14-42. Wyvern Kingdom (9) Cleaning-up
Satou's here. Terrorism is woeful and violent. Terrorism that aims at people behind the military instead the military itself is a big problem in the modern society. And even in another world--.
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"I forbid you from using skills, including Unique Skills."
I used [Geass] skill at the fake apostle who was glaring at me spitefully to nip the trouble in the bud.
The ornamental mantle of noble clothes is too small to hide her body so she's been fidgeting restlessly since awhile ago.
Looks like she even didn't pay attention to the fact that she got [Geass]ed.
『....Lewd』
I take a big shirt from my bag and drop it on the complaining fake apostle's head.
"Behave yourself for a bit."
『Don't look at me you pervert.』
She somehow feels like my little sister when she was in her rebellious phase.
I avert my gaze from the fake apostle who's having a hard time wearing the shirt to hide her body, and entrust the rest to Sera whose smile looks scary.
Her Japanese wording seems childish somewhat.
Did she have any reason to use masculine language?
The prince and Macho Warrior came here when I was thinking such.
Looks like they had sensed that the situation was under control.
"Sir Pendragon, I know that humans are in heat all year round, but understand the time and place."
"Really. If you want to strip and assault your captive, at least do it in that bush over there."
Apparently, the people of the checking station think that I stripped the fake apostle's clothes.
The soldiers look awkward, the women and children among the refugees are looking frightened.
Only the prostitute-like women among the refugees emphasize their breasts, trying to appeal to me. Very shrewd.
"It's a misunderstanding. The tool she had got out of control and turned her own clothes to salt. There's no danger anymore since the tool has been destroyed."
I took out a broken tool from my breast pocket.
Of course it's just a [looks legit] item that has nothing to do with the fake apostle.
If I'm not mistaken it's the failed creation of Echigoya Firm's Prof. Jahad who tried to make [A magic tool to mutually create magic power and electric power] is it?
Since he was obsessed with subjects that involved rotation, he had been immersing himself in that theme after completing the new aerodynamic engine model.
When I visited Echigoya Firm not too long ago, the Japanese Aoi boy who was working as the Prof's assistant grumbled that he didn't have time to do his own research.
Leaving that aside--.
The prince glanced at the item and lost interest, then he turned his sight to the agents.
"Even though I know that the captives in battlefield are prioritized to the captor, would you be willing to hand over those men to our country."
"I don't mind if you let me take custody of the girl over there."
Dealing with the agents afterward sounds troublesome, it's easier to let the people in charge to handle them.
The prince readily consented, so the fake apostle has been placed under my custody.
Now that I've sealed her dangerous Unique Skill, I'll leave her at some Zaikuon temple or monastery in some safe easy-to-live city.
An Urion priest soldier who has personal appraisal skill, [Judgment Eye] runs up to the prince and whispers something to his hear.
He reported that the agents were not ordinary mob.
"Incitement and Brainwashing?"
"That's some heretic skills.... Maybe there's some of their friends who can use mind magic?"
"Don't be stupid. If there's someone who can use such heretic magic, I'll feed them to the wyvern."
Looks like mind magic is more hated than I thought.
I'll keep the fact that there's someone who can use mind magic here a secret.
"Are you going to execute the ones who have Incitement and Brainwashing skills?"
"It should be fine as long as both of their eyes and mouths are blocked. Although this is the first time I meet people who have these skills, I've learned about it during my training when I was entrusted to be the person in charge of the checking station."
--Hohou?
I'd like to receive that training.
I'll ask Silga King if I could get one once we get back to the royal castle.
"Needless to say, block their mouth and suicide attempt."
"Yes, the one with Brainwashing skill might have influenced the soldiers in the station. I'll let soldiers who have just been assigned to be the guards."
The officers in this country seem to be quite excellent.
After getting all their equipment besides their underwear stripped, the agents who are tied with [Magic Sealing Chain] are carried by the soldiers to the station.
There were some men who shouted, [Save sensei!] among the refugees, but the soldiers quickly arrest and took them to the station together with the agents.
Next, we need to deal with the refugees.
As I switched my thought to that, roaring sounds and vibrations detained it.
"What happened!"
