However, the Sea People seemed unwilling to accept this proposal. While Hajime hadn't killed anyone, he had sent their companions flying. Furthermore, despite being on the sea, a sea that was extremely hostile to humans, Hajime acted like "you're no match for me" (as the Sea People saw it), seemingly wounding their pride.
Furthermore, they seemed to be unusually wary of humans, completely disbelieving Hajime's words. "Don't think we'll let our guard down!" they shouted, distanced themselves from Hajime and the others, picked up the harpoons strapped to their backs, and prepared to throw them.
"Is that the excuse you used to kidnap that child? Are you going to kidnap our child again?!"
"We won't give you any more time to use magic! The ocean is our territory, don't think you can return safely!"
"Even if I have to chop off your hands and feet, I will make you reveal the whereabouts of that child!"
"Don't worry. We will keep you alive before handing you over to the Kingdom. As for the state in which you will be, we cannot guarantee it."
The appearance of the Sea People was unusual; the emotion in their eyes looked more like intense resentment than wariness.
From their words, "They've kidnapped our children," Hajime could probably guess the reason for their murderous intent. Perhaps they'd mistakenly thought Hajime was the perpetrator of Myuu's abduction, since he, a human, was traveling on a ship they'd never seen before, accompanied by rabbit-people slaves, wandering within the Sea People's security zone... Even if they were misunderstood, it wouldn't be surprising.
Demihumans are very united and have deep feelings among their own race. This is also true between different races, but this tendency is more pronounced among the same race.
This was true of the Hauriya tribe, who left the forest for Shia alone. It was also true of the Bearmen, who ignored the elders' decision and sought revenge after their leader was injured. The Seamen were no exception; even someone else's child was as important to them as their own.
Hajime muttered to himself, "Don't think of me as a father, there are many other people who are like fathers, right?" With a wry smile on his face, he complained to Myuu, who was not there, in a somewhat peevish manner. Then, when Hajime was about to bring up Myuu's name to clear up the misunderstanding...
“Ah~ I’m saying, the one who was abducted—”
“Get started!!”
But before Hajime could begin to explain, the Sea People began hurling harpoons. They were clearly swimming upright with their lower bodies in the water, yet the harpoons flew at them at considerable speed. So, they were aiming for shoulders or feet, clearly not intending to kill. They also carefully lifted the boat from the water, causing it to shake violently.
If it were an ordinary person, he might lose his balance and be pierced by the harpoon before he could dodge, or fall into the sea and be subdued by the sea people, but that is purely the case for an ordinary person.
"—'Pau'."
Yue shouted softly, and the compressed seawater swelled up dramatically, blocking the harpoons coming from all directions. As the sea people were stunned by the magic that could be cast without any chanting, Yue placed about twenty lightning balls around them.
As the name of the magic spell indicated, the sea water transformed into a wall, and then returned to its original state after a loud splash. At the same time, the sea people witnessed a lightning ball floating around the moon and discharging electricity.
“!? Back off~~!!”
When a command close to the wailing sounded, they turned pale and tried to escape.
But it was too late.
The lightning balls flew in different directions, and none of the Sea People were spared... Everyone received a considerable degree of electric shock, and screams of "Ah, ba, ba, ba, ba" were heard everywhere. After a while, twenty Sea People floated limply on the sea.
"Yue, thank you for your hard work."
“Hmm… Hajime, could it be that they’re talking about…”
"Yeah, that's probably Myuu."
“Even in Enison, it seems like we’re still encountering a lot of trouble. As expected of Hajime-san, there’s not a single town that’s free from trouble…”
“Stop it, Shia. I’m a little worried myself, actually… Damn it, if Myuu were here, I wouldn’t have to worry about this kind of situation…”
Hajime held his head and sighed, then began to retrieve the sea people floating on the sea.
The sea people were shocked to the point of rolling their eyes and their hair becoming afros. They were then made to lie on temporary shelves transformed from submarines while sailing on the sea.
Because Yue cleverly weakened the thunder ball of one of them, that person woke up quickly, and they were able to explain the whole story.
When the young man from the Sea People tribe first heard that Hajime knew Myuu's name and characteristics, he immediately shouted, "You are the criminal after all!"
Hajime couldn't help getting angry, and he kept slapping the young man back and forth with an expressionless face until he calmed down. The young man later repented and was willing to listen to Hajime.
It turns out that to convince someone, politeness and perseverance are important.
The young Seaman, despite his face being swollen like a pig's head, listened attentively to the explanation. When told that Myuu had returned to Ankagi, the young man expressed his wish to return to Enisen first and then select one person to accompany Hajime and the others to Ankagi.
From the perspective of the Sea People, since they cannot confirm whether what Hajime said is true or not, they cannot completely believe it and let Hajime and the others go back to Ankaji alone.
Hajime and the others agreed to the young man's proposal, and under his guidance, they set off in a straight line to Enison.
On the way, he heard from that young man that, apart from him, all those who had just yelled at Shi knew Mu.
Because when Myu was kidnapped, Myu's mother was also hurt, which was why they were so impulsive. If these people met Myu again, everyone would be covered in bruises or have an afro on their heads. It would be too pitiful. Hajime had no choice but to tend to their injuries.
