For some reason, Altina smiled and held her hand out to Hajime. She'd fallen for Cam's
taunts hook, line, and sinker. Naturally, Shea stepped in and slapped Altina's hand out
of the way.
The two of them locked eyes. Sparks flew between the two of them.
"Thanks so much for guiding us Altina-san."
Shea smiled at Altina. It was a warm smile, befitting of a rabbitman of Haltina.
However, her bunny ears betrayed what she was really feeling. They were projected
outward in an attempt to intimidate Altina.
"No problem, Shea-san. But the crowd's rather dense, so I think it would be best if we
held hands. It wouldn't do to get separated, would it?"
Altina smiled back. It was a warm smile, befitting of a princess of Haltina. However,
her pointed ears betrayed what she was really feeling. They were twitching rapidly in
protest.
Everything's going according to plan. Cam grinned to himself, something Hajime didn't
miss. He guessed what was going on, and gave Cam a smirk that could cause
nightmares. A torrent of cold sweat poured down Cam's forehead, and his grin
vanished. He gave Cam the evil eye, and pointedly took Shea's hand.
"Ah…." she gasped. A second later a smile split her face and she hugged Hajime's arm.
Surprised, Altina looked up at Hajime. His gaze was colder than ice. He didn't seem the
least bit happy that a beautiful girl like her was trying to flirt with him. "Just take us to
the conference hall already," his eyes said.
Crestfallen, Altina dejectedly led them out of the square. She'd known from the start
that she had no chance against Shea, who'd gone through all sorts of hardships
together with Hajime, but she'd still wanted to have hope. And Hajime had crushed
that hope so ruthlessly that everyone aside from Yue gave him a somewhat
reproachful look. While they didn't want any more girls vying for his affection, they
still thought he could have been nicer about it.
When they arrived at the hall, the elders took their customary seats at the head of the
room. Cam and a few of the Haulia sat across from them. They sandwiched Gahard
between themselves, and Hajime, who'd sat to their right. It was only when the
emperor himself confirmed that he had indeed surrendered to the Haulia and agreed
to their demands that the elders finally had to admit this was all real. They all reacted
to this historic event in different ways. Some howled with joy, others looked up at the
roof, while yet others covered their eyes and sighed deeply.
One of the elders, the tigerman Zel, narrowed his eyes and glared at Gahard. He didn't
like how the emperor was still smiling fearlessly despite being smack in the middle of
enemy territory.
"For a defeated emperor, you sure look pleased with yourself. Do you even realize how
much most of the people here despise you? You don't honestly think we'll let you go
home in one piece, do you?"
Zel's pupils narrowed to slits, and he made no effort to hide his hatred. Bloodlust
oozed from his every pore. Most of the other elders and beastmen soldiers in the room
were the same. Gahard was their sworn enemy. It was impossible for them to stay calm
in this situation. However, Gahard didn't seem the least bit perturbed by their glares.
"Of course I do. There's no way you'd dare to kill me. Unless you're all just a pack of
morons anyway."
"What was that, you bastard!?"
Ulfric held out a hand to hold Zel back.
"Calm yourself, Zel. I understand full well how you must be feeling. But remember, the
reason the Haulia brought Gahard here was to prove to us that his oaths are as binding
as they claim. If we kill him here, the victory the Haulia risked their lives for will
become meaningless."
"Grr…."
Zel's face twisted in frustration, and he slammed a fist into the ground. Gahard simply
harrumphed in response. The atmosphere in the room was quickly becoming
dangerous. In an attempt to smooth things over Ulfric gave Gahard a warning.
"Gahard, you will afford us the proper respect. Or else we may have to become the
morons you claim we are. Many of the people here are having a difficult enough time
holding their emotions in check as is. Know that that is the extent of the pain you
caused us."
Ulfric's voice was even, but his words carried weight. Enough weight to wipe the smirk
off Gahard's face. He had lived longer than any other beastman in the room. That also
meant that he'd experienced the most pain, the most suffering, the most anger, and
the most hatred.
Gahard stretched his legs lazily and observed Ulfric for a time. Finally, he straightened
his posture and spoke.
"If you want my respect, then draw your sword."
Ulfric looked at him suspiciously, and Gahard explained,
"I, along with everyone else in the empire, only pay respect to the strong. If you don't
like my attitude, then make me obey by force. Petty words alone mean nothing to the
emperor of Hoelscher."
Gahard felt absolutely no remorse about enslaving beastmen. Unlike Heiligh, he didn't
look down on them because they were an inferior race that couldn't use magic and
had been abandoned by god. Nor did he have any issue with their bestial nature. He
simply looked down upon them because he considered them weak.
"I didn't lose to the beastmen of Verbergen. And so, I have no obligation to show you
any respect. The ones who risked their lives to defeat me are the Haulia, and the Haulia
alone! It's only their strength that I recognize!"
Gahard's spirited shout sent tremors across the room. His stare clashed with Ulfric's,
and invisible sparks danced through the air. The tension in the room was so thick you
could cut it with a knife. The two of them were engaging in a silent battle of wills. In
the end, the one who broke this strained silence was none other than Hajime.
"Oi, Gahard. You're making everything a huge pain, so you can go back now."
"Huh?" As always, he didn't even bother trying to read the atmosphere.
Ulfric looked at Hajime in confusion, while a suspicious frown formed on Gahard's
face. Ignoring Kouki and Liliana's incredulous looks, Hajime grabbed Gahard by the
scruff of his neck and opened a portal in front of him using spatial magic. Beyond the
portal, the familiar landscape of the imperial capital was visible.
"H-Hey! You're not really gonna just throw me outta here are you!? Wasn't this
supposed to be a historic meeting between our two countries!? I can't believe I'm the
one saying this, but read the damn atmosphere for once!"
"Like I give a shit. I only brought you here so you could testify to the elders. I'm not
here to babysit your meeting. I was gonna have to send you back eventually anyway,
so there's no point in waiting." Hajime didn't bother waiting for a reply, and further
drove his point home.
"You guys have had different values and been at odds with each other for centuries….
It's not like a single talk's going to make all the bitterness and resentment magically
go away. Or are your feelings really that shallow?"
In truth, Gahard and the elders' discussion was going nowhere. They wanted him to
show remorse, or at least promise to change his ways, while he continued to assert
the righteousness of his doctrine to the bitter end. They were two parallel lines that
would never cross. It would take a number of long conversations by level-headed
leaders on both sides to work through the massive gulf between races, governments,
and ideologies. And Hajime had no interest in sticking around to wait for them. Like
Gahard had said, it was the Haulia who had defeated him, not Ulfric and the others. He
was only hear to corroborate their story as per his contract. Nothing more, nothing
less.
"Ngh, you do have a point, but…."
"And so, I'm gonna send you back before you start a fight."
"You bastard, don't treat me like some rebellious kid! Hey, stop pulling! Let me go!"
Hoelscher's emperor struggled with all his might, but he was no match for the
inhuman strength of Hajime's artificial arm.
"Nagumo-san, that's the Emperor you're holding by the scruff of his neck. You
shouldn't treat him like that~"
"Why do you look so happy about this, Princess Liliana!?"
Liliana remonstrated Hajime in a singsong voice; she clearly wasn't the least bit mad
about his treatment of Gahard.
"Even an emperor's just a kid to Nagumo-san~ I'm not the only one he treats like
that~" Liliana hummed softly to herself in an impromptu tune. Were she to give a
name to this new song, she would have called it "Comrades in arms."
"Lily…. Oh, you poor thing."
"Hajime-kun, you could at least be a little nicer to Lily!"
Shizuku dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, while Kaori tearfully pleaded with
Hajime. Unable to watch their princess, Helina and Heiligh's royal guards turned away.
Reality was too cruel to their poor mistress.
