Ex Strongest Swordsman Longs For Magic In Different World

Chapter 348 (Self Edited) – Discovering the Main Culprit’s Name

Looking at the men who rolled to the ground, Soma was wondering what he should do now.

He didn’t kill them because he took it easy on them at least. Looking at the coat of arms of the armor, the men were likely to be regular soldiers of Veritas and killing them would likely get them into trouble. However, that reason was only a tenth out of everything, and the rest was because he was likely to be able to obtain information.

It didn’t look like these men were being manipulated by anyone. That meant that they were doing it on their own initiative, but of course, it wouldn’t be possible under normal circumstances.

Even if they were regular soldiers… no, it was only regular soldiers who were bound by military regulations. If they did whatever they wanted with innocent people, they might as well be physically beheaded. It was true that the men looked like they were on the verge of being ruffians, but they should be able to understand that much.

That meant that the murder was committed with an understanding of the situation. Moreover, looking at the people in the city, it was highly possible that such things were done on a daily basis.

It would be natural to think that there was some reason to make it possible.

“Hmm… what kind of situation do you have in mind, Cecil? Of course, it wasn’t like this before, right?” (Soma)

“That’s right. At least, this wasn’t the case before. I do have an idea, but I can’t say it for sure. I would like to know why this is happening myself.” (Cecil)

“Well, surely. It’s obviously not something normal.” (Aina)

“…Hmm, did something out of the ordinary happen to this country?” (Sheila)

“That’s possible, but… I honestly don’t know what would cause this to happen. Even if the first prince had won, I don’t think this would have happened…” (Cecil)

“Well, it’s one thing to nip rebellion in the bud.” (Soma)

The idea of thoroughly crushing Cecil and the others was still understandable.

A civil war was already underway. Then, it wouldn’t be so strange to eliminate potential enemies in order to completely end it. It was a bit extreme, but it was within the realm of possibility.

That was why neither Cecil nor Soma had ever thought anything strange until at the moment, but it was indeed abnormal to go this far. A situation in which regular soldiers were allowed to rampage freely in their own country couldn’t occur unless the country was in a terminal situation.

However, Veritas was still a country that could be called a superpower, albeit one that had declined from its heyday. Even if the country was a bit ravaged by civil war, it wasn’t enough to cause that to happen.

And…

“Wha-what are…” (??)

Apparently, the man, who he had blown away first, woke up.

It seemed that he didn’t understand the situation yet, and when he tried to look around with a scowl on his face, he finally realized that his body was tied up. He shouted in panic.

“You…!? What are you doing to my body… Oi, what’s going on!?” (??)

“Hmm… you seem to be awake.” (Soma)

“Haa…!? Who are you!? Did you do this to me!? What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” (??)

“So, you don’t really care who I am? To ask me what I was doing… well, it seems you’ve been doing whatever you want, so I’ve been doing whatever I want.” (Soma)

“Haa!? Aah, I see, doing whatever you want huh… Tsk… it can’t be helped.” (??)

“Hmm…?” (Soma)

Soma tilted his head at the man who suddenly became quiet and muttered as if he was convinced. He, then, turned his eyes to Cecil and others, but they were also blinking their eyes as if they didn’t understand.

They frowned at why the man was convinced, but he, though disgruntled, seemed to have no intention of lashing out anymore. While watching the man, Cecil opened her mouth.

“…Why did you agree?” (Cecil)

“Haa? What?” (??)

“You said, it can’t be helped… so you agree with him, right?” (Cecil)

“Aah, that’s natural, isn’t it? If this happens, there’s nothing I can do about it, and you just did what you were told, didn’t you? Then, I have no choice but to accept it.” (??)

“We were told to…? By whom?” (Cecil)

“Haa?  Of course, the acting King.” (??)

According to the man, about two weeks ago, the acting king had sent a message.

Simply put, it would allow all the people in the country to have all the freedom they wanted. If they wanted to destroy something, the king allowed it to happen, and that was also if people wanted to kill someone. The king gave them all freedom in the literal sense of the word. If they wanted to steal something, he would it, and if they wanted to rape someone, he also would allow it.

