"...Nagumo, did you add something after the hero just now?"
"Sakagami, you're blue, representing calmness and composure. At first, I was hesitant about whether to give you black or blue, but I decided that blue would be better. I think my judgment was correct."
"Oh, oh? I don't quite understand, but since you want to give it to me, I'll take it."
"And then, Taniguchi, you..."
"Pink? I feel a bit embarrassed..."
"It's yellow, the yellow of 'Huh? Is this person here?', the yellow of a personality that easily gets carried away, the epitome of being neither high nor low in every aspect—yellow."
"...Nagumo-san, you don't hate Ling, do you?"
"Finally, Yaegashi...you are..."
"Wait a minute, Nagumo-san, there's only one left... Are you serious?"
"Yaegashi, of course I'm serious. The remaining pink is your color."
"I don't want to! Besides wearing a mask, there are many ways to conceal your identity, right? Wrapping it in cloth will be fine! Nagumo-kun, you must be kidding us!"
Hearing Shizuku's protest, Hajime shrugged helplessly, his attitude as if he was facing a disobedient child, which made Shizuku's cheeks twitch with anger.
"Listen carefully! If you're going to conceal your identity, you have to be absolutely sure! That mask has a buckle, so it won't come loose easily and will absorb any impact. It's so light you can't feel its weight, and it's incredibly strong; ordinary swords can't even scratch it."
"To create something so amazing in just a split second... And yet such a waste of such advanced skills..."
"And, Yaegashi, in the typical character setting, someone like you who usually acts like an icy beauty actually loves cute things. Besides, I've heard from Kaori that you actually like cute things, too. That's why I took the trouble to save the pink color for you. You should thank me."
"W-What? You're so conceited... I, I don't like cute things... Kaori! What did you say to him?!"
"Hehe, I was just talking about Shizuku-chan's cute side, like how her room is filled with dolls..."
Unexpectedly, her best friend betrayed her, and a "!?" symbol appeared above Shizuku's head.
Shizuku hadn't forbidden her from telling anyone else, but why did she tell Nanyun-san about something like that?! — Shizuku's face flushed red as she glared at Kaori, and the hero's childhood friend then added insult to injury.
"... Come to think of it, Shizuku has always loved animals, especially rabbits, cats, and other cute little creatures."
「!?」
"Ah, Shizuku-chan's phone's idle screen is also a rabbit~"
「!?」
"Every time she goes to an amusement park, she always plays the claw machine, and she's really good at it."
「!?」
"I see. Is that why you keep stealing glances at my rabbit ears, Shizuku-san?"
"!!!"
"...Yaegashi, come and take it... The pink mask is yours."
Hajime showed a gentle look that had never been there before and gently handed the mask over.
For some reason, everyone except Hajime also had unusually gentle expressions on their faces as they watched this gift-giving ceremony.
Unconsciously, no one realized that Shizuku no longer had the option of "not accepting the mask."
"...What's with this atmosphere... Let me be clear, I really don't like pink, okay? I only accepted it because I couldn't help it, but don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about it, okay? Besides, not many people dislike small animals, right? It's not that I particularly like them... So don't look at me with those gentle eyes!"
Even though her ears were red with embarrassment, Shizuku still accepted the mask honestly.
Shizuku felt ashamed and tried to deny it, but Shia whispered something to her.
"If it's Miss Shizuku, I can let you touch the rabbit ears."
She immediately smiled, and her previous efforts to deny were in vain.
Incidentally, the reason why Hajime pushed for a four-man team was purely out of spite.
The Hauriya clan was going to give Hajime a shameful nickname, so he secretly hoped that if the Masked Sentai showed up in the Imperial Capital and caused a big commotion, Shizuku and the others might be given even more shameful nicknames.
In fact, Hajime still holds a grudge against Shizuku and the others for making fun of him when he was talking with Palu and the others.
However, since they keep their identities secret, they are not actually called by nicknames directly. At most, they would feel embarrassed when they hear people who don't know them talking about them...