Even Yue felt so bad for Liliana that she tried to heal the princess with spirit magic.
One of spirit magic's signature spells was one that stabilized a person's mental state.
A sympathetic golden light washed over Liliana. However, it appeared to have no
effect, and she continued singing her deranged song.
Desperate, Tio tried to help with her own spirit magic. It was just as ineffective,
however. The princess had been scarred deeper than anyone expected. Even Gahard
gave her a pitying look. He then turned to Hajime and said,
"See, look. It's because you don't treat royalty with the respect they deserve that your
princess ended up like this. Now hurry up and let me down—"
"Not my problem," Hajime replied bluntly. Then, without warning, he threw Gahard
through the gate.
"I won't forget this, Hajime Nagumooooooooo!" Gahard yelled as he vanished.
Hajime's irreverent treatment of Gahard had given Verbergen's elders a vicarious
sense of satisfaction, temporarily satiating their desire for revenge. Kouki was the first
to realize this, and he leaned close to Ryutarou and muttered,
"Don't tell me this was his plan from the start?"
"Nah, I think that's just how he is."
"I'm with Ryutarou-kun on this one."
Though neither Ryutarou nor Suzu agreed with him, Kouki still wasn't convinced. It
was only when Hajime then tried to throw the still humming Liliana through the same
gate that Kouki was forced to admit defeat.
Fortunately for Liliana, she narrowly managed to convince Hajime that she still had
unfinished work here and that he couldn't send her back just yet.
Like she did with Gahard, Liliana explained to Verbergen's elders what had happened
in the kingdom along with the truth about Ehit. She then went on to discuss what kind
of relationship she wanted to have with Verbergen in the future. While the kingdom
hadn't kept slaves like the empire, it was only because they'd considered beastmen
subhuman. Naturally, the beastmen were aware of that too, and it made it difficult for
talks to proceed smoothly. However, the beastmen still had less hatred for Heiligh than
they had for Hoelscher, meaning they were at least willing to hear Liliana out.
"Haaah, fine. We'll go exploring Verbergen for a bit, so just find me once you're done
talking. And don't cause any trouble, Princess. If you make a scene, I'll throw you back
to Heiligh on the spot."
"Nagumo-san, I'd like to remind you once again that I am the kingdom's princess."
"And?"
"Yes yes, I already know you don't even care about status or royalty. It's my fault for
expecting anything different from you. Fufu, I guess you just throw princesses back
into their castles on a daily basis. Ahahaha."
Liliana was obviously sulking. It would be a difficult road, conveying the love that had
blossomed during the ball. In an attempt to cheer Liliana up, Helina brought her one
of her signature teas, while Shizuku and Kaori comforted her.
Meanwhile, Kouki and Liliana's guards glared at Hajime, but he ignored them.
In truth, Hajime had long since guessed Liliana's feelings for him. He'd had to have
been colossally dense not to figure it out after the dance. But he had no desire to
nurture those feelings, so instead of treating her with halfhearted kindness he just cut
her off at every turn. Whether that was because he was loyal to Yue, or just because he
was cold by nature was anyone's guess.
He sighed wearily to himself and turned to Cam.
"Cam, it looks like the princess wants to keep talking with the elders, but what about
you guys? If you're not planning on staying, could you guide me back to your village?
Driving Fernir across half a continent with thousands of people on board was
exhausting. I want to rest for a bit."
"Hmm. Well you will be challenging the labyrinth starting tomorrow, so rest certainly
would be a good idea. We'll take you back, Boss."
Cam still had to take care of inaugurating all the new recruits and leading the Haulia
left in Verbergen, so he decided to have one of his men guide Hajime and the others.
But before he could snap his fingers and call his subordinates from the shadows, he
was stopped by Ulfric.
"Please wait, Nagumo-dono. We have yet to repay you for all you've done for us. Would
you mind staying here just a while longer?"
"Like I said, thank the Haulia, not me. They're the ones who did this."
"Naturally I intend to reward them as well. However, that doesn't change the fact that
we owe you a great debt. We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we didn't at least
do something."
"I mean if you want to believe you owe me, you're welcome to think that, but…. There
really isn't anything I need right now."
"Mmm…. Then at the very least, let us provide you lodging and food while you're
here…. Would that be acceptable?"
Hajime shot a questioning glance back at Yue and the others. None of them seemed to
mind, and Shizuku and Suzu looked like they wanted to stay and explore the beautiful
capital filled with fluffy beastmen. All the other elders seemed like they were fine with
it as well. In fact, they showed none of the hostility that they had to Gahard, or any of
the wariness they were showing Liliana. When it came to Hajime, it seemed all of the
elders loved him. From the bottoms of their hearts, they seemed to sincerely want
Hajime to stay.
Looking at it objectively, Hajime had rescued countless beastmen, had healed all of
their injuries and even repaired their city. Furthermore, so long as none of the
beastmen opposed him, he wouldn't hurt any of them. Compare to when he'd first met
the elders, they had a lot more reasons to like him. However, Hajime hadn't done any
of this to earn their goodwill, so it made the situation a little awkward. Still, he wasn't
one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"If that's what you want, then I guess we can stick around," Hajime said with a shrug.
Ulfric breathed sigh of relief, then turned to Cam.
"Now then, Cam. Though you were exiled from Verbergen, you saved our capital, and
then went on to defeat the empire and force them to return our enslaved brethren.
These are debts that must be repaid. To begin, I would like you to know that the elders
have unanimously agreed to rescind the Haulia's exile. That was decided in the
meeting following the demons' attack. You and your clan are free to visit Verbergen as
you please. If you so desire, we would even be willing to create a residential quarter
for your kin."
To think the elders would actually reverse their old decision, Hajime thought with some
surprise, I guess that's just how big Cam's achievements were.
However, Cam's response was surprisingly lackluster. "I see," was all he said flatly. He
didn't seem particularly happy about no longer being exiled.
Ulfric cleared his throat awkwardly and went on to list the other rewards Verbergen's
elders had decided to bestow upon the Haulia.
"Furthermore, I would like to propose that the council open a new seat to be filled by
the current head of the Haulia, Cam Haulia, as a reward for his meritorious service. Do
the other elders agree?"
The other beastmen in the room looked at Ulfric in shock. For the past few centuries,
the number of elders and the clans from which those elders were chosen had
remained unchanged. The elves, tigermen, bearmen, foxmen, dwarves, and harpies
were the six most prominent beastmen races, and the ones from which elders had
traditionally been chosen. For the rabbitmen to be included into the council of elders
would be a historically unprecedented honor.
The other elders conferred with themselves for a few seconds, then nodded to each
other and unanimously confirmed Ulfric's proposition.
"Well, there you have it, Cam. Will you accept this seat on the council?"
"Absolutely not."
"….What?"
The elders' jaws dropped open. Considering the festive atmosphere, they'd all been
accepting Cam to agree. But he refused without a second thought. It made no sense to
the elders.
"May I ask why?"
Ulfric quickly recovered. He kept his voice level even as he wondered why anyone
would want to refuse the greatest honor a beastman could be awarded.
"It's not really a question of why. In the first place, you guys seem to be under a
fundamental misconception about our position."
"And what would that be?"
"You probably think our goal was to save all the beastmen, but that was just an
unintended consequence of our true aim. The reason we attacked the empire was to
save our brethren, the other rabbitmen. In all honestly, I could care less about all the
other beastmen."
"What did you just say?"
The elders looked at Cam in disbelief.
"Don't get the wrong idea here. We Haulia aren't your allies. If you let our victory get
to your head and start thinking you might stand a chance against the empire
yourselves, our next targets will be you. We won't allow you to act recklessly and cause
us or our boss any trouble."
