Chapter 172: 172

War Casualities

Translated by Raizu

When I woke up, I could sense that I had fallen into a very deep sleep.

As expected, I must have been really tired.

It was certain from my clear and alert consciousness that I had gotten enough sleep, but there was one thing that bothered me. The sun had not yet risen.

After pondering for a while whether to wake up or go back to sleep, I decided to choose the former. I wanted to start the day feeling refreshed.

I had a quick breakfast before the escort was ready and left the mayor’s residence.

As I looked up at the bright blue winter morning sky, I walked forward.

It seemed that my horse, which I rode from New Nelly, still isn’t feeling well even after one night. Most likely because of the aftereffects of strengthening magic. There are many horses that can be substituted, but I chose to walk because I wanted to keep my feet on the ground.

Where did the hustle and bustle of yesterday go? In the morning silence that was born in the short time before today’s activities began, I could even hear the crisp sound of my leather shoes tapping on the cobblestones.

There was something comforting about that melody as it quietly melted into the empty streets.

As I approached the highway outside the city, I was able to meet a military officer at work.

[If it isn’t the Young Master.]

[Are you doing the cooking?]

[Yessir! With the cooperation of the citizens, we were able to prepare enough food.]

It seems that the strategy [to show Spierzeig soldiers how relaxed the Quordenze territory is] that I talked about yesterday will be carried out.

In my opinion, it was intended as propaganda to show the soldiers that the Spierzeig family was weakened, but the commander said that it’s mainly to improve the morale of the Quordenze soldiers.

After this, the soldiers will have to march to the front line base where my grandfather is waiting for reinforcements, so it is necessary for them to nourish their spirits. In short, it’s a nasty ulterior motive that fulfills both benefits by having hearty meals in front of the defeated soldiers.

Looking at it from a distance, I could see the smoke from cooking here and there on the plain outside the city. It was just like an outdoor barbeque party.

[Is there any collaborator from the city?]

[Yes. Not only the stockpile but also willingly provided the manpower.]

If you wait a little while, more assistance will arrive from the mainland. So, Nambonan City was requested to provide the food that it is currently holding. The Nambonan Council responded without hesitation, and even recruited volunteers for cooking.

It can be said that the fact that they made a quick decision without resisting or negotiating poorly was anchored in reality. They must have judged it as a good opportunity to show their obedience to the Quordenze family.

[I’ll take a look around. You can get back to work.]

[Yessir!]

After receiving the military officer’s salute, I decided to continue my walk.

The first thing that I noticed after going out of the city was a group of soldiers.

They didn’t appear to be participating in the kitchen duty, and judging from the crowd that could be expressed in units of 10,000, it’s easy to guess that they’re Spierzeig soldiers prisoners.

As I was intrigued and walked towards it, I noticed that the military officers and soldiers of the Quordenze army were placed around them.

The military officer, who noticed that I was approaching, tried to calm himself down and yelled at the group.

[I warn you again! Always be careful not to let your comrades run away! If you see anyone making suspicious movements, we’ll raze the place all at once!!]

The soldiers of Quordenze army who surrounded the prisoners threatened with the tips of their spears as if they were pointing a gun at them.

You can tell from the tone that the military officer’s words were serious. If a fugitive appears, the prisoners in the vicinity will likely fall victim to magic attacks.

Thus, making the prisoners to continue monitoring each other to prevent their comrades from escaping.

Being exposed to the cold winter winds, not being able to eat a satisfying meal, and spending long periods of time in this tense atmosphere is likely to wear out their spirit.

[Good job.]

[Yessir! Young Master woke up early!]

I briefly exchanged greetings with the military officer, who took a bowing posture, and confirmed several things about the current situation of the POWs.

It seems that all the military officers in the Spiazeyk army were killed, and those who surrendered among the commoner-born noble sons were taken prisoner after receiving special restraints.

[It’s probably because they felt the power of the young master up close, that they no longer have the energy to fight.]

It seems that the death of Verret Spierzeig, their commander-in-chief, was a considerable shock. The morale of the Spierzeig soldiers is said to plummet down to near zero almost instantly.

