"Are you able to walk?"
"Yes....."
A skinny man who looked to be on the verge of old age was taking steps. He looked precarious, carefully placing his dirt-covered feet on ankles so thin they seed ready to snap. The mont he stepped out of the underground prison, the rchant staggered and collapsed again. Soldiers rushed over to help him up.
"I-I'm alright....."
A week had passed since Ann left for the coast. The rchant had finally regained his health and was taking the first step toward a new life. The soldiers applauded, and a knight supported him. His body still beaten to a pulp, the rchant took one difficult step at a ti.
The reason for the rchant's disheveled appearance was that he had survived three weeks of starvation by lapping up the rotten sewage water that flowed through the underground prison. If I hadn't treated him with Heal, he would have died from an infectious disease in a few days. It would have been better if I had beaten him to death. Letting him starve was out of the question.
"Ah, th-thank you."
Soone once said that a trial that brings you to the brink of death changes a person. The rchant had overco the ordeal of near-starvation and transford into a stronger, gentler person. His smile was full of love, and his speech held not a trace of hatred. He wore a refreshed expression, like a monk who had completed his penance.
"There was a mistake, and I apologize that the punishnt was sowhat excessive. Regarding this case....."
"Not at all. Isn't it true that anyone can make a mistake?"
The rchant smiled and reassured as I apologized. If I killed this guy right now, would a sacred relic pop out of his body? With that heartwarming smile, the rchant left our territory. Even when I asked if there was anything he wanted as a reward, he just shook his head and didn't say a single word about it.
Perhaps nearly starving to death and losing his friend because of his love for a rmaid had given him so kind of enlightennt. I could only guess. It wasn't my business what he did for a living, even if he beca a monk.
After the rchant was gone, the only one left in the underground prison was the priest. The priest was behaving very quietly, but complaints constantly ca in from the guards. They said he would wake up every night and recite prayer texts, preventing the guard on night duty from sleeping.
Of course, I couldn't just let them stop their night duty because of that, so I dismissed all incoming grievances with a single word: "Endure."
Until I received permission to enter the dungeon, my daily routine was mostly like this. As befitting a trivial territory with nothing but glory to its na tucked away in a southern corner, only boring, uneventful days passed by. Amusingly, the thing I was finding most entertaining in this territory right now was the practice to make Sieri the acting lord.
"Now, Sieri. Give the order."
"No, I... starting the practice already is....."
"Sieri. It'll be too late if I'm not here. If you don't give an order at a mont that requires the lord's quick judgnt, whose command will the knights of this mansion follow?"
"B-But still....."
"Still?"
"Still, I... what exactly is this punishnt....."
Standing before us were the senior soldier who was caught blatantly sleeping during his guard duty last ti and the new recruit who was covering for him. The mission I gave Sieri was to inflict a very harsh punishnt on these two. Sieri couldn't grow if she couldn't overco a trial like this.
From behind, Eve, hugging Cellu like a harp seal cushion, was watching my and Sieri's banter with great interest. The sound of Eve and Cellu's conversation reached .
"Mom, wanna make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
"Whether Sieri beats those guys half to death or not."
"What's the wager?"
"If I win, I'll give you all my allowance, Mom."
"I have lots of money but nowhere to spend it."
"Then I'll use all my money to buy you fish. A huge one."
"Heh."
It seed that ant she agreed. Sieri was still holding the staff, a troubled look on her face. I prodded her.
"Co on, Sieri. Do you know what cri these soldiers committed? They were caught blatantly sleeping during their guard duty. By . One of them was caught red-handed keeping a lookout for him. Do you understand what that ans? These felons have deceived their lord. What kind of punishnt do you think is appropriate here, Sieri?"
"Um.... Please don't do that?"
I clicked my tongue, quietly enough that Sieri couldn't hear. As expected, Sieri's soft nature was ill-suited for an acting lord. But despite that, I still had to take Eve to the dungeon. She was the only one in the mansion besides who was strong enough and who was a talent that could enter the Elf Kingdom.
I had no idea what thod the dungeon used to enhance people, but it was more efficient for as many mbers of the party to be enhanced as possible, rather than just . But Soya's legs were bad, so she had to be considered a non-combatant in a place like a dungeon, and Elsi was a beastfolk, so she couldn't enter the Elf Kingdom at all.
"Are you just going to use words?"
"W-Well, I heard you already punished them, My Lord....."
"According to military law, failure on guard duty is a severe punishnt. I have not yet decided how to punish these soldiers. Sieri. What punishnt should I give?"
"Well... according to the teachings of the Archdeity Church....."
"Sieri. The teachings of the Archdeity Church are not important here. I've told you repeatedly. When acting as a lord, you need to set aside your role as a cleric. Especially with soldiers, reward and punishnt must be crystal clear. That's how much weight the duty of protecting this territory holds."
"Ah, then... well....."
