Special Training

After that, I started special training aimed at defeating Yamagata.

… But before that, first, I headed off to greet Patty's mother.

The town of Quaize, where the publishing company was located, was a major city near Lasburg.

If Lasburg was Kasumigaseki, then Quaize was something like Shinjuku. Or wait, the place with all the publishers was Iidabashi, wasn't it.

The eight-story tall building there belonged to Garumon Communications, the publisher of all three magazines: Garumon Battle Communications, Garumon Battle Weekly Report, and Garumon Yearbook.

Whether or not the word "Battle" was attached was confusing, but apparently this was just how things had ended up historically. Patty, being on the inside, simply called them the Weekly, Communications, and Yearbook.

The four of us, me, Patty, Lyuka, and Kanan, paid the visit, and were shown all the way to the editor-in-chief's office.

There…

"Oh my, Patty, welcome home."

"Mama! I'm hooome!"

There stood a beautiful woman… a beautiful girl who looked very much like Patty, with large breasts to match.

I'd imagined someone with a more mature feel, but at most they looked like sisters, or even twins if you weren't careful.

The only difference was that her skin was a slightly darker wheat color than Patty's. Pretty much a 2P-color situation…

The way Garumon didn't age sometimes threw me off.

So she was… S-Class NPC Pamela-san, huh. Patty was so cute, so of course someone who looked just like her was also… cute…

When the two of them embraced, four absurdly massive breasts went munyon! munyon! munyon! munyon!… I wanted to be sandwiched in there.

"… Now then, that would be…?"

Pamela-san looked straight at me. Her gaze was a little… almost glaring?

"Ah, yes, I'm B-Class rank 501 Master Naoto Akai. Today, um… it's a fine day for the occasion…"

What was I supposed to say? Something like "I've been keeping company with Patty-san"?

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I'd ever greeted a lover's parent.

… I was nervous.

"Um… Patty-san has been very good to me, and I'd love to keep being close with her going forward, so…"

Pamela-san's gaze was so stern that I started getting a bit flustered.

Ugh, she really was glaring… did she not think well of me?

… The pressure of her stare was overwhelming. So this was… the pressure of an S-Class NPC.

Even so…

"… Anyway, please give Patty-san to me! I'll make her happy!"

I got my goal across all the way to the end.

Even all flustered, I said what I had to say… I stared right into Pamela-san's eyes.

Just like Patty, she had big, lovable eyes. Being glared at by those big pupils brought a fair bit of pressure…

"… Do you have any idea how many Masters have come to me asking for Patty?"

Pamela-san's tone was hard and stern.

"… Quite a lot, I'd imagine."

"Yes, just about eighteen of them. And that doesn't even count B-Class and below."

… Hmmm. So a B-Class Master was the sort who should go wash his face and come back, huh.

"… Are you saying I should come back when I'm A-Class or S-Class?"

Mmm… that would be a problem. I fully intended to become A-Class and S-Class, of course, but it would take a while…

There were so many things I wanted to do with Patty, and to have to put it all on hold…

"No, that's not what I mean.

"… Do you understand why those people wanted Patty?"

"That's obvious, it's because Patty is cute.

"Her face is cute, of course, but also her plump, full lips, and her curly, springy hair… and on top of that, those breasts that are simply impossible not to be drawn to! Her plump thighs, her plump bottom! The intense eroticism of it all! There can't be anyone who doesn't want her. Asking 'why' is nonsense itself."

I answered with absolute confidence, reflexively.

Pamela-san's iron mask softened, her mouth went slack, and she blushed.

Oh, she really was Patty-like and cute, I thought, but…

She took a few deep breaths, fuu, fuu, and quickly returned to her composed expression.

… Ooh, she might look identical, but she was an adult after all. Patty couldn't manage that.

"Wrong."

"Eeeh!?"

I was startled by Pamela-san's answer. To me it was on the level of being asked 1+1 and answering 2.