"The checking station's gate is collapsing!"
A soldier answered the prince.
"We're asking the reason! I'm going for a bit. You wait here with Sir Pendragon."
Macho Warrior ran to the station after saying so.
I wouldn't go with him even if he asked me to.
Because--.
"Suicide bombing?"
"Yeah, the station's gate has collapsed, pieces of meats are sticking to the surrounding wall and tower."
It'll appear in my dream if you explain it in detail so please stop that.
Without even listening to the prince and Macho Warrior's conversation, I know that all of the agents have died looking at the disappeared points on the map.
Looks like the sympathizer men and the soldiers who were with the agents instantly died too.
After that thorough physical check, just where did they hid the bombs.....
Good grief, please stop with suicide bombing terror in another world.
I searched [Bomb] on the map just in case and found a hit on a pregnant woman.
Looking with 3D display, I found that it was inside the pregnant woman's stomach.
I enter a bush once again and pull the [Bomb] from the pregnant woman with advanced space magic [Aport Object].
It seems the bomb is triggered when it's taken outside, it's swelling in my hand.
--I won't let it.
I put the bomb that was going to explode in my hand into my storage.
I deem [Cannibal Snake] which the agents belong to as the same dangerous organizations as the [Wings of Liberty] and the [Light of Liberty].
There's no need to be considerate with a group who made use of a pregnant woman to do bomb terrorism.
◇
"....■■■■■■■■■ Mass Heal All"
Once Sera completed her long long chant, more than 1000 refugees are wrapped in a giant light pillar that extends to the sky.
The glittering blue firefly light heals the refugees and washes away their fatigue.
"--Ooh, god."
"Onii-chan! Mother has woken up!"
"Something feels warm."
"My legs, I can move my legs."
"Feels nice.... I feel happy somehow. Wonder if the heaven is calling me."
Bright smiles return to the refugees who have been healed with Sera's holy magic.
There was a slightly dangerous remark mixed in, but it must just have been my mind tricking me so I ignore it.
I signal to the soldiers to carry barrels put with food and water to the refugees.
I've negotiated with the prince to share the food and water reserve of the checking station.
Of course it was not free and I paid the price.
"That was Tenion-sama's holy mark--That person must be a saintess with the name."
"Let's pray to saintess-sama and Tenion-sama."
The religious officials who noticed the holy mark inside the light pillar astutely advertised and propagated it to the surrounding people.
Some people whose wounds are cured and stomachs are satisfied offer thankful prayers while looking content.
That circle spread like a chain reaction and reached the whole refugees.
Perhaps due to the effect of the people who are praying earnestly, Sera has gotten a new [Saintess] title.
『Saintess? No one praised me even though I worked that hard....』
The fake apostle who was kneeling behind me muttered her complaint with a gloomy face.
The soldiers who don't understand Japanese are looking at her weirdly.
Did the fake apostle haphazardly punish people without getting thanked by anyone?
I wanted to ask her circumstances, but since an old man with relatively good attires was coming here, I turned my attention to him.
"--How should we thank you."
The old man who introduced himself as a former representative of Makiwa Kingdom's Keldan town's governor prostrated himself before Sera and me.
It seems he was leading the refugees before the agents and their sympathizers took over.
He thanked us for giving food and water to the refugees who had been weakened.
"Give your thanks not to me but His Highness who gave his permission to share the station's water and food."
Maybe because their countries were at odd, the old man was hesitating for a bit but then he finally fell prostrate and thanked the prince and Macho Warrior.
『There were people who were happy with my salt but there were lots who accused me "A smuggler!", tried to put me into jail and profited by reselling it.』
The fake apostle muttered grudge like she had fallen ill.
In a lot of cases, salt sale's right is held by countries or land lords, so you'll get caught if you carelessly sell them.
"So, has Makiwa Kingdom lost to Weasel Empire?"
"We don't know. Two days after the news that Marquis Dasles territory at the eastern end got attacked, our town at the northwest also got attacked by the empire's monster tamer army."
I check the map while listening to the old man.
Besides Makiwa Kingdom's Royal Capital and two towns, only the territory capital of the southern Muzaris Earldom is left in Makiwa Kingdom.
