Chapter 84 - 84 Imperial Capital Tremors
After holding the two of them until past noon, they both fainted, so while eating lunch, there was something I had to confirm using Hawk Eye. The East Empire was moving two armies. One army was heading west toward the Kingdom of Rhodesia, and the other was heading north.
(First, let's just snatch the supply train!)
Setting that for the middle of the night, I used Instant Movement to confirm what the army heading north was aiming for. I entered the army without permission and began listening to various things.
"You're asking where we're heading? You don't even know that?"
"I'm sorry. Please tell me."
From here, it was 40km away to the border of the Mistopolis Commercial State. It was an unarmed buffer zone.
Conflict continues over the Mistopolis Commercial State, which is the eastern edge of the Northern Nations Alliance.
The western side of the Mistopolis Commercial State belongs to an ally of the Northern Nations Alliance.
However, it was surrounded by three powerful nations. To the northeast was the Garuga Kingdom. To the southeast was the East Empire. To the southwest, it connected to the Kingdom of Rhodesia.
"Our country's official stance is that we are marching out to protect the Mistopolis Commercial State from the Garuga Kingdom. The enemy is likely the same. The Garuga Kingdom's justification would be that they are protecting the Mistopolis Commercial State from the East Empire."
A person who appeared to be a Unit Commander told me as much.
He was leading a massive force of 200,000, but he told me that in actual combat, only half that number—the 100,000 slaves and peasant soldiers—would be forced to fight. He explained that the soldiers composed of children of nobles would only be prodded from behind and would not fight in earnest.
(Sacrificing people in weak positions... they're fighting a cruel war...)
Using [Presence Concealment] and [Concealment], I put sleeping medicine into the dinner of the noble soldiers and military officers. When I told the peasant soldiers and slaves, "I will let you escape tonight," they looked around restlessly.
"Did... did he say he'll let us escape tonight?"
"He must be a messenger of God! Since we can't even see him!"
I cast [Sleep] on the soldiers who weren't sleeping and put them to rest. I shared the food the army held with the peasant soldiers and slaves, listening to their stories while they ate.
"Are you the messenger of God from earlier?"
"You idiot! Don't call a messenger of God 'you'!"
Since everyone was laughing, I introduced myself as Shivans.
Thinking there were few young men, I asked about it. Then, an elderly man told me.
"That's only natural! War, civil war, revolt, rebellion—the names might differ, but it's undoubtedly fighting. Every time, the young men from our villages are drafted and lose their lives. The young men left in the villages now are nothing but the weak or the sickly. The fields are being neglected, and I wonder what will become of us..."
Some complained that the actual situation was that even women and children were being drafted as soldiers, but even if they appealed to me, there was nothing I could do right now.
"Shivans-sama! There are girls from our village who were kidnapped by the noble officers and turned into prostitutes! Please save them! Please!"
"I understand! Leave it to me!"
While everyone was eating, I set up two magic circles.
One was to send the noble soldiers and the useless soldiers into the mountain depths of the border's buffer zone. The other was to have the precious military horses sent to my territory.
I immediately returned to my territory and said, "A large number of over ten thousand military horses are coming now, so I'll be counting on you to look after them," only to be told, "That's wonderful, but we don't have enough people to look after them."
Realizing that was true, I told them, "Understood! I'll send people who can look after them along with the horses!" and they were delighted.
On the other hand, for the other magic circle, I first used Instant Movement to set it up in an impossible-to-escape location in the mountain depths of the unarmed buffer zone.
When I returned to the peasant soldiers and slaves, it had become night, but it was relatively bright thanks to the moonlight.
"I have a request for everyone!"
I asked them to secure carriages for everyone to escape from their respective villages and towns. Also, since I was about to strip the soldiers naked, I asked them to enter this magic circle. When I asked them to put any surplus horses into this magic circle, they said they would cooperate.
"Also, are there any injured or sick people? Any kind of illness or injury is fine! Please come this way!"
In the meantime, the healthy people were choosing carriages or putting military horses into the magic circle. I continuously cast [Heal] to treat the sick and injured one after another.
