第１６４掘：脱走、そして村との交渉
**Dungeon 164: The Escape and Negotiations with the Village**
**Side: Yuki**
"For now, I’d like to say take half the weapons and half the food, but you can only carry what you can manage. Otherwise, it won't look like an escape; it’ll look like I helped you."
"……Understood."
The Princess had regained consciousness shortly after, but she was still clearly dispirited.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on us, even by mistake. Or the villagers. If you do, I’ll have to take you down for resistance."
"I... understand."
"Hah, we can't get anywhere like this. Jessica, will the food you can carry last until you reach the city?"
"……Yes. I believe there should be no problem. It might be slightly short, but you shouldn't starve to death."
I left the judgment of the situation to Jessica, who was waiting behind me. Man, having locals around is convenient. Of course, Ria was standing by too. I couldn't guarantee Jessica wouldn't suddenly shout, "I am the vanguard!" though I doubted it would leave a scratch on us.
"……Jessica, I'm sorry."
The Princess spoke with a look of bitter regret as Jessica finished her report.
"No, Princess. Under normal circumstances, we would all be beheaded, or the women would be treated as playthings. If my life alone ensures everyone else's safety, I have no complaints."
"……If only I hadn't lost."
"I appreciate your sentiment. But if we break our promise, it wouldn't be strange if we were all slaughtered next time. Please, stay calm. I will be fine. I’ll use this body to charm Yuki and bring him before you as your subordinate."
Wait, what? That’s terrifying.
It was a joke, but honestly, that’s the best way to avoid being enemies with us. It’s not impossible for Mauve or Steve to do it, but I hold the most power behind the scenes. My word is literally the one that changes our policy.
"……Is that so? Ah, I look forward to that day!! Take care of yourself. And if by any chance a child is born, don't treat them harshly, alright?"
"Of course. The child is innocent."
Are we just assuming a child will be born? Well, if you’re a female prisoner, I suppose the best way to ensure you can't run away and to guarantee your status is to get you pregnant and create a bond. If you become my woman, your safety is effectively guaranteed.
Not that I have any such intention. I’m already at my limit. Even if half my wives are pregnant and the nightly activities have decreased, it’s still a daily occurrence.
"For now, I have no intention of treating Jessica like that. Well, if you attack us, the treatment might get worse. You’d better think of a good excuse to convince the Zilba Empire."
"We also have no desire to face off against your mercenary group."
"But, is there no chance the Princess will be executed for this failure?"
"I wouldn't say the chance is zero, but it's highly unlikely."
"Indeed. It is impossible."
"Why? This was an order from above, wasn't it? If you fail, I’d expect some kind of punishment. Or do you intend to report that you defeated us?"
"Yes, the Princess intends to report that she defeated you. Or rather, she intends to report that the targets were never there to begin with."
"Ah, like saying the demi-humans had already fled, or that the soldiers who ran away were lying?"
"Exactly. The former. We will claim they had already escaped."
"What about the surviving nobles? They’ll blabber on about everything."
"No need to worry about that. That noble's own selfishness is what forced us into this situation in the first place, and if we say it's a lie, they have no choice but to stay silent. Furthermore, we will claim that we encountered an Orc during the subjugation—in fact, we did defeat one—and I will report that I died in that battle."
"That way, it accounts for the losses in my army, and defeating an Orc ensures I won't be penalized. Even if the noble claims I'm lying, no one will believe them. Besides, we are planning to escape together. I wouldn't do anything to put a noose around my own neck."
I see, so defeating that one Orc was for the sake of a war record. Good thing I used the weakest summoning circle to call a fresh one, thinking it was just for combat training. My Orcs are a fighting force on par with Steve’s unit, after all.
"But are you two okay? If you escape, won't the demi-humans suspect you? That you made a deal with us?"
