Since they were dead men either way, the Haulia figured it was better to spend their last days living life to the fullest. Because of how abnormal their strength had been, the empire was convinced that someone else was backing the Haulia.
Even if that weren't the case, the emperor, Gahard, had taken an interest in them. He wanted to use the Haulia in his own army, if possible. Gahard valued strength, and the Haulia had it in spades. Their tactics, their weapons, their mentality, and even their training methods were all completely out of the ordinary. The Haulia knew that, and that was precisely why they'd resolved to defy the empire until the moment of their deaths. They would never work for Gahard. It was because of that ironclad resolve that they could joke so lightheartedly about their wounds. Because of their cavalier attitude, the soldiers who had to torture them were growing terrified of these unbreakable rabbitmen. The Haulia's fearless grins struck fear into the hearts of their jailors.
"I bet they're giving our chief the third degree right now..."
"You know it. Hey guys, how about we make a bet on how badly beaten up he'll be when he comes back?"
"Oh? Sounds good. I'll bet they cut off both of his ears."
"That's way too much of a long shot, man."
"I mean, our chief's started becoming a lot more like Boss recently, so he probably pissed them off to hell and back. I mean just look at how he trains our new recruits..."
"Yeah, sometimes it almost feels like I'm looking at Boss. If our chief said that kind of stuff to the soldiers... I could see him losing his ears..."
"Well, Boss would never let himself get caught like this in the first place. And if he somehow did, he'd probably crush this prison from the inside and escape!"
"Man, I'd feel bad for the empire if they ever got on the wrong side of Boss. He'd wipe this city off the map."
"Yeah, he's got no mercy at all!"
"He's one hell of a monster, our boss is."
"More like he's the devil."
"Yeah, I could totally see him being as scary as that demon lord guy."
"Come on guys, you're making it sound like he's on the same level as the demons. Boss could probably crush that pathetic demon lord like a bug. Wouldn't even break a sweat."
"So what... is he like a demon god at this point or something?"
"Yeah!"
"Well aren't you maggots looking lively. Can't believe this is how you greet me after all this time."
"..."
The Haulia only now realized that this new voice was dripping with anger. And it was one they remembered quite well. They all fell quiet. Everyone shrunk back in their cells and held their breath, praying the storm would pass them by.
"Oi, don't just go quiet on me you bastards. Weren't you just having fun talking about how I'm a monster and a demon god? Well?"
"Hahaha, sorry guys. Looks like I'll be going on ahead of you. I've started hallucinating that Boss is here..."
"Don't worry, it's not just you. Looks like I'll be coming with you."
"Oh, so it's not just me... But to think the last thing I'll ever hear is Boss' yelling..."
"I wish it could have been a cute girl's voice instead..."
The idea of Hajime being here was so unthinkable to the Haulia that they believed they were hearing things. Or perhaps they just wanted to believe they were hearing things, because the alternative was scarier. But of course, Hajime wasn't nice enough to let them have their fantasies. Yue summoned a ball of light, illuminating the dingy dungeon. Hajime's profile was reflected clearly in the eyes of the rabbitmen.
"Geh, Boss!?"
"Shut up, you morons."
"...Looks like they're still lively."
"Those wounds are pretty terrible but... now I feel like an idiot for worrying so much."
Though the Haulia were hurt so bad it was a wonder they could still move, they didn't seem bothered by their wounds at all. Hajime, Yue, and Shea sighed in amazement.
"Wh-Why are you here, Boss?"
"I'll explain later. For now, let's get you guys out of here... Sheesh, I can't believe you're still so lively after all that torture. Just how tough are you guys?"
"Hahaha! We did get trained by you personally, after all."
"Compared to your training, this torture's nothing."
"Those guys just don't have any killing intent behind their blows, you know? They're so weak I thought they might be trying to heal me for a second."
"Or maybe you're just that good at intimidating people, Boss. When you looked at us like you wanted to kill us, we thought we'd actually die."
The Haulia continued joking with each other, coughing up blood all the while. Meanwhile, Shea and Yue turned angrily toward Hajime. This demon god was the one responsible for turning the kind rabbitmen into fearless warriors after all.
Hajime cleared his throat awkwardly and used his Demon Eye to locate all of the dungeon's traps. Once he'd found them, he got to work dismantling them. Normally, magical traps like these could only be deactivated with the proper incantation. That was because the mana stored within the magic circle needed to be dispersed via a very delicate process, or the trap would trigger.
Destroying the magic circle outright was another option, but in general they were designed to activate upon destruction, or at least notify the caster that they'd been destroyed. If one wanted to be stealthy about it, they had no choice but to use the right incantation. Of course, only certain people were informed of what that incantation was, but ultimately, that incantation was a method to manipulate one's mana in a specific way. Which meant that anyone who could freely manipulate their mana had no need for said incantation. Hajime easily disarmed the empire's most secure prison in a matter of seconds, then got to work transmuting the bars of everyone's cells. Meanwhile, Yue used restoration magic to heal everyone's injuries.
"Haaah, you never cease to amaze me, Boss. Anyway..."
"Thank you so much for saving us!"
"No problem. And well, I did it for Shea. So don't worry about it. More importantly, where's Cam? I don't see him anywhere."
"Well, you see..."
One of the Haulia explained that Cam was currently being tortured, and told Hajime which room he would be in. The Haulia naturally wanted to help Hajime rescue their chief, but he really didn't need any assistance. They knew that as well, especially considering he'd managed to make it all the way here without getting noticed, so they obediently agreed to stay behind when Hajime asked. The way in which they shivered in excitement when Hajime ordered them creeped him out a little, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Hajime pulled a palm-sized plate out of his Treasure Trove. The polished gray metal shined with a dull light, and there was a magic circle carved into the handle. The opposite side was made up of various jagged edges. Put simply, it looked like an oddly-shaped key.
