Chapter 205

Chapter 205 - Conquistador (6)

Not long ago, in the auditorium of the Samur border guard training center.

"This is Roman."

The recruits looked up at the extra-large map the instructor pointed at.

"The arrogant Romans boast that they are the orthodox successors of the ancient kingdom, but their territory is not even a quarter of Samur's."

"Ooh!"

Next, the place the command baton pointed at was Barcia in the northwest of the continent.

"These bloodsuckers brag that they are the nobles among nobles. It's thanks to the monstrous plain that occupies as much as 40% of their land. The massive output obtained from there is the reason these guys survive even without friends. It allows them to rise again like cockroaches even after being beaten up for acting up against the whole country."

Next is Gord.

"They are guys who don't live up to their size and pettily haggle over even a single coin, but they are still decent friends. A significant portion of their land is connected by waterways, so the combined use of the army and navy is essential. It's easy to block the Barcia cavalry to the north, and easy to hold back monster outbreaks to the south."

After additionally explaining about the City-State Alliance and the Appen Peninsula, the final place the command baton stopped at was Samur.

"This is our land. Just looking at the size alone, it is as vast as all the previously explained lands added together."

The laughter of the recruits filled with pride.

"There is nothing to rejoice about. To compare it to a mansion, the absolute majority of our land corresponds to hallways. A dangerous mansion where even going from room to room is difficult, and you don't know when a monster will pop out in the hallway."

Fitting for the cradle of military education boasting a 300-year tradition, the map is also a top-tier product. Terrains such as deserts, jungles, and rocky mountain ranges are also drawn in detail.

Exactly as the instructor said, it is a location that looks the most difficult to live in on the continent at a glance.

"Damn it. Why is only ours so yellow?"

"Have a drink. Half of the Middle Sea is ours, isn't it?"

"Seems like pirates use it better than us though."

The recruits whose patriotic time ended in an instant grumbled.

"As learned in the last session, humanity is a latecomer. They occupied today's dominant position by competing with various races that originally ruled the continent. Though this is a common matter for all races."

In this process, races that reached an agreement with humanity, whether officially or implicitly, are called Beastkin.

- Let us not exhaust our strength among ourselves.

Those who were equally latecomers.

- Just do not touch our land.

Those going their own way unconcerned with external situations.

- Do you need mercenaries by any chance? We will fight much better than average humans.

Warrior groups who aggressively approached to become friends.

Dwarves, Elves, and various Beast-folk fall into this category. Although it is strictly a classification according to human standards.

Conversely, there are also intelligent races with whom dialogue and compromise are entirely impossible. Such beings are collectively called sub-humans.

Existences that possess intelligence and sociality to form a civilization, yet have souls identical to monsters.

"From now on, I will begin the main topic. Everyone, look at this portrait."

The instructor pointed at a family painting hung next to the map.

A humanoid creature with an antique fox face sat with one knee raised in front of a campfire. It was a female as 4 breasts protruded and she was extravagantly decorated.

Next to her, a kid appearing to be about 2-3 years old was whining, and was incredibly lovely. A feeling of multiplying the destructive power of a human baby and a fox cub.

"Those of you who came up from the southern deserts or the eastern coast might be seeing them for the first time. These pretty-looking sons of bitches are called Rakshas."

None of the recruits sent a favorable gaze to the fox family. Not necessarily because the instructor called them 'sons of bitches'.

It was because what was sizzling and roasting on the campfire skewer was a human arm.

"Remember. No matter what kind of fateful encounter you have with a Raksha during your military life hereafter, you must not be mistaken. You can never become their special human. A living enemy or dead food. The ways Rakshas perceive humans are only those two types."

As the instructor gestured, an assistant operated a rope. Then, the existing painting was lowered and a new painting composed of two pieces went up.

The left is a painting of an orphaned Raksha kid crying alone at the boundary of a destroyed campsite.

The right is a painting of a human soldier holding a fainted Raksha female in a princess carry.

"Acts of taking in an orphaned cub out of sympathy, or treating an injured female warrior out of a mistaken romantic attachment. At the end of that, unconditionally only a bad ending exists."

As the rope moved again, a 3rd painting appeared and murmuring grew in the auditorium. Both are paintings of the middle of the night.

On the left is a Raksha cub biting and tearing the neck of a sleeping soldier.

On the right is a female Raksha gorging on entrails from the abdomen of a dead soldier with a knife stuck in his eyeball.

"You are not special. Whether handsome or ugly, having a good voice or eloquence doesn't matter at all. Do not expect human morality, conscience, or relationships from Rakshas."

The voice of the instructor, holding his fist, grew louder.

"Kill them on sight! If you find a newborn baby, throw it as dog food! Become lovers with a Raksha? That is as dangerous as deep kissing a venomous snake, and as shameful as trying to relieve sexual desire on a goat."