"Shivans-sama! Thank you! Since there is moonlight tonight, we plan to head back immediately!"
I understood their desire to return right away, but I persuaded them that returning via unfamiliar roads was dangerous.
"It would be troublesome if you were attacked by bandits, wouldn't it? Besides, the soldiers will be using this magic circle to go far away, so no pursuers will come. I think it would be wiser to depart early tomorrow morning."
"That's right! It's just as Shivans-sama says! To die in a place like this..."
Everyone immediately suppressed their desire to flee and helped me.
I stored tents, pots, tables, tableware, weapons, and more into my inventory. For the equipment of the sleeping, useless soldiers, I used Instant Movement to make them completely naked, and for the soldiers who could look after horses or those who seemed capable, I placed a Slave Mark on them and sent them to my territory.
The peasant soldiers and slaves were helping to guide the horses.
"Good children. Move into here!"
They were being sent into the magic circle one after another.
The naked soldiers were being carried like stretchers.
"You take the legs. I'll take the head."
"One, two, heave!"
I was throwing them into the magic circle. Thinking I had to work hard too, I stripped them naked one after another and collected everything so that nothing would be left in the surroundings.
There was a building for the high-ranking noble officers.
There were also women who had been turned into prostitutes there, so I hurried to rescue them.
"Wait! Two people are in the back, chained so they can't escape because they're being drugged! Save them too!"
"Leave it to me!"
Drugs? Has the army become this corrupt? They didn't come here for a real war, but with the feeling of a sightseeing trip!
One had a hazy consciousness, but the other was in terrible shape. There were traces of being assaulted with punches and kicks. It was at a level where they might die if I didn't treat them immediately.
I continuously cast [High Heal] to treat them up to a level where they wouldn't die, then cast [Sleep] to make them sleep.
(It would be a problem if they woke up and went wild...)
Left with no choice, I placed Slave Marks on the two of them, took them to the White Castle, and after letting them sleep in my room, I told Harrier, "I'll leave their care to you," and he said, "Leave it to me."
When I returned to the peasant soldiers and slaves, one came to report happily, "Shivans-sama! We've sent all the horses and the naked soldiers!" so I told him, "Please sleep well until tomorrow morning!" and everyone boarded the carriages that had been transporting the soldiers and fell asleep.
"If you can't sleep, please have some of this!"
When I served the alcohol the army held, they were delighted. I distributed the alcohol, food, and water to each carriage, as well as the carriages filled with remaining weapons and armor, the carriages filled with food and alcohol, and all the carriages the nobles had been riding in.
For those who couldn't drink alcohol and couldn't sleep, I cast [Sleep] to make them sleep.
(Next is the army that headed west to Rhodesia!)
I put the standing sentry soldiers to sleep, woke the peasant soldiers and slaves, and had them take action. The only slight difference was that I moved the naked soldiers and high-ranking officers to the mountain depths.
It was a place where one would not encounter people first. Even if they did, it would likely only be bandits. Here too, two women had been made like husks by drugs, so I sent them to the White Castle.
Finally, I went to the Garuga Kingdom, but this was incomparable to the East Empire. The majority were peasants, slaves, and adventurers.
Furthermore, they had brought everyone from women and children to the elderly, the sick, and the injured.
'People who don't mind dying.'
Saying that, they intended to gather people, centered around the Slum District, to use them as shields.
(Sacrificing even these people...)
Anger welled up within me, but I calmed myself, thinking I had to process this calmly.
The high-ranking officers were the same here, turning captured women into prostitutes. If forced to say, the only difference was that they weren't using drugs.
"Thank you! I'm an adventurer named Berry! Who are you?"
When I introduced myself as Shivans, she hugged me while crying, saying, "I thought I was going to be killed! I'm so happy you came to save us!"
I had the useless soldiers and high-ranking officers stripped naked, put them in the magic circle, and had them sent to the mountain depths of the unarmed buffer zone. Similarly, I had the horses moved via the magic circle.
Since there were many sick and injured people, I decided to perform makeshift medical treatment. I had the women who were being used as prostitutes for the adventurers and the women who were free help out.
