Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 1

Chapter I: The Hero Returns 

It was a truly surreal sight. Hundreds of beastmen stood huddled together, pinching their cheeks or slapping their faces or staring out the window in disbelief. The wind howled past their ears and an endless sea of clouds spread out beneath them. From the few gaps in cloud cover, they could make out the ground speeding past them at an unbelievable rate. Unbelievable as it seemed, they were actually flying through the sky. 
More specifically, they were riding Hajime’s gravity-manipulating airship Artifact, the Fernir. He had attached a large gondola to its bottom, which was where they were currently stationed. The reason they were riding the first airship in Tortus’ history was because of another historical event that had concluded just yesterday. All of Hoelscher’s slaves had been freed following a battle that would later come to be known as “The Haulia Rebellion” or “The Crimson Ball” by the people of the empire. 
Shea’s father, Cam, had led the Haulia in an attack on the empire’s capital and felled it in a single night. He’d demanded the emperor free all of the empire’s slaves, and those former slaves were now riding Hajime’s Fernir back home to Haltina. 
Hajime had actually already set up a warp gate in the sea of trees, so he could have teleported them all home instantly if he’d wanted to. The reason he’d chosen not to, and instead brought Fernir down outside the capital was because he’d needed to make a big show of the whole emancipation. Basically, he’d wanted to emphasize to the citizens of Hoelscher that freeing all the slaves really was something that god himself had decreed. And it had worked as intended. Seeing a giant flying ship descend to take the beastmen back home had left the empire’s residents in awe. 
Naturally Hajime was just using god’s name. In truth, Ehit had nothing to do with this. Hajime was just following through with his principle of “When in doubt, just pin all the blame on god.” Whether or not Ehit took issue with that wasn’t something Hajime particularly cared about. At any rate, while it did make for an impressive spectacle, moving an Artifact as complex as Fernir took up a lot of concentration. 
“Aaah...” 
Hajime sighed lazily as he lounged on the bridge’s sofa. He didn’t look like he was concentrating in the slightest. His arms and legs were sprawled across the sofa, and he looked more like an office worker on break than someone piloting an airship. However, the fact that he was enveloped in layers of crimson mana made it obvious that even now he was still expending a lot of energy to drive Fernir. 
In truth, he was actually having a bit of a hard time. The more weight there was loaded on Fernir, the more difficult it was to pilot. That being said, his posture, combined with the fact that he was surrounded by beautiful girls, made it seem like he was just lording his superiority over people. 
“Oi Hajime Nagumo, don’t you think you’re being rather rude, relaxing like that in front of the emperor?” 
The bridge’s door slid open with a mechanical whir, and Hoelscher’s emperor, Gahard D Hoelscher, strode into the room, glaring angrily at Hajime. With Yue and Shea to either side of him, and Kaori behind him, Hajime really did look like a king indulging in his harem. Especially considering how closely the three of them were sticking to him. They claimed it was so they could keep replenishing his mana, but everyone knew they didn’t need to be glued to him to do that. Considering that Hajime was burning through vast quantities of mana each second, and operating an extremely complicated machine on top of that, one could say he was training seriously, it just didn’t look like that at all. It was a bit of a shame, really. Neither Gahard nor any of the other people present realized just how much effort Hajime put into getting stronger. 
“I wish I could be the— Ahem, you shouldn’t act so indecent in public, Nagumo-san.” 
“Liliana-sama, your letting your real intentions slip again.” 
The princess of Heiligh, Liliana S B Heiligh, and her maid Helina followed in behind Gahard. The reason she was also coming along to Haltina was because she needed to be a witness to Gahard’s oaths. 
The battle the other day hadn’t been between the empire and Verbergen, but between the empire and the Haulia, which was why Gahard needed to head to Verbergen and swear the same oaths he’d given to Cam. That had been one of Cam’s conditions, after all. 
The other people in the room included Kouki Amanogawa, Ryutarou Sakagami, Shizuku Yaegashi, Suzu Taniguchi, and Tio, who was lying on the ground twitching in pleasure. The reason she was on the floor this time was because she’d tried to leap into Hajime’s arms a few moments ago. Disgusted by the perverted dragon’s antics, Hajime had reflexively kicked her away, then strangled her until she nearly fell unconscious. As she seemed to be enjoying it, no one had bothered to stop him. In fact, her ecstatic expression had caused everyone to look away in disgust. 
Following Liliana’s remarks, Shizuku and the others started to rebuke Hajime as well. Unwilling to listen to their nagging, he quickly changed the subject. 
“Gahard, did you finish exploring the ship?” 
“Yeah. This thing is insane. I don’t even understand how this giant lump of metal can fly. Either way, this is one hell of an Artifact you made! Oi, Hajime Nagumo. Make one for me too. I’ll pay you as much as you want.” 
Gahard settled into the sofa across from Hajime, his eyes brimming with excitement. Hajime frowned in annoyance. 
“I don’t need money. Give it a rest already. This is the only time I’m letting you ride Fernir. Enjoy it while it lasts.” 
“Come now, don’t be like that. I’m just asking for one measly ship. It can even be a small one.” 
“There’s nothing in it for me, so no.” 
“Mrr, fine if you don’t need money how about women? One of my daughters is of marriageable age now. Her name’s Tracy, and she’s a bit of a battle nut, but she’s definitely a looker. She’d make a good addition to your harem, right? What do you say?” 
Gahard seemed to think Hajime was a hardcore womanizer. Considering how Hajime was surrounded by three girls at the moment, it was a hard claim to deny. That being said, the last thing Hajime wanted was Gahard’s battle-crazy daughter pushed onto him. He looked disdainfully down at Gahard, but before he could refuse, his harem came to his defense. 
“I’ll turn you into ash if you try.” “I’ll crush you!” “That was a joke, right emperor? Right?” “Please don’t put Nagumo-kun in the same category as you, Your Majesty.” “Absolutely not! I won’t allow it! Hajime-kun belongs to me!” 
Hajime shrugged and continued. 
“There you have it.” 
“Tch, showoff... Hm? Wait, did I hear Princess Liliana’s voice mixed in with the rest?” Gahard clicked his tongue, then suddenly turned back toward Liliana. The others followed his gaze. 
“Huh? O-Of course not. You must have been hearing things.” 
“Kuku. Come to think of it, you ignored Baius entirely during the ball too. Though you seemed to be enjoying yourself dancing with a certain someone. Hey, Hajime Nagumo. Just how fast do you work? Even I’m getting tired of seeing everyone fall for you.” 
“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you saying, Your Majesty!? N-Nagumo-san and I don’t have that kind of relationship. Isn’t that right, Nagumo-san?” 
“Yeah. Hell’ll freeze over before that happens.” 
“You didn’t have to be so blunt about it...” Liliana’s shoulders slumped. She sulkily looked away, making it obvious that she wasn’t against the idea of being Hajime’s lover. Though, everyone who’d seen her dance at the ball had already known she was enamored with him. 
Naturally, Hajime wasn’t oblivious either. Yet he’d still shot her down without mercy. Yue and the others gave Liliana sympathetic looks, then turned to glare at Hajime. 
“Why’re you all looking at me like that? Besides, the princess’ already engaged. I mean, her fiance got beheaded, but she still needs to get married to someone from the empire, right? Gahard’ll just find another prince for her to marry.” 
“Oh, about that...” 
Liliana trailed off, and Gahard turned to Hajime with a bitter expression. 
“To be honest, my family’s in no position to be making political ties right now. We’re kind of busy dealing with these cursed necklaces that’ll kill us if we break our oaths.” He pointed to the ruby dangling from his neck. The Necklace of Vows was an artifact that forced its wearer to adhere to any oaths they made. It carved the vow into the pledger’s soul, so any attempt to break their promise or take the necklace off caused them to go insane and die. 
“According to our contract, if my subjects try to attack beastmen, we won’t lose our lives as long as we punish them for it. But that doesn’t change the fact that the entire empire is being held hostage. I need to make radical changes to our government and start imposing strict punishments on my people. On top of that we still have to inform the rest of the empire about our new policy and find a way to free all the remaining slaves. Me and my family are too busy to think about marriage.” Gahard leaned back in his seat and scratched his head. 
“And it’s not like I can marry the princess off to someone who might die at any minute. Besides, without slaves we’ve lost our biggest supply of labor. Your speech might have worked for the capital, but I guarantee the other cities will riot. My soldiers are going to be busy getting the empire under control, so we wouldn’t be able to send reinforcements to the kingdom anyway. If anything, we’re the ones who need help now.” 
“I see. So basically, the princess isn’t getting married anymore.” 
“More or less. Once things calm down and the imperial family isn’t in danger of being wiped out, Prince Lundel will probably be old enough that it would be better to give him one of my daughters to cement our alliance instead.” 
Hajime and the others nodded in understanding. Incidentally, the reason Gahard’s family was willing to follow along so obediently was because one of his relatives had tried removing their necklace earlier. As expected, they’d gone crazy, rampaged around the palace for a few minutes, then fell limp, like a doll with its strings cut. 
“That’s wonderful, Lily!” 
“Yeah... I don’t know if you’ll be able to marry someone you truly love now, but at least you’ve bought yourself some time.” 
“Yep! Isn’t it great, Lily!?” 
Kouki, Shizuku, and Kaori all said excitedly. Even Yue and the others congratulated Liliana on getting her engagement annulled. 
“Th-Thank you,” Liliana replied awkwardly. While she was glad she didn’t have to get married to Baius anymore, his father was sitting in front of her, and Baius himself had been decapitated the night before. Still, she was happy she wouldn’t have to deal with the man who’d tried to rape her anymore. Normally she hid her feelings, but this time she let her happiness show. Even Gahard couldn’t help but smile. 
“Anyway, that’s how it is. So Princess Liliana’s free to do as she pleases. Hajime Nagumo. If you really want her, I’ll use my authority as emperor to make it happen.” 
“Wha!? Your Majesty, what are you saying!? I-I don’t...” Shaken, Liliana looked to her maid for help. 
“This is your chance, Princess! Make him yours!” she replied excitedly. 
Not noticing Yue’s dangerous glare, Liliana looked bashfully toward Hajime. The slight blush that colored her cheeks gave her just the perfect amount of cuteness. Naturally, Hajime wasn’t fazed by it in the slightest. Her charms did nothing to sway him, and he casually turned back to Gahard. 
“And in return you want me to make you a ship, right? How many times do I have to say it, there’s nothing in that for me. In fact, I’d only be losing out in an exchange like that.” 
“What’s that supposed to mean, Nagumo-san!?” Liliana screamed. Hajime ignored that too. 
Shocked, Gahard replied. 
“Come on, we’re talking about the princess of a kingdom here! How can you call yourself a man if you don’t want her!?” 
“Don’t lump me in together with you. I’m not trying to collect a bunch of girls here. If anything, the fact that she’s a princess would make things more of a pain.” 
“Heeey, over here! I’m still here you know! Please stop talking about me like I’m not in the room! Listen to me!” 
Liliana waved her hands in the air, trying to remind people she existed. Unfortunately, she was still ignored. 
“You really have no interest in authority, huh? Or perhaps you’re just not interested in the princess.” 
“Both.” 
“Okay okay, I get it, you’re ignoring me. I’m not important enough for anyone to listen to. I guess it’s because you’re not interested in me, huh...Sniffle... Even though I’m the princess...” Tears trailed down Liliana’s cheeks and the hope vanished from her eyes. 
“Liliana-sama... you poor thing...” 
“Lily... Even though you’re the princess. I’m so sorry...” 
“L-Lily! I’ll listen to you! Please, cheer up!” Helina dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief while Shizuku and Kouki tried to console her. 
Hajime watched them out of the corner of his eye while simultaneously monitoring Gahard’s reaction. Seeing as he had no intention of giving up, Hajime sighed and spoke. 
“Right now, there’s nothing I want so give it up. Maybe you’ll stumble across something you can use as a bargaining chip later... so just wait until them.” 
“Nnngh, is there really nothing you want? Nothing I can do for you? Tell me truly. All humans want something. The only people who say they want nothing have stopped being human, or are plotting something. Then again, I suppose you are a devil.” 
“You trying to pick a fight? Well, I guess I get what you’re saying. But...” 
Hajime wrapped his arms around Yue and Shea. 
“As you can see, everything I want is already in my arms. What else could I possibly ask for?” 
So stop wasting your time trying to negotiate. Yue snuggled up to Hajime, while Shea was still in shock over the fact that Hajime had hugged her just as tight as he’d hugged Yue. A second later, her ears and tail started twitching happily, and she hugged Hajime back. Her eyes met Yue’s and the two of them giggled happily to each other. 
“Ah, so that’s how it is. Tch, I can’t stand to watch this flirting. I’m going up to the deck for some fresh air...” 
Gahard got to his feet with an annoyed huff and stalked off. Hajime once again leaned back into the sofa and returned to looking like he was doing nothing. Shizuku and Suzu snuck bashful glances at him, while Kouki and Ryutarou were unable to look at him. Flirting so openly had made the atmosphere rather awkward. It didn’t help that Liliana was looking up at the ceiling with dead eyes. However, the girl standing behind Hajime and the one at his feet were unaffected by the uncomfortable atmosphere. 
“Uuu, how come it’s only Yue and Shea!? H-Hey Hajime-kun, when you said everything you wanted was already in your arms, you meant that figuratively, right? It’s not just Yue and Shea you care about, right?” 
“M-Master. I understand it’s an odd request to make moments after being kicked by you, but would you please embrace me as well? I, too, wish to be in your arms...” 
