Episode 20. Resistance major shareholder (完)
“What I brought today is a faucet with water magic installed and a drain that can be recycled.”
It was a set of faucets and drains that could run cold and hot water.
It was a convenient tool that made it possible to reuse water by automatically purifying it and returning it to the faucet when it was run down the drain.
“Choose an empty building with these and install them to make a bathhouse.”
“A public bath?”
“The first thing you have to do is wash your body clean.”
A few people nearby refused to tell me to cleanse my body.
When they became slaves, they seemed to recall that the slave traders bathed them in order to sell them at a better price.
“It would be nice if it was clean, but… …. I don’t have the money, but isn’t it a waste of maintenance to install something like this?”
Leones reacted with a shudder. Pick up the faucet and look around.
“If you only think about it right now, that would be it.”
This is an investment. For the future.
“But what is this round thing?”
“That is soap.”
“Soap? Are you eating?”
“…… It’s not something you eat, it’s something that makes your body smell good.”
After hearing my explanation, Leones licks his lips in regret. He sniffed the soap and said, “It smells good.” He muttered. He’s a simple guy.
“But I’ll give you something to eat with the money you buy. For the people who live here, food is more important than these luxuries.”
“It is not a luxury item. In the future, when the right to live is strengthened, the treatment of other races will change a lot. We have to keep it clean for that time.”
“Why should I keep clean?”
“You need to smell good to get a good job.”
“Employment…… ?”
The other races, who had gathered in anticipation that they would give them something to eat, tilted their heads. Everyone seemed to be unable to understand the unfamiliar words. I looked around at them and said.
“From now on, you will have to work for the people you hate the most.”
“What? Are you asking us to enslave ourselves?”
The dark slums are cluttered.
The moment the word slave is mentioned, other races separate from me. The only one who didn’t fall was Leones.
Well, it was enough to hate the word slave. Because these are people who have lost their lives in front of violence and oppression.
“I am not a slave. A slave is a person who has been deprived of all his or her freedom and dignity. How could he be a slave to do what he chooses to do and be paid justly?”
“Ha, but to work for a human… …. Do you know how much the people here hate humans?”
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“There is no more time when you hunted animals and sought fruit to eat. Instead, I was able to do human work and get paid. And with the money I earned, I was able to live on.”
I said as I took out a gold coin. Bounce gold coins straight away. Everyone present looked at the gold coin.
Those who saw the gold coins fell to the floor with a clinking sound immediately rushed at them. The competition ends when the bearman, who caught the gold coin, knocks the others out.
“Besides, you understand the value of money. You can’t buy someone else’s sympathy forever. Just as you sought food for yourself, now seek work. And adapt to human culture.”
“Do I really have to work for a human?”
“There is no other race that can afford money, such as opening a shop or owning land. It is unavoidable to do it under humans.”
“If you don’t—”
“If we don’t do it, we will be weeded out.”
To be weeded out.
I could tell without saying that this word was the worst word for any other species living in nature. The distorted expressions on their faces spoke for everything.
“But I don’t want to be exploited by humans anymore. I know you’re kind to my people, but humans are evil! They are always trying to use us as slaves!”
Others who had been listening quietly raised their voices as if in agreement. I understand the trauma of being a slave, but I hope you don’t go so far as to become paranoid.
“As you say, humans are actually evil. But can you confidently say that you are not evil? The hunting you’ve been doing is, in the end, taking someone’s life. It just wasn’t an intelligent lifeform that could speak and express itself.”
In an instant, the clamoring voice died down.
“So stop spitting in my face. Anyway, you cannot survive without using humans.”
“Without human help, we—”
“No, I cannot live.”
I said firmly.
“Why? Because this is an empire.”
It was an extremely natural logic.
Since entering the human world, we have no choice but to follow the human culture. Have no choice but to adapt If they do not adapt, they will be stuck in these slums and suffer from hunger and illness for the rest of their lives.
I am giving them a chance. A chance to live.
“Soon, a law will be enacted to strengthen the survival rights of other races. It will still be unreasonable for those who are enslaved, but they will be given a minimum of freedom. Those freed from slavery will have the opportunity to earn money while working freely. Then the wise will follow my will and make the right choice.”
“Well, what would Prause-sama benefit from doing that?”
“Benefit?”
“Man does not do favors without benefit. You reach out because you want something.”
You have a good understanding of humans.
That’s right. I wasn’t reaching out to them for nothing.
