THE TRUTH

"You're Ivan, aren't you?" The moment he heard the door's lock clasp together Hajime immediately let out the question he's been holding inside his mind. Now that it was just him and who he believed to be Ivan left together alone in this room he wasn't hesitant to let out what he was thinking. He lifted his finger and pointed it toward Ivan, for a moment this very exaggerated action almost made Ivan burst out laughing.

But for now, he wanted to see under what bases his cover was blown.

"Hooooh~ Ivan you say? Hmm, the name does sound a bit familiar to me. Ivan… Ivan… Ivan… ah, now that you mention it I believe he is– excuse me, was one of the heroes that were summoned along with you all~ But didn't he die in some fire back at the Kingdom a while ago? Why would you assume me, the owner of this fine establishment, to be the dead hero you speak of?"

Hajime's confidence never faltered during this interaction, in fact, it grew after listening to Ivan speak more and more. Whether it be his mannerisms, the way he spoke, his body language, they all reminded him of his only friend.

"You're right, that day my only friend died. Thought to have been murdered by a classmate of ours. Though of course that fact had been hidden as the Heiligh Kingdom would've been under intense ridicule for failing to control their 'heroes.' What was odd is that since then I and the exploration group have come across something quite odd in the dungeon. Something resembling what that friend of mine made. When he and I agreed to work together."

Hajime wandered over to a corner of the staff room, leaning on the table complimented with beverages and refreshments. He picked one up before reading the label on it, pausing his story only momentarily.

"The markings of that place, too artificial and clean to have been natural. I have serious doubts that a crew went down to the floor right before the Behmoth's to make a resting room. When I matched the safe room and the hidden cove my friend made with each other, I found similar etchings in the ground."

His finger went pointed right at Ivan again, this time his voice serious as he announced his next lines.

"My friend's body at the time was charred to the point where he was unrecognizable. At the time we all assumed it had been him because only he and the killer were there at the scene, we had captured the killer so that left the body. Completely unrecognizable, sure there were teeth and nails along with some identifiable fingerprints but this world does not have the technology to investigate that far."

Hajime took a sip of the beverage in his hand, the accusatory finger never falling.

"All those questions about what monsters inhabited which floors, the constant inquiries about how far the class made it. You asked me for detailed mappings of each floor. I'm certain that my friend had faked his death at the time and chose to escape in the dungeon, for what reason? Well, I'm certain that he and I share the same line of thought. The Holy Church is as suspicious as can be, we're not getting the whole story."

Silence erupted and the only sound permeating the room was that of Hajime taking sips out of whatever had been left on the table. Ivan's body started trembling, his expression invisible as he still adorned his mask. However, Hajime felt no fear at the prospect, only looking on patiently as he was sure this friend of his was—

"Hahahaha! Well, I was certain I'd get found out sooner or later. The fact that it had been you just makes it all the easier. If all this modern stuff didn't ring bells in peoples' heads I would've been very concerned."

The mask that covered Ivan's face slid off, the voice changer deactivating as the voice Hajime had remembered emanated the room. It took everything in Hajime's power to hold himself from punching this guy in front of him that held the smuggest of grins. But rather than basking in that annoyance, he let out a sigh as the worry he had in his heart had been rested.

Hajime walked forward to meet Ivan head-on, the two giving each other a strong hug to rejoice in their reunion.

"Hahaha! It's good to see you again! I heard from our loudmouthed classmates that you had been joining in on the dungeon crawling even though the others had given up despite being stronger than you. This hug definitely proves that strength, your stats must be in the thirties now!"

"Shut up you bastard! After all the grief you've given me and the other two the last thing I want to hear is your shitty words. Ooo, that reminds me… Where is Claire? I thought she would be with you since leaving but I haven't seen anyone that looked like her in that posse of yours…"

Their reunion hug came to a close as Ivan exclaimed confusion aloud, backing up from the hug as he looked Hajime in the eyes.

"Claire? What do you mean, does she no longer work at the Kingdom? And why the hell would she be with me, I'm supposed to be dead y'know…" Ivan's surprise caught Hajime off guard, he had after all this time thought Claire ran away with Ivan after taking down Hiyama, as she was a criminal now.

"Wait….. You don't know what happened with Claire?"

"..... No, did something awful happen?! Is she alright?" Worried about the worst possible outcome, Ivan shook Hajime's shoulders violently.

