75. Stirring Up Trouble
75. Stirring Up Trouble
75. Stirring Up Trouble
"Long time no see! How have you been?"
"Kyuu?"
It approached me and sniffed, but didn't seem to recognize me.
As expected, it can't remember.
"It's okay. Let's make new memories to replace the lost ones."
While waving the flag of revolution together.
I smiled and took out a magic stone from my inventory to hand over. The rabbit happily accepted and ate it.
But something was different.
"Where did all the carrots go?"
"Kyuu..."
None of the many carrots were visible, and the rabbits looked dejected.
Hearing their story, they lamented that travelers had taken everything from them.
They said they were only half-rabbits without carrots, their ears drooping - how cute is that!?
Come to think of it, I should have some carrots I saved before, right?
Checking a corner of my inventory, I saw the many carrots I had received before.
About thousands of them.
I received quite a lot.
When I gifted the rabbits magic stones along with carrots, their eyes sparkled and they acted cute.
As I was petting the rabbits' heads for a while, I heard unfamiliar footsteps.
I turned my head to see a vampire girl with silver hair and red eyes approaching - Nia...?
I was about to greet her happily, but stopped myself.
She probably won't remember me in this other world.
But something was different.
I snapped my fingers, and a transparent membrane formed around us.
"Now we can talk comfortably. It's been a while, Yuna."
"You remember!?"
"I may look like this, but I was active as a judge and am called a True Ancestor. Of course I remember."
She smiled as she answered, but this was a first.
That there was someone who remembered me.
Then Nia bowed her head.
"Thank you for saving our world, my friend."
"D-don't say such embarrassing things!"
When I said friends help each other, my friend laughed saying I hadn't changed.
And she told me various things.
"This virtual world created with the Creator's help is managed by an AI called a god. So don't do anything strange."
"What about waving the flag of revolution...?"
When I asked cautiously, she thought for a moment and said she would allow it to some extent.
She said if I approached it like an event, users would be happy too.
"Life is struggle! It's not just some event!"
"Do as you like. Have a good journey in this world too, my friend Yuna."
With those words, Nia disappeared.
I stared at the spot where Nia had left, then snapped back to reality at the rabbits' cute voices.
"Right, I was handing out carrots."
I finished distributing carrots and magic stones, and a smile spread across my face.
"A nation's strength lies not in defense, but in attack."
After giving carrots and magic stones to all the rabbits, I gathered them in one place.
"How long do you think we've been exploited!? This is unacceptable!"
"Kyuu!"
Many rabbits agreed with my words.
"We must reclaim our rights ourselves!!"
"Kyuu!!"
It took just one day for the rabbits to change.
The flames of coup d'état - no, revolution - will ignite tomorrow.
*
*
*
A message appeared for the many users playing Arcana Online.
[Sudden Quest: Stop the rabbits approaching the village.]
Rabbits who have lost their homes and precious carrots are approaching the starting village 'Cradle' while waving red flags.
Travelers and villagers, please join forces to protect the village.
A common monster seen in the hunting grounds closest to Cradle village.
Rabbits are the weakest monsters in this game, so is this an experience point event?
But what are they waving as they approach? Red flags...?
[Channels are being integrated due to the sudden quest.]
As the servers divided into many channels were integrated into one, an enormous number of travelers appeared.
All travelers were excited by the first large-scale event.
The gates of the walls were firmly closed, and travelers capable of ranged attacks were keeping watch on top of the walls when footsteps were heard.
[Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.]
Many monsters were approaching, and they were all rabbits.
But not the cute-sized rabbits seen in the field, these were huge rabbits.
A horde of rabbits over 2m tall with massive muscles, slowly approaching while holding giant carrots.
"P-prepare for battle!!"
Ranged travelers and soldiers fired magic and arrows, but it was useless.
As attacks bounced off their muscles, many confused travelers opened the gates and sallied forth.
They attacked the rabbits with various weapons, but the sound they heard was:
Clang.
"Clang...?"
"Kyuu."
Exhaling, a rabbit grabbed a traveler's head with one hand.
"Aagh! I'm dying!"
"Kyuu?"
The rabbits taught them that communication isn't done with words, but with bodies, and many users were tightly bound with ropes and taken prisoner.
Surprised by this situation, the remaining villagers and travelers hurriedly began to mobilize additional troops.
However, the rabbits' combat power was beyond imagination, and they withstood the continued attacks without flinching.
At that moment, an anomaly occurred.
Someone appeared among the giant rabbits.
"A traveler...?"
"Th-that's dangerous!"
"Hurry and run away!"
But something was strange.
The rabbits climbed onto a platform they had obtained from somewhere, then took out a megaphone from their inventory - how did they get that!?
And the protest began.
"Guarantee the rights of rabbits!!"
"Kyuu!!"
"Rabbits love carrots!!!"
"Kyuu!!!"
Some travelers covered their ears at the sound echoing throughout the village, unable to understand the current situation.
The same was true for the management team.
"T-team leader! Traveler No. 1 is leading the rabbits in a protest in front of Cradle village!"
"Wh-what are they doing? A protest!? Put it on the monitor screen right now!"
The huge monitor began to show Cradle village, and the scene of many rabbits protesting near the gates was broadcast.
Traveler No. 1 was holding a megaphone obtained from somewhere and protesting.
"Wh-where did they get that from!?"
No, how does a megaphone exist in a fantasy world!?
As they were racking their brains, someone suggested an opinion.
"Sh-shouldn't we listen to their demands for now? This could damage our company's image too."
"Ugh, the CEO said it would be fine..."
It didn't look fine at all. In their minds, they could already see the headlines that would grace the front pages of newspapers the next day.
[Rabbit Protest in Fantasy Game, Management Responsibility Raised.]
Oh no!
"So what are their demands...?"
"They're asking not to trespass on rabbit territory without permission and to allow village construction."
"What does that mean!? If novice travelers don't hunt rabbits, what will they hunt!?"
"They said to figure that out ourselves..."
"......"
For now, they sent a dispatch team with instructions to release the captured travelers and disperse.
Soon after, the dispatch team arrived at the scene and began talking with Traveler No. 1.
"Workers do not compromise!"
"Workers do not compromise!"
"Workers do not compromise!"
The voice flowing from the monitor made their heads throb.
"What workers! They don't even pay taxes!"
"C-calm down, team leader."
The dispatch team tried to persuade them again.
"We will not disperse until our demands are met!"
"We will not disperse until our demands are met!"
"We will not disperse until our demands are met!"
With those words, the general manager fell backward.
"T-team leader? Team leader!?"
"S-someone call an ambulance! Hurry!"
*
*
*
"We will not disperse until our demands are met!"
That's what a coup d'état - no, revolution - is about.
This fun... No, for the sake of a better life for rabbits, we don't compromise!
Did our hearts reach them?
We were able to negotiate successfully with the village representatives.
Bell unni and Uncle Charles were watching me with smiles.
"Travelers these days are quite interesting."
"Indeed. I didn't expect them to bring rabbits and stage a protest."
If it had turned into bloodshed, Bell unni and Uncle Charles would have intervened directly, which is terrifying just to imagine.
The overwhelming power they showed when fighting the Creator.
It might be possible with Yong-yong, but fighting with rabbits is too much.
Come to think of it, why has he been sleeping so much lately?
He said he could come into the game at any time, but then he avoided my eyes.
He's just too cute.
I smiled and received the document from the village representative.
With this, there should be no more interference with the rabbits.
Next are the slimes. They're being treated unfairly like the rabbits, right?
To protest, you need a cause. Well, we can just make one up.