Vol 1 Chapter 16 (2/2)

If it’s the old me, I would be frightened. However, the me of today does not feel fear at all. Because a hooligan like this is compared to the recalled experience of fighting fear many times over.

“It’s an interesting plan. However, there is a better plan. I annihilate you all and pretend the additional collection didn’t exist.”

“Hou, you says so right. You have just became the village chief and feel a little c.o.c.ky right? What’s said can be done by a powerless elf?”

“What can be done? It too early to see compared to words from the mouth. Shall I do it right away?

Shoot it!”

As I shouted, elves in positions about 20m away surrounded the soldiers to form a battle formation and took out the crossbow hidden behind them, pulling the trigger.

Since the bowstring has already been drawn fully, countless arrow flooded in.

And the arrows goes through the armor of the soldiers easily, piercing their body.

“Gyaaaaaaaaa”

“Owwwwwww”

“Why, why, the invincible armor of the empire!?”

The grin on the soldier’s faces some time ago stiffens.

Five people hit in a bad place dies instantly, and four people survives but falls to the ground writhing.

I had painted the arrows with poison based in aconite (monkshood) picked from the mountains mixed with several wild plants and excrement. An acute pain spreads once the fast acting neurotoxin enters the body and it becomes impossible to stand and writhe for half a day.

Crossbow is superior in penetrating, but it’s stopping power is insufficient. It takes a modest scheme to compensate for that.

From this, it becomes an incompetent weapon during melee combat.

When I noticed, about 2 people have committed suicide from excessive pain. Did I overdo it? I have to improve the poison a little more.

“Well, as you can see even the powerless elves are able to do something to this extent.”

Joseph falls on his rear and scoots backwards without standing up.

So far, it’s a single-sided killing. It’s impossible to do without something like the resolution to kill.

With corpse around, the voices of friends writhing in acute pain doubles the fear several folds.

“This is the question. Why have you been kept alive?”

Joseph does not answer my question.

That is because it’s impossible as he has frozen in fear.

“Time is up. As for one, it’s because I want information, so I am in need of a person from the human race to torture. Excluding vital points, I am allowed to shoot you, but being a little too fired up with poison, you might also break if I use that right? Therefore, I made special arrangement for you.”

At the same time I finished my words, an arrow comes flying from my rear and goes through Joseph’s a.s.s.

It’s shot from Lucie’s bow 100m away. She has good senses. She can aim at a place and hit at distance of 100m or less and there is hardly any error margin.

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, oh, on my feet, the arrow, arrow, pull it out, pull it out”

It’s a shameful cry. However, not much blood is flowing out. The poison is just ordinary muscle relaxant too. With only the force of entry, it should be hard to feel the pain instead.

“Therefore, although you will not be killed now, there would be a strong preference to shut your eyes and die.”

“Stop it! Do you think that you can get away with doing something like this!?”

“I do not think so. Therefore, you know. I’d like to hear various things. do you want to turn out that way too?”

When I pointed to a soldier’s corpse while saying so, Joseph’s expression stiffens. Among those who escaped from instant death, the elves are inflicting fatal wounds on them.

No, it isn’t something pretty. Countless arrows all over their whole body. Just for the sake of killing, it’s inevitable if it’s the case. For the sake of having revenge freely, cold-bloodedly, mercilessly and severely, anger is struck with each blow.

Appearing in the battlefield from ancient times, the soldier who could not kill a person becomes a problem. Statistically, 70% of the new recruits cannot pull the trigger. Even if it’s a gun. In the case of sword and spear, the tendency becomes stronger depending on the extent of feelings transmitted to the hands.

In a sense, the biggest concern was there. Can the elves who doesn’t know the battlefield really kill a person?

However, that worry is a needless anxiety. The pain that has been oppressed until now, the grief from s.n.a.t.c.hing away an important person, the feeling of protecting comrades next to you now all pulls that trigger.

“We, will not run away anymore. I will not let you take anything. I have the courage and resolution for confrontation. And the weapon to gain victory.”

I stop using honorifics. The performance is up to here.

The surrounding elves nod. The days hanging our head in shame and shedding tears are already over.

Even if we get hurt for example, we will face forward and struggle desperately. The feeling is shared by all the members.

“Let’s calm down, that’s it, this village has been suspected of rebellion since the previous guys did not come back. If we do not return, the doubt will turn into conviction and 500 fully armed soldiers will make arrangements to attack this village!”

“And? I already killed all others except for you, it’s just talks of how to fight the war later.”

“If you let me go, because I will ask to not attack the village, that’s it, if you tender wheat and 3 elves properly, all the dead subordinates,  I’ll decide that they have been killed by bandits!

Therefore, please don’t kill me! Do you even understand it? It’s 500 soldiers? If it comes to this, the village is over in an instant. Na, please.”

“It’s only 500 people. It doesn’t become anything if it’s only that.”

I a.n.a.lyze the present information objectively. And with the results obtained, I guess we are more than enough to win.

We will experience and somehow manage approximately 500 people.

It’s understandable. This village is far from the empire and the road is steep. It’s more than 200km and halfway up the mountain even if you say the road is paved. It’s difficult to march systematically, and it will cost an enormous amount of money.

Beside, with anymore people, it’s unprofitable even if the magic stone is obtained, and for the elves it will be plenty of experience.

“Well, shall we slowly acc.u.mulate stories with just the 2 of us? It’s okay, I will not kill you. There are a lot of things I want to hear, as I said earlier. And I have another reason to not kill you. There’s a family crest carved on your armor right? It has good craftsmans.h.i.+p. That’s the proof of aristocracy right? n.o.bles are lucrative.”

A crest in the shape of a lion is carved in a conspicuous spot in the middle of the armor.

In the empire, such decoration is the special privilege of the n.o.bles, and is not permitted with commoners.

“Because I’ll demand ransom after finis.h.i.+ng the battle with 500 man troops all at one go, I’ll have you live properly till then.”

In this era, requesting ransom for the prisoner is extremely common.

of course, if it’s done to a small fry soldier around here, it will be ignored and I will have no choice but to sell him as a slave in the end, but an aristocrat is profitable. The relatives have money and care about honor.

Unpleasant rumors arising such as So and So’s family paid money for a hushand, and in who and whose family, money is too precious to give up.

I have a small amount of money but I want a larger amount. There is limited self-sufficiency in this village. To replenish stocks from other village and towns, no matter how much money is not enough.

“I hate it, I hate it, this is a lie.”

I dragged Joseph who was throwing a a childish tantrum and entered the warehouse beside the village chief’s house.

Then, I took off his armor and start preparations for torture.

I leaked information in various ways some time ago, after all, and unless information is drawn out properly with some method, it isn’t credible.

Joseph tries to run away, but the poison doesn’t allow his body to move freely.

“Shall I use this..”

Holding a heated iron pipe, I rushed to Joseph’s original position.

I have to confirm whether the talk of 500 soldiers is reliable first. Because he is a n.o.ble, I will listen to various other stories too.

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