Part 5 of 8
My Parallel Mind, the former body brain, fused with the Demon Lord. So I know exactly what that gesture means.
It’s probably not clear to anyone else but me, but the Demon Lord isn’t eating Warkis’s body as a mockery. In fact, it’s the opposite.
She’s eating him without leaving a single drop of blood as a sign of respect. I know that without a doubt.
As I watch the Demon Lord chewing in silence, there’s not a trace of the smirk she wore throughout the meeting. A certain emotion shows through her expression, to the point that you might suspect she was a different person entirely.
She’s brimming with sorrow and grim resolve.
“You okay?”
That’s right. It’s so bad that I actually open my mouth and say something.
The Demon Lord looks so startled by my spoken question that she accidentally swallows what’s left in her mouth.
Mera and Mr. Oni stare at me with surprise, too.
H-hey, I talk once in a while, and I worry about others on occasion, too, okay?!
Don’t look at me like this is some earth-shattering revelation! It’s insulting!
“Pfft!”
The Demon Lord snorts, possibly noticing my annoyance.
“Heh-heh…ah-ha-ha-ha!”
Now she’s laughing her head off.
Which only makes me scowl even more.
And Mera and Mr. Oni clearly have no idea how to react.
“Okay, okay. Sorry for laughing. Really. Uh…yeah. Thanks for worrying about me.” When she finally catches her breath for a moment, the Demon Lord shares a word of gratitude. “Yeah, I’m okay. Really. I made up my mind to deal with all this a long time ago.”
With that, she returns to her usual smile.
I can tell it’s not just an act because of the look in her eyes.
…Man, she’s strong.
And I don’t mean her stats or skills. If anything, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
No, the real source of the Demon Lord’s strength is that heart of hers.
She feels guilt for having to box the demon race into a corner like this, but she still has the pride and conviction to stick with it.
She’s an incredibly kind person deep down, yet she’s resolved to walk the thorny path of a villain.
Even if it means trampling her own conscience, she’s got the inner strength to keep going.
Warkis may have had pride and conviction, but he didn’t have power.
The Demon Lord has all three of those things, in far greater supply than Warkis ever did.
So what about me?
I’ve got strength, that’s for sure. But what about pride and conviction?
…I’ve lived a pretty reckless life so far.
Almost everything I’ve done was to make sure I could stand and face enemies who threatened my very existence, instead of running away.
I’ve lived my life with pride in my own way…or at least, I thought so.
But looking at folks like Warkis and the Demon Lord, I’m not so sure.
In the end, did I really have any pride and conviction, or have I been living simply to survive?
I wish I could deny that with more certainty, but it’s hard when the Demon Lord sets such a shining example. When I see the way she lives her life with such pride and confidence, I can’t help but look up to her.
And if I’m looking up to her, that means we’re not on the same level, y’know?
I can’t help but be drawn to that glow of hers.
“Okay, White. I had you stay back because I wanted to share some information with you. Although the matter in question is a little bit troublesome.”
Hmm.
If the Demon Lord’s calling it “a little bit troublesome”…doesn’t that mean it’s actually a pretty big deal?
Mm, I can’t think of many things she would be that worried about, though…
If anything, maybe it’s those damn elves again? But I’ve got a decent idea of what’s going on there already… In fact, I’m the one who trespassed on Potimas’s property.
I crushed the whole base that was connected to the northern town, including Potimas, although it was kind of a draw, since I lost my own body in the process.
But I’m sure that Potimas wasn’t the real thing, so he’ll probably pop up to bother us again.
I even had the Demon Lord put on a little act so Potimas thinks I’m actually dead.
Sure, there’s a chance he might see that as an opportunity to attack us with everything he’s got, but knowing Potimas, I don’t think that’s too likely.
That guy’s all about being cost-effective, y’know?
He probably figured he could use the rebel army as a vehicle to deal some damage to us, but since the rebellion came to an abrupt end, and I even crushed a base of his and caused him some major losses of his own, I’m almost positive he’s gonna keep to himself for a while.
Plus, since I destroyed his precious teleport gate, he doesn’t have a convenient shortcut into the demon realm anymore.
Physical distance is a deciding factor in this world, so it’d be tough for some no-good elf to try to invade a territory located at the far end of the world.
Especially when the Demon Lord’s already ordered elves to stay out of demon territory.
So it’d be pretty tough for any elves to get up to no good in the demon territory undetected.
I guess it’s possible he had other teleport gates or something, but after this incident, Potimas is probably being extra careful about not letting any information leak.
So if he has any other valuable teleport gates, he’d probably be extra careful not to do anything to draw attention to them… At least, that’s my optimistic outlook.
Besides, teleport gates are super-valuable, so I’m sure he doesn’t have that many of them lying around.
…Right?
Okay, I guess I’ll have my clones investigate just in case.
But overall, that still means that it’d be difficult for elves to get up to anything else in demon lands right now.
Which means the effort involved would far outweigh any possible benefits.
That’s the worst possible situation for someone like Potimas, who’s obsessed with being cost-effective.
And since he thinks he’s killed me, that’ll probably satisfy him enough to keep him from going after us too intently for a while.
Although I’m alive and well, thank you very much!
