Chapter 46

The next morning, when Shemul visited the bedroom to wake up Soma, he couldn't help but frown.

Despite being told not to overexert himself, the bed was just as it had been the night before, with no sign that Soma had slept in it. Shemul sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping as if to say, "What am I supposed to do with you?" He then looked around, wondering where Soma could be. That's when he spotted Soma sitting in a corner of the room, hugging one knee and looking down. Shemul thought he might have fallen asleep in that position, but that wasn't the case. Soma seemed unaware of Shemul's entrance and was muttering to himself.

Shemul approached with deliberate heavy steps, and finally, Soma slowly lifted his head, noticing Shemul.

"Ah... Shemul."

"That's not 'Ah... Shemul,' Soma! I told you not to overexert yourself!"

At Shemul's stern tone, Soma's blurred eyes finally focused. He slowly looked around and noticed the sunlight streaming into the room.

"Huh...? When did it become morning?"

Shemul was exasperated by this response.

"Soma, please, don't worry me so much."

As he said this, Shemul sat down next to Soma and took out the breakfast he had brought. It consisted of roasted bird thighs seasoned with salt and herbs, and dumplings made from ground tree nuts.

"I found a clumsy bird that had wandered into the courtyard this morning. It was plump and looked delicious, so I decided to catch it for breakfast."

Soma thought the bird might have been a pet, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Shemul, who was so innocently happy.

When Soma was handed the well-roasted bird thigh and was about to take a bite, he suddenly froze. Holding the thigh, he hesitated, and Shemul noticed.

"What's wrong? Don't you like birds?"

"No, it's not that..."

Shemul took a bite of his own thigh. The rich flavor of the meat, combined with the salt and the spicy herbs, was incredibly delicious.

The taste was fine, so Shemul wondered why Soma wasn't eating. Encouraged by Shemul's gaze, Soma tentatively took a bite.

He chewed a large piece of meat, swallowed it after a few chews, and muttered softly.

"... Can food be torn apart?"

Shemul, who had been chewing his own thigh, tilted his head. "Is it that tough?"

For a while, the two of them continued to eat in silence. Shemul felt something odd about Soma but hesitated to ask, sensing a fragile tension like thin ice in early spring.

When Soma called his name after finishing the meal, Shemul stumbled.

"What is it, Soma?"

"Can you ask Dovarin to gather the former slaves in the square?"

"Got it. You want to call on them to help in the battle against the humans, right?"

However, Soma didn't give a clear answer to Shemul's question. Instead, he made another request.

"Also, I need you to prepare a couple of things for me."

Shemul looked puzzled at the two items Soma named. They were not significant; things that could be prepared in the town immediately.

"What do you need those for?"

"Yeah, they're just some props."

Shemul was even more confused by Soma's vague smile.

◆◇◆◇◆

Garam was observing the dwarves and dinosauroids who had been slaves, gathered in the square.

Yesterday, they had been so hostile that they might have attacked their benefactors, the Zoans, but after a good meal and a night's rest, they seemed to have calmed down.

However, this was only on the surface. The former slaves' gazes toward the Zoans were far from friendly. From their perspective, being freed from slavery was not something they had asked for; it was something the Zoans had done on their own to conquer the town. Some, like the dinosauroid Jahangir, even seemed to think that the Zoans had only been able to conquer the town with their help.

Garam was worried about how Soma planned to persuade such a group.

Zug, who had the same troubled expression, approached.

"Zug, how are things on your side?"

"Not much different," Zug said dismissively.

"The problem is the dinosauroids, especially that Jahangir. They could turn violent at any moment."

"Is it because they can't accept following a human like Soma?"

From their perspective, the Zoans, who had followed a human who had enslaved and brutalized them, must have seemed strange.

"That's part of it. They're also demanding that all the humans in the town be killed. They talk about it every chance they get. It's getting tiresome."

Garam chuckled at Zug's bitter tone.

"You're even more bloodthirsty than I am."

"I'm not that bloodthirsty! Right, Shishul?"

Shishul, who had been quietly standing behind Garam, was caught off guard by the question and struggled to respond.

Embarrassed by his niece's unexpected betrayal, Zug looked dejected, and Garam couldn't help but laugh.

Zug, who had been scowling, suddenly said, "Oh."

"Soma and your sister are here."

