Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

After everything had ended, I stood in front of the half-destroyed house and let out a deep sigh.

"…What am I going to do about this?"

Since Raikou Douji had crashed through the roof, the mansion where I had spent the last five years was in a semi-ruined state. On top of that, the barrier my father had set up was no longer functioning. This wasn't just about not having a Christmas party, it was about not being able to live here at all.

"For now, I should go find Mom and the others."

They should have gone to get Dad and Renji-san, but how far did they go?

I could probably contact them wherever they are using a smartphone, but the issue is Aya-chan and Hina. I made sure they escaped to a safe place, so they might have gone pretty far.

"…Should I try to find them?"

My father had shown me how to use detection magic and taught me how it works.

So, I could use it without any problem, but...

"Do we have a map...?"

When my father and the others were searching for the Fifth Rank monster in the forest, they used detection magic. The way it works is by injecting mana into a talisman and using it as a target for detection, moving it across a map like a manual Google Maps.

But naturally, you need a map to do that.

However, in this age where smartphones are so prevalent, we don't have a detailed map of a specific city or district at home. I know my father has some maps because he uses them for work, but those are in his work bag, not at home.

And that bag is with my father.

…Hmm. I guess I'll have to wait for them to come back.

I let out a deep breath, and a wave of exhaustion hit me.

I almost sat down right there, but since the barrier around the house is gone, sitting around would mean a delayed response if another monster showed up. That would be bad, so I stood there absentmindedly as the sun fully set, and the moonlight shone on the garden.

At that moment, something faintly glowed in the hole left in the garden where I had used "Oborozuki (Hazy Moon)" to consume Raikou Douji.

"…Huh?"

Wondering what it was, I moved closer and saw a yellow jewel lying on the ground.

It was about the size of a marble, and it shimmered as if it were emitting light by capturing the moonlight.

I was too scared to touch it with my bare hands, so I extended my "Silveit Threads" to bring it closer to me. Of course, without touching it directly, just to examine it more closely.

…What is this?

Just as I leaned in to get a better look, I heard my mother's voice coming from behind the collapsed house.

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"Itsuki!"

"Ah, Mom!"

That saved me the trouble of having to go look for them.

As I thought that, my mom rushed over and hugged me tightly.

"Thank goodness! Thank goodness you're alive…!!"

"…Yeah, I won't die."

"I'm so glad you're safe…"

Her voice was small, but it was filled with so much emotion that I hugged her tightly as well. When I tried to pull away, though, she wouldn't let go.

"Mom, you're squeezing me."

But instead of letting go, my mom continued.

"I was so worried."

"…Yeah."

"You said you were going to run, but the sounds of magic didn't stop coming from the house."

"…Yeah."

"When I couldn't hear anything anymore, I thought maybe you had died."

"…I'm sorry."

I couldn't say anything else. I barely managed to squeeze out those words.

I couldn't find anything else to say to my mom.

"No, it's okay. I'm just glad you're safe…"

She exhaled deeply, and as she finally released me, she continued.

"Hey, Mom. Where's Hina? Where's Aya-chan?"

"They're with Momoka-san. She took them to a safe place."

"Oh, that's good then."

"Hey, Itsuki. Can I ask you something?"

Though she had let go of me, my mom kept her gaze fixed on mine as she asked.

"What is it?"

"Where did Raikou Douji go? Did he escape somewhere?"

Oh, that's right. I hadn't told her what happened to Raikou Douji yet.

"No, he didn't escape. I exorcised him."

"…Huh?"

My mom's face went blank with shock as she asked again.

"Itsuki, you exorcised Raikou Douji…?"

"Yeah, that's right. I exorcised him. And this is something that dropped after I did... Mom, do you know what this is?"

"…It's an Iho (Legacy Treasure)."

An Iho…?

A legacy treasure? Not something illegal, right?

"Did you really exorcise him? Itsuki? Raikou Douji…?"

"Yeah, that's right…"

My mom's face changed color the moment she saw the yellow jewel, her expression a mix of confusion and astonishment as she continued.

"…This is an Iho, Itsuki."

"What's that?"

"When 'Monsters' die, they usually turn into black mist, right? But when a monster of Sixth Rank or higher dies, they leave behind a crystal of mana. That's called an Iho."

Oh, so that's a thing.

So, if I die, would I leave behind a crystal too?

No way I'm ever testing that.

"This must be Raikou Douji's Iho. We'll have to show it to your father, but… if this was left behind, it means you really did exorcise him, Itsuki."

Just as my mom said that, I heard the sound of tires screeching on asphalt from behind the house. And right after that, I heard a thud, like someone had crashed their car.

Wait, is that okay?

"Itsuki! Are you okay!? Are you still alive!!?"

I heard my dad's voice, loud and clear.

In a single bound, he jumped over the house and landed in the garden.

"Itsuki! Kaede!!"

He wrapped "Silveit Threads" around his legs for Physical Enhancement and jumped all the way here.

"Where's Raikou Douji? Are you hurt!?"

My dad was in a panic, and it was a little funny, so I pointed to Raikou Douji's Iho.

"Nope, I'm fine. I exorcised him."

"…What?"

My dad's expression changed.

"Let me see it…"

He reached out and took the Iho I had suspended with "Silveit Threads," and after holding it for a moment, he murmured in amazement.

"…There's no doubt about it. This is Raikou Douji's mana."

Can you really tell just by touching it?

"So, Itsuki… you exorcised Raikou Douji…"

I couldn't find the words to describe my dad's expression as he said that. Shock, pity, certainty. It didn't fit any of those words. Maybe it was all of them at once.

"Hey, Dad. Is there anything good about keeping this?"

"Oh, absolutely. If you carry this with you, Itsuki, your mana and Raikou Douji's mana will 'resonate'… To put it simply, you'll be able to use the spells Raikou Douji used."

"What!?"

I can use that lightning magic too!?

"However, you'll need to keep it on you at all times… But we can think about that later."

With that, my dad lifted me up and hugged me tightly.

"…I'm so glad."

Unlike Mom, Dad didn't say much more than that.

But that was enough for me. I felt like I was receiving more than enough love.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I tried to change the subject.

"Hey, Dad. Mom. Let's go pick up Hina."

I suggested.

"Hmm? Where's Hina?"

"She's with Momoka-san in a different location."

"I see. Yes, let's go get her."

With that, my dad put me down, and the three of us went to pick up Hina.