"Listen, Hajime. There's no turning back once we go out there to fight Kuphra. Are you sure we're really gonna march there and go to war?" A pink-haired girl with eyes as red as the underworld said to Hajime.

"Ironic how a death queen is hesitating on a bloodfest. It's too late to back out anyway. Besides, we all wanna stop the chaos made by a fraudulent Demon Lord that went rogue."

"That's not the only problem, Hajime. I can control time, but I can't control time paradoxes. How much more if it's the space-time continuum? I'm just the Warden of Time, not a God of Time, you know? If you die, you die in a land where I may not be able to help you. This is not training anymore." Another girl said, who was a friend of the pink-haired girl.

"I'm the leader, you know? A leader leads his army to victory. Don't worry, this war is a sure win. No way my efforts of more than 4 years of planning would go to waste now."

"You know...if I may join in the conversation, I've lived over 3500 years. I've seen people die throughout my lifetime, even those who were great warriors. If you want, you can just send us, Hajime-kun. Like a General of an army, you just have to sit back and-"

"Sacrifices need to be made, Coco."

"You're just a normal person that became our leader! You have no other abilities like Resurrection, no inherent abilities, and I think Rushia-chan can't revive you unless you want to be a walking rotting homunculus. Even if Noel-chan can resurrect you, who knows if they've got something up their sleeve? Didn't you dream of wanting a normal life? You can't have that if you're dead."

"I was weak when I came here. Hell, I couldn't bear to keep the "Chosen One" title out of embarrassment, but that's in the past now. Everybody's waiting for us. If we don't act now, it won't be long before we go too. Besides..."

Hajime took one more glance at the people he trusted the most — his closest friends.

"I promised to some of you that I would meet your homelands. I promised that, after this, we would all have a huge feast. And yes, Coco, I also would like to live a normal life after this, just doing the usual business in the guilds. Besides...drowning in money doesn't sound like a bad idea." Hajime chuckled.

This earned him a giggle from everybody. In a dire situation such as now, he wanted to lighten up the mood.

"Are you all ready though? You can back down if you want to. We all have our reasons for fighting, and you all know why I'm doing this. For peace."

"Well...it's not like we don't have a reason to fight either." A figure that seemed to be a man with light blue hair chuckled. "Of course we're gonna fight!"

"You saved our lives, after all. Why wouldn't we want to pay it back?" A fox girl smiled with her fists up.

"Well, guess we're ready, huh? Break time's over, guys. Let's go!" Hajime opened the door to the outside and put his hand up in the air.

"Hoorah!" Everybody shouted.

**HoloWorld: Alternative!**

"O-Oh?" Hajime let out, his voice slightly hoarse.

"A dream?"

After getting up from bed, Hajime looked to his right to see the windows glowing from the sunlight. Even though it was sunny, he felt shivers all over his body.

"Jeez, that was...quite a dream. Guess JRPGs influenced me too much." Hajime chuckled.

Standing up, he stretched. "Waking up this early has never felt as good as now! Thank God for this, at least. Now where are some extra clothes I can use to replace mine after training..."

Hajime went to a closet and opened it. On one of the folded clothes, there laid a note on top of it, so he picked it up.

"...I can't read this shit." He stared blankly. Probably got something to do with the clothes, I guess.

"Well, education can come later. For now, I really need to train. Priorities, boy." Hajime said as he proceeded to stretch even more.

Opening the door, he almost blurted out Kerai's name. What stopped him was the sight of another maid that took her place.

She had orange hair, was slightly taller than Kerai, and had an ample bosom. She seemed more loose-shouldered and normal than Kerai.

"Good morning, Hajime-sama." She faced Hajime and bowed.

"Um...who are you, if I may ask?"

"Oh, pardon my rudeness...My name is Lara. Kerai-chan's senpai. She and I switch shifts every 12 PM to 12 AM."

"Is that so?"

Hajime glanced at her outfit, and found the same golden pocket watch Kerai had locked on her right hip.

"I do not know if Kerai-chan mentioned this, but I'm also your personally assigned maid. Hmm...or perhaps Tanigo-sama forgot to mention it...No, he wouldn't do something as careless as that..."

Lara transitioned to mumbling as she faced away from Hajime, making him sweat drop.

I think the Old Man just didn't want me to be confused with all this info. I am new to this world, after all.

"Well well well, that's not important. It's nice to make your acquaintance." Hajime giggled nervously.

"You must be hungry. Shall I lead you to the dining hall for breakfast?"

"A-Ah, I actually plan to train today. I'll come back here later for breakfast."

