Chapter 18: Ah, that was a lie, you know.

“You at least know the country called Yaiban, right?”

“Yes. It's the enemy nation of Saripa.”

Yaiban is a large country located west of the Kingdom of Saripa.

However, their cultural level isn’t very advanced, and it seems even magical tools haven’t spread there properly yet.

…Well, Saripa probably wouldn’t be much different without the technology provided by the Deken Empire.

“So, are you familiar with Yaiban’s insane culture?”

“I’ve heard they have some kind of offering-based belief system.”

“Yeah. They believe being offered to their god after death is an honor.”

Their religious beliefs are especially noteworthy.

Apparently, instead of burying their dead right away, they keep the corpses until their festivals, then hold a mass funeral.

Their culture sees the dead as offerings to their god.

If that were all, it wouldn’t be a major issue, but...

“They think ‘disasters will happen if the offerings are insufficient,’ so when the festival season comes around, they attack.”

“...So I’ve heard.”

“They raid Byuredesto just to gather more corpses. And they even call it a ‘holy war.’”

“That’s completely insane.”

When Yaiban people feel there aren’t enough offerings, they wage war out of fear of divine punishment.

They collect the bodies of both allies and enemies to offer to their god.

“Count Zister’s army tried to fight back, but they were utterly overwhelmed by Yaiban’s forces. They kept losing—so badly, in fact, that they’ve now lost nearly all their military strength.”

“...That’s not what I heard. I was told Count Zister was undefeated, always winning.”

“He was probably too embarrassed to report the defeats back home. I imagine honor means a lot to nobles, right?”

Would a noble really hide a losing battle like that?

...Actually, with Saripa’s nobles, that’s not so far-fetched.

“Then how did Byuredesto continue fighting Yaiban after losing its army?”

“The citizens of Byuredesto held a meeting and organized a defense force to protect themselves.”

“So basically, a militia.”

After Count Zister’s soldiers were gone, the people of Byuredesto supposedly formed their own army.

Given that Yaiban’s invasion threatened their survival, that development makes sense.

“So you’re saying the regular army was wiped out, and only the townspeople have been resisting since then.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“With things that dire, shouldn’t Zister territory have already been annexed by Yaiban?”

“That’s what I was just talking about. There’s a traitor.”

“I want to hear the details of that.”

We’d heard the rumors too—that Yaiban attacked Byuredesto almost every year.

We were told Count Zister bravely fought them off each time.

But in reality, the Byuredesto army had been decimated, and only a small citizen militia was resisting.

So why hadn’t the region been conquered?

“Count Zister isn’t even defending Byuredesto anymore. He’s just watching from the sidelines.”

“That’s absurd. In that case, it’s even more strange that the region hasn’t been annexed.”

To a lord, their subjects are assets. Failing to protect them only reduces their tax income.

To sit back and watch them be slaughtered is like letting someone steal your wealth without lifting a finger.

And if Count Zister was really colluding with Yaiban, wouldn’t he at least negotiate for annexation to protect his people?

“Count Zister realized that the Yaiban only cared about retrieving corpses. So he made a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“He agreed to abandon Byuredesto’s defense and look the other way when they came to collect corpses from the battlefield. He even promised to switch sides in a crisis and turn on Saripa—on one condition: that Yaiban wouldn’t touch the city where he lives or any other part of his territory outside Byuredesto.”

“Ah…”

…Wow.

So Count Zister hid his defeats out of pride, then conspired with the enemy and left his people to die.

If this is true, the Kingdom of Saripa is in for a very sudden downfall.

“Unaware of all that, the people of Byuredesto kept fighting. His parents were mercenaries and led the militia as its commanders. They were killed by the Yaiban three years ago.”

“…”

“The last time I saw them was when I waved goodbye. That was the final farewell. Their bodies were taken, and I never even got to see their faces in death.”

Even after organizing a militia, Byuredesto suffered repeated invasions and many lives were lost.

The Yaiban slaughtered its citizens just to gather offerings.

“After my parents were killed, I took over as captain of the guard. I led the people into battle.”

“And you didn’t report this to the kingdom?”

