Chapter 98 - 97 9 Days Remaining
Viscount Goat's Territory
In the territory capital of Viscount Goat, something impossible had been happening since evening. It all began when a young man with a refreshing smile stormed into a shop for women all by himself.
Naturally, he was stopped at the entrance, and someone barked, "A brat like you has no business in a shop like this! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to save the women. Could you let me through?"
The men laughed as they filed out in a crowd, surrounding me.
"You brat! Are you drunk?"
"Boy! If you're longing for tits, go back to your Mama!"
Even so, because I was smiling, the men—thinking my head was fried from drugs—drew their swords and said, "It would be for your own good to listen while we're being nice, boy!" When they said that, I held up my hand and said, "A warning. If you move even one step from here, you die!"
"A high brat acting cocky! Die!"
Five of them tried to attack, but they stopped as if time itself had frozen. That was because I had swiftly cut them with my [Skill: One-Stroke Severance].
"H-Hey! What happened?"
One man, feeling suspicious, touched the back of one of the motionless figures, and the body slid apart with a "shlick" sound as blood sprayed out. The man who touched it let out a "Gyaaa!" scream, and everyone else fell back in terror.
"Five of them... sliced in half..."
I released [Intimidation] and [Bloodlust] toward the people who were wetting themselves while crying. Of course, as I approached the other men while maintaining a full, beaming smile, their expressions turned to one of agony as they struggled to breathe.
"From now on, get every employee and woman in this shop outside! If you don't listen, the same fate as them awaits you!"
At that, the survivors panicked, crying out, "It's a devil! A devil that cuts people while laughing has come!" As they rushed into the shop, even more newcomers emerged from the establishment.
(It would be a problem if I killed too many and ran short of manpower.)
I proceeded while scattering [Intimidation] and [Bloodlust]. Even so, those who charged at me would become quiet after acting out just enough not to die. I placed Slave Marks on the men who had become submissive out of fear to ensure their obedience.
"You all, prepare carriages. Transport the women carefully to the Viscount's mansion. If you injure them or frighten them, you'll meet the same fate as those men."
Everyone obeyed submissively as I pointed to the corpses that had already become lumps of meat. For the women who were acting out in a drug-induced frenzy, I used [Sleep] to put them to rest.
The expressions of the women being loaded into the carriages were dark.
"Where are we going to be sold now?"
"Even if you ask me, I don't know. Either way, there is no bright future. This might be the last time we see a beautiful starry sky..."
The women looked up at the night sky and wept.
I continued to raid the shops one after another.
"Y-You! Who do you think we... Agyaa!"
"S-Somebody help! Ugyaa!"
Tonight, the territory capital had transformed into a city that could best be described as a scene of hellish screams and chaos.
On my end, I was working at full capacity to rescue the more than 120 women and to threaten the men into submission.
The owner of a certain cheap tavern was crying, saying, "Please wait... if you pull all the women out, the shop won't be able to stay in business..."
I pressed a sword to his neck and said, "Which would you prefer: dying right now, or losing your shop? If you want to meet the women who have died after being used for drugs until now, I can make that happen immediately, you know?" Blood began to trickle from his neck.
"Hiee! I-It's fine if the shop goes! Please help!"
I placed Slave Marks on the men and had them work at full capacity to rescue the women. I also collected all the alcohol, valuables, tableware, and furniture found in the shops. I raided brothels, the Underworld, offices, and mansions as well.
I had expanded the dungeons of the Viscount's mansion, but since they were getting full, I sent the Viscount's family to the dungeons of the knights under the Duke. The thugs of the Underworld were sent to the dungeons of the Military Police under the Duke.
Naturally, I left letters for the knights that easily detailed the Viscount's evil deeds.
Meanwhile, at the Viscount's mansion, the butler, maids, and doctors—who were ruled by fear of me—were providing care for the women who had been brought in.
"Hey! We're running out of beds!"
"I don't know! We're at our limit here too! Just use the thugs outside! And if you get lustful over the naked women and fail to do your jobs, you'll be killed by that man!"
"I-I know! Let's have the thugs outside carry the beds and futons in!"
The maids, butler, and doctors were forced to work through the night without sleep.
As for me, I was enjoying [Evil-doer Hunting] while searching for red dots.
Returning to the Viscount's mansion, I focused on medical treatment.
"The treatment over there is finished, so make them drink this nutritional drink! Are there no more violent patients or people on the verge of death?"
