Chapter 6: Maou and Hero, Meeting the Rabbit Part 2

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ALPHA.

The Maou, Pearlnight, and the Hero, Yomawari Meguru, are walking down the path connecting the Maou Castle and Halshion City.

Having finished with all the shopping, they’re on their way back. Even though Meguru is holding two ma.s.sive shopping bags in both hands, he’s not walking any slower than Pearlnight.

「Fumu, the place lacked more goods than I’d expected」

Turning around, Pearlnight, who leads the way, throws a question at Meguru.

While he thinks that a town that big shouldn’t have lacked goods and citizens…

「No, I don’t think it’s like that? I’m not sure, but we were able to buy everything we need」

「Well, fumu, that’s probably true…… But I still don’t get it」

「Hmm…」

…he half-ignores her and continues walking. 　

For some reason, at times like this, Pearlnight is unusually sharp.

This is the first time Pearlnight and Meguru travel as mere Adventurers but not as Maou and Hero. There were many times where they would fall into some sort of dilemma because of Pearlnight’s sharp perception.

That’s why, had Meguru thought a little bit more carefully about the matter…

…he would’ve realized that the strange distribution of goods in that town was probably caused by supplying military troops somewhere else.

Maybe, there weren’t many people there because they’d all run away, fearing the soldiers.

At this point, if Meguru has realized that much… …he could’ve prevented the death of the Bunny family – though, it’s just a possibility.

However, the two of them couldn’t arrive at the correct answer.

「Well, even so, they really mistook you as an errand girl or something」

Meguru laughs.

「Shut up…… That old woman didn’t really mean it like that. If she looked a bit closer, she’d recognize my matchless beauty」

Pearlnight says.

With a strange tone.

「She even gave me some candies and freebies. It seemed like a good thing to me」

「That’s good, then. You’re not losing any accepting that after all」

「You’d better stop talking about people’s problems like that. In fact, Meguru isn’t that much taller than me, so it’s the same with you」

「No, my lack of growth is because of the negative effects of magic. If it wasn’t because of that, I would’ve grown a lot taller by now. You should understand that much. Otherwise, I won’t be able to live with it…」

「That’s definitely a common pattern……」

Pearlnight says, not stopping her steps.

She’s in a somewhat bad mood. She was cranky because somebody treated her like a kid in Halshion, but the main reason for her bad mood is probably because she couldn’t get her hands on the spider threads she asked for so easily. She managed to buy some subst.i.tutes, though.

However, she keeps walking without saying it out loud.

At one point, her path changes from a paved road to a dirt road surrounded by trees.

A world where there’s a road directly connecting the Maou’s castle with a town certain exists somewhere out there, but, since Meguru is only a luggage-holder, he buries that question deep down and simply follows Pearlnight.

After the two of them have quietly walked for quite a while…

「……Hn?」

Pearlnight suddenly tilts her head to the side.

「What’s wrong?」

Meguru, who doesn’t understand what’s going with her, raises a question.

「Well, come take a look at this」

Saying so, Pearlnight points her finger at something. Meguru turns toward where she’s pointing at. There, a number of unnaturally chopped trees are lying around.

「What……the heck is this?」

「At least, it’s not the work of a monster. It’s obvious that whoever did this was running away from something. But, if they were running away from monsters, why would they use this kind of technique……?」

「……Pearlnight. Is there a settlement of Beast People around this area?」

Having noticed something, Meguru asks.

「Hm? Beast People huh…… Yeah, I think there’s a small tribe not very far away from here, but what about it?」

Pearlnight tries to grasp Meguru’s intention behind that question.

As soon as he hears Pearlnight’s response, Meguru dashes forward at full speed, tracing the route that person might have taken.

「Ah! Oi! Where are you going!?」

「I’ll explain as we run! Just hurry up and follow me!」

Pearlnight begins to run after him.

「Wait, what are you doing? What do you want to do!?」

「I’ll go save that guy who’s being chased」

「Hah?」

Pearlnight raises a hysteric voice.

「Are you serious? It’s a bother, you know?」

Pearlnight asks, confirming his words.

Besides, in no time…

「I’m serious. I really am. Besides, it’s not like I’m going in blind. If I’m not wrong, the guys who have been chasing that person could be those Magic Armors made by Cecilia from the Magic City of Enterisk. If we’re lucky, we can capture one of them to interrogate」

「Enterisk, huh…… Why did those guys have to go all the way here? Besides, what does it have anything to do with the Beast People you asked about?」

…Meguru enters a bad mood because of Pearlnight’s question.

