by Hyougetsu
Veight seems to have a natural sense for which parts of the body need the application of strengthening to achieve the effects he wants. As such, he knows that the best way to alleviate exhaustion is to focus mana into one’s right flank. And that to slake thirst, mana should be applied not to the throat, but one’s waist. He even knows that focusing on the back and waist muscles, rather than one’s arms or legs, is more important when it comes to close-combat fighting.
These are all things normal practitioners don’t notice until they have accumulated more experience. And yet, Veight figures out the optimal way to apply each spell the moment he learns it. It’s possible I may have picked up a hidden genius. But the reason I value Veight isn’t just his magical talent. His perspective on life is nothing like a normal demon’s. For a werewolf, he’s unbelievably passive, and slow to anger. Though he is by no means physically weak, he’s unsuited to the style of combat most werewolves prefer. But his wisdom and unorthodox methods are precisely what the demon army needs right now. It is for this reason that I have not yet passed down my final techniques to him. For him to reach his peak as a simple magician would be a colossal waste of his talents.
There is an ancient saying that goes “To serve muddy water in a cup of gold is the height of folly.” I wish for him to grow further before bestowing upon him the secrets of magic. However, the fact that I have taught this to all my disciples but him seems to have given him the misconception that he is inferior by comparison. This misconception will need to be remedied eventually. After all, it is my hope and expectation that he will reach the pinnacle of strengthening magic.
Regardless, I have recommended Veight to the Demon Lord. My other disciples are of course all splendid as well, but he alone is special. There is no one like him within our nation.
It is my firm belief that he will accomplish great things.
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—The Demon Army’s Operating Headquarters, Grenschtat Castle—
While the castle name sounded impressive, the truth was it was just a run-down border castle. It had originally been a human fortress that had been abandoned centuries ago after an internal conflict between human kingdoms. The demons had found it much later, repaired it with magic, made it nigh-impregnable, and were now using it as their forward base. The fortress was surrounded by a dense magical fog that made it both invisible and impossible to approach. Any human that touched the fog would be left paralyzed, and sensors inside the mist would inform the castle of their location. Even if the humans sent an army, they would just be annihilated before reaching the castle.
I walked through the mist, my master riding atop my shoulder. To us demons, the fog just felt mildly pleasant. Teleportation magic was sealed within the castle, so we had no choice but to go on foot from the main gates. I was in my werewolf form to avoid causing any misunderstandings with the guards.
“Despite how creepy it looks, it’s actually kind of nice here.”
“I happen to be a human, so I’m afraid I cannot say the same—but I suppose it’s not unpleasant, at least.”
So she really has thrown away half of her humanity. The dragonkin guarding the gates recognized my face and let us pass without question. All of the guards within the castle were highly skilled dragonkin. They belonged to the first regiment, which was headed directly by the Demon Lord himself. As I strode across the castle’s courtyard, I sensed a figure approaching from beyond the mist. Whoever it was, they were massive.
“Him, huh?”
At Gomoviroia’s muttered words, I too realized who was coming. I would recognize that stench of blood anywhere.
“If it isn’ da third regimen’s commander.”
The mist parted to reveal a giant with the face of a beast. He was easily three meters tall. Twice my height. He was also an ogre. Ogres in this world didn’t look too different from how RPGs had envisioned them. He was wearing only a crude loincloth and carried a massive steel club.
This man, Dogg, happened to be a Vice-Commander of the second regiment, and the general who led the ogre corps. His name might have sounded funny, but laugh at it and you’d likely get your brains bashed out. Apparently, among ogres, the name meant ‘Mad Dog.’ Which, to be honest, just made it sound more laughable.
Without even the barest hint of respect to my master’s title, he gave her a coarse greeting before turning to me.
“Goin’ ta give your report? Took ya long enough,” he sneered.
I guess that means he already finished giving his. He couldn’t have beat us here by more than a few minutes at most, but all this lump of muscle cared about was winning, even when it wasn’t a competition. When he saw I wasn’t going to take the bait, he tried to needle me some more.
“I dun care if ya took down a tradin’ city or whatever, is it really worth comin’ all da way back here to report about in person? I’ll have ya know I took down da minin’ city of Boltz.”
Dogg puffed his chest out proudly and raised his club up high. Is that really something to get that excited about?
“Do ya get what dat means? I took down a minin’ city. Dat means tis got ore. Tradin’ cities dun got no ore. Dat means dey worthless.”
Oh, that’s where he’s going with this. Basically, he was trying to emphasize how much better his achievement was. I doubt this halfwit understood what kind of value a trading city might offer us. In fact, most of the people in this world, whether they be human or demon, seemed unable to understand a lot of simple concepts. I knew just how important a stable flow of goods was to a nation’s economy, but it would take far too long to explain that to him, so I didn’t bother. Instead, I just shrugged my shoulders.
“Must be nice to have it easy.”
Dogg’s face flushed bright red. Apparently, ogre blood was as red as human blood.
“Are ya makin’ fun of me!? I’m da strongest, smartest, ogre der is—I’m da great Dogg!”
