Gildale and the others escaped from the barn on the outskirts of the town of Lauf in two covered wagons, and after walking along the highway for about 30 minutes, they cut into a narrow path in the forest.
An old mansion stood at the end of the winding road.
"Fred, where is this?"
[ Another base of theirs ... where they stored explosives ... ]
Bonfires were lit around the building, and a large number of armed men could be seen.
There were also more than ten covered wagons and many horses.
The barn was a stage for the incitement of the residents, and it was probably the base for the soldiers who would fight.
I told Gildale and the others that I would overlook it since it was an attempt, but I did not say that I would let them go unchecked.
An attack wouldn't be possible with the number of people in the barn, and if a battle started with the shills among the residents, even unrelated people would get involved.
"As expected of you, Goshujin-sama, nya. After gathering here, you're planning on blowing them to pieces with the blow you used to defeat the Hydra, nya."
"No, no, I won't do that ... Nn? Actually that's not impossible to get rid of further trouble?"
If they continued to carry out the attack even after I made so many threats, I had no intention of showing any mercy, but let's find out what's going on inside anyway.
It may have been a wealthy man's villa, but it was now in disrepair, with some rooms having collapsed walls and roofs missing, but it appeared to have once been luxurious.
In a secluded room on the second floor, a group of people who appeared to be executives were meeting together to discuss future actions.
Among the ten or so executive, I could also see the faces of Gildale, the bearded man, the woman called Lilina, and a pale old man.
It seemed that all the people who spoke in that barn were shills.
The person in the center was Gildale, and it seemed that he was not just a Propaganda decoration.
"There has been a terrible hindrance. The attack on the Drevis Duchy will be canceled."
"What do you mean canceled, we are making preparations for tomorrow."
"It's canceled!"
Gildale did not change his decision to cancel, despite the protests of a fat man who had not been seen in the barn.
However, as soon as he said 'It's canceled', I saw his hands gesture in some way.
"Ever since we heard that the Princess of Barshania was coming, we have spent a lot of time making preparations, I can't accept that it is canceled at the last minute."
"Nope, it's canceled. Now that the Demon King has appeared, we can't compete with him."
"I've heard that even though he's called the Demon King, he's actually just a kid. If we attack him with numbers, wouldn't we be able to defeat him?"
"He can control a Storm Cat. How can you fight a monster like that."
"Well then, what are you planning to do."
"We'll break up and hide until the dust cools down. We'll also abandon our base at Makirigu Pass."
"For how long?"
"I don't know. There is no choice but to wait two or three years until the opportunity presents itself."
When Gildale announced that they were going into hiding, the people gathered nodded greatly, but it didn't seem like they were satisfied with his decision to go into hiding.
Both Gildale and the fat man kept moving their hands while they were talking.
It was probably like sign language."
"I'll tell the guys below ..."
Three men and women who had not been seen in the barn got up from their seats and left the room.
"Fred, I'm sure they're planning on moving their troops, so go check on them."
[ Roger ... ]
I felt a sense of discomfort at the discrepancy between the facial expressions of the people gathered there and what they were saying.
Even though they chose the passive means of escaping and hiding, the faces of the executives were full of fighting spirit.
Even after the three men and women left the room, the executives continued to talk.
"But, when the Demon King summoned the Storm Cat, I thought it was over."
"Seriously, is he really a kid? Is it some form-changing magic?"
"I heard that he was a big, muscular man ..."
"I heard that in addition to the dark attribute, he can also use light attribute healing magic ..."
"I don't know how much is true and how much is false."
The executives were moving their hands while talking.
Perhaps the voice conversation was a dummy and the sign language content was more accurate.
I couldn't be sure because I couldn't decipher the sign language, but it looked like the attack on the Drevis Duchy had been canceled and the attack would be carried out at Makirigu Pass.
Anyway, it seemed like they enjoyed communicating in sign language rather than purely doing so to prevent eavesdropping.
It reminded me of the old me, when I used to create my own codes.
Huh? Wait a minute.
Now that I think about it, what happened to my notebook full of dark history?
After my mother committed suicide, the house in Tokyo was sold, and I don't know where it went.
If it were to end up in the hands of a weekly magazine reporter, I'd die of embarrassment.
