Unification of the South

by Hyougetsu

  “Get rid of him.”

  “O-Okay.”

  “W-Wait! Right as Veight was about to mix the ingredients together, Melaine walked in and—”

  The Garney brothers hauled Parker away before he could complete his story. Petore looked down at the mermaids, stunned. After a few seconds, he walked reverently to the edge of the pier.

  “Excuse me, young ladies. Do any of you remember who I am?”

  The mermaids exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

  “I’m sorry, but we don’t know who you are.”

  “I see... I suppose that ain’t too surprising. It was almost fifty years ago now.”

  Considering the mermaids’ average lifespan, I guessed few lived that long. But Petore wasn’t about to give up just yet.

  “I am Petore the sailor. Do any of you know a mermaid named Reena?”

  One of the mermaids raised her hand.

  “Reena is my great aunt, mister.”

  “Oho.”

  Petore walked over the mermaid and asked her, “Is she doing well?”

  The mermaid shook her head and said sadly, “She died of illness when I was young. That was around twenty years ago.”

  “Oh...”

  Upon hearing Petore’s despondent reply, the mermaid added, “But she told me all about you, Mister Petore. She said she met a brave young human sailor in the middle of a fierce storm.”

  Petore stared into the mermaid’s eyes for a few minutes, then nodded to himself.

  “I see... so she still remembered.”

  It appeared there was a story here.

  Garsh gave Petore a suspicious look and asked, “Oi, geezer! What happened between you and that mermaid? Is it something I need to tell ma?”

  “Fool! This happened back when I was still single! And a young brat to boot! You better not tell Tanya a thing, ya hear?”

  This probably wasn’t a story for our ears. It looked like Petore had a lot he wanted to talk about, so we decided to give him some space. As we left, I looked back and saw Petore deep in conversation with the mermaids. Though he was smiling, there was a tinge of sadness to that smile. After a while, Petore came over and joined us.

  “Good grief, I never thought I would be regaling them with tales of my heroic deeds for that long. But thank you, Veight.”

  “Heroic deeds, huh?”

  Petore puffed out his chest and said, “When I was still a youngster, I threw my name around quite a bit. The prince of the Fikartze family was quite well known back in the day, I’ll have you know.”

  “I take it these heroic deeds are ones you can’t tell your wife.”

  “Yep. Please don’t tell her about this. Though she knows half of my escapades anyway.”

  I didn’t think he’d admit it that readily. Petore waved at the mermaids on the pier, then closed his eyes.

  “To think she remembered the young man she met only once fifty years ago, and did nothing but cause her trouble. You demons are a lot more human than those cold-blooded monsters at the Senate.”

  Petore turned to me.

  “I see you’ve been taking good care of those lasses. If even the mermaids like you guys, you must be trustworthy. I have no misgivings about allying with you now.”

  “Don’t worry, we won’t betray that trust.”

  I grabbed Petore’s wrinkled hand and gave him a firm handshake.

  Petore and I returned to his manner to exchange information and discuss our plans going forward. After we’d been talking for a while, Petore asked, “By the way, Veight? What’re ya gonna do after this? Go back to Beluza?”

  The people I’d left behind in Beluza had likely all returned to their respective cities. A few kentauros had remained to serve as messengers, but that was all.

  “We’ll be returning to Ryunheit. I’ve been away from my post for too long. I also need to convince the remaining southern cities to join us.”

  “Yeah, best to hurry if that’s the case.”

  Petore opened his desk drawer and pulled a sheaf of documents out.

  “From what my spies tell me, the northern cities are still in chaos. The loss of their Hero Ranhart seems to have hit them hard.”

  “Oh, that fake Hero.”

  I hadn’t heard that name in a while. Petore continued his report.

  “According to those who knew him, Ranhart came from Krauhen, the city famous for its salt mines. While I don’t know the full details, it appears there’s some kind of civil dispute happening there now.”

