24 酷い仕打ち2

"Will you answer me, please? What happened to the rabble?

What are you doing here? What are you doing here all of a sudden? Sir Knight, can you allow this kind of insolence?

A man with the physique of a warrior suddenly bursts in from the side. The scars on his left arm sleeve, which were probably caused by a sword, look healed now, but they don't look that old either.

He's the chief of this village, Mr. Gurv. He is the village chief, Mr. Gurv. Please calm down.

Come to think of it, this is not a place controlled by the fishermen, it's a different village. That's why I wanted to talk to the people of the village, but it seems that the people concerned have arrived.

What are you so angry about all of a sudden? You said you were probing me, but is there something in your stomach that hurts to be probed?

Of course there's nothing! You're being rude!

Do you think you're not rude for continuing to yell and threaten me?

Calm down, both of you! Masaru, you said you came here two months ago in a storm. But why are you looking into something that happened two years ago?

"I didn't correct you, but I didn't say I came two months ago. I didn't correct you, but I didn't say I came two months ago. I said there were people who owed me a favor. .

"...you mean the rabble?

Since we've been silent again, let's try to sort out what we know so far.

First of all, I guessed that two years ago, this was the land where the rabbit people lived, and from the information from the rabbit people and their reactions, I'm sure of it.

However, we also found a new question, the leader of the Knights, Cook, said the rabbit people, which suggests that there were other people living here, right?

Also, the chief of this village... he may have been one of the people directly involved in this fight. The fact that the village and the fishing village are in the defense zone of the Order means that they are under the control of the country to which the Order belongs.

What if they had driven out the Rabbit People two years ago to expand their sphere of influence? They would not have given up their land without a fight.

They would have had to fight, and they would have needed soldiers... and when they needed soldiers, they needed rewards. If they wanted to expand their sphere of influence, they would need people to protect it, so it is reasonable to assume that they would have given the right to live on the land as a reward to soldiers who could fight and protect it to some extent.

If that's the case, what about the people who lived there? I'm sure that not all of the people who lived in the rabbit tribe's settlements were there, so what happened to them? That's what I want to know.

So, will you tell me? What do you think?

You don't have to answer!

So, I guess you'll have to deal with me being the victim of the attack. Thank you for your time, Mr. Cook. Wait a minute!

Wait a minute! I'll talk, I'll talk!

You! Have you forgotten the favor we did you when we accepted your evacuation?

This is turning out to be quite tragic. I don't have the right to go easy on you, but I don't want to be a part of this contrivance forever.

Then I'll tell you something. "Then let me tell you about it, since I'm involved in it. "Master Erdam!

"Master Erdam!

The one who came out of the room was Cook's subordinate, the knight Eldam, who had never spoken before.

I'm not sure what to make of it. "Wait!

"Please wait! Master Erdam!

"Shut up, Garv! You are not allowed to speak!

It seems you two know each other.

"To be continued: .... I'll tell you the rest.

It's a long story, but to sum it up, about five years ago, the previous king died and was replaced by a new king who wanted to expand the land and swallow up the surrounding settlements one by one to make it his own. At that time, Erdam and Garv participated in the war as superiors and subordinates. Two years ago, they arrived at this place where the beasts lived, and after the battle, the beasts fled, and the land was absorbed by the country, and Eldam became a knight, and Garv became the mayor of this village.

And? What happened to the beasts? They didn't all run away and die in battle, did they?

"......... were captured as prisoners of war and are now being treated as slaves. Now they're being treated as slaves.

Then let them go. "Then let them go.

No! No, you can't! Slaves are treated as property! You can't just free them! No!

So, if I beat you here and make you slaves, you'll all be my property?

What kind of absurd logic is that?

You made the beastmen your slaves by doing that, didn't you? Then you can't complain about being cut down and made into slaves, can you?

"You're taking the side of the beastmen against the humans!

Oh, is that what you're going to say now?

I understand. If repaying them for their kindness makes me your enemy, then I'll gladly become one. If you think that what you have done is righteous and justified, even though you understand how repugnant it is, then I will do what you call invasion. I will do it.

With that, he gently drew his sword from its scabbard, his heart slowly filling with the will to fight.

Wait, we really can't free the slaves on our own authority. Wait.

You're saying we're above the law?

That's right. We never do anything on our own...

Shut up! The people who were invaded didn't belong to a country. So you imposed your laws on them and enslaved them selfishly!

No one could argue with those words, and this time they were completely silenced.