Arifureta After III Brutal Hero Shia Arc I’ll Rabbit You Up! Desuu!
.
A horse cart was running along the forest while vibrating and making rattling sound that didn’t sound gentle to one’s butt.
It moved in the way that hid itself from the bright moonlight.
Although, there were several knights and mages riding horse around that horse cart, so it wasn’t really hidden.
It was running along the forest was only for peace of mind.
From its running speed that was too fast to be called stealthy, it could be clearly seen that the group was wishing to reach their destination as fast as possible.
The inside of the horse cart that was hurrying through the road like that was filled with really awkward silence.
(This feels absurdly awkward desuu~)
It was oppressive……well, not really, but the silence that was containing delicate tension that was observing how the other party would act was silently giving damage to Shia’s rabbit heart.
If she had to say, yes, it was like that.
She was feeling like a transfer student in her first day.
Who should she talk to? In the first place should she be the one who started the talk? Or rather, if you guys are going to glance like that then it’s fine if you call out to me you know? Look, there must be at least one person in the mood maker role right, there is right? It’s fine even if you call out to me cheerfully you know! C’mon!
That was how she felt. The mental state of meaninglessly checking one’s own belonging to ignore the awkwardness, such feeling!
The cause was obvious.
The battle VS celestial race just now.
And then, the overwhelming physical power.
‘Get close and punch! That is exactly the ultimate skill!’ The battle that seemed like to claim like that with its simplicity and clear cut intend without concealing anything, it seemed to carve something unforgettable in their mind.
Their eyes that were looking at Shia when she lightly landed on the ground were similarly filled with awe, as though they were witnessing the descend of genuine goddess――or rather a fighting god.
It was to the degree that everyone starting from the king Eric simultaneously kneeled without delay.
It went without saying that Shia got flustered by that. She hastily said 「Please don’t knee~l! You there, please don’t worship mee!」 and made everyone stood up. It even made she herself to be the one who suggested to go to the kingdom by saying ‘Anyway first let’s go to somewhere where we can calm down’.
Also, the royal capital was in a different place from that old ruin where the literature of hero summoning was discovered.
Shia reflected of such thing while peeking out from the coach’s window. The wind was making her rabbit ears flapping while she was praying to the moon.
(Hajime-sa~n, Yue-sa~n! It’s fine if you come to pick me up right at this moment you knoww~)
Reach! This feeling!
「Shia-sama……you’re beautiful……」
It seemed that her prayer reached. To the maid-san in front of her. The rabbit heart’s range appeared to be relatively short.
It was different from the content of her prayer, but finally the silence was broken.
Shia smiled sweetly while turning her gaze to the maid-san――Dahlia.
For some reason she looked intoxicated. It seemed that she was fascinated by Shia who was looking sorrowful while the moonlight was illuminating her from the window.
「Err, thank you very much? But, Dahlia-san is also beautiful you know?」
「No, no way……that praise is too much for me. Compared to Shia-sama who is strong and beautiful like the goddess of the moon, the likes of me is a mere pebble on the roadside!」
Dahlia-san clenched both of her small fists and spoke insistently with rough nasal breathing「Funsu-」. “Raising both hands and clenching fists” seemed to be the peculiarity of this person.
「Pebble on the roadside you say……you don’t need to abase yourself like that. Or perhaps, someone as beautiful as Dahlia-san is the standard of this world?」
Shia wasn’t giving flattery or anything, even from the perspective of Shia who was used to seeing transcendentally beautiful women and girls, Dahlia was a beauty whose humility just now only sounded like sarcasm.
Although, thinking carefully his majesty Eric and Louise and others too, the male camp was also a complete line up of handsome men. Shia tilted her head wondering if it was this kind of world or perhaps country.
Louis who was sitting beside Shia sighed in relieve. He must have been searching for a talk starter. He looked relieved and joined the talk.
「Not at all, Shia-sama. Dahlia is a beauty who is even praised as beauty princess in our country.」
「Beauty princess? Is she a princess?」
Then, what’s with the maid uniform? Shia’s head was tilting in confusion even more.
By the way, the way Louis called Shia changed because after that battle both of them made their self-introduction once more.
For Shia, being called a hero vividly reminded him of a certain someone, and it was a title that would produce black history to call oneself like that. And so she asked them to be spared from that. As the result they compromised by calling her Shia-sama.
「She isn’t a direct descendant of the royal family. Though she is a duke’s daughter, so she has the blood of royalty in her.」
The one who answered in the place of Louis was his majesty Eric who was making a sullen expression for some reason. He was sitting diagonally ahead of Shia and he had been crossing his arms all this time.
His atmosphere made her wondered whether he was in a bad mood but, the source of the glances was this guy. It was transparent that he was immensely curious about Shia.
Louis smiled wryly while continuing.
