In the end, it was my one line, "Isn't it fine to call it a resurrection festival?" that led to it being named the 'Tempest Resurrection Festival.'
It seems this festival is planned to be held annually.
Even after such a festival, two days have passed...
There is a problem that is troubling me. No, this time it's a serious matter.
At the sound of a knock, Rigld entered with Vester.
The number of captured prisoners is 14.
Currently, we are gathering information, and various investigations are underway.
Thus, even if they confessed honestly, we managed to obtain the basic information.
It seems they experienced considerable fear, so when they saw me, they started begging for their lives.
Even the Blood Shadow and the Church's envoy, upon recognizing the existence of a demon, gave up and confessed honestly.
A demon is a high-level entity that directly instills fear into the soul and exerts mental control.
If it were a Greater Demon class, resistance might have been possible, but with an Arch Demon class like Diablo, the number of those who can resist is limited.
In the end, rather than losing their minds and having their information taken, they chose to speak honestly.
Additionally, it is said that even if they harm themselves, the demon can manipulate their soul to directly control their brain and obtain information.
It seems that even an Arch Demon class can do this, so it is said that suicide is meaningless in front of someone who uses a demon.
To securely hide information in this world, one must instantly commit suicide without leaving a corpse.
The moment one is captured by the enemy, it is considered common sense to think that all information is exposed to the other side.
In this world, espionage (spying) is not something that ends with just risking one's life.
With such a feeling, information was quickly obtained.
And the problem I mentioned just now is about their treatment.
The anger swirling inside me was calmed by the resurrection of Sion and the others.
When that happens, the idea of killing a pathetic uncle or an envoy of the Church disappears.
Well, fanatics are a different story. It's already decided that they will be killed.
It's impossible to forgive the perpetrators.
From the testimony obtained, it seems that the massacre of the villagers was not done on orders.
The root of the command was Cardinal Nicolaus.
The content was a declaration of war.
However, the precious Holy Knight could not move without Hinata's approval, so he used the Blood Shadow he had raised, which led to this tragedy.
It turned out that the bloodthirsty mad dog, complacent in its superiority, went on a rampage without orders.
Thus, I thought it would be better to consider the treatment of prisoners of war and other war manners after the war.
If humans collectively regard us as monsters, we should act according to our own rules.
In any case, it's always possible to kill them.
I decided to investigate how such agreements between countries are made in such cases.
Yohm and Eren's group did not know much about the structure of the country, so asking them would be useless.
At that moment, I thought of Vester.
First, I decided to hear his opinion.
As soon as he entered, Vester said,
"It's been a while, Rimuru-sama! This time, it was a disaster, wasn't it?"
He greeted me.
It really was a disaster. It hasn't ended yet.
"Indeed, that's true. So, I want to ask, how is human warfare conducted?"
I asked straightforwardly.
Negotiations and bargaining are clumsy, and there's no need for them.
I asked Vester about the war.
First, it seems that wars rarely occur between the countries participating in the council.
For example, according to the rules, a declaration of war must be made at the monthly council meeting.
If this is not done, the country loses its right to participate in the council and is considered a common enemy by the surrounding countries.
War is easy to start but hard to stop. It's surprising that it's made into rules.
First, let's assume a declaration of war has been made and proceed with the story.
First, a date is set, and until that day, attempts are made to evacuate the country's citizens.
Then, the start date of the war is set, and until that time, attacking each other is prohibited.
Espionage is also prohibited at this point. If discovered, it is considered a violation of the rules.
Therefore, in principle, there are no spies, but even if there are, they must be released during the evacuation period of the country's citizens.
If someone is captured, they must first report themselves, or it is considered a violation of the rules.
Well, since such strict rules exist, in principle, it is prohibited. One cannot be a spy unless they have the confidence that they won't be caught.
Now, when a war starts, there are two types: limited war and annihilation war. (Strictly speaking, there is also an economic war, but we'll skip that here.)
A limited war is to reduce the burden on the citizens and is a war fought in designated locations.
It's like an enhanced version of sports, so almost anything is allowed.
Naturally, the terrain also affects the battle, so the side receiving the war can designate the battlefield.
This is also decided at the time of the declaration of war, along with the duration of the war.
On the other hand, an annihilation war is where almost anything is allowed.
It continues until the opposing country becomes a vassal state or is destroyed. It's a war that is rarely chosen unless there is a significant reason.
If this is chosen, even if one wins or loses, one must consider being attacked by other countries.
If there is no reason to gain the understanding of other countries, it's a simple invasion war.
The risk of being counterattacked by a coalition of surrounding countries is also high.
In other words, it rarely happens.
The Dwarf Kingdom has declared neutrality, so if it is attacked, it cannot gain the understanding of other countries.
It would be attacked by a coalition.
However, if you ask, "But won't they be attacked after declaring neutrality?" the answer is no.
The Dwarf Kingdom is a technological powerhouse and has high value.
Naturally, it is coveted by other countries, but it has the national power and military strength to repel such threats.
The lack of power means lack of strength.
The fact that the Dwarf Kingdom, which has declared neutrality, cannot gain the understanding of other countries even if it declares war is due to its high national power.
It's a story about not wanting to be dragged into self-destruction.
Thus, a few wars occurred, the council was established, and it has stabilized into its current form.
These are the rules between the countries participating in the council.
Then, what about countries that do not participate?
For example, the Empire in the east.
This is a militarized country that has grown powerful by annexing small neighboring countries.
The rules of the council do not apply to such countries.
They are unilaterally attacked and ravaged.
Therefore, some countries constantly send spies to monitor their movements.
To those who defy, death!
It seems that if one does not express the intention to comply within a week after the declaration of war, the invasion begins.