[Oh, you are exaggerating.]

[Please take a look. They become like this just from seeing Young Master.]

From the officer’s demeanor, the prisoners must have realized that I am Wilk Quordenze. The nearest ones from me were on the ground, their bodies shaking as they begged for their lives.

It spreads like the ripples that form when a stone is thrown into a pond, and more than 10,000 commoners desperately search for a place to grovel in such a cramped place.

Nobles and knights are objects of awe for commoners, and at the same time they are a source of emotional support. This is because there is no other existence that is as reliable as [Strong].

For the Spierzeig soldiers, the existence of Wilk Quordenze, who cut off the head of Verret Spierzeig, their powerful backer, could be said to be the personification of fear.

[Well, that’s fine. More than that…]

I shifted my gaze slightly to the side. The thing that was there…. At first, I thought it was a big rock or an embankment.

[We’re collecting the dead.]

When I was at a loss for words as to how to ask the question, the military officer naturally answered.

[Isn’t it rather complicated?]

In the direction of my gaze was a mountain of corpses.

The number of piles, which can be described as casually thrown away and randomly piled up, is so large that it is not enough to just one or two.

[Since it was done by the Spierzeig soldiers, it doesn’t matter if it’s rough.…………Of course, the bodies of our army are collected in another place. The same goes for the Nambonan citizen soldiers.]

[I see.]

After the battle was over, Spierzeig soldiers who had been taken prisoner were said to have been used to collect corpses.

It is empirically understood even on the Eruo continent that leaving a corpse unattended can cause illness. Besides, it leads to attracting large carnivorous beasts aiming at corpse meat, and it is not desirable to make them learn the taste of human meat.

That’s why post-war corpses are often properly disposed of.

From the point of view of the prisoners of war, the instruction was for them to handle the corpses of Quordenze soldiers with care, but nothing was said about the corpses of Spierzeig soldiers.

As a result, the exhausted prisoners of war handled the corpses of Spierzeig soldiers rather carelessly. The result is those piles of corpse pyramids.

Even though what’s here belonged to an enemy soldier, it’s not a very pleasant sight to behold. I turned my gaze back to the officer.

[How many people will die in Quordenze?]

The military officers praised me, saying that the loss of the Quordenze soldiers was small due to my early arrival.

However, even though I don’t know the exact numbers, I do know that there was a considerable amount of damage from the attack.

[It doesn’t even reach 1,000.]

Whether it’s a lot or a little, I don’t really get it.

1,000 out of 64,000 Quordente soldiers is less than 10%, so it feels like a small number. But, 1,000 lives is by no means light. How many vaginal cum shots will it take to repopulate that number?

[Considering the surprise attack, it can be said that the number is very small.]

This time, Verret seemed to have a lot of motivation, since he went forward to the frontline many times to cast magic.

While there were many lazy nobles who withdrew to the rear and only let out waves of murderous intent, Verrett was doing his job as the commander-in-chief.

It can be said that most of the casualties in the Quordenze army were soldiers who were caught in Verret’s magic.

Considering the possibility that Verret could grow into a troublesome existence as he gains experience in battle, the Quordenze family was lucky to be able to remove him early.

[Have you heard of the number of the wounded?]

[I heard that the treatment of the seriously wounded has been completed, but I think it would be better to ask the details at the headquarters.]

On the Eruo continent, there is a healing magic that surpasses the medical treatment of the previous earth. Therefore, it is quite possible to survive even if someone is seriously injured as long as they are still alive.

Even commoner militiamen have a chance to receive healing magic as long as they survived battle, so soldiers will still boldly attack when they are slightly injured.

In the history of the Eruo continent, there were even leaders who said, [If you can kill 10 enemy soldiers, I’ll cast healing magic on you]. What a terrible treatment.

I’m glad I was born as a noble. If you’re going to reincarnate on the Eruo continent, pray that you are not born as a commoner.

[… Alright, next time let’s see the faces of those who fought for my Quordenze.]

[Then, let me get a guide for Young Master.]

