An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"That's wonderful. I look forward to your guidance from now on... our brave hero."

The man who had seduced him smiled softly, but he scoffed inwardly. He thought sarcastically of the horrific scenario that was about to unfold, a consequence his enemy would bring upon himself.

In a corner of the Northern Mountain Range, two silent chuckles overlapped. Only Half Moon and the mindless monster stared at the scene in silence.

Volume 2 Extra Chapter I am a monster, any comments?

In the foggy forest, a small figure ran with single-minded concentration.

Her hair, almost as white as hers, was tinged with a hint of blue, stirring up mist and flowing in the wind as she ran. But her heart felt no sense of lightness, but rather overflowing with sadness. "Wu, wu..." Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran.

This child, estimated to be around five or six years old, was carelessly running around alone in the Hartrina Sea of ​​Trees, one of the so-called demonic realms. It was easy to imagine that she would get lost in a blink of an eye and eventually become a monster's bait.

However, that worry was unnecessary for this child.

The reason was—the child who had merged with the mist had a pair of beautiful, furry rabbit ears on his head. Although they were drooping in sorrow, making them difficult to see, this child was one of the demihuman races that made this forest their home—the Rabbit People.

The Bunnymen were known as the weakest of the demihuman race. However, they possessed unparalleled abilities in threat detection and aura manipulation, even among children. Their bunny ears could barely detect an enemy's movements.

Furthermore, this child possessed special abilities that other rabbit people did not possess. Therefore, in these two respects, the likelihood of this child being exposed to the danger of death in this location near the settlement was clearly very low.

Finally, the young bunny-eared girl, with a mournful look on her face, returned safely to her settlement. The dense fog dissipated, revealing a majestic wooden fence—a rarity even in the settlements of other nearby races, or even those of fellow bunnymen—that stood before them. The tightly joined fence made it difficult to peer inside, and it stood nearly three meters tall.

The Bunnymen, who were essentially forced to flee or hide, placed little emphasis on defense, either for themselves or their settlement. Their fences were generally crude and porous, designed to buy time for escape or to allow for easy observation of the situation outside from within the settlement.

Therefore, considering the general situation, this fence is so majestic that it is somewhat unusual. At first glance, it seems to be more defensive, but in reality, it is just covered with wooden boards, with little defensive power at all. This is also strange - indeed, it is as if the purpose of building this fence is to prevent others from prying inside... It is a very unnatural structure.

The young girl with bunny ears circled the settlement fence (which looked quite unnatural upon closer inspection) and rushed in through the entrance. On the way, the bunny-eared uncle who served as the gatekeeper seemed to say something to her, but the girl didn't notice.

Along the way, people from other settlements spoke to her, but the rabbit-eared girl ignored their voices and rushed directly into her home.

"Oh...what's wrong, Shia? Your rabbit ears are hanging so low."

A young girl with bunny ears, five-year-old Shia. A beautiful woman spoke to Shia as she emerged from the room. She had the long, dark blue hair typical of the Bunny People, and gentle, dreamy eyes, but they also evoked a strong will that was incompatible with her Bunny People's temperament.

"Mother--!!"

Shia, with a sad face, burst into tears and snot when she saw the figure of that woman - her mother Mona Hauriya. She took strong steps that were hard to believe for a five-year-old and threw herself into her mother's arms.

The moment she hugged Shia, the woman seemed to make an inappropriate moaning sound, "Ugh", but Shia continued to wipe her tears and mucus on Mona's chest.

The Bunnymen's traditional clothing reveals a lot of skin. The standard design for women's clothing consists of a swimsuit-like top and a short skirt. The reason for this is that excessive clothing becomes a hindrance during escape, and the rustling of clothing compromises concealment. The dense fog in the forest sea keeps the temperature constant year-round, and escaping is all about saving one's life, so excessive clothing is pointless.

