"Miss Shia... I'm so envious, so jealous..."
The order of those who spoke was Kaori, Shizuku, Suzu, and for some reason, Eltina as well.
At this time, Xia finally realized that there were many people around her. Her cheeks blushed and she covered her face with her hands.
But compared to shame, she found it more difficult to suppress the joy in her heart. The swinging of her rabbit ears and the turning of her rabbit tail clearly showed her mood.
Meanwhile, Kouki stared at Hajime and murmured:
“…If it’s for his companions, he’ll certainly fight…”
Kouki's tone seemed to be suppressing his emotions, perhaps even expressing impatience. Ryutaro scratched his head, unsure of what was wrong with his friend.
Just at this moment, Yio just came back. It seemed that the Haolia tribe was ready and acted very quickly.
Hajime and his group left the forest under the farewell of Elfrelic, Eltina and others, and together with the Hauriya tribe, they once again drove Fornil to the imperial capital.
Volume 7, Chapter 2: The Cry of Rebellion
clutter.
If you were asked what the capital of the Horusha Empire is like, there are probably only these two words that can describe it.
In addition to simple buildings that seem to have been built with a thorough focus on practicality, there are also strange buildings that seem to have been continuously added to later.
The streets are big and small, as if urban planning is not taken seriously at all, and there are entrances leading to alleys everywhere.
The atmosphere was like that of the [Inn City of Holyard], and one could feel the tension brewing from someone challenging the [Great Labyrinth of Orcus]. Even the shop owners treated customers very rudely, with no regard for customers at all.
However, this place is by no means a dark and desolate place. In fact, it's a bustling city full of freedom, where everyone can do what they want. Perhaps the creed of the people of the Imperial Capital is "No matter what happens, you must take responsibility for yourself, and as long as you can take responsibility, go for it!"
The [Horusha Empire] is a newly emerged nation founded by mercenary groups active in the war hundreds of years ago. It is also a military nation that advocates the supremacy of strength.
The people of the Imperial Capital primarily rely on fighting for their livelihoods, their personalities being either heroic at best or barbaric at worst. The Imperial Capital boasts the continent's largest fighting arena, hosting numerous events each year, bringing excitement and vitality to the city.
“Hey, you—whoa!?”
After Hajime and his companions entered the imperial capital, they were undoubtedly conspicuous by the sight of beautiful women and girls. They frequently encountered people trying to strike up a conversation, only to be dismissed without a word by Hajime, and this had happened several times.
Just now, a man came over with a smile, but was forced by Shi to turn three times in the air and kiss the ground intimately.
However, the people around him seemed unfazed by the violence, completely turning a blind eye. This level of "fighting" was probably commonplace.
"Wow, I've heard the rumors before... but I still hate the Empire."
"Well, this place doesn't really suit me either. Luckily, we were summoned to the Royal Capital."
"It's a military state after all. While it's well-equipped, most of its residents are skilled warriors. Such a barbaric atmosphere is only natural. Although I have absolutely no desire to live here."
It seems that Xia and the others don't like the Empire. Although Yue said nothing, she nodded in agreement.
Kouki and Ryuutarou didn't seem that disgusted. Shizuku increased her vigilance, and Suzu followed Shizuku closely with some fear, refusing to leave.
This country is indeed not popular among women.
Having said that, Guanghui and Ryutaro didn't like this place either. Seeing the unusual scenes that were too stimulating for the Japanese, they couldn't help but frown.
That was a sight that she would never see in the Kingdom, and it was what caused Shia's heartache—the slaves.
"Shia, stop looking...it won't do anything, right?"
“…Yes, you’re right.”
The tragic plight of his fellow tribesmen inevitably came into view. The sight of demihuman children being locked in cages with prices attached was truly horrific.
The empire pursued the principle of making the best use of resources, so the slave trade was very prosperous. Even if you didn't want to see it, there were slave traders everywhere and many people brought slaves with them.
"...Shia, are you okay?"
Yue held Shia's hand worriedly, and Hajime pinched Shia's cheek, awkwardly expressing his concern.
Shia's bunny ears twitched happily as she felt the warmth of their white hands and cheeks.
"...It's unforgivable. We're all human beings... yet you treat others like slaves."
Kouki, who was walking behind Hajime and the others, gnashed his teeth angrily.
In the Kingdom of Heilig, the Holy Church holds great influence, and discrimination against demihumans is also quite strong. Customs frown upon the presence of demihuman slaves, so Guanghui and the others never had the opportunity to see demihuman slaves in the kingdom, which must have infuriated them even more.
That being said, if Guanghui really takes action, it will be troublesome...
Hajime mentally swore that if the situation ever came to that, he would immediately pretend he didn't know Kouki.
