Side Story 33. The Rabbit’s Resistance (1/2)

Haramark was thriving in the era of peace. The kingdom’s role as a leader on the frontlines during the war against the Parasites was widely recognized by all. Its royal family and representative organization were maintaining good relations.

Thanks to Valhalla, or more precisely Seol Jihu, Sicilia, a criminal organization once called the South’s Warhawk, was willing to cooperate with Haramark’s royal family.

Cinzia knew that Seol Jihu cherished Haramark just as much, if not more than Eva, and that he could annihilate Sicilia in just one day if he wanted to. So she was always courteous to the royal family, and Prihi respected the representative organization in return. Their relationship laid the foundation for the rapid growth of Haramark during the postwar era.

And the Earthling who made it all possible was heading toward the Royal Palace of Haramark, humming to himself as he walked down the streets.

It was around sunset that Seol Jihu arrived at Haramark. He wondered if he should wait until morning to visit the palace, but they invited him to dinner when he contacted the royal family.

“Haha. The view here is the same as before. Oh, hello!”

Seol Jihu greeted the guard at the front gate cheerfully.

The guard dropped his jaw when he realized that the man standing before him was the famous war hero.

“I… I will contact the palace right away!”

“That’s okay. I already called them.”

“But….”

“It’s fine, really. They’re probably waiting for me inside.”

Seol Jihu calmed the guard and passed through the gate.

As he walked down the city streets, looking around at everything, he came to a sudden halt.

‘Huh?’

Seol Jihu’s eyes widened.

‘Those guys… they’re here?’

His gaze was locked on the fuzzballs—the baby Beastmen—sleeping in a row at the corner of the street. Under the warm glow of the sunset, the tips of their tongues were sticking out of their mouths.

Just as sparrows cannot pass a mill, Seol Jihu could not pass up an opportunity to pull a good prank.

He immediately threw himself at them with open arms.

“Mozzarella Schnauzer!”

“!?”

The fuzzballs’ eyes shot open in surprise.

Their big adorable eyes turned to the man rushing at them.

A commotion broke out almost immediately.

“Lethal move! Tickle!”

“Kking! Kking! Kiiaaaahahak!”

“Raspberry! Abubububu!”

“Kkihihing!”

The fuzzballs resisted, of course. They craned their necks toward the sky and howled.

Immediately a pack of fuzzballs appeared from all over the city.

“Kking, kking, kking! (Comrades! Hang in there a little longer! We’re here!)”

“Kkrrrrrrrr! (The past is the past! The legendary hero has turned evil!)”

“Kkiaa! Kkiaa! (Today we’ll build a new future with our claws!)”

The fuzzballs attacked Seol Jihu from all sides. They climbed his back and bit his hands. Of course, it didn’t hurt because they were still babies, but Seol Jihu pretended it did and fell to the ground.

“Kkiuuuuuuuu!”

One fuzzball stepped on Seol Jihu’s head and let out a roar of victory.

But he celebrated too early.

“Huhu. How naive.”

“Kkiuuuu!!! Kking?”

“The reason I fell….”

Seol Jihu grinned. Perplexity crossed the faces of the fuzzballs standing on him.

“…Was to take all of you down at once!”

Seol Jihu hugged the fuzzballs who had unknowingly walked into a trap.

“This is it! Rasengan!”

He began rolling across the grass, keeping his grip tight around the soft fur.

The fuzzballs squirmed and whined, trying to wriggle out of his embrace.

“Ahahaha!”

Seol Jihu, who was happily rolling, laughing to his heart’s content….

“Uck.”

…Suddenly bumped into something.

He jerked his gaze up and saw three women looking down at him.

“…Hello.”

Seol Jihu hurriedly got to his feet. Now freed, the fuzzballs scattered quickly in all directions. Of course that was after they howled, ‘This isn’t the end! We must retreat for now, but we will never forget this humiliation!’

“…You’re amazing. They always ignore me when I hold out my hand.”

Said a woman with long, pink-colored hair that flowed down like a waterfall and glowed golden under the setting sun. The pair of upturned eyes set above her sharp nose glowed with admiration. She was Olivia Hussey, the eldest daughter of the royal family of Haramark.

“I’m sorry. They were just so cute…. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Seol Jihu scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.

“I don’t mind it. You looked like you were having fun.”

