94: Outing, Ambush

Half a month had passed since the Zanku incident.

Today, Haruki planned to take a few girls on an outing to the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

"Hey, hurry up already! We're about to head out."

Group outings like this, organized by Haruki, were rare—maybe three or four times at most. So every time one came around, the girls always took their time getting dressed up.

At the moment, Haruki was downstairs waiting with Taeko and Sayo.

Unlike the others who were inside preparing, Taeko and Sayo were just maids in Haruki's household. Both of them stood beside him in their maid uniforms, waiting quietly.

Haruki had already told Sayo about Ieyasu's death and Tatsumi joining the assassin group Night Raid. Sayo had been heartbroken over Ieyasu's passing, and furious about Tatsumi's decision, believing he had strayed from their shared dream of saving their village.

Though the Empire was riddled with corruption, it still represented legitimate authority in the eyes of most commoners. To Sayo, joining Night Raid was equivalent to falling from grace. Haruki didn't bother correcting her.

Since then, Sayo had been quietly working hard at Haruki's estate, focused on earning enough money to one day save her village, with no intention of searching for Tatsumi anymore.

"Almost done, just a little longer!"

As time-consuming as it was, the wait always proved worthwhile. Whenever the girls finally stepped out, dressed to the nines, whatever irritation Haruki had felt from waiting would instantly melt away, replaced by pride—because every one of these unique and stunningly beautiful women was his.

What Haruki didn't notice was the glimmer of envy in Sayo's eyes when she saw how beautiful the other women looked and how openly Haruki praised them.

Riding fine horses, Haruki and the women made their way leisurely toward their destination.

Along the way, whether commoners or nobles, everyone respectfully cleared a path for them. They didn't run into any troublemakers.

Haruki didn't bother with any false modesty like telling the others not to worry about appearances. As far as he was concerned, the world was inherently unfair. As the most powerful man in the Empire, enjoying privileges others couldn't was natural. There was no point in pretending otherwise.

Once outside the city, they rode on at a relaxed pace, taking in the scenery along the way.

This time, their destination was a wooded area just beyond the capital. While not vast, the dense forest wasn't exactly small either. It was known to harbor moderate-level Danger Beasts, and plenty of bandits as well. In fact, Sayo and Ieyasu had once been attacked by robbers in this very forest, which led to their separation from Tatsumi.

Amid their cheerful conversation and laughter, the group eventually arrived at the forest around midday.

Though it was already noon, the towering trees—some hundreds of years old—cast heavy shade, keeping the temperature pleasant and cool.

Haruki hadn't brought much food on purpose. Hunting was part of the plan.

"Alright, time to hunt. You can go solo or in pairs. We'll meet back here in one hour. Taeko, Sayo, you two go gather some firewood. I'll set up the grill here and cook the meat once you're all back!"

After assigning roles, Haruki paired Taeko with Sayo—knowing full well Sayo was still too weak to handle the forest alone, especially with so many potential threats around.

As he predicted, Gin and Kurome chose to go alone, while Nina, Chelsea, and Cornelia grouped together. Tsukushi teamed up with Pony, and Meiki with Meina, making five hunting groups in total.

"Let's move."

Kurome was the most eager among them. With a cheer, she picked a direction and vanished swiftly into the forest.

The others weren't far behind—some went solo, others teamed up—but in no time, everyone was off and fully immersed in the hunt.

...

An hour later, they regrouped at the meeting spot Haruki had designated.

Beside the crackling charcoal grill stood a mountain of various Danger Beasts, all shapes and sizes piled high.

There were small ones, like the lightning rabbits—quick but not much of a threat. Then there were larger beasts, roughly the size of wild boars: brutal carnivores known as rampaging boars, terrifying once enraged. And beyond that, even larger creatures, the kind that would spell doom for ordinary folk—like the Ten Dragon-class beasts.

As expected, Kurome's haul was the most impressive. When she started pulling fresh kills out of her Storage Ring, Haruki was genuinely startled. Judging by the sheer volume and variety, he figured she might've driven some species to near extinction along the way—she didn't even spare palm-sized birds. In fact, nearly half of the entire pile came from Kurome alone.

Haruki handed off the prey to the others, who took them to a nearby stream to clean. Meanwhile, he got to work showcasing his skill as a top-tier grill master—meats sizzling on the fire, perfectly crisped on the outside and juicy within, their aroma constantly teasing everyone's appetite.

Haruki's cooking was, without a doubt, one of the group's biggest delights.

Drawn in by the irresistible smell, the girls ate without holding back, so fast that even Haruki struggled to keep up with the demand.

After the feast, they all flopped down onto the ground, full and completely relaxed, not caring about appearances.

...

Just then, a faint noise came from deep within the forest. It might've gone unnoticed by normal people—but not by this group. Every woman here was among the most powerful in the Empire.

From the sound of it, nearly a hundred people were moving toward them. Judging by how stealthy they were trying to be, it was clear they weren't here with good intentions.

In an instant, the women stood up, their expressions dark and grim—not from fear or caution, but pure irritation. Their good mood had been ruined, and none of them were in the mood to be interrupted.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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