However, since Shizuku, who was born to work hard, can stop it, there's no need to worry.
I guess... I don't need to worry.
Hajime looked at Shizuku, who quickly noticed his gaze and met his. Trying his best to conceal it from the others, Hajime quietly pointed at Kouki.
Shizuku, who was able to see the big picture from the small details, understood what Hajime meant just by doing this.
Shizuku's lips twitched slightly, and she sighed and nodded slightly. She walked over to Guanghui and said something. Guanghui had a distressed look on his face, but still nodded reluctantly in agreement.
Shizuku patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Hajime looked at her and gave her a wry smile, but Shizuku glared at her fiercely. Hajime pretended not to see it.
Perhaps hoping to change the delicate atmosphere, Kaori recalled the bizarre incident that occurred in the kingdom and spoke:
"So, His Majesty the Emperor has proposed to Shizuku-chan, right?"
"...Now that you mention it, it seems like that did happen."
Shizuku frowned as if remembering something she didn't want to recall.
The cold gaze that had been fixed on Hajime now shifted to her friend. Shizuku's eyes were like a complaint, "You're bringing up something irrelevant." Kaori quickly apologized with a look.
Yue and the other female members looked at Shizuku with malicious smiles on their faces. Kouki's expression was bitter, and Shizuku's expression was equally bitter. Generally speaking, this could be considered a story of a sparrow turning into a phoenix, but as a woman, Shizuku didn't seem happy at all.
It seems that not only the country, but also Emperor Gaharud himself is annoying.
"Let's not talk about that. Nagumo-kun, where exactly are we going?"
In order to avoid the female member who seemed to be about to ask for details right away, Shizuku turned the topic over to Hajime.
Hajime only said that he wanted to confirm whether Shia's father and others were safe, but he did not specify the specific course of action.
"Anyway, let's go to the Adventurer's Guild first. By leveraging the positions of adventurers like Jin, we can easily obtain most of the information."
"...Nagumo-san, do you think they've been captured?"
"That's not certain. They could be imprisoned, sold into slavery... or even hiding somewhere. The security in the imperial capital isn't exactly tight, but it's still at an unusual level, right? It's possible they can get in but can't get out..."
As Hajime said, the security in the imperial capital was excessive.
People would be searched one by one at the city gate, and the imperial soldiers on the outer wall were not patrolling, but standing guard, closely monitoring whether there were any suspicious people.
Even within the city, imperial soldiers patrolled everywhere in groups of at least three, not only patrolling the streets but also going into the alleys to check.
The reason is probably because of the attacks by demons and monsters in the past, and the imperial capital is still under strict security.
Because the imperial capital is heavily guarded, Palu and others have had to work very hard to invade, and are still waiting for an opportunity to act.
Of course, non-slave rabbits could not enter the imperial capital, and even if they disguised themselves as slaves, there was a limit to their numbers. Therefore, in order to avoid attracting attention, the Hauriya reinforcements brought by Hauriya were now lurking in a rocky area a little way away from the imperial capital.
On the contrary, how did Cam and the others manage to intrude in such a state? It was truly incredible.
However, although Hajime said "I don't know", he actually thought they were most likely captured.
Hauriya and the other rabbit-men are among the best demi-humans at aura manipulation, and Kam and the others have undergone rigorous training. Even with the strict control of entry and exit in the imperial capital, they should have a way to transmit information outside the city. However, the fact that they can't even send a message means they are highly likely to be captured and currently unable to move freely.
Hajime certainly didn't think the Adventurer's Guild had any clear information, but he might have heard some information or rumors about the incident.
Shia looked uneasy, and Hajime reached out and kneaded her cheek again. Shia looked happy, but a trace of unease still lingered on her face. Hajime said to her half-jokingly:
"Even if they're caught, rabbits as rare and unique as these won't be so easily punished. The Empire will definitely take the time to investigate. If they're caught, all we have to do is rescue them. Don't worry, Shia. If anything goes wrong, we'll rescue them, even if it means burning the Imperial Capital to ashes."
"...Well, leave it to me, Shia. I'll burn it until not a single ashes remains."
"Mr. Hajime, Ms. Yue..."
Since leaving the Abyss, Hajime and Yue quickly befriended Shia, and their bond grew stronger throughout their journey. Their mutual concern for one another was truly heartwarming...
"No, no, no, you can't turn into ashes, right? You don't look at me smiling, but you must be joking, right? Please, call it a joke!"
Shizuku, born to a life of toil, turned pale and corrected them. Bonds were beautiful, but hearing them declare their intention to kill the tens of thousands of residents before her, Shizuku couldn't just ignore it.
Kaori placed her hand on Shizuku's shoulder, shook her head with a sad expression.
