We were already on edge because we had to save One-oh-one, so having these idiots get in our way only fueled our irritation.
We surrounded the Duke Army remnants and glared them down.
"Hey, you! You want a piece of this?! Huh?! We've got guns! We're not afraid of you lot!!!" the soldiers shouted, getting themselves worked up.
Ren took a deep breath.
And then...
"Kill them all!"
Well, as Huma-sensei taught us, we deployed our personal shields and charged.
"Gwaaaargh!"
We didn't even give them a chance to fire. We just grabbed them and started the beatdown.
In our annoyance, we used techniques that weren't lethal but were incredibly, agonizingly painful. I went for a headlock so tight I thought his skull might actually crack.
"Gyaaaaaaagh!"
I didn't let go, even when he tried to tap out.
The others were on the same wavelength. The boys were landing Indian deathlocks and figure-four leglocks; one guy was even pulling off a surprisingly professional scythe hold. Melissa had someone in an Achilles tendon hold, while Ren was locked in a cobra twist that looked like a genuine finisher.
Kevin just watched the spectacle with a look of pure exasperation.
Once they’d completely lost the will to fight, we finally let them go. I found the one with the highest rank by his insignia and dragged him over for an interrogation.
"G-Grand Dukeeeee! Please, just no more headlocks, I beg youuuuu!"
"I want inside that wall."
"Y-Yes, sir! Right away, sir! Opening the gate nowwwwww!"
We entered the city. Apparently, there hadn't even been a gate originally—the local garrison had just set one up so they could extort taxes from the locals. So they were just pocketing whatever they wanted, huh?
I see. Right. Got it.
"Stop with the Iron Claw! Please, stop ittttt!"
Peaceful resolution through the language of the body. Truly wonderful.
Led by the Duke Army patrol, we entered the city, causing the citizens to flee in terror.
"Wait! Stop doing the Iron Claw without saying anything! I ged it! I won't do it again!!" the commander sobbed, his face squeezed like a prize-game plushie.
Maybe I’ll pluck his hair out next time.
"That's the Administrative Center over there."
We stormed the makeshift Administrative Center. Inside, we found an old guy who looked more like a mountain bandit than a bureaucrat.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! I'm a Sato!"
I punched him without a second thought. Then I beat him to a pulp. My squad handled his subordinates with equal enthusiasm.
"Y-Your people are monsters... h-hieee! I'm sorry!!! Yes! You want to know if anyone turned into a woman lately? Yes! Many! There are many of them!"
"Where’s the report?"
"I didn't send one! Nothing from here reaches the top anyway! We have a standing order to handle everything ourselves!"
"Then where are the ones who changed?"
"We thought it might be a plague, so we quarantined them in the district north of the center. Just please, don't hit me again!"
"Look, I won't hit you as long as you act within the bounds of common sense."
Quarantine was the standard procedure, after all. I couldn't really blame them if they were acting in good faith. Since it was Zork-related, if they had just resorted to mass culling, I’d have had to drag them before the Imperial Capital courts. It was a difficult call for backwater locals to make. I'd heard stories of massacres on other fringe planets.
We requisitioned a Duke Army vehicle and raced toward the isolation district. It was cordoned off by a fence that looked flimsy compared to the city's outer walls. As we passed through the gate, a woman shouted at us.
"What do Sato's dogs want here?!"
Ren, her irritation reaching a boiling point, grabbed a megaphone and stepped out of the vehicle.
"We aren't Sato's dogs! This is Grand Duke Kamishiro, the new lord of this planet!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Sato was slain by my Lord! This world is now part of the Planet Kamishiro Main House!"
"Haha! That bastard Sato's finally dead?! Hey! Everyone! Sato's dead!"
Women began filing out of the buildings in droves.
"Is it true?! Sato's dead?! Serves the bastard right!"
"Ahahaha! Rot in hell! So, where's this new master of ours?"
Good grief... just as I was about to step out and deal with them, a chill ran down my spine. I opened a comms channel to Ren.
"Hostile detected."
Ren dropped the megaphone and raised her gun in one fluid motion. Simultaneously, the head of one of the women who had just emerged burst open, and a mass of tentacles whipped out.
Ren turned the thing into Swiss cheese instantly. Her movements were so fast and precise that her hands were a blur. It was a tentacle-type—small, so it probably hadn't been transformed for long—but Ren's fire ended it before it could move.
She’s gotten terrifyingly strong. Honestly, I don't think I could ever best her in a shootout.
"You asked what our business was," Ren said, cold as ice. "It’s this."
"Y-You've got to be kidding..."
"There must be others who have turned into monsters. Has anyone else been having nightmares lately?"
"Y-Yeah... plenty of us. I'll take you to them!"
"My Lord, I have secured their cooperation," Ren said, her gun clicking as she reloaded.
The rest of us hopped out of the vehicle.
"W-Wait! You guys... please, don't do anything too crazy..."
The women were visibly shaking, but their movements were still those of middle-aged men. They had clearly been men before the change.
"Don't worry. We're here to help. I'll have doctors sent over shortly," I said, putting on my most untrustworthy-looking smile.
I didn't say what I was actually thinking: I don't give a damn about any of you as long as I save One-oh-one.
"My Lord is merciful," Ren added. "As long as you don't attack us, you won't get hurt."
"Understood. I'm Roger. I'm the representative here—president of Roger Construction. Well, I used to be."
"I'm Leo Kamishiro. Major in the Imperial Army and Grand Duke... it’s basically the same rank as a Duke."
"You look pretty young. Are you royalty?"
"My wife is. I'm just riding her coattails, really."
"Haha! Fair enough. I'll make sure not to cross you, then."
"And why is that?"
"Because... no matter how you look at it, you've walked through hell, haven't you? One look at you is all I need."
I thought I just looked like a regular guy with a lazy expression. I guess that terrifying face I used to have vanished somewhere, maybe consumed by my Jester's ability.
"So, where do we need to go?"
I had to save One-oh-one. If I could settle this before she lost herself, everything would be fine.
"This way," Roger said.
We followed him deeper into the district.