"Don't worry about that!"
"Hey, Cam, stop bullying my granddaughter..."
Seeing the angry Eltina and the grinning Cam, Elfrelic sighed deeply.
Cam's provocative remarks to Eltina were actually out of kindness. Of course, he wasn't helping Eltina, but Shia.
When they left the sea of trees, the relationship between Shia and Hajime was that Shia took the initiative to throw herself into his arms.
But from the night before the "Capture of the Imperial City," Cam sensed that their relationship had developed quite close through their travels. He thought, "They're just one step away from crossing that line! The boss is about to be conquered by Shia!"
Cam's plan was to use Eltina as the final nail in the coffin, in other words, as the detonator. If Shia knew about this, she'd probably angrily say, "Stop being nosy!"
Sensing the rising tide of rebellion within Eltina, Cam chuckled to himself. He had mercilessly exploited the faint affection (though still unformed) within the girl. Like his respected boss, Cam was a devil.
At that moment, they faintly heard a commotion outside. Unlike the bustling clamor up until now, it was a clamor of urgent action, like someone suddenly experiencing something unexpected. They could even hear someone shouting loudly.
"What happened?!"
Ælfrelic ran to the window and cried out, and then he saw the cause of the commotion.
"Light, pillar...?"
Just as he said, it was like sunlight shining through the woods. No, a ray of light that was incomparable to sunlight, shining through the leaves from the sky and illuminating the square.
Alfred's eyes widened in shock at the incomprehensible situation.
Then a proud and calm voice said:
"Don't worry, Ælfrelic—the boss has arrived."
The square of Feyalbergen was illuminated as bright as day. That light was indeed Fornil's searchlight, reaching above the sea of trees.
The demihumans ran in panic, fleeing the light from the sky. They hid in the distance, their faces gazing up at the sky in fear, unsure of what was happening. The warriors stood guard with their weapons at full tilt, creating a solemn and tragic atmosphere.
Then, as if waiting for the crowd to disperse, a huge shadow crushed the branches of the forest and landed in the center of the square.
Of course, these people didn't know about airships. They thought, "Wow, is this a new kind of monster!?" and cried out in panic.
Amidst this chaos, Fornil gradually descended. As the cargo container beneath it slowly touched the ground, the ship glowed red, breaking its connection with the container. Then, Fornil itself landed beside the container.
As soon as I got closer, I knew it wasn't a monster.
But what exactly is this unprecedented object, and what does it intend to do to them?
Such a feeling of unease swept through the square, and everyone looked at Fornier with nervous eyes.
After a while, there was a sudden clang and the front and back of the container opened.
Everyone shuddered, even the warriors. Their reaction was the same as that of ordinary demihumans, each pricked up their ears. Those with long animal tails tucked their tails between their legs.
As everyone watched, an unknown monster emerged from the darkened container. Of course not, it was a trembling bunny girl.
Seeing her compatriots staring at her with extremely sinister expressions, the rabbit girl's ears twitched in fear.
Judging from her timid appearance, she is exactly the "common impression of the little white rabbit in the forest", not the vicious rabbit who enjoys chopping off people's heads! She is not an unknown monster!
The residents breathed a sigh of relief, and after a pause, seemed to begin to understand the situation.
“Are you really back…?”
I don’t know who said this, but the hope that I was half-believing and half-doubting has now become a reality.
After the rabbit girl, the demihumans who were treated as slaves walked out of the containers one after another. They had already despaired and believed that they would never be able to set foot on the land of their homeland again.
They looked around, each with an expression of disbelief on their face.
They breathed in the quiet, cool air, felt the majestic trees that gave people a sense of tolerance and security, saw the lights that [Feyaberugen] missed, and saw their compatriots who they thought they would never see again.
Just like plants absorbing water, they gradually felt that all this was real.
——I returned to my hometown.
The residents of [Feyalbergen] feel the same way.
At this moment, a woman in her thirties, with droopy, dog-like ears, slowly emerged from the crowd. Tears welled up in her eyes as she softly called out the name of the beloved she had thought she had lost and given up on.
The one who responded to her call was a boy with the same droopy, dog-eared appearance. He was the boy Kouki had cared for in the Imperial Capital. The moment he saw the woman, tears streamed down his face and he bolted.
"Mother!"
The woman knelt on her knees, opened her arms, and let the dog-eared boy throw himself into her arms. As if to confirm that the son in her arms was not an illusion, the woman called "mother" hugged him tightly, and mother and son cried tears of joy at their miraculous reunion.
