It’ll Be Okay.

And then, four weeks passed.

Even sleeping was frightening, and there was nowhere their hearts could truly rest.

After three days their minds numbed, and after a week their bodies began to move efficiently.

That this place was completely enemy territory, and that among the monsters hunting them were ones clearly using equipment made from human parts—none of that bothered them anymore.

They understood that was simply how it was. If they lost, they too would become “that.” They were able to accept it that way.

Defeat them, defeat them, pass through a spatial distortion, and defeat them again.

And so… today as well, Kikori’s group passed through a spatial distortion and arrived somewhere unknown.

“Mjolnir!”

The lightning-wrapped axe was thrown at an orc, crushing its head before returning to Kikori’s hand.

They had already learned efficient ways to defeat attacking orc groups.

“Charge! Mjolnir!”

Throw, shatter, return—and at times cling to an orc to directly drain its mana.

Fighting like that, as long as enemies existed, he never ran out of mana.

And the fear that “falling meant death” kept Kikori going even past his limits.

If he fell, he died.

If he couldn’t fight, he died.

If he stopped moving, he died.

Only that obsession drove Kikori, Kuon, and Eil onward.

But even so, there was a limit.

Cutting down orcs, slashing, crushing them.

Right after a charge he had already lost count of, Kikori suddenly dropped to his knees as if his strings were cut.

“Kikori!?”

“Huh, what—!?”

His hands and feet wouldn’t move.

He knew he had to move, yet they wouldn’t.

Something inside Kikori’s body was breaking.

But if he didn’t move here—

Yet he couldn’t. What should he do? How could he move?

If only this body had power.

An orc’s greatsword approached. If it reached him, he would be split in two.

Move. There was no strength.

If there was none—if strength wasn’t enough—

“Mjolnir.”

If strength was lacking, then he would strengthen it.

He would wrap himself in mana like muscles and raise his ability until he could move.

With a crackling bzzt, sparks burst from Kikori as the orc swung its greatsword down.

But Kikori was no longer there.

“Gi…!?”

And the orc was stunned.

The one standing there was no longer the battered human from before.

Lightning covered his entire body and even both Magic Axes in his hands.

That figure, like a monster spreading its wings—like, almost…

“Dra…gon…”

Eil spoke the name sung only in heroic tales.

Like the legendary beast, it spread its “wings.”

As he leapt high, it was as though he had taken flight.

The orc, cleaved in one strike, charred black and killed… to Eil looked almost like some pitiful thing devoured by a dragon.

…Of course, that wasn’t the case. After falling to the ground, Kikori eventually muttered “Charge” and slowly stood up.

“…So it works. Strengthening myself to move. I’ll call it ‘Assist,’ I guess.”

Kikori slowly turned around.

Seeing the two recoil in shock, he tilted his head in confusion.

“Let’s go, you two. While we can, to the next spatial distortion—”

He began to walk slowly.

And from the distortion ahead, “something” appeared.

The Magic Axe he reflexively raised slipped from his hand.

“…Kikori!”

The one there was a fully equipped Aria.

Judging by the gear she carried, she was outfitted for serious exploration—but she threw it aside and ran to Kikori.

“Aria…-san.”

“I finally found you!”

Catching Kikori as he nearly collapsed, Aria embraced him tightly.

“Let’s go home, Kikori. And… um, your companions too.”

The hesitation likely came from sensing the subtle distance between Kikori and the other two.

But after being together this long, there was no way they weren’t companions.

In truth, the bond formed over these four weeks was real.

“But Aria-san, even if we return…”

“It’ll be fine. I have a special tool.”

Saying that, Aria beckoned the two and spread out something like a rolled piece of paper.

“Th-that’s…!”

“Guide us to the land of contract… Return!”

The paper dissolved into light… the expanding glow enveloped the four of them and made them vanish.