Ch.1012To Live or Die

The light of Astraea that punishes sinners filtered out all the unforgivable criminals among the fairy prisoners.

Of course, since Astraea is a rather strict goddess when it comes to criminal acts, even fairies who committed minor offenses were scratched by the light… but that wasn’t a problem.

“Urrrgh…”

Since I had deliberately lowered the power of the attack miracle to its minimum, such individuals suffered nothing more than slight scratches.

On the other hand, those who had committed mortal sins couldn’t withstand even such a weak miracle and were slaughtered, their corpses strewn about.

“Hiiieeeek!”

“Th-they’re dead…!”

After the golden downpour subsided.

The fairies who cautiously rose to their feet with terror-stricken faces trembled like aspen leaves and huddled together, horrified by the blood and flesh scattered everywhere.

“Are you trying to toy with us…! If you’re going to kill us, just do it already!”

“We won’t suffer the humiliation of becoming your playthings!”

…These ones still haven’t been broken.

They seemed to have passive human-contempt. From their manner of speaking, I expected them to have committed many sins, but surprisingly, they all seemed quite lively.

Perhaps they had arrogant personalities but hadn’t actually committed any crimes?

Well, that might explain why they’re even angrier. If they’ve lived without committing crimes, they would consider themselves righteous and dignified.

I’m not sure if I should call this flower-field thinking or commend them for not living sinful lives.

Whatever the case, there was no need to worry about it.

‘More survived than I expected. How many are there?’

[You could just cull more of them.]

‘That’s true.’

Although they had survived the light of judgment, that was merely the first filter. The selection process wasn’t over yet.

—-

After ordering the Crusaders to clear away the corpses and separate the injured from the unharmed fairies, I gave a very detailed explanation to the unharmed fairies.

That the fairy goddess and her Great Guardian had been annihilated by my hand.

That the Great Forest would soon become a complete desert.

That while Lacy of the Crusaders wanted to exterminate all of them, I was selecting survivors to accept as citizens of my country.

Of course, I wasn’t saying I would immediately treat all these fairies as citizens. That would cause tremendous chaos.

I understood that well.

I had seen several countries suffer from the chaos caused by thoughtlessly accepting large numbers of refugees.

I’m not saying accepting refugees is wrong or evil, but accepting large numbers without a plan is something a ruler should avoid.

If you’re going to accept tens of thousands of refugees, you should at least have a plan to prevent chaos.

Without such a plan, you’d be forcing all the negative consequences onto your original citizens.

So, what was my plan?

【Ten years. I’ll give you ten years. For you, it’s neither a long nor short time.】

I declared to the fairies.

If they chose to serve Hestella for ten years, set aside their arrogance, and naturally integrate into life there, I would guarantee their freedom.

Until then, although they would technically be citizens of Hestella, they would be monitored and controlled to prevent any problems.

“You’re… going to let us live…?”

The fairies, who had expected execution or at best being sold as slaves, looked at me with shining eyes.

The fear of death is equal for everyone.

Their eyes showed that they would willingly kneel even to the killer of the World Tree if it meant they could live as free people rather than slaves.

Of course, not all fairies showed such a servile attitude.

“You want us to abandon fairy pride and adapt to the lives of you short-lived species? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“What do you take us for! To lick your feet and live in shame? I’d rather die!”

The tough and fierce fairies expressed their intense anger toward me, their ears fluttering as if the proposal was offensive just to hear.

【Hmm. Well, if that’s what you want. I’ll respect your spirit.】

I approached the fairy who was protesting most vehemently, faced him directly, and smiled.

“Kuh…!”

Perhaps his body, having lost the blessing of the World Tree, couldn’t withstand the pressure of my divinity.

The fairy turned pale, sweating profusely and flinching. His pupils, shrunk with fear and tension, trembled aimlessly.

Why challenge me like that then? If he had measured the atmosphere and protested moderately, I would have let it slide.

But it was too late now.

【Follow your god.】

I reached out my left hand and grabbed the head of the fairy who had been shouting until the end.

“Ah, aah…!”

Hagalaz.

Before he could say anything, the runic power I released burst forth like a flash of light and engulfed his entire body.

– Psssk.

Without even a scream, one fairy turned to dust and collapsed.

—-

Sometimes examples are needed to maintain order.

After one fairy who had been selected for that role turned to dust and scattered, the fairies’ protests and angry voices diminished significantly, almost to silence.

It was a good atmosphere.

【Regrettably, Hestella is not large enough to accommodate all of you. So I need to reduce your numbers.】

At least for now, this was a moment to control them through fear, not mercy.

【Who to save and who to kill… I’ll leave that judgment to you. There must be those you’d want to save even at the cost of your own sacrifice? If so, step forward. Swear your death before me and choose who to save.】

For the second culling to begin, they needed to fear me and fear death.

【Come, show me this fairy pride. Save your kin through your sacrifice. Honorably and nobly. Or desperately.】

I declared to the remaining fairies that I would spare the rest if enough of them voluntarily sacrificed themselves.