"Wah! Stop shaking me and I'll tell you!..... Phew, alright. Well…. You see, um. When you 'died' Claire kind of stopped talking to me and Aiko-sensei. In fact, she cut off communication altogether. She barely left her room and would only give short responses to our inquiries. Then one day, Hiyama was killed….. And Claire coincidently vanished that day. So….. everyone just assumed that she had been the one to do it. With good reason too, after all, we all kind of thought you guys were a thing…"

Hajime gave the gists of it to Ivan, the only problem was what was he going to do with that information now. As far as Ivan knew Claire regarded the Heiligh Kingdom as her home, never did she mention something convenient like 'I want to go here one day' or 'If I end up murdering someone I'm going to go over here so come find me.'

While he was touched at the prospect of someone going to such lengths for him, he couldn't help but feel some responsibility. The whole reason he had left without telling her was so that she could pursue her dream, he hoped the less she knew the less danger she would be in. But now it would seem his intentions had backfired, his actions to have her pursue her dreams wholeheartedly resulted in her abandoning them anyways.

And now she was who knows where, while there was a chance she managed to get away and live peacefully that other chance that she was found and captured also existed. Ivan pulled a large map out of his ring before laying it flat on the table, not minding Hajime's stare at having something appear out of thin air.

Someone with her talents could make a living if she tried hard enough. The likely locations she was taking refuge at were Fuhren, the Coastal City of Erisen, and finally the Hoelscher Empire. The first and final option being extremely likely as her combat prowess and maid skills would sustain her, that is if she chose to continue that identity.

"Hmmm….. I want to thank you for bringing me this info, Hajime. I had no idea the situation turned to this… sigh … I guess I only got myself to blame huh. I'll bring up the matter later to my group so we can come up with a plan. But before that, let me tell you what we discovered at the bottom of the Dungeon. You could say my departure from the Holy Church's clutches was the right move after hearing this."

For who knows how many times this made it, Ivan spoke once more of the projection of Oscar down in the abyss. Whether it be that there are two hundred floors to the dungeon, or of the Liberators, and finally of the cool stuff, he found Ivan told him all of it. He ignored Haime's gasps and murmuring along the way.

"What you do with this info is of no concern to me, though let me make a suggestion when I say relay it all to Aiko-sensei. I know that your desire lands in making it back home to Earth, as such it may be these the ancient magics these labyrinths hold shall lead you in that endeavor. Hmph, I wouldn't be surprised though if conquering the dungeons caught the attention of the gods, and if that were the case you might be dragged into this world's affairs."

"T-Then what about you?... What are you going to do?" It was a bit difficult for Hajime to respond, especially after hearing about gods and rebels and this world being a giant chess board created as amusement. Sure all he's cared about since showing up in this world was getting back home but now knowing all this he didn't know what to make of it all.

"I'm perfectly at home in this world. Sure I miss my mother quite a bit, in which case I might give it a go at these dungeons just to see her every now and then, but for now, I want to take advantage of these things we don't have back in our old world. I have family that I could trust, friends that are counting on me, right now they are my priority. The mad games of gods could wait a bit~"

Ivan thought back on his journey so far, meeting Yue in the dungeon, making it to the end, running into Shea and her people. Somehow becoming members of their family along the way. Though Miledi was a bit unfriendly, she was an interesting person to talk to. As for Tio and Ari, they had become inseparable members of his family as well. The same could be said for the newest member, Felis, who Ivan has regarded as his daughter.

Hajime opened his mouth to speak, in the end closing it as he decided not to say a word. Asking Ivan to clear out the dungeons and return him and his classmates home would be the pinnacle of what Ivan detested. To impose his will on Ivan would be no different than the Holy Church that summoned them and told them to fight, in that sense he chose to respect Ivan's wish. Choosing to rely on his own strength to get back home.

"Hmph, if that's how you feel then so be it. Who am I to push you in a direction you're not interested in taking. As for me, I'm going to get the class and I'm out of this world. It's just not for us, if you want to help you're welcome anytime. Take care of yourself, good luck in finding Claire, I'll stay in touch so we can talk more."

Hajime left those words as he went through the door, right now after hearing everything Ivan said about the world's truth he was going to make some intense preparations. There was also the matter of informing Aiko of everything and making more plans from that point on.

Ivan did nothing to stop his exit, smiling softly as the door slammed shut. Now with this meeting, he knew he'd have to jump up to his plans as well. But first of all the priority would be finding Claire to make sure she was okay.

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With the shop closed for the rest of the day, Ivan gathered Yue and the others in the manor for a meeting. First of all, he notified them of Hajime having discovered his identity, though not an important factor to them there was no harm in letting them in on the situation. And as expected they brushed off the matter without a care in the world.