Smartest, huh... Well, I guess most ogres have the brains of a toddler. Since he’s at least as smart as a middle schooler, I guess that does make him the smartest.
“And I happen to be a werewolf mage. A genius like you should easily be able to tell which of us is stronger, right?”
“Of course! Me!”
Oh god, he’s a moron. I turned back to my master for backup, but she’d floated a short distance away and was now watching impassively.
“You two vice-commanders have fun, now.”
“Master...”
My master found fighting as much of a pain as I did. Sighing, I turned back to the ogre.
For demons, power was everything. The weak submitted to the strong. I guess I’ll give him a taste of what I can do.
I glared at Dogg and said, “Stop blocking my way with your fat ass, weakling.”
“What was dat!?”
Without warning, he swung his massive club down. But I wasn’t fool enough to let it hit me. To a werewolf’s superior eyesight, his club looked like it was falling in slow-motion. I leapt backwards, and Dogg’s club smashed into the ground in front of me, sending stone splinters flying everywhere.
“Oi, don’t go breaking the Demon Lord’s precious castle.”
If he really wants to fight that badly, I suppose I can indulge him.
“Rowdy kids like you need to be punished.”
Ogres tended to be physically stronger than werewolves. Considering the difference in size between them, that much was obvious. With their massive clubs, ogres could easily mow down scores of enemies with one swing. When it came to brute force, they were the best. However, there was one fatal flaw with their physiques. Due to their size, they were abysmally slow. That being said, it still took a good deal of courage and skill to take the initiative against one. Especially because dealing a serious blow to their tough hides with a single attack wasn’t easy. Even if you could, that wouldn’t stop their swing from crushing you. They were quite a terrifying opponent. For humans, anyway.
While I mused on the ogre-human matchup, I dodg
ed another one of Dogg’s blows. No ogre could give me trouble, vice-commander or not. Dogg’s club, which wasn’t even spiked, wasn’t much of a threat when it was that slow. And I wasn’t nice enough to give him time to get off a third swing. I leapt forward and drove a powerful kick into Dogg’s chin.
“Ugwah!?”
A human’s skull would have shattered from that blow, but ogres were made of sterner stuff. I managed to crush Dogg’s jaw, but that was all. He really was built like a tank. Most other foes would have thrown in the towel at this point, but Dogg hadn’t risen to his position by backing down.
Fighting spirit still burning fiercely, Dogg swung his club up at me.
“Whoa.”
His aim may have been poor, but if even one of his blows struck home I’d be down for the count. I hopped out of the way and prepared to land the finishing blow. Come to think of it, Master’s watching me right now. Maybe I should use a little magic. I twisted my fingers into a magical sign and poured mana into the palms of my hands.
“Sorry about this.”
My claws began emanating a dark light, and a second later they were enveloped in black flames. I’d used a spell that temporarily enhanced the sharpness of a weapon. I dug my flame-wrapped claws into Dogg’s shattered jaw.
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
After pushing my way inside his face, I grabbed a fistful of cracked and broken bone, and crushed it in my fist. Even Dogg couldn’t bear that kind of pain. He dropped his club—all will to resist gone. Against a human opponent I could have ended the fight long ago, but with demons you had to beat them thoroughly or they’d never accept you. I had to prove to him beyond a shadow of doubt that I was stronger. And so, I mercilessly flipped his body around and lifted him up by his broken jaw, forcing his body into an awkward position. Had his neck not been so thick, it would have broken.
“Feel like surrendering now?”
Stubborn to a fault, Dogg only screamed in pain. Looks like I’ve got no choice.
“Fine, I’ll just put you to sleep, then.”
I slammed his head against the ground. His skull was tough enough to break boulders, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious. That last blow must have given him a concussion. The rest of his body slumped to the ground with a thud. He wouldn’t be getting back up any time soon.
If there was no one better in a contest of strength than ogres, there was no one more suited to murder than werewolves. And though this fight had been brutal, it was rather standard when it came to contests of strength between demons. It was because demons were so prone to violence that humans feared them so.
“Alright, that’s enough. Mmm, that was a good match.”
Her tone made it clear that she didn’t care one way or another about the fight. She floated down and healed Dogg’s shattered jaw with healing magic, then patted him on the shoulder.
“Your gallant display was most impressive. I see your title was not just for show.”
“O-Oww... Gah...it hurds...”
Though his wounds should have been healed, Dogg was still groaning in pain. It appeared my master had used the most painful recovery spell to heal him. She’d strengthened Dogg’s own natural healing powers. Doing so drained his scant mana reserves to close his wounds, but left him in excruciating pain until he was fully healed. My master definitely had a cruel streak to her.
Once she was finished, my master turned around and smacked me on the head, a displeased expression on her face.
“What kind of fight was that? I expect better from one of my disciples.”
“Y-Yes, Master...”
I thought I’d won pretty handily, but apparently my master wasn’t satisfied. Still floating in front of me, she muttered, “For a moment, I feared he might defeat you. Seriously, were you trying to give this old lady a heart attack?”
Oh, she was just worried. She may have had a cruel streak, but Gomoviroa was also pretty protective of her disciples.
