blood trying to crawl out from inside a trashcan that was put on the street. The lid of that trashcan was being pushed down with wind pressure by a desperate looking classmate inside the adjacent trash can.

Above all else, he could perfectly see “Doctor” with only half her face showing out from the shadow of roadside tree diagonally behind him, sending him a lifeless gaze.

She was indeed trembling all over! It was absurdly scary!

Yes, Kousuke and Claudia were currently completely encircled by returnees and Omnibus and Britain national security bureau’s assault department members! From slightly a while ago! With objective of peeping!

Claudia’s parents appearing too was of course wasn’t because of god’s miracle, but because of Yue and Kaori’s soul magic. It was realized with the two of them using necromancy by age of god magic.

Kousuke of course noticed, but when he sent his gaze toward Yue and others, Yue put her index finger in front of her mouth and winked, so he stayed quiet.

He thankfully accepted the consideration to let the miracle stay as miracle.

Well, putting that aside!

The problem of Kousuke’s fourth wife was a matter of concern and interest for everyone!

「Let’s calm down for a bi, a bi~~t, Claire! Tha, that’s! If it’s a restaurant that is that amazing, ri, right! Let’s go there together with everyone! If we call them, they will come here right away! They will really come right away!」

Well of course. They were right nearby.

But, Claudia-san who seemed to be about to blow her fuse was of course, couldn’t guess Kousuke’s intention.

「That……if possible right now I want……to go with just the two of us, alone with Kousuke-sama……」

Fidget fidget, wriggle wriggle. The saint asked with an upturned gaze 「Is that no good?」. Really a saint. Kousuke spontaneously leaked out a strange voice 「Nuguu」.

*Snap-* Emly-chan’s eyes opened wide! Kousuke sensitively detected it! His body jerked and trembled.

And then, Vanessa who tried to stop her ate a lariat that could be said as artistic, and Emily launched out to exterminate the thieving cat that was making eyes at her beloved!

Seeing Emily’s battle ready state walking with heavy footsteps toward Kousuke, all the observers at the surrounding went into an uproar 「O, oo!? A carnage!?」. No, the security bureau group was cheering 「Go-, missy Emily! Two heroines aren’t needed for the hero!」.

「That isn’t allowed! Barenberg-san!」

「Eh? Yo, you are! Kousuke’s lover……eh, fiancée? Wife……but, second……err, a, anyway-, the somewhat intimate looking person!」

「Gafuh」

Doctor Emily was suddenly hit with a body blow of words.

It seemed her heart was damaged when someone who might be her love rival pointed out implicitly how ambiguous the nature of her relationship was.

The security bureau members sent their encouragement 「Don’t lose-, missy Emily!」「That’s just a shallow scratch!」「A woman of Britain shouldn’t fold just from that-」「Remember-, your guts at that time!」.

On the other hand, the members of Omnibus were also sending encouragement like 「Claudia-sama-, don’t withdraw! We exorcists know no retreat!」「Please show the stubbornness of the saint!」「You are the exorcist’s strongest-. Don’t lose against a mere little girl!」「It’s faster than expected! The director will descend in one and half a hour! Recommending short decisive battle!」.

Claudia too finally noticed that she was being peeped at by her comrades and the returnees. Her face turned bright red and she glared angrily at her comrades.

「A, anyway-. I think there is something wrong with inviting a man who has a lover to a date.」

‘That is really a boomerang statement……’, everyone starting from Kousuke thought, but they put it aside for now.

「Yo, you’re right……」

Emily’s words made Claudia looked down in shame because she had done a shameful behavior. The saint was looking wholly downhearted.

‘E, eh? Somehow her reaction is different from what I expected! Perhaps the way I said it was a bit too harsh? It was harsh wasn’t it!?’ Emily was starting to get flustered like that.

Claudia opened her mouth even while her expression turning a bit pained.

「Even though Grant-san who is younger than me is also controlling yourself, I’m sorry. I was really shallow.」

「Uguu」

Emily-chan who didn’t control herself at all. Rather, she was living together with Kousuke although it was only his clone. Everyday she was full of happiness. She baked apple pie and so on.

Emily averted her gaze with all her might while starting to sweat strangely. Claudia tilted her head seeing her like that.