I left the lead to the other officer called by the military officer in charge of prisoners of war, then headed to the place where the bodies of the Quordenze soldiers were collected.

Since the corpses of the Quordente soldiers and the Nambonan militia were said to be collected in different places, I decided to go see the bodies of the Quordentze soldiers first.

The corpses of the Quordenze soldiers were arranged much more carefully than those of the Spierzeig soldiers. Although the scenery somehow reminded me of the fish market.

Hundreds of corpses lined up in rows, many of which were disfigured beyond recognition, testified to the intensity of the attacks they had received. Well, speaking of that, the corpse of the Spierzeig soldier I just saw was even worse.

At the place where the bodies were collected, there were no military officers guarding them, only commoner soldiers, so I put my hands together lightly and left the place immediately.

After leaving the corpse space, I called out to the guards.

[The civilian militia have a strange attitude.]

[What do you say?]

I didn’t think about it very much, and the words just flowed out, so I couldn’t follow up.

I look up at the sky while formulating my words.

[It’s about the first battle, but compared to the attitude of the soldiers at that time, I feel a strong sense of fear this time…I wonder if I should say that.]

In the past, there were quite a few commoner militiamen calling out to me, but this time no one approached me even if they realized my true identity.

While I was walking like this, and even in the space for Quordenze army corpses, there were common militiamen who looked startled when they saw me, but they just fell down after stiffening their faces. It started to feel extravagant.

I think it would be nice if he approached me with great joy and said, [Young master is the best] because I had killed the enemy’s leader.

[That’s good.]

[Originally, it would happen after the first battle… but it may be something that can’t be helped.]

[Don’t worry, the soldiers will get used to it soon.]

Rather than wanting an answer, I threw the topic into a chat, but the escorts reacted as though it was a common occurrence.

According to them, the reason for the son of a nobleman to fight for the first time is not limited to one, but includes several purposes.

[…One of them is to show off the power of the feudal lord clan to the people.]

It is said that the territorial militia feel a sense of closeness when they see a young aristocratic boy who is nervous about his first battle. Something along the lines of [The nobles are just as nervous as we are, aren’t they?].

However, when the battle actually started, that idea was completely shattered.

They became conscious of the menacing threat of heinous magic from a boy much younger than themselves. The reality of the difference between the master and slave that was determined from the moment they were born. Reminding them that […He’s completely different from us, even though he’s young, he’s still a noble. He’s a different existence from weak people like us].

The territorial militia who participated in the first battle once again feared the power of the lord family, and at the same time felt relieved that that power had been passed down to the next generation. As long as this strength continues, they will be protected from various threats.

[Do you think they understand the difference now?]

[Yes. Nobles from other families also participated in the Young Master’s first battle, and most of all, there were many soldiers who were accustomed to the General’s magic, so it may not have left much of an impression.]

Normally, nobles do not actively go out to battle unless they are in a defensive battle. Therefore, the impact of the intimidation of the nobility on the first battle for the territory militia will be greater.

However, in the case of the Quordenze family, my grandfather has been on a rampage all year round, so the soldiers who accompany him are accustomed to the threat of magic. I guess he didn’t have that much emotion when he felt my intimidation in his first battle.

In fact, in my first battle, I only threatened at a level that matched my grandfather’s because there were other people’s eyes on me. As a territory militia, it may have only been reflected in the assumed category.

[To be honest, even we were surprised by the murderous intent that Young Master gave during the one-on-one combat.]

[I can easily imagine what the commoners must have felt.]

You could tell by looking at the way the Spierzeig soldiers were frightened.

[Right now, they seem to be confused, but they will soon accept it. It is not a bad thing for them to be protected by someone as strong as the eldest son of the Quordenze family.]

[The strength of the feudal lord family will lead to the peace of the territory, so you should be relieved.]

The guards assert that time will solve the problem. Listening to that natural tone, I was convinced that it was indeed that kind of thing.

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For commoners, the power of the nobility seems to be a kind of faith.

