Chapter 32

Leading the group of forty-two rabbit-eared individuals, they walked one after another through the canyon.

Of course, many monsters thought they were excellent prey and attacked, but not a single one succeeded. Without exception, not even one could touch the rabbit people; they were all killed by a flash of light that shattered their heads as they approached.

The dry crackling sound and flashes of light raced together, and when they noticed, all the fierce monsters in the Laizen Grand Canyon had died helplessly. Seeing this scene, the rabbit people were speechless, and then they all looked at Aichi, the person who had caused this situation, with awe.

However, to the young children, those round, shining eyes were looking at Aichi, who wielded overwhelming power, as if he were a hero.

“Guh, guh, guh, Mr. Aichi. The kids are looking at you~ How about waving back a little?”

Aichi was annoyed by the children's innocent gazes, and Shia, with her annoying expression, was meddling, “Wah, wah, wah.” Aichi's forehead twitched, and he silently fired his gun.

Dobang! Dobang! Dobang!

“Ahhhhhhhhh!?”

Rubber bullets continued to fly past her feet, and Shia danced a strange tap dance, dodging them. Kam, Shia's father, who had seen this scene many times, just smiled wryly, while Yue looked at her with a surprised expression.

“Hahaha, Shia really likes Lord Aichi, doesn’t she? To be so close... Has Shia reached that age? I feel a bit lonely as a father. But if it’s Lord Aichi, I’m relieved...”

While his daughter was still being shot at, Kam didn’t seem to care at all, instead showing the expression of a father who was shedding tears of joy for his daughter’s marriage. The surrounding rabbit people also looked at Shia, who was crying out, “Help me~” with a somewhat warm gaze.

“No, you guys. Is this your reaction to this situation?”

“...Misunderstood”

Yue was right. It seemed that the rabbit people were less about lacking common sense and more about being naturally air-headed. Whether this was true for all rabbit people or just the Horia tribe was unclear.

As they spoke, the group finally saw a place where they could leave the Laizen Grand Canyon. Aichi used [Far Sight] to look up the relatively beautiful staircase. The staircase, cut directly into the steep cliff, seemed to turn back in the opposite direction every fifty meters or so. The forest at the top of the cliff with the staircase looked like small grass. About half a day’s walk from the exit of the Laizen Grand Canyon was the Tree Sea.

While Aichi was looking into the distance, Shia spoke to him anxiously.

“Are the Imperial soldiers still here?”

“Hmm? How should I say it. It’s highly likely that they’ve given up and returned, thinking you were all wiped out...”

“T-That, if the Imperial soldiers are still here... Mr. Aichi... what would you do?”

“? What do you mean by what would I do?”

Aichi, not understanding the question, tilted his head, and Shia asked with a determined look. The surrounding rabbit people also perked up their ears to listen.

“Unlike the monsters we’ve defeated so far, the other side is Imperial soldiers... humans. Like Mr. Aichi. ...Enemies?”

“Silly rabbit, can’t you see the future?”

“Yes, I saw. Mr. Aichi fighting the Imperial soldiers...”

“In that case... what’s the question?”

“It’s more of a confirmation. Protecting us from the Imperial soldiers means opposing the human race. Is it really okay to fight your own kind...”

As Shia spoke, the surrounding rabbit people looked at Aichi with strange expressions. The young children, more confused, also sensed the tense atmosphere and alternated their gaze between the adults and Aichi.

However, Aichi, as if completely ignoring the serious atmosphere, spoke casually.

“So what if it is?”

“Eh?”

Aichi, not paying attention to Shia’s puzzled face, continued chatting.

“So, what’s the problem with opposing the human race?”

“B-But, they are your own kind...”

“You were also driven out by your own kind, weren’t you?”

“T-That’s true...”

“Basically, you’ve got the fundamental issue wrong.”

“Fundamental?”

Shia tilted her head. The surrounding rabbit people also looked puzzled.

“Do you understand? I hired you to make exploring the Tree Sea easier. If you die before that, it would be a problem, so I protect you. It’s not out of sympathy or a sense of justice. Not to mention, I have no intention of protecting you indefinitely. Don’t forget that.”

“U-Um, I... remember...”

“So, I’ll protect you until the Tree Sea guide work is done. Completely for my own sake. Whether it’s monsters or humans, anyone who gets in the way is an enemy. Kill the enemy. That’s all.”

“O-Oh, I see...”

Aichi’s true thoughts, Shia accepted with a wry smile. Although she had seen Aichi opposing the Empire with “Future Sight,” the future is not absolute, and it’s unknown what will actually happen. If Aichi were to side with the Empire, the future would be a life of slavery worse than death. While she couldn’t explicitly say, “It’s all my fault,” Shia felt a sense of responsibility and couldn’t help but confirm.

“Hahaha, simple and clear is good. The Tree Sea guide is up to me.”

