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Chapter 60 - The Triumphant Return of the Subjugation Team

The capital was buzzing with excitement over the victory in the defense battle, but there was no time to rejoice as there were numerous monster corpses scattered in front of them.

Moreover, the sudden appearance of a large number of monsters from the forest meant that reinforcing patrols in the vicinity was essential.

Lady Nicolette, the lord's wife, and Felix, the vice-captain of the knight order, were busy with post-battle cleanup. However, since there were no apparent injuries on their side, the atmosphere was relatively bright.

As Isamu couldn't participate in patrol duties, after checking the scorching ground, he joined the efforts to dispose of the monster corpses. With the vast number of monsters and insufficient manpower, even the town's residents were mobilized to assist in the task.

"Milady! We've completed digging the hole on the west side!"

"Thank you! Now, please gather the corpses piled up on the right side and bury them."

"Understood!"

Though it wasn't a pleasant task, the residents were highly motivated under the enthusiastic leadership of Annemarie, who was popular among them.

And there was another figure boosting morale on the scene.

"Nya-nya-nya-nya!"

Of course, the one making the sound was Orihime. While the soldiers watched, she skillfully used her front paws to dig holes with amazing speed.

"Wow! As expected of Sensei!"

"The holes are done in no time!"

The soldiers were excited. Understandably, with Orihime leading the way, within a few minutes, holes with a diameter of about two meters and a depth of one meter were dug.

Cats, by nature, dig holes to eliminate the smell of excrement or to hide food. So, it was natural for Orihime to dig holes. The problem was the scale, as the amount of soil being excavated with each dig seemed beyond what could be done with her round little paws.

"...Orihime, is that some magic thing or a divine blessing?"

Uttering his astonishment as he watched, Isamu couldn't fathom what was happening.

"Nyaaa."

After digging three holes and seemingly satisfied, Orihime returned to Isamu’s feet. Rubbing her erect tail against him, she circled around and curled up at his feet. Despite possessing tremendous power, she seemed as capricious as ever.

"Oh, Orihime-sama, you look beautiful today as well!"

A man approached them. It was Benedict, serving as the high priest in the city's church. Among the residents, he was one of the few who accurately knew the identities of Isamu and Orihime, and he was also an enthusiastic follower of the two.

"Oh, Benedict-san. Thank you for helping with the post-battle tasks."

Benedict, a priest, took the initiative to help, which was extremely effective in alleviating the feelings of reluctance among the residents.

"What's that? It's a pleasure for me to assist with the post-processing of the battle, thanks to the achievements of Isamu-sama and Lady Orihime-sama!"

"I-Is that so..."

Uncertain how much he meant it, Isamu thought as long as Benedict was satisfied, it was fine.

"By the way, Isamu-sama, at the moment, we are dedicating all the efforts of the church to create Orihime-sama's divine object. It will be completed soon, so please do confirm it when you have the chance."

"Divine object? I had no idea you were making something like that."

Surprised by this new information, Isamu asked.

"Yes. I am proud that it has become an adorable figure. Soon, I will bring it to the mansion for you to see."

"Ah, alright. I understand."

"Well then, I will take my leave. Orihime-sama, goodbye."

With a brief bow, Benedict returned to his work. Orihime’s tail, curled up as she slept, swayed gently.

Three days after the defense battle, around noon, when the processing of monster corpses and repairs to the damaged gate and roads were progressing in the capital, the sound of horse hooves echoed.

It was the return of Lord Selfers and others who had completed the subjugation, celebrating their triumph as they returned from the neighboring town of Badalona near the border.

Seeing the people working on repairing the road just before the capital, Selfers momentarily wore a stern expression, but he quickly tilted his head. Despite the repairs, the faces of those working seemed cheerful.

Approaching them, he then noticed the gate being repaired. Their expressions were also bright.

"Hmm, repairing the gate and road implies that monsters must have attacked, but what's with this brightness?"

Scratching his head in confusion, Selfers asked the leader of the knight order, Diluc, who had been riding alongside him.

"Since they are working on repairs outside the town, it seems the monsters have already left. Considering the situation, it's most reasonable to assume that they were repelled. But well..."

Diluc, who was asked, put forward a hypothesis, but even he seemed unsure about whether it fit.

"Oh, my lord! Also, the knights! Did you return because you were able to repel the monsters??"

Having emerged from the forest road into the open area just before the capital, the men engaged in repair work noticed Selfers and his group.

"Ah, we safely repelled the enemies from our territory. The town of Terney on the border is also unharmed."

Facing the gathered men who had stopped working, Selfers explained:

"Oh, as expected of the lord! Now we can feel at ease."

"Thank you!"

"That's a relief."

"I was worried because I have a younger brother in Terney."

Everyone expressed their congratulations and relief.

"So, it seems you are repairing the road. Did something happen?"

"Well, it's about three days ago. A horde of monsters came here..."

It seemed that indeed a horde of monsters had attacked.

"There were quite a few of them... I heard it was around 200 or something."

"200!?"

However, that number far exceeded their expectations.

"Well, I didn’t see it directly, but the knights said so. Nicolette-sama, Annemarie-sama, and the knights defeated them with magic and bows... This place here is also affected; the ground was gouged out by the magic."

"I-I see... I'm glad everyone is safe. Sorry, but I'll rely on you for the construction."

There were many things he wanted to ask, but since the residents didn't directly participate in the fighting, he held back and offered words of encouragement.

"No, no, thank you for your, my Lord."

Bowing slightly, the men returned to their repair work.

"...It seems there was some trouble here as well."

Pulling his horse closer, Diluc whispered.

"Yeah, it seems so. Let's hurry back to the mansion and hear the details."

Smiling wryly, Selfers replied and increased the pace, heading towards the capital.

Passing through the gate, many citizens welcomed them.

They must have been informed of their return from the watchtower.

"Thank you for your hard work!!"

"Thank you, Lord!"

"Kya, Diluc-sama~~~!!"

Amidst cheers and lively encouragement, the group passed through like a triumphant parade and reached the mansion.

Passing through the mansion's gate, Selfers was welcomed by family members, members of the research workshop including Nicolette, Rudolf's  and other household members, and Felix, the vice-captain who had been left in charge.

"Welcome back, Sel. It seems you managed to subjugate them safely?"

Representing everyone, Nicolette offered words of consolation.

"I'm back. We somehow managed to subjugate them. In the end, we had to go all the way to the neighboring territory..."

Saying so, Selfers shrugged and turned his horse around.

"Everyone, great job!! Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate the threat to our territory. I'm grateful! As of now, emergency subjugation status is lifted. Return to your usual duties. Training for today and tomorrow is canceled. I apologize for the change, but please rest slowly. Now then, disband!!!"

"Oooohhh!!!"

Selfers announced the dissolution of the subjugation team, and the last cheer echoed.

Naturally tired, both knights and soldiers headed to the barracks with satisfied faces.

"Diluc, sorry, but come to the reception room after changing. Let's exchange information."

"Yes."

With a short reply, Diluc headed to change, and Selfers, accompanied by his staff, entered the mansion.

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