We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 200

200

The Identity of the Enemies (2)

Arden Territory Vicinity, Magic Country Camp.

Within the Empire, the Magic Country was simply dismissed as the Demon race, but in reality, they formed a nation.

They were descendants of black magicians, a lineage passed down for generations, and they had conquered half the continent based on their tremendous infectious power [referring to their ability to spread their influence and magic].

They put the Emperor forward as their ruler and were divided into numerous city-states.

Within the territory, human slaves and the Undead coexisted, and as with most feudal states, the lords wielded absolute power within their territories.

In return, when the Emperor’s orders were issued, they gathered their private soldiers and participated in the war. This system had been in place for more than 300 years.

The Magic Country was divided into 20 city-states, ruled by Count Rayon of the White Country, also known as the Third Country.

He was ordered to attack the border area, a task somewhat removed from the main battlefield, which he believed would be relatively easy.

He anticipated an easy push into the border area, away from the main conflict.

The Magic Country’s strategy was to advance with overwhelming numbers and brute force.

In fact, their sheer numbers were unmatched, and few could withstand them. This was the reason why the Magic Country had been able to challenge the Empire for hundreds of years.

But today was different.

“Your Excellency! It’s the Heavenly Army!”

The black magician under his command announced the arrival of the Heavenly Army.

“Heavenly Army?”

“The Heavenly Army has appeared in Amon County and Luyan County and is sweeping away our forces!”

“Humph. How can there be a Heavenly Army? It must be some kind of commando unit.”

“No! It’s definitely…”

Until dawn, Count Rayon was absolutely certain that no Heavenly Army would appear. But as morning came, the situation was completely reversed.

Could the Heavenly Army really exist?

Suddenly, troops poured out from within the territory and decimated the allied forces, while armed soldiers rushed in, surrounding the main camp.

And then came the magic.

It appeared to be white magic, but those versed in black magic could easily discern the truth.

That’s not white magic.

Black magic disguised as white magic was striking the main camp.

Count Rayon’s pupils dilated in shock.

“Black magic!? Why the hell are black magicians attacking us!?”

He wondered if there was an internal traitor.

What if a civil war broke out?

No. That could never happen.

The nobles who swore allegiance to the Emperor would never betray him. They were bound by the oath of mana [a magical oath], and betrayal would cause their hearts to explode, resulting in death.

That meant they were a third force.

Troops suddenly appeared in the city center, seemingly using teleport gates to move.

Moreover, the soldiers they brought were dummies created with high-level magic.

The dummies were exceptionally well-equipped. In fact, their equipment was too good to be believed.

Kuaaaang!

When a mage mixed in with the Undead Legion cast a spell, a shield materialized and deflected the magic.

Rayon was aghast.

“Don’t tell me that’s all magic tools?”

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

He realized that the attack on the Arden Territory might fail due to the sudden appearance of this third force.

No, at this rate, failure was certain.

“Request support from our forces and retreat!”

“Yes!”

Ppuuu!

The sound of a whistle echoed, signaling a retreat.

Such retreats were rare, but there was no other option now. He had to withdraw.

While ordering the retreat, Count Rayon fell into deep thought.

“Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

There was no way that a third force, previously inactive, would suddenly appear. They must have been building their power within the human empires and then joined the war. Moreover, there was at least one high-level magician using 6 circles [a measure of magical power] among them.

If it was a misunderstanding, he would try to resolve it.

There was no need for those walking the same path to be enemies.

“I’ll retreat for now and meet the enemy commander.”

The black magicians bowed in agreement.

They also knew that they were not the Heavenly Army but black magicians. So, if there was a misunderstanding, it was right to resolve it and bring them in as allies to participate in the war.

The enemies were routed, leaving only a small number of survivors.

Since there were so few survivors, there was no need to pursue them.

The castle gate remained closed. In fact, the castle gate was smashed and could not function properly.

The castle gate was completely destroyed, and a group of people poured out.

They were blood-soaked knights, with Marquis Arden seemingly at the head. Of course, given his current appearance, it was difficult to confirm if it was indeed Marquis Arden.

The middle-aged man at the head ran up and knelt down.

“I greet the Heavenly Army!”

“We are not the Heavenly Army.”

“You are too humble. I never believed in the existence of the Heavenly Army until the end. But seeing this overwhelming display, I can’t help but admit it.”

So, in the end, he was going to insist on seeing me as the Heavenly Army.

I continued to deny it, but he was not someone who would accept it. And this was the effect I was aiming for.

Even though I specifically said that I was not the Heavenly Army, people were praising me as the Heavenly Army on their own. I had never called myself the Heavenly Army even once, so there was no problem even if I were to rule the Empire later.

Marquis Arden seemed to think that my actions were simply out of humility.

