Chapter 347 (Self Edited) – Storm of Tyranny

About a week had passed since they left the base.

As usual, the trip itself was going well, but during that time, Cecil and others had never stopped by villages or towns. It wasn’t that they weren’t nearby, but that they were so wary that they didn’t dare to stop by.

It was as if they had no idea how much was known about them, and how they were treated. Especially in a small village, it was easy to see when strangers entered or left. Now knowing what to expect, they passed by it unnoticed.

However, they couldn’t do that all the way to the royal capital. If they didn’t get any information along the way, they didn’t even know how to move in the royal capital. Therefore, they decided to stop by a city, mainly to gather information.

It was a relatively large city, so it was easy to sneak in. They would have to be a bit careful when going in and out, but once they were inside, they would be able to blend in with others and gather information.

When Cecil explained that, Soma and others were convinced, but they still approached with a certain amount of caution. They didn’t have to ask questions either to defeat or kill the enemies until that point. It wouldn’t be surprising if they had been ordered to capture anyone they saw who looked even a bit suspicious. But, as it turned out, that caution was for naught.

Although, it wasn’t something to be happy about.

“Hmm… this is certainly easy to deceive, but… of course, it doesn’t mean this, right?” (Soma)

“Of course, it is!” (Aina)

Clenching her teeth and fists tightly, Aina stared at the scene in front of her as she answered Soma’s question.

Soma’s words sounded light-hearted at first glance, but the reason she didn’t become agitated in response was because his tone was strangely cold. It was because she knew that if he was angry or even more angry, he didn’t expose himself to an awkward appearance.

At the same time, the voice was pouring cold water on Cecil. Not in a bad way. If Soma didn’t say anything, Cecil probably would have run off on a moment’s notice.

However, Cecil knew better than anyone that there was nothing she could do about it. Therefore, she took a deep breath to calm herself down, and she looked at the scene again, which was the current state of the city.

A storm of tyranny. In a nutshell, that was what was happening there.

The buildings were torn down in many places, and there were conspicuous burn marks where fires might have spread. The faces of the people on the road were lifeless, and most of them were walking with their heads down. It was as if the city had been caught in a war and being looted.

–No. Or should they say, they were in the middle of it.

“Tsk… there’s no plan already.” (??)

“Hmm… that’s why I always say you overdo it.” (??)

“Don’t you think you’re teasing too much? I’m sure you’re not the only one.” (??)

“Haa? I wash my clothes every day, so they aren’t dirty!” (??)

“Gyahaha! That’s the reaction! You should have reacted like that!” (??)

In the middle of the road, there were people coming and going, but the men behaved as they pleased.

They caught people walking by and kept punching them while laughing. They caught a woman and roughly tore off clothes, pushed her down, straddled them with the rough breathing repeatedly happening. They grab goods from storefronts and eat them or destroy them for no reason at all. They were rampaging as they pleased, as if they were the greatest in the world.

Looking only at that, it seemed that bandits had entered and were rampaging, but in reality, it wasn’t. The reason was that everyone had a resignation expression on their face. Not a single person showed any resistance, which proof that this tyranny had become the norm.

If they were bandits, they weren’t going to be able to do that… and more importantly, the armor that these men were wearing showed that they weren’t thieves. The coat of arms engraved on the chest was the national emblem of the Veritas Kingdom. In other words… the men were regular soldiers of the Veritas Kingdom.

It was only natural to give up. Those who were supposed to protect them were rampaging as they liked. Who could stop them?

But that was why this wasn’t something that should have happened. Certainly, there was a civil war in Veritas. Or maybe it was already in the past tense, but that didn’t mean that they were at war.

No, even if it was war, there was no reason to attack innocent people. Even if the winner had already been decided, this couldn’t be allowed to happen.

“Hey, I’ve heard that choking can tighten the vagina, is that true?” (??)

“I don’t know, man. You don’t need it, right?” (??)

“Haa!? Of course, it’s better to feel good than to feel lousy!” (??)

“Gyahaha, why don’t you try on the shabby one first! Try it!” (??)

“Oh, of course, I’m going to do that, alright? It’s just that… well, it’s a bit more extreme than choking.” (??)

Along with such words, the man, who straddled the woman, pulled out his sword. It was clear what he was trying to do as he turned the tip down.

However, even in such a case, the woman in question didn’t put up a single resistance. She was just looking at the tip of the sword, as if she had given up on everything.

And even in front of that scene, no one tried to move. Passersby quickly turned their heads and walked away so that they wouldn’t be the next target. Neither Cecil nor Soma’s group made any attempt to do anything.

It must be unavoidable. No matter what they thought, this situation was unusual. It was certain that something was happening, so they couldn’t move carelessly.

Soma and others had their own reasons for heading to the royal capital. They had no reason to help strangers as it might be unfulfilled.

But still… Cecil wanted to help. She didn’t have that power. If she jumped out, the number of victims would only increase.

Those men were soldiers of the Veritas Kingdom, but… because of who they were, they wouldn’t listen to what Cecil had to say. The only people Cecil could rely on in this situation were Soma and others.

So, even though she knew it was selfish, she turned her head to ask for help–…

“So–…” (Cecil)

The moment she tried to call his name, she took her breath away because she realized Soma and others were staring at her.

They were clearly waiting for Cecil. At the same time, they were asking. On what to do about it.

It only took a moment for Cecil to wonder why. In other words, they were abiding by what she had said.

Cooperation was about working together. It didn’t mean that either side did something unilaterally.

That was why they were waiting for Cecil’s reaction. Cecil had her own reason to go to the royal capital. They were asking her if she was alright with the fact that she might not be able to do that.

Or perhaps, they were simply asking if there was a problem with doing so. They knew from the beginning that they were strangers. Therefore, there might be a lot of things they didn’t know about Veritas, and they might want to ask her what Veritas would do in such a situation.

But whatever the case, there was only one conclusion. And of course, Cecil’s resolve was already solidified. If that was the case…

The man’s sword was swung down. And on the verge…

“Soma-dono, please!” (Cecil)

“–Understood.” (Soma)

It was almost at the same time that Soma’s reply was heard, and the man, who was trying to swing down his sword, disappeared from the scene. Immediately afterwards, there was a dull sound, as if something had crashed into the wall.

“Wha…? O-oi, what is…” (??)

“…Who are you!?” (??)

The remaining men were stunned for a moment when the man who was supposed to be nearby disappeared, but they soon noticed Soma and shouted. But even with that voice, Soma didn’t immediately respond with anything.

He just said in a calm, yet chilling voice.

“I don’t know what the situation is, this city, this country, and why they were doing this. Maybe, it’s something that can’t be helped… but, I don’t care. I don’t feel good about it.” (Soma)

“…What are you doing!?” (??)

“Tsk, I don’t know… Fine, if you’re going to interrupt our fun, I’ll start with you first!” (??)

The men came attacking while screaming, but Soma didn’t make a slight movement from the spot. While staring at the men with cold eyes… the nxt moment, their bodies were blown away at once and slammed into the wall.