The men made stretchers and carried people to the temporary hospital made from tents. Seeing me use [Heal] and [High Heal] to quickly cure them, a 15-year-old girl named Fam, who had been forced into the role of a prostitute, asked with a straight face, "Shivans-sama, are you a God?"
"I'm just an ordinary person."
"Heh! But you're amazing!"
In order, starting from those who were cured, I gave them money and food, had them enter the magic circle, and sent them back to the Slum District of the Royal Capital.
"Shivans-sama! I have parents who are sick! I was forcibly kidnapped and brought here. Please, help them!"
"I will treat them within the scope of what I can do! I don't need money!"
Here too, I was troubled by being treated like a God.
(If there are many people in the Slum District, I'll move them to the Slum District with the magic circle.)
I thought it might be bad if a huge number of people suddenly increased in the Royal Capital's Slums in the middle of the night, but it wasn't like that. Because they had taken everyone from the elderly to women and children, it was in a state as if it were deserted.
In the Slum District, there were several buildings that looked as if they were about to crumble.
"This used to be a noble district... Because the previous King moved the castle, this became a forgotten land."
One of the elderly men told me so.
That was why they said it ended up accepting many poor people.
I used [Revive] on several large mansions to repair them. When I applied [Clean], they became like new, and they became able to house many people.
"Whoa... there's even a big bath! Women only!"
When Berry said that, the women rushed in in droves. After repairing several mansions, I cleaned and purified them with [Clean]. When I installed Fluorescent Flowers, as expected, the women seemed to want to take a bath, so when I prepared soap and towels, they said, "Shivans-sensei, you can come in too!" but I didn't have time.
"I want to have a harem with you all, but I want to cure everyone's illnesses and defeat the villains first."
My popularity soared, and I was sent off by Berry saying, "Understood! Come whenever you want to hold us! We'll be waiting!" I continued to cure the sick and injured one after another, searching for the villains who had sent the women, children, and elderly.
After catching the suspicious ones, I read their thoughts. I transported the bad guys to the Royal Palace using Instant Movement. Since the Military Police in this country were also corrupt, I sent the Military Police members too.
I also caught the involved black market merchants and sent them, and I took everything of value from the Royal Palace. For the villains who enjoyed murder and rape, and the Moho villains, I had them wander the Royal Palace, searching for the King.
(Dawn is coming soon.)
First, I erased the road leading from the Garuga Kingdom to Mistopolis. Using Spirit Magic, I made the vegetation grow thick and made the road unrecognizable. The merchants would be troubled, but the naked soldiers wouldn't be able to return, and I made sure reinforcements couldn't be sent.
Next was the East Empire too.
After seeing off the carriages of the peasant soldiers and slaves, all the roads leading from the East Empire to Mistopolis had disappeared. They were covered in vegetation, becoming a Forest of Confusion that no one would want to enter.
Similarly, the road connecting to the Kingdom of Rhodesia to the west also became a Forest of Confusion that no one could enter or leave after the carriages of the peasant soldiers and slaves had departed.
The next morning.
There was a huge commotion at the Garuga Kingdom's palace. The King had not been assassinated, but literally assaulted. His clothes had been stripped, and he was in a state of being raped. The guards were wondering, "Just where did they come in from?", but the King fell into bed. However, at night, the King could not sleep and lived in fear, spending sleepless days saying, "Protect me!"
Finally, Alba's caravan departed toward the village in front of the Imperial Capital.
The journey was smooth because I was using earth magic to beautifully pave the roads that were muddy from the previous day's rain. During the lunch break, Naron, Celia, and even Sion arrived.
"Hey, Shivans? Is Celia beautiful thanks to you?"
"She was beautiful to begin with, wasn't she? Did you not know, Sion-san?"
At my words, Celia was so happy she looked like she might drool, and Sion warned her, "You'll be 25 this year! You're making a sloppy face, Celia..."
"You'll be 23 this year too, young lady!"
"Don't mind me! How can I become beautiful?"
