Chapter 362: Numbers Against Numbers
“What exactly is the Crime of Overthrowing the State?”
I couldn’t help but turn around and ask, but Rio merely tilted her head in confusion. I had a vague idea of what it meant, but it was just that—vague.
“Well, I guess it refers to crimes that could topple a nation, right?” Ivan chimed in, providing a straightforward explanation, though I suspected he didn’t fully grasp it either.
“The term ‘overthrowing the state’ refers to the act of dismantling the political foundation of a country or the basic order necessary for its citizens to live,” El replied seriously.
“Oh… I see…”
El’s earnest explanation caught me off guard. To be honest, I had only brought it up as a joke, so I wasn’t particularly invested in the topic. However, Rio seemed to have an epiphany, straightening her head as if a light bulb had gone off.
“In other words, it means that the rules we’ve established could be broken. If the rules that allow the nobility to do as they please were to change, wouldn’t it make life easier for everyone?”
“Haha, that’s true,” I agreed.
So, it was a crime that applied when the ruling class could no longer manipulate things to their advantage. Either way, it didn’t seem worth worrying about.
“What a bunch of nonsensical chatter… Regardless, this is the end for you! Prepare yourself!”
With that, the man declared his intent and turned his horse around, heading back to his troops with an air of arrogance. However, I had no intention of letting him leave quietly. As I watched the man saunter away, I activated the Spatial Isolation Barrier, simultaneously severing the reins of his horse.
“W-What the?!”
To spare the horse from distress, I only activated the barrier in front of the man’s upper body. The horse continued to walk forward without a care, but the man, colliding with the invisible barrier, could only lean back in confusion.
He tried to pull on the reins to regain his balance, but with the reins cut, they could no longer support him. The man had no choice but to tumble backward.
“Ugh!”
He let out a strange cry as he hit the ground, looking around in bewilderment. I quickly surrounded him with a cage to ensure he couldn’t escape, completing the capture. He shouted something while banging against the walls, but of course, it was futile.
“Now then, as for this one, what should we do about that?”
I surveyed the troops deployed around the main road, contemplating my next move.
“Capturing and escorting everyone isn’t realistic,” Rio pointed out.
“If we randomly unleash attack spells, we might hit someone we don’t intend to,” Ivan added.
We had refrained from making the first move to ensure that it was clear to the general public who was in the wrong. We were also trying to minimize casualties; after all, once someone was dead, that was the end of it, and it was better for us if there were more people spreading the word not to mess with us.
“Hmm, should we counter with numbers as well?”
Suddenly, the TYPE Series from the Dungeon flashed in my mind. I believed our individual strength had been conveyed when we launched a preemptive strike during the Stampede. Given the results, perhaps it was time for a new approach.
“Seriously?”
“Sounds good to me!”
“I can handle controlling several units.”
“I’ll do my best too!”
“Woof woof!”
Everyone seemed to be fired up.
“Alright then, let’s do this.”
Ivan looked a bit uneasy, but that was a minor issue.
“Ah, Shu, it seems the other side has started moving too. We need to hurry!”
Just then, Rio urged me to act quickly. Indeed, I could see the waiting troops beginning to mobilize. We had just captured their commander, so they must have seen everything.
…That man is technically the commander, so it makes sense that they would move to rescue him, right?
I figured there was likely someone else actually in command, but if they were moving, we needed to prepare for an interception.
“Got it.”
I replied casually and pulled a larger shed from the Dimensional Box, placing it on the ground. This shed had a Dimensional Rift connected to the Dungeon. Once I issued the command, the TYPE Series immediately formed ranks and emerged.
The man, who had been thrashing about inside the cage, pointed at the emerging TYPE Series, his mouth moving in a silent protest. He was likely shouting complaints, but the sound was muted, so I couldn’t hear anything. However, as more TYPE Series appeared, his pointing finger drooped helplessly, and he seemed to lose his words.
“Wow, he was so spirited before, but now he looks pale.”
This time, we were relying on numbers, so we didn’t need to be overly strong. I summoned a lower rank than what I had used during the Stampede, stopping after calling forth about two hundred units. I then stored the shed back in the Dimensional Box. If we could take down five enemies with each unit, our objective would be achieved.
“Alright, we’re all set. El, I’ll leave half the control to you.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll gather as much information on the enemy troops as possible.”
“O-Okay, I’m counting on you.”
I hadn’t expected her to gather intelligence as well, but having more information was certainly a good thing.
“Our goal is to neutralize the enemy troops without killing them. We might even want to capture their commander.”
As I spoke, I handed the control Tablet to El.
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
“Woof!”
Following El, Phonia and Nil also responded energetically for some reason.
Once more, I scanned the battlefield. Some of the enemy units had halted their movements, but I could see others advancing toward us.
“Alright, let’s get this operation started.”
With the signal, the TYPE Series charged toward the enemy units, engaging them head-on due to the disparity in strength.
“Huh?”
I noticed that Phonia and Nil had also joined the fray, leaping into action alongside the TYPE Series.