Which means this probably doesn’t have anything to do with the elves… So what could the “troublesome” topic be?
“We’ve found a new reincarnation.”
Oh, so that’s it, huh?
That explains why she wanted to keep it to this group in particular, then.
Mr. Oni is a reincarnation, and Mera has ties to them by way of Vampy.
“I’ll remember to tell Sophia about it later, but I couldn’t exactly have her come here, y’know?”
Yeah, I guess bringing a literal child to an assembly of military commanders would be a little weird.
“I’ll have Wrath take it from here, since he’s the one who found out firsthand.”
With that, the Demon Lord looks to Mr. Oni.
Hmm? Mr. Oni met a reincarnation?
What? Where?
Thinking about it, when could he possibly have had the time to find a reincarnation? While he was blowing up the rebel army?
Besides, finding another reincarnation might be a troublesome topic for those of us directly involved, but why would the Demon Lord be that concerned about it?
It doesn’t really have much to do with her. Why would she call it “troublesome”?
Uh-oh. I’m starting to get a really bad feeling about this.
“I met our teacher. During the battle. She was fighting alongside the rebels in the northern town. As one of the elves.”
……Huh?
…What?
Whaaaat?!
BROTHERS
Dragging Bloe by the back of the collar, I quickly stride toward my private room in the Demon Lord’s castle, where I often spend my nights.
As the head of a dukedom, I am reasonably well trained, but my stats cannot compare to Bloe’s, since he’s led armies into real battle.
Which means it would be an easy task for him to escape my grasp if he wished, so the fact that he makes no effort to resist means he must recognize his own failure.
Ideally, I would like him to repent for his actions and make a heartfelt declaration of loyalty to the Demon Lord, but I have known him long enough to be painfully aware that he will do no such thing.
When we reach my room, I fling the door open and shove Bloe inside.
Then I follow him in and slam it shut behind me.
If anyone else was here, they would undoubtedly be surprised to see such a different side of me.
I make a point of interacting with everyone but my closest friends and family as politely as possible.
Normally, I would never even raise my voice, never mind move with such violence.
Fortunately, since we made it here without running into anyone else, my image is still intact. Hopefully.
I took the longest route possible from the meeting room to this location in order to avoid the busiest areas, but it was still a stroke of luck that we didn’t encounter anyone at all.
If someone saw me like this, I’m sure word would be all over the castle by tomorrow.
And it’s even more imperative that no one hears the conversation we’re about to have.
So much so that any mere rumors about me would be insignificant by comparison.
But in my private room, with no one else around, we should be able to speak freely.
“Brother…”
Bloe turns around to look at me with a miserable expression.
I promptly punch him in the face with all my strength.
“OOF!”
Bloe staggers back a step, but he doesn’t fall.
He is quite strong, after all. I spend far more time at the desk than on the battlefield, so even my strongest punch won’t cause him much pain, given the difference in our stats.
If anything, it’s my hand that hurts from punching him.
But that’s the least of my worries right now.
“You absolute moron!”
I grab Bloe’s collar with my still-throbbing hand.
“Do you have any idea what position you’ve just put yourself in?!”
“Uhhh, I…”
“You do, don’t you?! Don’t you dare tell me you don’t! You’ve practically wrapped yourself in the colors of a traitor! If you make one wrong move, it’ll be your head on the chopping block!”
“Brother, I—”
“You didn’t mean to. Is that what you’re going to say?! You idiot! Your feelings aren’t important right now! You were already on the verge of being a symbol of anti-demon-lord sentiment thanks to the way you’ve acted all this time! Nobody else knows what you might be thinking or feeling on the inside, you know. That’s why I kept telling you to change your attitude!”
Over and over, every time I saw him, I gave him the same warning.
He refused to listen, stubbornly holding a grudge against the Demon Lord, and now he’s reaping his reward.
I roughly let go of his collar, collapsing into a chair.
Bloe stands stock-still, as if at a total loss.
“Why didn’t you just execute Warkis like she asked?”
I know full well that Bloe could do no such thing, but the question spills out anyway.
Yes, I understand.
That Bloe sympathized with Warkis’s declarations and saw him as a comrade.
That they spent many years side by side, leading their respective armies together.
They were more than comrades. They were friends. It’s only natural that he would hesitate when suddenly ordered to put him to death.
And yet, if he had only acted as he was told, things never would’ve deteriorated this badly.
“Brother, I…I couldn’t do it.”
“Right. I figured as much.”
The Demon Lord knew that full well when she gave him that order.
She wanted to make Bloe her next sacrifice.
No matter what the Demon Lord’s policies might be, the majority will never accept her.
So sooner or later, someone was bound to raise the banner of revolt against her.
Warkis just happened to step into the shooting gallery first.
He was a straightforward man, entirely too simple.
That was why he was manipulated and used as the figurehead of the rebel army.
And now Bloe is going to be next.
“Bloe, you’re at the top of the list of the Demon Lord’s dissenters now. How you actually feel isn’t relevant anymore. Even if it wasn’t your intention, rebels will start to gather around you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“…Yeah.”
It’s too late to stop this now.
He’s been put in charge of the Seventh Army—the former rebel army—and he’s already made it clear to everyone that he’s not fond of the Demon Lord, either.
