Chapter 2 (Part 2)

"Aah, thank goodness we have the old Hajime back," "Boss is back to normal," and the like could be heard from the group of rabbitmen. Hajime pointedly ignored their remarks, however. But they still served to ruin the tense atmosphere he'd built up. Oh yeah, they need some very harsh discipline when we get back.

None of the bearmen disputed his decision to beg for their lives, and Regin dejectedly led what remained of his troop back home. The fact that so many of his soldiers were young had probably played a part in Regin's despair. He'd never again be able to swagger around Verbergen like he owned the place. In fact, it was likely he'd be ostracized by everyone. He supposed he'd been let off lightly, though, considering he was the one who'd initiated hostilities. Within minutes, the bearmen had all been swallowed up by the fog.

Once they were out of sight, Hajime rounded on Shea and Cam. His head was downcast, so nobody could see his expression, and there was a strange aura surrounding him. All of the rabbitmen were still getting over their shame at having nearly fallen into madness, so they walked up to him like nothing was wrong. Only Shea broke out in a cold sweat as she realized there was a dangerous aura emanating around him.

Trembling slightly, he raised his head to look up at them. There was a content smile on his face, but it never reached his eyes. Finally, Cam and the others realized there was something wrong with Hajime too.

"B-Boss?" Cam questioned timidly.

"Yeah? You know, I really did feel bad about what I did to you guys. Even if it was to train you as quickly as possible in the short time we had, I should have put a stop to it after a while."

"N-No, Boss, it was... all because we were too immature..."

"Now now, I'm perfectly willing to admit my own mistakes. But... But you know, even though I apologized so sincerely... the way you guys reacted was just too much. I mean, I get it. It's partly my fault for being so mean every day... I know. I know that, but I still have to do something about all this rage building up inside me... You understand, right?"

"N-No, sir. I can't say I do..." Cold sweat started pouring down Cam's back. Oh crap, he's pissed. Cam slowly started backing up. Hajime's attitude brought back memories of their hellish training, and more than a few of the Haulia broke down crying.

"Now's my chance!" Shea yelled, then tried to take advantage of Hajime's momentary hesitation to flee. She even used the other Haulia as meat shields as she ran. However... Bang! Hajime's bullet flew between a Haulia's legs, ricocheted off a nearby root, and hit Shea right in the butt.

"Hakyun!" This was just one of Hajime's many sniping skills. By ricocheting bullets off of various surfaces, he could attack from any angle. And so, he could accurately aim for Shea's butt no matter where she hid. It was a completely pointless gun skill that had no wasted movements to it.

Shea hopped around in pain as she held her butt cheeks. She then tripped over a root, exposing her ass for all to see. A faint tendril of smoke rose from where the bullet had hit her. She showed no signs of getting up, and simply twitched helplessly on the ground.

Cam and the others all watched on in horror as Shea spasmed on the ground. The man whose legs the bullet had passed between was holding his crotch protectively and sobbing uncontrollably. The shockwave that Hajime's bullet had left behind had touched his balls slightly.

Hajime casually holstered Donner and smiled demonically. His loud voice carried to every one of the Haulia.

"You're all eating one bullet before I'm through!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The Haulia all skittered away like spiders, but Hajime didn't let even a single one of them escape unscathed. For a long time the terrified screams of bunnies echoed throughout the forest. Until only Shea remained, smoke still rising from her buttocks.

"...So when can we go to the Grand Tree?" Yue, who'd been quiet this whole time, finally spoke up.

A few hours later, after Hajime had thoroughly vented all of his frustration, Cam and the others led them through the fog to the Sacred Tree, Uralt.

Cam was in the lead, while the other Haulia, much wiser now thanks to their training, spread out to scout the surrounding area. The idea that carelessness led to death had been thoroughly ingrained into each of their minds, so they all took their job seriously. The lumps rising on various parts of their bodies broke the tension a bit, though...

"Gaah, it still stings." Shea complained bitterly as she rubbed her butt. She glared angrily at Hajime.

"Quit looking at me like that, it's annoying."

"That's what you have to say for yourself? Unbelievable. I can't believe you'd shoot a girl in the butt. With such a pointlessly advanced skill, too."

"Says the girl that was seriously contemplating whacking me on the head. And you even tried to use the guy next to you as a shield when you ran... I don't think you have any right to talk."

The guy she'd hid behind nodded vigorously. He was walking a few steps back from them.

"That's just because of Yue-san's training."

"I raised Shea well."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Yue puffed out her chest proudly as she looked at Shea. Hajime made use of the ignore skill that he'd recently had a lot of time to hone.

Fifteen minutes passed while Yue and Shea bantered cheerfully. The party had finally reached the Grand Tree, and Hajime was the first to speak.

"The hell is this?" His voice was tinged with both disbelief and amazement. Yue also gazed up in confusion. The two of them had been expecting a super sized version of the trees they'd saw in Verbergen. A kind of majestic, awe-inspiring spectacle. Instead, what they got was... a very withered tree.

Its size was still what they'd expected. Actually, it was larger than either of them had imagined. It was hard to measure its girth with just a glance, but it must have been at least 50 meters in diameter. Far bigger than any tree they'd seen thus far. And yet, despite the fact that all the trees surrounding it were lush and healthy, the Grand Tree looked as if it was already half-dead.

"The Grand Tree has supposedly been like this since before Verbergen's founding. Yet it's never rotted away. It's stayed withered like that for as long as we've known. Because of the way the fog acts around it, and the fact that it never dies despite being so withered, the people of this forest consider it sacred. Well, I say sacred, but it's more just like a fancy tourist attraction..."

Seeing their confused faces, Cam offered an explanation. Hajime slowly walked up to the tree's base. Just as Ulfric had said, there was a stone marker with a lithograph carved into it.

"This is... just like Oscar's..."

"...Yeah. It's the same."

Engraved into the stone was a heptagon, with a different crest at each vertex. The same one they'd seen in Oscar's house, or in the hidden cave the magic circle had teleported them to.

Just to make sure, Hajime pulled out Orcus' ring. The crest matched one of the ones on the stone.

"So this really is one of the labyrinth entrances. But... how are we supposed to get in?" Hajime rapped the trunk with his knuckles, but naturally that did nothing. Cam and the others didn't know anything more than this either, it seemed. Nothing in the legend Ulfric had told him said anything about how to enter this labyrinth. Though it was always possible Ulfric hadn't told Hajime everything he knew. Should I call in my favor right away? Suddenly, Yue called out to him.

"Hajime... look at this."

"Hm? What's up?"

Yue was pointing to the back of the stone tablet. There were seven indents carved into the back, in the same spot the crests were on the front.

"So then..."

Hajime fit the ring into the hole corresponding with Orcus' crest. A few seconds later, the stone tablet began to glow.

The other Haulia all crowded around it as well, eager to see what was happening. After a while the glow began to fade, and floating letters appeared in the air above the stone. This is what they said:

—Four markers of strength.

—The power of restoration.

—A beacon woven from bonds.

—Only with those three ingredients in hand will the path to a new trial be opened.

"What does that mean?" Hajime questioned.

"Four markers of strength... probably refers to getting four crests from other labyrinths?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. Then what about the power of restoration and a beacon woven from bonds?" Hajime tilted his head in confusion as he asked that, but surprisingly, Shea had an answer.

"Hmmm, well a beacon woven from bonds probably refers to whether or not you can get the beastmen to guide you here, right? Most beastmen never leave the sea of trees, and getting one to guide you here like you did is something that's never happened before."

"I see. Does sound like you could be right."