Misunderstandings were compounding, but there seemed to be no need to explain further.

“Heavenly Army. We have prepared a meal. Please, eat.”

“It’s okay. We’ve been holding out like this, so we can’t waste food. We’ll provide support.”

“Su, support?”

“I brought some rice.”

“……!”

Marquis Arden was deeply grateful.

If it weren’t for us, Marquis Arden’s territory would have certainly fallen. Despite this, he was beyond grateful and felt moved that we were providing rice.

The black magicians under my command each opened a subspace [a pocket dimension or storage space].

A considerable amount of rice began to emerge from the subspace.

“How can this be!”

“Rice is coming out of thin air!”

Buzzing!

The surroundings were filled with excited chatter.

The situation in Marquis Arden’s territory was dire. They had been suffering from famine due to the long war, and the tax rate was excessively high to provide food for the army.

Even if there was leftover military food, it was by no means enough for the territory residents to eat, so everyone was shocked and happy when a large amount of rice poured out.

Marquis Arden’s body trembled.

“Where did all this food come from…….”

“I brought it from where I live. I can’t say it’s the best, but I think it’s still edible.”

“It’s the best! The finest rice with no chaff or sand mixed in!”

Soo-jung and I exchanged sly smiles.

Yes, this was only at the level of the Middle Ages, and it was bound to be completely inferior to modern times in terms of milling technology and varieties.

Although it was rice that had to be aged for 3 years, it turned into a delicacy that people here could not get enough of.

Soo-jung asked slyly.

“Is there still a lot of government rice left?”

“Of course. The amount of food stockpiled in each country alone is enormous.”

It was natural that there was so much food left over, a material abundance common in modern times. Farming methods, varieties, and technology had developed beyond imagination, and what used to be done by people was now done by machines and drones.

Drones sprayed pesticides on rice paddies covering tens of thousands of square feet, and tractors plowed, sowed, and transplanted rice.

Of course, human hands were still needed, but it brought about a dramatic increase in production.

In addition, the government always stockpiled rice in preparation for emergencies. There was always a problem with too much rice in the country, not a problem with not enough.

Drought was also a thing of the past.

Even if there was a drought, reservoirs almost never completely dried up.

People began to cook rice with happy faces.

“Ahem. Marquis?”

“Yes!”

At this point, it was not at all unreasonable for Marquis Arden to become a fervent believer in the Vivian Church [likely a fictional religious institution].

“I’m sorry to say this, but after people finish eating, let’s clean up the city center.”

“I will!”

Marquis Arden moved without even realizing he was tired.

At first, he was skeptical, but when he realized that the Heavenly Army had really appeared and was even winning the war and could advance north and wipe out the enemies, his fatigue disappeared and he felt his body lighten.

Around evening.

The battle ended in the morning, but the cleanup was the problem.

All the territory residents and the army were involved, working until evening to remove the bodies and clear the debris.

Fortunately, the city center did not burn down. If the debris was completely removed, the city could be operated normally immediately.

I briefly called only the key leaders under my command and held a meeting.

Everyone had a very encouraging expression.

They had really crossed dimensions and were rapidly building up their power.

But this could only be temporary.

I addressed them.

“The Empire may think it has been saved now, but that is completely contrary to our intentions.”

“That’s right. The Empire is treating us as if we will ascend to power if we help them and pacify the continent.”

“They mistakenly believe that we are the army of the goddess, so we are building up our power, but we need a perfect shackle [something to control or restrain them].”

“What do you mean by shackle…?”

“We need to make a blood oath and plant a curse in their hearts.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!”

“What are you thinking?”

I asked because Soo-jung’s expression had been serious all along.

In fact, it was safe to say that Soo-jung had reached the 5th circle [another measure of magical power].

It was certain that she had reached that level, so there was no reason to send her back to Earth.

“If you use a curse, you will definitely be caught by divine power. So, I was wondering if it would be better to go to the Holy Empire, which excludes divine power.”

“Holy Empire?”

“Hmm. Miss. If that happens, there is a high possibility that there will be problems later.”

Those were Kalburn’s words.

Clearly, Soo-jung’s words were also correct, but if we openly supported the Holy Empire, he thought that it would be difficult to rule without religious support later.

But Soo-jung shook her head.

“Grandpa only knows one thing and doesn’t know two things [idiom meaning someone is narrow-minded].”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“We don’t have to directly say that we are the Holy Empire, do we?”

“……!”

Soo-jung’s words were correct.

Even if we didn’t say it directly, we could promote the Holy Empire through rumors.

“Hmm. Then that means the curse is not desirable.”

Soo-jung smiled mischievously.

“After seizing power, a powerful imperial authority will be established that no one can challenge. So don’t worry. Soo-jung will make it that way too!”