Arifureta After III Tortus Travel Journal ⑦
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They noticed that the air had changed at the same time when they got through the dazzling light.
*Hyuu hyuu* The sound of wind shook their eardrums.
「……So this place is like this.」
「How should I say it, this place, it’s really eerie.」
It was a space that was shaped like a gigantic dome. And then, there was a long and large stone bridge that connected that space from end to end.
Shuu and Sumire who were looking around on top of that spoke their impression sounding like they had their breath taken away.
The wind that felt like it was stickily caressing their skin from the bottom of the earth was blowing up from below. It made the parents to get goosebumps.
They were on top of a bridge that felt like it was floating midair without any handrails or a curb. Kaoruko and Akiko were looking around with terrified expression while staying at the center as much as possible.
Hajime opened his mouth toward the parents who were busily looking around.
「This is the place where we were teleported to by the trap――the sixty fifth floor.」
In case they were descending through the floors normally, they wouldn’t come out into this place. This was a place where they would teleported into only in the case they got caught by the trap.
Hajime explained so, but,
「I, I see, I got it, Hajime. But you see, before you explain!」
「Oi-, Hajime-kun! Behind, behind!」
Shuu and Tomoichi were desperately pointing behind Hajime while raising their voice. Hajime’s tour guide explanation entered their right ear and slipped out through their left ear. Kaoruko and Akiko, and then even Sumire were staring unblinkingly at behind Hajime right now with a pale expression. They didn’t look like they were listening to his talk.
That was only natural.
After all, if speaking in manga terms, there was a monster approaching with a pressure that felt like there would be *GOGOGOGOGO-* sound effect drawn behind it with big and bolded letters. It was emitting pressure that forced the parents to comprehend whether they wanted it or not that this was an existence that was in a completely different level from the monsters they saw until now.
――’GURUAAAAAAAAA-‘
The monster’s roar resounded and shook the atmosphere. Kaoruko and Akiko hugged each other tightly while their legs became unable to stand anymore.
Furthermore, a lot of Traum Soldiers were approaching from the other side of the stone bridge. Their eye sockets were shining piercingly with dark red flame. Even the members of Yaegashi family had tense expression.
「Aa~, this is bad. I should have put mental resistance on everyone beforehand.」
「……Nn. This is a failure. Everyone, sorry.」
――’GURYAAAAAAAA-‘
Hajime awkwardly scratched his cheek while he still hadn’t looked back. Yue too was making an apologetic look while applying fear resistance using soul magic on the parents.
‘No, that isn’t the time for that though……’
It felt like the sound of the parents’ heart could be heart like that.
――’GURYAAAAAAAAA-‘
The third roar. At the same time, the stone bridge shook fiercely.
The monster was the master of the sixty fifth floor that once cornered Hajime and co into a predicament. It began to charge above the stone bridge where there was no place to escape.
And so, for the time being,
*DOPAN-♪*
――*GYAAAAAAAAAH*
A roar that was a bit different from before resounded.
A crimson flash blew up one of the monster’s front legs. It happened right when it was stepping forward, so the monster that lost its support fell on the ground face first like in a comedy skit. It then obeyed the law of inertia and slid *SUZAA~~~*.
And then it stopped still right before Hajime with only a single step of distance remaining between them.
「Cough-. Ee~, this thing’s name is Behemoth. Fundamentally it only has two attack patterns of a normal rush or a rush while transforming scorching red like “My horn is burning reeedd”. It’s a relatively disappointing monster.」
Behemoth roared *GURYA-* and somehow it managed to stand up. It stared down Hajime with an angry eye glint while its horn transformed scorching red above its head.
Hajime-san pointed with his finger and said 「As you can see, this is its scorching red transformation」 as introduction for Behemoth-kun’s signature move.
「Although it was when we still hadn’t arrived for long in Tortus――」
Behemoth swung down its head.
Hajime’s uppercut burst up.
The artificial arm’s vibration pulverization and skill “Strong Arm”, and then the explosion from the elbow accompanied the punch.
――*GYAN-!?*
New discovery. Behemoth’s scream sounded like a dog.
「Thinking back now, getting tossed around helplessly by this kind of pseudo cow that know nothing except charging ahead is nothing but the height of stupidity. Surely there was a way that would be a bit better to deal with it.」
「It can’t be helped Hajime. At that time everyone was absolutely at their limit.」
Shizuku smiled wryly while agreeing. During that time Behemoth that got hit by a fierce punch on its nose was desperately rubbing its nose with its remaining front leg. It was a gesture that a puppy would often do when appealing 「My nose feels reeally hurts」.
