An hour had passed since the boy had begun his journey.

Following Kohaku's directions, the stepson of Goto continued, undeterred, carrying the weight of three people: Kuro, Chloe, and Alberich.

(P.O.V. Hajime in the past)

I knew I had pushed myself too far.

In this hour, as I followed Aomori-san's instructions, I reflected on everything that had happened.

I had kidnapped the target, and with video evidence of my crimes, I had reached the point of no return.

I couldn't back out; there was no returning to my previous life. I had entered a story much larger than myself. And all of this to kill Goto and free my mother and Kaori-chan from his wicked presence.

As I walked, I realized that I had embarked on a one-way path; I could no longer hesitate now. This whole situation could end badly, very badly for me.

But what choice did I have? Alone, I had no hope of getting rid of Goto. In my heart, I felt that the path I had chosen was right, but a deep part of me also told me that I would suffer for it.

"Now go right for 300 meters; we're almost there, Kamijo-san."

"Got it."

As I advanced through the sewers, I felt my [mana] recharging; it was a good thing, even though I didn't have enough power for [physical enhancement].

In compensation, thanks to the healing [magic] of my savior, my body, as tired as it was, had healed from the wounds inflicted by the [magical weapons].

"I've arrived, Aomori-san."

"Received; I'm opening the entrance."

The brick wall in front of me opened, the mechanical mechanisms producing a rather annoying metallic noise.

It seemed that this kind of hidden passage had been built many years before my birth, judging by the technology used to construct it.

Beyond the wall were stairs leading down. Just as I had imagined, the "house" where Aomori-san and the others had brought me twice was indeed built very deep underground.

"Check that no one has followed you before going down, Kamijo-san. We don't know if all the [magical weapons] have been destroyed or if there was someone else with that man."

I set the people I was carrying down on the ground and retraced my steps, trying to make as little noise as possible.

I went back 500 meters before being sure that no one was down here. Well, with my limited skills in this area, that was the best I could do.

"I think I'm alone."

"Okay, take the others and go down the stairs."

If the sewers were only a few dozen meters below the asphalt level, the stairs I had descended had taken me at least 60 or more meters below the sewers.

"What is this...........!?"

(End P.O.V.)

At the end of the stairs, Hajime found something that left him breathless.

A door similar to those used in bank vaults blocked the entrance. The metal was shiny and reflected the dim light coming from the lamps.

"(Q-what...........could this be?!)"

There was a metal, discovered centuries ago, that was considered the natural enemy of a [mage]. The scientific name of this material was long and difficult to pronounce, so people referred to it by its nickname: [Glepinir].

The name comes from Norse mythology. Glepinir was the rope that bound the wolf Fenrir until the day of Ragnarok. This appellation was truly fitting.

[Glepinir] absorbed [mana] and nullified all types of [magic]. It was, by far, the most widely used anti-magic metal in the world.

The greater the purity, the greater the effect it had on [mages]. Hajime couldn't know the percentage of purity of the door, but just getting close made his senses alert; the power within him was uncomfortable at the mere presence of such a material.

*Unlock*

The mechanical gears snapped open, and the heavy door, weighing several tons, slowly opened, revealing the worried figure of Kohaku.

"Kamijo-san!"

"Finally............"

"Pass me Chloe-chan! We'll go straight to the infirmary!"

The stepson of Goto had no time to observe or take in the details of the place he was in. Not that he cared at the moment. He had other priorities.

"Hang in there, Chloe-chan; the pain will pass now."

Inside the infirmary (which, according to Hajime, was an overly equipped military hospital), Kohaku laid her friend Chloe on a bed while administering an IV of some unknown substance.

The effect was immediate; the girl's pained face relaxed as her eyes opened.

"..............Ko-Kohaku...............did I... save them?"

"Yes, now rest."

Before she could say anything else, Chloe lost consciousness again. The hacker looked at her friend with a certain guilt while moving on to check her other friend.

"Damn it! I need to call a real doctor for him!"

Kuro had very serious internal injuries and also a head trauma. Unfortunately, Kohaku wasn't a doctor; her only choice to save her friend was to rely on an expert.

The girl's eyes lit up with an amber glow as she used her powers as an esper.

"He should be fine........... yes, okay? I'm sorry, Kuro, but you have to hold on for a few more hours."