"Shizuku-chan, the imperial capital has already..."
"Kaori, have you given up yet? You're a healer, right? You couldn't just sit back and do nothing, so you were healing people all over Feyalbergen not long ago! Why are you giving up so soon?!"
Does Kaori really dislike the imperial capital that much...?
I thought my best friend would only show her pathological side when she was with the boy she liked... Maybe the rare therapist should heal her own heart first.
They were walking down the street towards the Adventurer's Guild, making jokes that didn't quite sound like a joke.
Soon, the street scene ahead suddenly began to change.
Buildings collapsed everywhere, and rubble was scattered all over the ground.
According to rumors heard on the road, the duel monsters managed by the arena suddenly mutated and transformed into powerful and huge monsters that have never been seen before, causing widespread destruction.
A gigantic monster (said to be thirty meters long) suddenly appeared in the city center. The empire failed to react in time and was ravaged by the monster.
The demon even took advantage of this opportunity to kill Gaharud in one fell swoop.
As the head of the empire, His Majesty the Emperor is the "strongest man in the empire", so the demons failed to kill Gaharud and were killed instead.
Under the Emperor's personal command, the Empire successfully defeated the monsters, but...
Starting from the Colosseum, all buildings within a radius of 100 meters were destroyed, and the damage seemed to be very serious.
In the rubble-filled areas, large numbers of subhuman slaves were forced to carry out reconstruction work.
The Adventurer's Guild was located behind a severely damaged area, and they had to pass through it even if they didn't want to, so they naturally witnessed the tragic plight of the demihuman slaves.
Under the watchful eyes and scolding of fully-armed imperial soldiers, they carried rubble with gloomy expressions on their faces. The scene could only be described as tragic.
The imperial capital suffered damage to life and property, and the demihumans seemed to be the most innocent ones implicated.
If demihumans were enslaved for post-disaster reconstruction, even with superior physical abilities, some would surely collapse one after another.
The Empire's attack on the Sea of Trees was based on the belief that capturing new slaves would be quicker than waiting for those who had fallen ill to recover. This thinking underscores the Empire's values of not treating demihumans as human beings. Perhaps it also reflects a value system based on the supremacy of strength and discrimination against the "weak."
At this moment, not far from Hajime and the others, a boy about ten years old with dog ears and a dog tail fell down and dumped all the rubble out of the cart.
Perhaps he hit his foot, the boy squatted on the ground and endured the pain. The imperial soldier in charge of surveillance showed a fierce look and walked over with a stick in his hand. Everyone could see what he was going to do.
And here was a righteous man who could not sit idly by and watch the atrocities happen.
“Hey! Stop it—”
In order to stop the imperial soldiers, Guanghui shouted loudly and prepared to rush forward.
His actions were interrupted by what happened the next moment.
There was a slight whooshing sound, as if a tire was leaking, and the imperial soldier fell face first into the rubble.
A very painful sound was heard, and the imperial soldier did not move, seemingly fainting.
Another Imperial soldier rushed over, took in his colleague's condition, and shook his head helplessly. He seemed troubled by the constant bleeding from his colleague's nose, but despite his reluctance, he carried him to another location, not having time to talk to the dog-eared boy.
The dog-eared boy didn't understand what was happening and was stunned for a moment. But he immediately came to his senses, stood up immediately, quickly gathered up the rubble he had dumped, and started carrying the rubble again as if nothing had happened.
Guanghui, who was about to rush forward, was also stunned.
At this time, Hajime said to Guanghui:
"It's fine if you want to cause trouble, but before you act, can you please think about it and decide whether to do it without leaving any traces or something? In the end, please don't cause any trouble for us, okay?"
“!… Was it Nagumo who attacked just now?”
Guanghui confirmed with Hajime, who nodded wordlessly in affirmation.
In reality, Hajime shoots a needle from his prosthetic hand, causing the imperial soldier to fall.
Putting aside the fact that Hajime had rescued the person before him, Kouki couldn't help but frown when he heard the word "troublemaking". It seemed that his inner justice mode had been activated.
"What do you mean by asking for trouble... Is helping others a bad thing? Didn't you help them too?"
"To be precise, I intervened to prevent you from causing trouble. If you confront the Imperial soldiers in a place like this, their allies will surely pour in, turning into a riot. We're here to look for someone, so please refrain from causing unnecessary disturbances."
Shi reminded them again that if they wanted to rescue him, they should do it secretly, or don't let Shi and the others get implicated.
Hajime then waved his hand, ending the conversation, and continued on his way. However, Kouki, completely fuming, completely forgot his original goal of finding Shia's family and instead argued with Hajime, citing the values of ethics and justice.
"You see those demihumans, don't you feel anything? Look! They're still suffering while we're talking!"
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