However, that formed a basis for the next situation. Who is Claire Von Dilort? Ivan went in-depth about his and her relationship. Explaining that at first, she was just someone he worked with, then explaining that over time they formed a relationship. She was his first friend since being summoned to this world. Hajime was second since Ivan didn't open up to him until after he got along with Claire.

The four listened intently as he explained everything regarding her situation, that she murdered one of the heroes to avenge Ivan, who she thinks is dead.

"So that's the gist of it, on this map I have marked possible locations she could've gone to. Even with all of my knowledge of her she never explicitly stated she'd like to go to these areas but with her skill set, it wouldn't be unlikely that she chose a place she could live comfortably. I intend to find her just to make sure she's alright….. I feel as though I have the responsibility to do so."

Ivan snapped his fingers before a sheet of paper appeared in his hand. He stared at it for a moment before laying it on the table, only taking it back once he was certain everyone grabbed a look at the girl. This paper was her bounty, instated by the Kingdom. On it was written a reward with bright bold red letters stating "DEAD ONLY!" He was sure this was the Kingdom's way of making sure that the secret of him being 'killed' by Hiyama would stay a secret so as to not stain their reputation.

The four nodded their heads, Yue standing up from her chair to ask Ivan a question.

"Do you want us to help you?" Her words are monotone, as usual, carrying an air of pressure.

"Yes….. I'm aware this is a selfish desire of mine. In fact, it is not my place to ask you all to assist in cleaning up my failures… I understand that. I just wonder… if that day we first met, if on that day I rejected her position as my maid maybe she would be happy living her life in the Kingdom with her friends and family."

In a sense what he was feeling was regret. There was also a sense of shame that lingered in, one ashamed by his failure. Looking at this Ivan, Yue stared silently. And out of nowhere, she rested her palms on the table and—

BANG!

"..... Ivan, do not tarnish her feelings like that…'' Her words were mixed with a tinge of warmth, emotions so strong it was conveyed to Ivan with a single look. She looked up to meet his gaze, ignoring the looks of the other girls as she went around the table to stand right in front of him. Not noticing at all when they backed up to not disturb her path.

"..... I have never met this Claire person, but everything she did was for you. Though I'm not sure if it's the same, what I'm certain of is that she loved you. Spending her time with you, working together, eating together, she came to cherish those things great enough that she would have killed for it. If her killing your alleged murderer was not big enough proof of her feelings to you then I don't know what is."

She reached for his hand before holding it up to her chest.

"So don't invalidate her feelings with 'what ifs,' all that matters is that she cherished you enough to stray from her everyday life. Imagining a world where she didn't do any of that would be the same as completely disregarding her feelings altogether. And to a girl, that's the worst thing a man could do to their hearts."

Ivan remained silent, listening to her words wholeheartedly while engraving them into his mind to see. His words were cut off as she made one final move.

"Which is why I won't allow you to regret anything in this life of ours. If wondering about this girl's safety worries you then it is my duty as your partner and assistant to blow away those worries, as you did for me."

His hesitation was blown away, he grasped back at those hands that held him before nodding confidently. Bowing in his heart not to let down the expectations of the girl that stood before him.

"Ah, you're right. I want to see this through to the end. And at the very least, I want to thank her for everything she's done for me. I know that if I don't do this I'll regret it for the rest of my life. So I ask you all again, would you assist me in saving this girl?"

His confidence was met by all-around nods, their faith transmitted to him as Tio, Ari and Felis all threw their hands into the ring. Despite not knowing what was going on, Felis just wanted to help her Father. As for Ari, she wanted to give this man that gave her a second chance the help he desired. And as for Tio, she already swore in her heart servitude to him, if he wanted her help then who was she to deny.

"You guys….. I love you guys!" Ivan wiped an imaginary tear from his eye as he showed off just how proud he was of this family. Everyone else smiled wryly in response, much to his embarrassment.

But with that settled, it was time to move forward. Their first target, Fuhren, was the closest to them after all!

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Gotta go to work in like 40 minutes, then I gotta come home and record for a video so today will be quite the busy day. With that being said, welcome to Claire's storyline. It certainly does seem random and stuffed in at the last minute, after all it would seem that I left too long of a gap in between these different events But hey, with this it'll be the wrap up and beginning of a new arc.

So once again, thank you so much for reading this far. I hope yee have a great day, and I'll see you all soon~!

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