Thus was born a princess who abandoned herself. The love that blossomed that night of dancing now seemed to face a fraught future. Her Highness's eyes looked as if they were about to die. Holina hurried to offer her healing tea, while Shizuku and Kaori offered gentle words of comfort.
Kouki and the Royal Guards glared at him fiercely, but Hajime pretended not to notice.
In fact, Hajime understood Liliana's feelings. After seeing Liliana's reaction after that dance, only a blind person could not see it.
It was just that Hajime had no intention of returning her feelings, and in order to prevent her from holding onto unnecessary hope, he coldly rejected her. Whether Hajime's attitude should be interpreted as honesty or indifference depends on the individual.
Hajime sighed softly and said to Cam:
"Kamu, the princess and the others seem to have something they want to discuss with the elders. What about you? If there's nothing else to discuss, I'd like you to take us to your tribe. After all, controlling a Fornil flight with thousands of people on board is exhausting. I need to rest."
"Yeah, that's true. Boss, we have to prepare to conquer the Great Labyrinth tomorrow. I'll have someone lead the way for you right away, Boss."
Cam himself had to stay in [Feyabergen] to direct the reception of the liberated bunnymen, so he would send someone to help Shi and the others lead the way.
However, when Cam was about to snap his fingers to call his men out, Alfred stopped him:
"Wait a moment, Mr. Nagumo. We haven't decided how to repay you yet. Could you please stay with us for a while?"
"I told you, it was the Hauriya people who did it."
"Of course, we will also reward Kamu and the others appropriately. But it is true that Mr. Nagumo has also done us a great favor. If we do nothing, we demihumans will become a shameless race."
"Well, if you want to consider it a favor, then do so. But... I don't have anything I want right now, you know?"
"Hmm, then at least let us provide you with accommodation and food while you're stuck in the sea of trees...how about that?"
Hajime glanced at Yue and the others, his eyes asking, "What do you think?" Yue and the others didn't seem to have any objections. For Shizuku and Suzu, the chance to interact with the beast-eared people in this beautiful city was something they were extremely excited about.
The elders didn't seem particularly opposed. Compared to their hostility towards Gaharud and their wariness towards Liliana, their reaction was surprisingly friendly. It was clear from their expressions that they really wanted Hajime and the others to stay.
Objectively speaking, whenever Hajime and his companions came to the Sea of Trees, they would bring back their rescued companions, and heal the damaged nature and injured people. As long as they had no intention of attacking, the demihumans would not be hostile to them.
Compared to our first encounter, all the elements needed for the attitude to change to one of goodwill were present.
Shi showed an indescribable expression towards the kindness that he did not expect to receive, but as long as others were willing to give it, he would always accept it.
"...In that case, I'll be honored to have you here."
Hajime said and shrugged.
Alfred seemed relieved, then turned his gaze to Cam.
"Well, Kamu, you fought off the attackers as exiles, made the Empire swear an oath, and rescued your compatriots. We must reward you. First of all, no one objects to lifting your exile; this was decided at the elders' meeting after the last attack. From now on, I hope you can visit Feyalbergen freely, or we can prepare a Hauriya settlement for you in the city."
The cancellation of the exile penalty meant overturning the decision that had been debated in the elders' meeting, which proved how great the achievements of the Haolia tribe were.
But Cam himself just replied "Really?", without showing any particular joy, and even acted indifferent.
Ælfrelik coughed, collected himself a moment, and then offered a better answer.
"It's not over yet. In recognition of this achievement, I propose that a new eldership be prepared for Chief Kamu of the Hauriya tribe as a reward. What are your thoughts, other elders?"
When Alfrelik spoke, his confidants' eyes widened in shock. For centuries, no race other than the current one had held a seat of elders. The Forest People, Tiger People, Bear People, Fox People, Earth People, and Winged People were the six most prominent subhuman races. From a subhuman perspective, adding the Rabbit People to these six races was a truly historic achievement.
In response to Alfred's proposal, the other elders looked at each other and nodded in agreement, gaining unanimous approval from the entire audience.
"Well, everyone agrees. Cam, are you willing to take over the position of elder?"
"Of course I refuse."
“““““…Huh?””””””
The atmosphere seemed to have shifted to a refreshing "welcoming new companion" vibe, but Cam ignored the mood and flatly refused. The elders were stunned, seemingly unprepared for the refusal.
"...Could you tell me the reason?"
For a demihuman, that was the highest form of gratitude. Alfrerick suppressed his emotions, as if trying to suppress a headache, and asked Kamu what he was dissatisfied with.
