Rebels

Cerumo, how were things in the village?

Not good, I'm afraid.

They've always been treated very badly there, thanks to their connections to us.

We've done what we can to help each other out till now, but now things are getting worse.

On top of that, the Oprichniki have been even more violent lately.

Rumor has it they even burned some other village to the ground after there was a revolt there.

The people there had no choice but to give up that place and move on.

Well, I can't blame them for that... That village only ever existed to serve as a decoy.

Still, leaving, hm... A bold decision. I would be surprised if thirty...even twenty percent of them survived the journey.

Maybe not, but twenty percent surviving is still better than all of them getting massacred by the Oprichniki.

...Hey. How do you guys sleep at night?

Huh?

Don't you feel the least bit guilty about these villagers giving up their lives for you guys?

Aha, you're from one of those villages too, huh. Don't worry, so am I.

Answer the damn question!

...Sure we feel bad about it. But what are we supposed to do?

We're fighting a war against Ivan the Terrible here.

The immortal tsar who's been alive for the last four hundred and fifty years.

Who knows how many villages have been sacrificed over the years, or how many innocent Yaga, children included, have lost their lives.

But what other choice do we have?

... ...

I know we're all gonna go to hell for this. And once we get there, Viy's gonna look at us with those Mystic Eyes and see every awful thing we've ever done...

But before that happens, I want to defeat Ivan the Terrible once and for all, so that my kid can at least grow up in a world without him.

And now that the boss...Lady Atalante's joined us, this is the best chance we might ever have to make that happen.

We're gonna spark a revolution, right here in Russia!

...Hmm. Revolution is all well and good, but I believe we will need to do something about these Demonic Beasts first.

Tch...!

Looks that way. All hands, ready your weapons!

All right, Master of Chaldea, Caster Servant.

Let's see what you're really capable of. Surely you're not going to let Demonic Beasts like this get the better of you?

Of course not. Master, I await your orders.

Hey. I finished skinning them.

Well done, Patxi. You can let the packgolems carry them now.

By the way, Atalante, there is something I wished to ask you.

What is it?

If there are any Demonic Beast materials at the rebel army stronghold, I was hoping you could let us have them.

Of course we have a fair amount stocked up. I will consider rewarding you with them, depending on how well you work.

...Okay. We're almost at the hidden tunnel.

We still need to pass through it before we arrive at our stronghold, so I am afraid you will need to bear with us a little longer.

What about the cold? I am a Servant, and they are Yaga, so we have no issue handling it, but the same cannot be true of you.

Oh, we're okay. Master has a Mystic Code designed for extremely cold environments.

Good.

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...It's not that. I just found it strange that you could endure it, as no ordinary humans could survive this cold.

When you get right down to it, I am but one rather atypical aspect of Atalante, manifesting as a Servant.

I am afraid I do not have much in the way of common sense.

Anyway, the tunnel is crawling with Demonic Beasts, but they are weak, hiding here for shelter.

We can simply cut our way through them without issue.

...Master, we seem to be out of the Border's comms range.

Comms? Is that a method of using magecraft to see things that are far away?

The tunnel must be affecting it. These comms of yours should be fixed once we get out. Just forget about them in the meantime.

On a different subject, we've seen a lot of Demonic Beasts, but I'm surprised we haven't seen any normal animals yet...

Normal animals? Those all went extinct ages ago.

E-extinct...!?

...That certainly makes sense if you think about it. There are simply no ordinary animals that could survive such a harsh environment.

Add an overwhelmingly dominant species to the mix, and it's little wonder the other animals went extinct.

I've heard there used to be much smaller animals centuries ago. They were called, uh...cats and dogs, I think?

...Cats. Perhaps it has something to do with this form I've been summoned in, but my memories of cats and dogs are all...hazy.

Fou...

You're all right, Fou.

...Boss, I can smell blood. Something's eating a Demonic Beast...and whatever it is, it's really big. This is bad.

All non-Servants, stay back! ...That is the scent of a Demon Boar.

Tch... It seems we can ill afford to linger here.

We must kill it quickly. Is that clear?

？！

Good. This will be another chance to show me what you are capable of, Fujimaru!

It seems we find ourselves in possession of an unexpectedly large quantity of meat. Everyone, take as much as you can carry.

I think I'll take some of this earth while I'm at it. This cave is rather a lucky find.

All the Demonic Beasts that inhabit it must have affected the earth's properties.

I should be able to make some excellent golems with this.

It kind of looks like you're tilling a field...

I would say it is closer to pottery.

This is great. Now my kid won't have to go hungry.

？！

Yeah, my child. What, did you think I was single? ...Well, I'm not.

I know we call ourselves the rebel army, but there's a lot of Yaga who came here with their families after having their villages razed 'cause they had nowhere else to go.

I'm one of them.

Your villages were burned down, huh...

You mean, by the Oprichniki?

That's right. Hell, that's how most of us rebel soldiers ended up joining.

I'm one of the lucky ones. My whole family made it out alive. Some of the kids here saw their parents murdered right in front of them.

That's horrible...

We don't have time for idle chatter. Let's go.

Right, sorry, Boss. Come on guys, let's get a move on!

Okay, we're here.

For the record, I didn't see anything that looked like it might be tracking us.

But just to be safe, I will set out a few hidden security golems to keep watch.

？！

Ah, it would seem we're back online.

Report! Gimme a goddamn report, RIGHT NOW! Why'd you go silent for so long? Just what the hell're you doing!?

Yes, sir. I'll do my best.

Master, myself, Avicebron, and Patxi are all currently accompanying the rebel army. We're just outside their hideout right now.

We'll use this opportunity to regroup, and to see if we can acquire the parts we need to repair the Border.

We'll also see if we can replenish our food stores, too. Assuming that's possible, anyway...

A hidden stronghold, huh? I'm not super familiar with fortress engineering, but I have to say that they seem to have done a good job with this one.

It's surrounded by cliffs, making it impossible to invade from the flank or rear, and its gates are equipped with ballistae to handle frontal assaults.

They've even got a barricade in place to defend against the Oprichniki's cavalry.

There's no way any enemies could take this place down without significant casualties. I guess they don't call themselves the rebel "army" for nothing.

Open the gate! Open the gate now!

Hey, it's the boss! The boss is back! Open the gate!

Welcome back, Boss! ...Uh, is it just me, or are there more of you now?

Yes, there are. I'll explain about them later!

We brought back plenty of meat. Enough for everyone to eat their fill!

Hooraaay! We've got meat!

Thank you, Boss!

...Once you have eaten up, assemble the commanders for a meeting!

I'm sorry, Master and company, but I'm afraid I must ask you to wait in the corner until then.

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Hm? Are you sure humans can eat Demonic Beast meat? ...I suppose you must have a highly skilled cook.

Very well, it would be a shame to let the excess go to waste. I'll have three kilograms set aside for you.

Thank you so much. This is great, Senpai! Everyone will be so happy to hear we have food!

...I would rather not draw too much attention if I can help it, so I would be happy to wait in the corner.

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Me too. Okay, Master, why don't we all take a little break?