by Hyougetsu
Chapter 3
The first thing Gomoviroa did after ascending to the position of Demon Lord was order a full retreat from the northern front. Her plan was to use the extra troops to strengthen our defenses in the south, and focus entirely on diplomacy and protection of our borders. These were all measures she’d outlined before in a meeting of officers, so there was no opposition when she made the official proclamation.
Master also declared that Grenschtat Castle would be converted into a training academy for new recruits. In truth, the castle had originally been made to train troops, so it was outfitted with all the necessary facilities. Here, we’d train new demon recruits from the rural villages in marching formations, weapon maintenance, and any other basic foundations they needed to be good soldiers. If I were to put it in SRPG terms, Grenschtat was now a base to produce new units from.
I was also planning on staying in Grenschtat until I’d fully recovered, so I’d be serving as a military instructor until I was fit enough to return to Ryunheit. My primary goal was to retrain the remnants of the second regiment. Master was planning on disbanding the second and merging the survivors into the third. Meaning that, eventually, they’d be stationed in Meraldia’s southern cities.
Thanks to our relatively bloodless conquests in the region, we were still in a position to negotiate with the viceroys of the south. Hence why it’d be a problem if the demons of the second went on a rampage there. My job was to teach them how to communicate with humans instead of killing them. And for that, I needed to purge them of the primitive mindset that might makes right.
“Men, I know you experienced battlefields more terrifying than hell itself during the northern campaign.”
I swept my gaze over the giants and ogres seated before me. We were in one of Grenschtat’s larger halls that we’d converted into a classroom. It was a pretty surreal sight seeing bloodthirsty giants and ogres sitting hunched over desks. The second regiment had suffered devastating losses, and it wasn’t their strongest warriors who had survived the slaughter. In fact, it was mostly their weakest who’d made it out alive. Only the cowardly and the wise had possessed the presence of mind to run.
“You aren’t the best of the second regiment. The best of the second died during the fight with the Hero. And I’m sure you guys know that best of all.”
The gathered demons hung their heads. Wow, these guys really are timid. The repeated defeats they’d suffered had probably scarred some of them, but my guess was most of these guys had been timid to begin with. And that was precisely why I needed to cheer them up.
“But you were the only ones who didn’t balk at the thought of retreat. After learning how terrifying humans could be, you chose to run. And that’s why you’re still alive right now. From now on, I’m going to teach you even more about humans, so that you can keep surviving the battles to come.”
The giants and ogres exchanged glances, confused.
“What’s he talking about?”
“Dunno. Veight’s lectures are too difficult for me.”
“But he’s right. Those humans were scary. I never thought they’d be that strong.”
“Yeah, they were terrifying...”
I couldn’t tell if my words were getting through to them or not.
“What’s truly terrifying about humans is their tenacity. Even if you kill their strongest warrior, someone else will just step in to take their place. You have to understand, they’re not like us.”
After all, humans weren’t led by their strongest fighter. That was why they could afford to send their best soldiers out into the field.
“Also, know that in a fight, they’ll try to protect their weaker comrades.”
That wasn’t always the case, and there were definitely times when humans fought against each other, but in general, soldiers tried their best to protect civilians. Ogres and giants didn’t form packs, so that was an alien concept to them. As far as they were concerned, weaklings who couldn’t fight deserved to die. Hobgoblins at least formed simple groups, so they were able to grasp what I was getting at to an extent. The rest, however, could not.
“Th-They protect people weaker than them?”
“Why? What do they get for protecting weaklings?”
“Shouldn’t you protect the strong? The strong can kill enemies and keep everyone safe.”
I should have figured this would happen. Let’s try a different approach.
“Okay, how about this? You guys liked the old Demon Lord, right?”
Everyone cheered in response. Guess I didn’t even need to ask.
“And do you like the current Demon Lord?”
More cheers.
“Alright, and do you like them both because they’re strong?”
The demons looked to each other in confusion.
“I... don’t know?”
“The old Demon Lord was strong. But he was also kind. That’s why I liked him.”
“The new Demon Lord’s nice, too. She’s our saint, that’s why I like her.”
Looks like this method’s working. Perfect.
“See? Strength isn’t everything. Demons always follow the strong. But just because you follow someone doesn’t necessarily mean you like them.”
A few of the demons nodded. They were probably the ones who’d had more overbearing commanding officers. Because of how much value demons placed on strength, there were many stronger demons who liked to abuse their authority. Most of those had died during the Hero’s onslaught in Bahen, though. They’d been the first to be abandoned by their subordinates, and faced the charging human army alone.
“If the Demon Lord was weak, would you no longer want to protect her?”
The demons rose to their feet and protested hotly.
“Of course not!”
“The holy saint saved our lives! There’s no way we’d abandon her!”
“If she ever became weak, we’d protect her!”
“Yeah, we’d risk our lives for her!”
“Who dares threaten her!?”
