Wrecking the Database 17

Wrecking the Database 17

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Commissioned by Weise

Wordcount: 2500

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The people of Elder Tale learned of violence quickly. They weren’t some sniveling people, who turned their noses up at change, but humans whose circumstances were different. An idiot would say humans are naturally predisposed towards violent means and ends, but it’s nearly always the situation that drives a person to change and adapt.

If given everything, a man would happily just grow fat, lazy, and happy, but if he’s put in a position where he needs to work, he’ll work.

If he needs to kill, he’ll kill.

I couldn’t speak for murderers who kill just for the heck of it, but generally speaking no one thinks they’re the villain. People believe that they’re doing the right thing, which is why they’re hard to convince to change. No one wants to think that they’re terrible, misguided, and aren’t the best, even if that’s the case for most, including myself. A person is nearly always out to help themselves and others in whatever they’re doing. 

Everyone thinks they’re just, righteous, and morally rich. 

Generally, with society involved in guiding people towards the right path, everyone turns out okay. Even if that okay is becoming wage slaves, it’s better than becoming murderers in a world of anarchy, where everything needs to be fought over. The mentality of being correct and right in what you know, which has been told to you by others since your birth, helps in stifling things that would be detrimental to society. 

What I’m saying is that I hope that the people of this world will see violence as something terrible.

It’s for purely selfish reasons, since I was the one who had them experience it. I didn’t want for it to weigh me down. There was no doubt in my mind about what I wanted. I needed this world’s people to be able to handle events themselves, whatever those events might be, so that me and mine wouldn’t have to risk anything, despite being able to come back to life, while also not having to suffer from the fact that there would be normal people dying for our sake.

If I could take everything I wanted, I gladly would.

I’m the sort of person that thrives in places without rules, after all.

…

The levies dealt with the infestations and spawn points that they came across. Though it was naturally conserving its strength, making it so that most of the force wasn’t hurt, tests were being conducted and strategies were being developed. This was at the cost of lives, given the threat they were facing, but only a handful given the preparations in place and the availability of magic. 

They had healing magic, but they didn’t have much in the way of mana. Since we were constrained by the rules of Elder Tale, it was only natural to assume that the same applied to the People of the Land, and that they would get stronger the more dangerous the monsters they killed. However, the average person, even those with magic, didn’t have the fact that they couldn’t die to fall back upon. A Player can heedlessly run into challenge after challenge, gaining XP and power without having to worry, while the people of Elder Tale had only one life. 

“Just” being immortal created a gap between Players and regular people.

One that had to be surmounted by the fact that they outnumbered us a thousand-to-one.

The idea of supply lines wasn’t a new one. Even with only a small force composed of the elite, the duke was aware of their needs, since they couldn’t be wasted. Each of the Royal Knights and Mages were nigh-irreplaceable assets, thus they were afforded everything they required. Health potions, mana potions, and top-of-the-line equipment were afforded to them without a second thought. 

So, I suggested that right extended to regular mages, but only with mana potions… after backing down from the notion that that every soldier should be treated like an elite. It wasn’t perfect. It would be better if every soldier did have the absolute best. Yet, being able to call upon magic for healing and offensive purposes was proving vital for the levies to hold and sometimes make progress. Until, of course, the Mages in question can’t force themselves to force down any more liquid down their gullets.

I want them to be handle themselves, but there’s a point where I have to step in to alleviate some of my concerns and see the outcome of my own actions.

That’s where I came in.

Or, if I wanted to be suitably grandstanding: thus, I entered the field hospital established a town away from our primary destination, while the rest of the army moved in.

Only a dozen men have died from the tests and development of new strategies, but the number of critically injured and those sporting wounds numbered just shy of a hundred. The mobs were as deadly as one could expect of creatures born to kill and be killed, who had no fear, and were capable of otherworldly feats, so that they could be challenges to surmount by immortal individuals. 

They were devastating against normal people.

Men lost limbs more often than broke them. Healing magic managed to stabilize those who received blows that turned their insides into muddled viscera, but didn’t manage to completely heal them. Whatever cuts and bites they received were from teeth and weapons meant to do damage, no matter how slight, to individuals who were tougher naked than most men in full plate. Naturally, I looked on a scene straight out of hell, with walking wounded, frenzied Mages, and dozens of men slowly dying or in pain from wounds that couldn’t be completely fixed.

With a wave of my staff, a droplet from the well of power I had, I cast Minor Group Heal. 

Ten men stopped screaming and thrashing and gritting their teeth instantly as their wounds closed and their flesh regenerated. Before they could ask questions, I cast Heal on a man who lost his leg, and watched as the bandages on his stump fell away to a new leg. Another Heal and another man regained his arm. A dozen Minor Group Heals later and the tent was filled with strangers clamoring to thank me, instead of injured.

An idiot would be happy with this, if they were I my stead.

I’d expected what I was doing now to be within the abilities of the Mages that accompanied the levies. 

However, that obviously wasn’t the case.

I’d utterly miscalculated the abilities of the people of this world… and if I couldn’t do anything about it, then I would have to change my plans utterly.

Not only would I be incapable of keeping this plan in motion, but this would also not suffice for Komachi. This wouldn’t be saving the world by their own strength, which would have it so that my sister and companions could stay safe, but instead they’d be waging a war in which everyone in my group would throw themselves at and risk their lives within. 

Yes, without a doubt, I had to find out if I could even the odds between Players and the People of the Land more than I already did. 

…

The Mages were gathered before me, with the one leading them seated at the head of the table. I didn’t bother asking for their names. This wasn’t the time for that. The moment they were able to consume more mana potions, they were going to go back out to threat the wounded, thus I didn’t have time to waste.

