Chapter 50 Prisoner Rescue Operation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Walking into the living room, my face relaxed at the sight of Isaac toasting himself in the kotatsu¹.
”Yo!” I called out.
”Oh… please, excuse my intrusion,” he replied. His manner of speaking had undergone a complete transformation.
”You can just act like you usually do, you know?” I said.
”No… after receiving such a debt of gratitude, I cannot simply remain as I was,” he insisted.
”Well, as long as you aren’t forcing yourself, I suppose either way is fine…”
While giving that non-committal answer, I asked him if something had happened. It turned out he had come to deliver the village’s consensus. I was thinking that meant I could go visit them whenever I wanted, but for some reason, he climbed out of the kotatsu and straightened his posture.
”As the leader of the Wing-kin, I have a request for Lord Ibuki,” Isaac said, bowing his head.
”Hmm, you seem pretty serious. Got it. I’m listening.”
I got out of the kotatsu as well to face him. He looked like a man at the end of his rope.
”Please… would you be willing to stand as our Chief?”
”Wait, what?! How did it come to that?” I asked. “Usually, you wouldn’t just hand over full authority to someone like me, right?”
”Yes… it is a selfish request, but…” Isaac trailed off, casting his eyes down bitterly.
Apparently, they had been threatened by the Dragonewts. The message was simple: “Hand over the fields, or be branded as rebels.” When they contacted the Elves, the response was that no such order had been given-but the Elves apologized, saying they had no way to stop the Dragonewts right now. They were told they had to resolve it themselves.
Naturally, the Wing-kin couldn’t just give up the fields that were finally solving their food shortage. Isaac had seen the Hero rescue the other day, and he came here believing I was the only one left to rely on.
”We owe the Elves a debt… but when they tell us to just stand by while our fields are seized, we have no choice but to break away completely,” Isaac explained. “However, we don’t have the strength to resist them on our own.”
”But wouldn’t that make the other races call you traitors?” I asked.
Exactly. Only a few people recognize me yet. If they handed their sovereignty over to a human, the Wing-kin might become the enemy of the entire world. When I asked if he was okay with that, his expression confirmed he wasn’t-but he was desperate.
”Yes… but I cannot weigh that against the lives of my people,” he said.
I guess that makes sense. Still, these Dragonewts sound like real pieces of work. Usually, you’d ask for a percentage of the crops for the alliance or something similar. Demanding the whole thing without any compensation is just thuggery.
”Alright. First, let’s shut those Dragonewts up. We can talk about me being Chief after that.”
I really didn’t want to be the leader of a bunch of people who didn’t even recognize me. Isaac said he’d handled the internal stuff, but most of them were probably still suspicious. I told him that if they all still want me to lead after this is over, I’ll consider it seriously.
”Wait… but… then there’s no reason for you to help us right now…”
”Huh? We’re friends, aren’t we?” I tilted my head. We’d eaten together and laughed together so many times.
”Ugh… I-I am truly… grateful,” Isaac started to sob. He kept wiping his eyes, but the tears just kept coming.
I guess he’s been carrying the weight of the clan for way too long in a terrible environment.
”Hey, leave it to me! So, is this urgent?” I asked, checking how much time we had.
”One Dragonewt is occupying the village. He says he’ll watch us until harvest…”
”Yikes. Well, let’s take care of him first, then.”
When I said that, he sniffled loudly and asked, “D-Do you have a schedule?” So, I brought up the prisoner rescue.
”?! In that case, please, do that first!”
”Are you sure? I thought your people were the priority?”
”No, there is a chance some of our kin are among the prisoners,” Isaac replied. “Besides, those who went to the battlefield risked their lives to protect this land. If we abandon them, we would be nothing but ungrateful cowards.”
To not forget his honor even in this mess… he really is the kind of man I’m proud to call a friend.
”Got it. Then let’s get fired up and finish this fast. Charlotte, go get Senior.”
”Y-Yes!” Charlotte stood up, looking tense, and ran through the house.
”Ibuki, I know where the prisoners are kept,” Yui said.
”Actually, I want both of you with me for the rescue. I need to get Senior’s permission for that too.”
As we spoke, Senior came downstairs, looking a bit smitten with Kuria.
”W-What’s up?” he asked, acting a little suspicious.
It’s okay. I won’t tease him about it yet. I’ll save that for later. I told him I wanted to head out for the rescue immediately.