Light was speechless when he realized that while Hajime was controlling Kouki's reckless actions, he was also trying to take revenge in a petty way.
late at night.
In the dim darkness, there are countless small rooms surrounded by railings.
The railings made of special metal, combined with the magic circle carved into the ground, formed an unbreakable barrier, silently expressing the determination to never let anyone within the small room escape.
Even though it was pitch dark, the stench of filth and blood made it clear that this was an extremely unsanitary space.
This harsh environment is, of course, a prison that imprisons prisoners and tortures their spirits, or it is the dungeon of the imperial city of the [Horusha Empire].
Perhaps it should be praised as worthy of being a prison cell in the Imperial City. The metal it is made of is indeed very strong, but the magic circles drawn everywhere to prevent the prisoners from escaping are also extremely excellent.
Traps are set not only in visible areas but also in the walls, causing those who attempt to escape or sneak into the dungeon to suffer extremely severe pain, although not fatal. Unless the incantation to disarm the trap is recited correctly, they will be unable to move.
The possibility of escaping from prison is one in a million. If you are locked up in a dark and smelly small room, an ordinary person will go crazy in less than a day.
Even the jailers on duty usually wait in the lounge outside the only entrance. They only enter to patrol at fixed times and never stay in the dark dungeon for a long time.
However, despite being in such a harsh environment, a leisurely and relaxed conversation could be heard.
"Hey, how many did you break today?"
"All my fingers and two ribs...what about you?"
"Hey, I won! I broke all my fingers and three ribs, huh?"
"Ha, is that all? I broke seven ribs and my cheekbone... and an ear."
"Really? What did you say? They clearly said we might still be useful, so they didn't do anything to Rabbit Ears..."
"Nothing. The guards kept asking weird questions like 'Who's behind you?' and I just answered, 'It's your mother, I'm your new father, and I'm here to visit my son.'"
"Wow, then of course you're mad."
"But they probably received orders not to cut off our rabbit ears, right? Now they're disobeying orders..."
"Yeah, they'll definitely be punished, hahaha, they deserve it~!"
The conversation was about who was more seriously injured, and how they were able to survive due to minimal healing magic. Even though their tone seemed calm and composed, the speaker was covered in wounds.
Even so, they still managed to laugh and chat despite their injuries. They were the members of the Haolia tribe who were captured by the empire.
The reason why we compare whose injuries are more serious is not because we are crazy, but because we are prepared.
Imprisoned in the dungeons of the Imperial City, there was no hope. His fate would be either execution or slavery...
If it was the latter, they would definitely do their best to commit suicide, so they would still die. Wearing a slave collar and being forced to fight against their own kind was a nightmare, so they decided it beforehand.
And since there was no hope of salvation, they fought to survive with the mentality of seeking revenge even at the last moment.
The power of the Hauriya tribe was beyond common sense, so the empire suspected that there might be a conspiracy behind them.
In addition, even if there is no one behind the scenes, after receiving the report, His Majesty Jaharud is very fond of the Hauriya tribe and is planning whether to subjugate them as the vanguard of the empire.
Their fighting methods, weapons, mental strength, and the training methods that transformed the gentle rabbit people into this...
For His Majesty Gaharud, who loves strong men, the Hauriya tribe is like a treasure chest.
The Hauriyas sensed the Empire's intentions and decided to mock it until their death, defying it to the bitter end. Because they had already come to their senses, they used the competition for injuries as a pastime to pass the time.
Incidentally, the Hauriya people, imprisoned in the dungeon with wounds all over their bodies, always wore smiles and showed no concern when they were taken out of the cell for torture. Every imperial soldier who saw them was filled with fear.
"Right now, the clan leader is probably mocking them..."
"Yeah... Hey, this is a rare opportunity, how about a bet on the status of the clan leader's injuries?"
"Oh? Great! I bet the rabbit ears are all destroyed."
"Wow, you're betting too much, aren't you?"
"No, it's because the clan leader's words and actions have been becoming more and more like the boss lately... Especially when it comes to training new soldiers..."
