by Hyougetsu
“Once we’ve declared our independence, I was hoping we could form a formal alliance with the demon army.”
“Wait, hold on a second.”
I was glad she was interested in joining our side, but I couldn’t help but be worried about what this would mean for her.
“You may be the viceroy and all, but you can’t just decide something this important all on your own. Let’s calm down and talk this through first.”
“Fear not.” Airia pulled a bundle of letters out of her pocket. “All of the merchant guilds, all members of the Sonnenlicht Order and Mondstrahl Church, and the city garrison have all formally agreed to my proposal.”
“You’re kidding.”
After my initial shock wore off and I was able to think calmly about Airia’s proposal, I realized it made sense. The odds of Meraldia rescuing Ryunheit from the demon army had become exceedingly slim. In which case, switching sides would be advantageous for the city. While I happened to be treating the citizens with respect, if I died in battle there was no guarantee my replacement would be as lenient. But if the city went independent and formed an official alliance with the demon army, Ryunheit’s future would be secure. Still, this might be too bold a move.
“I’m surprised you’re willing to bet everything on us.”
Airia smiled and placed the stack of letters on my desk.
“Ryunheit’s a city of merchants. Every decision we make, we make after carefully weighing the potential risks and rewards.”
“And by your estimation, this reckless plan will bring you the greatest profit?”
Airia smiled awkwardly and said, “You’re the one who convinced us of that, Sir Veight.”
I did?
“After seeing how you governed the city, the people came to believe that the demon army was someone they could trust. Surely if you speak on our behalf, you’ll be able to convince the Demon Lord to let us ally with you?”
I understood where she was coming from, but I still wasn’t convinced. Seeing my hesitation, Airia leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I hope you’ll be able to negotiate favorable terms for us, as we were the first city to join your side.”
Aha, so that’s your plan. She was a crafty one, this viceroy. In that case, I should respond in my capacity as the vice-commander of the demon army’s third regiment.
“So you’re throwing your lot in with the demon army then? Understood. I’ll do everything I can to convince the Demon Lord.”
I held out my hand and Airia gripped it in a firm handshake. There was something extremely invigorating about the smile she gave me.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
—Technical Officer Kurtz’s Official Report—
• Sixth Scheduled Report (Classified) •
Author: Special officer Kurtz of the dragonkin engineering squad. Preliminary results are in. Though the investigation is still ongoing, I thought it prudent to file a report.
• On the State of Ryunheit •
Ryunheit’s occupation is progressing extremely well. There is no chaos one might expect from a new government that was installed by force, and both the city’s public safety and economy have suffered no damage. To my surprise, Ryunheit’s garrison is assisting Sir Veight in maintaining order. Though they technically claim to be a neutral party, for all intents and purposes, they are cooperating with the demon army. Both me and my squad have attempted to analyze how such a thing is possible, but we have yet to come up with a satisfactory hypothesis.
The citizens hold no ill will toward the demon army either. I suspect the greatest reason for that is Sir Veight elected to respect the laws and customs of the residents.
More research is needed before I can create a conclusive report on the viceroy, Airia, but she appears to be a diligent ruler who takes her duties seriously. Details to follow in future reports.
• Thuvan’s Conquest •
As Thuvan’s defenses were sturdier than expected, the plan to coat its gates with rotted flesh then set them alight with lightning magic failed. The army’s primary force, its kentauros were unsuited to urban warfare, while the undead soldiers that made up the reserves were unfit to charge the gates. That restricted our strategic options greatly. However, Vice-Commander Veight put his backup plan into action and successfully destroyed the city’s gates. Thanks to his bravery, Thuvan fell with minimal losses. Unfortunately, his plan used up all of the reserve Dragon’s Breath we had in stock. I would humbly like to request a resupply, so that we may resume manufacturing Dragon’s Jewels. Furthermore, there were a few issues with Sir Veight’s treatment of our classified weapon.
- He packed the extremely volatile powder into a large barrel.
- He performed no prior experiments to test the powder’s effects.
- He used the powder in a reckless manner, putting himself, the commander, at risk.
- He made use of the Dragon’s Breath without coming up with a plausible cover-up story beforehand.
I believe most of my complaints arise from the fact that I am essentially a civil officer while Sir Veight is a military one, but regardless, I will insist that he leaves the handling of unstable weapons to the experts in the future. However, I cannot deny that his novel usage of the Dragon’s Breath has given me inspiration to develop a new style of weapon.
Moving on, the people of Thuvan are irrationally terrified of Sir Veight, and seem unlikely to resist the demon army’s rule. As an experiment, I told three captured soldiers “Vice-Commander Veight would like to have a word with you.” All three of them nearly fainted on the spot. It took quite some time to calm them down, and I decided that any further experiments would be too inhumane to perform. As a result of these and related experiments, however, I and multiple other technical officers, were able to confirm the different terms citizens of Thuvan use as nicknames for Veight.