That meeting sealed his fate.
Thanks to Warkis’s actions, we were able to avoid the worst-case scenario, but it’s still evident that Bloe intended to disobey the Demon Lord’s order to execute him.
This colossal failure isn’t merely a refusal to follow orders; it’s also tantamount to a declaration that he sides with the rebel army.
I’m sure the other commanders saw it that way, and the Demon Lord seemed to only encourage that interpretation.
Yes, that’s right.
That meeting was a setup.
It was all to establish Bloe as the next anti-demon-lord rebel leader.
There was at least one other commander who really was working with Warkis.
A traitor who put Warkis at the front of the rebellion, supported him from behind the scenes, and was careful not to leave behind any concrete proof.
The real purpose of the meeting was for the Demon Lord to indicate to that commander, or commanders, that Bloe is Warkis’s successor.
Whether Bloe actually intends to rebel or not, other rebel forces will begin to flock to his banner.
The Demon Lord set it up that way.
Because it makes things easier for her to deal with.
“Listen carefully. You only have one option now. Find a way to take control of these rebel forces and ensure that they do not revolt. As soon as you fail to contain them, it’ll be your head. And not just you. This time, there’s sure to be a serious purge.”
Bloe gulps, as if he finally understands the position he’s in, as well as the immense weight of his failure.
“Why…? How did it come to this?”
That’s what I’d like to know.
But there really was no way to avoid this outcome.
Bloe was too convenient a scapegoat for the Demon Lord.
Since he made no effort to hide his animosity toward the Demon Lord, it was all too easy to arrange for him to stand at the front of the rebellion against her.
Even though he never actually rebelled against her. Even though he followed her orders, however reluctantly.
He’s the perfect person to serve as the new figurehead of the rebellion. He’s also the best candidate when it comes to forcing someone to keep them in check.
But the key issue here is that the Demon Lord isn’t actually expecting him to succeed at that for long.
If he can, that’s great for her, but it’s no skin off her back if he fails, either.
Then she can just wipe out all the rebel forces in one fell swoop.
Either way, the Demon Lord comes out on top.
If Bloe succeeds, she doesn’t have to purge valuable soldiers, and if he fails, she can get rid of all her dissenters at once.
Whereas Bloe is stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to keep the rebels in check while also dutifully obeying the Demon Lord.
If he makes one misstep, he’ll plummet off the tightrope and into the abyss. But he has to make it all the way across against all odds in order to live.
I know he made this bed for himself with his constant attitude, but still—why did it have to come to this?!
“Hey, Brother. Is that really the only way?”
“Bloe. Don’t say another word. Don’t even think it.”
I know exactly what he’s getting at.
No doubt he’s wondering if he couldn’t just become the rebel leader for real and overthrow the Demon Lord.
But if it were that easy, we wouldn’t be in such dire straits.
“I’ve told you this countless times. And I’ll continue to do so until you finally understand. You do not stand a chance of defeating the Demon Lord. If I may be blunt, even attempting to fight her would be nothing short of suicide.”
Bloe’s face sours, as if he can’t accept the finality of my statement.
But whether he accepts it or not, it’s the absolute truth.
Surely, Bloe must at least realize that the Demon Lord is no ordinary person.
I’m sure it’s still hard to believe.
It must be dawning on him by now that even if he managed to unite every living demon under one banner, he still wouldn’t have the manpower needed to take her down.
I might not have believed it, either, if I hadn’t witnessed her power with my own eyes.
No, in fact, I’m sure I wouldn’t believe it.
How could anyone accept such a preposterous idea?
“Bloe. What’s the single strongest monster you’ve ever encountered?”
Bloe looks perplexed by my sudden change of subject, but he thinks about it for a moment and responds.
“In a swarm, it’s definitely anogratches, but if we’re talking a single monster, probably the obrock or the deloombeik.”
The anogratch is a monster that lives in the Mystic Mountains.
Also known as “revenge monkeys,” they move in large packs. As the name implies, if a single member of their pack is killed, they’ll seek revenge.
Even if it means their entire pack will be wiped out in the attempt.
Killing even one anogratch can rapidly develop into a disaster.
If you fight off the swarm that comes after you, that means it becomes necessary to fight even more anogratches. This starts another chain of vengeful rage, and it’ll continue until all the anogratches in the swarm are dead.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the anogratches periodically increase their numbers and descend from the Mystic Mountains on a rampage.
Each time they stampede like this, we have to send out whole armies to deal with them.
In that sense, they’re more dangerous than any other monster in the demon territory.
The other monsters he mentioned, the obrock and the deloombeik, are a giant bird and a giant beast respectively.
Neither of them has any special abilities, but they move surprisingly quickly for their massive bulk and can easily crush their enemies beneath them.
They are monsters of pure and simple strength, but as such, it is easy enough to deal with them.
They’re certainly stronger than anogratches individually, but the real threat of the anogratch lies in the swarm.
Overall, anogratches are definitely the larger threat.
“Would you be able to defeat an obrock or a deloombeik single-handedly?”
“That depends. If I had time to prepare and lay traps and all that, I think I could do it. It’d still be life-and-death, though.”
Despite this disclaimer, he looks fairly confident that he could do it.
“So what if you were just on your own, with no time to prepare?”