”We could go alone, but I want to make it clear that the Hero is pissed at the Duchy of Dole. If we show them that, it might actually stop the war. Will you help?”
”I’ll help, but can I hear the plan first?” Senior asked, finally showing a bit of a sense of crisis.
”It’s simple. If a powerful Hero faction is angry at Dole, and everyone already hates Dole anyway, other countries might just cut them loose.”
”I mean, sure, but is that really enough to end a war?”
”Probably not by itself,” I said. “But look… I’m on this side. The humans have zero chance of winning. Once they realize that, they’ll understand that fighting is just suicide. If we set the stage by showing that Dole is the villain, it gives the other countries an excuse to back out. It lowers the hurdle.”
”…I see. You’re planning to give them a flashy wake-up call,” Senior said, looking a bit sad.
”If that’s what it takes to end it, yeah. If they won’t stop even after being told, then we have to take them out. I’m not so nice that I’ll cry over the lives of people trying to kill us.”
Senior and Yui both looked conflicted.
”Don’t forget, you two. To the people here, those soldiers are trying to kill them. I’m not asking you to fight on the front lines, but you need to understand that self-defense is a necessity.”
Senior looked at Kuria. Yui looked at me.
”You’re… right. If they won’t stop, we have to do it. Okay, I’ll help.”
Senior finally made up his mind and nodded.
”Thanks. I just want to bring peace so we can all go back to laughing and having fun.”
”Yeah. Me too,” Senior said. “Though I haven’t seen much of the world yet, so I have a lot to learn…”
”Exactly. Now, let’s wrap this up,” I said, standing up. Everyone else followed suit.
I turned to the servant girls. “Meina, Kuria, sorry, but can you come with us for a day?”
Kuria chirped, “Yes! ♪” with a happy smile at Senior. The little fox-girl was surprised-“M-Me too?!”-but quickly agreed. “Y-Yes! I’ll do my best!”
I took them outside. They were there to explain things to the prisoners. Despite their nerves, they seemed happy to be picked. Helping their own kin meant a lot to them.
”Isaac, we’ll be back within two days no matter what. Just buy us some time until then.”
”Understood. Please… take care of our people.”
I waved to the bowing Isaac and pulled the airplane out of my Storage.
”Whoa…” Yui and Senior both recoiled.
”We… we were carried in this thing?”
”Yeah. I’ve flown it plenty of times; it’s safe. Get in.”
I ushered them aboard and turned to the others.
”We’re heading for Dole Castle. Even with the Hero in tow, there’s going to be a fight. Shirley, you know the drill?”
”Yes. I was listening. Our goal is the prisoner rescue, correct?” Shirley asked.
”Yeah. Sorry your own business is getting pushed back…”
She pressed a hand to her chest and bowed. “No, it’s not late at all. I will do everything in my power to meet your expectations.”
”You always exceed them. I love you so much I’d let you go wild however you wanted.”
”I-Ibuki… saying that right before a battle… it makes me all giddy.”
”A little giddiness is fine. I prepared you for it, didn’t I?”
I laughed, and Shirley hugged me with an adorable smile.
”Hehe, your ‘preparations’ are never half-hearted, after all,” Lisha chimed in. The tension broke, and everyone laughed as we boarded the plane.
That’s when I remembered. I hadn’t undone the Enslavement on Senior and Yui yet. I manipulated the mana and drained it from their Slave Crests. Since I did it from a distance, they looked confused. I handed them a bottle of the removal liquid.
”Here, use this.”
”What is it? Giving us stuff right before a fight is scary,” Senior said, looking wary.
”No, I already pulled the mana out of the Slave Crests. If you wipe them with that, they’ll disappear.”
”I-Is it okay?” Senior asked, for some reason looking for permission.
”Of course it’s okay! Just get rid of them already. I don’t want to be the bad guy here.”
”Oh, right. Sorry.” Senior scurried to the back of the plane.
Meanwhile, Yui hitched up her skirt and spoke in a sweet, melting voice.
”Ibuki, won’t you wipe mine off? ♡”
She was so erotically cute I couldn’t resist. “Sure. Is it right here?” I said, reaching past her panties to tease her.
”Ah! ♡ Not there! ♡”
”Hmm, then where could it be…?”
While we were flirting, Kuria ran off toward Senior. Suddenly, the little fox-girl stood in front of me and hitched up her skirt too. Wagging her tail, she showed off the bright red string panties I’d given her.
”Then is it here?” I asked, and started playing with her too.