[ Kent-sama ... It seems like they will gather at Makirigu Pass ... ]
"I see. As expected, they aren't hiding, they'll set up a trap. ]
[ Clean them up here ... ? Or ... ]
"At this time, I want to completely eliminate Havre's remnants. Let them run free and see if there are any bases other than Makirigu Pass, thoroughly find out if there are any collaborators."
[ Roger ... ]
"Reinhardt, are you planning on improving the road at the pass? ]
[ Indeed, we are about to start working on it. ]
"You can do it to your heart's content."
[ Buhahaha, with Kent-sama's approval, I will do everything I can. ]
Gildale and the others were probably expecting a narrow mountain pass, so let's take it to the next level.
If they attack us while we're working on the mountain pass, we'll definitely turn the tables on them.
When one of the three people who had left the room earlier came back, the executives finished speaking and began preparing to move on.
While the executives were talking, gathered personnel were preparing to move outside the building.
When they arrived at the mansion, the men were dressed in armor and helmet-like armor, but now they were dressed like farm men.
The armor and helmet-like armor they had taken off, as well as the weapons they had in their hands, were packed up in boxes and loaded onto a covered wagon.
"Hey, where did Marcus go?"
"Keith isn't here, either, did they go to the toilet?"
"We rode in the same carriage from the hideout over there ..."
"Those guys, did they run away?"
Several men who were loading the carriages stopped and gathered around.
"Hey, what should we do."
"What should we do, you say ..."
"Are you seriously planning on fighting with a Storm Cat?"
"That is ..."
"I didn't hear that the Demon King would appear."
"I was told that if I defeated a large number of weak knights, I could make a lot of money ..."
Apparently, the people here had heard about fighting against the knights of Barshania and Duke Drevis, but they never expected to fight against my genus.
"He's got a Gigawolf with him too, right?"
"Idiot, the Demon King is the worst. Just now, he just cut apart Lobuev-san's sword in an instant."
"What do you mean by cutting apart the sword ..."
When the man who seemed to have been in the barn told them how I severed the sword using summoning magic, the men at the base were speechless.
"Let's run away. I've already changed my clothes, so I can just disappear like this."
"No, let's at least run away with the carriage."
"That would be impossible."
"No, after some time, we will head to Makirigu Pass separately. If we just escape in different directions, we'll be fine."
"If we are found, we can just pretend that we took a wrong turn, right?"
"In any case, it would be perfect if we head towards Lastock and run away to Landshelt."
"Even if it's difficult to get to Landshelt, it would be a good idea to head to Lastock."
"Because it's a different direction, they shouldn't chase after."
Apparently, morale at the bottom of the group had plummeted due to the theft of the explosives kept as a trump card and the appearance of the Demon King.
In addition to the people in this carriage, there were many others who took advantage of the gaps in their surroundings and disappeared into the forest.
[ Kent-sama, what should we do with these guys? ]
"Hmm ... These people, don't they look like amateurs?"
[ That's right, from what I see, rather than the remnants of Havre Calvine, I feel like they are people who are trying to enrich their own pockets using the remaining explosives and weapons, and the people who were taken in by that scheme. ]
As Reinhardt said, I didn't feel anything like the strength I felt when I faced Havre Calvine.
They were responding to our appearance, but it seemed to be haphazard and didn't seem to be a predicted move.
"These people, what are they going to do after they escape?"
[ Well, I can't say for sure, but I don't think that they will become bandits. ]
"Bandits and brigands are punishable by death, with no questions asked. Certainly, it doesn't seem like they have that much determination. Or rather, it's troublesome to chase down those who have already run away."
[ Those who run away with just their bodies aren't much of a threat, but people like these guys who run away with weapons and armor could turn into bandits if things go wrong. ]
Certainly, if they have a poor weapon at hand, I can earn money using this ... they couldn't help but think about such a thing.
"Well then, let's collect the weapons and armor from those who fled in droves, and write a warning instead."
[ A warning, is it? ]
"Yup, if you don't work hard, I'll dispatch you quickly ... or something like that."
[ I see, so they will think they're being watched. What should we do with the luggage other than weapons? ]
"Let's leave the preserved food and medicine as it is. If combined with the carriage, it would be worth a decent amount, and it will also be a source of business, right?"
The carriages and materials were originally the property of Havre, and I felt like it would be better if they were to be used as capital for rehabilitation.
