Ch.94Humanity with Humanity #6

I only sat down on the office sofa after sleeping in unusually late.

Helena naturally occupied the head seat, while Ellen and I were seated facing each other.

Since we planned to discuss rather serious matters today, even the seating arrangement was different from usual.

“…Since I briefly mentioned it before bed, you all should know already, so I won’t repeat myself. How much should we extract from them?”

“Their lives.”

The two spoke in unison, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

It seemed they had forgotten the plan to extract payment in something other than lives.

Perhaps it meant they were so angry their heads were completely empty of other thoughts.

Even after I had comforted them, they still felt this way.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but sigh, exhaling deeply while shaking my head.

“Let’s talk about options other than their necks. Something that would benefit us.”

“Then we should confiscate their autonomy and make them all slaves.”

“Making them pay tribute would be good too. We should strip them of all their herbs and such that elves use among themselves.”

The plundering of people and goods was something I had considered as well, so it sounded quite familiar.

Especially in times like these, it would be natural to extract things in a more barbaric manner. To put it somewhat dramatically, this was a situation where the victorious nation extorts the defeated one.

“So you’re suggesting we take elven slaves and goods. That’s a good idea.”

Setting aside whether the elves remaining in the village would accept it, the idea itself didn’t seem bad.

Though we would need to adjust the extent, it was just a matter of quantity—I didn’t want to differentiate the conditions.

Whether the captured village chiefs would accept it or not.

And if they did accept, whether the elves remaining in the village would accept it or not.

To make them accept our will, we had to pass through these two gates.

If the flow was blocked at either gate, then it would truly mean war.

I thought that if they opposed my conditions by force, it would be the same as brazenly pretending they knew nothing about the ambush against me.

Besides, even if they overthrew their leaders, it wouldn’t erase the wrong done to me.

Because I believe a leader’s decision is the organization’s decision.

“Alright. I’ll have those village chief bastards brought here right away.”

To properly plunder, one must know the environment of the place they’re plundering.

With that in mind, I summoned someone and ordered them to bring Eilen to this mansion immediately.

She seemed to be one of the more important heads among the village chiefs, so I thought she would know quite a bit.

“Gion. Will that damn woman actually give proper answers…?”

Helena fidgeted with her interlocked fingers, showing signs of distrust.

Someone who would think of kidnapping me to gain control might easily lie to our faces.

Helena pointed this out.

I nodded quietly, thinking she had a valid point.

Assuming otherwise might be too optimistic.

“I think so too, but it might not be bad if she’s caught lying.”

“You mean you’ll use it as an excuse to extract even more?”

“Exactly.”

For that, we would need a local investigation, but I was willing to invest that time to gain more.

Of course, the investigators would need to remain inconspicuous, and compensation would be necessary.

If Ellen knew the elven ecosystem well, we wouldn’t need to go to such lengths…

.

“You called for me.”

After leisurely having a cup of tea and chatting, the village chief representative Eilen entered the office.

She wore heavy shackles on her wrists, though they seemed useless against magic.

However, with Ellen standing firmly here, they might serve their purpose.

Without magic, Eilen would be only slightly better than an ordinary woman.

“Yes. Good of you to come. I called you because I have questions, so sit down there first.”

“Understood.”

Eilen bowed her head and sat where I pointed.

It was the large sofa where Ellen had been sitting until just now.

Three against one.

With Helena and Ellen on either side of me, I leaned back lazily on the sofa and began to speak.

“I have no reason to mince words, so I’ll get straight to the point. What do your village and other elven villages cultivate?”

Elves have their own economy.

Being rather closed off, they often trade with outsiders through barter, but Ellen said there was value in it.

I’d heard that herbs grown by elves were much more effective than regular ones.

“What we… cultivate in each village?”

Eilen tilted her head, her expression suggesting she didn’t understand why I was asking.

In my opinion, she wasn’t genuinely confused but pretending to be.

She didn’t seem like a woman who would be that oblivious.

“Don’t disgustingly pretend not to understand, and don’t lie. Ellen.”

“Yes.”

One way to prevent someone from lying is to remove their opportunity to do so.

With that in mind, I called Ellen to sever Eilen’s connection to the spirits, preventing her from summoning them.

As we had discussed beforehand.

“Ugh…! What was that just now?”

Eilen showed signs of confusion, as if she had touched a static electric shock.

It wasn’t magic in the usual sense as there was no fluctuation of mana, so her skin must have tingled in that situation, making her reaction understandable.

“Didn’t you hear the reports from your scouts who were reduced to rags? If not, let me tell you. I’ve cut off your communion so you can’t summon spirits.”

“What?!”

Spirits are lifelong companions to elves. In other words, they’re as natural as breathing.

Suddenly being unable to use spirit magic, especially at the hands of dark elves whom they despise, was shocking.

It was natural for her voice to rise.

Even the usually composed Eilen was no exception.

I twisted the corners of my mouth into a sneer, finding her reaction satisfying.

“Heritage is quite useful. It can even break the pride of you high-and-mighty elves. Anyway, this is a measure to prevent you from trying anything. Do you understand?”

“…Yes, I understand.”

With her pride broken, Eilen bit her lip hard.

Seeing that was truly satisfying.

It felt like pouring sesame oil into my mouth.

After that, the conversation proceeded quite smoothly.

