Chapter 280 - Chapter Nineteen: Prisoner of War Camp
I heard a voice calling for the Headmistress. They must have brought the prisoners we were notified about. It should be the last group for today. Just as I thought it was a familiar voice, it was indeed Beowulf.
"Beowulf! I'm glad. You were safe!"
Heavy infantry are melee specialists. Paul-san had said before that the first battle is the most dangerous, so I was worried.
"Yeah, I was lucky."
She's laughing more lightheartedly than I thought.
"Does bringing prisoners mean you're in the middle of a break?"
"Yes. I can't speak in detail, but it seems to have reached a stalemate."
I feel more and more relieved at the exchange with the Headmistress. A stalemate in the defense of the fort means the defensive battle is going more or less well.
"Go have some wine with the prisoners."
"I have a mission, so just your words are enough."
She's laughing and replying to the Headmistress, who is pointing at a barrel.
"You'll let us drink wine?"
A prisoner with a very large body called out cheerfully with a friendly smile.
I thought he was quite cheeky for a prisoner, but it seems he and Beowulf hit it off. Apparently, he participated in the Engrio diversion for the Demon Lord subjugation unit.
"I'll have the condition of your injuries examined here in the treatment room. After that, I'll have you go into a cell and rest, but it's fine to have a glass of wine as a pick-me-up before you sleep."
"I'm grateful. I heard you all also participated in the Demon Lord subjugation unit. You're comrades, so to speak. I'm counting on you."
"This person is Bishop Catherine, the former hero."
"Are you serious! Shake my hand for a souvenir!"
As expected of the Headmistress. The prisoners are approaching one after another and showing their backs. Since they are restrained with their hands behind them, they can't greet her head-on.
"Behave yourselves. As you can see, this is a jail. Furthermore, it's haunted. The guards, look, they're ghosts like this."
When the Headmistress snapped her fingers, Fiona poked her face out from the ceiling and laughed, "Ufufu." Since she's wearing scary-style makeup, she's very impactful. Besides that, the Priestess who specially came from Finis to support us brought ghosts inside jewels. I wonder if she had a meeting with Fiona. They're putting their hands out from the ceiling and waving them around, and occasionally poking their faces out, laughing loudly, and then pulling back.
"Gyaaaaa!"
The prisoners—no, even Beowulf's face cramped, and even her colleagues screamed.
No matter how you think about it, she's overdoing it.
Two or three people ended up fainting.
"L-let me out! I can't stay in a place like this!"
They all clung to the Headmistress, clamoring.
"You'll be fine as long as you don't think of escaping or doing anything strange. However, if you don't want to be cursed, stay quiet until winter. It's alright. The church is backing this. Besides, you don't have to worry about food. Rest assured."
Since Beowulf and her colleagues went back to the battlefield, we start the treatment.
The threat seems to have been sufficiently effective, as the prisoners are all turning pale and trembling.
Since they've become completely quiet, I was able to examine the condition of their injuries easily.
In order, I take off the blood-stained cloths and wipe the wounds with mold-preventing water. The Headmistress examines the condition and casts [Heal].
The mold-preventing water should prevent the wounds from rotting. Flora taught me.
The big middle-aged guy who is on good terms with Beowulf couldn't move his shoulder because his right shoulder had been pierced twice by a silver sword, but he became able to move it to some extent with the Headmistress's [Heal]. For now, the pain seems to be strong.
"As expected of Hero Catherine. I thought I wouldn't be able to use it for the rest of my life."
"You're a heavy infantryman, right? Since it took time to get here, it might not return completely to how it was, but if you continue treatment, you'll manage at least the handling of a shield. Rest assured. Be grateful to Beowulf, who only pierced you and didn't cut it off."
"I see, so she didn't just save my life. She's a good person."
The big middle-aged guy says as if muttering.
"Is there something on your mind?"
When the Headmistress asks, the middle-aged guy sighs.
"That person could have killed me if she wanted to. Despite that, she didn't kill me, she just hurt my shoulder and punched my face to knock me out. She's a kind person. However, on the battlefield, kindness becomes a liability. While she's worrying about the enemy like that, she might be killed by someone who shows no mercy."
I knew it. I haven't forgotten the dark eyes on the day she decided to go to the front lines. Yet, when she brought this middle-aged guy, she had become quite bright.
"It's alright. That girl is my student. She only shows mercy at the moment she can kill the opponent; it's not that she's being careless."
"I see. Hero Catherine's student, huh. Then, I can rest easy."
The middle-aged guy laughs cheerfully. The soldiers who were with him were also drawn in and they all laughed.
Sertoria does not kill prisoners. They must know that. Even though they're terrified of the ghosts, it's a good thing that the injured people are showing smiles.
