On the night of the 28th of February 2813 in the Western Continent, it was the night of the Worthenian Peninsula, Vol. 3:


"So far we've made it here as planned. Tomorrow is finally...?

　At Ryoma's words, as if to remind them, everyone sitting around the desk nodded strongly.
　What they're floating around is a fearless and fierce smile.
　Their own territory. Their own country.
Apart from their longing and craving for such things, there was an absolute pride in their hearts that they had made it through the danger zone in one piece.

　After entering the peninsula, the number of times they had been attacked by monsters was a staggering fourteen.
　Even if they were deliberately chasing their prey, it could be said that they would only encounter their prey two or three times in a day.
　Compared to that, the encounter rate on the peninsula was astounding.
　Moreover, all of the monsters, or "monsters", were mid-grade or high-grade dangerous things.
　Even though they had caused a few injuries, the fact that they were able to eradicate them without causing any deaths was an achievement.
　It is impossible not to be elated.

　Three days had already passed since they had entered the Worthenian Peninsula.
　The road from Ipylos had been cut off and the troops were now entering the unknown interior of the peninsula.
　The grass was deep and the trees were densely packed with branches and leaves that refused to allow people to enter.
　Even if they march, they have to clear their branches and watch their step.
　But despite the harshness of the environment, they had no trouble in finding water or choosing an encampment.
　This should have been the most difficult part of the trip.
　However, Ryojin had spent months investigating the terrain inside the peninsula in advance.　
　As a result, by choosing the most efficient marching route, they were able to advance into the interior of the peninsula while resting appropriately.
　And now, they were sitting around the desk discussing the future course of action while unfolding the map of the Woltenia Peninsula made by Ao Yan.

''The reason why the march went as planned was partly due to the high quality of the troops, but it was still largely due to the fact that they were ordered to grasp the terrain beforehand.　Because the information I found in the Ipyros guild wasn't enough.

　Everyone nodded at Saara's words.
　Although it is an unexplored backcountry, that doesn't mean it is completely uninhabited.
　It's not that adventurers don't go to the Woltenia Peninsula for the gold.
　The information brought by such people was kept in the adventurer's guild of Iphiroth, but at the advice of Gen O's advice, Ryojin had ordered a skilled person in his clan to investigate the peninsula.
　The results were great.
　The map spread out before them contained information about the forests, valleys, and rough currents of the rivers.
　Without these maps, I wonder how much trouble they would have had to endure on the march.
　At the very least, they would not have been able to come this far without a single person dropping out.

''That's right. We have to make sure that we have the right watering holes and campsites. You were very helpful, Gennaro.

　As a matter of fact, the size of the watering hole required by an adventurer whose group is only about 10 people at most, and an army of about 300 people, if not more, are different.
　Spring water cascading down from the rocks would not be enough to enrich 300 people.
　The same is true for an encampment.
　Depending on the number of people in the camp, the conditions of the site will naturally vary.
　It's natural that Rionne gave a word of thanks to Geno for investigating such information in advance.
　The same thing can be said for the encampment, but it is natural that the less effort the better.

It's a good thing that you have a good idea of what you're looking for. The same goes for the pirates, but we have to be careful about that thing.　

It's that thing the subhuman, isn't it?

　When Saara questioned Gen O's words, the calm air of the place instantly tightened.
　Although the information has already been reported, it was still shocking to hear it again after entering the Woltenia Peninsula.

''Sub-humans.......I hated to hear rumors that they were still alive, but I didn't think they were really there.''

That goes for you too, Boltz. I didn't know that he was still alive and that it was a village.

　For Bortz and Rionne, who were occupied with training the slaves, they had heard only the broadest details about future plans.
　Supplying supplies, selecting an encampment, choosing a march route.
　There are plenty of things they need to do besides leading training.
　That's why the two of them didn't know what Mikoshiba Ryoma thought of subhumans.


　What is a sub-human to begin with?
　It is a non-human species that, like humans, walks on two legs and has a certain level of culture.
　It is the sub-human race in the world of "Earth".
　The beast-headed beastmen, dwarves and elves are all sub-humans, as long as they speak a language and have a certain culture.
　However, they are a famous race in the world of fantasy, but in the world of Earth, ordinary people don't see them.
　I'm not sure I've ever heard of them, but I'm pretty sure I've never seen them, even among the adventurers who venture into the unexplored regions of the continent.
　They are the inhabitants of a legend that was wiped out by humans a long time ago.

