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Army Visit
It was a quiet, spring morning. Everyone had finished their meal and was relaxing at the usual open-air cafeteria. Some small children were playing in a group. Even the senior children - who were waiting for the auction - had nothing to do now except for the afternoon class.....just a final review of etiquette, so they are free at the moment. Warm sunlight streamed into the courtyard.
A sound that broke that harmony suddenly resounded. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
*Puooooo....*
It was a low trumpet sound, coming from a relatively close distance. The children running around with smiles on their faces suddenly stopped in their tracks. No one had ever experienced something like this. No, I felt like something similar happened a long time ago.....what was it?
Jusa came running down from near the office. Perhaps someone hurriedly removed the bolt from the gate, as there was a sound of wood hitting someone from the other side of the main gate. Before long, Jill opened the gate from the inside. And finally, Myluc appears and stands in front of the bronze gate.
When Jusa moved the handle-like thing attached beside the gate, the gate opened outwards bit by bit. Light shines in from the gap in the gate, flooding the surroundings with shadow. And then finally, I understood why the adults were flustered.
Countless men towered over the surroundings at the other side of the gate. Just by looking at that side, there are dozens of people.
「Holy Forest Corps’ Third Army! I am the commanding officer, Zelkova(ゼルコバ). I would like to meet Myluc Necamel-dono」
The man at the front was a muscular, somewhat tall - with sharp features - middle-aged man. His entire body was a mass of metal. He was wearing equipment that could be classified as that so-called plate mail, a burnished silver breastplate combined in parts with fine chainmail. Although he was not wearing a helmet, that was probably for greeting purposes. An attendant standing at the side is holding something that looks like it.
I guess he was a person who normally took the lead in work. His skin was darker than that of a normal Foresian. It was tanned. His hair was what is called the side parting style, and also darker than Forestian, a quite dark olive brown color. A thick, loach-like mustache sits boldly beneath his nose, making its presence known. Although you get the impression that he was an unrefined man from his overall appearance, his eyes give off an air of sincerity and intelligence, and his beard was neatly shaven.
Speaking of the regular army of the Esta Forestia Kingdom, first was the Royal Guards whose duty is to defend the capital and respond swiftly to the monarch’s order. In addition, there was the Sea Dragon corps, which protects the coastal region from the southern part to the eastern part, which could be counted among them. There was also the Mountain Peak Corps, whose main responsibility is base defense and possesses an excellent engineering company and large-scale weapons, such as catapults, and also the Gale Corps, which uses its mobility to coordinate between various units.
As for the Holy Forest Corps, it gave a rather simple impression as they crack down on criminal syndicates within the country and monitor the roads. Nonetheless, it was an army corps that had a long history since the founding of the nation and its status was by no means low. The commanding officers are usually selected from families with good social standing.
「Thank you for carrying out your duty. I am Myluc」
Myluc bowed at a shallow angle. His tone was unhurried, and he was very polite.
Myluc was much slimmer when compared to Zelkova. And besides, the difference ends up standing out since he does not wear any armor that would increase his width.
「Please forgive us for interrupting your busy schedule. I believe you have received the notice but I have come here regarding the matter with the criminal slaves」
「I understand」
It was such a carrying voice. It was filled with the atmosphere of a military man.
I suddenly looked to my side.....aah, I knew it. Kovol’s eyes are sparkling.
「Thank you very much for coming from such a long way」
Myluc continues to behave modestly to the end. After all was said and done, the other party was a public character and was coming on official business. Although he was complaining about receiving criminal slaves, he was being perfectly pragmatic about it already.
「If you do not mind, would you like to take a rest at our place for a little while? Although our place is only a humble place, we can at least prepare tea and snacks for you」
……in addition, Myluc was also good at distinguishing the other party.
This man, Zelkova, in front of him, was not a person to ignore. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
I wonder if being the commanding officer of the Third Army was considered a corps commander? If I remember correctly, the number of each corps was fixed at 10.000 men, and each of them was divided into 5 divisions. In other words, Zelkova was in a position to command 2.000 soldiers. In short, his status in the military was quite high, regardless of his noble rank.
It feels a little unnatural. Would someone in such a position visit this kind of place to deliver criminal slaves?
「Please forgive me, but I would have to decline that」
Zelkova said without any change in his expression. Myluc bowed in response to that.
「As you can see, it is currently not a small unit movement. We are in the middle of another mission. But, I thought of at least giving my greetings」
It was a way of saying, as if it implied something.
I could see a lot of soldiers on the other side of the gate. Surely, not everyone from the Third Army was here, but even so, there are quite a lot of people here. They are probably just dropping by while doing another mission. Otherwise, you would be unable to explain the reason they come to such a small housing facility.
