Hajime muttered just a single word.
“Yue.”
“Okay.” Yue stepped forward, then raised one of her hands. The Haulias’ expressions all stiffened simultaneously.
“P-Please wait, Yue-san! If you have to punish someone, punish Dad!”
“Hahaha, we’ll be together forever!”
“Get the hell away from me!”
“Yue-dono, please leave us out of this and just discipline the chief!”
“I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it! The chief’s the one who’s at fault!”
Yue only smiled thinly in response, then muttered a single phrase.
“Storm Gust.”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” The sky suddenly started raining bunny ears. Their screams could be heard throughout the entire forest. Though it was their own people who were being tortured, Ulfric and the others didn’t seem the slightest bit angry. In fact, they were looking up at the sky in awe. Judging by their expressions, they too knew how pathetic the Haulia were.
The forest floor looked like the remnants of a battlefield. Scattered among the leaves were heaps of twitching bunny ears. Hajime mercilessly followed up with a barrage of rubber bullets, prompting the Haulia to their feet, tears streaming down their eyes.
Still somewhat nonplussed, Ulfric signaled to one of the tigermen, Gil. Gil sighed tiredly, then started guiding the group through the fog.
They walked in formation, with Hajime, Yue, Ulfric and the Haulias in the center and the tigermen surrounding them in a defensive perimeter. An hour later they still hadn’t arrived at the city, and Hajime realized for the first time that Zam must have sent quite a fast runner for the elder to have arrived so quickly.
After another hour or so of walking, the fog started to grow thin. But only in a line directly in front of them, like a tunnel. The rest of their surroundings remained shrouded in dense mist. Upon closer inspection, Hajime realized that both sides of the path were marked by luminous blue crystals that had been embedded in the ground. It was almost as if those crystals were warding off the fog.
Ulfric noticed Hajime was eyeing the crystals, so he volunteered an explanation.
“Those are called verdren crystals. For some reason, they drive away both the fog and monsters. Both Verbergen and the surrounding villages are protected by these crystals. They work perfectly for the fog, but they’re only somewhat effective at driving off monsters.”
“I see. Makes sense. I mean, you’d probably all go crazy having to live in the fog all the time. Even if you know where you’re going, you probably don’t want to stay there.”
While the forest may have been covered in fog, it seemed the villages within at least were spared such a fate. Considering they’d be spending the next ten days here, that was good news. Yue’s eyes lit up happily too. She clearly hadn’t been thrilled by the idea of spending ten days in the fog either.
Finally, the group found themselves standing before a massive gate. Thick trunks interlocked together to form an arch, and the double doors enshrined within were also made of wood. In place of walls was a towering barrier of living trees, each one at least thirty meters tall. A very fitting marker for the border of the beastmen’s country.
Gil gave a signal to the gate guard, and the massive doors slowly creaked open. A great number of people were staring down at Hajime’s party from atop the branches of the trees. Everyone had been terrified to hear that a human would be allowed into their land. Had Ulfric not been there, a fight probably would have broken out. Perhaps the reason he’d come in person was precisely because he’d expected that kind of reaction.
Past the wall of trees, a new world spread out before Hajime.
Numerous massive trees dotted the landscape, a dwelling carved into each one. Warm lamplight poured out of the windows that had been cut into the trunks. Thick branches, wide enough for dozens of people to walk across abreast, linked the treetops together into one big aerial highway. Vines served as pulleys, allowing for huge elevators big enough to pull up carts. There were even wooden aqueducts, carrying water from tree to tree. And each of the trees was at least as tall as a twenty story building, too.
Hajime and Yue stared in awe, their mouths hanging open at the fantastical scenery. After a few seconds, Ulfric cleared his throat to grab their attention. It seemed they had been so enraptured by the city that they’d forgotten to keep walking.
“Hoho, it seems our fair city of Verbergen is to your liking.” Ulfric smiled warmly. All of the surrounding beastmen, even the Haulia, were all puffing their chests out proudly. Seeing how happy they were, Hajime gave his honest impression of the city.