The town near Silga Kingdom has also been occupied by Weasel Empire's army, around 3000 refugees are currently moving toward Silga Kingdom.
It seems they're doing slave hunting, mercenary units under Weasel Empire are moving vigorously.
....I don't intend to participate in a war.
I don't want to see places where people die and I still don't like to see corpses even now.
I'm not good against violent scenes, and I don't take pleasures in overwhelmingly infringing other people with force.
However, I don't like this even more.
After considering a bit, I've decided.
『Tifaliza, when is the fitting-out of the airships from before completed?』
『The second airships in three days, the third airships in ten days.』
I talk to Tifaliza in Shiga Kingdom's Echigoya Firm through [Telephone].
She answered without getting surprised nor paused even though I called her suddenly.
『Kuro-sama should entrust it to General Manager Elterina if you want to hasten it. She should be able to make the second to depart the Royal Capital tomorrow and the third in two days.』
She gave that suggestion taking my intention into consideration.
『Okay, tell that to Manager.』
『--Please excuse me, but I think it'll be better if Kuro-sama directly instructs her. If you whisper close to her ears "I can only count on you", the wanted delivery date will certainly be fulfilled.』
It's rare for Tifaliza to make a joke.
I change the call and ask Manager to accelerate the departure.
『Please Elterina. I'm counting on you--』
And lastly, when I tried to joke as Tifaliza said, Manager who sounded excited interrupted.
『Leave it to me! Forget tomorrow, I'll make the warships depart by today's end. The rest of the fitting-out can just be done in the middle of the flight.』
--Ooh, the effectiveness is outstanding.
Alright, now the alibi for transporting the refugees is perfect.
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『The village I lived in was really really poor--』
After returning to Silga royal castle, I tried talking to the fake apostle, Kei, while waiting for the audience with the king.
I was hesitating for a bit, but I didn't call Arisa and Hikaru.
There was no danger physically speaking, but since I was slightly bothered with Kei's gloomy laugh, I decided to hear her out before the two.
『--I lived in terrible poverty, my past life looked like heaven in comparison. To be honest, it was enough to make me resent the god who reincarnated me.』
Kei talked about her birthplace while staring at the ground.
Sounds like it'll be a darker story than I thought.
『Even so you know, my parents this time were good people. They didn't hit me without reason or left me outside like my previous parents did, they didn't cull me like other families did, and they raised me who was useless.』
Looks like she loves her parents in this world.
Kei's face smiled a little only when she talked about them.
『I, who was an urban junior high student, couldn't do anything. Even if I knew useful tools, I couldn't make them, and I didn't have money to ask someone to make them. And yet, I did as best as I could with my parents--』
--Her village was attacked by thieves.
『Everyone was dead when I came back from gathering nuts. I couldn't remember well after that. I didn't know whether the salt pillars that remained in the whited village were the thieves or villagers.』
Her Unique Skill probably went out-of-control.
I'm surprised she didn't turn into demon lord.
『At that time, I might have died if I didn't meet gramp who was on pilgrimage.... I guess that's good too? Then I'd be able to go to heaven with my parents.』
It's probably something that happens often in remote regions, but you just don't know how to console the one concerned.
I merely listened to her story quietly.
『Gramp was a priest-sama of Zaikuon Temple.』
--It's connected.
『He couldn't use holy magic since the god was weakened, but gramp said that he learned medicines to compensate for magic.』
I see since god Zaikuon died and holy magic became unusable, he learned the alternative.
『He said if Zaikuon temple's priests go around while doing good deeds, people who feel gratitude will give their prayers and the weakened god will become healthy, so we worked hard.』
Kei was visiting various countries with the old priest to impart their idea and techniques to the people of Zaikuon Temples.
『But it was a fruitless effort.... I forgot which city, but some priests who didn't like gramp giving medicines hired bad people to kill gramp.』
And then, after turning those evil priests and bad people into salt, she began to do the sham pilgrimage in place of the old priest alone.
Her skills are of the usual reincarnated person sets, and then [Hunger Resistance], [Rot Resistance], [Poison Resistance], [Disease Resistance], [Paralyze Resistance], [Good Walker], [Compounding] and lastly [Holy Magic: Zaikuon Belief].