That wasn't a threat. It was a mere statement of fact. Cam's tone made it clear he really
would raze Verbergen if he felt it necessary. After all, if the other beastmen did
something to Gahard or his family, it would destroy everything Cam and the Haulia
had fought for. Without their contract with the empire, all that awaited the rabbitmen
was a dark future. And while Cam's decision was a rational one, the blunt way in which
he said it made it difficult for Verbergen's elders to swallow.
"Y-You would turn your blades on your own people!? Are you insane!?"
"Hmph, you other beastmen persecuted us rabbitmen as much as the empire did.
Don't try and pretend like we're old friends. Well you can if you want, but it won't
change anything. Point is, we fight only for the sake of securing a better future for
rabbitmen. You'd do well to remember that."
Cam resolutely stared down Ulfric and the others. At the same time, he gave the Haulia
behind him a thumbs-up over his shoulder, as if to say "I sure told them!" His
subordinates returned his thumbs-up and grinned in satisfaction. They were all
thinking the same thing. Don't think you can trick us into joining your council and then
use our strength however you please, you damn cowards!
Part of the reason Ulfric had invited Cam was because he had wanted to add the
Haulia's strength to Verbergen, so he couldn't deny it.
Meanwhile, the people around Hajime all simultaneously turned to glare at him. Cam's
statement bore a striking resemblance to Hajime's ideology of protecting what was
important to him and ignoring everything else.
"You make it sound as if the rabbitmen are walking down a different path than other
beastmen."
"I'm glad you're so quick on the uptake, Ulfric. That's exactly it. From now on,
rabbitmen will only be following their own rules. We have no interest in joining with
Verbergen, and thus being subjected to the nation's laws and regulations."
Short-tempered as always, Zel bristled at Cam's haughty remarks. He didn't take
kindly to Cam's dismissal of Verbergen and the elders. Cam maintained a neutral
expression, but the Haulia behind him responded to Zel's physical posturing by
attempting to intimidate him in kind. Ulfric, who'd been thinking to himself this whole
time, sighed wearily and gave Cam a look similar to the one he'd given Hajime when
they'd first met.
"In that case, Cam. How about we recognize the Haulia as a tribe equal in status to the
nation of Verbergen? Naturally, you will retain your right to claim a position on the
council if you so wish. This way, you won't be obligated to follow Verbergen's customs,
or any of the council's decrees. On top of that, you'll still be able to influence our
policies."
"Hoho…. Now that doesn't sound to bad." Cam's grin made it clear that he'd been
hoping Ulfric would say that. In truth, he'd wanted an alliance with Verbergen in order
to prepare for the eventual, inevitable invasion from the empire. However, had they
joined Verbergen as just part of the council, they would have been bound by the city's
laws and unable to move as freely as they wished. They could have of course ignored
the council's decrees and done as they pleased anyway, but that would just destroy
their relationship with Verbergen. That was why Cam had believed his best options
were to either form an alliance on equal grounds, or remain a separate, neutral entity.
Naturally, Ulfric's proposal was met by complaints from the other elders. They thought
he was giving the Haulia far too preferential treatment. In response, Ulfric just sighed
and stated the fact to them.
"They defeated the empire on their own. Verbergen would never be able to manage
that even if we mustered every soldier we could. I'd say that's a good enough reason
to treat them as equals, wouldn't you? Besides, if we do nothing we'll lose any
connections to the Haulia that we might have had. I'm sure you all aren't so foolish as
to see how harmful that would be to us. If we welcome them as allies, we'll be able to
reforge the bond of trust that was lost when we first exiled them. These concessions
are a paltry price to pay, considering what they've done for us."
The elders grit their teeth in frustration, but none of them could come up with a valid
argument against Ulfric's reasoning, or a better alternative. So in the end, they
swallowed their pride and agreed to Ulfric's proposal.
"There you have it, Cam. As the council agrees, we will henceforth welcome you as an
allied clan. I trust you have no objections?"
"Well whether you'd agreed to recognize our independence or not, we would have
done what we wanted regardless. Still, we're fine with that. Oh yeah, we're claiming
the land around the Grand Tree and the patch of forest to its south as Haulia territory.
So from now on, don't let anyone go there without permission. We can't guarantee the
safety of any trespassers."
Cam really didn't know when to quit. On top of everything else, he was now claiming
land for his new nation. Even Ulfric couldn't help but twitch a little at that.
Next to Hajime, Shea buried her face in her hands. Her father's arrogance was an
embarrassment. Her rabbit ears folded over themselves in an attempt to block out his
words.
After a few more rounds of negotiations, Ulfric and Cam finally came to a settlement
they could agree on. Hajime left the exhausted elders to work out the details of the
alliance and went to see what his accommodations in Verbergen were like.
As he left the conference hall, he found the citizens still reveling in the streets. Finally
free to explore the city as they wished, Kouki, Ryutarou, Shizuku, and Suzu all eagerly
ran off into the crowd. It was the first time Hajime had seen them so cheerful in a
while.
Hajime also thought he saw a group of crazed Kaori worshipers out of the corner of
his eye, and he decided to give them a wide berth. Just in case, Kaori put on a pair of
sunglasses Hajime had made for her, along with a ski mask and a knitted cap. For some
reason, the unorthodox getup suited her well.
A few hours after that, Liliana finished up her talks and decided to go back to the
kingdom. Recent events meant she had a lot of work waiting for her back home. The
kingdom would need a new direction if it was to survive. Unfortunately for her, her
return trip was as unceremonious as Gahard's. Originally Hajime had just opened up
a gate and waited for her to walk through. However, she'd just stood nervously in front
of it, fidgeting. She had obviously wanted to say something to Hajime, as evidenced by
the cheers Helina and her guards sent her way. But he had no time for her crush, so
Hajime had just thrown her in before she could do anything.
As she'd vanished through the portal Liliana had screamed, "I don't care if you don't
treat me like a princess, but at least treat me like a girl!" At the very least, it had
sounded like she'd yelled that. Hajime preferred to believe he'd just imagined it
though.
That night, Verbergen's celebration had dragged on, and the sounds of residents
partying could still be heard despite the late hour. Meanwhile, Hajime, Yue, Kaori, and
Tio were relaxing in the room they'd been given.
It was just the four of them, as their lively rabbitman companion was nowhere to be
seen.
"Shea's late."
"Mmm…. She said she was just going to visit her family, but…."
"Are the Haulia holding their own victory celebration?"
"Hrm. Well, I am certain there is no need to worry about Shea. Even if something were
to happen, she would no doubt blow it away with her monstrous strength."
Hajime and the others nodded in wholehearted agreement. None of them looked too
worried to begin with. Hajime was nodding off in Yue's lap, and was practically asleep
already. In fact, he would have already been in dreamland, but for some reason
something kept nagging at him. Not even Yue's lap pillow could calm him down.
Sensing his vague feelings of unease, Yue smiled and gently ran her fingers through
his hair. Kaori and Tio shot her jealous looks, but before they could say anything,
someone opened Hajime's window from outside.
"My apologies for intruding so late, Boss."
"What's up, Cam?"
Cam casually vaulted Hajime's window, which was a good ten meters off the ground.
He then dropped to one knee and continued.
"Boss, I know you need your rest, but would you be willing to accompany me for a
short while?"
"At this time of night?"
"Yes. Please."
Hajime scrutinized Cam. It was rare for the rabbitman to be so curt, or so insistent.
However he knew it wasn't an emergency, since Cam didn't seem the least bit
flustered.
"Did you run into some kind of trouble? Do you want our help too?"
"No, that's not quite it."
Cam smiled cryptically at Kaori. Realizing what this must be about, Yue nodded to
herself and turned to Kaori and Tio.
"Kaori, Tio. Do you want to give Hajime a lap pillow?"
Her question caught them off-guard. Why ask this now? That being said, there could
only be one answer.
"Really? You'll let us try too?"
