Volume 4 Chapter 16 Takumi-kun Receives The Nation.txt
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
This world was far from kind. Slavery was standard, and prisoners captured on the battlefield were routinely stripped naked and gang-raped on the spot. We had already lost eight classmates. Even so, aside from Chinatsu-chan’s duel, this was the only time we’d directly killed anyone.
Haruka-chan slaughtered many with Ritual Magic, and Chinatsu-chan seemed to have spared quite a few seriously wounded.
Ginga-kun and Kotaro-kun, assigned to the central unit, reluctantly abandoned the escort of Clarisse, the ‘Witch of Abundance,’ because she resisted until the end. And I, too, was trying to kill someone—albeit indirectly.
We continued marching with the captive slaves and entered the capital. Unlike the sturdy walls of McGaref, this city lacked real defenses. Kanare-san explained the weakness: Bakdu Fortress was solid, and its friendly ties with the Quvarian Empire made the city vulnerable.
”That’s why, when Bakdu Fortress fell, the Quvarian Empire gave up any rescue attempt. I wondered how we could win—never thought we’d have to pile corpses to climb the walls. The defenders must have been terrified. No matter how many they killed, we kept advancing—closer and closer,” Kanare-san said.
The tactic was undeniably brutal. Yet soldiers accepted it—willing to die—because of the desperate circumstances in the Lesta Kingdom.
”There was a great famine there. Surrounded on three sides by sea, sealed off by Bakdu Fortress, they probably received no outside news,” she added.
The Seron Duchy was weak but had plenty of flat farmland, so it produced food. Lesta, mountainous and resource-poor, suffered repeated famines. It sought farmland to survive starvation, while Seron refused to surrender it. Their history was marked by constant skirmishes. But since conquering it brought no benefits, neither kingdom had been destroyed.
”This war boiled down to choosing whether the whole family starved or if one died so the children might eat. We were hired and shipped in, but it was grim. I had a bad feeling—seemed the treasury was empty despite the advance payment.”
Dalcur-san shrugged as he spoke. We’d formed the Liberation Army, convinced by the confidential intel we’d obtained from him.
* * *
”By now, they must be surviving on looted food. All the men are dead or captured. The deaths of women and children are only delayed—from this year to the next,” Dalcur-san said.
”It’s fine to feel sympathy, but don’t let it cloud your judgment.”
”I understand, Mr. Weed,” I replied, lowering my voice as much as possible.
From Seron Duchy’s viewpoint, many soldiers were dead, the royal family wiped out, and nobles fallen. Food was stripped bare. To restore order, I had to put captive slaves to work in agriculture and ease the people’s anger and grief.
The bodies of the first prince and his aides, fallen in the recent war, were displayed in the capital’s public square. To quell unrest, I planned to publicly execute the princesses of Naju—and display their bodies the same way. Our ultimate goal was to unify Seron Duchy and Lesta Kingdom. Though historical grudges wouldn’t vanish, I wanted to dilute their venom.
Entering the war-stained palace, I met surviving nobles of Seron Duchy. I presented the contract proving I’d purchased the country’s rights from Princess Nyx. Military power once centered on the royal family, so nobles pledged loyalty without hesitation. It was surprisingly straightforward. The Seron Duchy had become mine.
”Takumi-kun, you’re a king now, huh?” one noble said.
”Congratulations, Takumi-kun. We’re all happy for you.”
Even as Chinatsu-chan and Ginga-kun offered congratulations, I felt no joy. My rise was odd—like the luck of a sudden straw millionaire. Not long ago, we survived on the edible grass Takada Honoka-san had gathered.
Still, the irony stung: the first royal act as king would be to execute the princesses of Naju.
Executions here were peculiar. Ordinary methods risked resurrection—’death escape.’ To prevent that, condemned prisoners committed suicide. Strangely, those suicides couldn’t be reversed; their souls refused return.
Several suicide methods existed as executions. For this public event, hanging was chosen—easy to recognize even from a distance.
Tomorrow morning, the three Naju princesses would be publicly hanged. My aide Tymis-san and guard captain Amira-san were already being gang-raped by families of Seron Duchy victims near the execution site—atonement long awaited.
* * *
However, since the Naju princesses were virgins, I was ordered to rape them alone. Refusal meant the princesses themselves would join the gang rape. I had no choice but to accept.
That night, as I headed to the room where the Naju princess was confined, Chinatsu-chan and Shion-chan waited in the hallway and called to me.
”Takumi-kun, you’re feeling awful right now, aren’t you?” Chinatsu-chan asked.
”Yeah, well… I’m not tough enough to enjoy raping a girl who’s being executed tomorrow…” I replied.
”I thought so,” Shion-chan said. “We understand.”
Chinatsu-chan gently took my hand. Her touch was kind, warming my cold body and frozen heart.
”The princess did her best. She killed many enemies, and many of our own died too—but she saved far more lives. Now, by enduring rape and death, she’s trying to ease the suffering of the other prisoners.”
”I get that, but…”
”That’s why, Takumi-kun, you have to praise her. By praise, I mean giving her plenty of abuse as the fate of the defeated. The princess’s final duty is to die with her ruined body—her cunt turned into a public toilet—while the people watch.”
”That’s the path you chose, Takumi-kun. You never went into the labyrinth [T/N: literal or metaphorical?]. Ginga-kun doesn’t regret killing on the battlefield, and I accepted it fully. Pull yourself together. If you let sympathy cloud your judgment, everyone in class will suffer.”
Shion-chan’s words pierced me. I had always viewed this world from safety. But this time—even if a landslide victory—I stood on the battlefield. As the leader, harsh decisions were my responsibility.
”Thanks. I’ll go now.”
”Oh, here—this. You didn’t have Shiori-chan’s medicine, right?”
She handed me painkillers.
I turned toward the princess’s room alone, prepared to violate her.
Notes:
• Chinatsu-chan – Hikari’s party. Frustrated, jokes about prostitution.
• Chinatsu – Hikari’s party. Frustrated, jokes about prostitution.
• Haruka-chan – 3rd Division leader. Aspires to be Takumi’s GF.
• Haruka – 3rd Division leader. Aspires to be Takumi’s GF.
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• Bakdu Fortress – A key fortress of the Seron Dukedom; its unexpected fall prompts concern in McGaref.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Kanare – The stern battalion commander, who once led Chinatsu, shares a solemn mission, his eyes reflecting battlefield memories.
• Lesta Kingdom – A kingdom neighboring the Quvarian Empire; currently at war with the Seron Dukedom and potentially the Empire.
• Dalcur – Mercenary leader; defects to the protagonist’s clan; physically imposing, known as ‘The Strong’.
• Weed – He is a retired knight and martial arts master, appeared as a sword seller, known for his bloodthirsty grin and elite ‘Sword Master’ skill.
• Nyx – The First Princess of Celon Dukedom, who escapes to McGaref; next in line to the throne after the Queen’s expected death.
• Takada Honoka-san – 5th Army. Identifies edible herbs, works with Yawashi.
• Takada Honoka – 5th Army. Identifies edible herbs, works with Yawashi.
• Amira – Captain of the guard who complies with surrender terms.
• Tymis – Deputy commander of the Lesta Kingdom.
• Shion-chan – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Shion – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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