It was a familiar name.
As someone who studied political science, or even for anyone with the slightest knowledge of world history, it was impossible not to recognize the term.
Individually, the words “labor” and “camp” were utterly ordinary.
But the moment they were combined, they took on an unspeakably horrific meaning.
“…What kind of place is this?”
“I’m not sure of the details. However, it has been confirmed that the upper echelons of various countries have been constructing facilities under such a name.”
Judging by Kalia’s lack of knowledge about its purpose, it seemed that even the organization had not fully grasped the internal workings of these facilities.
Perhaps they had only gathered information because the name appeared in documents and meetings, raising some suspicions.
“Do you have any idea what this might be, Ishmael?”
“Somewhat.”
Though I was momentarily caught off guard by the name, after some thought, I realized that it was probably different from the ones I knew—the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
No, it had to be different.
The technology wasn’t advanced enough yet.
To systematically detain and exterminate a large population, then dispose of the bodies, required far more sophisticated methods than one might think.
Places like Auschwitz and Dachau, horrifying as they were, were products of scientific and technological advancements accumulated since the Industrial Revolution.
The transportation infrastructure, such as railroads, and mass-killing weapons like poison gas—convenient to produce and deploy—were all necessary.
Without technologies that would not be developed for at least several hundred years, even imitating such methods would be difficult.
“Old-fashioned massacres are easier to detect.”
Without such advancements, they would have to resort to physically killing people one by one—like the Battle of Changping in the Qin Dynasty or the Xin’an Massacre by Xiang Yu.
And if that were happening, there was no way our organization wouldn’t have noticed.
There was no chance that my superiors would have failed to detect the slow process of killing hundreds of thousands and disposing of the bodies and evidence.
“Where are these facilities mostly being built?”
“Mostly near mines and quarries, it seems.”
“Then, as the name suggests, they must be forced labor camps.”
Thus, my speculation was that these so-called “labor camps” mentioned in the reports were merely an extension or expansion of existing forced labor practices.
There had already been segregated residential areas (ghettos) for demonic beings—just like how Jews were treated on Earth.
Perhaps these populations were being relocated to remote areas, where they were forced to perform dangerous and grueling labor, such as mining.
“It will likely be run in a very brutal manner. Those who resist will be killed, and those who fail to meet quotas will be punished.”
Since it was forced labor, some degree of violence and coercion was inevitable.
Managing an entire population in confinement would make it easy to maintain control.
Regulating food rations, making examples of those who resist, or even taking hostages—such tactics had been used since ancient times.
“Crazy bastards…”
Kalia muttered a curse under her breath.
It was rare to see her losing control of her emotions like this.
In truth, while we might describe it in ordinary terms, it was undoubtedly an act of insanity.
Forcibly relocating an entire race, imprisoning them, and then making them perform deadly labor?
Even if it wasn’t a full-scale extermination camp, it was still a crime that would be remembered in history.
“The madness of war, I suppose.”
The state needed a large workforce, particularly for physically demanding and high-mortality jobs, and they had chosen a particular race to bear the burden.
And where would the displaced able-bodied men go?
To the battlefield, most likely.
Those strong enough to mine iron ore and carry stones were also prime candidates for military service.
They were restructuring the entire national industry to funnel as many people into the military as possible.
I had introduced them to the concept of total war, but these otherworldly nations had absorbed it a little too well.
“And there might be more to it.”
“Is forcing them into deadly labor not bad enough? What else could there be?!”
“Scapegoats.”
“…Ah.”
The propaganda had already confirmed the rising nationalism, ethnic exclusivity, and hostility toward other races and enemy nations.
The demon race had already been vilified, demonized at every turn.
So why not move the object of hatred to a more distant, easily contained location?
Most existing ghettos were located within cities, which made it risky—riots or massacres in such areas could damage the cities themselves.
But if they were relocated to remote mining regions.
No matter how much destruction, fire, or death occurred there, cleanup wouldn’t be a problem.
The social exhaustion and frustration caused by war.
The rage of bereaved families who lost loved ones in battle.
The xenophobia fueled by nationalism and the fear of the “other.”
The demon race made for the perfect scapegoat—convenient, effective, and requiring little effort.
The mines were an ideal sacrificial altar for their slaughter.
