Chapter 106 Vaal kingdom’s Affairs
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Tsubasa-san. Could you please take me to the Royal Palace? Along with those three men.
I’ll pay whatever you ask. If you wish, I’ll ask my father to grant you a noble title. So please. Take me to the Royal Palace.”
Karnae said, and Tsubasa’s face twisted slightly.
”You say ‘those three too,’ but what do you intend to do with them?”
”It’s decided. They humiliated me, royalty that I am. I will have them publicly tortured and then beheaded.”
Karnae stated this clearly and decisively. Her words carried weight, born from an unshakeable conviction that she was in the right.
Because of that, Tsubasa felt this was bad. …There’s no helping it, I suppose.
”So—what do we do?”
As Tsubasa draped a blanket over Karnae’s body, he called out towards the door.
Faris-chan, who had been behind Karnae, smoothly moved aside and opened the door. The three men were standing there.
They were the bandits who had attacked Karnae—those very men.
Tsubasa had them waiting outside beforehand so they could hear Karnae’s story.
They slowly entered the room and took seats on the sofa in front of Karnae. Their legs were not bound, but their arms were tied behind their backs, just like Karnae’s.
…They weren’t stripped. How unfair.
Karnae’s reaction to this sudden turn of events showed just how confused she was.
”What can I say…?”
I was honestly at a loss.
The Kirke kingdom was a traitor, and the princess before me was undeniably the one who pulled the trigger on the war.
Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to kill the princess now.
Facing the girl named Tsubasa had knocked me down and, in a way, made me calm again. Yes, the moment I learned that the person who looked like a man was actually a girl, my pride was shattered into a million pieces.
At that moment, Avan swung his sword at Tsubasa without hesitation. At the same time, Keel was poised to thrust his spear from the side, while I began chanting.
As Avan’s sword met the opponent’s, Keel thrust his spear into the exposed side.
The opponent fighting Avan couldn’t possibly dodge it. Avan blocked the front, and a long-reaching spear was coming from the side—it was only natural.
If he wanted to dodge, he would have had to deflect Avan’s sword and leap backward—but that was precisely where my chant was focused.
He would either be cut down by Avan, or even if he blocked Avan’s sword, he would be impaled by Keel’s spear.
And if he somehow managed to evade both, my magic would shoot him down. It was our three-stage ultimate tactic.
It was this tactic that had seen us through countless battles and desperate situations.
However, Tsubasa managed to overcome it.
Without even needing to block Avan’s sword, vines shot up from the ground and entangled him, rendering him immobile. Keel’s spear, which should have pierced the now-motionless opponent, was instead annihilated by a beam of light that appeared from nowhere.
Keel, bewildered by what had happened, was sent flying by something Tsubasa produced. She then kicked his immobilized body backward—directly into the path of my magic.
Once magic is released, its control is lost.
Still, thanks to my efforts to scatter the mana, Keel avoided a fatal wound. He was out of the fight, but alive.
After that, I didn’t just stand by and do nothing. With Avan and Keel both incapacitated, it was up to me.
I unleashed magic at Tsubasa several times: fireball, air cutter, stone bullet, aqua splash… and then the intermediate magic, icicle lance.
None of the attacks, regardless of attribute, managed to inflict even a scratch on Tsubasa.
As a last resort, knowing it would also hit Avan and Keel, I unleashed my strongest high-level magic, explosion. The blast only felled Avan and Keel; Tsubasa remained standing as if nothing had happened.
”Ah, geez… Hitting your allies like that, isn’t that a bit much?”
As I heard those words, my consciousness began to fade. Mana depletion led to unconsciousness.
And when I came to, I found myself bound in an unfamiliar place, along with Avan and Keel.
Before us stood Tsubasa, the very person we had been fighting. Furthermore, we were surrounded by several other beautiful girls.
Realizing the vast difference in our strength, we honestly recounted everything that had happened when Tsubasa questioned us. After all, there was no point in resisting an opponent of such overwhelming power.
Besides, we didn’t feel that what we had done was right. No matter how we tried to justify it, our actions were plunder and ravage.
However, it had been fueled by righteous anger and retribution. While we could accept blame from those we had directly harmed, we felt no third party had any right to interfere.