Kaori hugged Hajime from behind while Tio lifted herself off the ground and begged. Yue lifted her head off Hajime’s chest, looked at the two of them, and said, “Too bad.” 
“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean!?” 
“Wha!? I cannot let that go unchallenged, Yue!” 
Kaori and Tio bristled at Yue’s remark. Yue titled her head and put a finger on her chin, thinking. Then she pointed to herself and Shea. 
“Winners.” 
Then she pointed to Kaori and Tio. 
“Losers.” 
She then went back to nuzzling Hajime’s chest. It was at that point that Kaori snapped. 
“Fufufufu...You’re a weird one, Yue. Sometimes you say things that just don’t make any sense... Did you hit your head somewhere?” 
Kaori swayed back and forth, and her sword-wielding demon stand flared to life behind her in a flurry of wind and snow. 
“Indeed, there appears to be something wrong with Yue. It falls upon us to correct her, Kaori.” 
Tio staggered to her feet. A black dragon wreathed in an aura of pitch spread its wings and roared behind her. 
“And there’s one simple way to do that.” 
“Indeed, when something is broken...” 
“You beat it back into shape!” “One must beat it into shape!” 
Fighting spirit started oozing out of the two of them. Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu hugged each other tight, terrified of the pressure Kaori and Tio were emitting. 
“I-Is that really Kaori?” Kouki muttered. 
Yue once again lifted her head off of Hajime’s chest and grinned faintly at the two of them. 
“Don’t do it. You know you don’t stand a chance if I got serious, right?” 
It really irritated them to hear that familiar phrase come from Yue’s mouth. 
“Bring it on!” “I’d like to see you try!” As expected, neither of them were backing down. 
“Mmm, do your worst.” 
Yue provoked them even further. Dark clouds formed behind her, and her trademark lightning dragon appeared to complete the trio. 
“W-Wait, you three! Calm down! And Nagumo-kun, don’t just sit there, help me stop them!” 
Shizuku desperately tried to mediate between them. Unfortunately, even though they should have just been illusions, the pressure coming off of the demon, black dragon, and lightning dragon was all too real. She backed off and looked to Hajime for help. However, Hajime’s response was none too promising. 
“Can’t do it. Too tired...” 
He sunk deeper into the sofa. He obviously wasn’t going to move. In the first place, fights like these were an everyday occurrence. It was how the three of them communicated, really. Hence why Hajime didn’t particularly mind. 
“Y-You lazy little—” 
Shizuku, who wasn’t privy to the background behind their fights, fumed at his response. Just then, one of the fighters asked for her assistance. 
“Shizuku-chan, I’ll leave the vanguard to you!” 
“What!? Why do I have to get mixed up in all this!?” 
And so, Shizuku was smoothly integrated into their quarrel. Seeing that Kaori had enlisted reinforcements, Tio decided to find some of her own. 
“Come, Princess. We shall wade into battle together! You are a master of barrier magic, are you not? I shall need yours and Suzu’s assistance!” 
“Wait, you want me!? Why!?” 
“Did you just include me!?” 
The perverted dragon grabbed the two crying girls and hauled them into the fray using her monstrous strength. She looked almost like a mother disciplining her children. 
“Even though I’m the princess... no one listens to me...” Liliana mumbled sadly. She looked to her maid for salvation, but Helina simply cheered her on. 
“Go for it, Liliana-sama! This is your chance to make yourself his wife!” 
It appeared not even her maid understood her. Liliana once again reverted to looking at the ceiling with dead eyes.. Suzu, too, beseeched Kouki and Ryutarou for help, but they both awkwardly averted their gazes. They had no desire to get in the middle of a fight between these girls. It wouldn’t do for guys to butt in, after all. 
“Are you really abandoning me!? You are, aren’t you!? I won’t forget this!” 
Poor Suzu was doomed to the same fate as Liliana. 
“Shea, be my vanguard.” 
“Roger! I won’t let anyone get close to you, Yue-san! I’ll turn them all into mincemeat!” 
Shea was raring to go. Her bunny ears stood straight up and her lips curled up into a fearless smile. She smacked her fists together, causing a shockwave of mana to ripple outward. Yue smiled at Hajime, much like a wife smiling at her husband before marching off to war. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around, normally? 
“I’ll be going, Hajime. It’s time to teach them the difference between us.” 
“Yeah, have fun. Just don’t break anything.” 
“Will you give me a reward when I come back?” 
“Yeah, so don’t take too long.” 
“Okay...” 
Their little exchange riled up Kaori and Tio even more. They could hardly hold back their bloodlust. The group filed out of the bridge, taking their unwilling conscripts with them. Above the clouds, the weather was always clear. Which made every day a good day for fighting. Before long, the sounds of rumbling thunder and exploding breath could be heard outside. Kouki and Ryutarou both jumped every time there was another bang. Is it really okay to leave them alone like this? 
“They sound like they’re having fun.” 
However, Hajime remained utterly unconcerned. 
“You’re fine even after hearing all that!? Ngh, so this is the difference between me and Nagumo.” 
“Uhh, I don’t think that’s quite it. Just calm down, Kouki. 
Kouki ground his teeth, frustrated that he was getting worked up while Hajime continued lying on the sofa. Meanwhile, Ryutarou just sighed. His voice carried through the bridge which had been emptied of all but the guys. 
The sea of trees came into view around the same time that Yue and the others’ bout came to a close. The beastmen, terrified by the sounds they’d been hearing for the past few minutes, eagerly crowded near the front of the gondola. Oddly enough, a few of the beastmen could have sworn they’d heard the emperor’s screams during the fight, but they chalked it up to their imagination.

They arrived just as the sun was finishing its trek below the horizon. Verbergen’s streets were filled with warm, natural light emitted by torches placed at regular intervals. The torches were created from a wood that burned easily and last a long time. There was also a plethora of lamps that used caged phosphorescent insects for light. 
Thanks to Kaori’s assistance, Verbergen’s recovery had progressed quite smoothly. It now resembled the same fantastical city of fey illusions that Hajime had been awed by on his first trip to the city. At a glance, it almost seemed as if the demon army’s invasion and the empire’s assault had never happened. One would have expected that all of Verbergen’s residents had returned to their former, peaceful lives and were happily spending time with their families. And indeed, that’s how it should have been. 
“Does anyone know how many supplies the western settlements have left!?” 
“Have you guys still not finished allotting everyone houses!? We don’t have any time, hurry it up!” 
“Eeek!? One of the Haulia— Oh, you’re just a normal rabbitman...” 
“Stop gushing about Kaori-sama and get back to work, you slackers!” 
The city was as busy as Fuhren’s streets on market day. Everyone, regardless of age, race, or occupation, was working on some task or another. However, while they were clearly busy, no one appeared to be panicking. In fact, they all seemed strangely hopeful. One of Verbergen’s elders, the elf Ulfric Heipyst, watched the proceedings through an open window and sighed. He let the night breeze wash over his face for a few seconds longer, then rubbed his eyes tiredly. He once again looked down at the documents in his hand, his expression unreadable. The documents were reports on how to integrate a few thousand of their brethren back into Verbergen’s cities, and requests for all manners of supplies and personnel. 
“Hey, Cam. Are all they all really coming home?” 
At Ulfric’s muttered question, a figure materialized in the room, as if it had appeared out of thin air. 
“How many times are you going to ask that question? Nothing I say will be able to confirm it for you. So stop worrying and get back to your preparations,” Cam Haulia said sharply. 
Cam and the others had returned to Verbergen ahead of time using one of Hajime’s portals. They’d needed to warn the city of the beastmen’s upcoming return, so they’d be ready to hold them all. Thanks to the telepathy stones that only the Haulia could use, they were able to quickly inform all of Verbergen and its outlying settlements. Incidentally, the reason why Cam had been hiding his presence was because it had become a hobby of his. 
Ulfric smiled wanly and said, “I know. But it’s just so hard to believe. To think the empire, of all people, would release all their slaves...” 
“Well you’ll be able to see the truth for yourself in a few hours. It’s not like I don’t get where you’re coming from. If it weren’t for our boss, we wouldn’t have been able to come this far either.” 
“By boss... you mean Hajime Nagumo, don’t you? If what you say is true, he’s saved not only my granddaughter’s life, but the lives of all beastmen everywhere. We owe him a debt we can never hope to repay...” 
“Boss doesn’t want you to repay him anyway. Now get back to work. You’ve still got a bunch of reports to sort through.” 
At Cam’s blunt words, Ulfric turned to look at him. The rabbitman was looking off into the distance, likely conversing with his comrades via Telepathy, yet he had no openings. In fact, he was wrapped in a dignified aura, befitting his status as chief of his tribe. It was hard to believe he hadn’t even been noticeable moments ago. 
To think this is the same man who prostrated himself before me only a few months ago, begging me not to execute his tribe... It was hard to fathom. His former gentle nature was nowhere to be seen. Now the air around him was so sharp it felt as though just touching him would cut you. And Ulfric had seen firsthand what happened to anyone who opposed him. 
When Cam and the others had first returned to Verbergen, the elders, Ulfric included, hadn’t believed their report that they’d defeated the empire and forced them to free all of its slaves. Their doubts were understandable. After all, it was unthinkable that a single clan would be able to take on the might of the empire and survive, much less achieve victory. 
Sure they might have taken out an elite unit of bearmen in the past, and also saved Verbergen from the demon onslaught, but defeating an empire was on a completely different level. It was a difficult claim to believe. Most of the elders had dismissed Cam’s story and his request that Verbergen prepare to receive the thousands of beastmen that would be returning as falsehoods. Some of them even went as far as to say that the Haulia were still holding a grudge over the fact that Verbergen had exiled them and at one point attempted to execute them, and that this was all part of some elaborate revenge plot. That had been a mistake. 
Zel, the tigerman elder, had gotten heated up and accused Cam and the others of plotting rebellion. He then had unsheathed his weapon, which had led to the incident that nearly saw him beheaded. Haulia had sprung up out of nowhere, and ended the fight before it even started. 
Zel had found himself with a short sword pressed against his windpipe, and it was only thanks to Ulfric stepping in and mediating that he hadn’t lost his life then and there. Still, the fact that a seasoned warrior like Zel hadn’t been able to do a single thing, and that the Haulia had slipped past all of the elders guards proved that the Haulia were far stronger than the elders had given them credit for. 
The elders were forced to accept that maybe there was some truth to the Haulia’s claims that they’d toppled the imperial capital. After what they’d seen, they had no choice but to believe. Besides, no one wanted to argue with the Haulia when they were that scary. More than one elder had wet their pants when they saw the Haulia pop out of nowhere. 
Regin, the bearman who’d led the ill-fated raid on the Haulia, had been guarding the hall and had broken out in a cold sweat and hidden in a corner when they’d appeared. For nights afterward, he’d been tormented by nightmares where rabbits chased him down and killed him over and over. After seeing one of their strongest warriors cower because of the trauma he’d received at the Haulia’s hands, the elders quickly bowed their heads and quietly listened to what Cam had to say. 
Just thinking about that incident left Ulfric in a cold sweat. He looked back down at the documents Cam had told him to start working on, but before he could start someone walked into the room. 
“Grandfather, we’ve gathered enough emergency rations. This is how much is left in our granaries now.” 
A gentle voice, like the pealing of a bell, interrupted Ulfric. His granddaughter, Altina, handed him another sheaf of papers. She had long blonde hair that reached down to her legs, and pure green eyes that looked like the depths of a forest. Her skin had regained much of its lost luster after she’d been rescued by Hajime and brought back home. After returning to Verbergen, she’d enthusiastically thrown herself into work, helping Ulfric with his duties. Still, Ulfric was worried the kidnapping incident had left deep scars on Altina’s psyche. She was just a young girl, after all. 
“Thank you. But Altina, it’s only been a few days since you came back. You don’t have to push yourself so hard. Why not rest for a bit?” 
“I’ll be fine, grandfather. Our comrades are coming home, I can’t just sit around doing nothing.” 
Altina gently but firmly reassured Ulfric. Seeing her dazzling resolve, Ulfric couldn’t help but be amazed. Though she’d been raised as a sheltered princess, she was far more capable than her upbringing would suggest. She possessed quite a bit of grit too. And if Ulfric was honest with himself, he did appreciate the help. It warmed his heart to see the granddaughter he’d written off as dead being so lively, but at the same time— Fidget, squirm, glance 
There was obviously something on her mind. From what Ulfric could tell, she was elated about something. 
Where did that serious expression from earlier go? Ulfric followed her gaze, and realized she was staring at Cam. He sighed wearily and made his point. 
“Altina, if you’re worried about him why not just ask Cam?” 
“I-I don’t particularly care about what Nagumo-dono’s doing or...” 
“I never said I was referring to Hajime Nagumo.” 
“Grandfather, please don’t tease me like that!” 
Ulfric grinned, but inwardly he thought, Surely she hasn’t truly fallen for him? It was a worrying prospect to consider. Thanks to her personality, status, and looks, Altina had had many suitors, but she’d turned them all down. Supposedly the reason she gave each of them was that she had wanted to inherit her grandfather’s position and devote herself to serving Verbergen. 
This was the first time Ulfric had seen her look like this. He couldn’t help but be a little concerned, and his overprotective side came out a little. 
“Mmm. While Hajime Nagumo may have saved your life, you would do well to remember he doesn’t consider you anyone special. Furthermore, the ones who actually rescued you were the Haulia, not him. Personally, I don’t think he would make a good match for you...” 
“Like I said, I’m not interested in him! Sheesh, I was just wondering when he’d come back with all the other beastmen. That’s all!” 