The Haulia watched, wide-eyed, as Hajime poured mana into the metal plate and thrust it out in front of him. The key seemingly fit into some sort of invisible lock, as it disappeared into empty space. A second later, shockwaves rippled outward from the plate. Once the shockwaves had grown to a decent size, Hajime twisted the key-plate. A hole appeared in the empty space in front of Hajime, and rapidly grew to the size of an average person. Rocks and boulders could be seen on the other side of the hole.
This was Hajime's latest artifact, the spatial magic imbued Gate Key. It worked in conjunction with another artifact, the Gate Hole. By using the Gate Key, Hajime could open a portal to wherever the Gate Hole was, and instantly teleport there.
"Alright, you guys go out through here. It leads to a rocky field near the outskirts of the capital. Par and the others are waiting there for you."
"Yes, sir! We're counting on you to bring our chief back, Boss."
What Hajime had just done was beyond anything the Haulia had ever seen, but they were disciplined enough to follow orders even through their surprise. Besides, they were used to their boss doing impossible things one after another. They gave Hajime a crisp salute, and walked single file through the gate. They really were well-trained.
Once the Haulia were through, Hajime closed the gate and headed to where Cam was. They slipped past the heavy guard using a combination of their innate skills and magic, easily making it to where Cam was being held. Hajime silently dispatched the guards outside Cam's door and stopped to listen to the angry yelling coming from inside. Shea stiffened when she heard the shouting. When she thought about how badly the other Haulia had been beaten, she couldn't help but worry about what they might be doing to her sather. Especially because he was probably purposely provoking them. Seeing her expression, Hajime decided not to waste any time. He grabbed the doorknob, but stopped when he realized who was doing the yelling.
"What kind of pathetic punches are those!? You call yourself an imperial soldier!? Put your back into it, you worthless maggot! Even a kitten could hit harder than that, trash! What do you think this is, a fucking picnic!? Is that really all you got!? Come on, you can't even break a single bone with that limp-dick fist! You're nothing but spineless, gutless, trash!"
"Sh-Shut up! Why the hell are you the one lecturing me!?"
"Stop moving your mouth and start moving your hands! What are you, some kinda sissy? I bet your girlfriend's as much of a wuss as you are! Suits a pansy loser like you!"
"You bastaaard! Don't make fun of Natasha!"
"S-Stop, Johan! If you keep going he'll die!"
"Hmph, so you're as much of a spineless wimp as this maggot here, huh? Looks like there's nothing but scum in the imperial army! Might as well start calling yourselves the bitch army instead, you cowards! Stop flapping your gums and get serious! Hit me like you're trying to kill me!"
"What the hell is with this guy!? He's insane! There's no way he's actually a rabbitman! Someone else take over, I can't do this!"
"I don't wanna either! Talking to him drives me crazy!"
Most of the angry yelling was coming from Cam himself. Hajime and the others listened in silence. As unbelievable as it seemed, the ones doing the torturing were taking more mental damage than the one being tortured. The three of them looked at each other, nonplussed.
"Do we even need to save him?"
"Should we go home?"
"Sorry, I know he's like that but please save him. I don't think he'll be able to escape on his own..."
Shea looked off into the distance, reminiscing about the kind man her father used to be. She was right of course. Cam wouldn't be able to escape on his own, so they did need to save him.
"Hmph, pathetic. It seems you're no match for me, Cambantis Elfalight Rodelia Haulia, hunter of the unknowable abyss!"
But the way he was talking made it rather hard to sympathize with his plight.
"Shea. Your dad's sure turned into something special alright."
"Mmm... His name's too long to remember."
"Ugh. Does he have a grudge against me or something? It's like he's trying to kill me with embarrassment."
Shea covered her face with her hand and crouched down in shame. She'd been hit pretty hard by that. It seemed Cam's torturers were just as shocked by his outburst as his daughter was.
"What the hell are you talking about!? Fuck, forget this! I can't stand staying in the same room as this madman! I'm going home!"
"Wait, Johan! You can't just abandon your post! And don't say things like that, you'll jinx us!"
Hajime heard the sound of footsteps approach the door. I guess I really overdid it with those guys. Hajime lamented to himself as he balled his hand into a fist. The moment the door flew open, he swung his fist. The poor man known as Johan opened his eyes in surprise as he saw a fist fly toward his face. A second later, Hajime's metal knuckles buried themselves in Johan's face, and he was sent flying across the room.
Hajime then rushed into the room and knocked out the other shocked torturer with another well-placed punch. He carelessly kicked the two unconscious men to an empty corner of the room and turned to Cam.
"Impossible... Boss... is that really you?"
"Yeah. You know, I'm actually kinda impressed you were able to yell at them so much considering how beat up you are. You've become strong, in more ways than one..."
Hajime decided not to address the issue of Cam's crazy nickname.
"Hahaha. So this really isn't a dream... Ohh, you brought Yue-dono and Shea with you as well."
Cam quickly realized this wasn't a dream, and chuckled heartily. Despite his near-fatal wounds, he still had the energy to laugh.
It seemed they hadn't dulled his mind or his senses with drugs, seeing as he able to accurately analyze the situation.
"My apologies for showing you such a shameful sight during our long-awaited reunion. I can't believe I was so engrossed in insulting those spineless maggots that I didn't even notice your presence... Forgive me for bringing dishonor to your name."