"I wonder if it'll heal by winter."
"It'll be fine. If you become a target for prisoner exchange, will you go out to the battlefield once more?"
"Yeah, because I have no merit other than fighting. I must repay the debt to His Majesty and the Margrave who picked me up."
"Then, fight to the extent that you don't die, and come here again."
"If I keep getting caught, I'll end up getting fired."
When the Headmistress laughed, saying, "That's true too," the prisoners laughed again.
We had them take off their handcuffs and drink wine. Since it's the last group, we decided to drink together.
"Phew—this is delicious. Is it alright to serve such high-quality stuff to prisoners?"
"It's fine. The royal palace will foot the bill."
She says it easily. The one who ordered it was the Headmistress. Won't she get scolded?
"Tonight, you'll sleep in the cells as you are. The ghosts won't enter the cells, so please rest assured. When dawn breaks, after having breakfast in the dining hall, you'll pray at the shrine. During the morning, we'll do treatments here in order. After lunch, it's fine for you to go outside the building. There's shade, so you can lounge around, or you can pray at the shrine. However, please do not approach the fence. We've stretched wire in front of the fence, so that's as far as you go. Even though you can't see them during the day, the ghosts are watching. After a bath, you'll pray, and then it's dinner. When the sun goes down, it's lights out. We priests will be on standby here. A total of five of us are planned to participate here in shifts. If anyone feels unwell, please call out to us at any time."
When I finished the explanation, the prisoners were blank-faced.
"The treatment seems quite good, but is it alright?"
Normally, they're apparently left in the cells without much treatment at all. Of course, famous nobles are an exception. There are also cases where they are placed under house arrest in a luxurious room with a lock.
"It's better to have you get well quickly. There's something I want you to do."
The Headmistress broached the subject. The main point is here.
"Forced labor?"
"It's during the times when it's not so hot. If you do it, the food will become better than it is now. I intend to hire a proper cook, though not to the extent of a professional. Meat or fish every day for the main dish. But, please work at least for the cost of the food. If you can work hard, I think I can also serve wine or mead at dinner."
The wage is half the market rate. With that, we'll cover the cost of supporting the prisoners.
"What are we going to do?"
"Reclamation. That said, we'll provide people who use magic, so you all please do the work that can't be done with magic."
Actually, the prisoner of war camp is in the Flatlands. We made a temporary camp by making a fence out of wood. There are five locations in total, and I'm teamed up with the Headmistress and three Priestesses. The prisoners who have become well will be engaged in reclamation while wearing leg irons during the period until the prisoners are exchanged during the winter truce. Of course, it's the prisoners whose injuries have healed. To be safe, so that magic cannot be used, we'll have everyone wear a [Magic-Sealing Ring].
The war started, and the reclamation plan was temporarily suspended. In its place, we'll have them help with grass cutting and slash-and-burn to make soil.
It's Harris-sama's idea.
He apparently persuaded the Archbishops in the Royal Capital at the risk of his job. After the persuasion, he also seems to have acted as a bridge with Engrio. If it hadn't been accepted, he apparently intended to become a rogue priest and do it even by gathering people with the same idea. Fortunately, the Archbishop in the Royal Capital accepted it.
The church treats only the enemy's prisoners. The administrative side bears the cost. The prisoners are made to engage in reclamation in the Flatlands, which has become a national policy, and the budget for reclamation that was saved is turned toward the maintenance of the camp.
Under the command of Harris-sama, the proposer, from Nakanohara, the Headmistress from the orphanage and three church priests including Kevin-sama from the church participated. The rest were participants from the Royal Capital and the Western Plains. The only super-high-ranking one is the Headmistress, but since the Priestesses from Finis came to support us, it should be fine even if seriously ill patients are brought in as emergencies.
I'm a rogue priest, but I was specially designated by Harris-sama. The allowance comes from the royal palace. It's, so to speak, the treatment of a volunteer army working in a field hospital.
If he had been rejected by the church, Harris-sama would surely have gathered rogue priests like me.
"We can do it, but what about the high-ranking nobles? They definitely won't do it."
"Right?" When the big middle-aged guy looked at the other prisoners, they all nodded.
Nobles probably don't do farm work.
"They don't have to do it, but they might end up going into a private room and talking with ghosts every night. Naturally, no wine with the food. I wonder if the main dish will only be dried meat or dried fish. Well, they'll probably pay the ransom and be released early anyway."
"Catherine-sama, that's cruel."
It seems those caught this time are at least not prideful nobles. They're all clapping their hands and laughing loudly.
"I heard that you five won the rank of knight through your own ability despite being from low-status families. So I want you to be the leaders of the prisoners. You'll sleep as you are tonight, but please tell everyone that story tomorrow morning."