People could do whatever they wanted, however they wanted. Those were the words summed up by the acting king.

So, the men did as they pleased. They destroyed, beat, killed, raped, and did as they pleased.

Of course, this wasn’t just a freedom given only to men. It was freedom given equally to the inhabitants of the city.

However, the people who lived in the city were just ordinary people. There was no way they could counter the soldiers, who should be called violent tools, and while those people were rampaging, there weren’t so many who could go on rampage themselves.

Furthermore, even if they tried to escape, the warning was sent out to the whole country. Wherever they might be, they were sure to find themselves in a similar situation, or even worse.

Therefore, it seemed that the people of this city decided to turn their heads and give up on everything.

“What’s that… can the acting king do that?” (Aina)

“…If I have to say whether it’s possible or not, yes, it is possible. Even though he is a substitute, he’s almost synonymous with the king now since the king is absent. And since the king is the top of the country, he has the right to decide what to do with the country. But of course, someone usually stops him from doing so, but… the fact that there was an announcement means that it has been approved. In other words, it has become the law in Veritas.” (Cecil)

“…Although you’re a soldier who should protect everyone, why are you doing this?” (Sheila)

“Haa? We’ve been told to do whatever we like, so? No, it’s more like an order for us. Then, I’ve obviously decided to do whatever I want.” (??)

“I see… then, it doesn’t matter if I cut off your head, right? If that’s what you want, I can do what I want, yes?” (Soma)

As Soma said so, he pulled out his sword and placed it against the man’s neck. If he wanted to, he could do exactly what he just said in the next moment.

However, there was no fear on the man’s face even in this situation. The conviction in his face remained the same.

“Of course, right? If that’s what you want to do, I have no problem with it. In fact, you should do it.” (??)

“Hmm…” (Soma)

Soma squinted his eyes at those words and moved the tip of his sword slightly. Then, he put it away. He wasn’t trying to be merciful. The man’s words and actions were clearly abnormal.

No matter how much the man liked what he was doing, he was giving up too much. There weren’t many people who could face their own death and not only remain calm, but he also accepted it without hesitation. It was more natural to think that the man was in an abnormal state, so Soma decided that he should extract information as it was.

However, there was someone more suitable than Soma to extract information from. When Soma looked at Cecil, he got a nod.

“…By the way, you said that you were told by the acting king, but who is the acting king now?” (Cecil)

“Haa? Of course, it’s Isac-sama.” (??)

“…Eh? Isac?” (Cecil)

Cecil’s eyes widened the moment she heard the name. Somehow, it was unexpected.

“You seem quite surprised… were you really surprised?” (Aina)

“…He is the second prince. He was rather timid and easily swayed by the opinions around him, but he was definitely not the kind of person who would issue such an announcement. I thought it would be the first prince…” (Cecil)

“I’m not sure why you’re surprised, but I’m not lying. We, soldiers, are on the side of the second prince to begin with.” (??) 

“…So, the second prince won?” (Sheila)

“I suppose that’s what it means.” (Soma)

Did that mean that something that had been suppressed was now overflowing?

No, even if it was, there were many things that he didn’t understand. If there was a strong possibility that Devils were involved, then, it was safe to assume that Devils were responsible.

“Hmm? There seems to be a slight commotion in the city, don’t you think?” (Soma)

As he was thinking about that, he heard a buzzing sound from somewhere. When he focused on the sound, he wondered if it was… from the entrance to the city…

“It looks like a yell… uhm…?” (Aina)

“It sounds like you’re saying that the soldiers are here, right?” (Cecil)

“…Hmm, did new soldiers come here?” (Sheila)

They looked at each other and made a difficult face.

In other words…

“Does that mean there were more like these people?” (Soma)

“…Hmm, isn’t that the case?” (Sheila)

“I hope you’re right… well, should we go for it then?” (Aina)

“Yes, that’s true, but… I really hope it’s not though.” (Cecil)

To be honest, Soma would be happy if it wasn’t true, but if it was true, the unreasonableness could fall on the people of the city again. First off, they should go there to find out.

They nodded to each other. Just in case the man wouldn’t do something unnecessary, Soma made him faint again. Then, they rushed to the entrance of the city.