The plaza in front of the castle gate.

Surrounding Liam, who stood there, were soldiers.

Holding bows, the soldiers trembled before the approaching beastmen.

Watching the scene from a short distance away, Kanami and Enora couldn't understand what Liam was thinking.

"What is he thinking, suddenly coming out and opening the castle gate!"

Kanami wasn't an expert on warfare, but she understood that the castle gate had to be defended.

Enora knew it as common sense.

And she seemed to find it unbelievable that the gate had opened on Liam's command.

"I gave no such order. Who on earth opened the castle gate!"

"W-We've sent men to confirm, but not a single one has returned."

What in the world was happening?

The beastmen who had invaded the plaza were blown away the moment they approached Liam.

Flesh and blood scattered as if a balloon had popped.

Kanami's interest was piqued by the katana Liam was holding.

"He has a katana."

"You know of it, Lady Kanami?"

"I know of it, I guess... W-Was it an old weapon from my country?"

She hadn't seen any katanas in this country.

And yet, Liam had one.

Then, the beastmen charged forward, letting out a great roar.

Seeing them, Enora clasped her hands and offered a prayer.

"God, please protect us."

Just as Kanami picked up a weapon to support Liam, the beastmen who had passed through the castle gate exploded into pieces.

As if there were an invisible wall, they burst one after another.

The beastmen who had stopped were pushed forward by their comrades behind them.

Those who charged were unable to stop.

Liam watched with a laugh as the castle gate was stained crimson.

"Weak. Far too weak. They're bursting before I can even cut them!"

He was just holding the katana, yet he spoke as if he were the one doing the cutting.

Kanami watched Liam's movements closely, but it didn't look like he was swinging his blade at all.

How many beastmen had exploded into nothing?

As the surroundings trembled at the abnormal sight, the beastmen finally noticed the strange phenomenon and halted their advance.

As the beastmen moved away from the gate, Liam headed outside.

Kanami and Enora went up to the castle walls to see what Liam would do.

◇

—They were so weak that the pressure from my sword sent them flying.

How many hundreds of enemies had burst apart?

"Now then, who's leading these small fry?"

The moment I wield great power is exhilarating.

It is when I crush the weak with overwhelming force that I can prove I am the strong one.

I am not the one who is plundered, but the one who plunders.

And I am a villain.

When I stepped outside, I saw that a great number of beastmen had surrounded the city.

A lion-like beastman holding a large axe stepped out before me.

From the attitude of the other beastmen, I immediately knew this one was the boss.

"Are you the Demon Lord?"

In response to my question, the lion readied its axe and charged at me.

"You mere human!"

He was so slow I felt like yawning.

I deliberately dodged his attack at the last possible second while continuing my question.

"I asked if you're the Demon Lord. Answer me properly."

As he swung his axe down, I kicked his knee, and as the lion lost its balance, I grabbed its mane and slammed it to the ground.

The lion's eyes widened in shock.

"Wh-What?! H-How can you hold me, the great me, down with such slender arms!?"

"The density of my bones and muscles is different. More importantly, are you the Demon Lord?"

"—I'm not."

The lion struggled, trying to escape from me, but it was all in vain.

Still—he really is close to a beast.

A hairy beastman that walks on two legs.

My junior from my past life was talking about cat ears, but this doesn't interest me at all.

As I was toying with the lion, the beastmen drew their bows and fired arrows at me.

When I knocked them down, it must have looked to the beastmen as if the arrows had vanished mid-air.

They let out cries of surprise.

Then, the beastmen who had attacked me were dragged into shadows that appeared on the ground.

—Kunai.

So diligent. Excellent.

There was no way they could survive after attacking me.

I released the lion, and it picked up its axe and charged at me again.

I spoke while dodging.

"Where is the Demon Lord? I'll go to him myself, so guide me."

"The Demon Lord is a most noble being, unlike you humans! For you to seek an audience is disrespectful!"

"Oh, is that so? Then die."

If I unleashed a single flash of my sword, he would just explode, so I cut off his head instead.

I deliberately drew my katana and sliced him slowly.

Seeing this, the other beastmen, their faces contorted with rage, charged at me—.

"Don't make a fuss."

—I intimidated them, and the enemy's movements stopped.

I swung my katana so the beastmen could see it, and the heads of dozens of beastman warriors went flying.

"You have only two paths to choose from. Obey me, or defy me and die. —Choose whichever you like."

Finally understanding the difference in our power, the beastmen looked at each other.

