Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Ravi's Return
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Ravi was gentle and kind, but she had a tendency to speak her mind bluntly at times.
Put nicely, she was pure; put harshly, she lacked a filter.
However, the ones who usually heard her blunt words back at the academy were types like Alvis, never Brayden.
Brayden, who couldn't even imagine Ravi expressing such overt anger toward him—not even in his dreams—sat there dumbfounded, mouth agape, at a loss for words.
Regaining his senses belatedly, Brayden tried to persuade her.
"Ravi, I think there's a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant—"
"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Didn't you just say it yourself, Brayden? Think realistically—the Carrot Duchy is a weak nation, and there aren't many Bunnykin, so step back and seek protection! And station a detachment of the Goddess's Sword Unit to monitor us? Is that surveillance for our sake, or to watch if 'we dare to crawl up to the Empire'?! "
"R-Ravi? You seem a bit excited—"
Celine, who was close to Ravi, desperately tried to calm her down, but Ravi, already furious, ignored her too.
"Celine, you're his lover, and you're just watching him say this?! Treating us like a nation that can't even protect itself and has to crawl under the Empire, and afterward, like an inferior race that can't even find a proper place to live! Shouldn't you be the one stopping him?! "
"That's—"
"Or do you think the same way and can't find a reason to stop him? That the Carrot Duchy is weak and the Bunnykin are inferior, so they should crawl under the Empire and fend for themselves?"
"I-I didn't think they were inferior! It's just..."
It was true that, as a minority race in a weak nation, they should take the opportunity to align with the Empire and prevent any fallout from falling out of favor.
Celine, who had subconsciously thought that way, dropped her gaze, unable to come up with any more excuses.
Seeing her closest friends from the academy act like this, Ravi was utterly disappointed. Her eyes welled up with tears as she gritted her teeth and replied.
"...So all that kindness you showed me at the academy wasn't because you saw me as an equal, but because you wanted to bask in the moral superiority of befriending even an inferior race."
"N-No, Ravi! I've never thought of you that way—"
"Do you know what we Bunnykin do when we're struggling?"
"......?"
Ravi asked in a slightly calmer tone than before, but with a far colder voice.
"Do you know what happens to our ears when we're physically exhausted, or what innate habits our race has? Do you even know those habits exist?"
"......"
"Do you know what habits we Bunnykin have when we're happy, or what quirks we show when we're angry? Do you know what makes us happy or what we hate? Not the things common to all races, but our Bunnykin-specific joys, sorrows, anger... Do you know even one of those points?"
"That's..."
Neither Brayden nor Celine could answer easily.
Seeing that, Ravi was even more incredulous.
Alvis knew every single one of those things she mentioned, without missing a beat—even though he wasn't a Bunnykin himself.
Back at the academy, Alvis had kept his distance and avoided even sharing space with her, yet he truly understood the Bunnykin and treated her as a complete equal. Meanwhile, Celine, whom she'd been closest to for three years, and her first love Brayden couldn't answer a single question.
A sense of emptiness washed over her. What had her three years been? What had her relationships meant?
In the end, Brayden and Celine—the ones she'd been closest to for three years—hadn't really cared much about the Bunnykin deep down and only saw their country as a powerless minor nation that couldn't protect itself.
Clenching her fists and trembling, Ravi spoke in a voice that had sunk cold.
"Please leave."
"Ravi..."
"Please leave. We have no intention of accepting your proposal. Right, Dad?"
Her daughter's fierce demeanor was intimidating, and Duke Liebv himself had no desire to hand his country over to the Empire, so he nodded at her words.
"Yes. Holy Warrior, you seem to have thought too lightly of another nation's affairs. We may be a minor power in terms of national strength, but handing ourselves over to the Empire is an entirely different matter. I understand why you came, but frankly, it's quite unpleasant. I know there was no malice, so we'll keep this between you, me, and Ravi. Please go now."
Seeing no room for persuasion, Brayden bowed his head with a gloomy expression.
"I'm sorry for the needless words, Your Grace. Robert, let's go. Celine, time to leave. And Ravi... I'm sorry."
"Sorry, Ravi. I really didn't mean it that way..."
"......"
Though Brayden and Celine apologized, Ravi kept her arms crossed in silence, refusing to accept it.
After Brayden, Celine, and the third detachment leader Robert left, Ravi buried her face in the table, deeply disheartened, and muttered.
"Sorry, Dad... That was something you should have decided, but I acted on my own..."
"No, Ravi. I would have reached the same conclusion anyway. Still, I was a bit surprised. I've never seen you snap at anyone like that in your life—turns out my daughter can be really scary when she's mad."
"Don't tease..."
"Haha, alright, I get it. With your ears drooping like that, you're clearly not in the mood for jokes. Want to be alone?"
"Yeah... No, actually no. I've passed on everything that needed saying, so it's time for me to head back now."
Duke Liebv's rabbit ears shot straight up.
"What? Already?! It's been months since you last visited—stay a few more days at least!"