Altina huffed and looked away. It appeared Ulfric had touched a nerve. Or rather, Altina was just trying to hide her embarrassment at having been seen through. 
Sweating, Altina tried to sneak out of the room before her grandfather interrogated her any further. At least she’s not aware of her own feelings yet. Ulfric thought with a weary sigh. If she actually tried to chase after him, she’d have an impossible road ahead of her. Ideally, Ulfric wanted his granddaughter to pick the safer road. 
To his surprise, Cam called out to Altina as she ducked under the doorway. 
“Lady Altina.” 
“Huh? Wh-What is it, Cam-san? Did you need something?” 
A knowing smile played across Cam’s lips, and Altina instantly went on guard. 
“Our boss may look like he has a harem of girls surrounding him, but in truth he’s only interested in one of them. And she’s the only one who’ll ever be truly special to him. If you want to have even a chance of reaching his heart, you’ll have to invest a lot of time and effort into gaining his trust.” 
“U-Uh... okay?” 
Cam’s lips curled even further upward, and he grinned triumphantly. 
“By the way, the person closest to becoming the next special person to him is my daughter—Shea. After all, the only reason he assisted us and made an enemy out of the empire was because he didn’t want her smile to vanish.” 
“I-Is that really true!?” 
“It is. Our boss was willing to take on an entire empire for Shea’s sake, and Shea’s sake alone. Fufufufu.” 
“Ah!” 
It was obvious what Cam was implying. “You don’t stand a chance against my daughter!” 
Incidentally, Altina was the same age as Shea, 16. So naturally, Altina felt a little angry when Cam told her she didn’t even stand a chance against someone her own age. 
“Shea-san... is that girl with pale blue hair, isn’t she? This may be arrogant of me to say, but I don’t see how I’m inferior to her in any way. It’s true that she may have spent more time with Nagumo-dono than me, but... given time I’m sure...” 
“Oh no. You see, our Shea’s more special than you think. I’m only warning you now so you don’t waste your time. If you waste your time chasing after an unattainable dream, you’ll grow old alone, you know?” 
“Well I don’t need your advice!” 
“Haaah... Cam, please stop teasing my granddaughter...” 
Ulfric sighed as he saw Cam’s childish smirk. The reason Cam had bothered poking his nose in at all was because he wanted to help his daughter out a little. 
When Shea had first left with Hajime, it was obvious to everyone that her crush was a one-sided affair. But when he’d seen them the night before the battle, the two of them had been much closer. After facing so many hardships together, it seemed their bond had grown. Their relationship had progressed to the point where another push from Shea would be enough to get Hajime to fall for her. 
And so, Cam hoped that by provoking Altina into trying something drastic, it would nudge Shea into taking that final step. Of course he knew that were his daughter to ever find out she’d be furious with him, but he still wanted to support her. 
Seeing as he’d succeeded in riling Altina up, Cam chuckled to himself. The fact that he was willing to use an innocent maiden’s first love—even if she wasn’t aware of her own feelings—to further his own agenda proved that he was every bit the devil his boss was. 
Just then, the three of them heard a commotion outside. It was different from the usual tumult of people working; something strange was clearly going on. In fact, some people were even yelling. 
“What’s going on!?” 
Ulfric ran over to the window and looked outside. Seconds later, he realized what the source of the commotion was. 
“A pillar... of light?” A beam of light far brighter than any the sun could produce rained down from above the trees and illuminated Verbergen’s main square. Ulfric stared in awe, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Behind him, Cam reassured him in a calm and arrogant voice, 
“Don’t worry, Ulfric. That light means Boss’s here.” 
The intense beam of light shining down on the city square was Fernir’s searchlight. Verbergen’s residents scurried away from the light as fast as they could. Once they were safely under the cover of darkness they looked up timidly to see what was going on. The soldiers gingerly unsheathed their weapons, determined to die in the defense of their homeland. 
Hajime’s massive airship descended on the now-empty square, snapping branches and crushing leaves as it passed through the trees. 
Naturally, none of the beastmen knew what an airship was, so they were worried that some new kind of monster had showed up in their midst. Hajime slowly lowered the gondola attached to Fernir to the ground, then with a shower of red sparks, separated it from the main ship. He then landed the airship itself next to the gondola. 
After seeing that, the citizens of Verbergen realized they weren’t dealing with a monster. But then what were they dealing with? And what did it want with them? 
Even if it wasn’t a monster, there was still plenty of reason to be afraid. All of Verbergen’s residents nervously watched Fernir to see what would happen next. 
After a brief pause, there was a loud clang, and the front and back of the gondola slid open. Everyone shrunk back, including the soldiers. Their ears stood on end, and every beastman with a tail had it tucked firmly between their legs. 
As the citizens watched, a single figure stepped out of the gondola’s dark depths. Naturally it was no monster, but a timid-looking rabbitman. Her ears drooped a little as she saw everyone staring at her with grim expressions on their faces. 
That was the kind of reaction most people expected from a rabbitman, not the boundless bravado shown by the headhunting Haulia. Once they realized they weren’t up against an unknown monster, the residents of Verbergen relaxed somewhat. After a few more seconds, it finally hit them. 
“They really came back...” Someone muttered. 
Many of the residents still hadn’t been fully convinced, but now they realized that their dreams had really come true. Starting with the rabbitman, former beastmen slaves started pouring out of the gondola. They were finally able to step foot on the homeland they had thought lost to them forever. 
As they walked out into the square, they examined their surroundings in disbelief. It still didn’t feel real to them. But it was the same crisp air they’d used to breathe, the same trees that had given them a sense of security, the same nostalgic lamps that lit the streets, and the same friends and family they thought they’d never see again. 
Their surroundings forced them to accept that this was reality. They’d really come home. The residents of Verbergen were just as amazed. A woman in her mid-thirties timidly stepped forward, her dog ears drooping. With tears in her eyes, she called out to one of the young dogboys that had exited the gondola. 
Upon hearing his name, he looked up, and tears sprang to his eyes. He was the same boy that Kouki had tried to save back at the capital. He ran over to the woman and screamed. 
“Mom!” 
The woman knelt down and scooped the boy up into her arms. She hugged him tight, as if trying to make sure he was really there, and not just an illusion. The two of them wept openly, rejoicing at this reunion they thought would never come. 
That seemed to be the signal for everyone else, and beastmen from both sides rushed toward each other, crying tears of joy. Friends, family, lovers—each time a group was reunited, another deafening cheer rang out. The streets of Verbergen were more lively than ever. Rarely had this tranquil capital been the sight of such boisterous cheering. 
Amidst the chaos, Hajime and the others descended Fernir’s ramp. When the elders spotted them coming out, they all rushed toward Hajime at once. 
“Hajime Nagumo... you really know how to make an entrance.” 
“Ulfric. Yeah, that probably just made more work for you, huh. Sorry about that.” 
Ulfric smiled wanly as he looked up at the broken tree branches Fernir had left in its wake. Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly and apologized. 
Using so much mana had left him drained, and unable to control Fernir as precisely as he would have liked. That being said, walking all the way back or sending all of the freed beastmen back in groups through portals both would have taken more time, and been more of a pain. Especially since Verbergen was difficult to locate. Hajime had only known where it was because he’d given Cam an Artifact that broadcasted its coordinates at all times. Naturally this meant he’d been planning on landing Fernir inside the city the whole time. Despite his apology, he’d done this on purpose. 
In some ways, he was a little insane. After all, when he’d first visited the city he’d found it unbelievably beautiful. Yet he had no compunction about destroying its scenery for the sake of convenience. Though for once, it appeared he did at least feel somewhat remorseful. He turned bashfully to Kaori and asked for help. 
“Sorry Kaori, but could you fix this up for me?” 
“Thank goodness. It looks like you haven’t gone completely insane yet.” 
Wait, did she just casually insult me? Hajime was surprised by her shift in personality, but he didn’t want to get burned so he didn’t mention it. And is it just my imagination, or are Yue and the others snickering too? Kaori raised her hand toward the shattered foliage and spoke a single word. 
“Tetragrammaton!” 
Tetragrammaton was a spell that restored any object to its original state. In seconds, the bent and broken trees had returned to their original shape. No matter how many times Hajime saw it, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the spell. 
Furthermore, Kaori truly did look divine, wrapped in glowing silver mana. It rose up from her in a spiral, that ascended past the trees and high into the sky. 
“Whoa, our Kaori-sama just performed another miracle!” 
“All hail Kaori-sama, Verbergen’s goddess!” 
The beastmen started cheering for Kaori. Some of them even knelt before her, tears streaming from their eyes. 
“Stop! Please, don’t look at me like that! I don’t want to be worshiiiped!” Kaori ran from beastman to beastman, forcibly hauling each one to their feet. 
“It appears yet another goddess has been born. I must say, it’s quite a surprise to see so many new deities popping up on the continent where only a single god is meant to be worshiped. First Aiko-dono, now Kaori.” 
Hajime couldn’t tell if Tio was moved, or just nonplussed. She was the one who’d obliterated the head temple along with Aiko after all. On the other hand, Yue stroked her chin and made a comment. 
“Mmm... So this is how you’re going to pick a fight with god. I like your style, Hajime.” 
“Thanks, Yue. You know, I feel like something like this happened back in Ankaji too.” 
“Oh yeah, I remember. The citizens made a ‘Kaori-sama fan club’ or something.” 
Said fan club’s present president was the duke of Ankaji’s son. He was probably fervently praying for a chance to meet Kaori again. 
“Kaori’s... really grown.” 
“You sound like her mom, Shizushizu. Also don’t you think it’s kind of dirty for Kaorin to gain fame for fixing things Nagumo-kun himself broke?” 
Suzu pointed out the harsh truth to Shizuku, who was starting to get emotional. She’s got a point! Kouki and Ryutarou thought simultaneously. Though the beastmen were supposed to be nonreligious, it really did seem like they would soon convert to the church of Kaori. Amidst the chaos, Altina came up to Ulfric and whispered, 
“Grandfather, Isn’t it about time we...” 
Altina nodded to the last party descending Fernir’s ramp—Gahard, Liliana, and her royal entourage. Of the three, Gahard was unrecognizable because of the mask he was wearing. In order to prevent any information on Verbergen from being leaked to the empire, Hajime had made him a golden mask—in the same power rangers style as he had the others—that blocked out all light and sound. 
Though his face wasn’t visible, Altina could tell that he and Liliana were both high-ranking nobility just from their attire, and the fact that they had attendants following them. Since Cam’s claim all the slaves had been freed proved to be true, the elders realized his insistence that he’d forced the emperor to surrender must have been the truth as well. And so, while Gahard looked like nothing more than a masked pervert, they were able to guess he was indeed the emperor. 
All of Verbergen’s leaders had been informed of Gahard’s arrival, but none of the citizens had. They had feared that someone might try to kill the emperor had they made that information public. Especially now that he’d arrived in this ridiculous mask. Verbergen’s citizens would probably think he was trying to make fun of them. The last thing Verbergen’s elders wanted was the emperor dead. Even if they despised him, they needed him alive and bound to the Haulia’s contract if they wished for peace with the empire. 
It was also for that reason that Altina was in a hurry to get Gahard out of the public eye. Though her worries weren’t nearly as great as her confusion. Why on earth is the emperor wearing such a ridiculously colored mask? Next to her, Shizuku twitched. As the infamous pink ranger, seeing that mask brought back unpleasant memories. 
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. Hajime Nagumo, no, Nagumo-dono. Cam has already explained the situation to me. Though I find it hard to believe, it appears our brethren have truly been freed from the empire’s grasp. As Verbergen’s representative, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” 
“You’re thanking the wrong guy. It’s the Haulia who did this, not me. Try not to forget that, will you?” 
Hajime casually waved off Ulfric’s thanks as he put both Fernir and the gondola into his Treasure Trove. The beastmen who’d been busy celebrating blinked in surprise as two massive objects vanished right before their eyes. They then focused their attention on the group the elders were talking to, Hajime and the others. 
“I can’t tell if you’re trying to be humble, or really speaking the truth. Regardless, it’s not like you,” Ulfric replied with a wry smile. 
“At any rate, I understand. I’ll give my thanks to the Haulia. Though I find it hard to believe that the weakest of all races, the rabbitmen, were able to defeat the empire... I suppose if you live long enough you really do live to see everything. This is certainly a historic moment for Verbergen.” 
Ulfric turned to his people and declared that it was the Haulia who’d defeated the empire and rescued everyone’s friends and family. Upon learning who their saviors were, the residents all turned to Cam, who was standing next to Ulfric. They were looking at him not with scorn, but with the unique mixture of respect and awe reserved for heroes. 
Even though the Haulia had been forced to flee from their home, lost many of their brethren, had been exiled from Verbergen upon their return, and had been considered traitors by most residents of the city, now they were being treated like heroes. Shea felt an swell of emotion as she watched her dad bask in the cheers of the people. She was so happy, and so proud. As tears pooled in the corner of her eyes, she felt someone take hold of her hand. 
“Yue-san...” 
“Mmm...” 
Yue didn’t say anything. But just holding Shea’s hand was enough to convey her feelings. Shea turned to Yue and saw her looking back with a more gentle expression than she ever had before. Her bunny ears hopped back and forth. 
“Why not stand with him?” Hajime said casually. 
Even though she’d started out as a worthless rabbit, she’d conquered numerous labyrinths alongside Hajime. The number of trials she’d faced were far greater than anyone here. She had just as much right to be hailed a hero as her father did. Show them how far the girl they called a monster’s come, his gaze seemed to say. 
