The mercantile city-state of Fuhren. A place where people, goods, and ambitions all mixed together to form the largest trading center in the world. Today too, it was bustling with activity. One could hear the clamor of the city a good distance away from the walls, even.
A long line of adventurers, merchants, and tourists snaked out from the main gate. They were all waiting their turn for Fuhren’s trademark inspection. Some lounged about lazily, while others tapped their feet impatiently.
At the very end of the line stood a man who was dressed rather ostentatiously. Next to him were two women outfitted in equally flashy garb, presumably his servants. Though he didn’t seem too impatient, he was complaining incessantly about the necessity of the inspection.
He was the kind of fool who thought spouting large words made him seem smarter. He went on at length about the incompetency of the Fuhren government. The nearby merchants struggled to hold in their derisive laughter, but the man and his two female attendants seemed not to notice.
In the middle of his tirade, the gaudily-dressed man began to hear a high-pitched noise, one he had never heard before. It sounded like steam hissing out of a pipe.
At first he tried to ignore it and continued droning on to his two servants, but they, along with the other merchants, ignored him. Their eyes were fixated on something behind him. Giving up once the sound grew louder, the man let out a harrumph and turned to see what all the fuss was about.
The man let out a squeal of surprise. An unfamiliar black box-shaped object was heading for the city at an incredible speed, kicking up clouds of dust in its wake.
A commotion broke out among the waiting travelers. Many turned to run, thinking it was a monster, but the black box was far faster than any of them could have ever predicted. Before they’d gone a single step, it was already upon them.
The gaudily-dressed man stiffened up in fear. Despair colored the travelers’ faces.
However, just before the box crashed into the line, it turned to its side and came to an abrupt stop. The force of its deceleration caused it to kick up a massive cloud of dust. As the travelers all stared at Brise in wonderment and confusion, its front door opened.
“Man, this line is always so damn long.”
“…Yeah. What can you do, though?” Hajime and Yue stepped out of the car, heedless of the fear and confusion they’d caused. Shea and Tio followed after, with Will Cudeta coming out last. Will’s expression seemed somewhat stiff.
A few days back, the head of Fuhren’s adventurer’s guild, Ilwa Chang, had asked Hajime and his party to go to the northern mountain ranges and search for Will. They had accepted, finding Will alive in the process. After protecting him from the wrath of a mind-controlled Tio, they’d safely brought him back home.
Will bowed uncharacteristically low for a noble and apologized for startling all of the people waiting in line. However, he realized quickly that no one was paying any attention to him.
Everyone’s gazes were focused on the three beautiful ladies. The fact that they’d just come out of a speeding black box was of little importance. The men only had eyes for them now. Every time they so much as moved, sighs of appreciation rang out among the crowd.
Hajime sat down on Brise’s hood and studied the line.
“Probably gonna take another hour, it looks like,” he said as he narrowed his eyes. Sitting in the car for so long had left Hajime a little stiff, so he started stretching along with Yue and the others. There was still a lot of time until they got in, so he might as well relax, he thought.
Brise was operated via the direct application of mana, so he could control it without actually sitting in the driver’s seat. Of course, his control wasn’t nearly as precise as when he was behind the wheel, but he could still move it forward slowly as the line progressed.
He cracked his neck from side to side, loosening up. Yue sat down behind him and massaged his shoulders. Smiling, Hajime leaned back into Yue.
Shea’s rabbit ears drooped a little. Feeling left out, she clambered up the hood and sat down next to Hajime.
“Allow me to join you as well!” Tio proclaimed. She climbed to Hajime’s other side and attempted to press her breasts against his arm. However, a slap from Hajime sent her sprawling. Though, the way she moaned as he slapped her implied she’d enjoyed it. He’d hit her hard enough that she’d spun around a few times, but… for the masochistic Tio, there was no greater reward.
Hajime scowled as she panted excitedly at his feet. Smiling awkwardly, Shea asked him the foremost question on his mind.
“Umm, Hajime-san? Was it really alright to drive all the way here in Brise? I thought you wanted to hide your abilities…”
“It’s a bit late for that now. We broadcast them to a whole village already. I guarantee you everywhere but the sticks will have heard of us in a week. Besides, I expected this day would come eventually. Though, I was hoping it wouldn’t happen so soon.”
“Yeah. No need for caution now.” Hajime shrugged his shoulders. Until recently, he’d been willing to suffer a little inconvenience if it saved him trouble down the line. However, after the battle at Ur, he had no doubt tales of his wondrous artifacts would spread throughout the kingdom in no time. Since his cover had already been blown, there
was no reason for him to hide his abilities or equipment anymore.
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. There’s no stopping the Holy Church or Heiligh from pressuring us now. I just wonder if Aiko-san and Ilwa-san will be willing to help us…”
“Well, the thing with Sensei and Ilwa was just extra insurance. It’d be nice if it pans out, but there’s no big loss if it doesn’t. From the start, I was ready to fight the entire world if it came down to it. We’ll mow down anything in our way. That’s all there is to it, Shea. You don’t have to go around pretending to be my slave now, either. You can take the collar off if you want.”
They really had just been extra countermeasures. Hajime wasn’t too concerned with whether or not they’d really end up helping him when it came down to it.
Hajime gently rapped on Shea’s fake slave collar as he spoke. Shea was strong enough to beat down anyone who tried to mess with her, so there was no reason not to let her walk around as their equal anymore. To Hajime’s surprise though, Shea gently touched her collar and shook her head.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind staying like this. It is still technically the first thing you ever gave me, Hajime-san… and it’s proof that I belong to you. Besides, I’ve actually started to like wearing it so… I’ll keep it on.” A faint blush spread up her cheeks. Her bunny ears were twitching in embarrassment too. Even Hajime had to admit the way she looked down shyly was cute. Many of the men standing close enough to hear their conversation had already been overcome with nosebleeds.
“I see. Gotta at least make it look nicer, though.”
“H-Hajime-san?” Hajime gently lifted Shea’s chin up. Her face was completely flushed now. Around them, the men’s nosebleeds had turned the ground into a river of blood.
Hajime pulled a set of dazzling jewels from his Treasure Trove and transmuted them onto Shea’s collar. Furthermore, he rearranged the gems already on there. Shea’s collar had served the purpose of making it look like she was Hajime’s slave, so he hadn’t spent much time on its initial design. Because of that it had come out looking rather plain. It had just been to avoid trouble after all.
However, if Shea was going to keep wearing it because she liked it, Hajime felt it deserved an upgrade in the looks department too. That was why he retailored it to suit her appearance more.
Her new collar had white and blue ornaments adorning the simple black fabric. Furthermore, he had transmuted a fragment of his now spent Divinity Stone into a luminous sky blue cross, and transfixed it to the front of her collar. It now resembled a fashionable choker from his old world. No one would think it was a simple collar meant to identify a slave.
Hajime nodded in satisfaction. Shea had lost herself in the sensation of Hajime’s fingers on her neck, but she snapped back to herself when he handed her a mirror. She excitedly looked at her neck. The beautiful choker was a huge improvement from her old collar. It seemed the color of the cross was the same as her eyes.
“Wow~ This is the first time I’ve ever had something so pretty.” Shea beamed happily as she played with the tiny cross. Until recently, Shea had never left her village, much less the sea of trees. She had never owned fancy things like jewelry. Of course, that didn’t mean she hadn’t liked them. She’d always been jealous of the girls she’d seen in Verbergen. The ones rich enough to afford the scant amount of gems that could be found in the sea of trees.
And now she finally had jewelry like that of her own. She was ecstatic. Doubly so because it had been gifted to her by the boy she loved. Her bunny ears hopped up and down with joy.
“Thank you so much, Hajime-saaan!” She hugged his arm and buried her head in his chest with a smile. Her ears rubbed against him and her tail twitched happily.
Hajime simply shrugged his shoulders while Yue sidled up, smiling faintly, and started patting Shea’s head. When Tio tried to do the same, Hajime slapped her away.
The sight of them all flirting brought the onlookers to their senses, and they looked at the party with a mixture of emotions clouding their faces.
The girls all sighed, admiring Yue, Shea, and Tio’s stellar looks. They didn’t even have it in them to be jealous. Meanwhile, the guys were split between being entranced by Yue and the others, extremely jealous of Hajime, or fascinated by his artifacts and looking to see how much they could potentially make off them.
None of them had tried approaching him yet, though. The merchants would have walked up to him, but they were too busy keeping each other in check while waiting for the perfect opportunity to give the others the slip and approach Hajime first.
The gaudily-dressed man was comparing his own girls to Yue and Shea, and was clearly displeased. He then attempted something that could only be called rash.
“Hey, you two. Would you be interested in—”
“Get your filthy hands off her, scum.” He’d completely ignored Hajime and walked up to Yue and the others. If all he’d done was talk to them, then Hajime would have just
activated his Intimidation and made the guy faint. However, he’d gone one step too far, and tried to cup Shea’s cheek.
Though his outfit was needlessly ostentatious, he was actually a rather handsome man. His confidence in his looks had given him the mistaken belief that any woman would swoon before him as long as he walked up to her and said some pretty words. Shea glared coldly at the man and made to swat his hand away, but before she could, Hajime grabbed the man’s head in a vice grip. If looks could kill, the man would already be dead.
“Hiii!?” The man shrank back, a pathetic whimper escaping his lips. Hajime lifted him up and threw him as far as he could toward the town. He landed on the ground a good thirty meters away. He fell face-first, sliding across the ground for a good ten meters. Then, he did a headstand for a few seconds before flopping to the ground.
He stayed there in a cloud of dust, unmoving. Everyone’s gazes went from the man, who had just flown an unbelievable distance, to Hajime, their jaws hanging open in shock. The man’s two female servants gave Hajime one last fearful look before running away screaming. Hajime gazed at the gathered onlookers with a stare that could freeze hell over.
The merchants who had a second ago been trying to stop each other from being the first were now eagerly pushing their fellow traders forward instead. Hajime’s gaze promised the same for anyone else who tried anything.
When he saw no one else came forward, he smiled in satisfaction and returned to ignoring the crowd.
“Hawawa, Hajime-san got mad for my sake. Have his feelings toward me started growing? Just a bit more and we’ll finally be real lovers!”
“Shea, good luck.”
“Yue-san… thank you. I’ll do my best!”
“Hmm, despite what he says, he truly seems to cherish you. Master, when will you start cherishing me so? I would love it if you could throw me like that man.”
Shea clapped her hands over her cheeks and squirmed with happiness. In truth, Hajime just hadn’t been able to stand how the guy had walked around as if he owned everyone and everything. Though it was also true that he held Shea dear, so he couldn’t exactly deny what Tio had said either.
As an aside, when Tio expressed her desire to be thrown as well, Hajime simply slapped her again. She fell to the ground, moaning in ecstasy again. Hajime glared at her, but that only made her more excited. Giving up, he sighed dramatically and decided to ignore her. Will alone sat in the back of the truck, hugging his knees. He was trying his best to pretend like he had nothing to do with the group up front. Just then, a huge commotion broke out at the front of the line.
Hajime looked over, spotting the gate guards heading this way. They’d probably spotted the earlier altercation and had come to see what had happened. Or maybe they’d just seen the man lying on the ground and wanted to find out what had occurred.
Three men in armor had ridden out on horses and were questioning the nearby merchants as they made their way toward Hajime. One of the merchants pointed to Hajime, then to the man lying on the ground. Then, one guard barked out orders and rode over to the collapsed man. The other two headed toward Hajime and the others, who were still flirting on top of Brise’s hood. Their gazes hardened. Not because that was their duty as guards… but because they were jealous.
“Hey, you! What’s all this commotion about!? And what’s that black box thing!? Explain yourself!” Though he was addressing Hajime, his gaze kept shifting over to Yue, so he didn’t really sound as intimidating as he intended. Hajime had expected this, so he answered without hesitation.
“This is my artifact. It’s a vehicle that can move without horses. As for that guy… he tried to lay a hand on my companion, so I sent him flying. He was trying to rape her. Can you believe it? Look at how scared she is now… Honorable guard, surely you don’t mean to take the side of that rapist. Me and my friends would never feel safe coming into Fuhren, knowing that the law protects criminals like him… You understand, right?” Hajime spun his tale without batting an eyelid. Shea was clinging to Hajime, and depending on how one interpreted it, it could have looked like she was terrified.
Will glared at Hajime from the back.
“Silver-tongued devil,” he muttered. However, Hajime ignored him. The nearby merchants all whispered things like “Rape her? He barely even said anything before he got sent flying,” or “She doesn’t look very scared to me. In fact, she looks pretty happy,” but Hajime ignored them too. After all, between a man dressed in tacky clothes and a group of beautiful girls, it was obvious who the guards were going to believe.
“Why, that’s terrible,” one of the guards exclaimed, without even bothering to verify the truth of Hajime’s statement. However, the other guard tilted his neck and examined Hajime. Suddenly, a look of realization passed over him and he started whispering to the other guard.
“Come to think of it, you’re right,” the other guard muttered, as he looked over Hajime.
“Could you three be Hajime, Yue, and Shea?”
“Hm? Yeah, we are, but…”
“I see. Does that mean you’ve returned from the quest the branch chief sent you on?”