“We kept requesting reinforcements from Count Zister. But he kept turning us down, saying, ‘We need to protect the other areas too.’”

“There haven’t been any reports of fighting in other cities, though.”

Apparently, Berka and the others had been sending constant requests for support to their lord, Count Zister.

…But because he had betrayed them, those pleas never reached the royal family.

“With no other choice, we kept fighting alone. But Byuredesto’s population is declining, and we’re running out of new recruits for the militia.”

“That’s only natural.”

“So under my leadership, we changed tactics to minimize losses. We shifted to a defensive strategy based on ranged weapons and traps.”

It’s a story I don’t want to believe, but this man shows no sign of lying.

So that’s why Berka holds such resentment toward the kingdom and its royals.

“But it worked. Since two years ago, we haven’t lost a single person in Byuredesto. A complete victory.”

“That’s incredible!?”

Wait a second.

Zero casualties!? They were attacked by an enemy force several times larger than Saripa’s, and not a single person died!?

"The Yaiban are nothing more than uncivilized savages. If met with proper strategy, they’re no threat."

"Uh, well, that’s impressive, I suppose. ...Zero casualties!?"

"Big brother did his best."

"Is that really something you can pull off just with effort!?"

You’re telling me they’ve been repelling massive Yaiban invasions, which happen a few times a year, without a single scratch each time?

...There’s no sign that they’re exaggerating or lying. Are they seriously telling the truth?

"Then—then you’re not afraid of the Yaiban raids anymore?"

"If only that were true."

He’s explaining it so casually, but this guy is a ridiculously dangerous commander, isn’t he?

Achieving a flawless victory over a regular army using only civilians—what even is that?

"This year, before the raid, Count Zister came to Byuredesto and said things like, 'Watchtowers ruin the scenery' and 'Pitfalls endanger travelers,' and completely ruined our preparations. On top of that, he ordered us to destroy our bows, saying, 'Projectile weapons bring bad luck.'"

"E-Excuse me...?"

"I told you, didn’t I? Count Zister had a secret pact with the Yaiban."

At that, the boss scowled bitterly and glared at me.

No, I don’t get it, Count Zister. Why would you do something like that...?

If you can protect your people, then you should.

"If Byuredesto accepts their ‘holy war,’ the Yaiban said they won’t invade further. And if a full-scale war breaks out, Count Zister will switch sides to the Yaiban. That was the deal they made—I told you."

"…Yeah."

"His actions made so little sense that I sent Luri to sneak into his mansion. She overheard a Yaiban official complaining that 'your tactics are underhanded—fight us fair and square.'"

"..."

"The Yaiban official even threatened him, saying, 'If you don’t fight us honorably, we’ll use force.' ...Apparently, the Yaiban saw fighting us as a sport, something they enjoyed."

If that’s true, then Count Zister’s actions are undeniably treason—abetting a foreign enemy.

That’s high treason. He and his entire family could be executed and still have no right to complain.

T-This is starting to get way out of my depth.

"But I didn’t care about any of that. I ignored Count Zister’s order to fight without projectile weapons and killed them all with traps again this year."

"...And then?"

"So Count Zister lost it and stormed into Byuredesto. Enraged over losing two years in a row, he said the secret pact was nullified and that a full-scale invasion was coming."

"Wh-What..."

Wait, wait, wait—so the reason the Yaiban are launching a full invasion is that!?

"Count Zister ranted, 'The Yaiban are invading because of you fools. The key to survival is knowing when to lose just enough.' Then he started shouting that to calm the Yaiban’s fury, we had to hand over every member of the city guard. 'If you want to live, offer them as a sacrifice,' he said."

"A-And then?"

"When he said 'losing just enough,' he meant letting our families be killed and never even getting their bodies back. The citizens of Byuredesto were furious at his insult and beat him to death. That’s why there’s no lord governing Byuredesto now."

"...I see."

Count Zister must’ve thought that sacrificing the people was acceptable, as long as he could maintain peace.

But there’s no way the ones who’d be sacrificed would accept that reasoning.

Of course they killed him.

