by Hyougetsu
“Interesting. Then let’s settle this case with the power of humans.”
I pulled the letter out of my pocket.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
—Bishop Yuhit’s Journal—
As I walked through Ryunheit’s gates, I turned back to look at them for what would probably be the last time. I would likely never walk through those gates again.
When I learned the demon army was comprised of only a few werewolves and a few hundred weak canines, I thought that Thuvan’s famed horse archers might be able to defeat them. The commander of Thuvan’s garrison was actually my best disciple, from when I was a deacon there. So when I told him the situation via carrier pigeon, he didn’t hesitate to start recruiting soldiers in secret. However, not even a city’s viceroy possesses the authority to mobilize troops without Senate approval. A mere garrison commander would normally be executed for marching without orders.
Despite this, 50 of Thuvan’s horse archers agreed to go with him anyway. Not only that, 310 civilians volunteered to be infantry for the expedition. I’d thought that as long as they were armed with silver weapons, an army almost 400 strong would be able to drive out the demon army. As long as my disciples here could get the gates open, Thuvan’s archers would be able to storm the city. I was certain that there were enough sympathizers within the city that we could suppress the demons once Thuvan’s army was in. It was a gamble, but one with good odds. Or so I thought, anyway...
That werewolf saw through all of my foolish schemes. According to the report my followers brought back to me, he only sent a dozen or so werewolves to deal with the army of 400. And yet, if what that werewolf commander told me is true, those dozen men were more than enough to slaughter every last soldier.
Not only that, he’d managed to capture all of my agents and successfully deduced that I was the mastermind behind the battle. I had honestly been prepared for death at that point. In fact, I’d been prepared for death since the moment I resolved to fight against the demons. Even if it meant betraying the viceroy’s decision to coexist, I had wanted to save Ryunheit from those werewolves’ clutches. If all it took to achieve that was my life, it would have been a small price to pay.
But even after my defeat, the werewolf commander didn’t kill me. He listened to my story, and even more surprisingly, he seemed to understand my viewpoints. I can scarcely believe it... He’s a demon, the enemy of mankind. He shouldn’t be able to understand my feelings. Yet I’m certain of it. The things I said resonated with him, even if only a little... Naturally, he didn’t admit as much to me. But when he finished his questioning, I could have sworn I saw a look of profound disappointment on his face. It vanished quickly enough, though, and was replaced by a sardonic grin. I doubt I’ll ever forget the words he spoke next.
“Interesting. Then let’s settle this case with the power of humans.”
He then handed me an envelope and said, “This is a letter addressed to the viceroy of Thuvan. It contains the details of the battle, including the fact that we buried the dead. Seeing as you’re so popular in Thuvan, I think you’d make the perfect messenger to deliver it.”
While he didn’t strip me of my rank, sending me off like this is tantamount to exile. Naturally he didn’t say that explicitly, but I’m not so foolish that I can’t see it for what it is. The question is, why didn’t the werewolf commander simply kill me outright? As I begin the trek home, it is that question that hounds me.
Though I don’t wish to admit it, it’s possible he did so out of pity. Unbelievable as it is, that werewolf might have sympathized with me. Unfortunately, his act of kindness is a meaningless one. For once I reach Thuvan, I will almost certainly be executed. The deaths of the 50 archers and 310 volunteer soldiers are my responsibility.
Even if the viceroy forgives me, I cannot forgive myself. But I would much rather die at the hands of my comrades than to my enemy’s plot. Then again, it’s possible this is all within that werewolf’s calculations too. He wishes for me to die at human hands. That way he won’t have to dirty his own, and Ryunheit’s citizens will be none the wiser.
Not only that, with me gone there will be no one left among Sonnenlicht’s clergy to take up the flag of rebellion. All of his problems...solved in one fell swoop. This werewolf is a terrifying tactician.
But that matters no longer. I staked my entire life on a showdown with the demon army, and I lost miserably. All that’s left for me is to use what little time remains to atone for my blunder.
I’ll return home to Thuvan. And there I will die.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
I watched Yuhit depart from atop the watchtower. While he may have been an enemy, and a poor strategist to boot, I couldn’t bring myself to hate the man. There were probably plenty of other people like him who couldn’t accept that they’d suddenly been conquered by a band of grotesque monsters.
Well, Yuhit’ll probably be fine. Officially, I’d granted him the position of Viceroy Airia’s personal messenger. Plus he was still a bishop, so Thuvan would probably treat him well. And since that annoying old geezer’ll be stuck there, I won’t have to worry about him anymore. Monza, who was watching along with me, didn’t seem all that pleased, but that was hardly my problem.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to chase him down and kill him?”
“Yeah.”
I grabbed Monza by the head and held her back.
“Humans may be weaklings, but killing them’s more trouble than they’re worth. They’re kinda like bees. Frail, but a pain in the ass.”
“Oh yeah... I really don’t like bees.”
When she was a kid, Monza had tried to imitate a bear and smashed a beehive to get at its honey. To this day she was still afraid of bees. At least that got her to understand.
