Only two gunshots were heard, one hitting Ryutaro's head and the other ricocheting off into Ling's buttocks. The rubber bullets had no lethality, but they did pack a punch.
"Gua ...
"Who are you calling a chuunibaku? I'm going to shoot you."
Everyone thought, "You've already shot," but no one said it out loud.
Ignoring the two struggling in pain, Hajime returned his gaze to the crystal screen.
The Hauriya people, shown on the crystal screen, looked at the headless ambush with astonishment. However, they soon followed the trajectory of the missile and spotted Fornil flying in the sky.
Generally speaking, people would be wary of flying objects of unknown origin and guard against attacks from the air, but the next moment... they all showed joy on their faces.
A young man, carrying a crossbow, jumped out from behind a rock, grinning triumphantly and saluting wildly.
They seemed to realize who was emitting the flash of light.
That was perhaps only natural. After all, "Red Flash" was synonymous with their beloved boss.
The other members of the Haolia tribe also followed the boy's example and saluted in unison.
Seeing the close-up of the Hauriya tribe saluting on the crystal screen, everyone's eyes were once again focused on Shi, and this time their eyes were somewhat helpless.
Liliana and the others looked at each other with silent questions. What on earth had Hajime done to make the Bunnymen, who were known for their kindness and gentleness, become like that?
“Mr. Hajime, Mr. Hajime, let’s land quickly. They’re actually doing this outside the tree sea… Are they messing around again…?”
Shia urged Hajime to land.
Judging from the situation, the Hauriya tribe had clearly made a plan in advance to launch an attack on the imperial army's transport troops.
It seems that Xia is worried that her family will become obsessed with fighting again and do something reckless, so she even leaves the forest to kill the imperial soldiers.
"From what I've seen, I don't think things are what you're worried about."
Having said that, Hajime was also concerned about the reason why they were killing people in such a place. In addition, Shiya looked worried, so Hajime hurriedly ordered Fornil to land.
After landing in the valley, Hajime and the others walked down from Fornir. They were greeted by six neatly arranged, fierce-looking Hauriyas, and numerous demihumans who stared at them in fear.
The group numbered nearly a hundred demihumans. Besides the Bunnymen, there were also many Foxmen, Dogmen, Catmen, and Forestmen girls. All wore metal shackles around their hands, feet, and necks. As Liliana had guessed, the transport wagons were used to transport demihuman slaves.
"Kaoru-chan, Shizuku-chan, Suzu, you've seen the expressions those demihumans have right now. They're the same expressions Earthlings make when they see aliens exiting spaceships in movies and other media."
"Huh? Xiaoling, are you saying we are aliens?"
"...It's like the reaction you get when you encounter an unknown entity."
Ling had an indescribable expression on her face, while Kaori blinked in surprise.
Shizuku thought to herself, "Kaori is probably the one who looks most like an alien among us," but she didn't say it out loud.
Yue also shared this otherworldly beauty, but with her silver hair, Kaori had a distinctly alien feel. If it weren't for the knight-looking bodyguard and the bunnyman Shia, the demihumans' attention would probably have been focused on Kaori.
When the demihumans encountered an unknown existence, filled with eight parts astonishment and two parts vigilance, and were in a state of panic, the young man carrying a crossbow ran over bravely, stood at attention in front of Shiji, and saluted with spirited spirit.
"Long time no see! Boss! I've been looking forward to seeing you again! I never thought you'd show up on something like this... Bardo Feldo, the one who must be destroyed, once again admires you! Thank you for your help just now!"
"It's been a while. Judging from your skills just now, I might have been a bit too nosy. Even if you're attacked by magic now, you should be able to handle it, right? Your fighting skills have improved a lot."
Hearing Hajime's words with a smile, Lana, Mina, and the three men followed the example of the bunny-eared boy—the ten-year-old Palu, the self-proclaimed nemesis of Bardo Feldo—and saluted Hajime, their eyes moistening as they seemed deeply moved.
Then they all stamped their heels on the ground, put their legs together, and shouted in unison:
““““““Thank you for the compliment, Sir!!”””””””
The moving voices of the holias echoed in the valley.
Although receiving praise from their beloved boss brings tears to their eyes, they will never let the tears flow.
Because I am the boss's subordinate!
They all looked up at the sky, straining their eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. However, they strained a little too hard, and their eyes began to turn bloodshot, looking horrible.
