Survival Strategy for Weak Territories! ~ My Territory Will Be Destroyed No Matter How Many Times It Is Repeated. How Can This Be Saved? ~ - Chapter 25

WARNING: This Chapter contains depictions of toture. If this is not your cup of tea, please move on to the next chapter.

The story is designed so that you wouldn’t be missing any major plot if you skip this chapter.

“So, what is the meaning of this?”

“U-Uhm, it’s… its…”

“Hans, arrest him.”

“Yes!”

The meeting started once again and Klein easily spotted the poisoned wine.

Last time, Brynhilde killed him instantly, but this time she was replaced by Hans.

For Brynhilde to not do anything, Klein gave her the task of recording the things the merchants gave him.

Hans tied up the saga without anyone interrupting him and took him straight to Klein’s mansion.

“I’m sorry for making a scene.”

“N-no, Klein-sama was the victim.”

“I hope you don’t mind.”

The merchants, who were shocked at the sudden assassination attempt, were somewhat calmer this time because blood did not splatter around this time

Trek, who knew the incident was going to happen, and Hermes, who looked like it was within his expectations were completely unperturbed.

“The place has been soiled. Let’s call it a day.”

Klein followed Hans and decided to pull back to the mansion.

Before leaving, he met up with Brynhilde, who was recording items, who turned a quizzical glance toward Klein.

She looked at the pale merchants and Saga, then she saw the discolored silverware Klein’s hands and instantly understood what was going on.

“Brynhilde. It seems that I was almost assassinated.”

“I thought you would be new to this sort of thing.”

“I knew this would happen sooner or later. The silverware was a good idea.”

He left the restaurant with an air of dignity, trying to look as sharp as possible.

Klein was elated as he headed off to the interrogation room.

However, he took a break on the way.

He decided to head to the jail after enjoying a rich tea time with tea and sweets that Marie prepared for him.

◇ ◇

“Spill it out?

“Hey say something. What were you thinking!?”

“…………”

On the grounds of the mansion, there was a prison cell used for interrogations.

It was located out of sight – or rather, it was a shabby building that has not been used for more than a decade.

Perhaps still unaccustomed to interrogation, Hans and the rest of the guard force seemed to have adopted the method of surrounding him and then yelling at them loudly.

Seeing the middle-aged man who had hands and feet bound, being single-mindedly cursed by the soldiers surrounding him on all sides, Klein almost laughed at the surrealism of it all.

“No, no. This guy was planning to poison me, you know. He may look like an idiot, but he’s more treacherous than you think.”

He reminded himself that the man in front of him was the man who had killed him ten times and had broken the world record for killing Klein.

He switched gears, then crouched down in front of Saga, who remained silent.

“Well, Saga, …… No, Dominic. May I ask you why you plotted to assassinate me?”

“I have no idea why the wine was laced.”

“I see, you’re feigning ignorance.”

At the moment his plan was exposed, he seemed really scared. He probably figured out a path to survival.

If he could rely on anyone, it would be Hermes or the Eastern Count

“I know you’re expecting help from Jean-Hermes, but that old man has already cut you off.”

“W-what!?”

In any case, Klein, who was planning to end this run in a short battle this time, did not care about what would happen later.

“That old man was so obvious that he was in on it, and I came here after I’d asked Hermes about a lot of things. ……Well, getting rid of that old man would have been bad for the business, so we worked it out in the form of a plea bargain and some concessions.”

This was a complete lie.

But Saga’s complexion suddenly turned sour.

Hermes had told him what had happened, while Klein was wasting his time drinking tea alone. This was to give credence to the story that he had been told.

Even if he didn’t actually tell him anything, just telling him that help was not coming had a certain effect.

“You’re almost done serving your purpose …… well, I guess I need some evidence.”

Even Hermes would not want to leave Saga, who would know the secrets.

He would probably attempt to save him.

With that thought in mind, Klein continued with a relaxed expression on his face.

“I gave him some profits and he immediately took it. It seems that his own business is more important than helping you.”

“you’re bluffing! There’s no way that old man would do such a thing for immediate profit!”

Saga tried to be strong, but that was a bad move.

Klein grinned and moved his face closer.

“So it’s in his best interest to save you, someone who tried to assassinate a noble, and get on my reverse scale? It must be a scheme worth more than have rights to the silver mice.”

On the surface, they were pretending that there was no connection between them.

Klein, who had closed his mouth and said more, held up a knife in front of him.

“I just got this from the kitchen. Looks sharp and well polished, doesn’t it?

“…………”

“Well, I’m not used to interrogations. Let’s get this over with.”

The saga has been a business in the war-torn eastern part of the country.

The person in front of him wasn’t one who could be easily bent.

The person himself probably decided to remain silent.

Even Klein didn’t think he could get by with threats.

“Hans. Put a gag on him.”

“What? Uh, yes.”

He turned his attention back to the saga.

Hans didn’t know why he was doing but he put a rope in Saga’s mouth.

“Next, peel off your pinky fingernail, cut it off from the first joint.”

“…… heh?”

Klein slowly said to Hans, who looked at him with a blank stare.

“He’s really tight-lipped, he won’t tell us what we want no matter how much we ask. So we have to speak with our actions.”

“Nnnnngh.”

“I’m glad you figured it out. It’s my first time too, so I don’t know how severe I should do it.”

Then, with a knife to his finger, he thought back to what he had said earlier.

Klein said that he was “new to interrogation”.

The only people who didn’t understand the meaning of the words were Hans and the rest of the Guard.

“Klein-sama, what do you mean by that?”

“After you cut off the first joint, stop the bleeding. After five minutes, cut off the second joint. When you get to the base of the ring finger, you can begin the interrogation.”

In other words, the process starts after the loss of two fingers, and until then, it is a preparatory step.

“”

No matter how much he cried or screamed, he could not even be allowed to confess until that point.

“He probably won’t talk for the first few times, so only take off the gag until you’re done.”

“Klein-sam a-are you sure you want to do this?’

“I know it’s not a very pleasant way to go about it, but it’s no different than hanging a bandit, isn’t it?”

Hans and the rest of the guards are already on the edge of their seats, and so was Saga, who is struggling pale-faced.

All but Klein, who was completely accustomed to death, had their faces contorted in horror at the prospect of the coming tragedy.

“I don’t care if you kill him, as long as it supports what Hermes told me. If there is anything suspicious in his testimony, stop him immediately.”

Hans, who has served the mansion since Klein was a child was shocked.

The strategy that his lord came up with was too unexpected because he knew the character of the lord.

“If there is even a slight difference from what Hermes told me, cut a few more.”

“K-Klein-sama? I think it would be better to kill him first. ……

“When he says that he wants to be killed, that’s the starting line. Oh, and make sure you have a gag on at all times so he doesn’t kill himself, okay?”

With that, Klein left the room.

Since there was no one left to even hear his confession, the torture procedure would be just as he had heard earlier.

“Well, he tried to kill our lord.”

“Right? He should be thankful that we didn’t immediately kill him.”

“Well, if it’s  Klein-sama. If he just is obedient, we might be able to spare him ……Hey, don’t be rash!

Saga tried to say that truth, but only muffled sounds came out.

“Nn, nn! Nnnn!!!!”

The gag prevented his voice from reaching them.