An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

boom! boom! boom!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”

Rubber bullets kept zipping past Shia's feet, and she dodged them in panic, like she was doing a strange tap dance. This was a common sight along the way, and Cam could only smile bitterly, while Yue looked at her with an unbearable look.

"It seems Shia really likes Hajime-san. Seeing you two being so close... I just realized Shia has reached this age. Daddy is a bit lonely. But if the target is Hajime-san, I'm relieved..."

Even as his daughter was being shot at nearby, he showed no sign of concern. Instead, tears welled up in his eyes, as if he was blessing his daughter's marriage. Even the other Bunnymen cast warm glances at Shia, who was wailing, "Help!"

"No, you guys, seeing this situation, actually have such feelings?"

"...Short of tendons."

The Bunnymen seemed to be just as Yue had said, a bit simple-minded, a race with quite natural personalities. Although he didn't know if all Bunnymen were like this, or just the Hauriyas.

After many events, the group finally reached a point where they could escape the Rasen Canyon. From afar, they began to see a magnificent staircase. Carved along the cliff face, the staircase curved in the opposite direction every fifty meters or so, forming a jagged pattern. A faint glimpse of the forested area beyond the staircase was visible. From the exit of the Rasen Canyon, it seemed a half-day's hike would lead to the Hartrina Forest.

As Hajime looked off into the distance, Shia spoke uneasily.

"Are the Imperial soldiers still there?"

"Who knows? Maybe they've already given up and gone back..."

“U-Um, if the Imperial soldiers are still here… Hajime-san… what are you going to do?”

"? What should I do?"

Hajime tilted his head, not understanding why she asked this question, while Shia asked as if she had made up her mind. The surrounding Hauriya tribe members also pricked up their rabbit ears.

"They are Imperial soldiers, unlike the monsters we've defeated so far... They are human, just like Hajime-san... Can you fight them?"

"Sorry Bunny, haven't you seen the future?"

“Yes, I saw it. I saw Hajime-san fighting the Imperial soldiers…”

"In that case... do you have any questions?"

"This is confirmation, not questioning. After all, protecting us from the Imperial soldiers is tantamount to making an enemy of humanity. I want to confirm whether you can truly make an enemy of your own kind..."

As Shia asked this question, the other Hauriya people looked at him meaningfully. The children looked confused, but perhaps sensing the unease in the air, they kept looking back and forth between the adults and Hajime.

However, Hajime seemed completely oblivious to the serious atmosphere and simply said:

"so what?"

"what?"

Hajime's attitude didn't become particularly serious. He just continued to chat with Shia, who looked puzzled.

"I'm asking you, is there anything wrong with being hostile to humans?"

"Because, after all, you are of the same clan, right..."

"Aren't you also being hunted by your own kind?"

“That’s… uh, that’s right…”

"You've completely missed the point."

"The point?"

Xia's head tilted even more, and even the other rabbit people had question marks on their faces.

"Listen carefully. I only hired you to explore the forest. If you die before we finish exploring the forest, it will be very troublesome. That's why I'm protecting you. It's definitely not out of sympathy or chivalry. I have no intention of protecting you forever. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

"Um, yes... I remember..."

"So I will protect you until we have explored the forest. This is all for my own sake. It doesn't matter whether it's a monster or a human. Anyone who stands in my way is an enemy, and I must kill them. That's all."

“I-I see…”

Shia accepted this thought with a wry smile, a remark so fitting of Hajime's style. Even though she had seen Hajime's confrontation with the Empire through her "future vision," it didn't guarantee it would happen. No one knew what would actually happen. While the probability of what she saw was high, if Hajime joined the Empire, a life of slavery worse than death awaited them. Even if it wasn't apparent, Shia felt a surge of guilt, believing it was her fault, and felt compelled to confirm it.

"Hahaha! That's so simple and clear, great! Leave it to us to guide you through the sea of ​​trees."

Cam laughed heartily. He felt no dissatisfaction in his expression, as he believed the other party's actions were motivated by a sense of righteousness, and that their mutual interests were more trustworthy.

The group ascended the stairs. Hajime, leading the way, ascended smoothly. The Hauriyas, exhausted from the pursuit of the Imperial soldiers and practically starved for food and water, walked with a surprisingly brisk pace. It seemed the myth that demihumans lacked magical powers but instead possessed exceptional physical abilities was not entirely unfounded.

Then, the group finally passed the entire staircase and successfully escaped from the [Lesin Grand Canyon].

When they stepped onto the cliff, what was waiting there was...

"Hey, hey, is this true? They're still alive? We're only staying here because of the captain's orders. Now we can bring back some great souvenirs."

Thirty Imperial soldiers were stationed there, surrounded by several large carriages and signs of a camp. All wore khaki uniforms and carried swords, spears, and shields. Their expressions of surprise faded upon seeing them, but then changed to amusement, as they began to inspect the Hauriyas with the eye of a merchandise expert.

"Captain! I saw the white-haired rabbit! She's the one the captain wants, right?"

"Ohhh~ Looks like your luck is on the rise! You can do whatever you want with the older ones, but don't kill that one, okay?"

