CH 183

Chapter 183 – Pursuer

“Shocked?”

“That’s the way it is… I have a strong feeling that it’s horrifying.”

Then Ellen sighed deeply. In order to increase the number of children with magical powers, they have made the Merinard Kingdom, which has many Elves, into a vassal state, and have captured the Elves against their will and forced them to have children. When it was suggested that this was likely to be the case, Ellen’s expression was dark… or rather pale.

“Do they not have a human heart to engage in such horrific acts in order to gain power…? Those who were kidnapped must have had families and loved ones.”

“From the mainstream’s point of view, I guess that means anything that isn’t human is livestock that should serve humans. Maybe they think livestock don’t have gods.”

Ellen is immensely surprised at my words. I guess she didn’t want to think that there was that much of a gap in ethics between believers of the same Adol religion, even though they belong to different factions, the mainstream and the nostalgic.

“I thought that’s how the Adol believers thought after hearing stories from the people who actually suffered various persecutions in the Merinard Kingdom under the rule of the Holy Kingdom. That was before I met Ellen and learned of the nostalgic faction.”

“I see… after all, and then we must be deeply resented by the subhuman…”

“That might be true. Did I tell you? When I first entered the village of the Elves of the Black Forest, dozens of subhumans surrounded me and almost beat me to a pulp just because I was human. They hated me so much that they thought that humans = Adol believers = enemies who deserved to be surrounded and tortured to death.”

Ellen exclaims again. When people talk about how much they hate and resent you, that’s what happens. But even if I don’t tell her, she will find out sooner or later, and I think it’s not a bad idea to let her know early on.

“Well, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“…Will it be okay?”

“Don’t worry; I can handle it. Leave it to me. I was able to gain understanding from a situation where I was lynched by a group of people. There’s always a way to get out of it.”

If we can openly cooperate with the nostalgic faction, in this case, we will be able to create a more or less receptive ground for the nostalgic people. We also have a common enemy in the form of the Adol mainstream and the Holy Kingdoms. If there is a common enemy outside, joining hands should not be too difficult. Maybe.

“For the time being, Ellen just needs to take proper care of herself. However, there is a possibility that many people will be injured, so it would be better to take countermeasures against that. It might be a good idea to arrange for medical supplies and also to arrange for preserved food.”

“I understand. Are you leaving already?”

Ellen turns her anxious eyes on me. Don’t look at me like that; it’s going to be hard for me to leave you behind, so don’t do it…

“Yeah, I’ve got to go. The sooner I move, the better chance we have of reducing human deaths.”

“I see…”

Ellen, who is a bit dejected, is almost too cute to wriggle, but I’m going to be a heartless devil here and start to work on Ellen, who is still sitting on the bed.

“I’ll leave now.”

“…Yes.”

Ellen takes my hand and stands up. Then she hugs me just like that.

“This is about as good as it gets, right?”

“…Just a little bit. It’s hard when you can’t hold back. There’s a gallery out there.”

I say this and catch a glimpse of Poizo grinning in the corner of the room. I hurriedly ran out of the bedroom with Ellen, who was still in my arms, as Poizo began to make bubbles made of some kind of suspicious pink gas. That was a definite bonus, that one.

“Poizo, make sure you take care of that monstrous gas.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s okay if you just bang her fast, don’t you think-nodesu?”

“A girl shouldn’t talk about that.”

I keep Poizo in check with a snap as she squeezes out of the doorway. Poizo is still the most dangerous of the three. She’s toxic in every sense of the word.

“I’m an amateur when it comes to military tactics. Ellen, please stay in close contact with Sylphy and the others and keep things moving.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll see you soon. Take good care of yourself. Poizo, too, make sure you fulfill your guard duty.”

“I understand-nodesu. Be sure to tell Beth and Lime as well-nodesu.”

“I’ll do just that. See you…”

“Yes. …See you.”

So I left Ellen’s office and was guided by another sister, not Amalie-san, to retrieve my equipment, and we walked out of the castle.

☆★☆

Now that things have come to this point, there is not even a moment to slow down. If the enemy is already on the move, it is necessary to organize a task force, manufacture its equipment, and conduct minimal training as soon as possible. Strategies and tactics also need to be worked out as soon as possible.

I can come up with a variety of ideas using what I can make, but the actual implementation of these ideas will definitely need to be brushed up by experts. I can handle maintenance and logistics by brute force with my abilities, but that is not the way an organization is supposed to operate. The lives of each and every soldier are at stake.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my promise to the guide boy who was hanging out near the gate.

Once on the main street, I head straight for the gate, undergo a quick check, and head out of Merinesburg. The checks are loose for a mercenary-looking guy like me with only a few baggage items. They only checked my weapon to make sure I hadn’t cut anyone.

After walking along the road for a while, when I saw the forest I was looking for, I turned off the road and headed for the forest. There, I looked behind me and noticed something.

I was being followed by a group of three.

I wondered, was it because of the contact with Ellen? Or am I being targeted by pursuers simply because I’m alone? If they say it’s because of the contact with Ellen, they may be mainstream operatives.

Now I am in trouble. What should I do?

It probably won’t be hard to disperse them. If I enter the forest and use strafe jumping to move at high speed, I’m sure they won’t be able to catch up with me. However, if I do that, I will have to chase and trample the plants and trees so much that if there is someone who is good at tracking, they might track me to the place where Lime and the others live.

So, should I hide by crouching and sneaking around? There’s a good chance I could get away with it, but it’s not a sure thing. Maybe my constitution won’t be caught by detection magic stuff, but there’s a good chance they’ll find me in a normal way.

The most reliable way is to shoot them all up with my gun, store their bodies in my inventory, and use my ability to cover up all other evidence without leaving a trace… Can I pull the trigger? I’ve pulled the trigger on the Gizmas, Goblins, Kobolds, Wyverns, Ghouls, and Lich with no problem, but what about humans? I feel like I could go for it, but let’s see. What should I do?

As I headed into the forest, I wondered how I would deal with the mysterious pursuers.