Having lost the power to handle mid to high-level spirits, she must have felt a great sense of loss.

Perhaps to compensate for that, she was answering my questions sincerely.

At least that’s how it appeared to me.

“Good. From now on, you will offer those herbs of yours every year. I’ll need to see detailed reports of your total production to determine the amount.”

“…Yes.”

Pressuring just one head responsible for actions is more effective than pressuring the entire organization.

Eilen’s extremely compliant attitude reminded me of that saying.

Even I thought it was quite cunning, but it was fair compensation.

“I should discuss the rest at the training ground. Let’s change locations.”

To convey all demands, including slave conscription, it would be better to gather all the village chiefs.

So I had servants bring the group of village chiefs to the training ground.

After gathering enough information, I intended to go to them.

“Elves as slaves?!”

As soon as I mentioned the word “slaves,” the village chiefs erupted.

Although they were the defeated party, sending slaves was a different matter altogether, so their reaction was understandable.

They might have thought they would just lose some money at most.

Also, broadly speaking, it could be interpreted as the entire elven race submitting to House Krauser.

“What? Does that not suit you? Then say you refuse, say it’s impossible. The moment you do, negotiations will break down.”

Even though I said slaves, I had no intention of enslaving the entire race.

After all, Krauser’s money would end up feeding them.

Of course, I could treat them harshly enough to make it worthwhile, but somehow it didn’t feel right.

“T-that is…”

As a precaution, I had severed the communion of all these bastards gathered here.

Even if they wanted to resist by force, they couldn’t, so stammering and trailing off was their maximum resistance.

Unless they could use mana like knights, but they specialized in spirit magic.

“I really hate hesitation. But I also don’t like forcing things. So I’ll give you 10 minutes to think. You can discuss it together, or agonize over it alone. Decide within that time.”

However, I would take failure to decide as a declaration of war.

After I issued that ultimatum and closed my mouth, the village chiefs began to chatter among themselves.

Whether they should endure the humiliation of becoming slaves to humans. If we fought, we would die like straw without resistance.

I inwardly smirked as I watched the training ground become as noisy as a marketplace.

“What do you think they’ll do?”

Helena, who had been sitting quietly beside me, asked.

She must have been bored watching them argue.

“I think they’ll accept. What do you think, Helena?”

“I think so too. Doing as they’re told is the only way to survive. At least that’s how I see it.”

Without Ellen, it might be different, but with her firmly by my side, the elves had almost no chance of winning.

If their pride was much stronger than their survival instinct, they might choose a different path, but if not, they would choose to live.

“By the way, if they accept becoming slaves, what do you plan to do with them?”

Ellen, who had been sitting with her back straight as if satisfied, casually threw out a question.

As the contributor who made this pressure possible and as my woman, she deserved an answer.

“Hmm… I’m thinking of expanding the territory by clearing some of the nearby forest. Land development requires a lot of manpower, which is difficult to mobilize from the territory’s residents, so this seems like good timing.”

“If you expand the territory… there will be a lot of construction work, right?”

“Yes, but it should be fine since we’ll be using slaves who only need to be fed.”

I had heard that cutting down too many trees wasn’t good, though it wasn’t like spreading harmful substances, so I was actively considering clearing the land.

Therefore, I planned to proceed leisurely with a well-thought-out plan.

We spent the time leisurely discussing the future amidst the noise.

After 10 minutes…

When the promised time came, I whispered in Helena’s ear, asking her to wrap things up.

Although I had been leading so far, it seemed better for the Duke to finish things.

Additionally, it would be easier to subdue those who were so heated they lost track of time.

“The promised time is up!!”

Helena, who had briefly blushed, shouted with a dignified voice as if nothing had happened.

Her voice, infused with mana, was thunderous. It almost made me think the mansion might shake.

Perhaps feeling not just dignity but also threat, the village chiefs looking toward us were terrified.

It was understandable, facing the voice and killing intent of a Master.

Especially in a situation where they couldn’t use the reliable spirits they could normally summon.

“Accept or refuse! Give us the answer you’ve decided!”

A crossroads of life and death.

I hoped those at this crossroads would choose the path of survival.

If they chose war, I was prepared to get blood on my hands without hesitation, but I wanted to avoid a bloody situation.

I wasn’t someone who thirsted for blood.

“W-we…”

Perhaps because they hadn’t reached a conclusion yet.

The village chiefs’ voices still trembled as they tried to answer.

Not only were they terrified, but they also seemed to hesitate due to the lack of a clear answer.

I had issued an ultimatum, but would I have to retract it?

Such thoughts crossed my mind, but the thought that I shouldn’t do so kept my mouth shut.

If the elves detected my hesitation, I would really have to take action.

“We…” The elven village chiefs stammered just those words, as if they had rehearsed it.

Over and over again.

Because of this, anger gradually rose within me, pushing aside my discomfort and making me consider breaking their necks right away.

Thanks to my mental fortitude, it didn’t reach an extreme state, but it was equally unpleasant.

Helena and Ellen also seemed to share similar thoughts, crossing their arms with narrowed eyes.

Being much more extreme than me, it wouldn’t be strange if they did something right away.

However, perhaps the bastards read the increasingly hostile atmosphere.

“We will… follow the noble’s orders.”

After keeping us in suspense to the point of irritation, they finally declared their surrender.