novelraw Chapter 203 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (8)
Chapter 203 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (8)
“Just kill him, Thomas.”
“……”
Valencia’s quiet command.
Her voice was as cold as the winter frost, without a hint of hesitation, but…
That was something Tom could not accept.
Of course, it wasn't that Tom was defending the man known as the warden of this eastern camp.
Having risen to his current position from being a Beastkin slave, he should have known the pain and sorrow better than anyone.
Despite that, for him to do such trashy things to his own kind was, even in Tom's eyes, something worthy of death.
Above all, even if the man hadn't known, the very act of verbally harassing Valencia, who carried the bloodline of the Beastkin Royal Family, was an unforgivable sin.
After all, that was why Tom couldn't stand it and had swung his hand, breaking his disguise.
If anything, the one who couldn't forgive the recent disrespect more than anyone was Tom himself.
‘…….’
However, punishing the sin and killing him were two entirely different matters.
No matter what trashy things he'd done, a Beastkin was still a Beastkin.
To strike off his head without even giving him a chance to repent was something difficult for Tom, who carried a certain burden in his heart for all Beastkin, to carry out.
“…But, Princess.”
“……”
Perhaps she had anticipated that Tom would not be able to accept her command.
Valencia approached the hesitating Tom and gently—took hold of the tips of his claws, which had emerged at some point.
And then.
Plunge—
“……!”
By the time Tom was led by her touch, not knowing why, his claws had already pierced the warden's artery.
Blood gushed out—gushing from between his claws.
Tom hastily pulled his claws out, but.
Splaash—
That act only hastened the blood that was about to spurt out.
A fountain of blood erupted, and a considerable amount splattered all over Valencia's body.
“…What in the.”
Tom looked at Valencia with a horrified expression, but.
She paid no mind to his gaze.
And, looking down at the warden, she murmured quietly before turning and heading for the door.
“…This is right, Thomas.”
The reason Valencia acted that way was simple.
It was because she had clearly realized what she lacked.
“……”
…No.
In truth, it wasn't a lack of anything.
‘…….’
This was the perspective a monarch ought to have.
She had thought it strange that Allen's Thought Form remained silent despite knowing of her current confusion regarding the Beastkin.
There was a good reason why Allen Tigris III had been silent until now.
A detached perspective, as if observing intellectually from a step back, without mixing in any emotion.
A monarch had to be able to judge all matters rationally, without a shred of emotion.
The moment the thought ‘useless’ came to mind, rather than anger or sadness at the sight of the trashy warden, Valencia realized.
This was the very perspective her father had maintained his entire life.
Creeak—
It was only natural that such a change would occur after the Succession.
For she had become the successor to the true king.
Valencia, throwing the door open, glanced at the horrified Tom and walked out.
In her steps, there was not a single trace of hesitation.
***
In the southern part of the Order Territory, a nobleman belonging to a certain kingdom, ‘Baron Alain de Supérieur,’ heard something strange first thing in the morning.
“…What? You're saying a slave ran away?”
That a slave had run away.
“Yes, my lord Baron.”
“……”
“…When I went out to count the manor's slaves, the farming tools had been cast aside.”
The reason this news was strange was that it was too ‘trivial.’
As the work was hard, slaves running away was not an infrequent occurrence.
Just last month, three serfs who were tilling the wasteland outside the manor had been caught trying to escape and beaten to death.
The Baron couldn't understand why his chamberlain, Heinrich, was telling him such a thing so early in the morning.
Heinrich hadn't been the chamberlain for just a day or two; he was a veteran who had served for decades, since the time of the previous lord.
He couldn't fathom why he would bother reporting such a trivial matter to him.
“Heinrich… isn't this something you can just handle by catching them? Why are you reporting every little thing to me?”
But despite the Baron's rebuke, his brow furrowed in clear annoyance, the chamberlain did not back down.
“My manor is vast and my slaves are many. Just take some other serfs and go catch them……”
“The thing is……”
The reason was simple.
“It wasn't just one slave who ran away. All the serfs working outside the manor have fled.”
What he was reporting wasn't the escape of a single slave, but that dozens of serfs had fled all at once.
“Hmph!”
That was certainly not a common occurrence.
Baron Supérieur, who had thought at most one or two had run off, straightened his posture and adopted a more serious attitude.
“That is indeed a troublesome matter.”
The number of serfs purchased to cultivate the wasteland outside the manor was about thirty.
For that many to have fled at once was certainly not within the realm of the ordinary.
It was a matter too difficult for the chamberlain to handle on his own.
“Then go with William, Heinrich. No matter what, you won't be able to handle that many slaves by yourself.”