"Hrm? Of course I wish to."
Seeing their hopeful responses, Yue grinned and spoke up in a mocking tone.
"Just wanted to know."
"...…" "...…"
Veins bulged on Kaori's and Tio's foreheads. The sight of Yue snickering at them irked
them to no end. Then, as if to deliver the final blow, Yue hugged Hajime's head in a
lavish display of affection.
"Are you trying to pick a fight, Yue?"
"Fufufu, I consider myself a tolerant person, but even I have my limits."
"You wanna go?"
The two flared up at Yue's provocation, and they soon continued the fight they had
began that afternoon. Incidentally, that afternoon's battle had ended in Yue and Shea's
victory.
"If you can catch me, I'll let you sit next to Hajime for a day."
"Really!?" "Do you…. truly mean that?"
Yue didn't want to destroy Verbergen with an all-out fight, so she proposed a game of
tag instead. One with a very enticing reward for the victor. Kaori and Tio both felt
adrenaline start pumping into their system.
After making sure they were engrossed in the challenge, she transferred Hajime's
head to the pillow and stroked him one last time. She then hopped gracefully over to
the window and did a pirouette as she landed. Hajime was still confused by this
sudden development, but he realized what was going on when Yue gave Cam a
surreptitious wink. While Hajime didn't know what to make of her "consideration,"
Cam clearly appreciated it. He bowed his head in thanks.
"Mmm…. Let the game begin." With that, she shot out of the window and vanished into
the starry night sky.
"Ngh, mark my words, I'll catch you this time!"
"Fufu, this is one challenge I have no intention of losing!"
Two spirited yells filled the room as Kaori summoned her glittering silver wings and
Tio sprouted dragon wings from her back. The two of them leaped after Yue, but then
simultaneously turned back. Kaori looked a little reluctant, while Tio winked casually
at Hajime. Then, the two of them threw themselves into the case.
"Everyone sure likes Shea, huh?"
"As her father, I'm proud she's so cherished."
Hajime and Cam smiled at each other. Then Hajime followed Cam out of Verbergen
and into the sea of trees…. toward the old Haulia village.
A lone girl stared up at a large, gnarled tree. Its roots were so thick that they were
bulging out of the ground. She neither moved nor spoke; just silently looked up at the
tree. Her usual cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
From the side, her face had a mystical beauty to it, and the effect was heightened by
her pale blue hair fluttering in the breeze. Anyone who saw her at this moment would
undoubtedly be smitten.
That girl, Shea, felt someone approaching, but she didn't turn around. The newcomer
seemed reluctant to break the silence, and he walked up to her as quietly as possible.
"Hajime-san."
"Yo."
Shea casually called out to Hajime, so she'd obviously been expecting him.
He continued walking until he was shoulder to shoulder with her. And for a few
minutes, the two of them just looked up at the tree in companionable silence. Finally,
Shea opened her mouth.
"Did Dad bring you here?"
"Yeah. He already left though."
"Fufufu, he's more perceptive than he looks."
As one might have guessed, Cam's business with Hajime had been to bring him to Shea.
Alone, if possible. Yue had guessed as much, hence why she'd challenged Kaori and
Tio to that contest. It was the best way to get everyone else out of the way.
Of course, Kaori and Tio had figured it out right before they'd left too. However, they'd
been willing to permit Shea some time alone with Hajime.
"Is this where your mom's buried?"
"Yes. Under the roots of this tree."
It was customary in Verbergen to bury the dead under the roots of trees. Supposedly
that way they could once again become one with nature. Having fulfilled their purpose
in life, beastmen were returned to the forest in death, so that they could create new
life and ensure the continued prosperity of the woods. All beastmen respected the
circle of life and death. The tree in front of Shea had a small gravestone marking the
location she was buried.
"I wanted to be a hero."
"Hm?" Hajime tilted his head quizzically.
However, Shea kept her gaze on the tree and continued.
"I wanted to be able to protect my family. I was tired of running and hiding all the time.
If I became a hero, I could fight back anytime someone tried to take away the people
special to me. I could protect everyone."
"...…"
"That was something Mom told me when I was young. No matter what happened to
her, she always had the same determined passion."
Even though she'd been a member of the weakest race, and ill to boot, Shea's mom,
Mona Haulia, had possessed an unshakeable will. It was why Shea had respected her
so much.
"That explains how you ended up the way you did."
"Ehehe!" Overjoyed, Shea finally turned to look at Hajime, who was staring
respectfully at the tombstone.
Mona had wished for her daughter to grow up strong. And she had, in both body and
mind. Shea hadn't inherited just a powerful body, she had also inherited her mother's
unbreakable spirit. Even Hajime had to admit her determination was unbelievable.
Shea smiled bashfully and blushed. Then, she turned back to the massive tree and
spoke.
"Mom, you were right. The world's a harsh place, but sometimes it can be really nice
to you. I finally found the person you said I would. I'll introduce you to him. His name
is Hajime Nagumo…. and I love him very much."
Mona had once told Shea that there were definitely people out there in the world who
could understand her. And that when she met one of them, it would change her life.
Even though Mona couldn't see the future, her prediction had been one hundred
percent accurate.
I guess I still have nothing on you, Mom. I wonder if I'll ever manage to become as
awesome as you? It would definitely take a lot of effort to get there. There was at least
one thing she'd already achieved though.
"Oh yeah, Mom. Me, Dad, and all the other Haulia became heroes!" Shea wondered
what kind of reaction her mom would have to that if she'd still been alive. Would she
have smiled proudly at them, or scolded them for being so reckless?
She closed her eyes, losing herself in thoughts of her mom.
After a few seconds, Hajime spoke up.
"I'm grateful."
"Huh? Hajime-san?" Shea opened her eyes and turned back to Hajime. He was still
looking up at the tree, and Shea realized he was talking to her mom, not to her.
"When Yue and I crawled out of the abyss, we were ready to take on the world with
just the two of us. Even if it meant we'd be alone forever, we were still determined to
overcome everything fate might throw at us…. But you know, if we'd kept going like
that, life probably wouldn't be as fun as it is now. The one who brought color to our
dull journey, our empty hearts and our boring lifestyle was without a doubt, your
daughter."
"Hajime-san…."
Shea choked up. However, Hajime simply smiled softly and kept going.
"Thank you for bringing Shea into this world."
Shea looked up at the sky. It was the only way she could keep the tears in her eyes from
spilling out.
The two of them stood there in companionable silence, looking up at the great tree.
Even the bewildering fog that normally confused interlopers seemed to be gently
wrapping itself around them.
After a few minutes, Shea finally responded.
"Umm, Hajime-san?"
"Mmm?"
"Thank you. I don't really know else to say it, but…. really, thank you so much."
There was so much she had to thank him for. For saving her family, for taking her along
on his journey, for fighting an entire country for her sake. For entrusting his back to
her, and bringing her along to even the most dangerous of trials. For trusting her so
much. And finally, for spending time with her together in front of her mother's grave.
Embarrassed by Shea's sincere gratitude, Hajime averted his gaze. It was unusual for
anything to get to him.
"Yeah, you better be thankful. I'm still counting on you to help me with the remaining
labyrinths."
"Fufu. Can't you just say 'you're welcome' like a normal person?" Shea snickered.
However, her expression then grew serious and she posed a question.
"What will it take to repay you, Hajime-san?"
"You already thanked me, didn't you?"
"But those were just words. I want to do something meaningful for you. What can I do
to make you happy? If it's for you, I'll do anything. I mean it…."
Her bunny ears twitched back and forth as she sidled up to Hajime. Her burning,
passionate gaze made it clear what she was hoping to do. Hajime wasn't so dense that
he didn't pick up on that, but his only response was to smile wanly and respond coyly.
"Just keep smiling like you always have, you airhead. It's thanks to you that we're
always having so much fun."
