/
He really was a baffling existence.
Mari is being reminded of Almis who he had just met quite a few hours ago.
If we assume that a lost person is a transmigrant, then is he considered one?
Well, it’s not like it’s impossible to usurp a person’s body. If you mistakenly eat or if you were served Soul-separation Grass, the soul would be separated from your body. You’ll die but the body will still be alive for awhile. Under these circumstances, if a different soul happened to come near, it might inhabit that dying body as if getting sucked in.
It’s perhaps most likely by chance……..or by the fairies’ mischief.
That being said, the systems of that guy’s country are quite in order.
Its agriculture is extensive, and its salt mines produce much yield. Furthermore, it has paper….
They have completed laying down the framework to become a strong country. Although after that is how will he shut out the opposition great clansmen.
While it’s still possible, a plan needs to….
“Nee, mother. Mother, can you hear me?”
“Yeah, sorry. I hear you, Elly.”
Mari caresses the black creature she’s riding on.
This black creature named Elly, a flying dragon, gives off a joyous cry.
Mari is in the sky right now.
Since flying dragons can fly as fast as a jet-plane, they arrived in the Rozel Kingdom-proper in the blink of an eye.
Because high-level flying dragons can freely manipulate wind and fire, Mari can’t feel the wind at all.
Even though people riding high-level flying dragons is unheard of because of the dragons’ high pride, Elly is an exception.
Somehow, even after reaching adulthood, Elly couldn’t be weaned. Well, for Mari, this way is more convenient.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing. It’s just that you’ve been quiet.”
Elly asks worriedly.
By the way, Elly cannot speak human language. Vocal organs of dragons are different from that of humans.
However, it’s easy for them to manipulate the wind and atmosphere to make sounds via vibration.
“Sorry. Don’t mind me. It’s not a big deal really.”
Mari caresses Elly’s head while showing a smile.
“Your Highness. I am here to request permission for the War Tactics No. 1 Sorcery Ritual.” [TLN1]
Mari immediately declares after returning to the Imperial Palace.
“For the Rosyth Kingdom? They don’t look that much of a threat to me…..”
King Rozel shows his disapproval.
For a single country, Plan No.2 that would bring about famine would suffice.
For Plan No.1, more than half of the southern part of the Southern Adernia Peninsula would be subjected to famine.
Using that on a single country such as the Rosyth Kingdom would be overkill and would cost too much.
In the first place, they had just used it on three countries on the north. It’s not like they had that much materials in stock for large scale sorcery.
“I disagree, that country isa threat. They are proactively appointing Cretians in their ranks which infers they are aiming to modernize. Even more than that, they have succeeded in centralizing power in their recent civil war. Furthermore, their new king is young. There’s no mistaking they’ll soon be able to challenge us militarily. When that time comes, they’ll be a troublesome obstacle that will hinder our beloved country. We should immediately weed out the sprouts before they grow.”
While Plan No. 1 will cost a lot, it’s not to the extent of a campaign.
You can think of it as…….a cheap way to cause ruin to a single country.
“However, No.2 would be fine, yes? That country is not big, yes?”
“No, no. The ones we’ll be cursing are the surrounding countries of the Rosyth Kingdom.”
Mari laughs with a grin.
Katsu, katsu, katsu (*Step step step*)
Mari’s shoes make a loud noise every time she takes a step on the stairs.
Screams of pain and agony, angry shouts and voices can be heard here and there.
The further she went down, the more the intense stink assailed Mari.
The suburbs of the Rozel Kingdom’s Capital city of Lydia.
Inside the prison where heinous criminals are jailed, nicknamed the ‘Poison Vessel.’
Mari came to this prison taking along with her 10 brawny soldiers.
She has one objective – to gather materials for the incantation.
“Hmm… No. 6, 8, 12, 15, 23, 31. Carefully take them out one by one. They’re quite dangerous so be careful.”
“Understood.”
The soldiers first go for No. 6’s cell. It’s an incredibly wide cell where you’d still have room even if you imprisoned thirty people there.
The cell is soiled dirty with several human bones and decaying dead bodies lying around.
It’s really horrible.
Inside is a man with bloodshot eyes, sitting alone.
He jumps up as he sees Mari’s figure, bites the rails of his cell, and begins shouting.
“You witch!! Go to hell!! I’ll kill you!!!”
“Ahaha, you’re energetic as usual, huh. Yes, that’s a good thing. It’s most desirable that the sacrifice is energetic.”
Mari pulls out a plant from her pocket.
It’s a plant with a lavender colored flower.
However, you can immediately see from the shape that it’s not a lavender flower.
“Devil Grass. It’s about to wear out so it’s taking quite a toll on you, yes?”
Mari raises the strong drug and shows it before the man’s eyes.
“Shut up!! I won’t yield to the likes of you!!” says the man while his eyes remained fixed at the devil grass.
Narcotic drugs can be roughly classified into two – depressants and stimulants.