‘William’ was a knight contracted to Baron Supérieur's territory.
He was a former Hero candidate who had once participated in the War against Demons.
Although he hadn't received the Investiture of a Hero, he had the ability to handle mana, granting him a level of martial prowess far beyond that of an ordinary person.
The Baron judged that such strength was necessary to capture all of the dozens of serfs.
In truth, their contract was limited to William protecting the Baron's person, so ordering him to do such an auxiliary task would require separate, additional payment, but the Baron was saying he was willing to bear that cost.
The serfs working outside the manor had been deliberately composed of Beastkin slaves, who were sturdier than humans.
It would certainly have been a difficult matter for Heinrich to handle alone.
Baron Supérieur thought that dispatching William would more or less conclude the matter, but.
“……”
Strangely, Chamberlain Heinrich remained in his place.
“The thing is……”
The reason was simple.
“The slaves didn't just run away from our territory.”
“…What?”
“The serfs of Viscount Avon to the north and Baron Hivryv to the west are also said to have left their manors at the same time.”
“…”
“It seems they must have exchanged signals or messages after encountering each other while cultivating the wasteland.”
Baron Supérieur's mouth fell shut.
It was certainly strange.
For serfs from three territories to escape simultaneously was a bizarre event that had never happened, even in his ancestors' time.
He'd never even heard of the slaves outside the manor escaping all at once, let alone the serfs of three different territories fleeing at the same time.
Moreover, in the case of Baron Hivryv, he had been pouring effort into cultivating the wasteland by purchasing three times the number of serfs operated by a typical territory, based on the superior financial power inherited from his ancestors.
His serfs and my own. Add Viscount Avon's to that, and there must be over a hundred serfs gathered.
A mob of that size could overwhelm a single knight.
No matter how skilled a knight was at handling mana, it wasn't an infinite resource that could be poured out indefinitely.
One against many was one thing, but when the number surpassed a hundred, it became impossible to handle alone.
To deal with such numbers, one couldn't rely on their own strength; they had to join forces with the nobles of neighboring territories to raise soldiers or call for support.
However, the use of slaves was strictly forbidden by the laws of The Order.
And while the central authorities knew it was happening in secret, they didn't bother to intervene.
But that also meant it would be impossible for them to dispatch reinforcements.
Baron Supérieur muttered, as if he couldn't comprehend the current predicament.
“…Have they all gone mad as a group? Why all of a sudden……”
To the Baron's muttering, Heinrich carefully spoke up.
“…If I'm not mistaken, didn't both Baron Hivryv and Viscount Avon also employ Beastkin for the serfs outside their manors?”
“…That's right. They're all Beastkin.”
In the first place, the method of expanding the territory by cultivating the wasteland was something he had copied after seeing Baron Hivryv do it.
It was also Baron Hivryv who had connected him with a broker to purchase Beastkin slaves, saying they were sturdier.
Viscount Avon, Baron Hivryv, and himself were all using Beastkin slaves to cultivate the wasteland.
Perhaps he didn't understand why this was an important point at this particular moment.
The Baron tilted his head in confusion for a moment, but.
He understood the intention with Heinrich's next words.
“…I also found it strange and did some research. I've heard a rumor circulating recently. That the Beastkin Nation will be rebuilt.”
“…The Beastkin Nation will be rebuilt? What are you talking about?”
Baron Supérieur knew well of the Beastkin Nation.
It hadn't existed in his time, but.
Back when the Neutral faction still existed, it was said to have been a powerful force that held its position as a leading nation, though it couldn't compare to colossal powers like The Order or the Demon King's Army.
He remembered it clearly because Baron Hivryv had chattered on about it, as if showing off his knowledge, at a drinking party while introducing the Beastkin broker.
…Which made it all the more difficult to understand.
How and why would a nation that fell 100 years ago, rendered unable to even utter a word as its people were sold into slavery, be rebuilt?
“Yes. They say a Hero belonging to The Order is gathering Beastkin, vowing to build a nation for them. It seems they are aiming for that and heading in that direction.”
“…Does that even make any sense? He's going to build a nation with slaves?”
It was an absurd notion by any common sense.
A mere Hero gathering slaves to build a nation.
Of course, a Hero's martial prowess was great, but at the end of the day, they were nothing more than expendable assets used in the War against Demons.
Building a nation required considerable leadership and other abilities.
Above all, an outsider building a nation for another race.
In Baron Supérieur's mind, those words could only be heard as a ridiculous rumor.
…However.
For that ridiculous rumor to become actual, living news delivered by message…
It did not take very long.