"Aomori-san, the target is dying!"

"What!? I'm coming!"

On a bed, a bound Alberich was fighting for his life. Fortunately for him, Hajime and Kohaku couldn't let him die; otherwise, all the suffering they had endured in these hours would have been in vain.

It was two long and chaotic hours, with the girl searching for a solution while giving orders to the stepson of Goto, who was running back and forth like a headless chicken.

"I'm tired............"

"Rest if you want.......... I'll take care of the rest. And Kamijo-san.............. thank you for today; I might have lost my friends if it weren't for you........... I can never thank you enough for this............."

"You're welcome............ we started off well on this new, um........" collaboration, don't you think?"

"I would say more of an alliance............ but we could also be friends if you wanted."

Friends. Hajime couldn't even remember the last time he had said that word. In a way, his life had been very lonely, if it weren't for Kaori and his mother.

"Wait! What time is it!?"

"What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"It's important! Tell me what time it is!?"

"It should be four in the morning..........."

"Damn it, I have to get home! If Kaori-chan and my mother don't find me when they wake up, they'll go crazy!"

Kohaku understood the gravity of the situation. The stepson of Goto had used the excuse of a night run to go out on the mission.

Naturally, if his little sister and mother didn't see him at home in the morning, they would think the worst. In the worst-case scenario, they might even involve Goto; it would be a real disaster.

"Where are my clothes!? Damn it, I left them at the entrance of the sewers! I have to go back to get them! I can't go home dressed like this!"

The guards and other staff at Goto's house were, according to Hajime, "the old bastard's bootlickers!"

Given the little interest that the boy with silver hair's stepfather had in him, it was unlikely that anyone would report to Goto that he hadn't returned home all night. But this was based on the assumption that Hajime wouldn't return covered in blood and sludge.

"Wait, Kamijo-san! You won't make it like this; you're too tired; you'll lose consciousness halfway!"

"I have no choice! I can't let that disgusting green bastard Goto find out the truth!"

Kohaku bit her lip, aware of how the situation was a potential bomb ready to explode. With a deep sigh, the girl went in search of a substance suitable for the situation.

"This will help you! Roll up your sleeve! I need to use a needle to get it into your bloodstream."

"What is it?"

"Well, don't be scared......... this is a poison that............"

"What! First, you talk about friendship, and now you want to kill me?!"

"Let me finish! It's a synthetic poison that acts slowly. For a few hours, you'll feel full of energy and [mana], then you'll lose all your strength. You'll risk dying only after 15 hours; by then, I'll have already given you the antidote. Now go; I'll show you the way."

After running through the sewers, changing clothes, and quickly using [physical enhancement] to get home, Hajime finally let out a sigh of relief when he arrived at his room.

Just as he had imagined, no one who saw him asked questions or stopped him. Without a doubt, Goto would never find out that he had returned home at 6:30 AM.

"(I want to sleep....but I have to get up soon.....better take a shower)"

While he was in the shower, with the water slowly flowing over his body, the silver-haired teenager felt the effects of the poison beginning to wear off.

"(Damn......... I have to leave earlier than usual to find Aomori-san........... if I lose consciousness in the middle of the street, I'll really be in trouble!)"

Just as he had said, Hajime got dressed and hurriedly said goodbye to his mother and little sister, taking off at full speed to the meeting point with Kohaku.

"(Kaori-chan really had a worried look.....I have to go out with her in the coming days; otherwise, she might start to suspect something........ *groan* n-no....now... it's earlier than expected-)"

In less than 8 hours, Hajime ran out of both [mana] and physical strength. Fortunately, the boy managed to drag himself into an alley before collapsing to the ground.

"(I-I need to...call Aomori-sa-)"

The stepson of Goto lost consciousness before he could reach the phone. Fortunately for him, Kohaku had already thought that such a thing was possible, so she had tracked his location with the GPS on his phone.

"Kamijo-san! Can you get up!? Is he completely out!? I underestimated the strain his body has endured!?"

The hacker resigned herself to the idea of having to carry Hajime to the base alone. Not that she could complain; the mission had gone to hell the moment she hadn't investigated who Alberich's buyer was.

It could be said, in a sense, that it was a kind of punishment sent by karma.