For now, no famous nobles have been caught. High-born nobles probably don't do rough things like charging into a fort.
"That's fine. I've heard rumors, but Sertoria is an interesting country. I'll get well quickly and show you the ability of a former serf. In exchange, please give us meat or fish for dinner, and wine or mead. How about it? You guys?"
When the big middle-aged guy looked back at the other four, they all laughed and agreed.
The next morning, as a result of the big middle-aged guy explaining to the other prisoners, it seems it was successfully accepted. Normally, prisoners can't complain no matter what is done to them, even if they are killed. However, if you kill too many, the opponent's will to fight will seethe. It is considered good to treat them moderately. If they do farm work, wages will be paid, albeit low, and if they work hard, the food will become better and alcohol will be served. For the country, if reclamation can be done with low wages, there's nothing more to say.
After consulting with the Headmistress, we divided them into several groups and had them compete, and we promised that for the group that achieved the best results in a week, we would increase their wages and add one dish to their dinner and one more drink, for the second, one dish and one more drink, and for the third, one dish. They suddenly became motivated. I think the current food is not so bad for captives, but they probably want fresh meat, fish, and alcohol. They told us to treat them quickly.
Those who were caught without getting injured will already be working under the same conditions. Of course, with surveillance. Several martial arts types from the self-defense corps and hunters are watching.
Day after day, they go to the wasteland, and we're having them organize the weeds cut by Lyudmila with [Wind Cutter] and pull up the roots of shrubs. The cut grass and pulled-up roots are burned after drying and used for soil making.
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye-bye."
The lower-class soldiers of Engrio, although they are a standing army, are apparently mostly free farmers who bear the obligation of military service. They are, so to speak, experts in farm work. On top of that, we provide Lyudmila and Mary. In addition to the popularity of Mary, who newly learned [Blizzard], the agricultural discussions with Lyudmila during breaks blossomed, and it seems they became friends in no time. During work, we use [Mist] to block the sunlight. There's no way the reputation would be bad.
When the two of them waved, the prisoners waved back.
"Mary was cute today too. And I didn't think the lunch bento would be that delicious."
"Yeah, I want my wife to follow her example."
"The break was in an icehouse, and the service of chilled towels was also thoughtful."
"You, you gripped the hand of Angelica-san, who handed you the bento, and were isolated in the carriage, right? Because you left the front line, our group was quite delayed."
"No, she was beautiful, so I just did it without thinking. I won't do it anymore. Both my hands were frozen in ice anyway."
After passing in front of the cages, they went straight to the bathhouse.
The injury group is looking enviously at the prisoners who returned from farm work looking like they were having fun.
"Hey, Priest Jeanne. We can pull grass too."
"No. Until the Headmistress... Bishop Catherine gives the OK, you are treated as injured."
"But the bento is apparently delicious. We want to try eating it too."
Several people are grabbing the iron bars of the cages and grumbling.
We made a hot pot for last night's dinner. Even though they were praising it, they're already like this.
The meals for the prisoners who started farm work are transported via magic circles, made by the mothers of the Nakanohara Bento Service led by Angelica-san. The bentos were apparently distributed by Angelica-san, and it seems it was quite a hit.
"It can't be helped. I'll give a special bento to the three people who get good results in tomorrow's test."
As a way for the prisoners to kill time, we're teaching them how to read and write.
"Is that true?"
Three people who had been sulking in the back stood up. They are the top performers. Since the bath is already finished, they just have to sleep after having dinner with the prisoners who returned.
"Wait a minute! Isn't it advantageous for those who could read and write to some extent before becoming prisoners!"
The big middle-aged guy can't read or write properly despite being a knight.
"Let's decide based on how much you increase your score from today's test results."
The test also includes quite difficult characters taken from the doctrine books. There are no perfect scores.
"T-teach me. I'll study from now on!"
Everyone crowded toward the iron bars at once.
"Then, let's have a study session here after dinner."
In the end, it became a study session even after lights out with [Firefly] attached to the ceiling, but it's probably good since everyone showed motivation.
The next day, at the injury group's lunch time, one of the mothers from the bento service came to distribute them. Three people ate the bentos, and the rest were given one dish that is popular with the farm work group as a reward for working hard until late at night.
"You must never die. Go home safely. Otherwise, the family left behind will cry."
I told them later that the mother who distributed them was actually a war widow. In other words, her husband was killed by the Engrio army in the previous war.
"It's definitely better not to have wars. But, once it's decided that you'll be called up and fight, you must never be careless. You'll be killed, right? And when the battle is over, please be sure to remember that both enemies and allies have families and friends."
Everyone nodded at the Headmistress's words and prayed to the Goddess for the mothers.