"All that's left is the power of restoration... Does that mean me?" Yue points to herself, no doubt referring to her automatic regeneration. As an experiment, she cut her own finger and pushed it against the tree's bark as her magic activated... but nothing happened.

"Hmm... I guess not."

"Well, maybe we have to... restore the tree... and bring at least four crests from other labyrinths...? So not only do we have to clear over half of them, we need to get ancient restoration magic from one of them?"

Such was Hajime's conjecture. Yue nodded in agreement.

"Haaa, damn. So we can't start on this one just yet... What a pain in the ass. Guess we'll just have to do the others first..."

"Yeah..."

Hajime was frustrated that they'd have to turn back after expending so much effort to get here. Yue didn't look too happy either. But unless they could find some alternate entrance, there was no point in sitting there complaining about it. Hajime quickly got over his frustration and decided to change his immediate goal to clearing three other labyrinths.

He stood up and called all the Haulia over.

"As you saw, we'll have to clear three other labyrinths before we get back to this one. My promise to protect you guys until you led us here has now been fulfilled. As you are now, even without Verbergen's protection, you should have no trouble living safely in this forest. And so, this is where we part."

He then turned back to Shea. His gaze made it clear that if she had any parting words she wanted to say to them, now was the only time to do it. Even though they were guaranteed to return here eventually, conquering three labyrinths would take quite some time. She wouldn't be able to see her family for quite a while. Shea nodded resolutely and walked up to Cam and the others.

"I—"

"Hey, Boss! There's something I want to say!"

"...Wait, Dad? It's my turn to talk right now..." Cam ignored her and walked up to Hajime. He gave him a crisp salute and stood at attention. "Dad? Hey, Dad?" Shea kept pestering him from behind, but like the royal guardsmen of England, he ignored her completely and looked only at Hajime.

"Yeah, what is it?" Like Cam, Hajime decided this would go faster if he just ignored Shea. Cam took a deep breath before voicing the will of his tribe.

"Boss, please let us accompany you in your travels!"

"Huh!? Dad, you wanna go with him too!?" Shea cried out in surprise. When they'd had this discussion ten days ago it had sounded like Shea was going to be the only one leaving, so this caught her completely off guard.

"We are at once both Haulia, and your subordinates, Boss! Please allow us to journey with you! This is the will of the entire tribe!"

"Wait, Dad! That's not the problem here! And wait, if Hajime-san says yes, then what was the point of all my hard work..."

"Honestly speaking, we're jealous of Shea!"

"Wow, you confessed that easily! I can't believe it! What happened to you guys over these past ten days!?"

Cam's loud voice drowned out Shea's protests. Somewhat confused, Hajime still gave an immediate reply.

"Not happening."

"Why!?" Like Shea had been before, Cam was taken aback by his immediate reply. The other Haulia began pestering him too.

"Because you'd be dead weight."

"But—"

"Don't get ahead of yourselves now. You might have improved a little, but it's 180 days too early for you guys to be anywhere near my level."

"What an oddly specific number!"

Despite Hajime's curt rejection, Cam refused to give up. He even went as far as to say "Even if you don't give us permission we'll just follow you anyway!" in response. Hajime's spartan training had built an odd sense of camaraderie between him and the rabbitmen, so they all respected him immensely now. He was convinced they really would follow him no matter where he went, so he decided to let them join on a condition.

"Fine, we'll do it this way. You guys focus twice as hard on your training. If you've grown strong enough by the time I come here again, I might consider letting you join."

"...You're not just lying to get rid of us, are you?"

"I'm not."

"If you are, then we'll go to every human town we can find and yell out your name like some kind of crazy cult, okay?"

"Y-You guys just don't give up, do you?"

"We're proud to call ourselves your men, Boss."

Hajime cringed a little when he saw how "manly" his so-called subordinates had become. Yue patted his arm comfortingly. He'd really overdid it this time, in more ways than one.

This was his own fault though, so all he could do was sigh. The next time he came back here he was going to have a huge headache to deal with.

"Waaa... no one's paying any attention to me... even though I'm about to set off..." Shea was drawing circles in the ground as she wailed, but that didn't get her any attention either.

They parted ways at the edge of the forest. Once the goodbyes were finished, Hajime pulled out Steiff and soon they were racing across the plains. Their riding formation was as before, with Yue in front, Hajime in the middle, and Shea in the back. It seemed to Hajime that Shea was clinging to him even more tightly than before, but he did his best to ignore it. If he reacted to it even slightly, he was sure Yue would notice. Her bunny ears flapped in the wind, and Shea closed her eyes happily as she enjoyed the sensation of riding freely under the open sky.

"Hajime-san. I forgot to ask this earlier, but where exactly are we headed? The Grand Gruen Volcano?"

"Oh? I didn't tell you?"

"Nope!"

"...He told me." Yue puffed out her chest proudly.

"I-I'm one of you guys now, okay!? Quit keeping secrets from me! Communication is important between allies, isn't it!?"

"Sorry, sorry. We're heading back to the Reisen Gorge."

"The Reisen Gorge?" Shea repeated, clearly not following. Aside from the Haltina Woods, the only other known labyrinths were the Grand Gruen Volcano and the Great Orcus Labyrinth. Hajime had already cleared Orcus' labyrinth, so Shea had naturally assumed their next destination was the volcano. Sensing her confusion, Hajime elaborated on his decision.

"There's rumors that Reisen's one of the Seven Great Labyrinths too. Since it runs from here all the way to the western continent where the desert is, we might as well ride through it and check on our way."

"S-So we're just going to pass through it like a landmark..." Shea's face stiffened. Not only was it considered the world's execution grounds, it was also where she'd just recently lost a lot of her family. Even knowing their strength, she was a bit shocked that they could just treat it like a highway. Because of how tightly she was clinging to him, her reaction was conveyed perfectly to Hajime, who let out a sigh.

"You know, you should have a little more faith in your own strength. As you are now, the monsters at the bottom of the gorge are barely any more of a threat than the monsters you fought in the forest. The reason everyone fears Reisen so much is because mana disperses quickly right after it's emitted from the body, but that won't even affect you since you use body strengthening. In fact, down there you're way stronger than everyone else."

"...As your master, I'm ashamed you didn't realize something so simple."

"Uuu... I'm sorry." Tears welled up in Shea's eyes at Yue's rebuke. Awkwardly, she tried to change the subject.

"S-So then, are we going to camp in the valley? Or are we going to find a town to rest at?"

"I think a town. I want to stock up on food and convert some of the stuff I have lying around into cash. If the map I saw earlier is accurate, there should be a town around here somewhere."

Hajime was more than ready to have a proper meal for once. Neither Hajime nor Yue had ever learned to cook, so all the food they'd made in the abyss had tasted bland. Then, in the sea of trees they'd been too focused on training the rabbitmen to worry about cooking, so they'd just eaten whatever preserved food they had left. He was craving something that was cooked by someone with actual skill. And if he was going to be spending nights at inns and buying supplies, he'd need money. He had more rare monster materials than he could shake a stick at, so he wanted to convert some of it into cash. He also just wanted to relax a bit before they went back down into the gorge and started fighting again.

"Haaah... I see... Thank goodness." Shea sighed with relief. Hajime gave her a puzzled look and asked why.

"Oh, I was just worried you'd head straight to Reisen Gorge and say something like 'I can just live off monster meat.' And Yue's fine with your blood, so... I was worried I'd have to convince you to buy food. Thank god you still have some common sense. I didn't know you still ate normal food, Hajime-san!"