"Dad... I really don't think that's what you should be worrying about right now. We need to heal those wounds of yours. Especially that nasty brain wound you've taken... And how are you still so energetic after being beaten up so much?"
"Fighting spirit?"
"Hajime's reeducation program... is terrifying..."
Freed from his restraints, Cam awkwardly scratched his head with broken fingers. He didn't even seem to notice they were pointing the wrong way. His response to Shea didn't do much to boost her confidence in his mental state either.
Yue looked at Hajime with a truly frightened expression as she healed Cam's wounds with restoration magic. You know, what's really scary about this isn't me, but the combination of Sgt. Hartman's training program combined with chuuni spirit... Once Yue finished healing Cam, he hopped up and down a few times to check out the condition of his body. Seeing that he was just fine, Hajime once again took out his Gate Key.
"I already got the others out of here. So we've got no reason to stay."
"But Boss, they still have all of our equipment..."
"Hm? Eh, don't worry about it. I made a bunch of better stuff while practicing my transmutation. You guys can have some of those."
"You're going to gift us with new equipment? Now that I'm looking forward to. Kukuku."
Fed up with his attitude Shea pushed her father through the portal with an exasperated sigh. Hajime and Yue followed close behind.
Let us turn back time to a few minutes before Hajime began infiltrating the castle.
The capital's alarm bells suddenly rang through the night, and a massive pillar of light shot up from the center of the city. It sliced through the darkness, cutting across the slave district where most of the beastmen were kept, and smashed right into the slavers' guardhouse. The light's caster had held back, which was why the guardhouse hadn't been obliterated, and only the outer walls had crumbled. In fact, the soldiers inside hadn't even been hit directly by it. Most of them had still been knocked unconscious by the shockwaves, however.
The remaining soldiers looked toward the source of the light, and spotted four masked figures standing atop a nearby building's roof.
"Who are you guys!? Don't think you can attack imperial soldiers and get away with it!"
One of the soldiers let out a yell and charged forward.
"And... what on earth is with those ridiculous masks!? Is this you're idea of a prank!?"
"Huh? No, wait we're not..."
"You're sorely underestimating us, you brats!? That pink mask has to be some kind of joke!"
"!?"
"You think you look cute in that or something!? I'll have you know that mask looks creepy as hell! You damn pervert!"
"!? I-I'm not trying to look cute. I don't even like this mask that much... I was just forced to wear it... It's not my fault..."
"Hey, stop insulting Shizu... I mean, Ranger Pink's mask, you ugly old man! Or else you'll have to deal with me, Ranger Yellow!"
"That's right! There's nothing wrong with Shizu...I mean Ranger Pink liking cute things! If you insult her any further, I, Ranger Red, will never forgive you!"
"Yeah~ Ranger Blue won't forgive you either~"
Ranger Pink slumped her shoulders, dejected. Her comrades stepped forward to defend her.
Their mission was ostensibly to create a diversion so that Hajime would have an easier time sneaking in, but Shizuku knew the real reason he'd asked them to do this. It was so that Kouki wouldn't go on a rampage and bumble things up. She understood that, but the whole masks bit really was going too far. Shizuku swore to get her revenge on Hajime once this was over.
In the time that they'd been talking, more imperial soldiers had gathered. Now that they had enough men, the lead soldier yelled "Capture those weird masked freaks!" Unfortunately, the empire was up against a bunch of overpowered kids who'd conquered the outer part of the Great Orcus Labyrinth. Kouki and the others started taking down the soldiers in waves.
"Goddammit! Those masked bastards are tough!"
"Damn you, Ranger Pink!"
"Is it just me, or does the sword Ranger Red's using look familiar?"
The soldiers cursed as they were incapacitated by the students' attacks. Three squads had already been downed. Unable to take it anymore, the commander shouted.
"Fuck, what are you weirdos after!?"
At that, Ranger Red suddenly stiffened. Then, as if he was hurling all of his pent up resentment at the soldiers, he yelled.
"I demand that you release all of your beastmen slaves! At the very least, treat them better than dirt!"
"...What?"
"I can't stand how awfully you treat those poor beastmen! Stop your tyranny this instant!"
The imperial soldiers hadn't been expecting such a strange request. It was understandable, though. After all, to the empire that kind of treatment was normal. So they didn't understand what was so cruel about it.
"Ngh. What's with that attitude... You're the ones making them suffer!"
"Hey... Ranger Red. Sorry to burst your bubble, but in this world, it's our perspective that's strange. Don't forget, our main goal is just to create a diversion."
"I know that! But maybe we could at least free the kids..."
"There's too many of them. Or are you saying we should pick and choose who to save? Either way, it's about time he should be going in. It hurts me too to leave them like this, but for now let's focus on the task at hand, alright?"
"...Fine."
Even through his mask, his reluctance was noticeable. Ranger Pink nodded in satisfaction and rapped the side of her mask with her knuckles. Hajime had told her to do so if the empire asked them what their objective was, or if they began to suspect that they were fighting against the hero's party. Letters made of mana floated up inside Shizuku's mask. She flinched back in surprise, and watched as the first message disappeared, only to be replaced by another set of letters. These, she reflexively read aloud.
"Listen well, soldiers of the empire. Our goal is to ascertain the current state of the capital. We may have failed to assassinate your emperor, but it's clear your city still suffered a heavy blow!"
The soldiers looked up in surprise. Shizuku's comrades also looked at her in surprise.
"Wait, don't tell me you bastards are demons!? I get it now, so you came to see how badly you hit us, huh!?"
"We are the most elite of the demon lord's soldiers. The Masked Rangers!"
