Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 161

 

That Time is Quietly and Surely Approaching



 The great hall of Fasimir kingdom. The place where the throne is located has now turned into a hellish hellscape. The entire floor is a sea of blood. In the midst of it, there are people lying in a pool of blood. Some are high-ranking civil and military officials, some are knights, and some are maids. Everyone who entered the hall was killed without regard. Some were still breathing, some were moaning in agony in a pool of blood.


 What makes the scene even more unusual is the sight of people indulging in s*xual intercourse in the same place where a brutal mass murder took place, without seeming to care about it at all. They are six men and women, covered in the blood of the murdered, embracing each other.


 Even in the throne room, the unusual act continues. Mei is repeatedly moving up and down on top of Yuya, who is sitting on the throne. For another day and night, the two continue the act, changing positions. They have climaxed many times, too many times to count, and Mei's consciousness has completely flown away, but Yuya still does not stop the act. Because that's not what the objective is.


"...Enough. Stop already."


 Mei, who should have been in a daze of consciousness, suddenly uttered the words from her mouth in her usual calm tone. The usual tone of voice is actually different. It contains a masculine tone, and those who can tell can tell.


"Not yet. It's about to start."


 But Yuya didn't seem to understand. He is trying to continue the act.


"Have you been dyed by humans?"


"Eh?"


"I told you to stop...... good. All I have to do is move."


 Mei stands up. She looks around the hall, but doesn't seem to feel anything for the many bodies lying around. It is impossible for her to feel. She doesn't value human life now.


"It's hideous. Why do we need these rituals?"


"......To remain in the world, in the body of a human, one must have a lust for the flesh. The most important thing to stimulate it is s*xual intercourse."


 Yuya realized that he had already reached his goal. Due to the influence of Mei's current ritual, an existence different from the original Yuya has emerged.


 Without lust, one cannot stay long in the world, in a human body. they are like that. Originally, it was a being without a physical body.


"It's a foolish reason that I don't think God ordained."


"It's coming soon. Soon we will be able to right God's wrongs. We will fix this world."


"We?"


 Mei, the other person who knows the existence doesn't call it [we]. She felt a strong sense of discomfort about it.


"...You'll soon find out. When you get a body, you're affected by its owner. You can no longer be your perfect self."


 Yuya is not the original Yuya, but he has not ceased to be Yuya. Even they, the powerful beings that they are, cannot erase the original personality. It is more like they have imbued their own personality on top of the original personality.


"Are you saying that our hearts are driven mad by humans?"


 She who says this has never descended to the ground. She is not completely absent. She got a body and never existed on the ground.


"A drop of black liquid spilled on clear water will make it muddy. That's how it is."


 This explanation is not correct. It should be said that they spilled their separate personalities into the original personalities. But their pride does not allow them to express themselves as if they are outshined by the human.


"That clear water is as much as the sea... well, alright. There's no point in arguing the wrong theory here."


"That's right. But the world on the ground is pretty murky right now. We need to discuss that, don't we?"


 Now in this world, a situation has arisen that goes against their will. Their goal is to correct them. However, correcting the situation is only for their convenience. They themselves do not admit it, but they just see it as an opportunity to show their power and to remind people who is the ruler of this world.


"...Again. No way, it's not that again, is it?"


"I don't know. It might just be that we haven't been able to confirm its existence yet."


 These words show their limitations on the ground. They do not have the power to understand everything that happens on the ground.


"Foolish human delusions. Such things should be erased from this world at this opportunity."


 A nuisance to them. From their point of view, they have disturbed this land several times in the past. A person's grudge dwells in a sword with a personality. It's about the demon sword Kamui.


"The real problem is not the sword itself. It is the existence of those who accept its will. The real problem is that such beings are regularly born in this land."


"A twisted reason."


 Such an existence is unforgivable to them. The fact that an existence they cannot tolerate is allowed means that the reason is wrong.


 This is their self-serving logic. There is no right or wrong in true reason. If it is true, then it is true.


