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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 237: Nutritional Deficiency

“Rehamu, we will arrive shortly.”

It had been a little over a week since we left Yambaru Village. Just before Lewis and the others reached the Saramāju Kingdom, Kamael and his group entered the Clan Kingdom at their destination.

“Where are we?”

Kamael turned his face towards the outside of the carriage at Mashuri’s voice, taking in the lush trees and grass surrounding them, and asked her how far they had come.

“This is the road leading to a village called Naron on the outskirts of the Clan Kingdom. We are currently keeping the abducted individuals in several villages surrounding the Clan Kingdom, and Naron is one of them.”

“I see. By the way, is there any surveillance?”

“Yes. A few knights are stationed here, and the village itself is surrounded by magic cast by magicians associated with the Clan Kingdom, leaving only one entrance, making escape impossible.”

“That’s quite thorough. So, does that mean people who originally lived in that village are also trapped?”

“Yes. However, in recent years, due to famine from poor harvests, the population of the Clan Kingdom has decreased, and there’s a tendency for people to gather in the capital. Therefore, even the original residents of the village are mainly elderly individuals with no means to leave, which is why the kings chose this place to hold the abducted individuals.”

“That makes sense.”

While the Clan Kingdom claims to be a kingdom, it is a small nation with low national power and is surrounded by many forests and mountains, limiting its productivity, military strength, and overall population.

Moreover, there are major nations like the Sacred Nation, the Magic Kingdom, and the Kingdom of God Tree at some distance, resulting in a nation with minimal influence.

“So, Clan Kingdom’s cooperation with Saramāju in attempting to overthrow the Empire is mainly to gain fertile lands and influence in order to satisfy the citizens, right?”

“Exactly. However, fulfilling the citizens’ hunger is just a facade. The true aim of the king and other high-ranking officials is the mines and special products they can obtain after defeating the Empire, along with the non-aggression treaty ensuring Saramāju won’t attack Clan Kingdom afterward.”

“Mines, special products, and a non-aggression treaty. It’s true that there are plenty of ores and unique products that can only be obtained in the Empire, so just acquiring those would boost Clan Kingdom’s economy and influence substantially. Additionally, if they win but are then attacked by Saramāju, that would render their victory meaningless, so the non-aggression treaty does seem reasonable.”

At first glance, it might seem like actions taken with the citizens’ hunger in mind, but the essence is merely a desire to gain influence and a position where they can negotiate with other nations, serving as a self-preservation tactic.

If they were genuinely acting for the citizens’ sake, they wouldn’t get involved in wars that would endanger them, and they could always seek assistance from the Sacred Nation or the Magic Kingdom.

Not doing so indicates that their greed to acquire the Empire’s land overpowered their willingness to seek help from outside, demonstrating a strong sense of pride.

“We’ve arrived.”

As the conversation about the current state of the Clan Kingdom was wrapping up, Kamael and the others found their carriage stopping in front of the village of Naron, as Mashuri, who was driving, opened the door.

“Everyone, we’ve arrived, so it’s time to wake up.”

“El…”

“I’m still not full!”

“Can’t… let go…”

“…………”

As Kamael attempted to get out of the carriage, he woke up Fiera, who seemed to be dreaming of Lewis, Shuvina, who appeared to be eating something in her sleep, Sonia with a suspicious smirk as she slept, and Sephiria, who was sleeping soundly like the dead, unlike the others.

“Hmm… Where’s El…?”

“He’s not here. Stop daydreaming and wake up quickly. We’ve already arrived.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Fiera’s obvious disappointment at Lewis’s absence led each of them to get out of the carriage and line up in front of Mashuri, who began placing restraints on them.

“I’m sorry, everyone. We have to do this to avoid raising suspicion, so please forgive me.”

“It’s fine. It’s actually better this way. If you say you captured us without any restraints, people will be suspicious of you. It can’t be helped.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Since the operation’s objective required the objective fact of them being abducted, they had to avoid drawing attention until they secured the necessary evidence.

“Ugh, this is so troublesome. I just want to kill everyone and meet El already.”

Kamael, understanding the situation, voiced his concern for Mashuri, but the others didn’t feel the same. Fiera especially, having been away from Lewis for so long, had been increasingly moody, often wagging her tail unhappily.

“By the way, I wonder how things are going over there?”

“Lafi talks with him every night, right? What did she say he’s doing now?”

“Hmm. She mentioned he’s currently in a carriage heading to the destination.”

“I see. So that means we got here first, huh?”

“Probably. But if they were to come back, it would take us longer, so we should wrap this up quickly and meet El.”

From an outsider’s perspective, this party appears to be a harem centered around Kamael, yet for some reason, the girls with him are buzzing about other boys, creating a strange scene.

However, after these past few days, Mashuri and the others had grown used to this sight, so there was no one to point it out at that moment.

“All done. Let’s go.”

Once everyone was restrained, they were led to the village entrance by Mashuri. Just as initially described, the entire village was indeed covered by earth magic in a dome shape, with only one visible entrance.

“Seeing something of this scale done with magic means there must be a decent magician around. Plus, the hardness of that wall and the refinement of the magic isn’t bad at all. Hehe, things are getting interesting.”

Watching the magic enveloping the entire village, Sonia, being a magician herself, quickly sensed the type of opponent they might be facing just from the magic alone and inexplicably smiled in delight.

“I’m glad you’re motivated, but can you tone it down a bit? Even though there’s recognition inhibition and presence concealment, if a girl is grinning like that, people will be wary.”

“Oh, how rude to say I have a scary face directed at a lady. If you keep saying such undelicate things, you won’t be liked by any girls, you know?”

“If someone like you likes me, I’d want to die immediately, so I’m fine as I am. Also, I don’t need to be liked by girls.”

“How utterly rude. Well, whatever.”

While Sonia looked a bit dissatisfied, she imitated Lewis, snapped her fingers, and used a transformation spell to change her appearance into that of a worn-out, ragged adventurer.

“Now, this should be complaint-free.”

“You didn’t have to go that far… Sigh. Well, whatever.”

Seemingly worn out from repeatedly pointing things out, Kamael held his head and followed Mashuri as they stepped into the village entrance.

At that time, they noticed a few knights on lookout, but thanks to the effects of the recognition inhibition and presence concealment that Lewis provided, they managed to enter the village without any problems.

 

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