Chapter 83

"I was thinking of getting hired."

Malcronis appeared before Soma and bluntly said so.

Shemul expressed her dissatisfaction.

"You, a prisoner, are being too presumptuous."

Her words were justified.

After all, Malcronis was still a prisoner, not having been released. He should have been thrown into the enclosure with the other prisoners, but somehow he had taken on a role as an advisor, walking around the town freely and even appearing before Soma as he pleased. It was no wonder he was called presumptuous.

However, Malcronis said without a hint of shame.

"But I can be very useful."

Shemul, with a competitive spirit, retorted, "I'm more useful to Soma!" while Soma, with a wry smile, asked, "For example, in what way?"

Malcronis then smiled meaningfully and said,

"For example, the handling of prisoners. -- What do you plan to do with them?"

"I plan to have them bury the dead from yesterday's battle."

Soma explained his tentative plan.

Considering it was still winter, the bodies wouldn't decay immediately, but leaving them as they were could lead to an epidemic. Ideally, cremation would be preferable, but due to a lack of wood, he intended to have them buried in pits.

Malcronis nodded thoughtfully and then asked Soma,

"By the way, have the prisoners been properly screened?"

Soma, unsure of Malcronis's true intentions, looked puzzled. However, a few moments later, he let out a small exclamation.

After observing Soma's reaction, Malcronis continued,

"Surely, you haven't mixed officers with soldiers? Most of the officers are from noble families. If you make them do heavy labor like burying the dead, they will surely complain. And if their complaints escalate, they might incite the surrounding soldiers to rebel."

Soma felt a cold sweat trickle down his back, realizing he had nearly triggered a rebellion.

Just as Soma was relieved to have avoided a potential disaster, Malcronis pressed on.

"Even if the officers are isolated, a rebellion among the prisoners is likely to occur sooner or later."

"Why...?"

"You promised to release the prisoners you captured during the attack on the mountain to prevent them from acting rashly. -- But you don't intend to release them immediately this time, do you?"

Shemul, who had thought Soma would release the prisoners immediately, was surprised by Malcronis's words and looked at Soma. Soma, whose intentions had been exposed, had a strained expression.

This time, they had successfully repelled the army, but in terms of numbers, equipment, and military funds, there was a significant gap between Soma's group, who had only captured a provincial city, and the entire country of Holmea.

If Holmea recovered from this defeat and invaded again, they would surely be crushed.

To prevent this, they needed to build up their strength and close the gap before Holmea could invade again.

Time was a luxury they couldn't afford. If they released the prisoners early, it would hasten Holmea's reorganization and shorten the time they had bought.

Soma's expression confirmed that Malcronis's prediction was correct.

"Prisoners who don't know when they will be released and are forced to do heavy labor will be surrounded by scattered weapons and armor. It's obvious what will happen next."

Soma had been so preoccupied with the potential epidemic that he had completely forgotten about the weapons and armor. Perhaps he had been too elated by the victory. This oversight made him realize that the prisoners could break their chains and start a rebellion with the weapons.

"To prevent that, you need to establish surveillance and maintain a presence of authority, but with your current forces, that might be difficult, right?"

Malcronis was right; there were more Holmea soldiers than Soma's group. Moreover, maintaining order in the town of Bornis required a significant portion of their forces, leaving only a limited number to monitor the prisoners. It was questionable whether this would be enough to suppress a rebellion.

For now, the prisoners, having just lost the battle, had lost their fighting spirit and were unlikely to start a rebellion. However, if they got their hands on weapons, it was hard to imagine they would remain docile.

"What should I do?"

Realizing the unexpected danger lurking at his feet, Soma humbly asked Malcronis for advice.

Malcronis was secretly impressed by Soma's attitude.

Sometimes, after a great victory, a general might delude themselves into thinking they are omnipotent and ignore the advice of others. However, this boy, Soma, not only admitted his mistake but also humbly sought guidance, showing a breadth of character and humility.

This made Malcronis feel that Soma was a person worth teaching, or even serving.

However, he cautioned himself against jumping to conclusions and said in a deliberately cold tone,

"The quickest solution is to sell the prisoners as slaves."

Ignoring Soma's grimace, Malcronis continued,

"Fortunately, this town is close to Jeboah. The merchants there wouldn't care who they're dealing with as long as it's profitable."

"I won't sell the prisoners as slaves."

Soma said firmly and calmly.

"Hmm. But keeping prisoners will increase the workload for their supervision and food supply. Selling them as slaves would not only eliminate this burden but also provide military funds."