It’s as if he doesn’t want to talk about it.

After a brief silence, Meguru opens his mouth.

「That b.i.t.c.h Cecilia only does live-experiments on Beast People. She only wants to invent new magic even if she has to experiment it on herself. I didn’t see it directly, though. I did hear her talk to the Magic Department in Enterisk once in the past. At that time, she was trying to use Beast People as materials to make something. I don’t know exactly what it is, though」

「That’s why they’ve come all the way here just to capture Beast People? This place is so far away, though…… There are Beast People near their national borders too, you know? ……Don’t tell me」

Having realized something, Pearlnight becomes speechless.

Then, to confirm her thoughts, she speaks again.

「They’ve already hunted all the Beast People near their area……?」

「I don’t know. We’ll know when we’ve captured one of them. Don’t kill all of them, alright?」

「Got itーーOi! I see something!」

After running for a few minutes, the scene of a Bunny Girl sitting on the ground surrounded by three machines enters their field of vision.

Machinery SFX

The noises those machines make echo all the way to where Pearlnight and Meguru are.

「Meguru, what should we do?」

「What are we gonna do? We save her. That’s a real Bunny Girl right there! She’s so d.a.m.n cute even from a distance」 [TN: BAHAHA]

As soon as he says that, Pearlnight frowns.

「I’m cute, too……」

Her mumbles are unfortunately drowned out by the noises those machines makes.

『『『We shall not harm you if you give up on resisting. Obediently following us is highly recommended』』』

Synthetic voices echo throughout the area.

Hearing that, Meguru and Pearlnight quietly make eye contacts and leap into the air.

「G.o.d OR WHATEVER! SOMEONE! PLEASE SAVE ME!」

As a perfect follow-up with the girl’s scream, Meguru forces his way through.

「I ain’t no d.a.m.ned G.o.d, but imma save you anyways!!!」

「Good grief, you’re such a stupid trouble-magnet, oh well, it’s fine. I’ll use this opportunity to test out my new Spider Threads」

Also following up his words, Pearlnight says.

It’s not an exaggeration saying that they appear out of nowhere.

However, the machines aren’t letting down their guards, either, even though they’ve cornered their prey. If anything, they’re on full vigilance; the fact that two people have appeared before them doesn’t confuse them one bit.

As if not understanding the situation, the machines spoke in synthetic voices.

「「「Don’t get in our way. Do you know who we aーー」」」

「I know who you are」

Meguru cuts them off.

「You belong to the Mobile Unit 『Valkyrie the War Maiden』 of the Enterisk’s Magic Troupe, right?」

Hearing those words, the machines’ synthetic voices become fl.u.s.tered, despite them being just machines.

For them, this pair of one boy and one girl isn’t their target this time.

The order pa.s.sed down to them was ‘avoid any unnecessary battle and make the Bunny Girl their primary target’. For that reason, they’re puzzled for a moment. In reality, they shouldn’t have hesitated at all.

They could receive an attack from the enemy during that one second of hesitation.

The one second they hesitated was fatal.

「Hey, how about we make a deal?」

Meguru says, taking a step forward with a smile on his face.

「I’m a kind person. I don’t want to kill anyone, if possible. That’s why, if you give up on this target, I’ll pretend I’ve never seen you guys. And since I’ve never seen you guys around here, you guys wouldn’t have seen us before, either. You guys didn’t see anything, so we also didn’t see anything. On top of that, if you guys don’t kill us here, we won’t kill you. A person’s life can’t be taken so lightly. I think there’s some s.p.a.ce for negotiations between us, don’t you agree?」

「「「Do not mock us!」」」

Having said so, the machines take battle stances.

No, they’re about to enter battle stances.

They notice a strange condition where they can’t move their arms, legs, or even their entire bodies.

「I see. That’s the end of our negotiation, then. There’s no helping it. It really is a shame. It’s a shame that my partners don’t know how to discuss things out」

Meguru makes an eye signal at Pearlnight.

Having received that signal, Pearlnight shakes both hands, which have a pair of light-brown leather gloves on, like a musical conductor. That moment, the machines’ bodies, which are covered in steel, begin making metallic noises as they’re slowly being squished.