"Captain, I see there are a lot of female rabbit people. I think we could try some of them. We've been in this godforsaken place for three days. It wouldn't be a big deal to get some benefits, right?"

"Really, don't be too greedy. If it's just two or three of us, I won't care about you."

"Ahhh~ As expected of the team leader! You're really wise!"

Perhaps because the imperial soldiers completely regarded the Hauriya people as prey, no one took a fighting stance. Instead, they cast licking gazes at the rabbit women with lewd smiles, making the rabbit women tremble with fear.

As the imperial soldiers were rioting recklessly, the man called the squad leader, with a wicked smile on his face, finally noticed Hajime's presence.

"Huh? Who are you? You're not... a rabbit-man, are you?"

Judging from the Imperial soldiers' attitude, Hajime knew there was no way to leave without taking action, so he responded tentatively:

"Yes, I am human."

"What? Why are you hanging out with the Bunnymen? And you came all the way up the canyon... Ah! Are you a slave trader? Did you get some information and chase me here? You guys have a strong business spirit. But never mind, these people are being taken over by the Empire. You can leave them behind and go!"

The team leader, who made his own assumptions and conclusions, was convinced that Shi would obey him and would not refuse, so he gave him an order.

Of course, Hajime had absolutely no intention of obeying him.

"I refuse."

“…What did you just say?”

"I said I refuse. These people belong to me now. I won't give any of them to you. I suggest you give up this idea and return home immediately."

When the team leader thought he had misheard and asked a question, the response he got was an arrogant answer that made the veins on his forehead exposed.

"...You little brat, be careful with your words! Are you so stupid that you don't know who we are?"

"I know your identities very well. No one wants to be called stupid by you, right?"

The squad leader's face instantly darkened at Hajime's words, and the other soldiers also glared at Hajime eagerly.

At this moment, the team leader, who had been observing Hajime, noticed Yue appearing from behind him. Although her appearance was young, she exuded a bewitching aura. Perhaps it was this contrast that made the beautiful girl blossom with an indescribable charm.

The captain was stunned by her beauty for a moment, but from the way her hands tightly grasped the hem of Hajime's clothes, he guessed that they were close. He smiled lewdly again and said:

"Oh, I see. I get it! You're just a brat who doesn't understand the ways of the world, huh? I'm here to teach you about the dangers of the world. Haha, this lady over here is truly a rare beauty. After I chop off your limbs, I'll feast on her right before your eyes and then sell her to a slave trader."

Hajime's eyebrows twitched at those words. Though Yue's face remained expressionless, he emanated a disgust that anyone could easily sense. It went without saying that Yue could no longer tolerate the man before him and was about to raise his right hand.

Hajime stopped her, ignoring Yue's surprise, and said:

"So, we're enemies, right?"

"What!? It seems you still don't understand the situation! I'll make you tremble and beg—"

Before he could finish his threat, a crisp gunshot was heard.

The captain, who had roared with fear because Hajime wasn't as frightened as he'd expected, was forced to shut up forever by the unusual situation of his head exploding. Then, he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The Imperial soldiers, still confused as to what was happening, stared in amazement at the miserable corpse of their squad leader lying on the ground. At this, Hajime launched a relentless pursuit at these people.

Boom bang——!

With just one gunshot, the heads of five Imperial soldiers were instantly shattered into dust. Actually, Hajime fired five shots, but because they were fired so quickly, only one was heard.

The heads of their comrades, including their squad leader, suddenly exploded. This unusual situation caused panic among the soldiers, who pointed their weapons at Hajime. Although they didn't understand how it happened, they knew the cause and quickly took action. Although their personalities were not worth mentioning, they were indeed worthy of being Imperial soldiers and had considerable strength.

"Kill him!"

"Begin the chant!"

The Imperial vanguard suddenly charged forward, while the rearguard began to chant. However, something rolled to the rearguard's feet, as if mocking their momentum. The rearguard continued chanting, then, upon closer inspection, discovered a black, cylindrical object. "What is this?" they wondered. The next moment, they were reduced to mute corpses.

Accompanied by a violent explosion that shook even their internal organs, the deadly metal fragments ravaged them on the shock wave.

It turned out that the black object was a "grenade" filled with incendiary powder, and it was also a "fragmentation grenade" filled with metal flakes. It was far more powerful than anything produced on Earth, and it was a masterpiece that Hajime was very proud of.

This single blow killed approximately ten of the gathered imperial soldiers. Some died instantly, while others died after their limbs were scattered or their internal organs were shattered. In addition, seven other soldiers who were affected were groaning in agony.

The seven vanguards of the charge were pushed back several steps by the blast from behind. Six of them turned to see what had happened, only to be shot in the head and fall to the ground like the rest of their comrades. The last soldier, still alive, clutched his head amidst a shower of blood, slumped to the ground, his legs weak. It was no surprise, after all, their comrades had been annihilated in an instant. They were definitely not weaklings, elite individuals who would have dared to challenge their title of "high-ranking soldiers." Therefore, the soldier's gaze darted around, wondering if he was having a nightmare.

As he did so, he heard a voice, so calm and gentle that it was hard to imagine it came from the person who caused this tragedy.