  I glanced over at Lacy. She gave me an apologetic look. I signaled with my eyes that she should keep quiet, and she nodded in acknowledgment. Petore noticed our little exchange and said with a sigh, “You did something to that city, didn’t ya? Krauhen’s position has grown precarious in the north.”

  I didn’t do anything on purpose. I just respected Lacy’s wishes and had her letter delivered. Well, I guess I may have spread some propaganda that could lead to a revolt while I was at it.

  “Furthermore, the three cities the demon army attacked, including Bahen, are dissatisfied with how little aid Meraldia’s been giving to help with the reconstruction. Meraldia’s control over the north is starting to wane.”

  It seemed the north was in no position to mount a counterattack. Despite the good news, Petore’s expression was grim.

  “But ya know, even those morons at the Senate aren’t so incompetent that they’ll keep letting this bog them down. No doubt they’ll try something soon.”

  Petore sighed. It was precisely because the Senate threw out hasty plans one after another that they were such a pain to deal with. Lacy nodded emphatically in agreement, but she stopped after a look from me. Still, looks like I can’t afford to take it easy.

  “Thank you for the information, Lord Petore. I’ll do my best to finish negotiating with the remaining two cities as soon as possible.”

  “You better, Veight. The cities closest to the north are the ones who are in most danger, so if you want to make them your allies, ya have to act fast.”

  Now I had even more of a reason to hurry back to Ryunheit. Before I left, I went to the pier to say my goodbyes to Garsh.

  “Garsh, you were a real lifesaver,” I said as I shook his hand.

  “It’s only natural for allies to help each other. Come visit whenever you’re free.”

  I smiled. Garsh and I had grown pretty close over the past month or so. I then turned to the dangerously dressed thugs behind me and asked Garsh, “So what’re these guys here for?” They were from the group of soldiers Garsh had brought with him. Smiling, Garsh replied, “They’re all immigrants from Ryunheit, or descendants of immigrants. I figured it’d take time to send reinforcements if ya end up needing them, so you can take ’em with you. Think of it as a symbol of our friendship.”

  He was just handing them out like one might extra vegetables left over from the harvest.

  “I hear rumors that you’re expanding Ryunheit and building a new set of walls. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle a few extra people. Don’t worry, I’ll be the one paying their salaries still.”

  “That’s not really the problem here...”

  We weren’t anywhere close to done building the expansions. Plus, if we had hooligans like this loitering around, it’d ruin Ryunheit’s public image.

  “Don’t worry, I promise these louts are law-abiding citizens.”

  “I’m not sure I can trust your promises when it comes to that.”

  “Hahahaha, I suppose not!”

  Never mind, I’m sick of this old man. As I was trying to figure out how to best turn Garsh down, one of the hoodlums stepped forward. He was a giant of a man, easily two meters tall, and all muscle.

  “Don’t worry, Bossman Veight! We’re Cap’n Garsh’s loyal men! We would never do anything that would bring shame to his name!”

  The huge man shouldered his mace as he said that, his mohawk swaying in the wind. How the hell can I believe you when you look like that!? However, Gars
h backed him up.

  “I knew I could count on my lieutenant. Oi, you lot, introduce yourself to the Demon Lord’s vice-commander!”

  “Aye-aye!”

  The mohawk-man stomped on the ground, sending tremors across the floor, and swung his mace in a huge arc.

  “I’m the Commander of Beluza’s landing forces, Grizz! They call me the King of the Harbor!”

  Never heard of you. Since I didn’t say anything, the other hoodlums started introducing themselves as well.

  “I’m Gonzas the Netter! They call me Master of the Stormy Seas!”

  “I’m Barossa the Mast Smasher! No one beats me when it comes to pure strength!”

  “I’m Vashka the Eel! My knife skills will leave you speechless!”

  “Oi, I’m the eel! Espeo the Eel!”

  “No, I am! Chalza the Eel!”

  Why does everyone want to be an eel so bad? Wait, don’t tell me I have to listen to all five hundred introductions?

  “Alright, enough. I get it. You can all be eels. I’ll take you with me, so please just stop.”

