by Hyougetsu
I’m surprised you could tell. The Garney brothers looked stronger than me, Monza had an air of confidence about her that made her seem like a leader, and Parker had the look of an official. His insight had shaken me a little, but I kept my cool and responded, “I am the Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander, Veight.”
Petore nodded, confirming his suspicions.
“The Demon Lord’s vice-commander, eh? I see they sent over quite the big-shot.”
“I’m impressed you could tell, old man,” Garsh interjected.
“It’s easy enough to tell who everyone defers to by looking at their posture and mannerisms. This man may not act self-important, but it’s clear he holds power.”
“Oooh... impressive,” Monza muttered. It was rare for her to be impressed by a human. However, Petore didn’t seem to think much of the feat and urged everyone to sit.
“Settle down, you lot. I’ll bring out some tea for you.”
It appeared this viceroy was quite experienced as well. Garsh started off the negotiations by explaining recent events.
“And that’s why the demon army helped us slay the Terror of the Deep. These guys keep their promises, and I saw with my own eyes just how strong they are. We can trust these guys, old man.”
However, Petore wasn’t moved at all by Garsh’s heartfelt speech.
“Pah! I don’t have time to listen to a youngster who can’t even secure his own trade routes!”
“It’s not like you were able to secure them either, you damn geezer. What’d Lotz’s navy do to stop that Kraken, huh?”
Garsh’s counterarguments didn’t get through to Petore at all.
“Beluza’s the one who needed those routes to be kept safe the most. Lotz trades mostly with the east, so the loss of a sea lane to Beluza’s no problem for us at all.”
“Grr...”
So Beluza’s more dependent on Lotz than Lotz is on Beluza. That aside, Petore was being surprisingly harsh. While their quarrel looked more like an argument between father and son than a serious fight, as Beluza’s ally I should probably intervene here.
“I’ve heard that both Beluza and Lotz are essential strongholds of Meraldia’s southern sector. Of the two, Beluza has already agreed to ally with us. Would you not at least consider allying with us as well?”
I made sure to keep my tone respectful, since I was dealing with someone much older than me. Petore folded his arms and scowled at me.
“I can consider it all you want, but what do you plan to do if I refuse?”
Any demon other than me would have instantly replied “Conquer you.” In fairness, that was my plan as well. But forcing people to submit via force only bred resentment. While I was considering how best to reply, Garsh butted in and said, “Beluza’ll take ya over, of course. If you won’t join the demon army, then you’re our enemy.”
Damn it, Garsh, I’m trying to settle things peacefully here. As I’d feared, Petore glared at Garsh.
“Oh, you really think you can do it, kid?”
There was a sharp glint in his eyes. But Garsh didn’t back down.
“Course we can. I brought five hundred men with me, and if you don’t give us what we want we ain’t leaving without a fight.”
Oi, seriously, cut that out. But I’d been left completely out of the conversation, and could only watch as Petore grinned and replied, “You truly believe you can kill me, kid?”
Garsh responded quietly, “I’m Beluza’s Viceroy. If it’s for the sake of Beluza, I’ll kill anyone, even you. Don’t think I won’t do it just cause you were a father to me. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to govern Lotz well in your place.”
With how the conversation was progressing, my werewolves were growing eager as well. They were ready to transform at any time, and if I gave the order they’d rush Petore. Garsh’s subordinates silently gripped the hilts of their weapons as well. Naturally, Lotz’s armored troops responded in kind. They’d lowered their centers of gravity, and had their hands on their weapons. This could turn violent at any moment. But then Petore roared with laughter, breaking the tension.
“Looks like ya finally grew a pair! Bwahahahaha!”
“Wh-What!?”
Garsh’s eyes widened in surprise, as did his men’s. Petore got to his feet and clapped Garsh on the shoulder.
“Now that’s how a viceroy should act! Glad to see ya finally grew up! I can finally brag about what a great viceroy ya are to Grasco’s spirit. He can finally be proud of his little boy!”