I asked Reinhardt to collect the weapons and distribute warning letters, and as I continued to observe the situation, it seemed that the number of deserters continued to increase.
There were no explosives, the Demon King had noticed them, there were deserters and the number of people was decreasing ... it was natural to think that the chances of winning were slim.
The lack of charismatic people like Havre was probably one of the reasons why there were so many deserters.
[ Kent-sama, the warning letter has been completed. ]
"Thank you, Reinhardt. Umm ... those who continue to disobey the law without reforming their minds will be torn apart into five pieces, removed from the cycle of souls, and wander forever in Infinite Hell, Maou ... Wow, that's scary! But, I guess it's better to be this much of a threat."
The warning message should be placed in a conspicuous place, mainly in the box that contained the weapons and armor loaded onto the carriage.
If someone brought out a weapon, read the warning, and still intended to attack, just annihilate them like bandits.
"I feel like the number of people has decreased considerably, but will they still attack at Makirigu Pass?"
[ This is the wedding procession of the Barshania Royal Family. There are things that are much more valuable than those of ordinary peddlers, and above all, Seraphima-sama's value cannot be measured in money or goods. ]
"Take her hostage, are they bold enough to demand a ransom?"
[ That, or they may be thinking of selling her as a slave. ]
If you mess with Seraphima, I'll hurt you so much that you'll regret ever being born.
"Maa, I won't let them lay a single finger on Sera, and I've given them a chance to rehabilitate, so next time they attack, I won't show any mercy."
"Goshujin-sama, it's no good if you overdo it, nya. It's no good if you destroy the path that everyone has built, nya."
"Yes, yes, I won't use spear golems against humans, so it's okay."
"Really, nya ... Nero is worried, nya."
"It's okay, I was using a booster and my head was a little high during the time with the Hydra, so my self-control was just a little loose."
"If that's just a little bit, if Goshujin-sama gets serious, Resenburg will disappear, nya."
"Seriously, if you're that worried, I'll have Nero do it for me."
"I don't mind, nya. Nero will have a bit of fun, nya ..."
To Nero, who had claws that looked like large knives, Gildale and the others probably looked like little more than rats.
Those who gathered at the hideout left for the next hideout in order, starting with those who were ready.
After one carriage left, there was an interval of about five minutes before the next carriage left.
To pass through the narrow road from the mansion and head towards Makirigu Pass, you turned left on the highway, but about one out of every five carriages turned right.
If the desertion continued at this pace, I felt that by the time they reached Makirigu Pass, the number of people would be reduced to about half.
The executives who had gathered in a room on the second floor also went down to the first floor and began preparations for departure.
"It's taking too long. Have them go two at a time."
At Gildale's instructions, the pace of departure increased.
A considerable number of carriages had already left, but there were still more than 30 carriages parked on the grounds of the mansion.
Even so, they managed to gather quite a number of them.
Gildale and the other executives were still talking around the bonfire while waiting for departure.
It looked like the loading of the luggage was almost finished.
Somehow, the executives looked like they were quite composed, it was frustrating.
"Reinhardt, proceed with collecting the weapons and let me know when you're done."
[ Roger that. Where is Kent-sama going? ]
"It would be a shame to let them go to Makirigu Pass so easily, so I thought I'd give them a little threat."
[ What do you plan to do? ]
"Just a bit, I'll give them a taste of what explosives are like."
[ Hohou, I'm looking forward to that. ]
The inside of the building where the executives had left was almost completely dark, with only the starlight shining through the windows.
Except for the room where the executives' meeting was being held until recently, I used earth magic to cover up the broken ceiling, walls, windows, etc., on the second floor.
The strength was minimal, as it wasn't for preventing the people waiting for departure from entering, but rather prevented air leakage.
I retrieved the necessary materials from the shadow space, and now I was waiting for Reinhardt to contact me.
The fire in the fireplace was still burning in the room where the executives were having a meeting.
I'll be using this as well, so let's add some firewood.
"Nyaa~ ... Goshujin-sama looks evil, nya. I feel very anxious, nya."
"Seriously, Nero is such a worrywart. Just a little, I'm going to blow it up with just a bit of a 'Do~n'."
"I can't trust Goshujin-sama's just a bit, nya."