After sailing for several hours at sea——
"Ah! Hajime-san! I see it! It's a town! Finally, somewhere with people!"
"Hmm? Oh, it really is in the middle of the ocean."
Shia excitedly pointed in the direction of [Enishen]. Hajime looked in her direction and indeed saw a huge town floating on the sea.
Hajime steered the submarine toward a spot with numerous docks. Seeing the unfamiliar ship, the sea people and the tourists and traders opened their eyes wide in surprise, but Hajime ignored them and simply moored the submarine where there was space.
As the submarine approached the town, the Sea People saw dozens of their compatriots lying unconscious on the submarine's shelves and immediately started a loud commotion.
"Hey, please explain it to them. If things get any more complicated, it will delay my reunion with Myuu."
“I, I know!”
Hearing Shi's admonition, the young man, perhaps remembering the series of slaps just now, nodded in agreement with trembling hands.
Fully armed human soldiers and seamen approached from behind the crowd to check on the situation. The young man approached them upon seeing them. Hajime, eager to return to Ankaji and reunite with Kaori and the others, anxiously muttered, "Hurry up and decide on a companion!" as he watched the young man converse with the man who looked like the captain.
But Hajime's wish for a peaceful resolution didn't seem so easy to achieve. Soldiers pushed aside the panicked young man and approached them. Since they were on a narrow pier, Hajime and the others had nowhere to escape and were immediately surrounded.
"Just stay still. I'm going to arrest you until I can determine the truth of this matter."
"Hey, didn't you hear what he said?"
"Of course I've heard of it, but we can just send someone to confirm it. There's no need for you to go."
The other party's attitude and words were very tough. Although Hajime was furious, he reminded himself that this was Myuu's hometown and tried to control his emotions.
"Well, we have companions waiting for us. We really want to go to Ankaji right away, but you're still so kind as to send back those who attacked us due to a misunderstanding, right?"
"Who knows if this is truly a misunderstanding... If the kidnapped child isn't in Ankaji, then you're operating an unidentified vessel, acting suspiciously within Enison's jurisdiction. There's no guarantee you won't escape along the way, right?"
"When are you going to escape? If we really want to escape, we can do so after we've wiped out all these guys."
"We will also investigate this matter. It is true that you entered the jurisdiction without permission and attacked the members of the Self-Defense Force who discovered you. Therefore, we cannot let you go easily."
"Are these guys coming at us with murderous intent without any explanation? Or do you want us to just sit back and let them chop off our limbs? ...Don't go too far, please."
Shi showed a sharp look, and the man who was questioning him could not help but frown when he felt the heavy atmosphere coming from Shi.
The emblem on his chest bore the image of the Kingdom of Heilig, suggesting he was the captain of a garrison sent by the nation for protection. Therefore, even if Hajime wasn't exerting his full power, he would likely be able to withstand it. Meanwhile, the Sea People, presumably part of the vigilante group, seemed intimidated by Hajime's aura but didn't seem to be retreating.
As far as Hajime was concerned, this was Myuu's hometown, and they still didn't know the exact location of one of the Great Labyrinths—the [Melkinen Undersea Ruins]. Considering that this would likely take time to explore and become a base, Hajime honestly didn't want to cause trouble here.
Myuu was indeed in Ankaji, and as long as they went to confirm it, their doubts would be resolved, and Hajime was also very clear about this.
However, Hajime was reflexively hostile to the unreasonableness of this world. Before climbing out of that abyss, he had vowed never to back down, so he couldn't easily agree to unreasonable demands.
The situation is on the verge of breaking out.
As the tension grew, Hajime told himself that this was for Myuu, suppressing his inner hostility and preparing to give in—
"Hmm? There seems to be something..."
Shia's rabbit ears wiggled as she looked up at the sky.
Hajime fixed his gaze on the captain-class man and asked Shia what happened, but before Shia could answer, he could already vaguely sense the sound and presence.
"——!"
"Huh? What?"
"--dad!"
“Hey, is that true!?”
“—Dad~!!”
Hajime hurriedly looked up at the sky and saw a tiny human figure falling from a distant height!
The figure with a smile on his face and arms outstretched, falling freely, is...
"Myuu!?"
Yes, it was Miu. Miu was skydiving! But without a parachute!
Looking closely, she saw Tio in black dragon form frantically flying down from behind her, and sitting on Tio's back was Kaori, who looked anxious.
As soon as Hajime saw that the falling figure was Myuu, he immediately activated "Aero" and "Shrinking the Earth" and jumped up from where he was.
The impact of the jump crushed the pier, and the soldiers screamed and fell into the sea, but Hajime ignored them.
He leaped over a hundred meters in one breath, then used his 'Aerodynamics' to leap towards the spot where Myuu had fallen, activating 'Instant Light'. In this slow world, Hajime firmly caught Myuu in his arms, controlling his speed with incredible skill, completely dissipating any impact as he fell.
Hajime hugged Myuu tightly, and used his "Aerodynamics" to repeatedly leap back to the ground, his heart sweating like a waterfall.