“O-Okay?”
After his sudden fit of laughter, tears welled up in Petore’s eyes.
“It’s been what, seventeen... no, eighteen years since ya took over your father’s post? I wanted to make sure you grew up into a respectable young man before I joined your old man.”
“I never knew you were that worried about me, geezer!” Garsh exclaimed, shocked.
“Course I was, ya damn brat! The Great White Shark of Lotz and the Black Whale of Beluza were a combination so terrifying even the Senate was scared shitless of us! I couldn’t possibly leave this world knowing Grasco’s only son was a lazy good-for-nothing brat!”
I’d really like to know what part of Garsh looks like a lazy good-for-nothing. Sniffling, Petore heaved a long sigh.
“A viceroy must always be putting the safety and prosperity of his city above all else. Even if that means fighting his own brother. I’m glad ya finally have some backbone in ya, Garsh.”
“...Thanks.”
Garsh looked away, embarrassed, and stroked his beard. Petore then turned to me.
“It looks like you helped my best friend’s son out quite a bit. You seem like an interesting fellow, so I’ll hear you out at least. So what’s your story, kid?”
Petore sure switched gears fast.
I told Petore about the demon army’s current condition, our alliance with Ryunheit, and our relationship with the other southern cities. I finished my speech by saying, “The Demon Lord wishes to form an alliance with all of Meraldia’s southern cities. He is aware of the rift between the north and the south, and is willing to aid the southern cities in improving their infrastructure since the north will not.”
Petore absorbed everything with a calm expression, a stark contrast to his earlier boisterous attitude. After careful consideration, he asked, “You make it sound like an appealing proposition, but this will mean we will have to cut ties with the north.”
As I’d expected, he didn’t buy my initial sales pitch that easily. Guess we’ll have to do this the usual way. I grinned wickedly.
“You appear to be mistaken.”
“How so?”
“You won’t be cutting ties with Meraldia because the demon army intends to wipe Meraldia off the face of the map.”
“What!?”
Naturally, I meant Meraldia as a nation. I wasn’t planning on physically obliterating all of its cities.
“The demon army wishes for the southern cities to declare independence from Meraldia and ally with us instead. Our goal is to build a new nation where humans and demons can live together in harmony.”
A hint of nervousness flashed across Petore’s expression.
“That’s quite the bold claim. Do you understand the chaos your actions could bring?”
“The only ones who’ll suffer from that chaos are those in the north. From what I understand, the southern cities do not wish to see Meraldia survive.”
“Hmm...”
Petore wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and asked, “What will you do once you’ve unified the south?”
“Our eventual goal is to force the northern cities to accept our authority as well, and unite all seventeen of them under a single country that welcomes humans and demons both. Considering the time and effort such an endeavor would require though, I suspect it will be my successors who see it to completion.”
After how many civilians the second regiment slaughtered, I doubted anyone currently alive in the north would be welcoming of demons.
It would take a lot of time to erode those memories of bloodshed, and I doubted I’d still be alive when the eventual unification happened. Depending on how things went, it could take as long as a century.
“Hmmm...”
Petore wrinkled his brows and ruminated on my words.
“I believe I understand your position now. But before I give you my reply, there are two things I must confirm. Firstly, your capabilities. Secondly, your trustworthiness.”
Those two certainly were important to know. Petore continued, “Regarding your abilities, I’ve heard much from the various scouts and spies I have scattered across the nation. Your control over Ryunheit appears solid, and the people do not resent your rule, so I am willing to believe you’re capable.”
“Wait, you’ve got spies, old man?”
Petore turned to Garsh and sighed.
“If you don’t know what’s happening in the room next to yours, how can you sleep peacefully? I even have spies in Beluza.”
“Seriously?”
Petore shook his head and turned back to me.