"Of course I do... No way I'd eat monster meat if I had a choice. And what kind of monster do you see me as, anyway?"

"Some kind of new super carnivorous one?"

"Sounds to me like you want me to tie you to the back of the motorcycle and drag you to town."

"Hey, wait, stop! Where'd you get that collar from!? Please don't... I don't want to die! Yue-san, help meeeeee!"

"You reap what you sow." The merry trio's banter was all that could be heard for miles along this vast empty plain.

They caught sight of the town a few hours later, around the time the sun was starting to set. A smile split Hajime's face. Just like when he'd first seen the sun, the sight of that town really drove home the fact that he was finally free of the abyss. Yue was bouncing up and down in his lap too. Like him, she was excited to see civilization again. They exchanged glances and their smiles grew even wider.

"Um, sorry to disturb you two, but could you please take this collar off me now? I can't seem to take it off on my own... Um, are you listening? Hajime-san? Yue-san? Please don't ignore meee! You're going to make me cry, okay? Do you really want to see me cry that bad!?" Both of their smiles only grew wider. When they were like that, no one could interrupt them. Not even the loud wailing of the poor little rabbit sitting behind them.

A few more minutes of driving brought them closer to the town, and the two finally returned to reality. Now that they were much closer they could see that it was a small village surrounded only by a makeshift fence and moat. There was a wooden gate where the village met the road, with tiny huts lining either side of it. That was probably where the gate guards were stationed. At least that meant it was at least big enough to warrant a guard, which signaled that Hajime would definitely be able to stock up on supplies. He smiled happily.

"If you're in a good mood, could you please take this collar off me?" Shea grumbled unhappily as Hajime surveyed the town. There was a small inconspicuous jewel set inside the black collar attached to Shea's neck. Though it had been her punishment for mouthing off to Hajime, it was actually a very stylish piece. But for some reason she couldn't take it off, which was why she kept asking Hajime to do it for her.

They were close enough that the guardsmen would be able to spot them soon, so Hajime put away Steiff and they kept going on foot. There would've been a huge commotion if he rode into a town on a jet-black motorcycle, after all.

Shea complained during the entire trek, but Hajime and Yue simply ignored her all they while, as they swiftly journeyed towards their next destination.

Eventually, when they reached the town, two armored men came out of the huts on either side of the gate. They were covered in simple leather breastplates, and the longswords strapped to their waist were the only arms they carried. Rather than soldiers, they looked more like adventurers. They called for Hajime to stop.

"Halt. Show us your status plates, and tell us what you're here for." Standard procedure. The guards knew it too, and didn't seem all that alert. Hajime dutifully took out his status plate and offered it to one of the guards.

"I'm mostly here to stock up on supplies. We're on a journey." The soldier-adventurer hmm'd disinterestedly and took a look at Hajime's status plate. His eyes went wide. He quickly held it up to the light, then rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Realizing what must have happened, Hajime knew he must have forgotten to disguise his stats.

There actually was a skill that let one alter the numbers on one's status plate. Adventurers and soldiers made use of it extensively as having their information get out to the wrong people could be fatal. A dozen different lies flashed through the back of Hajime's mind, so he just picked one at random.

"I was attacked by monsters a while back. It's been broken ever since."

"B-Broken? But..." One of the gate guards sputtered. It was only natural. Not only was level listed as unknown, but his stats and skills were utterly ridiculous. Status plates could break, but usually only in the physical sense, never something like this where it looked like it was glitching out. Normally, the guard would have laughed at him for telling an obvious lie, but with Hajime's numbers being so stupidly high meant he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. Hajime just shrugged his shoulders helplessly, then followed up on his previous statement.

"How else do you explain those numbers? If it was real, then I'd be some kind of monster. Do I look like the kind of person who could blow this whole town away just by lifting my finger?" He spread his arms wide like he was joking, and the guard smiled with him. If the status plate really was telling the truth, then Hajime was a monster far more powerful than any hero or demon lord. Even if it was unheard of, it still made more sense for his plate to be broken.

If the soldier-adventurer had known the truth, he would have fainted on the spot. Yue and Shea watched on in amazement as Hajime spun his lies without batting an eyelid.

"Haha, yeah, you certainly don't look anything like a monster. I've never heard of a status plate breaking like this, but I guess there's a first time for everything... Anyway, moving on to you two..." The guard switched his gaze to the two girls standing behind Hajime. They'd been partially hidden by Hajime's frame before, so he hadn't gotten a good look at them earlier, but he froze when he saw who Hajime was traveling with.

A crimson blush slowly spread up his face as he stared at Yue and Shea. Yue was, of course, a stunning beauty who resembled a masterfully crafted bisque doll. And Shea was just as alluring, as long as she kept her mouth shut. Basically, the two gate guards were completely smitten.

Hajime cleared his throat loudly. Returning to their senses, the two quickly looked back at Hajime.

"These two lost their plates when we were attacked by the monsters I was telling you about earlier. And this bunny girl here is, well... you understand, right?" The two of them nodded knowingly and returned Hajime's status plate to him.

"But man, you sure got your hands on a cutie. I hear light-haired rabbitmen are pretty rare. You must be pretty rich, huh?"

The two of them kept stealing glances at the girls as the man spoke, his voice clearly filled with envy. Hajime merely shrugged his shoulders in reply, saying nothing.

"Well, whatever. You're free to pass."

"Thanks. Oh, yeah. Is there anywhere I can sell some of the materials I harvested?"

"Hm? There's an adventurer's guild down the central road. They'd be the people to ask about that. They've got maps of the town there too, if you need one."

"Cool, thanks for the heads up." Information in hand, Hajime and the others headed into town.

According to the sign hanging from the main gate, the town's name was Brooke. The town was bustling with activity. Horaud, the town Hajime had been to when they'd first gone to train in the Orcus Labyrinth, had been bigger, but a number of stalls could still be seen lining the main road, with merchants hawking their wares and customers heatedly haggling.

For some reason, seeing all this activity around him made Hajime giddy with excitement. Yue, too, was grinning happily. Only Shea was trembling uncontrollably, glaring at Hajime with teary eyes. She didn't yell, but simply glared angrily at him. Unable to ignore her any longer, Hajime let out a tired sigh. Grumbling to himself, he turned to face Shea.

"What is it? I finally get to enjoy being around other people again, so what are you glaring at me for? You look like some kind of terrible gorilla monster that I have to keep myself from dropping a boulder on."

"Excuse me, I don't look like a gorilla! And what's with that description! I'm starting to feel bad for this poor gorilla you probably killed!"

"...But didn't you get all teary-eyed like that after smelling your armpit?"

"Not you too!? How mean, I did not!"

Shea was as boisterous as always. She frantically flapped her arms, protesting his words hotly. As an aside, that gorilla monster Hajime was referring to was the one he'd ended up using as a test subject for his Compression Synthesis. It had been purely for research, not enjoyment. Though it had tried to sniff Yue. Hajime's Steel Arms skill had come from it, actually.

"Do something about this collar! Everyone thinks I'm your slave...Hajime-san, you put this on me on purpose, didn't you? How cruel. I thought we were comrades!" Even when she was angry, Shea didn't really sound like it. Though she'd still found it quite a shock that her supposed companions were trying to make her look like a slave. Of course, the collar Hajime had put on her wasn't an actual slave collar, nor did it really have any ability to bind her. Shea knew that as well. Still, it was a shock.

Seeing her in honest distress, Hajime scratched his head awkwardly.

