Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 301: The Fox’s Interrogation Mission

"Awa-awa, awawa—!"

"Rocco, calm down. There’s no need to scurry around like that. And stop circling me—you’re too cute, and it makes me want to just scoop you up and capture you."

Rocco never could have anticipated the crown prince suddenly showing up in the middle of his peaceful snack time.

On top of that, Laxus had just made a wildly reckless remark.

Overwhelmed by confusion, the terrifying possibility of Laxus being executed for rebellion, and a flurry of other anxieties, Rocco panicked, flailing around in a frenzy.

With both arms raised high, he ran circles around Laxus at full speed.

This spinning was partly a result of his muddled thoughts, but also served a more strategic purpose.

If he acted as a living barrier, a kind of protective fence, then no one would be able to get close to Laxus and arrest him.

A one-man barricade? A personal security perimeter? Something like that.

As long as he kept circling, no one could lay a hand on Laxus—pure genius! He even impressed himself.

"Awawa—! Wah! Auwah!?"

His vision spun as he twirled around.

This was turning into a test of endurance—would he collapse first from dizziness, or would the ’enemy’ give up before then?

Just as he was contemplating this high-risk battle, Laxus suddenly timed his movements perfectly and caught him mid-spin, lifting him up effortlessly.

Captured.

Mission failed.

"Mm! Mmm! Mmmff!"

"Sorry, Rocco. I know you were having fun running in circles, but I had to stop you. Don’t puff your cheeks like that—it makes me want to eat you up."

Now held securely in Laxus’s arms, Rocco launched a flurry of frustrated, light pats in protest.

After all, he had been spinning for Laxus’s sake, trying to protect him!

And yet, Laxus dismissed it as mere play?

Unacceptable.

Absolutely infuriating.

With a huff, he resigned himself to stillness.

Laxus who is seemingly satisfied, patted Rocco’s head as if praising a well-behaved child.

Rocco grumbled internally.

He wasn’t a kid anymore! Enough with the head pats!

He snorted indignantly, his nose twitching.

"...So, what was the purpose of this visit again?"

"You two... You have no intention of listening to me, do you?"

The Crown Prince, now wearing a thoroughly exasperated expression, looked at them with a sigh.

Panic surged through Rocco again.

Oh no—another crisis!

He had to do something!

Summoning all his resolve, he wriggled free from Laxus’s grasp and scampered over to the Crown Prince.

With a determined stomp, he declared, "I’m listening! I’m totally listening! Absolutely, completely listening!"

"...Huh? Ah, I see. Well... that’s good, I suppose."

Determined to prove his attentiveness in Laxus’s place, Rocco exaggerated his focus to the max.

The Crown Prince, though briefly bewildered, ultimately decided to just roll with it.

With an air of resignation, he walked over to the sofa and sat down.

Mission complete.

Wiping a dramatic bead of sweat from his forehead, Rocco grabbed Laxus’s hand and led him to sit across from the Crown Prince.

Now, at last, he gestured for the Prince to begin.

The Crown Prince sighed, as if finally ready to get down to business.

"Well then... Since my patience has already been tested enough, I’ll get straight to the point."

"My Bride—" he addressed Rocco directly, "I need you to interrogate Mir."

"Hmm, got it! ...Wait, huh? Mir?"

A royal mission, assigned directly to him?

That sounded amazing—of course, he’d do it!

But... who was Mir again?

Mir... Mir... Hmm, that name didn’t ring a bell.

Who was that?

The Crown Prince seemed to notice Rocco’s blank expression and let out a faint chuckle before explaining.

"You’ve met him a few times before. Mir, the fox beastman, is the right-hand man of Ares, the leader of the rebellion. Surely you remember?"

"Ares’s right-hand man... Fox beastman, fox beastman..."

Then—bam! Rocco’s eyes widened in realization.

Ping, ping, ping!

Because he was such a clever boy, the memory came rushing back to him in an instant!

Mir, Ares’ loyal subordinate, a fox beastman.

Memories that had been buried deep in his mind surfaced all at once, revealing the person in question.

That old-fashioned enemy—the one who fought exclusively with a bow, utterly devoted to Ares.

So his name was Mir.

"Ah! I remember now! The fox beastman who’s super close with Ares!"

"C-Close, you say...?"

"Shut up. Don’t plant unnecessary nonsense in his head. Rocco is a pure-hearted soul who believes that anyone standing close together must be friends. Whether it’s mutual interests or one-sided obedience, to him, it all qualifies as friendship."

"I-I see... My apologies, that was my mistake."

Rocco nodded to himself.

Yes, yes, he remembered now! The fox beastman! The one absolutely obsessed with Ares!

With his confusion now cleared, he happily swung his legs back and forth—until he suddenly noticed Laxus and the Crown Prince speaking in hushed, serious tones.

Huh? What were they talking about?

As soon as Rocco tilted his head in curiosity, the two quickly straightened up and began acting as if nothing had happened.

Suspicious.

Were they keeping something from him?

"Now then, the reason I need Mir to be interrogated... Currently, we cannot question Ares himself. That’s because that man, Deimos, is still in control of his body."

"Hm, that’s true."

"You should know this well, considering you’re the one interrogating Deimos. While he possesses Ares, we can’t extract any testimony from Ares himself."

Hmm. That made perfect sense.

In his time interrogating Deimos, Rocco had tried asking about Ares, but Deimos had refused to answer.

He only ever talked about himself, saying anything else was irrelevant and too much of a hassle to bother with.

Which meant... if they wanted information on Ares, they’d have to ask Ares directly.

But Deimos showed no signs of relinquishing control over his body anytime soon.

A dead end.

"But the motives behind the rebellion, the remaining insurgents still loyal to Ares... none of that information can be obtained from Deimos. That’s why we’ve decided to interrogate Mir instead—Ares’ closest confidant."