"… It's because she's my daughter. I am an S-Class NPC. There's no need to spell out how powerful and formidable an S-Class Master's Garumon is, is there? A daughter who inherited my power should grow up strong like me. Many people thought that way, and the moment they heard that Patty had been born, many of them wanted her."

"Ah, I see… It seems Suzanne was the same way, since she's Mercheada's daughter."

So they had been counting on her talent alone.

"… You didn't seem to know about me."

"… My apologies for being uninformed."

"No, no.

"You're the first person to get to know Patty, come to like Patty herself… and ask for her.

"… I should be the one asking you to please take care of Patty."

So saying, Pamela-san bowed her head to me.

"Ah, please don't… thank you very much."

Oh, a complete reversal. Thank goodness…

"… However, there are conditions."

That was what Pamela-san said. Hmm… what could they be? Well, if she'd accept on those conditions alone, then no matter what they were, I'd meet them.

I steeled myself and listened intently.

"First, that Patty be allowed to continue as a reporter. This child is the ace of our company, you know.

"There's no problem with her serving as a writer even as a PC. The final publication just needs to be done by an NPC.

"The reporters of Demon-Realm Adventure Chronicles are all PCs themselves, you see."

"That's no problem. She'll work hard as my Garumon in battles and training, but she's welcome to continue her work as a writer. I'll accommodate that to the maximum extent."

I'd heard that beforehand. Patty had been worried that her dream of becoming a reporter like her mama might not be achievable if she became a PC. If that was no issue, then I wanted her to join us right away.

"… Thank you very much.

"Next, the article we're planning for Communications about the otherworld Masters. Our company has very high expectations for that project. I'd like you to fully cooperate.

"Please answer Patty's interviews in full, without holding anything back. And please basically give permission for photos to be published.

"… This will be a serial article tracking the journeys of you and your fellow otherworld Masters, with you at the center."

"… Understood. That's fine."

Me at the center… I didn't quite get it. Would that really make for an interesting article? Well, maybe a pro could find a way to write about my surroundings as I saw them.

"And lastly… please dote on Patty plenty."

"Oh, of course…! Patty is cute, after all! I'll dote on her loads and loads!"

"Naoto-san…"

"Fufufu, my Patty, who used to say things like, 'I don't neeed a Master～,' has…

"Become so completely a female-slave. With this, I can rest easy."

A female-slave was hardly something to rest easy about… no, wait, in this world, that was something to be at ease about.

"From the very moment Patty asked to become your slave, refusal was basically not an option, you know.

"I was just placing restrictions to make it easier for Patty to turn down recruitment from Masters she wasn't keen on.

"I was worried at first whether Patty might be deceived by a bad Master, but this child has a discerning eye, so anyone who could deceive her would actually have a promising future."

So it wasn't because I was a rare Master who valued Garumon autonomy or anything like that; in the end, she was permitting it because Patty wanted to become my slave… But maybe that made me happiest of all.

"Then, I'll grant my permission. After that, as long as the fee for becoming a PC is paid, Patty is yours from now on."

As soon as Pamela-san handled the procedures, I paid the fee.

I hugged Patty, now a Free Garumon…

"Patty, from now on… you're mine."

"Yes, Patty is Naoto-san's～… I'm so happy～…"

Chu, mucchu, chu… I planted a hot kiss on Patty's plump, full lips.

And so Patty officially joined my party. The details of that occasion would be for another time.

Now, on to the special training.

After that, we began frequently visiting Ursula's castle in Lasburg, Castle Ernest.

… A message of that sort had come in shortly after.

"… This is…"

"… At any rate, it means she's taken a great liking to you, Naoto-san.

"For an S-Class Master to permit free visitation is normally unheard of."

"… I see."

So that meant the death sentence was, after all, something like a joke meant to spur me on.

Between that and the Sub-Master proposal, Ursula seemed to have a habit of throwing absurd demands at people to push them to exert themselves more than necessary.