I jumped off the watchtower and started walking down the main street. Monza hurriedly followed after me. I bought 20 meat skewers from a nearby stall and gave half of them to Monza as a reward for completing her mission.
“The Sonnenlicht Order should quiet down now, hopefully.”
“Mmmm. This sauce is really good.”
“From the taste, I think it was probably made with fermented beans or something.”
“You know how to cook, Commander?”
“Nah, I just like eating different things.”
It tastes just like soy sauce, but it’s not like she’d understand if I said that.
As I’d hoped, the Sonnenlicht Order quieted down after Yuhit left. Without their leader, they had no real organization. And because I’d just sent him off to deliver a message, there was nothing for them to get angry about, either. Though, I doubted he would ever be coming back here.
Without him, there was no one left to make important decisions for the order. But they couldn’t elect a new bishop, or it’d cause problems when Yuhit came back. Hence, they were forced to wait for a Yuhit who would never return.
Airia was the only one who’d realized there was something suspicious about his departure. One day, she came over to ask me if anything had happened the night I’d met with him. Of course, I had no obligation to tell her anything. This affair had been between him and the demon army; it had nothing to do with Ryunheit. In other words, the viceroy had no need to know.
“We just had a chat about pigeons.” She didn’t seem satisfied with that, so I elaborated a little more. “He was a very kind man.”
“That’s all well and good, but...”
She gave me a dubious look. I’m afraid you’ll have to be content with that until the time comes that I can explain everything. Regardless, I had achieved what I’d wanted. While there were still members of the order dissatisfied with demon rule, they were no longer capable of doing anything. One of the books I’d read in my old life had mentioned how wounding your enemies hurt them more than killing them. I think I’m starting to understand why now.
Although many of Ryunheit’s citizens had been worried at Yuhit’s sudden disappearance, telling them he’d been dispatched
as Airia’s messenger had easily quelled that unease. In just 10 days, the battle outside the walls had become a distant memory in the minds of the citizens. Just as planned. As I was gloating to myself in the privacy of my office, I heard a knock on my door.
“Enter.”
A young girl wearing a pointed hat strode into the room. It was my master.
“Where did you come from!?”
“From outside the door, you dunce. I knocked, did I not?”
Honestly, I shouldn’t have been that shocked. I watched as Gomoviroa waved her hand and floated up to eye level.
“I heard you skirmished with the enemy.”
“I did, Master. It went exactly how I wrote in the report.”
After the battle, I’d sent one of the canines back to headquarters with a detailed report of the battle.
“My apologies, some of your Bone Spears were destroyed in the battle.”
While it had been 2000 against 350, the infantry had fought to the death. It was a testament to how tough my master’s undead soldiers were that only 100 of them were defeated. In a sense, you could have still considered it a flawless victory. I’d moved the surviving 1900 soldiers back into the forest, so they’d be ready for the next fight. However, Gomoviroa seemed unsatisfied still.
“It will take a whole day to restore that many soldiers...”
“That’s not so bad, really. Thanks to that, we didn’t lose any werewolves or canines.”
“People like you will never understand a necromancer’s pain.”
Because of her youthful appearance, her complaints sounded like those of a pouting child. Oh yeah, I should probably tell her everything that happened after, too. I explained to her how the bishop Yuhit had been behind the assault, and how I’d banished him to Thuvan.
“I see. It’s just like you to handle things in such a manner.” Master nodded in approval. “By removing the organization’s head, you paralyze its limbs. Though you used a rather roundabout method.”
“But you would’ve done the same thing in my position, wouldn’t you, Master?”
“I suppose I cannot deny that. Dealing with the people’s resentment would be much more of a hassle, but it would depend on the situation.” She looked up into my eyes. “I daresay you’re far more human than me, the actual human here.”
Gomoviroa grinned knowingly. It almost felt as if she could see through the fact that I had memories of a past life. Since she already dabbled in the secrets of life and death, she might actually believe me if I told her I was reincarnated. But if I did that, I’d have to explain what the previous world I’d lived in was like. It was still too early to reveal that to anyone. Master stared into my face for a few seconds longer before turning away with a shrug.
“I suppose studying under my tutelage caused some of my humanity to rub off on you.”
“Th-That’s probably it.”
She didn’t bother pursuing the matter any further, and gave me a carefree smile.
“Regardless, you did well in protecting this city, and dealing with the instigators of the attack.”
“Th-Thank you very much.”
“So now, you needn’t worry about explaining yourself to the Demon Lord.”
“Huh?”
Dumbfounded, I watched as my surroundings began to twist and warp. Seconds later, I was standing in the fog that surrounded Grenschtat. I sighed heavily and transformed out of my human form.
“So why exactly do I need to explain my...”
I trailed off as I turned around. Master wasn’t next to me. It appeared she’d teleported me here alone.
“Is she staying behind to look after Ryunheit while I’m gone?”
I tilted my head quizzically and headed to the front gate.