Veight, the Killer of 400 Men. Veight the Butcher. Veight the Destroyer. Veight, Lord of the Undead. Veight the Werewolf General. Veight the Bringer of Dusk. From what I can surmise, that final nickname is related to the fact that Sir Veight used a bishop of the Sonnenlicht order as a mere messenger.
• New Equipment •
Upon first hearing about the Dragon’s Jewels, Sir Veight was clearly disappointed. However, he was instantly able to grasp that these weapons were meant to be a signaling tool. Moreover, he was able to make practical use of them in his first battle, and successfully avoided a surprise attack by enemy cavalry. The consensus among the technical officers is that he understands the value of the Dragon’s Jewels well.
His sharp insight extends to other tools as well. He was instantly able to grasp that my telescope was a device meant to aid someone in viewing far away objects. Not only is he a perceptive individual, he is flexible enough to apply what he discerns in unorthodox ways.
• Postscript •
Courtesy of Sir Veight, I have procured a number of interesting and delicious food samples. I am sending them together with this report. I pray you find them to your liking.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
The next time I had an opportunity to give my report personally to the Demon Lord, I brought up Airia’s proposal to him.
“Mmm, I see...”
We were in his private parlor, and there was no one else in the room. For what functioned as his office, it was a tiny space. The Demon Lord nodded and said, “A bold proposition, but one that seems both reasonable and profitable. I trust your word, Wight, but what do you think of this viceroy?”
How many times do I have to tell you it’s Veight, not Wight? Regardless, now was the time to vouch for Airia.
“In my experience, Ryunheit’s viceroy, Airia, has been both rational and wise. She is always sincerely working for the sake of her citizens.” None of what I’d said was a lie. I honestly believed she was a capable and wise ruler. “Furthermore, Ryunheit’s forces and the forces under my command have a good relationship with each other. I doubt any fatal problems would arise from an alliance between us.”
Now that the garrison troops and the Sonnenlicht Order had been pacified, the two groups who might have posed a threat were no longer an issue.
The Demon Lord listened to my case, then nodded solemnly. “This alliance would benefit us greatly. However, it would also greatly influence the future course of my army. I need to consider your proposal carefully.”
So he needs more time after all... The Demon Lord flipped through the reports in his hand and asked, “Incidentally, I heard you used all of the Dragon’s Breath that I sent you in the battle for Thuvan. Is that true?”
I figured he knew. I straightened my back and hurriedly explained myself.
“The outcome of the battle hinged on my plan’s success, so I used it all to be doubly sure I would succeed.”
Had we not broken through the gates, we definitely would have failed. I didn’t regret my decision to use all the gunpowder there. I’ll admit that I overdid it, but I only know that now with the benefit of hindsight. I expected the Demon Lord to get angry at me, but he just nodded silently.
“Understandable. However, this weapon is still a military secret, and not all of its properties have been explored, so refrain from using such tactics in the future. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir!”
“In return, I shall adopt your suggestion and ask my engineers to start developing weapons we can use in sieges.”
Oh, now that’ll definitely help.
“I have also heard that the Dragon’s Jewels proved useful in your battle. Now that their combat effectiveness has been proven, you are permitted to continue using them as you see fit.”
“Thank you for your generosity.”
If I could keep using fireworks from now on, it would be possible to plan more sophisticated strategies. That would definitely help in the battles to come.
The Demon Lord rose from his chair and stared out his window. The few plants that were visible through the fog were a vibrant green.
“It’s almost summer. The perfect season for fireworks,” he muttered.
“It is indeed, my lord.”
Pleased at how our earlier conversation had gone, I nodded without thinking. Wait a second. Something’s wrong here. The Demon Lord turned around and scrutinized me.
“What exactly are fireworks, Veight?”
“Uhh, they’re...”
“The only weapons I provided to you were Dragon’s Jewels. So I ask you again, what exactly are fireworks?”
“Well...”
It was then that I realized. The Demon Lord had switched to speaking Japanese.
“Looks like you understand Japanese, huh, Veight?”
Not only was he speaking it fluently, he no longer seemed to have any trouble pronouncing my name. This doesn’t make any sense. Actually no wait, it does. Both me and the Demon Lord were former Japanese.
“Could it be that you’re also...”
I chose my words carefully, but the Demon Lord answered casually in Japanese.
“Correct. Like yourself, I’m someone who was reincarnated.”
Unable to control myself, I shouted, “You what!?”
The Demon Lord offered me a chair and continued in Japanese, “Here, take a seat and calm down. I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”
Too shaken to argue, I slumped into my chair. The Demon Lord started by prefacing with, “I’m not sure if the Japan I lived in and the Japan you lived in were from the same age, or even the same timeline, but...”
He then went on to explain that when he’d been reincarnated, the dragonkin clans were bickering amongst themselves. The cause of their divisions had been the humans. In order to mine the rich ore veins in the mountains, the humans had driven off the dragonkin clans living there by force. The displaced clans had been forced to migrate to mountains inhabited by other tribes, which had sparked conflict between the newcomers and the old residents.
