Hakai No Miko Volume 2 Chapter 214 Part2 (1/2)

“Are you telling me to not exploit the prisoners?”

Marchronis, who had a preparatorywith Souma about the treatment of the prisoners, ere transferred to a detention carandly perplexed bywhat Souma told hi the prisoners as slaves And not only that, he gave detailed instructions in order to preventthreepunishment hips and such by the detention camp's overseers

Different towar are protected by various treaties, the prisoners on this Seldeas Continent were seen as part of the war spoils

If they are nobles or the sons of wealthy es as it's possible to dereat number of common soldiers, they are usually exploited as slaves on farms or in ht of the victor

Of course Marchronis doesn't get any enjoy the Holht that the prisoners should be exploited to some extent and that the quantity and quality of their meals should be restricted

That's simply because he considered it of no benefit to do otherwise

If you only think about the benefits, holding back on harsh labor and providing proper meals rather e long-ter them deliberately into a cruel environ the prisoners' stamina and willpower to cause a rebellion If they are allowed to save strength and have the leeway to think about useless things, the prisoners, ere ene In order for things to not turn out like that, they are forced into harsh labor and have their meals limited

But, Souma forbids that practice

Even if it hadn't been Marchronis, anyone else would have naturally been bewildered as well

In response to that, Souma hit his chest once, and says, “That's what I think” The very same day, when Marchronis and Setius had transported them to the area opened for developathered in front of Souma

Souma stood on a platform in front of the several hundred prisoners and started with this:

“Those wanting to run away, please feel free to do so I don't mind”

Upon that statement, not only the prisoners but even Marchronis and Setius look up to Souh he realized that everybody was astonished, Sounored it and continued his words,

“Of course on't do so you If you follow the northern road, you will be able to go to another city, but should you get lost on the way, it will be the best to head for the triangular mountain located in the direction over there”

As he even started to kindly explain the escape route, the prisoners began to stir

“Ah, I forgot toin Bolnis and not being arrested won't work If possible, it would be a big help if you could avoid the city and keep on walking towards the east”

At that point Souma reveals a nasty smile

“If you walk for 10 or 20 days without any breaks, you will be able to return to Holmea, so please do your best”

At thatwith Marchronis, realized Souma's intention

“However, please make sure by all es just because you're hungry, okay? If you do so like that, even I won't have any option but to hunt you down Unless you have the confidence to shake off the pursuit of the excellent zoan warriors in these plains, I cannot reco like that”

Once they were told this uessed Sou in high spirits in front of thehts in the plains, o out Thanks to the battles in this area for reat number of ferocious wolves, who learned the taste of people's flesh, are apparently loitering in the area If you were to be attacked by the eaten alive is horrifying”

What Sou up a play by quivering while tightly hugging his own shoulders is that they will lose their lives pointlessly, if they escape from this detention camp

Moreover, Souma's announcements are no empty threats either

“You don't have to worry so much If it's this detention camp, it will be protected by zoan warriors who have become used to deal with those wolves”

And then he thrust his right hand high up into the air and spread his five fingers

“Five years!”

The prisoner's eyes focus on Sou drawn to it

“I will release you, if you work here for five years! And not just that Although it will be a sive you money and food as well Also, those, who perform especially well, will have that period shortened and will experience an increase in iven upon their release!”

A coh the prisoners due to this

Machronis leaked a sigh of ad confronted with the reality that they won't be able to escape, they were guaranteed safety if they stay in the detention ca on their work perforht be called foul play, but it's a clever ot off the platforh explanation, and says while s wryly,

“As ever, you have a nasty character”

◆◇◆◇◆

However, there are still incautious people who increasingly become rebellious and disobedient the less suppressed they are

“I ain't joking I will definitely escape”

The one who strongly vowed that was a young prisoner with the nain with, he has beco a living Frooistic, confident in his physical strength and blessed with a good physique Even within the Hol fro entrusted with a platoon

However, see ended up beco Souma's prisoner in the Decisive Battle over Bolnis, which was his very first can

But, because he beca himself didn't believe for the tiniest bit that he had lost and that it had been the Holmean army that lost on its own Hence he felt all theexploited by reclauys, ill run away from here”

Behind the backs of the different racescalled out to the cooin' to do that?”

“I will think about that fro obedient for so loses his patience due to the indecisive attitude of his co punishments

“Got it, you lot? In this place ill definitely be put to work until we die, okay!?”

Upon those words, one of his comrades timidly said,

“But, we've been told that we'll be released if we persist for five years”

However, Doug didn't believe in that from the very start

“It's plain as day that it's a downright lie! No way that I'll get tricked by that!”

His coive further con work to the prisoners, the conversation stopped at that point

The young, round by the overseers Doug, who had been allotted the work that uses the most stamina, laiven a pickax by the overseers, he fixedly gazed at it

“This is reat pickax”

The pickaxes, which Doug has seen so far, were only the good pickax with a metallic head, which he borrohen he worked as tenant farmer for a wealthy farmer, and the ones where a sharpened stone had been tied to a wooden handle at his fa becoreat the far hasn't a sliver of motivation He was in a state where he onlywouldn't be found out

While continuing such noncos

Where's this place here? How rasp as much information as possible to escape from here

However, eventually his eyesthe's assuh footsteps and having his expression twisted in displeasure, obvious with a glance at his face that had a dense beard

He was resolved that he et even whipped once, but the dwarf snatched away the pickax in Doug's hands Although he was ready for a lashi+ng, he et punished with an iron tool Doug's body stiffened up

However, the dwarf snorts grandly with a “Hu his own body's ass, waist, shoulders, ar the pickax with the pals to the extent of his shoulders' width, firround The pickax sinks deeply into the ground alongside a hearty crunching sound The dwarf lifts the handle, using the pickax as lever and digs up the hard ground

And then, after snorting grandly once

He doesn't really understand what's going on, but he catches the pickax either way However, even though the dwarf returned the pickax, he still stands in front of Doug with his ar to his previous spot As it was unavoidable for hi decided to work seriously for a little while

But, once he swung the pickax three tiain the dwarf round after swinging the pickax, and throws it back to Doug

Once that process has repeated itselfafter taking the pickax away Doug becah, but he had no option but to endure in his position as prisoner He tried to get through the situation by actinghis body

“Nnh! Nnh!”

