Author’s Note: A few hours late of my one week deadline. *Gusun*

Anyways, sorry, but I kind of cheated on this post as well. What I am posting right now is chapter 16 of the light novel, not the web novel. The light novel separated the first part of chapter 16 of the web novel and made it its own chapter. So volume one of the light novel actually covers the first 25 chapters of the web novel. I have some of the second half of the chapter done so I should be able to post it fairly soon. Sorry that I was distracted a bit more than usual. I also procrastinated on this a bit more than usual.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter. And to those that celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving.

The Second Hero’s Return

In the Luxeria castle courtyard, a gauntlet wearing young lady was swinging her fist with violent movements that did not match her lovely appearance. As if chasing after her movements, the two waving tufts of red hair, similarly to those movements, violently fluttered about in the air.

(TL note: There was a typo in the web novel saying that the hair was black. I confirmed it with the light novel and it should be red hair so this time will go according to the light novel.)

「…Haa…！」

Together with her yell, her fist that she thrust out made a light explosive sound in the empty space.

「Yaah!」

Continuing on, spinning her whole body and adding the maximum centrifugal force to it, her spinning kick cut the air.

「Taryaah!」

From the palm of the hand that just drew a 〆 shape, a blue light leaked out, and simultaneous with it projecting out, the light exploded.

「Haa………haa…」

The young lady that had separated her red hair into two tufts sprawled out on the ground while letting the clothes that she was wearing become transparent from being soaked with sweat.

Every time she inhaled, the hot air that entered her lungs made her body hot and made it feel like even more sweat was coming out.

「You’re being pretty rough, aren’t you, Akane.」

In the sight of the girl who was looking at the sky, a young lady that was about the same age as her and wearing a kimono and hakama that looked like miko clothing had appeared.

The young lady, whose black hair extended down to her waist and whose bangs were uniformly cut, handed a wet towel to the young lady that was sprawled out.

「……Hn.」

The young lady called Akane wiped her face and base of her head with the wet towel she was handed, and finally felt refreshed.

「Is it about Kaito?」

「S, shut up!」

「Haha, it’s fine to hide it. I’m doing the same after all.」

「Eh……Sakuya…Could it be, you…」

「Though I don’t mean it like Akane’s “fallen in love”.」

「Shut up!」

As Akane snapped at her with her eyes, the young lady called Sakuya giggled, and then immediately dimmed her expression.

「As I thought, it was probably because of that time………That’s when Kaito began to become strange.」

「…………」

Akane didn’t deny Sakuya’s words.

「He was shown a person’s death in such a cruel form……That’s the reason why he can’t become the way he was before.

It’s already the fifth day since Kaito secluded himself in the “labyrinth”, but,

right now, the reason that Kaito is training himself with that is in order to defeat the demon from that time.」

That’s right. Ever since the matter of Agniera’s raid, Amagi Kaito was training himself as if he were punishing himself.

Saying “As I am now, I can’t defeat the demons”, he solicited the Imperial Court Sorcerer Head and entered the “Labyrinth of Time”, where the flow of time was different.

That place, starting with the Ancient Dragon, was a magic cavern that was infested with various ancient types.

And then, it would seem that you could take the teachings of a special magic from the strongest dragon type, Elder Dragon, that was enshrined in the innermost area of the labyrinth.

「Kaito is suffering, at a time like that, you can’t be Kaito’s strength. ………That’s why you’re doing unreasonable training like you were doing just now, right? No, rather than training, rampaging…would it be correct to call it that?」

「……」

Sakuya’s words, it was exactly that.

Kaito changed ever since that time.

The smile that suited his age that he had shown up until now showed gloom, and if he held a sword, his eyes would carry hatred.

Akane sensed that the kind Kaito was disappearing and was becoming filled with only hatred for the demons.

For the current him that was lamenting that if only he were stronger at that time, even the girls’ voices couldn’t reach him. That was what she felt.

Feeling that was vexing and sorrowful, she rushed through wild, childish, self-injuring actions that couldn’t be called training.

「If it’s alright with you, but……I would also like to rampage. ……Could you assist me with it?」

Sakuya had, as if producing it out of nowhere, drew a katana out of its scabbard.

The katana’s summary was introduced at the Magic Sword Workshop. It was something forged by that old blacksmith master.

(TL note: I had a hard time figuring out how this sentence was supposed to be. I think it is stating that the summary of the quality of the katana is the same as the short spears, excellent, since it was the same old blacksmith master, Gold, who did it.)

「! …That’s fine with me. I’ve wanted to seriously go against Sakuya at least once after all!」

Seeing that katana, Akane, from the shape of 大, raised her legs and skillfully stood up with a kick, then struck her own fists against each other.