“Well…probably not.”
Bloe hesitates for a moment but admits his likely defeat.
I’m sure he hesitated only because he was reluctant to admit it.
“Then what do you think would happen if a bunch of obrocks or deloombeiks were to attack in an anogratch-size swarm?”
“That’d be a tough battle.”
Either one of those monsters is manageable on its own.
Bloe seemed confident that he could defeat one by himself if he was able to set traps and such, and it’s possible to hunt them without any casualties if you bring a large enough group.
But what if they showed up in a great horde like anogratches?
Anogratches are far weaker than those other monsters individually, but when they run wild, there are always considerable losses.
If a monster even stronger than an anogratch was to swarm and attack in the same way, the death toll would likely be catastrophic.
It might even be the sort of battle that could spell the end of the demon race.
“Are you imagining it now? But you see, the Demon Lord could wipe out even a swarm of monsters like that without breaking a sweat.”
Bloe looks at me skeptically.
Dammit. I’ve failed.
Everything I’m saying is the truth, but the scale of my example was so large that it must have made it seem unbelievable.
“You don’t believe me? It’s the truth.”
“If you say so, Brother, then I believe you.”
But despite his words, Bloe doesn’t seem convinced.
“At any rate. Don’t even think about doing something as foolish as rebelling against the Demon Lord. The situation you’re in now may be horrible, but it could still get worse. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. So please just hang in there.”
It’s true.
This situation is bad, but it’s not completely hopeless.
There’s still a way to survive no matter how difficult it might be.
“I beg you. I don’t want to see you…my family…die.”
“Brother…”
Bloe trails off for a moment when I bare my honest feelings.
“…I’m sorry. All right. I’ll pull it off.”
I have no choice but to believe his determined declaration.
THE ELDER DEMON ADMITS DEFEAT
“Wait.”
After leaving the meeting, I called out to a few of those who were quickly walking away.
I stopped Second Army Commander Sanatoria, Sixth Army Commander Huey, and Ninth Army Commander Nereo.
“What is it, Lord Agner?”
“Surely, I need not speak it for you to understand? Or do you need me to elaborate?”
Speaking for the group, Nereo asks my business, but I doubt anyone would fail to understand why I have gathered this particular set of individuals.
“Hmm. I find it difficult to ascertain what you might want of me.”
And yet, Nereo feigns ignorance.
I suspected that he might do as much, so I will simply cut to the chase.
“I ask only that you be aware that you have been knowingly let off the hook. That Her Majesty the Demon Lord already has a knife pressed to all your throats. Be assured that there will be no second chances if you make any furtive moves again. The Demon Lord is not so benevolent as to look after those she has no need for.”
Nereo’s expression doesn’t change, but Sanatoria and Huey tense up ever so slightly.
These three are the commanders who sent troops to the rebel army.
I have no proof, but I am certain of it.
And I am sure the Demon Lord knows as well.
She has set Bloe up as the scapegoat, but only as bait to lure out these three.
If they let their guards down simply because she did not overtly single them out at this meeting and tip their hands soon after, she will destroy them without mercy.
“You are free to heed my warning or ignore it as you wish. But in the latter case, all that awaits you is inevitable destruction. That is all.”
Having said my piece, I turn my back on the three of them.
I have given them fair warning.
If they choose to rebel against the Demon Lord anyway, that is their choice. I will not save them.
At any rate, Nereo can do little without an army of his own, and if youngsters like Sanatoria and Huey attempt anything, they will quickly give themselves away.
Even if Nereo advises them, it will not change the outcome.
For the Demon Lord is far more powerful than even I had imagined.
Those three certainly don’t stand a chance against her.
Leaving the silent trio behind, I walk away.
In the private room that has been allotted to me in the Demon Lord’s castle, I sink heavily into a chair and think.
The topic of concern is my next course of action.
But I suppose there is little more to think about there.
I know that I have no other choice no matter how long and hard I contemplate, yet I cannot help asking myself whether there might be some loophole.
But try as I might, I cannot think of a good plan and ultimately circle back to my original conclusion.
Namely, that there is nothing more I can do.
Damn that Potimas.
I thought he might at least be of a little use, but instead he simply withdrew without doing anything at all.
What a tremendous letdown.
As my thoughts reach this point, I cannot help laughing at myself.
I schemed to entrust our problems to another race, yet now I have the gall to blame them for our failure, even if only in my mind.
Potimas made no blunders.
He was slowly and steadily preparing to strike a single, powerful blow against the Demon Lord.
The fact that we were crushed before his preparations were complete simply means that the Demon Lord outmatched us.
It is I who fell far short for failing to even detect that the Demon Lord was going to take action, never mind preventing her from crushing us.
Ah, I have no choice but to admit it.
I have been defeated, completely and utterly.
My plot to create a clash between the Demon Lord and Potimas that would weaken both sides has ended in total defeat.
I planned everything so carefully.
There wasn’t a ghost of a chance that Warkis’s rebel army could overthrow the Demon Lord.
I assumed that the Demon Lord would recognize this as well and decide to crush the rebels in order to wipe out her dissenters once and for all.
Then Potimas’s unexpected intervention would take advantage of her careless pride and strike.