Fortunately, the Empire's sphere of influence is on the opposite side of the Jura Forest, so it has not come to this side, and no country has suffered damage yet.
However, if you look at the end of the countries under the Empire, it is a story that is not just someone else's problem for the countries participating in the council on this side.
The Dwarf Kingdom barely managed to avoid invasion by maintaining diplomatic relations with the Empire.
Well, it's also related to the mutual relationship between national power and the king's strength.
Hearing this story, it seems that the council, similar to the United Nations in my previous life, has a significant meaning as a mutual aid organization for the weak.
Countries with high national power can choose war or destruction based on their own judgment.
Of course, it's just a rule, so it doesn't always proceed according to the textbook.
Indeed, I could understand to some extent.
Now, I understand the flow of the war, but...
What about the treatment of prisoners, the main topic?
Vester was also at a loss to explain this.
According to the council's rules, attacking an envoy is strictly prohibited. This seems to be common in any world.
Next, it is rare for a king to become a prisoner.
In an annihilation war, it is rare for a country to be completely destroyed. If one is not a fool, they will raise the white flag and surrender when the front line reaches their country.
Continuing to massacre without forgiveness will only cause resentment from neighboring countries.
Most importantly, a king who allows their country to be invaded will lose the trust of the people and be immediately deposed.
In other words, it's not worth dying with a stain on one's name. That's the story.
Indeed.
If that's the case, this time, it might be better to say they died in battle or to let them go alive.
"Thank you, Vester. I'm glad you're here."
I praised him.
"Oh, no, not at all!" he blushed.
Sorry, honestly, it's a bit uncomfortable.
He's a middle-aged man with a gentle and mature personality, but he's still an uncle.
"Oh, I forgot, should I report the outline of this incident to the Dwarf King?"
"Sure, no problem. If he has any opinions, please let me know."
I gave permission.
Even if I try to hide it, it will be immediately reported. In that case, it's better to report the facts.
I thanked the still blushing Vester again and dismissed him.
That uncle, he's not just blushing, is he... Is he losing his mind looking at me?
He's in human form while working.
And his mask was broken and is currently being repaired.
Could it be... a lolicon? A terrifying suspicion arose.
I just hoped it wasn't true.
Thinking about the story as a whole,
In this case, it might be better to spare the king and the envoy.
I have the Unique Skill 'Heartless.'
They seem to have already been broken in spirit and are unlikely to betray me.
Just as I thought that,
《Report. The Unique Skill 'Heartless' has been integrated into the Ultimate Skill 'Belphegor.'
Therefore, it has disappeared and cannot be used.》
Oh, oh...
I thought it was a useful ability, but it ended up like this.
I only used it once, but what was the point of acquiring it? Well, I didn't really need it.
More importantly,
The skills that were previously not fully usable have changed significantly.
I need to check them. Things are starting to get busy.
Well, it seems better to spare the king and the envoy, but we'll decide after a meeting.
I entrusted the 12 Blood Shadows to Sion.
They will be processed after extracting information.
This time, I acquired the Unique Skill 'Chef.'
I hope they don't feed me. That would be a bit unpleasant...
With a rough idea of the future policy, I instructed Rigld to schedule a meeting.
A meeting with all the officers will be held.
We will decide the future direction based on this.
In that case, there's another problem.
I looked at Rigld and asked,
"How's the investigation going?"
According to my ability, everyone has experienced changes in physical abilities or acquired new skills due to my evolution.
It seems "The Voice of the World" has bestowed gifts.
My soul lineage means all the monsters I named.
Rigld nodded and said,
"We are currently investigating the residents of the village.
The women say their skin has become smoother or their beauty has increased, which is hard to understand.
It seems their vitality has increased.
For those in combat roles, they have acquired individual skills or unified skills for their units, varying widely.
Interestingly, the Goblin Lighters and Star Wolves have acquired the Rare Skill 'Unification.'》
The Extra Skill 'Unification' is not a metaphor like 'man and horse as one,' but a literal unification ability.
When unified, they become powerful warriors capable of high-speed movement on four legs.
Their strength is rated as "A-." It's not quite "A" rank, but it's the strongest in the "B" rank.
With 100 such individuals, it's impressive.
Rigld's report continued.
The 100 individuals who were resurrected from death have grown to the level of young adults.
The mindless ones, who were previously unable to fight, have been promoted by evolution.
They have acquired the skills 'Perfect Memory EX' and 'Self-Regeneration EX.'
Both are Extra Skills, but they complement each other well.
Even if their heads are cut off, they can recall from their spirit body and won't die.
In other words, they have gained the incredible recovery ability shown by the Orc Digesters.
With 100 such individuals, it's overwhelming.
Moreover, thanks to their recovery ability, they can withstand Sion's intense training without any issues.
However, the girl who was a child a moment ago said, "But they don't die!"
Now, there's nothing I can say.
Should I apologize, or should I encourage them?
Currently, they are at "C+" level, but I have a feeling they will soon become the strongest unit in Tempest.
The unit name is "Reborn" (Yomigaeri), meaning they have overcome death.
The 4,100 Hobgoblins under Benimaru have undergone interesting evolution.
Among them, the top 100 in combat ability have evolved into Ogres.
They must have admired the Oni, as they were from the village that initially helped me.
These individuals serve as Benimaru's direct guard unit, named "Red Flame" (Kurenai). They have become warriors at the "A-" level.
The units they lead have acquired the skills 'Heat Manipulation' and 'Heat Resistance EX,' making them a heat unit.
Their rank is "C+" but their attack power has increased.
They were originally named the Green Legion (Green Numbers) and were expected to perform, but this is a surprising change.
Well, since they are Benimaru's subordinates, it might be fitting to unify them in red...
But the name is green, which doesn't fit. It was my mistake for not thinking ahead.