Volume 3 Chapter 29 Having Too Many Prisoners is a Bit of a Hassle to Deal With
*Returning to Ryuuji's perspective*
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"Is everyone accounted for?"
"...Yeah."
In response to Lord Reichner's question, the aide of the officer I had just sniped stood bound and powerless, nodding firmly.
It was quite a spectacle to see that the captives outnumbered our troops.
"We've checked the entire ship. There are no more soldiers remaining."
"Is that so? That's a relief, thank you."
Though Lord Reichner appeared a bit weary from the report of one guard who was reluctantly holding the <Magic Stone of Great Absolute>, he nodded in satisfaction.
After the sniping, the 3 ships had closed in to kill me, unleashing a torrent of arrows, but sadly for them, regular arrows could be sealed off with the <Great Magic Stone of Diamond>. So, I picked off another one, and they promptly raised a white flag.
Why didn't they return to their homeland?
When I asked, they explained that they had run out of water and food after taking a detour.
It seemed they had underestimated us, planning to scavenge supplies locally.
Talk about foolishness.
"How did you manage to capsize the ship...? How did you kill the Major...? How did you fend off that rain of arrows...?"
The lieutenant, their supposed leader, was the one who asked.
We tossed a 〈Magic Stone of Featherweight〉 into their ship, messing up its center of gravity.
And *poof*, it capsized!
As for the officers, well, Mr. Galdun, the dwarf blacksmith, had just finished his new 〈Alchemy Long Rifle〉.
That thing has an insane range.
We could hit targets on the far deck, as long as we used some enchantments.
Well, I can't exactly tell them all that.
So, I just gave Lord Reichner a look.
I'm not saying anything.
The lord nodded, as if to say, "I understand."
"I don't recall allowing any questions? You're prisoners. I expect you to understand your position as invaders."
"........."
Lord Reichner is always kind, but his expression was a little grim, probably because he was angry at these invaders for killing his people.
Or maybe *because* he's kind.
But what are we going to do with all these prisoners?
Where do we even put them?
I asked, and Lord Reichner looked troubled, his face twisting in a grimace.
"Yeah... this is a pain, isn't it? Executing them is an option, but we need to wait for instructions from the Capital City."
Lord Reichner just casually dropped a bombshell, but if he didn't take a pragmatic approach, the people of Sartzstadt would be in danger.
"How about executing some of them?"
"Even that requires criteria for selection, and the survivors would be filled with resentment... Now, what to do..."
Hmm, so, resentment, huh?
If we're talking about that, I guess I'm pretty hated, considering I sent the entire first crew that came here to the bottom of the sea.
Or maybe "feared" is a better word for it.
I see a lot of soldiers trembling just from looking at me.
Thinking about the aftermath of sinking those ships and the disposal of the bodies... Lord Reichner must have a headache.
If you leave the corpses, they'll become undead.
But I didn't have much of a choice back then.
"Big Bro Ryuuji!"
"Oh? Minori and Suzu, you're here."
My sisters came rushing towards me from the road leading to the town center, looking frantic.
They must have heard everything from Belle, who I sent home earlier.
"Seriously, you took on a whole fleet by yourself this time? You're insane!"
"Yep, no mistake. Insane."
"...My sisters have no mercy."
Minori and Suzu are used to me doing reckless things, but they seemed a little exasperated this time.
Well, I'd be exasperated if they did the same thing.
"Sorry to worry you. Did Lene hear about it too?"
Lene's not feeling well right now.
I don't want her to worry unnecessarily.
Actually, I shouldn't do things that would make her worry in the first place...
"No, Belle was considerate and only told us."
"I see. I'll give Belle some dried fish later as a reward."
"Big Bro Ryuuji, Belle is a lynx, not a cat!"
We were chatting about trivial things, but then I remembered I should ask them about how to handle the prisoners.
Both of them thought for a moment, but Minori seemed to have an idea.
"How about this?" She started explaining, holding up a finger.
It's a relief that they're both so knowledgeable.
"Suzu, can you do something like this?"
We had been listening to Minori's explanation, but──to put it lightly──this was...
"Are you a demon or something?"
"Yeah, I could do it, but..."
"What!? But that's not efficient!"
Minori was met with cold stares from me and Suzu, yet she desperately tried to explain the effectiveness of her idea.
Lord Reichner, who was listening beside us, let out an awkward chuckle at such an outrageous claim.
"Well, there are some gray areas regarding our country's laws, but given that this is an emergency, I'll take care of explaining it to His Majesty later. Ms. Suzu, can I count on you?"
It seemed like the method had some legal ambiguities, but Lord Reichner agreed, understanding that he couldn't hesitate over the technicalities.
Now it rested entirely on Suzu's determination.
"Alright, I understand. Big Bro Ryuuji, bring out all the Magic Power Healing Potions you have."
"Got it!"
Following Suzu's instructions, I rummaged through my magic bag and pulled out every last Magic Power Healing Potion I had, handing them over to her.
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