My tasks for today are:
First, to confirm the fishing village I subdued.
There are salt fields. Drinking water is stored in barrels and pots.
There’s also something that looks like a filter device.
The population will increase from now on.
I’m concerned about the food stockpile.
“The number of monsters also seems to be decreasing.”
Should I gather food through fishing?
Or by foraging in the forest?
There appears to be a field, but…
The vegetables aren’t growing well.
I discovered traces of fertilizer production in the village’s garbage dump.
“Pero. Is the potassium not working?”
I muttered a common fertilizer-making saying to myself, feeling lonely.
I rummage through the garbage dump for anything useful.
Rustle, rustle, clank.
For now, anything that looks usable.
I’ve secured items that can be used by combining various parts.
“Oh?”
There’s a guest in the village.
Lulual Country was destroyed.
Is it the army of another country?
They’ve likely come to demand taxes and tribute.
The Rulual Country Army.
A platoon ordered to collect revenue from the territory.
“Ah, what a drag.”
“Shikikoza.”
“It’s a drag, that’s why. Why do I have to do this errand? You could have done it alone. Right, Daldon?”
“Shut your mouth already.”
According to intelligence, we’ve acquired half of this country.
However, our manpower hasn’t increased.
From chores to important messenger duties, most of our leave is gone.
Shikikoza, too, had his date ruined.
That’s probably why he’s so grumpy. But don’t take it out on me or others.
We’ve arrived at the destination fishing village.
“There’s no one here!”
“Did they flee in the night? But where to?”
There are no buildings housing horses.
It would take several days’ walk to reach another village from here.
Perhaps by boat to some island… I survey the area, but see no islands.
“For now, we’ll have to follow the footprints if there are any. They can’t have gone too far on foot.”
“Tch, forcing us to go through such trouble.”
“If you find anything, inform me loudly. Understood?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Yes.”
We dismounted and began searching for footprints on the ground.
There’s no sign of people or monsters.
An abandoned village. The sound of waves and the shadows of seabirds pass over the ground.
“It’s quiet…”
Faint footprints from a few days ago remain.
The sand shifts and erases them with every gust of wind.
“Hey!”
It seems to be the direction we were heading.
We head there immediately.
There was a cave.
There are traces of villagers entering this cave.
“Did they flee in here?”
“No, look.”
Scorched remains and a large amount of black stains.
I scooped some up with my finger and smelled it – it’s soot.
A festival? A ritual? What caused them to disappear?
For now, we split into two groups.
Three of us will investigate the inside of the cave with torches.
The rest will investigate the buildings in the village.
The three who went to investigate the cave haven’t returned.
Shikikoza kicks the sand and glares at the horse, agitated.
I tell him to calm down, but he flits about annoyingly.
“Ah, someone should go check on them.”
“It’s unsettling that only the villagers are missing.”
There are things to retrieve.
Once the three return, we can leave.
Other platoons are supposed to handle the investigation. Well, one of us who came to the scene will likely have to accompany them.
“Agh, agh…”
“Shikikoza, if you’re so curious, why don’t you go yourself!?”
“What did you say? I did my job properly. Those guys are slow. They messed up. Why should I cover for their incompetence!?”
That’s the long and short of it. If it gets too late, we’ll have to return in the dark.
The country was defeated, and the villagers’ lives are bleak. They might resort to crime.
We haven’t fully grasped control of the country yet.
They could become bandits and attack us. If the goods are lost or damaged, the mission will fail.
We’ll be reprimanded by our superiors for not even being able to handle a simple errand.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s return while it’s still light.”
“Alright~~♪”
The three horses are intelligent; they’ll wait.
If they ran off, it’s the fault of the three who are late.
Yeah, I want to finish the handover quickly and sleep in a fluffy bed.
“Depart.”
“Yeah♪”
“Oh?”
Indeed, those heartless fellows are leaving.
After confiscating the village’s stockpile.
As for the three who went into the cave, I’ll turn them into something delicious for myself after gender transformation.
A fair trade?
“They’ve completely disappeared from view.”
Alright, I’ll start by thoroughly playing with my new pet slaves!
“I’ll give them the pleasure of spawning, something humans can’t experience! The thrill of penetration through their anuses! I’ll give them everything!”
Rayos explains this to the three who have been gender-transformed, acting perverted.
He has a bee-like or ant-like tail. Fourteen insectoid arms and legs.
His head is human-like. A complete monster.
“Nguuu—–!”
The three are gagged with cloth.
They writhe on a simple rack.
“Heh heh…”
“You’re trying to tempt me, aren’t you? That’s bad, here I come!”
A human face splits vertically,
revealing a large mouth with many wriggling folds.
The three believe this is a dream and struggle to break free from their restraints.
One by one.
They are “licked” by the monster Rayos.
“…”
“Chu~~♪♪”
His saliva contains a paralyzing venom that robs them of their freedom.
Watching the three, whose movements have slowed, he picks one up from the rack.
He rubs her genitals vigorously.
“Nnnh――――!?”
“…Gakugaku.”
Their comrade is being violated before their eyes by a monster.
They’ve been gender-transformed, and they can’t even process the confusion of having a woman’s body.
The other two, fearing their turn is next, can’t look away, trembling.
Rayos, seeing this,
widens the joined area of the one he’s ravishing,
making a lewd “jup pu bot” sound as thin tentacles emerge from his large mouth.
—–N…!
A momentary, inexpressible scream echoes throughout the village.
