Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 6

by Ryo Shirakome

  Everyone was looking at Hajime as if he were the demon lord himself. Hajime abruptly stood up, his chair clattering backward. He raised his right hand high, and pulled his black pile bunker out of his Treasure Trove. It was already covered in red sparks.

  A bead of cold sweat dripped down Tio’s face.

  “Okay, Tio. I’ll give you the reward you wanted. You wanted it in your ass, right? I’ll gladly stick it in harder and deeper than last time. It’ll be over so fast you won’t even have time to scream.” It was only then that Tio realized she’d gone too far.

  He’d only driven it into her ass last time because they’d been in the middle of a fight. Seeing everyone look at him as if he were some kind of pervert had tipped him over the edge.

  Perhaps the most maddening thing was that he couldn’t actually say Tio was wrong.

  “W-Wait, Master. I know this is what you used last time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I want you to use it every time. If you put that inside me, I’ll truly die! I’ll apologize for being so impertinent, so please put that dangerous weapon away!”

  “No need to be shy, Tio. Didn’t you say you wanted this? Going to your room would take too much time, so let’s just do it here.”

  “Oh nooooooooo, Master’s serious! Yue, Shea, Kaoriiiiii, help me! Stop him!”

  Sobbing, Tio turned to Yue and the others for help. Even she wasn’t so much of a masochist that she wanted to die. Or perhaps she was. The fact that she was panting a little meant she was beyond help now.

  She fled to Kaori and tried to hide behind her chair. Her terror was enough to satisfy Hajime, and he returned his pile bunker to the Treasure Trove with a hmph.

  Though now the other students were convinced he was scarier than a demon lord. Rumors of a white-haired demon lord with an eyepatch started circulating through the capital after that, but fortunately for Hajime’s sanity, he never found out.

  “Alright, what do you really want? I don’t mind giving you a reward, as long as it’s nothing perverted.” Sighing, Hajime flopped back into his chair. Around him, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  No one present had wanted to see a beautiful young woman’s ass ravaged by that deadly weapon.

  “V-Very well. In that case, may I request for the right to sleep next to you? Usually it’s always Yue and Shea next to you. I’ve never once had the opportunity to do it. Is that a reasonable enough request for you?”

  “Yeah, that’s not a problem. You should have just said that from the start.”

  “My surging passion cannot be quelled so easily. Please try and understand.”

  Hajime turned back to Shea, who shrugged.

  “I guess I have to let her,” she said in a resigned voice.

  It appeared Hajime would be spending tonight sandwiched between Yue and Tio. Once they got in bed he had no doubt he’d be sandwiched by something else entirely, though.

  The girls began gossiping with each other again, while the guys muttered angrily to themselves.

  After that, Hajime was treated to a lecture from Aiko about how indecent it was to sleep with multiple women. Though she sounded respectable, her issue wasn’t so much that Hajime was sleeping around than it was simple jealousy. Shea interrupted midway to point out that after the things he’d done with Yue, something as innocent as sleeping was hardly a problem. That led to Yue smiling seductively and flirting openly with him, which in turn led to the students getting even noisier, and a number of the male students got very uncomfortable boners. Needless to say, it was quite a chaotic dinner.

  Hajime watched the ruckus while thinking back on the events of the day.

  He’d brought Kaori back from the Divine Mountain and showed everyone her new body, watched as a gold-ranked adventurer was robbed of his family jewels, and spent an afternoon running from crazed Synergists, which had resulted in Liliana having to personally come to put an end to the chaos in the city. He had then beaten down the crown prince and watched his first love wither away. And after all that, he’d run into Aiko while looking for a way to kill time, and ended up consoling her. Finally, at dinner he’d struck terror into the hearts of his former classmates.

  All that, in a single day. It seemed that trouble and mayhem were fated to follow him, wherever he went.

  Tomorrow he would leave for the empire together with Liliana. He had no intention of actually stepping foot in the empire’s capital, but he’d learned now to never say, or think, never.