　There are multiple reasons for their extinction, but the biggest reason is the existence of the cult of the Light God, the Meneose.
　This is one of the six pillars that are said to have created the earth world. Among these gods, the Light God Meneose is said to control light.
　The cult that believes in this god is a religious organization called the Light God "Meneose" cult.
　Their doctrine was simple. They regarded the Light God Meneose, who is said to have created man, as the supreme god, and the existence of human beings created by that supreme god as the supreme thing.
　However, these are elements that come into any religion, more or less.
　Religion is something that human beings create to suit their own needs, so it is only natural to position human beings as special beings.
　And it's an element that we don't normally have to worry about so much.
　The existence of a religion that has a little bit of electoral consciousness is not supposed to be a big problem.

　In fact, the history of this cult of the Light God "Meneoos" is over a thousand years old according to the data since it was established.
　And it was about four hundred years ago, from the era in which Ryoma and the others lived, that the sub-humans were driven to extinction as unclean beings.
　In other words, from the time of the establishment of the Order until four hundred years ago, there was no movement for the abolition of sub-humans.
　Yes, if the two men hadn't appeared in history four hundred years ago, this world of the Earth would still be the world where the modern Japanese dream of elves and beastmen thrive.
　However, the reality is different.
　The sub-human race is believed to have been extinct long ago, with only a few whispers of a small number of people surviving in the depths of the continent's unexplored regions.


I'm not planning to make a move on the subhuman side at the moment. I've already talked to Gen O, but I have no intention of doing anything to the northern forest where their village is located.

　Rionne and Boltz lightly widened their eyes at Ryoma's answer.
　No matter what form it took, their own subordinates who were headed to investigate the peninsula had returned injured.
　It felt like an unnatural decision in the eyes of Rionne and the others to overlook it without taking any action.
　It's a good idea to send a messenger to protest, if not to use force.

It's not a good idea to provoke them now, to be honest, it's not a good idea to provoke them now, we have to pay more attention to the movements of Count Salzberg and Lupis, we don't want to make too many enemies. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say.

　After saying that, Ryoma writes a large red circle on the map that is open on his desk.
　It was a large circle that covered the northern quarter of the Woltenia Peninsula.
　In other words, this circle is probably the boundary line between the sub-humans and themselves.

It's a good thing that the situation in Zaruda is in chaos now, so it's not a good idea to only create hostile forces, is it?　Wouldn't it be less annoying if we thought we were inadvertently approaching their territory...

　Rionne nodded deeply at Ryoma's words.
　She herself does not have a particular dislike for sub-humans.
　She would fight them if necessary, but she doesn't want to voluntarily turn against them.
　Besides, Ryoma's way of thinking was very logical and fair.
　The attitude of not making an issue of just the fact that one of his subordinates had been attacked could be said to be a favorable decision, even in the eyes of Rionne.

'But what do you plan to do about the pirates?　You don't want to be without a port to accept Simone when she's ready, do you?　

　After confirming his response to the sub-human, Rionne voiced another concern.
　The existence of the pirates would inevitably get in the way of the secret agreement made between Ryoma and Simone.
　Whether they were to be missed or destroyed, their treatment was a major problem.
　It was a part of the workload that had kept him busy until now, but now that he had entered the peninsula, it was only natural for Rionne to ask Ryoma for a clear policy.

I have only one conclusion about that. Frankly speaking, I don't need them in my country.

　Ryoma simply replied to Rionne's words with a shrug of his shoulders.

　The inside of the tent is supposed to be kept at a moderate temperature with a fire burning.
　However, a cold sensation ran down the spine of everyone who heard Ryoma's words.
　Ryoma's words are the same as usual, a calm and gentle tone of voice.
　However, there is no one in this tent who misunderstands the meaning of those words.

''Annihilation, you mean........''

　Lyonne's muttering echoed in the tent, which was awfully loud.


Melissa, what's wrong?