His supportive attitude came as such a shock to Kouki, Shizuku, and Liliana that their jaws dropped open. They’d never seen Hajime act that kind to anyone other than Yue. Upon seeing his expression Kaori grumbled to herself and lapsed into thought, while Tio looked on happily and muttered “Oho.” Heartened by her comrades’ support, Shea smiled and said “I’ll be going then!” She boldly strode forward and stood next to her father. 
However, to her surprise, Cam ignored her. He seemed to be pondering something as he observed the expressions of his fellow beastmen. After a few seconds, a crafty grin spread across his face. He raised his right hand high, and in an instant, there were Haulia all around the square. There was no visible cover nearby, and it looked as if they’d popped out of thin air. They lined up in front of Cam and stood at parade rest. All around, the residents started muttering to each other. 
“Whoa, where’d they come from!?” “How’d we miss them!?” “Hiii not them! Someone get me my medicine!” 
“H-Huh? Dad? What are you—” 
“Listen up, my brethren!” 
Shea trudged back to Hajime and the others, a dejected expression on her face. 
“I knew it. I knew dad would ignore me right when it mattered most,” she muttered sadly. 
Hajime and Yue stroked her ears and comforted her. Cam didn’t even seem to notice Shea’s sad expression as he glared sharply at the people of Verbergen—specifically the rabbitmen. 
“For centuries have we been scorned, humiliated and disparaged. Hear me! For the first time in history, we were able to defeat the empire. But know that no peace lasts forever. Before long, your futures will be threatened once more.” 
The hundreds of rabbitmen in the crowd started shivering in fear. They looked to Cam in supplication, begging him to prevent those horrible days from ever returning. 
“And once it is, your lives will go back to the miserable existences they were until yesterday. And that’s not all. Next time, your friends and family who escaped will be captured too.” 
This time all of the beastmen looked down in worry. 
“Are you willing to accept that?” 
Of course not! They thought simultaneously. No one wanted to return to those days where they’d been beaten and humiliated on a daily basis, where they’d had their pride stepped on over and over. Nor did they want any of their fellow beastmen to taste that same pain. But what could they hope to do about it? Seeing everyone’s downtrodden expressions, Cam raised his voice and continued. 
“Of course you’re not! So the question is, what are you gonna do about it? The answer’s simple. If you want to protect the people close to you... then fight. If you’re tired of just resigning yourself to your fates... then stand and fight. If you want to change the way the rabbitmen are treated... then fill your heart with rage! That’s what we Haulia did! Rabbitmen are not the weakest! So long as you have the resolve, you can grow as strong as you want! We’re living proof of that!” 
Someone in the audience gasped. Everyone was once again reminded of the fact that their savior hadn’t been some special, all-powerful being, but one of their very own clans. One by one, the rabbitmen lifted their heads. 
“Remember the humiliation you suffered at the empire’s hands. Don’t just take it lying down! Protect those you love with your own two hands! If you have time to lament your fate, then spend that time sharpening your fangs! Light a fire in your heart and fight!” 
The faintest glimmers of hope began to shine in the eyes of the rabbitmen. Their drooping ears stood on end, as if they’d been imbued with new life. Cam’s lips curled up into a grin. 
“If you don’t know how to fight, we’ll teach you. If you have the will to resist, if you desire power, come to us. The Haulia will welcome you with open arms!” 
With that, Cam ended his speech. The Haulia lined up in front of him all smiled fearlessly. Their eyes seemed to be silently inviting the others to join them. Cam gave a second hand signal. Like ninjas, the Haulia dispersed and vanished into the darkness. 
Upon seeing such an impressive display, the rabbitmen in the crowd grew even more determined. A few of the younger ones looked ready to run out and join the Haulia this instant. 
Cam chuckled to himself. Perfect, now we’ve got more fresh recruits! Once they’ve signed up, I won’t let any of them escape. They’ll be stuck in boot camp hell until they’re one of us! 
“Sorry for interrupting your conversation, Boss. This was just the perfect opportunity to scout out some new talent.” 
“I-I see. I don’t really mind, but...” 
Hajime trailed off. For some reason, the thought of the Haulia propagating didn’t sit well with him. Even though the root cause of the Haulia’s transformation was him, he didn’t necessarily want Haltina to become filled with bloodthirsty rabbits. Cold sweat poured down his back as he realized far too late what kind of monsters he’d unleashed into the sea of trees. 
“And so, the kind rabbits of the forest went extinct...” 
“Please don’t say that, Yue-san! As a member of the original Haulia, I won’t be able to show my face here if that really happens!” Shea screamed in despair. 
In the near future, the kind and timid rabbits of Haltina would most likely be replaced by wild, aggressive rabbits who loved nothing more than beheading people. If anyone ever asked her in the afterlife “Who was the one who turned the rabbitmen into killing machines!?” she would have no choice but to say: “My husband and my dad.” 
Her embarrassment was certainly understandable. 
“Mmm. At any rate, we should probably head inside. Altina, if you would be so kind as to guide us.” 
Ulfric was just as terrified of the Haulia multiplying as Hajime, but he managed to put the thought out of his mind and returned to the matter at hand. His composure was commendable. While the other elders, especially the bearman elder, looked ready to faint, he alone maintained the presence of mind to lead everyone back on topic. There was a reason he was the eldest of the elders. 
“This way, Nagumo-dono. I’ll take you to the conference hall. Come, follow me.” 
For some reason, Altina smiled and held her hand out to Hajime. She’d fallen for Cam’s taunts hook, line, and sinker. Naturally, Shea stepped in and slapped Altina’s hand out of the way. 
The two of them locked eyes. Sparks flew between the two of them. 
“Thanks so much for guiding us Altina-san.” 
Shea smiled at Altina. It was a warm smile, befitting of a rabbitman of Haltina. However, her bunny ears betrayed what she was really feeling. They were projected outward in an attempt to intimidate Altina. 
“No problem, Shea-san. But the crowd’s rather dense, so I think it would be best if we held hands. It wouldn’t do to get separated, would it?” 
Altina smiled back. It was a warm smile, befitting of a princess of Haltina. However, her pointed ears betrayed what she was really feeling. They were twitching rapidly in protest. 
Everything’s going according to plan. Cam grinned to himself, something Hajime didn’t miss. He guessed what was going on, and gave Cam a smirk that could cause nightmares. A torrent of cold sweat poured down Cam’s forehead, and his grin vanished. He gave Cam the evil eye, and pointedly took Shea’s hand. 
“Ah...” she gasped. A second later a smile split her face and she hugged Hajime’s arm. 
Surprised, Altina looked up at Hajime. His gaze was colder than ice. He didn’t seem the least bit happy that a beautiful girl like her was trying to flirt with him. “Just take us to the conference hall already,” his eyes said. 
Crestfallen, Altina dejectedly led them out of the square. She’d known from the start that she had no chance against Shea, who’d gone through all sorts of hardships together with Hajime, but she’d still wanted to have hope. And Hajime had crushed that hope so ruthlessly that everyone aside from Yue gave him a somewhat reproachful look. While they didn’t want any more girls vying for his affection, they still thought he could have been nicer about it.

When they arrived at the hall, the elders took their customary seats at the head of the room. Cam and a few of the Haulia sat across from them. They sandwiched Gahard between themselves, and Hajime, who’d sat to their right. It was only when the emperor himself confirmed that he had indeed surrendered to the Haulia and agreed to their demands that the elders finally had to admit this was all real. They all reacted to this historic event in different ways. Some howled with joy, others looked up at the roof, while yet others covered their eyes and sighed deeply. 
One of the elders, the tigerman Zel, narrowed his eyes and glared at Gahard. He didn’t like how the emperor was still smiling fearlessly despite being smack in the middle of enemy territory. 
“For a defeated emperor, you sure look pleased with yourself. Do you even realize how much most of the people here despise you? You don’t honestly think we’ll let you go home in one piece, do you?” 
Zel’s pupils narrowed to slits, and he made no effort to hide his hatred. Bloodlust oozed from his every pore. Most of the other elders and beastmen soldiers in the room were the same. Gahard was their sworn enemy. It was impossible for them to stay calm in this situation. However, Gahard didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by their glares. 
“Of course I do. There’s no way you’d dare to kill me. Unless you’re all just a pack of morons anyway.” 
“What was that, you bastard!?” 
Ulfric held out a hand to hold Zel back. 
“Calm yourself, Zel. I understand full well how you must be feeling. But remember, the reason the Haulia brought Gahard here was to prove to us that his oaths are as binding as they claim. If we kill him here, the victory the Haulia risked their lives for will become meaningless.” 
“Grr...” 
Zel’s face twisted in frustration, and he slammed a fist into the ground. Gahard simply harrumphed in response. The atmosphere in the room was quickly becoming dangerous. In an attempt to smooth things over Ulfric gave Gahard a warning. 
“Gahard, you will afford us the proper respect. Or else we may have to become the morons you claim we are. Many of the people here are having a difficult enough time holding their emotions in check as is. Know that that is the extent of the pain you caused us.” 
Ulfric’s voice was even, but his words carried weight. Enough weight to wipe the smirk off Gahard’s face. He had lived longer than any other beastman in the room. That also meant that he’d experienced the most pain, the most suffering, the most anger, and the most hatred. 
Gahard stretched his legs lazily and observed Ulfric for a time. Finally, he straightened his posture and spoke. 
“If you want my respect, then draw your sword.” 
Ulfric looked at him suspiciously, and Gahard explained, 
“I, along with everyone else in the empire, only pay respect to the strong. If you don’t like my attitude, then make me obey by force. Petty words alone mean nothing to the emperor of Hoelscher.” 
Gahard felt absolutely no remorse about enslaving beastmen. Unlike Heiligh, he didn’t look down on them because they were an inferior race that couldn’t use magic and had been abandoned by god. Nor did he have any issue with their bestial nature. He simply looked down upon them because he considered them weak. 
“I didn’t lose to the beastmen of Verbergen. And so, I have no obligation to show you any respect. The ones who risked their lives to defeat me are the Haulia, and the Haulia alone! It’s only their strength that I recognize!” 
Gahard’s spirited shout sent tremors across the room. His stare clashed with Ulfric’s, and invisible sparks danced through the air. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The two of them were engaging in a silent battle of wills. In the end, the one who broke this strained silence was none other than Hajime. 
“Oi, Gahard. You’re making everything a huge pain, so you can go back now.” 
“Huh?” As always, he didn’t even bother trying to read the atmosphere. 
Ulfric looked at Hajime in confusion, while a suspicious frown formed on Gahard’s face. Ignoring Kouki and Liliana’s incredulous looks, Hajime grabbed Gahard by the scruff of his neck and opened a portal in front of him using spatial magic. Beyond the portal, the familiar landscape of the imperial capital was visible. 
“H-Hey! You’re not really gonna just throw me outta here are you!? Wasn’t this supposed to be a historic meeting between our two countries!? I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but read the damn atmosphere for once!” 
“Like I give a shit. I only brought you here so you could testify to the elders. I’m not here to babysit your meeting. I was gonna have to send you back eventually anyway, so there’s no point in waiting.” Hajime didn’t bother waiting for a reply, and further drove his point home. 
“You guys have had different values and been at odds with each other for centuries... It’s not like a single talk’s going to make all the bitterness and resentment magically go away. Or are your feelings really that shallow?” 
In truth, Gahard and the elders’ discussion was going nowhere. They wanted him to show remorse, or at least promise to change his ways, while he continued to assert the righteousness of his doctrine to the bitter end. They were two parallel lines that would never cross. It would take a number of long conversations by level-headed leaders on both sides to work through the massive gulf between races, governments, and ideologies. And Hajime had no interest in sticking around to wait for them. Like Gahard had said, it was the Haulia who had defeated him, not Ulfric and the others. He was only hear to corroborate their story as per his contract. Nothing more, nothing less. 
“Ngh, you do have a point, but...” 
“And so, I’m gonna send you back before you start a fight.” 
“You bastard, don’t treat me like some rebellious kid! Hey, stop pulling! Let me go!” 
Hoelscher’s emperor struggled with all his might, but he was no match for the inhuman strength of Hajime’s artificial arm. 
“Nagumo-san, that’s the Emperor you’re holding by the scruff of his neck. You shouldn’t treat him like that~” 
“Why do you look so happy about this, Princess Liliana!?” 
Liliana remonstrated Hajime in a singsong voice; she clearly wasn’t the least bit mad about his treatment of Gahard. 
“Even an emperor’s just a kid to Nagumo-san~ I’m not the only one he treats like that~” Liliana hummed softly to herself in an impromptu tune. Were she to give a name to this new song, she would have called it ”Comrades in arms.” 
“Lily... Oh, you poor thing.” 
“Hajime-kun, you could at least be a little nicer to Lily!” 
Shizuku dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, while Kaori tearfully pleaded with Hajime. Unable to watch their princess, Helina and Heiligh’s royal guards turned away. Reality was too cruel to their poor mistress. 
Even Yue felt so bad for Liliana that she tried to heal the princess with spirit magic. One of spirit magic’s signature spells was one that stabilized a person’s mental state. A sympathetic golden light washed over Liliana. However, it appeared to have no effect, and she continued singing her deranged song. 
Desperate, Tio tried to help with her own spirit magic. It was just as ineffective, however. The princess had been scarred deeper than anyone expected. Even Gahard gave her a pitying look. He then turned to Hajime and said, 
“See, look. It’s because you don’t treat royalty with the respect they deserve that your princess ended up like this. Now hurry up and let me down—” 
“Not my problem,” Hajime replied bluntly. Then, without warning, he threw Gahard through the gate. 