The maids were helping by wiping bodies and feeding them. For the half-mad patients, I extracted the drugs from their bodies, applied [Heal], and put them to sleep with [Sleep].
I also applied [Heal] to patients who weren't quite that bad, gave them nutritional drinks, and put them to sleep with [Sleep].
I expanded the mansion to increase the number of livable rooms and said that I intended to expand the baths as well, letting those who had recovered use them, and even build a pool in the garden so everyone could enjoy it.
While checking documents in the Viscount's office, I found various surprises.
(Heh! He was buying village girls from neighboring magistrates and internal affairs officers too. There were also peddlers and slave traders. That bastard Cordo! He really did intend to sell Hamyure! He's sold many others until now!)
Hamyure's records stated she was A-rank in both face and body and was a virgin. Thanks to Viscount Goat's meticulous record-keeping, I was able to learn many things.
How did he obtain the drugs as well?
I also found documents with detailed descriptions.
(He was procuring them from the Mistopolis Commercial State. And in considerable quantities and amounts, too.)
I felt like this might become a trump card later, so I kept it for myself.
The morning of 10 days remaining until the Duke's rebellion.
When I visited Duke Schweitzer's mansion in the morning, the steward personally invited me in.
"Since Shivans-sama is a favorite of His Excellency, I have been ordered to guide you."
His face wore a smile and his words were polite, but his footsteps made no sound at all. The steward possessed an inexplicable fearfulness, but he must have been part of the Shadow Corps.
While I was waiting in the audience chamber, the Duke appeared in high spirits.
"You work well, Shivans! I hear you captured Viscount Goat!"
He had a broad smile on his face.
"You hear news quickly. Without delay, please take this."
I handed the steward numerous documents regarding the magistrates, internal affairs officers, merchants, and peddlers who had sold women, as well as evidence showing their connections to the Underworld; the steward then performed the ritual of respectfully handing them to Duke Schweitzer.
As I looked through them one by one, I immediately whispered into the steward's ear. The steward then vanished without a sound.
While I was thinking how somewhat frightening that was, Duke Schweitzer spoke to me.
"What reward do you desire?"
"I work so that His Excellency may conduct good governance. Besides, I have already received Sarna and Emina last time."
"You say those kinds of women are enough? You too seem to be quite the womanizer! I shall not treat you poorly! Continue to devote yourself!"
"Yes!"
After Duke Schweitzer left, I also left the mansion.
(Duke Schweitzer seemed quite enraged! With this, Cordo will be finished too. Tool will likely be caught as well, but I'll see if I can help him at the right timing.)
In fact, things were becoming chaotic in the Duke's territory capital.
This was because I had rescued women who were about to be sold, and because the human trafficking organization had been brought to light through the documents I found in Viscount Goat's mansion.
The eldest son of Duke Schweitzer, having received word from the steward, was acting with great vigor.
"Form the army! Capture the cohorts of the magistrates and internal affairs officers, and their families! As for the Military Police, Cordo in this territory capital is the central figure! Capture his companions and torture them!"
Cordo had been captured, and his house and all his assets had been confiscated.
Since morning, Cordo and his cohorts had been in a wretched state in the torture room.
"Hiee! P-Please forgive me..."
"Shut up! You damn swindler! There must still be more accomplices, right? Spit out their names! I'll send you straight to hell!"
After this, the virgin women who had escaped through my magic circles were also being interrogated.
"Tell me the names of the ones who trapped you."
"Yes! Please, do ask!"
The women spoke names one after another with indignation. Not just in the Slum District, but even the merchants who had been pretending to be respectable were being caught. Among them were the merchants who had introduced Cordo.
As an associate of Cordo, Tool was also arrested, and the Tour Trading Company was in an uproar.
Then, the onlookers watching the scene began to gossip.
"The other day, when that young lady was kidnapped, the adventurer who saved her was not only denied thanks, but he was chased away with orders to never approach again!"
"My, how terrible! I thought that fellow called Cordo was an evil man. I had no idea what Tool-san was doing behind the scenes, either."
As the eyes of the Military Police sharpened upon hearing that, Tool made excuses, saying, "N-No... it's true I chased the adventurer away, but the goal was to extort money..."
"Don't lie! I know! That boy wasn't demanding anything at all! You big-mouthed liar!"
Hearing this voice, the Military Police concluded that Tool was also a "good-for-nothing."
"You intended to sell your own daughter to Cordo, didn't you? Cordo confessed! Didn't you promise to marry her off in name only, knowing everything?"
