The Centaurs stood there in a daze, their limited knowledge failing them—could you really still farm after you were dead?
At that moment, the Lich stepped forward at just the right time.
“I am an Undead Mage. If any of you are willing to become Undead, you’ll suffer less.”
They didn’t know what an Undead Mage was, but an instinctive fear made them keep silent.
Then, the Centaur chieftain staggered to his feet, seemingly forgetting his pain the moment he turned his head.
“You… You actually trample on our freedom…”
A resounding slap echoed, as thrilling as a dragon’s delight.
“You dare talk to me about freedom? Who do you think you are, Alan? What, are you going to shout ‘Tatakae’ next? Are you even worthy? I tried to talk to you nicely and ask you to work, but you just keep pushing your luck. If you refuse, there are plenty of Paru willing to do it! Slaughter this fool and bury him as fertilizer! Seriously, some people just don’t know what’s good for them.”
Hearing this, the Centaur chieftain’s eyes widened in shock.
What happened next left Genasa and the others utterly flabbergasted.
The once unyielding Centaur chieftain dropped to his knees, raising his hands to the sky as he swore:
“Sir, please go ahead and enslave us. Such freedom is not worth keeping. Those two slaps just now woke me up completely—becoming your slave is far more glorious than some vague, illusory freedom!”
His pathetic appearance was a far cry from the prideful man he had been moments ago.
Not only were Genasa and the Lizardmen a little surprised—even his own clansmen were stunned. A few of them even looked like they wanted to follow his example and beg for mercy, but hesitated where they stood.
“Heh.”
Watching him grovel and beg, Genasa snorted in disdain.
This guy was a chieftain too, but his skills hadn’t activated. Clearly, he wasn’t surrendering sincerely.
“You haven’t come to your senses. You just know you’re going to die. Do it.”
“What? No! Spare me! Ah!”
As he pleaded helplessly, a Lizardman raised his butcher’s knife and brought it down without the slightest hesitation.
With terror still frozen in his eyes, his head rolled to the ground and fresh blood stained the grass.
Once the intimidation had set in, Genasa spoke to the now-terrified Centaurs:
“It’s the same as before—you can all go back now and we’ll pretend nothing ever happened. But if anyone else tries to act like him, biting the hand that feeds you, you’ll end up the same!”
They were all too frightened to move, standing there in stunned silence.
This reaction was expected. Genasa sighed helplessly:
“Well, if no one’s leaving, then that’s that. Priest, you and your people keep watch. From now on, these Centaurs are in charge of farming. Anyone who slacks off, whip them to death!”
“Yes, sir! We will not fail your expectations!”
The Priest was overjoyed—being put in charge again meant Genasa still trusted the Lizardmen the most.
Now that the Centaurs were unarmed and their chieftain had been killed as an example, they were easy to control and Genasa didn’t have to worry.
Once everything was settled, the Lizardmen each went off to do their own tasks.
Genasa stayed in front of the trembling Centaurs, continuing his lecture:
“I’ll say this again—if you want to leave, you can go at any time. I won’t stop you. But if you want to stay, then follow the rules. And let me make it clear: even if you stay, you’ll never be one of us, at best you’re just slaves! I don’t really like it this way, but you brought it on yourselves!”
With that, he paid them no further attention, but some of the Centaurs finally came to their senses.
One of them struggled out of the group, planning to run away.
“Wow, you’re actually leaving?”
Genasa looked over and immediately waved his claws.
Behind him, a few sturdy Lizardmen sprang out with a flurry of swishing sounds—three set about beating the Centaur, while two flexed their strong bodies in warning.
“Hah! Hey! Yah~ha!”
The Centaur froze in place, both stunned and humiliated at being toyed with.
At that moment, a young, strong Centaur could take no more and pointed at Genasa’s nose, cursing loudly:
“You’re nothing but a bastard! You say you won’t make things hard for us, but look at this! Killing our chieftain and humiliating us! Don’t think us Centaurs are cowards afraid of death!”
He pointed at his kinsman, who’d been beaten half to death, and questioned Genasa angrily, ready to fight at any moment.
But Genasa shamelessly spread his claws:
“I said I wouldn’t make things hard for you, but I never said they wouldn’t. Besides, I just gave you all a chance to leave—if you didn’t take it, who’s to blame?”
“Just now? Isn’t that the same thing?”
Wasn’t that what he’d said before? He was still puzzled when Genasa began cursing him out:
“Back then I said ‘we’—I meant all of us. If you leave, just don’t come back. But just now, I said ‘I’—that’s just me, not the Lizardmen. Are you stupid? Got a screw loose? Might as well jump off a cliff.”
“……”
Never having experienced the cruelty of society, the Centaurs were thoroughly cowed, unsure what other twisted reasons Genasa might invent to torment them.
Seeing that they were finally obedient, Genasa sighed again:
“Ah… you just don’t get it, do you? Let me put it simply—freedom is earned with your fists, not by shouting. I’m stronger than you, so whatever happens to you is my freedom, get it?”
After he finished, the Centaurs still looked confused, making Genasa even angrier as he gave a new order:
“Damn it, beat every one of them! Old and young, don’t leave anyone out. If they still don’t get it after the beating, bury them!”
“We get it! We really get it! Your power is greater than ours—our so-called freedom is a joke in front of you.”
The Centaur who had just cursed Genasa immediately dropped to his knees and begged for mercy, finally easing Genasa’s anger.
“I’ll let you off for now. Give the one who just cursed me a good beating, then have the Priest assign them work. Anyone who slacks off gets buried!”
With his final orders to the five Lizardmen, Genasa completely washed his hands of the matter.
The Priest was at least of normal intelligence and had some experience, so he should be able to manage.
The only worry was that the Centaurs might rebel and overwhelm them, so Genasa left the Lich behind.
“You’re in charge of security here. I’m heading back.”
“Pfft.”
The Lich scoffed, saying nothing more.
Seeing the Lich’s defiant look, Genasa switched topics.
“Oh, right, I still owe someone some compensation and a reward, don’t I? Wonder if he still wants it.”
The Lich’s hollow eyes stared at Genasa, and his head tilted slightly, as if rolling his eyes.
“If you’re not giving it, then don’t. I wasn’t expecting—ow, ow~”
Before he could finish, a gentle green light made the Lich yelp in surprise.
In Genasa’s hand, a small, glowing green fruit appeared.
It was a low-quality Fruit of Life, about the size of a grape. Goli would occasionally give a few to Genasa and the others as snacks, with no side effects.
But to the Lich, who had no backing and was on the run, this was a priceless treasure.
The power of life was a real panacea, suitable for almost all creatures—especially an incredible tonic for the Undead.
Just this one tiny fruit would take untold amounts of blood and flesh to match.
“Ahem! Well, since it’s offered, there’s no reason not to take it.”
Looking a bit embarrassed, the Lich quickly reached out, snatched the fruit, and put it away with forced calm.
“So, can I count on you?”
“I will always remember my master’s commands. You can leave this place to me—I promise not to let you down.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.