Ranger Pink sounded a little hysterical as she screamed that. She then signaled to her comrades to strike a pose with her. Her forceful attitude shocked them into compliance. I guess rumors are going to spread that there's an elite demon unit that runs around wearing strange masks now. Ranger Pink mentally apologized to the demons she was impersonating. It was almost impressive how Hajime planned on pinning every disturbance he could on the demons. Doing so also had the added benefit of making Kouki's outbursts about freeing the slaves sound like something the demons wanted. Obviously that might cause trouble for the demons in the future, but that wasn't something Ranger Pink had to worry about. It wasn't her problem, after all.
"You better stop treating your slaves like trash. Or else..."
"O-Or else what?"
The soldiers' commander asked timidly. Ranger Pink stepped forward and answered.
"Or else, when you're in the bath at night, when you're woken up suddenly from your dreams, when you're walking down a deserted hallway, underneath your desk, behind your curtains, inside your armor, even in your dreams... you'll start to see masks."
Though she spoke in a monotone, her voice had an ominous tinge to it. The soldiers all gulped. It sounded ridiculous, but also terrifying. There was something horrifying about seeing weird masks everywhere.
Their mission now complete, the figure leaped off the rooftop and vanished into a side alley. The soldiers hurriedly chased after them, but by the time they reached the alley, they had disappeared into the night.
As time passed, the legend of Ranger Pink turned into a bedtime story parents told their children to scare them into obedience. When Shizuku found out, she wondered why it was only her that everyone remembered, but that was a tale for another time.
The simultaneous disappearance of the Haulia along with the appearance of a strange masked group became the talk of the town for weeks to come. It also left the capital in a state of confusion for a good day.
When Hajime, Yue, and Shea returned with Cam, they were greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the rest of the Haulia. The rabbitmen playfully slapped each other on the backs, playfully punched each other in the stomachs, playfully hit each other with right hooks, and playfully insulted each other.
"Sniffle Thank goodness. Even if they're still a little violent, I'm so glad everyone's safe. Hajime-san, Yue-san, thank you so much."
Tears welled up in Shea's eyes. Her wish to see her family safe had finally been granted.
"Mmm... It's good that we made it in time."
Yue stood up on tiptoe and patted Shea on the head. The tears started flowing. Shea clung to Yue like a little girl.
"Well, a lot of stuff happened that I wasn't expecting, but it turned out alright in the end. Looks like I won't have to wipe the empire off the map after all."
Hajime stroked Shea's bunny ears while casually dropping that statement. A second later, Hajime heard the sound of rushing wind. He raised a hand and grabbed the black sheath that had been swung down at his head.
"What was that for, Yaegashi?"
The owner of the weapon was of course, Shizuku Yaegashi.
Though Hajime was only holding the sheath between his fingers, Shizuku couldn't pull it out no matter how hard she tried. She clicked her tongue and mustered all of her strength.
"I thought I'd blow off my stress by knocking you senseless. Don't worry, I have faith in your kind heart Nagumo-kun. I know you're generosity runs deeper than the Mariana Trench... So kindly let me beat you to a pulp!"
"Do you really hate pink that much? And here I thought you'd like it."
"Liar! I know exactly what you were after! You just wanted to make us look like fools! I can't believe I let myself go along with this! I guess that does make it partially my fault, but still! You deserve at least one good smack for this! Now take your lumps like a man!"
"Don't be ridiculous..."
Looks like that traumatized her more than I thought. But it was also true that she could have refused the mask if she really hadn't wanted to play the part. So she was right that it was partly her fault for letting her go along with the flow. However, that didn't stop Hajime's prank from being in bad taste. Nor did it stop her from being mad at him for putting her through it.
Unfortunately for Shizuku, there was a huge difference in strength between the two of them. Even at full strength, she couldn't get past his fingers.
With no other choices left, Shizuku decided to use her katana's special ability. She was only willing to go so far because she believed it wouldn't do too much damage to someone as overpowered as him.
"You little! Roar— Thunder Blossom!"
"Oh? Heh."
Bolts of lighting crackled down the length of Shizuku's sheath, but Hajime didn't seem pained by them at all. In fact, he just seemed impressed. Shocked, Shizuku said, "Hey, Nagumo-kun. How come you don't look bothered at all by all that electricity?"
"Well I mean, how many times have you seen me fire my railgun now? I've been shooting electricity through my body for ages, you didn't really think that little spark would hurt me did you? Though I've gotta say, I'm tmpressed you managed to make the sword's skills activate."
"Tch. Fine... I'll back off for now. But you better watch out. I'll get you for this someday, mark my words. And I got help from the kingdom's Synergists to make the sword usable."
Shizuku reluctantly took her sword back and belted it again. Behind her, Kouki and the others watched in awe. They hadn't expected anyone to try and seriously challenge Hajime. Kaori gave Shizuku a troubled smile, while Yue glared coldly at her. In a small voice, Kaori said, "I've never seen Shizuku-chan... get this mad before."
"I thought she'd be angrier."
For some reason, Tio also nodded in agreement.
"Boss, do you have a minute?"
It appeared the Haulia were done with their reunion scuffling. Judging by Cam's serious expression, Hajime guessed that whatever this was, it was important. Hajime transmuted a circle of chairs for everyone to sit in, lowered himself into one, and nodded to Cam.
"I suppose first I should explain how this happened. Put simply, we were overconfident. Basically, it went down like this..."
In summary, Cam's tale was this: Back in the sea of trees, Cam's unit had been able to annihilate a significant chunk of the empire's rearguard as they retreated from Verbergen.
