“He didn’t come?"

“I’m sorry, honey, but he couldn’t make it here. His father told him that he had to concentrate more on his studies. His high school entry exam is coming up.”

“Yeah? Well, it doesn’t make it any less shit… We should have just celebrated in Japan; this is just crap…”

Huh? Wait? Hold on, is this one of those dreams again?

Three shadowy humans stood in a high-class apartment, having decorated the living room with balloons and other birthday-related things. For a teenager with a rich family, this party setting was pretty dull since they could just afford to rent somewhere else more fun for the party. Having a party inside their own apartment meant they were either too lazy or expecting the party to be smaller and more intimate, for closer friends.

The smallest shadow took off her party hat and threw it on the ground as I analyzed what was happening. “This is cringe anyways. Just pathetic. Giving everybody a personal invitation was just a waste of energy. Nobody came anyways.”

“Schatz…”

“Honey…”

The two larger shadows approached the smaller one, caressing her back to soothe her as she held her head down. No tears came out of her eyes, dry as if she was expecting this outcome.

Jeez, was my fourteen birthday really that depressing? Urgh, I remember not having a lot of friends, but I didn’t expect to have this lit-

And then everything turned black.

******************************************

“-op! Please, stop, you are making a terrible mistake!”

Ellaine?

“Move, I am leaving now!”

“Mister Talon, please, you can’t go alone. We’ve only been making it past the monsters you couldn’t trick with Lady Yorshka’s help.”

“That is correct. Individually, we can’t contest a C rank, but in a group, we at least have a chance.”

“Well, aren’t you the optimist, kid? Here is a tip: the hunter’s guild recommends five C rankers against a single C rank monster for safety reasons. You five aren’t C ranks and I am only responsible for support. Call me a realist, but we ain’t getting out of here alive as a group. If I’m gonna die in this hell, then I’m taking that damn Svonnweidher with me.”

What the hell is happening? Argh, my head. Did I fall asleep? Manager mind?

‘We were only out for a few minutes, I think. Well, long enough for us to have that depressing dream,’ my first parallel mind informed me after my consciousness had enough time to return.

Shit, that dream was depressing. I couldn’t remember how sad it was until now, but I guess my memories are slowly returning somehow. Let’s wake up.

Opening my eyes, I noticed a severe lack of red in the area, confused where we were until I noticed the lake next to us. Wasn’t I just in a magma chamber? I wondered, but then memories of what happened rushed back into my head. I remembered how I almost had to fight against that Slazzigula, but our battle was interrupted by a group of Shiterno worshippers, and then more and more people arrived, until the ground just broke from a giant spider showing up.

Oh, I fell.

“Oooh, oh shit. It woke up!” Was the first thing I heard the moment I opened my eyes from a voice I wasn’t familiar with at all. Of the voices I’ve heard since my consciousness came back, I only recognized Ellaine’s.

Curious about what was going on, I raised my neck up, noticing how heavy it was to lift. I still felt groggy, so that might be the reason, but the heat and mana I could feel coursing through my body was far stronger than what I was used to waking up with. For the first time in a long while, I woke up in my dragon form.

“Krrrrrraaaaaarhhhhhhhhhhh,” I yawned. That unfortunately caused the people before me to cause a ruckus, cursing as they saw my teeth. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have stifled the yawn just to not scare people unnecessarily the moment I realized I wasn’t in my dragonewt form.

What’s done is done, sadly. No reason to hide it.

Looking down, the humans standing before me looked like mice, Ellaine included. Our size difference was just that huge.

“Hestia, I think you should transform back into your dragonewt form,” Ellaine suggested, smiling wryly as she pointed at the four shivering girls and the one anxious boy. Focusing on them, I noticed how they all looked a bit Asian, although none of them had black hair; instead, their heads were as colorful as everybody else on Peolynca.

I should probably listen to Ellaine. Humanization.

[Humanized (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

The mana mist was huge as always whenever I transformed from a dragon into a dragonewt, large enough to look like a cloud, in my opinion. Once the mist dispersed, I took my party bracelet out from my storage and put it back on, making sure that everybody was alright. “Hello~” I greeted them, after confirming that nobody in Aurora or Grimnir was hurt drastically.

Some of them looked confused, baffled even from what happened. The bespectacled young man in a mage’s robe raised a brow, staring at me as he mumbled, “Doesn’t she fit Yorshka’s description?”

