Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: 5

15-5 . An Ordinary Town (2)

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"Fatty mouse~?"

"Wonder what's that? It looks like a capybara . "

In a room we found in the middle of the way as we chased the officials who went to the basement, we saw babies of capybara-like animals with plasters and people in white robes .

I think they're beastkin but since they're wearing big masks and visor-like sunglasses, I'm not really sure .

When I look closer, I see that there are red crystals which look similar to fragments of magic cores on the plasters .

The capybaras that have been plastered are sent to the next room through a slippery slope .

"Confiscateed?"

"Looks like it's a bit different . "

I carry Tama under my arm and peek at the next room .

There's a bath tub filled with entrails and pieces of meat in the room, and the plastered capybara-like animals from earlier are greedily munching on them .

Are they some kind of lab animals?

Men wearing the same clothes as the men from the next room are sprinkling white powder using ladles on the entrails .

They're doing it roughly, yet the capybara-like animals are not minding it as they're busy with the entrails .

"Tch, ran out of powder . "

"We're out of stock too, make more of them . "

"What a bother . "

A man carrying a ladle goes to one part of the room while cursing .

--That's?!

The pill the man took out from a bottle are shown as [Reborn Seeds] on the AR .

It's the same medicine which transformed the creatures in Shiga Kingdom's Royal Capital's sewer into red-rope monsters .

Perhaps, this is the secret factory which produces the red-rope monsters?

"Master, here too~?"

Tama who had slipped out of my binding before I knew it is beckoning me in front of a room next to this .

"Those peculiar vines, are they Hopping Potatoes?"

"Of cour~se . "

Tama nods .

Those are monsters that are hunted by rookie explorers and baggage carriers in the Labyrinth City Selbira to raise money .

They're one of the pillars supporting the low earners' food bill in the Labyrinth City .

Perhaps this place is . . . .

Supporting my guess, the next room have [<<Walking Beans>>] and [Dancing Corns] being raised .

The true nature of the cheap military provisions I saw in the village--or rather, these must be the raw materials .

That means the capybara-like animals earlier are the origin of the dried meat huh . . . .

◇

"Welcome back, civil official Hokku . "

"We've returned . Head Researcher-dono . "

We almost forgot about our purpose, but we arrived at the place right on time using Ground Shrink .

The official from before gave the emperor statue and the litmus paper thing to a weaselkin wearing showy clothes in the innermost room .

There are also several other male and female researchers here .

"The miasma is less than ideal but the magic power is slightly over capacity is it . . . . "

"With this we don't need additional supply of magic power from the city even if the Consul complains . "

By city magic power, he must mean the magic power from the Source that can be gotten through the City Core .

"Didn't you say that the you were low on miasma before?"

"Not anymore, thanks to the rookie from Hokku-dono division . "

"The one from the imperial university?"

The official frowns, not understanding the researchers' explanation .

"He seems to be upset for getting demoted from the imperial university to here, he's been spewing venom in many places . "

"Entrusting that kind of guy to distribute food, I pity the slum people . "

"The miasma collected in the emperor statue installed in the slum is three times the last month's amount . "

The researchers told the reason while laughing unpleasantly .

When the official told them, "Correct the rookie's attitude", they laughed again .

"We originally take care of them by giving them food so they won't die of starvation in order to collect the miasma from their fatigue and envy anyway, isn't it fine . "

"Tha-that's true but . . . . "

They're probably using the miasma to produce the pill and raise the monsters .

Still, even if it's efficient, it's terrible for the slum people who have to endure getting abused unilaterally . I can't help but sympathize .

"It's not like there's a rebellion or rise in crime rate, so it should be fine as is . "

"The production amount is increasing and the knights-sama who have come from the central in an official trip are also leveling up smoothly, all is good . "

Don't tell me they're power leveling by defeating the monsters they're cultivating themselves?

I don't have the right to fault them since I'm doing the same thing in the labyrinth's underground, but unless this city is a special case, the whole Weasel Empire must be raising high level people systematically as such .

No wonder that they're able to rear more than 100 level 50-class Temple Knights .

◇

"Here we go, Knight-sama . "

"Umu, I'll be trying my new sword . "

A cage in the inner part of the room is opened, and then five Log Rats as big as wild boars jump out of it .

A weaselkin knight produces magic edge on the great sword he's holding, waiting in the center of the room .

Even though the magic power is leaking, the magic edge itself is stable, he's excellent for a level 30 knight .

However, it's clearly too excessive against level 7 rats, he cuts three rats in one swing of the great sword .

The remaining two rats were going to escape from the room, but the knight rushed at blinking speed and skewered them .

"Fumu, thanks to the magic edge device, there's not even a nick on the blade even after cutting the fat bones of the Log Rats . "

Hohouo, so that great sword is a magic sword equipped with a device to generate magic edge huh .

I think there are more efficient magic circuits if you're going to put that magic device into it, but I'm not going to criticize someone else's plan .

"Then, should we take out the next rats?"