Devil grass belongs to the stimulant classification.
This grass vigorously excites a person’s spirit. It’s able to amplify feelings of anger and hatred.
Sorcery’s driving force is emotion. The more emotion is in abundance, the more it will facilitate sorcery.
For putting up barriers, the emotions that matter are love, kindness, and the thought of wanting to protect people.
For putting up a curse, it would be negative emotions like envy and jealousy.
Kodoku sorcery is a typical example. [TLN2]
Poisonous insects would go and kill each other, collecting malice. That would then be used as the medium for the sorcery.
The insects would be easy to handle and procure after all.
Ultimately, using other media than insects such as dogs and monkeys, even humans, would not be a problem. No, rather, it is more desirable that a living being with higher intelligence be used. That way, emotions would be richer.
Human Kodoku.
All sorcerers have heard of this technique at least once.
However, there are several problematic points in Human Kodoku sorcery.
First, there are some resistance in pitting fellows of the same race.
To begin with, it would cost a lot.
By the time they’d be willing to eat each other, they would have mostly gone mad. Their anger and hatred would have already warped that you wouldn’t get the anticipated result.
Furthermore, there are no sorcerers thinking of do such madness.
Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. / Harm set, harm get.
An overwhelmingly strong sorcery will destroy the body. A lot of sorcerers don’t involve themselves with such sorcery for fear of rebound.
However, Mari showed it could be done – in a manner more efficient by using narcotics and a thouroughness that amplifies hatred and anger.
In a way, that woman is also broken.
She has already lost all ethical sense of a modern Japanese more than five hundred years ago.
Her reason of corruption is…….’Woman’ ‘Divine Protection of Perpetual Youth’ ‘Uncivilized Equestrian Tribe’ and ‘Sex Slave’.
It’s easily inferred from these four keywords (phrases).
“Fufu, Splendid, it’s splendid that you’re energetic. Before you get killed, I’ll make sure you inhale plenty of this. Hold out for three days for me, okay? Though it might be so tough that you’d want to die, hold out for me, okay?”
Mari smiles boldly.
“Umm–, what’s our objective for today? You want to reduce the national power of the Rosyth Kingdom, yes? Then, should we apply a curse on them? Regading that, the number of sacrifices is too little.  With this much, we’d be repelled by a pit barrier and we won’t be able to do much damage, you know?”
Annabella, a sorcerer, asks Mari.
Although she’s just a youth around 15 years old, she receives guidance directly from Mari.
She’s being groomed as a future assistant.
“It’s fine. We don’t need to do damage. Our goal is to make the people think that the Rosyth Kingdom is the one responsible for cursing the surrounding countries. There’s conveniently an excellent sorcerer there after all.
Annabella shuts her mouth after understanding Mari’s intention.
She has already understood their designations in the goal. All that’s left is to devote themselves in the sorcery.
“■■■■■！！！”
Annabella’s gaze turns towards the shouting sacrifices.
They are all gagged and crucified.
It’s safe to say that only curses would be coming out of those mouths if the gags fell off.
They were quite noisy, so they were silenced.
“…….”
“Ahahaha, is your conscience hurting?”
“Well…..somewhat. However, they’re just reaping what they sowed.”
Annabella declares while looking at the crucified convicts.
“Those three men have raped and killed virgins and young boys.
Those guys have robbed, killed, and set in fire the house and bodies of a family of eight. They caused the deaths of a total of six more people in the resulting blaze that victimized six more houses.
Those guys are traitors that have secretly colluded with other countries.
Those guys conducted outlawed slave hunting, kidnapped more than a hundred people, and sold them to Cretians.”
“Fufu, that pretty much hits the mark, yes? Thanks to these men, we were able to gather several raw materials one after another.”
In addition to getting raw materials, they’ve also improved public order.
It’s hitting two birds with one stone.
“These were guys destined to die anyway. Well, it’s just a natural punishment.”
“Well, it couldn’t be helped even if we keep them alive. Although there’s still the alternative of hard labor or getting ransomed or sold off as prisoners.”
Mari orders to have the gags on the condemned criminals removed.
Since they don’t have any more energy to say curses, they were given reprieve and made to breathe easier just so they could live longer.
“As expected, crucifixion is the best for sacrifices, yes? A lot of them faint if they were burned at the stake. This way, even if they faint you could just whip them awake.”
“Fear would overpower anger if they were burned after all, although it’s tougher that way.”
“You know well. Are you speaking from experience?”
Mari smiles at Annabelle’s joke……..however, you can see from her eyes’ that she’s not laughing inside.
“Well, you can say that.”
Mari turns her back on Annabelle and the convicts and starts walking away from that place. She then says:
“Well then, I’m going to sleep. Tell me when they die. I’ll be doing the finishing touches, see. You guys bore a lot of responsibility after all – in this curse of this level.”
After leaving that place, Mari murmurs in a place where no one can hear:
“A death you know will clearly come is a much less objectionable fate. What a fortunate bunch.”