「Hajime-sa~n! What should we do about the skeletons over here?」
The crowd of Traum soldier was gradually approaching Hajime and co.
Hajime pointed there with his finger while saying 「Please look over there. They are bones」. The parents’ gaze was naturally guided to there.
「They are called Traum soldier. Their strength isn’t really much. But, they have many soldiers. The choices in the trap at this floor is fundamentally to advance ahead and slip through a single powerful Behemoth, or to pass through the Traum Soldiers with their violence of numbers and then go back to floor 20 through the stairs ahead of them. 」
Hajime continued his explanation while turning to Kaori and gave an instruction 「Ya, Kaori-san, disintegrate them along with the magic circle」 sounding like an elderly nobleman from somewhere. Kaori replied lightly 「Ye~s」, while at the same time silver flash planted trauma into the Traum Soldiers.
They instantly became ash, and furthermore the magic circle that continued to produce the Traum Soldiers turned into ash along with the ground.
The parents went 「O, oo」 sounding half bewildered and half in admiration like ‘Kaori-san is seriously awesome’.
There, Behemoth recovered from its pain. It made its horn scorching red once more and assaulted Hajime with clear killing intent and hostility.
「And, through one thing and another, I held back this Behemoth, the bridge crumbled, and we harmoniously fell together.」
Along with the really abridged explanation, a Cross Velt appeared above the Behemoth that was going to charge ahead. *Pashu-* An object that was like an anchor fired into the Behemoth, and right after that it got pulled toward the end of the stone bridge.
――’GUO!? Gu, GURYAAAA-!!’
‘Wai-!? What’s this!? I, I’m pulled……no, NO WAY I’LL LOSEEEEEEE-!!’
It felt like such voice of Behemoth could be heard. It desperately stood its ground in the attempt to prevent itself from getting dragged away, but from the beginning it almost had no leeway to control its posture with the size of its physique.
When it got dragged draggingly for a meter, its resistance ended in vain and it easily got dragged toward the stone bridge’s edge.
‘AH!? My hind legs!?’
Behemoth wriggled and struggled. Its hind legs fell while its front leg’s claws were clawing on the ground desperately to crawl up but……
「Ee~, about its depth, I fainted at that time so I don’t know how deep it is, but in this rare chance we have here the Behemoth-san who possess a conspicuous burning horn, so let’s test for a bit if we can confirm how far it will fall down.」
Behemoth’s gaze snapped toward Hajime. Surely there was no way that it understood his words, but its expression really looked like it was saying this.
――’You’re lying right?’
Like that.
Hajime-san grinned and aimed his Donner.
His aim was the front leg of Behemoth that was desperately clinging on the ground, the claws there.
*DOPAN-* A shooting sound echoed. At the same time the claws of the Behemoth that should be said as its lifeline were pulverized.
Behemoth’s eyes were saying 「This is, just too cruel……」……it felt like that.
――’aAAAAAAAAAA-‘
Behemoth raised a scream that sounded slightly similar like Shuu when he was free diving from Tio’s back while falling toward the bottom of the Abyss.
Thanks to the scorching red horn, the sight of its falling could be seen clearly.
For a while everyone was peering down harmoniously without saying anything, and then Kaori opened her mouth with a really complicated expression.
「……Thinking back after looking at this, it’s really deep. It was really a miracle that Hajime-kun survived from this.」
「You’re right. If I remember right, he was blown away by the water stream that spurted out from a tunnel on the wall and the stream brought him into a different tunnel was it……」
「Papa, papa. Myuu think if Papa appeared at the nine death one life special show in the TV before this, papa would surely get the first place nano.」 (TN: Nine death one life, it’s a phrase in Japan that means a narrow escape from death)
「Myuu, I wonder about that. Goshuujin-sama hath returned alive quite a lot from extremely deathly situations, so it couldst already be said that it’s nine death nine life instead.」
「……Nn. Perhaps it will be ok if it’s a special show about a man that absolutely won’t die no matter what happen.」
「No no, Yue-san. In that case it will be better to just upfrontly make special show of shocking video or astonishing video. There is no doubt that Hajime-san will monopolize the best 100.」
The parents were letting out a dry laugh while making faraway gaze at their son and daughters who were talking carefreely with the fading Behemoth’s scream as BGM.
