Chapter 11 (2/2)

“However, the machiini of those fellows… They meet all specifications for the machiinis of a knight group, but they can´t be from the Ruuin kingdom, right?”

Borudo, who had gone out of his gnome after he had properly finished carrying out of the fort all they were going to bring, spoke. In response to that, Bela answered without putting on airs in particular.

“Those are from Paroma´s knight group. Those guys piloting the elegant ones had the short sword with the crest of Paroma´s knight group by their chest after all. Most likely, they were guys that fled from a lost battle or so.”

“In that case, wouldn´t it mean they would get a bonus in the reward for them?”

Bela laughed at Borudo´s words with her usual “Hyahyahya”.

Those were pilots of the enemy kingdom, and so there should be a reward for taking their heads. Because there was the short sword to prove those were deserters, so there should be no problems for getting the extra reward. Just like Borudo said, they should be able to get the additional money.

“In that case, maybe I should buy you a barrel´s worth of booze for you.”

Borudo unconsciously gulped because of Bela´s muttering. To the dwarf race, alcohol was just like the blood that flowed through their bodies. Looking at Borudo´s change in character, Bela laughed even more and proceeded by s.h.i.+fting her attention to the problem at hands.

The problem would be how to deal with the women that had been captured by the bandit group.

The women that already calmed down after one night having pa.s.sed were gathered at the center of the fort.

“So, in total, there are twenty four women. Much more than I expected.”

“Yes, I guess.”

Borudo´s words were slightly hazy.

There were actually twenty five women in total. However, the one inside the room of the man that seemed to be the leader of the bandit gang was beaten to death. The signs of aggression were recent, and they also seemed to have been done by the hands of women. Borudo imagined that the ones that killed her were those people that were now gathered in front of his eyes. Her face was all smashed, but the girl still seemed to be very young. (TL note: Noooo Yunannn ;-;)

“What is it?”

“No… it´s nothing.”

Borudo shook his head at Bela´s puzzled gaze. It wasn´t something that was needed to be talked about in particular. All there was about it was that the other women held resentment for the girl that became the boss´ woman, and thus, the girl was killed. They were the same women that brutally killed the remaining bandits. If they were to poorly deal with them and aggravate their situation, once those women started to show signs of rebellion, perhaps they would go kill the little girl in front of his eyes without mercy. No, Borudo believed they would definitely do that.

“Hmm. Well, fine then. So, did you finish talking among yourselves?”

Bela turned her eyes from Borudo to the women. Bela waited. There weren´t many choices available. She thought that by now should be about the time for them to decide.

“Ah, yes. I am Rama. I was chosen to be the mediator for the moment.”

One of the women stepped forward and answered.

She was in her twenties. It seemed she to be the one sorting out the captured women. She seemed to be the type that would kick men´s b.u.t.ts and make them do their work, but even so, she was looking at the child that was smaller than her own kids with eyes filled with fear.

“You…. No, we will go to Collosus just like you said.” (TL note: The “You…” part, the girl used ->あんた<-, but=”” then,=”” she=”” corrected=”” herself,=”” using=”” -=””>あなた<-, which=”” is=”” more=””>

“All of you?”

Rama and also the other girls behind her nodded to Bela´s words. There were girls even that had just pa.s.sed the age of ten. Despite that, the choices given to them were only few.

All the men of their village were killed, so even if they went back to that place, they would lack workforce. Because of that, they wouldn´t be able to pay the tax to the local landlord. And besides that, there were poor harvests this year, so their emergency stocks were stolen. Their situation was one all they could do was to starve to death.

Therefore, the only choices available were to become slaves with Bela mediating the negotiations and having something to eat the next day guaranteed, or to go back to their villages and die of hunger, and perhaps be cheaply sold as slaves in the end.

There was also the choice of leaving their village aside and escape to some uninhabited land without anything guaranteed, but this would be a gamble of low chances of survival. The continent of Ishtaria wasn´t a kind place that would permit such a reckless thing.

And so was it. To Bela, whatever decision those women would take didn´t matter to be fair. She could make money if she took them to the Vagahte company, but in Bela´s opinion, rather than doing that, she would rather just go do another commission already. It would take a lot of work to send them to Colossus, the city of the battle-crazed. Because having to carry a machiini together with them would slow down their traveling speed, Bela just casually talked about that. If it wasn´t for that, there was no mistake she would have just left the women there and gone back sooner.

In any case, it was decided that the women would go back to the city along with Bela and Borudo. Bela obtained both the gimmick ability of the newly attached arm and a machiini. There couldn´t be better battle results than that.

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