[ Kent-sama, we have finished collecting the weapons. ]
"Thank you, Reinhardt. Well then, I guess I'll blow it up a little."
I sealed off the room where the executives were having a meeting, and used wind attribute magic to sprinkle flour around other spaces on the second floor.
The flour was recovered from a carriage that was attacked by monsters when I first passed through the Devil's Forest, and was left as dead stock.
"Nyaa~ ... It's all white and I can't see anything, nya."
[ Kent-sama, this is ... ? ]
"I thought just explosives was a little lacking."
Since the mansion was large, I didn't think three barrels of explosives would be enough to threaten then, so I decided to scatter flour around and add the otherworldly standard dust explosion.
Passing through the shadow space, I moved to a place 200 meters away from the mansion.
"Now, place the explosive into the fireplace chimney ... Repatriate!"
Immediately after the barrel of explosives placed at my feet disappeared, a flash of light erupted from the window on the second floor of the mansion.
"Ahh, this is dangerous ..."
I deployed three shields of darkness between the mansion and the conspirators, who were waiting for their departure in a hurry.
Zudoooooon!
The mansion became a huge fireball and disappeared, and the trees surrounding the mansion were mowed down by the blast.
The horses panicked and ran out of control, and carriages were overturned in many places.
After the blast had subsided and the shields of darkness were extinguished, the remaining people froze at the sight of the mansion that had disappeared without a trace.
"It's the Demon King, the Demon King is attacking!"
"Oh no, run away!"
"The weapons, get the weapons out!"
"Wait, you guys, don't run away!"
"Don't screw with me, that's not the skill of a human, there's no way we can win!"
"I'm leaving too, if you want to die, just die!"
After someone's words, most of them started running away.
The bearded man and several other people tried to stop them, but they scattered in all directions.
[ Buhahaha, as expected of Kent-sama, you used their explosives to blow up the entire organization. ]
"What part of this is just a bit, nya? It's as powerful as a spear golem, nya."
"N, no way, I guess it's because the mansion was big and the effect of the scattered flour was good ... It seems like it was a bit too powerful. But, you see, I put out a shield of darkness right away, so no one was blown away ..."
"It's gouged all the way to the ground, nya ..."
"Ha, hahaha ... I'll be more careful."
The trees surrounding the mansion burst into flames, lighting up the area.
There were only a handful of people moving around the fallen carriages, and most of them were the executives who were on the second floor of the mansion.
One of them, Gildale, walked towards the shattered mansion and stopped in his tracks with a stunned look on his face.
His eyes, which were sparkling when he gave a speech in front of the people gathered in the barn, had now lost their sparkle like glass beads.
Even when he turned around and saw the overturned carriages, his expression did not return.
"Hey, Gildale, I've turned over the carriage, let's go."
"Lobuev, I can't do it anymore."
"Gildale ... ?"
When the bearded man called out to him, Gildale shook his head.
"How many people can we muster as we head towards Makirigu Pass? The explosives that were so tightly guarded were easily taken away, the meeting was also destroyed, this is a mess ... I can't win."
"You idiot, there are people who believed in us and went ahead."
"Did you look inside the carriage?"
"What's with the inside of the carriage?"
"The weapons and armor are missing."
"What!"
The bearded Lobuev ran to the carriage he had turned over and began examining the luggage on the platform.
"Not here, the weapons are not here ... What is this ..."
When Lobuev got out of the carriage, he was holding the warning written by Reinhardt.
Gildale took one look at the warning Lobuev handed him, then rolled it up and shrugged his shoulders.
"Lobuev, as expected, I'm going, too."
"Gildale!"
"I will also go to the hideout in the mountain pass and disband the organization there. I don't mind taking risks if there is a chance of winning, but reckless fighting will only kill my friends."
"Alright. But, I might resort to a fight over there."
"Yeah, I don't mind."
Gildale and the others reloaded the supplies into an unharmed carriage and left.
[ Kent-sama, I will place Kobold surveillance on those who appear to be executives. ]
"Yup, please. If they do anything like become bandits, please let me know right away."
[ Also, I will collect the remaining carriages and such. ]
"Yup, please do."
Many of those who remained until just before the mansion was blown up fled on their own, leaving behind several carriages and supplies.
Except for the broken ones, I threw everything into the shadow storage and returned to Volzard.