"Look, do you really think a beastman could walk around town in the open if they weren't someone's slave? Especially a little bunny girl like you, since you're so popular. Plus, you have white hair and a nice figure. I can guarantee you that if you weren't wearing that collar, someone would try and capture you the moment we entered town. And then it'd all become one huge mess of kidnappers. And that would be a pain... Wait, what are you blushing like that for?" Over the course of his explanation, Shea's angry glare had been replaced by a shy blush. By the end, she was cupping her cheeks in her hands and squirming in embarrassment. Yue just glared at her coldly.

"O-Oh you, Hajime-san. I can't believe you'd be so bold out in public. Saying things like I've got a nice figure, or a great personality, or that I'm the cutest, sexiest girl in the world. My, how embarra— Bugaah!?" Yue's fist interrupted Shea's exaggerated delusions. Her subsequent scream had not an iota of cuteness to it. Also, since she hadn't defended herself with body strengthening, her cheek had a big red welt on it.

"...Don't get ahead of yourself."

"I'b shorry, Yue-san."

Shea trembled at the coldness in Yue's voice. Tired of their little skit, Hajime cut them off by continuing his explanation.

"Anyway, pretending you're a slave when we're in human territory is for your sake. I'd rather not end up having to save you from trouble every time we go to a town."

"I... get that, but..." She understood logically why Hajime was doing it. But she still found it hard to swallow. She'd placed great importance on the idea that they were comrades, and she was loathe to throw it away, even if it was just a pretense. This time, it was Yue who tried to convince her.

"...It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks you are."

"Yue-san?"

"All that matters is that the people important to you know the truth... Right?"

"...Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right."

"...Good. Though it kind of irks me. You're someone I've recognized Shea... so stop getting worked up over every little thing."

"Yue-san... Ehehe... Thanks."

In the past, Yue had wielded her power for the sake of her people. Though she spoke little, the answers she'd found after her dramatic betrayal carried a great deal of weight. Hence why they resounded within Shea's heart. Hajime, Yue, and the other Haulia all knew she was their comrade, which was all that mattered. There was no need to shout it to the rest of the world if that would bring unnecessary trouble. Of course, that still wouldn't stop her from wishing she could... Shea smiled shyly at Yue before turning to look back at Hajime. There was a hopeful look in her eyes. Guess I've gotta say something too. Hajime shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, if word gets out and slavers come after you, we won't abandon you at least."

"Even if you have to turn everyone in town into your enemy?"

"You know I've already killed a bunch of imperial troops, right?"

"So you'd help me even if it meant making the entire kingdom your enemy? Fufu..."

"Don't be ridiculous. Even if I have to go up against the entire world, or the gods themselves, if they make themselves my enemy, I'll fight them."

"Fufufu, Yue-san, did you hear that? Hajime-san sure says some pretty embarrassing things. He must really care about us!"

"...The only one he cares about is me."

"Hey, come on, read the mood! You were just supposed to say '...Yeah.' like you always do there." Though she was complaining, Shea still had a smile on her face. Hearing Hajime say that he'd fight the entire world for her sake had made her feel extremely happy. Especially since she'd fallen in love with him.

Hajime ignored their antics and continued explaining his decision to put a collar on her.

"Also, that collar has a telepathy stone and a sight stone packed into it, so you can use them in an emergency. Just pour some mana into it and they'll activate."

"A telepathy stone and a... sight stone?"

As its name suggested, the telepathy stone allowed its wielder to telepathically communicate with others. Hajime had created it using the creation magic he'd learned in the labyrinth. The distance one could reach another with it was dependent on the amount of mana put into the stone. However, any transmissions made with the telepathy stone would be broadcast to anyone in range who also possessed one, so they weren't suited for secret conversations.

The sight stone was also something he'd crafted with creation magic. He had added Sense Presence [+Precision Sensing] into a regular stone. This skill allowed a previously marked target to be pinpointed among a group of other presences. Thus, the collar also served as a kind of beacon for Hajime to find Shea at any time. The strength of that beacon, much like the range of the telepathy stone's transmissions, was dependent on how much mana Shea poured into it.

The longer she listened to the explanation, the more grateful she grew to Hajime.

"Oh also, you can remove it by putting a set amount of mana into it, okay?"

"I see. So in other words... you gave this to me so you could hear my voice whenever you wanted, and so that you'd always know where I am, right? Are you really that obsessed with me? That's a little weird, but, well, it's not like I hate it or anyth— Bragahgwa!?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Ugh... I'm sorry."

Yue's hand carved a perfect arc before connecting squarely with the back of Shea's head and sending her sprawling to the ground. Her voice was as cold as ice. Hajime was beginning to wonder if Yue really was as bad at close combat as she claimed. And just because Yue had allowed Shea to accompany them, that didn't mean she appreciated her making passes at Hajime. Though it was in doubt whether or not Shea's actions could even be considered "making a pass."

After a few more minutes of walking, the merry troupe found themselves staring at a building with a big longsword drawn onto its signboard. It was the same sign Hajime had seen in Horaud, the mark of the adventurer's guild. Though this building seemed to be only roughly half the size of the one in Horaud.

Hajime pushed open the heavy wood doors and stepped inside. Since the words adventurer's guild brought to mind images of rough and tumble types, Hajime had expected the inside to be dingy, but it was surprisingly clean. There was a counter directly ahead, while the entire left-hand side seemed to be a restaurant. A number of adventurers were sitting around chatting or eating meals. Judging by the fact that not a single one of them was drinking alcohol, Hajime assumed the establishment didn't serve any. Guess they don't want drunks messing up the place.

The moment Hajime stepped through the door, everyone's attention shifted to him. Normally, an unknown group of three wouldn't attract attention for too long, but their curiosity was piqued once people's gazes shifted from Hajime to the two girls standing behind him. There was more than one appreciative murmur, and a few of the adventurers were smacked by their female companions. That there were more punches than slaps seemed fitting for a group of adventurers.

Judging by how things went in fantasy novels, Hajime anticipated a few catcalls too, but contrary to expectations, most people remained silent. It was a bit anticlimactic, but Hajime was still glad no one decided to get in his way.

As he walked up to the counter, he found himself face to face with a charmingly smiling... middle-aged woman. A very well built one at that. Her torso was twice as wide as Yue's. The stereotype that all guild receptionists were beautiful woman seemed to be a false one. Just like how in reality most of the maids were actually older women. No matter which world one was in, truth was harsher than fiction.

Not that Hajime had been hoping the receptionist would be a beauty. Nope, not one bit. That was why he was hoping Shea and Yue would stop glaring at him soon. It was starting to get uncomfortable. Whether she guessed what was going through Hajime's head or not, the receptionist simply continued smiling at him.

"You've got two gorgeous girls with you already and you're still not satisfied? Well, unfortunately for you, this receptionist's no beauty."

...Can this lady use mind-reading magic or something? Hajime's expression stiffened and he tried to casually reply.

"Oh, I wasn't thinking anything like that at all."

"Ahaha, don't underestimate a woman's intuition, boy. We can read you men like an open book. Your two friends over there won't like it if you keep looking to ogle every girl you meet, you know?"

"...I'll keep that in mind."

When she heard his despondent reply, though, she apologized immediately.

"Oh, look at what age does to you. I'm sorry for lecturing you when we've only just met."

It was hard to hate someone like her. When Hajime glanced back at the other adventurers, he saw they were all giving him looks of pity, as if to say "poor kid, so she got you too, huh?" It appeared the reason the adventurers here were all so mature was because of her.

"Anyway, welcome to the Brooke branch of the adventurer's guild. What business do you have with us?"