“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve ever seen such an amazing city. Even the air smells wonderful. It really feels like you guys are one with nature.”
“Yeah... it’s really pretty.”
The beastmen were all surprised at such honest praise. Happy and embarrassed at the same time, they averted their gaze, their ears and tails wagging happily. Hajime and Yue were unperturbed by the gazes of curiosity, fear, confusion, and hatred the residents sent their way, and continued enjoying the scenery as they walked through the city, led onward by Ulfric.
“...I see. So the reward for clearing the trials is ancient magic, and the gods have actually been deceiving us all along...”
Once they’d arrived at the hall Ulfric had prepared for them, Hajime and Yue had explained what they’d learned. He had gone over the speech Oscar Orcus had made about the Liberators, the magic he’d inherited from the Age of the Gods, the fact that he was a human from another world, and that he was looking to conquer the labyrinths in the hopes of finding a spell that could take him home.
Ulfric hadn’t seemed terribly surprised when he’d heard about the gods’ true intentions. When Hajime had asked him why he seemed so calm, he had replied with “This world isn’t very kind to us beastmen, so what reason would we have to believe the gods are benevolent?” Whether the gods were raving lunatics or benign overlords didn’t matter to the beastmen. After all, they’d be oppressed either way. As the Holy Church had no influence here, most beastmen weren’t very religious either. If anything, they worshiped nature.
Once Hajime had finished his tale, Ulfric told him about the ancient law that had been passed down among the elders of Verbergen.
It was a very vague law that simply stated if anyone bearing a crest belonging to one of the Seven Great Labyrinths were to appear in the sea of trees, the beastmen were not to oppose that person regardless of who they were, and to guide them wherever they wished to go if they seemed nice.
The creator of the Haltina Woods labyrinth, Lyutilis Haltina, had told the first elder she’d found that she was a Liberator, though she hadn’t explained what the Liberators were, and what her comrades’ names were. This had been long before Verbergen came into existence, and so the knowledge was passed down through the ages. The reason she’d probably stressed not to oppose them was because she must have known the beastmen would be no match for anyone strong enough to clear a labyrinth. And the reason Ulfric had seemed so surprised when he’d seen Orcus’ crest was because there was a stone tablet near the Grand Tree that had the seven Liberators’ crests carved into it.
“So that’s why you let me in...” After Ulfric’s explanation, Hajime finally understood why he’d been invited to Verbergen. However, not all beastmen were privy to the knowledge Ulfric had, so there would probably be a need to explain his presence later.
Sometime during Hajime and Ulfric’s conversation, a commotion began on the floors below. The two of them were on the highest floor of this particular tree, while Shea and the other Haulia were waiting down below. From the sounds of it, they’d gotten into an argument with someone. Hajime and Ulfric exchanged glances before standing up at the same time.
Downstairs, a bearman, tigerman, foxman, some kind of winged beastman, and some small dwarfish fur-covered beastman were all glaring angrily at the Haulia tribe. The Haulia were all huddled in
a corner, with Cam desperately trying to protect Shea. Both of their cheeks were red and swollen, meaning they’d already been hit at least once.
As Hajime and Yue descended the last few steps, everyone turned to glare at them. The bearman was the first to speak.
“Damn you, Ulfric... What were you thinking, bringing a human here!? And these damn rabbits too! You even allowed the cursed girl to step foot in our land... Depending your answer, I might have to call for you to get executed at our next elders’ meeting.” He was just barely restraining himself from rushing at them. Both his hands were balled into fists, and his arms were shivering with barely suppressed rage. So most beastmen really do see humans as mortal enemies, then. The situation was only exacerbated by the fact that Ulfric had invited the detested Haulia tribe as well. All of the other beastmen were glaring angrily at Ulfric, not just the bearman. However, Ulfric seemed completely unfazed by their display of anger.
“I simply abided by our ancient traditions. You all are elders of your various clans, so surely you must realize my reasons.”
“What ancient traditions!? All that’s nothing but bull! We’ve never once had any use for that ancient law since Verbergen’s founding!”