As mother and child reunited with joy, the returning demihumans and residents also cheered and rushed towards each other. Family, friends, lovers—whenever they found their loved ones, they cheered at the top of their lungs, congratulating each other on their safe reunion.
[Feyerbergen] was enveloped in an atmosphere of joy. The usual tranquility had disappeared, and an unprecedentedly lively scene was presented.
Amid the roaring joy of the demihumans, Hajime and the others stepped down from Fornir, and the elders, led by Ælfrelic, rushed to them.
“Nagumo Hajime… Seriously, you’re making such a violent entrance.”
"Alfrelic? Well, this is a difficult matter, so please bear with me."
Alfred said this with a wry smile, looking at the broken tree overhead. Hajime scratched his cheek, his expression slightly awkward.
It was true that Hajime was exhausted from expending so much magic power. He was too lazy to walk in from outside the forest, and he also felt that using the "portal" to transport people in one by one would be too troublesome.
That being said, Hajime was able to accurately determine the location of Feyalbergen because he had given Kamu the artifact marking its coordinates beforehand. In other words, regardless of fatigue, Hajime had intended from the outset to drive the airship directly into Feyalbergen, thus acting knowingly and deliberately.
When he first visited, Hajime had praised the city as "a work of art beyond measure," but now, because he found it troublesome, he destroyed it—such an act would likely be considered mentally ill.
Perhaps he was still self-aware, as Hajime's eyes rarely wandered around, and he turned to Kaori, who loved mindless healing, for help.
"Excuse me, Kaori, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Great, it turns out Hajime-kun hasn't lost his common sense yet!"
Huh? Hajime wondered—did she just say something insulting? But not wanting to trip a minefield, Hajime pretended not to hear. He must have seen it wrong… but to his surprise, Ren Yue and the others also smiled wryly.
Kaori stretched out her palm towards the broken tree above her head.
"—『Absolute Elephant』."
The regeneration magic "Absolute Elephant" can regenerate and restore any damage.
The moment Kaori called out the magic keyword, the broken trees above instantly returned to their original state. No matter how many times you watch it, it's a mysterious and amazing sight that makes you doubt your eyes.
At the center of that scene was Lady Kaori, radiating silver magical light. She looked as if she were surrounded by firefly lights, and she looked incredibly sacred today.
"Ohhh! Our Lady Kaori has performed miracles again!"
"Long live Lady Kaori! The guardian goddess of Feyalbergen!"
The demi-gods were so excited that they knelt down and cried, worshiping Kaori together.
"Stop it! Stop it now! Please don't worship me!"
Kaori ran around frantically, trying desperately to persuade the kneeling people to stand up.
"Another goddess has been born. Sensei is known as the Goddess of Fertility. In a continent that believes in a single god, gods are constantly being born."
Tio, who had blown the Holy Church headquarters to ashes with her son, seemed deeply moved, or perhaps she was a little dumbfounded. To Tsuki, she stroked her chin with a stern expression and said:
“…Well, I think this attitude of directly declaring war on God is a good one, Hajime.”
"Thank you for the compliment, Yue. Speaking of which, I seem to have seen something like this in Ankaji as well."
"Ah, you mean 'Serving Kaori-sama's Team'?"
That's a unit led by a lord's son, and they must be looking forward to reuniting with Lady Kaori.
"Kaori...you've become quite remarkable."
"Shizuku-chan, you're like a mother. And I think it's a bit of an emotional scam for Kaoru-chan to repair what Nanyun-san broke and then be thanked by everyone."
Shizuku was moved by her friend's growth like an old mother, while Ling made precise complaints.
Indeed! Kouki and Ryuutarou nodded in agreement.
In the chaotic situation where the non-religious demihumans were about to establish the Kaori Cult, Eltina whispered to Elfrelic:
"Grandfather, stop talking, it's almost time..."
Eltina looked at the last passenger who had just disembarked from Fornir—Gaharud, Liliana, and the other people from the Kingdom.
Basically, in order to prevent Gaharud from learning about Feyalbergen as much as possible, Gaharud wore a full-face mask that blocked out light and sound—the fifth mask meticulously crafted by Hajime, khaki!!—so his identity wouldn't be easily revealed.
However, Liliana, her personal maid Holina, and the guards could tell at a glance that he was an extraordinary person.
Although at first glance he is just a strange man wearing a strange mask, if you compare it to the fact of freeing slaves, some people might guess that the person wearing the khaki mask is the emperor.
The demihumans, led by the elders, knew of Gaharud's arrival, but the residents were unaware. If they knew the leader of their sworn enemy was right before their eyes, a riot could break out at any moment.
