Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 59

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“This… this burning pig?”
“The Delan Lord.”
“And… and the last one, with the split hair…”
“Me.”
Here’s the situation in a nutshell: the Serpent King’s Tower Staff had grown fed up with human arrogance. They were planning to invade Dellan, behead the lord, and the territory’s people had no one capable of protecting them. But? I was the Village Chief of Ilam? And I had the means.
I’d joined forces with the Serpent King’s Forces and secured a portion of the mana stone mining sites in exchange. The people of Ilam Village were already acquainted with Hubert, the Serpent King’s son, and were fostering goodwill with him. Only I could save Dellan from this crisis. My plan was to publicize this widely and leverage Kanna Sabah’s help to amplify the effect.
“So… so that’s what you meant by ‘winning over the territory’s people first.'”
Did Kanna understand my intentions? When I’d explained this, Titi had immediately called me inhuman. True friends really are different in every way.
“We should hold the speech in the Plaza where people naturally gather and pass through. Use an artifact to amplify the voice across the area. Distribute the drug mixed into beverages for free.”
You really are a professional. But this was merely the best Kanna could offer given the current circumstances. Using a microphone was something I’d overlooked myself, so there was value in learning, but my strategist needed to understand something first.
“Kanna Sabah.”
“Huh? Yes?”
“Creating anxiety comes first.”
“Ah, I see.”
No matter how much I speechify about the Serpent King’s Forces attacking, the people won’t feel any sense of crisis in the current situation. Even if I use my persuasion skill, the effect would be temporary—they’d return to their daily lives in no time.
The territory’s people of Dellan were living far too peacefully and comfortably to listen to my speech. In this state, they wouldn’t want change forced upon them. So what’s the solution? Show them the Serpent King’s Legion’s invasion with their own eyes.
“Then a sealed Assembly Hall would be ideal.”
“Exactly. Those who want to live will gather there.”
A dark, enclosed space would be perfect for frightening people and making the skill more effective.
“Will the surprise attack be… by that Fox?”
“No. Hubert is too cute to entrust with that.”
“Y-you’re right. So… so fluffy.”
For that reason, I wanted to leave the selection of personnel to Kanna. Everything looked cute to my eyes, so I couldn’t judge which figure would be most threatening to humans.
“Y-yes. The scary one would be… Lakne.”
“Because she’s a spider?”
“Yeah. Creepy.”
“I’d never thought of it that way.”
Lakne’s round belly is adorable, isn’t it? Her legs are sleek and elegant when extended. If she had fur, I suppose I might have found her creepy too.
“What about… the people distributing flyers?”
“Titi will drop them from the sky, so we don’t need anyone.”
“Your sister is… so kind. She listens well.”
“If she wants to pay off a hundred million debt, she has to work hard.”
Kanna asked whether my difficult life at the Academy was because of my sister’s debt, and I confirmed it wasn’t. Then I continued White One’s walk.
Since we needed to adjust our schedule for procuring the drug, Kanna visited the Adventurer’s Guild in Ilam. When the guild master tried to say something to her, Kanna pulled a wooden stick from her pocket and drove it into the counter. The man’s mouth snapped shut.
He wasn’t the type to listen to any threat, but Kanna certainly had her ways.

When I returned to the Tower and announced that I would entrust the vanguard of the assault on Dellan’s territory to Lakne, Hubert and Tiger Man Magania were greatly disappointed, while Lakne shrieked with delight.
I didn’t bother mentioning that the two furry ones were disqualified for being cute, and Lakne was selected because she was terrifying. Unlike Reina, I was a creature capable of reading the room.
Following my instructions, Lakne invaded Dellan and, without laying a finger on civilians, swept away a hundred of the lord’s soldiers. When she boasted about having slaughtered everyone in armor on sight, I first praised her, then cautioned her that a hundred was excessive. However, since she had thoughtfully brought back plenty of livestock for our meat party, I awarded her a commendation using the authority of Hubert, the Serpent King’s proxy.
I heard that if you collect many of these commendations, they tally them up at year’s end and give the top three paid leave and vacation vouchers. Employee benefits really are excellent. I definitely need to get a job here after graduating from the Academy.
Kanna insisted on butchering the livestock she’d brought back herself, so I didn’t stop her. Even though the animals had gone through the blood-draining process, watching her disassemble them with a single knife stroke—not a drop of blood spilling—gave me chills.
Just how much experience butchering creatures does one need to reach that level? It wasn’t just me who was intimidated by Kanna; Hubert nudged my ribs and asked what kind of person she was. I speculated that she seemed to be the pride of an Assassination Family, so it would be dangerous to upset her. The Fox Demi-human nodded in agreement, and Mother offered her opinion that even her friends were ruthless.
Since I wasn’t Hubert’s mother, I corrected her—I’m not your mother—and held the meat party. Aged meat was delicious, but freshly butchered raw meat grilled on the spot had its own unique flavor.

