Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki - Book 4: Chapter 6-1: The Forbidden Fruit

It had been four days since I arrived in Bell Erucy.

The arrival of Imperial soldiers was delayed more than planned. They probably pushed themselves too hard along the way.

I sent reconnaissance missions multiple times, but the soldiers appeared lifeless, and many seemed to be wounded.

They were given only minimal food, and there were also deserters. Each time, they made examples of them, but it didn’t seem to deter others.

During my free time, I taught the people of Bell Erucy how to cultivate hemp and instructed them on using the new weapons.

Today, I was having a discussion with the members of Nettle in a room they were given. Members who had been sent on reconnaissance had returned, and we were sharing the results.

「Roleau, what do you think after hearing the reconnaissance report?」

「I don’t understand.」

「I was prepared for a long battle, but they might starve themselves to death on their own.」

Looking at the situation alone, it seemed like they had deployed their forces without allowing them to recover from the last battle.

「…Leader, regardless, if they come attacking, we’ll just repel them. It’s pointless to overthink it.」

「That’s certainly true.」

Roleau, due to his straightforwardness, had a knack for stating simple truths. No matter how complicated we made things, our actions wouldn’t change. We just had to deal with the imminent threat.

「But, Cyril, This situation can’t continue. Even if it’s easy to win, being constantly attacked is hard.」

「You’re right. If they keep attacking us even after suffering such losses… this could go on until we’re wiped out.」

Lucy and Kuu murmured with unease.

Their concerns were valid. In a country like Erucy, where human resources were lacking, one defeat could be fatal. But the Empire, with its vast population, could recover from a loss of five thousand soldiers in a few years.

The fundamental problem was the overwhelming population difference that prevented us from launching an offensive.

「I’ve been thinking about that, and I’m preparing something to make the Empire focus on something other than war. The cannabis seeds I brought today are part of that plan.」

「Will plants harm the Empire?」

「Yes, I plan to create medicine and distribute it.」

As part of a strategy to harm the Empire, we were growing cannabis here. The target was drug contamination. In a world where drugs weren’t readily available, we could potentially cause significant damage. Cannabis was used as raw material to produce marijuana. Of course, simply scattering marijuana wouldn’t do much damage.

Marijuana itself had little effect. Its effects were similar to alcohol, causing mild intoxication, and it was less addictive than coffee. It was also less harmful to the body than alcohol or tobacco.

Becoming addicted to marijuana required a high threshold, equivalent to emptying a bottle of sake every day and becoming an alcoholic.

「Cyril-kun, are you going to distribute medicine? Not poison?」

「It’s just a medicine that makes you feel good. No one would want to drink poison, right? Even if one or two people died from drinking it, it wouldn’t serve any purpose. But if it’s a medicine that makes you feel good, everyone would want it, right? However, once you get used to the pleasure of this medicine, you won’t be able to live without it, even if you have to sacrifice everything. Eventually, people will fight to the death over it. If you reduce the supply of the medicine at that point, the country will descend into chaos.」

The true power of marijuana is unleashed when combined with other drugs. In a state of marijuana-induced intoxication, the body’s resistance decreases, and all senses become heightened, increasing the absorption rate of other drug components.

Fortunately, similar plants to ephedra and hallucinogenic mushrooms grew in the mountains. Both could individually break a person, but it was difficult to cultivate them by hand and secure large quantities. However, by blending a small amount of them with marijuana, we could achieve mass production of a potent drug.

The drug was based on a powder containing tetrahydrocannabinol, the narcotic component of marijuana, methamphetamine extracted from ephedra, psilocybin extracted from hallucinogenic mushrooms, and a small amount of powdered alcohol. When processed into tablets, it produced an overwhelming pleasure that made people want to give up everything, sending them into a high state of euphoria and hallucinations, erasing their rationality in an instant. The most dangerous drug imaginable.

What made it even more troublesome was that this drug created extreme addiction. After using it just five times, it would cause self-poisoning due to excessive endorphin secretion in the brain, and the user would think of nothing but the drug.