I realized a second too late that Yui might get mad, but she just burst out laughing, and soon everyone else was laughing along with her.
But once the laughter died down, she gave me a look²—those “judging eyes” that said, “Honestly, Ibuki-kun…” even if she wasn’t truly upset. I soaked a cloth in the solution and set to work, thoroughly scrubbing the Slave Crest³ from her skin.
Seeing that she was finally clean, Yui looked down, her face clouded with anxiety.
”Ibuki-kun… you’ll protect me, right?” she whispered.
I reached out and pulled her close, my arm firm around her waist. “Yeah. No matter what comes, I’ve got you. Just stay by my side, okay?”
”Ohhh… stop, I love you so much! ♡♡♡”
She clung to me with everything she had. While holding her, I kicked the Magic tool⁴ into gear. We roared down the runway and soared into the sky.
”I-Ibuki-kun?! I haven’t even sat down yet!”
”It’s fine. It’s stable enough to walk around on. Feel free to flirt all you want in the back seats.”
Kuria had probably been the one cleaning her earlier. It must have taken forever because she’d been scrubbing the same spots over and over again. Sure enough, the upperclassman didn’t bother coming back to the front until we reached our destination.
We touched down inside the castle walls, having soared right over the Noble District. The grounds were massive with paved paths, making the landing easy even without a parachute. Naturally, the soldiers started swarming immediately.
”I-Ibuki-kun?! Is this okay?! We’re being surrounded!”
”Well, yeah… if we don’t get surrounded, we can’t exactly put you in the spotlight, can we? If we only tell a few people, they’ll just gag everyone and keep it a secret.” I gave him a reassuring nudge. “I’ll protect you, so just get out there and say what you need to say. Make it loud.”
I pushed him forward to lead the way.
”W-what am I even supposed to say?! I haven’t thought of anything! Ibuki-kun, you do it! I’m terrible at this!”
”Understood. I’ll whisper the lines, and you just shout them out, okay?”
He nodded. Despite the dozens of soldiers leveling weapons at us, we stepped off the craft as if we owned the place.
”A human?! Is this not a monster?!” the captain barked. “You! Do you have any idea where you are?!”
I moved behind the hero and fed him the lines.
”Silence!” he shouted. “Are you claiming you don’t recognize me?! You have committed a cardinal sin by enslaving the Apostles of God⁵! That crime is worthy of ten thousand deaths!”
”H-Hero-sama?! What are you saying…?”
With the script finished, I stepped back and let him handle the rest.
”Oh, so you weren’t in the loop? In that case, stand your men down. If you don’t, I won’t be able to hold back. Prepare to die.”
He was sounding surprisingly motivated. He probably just wanted them to clear out before we’re forced to kill them.
”T-that is impossible! Even if it’s the Hero-sama, we cannot allow others to be brought in…”
The captain was still trying to act the superior. He really was just a low-level grunt who’d been kept in the dark.
”I see. So you choose to cross swords with us… how disappointing.”
”Wait! Hold on! Why has it come to this?!”
”I have no idea… we were drugged and forced into Enslavement⁶. The one holding the contract was the King himself, so there’s no room for ‘misunderstanding’ anymore.”
When he said that, shock rippled through the ranks. The soldiers started looking at each other, completely lost. Seeing that we were getting nowhere, I took my shovel and tapped the earth. I opened a ten-meter square pit right under them and dropped the whole lot in.
”Since you guys don’t seem to know anything, I’ll let you slide if you just stay quiet in there. You’ve got an ironclad excuse for failing now. Just stay put for a while. Got it?”
They went dead silent. Since I was done with them, I walked around the hole and headed for my objective. Following the guide, we arrived at a place that brought back memories: the dungeon. The very place I’d been tossed into the moment I arrived in this world.
”Is it… here?” Yuki asked. “I didn’t think it was big enough to hold hundreds of people.”
”Yeah. There’s a hidden section in the back…” Yui Tanaka pointed to the far wall.
They didn’t know how to open it, so I had Shirley slice through the wall.
”No way… this isn’t a manga…” Yuki let out a hollow laugh as the wall slid down with perfect precision.
”Impressive, right? I cut it at an inward angle so it would slide back perfectly.”
”Normally the sword is the thing that breaks, isn’t it?”