◇ ◆ ◇

The next day, I gathered relief supplies and headed straight for Dellan. I had Titi continue distributing pamphlets, and on the first day I devoted myself entirely to rescuing and protecting people. From the second day onward, I gathered crowds and gave speeches using the drugs Kanna had procured.
The residents of Dellan’s territory, having drunk cups of free beverages distributed in front of the assembly hall, were smoothly brainwashed by my agitation.
The attacks by magical beasts and demi-humans were because Dellan’s lord had been troublesome to the Serpent King. Attacks would continue in the future. The lord was entirely at fault; the territory’s residents were blameless. I was the only person capable of negotiating with the Serpent King. To survive, Ilam and Dellan had no choice but to unify, and the lord would have to be sacrificed to appease the Serpent King’s wrath.
After a week of this, my agitation skills, the drugs Kanna had procured, and the unfolding circumstances created a strange harmony, and I found myself not as a leader of a new era, but idolized as a savior who had come to rescue Dellan.
I was beginning to consider stopping the brainwashing, sensing the subtle religious atmosphere emanating from the residents, but at that very moment, the lord happened to order my arrest. I was imprisoned in the Lord’s Castle Prison on charges of agitation, and after four days I escaped. Conveniently, Thomas had brought relief supplies—bread and fish—which I distributed.
While I was in the cell, the lord had apparently been shouting that Village Chief Evan Laef was dead and to stop the religious gatherings. When I escaped, the people welcomed me wearing strange uniforms, saying I had returned from death and been resurrected.
This wasn’t the kind of agitation I’d intended, but… it seemed I could achieve roughly similar results. I decided to use the fire tactics I’d instructed the Village Guard to prepare. Considering the terrain and wind direction, I set fires at points from which we could advance toward the Lord’s Castle, and had the magical beasts of the Serpent King’s Forces loudly proclaim that they had set the Lord’s Castle ablaze.
Then I evacuated the people to the large assembly hall where I usually gave speeches and fired magic at the passage connecting to the Lord’s Castle.
“Skill! Ice Projectile!”
The flames would naturally head toward the Lord’s Castle regardless of wind direction, but I needed to put on a show of protecting the territory’s residents. By laying this groundwork, even if the lord disappeared, the people wouldn’t request that the state send a new lord—instead, they would be guided to desire unification with Ilam.
“Evan! Evan is protecting us!”
“Long live Evan! Long live Evan Laef!”
“Evan, resurrected after four days, has saved us from the inferno!”
“Evan! My child is ill! Please show mercy!”
I came here as a village chief, not as a savior.
I gently soothed the woman holding out her feverish child by grasping her skirt hem. Then I pointed my finger down the street.
“Go to the hospital.”
“Yes! Evan! So going to the hospital will cure it!”
The brainwashing seemed to be a bit too strong. As people’s intelligence, common sense, and basic human dignity were being lost, I glanced meaningfully at Kanna, and the woman avoided my gaze, fidgeting with her fingers.
“W-well, if we d-dilute it, the effect…”
“I’m not blaming you. When will they come to their senses?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“I think I should blame you.”
“I’m sorry!”
I’d let those religious cultists in matching uniforms hear that apology instead.
After ordering the religious cult’s executives and Ilam’s Village Guard to hurry with firefighting efforts to prevent damage to the town, I ran toward the Lord’s Castle, which Titi and Lakne’s spider army had likely already seized.
Everything around was a sea of flames, but by packing ice blocks and bounding across them, there was nothing to obstruct my path. I glanced back, worried that Kanna might not be able to keep up…
…
She’s far more nimble than me, leaping with such grace. Not even a footfall sounds when she lands. So this is truly the pride of the Assassination Family.
“H-here, there’s, no fire…?”
“The Lord’s Castle still needs to be used. It would be wasteful to destroy it.”
“A-ah, I see. So, going forward, E-Evan will, be living here?”
“No.”
This place will probably serve as a municipal office. I’ll continue living in Ilam Port. After contacting the Third Princess to get autonomous district recognition, I’ll use it as a government building. I’m also planning to move the Ilam Propaganda Office, which has been handwriting promotional flyers, to this location.
“Your Majesty the Serpent King’s Consort! We’ve captured the Lord and all his sons!”
“I am not the Serpent King’s Consort.”
Lakne certainly does good work. When I return, I’ll have to ask Hubert to issue her another commendation. If it had been Magania, he would’ve lost his temper from all the noise and thrown the first punch without thinking.
“This is something I should do as Gerth’s friend. Lakne, you can leave if you don’t want to see anything unsightly.”
“No way! I’m involved too, so I want to stay! Because of these bastards, I’ve had to go out on emergency calls day and night—you have no idea how exhausting it’s been!”
“That’s true enough.”
I nod in agreement when I hear an annoying chirping sound from somewhere. That one wouldn’t normally stick her head into dangerous situations. I wondered why she came along with Lakne, but it seems she had something to settle with the Lord.
“What is Titi doing grabbing the Lord by the collar like that?”
“She’s been asking if he has any hidden daughters since earlier. She’s demanding he cough up the money he scammed from the Lord’s daughter.”
“Pointless.”
“Indeed.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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