"Until we completely correct that, we have no choice but to go out like this on a regular basis to clean up the mess. Let's get it over with this time."


"To do that, we have to finish that first."


 While the two of them were talking, the four men and women were continuing their activities at a distance from each other. Minami, Nagai, Maki, and Rina. Their ritual had not yet ended.






◆◆◆






 Ren, leading the Nord Empire Army, crossed the border and moved south. There was no force to block the invasion. The small country's only options now were to become a vassal to either the Luine Kingdom, the Izrim Empire, or the Nord Empire. No country dreams of maintaining complete independence. The only countries that are able to do so now are those that have not been taken seriously by the three nations.


 Countries on the march cannot geographically choose the Luine Kingdom. They know that relying on distant countries will not help them. If they had to choose between the Izrim Empire and the Nord Empire, it would be the Nord Empire.


 Information about the oppressive rule of the Izrim Empire has spread so widely that there is no country that does not know about it. On the other hand, the Nord Empire is regarded as the opposite of the Izrim Empire, although this is not as widely known as it should be. The information is spreading that they take good care of the countries they subjugate. The reality is that only those countries that Ren judges to be worthy are allowed, but that much information has not been conveyed.


 The invasion of the Nord Empire is a unique opportunity for a country that has sent numerous messengers to the Nord Empire but has not been treated with respect by the Nord Empire to offer subservience. They allowed their borders to be breached without resistance and offered to surrender without even asking for it.


 For Ren, this was inconvenient. He doesn't need them to surrender. The best outcome for Ren would have been to simply allow the army to pass through.


"Haa…… Because of Stokes, three countries were allowed to be subjugated."


"Isn't that usually a cause for rejoicing?"


 Lang smiles wryly at Ren, who sighs. She lightly reprimands Ren who complains, but she understands his feelings.


"As I thought, should we have moved through the forest?"


 Entering the [Forest of Confusion] from the southeast of Nordben, the new territory of the Nord Empire, and if they go south, they will not enter the forest. They can reach the first destination, the former Partheon country, without passing through other countries.


"Ah, if we did that, you might have been able to meet Rin-dono, too, right?"


"…………"


 Ren glared at Lang. Even if he wants to meet her, he can't meet her yet. Ren thought that Rin would be living there, and he was avoiding approaching the [Forest of Confusion].


 As for the march this time, he had chosen not to go there because it was not suitable for a large army, but she felt as if he were being stubborn when she brought up the subject of Rin at this point.


"I was joking. If we were to take control of the church lands, we would have to make sure that the road to the Empire was well marked by our allies. We must avoid the risk of breaking through the forest with a defeated army."


"I know. It's just that we can be betrayed in the middle of the retreat. It's a pretty common situation."


 Lang is not afraid to talk about the possibility of losing the battle. Ren is not concerned about that at all. There are no absolutes in the outcome of a fight. They both think this way and try to be prepared for every possible situation.


"There are enough troops in the home country and in the Mercenary to hold off the enemy, even if the worst should happen. If we let them know that, we can make it less likely."


"But it won't be zero. Well, let's do what we have to do."


"Yes. Let's get down to business. The situation of refugees is becoming more secure. The number of refugees arriving in the country is expected to grow."


 Ren led his army to the former Partheon in order to save the people who were trying to escape from the oppressive rule of the Izrim Empire. Ren himself has no condescending thoughts about saving them. He is just trying to keep the promise that Stokes made.


"I understand those who have already escaped from the Izrim Empire territory. But what about those who are not?"


"Following the invasion of the Eastern Alliance, the Lemberg Kingdom’s army has returned to its own country. The problem is that they belong to the Izrim Empire. Which is being dealt with by the former Orthea Kingdom."


"Nishida-kun, you mean… he is prioritizing it over his promise to the person he loves?"


 Nishida's objective is the revival of the Orthea Kingdom. It is to fulfill the promise that Princess Lilia wanted at the time of her death to rebuild the Orthea Kingdom with her brother Prince Richard.