“Yeah, that’s right… Do you have some kind of message from him or something?”
The guards nodded. They’d been informed by Ilwa to let Hajime’s party through right away. Thanks to that, Hajime wouldn’t have to wait in line. He started up Brise and followed after the guards. The rest of the travelers watched with curiosity as Hajime rode into Fuhren for the second time.
Once they were inside, the group headed straight for the adventurers guild.
They were let into the same waiting room as last time. There, they greedily devoured the tea and cakes they were offered while they waited. Five minutes later the door slammed open and Ilwa Chang stepped into the room.
“Will, are you alright!? You’re not hurt, are you!?” There was none of the calm composure he’d had last time. Without even greeting anyone, he dashed toward Will, fretting over his safety. He must have been really worried.
“Ilwa-san… I’m sorry. Because I insisted on going, I ended up causing you so much trouble…”
“What are you saying? It’s my fault for recommending such a dangerous request to you… I’m so glad you made it back safely. I don’t know how I’d face Greil and Saria if something had happened to you. They were both worried about you too. You should go let them know you’re safe. I’ve already told them you’re alive. They’re here in Fuhren right now.”
“Father and Mom are… I understand. I’ll go there immediately.”
Ilwa told Will where they were staying and urged him to see them at once. Will expressed his thanks to Ilwa for setting up a search party, promised Hajime he’d properly repay him later, and left the room. Hajime would have been fine at leaving things there, but Will insisted that he owed him.
Once Will left, Ilwa focused his attention on Hajime. He smiled and bowed his head low.
“Hajime-kun, thank you so much for finding Will. I honestly did not believe I would see him alive again. I cannot express how grateful I am that you brought him back alive.”
“It was his own luck that let him survive for that long.”
“Hohoho, is that really so? I suppose that did play a part in it, but… I heard you also defended him from an army of monsters. Isn’t that right, Sir Goddess’ Knight?” Ilwa grinned mischievously as he spoke the nickname Hajime had been given in Ur. Hajime’s expression stiffened. It looked like information between guild branches traveled even faster than Brise.
“So you found out already, huh?”
“Most of the guild’s higher-ups have an artifact that allows them to communicate with each other over long distances. Ur’s branch chief isn’t ranked high enough to have one, so I’d actually sent one of my subordinates there to relay information to me. The first time I’d ever heard him cry was when he tearfully reported how he’d lost sight of you a few minutes after you’d left Fuhren.” Ilwa smiled wryly. It seemed whoever he’d sent to Ur had wanted to tail Hajime to learn his secrets.
Whether that had been on Ilwa’s instructions, or his own decision, he must have been quite frustrated that he’d lost sight of Hajime so soon. Then, after riding to Ur as fast as he could, he’d seen four people face off against an army of sixty thousand. Moments after that was over, he’d probably raced out of town to head back as fast as he could. He was
probably riding to Fuhren as they spoke… Hajime couldn’t help but sympathize with the guy a little.
Regardless of whether this artifact was a communication device, or some kind of scrying tool, Hajime had no intention of blaming Ilwa for sending someone after him. In fact, he was relieved the man he’d scouted as an ally was this cunning.
Ilwa cleared his throat and put the subject of his spy’s trials and tribulations to the side.
“Regardless, it must have been tough. To think the anomalies in the northern mountains had been the signs of such a disaster… I’m doubly grateful you chose to take this request. I’m truly interested in what power you must possess to be able to eliminate such an enormous army so easily… Would you mind telling me what happened there first?”
“Sure, I don’t mind. But could you get Yue and Shea their status plates first? As for Tio —”
“I see… You plan to show this man their stats. Very well. If that is your decision, Master, then may I be granted a plate as well?”
“Well, you heard her.”
“I suppose seeing all of your stats will lend some credibility to the story that you annihilated an army of monsters… Very well.” Ilwa could tell there was something special to Hajime and his party, even the newly added Tio. And so, he called over an attendant and had them bring three new status plates.
Yue and the others stats were as follows:
Yue Age: 323 Female Level: 75
Job: Divine Priestess
Strength: 120
Vitality: 300
Defense: 60
Agility: 120
Magic: 6980
Magic Defense: 7120
Skills: Automatic Regeneration [+Pain Dampener] — All Elemental Affinity — Spell Melding — Mana Manipulation [+Mana Emission] [+Mana Compression] [+Remote Manipulation] [+Increased Efficiency] [+Ether Absorption] — Image Composition [+Increased Imagination] [+Multiple Spell Image Composition] [+Delayed Casting] — Blood Conversion [+Body Strengthening] [+Mana Conversion] [+Stamina Conversion] [+Mana Strengthening] [+Blood Oath] — High Speed Mana Recovery — Creation Magic
— Gravity Magic
*Image Composition allows the wielder to use imagined magic circles in lieu of real ones. Blood Oath increases the effectiveness of bloodsucking abilities when the blood being sucked belongs to the contracted.
Shea Haulia Age: 16 Female Level: 40
Job: Diviner
Strength: 60 [Max 6100]
Vitality: 80 [Max 6120]
Defense: 60 [Max 6100]
Agility: 85 [Max 6125]
Magic: 3020
Magic Defense: 3180
Skills: Future Sight [+Automatic Activation] [+Branching Paths] — Mana Manipulation [+Body Strengthening] [+Partial Strengthening] [+Conversion Efficiency II] [+Increased Concentration] — Gravity Magic
*Conversion Efficiency II allows one point of mana to increase two points worth of stats.
Tio Klarus Age: 563 Female Level: 89
Job: Guardian
Strength: 770 [+4620 while in dragon form]
Vitality: 1100 [+6600 while in dragon form]
Defense: 1100 [+6600 while in dragon form]
Agility: 580 [+3480 while in dragon form]
Magic: 4590
Magic Defense: 4220
Skills: Draconification [+Dragon Scales] [+Mana Efficiency Up] [+Physical Stats Increase] [+Draconic Roar II] [+Wind Veil] [+Pain Conversion] — Mana Manipulation [+Mana Emission] [+Mana Compression] — Fire Resistance [+Decreased Mana
Consumption] [+Increased Efficiency] [+Increased Duration] — Wind Resistance [+Decreased Mana Consumption] [+Increased Efficiency] [+Increased Duration] — Spell Melding
*Draconic Roar II allows the wielder to use their dragonbreath while outside of dragon form. Wind Veil wraps the wielder in an armor of wind while draconified, aiding in their flight speed. Pain Conversion is a truly wonderful skill. It’s proof the wielder has opened the door to a new world. Come, partake of this wonderful sensation!
Though they weren’t quite as broken as Hajime, each of them were strong enough to take on the rest of Hajime’s cheat-level classmates all at once. All of their best stats were so high that even Kouki with Limit Break wouldn’t have been able to match up to them. Naturally, most combat jobs wouldn’t even come close to their level of strength.
And that was just their stats. Their unique skills and abilities had left Ilwa completely speechless.
It was hardly surprising. Skills such as Blood Conversion and Draconification belonged to races that had supposedly gone extinct centuries ago. Furthermore, they were races that, according to the Holy Church, had betrayed the gods centuries past.
And while Shea didn’t belong to a heretical race like Yue and Tio, her stats and abilities were completely abnormal for her species.
“My word… I had expected to see something out of the ordinary, but not this out of the ordinary…” Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his usual smile was conspicuously absent. Unconcerned, Hajime began explaining what had happened at Ur. Normally, Ilwa would have laughed such a story off as impossible, but he had no choice but to believe Hajime after seeing their stats and skills.
Once Hajime finished talking, Ilwa crumpled into the sofa, looking like he’d aged a decade.
“No wonder you caught Master Catherine’s attention. I had assumed you were one of the summoned heroes, Hajime-kun, but… this is far beyond my expectations.”
“So, what are you gonna do? Report us to the Holy Church for being heretics?” Ilwa hurriedly straightened up under Hajime’s piercing gaze.
“That’s a good joke. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Turning you into my enemy would spell disaster not just for me, but likely for the entire guild. Besides, what kind of monster do you think I am? You lot are my saviors. I’ll never forget that, not for the rest of my life.”
“I see. Then we’re good.” Hajime shrugged, as if apologizing for testing Ilwa. He gestured his thanks. Ilwa smiled and nodded in response.
“As promised, I’ll do everything in my power to support you. Both as a manager of the guild, and as an individual. Though, after that little display of might, I doubt the higher-ups will be in any hurry to go after you. In order to make this easier for us, we’ll make your adventurer rank gold as well. Normally there’s a lot of silly ceremonies and formalities that accompany a promotion to gold rank, but… well I’ll make sure everyone accepts it. It’ll be easier since you have Master Catherine’s recommendation, along with my own. That, and your newfound reputation as ‘The Goddess’ Knight.’” Along with all of that, Ilwa also allowed them to stay at the VIP room in the guild-managed inn for as long as they were staying in Fuhren. Furthermore, he provided them a letter bearing his personal crest. He was serious about maintaining a friendly relationship with Hajime and his party.
“Thanks a lot. The more cards we have to play, the better. Looks like it was worth racing all the way out to Ur after all.”
“I’m glad you don’t regret it. However, I’m sure you’re aware those two girls’ identities will be discovered eventually, even if they don’t show people their status plates. Though I have pledged my support, in all honesty, it’s like trying to block a fireball with a piece of paper…” Ilwa scratched his cheek and smiled bitterly. Hajime brought his teacup to his mouth and shrugged his shoulders.
“A piece of paper can be a good shield if you use it right. My job’s Synergist, you know? My duty is to make sure anything that can be useful is made useful. Don’t worry, I’ll make good use of your support.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Besides, remember what you said when you asked me to take this request?”
“What?” Ilwa tilted his head in confusion. Hajime grinned wolfishly and repeated the words Ilwa had told him a few days ago.
“I was prepared for a confrontation from the start.”
“I see. I did say something to that effect.” Whether Hajime had Ilwa’s help or not was irrelevant. Having it would make things a little easier in the future, but he wouldn’t be stopped regardless. His pupils glimmered, his smile promising ruin to anything or anyone that dared stand in his way.
Ilwa couldn’t help but smile when he saw Hajime’s determination, and the resolve his companions had to follow him down that path. His spirits soared. He suddenly remembered the time he was a young boy, when he had given it his all to work his way up to branch chief.
He had a premonition. These four who dared to stand up against the Holy Church would be the ones to change the world.
It wasn’t that he hated the current status quo. He was on the side of the haves, not the have-nots, after all. He was a human living an honest life in this world. If anything, he should have wished for the world to stay as it was.
But the reason he couldn’t help but feel excitement, and possibly a little fear, at the prospect was because he, Ilwa Chang, was part of the adventurer’s guild.
“I pray your travels turn into the most wonderful adventure and bring the most trouble this world has ever seen.”
“I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say thanks to that or not.” Even Hajime wasn’t sure how to interpret Ilwa’s heartfelt words. But well, it’s very much like him, he thought with a wry smile. Yue, Shea, and Tio all turned to each other with bemused looks on their faces.
Seeing their expressions, Ilwa laughed. He hadn’t laughed like this in years. For so long he’d just been busy with the work of managing the guild, but things were finally going to change.
After they parted ways with Ilwa, Hajime and the others went to the guild-managed inn in the center of the city. It was a massive, twenty-story building, and their room was situated at the top floor. They had an unobstructed view of the tourist quarter. The room they’d been given was magnificent as well. There was a wide living room, as well as four separate bedrooms, each furnished with a massive canopy bed. Both the sofas and the rug were soft and fluffy, and they could tell at a glance every piece of furniture was high-class.
Hajime and Yue sank into the couch, while Shea and Tio excitedly explored their new living quarters. A few minutes after their arrival, Will came to visit along with his parents, Count Greil Cudeta and Countess Saria Cudeta. Unlike the nobles Hajime had seen at the palace, Greil and Saria were very agreeable people. He could see how Will had turned out into such a nice person. Greil insisted on thanking Hajime and offered him gold and invitations to his manor, but Hajime wasn’t interested.
“Kind sir, I’m truly glad I was able to return your son to you alive. But as for a reward, the guild has already paid me. They requested this mission, and I completed it, so the matter of payment’s been settled.” He was being surprisingly polite to Will’s parents. It was so out of character for him that Shea started yelling for a medic, while Tio hid under her bed screaming, “I do not like this! Master’s gone mad!” Needless to say, the Cudeta couple found their behavior rather odd.
“Excuse me a moment,” Hajime said to the bewildered Cudetas. He picked up Shea and Tio, then flung them out the window, saying “Go play outside for a bit,” in a forcibly cheery voice. In case anyone had forgotten, they were on the top floor of a twenty-story building.
The Cudetas paled as they heard Shea and Tio scream all the way down. However, Hajime just slammed the window shut, turned to the couple with a smile, and said “Cheery kids, aren’t they?” They nodded vigorously.
Hajime had seen no reason to antagonize people as nice as them, so he’d acted more politely than usual. However, his conduct must have been too much of a shock for Shea and Tio, and they’d broke.
Exasperated, Yue muttered “I’ll go get them,” and leaped out of the window as well.
The Cudetas turned to look at their son, their heads creaking like a badly oiled machine.
