Chapter 98

In front of the cave that serves as the hideout of the thieves, a forest stretches out, and within that forest, a few guards are always stationed.

The very existence of a hideout of such a large scale of thieves in such a place is surprising, but I was even more surprised by the concealment method that doesn't trigger my magic detection.

"Lord, I also believe we should request reinforcements."

If the thieves moved while we were waiting for reinforcements, it would be disastrous, so I decided to advance the troops.

"Normally, we should, but time is precious. Right now, most of the thieves are gathered here, giving us a chance to capture them all at once. Besides—"

There were five guards alone, and over forty thieves inside the cave, so many of the soldiers thought we should request reinforcements. With just twelve of us, including me, it would be natural to think that we would be at a numerical disadvantage even with a surprise attack. However, when I secretly told Jaban that a single Phelia could eliminate a group of about fifty thieves, he became enthusiastic. It's all about stimulating ambition.

Phelia, who stands next to me, is holding her favorite spear on her shoulder, waiting for my orders.

"The thieves can have their limbs cut off, but I want to capture them alive if possible."

"I will do my best to follow your orders, but I will prioritize the lives of my subordinates."

"Yes, do your best."

Jaban has changed; a year ago, he would have prioritized my orders above all else. This sense of responsibility and growth must come from having subordinates.

First, we need to neutralize the guards. Actually, they are ignoring my orders and killing the guards. Well, if they were left alive, they might shout and alert the others...

But it's impressive. Some draw their bows and shoot arrows through the hearts of the thieves, others sneak up behind them, cover their mouths, and slit their throats with daggers, and still others throw knives at their necks. From the way they work, it seems they have received special training. I did instruct Feder to train the soldiers to handle various situations, but I didn't expect them to move like a special forces unit.

After neutralizing the guards, we will enter the cave, but the problem is the hostages. The hostages are in cages, and there are two guards in front of them. Fortunately, the thieves' living area is far from the cages.

"Thirty meters into the cave, there is a fork. There are two small rooms before the fork, each with three people. If you go left at the fork, there is a cage with two guards and 63 civilians from the surrounding area. If you go right, there are about thirty people in a large space, and eleven more are resting in a room connected to that space."

"Your scouting skills are as excellent as ever, Lord."

"Isn't this enough to justify my trip?"

Jaban chuckled and scratched his cheek with his finger.

"The top priority is to secure the civilians safely. Next, neutralize the thieves and capture as many as possible."

I gave the objectives succinctly and left the rest to Jaban. Phelia and I, as well as one soldier, stayed behind while Jaban entered the cave. So, I'll use my千里眼 (千里眼: clairvoyance) to monitor the situation.

They immediately neutralized the three thieves in the small rooms without a sound, and as they approached the fork, three of them moved towards the cage. Two were beastmen and one was an elf. They have excellent night vision and moved through the dark cave without torches, neutralizing the two guards with skills that would make even assassins pale and run away. Incidentally, so far, Jaban's "neutralization" has meant "death." I told them to capture them, but...

The three of them put their fingers to their lips in front of the civilians in the cage. Still, human nature being what it is, the cage became momentarily noisy. Fortunately, that moment didn't reach the thieves in the large space, who continued their drinking party. After that, it was a massacre. The thieves were cut down one by one by Jaban's troops. It's clear that Jaban and the others have no intention of capturing them alive. Well, I can't let the soldiers get hurt trying to capture them alive, so I'll turn a blind eye.

A crystal statue of an unfamiliar woman emits a hazy light, dominating the surrounding space. The area within about 200 meters of where this statue is placed is concealed by magic.

"What is this statue?"

"..."

We captured a few thieves, including a leader, and interrogated them, but he didn't answer. He just smiled arrogantly. He seems to think I'm a child and is getting cocky. Does he think I'll go easy on him? How naive! I'll make him realize his position!

"Since you seem to be misunderstanding, let me make one thing clear: I'm not asking you to do me a favor. I'm ordering you to tell me what you know. ...You don't seem to understand... Curse Spirits."

Curse Spirits, "Cursed Heart," is a powerful enslavement magic. It can extract information that the person doesn't know through a soul connection, but the longer they are under the spell, the more their mind is eroded by their past evil deeds, making them more likely to become a broken person. But that's not my concern. I have no sympathy for a cocky thief. Let's expose the mastermind one by one.

"What is this statue?"

"It is a statue of the main god, Orion."

The leader, now devoid of life in his eyes, answered my question honestly. I ignored the drool dripping from his mouth and the groans of pain. The other bound thieves were shouting, but I ordered Jaban to silence them. Let's not look at how he did it.

"What is the effect of this statue?"

"It conceals magic and repels monsters."

I already knew, but I asked for Jaban's benefit.

"Where and from whom did you get this statue?"

"We received it from Priest Belzaim of the Holy Orion Kingdom."

As expected, this complicates things. The Holy Orion Kingdom is one of the four major countries, bordering the Brutois Frontier through a small country to the south. From the perspective of the Holy Kingdom of Bandum, it is an enemy country, and the same is true from their perspective. The Brutois Frontier is tasked with suppressing the Holy Orion Kingdom and has been granted military authority to command all the nobles in the southern territories in case of conflict.

"Are you from the Holy Orion Kingdom? Are you followers of the Orion faith?"

"We are not citizens of the Holy Orion Kingdom, but we are followers of the Orion faith."

Thieves who believe in a god? Hmm? That means...

"What is your relationship with the Holy Orion Kingdom, and why did Priest Belzaim send you here?"

"Belzaim ordered us to raid the Brutois Earldom and gather slaves. We received the statue and money as an advance payment and came to this place."

"What will you do with the slaves?"

"We were to take them to the Holy Orion Kingdom and use them as combat slaves or sex slaves for the military."

This is the worst. The need for combat slaves and sex slaves for the military suggests a long-term military campaign, which means a high likelihood of war. The question is, with which country? The most likely candidate in the vicinity of the Holy Orion Kingdom is the Holy Kingdom of Bandum, and since my territory was targeted, it's clear.

"Which country is the Holy Orion Kingdom planning to go to war with?"

"The Holy Kingdom of Bandum."

"How did you plan to cross the border with the slaves?"

"We were supposed to receive instructions later."

Really, why start an unnecessary war... I can't understand the thinking of fanatics. After continuing the interrogation and getting all the information I needed, I released the Curse Spirits. It was a short time, so he won't suffer a mental breakdown, but he will experience fatigue and nightmares for a while.

Thirteen thieves survived. All were in critical condition, but I healed them. Killing them would be easy, but I want them to see hell, so I decided to use them all as criminal slaves in Eastwood. Criminal slaves can be used in various ways, such as being sent to the front lines of war, being used to detect traps in dungeons, serving as bait to lure monsters, or working in dangerous places like mines. I don't want to abuse slaves, but I have no mercy for those who planned to sell the people they kidnapped as sex slaves.

The confession confirms that the Priest Belzaim of the Holy Orion Kingdom has interfered with the Holy Kingdom of Bandum, and since it was in my territory, I intend to take personal revenge. I will make them regret harming innocent civilians.