“Who’s Yorshka?” I asked the moment I heard this, catching the young man off-guard, as if he didn’t expect a dragon to have better hearing than a human. “Ah, forget it, we can talk about that later. Sorry for surprising you like that. Ellaine, what happened?”

Ellaine gave me a short summary of what happened. In essence, after the massive spider smashed through the ground, causing it to all crumble down, everybody fell deeper into the dungeon. She told me that I rushed forward to save the group before me, which included Talon, the illusionist we had met before, and also herself as she was separated from the others. With rocks falling down, using her gargoyle was impossible and she was more focused on protecting herself from these boulders.

“Some huge chunk of the broken ground knocked me unconscious before I could use [Wind Blast]? Well, that explains the headache I felt. [Draconic Barrier] can protect me from head injuries, but it can only do so much until it lets damage through,” I shrugged after Ellaine explained everything.

“Yes, seeing you unresponsive was a bit nerve-wracking when we fell down. Thankfully, we didn’t land into a magma lake.” I nodded my head furiously when she mentioned that possibility. She continued, “I managed to calm everybody down after we pried ourselves free from your hold, but you can imagine that doing so was quite the task. Seeing a huge dragon up close would make anybody nervous, ehe ehe.”

Even I admit that my dragon form is scary. Cool-looking, but terrifying.

As Ellaine had already introduced herself to them, I waved at them to catch their attention, “Sorry about scaring you guys. I didn’t mean to. How about some introductions? Seeing as how we’re all in the same situation, I think working together to get out of here would be for the best.”

“You want to get out? Of this dungeon?” a purple-haired girl in a magician’s robe spoke on behalf of her group, stepping in front of them to show me who was the leader. Were they thinking I was a monster from this dungeon?

I looked over to Ellaine, who mentioned she hasn’t introduced me yet except for the fact that I was her friend. Understanding the situation now, I replied to the purple-haired young woman, “There is a misunderstanding. I might be a dragon, but I originally came from outside the dungeon. I’m only this deep into the dungeon with my party for a favor. Talon over there can attest to the fact we met before.”

Seeing me mention him, Talon, who had put his half-mask back on again, nodded. “She’s a fire spitter, but at least you can talk with her.”

I frowned at his answer for a moment but was still grateful for speaking up for me. I then showed them my party bracelet and white-robe. “Adventurer and part-time priestess of the Goddess of Light, Aurena. Party Leader of Aurora, Hestia, at your service.”

Something inside was telling me to speak Japanese here, similar to how I would get the itch to speak Japanese with Saori sometimes. However, just ‘cause somebody looked Asian didn’t mean they could speak it, right? I mean, Peolynca might have an Asian-like country somewhere.

There was also the possibility that these people were a specific Hero group transported into this world from Earth, but honestly? How likely is it for me to meet Saori’s students in a place like this. Shouldn’t they be taken care of by the church? Why risk your lives here? My luck wasn’t good enough to suddenly meet them here. No way.

The purple-haired girl looked at her group for a moment before everybody nodded, stepping forward to introduce themselves. “My name is Tamae. I am the leader of The Magical Biscuit, uhm, that is our party’s name. It’s not a joke,” the purple-haired girl introduced herself, holding onto a staff like any normal magician.

… Tamae?

Certain memories began to appear in my mind, all of them concerning the days our party spent on the road from Firwood to Cedaraille. I began to remember what happened. While Tasianna and Ellaine were out hunting, Saori and I were at camp, preparing dinner when I decided to ask her about her students.

“Sorry if this is a bit too personal,” I apologized after I noticed my curiosity getting the better of me.

“You do not need to be. Honestly, considering all of you are helping me with this, I should be more forthright. I will explain everything later during dinner with everybody.” And that Saori did. She began explaining her days as a teacher and how she became the homeroom teacher for a particular bunch of students.

“As you should know, Hestia, I worked at a school called Shirako High School. My first year was an assistant teacher, it was normal for a beginner like me. However, the next year, I somehow became a homeroom teacher for a class in the high school division; apparently, a teacher resigned just before the year began, leaving the spot open. I just wanted to be a history teacher, but they promised to pay me far more than what I would have originally earned, so I couldn’t exactly reject the offer. My family needed the money,” Saori began.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

She continued, now describing her students, “One of my first tasks as a teacher was to assign the class representatives. One for the girls and one for the boys. They come to speak with me if the class has any concerns, to make it easier for me to sort these problems out. Those students were Tamae Tsuji and Nishio Kudo.”