「Samur Border Guard Mental Education: What are Sub-humans? During Lecture」

* * *

"I knew the Raksha bastards were also divided into multiple tribes, but..."

Eugene scratched his cheek at the news of envoys who came seeking dialogue.

"It's a trap. Since the history of humanity began, there hasn't been a single instance of forming friendly relations with Rakshas."

"I think the same, Sir."

Hind and Rex, who attended the meeting, said. Since they weren't assigned to the advance party, they were on standby in the Moving Castle.

- Cough! Cough! I, I am sorry. You will need my help.

- It's fine so just take good care of your health, old man. Getting a cold at your age, you could be gone in a flash.

- It's a body sturdy enough not to fall behind youngsters, what is this...

- Muscles might block swords, but they can't block colds.

Marbas caught a cold coming from the Land of Snow suddenly to the humid tropical rainforest. Having met a super high-speed changing of seasons with a difference of at least 30°C, it wasn't strange either.

"Leave aside whether it's a trap or not, isn't Rakshas holding up a white flag or seeking dialogue the first time itself?"

"...Is that so?"

Rakshas do not surrender nor accept surrenders. The flags they raise are only skins peeled from killed enemies.

"Why don't you just kill them cleanly?"

Cassandra was also of the opinion that they couldn't be trusted. She trusted no one besides the three: the matrilineal Dark Elf minor kingdom, the patrilineal Blackhand Tribe, and Eugene.

"Let's meet them first at least. Aren't you curious where they learned the human language? Come to think of it, this is also a first. If unprecedented things occurred in succession, we should approach it carefully."

Since Eugene made the decision, objecting opinions no longer arose.

Thus, he met the Raksha envoys at the prepared negotiation table. Fitting for a matriarchal race, the one who identified herself as the chieftain was female.

"I am Eugene. The commander of this expeditionary force."

"Chief of warriors wearing iron clothes. Very strong man. Glad to meet you. My name is Sasha."

From the sight of the Raksha speaking in lacking language, no malice was felt at all.

Grrrmble.

Instead, a sound like ship horn rang out noisily.

'Just try playing any tricks.'

'I'll slice your neck in a single stroke.'

To the heavily armed dwarven guards, it seemed to approach as a threat rather than sympathy. They glared sharply as if wary of starving beasts.

However, Sasha's party showed no sign of cowering at all. As if an atmosphere where their lives were threatened was already everyday life.

"Homi."

At Eugene's question, Homi shook her head.

"No smell of blood at all. For this Raksha called Sasha, and the two behind them as well."

"Our tribe. Don't eat meat."

Sasha answered immediately.

"Mother, grandmother, aunt too threw up if they ate meat. Said it smells horrible. We are a tribe that lived on the outskirts. A scary great chieftain dragged us here. To serve him."

Sasha held up and showed the necklace she hung on her neck.

Unlike other Rakshas who hang skulls or teeth of prey, what Sasha presented was a bundle of various seeds and dried mushrooms.

"We. Eat grass, mushrooms, fruits. So despised by our kind. Said we are weak. Said our stomachs always growl."

"That face is?"

"Got hit. Saying we're the shame of Rakshas. Boohoo..."

Sasha's face speaking sadly was black and blue with bruised eyes.

At that pitifulness, the dwarven warriors' suspicious gazes also softened somewhat.

The tricks sub-humans use are things like camouflaged attacks using protective coloring, not such mournful expressions and voices.

Meanwhile, Eugene recalled pandas from Sasha's appearance. Apart from the blue bruised eyelids, it was due to their changed dietary habits.

A bizarre creature possessing the body of a typical carnivore but becoming herbivorous through genetic mutation, the panda.

'Come to think of it, these guys' fangs...?'

Furthermore, Sasha, who was speaking every detail in front of him, also showed differences in her teeth.

"Can you open your mouth?"

"???"

"Say 'Ah!'."

"Aaaa?"

Eugene had dissected Rakshas he had defeated in Samur. As a commander, it was to analyze their physical characteristics in preparation for fighting them again in the future.

Thus, he knew Rakshas' teeth were sharp like carnivorans and their fangs were developed.

"You can close it now. As expected, it was good that we met."

Sasha had developed molars and small fangs.

It's not a huge difference, but a clearly distinguishable change if you know the oral structure of a Raksha.

'Even if their exterior is the same as Rakshas, they branched off into a different strand internally. As time passes, the changes will spread to their exterior as well.'

Did she notice from Eugene's reaction that he wasn't hostile to them? Sasha grabbed her stomach with a pitiful face.

"Hungry. Even if we sow seeds, weeds eat them up. Don't want to fight. Hate smell of blood. We too want to learn sowing seeds."

Grrrmble.

The ship horn sound that resounded noisily once again.

"But we are attacked. By those who sow seeds. We are treated as slaves. By our kind."

"...Can you try eating this first? It'll suit your taste."

Eugene removed the meat from the food prepared for smooth negotiation. Instead, the single remaining vegetable was placed in front of Sasha's party.