A few of the hobgoblins clambered on top of their desks and started shouting battle cries. I really wish they wouldn’t get riled up so easily.
“Okay, calm down before I get angry and chew up the lot of you.”
The demons fell silent instantly. Those that had gotten up on their desks slowly got off, and soon enough everyone was obediently seated.
“If Lord Veight bit us, we’d die...”
“Yeah, his bites killed the Hero...”
“Hey, don’t you think we should apologize before he gets mad?”
Uhh, guys, I was just joking. You don’t have to look so scared. Perhaps it would be best if I continued my lecture.
“So even if the Demon Lord was weak, you’d protect her, right?”
The demons all nodded in agreement.
“Humans are the same. They want to protect the people they like, regardless of whether they’re strong or not. So if you kill their weaker members, they’ll all come at you to take revenge. The Hero was like that too.”
The giants and ogres exchanged glances and started whispering to each other.
“Humans are scaaaary...”
“They’re like bees!”
“If we’re not careful they’ll swarm us to death...”
“Yeah, we gotta be careful, or else...”
It appeared they were finally starting to understand. There was hope for them yet.
While I was busy reeducating our demons, the entire demon army was undergoing a huge overhaul. Chief among the changes was the standardization of the vice-commander position. Until now there hadn’t been any clear hierarchy between vice-commanders. That wouldn’t normally have been a problem, but everyone from squad captains
to a regiment commander’s most trusted general had been a “vice-commander.”
From now on, only those serving directly under the Demon Lord or a regiment commander would be granted the title of vice-commander. Master had decided to appoint no vice-commanders other than me, making me the Demon Lord’s sole vice-commander. When Baltze had heard the news, this was what he’d had to say to me:
“Did you know the other soldiers have taken to calling you the ‘Demon Lord’s Right Arm’?”
“I feel like that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Personally, I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration at all.”
Really?
With the destruction of the second regiment, Master had decided to reorganize the regiments as well. Half of the first regiment, and all the remaining forces of the second, would be incorporated into the third. The third regiment would then be rebranded the southern division. Master’s plan was to focus the demon army’s entire efforts on conquering Meraldia’s southern cities. As a result of the reshuffling, Melaine had effectively been put in charge of the majority of the demon army. When she’d heard the news, she’d screamed, “Did you trick me again, Master!?”
Wait, she’s tricked you before? On the other hand, Firnir had been quite happy when I’d told her the news. She’d seemed to have believed it meant she was free of her responsibilities.
“I’ll finally be back to being just a field general. It’s a relief knowing I’ll only have to worry about governing Thuvan from now on.”
Sorry, but you’re not getting off that easy.
“Actually, Melaine has nominated you to be her vice-commander.”
“What!?” Firnir shot to her feet. “Why!? What does she even need my help with?”
“She needs a lieutenant to help her organize military affairs and handle the actual fighting.”
Firnir was the best warrior among Gomoviroa’s disciples. There was no way Melaine could run the third regiment without her. It was true she was still young, but with a few dragonkin generals from the first regiment to advise her, I was certain she’d do a good job of handling military affairs.
“This was your suggestion, wasn’t it, Vaito? Don’t think I’ll forget this...”
“It wasn’t me. If you want to complain, go complain to Melaine.”
Firnir held her head in her hands, her tail swishing back and forth wildly.
“Ugh, why do I have to do such a difficult job...”
“What’s so bad about being a vice-commander? I like the job, personally.”
“Maybe you do, but I don’t!”
The only parts of the first regiment that hadn’t been folded into the third were the Azure Knights, the Crimson Scales, and Master’s personal bodyguard. They had been reformed as the new Imperial Guard regiment, and their job was to protect Master and the other essential members of the demon army. Their commander was Baltze, with Shure his vice-commander. It was a bit too small in scale to be a full regiment, but Master was planning to rectify that by adding her undead soldiers to its numbers. Meanwhile, me and the other werewolves had become Demon Lord Gomoviroa’s personal troops, and our job was now to serve as her eyes and ears. Thanks to my unique position, I had authority over even the Imperial Guard regiment. Which, I supposed, was why everyone was calling me the Demon Lord’s Right Arm. I was effectively her representative.
A month after Master’s coronation, I was finally fit enough to return to active duty. Werewolves healed far faster than most other races, so the fact that it had taken me a whole month to recover was proof that the battle with the Hero had nearly killed me. Still, now that I was healed, there was no reason to keep lazing around. I decided to return to Ryunheit along with a batch of soldiers on their way to join the third regiment.
Even though Ryunheit wasn’t my home, a wave of nostalgia washed over me as I gazed upon the main gates. Guess I’ve gotten pretty attached to the city. Airia was waiting for me outside the main gates, along with the various Demon Lord generals stationed here, and the captain of Ryunheit’s garrison. While they were all dressed in different clothes and had different appearances, all of the people lined up before me were wearing matching black armbands. Airia had also pinned a black bouquet to her ceremonial viceroy’s dress, indicating her mourning for Friedensrichter’s loss. As I approached the gates she stepped forward and saluted.
