[Oh, looks like he's awake now!]

The first thing Axel heard was, unfortunately, Navi's voice.

"Really, what an unreliable master you are. To think you'd almost die in just a day after we left... I really shouldn't have followed you, humph!"

Mimir's voice followed, speaking in her usual puzzles, her words trembling with great worry.

At that moment, Axel opened his eyes.

As he did, he realized he was in a familiar place—inside the Humvee, lit by the amber-colored dome light overhead. He was lying across the seats right behind the driver.

"I'm..."

Axel sat up, staring at his own body.

His injuries were gone, thankfully—no broken bones, no ruptured organs, completely back to full health. Unfortunately, his clothes—his prized suit—were now just a shadow of their former glory.

"... Repair."

But that didn't last long.

With a single word, the clothes he was wearing were fixed. Not a single tear remained. Looking up, he found Navi and Mimir floating midair, staring at him with concern.

"So you two are back," Axel sighed, trying to stretch his stiff limbs. "How long was I out?"

[You've been asleep for 5 hours after we came back, Contractor!] Navi answered quickly. [But I'm not sure how long you were asleep before that.]

"So, at least five hours..." He nodded. "Then, how long were you away?" he asked further.

"What, you think we were being lazy? We finished the task in under 2 days!" Mimir replied in Navi's stead with a harrumph.

"We did as you told and gathered intelligence back in your dimension, and this is what we return to? Really, to make me worry like this... You should go die in a ditch!"

Hearing her complain, Axel could only manage a bitter smile. It wasn't as if he wished to be pushed to the brink of death himself.

"I'll listen to your reports later."

Axel grunted as he stood up and left the Humvee.

"First, I need to do what I have to do."

Calculating the time he had slept, it should be about eight hours based on Mimir's input. In short, it would be the dead of the night right about now, just a few hours before midnight.

As he opened the door, the faint light from a burning bonfire in the darkness caught the girls' attention. They turned their heads in unison and gasped in surprise.

"S-Sir Axel!"

"You're finally awake... We were so worried."

"Amazing... Sir Axel, really amazing~!"

They quickly rushed over, checking his condition while bombarding him with a flurry of questions. Axel could only scratch his head, not expecting such treatment after having slammed the Humvee earlier. However, seeing that everyone was alright made him feel relieved.

To show his gratitude...

"Repair."

He tapped their shoulders, mending their clothes one by one. Since items equipped by someone are automatically treated as a single unit, he completed the repairs rapidly.

"Thanks for protecting me while I was knocked out," he said, offering a thin smile and sincere gratitude. "Without you girls, I... don't think I would've survived this time either."

He had been in dire straits when he fainted. If left untreated, he would have undoubtedly succumbed to either internal or external bleeding.

He understood that it was thanks to the potions "he had given" the girls that he was still alive, but they were the ones who had administered them, so expressing his thanks felt appropriate.

Just then, a loud sound echoed through the air. A growling sound, as if a lion prowling toward its prey.

"Hmm?"

Or not. It was the adorable grumbling of someone's stomach.

"A-Ah... How embarrassing...!" The culprit, Nina, blushed as she covered her face.

But Axel felt puzzled. After all, they should have had some rations remaining. They were ahead of schedule, so there should still be plenty of resources left. But hearing Nina's stomach growl...

"Did you girls not eat yet?" Axel asked.

Penelope stepped forward, seemingly representing the group. "Ah, that... Actually, we ran out of food," she admitted. "Because of her."

"Her...?"

Following her finger, Axel spotted another figure sitting by the campfire.

A beauty with long, flowing light-gray hair, eyes that sparkled even in the darkness, and hands and mouth stuffed with the girls' emergency rations.

It was Fenrir! She was already awake, seemingly in good health!

"Actually, she woke up about two hours before you did and asked for our food. She's been eating nonstop since then..."

"..."

Given Fenrir's strength, Axel could understand why the girls hadn't dared to refuse her.

However, he couldn't blame Fenrir for being hungry. He had summoned her, even in her comatose state, to face a formidable foe. No doubt she had expended a great deal of energy in that fight.

Food was essential for replenishing what she had lost. Still, despite consuming over a week's worth of emergency rations meant for the entire party, she still looked famished.

"I doubt even that is enough..." Axel shook his head.

Thereafter, things moved quickly.

Axel repaired the Humvee, turned on its lights to dispel the darkness, and set up a long table filled with food.

However, because Axel didn't have the opportunity to reheat the dishes, the girls had to either make do with what was served or heat the food up themselves... and they chose the former.

As the girls began eating, Axel moved to a quiet corner to focus on his task: repairing the last fortress.

Its size matched that of the previous two, but due to the extensive damage, much of it had turned to sand after the fight.

[

Name: Witcheria Frontline Fortress (Major) #107

Repairable: True

Estimated Cost: 32.8 billion Colts

Repair Cost: 45.1 billion Colts

Repair Duration: 2 hours

]

The repair cost exceeded the initial estimate! Additionally, it would take two hours to complete!

"...Well, not like we have anything else to do after this."

Axel shrugged, resigned to his fate, and immediately began the repair.

Two hours...

Listening to Navi and Mimir's report, the time didn't seem long. However, their updates made his expression grow serious.

"I knew the camp was under threat, but the severity of the situation is greater than I expected."

As he muttered to himself, a new pop-up appeared before him.

[

Quest: Helping Out Mother-in-Law! (Complete!)

Requirements:

- Rebuild 3x frontline fortresses of Witcheria Dimension (Complete!)

- Optional 1: Make love with 10x Witches (Complete!)

- Optional 2: Survive (Complete!)

]

[Rewards Received: Army Deployment Function, Contraception Skill (Passive-toggle), Recipe Upgrade Ticket (x10)]

"Finally..." Axel exhaled deeply, feeling a sense of satisfaction. "It's finally done..."

Now, he could finally go home!

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