Well, I could understand why they come and say hello. Although most of the children did not understand it, Myluc was an important person. He is the second son of the previous head of his family clan, so he is a person of lineage. For now, he may be just a slave trader in this country, but he was not someone to ignore. Actually, people like the local personage have come to see him several times before.
But, there was not the slightest sign of friendliness in Zelkova.
「Until recently, this area was under the jurisdiction of the Second Army, but from now on it has been decided that it will be our responsibility」
「I will be in your care again」
Myluc bowed once more after hearing Zelkova’s words.
「We have never once been troubled by bandits ever since we took up residence here. I will feel safe with everyone from the Holy Forest Army here」
「That is so」
And as if to interrupt Myluc’s polite words, Zelkova says.
「The criminal slaves we are handing over this time were part of the bandit group we have dispatched」
「So it is like that」
Zelkova’s eyes opened wide with strength in them.
「Their leader is a runaway slave from Saharia. He was already executed but.....you were not aware?」
「I have heard rumors about it 」
「Then, what about the fact that their base was in a forest not that far from here?」
「This is, the first time I have heard of it」
This is......I see, so that was why.
「More than a hundred bandits built their stronghold in the forest and were causing damage along the nearby highways. Nevertheless, they were just left unchecked until we from the Third Army suppressed them」
So, how come a small housing facility like this was not attacked in such a situation? Zelkova is suspicious. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
It makes sense why there were a large number of soldiers accompanying him when you think about it. Of course, it was probably true that they stopped by while on another mission. But, putting that aside, they were trying to pressure Myluc if circumstances permitted. It may expose some faults if there was something shady happening. Or using his family clan authority and misusing it, for example.
Right, the problem was Myluc’s high status. If they did not take that into consideration, they would simply dispatch a few subordinates instead.
「That reminds me, I heard that Myluc-dono was acquainted with my predecessor」
「I was kindly allowed to have a close relationship with him」
Could he be a villain who was trying to disturb the peace of Forestia while using the guise of a low-profit slave trader?
But, that was an unjust suspicion.
Indeed, Zelkova had reasons to be suspicious of Myluc. Although they were not currently at war with Saharia across the sea, they could not be said to be trusted allies either.
A situation where there were large-scale bandit groups running rampant around the coastal areas was a favorable condition for those planning to invade the Kingdom of Esta Forestia. Making the army corps that monitored the region rush all over the east to west, unable to pay attention to details.
And, such a problem actually occurred. For example, the Tock Barony was being attacked by unidentified pirates and suffered significant damage. So, having such incidents happen again and again was intolerable.
If you were the commanding officer of the Kingdom army, you should know about the existence of the Necamel clan. The son of the previous head of that clan was living withdrawn in such a remote location with young slaves. That was indeed extremely unnatural.
So, why did that atrocious bandit group not attack this place? It was not because Myluc was keeping in touch with them. Probably because they are afraid of retaliation from the Necamel clan. And the fact that the leader was a Saharian was also a large factor.
And one more thing. Certainly, Myluc had a close relationship with those in the army corps that maintained the public order in this area. Of course, he would bribe the upper brass and also the soldiers guarding the nearby lighthouse whenever possible. This may be called collusion, but it was also wisdom to protect ourselves. As a result, the soldiers have started to keep a close eye on these isolated premises.
And if, even in the slightest, Myluc had a connection with the bandit group or doing things like relaying information about the movement of the Second Army.....no, it was absurd to even think about it. In that case, he would not have me work in the office. Since there was the danger that the boy slave who would be sold someday might unexpectedly learn the truth. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Although Zelkova does not know such internal affairs.
「Perhaps, I may visit often in the future」
「That is indeed what I most earnestly wish for」
Myluc constantly maintained a respectful attitude. He would truly welcome his frequent visits. Only, it would probably be a long way off from being trusted.
Zelkova also did not pursue the topic any further. After nodding to Myluc, he broached the main subject.
「……and so, regarding the criminal slave, I believe you already understand the situation, but I would like you to closely monitor them」
「I understand」
But, it did not seem like that answer satisfied him.
「Ah, I mean....this is, something difficult to say but, there is no choice but to say it. Myluc-dono, is the security at this housing facility airtight?」
「We have never allowed any slave to escape until now」
There had been a dangerous situation before.
Even if they were careful of the criminal slave they occasionally took custody of, they never noticed that a slave like Dorol had found a way to escape.
「That is fine. But, that is not enough?」
「……could you elaborate on that?」
Zelkova let out a deep sigh.
「Actually, we had captured some of the bandits before the cleaning-up operation. But still, some of the escaped once」
「Why is that?」
「We do not know for sure, but it seems that there is someone in their group who possesses unbelievable strength. He tore off the arm of the soldier who was in the detention center in a surprise attack with his bare hands. Even the iron bars of the cell where the prisoners were kept were perfectly bent out of shape」
「What……」
Tearing off an arm. Not breaking them or cutting them with an edged tool. That sounded like it was going to be really painful. At the same time, the culprit’s brutality became apparent.