「Cyril-niisama, Yukino doesn’t understand. Even if a drug makes you feel good, Yukino wouldn’t want to kill people for it.」

「That’s because Yukino has judgment. This drug first takes away the mind… the capacity to feel compassion. People become like beasts. They no longer see others as people, but as obstacles to be removed. If someone gets in the way, they’ll kill them, believing it’s the fault of the one who interfered.」

「Cyril-niisama, that’s scary. Yukino doesn’t want to use something so scary.」

「Yeah, I don’t want to use it either. But once I’ve used it, I probably won’t be able to stop.」

Producing large quantities of this drug and releasing it in a country with over a hundred thousand people would create a hellish scenario.

Furthermore, the victims would be innocent civilians. They would break without any awareness, harming others. It would result in creating thousands of such individuals.

「Cyril, I’m scared too. Let’s not do this after all.」

「Even so, if the fighting continues, we have to take action. If we keep fighting, we’ll eventually lose. I value the people of Erucy more than tens of thousands of the Empire’s soldiers. That’s why I’m hoping the Empire won’t corner us any further.」

We needed to prepare the drug. If the Empire hasn’t given up on Erucy by the time the drug is ready, I will use it without mercy.

◇

Two more days passed, and the Imperial soldiers finally reached Bell Erucy.

As they approached, we closed all the gates and positioned our troops on the high ground. We had to be very careful with the placement of our troops.

Bell Erucy, which was taking in refugees, had the problem of easily harboring enemies. While there probably weren’t enough enemies inside to cause a major problem, Imperial spies had undoubtedly infiltrated. Perhaps even from other countries.

While keeping an eye on the Imperial soldiers, we also have to be aware of our rear. That’s why, apart from the trustworthy individuals specified by the five leaders, we didn’t place anyone else near the members of Nettle.

I was positioned on a certain hill with Lucy, just the two of us.

It seemed they had learned from the last time, as this time the Imperial soldiers were charging forward without announcing their names. There were no surrender offers either.

Several people carried ladders to hang on the outer wall, while others with large shields surrounded them. They weren’t wearing armor.

「They’ve thought it through.」

「Yeah, it makes things a little difficult.」

Wearing armor wouldn’t make much difference since crossbows could penetrate it. Large shields could withstand piercing, so it made sense not to wear armor. Besides, despite their reduced numbers compared to our previous encounter, a thousand soldiers remained a formidable force. The fact that we couldn’t incapacitate them in a single shot posed a significant challenge for us.

In fact, the arrows fired by Bell Erucy’s soldiers and even the arrows fired by the members of Nettle were unlikely to cause fatal injuries.

Being on high ground had its advantages, but the limited firing angle made it difficult to make effective attacks against the shielded troops in front of the ladders.

「Everyone, keep them engaged for a bit longer!」

The distance was about 100 meters.

I didn’t want to use the new weapons in a rush. Until now, only about twenty Bell Erucy’s soldiers had been trained to use them.

If mishandled, we could end up wiping ourselves out, so we had to be careful and only entrust them to individuals we could trust.

「Ranged soldiers, get ready!」

Following my instructions, twenty Bell Erucy’s soldiers took out metal cylinders the size of rugby balls. The surface was made of thin metal, with a metal core inside, and the remaining space was filled with a black sand-like substance and sharp metal fragments.

The shouts of the Imperial soldiers were getting closer.

They were about fifty meters away.

「Fire!」

At my signal, the soldiers of Bell Erucy simultaneously hurled cylindrical metal objects the size of rugby balls. Due to their considerable weight, they threw them like shot puts.

Despite the weight and throwing technique, Bell Erucy’s soldiers, thanks to their strength and the elevated vantage point, successfully propelled them fifty meters through the air.

The metal cylinders landed where the Imperial soldiers had passed through. Unfortunate soldiers who were struck directly were killed instantly, and those who managed to shield themselves still suffered broken bones from the impact.

However, the tragedy was just beginning.