Kam laughed heartily. Rather than relying on a poor sense of justice, a give-and-take relationship was more trustworthy—his expression didn’t show any of that.

The group arrived at the staircase. Aichi led the way, and they climbed in order. The rabbit people, who had almost not eaten or drunk while fleeing from the Imperial soldiers, had surprisingly light steps. It was true that the demi-human race, while lacking magic, had high physical abilities.

Finally, they finished climbing the staircase, and Aichi and the others escaped the Laizen Grand Canyon.

At the top of the cliff, there was...

“Hey, is this for real? You survived? Because of the captain’s orders, we had to stay here~ This is great, we’ll have some nice souvenirs.”

Thirty Imperial soldiers gathered there. There were several large wagons and campsite traces around them. All of them wore yellow-brown military uniforms, carrying swords, spears, and shields, and they looked surprised to see Aichi and the others.

But that only lasted a moment. They soon smiled and looked at the rabbit people with assessing eyes.

“Squad leader! There’s a white-haired rabbit person!”

“Oh, oh, what luck. The old ones don’t matter, but that one mustn’t be killed?”

“Squad leader~ There are more, can we try something new? You see, we’ve been here for three days. Can we take a couple for fun~”

“Sure. Not all of them. Two or three is fine.”

“Yay~ You’re the best, Squad leader! So lenient!”

The Imperial soldiers treated the rabbit people like prey, showing no signs of preparing for battle, just leering at the rabbit women. The rabbit people trembled in fear at their gaze.

The Imperial soldiers were making a ruckus, and the man called Squad Leader, with a smile of a bountiful harvest of rabbit people, gradually noticed Aichi’s presence.

“Ah? Who are you? You don’t look like a rabbit person...”

Aichi, judging from the Imperial soldiers’ attitude, knew he couldn’t avoid the conversation and responded.

“Ah, I’m human.”

“Huh? Why is a human with rabbit people? And from the canyon. Ah, are you a slave trader? Did you follow the information here? You’ve got a strong business spirit. Well, that’s fine. We’ll take all of them back to the capital and deal with them.”

The Squad Leader, making subjective assumptions and drawing his own conclusions, gave orders to Aichi as if it were natural, completely confident that he wouldn’t be refused.

Of course, Aichi had no need to comply.

“I refuse.”

“...What did you just say?”

“I said I refuse. These people are mine now. I don’t plan to give any of them to you. I suggest you give up and return to your country quickly.”

Thinking he had misheard, the Squad Leader asked again, but received even more disrespectful words in response. A vein appeared on his forehead.

“...Brat, watch your mouth. Do you not know who we are or are you just stupid?”

“I fully understand. No one has ever told you you’re stupid.”

Hearing Aichi’s words, the Squad Leader’s expression suddenly vanished. The surrounding soldiers glared at Aichi with a menacing aura. At this moment, the Squad Leader suppressed the menacing aura and noticed Yue, who had appeared behind Aichi. Despite her young appearance, she was surrounded by a seductive aura, and the contrast made the Squad Leader momentarily stare at the girl with an indescribable beauty, then break into a lecherous smile. However,

He didn’t notice one thing: the girl was tightly holding the hem of Aichi’s coat, clearly a close presence.

“Ah, I see, I finally understand. You’re just a naive brat. It’s a good opportunity to teach you the harshness of the world. Kukuku, that girl over there would make a nice guest, wouldn’t she? I’ll cut off your limbs and rape her in front of you, then sell her to a slave trader.”

Aichi’s eyebrows twitched slightly at these words. Yue, though expressionless, showed a clear sense of disgust. The words spoken by the man in front of them made it clear that he would not be allowed to exist in this world, and Yue was about to raise her right hand.

However, Aichi stopped her. Yue, surprised, looked at Aichi, who then spoke his final words.

“So, are they enemies?”

“Ah!? Still don’t get it? Brat, even if you beg and tremble, it won’t change a thing!”

Do Bang!!

The Squad Leader, enraged that Aichi didn’t tremble and beg as he imagined, shouted in anger but couldn’t even finish his sentence. At the sound of a burst, his head shattered and flew apart. A large hole appeared between his eyebrows, and his brain splattered backward as he was thrown back and fell.

The soldiers, not knowing what had happened, just stared blankly at the fallen Squad Leader. Aichi launched a counterattack on them.

Do Ba aaaaen!!

Apart from this sound, no other gunshots were heard, but six Imperial soldiers’ heads were blown off simultaneously. Although he actually fired six shots, Aichi’s shooting speed was so fast that it sounded like only one shot.

Suddenly, including the Squad Leader, six of their comrades’ heads were blown off. Faced with this abnormal situation, the soldiers, though in a state of semi-panic, aimed their weapons at Aichi and the others. They didn’t understand the process, but they grasped the cause, so the Imperial soldiers acted quickly. While their character was not commendable, they were indeed capable soldiers.