“Then that’ll make this a first. Calm yourselves. You all are elders here, you know you must abide by the laws. If we don’t set an example as leaders of our people, then what use are any of our rules or traditions?”
“Are you trying to say that little brat really did get through a labyrinth!? That he’s too strong for us to fight!?”
“That is correct.” Ulfric spoke nonchalantly the entire time, as if he was simply commenting on the weather. The bearman’s incredulous gaze shifted from Ulfric to Hajime.
Within Verbergen, all of the prominent powerful races elected one of their own to be their elder, and that individual represented the entire race in the elder council. The elder council met regularly to discuss the affairs of state, and laws and taxes were decided by a vote among them. They were, in effect, the rulers of the country. They also acted as the country’s judges. Apparently the members gathered here were all of the country’s elders. However, not all of them were in agreement about the ancient laws.
Though Ulfric may have held the tradition in high regard, the other elders seemingly did not. Elves like Ulfric were known to live longer than most beastmen. From what Hajime remembered of the books he’d read, they usually lived to be around 200 on average. That would mean that Ulfric and the other elders’ views were probably different because of the huge age gap between them. Most other beastmen only lived to be around 100.
All of the other elders couldn’t stand the thought of a human and a pack of wandering criminals being allowed into their sanctuary.
“...Fine, why don’t we test if he’s really qualified, here and now!”
The bearman finally snapped and charged at Hajime. It was so sudden that no one else had any time to react. Even Ulfric hadn’t expected him to charge, so his eyes went wide in surprise.
In an instant the massive 2.5 meter lump of fat and muscle was bearing down on Hajime, one arm heading straight for his face.
The bearmen were known for their impressive stamina and overwhelming arm strength. And this particular bearman was the head of his clan. One swing of his arm was enough to fell a tree. Everyone but Yue and the Haulia thought Hajime was a goner for sure.
However, they all froze stiff in fear as they saw what happened next. Hajime lazily caught the bearman’s paw with his prosthetic left arm.
“Pathetic. You call that a punch? But well, you still came at me with the intent to kill. I hope you’re prepared for what that means.” Hajime strengthened his grip. There was a sharp cracking noise from the bearman’s arm. Panic quickly overcame his shock, and the bearman desperately tried to free himself from Hajime’s grasp.
“Gaaah! Let go!” He pulled with all his might, but Hajime, who barely came up to his chest, didn’t budge an inch. In truth, Hajime had simply transmuted the metallic plates he’d put in his boots into spikes to keep him rooted, but the bearman didn’t know that. To him, Hajime was as immovable as a boulder.
Hajime poured more mana into his left arm, strengthening his grip further.
“Ah!?” With another sharp crack, the bearman’s arm snapped. However, he didn’t cry out. He still had his pride as an elder to preserve. That didn’t stop him from stiffening up in pain and surprise, though. Taking advantage of his immobility, Hajime drew his hand back. While the bearman was still off balance, Hajime ducked into his guard and threw a punch.
“Out of my sight.” He activated his Steel Arms skill as he did so, and for good measure burned a blastrock cartridge embedded in his elbow to further add force to his blow. His fists were deadly as is, but at that point they were backed by the force of a gunpowder explosion.
His doubly empowered fist sunk mercilessly into the bearman’s abdomen, sending him flying backward. He wasn’t even given enough time to scream as he crashed right through the tree wall and fell to the ground. Only when he hit the ground did the screaming finally start.
What Hajime had actually activated was the shotgun installed on his arm. However, the shotgun shells actually fired behind him. The reasoning was that he could use the recoil to empower his punches, and if he was fighting with Donner and Schlag, he could fire at enemies behind him without having to turn around. He’d used it for the punch empowering effect this time. Combined with Steel Arms, it made for quite a formidable weapon.
Everyone was at a complete loss for words. There was a clicking noise as Hajime expended the used cartridge. By default there didn’t have to be one, but he’d added it in as a fun gimmick. After that, he swept his murderous gaze over the rest of the elders.