"Umu, let them come!"

We've seen enough, so I leave that place with Tama .

There should be nothing else to be seen here .

◇

"Master, scream~?"

Tama muttered while pointing at a vent .

According to the map there's another floor below and the vent is connected to there .

--There's a prison below huh .

According to the map, there are numerous isolation cells with people with serious crime inside, there are also a lot of people with mental disorder and zero HP and stamina .

I have a bad feeling about this somehow .

I'd like to return without seeing it if possible, but I'd hate it if I felt hazy once I did that .

"Private Tama, go back to the surface first and secure the route . "

"Aye!"

Tama followed my order with a shupin pose, and so I went to the cellar alone .

◇

"Help me help me help me help me help me--"

"Don't eat me, no don't! Stop it stop stop it--"

Among the scratching and grinding sounds, screams and shouts like they're from madmen are reverberating in the cellar .

It seems this dungeon has been sound proofed with magic .

--Rather than prison, I guess this is more like a torture chamber?

I go to the room in the back where some people who seem to be the guards are .

A man suspended in the air hanging from the ceiling and two jailers are there, there's a transparent wall between the two parties .

There's the usual emperor statue put inside the room where the man is .

"--St-stop it already . "

"Of course I won't rite'? Did you stop when the 29 women you killed asked you to stop? You didn't rite'?"

The jailer who cut off the criminal's appeal lowers a lever on the wall .

The man who's suspended in the air hanging from the ceiling gets lowered and then the capybara-like animals below start munching on his feet .

Screams are echoing in the dungeon, the other criminals locked in their isolation cells begin to voice their resentments .

Apparently, they're using this place to carry out punishments and collect miasma .

"Geez, this is disgusting . "

"Don't say that, the emperor decreed to instill 『Don't want to go into prison ever again』 and 『Not worth the crimes』 into the prisoners rite'?"

"Even if it's a national law, disgusting thing is disgusting . "

I totally agree .

"Wish my transfer request gets accepted quickly . "

"Thatsso? Executing justice on the bad guys, this is the best workplace for me though~"

Unlike the man who looks like he's going to get sick from the stress, the jailer who's been rhythmically operating the lever looks cheerful without a hint of stress .

It feels like I'll get mentally ill if I remain here any longer, so I teleport back to the top of the spire where Tama is waiting .

◇

"The way they're doing things is similar to Master if we exclude the science and humanity parts isn't it . "

Once we got back to the solitary island palace, I told everyone the things we saw in the Weasel Empire's city, and then Arisa said that .

"Arisa, what do you think you're doing likening the weasels to Master! We're talking about weasels here, they must be plotting something . "

Liza who hates weasels openly shows her discontent .

"However, their rationality is very like the weasels . You'd normally hesitate to do many things even if you knew they were efficient . "

Hikaru seemed like she agreed with several things about the weasels even though she sounded disgusted with them .

As a former king, perhaps she thinks that the way they're preventing the people from starvation is acceptable .

"Creating monsters by their own hands . . . . Such an immoral act as if they've sided with the Demon God . "

"Maybe there's a demon lord lurking in the shadow of Weasel Empire?"

Sera and Zena find the fact that they're creating monsters deplorable .

"Satou, perhaps that emperor statue can be used to control monster outbreak if we put it in a monster dominion?"

"Master, I support the princess's suggestion, so I inform . "

"Nn, possible . "

Nana and Mia agreed with the princess .

It's certainly possible .

The problems are the way to replace the emperor statue and to purify the accumulated miasma .

I'll investigate the manufacturing process of the emperor statue when I visit the imperial capital .

Also, Tama and Pochi who had been quiet were embarking in the journey to the dreamland with Lady Karina in the sunny living room .

◇

"Amazing desuwa!"

"Fast nodesu! Truly really torebiaan nanodesu . "

"Of cour~se?"

Behind Lady Karina and Pochi who are sticking their faces on the Smoke Car's window, Tama is nodding while looking slightly triumphant .

The next day after the meeting, we're enjoying the train trip from Magyuba City to Mogeiba City .

Hikaru and the princess are staying in the solitary island palace to accompany Sera who has expressed her non-participation since she was feeling hurt from to the persecution of the temples and the matter with monster creation .

Zena-san was also going to stay but Pochi and Tama pulled her hands, and she ended up coming .

I'm planning to enjoy things later with the three who stayed .

Further, since Liza didn't like the weasel costume, everyone is wearing ratkin character costumes .

"""Ensha~, ensha~""?"

"""Kyupopo, kyupopo, kyupopo"", nanodesu!"

"""Ensha, ensha, fast~"""

Matching the [March of Smoke Car] music which Mia made impromptu, the youth troupe and the children riding on the Smoke Car are singing in a chorus happily .

It seems the children like it since the song only has simple lyric that's easy to remember and match with the rhythm along with the repeating simple melody .

They'd be told off, "Shut up" if this were in Japan, but since there are minstrels going around asking money in every train here, there's no problem .

