Bang!
Arthur casually raised the palm of his right hand—almost absentmindedly—and in the very next instant, firmly caught Yuuki's fist, as if he were stopping an insignificant joke.
"Easy there, brat," Arthur said with a half-smile before tossing Yuuki backward with a simple flick of his arm.
Brat…?
The word echoed in Yuuki's mind as his sanity, previously clouded by irritation, began to settle.
He had acted rashly.
Even so… even if it had been impulsive, not just anyone could have stopped one of his punches so effortlessly.
Wait a second…
Yuuki frowned inwardly.
If I remember correctly, as a Heroic Spirit, he should require a Master to continue existing. So how is he sustaining himself here…?
The doubt surfaced abruptly—far too heavy to ignore.
A Unique Skill?
Or perhaps… something even more absurd.
"Don't tell me that's all you've got," Arthur suddenly mocked, tilting his head slightly. "Honestly… that's disappointing."
"Shut up!" Yuuki shot back, his voice thick with irritation.
"Pathetic," Arthur continued, showing not the slightest sign of restraint. "You've spent so many years making plans in the shadows that you forgot how to fight?"
"You bastard!" Yuuki cursed.
Despite that, his mind remained cold and calculating.
How does this bastard know about my plans…?
Something is very wrong here…
Before he could follow that line of thought any further, a wall of flames—about one or two meters high—suddenly rose between Arthur and Yuuki, separating them.
"Stop fighting!"
The voice was firm, clear… and unmistakable.
Who else could it be but Shizue?
Yuuki was completely stunned.
Until that moment, the way Arthur had spoken had led him to believe that he had done something terrible to Shizu.
So… he was testing me?
Yuuki had always claimed he hadn't acquired any skills since arriving in this world. Not even Shizue—the person who had cared for him, taught him, and protected him—had ever heard the truth.
Because all of that… was a carefully constructed lie.
In reality, the information Yuuki had spread was deliberately false.
Still, Yuuki was accustomed to living behind a mask.
And strangely enough, he remained calm—at least on the surface—without revealing a single visible crack.
Shizu ran toward them and stopped between Arthur and Yuuki, her gaze shifting from one to the other.
"Why are you fighting?" Shizue asked, an unusual light shining in her eyes. "What happened?"
She knew how strong Arthur was.
But… was Yuuki truly this strong?
"Angelica, you do realize you ruined all my fun, right?" Arthur sighed, bringing a hand to his face as though he had just suffered a great personal tragedy.
"Fun?" Angelica arched an eyebrow. "You were literally provoking a dangerous man until he tried to punch you."
"Exactly," Arthur replied naturally. "Pure, refined entertainment. Culture."
"That's not culture," she shot back, crossing her arms. "I've lived with you long enough to tell the difference."
"Cruel." Arthur placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be wounded. "And here I thought my own daughter would understand my innocent hobbies."
"Innocent," Angelica repeated flatly. "You were smiling like someone who just found a new toy."
"And I did," he replied without hesitation. "The toy just came with a defective manual."
Angelica let out a deep sigh.
"How was I supposed to know her student would be here of all places?" she complained, subtly pointing at Shizu. "You always pick the worst possible timing."
"I prefer to call it impeccable timing," Arthur shrugged. "The universe conspires in my favor."
"The universe conspires to give me a headache," Angelica retorted. "Can't you go five minutes without causing a scene?"
"I can," Arthur answered promptly. "But why would I?"
She closed her eyes for a second, mentally counting to ten.
"Ahh~" Arthur released an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, fine… forget it. Let's head back."
He had already turned toward the city when he spoke over his shoulder:
"Shizu. Shizu's student and his companions—let's go to the city."
Then, as he passed by Benimaru, he gave him a light pat on the shoulder, as though concluding a performance.
"You can stand down, everyone. The show's over."
Benimaru, Hakurou, Souei, and Shion nodded silently—clearly relieved—and returned to their respective duties.
Angelica watched Arthur walk away and shook her head.
"One day," she muttered. "That man is going to kill me… from stress."
Arthur, hearing her perfectly, replied without even glancing back:
"But it'll be a memorable death."
"I hate that you're right, Father."
---
"One Piece still isn't finished and Oda-sensei plans to keep drawing it for another ten years? Waaaaah!"
Yuuki's face was radiant—this wasn't ordinary happiness; it was the joy of someone who had just discovered a legendary treasure.
"Hiro Mashima keeps releasing manga nonstop, Jujutsu Kaisen ended two years ago, and Akira Toriyama passed away," Arthur said casually, as if commenting on the weather.
"WHAT!? TORIYAMA DIED!?" Yuuki exclaimed in horror, as though someone had just announced the end of the world.
"Unfortunately, yes," Arthur replied solemnly.
"What about Dragon Ball Super? What happened? Did it end?" Yuuki asked nervously, nearly grabbing Arthur by the shoulders.
"No, Dragon Ball Super was left in Toyotarō's hands, although it's been on hiatus for quite some time," Arthur answered.