「「「Wh-What is this……What’s going on……」」」

「Can you see it? You really can’t, huh. If you’re saying you don’t know what’s going on, then the difference between us is obvious. Well, don’t despair just yet. n.o.body could see this technique of mine coming the first time I show it to them. The best they can do is dying even before realizing it. That’s why…you can die with pride」

Saying so, she clasps her hands. Pearlnight closes her opened palms.

She simply opens and closes her hands, yet the threads which restrain the machines quickly dig into their bodies, shattering them into pieces.

Even the Human Operators inside them are cut into pieces.

In an instant, three dead bodies appear.

「Have a peaceful slumberーーOUCH!」

An impact hits Pearlnight’s head, making a loud sound.

That impact was caused by Meguru’s knuckles.

「What are you doing! That hurt!」

「My a.s.s! I told you to leave one alive, didn’t I!?」

「Ah, I forgot. Well, it’s fine, there’s no difference whether they’re alive or not, anyway. We don’t know if they’re going to spill the beans or not, so it’s better to ask that girl over there」

The two direct their gazes at the girl sitting on the ground.

Not comprehending the situation, the girl stares at them for quite a while before opening her mouth.

「Umm……well, thank you for……saving me……」

Even though she looks broken, the girl properly expresses her grat.i.tude.

「Yeah, don’t mention it. We just happened to pa.s.s by, your luck is just really good. We also have something to ask you, it’s probably gonna be painful to answer, but… Can you tell us what happened?」

「The village……we were……attacked……we fought back……but it was no use……in order to open up a path for my escape……my Dad……was stabbed……Uuu……」

“It was probably that Magic Soldier Unit just now,” Meguru guesses.

「Where’s your village? Are there any survivors?」

「I don’t know……I ran away, and it’s already been quite a while…… Had I……had I done it properly……everyone wouldn’t have……El wouldn’t……ahh……I’m sorry……I’m so sorry……」

Shedding tears, the girl mumbles incoherent words.

The girl’s tears are more than enough to stir up Meguru’s boiling anger.

「It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself」

Saying so, he drops a hand on the girl’s head.

「Aahh………」

It’s unbearable for Meguru to see the girl raise a voiceless scream.

「Pearlnight, look after this girl for me. I’ll be right back 」

「What are you going to do?」

Even though she already knows the answer, Pearlnight asks.

It’s for the crying girl’s sake.

「I’ll go save them. Chances are there’s no survivors at all, but I still have to go」

Hearing those words, the Bunny Girl mumbles while crying.

「Why……Why did you……save me……? You guys are humans, while I’m from a Beast Tribe……Why……?」

With a smile, Meguru honestly speaks his mind.

「I’m different than an ordinary Human. Not in a weird way, no, it probably is in a weird way. I. Freaking. Love. Beast girls」 [TN: GAAHAHAHAHA]

「Love? Us Beast People……? You’re a weirdo……」

「That’s why I wanna save you. No, let me save you! Won’t you tell me where your village is?」

「It’s over there……」

The girl points at a certain direction. When Meuguru takes a careful look at that direction, he can see black smoke.

「Got it. Wait for me right here. I’ll save all the survivors. Pearlnight, I’ll leave her to you」

Having said that much, Meguru starts running.

Meguru innocently dashes off. Leaving all the scenery behind, he simply sprints straight through the forest.

After a while, the sight of the village’s fences enters his field of vision. Screaming voices could be heard echoing from inside the village.

Not risking to waste any time, Meguru destroys the fence and dives right into the fray.

Having taken a look around, he notices elderly Beast People and children, as well as the dead bodies of the young men who resisted the machines rolling on the ground.

「「Who are you?」」

Soldiers clad in the same Magic Armor with the other three notice Meguru’s intrusion.

When Meguru doesn’t answer them, the soldiers reveal their swords and intend to cut him.

Interfering with their attacks, Meguru draws his sword and swings it with all his might. Having received his slash, the machines are vertically bisected.

「Whaーー」

The Operator of the machine is also cut in half by his powerful slash.

Meguru quickly turns around and runs toward the inner part of the settlement. Along the way, he hears the screaming voice of a girl from one of the houses.

He quickly dashes toward that house and kicks the door open, forcing his way in.

What he sees inside that house is one of the most terrible things he’s seen.

The Beast Girl’s clothes were torn apart, and she’s being pushed down on the floor by a man.