They might cry out, "How dare you wear that ridiculous mask! Do you look down on us?" and charge forward. However, since keeping Gaharud alive would ensure peace and security through the power of the oath, the risk of a change in relations with the Empire must be avoided.
Because of this suspense, Eltina urged everyone to enter. However, she was filled with questions, wondering, "Why would the Emperor of the Empire wear such a strangely shaped and colored mask?" Shizuku, standing nearby, shuddered, reacting immediately. The Pink Mask's intuition was incredibly sharp.
"Yes, Nagumo Hajime, no, Mr. Nagumo, I've heard everything from Kamu. It's a little hard to believe, but it seems our compatriots have truly been liberated. First of all, I'd like to thank you on behalf of Feyalbergen."
"Please make no mistake about it, it was the Hauriya clan that facilitated this."
Ælfrelic expressed his deep gratitude with his words and attitude, but Hajime waved it off unconcerned. Then, while storing Fornil and the container in the 'treasure vault', he corrected Ælfrelic, preventing him from misunderstanding.
Seeing the huge object suddenly disappear from the square, the demihumans who were originally overjoyed were stunned and stared at Hajime and his companions who were talking with the group of elders.
Regarding what Hajime said, Alfred thought that neither being modest nor not taking credit for it was inappropriate for Hajime, so he nodded in agreement with a wry smile.
"Yes, of course I understand. I never thought the Bunnymen, supposedly the weakest, would conquer the empire... Living a long life does have its advantages. I'm probably witnessing a historic moment right now."
The Hauriyas had challenged the Empire, won, and rescued their compatriots—after Ælfrelic had clearly stated this fact, the residents seemed to understand who had helped them rescue their precious people.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Kam, who stood with his head held high beside Alfrelik. The emotion in their eyes was not contempt for the weakest race, but rather as if they were looking at a hero, with great respect and a little fear.
Once upon a time, the Hauriya people abandoned their homeland and fled, losing many of their family members. After returning to the Sea of Trees, they were exiled and even branded as no longer fellow countrymen...
Now he is regarded as a hero.
Seeing her father standing with his head held high and his chest puffed out, Xia felt a warmth welling up in her heart.
She felt proud and happy...
At this moment, someone gently held Xia's hand.
"Ms. Yue..."
"……Um."
Yue didn't say anything, but that was enough, so that Xia could feel Yue's gentle feelings.
Looking back, Hajime was looking at Shia with an unprecedented tenderness in his eyes.
Shia's bunny ears wiggled.
"How about you go stand next to Cam?"
An ordinary sorry rabbit was able to complete the journey of conquering the Great Labyrinth. In terms of difficulty, Shia is even higher than Cam, so Shia deserves to be treated like a hero.
Hajime's expression and tone were unexpectedly gentle, as if to say - your compatriots once wanted to exclude you as a monster, so how about you just stand before them openly now?
Led by Kouki, Shizuku and the others, along with Liliana and the others, all opened their eyes wide in surprise.
For some reason, after being surprised, Kaori seemed to be thinking about something, while Tio showed an expression that was both curious and happy.
Seeing her travel companions' reactions, Xia felt very embarrassed.
"Okay, then I'll go over there!" Xia said as she walked towards Cam.
However, it was Cam's nature to ignore his daughter at a time like this.
Attracting the attention of his compatriots, Kam seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, and then immediately revealed a very cunning smile.
He just raised his right hand, and a group of Haolia people appeared instantly.
Although they were practically in the center of the square, they appeared in an instant, forming a line in perfect unison, striking an admirably perfect "at ease" pose.
Voices like "Hey, hey, where were they hiding just now!?" "No, we should ask how they appeared!?" "Eh~! They appeared!? Someone, give me a sedative!" were heard everywhere.
"Eh? Father? What are you going to do—"
"Listen up! Fellow countrymen!!"
Shia couldn't stand next to her father, and walked back to Hajime dejectedly, muttering, "I knew it a long time ago. Whenever it came to the critical moment, my father would ignore me. I knew it a long time ago." Hajime and Yue stroked her rabbit ears to comfort her.
Cam didn't seem to notice his daughter's sadness. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, exuding a strong sense of arrogance. He shouted loudly to the residents - or to be more precise, to the rabbit people.
"My fellow citizens, who have long struggled in a sea of humiliation and despair, please listen to me. This time, we have successfully defeated the Empire, but peace is not eternal. In the near future, your future will undoubtedly be threatened again."
These words sent tremors of fear through the hundreds of Bunnymen in the square. Thinking of the hard times they'd endured in the Empire returning, they looked at Kamu with eyes pleading for help.
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