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After establishing the secret pact with Schaldir, I went to report to the Demon Lord for the first time in a while.

“You’ve been quite busy, Veit.”
“Yes, I’ve just been tidying up miscellaneous tasks.”

When I answered honestly, the Demon Lord gave a wry smile.

“Defeating the false Hero, exposing him, breaking the morale of the Northern Miraldia Army, winning over their mage, and forming a secret agreement with the trade city of Schaldir is what you call miscellaneous tasks?”
“Well, you know…”

Compared to the difficulties of the Demon Lord’s goals, this much really was nothing but errands. This kind of thing is for me to handle.

The Demon Lord set the report down on his desk, finding it all quite amusing.

“If those are merely errands, then the Demon Lord’s army is composed of nothing but errand boys. If you seek an even greater task, I could abdicate and grant you the throne of Demon Lord, you know?”
“P-please wait. If Your Majesty abdicates, I’ll resign from the Demon Lord’s army and retire to the countryside!”
“You really are a man without greed.”

The Demon Lord laughed joyfully, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.
It’s nice having a laid-back boss.

“The matter of the false Hero, well done. And what of the false Saintess?”
“She’s currently working as one of my aides. She’s gentle in nature and a good person with no ambition.”

Rasie’s illusions are first-class. They can be used on a tactical level. She may be timid, but she’s kind at heart.
The Demon Lord nodded deeply.

“You’re good at winning over enemies. In that regard, you surpass me by far.”
“I’m honored by your words.”

Truthfully, I just couldn’t bring myself to kill them completely, and they ended up sticking around out of tangled ties…
But since he praised me for it, I kept quiet about that.

“And your skill was apparent even in dealing with Schaldir’s governor.”
“No, I made nothing but mistakes there…”

I honestly told him how I’d misjudged Aram’s character and even frightened him unnecessarily.

“I was never particularly good at persuading people. I’m just a former human, that’s all. It took me quite a while to realize that Aram was desperately putting on the act of a schemer.”
“I see. I understand.”

The Demon Lord nodded.

“However, Veit, among demons, the very concept of acting differently from oneself does not exist. There’s no one who could empathize with a young man like Aram.”

That’s true, I guess.
Among demons, there’s no need to act or put on a persona. Relationships are determined by strength. Even between equals, who’s above who is usually clear.
If the other is stronger, you just do as they say. If weaker, you can relax and protect them if needed. That’s it.

The Demon Lord spoke to me gently.

“Human society is complicated. There are many things that demons, who survived by living simply and straightforwardly, cannot understand. That is why people like you and I are necessary. It’s a heavy burden, I know.”

I couldn’t help but smile along with the Demon Lord’s bitter smile.

“No, compared to the pressures upon you, my hardships are nothing. Please leave it to me.”

Ah, I’d just made another reckless promise.

The Demon Lord nodded at my words and said,

“By siding with you, Governor Aram will make an enemy of the Miraldia Alliance. If that happens, whether we can protect him will be the true test of the Demon Lord’s army.”
“Yes, sir!”

That was certainly a concern.
People in this world seem awfully eager to kill their own kind… No, that’s probably just my perspective from a peaceful previous life. I’m too lenient when judging these things.

“Fufu…”

The Demon Lord was laughing happily for some reason, and I tilted my head.

“Is something the matter, sir?”
“No, nothing at all. Hm, I see… yes, yes…”

Why are you laughing like that, Demon Lord?

“Veit.”
“Yes.”
“As our territory expands, we will require even more forces. Take my treasured elite, the five hundred knights of the Azure Scale Knight Order, and add them to your command.”

The Azure Scale Knights were the elite of the First Division, led by Vice Commander Baltze.

“Y-you can’t, Demon Lord! They are your personal shield!”

But the Demon Lord shook his head.

“The ones they must shield are not me. It is the future of the demons. And that future lies not here, but in Lüenheit.”

The Demon Lord stood and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I already spoke to Baltze. Since it was for a comrade of the same First Division, he gladly agreed.”
“But that would weaken your defenses, sir…”

The Crimson Scale Knights, their equals, were currently deployed in the north.
Most of the First Division’s infantry were still stationed at Grünstadt Castle, but infantry alone wasn’t enough for reassurance.

“Don’t worry, Veit. My own protection is my responsibility. One who cannot do that cannot be called Demon Lord.”

The Demon Lord said that with a smile.

“Thanks to having such a capable aide, I’m practically idle these days. Once in a while, I need to do something befitting a Demon Lord, or I’ll start to feel uneasy.”
“…I am deeply grateful.”

I bowed deeply and humbly accepted his generosity.

“Everyone is eager to fight alongside the Hero-Slayer, Sir Veit.”

Vice Commander Baltze laughed as we marched together.

“What I killed was a false Hero, so it’s not much to brag about.”
“Even so, it’s true he was a great threat to the Second Division. It was splendid work.”

They rode beasts known as drake mounts—two-legged creatures. They couldn’t carry as much as horses, but being bipedal, they were highly maneuverable.

And their greatest strength was their nature.
Drakes were carnivores and natural enemies of horses. Cavalry mounts instinctively feared fighting them.
They were basically the anti-cavalry unit.
However, they only obeyed dragonkin.
Thanks to that, I was stuck on foot. Since drakes couldn’t march with regular horses, I couldn’t even ride a normal one.
And I’m a vice commander…

“You’ve been sulking and smirking alternately for a while now. Is something the matter?”
“N-no. I’m just happy to fight alongside the famed Azure Scale Knights, but also feeling the weight of responsibility.”

Baltze smiled warmly.

“We feel the same way. We’ll work hard to be of service to you, Sir Veit.”

How reassuring.
But my unit was becoming more and more of a chaotic mix…

When I returned to Lüenheit with the Azure Scale Knights, the dogfolk troops were building a dragon stable.

“Oh, Lord Veit.”
“Welcome back, Lord Veit.”
“Whoa, they’re really dragons!”

You guys, you’re literally building stables for those drakes. Why are you so surprised?

“Lord Veit, can we ride these too?”
“No way. Only dragonkin can ride them.”
“Aw… too bad.”

Just get back to work already.

Not long after I returned to Lüenheit, still weary from travel/
I was in my office figuring out how to feed the dragonkin soldiers and their drakes when Aylia rushed in.

“Terrible news! An army from the Miraldia Alliance is marching on Schaldir from the north!”
“What! Who reported this?”
“A courier from a Lüenheit trader! The force consists of about two thousand regular cavalry and infantry!”
“Any siege weapons?”
“No reports of any being seen.”

If they had no siege weapons, they likely weren’t planning to truly assault Schaldir. This was probably some political posturing.

But I had an ominous feeling about this.
I stood up.

“Summon the werewolf squad, the centaur cavalry, and the Azure Scale Knights. Governor Aram may be in danger.”