Nereo, Sanatoria, and Huey.
I spoke to them dismissively, but it meant nothing.
For I am the true mastermind behind the rebel army.
I am sure those three assumed that they were the ones manipulating the rebels from the shadows, but in truth, it was I who guided them into action.
That is how I know it was them, even if I have no proof.
Sanatoria and Huey played right into my hands.
Nereo, too—of the three, he alone seems to suspect there’s someone else pulling strings from behind the scenes, but I do not think he has surmised who it is.
He may have an inkling, but I have no doubt his suspicion of me has dropped somewhat after our most recent interaction.
I do not know what Nereo will do now, but it’s none of my concern.
At any rate, I made careful preparations during the years that the Demon Lord was traveling in human lands.
I instigated Warkis to form a rebel army, deepened the connection between him and Potimas, and even used my precious Spatial Magic user to create a teleport gate linking us with the elves.
And I did all this without ever letting on that I was leading the way or leaving evidence behind.
I even fine-tuned the amount of soldiers transferred from the other armies so that we would still be able to recover even if the rebel army was wiped out completely.
If the rebel army got too large and was massacred by the Demon Lord, it was a distinct possibility there might be too few demons remaining to keep our race alive, so I proceeded with utmost care.
That is why I kept Nereo and the other colluding commanders in the shadows.
If they had stood at the forefront, and the entirety of the Second and Sixth Armies joined the rebellion, they might have inspired other armies to join them as well.
That could only lead to a massive civil war that would divide the demon race into two—the one thing I had to avoid at all costs.
So I carefully limited the scope of the rebellion to an amount that would not cripple our race if annihilated, and I even tempted Potimas into assisting us.
We had just received the order from the Demon Lord to ban all elves from demon territory, so I went about quietly disposing of the elves on our land.
I then reported their deaths to Potimas as if I knew nothing of how they had occurred.
“Elves have been disappearing without a trace quite frequently in the demon kingdom as of late. Do you know anything about this?”
It was a simple trap to lay.
Potimas was sure to assume from that little information that the Demon Lord was working against him in the shadows.
And when he received a request for assistance from Warkis at that precise timing, he would no doubt consider it the perfect opportunity to strike back.
Potimas despises incurring one-sided losses.
Childish though it may be, he cannot accept anyone else coming out on top.
If he felt slighted by the Demon Lord, he would never miss an opportunity to exact revenge.
But what would happen when the Demon Lord and Potimas clashed? This outcome alone I had to leave to fate.
Such was my pitiful excuse for a plan, which used an outsider, Potimas, to achieve my ends.
If I thought prayer would promise a better outcome, then I would have pleaded with the gods without hesitation.
Thus was my stage so carefully prepared, yet it was destroyed by the Demon Lord before I could even raise the curtains.
I proceeded so carefully, sending my loyal vassals into each army to gather information and manipulate others.
And yet, I did not catch even a whiff of the Demon Lord’s movements.
When did she discover the existence of the rebel army?
I do not believe the rebellion failed to act covertly.
There was no reason she should have known of its existence.
Somehow she saw right through it, and without even the slightest warning at that.
Still, if that was the full extent of it, I could accept that the Demon Lord’s reach was simply wider than I realized.
But she also discovered that the elves were helping us.
That was my one and only advantage, the trump card that was meant to deal a great blow against the Demon Lord. I took every available precaution to ensure that the elves’ involvement did not leak to anyone.
Even if the existence of the rebel army was discovered, I went to great pains to keep her from knowing that the elves were backing them until the last possible moment.
The Demon Lord was undoubtedly aware that a rebellion was bound to occur sooner or later.
So even if she learned of a rebel army’s existence, she would not panic.
I assumed that she would simply confront them without a worry.
And that would be the perfect moment to unleash the elves, the one weapon that could potentially reach her.
As long as I kept the elves hidden, it would not matter even if the rebel army was exposed.
And yet, she somehow learned of the elves as well.
Otherwise, how could she have used the teleport gate to conduct an attack of her own on their base?
If anything, perhaps she reacted so quickly because she knew the elves were involved.
In the end, the rebel army was quickly subjugated and the elves unable to assist at all.
Ha. What else can one do but laugh?
I tried everything I could.
To overcome a demon lord who possesses overwhelming power…
It was never a sure thing from the very beginning, but the fruits of all my careful labors have only yielded the realization that the Demon Lord is far more powerful and ingenious than I could ever have imagined.
I suppose gaining that knowledge is an accomplishment of sorts, but having my years of delicate planning crushed so completely for such a meager result is beyond discouraging. I can muster only a strange, bitter chuckle in response.
Like it or not, I understand now.
I must admit defeat.
The only available route for the demon race’s survival now is to obey the Demon Lord and somehow win against the humans.
We cannot outmatch her strength.
Nor can we outmaneuver her.
The former point alone was enough to put us in check.
I still did my best to find a way around it, but has it amounted to nothing more than struggling in vain…?
No.
I suppose I knew from the beginning that this was the likely outcome.
No matter how crafty Potimas might be, I suspected he would not manage to kill the Demon Lord.
If nothing else, perhaps he could kill her closest associates and delay the war against the humans due to the chaos caused by the rebel army.
Yes, that was the best I could have hoped for.
