第１７６９堀：お手紙書きます (Part2)
The group attempting to resurrect the Aquenoki had been torturing students and those gifted with high magical aptitude; the sickening thoughts refused to leave my mind.
"They’re inciting this intentionally. Apparently, they’ve even placed bounties on demi-humans."
"Bounties?"
"Yeah. They’re framing it as a reward for maintaining public order. Since it offers both financial gain and prestige, demi-humans are being hunted by segments of the populace."
"That is beyond depraved. If that’s the case, then demi-humans..."
If the Church were officially sanctioning such acts, it would be impossible for them to live anywhere with a significant human population.
"Some have been captured, of course, but it seems many fled as soon as word got out. Well, demi-humans were already considered a rarity in the north, so their absolute numbers couldn't have been that high to begin with."
"Come to think of it, were they being ostracized from the start?"
"That’s a bit nuanced. It sounds similar to the situation in Jessica’s homeland—the If Continent, that is."
"Ah, yes. Demi-humans were certainly ostracized on our continent. Still, to attempt total eradication... I see, so that is the root of this movement."
As Yuki pointed out, the If Continent harbors deep-seated prejudice against demi-humans. The reason, however, stems from their low population density; humans simply haven't had enough exposure to truly understand them. Demi-humans possess cultures distinct from those of humans, and humans have largely failed to bridge that gap of understanding. It was a surprise to see how the people of the Rogari Continent simply accepted those differences as a matter of course.
"Likely. It feels like an escalation of the demi-human exclusion we see on the If Continent, doesn't it? Though, I definitely sense an intentional hand behind it. It seems the Church, rather than the state, is spearheading this. If we don't investigate that thoroughly, it’s going to become a massive headache."
"Indeed. We could easily be played into someone else’s agenda. Even this current situation is precarious. At worst, they might be using this as a pretext to whittle down their own military forces."
"That’s a possibility. I don't want to think about it, but it’s entirely plausible. That’s why I want them to surrender quickly, but the leadership is surprisingly stubborn. Or rather, it’s the magic."
"Oh, right. You mentioned that. What do you mean by 'stubborn due to magic'?"
"Simply put, they’ve had a near-infinite supply of water."
The realization hit me instantly.
"Are you saying they are securing drinking water through magic?"
"Exactly. We destroyed their physical water supplies, but the upper echelon seems capable of conjuring enough to keep themselves alive. It’s kept the mages' mana reserves stretched to the breaking point, though."
True, the upper echelons alone would easily exceed a hundred people. If you include the non-conscripted soldiers, that number swells past a thousand. Since those capable of magic are forced to prioritize water production, they would have no leeway to use their power for offensive purposes. After all, if their core, non-conscripted troops were to collapse, they would lose any real capacity for resistance.
"But surely, their food supplies have a limit?"
"They do. Still, they’ve confiscated enough from the lower ranks that they should last another ten days."
"Ten days..."
"Well, the subordinates are likely being bled dry. I’d hoped to extract information from them, but either way, I intend to hear it directly from the top brass of that army."
"...However, why do they resist at all? The vast majority of the conscripts have already fled, leaving only a handful of private soldiers. If there is no hope of a turnaround, surely choosing to live is more important than enduring this?"
Indeed, their behavior was baffling. It had been ten days since they were neutralized, and their environment was only deteriorating. Even though Yuki and his group were encouraging them to surrender, they refused. Why?
"We won't know until we hear it from them. That said, their physical limits are approaching. If you want my speculation, I can list a few reasons why they might not be surrendering."
"Please, enlighten me."
"First, the possibility of reinforcements. Second, someone in their inner circle is a liability, making a surrender impossible—either within the army or back in their home country. Those are the main ones. Well, there’s also the fact that they’ve lost while leading a massive army, so they feel they have no future left..."
"The last one doesn't hold water. The responsibility would fall on the commander, and there is no point in enduring such misery. It must be that the group as a whole is hesitant to surrender to us."
"True. They’ve treated demi-humans so abominably that they probably fear what will happen if they do surrender."
"...I see. So, we are back to square one."
"Looks like it. We’ll just have to hear it from the horse's mouth. Now then, let’s get back to work."
And so, we resumed our preparations for the completion party of Glass Port Town. The reasons for the enemy’s refusal to surrender remained unclear, yet a variety of possibilities had emerged. Though, the most troublesome scenario would be if they were simply idiots—but if they were that incompetent, they likely would have been betrayed by their own people long ago. What could it be?