Chapter 155 – Soldier (1/2)
Although there were some people coming and going for business and politics after Pyursang became independent from Vichy, it dropped sharply in comparison to the time when they were the same nation.
There was export of goods such as salt and a part of the processed marine products, but the scale wasn’t that large because of the distance to other countries besides Vichy.
Because there’s almost no people coming for sightseeing to begin with except for a part of the nobility, merchants not coming means basically people not coming.
Hence the unusual phenomenon inside Pyursang wasn’t noticed until its influence spread to outside the country.
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The messenger, who received a magic tool from the person who called himself a spy of the messenger’s country, looked through the documents which had the way how to use it written in it along the way back home.
Originally it’s logical to hand it to Minoson who’s the country’s leader and the one in charge, but judging it as extremely unlikely for himself being able to explain why he went to the capital of Orsongrande, the messenger intends to sell this magic tool as “item gifted by Fokalore at the end of the negotiations” and thus thought that he should know about what kind of item it is in order to explain it.
Even while feeling uneasy due to piling up lies for the sake of deception, there was apparently no other way but to do it like this.
“This is… there is such a thing…”
The effect of the magic tool explained in the documents was enough to make him tremble in fear. And, it was overflowing with a charm making him hold onto ambitions that are beyond his abilities. Moreover the circumstances were in order.
“You are doing something unusual.”
“That’s not how it is. I had you come along with me this far. I will do at least this much.”
Along the way, with the distance between cities being far, there are several places where they have to sleep outdoors no matter what. Accordingly the messenger took over the preparation of the soup which is one of the dishes. Usually it was something the soldiers would do, but at that time he explained it with 「It’s my way of thanking and rewarding you」.
And then, while the soldiers are sleeping like logs after they drank the soup with sleeping medication in it, he prepares the magic tool. Even the sleeping pills were explained in the documents as “for the sake of medical treatment during sleep.”
Stripping off the tunic of one man first, he smeared his own blood on the soldier’s chest while feeling jealous about its trained condition which is different from his own skinny self, and then put the small magic tool against the soldier’s chest.
While the magic tool buried itself towards the heart with a *zubo zubo*, the soldier didn’t stir even once. A few seconds after the magic tool embedded itself completely,
“Uwah!”
Due to the soldier suddenly rising his body, the messenger fell on his backside while screaming.
The soldier, who breathes roughly while his body is convulsing all over, has his muscles swell gradually from head to foot, and, after he literally grew to twice his size, he shrinks back to the size close to his original figure.
What remained was the figure of a robust reinforced soldiers who was clad in muscles which were stiff like a rock.
“A-Amazing…”
Once the messenger orders the soldier, who is sitting absent-mindedly with blank eyes, 「Stand up」, the soldier gets up swiftly, and straightens up his back while extending both hands.
The excited messenger embeds magic tools into the sleeping soldiers one after the other.
“If I have this, I’m…”
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The messenger, who brought back home the soldiers who turned into puppets, approached the sovereign Minoson pretending to make his report, and forcibly embedded the magic tool by using his reinforced soldiers.
Ordering Minoson, who became the yes-man of the messenger, he made him write his own abdication declaration after setting himself as the heir, had him hand it over to a doubtful close aide, and had him make an official announcement to the people.
The male messenger, who became the king, remodelled the soldiers into reinforced soldiers successively, and moreover succeeded in creating 10 giant soldiers as well.
If there was someone who criticized or opposed him, he executed them without hesitation. As the reinforced soldiers, who don’t know fatigue, were able to serve as constant guards, they guaranteed the safety of his body.
Reorganizing the army, he remodels the low-ranking soldiers into reinforced soldiers, sets himself as sole commander and dismisses all the other commanders. Those, who were unhappy with it, were killed after finding a suitable reason for doing it.
“Isn’t this amazing? People, who possess power, can feel this good?”
The mouth of the former messenger, who was drunk on sake as he sat on top of the throne he got used to, got slack.
“I wonder whether Earl Tohno, who walks merrily in Fokalore’s territory or such, feels like this as well? No, no, that person is satisfied being the feudal lord of a single area in the end. …After all that means that he has no more than the strength of an individual?”
Pyursang’s king raised his voice unable to stop the laughter welling up from the bottom of his abdomen as he wondered why the hell he was so afraid of Earl Tohno.
“That’s right. My soldiers aren’t an army of mere humans anymore. Vichy’s central committee members seem to be excessively scared of Earl Tohno, but in the end he has the strength of one individual. Isn’t he a mere human that tries to be a soldier!?”
Standing up from the throne, the king does a strange dance with his drunken feet.
“There’s no need to finish with being the king of such small country! Orsongrande depends on Earl Tohno. Horant has been ruined due to the fight with Orsongrande…”
He held down his voice as he felt nausea, but he changed his mind with “there’s nothing I have to be shy of.” Summoning a maid, he vomited into the washbasin, he had her hold, with all his might.
Rinsing his sticky mouth with sake, he vomits once again.
“Let’s take Vichy for starters. And, crushing Orsongrande’s Fokalore, it will be great to make that queen, whom I will see soon, into my possession…”
Pointing at the reinforced soldiers lining up in the corner of the room, he raised a yell mixed with saliva.
“Reinforced soldiers! Using you guys, I will seize the world! First we will attack Vichy! Assault the villages and cities nearby, and show them your strength!”
Without replying, the soldiers leave the room in groups according to the king’s decree. The king’s words continued in their back.
“Convey it to the other reinforced soldiers and giant soldiers as well! It’s fine for you to steal supplies locally on site! Kill them without minding their appearance! Kill all of them, those who resist and those who don’t!”
Hearing those words, the reinforced soldiers suddenly stopped moving.
“What’s wrong? Do it quickly!”
The reinforced soldiers were faithful to orders.
Drawing their swords, they started by slaying a nearby maid without minding her appearance and then killed every single person who was inside the room.
Of course the soldiers also get close to the king.
“W-What is it? What’s wrong?”
If he wasn’t dead drunk, he might have been able to utter the single word 「Stop」.
However, with the maids who have been suddenly killed in front of his eyes, the drunken, foolish king was unable to do anything but being panicked.
“Ah.”
A short scream. Those were the last words of the king.
Without looking at the fallen corpse of the king, the reinforced soldiers leave the room.
“… All of the reinforced soldiers. The giant soldiers as well.”
“Kill everyone. Steal food.”
They mutter the orders of the king severally. Their thinking is concentrating on accomplishing their instructions, but their movements aren’t dull at all.
Devilish cut-throats who were released by careless words.
They massacred the people inside the building within the blink of an eye, conveyed the orders to their colleagues who were on standby, and released the giant soldiers within their cages by killing their guards.
Pulling the chains which are controlling the giant soldiers, the reinforced soldiers scatter into the city.
The city gets almost completely destroyed by 200 reinforced soldiers. Chasing those who ran away, they further spread out in order to scatter in all directions outside the country.