"Station~?"

"It's a small station nanodesu . "

The Smoke Car lowers its speed and then stops at a small station in a village along the way .

"Something smells good . "

"It smells like a stew perhaps?"

"Vendor . "

Lulu reacted to Liza's remark, Mia pointed at the vendors rushing from the crowd .

Looks like they're selling boxed lunch .

"It's tasty and cheap, a set of provisional soup and stick roll, only for five swe~n . "

"How 'bout a bento of boar meat and roasted pork? Only for 20 swen!"

"Would you like fatty bear stew~ It's 30 swen!"

They're quite expensive if we consider the ticket's price, but it seems the people riding on the Smoke Car are relatively well off, they're selling like hot cakes .

The stick roll in the provisional bento is a dish similar to the stick roll I ate in Kansai .

It's a dish where thin okonomiyaki made from corn instead of wheat is wrapped on a stick .

"Liza, purchase slightly more than for our shares . "

"Understood . Tama, Pochi, let's go . "

"Knowledged~?"

"Understood nanodesu . "

Liza who consented with a sharp face goes to the bento sellers followed by Tama and Pochi .

The bento sellers who lose to Liza's intensity look slightly timid .

"Boar meat~?"

"Hard to leave the fatty bear meat behind too nodesu . "

"You two, there's no time to be indecisive . Just like the stations we came across before, we should be only stopping for a short while here . "

"Oh no~"

"Hurry nodesu!"

Looks like the beastkin girls have quickly gotten used to the Smoke Car trip .

◇

We enjoyed the Smoke Car trip as such and arrived at Mogeiba City .

Further, since the lunch boxes besides the cheap provisional bento were all delicious, I'm thinking of recreating them with Lulu once we get back to the solitary island palace .

"It's strangely crowded isn't it . "

"Master, it's like the marketplace in the Duchy Capital downtown . "

Arisa and Lulu are surprised with the crowd in the station building .

It's understandable . The crowd is at least three times bigger than the one in Magyuba City when we departed .

"It's somehow like Haneda aand Kansai airports before a superstar arrive isn't it . "

Arisa expressed her impression .

Shouldn't it be Narita for international airlines?

The part where the crowd paid attention to the noble car and  showed disappointment as they checked the last person who got off is also similar .

"It's not this Smoke Car huh . . . . "

"Like I said . The one Temple Knight-sama is riding on should be coming from the direction of the Imperial Capital Tegaeba . "

Judging from the conversation I heard from the crowd, it appears some Temple Knights will be coming from the Imperial Capital .

"They exterminated a Hydra when they came before, I wonder what are they hunting this time?"

"There's no news about strong monster recently, maybe the mayor invited them to make a triumphal return to their homeland?"

For the time being, all is good as long as they're not coming to fight us .

"Satou-san, looks like we should get off soon . "

"Thank you, Zena-san . "

Since they've announced the permission to disembark, we also get down along with the other passengers .

"Here it comes! It's the Smoke Car from Tegaeba city!"

The crowd who heard the whistle sound shook off the station attendants and rushed to the platform .

Since it's dangerous, we wait a bit until the panic settles down a bit .

After a while, a Smoke Car joined with a luxurious noble car arrived at the next platform .

"""WELCOME BACK! STAR OF MOGEIBA!"""

"""LONG LIVE LIEDILL-SAMA"""

The crowd are cheering while waving .

They somehow look similar to the people from the first half of Showa era .

"Thank you for welcoming us!"

A weaselkin knight carrying a great sword shouted so at the crowd and stepped aside .

"I am not really fond of such a welcome . . . . "

"Liedill-sama, please understand that this is also a job for the Temple Knights . "

I heard such conversations with Attentive Ears skill .

The one who appeared was not a weaselkin .

It's a young longear (Booch) kin woman with emerald eyes and straight blond hair befitting of the expression "white peach" .

She's a level 57 knight, and possesses Flickering Movement, Dual Wielding and similar skills, she also has Wind Magic skill .

" . . . . She's like someone's imitation huh . "

Arisa muttered alone . Just like me, it seems she reminds Arisa of a heroine of a famous fantasy work where the setting is on a cursed island .

It's probably due to the long ears peculiar to the longear (Booch)kin she has and her straight blond hair .

The guards who entered the station creates a passage in the crowd, and then Lady Liedill walks in it with a sharp face while leading the weasel knights escort and echoing the clink-clank sounds of her armor .

"She might be more suited to fantasy than the forest girl . "

I drop a fist on Arisa who naturally dissed the female knight and wait the line to pass with the girls .

Just as the she passed on the passage in front of us, her equipment showed up on my AR reading .

As I was reading it, my eyes met Lady Liedill's .

"Li-Liedill-sama . "

Lady Liedill walks toward here with her line of sight fixed at here .

She's not minding her escort knights' bewilderment .

"--You, you're not an ordinary person right?"

Contrary to her cool voice, Lady Liedill's eyes are lit with dangerous light .