Since she has no chest, it seemed she at least wished to become beautiful.
Then Nick arrived and the conversation was interrupted.
Nick was speaking to Naron, saying, "There's something I want to ask."
"I knew Ralph was unscrupulous from the start, but you were held by that thing too, weren't you? I understand Naron, but the other two women in the same team can't be called beauties even as a compliment. Recently, you've had a good relationship with our Roland, so what's going on?"
Naron looked at Nick with a troubled face.
"I don't know. It's true we were held once. But that's all. I think this is the first time it's been more than twice? You must have really taken a liking to Roland."
"I don't understand Ralph. That it doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman. What do you think, Shivans?"
Nick muttered and sought advice from me.
"Isn't human nature something even you might not understand yourself?"
Then Celia agreed with that.
"I, too, have parts of my own nature that I've learned through this journey!"
"Is that how it is?"
Nick left while muttering to himself.
Celia, standing beside me, whispered with a happy face, "You're the one who awakened me as a woman, after all!"
Without encountering any monsters or bandits, we arrived smoothly at the next village. We finished dinner quickly, assigned rooms, and everyone dispersed. Naron and Celia came to my room and continued to be held until the next morning.
The 7th day after leaving Roast Town.
An in high spirits Alba spoke to me.
"It's so smooth that it's almost scary! If things go well, we might be able to arrive at the Imperial Capital before noon! I'm glad Shivans-sama is here! It's like you're a guardian deity!"
We were departing early in the morning, but only Naron and Celia were exhausted. When Sion worried and asked, "Are you okay, Celia?", she replied with a womanly face, "I'll be truly fine, young lady. I'll sleep leisurely once we reach the Imperial Capital," with a bewitching expression.
As planned, we arrived almost at noon. We went to the Adventurer Guild to complete the procedures for the escort request and, continuing, to receive the procedures for the escort request for the way back.
"I will be working in the Imperial Capital, so everyone, please enjoy sightseeing in the Imperial Capital for a few days!"
Everyone took lodging, and the men were saying, "Let's head out in the evening!"
I went to the hideout on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital to meet with the bandits and thieves.
"Thanks for gathering, everyone. We will carry out the operation tonight! Consider the signal to be when the palace doors open, and then charge in!"
I immediately explained the plan. Throw the children of the nobles into the interior of the palace and let them run wild. By the time the guards and knights realize, they should move to suppress them. The plan was to seize what they wanted in that gap.
"Once the commotion is heard, the Imperial Capital's defense force and the Military Police will also move. The battle will be decided in about two hours. Each of you attack the palace, the Prime Minister's residence, the military, and the various government offices. Is the preparation of carts ready? If you need carriages, I will provide them. If you neglect your preparations, your share will decrease."
After laughing loudly, it was good that many voices said they wanted carriages or carts. There were many stolen carriages, but there were no horses. When I told them to prepare horses themselves instead, some groups went to collect them in a great hurry.
"If things go well, you'll stop being bandits and live honest lives. Got it?"
Immediately after attacking and looting, they would leave the Imperial Capital. At my words, the people nodded deeply.
Since a lot of time passed until nightfall, I went to the Slum District of the Garuga Kingdom and was very warmly welcomed. They were happy that the villains were gone and it was peaceful.
"I can't stay for very long, though. I came thinking I'd perform treatments, are there any patients?"
A girl who introduced herself as Fam asked, "Do you remember me?", so when I said, "If I recall, it's Fam, right?", she was delighted.
"Shivans-sama... my mother is about to die..."
I used Instant Movement to fly to the village the sad beautiful girl was imagining.
As I applied multiple layers of [High Heal] to her mother and treated her, she improved in the blink of an eye.
"Mother!"
"Fam!"
The mother and daughter embraced and cried, so I thought I'd step away, but when I went outside, the men of the village came over with smirks.
"Hey, hey! Not just the soldiers, but even a Big Brother has come to hold this mother and daughter? It's famous that if we give them a little, they'll spread their legs for anyone. Shall we have them give us some money too?"
I cut off the junk of the four Old Men and had them fly to the mountain depths while naked.
