Chapter 44 Hero Recovery Operation ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I want to go release my seniors from their Enslavement¹,” I said, “but before we move, there’s some groundwork to cover.”
”By groundwork, do you mean on this side of the border?” Rosanna asked, tilting her head.
”Yeah. To break the Enslavement, we have to isolate them from the Dole forces first. My seniors are being pushed to the front lines. Now that we know they’re still weak, capturing them is the most efficient way to pull them out of the enemy’s reach, don’t you think?”
”Oh! You’re going to take them as prisoners of war?” Charlotte asked. Ibuki nodded.
”Exactly. It’s better if we coordinate with the locals first. While I’m at it, I’ll give the Dole army a proper thrashing. I want everyone to see that we are, at the very least, completely hostile toward the Duchy of Dole².”
”True,” Erina agreed. “If you’re openly fighting the Duchy of Dole – the supposed center of the human world – it lends credibility to the claim that we’re a separate faction.”
Seeing no objections from Erina, I continued.
”Right. Once they see us dismantle an army and take a Hero captive, there won’t be any room for doubt. I figure I should give the Elves a heads-up first.”
”Because you need their permission?” Fran asked. I shook my head.
”No, I don’t need permission. Just a notification. We’re humans picking a fight with the Duchy of Dole in human territory. I doubt they’re going to complain about us hitting their enemies, right?”
The Rock Valley Mountains³ were currently a no-man’s-land – a contested combat zone. If we fought there before officially joining any organization, it was simply a private war between men. If there were closer ties between the demi-humans and the human realms, they might have been asked to stand down, but given the current state of affairs, that wasn’t going to happen.
I turned to the young Elf girl who had been sent to monitor them.
”What do you think, Sylpha?”
She was the youngest daughter of the Elf Chieftain. Apparently, the one who had visited the other day was the second daughter. It had surprised me that they’d send a princess as a monitor, but the Elves were a small race and had lost so many in the war that even those of the direct royal line served on the front. Her older sister, a gifted warrior, was almost always on the battlefield; she was the one who had reported seeing power comparable to a god, which was why Sylpha had been sent.
Honestly, she was the most beautiful blonde I had seen among the demi-humans so far. The Fox-kin and Lara were cute, but Elves possessed a divine level of perfection. Plus, she seemed sharp.
”Well… my people are still too stubborn to fully accept you, Ibuki,” Sylpha said. “If you’re fighting in the human domain, it isn’t our place to interfere.”
”Right? And it doesn’t change anything if I join your side after I bring the Hero back, does it?”
”It’s not the same. That way is much more beneficial for us,” she said with a smirk.
”I expected you to be more on guard… but you seem fine with this, Sylpha.”
”Of course. The others are just being fools. You could take down everything on your own if you wanted to, Ibuki. The fact that you’re offering help for almost nothing in return makes you beyond trustworthy. You’re much more reliable than the arrogant Dragonewt race. Even if the majority votes for war, I’m sticking with you.”
She said it nonchalantly. “If it comes to that, I’ll throw myself in front of them as a shield to make them stop, so just keep me around, okay?”
”No, if it becomes a case of complete hostility, I’m leaving. That was the deal,” I replied. “But if you’re still willing to follow me then, you’re welcome to.”
”I’m going. Good food is a righteous cause,” she joked. “Besides, if I can keep a connection with you, nothing beats that.”
The servant girls behind her nodded vigorously. “Please take us with you too!” they cried out.
It appeared their hearts had been won over through their stomachs.
”In any case, it probably won’t come to that,” Sylpha added. “My mother is already at her breaking point. She’s just had so much bad luck for so long that she can’t believe her eyes now that something good has finally happened. To us, the power to restore the greenery of the earth is, quite literally, the power of a god.”
I had assumed they were taking me seriously by sending the Chieftain’s daughter, but I hadn’t realized the situation was that dire.
”My,” Erina remarked, “if he is an opponent equal to a god, isn’t your attitude a bit too casual?”
Sylpha’s eyes widened. “Ah, humans really do obsess over speech, don’t they? For us, we show our intent through posture first. We bow our heads, we show our bellies, or the subordinate uses both hands for a handshake. Language is something that changes later. Changing how you speak before you’ve actually built a relationship feels fake – it isn’t trusted. Of course, if Ibuki tells me to fix it, I’ll speak politely…?”