… Even so, if I failed to live up to her expectations, she would surely actually execute me. She probably had a cold, ruthless side too, not just the sweet one.

That was the impression I got from her overly beautiful smile.

… But, if I just kept living up to expectations, didn't that mean she'd be nothing but sweet?

I could expect all sorts of rewards from that Ursula…

Yeah, just having Kanan on the line had me pumped beyond having my own life on the line, and now I was so fired up I couldn't possibly need any more motivation.

"Then let's pay her a visit right away."

So we paid Ursula's castle a visit without reservation.

"… Welcome, Naoto. Yesterday's audience with thee was most meaningful indeed. I look forward to thee entertaining me again tonight."

Ursula greeted us, radiating queenly charisma.

"Lady Ursula, thank you very much for inviting us."

Now, what to talk about? Or rather, there were mountains of things I wanted to ask.

"There's something I'd like to consult Lady Ursula's keen insight about. Do you think I can win against the upper ranks of B-Class with my current combat strength?"

Lyuka and Yuria couldn't really speak with certainty about the concrete details of battle like this.

I wanted to hear the assessment of an S-Class Master with abundant combat experience.

"B-Class rank 69, hmm… He's a noble of some standing. Not so different from the lower A-Class, even.

"First, as general combat strength, B-Class centers on SSR-Class Garumon. SR-Class are gradually weeded out, and at the upper ranks one hardly sees them at all. Holding UR-Class is, of course, advantageous.

"In that respect, thy faction, made entirely of UR-Class, is, frankly speaking, on par with S-Class. Not a faction that would lose to B-Class.

"… However, having only UR-Class has its disadvantages too. Namely…"

She trailed off as if to say you understand, don't you, so

I spoke up myself.

"It's the issue of training. My party members are still around LV45."

"Indeed. The strength of a Garumon by rank is discussed on the basis of LV-MAX. For SR-Class, SSR-Class, and UR-Class, that would be LV50.

"Or rather, normally a Garumon that hasn't reached LV-MAX is considered an immature Garumon still in training, and is not put into Garumon Battles for any purpose other than training.

"There are two reasons. When going from LV49 to LV50, a Garumon's HP rises by about 40 to 60. They become able to fight 1.5 times longer than before.

"Whether one has that or not is the difference between heaven and earth.

"In our previous battle too, if Kanan's HP had been +50, even a single hit from my Lævateinn wouldn't have felled her.

"That alone would broaden one's tactical options enormously.

"The other is the timing of a Garumon's class change.

"Upon reaching LV30, to an Advanced Job worth +500 value.

"Upon reaching LV50, to a Top-Tier Job worth +1000 value.

"This class change occurs at high probability.

"From what I see, the only one of thy Garumon to have reached a Top-Tier Job is the Archangel Suzanne over there.

"The moment one class-changes to a Top-Tier Job, they learn one to three powerful Skills.

"A Garumon can hold up to four Skills. Surely thou understandst that learning one or two powerful Skills increases combat strength dramatically from before."

In other words…

"Six LV45 UR-Class Garumon fighting LV50 SSR-Class Garumon is, properly speaking, reckless. Is that what you're saying?"

"Just so. As a generalization, at any rate."

"… But, with all due respect, Naoto has so far led us and defeated B-Class Masters who held many LV50 SSR-Class Garumon.

"Only two so far, but…"

"Mmm, I have witnessed the tactics and coordination that made it possible. Truly splendid.

"… Between Suzanne and Leone over there, which to choose as Attacker. Thou chose Leone.

"A normal Master would choose Suzanne. Most likely she has one or two powerful Skills like Divine Arts, no?"

"… Yes."

"Many Masters consider Skill power itself to be a Garumon's power. That is, of course, not wrong. A Garumon with stronger Skills is the stronger Garumon.

"But that is not everything. I am looking forward to seeing how strong thy Garumon become when they all reach LV50."

That was what Ursula said.

She was telling me that, while we were inferior in combat strength, it wasn't impossible for me to overturn that.

