Chapter 101 - Men with No Right to See Tomorrow

 I couldn't be bothered with the logistics anymore, so I just spent my time enjoying sex with Lapee, the receptionist.

While we were occupied, they finally showed up. The beasts of the Niosebuk Kingdom.

◆

They came from the direction of the border, just as expected. Two men with vile, thuggish expressions swaggered through the deserted streets as if they already owned the place.

"Really is a ghost town, huh? Guess they were terrified of us Niosebuk elites." 

"Typical of those weaklings from the Reniosegra Kingdom. They’re only good for running away and shivering in fear."

The two men looked crude and acted like savages; it was hard to believe they were regular soldiers. "Mountain bandits" would have been a much more fitting description.

"The Captain told us to salvage anything useful, but this looks like a bust. Not much to look forward to here, is there?" 

"Don't say that. This town has a dungeon. If we secure that, the profits will be massive. Though, yeah, looks like we won't be 'harvesting' any people..." 

"Even if we trained those soft Reniosegra men, they’d never be worth a damn on the battlefield. It’s the women we want! Once we Niosebuk warriors ravage and knock 'em up, maybe they’ll pop out some halfway decent soldier candidates!" 

"Hmph. I suppose that's the only real use for Reniosegra's 'human resources.'"

The men strode down the main street, not even bothering to look for danger.

"Once Lord Gangastra takes the throne, he’s going to crush this whole country once and for all, right?! When that happens, I’m gonna be at the front of the line, impregnating every woman in this kingdom one by one!!" 

"A woman’s only value is as a breeding vessel for warriors. It'll be a service to the world to spread the proper Niosebuk way of using them." 

"Why don't we do it right in front of their husbands and kids? It'll really drive home how much it sucks to be weak!" 

"And then we can kill the family right as she’s being taken. The weak have no value. If they can die for our amusement, at least they’ve served some purpose. They should be grateful— Gwahh?!"

One of the men suddenly collapsed, blood geysering from his face.

"Who's there?!"

The other man finally sensed danger and took a combat stance. The first one was beyond help; his lower jaw had been completely pulverized, and he was writhing on the ground in a muffled, agonizing spray of blood.

I stepped out from the shadows, readjusting my grip on the pole that had just shattered the man's face.

"Some 'elites' you are, if you can't even react to a simple ambush like that." 

"You?! Are you a Reniosegra soldier?!"

Yes and no. I am Sao. A lover of my homeland and peace... and a Reaper for pieces of shit like you.

"You said 'the weak have no value,' right? Then what do you call that trash rolling around on the ground?" 

"Guh...!" 

"Couldn't even sense an attack, taken out with a single blow, and now he's pathetic and crying. Where's the 'strength' in that? Niosebuk is nothing but a bunch of loud-mouthed cowards." 

"You Reniosegra brat! You dare mock the pride of Niosebuk?! Guegh?!"

He couldn't react to the second blow either—a straight, frontal strike. The remaining "elite" didn't dodge or block; he just took my pole full-force.

The sickening thud of the pole sinking into his crotch vibrated up through my hands. Gross.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! MY BALLS! MY BALLS ARE CRUSHED!!" 

"So, do 'strong men' always scream like that when their testicles shatter? Good to know for future reference."

I had removed what wasn't needed. Genes like theirs have no business being passed down to the next generation.

"Gyahh! My balls! My precious sack!!" 

"Ogooo! Mmph... mmmghhh!!"

One had no balls; the other had no jaw. Both were weeping and wailing, unable to bear the pain and loss. And to think, the enemy was still standing right in front of them.

"The weak have no value. Those are your rules. If someone stronger shows up and turns you into the 'weak,' you should be happy to be slaughtered one-sidedly, right?"

After all, the "correctness" of your rules was just proven.

"Exactly." 

"Who's that?"

A new male voice echoed out, separate from the two heaps of meat I’d just created. I really didn't need any more men around here...

I looked up to see a warrior far more rugged than the previous two, standing at the head of a large battalion of soldiers.

"The main force of the Niosebuk detachment, I assume?"

Well, it made sense there'd be more than just those two idiots.

"I am Jignyokowa, Captain of the True Niosebuk Expeditionary Force. Are you the one who broke my men?" 

"Can't you tell? I guess Niosebuk guys are blind as well as stupid."

Might is right! they scream. A wild beast in the forest is smarter than a moron who only thinks about strength.

"Hmph. Well, the situation speaks for itself. Be grateful, boy. I shall allow you to join the glorious army of the Niosebuk Kingdom." 

"Excuse me?"

The offer was so absurd I let out a confused squeak. What is this guy talking about?

"The True Niosebuk Expeditionary Force is here to assist the true heir, Prince Gangastra, in the coming War of Unification."

Why not just call it a bloody family feud?

"It is our job to gather everything His Highness needs. That includes supplies—and people. You shall use your strength to punish the foolish rebels who dare defy Prince Gangastra." 

"So, human trafficking."

I’d heard of this. War-obsessed nations raiding towns to capture men and force them into service without a second thought.

"I saw your skill. Disabling Niosebuk-trained soldiers with a single blow... impressive. I thought this mission would be a success if we just took the dungeon, but I’ve found an unexpected prize."

The man licked his lips like he’d caught his prey. Having a guy look at me like that was beyond disgusting.

"A man with your power is wasted in a place like Reniosegra. A warrior like you can only reach his true potential in Niosebuk." 

"..." 