  I wonder what’ll be waiting for us in the east... Hajime smiled his usual fearless smile, ready for anything the world might throw at him.

  Epilogue

  A thick fog hung over the Haltina Woods. This vast sea of trees was the least explored part of Tortus, and was considered one of the Seven Great Labyrinths.

  The mist that covered the forest made it impossible to see more than a few meters in any direction. The forest itself couldn’t be navigated, either through magical means or mundane.

  It was common knowledge that fending off the dangerous monsters that lurked within the forest with half of their senses blocked was nigh impossible. Beastmen, the only species unaffected by the forest’s misleading mist, prowled the forest’s depths, killing any humans lucky enough to survive the monsters. It was for this reason that people referred to it as the Forest of the Forgotten. Neither humans nor demons had any hope of returning once they stepped into its uninviting depths.

  It was precisely because of these harsh conditions that the beastmen had made the Haltina Woods their home. The sea of trees acted as a natural barrier against the outside world.

  Within the forest’s center was Verbergen, the greatest of the beastmen cities. Inside its walls, all of the beastmen races lived together, and the city boasted the forest’s greatest military.

  Outside the forest’s protection, beastmen were weak. Unlike humans and demons, they couldn’t use magic and were often hunted for sport or to be turned into slaves. But here, in their stronghold, they were undefeatable. Or at least, they had been. Until this fateful day.

  Charred trees littered the floor. A section of the forest had been completely burned away. Beyond the hellscape lay a transformed Verbergen. Wails of lamentation and furious roars filled the streets.

  The normally tranquil forest was ablaze.

  Smoke, ash, and blood filled the streets of the beastmen capital. Bootprints and animal tracks covered the forest floor, and many of the cities’ houses had been burnt to a crisp.

  Verbergen’s assailants were no longer here. Nor were most of Verbergen’s citizens. They hadn’t been killed, though. They’d been kidnapped.

  “Hmph. They sure got beat bad. They fought to the death, and they still couldn’t stop these guys.” A shadow observed the decimated town from atop the ruins of the main gate.

  Their rabbit ears flapped in the wind, and a wisp of smoke blew past them. Though people often thought of rabbitmen as adorable, harmless creatures, the one currently surveying the wreckage had an unbelievably grizzled look to him.

  Cam Haulia, for it was indeed him, seemed more like a hardened war veteran than a cute rabbitman. He was the chief of the Haulia clan, and Shea’s father.

  One after another, more shadows alighted around him. Below, a number of rabbitmen gathered before the main gate.

  They were all members of the Haulia clan. Cam’s entire clan had come. And they all looked like veteran fighters. Anyone who’d seen them would have wondered what happened to the stereotype that all rabbitmen were gentle, weak, peace-loving creatures.

  These rabbitmen had killers’ eyes. Even though Verbergen had been destroyed, they were all smiling fearlessly.

  “Sir, I’ve finished gathering intelligence from the outlying villages.”

  “Let’s hear your report.” Cam folded his arms and observed the newcomer. He was a young, imposing rabbitman, with a cross-shaped scar on his cheek.

  According to the rabbitman, many of the non-Haulia rabbitmen living in Verbergen and the surrounding vill
ages had been taken away by this new enemy.

  “Did you suffer any losses?”

  “Of course not. No Haulia would be so foolish as to get caught. A few of my men are injured, but all are still in fighting shape.”

  “Good. Organize a pursuit team to tail the enemy. I’ll be taking command of the operation. Have everyone else fortify our defenses and prepare for the next attack.”

  “Roger!” The youth saluted crisply and vanished as suddenly as he’d appeared.

  Cam had his men step a few paces back and took in Verbergen’s destruction.

  “Those damned murderers!” he spat, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

  After a moment’s silence, Cam quietly called out orders.

  “The scum who invaded our homeland are still out there somewhere.” The other rabbitmen licked their lips in anticipation.

