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The Perseverance to Survive in this World – Part 03

Hikaru decided to leave the royal capital early the next morning. After bidding farewell to Paula, he and Lavia mounted a single horse.

Several narrow paths branched off from the main road, most leading to villages. One of them was the Proselytizer’s Path.

As they traveled down the narrow path through grasslands, forests, and mountain valleys, they came across crude huts and a few church personnel. These individuals watched them warily, but when Hikaru presented the pendant given to him by Sophie, they nodded without a word. Bearing the Church’s emblem, the pendant also functioned as a special magic item, as evidenced by their use of sorcery to verify its authenticity.

Hikaru had become accustomed to riding horses. He believed horseback riding skills to be essential as an adventurer, so he took some lessons. Thanks to the horse and the Proselytizer’s Path, a journey that would typically take seven days could be completed in just over three days.

“The sun’s going down,” Hikaru said. We should reach the main road soon, so how about taking a break at the next inn?”

Lavia, sitting in front of Hikaru, simply nodded. She didn’t say anything, leading Hikaru to assume that she was exhausted.

“Hikaru,” Lavia said.

“Hmm?”

The horse trotted along a gently-sloping grassy path. The western sky displayed only a hint of crimson, and the moon began its ascent. A chilly breeze blew.

“Did something happen between you and Sophie?”

Lavia’s question referred to the time when Sophie called Hikaru after leaving the small church. He hadn’t told Lavia and Paula about Serika or the spell for crossing worlds.

Ah, I’m so stupid.

Hikaru gazed up at the sky. He was too engrossed in immediate concerns—his anger at the Church over the Accursed Toxin, and Serika’s departure using the spell for crossing worlds—that he had completely neglected Lavia.

This essentially meant that Hikaru didn’t know what the person closest to him was thinking.

“Sorry, you don’t have to say if you don’t want to,” Lavia said. “It’s just… you’ve had this grim look on your face for a while now.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing.” Hikaru replied, interrupting Lavia’s words. “Sorry. I was an idiot.”

Lavia turned to look at him, wearing a puzzled expression.

I wasn’t sure what to do.

Hikaru had been pondering the constraints he had learned from Kujastria regarding the spell for crossing worlds. If a rift opened, one or two people could go to Japan. He wrestled with the decision of whether to go or stay, and if he chose to go, whom to take with him.

I’m a complete idiot. Somewhere deep down… I felt relieved that Serika tested the spell for me.

The main concern with choosing to return to Japan was whether the spell was safe and reliable. Hikaru had no intention of involving Lavia or Paula in any human experiments.

I was glad that Serika tried it first. Hikaru’s grip on the reins tightened. But that’s not all.

Until he made up his mind, until he decided whether to return to Japan, he thought he couldn’t tell Lavia and Paula. He made that assumption himself.

“Lavia… I found a way to return to my world,” Hikaru admitted.

Lavia tensed up.

“And I sent Serika there. She’s from the same world as me.”

He wanted to share everything. Every detail.

About Princess Kujastria’s research into the spell for crossing worlds. About delivering the elemental magic stone at her request. And about the experiment they conducted with it.

“It could have fetched a huge sum if I sold it. I’m sorry for using it like this.”

Lavia and Paula were indifferent about money, so Hikaru used the elemental magic stone as he saw fit. But he couldn’t help but wonder how much money such a large stone would have brought in if he had chosen to sell it.

It wasn’t solely about the money. If Hikaru chose to return to Japan, would he go back alone if Lavia and Paula refused to join him?

I’m so, so stupid. Seriously, what was I doing?

He should have consulted with them first and foremost.

“No, it’s okay,” Lavia said. “Wanting to return to your world is completely understandable. I’ve wondered a few times what would happen if I went to another world like you. It would probably be fun, like going on an adventure.”

Lavia’s words were typical of her, reflecting her long-held desire for adventure.

“But the fun probably wouldn’t last. Eventually, I’d want to go home, and I’d get terribly lonely. So I thought it would be nice if you stayed with me and Paula, to help ease the loneliness even a little.”

“Lavia…”

Realizing how deeply she cared for him, Hikaru embraced Lavia from behind.

“Huh, huh?! H-Hikaru, wait a moment…!”

“I knew the answer from the beginning.”

“What…?”

Now, he could say it with certainty. “I have no intention of returning to my world.”

Lavia gave a start.

“Besides, it’s kind of ridiculous to risk getting involved in the war happening in this world if I wanted to go home. When I heard about the Accursed Toxin, I was honestly very pissed. The Church in this world is rotten. I won’t let them have their way, no matter what. I’ve grown so attached to this world that I can’t help but think that way.”

“…”

“So, yeah. Thinking about whether or not to go back was pointless.”