Even so, just how strong was he to sharply bend the iron bars? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「We have located their hideout, surrounded them with a large number of soldiers, and rounded them all up, but we did not find anyone who possesses such superhuman strength in that battle. Either they escaped, or they were just away at the time.....」
Myluc’s expression turned to a bitter one for the first time.
「Just in case, we have executed the leader quickly. But, this may not be the end of the matter. The slaves you are taking custody of today are particularly vicious and violent individuals, so please be extremely careful」
「……understood」
I could almost see Myluc sigh.
Zelkova turns around and gave a sign to his subordinate with a hand gesture. Then, the sound of rattling wheels could be heard. A small carriage approached the gate. Looking closely, the carriage’s roof was not a canopy, but a covering of a thin iron plate. There were also no windows.
After the carriage stopped, the rear door opened. When a soldier gestured, the sounds of heavy chains echoed along with 3 male and female appearing from inside the carriage.
Criminal slaves are treated differently compared to transferred slaves like us.
A transferred slave refers to someone who became a slave as a result of monetary transactions. Since they do not have any history of doing criminal acts, there is a chance they could buy themselves back as long as they have money, and if the owner announces their release from their status, they can immediately regain their status as free men. Some contracts also have a limited-time transferred slave. Basically, a slave’s obligation is to follow the master’s order but, that does not mean the master can order whatever they want. You will - more or less - receive punishment when you kill a transferred slave without a proper reason. And, although it depends on the law of the country, if a transferred successfully escaped and several years have passed since then, their slave status can legally expire. So to prevent this from happening, it is necessary for the master to properly manage their slaves.
Whereas the situation is quite different when it comes to criminal slaves. First, they can not buy themselves back. The owner of a criminal slave can not freely trade them. Also, the owner can not release them arbitrarily. Once you own a criminal slave, you have to report that you own them to the government office. In case they escape, you have to catch them without fail. If it is difficult to catch them alive, there is no problem in killing them. Furthermore, there is no expiration in their slave status in the case of their escape. However, there is a criminal slave with a limited period of time. After that time is over, they become transferred slave without a time limit.
In short, scoundrels who can not be managed in prison will become criminal slaves. Such a heavy punishment will not be meted out for a small crime. Normally, people who have committed heinous crimes repeatedly just short of the death penalty will fall into this status.
A man who looked like a non-commissioned officer read out the directive in his hand.
「Motus! (モータス) Nithura! (ニトゥラ) Iric! (イリク) The 3 slaves aforementioned will be handed over! Myluc Necamel, as the officially recognized slave trader, shall be responsible for resolving the matter and compensation in accordance with the prescribed procedures!」
「Understood」
After confirming the handover, Zelkova bowed. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Then, I will entrust the rest to you」
Myluc responded modestly.
「Please leave it to me」
Then Zelkova quickened his pace and approached his horse, accepted the squire’s help, and swiftly mounted it. After giving commands, he left with the soldiers following him. And before I could see the end of their procession, the gate once again closed, as usual.
And the 3 male and female criminal slaves were left behind in the courtyard, with their hands and feet bound in chains.
I think I was probably standing there in a daze. I was staring intently at the three of them. And I took one step, another, and again, to approach them unconsciously.
「You, what are you?」
The young man standing on the left side spoke in a low tone. With light brown spiky straight hair, an ugly face, strikingly similar to a monkey. He was a size larger than Jusa and muscular.
I was staring at the man on the right side, so I realized it a moment too late.
「Gahaa…..!」
They were criminal slave after all. Both of their hands and feet were bound by short chains. So I was careless, thinking that it would be alright. Despite being given enough legroom to be able to barely walk, that man sharply closed the distance and drove a kick into my solar plexus. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Noor!」
Jusa - who was standing near the gate - raised his voice. Myluc’s expression also changed as he turned around.
But, the 3 of them did not seem to realize that their situation had gotten worse. As I lay on the ground writhing in pain, the woman came right beside me and viciously stomped on my right hand, as it clawed on the stone paving.
「Such a kid with a dirty look? Maybe you weren’t raised right?」
I raised my head, trying to look at the source of the voice, but my sight was blocked by something. I immediately knew that this was. The man on the right spat on my face, and that got into my eyes.
「You bastards!」
Jusa went around behind them and pulled the 3 of them away from me. Jill also helps him.
Myluc also looked at the 3 of them with an angry expression. The children in the courtyard were also surprised at the violence from the criminal slaves.
So no one saw it. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
While gasping in pain.....I was smirking.
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