I always thought that the people of the Eruo Continent, who lived in an uncivilized age, could live well separated from the major religion of Zethism. I always thought so since the people of the previous world, where science and technology had developed, could live well. It may be that they are trying to stabilize their mind by recognizing nobles with great power as supernatural beings.

[Then, good.]

It’s probably best to leave them alone until they get used to it.

The corpse of the Nambonan militia was as clean as the corpse of the Quordenze soldiers.

Even though it was early in the morning, several citizens were checking the faces of the corpses lined up in three rows, wondering if they were looking for the bodies of their family members or acquaintances.

As I glanced at the tranquil atmosphere, my eyes caught a lone boy who seemed to move around unsuitably.

When I was looking at the monkey-like boy for some reason, he noticed my gaze and bowed.

The act was the most courteous way for a commoner to address a nobleman, and it turned out that he understood my true identity.

[Is that… Tyco’s younger brother?]

I’ve seen that face several times while doing chores at the mayor’s residence.

I knew that Ramon was preparing various things so that he could be useful as a choreographer, but it seems that he was properly disciplined to respect the nobles.

Since there was no particular military officer on standby, I approached Tyco’s brother to talk to him.

[Canis, what are you doing?]

The one who beat me to it was the military officer Raylight, who had been following me along the way.

I had entrusted Raylight to be Ramon and Canis’ guide for the brothel, so they must have known each other.

[Recording.]

[Recording?]

Apparently, Canis was entrusted with the chore of investigating the casualties of the Nambonan Militia. The bereaved family may collect the body when the sun rises, so he said that he started investigating at night.

Ramon decided that it might be better to keep a record of the civilians lost in this battle.

Even though Canis was from a poor farming village, he could write, so he would have been perfect for such chores.

[Can I have a little look?]

I was curious as to what kind of recording they were doing, so I rolled up the wooden board Canis was holding in his hand.

This wooden board is a relatively common memo pad on the Eruo continent, and in terms of its image, it resembles a grate-like tool used to make sushi rolls. However, one board is about the size of a paperback book folded in three, so it’s not very possible to make seaweed rolls.

By preparing dozens of thinly cut boards and bundling them with fiber strings made from plant roots, it becomes an inexpensive writing pad. The wood used as the material is dried well before being processed, so it is not as heavy or bulky as it looks. It’s pretty easy to use.

Ignoring Canis who whimpered out, I opened the wooden board that was folded like a harisen and looked over it.

『Jacque, a shoemaker in the second avenue in the north. A hole in his stomach and missing left arm.』

『Ray from the general store near the mayor’s residence. Three arrows stuck in his chest and stomach.』

『Tart from the oil shop near the front square of the assembly hall. Whole body is charred.』

『Evaloop working at the dock. His stomach was torn sideways and various things came out.』

『Joel works at the dock with Evaloop. Cleft in two from the waist.』

The names of the dead and the degree of damage to the bodies were simply written there.

I flipped through the wooden boards with a flickering sound, but there are nothing but heartless descriptions of death. It’s a record of the dead, so it’s natural, but I felt saddened nonetheless.

I thought it would be easy to find out their names and occupations, but it seems that they were interviewed by surviving Nambonan militiamen who were in the same unit as the dead. It seems that there were many patterns of people living in the same district or co-workers joining the Quordenze army, so it was not so difficult to identify the dead.

[The letters are easy to read.]

[Thank you!]

The scribe’s personality is easy to come out in the Eruo language. This is because, of course, sentences are written with a flowing brush like English cursive, and unnecessary characters that are only decoration are sometimes inserted.

This is placed to make the movement of the brush look elegant and to balance the entire sentence, and how it is used depends on the individuality of the writer, so it is an extra hassle.

When reading, it is necessary to ignore the decorative letters, but if such a meaningless string of characters is included in the familiar spelling, it will be difficult to read.

I remember Tess often teached me how to write the Eruo characters because my writing was too flat. There weren’t enough decorations, and the characters weren’t elegant enough.

It’s cooler to have a clatter and a sharp splash, and I feel aesthetics in removing irrational decorations. But alas, it was not popular within the aristocracy.