Hajime, Yue, and Shia were all used to it, but Tio, Kaori, Kouki, Liliana, and the others all backed away in fear.
"Uh, everyone, long time no see! I'm relieved to see you're all well. By the way, where are Father and the others? Are you the only ones here, Palu? And why are you fighting the Imperial soldiers here..."
"Please calm down, Big Sister Shia. You're asking so many questions at once, I can't answer them all. First of all, there are only six of us here right now. A lot has happened, so let's talk about the details later when we find a quiet place to talk... And Big Sister, I'm not Palu, I'm 'Bardo Feldo of Destruction', please don't call me by the wrong name."
"...Huh? You're complaining about that at a time like this? No, I should say why you're still using that name... Lana-san, why don't you talk about him too?"
Seeing that Palu was still the same, Xia rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.
Having said that, they really should change the topic, so Shia didn't continue to ask questions. Instead, she hoped that Lana and Mina would use their older sister's perspective to persuade Palu to change the name of Chuunibyou.
But reality is often unexpected.
"Shia, my name isn't Lana... Please call me 'Lana Infilina of the Swift Shadow'."
"!? Ms. Lana!? What are you talking about…"
Even among the Hauriya people, Lana was considered a steady and reliable eldest sister, but her answer was unexpected, and the muscles on Xia's face twitched uncontrollably.
However, the Haolia tribe's fierce attack did not stop.
Their strength is to launch continuous attacks together.
"I am 'Menasteria of the Hollow'!"
「!?」
"I am 'Aogelius of the Phantom Weapon'!"
「!?」
"I am 'Yorugandar the Climbing Slasher'!"
「!?」
"I am 'Richdebrake of the Kirisame'!"
「!?」
They all had smug expressions on their faces, and each of them stood in a JOJ○ style and said their nicknames.
Shia's expression was filled with despair, and she made a strange "woop" sound.
It seems that there is a trend of giving nicknames (zhongerbi) among the Haolia tribe. Judging from this, it is very likely that everyone in the tribe has one.
By the way, the first two characters of the nickname are their official names.
Seeing her long-lost family, they posed proudly and called out nicknames. This made Shia's soul leave her mouth, and she looked truly pitiful.
Although he felt speechless, for the sake of Shia and the Hauriya tribe, Hajime was ready to give them some advice so that they wouldn't roll on the ground in shame in a few years.
However, at this moment, another stray bullet flew from the mouth of Barudofe——Palu.
"By the way, Boss, which one do you think is better, 'Red Flash Rondo' or 'White Claw's Rush'?"
"……What?"
"That's the boss's nickname. Our clan held a meeting and, after ten days of debate, finally narrowed it down to these two, but we couldn't come to a conclusion on which one to use. Even the mock battles within the clan ended in a draw... so we decided to wait until we meet again and let the boss decide. By the way, I'm from the 'Red Flashing Rondo' faction."
Palu asserted with a sharp look that didn't seem to belong to a ten-year-old.
"Wait, why is it based on the premise that I have a nickname?"
"Boss, I think 'White Claw's Cyclone' is definitely better."
Lana hastily advocated.
"No, listen to me, I..."
"What are you talking about, Lana Infilina of the Shadow? No matter how you think about it, 'Red Flashing Rondo' is more suitable for the boss!"
Mina retorted excitedly with bloodshot eyes.
"Hey, are you guys done yet..."
"That's right! The boss can emit red magic and lightning, leap freely in the air, and wield a variety of weapons. His figure is none other than the 'Red Flashing Rondo'! There's no other choice, so use your common sense!"
Yolu clenched his fists and urged fiercely.
"Stop! Stop that embarrassing explanation—"
"Hey, Yorugundar of the Climbing Slash. According to you, the boss tossed his trademark white hair, grasped powerful weapons like the claws of a beast king, and unleashed a violent storm of attacks. His figure can only be described as a 'whirlwind of white claws'. Why don't you understand? When did you become so confused?"
"Yes, that's what makes the Rondo faction so troublesome."
Yaou and Li Qi shrugged helplessly.
"Woo-boo!"
A strange groaning sound also came out of Hajime's mouth, and something that looked like a soul emerged.
The nickname and the shameful explanation seemed to push the abyss monster's spirit to its limit.