“As for your trustworthiness, I believe you are more likely to keep your word than the north. It’s clear Meraldia’s Senate is hiding something from us southerners. Despite that, they unilaterally request our support. And that rubs me the wrong way.”
Fortunately, the demon army had Airia to vouch for its trustworthiness. The fact that she’d been willing to cut ties with Meraldia proved how much faith she had in us. However, there was still some suspicion in Petore’s gaze.
“That being said, if we throw our lot in with you, us southern cities will inevitably be drawn into a conflict with the north. We will be forced to spill blood to maintain our alliance. When that time comes, what will you do?”
That was a difficult question to answer. In terms of just resolve, we were of course resolved to fight together with the south. But at present, the demon army had few troops left. If the war front grew too large, we wouldn’t be able to cover it all. Depending on the situation, some areas would have only humans fighting. Which was why I couldn’t just promise we’d extend a helping hand.
I knew this was devious of me, but my only real choice was to dodge the question. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I finally replied, “We plan to try negotiating with the north first. Military might is just another facet of diplomacy, one we can use as a threat rather than a promise. And it just so happens that’s what demons are best at.”
Werewolves, vampires, and giants were all races the humans feared. We could use their own imagination against them, and spread the seeds of terror without lifting a finger.
“Naturally, if the north insists on fighting, we will show them no mercy. Razing a city to the ground is a simple task for the demon army.”
While it would take a lot of preparation and cost us a lot of lives, we could do it if we really had to. I doubt we’d be pushed that far though.
“The demon army... no, not just them. All us demons want from you humans is a place to live in peace. We just want warm food, a roof over our heads, good friends, and not have to fear a human army will come to eliminate us.”
Petore looked somewhat surprised, but I kept going.
“But if we want all that, we need to integrate ourselves into human society. Fortunately, Ryunheit has begun to accept demons into its walls. I’m sure that if Meraldia’s southern cities welcome demons with open arms, both humans and demons will prosper. So please, I beg of you, open Lotz’s gates to us.”
Petore once again asked, “Allow me to ask you again: If the north were to invade, you won’t just stand idly by and watch as we’re overrun, will you? As Lotz’s viceroy, this is something I must be sure of.”
“Don’t make of light us, Petore. We’re demons.”
I snapped my fingers, and the werewolves standing behind me transformed. Lotz’s soldiers trembled as they saw eight werewolves tower over them. Smiling confidently, I said, “You have no idea how much effort it takes to keep these guys from going wild. They would never miss an opportunity to go to war.”
Unlike his soldiers, Petore remained calm. He nodded and said, “I see, so you’ve got the bite to match your bark.”
“Of course. But no matter how sharp our fangs or how savage our claws, they won’t grant us a warm place to live. Which is why we plan to act with integrity, and build a bond of trust between demons and humans. I swear to you now that we will never betray our allies.”
As I finished my speech, the werewolves behind me turned back into their human forms. I was glad their training was finally paying off. Petore scrutinized my expression for a few minutes, then finally nodded.
“I can tell you’re a man of your word. Everything you told me matches the information my spies brought. Besides, if we were to refuse you, Lotz would be surrounded by enemies. You’ve already won the nearby cities over. Truth be told, we have no choice but to join you.”
“Thank you. As for the details of the alliance, I’m sure we can come to a deal that both parties are satisfied with.”
Petore gave me an uneasy smile.
“Unfortunately, there are a few things that still worry me. But with how much you’ve helped keep our seas safe, I can hardly refuse you out of hand.”
I suppose it’ll take some time before you really trust us. Don’t worry, we’ll show you we’re handy to have around.
Afterwards, we started discussing the particulars of the alliance. All Petore asked for was that Lotz remain free to fish and trade as it saw fit, so I granted all of his conditions. In return, he offered to open his residential areas to demons, and if necessary, send military aid.
“Lotz’s official population is around five thousand, but we’ve actually got more than twenty thousand people living here. In addition to the official garrison, we’ve got a thousand veteran fisherman who can double as harpoon throwers.”