The expression of the saint which was only filled with pure wondering made Emily-chan’s paper armored heart easily raised the white flag and she divulged the truth.

「Err, that, it was only with clone but, we more or less, cohabitating……」

「Cohabitating? ……Come to think of it, when you were delivering the secret medicine to Omnibus, you two also hugged each other weren’t you……」

「Tha, that was, simply, an expression of affection.」

「……You are saying, you had no ulterior motive at all?」

「……That, how should I say it, it’s, you know?」

Gazes that seemed to say ‘’You know?’ my ass’ pierced her from the Omnibus faction.

Sharp gazes that seemed to say ‘This is because you asshole is indecisive!’ stabbed Kousuke from the returnee group and security bureau group.

Claudia-san somehow guessed it. Emily’s position, and the current situation.

Like that, when she looked at Kousuke, he was looking at Emily who got teary eyed from having the table turned on her (it was mostly her self-destructing though), then after showing hesitation for a bit, next he showed an expression as though he was resolved about something.

Yes, it was as though he was going to declare the matter about his lover (second) or his fiancée (second) for the sake of Emily!

And so,

「Emily. I――」

「Then, Grant-san. That, how should I said it, it’s, you know? Like that is it fine if I also go to the nostalgic café together alone with Kousuke-sama?」

「Wha-, tha, that’s no good! That’s obviously no good!」

「Why?」

「Wh, why you ask……that’s, it’s……」

She couldn’t say. ‘Because he already has lover!’ she couldn’t say that anymore. Emily who noticed this late that she had no weapon whatsoever even though she charged forward. She was all flustered and shook up.

Kousuke whose words were intercepted was also all flustered and shook up.

The cornered Emily raised the corner of her cat eyes glaringly as though she had thrown caution to the wind.

「What! I’m the one who encountered Kousuke earlier!」

It was Rana who encountered him even earlier. 100 boomerang damage in Emily’s heart.

「Just because you are a bit beautiful, big breasted, have tight waist, your butt and legs are also sexy, and you have bombshell style……just because of that……I, I’m, I’m more……………………hics, saint, is just too powerfuuul……」

Emily-chan who was speaking herself and damaged herself too as expected. Even now she looked like she would crumble on her knees anytime.

「E, err, thank you very much? Bu, but but, Grant-san too, is really cute! Like your legs are really long and pretty! Your gaze also looked crisp, looking really intellectual! I’m often told that I’m really clumsy so, a beauty that is cute and yet intellectual is just unfair!」

「What’s with you! Thank you! But, Barenberg-san yourself, you even have special power! Even when you were rushing into hell while carrying a large cross, it was really cool!」

Why was it? Even though it should be a battle of woman, it was excessively warming. The security bureau faction and Omnibus faction, and not just them, even the returnee faction were looking at them with warm gaze.

It seemed even Emily herself also had the feeling that it shouldn’t be like this. In order to make an appeal that she was the one who was worthy for Kousuke, she wracked her head searching if there was something……

「I am-, a doctor! I have a doctorate!」

That was what came out. Everyone’s eyes turned sad.

「I, if you say such thing, even I am a saint! A saint sound more like a heroine!」

The saint didn’t even make tsukkomi and accepted the challenge from the front. Emily made a sound 「Kuu……」 in vexation.

Kousuke was saying 「He, hey. Both of you. Listen to what I have to say――」, but his voice didn’t reach the two’s ears at all. The two were getting even more heated up.

「In the end it’s only “like” right!? In other words, it’s not heroine!」

「Even though like is just like but it’s really like! In other words, it’s already heroine!」

「Like isn’t heroine!」

「Like is already heroine!」

Like like-, like like-, lili~ke-, the saint and doctor who like like at each other. Kousuke tried to cut in a bit forcefully saying 「Both of you, let’s stop there and listen to――」 but, 「Kousuke just stay quiet!」「I wish Kousuke-sama will stay back from this!」 he easily got rebuffed.

「Whaat, it’s decided that doctor is better!」

「Somehoow, it’s obvious that saint is the better one!」

Emily and Claudia pushed their forehead on each other and they both kept insisting while getting teary eyed.