Right next to her is another Beast Girl who resembles the Bunny Girl he’s just saved; she’s on the verge of being violated. The girl’s crying while trying to seek help from her mother, but she can’t do anything in that condition.

Meguru is filled with burning anger. She was robbed of her happy life with her family, simply because of someone else’s selfish l.u.s.t.

As soon as that thought crosses his mind, the men are already dead bodies.

He simply socks them in the face as hard as he can.

With that alone, the pair of mother and daughter are saved from the dirty men.

「Ah……you are……」

The Mother Beast Woman looks at Meguru as if seeing a G.o.d descending from heavens. The girl right next to here is doing the same.

「Gu……uu……」

A groan can be heard from somewhere.

Meguru is on guard, thinking that it’s the men from earlier, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There’s a man with a sword stabbed into his stomach at one corner of the room.

「Ahh……Dear……! You’re alive……」

The Mother places her hand on the man’s wound and begins chanting a Healing Magic, which releases a dim green light, illuminating the gloomy room.

「Umm……thank you for…saving Mom and Dad!」

「Thank G.o.d you and El are safe…… There’s also Ram…… I hope she escaped safely…… Guu……」

Meguru reacts to the name El. He remembers the Bunny Girl he saved mumbling something about that name.

「Excuse me, do you guys, perhaps, have another daughter?」

Meguru asks.

「Ye-Yes…… We have another girl who looks like this one, but her name is Ram」

The Mother says, pointing at the girl.

There’s no mistake, isn’t there. Meguru is sure that these people are the family of the girl he saved earlier.

「If it’s her then she’s doing just fine. She’s with my comrade at a certain location inside the forest a bit away from this place」

「Ho-How do you know about Ram……?」

「That……doesn’t matter……You, me……and El……we’re alive……all thanks……to him……」

「Dad! Stop talking…… You have to quickly heal up, then we can go meet Onee-chan!」

「Please wait here. Let me kill those guys first, then I’ll bring your daughter to you. Do you know where their headquarter is?」

The young girls were all captured, and those who resisted were killed. They were brought northward, I believe……」

Having heard that, he dashes out of the house.

To the North of the village, there’s only the empty cage without any presence of living things.

(Was I too late……)

They might’ve taken everyone away.

When he’ pondering about that, a voice calls out to Meguru from behind.

「I wonder what’s the Hero doing at a place like this~」

Meuguru turns around, facing the owner of that voice.

A girl is standing there before him.

It’s a girl with black hair; she’s even shorter than Meguru. She glares at Meguru with black pupils which seem to be looking down at him.

「You……You did all this? Do you even understand? That what you’ve done tramples over the peaceful life of the people here」

Not hiding his anger, Meguru says.

「Yup. I needed to experiment my 『Valkyrie the War Maiden』 prototypes, so… But why are you so mad? The lives of these Beast People don’t even matter, no? If anything, they should go extinct, don’t you agree? Thanks to their beloved families, we get to have an increase in research funds, you know? I don’t get it at all. Ah, I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself yet, Hero-sama. My name is Kréaria Vincent. Saint Aria’s Second Director of the Magic Bureau. Please to make your acquaintーguhaa」

Before the girl who called herself Kréaria can finish her introduction, Meguru sends a fist straight to where her womb is. [TN: HOLY FUUUUUCK AHAHAHA]

「Gahaa……what are you doing……」

Having received a strike to the abdomen, the girl crouches down, glaring at Meguru without knowing what just happened to her.

Meguru approaches Kréaria, picks up a rope which has fallen to the ground near her, and ties her hands up.

「Wait! What are you trying toーーkyaaaa!」

As he tears her skirt apart, Kréaria screams out loud.

「Shut the f.u.c.k up. I’ll make you taste the kind of humiliation the people here have experienced, no, I’ll drop you even lower than that. Don’t think that you even have any human rights in front of me. Incidentally, I’ve have you tell me some intel regarding Enterisk and Cecilia」

「Do you think I’ll speak that easily? I’ll forgive you if you stop this filthy acーーhnngu!?」

「Just, shut up」

Saying so, Meguru strips Kréaria’s panties and stuffs it in her mouth, gagging her. [TN: f.u.c.k. This guy is f.u.c.king Alpha!!] Not paying any attention to her groans, Meguru ties her whole body up with the rope and brings Kréaria back to where Pearlnight and the Bunny Girl are on standby.

♦ G.o.d d.a.m.n… That was one h.e.l.l of a chapter.

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