The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 78: The Abandoned Prince Gets Hauled Off to Onigashima

Chapter 78: The Abandoned Prince Gets Hauled Off to Onigashima

“I really can’t accept being transported like this.”

“Nhfufu, sorry ’bout that~.”

I was crossing the sea.

All trussed up like a rolled futon.

And no, I wasn’t on a boat.

I was sitting on top of the head of a giant gal—

Who was casually breaststroking her way across the waves.

Weirdly enough, the ride wasn’t even that bad. Hardly any shaking. Surprisingly comfortable, all things considered.

The one who tied me up—the Kijin girl—smiled as she apologized…

But clearly had zero intention of untying me.

I mean, yeah, I get it.

From their point of view, they couldn’t risk me bolting the second I got loose.

Smart move, really.

Still though!!

“Donna donna dooonaa dooonaaa~…”

“What’s with that gloomy little tune?”

“It’s a song that perfectly sums up my feelings right now.”

Getting hauled off against your will does wonders for a foul mood.

Then again, if I’d refused to go, Kuura would’ve been crushed, and Ashuhara might’ve been wrecked too.

…Wait. Doesn’t that mean this was my decision in the end?

Eh. Whatever.

“Oh, by the way, name’s Reyshel. Nice to meet ya.”

“Huh? Outta nowhere? Well, whatever. I’m Ibara, and this big girl here’s Suzu. Pleasure.”

Oh? I introduced myself, and they actually gave their names back.

Guess they weren’t just mindless violence junkies after all. Maybe… surprisingly polite?

And that’s when it happened.

“Eh—whoa, what the heck is that!? Onigashima!”

“Correct.”

Beyond the horizon, Onigashima came into view.

One glance was all it took.

The shape, the atmosphere—yeah, that was 100% an Oni-Island-looking island.

If that wasn’t Onigashima, then what else in the world could it possibly be?

A few minutes later, we made landfall.

Ibara slung me over her shoulder like luggage and hauled me straight off somewhere.

That “somewhere” turned out to be an underground prison.

“You’ll be waitin’ here for a bit, okay?”

And just like that, I was tossed into Onigashima’s jail.

But hey—life has a funny way of throwing new encounters at you in the strangest places.

“…Who?”

“Ah—uh, right. Name’s Reyshel.”

“Rey… shel…?”

The voice came from inside the same cell.

The cell itself was fairly spacious, but buried deep underground with no sunlight at all.

It was pitch-black—so dark I couldn’t even see my toes.

After a while, though, my eyes started adjusting.

Shapes slowly took form, and I realized I wasn’t alone.

“…A rabbit beastkin?”

“Ah, yes. I’m Lapi of the Rabbitfolk.”

She was a young girl with rabbit ears.

Pretty young—twelve, maybe thirteen at most.

A fluffy pom-pom tail swayed behind her.

Her bluish-silver hair shimmered faintly in the dark, and her sleepy blue eyes stood out, strikingly beautiful.

But there was one thing I absolutely couldn’t ignore.

Her outfit.

She was dressed in what looked like a glossy black bunny suit—latex, maybe?

On top of that, fishnet tights clung to her long, slender legs, perfectly accentuating the “rabbit” look.

And in the deeper dark beyond Lapi, I realized we weren’t alone.

Other beastkin were locked up too—cats, dogs, and more.

But they all kept their distance, watching me with suspicion.

For now, the only one willing to speak was Lapi.

“Um, Lapi-chan? Why are you all here in the first place?”

“We… we used to live in Ashuhara. But then the Kijin from Onigashima kidnapped us.”

“Ah… yeah, that tracks.”

Of course. There was no other reason beastkin would end up on Onigashima unless they’d been dragged here.

“…By the way, what’s with that outfit?”

“Hm? This is the traditional clothing of the Rabbitfolk.”

…A bunny suit is traditional clothing!?

Yeah, no. That had to be the handiwork of my reincarnated senior.

What a legacy to leave behind.

Never thought I’d come all the way to Onigashima just to be reminded of how great my predecessors really were.

Though honestly, it does make me wonder—just what era of Japan did they even come from?