So, in the blink of an eye, the valley between Mona's plump breasts was filled with her daughter's tears, snot, and saliva, becoming a horrible sight. Despite this, she didn't feel any disgust towards her crying little daughter. Instead, she tried hard to endure the pain in her heart from the initial impact, and fought hard to not vomit on her daughter's head.

Although tears welled up in her eyes, Mona gently patted Shia's back to comfort her, and asked her daughter, who had gradually calmed down, what had happened.

However, Shia didn't answer. Instead, she sniffed and looked up at Mona, asking softly as if to reveal her true feelings:

"Mom... am I... a monster? Am I, a monster?"

“…Shia.”

Coming from such a young child, such words seemed far too cruel. However, since Mona understood Shia's quirks better than anyone else, she roughly guessed what had happened.

Shia's uniqueness wasn't just her pale blue-white hair, which was unique to the Bunnymen, but also her abilities to "maintain magic power," "directly manipulate magic power," and "use unique magic," which were unique to all demi-humans.

The two abilities besides magic retention were not only inaccessible to demihumans, but also to humans and demons, and only monsters could possess them. Monsters were universally hated, a fact shared across racial divides.

For this reason, the Hauriya tribe built a fence that prevented them from seeing into the settlement. They wanted to keep Shia within the settlement for as long as possible, never revealing her existence to anyone else. If the demihuman nation of Fyabergen learned of this, Shia would surely be executed.

If Shia hadn't been born into the Rabbit People, who possess the most profound devotion to their family among the demihumans, she would have been executed on the day she was born. It was precisely because she was a Hauria that they spared no effort and risk to allow Shia to live to this age.

However, no matter how much an adult pays attention to their surroundings, a young child will never be content with the small world of the settlement. It's inevitable that she'll think, "It'll just be a little while," and run outside the fence...

"Shia...you ran outside the settlement again, didn't you?"

"Ugh... I'm sorry, Mom. But, but..."

Shia lowered her head in embarrassment, while Mona gave a wry smile. Perhaps someone had seen Shia sneaking out of the settlement to explore from time to time.

In the thick fog, while demihumans' senses wouldn't fail, their vision would be impaired, just like any other race. While Shia herself was deeply interested in the outside world, she also understood that her presence would bring trouble to her family if known outside the Hauria tribe. Therefore, she used her physical abilities, far superior to those of adult rabbit-men, and her ability to detect auras to avoid detection.

Therefore, Shia's existence should not be fully exposed. In this case, there is only one reason why Shia would be sad.

"A white shadow is hiding in the forest. No matter how hard I try, I can't catch it. When I come to my senses... it's vanished like a phantom. Is it a new monster? Or is it a monster that has lived in the forest for a long time... Did you hear such rumors with your sensitive rabbit ears?"

"! Mom...did you already know this?"

Shia's eyes widened in surprise. Mona stroked her rabbit ears, smiled wryly, and nodded. What Mona was talking about was a small rumor that had been circulating among her own kind for some time. It was a bit like an urban legend, a trivial topic used to pass the time. Such rumors were already numerous in the forest sea, shrouded in thick fog for thousands of years, so there was no need to pay attention to them.

However, for Shia, who had just heard that rumor through her ears, it was still a shock. She knew she was different from anyone in her family, and she knew she could do the same things as the monsters. Even though she decided not to think too much, when the facts were before her, she couldn't help but think about it.

Am I really different from my family? Neither a demon nor a human, but a monster?

Tears welled up in Shia's eyes again, and she began to sob. With a look that was a mixture of tenderness, sternness, and love, Mona addressed her beloved daughter, who was questioning her existence.

"Shia. Does Shia hate monsters?"

"Eh? Of course I hate it."

"why?"

"You, you ask why..."

Shia, bewildered by her mother's question, didn't understand. Her bunny ears twitched, and she wore a rather sorrowful expression as she asked, "So, Mom, do you think I'm a monster too?" Mona gently pinched Shia's soft cheek, preventing her from looking away. Her eyes, so calm and deep that they startled even Shia, continued:

"...Being different from others is quite unsettling. It's scary, lonely, and sad. But, but, Shia. Mommy really envies Shia because she's different from everyone else. Not only that, but I'm also very happy that I gave birth to a daughter like her."