But now that it’s all over, I am painfully aware of what a hopeless aspiration that was.
I cannot defeat her.
All that is left to me now is to show my submission to the Demon Lord in the hopes that I can minimize casualties from needless fighting.
Which is exactly why I gave Nereo and the others that warning.
As of now, it does not seem the Demon Lord intends to dispose of the commanders who supported the rebel army.
If she did, she would have long since done so by now.
Given that the Demon Lord was able to uncover my carefully hidden information about the elves, she undoubtedly knows that those three were involved.
But she appears willing to let them live, as long as they don’t do anything foolish.
I guess the only problem left is…me.
I can feel eyes upon me.
My sword is nearby, well within reach, but I force myself not to reach for it.
One by one, I feel the number of gazes on me increase.
Eyes.
Countless glowing red eyes, looking at me.
My door is closed, yet they still peer into this room, ignoring any space or barriers between us.
A swarm of white spiders.
They stare at me from every direction.
What an unsettling sight.
My heart pounds out an alarm.
How long has it been since such a sound reached my ears?
I strive to keep my expression unmoving, to hide the clammy sweat of my clenched fists.
And then a white figure appears before me.
“Welcome. Although I cannot say I hold much admiration for a woman entering a man’s room alone.”
My greatest concern is to keep my voice from shaking.
I must not show my agitation or my fear.
These may be my last moments, but I have pride of my own that I wish to hang on to.
Or perhaps I simply do not want to embarrass myself in those last moments.
“Ah, but I suppose you are not alone after all.”
My lips twitch sarcastically as I look at the swarm of white spiders all around us.
I had to make some sort of joke, or I fear I might have screamed.
“So may I ask what brings you here?”
The person who appeared is the girl they called White, who seems to be the Demon Lord’s closest aide.
Eyes.
Perhaps I should be clearer in my language.
This girl herself is the Demon Lord’s eyes.
The watchful eyes that captured not only the rebel army’s movements but the elves’ as well.
Meaning that most likely, she is also aware of what I have done.
Otherwise, she would not have come to see me at this time, in this situation.
The snow-white girl stands in silence.
Her eyes are closed, but the white spiders all around her stare at my face intently, as if seeing for her.
As if they’re ascertaining something.
“Orders.”
How much time must have passed?
After a moment that seemed both short and infinite, undoubtedly the most uncomfortable moment of my life, the girl finally opens her mouth.
And then she continues in short, halting words, explaining the contents of said orders.
“Is that what Her Majesty the Demon Lord wishes of me?”
I have my doubts about the orders I’ve just been given.
If the Demon Lord truly gave them, I cannot understand her intentions.
At my inquiry, the white spiders rustle about in a show of displeasure.
My blood runs cold at the threat of them all attacking me at once.
“Really?”
What exactly does her question mean?
Is she asking whether I really need to ask after what she just told me?
Or is she saying to simply follow orders without asking questions?
In this case, I suppose it must be the latter.
For a moment, I turn my gaze upward.
Toward the ceiling—at least in theory, but all I actually see is a swarm of white spiders staring down at me.
It feels as though I’m being told that there is nowhere to run. I cannot help but smile bitterly.
“I admit it. I have been completely and utterly defeated. There is nothing else I can do. And it stands to reason that the loser must obey the victor. I vow on my life to devote everything to the Demon Lord. Use or dispose of me as you please.”
I look the girl straight in the face.
“If you do not mean to destroy me here and now, I shall humbly carry out those orders.”
I am prepared to be utterly annihilated if it comes to that.
Such is the gravity of my deeds.
“Okay.”
But instead, I’m given an almost anticlimactic one-word response.
And as if that word was a signal, the white spiders all around us begin to vanish.
Is this Spatial Magic or perhaps some higher art of which I remain ignorant?
Perhaps it is Dimensional Magic, the evolution of Spatial Magic, which is whispered of in legends?
Even the Demon Lord’s subordinates are terrifying monsters.
“Thanks.”
With that, the girl disappears as well, so suddenly that I cannot tell when she cast the spell.
All that remains is the sight of my room in its usual state, so ordinary that one might almost suspect that what just happened was a nightmare or illusion.
But my fists, clenched so tightly that they’ve drawn blood—the only way I was able to keep my composure—remind me that it was all too real.
It appears that even though I had accepted the possible fate of being erased, I still could not help but experience fear at the moment of truth.
I suppose Warkis, who fell so nobly, was a far better man than I.
…In the end, all I accomplished was sacrificing him.
I lost that simple, honest man and have nothing to show for it.
“A fool,” he said…
I am far more deserving of that criticism than the Demon Lord ever was.
For I raised the banner of revolt against the Demon Lord, even knowing how wretchedly hopeless such an action would be, and let her brand me as a traitor.
And a fool such as myself has only one path left.
I must become the Demon Lord’s dog and do my best to keep as many demons alive as possible.
I will not let Warkis’s sacrifice be in vain.
It will be a warning, to prevent the other commanders from attempting any further rebellion.
If there are any signs that such a thing might occur, then I myself will not hesitate to dirty my hands.
Bloe has been given the burdensome role of cleaning up this mess.
Perhaps he dug his own grave with his everyday words and actions, but I do pity Balto.
