Meiran Academy was essentially a great place to work, thanks to a strict two days off each week for the teachers.Club activities and tournaments were held on weekends, which was unavoidable but still something I appreciated.

    A senior who visited the faculty cried because he didn''t have any days off. Well, compared to the hero duties in "that world," most jobs here are far easier.

    So, I found myself at an abandoned quarry about 20 kilometers from my apartment.

    I always set aside a day on the weekend to train my hero skills.

    These were skills I acquired through life-threatening training and battles where I came close to death. Since I might need them in this world too, I can''t neglect my training.

    Activating various sensing skills, I also activated “Flash,” “sensory acceleration,” “optical camouflage,” and “stealth,” and began running at high-speed.

    After running about 100 km in an hour, I activated “Magic space” and took out “Diabla,” an enormous sword longer than my height.

    Activating “Body Fixation” and “Body Super-strengthening,” I wielded the sword, which weighed more than a hundred kilograms.

    The immense mass and concentrated magical power in the jet-black blade created a tremendous shockwave.

    After about 30 minutes of swinging, I put the sword away.

    Calming my mind, I conjured a complex magic circle in my head.

    As the magic circle was completed, a spear of fire shot out in a triple spiral from my outstretched hand.

    The spear of flame vanished just before hitting the rock wall. If I had fired it completely, it would have caused a big explosion. Canceling magic is also part of the training.

    I then unleashed all the magic I knew. Although I was no match for the sage of the hero''s party, I had mastered quite a bit of magic for my own leisure.

    “Phew, I need some rest.”

    Every time I train here, my body feels sharper.

    Although I don’t skip my daily physical training, the amount of exercise I do here is far less than in "that world."

    "Hmm, what''s this?"

    As I stirred my sports drink, my sensing skills picked up something.

    It seemed like something was falling from the sky… No, it seemed to be descending, judging by the gradual deceleration. The movement was clearly not that of an airplane or helicopter.

    “No way, is it a UFO?"

    I threw the plastic bottle into the “magic space” and started running toward the source of the reaction.

    After speeding through the mountains and crossing two passes, I arrived at its landing spot.

    It would be dangerous to approach too quickly, so I slowed down and began walking once I determined the landing point.

    There was no impact sound, vibration, fire, or smoke, so it seemed more like a landing than a crash.

    If that''s the case, there must be a “crew” inside.

    No way, could it really be aliens? Or maybe I’ve been too influenced by recent events?

    After walking down the slope for about 15 minutes, avoiding the trees, I found it in the middle of a gently sloping stream.

    Well, "found" might not be the right word.

    It was cleverly hidden with optical camouflage, looking like "nothing" even though it was supposed to be there.

    According to my sensing skills, there was an object about the size of four tourist buses bundled together.

    However, there was no sign of life.

    Maybe no one was there to begin with... I searched around and found traces of something having moved from the stream into the mountains.

    There was likely only one of them, and since it appeared to be bipedal, it was probably human.

    Even so, it''s an object that can move through the air and has optical camouflage technology.

    If it were a secret weapon from some country, just seeing it would be dangerous.

    “……!?”

    At that moment, my sensing skills picked up something flying toward me at low altitude and high speed. Judging from the reaction, it was a person. Were they using a hang glider?

    I tried to hide but stopped when I felt their gaze on me. They had already noticed me.

    As I waited on the riverbank, it appeared from the sky.

    In a word, it was a human clad entirely in silver armor.

    However, the armor wasn’t like medieval plate armor but more like something from science fiction—a powered suit.

    It controlled its position using jet propulsion from its arms and legs and deftly landed on the riverbank.

    The wings on its back retracted. It looked kind of cool.

    “This is the Galactic Federation Independent Judge Lilionate Armada. Please reveal your identity.”

    The silver-armored figure pointed to a crest on their shoulder armor that resembled a balance scale with a star on it.

    The voice seemed electronically processed, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman.

    No, it was probably a woman.

    The breastplate stuck out too far forward, and the armor had a feminine silhouette.

    But “Ginga Renpou” and “Dokuritsu Hanji”... could those be “Galactic Federation” and “Independent Judge”?

    This was totally science fiction. And judging from their title, this person must be on the side of order—a sort of police officer.

    If that''s the case, it''s best not to resist at first.

    “Ah, I’m Aiba Hashiru. I’m a high school teacher. Nothing more, nothing less.”

    When I answered, the silver armor pulled out what looked like a gun from its waist.

    No, wait a minute, I answered honestly!

    “I ask you again, please reveal your true identity.”