The testimonies of the few soldiers who survived, combined with the fact that many of the empire's units didn't regroup with the main army made it clear to the top brass that Verbergen had a new unit of soldiers who were a cut above the rest. Because of that, the empire had strengthened their guard.
Verbergen had already suffered one attack from the demon army. There was no telling what they might do. The army's commanders thought it wise to throw away their preconceptions that beastmen would never leave the forest, and maintained a vigilant watch in case an army came to take back the captured slaves.
So when Cam and the others arrived at the capital, they found that the slaves Hoelscher had taken from Verbergen had been gathered all in one place, instead of put to work. By the time the Haulia realized it was a trap, it was too late.
Cam and the others had no choice but to attempt a retreat after the empire's dense surveillance net spotted them.
For their part, the empire was quite surprised too. The unknown squad they'd discovered had been made up of rabbitmen, of all people. The same gentle, peace-loving rabbitmen that were used mostly as sex slaves by the empire. Moreover, these rabbitmen were able extremely well-coordinated, and were more than a match for the empire's elite troops. Naturally, this piqued the curiosity of the empire's top brass.
As a result— "They captured us alive and interrogated us day after day. Most of their questions were about who it was that had transformed us like this, and where we'd gotten our equipment from. Also they wanted to know what Verbergen's long-term plans were. I think they mistook us for some elite combat unit trained by Verbergen... Even though they nearly executed my entire family and exiled us from the city. Bet they would have never guessed that."
Cam and the others had in fact told their captors multiple times that they were no friend of Verbergen, but the soldiers had just thought they were sacrificing themselves for the sake of their country. The Haulia's denial only solidified the empire's convictions.
Gahard in particular had been enamored with Cam and the others. His eyes had sparkled like a child with a new toy when he'd seen how strong-willed his prisoners were.
"And? I'm sure you didn't want to just make excuses for why you got captured. What is it you wanna say?"
"My apologies, Boss. Moving on to the main topic, our family has grown since we inducted new rabbitmen into the Haulia clan. I was thinking of taking our new and improved Haulia army— and going to war with the empire."
Time ground to a halt. Cam's declaration had left everyone stunned. Well, everyone but Hajime and the other Haulia. The others weren't able to comprehend what he'd just said, or perhaps they were just so shocked they didn't know what to think. The chirping of crickets was the only noise that that could be heard.
Finally, Shea broke the silence.
"What-What did you just say, Dad? Did I hear you right? It sounded like you said you were going to go to war with the empire..."
"You heard correctly, Shea. As I said, I plan on waging war against the Hoelscher Empire."
Shea tried her best to keep her cool, but Cam's confirmation caused the color to drain from her face.
"D-Don't be ridiculous! What are you thinking!? I know you've gotten a lot stronger Dad, but you've only got 100 people with you! You're going to fight the empire with just that!? Have you lost your mind!? Did seeing your comrades get captured make you so mad you can't think straight!?"
"I'm not doing this for revenge, Shea. And I'm perfectly sane. Just listen to—"
"Nothing you say is going to convince these bunny ears! If you're not after revenge, then are you just way too overconfident!? If you really think you can win, take out your sword. You'll have to beat me before I let you take on the empire! I'll knock some sense into you!"
Shea took Drucken out of her Treasure Trove and whirled it around her head. From her perspective, challenging the empire was suicide. And the fact that Cam was driving her family to their deaths made her furious.
Pale blue mana swirled around her, and the pressure coming off of her was palpable. She was so intimidating that even Kouki and the others gulped and took a few steps back.
Usually, Shea was a cheerful girl who never seriously got angry. Which made her real wrath all the more terrifying. However, Cam didn't back down at all. Even with Shea's hammer thrust in front of his face, he continued staring calmly at his daughter.
The two of them glared, or perhaps just stared at each other for a few seconds before Hajime finally decided to butt in.
Before anyone knew it, he'd gotten behind Shea and started fondling her fluffy tail.
"Hyaaah!? What are you doing!? Aah, stop, not my tail! Hajime-shan, shtooop!"
The strength drained from Shea's limbs as Hajime continued groping her. She fell to her knees, panting, and glared reproachfully up at him. She didn't mind being touched by him, but there was a time and place for everything, and this wasn't the time nor the place.
In response, Hajime grinned and started stroking her ears. Unlike before, his hand motions were more gentle than erotic.
At first Shea had been mad at Hajime for interrupting her during a serious conversation, but as he kept stroking her ears she started to relax.
"Have you calmed down a little? Cam hasn't even finished talking yet. You can at least wait until he's explained his plan before beating him down, right?"
"Ugh... you're right... Sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm fine now. Sorry, Dad."
Shea's bunny ears drooped in apology. Cam smiled and shook his head.
"There's nothing wrong with worrying about your family. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry too, I should have chosen my words better. I've spent so much time yelling at people I forgot how to talk like a normal person... Hehehe, though I've gotta say..."
"Wh-What? Why're you laughing like that, Dad?"
"I'm just glad you seem happy. You've gotten a lot closer to Boss in the time since we last met, I see. The way he looks at you now is totally different from when you first left. Does this mean I'll be getting grandkids soon?"
"Wha— G-Grandkids!? What are you saying, Dad!? I-It's still too early for..." Shea blushed and looked bashfully up at Hajime. All of the other Haulia watched with grins on their faces.
These guys sure have gotten cheeky... Hajime thought absently to himself. He completely ignored Shea's glances and asked Cam,
"Cam, surely you didn't tell me all this because you wanna to ask for my help, did you?"
"Haha, perish the thought. It's just, I was only able to make this decision because you taught us how to fight back, Boss. So I thought it was only right that I tell you."