In the face of overwhelming power, sturdy warriors bend the knee—what a delightful sight.

Blame the queen who summoned a villain like me as a hero.

As many of them showed their intent to submit to me, one beastman jumped out.

It was a girl who looked like a human with dog ears and a tail.

Her beast-like features were minimal, and at first glance, she looked like a girl in a costume.

"I am! Of the wof twi—"

She jumped out in front of me and was trying to say something, but her mouth didn't seem to be working properly.

What's more, her triangular ears, which should have been standing up straight, were now drooping flat.

She was trembling, her fluffy tail curled between her legs.

Her knees were knocking together, her legs turned inward.

Incidentally, I'm a dog person.

I used to have a dog, and I remember scolding it once—it trembled and curled its tail just like this.

Seeing her like that made me feel nostalgic.

"You, are you a dog? If you're a dog, I'll forgive you."

At that, the girl's eyes sharpened—.

"I'm not a doggy!"

—Damn! I can't understand what she's saying.

She's so scared of me that her tongue isn't working right.

That part of her is unbearably cute.

Thinking she was a dog beastman, she suddenly started to look cute to me.

Facing the small beastman girl, I decided to calm her down.

"Calm down. Here, take a deep breath."

"Huuuh... haaah..."

Being told by me, her enemy, to take a deep breath, and actually doing it—she's so stupidly cute.

For the first time in a while, I wanted to get a dog.

But I'm hesitant to get one.

They die so quickly, and it's unbearably sad.

But what about this one?

The beastman girl in front of me, her mouth finally working again, introduced herself.

"I am Chino! The daughter of Glass, the strongest warrior of my clan!"

"Hmm. So, are you a dog?"

"D-Don't mock me! We are wol—"

It seemed she was something different, which was a shame, but then I heard a loud voice.

"We are dogs!"

I looked in that direction and saw a beastman with the same proportions as the girl, Chino, in front of me.

They looked similar, so they must be related.

However, Chino was surprised.

"Father! We are the proud wol—"

"We're dogs. Chino, we are dogs."

"Ehh!?"

Chino didn't seem convinced, but the man who had come before me started calling himself a member of the dog tribe.

"And you are?"

"I am Chino's father, Glass. Please, tell me your name."

Seeing Glass kneel made me feel good, so I sheathed my katana.

"I am Liam. Liam Sera Banfield—from today, I am your master. Worship me. Praise me. You will all obey me! If you intend to defy me, step forward. I will kill every last one of you."

The beastmen knelt.

It felt truly good.

Only Chino had an unconvinced look on her face.

"U-um, I'm a wolf."

When I looked at Glass, he shrugged.

"That child has a strong admiration for wolves. Well, dogs are like relatives, anyway."

Hearing that made me want her even more.

"This one's cute."

A puppy who thinks she's a wolf... that's a solid block of moe.

Glass offered to give me his daughter.

"Then, as a proof of our submission, I shall present my daughter to you."

"Are you sure? Hey, are you sure? She's your daughter, right?"

He's deciding so easily!? While I was inwardly surprised, Glass remained calm.

—Hmm, I guess when the level of civilization is low, children are treated carelessly.

No, the Interstellar Nation isn't much different. Human life is treated lightly in the first place.

"She is already of an age to be independent."

It seemed I could have her, but Chino was shocked.

"Father! Please wait, I don't want to!"

However, Glass ignored Chino's opinion.

"Be quiet and obey. The fate of our clan is at stake."

Chino's dejected figure after being glared at by Glass was so dog-like that I found it endearing.

The dog I used to have would also get dejected when I got angry.

This incident alone made me feel glad I was summoned.

Escaping from Brian and the others, and even getting a cute pet—isn't this the best?

"Alright, I'll take good care of your daughter. Also, from today on, I'm your boss. —Be prepared, because if you defy me, I'll destroy you."

The beastmen bowed their heads, so I returned to the city in high spirits.

◇

The Royal Castle.

In the audience chamber, Liam sat on the throne, talking with the beastman leaders.

"The Demon Lord's subordinates?"

"Yes. Including the Lion King Nogo, there are four of them. The Four Heavenly Kings."

"That sounds like a pain, so I'll pass. I'll just defeat the Demon Lord and be done with it."

Liam, crossing his legs and looking uninterested, declared that he would march out to defeat the Demon Lord right away.

Kanami, who was listening, condemned Liam's attitude.