“I won’t forget this, Hajime Nagumooooooooo!” Gahard yelled as he vanished. Hajime’s irreverent treatment of Gahard had given Verbergen’s elders a vicarious sense of satisfaction, temporarily satiating their desire for revenge. Kouki was the first to realize this, and he leaned close to Ryutarou and muttered, 
“Don’t tell me this was his plan from the start?” 
“Nah, I think that’s just how he is.” 
“I’m with Ryutarou-kun on this one.” 
Though neither Ryutarou nor Suzu agreed with him, Kouki still wasn’t convinced. It was only when Hajime then tried to throw the still humming Liliana through the same gate that Kouki was forced to admit defeat. 
Fortunately for Liliana, she narrowly managed to convince Hajime that she still had unfinished work here and that he couldn’t send her back just yet. 
Like she did with Gahard, Liliana explained to Verbergen’s elders what had happened in the kingdom along with the truth about Ehit. She then went on to discuss what kind of relationship she wanted to have with Verbergen in the future. While the kingdom hadn’t kept slaves like the empire, it was only because they’d considered beastmen subhuman. Naturally, the beastmen were aware of that too, and it made it difficult for talks to proceed smoothly. However, the beastmen still had less hatred for Heiligh than they had for Hoelscher, meaning they were at least willing to hear Liliana out. 
“Haaah, fine. We’ll go exploring Verbergen for a bit, so just find me once you’re done talking. And don’t cause any trouble, Princess. If you make a scene, I’ll throw you back to Heiligh on the spot.” 
“Nagumo-san, I’d like to remind you once again that I am the kingdom’s princess.” 
“And?” 
“Yes yes, I already know you don’t even care about status or royalty. It’s my fault for expecting anything different from you. Fufu, I guess you just throw princesses back into their castles on a daily basis. Ahahaha.” 
Liliana was obviously sulking. It would be a difficult road, conveying the love that had blossomed during the ball. In an attempt to cheer Liliana up, Helina brought her one of her signature teas, while Shizuku and Kaori comforted her. 
Meanwhile, Kouki and Liliana’s guards glared at Hajime, but he ignored them. 
In truth, Hajime had long since guessed Liliana’s feelings for him. He’d had to have been colossally dense not to figure it out after the dance. But he had no desire to nurture those feelings, so instead of treating her with halfhearted kindness he just cut her off at every turn. Whether that was because he was loyal to Yue, or just because he was cold by nature was anyone’s guess. 
He sighed wearily to himself and turned to Cam. 
“Cam, it looks like the princess wants to keep talking with the elders, but what about you guys? If you’re not planning on staying, could you guide me back to your village? Driving Fernir across half a continent with thousands of people on board was exhausting. I want to rest for a bit.” 
“Hmm. Well you will be challenging the labyrinth starting tomorrow, so rest certainly would be a good idea. We’ll take you back, Boss.” 
Cam still had to take care of inaugurating all the new recruits and leading the Haulia left in Verbergen, so he decided to have one of his men guide Hajime and the others. But before he could snap his fingers and call his subordinates from the shadows, he was stopped by Ulfric. 
“Please wait, Nagumo-dono. We have yet to repay you for all you’ve done for us. Would you mind staying here just a while longer?” 
“Like I said, thank the Haulia, not me. They’re the ones who did this.” 
“Naturally I intend to reward them as well. However, that doesn’t change the fact that we owe you a great debt. We wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we didn’t at least do something.” 
“I mean if you want to believe you owe me, you’re welcome to think that, but... There really isn’t anything I need right now.” 
“Mmm... Then at the very least, let us provide you lodging and food while you’re here... Would that be acceptable?” 
Hajime shot a questioning glance back at Yue and the others. None of them seemed to mind, and Shizuku and Suzu looked like they wanted to stay and explore the beautiful capital filled with fluffy beastmen. All the other elders seemed like they were fine with it as well. In fact, they showed none of the hostility that they had to Gahard, or any of the wariness they were showing Liliana. When it came to Hajime, it seemed all of the elders loved him. From the bottoms of their hearts, they seemed to sincerely want Hajime to stay. 
Looking at it objectively, Hajime had rescued countless beastmen, had healed all of their injuries and even repaired their city. Furthermore, so long as none of the beastmen opposed him, he wouldn’t hurt any of them. Compare to when he’d first met the elders, they had a lot more reasons to like him. However, Hajime hadn’t done any of this to earn their goodwill, so it made the situation a little awkward. Still, he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. 
“If that’s what you want, then I guess we can stick around,” Hajime said with a shrug. 
Ulfric breathed sigh of relief, then turned to Cam. 
“Now then, Cam. Though you were exiled from Verbergen, you saved our capital, and then went on to defeat the empire and force them to return our enslaved brethren. These are debts that must be repaid. To begin, I would like you to know that the elders have unanimously agreed to rescind the Haulia’s exile. That was decided in the meeting following the demons’ attack. You and your clan are free to visit Verbergen as you please. If you so desire, we would even be willing to create a residential quarter for your kin.” 
To think the elders would actually reverse their old decision, Hajime thought with some surprise, I guess that’s just how big Cam’s achievements were. 
However, Cam’s response was surprisingly lackluster. ”I see,” was all he said flatly. He didn’t seem particularly happy about no longer being exiled. 
Ulfric cleared his throat awkwardly and went on to list the other rewards Verbergen’s elders had decided to bestow upon the Haulia. 
“Furthermore, I would like to propose that the council open a new seat to be filled by the current head of the Haulia, Cam Haulia, as a reward for his meritorious service. Do the other elders agree?” 
The other beastmen in the room looked at Ulfric in shock. For the past few centuries, the number of elders and the clans from which those elders were chosen had remained unchanged. The elves, tigermen, bearmen, foxmen, dwarves, and harpies were the six most prominent beastmen races, and the ones from which elders had traditionally been chosen. For the rabbitmen to be included into the council of elders would be a historically unprecedented honor. 
The other elders conferred with themselves for a few seconds, then nodded to each other and unanimously confirmed Ulfric’s proposition. 
“Well, there you have it, Cam. Will you accept this seat on the council?” 
“Absolutely not.” 
“...What?” 
The elders’ jaws dropped open. Considering the festive atmosphere, they’d all been accepting Cam to agree. But he refused without a second thought. It made no sense to the elders. 
“May I ask why?” 
Ulfric quickly recovered. He kept his voice level even as he wondered why anyone would want to refuse the greatest honor a beastman could be awarded. 
“It’s not really a question of why. In the first place, you guys seem to be under a fundamental misconception about our position.” 
“And what would that be?” 
“You probably think our goal was to save all the beastmen, but that was just an unintended consequence of our true aim. The reason we attacked the empire was to save our brethren, the other rabbitmen. In all honestly, I could care less about all the other beastmen.” 
“What did you just say?” 
The elders looked at Cam in disbelief. 
“Don’t get the wrong idea here. We Haulia aren’t your allies. If you let our victory get to your head and start thinking you might stand a chance against the empire yourselves, our next targets will be you. We won’t allow you to act recklessly and cause us or our boss any trouble.” 
That wasn’t a threat. It was a mere statement of fact. Cam’s tone made it clear he really would raze Verbergen if he felt it necessary. After all, if the other beastmen did something to Gahard or his family, it would destroy everything Cam and the Haulia had fought for. Without their contract with the empire, all that awaited the rabbitmen was a dark future. And while Cam’s decision was a rational one, the blunt way in which he said it made it difficult for Verbergen’s elders to swallow. 
“Y-You would turn your blades on your own people!? Are you insane!?” 
“Hmph, you other beastmen persecuted us rabbitmen as much as the empire did. Don’t try and pretend like we’re old friends. Well you can if you want, but it won’t change anything. Point is, we fight only for the sake of securing a better future for rabbitmen. You’d do well to remember that.” 
Cam resolutely stared down Ulfric and the others. At the same time, he gave the Haulia behind him a thumbs-up over his shoulder, as if to say ”I sure told them!” His subordinates returned his thumbs-up and grinned in satisfaction. They were all thinking the same thing. Don’t think you can trick us into joining your council and then use our strength however you please, you damn cowards! 
Part of the reason Ulfric had invited Cam was because he had wanted to add the Haulia’s strength to Verbergen, so he couldn’t deny it. 
Meanwhile, the people around Hajime all simultaneously turned to glare at him. Cam’s statement bore a striking resemblance to Hajime’s ideology of protecting what was important to him and ignoring everything else. 
“You make it sound as if the rabbitmen are walking down a different path than other beastmen.” 
“I’m glad you’re so quick on the uptake, Ulfric. That’s exactly it. From now on, rabbitmen will only be following their own rules. We have no interest in joining with Verbergen, and thus being subjected to the nation’s laws and regulations.” 
Short-tempered as always, Zel bristled at Cam’s haughty remarks. He didn’t take kindly to Cam’s dismissal of Verbergen and the elders. Cam maintained a neutral expression, but the Haulia behind him responded to Zel’s physical posturing by attempting to intimidate him in kind. Ulfric, who’d been thinking to himself this whole time, sighed wearily and gave Cam a look similar to the one he’d given Hajime when they’d first met. 
“In that case, Cam. How about we recognize the Haulia as a tribe equal in status to the nation of Verbergen? Naturally, you will retain your right to claim a position on the council if you so wish. This way, you won’t be obligated to follow Verbergen’s customs, or any of the council’s decrees. On top of that, you’ll still be able to influence our policies.” 
“Hoho... Now that doesn’t sound to bad.” Cam’s grin made it clear that he’d been hoping Ulfric would say that. In truth, he’d wanted an alliance with Verbergen in order to prepare for the eventual, inevitable invasion from the empire. However, had they joined Verbergen as just part of the council, they would have been bound by the city’s laws and unable to move as freely as they wished. They could have of course ignored the council’s decrees and done as they pleased anyway, but that would just destroy their relationship with Verbergen. That was why Cam had believed his best options were to either form an alliance on equal grounds, or remain a separate, neutral entity. 
Naturally, Ulfric’s proposal was met by complaints from the other elders. They thought he was giving the Haulia far too preferential treatment. In response, Ulfric just sighed and stated the fact to them. 
“They defeated the empire on their own. Verbergen would never be able to manage that even if we mustered every soldier we could. I’d say that’s a good enough reason to treat them as equals, wouldn’t you? Besides, if we do nothing we’ll lose any connections to the Haulia that we might have had. I’m sure you all aren’t so foolish as to see how harmful that would be to us. If we welcome them as allies, we’ll be able to reforge the bond of trust that was lost when we first exiled them. These concessions are a paltry price to pay, considering what they’ve done for us.” 
The elders grit their teeth in frustration, but none of them could come up with a valid argument against Ulfric’s reasoning, or a better alternative. So in the end, they swallowed their pride and agreed to Ulfric’s proposal. 
“There you have it, Cam. As the council agrees, we will henceforth welcome you as an allied clan. I trust you have no objections?” 
“Well whether you’d agreed to recognize our independence or not, we would have done what we wanted regardless. Still, we’re fine with that. Oh yeah, we’re claiming the land around the Grand Tree and the patch of forest to its south as Haulia territory. So from now on, don’t let anyone go there without permission. We can’t guarantee the safety of any trespassers.” 
Cam really didn’t know when to quit. On top of everything else, he was now claiming land for his new nation. Even Ulfric couldn’t help but twitch a little at that. 
Next to Hajime, Shea buried her face in her hands. Her father’s arrogance was an embarrassment. Her rabbit ears folded over themselves in an attempt to block out his words. 
After a few more rounds of negotiations, Ulfric and Cam finally came to a settlement they could agree on. Hajime left the exhausted elders to work out the details of the alliance and went to see what his accommodations in Verbergen were like. 
As he left the conference hall, he found the citizens still reveling in the streets. Finally free to explore the city as they wished, Kouki, Ryutarou, Shizuku, and Suzu all eagerly ran off into the crowd. It was the first time Hajime had seen them so cheerful in a while. 
Hajime also thought he saw a group of crazed Kaori worshipers out of the corner of his eye, and he decided to give them a wide berth. Just in case, Kaori put on a pair of sunglasses Hajime had made for her, along with a ski mask and a knitted cap. For some reason, the unorthodox getup suited her well. 
A few hours after that, Liliana finished up her talks and decided to go back to the kingdom. Recent events meant she had a lot of work waiting for her back home. The kingdom would need a new direction if it was to survive. Unfortunately for her, her return trip was as unceremonious as Gahard’s. Originally Hajime had just opened up a gate and waited for her to walk through. However, she’d just stood nervously in front of it, fidgeting. She had obviously wanted to say something to Hajime, as evidenced by the cheers Helina and her guards sent her way. But he had no time for her crush, so Hajime had just thrown her in before she could do anything. 
As she’d vanished through the portal Liliana had screamed, ”I don’t care if you don’t treat me like a princess, but at least treat me like a girl!” At the very least, it had sounded like she’d yelled that. Hajime preferred to believe he’d just imagined it though.

That night, Verbergen’s celebration had dragged on, and the sounds of residents partying could still be heard despite the late hour. Meanwhile, Hajime, Yue, Kaori, and Tio were relaxing in the room they’d been given. 
It was just the four of them, as their lively rabbitman companion was nowhere to be seen. 
“Shea’s late.” 
“Mmm... She said she was just going to visit her family, but...” 
“Are the Haulia holding their own victory celebration?” 
“Hrm. Well, I am certain there is no need to worry about Shea. Even if something were to happen, she would no doubt blow it away with her monstrous strength.” 