"In Niosebuk, strength is the only path to status! With your power, you might even catch the eye of the mighty Third Prince Gangastra himself! You'd be drafted into his elite guard—a dream come true! Fame, fortune, and as many women as you can handle would be yours! Your path to glory is open! Come, take the road of the warrior as a proud soldier of Niosebuk!!"

"You're a total moron, aren't you?"

The words came out with complete bluntness.

"No, really. You are a 'capital-M' Moron. Or maybe just an idiot. Truly, a fool. If I had to put it another way... you're a dumbass." 

"..." 

"Strength is everything? The moment you believe that drivel, you prove you're an idiot. You, and that Gangastra clown, too." 

"What did you say...?"

His face changed instantly. A mask of pure murderous intent.

"I said Gangastra is a moron. If he’s royalty but the only way he knows how to rule is through brute force, he’s a failure. He's a low-IQ imbecile who doesn't deserve the title." 

"You... you truly know no fear. Prince Gangastra inherited the genius of the Great Hegemon, the late King Imashinunda I. He possesses the strongest 'Divine Calling' of all, and you—!" 

"And while we're at it, that late King was a moron, too. 'Great Hegemon' my ass—he got himself assassinated easily, didn't he? So lame. Pfft."

I kept the fact that I was the assassin a secret, of course.

The taunting worked perfectly. A flame of murderous rage ignited in the Captain's eyes.

"Change of plans. You are to be executed for treason against the Royal House of Niosebuk. You got arrogant just because you have a little power. You don't know your place." 

"I'm not a citizen of Niosebuk. Treason doesn't apply to me." 

"All nations are merely vassals of Niosebuk! Therefore, you are bound by our laws!!" 

"What kind of moon-logic is that?"

Even those "laws" boil down to Might is Right, don't they? No real nation functions on such a hollow excuse. At most, that's the logic of a pathetic street gang.

"It's a shame we can't add your strength to our ranks, but I cannot let an insult to the royalty slide. I shall execute you myself! With my lethal Shredding Talons!!"

In the blink of an eye, the Captain equipped iron-claw weapons on both hands. The kind you’d see a tomboy princess wearing in some RPG.

By the way, the two soldiers I’d maimed earlier were still twitching at the Captain's feet. With a casual swing of his iron claws, he sliced them into ribbons, ending their lives just for being in the way.

"My 'Divine Calling' is [Tiger Fist]! An elite rank of a Martial Artist! My tiger claws can rend through iron and stone alike! It is a class for the truly strong! Prince Gangastra himself recognized me! I have the power to lead a hundred men!" 

"Leadership requires a completely different set of talents."

I honestly couldn't believe their way of thinking. How could they believe in "strength" so innocently? Something so unstable, so unreliable.

"Hmph."

Whoosh—CRACK!

"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

With a single swing of my pole, the Captain's arms were torn clean off. I have the [Extend] skill, which lets my weapon grow or shrink instantly. He thought he was out of range—that mistake cost him his life.

One strike from my pole can tear off a human arm like a dry twig. Iron claws and all.

"Your 'Divine Calling' requires two arms to use those claws, doesn't it? Though I suppose most people find it 'inconvenient' to lose their arms regardless." 

"Gwaaaah! My arms! AHHHHHH!!" 

"Now you’re the kind of man who needs help just to wipe his own ass."

After all, he had no hands.

Are you a "strong man" now? That’s the nature of strength. No matter how much you boast, you can lose everything in a heartbeat. Physical strength... I can't call someone anything but a 'moron' if they claim 'power is everything' while relying on something so fleeting.

"And what can you even do with that strength you're so proud of? All you can do is take. Just like you're doing now. You come to a foreign land, steal everything, and what's left when you're done?"

How do you plan to live after that?

"Creating and nurturing things is far harder, and far more noble, than just taking them. The people of the kingdom where I was born know how to do that. That’s why I'm proud to be from Reniosegra, and why I want to protect them."

In short...

"Don't lump me in with trash like you, who are lower than beasts."

I didn't even glance at the armless Captain anymore. However, there was still the "Expeditionary Force" he’d brought—about a hundred men. I had no intention of letting a single one of them go home.

"If I let garbage like you escape, you'll just go somewhere else and try to destroy the lives of hard-working people. I won't allow it. For the sake of the world, you all die here." 

"Hiee! H-Help!!"

The soldiers broke into a panicked retreat. Pathetic. And these were the "elites" of the Tiger-Wolf nation?

People who live modest, honest lives try to build a future—piece by piece—through wealth, knowledge, effort, and life itself, all while praying for tomorrow's happiness. Those efforts eventually bear fruit, becoming civilization, culture, and the great flow of history.

But you people try to live the easy way by destroying and stealing. You're not just lazy; you're insincere piles of trash.

'Might is Right'?

If you're going to use that hollow excuse to justify your cowardice, then I’ll use a greater power to crush your 'justice' into dust.

To those of you who mock the earnestness of people praying for a small piece of happiness...

You are the ones... ...who have no right to see tomorrow.

◆

Five seconds later. Every single Niosebuk soldier who had entered the city was collapsed on the ground.

"It hurts...! It hurts so much!!" 

"Please, help... just let me live...!"

Every one of them had been rendered combat-incapable—legs severed, arms broken—by my [Pole Arts (SS)] skill.

Well, the immediate crisis is over, but now what? I have a sliver of a conscience left, so I technically left them alive, but I don't have the manpower to manage this many prisoners by myself.

Maybe I should just kill them after all?

Just as I was thinking that, reinforcements from my home country arrived right on cue. A border reinforcement army sent by the Queen herself.

Man... this is turning into a whole thing again.

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