"Oh, yeah, right... I'm looking to sell some materials."

"I see. May I ask to see your status plate?"

"Huh? I need to show you my status plate just to sell things?"

The old lady gave Hajime a puzzled look.

"Are you not an adventurer? You don't need your status plate just to sell things, but if you're a registered adventurer you get a 10% bonus to your sales."

"I didn't know that."

According to the lady's explanation, there were a lot of other benefits to being a registered adventurer. As they were the ones who went out to gather the mana crystals and medicinal plants most towns needed, they were treated well. Since the areas outside of cities were always crawling with monsters, regular people would have a hard time harvesting anything. It was only natural for those that took up the more dangerous jobs to have special privileges.

"A lot of inns and shops that do business with the guild will give adventurers 10-20% off for their services, and if your rank is high enough you can charter carriages for free. What do you think? Would you like to register with us? The registry fee is only a thousand Luta." Luta was the standard currency used throughout the northern part of Tortus. By combining zagalta ore with various metals, one could create alloys of varying colors. Luta was made from those alloys, and marked with a special seal. The denominations came in blue, red, yellow, purple, green, white, black, silver, and gold. They were worth 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, and 10000 Luta respectively. Interestingly enough, it was the same values Japanese bills and coins came in.

"Hmm, I see. In that case, I guess I might as well register. Unfortunately, I don't have any money on me right now. Could you just deduct it from the value of all the stuff I'm selling? I don't mind taking the base rate for however much I need to register."

"What are you doing, walking around penniless with two cute girls like that? I'll give you the bonus for everything, so just make sure you treat them right, okay?" This old lady's actually kind of cool. Hajime graciously accepted her offer, then handed over his status plate.

He'd remembered to properly conceal his stats, so only his name, age, gender, and job should've been listed. She asked if Yue and Shea wanted to register too, but they refused. They didn't even have status plates, so they'd have to get some from the old lady. But then she'd see all of their ridiculous stats and skills before they had a chance to hide them.

Hajime was curious to see what their stats were like, but it would've caused a huge uproar. Dealing with that would've been a pain, so he decided to keep laying low instead.

When she returned his plate to him, there was something new written on it. Next to the job column was an occupation column, which currently read "Adventurer." There was a little blue mark next to it.

That mark denoted his rank. As it rose it would change to red, then yellow, then purple, then green, then white, then black, then silver, and finally gold... Ah, I get it. The adventurer ranks were the same as the Luta coin colors. In other words, a blue rank adventurer was basically as worthless as a penny. How depressing. The first guild master who had designed this system must have had a pretty twisted personality.

Also, it seemed that anyone without a combat job couldn't rise above black rank. Though it was just barely, even non-combat jobs could at least rise up to the four digits. Those who made it that far were even more admired than combat focused adventurers who made it to gold, so one could see just how much importance they placed on these colors.

"If you're a man you better aim for black, you hear? You don't want to look uncool in front of your lady friends, right?"

"Yeah, I'll work hard. Alright, so I can sell my stuff now, right?"

"Feel free. I'm a qualified appraiser, so I can take care of it for you." So not only was she a receptionist, but she was also an appraiser. What a talented woman.

Hajime had put some of the materials in his Treasure Trove into his bag beforehand, which he now pulled out. It was an odd assortment of monster pelts, claws, fangs, and mana crystals. He put them all in the little container on the counter designed for this purpose, and the old lady stared at them in awe.

"Th-These are—!" She timidly picked up each item, examining them thoroughly. After a nerve-wracking examination, the old lady sighed and looked up at Hajime.

"You've brought me some crazy things here, boy. These... are from monsters found in the sea of trees, right?"

"Yep, that's right." This too, deviated from Hajime's expectations. Hajime had purposely avoided trying to sell anything he'd harvested in the abyss, since he'd assumed such monsters didn't roam the surface. If he brought out those, there would've been a huge commotion. He had expected materials from monsters in the forest to still be somewhat rare, but he hadn't had anything else on hand to sell. And based off the old lady's reaction, they were indeed rare.

Of course, Hajime totally hadn't been hoping the guild receptionist would have panicked at the sight of what he'd brought, call over the branch head, and instantly have him upgraded to the max rank for adventurers. Nor had he been hoping she'd instantly fall for him after seeing how amazing he was... Nope, not one bit. So could you two please stop looking at me like that? You're starting to scare me.

"You just don't learn, do you?" The old lady glared at Hajime.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The abyss could shave away every other part of his personality, but the heart of an otaku was not so easily wiped away... Not that it was something to be proud of. Hajime averted his gaze and tried playing dumb.

"Most things from the sea of trees are pretty high quality, so I'd be happy to take these off your hands." She continued nonchalantly. Looks like she knows how to take a hint too. What a nice old lady. Hajime doubted there was any old woman out there more amazing than her.

"So they are rare?"

"Well you see, humans get lost easy in the sea of trees, and a lot of people who wander inside never come out again. That's why most people avoid it like the plague. There's a few with beastmen slaves who go in there hoping to strike it rich, but if they don't treat them right it's not hard for the slaves to lead their masters astray. And the few lucky enough to come back with anything usually go closer to the capital to sell the things they picked up. They'll be able to get a higher price there, and their fame will rise quicker."

The old lady glanced at Shea. She probably thinks we got her to guide us through. Thanks to Shea's presence, it didn't seem odd for Hajime to have materials from the sea of trees. Instead, she had a worried look on her face, and mumbled something like, "Doing something so dangerous even though you're so young..." I wonder what she'd think... if I told her I went all the way to Verbergen, and transformed an entire tribe of rabbitmen into bloodthirsty monsters? Though considering how she's been acting so far, she might not even be all that surprised. Hajime smiled wryly to himself.

After appraising all of the goods, the old woman offered a price of 487,000 Luta for the entire stash. Quite a large sum.

"Are you really alright with that? You could get more near the capital."

"Nah, that's fine. This is enough."

Hajime gratefully received his 51 Luta coins. Perhaps it had something to do with the ore they were made of, but the coins were extremely light. They were also thin enough that even 51 of them could be carried around easily. Though even if they had been bulky, Hajime could have just stored them in his Treasure Trove.

"By the way, the gate guard mentioned something about you guys having maps of the town..."

"Oh, yes, we do. Excuse me for just a moment... Here, found it. The inns and shops I recommend are all marked on it." The map she'd handed over was minutely detailed, and all of the most important information was easy to find. It resembled tourist pamphlets Hajime was used to. He couldn't believe the guild gave away something this nice for free.

"Hey, is it really okay to just take this for free? This is a really good map. Hell, I'd totally be willing to pay for something like this..."

"I don't mind. I just draw them for fun in my spare time. Actually, my job is Scribe, so something like this is easy for me."

Is this lady Wonder Woman or something? What's someone so skilled doing in a backwater town like this? Hajime was certain the story of how she ended up here would make for an interesting tale.

"You sure? Well, thanks then."

"It's fine. Anyway, since you've got a decent amount of money now, I'd recommend staying somewhere nice. This town's pretty safe, but I'm sure there's at least a few guys that'll try and do something stupid since you have those two by your side."

Helpful until the very end. Hajime smiled appreciatively, thanked her, and headed for the door. Yue and Shea bowed to her too before following after him. The adventurers were all whispering furiously to each other as they watched the girls leave the building.

"Heh, what an interesting bunch..." The old lady muttered to herself.