"Uhm?!"

Finger-sized sticks exuding a yellow, savory scent. The Rakshas sniffed their noses noisily.

Swallowing their drool, Sasha's party carefully put them in their mouths one by one.

Crunch.

Chomp.

"!!!"

"!!!"

The fox young ladies were astonished at the taste of french fries filling their mouths.

"Eat to your heart's content."

They, who were trying to read Eugene's face, moved their hands like lightning.

"I will fight your kind. I need information for that. If you cooperate, I will gift you food and the secret of farming. I'll mediate your peaceful coexistence with the Cat-folk too."

Sasha, who stuffed her mouth full of french fries, nodded her head diligently.

Munch munch.

Nom nom nom.

The sight of the french fries protruding between her thick lips is incredibly cute.

"Our tribe. Became slaves. Said if we won't fight, to work. If we can't work, to become meat."

Sasha is a chieftain. She had the duty to protect her tribe not only from starvation but also from abuse and death.

* * *

"D-Does this make sense?"

Yakson, who heard the whole story, was also frightened out of his wits.

"There shouldn't be anything that wouldn't particularly work, though?"

"It's a Raksha. They are cannibals forming a double wall with Smallfolk in terms of viciousness, I tell you."

It seems he suffered a lot while protecting the Cat-folk for 30 years. It was sufficiently understandable.

"That's how mutations originally are. They pop out suddenly without warning, and most collapse and are weeded out. But occasionally, they stubbornly hold on and strike a new branch in history."

Come to think of it, the starting point of every evolution is mutation. Eugene and Yakson conversing right now are also a product of that.

"How did she say they learned our language?"

"You remember the sailors who crossed the ocean together 30 years ago, right? Those who went deeper looking for gold."

"They were brave yet greedy friends."

Yakson stopped at Divide and taught language and faith to the Cat-folk. But the sailors couldn't be satisfied with merely that much.

And every one of them met a miserable end. Whether eaten by monsters and beasts, collapsing after eating poisonous fruits, or catching endemic diseases.

"Among them, there were sailors captured by Rakshas."

Naturally, every one of them became raw meat or barbecue.

"But reportedly, Sasha's tribe secretly sneaked out two of them."

"Could it be to save them?"

"To be exact, it was to learn farming, but they did save them anyway."

Naturally, there's no way sailors would know farming. Instead, he taught human language to Sasha's tribe.

Saying that if they can communicate with humans, they won't miss it when a true opportunity comes someday.

"You intend to take them in, Count."

"Because treating graciously those who surrender early is the right thing to do. If it were just Rakshas, I too would distrust them, but there's plenty of evidence of a clear transformation."

"If they cooperate, our side's damage will decrease, for sure."

Yakson quickly agreed. The most important thing for survival in the jungle is adaptation.

Unconditionally denying unacceptably tough situations when they strike is foolish. One must coldly choose the advantageous option.

"Sasha will become the guide for the attack on Acran."

The ancient city of Acran standing aloof in the middle of dense jungle.

The place where intelligent tribes once interacted peacefully is now occupied by Rakshas and transformed into a center of barbarity and slaughter.

'In Acran, there are nearly 10 times our number of Rakshas holding out.'

Although it's an armament level stuck at the Neolithic stage, numbers mean power. Furthermore, unlike humans, most of the members convert to warriors.

'It's a great fortune that they don't farm.'

If Rakshas were omnivores cultivating agriculture like humans? That number would have been at a horrifying level to even think about.

"We must not forget that the probability of the Rakshas' ruler being an apostle of an evil god is high either."

Valda spoke worriedly.

"It's probably correct. It must be at least that much to be able to unify and maintain those fierce tribes into one."

Making them follow control while maintaining long-term rule when simply subduing them is already a difficult situation?

No matter how outstanding a warrior is, it's impossible with just personal prowess. It must be possible because they are manifesting miracles originating from mystical power.

"They are a group capable of performing various evil rituals unrestrainedly, including human sacrifice. You could even call it a sort of pagan minor kingdom. We must not be careless thinking their civilization level falls behind."

Eugene recalled a history book on South America he read in the past. There too, an event similar to his present self over occurred.

However, the human sacrifices performed in that history were merely foolish acts. The sun god bestowed nothing despite receiving massive sacrifices, after all.

But the evil gods here are different. They rejoice and return fitting gifts when receiving blood and flesh.

Surely, Eugene's army is far stronger and greater in number than the expeditionary force in history books.

However, the cannibals they must face being bolstered is likewise the same. Furthermore, for Eugene, allied forces to receive help from do not exist either.

"We will teach those savage cannibal bastards a lesson!"

"No attack of theirs will be able to pierce our shields!"

The subordinates were all in high spirits, but Eugene calmly went about preparing for the attack.

Because even if everyone is flustered by some unexpected situation, the monarch alone must present a solution.