 Ren believes that supporting refugees will not help with that.


"I think he is making a realistic choice."


"Even if you declare a revival while aiming for an opening, it will only be crushed immediately. But is he trying to increase his number of allies by fighting with the Izrim Empire's forces?"


"I can't say for sure yet, but I think the possibility is high. In fact, some former retainers of the ruined country have contacted them."


 Many of the vassals of the Izrim Empire are countries that the nobles of the former Izrim Magic Kingdom led their own armies to invade and acquire. The old vassals of the destroyed countries have either been killed, have fled and are hiding, or are being heavily used by those nobles. Of those who are alive, few are satisfied with their current position.


 But they lack the power to rebel. If they do, they will throw away the lives they have saved. Those who are not prepared to do so endure with strong dissatisfaction and fear.


 Nishida intends to make their fears fade and their frustration shatter. By continuing to win, he is trying to make them think that the army is not worth fearing and to incite them to rebellion.


"……Nishida-kun, he has become scary too. Do you call this growing up?"


 Nishida, who had only been moving with pure and single-minded devotion, began to play such tricks. Ren is a little surprised at this fact.


"Didn’t he learn from His Majesty through Stokes-dono?"


 Nishida had worked with Stokes, who had been named Bear, Ren's subordinate, for a long time. Lang thinks he learned some of what Stokes was told by Ren, and learned some of what he learned by listening and thinking about the stories he was allowed to hear.


"I can't bring myself to be happy. Do I want to know how far Nishida-kun is thinking? The Alliance of the Destroyed Nations is fine, but that's not all. Is he even thinking about joining the Luine Kingdom and attacking in the rear side?"


 It depends on how many they can gather, but if they can do that, it would have a great impact on the battle between the Luine Kingdom and the Izrim Empire. Of course, it would be a favorable influence for the Luine Kingdom.


"There is also the possibility that they are thinking of joining our country."


"That is impossible. Even if we were to team up with the Orthea Kingdom, what about the others?"


 It sounds good to say that he has endured unfavorable circumstances, but he can also be seen as a person who has spent time without doing anything and without being prepared to do anything. Ren is not inclined to want such people on his side.


 The main reason he worked for the refugees was that Stokes promised to do so, but it is also important to note that they are people who took action.


"If we were to team up with the Orthea Kingdom, what form would you take?"


"I would give them this place, the former Partheon."


"...Shall we begin negotiations right away?"


 Ren's idea was not what Lang had in mind. But as soon as she heard it, she decided it was a good choice. The former Partheon Church would be on the front line with the Izrim Empire. Even if the Luine Kingdom were to triumph over the Izrim Empire, this position would be an invasion route to the Nord Empire, in addition to the northern route.


 And yet, it is not a strategically important location for the Nord Empire. It is not a bad idea to throw the defense of that location to the Orthea Kingdom. It is meaningful simply because it eliminates the need to needlessly disperse the Nord Empire's forces.


"Though I wouldn't want them to jump on it right away."


 There is another reason why he thinks it is a good idea to give it to the Orthea Kingdom. Some of the refugees are followers of Ren. This is annoying for Ren personally, but useful for the Nord Empire. These people will not allow the reestablished Orthea Kingdom to betray the Nord Empire and Ren. There are people who were considered fanatics in the Anti-Hero Alliance, and in fact, there are people who used to be so. The Orthea Kingdom would have a dangerous bomb inside. It will not be able to press the detonator button to betray Ren.


"I believe that their loyalty to His Majesty is already unshakable, but do you need time to make it more secure? I've got it. We will consider this as one of the most important measures in our policy toward the occupied territories."


 Before they can carry out the plot, they must first rebuild the former Partheon Church. It must be made into a country where the people who are already living there and the new refugees will have a strong will to [absolutely protect the country]. There is a lot of work to be done to achieve this. Lang, the Prime Minister of the Nord Empire, has come to the region to personally oversee this. For Lang, that is the battle. It is a battle to help Ren, who is about to go to the battlefield.





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