Hajime and the others looked over their map, which was more of a guidebook really, and decided to spend the night at the "Masaka Inn." According to the blurb on the map, it had very good food, was in a safe neighborhood, and most importantly, it had a bath. That last one was what decided it for Hajime. It was a bit on the pricey side, but since they were rich, that wasn't a problem. He was a little bothered by the name, but... The entire first floor of the inn was its restaurant, and when they arrived they found a few people eating dinner there. And just like with the adventurer's guild, everyone's attention was drawn to Yue and Shea. They ignored the stares and walked up to the counter, where a lively girl of maybe fifteen came out to greet them.

"Welcome to the Masaka Inn! Are you here for a room or for a meal?"

"I'd like to rent a room. We came here following this guidebook, is the price still the same as what's on here?" Hajime showed her the map, and the girl nodded in understanding.

"Oh, you came here on Catherine's recommendation. Yep, our prices are still the same. How many nights will you be staying?" She continued briskly. However, Hajime's mind was elsewhere. It had come as quite a shock to him that the old lady's name was Catherine.

"Umm, excuse me, sir?" The girl's words brought Hajime back to his senses.

"O-Oh, sorry. Just one night. Also, we'd like dinner and a bath too."

"Okay. It costs 100 Luta for every 15 minutes in the bath. Right now, we have these time slots free." She held up a little board with time slots written on it. Hajime wanted to take his time in the bath, and they'd have to split up the guys and girls, so he'd need 2 hours at least. The girl cried out in surprise when he mentioned as much, but as a born-and-bred Japanese, Hajime would settle for no less.

"A-Also, umm, how many rooms would you like? We have both two-person and three-person rooms available, so..." There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes as she asked that. She was around that age where she was interested in things like romance. Though Hajime wished the other guests would stop trying to eavesdrop on the conversation too. He'd known Yue and Shea were both very good-looking, but this exceeded even his expectations. Considering how they'd met, it wasn't that surprising that Hajime was a little ignorant of how others would see them.

"A three-person room should be fine." There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in his voice. The surroundings guests all stared in awe. The girl too, blushed slightly. However, there was someone who objected to Hajime's choice.

"No. Two two-person rooms." Yue. The other guests, especially the men, all grinned smugly. They were, of course, thinking Yue wanted to split the guys and girls. However, Yue's next words shattered their hopes.

"...One for me and Hajime. You can have the other, Shea."

"Hey, why!? I don't want to be all on my own! Come on, let's just all share a room!" Shea protested hotly.

"...Because you'll get in the way."

"Get in the way of what... Wait, what are you planning on doing in there?"

"...Isn't it obvious? Sex."

"Bwah!? H-How can you just say that with so many people around!? Don't you have any class!?"

Yue's words thrust all the men present into the depths of despair. Eyes burning with jealousy, they glared at Hajime. The innkeeper had gone red as a tomato as she glanced between Yue and Hajime. Hajime tried to step in before the two girls could embarrass him any further, but he was a hair too late.

"F-Fine, then you go in the other room, Yue-san! I'm the one who'll share a room with Hajime-san!"

"...Oh, and why is that?" Yue's gaze was as cold as a winter blizzard. That cold gaze brought back traumatic memories of her training, so Shea started trembling in fear, but she steeled her resolve and glared right back.

"S-So that I can give Hajime-san my virginity!"

Silence descended upon the room. No one said a word, or even made a sound. Everyone's attention was firmly fixed on Hajime and the others. Even the girl's parents had come out from inside the kitchen and were watching their exchange with a "must be nice to be young" kind of expression on their faces. At this point Yue could have frozen hell over with her glare alone.

"...Any last words?"

"Ugh. I-I won't lose to you! Today's the day I beat you and take over the role of main heroine!"

"Allow me to teach you that there is no disciple who's stronger than their master."

"Well, it's time for this disciple to surpass her master!"

An intimidating aura began wrapping itself around Yue, and Shea drew the hammer strapped to her back with trembling fingers. Everyone gulped nervously, too scared to make a move. It was in this tense atmosphere that... Clang! Clang!

"Hii!?"

"Hakyuu!?"

A metal fist came down on both of the girls. They both crouched on the ground, tears streaming from their eyes. The one who had struck them was Hajime.

"Sheesh, stop bothering the other guests. And more importantly, stop embarrassing me."

"Uuu, your love hurts, Hajime..."

"Y-You could have held back at least a little... I was even using body strengthening and it still hurts..."

"That's your own fault, moron."

Hajime gave them both a stern glare before turning back to the girl at the counter. She straightened up with a start.

"Sorry for the commotion. A three-person room will be fine."

"...I-If you're getting a three-person room... d-does that mean you're going to do them both at once? A-Amazing... Wait, is that why you wanted two hours in the bath? Are you going to be washing each other's backs and stuff!? And then... do something a little more... How scandalous!"

The poor girl had lost it. Unable to keep watching any longer, her mom, who was presumably the owner, dragged her away from the counter. Her father took her place and finished completing the paperwork.

"Sorry about my daughter," he said apologetically as he handed over the room key. But just like the other guys, his eyes were full of jealousy too. He's definitely the kind of guy that'll be all sarcastic and go "Well, did you enjoy yourself last night?" in the morning.

Anything Hajime said would just make the misunderstanding worse, so he just silently took his key, picked up Yue and Shea, put them on his shoulders, and escaped to his room on the third floor. It took a long time before noises could be heard from downstairs again. The whole ordeal had tired Hajime out, so he just tried not to think about it.

Finally, Hajime went into his room. Ignoring their protests, he threw Shea and Yue onto their respective beds before diving into his own and letting sleep overcome him.

A few hours later, Yue woke him up to tell him it was time for dinner. Refreshed, Hajime headed downstairs together with Shea and Yue. For whatever reason, all of the people that had been sitting when he'd come to check in were still there. Not a single one of them had left.

Hajime's face stiffened a little, but he feigned composure and took a seat. The same girl from earlier came to take his order, blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier," she apologized. But there was more curiosity than remorse in her eyes.

The food they'd ordered was indeed delicious, but Hajime had a hard time enjoying his first decent meal in ages because of all the curious and jealous gazes directed his way. He sighed as he finished his food, wishing he could have eaten under less draining circumstances.

And even though he'd gotten separate times for the guys and girls, both Yue and Shea had come to intrude on his bath time. Before another scene of carnage could begin he'd had to calm them down with his fist and force them to make up with tears still streaming down their eyes. Of course, the girl had come to peek on them too, and when her mom discovered her it turned into another big affair with the girl getting spanked...

Then, when he'd tried to sleep, Yue had sneaked into his bed to sleep with him. Naturally, Shea had to follow suit, so Hajime had ended up with Yue clinging to his right arm and Shea crying softly as she clung to his cold, metallic left one. However, the artificial nerves in his arm still let him feel things like it were a normal one, so Hajime was acutely aware of Shea's twin torpedoes pressing up against it. And that, of course, led Yue to then glare angrily at him, making it difficult for him to get any rest at all... The next morning, Hajime made an oath. Next time, he'd just share a room with Yue. Shea's sulking was nothing compared to her wrath. That cold glare of hers had probably shaved a few years off his life.

Once they'd eaten breakfast, Hajime paid for the food, then asked the two girls to get the supplies they'd need. Checkout wasn't until noon, so he could still use their room for a while longer. There was something he wanted to finish up while Yue and Shea were out buying supplies.

"What is it you need to finish?" Shea asked, curious. Hajime's reply was snide.

"There's something I want to try making. I have the basic idea down, so it should only take a couple hours. I was actually going to make it last night, but... well, I was really tired for some reason." He glared pointedly at them as he said that.