Cam smiled. It appeared he really did mean to invade the empire with just the Haulia. Their resolve was the real deal, too. They hadn't been driven crazy by thoughts of revenge, or overestimated their abilities just because they'd won a few fights. However, whether they were resolved or not, it was still reckless. Cam must have had a very good reason for choosing this path.
"What's your reason for going to war?"
"Now that's a surprise, you actually care? I thought it wouldn't matter to you..."
"If you found your resolve because of what I taught you, then the reason you're being so reckless is technically my fault. If that was all, I still wouldn't care, but..."
Hajime glanced over at Shea. She was clearly still worried about her family. Her bunny ears were still drooping.
Cam smiled and nodded in understanding.
"I see. Well, as I said before, us rabbitmen have now caught the emperor's eye. He's very interested in what we're capable of. Everyone in the empire, the emperor included, believes might makes right. They believe that the weak should submit to the strong. It's permeated every part of their society."
"So what you're trying to say is that even if you escape, he's going to start hunting rabbitmen? Not to kill, but to make his slaves?"
"Correct. When we were being tortured, the emperor came to me personally and said he'd be willing to get us out of here if we became his slaves. Of course, I just spit in his face, but..."
"Good going, chief!" the other Haulia shouted in encouragement. Kouki, on the other hand, was stunned. "He spit in Gahard's face!?" His surprise was understandable. Cam was probably the first to person, beastman or not, to have ever spit in the emperor's face.
Even Hajime nodded in appreciation.
"Unfortunately, that only made him like us even more. He said something really arrogant about how it'd be interesting if he caught all the rabbitmen in Haltina and trained them the same way we were trained. The problem was, I could tell from his face that he was serious. There's no doubt that he'll invade Haltina again and capture as many rabbitmen as he can."
Worse, this time they wouldn't be used as sex slaves, but as soldiers.
Cam sighed.
"Verbergen's still reeling from the last two attacks. It won't survive a third. So, if the emperor demands they hand over all the rabbitmen in their territory in exchange for not being invaded..."
"I see. If you stay on the defensive, you'll run out of options. All of your brethren will end up as slaves."
"Correct. If all I wished for was to protect the Haulia, escaping the empire's clutches would be a simple task. But I refuse to sit idly by as other rabbitmen are robbed off their future... because of us, no less." Cam was in a far more desperate situation than Hajime had thought.
As Cam had said, if all they wished was to protect themselves, they could easily hide out in the sea of trees and wage a guerrilla warfare campaign indefinitely. But doing so would mean consigning all other rabbitmen to a fate worse than death. If they refused to become soldiers for the emperor, the women and children would be sold off as pets while the men would all be killed.
"But you don't honestly think you can take on the empire with just a hundred men, do you?"
"Of course not. A head-on battle would see us defeated in seconds. But we're rabbitmen. We're better at sneaking about than any other race."
Cam grinned triumphantly. Realizing their intentions, Hajime replied.
"You're gonna assassinate them?"
"Correct. We'll show the empire there's consequences for baring their fangs at us. Whenever they're alone, whenever they're not on their guard, they'll suddenly find a blade at their throats... By doing that, hopefully they'll start to fear us. They'll realize that we can be anywhere, anytime, and kill them in over 400 different ways. They'll learn that we're not weaker or lesser than them, and that making an enemy out of us was the worst mistake of their lives."
"Do you think emperor hasn't taken any precautions against assassins or something?"
"Of course not. But our goal won't be the emperor himself. Just the people close to him. Even if he can protect himself at all times, there's not enough guards to protect all of the empire's officials."
"Cam, you didn't tell me all this because you wanna ask for my help, did you?"
"This is the best we can hope to do with our current strength, but I think it'll work well enough. As long as we can get the empire to leave us alone, we'll have succeeded."
What an underhanded plan. Hajime thought to himself. Still, it was a lot more realistic than attempting to assassinate the emperor or his family. However, a plan like this needed time to take effect. There was no guarantee the empire wouldn't attempt some kind of counteroffensive in that time.
It was entirely possible that the empire would start rounding up all killing all rabbitmen in retaliation before the Haulia had done enough damage to force the empire to the negotiating table. Cam's plan was a huge gamble. One with pretty low odds, at that.
But they had to try, or there was no future for the rabbitmen. The other Haulia had steeled themselves as well.
"Dad... Guys..."
Shea slumped her shoulders. Now that Cam and the others had escaped, she knew that the emperor now had a political reason to go after the rabbitmen along with a personal one.
The only options left to the Haulia were either to escape and consign every other rabbitman to slavery, submit to the empire, or bet their lives on one final clash.
"Shea, don't make that face. Before, all we did was run in fear, have our rights trampled over, and tell ourselves we had no choice but to accept it. But now we have the ability and the opportunity to fight back. Nothing could make us happier."
"But—"
"Shea, this fight isn't just about living. We need to win in order to earn our right to exist. So that we can hold our heads high and proudly call ourselves Haulia. No matter how strong we get, if we run away here we're no different from the weaklings we used to be. And that is one thing I will never accept."
"Dad..."
"You have to keep looking forward, Shea. You can't waste time worrying about us. You made your decision, remember? You resolved to go with the boss, wherever that might take you. Don't forget that determination, and keep moving forward."
Cam spoke not as the leader of his tribe, nor as the general of his army, but as a father who cared about his daughter. He didn't want his daughter to get stuck together with him, unable to move forward with the people she wanted to.
Shea hung her head, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. Cam watched over her for a few seconds longer before turning back to Hajime. His gaze seemed to be saying Take care of her for me.
