Stranger's Handbook

Chapter 71: Talks with the Rebel Army

“Your Excellency, Duke Zest, thank you very much for the trouble of meeting me here.”

Inside the Main Army’s tent, a too serious man was lowering his head.

“Lord Raiza, don’t worry about it……..Well now, you say you are the messenger?”

He rushed here right after the announcement……..

If you don’t act fast during a rebellion, things could get really troublesome.

“I’m very pleased to meet you. I am Herman, the current representative of the capital.”

He informed and raised his head. He was indeed a kemonobito.

His ears resembled Albert’s, and he looked like a tall, slender, but fearless dog kemonobito.

First, I silently cast my observation magic……..He looked like the type to show some kind of reaction when lying.

“The current representative?…….So it was a rebellion after all?”

“Yes. Tarminal Kingdom’s royal lineage has died out.”

As I thought…….

However, it’s not excluded that the royal family might have escaped without this man noticing.

I really must get a grasp of the situation here……..

“Albert, call Tasel here.”

“Yes sir.”

“Sorry, you can continue.”

He followed Albert with his vision as he left the room then continued talking.

“As you might already know…………”

And so, he opened up.

The situation here was worse than I had previously thought…….

First, the Tarminal Kingdom had a doctrine that preached the supremacy of the human race.

The human race…….Like back in Japan, where people think that humans are the most superior species and all the other ones with which they interact are considered inferior races.

This kingdom oppressed the kemonobito, the dwarves, the elves, and turned them into slaves.

Were they to oppose the humans, people from their races and families would die executed. So they stopped defying humans.

As he was telling this story, the man started to cry……..

Still, even in such circumstances, they didn’t start a war.

The reason for which Tarminal Kingdom resorted to such a policy was the shortage of food they were confronting with.

Their territories contained many wetlands and large rivers.

Thinking about it, their soil should have been really productive.

However, in reality, it was disastrous……

Due to a despotic administration, the people didn’t have enough food.

What was to be done? The solution was to throw away the children and the old.

But if they were to continue that, the number of workers would have decreased and the harvest would have dropped.

Furthermore, the food supply wasn’t sufficient to feed the population.

Therefore……..

“The Kingdom sacrificed its royal mages to summon someone from a different world.”

………….So it was this country?

………I see. It was this country!

I desperately tried to restrain my magical power from revealing my disturbance.

……..It was useless. It leaked out considerably.

Herman’s face turned dead pale in an instant, and he tried to open his mouth to speak, but no sound was coming out.

“Your Excellency, I have brought Tasel.”

Albert returned with the best timing possible.

“Thank you. Come closer, Tasel.”

He approached and I gave him instructions in a low voice.

‘Your top priority is to be alert of the surroundings as you conduct an investigation about the situation here. You can use the knights as well. Go now.’

“Certainly! Excuse me.”

I gave Taser the orders then returned to our conversation.

“I’ve kept you waiting. What happened to that person……..who came from another world?”

“…….Y…yes.”

He told me in brief.

The summoning itself was a success, but the aimed location…….In short, that person never showed up inside the magical formation set up somewhere in the Tarminal Kingdom.

What convinced them that the summoning was a success was the way the magical formation was shining, as well as the state of the casters’ bodies. Everything was like in the books.

They were so foolish…….

After that, Tarminal Kingdom ended up being in a position without its summoned stranger and with all its royal mages annihilated.

It was the worst situation for them.

The administration became more and more despotic…….That was the time when someone from the Grun Empire achieved spiritification.

Yeah, that was me.

Once they investigated the incident, they discovered I was the summoned stranger……..However, they didn’t have any proof that I was indeed the person they tried to summon.

The Kingdom was driven to a wall…………….

“So they decided……… to start a war?………….”

The tent turned as silent as a grave.

He wasn’t lying…….I exchanged looks with Raiza and signaled him that this man was telling the truth. Raiza nodded in response.

“So, why does your surrender come with a condition?”

Herman’s face looked depressed as he was hanging his head, but my words woke him from his trance, and he straightened himself.

“Despite being a kemonobito, Albert-sama is the Knights Commander in the army of Duke Zest, the Empire’s Blade! He is what all kemonobito aspire to be! He is hope! If it is for that person, we thought that we won’t be mistreated………”

Huh? The Empire’s Blade? Who’s the idiot who named me that……..?

My head hurts. This second name is truly embarrassing……..How dare they?……..

Still, I understood the situation…….These guys were treated very poorly here.

They seemed traumatized by humans.

But it was no good.

“I understand……But it’s no good. You are in no position to add conditions to your surrender, are you? I shouldn’t be mistaken, otherwise why would the one in charge come here in person?”

I sighed.

Herman’s body was trembling and his face was bitter, but I continued nonetheless.

“I will not allow you to add conditions to your surrender. However, if you do surrender, I will appoint Albert as our correspondent, and I vow on the name of my Grum Empire that you won’t ever be treated poorly by us.”

The Empire would never accept a rebel army to add conditions to their surrender.

Once it did that, it would become a laughing matter; an Empire with an army that couldn’t win against some rebels.

However, in case it accepts the Kingdom’s pitiful people, the Empire might as well be seen as tolerant.

It’s sophistry, but it can’t be helped…….It’s all for the nobles and their countries’ honor.

Herman lowered his head, finally understanding my words.

“Please, please, look after us! We’ll be in your care!”

“Herman, don’t worry about it. I swear on my pride as a kemonobito that his Excellency is a person that can be trusted. Besides, his Excellency is a stranger who came from a different world…….He doesn’t think poorly of us, kemonobito. Isn’t that right, your Excellency?”

As he continued to talk foolishly, Albert looked in my direction.

……..Haha, Albert became talkative again.

I started talking, my face full of smiles.

“He’s right. I even forgave him for trying to seduce my wife on the imperial capital’s streets. Even when he wanted to get married and begged me in tears, I helped him. Ah! And that time in the bar with that beautiful woman………….”

“Your Excellency! I am very sorry! I got carried away, please forgive me!”

Herman was watching us dumbfounded as we joked with each other, but, before one knew, he started smiling……..while shedding tears……

“We completely surrender to the Grun Empire.”

He informed us cheerfully.