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Chapter 107: The Demon Lord's Army

The city walls protecting the royal capital of the Aarl Kingdom.

The Demon Lord's army surrounding the capital was a collection of diverse races.

They were the demi-humans who had once been persecuted and driven away by humans.

The wolf-kin warrior, with his beast ears and tail, was tall and muscular.

Carrying a large weapon on his back, he stood before the Lion General, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord's army.

Inside the tent were representatives from other demi-human races as well.

The Lion General, Nogo, was a race closer to beasts.

He had a hairy appearance, like a lion that had started walking on two legs, and stood about two and a half meters tall.

He was surrounded by lion-kin women, creating a harem-like situation.

This Nogo was drinking sake in front of the wolf-kin.

"When can we conquer the Aarl Kingdom?"

The wolf-kin warrior, Glass, was not only a warrior but also a strategist.

However, he wasn't particularly skilled in stratagem.

Their battles were always simple.

They would crush the humans with overwhelming force.

But if there was a trap, they would deal with it.

That was the extent of it.

Even so, they had defeated the Aarl Kingdom's army multiple times and had now advanced to the very gates of the royal capital.

"My warriors will conquer it in three days. High walls are meaningless!"

There were also demi-humans who had no trouble scaling walls.

If they snuck in at night, they could open the gates from the inside.

Demi-humans were stronger than humans; in a one-on-one fight, they would almost never lose.

Each and every one of them was a powerful warrior.

However, the reason they had been persecuted and driven away until now was their lack of unity.

With the birth of the Demon Lord, the demi-humans had united, and now they were cornering the Aarl Kingdom.

When Nogo opened his large mouth and laughed, those around him smiled in unison.

Everyone was confident of victory.

"Now I can give a good report to the Demon Lord! Alright, bring out the sake for a pre-victory celebration!"

The demi-humans inside the tent let out a war cry.

Stepping outside the tent, Glass called for his daughter, Chino, who had been waiting.

"We're heading back."

"Yes, Father!"

Still young, Chino was characterized by her long, silvery-white hair.

Her beast ears and tail were also silver, and her eyes were yellow.

She was petite with a small chest and didn't look like a warrior at all.

However, within that small body, she possessed the physical strength to easily defeat ordinary warriors.

Chino, perhaps out of excitement, was wagging her tail from side to side.

"Father, when will the war begin? I can't wait for my first battle."

Glass pointed out Chino's restlessness, as this was to be her first battle.

"Stop wagging your tail so recklessly. You're still an immature warrior."

"M-My apologies!"

Letting an opponent read your emotions was unbecoming of a warrior.

Controlling one's tail was the most basic of basics.

They left the tent and returned to the wolf-kin's encampment.

Glass entered his own tent and invited Chino in to talk.

Sitting down on the ground, Glass grumbled with dissatisfaction.

"General Nogo is at his foolish revelry again. He devours all the plundered food immediately."

"But doesn't the Aarl Kingdom have provisions?"

The royal capital was a large city.

So, Chino simply assumed there would be plenty of food.

"The humans are cornered too. There's no guarantee they have food. In the worst-case scenario, we'll end up fighting amongst ourselves for it once we enter the city. Chino, don't you forget that."

Like a swarm of locusts, they had attacked human villages, towns, and cities, plundering their food.

Glass was exasperated by General Nogo's lack of planning.

However, General Nogo was the strongest man among the demi-humans.

Following the strong was the law of the demi-humans, so Glass couldn't speak out.

"General Nogo, empowered by the Demon Lord, is strong. We can't beat him even if we all attack at once, so we have no choice but to obey. But if we don't do something, we'll be in danger too."

Chino had a look on her face that said she didn't really understand difficult matters.

She had heard that they could plunder if they won, so she offered her anxious father an optimistic opinion.

"It'll be fine, Father! I've heard there's always been plenty of food. If it's the royal capital, there must be lots!"

Glass looked at Chino with an expression that was both exasperated and pitiful.

"I hope you're right."

A rather luxurious room, even for a royal castle.

Lying on the bed there, I watched a masked woman emerge from the shadows.

"You got dragged into this too?"

"—When Lord Liam has returned safely, I will atone with my life. I am truly sorry. However, for now, I wish to be allowed to protect your person."

She's going to die once my safety is secured? What a wonderfully loyal subject.

However, Kukuri's clan is small in number.

I wanted to avoid losing one of them over something like this.

Besides, personally, I don't think this situation is so bad.

I managed to escape before a harem was forced on me, so I'm thinking I'm lucky.

In the first place, that summoning—I could have escaped if I'd wanted to.

I was summoned of my own will, so killing her for this feels a bit much.

"Your clan is small. I can't have you dying over something so trivial, so your request to die upon our return is denied. More importantly, I have work for you."

"Yes, sir!"

Kukuri's subordinate knelt and bowed her head.

These people don't have names.

Or maybe they do, but they never give them.

Even Kukuri won't tell me her real name.

"For now, it'll be the two of us. I should decide on a name for you—let's see, Kunai."

"To be given a name by Lord Liam is an unexpected joy. I will protect you with my life."

She's a lucky one, getting a name from me.

I've only ever named a handful of beings.

My dog from my past life, Amagi... and then, my daughter from my past life.

Still, 'Kanami'... what a coincidence.

I spoke to the moved Kunai.

"Work hard."

She seemed like a ninja, so I thought of 'kunai'.

I first thought of 'shuriken', but calling her 'Hey, Shuriken' didn't seem right, so I went with Kunai.

"Now for your first job. Start with information gathering. Verify if what the people in this castle are saying is true."

"Leave it to me."

After watching Kunai sink into the floor and disappear, I yawned on the bed.

"—Well, looking at this room, I can't expect much."

Compared to my mansion, this castle is far too small.