"I-I see. Yue-san, I want to go look at some clothes, is that alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I want to see the stalls too."

"Oh, that sounds like fun! We only got to look at them yesterday, so it'll be nice to get something to eat and spend more time shopping around."

They both turned away and began talking about shopping. Both of them knew it was their fault, but neither of them wanted to admit it, so they had simultaneously decided to change the topic.

"You two really do get along pretty well." Hajime's comment was conveniently ignored as well.

The two girls fled into town, hurrying to escape Hajime's admonishing gaze. Though they had a few hours until noon, they'd still have to plan their trip out if they wanted to get everything in time. The main things on the list were food, new clothes for Shea, and medicine.

Shea was still wearing the same tattered clothes she had been in the sea of trees. The revealing outfit that looked more like a swimsuit than anything was the rabbitmen's traditional outfit, and all she had to put over it was the white and blue coat Hajime had given her in the gorge. But that outfit still left her stomach and legs dangerously exposed. More importantly though, such clothing wouldn't be fit for the kind of rough conditions they were bound to encounter during their journey. That was why Shea wanted sturdier, less exposing clothing. Thanks to Hajime, they didn't need to restock on weapons or equipment.

Even though it was morning, the town was already bustling. Merchants were already trying to lure in customers, and housewives and adventurers alike haggled fiercely. Though breakfast had just passed, the food stalls were crowded with people, and the smell of grilled meat and sweet sauces wafted through the street.

The item and food stores were all packed, so the two decided to get Shea's clothes first. Their map had neatly marked which stores were good for casual clothing, which were good for formal wear, and which were good for adventurers and travelers looking for something more durable. The old woman... Catherine, really was something else. She was thorough to the extreme.

The two girls headed straight for the store dealing in adventurer's clothing. The fact that it also sold casual wear was what convinced them to try it first. Both the variety and quality of the clothes in the store was impressive, showing the true depths of Catherine's knowledge. Not only that, but all of the outfits were very practical and very fashionable. It did not disappoint. However...

"Oh my, welcome. What a pair of cuties we have today. Onee-san's so glad you came! I'll get you two fitted up juuust right." The store was run by a monster. More specifically, a two-meter tall muscled hulk that could barely be called human. Its face was so chiseled that it looked like it came out of a comic strip, and though the top of its head was bald, the long hair growing from its sides was tied up in a complex weave. It rose up past its bald head like a dragon ascending to the heavens, and at the coif's summit was a cute pink ribbon.

Its muscles rippled with every movement, which destroyed the effect he was trying to go for by cupping its cheeks bashfully. Its clothes were... No, some things are better left unmentioned. Needless to say, its arms, legs, and stomach were all exposed for the world to see.

Yue and Shea both stared in shock. Shea had already fainted where she stood, while Yue looked as if she was preparing to face down a monster worse than any she'd faced in the abyss.

"Oh my? What's wrong, my two little cuties? Such grim expressions don't suit your lovely faces! Come on, smile!"

You're the reason we can't smile right now, both Yue and Shea thought, but refrained from saying aloud. Those two were among the strongest people on Tortus, and even they didn't think they stood a chance against this monster.

As it continued to approach them with the same beaming smile on its face, Yue finally snapped and muttered something.

"...Are you human?" That single question sent the monster into a fit of rage.

"And just who are you calling a terrifying demon that even legendary monsters flee from!? A creature so horrifying it turns anyone who sees it insaaaaaane!?"

"I-I'm sorry..." Yue took a trembling step back, tears in her eyes. Shea just slumped to the ground... an odd chill spreading through the lower half of her body. The moment Yue apologized the monster's smile, if it could even be called that, returned. After that, it once again began treating them like customers. The instant transformation was frightful.

"Apology accepted. So, what kind of clothes are you girls looking for todaaay?" Shea was still out of commission, so Yue steeled herself and explained what they were looking for. Shea tugged on Yue's sleeve and shook her head, her eyes pleading with Yue to leave, but before she could reply the monster said "Just leave it to meee!" and carried Shea over to the back of the store. She looked like a lamb that knew it was about to be slaughtered.

In the end, the two discovered the monstrous shopkeeper, Crystabel, had a wonderful fashion sense. And that she was far gentler than she looked. She'd only carried Shea to the back because of how shoddy her clothes were. Once they finished buying Shea's clothes, the two thanked Crystabel and left her shop. They'd even come to see her — though they weren't 100% sure she was actually a girl — smile as one of her charms.

"Man, I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me, but it turns out she's a surprisingly nice person."

"Yeah... I guess you can't judge a book by its cover."

"Yep!"

They made their way over to the item shop as they chatted. Unfortunately, the two stood out a great deal. Before they'd gotten very far, they found themselves surrounded by dozens of men. Most of them were adventurers, but a few of them were sporting aprons and were clearly store clerks.

One of them even stepped forward. Though Yue didn't recognize him, he was one of the guys that had been in the adventurer's guild when they'd visited the night before.

"You two were called Yue-chan and Shea-chan, right?"

"Hm...? Yeah. That's right." Yue narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Shea was surprised anyone else was acting so friendly since she was a beastman.

The man turned back and nodded to his companions. Then, with a determined expression, he turned back to Yue. Many others also stepped forward as well. And then...

"Yue-chan, please go out with me!"

"Shea-chan, please become my slave!"

Well, this was hardly unexpected. The reason everyone's confession toward Shea sounded so different was because she was still a beastman. Technically, a slave could only be transferred to another owner with their master's permission, but the guys at the inn had seen yesterday that Shea and Hajime were extremely close. That was why they were certain that if they could get Shea's approval, they'd be able to persuade Hajime somehow... Or something along those lines.

As an aside, the conversation last night had been so shocking that it had slipped their minds that a slave normally would never have been able to go against the orders of her master. Had they been paying more attention, they would have realized Shea couldn't possibly have been a slave. It was possible to give a slave less restrictions in their contract, but no one ever did. Upon hearing their heartfelt confessions, Yue and Shea...

"...Shea, the item shop's this way."

"Oh, okay. It'd be nice if we could get everything in one place."

...ignored them completely and continued walking.

"P-Please wait! Won't you at least give us a reply!? Please, at least just—"

"No."

"Nope."

"Guh... Shot down... so fast." Some of the men crumbled to their knees after being nonchalantly discarded by the girls. Others were unwilling to give up so easily. Frankly speaking, Yue and Shea were unmatched when it came to looks. It was understandable why some of the guys might want to resort to

violence.

"Fine, then I'll just make you mine by force!" At his spirited yell, a glimmer of hope began to glow in the eyes of those that had given up. Everyone began surrounding the two girls.

When the encirclement was complete, the man who had yelled earlier charged at Yue. Had any Japanese person been present, they would have commented on how his lunge looked just like the Lupin Dive. Yue, however, merely gazed coldly up at him and muttered two words.

"Crystal Coffin." An instant later, the man was buried up to his neck in ice. This added weight sent him careening to the ground. He let out a very unmanly grunt as he crashed into the floor.

The others all looked on in amazement. Yue had cast one of the highest level water spells, Crystal Coffin, without a chant. They began whispering furiously to each other. "She must have chanted it ahead of time," or "I bet she's hiding a magic circle under her clothes" could be heard among the many voices.

Yue walked briskly up to the frozen man. Though they were awed by her power, the men all prepared to charge anyway, ready to become the next Lupin for a shot at becoming her lover. In order to save herself time, Yue decided to make an example of the first man.