"… But, by rights, I shouldn't be making up for low-level Garumon with little tricks. That kind of unstable fighting style isn't what I should be doing.

"Gather strength higher than the opponent's, and win on the strength gap. That's the proper, royal road of fighting. If I know my combat strength is inferior, I shouldn't leave it that way.

"… Got it, Ursula. I'll work harder on leveling up too."

"Hoh? Aren't thou the type who enjoys overturning a strength gap?"

"It's not exactly a hobby… well, I don't dislike it. But.

"But no matter how I refine my tactics, without piercing I can't break the opponent's defense, and our defense gets broken by piercing. There are domains of raw power where technique alone won't cut it."

"Indeed. And of course, raw power alone is no good either. To turn both wheels of power and technique, that is the trick to running fast."

Ursula nodded.

"… Ah, sorry for forgetting my polite speech…"

Could it be that the translation had been smoothing things over somehow…

"Nay, think nothing of it. When considering strategy and tactics, what matters most is to actively exchange opinions without regard for differences in station.

"If one cannot speak out of concern for the other's position, there is no point in discussion.

"… Thy opinions are most interesting to me. Mind not thy speech. From here on too, I would have thee share thy opinions to thy heart's content."

But Ursula was very kind about it.

… I'd take her up on the offer. Colette was flustering about, though…

"With three weeks left to grind hard, I wonder how many we can get to LV50?"

So from here on, I'd switch to the same tone I used with my own companions.

"For that, first thou must narrow down the number to be leveled. The fewer the people, the more experience each gains.

"… One is certain. Two is harsh, but not impossible."

"Thanks, Ursula. Alright, if I narrow it to two, then Kanan and Adelia. I'll level you two up thoroughly.

"I know it'll be tough, but please give it your all."

"Yes!"

"Got it nya!"

Kanan and Adelia knew the training ahead would be brutal, but they answered immediately.

"… Why those two? I want to train too, if there's training to do."

Suzanne complained. That was fair. This drive of hers, surpassing all the others', felt good. But…

"You two have been fighting under me the longest, so you should be the first to reach LV50."

The reason was 100% sentiment on my part.

"… Well, if that's the reason, it can't be helped! Listen, Kanan, I'll catch up in no time, you hear!"

Suzanne accepted it without fuss. She was a good girl.

"Another possibility is Leone.

"If LV50 Leone rehabs against high-level opponents, there's a high chance her class change will occur.

"If Leone's class change happens, our combat strength will increase further. I want to focus on training Leone too."

"Mmm, I see… A good idea."

"Next… Suzanne. As an Archangel right now, Suzanne already holds one of the two benefits of LV50.

"In other words, she's already at an advantage over the others without reaching LV50. If we can raise her LV even a little, we can shrink the strength gap with the opponent."

"…! Yes, yes! I shall be the one to lead Onii-sama Naoto to victory, without fail!"

Suzanne was overjoyed.

"As for the other two members…

"I'd like to equalize LVs as much as I can, but losing because of that would mean nothing.

"This time, I'd like to fix our formation, decide on the members to train, and challenge them. My apologies to those who don't make the cut.

"So, about the formation…"

I pulled out a back issue of Garumon Weekly Report.

"This is the formation Yamagata-kun used in his last defense match."

"I don't know if the formation will stay the same, but… one thing I do know is that Aozawa-san, who appears to be the ace, is Water-element.

"Leone is definitely effective.

"Other things strong against water are Dark, Grass, Dragon, and Demon, but…"

"Hmm… A formation with many mages."

"That was unexpected. Yamagata-kun is himself a master of kendo. I'd have thought it more natural for him to train Swordsman types whose proper training he knows."

"But Kensei's true profession is bodyguard, training he received under his father. He's reasonably skilled with firearms, traps, explosives, and drugs too. I don't think he has any weaknesses, but…"

"'Not weak' isn't the same as 'good at it.' Then again, the ones actually fighting are Garumon, so maybe it's fine…"

"Holy Knight is the same as Libera-san, right?"