We left Dogg to his suffering and went to meet the Demon Lord. This would mark my second meeting with him. When we arrived at the imposing steel doors that marked the entrance to his chambers, I took a few deep breaths. The Demon Lord was the strongest demon in the realm, a true king who ruled over tens of thousands of people. If he wanted to, he could kill me with a puff of his nostrils.
“Commander of the third regiment, Gomoviroa, and my Vice-Commander, Veight. We’re here to deliver our report,” My master said in a calm voice. A second later, the massive double doors creaked open. The Demon Lord’s room was modest, but stately. Polished obsidian pillars lined the halls, each giving off an ethereal gleam. They had been gilded with the canines’ famed silver. Black was the main motif of the room, but it was highlighted with occasional silver accents.
Personally, I thought a little more silver would have been better, but it was possible he’d kept it subdued to make people want more. If the room had been filled with silver, it wouldn’t have left as lasting an impression on visitors. Also, it just wasn’t practical to have your entire room decorated in silver. The dragonkin guarding the Demon Lord’s personal chambers had black scales, and they were armed with short spears tipped in silver. They fit perfectly with the overall theme of the room.
A deep voice boomed from the back of the room.
“Enter.”
I involuntarily flinched, but it wasn’t like I’d done anything wrong. Plus, I had my reliable master at my side. Maybe I’ll mess up my greetings a little or something, but it should be fine. Besides, even if I died, I might end up getting reincarnated again. I calmed my nerves and tried to walk as confidently as possible. My footsteps echoed across the vast room.
Wait a second. That’s weird. My footsteps aren’t sounding when my feet actually touch the ground. If I had to guess, the positioning of the pillars caused sound waves to be reflected out of time within the room. My decision to walk boldly had brought me a valuable piece of information. I had heard that dragonkin were all pragmatists, and it seemed that really was the case. Even with art, they found a use for it.
Dragonkin were basically the lizardmen you see in RPGs. However, they loathed being likened to lizards. And in truth, they were far more intelligent than the lizardmen you saw in games. They just happened to look draconic. The main reason that they served as the Demon Lord’s personal bodyguards was because the Demon Lord himself was a dragonkin. There was no special race of demons that the Demon Lord had to belong to. And the man currently holding the throne was Demon Lord Friedensrichter. As you might expect from the Demon Lord, he was no ordinary dragonkin. For one thing, he was as large as an ogre. Most dragonkin stood just shy of two meters tall, which made him massive. Furthermore, his scales weren’t the usual dark brown or green that most dragonkin had. No, they were a fiery red. In fact, it often looked like he was wreathed in flames. His horns were long and intimidating, proof that he’d lived a good number of decades.
What frightened me the most about him, though, was his mana. Since I was a mage, I could see the mana swirling around him. He was overflowing with such a huge quantity of it that he expelled a little with each breath he took. It was unthinkable for one person to possess so much. Most dragonkin didn’t possess anywhere close to that amount. I probably wouldn’t be able to beat him even if I had my entire village and my master backing me up. That was how huge the difference in strength between us was. As a demon, I had no choice but to respect him. I squeezed out what little courage I could and addressed my lord.
“Vice-Commander of the third regiment, Weremage Veight, reporting.”
Weremage was a title I had received directly from the Demon Lord. All of the demon army’s generals were granted a unique title. Only the rank and file soldiers didn’t have any.
The Demon Lord turned his golden eyes onto me. I reflexively stood up a little straighter.
“I have successfully captured the trading city of Ryunheit. At present, the city is under our complete control.”<
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“Well done.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a weight that made even the pillars shake. With this, my report was finished. I figured I’d get to leave back now, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. “I would like you briefly explain the tactics you used to capture the city,” he continued.
“Y-Yes, sir!?”
I hastily saluted and thought about how best to answer this question. I guess I should just explain the final plan.
“I launched a surprise attack against the viceroy’s manor, my lord. I had my werewolves infiltrate the city under the guise of travelers, then used my canines to create a diversion.”
The Demon Lord watched me silently for a few moments. Should I have explained it in more detail? While I was worrying, the Demon Lord nodded in satisfaction.
“You effectively utilized your werewolves’ unique traits for this battle. But tell me, what benefits did this grant you?”
Now that was an easy one to answer.
“I was able to keep my forces’ casualties to a minimum. On top of that, it made ruling the city once it had surrendered an easy task.”
“Explain to me the importance of the former point.”
He just won’t give it a rest, huh? But this was another easy question.
“Werewolves are the elite troopers of your army, my lord. They are not easily replaced. Considering the overall situation of the war, I thought it prudent to conserve my forces as much as possible.”
“Very well, now explain how your surprise attack achieved the latter point.”
Figures he’d ask about that, too. This reminds me of when I was studying for entrance exams... Since demons fundamentally valued strength, they didn’t nurse grudges over their defeats, regardless of how they were beaten. After all, if they didn’t like the result, they could always challenge their opponent again. But humans weren’t like that. If you killed their comrades, they would resent you forever. Even if they submitted at first, they would just wait for a chance to get their revenge. That was their nature.
