Chapter 262: Interlude (The Subjugated Village)
Accompanied by a deep bass, it appeared.
A colossal bird that overshadowed the sky. It was only after everything had ended that the villagers realized it was the sky fortress of the conquerors.
The villagers were thrown into a panic.
A young man with keen ears began to shout that he heard something, and within half an hour, it had arrived.
Tearing through the clouds, it approached with a roar.
From it, something was scattered, falling to the ground while spewing flames as it descended upon the village.
A spider monster, as large as a house.
With a thunderous sound, it landed in the village square. Just before touching down, a fiery tube was hurled from its back, some of which crashed into the church, destroying it. The tube, larger than a man, obliterated the church.
The spider monster showed no interest in the fleeing villagers. Ignoring those who collapsed in terror, it launched something from the tube on its back towards the church.
The church at the center of the village was reduced to rubble.
What had become of the bishops who were supposed to be inside was a thought that hardly needed consideration. They had not shown themselves since the sudden invasion.
But the spider monster was not alone.
In total, five of these monsters were rampaging through the village, targeting the monk soldiers (Saldado).
With a swift kick, a monk soldier was sent flying, eliminated.
As the tube on its back glowed, the ground erupted in a massive explosion along with the caretaker monk soldier.
The devastation wrought by the five colossal monsters began abruptly and ended just as swiftly.
Later, it became apparent that an even larger leader had appeared outside the village, towering over the monsters that had entered.
And alongside this gigantic leader, the invaders walked into the village.
“The elimination of the monk soldiers (Saldado) is complete. Any futile resistance will only shorten your lives. Cease all activities and gather in the square.”
With a voice that echoed throughout the village like a spell of amplification used by a bishop, the girl declared.
Accompanied by the enormous and powerful monsters, she walked with something of human height at her side.
“Hiding is futile. I have your positions all mapped out. No harm will come to you as long as you do not resist. Gather in the square.”
A creature resembling a spider, larger than a cow, and the girls riding it called for the villagers to surrender in front of the houses where they had taken refuge.
If they came out willingly, they would be led to the square; if they remained hidden, the girl would invade their homes and drag them out. Some villagers attempted to fight back, but were easily subdued by the girl.
Eventually, all the villagers were gathered in the square.
Men, women, and children alike, including the sick and injured. However, those who were severely wounded had already been taken to a nearby city’s hospital, so there were no critically ill among them.
“This village has been occupied by us, Paraiso. You will now fall under the occupation of Paraiso. Essentially, you will continue to engage in farming as before. I swear that no harm will come to you as long as you do not resist. Additionally, rewards will be given based on your work.”
The girl, having removed her headgear, revealed beast-like ears atop her head. Though small and childlike, no villager dared to underestimate her.
The largest man in the village, who had attempted to attack her in a moment of desperation, was easily subdued with a single twist. He lay on the ground, groaning lowly, possibly with a dislocated shoulder.
“The surrounding towns have also been occupied. The Gigantia that just passed by is monitoring everything. Resistance is futile.”
And thus, the village was placed under their control.
As promised, as long as they did not resist, their previous way of life was guaranteed.
In fact, if they complied with requests, the quality of life had improved compared to before.
The food distributed regularly was of better quality and quantity than before. The luxury goods, sweets, and alcoholic beverages provided once a week were more delicious than anything they had ever tasted.
Without the threat of unreasonable violence, their quality of life improved. It didn’t take long for the villagers to lower their guard. After all, they had been living as the church dictated. With the change in leadership, most villagers continued their farming as they always had.
The problem lay with a portion of the villagers who had close ties to the bishops and monk soldiers (Saldado).
They were growing increasingly dissatisfied with the indiscriminate removal of church officials.
This was likely a backlash against the loss of certain privileges. They had originally served as a bridge between the villagers and the church, holding privileges that were matched by their work.
However, that work was abruptly erased with the girls’ invasion. Unable to adapt, and coupled with the fact that the girls were not violent, they began to voice their complaints loudly.
Naturally, this created a rift with many villagers who disliked conflict.
The new rulers, the girls, seemed to be deliberately waiting for these discontented elements to explode. They appeared to listen only to the warnings from reasonable villagers without taking action.
One night, they attempted to rise up against the girls, only to be meticulously subdued by them.
It seemed they had literally been unable to put up any resistance.
When the unsuspecting villagers showed up in the square as usual, all those who had participated in the rebellion were found bound.
Considering the mercilessness of the initial invasion, the fact that their lives were spared was a merciful response. Though they said nothing, the other villagers understood this well.
Those who had rebelled against their rulers were punished in the form of additional labor.
In addition to their usual duties, their share of luxury goods was halved, and their labor hours were extended.
However, the ones most relieved by this outcome were not the rebels themselves, but their families—parents, spouses, children, and friends.
“Today, we will test the new farming tools.”
On that day, a villager designated by the girl from Paraiso was taken to an undeveloped area.
Following behind was a tilling golem provided by Paraiso, which appeared to walk leisurely on its six legs, but its long strides made it surprisingly fast.
As the beast-eared girl explained how to operate it, the villager nervously began to maneuver the golem.
It looked like a handcart with various tools attached, but its functionality was fully realized.
The blade at the front dug into the ground, breaking apart the hard-packed soil as it overturned it. Weeds and low shrubs were easily torn apart by its strength.
The operation was simple. Just move the lever to the positions for driving, tilling, stopping, and reversing. Anyone could operate it.
Of course, similar tasks could be done with oxen, but the number of oxen was limited, and they could not be bred indefinitely. They also required a large amount of fodder.
In contrast, according to the explanation, this tilling golem could be provided in unlimited quantities and operated automatically. If it broke, they would replace it.
With this, the efficiency of farming would dramatically improve.
“Time for distribution.”
The Gigantia, the massive fortress that traversed the skies.
It flew over the village approximately every two to three days.
During these flights, it would drop boxes filled with supplies. Inside these boxes were various items, but what the villagers eagerly awaited were the luxury goods.
These included sweet confections, rare dried fish from the sea, and sometimes bottled alcohol. Occasionally, juice was provided for the children.
During distribution, containers would directly descend into the town square. Once everything was taken out, a gigantic six-legged golem would appear from nowhere and run off with the load on its back.
There were many things that piqued their curiosity, but their way of life had not changed drastically from when they had lived as the church dictated.
While some gradual changes were occurring, life continued to improve. There were no complaints.
I wonder what it feels like to be in a subjugated village. Imagining various scenarios.
Being ruled by a beast-eared girl.
A sample has arrived, and I rolled around in joy. Whee!