There are countless other tribes living in slums in other territories. Even at this moment, someone will be starving to death. However, you may be wondering why they are only looking for the slums here and giving help.
That was because what I was aiming for was not the unspecified majority, but other races belonging to the Resistance.
Because they train against humans, they become immediately usable hands in human-human warfare. It could be said that it was a kind of groundbait to make the hand a little easier to use.
Anyway, if the resistance is large, other tribes in other territories will be saved on their own. There is no need or reason for me to go there.
My role was just to lay the groundwork for them to grow more comfortably and quickly.
“I know you will get along well with humans.”
“Are we humans and horses…… ?”
“I have such a dream, and I am working hard to make it come true.”
As I said that, I patted the heads of Iris and Maria, who were quietly listening. To that, Tina said, “Me too! Me too!” She complained.
“This is all I can say.”
The moon must rise. It was time to head out to the beach.
“I, Ph, Mr. Prause!”
The elf, who had been listening quietly, carefully raised her hand.
“What is it?”
“That job is not selling oneself in a window, is it really a proper thing? It’s not something I can’t tell others…… Is that right?”
“Even that is your choice.”
“A choice… ….”
“You must have seen many things after entering the Empire. Of which you are interested. Prioritize what you want to do. If it’s money, do what the money will do best for you.”
If you hadn’t been taken to a remote mining area, you would have been to the market at least once, and you would have seen what the people around you were doing. If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it now.
“I will go now.”
“A shop?”
Leones asked in a drooping voice.
“Oh, one more before we go. You can leave that way of thinking that humans think is bad. Indeed, humans are evil. To take an extreme example, he even kills his own family.”
No matter how serious the situation was, it never happened to the Beasts or the Elves. As much as the family, they were a tribe that must be protected.
“But as long as you are in the Empire, you cannot survive unless you use humans. Face reality.”
Since I was talking about human beings as if I was alone, they would definitely curse at me behind my back. Most of them will ignore it for saying bullsh*t.
But that’s enough.
After all, my purpose is not to make a good living for extras whose names I don’t know.
* * *
After Prause’s group left, Leones moved straight to the Resistance’s hideout.
A few beastmen and elves among the crowd followed her.
“Leones, what did you talk about with Prause?”
The bear beastman caught up with him and asked. He had just picked up a gold coin.
“Prause is the direction we are going now.”
“Yes?”
“I decided to trust him. No, it’s true that you have to believe it…….”
Leones muttered as she recalled the story she had shared just the two of them.
It is true that she was comfortable speaking privately, but she had not completely given her heart to Prause.
Leones is that she was able to survive because she had her doubts so far and also. It didn’t make sense for her to place her suspicions on Prause, who had only just met her.
“Why? He’s human! It is not something to be trusted.”
“He’s not something you can trust, but he’s definitely someone you can rely on.”
“Still, it doesn’t make sense to say Prause is going in the direction he intended. It will definitely move in a direction that benefits humans!”
“Is it really so?”
Leones thought as he watched Prauss petting Iris and Maria’s hair. The reason he moves is because of them.
If there were no children under Prause, he was sure that he would have become an enemy rather than reaching out to other races.
“I don’t know what Prause is thinking because he’s so evasive, but it’s clear that he’s kind to us.”
“Even so—!”
“Didn’t Prause tell you? To use I fully sympathize with the saying that you cannot survive in an empire unless you use humans.”
Even without Prause telling you, Leones was making other races affiliated with the Resistance work under humans. To raise money for the war.
“And don’t worry too much. If Prause does something that is not in line with our thoughts, we will betray him without mercy.”
After saying that, Leones smiled and twisted one corner of his mouth.
‘Yes, I can betray you. I could, but…… Will we be able to live after turning him into an enemy? I don’t think I can survive betraying Prause at all.’
Leones felt fear when he saw Prause’s first attempt at killing himself.
Goosebumps ran through her whole body and she even lost her fighting spirit. It gave her the illusion that she was facing something huge that she couldn’t understand.
However, as the leader of an organization, she couldn’t say that she was scared, so she had to say with the nuance that she could win.
“Anyway, let’s use it while we can.”
He carefully folded the paper Prause had given him with the list and put it in his pocket.
“Ah, but make sure you know one thing.”
She stops her steps and looks behind her. She glanced at the resistance members who stopped at the same time, she said.
“The day we turn Prause into an enemy will be our last.”
That was her advice as she faced Prause head-on.