Then Fam appeared and said, crying, "Did you hear? Both my mother and I are filthy women. But we didn't become like this because we wanted to!"
"Both my mother and I... were assaulted and became sick... and were made into bodies that can't bear children."
Again, the mother and daughter were embracing and crying, so I told them, "Would you like to live in a town where no one knows you? There, both Mother and Fam can live happily. Besides, both of you are already cured. From now on, both of you can find lovers and live happily," and Fam looked up and said, "Really?" in delight.
I immediately took them back to my territory, and when they arrived at the White Castle, the two were surprised.
"Shivans-sama... are you a King...?"
"No. Well, I'm a noble, but it doesn't matter. Come in!"
When I told them they could work here, or do business or farming, the mother said, "I want to run a shop!" It seemed she had wanted to sell things since long ago, even if it was just a small shop, so when I said, "A beautiful mother and daughter should be able to sell things!" she said, "We are not beautiful. But we have been praised for being friendly!" so I let them have a shop in the plaza and introduced them to a place where the second floor was their residence.
"Don't sell your bodies anymore."
"I know! Both I and Fam belong to Shivans-sama!"
Even when I said no, they listened with smiles. They might be unexpectedly stubborn. Fam's mother introduced herself as Saran. It seemed she would run a flower shop for the time being.
I took her to the market and taught her that this is where she would do her procurement, and she said, "Understood!" with a smile while crossing her arms. I also gave her 1,000,000 Gold Coins in funding.
"Please hold us whenever you want. If I am not enough, even just Fam... both of our bodies are dirty, but..." so when I told her once more that she could find a lover, she shook her head.
She worked surprisingly hard, so I was almost worn down, but when I said, "Only if you can live properly and both of your feelings don't change," they both said in unison with smiles, "They won't change!"
When I returned to the Imperial Capital, bandits and thieves disguised as peddlers were entering the Imperial Capital one after another. Many carriages had nothing inside, but they passed through safely.
When the sun sets, the gates of the Imperial Capital close, but there is no problem.
I have ordered the gatekeepers, who are my subordinates, to "Always open them" when the bandits and thieves escape. At the former slave trader's shop, I cast [Sleep] on the captured children of nobles and criminals.
As soon as they were enveloped in darkness, I woke the children of nobles and criminals who had entered the magic circle one after another and cast [Berserk] to make them go wild. Carrying swords and spears, they suddenly appeared in the palace courtyard and rushed into the buildings. The palace became a huge commotion, and they requested reinforcements.
"Bandits... bandits have broken in! Request reinforcements immediately!"
The commotion spread to various places, and the Imperial Knights were immediately summoned, shouting "Charge!", but the knights were intimidated and defeated by the maddened adventurers and criminals.
(The knights here are unexpectedly weak.)
And finally, when the castle doors opened, this time the bandits and thieves began to attack the palace treasury, the Prime Minister's residence, and the military, but the guards and knights were desperately shouting, "Protect His Majesty and the Empress!", so they didn't notice.
"Hey! Time is limited! Don't be greedy! You have to prioritize your lives! Come on! Hurry and carry them to the carriages!"
However, as people became captivated by the charm of gold coins and greed emerged, they were noticed, with shouts of "There are bandits here too!"
"Tch! Idiots... that's why I told you not to be greedy! Let's escape!"
They also looted furnishings, and the carriages were filled with stolen goods.
As the thieves rushed toward the gates of the Imperial Capital, the gates opened. The people whose movements became slow due to greed were chased. However, only a few were cut down, and the majority escaped, distributed the loot at their hideout, and disappeared in different directions. The gates of the Imperial Capital were closed before anyone knew it, the sun set as if nothing had happened, and four hours later, the thieves were gone.
(It seems most of the thieves escaped...)
The knights were defeated by adventurers and criminals. It ended up exposing their incompetence.
The armies that headed north and west are also missing.
With this, the future of this country is in a pinch, but I wonder what the Emperor will do?
"Let's see the skill of the Emperor and the surrounding politicians!"
The palace was still in a state of great chaos.