She looked at me, waiting to see if I wanted her to change.
”No, if you’re staying with us, there’s no need for that,” I said. “Unless we’re dealing with the other side, I don’t care. And even if we do start interacting more, if you’re living with us, I’d want you to respect our culture as much as I respect yours. Though, if you ever represent us over there, you might need to learn the formal stuff.”
”Yeah, exactly. I’ll probably have to change it soon anyway,” she laughed. “I love how easy it is to talk to you, Ibuki. I’m always on the same page as you.”
”So,” I said, “I want to tell the Elf leadership that I’m about to have a run-in with the Duchy of Dole. Can you set that up?”
”Hmm… they’re still being pig-headed. I don’t want to make a bad situation worse. How about I just pass along a message for you?”
”Is it really that bad? Are they just annoyed that some newcomer is solving all their problems?”
”It’s not that they’re annoyed… they just don’t believe it’s possible. I had to step in because they wouldn’t even believe my sister’s report. They’ve seen the fields, they know we have food now, but they’re still hiding from reality. It’s pathetic, honestly. But they’ve suffered so much that I can’t be too hard on them.”
I understood. My abilities were a complete cheat. I needed to handle the seniors first, but I wanted to get this Elf situation settled soon, too. Still, things were going better than expected. Between the Wing-kin and the Cat-kin, a foundation had already been built. It was incredibly fast, considering they were supposed to be enemies.
”Alright, I’ll leave the message to you. Erina, do you know when the Hero is expected to join the fight?” I asked.
”Hard to say… If it is a Hero, they would receive a warm welcome even in Paul, so we probably have about a week of breathing room.”
”Then we have time to prepare. Sylpha, where is the current front line?” I asked, spreading out a map.
”Right here,” she said, pointing to the very edge of the Rock Valley Mountains.
”Yikes. That’s way too close. If they push through here, they’re in.”
”I know… I told you, their hearts are already broken. We’ve fought with everything we had, and this is the result…” Her lighthearted tone vanished, replaced by a look of grief.
So that’s why she had been so quick to follow her sister’s lead and come here.
”Understood. Then we won’t just hit the Duchy of Dole – we’ll push the whole line back.”
”Wait… you can actually do that!?”
”Yeah. But I want to keep a path open for negotiations, so I’m going to try not to kill anyone who isn’t part of the Dole army.”
War doesn’t end just because you win a battle. You either occupy the land completely or you negotiate a ceasefire. This was an inter-species war; if they went the route of occupation, they’d have to conquer everything. I had no intention of helping with world conquest, so I wanted to leave a point of compromise.
That was why I wanted to use the name of the senior Heroes. If they had the Heroes on their side, they had a righteous cause they could proclaim to the world. I didn’t want to buy the resentment of anyone other than the Duchy of Dole.
But if the Rock Valley Mountains were crossed, the enemy would pour in and attack various settlements. If that happened, it would be difficult to stop them without switching to annihilation, and I couldn’t allow that.
”Um, will it be alright?” Erina asked, looking worried. “Before you can proclaim your cause to the world, won’t you just be branded as a villain on that side?”
”Maybe. But if they still try to frame us as villains after we explain the situation – or if they keep siding with Dole – then I’ll just retaliate. I don’t owe them anything. If I let them get away with evil acts, they’ll just keep doing them. If you align with a criminal state, you’re an enemy. Simple as that.”
In that case, the war would drag on. But holding a defensive line in Rock Valley would be easy. A Crafter’s true value was in defense. While they stalled, he could dismantle their internal structures.
The others had already laid the groundwork for that. Combined with the Heroes’ influence, they could probably pull several nations to their side. If he rescued his seniors, they would surely lend their names to the cause. After that, it was a simple matter of tilting the balance of power until the other countries surrendered.
”Well, we don’t need to reveal everything from the start, so it won’t come to that,” I said. Erina let out a long, relieved breath.
”Then, let’s head back to the other side first. I need to talk to Lisha and Shirley. If I don’t include Shirley, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
Everyone agreed, and they prepared to return. While Sylpha handled the message to the Elves, they made their move.
* * *
They warped back to the Kingdom of Paul⁴ and headed for the main store of Merchant Guild Sha-sha⁵.
