Arc 26: What can be done for tomorrow

Chapter 270: The Takeover, and Suffering the Consequences

Depiction of cruelty. Readers discretion is advised.

The no-attribute magic [Cracking] is a magic which completely overwrites options and invocation conditions, cutting itself into the startup formulas of artifacts.

For example, suppose a person has a faucet-like artifact wherein water will come out by twisting the knob. Itll be difficult to overwrite its function to have juice or something else come out of the faucet instead of water when someone twists the knob, but itll be easy to overwrite its operational parameters wherein the knob cant be turned, only a little water comes out, or make the water gush forth as if theres a fountain.

Its a magic which I discovered in [Library], and its unexpectedly very convenient. If I combine it with [Analysis], Ill be able to understand how to handle everything from the streams of magic power up to their invocations.

However, there are also artifacts wherein I wont be able to comprehend those due to my current knowledge, so caution is required due to the possibility that this magic may cause unexpected effects if the following procedures are overly complex.

Even the [Subordination Collar], it was a bit intense for me to nullify its [Effects] like [Compulsory movement] or [Absolute obedience to the owner].

Still, I managed quite simply to overwrite the wavelength of the magic power registered to the highest authority with mine and erase any other. Ive already experimented with the chokers obtained from the slave traders.

And just right now, Ive rewritten the registered master of all of the [Subordination Collars] in this city to just me. In other words

Whats with you! Finish him!(Abdul)

The combat slaves turn their swords against me by order of the King of Sandora. However, they exchanged glances between themselves, seemingly puzzled by something.

I guess they would be. Thats because theyre not being made to move by force. Their current actions are just them obeying their orders by reflex and not due to the effect of the [Collar].

Start cutting them! Kill this guy!(Abdul)

The King of Sandora continues to shout even now, but the slaves show no reaction. Some of them even touch their necks as if to check whether the collar is there or not, but the collars are still on their necks.

Wha~, what the heck is this

Why the hell are you standing?! Why arent the slaves obeying me?! (Abdul)

The surrounding retainers begin to flinch at the strangeness of the scenario as well.

Its no use, no use I say. The slave with [Subordination Collars] wont accept orders from anyone but the owner. And Im the only one who became their owner since a while ago(Touya)

Wha~, what did you say?!(Abdul)

Its said that of the people living in Sandora are slaves, isnt it? In other words, this majority is absolutely obedient to me right now. Should I explain it to you in a manner thats easy to understand? This country has been captured by me(Touya)

What did you say?!(Abdul)

The king of Sandora was dumbfounded for a moment there, but then he immediately applies his magic power into a golden bracelet attached to his arm, trying to [Re-register]. This is just a guess, but that thing on his arm is probably a [Registration] artifact.

Nevertheless, its still too bad for him. The authority of the [Subordination Collar] has already been overwritten in such a way that re-registering a new master is no longer possible. As a matter of fact, the kings orders will still reach the slaves on other towns, but Im not obliged to tell him that.

Such foolishness! This [Bracelet of the Slave King] should be able to access the owners registration of the [Subordination Collars] and theres no one outside of our royal lineage who either exists or can access this [Bracelet of the Slave King] ! Haa! Dont tell me that you bastard is part of our royal familys bloodline!(Abdul)

Dont say something as disgusting as that, you fool(Touya)

The thought of me being your relative disgusts me to no end! No way I would be a part of an orcs bloodline.

The combat slaves glance back and forth between me and the King of Sandora, seemingly not being able to follow the sudden turn of events.

Now then, ladies and gentlemen of the combat slaves, I wont give you any sort of orders. I promise you all to release you from your slavery, provided that you arent crime slaves. You are also free to return to your hometowns if you claim that youve been brought here from some country outside here (Touya)

Standing up from the chair, I then address the soldiers around me. Theyve already lowered their swords, and some of them have even burst into tears.

Really will we really be released?

I promise you. Ill set you free. You will no longer be slaves of this country(Touya)

I say that to one of the combat slaves who talked to me. After that, the other slaves started talking with a weeping voice.

No longer a slave

We will no longer be slaves

We will be, living, normally

Return to the hometown. Take back our lives

These shaken men shed tears with trembling voices. Its probably mixed with various emotions like delight, chagrin, anger, and void.

No way the slaves are, the slaves(Abdul)

Apport(Touya)

Ha?!(Abdul)

The bracelet vanished from the King of Sandoras right hand, whos sitting on the throne as if he collapsed on it, and appears in my hand. So this is the [Bracelet of the Slave King], huh?