Given Ashuhara’s culture, I’d assumed it was some medieval Japanese reincarnator, but…

If the records were right, that senior had to be someone from thousands of years ago.

Maybe time flowed differently between this world and Earth.

“…Um?”

“Ah—s-sorry. I was just thinking. Truth is, I also got kidnapped. Pretty rough, huh.”

“I-I see. But… wasn’t it Ibara-san who brought you here just now?”

“Hm? Yeah, that’s right.”

When I nodded, Lapi’s expression filled with confusion.

“That can’t be. Ibara-san isn’t the type to kidnap people…”

“Huh? Wait, you know Ibara?”

“Not exactly ‘know’ her… but when we were about to be eaten, she’s the one who saved us.”

So, in short—

According to Lapi, Ibara had rescued beastkin who’d been captured and were about to be eaten by other Kijin.

“She said she hates the smell of beast blood, so she told the other Kijin not to eat us. Thanks to that, I think she’s been keeping them from giving us food.”

“The Ibara I know is a lot scarier and more violent than that, though…”

“Y-Yes, her words can be scary… but she also brings us food, and if someone’s sick, she even brings medicine.”

“Ugh… I don’t get her.”

Ibara’s behavior was all over the place.

She wanted me to heal someone, sure—but then why not take me straight to the sick or injured?

…Wait. If she threw me in this cell, then maybe—

“Hey, are there any sick or injured people in this prison?”

“N-No, not right now.”

Aaaand my theory was shot down instantly.

“Ugh—”

“H-Hey, what’s wrong!?”

“S-Sorry… I just tripped…”

When I caught the suddenly stumbling Lapi, that’s when I noticed it.

A deep scar ran along one of her tendons.

“This is…”

“The Kijin who tried to eat us did it. So we couldn’t run away.”

“…That’s messed up.”

“I-It’s fine. Thanks to Ibara-san, we weren’t eaten. Just being alive feels like a blessing. Not being able to run is nothing compared to that.”

“…”

She smiled as she said it.

A smile that was painfully forced—worn only so I wouldn’t worry.

Before I knew it, my hand was already on her head.

And while I was at it, I couldn’t resist giving her fluffy bunny ears a good rub too.

“Uh, um… Reyshel-san?”

“I’m weak to stuff like this, y’know.”

I placed my hand on Lapi’s injured leg and activated Perfect Regeneration.

“Eh?”

“How’s that? Good as new, right?”

“Ah—eh? I-I can move? I can actually put strength in it!?”

Like a proper rabbit, she bounced up and down to test it—

And sure enough, her leg worked perfectly again.

Not gonna lie, that was some fine work.

“T-Thank you… so much.”

“Haha, really, it’s nothing to—oof!!”

“Thank you!! Thank you so much!! I thought I’d never run again!! I thought even healing magic couldn’t fix it!! But now… thank you, thank you!!”

“…You’re welcome.”

With the force of a full-on tackle, Lapi flung herself into my chest in a hug.

Oh no.

This kid… she’s way too cute.

Maybe it was because I’d healed Lapi’s leg back to normal, but…

The other beastkin, who had been keeping their distance until now, suddenly started edging closer.

“Y-You… you can use healing magic!?”

“P-Please!! Heal my little sister’s leg too!!”

“Forget me, heal my brother first!!”

“No, the kids come first!!”

“Wait, wait!! I get it, I’ll do it!! Just calm down!!”

Practically crushed under the sudden mob, I figured the fastest way to settle this was to just heal all their legs at once.

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[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “Out of all the animal ears, I like rabbits and foxes the best. …But I also love cats, dogs, and wolves.”

R: “So basically, the conclusion is?”

Author: “I love them all. Oh, and I’ve started posting a new series: ‘The Clumsy Goddess and Her Skill Farm Freshly Harvested Skills, Delivered Straight from the Source’. Check it out if you’ve got some time!”

If you found yourself thinking, “That Donna Donna bit cracked me up,” or “Lapi’s way too cute,” or even “Welp, the author’s true colors are showing now,” —Then don’t forget to leave a comment, bookmark, ★rating, or review!