She waved her hand, and the ice covering him slowly started to melt. Thinking she was freeing him, the man smiled in relief. Assuming this meant he still had a chance, he gazed passionately at Yue.

"Y-Yue-chan. I'm sorry for running at you so suddenly! Look, I just want you to know that I'm serious—" Still mostly covered in ice, the man suddenly stopped mid-confession. Because he'd realized Yue was only melting the ice around one part of his body. Namely...

"U-Umm, Yue-chan? Why are you only melting... the ice down there?" Indeed, Yue was only melting the ice that surrounded his crotch. The rest of him was still firmly stuck in place. A terrible premonition ran through his mind, and he gazed fearfully at Yue. No way, she wouldn't. She wouldn't, right?

Yue simply grinned.

"Shoot him down." Balls of wind started slamming into the man's balls, one after another.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! Please stop! Mommyyyyyyy!" The man's screams echoed throughout the streets. Each sphere that slammed into him made a noise similar to the one heard when Mario collects a coin. No, honestly, the real sound was nothing like that, but because it was too gruesome to describe, it was just better to pretend it was something so soothing. His testicles jostled around like a punching bag being hammered by a boxer.

All of the men in the area, even the curious onlookers and the stall owners who had nothing to do with the situation, instinctively clutched their balls. The continuous barrage finally came to an end around the same time the man lost consciousness. She had purposely made each individual wind sphere weak enough that he wouldn't lose consciousness right away, but still strong enough to hurt. It was truly a godlike feat. Yue blew on the top of her finger like it was a gun barrel and hammered the final nail in the coffin.

"...You might as well be a girl now." That day, one man died, and a second Crystabel, or rather Mariabel, was born. In fact, he would go on to train under Crystabel, and open up a branch store in her (his?) name. It actually became quite popular... but that was a tale for another time.

From that day on, rumors began to spread about "The Ball Crusher." The rumors eventually reached as far as the capital, and Yue's new alias became a symbol of fear for male adventurers worldwide, but that too was best left for another time.

Yue and Shea ignored the fearful gazes of the other men and walked off to the item shop. A couple of women who had been watching the exchange muttered "Yue onee-sama..." as she walked past, but she ignored them too.

They completed the rest of their shopping, and when they returned they found Hajime just about done with his work. He was about to welcome them back, but the words died on his lips when he saw how Shea looked.

"Ehehe. What do you think, Hajime-san? Do I look more like an adventurer now?" Shea did a little twirl as she said that. Her short skirt fluttered up to a dangerous height, and her boobs jiggled wildly underneath a shirt, if one could even call it that, which emphasized her cleavage. Like before, her midriff was completely exposed.

Honestly speaking, her new clothes were about as revealing as her old outfit. The only real difference was that her threadbare sandals had been replaced with sturdy boots. That being said, they laced up only to her ankles, so nothing much had changed even there.

"...What did you guys even go to buy? Looks to me like this worthless rabbit's still wearing the same revealing outfit as before..."

"Come now, what are you saying, Hajime-san? Look closely. Even if my skirt gets flipped up, these hot pants will keep anyone from seeing my panties. See?" Somewhat bashfully, Shea lifted up her skirt to show Hajime. Indeed, there was a pair of white hot pants underneath, which looked surprisingly durable. Apparently the upper part of her outfit, which resembled a swimsuit more than anything, was also a kind of bikini armor, so it actually protected her vitals effectively. But even so, how's this supposed to protect her stomach, or her thighs, or any other part of her body? Hajime gazed questioningly at Shea.

"...It's fine. Shea said all the other clothes were too tight and made it hard to move." Yue answered for her. It seemed Shea emphasized flexibility of motion over any amount of protection clothes might offer. Thus, the bunny girl was outfitted in a new ensemble that was practically no different from her old one, with the exception that it was a bit more stylish, and offered marginally more protection. The getup was topped off with one of Yue's handmade coats. Well, whatever. If she's fine with it, then I guess it's fine.

"Anyway, as long as we got everything done, that's all that matters. Thanks for doing the shopping. Oh yeah, it was pretty noisy outside a while ago. Did something happen?" Hajime ignored Shea, who was still twirling about in her new clothes, and changed the topic. Even he'd noticed the earlier commotion. Shea deflated a little when she saw Hajime ignoring her attempts to show off her charm, while Yue answered his question.

"...Sort of. It wasn't a big deal."

"Ah, I see. That's good, then."

The monstrous shopkeeper and the man Yue had nearly sent to heaven were all waved off as "no big deal." Hajime gazed suspiciously at the two of them for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders.

"Do we have everything we need?"

"Yeah. We got it all."

"Yep. We got a ton of food too, so we won't go hungry anytime soon. That Treasure Trove of yours sure is useful!"

Hajime had let them borrow his Treasure Trove while they were out shopping. Shea stared enviously at the ring, to which Hajime only smiled awkwardly. At his current level of skill, he wasn't able to create something like the Treasure Trove. But because of how convenient it was, he wanted to be able to make some for Yue and Shea too.

"Now then, Shea. This is for you." Hajime held out a cylindrical, mechanical object that was about fifty centimeters long and forty centimeters in diameter. The whole thing was a glossy silver, and there was a little grip-

like thing attached to the side.

Shea reflexively took it in her hands, and the unexpected weight of it caused her to stumble backward. Hurriedly, she used her body strengthening to steady herself and lift it up.

"Wh-What is this thing? It's super heavy..."

"It's the new warhammer I made for you. Heavier's better, right?"

"Huh? This is... a hammer?" Shea's question was to be expected. The cylindrical handle part did kind of resemble a hammer, but the grip was too short to swing properly. It was far too unbalanced.

"Yep. That's what it looks like when it's in standby, or in bombardment mode. Now, go on, try pouring some mana into it."

"Umm, like this? Ah!?"

When she poured her mana into it, the oddly shaped hammer made a bunch of mechanical clinks as the grip extended backward, so it was in the perfect place to hold a hammer.

This was a battle artifact Hajime had created, that he'd named Drucken. He'd added a lot of extra features to it that a normal hammer didn't have. In its base bombardment mode, the grip was kept close to the end because it was used as a trigger to fire massive shells at enemies. Pouring mana into a certain section of it made it transform into the more familiar hammer shape Shea was used to. Shooting bullets wasn't the only gimmick this hammer had, either.

This was what Hajime had wanted to stay behind and complete. He'd spent the morning perfecting it while Yue and Shea had gone shopping.

"This is the best I can do for now, but once I polish my skills some more I plan to improve it. There's no telling what we'll run into where we're going. I know Yue trained you, but it was still only for ten days. It's dangerous for you to come with us, so I made this weapon to bring out the most of your power. Make sure you get used to it, alright? You're our comrade now. You better not die, or I'll kill you myself."

"Hajime-san...Fufu, that doesn't even make any sense... Well, don't worry. I'll get even stronger, so I can follow you no matter where you go!"

Shea happily held Drucken close to her chest. Even when she was happy it was pointlessly over-exaggerated. Yue just shrugged her shoulders helplessly, while Hajime smiled wryly. I know I'm the one who made it, but it's weird seeing a girl get so happy over receiving a warhammer.

They went to go check out of the inn, with Shea following ecstatically behind them. The innkeeper's daughter still blushed when she saw Hajime, but he decided to ignore that.

It was high noon when they stepped outside, and the sun's warm rays blazed down on them. Hajime raised a hand to cover his eyes and took a deep breath. When he turned around, he saw Yue and Shea smiling at him.

He nodded to both of them, then started walking forward. They followed.

And thus, their journey resumed.