"Mmm. The Top-Tier Job of the knight line. Their iron-wall defense, thou knowst from Libera."

"What kind of class is Princess? In games it can be Attacker, Supporter, or Defender, so it's hard to say…"

"Generally, a Supporter. A wielder of powerful buff skills.

"The basic three-person party examples often given are

"Princess, Knight, Mage: a 1-2 magic-Attacker party.

"Princess, Knight, Swordsman: a 2-1 physical-Attacker party.

"So in that respect, it's a very orthodox party."

"Orthodox means strong with no openings.

"Definitely something to watch for.

"… Holy Knight and Princess sound like they're very likely Light-element. Yuria's Dark is certainly advantageous, but if it runs into Light, the risk is high…"

"That cannot be said for certain."

That was true… Element wasn't disclosed, after all. It was risky to commit.

Well, the Water User was obvious though.

"Beyond that, do we commit to placing Aozawa-san in the 2nd party, or not?"

"… In a 6 vs 6, the 2nd party needs Skills to nullify the buffs accumulated in the first half.

"The chance of multiple people having such Skills is low. There is the merit of being able to swap 1st and 2nd, but that costs two of those few Skills. If Sawako has such a Skill, then 2nd is fixed for her. There is risk… but committing is also an option."

"Hmm…"

… Somehow, Ursula was offering advice so naturally.

It was somehow really easy to talk to her… I'd really love for her to support me like this in the future too… as my wife.

"As water countermeasures, Haru and Yuria are useful. Right now, the ones that can run as Defender are Kanan, Haru, Lyuka, and Suzanne… so I want to put Haru in as Defender of either the 1st or 2nd party."

"Me? U-Um, yeah, I'll do my best!"

"Then, the formation seems decided.

"Front line: Kanan, Adelia, Suzanne.

"Back line: Haru, Leone, and one more."

"A Supporter to enhance Leone is essential. So that's Lyuka, Setsuna, or Yuria.

"Setsuna, above all, can do two consecutive Dance of Exhilarations for a 100% one-turn attack UP. Her support performance is the highest.

"Lyuka can also handle Haru's healing and assist the Defender.

"Yuria's debuffs have good synergy with Leone's acceleration."

I compared the three…

"… Setsuna. I'm counting on you."

"Yeah! Onii-chan!"

Setsuna smiled happily.

"Indeed, a one-turn 100% attack UP is exceptional as a buff at this rank. Swift defeat is also possible."

"… Yeah. If they put Aozawa-san in the 1st party, our 1st party with two Fire-element members could be wiped out fast.

"If that happens, the one who can rebuild the situation fastest is Setsuna, I think."

"Haaah? Even if Sawako comes out, I have no intention of losing!"

"Of course. In that case, we'll show off our high-level tactics that overcome elemental disadvantages."

… And so the formation was set.

"Then I'll lead the remaining members and we'll subjugate monsters in monster territory for training and such. Maika, Lyuka, Patty, Luna. Let's get well and truly stronger and prove ourselves to Naoto!"

"Yes!"

"Let's do our best."

"Yeees!"

"I-I'll do my best too."

And the members who hadn't made the cut set off cheerfully.

Hmm, were they really not bothered? I should probably do some follow-up… I'd have to think about it later.

That said, for now, I had to put my all into training these six.

"… Ursula. For leveling up, having an S-Class Master battle us is the most efficient, right?"

I stared at Ursula.

Receiving my gaze, Ursula cleared her throat.

"… Mmm, just so. Very well. As long as my time permits, I shall accept any number of battles with thee."

"Thank you, Ursula."

"That said, I am busy too, so it must be when our schedules align. We probably won't manage even ten matches by the deadline.

"Also, one can only challenge the same opponent to a Garumon Battle once a day. The rest of the time, thou shouldst train in monster territory.