Gildale and the others escaped from the barn on the outskirts of the town of Lauf in two covered wagons, and after walking along the highway for about 30 minutes, they cut into a narrow path in the forest.
An old mansion stood at the end of the winding road.
"Fred, where is this?"
[ Another base of theirs ... where they stored explosives ... ]
Bonfires were lit around the building, and a large number of armed men could be seen.
There were also more than ten covered wagons and many horses.
The barn was a stage for the incitement of the residents, and it was probably the base for the soldiers who would fight.
I told Gildale and the others that I would overlook it since it was an attempt, but I did not say that I would let them go unchecked.
An attack wouldn't be possible with the number of people in the barn, and if a battle started with the shills among the residents, even unrelated people would get involved.
"As expected of you, Goshujin-sama, nya. After gathering here, you're planning on blowing them to pieces with the blow you used to defeat the Hydra, nya."
"No, no, I won't do that ... Nn? Actually that's not impossible to get rid of further trouble?"
If they continued to carry out the attack even after I made so many threats, I had no intention of showing any mercy, but let's find out what's going on inside anyway.
It may have been a wealthy man's villa, but it was now in disrepair, with some rooms having collapsed walls and roofs missing, but it appeared to have once been luxurious.
In a secluded room on the second floor, a group of people who appeared to be executives were meeting together to discuss future actions.
Among the ten or so executive, I could also see the faces of Gildale, the bearded man, the woman called Lilina, and a pale old man.
It seemed that all the people who spoke in that barn were shills.
The person in the center was Gildale, and it seemed that he was not just a Propaganda decoration.
"There has been a terrible hindrance. The attack on the Drevis Duchy will be canceled."
"What do you mean canceled, we are making preparations for tomorrow."
"It's canceled!"
Gildale did not change his decision to cancel, despite the protests of a fat man who had not been seen in the barn.
However, as soon as he said 'It's canceled', I saw his hands gesture in some way.
"Ever since we heard that the Princess of Barshania was coming, we have spent a lot of time making preparations, I can't accept that it is canceled at the last minute."
"Nope, it's canceled. Now that the Demon King has appeared, we can't compete with him."
"I've heard that even though he's called the Demon King, he's actually just a kid. If we attack him with numbers, wouldn't we be able to defeat him?"
"He can control a Storm Cat. How can you fight a monster like that."
"Well then, what are you planning to do."
"We'll break up and hide until the dust cools down. We'll also abandon our base at Makirigu Pass."
"For how long?"
"I don't know. There is no choice but to wait two or three years until the opportunity presents itself."
When Gildale announced that they were going into hiding, the people gathered nodded greatly, but it didn't seem like they were satisfied with his decision to go into hiding.
Both Gildale and the fat man kept moving their hands while they were talking.
It was probably like sign language."
"I'll tell the guys below ..."
Three men and women who had not been seen in the barn got up from their seats and left the room.
"Fred, I'm sure they're planning on moving their troops, so go check on them."
[ Roger ... ]
I felt a sense of discomfort at the discrepancy between the facial expressions of the people gathered there and what they were saying.
Even though they chose the passive means of escaping and hiding, the faces of the executives were full of fighting spirit.
Even after the three men and women left the room, the executives continued to talk.
"But, when the Demon King summoned the Storm Cat, I thought it was over."
"Seriously, is he really a kid? Is it some form-changing magic?"
"I heard that he was a big, muscular man ..."
"I heard that in addition to the dark attribute, he can also use light attribute healing magic ..."
"I don't know how much is true and how much is false."
The executives were moving their hands while talking.
Perhaps the voice conversation was a dummy and the sign language content was more accurate.
I couldn't be sure because I couldn't decipher the sign language, but it looked like the attack on the Drevis Duchy had been canceled and the attack would be carried out at Makirigu Pass.
Anyway, it seemed like they enjoyed communicating in sign language rather than purely doing so to prevent eavesdropping.
It reminded me of the old me, when I used to create my own codes.
Huh? Wait a minute.
Now that I think about it, what happened to my notebook full of dark history?
After my mother committed suicide, the house in Tokyo was sold, and I don't know where it went.
If it were to end up in the hands of a weekly magazine reporter, I'd die of embarrassment.