Moreover, I promised those who volunteered to sacrifice themselves the benefit of choosing who to save first, and if it was family, I would save the entire family.

In other words, if they wanted to save their family or kin, they should step forward and offer their necks.

“What… you want us to become sacrificial offerings?”

“Sacrifice… how many…?”

The fairies murmured and looked around.

Not an order to come forward if they wanted to live, but an order to come forward and die for those they wanted to save.

Additionally, I declared that if a certain number of sacrifices were reached, I would spare everyone else.

By now, the fairies should understand well. The best way to survive here was to stay quiet and not stand out.

If they sat quietly, they might luckily survive, but if they stepped forward, they would face 100% certain death.

“…Then, if not me…”

A situation where to survive, one had to pressure others to volunteer for sacrifice.

An extreme game of watching and waiting began.

—-

An atmosphere where everyone was eyeing each other, urging others to step forward. I sat quietly on a temporary throne prepared by the clergy, watching.

After about a minute of waiting, the first sacrifice finally stood up.

“Goddess of humans. Truly, if I… if I sacrifice myself, can this child survive?”

“M-mother…”

A woman holding the hand of a young fairy. A mother who stood up to save her child.

Though her hands trembled with the fear of death, her eyes showed no intention of taking back her words.

【As the god of the earth, I promise. That child will live freely without want for life, and will enjoy a peaceful natural lifespan without any harm. Are you satisfied with that?】

“Yes, yes…! I believe in the goddess’s mercy…!”

The woman prostrated herself before me, showing extreme reverence. A courtesy unsuitable for the one who killed their god.

She probably thought that if she was going to die anyway, showing me the utmost respect would help her child’s future. A wise judgment, if anything.

The World Tree should have seen this. If it had, wouldn’t it have collapsed and died again? It would have been quite an amusing sight.

Anyway, once that first step was taken, the number of fairies volunteering to sacrifice themselves gradually increased.

“Ryumielsia, if I can only save you…!”

As expected, most were those sacrificing themselves to save their families or lovers.

Perhaps because of such relationships, those who were saved often created melodramas, insisting on dying together, making it somewhat troublesome to separate them.

After persuasion that couldn’t be watched without tears, they finally accepted the sacrifice of their loved ones and quietly retreated.

Of course, they weren’t the only fairies who chose sacrifice.

There were those who came forward to save friends or unrequited loves, and elderly who offered their lives in place of children, saying it was better for the young to live than those with little time left.

Among them, the most impressive were probably the tough ones who had been yelling and cursing at me and the Crusaders.

“You want to see fairy pride? Watch closely, and pass it down for generations! The final moments of Lameikakus!”

Those tough ones jumped up as soon as the first woman bowed before me, volunteering for sacrifice and stepping forward.

And not even to save their families, but simply declaring satisfaction if their lives could save even one more of their kin.

…Truly, it was puzzling why such talented individuals who should have been Guardians were buried as civilians.

—-

After a long sorting process, the fairies before me were divided into three groups.

Those who volunteered for sacrifice: 20% of the total.

Those they tried to save: 40% of the total.

Those who held out until the end, just watching others: the remaining 40%.

【Hmm, this should be sufficient.】

I stopped the sorting at that point.

This was enough.

No, continuing would be a waste of time. Even if we dragged it out longer, those who were still just watching didn’t seem likely to change their minds and step forward.

I looked over the three groups of fairies, then half-raised my right hand to summon the Crusaders and gave them orders.

【The judgment is complete. Release them, and those ones. They are now my people.】

My outstretched fingers pointed sequentially to two groups of fairies.

Those who were saved by someone’s sacrifice… and those who sacrificed themselves to save others.

Together, 60% of the total. They were the new people of Hestella I had chosen.

People with enough goodness and spirit to sacrifice themselves for their kin or family, and those who had someone precious enough to die for, making them unlikely to act rashly.

If I were to accept people as citizens, shouldn’t I accept such individuals?

Not those who only valued their own lives and sat quietly while others were creating melodramas and sacrificing themselves.

What about the talk of sacrificial offerings? That was obviously a lie. Personality assessments always yield better results when mixed with lies.

“What should be done with the remaining 40%?”

Ceylon, who had been watching the judgment beside me, knelt on one knee, showing respect, and asked.

Asking how to dispose of the fairies who had only been watching.

【Do as you wish. I don’t care.】

Well, that’s not my concern.

I won’t say it’s wrong to only care about oneself, but there was no reason to forgive such individuals and accept them into my country.

If they have no awareness, no precious ones, no spirit of sacrifice, no integrity, and no conscience, then dying without anyone to help them is just their fate.

I left the disposal of the remaining 40% to the Crusaders, then dissolved the throne with the rune of destruction and returned to my tent.

Now that the selection process was complete, I needed to discuss the practical work of transporting them to my country.

Though the discussion would be more like delegating, but anyway.