■ In the Name of the Holy Father and Son □
As the battle dragged on, the mercenary group that stood out from the kingdom’s side was the Galarhorn Mercenaries, who had been considered for this role from the beginning.
The mercenary band, consisting of over a hundred dwarves, wielded brute strength that didn’t fall far behind even compared to beastmen, mercilessly cutting down demon tribe soldiers before their eyes.
“Everybody, get back!”
Moments later, one of the dwarves in the rear emerged with some large object in hand.
Out of curiosity, I glanced over and saw the muscular dwarf wielding what looked like a cannon with a handle, aiming it at the upper body of an Iron Golem.
“Die!!”
KWAANG─!!
With an enormous roar, a steel spike housed within the device was fired, sending the powerless Iron Golem toppling backward.
A massive hole pierced through its chest.
As the golem’s body, weighing several tons, crashed backward, nearby soldiers scrambled to disperse.
“That’s a rail bunker.”
When the famous dwarven weapon known as the rail bunker appeared, my heart raced without me realizing it.
I already knew that dwarves were excellent warriors and tech-savvy, but this felt like a direct hit to my preferences.
Subsequently, another dwarf threw what appeared to be a grenade, detonating it mid-air using a multi-barreled crossbow.
Hundreds of metal balls stored inside exploded outward, piercing the bodies of surrounding demon tribe soldiers.
Battle axes, rail bunkers, claymore grenades, and multi-barreled crossbows—this mercenary group, renowned as one of the strongest on the continent, lived up to its reputation with exceptional combat prowess.
Truly tactical.
While the kingdom’s forces saw active participation from the Galarhorn mercenaries, the Demon King’s Army witnessed remarkable feats from the Great Forest’s Hundred Beast Legion.
Beastmen, creatures combining the strengths of beasts and humans, possess innate powerful physical abilities and incredible regeneration capabilities.
Their hides are nearly impenetrable by ordinary spears or swords, while their aura-wrapped teeth and claws can tear through steel armor like paper.
Moreover, any minor wounds they sustain heal almost instantly, making it impossible for regular humans to withstand them.
“RAAAHHH!”
“Shit! This is madness!”
“Goddess, please save us!”
No matter how much they cried and prayed to their gods, their deities did not come to their rescue.
To inform them of this undeniable truth, the beastman soldiers were diligently harvesting human lives.
Leading all these beastmen was Wear Lion Walter, the Demon King’s right-hand man, whose performance matched his illustrious reputation.
He was single-handedly facing off against the Royal Guard, entirely composed of Sword Expert-level Aura Users.
Unlike mages who specialize in area attacks, warriors are inevitably disadvantaged in one-versus-many scenarios. However, he seemed to have eyes on the back of his head, deflecting and countering every attack while steadily increasing casualties.
It was only thanks to Helios, the kingdom’s sole Swordmaster, fighting fiercely at the front that disaster was averted; otherwise, each member would have been picked off one by one.
About an hour into the battle, as fatigue began to set in, the human army started retreating.
Both sides suffered cumulative losses, but relatively speaking, the demon tribe still had more energy.
Undeads and golems, which constituted about half of their total forces, don’t feel fatigue, making this possible.
“Retreat! We’re pulling back!”
“Slowly fall back! Showing your backs will get you killed first!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The majestic drumbeats echoed across the battlefield.
The humans, pressed into a defensive position, chose a tactical retreat.
Soon after, orders came from the Demon King’s command staff.
“Don’t recklessly pursue them. Let’s reorganize our ranks. We’ve taken casualties too, so it’s not like we’re unscathed.”
The Demon King’s word was absolute.
Orders were quickly relayed throughout the entire army.
WHOOSH!
As the horns sounded, the demons hunting the fleeing humans abruptly stopped in their tracks.
Even Mephisto, thought to be uncontrollable due to being a true demon, refrained from further pursuit and pulled back the undead legion.
Thus, the first clash between the kingdom’s forces and the Demon King’s Army ended ambiguously, with no clear victor. [[#]] That night, the Demon King summoned me to his tent.
“Come in.”
All subordinates had already left, leaving the Demon King alone drinking wine inside the tent.
Although I’d been invited once before for dinner, this was the first time I was personally called to drink with him.
“Sit over here.”
The Demon King said this while tapping the seat beside him.
Judging by the slightly flushed face despite usually having pale skin, he’d already consumed quite a bit.
Seeing this resemblance to Ozma, I wondered if it was a family trait?
Slightly bewildered, I sat next to the Demon King.