R-return it!(Abdul)

No-no, its no longer necessary, you see(Touya)

Smiling sweetly, I drop down the bracelet to the floor and slice at it with Brynhildr in blade mode. The fallen bracelet is cut right in half. Now the slaves wont have to abide by any order of anyone who owns that bracelet. There are still slaves on other streets who still have to obey their owners, but I plan on releasing them one by one.

Bastard! What have you done!? You bastard! What right you have to take away our countrys slaves!(Abdul)

Its funny you say that. Then, right back at you. Who the heck are you to take these peoples freedom away from them?(Touya)

Uguguu!(Abdul)

The combat slaves surrounding me turn the eyes filled with furious anger toward the king. Their lives have been unjustly taken away from them, their dignity as a person was smeared. Its natural for them to answer back with anger.

At that moment then, a lot of screams can be heard erupting from outside along with the neighing of beasts. A loud shock resounds as if something crashes into another object at the same time. So its finally starting, huh?

Wha~, whats that?! What is happening?!

The retainers begin to panic, not understanding whats going on. The man, whos wearing a robe and who guided us here, storms into this audience from the hall, clearly in a state of panic.

It-its terrible! The magic beasts under the control of the order of magic beast warriors are acting violently! They arent listening to what they are being told to do!(Robe Man)

Wha-what did you say?!(Abdul)

Well, I guess those magic beasts going wild is how it should be. Enslaved individuals will still have their reasoning within them, the collars stuck on their necks will prevent them from acting carelessly unless something big happens. However, magic beasts are different they will likely move according to their instincts if theyre released. I wonder, can they really be controlled because of that characteristic of theirs?

I told you, didnt I? The [Subordination Collars] are already under my control. They wont accept anyones orders except mine, you know?(Touya)

Gugugu.!

By the way, Ive given the magic beasts an order not to kill people as much as possible and to get out of this city. As such, the city must be in panic right now.

Bastard! How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!(Abdul)

Time and time again Ive asked you this question: Do you want war?. Im generally a pacifist, but Im not a nonresistive ideologist. I will strike back if someone deliberately hits me. It was you who declared war on us. Dont you go tell me that you have no resolution to be hit at this late hour! (Touya)

Shut up, shut up, shut up!(Abdul)

The King of Sandora glares at me with eyes full of anger. Now then, I guess all thats left to do is to tie those guys up, make them spill out where the [Subordination Collars] are being produced, and make sure to destroy it.

The moment I think of that and take a step forward.

The slave woman standing beside the King of Sandora extracts the sword made of jewels and strikes the king horizontally with all her might. Since when did she take that sword out?

Fuhii?(Abdul)

After that, I think I heard a stupid sounding voice. A human head resembling the orcs flies splendidly into the air.

As expected, even I was unable to move much when that was happening. Well, it mightve been possible to intervene, but I suppose my body didnt move. Or perhaps I should say that I couldnt find the will inside me to help that orc king. In the end, I might have just let the King of Sandora die.

While I consider this matter in a daze, the decapitated kings head flew all the way toward here.

Ouwaaa!?(Touya)

Ive ended up kicking the head that rolled to my feet on reflex. Ah, no! Its not that Im being sacrilegious toward a dead person or something, it really was just reflex from being surprised! If a freshly severed head rolls toward someone, of course, that person would be surprised, you know?!

The flying head magnificently hops toward the bald prime minister and stops rolling at his location.

Hiiiiiiiii!!(Prime Minister)

The prime minister is paralyzed with terror and collapses. As if trying to continue this scene, the kings body gushes out blood with a pretty strong force from the neck and crumbles in front of the throne.

The gushing blood slowly runs down the stage with a rhythmic sound of flowing.

Speaking of myself, I was teary-eyed at the sticky blood that attached to my feet I used to kick the head away.

Ooraaa [Slip] didnt have its turn today The actor has left the stage on its own accord without me having the time to do anything. I was made fun of in a lot of ways, so I wanted to hit him at least once. But Say, I did kick him a while ago, I guess.

Aah For the time being, Paralyze(Touya)

Uguu?!

Guaa!?

I invoke paralysis magic on the retainers here, preventing them from moving. Then I ask the combat slaves to lend me a hand and tie up all of them.

The slave woman, who collapsed in her place as if she had lost the strength in amazement, turns to me and lowers her head.

Thanks to you, Ive managed to defeat my sisters enemy Thank you very much, thank you very much(Woman)

When I asked her why she thanked me, she then recounts to me her story. Apparently, this person was originally an adventurer together with her sisters. They were attacked by thieves in Regulus and sold to slave traders.