I was worried about my reputation, so I tried to correct it as soon as possible. Now I am able to write elegant letters even if it feels troublesome to write.

Canis wrote without any decorative letters, and each letter was crisp and very easy to read with an atmosphere similar to block letters.

[In the village, I was taught to write easy-to-read characters!]

[Hoo.]

The job of a scribe in a rural village is to report to the feudal lords and civil servants, so they’ll get punished if their report can’t be read.

The neat brush strokes and no unnecessary decorations are probably one of the wisdoms of the farmers who put the readability first.

From a nobleman’s point of view, his brushwork is unprofessional and lacks practicality, but I had a good impression of it.

[Is all the civilian casualties written here?]

[Yes.]

When I glanced at the escorts, Raylight reacted.

[The battlefield has not expanded, and the army is leading the pursuit from a large number of people, and the militias are withdrawing. The policy was to give priority to treatment over the commander-in-chief, so an investigation was conducted early in the morning. If you were doing that, the number of casualties would be accurate.]

It seems that not many resources were devoted to the pursuit due to the priority given to the treatment of wounded soldiers. Rather than hunting down the fleeing militiamen, it would be more beneficial if they prioritized preparations for the next battle.

The Quordenze army has many people who can use healing magic, so it is easy to prevent later deaths. Canis’ data should be regarded as highly reliable data.

[Hmm.]

After counting the number of wooden boards with my fingertips, I multiply them in my head to estimate the number of casualties. It was around 200.

Isn’t it a pretty good number for 200 Nambonan citizens to die? I could see the struggle of the citizen soldiers.

[Young Master.]

Raylight’s tone of voice was that of wanting to make a suggestion.

I turned my gaze in silence and allowed him to speak.

[If you want to praise the work of the citizens, why don’t you cremate them? …It will be good for the future.]

Regarding the disposal of corpses on the Eruo continent, cremation is said to be good. This is a value that the Holy See of Zethism has greatly influenced.

According to the Holy Society of Zethism, when the dead return to the earth, they become part of spirits or transform into spirits themselves. At this time, it is said that it is easier to assimilate or change into spirits if the bones are turned to ash and blown by the wind and scattered over the sky and the earth.

With such a religious background, cremation was recognized as the most desirable funeral service.

Even after the transition to the aristocratic era, such customs remained at the root of the people, and cremation is still considered good.

Nobles also cremate their deceased, but there are many families that have the custom of children burning the corpses with magic when their parents die.

Since the Quordenze family also has such a custom, if my father or mother died, I would have to burn them myself. It’s pretty tough for an ex-Japanese person such as myself.

Also, even if you look at other families, one of the jobs of the head of a noble family often includes the cremation of knights.

My father and others sometimes cremate members of the knight family who are brought to New Nelly, and if the deceased is a knight or former knight, they sometimes go to various parts of the territory with a business trip service. The head of the family is also somewhat difficult.

However, commoners don’t often cremate the body of the deceased.

In order to burn a human, you need a certain amount of fire, and you also need a rather wide place. However, since there is no problem if it is executed in a suitable place away from the city, the most difficulty comes from the required fire.

This is because, unlike the nobles, who only need to cast fire magic, commoners need to collect fuel to maintain their fire.

Mages who roam the private sector, such as Lupetta, may work part-time at cremation at times like this, but basically hiring mages is expensive, and their number is small in the first place, so it’s difficult to hire them. More likely than not. It is more economical to quietly collect firewood.

In addition to that, incomplete cremation is said to be a treatment much worse than burial.

Perhaps because of these circumstances, most commoners chose to bury their deceased.

Only the wealthy ones who can secure enough fuel and those who have connections enough to hire a common mage can afford cremation. Cremation is also a form of status.

If a commoner wants to be cremated casually, the easiest way is to accept the conscription and die in a serious fight.

If you die in battle, at least you would be cremated by a soldier or a military officer.

[Future?]

[Yes. Nambonan City has a large population, and it is clear that it will become a major base in the future. I think we need to think carefully about how to dispose of the dead.]

The eyes of Raylight looking at me were serious.

I’m sure he’s of the opinion that Nambonan citizens should be praised for their effort.

