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For a while after that, I was able to enjoy some peaceful days.
Trade with the city of Bernehainen, now under Demon Lord Army occupation, had begun, and Lüenheit was becoming more lively than ever.
Though all the traveling merchants from that side are vampires, as long as they don’t cause trouble here, I’m willing to overlook it.

The city guards have resumed their duties and are working to maintain public order on the streets and major roads.
They still glare at us with suspicion, but I’ve even spotted them occasionally chatting with werewolf patrol units.

Then one day, the moment I’d been waiting for finally arrived.

“Thanks for making the long journey.”

I was at the southern gate, welcoming a group that had just arrived.
It was a unit of dragonkin. Their wagons were loaded with waterproofed barrels.
A dragonkin who looked like the commanding officer stepped forward and saluted me.

“I’m Technical Officer Kurtze of the Dragonfire Engineering Corps, temporarily assigned from the First Division. Twenty-four personnel in total, all accounted for.”
“Understood.”

I saluted in return.
Noticing his blue scales, something clicked in my mind.

“By any chance, are you related to sir Baltze?”

“Yes. Baltze is my younger brother. I’m proud to have such a capable sibling.” I thought the names were similar—and sure enough. “My brother always spoke highly of you, Lord Veit. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Kurtze hadn’t received a noble title from the Demon Lord, so he held the status of a regular soldier.
He looked very much like an intellectual type, not surprising. If he fought someone like Dog from the Beast-Ogre unit, he’d probably be flattened in one blow.
But after a bit of conversation, I realized Kurtze was highly capable. Surely he’s been entrusted with significant responsibility by the Demon Lord.
Possibly on par with me, or even higher.

In my office, while sipping some of my precious green tea, Kurtze explained the gunpowder the Demon Lord Army was producing.

“‘Dragon’s Breath’ is incredibly powerful as a weapon, but it’s not practical due to the difficulty of handling it.” I was about to say I wanted to form a musket corps with it—but I held my tongue. If they’re already developing it, better to stay quiet. “But with a formula I’ve developed independently, I’ve created a much more useful weapon.”

Oh? Is it a musket? A matchlock?
I leaned forward in anticipation. Kurtze proudly pulled out a small sphere. Not what I was expecting, but it looked like a bomb.

“This is the newly developed ‘Dragon Orb.'”
“Hmm.”
“You use metal shavings—”

So it’s a shrapnel bomb? That’s scary.

“And produce red, blue, yellow, green…”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”

He smiled proudly and said:

“When you burn metals, you get flames of various colors. This allows for colorful explosions.”

The Demon Lord Army’s new weapon turned out to be fireworks.

I was more disappointed than I thought possible, but I could still tell Kurtze was a talented technician.
And actually, fireworks might have their uses.

“We could launch these to send orders or reports over a wide area.”

Kurtze looked surprised.

“Exactly! How did you know?”
“Well, the personnel and equipment were sent by the Demon Lord himself. I figured they had to have some kind of purpose. Honestly, I was just guessing.”

Dog whistles only work on beastkin and werewolves, but signal flares can reach dragonkin and humans too. They’re quicker than smoke signals and usable at night.
Yeah, I’ll happily take these.

“A brilliant invention, Sir Kurtze. As expected of Sir Baltze’s elder brother.”
“You honor me. To instantly grasp the utility of this weapon—you truly live up to your reputation, my lord.”

I’m no great general, but I won’t say no to a compliment.

“By the way, Lord Veit, I saw armed human soldiers by the castle gate—”

Ah, he must mean the city guard. Must be unusual for him.

“They’re the Milardia Alliance guard stationed in Lüenheit.”
“What!?”

That’s the first time I’ve heard a dragonkin shout.

“What’s the matter? You startled me.”
“My apologies—but aren’t they our enemies!?”

Right, that’s how the demonkins see it.

“They surrendered. They’re now independently maintaining order in the city. They’re taking a neutral stance.”
“Neutral…”

Kurtze still looked unconvinced as he peered out the window at the guards.
The guards are armed with swords and short spears—enough to cause serious harm if they chose to attack a dragonkin or beastkin.

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

I’m not completely sure either, but we can’t manage everything with just the werewolf units, so I choose to trust them.

“They don’t serve the Milardia Senate or any god. They serve the citizens of Lüenheit. That’s why they won’t cause unnecessary conflict.”
“I fail to understand it…”

Kurtze still looked worried—but he’d get used to it.

Thus, Lüenheit became a city where werewolves, beastkin, dragonkin, and vampires all passed through.
The werewolves are rough, but they’re absolutely loyal to me. The beastkin are cheerful and friendly. The dragonkin are calm and rational. The vampires aren’t much different from humans—so long as they don’t suck blood.
Watching humans and demonkin go about their business together on the streets somehow, it soothed my daily fatigue just a little.
Governor Aylia was busier than ever dealing with all the new issues, but I figured tax revenues were rising too, so she’d manage.

More pressing was the plan to capture Tübahn.

With the northern front in constant retreat, the southern front had to keep advancing. The morale of the entire Demon Lord Army depended on it, as demonkin only follow the strong.
The Demon Lord himself is nearly godlike in strength, but if the army appears weak, the soldiers will defect. That’s just how it is.
My master should be arriving to pick me up soon, so I’d better go report to the Demon Lord again.

“Bad news—we’ve lost another city.”

After making my report, I sat down to lunch in the Grünstadt Castle officers’ mess with my fellow vice-command, Baltze.
Baltze looked exhausted. He poked at his stir-fried grasshoppers with herbs and sighed.
The leader of the Azure Scale Knights, one of the most elite units of the First Division, looked downright miserable.
Well, this mess is private. No soldiers around. This must be his true self.

“The Second Division has poor coordination between species. Each unit acts independently to claim glory. They don’t maintain supply lines, so isolated units are constantly being wiped out.”

The Demon Lord runs a rational, modern military logistics system.
But those orders didn’t reach the front lines well, and over time, the Second Division had started doing whatever it wanted.
Even someone as dumb as Dog from the Beast Ogre unit would be considered a tactician there…

“No one in the Second Division can even make it back to report. I’ve been delivering updates to His Majesty in their stead, but reading out those pathetic letters is soul-crushing…”

After the meal, Baltze took out a small cloth pouch and swallowed a pill-like stone.

“Oh this? I’ve got a stomachache. The army medic gave me these medicinal stones. They don’t work too well, though.”

Like antacids, I guess.

“…I sympathize with your struggles.”

He looks like a lizard, but I’m getting more and more fond of this guy.

To help out my overworked comrade, I’ve got to step up.

“The southern front is under the Third Division’s responsibility. Lüenheit is finally settling down. Please let me assist with the Tübahn campaign as well.”

Baltze reached across the table and gripped my hand.

“His Majesty has high hopes for you, Sir Veit. Please bring him news that will ease his burden.”

Yeah, he’s got it rough too.