    “No, but… my name is Aiba Hashiru. I’m a teacher at Meiran Academy.”

    The silver-armored figure suddenly aimed their gun and pulled the trigger.

    The target wasn’t me… but the “unidentified flying object” that had landed in the valley.

    A beam of light shot from the gun and hit the "thing" hidden by optical camouflage.

    In an instant, the camouflage burst, revealing the entirety of the “thing.”

    It was a dark-gray spaceship, the size of several tourist buses.

    Well, I’m not sure if it was actually a spaceship, but it had an aura that could only be described as one, standing on its four legs in the valley.

    “This interstellar cruiser belongs to you, doesn’t it?”

    There was something triumphant in the Silver Armor’s words.

    Ah, this is a complete misunderstanding.

    “No, that’s not right. I just came here because I saw something descending.”

    “There’s no way you could see a cruiser with an invisibility shield deployed. Lying will only hurt you.”

    “Ah, sorry. I mean, seeing it was definitely a lie. But I sensed it. I have a keen intuition.”

    The silver armor fired again. The shot landed right at my feet. Judging from the way the ground was gouged out, the force of the shot was similar to a fireball. It seemed possible to adjust the power.

    The bullets appeared to travel at the speed of light, making them impossible to dodge. But as long as I don’t stand in front of the gun, it’s not a problem. And if it''s a physical attack, there are ways to defend against it.

    “The way you''re acting, it''s obvious you''re not from this planet. Settlement outside the Federation''s territory is strictly prohibited. Follow our instructions and submit to justice.” S~?a??h the N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

    “Wait a minute. I am from this planet, and I don''t understand what you''re saying at all. Please tell me how I can convince you that I’m from here.”

    As soon as I said that, jets fired from the feet and back of the silver armor.

    At the same time, the figure charged at me with a powerful front kick.

    I locked my arms to block it.

    It was as powerful as a Wild Boar King’s lunge. In this world, it would be like getting hit by a car.

    Although I was pushed back a little, I managed to stay on my feet, and the silver armor used the recoil to jump back to its original position.

    “If you were from this planet, you would have died from that kick. You are definitely a violator—someone who has undergone illegal enhancement treatment. You can either quietly obey the law or add the charge of obstruction of justice to your sentence. The latter may carry the maximum penalty.”

    The silver-armored figure said something outrageous.

    From what it said, it seemed there was a criminal on board this spaceship, and I had been mistaken for that criminal.

    This was a complete false accusation, but I had no way to prove it. It was true that I was different from the average human being.

    But that didn’t mean I had to follow their orders. I’ve never even heard of the “Galactic Federation.”

    “I’m sorry, but I choose neither. I’m an Earthling, and I have no recollection of ever belonging to the ‘Galactic Federation.’ Does an ‘Independent Judge’ have the power to exercise its authority over non-members of the Federation?”

    "We''ve confirmed your intent. We will proceed with enforcement in accordance with Article 5 of the Independent Judges Act."

    As soon as it said this, the silver-armored figure fired a volley of shots at me.

    Wait, no mercy at all!?

    I activated my 『Body Super-Strengthening』 『Flash』 and 『Action Prediction』 skills to dodge all the rays.

    From the other side''s perspective, it must have looked like I was predicting their moves and dodging them.

    “Ugh...!”

    I used spatial magic to pull out a mithril long club and approached the silver armor.

    They put away their gun and drew a sword from their other hip. It was like something out of science fiction—a sword in a high-tech setting.

    I had the advantage in close combat due to the longer reach of my weapon.

    I continuously thrust while moving the tip in a circular motion.

    Silver Armor managed to parry some strikes with its sword, but it lost its balance trying to block it.

    Sorry, but my attacks aren’t light enough to be blocked with a one-handed sword.

    I rotated my stick half a turn and struck their torso with the opposite side of the stick.

    They tried to block it with their sword, but it wasn’t enough to neutralize the force of the attack, and they were blown onto the riverbank.

    Just before hitting the ground, it shot out jets and leaped back into the air. What impressive reaction time.

    I used wind magic to lift myself into the air, approaching them mid-flight, and then swung my stick down from above.

    The blow to its shoulder crushed their helmet, sending them crashing straight to the ground.

    The silver armor still tried to stand, but I placed my magic sword “Diabla” at its neck, pinning them down.

    “Listen. I am not who you think I am. I have no intention of being your enemy.”

    “And you expect me to believe that?”

    “You should know that if I hadn''t held back, your head would already be rolling. You’re not such a fool, are you, Shinra?”