I Was Connected to Earth’s Black Market From Another World With The Skill [Market]! (WN)

Chapter 308

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Chapter 308 – Stray Dictator

When I was told something was coming, it couldn’t possibly be a friendly presence. I couldn’t see it beyond the slope a few dozen yards away, but when I heard the wet crunching sound, I knew what it was. The muffled sound was the sound of countless limbs stomping through the snow. Still, I couldn’t hear voices, breathing, clothes rustling, or the metallic sound of weapons being drawn.

“This is it…”

“This must be it…”

A huge rake-like object appears at the edge of the slope. It slowly reveals itself as it rises. A centipede-like creature as long as a train, with a mortar on its back, wiggles its legs as it comes toward us. It is made up of soldiers and horses from the Imperial Army. There are no human-horse soldiers, perhaps due to a combination of factors such as fusion, collusion, or affinity.

“Ughhhh… What the hell is wrong with him? Is the emperor crazy?”

Is that another kind of golem? I’m getting a little tired of being involved in things like the Empire-sponsored exhibition of the results of experiments with heretical magic, but on the other hand, I’m feeling a little more relaxed.

“Is it easier than killing a living person?”

“Of course. I don’t like killing people. I don’t like to see or touch corpses. There’s no use for it except to take it to Prince Haidar.”

“””…Mouoooooo.”””

At last, I heard a low sound, like the croaking of a bullfrog. It was a mixture of different pitches, but I couldn’t sense any intent. It moved slowly and seemed to have little intelligence. In the first place, I doubt that such a thing even exists.

“The result of defeating over a hundred soldiers and horses is nothing to talk about. It would have been much more effective if they had just been used as they were, without any unnecessary fuss.”

“That’s it. I’ve had a bad feeling about this for a while.”

The Empire’s strategy, tactics, and military preparedness are extremely rational and advanced in some areas and extremely dull and confusing in others. If this were due to factionalism, disparity, or disharmony between regions or races within the land, it would be easy to understand. But that’s not the case in the Empire.

“I think I heard something about the Imperial Army being strong and able to respond quickly because military authority is centralized in the Emperor.”

“Umu. That’s what I heard.”

“I think it’s backfiring as the signs of defeat become more and more obvious. The information gathering, preliminary negotiations, and use of force necessary for political and military decisions are not working. Even if there are problems caused by being driven by false information, they can’t be confirmed, so they can’t be corrected. Even if the higher-ups make a wrong decision, there’s no one to stop them. On the contrary, in the case of the Empire, the front line makes arbitrary decisions and acts on its own.”

“Is that what happened?”

Myrril refers to the “uselessly expensive ragtag group” lying dead on the road they had come. They attacked the fort with a force that vastly outnumbered the defenders, but their movements were disorganized, their formation was rigid, and the chain of command didn’t seem to respond to our movements. Even considering the possibility that they were unfamiliar with our firearms, it seems that they attacked as they pleased, following their prior instructions, and died in vain.

“Perhaps the news that their troops have been annihilated hasn’t reached the headquarters yet? At worst, it has reached HQ, but they thought it was false information or a mutiny in the field, and they’ve been dealt with.”

Hjelmar sighs from the back seat.

“That sounds plausible, Demon King. How can you be so sure that you saw it all?”

“It actually happened where I was. More than half a century ago, in an empire that almost ruled the world. Superior weapons and soldiers, disciplined and highly trained troops. A loyal, direct force. A dictator with outstanding charisma. That’s fine as long as you win. But if you start going down the wrong path, it all starts to fall apart very quickly. Because the concentration of power leads to corruption, confusion, and collapse, there is no alternative.

He made all the decisions himself, supervised and managed everything, and carried them out. He didn’t trust his subordinates, his subjects, or his people, so he didn’t give them the right to make decisions, and he drove his entire country headlong down the path of destruction into the abyss. The lack of human and material resources was one of the reasons.

I’m sure the same goes for the Empire. The Emperor must have lost his mind by now. I don’t think even those guys in front of me would voluntarily turn into a mass of corpses at the discretion of the situation. The untrustworthy Emperor must have ordered them to become zombies who would blindly follow him, ignoring efficiency, profitability, and future prospects. Otherwise, the use of military force would have been too arbitrary.

“Even if they have well-trained bodies and fine weapons, they can’t fight if they lose their minds.”

It is pathetic, but I can understand it. If there is no one close to you with whom you can communicate, there is a possibility that you will end up like this.

“I see… As expected from the Demon King. So?”

“Huh?”

“When you suddenly announced that you were leaving Casemaian for the winter, was it to encourage the people to become independent and self-reliant?”

“No, I did not.”

“”Eeehhhh!?””

For some reason, Myrril and Hjelmar both sounded dissatisfied.

“Even if it’s a lie, this is the part where you say, ‘That’s right.’ Right?”

No, I don’t know. And anyway, it’s not like the people of Casemaian are my “people” to begin with.

“It was just because I wanted to have a fun winter vacation with Myrril.”

“Oof.”

“I also wanted to eat fresh seafood by the sea. It was all a bit hectic, though, and I only managed to do a little bit of everything.”

“…You’re so honest, aren’t you?”

Myrril shakes her head in annoyance.

“I’m not praising you, by the way.”

“Yes, I can see that. As expected.”

Meanwhile, the golem一or rather, the centipede-like monster made of corpses一slithered up the slope, but it moved slowly and seemed to have almost no intelligence, so it was more of a disgusting sight than a threat.

“It looks like it’s also taken over the artillery platform in its entirety, so I think we could blow it up if we fired a grenade or a fireball at it.”

Hjelmar climbed up to the gun emplacement and let loose a small rain of fire. The attack magic, which seemed to have only enough power to burn even a flesh-and-blood soldier, scattered sparks as they hit the ground, instantly setting fire to the centipede’s body in a chain-reaction explosion.

“That was quick.”

The child elf climbed down from the gun emplacement, not looking particularly pleased to have won victory with a single blow. The golem-like creature arched its back and slid down the slope, writhing in agony, and disappeared, rolling away and emitting a foul-smelling cloud of smoke. It looked as if there had been an explosion in the air, and dark pieces of flesh could be seen scattered in the air, after which there was silence. It seems that the fighting inside the fortress has died down, and we can’t hear any sounds of fighting outside the walls where we are.

“…Hmm. I heard a good story.”

“Huh?”

I don’t think there was any positive element in what I just said.

“If the dictator is isolated, then the story is simple. If we kill the Emperor, the Empire will end. The remaining ragtag group can be dealt with by the Republic’s small army.”

“Well… I suppose so.”

“In any case, he’s someone who needs to be killed. The order won’t be any different this time, will it?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Hjelmar, be glad. His Majesty the Demon King will sweep away all that is disgusting!”

The child elf looked at Myrril, then at me, then over the hill where the centipede had disappeared, and then back at me.

“…Yeah!”

You’re really unenthusiastic, you know!

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