Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 273

273

“Say that again. What was that you said?”

“T, the money is not enough, so we need more.”

“Don’t you know there’s a war going on! You guys have no say even if we take the supplies for the military for free! We’re already being considerate by paying you, and you’re not even grateful, demanding more money? And what? The Imperial Army paid you properly? Are you out of your mind, telling me you supplied goods to them!”

“I, I am a merchant! I only sold the goods to those who paid a fair price!”

“If it’s the Imperial Army, that’s a different story!”

It seems that during the price negotiation, the fact that the merchant sold grain to the Imperial Army came to light, causing a dispute. Come to think of it, our supply soldiers did say they visited the villages. I thought we just happened to run into them in a place like this, but now it seems we were actually lucky. If supply soldiers had run into each other, they would have both been in a difficult situation.

“Don’t you know that Baron Cougar, the lord of this place, is a long-time loyalist of Grand Duke! You’ve betrayed the land where you were born and raised!”

“T, that’s absurd! W, we are also citizens of His Imperial Majesty! This civil war has nothing to do with us……!”

“This guy still doesn’t repent!”

With a thunderous roar, the soldier shoved the merchant he was holding to the ground. Before the fallen merchant could gather his wits, he froze. The soldier who pushed him had drawn his sword.

“Death to traitors!”

“Kyaaak!”

The soldier’s sword was raised high, ready to strike down, and screams echoed from all around. If left alone, the merchant would surely die. The thought was short, and the action was quick. I picked up a stone lying on the ground and threw it with force. Thwack! The rapidly flying stone accurately struck the forehead of the soldier who was about to bring down his sword. He was pushed back by the impact and collapsed, limp and motionless. He had fainted.

“……”

“……”

People were momentarily stunned by the sudden situation unfolding before their eyes. The unconscious soldier was a given, and even the merchant who had almost died was just blinking blankly. The surroundings became as silent as a graveyard, filled with frozen air.

“Who, who is it!”

Belatedly, the other soldiers of the Grand Duke’s army drew their swords and looked around. But I was standing far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to spot me. What should I do now? I lightly clenched and unclenched my fist, pondering the next move. While the unconscious soldier was mocking the merchant, the other soldiers were just chuckling and extorting goods. They’re all the same, but I didn’t want to provoke them if possible. I was worried about the situation escalating, and whether we could end it at a reasonable level was the question.

Is it because my true nature has awakened? My mind is not only calm but also harboring cruel thoughts. Even when I threw the stone a moment ago, I was tense because I felt myself unconsciously putting more force into it. If this wasn’t a residential area and there weren’t people watching, I might have thought it wouldn’t be bad to just kill them all and be done with it. I shuddered at how unfamiliar I was with myself for thinking this way.

‘I’m going to cause an accident at this rate.’

The thought of leaving this place grew stronger. After all, they would give up looking for me and return if I didn’t show up. As soon as I made the decision, I turned to leave. But unfortunately, the Grand Duke’s soldiers didn’t seem to want to let me choose a peaceful option.

“Aaaah! Why are you doing this!”

“Mommy!”

“……!”

I was startled by the screams coming from behind and turned around, dumbfounded. The soldiers were forcibly dragging out a woman and a child who were nearby and holding swords to them.

“Where did you hide! If you don’t show yourself, we’ll kill everyone here! Don’t hide and come forward now!”

……Wow, how petty.

It seems that when someone is too absurd, you end up admiring them instead. Contrary to the feeling of wanting to frown deeply, an exclamation involuntarily escaped my lips. They tried to kill someone for selling supplies to the Imperial Army, calling them a traitor, but now they’re holding their own people (according to their claims) hostage. At this point, we might need to re-evaluate who the traitor is, but I don’t think they’ll realize that.

They’ll probably live their whole lives without knowing their mistakes. Even if they’re severely punished, they won’t reflect. To contribute to the development of society, wouldn’t it be better to just eliminate such trash? As my displeasure grew, the suppressed cruel impulses began to resurface.

‘No, I’ll definitely regret it later.’

I calmly calmed my mind. I don’t want to kill people. I don’t want to cross that line yet. Moreover, the soldiers in front of me were just a ragtag bunch. Just giving them a good beating would be enough to scare them, so there was no need to overreact.