“They won’t kill all of them.”
“Then you’re saying some will have to die?”
“Yes. At the very least, tens of thousands across the country.”
Of course, they wouldn’t exterminate them all.
The high-ranking officials would know that if they wiped out their scapegoats completely, they would have no one left to blame in the future.
Instead, they would allow for a certain number of killings—just enough, in each region, to satisfy the people’s need for vengeance and catharsis.
And after that… I wasn’t sure.
Would they be sent back to their original homes?
Or would they be kept in the convenient containment zones for further use?
Either way, they were disposable pawns, nothing more than cannon fodder.
“Hah.”
A short sigh.
Kalia clenched her teeth and collapsed into a chair, unable to even form a proper response.
“Why… Why must our race suffer this fate? What crime have we committed? What original sin are we being punished for?”
She clutched her chest in anguish, tears streaming down her face.
I could only swallow my bitterness and give her the only answer I had.
“Because we offended that damn goddess. That’s all there is to it—for you and for me alike.”
The demon race had done nothing wrong.
The Demon King had never sought to exterminate humanity, nor had he ever attempted world domination.
They had never enforced an exclusionary religion that deemed other races inferior.
At least the Jews had been accused of killing Jesus—a fabricated excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.
But these people didn’t even have that.
They suffered simply because some wretched deity in the heavens favored humanity alone.
It was the ultimate absurdity—but what could we do?
I, too, was just another victim of this absurdity.
“Let’s change the subject. Something else—anything, just to lighten the mood.”
I tried to shift the conversation, hoping to lift her spirits.
After all, there was some good news to share.
*****
“We’ve just passed mid-April, haven’t we?”
“…That’s right.”
It had been ten months since the war began.
A new year had come, and with it, the warmth of spring.
“It seems that the warring nations are struggling to maintain their agricultural output.”
On this continent, the main staple crop—wheat—is sown in two major seasons:Winter wheat is planted between October and November.
Spring wheat is sown between February and March.
Yet, even now, in late April, some fields remained barren, with no fresh green sprouts in sight.
And what did that mean?
It meant there weren’t enough laborers to plant the crops.
If this continued, a food shortage was inevitable by the time summer ended.
“Not all territories are affected, but some lords are clearly facing difficulties.”
Of course, this problem wasn’t universal.
Apart from the Helvetian Republic, no nation had conscripted so many men that they were experiencing a total labor crisis.
Even in the Republic’s case, the cooperation of its own people and the use of prisoners had prevented the situation from becoming catastrophic.
However, certain domains that had lost too many able-bodied men were indeed struggling.
“Our organization is going to take advantage of this.”
“How exactly?”
“By providing food in exchange for land.”
This was where the organization’s clever plan came into play.
Through its affiliated trading companies, it would smuggle food from non-participating nations (there were still a few left) and, in return, acquire the usage rights to abandoned farmland for the next 20 years.
It seemed they had put to use an idea I had casually mentioned to the branch chief before.
“Since the land is practically unusable until the war ends, they’ve agreed to lease it in exchange for food to survive in the meantime.”
Domestic food supplies were scarce.
With so much being seized for military rations and taxes, there was hardly anything left in the markets.
That was what made this deal possible.
We gained land to comfortably train and station our members.
They got food to survive.
It was a win-win exchange.
As a reward for “stealing” my idea and making it happen, the branch chief had been promoted.
He was now in charge of managing the bases and training centers that would be established on the newly acquired lands.
And his replacement?
Surprisingly, our very own Kalia had been appointed to the position.
“Until your academy assignment ends, you’ll have to handle branch chief duties as well. It looks like you’re in for a rough time.”
“…So, overtime every day is inevitable, huh?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you out.”
As she let out a deep sigh, I patted her on the back reassuringly.
Even when the previous branch chief was here, I had handled a lot of the administrative work.
To be honest, that guy was great at analyzing gathered intelligence, but utterly hopeless at desk work.
Besides, I was much better at it.
Reviewing reports and stamping approvals was far easier than writing a graduation thesis.
“Oh, and there’s news from the Hispania Empire branch.”
This next piece of information was far more significant than our lady’s little promotion.
“What is it?”
“The disaster relief budget has been drastically reduced.”
At last, Malthusian theory had begun to show its power.