"… Ah, that's it. If thou take over my monster-subjugation duties, the number of battles with me can increase too."

"… Thanks. About the fee, it's 10,000,000G per match, and I have 90,000,000G, so nine more times…"

"Ah, no, no. This time the fee is truly unnecessary. I'll accept even 1G.

"… In exchange, the B-Class rank 69 spot you obtain, I shall receive.

"I have no use for B-Class ranks, so I'll let it go for money. That should fetch at least 100 million. With luck, 200 to 300 million. Plenty of profit.

"Of course, that means thou cannot rise above B-Class rank 501. How's that. If thou win, I profit handsomely. This is an investment in thee."

That was Ursula's offer.

That was a relief!

"… Thanks! Ursula! I'm counting on you!"

Squeeze!

In the heat of my emotion, I wound up hugging Ursula.

"Mu… muu… I shall not mind."

Ursula didn't seem to dislike it.

"Disrespect! That's disrespectful!"

"N-Naoto-samaa…! That sort of thing is not allowed…!"

Libera and Colette made a fuss.

It turned into a commotion again, devolving into a mess.

And so, starting that very day and every day after, I challenged Ursula to a duel. If Ursula accepted, I'd promptly head to the location she designated and have her battle us.

And we'd fight with all our might… and lose, unable to match her.

That flow repeated many times.

"Yesterday, I unexpectedly struggled and made an unsightly display. Today, this Ursula Belzebute shall crush thee with my full strength.

"Even 3 vs 6 is fine. Come at me."

To Ursula's left was a yellow-green-haired, upturned-eyed beautiful girl with a dignified air.

To her right stood a beautiful girl with long white hair and a gentle, easygoing face.

For just a moment, I thought don't underestimate us, going 3 vs 6…, but seeing their bearing and the displayed status, I instinctively realized that thought was far too naive.

Demon Lord, Dragon King, Seraph… The three greatest strong elements of this world, Demon, Dragon, and God. And the three greatest ultimate classes within them, all assembled.

"A Seraph! My goal! Raphaela Cellas…!"

Suzanne burned, treating Cellas as her sworn target.

But… that day's battle was such a one-sided trampling and pulverization that you couldn't even call it a battle.

We were utterly demolished, made to grasp the level of the apex.

"Now then… I shall show thee my strongest Demon Art, the one I show only in serious battle.

"Demon Art: Belzebute!"

A wave of miasma was unleashed from her fist.

"Gah," Kanan…

"Gugh…" Suzanne…

"Funya…" Adelia…

A massive number of status ailments were inflicted at once.

Status ailments existed in this world too:

• Stun, Freeze, and Numbness, which immobilize for one turn only.
• Poison and Burn, which deal damage each turn.
• Paralysis and Sleep, which immobilize.
• Daze, which makes attacks more likely to miss.
• Sickness, which lowers stats and may cause incapacitation.
• Confusion, which prevents choosing attack targets or actions.
• Petrification, which renders one completely immobile.
• Manipulation, in which one is controlled at the opponent's whim.
• Zombification, which simplifies action patterns.

All the status ailments I remembered seeing in games existed here in some form.

These were powerful when they hit, but the chance of landing wasn't very high, and countermeasures existed, so relying on them entirely in battle was risky.

That was the general gist of it.

… But her Demon Art Belzebute, of these,

Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Daze, Sickness, and Confusion,

each at near-100% guaranteed-hit. Resistance could lower the rate, but among these, Poison and Sickness were perfectly guaranteed-hit. They pierced even resistance.

No matter how you stacked resistance, Poison and Sickness alone would remain.

Poison was a very common status ailment in RPGs that dealt HP damage every turn. Around 2-3% of max HP. Battles rarely lasted 30 turns, so it wasn't decisive on its own. But added on to normal attacks, it was quite enough to sway victory.

The big thing was that it could deliver the final blow.

You'd think Endure left them with 1 HP!, and then they'd die from Poison.