Will was rubbing the goosebumps on his arm, glaring angrily at Hajime all the while.
He’d guessed what Hajime was trying to do, and what he was hoping to get out of it.
“Well, I guess I shouldn’t refuse your feelings, Count.”
“Huh? O-Oh, yes…” Still shocked at the recent chain of events, Greil peeled his eyes away from his son and turned to Hajime. Grinning, Hajime requested the same things he’d requested from Ilwa.
“So basically, if it ever happens that we need to turn to you for aid, I hope you’ll be willing to give it.”
“I-Is that really all? I heard you risked life and limb to rescue my son from a dragon’s breath. Surely, there must be more you want. By the way, didn’t one of your comrades just leap from the window—”
“Well… I’d say I’m asking for a lot, actually. It’s possible you might be put in a very dangerous position for helping us. If anything, I may be asking for too much.”
“Hahaha, I suppose that’s true. In that case, I won’t promise unconditional support, but I will do everything I can if you ever come to me for help. Anyway, if I may be blunt, didn’t you just throw two of your companions out of the window—”
“Thank you very much, Count. Your help is much appreciated.” Hajime continued to ignore Greil’s question. He did it so casually that the Cudetas started doubting whether they’d really seen him throw his friends out the window. Finally, they finished processing everything and realized the truth of the situation, thinking Wait a second, didn’t we just see a murder occur right before our eyes? His companions must be a splatter on the ground now, right!? However, before they could do anything more than shudder—
“Uuu, that was mean, Hajime-san. Just because it won’t kill me doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary.”
“U-Unbelievable. To be thrown so unceremoniously out of a window… This was the first time I have ever experienced such a thing. I must say, it was rather exciting.”
“Shut up, pervert.” A white hand latched onto the window, and Tio and Shea’s heads popped up below the window sill. Their bangs covered their expressions. Yue was floating behind them, but with how terrifying Shea and Tio looked, no one had eyes for her.
Saria let out a high-pitched scream and fell unconscious to the floor.
“Mom!” Will cried out, clearly worried for his mother’s safety. Hajime suddenly remembered Will had a big enough Oedipus complex that he carried a locket with a picture of his mother in it everywhere. Will had been even faster to react than his father.
“By the way, Hajime-san. Why did you start talking all creepy like that… It gave me goosebumps.”
“Indeed. Even I was repulsed. Master, if something is worrying you, I would—”
Hajime glared angrily at them. He’d had a very good reason for acting nice, and they had both ruined it with their inability to take a hint. And of all people, Tio had no right to
call him repulsive.
Greil opened his mouth to express his amazement at their survival.
“Y-You two, you were all—”
Bang! Bang! Two gunshots resounded through the room.
“Bwah!” “Thank you very much!” With those two words, Shea and Tio fell from the window once more.
“I apologize for my comrades’ rudeness.”
“Oh, not at all. At any rate, my wife seems to be a little tired, so we shall take our leave.” Sweating profusely, Greil picked up his wife and made to leave. Will looked up at his father and smiled awkwardly, as if he’d expected this outcome, then addressed Hajime.
“Really, thank you for saving me. I hope we meet again.” With those parting words he turned on his heel and left.
Hajime watched Greil scuttle to the door like a rabbit afraid of being pounced on by the lion standing right behind it. As Greil opened the door, Hajime said one last thing.
“Thank you for coming all the way to see me. As for my reward… Well, I hope you won’t disappoint.”
“I-I won’t, I swear it!” Greil squeaked that out through chattering teeth. The dignity of a noble was nowhere to be seen. Will just let out a sad sigh, bowed his head, and closed the door behind him.
Hajime lapsed into thought. He had tried his best to appear pleasant, humble, and leave a good impression on the count. He’d wanted to convince him amicably to pledge his support to Hajime’s cause, and yet it had somehow ended up looking like he’d threatened him into doing it. The poor man had left looking like the victim of some unspeakable crime.
“I don’t get it. Why’d it end up like this…”
“Have you heard the saying, you reap what you sow?” Yue’s words were surprisingly harsh.
After the Cudeta family had left, Hajime had collapsed back into the sofa and sighed heavily. His head was resting in Yue’s lap like usual, Shea was sitting by his feet, and Tio was still exploring their room. She examined each piece of furniture thoroughly, occasionally letting out a gasp of admiration, other times tilting her head in confusion. Hajime guessed she was examining how different it was from things in her home.
“Anyway, let’s rest for today. We’ve gotta restock on supplies tomorrow.” Hajime
lazily closed his eyes as Yue stroked his hair. However, Shea objected to Hajime’s plans.
She grabbed Hajime’s leg and started shaking him.
“Wait, Hajime-san. You promised…”
“Oh yeah, I did say I’d take you around the tourist quarter.” As a reward for saving
Aiko’s life, Hajime had promised to take Shea around the tourists’ quarter for a day.
Shea looked at Hajime expectantly. However, he hesitated. They still had to get a lot of shopping done too. It was then that Yue came to the rescue. She cupped Hajime’s cheeks and looked down at him gently.
“Tio and I will do the shopping. You go with Shea.”
“Are you fine with that?”
“Yeah… but in return…”
“What?” Yue knew how much Shea was looking forward to her date, so she wanted to make sure it happened. Really, she was more like a big sister than a friend to Shea. Hajime looked up at Yue with a complicated expression on his face. Her expression transformed from gentle to predatory, and she licked her lips. She brought her lips close to Hajime’s ear and whispered softly.
“Spend tonight with me.”
“Okay,” Hajime replied, sounding just like Yue. He instantly gave in. He, who had the confidence to beat even labyrinth guardians, didn’t think he would ever be able to win against Yue.
“…And there they go, flirting again. Yue-san’s really good at this.”
“Hmm… I must say, it is quite impressive how you refuse to back down even after seeing that, Shea. I am satisfied as long as Master doles out punishment regularly, but… it must be difficult for you.” Shea watched Yue with admiration. Tio was impressed with how Shea didn’t seem to be jealous of Yue. Their relationship had piqued Tio’s interests. A while later Yue and Hajime came back to reality, and the four of them chatted idly for a few hours until it was time for bed.
Late that night, around the time the moon was nearing its zenith, two figures were stealthily creeping their way across the terrace of the top floor of the adventurers guild’s inn. They were covered from head to toe in black, like assassins, snuffing out their presence and furtively looked into the window of a certain room.
Upon looking inside, they saw…
“Fwah, look at that, Tio-san! They’re being so rough… Won’t Yue-san break if Hajime-san’s that rough?”
“Fwooooh! Master is indeed being rough! B-But look, Shea. That expression of Yue’s… it is far too stimulating! Even a woman such as myself feels tempted to…”
“Hawawa, you’re right. That look of pure ecstasy really is something! Yue-san looks really happy. I’m so jealous~”
“Nnngh… I had thought being tormented was enough for me, but… that does look nice.”
A few minutes later, the two of them were discovered by Hajime and subjected to his usual punishments.
“Hmhmhm… Hmhmhm! The weather’s great… It’s a perfect day for a date!” Shea was happily skipping down the main street of Fuhren.
She was wearing a white one-piece dress today, instead of her usual adventuring outfit. It was a wonder the thin shoulder straps managed to hold up her massive bust as she walked. She was wearing a small black belt around her waist, which further accentuated her figure, the loosely tied belt emphasized her perfect waistline, and her bare legs drew about as many stares from the surrounding men as her massive knockers did.
However, most charming of all was her radiant smile. Her cheeks were flushed and joy was overflowing from her every pore. The fact that she was a beastman, and that she was wearing a slave collar, albeit a very pretty one, didn’t matter at all to the onlookers. They were all utterly entranced by Shea.
Hajime was walking behind her, his demeanor more at ease than it normally was.
Shea kept excitedly bounding ahead a few steps and then turning around to wait for him with a smile. Honestly, even Hajime couldn’t help but smile when he saw how happy she was.
“You don’t need to run that fast, Shea. What if you trip?”
“Fufufu, as if I would do that~ I’ve been trained by Yue-san, there’s no way I’d—” Her foot caught on something and she tipped backward before she could finish her sentence. Hajime rushed forward and caught her before she fell. He doubted falling would actually hurt her with her strengthened body, but he wanted to be safe since she was wearing a dress. He wasn’t going to let any of the onlookers “accidentally” cop a feel as they pretended to fall on top of her.
“Sh-Shorry.”
“Hey, I know you’re excited, but don’t run off ahead.” Shea shrank back in embarrassment. She timidly grabbed his sleeve and matched his pace with small, quick steps. Quite a few of the onlookers fainted at the sight of her blushing cutely as she walked with Hajime. Most of the knockouts were caused by their lovers punching their lights out, though.
They made their way to the tourists’ district, attracting attention along the way.
The district was filled with entertainment facilities of all kinds. There was a theater, numerous street performances, a circus, an opera house, aquariums, an arena, a gaming hall, numerous sightseeing platforms, multiple botanical gardens, and various plazas and towers to explore.
“Hajime-san, Hajime-san! Let’s go to the Meerstadt first! I’ve never seen living sea creatures before!” Her bunny ears twitched impatiently as she gestured to the guidebook in her hand. As she’d lived her entire life in the Haltina Woods, it wasn’t too surprising that
she’d never seen the sea or the animals that lived within it. That was why the first thing that had caught her eye was Fuhren’s most famous aquarium.
There had been lakes and rivers in the forest, so she had seen aquatic life before, but freshwater fish and saltwater fish had a completely different feel to them, even if they looked similar.
Fish are fish, aren’t they? It’s not like they’re any different… But Hajime saw the excitement on Shea’s face and kept his thoughts to himself. Today, at least, he would be nice to her.
“Huh, I’m kinda surprised they have marine fish this far inland… They really go all-out to attract customers. It must be tough transporting and feeding them.” Hajime’s interest in the aquarium was in perhaps the wrong direction, but he saw no reason to refuse, so they decided to go there. Shea happily grabbed Hajime’s hand and pulled him along to the aquarium. Her ears and tail were jumping for joy.
Along the way they passed by street players performing extraordinary feats of acrobatics that tested the limits of human flexibility. They watched as they walked, until finally they arrived at the massive Meerstadt Aquarium. The building was painted an ocean-blue and filled with people.
Hajime marveled at how the inside resembled the aquariums back on earth. The only difference was that the tanks were covered in thick glass and a lattice of steel support beams, making it a bit harder to see inside. Unlike Earth, Tortus had yet to develop thin glass sturdy enough to handle the water pressure.
With nothing to compare it to, Shea didn’t mind at all. Her eyes glowed as she watched all the creatures swim by. She pointed at them one after another and chattered excitedly to Hajime
Her mannerisms were the same as the little girl next to them who’d come along with her family. For a second, Hajime’s eyes met with those of the girl’s father. For some reason, the man’s warm gaze made Hajime embarrassed and he quickly dragged Shea somewhere else. Though she was surprised by their sudden departure, she was glad Hajime was holding her hand. She squeezed back.
They spent an hour wandering around the aquarium enjoying themselves, but as they were passing by another row of tanks, Shea suddenly did a double take.
One of the tanks was holding… A fish with a human head. In fact, he looked just like the human-faced fish from the game Seaman.
“Wh-Why is he here…” Shea stepped back with a shudder. The weird fish spotted Shea and swam over to the edge of the tank, a bored expression on its face. Shea felt a sudden surge of unease. Hajime ignored the two of them and went over to the plaque next to the tank.
“Let’s see here… Oh, it can talk?” According to the blurb, the fishmen were an aquatic race of monsters whose unique magic was Telepathy. Thanks to that, they could talk to people. So far they were the only recorded monster race to have made peace with
mankind.
However, it seemed that they found talking a pain and rarely used their ability. Even when they did, their replies tended to be lazy and lifeless. The plaque warned that people who did talk to them tended to feel listless themselves and to approach it with caution.
They loved alcohol though, and would become rather talkative if given some. But even then they would simply launch into a long-winded lecture so actually conversing with one was very difficult… Their nickname was “office drone.”
Hajime wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and turned to Shea and the fishman. He couldn’t tell if they were staring at each other or glaring at each other. With a hint of trepidation, he tried talking to it. Since they apparently didn’t respond often to regular conversation, he tried using Telepathy.
“You can use Telepathy, right? Can you really talk? Do you understand what I’m saying?” The seaman blinked once. It tore its gaze away from Shea and slowly turned to face him. Shea smiled triumphantly, as if she’d just won a contest.
“Tch, this is our first meeting, isn’t it, boy? It’s only polite to tell someone your name first. Sheesh, this is why kids these days are…” A fish with an old man’s face had just lectured Hajime on manners. He couldn’t believe it. His mouth twitched at the corners a little and he tried again.
“Sorry about that. I’m Hajime. So, you really can talk, huh? What kind of creature are you guys?”
“My dear boy, what kind of creatures are humans? If I asked you that right now would you be able to answer? You wouldn’t, right? All I can say is I’m me. Nothing more, nothing less. I can’t say I have a name either, so just address me however you wish.”
Hajime floundered for a bit. Not only had the fishman’s response made complete sense, he’d started sounding really cool too. He hadn’t expected a fish monster to be this intelligent. Didn’t the plaque say their answers are always lazy and lifeless? Hajime suddenly felt like suing whoever had written that. He quickly averted his gaze, so this time it was the seaman who asked him a question.