Hajime and Shia share the same suffering, and an energy of unknown origin comes out of their mouths.
A "Puchi!" laugh came from behind.
"Shizuku-chan, stop laughing, chuckle!"
"Rin is smiling too, haha... Is chuunibyou contagious... hehe."
Hajime came to his senses and looked behind him. He saw Shizuku and Suzu's shoulders shaking, trying hard to hold back their laughter... though they couldn't hold it back at all.
The only redemption was the ambiguous smiles that Yue and Kaori gave each other, somewhat confused.
Tio opened her eyes wide, seemingly not understanding the situation.
However, in a sense, what hurt most was the kind smiles of Kouki and Ryuutarou.
Hajime's sense of shame instantly broke through the surface.
Anyway, he first shot Palu and the others who were arguing fiercely with rubber bullets, and then looked at Shizuku and Suzu, who were still smiling slightly and trembling, with a resentful look.
"Yaegashi, since you're always so calm, I'll punish you by forcing you to wear pigtails with ribbons. I'll also film it for the record."
「!?」
"Taniguchi, I'm going to make you five centimeters shorter."
「!?」
Shizuku and Suzu's smiles faltered instantly, a trembling expression on their faces. Even if it was outrageous and unreasonable, as long as Hajime got serious, the two of them would be unable to resist.
And Shi's eyes were extremely serious.
Ling seemed unhappy that they were the only ones suffering, and looked towards Kouki and Ryuutarou, who were both gazing at the sky. Perhaps they too had their own dark pasts, as far as so-called dark histories were concerned. Perhaps this was why she had a different understanding of Hajime than others.
At this moment, a quiet voice was heard.
"Um... can I excuse you for a moment?"
The speaker was a demihuman woman. She avoided the Horiyah people writhing in agony on the ground, ignored Suzu and Shizuku who were fiercely protesting against the injustice, and asked Hajime a question.
Before him was a beautiful girl with ankle-length, dazzling golden curls, emerald green eyes, and a very slender figure. Her long, pointed ears made it clear that she was from the Mori tribe.
Hajime thought her face looked a bit like Ælfrelic, one of the elders of Feyalbergen, and signaled her with his eyes to continue.
"You are Mr. Nagumo Hajime, right?"
"Hmm? That's right..."
Although he was puzzled as to why she knew his name, Hajime still confessed it frankly. The Mori girl rubbed her chest, seeming to be relieved.
The metal shackles on the thin arms made a clanging sound.
She looked very pitiful, especially the shackles on her ankles. Her fair, smooth skin had become red and swollen, probably because her ankles rubbed whenever she walked.
"Then, can I assume you have no intention of enslaving us? I've heard from my grandfather that you have no preferences or dislikes for racial values, treating all equally. You're not someone who would toy with demihumans..."
"Grandfather? Could it be Alfred?"
"Yes, I'm late in introducing myself. I'm the granddaughter of Elfrelic, one of the elders of Feyalbergen. My name is Eltina Habister."
"The elder's granddaughter was captured... Looks like a lot of things really happened."
The elder's granddaughter is equivalent to the princess of the Senren tribe. There should be a set of procedures in advance for the princess's protection and emergency escape routes and methods.
If she didn't have time to use her escape method, or was caught even if she did, it means the situation is very urgent.
Or perhaps something had happened to the tree as well? Hajime felt a tinge of unease, his gaze sharpening. It seemed even more necessary to hear the details from Palu and the others.
Seeing that Palu and the others seemed to have recovered from the impact of the rubber bullet, he began to say to them:
"Hey, bring the demihumans with you and follow us. I'll take you back to the sea of trees."
You'll Also Like
-
An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest
Chapter 860 36 minute ago -
Equipment Printing School Mage
Chapter 478 36 minute ago -
1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll
Chapter 711 36 minute ago -
Ikari Shinji's Harem Comedy Daily Life
Chapter 122 36 minute ago -
Connect to Yuan Tiejue's chat group
Chapter 69 36 minute ago -
As a commander, I will never meet a heavy female ship girl
Chapter 290 36 minute ago -
Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?
Chapter 189 36 minute ago -
This second dimension is too immortal
Chapter 580 36 minute ago -
Terra Succubus Development System, but calm office workers
Chapter 101 36 minute ago -
I'm collecting in the Pokémon world
Chapter 377 36 minute ago