‘……But how much is ‘a good beating’?’

Oh, this is bad. I don’t know what’s what anymore.

The thoughts that were being organized in my head began to tangle again. It felt like the first time this problem felt so difficult. It was as if I had forgotten everything I knew for sure.

As I stood there, unable to do anything, I was sweating all over. Even at this moment, the Grand Duke’s soldiers were threatening the captured residents. The faces of the frozen woman and child were pale, almost blue. Each time the swords touched their necks, they left red marks on their skin. This was no time to be leisurely contemplating. Reluctantly, I decided to put out the immediate fire first. Responding to the soldiers’ demands, I decided to show myself in front of them.

“I did it. Please release the people.”

As I confessed and stepped forward, the surroundings buzzed with commotion. The soldiers who were threatening me were quite taken aback, as if they didn’t expect the culprit to actually appear. But they seemed even more surprised in another sense. Their gazes, sweeping from top to bottom, were so blatant that I could easily read their thoughts. I’ve been mistaken for a woman again.

“You’re the one who attacked us?”

Seeing their disbelief, I shrugged and bent down to pick up a stone. I was ready to show them and prove it if necessary, but they seemed to understand my intention and screamed in horror.

“Put the stone back down! Don’t do anything rash!”

They still had the hostages in their hands. I obediently put the stone down and raised both hands. Still not feeling at ease, the soldiers searched around me for a long time. They seemed to be looking for my companions who might be hiding.

“Walk over here quietly. Keep your hands up.”

I silently followed the soldiers’ instructions. As I got closer, they quickly grabbed me and tied me up with rope. In the process, the hostages were pushed away and released. I could feel their terrified eyes turning back to look at me, so I smiled reassuringly. But it didn’t last long because a rough hand grabbed my chin.

“Hmm, you don’t seem to be a resident here?”

As my gaze was forcibly turned, the faces of the soldiers I didn’t want to see came into view. They were grinning slyly and looked much more relaxed than before. They had been on edge just because I picked up a stone, but now that they had completely subdued me, they seemed to have relaxed. They probably thought that even if another companion appeared, they wouldn’t be able to do anything because I was in their hands.

“Your face is quite pretty, but judging by your attire, you can’t be the daughter of a noble family. To openly resist the Grand Duke’s army, you’re quite a daring young lady. You don’t think we’ll go easy on you just because you’re a woman, do you?”

Damn it. See? I knew they’d mistake me for a woman. I had expected it, but it didn’t make me any less sad, and my mood plummeted.

I understand that my androgynous appearance can be interpreted differently depending on the perspective. But isn’t it too much that the proportion of people seeing me as female is so overwhelming? Why can’t they think of me as a pretty boy? Thinking that a pretty face is unconditionally feminine is reverse discrimination against men!

I was so lost in useless thoughts that I forgot to react to their chatter. The soldiers started giggling, taking it the wrong way.

“You can’t answer, so you must be scared?”

“Hey, hey, it’s because your face is too fierce. She seems like a well-bred young lady, so don’t treat her too roughly.”

The giggling chatter was full of contempt for me. They seemed to have forgotten that their comrade had fainted because of that well-bred young lady. In fact, they seemed to attribute the success of my attack to mere luck. They had subdued me first, but now that they thought about it again, how strong could a (in their view) weak woman throw a stone? Judging by their ability to assess the situation, they weren’t very smart.

“So, what should we do to you now? We’re not planning to just let this go.”

“You dared to touch the Grand Duke’s army, so you’ll have to pay the corresponding price, right?”

The grinning faces were unpleasant, and my brow furrowed involuntarily. Their lewd gazes and attitudes were so blatant that I couldn’t possibly misunderstand their intentions. The thoughts that villains would have in this situation were all too obvious. It was so lacking in individuality that I even felt sorry for them.

‘This is bad. I can’t get any angrier here.’

I was trying to stall for time and find a way to end it on a good note, but at this rate, a bloody incident was really going to happen. I desperately tried to figure out the most appropriate way to deal with them, engraving the word “patience” in my mind.

“W, what are you going to do to that young lady!”