"The reason is simple: you've got it all wrong."
"Are you mistaken?"
"You seem to think we saved all demihumans, but that was merely incidental. We fought purely for the future of our fellow rabbit-men. We simply don't care what happens to the other demihumans."
"……What did you say?"
Kam's tone was very calm, and the elders looked at him as if they saw something unbelievable.
"So make no mistake. The Hauliya tribe is not on your side. If you become complacent with this victory, mistakenly believing it to be your own, and attempt to launch a reckless war against humanity, or increase your weaponry, taking actions that would cause trouble for us or the boss—then the Hauliya tribe's blades will be pointed at you."
This wasn't a threat; the domineering aura and murderous intent Cam exuded showed he was serious.
If the demihumans acted on their own, the oath they had forced the Horusha clan to swear would become meaningless, and the rabbit people might suffer a tragic fate, so Kam's judgment was understandable.
Having said that, the elders certainly couldn't just accept being told by their compatriots, "We'll kill you if you dare mess around."
"You, you want to go to war against your compatriots? That would be sheer madness!"
"Hmph, you were just as disdainful of the Bunnymen in the past. What's the point in trying to establish a relationship with them now? Never mind. I don't care about that. Just remember one thing: our military force will only be used to secure the future of the Bunnymen."
Kam's face lit up with delight as he gave a thumbs-up, as if to say, "I think that's great!" The Hauriyas behind him also smiled and gave thumbs-up in response. Their eyes seemed to say, "If you think you can leverage our power by letting the Hauriya leader join the elders, you're completely mistaken!"
In fact, if the elders said they had no such intentions, they would be lying, so the expressions of Alfred and others were very bitter.
Meanwhile, those around Hajime who were watching the unfolding events rolled their eyes at him. This was because Cam's behavior of only caring about important people and showing no interest in others was exactly like someone else's.
"You're talking as if the Bunnymen are going to break away from the Demihumans and become independent."
"Alfrelic, you always grasp the key points. You're right. From now on, the Bunnymen will act according to their own rules. We don't want to be restricted by Feyalbergen's rules and obey your orders."
At Kam's disrespectful words, the impatient Jel and his confidants, who felt the elders were being slighted, flew into a rage. While Kam remained nonchalant, the Hauriyah tribesmen standing behind him shouted like thugs, "What? You want a fight?"
Under such circumstances, Alfred, who had been deep in thought with a troubled expression, now spoke to Cam with a slightly tired expression, just like when he had talked with Hajime in the past:
"Then, Kamu, how about we recognize you as a 'race equal to the Fjarbergen'? Of course, you will also be eligible to participate in the Elders' Council. In this way, you will not be obligated to follow the laws of the Fjarbergen and the decisions of the Elders' Council, but you will have full influence over us."
"Oh~ That's a good offer."
Cam gave Alfred's new proposal a sly grin, as if he had been waiting for this condition.
As for Kam, he also wanted to cooperate with [Feyaberugen] in order to prevent future attacks from the Empire.
However, if he entered the system of [Feyaberugen], he could not ignore the elders' meeting and lose his freedom of action. Because if he ignored the decision of the meeting, there would be no cooperation, and a rift would arise between the two sides, and the relationship would only deteriorate.
Therefore, Kam believes that the best way is to stand on the side of an ally, become a race with strong influence, or stand on the side of an external agency.
Of course, some people objected to this, believing that the Hauriya tribe was being treated too politely. To this, Ælfrelic sighed and replied:
"With the power of just one tribe, they've accomplished something that even the entire nation of Yabergen couldn't. I think that's reason enough to recognize them as our equals, right? Furthermore, if this continues, the Hauriya tribe might sever ties with us, and you're probably aware of the enormous loss that would be. By forming an alliance, we can reestablish relations with them after their exile, and considering their achievements, this level of reward isn't excessive."
The elders were extremely distressed and seemed very reluctant, but they still could not come up with a good plan. They could only put aside their racial pride and the prestige of the Elders' Council and accept Alfred's proposal.
"You heard it, Kamu. As a decision of the Elders' Council, we recognize the Hauriya tribe as an 'Allied Race'. Is that all right?"
"Actually, whether you agree or not, what we're going to do won't change, so let's do as you say. Oh, and by the way, I want to remind you that the area around the tree and to the south of it is for our Hauriya tribe to use. You're not allowed to enter without permission. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your survival, okay?"
Cam actually made another request, and arbitrarily decided on the land of his own tribe. Even Alfred couldn't help but twitch his cheek muscles in anger.