They slowly and quietly returned to the center of the stone bridge and let out a large sigh.
And then, Sumire spoke.
「Theeen, Yue-chan. Please replay the past image okay?」
「Why!? I had explained it carefully and thoroughly just now right!?」
Hajime spontaneously made a tsukkomi. Yes, Hajime was acting like a tour guide because he was aiming to avoid the replaying of the past image by explaining it orally.
「……Nn. Hajime, you don’t know when to give up.」
「N, no, but you know, Yue.」
Hajime who got scolded ‘bad child’ by Yue, but for him who was always decisive and resolute in everything, at this time he was being really obstructive even at this late.
「Goshujin-sama, firm thy resolve already. Hahaue-dono and Chichiue-dono, as well as everyone else, they wouldst not change their decision to watch the past of Goshujin-sama.」
「That’s right Hajime-san. Besides, if it’s the usual Hajime-san, even if everyone’s mental image of you become bad, won’t you say something like 『So what. If it become bad, then I just need to make it good again』.」
Yue and others thought that Hajime was still reluctant to show his gruesome past. They made a slightly exasperated expression while expressing such words to persuade him.
However, Hajime attempted to object with his expression still looking bitter.
「No, about that it doesn’t really matter anymore for me. I have consented and also resolved myself regarding that point.」
「……Nn? Then what are you dissatisfied about?」
Yue tilted her head. Hajime spoke in respond.
「……This is just for example, something like a drama that you are acting in it, isn’t it a relatively high hurdle to have your family watch such thing?」
「……」
The reason of Hajime’s reluctance came to light. It seemed he was simply embarrassed.
Kaori and Shizuku, and then Aiko turned their gaze to their respective family and nodded 「Indeed!」.
At that time they were under various pressing crisis. Their discomposed figure, their heated figure when making some kind of resolve, their failure, and also their hardworking figure, everything would get seen by their parents.
Thinking really carefully, certainly it might be embarrassing! Shame assaulted Kaori and co at this late.
An atmosphere that perhaps as expected it would be better to explain orally and stopped with the past playback was starting to flow.
「Tha, that’s right isn’t it. It’s a bit, you know, the me at that time, was like that in various things……」
「Ce, certainly. Unlike Kaori, I think it’s fine for me at Orcus but……I, I want to be spared from the past playback in the ic, ice and snow cavern……」
「I wasn’t here at all so there is no problem but……after this……e, especially in the city of Ur……」
Seeing their daughter who were starting to become reluctant, Kaoruko, Kirino, and Akiko looked at Yue with a smile. Their gaze spoke more eloquently than their mouth.
Yue glanced at Hajime.
「That’s why, Yue. Also you too Tio. Right now stopping it is――」
「Yue-chan, Tio-chan, Sumire-okaasan is feeling sad.」
Sumire cut off Hajime’s words and said such things with a dramatized gesture.
Yue and Tio who were about to accept Hajime’s words thinking that it couldn’t be helped were startled and looked at Sumire.
「I really hope you two will listen to Okaa-san’s request. If not, Sumire-okaasan will become really sad and have to rethink about various things, about the suitableness of my son’s wife and so on――」
「……Nn-! Please watch Okaa-sama! The image that is even more vivid than the combination of Ultra Blueray and 4K HD! Fast forward, replay, skip and slow function, everything can be done at will!」
There was no hesitation. Hajime raised his voice 「Yue!?」, but Yue intentionally put her hand on her ear saying 「Eh? What did you say?」 and pretended not to hear.
While that was going on, the figures of Hajime and co getting teleported to the center of the stone bridge were projected.
Sumire and others, the mother camp high-fived 「Waa~i」 with each other. Shuu and others the father camp were sending Hajime kind gaze of understanding and sympathy. During that time the nostalgic Hajime and others of the past were teleported to the center of the stone bridge.
‘Oo!’ Cheers were raised. Sumire and co watched over their children of the past. But, their voice immediately quieted down and their expression stiffened.
――’I definitely won’t let you kids die!’
The tense voice of Captain Meld resounded.
The reproduced Behemoth and also the Traum Soldiers were things they had seen just now. They were monsters that Hajime and Kaori casually took care of.
But, the situation where the students inside the image were becoming half panicked conveyed the urgent situation at that time clearly. It conveyed the killing intent of the monsters fiercely through the image.