"Jeez, why'd you have to add that airhead bit!? Besides, didn't you hug me and say you
cared about me in front of the emperor? This is where you're supposed to jump on me
and say 'Alright then, you can thank me with your body, Guhehe!' Can't you read the
mood even a little!?"
"I think we need to have a talk about what exactly your mental image of me is."
"An earnest, spineless wimp."
"Can't we just cut it off at the earnest bit?" Shea puffed her cheeks out into a pout. She
then hung her head, and her rabbit ears drooped over her face.
"Joking aside, I really do want to thank you. You've helped me so much, but I haven't
done anything back for you. Both you and Yue-san keep saying it's fine as long as I
keep smiling, but I just do that naturally because being with you guys makes me happy.
That's not really thanking you at all."
"I said it before didn't I, you've already done more than enough."
"Mrrr, that's not good enough. I want to do something tangible for you both. But no
matter how hard I think, I can't come up with anything. And since you said you don't
want my body…. even though you said you cared about me…."
"Come on, stop sulking about that already…." Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly.
He understood Shea's feelings, but he really did feel like she'd done more than enough
for him already. She'd stubbornly stuck with the two of them, even when the journey
got so harsh she was reduced to tears. And it was thanks to that Hajime and Yue hadn't
been alone. If anything, he was the one who owed her. Still, he knew telling her that
wouldn't change her mind.
"This would be so much easier if you just fell for me, Hajime-san. I'd service you every
night…. Haaah, oh well. I guess I'll just have to work even harder to pay you back
during our journey."
"Yeah, I guess."
Shea shrugged her shoulders, and Hajime smiled awkwardly. She looked up at the sky
again and saw a glimmer through the fog.
By sheer coincidence, the fog had grown thin in the area above them, and the light of
the moon reflecting off the water drops in the air had become visible.
"Hajime-san, Hajime-san. Can you come with me for a second?"
"Hm? Sure."
Ears flapping wildly, Shea started leaping her way up the large tree. Hajime lithely
followed after her, using the tree's hollows and branches as hand and footholds.
They kept going until they broke through the foliage at the top of the tree. Normally
the top of a tree had only thin branches, but here a number of them had twined
together to create a cavity sturdy enough to seat people.
"The reason we buried Mom here was because this was her favorite spot."
"I see, so this was like her secret base."
The two of them picked their way over to the natural sofa and sat down next to each
other.
"Look up there, Hajime-san. You can see it pretty well tonight!"
"Hm? Whoa…. This is…. amazing."
The fog above them had thinned out considerably. They could see the sea of clouds
that lay beyond the mist. The fog was dense around where Hajime and Shea were
sitting, but it thinned out sharply above that. What little remained reflected moonlight
from all different angles, making it appear as if the veil of fog was shimmering. Seemed
almost like someone had thrown a million jewels into a pure white sea.
"You barely ever get to see it this well. But this view used to be Mom's favorite. We're
pretty lucky the fog was thin today."
"Don't give me that cliched crap." Hajime was certain of it. Somewhere up from heaven,
Shea's mom had performed this miracle for her. It was her reward to her daughter for
hanging in there so long. Hajime explained as much to Shea, and her bunny ears
flapped back and forth in a mixture of embarrassment and joy.
For a long time, they just sat there and stared at the sparkling mist. Then suddenly,
Hajime turned to Shea. Her hair was shining as brightly as the sky above. The pale blue
strands fluttered in the wind and caught the moonlight perfectly. As he stared at her
profile, Hajime idly thought back to when he'd hugged Shea and Yue in front of Gahard
earlier. In truth, he'd done it almost unconsciously. But before he'd realized it, they
were both in his arms.
He could still say with absolute confidence that Yue was the only one he thought of as
"special." But the reason he'd hugged Shea as well was most likely because— Hajime
cut off his own train of thought and smiled forlornly to himself. He finally realized how
selfish he was being.
Though he kept telling himself no one could be as important to him as Yue, he still
wanted Shea all to himself. He had no idea when it had happened, but he knew now
that he cared a lot more about Shea than he thought. Enough that he'd unconsciously
hugged her alongside Yue.
While no one would ever matter more to him than Yue, he could no longer deny what
he felt for Shea. And now that he'd admitted it to himself, he couldn't pretend he didn't
have these feelings. In which case, shouldn't he at the very least treat her the way she
wanted? After all, she'd worked so hard to stick with them, even when she'd barely
had any strength at all.
"U-Umm, Hajime-san? Is something wrong? You've been staring at me so long it's
getting kind of embarrassing…."
As Hajime returned to his senses he realized Shea was blushing and fidgeting
awkwardly. Her bunny ears were drooping too, though they occasionally perked up in
Hajime's direction every few seconds.
Hajime smiled and stretched out his hand. He reached over to Shea's ears and patted
them gently.
"H-Hajime-san?"
"Hey, Shea. Can you do something for me?"
"You're…. asking me for a favor? Of course! I'll do anything!"
Surprised, Shea still eagerly jumped at the opportunity to pay Hajime back.
"Uh, it's nothing that grand. I just want to lay down for a bit. Is it cool if I sleep on your
lap?"
"You don't even have to ask. Here, you can use it whenever you want."
"Thanks."
Shea looked a little disappointed for a second, but then smiled and patted her thigh,
inviting Hajime to lay down. Hajime smiled again and rested his head on her legs.
Since Shea was in a mini-skirt, as usual, his head was touching her bare thighs. Their
warmth and softness enveloped the back of his head. A sweet scent, similar to the one
Yue had, wafted across his nostrils.
"Fufu, I know Yue-san does this all the time, but I feel kind of bad for Kaori-san and
Tio-san."
"It's just a lap pillow, you don't have to feel guilty about it or anything."
"Jeez, you can't say stuff like that. Those two are working so hard to get you to fall for
them, Hajime-san. A lap pillow, or even spending time alone together like this is really
important to them. Really, why don't you just give up and fall in love with them
already?"
"I don't suppose I could convince any of you to give up yourselves?"
"Nope~"
"Figures."
Shea gently brushed Hajime's hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her
fingers on his scalp. At the same time, he ran his fingers through Shea's hair, as if to
return the favor.
The moon shone bright overhead. Despite her happy-go-lucky attitude, the
mysterious light of the moon suited her oddly well. The stronger its light, the brighter
her hair and smiled shined. Anyone who saw her now would have fallen in love at first
sight. The two of them snuggled closer, enveloped in a wreath of fog illuminated by
the gentle light of the moon.
Had anyone seen them, they would have likely clutched their heart and gone
HNNNNNNGH. That was just how cute they looked. In fact, right now the two of them
were surrounded by an atmosphere similar to the one Hajime and Yue created when
they were together.
Sadly, Shea herself didn't realize that she'd finally achieved what she'd always watched
jealously before. After all, she was still a worthless rabbit in the end. Regardless of
whether or not she realized it though, the atmosphere was there. The two of them sat
there like that until the thick fog rolled back in, and blotted out the sky of artificial
stars.
Let us turn back time to a short while before Hajime threw Liliana back to Heiligh via
his portal. Back when it was still evening, a good hour or so before dinner.
A single girl walked across the palace courtyard, toward the mess hall. She had
chestnut-colored hair, slit-like eyes, and a brace of daggers hanging from her coat—
Yuka Sonobe. After Eri's unexpected betrayal, the death of one of her classmates, and
Kouki's departure, many of her classmates had almost given into despair. It was only
thanks to her stellar leadership that they were still holding on.
Yuka didn't really see herself as a leader, but now that Kouki was gone, she had filled
in the void he had left naturally. Not only was she the one all the students went to when
they needed help, she was also assisting Heiligh's soldiers in rebuilding the city, and
resolving any disputes that cropped up. She was also helping shore up public safety,
and many of the students looked up to her as a role model. It wasn't just the students
either. The new pope, the queen, and even the prime minister came to Yuka for advice.
