Subjugation Order
Subjugation Order
The Empire and the other nations were fundamentally cordial toward the Otherworlders.
Though their sudden appearance was disconcerting, the Otherworlders were, after all, on humanity's side.
And there were simply too many Otherworlders to antagonise recklessly.
Nor were they merely numerous. They did not die, and they only grew stronger as time passed.
At this rate, a tipping point where the Otherworlders' collective strength surpassed that of the Gaia-born could well arrive.
The nations therefore could not antagonise the Otherworlders even if they wished to. Open hostility would bring only exhaustion, so it was better to draw them to their own side.
Even Gaia herself, the goddess of this land, had said, "Unbidden guests though you are, I welcome you nonetheless."
Fortunately, most Otherworlders were friendly, and communication was possible, so winning them over was easy.
As the Otherworlders grew closer, an unexpected advantage also emerged.
It was that information could easily be gathered through them.
Much like an open network, they were beings who possessed a massive information web even if each individual was not especially powerful.
As the bounty he had posted showed, Rayleigh had naturally also received reports concerning Yor.
And in considerable detail, at that.
Sharaak—
Fourth Knight Commander Rayleigh spread out several documents and organized his thoughts.
'A formidable powerhouse living in the forest.'
'A man whose name has spread especially far among Otherworlders.'
'And... the demon child the Empire let slip thirteen years ago.'
The last piece of information was not from the Otherworlders but something he had obtained through his own investigation.
At the time he had been nothing more than a squire, but the incident had caused enough public uproar that he had heard of it.
It was recorded as one of the Empire's blunders.
Afterwards, no amount of searching had turned up so much as a glimpse of him, so Rayleigh had assumed he had died alone somewhere.
'To think he has survived all this time in such a treacherous forest...'
It was a remarkable feat by any measure.
And from a knight's perspective, a deeply troublesome one as well.
No matter the nation, summary execution was the correct answer for any Manifestor.
They were akin to time bombs that could detonate at any moment, so eliminating them was right, if only to remove a potential threat.
Regrettably, those who sheltered a Manifestor were no different.
From a broader standpoint, they ultimately placed countless lives in jeopardy for the sake of personal attachment.
The two Demonkin incidents that had erupted in recent years—had they not both exploded precisely because someone had shielded them in that manner?
Considerable time had passed since the information arrived.
The reason no particular action had been taken was that each of them had been far too busy.
Although the construction of the arena had eased matters somewhat, troubles caused by Otherworlders continued to arise.
Not only that, but there was the recovery from the damage wrought by the demons that had descended in succession, the investigation of Lemegeton...
With so many matters erupting at once, they were living lives where even two bodies would not suffice.
But now, having captured Dantalion, they had gained a little breathing room.
'So the opportunity is now.'
And this time as well, the officer in charge was Rayleigh himself.
The First Knight Commander could not be sent. She had to protect the Emperor no matter what.
The Second Knight Commander was... busy quelling the disturbances caused by Otherworlders. And she was probably using the chance to seduce men on the side.
The Third and Fifth Knight Commanders were in the middle of tracking and investigating Lemegeton.
In the end, he was the only person left.
Though he grumbled, Rayleigh proceeded with the preparations efficiently. He allowed the troops exhausted by the forced march to rest, and he squeezed the Minister of Finance to extract a budget.
And with that budget as his basis, he began drafting a new notice.
He had already invested five million Gold into posting a wanted order, yet no word of success had arrived.
No—it would have been fortunate if there were simply no word of success. Even proper reports of failure had failed to come in.
That meant no proper attempt had even been made.
In short, the cost-benefit was not favourable.
Rayleigh's mind raced.
'The target is a powerhouse. Dantalion himself was wounded enough to flee.'
'The terrain is also poor. The monsters inhabiting the Forbidden Forest must also be accounted for.'
'The fact that he enjoys the favor of the Otherworlders is concerning... But it is manageable. I need only put up a reward, and deal with any who oppose it strictly by law.'
Having roughly estimated the situation, Rayleigh predicted this would be no easy fight.
Frankly, the battle conditions were far from favourable.
Nevertheless, it was a task that had to be carried out.
They could not simply leave a bomb planted in a corner of the Empire unattended.
Anyone who bore the Demon's Blood had to be eliminated without exception.
Such beings were far removed from humanity, and no hesitation was permitted in disposing of them.
That was the knowledge Rayleigh, who had walked the path of the elite, had learned his entire life—a truth that had held for hundreds of years.
Having thus dashed off the draft, he reported it to the Emperor.
Once his text received approval, it would be conveyed to the administration.
And so, the words he had written would be polished once and then posted as a notice on the guild board.
And so time passed.
*
A month went by.
And in that time, nothing much happened.
It did rain, but it was a drizzle that soon stopped. The sky cleared again quickly, as if wondering what the fuss had been about.
No monsters came down from the Deep Layer, and considering the bounty, no one ventured into the forest either. The bothersome Lemegeton lot had not shown their faces recently, either.
If I had to recount one amusing story, Happy—no, Shin Han-byeol—had handed over the Holy Water as promised.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd actually bring it. Thanks, Happy!"