  “They’ve kidnapped our brethren, and plan to work them like slaves.” A passing bearman spotted the group of bloodthirsty rabbitmen. He screamed and quickly fled in the other direction.

  Supposedly, bearmen were the strongest among the beastmen, but one had just fled from a group of rabbitmen. He looked like a little girl who’d seen a bear in the forest.

  Cam ignored him and asked quietly.

  “Will we let this stand?”

  “Never! Never! Never!”

  The rabbitmen’s roars shook the trees. The people in the city trying to organize rescue efforts shivered.

  “Are we going to cry ourselves to sleep, like we used to in the past?”

  “Never! Never! Never!”

  “That’s right. We will never let this stand! We’re not the same weak rabbitmen who ran whenever things got dangerous! And we never will be again! In the name of our esteemed boss, we will drive these invaders from our homeland!”

  Cam spoke with a fiery passion. He made a fist and pumped it into the air.

  “Let’s show these bastards how sharp the weakest race’s fangs are! We’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget! We’re going to strike fear into the hearts of these worms!”

  “Cut their heads off! Rip out their entrails! Gouge their hearts out! Kill them all!”

  There was a soft rustling noise, as a wolf-like monster fled to the safety of its den. It had been planning on making a meal of some of the beastmen left in Verbergen, but after seeing how terrifying the rabbitmen army was it had run with its tail tucked between its legs.

  The rabbitmen’s bloodlust was so great that it was palpable. Cam smiled in satisfaction as he looked over the frenzied members of his clan. He sucked in a deep breath and looked his people in the eyes.

  “Let’s make those imperial motherfuckers regret ever stepping foot into Haltina!” Cam slammed his fist into his palm, as if bringing down the hammer of holy retribution.

  In response, the others screamed.

  “YAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” The entire forest trembled.

  In the distance, alarm bells and cries of “Enemy raid! Enemy raid!” could be heard. The people remaining at Verbergen had mistaken the bloodlust rolling off the rabbitmen for an actual attack. All things considered, it was understandable.

  Confusion and chaos spread through the ravaged city.

  The rabbitmen ignored it all and continued shouting their war cries. A certain monster of the abyss had trained them well.

  Their anger was so great it could be felt even hundreds of miles away.

  “Hah!?”

  “Whoa, Shea, what’s wrong?”

  Back in Heiligh Palace, Shea’s rabbit ears stood on end and she jumped to her feet. Hajime yelled out in surprise, and Yue, Tio, and Kaori all turned to see what the commotion was.

  “Ah, sorry, don’t worry about it. I just thought my dad was doing his gangster yells again...”

  “The heck’s that supposed to mean? Anyway, you sure you’re not just overexcited since you’ll get to see your family again soon?”

  Hajime said that with a smile, but Shea blushed and nodded sheepishly, her rabbit ears still standing straight up.

  “Maybe. I hope everyone’s doing alright. And I hope they haven’t gotten themselves mixed up in anything dangerous.”

  “Who knows. I know it’s partly my fault... but those guys are tough. And really belligerent now.”

  “Gah, now you’ve gotten me all worried. Please be alright, guys!”

  Her ears started flopping back and forth. Shea hoped her prayer would reach her family. Not knowing that at this very moment, Cam and the others were about to pick a fight with an empire. Not knowing that the war to follow would have repercussions around the world, and change the standing of beastmen forever. How could she? No one could have predicted what would soon come to pass.

  Extra Chapter: The Secret Society, “Soul Sisters.”

  This is a record of our beloved Onee-sama, Shizuku Yaegashi’s, daily activities.

  I understand how insolent it is for someone like me, a lowly royal guard attached to the princess, to even write about our beloved Onee-sama. But I wish to leave behind an accurate record so that historians a hundred or a thousand years later do not misconstrue the kind of person she was.

  First, I suppose I must address the question of who Onee-sama is. She is a heroic figure, one bound to be spoken of for generations to come. It is inevitable that historians and schoolchildren alike will learn of her great deeds. And it is for this reason that I must leave behind a detailed record of her true nature. For as I mentioned before, historians often distort the truth to fit their preconceptions.