Hajime and the others nodded in wholehearted agreement. None of them looked too worried to begin with. Hajime was nodding off in Yue’s lap, and was practically asleep already. In fact, he would have already been in dreamland, but for some reason something kept nagging at him. Not even Yue’s lap pillow could calm him down. 
Sensing his vague feelings of unease, Yue smiled and gently ran her fingers through his hair. Kaori and Tio shot her jealous looks, but before they could say anything, someone opened Hajime’s window from outside. 
“My apologies for intruding so late, Boss.” 
“What’s up, Cam?” 
Cam casually vaulted Hajime’s window, which was a good ten meters off the ground. He then dropped to one knee and continued. 
“Boss, I know you need your rest, but would you be willing to accompany me for a short while?” 
“At this time of night?” 
“Yes. Please.” 
Hajime scrutinized Cam. It was rare for the rabbitman to be so curt, or so insistent. However he knew it wasn’t an emergency, since Cam didn’t seem the least bit flustered. 
“Did you run into some kind of trouble? Do you want our help too?” 
“No, that’s not quite it.” 
Cam smiled cryptically at Kaori. Realizing what this must be about, Yue nodded to herself and turned to Kaori and Tio. 
“Kaori, Tio. Do you want to give Hajime a lap pillow?” 
Her question caught them off-guard. Why ask this now? That being said, there could only be one answer. 
“Really? You’ll let us try too?” 
“Hrm? Of course I wish to.” 
Seeing their hopeful responses, Yue grinned and spoke up in a mocking tone. 
“Just wanted to know.” 
“......” “......” 
Veins bulged on Kaori’s and Tio’s foreheads. The sight of Yue snickering at them irked them to no end. Then, as if to deliver the final blow, Yue hugged Hajime’s head in a lavish display of affection. 
“Are you trying to pick a fight, Yue?” 
“Fufufu, I consider myself a tolerant person, but even I have my limits.” 
“You wanna go?” 
The two flared up at Yue’s provocation, and they soon continued the fight they had began that afternoon. Incidentally, that afternoon’s battle had ended in Yue and Shea’s victory. 
“If you can catch me, I’ll let you sit next to Hajime for a day.” 
“Really!?” “Do you... truly mean that?” 
Yue didn’t want to destroy Verbergen with an all-out fight, so she proposed a game of tag instead. One with a very enticing reward for the victor. Kaori and Tio both felt adrenaline start pumping into their system. 
After making sure they were engrossed in the challenge, she transferred Hajime’s head to the pillow and stroked him one last time. She then hopped gracefully over to the window and did a pirouette as she landed. Hajime was still confused by this sudden development, but he realized what was going on when Yue gave Cam a surreptitious wink. While Hajime didn’t know what to make of her “consideration,” Cam clearly appreciated it. He bowed his head in thanks. 
“Mmm... Let the game begin.” With that, she shot out of the window and vanished into the starry night sky. 
“Ngh, mark my words, I’ll catch you this time!” 
“Fufu, this is one challenge I have no intention of losing!” 
Two spirited yells filled the room as Kaori summoned her glittering silver wings and Tio sprouted dragon wings from her back. The two of them leaped after Yue, but then simultaneously turned back. Kaori looked a little reluctant, while Tio winked casually at Hajime. Then, the two of them threw themselves into the case. 
“Everyone sure likes Shea, huh?” 
“As her father, I’m proud she’s so cherished.” 
Hajime and Cam smiled at each other. Then Hajime followed Cam out of Verbergen and into the sea of trees... toward the old Haulia village. 
A lone girl stared up at a large, gnarled tree. Its roots were so thick that they were bulging out of the ground. She neither moved nor spoke; just silently looked up at the tree. Her usual cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be seen. 
From the side, her face had a mystical beauty to it, and the effect was heightened by her pale blue hair fluttering in the breeze. Anyone who saw her at this moment would undoubtedly be smitten. 
That girl, Shea, felt someone approaching, but she didn’t turn around. The newcomer seemed reluctant to break the silence, and he walked up to her as quietly as possible. 
“Hajime-san.” 
“Yo.” 
Shea casually called out to Hajime, so she’d obviously been expecting him. 
He continued walking until he was shoulder to shoulder with her. And for a few minutes, the two of them just looked up at the tree in companionable silence. Finally, Shea opened her mouth. 
“Did Dad bring you here?” 
“Yeah. He already left though.” 
“Fufufu, he’s more perceptive than he looks.” 
As one might have guessed, Cam’s business with Hajime had been to bring him to Shea. Alone, if possible. Yue had guessed as much, hence why she’d challenged Kaori and Tio to that contest. It was the best way to get everyone else out of the way. 
Of course, Kaori and Tio had figured it out right before they’d left too. However, they’d been willing to permit Shea some time alone with Hajime. 
“Is this where your mom’s buried?” 
“Yes. Under the roots of this tree.” 
It was customary in Verbergen to bury the dead under the roots of trees. Supposedly that way they could once again become one with nature. Having fulfilled their purpose in life, beastmen were returned to the forest in death, so that they could create new life and ensure the continued prosperity of the woods. All beastmen respected the circle of life and death. The tree in front of Shea had a small gravestone marking the location she was buried. 
“I wanted to be a hero.” 
“Hm?” Hajime tilted his head quizzically. 
However, Shea kept her gaze on the tree and continued. 
“I wanted to be able to protect my family. I was tired of running and hiding all the time. If I became a hero, I could fight back anytime someone tried to take away the people special to me. I could protect everyone.” 
“......” 
“That was something Mom told me when I was young. No matter what happened to her, she always had the same determined passion.” 
Even though she’d been a member of the weakest race, and ill to boot, Shea’s mom, Mona Haulia, had possessed an unshakeable will. It was why Shea had respected her so much. 
“That explains how you ended up the way you did.” 
“Ehehe!” Overjoyed, Shea finally turned to look at Hajime, who was staring respectfully at the tombstone. 
Mona had wished for her daughter to grow up strong. And she had, in both body and mind. Shea hadn’t inherited just a powerful body, she had also inherited her mother’s unbreakable spirit. Even Hajime had to admit her determination was unbelievable. 
Shea smiled bashfully and blushed. Then, she turned back to the massive tree and spoke. 
“Mom, you were right. The world’s a harsh place, but sometimes it can be really nice to you. I finally found the person you said I would. I’ll introduce you to him. His name is Hajime Nagumo... and I love him very much.” 
Mona had once told Shea that there were definitely people out there in the world who could understand her. And that when she met one of them, it would change her life. Even though Mona couldn’t see the future, her prediction had been one hundred percent accurate. 
I guess I still have nothing on you, Mom. I wonder if I’ll ever manage to become as awesome as you? It would definitely take a lot of effort to get there. There was at least one thing she’d already achieved though. 
“Oh yeah, Mom. Me, Dad, and all the other Haulia became heroes!” Shea wondered what kind of reaction her mom would have to that if she’d still been alive. Would she have smiled proudly at them, or scolded them for being so reckless? 
She closed her eyes, losing herself in thoughts of her mom. 
After a few seconds, Hajime spoke up. 
“I’m grateful.” 
“Huh? Hajime-san?” Shea opened her eyes and turned back to Hajime. He was still looking up at the tree, and Shea realized he was talking to her mom, not to her. 
“When Yue and I crawled out of the abyss, we were ready to take on the world with just the two of us. Even if it meant we’d be alone forever, we were still determined to overcome everything fate might throw at us... But you know, if we’d kept going like that, life probably wouldn’t be as fun as it is now. The one who brought color to our dull journey, our empty hearts and our boring lifestyle was without a doubt, your daughter.” 
“Hajime-san...” 
Shea choked up. However, Hajime simply smiled softly and kept going. 
“Thank you for bringing Shea into this world.” 
Shea looked up at the sky. It was the only way she could keep the tears in her eyes from spilling out. 
The two of them stood there in companionable silence, looking up at the great tree. Even the bewildering fog that normally confused interlopers seemed to be gently wrapping itself around them. 
After a few minutes, Shea finally responded. 
“Umm, Hajime-san?” 
“Mmm?” 
“Thank you. I don’t really know else to say it, but... really, thank you so much.” 
There was so much she had to thank him for. For saving her family, for taking her along on his journey, for fighting an entire country for her sake. For entrusting his back to her, and bringing her along to even the most dangerous of trials. For trusting her so much. And finally, for spending time with her together in front of her mother’s grave. 
Embarrassed by Shea’s sincere gratitude, Hajime averted his gaze. It was unusual for anything to get to him. 
“Yeah, you better be thankful. I’m still counting on you to help me with the remaining labyrinths.” 
“Fufu. Can’t you just say ‘you’re welcome’ like a normal person?” Shea snickered. However, her expression then grew serious and she posed a question. 
“What will it take to repay you, Hajime-san?” 
“You already thanked me, didn’t you?” 
“But those were just words. I want to do something meaningful for you. What can I do to make you happy? If it’s for you, I’ll do anything. I mean it...” 
Her bunny ears twitched back and forth as she sidled up to Hajime. Her burning, passionate gaze made it clear what she was hoping to do. Hajime wasn’t so dense that he didn’t pick up on that, but his only response was to smile wanly and respond coyly. 
“Just keep smiling like you always have, you airhead. It’s thanks to you that we’re always having so much fun.” 
“Jeez, why’d you have to add that airhead bit!? Besides, didn’t you hug me and say you cared about me in front of the emperor? This is where you’re supposed to jump on me and say ‘Alright then, you can thank me with your body, Guhehe!’ Can’t you read the mood even a little!?” 
“I think we need to have a talk about what exactly your mental image of me is.” 
“An earnest, spineless wimp.” 
“Can’t we just cut it off at the earnest bit?” Shea puffed her cheeks out into a pout. She then hung her head, and her rabbit ears drooped over her face. 
“Joking aside, I really do want to thank you. You’ve helped me so much, but I haven’t done anything back for you. Both you and Yue-san keep saying it’s fine as long as I keep smiling, but I just do that naturally because being with you guys makes me happy. That’s not really thanking you at all.” 
“I said it before didn’t I, you’ve already done more than enough.” 
“Mrrr, that’s not good enough. I want to do something tangible for you both. But no matter how hard I think, I can’t come up with anything. And since you said you don’t want my body... even though you said you cared about me...” 
“Come on, stop sulking about that already...” Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly. He understood Shea’s feelings, but he really did feel like she’d done more than enough for him already. She’d stubbornly stuck with the two of them, even when the journey got so harsh she was reduced to tears. And it was thanks to that Hajime and Yue hadn’t been alone. If anything, he was the one who owed her. Still, he knew telling her that wouldn’t change her mind. 
“This would be so much easier if you just fell for me, Hajime-san. I’d service you every night... Haaah, oh well. I guess I’ll just have to work even harder to pay you back during our journey.” 
“Yeah, I guess.” 
Shea shrugged her shoulders, and Hajime smiled awkwardly. She looked up at the sky again and saw a glimmer through the fog. 
By sheer coincidence, the fog had grown thin in the area above them, and the light of the moon reflecting off the water drops in the air had become visible. 
“Hajime-san, Hajime-san. Can you come with me for a second?” 
“Hm? Sure.” 
Ears flapping wildly, Shea started leaping her way up the large tree. Hajime lithely followed after her, using the tree’s hollows and branches as hand and footholds. 
They kept going until they broke through the foliage at the top of the tree. Normally the top of a tree had only thin branches, but here a number of them had twined together to create a cavity sturdy enough to seat people. 
“The reason we buried Mom here was because this was her favorite spot.” 
“I see, so this was like her secret base.” 
The two of them picked their way over to the natural sofa and sat down next to each other. 
“Look up there, Hajime-san. You can see it pretty well tonight!” 
“Hm? Whoa... This is... amazing.” 
The fog above them had thinned out considerably. They could see the sea of clouds that lay beyond the mist. The fog was dense around where Hajime and Shea were sitting, but it thinned out sharply above that. What little remained reflected moonlight from all different angles, making it appear as if the veil of fog was shimmering. Seemed almost like someone had thrown a million jewels into a pure white sea. 
“You barely ever get to see it this well. But this view used to be Mom’s favorite. We’re pretty lucky the fog was thin today.” 
“Don’t give me that cliched crap.” Hajime was certain of it. Somewhere up from heaven, Shea’s mom had performed this miracle for her. It was her reward to her daughter for hanging in there so long. Hajime explained as much to Shea, and her bunny ears flapped back and forth in a mixture of embarrassment and joy. 
For a long time, they just sat there and stared at the sparkling mist. Then suddenly, Hajime turned to Shea. Her hair was shining as brightly as the sky above. The pale blue strands fluttered in the wind and caught the moonlight perfectly. As he stared at her profile, Hajime idly thought back to when he’d hugged Shea and Yue in front of Gahard earlier. In truth, he’d done it almost unconsciously. But before he’d realized it, they were both in his arms. 
He could still say with absolute confidence that Yue was the only one he thought of as “special.” But the reason he’d hugged Shea as well was most likely because— Hajime cut off his own train of thought and smiled forlornly to himself. He finally realized how selfish he was being. 
Though he kept telling himself no one could be as important to him as Yue, he still wanted Shea all to himself. He had no idea when it had happened, but he knew now that he cared a lot more about Shea than he thought. Enough that he’d unconsciously hugged her alongside Yue. 
While no one would ever matter more to him than Yue, he could no longer deny what he felt for Shea. And now that he’d admitted it to himself, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t have these feelings. In which case, shouldn’t he at the very least treat her the way she wanted? After all, she’d worked so hard to stick with them, even when she’d barely had any strength at all. 
