Ch.72NPCs of a Feather Flock Together. (2)

“I don’t need to go into detail about the R-18 time our lawyer friend set up. After turning one of them into a pretty sample without killing him, I spoke to the others in my usual manner.

“I’m giving you two choices. One: Follow that worthless loyalty of yours and end up like that specimen over there. Two: Join our side and keep your lives. I’m not going to wait for you. Decide now.”

“…Jack?”

The one most surprised by my words wasn’t them, but Ragni. I wiped my blood-stained hands on my clothes, placed one on Ragni’s head, and whispered in her ear.

“Ragni, just don’t say anything. If anyone asks you anything, just answer with ‘meow.'”

“…What?”

Even in this situation, Ragni—who was once a princess no matter how perverted she might be—frowned at my seemingly insane words.

But I smiled at her and pointed to my neck, and she understood what I meant.

If you don’t listen, I’ll just have to command you.

“…Um, before I choose, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“A-are you saying that joining you means pledging loyalty to Princess Ragni Bluemoon?”

“Ragni.”

“…Meow.”

“Huh?”

The first guy who had regained consciousness froze at Ragni’s strange response, and the rest of them widened their eyes like saucers, as if they couldn’t believe what they’d just heard.

“Now choose. Which side will it be?”

“W-wait a minute!! How can we choose when she just answered with m-meow?!”

“That’s her answer.”

“W-what does that even mean?!”

“Well, if you have questions, ask away. I’ll allow two or three more questions.”

After that, they’d have to choose. To emphasize this point, I raised my other hand—the one still covered in blood—while keeping the other on Ragni’s head. The man swallowed hard as he looked at me.

“W-what exactly is your relationship with Princess Ragni?”

“I’m her master, and she’s my slave.”

“…Meow.”

“W-what in the world…”

Confusion and bewilderment began to spread among them. Yes, the sample on display had told them.

He had concluded that Ragni was behind all the incidents so far, manipulating and orchestrating everything. And that I was being treated as something like her close aide.

But the reality was the opposite, and I was imprinting on them the fact that she was simply my companion.

The man shook his head vigorously as if trying to clear his mind, then continued with his next question.

“W-why is Princess Ragni suddenly meowing?”

No. He still hasn’t come to his senses. I said he could ask two or three questions, and that’s what comes out?

I stared at him in disbelief before blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“She’s a masochist who loves being scolded and a pervert who enjoys imitating beastkin.”

“…Meow.”

“……”

Ragni’s face turned red at my words, and she covered her face and lowered her head. The man froze like a broken computer at the information I’d planted and Ragni’s reaction.

Why? What? Isn’t this enough? End of questions, right?

“Now choose…”

“W-wait a moment!!!”

“Why again? I said two or three questions!”

“T-this is really necessary. Please answer!”

No. You’re the one who’s been asking crazy questions until now. I’ve given you plenty of bait. What more information do you need?

I looked at him irritably and raised my fist, but he opened his mouth immediately, his eyes reflecting his determination to know at all costs.

“Why did you abandon Ponia?”

“……”

Hmm. Why is the question suddenly directed at me? This defeats the purpose of telling Ragni to meow.

But whatever. I don’t know why this is important to them, and it’s not difficult to answer, so I’ll just respond directly.

“I lived in the mountains with my little sister for three years on 800 cans per week. I thought we’d starve to death, so I ran away. And while I was running, I met Ragni. That’s it.”

“……”

At my story, the man’s face contorted as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have, and I urged them to make their choice. However…

“Three minutes. Please give us three minutes to talk among ourselves.”

“…You crazy bastard, you’re asking for a lot.”

Nine men remained. I wasn’t sure what their choice would be, but I moved away from them with Ragni.

I’d be watching them from where I could see them, and they were tied up anyway. If they tried to escape, I could just split their heads in half.

After creating some distance…

[-Occupation: Striker- : Level 17]

My brow furrowed at the status window that suddenly appeared, and when I turned my eyes toward what my veteran ranger senses had detected, I saw a white tiger woman hiding in the distance, watching us.

What the fuck? Why is she here now?

*

“Dolph. What are you thinking?”

“Surely you’re not planning to beg those monsters for your life?!”

Dolph, the assassin squad member who was addressed, was a senior among them, though not the highest-ranking.

The two men speaking to him now were from the same division as the fallen leader and were top-ranking members of the assassination squad.

“I’ll beg for my life if that’s what it takes to survive. The mission has failed anyway, and if this mission fails, we all die. Have you forgotten that?”