Sickness, in games, you'd see only occasionally. Game-wise, it was about a 10% stat reduction… troublesome enough on its own. But the realistic experiential nature of this world brought additional inconveniences.

… You were forcibly made to feel the symptoms of a serious cold. The annoying part was the high fever, which made consciousness hazy. Plus chills, joint pain, and so on.

There was no cough or runny nose, but those symptoms could appear too.

If consciousness got hazy, you'd misjudge things, or mishear the Master's instructions, all sorts of problems.

You needed strong willpower to endure it.

"Demon Art: Apocalypse!"

A single-target Demon Art with ultimate damage. In a world where max HP was 150, it dealt 200 damage.

It didn't have guaranteed-hit, so a fully prepared Kanan could have blocked it… or so I thought, but in a Sickness state that was impossible. Suzanne was downed in one hit.

"Take this. My Divine Art: Gungnir!"

Cellas's Divine Art. No guaranteed-hit, but a piercing single-target attack of immense damage. This too dealt 100 damage and pierced defense.

Kanan went down to this.

"Savor it. Dragon Art… Annihilation!"

Saria's Dragon Art was, perhaps, a symbol of dragon's breath. Full-area immense damage. A simple but ultimate destruction magic. 100 damage to all was about twice the damage of normal ultimate magics like Blizzard or Tornado.

It was the same as Suzanne's Tempest, but that was already off the charts too.

But Dragon-element being strong against various elements made it more powerful than Fire-element Tempest.

Fire-element Adelia was easily downed.

Divine Arts, Demon Arts, Dragon Arts… the strongest skills of this world were on a level that made my head spin.

"Leone, Setsuna, Haru!"

… The back line was the same. After being incapacitated by Demon Art Belzebute, they were trampled by overwhelming firepower.

It was a swift annihilation.

We learned of a domain we shouldn't yet step into.

Stacking battles meant fighting Ursula and her Garumon many times.

Ursula's faction had only six members, including herself.

I'd thought it might be unusual for an S-Class to have just the bare 6 vs 6 of personnel, but apparently not really.

"Gathering enough UR-Class Garumon is somewhat difficult, but it's not as though an S-Class Master who pulls out all the stops can only manage to gather six. They occasionally show up in shops, and for 10 million one can manage to buy a LV1 UR-Class Garumon. Trifling money for an S-Class.

"That said, they sell out in a flash, so buying one is hard.

"But it's not as if any UR-Class will do. Even among UR-Class, there's strong and weak.

"The current regulars are exceptionally strong. Few exist that can stand alongside them.

"Also, the issue is the labor of training. Higher-rarity Garumon grow slower, and the more members one has, the more growth gets dispersed. Narrowing it to six is a great merit for faster growth.

"I must train myself as well. Frankly, I don't have the capacity to train many Garumon."

That was how Ursula explained her own faction.

By the way, I got to meet the final member a few days later.

"My, a guest from Japan. Otherworld Master, otherworld Garumon, all of you… how nostalgic. After today's battle, please tell me lots of stories about Japan."

Sharan… a beautiful girl with sparkling golden hair fluttering, hair you could describe as a golden rainbow.

Gentle, lovable eyes.

Her name was Mira Kongouin.

A Japanese-born otherworlder.

Her surname was rugged, but she herself was delicate and adorable. A pure, transcendent beauty.

Her ability was tremendously high too. Rather than being strong solo, she was the type who skillfully used powerful buffs and debuffs, and she could even fill the Defender role. The basic style had the three aces, Ursula, Saria, and Cellas, being protected and supported by the remaining three.

That said, the time we got that thoroughly pummeled was only about the second day's battle.

From the next day on, Demon Art Belzebute was sealed for us.

… Even when we had her seal Demon Arts, Divine Arts, and Dragon Arts entirely on top of that, we still wound up losing narrowly, but it felt like we could win.

A Garumon only had eight Skills total, so sealing three to four of the particularly useful ones was too difficult.

