"Yes, sir!! Oh, sorry, Boss. I want to contact our comrades hiding near the Imperial Capital. Can I leave the team midway?"

The place where Shi and the others were now was quite close to the imperial capital. Since the carriages transporting the demihuman slaves were in such a place, it meant that these demihumans were not transported from the Shuhai to the imperial capital, but were on their way from the imperial capital to other places.

In other words, after Palu and his companions went to the imperial capital to gather intelligence, they learned about the slave transportation and chased after and intercepted the carriage.

After figuring out the reason, Shi agreed to his request.

"Okay, since I'm planning to send some people to the Imperial Capital, I'll let you all disembark together near the Imperial Capital."

"Thank you, Boss! Hey, you guys! Boss said he'd take you to the sea of ​​trees! Thank him right now! Alright, follow me! Anyone who doesn't want to go home can stay!"

The ten-year-old rabbit-eared boy's roar caused the demihumans, including the adults, to tremble in fear.

Having said that, they couldn't help but feel excited when they heard that they could go home, despite their fear and anxiety.

Led by Palu and others, the demihumans moved forward fearfully.

Seeing this, Hajime and the others also walked back to Fornil.

At that moment, a lovely cry came from near Hajime. It seemed that Eltina had tripped because of the shackles.

In a panic, she reached out to grab the back of a nearby person——Hashi.

However, Hajime seemed to have eyes on his back and instantly moved aside to avoid it.

Bang! A painful sound echoed. Eltina let out a small, unnatural cry of pain, "Hooa ...

The demihumans gasped, staring blankly at Eltina's awful appearance. Some rushed to help her up, but the sight of Hajime frightened them so much they couldn't move.

"Um?"

At this time, he turned around and saw a young girl lying on the ground. She was shaking, not knowing whether it was from pain or shame.

It seemed that Shi was not avoiding it intentionally, but rather was keenly aware of the approaching presence and dodged unconsciously.

After realizing the situation, Hajime hurriedly helped Eltina up—

"If you don't get up and get on board quickly, I'll do as Palu said and keep you here, okay?"

No wonder, Hajime even ruthlessly added insult to injury.

The monster of the abyss—Nangumo Hajime.

As Eltina had said, he was a man who treated everyone equally. However, he treated everyone equally, not just racially, but also genders. The only exception was probably children.

Having said that, his values ​​are certainly not something that everyone will agree with.

“…Um, Hajime-kun, I’m glad you’re not being gentle to her just because she’s a woman, but…”

Kaori showed a very complicated expression.

"Mr. Hajime, I think you could be a little more gentle."

Shia gave a wry smile.

"Wow, Nagumo-san is really ruthless to everyone except Yue-sama and the others... No one is exempt from this."

“Nagumo-san…”

Suzu's expression looked a bit fearful, while Shizuku glared at him.

"Nagumo, as a man, that's wrong."

"I can't blame you for your body unconsciously avoiding her, but shouldn't you at least ask if she's hurt?"

Even the male members disagreed.

Looking closely, not only Liliana and the others, but even the people of the Kingdom who had discriminatory views against demihumans frowned at Hajime.

"Yue, is this my fault?"

When you encounter difficulties, you should ask your lover for help, Hajime asked with a twitching eye.

Yue's answer was...

"...Hmm? I don't know what's wrong, but you were like that back then, Shia."

"That's true! If Eltina-san is treated so kindly at this moment, where would I stand?"

Shia's bunny ears twitched in approval of Hajime's actions, but everyone looked at her with sympathy.

There was another person who also escorted Hajime.

"That's right! This is what a master should be! Speaking of which, master..."

Tio hurried over, as if she had thought of something, and fell down at Hajime's feet.

Eltina probably missed the opportunity to get up and remained lying on the ground. Tio stole a glance at Hajime from beside her.

"You, you can trample on me?"

She blushed as she spoke, causing Eltina beside her to shudder.

The demihumans, Liliana, the Royal Guards, and Glory all watched this scene with wide eyes!

"..."

I began to shudder.

The beautiful girl and the beautiful woman were lying at his feet. What was going on? Didn't this make him look like a sadist?

Tio's expectant look made Hajime feel uncomfortable.

Hajime ignored Tio and walked over to Eltina without saying a word, helping her to her feet.

“Um, um…”

Although Hajime's movements were like those of a kitten, he did help her to her feet. Eltina wanted to thank him. The surrounding demihumans were in a commotion at the human's unexpected actions.

"H-How could this happen!? The boss actually helped her up!? None of us were treated like that!"

"Damn Eltina!"

Hearing the resentful voice of the Hauriya people, Eltina's body trembled again.

"I helped her up to save trouble, but then another problem arose... I might as well just blow everyone away..."

Although it was just a whisper, the words echoed in the canyon.

Liliana, Ling, and the others had been watching Hajime's actions with amusement, while Kouki and the others nodded in approval with satisfaction. Now, upon hearing Hajime's words, their faces paled.

A few people looked up at the sky to guard against the attack. When they heard that Hajime was going to blow them all away, the image that flashed through their minds was the beam of light that fell from the sky.

Hajime sighed and knelt on one knee at Eltina's feet.

"Mr. Nanyun?"

"Be good and don't move."

Eltina was flustered by Hajime's sudden kneeling, but her next move only made her even more flustered. Hajime touched her feet. More accurately, he touched her shackles, but Eltina still shuddered. Shocked, her body remained frozen, but her gaze darted around.

Of course, Eltina had never been knelt upon by a human man. Furthermore, she was a pampered young lady, and even among her own race, she had never been touched by anyone other than her family, so this reaction was perfectly normal.