On top of that, she served as the head of the pope's guard whenever he needed to leave
the palace.
"Haaah, I'm hungry…." Yuka had spent the past few days running around the palace
and was starting to get exhausted. Her stomach growled loudly, complaining about the
inadequate nutrients it had been receiving recently. No one heard that, did they? Yuka
blushed and glanced around her. To her chagrin, there was someone nearby.
"Ahaha…. Are you going to get dinner, Sonobe-san?"
"Ugh, you heard that didn't you, Ai-chan-sensei?"
Aiko walked out of one of the nearby buildings and into the courtyard. Though Yuka
looked embarrassed, Aiko just smiled gently. In truth, Aiko was on her way to get
dinner as well. The two of them walked side by side and chatted about recent events.
"You look pretty worn-out, Sonobe-san. Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too
hard?"
"I'll be fine. I just never thought kids could be so demanding."
"What happened?"
According to Yuka, all the children that had been orphaned in the recent demon
invasion were being taken care of by the church, and the new pope had asked for her
help in comforting them. Of course, Yuka had had absolutely no idea what to say to
kids who'd lost their parents or relatives. She was barely 17 years old herself.
However, despite her protests, the new pope had dragged her into the capital's church
and gathered all the kids. Once he had their attention he'd said, "Alright everyone, I
brought the super-pretty super-strong Apostle of God here for you!" It had been quite
an ordeal.
The speech Hajime had drafted and Liliana had delivered had hidden the truth from
the citizens, and so most of them still believed that Yuka and the others were Apostles
of God. And so, all the children had looked up to Yuka with reverence.
"S-So what did you say to them in the end?" Aiko asked, trembling slightly as she
imagined the pressure Yuka must have been under.
Unfortunately, Yuka looked off into the distance and replied dimly.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yep, nothing. I couldn't think of anything to say. 'Cheer up?' 'Your dead parents are
watching down on you from heaven together with Ehit?'"
Now that she knew the truth, those words sounded too hollow to Yuka's ears. She
couldn't bring herself to say that to the kids. And so—
"I juggled instead."
"You…. juggled? As in threw balls in the air and caught them?"
"Well technically it was ten of my knives, but yes."
"That sounds terrifying! What prompted you to do something like that!?"
Yuka tore at her hair and looked tearfully up at Aiko.
"I had no choice! I couldn't think of anything to say, and they were all looking at me
like I was their last hope! So then I totally lost it, and before I knew it I was juggling!"
"Oh my!" Aiko exclaimed, and shivered a little, thinking about how that must have felt.
"What did the kids think?"
"They totally loved it!" Yuka got so swept up in the excitement that she started adding
more and more knives. Once she'd exhausted the 20 she carried on her, she'd added
the nearby cutlery shop owner had suddenly started throwing in knives of his own,
and by the end of it she'd been juggling a full 100 knives at the same time.
It had been quite a spectacle, seeing her throw knives several meters into the air, and
catch each one with unbelievable dexterity and grace. She'd gone so fast that she'd
looked like a knife-spewing fountain. Thanks to that, the kids had forgotten their
sorrow for a while and watched with rapt attention. Her job wasn't Acrobat for
nothing.
Yuka's impromptu performance had attracted kids from all around the neighborhood,
and she'd had a huge crowd watching before long. However she couldn't find a way to
bring the show to a close, and she kept on being badgered by the kids to keep going.
"That sounds like…. quite the ordeal. My condolences, Sonobe-san."
"Thanks…."
Aiko smiled sympathetically at Yuka, who was hanging her head in exhaustion and
decided to change the topic.
"Simon-san sure is a troublesome person to deal with, isn't he?"
"Yeah, I'm a little worried that our new pope is such a proactive old man."
The new pope that Yuka was referring to was none other than Simon Levellair. He had
originally been a bishop in the central church before he'd been banished for speaking
out against beastman discrimination. Then, at Liliana's request, he had returned. He
was an odd man, one who liked to play pranks and run away from responsibility
whenever the opportunity presented itself. More often than not, his granddaughter
Sibyl was forced to chase after him and drag him back to work. Despite being over 70
years old, he ran faster than anyone thought possible for his age.
However, he had proven himself worthy of Liliana's recommendation. Unlike the old
pope Ishtar, he was no fanatic. On top of that, he was a very tolerant leader.
"Oh yeah, didn't you go to Simon-san for advice before too, Ai-chan-sensei?"
"Huh? Oh…. yes, I suppose I did." Aiko seemed reluctant to reply. When Aiko and Yuka
had first met Simon, they hadn't been aware that he was one of the candidates to be
pope. They were only brought together by coincidence, but as they kept talking to him,
both of them naturally started trusting him enough to open up about the worries they
held deep in their hearts. Much to their surprise, he'd had very useful advice for both
of them. Afterward, when they'd seen him ascending the altar to accept the pope's
scepter, they'd both exclaimed, "Wait, he's that old man from before!" That was when
they'd learned they'd both consulted him about their problems.
Seeing Aiko's hesitation, Yuka tilted her head and replied casually.
"I guess you've got your own issues too, huh Sensei?"
"Of course I do. I may be your teacher, but I still have a lot of learning to do myself. All
I've been doing since we got here is making mistakes and worrying about everything."
Aiko knew this wasn't the kind of thing she should be burdening her student with, but
she ended up saying it anyway. She smiled bitterly at Yuka, and Yuka smiled bitterly
back.
"Sorry for always making you worry about us."
"Huh?" Aiko replied with a blank look.
"Huh?" Yuka replied with the same blank look.
"Aren't we the things you're worried about?"
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes you are! I mean no, you're not!"
"Which is it!?"
In a sense, it was true that one of her students was what was causing Aiko all this
worry. However, it was a very personal worry, directed toward one male student in
particular. But of course, what Yuka had been asking was whether or not it was all her
students as a whole who were worrying her.
Accidentally agreeing to that had stung her consciousness, so she'd denied it right
after. However, her muddled responses only made Yuka more confused. I can't let her
find out how I feel about Nagumo-kun! Aiko desperately tried to find a way to change
the subject.
"By the way, what was it you were worried about, Sonobe-san!? I'd like to help you out
as well! Go ahead, tell me what's bothering you!"
"Why do you sound so desperate!?"
"I'm not desperate! You're just imagining things! Regardless, that's enough about me!
Hurry up and tell me what you're worried about!"
"B-But I already found a solution."
"Couldn't you like, make it a problem again?"
"Do you even realize what the words coming out of your mouth are right now, Ai-chansensei!?" It was obvious to Yuka that Aiko was forcibly trying to change the topic. What
kind of crazy thing did you talk to Simon about, Ai-chan-sensei!?
As usual, Aiko's efforts only resulted in her going around in circles. Yuka realized she'd
need to get Aiko to stop panicking before she made any sense.
"Ai-chan-sensei! Calm down!" Yuka gathered her resolve and slapped Aiko on the face.
"Hawawa!" Aiko exclaimed, and slumped to the ground. And after a few seconds, she
finally came back to reality and spoke up.
"Sorry, Sonobe-san. That was very unbecoming of me."
"I-It's fine. I'm sorry for hitting you."
They both fidgeted awkwardly. After Yuka helped Aiko up, she decided to tell Aiko
what had been bothering her in an attempt to smooth over the awkward atmosphere.
"Umm. So you know how Nagumo's helped me out a lot, right?"
"Huh!? Y-Yes?"
Aiko twitched when the word Nagumo came out of Yuka's mouth. However, Yuka was
too embarrassed at revealing her own feelings to notice.
"So I was wondering how I could repay him for everything he's done…."
"I-I see. That's what you asked Simon-san for advice with?"