"...Shut up."
Thanks to her, I was able to obtain two bottles of Holy Water.
And I paid a fair price for the transaction, too.
Although my Berserk A had triggered this time, I managed to endure it passably with the two bottles of Holy Water she gave me.
In short, life was tolerable.
I had been spending my days so peacefully I almost wondered if I deserved it.
Come to think of it, had I ever lived this comfortably in recent memory?
I, who had been utterly alone, now had people to talk to, and Holy Water that could intermittently ease my pain was also coming into my hands.
Threats did exist, yet I had actually grown richer ever since revealing my existence.
'At this rate, couldn't I just keep living like this?'
It was only a fleeting thought, but I did think it.
Yet, as the saying goes, the weather is calmest before a storm.
Life was much the same, and bad news soon found me.
"Yor, Yor!"
"It's terrible! Something terrible!"
As I was peacefully breathing the midday air, Chae-rin and Ha-neul came rushing up, panting.
And this was quite an unusual occurrence.
Normally, Ha-neul was busy with editing work, and a single person was enough to deliver information.
Usually, only one of the two visited. Yet here they both were, coming to find me together.
Even their expressions were steeped in deep unease.
Presently, they said that an official decree had been issued to the guild, and they showed me a sheet of paper.
It seemed they had even transcribed the notice posted on the guild board and brought the copy.
I read the text they had brought.
+
[Subjugation Edict (討伐勅令)]
Humanity, and the Empire, have repeatedly proven their steadfastness by defeating demons time and again.
Yet one potential threat still remains.
It is the tale of a certain human said to dwell within the Forbidden Forest.
Despite being of a vile bloodline that bears the Demon's Blood, that wretch continues to cling to life in hiding within the forest.
There are even Otherworlders who, aware of this, merely stand by and watch.
The Empire can no longer overlook this.
Therefore, to right that which is wrong, the Empire intends to dispatch a subjugation force led by the Fourth Knight Commander.
We beseech you to lend a hand so that the subjugation may proceed smoothly.
To the ten who distinguish themselves most greatly, ten million Gold each shall be bestowed.
Furthermore, should any thereafter still take that wretch's side, even if they be Otherworlders, they shall be dealt with severely by law.
+
And my own face could not help but harden in turn.
*
A new official notice had been posted on the guild board.
+
[What's this?]
+
+
[What's that thing just posted on the Adventurer's Guild board?]
+
Naturally, the community that saw it was in an uproar.
The content struck rather close to home for them as well.
A certain human living in the Forbidden Forest. Who that 'certain human' referred to was obvious.
It meant Yor, of course. He was an NPC with considerable recognition in the community, so even a single notice carried substantial impact.
+
[But why's this notice in casual speech?]
For Andromalius they put it up properly in formal speech, this is kinda shitty;
+
[That was an official notice from the Church. This one was issued by the Emperor, so it's an imperial edict.]
[↳ Ohh.]
[↳ Just because it's the Emperor, she's all that? Doesn't she know she ought to use honorifics when addressing the general public?]
[↳ Hey, you dumbass.]
[↳ In that setting, the Emperor is all that, yeah;]
[No, that's not what's important right now, it's a subjugation edict, you shits.]
[↳ No, fuck, they can't kill Yor!]
+
[What does 'dealt with severely by law' mean...?]
So we can't give him stuff or go talk to him either?
+
[Yeah.]
[What happens if we defend him?]
[I have a connection with an official, so I know—helping or sheltering a Manifestor is execution, no exceptions.]
[↳ So in the end it means a 3-day suspension, right?]
[↳ Would be nice if it were just that, but the fact they specifically mentioned Otherworlders is a bit worrying...]
[↳ Might get locked up or kicked out of the Empire.]
[↳ Oof;]
[↳ That's pretty harsh.]
+
[Whoa, how much is ten million Gold?]
Isn't this basically saying we can earn a hundred mil for free if we just rack up some achievements without even needing to capture him?
Whoa, that's insane, lol, definitely gotta join in.
+
[Hey, you son of a bitch.]
[You're gonna join in on that just for money? Are you serious?]
[No, get a grip, you shits—is ten million Gold a small amount? If I can earn that much by taking out one NPC, I'm absolutely doing it.]
[↳ For real lol, money's the best.]
Countless stories traded back and forth in the community.
Since it was a space where tens of thousands gathered, opinions varied widely.
Some insisted they must protect an NPC they had grown fond of. Some posted mournful messages as though they had already parted with him. Some cared not one way or the other.
And there were many who expressed interest in joining the subjugation. The dark gamers were the main ones.
For them, ten million Gold was an enormous sum.
At times, disputes broke out in the posts.
The side asking if they really had to participate pitted against the side asking what the problem was when it was only an NPC.
To them, [Demon's Saga] was, after all, just a game.
And now that a subjugation edict had even been issued, his odds of survival were, honestly, slim. That was what most users felt.
While such varied opinions were emerging, a user in the community posted a question.
It addressed the essence of the topic.
+
[So basically, isn't this a boss fight?]
+
In the end, though the form might differ slightly, it was a boss fight where the boss merely happened to be human.
That was the conclusion most users reached.