[ Kent-sama ... It seems like they will gather at Makirigu Pass ... ]
"I see. As expected, they aren't hiding, they'll set up a trap. ]
[ Clean them up here ... ? Or ... ]
"At this time, I want to completely eliminate Havre's remnants. Let them run free and see if there are any bases other than Makirigu Pass, thoroughly find out if there are any collaborators."
[ Roger ... ]
"Reinhardt, are you planning on improving the road at the pass? ]
[ Indeed, we are about to start working on it. ]
"You can do it to your heart's content."
[ Buhahaha, with Kent-sama's approval, I will do everything I can. ]
Gildale and the others were probably expecting a narrow mountain pass, so let's take it to the next level.
If they attack us while we're working on the mountain pass, we'll definitely turn the tables on them.
When one of the three people who had left the room earlier came back, the executives finished speaking and began preparing to move on.
While the executives were talking, gathered personnel were preparing to move outside the building.
When they arrived at the mansion, the men were dressed in armor and helmet-like armor, but now they were dressed like farm men.
The armor and helmet-like armor they had taken off, as well as the weapons they had in their hands, were packed up in boxes and loaded onto a covered wagon.
"Hey, where did Marcus go?"
"Keith isn't here, either, did they go to the toilet?"
"We rode in the same carriage from the hideout over there ..."
"Those guys, did they run away?"
Several men who were loading the carriages stopped and gathered around.
"Hey, what should we do."
"What should we do, you say ..."
"Are you seriously planning on fighting with a Storm Cat?"
"That is ..."
"I didn't hear that the Demon King would appear."
"I was told that if I defeated a large number of weak knights, I could make a lot of money ..."
Apparently, the people here had heard about fighting against the knights of Barshania and Duke Drevis, but they never expected to fight against my genus.
"He's got a Gigawolf with him too, right?"
"Idiot, the Demon King is the worst. Just now, he just cut apart Lobuev-san's sword in an instant."
"What do you mean by cutting apart the sword ..."
When the man who seemed to have been in the barn told them how I severed the sword using summoning magic, the men at the base were speechless.
"Let's run away. I've already changed my clothes, so I can just disappear like this."
"No, let's at least run away with the carriage."
"That would be impossible."
"No, after some time, we will head to Makirigu Pass separately. If we just escape in different directions, we'll be fine."
"If we are found, we can just pretend that we took a wrong turn, right?"
"In any case, it would be perfect if we head towards Lastock and run away to Landshelt."
"Even if it's difficult to get to Landshelt, it would be a good idea to head to Lastock."
"Because it's a different direction, they shouldn't chase after."
Apparently, morale at the bottom of the group had plummeted due to the theft of the explosives kept as a trump card and the appearance of the Demon King.
In addition to the people in this carriage, there were many others who took advantage of the gaps in their surroundings and disappeared into the forest.
[ Kent-sama, what should we do with these guys? ]
"Hmm ... These people, don't they look like amateurs?"
[ That's right, from what I see, rather than the remnants of Havre Calvine, I feel like they are people who are trying to enrich their own pockets using the remaining explosives and weapons, and the people who were taken in by that scheme. ]
As Reinhardt said, I didn't feel anything like the strength I felt when I faced Havre Calvine.
They were responding to our appearance, but it seemed to be haphazard and didn't seem to be a predicted move.
"These people, what are they going to do after they escape?"
[ Well, I can't say for sure, but I don't think that they will become bandits. ]
"Bandits and brigands are punishable by death, with no questions asked. Certainly, it doesn't seem like they have that much determination. Or rather, it's troublesome to chase down those who have already run away."
[ Those who run away with just their bodies aren't much of a threat, but people like these guys who run away with weapons and armor could turn into bandits if things go wrong. ]
Certainly, if they have a poor weapon at hand, I can earn money using this ... they couldn't help but think about such a thing.
"Well then, let's collect the weapons and armor from those who fled in droves, and write a warning instead."
[ A warning, is it? ]
"Yup, if you don't work hard, I'll dispatch you quickly ... or something like that."
[ I see, so they will think they're being watched. What should we do with the luggage other than weapons? ]
"Let's leave the preserved food and medicine as it is. If combined with the carriage, it would be worth a decent amount, and it will also be a source of business, right?"
The carriages and materials were originally the property of Havre, and I felt like it would be better if they were to be used as capital for rehabilitation.