  “Aye-aye, Bossman Veight!”

  In the end, I was forced to take these 500 gangsters with me. Though they did seem well-disciplined and well-trained.

  “Bossman Veight, when are we raiding those northern bastards!?”

  “If we’re going north, we better stock up on pelts!”

  “Yeah, we won’t be able to last up there with just these shoulder pads!”

  For the love of god, just wear normal clothes. Things had been bad enough when the Garney brothers had been the only muscleheads I had to deal with.

  ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

  —Petore’s Heroic Deeds—

  Yo, Tanya, finally back? Our guests are about to leave. Good grief, they were a real handful. That damned brat Garsh is hanging out with good-fer-nothing scoundrels again. Give him a scolding for me, will ya? Honestly, I shoulda never let him marry Merida. Least he coulda done was bring me a grandkid to spoil.

  Oh, the demon army? Yeah, it was just some werewolves and mermaids that came this time. According to Garsh, they’ve got lizard-people and horse-people too. They’re a rowdy bunch, alright. Make a good match for Garsh. Oi, don’t lump me together with those uncultured lot. Sheesh, everyone just likes to make fun of me, huh?

  Yeah, I allied with ‘em. I mean, it wasn’t much of a choice. Compared to those rotten bastards at the Senate, these guys are a hundred times more sincere. Course I’d pick them! The demon army even helped Beluza slay the Terror of the Deep so they could get their sea routes back. When I begged those crusty Senate fucks for help they didn’t give me the time of day, but that Veight fellow helped Garsh out without even asking fer a reward.

  If my choice is between two scoundrels, I’d rather take the demon army than the blasted Senate. No really, that’s the only reason. I’m telling ya, that’s all. Seriously. Yeah, that’s right. Oh, could ya get me a cup of tea?

  Hm? Mermaids? How come ya always ask me about the stuff I don’t wanna talk about? No, course I’m not hiding anything from ya. Really. Umm... Well... So you see... Look, this happened when I was still a young brat who didn’t even have his own ship. One of my relatives set sail during the wrong season cause he couldn’t control his greed. Thanks to that we got swept up in a huge storm, and our boat sank. Everyone else drowned, but I managed to tie myself to a plank and stay afloat. Still, that storm nearly killed me. Thought I was a goner fer sure. Worse, sharks sniffed out all the blood and started closing in. Ya know, when sharks are around yer not supposed to move. If you splash around, they can find ya even easier.

  So there I was, waiting fer the end to come, when a mermaid saved me. She used her song to drive the sharks away, and protected me till the storm passed. She even carried me back to port. I dunno why. But she told me her name was Reena. She told me all about her people, and suddenly I realized why she’d saved me. Hm? Isn’t it obvious? It’s the same reason ya fell for me, ya dork. Man, it’s tough being popular. Hahaha.

  Ah, Tanya... Would you like to go to Veira and see one of their outdoor plays? I’ve got business with Viceroy Forne anyway, so we might as well. We can get you a new dress while we’re there too. Can’t have the wife of a viceroy looking plain, can we? Sure, yer old, but that doesn’t matter one bit to me. If anything you’ve gotten even prettier since when I first met you.

  What? What’s so funny? Well I mean we’re gonna be there anyway. Good grief. I guess as long as yer happy, that’s all that matters.

  ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

  I left Lotz, with Beluza’s landing force, Lacy, Parker, and my werewolf bodyguards in tow. Our party was so large and well-armed that no bandits dared attack us.

  “Woohoo, I can’t wait to slaughter some bandits!”

  “We’ll teach those fuckers that pirates are stronger than bandits!”

  “They’ll never dream of attacking travelers again!”

  To be honest, these 500 hoodlums were way scarier than any bandit group. After a few days of traveling, I arrived at Ryunheit’s familiar gates. Oh? Looks like they finished the wall already. An imposing wall circled the city, protecting it from outside threats.

  “From what Azul told me, I thought it’d take a little longer...”

  I cocked my head and strode through the gates. Airia was waiting for me inside.