「Honestly speaking, we never thought that a lovely woman like Shia-sama would appear from the ceremony of hero summoning. Even in the literature it was mentioned that all the heroes who were summoned in the past were male. That’s why……」
「Aa~, in other words, a honey trap?」
The words of denial came from duke’s daughter maid Dahlia.
「It’s not trap or the like. I’m resolved to offer both my body and heart to the hero.」
「I won’t deny that there is the calculation of increasing the hero’s favorable impression toward our country.」
The words that Louis said with a wry smile were certainly really blunt.
However, from their story, it seemed that Eric, Louis, and then Dahlia. Also, Greg and Phil, these five had the so called childhood friend relationship. It seemed everyone was treasuring Dahlia.
Although it was by the person’s own will, to offer such woman to a hero whose personality wasn’t even certain seemed to be a terribly bitter choice for them.
Even so, there was no one with greater aptitude than Dahlia to keep the hero company.
「Ahaha……it feels like that is too blunt but, I’ll interpret it as the sincerity of Louis-san and everyone. But, why wear maid uniform? It’s too strange for someone who is praised by the people as beauty princess to dress like that though……」
「? Isn’t maid uniform the battle outfit and also the greatest dress for woman?」
「……」
‘This gentle faced glasses, is his head alright……?’ Shia thought with her eyes spontaneously turning reproachful.
With a bewildered face Louis said,
「The hero-sama in the past introduced this outfit. The hero said that this is the most prominent outfit in the other world……」
「I’m sorry for our world’s idiot herooo-」
‘A Japanese. That hero was absolutely a Japanese! Furthermore that person must be an Akiba warrior desuu!’
Thought Shia while she apologized reflexively. The bastard hero acted as he pleased because this was another world and made his own preference as tradition. That damn hero……
The inside of the coach turned uproarious at Shia’s sudden apology. The people outside the coach seemed to hear the voice too. Various words like「What happened!?」 or「Crap-, has his majesty angered Shia-sama!? He will turn into mince meat!」 could be hear from them.
「Ju, just what’s with you!」
His majesty Eric told the outside that it was nothing while complaining to Shia. It was a problem that she found it difficult to say anything about……or rather, explaining about the unique people that was shouldering unique karma even in earth――the Japanese was extremely difficult, so Shia only laughed to divert the question.
※Warning! This is the personal opinion of Shia who is another worlder!
「Ahaha……it’s nothing. More importantly, how long it will be till we reach the kingdom?」
「Ri, right. I believe we will arrive around dawn.」
It was dangerous to march throughout the night. However, they couldn’t stay for long in that place after the attack by the celestial race. There was a need to return to their country and hardened their defense even if they had to act a bit recklessly.
Shia frowned slightly and opened her mouth.
「In that case, my pick up might come faster than we can arrive there.」
The expression of his majesty Eric turned grave. Dahlia turned an entreating gaze toward Shia, while Louis showed a sad expression that was mixed with perplexity.
「Shia-sama. What could you mean by someone picking you up? If it’s alright with you, please kindly let us know.」
Crossing over worlds wasn’t something that could be done casually. It was an act that twisted the principle of the world.
For Louis who was the kingdom’s greatest and strongest caster who was called as genius with no one to contest it, it took him nearly ten years since he accidentally discovered the lost literature of hero summoning and reconstructed it. In the literature, there wasn’t any mention at all that the ceremony of returning back the summoned person had ever been held.
「Err, well, how should I say it, if it’s my family then they can normally cross over worlds.」
Shia’s instinct told her that Louis and everyone were relatively good people. Although, she didn’t really know them well, furthermore when the other party was at the scale of a country, Shia’s mouth wasn’t so loose that she would lightly prattle about her family. She naturally spoke ambiguously.
Louis’s glasses glinted.
「By that, do you mean it’s the person who elbowed and electrified Shia-sama in the past?」
「Tha, that’s right……」
「In other words, that person is someone so powerful that he could do such thing to someone at your level?」
「Well, yes……」
*Gulp*, the sound of swallowing saliva resounded. It might be Eric, or Dahlia, or perhaps the other two.
A tense atmosphere was flowing, as though they were imagining a monster that a fighting god like Shia was helpless against.
Actually, even that monster recently would spoke shudderingly「This bugged rabbit!」 seeing his prided bullet (normal bullet though) got normally dodged or plucked from midair but……
Shia guessed what Louis wanted to say and replied first.
「But, I think it will be difficult to beg for help from him you know?」
「……That is, as expected it’s because of the same reason like Shia-sama?」
No, simply because he would feel it was troublesome. He was a person who was absurdly dry toward other people.
Such words weren’t said by Shia-chan who read the mood. She was different from Hajime! Really different!
Shia smiled vaguely to dodge the question. Then Louis pondered with a difficult expression.
「Shit-. This is why I opposed something like hero summoning-」
His majesty Eric cursed with a choked voice. Dahlia paid attention to Shia’s expression while she immediately said「Your majesty-」 to stop him, but surely he was accumulating a considerable amount of stress. The young king who was standing at the front of the path of salvation of the world that was heading to ruin discharged his words as though to spit out that heavy pressure.