“I’d like to ask you something, too. How is it you can use Telepathy? You certainly aren’t using any magic humans are capable of… It’s almost like you’re the same as me, as us monsters.” It was a pretty reasonable question. After all, here was a human using the special magic Telepathy. It was only natural for the fishman to wonder how Hajime could do something only monsters were supposed to be able to do. The reason he’d answered Hajime’s questions seriously was because he’d been curious himself.
Hajime cleared his throat to give himself a second to think. He explained that he’d eaten a monster that could use Telepathy and absorbed its powers.
“I see. You’ve faced a great deal of hardship despite your youth. Very well, if there’s anything you’d like to ask this old man, go ahead. I’ll tell you anything you want.” He was being pitied by a fish. It looked like the fishman had misunderstood and thought Hajime had been so poor that he’d been forced to eat monster meat to survive. It wiped a tear with
its fin. Judging by the clothes Hajime was wearing now, it was obvious he had worked hard to escape his impoverished situation. Truly, it was a tale touching enough to make an old man cry.
Since he wasn’t that far off the mark, Hajime didn’t bother to correct him. Hajime certainly had faced a lot of hardship. Though it was still a bit of a shock that his life so far had been so bad that even a fish pitied him.
He shakily pulled himself together and asked whatever came to mind. Whether or not monsters possessed their own wills, how they were born, whether there were any other monsters people could come to an understanding with, and so on.
According to the fishman, most monsters acted purely on instinct and had no wills of their own. Aside from his race, it was unlikely that there could ever be understanding with monsters and humans. Also, it seemed even he didn’t know how monsters were born.
They spent a long time discussing various topics of interest. To a bystander it looked like a boy and a fish with an old man’s face were just staring at each other. The surreal sight started attracting attention, so people came to watch.
“Umm, Hajime-san, people are staring at us. Also, you’re on a date with me, so how come you’re staring at that old fishman? The person you’re supposed to be looking at is me.” Shea’s rabbit ears pressed flat against her head and she shyly tugged at Hajime’s sleeve. He reluctantly cut his conversation short and turned to Shea. His obvious reluctance made Shea even more depressed.
Honestly, Hajime had been hoping to talk some more with the fishman, but he had promised to spend today on a date with Shea, and he didn’t take his promises lightly.
“Oh my, I didn’t realize I was interrupting your date. My apologies for getting in the way of you youngsters.” The fishman didn’t seem to mind stopping their conversation there either. What an understanding old man…
Sometime during their conversation they’d started calling each other by the nicknames Fish-san and Young Haj. Hajime could tell this fishman was a man among men.
Before they parted ways, Hajime asked what he was doing here in this aquarium. The answer he received was rather surprising.
“Well, like I said before, I was traveling the world… when suddenly the underground river I was swimming in got blasted to the surface. Before I knew it, I’d been thrown out of the fountain and into the grass. I won’t die on land, but I can’t really move either. I used my Telepathy to call for help and… Well, I ended up getting taken here.” Cold sweat poured down Hajime’s forehead. It was obvious from his description that the fishman was talking about the time Hajime and the others had been forced out of Miledi Reisen’s labyrinth.
The poor fish had been caught up in the stream and thrown on land. Technically, that was Miledi’s fault, but that didn’t change the fact that Hajime had something to do with his current plight.
Hajime awkwardly asked the seaman the foremost thing on his mind.
“Uh, Fish-san, do you want to escape from here?”
“Of course I do. Wanderlust is in my blood. And it’s my belief that living things should be born in nature and die in nature. When I die, I want it to be out in the open sea, not this metal cage.” His words were filled with longing. Hajime had taken quite a liking to the fishman, and it was partly his fault he was stuck in this cage, so he decided to save him.
“Fish-san. If you want, I can let you go in a nearby river. I think it might be partly our fault you’re stuck here in the first place. I’ll get you out in a couple of minutes. Are you willing to put your trust in me?”
“Young Haj… Heh, never thought I’d have a youngster worrying about little old me. Dunno what you’ve got planned, but I ain’t so senile that I’d mistrust a strapping young lad like yourself. I believe in you, Young Haj.”
The two of them shared a smile.
“Huh? Could it be I have a rival in love?” Shea muttered that to herself as she watched the two of them stare at each other.
Hajime then turned on his heel and dragged Shea along. Shea had no idea what was going on, but followed Hajime obediently. As they were about to leave, the fishman reached out to Shea via Telepathy.
“Sorry for surprising you back then, Missy. Don’t ever let go of that hand you’re holding, you hear?”
“Huh? What? Umm, I don’t mind at all! Actually, it was thanks to that I was able to share my first kiss with Hajime-san! Also, I’ll never let go!” She responded as best as she could. The fishman smiled in satisfaction. Meddlesome old fart, Hajime thought affectionately. Hajime wished the first “male” friend he’d made since coming to this world well and left the aquarium.
A few minutes later, one of his cross bits started rampaging around the aquarium and destroyed the seaman’s tank. As he fell out, he landed neatly in the cage Hajime had attached to the cross bit. The cross bit blasted through the aquarium staff that came after the fishman without hurting them, blew through the aquarium wall, and flew off into the sky.
The incident caused such a stir within the city that eventually Fuhren’s leaders got involved as well. No one could tell whether it had been a new monster, or some hidden power of the fishman’s… but none of that had anything to do with Hajime.
Around the same time, Yue and Tio were walking around the commercial district doing their shopping. Hajime had stockpiled large quantities of resources in his Treasure Trove already, so they were mostly just topping up on supplies a little bit. Thanks to that, they didn’t have to scramble to buy up as much food as possible, and they could take their time window shopping as they walked down the business district.
“Hmm. I have to ask, Yue. Are you truly alright with this?” “Hm…? You mean Shea?”
“Indeed. It’s possible their relationship may have progressed far more than you anticipated on this date.” Yue turned back from the clothes she was examining. The curiosity was rather evident in Tio’s voice. “Are you sure you should be taking it so easy? She might usurp your position, you know?” was the unsaid implication in her question.
Tio had joined only recently, and the strange relationship between Shea, Yue, and Hajime was something that intrigued her greatly. Seeing as they’d be traveling together from now on, she decided not to beat around the bush and just ask about it.
However, Yue didn’t seem shaken at all. She glanced at Tio’s expression and shrugged her shoulders. She evidently wasn’t worried at all.
“I’d be happy if it has.”
“Happy? Do you mean to tell me you would not mind the man you love getting intimate with another girl?”
“She’s not just another girl. It’s only because it’s Shea.” Yue went back to window-shopping as she responded.
“At first she was all over Hajime. It was annoying seeing her try to seduce him so brazenly. But after being with her for so long, I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“…Hm. That that girl is always serious. She’s always doing her best. Both for the things she holds dear, and for the people she loves. For better or worse, she always charges straight ahead.”
“I see. After watching her, I can certainly understand that. So what, you were moved by her sincerity?” Tio had only been with the group a short time, but even she smiled as she thought back on Shea’s antics. Despite the suffering she’d endured because she was born different, she never stopped smiling. The always cheerful bunny girl naturally put smiles on everyone else’s face.
Due to her youth, she still made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of flaws, but even Tio was charmed by how she always tried her hardest. However, that seemed too flimsy an excuse for Yue to let her one and only lover on a date with another girl. And so, Tio felt the need to confirm whether that was really the only reason Yue had allowed it.
“That’s half of the reason.”
“Half, you say? Then what was the other half?”
Yue’s lips curled up into a smile, something rare for her.
“Shea loves me too. About as much as she loves Hajime. Perhaps in a different way, but still the same amount. Don’t you think that’s cute?”
“I understand now. That girl needs both you and Master. Not many would be willing to
deny such a pure request. I suppose that sincerity is one of her virtues. I see… Well, now I understand the depths of your feelings for Shea. But what about Master? Are you not worried she might steal his heart away? Surely you know better than anyone how alluring she can be.” Yue shrugged her shoulders, as if such a thing was impossible. Her smile suddenly turned seductive. She closed her eyes and licked her lips, a light blush spreading across her cheeks.
The aura of mature sexiness that surrounded her was at odds with her small body. Men and women alike turned to stare at her. Thanks to that there were a few collisions as pedestrians ran into each other. Yue’s charm was enough to overshadow even Tio, who had curves in all the right places. Tio suddenly recalled the sight she had witnessed last night, and shuddered.
Unaware of the carnage she was causing, or perhaps aware and simply ignoring it, Yue replied.
“I want Hajime to have more people who are important to him. But… I’m the only one who will be special to him. If anyone thinks they can take that position, they’re welcome to try. I’ll take on any challenge, from anyone, at any time, in any place.”
“Try it if you dare,” Yue’s smile seemed to say. Because she was usually so inexpressive, the impact was multiplied. Tio took an involuntary step backward. Realizing just how much Yue’s smile had scared her, she smiled bitterly and raised her hands in surrender.
“Do not worry… I have no intention of picking a fight with you. So long as Master continues to debase me, I am content.”
“Pervert.” However, Yue’s disgusted tone only made Tio happier.
Yue understood that Tio’s initial question had stemmed for a desire to get to know them all better, which was why despite her exasperation with Tio’s perverted behavior, Yue knew she would get along just fine with everyone.
The two of them grew a little closer thanks to that exchange, and they continued walking amicably down the street together.
“Guh!”
“Pugyaaa!”
A nearby wall was blown to pieces, and two men came hurtling out of the hole. The two of them screamed as they skid across the ground. They came to a stop a few meters from the wall. Neither of them were even twitching. They looked like corpses… In fact, they were corpses now.
The window of the same building shattered, and a few more men came whizzing out of it like pinballs. Sounds of destruction could be heard coming from inside the building. Every few seconds it would shake, and more cracks would appear on the walls.
A couple dozen more men were flung out of the building, their limbs splayed out at unnatural angles as they landed. Some of them were in too hideous a state to accurately
describe. Finally, the building could take no more, and it collapsed with a loud boom.
Screaming, the onlookers fled as fast as their feet would take them. Yue and Tio recognized a familiar presence and looked over at the rubble with a sigh.
“Ah, so it was you two after all…”
“Huh? Yue-san and Tio-san? What are you doing here?”
“That’s my line. This is a bit much for a date.”
“Indeed. So, Master, what kind of trouble did you get yourself wrapped up in this time?” As they had expected, Shea and Hajime emerged from the ruins of what had until recently been a building. The two of them were still dressed the same way they’d been when they’d left for the date, their weapons sitting comfortably in their hands. It was quite a surreal sight, a bunny girl in a cute one piece dress holding a warhammer over her shoulder.
“Ahaha, I didn’t think our date would go like this either, but… Well, one thing led to another and we ended up destroying an underground slavery ring.”
“How did things lead to you fighting a slavery ring?” Yue sighed again. Shea smiled weakly. Tio looked over at Hajime, silently demanding an explanation.
“Well, I’m glad we ran into you guys. We’re short on hands. I’ll explain everything on the way, so mind helping out?” Hajime holstered Donner and started flinging the unconscious men on top of the rubble heap. He didn’t want them blocking the streets. He didn’t even look at them as he threw them, and began explaining what had happened.
They’d gone for lunch after the aquarium. Once they’d finished eating they’d decided to walk through some of the botanical gardens and maybe see some street performers. Shea’s hands were full of the various food she’d bought from different stalls. At the time she’d been devouring a vanilla ice cream bar…
“You sure can eat… Is it really that good?”
“Haumf… Yes! It’s delicious. Fuhren’s amazing. Even the food stalls have food this good.”
“If you eat too much, you’ll get fat.”
“Hajime-san, that’s the one thing you can’t say to a girl.” Shea stopped eating for a second, but then muttered something lightly.
“I’ll exercise later… and cut down a bit tomorrow…” Then, she resumed her quest to eat through every sweet Fuhren had to offer. Hajime smiled as he watched her chow down. However, suddenly, his expression transformed into one of confusion, and he looked down at his feet.
Shea cocked her head quizzically at him.
“What’s wrong, Hajime-san?”
“Hm? Oh, my Sense Perception just went off…”
“Why were you even using that skill?”
“It’s good training, and I usually use it constantly.”
“Okay? But what’s so special about sensing someone? There’s people everywhere right now…” Shea gestured around her.
“That’s not exactly what I mean… I sensed someone below us.”
“Below? Aren’t the sewers below us? Maybe someone’s doing some work on them right now?”
“I wouldn’t have paid any attention if it was just that. But this presence is really small. Plus, it feels weak… I think it’s a kid. A really hurt kid.”
“Wha—!? Th-That’s terrible! What if they accidentally fell in and are being swept away by the water!? Hajime-san, let’s chase after them! Where’d you sense them?” Once Hajime told her the direction, Shea dashed off.
Hajime had been trying to live a life that in Aiko’s terms was “less lonely,” but in the end it was still Shea who acted first. He couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself. Her cheerful and straightforward attitude had started rubbing off on him a little, or so it seemed.