"In that case, we should just escape together."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"We have a precedent here of soldiers being let go by the other side. Plus, since they complained about our war results, we’ve been guarding the prisoners together with the villagers. So, when you escape, just shout that the demi-humans were caught off guard. That way, our position won't be compromised. Actually, I’ll make sure to leave the prisoners entirely to the demi-humans when you make your move, so it’ll be fine."
"I see. That way, your position is safe."
"The rest is up to you and the Princess. You can take down a few demi-humans if you have to."
"Understood."
With that exchange, we parted ways. Now, let’s see the results.
"The humans have escaped!!"
A voice rang out from one of the villagers.
"What were you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, I took my eyes off them for a second!!"
"Gather everyone!!"
"It's no use, the number of humans is greater than the village population, we can't stop them!!"
That night, at the scheduled time, the commotion reached our ears. Time for us to make an appearance.
"What happened?"
I acted completely oblivious, and the other wives and Mauve followed suit, wearing faces that suggested they were just hearing about the trouble for the first time.
"Was it you guys? That woman's army escaped!! Can't you do something?"
"Huh? You think we can capture 2,500 people in this darkness? More importantly, everyone in the village, gather up and set up a defensive perimeter!! They might attack us!!"
"Guh, you're right. I'll gather everyone in the village!!"
The guard ran off.
"Well, everything went according to plan. We’ll take a defensive stance and hole up as a formality. Let’s go talk to the village chief after some time has passed."
"Understood."
"Okay. I’m looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces."
"……Fufu, I wonder what kind of face they’ll make when they apologize?"
Riel and Kaya are openly devious, but Tori’s expressionless response is actually scarier.
Two hours later, in the darkness, we were summoned to the elder’s house.
"……As you likely already know, the Zilba Empire soldiers you captured have... escaped, with the exception of that woman."
"The cause? We left the guard duty to you during that time, didn't we?"
"……The young man on guard duty was swinging his sword to kill time, and when they mocked his form, he handed over a wooden sword to spar, and was defeated. That was the cause."
Oh boy, so much for guard duty. Well, that’s to be expected from villagers...
"On top of that, they vastly outnumber us. We couldn't even think of chasing them; we were too busy desperately fortifying our defenses to avoid being attacked."
"We’re in the same boat... So, how do you intend to take responsibility for this? You didn't just lose your bargaining chip; the enemy is going to return with even greater numbers, aren't they? It’s become even harder for us to escape now. In fact, won't all the demi-humans in this region be annihilated?"
Now, I wonder how they’ll answer. If they want to run, I’ll do it on my own, and if we meet again later, I can turn this blunder to my advantage. If they ask for our cooperation, they can no longer claim to be our equals. There have been too many failures. The only way I can accept them is if they join under our umbrella.
"……Because of this blunder, we have no way out. That is why we want to follow you as our leader and ensure the survival of the demi-humans. Please. Won't you help us?"
They chose to come under our banner. This might make future negotiations with other demi-humans easier. There seem to be plenty of disadvantages, but I’ll just have to deal with them. We were the ones who started this, after all, so I’ll take care of them as long as they don't get in my way.
"I understand. If that’s the case, you’ll be working hard, alright? Anyone who doesn't want to follow our instructions or join our ranks can leave this village. I want this to be the last time I’m held back by others."
I said that and looked around. The demi-humans met my gaze; some flinched, but none ran away.
"I don't intend to make unreasonable demands like 'hand over your women.' But if you don't want to die, follow my orders. First, we’ll build defensive walls so we’re safe even if the enemy turns back to attack. Everyone except the women and children working the fields will participate. Got it!!"
" " "Yes!!" " "
At least their response is good. Now, let’s see how this turns out.
*Someone tell me how to balance playing Pokémon Omega Ruby, Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires, and Minecraft VITA while still writing novels. Otherwise, my writing is going to stall!!*
And so, the village has finally come under the Weed umbrella. Will the Princess be able to deceive her superiors? Will the enemy stop at just this? Will there be more trouble?! Stay tuned for the next chapter!!
Actually, it’s meant to be a trap, though. Next time.