「This is our, mankind’s karma. We who are living in the present should be the one to shoulder our ancestor’s sin-. We shouldn’t rely on someone from another world from the very beginning-」
「Your majesty……. But, this is the conclusion from discussing it many times――」
「I know-. I know but still-, Louis! Me agreeing to it is my weakness-. In the first place it’s nearly impossible to obtain salvation with only our strength. I understand that, that was why I also clung to it-. I harbored hope-」
That was why, he harbored even stronger hope after witnessing that much power, but because of that……
「I know that this is just an unjustified resentment! Even so let me say this, Shia Hauria-. You are――cruel-」
「……」
Certainly, it was a terribly unjustified resentment. Shia was only getting kidnapped. She was simply brushing away the sparks of disaster coming down on her. There wasn’t the slightest reason for her to be criticized. Rather, it was Eric and others who were very cruel for asking her to risk her life for the sake of strangers.
He understood. Surely, most likely, as the only one who opposed the hero summoning, he was the one who understood it better than anyone.
However, the face of his retainers that flashed at the back of his mind, the face of his retainers who were waiting back home while believing that they surely would return together with the hero……
And above all else, the face of his kingdom’s people who he should protect……
The dam of the young king’s words was destroyed.
His majesty Eric covered his face with both hands and hung his head down. That appearance was like an old man who was completely tired of life.
It was thoughtless words toward the hero who they personally summoned. However, both Louis and Dahlia also stiffened as though they had lost their words. That expressed their feeling more eloquently than any words.
They had failed in the hero summoning.
They were unable to obtain hope. Those realizations.
「……Why is it me who got summoned I wonder.」
‘If it’s hero, there is someone else who possessed that title, and yet’, Shia thought with an expression that looked like she just got stuffed full with bitter things.
At the same time, for some reason she recalled back.
About her family who sacrificed their life for her.
Escaping from the sea of trees, chased by the empire, hunted in the great canyon……
Everything of that, was for Shia’s sake.
Family, would never abandon family.
Because they were the rabbitman race, who were the weakest among the beastman race, and because of that they were tied together with the strongest bond.
That was why, until the very end, because she understood that they wouldn’t abandon her, Shia ran.
Toward the sign of hope that was showed to her by her power. The power to peek at the future.
Believing that the future could be changed, she paid no mind to her appearance and acted with literal “desperation”.
Right now, seeing the king who was hanging down his head, she suddenly thought.
If, at that time, Hajime and Yue deserted her, would she also hold unjustified resentment? And then, would she lament and crumble down like this?
She didn’t even want to imagine it. However, it was a most terrifying “what if”.
*Gloom……*, her rabbit ears naturally drooped down.
Perhaps that was why. When she noticed, her words resounded within the oppressive atmosphere.
「Come to think of it, what was that about spirit art or spirit element?」
「What?」
「Hah?」
「Eh?」
Question marks in three different shapes floated in the air. Everyone was taken aback by the question that wasn’t reading the atmosphere.
Shia added more questions without paying that any attention.
「Like the flying method of that celestial being-san, or divine spirit? something, various things were mysterious.」
「No, I think the way you punch is far more mysterious though?」
‘That wasn’t power output that can be displayed by slim girl, or the whole mankind even……’, that tsukkomi of the heart of his majesty Eric felt like it could be heart. Louis and Dahlia also nodded deeply.
‘Let’s not mind that!’, Shia made a gesture like she was putting a box to the side while speaking with a wry smile.
「I said it before this, “If it’s not that dangerous then~”.」
In this world the celestial race was the messenger of god. And then, looking at how the king of a country Eric was interacting with a man who wasn’t even the king of the celestial race as though the other party was his equal or even higher in status, it could be determined that in this world the celestial race was a superior race that was placed in really powerful position.
However,
「Those celestial people, they were ordinarily weak.」
「We, weak……certainly, Shia-sama was overwhelming but……」
Louis showed a twitching expression.
When Shia asked 「Those people, how strong they are among the celestial people?」, Louis thought for a bit before answering 「They must be around the middle. The elites would be several times stronger than them」.
Shia nodded with ‘I see’ and said.
「As I thought they are weak. At present I’m not feeling any danger. Of course, there must be those that even more above the elites but……」
「But?」
「For now, even if they become ten times faster I don’t think they will reach the speed of sound.」
「Yes?」
「They also don’t have anything like constant deployment of attack that will deal lethal wound just from touching.」
「Shia-sama? What are you talking ab――」
「They also don’t have martial arts that is installed directly from god.」
「……」
「They also don’t have the physical strength to split the earth with one attack.」
「……」
「Also, it doesn’t look like they will crawl out infinitely like cockroach!」
「Shia-sama. I think that’s not a living thing anymore.」
Louis-san, correct answer.
It wasn’t a living thing. Naturally. After all that was exactly the “god’s apostle”.