Together with Shea, Hajime tried to pinpoint the location of the rapidly moving child. They realized they were being carried by the current toward the sewer channel that ran beneath the street they were on. They dashed forward ahead of the presence and Hajime pressed his hands to the ground. Red sparks sputtered from his hands and in seconds there was a hole in the street.
Without hesitation, they both leaped into the hole. Hajime grabbed hold of Shea and used Aerodynamic to leap to one of the walkways that snaked alongside each side of the tunnel. He had no intention of falling into the foul-smelling sewer sludge.
“Hajime-san, I can sense it too now. I’ll jump in and rescue whoever it is!”
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to do that.” Shea didn’t hesitate to leap forward, even though it would have gotten her precious date clothes dirty. However, Hajime grabbed her by the collar and held her back. He once again placed his hands on the ground and transmuted it.
A latticework of clay rose up from the bottom of the sewer. Hajime tilted the makeshift net and scooped up the child that was being washed down the sewer. Then, he carefully rolled them closer to where he was standing. Finally, he shot out his left arm, grabbed the child, and reeled them in.
“This girl’s…”
“She’s still breathing. Let’s get out of here first. It smells disgusting.” Shea’s eyes opened wide as she saw the girl Hajime had pulled in. Hajime was pretty surprised as well. Even with his limited knowledge of this world, he was certain someone like her wasn’t supposed to be in a city like this. However, considering where they were, it really wasn’t the time to worry about that. The unhygienic conditions were bad for them both physically and mentally.
Considering who she was, Hajime doubted she’d fallen in here by accident. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to bring her up into the open street, so he closed the earlier hole he’d made and transmuted a new one into the wall. Then, he used his knowledge of the nearby layout to map out a new path. After that, he pulled a blanket out of his Treasure Trove and wrapped it around the girl.
Red sparks flared in a small back alley, and suddenly a hole appeared in the ground. Out of it appeared Shea and Hajime. He closed the hole behind him and took a proper look at the girl they had rescued.
She had long, emerald-green hair. Her adorable features shone through the dirt and shit that was caked on her face. From the looks of it, she couldn’t have been more than three or four years old.
However, her most striking feature, the one that had surprised Hajime and Shea, were her ears. Instead of human ears, two fan-shaped fins sprouted from the sides of her head. Furthermore, Hajime could see thin webbing on the tiny red hand that poked out of the blanket.
“This girl’s a dagon. What’s she doing here?”
“Well, whatever the reason is, it’s probably not good.”
Dagons were a unique race among the beastmen. They lived in the coastal city of Erisen, which was to the west of the continent, past even the massive Gruen Desert. Thanks to their racial traits, they were well suited to the water. So much so that they provided seventy percent of the continent’s marine produce. It was thanks to their usefulness that the Heiligh Kingdom guaranteed their safety, despite the fact that they were beastmen. The kingdom’s opportunism knew no bounds. Even as they discriminated against the other races, they protected any that were useful to them.
It seemed impossible that a dagon child would be in one of the largest cities on the continent, and even more impossible that they’d find her in the sewers of all places. The whole affair reeked of shady dealings at work.
As Hajime and Shea looked at each other, unsure of what to do, the little girl’s nose twitched, and she opened her eyes.
She looked around in confusion for a little bit before finally settling her large round pupils on Hajime. She stared silently at him.
Unable to look away, Hajime stared back. Seconds passed. Seconds turned into minutes. And the minutes continued stretching on.
“What the heck are you two doing?” Shea’s exasperated interjection shattered the strange tension that had formed around them, and the girl’s stomach gurgled. Her nose twitched again and this time her eyes locked on to the food Shea still had wrapped up in her hands.
Shea tilted her head and pulled out a meat skewer. She slowly waved it from right to left, and the girl’s gaze followed it like a magnet. She was clearly hungry. Hajime stopped her before she could unwrap the skewer and started transmuting.
“So, what’s your name?” She shrank back as red sparks filled the air and the ground rose up to make a small box. The skewer was no longer the center of her attention. After a moment of hesitation, she quietly whispered her name.
“Myu.”
“I see. I’m Hajime, and that’s Shea. Anyway, Myu, before you can eat that, we have to clean you up first.” Hajime took some clean water out of the Treasure Trove and poured it into his makeshift bathtub, then heated some flamrock under the tub to warm it, finishing off his impromptu bath. He didn’t think it would be healthy even for a dagon to eat with hands caked in sewer sludge. As she’d probably swallowed some earlier when she was being washed away, he’d probably need to give her some antibiotics as well.
Without even giving her time to reply, Hajime stripped off her dirty clothes and plopped her into the bath. Myu let out a terrified squeal, but after she realized the warm water actually felt pleasant, she slowly relaxed.
Hajime handed Shea a towel, some medicine, and a bar of soap. He left her to bathe Myu while he went out to purchase new clothes for her.
When he returned, he found Myu hugging Shea, a blanket wrapped around her body. It seemed she’d already finished her bath. Shea was in the process of feeding her the meat skewer. Myu’s small mouth worked furiously to chew the large chunks. Her hair had regained its original luster, and she looked like a tiny angel surrounded in a halo of emerald green.
“Ah, Hajime-san. Welcome back. I’m not a doctor, but it looks like Myu-chan’s doing fine.” Shea stroked Myu’s damp hair as she reported to Hajime. Still chewing on the meat, Myu turned back to stare at Hajime again. It looked like she was trying to decide whether Hajime was a good or bad person.
Hajime nodded and pulled out the clothes he’d bought. It was a small white one-piece, similar in design to Shea’s. He’d also gotten her a pair of gladiator sandals and some basic underwear. Even though it had been for a kid, Hajime could feel the clerk’s eyes boring into him when he went to buy them.
Hajime gently pulled the blanket off her and pulled the dress over her head. Of course, he helped her put the underwear on as well. Then, he knelt down and slipped the sandals onto her feet.
Once that was finished he pulled out one of his artifacts that could blow hot air, a hair dryer basically, out of his Treasure Trove and started drying Myu’s hair. At first Myu just silently watched Hajime, but as the hot air hit her back, she let out a cute squeal and smiled a little.
“I didn’t realize you were so good at looking after people, Hajime-san.”
“Where’d that come from?” Hajime furrowed his brows, but it was obvious from the way he was drying Myu’s hair that Shea was right. She grinned pointedly at him. Realizing he couldn’t deny it, Hajime quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, we need to think about what to do next…”
“You mean about Myu-chan, right…” Realizing they were talking about her, Myu shifted her gaze between the two of them. They decided to first figure out what was going on with her.
Myu haltingly told them everything, after a lot of prodding. It was more or less what Hajime had already guessed. One day, while she’d been swimming, she’d gotten separated from her mother and had ended up being captured by humans.
After a grueling journey through the desert, Myu had been taken to Fuhren and locked up in a dark cell somewhere. Apparently there’d been other human children in the cells next to her. Then, after a few days, a few of the children were taken away each morning. None of them ever came back. She overheard that one of the older boys had been shown off to a bunch of people before being sold to someone.
It was meant to be her turn today, but the door to the sewers had been left open.
Probably because someone had gone in to maintain it and forgotten to close the door.
Regardless, the sound of rushing water had called to Myu, and she’d jumped in.
It was a blessing that they hadn’t shackled her. They had probably figured a young child like her couldn’t have done much anyway. Anyway, thanks to that, Myu was able to swim. She did her best not to gag at the terrible smell and started paddling. Though she was young, she was a dagon. Nobody on foot could have hoped to catch her, especially as she was swimming with the current.
However, the stress of the kidnapping, the terrible journey, and the inadequate food she’d been given finally caught up to her. Swimming through a city’s worth of human waste was impossible for her in her weakened condition.
She’d blacked out and when she next awoke, she had been in Hajime’s arms.
“Shown off and then sold, huh? Sounds like an auction. And if they’re selling dagon and human children too, it’s clearly an illegal one.”
“Hajime-san, what should we do?” Shea hugged Myu tight. It was obvious from her expression that she wanted to do something for the poor girl. The fear of being captured and sold off as a slave was one beastmen were well accustomed to. Shea had watched many of her family members get captured, so she knew just how much it hurt.
And yet, Hajime simply shook his head.
“It would be better to leave her to the safety department.”
“You can’t! You’re going to just abandon her and all those other kids?” Shea cried out vehemently. She looked at Hajime in shock, as if she’d just been betrayed.
The safety department Hajime was referring to was the fantasy world equivalent of the police. Placing her in the care of a public institution like that would mean that her fate was completely out of their hands. It wasn’t exactly the same as abandoning her, and it was, in fact, the normal procedure for when someone found a lost child, but considering the situation, Shea’s feelings were understandable as well.
Hajime knelt down and explained everything to Shea point by point.
“Look, Shea. Normally, when you find a lost child, the proper thing to do is to send them to the safety department. Besides, Myu’s a dagon. They’ll definitely treat her well. And the fact that there’s an underground auction that deals in dagons will cause a huge uproar. There’ll definitely be a full-scale investigation, and all the other kids will end up in the department’s protection as well.” Even if Myu was a beastman, she was one of the races under the kingdom’s protection. Fuhren did possess a level of independence, but they couldn’t ignore people that were so flagrantly flouting the kingdom’s authority. Hajime had no doubt that the officials of the city would have to act, which in turn would surely lead to Myu being returned home.
Hajime continued piling on rational reasons why they should leave Myu in the city’s care.
“Do you understand? What we’re dealing with here is the underworld that exists in every large city. If they’re capable of capturing Myu, then it’s obvious they have eyes and ears in places the government can’t reach them. This whole affair is Fuhren’s problem. It’s not something we should poke our noses into. Besides, whatever we decide to do, we still have to report this to someone. I know this probably hits close to home, and I understand your feelings, but…”
“I guess… you’re right… But we could at least take her with us, right? We’re headed west, anyway…”
“Come on, you know we’re going to visit the volcano before we reach the coast. Are you suggesting we take her into a labyrinth with us? Or make her wait outside alone in the desert? Besides, if we just took a girl with us because we wanted to, we’d be no better than kidnappers ourselves. Don’t be unreasonable.”
“Awww, okay…” Shea had gotten pretty attached to Myu in the short time they’d spent together. Guessing that she was the cause of their argument, Myu tightly hugged Shea. It seemed Myu was pretty comfortable around Shea now, too. Her hug made Shea even more reluctant to let Myu go.
However, what Hajime was saying was right, so she reluctantly nodded. Hajime squatted down next to Myu and slowly explained what they’d decided.
“Okay, Myu. We’re going to take you to some people who can protect you. It might take some time, but they’ll definitely get you back home.”
“What about you?” Myu’s voice was anxious.
“Sorry, but we’ll have to say bye to you there.”
“No!”
“Hey now, don’t be like that…”
“I like being with Onii-chan and Onee-chan! I’m staying with you!” Her adamant refusal threw Hajime off-balance.
She started struggling in Shea’s lap. She’d been surprisingly mature up until now, but that might have just been because she was still trying to figure out what kinds of people Hajime and Shea were. Now that she’d decided they were people she could trust, she’d begun acting more spoiled, like a kid her age. It was possible she’d been a lot more cheerful and noisy before all this had happened to her.
Hajime was glad Myu liked him, but he knew he’d have to report this to the authorities. On top of that, he still had a labyrinth to conquer before they would make it to the west coast, so he had no intention of bringing Myu with him.
After seeing how reluctant Myu was, Hajime gave up on trying to explain things to her. Instead, he forcibly put her on his shoulders and headed for the safety department building.
The whole way there, she scratched and pulled at Hajime’s hair, eyepatch, and face. She had finally found people she could trust after escaping that hellish prison, so she wasn’t going to let them go without a fight.
Had it not been for Shea following behind them placating everyone, it was quite possible Hajime would have been reported as a kidnapper himself. Hajime arrived at the safety department covered in scratches, his eyepatch missing, and his hair a mess. He explained to the wide-eyed receptionist what he’d discovered.
The receptionist told Hajime that in order to launch an investigation and to make sure the procedures to get Myu sent home they would have to talk to their boss. They promised
Myu would be safe in their hands, and urged Hajime to leave her there. As Hajime had guessed, this was a huge deal. They would probably need to call in reinforcements from their headquarters as well. Seeing that his job was done, Hajime turned to leave. However…
“Onii-chan, do you hate me?” Even Hajime couldn’t take Myu’s teary-eyed puppy-dog look. Most people wouldn’t be able to. He let out a garbled groan and tried to explain once again why he couldn’t take Myu with him, and that she would be safe with the kind old man standing over there. But even when he told her the man would take her home, Myu’s sorrowful expression remained.
The people at the safety department tried to console Myu, and somewhat forcibly attempted to separate her from Hajime. After many tears and pulled hairs, Hajime and Shea finally left the department building behind.
Of course, neither of them were in the mood to continue their date, and Shea kept shooting worried glances back at the safety department building.
Finally, they were out of sight of the building. Shea still looked glum, so Hajime tried to cheer her up.
However, just as he opened his mouth, there was a massive explosion behind them. The two of them whirled around and saw black smoke rising in the distance. The source of the smoke was clearly—
“H-Hajime-san, that’s the…”
“Tch, the safety department building!” The black smoke was rising from where Hajime and Shea had just left.