All of her sisters were beautiful, so they were presented to the king. During their time being treated as his playthings, her younger and older sister earned the kings ire, so they were tormented and then killed. She explained that she continued to live only for the sake of clearing that grudge one day.

So he was a trash to the bitter end, huh? Its just him paying for his mistakes. Thats all there is to it.

Now then, what should I do with this person? If I merely look at the situation at hand, shes a criminal who killed the king of a country. An enemy nation Though if she hailed from our country, she mightve been called a hero. There should be a way to have her immigrate to our country, right?

A war broke out between Brunhild and Sandora. The slave war potential of Sandora was disempowered in just under 15 minutes, and the king of Sandora was killed in action(?). The war finished. I feel like that is how it should have happened it this visit really did become a declaration of war...

It was the other side who started the fight. Ill explain it to Kousaka-san somehow.

Lets not think about that for the time being. Yup. Lets do that..

I have the terrified bald prime minister stand up after removing his paralysis and have him guide me to the factory where the [Subordination Collars] are being produced.

Surprisingly, the place is located underneath a tower on the western side of the castle. This country produces those collars and sells them to slave traders; the thieves kidnap people, and the slave traders buy them. The enslaved people with chokers are then furthermore sold to the citizens of Sandora So this is their modus operandi, huh?

There are a lot of slaves being made to work at the factory, but all the work has been stopped.

It seems that an artifact that looks like a microwave oven with a shape of a box and installed in the basement is the artifact which turns regular collars into [Subordination Collars].

There are three of them. One looks like an antique thats hundreds of years old. That one is the original created by a great magician while the other two are just copies that have just been completed recently. Those two replicas are the assembled articles which have been put together and is being analyzed by magicians for more than several tens of years.

By the way, those magicians were said to be kidnapped magicraft engineers who were proclaimed as superior by Ferzen and then enslaved.

However, it seems that those magicraft engineers have all died recently, likely because of an unreasonable treatment. Thats why theres no one who can make a copy of the device. Im told that Sandora planned to kidnap superior magicraft engineers once more in order to build more copies, but

They say that the source of calamity should be cut down from its root, right?(Touya)

I cast [Gravity] on both the original artifact and its two copies, crushing them until its impossible to restore them.

There is no way for the [Subordination Collars] to be created again. Well, truthfully speaking, me and the professor possess [Analysis] so its not like we cannot build it anew though.

Now then, the last thing is to free the slaves, but

I suppose they will likely raise a rebellion once I free all of them. It wouldnt be strange for people who have been oppressed until now to scheme a revenge. However, they may fall down to being slaves again if they commit a crime, so I want to think that there wont be fools who will go this far.

I dont feel like freeing the crime slaves, but it should be better to set an example and liberate those who have a place or people to return to. The question is their numbers though.

The majority of Sandora Kingdom is a desert, so I think the population is fewer than the area of its dominion.

I wonder, for how many days will I continue using [Recall] and [Gate] daily?

That reminds me, I may have no other choice but to ask for cooperation for the East-West Alliance (Touya)

I also dont feel like doing anything in particular to Sandora, but a war is a war even if its a small scale war. Ill make them pay the amount they have to properly pay-up. They will have to compensate the slaves as a minimum.

Its not my concern even if the country sinks because of that. They can do as they please to restore Sandora once they are made to return the slaves.

Still, there wont be anymore more slaves so they will end up doing everything by themselves. Nevertheless, the crime slaves wont be released so they will remain in this country. They will likely be used at toward the coal mines or other mimes

mines excavating precious metals.

Finally, they will have to build an environment where they can make the criminals work even without the [Subordination Collars]. I dont feel like leaving behind a negative legacy.

The kingdom may have self-proclaimed kings turn up, like in Yuuron, after it has been reduced to all of this. Will it consist of city-states in the end or will they compete with each other for hegemony?

Well, they are cowards who made slaves fight for them until now, so I dont think they can do something like wars by themselves. Either way, Sandora will likely go down the path of decline. Which reminds me, does this orc king have children?

Oh well, I guess it has nothing to do with me. This country has lost its power to rule over slaves. Then I wonder, just how many of their allies are there be who would obey the royal family even if there is a successor?

In the end, Ive ended up doing exactly what the other rulers told me to do. Although I had no intention of crushing Sandora, I had no idea that king would be foolish by this much. Really A far more sincere negotiation could be done with a simple chimpanzee, probably.

Haa. War is always so futile.