To our surprise, the girls before us, though perplexed, didn’t seem inclined to blame us.
As Tsubasa spoke and we witnessed the girls’ demeanor, our anger began to cool.
We could never forgive the atrocities committed against my father, my mother, and innocent villagers like Mari. However, taking the lives of innocent residents was another matter.
We knew, deep down, that our actions had been nothing more than a desperate outburst.
But where else could we direct this anger?
Seeing Kirke’s third princess—the root cause of it all—it was understandable that I couldn’t suppress my rage.
However, now that I had calmed down and listened to her story, it seemed the girl before me had merely been used for her position.
”Hey, Tsubasa-san,” I said. “Where should we direct our anger?”
Avan must have been thinking the same thing, as he murmured weakly.
”What are you saying! Execute those scoundrels quickly! Ugh, why can’t I move?!” a voice cried from the back.
Everyone turned their gaze in that direction. A rabbit-eared beastman was thrashing on the bed, restrained.
He writhed desperately, unable to move. The blanket covering him slipped to the floor, exposing his private parts.
”Huh? You still don’t get it?! This is all because you people lacked foresight!” Keel snapped, shouting.
”A Saint? A kingdom’s sacred treasure? Don’t be swayed by such words! Acting without thinking led to this! Seven thousand innocent people from both nations died or were enslaved because of that princess! Do you realize that?!”
If he hadn’t been bound, Keel would have strangled the princess on the spot. That was the extent of his fury.
…But it was understandable. Keel had watched his beloved sister murdered before his very eyes.
”What are you saying! You neglected your people, burdened them with heavy taxes, and lived lives of debauchery. To top it all off, you burned down a village suffering from a plague and tried to cover it up… It was Lord Atrea who committed the heinous act of attacking our country without just cause when we were trying to help those suffering residents! The Vaal royal family might have been complicit too. It’s time to wake up and see the truth!”
Princess Karna stated this with a resolute demeanor.
Looking at her attitude, the title of “Saint” did seem fitting… but still…
”You’re the one who needs to wake up. “
I suppressed my anger and began to tell the truth to the princess before me, speaking slowly and deliberately…
*
”Speaking of which, I never introduced myself to you, Princess. My name is Kain. Kain de Atrea. I was the eldest son of the corrupt lord you speak of.”
Yes, was.
The Atrea territory no longer existed. All that remained were the ruins of a devastated town, scattered corpses, and scavengers like bandits and monsters picking through the remnants.
”You are the lord’s son…? Then confess to the people. If you truly repent from your heart, the Goddess will surely grant you forgiveness.”
Upon hearing my name, the princess uttered such words…
Truly, her head was filled with flowers. Thinking that I had genuinely hated someone like this, I felt a smile creep up at my own foolishness.
”What’s so funny?!”
Did my smile show? The princess asked, seeing my face.
”It’s funny. To think I was getting worked up over a child who still doesn’t understand the situation, even after coming this far.” I said, a confident smile on my face, ready to reveal the truth. How would this Princess react when she learned everything? The thought alone made me smile even more.
”Alright, first, let me ask: In the Vaal kingdom—at least in the Atrea territory—there was no plague. What do you say to that?”
”That must be the lord’s doing, trying to hide his misdeeds.”
”No, that’s not it. At least in Tolka Village, there wasn’t even a cold, let alone a plague. I confirmed it with my own eyes.”
When I heard that a Saint from a neighboring country was visiting Tolka Village, I invited Avan and Keel and decided to go on a little outing, as usual. The reason was partly to see the face of the rumored Saint, but the truth was I wanted a break from helping my father with his administrative duties, which had been keeping me busy.
”Hurry back now! It’s hard enough to keep things from getting out of hand!” Mari’s words were still in my ears as we rode towards Tolka Village.
Tolka Village was a remote village on the border, with no notable products. So, why a Saint would come here was a question.
When I asked the village head about it after arriving, he responded with a troubled expression.
”We don’t know either. They say a plague is spreading in this village, and the Saint is coming to heal us…”
”A plague!?”
If that were true, we had to act quickly. As I started to get up, the village head hastily stopped me.
”No, no, Kain-sama, please calm down. There isn’t a single person in the village suffering from a plague. Everyone is perfectly healthy. If anything, Sobon caught a cold about a week ago, but he’s already recovered.”
