by Hyougetsu
“Lord Veight, you have my gratitude. On behalf of all of Mondstrahl’s followers, I thank you for your generosity.” She bowed deeply. Though she didn’t say it outright, it was obvious her followers had been harassed by Yuhit’s before. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, “I and all of my followers will wholeheartedly support you, Lord Veight. However, please understand that our support does not extend to the Demon Lord’s army as a whole.”
While working for the Demon Lord’s army might have been a step too far, it seemed they were willing to assist me personally at least.
“Thank you. Mondstrahl’s precepts of respecting individuality and achieving enlightenment through diligent study are quite respectable, in my opinion. Unfortunately I cannot give your religion any preferential treatment, but I promise I will continue treating you as fairly as possible.”
Never thought I’d find myself talking like a politician. Then again, I guess I technically am a politician right now. These were all the words of encouragement I could give her right now. Mondstrahl’s medium nodded with a smile and proffered her hand to me. I took it. Come to think of it, this is probably the first time a werewolf and a human have ever shook hands.
“Lord Veight, if you ever find yourself in need of assistance, do not hesitate to call on me. I shall use my magic to aid you, inexperienced though I may be.”
“You’re a mage?”
Still smiling, she said, “My apologies for my late introduction. I am Mitty, the headmistress of Ryunheit’s astrology academy.”
If I was being honest, I did prefer the Mondstrahl Church over the other religions. Because their teachings emphasized individualism, enlightenment through knowledge, and an overall policy of noninterference, the majority of their members were craftsmen and mages. Though they were few in number, they were highly influential. Of course, they were still in a tenuous position because they were the minority, but it still wasn’t wise to make an enemy out of them.
“Thank you very much, Lady Mitty. I happen to dabble in the magical arts myself, so I would love the opportunity to talk with you further in the future. I look forward to our partnership.”
As a werewolf, my specialty lay in body strengthening magic. Most humans, however, had an affinity for scrying magic, magic that let one see into the past or future. If I had to guess, it was probably because it was human nature to be obsessed with fortune-telling. Due to their anxieties and hopes for the future, they naturally tended toward scrying.
This meeting proved more fruitful than I expected. I mused as I headed back to my room. I had no time to rest, though. There were plenty of other things I needed to do to keep the population’s discomfort to a minimum. And they all needed to be done before Meraldia’s army showed up on my doorstep.
The 10,000 silver coins the Demon Lord had gifted me proved more useful than even I predicted. Firstly, it allowed me to afford decent accommodations for my canine teams. I’d asked Airia to announce that I was looking to buy up older homes and unused inns, and almost everyone living near the viceroy’s manor had hurried to offer me their property.
“Well, this area has turned into the demon army’s base now. I can see why so many of the wealthy residents would want to move.”
Airia reported to me with a troubled smile.
“Do you wish you could move somewhere quieter too?”
“I am this city’s Viceroy, and so I will not leave this manor. It is my duty to make sure you fulfill your promises to me.”
What an upright governor.
In order to avoid any future complaints, I made sure to purchase all of the property at higher than market value. With this, I was finally able to let my canine army into the city as well.
“Sir Veight, thank you so much for finding us places to stay!”
“What an amazing house! And you’re even giving us silver coins!”
“Those are to pay the bills! Don’t go smithing them into something else!”
Now that I’d gotten those overexcited canines into their new pens, I could finally close the main gate. That alone did wonders for the city’s security. My master’s undead knights would have terrified the citizens had I let them into the city, so I kept them on standby in the nearby forest. Unfortunately, the forest was off to the west. If Meraldia was going launch an attack, it would come from the north, which meant we would get no advance warning. Incidentally, the forest they were hiding in was the same one we’d used to launch our surprise attack. It was dense enough that no one would be able to spot the undead warriors, even from the city walls. Because they were undead, they didn’t need to make campfires that might be spotted from a distance, nor did they get restless. Until I gave them new orders, they would stand like statues within the woods.
Buying everyone lodging had cost me a total of 3000 silver coins. I knew it would cost a lot to comfortably house 256 people, but the hit to my coffers still hurt. All that was left now was the upkeep costs to feed everyone. In this world, a day’s worth of meals cost around 1-2 silver coins. With that, an average person could eat their fill. Depending on the location, the value of a single silver coin went anywhere from a couple thousand yen to 10,000 yen. Mary, the old lady who ran the general store, was the one who currently handled our finances. I went to ask her how long we could keep everyone fed with our current funds.
“You know how we are, us werewolves eat like ogres. It’s costing us 300 silver coins a day to pay for food.”
“Are you kidding me?”
That meant we’d be out of money in less than thirty days. Should I ask the Demon Lord for more money? No, that’s not a good idea. In truth, the demon army didn’t have much money to begin with. Demons didn’t really use human currency. Even when they pillaged human settlements, they were more interested in looting food and clothes than money. If I don’t have any other options I’ll go back to the Demon Lord for money, but for now let’s see what I can do on my own. This might end up being the first real test of my governing ability.
