Chapter 32

Having defeated Antimishka and Captain Badras, and with their capture complete, I took a deep breath and surveyed the situation once more.

"Wow... it's a mess..."

I thought it was a bit odd to say that after being the one who caused it... but there it was. Swallowed by the boars' wave attacks and further devastated by Orchidea's roots, the terrain was in ruins. The royal army, having been picked off one by one by Suaro and Entia, was in shambles. There were fewer knights standing upright than not.

"Hey, hey, that..."

"Lord Antimishka... Captain Badras..."

Seeing the two of them completely captured, the soldiers stopped moving. The supreme commander had fallen. For mere soldiers like them, it was nothing but defeat, and there was no reason to continue fighting.

"Then... everyone! Please surrender and gather here!"

...Hmm, is that the right way to say it? I doubt it, but I announced the end of the battle.

"Hey, hey! Surrender, you guys!"

"Come to the lady, you guys!"

The boars chased the defeated soldiers and brought them over. They were now completely on our side.

"...Mako"

As the soldiers who could still move gathered, Garai spoke as if he had just noticed something.

"Huh..."

Following his gaze, I saw a group of knights advancing towards us across the plain.

"That's the reinforcements Antimishka called for."

Another voice joined the scene. Iksa appeared, watching the advancing troops.

"Iksa"

"Even so, it's fine. They won't interfere with us."

Iksa looked down at Antimishka, who was kneeling on the ground, restrained by "wires."

"The outcome is as clear as it can be."

"...What are you all doing!?"

She seemed to have regained consciousness. In an instant, Antimishka lifted her head and shouted at the gathered knights.

"Don't just stand there! Kill them quickly!"

She screamed, but the knights were hesitant and didn't move. Part of it was because Antimishka was taken hostage, but ultimately, they weren't willing to risk their lives for her. It was a regrettable but expected situation.

"It's pointless to shout, Antimishka. I've already told them to accept their defeat and surrender peacefully."

Iksa pointed to the reinforcements waiting in the distance, watching the scene.

"It's a lie... I haven't lost... I'm still..."

"Antimishka. As the third in line to the throne, you received a formal declaration of war from me, the seventh in line, and you lost."

"I haven't lost! I won't admit defeat—"

"No, you have lost, Princess Antimishka."

Another voice joined the scene. We turned to see an elderly man standing there. He wore a black suit-like outfit, similar to what Suaro wore, and was a dapper old gentleman. Seeing him, Antimishka's face turned pale.

"It seems you understand, Antimishka. He is one of the king's direct subordinates, responsible for overseeing, managing, and judging matters related to the succession war."

"So that's... how it is..."

Antimishka clenched her teeth, her face still pale.

"Your calm demeanor... You planned to have the outcome recorded by the inspector..."

"Of course, I had confidence in winning. But, Mako, you made my worries unnecessary."

"Huh? Me?"

I turned to Iksa. Sorry, I'm still not quite grasping the situation...

"It's simple. This battle will be recorded as a formal contest of authority between the third princess, Antimishka, and the seventh prince, Iksa. And while I owe my victory to Mako, I will report it to the king as my own win."

"To Father!? ..."

Hearing this, all the color drained from Antimishka's face.

"My demands are simple. I could eliminate you here, but I'll spare your life. In return, I want your third title and all the rights to the lands you've ruled."

"What! You, you're joking..."

She tried to roar in anger but fell silent. Meeting Iksa's cold, calculating gaze, she couldn't help but be silent.

"...I'll give you the rights... but don't tell Father about this..."

"You don't want him to know you lost to me? How about I tell him you were defeated by the beastmen in the village you tried to conquer?"

"!"

"That would be a significant disappointment for the king. I think it's better to admit you lost to me."

Ugh, this guy is such a sadist. Blocking all escape routes and crushing her completely... Iksa is impressive.

"So, that's all my demands."

"I understand. I will report this to the king and inform you of the decision later."

The old gentleman bowed respectfully. It seemed everything was over. The detailed post-battle cleanup and other matters would be handled by Iksa later.

"..."

But...

I looked at the dejected Antimishka.

"F*ck you... I'll kill you..."

Her muttered words carried a strong sense of resentment. Despite this crushing defeat, her spirit was unbroken.

"I'll definitely kill you... for making me suffer like this... I'll crawl back up, no matter how many times... I'll kill Iksa and all the beastmen, no matter how long it takes..."

"Wait, Iksa."

I approached Antimishka.

"What do you want?"

Antimishka glared up at me. I silently produced some "liquid fertilizer" in my hand.

"Mako?"

Iksa tilted his head. I know it's not nice, but if this ends here, Antimishka will definitely repeat the same actions. I need to break her spirit here, so she never tries to harm us again.

"Drink this."

I brought the "liquid fertilizer" to her mouth.

"What is that? Just drink it."

I said in a voice devoid of emotion. Antimishka's face contorted, but she obediently opened her mouth. I poured the "liquid fertilizer" into her mouth. It wasn't much, but of course, Antimishka coughed and swallowed it with a bitter taste.

"Cough! Cough! ...What is this? What did you make me drink? Is this some kind of harassment?"

"This is a magical potion I created."

I recalled what Uga had said before.

"Magic? I thought you weren't royalty..."

"This potion is infused with my magic and will permeate your body."

I was making things up, but she didn't fully understand my magic. I used this vague information to intimidate her.

"And I can make this magic explode at will."

"...What?"

For a moment, Antimishka looked dazed. But the next instant, understanding my words, sweat broke out on her forehead.

"That's nonsense..."

"Orchidea."

Ignoring Antimishka's weak voice, I signaled to Orchidea. She seemed to understand my intent and manipulated her roots underground.

"The giant plant roots earlier were also grown using my potion..."

I snapped my fingers. Instantly, the ground exploded.

"!"

Antimishka's eyes widened in terror. Of course, the roots didn't really explode. Orchidea just made it look that way by moving the roots underground. I knelt down to meet Antimishka's gaze.

"If you ever try to attack our village again or unjustly take the homes of other beastmen, I will make your body explode."

When I worked at the home center, I often caught shoplifters. For first-time offenders or those with understandable reasons, I often let them go without involving the police. People often called me too lenient, but I always threatened them in the office. I kept the security camera footage, statements from plainclothes security, and personal information. If I ever heard they were doing the same thing again, I would turn all that over to the police. Thanks to this, as far as I knew, they never reoffended. I used the same approach to intimidate Antimishka.

"Do you understand?"

"..."

"Do you understand?"

My mechanical voice made Antimishka nod, trembling. This should be enough for now.

"You're kind, Mako. Usually, you'd just blow them away without a second thought."

Iksa placed a hand on my shoulder. I knew he was just trying to heighten Antimishka's fear, but making me sound like a bomber...

Iksa leaned close to my ear and whispered,

"Don't worry. I'll use all the power at my disposal to ensure she never does this again."

...Impressive, Iksa. I can rely on him.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Thus, the first major battle I encountered in this world came to an end. Watching Antimishka's army retreat, I took a deep breath. Phew, I'm exhausted.

"It's over, Mako."

Garai said beside me.

"Yeah."

"Let's go home."

I smiled at Garai.

"Yeah, let's go home."

Thank you, everyone—Piggy, Orchidea, Suaro, Iksa, Entia, and Garai—for believing in me and fighting with me. Let's go back to the village. Maul, Meala, and the villagers are probably waiting for us. And no doubt, there will be a victory celebration tonight.