「Fuhahahaha, what fools! Did they think brute force could ever beat shrewdness? Wisdom and power, flexibly utilizing them both while adapting to the situation is the essence of fight.」

He then splendidly landed on the side of the ice block.

「But still, it kind of gets in the way, huh… Ha!」

Tanaka raised one hand and let out a cool spirited roar. Of course it was nothing but an act, as he had no need of performing such a thing. He invoked Levitation and sent the lump of ice flying into the sky beyond the horizon in no time at all.

「If I’m lucky, everything should be alright. Phew, looks like I’ve grown quite skilled myself, huh.」

A man who was kind to himself while harsh on others. That was Tanaka.

「Well then, is everyone alright?」 Tanaka checked his surroundings. The beastmen were dumbfounded by the bizarre events that had occurred before their eyes. Seeing this, Tanaka fell into thoughts. Having lived for so long in the shadow after the ruin of the kingdom of demons, their hearts wouldn’t melt so easily. Especially given the fact that the treatment of demi-humans in the Purin Kingdom was particularly bad, from what he heard. Putting that into consideration, this event was most likely locked at this place–

「I guess this is as far as it goes, huh….」

Tanaka flipped his cloak as he was about to make his leave. However, he suddenly stopped.

「Listen well. To the distant east of this land. There is a woodland beyond the mountain range on the border of the Purin Kingdom. If you go north from there, you’ll see a town a distant away from the woodlands. It’s the town of demon.」「The town of demon….」

「It’s been years since the ruins of the kingdom of demon. The time for the promised revival has come. There would definitely be sacrifices before you reach the Promised Land. However, for the sake of those who would live in the future, I want you to face and overcome it. I’m fully aware that you are all exhausted from your long-standing suffering. I won’t blame you should you choose to continue treading the path of slavery, either. It’s fine if you want to continue living thinly here. However, I do wish you to be able to rise once again here.」

Finally, Tanaka turned around. That figure of his was that of a powerful yet gentle man.

「I believe in it. In the ray of hope shown by that boy. And in the passionate spirits that are still burning within all of you. I’m going… believing that we can walk side by side in the Promised Land in the future.」 Tanaka walked away. The beastmen could simply stare at his disappearing back. However, something hot was definitely throbbing in their chest.

「Big sis. I’m going to get stronger. Just like him.」

「Kanabun….」

The two siblings hugged each other. Watching the two over with warm eyes, the village chief muttered.

「He’s right. Even when such a child managed to muster up his courage to resist, we adults could do nothing at all in return, how pathetic.」 「Village Chief ….」

The beastmen’s attention spontaneously focused on the village chief.「Everyone, listen well. I’m thinking about heading to the Promised Land which that personage mentioned. It would definitely be an arduous journey. And those who were not meant to die might lose their lives along the way. But I want to face it so that those who live in the future could live happily.」

No one answered the village chief’s words. And the village chief didn’t want to hear their answer either. As there was no need to. In the eyes of the beastmen looking at the village chief, a flame of will that had never been seen before was already lit.

「Let’s go. To the Promised Land.」

◇ ◇ ◇ Tanaka walked through the forest. Suke-san and Kaku-san promptly appeared and converged with him.

「How did it go?」

「Did you settle everything safely-degozaru?」

Tanaka didn’t stop his legs.

「Damn it. My plan should have been perfect there. But it turned out to be more difficult than I expected. This time, I could only pin my hopes on the off chance that everything I did here would lead me to a rare linked event….」

That was right, Tanaka had yet to give up. The environments the beastmen had been living at for a long time. Taking that into account, he judged that the chance of kyakya ufufu events being triggered was nigh impossible. And time was a necessary factor for their hearts to melt. That was why he led them to the future. He invited them to the Nanashi town and pinned his hope on the time-based event. Tanaka had already saved them. Then, all he had to do now was wait for their hearts to heal. If he lived alongside them in the town, for sure events would eventually happen sooner or later. That nice, buxom girl would definitely crawl on him at night. Tanaka continued to press forward, telling himself that he should be satisfied with that much for the time being.

What a terrifying man he was. As he managed to calculate and carry out so many things in such a short time. His wisdom might be on par with the world itself.

「Phew, nevertheless, this country is simply too rotten, isn’t it? Geez, what the hell is old man doing….」

He nostalgically recalled his benefactor. He was supposed to treat him to some booze, but there Tanaka was brewing a plan to use this matter as an excuse to have old man treat him some booze instead.

◇ ◇ ◇

Year 5964 of the creation calendar, summer, a strange incident occurred in the western part of the Purin Kingdom. The forests scattered throughout the western wasteland area. The beastmen’s settlements located in said forest had been deserted. The western area’s economy, which consisted mainly of trading beastmen as slaves, suffered a serious blow. The kingdom’s garrison was dispatched to investigate the area, but they failed to discover even a single beastman. This strange incident was the catalyst for a major incident that would occur in the kingdom that year, but no one was the wiser as of yet.