“…Why?”

"Because, only by being different from others can you achieve things that others can't. Isn't that amazing?"

Shia didn't understand what Mona said, and rolled her tear-stained sky-blue eyes, which were rare in the sea of ​​trees.

"Is it amazing? If Mom were like me, what would she want to do?"

"Haha, Mom, I've always wanted to be a hero since I was little."

"Hero?"

In reality, Mona was extremely frail, spending half the month confined to her bed. Shia blinked in surprise at the wish uttered by such a frail mother. But then, realizing it was a response very much like her mother's, she nodded.

"That's right, hero. Mom, I want to be someone who can protect my family. Not just run and hide, but stand up and fight anything that wants to take away my precious people. I want to be someone who can protect everything."

Bunnymen are gentle, noncombatant, and peace-loving. This Bunnywoman defies this common sense, possessing a burning heart. Ironically, she was born physically weak. Despite possessing a stronger fighting spirit and a heart than anyone else, fate has assigned her the weakest race and the frailest body. What a irony!

But, because of this, she thought this way——

"'I hope my child will be a strong one' - Shia, you were born according to your mother's wishes. If that isn't happiness, what is?"

"Mother……"

Mona hugged Shia tightly. She was truly happy and treated Shia as her treasure, a treasure she was proud of.

"Shia, human, demon, or monster are just words. It's up to you, Shia, to decide how you want to exist. Shia, just be whoever you want to be. Precisely because you're not just an ordinary bunnyman, but a being different from others—that's why you can be anything."

"..."

Her mother stared straight at her from a close distance, her eyes ablaze with will and love. As if drawn to that radiance, Shia stared at her mother in silence.

And Mona, like a prophet, began to tell Xia about her future—

"Shia, the future won't be all good things for you. There will definitely be things that are more difficult and more disgusting than for others. That's what it means to be different from others."

"Oh...Mom..."

Shia's bunny ears drooped, and she seemed uneasy. It was perhaps even inappropriate to speak such harsh words to a young child, but Mona didn't intend to stop.

"But you possess the power to break through everything. So, Shia, you must never hate yourself. Be cheerful and energetic. No matter how bad or cruel things are, chase them all away with your smile. Hold your head high and say, 'I'm Shia Haulia, what's wrong!?' As long as you don't hate yourself, Shia, then everything will be fine."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Woo, I'll try my best."

"Haha, good boy."

Shia pulled her pale blue-white hair, which was different from the rest of her family's, to her front and murmured cutely, "Mmmmm." It was as if she was trying to immediately like the hair color she didn't like.

Mona's heart warmed at the sight of her adorable daughter. A mischievous smile dispelled the solemn atmosphere that had prevailed until now.

"Oh, yes, Mommy has one more thing to tell you about the future."

"?"

"One day, Shia, you'll definitely meet some amazing people. Not bunnymen like us, nor demihumans. But people beyond the sea of ​​trees... Yes, they'll definitely be people 'just like' Shia."

"Same as me...?"

"Yeah. I will definitely, no, definitely meet them."

Mona said this. Shia tilted her bunny ears, a puzzled expression on her face. Why could her mother say this with such confidence when she clearly didn't have the ability to see the future like she did?

"Because, there's only one person in the world with Shia's physique... How could it be so lonely? The world may be very harsh, but sometimes it can be quite gentle. So, Shia, you will definitely meet them—the most important people who you can entrust everything to, and who entrust everything to you."

"...Is there really such a person outside the forest?"

"Yes, definitely. Hehe, maybe one of them is Shia's future husband~"

"Ehh!? My old old old husband!?"

"Then, he and the girls he becomes good friends with will be caught up in a love saga!"

"Shura Field!?"

Mona happily imagined Shia's future. Shia, though still very young, heard several crucial words that no girl could ignore, and her bunny ears twitched.