They nodded to each other and ran back as fast as possible, fueled by the fear that the worst-case scenario might have happened. That they’d somehow found word of Myu’s location, and in order to keep everyone’s mouths shut, blown the whole place up along with her.
They tried to hold back their panic as they arrived to find a blown out building with glass and masonry lying everywhere. Fortunately, the building itself didn’t seem too damaged, and wasn’t in any danger of collapsing. They gingerly stepped inside and found the kindly old receptionist lying face-down on the ground.
Both of his arms had been broken, and he was unconscious. The other members had suffered a similar fate. The only saving grace was that no one’s injuries looked fatal. As Hajime was looking over the staff, Shea came running back to him. She’d gone on ahead to search a different part of the building.
“Hajime-san, Myu-san isn’t here! Also, I found this!” She handed over a slip of paper.
There were demands written on it.
“If you value the dagon’s life, bring the white-haired kid and the beastman with him to this location.”
“Hajime-san, this is…”
“Looks like our opponents got greedy…” Hajime crushed the paper in his fist and smiled fiendishly. Somehow, they’d overheard Hajime’s exchange with the safety department people. They’d decided that it would be more valuable to keep Myu as a hostage. That way they could use her as a bargaining chip to get a rare rabbitman as well.
Shea looked at Hajime, determination etched all over her face.
“Hajime-san, I’m going to—”
“You don’t need to say it. I know. Besides, they’ve made themselves my enemy. The time for talk’s over. We’re gonna tear them a new asshole and get Myu back.”
“Roger!”
Hajime had honestly thought it would have been better to leave Myu in the care of professionals, especially considering how dangerous their journey was. And if they were going to leave her eventually, the faster the better. After all, he hadn’t wanted a desperate girl like her getting too attached to them.
Still, now that he knew there was the danger of her getting kidnapped again, he couldn’t leave her alone. Abandoning her when there was something he could do about it would certainly lead down the path Aiko had feared. Besides, he knew if he just said it had nothing to do with him, Shea would be devastated too.
And more than anything, they’d tried to kidnap Shea too. Anyone that would dare harm someone Hajime considered important was an enemy. And he showed his enemies not even an iota of mercy. These slave traders had crossed a line they never should have.
Weapons in hand, Hajime and Shea headed to the designated meeting point. Those fools would soon learn what unholy monsters they had called down upon themselves.
“And there you have it. When we got to the place they’d marked, we only found a bunch of thugs. Myu wasn’t there. They’d probably planned to kill me and kidnap Shea. We killed most of them and interrogated the few we left alive, but they didn’t know where Myu was being held either. We tortured them until they told us where their other hideouts were, and we’ve been going to each one trying to beat Myu’s location out of someone.”
“It seems they were planning on kidnapping not just me, but you two as well. So in order to set an example, we decided to utterly crush this organization and anyone associated with them…”
Today was supposed to have been just a simple date, but they’d become entangled in the underworld of one of the largest cities on the continent. Yue and Tio marveled at Hajime and Shea’s penchant for attracting trouble.
“So we just need to find out where Myu is, right?”
“Yeah. From the information we’ve gotten so far, it’s a pretty big organization… They’ve got a lot of buildings and sub-groups. Could you help us?”
“Yeah… leave it to me.”
“Of course. I would never dream of refusing a request from my master.”
Yue and Tio agreed without hesitation. Hajime told them about the location of the hideouts he’d just discovered from his previous raid, and they split up into two groups to take them down. Hajime went with Yue, Shea with Tio. The reason Hajime and Shea had split up was because they wanted there to be at least one person Myu knew there when they found her.
They headed to a place near the outskirts of the business district. It was an area that no tourist or honest merchant ever visited. It was a place as far from the prying eyes of the authorities as possible, the perfect location for a criminal base. There was dimness to the alleys despite the fact that it was noon. Even the people walking around seemed somehow gloomier.
Tucked away in a corner was a ten-story building. On the surface, it was a place that managed part-timers. However, in reality, it was the headquarters of Freidhof, an organization that managed Fuhren’s slave trade.
Normally, it was a quiet place that did its best to look inconspicuous, but today it was bustling with activity. People were running in and out of the entrance with unusual frequency. Most of the people running around were low-ranking thugs that were ferrying messages back and forth. Their expressions were twisted in confusion, impatience, and fear. No one had any idea what the situation was.
Thanks to the chaos, two figures clad in nondescript robes were easily able to slip into Freidhof’s headquarters.
They weaved through the crowd of panicking gang members, and made it to the top floor without anyone challenging them. Before them stood an imposing set of double doors. Angry voices spilled out of the room into the hallway the figures were standing in. The two of them raised the hoods of their robes slightly and tiptoed forward.
“Quit fucking with me! I dare you to say that again, you bastard!”
“H-Hii! B-But it’s true, Boss. They’ve already taken out more than fifty of our safe houses. There’s two groups of two taking our whole operation out!”
“You’re saying that just four fuckheads are destroying everything Freidhof built up? Is that it, huh!?”
“Th-That’s righ— Bugwah!?”
There was a loud thud and the room fell silent. Whoever had been giving the report must have been punched by this “Boss.”
“Listen good, you lowlifes! I want those fuckers brought to me alive. Cut their legs off, break their arms, I don’t care, but I want them alive. At this rate Freidhof’s reputation will be ruined. We’ve gotta torture those fools to make an example out of them, or we’ll be the laughingstock of the city. I’ll give five million Luta to anyone who captures them! Five million per head! Tell everyone else about the bounty!” A flurry of activity could be heard
coming from the room. The man hastened to leave the room as fast as he could. The two hooded figures nodded to each other. One of them pulled out a massive warhammer strapped to her back and hefted it into the air. Then, just as the man put his hand on the doorknob, she swung the hammer down.
With a massive bang, the door exploded into a thousand splinters. The right side of the man’s body was crushed flat, and the people sitting behind him were blasted by a wall of shrapnel. They slammed into the wall behind them, covered in blood.
“There’s no need to tell everyone. We’re right here.”
“Hmph, I shall handle those waiting outside. Finish this up quickly, Shea.”
“Thank you, Tio-san.”
The two figures who had casually walked into the room were none other than Tio and Shea.
Freidhof’s boss, Hansen, had watched in shock as his door was blasted open and his subordinates flung across the room like ragdolls. Shea and Tio’s conversation brought him back to his senses though, and he quickly pulled out his weapon.
“So you’re the ones that have been running around busting up my operation. Wait a sec… Tch, you’re the bitches from the wanted posters. Shea and Tio, right? There was that other small brat too, Yue or something. Man, you’re real lookers. Hey, if you throw down your weapons and surrender, I’ll spare your lives. You don’t honestly think you can walk into Freidhof’s headquarters and make it back ali—” A massive bang, loud enough that it could be physically felt, interrupted Hansen’s prattling. Drucken was resting on Shea’s shoulder, smoke coming from the retracted handle. She’d transformed it into bombardment mode… and blown Hansen away with a shotgun blast.
From such close range, he hadn’t stood a chance. The barrage of iron pellets had ripped his right arm clean off. He tumbled into the wall behind him, a spray of blood trailing in his wake. A few seconds passed before he realized what had happened, and then the screaming started.
“Boss!? What was that sound!?”
“Are you alright!?”
The loud sound attracted the thugs on the nearby floors. They started swarming in like flies. However—
“Preying on children is one of the most despicable acts there is… You’ve roused my anger now. Repent your sins in the afterlife.” Tio unleashed a blast of fire magic that eradicated the stairs and anyone standing on it. Those left on the floor below stopped in their tracks, their only way up now a pile of ash.
Still, the dragon wasn’t about to let anyone escape. She turned her fangs to the men below and unleashed her dragonbreath. True, her breath wasn’t as powerful in human form, but it was still the same breath that had tested the limits of Hajime’s defenses. A wooden building had no hope of surviving that.
Everything but the room Hansen was in was bathed in pitch black flames. The building somehow didn’t collapse, despite the fact that an entire wall was now missing. From a distance, the burning building looked just like an ant farm, with people scurrying about, trying to escape.
Those who were still alive scrambled out of the building as fast as they could and simply stared dumbfounded at what was happening on the top floor. It was only natural. Their base had been destroyed in the span of a few seconds. Their brains couldn’t keep up with the situation at hand.
However, the enraged dragon had no intention of showing them any mercy. Fireballs and wind blades rained down on the survivors with the speed of Hajime’s gatling guns. Men fled in every direction, but… only a few made it out of the onslaught alive.
As Tio kept busy raining death onto the people outside, Shea walked up to Hansen. She stopped in front of him, tapping Drucken menacingly against her shoulder. Without a word, she slammed the hammer into the cowering gang leader’s stomach. He simply grunted in pain and desperately tried to push the hammer off him, but moving the super heavy hammer with a single hand was all but impossible. The only option left to him was to beg for his life.
“I-I’m begging you. Don’t kill me! I’ll give you as much money as you want! I won’t ever go after you guys again! Please— Gwaah!?”
“Quit talking. All I want to hear from you are the answers to my questions. Understood? Every time you don’t answer, I’ll make this hammer heavier… I recommend you start talking before your organs turn to mush.”
“Shea… You really are one of Master’s comrades… You sound just like him.” Tio turned around to poke fun at Shea, but she completely ignored her and grilled Hansen for Myu’s location.
Hansen seemed confused at first, but when Shea mentioned that Myu was the dagon girl he quickly started talking. The steadily increasing weight of Drucken probably had something to do with it, too. It seemed there was going to be an illegal auction held this evening, and that she’d been imprisoned in a cell beneath the auction hall.
Hansen hadn’t been aware of the relationship between Shea and Myu, which was why he didn’t understand the reason Shea was so hung up on her.
From the sound of it, whoever had spotted Shea and Myu at the safety department had decided to capture Shea on a whim. Shea’s name had actually been a priority target on Freidhof’s list already, so the thug who tried to kidnap her had likely just been looking for a promotion.
Shea touched the gem on her choker and used Telepathy to contact Hajime.
“Hajime-san, Hajime-san. Can you hear me? It’s Shea.”
“Shea? Yeah, I can hear you loud and clear. What’s up?”
“I found out where Myu-chan is. You’re in the tourist quarter right now, right? It’s
close to where you are, so head there before us.”
“Gotcha.”
Shea told him Myu’s location and cut the telepathic link. Hansen could no longer breathe under Drucken’s weight, and his face was turning blue. He silently begged Shea to let him live.
She canceled the gravity magic and hoisted the hammer back onto her shoulder. Though he was no longer being crushed, his consciousness was starting to grow dim due to the blood loss. He weakly reached out in supplication.
“P-Please… call a doctor…”
“Do you really think you deserve to live after what you did to those poor children? Besides, you’re our enemy now. If I let one of our enemies go, I’ll get scolded by Hajime-san and Yue-san. And so, goodbye!”
“N-No, wai—” Shea crushed Hansen flat. There was a wet squelching noise as blood spurted from underneath Drucken. She shook the blood off and slung her hammer across her back, then turned to face Tio without so much as a backward glance at the pile of flesh that had once been Hansen.
“Tio-san. Let’s finish off the survivors and meet up with Hajime as soon as possible!” “V-Very well. Your utter lack of mercy is… rather alluring…” “Hm? Did you say something?”
“I-It was nothing.” Though she hadn’t been able to pick up what Tio had muttered, shivers still ran down Shea’s spine. She tilted her head in confusion for a moment, but then put it out of her mind as the two of them began systematically destroying Freidhof’s headquarters.
By the time they were done, there was nothing but corpses and a pile of rubble left.
In a single afternoon Freidhof, Fuhren’s largest criminal organization, had been utterly demolished.
Meanwhile, as Shea and Tio were wreaking havoc, Hajime and Yue rushed toward the Myu’s location. Since she was meant to be auctioned off, Hajime assumed her life wasn’t in any danger, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t suffering. The faster they rescued her, the better.
“This is the place… Ah, yeah, I can sense people below us.” “Okay.”
There were two hulking figures clothed in all black guarding the entrance. Hajime didn’t want to cause a commotion and risk them moving Myu somewhere else, so he went around to a back alley and transmuted his way in.
They both hid their presence and started searching the building. If only they’d had a cardboard box to hide under… They wouldn’t even have needed Hide Presence if they’d
had that…
Finally, they arrived at a vast underground prison. The lone guard guarding the entrance was dozing at his post. They slipped past him and found a group of ten human children huddled together inside a cell. These were most likely the children up for auction that night.
Almost all humans were faithful believers of the Holy Church, and it was illegal to take any believers as slaves. It was, however, still acceptable to buy and sell criminals and heretics. Anyone who betrayed god was no longer protected by the laws of the Holy Church. Hajime highly doubted any of the children shivering on the cold stone floor were either criminals or heretics. It was obvious this was not a legal auction.
However, Hajime didn’t see Myu anywhere in the cell. The children shrank back as he walked up to their cell, but he squatted down in front of them quietly asked a question.
“Did any of you see a dagon girl come here?” They’d all been terrified it was their turn to go up, so his question took them by surprise. They all looked at each other.
Sensing their reluctance to say anything, Yue squatted down next to Hajime and muttered something.