“Those who don’t work, don’t eat!”
I addressed to the 200 canines gathered in front of me.
“Once the sewer systems are repaired, you’ll all be working in the fields!”
We would be stationed in Ryunheit for quite some time. Which meant we needed to find a long-term solution for our food costs.
“This is an important job, as we need a source of income to pay for food. I understand some of you may be dissatisfied with hard labor, but...”
To my surprise, the canines’ eyes starting sparkling. One of them stepped forward and said in an enthusiastic voice, “Leave it to us, Sir Veight. We will work hard to fulfill our duties!”
“V-Very well... You guys are a lot more excited about this than I thought.”
They all responded at once, “That’s because we love digging holes!”
Well, I guess they are dogs.
We may have been conquerors, but until now we were also freeloaders. At least with this, we wouldn’t have to resort to pillaging. The last thing I wanted was the citizens working against us when Meraldia’s army finally arrived. For that reason, it was imperative we earned their goodwill. Not being hated wasn’t good enough. We needed them to be happy under our rule.
“You want us to take care of thieves?” The Garney brothers grumbled about their new post, but their dissatisfaction was the least of my concerns.
“The city garrison won’t cooperate with us, which means mundane tasks like these are our job now. You can rough them up a little if you like, but don’t kill them.”
“You’re sure asking for a lot, Veight...” The younger brother mumbled unhappily.
“If the city falls into anarchy because of our arrival, we’ll be a laughingstock. I want people talking about how much better life’s gotten now that the demon army is in control, not the other way around. If you do a good job, I’ll give you extra meat rations.”
“Hell yeah! We’ll do it!”
Thank God they were so easy to mana
ge. The next few days kept me so busy I could barely catch my breath. Due to our sudden invasion, travelers passing through the city had become trapped here. On top of that, I still had to deal with the Sonnenlicht pilgrims. I didn’t want to let anyone who’d seen our tactics firsthand out of the city. Not yet, anyway.
With no other choice, I made a statement to the effect of “The demon army’s most vicious warriors are still fighting in the nearby regions, so for the citizens’ safety, no one will be allowed out of the gates for some time.” The few believers who absolutely needed to go on a pilgrimage were granted a special religious wartime pardon, which was jointly signed by Airia and Yuhit.
There were a number of other laws that needed to be revised, and negotiations with the trading guilds that needed to be settled, but thanks to the viceroy and all the religious leaders’ help, I was able to get everything finished. In human society, most things couldn’t be solved by force. However, thanks to this less violent approach, Ryunheit was able to return to normalcy in a few days. The city had lost some of its vigor because trade was still halted, but we’d just have to live with that for a while longer.
“Sir Veight, I have a report from the gate garrison! There’s a group approaching the city from the south!”
A canine messenger ran up to me, his breath coming in short gasps. I stopped signing the document in my hands and turned to the shiba-faced canine.
“What do they smell like?”
“Like us, sir!”
I grinned.
“They’re here.”
I’d finally gotten the one thing a trading city absolutely needed to survive: traders.
“Are you the Commander of this unit, Veight?”
A canine with a beagle’s face asked me as I arrived at the front gates. I nodded.
“Yeah, that’s me. Vice-Commander of the Demon Lord’s third regiment, Veight. I guess I’m technically the one in charge here.”
I held out my hand, the canine gripped it in a firm handshake.
“My name is Kuu. A pleasure to meet you. You have my thanks for keeping my brother safe.”
“Zoi’s an excellent soldier. It’s reassuring to have him on my squad.”
Zoi was one of the canine youths who’d served as part of my messenger corps during the assault. I hadn’t been lying when I said he was an excellent soldier either. At some point, I wanted to promote him to a management position within the canine squad. The fact that his older sister had come here as well was no coincidence. I’d known from the start that I would need to bring in merchants after I captured the city, so I’d gone to the canine merchant association before the operation. When I heard Zoi’s older sister was one of their merchants, I figured I might as well ask them to send her.
Negotiations went smoothly. The canines jumped at the opportunity to trade with humans. Their only demands had been that the demon army guarantee their safety.
Behind her, Kuu’s merchants were unloading their cargo. It seemed they’d carried everything here on hand carts. Impressive, considering how much they’d brought.
“What cargo did you bring?”
“Deer jerky, carved horn ornaments, parquetry, and our famed silverwork pieces.” Kuu puffed out her chest proudly. “Most of it is handicrafts, but the quality is far superior to what human artisans can make, so I’m sure they’ll sell.”
Canines had smaller and more dexterous hands than humans. Plus, the natural padding over their fingers made them perfectly suited for crafting. For procedure’s sake, I ordered my canine soldiers to inspect the goods.
“Check over the cargo. If I find anyone accepting bribes to allow smuggled goods through, it won’t be pretty.”
“Yes, sir!”