[…I believe you since you were the one leading the Nambonan militia to fight. Do you have any thoughts?]

Then, Raylight made a thoughtful gesture before opening his mouth.

[This is true everywhere, but commoners are not based on loyalty, but on the passive idea of being ruled… servitude.]

Perhaps it was his pet theory, but Raylight continued speaking in a decisive manner.

Even if the ruler changes, the commoner will accept it as it is without resisting so strongly, so from the perspective of people born and raised in a knight’s house, they may look like unfair people.

Well, it’s a bit cruel to tell a mere servant to defy their master.

[…However, I felt strongly that the citizens of Nambonan were willing to sacrifice themselves for their homeland and their loyalty to the city. To be honest, I couldn’t understand his courage and actions when they stood up without hesitation, even if their opponent was a noble of the Spierzeig family.]

Reinforcement may come from New Nelly City someday, but they don’t know when that will be. Furthermore, the enemy was not just a small or medium-sized aristocrat, but the large Spierzeig family. There was also no guarantee the Quordenze family would be able to repel the enemy.

Seeing the Nambonan citizens voluntarily trying to stand up in response to Anna’s call, Raylight felt like he was dreaming. Normally, in such a case, the Quordenze army, which is on the side of the ruler, would half-forcibly conscript the civilians.

Recounting about the state of the citizens at that time made Raylight a little excited, and his fists were clenched tightly.

[I see, so?]

[If you can turn their heart from the city to the lord, to the Quordenze family, it will be possible to create an elite unit that surpasses engineer soldiers……a unit specialized for war. That’s what I think.]

In the fight against knights and nobles, the strength of mind possessed by the commoner militia is much greater than I, a former earthling, thinks and it can be a factor that moves the battlefield.

From the history of being abandoned by the feudal lord, the citizens of Nambonan have developed a spirit of autonomy and self-reliance, and have come to grips with the concept of freedom. In this Eruo continent where the power of the nobility is great, it shouldn’t be something that can be done with ordinary resolution.

It wouldn’t be strange if they had a completely different mental foundation from commoners who passively followed nobles. Rather, Nambonan City would not have been able to survive without that spirit.

Raylight took notice of that tough spirit and wondered if it could be used somehow.

Then, the guards interjected from the side.

[Wouldn’t that be difficult?]

[It’s just that the commoners around here have a strong love for their homeland. I think it’s enough just to be useful in a defensive battle.]

[Expecting loyalty from commoners is a bad move.]

All of my bodyguards were raised in knightly households, so they have a similar way of thinking about commoners. Nambonan citizens’ love of their hometown seems to be a character unique to that region, and it seems that they have a recognition that it is a kind of prefectural character or national character in the case of Japan in the previous life.

In that regard, Raylight, who traveled around the continent as a mercenary, seemed to have intuitively realized that this was not a characteristic of the region, but a product of the Nambonan system.

Raylight is still in his early twenties, and it probably has something to do with the fact that he’s not as smart as the guards in their thirties and forties today.

However, Raylight didn’t seem to be able to explain his thought that well either, and continued arguing with the escorts while growling.

I have no objection to the cremation of the fallen Nambonan militias. Rather, there is no reason not to do it.

This is because it would be fatal to end the war casualties as “unfortunate sacrifices” as we will be governing Nambonan City from now on.

If I don’t do anything, I can’t predict how the people of Nambonan will react. The soldiers who received the wave of my murderous intent remembered it with their hearts in awe, and there’s no way that the Nambonan citizens weren’t affected either.

I don’t want them to think [we got caught up in the Noble war], [Nobles are scary after all], or [After all, we are nothing in the eyes of the ruling class].

It is an undeniable fact that the spirit of autonomy and independence of the citizens of Nambonan brings vitality to the city and is a driving force for continued development and growth. Nothing can be done to destroy it.

No matter how powerful my magic is, it’s impossible to revive the dead.

However, those who stand above others can give meaning to death, justify it, and guide it.

I turned my gaze to Canis and slowly spun my words.

[I have an idea.]

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