“It’s okay, we won’t hurt you,” was what she said. A young boy of maybe eight fidgeted nervously for a few seconds before answering.
“Umm, they took her a little while ago. Who are you?” Hajime clicked his tongue in frustration before answering the boy.
“We’ve come here to save you.”
“Wha—!? You’re here to save us!?” The boy shouted excitedly. His voice echoed across the stone walls. Realizing his mistake, the boy hurriedly clapped his hands over his mouth. But it was too late.
“Quit making a racket!” The guard yelled that out as he came stomping toward their cell. He stiffened for a moment when he spotted Hajime and Yue, but recovered quickly.
“Who the hell are you guys!” he screamed as he drew his short sword and charged. The children let out terrified shrieks, thinking their saviors were about to be killed.
However, that didn’t happen. Hajime casually grabbed the sword’s blade with his artificial hand and crushed it. Shards of metal fell from his hand as he opened his fist.
The guard stared dumbly at Hajime for a few seconds before looking down at the sword in his hands. All that was left was the hilt. Comprehension dawned on him and he took a faltering step backward.
Hajime took a step forward, crushed the guard’s throat with a quick jab, and tripped him as he pitched backward. At the same time, he grabbed the guard’s skull and slammed it into the ground.
There was a wet crunching noise as he hit the stone floor. He died instantly.
“If you’re a guard, then the first thing you should have done was raise the alarm.” Hajime looked down at the corpse in disgust. The children’s eyes were as round as dinner plates as they looked at him.
He ignored their shocked stares and transmuted the iron bars around their cell. The children’s surprise grew even greater as the bars keeping them trapped crumbled to dust. They just sat there, their mouths hanging open.
“Yue. Sorry, but can you look after them for me? It looks like I’m gonna have to go on another rampage.”
“Okay… Leave it to me.”
“My guess is the safety department people will get here soon. When they do, you can hand the children off to them. I’ve got Ilwa working behind the scenes, so… we can dump all of the little things on him.”
Yue looked off in the distance sympathetically. Her gaze was directed toward the adventurer’s guild building.
Some time before they’d started destroying Freidhof, Hajime had grabbed a random adventurer and had him deliver a telepathy stone to Ilwa. Since then, he’d been keeping Ilwa up to date on events.
Being a gold adventurer came in handy during times like these. The moment Hajime had shown that random adventurer his Status Plate, they’d been ready to do anything he asked. It was just like if a Hollywood star had spoken to a stranger back on earth. The adventurer had even saluted Hajime before running off.
The stone Hajime had given Ilwa couldn’t be activated from his side, so Ilwa had been forced to one-sidedly listen to reports about how Hajime had picked a fight with a massive criminal organization, and how he was leaving the cleanup to them. The people back at the guild had probably been furious.
He was already making good use of Ilwa’s promise to support him. When Ilwa had started hearing the reports, he’d smiled ruefully.
Hajime transmuted a passage heading to the ground floor and stepped into it, leaving the children in Yue’s care. Just before he dashed out of sight, the young boy who had answered Hajime’s question called out to him.
“Mister, thank you for saving us! Save that other girl too, okay! She looked really scared! I couldn’t do anything to help when they took her…”
The fact that Myu was a beastman apparently hadn’t mattered at all this boy. He had guts, considering he’d been trapped in the same situation as her. Hajime turned back and ruffled the young boy’s hair.
“Hey, wh-what are you doing?”
“It’s frustrating, right? In that case, you just have to get stronger. That’s the only way to make sure you never feel like that again. I mean, I was around to save you this time, but if
you get stronger, next time you can save everyone.” With those parting remarks, Hajime turned on his heel and vanished through the tunnel he’d made. The boy covered his hair with both of his hands. He sat there for a few seconds before curling his tiny fingers into a fist. There was a new sparkle in his eyes.
Yue smiled gently down at him and started herding the children out of the building.
A heavy silence filled the auction hall. There were around a hundred buyers seated in the stands. Each and every one of them was wearing a mask, and none of them were saying a word. Whenever something a customer wanted to buy appeared, they’d just silently raise their number tag. They didn’t want to give any hints away about their identities.
Still, even they couldn’t suppress their cries of surprise when the next item was brought to the stage. A two meter long water tank holding a young dagon girl… Myu.
She’d been stripped naked and was currently hugging her knees in a corner of the tank. The reason she’d been put in the tank was to prove that she was a real dagon, as they were the only race that could breathe underwater. And because she’d managed to escape once before, they’d shackled her this time. The metal shackles had been fastened so tight that her skin was chafed underneath them.
The auctioneers examined the trembling girl for a few seconds, then the bidding began. Prices soared, yet the bidding war showed no sign of stopping. Even though her existence had now been made aware to the public, most of the auctioneers seemed confident they could transport her discreetly. Or perhaps they simply weren’t aware of the commotion that had happened that afternoon.
The auction hall grew noisy for the first time, and Myu shrank as far back as the tank would allow her to. Her fingers were curled tightly around a black piece of cloth. Hajime’s eyepatch. He’d been so preoccupied with trying to calm Myu down that he’d forgotten to take it back. The one he was wearing right now was a spare.
Right now, that eyepatch was the last thing Myu had left to cling to. She’d been taken from her mother, forced to travel a long way, been thrown in a dark cell, and swam through literal filth to escape. Finally, when she’d thought all hope was lost, she’d found herself wrapped in something warm.
When she’d opened her eyes, she’d found herself face to face with a young silver-haired boy wearing an eyepatch. She’d stared at him in surprise, and he’d stared back. Both of them had been too stubborn to be the first to break eye contact, but then Myu’d been distracted by the smell of something delicious.
He’d asked for her name, and she’d told him. Then, there’d been a pretty red flash, and he’d plopped her into a bath. After that a pretty girl with light blue hair had started washing her. The bath had been pleasantly warm, and the girl had been really gentle. Soon enough, Myu had let her guard down enough that she was calling the pretty girl, Shea, “onee-chan.”
Myu didn’t think she’d forget the taste of the skewers Shea had fed her for the rest of her life. And, while she’d been busy eating, the boy named Hajime had come back.
She’d been a little scared of him, but then he helped her put on these really cute clothes and dried and combed her hair, so she started feeling better around him, too.
When they’d said she couldn’t stay with them and that they’d give her to these people called the safety department, she’d been devastated. She’d been so lonely ever since she’d been separated from her mom. She didn’t think she could take being lonely like that again after having found such kind people.
And so, Myu did everything she could to stay.
She pulled at Hajime’s hair, slapped his cheeks, and even took his eyepatch. If he wanted it back, he’d have to let her stay with them.
However, in the end, the kind people she’d finally found left her in a strange and unfamiliar place.
As she huddled in her tank, she thought back on what happened.
Did they leave me because I did something bad? Is it because I took the black thingy? Do Onii-chan and Onee-chan hate me? Tears welled up in her eyes. If she ever saw them again she’d apologize. She’d even give Hajime his eyepatch back. She’d do anything they asked. She just wanted to go with them.
Onii-chan… Onee-chan… Suddenly, there was a loud thud and her tank shook. She squealed in terror and hurriedly opened her eyes. There was a masked man wearing a tuxedo standing next to her tank. He was yelling something and kicking the glass repeatedly.
The auction manager had wanted to Myu to swim around a little in order to make the guests bid higher, but she’d just stayed curled up in a ball. Tired of waiting, he’d finally snapped and started kicking her tank.
That only served to frighten Myu further, however, as she curled into a ball and attempted to look as small as possible. All she could do was try to drown out the yelling and the kicking.
The Freidhof member managing the auction grew even angrier. He was worried people would think she was sick, and not bid as high. If she sold low, he was the one who’d be punished for it. Seeing this wasn’t working, he resorted to drastic measures. Feeling pressured by the crowd, he started insulting Myu in the hopes of eliciting a reaction.
“Move, you sniveling little brat. Stop causing us humans so much trouble, you stupid fish-freak!” He climbed up the ladder next to the tank as he berated her, intending to poke her with the cane he was carrying. Myu shut her eyes and braced herself.
Oddly, the impact she was waiting for never came. Instead, she heard a familiar voice.
“What was that, you fucking bastard?” Hajime leaped from the ceiling, grinding both the auction manager and the ladder into the ground. A fountain of blood spurted from
underneath his foot. The manager had been killed instantly.
Hajime didn’t even look at the man he’d just killed. Instead, he turned around and smashed the water tank with his artificial arm. The glass pane shattered into a thousand pieces, and a torrent of water came flooding out.
“Hyaaah!” The current carried Myu out with it. But before she got very far, a warm hand caught her, and she timidly opened her eyes.
When she’d first heard his voice, she’d desperately hoped she hadn’t been imagining it. And now she knew she hadn’t. The person holding her right now was Hajime. Myu blinked a few times before staring at him, much like she had when they first met.
“Yo, Myu. How come you’re always soaked whenever I see you?” Still staring at him, she quietly whispered a single word.
“Onii-chan?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m your brother, but I am the same guy you scratched, kicked, and stole an eyepatch from.” Hajime smiled at Myu, and the tears started dripping from her eyes. After a second of silence—
“Onii-chan!” She wrapped her arms around Hajime and started sobbing. Hajime awkwardly patted her back in an attempt to comfort her. Then, he wrapped her in another blanket.
Black-robed men burst into the main hall and surrounded the two, cutting their reunion short. The auctioneers were certain the men could handle Hajime, so none of them made any move to flee.
“Hey, brat. Do you know what happens to morons who try and mess with Freidhof? If you hand over the girl, then we’ll at least grant you a painless death.” Myu lifted her face from Hajime’s neck and looked at him worriedly. Twenty burly men stood between them and safety.
“Onii-chan…”
“Don’t worry. I’m here with you. It’ll get a little noisy though, so you should close your eyes and cover your ears.” Hajime peeled Myu’s fingers off his neck and placed them over her ears. His confident tone assuaged Myu’s worries. Still a little confused, she nodded, closed her eyes, and buried her face in Hajime’s chest.
“Think you can just ignore us, huh!?”
“Kill the brat! But don’t lay a hand on the merchandise!” The leader angrily ordered his men to charge.
A second later there was a loud bang and the leader was suddenly missing his head.
The remnants of his brain splattered the faces of his comrades.
Unable to grasp what had just happened, everyone silently watched as the leader’s corpse crumpled to the ground.
And while they stood there, still confused, Hajime fired again. And again. And again. Gunshots echoed throughout the chamber, each one marking another death. Eleven people fell before the rest finally realized what was going on.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! He’s a monster!”
“H-He’s a demon! We’re all gonna be killed!” The men in black started backing away from him, while the auctioneers screamed and swarmed for the exits.
A monster huh? That’s rich, coming from people who buy and sell slaves. He wanted to teach those fleeing slavers a thing or two, but he kept his attention firmly focused on the threat in front of him.
“Wh-Who the hell are you!? What, why… How did you do that!?” The man trembled in fear as he shouted in what he hoped was an intimidating voice. Another dozen men in black ran into the hall, but they faltered when they saw the bodies littering the floor.
Hajime scoffed at the man who’d spoken.
“Why? Isn’t it obvious? I came to take back what’s mine. Oh… and to make an example out of you guys. This is what happens if you touch my friends. Now then, you’ll join me for the grand finale, right?” Hajime used Aerodynamic to jump up to the ceiling. Then, he transmuted a hole into the ceiling and leaped through it.
“Yue, I’ve got Myu. How are things on your end?”
“Good. Everyone evacuated. The guests are running out of the hall.”
“I see. Well, let’s end this with a bang, then.”
“Okay!”
As Hajime zipped through the air, he looked down at Myu. Up until now she had done as he’d asked, covering her ears and closing her eyes. He gently removed one of her hands and talked to her.
“It’s alright now, Myu.” Her eyes snapped open and she looked around. As she took in the scenery, she let out a gasp of surprise. The view was spectacular. From their vantage point, they could see the entire city of Fuhren. The sun was a blazing ball of red, slowly sinking below the horizon. Underneath the crimson sky, they could see lights dotting the city; people had started lighting the streetlamps.
Myu’s eyes sparkled as she took all of it in. She excitedly grabbed Hajime’s collar and started pointing things out.
“It’s amazing, Onii-chan! We’re flying through the sky!”
“We’re more jumping through it than flying but… Well, whatever. Anyway, Myu, look over there. There’s going to be some huge fireworks soon.”
“Fire-works?”
“Fireworks are… giant explosions.”
“Ex-plo-sions?”
Hajime couldn’t figure out a good way to explain it, but it didn’t matter since she’d see for herself in a few seconds. He cradled Myu in one arm as he pulled a ring out of his Treasure Trove with the other. The ring was actually a remote detonator he’d made with spirit stone. While he’d been searching for Myu, he’d left some bombs here and there.
“Alright, here we go. Bombs away~”
“Bombs away?”
Their voices faded away into the evening breeze. A second later, there was a boom so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire city.
The art museum that doubled as an illegal auction hall was blasted to kingdom come. Not a trace remained of the probably beautiful and historic art that had adorned its halls. The surrounding buildings that had all belonged to Freidhof were toppled by the shockwave following the explosion.
