Instant Death 106 Part 1

I was such an idiot for thinking you were a good guy!

“You! You dare insult us!?”

“Insulting you? You guys just showed up out of the blue saying that you’ll exterminate us!”

“We’re not exterminating anything, Jolt.”

Another young boy came forward as he said that.

Tomochika felt that this young boy was Darian, the second prince. He looked a bit like Richard, and there was something about him that made him seem different than the others.

“Is that so? I just thought that we couldn’t just let this many of them to their own devices.”

“So that lets you go around places threatening women?”

Darian’s demeanor was elegant and calm. Tomochika thought that there should be no problem to have a civilized discussion with someone like him.

“These women are like consumer goods. They’re property that we need to take back to our nation. I would like to return them all to their owner, without ‘exterminating’ a single one of them, if possible.”

“I was such an idiot for thinking you were a good guy!”

Tomochika was soon reminded that there was no decent man in this world.

But they were probably better than the enemies that they have been encountering so far. They seemed much better than dealing with people as atrocious or tyrannical as sages.

–What’s up with this guy…?

Tomochika looked at Theodosia. Her eyes certainly looked cold, but there was a fire raging behind them. She looked like she could jump out and attack the so-called invincible army at any moment.

“Can I have a moment!?”

Tomochika took out the amulet and spoke to the prince.

First, they needed to ask about the circumstances around their situation. Whatever comes after that, she would think about it later.

Tomochika’s previous interventions had helped suppress Theodosia’s thirst for blood to some extent in the past. If they were to have a conversation with these people, she needed to step up.

“Ah, I’ve heard of Rick’s friends, but I hadn’t expected them to be you! But what are you doing along with these half-demons?”

“Eh, we just happened to meet here by chance. What are you doing here, Your Highness?

–Just keep talking while I think about what to do next!

It wasn’t a good excuse, but Tomochika forced her way through their conversation.

“I’m Darian, nice to meet you. I’m not very good with the sealing power inherited by the royal family. Since I wasn’t very useful even when there was a royal capital, I’m just traveling around while doing a world reformation of sorts.”

“Did you come here as part of that world reformation?”

“Hmm. I see. You’re from another world, so the situation is strange to you. In that case, you should be okay. You won’t be charged with any crimes.”

Though he doesn’t seem to know the full story, he at least knows that Tomochika and the others are from another world.

Perhaps he knows that much judging by Tomochika’s looks, or maybe he heard that from Richard.

“So, you’ve come here to take these people with you?”

“That’s right. There’s been a robbery and many half-demons were taken away. We need to get each of these half-demons back to their owners.”

“No, no, wait a second. These people have been unjustly detained and forced to work against their will, haven’t you heard? Don’t you find it strange?”

“Taking someone’s property is a crime, isn’t it? It should be so in your world as well, no matter what kind of world you come from, right?”

“Property…?”

“They are not things, of course, but under the laws of our country, half-demons are treated as personal property. Their owners have the right of exclusive use over them. Purposefully taking one of them with you doesn’t make you the owner, right?”

“But these people aren’t animals! They may look a bit different than us but that doesn’t turn them into objects!”

“Hmm. Certainly I too think that there’s room for thought there. However, that’s just how the law is right now. I can’t just ignore it.”

“I see. Well, I guess there’s no point arguing about this!”

If those were the laws of this country, it would make little sense to bring ethics and morals to the conversation.

“Hey, Tomochika… Even if they were to take all these people away, do you really think they’ll simply let us go?”

Carole whispered into Tomochika’s ear.

“Can’t they simply let this go by?”

“I guess we’re expected to obey the rules of these lands. We wouldn’t want to antagonize this country, would we?”

Ryouko joined their secret conversation.

After the King’s death, the one to succeed him would be the first prince. And if the first prince was in the royal capital, then there was a chance he was dead as well. In other words, the second prince could very well be the supreme power ruling over the Mani Kingdom at this point.

“Uhh…”

They were the outsiders after all. They were the ones poking into the people of this world’s business.

“It may be a little early to say this, but it doesn’t seem we’ll be able to reach an agreement.”

“I think the same. It seems we’ll have no choice but to take these guys on.”