“U-Umm, Hajime-san? Is something wrong? You’ve been staring at me so long it’s getting kind of embarrassing...” 
As Hajime returned to his senses he realized Shea was blushing and fidgeting awkwardly. Her bunny ears were drooping too, though they occasionally perked up in Hajime’s direction every few seconds. 
Hajime smiled and stretched out his hand. He reached over to Shea’s ears and patted them gently. 
“H-Hajime-san?” 
“Hey, Shea. Can you do something for me?” 
“You’re... asking me for a favor? Of course! I’ll do anything!” 
Surprised, Shea still eagerly jumped at the opportunity to pay Hajime back. 
“Uh, it’s nothing that grand. I just want to lay down for a bit. Is it cool if I sleep on your lap?” 
“You don’t even have to ask. Here, you can use it whenever you want.” 
“Thanks.” 
Shea looked a little disappointed for a second, but then smiled and patted her thigh, inviting Hajime to lay down. Hajime smiled again and rested his head on her legs. 
Since Shea was in a mini-skirt, as usual, his head was touching her bare thighs. Their warmth and softness enveloped the back of his head. A sweet scent, similar to the one Yue had, wafted across his nostrils. 
“Fufu, I know Yue-san does this all the time, but I feel kind of bad for Kaori-san and Tio-san.” 
“It’s just a lap pillow, you don’t have to feel guilty about it or anything.” 
“Jeez, you can’t say stuff like that. Those two are working so hard to get you to fall for them, Hajime-san. A lap pillow, or even spending time alone together like this is really important to them. Really, why don’t you just give up and fall in love with them already?” 
“I don’t suppose I could convince any of you to give up yourselves?” 
“Nope~” 
“Figures.” 
Shea gently brushed Hajime’s hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her fingers on his scalp. At the same time, he ran his fingers through Shea’s hair, as if to return the favor. 
The moon shone bright overhead. Despite her happy-go-lucky attitude, the mysterious light of the moon suited her oddly well. The stronger its light, the brighter her hair and smiled shined. Anyone who saw her now would have fallen in love at first sight. The two of them snuggled closer, enveloped in a wreath of fog illuminated by the gentle light of the moon. 
Had anyone seen them, they would have likely clutched their heart and gone HNNNNNNGH. That was just how cute they looked. In fact, right now the two of them were surrounded by an atmosphere similar to the one Hajime and Yue created when they were together. 
Sadly, Shea herself didn’t realize that she’d finally achieved what she’d always watched jealously before. After all, she was still a worthless rabbit in the end. Regardless of whether or not she realized it though, the atmosphere was there. The two of them sat there like that until the thick fog rolled back in, and blotted out the sky of artificial stars. 

Let us turn back time to a short while before Hajime threw Liliana back to Heiligh via his portal. Back when it was still evening, a good hour or so before dinner. 
A single girl walked across the palace courtyard, toward the mess hall. She had chestnut-colored hair, slit-like eyes, and a brace of daggers hanging from her coat— Yuka Sonobe. After Eri’s unexpected betrayal, the death of one of her classmates, and Kouki’s departure, many of her classmates had almost given into despair. It was only thanks to her stellar leadership that they were still holding on. 
Yuka didn’t really see herself as a leader, but now that Kouki was gone, she had filled in the void he had left naturally. Not only was she the one all the students went to when they needed help, she was also assisting Heiligh’s soldiers in rebuilding the city, and resolving any disputes that cropped up. She was also helping shore up public safety, and many of the students looked up to her as a role model. It wasn’t just the students either. The new pope, the queen, and even the prime minister came to Yuka for advice. On top of that, she served as the head of the pope’s guard whenever he needed to leave the palace. 
“Haaah, I’m hungry...” Yuka had spent the past few days running around the palace and was starting to get exhausted. Her stomach growled loudly, complaining about the inadequate nutrients it had been receiving recently. No one heard that, did they? Yuka blushed and glanced around her. To her chagrin, there was someone nearby. 
“Ahaha... Are you going to get dinner, Sonobe-san?” 
“Ugh, you heard that didn’t you, Ai-chan-sensei?” 
Aiko walked out of one of the nearby buildings and into the courtyard. Though Yuka looked embarrassed, Aiko just smiled gently. In truth, Aiko was on her way to get dinner as well. The two of them walked side by side and chatted about recent events. 
“You look pretty worn-out, Sonobe-san. Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard?” 
“I’ll be fine. I just never thought kids could be so demanding.” 
“What happened?” 
According to Yuka, all the children that had been orphaned in the recent demon invasion were being taken care of by the church, and the new pope had asked for her help in comforting them. Of course, Yuka had had absolutely no idea what to say to kids who’d lost their parents or relatives. She was barely 17 years old herself. However, despite her protests, the new pope had dragged her into the capital’s church and gathered all the kids. Once he had their attention he’d said, “Alright everyone, I brought the super-pretty super-strong Apostle of God here for you!” It had been quite an ordeal. 
The speech Hajime had drafted and Liliana had delivered had hidden the truth from the citizens, and so most of them still believed that Yuka and the others were Apostles of God. And so, all the children had looked up to Yuka with reverence. 
“S-So what did you say to them in the end?” Aiko asked, trembling slightly as she imagined the pressure Yuka must have been under. 
Unfortunately, Yuka looked off into the distance and replied dimly. 
“Nothing.” 
“Nothing?” 
“Yep, nothing. I couldn’t think of anything to say. ‘Cheer up?’ ‘Your dead parents are watching down on you from heaven together with Ehit?’” 
Now that she knew the truth, those words sounded too hollow to Yuka’s ears. She couldn’t bring herself to say that to the kids. And so— 
“I juggled instead.” 
“You... juggled? As in threw balls in the air and caught them?” 
“Well technically it was ten of my knives, but yes.” 
“That sounds terrifying! What prompted you to do something like that!?” 
Yuka tore at her hair and looked tearfully up at Aiko. 
“I had no choice! I couldn’t think of anything to say, and they were all looking at me like I was their last hope! So then I totally lost it, and before I knew it I was juggling!” 
“Oh my!” Aiko exclaimed, and shivered a little, thinking about how that must have felt. 
“What did the kids think?” 
“They totally loved it!” Yuka got so swept up in the excitement that she started adding more and more knives. Once she’d exhausted the 20 she carried on her, she’d added the nearby cutlery shop owner had suddenly started throwing in knives of his own, and by the end of it she’d been juggling a full 100 knives at the same time. 
It had been quite a spectacle, seeing her throw knives several meters into the air, and catch each one with unbelievable dexterity and grace. She’d gone so fast that she’d looked like a knife-spewing fountain. Thanks to that, the kids had forgotten their sorrow for a while and watched with rapt attention. Her job wasn’t Acrobat for nothing. 
Yuka’s impromptu performance had attracted kids from all around the neighborhood, and she’d had a huge crowd watching before long. However she couldn’t find a way to bring the show to a close, and she kept on being badgered by the kids to keep going. 
“That sounds like... quite the ordeal. My condolences, Sonobe-san.” 
“Thanks...” 
Aiko smiled sympathetically at Yuka, who was hanging her head in exhaustion and decided to change the topic. 
“Simon-san sure is a troublesome person to deal with, isn’t he?” 
“Yeah, I’m a little worried that our new pope is such a proactive old man.” 
The new pope that Yuka was referring to was none other than Simon Levellair. He had originally been a bishop in the central church before he’d been banished for speaking out against beastman discrimination. Then, at Liliana’s request, he had returned. He was an odd man, one who liked to play pranks and run away from responsibility whenever the opportunity presented itself. More often than not, his granddaughter Sibyl was forced to chase after him and drag him back to work. Despite being over 70 years old, he ran faster than anyone thought possible for his age. 
However, he had proven himself worthy of Liliana’s recommendation. Unlike the old pope Ishtar, he was no fanatic. On top of that, he was a very tolerant leader. 
“Oh yeah, didn’t you go to Simon-san for advice before too, Ai-chan-sensei?” 
“Huh? Oh... yes, I suppose I did.” Aiko seemed reluctant to reply. When Aiko and Yuka had first met Simon, they hadn’t been aware that he was one of the candidates to be pope. They were only brought together by coincidence, but as they kept talking to him, both of them naturally started trusting him enough to open up about the worries they held deep in their hearts. Much to their surprise, he’d had very useful advice for both of them. Afterward, when they’d seen him ascending the altar to accept the pope’s scepter, they’d both exclaimed, “Wait, he’s that old man from before!” That was when they’d learned they’d both consulted him about their problems. 
Seeing Aiko’s hesitation, Yuka tilted her head and replied casually. 
“I guess you’ve got your own issues too, huh Sensei?” 
“Of course I do. I may be your teacher, but I still have a lot of learning to do myself. All I’ve been doing since we got here is making mistakes and worrying about everything.” 
Aiko knew this wasn’t the kind of thing she should be burdening her student with, but she ended up saying it anyway. She smiled bitterly at Yuka, and Yuka smiled bitterly back. 
“Sorry for always making you worry about us.” 
“Huh?” Aiko replied with a blank look. 
“Huh?” Yuka replied with the same blank look. 
“Aren’t we the things you’re worried about?” 
“Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes you are! I mean no, you’re not!” 
“Which is it!?” 
In a sense, it was true that one of her students was what was causing Aiko all this worry. However, it was a very personal worry, directed toward one male student in particular. But of course, what Yuka had been asking was whether or not it was all her students as a whole who were worrying her. 
Accidentally agreeing to that had stung her consciousness, so she’d denied it right after. However, her muddled responses only made Yuka more confused. I can’t let her find out how I feel about Nagumo-kun! Aiko desperately tried to find a way to change the subject. 
“By the way, what was it you were worried about, Sonobe-san!? I’d like to help you out as well! Go ahead, tell me what’s bothering you!” 
“Why do you sound so desperate!?” 
“I’m not desperate! You’re just imagining things! Regardless, that’s enough about me! Hurry up and tell me what you’re worried about!” 
“B-But I already found a solution.” 
“Couldn’t you like, make it a problem again?” 
“Do you even realize what the words coming out of your mouth are right now, Ai-chan-sensei!?” It was obvious to Yuka that Aiko was forcibly trying to change the topic. What kind of crazy thing did you talk to Simon about, Ai-chan-sensei!? 
As usual, Aiko’s efforts only resulted in her going around in circles. Yuka realized she’d need to get Aiko to stop panicking before she made any sense. 
“Ai-chan-sensei! Calm down!” Yuka gathered her resolve and slapped Aiko on the face. 
“Hawawa!” Aiko exclaimed, and slumped to the ground. And after a few seconds, she finally came back to reality and spoke up. 
“Sorry, Sonobe-san. That was very unbecoming of me.” 
“I-It’s fine. I’m sorry for hitting you.” 
They both fidgeted awkwardly. After Yuka helped Aiko up, she decided to tell Aiko what had been bothering her in an attempt to smooth over the awkward atmosphere. 
“Umm. So you know how Nagumo’s helped me out a lot, right?” 
“Huh!? Y-Yes?” 
Aiko twitched when the word Nagumo came out of Yuka’s mouth. However, Yuka was too embarrassed at revealing her own feelings to notice. 
“So I was wondering how I could repay him for everything he’s done...” 
“I-I see. That’s what you asked Simon-san for advice with?” 
“Yeah, basically. In the end though, he just helped me realize I don’t need to do all that much. I’ll just treat Nagumo to my family’s—” 
“Your family!? You’re going to introduce him to your parents!? What are you thinking, Sonobe-san!? Y-You can’t do that! As your teacher, I absolutely cannot condone any illicit sexual relationships!” 
“You’ve got it all wrong! I was just saying I wanted to treat him to my family’s western-style cooking!” 
“So you’re planning on making fall for you by going through his stomach!?” Aiko bore down on Yuka, her eyes spinning. And in response— 
“Ai-chan-sensei, calm down!” Yuka ended up slapping her again. 
Aiko slumped to the ground once more. After a few seconds, she finally came back to reality and apologized. 
“Sorry, Sonobe-san. That was very unbecoming of me.” 
“I-It’s fine. I’m sorry for hitting you.” 
Another awkward silence descended between them. Yuka helped Aiko up and decided to change the subject again in an attempt to dispel the gloomy mood. 
“Ai-chan-sensei. I know that you’re dealing with a lot right now, so if it’s okay with you, why not share your worries with me? I’m here for you, so don’t push yourself too hard.” 
“...I really am sorry for acting out like that.” 
The evening sun cast their entwined shadows far to the east. It was a touching moment, seeing student and teacher together like that. Though it was difficult to tell who was the teacher and who the student. 
Afterward, Yuka took Aiko’s hand and led her to the dining hall. Since it was still a little too early for dinner, the hall was mostly deserted. They’d decided to eat a little early mostly because of how insistently Yuka’s stomach was grumbling for food. 
Yuka looked around the room, searching for a place to sit. As servants would bring them their food once they’d settled in, they were free to sit anywhere. As she was looking, Yuka spotted a few of her classmates sitting in a corner. 
“Hey there. Eating dinner with the rest of your party today?” 
Jugo Nagayama, Kentarou Nomura, Ayako Tsuji, and Mao Yoshino appeared to be in the middle of an early dinner. Jugo turned around and waved a greeting at Yuka. 
“Hey, Sonobe. Good work out there. You too, Sensei. Did you guys come here for dinner too?” 
“Pretty much. I’m starving, and I happened to run into Ai-chan-sensei on the way,” Yuka said, then raised an eyebrow and continued, “Anyway, what’s up with all the serious expressions, guys? Did something happen?” 
