Chapter 349

After the training camp ended, Haruto’s life became quiet again.

There was only one week left before Totsuki’s first-year advancement exams, but Haruto was not worried in the slightest.

As far as he was concerned, the exams posed no real difficulty.

As for the Régiment de Cuisine that would follow, he had already decided to remain a quiet spectator.

After two weeks of intensive training, everyone had improved tremendously, especially Erina, who had rediscovered the reason she had fallen in love with cooking in the first place.

With how much her skills had grown, winning the Régiment de Cuisine should not be a problem.

Haruto might have been relaxed, but the same could not be said for the rest of Polar Star Dormitory.

With only seven days remaining before the advancement exams, everyone was making the most of every minute for one final push.

The entire dormitory was filled with the tense atmosphere of exam preparation.

Haruto was the only one who looked completely out of place.

"Forget it. I might as well visit another world."

He stretched and loosened his slightly stiff shoulders.

The advancement exams were little more than a formality for him. Rather than waste a week hanging around here, he might as well use the opportunity to explore another world and search for rare ingredients.

Once the idea occurred to him, Haruto stopped hesitating.

He told everyone that he was going home for a few days and would be back before the exams.

They were a little curious, but nobody pressed him for details.

After leaving Totsuki Academy, Haruto quickly returned home.

The moment he opened the door, the sound of a television drifted from the living room.

When he walked in, he found Kagura and Kanna sitting side by side on the sofa, staring intently at the screen.

A comedy variety show was playing.

The host’s exaggerated expressions and ridiculous jokes occasionally drew clear laughter from Kagura.

Kanna remained expressionless as usual, but her eyes were firmly fixed on the television.

Hearing the door open, both of them turned around.

"You’re back."

Kagura greeted him casually before immediately turning her attention back to the screen.

Kanna simply gave a small nod.

Haruto sat down beside the sofa and looked at them.

"I’m planning to visit a new world next. Do you two want to come?"

Kagura practically sprang off the couch.

"Of course!"

Her eyes immediately lit up with anticipation.

"I’m already bored of staying here! Does the new world have good food? What’s the scenery like?"

After remaining in this world for so long, she had been looking forward to traveling somewhere new.

Kanna did not react as dramatically, but a faint trace of anticipation quietly appeared in her eyes as well.

Her hands shifted slightly on her knees before she gave a gentle nod.

Haruto smiled.

"All right. Then let’s get ready to leave. You two wait inside the Gourmet Restaurant first."

"You can come out once we reach the new world."

He opened the passage into the Gourmet Restaurant.

Kagura and Kanna immediately headed inside.

There was already plenty of everything they could possibly need stored within the Gourmet Restaurant, so neither of them had anything to prepare.

Once they were safely inside, Haruto stepped through the newly appeared World Gate.

A moment later, he found himself standing in the middle of an endless wilderness.

Fresh air washed over him, carrying the scents of grass and earth along with the faint fragrance of flowers he had never smelled before.

Soft grass covered the ground beneath his feet.

Rolling green hills stretched into the distance beneath a perfectly clear blue sky, where several white clouds drifted lazily overhead.

"Where is this?"

Haruto frowned and carefully surveyed the area.

There were no signs of human activity and no distinctive structures anywhere nearby.

As far as he could see, there was nothing but grassland and hills.

After thinking for a moment, Haruto reopened the entrance to the Gourmet Restaurant.

Kagura and Kanna stepped out.

The moment Kagura emerged, she stretched widely and looked around with curiosity.

"The wind here feels so clean! But why isn’t there anyone around?"

"No idea where we are either."

Haruto spread his hands.

"Kagura, could you fly up and see if there are any towns or villages nearby?"

"Leave it to me!"

Kagura readily agreed.

She removed the feather ornament from her hair and tossed it into the air.

The feather rapidly expanded until it became enormous.

Kagura lightly jumped onto it.

Wind lifted the feather skyward, carrying her higher and higher until she became little more than a dark speck overhead.

Haruto and Kanna waited below.

A short while later, Kagura descended in front of them.

"Found one!"