Kouki stood up, probably intending to announce his desire to help if Hajime wouldn't, but Shizuku smacked him on the back of his head with her katana, and sat back down. Probably because of all the recent stress, Shizuku's handling of Kouki was rougher than usual.
For his part, Hajime remained silent. Shea turned back to him, most likely in order to ask for his help again. But before she could open her mouth, Cam cut her off.
"Shea!"
Shea jumped and turned back to him. Cam had no desire to beg Hajime for help. It was his own fault that he'd fallen for the enemy's trap, and partly his own fault that he'd brought Gahard's attention onto them. If he relied on Hajime's strength to solve this problem for him, it would be no different than before.
Like he'd said before, this was a fight to prove to the world that rabbitmen had just as much a right to exist as anyone else.
Shea knew that as well. She knew as well as they did how painful it was to always be running away. And right now, she cherished her pride as one of Hajime and Yue's comrades. But she couldn't help but worry knowing just how much of a long shot their plan was.
In the end, Shea fell silent, unsure of what to say. Hajime sighed, scratched his head, and shot Yue a questioning glance. As always, Yue didn't need words to know what he was thinking. Her expression softened, and she nodded in agreement.
Hajime gave her a small smile and turned back to Shea.
"Shea."
"Hajime-san..."
A faint glimmer of hope flared up in Shea's eyes.
"I won't participate in this fight."
"Uuu... I... understand."
However, Hajime's words brought her back to the well of tears.
Kouki stood up to protest again, but Shizuku jabbed in the side and jolted him with an electric current strong enough to knock him unconscious. Meanwhile, Hajime smiled playfully and squished Shea's soft cheeks.
"Hold on, don't jump to the wrong conclusions. I just said I'm not participating in the fight, not that I won't help."
"Huh?" Shea looked up at him in confusion.
Sensing Hajime's intentions, Cam and Haulia exchanged troubled glances.
"The Haulia need to show off their strength here, or this fight'll be meaningless. They need to show the empire that if you mess with them, you'll get burned. If I fight with them, it won't change anything. That'll just tell the empire they can start going after beastmen again once I'm gone. It won't do anything about the deep-seated prejudices humans hold against beastmen. But more than anything, Cam wants to win this fight with his own strength, so I won't interfere." Hajime then turned to Cam.
"But if our cute mascot makes that kind of face, there's no way I'm just gonna shut up and do nothing."
"B-But then, Boss... What are you suggesting?"
In the face of Cam's confusion, Hajime smiled fearlessly.
"Cam. No, all of you Haulia. There's no way I'm letting you use a plan so shitty it made Shea cry. If you're doing this, your blades are reaching the emperor. Grab him by the hair, beat him down, and show all of his relatives, friends, and subordinates that they're no match for you. Conquer the capital in just one night, and show those imperial bastards they're done for! Teach them that nowhere's safe from the Haulia's blades! That no matter where they hide, your ears will find them! That anyone who makes themselves an enemy of the Haulia will mean a painful end! Carve your names into the history of the empire!"
Silence followed after Hajime's speech. Everyone had been overwhelmed by his fervor. The sounds of everyone gulping echoed through the night. Then, Hajime glared at everyone for a few seconds before sucking in a huge breath.
"Where's your reply, you worthless maggots!?" He boomed in a voice louder than thunder.
"H-Huh!? S-Sir, yes, sir!"
"I can't hear you! You call that a battle cry!? Is this how you've been fighting all this time, you goddamn wimps!?"
"Sir, no sir!"
"Well then prove it to me, you bastards! Prove you're fighters, and not maggots!"
"Hoooah! Hooooah! Hooooaaah!"
"Behead anyone who stands in your way with blades of pure will!"
"Behead! Behead! Behead!"
"You bastards are gonna be the main star of this fight! You better not fuck up the opportunity I'm making for you, you hear that!?"
"Aye, aye, sir!"
"Alright, then let's see some fighting spirit! You 120 new and improved Haulia are..."
"..."
"Going to capture the imperial capital!"
"Yahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Though Cam and the others had no idea what kind of opportunity Hajime was referring to, anyone with common sense would thought it impossible to capture the capital, and in one night no less.
But the Haulia were too fired up by Hajime's speech to worry about that. Their beloved boss was saying he'd personally open the door to victory for them.
If they couldn't at least clear the obstacles beyond that door, then they didn't deserve to call themselves Haulia. If they failed here, they would bring eternal shame onto their boss' name.
Thus, the Haulia steeled their resolve and prepared to topple the imperial capital. Their uproarious war cries echoed through the starry night.
"Uh, Shizushizu, those guys are starting to scare me."
"It's okay, Suzu. I'm scared too... Though, I'm more scared of what Hajime's planning than the rabbitmen."
"That Nagumo... Hehe, I never thought he'd be one of Sgt. Hartman's pupils too. Who knew you were a real man after all."
"Ryutarou!? Don't tell me you approve of all this!? This is totally crazy!"
Shizuku and the others watched in dumbfounded amazement as the Haulia hyped themselves up. Except Ryutarou, who respected Hajime's choice of role model for a drill sergeant.
"Mmm, I must say, that is quite impressive. Transforming the peaceful rabbitmen into warriors is no mean feat. I suppose I should expect no less from Master. And to think he intends to rout the empire in a single night. I'm getting excited now... Though I wish he would insult me with such vigor."
"Shut up, you perverted dragon."
"Huh!? Haaah, haaah..."
"Could you please tone it down, Tio-san? More importantly, do you see Shea's expression, Yue? She looks so happy. That smile is so cute even my heart skipped a beat."