I will do anything in my power to help those brothers avoid misfortune.
For I must clean up the mess my struggling caused myself.
Since I am being allowed to live, the Demon Lord must have deemed me useful yet.
I must get on her good side by proving that her judgment was correct.
I shall cast aside my honor and pride.
Wretch that I am, I must hang my head, beg forgiveness, and vie for her favor.
Not for my own life but for the continued existence of the demon race.
Difficult though it may be, I must do it.
For that is the only path left open to me.
Thus, I shall begin by carrying out the orders I have been given.
LET’S FILE A COMPLAINT
Teacher.
For us reincarnations, that word can refer to only one person.
We were all reborn in this world after an explosion in our classroom.
The class we were in at the time was classical literature.
And the one teaching us at the time was none other than Ms. Kanami Okazaki.
Aside from me, she’s the only reincarnation who wasn’t a student.
And she ran into Mr. Oni.
That’s fine in theory. The problem is the place and circumstances under which they met and, more importantly, our teacher’s race.
Mr. Oni found her supporting the rebel army.
That’s already a red flag, but on top of that, she was an elf of all races?
Elves—yes, the same race as Potimas.
No waaay.
The biggest “no waaay” ever.
That’s no good!
If you think about it, or even if you don’t think about it, that’s totally bad news!
The whole thing seems ridiculous, but we can’t just ignore it, either.
No wonder the Demon Lord said this situation is “troublesome”!
I figured any situation that she’d find troublesome would be related to either the elves or reincarnations, but I never imagined it’d be two for the price of one!
According to Mr. Oni, she got away from him.
While they were talking, elf cyborg freaks attacked him, and she was picked up and dragged away by some other elf.
And our teacher was nowhere to be found among the rebel soldiers we captured.
In fact, there wasn’t a single elf among them, period.
They must’ve all died or escaped.
It seems strange that we didn’t manage to capture a single one, so we suspect that the ones who were in danger of being overrun might’ve killed themselves.
Maybe they were told to die rather than fall into enemy hands?
That sounds like something Potimas would say, all right, but it’s even scarier that the elves would actually obey him.
But I guess dead guys aren’t really important right now.
Apparently, the surviving elves have regrouped and are trying to escape from demon territory.
Makes sense. They did get to the northern town using the teleport gate, after all.
Now that the other end of that has gone KABOOM thanks to my Meteor, they can’t get back the way they came, meaning there’s no choice but to escape on foot.
Although even if it was intact, they wouldn’t have any way of reaching it with the whole town now under the Demon Lord’s army’s control.
But one does not simply walk out of the demon territory.
First of all, there’s no way a bunch of elves can travel around here without being spotted. They’ll have to resupply eventually, so it’d be virtually impossible to escape without interacting with any demons.
I don’t know how far word has spread that the elves were supporting the rebel army, but if that piece of information hits the streets, people will be on the lookout.
Thing is, since there’s no Internet or anything in this world, information travels pretty slowly.
Which also explains why the elves are moving south so fast: They’re planning to run as far as they can before word gets out about them.
But there’s still a pretty big distance between the northern town and the border with the human realm.
There’s no way they can cross that distance without the help of any demons.
And even if they manage to reach the border, things only get tougher from there.
The demons and humans have been staring each other down at the border for years now.
Their relationship is so bad that anyone trying to cross the border might very well be killed, no questions asked.
Assuming they make it across the border, there’s a really good chance they’ll get killed by humans.
There are certain parts of the border where it’s easier to cross, but they’re all guarded by big ol’ fortresses built by the humans.
There’s no way they’re slipping past that.
So why don’t they just avoid those areas?
Oh, if only life were so simple.
First of all, we can rule out all the areas with really annoying terrain, the biggest example being the Mystic Mountains that we crossed to get here.
No normal people could ever make it through there alive.
Then there are the places that don’t have proper roads but are still theoretically options.
The thing is, there are bandits in those areas.
More specifically, they’re basically groups of human government–sanctioned highwaymen.
They kill and steal just like your average bandit, but they actually have permission from the human empire to do this looting.
You wouldn’t think a government would want to allow any bandits, but you’d be wrong.
These guys are contributing to their national defense, see: They lie in wait on these backwater roads that the government can’t fully control, and they defeat any would-be intruders from the demon realm.
They live around these checkpoints, create moving settlements that search for prey, steal whatever they can from intruders they stumble upon, and even get compensation from the government.
So while they’re basically just thugs, they do manage to help secure the border against incursions from the demon realm.
In other words, if the elves try to escape along any of these routes, they’ll get shaken down by these government-backed crooks.
Sure, the elves might be able to fight them off, but these guys are surprisingly strong, since they make their living off killing intruders.
I don’t know if the exhausted elves will stand much chance of victory after traipsing their way across demon lands.
If they lose, they’ll all be killed, and even if they win, I bet they’d take some major losses.
By the way, there’d be no negotiating or anything, either.
These guys are bandits at heart. If they notice prey passing by, they’re bound to attack.
It’d be hard enough to convince them to consider a deal, and even if they did manage to get that far, I’m sure any talks would fall apart quickly.
Why, you ask? Because it’s these guys’ whole job to kill anyone who wanders in from demon lands.