"After that, I went to Count Zister’s estate, declared myself acting lord, and tried to report everything to the kingdom."

"..."

"I wanted to call for reinforcements from the capital and prepare for the final battle. ...But even then, the kingdom got in our way."

"...What?"

After killing Count Zister, Berka apparently tried to contact the royal court immediately.

She wrote a detailed secret letter describing everything that had happened and tried to send it to the king.

But—

"You can’t use a civilian courier to send a letter to the king, right? It has to go through a noble."

"Ah—yes, official state documents are like that."

To prevent forgery, any mail addressed to the king has to be sent by a noble, who certifies the content.

If a civilian courier is used, there’s a risk the contents might be swapped. That’s why the system works this way, but...

"Every time the letter had to cross a territorial border, the intermediary noble demanded a hefty gratuity. When I told them we didn’t have anything, they refused to send it."

"What?"

"Byuredesto is a poor city. We have no valuables to offer... How exactly are we supposed to report anything to the kingdom with a system like this?"

...So that’s how it is.

Th-this country is even more screwed up than I thought.

"If we tried to raise the money legitimately and send it the proper way, it would take months. It’d never make it in time before the Yaiban attack."

"..."

"And that’s why we kidnapped you. Do you get it now?"

"...Huh?"

The boss said that and gave a sharp snort through his nose.

Wait, I still don’t get it. Isn’t that a logical leap?

In that situation, why did you kidnap me?

"Y-You’re not saying… you plan to offer me up as a tribute to negotiate peace!?"

"Of course not, you fool. It’s to drag in reinforcements."

As I stared up at her with a question mark over my head, the boss gave me a long, tired look.

"Why would kidnapping me bring in reinforcements?"

"Along with your dress, a statement is being delivered to the royal palace saying, ‘Under Count Zister’s orders, the princess has been abducted.’ I imagine they’re in total panic by now."

"FAH!?"

"That should spur the king into urgently ‘forming a punitive force to subjugate Count Zister... and dispatching them,’ don’t you think?"

The boss said this with a sly grin.

"If they won’t answer our calls for help, then we’ll drag them here by force. Once the army arrives, we’ll explain everything and have them fight the Yaiban."

"...Wow."

So, they didn’t kidnap me to make demands or get something in return.

They kidnapped me to provoke a response—by getting a punitive army sent after them.

"There’s a reason we chose you as the kidnapping target, too. We couldn’t afford for Saripa Kingdom to be weakened."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The prince’s brothers are all heirs to the throne—it would be disastrous to abduct one of them. The first princess, Lululu, is said to be wise and capable, a true treasure of the nation. But you, the younger sister Rishali, are rumored to be average and obedient. So we figured you’d have the least impact if taken."

"..."

"Don’t worry. As soon as the kingdom’s army arrives, we’ll let you go. In exchange, you’ll get them to hear us out."

...So the reason I got kidnapped is because I’m the most expendable one.

I see! I’m gonna kill them.

“…Sigh. Whether or not that’s true, as royalty, I must verify it for myself in Byuredesto.”

“Hmph, whatever you think, you’re coming with us.”

“Fine by me. It’s not like I have the right to refuse. Now lend me a horse.”

Just because this bandit’s story sounds convincing doesn’t mean it’s all true.

But at the very least, he didn’t seem to be lying.

And it felt real enough that I didn’t mind the idea of inspecting Byuredesto.

“…Didn’t you say you couldn’t ride a horse?”

“Ah, that was a lie. As a member of the royal family, I’ve taken horseback riding lessons, of course.”

I’d hoped to keep that to myself, but I just gave it away.

Better to admit I can ride than be strapped to a horse’s ass and delivered as a corpse.

“Riding is about communication with the horse. I’m actually pretty good at it.”

“…Tch. You really are a damn fox.”

Well, that said, riding for long stretches does make me cough up blood.

And my tailbone ends up screaming in pain.

“Hi-yo! Off to Byuredesto we go! Follow me!”

“The hostage doesn’t lead the charge!”

If their story’s true, I’ll be set free eventually.

Until then, I might as well play the obedient prisoner.