“Well...” Jugo fell silent, trying to decide how best to word his concern. 
After a bit, Yuka turned back to Aiko with a smile and gave her a thumbs-up. 
“We did it, Ai-chan-sensei! Now there are more lost lambs who need your sage advice! Aren’t you glad!?” 
“Umm, Sonobe-san? Could you please forget all about that conversation? I’m not that desperate to find someone else to help...” Aiko’s smile stiffened. 
“Really?” Yuka replied dubiously, then turned her gaze back to Jugo. 
“By the way, where’s Endou? He’s part of your party too, isn’t he...? I don’t see him anywhere, though.” 
For some reason, Jugo looked up at the sky with a forlorn expression, while Kentarou covered his face. Ayako and Mao both smiled sadly. 
Upon seeing all that, Aiko’s expression grew serious, as did her words. 
“Come to think of it, I didn’t see him at breakfast either. He’s been looking pretty down recently...” 
“Yeah, ever since that day...” Kentarou muttered glumly. 
“Yeah Ever since Nakamura... well, you know... Actually, ever since he found out about Meld-san’s death...” 
“Meld-san...” 
Aiko and Yuka’s faces fell. He’d been their mentor, someone they’d all looked up to like an older brother. Among the people of this world, the knight commander was the one they’d trusted the most. 
“He was probably the last person to talk to Meld-san before he died...” 
“Wait, really!?” 
“That’s what he said, anyway. Apparently, he ran into him on his way back from the bathroom the night he died. Meld-san had looked really scared back then, according to him. He hadn’t thought too much of it at the time, but now he blames himself for not noticing...” 
It was only afterward that he realized that was the last time anyone had seen Meld alive. In other words, he most likely had been the last person to talk to Meld before he died. 
After a while, Jugo sighed and continued. 
“Back when we were ambushed by demons in the Great Orcus Labyrinth, we all told him to escape alone. Since he was the only one capable of making it back to the captain safely.” 
“I heard about that. Didn’t all the knights except Meld-san die during that fight?” 
“Yep... All to let Kousuke escape to the surface.” 
Everyone closed their eyes in respect for the departed knights. Then, Ayako and Mao smiled faintly and added their peace. 
“After that incident, Endou-kun grew really attached to Meld-san.” 
“He was really glad the captain survived the Orcus assault.” 
Which was exactly why he was having such a hard time accepting his death now. The man he’d looked up to, the man who’d survived countless other death traps, had finally died. Worse, Kousuke had even noticed there was something off about Meld when he’d last seen him. He blamed himself for not paying attention, for not sticking with the captain when he should have. 
Looking at it rationally, it was obvious that none of that was his fault. But he couldn’t help but be tortured by the thought that he might have been able to save Meld. 
“Is it really that bad?” Yuka frowned slightly as she said that. 
Kentarou shook his head as he started speaking. 
“Worse. The fact that you two noticed he’s gone shows just how bad it is.” 
Yuka and Aiko tilted their heads quizzically. In response, Jugo and Kentarou said some rather harsh things about their longtime friend. 
“Listen up, Sonobe. Kousuke’s so good at blending in with the crowd that no one even remembers he exists. I’m not talking about just his job here either, he was like this even back on earth.” 
“I mean, you’re not wrong, but...” 
“We’re talking completely unnoticeable here. Even automatic doors didn’t open for him.” 
“Okay?” 
“Even the two of us thought he might be a spirit or something for a while. We even went to look for proof.” 
“Uh, Nakamura, Nagayama, you guys are his best friends, right?” 
Both of them ignored Yuka’s question. 
“But there’s one time when he becomes more noticeable.” 
Though with how easy he was to miss normally, his version of becoming more noticeable just meant people remembered he existed more often. He didn’t start standing out or anything. 
“Umm, is that when he gets depressed?” Judging from the way the conversation was headed, Yuka guessed that was probably the case. 
“Yeah, but only when he gets so depressed his heart breaks. I think the last time it happened was...” 
“Middle school, wasn’t it? He’d finally worked up the courage to confess to the girl he’d sat next to all year, and she’d just said ‘Uh, what class are you from again?’ He stayed shut up in his room for a while after that.” 
“Whoa, no way.” 
Jugo’s story was enough to move Ayako and Mao, who hadn’t even known him at the time, to tears. They shook their heads sadly. 
“But you know, it’s kind of weird. Even though we’re in the same party as him, we always forget he’s there. It’s only when he’s gone that we remember him.” 
“Yeah. To be honest, it’s kind of strange to hear anyone ever go ‘Wait, where’s Endou-kun?’” 
Yuka almost responded with “It’s almost like Kousuke Endou’s some kind of alien,” but she knew what was and wasn’t okay to say, so she held her tongue. 
Yuka and Aiko joined Nagayama’s party for dinner, and they spent their time trying to find ways to cheer Kousuke up. Along the way, the conversation got derailed with tales about how he’d been left behind on family trips, and even on school field trips. By the time dessert rolled around, it was hard to tell if they were still thinking of ways to cheer him up, or just swapping stories about his past. 
Suddenly, a hole appeared in the wall closest to their table. 
“Wait, isn’t that the portal Nagumo left here when—” Before Yuka could finish, Liliana tumbled out of the gate. 
“At least treat me like a womaaaaaan!” She screamed as she fell. She landed cleanly on the table and slid easily down its polished surface. Everyone hurriedly picked up their plates, keeping their dessert safely away from Liliana’s face. She came to a screeching halt right in front of Yuka. The way she held her hands out in front of her in the classic falling pose was a work of art. 
For a few seconds, everyone was stunned silent. Finally— 
“Nagumo-sama, I can get—” Helina screeched as she came through the portal after Liliana. “Home by myself,” was probably the end of the sentence she’d wanted to say. She also slid across the table and came to a stop right next to Liliana. Unfortunately, they were the only two with graceful landings. 
“Your Highness, please get out of the waaaaaay!” 
“God damn iiiiiiiiiiiit!” 
Liliana’s imperial guards were chucked through the portal one after another. It appeared the perpetrator of this incident had been gentler with Liliana and Helina than he had with the others. The imperial guards flew through the air with far more force. 
“Liliana-sama, please get out of the— Bwah!” 
“Wait, I— Gah!” 
They rolled into Liliana and Helina with the force of a bowling ball and carried them straight off the table. Liliana found herself pinned to the floor under her own guards. Considering all the armor they were wearing, it must have been pretty heavy. The princess groaned in pain. 
At the same time, the portal that had opened from the painting on the wall vanished. 
“Liliana-san, are you alright!?” Aiko said, then rushed over to Liliana’s side. The imperial guards all apologized, pale-faced. 
“We’re sorry, Your Highness, but surely that eyepatch demon is to blame for this!” 
Ever since they’d seen his antics in the empire, the imperial guards had taken to calling Hajime “eyepatch demon.” 
“D-Don’t worry, I understand. And my body’s fine. It’s my heart that’s broken...” 
“How could he just throw a princess out like that...” Liliana muttered with dead eyes. 
Yuka could more or less guess what had happened, and gave Liliana a sympathetic look. 
“Nagumo’s one hell of a dude...” Kentarou muttered. 
“He’s probably the only person in the world with the balls to throw a princess out like that,” Jugo added, half-impressed, half-angry. 
“Umm, welcome back, Lily?” 
“Oh, Yuka-san. And everyone else as well. As you can see, I’ve returned home.” 
Liliana got to her feet and curtsied. She didn’t even try smooth over what had just happened. 
“Liliana-sama. I’ll go tell your mother, Luluaria-sama, that you’ve returned. It will take some time to gather all the ministers for an emergency meeting, so why don’t you get something to eat in the meantime?” 
It was only going to take time because the kingdom’s ministers would be too shocked by Helina’s report to think for a while at least. She suggested Liliana stay here, so that the princess could tell Aiko and the others personally what had happened. Liliana gratefully accepted Helina’s proposal and sat down next to Aiko. 
Meanwhile, Helina ran off to report to the queen, while the imperial guards returned to their stations to make their own reports. Once fresh guards had come to replenish Liliana’s honor guard, she explained what had happened during her journey. 
“Holy shit, Nagumo’s insane.” 
“No wonder those guards are calling him eyepatch demon now.” 
“W-Will Amanogawa-kun and the others be alright going with him? And did he seriously make them all wear masks?” 
“Is Shizuku’s stomach doing okay? She must be getting ulcers from all that worrying.” 
Kentarou, Jugo, Ayako, and Mao all looked pityingly to the east. 
And to ease the tension, Aiko smiled wanly and provided some comforting words. 
“But isn’t that great for you, Liliana-san? I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but at least you won’t have to marry that horrid prince.” 
“By the way, Lily. How come you never told us about your engagement plan when you left? I mean I guess it has nothing to do with us, but... if you don’t tell your friends these things, how are we supposed to help you?” Yuka pouted a little. 
Liliana blushed a little in embarrassment and responded. 
“Aiko-san, Yuka-san, thank you so much for worrying about me. At any rate, the kingdom’s going to be busy repealing the discrimination laws it has against beastmen. We can’t have it turning into a hotbed for illegal slavery. Things are going to get busier than ever here.” 
“We never had anything against the beastmen to begin with, so we’re glad you guys are going to stop discriminating against them too. I’m sure the more devout followers of Ehit will have a hard time coming to terms with the decree, but Simon-san’ll be able to help with that.” 
“I see... So Simon-sama agreed to become our new pope, then.” Liliana breathed a sigh of relief. She’d left before Simon had announced his decision to take the post. 
Yuka and the others then explained what had happened in the empire during her absence. 
“I see. There’s still plenty of issues to deal with, but at least they’re all within expectations. And now that we have a new pope, we should be able to rebuild the church. Once that happens, the citizens will rally themselves too. Thank goodness Nagumo-san came up with that story.” 
“It feels kind of bad to be lying to everyone like this though.” 
“I agree, but the main culprit behind that incident is me, the Fertility Goddess everyone trusts so much. If they knew, their faith would be shaken,” Aiko said glumly. Everyone awkwardly averted their gaze. 
“Honestly, I can’t believe he’s able to come up with such nasty lies on the spot. Lily, make sure you don’t let Nagumo brainwash you or anything.” Yuka said it somewhat jokingly, but for some reason, Liliana blushed at that. 
“I-I’m not brainwashed at all... Besides, we’re not even close enough yet that he...” 
“Not close enough yet?” 
Yuka’s expression stiffened. Aiko, too, glared at Liliana. 
“Oh, uh, it’s nothing.” 
Liliana couldn’t meet their eyes. She wasn’t able to maintain a poker face, despite training for years to remain calm in all situations. Aiko’s lips twitched, and she asked a question in an ice-cold tone. 
“Say, Liliana-san. Did anything happen between you and Nagumo-kun?” 
“Wh-What could you possibly mean by ‘anything?’” 
“Lily, you just bit your tongue, didn’t you?” 
“Ugh,” Liliana groaned. However, she wasn’t a princess for nothing. She quickly regained her calm and cleared her throat. 
“Please don’t misunderstand. There’s nothing between me and Nagumo-san. In the first place, he doesn’t even treat me like a woman. You saw how he just threw me back here, didn’t you?” 
“Uh, yeah I guess.” 
“How could I possibly have any feelings for such a savage person? I’m not Tio-san.” 
Yuka nodded. Liliana had a point. Thank goodness. I was worried for nothing, Both her and Aiko thought simultaneously. Unfortunately, their original guess had been on the mark. 
“Honestly, it’s unbelievable how mean he is to me. Even though he knows it’ll cause me problems, he makes a scene wherever he goes, and he doesn’t even tell me what he’s up to!” 
“Umm, I get that you’re angry at Nagumo, Lily, so just calm down and—” 
Liliana slammed the table a few times, which made Yuka hurriedly try to calm her down. 
“Oh, I’m more than just angry! I mean, I’m grateful he saved me from Baius of course. But he didn’t even seem the least bit interested in me even after seeing me in my half-ripped underwear!” 
“Wait, what? What exactly happened between you two?” 
Liliana ignored Yuka’s question. 
“Well, I guess it made me a little happy when he said my dress looked nice. And when he danced with me it was the most fun I had ever had at a ball.” 
“Liliana-san, I really think you should explain what—” 
“Can you believe it, though!? He said the only reason he saved me was because he didn’t want to make Kaori sad! Couldn’t he have just said he did it for my sake!? I suppose it was nice hearing he wouldn’t let anything terrible happen to me, but still...” 
“.....” 
Yuka and Aiko fell silent. They gave Liliana the same flat stare that Yue had a while back. 

Jugo and the others turned to each other with knowing smiles. And finally, Liliana realized that she’d said something weird and looked from one face to the other. 
“Umm, everyone? Is something the matter?” 
Yuka pursed her lips and muttered, “Nagumo, you absolute moron,” under her breath. Aiko looked angrier than anyone had ever seen her. Her cheeks were puffed out to almost comical levels. It was then that Jugo and the others all thought to themselves, Not again, Nagumo! 
Later, at the emergency meeting Liliana called for she once again went on a rant about Hajime, and so the queen and other ministers all learned about her not-so-hidden crush as well. 
“My my, you’re finally growing up, Lily!” Luluaria was overjoyed that her daughter had finally found her first crush, but it seemed she was the only one. 
“Th-That insolent commoner! Not only has he taken Kaori from me, but he’s stolen my sister’s heart as well!? I’ll get you for this, you bastaaaaaaaaard!” 
The future king’s pained screams echoed throughout the castle.