"Oh, training? Hmm...you don't have any weapons though, nor can we lend any. However..."

"Oh?"

Lara held Hajime's hands, opened it, and closed it after putting something in it. It was heavy and it felt like leather.

"What is this?"

"500 Geld in a pouch."

"Geld? Is that money? I-I don't think I need this for training. Besides, I don't even understand how the currency here works either."

"Hmm...how about this? 10 Geld is about enough to eat one meal — rice and almost all possible food selections. 30 Geld is enough to buy a leather vest. Does that give enough information for you?"

"Ah, that makes more sense! But hold up, is this even allowed? Did you get this from your salary?" Hajime sweat dropped.

"To my knowledge...perhaps not. And yes, that is from my salary, but don't tell anybody, okay? We have a saying in Wiesenland, 'Don't step on tomatoes'! It means it's advisable to have money no matter where you go, even when you think you may not need it. Just take it, please!" Lara giggled.

"Eurgh, you're gonna get the both of us in trouble." Hajime sighed.

"Since you wish to train, allow me to lead you to the gates!"

As he finally went outside the huge castle, he squinted his eyes to see through the fog. Three men guarded a gate.

Looking back, he could see the stone castle standing with its colossal size. For Hajime, it seemed to be about eight floors high.

The fog started to dissipate, so Hajime could finally see the entirety of the garden, the sparrows flying over his head, and the tall trees surrounding the castle. It was almost like a valley of beauty had just revealed itself.

"Good morning, guards! Hajime-sama wishes to pass through and train!"

"Got it, ma'am!" The guards said, opening the gates.

"Hajime-sama, good luck on your training!" The guards said, pounding their spears down to the ground.

"Shall I accompany you though? I fear you might not be able to defend yourself." Lara put her finger on her cheek.

"Don't worry. With this amount of money, I can buy a weapon, right? I know how to handle a blade. As my personal maid, I order you to continue your duties in Ya-...Tanigo's castle."

"I understand. Have fun then!" She said, bowing and turning back towards the castle.

"Alright, guess I'll find an area to train. Wonder where I should go though..."

As Hajime went down the concrete stairs, he could hear the adventurers chatting with each other, people haggling over the prices of products, and families eating together with the smell of breakfast going through the air.

It may have looked like a town from above, but from the myriad of people, the buildings, the apparel, and the overall atmosphere of the place, it seemed more like a city.

"My goly gosh, Yagoo sure knows how to manage a country. As far as I'm concerned, nobody's doing anything fishy around here. Now, enough sightseeing...let's ask somebody if they know a thing or two about a possible training area." Hajime said to himself, looking at adventurers eating at a bench.

"Good morning, mister." He greeted first.

"Oh, morning! Want a seat, brother?"

"Ah, no. I was just wondering if any of you know the nearest forest here."

"Oh, you must be new around here, brother. There's this place called the 'Peaceful Green Forest'. It's famous for being a safe area where tourists and Wiesche alike can go and relax, plus the animals there are pretty much harmless. It's just over there to the East, brother." The guy with an axe pointed towards where the sun rose.

Wiesche? Huh, so that's what they call Wiesenland citizens?

"I see. Welp, have a nice meal!"

Upon arriving, he saw a huge plot of land with rabbits and deers roaming about near the oak trees, and he saw a sign that stood, reading something that Hajime once again couldn't read but knew what it meant.

"Hmm...a young-looking tree...and there's a branch I can hang from...perfect. I can start training now. I have all the things I need!"

**Holoworld:Alternative!**

"98...99...100! Hah...hah..." Hajime finished his hanging sit-ups and then dropped down from the tree before sitting on the ground as he wiped his sweat.

"Phew...Oh?"

Hajime noticed five silhouettes in the distance. He didn't know who they were so he hid behind a tree while putting his shirt on, waiting for them to pass by in case they weren't friendly, only to see that it was HoloFantasy.

"F-Flare?"

"Hajime-sama?" Flare said.

"What're you doing here?" He asked.

"We planned on sparring since this is our usual training area. Are you doing the same thing?"

"You could say that. I wanted to train. I mean, if I'm the 'Chosen One', surely I need to be strong enough for anything I might encounter. It's also good timing since I wanted you all to teach me! I dunno what to expect, so you guys might know more than I do!"

"Ah, I see, I see. Well, first off, how strong are you? Can you demonstrate your physical strength to us?"

"That, I can do!" Hajime chuckled before going to the young tree he made as a target.

Hajime aimed his right hand at it and took a couple breaths. At the final inhale, he clenched his fist and punched the tree.