At that moment, someone shouted from among the residents. It was the merchant who had been threatened by the Grand Duke’s army earlier. The soldiers sneered at his pleading gaze.

“We can do whatever we want. Don’t you dare interfere with what the military is doing.”

“Don’t do this! She’s still a young lady! Are you even human?”

“What? This guy!”

“Hey!”

I shouted urgently, as they were about to kick the merchant. Fortunately, the soldiers’ attention was more focused on me, so it wasn’t difficult to get their attention.

“You have business with me, right? Don’t bother innocent people and just continue the conversation we were having earlier.”

At my firm words, the soldiers looked at each other and laughed in disbelief. They seemed to think I was putting on airs without anything to back it up.

“You’re coming out quite boldly? Do you know what situation you’re in right now?”

“Did you say I have to pay the price for touching the Grand Duke’s army?”

“That’s right. Our precious comrade was seriously injured because of you. You might want to make excuses that it wasn’t intentional, but the result won’t change. We’re too angry and we have to get compensation no matter what.”

“Hehe, too bad, young lady. That’s why you shouldn’t throw stones at people carelessly. If you’re unlucky, you might end up fainting like this.”

The words that were meant to be admonishing were closer to teasing at this point. I stood still and stared at them intently.

“Unlucky? Do you really think so?”

“What?”

“I guess you’re having trouble assessing the situation because the identity of the attacker was unexpected. I think it’s better to know the reality. Actually, I’m not a civilian. I belong to the Imperial Army.”

At those words, the relaxed faces of the soldiers stiffened slightly. They exchanged glances quickly with a bewildered expression. The merchant who had stepped forward to protect me was also wide-eyed.

“What…… You’re a soldier?”

“Yes, doesn’t it seem like it?”

“Haha, you’re making a funny claim. It seems the Imperial Army accepts girls like you too? Who would believe such a ridiculous story…….”

The soldier who was replying with a hollow laugh soon closed his mouth. It was because the other soldier gave him a look with a stiff face.

“Hey, in the Imperial Army.”

“Yeah?”

“T, that female knight. Spear’s daughter, I mean.”

“……Huh?”

Only then did the other party’s demeanor falter slightly. The soldiers who had cautiously begun to examine me gathered together and whispered, which I leisurely watched. “Judging by how calm she is, she must really be from the Imperial Army.”, “Besides Spear’s daughter, are there any other known women in the Imperial Army?”, “How old is Spear’s daughter?”, “She’s not that old, right?”, “Isn’t she about the same age as that girl now?” and so on, I could hear voices full of confusion.

“H, hey. Wait a minute. If that woman is really Spear’s daughter, then she’s a spiritist, right? Then there’s no point in tying her up like this, is there?”

“!”

Finally, a statement recognizing reality was made, and the soldiers all gasped. They turned to look at me with stiff, rigid faces. The gazes that had been leering at me just a moment ago were now filled with fear. This was the most pleasing atmosphere I had encountered since meeting them.

Judging by the flow of the conversation, it seemed they had mistaken me for Alisa. It was the opposite of usual, but it wasn’t a bad misunderstanding for me. Thanks to that, I could see a way to overcome this situation. If it’s Alisa’s way, there’s an excellent way to deal with them within ‘reasonable limits,’ isn’t there?

As I smiled, the soldiers flinched. Taking that as a signal, I stirred up the groundwater to surge from within. Rumble! The rushing torrent of water struck the ground, and the earth began to shake. The soldiers’ faces turned pale.

“Hiiiik!”

“D, damn it! It was real!”

After several consecutive victories, the earthquake was being regarded as a symbol of Alisa’s power. A startled turtle is scared even by a pot lid [a Japanese proverb meaning someone is easily frightened]. Just by showing weak signs of an earthquake, they immediately panicked. The horrified soldiers began to run away without looking back.

Of course, if I was going to end it here, I wouldn’t have agonized so much in the first place. They were too bad to just let go, and they were people who needed improvement. They needed to be taught a lesson so they wouldn’t do anything foolish again. This is definitely not because they kept calling me a young lady!

Above all, they’re mistaking me for Alisa, so I have to live up to their expectations, right? So, I used a method worthy of the ‘Earth Spiritist’ to the end. In other words, I targeted the ground they were standing on.