"...Yeah. After all, Hajime's doing this so Shea won't cry... It's natural she'd be happy."
"I know, right. It must feel so nice~ I hope Hajime-kun does something like that for me someday."
With the exception of the resident pervert, Yue and the others were captivated by Shea's beaming smile. Yue had known things would turn out like this from the start, but her lips still curled up into a faint smile as she saw Shea's cheerful expression. Kaori, too, smiled in relief. Though she couldn't keep a slight twinge of jealousy out of her tone.
After the cheering was over, Hajime got to work hammering out the details of his plan. Once they were done finalizing it, everyone went to rest before the decisive battle. Throughout the night, Shea stuck to Hajime like glue. She wasn't as bubbly as usual, but nor was she depressed. Rather, she seemed oddly bashful, and kept blushing every time she nuzzled against Hajime. Even in her sleep, her bunny ears kept brushing against Hajime over and over. As if she wanted to make sure he was still there next to her.
Two figures sat on a rocky outcrop in the predawn light. Hajime and Yue. They had woken earlier than usual. The sun was only just beginning to crest the eastern horizon.
Technically, it was only Hajime who was sitting on the rock. Yue was sitting in Hajime's lap. The only other people awake right now were the Haulia on watch. However, the boulder Hajime had picked was in the sentries' blind spot, so the two of them were able to spend some time together for the first time in a while.
They sat together in amicable silence as they watched the sun rise.
Suddenly, Yue took her head off Hajime's shoulder and kissed the nape of his neck. The wet sound of her kiss broke the silence.
"Where'd that come from?"
"Mmm... I just felt like it, after remembering what happened last night."
She was of course referring to Hajime's declaration that they'd topple the capital.
What that had to with her kissing him, though, even Hajime didn't know. He locked eyes with Yue and tilted his head questioningly.
"You put Shea's feelings over your mission. I'm happy that you care about her that much. And that there's more things you hold dear now. I'm so happy that I..." As she spoke, Yue kissed him again.
Ah, I get it now.
"Does this mean Shea's special to you now, too?"
"Well, not exactly. She's definitely one of the people I care most about in the world, but... you're the only one who's special, Yue."
"Mrr... Even though I'd be okay with Shea. But I'm also happy."
Yue looked up at Hajime, both troubled and happy. Shea was the first friend Yue made after climbing out of the abyss, and she treated Shea like her little sister. To Yue, Shea was just as special as Hajime, just for different reasons.
That was why she was willing to let Shea be someone "special" to Hajime, a title she wouldn't relinquish to anyone else. And so, while she was happy at Hajime's words, she did also wish he'd stop being so stubborn.
For his part, Hajime found Yue's insistence that he grow his harem annoying. It irked him that she actually wanted him to consider other people just as special. He decided to get his revenge by showering her in kisses until she could no longer think about anyone else.
"Mmm... Mmm... Haumf... Haji... Mmm..."
As the sun started to rise, their shadows grew. Because of how close together they were, it looked like they were a single shadow, except during the times they separated to draw breath.
After a few minutes, Yue's cheeks were flushed, her lips were glossy with saliva, and her eyes were filled with longing.
Just as they were about to take the next step, Hajime heard someone calling for him from behind the boulder he was sitting on.
"Oooi, Nagumo. You here?"
It appeared Kouki wanted him for something. He must have gone looking when he'd seen Hajime wasn't in his sleeping bag. The sun had risen completely now, and it was around the time everyone else would be waking up.
"Tch, of course he'd be the one to interrupt us. I wanted to let him learn some ancient magic so we'd have help when there's a dozen Noints coming after us, but... it's starting to feel like more trouble than it's worth."
Grumbling, Hajime attempted to stand. However, Yue wasn't going to let that happen.
"I won't let you escape, Hajime. Mmph."
"Hey wa— Mmmph."
She pushed him back down and cut off his protests with a kiss. Hajime fell backwards onto the boulder, but he didn't go down without a fight. Even as Yue was straddling him, he attempted to kiss her back.
"Kouki, did you find Nagumo-kun?"
"Well, I thought I sensed someone over here, but—!?"
Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryutarou walked up behind Kouki.
Halfway through answering Shizuku's question, Kouki stopped. The sight he'd been presented with upon rounding the boulder had shocked him into silence. Confused as to why he was just standing there, Shizuku and the others walked up to him and peeked around the boulder as well. When they spotted Hajime and Yue, they too went stiff.
Just then, Shea, Kaori, and Tio arrived as well. Upon seeing Kouki and the others just standing there, they went over to see for themselves just what was so shocking.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! What do you think you're doing, flirting first thing in the morning!?"
"Mmm, want to join in, Shea?"
"Wait, I can? In that case..."
"Absolutely not! And Yue, get away from Hajime-kun this instant! You're making me jeal— I mean, this isn't right!"
"Hmph, if Shea is allowed, then I should be too, no? All I ask is that you punish my arse..."
After seeing the chaos unfolding around him, Hajime reluctantly lifted Yue off him and stood up.
He calmed Shea, who was about to jump him at Yue's suggestion, with a sharp jab to the stomach, comforted Kaori, who was crying tears of envy, and appeased Tio by smacking her on the ass as she wanted. Kouki and the others couldn't bear to keep watching, and beat a hasty retreat.
Suzu had completely broken down and had been repeating "So this is what an adult's like..." over and over, so Shizuku had to carry her out. Even though Shizuku's face had been just as red as Suzu's.
That morning marked the beginning of the Haulia's counterattack. It was such a sloppy start that it left everyone, even the people involved, dumbfounded.