Immediately, the Imperial soldiers’ vanguard rushed forward, while the rear guard began to chant. However, something was rolling at the feet of the rear guard. A black cylindrical object. “What’s this?” The rear guard continued to chant while looking at it, but the next moment, they became speechless corpses.

Do Ga En!!

The black object, filled with burning powder [grenade], exploded. It was a [fragmentation grenade] carefully loaded with metal pieces. Even compared to the original on Earth, this was a masterpiece Aichi was proud of, made possible by the mysterious otherworldly mineral, burning stone.

This attack killed about ten of the clustered Imperial soldiers on the spot, their limbs blown off and organs shattered, and about seven others groaned in pain from being caught in the blast.

The blast from behind made the seven advancing vanguard soldiers stagger. Six of them turned around to see what had happened and, like their comrades earlier, were shot in the head and fell to the ground. Blood splattered, and the only surviving soldier, drenched in blood from head to toe, collapsed in a daze. It was no wonder; in an instant, his comrades had been annihilated. They were not a weak unit. On the contrary, they were a flawless elite force, even by their superiors’ standards. The soldier seemed to think, “Is this a nightmare?” as he stared blankly, his gaze shattered.

His ears heard a slightly frivolous voice, not from the person who had caused the current tragedy.

“Hmm, as expected, I don’t need [Lightning Wrap] against humans. Ordinary bullets and explosives are enough. Burning stone is really convenient.”

The soldier, terrified, trembled and looked at Aichi with fear. Aichi, tapping Dona on his shoulder, approached the soldier calmly. His black coat fluttered, and his approach, exuding a deathly aura, was like a grim reaper. At least to the surviving soldier, that’s all he could see.

“Ah, don’t, don’t come! No, I don’t want to die. Someone, anyone, help me!”

Begging for his life and retreating, the soldier’s face was contorted with fear, and liquid leaked from his legs. Aichi looked down at him coldly and slowly aimed his gun at the soldier’s back, firing continuously.

“Ah!”

The soldier flinched but felt no impact. Aichi was attacking the soldiers behind him, who were severely injured by the grenade. Realizing this, the surviving soldier cautiously turned around and, seeing the gruesome scene, understood that the unit was truly wiped out.

Turning back stiffly, the soldier found the gun barrel pressed against his head. He trembled again, his face contorted in a hideous plea for mercy.

“P-Please! Don’t kill me! I’ll do anything! Please!”

“Is that so? Then, can you tell me what happened to the other rabbit people? There should be a considerable number here... Have they all been moved to the Empire?”

Aichi’s question was this: it would take time to move over a hundred rabbit people. If they were nearby, he might help. If they had already been moved to the Empire, he had no intention of going to rescue them.

“...I-If I tell you, you won’t kill me?”

“Do you really think you’re in a position to negotiate? Well, it’s not information I absolutely need. Shall we go now?”

“W-Wait! Please, wait! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! ...They’ve probably all been moved. After all, the numbers were reduced...”

“Reducing the numbers” meant killing the elderly and unsellable rabbit people. The rabbit people looked pained at the soldier’s words. Aichi glanced at them briefly, then looked at the soldier with a “you’re useless now” expression, his eyes filled with killing intent.

“Wait! Please, wait! I’ll tell you more! About the Empire! So!”

The soldier, sensing Aichi’s killing intent, begged for his life again. But Aichi’s response was...

Dobang!!

Just one bullet.

The rabbit people were on edge, their eyes filled with deep fear. They were completely stunned by Aichi’s ruthless actions. Even Shia, trembling, asked Aichi.

“T-That person could have been spared...”

“Huh?”

Surprised, Aichi made a strange sound and looked at Shia, who let out a groan. Showing mercy to someone who had enslaved and killed their own kind, should the rabbit people be called kind or pacifists? Aichi was about to say something when Yue interjected.

“...Once you draw your sword, saying the opponent is too strong and letting them go is too lenient.”

“T-That’s...”

“...Initially, you looked at Aichi with those eyes while being protected, didn’t you? You got the wrong person.”

“...”

Yue was calmly angry. Putting aside the promise, for looking at Aichi with negative emotions, Yue was saying, “Not allowed.” Naturally, the rabbit people looked guilty.

“Um, Lord Aichi, we are very sorry. We have no complaints about you. It’s just that we are not good at dealing with such conflicts... We were just a bit startled.”

“Mr. Aichi, I’m sorry.”

Shia and Kam apologized on behalf of the group, and Aichi just waved his hand dismissively.

Aichi walked to the intact wagons and horses and beckoned the rabbit people. Since it was about half a day’s walk to the Tree Sea, it was better to use the horses and wagons effectively. He took out motorcycles from the [Treasure Vault] and connected them to the wagons. The group split into those who rode in the wagons and those who rode horses, and they headed for the Tree Sea.

As for the gruesome corpses of the Imperial soldiers, Yue used wind magic to blow them into the valley. All that remained was the blood they left behind.