"Phew~" Yuuki sighed in relief, as if he had just escaped a public execution.
Arthur crossed his arms.
"You almost went into mourning before confirming the information?"
Yuuki pointed at him indignantly.
"There are priorities in life. Some of them involve shōnen."
Watching Arthur and Yuuki talk about manga and anime like two veterans reminiscing about old battles, Shizu, Shion, Shuna, and several of the female adventurers who had come with Yuuki smiled at one another.
Meanwhile, Angelica sighed helplessly.
For the love of God… you're going to try to kill each other. Could you at least pretend to be less close? she grumbled inwardly.
Even if they didn't fully understand, the relationship between the two was incredibly close.
Perhaps because of that rapport—or perhaps due to the contagious enthusiasm—the others quickly became energized as well.
Gobuta climbed onto an improvised stage and began performing dramatic impersonations, drawing waves of laughter.
The enthusiastic and extroverted Shion pulled several adventurers into dancing, completely ignoring any concept of personal space.
Meanwhile, Angelica and Shuna chatted about something, occasionally casting glances toward Arthur and Yuuki as though observing two dangerously brilliant children.
In short, the atmosphere was lively.
However, happy moments are always fleeting.
The very next morning, Yuuki—reluctantly, and making it very clear that he would have preferred to continue debating absurd alternate-ending theories—led the group of adventurers out of the city.
Before departing, Arthur promised that he would soon travel to the Kingdom of Engrassia with Shizu to try to help her students.
Yuuki warmly welcomed the idea, saying he would gladly accept any help for those children.
---
The following day, Arthur gathered everyone in the main tent for a meeting.
"I plan to construct a defense system for our city. Its name will be Melammu Dingir. It will be a long-range bombardment system that concentrates not only my power, but also the combined power of everyone in this city."
Everyone was surprised.
Why had he thought of this so suddenly?
"The purpose of building this defense system is, of course, to protect the city from external enemies. Including my new friend… Yuuki Kagurazaka."
Silence.
A silence so dense it could almost be cut with a blade.
What nonsense was this? everyone wondered.
What happened to their supposed friendship?
"Being honest, we're strong enough to withstand enemy attacks—especially if Angelica and I are here," Arthur continued calmly. "However, prevention is never excessive. Someone tired of living might decide to launch a large-scale attack while Angelica and I are away."
At those words, the three immediately grew serious.
"Have you learned something, Master Arthur?" Benimaru asked gravely.
Arthur tilted his head slightly.
"Whether I've noticed something or not is irrelevant for now. What matters is that you must never lower your guard. We usually choose cooperation and friendly relations with humans, but under no circumstances can we afford complacency. I know how the human mind works—and I refuse to leave an opening for an enemy strike."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"The central dogma of the Western Holy Church is that monsters are evil and must be exterminated. The powerful Kingdom of Falmuth, as a hub connecting the western nations, has long imposed heavy tolls and tariffs on caravans and adventurers passing through. Once our kingdom is established, we will inevitably take a large portion of what once belonged to them… Do you understand the crisis involved in all of this?"
Hearing his words, everyone immediately went on alert.
"I will produce the blueprints as quickly as possible. You may gather the remaining necessary materials."
"Additionally, Benimaru—you, Gobuta, and I will head to the Kingdom of Dwargon in a few days. We need more capable individuals here, and Dwargon is the right place to find them," Arthur said.
"Hakurou, I'll leave the training of our forces in your hands," Arthur continued.
"Understood, sir," Hakurou agreed promptly.
---
Meanwhile, as Arthur assigned tasks to everyone, Yuuki Kagurazaka maintained his unchanging smile while returning to the headquarters of the Free Guild.
But behind that friendly smile, his suspicions had been fully confirmed.
That man was Gilgamesh—or a different version of him—or perhaps someone who possessed Gilgamesh's appearance and powers.
And somehow, he also knew about his plans.
Considering Gilgamesh's future-seeing abilities, that wasn't exactly strange.
Should he start acting now?
The answer was clear: YES.
Although their clash had been brief, the impression left on Yuuki was profound.
That man was extremely strong—even by this world's standards.
Perhaps he received far more than just skills when he arrived in this world… he thought.
"King of Heroes… Heroes… It wouldn't be strange if he had become a Chosen Hero the moment he arrived—or perhaps even a true Chosen Hero…" he murmured thoughtfully.
What could he do to deal with this? What would be the best course of action now?
"A nation of monsters led by a tyrannical, sadistic, and cruel king—capable of anything to satisfy his desires…" Yuuki murmured, as if rehearsing a carefully calculated speech.
The Holy Empire and the Western Holy Church would likely be very interested in that.
Perhaps he could even involve Hinata Sakaguchi.
And there was also the Kingdom of Falmuth; in order to protect its profits and monopoly, it would likely be tempted to launch an attack.
Yuuki closed his eyes for a moment… and then smiled even wider.
"Let's see who laughs last, King of Heroes…"
The game between the "friends" had only just begun.
(End of the Chapter)