I asked Reinhardt to collect the weapons and distribute warning letters, and as I continued to observe the situation, it seemed that the number of deserters continued to increase.
There were no explosives, the Demon King had noticed them, there were deserters and the number of people was decreasing ... it was natural to think that the chances of winning were slim.
The lack of charismatic people like Havre was probably one of the reasons why there were so many deserters.
[ Kent-sama, the warning letter has been completed. ]
"Thank you, Reinhardt. Umm ... those who continue to disobey the law without reforming their minds will be torn apart into five pieces, removed from the cycle of souls, and wander forever in Infinite Hell, Maou ... Wow, that's scary! But, I guess it's better to be this much of a threat."
The warning message should be placed in a conspicuous place, mainly in the box that contained the weapons and armor loaded onto the carriage.
If someone brought out a weapon, read the warning, and still intended to attack, just annihilate them like bandits.
"I feel like the number of people has decreased considerably, but will they still attack at Makirigu Pass?"
[ This is the wedding procession of the Barshania Royal Family. There are things that are much more valuable than those of ordinary peddlers, and above all, Seraphima-sama's value cannot be measured in money or goods. ]
"Take her hostage, are they bold enough to demand a ransom?"
[ That, or they may be thinking of selling her as a slave. ]
If you mess with Seraphima, I'll hurt you so much that you'll regret ever being born.
"Maa, I won't let them lay a single finger on Sera, and I've given them a chance to rehabilitate, so next time they attack, I won't show any mercy."
"Goshujin-sama, it's no good if you overdo it, nya. It's no good if you destroy the path that everyone has built, nya."
"Yes, yes, I won't use spear golems against humans, so it's okay."
"Really, nya ... Nero is worried, nya."
"It's okay, I was using a booster and my head was a little high during the time with the Hydra, so my self-control was just a little loose."
"If that's just a little bit, if Goshujin-sama gets serious, Resenburg will disappear, nya."
"Seriously, if you're that worried, I'll have Nero do it for me."
"I don't mind, nya. Nero will have a bit of fun, nya ..."
To Nero, who had claws that looked like large knives, Gildale and the others probably looked like little more than rats.
Those who gathered at the hideout left for the next hideout in order, starting with those who were ready.
After one carriage left, there was an interval of about five minutes before the next carriage left.
To pass through the narrow road from the mansion and head towards Makirigu Pass, you turned left on the highway, but about one out of every five carriages turned right.
If the desertion continued at this pace, I felt that by the time they reached Makirigu Pass, the number of people would be reduced to about half.
The executives who had gathered in a room on the second floor also went down to the first floor and began preparations for departure.
"It's taking too long. Have them go two at a time."
At Gildale's instructions, the pace of departure increased.
A considerable number of carriages had already left, but there were still more than 30 carriages parked on the grounds of the mansion.
Even so, they managed to gather quite a number of them.
Gildale and the other executives were still talking around the bonfire while waiting for departure.
It looked like the loading of the luggage was almost finished.
Somehow, the executives looked like they were quite composed, it was frustrating.
"Reinhardt, proceed with collecting the weapons and let me know when you're done."
[ Roger that. Where is Kent-sama going? ]
"It would be a shame to let them go to Makirigu Pass so easily, so I thought I'd give them a little threat."
[ What do you plan to do? ]
"Just a bit, I'll give them a taste of what explosives are like."
[ Hohou, I'm looking forward to that. ]
The inside of the building where the executives had left was almost completely dark, with only the starlight shining through the windows.
Except for the room where the executives' meeting was being held until recently, I used earth magic to cover up the broken ceiling, walls, windows, etc., on the second floor.
The strength was minimal, as it wasn't for preventing the people waiting for departure from entering, but rather prevented air leakage.
I retrieved the necessary materials from the shadow space, and now I was waiting for Reinhardt to contact me.
The fire in the fireplace was still burning in the room where the executives were having a meeting.
I'll be using this as well, so let's add some firewood.
"Nyaa~ ... Goshujin-sama looks evil, nya. I feel very anxious, nya."
"Seriously, Nero is such a worrywart. Just a little, I'm going to blow it up with just a bit of a 'Do~n'."
"I can't trust Goshujin-sama's just a bit, nya."
