Ch.156Conspiracy (3)

Even after I received news that a nearby pioneer village had declared independence for some reason, the party itself continued uninterrupted to its conclusion.

The underground home party ended somewhat earlier than planned, perhaps due to the atmosphere I created and my announcement, but the festival taking place in the village was inevitably different.

There was no need to spoil the enjoyment of those celebrating when the exact situation hadn’t been confirmed yet, and above all, even my father seemed to know nothing beyond the declaration of independence itself.

Unless there was some global information network that everyone could access, it would be physically impossible for everyone to learn about an incident that occurred at the edge of a large territory in less than a day.

Therefore, apart from Hannah volunteering to stand guard with a strangely angry demeanor, the village festival concluded without incident and moved on to the next day…

“…Thank you, Father.”

Only the next day—no, less than a full day later—I was able to receive detailed information about this independence declaration incident from my father.

The pioneer village that had declared independence was remarkably a five-year-old settlement with a population exceeding 800, which was groundbreaking for a village.

This particular pioneer village had been especially noteworthy among the territory’s settlements due to its high growth rate, and despite being only five years old, it was already transitioning from a “settlement” to a village.

But perhaps because of this rapid growth…

The village leader, a retired adventurer named “Francis,” whether harboring ill intentions or for some other reason, suddenly sent a declaration of independence and cut off all communication with the village…

Obviously, such suspicious circumstances suggested that there was likely a mastermind—a villain—who had instigated this independence declaration from behind the scenes.

Logically, Francis’s pioneer village was already certain to become Francis’s estate in about two years, and Francis himself was only about 34 years old—young enough to easily wait those two years.

For a man who had no reason to declare independence from a territory where rebellion was unlikely—it was clear.

Considering that most pioneer villages, including the one declaring independence, were so economically intertwined with the territory that they couldn’t function as independent economic entities, the truth was obvious.

The main actor behind this incident was not Francis, whose name appeared as the instigator on the declaration of independence, but rather…

‘Could this be the work of the Adventurers’ Guild in Colland?’

[I think so too. …Of course, that thorough fellow probably wouldn’t leave evidence.]

Both my father and I believed that the branch manager of the Adventurers’ Guild in Colland Barony—a well-known advocate for the barony’s independence among certain circles—was likely behind this incident.

Anyway, while the culprit was essentially identified but we couldn’t move against the branch manager without evidence, my father informed me of our village’s approach—or rather, strategy—for dealing with the rebellious village.

[Camille. Such matters need to be suppressed early. But right now, of all times… training is underway. I cannot spare troops carelessly.]

‘Does that mean we need to handle this ourselves?’

[Yes. To be precise… as your lord and the territory’s ruler, I issue a subjugation order to Camille de Alzar for the village under your governance.]

‘…Yes. I will comply.’

First, my father, as the lord of Knight Camille de Alzar and the rightful ruler of the village, issued mobilization and subjugation orders.

For reference, the mobilization order mentioned here isn’t like the modern concept of conscription “down to the last person,” but closer to the medieval sense of commanding military service.

According to feudal contract, when a mobilization order is issued, I have an obligation to serve with my “soldiers” under my command, but my father twisted this obligation slightly when presenting it to me.

In other words, he ordered me to subjugate those who had declared independence… those who had rebelled.

My father already knew from my reports that our village had as many as 10 intermediate-rank individuals, and particularly that while not all of them were my subordinates, I could mobilize at least a few of them.

So he probably thought that with appropriate intimidation, we could disperse the forces from that village of 800 people, along with whatever mercenaries they had hastily hired.

Especially since creatures like chimeras and golem armor have frightening appearances at first glance, there was a high possibility that we could resolve this incident without any actual fighting…

From the beginning, this mission carried the intention to minimize casualties during the process.

According to my father, these rebels didn’t actually commit treason of their own volition; according to someone who escaped from the village, they were forced to comply by the village’s intermediate-rank individuals.

Therefore, my father’s recommendation to minimize casualties was essentially meant to filter out these people, who could quickly become solid industrial forces for the territory again after a simple ideological screening.

‘…You’re not saying I shouldn’t kill anyone, right?’

[Of course not. Kill them all if necessary.]

Still, what my father said essentially meant that given the overwhelming power difference—almost to the point of being overbalanced—I should just kill those who needed killing and appropriately “handle” the rest.

Anyway, according to the young man who escaped from the village and was accepted by my father, the rebels could be divided into three categories.

Since he was proven innocent after being magically examined for being a potential spy, the credibility of his account of the incident was sufficient.

First, the instigators. This group of about 10 people, including the intermediate-rank adventurer Francis, essentially led this rebellion and were typical opportunists seeking to enjoy their own power.

Composed of Francis’s acquaintances from his adventurer days, they were all lower-rank—specifically, veteran adventurers consisting of his party members from before he became intermediate-rank and retired, along with Francis’s wife.

Typically, veteran lower-rank adventurers are generally considered “elite soldiers” at the upper tier of the lower rank.

Of course, they wouldn’t be as strong as I was when I could engage with borderline intermediate-ranks despite being lower-rank myself, but they’re still not to be completely dismissed.

To be frank, lower-rank upper tier means they can infuse weapons with magical power—truly elite soldiers who, in real-world terms, would be comparable to super soldiers with superhuman abilities.

Meanwhile, equally important to Francis’s main forces are the soldiers they hired—simply put, combat contractors… mercenaries who would do anything for money.

In summary, among mercenaries whose combat abilities vary tremendously, those hired by Francis were just average.

They weren’t particularly elite, nor were they properly armed. More than half were just thugs with weapons to make up numbers, while the remaining half were somewhat professional enough to roughly enhance themselves with magical power.

To be honest, they’ve at least stabbed someone in the gut before, so they should at least provide force proportional to their numbers, which must be around 100.

And finally, the most troublesome… the villagers who were forcibly dragged in to serve as meat shields, or conscripts.

Since we should try to keep them alive and not kill them carelessly, plus the mercenaries will likely act as execution squads, these might be the most difficult to deal with in terms of killing.

Though none of these groups are particularly difficult to handle individually, they’re just annoying. I think we can somehow resolve this if we bring enough of our forces.

As for the aftermath, my father said he would send soldiers and knights to handle it separately, so what I need to focus on right now is actually something else.

Namely, how to kill only those who need to be killed without causing major casualties.

The first thing that comes to mind is the goat head of the chimera that uses stunning sound waves, or perhaps using my mystic eyes might be worth considering.

But as I continued pondering this, suddenly Lord Malakai Falten approached me with a proposal:

“My lord, let’s have you ride the golem armor.”

“…What?”

As I wondered if I should say something like “Sure, let’s give it a try,” Lord Malakai Falten, who had been strangely spending time with Gretel and Magni lately, showed me a “custom exclusive unit” made just for me while making that suggestion.