Finally

"Huh? Sensei, you're ranked 87th?"
"Yeah, that's right. Didn't someone mention that if you defeat strong opponents, your ranking goes up? I heard that, but I never thought I would raise to guy's ranking."

"That's amazing, though. What's the title for those within the top 100 rankings?"

"Hmm? Oh, right... Celestials? I think. Sounds pompous, and I don't like it."

"Hehe, but Sensei, you seemed totally fine."

"It wasn't fine at all. I was pretty panicked back then, you know?"

“…Yeah, you're right."

After that, I remembered the panic and hyperventilation that followed, and seeing Kimishima blush and stammer made me avert my gaze involuntarily.

...

Two days later. We still hadn't quite reached the expected location. However, the strength of the monsters was noticeably decreasing. Despite not climbing any steps, Kimishima had been actively fighting monsters with her spear today, possibly up to intermediate level.

After my fourth Ladder ascent, she had started fighting in front, expressing a desire to become stronger.

"The monster levels seem to be dropping a bit, don't you think?"

"Yes, even I can cut through them now."

"Maybe because we're getting closer to human civilization? Should we pick up the pace? Our portable food is running low."

"Yes…, Mera also needs to eat..."

"Chirp!"

(Not chirp, damn it.) I didn't say that out loud. However, the issue of provisions needed to be addressed. We had found some vegetable-like produce in what seemed to be the remnants of farmland, but whether it was safe to eat remained uncertain.

…

Nevertheless, the decreasing strength of the emerging monsters brought a slight relaxation in our mood. Perhaps the altitude had dropped considerably, as the temperature started to rise.

"It might be time to ditch the ghillie suit."

"Yes, it's a bit hot. I'll do my best to handle the monsters that come out from here on."

"Are you sure?"

"If it gets dangerous, Sensei will help."

"Right..."

Wait?

...When I tried to take off the ghillie suit, I sensed something in the distance. Moreover, it seemed like a considerable group.

"Kimishima, something's coming."

"Eh?"

In a hurry, the two of us slipped into the woods by the side of the road. Among the thick leaves, we held our breaths, trying not to make a sound. "Bear with it for a moment," Kimishima said as she tightened the lid of her bag, making sure Mera didn't make any noise.

...

...People?

Gradually, figures appeared – warriors dressed similarly to Carton and his group from the other day, all fully armed.

I hesitated whether to reveal ourselves, unsure if the people in this world were the kind who would welcome help. If they were a faction like bandits, exposing Kimishima to danger again would be unwise.

However, if there was someone with the ability to detect us, like the magician we encountered before, I wasn't confident we could remain hidden. Kimishima seemed to be thinking the same, judging by the stern expression on her face.

In the middle of the group, a man and a woman were riding animals with long horns resembling deer. They appeared to be the commanders of the group. We held our breath, watching them pass silently. The woman suddenly raised her voice.

"Halt! …Yazzak, use detection."

"Searching for enemies...? Did you see anything?"

"... Over there?"

The woman with crimson hair suddenly turned her head toward where we were hiding. Damn... Did they spot us? The man beside her, with a carefree demeanor, lazily turned his attention in our direction.

"Ah~.  Impressive. But they're humans, you know?"

"Yeah... Probably."

Uh-oh... The group had overheard our conversation, and all eyes were on us. Kimishima nodded resignedly. It seemed we couldn't hide from detection magic.

Rustling through the grass, we cautiously revealed ourselves. I kept my left hand on the hilt of my sword, maintaining vigilance.

"We just got lost. We're not here to attack."

"...Who gets lost in a place like this?"

"But it's true…"

"Sensei!"

Eh?

A boy came running from the back of the group, and a girl followed suit.

It's them...

Ah...

We're saved... it seems.

"Nishina! Sakuragi!"

"Sensei!!!"

“Senpai!!!”

Running with tear-streaked, messy faces, Sakuragi jumped onto Kimishima. Nishina stopped in front of me, looking teary-eyed and unsure of what to do. Stepping forward, I embraced Nishina.

"I came back properly... with Kimishima..."

A sense of relief flooded over me as I embraced the student. Everything I had been holding back suddenly overflowed like a broken dam. Kimishima, Sakuragi, Nishina... all of us couldn't hold back our feelings. The bewildered men around us couldn't comprehend the situation.

"Phew... You really survived all the way from there... Well, we'll talk later... No, can I ask one thing?"

The red-haired woman called out from above the beast. I barely nodded in response.

“You were the one who did the carton, weren’t you?”

"... Yeah."

"At that time, some of our comrades were with Carton. They were the guys in armor. Do you remember them?"

"The men in armor...?"

"Yeah."

"... They got deceived by Carton. When we saw them, they were fighting a boar-faced monster, and all of them died except one. Even that one got taken by Carton."

"How far is it from here?"

"While hiding, about three days."

"... I see. …Alright. Let's head back to the town."

The woman muttered something regretful, then informed the others that we were going back to town.

After a while, when things calmed down, we started walking towards the town.

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