Ch.197Army of the Dead (6)

“I have good news and bad news.”

“Hmm.”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the inspector.

I instinctively knew that while the two pieces of information might seem separate, in reality, the good and bad would likely cancel each other out, resulting in something utterly bland.

But when given the choice between good and bad news, one can’t help but choose. I finally decided to hear the good news first.

“Tell me the good news first.”

“The infection spread has been contained, and regular troops from the coastal provinces have begun crushing the necromancers. Marines have already landed in the city and are purifying the corpses.”

“And the bad news?”

“They say they can’t pay us yet.”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers’ gazes sharpened.

An entire company had been lost, and they’re saying they can’t pay us.

Despite the fact that we hadn’t broken the contract and had even overlooked their abnormal behavior of changing the request terms.

“…Why?”

“They say Zirconia’s government functions haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“Ha.”

I couldn’t help but scoff when I heard the phrase “government functions haven’t fully recovered.”

I already had a rough estimate in my head of what was really happening.

“Recovery my ass. They’re using the chaos as cover to raid the treasury and use that money to pay mercenaries and adventurers.

They promised financial support. They never said they’d use their own money.”

“Surely not! They’re fellow countrymen…!”

“That’s precisely why they can do it. If they did this to a city in another country, it would be war, but doing it to a city in their own country is just regional conflict.

Besides, Zirconia’s administrative and military power took a critical hit in this incident. It’s hard to even recognize that the treasury has been looted, and even if they did, it’s difficult to protest.

Moreover… troops from other cities have already entered the city center, haven’t they?”

As I said this, the inspector’s face turned red with anger.

For him, an inspector of Zirconia, there could be nothing more humiliating than the fact that his homeland’s government was being violated.

“There’s a saying that the living are more frightening than the dead. A truly invaluable proverb.”

“…”

“Coastal cities are greedy for money.

By now, they’ve probably stripped off their military uniforms and changed into civilian clothes, scraping up all the gold, silver, and various artworks from the central bank.

Gold and silver coins just require keeping your mouth shut… and artworks can be sold off in black markets.

Even if it’s discovered later, they can claim it was lost during the riots, and no one can argue…”

The inspector’s face was filled with rage.

I knew he was a good and righteous person, and I also knew that when such a person becomes truly angry, they transform into an even more terrifying entity.

The sad part was that even if he awakened in anger, he remained a feeble existence.

“Calm your anger, Inspector. Nothing changes just because you’re angry.”

“You can say that because you’re not from Zirconia!

A city once so prosperous it was called the Jewel of the Western Sea, collapsing in an instant… not because of the undead, but due to the plundering of the living…

This is absurd… there must be another reason…!”

“Of course, that’s possible. The world is vast, and extraordinary things happen.”

But it was called extraordinary precisely because the likelihood was low.

If they weren’t looting, why hadn’t they appeared here? If they were heading to Zirconia, they would naturally have to pass through here.

But they didn’t.

Instead, they ‘deliberately’ carried out a more difficult landing operation and avoided this road.

Because traveling on the main road would make them more visible to others and require more carts, but by taking ships, they could load more cargo with fewer transport means.

Additionally, they could avoid the watchful eyes of local militia or regional defense forces who might notice the looted goods.

“The world of humans is a wretched place. Don’t worry. Your homeland will survive. With the money you’ve earned.”

Soon, after they’ve taken all they can, money will be distributed under the pretext of ‘supporting reconstruction efforts,’ and naturally, a significant portion of that money will be what was originally in Zirconia.

But there’s no way to detect this, and for the survivors of Zirconia who need to survive day by day, they can’t afford to offend their benefactors, whether they’re being fed scraps or dregs.

They’ve now become the powerless, unable to resist.

“Our mission is complete! Everyone board the airship!”

I picked up the inspector, who was crying like a child, and headed towards the Sky Warden.

The inspector’s cries were drowned out by the sound of military boots, and the barrier erected at the 4th junction of Route 34 remained unbreached until we withdrew.

*

“Mission completion confirmed. Here are the 30,000 gold coins as payment.”

“Load them onto the airship.”

“Yes, sir!”

I ordered my subordinates to transport the 30,000 gold coins, divided into 20 crates, and with arms crossed, I surveyed the completely burned-down city of Zirconia.

The word “devastating” seemed to have been created to describe this scene. The once vibrant fish market was now filled with the stench of decaying corpses, and the ropes in the red-light district, once used to hang bedsheets and blankets, were now tied to withered street trees, serving as one-way travel means for those trying to escape to better places.

“This feels terrible.”

“Don’t take it too hard. These were people we couldn’t save anyway.”

“I know. But if I, as a knight, could remain unmoved by this tragedy, I would truly be inhuman.”

Slaughter is familiar.

But the burning of innocent people’s homeland? That’s an entirely different story.

Looking at the pitiful people who could neither flee nor fight against the vast inferno that individuals were powerless against, I gritted my teeth and ordered the battalion commander to recruit one company to board the airship.

At least they would be able to fight in better conditions than their predecessors.

Whether those predecessors were the citizens of this city or soldiers, the standard would differ.

“How dare you spout such nonsense!”

From atop my horse, I watched a commotion unfold.

A young woman, who seemed even younger than me, was yelling at a young man dressed as an adventurer… no, a mercenary, while holding a baby that hadn’t even been weaned yet.

“Kid… fuck. Did I kill someone? I was just talking about performance bonuses, why are you butting in and making a fuss?”

“You can talk about money after seeing all this? If you hadn’t swung your swords, half of the people lying here would still be alive!”

“This bitch doesn’t know her place…! Are we a relief organization or mercenaries? Why should we care about those who died because they couldn’t even defeat a single lousy zombie? Did we kill them because we wanted to? They kept swarming in despite being told not to, so we had to kill them!”

Saying this, the mercenary grabbed the young mother by the collar and lifted her up.

“Hey, this one’s quite pretty.”

“Seeing her with a baby, her husband must have caught a good one. But where’s the husband? Ah… already dead?”

“Who knows. He might be a zombie buried under those ruins.”

“Drop the baby for a bit. Let’s have some fun.”

“Let go! I said let go!”

A vulgar and frivolous scene.

This is the kind of people mercenaries are. Armed forces without someone’s control never lead to good results.

Even the soldiers I command would be nothing more than a band of thieves without me.

“Enough.”

I stopped the two mercenaries who were about to tear the poor woman’s undergarments.

As I approached, clad in full plate armor and mounted on a warhorse, the mercenaries released the woman, spat on the ground, and then glared at me.

“You’re not our employer, are you?”

“No, I’m not. But as a knight, I have a duty to protect innocent civilians. And you’re interfering with my duty. If you don’t stop here, I’ll ensure you never interfere again.”

I injected aura into my eyes, making them flash, and seeing this, the mercenaries left in irritation.

My wife then took out a gold coin from her bosom and threw it to the woman, but I caught it mid-air.

“Darling!”

“Don’t.”

“But…!”

“I said don’t.”

Resources are limited, and there are many people. If we give money to one, we’d have to give to others.

It’s better to give a pile of money to the inspector. If we start giving money out of pity, we’ll end up as beggars ourselves.

“Don’t try to save them with superficial compassion. This is their homeland, and its rise, fall, and fate depend on their dedication, not ours.”

“…”

My wife lowered her head with a somber expression, and I greeted the battalion commander who had come to report to me.