At some point, she had forgotten the rumors about being a monster and started a girlish conversation with her mother. Then, because Shia was running around the settlement with a mournful look on her face, a group of Hauriyas came running over worriedly. Even Kam, returning from preparing food, showed up. Shia, on the other hand, blushed as she fantasized about her future friends and husband.

Seeing Shia like this, Kamu thought she'd finally reached the age where she could realize the value of love, and he let out a smug yet lonely expression... but Mona and Shia ignored him. No one could have dreamed that her husband would actually transform Kamu into Eehah's father. Even Mona certainly hadn't anticipated this.

“Hmm…”

A cacophony of noise drifted into one of the hotel rooms, and a young girl's voice, like a spoiled child, mingled with the rustling of sheets and yawns, mingling with the clamor outside.

"Hmm~ Is it morning already~"

"Idiot, it's already past noon. You slept too long, didn't you? Sleepy Bunny."

Shia, half asleep, muttered to herself with a clumsy tongue. The unexpected response startled her, and her bunny ears twitched.

Then, she caught sight of Hajime polishing his beloved gun by the window, glancing sideways at her with a wordless expression.

“Eh? Why is Hajime-san here? Ah, is it Raiya again—Puhuh!?”

"Didn't I say it was already past noon? Yue had already gone out to buy something. Didn't you two agree to go together? Even if I shook you and gave you electric shocks, you still couldn't fall asleep with your drool drooling, so she went alone."

“I-I see… I’m so sorry about Yue-san. I need to hurry up and get ready so I can catch up with her… Eh? Then why is Hajime-san here?”

"If Yue's gone shopping, why is Hajime still here?" Shia asked, her rabbit ears twitching in confusion. Hajime, with a look of bitterness on his face, muttered, "Because I'm not good at dealing with... the monsters in that clothing store."

After conquering the Great Labyrinth of Layson, they were now stranded in Brook. It seemed Hajime was extremely bad at dealing with the clothing store manager in that town. Hajime was so reluctant to see the manager that he even decided to cancel his date with Yue.

"She's obviously a good person~" Shia gave a troubled smile after hearing Hajime's whisper, and was slightly shaken by the word "monster". It must be because of that nostalgic dream just now.

“…What’s wrong, Shia?”

"what?"

When she came to her senses, Hajime was quietly observing Shia. It seemed that he had seen through her slight inner turmoil. Shia was secretly happy about this, but at the same time she was thinking about how to respond. But then Hajime spoke first:

"Is it about my mother?"

“Eh!?”

Shia, having been exposed, opened her eyes wide and asked, "Do you have a special magic that can read minds?!" Then she lowered her rabbit ears and pressed her hands tightly against her plump breasts, inherited from her mother, as if to prevent her mind from being read.

"It's not mind reading. You were talking in your sleep...calling for your mother."

"Ah...Is that so? Oh my~ Ahahaha, at this age, I'm still calling you mom in my dreams. How embarrassing~"

Shia scratched her head shyly, but Hajime still stared at her without looking away. But then he shrugged as if accepting something and looked away.

"It doesn't look like a nightmare..."

Shia's heart skipped a beat as she realized Hajime was worried about her. She hadn't told Hajime and Yue about Mona. It wasn't that she was hiding it, but she simply hadn't had the chance. Hajime seemed to harbor negative thoughts about her mother, whom Shia hadn't mentioned and whose presence had vanished. Perhaps, he wondered, that was one of the things Shia didn't want to recall.

That was the unimaginable worry she had before conquering the Great Labyrinth. Shia grew happier, wagging her bunny ears and tail.

"Yes, that's a very important memory that I miss. Also, my mother died of illness when I was ten. She was always frail, so it's amazing that she lived for nearly ten years after giving birth to me."

"is that so?"

"Yes. So it wasn't when I was being chased in the sea of ​​trees that something happened. I said goodbye to her properly at that time. So there's no need to worry about me. It's okay."

"I don't really care about it."