Even Ursula reflected that she'd gotten too carried away, and from then on only Demon Art Belzebute was sealed, while she demonstrated her S-Class strength to the fullest.

By stacking battles every day like that, raising levels as we went… bit by bit, I felt we were getting friendly with Ursula and her companions too.

"Now then, shall we begin today as well. Today, I shall achieve a flawless victory without anyone falling."

Holy Knight Libera. A Garumon boasting iron-wall defense using a Holy Shield, and also an S-Class secretary.

Stiff at first, her manner softened with each engagement.

Of course she didn't go easy in battle.

"Fufufu… today too, I'll wreck you with my curses. Be ready, Leone."

Yoko Onmyoji, Mikoto. We knew these two from the first battle.

She'd been gentle toward me from the start, but she'd softened considerably toward Leone too.

"Fufu… Naoto. If I win, tell me more recent stories of Japan."

A white-coated alchemist. Mira Kongouin-san and I had grown quite close through our talks of Japan.

She had transferred over from Japan five years ago. That meant her actual age was 20, but her appearance had stopped at the 15 or so when she transferred, so she only looked younger than me.

"… Not too long ago, I remember seeing you on TV being praised as a genius girl.

"So you'd been transferred to this world."

"Fufu, those days happened too. If possible, I'd like to tell my parents I'm safe and well here, but…"

The girl praised in Japan as a genius girl was apparently contributing to this world in the science sector.

I checked with Ursula whether I could tell her about the possibility of returning to the original world in three years, got permission, and told her, but…

"I have no intention of returning. This world is very interesting. I find fulfillment in further developing this world."

So she said. Five years in this world, she had firmly resolved to settle here permanently.

"My, my, that's no good, Mira-chan. You can't monopolize Naoto-chan…

"Naoto-chan. If you'd like, shall we talk too?

"And, would you mind grooming my tail and horns again…"

A long-white-haired, elegant beauty. Easily identified by her dragon horns and dragon tail, the high-tier of Dragonkin, the Dragon King, Saria Naga.

"What are you saying. Saria, Mira. Do you understand. That man may bare his fangs at Ursula and become an enemy at any time.

"Letting your guard down like that is shameful conduct for a knight.

"… Naoto. Trying to charm us like that is futile."

A flowing, beautiful girl with yellow-green-tinged hair. Her dignified features were those of a stately female knight. Beautiful, cute, but the adjective "cool" suited her well.

This noble, proud, beautiful female knight was Raphaela Cellas.

Raphaela was something like a title; Cellas was apparently her name.

She was the highest tier of angel, a Seraph.

Among Ursula's relatively friendly companions, she was somewhat of the difficult type.

And the high-tier of Demon, Demon Lord Ursula Belzebute.

A Seraph, Dragon King, and Demon Lord, each strongest-class Garumon that even an S-Class Master would set as their ace if they had even one, all three on hand.

It made sense she could reach S-Class with only six members, and have hardly any equals.

… But, battles against these tremendous, strongest-class strong opponents were the highest-efficiency leveling possible, and…

Practically every battle, someone leveled up, and…

… With only two days left until the deadline, a critical timing.

At last, Kanan and Adelia, the two we'd targeted, reached LV50.

And Leone's class change happened too. The details of that I'd write about separately.

The other members each did their best too. The details of that, also separately.

"Are thy preparations complete? … My apologies. I wanted to make more time, but…"

"No, in the end, twenty matches… aside from days you absolutely couldn't free up, you battled us almost every day… Truly, thank you, Ursula."

I was so grateful I could hardly hold my head up.

"… Thy opponent will be strong. But the current you should have no doubts.

"The decisive battle at last. I shall enjoy spectating it as well."

"Yes. Thank you very much for this past month."

For my final thanks, at least, I used proper polite speech.

"… Hearing polite speech from thee now is itchy."

But it got an unfavorable reaction…

Now then, the decisive battle with Yamagata-kun was at last upon us!