“How many of you are dedicated Healers?” It was a simple question, so its answer was simple too. There would be no lying amongst the group. They were talking to an immortal being that did all their work in an instant, without requiring rest, while they were incapable and floundering beneath the weight of their responsibility. I put that fact to use without hesitation, so the dozen Mages all raised their hands. “How many of you want to be?”

All the hands stayed raised. 

Yes, without a doubt, the people before me were Mages for other reasons. They were brought in to fill a role, to outside their specialty, and utilize magics they haven’t been studying all their lives.  Each of them would be better suited elsewhere, but that didn’t matter to me in the slightest. Here and now, they were supposed to be healers, and that was what they were going to be. 

“That doesn’t matter to me. From now on, you’ll be learning how to be a healer from me.” Zaimokuza and I went through the length and breadth of the systems while we were making our way through the new dungeons. It was possible to cast skills from the menu, or cast it by calling out its name. However, since PvP was possible, we also put to the test if we can cast our abilities without using either method. The answer was yes, but only by knowing what exactly needs to be done and setting your mind towards achieving it. “Forget whatever you’ve trained in. Stop believing you’re anything else. Here and now, you’re going to be healers under my command.”

There was anger and apprehension in their eyes. Those who were older were struggling with their pride. Those who were younger fought with their talent. Some, who were stuck and picked up despite their mediocrity, just lowered their heads. If I weren’t who I was, with all the power I wielded and respect I demanded, there would be no doubt these people would protest, even after they nearly failed to do what they were asked. 

But I’m no longer just that person.

Even if I wanted to pretend to be.

“Refusing me means abandoning this army. Abandoning this army is a betrayal to the duchy. Betrayal to the duchy has only one result.” It was a threat. Or, I liked to think it was just a threat. Only victory was possible from my actions now. I’ve amassed enough forces, gathered enough allies, and prepared well enough that the only thing left to do is mitigate casualties. This wasn’t a threat. With the victory that was to come, I was offering them a death sentence. It’s not something that might happen. It will. “If you dislike it, I suggest that you suck it up, listen to me, and learn. You can forget everything I teach you after, and refuse to join the levies again, if you hate it. But, if you choose to leave now, there’s only one outcome and it won’t be pleasant.”

Those were words cobbled together from what I knew about threats. I made sure it was direct, evil, and without a chance for compromise. Without a doubt, if I was in anime, I’d be looming over the people gathered before me like a giant covered in shadow. To be honest, I found that thought gratifying before I found myself actually doing it. Instead of gratification, I felt nothing while I leveraged the future against the poor people before me, while they could only quake in their boots.

It took a while for one of them to speak, but it was the eldest of them that did.

He got onto his knees bowed.

“I’m sorry, Hikigaya-sama, but we cannot do such a thing. We’re not as you are.” My nervousness clouded my vision. After those words reached me, I blinked, took a breath, and saw the faces before me in a different light. Though I saw them as people, and though I was aware of my status, I didn’t reach the point where I could truly understand them. As the old man prostrated himself, despite all the years and experience he had on me, I became infinitely more aware of my failure. “I beg for your forgiveness, but we cannot do as you asked us to do, and cannot better ourselves as you and yours can.”

There was only one thing to do.

Backtrack as fast as humanely possible without fucking myself up.

“Get up. I don’t need that. And, I don’t need you to apologize before you’ve even tried.” Did it cross my mind that the people of this world were different? Yes. Did I know that they weren’t comparable to Players? Yes. However, for some reason, though I took advantage of the fact that they knew how strong we were… I didn’t ever think that they doubted that they could ever be as strong as us. That they were weak, couldn’t compare, and were utterly incapable, despite the fact that the Chivalric orders existed, who were all NPCs. In short, despite being individuals talented with magic, these people before me thought themselves inept and weak. Something which I didn’t consider. “I will teach you. You will do the best you possibly can. You can grovel and apologize when you fail. Not before.”

“T-thank you, Hikigaya-sama!”

A chorus of appreciation reached me.

I didn’t deserve a bit of it.

As merciful my words probably sounded to my audience, they were truly just my attempt to maintain my current status. 

If these people, who’ve trained their whole lives, had no confidence in matching my abilities… then how could have that same confidence?

A person generally knows who they are. Even those without confidence has a rough estimate, at least enough to try to rise to a challenge. However, here I was before a new and old generation of magic-users, who all believe that they’re incapable and are ready to give up the moment they’ve been provided with a challenge.

The best possible conclusion would be that they were fooled, that they didn’t know anything, and that they were simply lacking without proper instruction. Instruction that I could provide, relay to them, and have them utilize to what I wanted. Yes, the best outcome I could hope for now was for a misunderstanding between seven separate people that would end with all seven people being completely wrong. 

The worst conclusion would be that we were all right, that all our suspicions were correct, and that I would see my plans killing hundreds of young people that I hoped would stay alive. Thus, not only would I have all that blood on my hands, but all my efforts would not suffice, and my companions and sister were going to risk their lives, despite everything that I did.

The only possibilities left to me were absolute victory or complete defeat. 

Thus, I did my best to keep calm, even as my heart raced within my chest.

“Settle down. Get yourselves seated. There’s no time to waste. You will listen and you will learn as much as you can.” I strode forward with confidence I didn’t have, with a resolute mask that hid a tangle of nerves, while my stomach ached and churned. “You will do your best. You will attempt to learn from me all you possibly can. If you fail after you try, then you’ll be moved elsewhere, so that you can be of use. If you don’t fail, then you will work with me here.”

All I could do now was hope for something impossible to happen in the few minutes I had to teach these mages.

I’m such a fucking idiot!