"H-Hey, what's with you all of a sudden! There are people suffering! Don't you want to help them!?"

There were people suffering under the Four Heavenly Kings.

Liam showed not the slightest interest in that fact.

"What of it? Crushing the head is a basic rule of battle. An amateur like you shouldn't butt in."

"A-Amateur, you say!?"

"Someone who can't even kill the enemy in a fight shouldn't talk like they're a pro. You hesitated, didn't you? Someone like you is useless, so you can just stay in this castle. Don't worry. I'll defeat the Demon Lord to kill some time."

To kill some time—for Liam, the battle with the beastmen was nothing more than a game.

Even though such a terrible battle had taken place, Liam dismissed it as killing time.

Kanami clenched her fists.

"Many people died."

As Kanami remembered the fallen soldiers, Liam gave her a cold look.

"What of it? This is their war. It's not my responsibility. In fact, you should be grateful. Thanks to me, you avoided total annihilation."

"You're a hero too, aren't you!"

"That's why I helped you, right? Oh, I haven't received my thanks yet. Queen Enora, hurry up and throw a victory celebration for me."

Faced with Liam's endlessly arrogant attitude, Enora stepped forward.

"—Sir Hero, we undoubtedly won this battle thanks to you heroes. However, we were not told you would invite the beastmen into the castle and make them your subordinates."

"Of course not, because I didn't tell you. Besides, I don't need your permission."

"We have been tormented by the beastmen for many years. If this continues, neither we nor our people can accept it."

The Kingdom of Aarl had suffered greatly at the hands of the beastmen.

Hearing this, Kanami couldn't say anything in the face of Enora's hatred and sorrow.

However—.

"Who said I'd make you accept it? You just have to accept it. Who do you think you're talking to?"

—Liam wouldn't even listen to that.

One young knight, out of righteous indignation, drew his sword on Liam.

"If we remain quiet, you speak to Her Majesty the Queen in such a manner! Not only do you invite these beasts into the castle, but this—we will no longer rely on you! We will slaughter all the beastmen outside as well!"

At those words, the surrounding knights and ministers also voiced their agreement, beginning to vent their dissatisfaction with Liam.

Kanami knew their anger was real.

(There's no way I can stop this.)

She didn't want to condone a massacre, but she couldn't bring herself to say hypocritical words like "killing is wrong" to those whose families had been murdered.

She could sense that even if she said it, it wouldn't stop them.

Liam slowly stood up—and in an instant, he closed the distance to the noisy knight and sliced off his head with his bare hand.

The once-raucous audience chamber fell silent at that single action.

Everyone was terrified of Liam.

(No way!? W-When did he move?)

She hadn't seen Liam's movement at all.

"Don't get the wrong idea, you trash. You are not the victors, you are merely the losers. The one who won was me. You all just managed to survive. And the beastmen have submitted to me. In other words, they are my property. —Trash that lays a hand on someone else's property will die."

At Liam's declaration that the victory was his alone, the onlookers were left speechless.

Unable to accept it, Enora protested.

"Th-That's impossible! Do you have any idea how much blood we have shed! To say you won all by yourself is the height of arrogance!"

Kanami, no longer able to tolerate Liam's attitude, joined in the protest.

"You have the worst personality! These people, how desperately they—wh-what is it?"

Watching the desperate pleas of Kanami and Enora, Liam began to chuckle.

Then, clutching his stomach, his laughter grew louder.

"Shed blood? Desperately? The fact that you all talk about doing the bare minimum as if it's some great effort is just too ridiculous and funny."

Kanami couldn't believe the kind of person Liam was.

And then, Liam began to lecture Queen Enora—.

"The ruler made an effort? Shed blood? Are you an idiot? —That's a given. It's not even worthy of evaluation."

Overwhelmed by Liam's aura, Enora took a step back.

Liam approached Enora, intimidating her.

"Looking at someone like you irritates me. If you have time to pander to the people, you should be doing your job. Is this any time to be worrying about the populace?"

"Pander—you say? W-What could you possibly understand! To the people who have endured so much, I am doing what I can—"

"That's just all you can do, isn't it? Well, I guess you can't help it since you're scared. You want to avoid a popular revolt and the collapse of the city from within, after all."

Liam, who had started laughing cheerfully, ignored Enora and the others and began discussing future plans with the beastmen.

Brian (´；ω；｀) "It's painful. The domain is in turmoil, yet Lord Liam alone seems to be having fun. It's painful."