While we were whispering, Shirley looked dejected. “I feel left out. Even though it’s only possible because I’m Ibuki-sama’s sword…”
I cut the small talk and we moved into the depths. Thinking it would buy us time, I pulled the wall back out of my Storage⁷ and sealed the entrance behind us. We emerged into a massive chamber where a huge number of people were being held. They were shackled, but there were no bars. Women in simple tunics were sitting all over the floor.
”Alright, playtime is over. Focus on protection and getting them out. I’m counting on you guys.”
I looked at my team, and they all gave me a firm nod. I had Kuria and Meina hang back while I addressed the captives.
”Gather round and show me your Slave Crests.”
Though terrified, they obeyed instantly. Just as I thought-they’d been ordered to be submissive. I drained the Mana⁸ from the brands on their left hands and replaced it with my own.
”This is an order. All previous commands are void. From now on, follow my instructions until you’re back in your homelands.”
Once that was done, I had Kuria and Meina explain. They worked hard to tell them, “We’re here to rescue you! He’s a human, but he’s on our side!”
”Can we… can we really go home?” one elf woman asked, tears welling in her eyes.
”Not yet. We have to get out of here first. So work with us until then, okay?”
The women all nodded with serious expressions.
”But how are we going to transport them? They won’t all fit on the plane,” Charlotte asked.
”Easy. We’ll just take the underground route until we hit a safe zone.”
”Right… being able to travel by sky and underground is just cheating, isn’t it?”
”You bet. That’s why they call it a ‘cheat’ capability.”
”Cheats are so cool!” Lotte cheered.
I decided to get moving and swung my pickaxe at the floor, but nothing happened. I realized I couldn’t auto-dig man-made structures. I had to use the pickaxe the old-fashioned way to break through the floor.
”Ibuki-kun… please don’t tell me you’re planning to dig the whole way…” Yuki looked at me as if she were witnessing a tragedy.
I just gave her a bright smile. “Yep! I’m gonna dig my heart out, so just watch!”
I pried up the stone slabs and drove the pickaxe into the soil. By now, I was an expert at navigation. I set a slight downward slope and carved out a fifty-meter tunnel in no time. I laid down the rails and set the minecart train on them. Yuki and the hero just stood there, speechless.
”Everyone, get on! Fast, before someone finds us!”
The girls moved quickly, and I gave Shuri her orders. “Take them to the end and wait. I’ll catch up after I seal the entrance.”
”Roger that! The brake is… this one, right? Got it, yo!”
She gave the cart a push, hopped on, and vanished into the darkness. A moment later, the tunnel lit up. I pulled the broken floor pieces out of Storage, reset them, and filled the tunnel behind me. From the outside, you couldn’t tell anything had happened. I slipped into the tunnel, sealed the final gap, and was instantly plunged into the darkness.
I lit a lantern and turned to leave when I heard a heavy clunk from above. The royal forces had arrived to check the cell just as I’d vanished. I ran through the dark and caught up with the group. From there, we switched to “Subjugation Tour⁹” mode. Luna provided the light, Shuri pedaled the drive, and I handled the digging, filling, and rail-laying.
As the rescued girls watched in total awe, I looked at Yuki-who was still giving me those pitying eyes-and joked, “See? Told you I’d dig my heart out.”
”Yeah… that’s definitely a cheat…” she said, her eyes looking far away.
”This is beyond a cheat! This is just broken!” the hero added, sounding exhausted.
We tore through the underground faster than a car on a highway. Based on the distance I’d dug, we were easily over a hundred kilometers away. When I poked my head up, we were in the middle of a vast, empty plain. There were no roads in sight-perfect. From there, the team guarded the girls while I ferried them to my mansion via the sky in small groups. It took a lot of back-and-forth, but the rescue was a complete success.
—
Summary:
Isaac asks Ibuki to become the Chief of the Wing-kin to protect them from Dragonewt extortion. Ibuki agrees to help his friend by first launching a rescue mission for prisoners held at Dole Castle. Before leaving, Ibuki removes the Slave Crests from Senior and Yui, leading to a lighthearted, suggestive interaction.
Ibuki and his party infiltrate the castle to rescue enslaved women. After a brief but intense confrontation with the castle guards, they discover a hidden dungeon. Ibuki uses his ‘cheat’ abilities to dig a massive underground tunnel and move the prisoners out via a minecart system.
—
Trivia:
- The Elves technically apologized but can’t help the Wing-kin due to lack of power.
- Ibuki is using the ‘Hero’ title as a political tool to turn other nations against the Duchy of Dole.
- Senior and Yui were technically still enslaved until this chapter.