[ Kent-sama, we have finished collecting the weapons. ]
"Thank you, Reinhardt. Well then, I guess I'll blow it up a little."
I sealed off the room where the executives were having a meeting, and used wind attribute magic to sprinkle flour around other spaces on the second floor.
The flour was recovered from a carriage that was attacked by monsters when I first passed through the Devil's Forest, and was left as dead stock.
"Nyaa~ ... It's all white and I can't see anything, nya."
[ Kent-sama, this is ... ? ]
"I thought just explosives was a little lacking."
Since the mansion was large, I didn't think three barrels of explosives would be enough to threaten then, so I decided to scatter flour around and add the otherworldly standard dust explosion.
Passing through the shadow space, I moved to a place 200 meters away from the mansion.
"Now, place the explosive into the fireplace chimney ... Repatriate!"
Immediately after the barrel of explosives placed at my feet disappeared, a flash of light erupted from the window on the second floor of the mansion.
"Ahh, this is dangerous ..."
I deployed three shields of darkness between the mansion and the conspirators, who were waiting for their departure in a hurry.
Zudoooooon!
The mansion became a huge fireball and disappeared, and the trees surrounding the mansion were mowed down by the blast.
The horses panicked and ran out of control, and carriages were overturned in many places.
After the blast had subsided and the shields of darkness were extinguished, the remaining people froze at the sight of the mansion that had disappeared without a trace.
"It's the Demon King, the Demon King is attacking!"
"Oh no, run away!"
"The weapons, get the weapons out!"
"Wait, you guys, don't run away!"
"Don't screw with me, that's not the skill of a human, there's no way we can win!"
"I'm leaving too, if you want to die, just die!"
After someone's words, most of them started running away.
The bearded man and several other people tried to stop them, but they scattered in all directions.
[ Buhahaha, as expected of Kent-sama, you used their explosives to blow up the entire organization. ]
"What part of this is just a bit, nya? It's as powerful as a spear golem, nya."
"N, no way, I guess it's because the mansion was big and the effect of the scattered flour was good ... It seems like it was a bit too powerful. But, you see, I put out a shield of darkness right away, so no one was blown away ..."
"It's gouged all the way to the ground, nya ..."
"Ha, hahaha ... I'll be more careful."
The trees surrounding the mansion burst into flames, lighting up the area.
There were only a handful of people moving around the fallen carriages, and most of them were the executives who were on the second floor of the mansion.
One of them, Gildale, walked towards the shattered mansion and stopped in his tracks with a stunned look on his face.
His eyes, which were sparkling when he gave a speech in front of the people gathered in the barn, had now lost their sparkle like glass beads.
Even when he turned around and saw the overturned carriages, his expression did not return.
"Hey, Gildale, I've turned over the carriage, let's go."
"Lobuev, I can't do it anymore."
"Gildale ... ?"
When the bearded man called out to him, Gildale shook his head.
"How many people can we muster as we head towards Makirigu Pass? The explosives that were so tightly guarded were easily taken away, the meeting was also destroyed, this is a mess ... I can't win."
"You idiot, there are people who believed in us and went ahead."
"Did you look inside the carriage?"
"What's with the inside of the carriage?"
"The weapons and armor are missing."
"What!"
The bearded Lobuev ran to the carriage he had turned over and began examining the luggage on the platform.
"Not here, the weapons are not here ... What is this ..."
When Lobuev got out of the carriage, he was holding the warning written by Reinhardt.
Gildale took one look at the warning Lobuev handed him, then rolled it up and shrugged his shoulders.
"Lobuev, as expected, I'm going, too."
"Gildale!"
"I will also go to the hideout in the mountain pass and disband the organization there. I don't mind taking risks if there is a chance of winning, but reckless fighting will only kill my friends."
"Alright. But, I might resort to a fight over there."
"Yeah, I don't mind."
Gildale and the others reloaded the supplies into an unharmed carriage and left.
[ Kent-sama, I will place Kobold surveillance on those who appear to be executives. ]
"Yup, please. If they do anything like become bandits, please let me know right away."
[ Also, I will collect the remaining carriages and such. ]
"Yup, please do."
Many of those who remained until just before the mansion was blown up fled on their own, leaving behind several carriages and supplies.
Except for the broken ones, I threw everything into the shadow storage and returned to Volzard.