Apparently if we ever needed help, Petore would send his harpooners. Since they were masters of ranged weapons, they’d actually prove quite useful in defending city walls. Furthermore, Petore could muster 3,000-4,000 militia at short notice, so he was a dependable ally to have.
Negotiations wrapped up smoothly, and Petore invited me to eat lunch with him. While I doubted he’d try to poison me at this point, it didn’t hurt to be careful. But when he brought out a steaming plate of seafood pasta with olive oil and garlic sauce drizzled all over it, all thoughts of testing for poison flew out of my mind. The appetizing scent of spices and grilled seafood filled my nostrils. An extravagant meal like this would easily run me over 2,000 yen back in Japan. But that wasn’t all Petore had to offer. He also brought out a fish bouillabaisse, and then an assorted tray of grilled fish. The crowning jewel of the meal was wine-cooked crab. I couldn’t believe all these fancy dishes were being served just for lunch. Grinning, Petore said, “This is Lotz’s traditional fare. We’re a far cry from those country bumpkins in Beluza. Eat as much as you want, we’ve got lots more.”
“The fuck you just say, old man!?”
Petore and Garsh started arguing about the respective merits of their dishes. Personally, I was fond of both so I didn’t care either way. Since I wouldn’t be able to enjoy food like this once I returned to Ryunheit, I made sure to eat my fill. I went through five plates of pasta before I realized I should probably have some of the crab too. While everyone was enjoying the feast, Parker looked forlornly down at the food. Since he was a skeleton, he couldn’t eat. Though he made an effort to converse with the people around him, he eventually stood up to leave.
“I’m going to see how the mermaids are doing. You don’t mind if I leave, do you?”
“Yeah, go ahead. They probably want some company too.”
Petore broke off his argument and turned to me.
“Did you just say mermaids?”
His expression was serious. Uh oh, is there something wrong? I grew momentarily worried, but when I explained the situation to Petore he grinned happily.
“So you
even saved the mermaids, huh!? The Fikartze family, nay the entirety of Lotz believes they’re guardians of the sea, you know!”
Seriously?
“Our ancestors were only able to make it safely to this continent because mermaids assisted them. Not only did they show us which routes were safe, they used their songs to keep monsters away.”
Petore’s grin grew wider.
“You know, a mermaid saved my life back when I was young.”
“No way!? First time I heard that, old man!”
Garsh shot Petore a dubious look, his mouth full of crab. Petore puffed his chest out proudly and said, “I’m quite the lady-killer, I’ll have you know.”
It was possible he was handsome back in his youth, but right now I doubted he was slaying any ladies. Garsh looked down and muttered to himself, “Man, if I’d known that, I wouldn’t have worried mermaids were attacking our ships...”
Petore slapped Garsh upside the head.
“Of course they wouldn’t attack ships, ya addlepated moron! If mermaids were dangerous, I woulda told ya when you were a child!”
“Owww! You could have told me they weren’t dangerous too, you know!”
“You should decide for yerself whether someone’s dangerous or not on your own, and not trust other people’s words for it!”
“So then I was right to be wary of them!”
“Shut up, ya blockhead!”
There they go again. While the two viceroys bickered, I continued devouring the food. As I was washing down my meal with a cup of black tea, Petore grew tired of bickering with Garsh and turned to me.
“Veight, do you think you could let me meet with those mermaids, if it’s not too much trouble? I’d like to know what happened to the one who saved me all those years ago.”
“Sure, I don’t see why not.”
A chance to put Petore in my debt had just fallen into my lap.
When we arrived at the pier, Parker seemed to be in the middle of telling the mermaids another one of his horrible jokes.
“But you see, Veight mistook the quantity of medicine he was supposed to use, and...”
I’d thought he was telling a joke, but it turned out he was telling them something much worse. I ran over, picked Parker up, and threw him to the Garney brothers.