She couldn't heal the refugees after all, she probably can't invoke the magic even if she has the skill.
『This world is a shitty game. That's why, I'll revive the god and make this world right.... A world where good people won't have unpleasant things happening to them, a world where bad people will surely be punished.... That's why, I--』
--Calling herself Zaikuon apostle, and punishing the evil are probably her way to do her justice.
I let Kei who began to laugh as if cramping to sleep with mind magic, and then I called Sera in the next room to use her holy magic on Kei who was having a nightmare so she can sleep peacefully.
Holy magic is good for this kind of thing.
Her last line is a dangerous way of thinking, but she lacks knowledge and experience to realize the thing she wants.
I don't care whether god Zaikuon is revived or not, but I'll let Kei to study with a teacher to correct her way.
Moreover, there should be other people who weren't bad yet got turned into salt by her [Infinite Salt Maker], so I have to make her make up for it and visit their graves once her study is done to some extent.
While we're at it, I'll let her mingle with various countries and people's hierarchy to broaden her view.
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"--Have you decided to accept the refugees?"
"Regarding that matter.... Since the scale was bigger than I expected, I cannot decide it on my own."
I met the king and talked about the way to cope with the refugees.
After that time, I talked to the old man representative from before, it seemed Makiwa Kingdom's racial discrimination stemmed from the assassinations of Marquis Dasles's family and Makiwa King by white tigerkin.
After those incidents, rejection campaign toward the white tigerkin unnaturally exploded and developed toward the whole demi-humans.
There's a high chance that people who were like those agents were behind the rejection campaign.
If that's the whole story, then the root of the racial discrimination seems shallow.
"So, until the decision from my country comes, I'm thinking of putting a monster barrier in the valley near the border to Makiwa Kingdom to be a temporary foreign settlement."
Eventually, I want to send them home together with the ones taken by the slave hunters.
Moreover, Silga Kingdom's nobles would probably complain if there were a large mass near the national border after all.
"Did my son not tell you? That's the hunting ground of Fort Phanters y'know? Monster barrier has no meaning before a Fort Phanter."
"Please don't worry, my subordinates will take care of that."
I've already dispatched the beastkin girls, currently they must be hunting the Fort Phanters around the area.
I've also asked Mia to make a spring with her advanced level water magic.
"Sir Pendragon, are you aware of an organization called 『Cannibal Snake』?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it's the organization the spies who destroyed the checking station belong to. I'm sorry but I don't know any further."
Silga King shakes his head.
"Then, how about 『Glutton Racoon』 and 『Filth Eater Fox』?"
"No, unfortunately I don't know them. Is there any relation with the aforementioned 『Cannibal Snake』?"
"That I don't know. The two I mentioned earlier were organizations whose members had Incitement and Brainwashing skills used by Furu Empire a long time ago. I remember a story about people who inherited those organizations' names laying waste to Shiga Kingdom during the era of the mad king Galtafut. I thought a noble of Shiga Kingdom like Viscount-sama would know about them."
Fumu, organizations of an ancient empire huh....
At the very least, organizations called [Glutton Racoon] and [Filth Eater Fox] don't seem to exist within my range.
I can't use extensive search since there are many people who have Incitement skill.
There's only several people with Brainwashing skill in a country it seems.
It's more numerous than I thought.
I tried to examine the map closer but there was no one who belonged to organizations with similar name.
Silga King put several terms for the matter of the foreign settlement, but I agreed to them since they were something that could be solved with money.
Time is precious right now.
◇
Our airship departed to Shiga Kingdom.
I don't have time to keep the fake apostle Kei company so I let her sleep with continuous-type mind magic and left her in the airship. She's going to wake up in three days, but my business should be over by that time.
"Are you ready everyone?"
"But of course! We checked our equipment for 10 times already."
With Arisa in the lead, everyone nodded.
Matching that movement, the rabbit ears and the colorful feathers swayed.
"Alright, let's go!"
We, Team Pendragon, depart to Makiwa Kingdom that's in war.
Now, let's protect the refugees from the slave hunting groups.