The gloomy atmosphere that was just there up until then disappeared.

It wasn’t just her. She wasn’t the only one to be bewildered by that change and feel impatient.

「Let’s go!」

「Bring it!」

The young lady that held a katana and the young lady that took a stance with her fists ran towards each other.

「「O body of mine, rage, “Divine Arms.”」」

When the young ladies shouted, their bodies were wrapped in a faint light.

Body Strengthening Magic “Divine Arms.”

It’s a complex technique that raises the body’s abilities starting with its arm and leg strength and simultaneously develops a protective film-like barrier.

The two whose bodies’ abilities were strengthened clashed at a speed that was like the wind and a silver flash ran.

The sword attack and fist attack whose speed could not be perceived by a normal person collided with each other and repelled each other.

「Fufu, Akira aside, the Akane that had no martial arts or anything whatsoever has done well to become this strong!」

The young lady that swung the katana at godspeed Sakuya saw through the fist that would have caught her if her reaction had been even a slightly bit duller, turned away using the base of the katana, and, while dodging with her movements, spoke her strong emotions that had been growing lately.

「Hey, don’t talk to me!」

On the other hand, putting her bodies abilities aside, against Sakuya, who was an opponent with higher skill, Akane had absolutely no room to chat with her and swung her fists.

「As I thought, it’s for Kaito’s sake, is it?」

「Wha!?」

「Unpreparedness is one’s greatest enemy.」

Knowing about how Akane was bearing a loving heart for Kaito, Sakuya invited Akane’s unease with lip service, and splendidly thrust at Akane’s unguarded moment from falling for it.

「You little!」

「Hou…!」

However, avoiding the thrust at her upper body by bending back, Akane stayed bent back and fired a Somersault Kick and repelled the katana upward.

The arm that still held the katana, faced up.

「I’ve got you!」

Landing on all fours, Akane took a huge step while pulling back her right hand.

Light gathered in her right hand and, looking like it was going to scatter, Akane grasped it.

「Impac――ッ」

「Since that looks like it would hurt, I won’t take it.」

The thrust out fist was repelled up.

Looking closely, the black scabbard that was carried at Sakuya’s waist was now grasped.

「Th…that’s not fair, Sakuya! I didn’t hear anything about the scabbard being used!」

「It’s Akane’s fault for not deciding that a warrior could not use clever schemes. ……Fufu, at present, I guess I’m still above you?」

The edge was thrust before Akane’s throat. Akane gulped at the glimmer of the drawn sword.

「Akane-sa~n! Sakuya-sa~n!」

As the outcome for the two people was decided, from somewhere, they heard a girl’s voice calling to them.

「Really, I can only hear him as a girl.」

「Rather, isn’t he already a woman?」

A girl’s voice………However, the one that emitted this voice, concerning these girl’s, was a male of the opposite sex.

*Tattatta* (Step step step). Footsteps ringing, the one that ran in front of the two was a baggy black robe wearing and wooden staff that exceeded her height holding with both arms beautiful girl………that was all that you could see him as boy.

「What’s wrong, Akira. You know that you can’t do exercise.」

Akane worried about the short boy, Akira, who, the moment he arrived, had a rough respiration as if he were out of breath.

「He’s come back…! Kaito-san has come back from the labyrinth!」

Without waiting for his words that he somehow managed to declare while out of breath, Akane started running.

「Eh, ehh!? P, please wait for me, Akane-sa~n!」

「Now, wait, Akira. There’s you to worry about as well. Let’s go slowly.」

About to chase after Akane who started running, Akira also tried to run, but Sakuya grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

「Kaito!」

At the place that Akane arrived at, there was a giant gate and, standing behind that gate, a black-haired young boy. His clothes were tattered and his body was covered in wounds and dirt, but, his eyes and the magic sword that he held in his hand were the only things that didn’t lose their radiance.

In front of the Luxeria princess and the Imperial Court Sorcerer Head that seemed to have come to welcome back Kaito, Akane ran up to Kaito and embraced him.

「Wah! A, Akane!?」

Kaito was bewildered by the childhood friend that had suddenly embraced him.

「S, shut up! B, be quiet for a bit!」

It was five days for the girls. It was only five days, but for Kaito who was in the Labyrinth of Time, he was in a den of monsters for a time that was equivalent to a month.

With him left in a place to fight every day for a month, there was no way that Akane wouldn’t worry about him.

Although she believed that he wouldn’t die, Akane constantly worried about things like “Did he get a large injury?” or “Is he suffering?”

They were separated for only five days, but at the fact that he returned in perfectly good health, Akane was delighted from the bottom of her heart.

「…………」

Having his childhood friend near him after a month, he expressed a smile that he hadn’t made in a long while after coming to this world.