A canine with a dachshund’s face started organizing the inspection. Goods from outside Meraldia were rare here. Demon-made goods all the more so. Ryunheit’s merchants would almost certainly be dying to get their hands on these. That reminds me, I almost forgot about my other favor.
“Hey, Kuu.”
“Yeah, boss?”
Kuu was in the middle of bribing one of my soldiers with a piece of jerky, but she turned around without batting an eye. I didn’t bother reprimanding her, and instead asked, “I’m looking to buy charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter. Do you think you could find some for me?”
“Hmm...shouldn’t be too much of a problem, I think. But what are you planning on doing with all that?”
I grinned in response.
“Military secret.”
Now that I had a steady stream of funds, it was time I got started developing gunpowder. I came from a world of advanced science, though it was easy to forget that at times.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
—Viceroy Airia’s Official Records—
It is with great surprise that I, Airia Lutt Aindorf, find myself writing this record. A few days prior, my city of Ryunheit came under attack by the Demon Lord’s army.
It has been scant more than a year since my father passed away due to illness and the Senate appointed me his successor. While the demon army’s recent movements were worrisome, I did not expect them to launch such a sudden assault on a trading city. I did not think demons were capable of understanding the value of trade. That assumption led me to be careless. Because of my immaturity and inexperience, I was unable to do anything against the sudden demon assault.
The commander of this army is a werewolf with jet-black fur. I unfortunately know very little about werewolves, but supposedly they turn into wolves during the full moon and attack people at random. Also, I’ve heard that only silver weapons can hurt them. According to the histories I’ve read, humans drove them to extinction long ago. That’s the extent of my knowledge on them.
But seeing as they still exist, whatever knowledge I have on them can’t be trusted. Especially considering how they attacked the city in the middle of the day. When their commander made it to the manor, I prepared myself for death. I thought I would be eaten. But when the black werewolf grabbed my saber out of my hands, this was what he said: “Please surrender and cooperate with the demon army.” He promised not to needlessly slaughter the citizens, and asked me to surrender. I had no choice but to comply. His werewolves had overpowered Ryunheit’s soldiers without any effort. We couldn’t beat them. Surprisingly though, only 70 men had actually died, and the demon army’s commander even healed those who were still alive.
He kept his promise not to hurt the people, even when I thought he might make an example out of the soldiers for not taking orders from him. It was a relief, but also very confusing, for both me and the soldiers. To be honest, I find the Vice-Commander Veight’s government policy to be rather strange. He gathered all of the religious leaders of the city just to tell them that religious freedom would be respected. We’d all been expecting him to force his religion on to everyone, so this too was both a relief and rather confusing. How does allowing us this much freedom benefit him? That being said, the citizens are certainly happy with his rule. We were terrified at first, but he seems reliable. Which has led to us steadily coming to support the demon army...no, Veight’s rule. He is completely unlike any demon I have ever seen. Upon taking control of the city, he forbade all looting. If he needs something, he will of course take it, but only after paying a fair price for it. When he told me he needed space to lodge his soldiers, I thought I would be forced to vacate my manor, but instead, he went and bought houses for everyone. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a well-mannered occupation force. It’s unsettling. From the stories my grandfather told me, it sounds like the Meraldia Unification War was far more brutal than this.
Most surprising, perhaps, is that Veight understands that this is a trade city. He is actively working on maintaining public order, and even brought demon traders in to stimulate our economy. Naturally our merchants were wary of dealing with demons at first, but now they’re more than happy to trade for demon goods. The canines are upright and honest traders. Furthermore, their goods are all of the highe
st quality. There haven’t been any issues at all. It honestly baffles me.
But still, I won’t lower my guard. Veight is still a demon, and his master is the Demon Lord. I mustn’t forget that he took this city by force.
However, he appears to be a wise, rational, and considerate person. It’s possible Ryunheit will prosper more than ever under his rule. But for all that, there’s something unfathomable about the man. I must remain vigilant. But every time I see how peaceful Ryunheit is, it becomes a little harder to stay suspicious of him. And ever since the demon army took over, my own job has become easier...
In fact, I find ruling the city together with Veight to be almost enjoyable. I pray Meraldia retakes this city swiftly. Before I find myself charmed even further by this werewolf.
Please, hurry.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Half a month had passed since we took over Ryunheit. Now that trade was flowing through the city once more, it had become a much livelier place. That being said, before we arrived it had been a crossroads for multiple trade routes, so it wasn’t as bustling as it used to be. But in return, it had a brand-new business opportunity: trade with demons.
“How’s business?”
I had come down to the southern gate to see how the canine merchants were doing. There were only a few dozen of them. They’d opened up about 10 or so stalls, and the thoroughfare was filled with...more canines.
“Ah, Veight.” Fahn, who was in charge of the southern gate, turned to me and smiled. “Business is good. Look, the canines gave me a bunch of silver gifts!”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to take bribes...”
I sighed as Fahn showed off her shiny new silver ring and necklace. Considering the average demon’s mindset, explaining why bribery was bad was an extremely difficult endeavor. In the end, I just gave up.