"Yeah, it's like the boss is possessed. If I get scolded like that...it's possible..."
"But if it's the boss, he won't be caught at all. Even if he is caught, he will destroy everything from the inside. Just walk out with a calm expression!"
"Will the imperial capital be the one to suffer? It will definitely disappear from the map."
"The boss is merciless."
"Because he's a ghost!"
"No, it should be a demon, right?"
"I think he looks more like a demon king."
"Hey, hey, isn't that the same as the Demon King? Compared to the boss, the Demon King is just a bug."
"Like a demon, yet also like a god...how about calling him the Demon God?"
“““““““““““That’s it!”””””””””””
"You're quite spirited, you 'beep~' bunch. It's been ages since we last met, yet you're saying such rude things about me. You're quite bold."
““““““““““…”””””””””””””
The Hauriya people were chatting animatedly in the dark, and Rabbit Ears heard voices tinged with anger.
Hearing that familiar voice, the Hauriyas were frozen in silence. In the darkness, they held their breath, like small animals waiting for a carnivore to pass by.
"Hey, why are you playing dumb? Who are you calling a demon, a devil, a demon god that even the Demon King pales in comparison to? Tell me!"
"Hahaha, sorry everyone, looks like I'm done for now... I'm actually hallucinating..."
"Don't worry, you're not the only one who's going to die... I don't think I'll make it either."
"Is that so...you guys too...I never thought the last thing I'd hear in my life would be the boss's angry scolding..."
"At least, I'd like to hear a cute girl's voice at the end..."
Hearing voices from people who couldn't possibly be there, the Hauriya people try to treat them as hallucinations, a behavior that can also be described as escaping reality.
The voice's owner, Hajime, laid reality before their eyes. Yue, beside him, created a ball of light, driving away the darkness within the dungeon. Hajime instantly appeared in the dungeon of the Imperial Castle.
““““““““““Eh! Boss~~~~!?””””””””””””
"Shut up, you idiots."
"...They're surprisingly energetic?"
"It looks bleak from the outside...but my worries are gone."
The members of the Hauriya tribe, though grievously wounded, cried out in terror as if they had encountered a certain martial god. (Translator's note: A reference to the cry of Guan Yu upon encountering him in Yokoyama Mitsuteru's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms").
Hajime, Yue, and Shia were all speechless at this group of Hauriya people.
"W-Why is the boss here..."
"We'll tell you the details later. Anyway, we're here to save you... Seriously, you're so energetic despite being so badly injured. How strong have you become?"
"Ha, haha, because we were trained by the boss."
"Compared to the boss's training, the torture of the imperial soldiers is child's play."
"They lacked any murderous intent at all. They were so gentle that I thought they were just watching over them."
"After all, the boss's murderous aura makes people hallucinate the moment of death. There's nothing we can do about it."
Seeing the Hauriya people talking and laughing while spitting blood, Yue and Shia looked at Shi with indescribable expressions.
Who turned the gentle rabbit into this?
Mr. Policeman, this is the devil.
Hajime coughed to hide his feelings, used the Magic Eye Stone to check the traps in the dungeon, and immediately set about disarming them.
Generally speaking, traps formed by magic circles require a correct chant to dispel them. This chant manipulates the magic power injected into the magic circle, dispersing it and dispelling the trap.
While directly destroying the magic circle is one method, most magic circles have a function that will trigger an alarm the moment it is destroyed, or at least notify the magic circle that it is broken.
Therefore, if you want to maintain secrecy, it's best to use chanting to disarm the trap. Originally, only those who know the unlocking chant can disarm it...
However, that is only the case when one can "control magic power through chanting". On the contrary, if one can "control magic power directly", it can be easily dispelled.
He easily made the Absolute Prison, which the empire was proud of, become useless. Then, through alchemy, he opened the cages one after another and relied on Yue's regeneration magic to fully restore all the members of the Haolia tribe.
"Boss, you're still as amazing as ever. Anyway, Boss..."
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