Worried about the direction the race was headed in, the Demon Lord had used might to unite all the clans. Once he’d unified them into a cohesive force, he’d led them on a series of successful campaigns, and drove the humans out of the mountains. Then, in order to protect the habitats of demons all over, he formed the demon army and started recruiting from every race.
There had, in the past, been multiple demon heroes who’d earned the title of Demon Lord, but Friedensrichter was the first among them to lead an army composed of all demonkind. Thanks to the efficient, modernized army he’d organized, he was able to win battle after battle against the humans. By utilizing tactics from his own past life, he was able to transform the demon army into an invincible force. After all, the world in his memories was far more advanced than this one.
Damn, that sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I’d been able to do that...
“I never imagined there would be others who were reincarnated into this world. But then, I was so focused on my next battle that I never had time to consider the possibility. However, that changed when you appeared before me.”
At first, the Demon Lord had thought I was just one of his more talented subjects. However, he’d noticed my distaste when he’d slipped up and accidentally pronounced my name as Wight, which had caught his attention. That alone, however, hadn’t meant much. After all, everyone got angry when people mispronounced their names. And so, the Demon Lord had paid no further heed to it. He had, however, practiced hard to get my name’s pronunciation right.
“You’re surprisingly diligent about this stuff, Demon Lord.”
“You were risking your life for me, so I felt bad about not at least getting your name right...”
It was only when I’d tried making gunpowder myself that he’d started to suspect I might not be from this world.
“Dragon’s Breath...a.k.a. gunpowder. When you tried creating some yourself, I thought there might be a possibility.”
In fairness to him, it was a staple for anyone who got reincarnated into another world and ended up becoming a soldier to try crafting gunpowder as soon as possible. It was at that point that the Demon Lord had purposely started calling me ‘Wight’ to gauge my reactions. However, it still hadn’t been enough to convince him. Especially since a disciple of the Great Sage Gomoviroa might well have been able to invent gunpowder all on their own.
“At any rate, the reason I was so obsessed with the idea that there might be other reincarnated people here wasn’t that I was getting nostalgic for my old life. I just wanted to recruit more people who had the same wealth of knowledge and shared the same perspectives on life that I did. Had you not governed Ryunheit the way you had, I probably would have lost interest in you.”
While I had been on the Demon Lord’s mind for a while, he couldn’t give me any special treatment just because of a hunch, so he’d remained silent on the matter.
“However, you continued to succeed using your unorthodox style of ruling. Of particular note to me was how you’d captured Thuvan, and the fact that you’d won over Ryunheit’s soldiers.”
Though I hadn’t realized it, apparently it was around that point in time that my fame had started to spread. The Demon Lord then took out a familiar tea tin, along with a fragrant jar, and put them on his desk. They were the green leaves and soy sauce substitute I’d sent him.
“When officer Kurtz sent me these green tea leaves and this jar of soy sauce, I knew this wasn’t just a coincidence anymore.”
“Wait, did you send him to me in an attempt to investigate my true identity, my lord?”
“No. My only intention was to have him assist you. Though I did also wish for him and the men under him to learn from your governing style.”
That statement proved to me that Kurtz was someone the Demon Lord trusted. And as the Demon Lord had hoped, Kurtz sent back accurate reports on my actions and behavior.
“There is one thing that I do not understand, though. How is it that you never even suspected that I might also have been reincarnated?”
“How was I supposed to have even guessed?”
“By name...you mean Friedensrichter?”
“Correct. It’s a German word that means ‘bringer of peace.’ I gave that name to myself as a reminder to never let my power get to my head.”
If you wanted me to guess that, you should have picked an English word.
“Most dragonkin names remind me of German words. So when I was crowned Demon Lord, I had no choice but to pick something similar as my new name.”
Apparently it was because I hadn’t reacted at all to his name that the Demon Lord had had such a hard time figuring out if I’d been reincarnated or not. How the hell would I guess something as obscure as that!?
“With all due respect, my lord...”
“Speak.”
“This is all so sudden and my mind’s still reeling from the shock, so...”
The Demon Lord didn’t get angry. Instead, he looked at me apologetically and said, “Hold, I understand your confusion, but you have to consider my position here.”
“I understand your position better than you think, my lord. But still, couldn’t you have sent out a call for all reincarnators in the demon army to show up before you or something more straightforward like that?”
The Demon Lord coughed and hastily said, “Now wait just a second. This is still partially your fault for not knowing German. Naming myself Friedensrichter was the greatest compromise I could make, considering my situation.”
Really?
“It would become problematic if word spread that I had been reincarnated, and that I was looking for others who were too. I have no doubt that pretenders claiming to come from a different world than ours would have tried to curry favor by saying they’d been reincarnated. I had to proceed cautiously in order to prevent anyone from abusing my authority.”
