LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 88 - Episode 88: Zaus' Peculiar Behavior
Episode 88: Zaus’ Peculiar Behavior
We had reached the outskirts of the Archduke’s territory.
Behind me stood a row of Sai, Lionkin, and Orc forces.
They were all full of vigor, creating quite an imposing presence.
From this place, there were ten districts, including towns and villages, all the way to Kikori Village.
“U-Um… Lord Zaus… Th-This… It seems like we’re about to use force to subjugate them. If we fight, there will be casualties, won’t there?”
“…But you see, with the Demon King’s army strengthened now, time is of the essence. It’s unavoidable.”
“T-That’s… unavoidable…”
First, the first district.
“Lord Zaus. T-This is a village with a thousand people. Attacking with such a large Zaus army, even if the invasion is swift, if there’s resistance from the enemy, it might not end in a day, right? If houses catch fire, we’ll have to deal with reconstruction… Th-That is to say… uhh…”
“Yeah. I understand what you’re trying to say. You’re saying that even if we try to subjugate by force, it will take time. Is that it?”
“Y-Yes. I… may be speaking out of turn… but I think there are more disadvantages to subjugating by force. And besides, there are ten districts, you know? The damage could be immeasurable.”
“Then we just erase it.”
“Eh!?”
“Eliminate any opposition.”
“Eeeh!?”
Occupying ten districts in a day is impossible.
So, we just erase them. That’s all there is to it.
Haaah…
“Seventh Stage Enhanced Chakra, Evoque, Level 20 times Enhanced Second Burst!”
Hmm.
With this, my level is increased by 20 times.
Since my level is 120,000, it’s now 2.4 million levels.
“Eh!? W-Wait!? Lord Zaus!? Are you serious!? There are a thousand people in this village!? Are you planning to take their lives!?”
“Time is of the essence. This is the only way.”
“B-But! That’s terrible!! T-Taking the lives of a thousand people!!”
“This is the only… way.”
“Lord Zausssssss!!”
It was at that moment that Stasa screamed.
I released magic from my palm.
“Deep Sleep Magic, Gussurii.”
A sleep-inducing magic.
Its effectiveness and range depend on the Intelligence stat.
The higher the Intelligence, the more powerful it is, and it can be applied over a wide area.
“S-Sleep magic…?”
And Stasa collapsed.
Now, let’s start explaining.
“This is the Deep Sleep Magic, Gussurii at level 2.4 million. Once cast, it will keep them asleep for 10 days. Moreover, it can be applied to a wide area, so it can be applied to the entire village in one go. In other words…”
“T-The villagers are all asleep…”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“B-But… why did you do this?”
“Ah, well, watch. I’ll explain while giving instructions.”
“Now, this is a big job. Saizou, take command of the subordinate monsters.”
“W-What are you going to do, Sai?”
“Taking care of the villagers.”
“T-Taking care!?”
“The villagers are all sound asleep. I want you to pick them up one by one and lay them on beds.”
Upon entering the village, the villagers were all lying down in various poses.
One farmer was about to till the field. A woman was asleep while doing laundry. Those who were cooking, playing children. Even livestock and pets, everything living was in a state of sleep.
“I see, Sai. If they were cooking, they need to put out the fire, don’t they? Did you deploy so many subordinate monsters to deal with the sleeping district?”
“That’s right. We won’t know about the houses of those who are outside, right? So just use nearby houses’ beds. And preferably, separate men and women. This is to avoid trouble when they wake up.”
“Understood.”
“Also, I’ll leave the disposal of food to you. We don’t know how many days they’ll sleep, so if food rots, it could be a hygiene issue. Dispose of any food that seems likely to rot.”
Stasa tilted her head.
“Why did you do something like this?”
“Ah, well, time is of the essence. I want to talk to Kikori Village by tomorrow. Having ten districts is troublesome, isn’t it? So, I thought I’d let them sleep for a while. I plan to put all ten districts to sleep by the end of today.”
“…So, you mean to say… After adding Kikori Village to our forces, you’ll start subjugating the ten districts?”
“That’s right.”
“So, in other words, you’ll wake them up one district at a time?”
“Yeah. That way, they won’t interfere with other districts, right? They can’t complain if they’re asleep.”
“I-Impressive, Sai. Only Lord Zaus could come up with something like this!”
“Alright. Let’s leave the villagers’ care to the subordinate monsters and move on to the next district. We’ll put the remaining nine districts to sleep by the end of today.”
Stasa clung to me. “Ahaa!! Lord Zaussss!!”
“Hey hey, what’s with the sudden hug?”
“Well… I was worried. I thought you were going to wipe out the village…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I do something like that?”
“…You’re right. Ufufu. It’s you, Lord Zaus. You wouldn’t take away the villagers’ lives… Ufufu. You definitely wouldn’t do that, right?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I couldn’t care less about the villagers’ lives.”
“I-I understand. Because it would lead to losses when they become part of our army, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Ufufufu. Lord Zausss.”
And she buried her face in my chest.
Well, well.
“Now, if you understand, let’s move on to the next scene.”
“Yes! Let’s put all ten districts to sleep by the end of today! And then, after occupying Kikori Village, we’ll wake them up gradually for negotiated subjugation!”
That’s the plan.