"I've rested plenty already. I was supposed to return two weeks after I left anyway, so leaving now won't make me late. Who knows what might happen on the way? Better to leave with time to spare."
"Does that mean you'll be fighting those Underground Vermin again? Types like Vector? Isn't that too dangerous?"
At her father's worry, Ravi shrugged.
"It'll be dangerous, sure. I wasn't much help last time. But I don't want to just sit back and be protected. You would do the same in my shoes, right, Dad?"
"I suppose so, but..."
"Besides, I have real comrades watching out for me now. So it'll be fine!"
As she said that, Ravi pictured a certain man in her mind.
Duke Liebv grabbed his daughter's shoulders, his face full of concern.
"Ravi, if it feels too dangerous, don't do anything reckless—prioritize your life. Promise me that much."
"Yeah, I will."
The father and daughter shared a light embrace, and Ravi packed her travel funds and necessities before heading back to Aldebaran in the Pratea Kingdom.
Returning to the Goddess's Sword Unit barracks within the Empire, Third Detachment Leader Robert locked the office door, placed his hand on a specific spot on the bookshelf, and quietly channeled mana.
The bookshelf warped into a twisted portal-like shape, and stepping inside transformed the surroundings into dim underground catacombs devoid of light.
At Robert's arrival, the gazes of the others already there turned toward him in unison.
They were all cloaked in black hoods and robes, their faces nearly hidden.
"What was the result?"
"They have zero intention of bending. Especially that princess—her resolve was ironclad."
"That's odd... Word was the Bunnykin princess had feelings for the Holy Warrior, so I figured it'd go smoothly."
"That's why relying on uncertainties backfired last time with the Gahoir Cave, and now again. Isn't it, Bastol?"
"It's just a slight deviation from expectations—calling it a failure is excessive speculation, Robert."
"I spent so much effort convincing the Holy Warrior of the need to persuade the Carrot Duchy, grilling him by my side, and it failed spectacularly. What now? From the Bunnykin princess's attitude, retrying won't change a thing. We can't use the Bunnykin as sacrifices anymore."
Bastol stroked his goatee thoughtfully, then smirked.
"Different from expectations, but maybe it worked out better. Sometimes the simplest, crudest method is the most effective."
"Planning to start a war?"
"Exactly. Blood and lives are all that matter in the end, and nothing provides them more easily than war."
"The pretext?"
"Slip some gold to the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries and have them stir up friction near the Empire's border. Those guys will handle it—they never refuse requests from their big clients like us."
Bastol pulled out a bag of money and handed it to the contact for the Ebony Shadow Mercenaries, who vanished through the portal immediately upon receiving it.
Bastol turned his gaze to a massively built man who looked more beast than human.
"Dantalion, did you find anything unusual at the site where Vector died?"
"It had faded a lot with time, but there were definitely traces of the Goddess's power."
Robert, disguised as a Goddess's Sword Unit leader, clicked his tongue.
"Babysitting that figurehead Holy Warrior is annoying enough, but now a real Holy Warrior is prowling around outside? There's not even a one-in-a-billion chance Vector exposed himself first. The Holy Warrior must have seen through his identity. That means we can't let our guard down either."
"Looks like he's hunting us down to eliminate us. He's the only wildcard in our plan. We need to find out who and where he is, no matter what it takes. For now, everyone should focus all efforts on uncovering the real Holy Warrior's identity."
The hulking, beast-like man, Dantalion, snorted at that.
"You want us to cower like cowards over one guy? Pass. My experiment prep that's been going on forever is almost done—I'll stick to my own tasks."
After days of marching, Ravi returned to Aldebaran in the Pratea Kingdom and sensed the city's atmosphere had changed slightly since she'd left.
"Our Mercenary King pulled off another one!"
"I saw the fight—lights exploding brilliantly, smashing the enemies to pieces!"
"Isn't he maybe the Holy Warrior?"
The mention of Holy Warrior soured Ravi's mood a bit.
Curious about whom the citizens were talking about, Ravi pushed through the crowd toward where the most people had gathered.
"He called himself a servant, but that guy's no ordinary servant! His magic was honed razor-sharp—not your average powerhouse!"
"Hey, Mercenary King! Don't leave yet—stay a bit longer?"
"We'll treat you like an honorary member! Hell, we could retire your number permanently!"
"Sorry, gotta refuse. I'm leaving in two days anyway. Just treat me to some good food in the meantime."
At the familiar voice, Ravi nearly perked up her rabbit ears, forgetting she had her hood pulled down.
Heading toward the source, she saw a tall, somewhat roguish-looking brown-haired young man with a blonde drill-haired girl, basking in the crowd's cheers.
The people gathered around the boy and girl raised street-side drinks and shouted.
"To our Mercenary King Alvis and his servant girl, who brought peace to Aldebaran again today!"
"Cheers!!"
"......Mercenary King? Servant?"
Ravi felt that something very strange had happened while she was away.