Eltina, unsure of what Hajime was going to do to her, was deeply shaken, but then her eyes widened in surprise. She saw a red glow of magical power, and the shackles immediately opened.

"...Since it's for demihumans without magical powers, it's not a magic-blocking shackle. It's just ordinary metal, but the material used is extra hard to resist brute force... But it's not worth recycling..."

Hajime stood up while analyzing the material. This time, he held Eltina's hands.

By this point, Eltina had understood what Hajime was planning, and she calmed down a bit.

Then, seeing the red light shining again, her eyes were deeply attracted and she whispered, "How beautiful..."

Perhaps it was because Hajime's magic power had become more refined recently, and the brilliance was brighter than before.

Finally, Hajime touched Eltina's neck, where she wore a slave collar.

Seeing Hajime's serious look and stroking her neck with her hand, Eltina's cheeks flushed for some reason.

After easily untying the collar, Hajime glanced at the people around him, as if to say, "Is this enough for you to say? If you have any more opinions, I'll kick you out." He used his eyes to force them to shut up.

Sweeping his gaze, female members like Kaori, male members like Kouki, and people from the kingdom like Liliana all turned their heads away.

Hajime sighed softly, staring at Eltina's shackles. He then activated a transformation spell, reworking the shackles into several keys.

Then toss the completed keychain to Palu.

"With so many shackles, the keys must all be the same, so they should all open with the same key. It would be troublesome if people misunderstood me as having a large number of demihuman slaves, so you should help them open them."

"Yes, sir!! Thank you for your trouble!"

Palu saluted Hajime, who nodded once and then turned and left as if nothing had happened.

Light led the way, and Kaori, Shia, and Tio followed Hajime away with proud smiles on their faces. Shizuku, Liliana, and the others looked as if they were looking at something dazzling, while Kouki had an indescribably complex expression.

Eltina and the others also stared at Hajime's back, as if they were looking at someone very strange.

After a while, after removing the shackles and taking in all the demihumans, Fornil once again resumed his journey into the sky.

Adults were constantly terrified by airships, vehicles that soar through the sky. Many felt like half-empty shells. However, despite their different races, children seemed universally active and lively. Especially on the decks with the best views, the children's cheers echoed loudly, creating a lively atmosphere.

The gloomy expressions they had when they were captured by the Empire had disappeared, and the children's faces were filled with smiles that could be seen in [Feyabergen].

As Eltina watched the children, a Sylvan woman who had been captured along with her and was serving as her personal maid whispered to her:

"...Miss Eltina, will he really let us go?"

There was a mixture of anxiety and anticipation in her tone.

Eltina looked at the children and replied:

"He's just like Grandpa said, he has no prejudice against demihumans—no, to be more precise, 'no interest.' As long as it's not too much trouble, he will not only save us but also let us ride on this amazing artifact. He even allows us to move freely on it."

"That's true... but he's human, you know? He even beat one of the elders, the chief of the Ursine tribe—Master Jin—so badly that he was bedridden. Maybe..."

The maid expressed a deep distrust of humans, and Eltina shook her head as if to stop her.

"No matter what, we are powerless to resist and can only leave our fate to him. If the situation goes wrong, even if it means sacrificing myself, I will not hesitate."

"Miss Eltina..."

Seeing this astonishing structure beneath her feet, the maid couldn't help but admit that her fate was indeed in the hands of others. At the same time, she held a deep respect for Eltina, who had such a tragic realization.

"B-By the way, do men want to...trample on women?"

"What?"

"I've never been stepped on by a man before, and I have no idea how to be stepped on. Do you have any experience?"

"How could that be possible!"

The maid replied indifferently without any respect.

Eltina blushed slightly and said:

"If possible, I hope he can be a little gentler the first time..."

"When he tramples on women, he's nothing but scum! Miss Eltina, please wake up! Why does it take being trampled on as a prerequisite?!"

"What should I do? What should I do? Just to be on the safe side, I should probably learn from that beautiful black-haired woman how to get stepped on..."

“Please cheer up! That’s a path you absolutely cannot take, Miss Eltina! Why are you blushing and worrying about something like this!? Master Elfrelic! Please save your granddaughter! She’s going insane!”

Amid the children's laughter, there were the cries of the maids who were worried about the future of the Forest Princess.

At the same time, Hajime and the others gathered on the bridge, listening to Palu and the others explain the series of events.

"So why did you leave the forest and come to a place like this? With Ælfrelic's granddaughter being kidnapped, it seems the Empire's clutches have reached Feyalbergen, right?"

"Yes, Boss."

Palu answered with his head held high.

He told me that this squad was the Barudo-Ferudo Squad, and their leader was Barudo-Palu. He was chosen for his undeniable command and courage, seemingly unmatched by a ten-year-old. Furthermore, his sniper position allowed him to observe and analyze the situation from behind.

"Is what you said... true? How did the Empire break through the thick fog of the sea of ​​trees?"

Liliana couldn't help but blurt out.

What surfaced on that beautiful, still childish face was simple doubt and the fear that the Empire had gained new power, hidden from the Kingdom, and that a situation would spiral out of control.

Palu just glanced at Liliana, then looked at Hajime for instructions.

Seeing that Palu did not answer the princess's question, the guard knight exuded a murderous aura.

However, even with the murderous intent looming, Palu remained calm, not caring about the Royal Guard Knights at all, and simply waited for Hajime's answer.

"Princess, I'll be the one to question you. If you casually interact with demihumans, the people around you will be dissatisfied."

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