And then, a beat later, the two called on Kousuke 「Kousukeee~」「Kousuke-samaa~」,

「Doctor is better right!?」

「Saint is better right!?」

‘Even though you two just told me to stay quiet or stay back……incomprehensible’ even while thinking that, in front of the pressure from the two’s menacing look that made him unconsciously stepped back, against his better judgment Kousuke――said it.

「I think bunny girl is better? How do I say it……」

「「……」」

Returnee faction, Omnibus faction, security bureau faction. From all the factions astonished muttering like 「He is saying that in this situation!?」「That guy, that’s just too heroic right!?」 leaked out.

Kousuke’s expression was convulsing while cold sweat was trickling out.

Why?

That was obvious.

Because before him, there were the doctor-chan and saint-chan who were making eyes like rotten dead fish.

It would still be fine if he was insulted. He also wouldn’t protest if he was punched.

But, he wanted to be spared from the two of them losing sanity.

Furthermore, even though they were making such eyes, those eyes were getting teary fast. Kousuke was already having guilt crushing his heart that made him wanted to say 「I’m begging you, just insult or beat up an asshole like me!」.

However, a beat later Kousuke tensed his expression. In any case, he should firmly convey his honest feeling to the two, especially to Emily.

He was still having hesitation and resistance to have a relationship like a certain demon king and the wive~s. But, he couldn’t keep depending on Emily’s devoted feeling while being ambiguous.

「Both of you, listen to me. I――」

But, not letting his right-hand man having things went as he wanted in that timing was demon king quality. Hajime-san who actually was there from the start together with Yue and others made his entrance when the time was ripe!

The ground beside the three rippled like a spring! Or rather, with the Crystal Key’s image projection, an illusion that was really like a spring was created!

From there, like a lady of the lake, Hajime-san surfaced up slowly with a bright smile, one of his hand carrying something. It was “that” which looked terribly familiar.

「Is the order a Hauria?」(TN: Reference to Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka)

If possible surely normal rabbit would be better. Not the head decapitating rabbit.

Although, surely there was no mistake with the order. Because “that” was,

「Ah, Kou-kun! I was wondering what was going on because boss suddenly abducted me♪ Boss! So you are taking me to meet Kou-kun! Thank you very much!」

「Your welcome.」

A pure Hajime-san was there. It was the effect of the dazzling spring. His wide smile looked radiant.

And then it was thrown, the first wifeRana Hauria.

「Ra, Rana」

「Kou-kun♪」

The rabbit eared-oneesan who was at her best form too today. She happily embraced her younger lover. Kousuke who was buried into the heavy twin hills. He tried to say that right now wasn’t the time for this, but strength instantly left his whole body.

Power of resistance, zero. The first wife was powerful.

After that, it went without saying that Emily and Claudia made a great commotion, and Rana’s gaze who noticed the two brightened.

It also went without saying that after seeing through Claudia’s heart, Rana’s skillful words that were like a sect founder inviting someone into a new religion attempted to drag Claudia to become the “fourth”.

At the end, Claudia said 「The, the god had spoken! Love thy neighborother wife!」. She kept muttering with low voice many times while her eyes were rolling around like a brainwashed person. Surely it went just like Rana’s expectation.

Like that, that night something like “Congratulation party for fourth wife Claudia and the finishing of dealing with all the aftermath!” was opened in Omnibus where all the factions participated. The party was greatly heated up.

Of course, a certain director took action in order to make a certain screwing around bastard who called his beloved daughter as “fourth” into a rust of his book but……

Unfortunately, Kousuke wasn’t there.

The reason was, that guy who tossed the primed explosive called Rana with his mischievousness in full force,

「――Last Zell. Limit Break」

「Eh? Wai-, you-, stop tha――」

Yes, because a thousand lords were chasing after the demon king who was running away while blocking his ears with all his might going ‘no no’.

The game of tag between demon king and abyss lord continued until the dawn came.

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

Anyway, the abyss lord arc chapter two is over with this.

Things like the detailed setting, or the later development, or the hell trip of Hajime and Shia, I want to write various things but, I don’t have the time and stamina……

I’m thinking to do it when I have time again.

I had notified at last week’s afterword too but, I’m thinking to take a rest for a month starting from next week.

Most likely I’ll resume at 16 June, so please take care of me again if possible at that time.

Best regards for Arifureta from here on too!