”Excuse me, is Lisha here?” I asked at the reception desk.
The receptionist gave me a skeptical look. “Are you an acquaintance of the chairperson?” she asked. But seeing Rosanna standing behind him, she stood up instantly and ran to call her.
Immediately after, Lisha ran over and threw herself at me. Shirley approached at a quick pace, clinging to my other arm and resting her head on my shoulder.
The employees stood nearby, gawking at the display.
”Ah, I suppose I should have made an official announcement that Sir Ibuki is the owner…” Shirley said, turning her gaze toward me. “Would that be alright?”
”Yeah,” I replied. “It’d be a hassle if people didn’t know who I was and I couldn’t get in touch.”
”Then, since you’ve gone to the trouble of coming here, please allow me to introduce you-uuu!” Lisha called out, her voice playful.
She beckoned the staff to gather, and a crowd formed instantly. There were already more than ten employees in this section alone.
”Everyone, this gentleman is the financier and founder of Merchant Guild Sha-sha⁶—Sir Ibuki.”
”Th-then, this is the man who has been providing us with these goods…” one of the workers stammered.
Lisha nodded. “That’s right-ooo! Everything this guild has achieved is thanks to Sir Ibuki’s power. Make sure you understand that-nnn!”
”Yes, sir!” they shouted in unison.
Once the exchange ended, Lisha looked up at me expectantly, so I offered a few words of my own.
”As you know, I prefer to work behind the scenes. I leave everything to my wives, Lisha and Shirley. That won’t change, so I’d appreciate it if you all continued to support them as you have been.”
”Yes, sir!” they shouted again.
I gave a single nod in response, announced that I was borrowing the two of them, and moved to a private area. We sat down in the back of the shop, and I updated them on the current situation.
”You’re moving immediately, then? I have been looking forward to this day,” Shirley said with a sharp, eager smile.
”Even so, this is a rescue mission for the Hero while we’re incognito. If we’re going to hit the Dole Kingdom head-on, we’ll need to do some groundwork with the other nations first, right?”
”Yes. I understand, so please rest assured,” Shirley replied. “My only priority is you, no matter what.”
My face softened at her words, but I tightened my resolve and continued.
”While we’re at it, we’re going to push the front line all the way to the middle of Rock Valley. Rescuing my upperclassmen should be simple enough, so I want the rest of you to focus on the push.”
They looked at me with worried eyes, so I added a clarification.
”Think about the situation. A Hero doesn’t just charge out to the front alone; they move with a unit. I have a plan.”
”Ah, I suppose you’re right-desuwa…” Olivia said. “A Hero charging in solo is the stuff of fairy tales, isn’t it?”
”My upperclassmen aren’t exactly the warmongering type anyway,” I added. The members of the Knight Order all nodded in agreement.
”Sir Hero was the only one who remained rational, even after being Enslaved⁷,” someone remarked.
The specific phrasing caught my attention. “Wait… just him? What about the others?”
”Well… it seemed like the Sage’s spirit was on the verge of breaking, and the Saint was completely indifferent to everything from the start…”
Are you kidding me?
I asked for more details about the Sage’s condition. Apparently, when someone is enslaved by an absolute enemy, their emotions remain in constant conflict, grinding down their mental state. Normally, this requires frequent mana replenishment, and unless there’s a good reason to keep them, they are disposed of as “defective goods.” However, Erina explained that since she is the Sage, she was likely branded with a maximum-capacity Slave Crest⁸.
”I don’t care about the Saint, but the other two were there for me when I was a nobody. I want to get them out of there, fast,” I muttered.
The group nodded, their resolve clear.
”But where do we start?” Charlotte asked, tilting her head. “We can’t exactly blend in with the demi-humans, can we?”
”We’re going to force our way through the front,” I said. “We won’t join them, but I want to be seen fighting. It’ll probably be pinned on the demi-humans, but it helps their war effort in the long run. I doubt they’ll complain.”
I intended to use this to prove exactly which side we were on.
”Oh! You did say you wanted to show everyone a fight,” Charlotte said with a bright smile. “As expected, Sir Ibuki’s strategies are always full of advantages!”
Lisha giggled. “He’s right-eee. Once we snatch the Hero back, the tide of this war will turn in an instant.”