What a flashback. Maybe my luck is that good. Considering how often our party gets into trouble, it shouldn’t be.

“Tamae? Pardon, you said that your name is ‘Tamae?’” I asked just to confirm my suspicion.

“Oh, yes, it isn’t a very common name around Artorias. We don’t come from this kingdom,” Tamae replied.

[“Ellaine?”]

[“I have not mentioned it yet since I wanted your opinion on it. You are more familiar with Saori and I think you can speak with them better than I could, Hestia.”]

As we spoke through [Telepathy], nobody exactly knew what Ellaine and I spoke about, but with this confirmation, I decided to steer the introductions in that direction. Best way to gain somebody’s trust is common ground, I think. At least, that’s how Saori and I became friends in the first place.

Before it could become awkward, I raised my hand, stopping the next person from introducing themselves. “Oh, one second, please. Uhm, before we continue, may I call you Tamae-san?”

“Huh?” she let out, looking more confused than surprised that I called her “Tamae-san,” something Japanese would address others in a polite way. Like a Ms. or Mr.

I tilted my head, unsure what went wrong, but I continued, “Ok, let me just get to the point, do you guys know Saori Segawa, or, rather, Segawa Saori? History teacher extraordinaire?”

Loud gasps. Not only Tamae but the others behind her widened their eyes as they heard me mention that name, looking extremely wary at me. The bespectacled young man pointed his mage staff at me while the green-haired ponytail girl unsheathed her giant bow, holding her quiver, ready to nock an arrow and shoot it the moment it got dicey.

Before it could escalate any further, I raised my arm to show I didn’t mean them any harm before explaining, “Please, calm down. Since you, Tamae-san, didn’t react to the fact I called you -san, I had no other way to break the ice, okay? Since this information is pretty sensitive, I need to block Talon from hearing this first.”

Within a fraction of a second, a green magic circle appeared on my tail before materializing a sphere of wind around us, blocking Talon from hearing anything. The students were agitated, especially Tamae and the bespectacled boy. Since they were mages, I guess they must be surprised that I could cast this fast. Seeing as I heard other mages mention I had a high [Chant Revocation], that was my default explanation. Although, how high were their [Chant Revocation] skills when they supposedly were trained by the church, at least according to Gael’s information?

“My name is Hestia Atsuko, or, Atsuko Hestia if you want me to introduce myself as a Japanese. I know this might sound crazy but please hear me out. I come from Earth just like you guys… That honestly sounds like something straight from an isekai light novel, right? Then again, you guys getting summoned here as Heroes for some otherworldly Goddess sounds like some cliche anime show, anyways.”

“Hold on, hold on,” the girl with orange and red hair lights suddenly interrupted me. “Y-You’re right, that does sound like something a mangaka would write, but could you continue what you just said, since I think everybody is a bit overwhelmed with the fact that you called yourself a Japanese and know somebody called Saori Segawa!”

“True, just saying, but we are a bit panicked by the fact that we’re lost without our guardian knight and you, a dragon, mentions something this crazy. Could you please answer this before we go crazy,” the blond girl spoke, shivering when she stated that.

I guess I should hurry up.

I explained to them everything they needed to know now. About Saori, how we met, and that their teacher has been looking for information on them the moment she heard about the possibility that they were her students.

This revelation wouldn’t be easy to digest, I wager, and I was right when everybody began repeating what I said. Most were stumbling on their words when they heard Saori died and reincarnated to Peolynca, having trouble wrapping their heads around it. “What do you mean she died and turned into a wolf?! T-That doesn’t make sense!” and “Hold on! The church only summoned us to this world, not Segawa-sensei! H-How is that possible.”

Before it got any crazier, I suggested to them that they join a platoon temporarily so I could show them my proof of all of this. My party bracelet given to me by Farron was able to create a party consisting of up to 20 people, after all. When I sent them the invitation, none of them hesitated for a second.

“S-Segawa-sensei!”

Tamae Tsuiji, Nishio Kudo, Misaki Kawano, Kazumi Hoshino, Kohaku Kobayashi. All names Saori mentioned.

They cried. Tamae, Misaki, Kazumi, Kohaku, and Nishio all shed tears when they saw their homeroom teacher in the party menu, entirely uninterested in Saori’s level or anybody else on the screen. Tamae, Kazumi, and Kohaku let the floodgates open, tears flowed down their faces as they emotionally cried out to Saori. “I can’t believe you’re here,” they all said.