Malcronis said provocatively, as if mocking Soma's naivety. Shemul, thinking Soma had been insulted, was about to leap at Malcronis, but Soma held her back, reaffirming his resolve with the same strong words.

Malcronis's lips curved into a smile.

However, it was not a negative smile but one that conveyed approval. This was because Soma's reaction was exactly what Malcronis had hoped for.

Soma had already spoken against slavery in a speech that would later be called the "Iron Declaration." If he were to succumb to short-term desires and betray his own principles, the people who now followed him would eventually turn away.

Whether Soma understood this or not was uncertain, but at least the boy in front of him was holding firmly to his principles, and Malcronis acknowledged this.

"In that case, it would be best to separate the officers from the soldiers and divide the soldiers into several groups for better supervision. If they can't communicate, they won't easily start a rebellion."

Malcronis's tone had changed from provocative to calm.

"Understood."

Soma accepted the suggestion sincerely.

"But if the prisoners can't be used, how will we handle the bodies?"

"Use the townspeople. After all, an epidemic would be the biggest problem for them."

Soma made a grim face at Malcronis's suggestion.

He wanted to build a good relationship with the townspeople, with whom he would be interacting for a long time. He felt resistant to imposing such a physically and mentally taxing task on them.

However, Malcronis had not forgotten about the townspeople's well-being.

"Allow them the right to sell the collected weapons and armor. It will serve as compensation for the townspeople. -- However, make sure to thoroughly buy up the weapons yourself. Even if they are just civilians, it would be troublesome if they were to hide a large number of weapons."

Soma placed his hand on his chin and carefully considered Malcronis's proposal.

He had thought Malcronis might set a trap under the guise of advice to help the Holmea soldiers, but it seemed he was genuinely trying to help. All of Malcronis's suggestions were reasonable.

Malcronis seemed to be genuinely trying to sell himself.

"You can see very far ahead, but you haven't noticed the pebbles at your feet. Don't you think you need someone like me, who can only see the pebbles?"

Malcronis's words gave Soma the final push to make a decision.

"Understood. -- Mr. Malcronis, I would like to hire you."

"Thank you. I won't let you down."

Soma and Malcronis shook hands firmly, as a substitute for an employment contract.

After that, Soma immediately asked,

"Sorry to be abrupt, but can I entrust the management and supervision of the prisoners to you?"

"Me?"

Malcronis was surprised to be entrusted with the handling of the prisoners, whom he had been a part of just moments ago.

Soma smiled mischievously.

"Yes. I think you are the most suitable person for the job."

Malcronis realized that Soma had a different intention.

Until now, Malcronis had only advised Soma and not directly assisted him. This was the last line he couldn't cross while still being a Holmea soldier.

However, Soma was now asking him to cross that line.

To the Holmea soldiers who had become prisoners, Malcronis, who was entrusted with their management, would be nothing but a traitor. This would force Malcronis to completely break ties with Holmea.

"I had almost forgotten. -- When the fort was taken, I thought the one who came up with that strategy must have a terrible personality."

"Is that a compliment?"

When Soma asked jokingly, Malcronis nodded emphatically.

"Of course. It's the highest praise."

◆◇◆◇◆

After entrusting the management of the prisoners and the disposal of the bodies to Malcronis, Soma went to the entrance of the plain north of the town with Zoan and others.

This was because he had heard from Shemul that the Zoan warriors who had died in battle would be mourned on the plain.

When Soma and Shemul arrived, many Zoan were already gathered.

In front of them were wooden platforms, about as high as a person's shoulder, on which the bodies of the Zoan warriors, with black cloths covering their mouths, were laid out one by one.

"This is how we Zoan mourn our dead."

Shemul, standing next to Soma, explained.

"Normally, we would take them to the altar, but staying with the dead for too long can sometimes lead to the living being taken away by the dead, so it's unavoidable."

She was probably referring to the risk of contracting a disease from a decomposing body.

"Do you not make graves?"

"Zoan do not have graves."

Shemul looked up at the clear blue sky.

"The souls that leave the body after death ascend to heaven through the ancestral tree, guarded by the spirits of the clan. The remaining flesh is carried to heaven by birds. The bones and skin left by the birds are finally sent to heaven as smoke."

As Shemul finished her explanation, a woman from the Eye Clan, Wai Zanuka Shnupa, stepped forward. She bowed and then let out a loud, song-like howl. The gathered Zoan responded in unison.