I asked Lisha about the Hero’s movements. She had already looked into it; according to the soldiers she’d overheard, a unit is scheduled to deploy in three days. They didn’t mention the Hero by name, but given it’s a large-scale offensive, the Hero’s involvement is a certainty. It was strange that the soldiers were blabbing about their schedule so loosely, but apparently, because they’re only fighting demi-humans, they don’t bother with information security.
Their security is as leaky as ever… I mean, Nyan-chan is right here. Word is going to get out instantly.
”Accounting for travel, that gives us about five days,” I said. “It’ll probably cause a stir, but let’s get to the front and start prepping.”
With that, we left the shop and took to the skies, crossing over Rock Valley once again.
—
Summary:
Ibuki devises a meticulous plan to rescue his brainwashed seniors by designating them as prisoners of war, ensuring their safe separation from the Dole army while securing an alliance with Sylpha, the Elf princess, to establish a Rock Valley Mountain base under Elven cooperation.
Returning to the Kingdom of Paul, he visits the Sha-sha merchant guild, where he’s formally introduced to the staff as its true owner before convening a private meeting with his wives and closest allies to finalize the operation to free the Hero, Sage, and Saint held captive by Dole. The chapter closes as Ibuki and his group set out for the Rock Valley front lines, their mission poised between diplomacy, danger, and redemption.
—
Trivia:
- Ibuki is a ‘Crafter’ class, which is exceptionally strong for defense.
- The Elves are at their breaking point and see Ibuki’s greenery-restoration as divine.
- The ‘Enslavement’ is a mental control mechanic used by the Duchy of Dole.
- Ibuki specifically wants to avoid killing non-Dole soldiers to maintain diplomatic options.
- Sylpha’s sister reported Ibuki as having god-like power.
- The Duchy of Dole is considered the central human power, making hostility against them a massive political statement.
- Ibuki was once considered a ‘nobody’ or socially weak before his current rise.
- The Sage’s mental state is deteriorating because of the ‘Enslavement’ conflict.
- The Dole Kingdom’s soldiers have poor information security regarding their deployment schedules.
- Nyan-chan is currently in a position where she can leak information to the other side.
- The rescue mission involves a ‘false flag’ strategy where they fight as an independent third party while appearing to assist demi-humans
—
Character Insight:
Ibuki shows a colder, more pragmatic side, willing to be branded a ‘villain’ and use internal subversion to achieve his goals. Sylpha displays deep emotional scars beneath her lighthearted facade, revealing the Elves’ desperate state.
Ibuki demonstrates a sense of personal debt and loyalty, prioritizing the rescue of those who helped him when he was weak, despite his current power. Shirley shows unwavering devotion, stating Ibuki is her only priority.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author highlights the cultural differences in etiquette (body language vs. formal speech) to build the world’s demi-human lore.
The concept of the ‘Slave Crest’ having different capacities suggests a deep systemic magic used for subjugation in this world.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Rosanna – Older ex-slave in the party, rocking that high-born noble vibe—volunteers for intel on dark orgs, spots the crew’s busted power levels. Loyal AF, scouts underground, bows deep with solemn grace while opening up on missions.
• 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.
• 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.
• Erina – A 17‑year‑old swordswoman and slave under Ibuki’s contract, originally from Paul, with drill hair, a refined noble‑like air and speech suggesting she was once a high‑born lady.
• 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.
• Fran – A young member of the group who is easily flustered. Member of the group who expresses moral or existential concern over the ‘unnatural’ leveling process.
• Sylpha – Youngest daughter of the Elf Chieftain. A blonde elf princess sent as a monitor. Blunt, realistic about her people’s desperation, and enjoys Ibuki’s food.
• Lara – Cat-kin tribe girl guiding Ibuki as intermediary, sis is a badass warrior—sticking w/ him to dodge Elven draft ruin and food shortages, determined survivor vibe in this harsh world.
• 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.
• Olivia – A member of the group who asks about the ‘weird’ monster types with some technical/magic-tech knowledge who is stunned by the efficiency of Ibuki’s skills. Archer. Eldest of the new recruits. Height approx 160cm (5’3). Deep blue-black hair. Calm demeanor.
• Nyan – A Dwarf girl, daughter of Doran. 20 years old but looks like a child. Dark-skinned, cat-like vibe. From the mountains.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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