Disappointing Teleportation Magic ~ Even Though The Movement Distance Is Only 1 Millimeter, I Will Rise Through Ingenuity ~ - Chapter 55.2

Looking at the map Araseli drew, it was clear that Viscount Selkink’s army was continuing its advance, but it would take at least another month before they could completely encircle Fulmelinta. That is, if Fulmelinta didn’t send reinforcements in the meantime.

Viscount Selkink’s forces would also find it harder to secure supplies as they moved further from their own territory, so it wasn’t wise to assume they could continue advancing at their current pace.

It doesn’t matter if the Second Prince’s faction is struggling, but the longer it takes to reclaim Eberwein territory, the longer it will take for my own domain to be decided.

When I was appointed as a marquis at the memorial service, honestly, I just found it bothersome, but now I have a goal.

I plan to invite Tariq and his family, who once did me a favor, to my domain so they can live in peace, and I will also provide them with work.

And, I want to have enough power to lend a hand to my classmates who were summoned with me, if necessary, but I have no idea where they are.

“Umino-san, haven’t you heard anything about our classmates?”

“The information from the Second Prince’s faction is all just optimistic lies.”

“Nothing from Araseli’s side either?”

“I’m sorry. They say they’ve infiltrated the occupied Eberwein territory and are searching, but no information has come out yet. There’s also the possibility that they haven’t returned from Nakasu…”

Nakasu, which is at the center of the territorial dispute, is currently under the control of Fulmelinta’s forces.

I don’t know how big it is or whether there are places to hide, but if they’re not dead, they’ve likely been captured.

“If, hypothetically, our classmates were captured by Fulmelinta, couldn’t we negotiate for their release?”

“To be honest, I think it would be difficult…”

I asked if it would be possible to do something similar to the prisoner exchanges on Earth, but Araseli’s expression darkened.

“There’s no precedent for that?”

“When nobles are captured, they can sometimes be exchanged for other captured nobles or ransomed back. However, Yuto-sama’s friends are treated as commoners, so unless we have a large number of captives ourselves, negotiations would be difficult.”

In this world, there’s no sense of human rights like on Earth.

Slavery is a normal institution here, and there probably aren’t any agreements like the Geneva Conventions regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.

“Araseli, you said before that those captured on the battlefield become war slaves, right?”

“Yes, which is why most soldiers do not surrender. They choose to die fighting rather than fall into slavery.”

Hearing Araseli’s words, Umino-san and the others’ expressions darkened.

If someone told you to choose between surrender or death… I’m sure my classmates would surrender.

From our perspective, prisoners of war have their human rights protected and are repatriated after the war.

Without someone to explain the situation, they probably wouldn’t realize they could be enslaved.

“Araseli, could you explain the slavery system?”

“Yes. While there are minor differences, the system is almost the same in most countries. Slaves are broadly categorized into three types: debt slaves, criminal slaves, and war slaves.”

“How are they different?”

“Debt slaves become slaves for a certain period until they repay a debt or compensate for damages they cannot otherwise pay. Criminal slaves are those who become slaves for a set period as part of their punishment for a crime. War slaves are those captured on the battlefield by an enemy nation and remain slaves unless rescued by their own country.”

“So, war slaves are treated the worst?”

“Yes, since they are created by war, and there is often added resentment toward the enemy nation, their treatment tends to be harsher.”

The more I hear, the more my classmates’ situation seems hopeless, but despair won’t solve anything.

“Umino-san, do you know how many classmates were last confirmed?”

“The last confirmed number was fourteen: six girls and eight boys.”

“That was before the wyverns came, right?”

“Yes, four girls and three boys died participating in the operation to take Nakasu. After that, we were left with fourteen, but I don’t know what happened since.”

“Fourteen… With that many left, they wouldn’t just be abandoned, right?”

Given their numbers, and considering that those summoned from another world wouldn’t be wasted, abandoning them would be detrimental to the battle for the throne.

But since this much time has passed without any news, it’s probably best not to rely on the Second Prince’s faction for protection.

There’s no way I can go searching for them myself, so in the end, I have no choice but to rely on someone.

The only options I could think of were to ask Alberic for help from the First Prince’s faction or to work through Umino-san and the others to gain cooperation from the Second Prince’s side.