Shia, standing next to Hajime, covered her face with her hands, seemingly ashamed of her father's indifferent attitude. She folded her bunny ears, as if to say, "I can't stand this!"
After that, they finally came to an agreement. Hajime and the others left the weary-looking elders behind and asked someone to take them to their rooms for the duration of their stay in [Feyaberugen].
The city was still celebrating. Kouki, Ryuutarou, Suzu, and Shizuku finally had the chance to leisurely visit the country of the demihumans. They were excited and joined the celebration with a bit of cheerfulness that had not been seen in a long time.
Some fanatical followers of the Kaori Cult are searching for Kaori everywhere...
In order to avoid being discovered, Kaori put on the sunglasses, mask and knitted hat made by Hajime. Unbelievably, the outfit suited her very well for some reason.
In addition, Liliana returned to the kingdom shortly thereafter because the kingdom also had to decide their course of action regarding this major incident.
However, the method of return is still "delivery".
Because the princess hesitated to speak to Hajime, and was too coy to walk through the "portal", and because Holina and the Royal Knights turned into cheerleaders and cheered for Liliana from behind, Hajime got angry and caused this result.
When Liliana disappeared into the "portal", I seemed to hear her screaming from the bottom of her heart, "You don't have to treat me like a princess, at least treat me like a girl~~"
However, Hajime decided to pretend that he had misheard.
That night...
A faint commotion could still be heard in the city, perhaps a party celebrating their safe return was still underway somewhere. Meanwhile, Hajime, Yue, Kaori, Tio, and the other four were resting in their assigned rooms, each with their own thoughts.
That’s right, there are four people, missing the always energetic rabbit.
"That Shia guy took so long."
"...Yeah, she said she went to see her family..."
"Could it be that they are celebrating their victory with the Hauriya people?"
"Hmm~ Shia, I don't think anything will happen. Even if something does happen, the culprit will probably be beaten to pieces."
Hajime and the others nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Hajime was currently lying in bed, his head resting on Yue's thighs, half asleep and half awake. He really wanted to fall asleep straight away, but even though he was so close to falling asleep, he couldn't.
He just couldn't calm down, even with Yue resting her head on his lap.
For some reason, Yue smiled softly. As if she could see through Hajime, she stroked his hair with extra tenderness.
Kaori and Tio looked at the two of them, seemingly a little envious. Suddenly, the window of the room opened.
"Boss, I'm sorry to bother you so late at night."
"Kamu? What's wrong?"
Cam slipped in through the window of a room more than ten meters above the ground.
Cam knelt on one knee and said:
"Boss, I'm sorry to bother you during your break, but could you please spare a moment to spend some time with me?"
"At this time?"
"Yes, please agree."
Although the words were brief, seeing Kam's strong plea, Hajime's eyes narrowed. For a moment, he wondered if this was an emergency. However, Kam's attitude was very calm.
"What's wrong? Can we help?"
"No, that's not the case."
Kaori said this with a worried look on her face, but Kam denied it with a wry smile.
Then Yue seemed to realize something, nodded, and said to Kaori and Tio:
"...Kaori, Tio, do you want a lap pillow?"
Yue gently stroked Hajime's head and suddenly asked. Although they were puzzled as to why he asked at this moment, the answer was obvious to both of them.
"Eh? Would you let me take over?"
"Hmm? Of course I want to give it a try."
Kaori and Tio looked at each other expectantly, while Yue smiled softly.
"...I was just asking casually."
“…” “…”
A mocking smile appeared on Yue's lips.
Kaori and Tio's foreheads bulged with veins when they saw this, and Yue hugged Hajime's head tightly, as if to say, "So? Are you jealous?"
"... Yue, are you looking for trouble? Really?"
"Hehe, I'm a little angry."
“…Want to fight?”
Yue gave a provocative smile, while Kaori and Tio wanted to continue the fight they hadn't finished during the day. Incidentally, Yue and Shia's team won during the day.
“…If you can catch me escaping, I’ll give you the seat next to Hajime next time.”
"Really?!" "What did you say?"
After all, they couldn't conduct a mock battle in the city in the middle of the night, so Yue suggested a ghost-catching competition.
The reward for victory was very tempting, and both Kaori and Tio were very motivated.
After checking their reactions, Yue gently placed Hajime's head on the pillow and stroked it lovingly.
Then, as if she didn't feel any gravity, Yue lightly jumped to the window, and then turned around as if dancing.
Hajime was stunned, Yue glanced at Cam, then winked at Hajime.
Hajime saw Yue's intentions and, while understanding them, revealed an indescribable expression. Kam also seemed to notice Yue's thoughtful gesture and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
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