Upon hearing this, Hamyure wailed, "No! That's horrible, Father!"
"No! Believe me! Mother! Hamyure! I believed in Hamyure's happiness—"
"Save your excuses for the Military Police! Take Tool away!"
No one sympathized with Tool.
He was taken away, but both his mother and Hamyure were left wondering how much of it was the truth, paralyzed by fear of the Military Police.
The magistrates and internal affairs officers from various regions were in a panic.
"I-I haven't done anything wrong!"
"Everyone says that at first. I think it's better to confess everything before being tortured so you don't have to suffer. Take him away! Capture his family too!"
When they tried to flee, they were surrounded and captured, then forced to change into poncho-like garments. The families were all taken as well.
Hearing the reports from various places, Duke Schweitzer laughed with a narrowing of his eyes.
"Shivans, you do good work, don't you?"
"It is quite reminiscent of Your Excellency's younger days."
Taking the steward's flattery at face value, Duke Schweitzer nodded with a pleased expression.
"How much has been gathered with this?"
"Perhaps approximately 15,000?"
"It is still not enough! What are all the other useless ones doing!"
The steward thought that several more people would likely die during the next council meeting.
After leaving the mansion, I was in my own territory.
(By the way, I wonder if those four are doing well?)
I went to Port Town Marino and quietly peeked at Kiku, Inori, Shikari, and Chou. The four of them were frolicking in the sea wearing bikinis.
There, an old man from a food stall called out to me.
"It's you guys, isn't it? The group of four known as the Lord's women?"
He called out with a smile, and the four of them nodded vaguely. "I knew it! Want some grilled squid? It's on me!" he said, and when they ate it, the four of them rejoiced, saying it was delicious.
"That man is like a God to me! When my son was dying, the Lord saved him and left without taking any money! I cried, thinking such a person actually exists in this world!"
As he said that with tears in his eyes, the four of them couldn't help but cry along with him.
Then Kiku said, "You know, we all used to think we wanted to die all the time. But looking at the blue sky and the blue sea like this, I felt like my worries were so tiny! Shivans taught us that!" When she said that, the old man nodded and cried again, saying, "Don't you die!"
"He's a noble, but he's kind even to dust-like beings like us! He's truly like a God! Everyone living here loves and worships the Lord! So, if anyone gives you trouble, tell me! We won't show any mercy to anyone who hurts the Lord's women! Gahahaha!"
"It's okay, Uncle! We're very happy right now!"
When Inori said that with a bright smile, Shikari and Chou agreed, "Yeah, yeah! We're very happy right now!"
As we continued drinking until night, people from other stalls gathered as well.
Drinking alcohol with the squid-grilling Uncle, a middle-aged couple from a meat skewer stall, and a young couple running a candy stall, the four of them laughed as I boasted, "Drinking alcohol while looking at the moon floating in the sea is the best, isn't it? If you drink while eating my grilled squid, most of life's unpleasant things will work themselves out!"
The people from the three stalls were talking about how they had originally lived in other territories and had migrated here.
The squid-grilling Uncle told a story of how he came here after hearing that 'if it's this Lord, he will help' when his child was suffering from an illness.
The meat skewer couple had also been in another territory, but when their village was attacked by bandits and their Lord demanded even more taxes, they fled and came here.
The young couple looked back on their past, saying they were children of slaves and that it had been miserable.
"We were treated like trash in the Imperial Capital. But the Lord saved us! Even though we were strangers, from the lowest class. He probably doesn't even remember us, but he treated us, gave us medical care... even let us have our own shops... the reason we can drink alcohol so proudly, eat food, and live in a house with a roof like this... it's all thanks to him!"
When the husband burst into tears, his wife laughed heartily and said, "Sorry! This man is a crybaby who cries as soon as he gets drunk. Since we've had the chance to meet, please tell us about yourselves too!" as she offered more alcohol.
Kiku said, "Actually, all four of us were married. But once they realized we had bodies that couldn't bear children, we were abandoned by our husbands and sold to slave traders." The wife of the young couple said, "That's a common story in other territories, isn't it? But here, the Lord wouldn't allow that," and the squid-grilling Uncle cut in, saying, "Let's stop with the gloomy talk!"
"That's true! We have to drink happily! Hey, look! The moon is so beautiful!"
As Inori pointed, Shikari said, "A moon floating in the sea is wonderful! It makes the alcohol go down easy! Uncle, give me some squid!" and the meat skewer man interrupted, "My meat skewers are delicious too, you know!"