  Onee-sama hails from another world. In her previous home, she was known as one of the greatest swordsmen alive.

  No one her age could hold a candle to her, and no challenger had been able to defeat her. She was, at the very least, the greatest swordsman in her country.

  God himself was impressed by her skills, and summoned her here to bring this world salvation.

  I must say, you picked wisely, God. There were a number of others who were summoned with her, along with some obnoxious boy who calls himself the fated hero, but they are not important to the telling of this tale, so their stories have been omitted.

  Let me be the first to say, Onee-sama is wise, beautiful, and chivalrous beyond measure. Not only is she a master swordsman, she’s skilled in the academic fields as well. Proficient in both the pen and sword, as they say. Despite her apparent superiority, she isn’t arrogant in the slightest. She is a true goddess who greets everyone with a smile, regardless of their station.

  Excuse me, don’t you think you’re being a little too rude toward the other heroes?

  Very well. Allow me to leave behind my wondrous meeting with Onee-sama, and how I came to refer to her as such inside my heart.

  It was not long after she had been summoned to this world. Onee-sama, along with the other heroes (They were technically summoned by him, so I suppose I must refer to them with reverence) were training outside the city walls.

  The female knights had been put in charge of training the female heroes. However, there were not enough to go around, and I had been temporarily pulled from the royal guard to assist in the heroes’ training.

  I must say, you picked wisely, Captain Meld. As the heroes hadn’t had to fight in their old world, they had trouble even with captured, weakened monsters. Occasionally, a few them would even take so long that they were attacked.

  Naturally, it was my job to dispose of them if they became a threat to the heroes. However, one time when I was killing a monster that had gotten too close to a hero, she panicked and fired off a spell. I was able to avoid it in time, but just barely. As a result, I twisted my ankle.

  I was embarrassed I had let myself get injured, and I did not wish to worry the heroes, so I pretended nothing was wrong. Around the time training was over, my ankle was smarting quite fiercely.

  I slipped away from the others and headed toward the infirmary. However, I was unable to walk properly at this point, and the going was rough. Just as I was beginning to wish a horr
ific curse that made them sweat profusely from their armpits on the hero who had caused my injury, I felt my body suddenly grow light.

  Wondering what happened? Brimming with curiosity? Very well, let me tell you.

  Onee-sama had appeared, and was carrying me princess-style to the infirmary!

  “You hurt your leg back there, didn’t you? I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner.” Those gentle words enveloped my trembling body, leaving me in a daze.

  Before I knew it, she had carried me all the way to the infirmary.

  “I understand it might be difficult for you, but you don’t have to be that formal with us. After all, we’re the most inexperienced ones here. So please guide us, Sensei.” Onee-sama had said that with a dazzling smile. Though I was just a lowly knight, she had thought about my position and gave me the most comforting words she could.

  I could feel my heart beat faster, and I suddenly grew embarrassed. I told Onee-sama I could walk now, and asked her to let me down. Not only had I caused our divine Onee-sama trouble, I was still wearing my armor! I must have been so heavy! If Onee-sama had actually said as much to me, I would have hung myself then and there! And yet, all Onee-sama gave were comforting words.

  “I can’t do that. It’s my fault you ended up like this, so at least let me carry you. Besides, even in your armor, you’re as light as a feather.” Onee-sama gave me a playful smile and lifted me up and down to prove how light I was. It was then that I wrapped my arms around her. She chuckled, and hugged me back.

  It was at this point that I was smitten with her.

  “Onee-sama...” When I called her that, Onee-sama had smiled gently at me. It seemed to me that her smile was a little forced, but I suspect that was just my imagination.

  “Umm, I’m younger than you, you know that right?” Her voice seemed a little strained, but I ignored that. After all, I wanted so badly to be her younger sister. If not in truth, then at least in spirit. I could be her soul sister at least! It was in that moment that my entire world went pink.