“You crazy bastard. Have you forgotten how many people that woman has killed?!”

“To think a traitor like you was among us!!”

Dolph thinks, ‘These guys are being ridiculous.’

They kept their mouths shut when the leader was getting beaten up. They played dumb when he was asking questions. And now that the man has moved away, they’re like this.

“Yes, I’ll be a traitor. If believing the information we just got is the way to survive, I don’t care if I’m labeled a traitor.”

“What?!”

“You worthless dog!! Have you forgotten what the Empire has done for you?!”

What the Empire has done for him? He can’t think of much.

Originally, he had aspired to be a knight, and he was exceptionally skilled. He had a relative who was somehow connected to the disaster and incident involving the princess that the leader had mentioned earlier.

It’s obvious they’re trying to force hatred and anger on him, but he doesn’t feel any of that. If anything, he’s now grateful to the princess for quickly stopping the disaster back then.

If that incident had escalated, as that man said earlier, it would have killed another million people. And among that million would surely have been his family and himself. Moreover…

“What about the rest of you? After seeing the princess just now, do you still think she’s a monster who kills people without emotion?”

He doesn’t care about these senior members, but he is concerned about his juniors.

They’re like him—somewhat distant from the incident, but with a relative or two involved.

However…

“…I saw the princess stroking that man’s face when he was unconscious.”

“A-actually, I saw it too. She was worried, saying if it weren’t for her, the rest wouldn’t have had to die, right?”

“He said he was a ranger, so maybe he’s getting used to killing people? And with a weekly wage of 800 cans, I’d run away too. How sad.”

“The way she was meowing and getting embarrassed just now was really cute.”

“…To make a beautiful woman do such things, it’s so wr… outrageous! I feel sorry for the princess!!”

Some crazy comments are mixed in, but they generally align with his thoughts. The juniors, including himself, have never been deployed in assassination plots against the princess. It was always those senior members and leaders filled with grudges and resentment who did it directly.

So it’s only natural for them to make this choice. Why should they follow these forced grudges and hatred when joining the princess’s side—or rather, that man’s side—is the only way to survive?

“So, everyone except these two shares my opinion, right?”

“Dolph, you traitor!!!”

“I’ll kill you!! I’ll kill your entire family!!!”

“Ranger sir! We’ve finished talking!”

Dolph ignores the two men’s shouts and calls out to him. Why should he be afraid when they’re all going to die here anyway?

He immediately spoke to the two who suddenly brought up his family, though he barely had any personal connection to them.

“We’ll all join your side except these two.”

Just as he was the quickest to decide to flee when the leader fell, his decision to cut ties was swift.

*

This guy’s pretty good at cutting his losses, huh?

The black-haired guy who reminded me of Kyaru, the icon of betrayal, said this:

Most of the assassin squad members were relatives of people connected to incidents the princess had “resolved.” They were that kind of people too, but they actually didn’t harbor much ill will, and this was the first assassination attempt against her.

Most of the truly vicious ones were those three guys and the ones currently infiltrating Aigram.

“The information we were always given was that the princess had no human emotions or that she abandoned people without hesitation when making choices for the country.”

“But after hearing what was said earlier, I’m convinced. You simply made the best choice, but His Majesty and the Chancellor used the princess to avoid all responsibility.”

“I understand perfectly well that the princess does have human feelings after seeing her behavior earlier.”

“She was rather cute, actually.”

In summary, they just don’t want to get beaten up, and they think Ragni is cute.

Well, things have generally gone as I planned.

“Good. Now, pledge your loyalty and obedience to Ragni.”

“…What? Me?”

“Your speech.”

“…Me, meow?”

At her speech pattern, the faces of the men sitting in front of us all brighten. These guys seem like a bunch of perverts too.

And Ragni looks at me as if she increasingly can’t understand the current situation, but this is right.

It’s time to use your skill now.

If the Empire is preparing to stab us in the back, we have no reason to just sit still.

[Skill: Quality of an Emperor.]

[Quality of an Emperor Effect: Turn a defeated enemy into your subordinate. The affected target becomes ‘subjugated’ to the subject regardless of their will. (You can issue 3 absolute commands to the subjugated target.)]

[Skill: One Who Stands Above.]

[One Who Stands Above Effect: One born to stand above cannot be less capable than those below. Steal the stats of humans subjugated to you. (Takes 50 percent of the subjugated target’s stats.)]

I had Ragni use the skills I’d been afraid to unleash until now.