”Is that so… Then why is the Saint coming?”
”That’s what we don’t understand. Perhaps a mistaken rumor reached Kirke.”
”I see. Believing that rumor and rushing to a neighboring country… If they acted solely on that without any ulterior motives, then… they must be a true Saint.”
I pondered the possibility of hidden motives…
but at that time, nothing came to mind. Whether to view the princess, who acted on mere rumor, as energetic and proactive, or as thoughtless, was a matter of opinion.
Knowing there was still time before the Saint arrived, we decided to take the opportunity to visit nearby villages and towns. It was a good chance to see the current state of the villages and towns.
After traveling for several days, we returned to Tolka Village in high spirits.
We were happy to learn that all the villages had good security, this year’s harvest was abundant, and there were no major illnesses or injuries. Life was going smoothly.
The Atrea territory, being a frontier region, suffered frequent monster attacks and bandit raids, and the crops that could be grown were limited.
In such circumstances, by adjusting tax rates, providing subsidies, recruiting help where needed, and sometimes personally visiting to give necessary instructions, my father had guided the residents. Their smiles were the result of that effort.
In the past few years, they had finally been able to show those smiles.
I sincerely admired my father’s achievements and felt a renewed sense of determination to inherit them and ensure these smiles would not fade.
However, the scene that unfolded before me shattered those aspirations.
Burned-out houses, trampled fields, roads once neatly maintained now littered with debris and rubble… and scattered throughout the village, the lifeless forms of people…
Tolka Village was no longer recognizable, reduced to a state of ruin.
”Hey! Stay with me!”
I scooped up a girl lying collapsed before me. It was a terrible sight.
Her clothes were torn, and her lower abdomen was smeared with filth and blood. Her eyes were open, vacant—she was dead.
”Hey! Is anyone alive?!”
We split up and ran through the village, now a mere shadow of its former self.
”K-Kain-sama… Please escape…”
By the rubble lay the village head, who had hosted us just a few days prior. He managed to say he was glad to see Kain one last time before he died.
”Kain! Come here!”
At Avan’s shout, I hurried over. There was a hidden door leading underground, and inside, several women were huddled together.
”Are you all right?!”
We helped the women out, gave them water, food, and potions, and asked them what had happened.
According to the women, the Saint had arrived the day after we left the village.
Upon learning there were no sick villagers, the Saint smiled in relief and, just to be safe, cast a “Healing Aura” that enveloped the entire village. Thanks to this, the villagers’ minor wounds healed instantly, and that night, they held a banquet to honor the Saint.
The next day, the Saint said, “It seems the report about this village being afflicted with a plague was mistaken. According to my report, it was the neighboring town of Sarasa. I must go and help the people there.
Thank you for your hospitality,” and quickly departed. The villagers were taken aback by her swift departure, but they shrugged it off and returned to their daily lives. That night, the village was attacked by soldiers.
Connecting the soldiers’ boastful conversations, it seemed the reason was, “This village falsely reported to trouble the Saint, so this is their punishment.” The soldiers beat and cut down the men as if venting their frustrations, and then proceeded to rape the women before their eyes.
The women who remained here were those the village head had managed to hide in a secret underground storage upon noticing the anomaly early on. It seemed the soldiers left without discovering it, perhaps because the village head skillfully diverted their attention.
Keel turned pale as he heard the women’s story.
The town of Sarasa—the one mentioned next—was Keel’s hometown. His parents and siblings lived there.
”Kain… I’m going.”
”Wait. If you’re going, I’m going with you.”
Restraining Keel’s impulsiveness, we instructed the women to flee to the capital and gave them provisions for the immediate future.
”Alright, let’s go!”
We urged our horses towards Sarasa town.
What we witnessed in Sarasa town was a tragic spectacle.
Kirke’s soldiers dragged out hidden residents, and while stuffing their mouths with stolen food, they tormented the men. The women were uniformly stripped of their clothes and forced to spread their legs.
”N-no, please—!”
”Heh heh… First time, huh?”
Several soldiers pinned down a girl, and one soldier pressed his exposed penis against her legs and thrust inside. “Nooo—!!” The girl screamed in pain, as if her legs were being torn apart.