She excitedly pointed west.

"There’s a huge town inside a canyon over there! It looks really pretty!"

"Then let’s go."

Haruto nodded.

He and Kanna climbed onto Kagura’s feather, and with a thought, Kagura sent it soaring back into the sky before flying toward the town.

Wind roared past their ears.

Haruto looked down as the scenery raced beneath them.

Green plains, winding rivers, dense forests, and the occasional unfamiliar wild animal created a breathtaking landscape.

As they drew closer, the town nestled inside the canyon gradually came into view.

It was an extraordinarily distinctive terraced city-state built seamlessly into a vast canyon.

Towering gray-white cliffs rose on both sides, disappearing into the sky.

Rather than sheer vertical walls, the cliffs were divided into countless natural terraces.

Crystal-clear pools dotted those terraces, their waters winding downward along the mountainside and forming waterfalls of every size.

Under the sunlight, the falling water glittered like countless silver chains hanging from the cliffs.

At the bottom of the canyon lay an enormous lake, clear and blue as a sapphire.

Gentle ripples moved across its surface, reflecting the sky, clouds, and surrounding cliffs with breathtaking clarity.

A long pale-beige bridge stretched across the lake, connecting its two shores.

Beyond the bridge, extending deeper into the canyon, stood countless white houses with blue roofs arranged neatly along waterways and roads.

Trees grew everywhere between the buildings, filling the city with greenery.

At the farthest end of the settlement, a tall white building with a pointed roof stood out prominently.

Its elegant shape and imposing scale made it obvious that it was one of the city’s major landmarks.

Outside the city stretched rolling green mountains.

Farther still, a vast and majestic mountain range dominated the horizon, its snow-covered peaks partially hidden behind thin mist.

"What a beautiful place!"

Kagura could not help exclaiming.

"It’s prettier than anywhere we’ve visited before!"

Even Kanna’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the magnificent city, a trace of amazement entering her normally calm expression.

Haruto, however, stared at the town with growing suspicion.

"This feels familiar somehow."

The sense of déjà vu was strong.

Yet no matter how hard he thought about it, he could not immediately remember where he had seen such a place.

While Haruto was still thinking, Kagura guided the feather down toward an open area outside the city.

The three stepped off.

With a casual wave, Kagura shrank the enormous feather back to its original size and tucked it into her hair.

She then looked curiously toward the nearby entrance.

"Let’s go inside and take a look."

Haruto set the thought aside and headed toward the long bridge crossing the lake.

Kagura and Kanna followed.

The moment they stepped onto the bridge, cool, refreshing moisture drifted across their faces.

They had barely entered the city and had not even found someone to ask where they were when five or six people suddenly rushed over and surrounded them.

There was no hostility in their expressions.

Quite the opposite.

Every one of them wore an overwhelmingly enthusiastic smile and carried thick stacks of flyers, which they immediately began shoving into Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna’s hands.

"Welcome to the City of Water and Hot Springs—Alcanretia!"

A twin-tailed girl beamed brightly at Haruto.

"Would you like to believe in and serve the great Goddess Aqua? I guarantee that if you join the Axis Cult, every aspect of your life will undergo dramatic changes!"

"That’s right, that’s right!"

A bespectacled girl beside her immediately chimed in.

She adjusted her glasses and began explaining with complete seriousness.

"Joining the Axis Cult will make you incredibly versatile! You’ll also become popular with the undead, and there are all kinds of other unexpected benefits!"

A young man with dyed blond hair pushed his way forward with equal enthusiasm.

"If you’re looking for work, you absolutely have to join the Axis Cult! We offer excellent benefits, free meals and lodging, easy work, and plenty of cute female coworkers!"

An elderly woman with white hair smiled kindly.

"We happen to have a wonderful job available right now! All you have to do is travel to other towns and tell everyone how amazing the Axis Cult is, and you can earn lots of money! It’s very easy—you only need to talk!"

"Come on, come on!"

"Please join us!"

"Serving Lady Aqua is the best decision you could ever make!"

Everyone began talking at once.

Their enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Haruto and the others barely knew how to respond.