It shook, giving a slight gust of wind towards the five, and a slight crack could be seen as Hajime retracted his hand.

"Well? How's that? Pretty strong, huh?" Hajime smugged and crossed his arms.

"Woah, Hajime-sama..." Flare widened her eyes and blinked.

"Am I worthy enough for you to train me?"

"Y-Yeah, but...Hajime-sama, that was your strongest punch?" Marine asked.

"Mhmm!"

"T-That's good, but like, if I'll be honest, that can barely hurt an orc."

"...Eh?" Hajime instantly blinked thrice.

"Yeah. Sorry, Hajime-sama, but despite not being a physical fighter myself, that punch isn't enough to beat monsters." Rushia sweat dropped.

"Eh?! T-Then, Marine! Can you show me what a strong punch looks like?"

"Oh? Sure!"

Marine went to the young tree, and then inhaled as she mumbled something.

Oh? Did she just say something? Ah, that's prolly my imagination. Well, anyway, the Marine back in my world wasn't as active, but let's see how she'll hit that tree-

Marine struck it with her right hand, and the tree snapped, showing pieces of it flying off. The whole log soon fell down as the stump remained in place.

"W-Woah! What the hell?! That's awesome! H-How did you do that? Surely no human has that capability!"

"That's because I don't. I used magic to help me." Marine said as she shook her hand from the punch.

"I'm more of a swordswoman though, so I rely on blades more than physical strength, which also means I don't use spells too much nor can I use it that often. On the other hand, somebody like Noel can easily rip a tree off of the ground without an iota of magic!"

Hmm...so just because there's that doesn't mean your body could get easily accustomed to it. If I learn what Marine just did, then I also have to condition my body to use it for extended periods of time.

"That's right! Observe!" Noel said, looking at the tree beside her and punching it with an overhand right, leaving a bit of the trunk behind and launching the broken off half into the forest.

"Y-You guys are the real monsters here." Hajime remarked. Seriously, if she's really human, that's a shit ton of strength she's packin', no cap.

"Well, you get it though. No offense, Hajime-sama, but your current state right now is not enough to actually fight monsters unless you have a weapon you can use. Take Noel's mace for example." Marine said.

"Y-Yeah...Also, do you think it's allowed to just do this to the forest? We literally just knocked two trees down without the knowledge of the authorities here."

"...Ah-"

"Huh? Wait a minute, don't tell me you just-"

"A-Ah, Noel! Let's just say that we went a bit too far in our sparring!" Marine said.

"Y-Yeah! Let's just say that! " Noel said and laughed with a wavering voice, scratching the back of her head.

"So much for the 'Peaceful Green Forest'." Hajime remarked.

"Well, we're at least given the right to use this forest for sparring, as per Tanigo-sama's words. Actually, everybody's free to use this area for training as long as they don't destroy the forest...which we sorta did just now." Flare sweat dropped.

Hajime sighed and leaned against a tree, keeping his head down.

"If they're this strong, then what's the point of me being the 'Chosen One' then? Do I even have to do anything? I feel like a side character here." He said to himself.

"H-Hey, don't be like that, Hajime-sama!" Flare said, bending down a bit.

"Yeah! You know, your punch is way stronger than mine without magic! Just more training can get you going!" Marine said.

"My father trained me extra hard, which is why I'm this strong! You can do the same if you keep on training, Hajime-sama!" Noel added.

"Come on. Let's teach you how to use magic, and then you can try using that to-"

The sky turned to crimson red and the clouds turned to black. It happened in the blink of an eye without warning like a storm. Instead of the cozy warmth the sun gave earlier like a cotton blanket, the atmosphere felt chilly and ominous like being in a dark basement.

"A dark sky..." Noel said, looking up.

"What does this mean? Guys, is this normal?" Hajime asked.

Back at the capital, lightning struck. Thunder ensued, but the sound wasn't like regular thunder. Instead of a cracky bang or deep rumble, it sounded dull and blunt. It didn't give surprise, but they felt a chill down their spine. The sound induced dread with a sense of intimidation. Almost as if...

"A demon! Everybody, back to the capital!" Flare said, running first.

Upon arriving at the city square, everybody gathered with the guards pointing their palms towards the demon girl that stood near the fountain.

She had short-hair covering one eye, violet skin, two horns on her forehead, and the only clothed part of her body was her chest and hips — and it was barely enough that it could be considered flashing.

"How many times do I have to tell you, humans? I don't intend to hurt you. I intend to seek the recently summoned 'Chosen One'!" She said with a voice of a haughty vixen.