"Hmm, it seems we don't need to use 'Tangled Mine' when fighting humans. Ordinary bullets and explosives will suffice."

The soldier trembled, his eyes filled with fear, as he looked at Hajime. Hajime was casually tapping his shoulder with a Donard, slowly approaching him. Hajime's black coat fluttered, and he approached like a death-spreader, a true Grim Reaper. At least that was how the surviving soldiers saw him.

"Eeyee, don't, don't come over here! No, no, I, I don't want to die, someone, someone come and save me!"

The soldier tumbled backward, begging for mercy, his face twisted in fear, fluid leaking from his crotch. Hajime looked down at him coldly, then slowly raised his gun and fired continuously from behind.

"babble!"

Though the soldiers cowered in fear, they took no real damage. Hajime's shots were aimed at the soldiers in the rear, who had been severely wounded by the grenade. Noticing this, the soldiers glanced anxiously behind them, and the devastating sight before them suddenly revealed that their entire unit had been truly wiped out.

The muzzle of the gun was pressed against the soldier's head, who froze after turning his head. This caused him to shudder all over again, and he begged for mercy again with an extremely ugly face twisted:

"P-Please! Don't kill me! I'll do anything! Please!"

"Is that so? Then can you tell me what happened to the other Bunnymen? You must have captured quite a few... Have you sent them all back to the Empire?"

Hajime asked this because it would take quite a while to transport over a hundred Bunnymen. If they were still nearby and it was convenient for him to go and rescue them, he would do so. However, if they had already been transported to the Empire, he would not go there specifically to rescue them.

“…If I tell you, you won’t kill me?”

"Do you think you're in a position to negotiate? I don't particularly need this information anyway. Do you want me to kill you right now?"

"Wait, wait a minute! I'll tell you! I'll tell you... I think they've all been sent to the Empire. After all, their numbers have been reduced..."

"Reduce the number"? Does that mean the old man and the other unsold rabbit-men have been brutally slaughtered? The soldier's words brought grief to the Hauriya people's faces. Hajime glanced at their faces, then stared straight at the soldier. The soldier was now useless, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Wait! Wait! I'll tell you whatever you want to know! It doesn't matter if it's about the Empire or anything else! Please!"

The soldier, sensing Hajime's murderous intent, desperately begged for mercy again, but the answer he received was...

A bullet.

The Hauriya people held their breath. Hajime's actions were so ruthless that they seemed to be disgusted, and a hint of fear flashed in their eyes. Shiya was no different. She cautiously asked Hajime:

"You could have spared him earlier, right?"

Hajime turned with a look of surprise, "What did you say?" Shia couldn't help but utter, "Hmm!" It seemed the Bunnymen still held a compassionate heart towards those who killed their own people or intended to enslave them. Their natures were ultimately kind and pacifist. Just as Hajime was about to speak, Yue preempted her retort:

"...They've already drawn their swords, and now they're begging for mercy just because they're stronger than you. That's just wishful thinking."

“Th-That’s…”

“…And you’re just blindly accepting Hajime’s protection. Looking at Hajime like that is like that, you’re totally mistaken.”

"..."

Yue's anger radiated silently. Needless to say, she hadn't allowed those people to be protected by Hajime, and dared to look at him with such negativity. She was right, and the Hauriya people also looked embarrassed.

"Yes, Hajime-san, we're truly sorry. We don't have anything against you, but we're just not used to this kind of fight... so we were a little frightened."

"Mr. Hajime, I'm sorry."

Shia and Cam apologized on behalf of everyone, while Hajime waved his hand nonchalantly.

He walked towards the unharmed horse and carriage and waved to the Hauriya people. The hike to the forest seemed to take half a day, so since they had horses and carriages ready, they should make good use of them.

Hajime took out the Huetifu from the "treasure vault" again and tied it to the carriage. Then, with the Huetifu pulling the carriage, he and the people who rode the horses headed towards the forest.

Yue used wind magic to blow the shattered remains of the imperial soldiers to the bottom of the valley, leaving only traces of their blood at the scene.

In the distance, the Hartrina Forest, one of the seven great labyrinths, could be seen, its depths containing the demihuman kingdom of Feabergen. The outline of the forest grew increasingly distinct, a glimpse of the distance closing.

Yue sat on the Heu Ti Fur, held between Hajime's arms, and Shia sat in the back seat. Initially, they asked Shia to take the carriage, but she refused, insisting on riding the Heu Ti Fur. No matter how many times Yue kicked her off, she stood up again like a zombie, and finally Yue gave up fighting her.

To Shia, they were the first people she'd ever met who were her kind, and she seemed eager to talk to them more. She sat in the back seat, hugging Hajime tightly, a look of delight on her face. Yue secretly resolved to find out whether Shia preferred riding in the Hi-Tiaf or sitting on Hajime's back... She would decide whether to tie her hands and feet and drag her with the Hi-Tiaf, depending on Shia's choice!

Sandwiched between Yue who was a little unhappy and Shia who was in a very good mood, Hajime rode on the Hirotafu with an empty mind and looked into the distance.