"dad!"
Myuu had no idea of Hajime's nervousness. She smiled broadly and nuzzled Hajime's chest. She must have heard Tio mention that Hajime was right below her when they were in the air.
Then, whether by accident or on purpose, Myuu fell towards Hajime. Seeing that smile on her face as she fell, she had no doubt that Hajime would catch her.
Even so, she was still able to smile while free-falling. Such courage was truly extraordinary. Hajime internally complained, "How could a four-year-old be so brave!" He frowned, thinking about scolding her when he got to the ground.
"Woo, woo, woo."
Near the dilapidated pier, the sobbing of a young girl could be heard. Although many onlookers and soldiers were gathered around, the scene was not noisy at all, but rather inexplicably silent.
The reasons were, of course, that the sea-people girl, who was supposed to be abducted, fell from the sky; that the boy, who was supposed to be human, leaped into the air and caught her; and then the black dragon, with the girl on its back, descended from the sky. But the biggest reason was definitely that the boy had harshly scolded the sea-people girl. No, to be more precise, the girl had been calling the boy who had scolded her a certain name since a while ago. That was the real reason.
"Wow, Dad, I'm sorry..."
"Promise me you won't do anything dangerous like that again, okay?"
"Yes, I promise."
"Okay, it's okay. Come on, come here."
"Dad~!"
Hajime knelt on one knee, giving his young son earnest instructions; Myuu was reprimanded, crying and sincerely reflecting on her sins, and after being forgiven, she threw herself into Hajime's arms... They looked like ordinary father and daughter, just as Myuu kept calling him "Dad".
The young child of the Sea People was supposedly abducted, but she wasn't just 'close' to the human boy, she even treated him as a father. And Hajime also accepted his fatherhood, treating Myuu like a daughter. Everyone was speechless, wondering what was going on, and they all had the same question in their hearts.
That question is——"What on earth is going on?"
Shi picked up Myuu and patted her back to comfort her. Only then did the people around him come to their senses and started to stir.
When Hajime ignored the confused noises around him and was trying to comfort Myuu, someone suddenly hugged him from behind...
Hajime turned around and saw Kaori resting her forehead on Hajime's shoulder, trembling slightly.
"That's great... That's really great~ woooo."
This time, it was Kaori's turn to cry. Even though she acted strong, she was probably terribly worried. Even though she believed Hajime was still alive, that didn't mean she wasn't worried. She must have been devastated to see Hajime disappear again after just a few days of reuniting.
"I'm sorry to have worried you. As you can see, I'm perfectly healthy, so...don't cry. It would bother me if you cried, Kaori."
“Wu, wu, then let me lean in a little further…”
Hajime showed an embarrassed expression, put his hands behind his back, and touched Kaori's head. Perhaps because of the tears, Kaori buried her face in Hajime's shoulder to avoid being seen, and put her hands around Hajime's abdomen from behind, hugging her tightly.
"Hey, you! What the hell is going on? Explain it to me!"
"Hmm? Sorry."
At this moment, the captain, who had just fallen into the sea due to the impact of Hajime's jump, was dripping with water all over his body and questioned Hajime in an ignorant manner.
However, Tio jogged towards Hajime from behind (the dragon transformation had been lifted upon landing), and the captain was bumped by her and fell into the sea again.
But Tio didn't pay much attention to him. She moved closer to Hajime and pressed his head between her breasts.
"Huh!? Hey, Tio."
"I believe in you, Master. I have always believed in you... But if we meet again, I will still be... Master, please give me some time."
Hajime poked his face slightly from between her breasts and looked at her. Her expression was as if she was experiencing the feeling of holding something precious in her arms, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Since she was relying on Tio for everything this time, she was quite forced to do so. Hajime couldn't refuse and decided to do as she pleased.
At this moment, Myuu also shouted "Myuu wants a hug too~" and hugged Hajime's neck; Yue also came to Hajime without knowing when, and hugged the shoulder on the side opposite to Kaori from the side.
As everyone looked around, there was a man who was entangled by beautiful young girls, beautiful young girls and beautiful women, to the point where his body could not be seen.
The surrounding gazes gradually shifted from confusion to warmth. The Sea People's Self-Defense Force and human soldiers, who had been filled with murderous intent, seemed to realize it was a false alarm and lowered their weapons. Some of the men even gripped their weapons tightly again, emitting a murderous aura unlike any before.
"You guys... once wasn't enough, you actually pushed me into the sea a second time... you want me to arrest you for obstructing public service?!"
The captain climbed out of the sea again, with an angry look on his face, glaring at Shi and the others fiercely, weapons in his hands, as if he was ready to pounce at any time.
Basically, after seeing the kidnapped Myuu being unusually close to Hajime, he seemed to think that Hajime was unlikely to be the kidnapper. Even so, there were still many things he couldn't understand, so he wanted to take Hajime back for investigation.
Since Ilva, the guild branch leader of the [neutral commercial city of Fren], had officially entrusted Shi to escort Myuu, Shi had originally intended to explain the situation, but he was troubled by the fact that he didn't have the item that served as proof on him. But now he has that proof in his hand.
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