- Meina, the fox-girl, is wearing red string panties gifted by Ibuki.
- Ibuki manually dug the first part because his auto-dig doesn’t work on man-made structures.
- The ‘Senpai’ character is actually one of the summoned Heroes.
- Ibuki overwrote the King’s slave contracts with his own Mana to give the girls new orders for their safety.
- Shirley is actually a sword, which is why she feels excluded from the human-like conversations
—
Character Insight:
Isaac shows his growth as a leader by choosing the safety of his people over pride. Ibuki demonstrates his strategic mind by balancing direct combat with political manipulation, while also maintaining his ‘nice guy’ persona by freeing his friends from their crests.
Ibuki shows a mix of ruthless efficiency and care; he overrides the slave crests not to own the girls, but to give them the freedom to follow him to safety. The Hero (Senpai) shows a brief flash of courage, though he still relies heavily on Ibuki’s guidance.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the ‘kotatsu’ scene to contrast the cold political reality outside with the warmth of Ibuki’s home, a common trope in domestic isekai.
The ‘Subjugation Tour’ mentioned is a reference to a previous activity where the party optimized monster hunting for efficiency.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Isaac – The chief of the Wing-kin tribe. He has a tragic countenance due to the loss of his people while searching for food. The male clan chief of the Wing-kin. He holds Ibuki in high regard for restoring their land.
• Ibuki – Broke high‑schooler from Earth who got tossed into another world with the “Crafter” class he first thought was useless—turns out it’s totally busted. Black‑haired, germaphobic, and low‑key bitter but sharp as hell. Uses Synthesis, Processing, and Inventory skills to survive, craft gear, and haul loot while exploring. Currently a Level 10 otherworlder, wielding a stone axe, traveling the frontier forest with Charlotte, and just trying to stay alive long enough to find a bit of peace.
• Hero – Ibuki’s upperclassman from Earth—summoned as the naive Hero with emotional, mentally fragile personality. Empathetic yet reluctant and inadequate-feeling, lacking survival instincts and political skills. Currently in despair and terrified by his situation.
• Charlotte – Short, skinny late‑teen slave girl with messy brown hair, feline eyes, and a soft, slender body. Was an Ex‑Level 8 farmer, now Level 10 and bound to Ibuki, who she calls “Master” and calls herself his wife. Wears rags at first, then pretty clothes he makes, plus his bat‑wing hairband. Blushy, clingy, protective, and easily emotional, she follows him on runs, fights, and flights while always worrying if she’s useful enough.
• Yui – Female student from Earth—one of the summoned companions, upperclassman designated as the Sage. She expresses deep romantic feelings for Ibuki despite the polygamous culture.
• Kuria – Demi-human beast-girl servant in Ibuki’s house—close to Senpai, handles cleaning/wiping down the crew, loyal helper keeping things tidy for the protagonist’s senior.
• Meina – A female companion who assists in explaining the rescue to the prisoners. A fox-girl servant in Ibuki’s house. She wears red string panties given to her by Ibuki and wags her tail when excited.
• Shirley – 14yo ex-knight family swordswoman, Ibuki’s 2nd slave (8-gold scapegoat from Karl), rocking long red hair, dignified cool beauty in tight white dress—shocked by the chill vibes at first. Fanatic loyalist, weapon tester, security guard, blunt questioner of his slave game, one of his 3 wives, combat/sales pro but can’t cook.
• Lisha – Mature native babe with killer curves, huge rack, long brown hair, big-sis vibes—polite shy type who hangs back gathering intel on other Heroes. Head of Sha-sha brand, acting chair, runs group logistics/training with authoritative feminine flair.
• Lotte – 12-year-old slave girl under Ibuki, a scaredy-cat blue mage (water/ice) standing just 130cm with fluffy light-brown hair and big watery eyes. Lacks magic confidence, gets shocked by his OP power, one of the group’s sensitive lil’ sis types dreaming of spell-slinging skills.
• Shuri – 15yo tomboy lancer at 170cm, messy blonde hair, lean athletic build—worries about the Dole Kingdom beef heating up. Blacksmithing savvy, she’s the tough chick with a spear who’s all about that hands-on grind.
• Luna – A 15-year-old girl with rose-pink hair, roughly 155cm tall. A Priest who suffered trauma and physical abuse (welts on her arms) due to her inability to use recovery magic during previous forced training. A companion who recently received armor and weapons from the protagonist.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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