But Sieri was still hesitating. I had her aim the staff she was holding at the soldiers and spoke.
"Now, Sieri. What order should you give those n?"
"Um... s-so....."
Sieri looked like she was about to cry. My heart ached seeing her in such distress. But this was unavoidable. If she didn't learn now, she wouldn't be able to handle any future mishaps. For instance, what if a really bad swindler ca to the territory while Sieri was acting lord and made unreasonable demands? Would Sieri be able to handle it well?
Nothing ever goes according to plan. A situation could arise where, due to so special circumstances, neither I nor Eve were in the territory. If she was to sohow manage this territory on her own then, she had to learn to be ruthless.
"G-Get on your knees and raise your hands!"
At Sieri's command, the two soldiers moved swiftly. As they knelt in a perfect posture and raised their hands, Sieri looked at and spoke. She was smiling awkwardly, as if she had accomplished sothing quite difficult. I frowned and stared at Sieri.
"H-How about this?"
"This is the punishnt?"
"No, I... I just don't really know what kind of punishnt to give....."
"Watch closely. I'll show you an example."
This wasn't going to work. I picked up the mace I had set on the floor and stood before the two n. As I approached, the soldiers' faces turned white. I spoke.
"You two. Are you reflecting on your sin?"
"Yes, yes! We are reflecting!"
"We are reflecting! Please, just spare our lives!"
I couldn't let this end with a light punishnt. They were the fucking bastards who got caught by . If I went easy on them, the ntality that they could get away with just one punishnt would spread through the ranks, and I wouldn't be able to establish military discipline.
But it was also true that this wasn't a territory with many people, so the absence of even a single soldier was keenly felt. This ant I needed to walk the line between severe punishnt and reformation.
I swung the mace through the empty space and said.
"Get on all fours."
"What?"
"Whaat?"
Talking back? I glared, and the two soldiers, their faces pale, dropped to the ground.
"N-No, sir! We'll get down!"
"The sin of failing your mission by showing a lazy attitude during guard duty. You're well aware of it, right?"
"Yes! We are!"
They shouted in unison. I nodded.
"Good answer. Originally, I was going to follow the law and cut off your heads, but considering we are not in warti, and the fact that you 'volunteered' to be an important training aid to teach our Sieri the importance of punishnt, I will value that highly and end this with a flogging. You'll take just 40 strikes."
"Thank you! My Lord! Thank you!"
The soldiers bowed their heads and expressed their gratitude. I glanced at Sieri, then brought the mace to the senior soldier's buttocks. The senior soldier flinched and cringed as the blunt mace approached his buttocks. And then—
Thwack!
"Uwoooaargh!"
The senior soldier let out a strange scream and collapsed to the floor. With just one shot, the flesh on his buttocks was mangled, and blood started to soak through his pants. Sieri covered her mouth, stifling a scream. I grabbed the senior soldier's hair and pulled him up. His eyes had rolled back, and he was gasping for breath.
"Heal."
As life returned to his body, the senior soldier's mouth, which had been clamped shut in a scream, began to spew gibberish. Seeing him screaming with his eyes rolled back, he must have had a religious near-death experience.
"Keuheuk! E흑! P-Please spare , My Lord! Spare !"
"I've only hit you once. New recruit. Aren't you going to maintain your posture?"
"Yes! I will correct it!"
I sternly warned the new recruit, who had broken his posture in the anti and was staring at in shock. The new recruit got back on all fours and held his position. I laid the senior soldier on the ground again and spoke.
"Get up. You still have 39 left."
"Ah, aaah......"
The senior soldier forced himself up and presented his buttocks to . A bright red mark was left on his pants. Using that spot as a target, I once again swung the mace forcefully.
SMACK!
"Oooooooaargh!"
With a sound like a balloon popping, the senior soldier collapsed again. He drooled, his limbs trembling like a frog's. Sieri seed quite shocked by my punishnt. I cast Heal on the senior soldier again and forced him up. In just two hits, the senior soldier's face had turned into that of a sick chicken.
"Heueu... eu.... eueu....."
Sieri grabbed my hand and began to stop .
"M-My Lord. This is too harsh."
"It has to be harsh. Sieri. Do you understand? Once you're in the lord's seat, you have to be harsh. Sieri. Take the switch. You will administer the rest of the flogging yourself."
"What?"
Sieri's pupils trembled. I spoke.
"I just showed you clearly, didn't I? This is very important. I struck him twice, so you just have to strike this senior soldier 38 tis. Easy, right?"
"B-But....."
"Sieri. You are my wife, aren't you? Right?"
"......Yes."
"Soday, you too might have to make a cruel decision. A very cruel decision where it's either you or soone else who dies. Are you going to hesitate then, too? Will you hesitate even when everyone in this mansion is in danger?"
".....I understand."
When I looked at Eve, she picked up a whip that was next to her and tossed it to .
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