Lavia gently laid her hand on his. Her touch was warm.

Looking back, when he took her hand after she was falsely imprisoned, he might have already decided to live here.

“I will continue living in this world.”

The decision had already been made.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I don’t have any attachments left…”

The image of his senior, the only one who showed him concern, flashed briefly in his mind.

“…over there.”

But she was nothing more than a memory now.

“Okay.”

Lavia nodded, and the two of them held hands for a while.

---

The Proselytizer’s Path, used exclusively by Church personnel, proved incredibly convenient. Not only was it a shortcut, but rest stops along the way also provided replacement horses, allowing them to make swift progress.

Since Hikaru and Lavia had departed from Ponsonia’s capital, they had crossed the border and arrived at the capital of the Theocracy of Bios, Agiapole, by the morning of the fourth day.

“Wow… Bios’ cities seemed so tidy, but this place is on a whole different level,” Hikaru remarked. He had only passed through Bios’ territory when going to Southleaf Island.

Every city block featured meticulously paved stone roads that were scrupulously cleaned. The walls of houses were uniformly coated in white paint, and cleaning crews were stationed everywhere to remove the slightest speck of dirt.

Hikaru and Lavia, who had been riding horses without a bath, were dirty and thoroughly exhausted. However, Lavia’s curiosity seemed to outweigh her fatigue.

“The current Pope preaches that white is a symbol of beauty,” Lavia said with a twinkle in her eyes. She had probably looked into it beforehand.

“Hmm…”

No matter where you were in the city, a huge castle—which they called the Tower, as it was strange for a religious institution to have a symbol of power like a castle—was visible. It featured striking white walls and spires.

Feeling uneasy at the sight of such an overly clean city, Hikaru headed towards the Adventurers Guild. First, he needed to gather information.

The Adventurers Guild was also an exceptionally clean building, unlike anything he had seen before. Adventurers often entered the guild covered in mud and blood, so guild buildings usually became dirty. However, the Adventurers Guild in Agiapole, like the rest of the city, kept its walls white. Peering through the wide-open double doors, Hikaru was greeted by the same pristine interior.

When Hikaru and Lavia entered, there were only a few adventurers talking at a table in the corner of the otherwise empty guild hall.

Three people manned the counter, all of them wearing stern expressions. A man in his thirties was the first to notice Hikaru’s presence. He seemed average and mild-mannered, the embodiment of unimportant.

The man gave a start at the sight of two strange individuals wearing hooded cloaks and silver masks.

“We’re here to gather information.”

The guild staff tried to say something, but Hikaru handed over an introduction letter from the Kingdom of Ponsonia bearing the royal crest, along with a note that read, “Keep your voice down. They might get suspicious.”

The staff’s eyes widened when they saw the crest. “You’ve come from outside the city. You must be tired; would you like some tea?”

He guided Hikaru and Lavia to a small room inside. Despite his entirely unassuming appearance, the staff displayed remarkable adaptability and calmness.

The adventurers in the corner of the guild hall watched as Hikaru and Lavia were led away.

“This room is secure,” the staff said when they entered the room. “We have soundproofing installed.”

Hikaru was reading the magic runes with his Mana Detection. Soundproofing magic was indeed cast on the walls and ceiling, but there was none on the floor. If someone came underground, their conversation would be overheard, but he didn’t detect any mana signatures from down there, so there shouldn’t be any risk of being eavesdropped.

“What about those adventurers?” Hikaru asked after taking a seat.

The staff nodded awkwardly. “They just sit there all day. They’ve been dispatched by the Church.”

“You don’t drive them away?”

“They all have legitimate adventurer licenses, and their ranks are high, at C. We can’t treat them poorly. Well then, let me take a look.”

The staff tore the seal off the letter and inspected its contents, nodding several times.

“The kingdom’s Adventurers Guild has informed us about you in advance, Mr. Silver Face. We won’t verify your identity, and we will disclose all the information we can about the current issue, the Accursed Toxin.”

The Adventurers Guild had already been notified about Silver Face’s involvement in this matter.

Queen Kujastria had reached out to the guilds first, a testament to her resourcefulness. This included not only the Adventurers Guild but also the Merchants Guild, among others. Adventurers and merchants moved from town to town. What if they were infected with the poison?

To prevent the spread of the poison and to seek cooperation when necessary, Kujastria had established communication in advance.

“We appreciate it, but are you sure it’s okay?” Hikaru said. “I assume you don’t want Bios to be suspicious of you either.”

“The Adventurers Guild aims to maintain a neutral stance in international conflicts. However, we don’t want business operations to become complicated. Besides, this concerns the lives of adventurers, our business partners.”

“I see.”

Hikaru thought the staff was an average, unremarkable person, but he now saw that they were an exceptional individual, confident and analytical.