The chorus of howls sometimes rose high, praising the dead warriors, and sometimes fell low, mourning their deaths.

Soma, who couldn't join in with the Zoan, could only listen to the vibrations of the air with his whole body.

"Let's go back, shall we...?"

After a while, the chorus ended, and Soma, prompted by Shemul, headed back to Bornis.

On the way, he turned back and saw large birds already gathering around the bodies.

The sight of birds pecking at human flesh would be considered disgusting by modern Japanese standards, but after hearing Shemul's explanation, Soma felt it was a noble and solemn scene.

◆◇◆◇◆

Back in the town of Bornis, Soma walked down the corridor of the lord's residence with Shemul towards the office.

"What do you plan to do next, Soma?"

Shemul, walking a step behind Soma, asked.

"Well, I need to start by getting to know this town."

Soma made a serious face and quoted a famous line from Sun Tzu that he had heard before.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in peril in a hundred battles."

However, Shemul, who didn't know this line from Sun Tzu, tilted her head.

"What does that mean?"

Soma, who hadn't expected to be asked this, was at a loss for words.

"Um... If you know yourself well and understand your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger?"

"But I can't answer whether it's safe or not."

As they were talking, a Zoan warrior came running up. He first bowed to Soma and then pleaded with Shemul.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but..."

Shemul immediately understood the situation.

"Again."

After the battle of Bornis, conflicts began to arise among the clans.

These were minor disputes, such as which clan had performed the best in the battle or simply not getting along with another clan. Most of the time, these were settled by Garam or Zugg, but when the disputes involved multiple clans, it became more complicated. In such cases, the authority of the Beast God's child was often used to resolve the conflicts.

"I have no choice. -- Sorry, Soma. I have to go."

The office was just a short distance away. Since Fagur Grashta Shahata, the only archer of the Fang Clan, was there, Shemul thought it would be fine to leave for a while. She left Soma with these words and hurried off with the warrior.

As Soma was about to head back to the office, he heard a small scream and the sound of papers being scattered from around the corner.

"Oh no! I'm going to get in trouble again!"

Soma, who had been about to ignore it, turned towards the sound.

Peeking around the corner, he saw a woman frantically trying to gather up a large number of scattered papers.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry..."

She was muttering to herself, bending down to pick up the papers, but in her haste, she kept dropping them again.

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew through, carrying a single sheet of paper to Soma's feet. However, the woman, busy picking up the other papers, didn't notice.

Thinking it would be rude to ignore it, Soma picked up the paper and offered it to the woman, who hadn't noticed him yet.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

The woman finally looked up and saw Soma.

She was probably a few years older than Soma. Her face, covered in freckles, was unremarkable, and her hair, which was more orange than red, was messy and unkempt.

The dress-like clothing she wore was made of rough, undyed fabric, which looked dull to Soma, who was used to the colorful clothing of modern times and the bright armor of the Zoan.

Overall, she gave an unkempt impression.

Soma couldn't help but think of a college student hunched over in a corner of a library, reading a book.

The woman, not taking the paper, looked up at Soma with a puzzled expression, clearly wondering who he was.

"This was blown over here."

Encouraged by Soma, the woman finally came to her senses.

"S-S-Sorry! Thank you so much!"

She took the paper, stammering and apologizing.

Soma, who was bowed to continuously until he left, listened to the woman's footsteps fading away around the corner and muttered to himself,

"I wonder if she can do her job properly..."

◆◇◆◇◆

The woman, who had no idea what Soma thought of her, hurried to a room where several officials were working with tense expressions, surrounded by documents.

"You're late, Mishena!"

As soon as she entered the room, one of the officials shouted at her. Mishena, called by her name, let out a small scream and hunched her shoulders.

The official quickly returned to the documents in his hands.

"Damn! The food and alcohol are all gone. Those... those non-humans did as they pleased without us knowing!"

He almost said "sub-humans" but quickly corrected himself.

"Those non-humans did as they pleased without us knowing!"

After swearing allegiance to Soma, the officials had finally been able to return to their duties, only to be faced with a mountain of backlogged work. The food storage was in a particularly bad state. A large amount of food and alcohol had been taken out for the banquet after the "Iron Declaration" and the victory celebration, and the current inventory was so different from the previous records that it was better to start counting from scratch.

"Hey, Mishena! Go to the food storage immediately and count the items!"

Spurred on by the angry official, Mishena almost knocked over the stack of papers she was trying to place on the desk. Another official glared at her