Misaki and Nishio weeped softly, remarking how they thought they wouldn’t be able to see anybody they knew from Earth in months, no, years considering how “they are progressing in levels and skills.” They walked over to me, looking almost hopeful when they asked if I knew anybody else from Earth was on Peolynca. Other than the Revolution Queen, who they’d heard about already, I told them I didn’t.

“I’m sorry, if there were a way to send a message to her like with Line, I would. Sadly, these bracelets aren’t phones,” I told them, sad that technology in Peolynca hadn’t developed far enough for long-distance messages to be implemented.

“No, that’s all fine. In fact, we should apologize for nearly attacking you. One of our tea- I mean, classmates warned us of some suspicious rogue in Firwood who called out to him about Segawa-sensei. After some experiences where we got ambushed once for trusting too much, we had to be more careful,” Nishio explained their behavior, something I couldn’t blame them for. It was natural and I would act the same way if I was in their shoes.

Rogue? In Firwood? Gael? He is the only rogue there who could know about Saori.

Seeing them all cry really made me sympathize with them. I won’t say that I understood perfectly how they all felt, but it made me remember how I first met Saori. The confusion and relief that I wasn’t the only one from Earth in this strange new world really made me emotional. I might have used the garm matriarch’s wish as an excuse, but protecting Saori was my way to not be alone.

I couldn’t imagine what Saori was feeling on her side. I knew, though, that I had to make sure she would be able to meet her students again, safe and sound. For everything she did for me, that’s the least I could do. I can’t protect everybody nor could I save everybody, but I would sure as hell protect these guys.

After everybody calmed down, I dispelled the [Air Shield] and told Ellaine what I was planning to do. Without any further objections, we made it Aurora’s objective to get them to Saori no matter what. Since we knew Saori was safe for the moment, I told The Magical Biscuits that we need to make camp now. I might not act like it, but I was still quite drowsy.

In the corner of my eye, I also noticed Talon slowly drifting away from the group. Before he could leave, I walked up to him and said, “It’s been a while, Mister Illusionist. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

He glared at me for a few seconds before turning around, speaking rougher than usual, “… Neither did I. Can I presume you weren’t a member of that congregation?”

I nodded, “Like I said, I’m not a worshipper of that bastard Shiterno — oops, slip of my tongue.”

“Hehehe,” he chuckled, smiling for the first time I saw him. “Good to hear… I heard you wanted to escort those kids out; if that is the case, then it is for the best that we part here.”

“Our goals don’t align, you mean? I heard you screaming at that congregation’s leader. You know him?”

“Pah! Of course I know that fire slinger. Damn bastard spewed crap about the ‘wonders’ and ‘miracles’ of a destructive cult of the most ostracized Origin God in Peolynca. All he does in his path is destroy lives and bring them to ruin, and all just for him to garner more followers somehow.” Talon clenched his teeth tightly, shaking in anger as he described the person he called Keith. “…Heh, he’s dying by my hand today, so farewell.”

“Hold on!” I grabbed his arm. “There are B ranks wandering around. There’s that slazzigula from before and the giant spider that broke the floor is most likely one, too. I can imagine what you could do with your illusion magic but one unlucky step and you won’t get out of here alive. You’ve seen my dragon form, so let’s work together.”

“And, like you said, our goals don’t align.”

However, I refuted him, saying, “Not exactly. Our blacksmith friend needs something from him and we need equipment from the blacksmith. I made a promise to get the stone, so that ‘Keith’ or whatever will be somebody our party needs to track down. I would prefer it if you wouldn’t kill him and instead just dragged him to an official or something, but we can help you get to him at least. But like I said, I would prefer it if you didn’t kill him.”

“Heh, naive aren’t you?” He replied with derision.

“Oh, believe me, I’m not naive enough to think killing is always unnecessary. If somebody threatens my party or my life, then I will break them to the point they wished they were never born. If that doesn’t help, then I’ll rip them apart. You believe a dragon, Mister Talon?” Returning his glare with my own, I then posed another question to him, “What made you want to kill him in the first place?”

“You’re poking in somebody’s private information again, lass, we went through this already.” He was right, he did reject my attempt to learn more about him but it seemed he was more open enough this time to explain his motives. “He tricked me. Gave me a defective tool to make the worst mistake in my life. A dark mage seeking to become strong with fire magic, heh, what a joke. These scars are the medals for my incompetence.” He took off his mask, revealing the burn scars underneath it.