Grenschtat castle was the acting headquarters for all three regiments of the demon army. The first regiment was composed entirely of dragonkin elites. They also functioned as the Demon Lord’s personal bodyguards. No one knew exactly how strong they were, but my guess was they were tougher than the second and third regiments combined. All of the dragonkin clans had sworn absolute fealty to the Demon Lord, so they were also his most trusted regiment.
The second regiment was made up primarily of ogres and giants; demons with high destructive power, mostly. They also tended to be the most aggressive of the demon races, hence why I had a hard time dealing with them. While they made for a strong army, they were also all muscleheads. You couldn’t really rely on them for anything requiring finesse.
Lastly, the third regiment was composed of werewolves, vampires, and other races that possessed peculiar traits. Really, it was more just a mishmash of all the races who were too peaceful by nature to make it into the second regiment. Almost all of the other vice-commanders were also disciples of Gomoviroa the sage, which naturally meant they were also mages. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call us the demon army’s brains. Unfortunately, the third regiment was also the smallest of the three. Our low numbers meant we could only take cities through unorthodox tactics or surprise attacks.
The three regiments always competed with each other to prove they were the best: Which regiment had the most achievements, which had the best-trained men—anything that could be turned into a contest was. And for some reason, the second regiment was being oddly showy today. Even the regiment’s newest recruits were decked out in shimmering armor. They dashed through the corridors with nervous expressions on their faces.
“Is there a big operation coming up or something?” I mused to myself as I sat in the reception room, waiting for my turn to see the Demon Lord. The dragonkin guard who’d guided me here brought me some ironstone tea and chicken biscuits to tide me over while I waited. It’d be rude to say it, but ironstone tea really just tastes like rusty pipe water. The biscuits taste like hardtack, too. Even though it was the Demon Lord who’d supposedly asked for me, I was left waiting for quite some time.
I’d gone through all of the biscuits and was on my second cup of tea when the door finally opened. I stood up immediately, thinking the Demon Lord had come to see me, but it was just one of the dragonkin officers. He was Baltze, one of the first regiment’s vice-commanders. He’d been granted the nickname “The Azure Knight” by the Demon Lord.
“It’s been a while, Sir Baltze.”
I saluted, and the blue-scaled dragonkin nodded lightly in response.
“Indeed. My apologies for making you wait.”
As dragonkin had the faces of lizards, it was hard to decipher their expressions. From what I could tell, though, Baltze really was apologetic. He also seemed rather tired.
“The Demon Lord has only just concluded his war council and is rather tired. I beg your understanding.”
“Of course.”
I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to be understanding here, but it looks like I came at a bad time. Guess I’ll need to watch my words more than usual. I followed Baltze to the council room, a room which was normally reserved for the highest ranking members of the army. This would be my first time going inside it.
The moment I entered the room I brought my arm up in a crisp salute.
“My lord, Vice-Commander of the third regiment, Weremage Veight reporting for duty.”
“At ease.”
The Demon Lord nodded from across the large round table sitting in the middle of the room. Like I said before, dragonkin expressions were hard to read, so I had no idea what the Demon Lord was thinking. Our audience began with the Demon Lord asking me a question.
“Wight, there’s something I must know.”
I always hate it when he says my name. Because of how dragonkin mouths were shaped, they couldn’t pronounce the ‘v’ in my name. So whenever the Demon Lord called me by name, it sounded like “Wight.” I’m sure he thinks he’s getting it right, but it just sounds so wrong to me. I’d risen all the way to the position of vice-commander, but it still hurt my feelings to be likened to a wraith.
The Demon Lord took no notice of my discomfor
t, and continued, “I have heard that you ordered large quantities of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter from the canine merchants.”
“I have indeed, my lord.”
Ah, so this is about the gunpowder. I was hoping to craft muskets for the canines, in order to raise their combat potential. Though canines were physically weak, they were quite dexterous and relatively smart. They’d make for good marksmen. That said, I wasn’t sure explaining gunpowder to the Demon Lord would be wise. However, his next words upturned all of my expectations.
“Where did you learn the formula to create Dragon Breath?”
“Huh?”
You mean this world already knows about gunpowder? Seeing my confusion, Baltze stepped in to explain.
“Dragon Breath is a special powder that explodes when ignited. Its existence is highly classified. Even within the army, there are only a few dragonkin who know of it.”
“I-I see.”
Well, this isn’t good. The Demon Lord observed me silently, waiting for my reply. If I didn’t come up with a good explanation, I’d be executed for stealing confidential military secrets. I steeled my resolve and said, “When I was training under Master Gomoviroa, I read through her library of books. Based on my findings, I surmised that this combination of chemicals might be able to create an explosive powder.”
“Mmm, from Gomoviroa’s library?”
The Demon Lord nodded, and I continued my explanation.
“I ordered the materials to test my theory. I thought that if it worked, I could make better weapons for the weak canines. I had no idea this was meant to be a military secret.”
I wasn’t ready to tell anyone the truth, so I pinned everything on my master. If worse came to worst, I could always apologize to her later. Claiming I’d figured it out from her books was a pretty lame excuse, but it was better than staying quiet. However, it appeared that the Demon Lord bought it.