“So? Are you all still my enemy?”
No one nodded. Hajime’s actions had prevented the situation from becoming a bloodbath, and Ulfric managed to calm things down after that. The bearman had taken serious damage to his internal organs and fractured almost every bone in his body, but was still miraculously alive. They had to use copious amounts of rare and expensive healing medicine to keep him from succumbing to his wounds, though. And while he was going to recover, his fighting days were over. Once his condition was stabilized, the tigerman elder Zel, the winged beastman elder Mao, the foxman elder Lua, the moleman, or dwarven, elder Guze, and lastly the elf elder Ulfric all sat down together with Hajime. Yue, Shea, and Cam were all sitting next to him with the rest of the Haulia tribe cowering behind his back.
Aside from Ulfric, the elders were all clearly nervous. The bearman, Jin, had been one of their strongest fighters, but Hajime had dealt with him in an instant.
“So? What do you guys want with me? I just want to go to the Grand Tree. If you don’t plan on getting in my way, I have no reason to fight you, but... if the beastmen aren’t unified in their decision, I won’t know who to kill and who to spare if it comes down to it. And that’s just bad for you guys. I’m not so softhearted that I’ll care about who I’m killing if someone comes at me.”
The elders stiffened at Hajime’s casual tone. They realized he was willing to go to war against the entire beastman race if he had to.
“You nearly kill one of our comrades, take that tone with us... and expect us to call you a friend?” Guze half-whispered, half-shouted those few words, his expression twisted in anguish.
“Hey now, that bear guy was the one who attacked first. I was just defending myself. If he can’t fight anymore because of it, that’s hardly my fault.”
“Y-You bastard! Jin... Jin was only thinking of what was best for his country!”
“And that makes it okay to try and kill a guy you just met?”
“Th-That’s— But—”
“If anything, I’m the victim here. That bear dude started it. Aren’t you elders supposed to be judges too? Don’t you think you should be a bit more impartial?”
Guze was probably a good friend of Jin’s, which was why even if Hajime was correct, Gu
ze still couldn’t accept it. However, Hajime had no interest in the feelings of strangers.
“Guze, I understand how you feel, but just leave it at that. He is right, you know.” Ulfric’s rebuke hit Guze hard, and he sat back down, his face twisted with conflicting emotions. He sat there in sullen silence, still simmering with anger.
“It’s certainly true the boy has one of the seven crests, and the strength needed to clear a labyrinth. I’m willing to believe he fulfills the conditions.”
The one who spoke was the foxman, Lua. His slit-like eyes regarded Hajime for a moment before he swept his gaze over to the other elders. Mao and Zel both voiced their agreement, though it was clear they each had their reservations. Representing all the elders, Ulfric handed down the final decision.
“Hajime Nagumo. We elders of Verbergen have decreed that you do indeed possess the qualifications spoken of in the ancient covenant. We will not oppose you... and we will implore everyone within our domain not to as well. However...”
“No guarantees?”
“Indeed. As you are aware, most beastmen do not think too kindly of humans. If I may be frank, most of us hate you. I cannot guarantee that some of the more hot-blooded ones among us won’t ignore our decision. Especially those belonging to Jin’s clan. I highly doubt the bearmen will be willing to let go of their anger. Jin was a very popular leader, after all...”
“And?” Hajime’s expression didn’t change at all throughout Ulfric’s explanation. It was clear from his gaze that he only did what he thought was necessary, and would continue doing so moving forward. While Ulfric understood all of this, he too had a responsibility as the beastmen’s elder, and an unwavering will to match it.
“I would like to request that you do not kill those who attack you.”
“...You want me to hold back against someone who’s trying to kill me?”
“Precisely. With your strength, it should be an easy task, no?”
“If that bear guy was your strongest fighter, I’d say it’s definitely possible. But honestly, I have no intention of holding back if my opponent’s determined to turn it into a death match. I understand your feelings on the matter, but they have nothing to do with me. If you don’t want your countrymen to die, I suggest you make sure they understand not to mess with me.”
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 2 Page 8