Black Iron Magician

――――The 99th day of training.

The next day, we returned to Adelheit with Alezel’s airship and went around to tell our friends and acquaintances that Haru and the others would go home. We also told Haru’s classmates that they could return to Japan. I really hoped they would stop grabbing and shaking me so hard to confirm the truth of it.

Then, the next day, a letter arrived from Adelheit. The letter said that a party would be held to celebrate the return of Haru and the others, the heroes of his country. It seems that this party is quite grand, and they are sending out invitations to people involved in other countries as well. I completely forgot that Haru and Chinatsu participated as heroes of Adelheit when they formed the Hero Alliance. As the king, there’s no way Dias won’t do something when the heroes are going to return to their world. Well, considering his personality, maybe he wanted to see them off in a proper way. Good grief, what an upright king.

「Still, I didn’t expect that this many people would gather here.

I looked around the venue of the party held at Adelheit Castle. Starting with Haru’s classmates and the heroes of each country on the Jiba continent, there is even Queen Clarius, who is supposed to be a member of the royal family. Furthermore, Giorgia of the Adventurer Guild, Gan-san of the Bristly Beard, and even Anita is here…. I guess everyone can participate as long as they are acquaintances.

「What’s wrong, Deris? You’ve been absent-mindedly standing there, you know? Are you not going to go around to greet everyone with Haruna?」

「It’s exactly as His Majesty said. Deris-san, they are going home tomorrow, so use your time efficiently.」

Oh, speak of the devil.

「Dias and err…. Ah, yes, Tact-kun!」

「It’s Noct! Deris-san, you are doing it on purpose, aren’t you!? I heard from Leader Nell that you have a very good memory!」

「Oops, you finally found out, huh? Now I have one less thing to look forward to.」

「Please don’t bully Noct too much. Well, today is a celebration, so I will overlook a little rudeness.」

「Y-Your Majesty!?」

King Dias and Noct-kun seem to be the same as ever. It won’t last forever, but Adelheit will be peaceful for a while.

「Deris, as Haruna’s master, I’m sure you have something on your mind about her return, but… it’s exactly at this time that you should send her off with dignity. If a great man like you looks like that, the people around you will feel uneasy.」

「…… Do I look that strange?」

「In fact, you have been standing here all this time, right? And when you toyed with Noct, I saw it as an act to temporarily turn your back on reality.」

「Eh, is that so?」

「Sigh, you’re very observant, huh?」

「Well, I’ve studied psychology before. But then, it’s nothing compared to that of Deris. Look. Haruna is chatting with Therese and the others over there. Oh great hero’s master, you should go.」

「…… You really look like a king.」

「I’m a king after all.」

I took Dias’s advice and approached Haru. He may be a king, but I didn’t expect to receive an advice from someone that young. Yeah, I may have been a bit out of it recently.

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Looking back, the past few months have been turbulent times. Joseph’s summoning, Hund-kun’s attack, my marriage with Nell, and then the trials of the Great Eight Demons. But the thing that occupied most of my thoughts during these busy times was my first disciple, Haru. At first, it was just a little interest, but it turned out to be genuine and I trained my disciple in earnest. I never thought she would reach the Great Eight Demons level.

Even the Unique Skill, which I thought I would never have the chance to use, demonstrated its usefulness at this age. Seriously, there were no boring days.

…… And I guess that’s why I feel like there’s a hole in my heart. It’s like one of my reasons for living suddenly disappears. I’m not supposed to be that kind of a character, but here I am, discovering a new me.

「Waaaaaaah! Haruna-san, Chinatsu-san, I’m going to miss youuuu!」

「T-Therese-san, please don’t cry so much.」

「That’s right! No one said that it’s a goodbye forever!」

「Buuuut! Dezuwaaaa!」

「Therese-san is… very sensitive….」

Yeah, when I saw Therese crying, I found myself a little calmer. Still, not a goodbye forever, huh? That’s very Haru-like. Even I, who tends to worry, want to follow her example. Well, I see. I can just do that, huh? What, isn’t it simple?

「That’s right, this is not a goodbye forever.」

「Ah. Shishō!」

「Deris-san…? What do you mean…?」

「Well, it’s true that the door to another world is a one-way ticket for Haru and the others. But it’s not like you can only buy that one-way ticket once. You just need to clear the trials of the Great Eight Demons again and open the door. Look, now you can come and go as much as you want.」

Haruna, Chinatsu, Weerel, and even Therese, who was crying loudly, suddenly made a dumbfounded expression. It seems that my words were unexpected.

「W-What do you mean?」

「I meant exactly as I said. But well, there are no Great Eight Demons in Japan. It may not be possible right away, but I will conquer the trials of the Great Eight Demons and get the ticket for you guys to come to this world. You are free to decide when to use them, so come back whenever you want.」

Everyone started to open their mouths dumbfoundedly. Eh, was it that unexpected?

「S- Shishō, is that really okay!? The trials probably going to be worse than ours, you know!?」

「T-That’s right. I don’t want to cause you that much trouble…. Besides, we don’t know if the Great Eight Demons will allow it.」

「What, were you worried about that? They really like you guys, you know? If they can play with you again, they will be happy to give the trials. If I can’t do that much, I will lose face as your master. Don’t worry, it’s a good opportunity to retrain myself. The next time we meet, I’ll be on a different level. Ah, but when you go home again, you have to buy the ticket on your own, okay? By repeating that process, someday you might be able to win one-on-one.」

「D-Deriz-zaaaan!」

「Whoa!?」

Therese, who was deeply moved, tackled my stomach. Well, she was probably trying to hug me. I didn’t expect her to take the initiative, not Haru or Chinatsu. Also, it’s going to hurt my waist so don’t jump――

「Ah, is it okay to jump in!? Shishō, thank you! I’m really happy!」

「This flow…. Do I have to jump in too…? Eeei…」

「…… I feel bad for Nell-shishō, but I also want to jump in right now! Teei!」

「Ah, why are you guys stealing the march!? That’s my role! Danna, let me join!」

――I just told you not to jump in!