"We do not have a 'Chosen One' here! Now scram!" A guard said, launching a fireball towards the demon.

Fire dissipated slowly, revealing the succubus still unscathed. Not a burn or scratch was on her. She waved her finger left and right and tutted.

"Simple spells like that can't penetrate my magic armor."

She proceeded to yawn. "Ah, I'm bored now! You know, if you all won't tell me where he is...then I'll make him come out of his shell." She giggled, putting her claws near her mouth and licking it. "You know what that means, right?"

"Why, you!-"

"Stop!" Flare stepped forward.

"Oh? Is somebody trying to play the hero here?"

The crowd made way for the six as they walked towards the demon.

"Leave this land." Flare glared.

"Woah, slow down there, elf girl...You're quite strong for a prey." The succubus giggled.

She leaned slightly to her left. "Oh? Hey, who's the person behind you?"

"It's none of your business. Now get out of here, 'cause I'm this close to putting an arrow up your skull!" Flare said, getting her bow and pulling the string back with an arrow ready to shoot.

"Hey...answer me, elf girl. Is that the 'Chosen One'?"

Hajime widened his eyes and clenched his fists, slowly backing away. His primal instincts told him that, from one glance only, if she were to kill him, he wouldn't put up much of a fight even if he had a weapon.

"So the tales are true. 'One day, when darkness corrupts life and all hope seems lost, the Chosen One, who possesses a silver orb, will bring the light of hope to save the world and bring peace and greenery back to the lands.'"

She went from giggling to a hysterical laugh while holding her stomach.

"You? The Chosen One? Ah...sometimes truth is weirder than fiction. Then again, you're not bad. I see the potential hiding inside you...Which is why, before it gets too big, I need to get rid of you before you kill Kuphra-sama, our Demon King. Say goodbye-Oh?" She faced to her right and held her head with her left hand.

Flare was ready to shoot, but kept holding it at the last second when the demon girl was about to pounce towards Hajime. Her reaction baffled everybody.

"...What do you mean 'don't kill him yet'? He's clearly the Chosen One...Why would you-...Fall back? ...I see. I shall retreat at once." She finished her monologue before looking back at the six.

"You're lucky today, Chosen One. Kuphra-sama told me to spare your life for now." She said as her wings expanded, and when she flapped it downwards, everybody resisted the strong gust of wind.

"My name is Eva. Remember that, Chosen One. I will return soon." She smirked before proceeding to launch off into the distance.

The sky turned back from red to blue, the clouds turned back to white, and the sun could be seen again. It was almost as if nothing happened earlier and it was an illusion. Not for Hajime though, it felt too real to be fake.

"What was that-peko?"

"I have no idea. Rushia?" Flare asked.

"I don't know either, but something tells me...actually, I can't say exactly. For now, we'll keep that to the side."

"Hey, Hajime-sama, are you okay?" Noel asked as she grabbed both of Hajime's shoulders.

"I-I'm fine."

"Don't worry about it-peko! We would've just beaten her to a pulp!"

"Y-Yeah, I guess."

That was a lie. Although they're not wrong that they could've beaten her, it wasn't as easy as they thought. He was still new to this world, but he could tell the monsters here shouldn't be treated as a joke. Taking things with a loose shoulder up until now was a stupid decision he made. He needed to train fast.

Meanwhile, the crowd started asking themselves if the silver-eyed man, Hajime, was truly the Chosen One. As they started to confirm it bit by bit, they started flocking towards him.

"The Chosen One! Our savior!"

"Please save us from the demons!"

"Bring light back to the lands!"

"Argh! H-Hey, can one of you help me here?! I'm in a very tight situation, literally!" Hajime screamed.

"G-Got it-peko!"

The five separated the crowd from Hajime, with Pekora being the first to do it. Once that was done, they ran back to the forest, taking time to catch their breath.

"Damn, we weren't that famous when Tanigo-sama announced us as members of Hololive..." Marine said, leaning against a tree.

"I-I can't...breathe!!" Rushia panted.

Hajime sat there, looking back at the capital, rewinding the memory of Eva back at the fountain.

"...Everyone."

"Oh? Hajime-sama?" They all said.

"Teach me how to use magic."

"W-We were gonna do that, but you seem a lot more eager now." Flare remarked.

"Ever since that demon girl came along, Eva, I realized how weak I am compared to everything else here. If she hadn't been stopped, I would've been dead. All of us would've been dead. I can't be your 'Chosen One' if I'm not only weak compared to you all, but also unable to use magic."

Hajime clenched his fists and got on his knees before putting his head to the ground.

"Please, I need to know how to use magic!"