He’d shaped the charges upward so the fire wouldn’t spread to the rest of the city. Pillars of flame rose up to the heavens, dying the sky a deep crimson, though a different shade than that of the sunset. It looked as if a volcano had erupted in the heart of the city.
“Whaaaaaaaaat!?”
“Well, Myu? Surprised? Those are fireworks.”
“Fireworks are scary.” Trembling, Myu clung to Hajime as she watched the spectacle.
However, Hajime wasn’t done yet. The party was just getting started, after all.
“O-O-Onii-chan! There’s something over there!” “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
“Huh!?” Dark clouds had gathered where Myu was pointing. Four dragons composed of pure lightning burst from the clouds with a thunderous roar, further scaring an already terrified Myu.
Each one was about half the size of Yue’s single dragon, but their ferocity hadn’t changed at all. The faint of heart passed out at the mere sight of them as they circled above the city.
The four dragons split off from each other, heading to different districts.
Chances were, everyone in Fuhren saw them.
They flew majestically through the burning sky, heading for the remaining four major Freidhof bases. Upon reaching their destination, they plummeted to the ground, swallowing the buildings whole.
The ground shook as they struck. There were four blinding flashes of light and with another roar, the four bases were wiped out of existence.
Plumes of smoke rose from the rubble, the debris and ash choking out the light of the setting sun. From up above, the city of Fuhren looked like it had been hit by a disaster.
That being said, Hajime and Yue had taken great precautions to make sure no innocents
were harmed. Hajime had sent his Ornises to scout out all of Freidhof’s bases and made doubly sure no one unaffiliated with the group had been present. So despite the destruction, the only casualties had been Freidhof’s members.
It was possible some of the members had been forced to join the gang, or maybe could have been reformed, but… Hajime didn’t feel the need to investigate the individuals of an organization that had made themselves his enemy.
“Hajime-san! Is Myu-chan safe!?”
“W-Wait for me, Shea. God, you’re fast. Were your physical abilities always this high!?”
Hajime received a telepathic message from Shea as he was surveying the damage. Since he hadn’t mentioned the fireworks to her, she had been rather surprised when half the city exploded.
“Yeah. Safe and sound. And it looks like we got most of their bases too… Oh, right, let’s all meet up at the adventurer’s guild. Ilwa’s probably tearing his hair out over how much paperwork this is going to mean for him.”
“Oh, thank goodness~ You said we’re meeting at the guild? Roger. I’ll be right there. I want to hurry up and see Myu-chan.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see her real soon. Alright, meet you there.”
“You got it.” Myu looked up at Hajime as he suddenly fell silent and gazed off into the distance. When he finished his conversation with Shea, he told Myu she’d get to see her soon. Myu exclaimed “Onee-chan!” and her face broke out into a smile.
As he descended to the ground, Yue came up to meet him. She’d already seen the kids to the safety department. She stared intently at the little girl in Hajime’s arms. Myu uncomfortably glanced around before looking up at Hajime again. He could guess what the unspoken question in her eyes was.
“Myu, this is Yue. She’s my lover.”
“Huh? Lover…? What about Onee-chan?”
“She’s my comrade.”
“She’s not your lover?”
“Nope, she’s not.”
“But…”
“I don’t know what else to tell you. Yue’s my lover.”
“Mrrrr~” Myu looked petulantly over at Yue. Yue hadn’t taken her eyes off Myu during that whole exchange. This time Myu met Yue’s gaze. She stared at Yue intently, trying to figure out what kind of person she was.
They continued staring at each other for a few minutes. Yue was the first to break contact. She suddenly started walking forward.
Myu watched her cautiously. Yue stopped in front of Hajime, took Myu from his hands, and hugged her tight. Myu yelped and struggled to break free of Yue’s grasp, but Yue wouldn’t let go. After a few seconds, Yue spoke.
“This is cheating. You’re too cute.” It looked like Yue had taken a liking to Myu. Myu finally managed to wriggle her head out Yue’s chest and gasped for air. The two stared at each other once more.
“Hi there, Myu. I’m Yue. You did great, enduring all that. Good job.” Yue’s eyes softened and she patted Myu’s head.
Her gentle warmth melted away Myu’s wariness, and she started bawling in Yue’s arms. When Hajime had first rescued her, she’d still been too nervous to cry properly. It was only now that she could vent all of her frustration and sadness without worry of what might happen to her.
Hajime smiled awkwardly as he watched the two of them. Once Myu had calmed down, the three of them headed to the adventurer’s guild.
“Fifteen buildings were destroyed, thirty suffered serious damage, and nine of them were completely leveled. On top of that, thirty-eight of Freidhof’s members are confirmed dead, forty-four are mortally injured, twenty-eight are seriously injured, and one hundred and nineteen are unaccounted for… Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“They pissed me off, so I crushed them. I don’t regret it, either.”
“Haaaaaaaaaaaah…” They were sitting in the guild’s waiting room. Ilwa held a stack of reports in one hand as he glared at Hajime. For his part, Hajime was sharing the snacks they’d been served with Myu, who was sitting on his lap. Seeing how Hajime had no intention of reflecting on his actions, Ilwa let out a tired sigh.
“Please tell me the fishman escaping from the Meerstadt Aquarium by flying out of a hole in the wall had nothing to do with you at least… It didn’t, right?”
“Myu, these are pretty good too? Here, try some.”
“Damn it… Haaah…” Hajime feigned ignorance and casually continued feeding Myu, but Shea shifted guiltily in her seat, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Ilwa. Ilwa heaved another sigh, deeper this time. He grimaced and rubbed his stomach. Dott, his secretary, gave him a sympathetic look and passed him some stomach medicine.
“Well, while you may have gone too far, you did destroy a massive criminal organization for us. Honestly speaking, we had no way of dealing with them. They never left any trace of their illegal dealings, and on the off chance we managed to catch a few of their underlings in the act, the main organization would just cut them off. We didn’t think it was even possible to put a stop to them. Though this also means the balance of Fuhren’s underworld has been completely toppled… Haaah, we’re going to be rather busy in the coming weeks. Especially since we offered our support to the safety department.”
“Well, normally it’s the government’s job to handle stuff like this anyway. This time
was a special case. They tried to hurt one of my comrades, so I gave them a little payback.”
“That ‘little payback’ being destroying Fuhren’s largest criminal organization in just half a day? You guys are crazy.” Ilwa smiled bitterly. He looked like he’d aged twenty years in a day. Combining the ten years he’d aged when he first saw everyone’s Status Plates, he may as well have turned into an old man by now. Even Hajime felt a little bad for putting him through so much, so he offered a suggestion.
“Part of the reason we were so flashy about it was because we wanted to make an example out of them. You know, to make sure no one else would try the same thing. So why not use our names to your benefit? If you say the gold ranked adventurer that did this is part of your branch… wouldn’t that work as a good deterrent?”
“Oh my, is that really alright? That would save us a great deal of trouble but… weren’t you the kind of person that hated their name being used by others?” Ilwa looked at Hajime in surprise. He sounded hesitant, but his gaze made it clear he was dying to use Hajime’s name. Hajime smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, you scratch my back, I scratch yours, right? You’ve been a great help already, so I don’t mind if it’s just using my name. If you’re smart enough to make it all the way to branch chief, I can trust you’ll use it wisely. Plus, I do feel a little bad about getting innocent people involved in our personal vendetta.”
“I see… Is it just me, or have you changed, Hajime-kun? When I first met you, you struck me as the kind of person that didn’t care at all about others. Did something happen at Ur?”
“Well, I guess you could say that.”
Ilwa wasn’t a branch chief for nothing. He could see through people better than most. That was why he’d been able to pick up on the slight shift in Hajime’s mentality. Hajime becoming a kinder person was better for Ilwa too, and he gladly accepted Hajime’s offer to use his name.
As Ilwa had expected, days after Freidhof’s destruction new criminal groups would spring up, hoping to take advantage of the power vacuum that had been created. However, Ilwa would manage to keep them quiet by skillfully spreading rumors of Hajime’s ferocity.
Some time later, people would begin referring to him by nicknames like “Fuhren’s Ultimate Weapon,” “White-haired Flame Master,” “Lady Killer,” and so on. However, that was of little concern to Hajime. Or rather, no concern at all.
Thanks to Ilwa’s frantic efforts, the safety department ruled that Hajime had acted in self-defense, thereby making him innocent of any crime. Normally it wouldn’t have gone over so smoothly, but they were pretty mad about Freidhof’s bombing of one of their buildings.
In fact, the director of the safety department had given Hajime a not-so-subtle thumbs-up for destroying Freidhof. The organization had flaunted the safety department’s
authority at every turn, expanding their illegal activities into every industry they could get their hands on. The chief, who’d just celebrated his 60th birthday, had been more than happy to acquit Hajime of all charges.
“Also, about Myu-kun…” Ilwa looked down at the tiny girl who was happily gnawing on a cookie.
Myu gave a little start. She looked worriedly between Hajime, Yue, and Shea. She didn’t want to be separated from them again. The reason she didn’t look over at Tio was because, well, everyone was trying to keep her away from Tio’s harmful influence.
“Either we can take care of her and send her back to Erisen through the formal routes, or we can make this an official guild request and ask you to take her back… Those are your two options. Well, which do you prefer?” Hajime tilted his head in confusion. He had assumed the safety department would have requested he return her to their custody. According to Ilwa’s explanation, however, they were willing to let him handle the case if he so desired. Because of his guild ranking, and the fact that he’d destroyed an entire organization to save her, they believed he was trustworthy enough.
Ultimately though, this too was Ilwa’s handiwork. It almost seemed as if he was eager to prove how helpful of an ally he could.
“Hajime-san… I promise I’ll protect her. So please… let her come with us.” Shea bowed to Hajime. She wanted to be there for Myu during her journey home. Yue and Tio remained silent, deciding to leave the decision up to Hajime.
“Onii-chan… please?” She hit Hajime with her irresistible puppy-dog eyes. Though she hadn’t needed to. From the moment he had sworn to get Myu back, Hajime had decided he’d be willing to let her come with them if that was still what she wanted.
“I was planning on taking her with me regardless, so I’m glad you’re on board already. Even I couldn’t abandon her after all we’ve been through.”
“Hajime-san!”
“Onii-chan!”
Shea and Myu beamed at him. There was still the little problem of how they were going to clear the Grand Gruen Volcano, which came before Erisen, with Myu in tow, but Hajime figured it would work out somehow. He’d decided to take Myu, and that was that.
“But there’s just one thing, Myu. Could you stop calling me onii-chan? Just Hajime is fine. It’s kind of embarrassing to be called that…” Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly as Myu hugged him. He was still an otaku after all. Being called onii-chan… Well, it just didn’t sit right with him.
Myu stared at him. After a while, she came to some sort of understanding and nodded.
However, her response was something no one present had expected.
“Then I’ll call you daddy.”
“Wh-What? Sorry, Myu. I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say that again?”
“Daddy.”
“U-Umm, is this like a dagon word for onii-chan or Hajime or something?”
“Nope. Daddy means daddy.”
“Okay, hold on a second.” Hajime started massaging his temples, while Shea hesitantly asked Myu why she’d chosen to call him daddy of all things. Apparently—
“I don’t have a daddy. He went to heaven before I was born. All of my friends have one, but I don’t… That’s why you’re my daddy now, Onii-chan.”
“I kind of get it, but at the same time, I kind of don’t. Anyway, Myu. I’m begging you, anything but daddy. I’m still only seventeen, you know?”
“No, I like daddy!”
“Okay, fine. Even onii-chan is okay! I’m not asking for much, so please, just not daddy!”
“Nooo! You’re my daddy now!”
Hajime tried everything he could to get her to stop calling him daddy, but he struck out. She seemed to like it even more than onii-chan, so the name stuck.
Finally, Hajime gave up. His only choice now was to ask Myu’s mother to get her to stop when they finally reached Erisen. Myu had managed to inflict more damage on him than anything else since he’d left the abyss.
They finished talking to Ilwa and headed back to the inn. Once there, a heated debate began over who would become Myu’s “mama.” In the meantime, Hajime tied Tio up and hid her somewhere so she couldn’t be a bad influence on Myu. Naturally, Tio saw her punishment as a reward. In the end, it seemed Myu only wanted to call her real mother mama, so Yue, Shea, and Tio all became onee-chans.
That night, depressed that Myu wouldn’t call her mama, Yue said something shocking.
“Hajime, I want a baby.” Judging by his reaction, the day where Yue would get to be called mama wasn’t too far off.
Shea tried the same trick, but Hajime ignored her. And, of course, the perverted dragon lady couldn’t resist adding her two cents after that.
“Master, I am prepared to bear your children as well. We can begin at—”
“Your existence is already enough of a joke, I don’t need you spouting them as well.”
“Why am I the only one to receive such a harsh rejection!?” Despite her indignant reply, Tio writhed happily on the ground when Hajime shot her down.
The next morning, Hajime said his goodbyes to everyone who’d come to see him off. Ilwa, the people at the safety department, and the Cudeta family. He looked just like a real father, carrying Myu on his shoulders. She was happily hugging his head as he grabbed her legs to make sure she didn’t fall off.
Today was the day the monster of the abyss became a father. And so, his adventures continued, now with a daughter in tow!
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