The soldiers leered as they watched her. The girl, no, she cried out and tried to escape, but the soldier ignored her and continued to thrust.
We stumbled upon the scene of the girl being violated. When Keel saw the girl’s face, he charged forward.
”Get away from Aina!”
Keel thrust his spear, knocking the man who was on the girl—Aina—away. Other soldiers, alerted by the commotion, came towards us.
”B-brother? P-please, run!”
Aina, realizing the one who saved her was her brother, urged him to flee, but we were already surrounded by over ten soldiers.
We broke through the encirclement, shielding Aina, but during the fight, she was cut on the back protecting Keel. By the time we managed to escape to a safe place, she had already died.
Keel’s grief and rage were immense. He swore to go back and kill every last one of them, but I managed to calm him down, and we hurried to the capital.
I understood Keel’s anger. I felt the same way.
Aina had adored me since childhood and always said, “When I grow up, I’ll be your bride.” Every time, Keel would retort, “I won’t allow it! If you want to marry Aina, you’ll have to defeat me first,” and that was our usual exchange.
What had Aina done to deserve such an end? She shouldn’t have lost her life like that.
But what could the three of us do? The enemy was a considerable number of trained soldiers.
To counter them, we needed an army. For that, we had to return to the capital and persuade my father to dispatch troops.
A war with Kirke kingdom?
Who cares. Kirke was the one who started it.
We hurried to the capital, anger burning in our hearts.
…But it was all too late.
When I arrived at the capital, I was met with the sight of devastated streets, a collapsed lord’s mansion, and in the town square, my father’s head displayed, and before it, the bodies of my mother and sister, seemingly raped and then murdered.
We were careless. If you say it like that, then that’s all there is to it. Even if it was a large-scale operation, a bandit group would be at most a hundred or so. It was unthinkable for them to attack the capital.
Relations with the neighboring country were good. If an attack were to come, it would be from monsters… It was true that such thoughts were prevalent. That’s why we were easily defeated by thousands of trained soldiers… But that doesn’t mean the Atrea territory was at fault…
Corpses littered every corner of the town.
There was no one alive. Perhaps all the living had been taken as slaves.
Why did this happen…?
I looked at the sign next to my father’s head.
’By the order of Kirke Kingdom’s Third Princess, Saint Karnae, the lord who tormented his people and committed all manner of evil has been executed.’
That’s what the sign said.
…Don’t mess with me!
”Hey, Kain. Are you just going to stay silent like this?”
I turned at the voice from behind me. There stood Avan, holding the corpse of a woman.
This woman was Avan’s wife, newly married. Her smile, which had shown so much joy about their child due next spring, was gone. Her abdomen had been ripped open, and it was clear at a glance that the soldiers had dragged out the fetus out of amusement.
”No way. We’ll make the Kirke bastards suffer the same fate.”
After burying all the corpses scattered throughout the capital, we rode towards the Kirke border.
…
…
”This is what we saw,” Kain concluded, finishing his account of the series of events.
Notes:
• May – Blonde, soft-eyed shrine girl. ch14–15. Gentle and pleading (“Please… just let us go…”), timid but loyal, relies on Mina’s strength. Came with Mina to save Sara, but was disarmed and bound by Kanata as his captive maid.
• Tsubasa – A classmate, and a gift holder of Creator. He has an androgynous charm, popular yet approachable, bonds with Taichi’s group. The only son of the Ninari Conglomerate family.
• Karnae – A human princess assaulted with Lucia. Seeks revenge and justice. Meets Kanata via Tsubasa, proud yet kind.
• Faris – A sentient intelligence weapon managing dungeon systems. Uses humanoid interface Faris-chan. Loyal to Kanata, logical, obedient support.
• Avan – A male bandit who assaults Karna and Lucia. Later captured by Tsubasa. Regrets actions, serves under Kain.
• Keel – A spear-wielding bandit under Kain. Helps capture Karnae. Defeated by Tsubasa, rough and impulsive in nature.
• Kain – A noble-looking man leading the bandits attacking Karnae. Cold, composed, ruthless strategist. Captured by Tsubasa and interrogated.
• Sara – Friends of Sara and former allies of Rick. Attacked Kanata’s Dungeon, were captured, and freed thanks to Sara’s pleas.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai. Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply