HERETICS

"Oya, this is quite the welcoming~ What do I owe you, men, the pleasure of visiting me for?" Ivan looked at the army of knights that stood outside of the Dungeon. Their swords were drawn, staffs up, and arrows notched. If he didn't know any better then he'd assume they were here to kill him.

"D-Demon…" Though it seemed the situation became quite delicate when the first impression the knights had of his armor was that of a demon. Sure wearing all black and the spikes were quite brooding but to jump to him being a demon was a bit of a stretch.

The murmuring of that one soldier spread throughout the knights as the rest followed suit, whispering to each other and taking a step back. According to the hero that made it back to the surface to call for help, Kousuke Endou, the demon led a party of monsters that were capable of overwhelming the hero's party. Not for a second did they believe they stood a chance. In fact, this army held no intention to enter the dungeon and save the heroes, their original duty was to guard the entrance for anything that pursued and stop them from entering the city.

For this cause, they were ready to lay their lives down. And so, they straightened their backs, casters began mumbling, and arches pulled back on their bowstrings, then—

"STOP! They are not our enemies!" The one to have stopped this assault was Kouki Amanogawa, he stood in front of Ivan and his party with his arms spread out wide. His eye-catching gold and white armor made the army of knights pause their actions, then they dropped their assault for now as they recognized him to be the hero.

"Hero… You're alive! Oh, we all assumed you and your party had met a terrible end at the hands of some wretched demon… Thank Lord Ehit that hadn't been the case! However, hmmm. Who might be those folk who accompany you… if I'm not mistaken one of them is a beastman…"

The head of the army let out a yelp of relief at the hero and his party's return. With this, he didn't have to worry about being punished for not fulfilling his duty. Since they reappeared from the depths then he could only assume the demon had been dealt with. A huge relief for him as he was no longer stressed about a monster potentially running out to the surface and killing them all.

However, now that tensions were laid to rest, he couldn't help but notice the white-haired beastman that accompanied his return, not to mention the cloaked figures and the man adorning dragon-like armor. He clenched the sword in his hand as he stared at her, Felis in response only whistling as she stood closer to Ivan's back.

"These are our saviors! If not for them then it would have been truly as you said, we would have met our demise at a demon's hands. And for that, I ask that you lay down your weapons! We have detained the demon and slain her powerful monsters, there are no further threats."

The army's leader only stared back at Kouki's unwavering eyes, he let out a sigh before motioning for his army to rest using a hand signal. Tensions calmed down as the class was happy there wouldn't be another massacre here. Ivan only let out an amused hum, his finger leaving the bracer that hid under his mantle.

For a moment he was ready for all-out war after hearing that the man had a problem with Felis' existence. If not for Kouki then at least one more life would have been lost today. He stared once more at the town, its familiar sights bringing him a slight tinge of nostalgia. 'This is where it all began,' he thought to himself.

Ivan led his group down the stairs, ignoring the guards that stood in his way as he brushed by. Out of impulse, they all took a step out of their way, but deciding not to say anything against this person capable of defeating a demon the hero party couldn't they withheld their frustrations. Hajime and his class followed behind quickly, wondering where they were going as he led them to what was their dorms.

"Well, this is where we part. I'll be taking this demon for questioning. As agreed upon with Hajime Nagumo I have led you all to the surface without a scratch. That settles my debt to him, from now on you are all on your own. Honestly, you can't be expecting some mysterious savior to just pop out of nowhere and save you. For that reason, I suggest you all stay humble, indeed you possess talent far greater than the modern denizens of this world, just remember the world is full of unsuccessful people with talent. But I assume that saying applies to your world as well."

The class subconsciously nodded to his words, they had zero ideas how old this man was but just this lecture was enough to add several more years to their impression of him. A thought that would've brought a tear to Ivan's eye if he had known. At least Captain Meld seemed to be paying attention, a notepad in his hand as he muttered something barely audible.

"W-Wait, let me say again that we need to be the one to turn in the Demon lady! We'll need her to prove the threat these Demons are bringing to the human race. The method to train monsters, who was the demon that cleared a dungeon, what their hierarchy is like, all these are useful inquiries that could prove useful in our expedition!"

Kouki cried out one last desperate attempt to convince Ivan to leave the demon lady in their custody. His voice pleading as he rested one hand on Ivan's shoulder, at least that was until the same shoulder he rested on suddenly protruded a spike.

"To prove the threat they pose? Would the death of the strongest team of knights have not been enough? Or how about the statement of that leader of knights, I'm sure his status would be enough to convince them. As for the information… maaa~ I'll relay them to Hajime if I feel like it. Until then I was the one to neutralize her, as such I don't see the problem with what I'm doing."

As far as Ivan was concerned, what he was doing was natural. To not question the high-ranking officer of your enemy for information would be a foolish waste of an opportunity. Even if the demon lady refused to answer that in itself would be a useful bit of information. And she seemed to be quite the expressive lady, no matter which world Ivan always believed there was a set of words set in a combination that'd get you what you want. Torture would be the last resort if somehow concoctions didn't work.

"Promise me… Promise me you won't treat her unjustly. She is your captive, I see no reason to be unnecessarily harsh on her… If it is as you say and she can't resist you, then I want you to treat her as the police of our world treat people who are detained!"

It was a favor he had no point of agreeing to, Kouki knew that. In fact, it would only make the process of withdrawing information more difficult. The potential intel that could save lives and stop wars before they started might never come to light if Ivan didn't resort to cruel methods. But despite all that, he wanted to treat this demon-like any other person.

"Hmmm….. I can promise you that violence would be the last resort. Hmph, wouldn't it be quite hypocritical of me to treat this woman as a monster after the talk I've given you~ Have some faith in your savior will ya?"

Ivan's nonchalant voice brought Kouki to a sigh of relief. Though not a definite answer it was in the direction of what he wanted. That in itself was enough to ease the guilt he'd feel on his consciousness if he just let this demon lady be carried off into what could've been hell.

"Hajime, come over here! There's one last thing I wanna talk to you about before I leave." Ivan called out to Hajime despite him not being far at all. It was more so a display to tell the other people around that this conversation was just for the two, though of course with the exemption of Ivan's party who stood behind him as he faced Hajime.

"Um, what is it, Ivan?" Hajime had no idea what it could've been that would incite Ivan to speak with him privately. In his opinion, there was nowhere left for their conversation to go, as Ivan had said their paths were completely separate now. Apart from both of them gunning to clear the dungeon they had no common goals.

"Huhuh, I see that you got the girl you wanted huh~" Unexpectedly he just called him over to gossip. Who Ivan was referring to was Kaori, who had been the topic of conversation in most of their talks initiated by Hajime back when he was still a part of the Kingdom.

"W-What the hell are you talking about!?" Hajime's sudden outburst attracted the stares of the class. He sealed his lips with both of his hands before waving dismissively to the concerned Kaori, who had feared Ivan had done something to him.

"... Tch, damn normie!" His ears perked hearing Ivan's statement.

"Normie? You want to call me a normie? How about this group of girls huh!? I thought it was only going to be you and Claire together but now you're living together with five girls! You're a damn normie with a harem, you bastard! If that ain't injustice I don't know what is!" Hajime's outburst this time had finally reached the ears of the classmates, each of them giving an indiscernible stare to Ivan.

"A harem, I can't believe you slander me so! Maaa~ I will admit the scene is quite ambiguous. But to state it simply, my only lover is Yue. Tio declares herself my slave, Claire insists on being my maid and assistant, Ari has laid her lifelong loyalty for returning her life to some normalcy, and as for Felis… She's my daughter!"

Ivan's words were momentarily interrupted as a thick tail landed on his face. Felis who had been on his shoulders smiled mischievously, her faint laughter emanating from the mask.

"...Sure. But anyway why the hell did you bring it up in the first place?" What had been a mystery to Hajime was why Ivan suddenly wanted to gossip. To his understanding, Ivan wouldn't have brought it up if he wasn't going to bring the conversation elsewhere.

"I know I've already told you this but this world is a dangerous place, more so for people who have things they want to protect. The game the class thinks they're playing doesn't even compare to the game of the gods, the way they are now they'll surely collapse before making it a foot in the door."

"...." Hajime remained silent, but in his heart, he believed what Ivan had said. Today only reaffirmed those feelings. The demons were coming at them using monsters they couldn't contend with and they hadn't even cleared a single dungeon. If Ivan was not here to save them their story would have ended here.

"Which is why I'm giving you this…" Ivan held something enclosed in his fist, bumping his hand against Hajime's, signaling him to open it. This deal was done low away from the eyes of the class, both Ivan and Hajime not breaking eye contact as the exchange happened. Once it was done Hajime fumbled with whatever Ivan gave him in his hand a bit.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you better not play around with that thing if you don't want to lose your hand~!" Hajime hurriedly stopped playing with it and slid it in his pocket, his questioning glare making Ivan snicker beneath his mask.

"If you're ever in a situation you find yourself sealed from the world, or ready to accept death in the face of a magical attack, pour your mana into the stone. It may save your life one day~"

Leaving these NPC-like words, Ivan turned around as he waved his arm. Walking off into the sunset with his group following along, the scene would've been marvelous if not for the unconscious body he dragged through the dirt.

But then—

"HALT! BY DECREE OF THE HOLY CHURCH YOU HAVE ALL BEEN DECLARED HERETICS! Your sinful actions shall be repaid in blood, surrender yourself now least you want to meet a painful end!"

Ivan directly spawned in the airship, ignoring the stupefied templar knights as he and his party ascended.

"Bon voyage! It was great seeing you all but duty calls! Don't die alright? There are still people counting on you!" Ivan's projected voice entered the ears of the students, they watched as he flew into the distance.

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