“Welcome home, Sir Veight.”
“My thanks for preparing such a grand reception.”
As Airia was an official diplomat of the demon army, she had of course been notified of the Demon Lord’s death. However, perhaps out of consideration for me, she didn’t dwell on the topic for too long.
“I’m truly glad to see you return safe and sound.”
“Thank you. And my apologies for making you worry.”
Not only had I made Airia worry, I’d likely cause her no end of trouble in the near future. However, Friedensrichter’s death was still being kept a secret from the other humans, so I couldn’t go into details about that here. While the garrison commander hadn’t been told of the Demon Lord’s death, he and his men had at least been informed that someone important had perished. I returned Airia’s salute and the two of us walked together through the city’s gates. As we headed to the viceroy’s manor Airia turned to me and said, “You look more mature than you did when you left.”
“I don’t feel any more mature, just tired.”
I needed to hurry up and regain my old vigor so that I could help achieve Master and Friedensrichter’s dream.
My office hadn’t changed one bit in the time I’d been gone. The manor’s maids had kept the room clean, but nothing had been moved. I made myself a cup of green tea and heaved a sigh of relief. Melaine was busy handling the organization of all the new troops the third regiment had received, but that wasn’t my concern. After all, she was the regiment commander. Now then, it’s time I got back to my own job.
I unfurled my map of Meraldia’s southern region and pored over it. At present, Bernheinen to the northwest and Thuvan to the northeast were both safe. A combination of kentauros, vampires, and undead soldiers were protecting both. I doubted Meraldia would be able to launch an offensive from the north anytime soon, so now was the time to focus on gaining more allies in the south. As I perused the map, Airia gave me a brief explanation of the state of the south.
“Meraldia’s southern half has two large main trade routes running through it.” She pointed to the city of Beluza, which sat on the continent’s southern tip. “The first is the southwestern road. It runs from the port of Beluza north through Ryunheit, then northwest into Bernheinen.”
Airia’s finger traced the trail marked on my map.
“The road follows the route our ancestors took when they first came to this continent. They built up Beluza as their capital and created a kingdom that stretched north up to Bernheinen.”
I see. Oh yeah, come to think of it, Aram said something about how the people of the south were descendants of immigrants who’d come from across the sea.
“The second route is the southeastern one. This one goes from the southeastern maritime city of Lotz north up to Shardier, then from Shardier to Thuvan. This route connects to the northern half of Meraldia as well, but...” Airia lowered her voice and continued, “Because of that, there were many citizens from the north who used it to immigrate to the south. The constant flow of people leaving the north and entering the south was one of the main issues that sparked the Meraldian Unification War.”
Ah, that explains why Shardier’s especially hostile to the north. Airia grimaced and added, “Though you might have a hard time understanding such long-standing human grudges, Sir Veight.”
Don’t worry. I used to be human, too.
Airia then pointed to Beluza and said, “Beluza’s also known as the pirate city. It barely follows Meraldia’s laws, but it’s also the largest city on the southern half of the continent, so it’s hard to restrict their freedom.”
“How large
is it exactly?”
The larger its population was, the more resources and soldiers it would be able to produce. Airia grinned.
“It has a civilian population of two thousand.”
“That’s not that much... Wait, civilian population?”
Is the non-civilian population really big or something? Airia’s grin grew wider and she said, “Correct, there are only two thousand civilians living in Beluza.”
“And how many non-civilians?”
“A little over ten thousand.”
Seriously!?
“So if they’re not civilians, what are they?”
“Well, I guess you could still call them civilians.”
“Okay, now you’re not making any sense.”
Still smiling, Airia apologized, “Sorry for phrasing it in such a confusing manner. Put simply, they’re illegal immigrants.”
“Illegal immigrants?”
This might have been biased of me, but illegal immigrants didn’t exactly have the best reputation.
“Is Beluza really alright having that large a population of illegal immigrants?”
“It is indeed. While they might have arrived in the city illegally, most of the immigrants have been living there for generations now.”
Honestly, that just made me more worried. Regardless, if it had a population that large, it wasn’t a city I could afford to ignore. While Beluza was a good distance from Ryunheit, it was still the city’s closest southern neighbor.
“Well, I guess we better start negotiating with them soon, then. Lady Airia, would you be willing to go as our official diplomat?”
“Gladly.”
She was still smiling. From the looks of it, she really enjoyed surprising me.
“But first, I’d like to hear more about this city. What kinds of people are these illegal immigrants exactly?”
Before Airia could respond, Nibert—the younger Garney brother—barged into my office.
“Veight, there’s some weirdo at the southern gate! Who the hell is he!?”
“Seeing as I’ve been here the whole time, how the hell would I know?”
Realizing his mistake, Nibert quickly explained the situation to me, “H-He’s a skeleton!”