Their country pays them to do it, and they must take some degree of pride in their job.
They’re protecting humanity from the demons’ invasions, you know?
Even if what they’re doing is almost indistinguishable from plain old banditry!
So they’ll target anyone and everyone coming from demon territory, elf or not.
Besides, demons and humans don’t even look all that different.
No matter who comes out of the demon territory, they’re just gonna kill ’em!
Elves?
They came from the demon territory, so they must be allies of the demons, right?
Kill ’em!
That’s how it’s gonna play out.
What I’m trying to say here is that Ms. Oka and the other elves have a preeeetty low chance of making it out of the demon realm alive.
So low that if you compared it to a pro baseball player’s batting average, it’d be insulting to the player!
Not that I care what happens to the other elves besides Ms. Oka.
But unfortunately, we’re gonna need them to get out alive as well.
Wouldn’t it be simpler to just place Ms. Oka under guard, you ask?
Yeah, I thought about that, too.
But there’s a reason we can’t do that.
Which means we have to indirectly help Ms. Oka and company get out of the demon territory.
At least, that’s the snap decision I came to as I listened to Mr. Oni’s information and used a Detection-like technique to track Ms. Oka down.
“So that’s the gist of it. What should we do?”
Once Mr. Oni finishes his explanation, the Demon Lord turns to me.
Gotta say, it’s pretty impressive that I’d already found Ms. Oka and figured out a plan by the time she asked me that.
“I’ll handle it.”
I make a quick declaration.
There’s no time like the present, so I put my plan into action right away.
First, I need to go to the person I’ve chosen to escort the elves to the border. The best possible man for the job.
Naturally, that’s the lord who’s in charge of the demon side of the human-demon border: the Colonel himself.
Boy, that Colonel is a tough customer.
Yep, that’s right.
I just put the Colonel in charge of supporting the elves!
Ugh, it was super-hard to explain.
“Elves.” “Running from the rebel army.” “They’ll pass through here.” “Heading to the human territory.” “Help them.”
It took a whole lot of work for me to relay all that information.
Since he responded with a question right away, I wound up giving him a kind of weird answer, but it seems like he accepted that response for whatever reason.
Good on ya, Colonel.
So dependable.
I mean, I put a whole lot of pressure on him, but he never lost his cool.
Pretty crazy.
It definitely seemed like my thinly veiled threat got through to him, so he must be a fairly sharp guy.
I managed to send the message of I know you’re the mastermind behind the rebel army without actually saying it out loud, and he understood.
He’s certainly a whole lot more useful than the three small-fry he was manipulating.
Compared to them, Mr. Warkis was a much bigger deal.
Heh-heh-heh.
I wouldn’t just get my whole squad of mini-mes together to glare at him for no reason, y’know?
It was to convey the message that he’s being watched and that we know what he’s been up to, too.
Why would I do it in such a roundabout way, you ask?
To reduce the amount of things I actually have to say out loud, obviously.
Please figure it out so I don’t have to say it.
That was the earnest wish behind my gesture.
And the Colonel was smart enough to make it come true, so I’m very happy.
In actuality, I’m the only one who knows the Colonel was the mastermind behind the rebellion.
He hasn’t left behind a single scrap of proof.
He sent only his most trusted subordinates to infiltrate the other armies and acted through them.
It must have taken years to lay all that groundwork, but you can do that kind of thing when you live as long as a demon.
And he used that groundwork to manipulate several commanders into raising an entire rebel army.
What’s really impressive about the Colonel is that not even once did he directly involve himself, and he even managed to make the commanders think they were acting on their own initiative.
I doubt I could pull off anything like that.
It’s a delicate art that involves a deep understanding of people’s natures, thorough calculations, and an extremely careful balancing act of various moving parts.
When I put it that way, it makes me wonder if even Potimas was manipulated into making a move by the Colonel.
In fact, he probably was. A genius strategist like the Colonel would definitely realize that demons alone can’t defeat the Demon Lord.
At least, not without some outside help in the form of Potimas.
The Colonel planned to coerce Potimas into acting under cover of the rebel army’s movements and set him up to clash with the Demon Lord.
I shudder to think what would’ve happened if he had succeeded.
It’s a bold move that puts the heart of the plan in the hands of an outsider.
Actually, it’s possible that even the demons getting the elves to help them rebuild might have been due to the Colonel’s machinations.
Potimas can be surprisingly gullible. If you buttered him up just right, or promised to owe him a debt or something, or suggested that the demons would need more power to fight the humans, he might very well agree to help.
Like, if you really think about it, it’d probably be more efficient to put that energy to work elsewhere, so there’s not really any deep reason for the elves to help the demons.
That makes it even more likely that the Colonel might have used his silver tongue to motivate Potimas to send aid.
And if he was able to do that, I’m sure he could get Potimas to support the rebel army, too.
The Colonel’s got some frightening abilities, even if they’re the kind that aren’t reflected in his skills.
If I didn’t have the dirty trick known as my mini-me information network, I would never have guessed that the Colonel was pulling the strings.
But it looks like after this little incident, he realizes that there’s no point trying to rebel against the Demon Lord. And if someone that talented is going to cooperate with us, they’ll be a huge asset.
Part 5 of 8