It's probably wrong to even compare them, but from my perspective, having lived in an interstellar nation, it's just too shabby.

Still, this must be the best they can do.

It's good that they seem to be doing their best in a difficult situation.

Also, an evil lord would never say something like, 'I'll accept simple treatment out of consideration for their financial situation.'

Even if Enora and her people are suffering, I will live in luxury.

Because I'm evil.

"Now then."

I touched the bracelet on my left arm.

A magic circle appeared, and various tools emerged from it.

I picked one of them up, got out of bed, and approached the window.

Opening the window and tossing the device out, it soared high into the sky.

"I've sent the distress signal. A ride should be here in a while."

In a different room from Liam, Kanami was putting on her armor.

"Hey, this is heavy!?"

Kanami, who had never worn armor before, was surprised by the weight of the metal suit.

It was a lump of metal, so of course it was heavy.

"And this, isn't it heavy!? Huh, are swords this heavy!?"

Watching Kanami, Enora looked somewhat anxious.

"Then, I shall have a slimmer one prepared."

"I can't move wearing armor like this. Isn't there anything lighter?"

"If it's lighter, its strength will decrease accordingly. The enemy demi-humans are barbarians who can only use brute force, but that very force is a threat. Please understand."

Kanami felt a slight doubt at Enora's words.

"'Barbarians'... isn't that a bit much?"

"We have suffered for many years due to their plundering. They are despicable monsters who refuse to work honestly, killing our people and stealing our food."

Faced with Enora's harsh gaze, Kanami couldn't say anything back.

"Huh? A-Are they really that awful?"

"They are the ones who immediately started wagging their tails when the Demon Lord appeared. Lady Hero, there is no need for mercy or compassion."

Even though she was about to fight, it didn't feel real.

Kanami shifted her gaze.

"More importantly, why isn't Liam here? Isn't it weird that only me, a girl, is preparing for battle? Normally, this is a guy's job, right?"

Enora seemed to think so too, but she had a troubled look on her face.

"I asked Lord Liam to come as well, but he told me it was unnecessary."

"Isn't his attitude terrible!?"

Being made to participate in the war by herself, Kanami's dissatisfaction grew.

It was several hours after I had sent Kunai out.

Kunai returned to the room.

"Lord Liam, I have a report."

I, who had been waiting while dozing off, listened to the report with a yawn.

"The enemy has set up camp around the royal capital. They will likely launch an all-out attack tomorrow."

"So they really were in a pinch. No wonder the Queen was so desperate."

I don't care if the Aarl Kingdom falls.

But it's a gain to know they're truly desperate.

Kunai continued her report.

"The enemy army plans to send their elite forces into the city before dawn to open the gates. This city will fall easily."

"They can't hold out?"

"Their army is a collection of children and the elderly. In contrast, the enemy consists of veteran warriors."

"Veteran warriors, huh."

"They will simply be trampled. Lord Liam, what do you intend to do?"

I have no interest in the survival of this country, but it would be a problem if there was no one to take care of me.

But, there's still time.

"You rest for a while. I'll rest after that. Wake me up before dawn."

"No, but—"

"A proper rest improves work efficiency. What I demand from you is the best work and the best results."

"—Yes, sir."

Watching Kunai disappear into the shadows, I decided to wait in the room for a while.

There's nothing to do, anyway.

Kanami was brought to the castle town by Enora.

People who had fled from the surrounding areas filled the streets, their figures stained with mud.

Enora took the hands of these people and encouraged them.

"It's alright. We will surely be victorious."

"Lady Enora."

There were many elderly people and children, and many of the surviving adult men had lost limbs.

Faced with this reality, Kanami began to tremble.

She knew what war was, but she had never truly felt its reality before.

Television, photos, the internet—she had only known the tragic reality through information, and it had always felt like someone else's problem.

"This is awful."

Hearing those words, Enora nodded quietly.

"Yes, it is awful. What in the world did we do to deserve this? The Demon Lord torments us endlessly. To fight such a Demon Lord, we summoned you."

When Kanami was first summoned, she felt anger.

But now, she didn't care.

Even if she went back, a terrible life awaited her.

In that case, this place, where she was needed by people, seemed better.

When she heard that once summoned, she could never return, she felt a little—sad.

However, seeing the reality before her, she had started to think that she would do something if she could.

"Lady Kanami, will you fight with us?"

Kanami looked at the scenery of the castle town and nodded.

"—Alright. I'll fight. But do I really have the power to fight?"

"You do."

The next place Enora took Kanami to was the training grounds.

There, young people around fifteen years old were holding weapons and receiving instruction from elderly men.

There were almost no men in their twenties to forties.

Instead, the figures of women stood out.

Kanami was surprised to see young people her own age taking up arms to fight.

"Someone, be the Hero's opponent."

Everyone noticed Enora and tried to line up, but she stopped them.

An elderly man stepped forward and took a stance in front of Kanami.

"Huh, a real sword!?"

The elderly man spoke to the surprised Kanami in a low voice.

"If you're surprised by this, you won't be able to fight in a real battle."

Seeing the man slash at her, Kanami's eyes widened—and she drew the sword from her hip.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, as if he were toying with her.

When she tried to block with her sword, the sword the elderly man was holding broke.

In that instant, the movements of those around her returned to normal.

While the surrounding soldiers were stunned, Enora explained the situation.

"The summoned Hero possesses a mysterious power. It is said they are endowed with strength greater than an ordinary person, and when they fight, the enemy's movements appear slower."

"Th-That's amazing."

This is too strong.

That was Kanami's impression.

(W-With this, maybe I can survive even in a war?)

Kanami's heart thrilled with excitement at the ability she was given upon being summoned.

Brian (´;ω;`): "It's painful how Lord Liam is treating being summoned like a vacation."

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