But, without punishi+ng hi other work and waved with his hand at Doug as if driving away a puppy

“What the heck's wrong with that dwarf?”

Doug cursed, but since it would be absurd to get defiant over so like this and receive punishment for that, he obediently went to the indicated place

The next work Doug had been sent to was to shovel the earth, which had been broken apart with pickaxes, on a handcart

“What's wrong, Doug?”

An acquaintance calls out to Doug as he arrived

“No clue, but they told me to work over here”

“Don't stand out toothe spade that was handed over while being told that, Doug frowned

“What's this? This spade has a weird shape I see for the first ti knows about, it's wooden boards with a blade, which was covered by a metallic layer, attached to the board's end But, what he's holding in his hands right noas a spade that had a blade in the shape of a spoon attached to it If one looks properly, the back of the blades, located on both sides of the handle's base, is round It's been made so that you can step on it with a foot

“Aah —I' like that”

Because Doug had now a strangely-shaped spade too, he began to work after being taught how to use it, but once he actually did it, it went so easy that he got surprised The spoony blade made out of iron has been sharply tapered to a point at its end, just like a sword's point Thus if you place your body weight on your foot as it's done with a foot plough, even hard ground can be dug up roughly Besides, because the whole blade has become a spoon, it's also easy to scoop up the soil

I wonder how ht back this one toabout so no motivation

Once that happened, it was found out by a datching this area The dwarf arrives with heavy steps, snatches the spade in Doug's hands away, and repeats the sa realized a certain thing

Is this possibly their way of teaching hs that idea off Just in there the heck would you find overseers that teach working to prisoners? But, noelse

The dwarf, who noticed Doug getting distracted due to pondering about those things, stabbed the spade into the ground full of irritation Doug, who caed out, stiffened his body to receive a severe scolding, but as before, the dwarf only sighed very deeply

So “This guy's useless,” flares up against his better judgment, and instinctively snatches the spade out of the dwarf's hand

Even I have been a farinally I worked hard on the fields sincedeal if I put in a little effort

With such a conceit, Doug properly spreads his legs, lowers the center of his gravity, powerfully wields the spade and shovels the soil on the handcart After repeating that several ti him “How about that!” The dwarf nods in satisfaction as if saying “So you can actually do it,” and then leaves

“Serves ya right!”

After cursing with a quiet voice at the back of the leaving dwarf, he begins once again to shovel the soil

When a wooden board was clanged, signifying break-ti down fro fro away the sweat on his forehead with a feeling of satisfaction and exaltation after having worked out plentifully, Doug suddenly realized

“…Why a all serious about this?”

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With the day's work over, it was ti lined up at the queue for receiving hisa wooden bowl in his hand

The meals so far, when he had been locked up in Bolnis, was the standard food: either hard bread and salty soup with sooat ant, but for prisoner ood

Once he turns his face sidehile lining up in the line and looks at the place of the food distribution, it seee's turn today Neither the taste nor the a it as expected, becomes dejected

“…What's this?”

As his turn arrived, wheat porridge was poured into his wooden bowl, but due to so been placed on top of the porridge, Doug knit his brows and asked

“Hurry up andbeen brusquely chased away, Doug clicked his tongue and roughly picked up awith diluted ale that had been placed on top of a nearby table Afterwards he joins his comrades who have already received their food portion

“Geeze What's their proble cursed, but there's no response Once he noticed that, he saw his co placed on top of the porridge with their wooden spoons or sniffing its scent to investigate its true identity

“I wonder, what's this…?”

Everyone tilted their heads to the side upon on of theuess while half in doubt

“This is meat…isn't it?”

Everyone raised surprised voices at that

“Meat, you say!?”

“Don't talk bullshi+t Like hell they will feed so like meat to a prisoner!”

“But, this is jerky-like”

If seen by a ht wonder what's up with the uproar over a siularly eat meat in this world ealthy merchants, royalty and titled nobility The opportunities for ordinary people to eat meat were li of it not being an ingredient that would be added to the meals of prisoners

“So, what kind of meat is this?”

“Don't tell ht?”

Because they were taught in the ar reason, there were some who believed the rureatly troubled whether to eat it or not as they didn't know the meat's true identity, one of their comrades, who helped with the food distribution today, turned up and told thein

“It seems to be cow meat”

It was dried meat of the cows provided as part of the prisoners' food by the zoan

“Cowsaid that full of scorn and disappointment

If you were to talk aboutor chicken Deer or rabbits, occasionally caught by a hunter, were a treat

But, only cows are different It was co

Because they had huge expectations towards the

“Well, I guess it's better than none at all…”

Saying so, they unwillingly scooped up the meat with their spoons and ate it

At that instant, all of them cry out in surprise