A calm voice flowed. A woman, the owner of the voice, smiled gracefully as she covered her mouth with a folding fan. Her hair, which was the same pink hue as her daughter’s, was braided and neatly coiled around her head. The slight droop in the corners of her eyes made her smile all the more appealing.

This woman was Fertina Hussey, the Queen of Haramark.

“I didn’t think I’d get to see them here after the Half Century Treaty….”

“Nothing’s wrong with the treaty. They’re here to promote cultural exchange.”

Prihi explained.

“Cultural exchange?”

“At least, that’s what it’s called officially. But basically, they’re here because they want to.”

“Ah….”

“Some Beastmen oppose the idea of them staying here. They tried to take their babies with them, but the babies resisted with all their might. The younger generation finds life in the city more convenient and comfortable, so what could I do? I told them to do as they want.”

It wasn’t difficult to understand why the baby Beastmen thought urban life was more convenient. Thanks to their adorable appearance, they could practically obtain anything from humans just by wagging their tails.

It also came as no surprise to him that the prideful Beastmen disapproved of their children being tamed by humans.

‘Hm?’

Deep in thought, Seol Jihu suddenly felt intense gazes observing him and raised his head.

The three women were staring at him.

Their pale-pink hair, symbolic of the House of Hussey, and their eyes, bearing the hue of the Pink Star diamond, sparkled under the setting sun.

It was perhaps due to the blood of Sky Fairies flowing through their veins that they looked more like three sisters than a mother and her two daughters.

‘This is….’

It was easy to see where Teresa got her beauty from.

But for whatever reason, Teresa looked pale. Her eyes, which always brimmed with confidence, now looked sullen, and her lips were pursed, exposing her dissatisfaction. She seemed on guard.

“Princess….”

“We should hurry inside.”

Seol Jihu opened his mouth to talk to Teresa, but Olivia cut him off and grabbed his arm.

“A delicious meal is waiting.”

Fertina stated, pulling lightly on his other arm.

Seol Jihu glanced back over his shoulder as the two women practically dragged him inside.

Teresa clasped her hands and raised her arms above her head. She stretched her neck from side to side as if preparing for a fight.

*

The dinner was great. The food was delicious, and the conversation was lively. Everything was perfect, except for the excessive praises and flattery, which left Seol Jihu feeling a little overwhelmed.

But then again, seeing as he was the one who revived them and also saved Paradise, he could understand why they were so head over heels for him.

“Try this, Jihu.”

Teresa seemed particularly committed today. She filleted the fish and placed small pieces of flesh on Seol Jihu’s plate.

“What is it?”

“Go on. Take a bite. A young fish, cooked to a turn. It’s very tender and fresh.”

A young fish. Seol Jihu nodded as he skewered a piece of pink flesh and raised his fork to his mouth.

“Teresa? It wouldn’t do for you to coerce him against his will.”

Olivia scolded, cutting her fish with a knife.

“Your sister is right. He should be free to choose what he likes. You may think it’s delicious, but he may think differently because, after all, people have different preferences.”

Fertina sided with Olivia.

“Oh my. Something tells me this isn’t just about the fish.”

Teresa snapped, a hint of anger in her voice.

“Don’t be mad. We’re just offering you advice…. Oh, can you tell us that story again?”

Olivia took advantage of the brief silence to quickly take charge of the conversation.

“The Arden Valley Baiting operation! That one is my favorite.”

“Oh, that….”

Seol Jihu slowly began to speak.

“…And then I ran like crazy. Honestly, I don’t remember much. I was too focused on running. I climbed a high hill, slid back down, and ran toward the narrow valley as fast as I could….”

Seol Jihu suddenly paused in the middle of his sentence.

He heard a stifled snicker from Olivia.

“I never imagined you’d be so crude. What a disappointment!”

“Pardon?”

“You slid down the hill and headed for the valley. Sounds a bit vulgar, doesn’t it?”

Olivia wrapped her hands around her elbows and hunched.

“It’s a brilliant strategy.”

Fertina stated.

“One must take into account the topography of his surroundings during intercourse. You faced the valley with your back to the hill. You’ve applied the principle of the idiom, ‘With back to the mountain and facing the water.’”

Olivia and Ferina looked at each other and smiled.

“...”

Seol Jihu fell speechless.

‘This family…. How….’

He heard Teresa sigh next to him.