  “Welcome home, Sir Veight.”

  Behind her stood the city’s garrison. That much was normal, but behind them stood a row of giants. There were ten in total, and each stood a few meters tall. I’d heard the remnants of the second regiment had been reincorporated into Ryunheit, but I hadn’t known they were serving Airia. The Beluzan fighters standing behind shrunk back in fear.

  “G-Giants...”

  “Holy shit, they’re real...”

  “O-Oi, those guys are our allies, right?”

  Even the way they got scared reminded me of gangsters from the 90s. I returned Airia’s greeting, then asked about the wall.

  “Lady Airia, I see the walls have finished ahead of schedule. You also seem to have made some new giant friends.”

  Airia smiled and replied, “The giants assisted in the construction, pushing it ahead of schedule. They were able to build the wall in a flash.”

  That made sense. Giants were as dexterous as humans, but like five times the size. They made for the perfect laborers. Still, it was impressive Airia had managed to win them over so fast. I turned to the giants and said, “So you were responsible for finishing the walls? Well done.”

  Blushing, one of the giants replied, “We just did as we were told...”

  “When we helped the humans here, they thanked us lots. It’s not like the north was.”

  The giants here were gentler than most. That was because it was only the least aggressive ones who’d survived the rout. Most of the hot-blooded ones had died fighting the Hero and Meraldia’s forces. The survivors had been so traumatized by the battle that a few had even come to fear humans. But now they were working for a human, and they even seemed happy living here. Airia’s smile grew wider.

  “After completing the walls, these wonderful giants helped us build new houses and repair the roads. They’ve done Ryunheit a huge service.”

  The giants scratched their heads in embarrassment. Just then, a few canines trotted over. One of the canines who looked like a terrier appeared to be a foreman. He brushed down his fur and shouted, “Oi, it’s time to get to work!”

  The giants turned around, surprised.

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Excuse us, Lord Veight, Lord Airia.”

  They bowed to us then lumbered after the canines. As they caught up, they lifted the cute creatures and carried them on their shoulders.

  “Alright, Dwaaji and Groat, help lay the foundations for the barracks over there. Zuv and Grunge, please start carrying over lumber from the lumberyard.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  The giants nodded amicably, and the canines got themselves pumped up to
work.

  “Let’s make the new city the greatest city there is!”

  “Yeaaah!”

  In all my life as a demon, I’d never seen anything like this. Tiny canines and weak humans ordering giants around. Most worksites had humans working at them as well, and plenty of humans and demons both came to see how things were progressing. Everyone was smiling, and they all spoke casually with the giants, as if they were friends.

  “Look, guys, the giants are here!”

  “Whoa, they’re even huger up close! And man, they’re strong!”

  “Thanks for the help, Mister Dwaaji, Mister Groat!”

  Children and adults alike marveled at the giants’ strength. Airia chuckled to herself.

  “They’ve become the talk of the town you know. Quite a few of the residents know them by name.”

  “Now that’s a surprise.”

  I’d been hoping they’d learn from their defeat, but I hadn’t expected the giants to transform this thoroughly. No doubt Airia’s leadership skills and assistance from the demon army’s upper management helped accelerate that transformation.

  “You’re really living up to your title of Demon Ambassador.”

  Airia chuckled again and shook her head.

  “That’s not true. This is all thanks to your achievements, Sir Veight.”

  “What did I do?”

  I mean I did give them a few seminars on human behavior, but that was all. However, Airia’s tone was serious.

  “You’re the one who taught them how to interact with humans, aren’t you? They all learned because you led by example, Disciple of the Great Sage. Oh, they also call you the Hero-slaying Weremage and the Demon Lord’s Right Hand.”

  She had a point, but I felt like I’d just been struggling to solve one problem after another so I hadn’t really actively tried to set a good example or anything.

  “No, I think suffering defeat changed them. They learned from that experience and grew wiser.”

  “That’s certainly true, but...”

  Oh, who cares who deserves credit for this. What matters is that they learned. Airia sighed.