He continued, “I have known him since my childhood. While I had to run and become an adventurer to survive, he became a professor for fire magic at the royal academy. Ehehehehehe, but he made a mistake, took on the wrong student and it all blew up in his face. I feel bad for that poor Talsyn kid for getting to know the worst of scums, but that ended up making it possible for me to get revenge on that bastard without getting into trouble with the nobles!”

Talsyn? Wait, where have I heard that name before? Oh!

“Wait, are you talking about Macklemor Talysn?” I remembered the first Shiterno mage I met, whose name and appearance was firmly lodged into my memory due to the fact Shiterno hijacked me that same night.

“No idea. You know him? What happened to him?” Talon asked, although a bit uninterested.

“He became a bandit. We met when I took on a bandit subjugation Quest to hunt down his bandit group and rescue the villagers they’d kidnapped. I had to kill him in the end. He was a fire mage,” I informed Talon.

“Hmph. Was it with fire? If you did, then I guess you fulfilled one of the wishes of a Danterno fanatic. They believe cremating your body after death would bring you closer to their god, since the fire burning you will make Danterno entranced by its beauty, bringing the dead’s soul to join him in his realm. Bullshit,” Talon then pulled out an undulating knife with the emblem of Plesia, the Goddess of Water. “A ritual knife I bought from a Plesia worshipper. They use these to gut fish meant as offering for the Water Goddess. Hahaha, the irony when I open his stomach with this.”

He had a maniacal grin on his face when he said that, creeping me the hell out. It only lasted for a moment before he sheathed it. “I’ll try not to think about it, but I will beat the shit out of him. Heh, hope you keep the Aurena side of yours, lass. Her followers might act pompous and self-righteously, but I know some noble priests who are genuinely good people. Far more sane than Danterno’s.”

Without another word, Talon moved to our makeshift camp. It seems I managed to persuade him for now, I think.

Saori, just you wait, I’ll bring them to you!

*************************************************

“Hic,” I hiccuped, still recovering from the tears I’d shed.

I can’t believe it. They really are here.

As a teacher, I had a responsibility to my students to make sure they turned into productive adults, but that ended the moment I died and was transported to Peolynca. So, why did I feel so compelled to find them after learning they were in this world? Sure, we made memories together, but it’s not like I was their parent. I was just a high school teacher they will forget after they graduate university or start working. And to me, they were part of my work to earn a paycheck.

So, why did I cry when I saw their names appear on my party screen?

Tsuji-chan, Kudo-kun, Kawano-san, Hoshino-san, Kobayashi-san. It’s just you five, but I can't stop crying.

I need to find them.

“Miss Saori,” Tasianna called out to me. She was using [Fairy of Winter], which was the only reason we weren't sweating buckets in the middle of this lava lake. “Mister Grimnir looks pretty tired after all the fighting. We should take a rest.”

“Sorry, sleep seems to have gotten me,” Grimnir apologized, looking dreadful in his broken armor. Every piece had dents and was broken in some way, looking far less impressive than when he first appeared in it.

After the three of us fell from that sudden spider’s appearance, we landed on a small island in the middle of a magma lake. The moment we regained our bearings, we were immediately attacked by magma sharks. Yes, sharks with rocky skins swam in this lake, jumping out of the water to spit magma balls at us and trying to bite into and crunch something.

All of them were C ranks like those slazzanbals, but the three of us managed to fend them off with no problem. Grimnir was already tired but he still was sturdy, making good bait. Tasianna, I and three of my garms had enough firepower to overwhelm the torrent of sharks even without Hestia. Becoming a B rank and gaining these new lightning powers really made me stronger.

“We can’t sleep here. It’s too dangerous. I can see land over there, but it’s quite a distance away. Mister Grimnir, can you push yourself?”

“Yeah, I will.”

I wish I had Hestia’s [Will to Fight and Survive] for its infinite Stamina, but we had to do without it. Thankfully, my new skills helped me regenerate my Health and Mana — [True Wolven Bloodlust] for mana and [Stygian Blades] for Health.

We should hurry.

My senses were tingling from my [True Wolven Instincts]. I could sense something lurking in the depths of this place and it made me shiver. Whatever it was, it was a shadow I did not want to meet.