"Yeah, basically. In the end though, he just helped me realize I don't need to do all that
much. I'll just treat Nagumo to my family's—"
"Your family!? You're going to introduce him to your parents!? What are you thinking,
Sonobe-san!? Y-You can't do that! As your teacher, I absolutely cannot condone any
illicit sexual relationships!"
"You've got it all wrong! I was just saying I wanted to treat him to my family's westernstyle cooking!"
"So you're planning on making fall for you by going through his stomach!?" Aiko bore
down on Yuka, her eyes spinning. And in response—
"Ai-chan-sensei, calm down!" Yuka ended up slapping her again.
Aiko slumped to the ground once more. After a few seconds, she finally came back to
reality and apologized.
"Sorry, Sonobe-san. That was very unbecoming of me."
"I-It's fine. I'm sorry for hitting you."
Another awkward silence descended between them. Yuka helped Aiko up and decided
to change the subject again in an attempt to dispel the gloomy mood.
"Ai-chan-sensei. I know that you're dealing with a lot right now, so if it's okay with you,
why not share your worries with me? I'm here for you, so don't push yourself too
hard."
"….I really am sorry for acting out like that."
The evening sun cast their entwined shadows far to the east. It was a touching
moment, seeing student and teacher together like that. Though it was difficult to tell
who was the teacher and who the student.
Afterward, Yuka took Aiko's hand and led her to the dining hall. Since it was still a little
too early for dinner, the hall was mostly deserted. They'd decided to eat a little early
mostly because of how insistently Yuka's stomach was grumbling for food.
Yuka looked around the room, searching for a place to sit. As servants would bring
them their food once they'd settled in, they were free to sit anywhere. As she was
looking, Yuka spotted a few of her classmates sitting in a corner.
"Hey there. Eating dinner with the rest of your party today?"
Jugo Nagayama, Kentarou Nomura, Ayako Tsuji, and Mao Yoshino appeared to be in
the middle of an early dinner. Jugo turned around and waved a greeting at Yuka.
"Hey, Sonobe. Good work out there. You too, Sensei. Did you guys come here for dinner
too?"
"Pretty much. I'm starving, and I happened to run into Ai-chan-sensei on the way,"
Yuka said, then raised an eyebrow and continued, "Anyway, what's up with all the
serious expressions, guys? Did something happen?"
"Well…." Jugo fell silent, trying to decide how best to word his concern.
After a bit, Yuka turned back to Aiko with a smile and gave her a thumbs-up.
"We did it, Ai-chan-sensei! Now there are more lost lambs who need your sage advice!
Aren't you glad!?"
"Umm, Sonobe-san? Could you please forget all about that conversation? I'm not that
desperate to find someone else to help…." Aiko's smile stiffened.
"Really?" Yuka replied dubiously, then turned her gaze back to Jugo.
"By the way, where's Endou? He's part of your party too, isn't he….? I don't see him
anywhere, though."
For some reason, Jugo looked up at the sky with a forlorn expression, while Kentarou
covered his face. Ayako and Mao both smiled sadly.
Upon seeing all that, Aiko's expression grew serious, as did her words.
"Come to think of it, I didn't see him at breakfast either. He's been looking pretty down
recently…."
"Yeah, ever since that day…." Kentarou muttered glumly.
"Yeah Ever since Nakamura…. well, you know…. Actually, ever since he found out about
Meld-san's death…."
"Meld-san…."
Aiko and Yuka's faces fell. He'd been their mentor, someone they'd all looked up to like
an older brother. Among the people of this world, the knight commander was the one
they'd trusted the most.
"He was probably the last person to talk to Meld-san before he died…."
"Wait, really!?"
"That's what he said, anyway. Apparently, he ran into him on his way back from the
bathroom the night he died. Meld-san had looked really scared back then, according
to him. He hadn't thought too much of it at the time, but now he blames himself for not
noticing…."
It was only afterward that he realized that was the last time anyone had seen Meld
alive. In other words, he most likely had been the last person to talk to Meld before he
died.
After a while, Jugo sighed and continued.
"Back when we were ambushed by demons in the Great Orcus Labyrinth, we all told
him to escape alone. Since he was the only one capable of making it back to the captain
safely."
"I heard about that. Didn't all the knights except Meld-san die during that fight?"
"Yep…. All to let Kousuke escape to the surface."
Everyone closed their eyes in respect for the departed knights. Then, Ayako and Mao
smiled faintly and added their peace.
"After that incident, Endou-kun grew really attached to Meld-san."
"He was really glad the captain survived the Orcus assault."
Which was exactly why he was having such a hard time accepting his death now. The
man he'd looked up to, the man who'd survived countless other death traps, had finally
died. Worse, Kousuke had even noticed there was something off about Meld when he'd
last seen him. He blamed himself for not paying attention, for not sticking with the
captain when he should have.
Looking at it rationally, it was obvious that none of that was his fault. But he couldn't
help but be tortured by the thought that he might have been able to save Meld.
"Is it really that bad?" Yuka frowned slightly as she said that.
Kentarou shook his head as he started speaking.
"Worse. The fact that you two noticed he's gone shows just how bad it is."
Yuka and Aiko tilted their heads quizzically. In response, Jugo and Kentarou said some
rather harsh things about their longtime friend.
"Listen up, Sonobe. Kousuke's so good at blending in with the crowd that no one even
remembers he exists. I'm not talking about just his job here either, he was like this
even back on earth."
"I mean, you're not wrong, but…."
"We're talking completely unnoticeable here. Even automatic doors didn't open for
him."
"Okay?"
"Even the two of us thought he might be a spirit or something for a while. We even
went to look for proof."
"Uh, Nakamura, Nagayama, you guys are his best friends, right?"
Both of them ignored Yuka's question.
"But there's one time when he becomes more noticeable."
Though with how easy he was to miss normally, his version of becoming more
noticeable just meant people remembered he existed more often. He didn't start
standing out or anything.
"Umm, is that when he gets depressed?" Judging from the way the conversation was
headed, Yuka guessed that was probably the case.
"Yeah, but only when he gets so depressed his heart breaks. I think the last time it
happened was…."
"Middle school, wasn't it? He'd finally worked up the courage to confess to the girl he'd
sat next to all year, and she'd just said 'Uh, what class are you from again?' He stayed
shut up in his room for a while after that."
"Whoa, no way."
Jugo's story was enough to move Ayako and Mao, who hadn't even known him at the
time, to tears. They shook their heads sadly.
"But you know, it's kind of weird. Even though we're in the same party as him, we
always forget he's there. It's only when he's gone that we remember him."
"Yeah. To be honest, it's kind of strange to hear anyone ever go 'Wait, where's Endoukun?'"
Yuka almost responded with "It's almost like Kousuke Endou's some kind of alien," but
she knew what was and wasn't okay to say, so she held her tongue.
Yuka and Aiko joined Nagayama's party for dinner, and they spent their time trying to
find ways to cheer Kousuke up. Along the way, the conversation got derailed with tales
about how he'd been left behind on family trips, and even on school field trips. By the
time dessert rolled around, it was hard to tell if they were still thinking of ways to
cheer him up, or just swapping stories about his past.
Suddenly, a hole appeared in the wall closest to their table.
"Wait, isn't that the portal Nagumo left here when—" Before Yuka could finish, Liliana
tumbled out of the gate.
"At least treat me like a womaaaaaan!" She screamed as she fell. She landed cleanly on
the table and slid easily down its polished surface. Everyone hurriedly picked up their
plates, keeping their dessert safely away from Liliana's face. She came to a screeching
halt right in front of Yuka. The way she held her hands out in front of her in the classic
falling pose was a work of art.
For a few seconds, everyone was stunned silent. Finally—
"Nagumo-sama, I can get—" Helina screeched as she came through the portal after
Liliana. "Home by myself," was probably the end of the sentence she'd wanted to say.