　Coyle called out anxiously to Melissa, who was just stirring the stew in her hand with a spoon and making no attempt to bring it to her mouth.

　They sat around the fire, bringing the warm dinner to their mouths.
　The tension in the march had already relaxed, and they could hear laughter appropriate to their age from those around them.
　Unusually, they are also allowed to drink a small amount of alcohol, so many of them ruffle their feathers and make a lot of noise.
　In the midst of all that hubbub, only Melissa's surroundings were quiet.
　No, you could say it's too quiet.

''Ummm ... it's nothing at all.''

'Nothing but I'll tell you what it is.　You're thinking about Hannah, aren't you?

　At Melissa's words, Coil asked back with a probing look.

''........!

　Coyle sighed heavily at Melissa, who looked back at him in surprise as she saw through his inner heart.
　The movements of her mind were obvious from the perspective of Coil, who had been living together as the same squad for several months.

'What can we do about the guy who ran away now?　If you're lucky, you'll survive in a town somewhere.

　Coyle flips out in a fuming tone.
　To him, the fugitive Hannah was an ungrateful and traitorous man.
　He didn't want to chase her down and kill her, but he resented her enough that he didn't care if she ended up on the streets of town.
　That emotion was oozing out of his words.

''How can you talk like that...''

　Melissa cringes at Coyle's words.
　Hannah is a slave girl who was in the same squad as Melissa.
　But now she is not here.
　The training was hard, and she ran away with her comrades who couldn't endure the training as well.
　Whoever is to blame, it's Hannah who ran away.
　Melissa understands that. But there's no way she can eat the warm stew served in front of her.
　It's a good thing that the end of a runaway slave is already in sight.

It's not a matter of choice. The training was so hard that he ran away.　Or is Melissa going to forget her debt to Mikoshiba-sama for letting us go and take on the shoulders of those who ran off?

　Coyle's emotions were running high.
　Tonight was a milestone night for their master, Mikoshiba Ryoma, as they had trudged through the magical land called the Woltenia Peninsula and would finally arrive at their destination tomorrow.
　Looking at the ingredients for the stew served for dinner, and the fact that drinking has been allowed, it's clear that special attention has been paid tonight.
　On the day of that celebration, Melissa is sinking into the thought of the girl who disregarded the Lord's care and betrayed Him and ran away.
　I couldn't forgive her for that.

'They're traitors!

　Coyle screamed as he spat.
　That scream must have been too loud. For a moment, the hustle and bustle around them ceased, and then a probing gaze pierced from the surroundings.
　However, Coil ignored that gaze.
　The emotions that she usually hid from the world, but when she saw Melissa's attitude, they boiled up from the place of her heart.

　It was hard training. Some of them couldn't get over the fear of actual combat.
　It wasn't something that anyone could clear. Even Coyle understands that.
　But even so, it was Mikoshiba Ryoma who turned us from slaves into people.
　You're going to be able to find out the best way to get the most out of this.
　But that doesn't change the fact that they gave you a chance to get a chance to get up.
　It's a good thing that the weak don't get a chance to climb up in this world.
　That's why Coyle couldn't forgive his friends who ran away.
　It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get away with it.

It's...

　Melissa had no words to reply to Coyle's cold rebuttal.

'Hey, Coyle. Just leave it at that.

Kevin....

　He could see that Coyle's words were becoming emotional.
　Kevin, who had been quietly listening to their conversation until then, quietly interrupted.
　The leader of this group is Kevin.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's not that Coyle himself had any intention of blaming Melissa.

''I'm sorry ... I said too much ...''

　Coyle stood up at that.

'Where are you going?'

　Kevin looks at Coil with quizzical eyes.

I'm going to check on the other guys.

　Coyle looks back at Kevin when he says that.
　It's an unwavering eye. The meaning contained in that gaze was realized by Kevin.

''Okay ... Clan, you're off with Coil.

　After figuring out the meaning of Coyle's words, Kevin turned the contradiction to Clan, who was the only one who remained silent and brought the stew to his mouth.
　He really had to talk to Melissa alone in this situation.
　From Kevin's strong gaze, Clan stood up silently and followed Coil.

　When Kevin saw that their backs were no longer in sight, he hesitantly asked Melissa a question.