Garam turned his gaze and saw Soma walking towards them from the mansion.

Seeing his sister following Soma as usual, Garam's eyes widened. She was holding something unfamiliar.

"Is that... a shackle and a bag?"

From a distance, it looked like a wooden shackle for a slave's neck and hands, and a small bag.

"What does your sister plan to do with those?"

Garam shook his head. "I don't know. Soma must have something in mind."

Garam couldn't even imagine what Soma was thinking, but his instincts, honed through countless brushes with death, were telling him that something significant was about to happen.

As the small human boy stood before the former slaves with his sister, Garam felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

◆◇◆◇◆

Standing before the gathered people in the square, Soma was overwhelmed by the weight of their gazes.

Hundreds of people filled his field of vision, all focused on him. The无形的压力仿佛要将他那小小的身躯压垮。

然而，他紧紧握拳，下定了决心。他深吸一口气，用尽全力喊道：

“我是木崎苍马，指挥佐安们夺取了这个城镇，并解放了你们！”

在前奴隶中，多瓦林等一些人已经听说过苍马的事迹。然而，当他们听说是一个指挥佐安的人类时，他们想象的是一位傲慢的、经验丰富的勇士，或者是一个老谋深算的策略家。然而，出现在他们面前的，却是一个纯朴得几乎可以称之为天真无邪的少年。

前奴隶们中传来了怀疑的低语，这也不足为奇。

但苍马已经经历过类似的情况，说服了佐安的战士们。他明白，用言语说服远不如用事实来得有效。

“我知道你们现在最关心的是，我们打算怎么对待你们！”

那些怀疑地注视着苍马的人们，当话题涉及到他们自己的命运时，也不得不认真起来。他们闭上嘴，身体前倾，全神贯注地听着苍马会说什么。

“我拥有决定你们命运的全部权力！”

说着，苍马指向广场角落的加拉姆和祖格。两人夸张地点了点头，让在场的所有人都能看到。

前奴隶们再次被眼前这个少年指挥佐安的事实所震撼。当他们再次将目光转向苍马时，脸上的怀疑和轻视已经消失。

感受到他们的变化，苍马觉得时机已到，于是说出了他们最渴望听到的话：

“你们自由了！不再是奴隶！”

当解放的事实再次被言辞确认时，前奴隶们爆发出欢呼声。有人拥抱身边的同族，有人感动得泪流满面。

面对这些人的喜悦，苍马闭上眼睛，静静地聆听着他们的欢呼，没有再说更多的话。

欢呼声逐渐平息，前奴隶们开始意识到，解放并不意味着一切的结束。他们明白，人类不会放任如此大规模的奴隶起义不管。

然而，面对他们的不安，苍马只是静静地站在他们面前。

苍马闭着眼睛，保持着沉默，人们逐渐感到不安。终于，一个矮人再也忍不住，站出来问：

“我们该怎么办？！”

周围的人附和道：“对，对，我们该怎么办？”

苍马睁开眼睛，缓缓环视着聚集的人群。

“我说过，你们是自由的。随你们的意愿行事吧！”

这突如其来的放任之言，不仅让前奴隶们，也让周围的佐安战士们感到震惊。他们原本的计划是，为了对抗即将到来的人类军队，号召解放的奴隶们共同战斗。

佐安战士们的目光不约而同地转向了加拉姆和祖格。两人虽然对苍马的意外言论感到震惊，但还是努力保持镇定，因为他们知道，一旦表现出动摇，这种情绪会迅速蔓延。

然而，作为各自氏族的负责人，他们是最想质问苍马的人。

代替他们，一个前奴隶的矮人站了出来。

“我们听说你们要和人类军队战斗，是真的吗？！”

苍马点了点头。

“是真的。我们必须对抗即将到来的人类军队！”

听到这个回答，前奴隶们终于找到了方向。

“那我们也参战！”

“对，对！复仇！”

“把那些把我们变成奴隶的人类送上断头台！”

听到这些，加拉姆觉得这正是他想要的效果。

苍马没有强迫，也没有号召，而是让前奴隶们自主选择与人类战斗。

出于自己的意志决定战斗的人，会更强大。加拉姆认为，苍马已经将前奴隶们变成了自主战斗的战士。

然而，这完全是一个误解。

“拒绝！”

苍马的拒绝让所有人都感到震惊。