He handed me a glass, pouring me a drink while asking,
“How do you find life in the Demon King’s Army? It’s been about half a year since you joined, right?”
“Uh… Not bad. Actually, to be honest, it’s amazing. I feel much more fulfilled than when I was with the Hero Party.”
“Good to hear that.”
The Demon King nodded, taking a sip of whiskey from his glass.
“In fact, I’ve called you here personally today because there’s something I want to say and ask of you.”
“Something you want to say and ask?”
The Demon King nodded, glanced at me, closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
Then he bowed his head.
“I apologize for deceiving you.”
Startled by the sudden apology from the Demon King, I jumped to my feet.
“No, please don’t. It’s uncomfortable.”
“No, this is something that must be addressed. You gave me the Geas Scroll when we contracted, yet I still didn’t fully trust you and assigned a supervisor. You heard this from Camilla, right?”
Realizing what he meant, I nodded.
“Yes. I heard it on the way here the other day.”
“In that case, let’s move forward. No matter how powerful a ruler might be, it’s not something one can openly discuss failing to trust a loyal subject. Therefore, I wanted to sincerely apologize for this in private.”
Truthfully, I had forgiven him long ago and didn’t give it much thought, but watching the Demon King bow his head made me feel a peculiar sensation.
Is this what an ideal boss looks like?
Honestly, at this point, it seemed too good to be true, as if the Demon King was deliberately trying to deceive me, but given his consistently positive reputation, it was hard to doubt.
While I was lost in these thoughts, the Demon King, still bowing his head, asked,
“Though it may seem shameless, can you forgive such a foolish ruler?”
“I forgave you a long time ago. Please raise your head now.”
Only then did the Demon King lift his head.
Feeling awkward, I scratched my head and asked,
“Well… Since I’ve accepted your apology, what was the favor you mentioned earlier?”
The Demon King hesitated slightly before speaking.
“To tell the truth, I’ve long wished to break the chain of hatred that has persisted for centuries.”
“The chain of hatred refers to…?”
“To humans and demons hating each other for no reason.”
After laying the groundwork, the Demon King took a sip of water instead of alcohol, perhaps wanting to speak clearly.
“In fact, the tradition of heroes coming to kill the Demon King isn’t that old in the long history of demons. It began during the reign of the ancient Dragon Tiberius 800 years ago.”
Given that the average lifespan of demons is 150 years, with some living species reaching up to 300 years, it wasn’t really that ancient when counted in generations.
“All stories began when the Goddess of Courage and the Goddess of Strength started competing. Each selected their own proxy and made them fight endlessly, expanding their influence on earth.”
“So the current Heroes and Demon Kings are…?”
“Eventually, both humans and demons were merely pawns fulfilling the greed of the two goddesses. But as time passed, this fact was gradually forgotten among humans, leaving behind only hostility and vague fear towards demons. I wish to correct everything when the opportunity arises.”
“…What should I do?”
The Demon King paused momentarily before answering.
“Humans must voluntarily surrender. Can you make that happen?”
Naturally, the Eter Magic Series, unmatched in destructive power, came to mind.
There’s no doubt it could work somehow.
“It’s likely possible.”
Hearing my response, the Demon King nodded and held up two fingers.
“To end this meaningless chain of hatred, two conditions are necessary. First, avoid inciting resentment among humans. Second, naturally phase out their religion.”
“Both are difficult.”
“With the current strength of the Demon King’s Army, crushing the remaining human forces is very easy. It’s just a matter of time. However, if we slaughter all the soldiers and enter the capital, significant resistance will follow. Most of their families live in Oz. Especially grudges related to family or close ones can be extremely bitter, leading to lifelong resistance.”
“We need to achieve a bloodless entry to prevent such situations.”
“Exactly.”
The Demon King nodded slightly, then looked at me.
“And the second plan can only be implemented after capturing Oz. I’ll explain it gradually. At this stage, it’s merely theoretical.”
I nodded, smiling wryly.
“Suddenly, I feel a heavy burden on my shoulders.”
“Don’t worry too much. As the most powerful mage in the Demon King’s Army, you’re certainly capable of bringing down that Constantinople Wall.”
“Your praise makes me unsure what to do with myself.”
“Haha, though I look old, I have a keen eye for people.”
The Demon King said this while stroking his beard, noticing my empty glass and offering the bottle.
“Let’s leave the heavy topics here. Tonight, become my drinking companion.”
“Of course. This time, let me pour a drink for you.”
Receiving the drink poured by the Demon King, I naturally began preparing a bomb cocktail, a habit formed in my previous life.
Finally, the skills I learned for entertaining others in my past life found use in this world.