She also slid across the table and came to a stop right next to Liliana. Unfortunately,
they were the only two with graceful landings.
"Your Highness, please get out of the waaaaaay!"
"God damn iiiiiiiiiiiit!"
Liliana's imperial guards were chucked through the portal one after another. It
appeared the perpetrator of this incident had been gentler with Liliana and Helina
than he had with the others. The imperial guards flew through the air with far more
force.
"Liliana-sama, please get out of the— Bwah!"
"Wait, I— Gah!"
They rolled into Liliana and Helina with the force of a bowling ball and carried them
straight off the table. Liliana found herself pinned to the floor under her own guards.
Considering all the armor they were wearing, it must have been pretty heavy. The
princess groaned in pain.
At the same time, the portal that had opened from the painting on the wall vanished.
"Liliana-san, are you alright!?" Aiko said, then rushed over to Liliana's side. The
imperial guards all apologized, pale-faced.
"We're sorry, Your Highness, but surely that eyepatch demon is to blame for this!"
Ever since they'd seen his antics in the empire, the imperial guards had taken to calling
Hajime "eyepatch demon."
"D-Don't worry, I understand. And my body's fine. It's my heart that's broken…."
"How could he just throw a princess out like that…." Liliana muttered with dead eyes.
Yuka could more or less guess what had happened, and gave Liliana a sympathetic
look.
"Nagumo's one hell of a dude…." Kentarou muttered.
"He's probably the only person in the world with the balls to throw a princess out like
that," Jugo added, half-impressed, half-angry.
"Umm, welcome back, Lily?"
"Oh, Yuka-san. And everyone else as well. As you can see, I've returned home."
Liliana got to her feet and curtsied. She didn't even try smooth over what had just
happened.
"Liliana-sama. I'll go tell your mother, Luluaria-sama, that you've returned. It will take
some time to gather all the ministers for an emergency meeting, so why don't you get
something to eat in the meantime?"
It was only going to take time because the kingdom's ministers would be too shocked
by Helina's report to think for a while at least. She suggested Liliana stay here, so that
the princess could tell Aiko and the others personally what had happened. Liliana
gratefully accepted Helina's proposal and sat down next to Aiko.
Meanwhile, Helina ran off to report to the queen, while the imperial guards returned
to their stations to make their own reports. Once fresh guards had come to replenish
Liliana's honor guard, she explained what had happened during her journey.
"Holy shit, Nagumo's insane."
"No wonder those guards are calling him eyepatch demon now."
"W-Will Amanogawa-kun and the others be alright going with him? And did he
seriously make them all wear masks?"
"Is Shizuku's stomach doing okay? She must be getting ulcers from all that worrying."
Kentarou, Jugo, Ayako, and Mao all looked pityingly to the east.
And to ease the tension, Aiko smiled wanly and provided some comforting words.
"But isn't that great for you, Liliana-san? I don't like speaking ill of the dead, but at
least you won't have to marry that horrid prince."
"By the way, Lily. How come you never told us about your engagement plan when you
left? I mean I guess it has nothing to do with us, but…. if you don't tell your friends
these things, how are we supposed to help you?" Yuka pouted a little.
Liliana blushed a little in embarrassment and responded.
"Aiko-san, Yuka-san, thank you so much for worrying about me. At any rate, the
kingdom's going to be busy repealing the discrimination laws it has against beastmen.
We can't have it turning into a hotbed for illegal slavery. Things are going to get busier
than ever here."
"We never had anything against the beastmen to begin with, so we're glad you guys
are going to stop discriminating against them too. I'm sure the more devout followers
of Ehit will have a hard time coming to terms with the decree, but Simon-san'll be able
to help with that."
"I see…. So Simon-sama agreed to become our new pope, then." Liliana breathed a sigh
of relief. She'd left before Simon had announced his decision to take the post.
Yuka and the others then explained what had happened in the empire during her
absence.
"I see. There's still plenty of issues to deal with, but at least they're all within
expectations. And now that we have a new pope, we should be able to rebuild the
church. Once that happens, the citizens will rally themselves too. Thank goodness
Nagumo-san came up with that story."
"It feels kind of bad to be lying to everyone like this though."
"I agree, but the main culprit behind that incident is me, the Fertility Goddess
everyone trusts so much. If they knew, their faith would be shaken," Aiko said glumly.
Everyone awkwardly averted their gaze.
"Honestly, I can't believe he's able to come up with such nasty lies on the spot. Lily,
make sure you don't let Nagumo brainwash you or anything." Yuka said it somewhat
jokingly, but for some reason, Liliana blushed at that.
"I-I'm not brainwashed at all…. Besides, we're not even close enough yet that he…."
"Not close enough yet?"
Yuka's expression stiffened. Aiko, too, glared at Liliana.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing."
Liliana couldn't meet their eyes. She wasn't able to maintain a poker face, despite
training for years to remain calm in all situations. Aiko's lips twitched, and she asked
a question in an ice-cold tone.
"Say, Liliana-san. Did anything happen between you and Nagumo-kun?"
"Wh-What could you possibly mean by 'anything?'"
"Lily, you just bit your tongue, didn't you?"
"Ugh," Liliana groaned. However, she wasn't a princess for nothing. She quickly
regained her calm and cleared her throat.
"Please don't misunderstand. There's nothing between me and Nagumo-san. In the
first place, he doesn't even treat me like a woman. You saw how he just threw me back
here, didn't you?"
"Uh, yeah I guess."
"How could I possibly have any feelings for such a savage person? I'm not Tio-san."
Yuka nodded. Liliana had a point. Thank goodness. I was worried for nothing, Both her
and Aiko thought simultaneously. Unfortunately, their original guess had been on the
mark.
"Honestly, it's unbelievable how mean he is to me. Even though he knows it'll cause
me problems, he makes a scene wherever he goes, and he doesn't even tell me what
he's up to!"
"Umm, I get that you're angry at Nagumo, Lily, so just calm down and—"
Liliana slammed the table a few times, which made Yuka hurriedly try to calm her
down.
"Oh, I'm more than just angry! I mean, I'm grateful he saved me from Baius of course.
But he didn't even seem the least bit interested in me even after seeing me in my halfripped underwear!"
"Wait, what? What exactly happened between you two?"
Liliana ignored Yuka's question.
"Well, I guess it made me a little happy when he said my dress looked nice. And when
he danced with me it was the most fun I had ever had at a ball."
"Liliana-san, I really think you should explain what—"
"Can you believe it, though!? He said the only reason he saved me was because he
didn't want to make Kaori sad! Couldn't he have just said he did it for my sake!? I
suppose it was nice hearing he wouldn't let anything terrible happen to me, but still…."
"...."
Yuka and Aiko fell silent. They gave Liliana the same flat stare that Yue had a while
back.
Jugo and the others turned to each other with knowing smiles. And finally, Liliana
realized that she'd said something weird and looked from one face to the other.
"Umm, everyone? Is something the matter?"
Yuka pursed her lips and muttered, "Nagumo, you absolute moron," under her breath.
Aiko looked angrier than anyone had ever seen her. Her cheeks were puffed out to
almost comical levels. It was then that Jugo and the others all thought to themselves,
Not again, Nagumo!
Later, at the emergency meeting Liliana called for she once again went on a rant about
Hajime, and so the queen and other ministers all learned about her not-so-hidden
crush as well.
"My my, you're finally growing up, Lily!" Luluaria was overjoyed that her daughter had
finally found her first crush, but it seemed she was the only one.
"Th-That insolent commoner! Not only has he taken Kaori from me, but he's stolen my
sister's heart as well!? I'll get you for this, you bastaaaaaaaaard!"
The future king's pained screams echoed throughout the castle.