"There are almost no women here who lack breasts and butts like us, right? It's embarrassing on the beach..."
When Chou said that, the meat skewer wife immediately bit into the topic.
"Don't you know? There are Night Bras, bust-enhancing bras, and corsets, you know?"
When the four of them shook their heads, the young master came out and said, "My wife had a similar body type until about six months ago! Now she's like this!" before being struck as he tried to take off her clothes.
"W-Well, her A-cup breasts became C-cups, and my husband keeps trying to attack me. He's a pervert, so he loves Doggy Style!"
As everyone burst into laughter, the young master dug his own grave.
"N-No! If I look at your face, it's a turn-off! It's because from behind, I can enjoy your voice and the sensation of your breasts!"
"You bastard! You called me ugly! I'll kill you!"
"I didn't! But sorry! Forgive me!"
"Apologizing by saying 'sorry' is just like saying I'm ugly!"
Seeing everyone laughing hysterically, the four of them felt they could manage and quietly departed.
Returning to Viscount Goat's territory, I intended to use Spirit Magic on the fields to grow crops and use earth magic to till the lifeless land to help the residents even just a little.
The morning of 9 days remaining until the Duke's rebellion.
Duke Schweitzer had been in high spirits since the morning.
This was because letters were arriving one after another from nobles in various regions, saying things like, 'If His Excellency the Duke rises, I shall also come to His Excellency's side, even if I must bear the stigma of a rebel along with my army.'
The Duke, who had been looking forward to the letters delivered by the steward, was heart-dancing as he said, "Once we have a certain number of troops, victory will be in sight!" He immediately had a reply-letter written saying, 'We shall march in nine days,' and sent out fast horses to the nobles in various regions.
On my end, I gathered cooks at the Viscount's mansion and handed them recipes. I also created ingredient warehouses using spatial and space-time magic, filling them with large quantities of food and seasonings.
"Make plenty of food as practice!"
"Understood! I will do my best!"
Since there were still few people who could eat proper meals, I intended to have them practice in the meantime.
(They'll be able to eat properly soon enough.)
Thanks to my medical treatments, the number of people going mad or shouting due to hallucinations had decreased. However, the majority were still suffering from aftereffects. Their hair was disheveled, and their skin was in poor condition.
While I was treating them, some people began to complain.
"Teacher, aren't you planning to treat us just to sell us again?"
"That's right! There's no use for people like us other than selling our bodies, right?"
Given the circumstances so far, it was no wonder they thought that way.
"I don't intend to force you to trust me. Once you are healthy, I intended to send you back to the places you want to go. If you can't trust me, you're free to run away, but it will be difficult with your bodies in that state, won't it?"
Then, a woman appeared and asked, "Why did you save us? There's no benefit to you, is there?"
"Are you telling me to abandon people who look like they're about to die right before my eyes? A world like that would be insane, wouldn't it? I have the ability to help. But I can't help everyone! So, at the very least, I want to help the people right in front of me!"
"You're right. This world is insane. Many women died right before our eyes. If I had been just six months later, I think I would have died too. I am grateful!"
When one woman said that, everyone regained a bit of composure.
"Even God didn't save us..."
"My friend went mad and died a month ago. She was bright and a very good girl! If Teacher had come sooner, she wouldn't have died!"
I quietly bowed my head and apologized, saying, "I am sorry," but I was struck by that woman. However, I couldn't get angry.
(Drugs really do break a person's heart...)
I felt somewhat helpless myself. However, even if I were to be struck, I felt I had to face them. If I put in my utmost effort, surely people who understand will appear someday.
(For now, let's get the people who have recovered into the baths!)
Being former prostitutes, they showed no resistance to bathing with me. I cleaned them up with shampoo and conditioner, body soap, shaving, and hair removal cream.
"Teacher! You've got something good for someone so young!"
"You're going to ruin these working women!"
Some people even toyed with my cock, but I didn't get horny. After the bath, they were all happy when I applied lotion.
"When you get healthy and find a lover someday, you'll want to stay beautiful, right?"
"Ahahaha! Teacher, you don't understand, do you? No fool would make a woman who was drugged and held by hundreds of men her lover, you know?"
When I wondered about that and said, "You wouldn't know unless I told you, right?", a woman who was well-versed in such matters taught me, "That's true, but it'll be found out somewhere eventually."
I had turned the Viscount's office and bedroom into my own rooms.
The reason the recovered women came to visit was because they wanted to drink alcohol.
And also, they would come to be held, saying, "I'm aching... help me!"