《Maoyuu Maou Yuusha》 Volume 1 Prologue — Maoyuu in Short

Volume 1 Prologue: Maoyuu in Short

From the days of Ancient Greek epic poems to modern Anime and TV game shows, in every age, in every media, Thrilling Legends have been repeated countlessly. Therge majority of these feature a climax where the Ally of Justice (the Hero), having battled repeatedly with the Great Evil (the Demon King), finally takes down the Demon King and restores peace to the world, bringing a joyous and sessful conclusion to the epic. Such a Morality y is often necessary as it makes people feel good about themselves. This is undeniable. However, at the same time, as you watch TV and read the news, as you are fixated on online animations, have you ever considered this? - Reality is cruel. The world is not so simple that it can be saved by a single persons transient aplishments. Maoyuu arguably begins at the climax of this Thrilling Legend, right before the Hero battles with the Demon King. The main characters are a slightly bizarre Demon King and an extremely curious Hero. As the twoy aside the promised confrontation, and somehow join hands, human with demon, they challenge head-on theplicated social structure which dictates that humans should always battle demons. In other words, their enemy is now the World. That soundspletely unreasonable, doesnt it? ugh). Such a thing has to be impossible Surely everyone must be thinking about this. Well Why dont you turn over the page? A story which has never been read until now, a difficult battle harsher than any Thrilling Legend that has ever been depicted. Maoyuu depicts a Demon King and a Hero attempting to change the world. Their weapons include Modern Economics, Sociology and Agriculture. To achieve this, some technical jargon may be employed. Moreover, as this book was originally written on inte forums, some Otaku ng and ng may be used. So that as many people as possible will be able to read this, this book shall attempt to use a simpler vernacr to rify and exin these terms. And so The Hero had spent three years on his journey. The Army of Men had invaded the Demon World through a portal and seized an important location. Through this opening, a portion of the human world had also been upied by the Demons. With the South as a focal point, the two armies shed repeatedly. With memories of torment and chaos, the people suffered under this nightmare. Within this intense and chaotic world climate, news came of a party of heroes who again and again inflicted defeat on Demonkind, bringing hope to the people of the Central Kingdoms. But what of this Hero? Perhaps he had no patience for this slow yet fruitless invasion of the Demon World, or perhaps there was another reason for the Hero to leave behind his three heroic panions And venture towards the Demon Kings castle on his own. Like an arrow that had been loosed from a bow. His course was straighter than a ruled line. Volume 1 1, “The Demon King’s Castle, that Profound Audience”

Volume 1 Chapter 1, The Demon Kings Castle, that Profound Audience

Bells toll in the distance. The Hero: Wind howls. The Hero: This is Where is this? Where is the Demon King!? Wind howls. The Hero: This Demon Kings castle is massive, but it doesnt have any guards or warning systems. As for traps Well therere a lot of traps. I just need to get over that and Well I dont have any regrets Wind howls. The Demon King: Good afternoon. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Good afternoon, Hero. The Hero: Wha- What are you?! The Demon King: The Demon King Oh? You didnt know? The Hero: Wh- Wh- Why is the Demon King a woman?! Wind howls. The Demon King: Dont say that. Its a traditional title after all, I cant help it. The Hero: Dammit. This is a tactic to throw me off. Is that right?! Come out, real Demon King! The Demon King: Hey hey. I am the real Demon King. The real thing. The forty-third Demon King, also known as Ruby Eyes. The Hero: Hmph. The Demon King: Why wont you believe me? Look Ive got a seal here too The Hero: Dont show me your chest?! The Demon King: No, look. Theres the evidence. The Hero: Shut up. Dont even think about seducing me. The Demon King: I havent even done anything yet Wind really howls. The Hero: Damn it. This is worse than traps or whatever else. Ive already decided to take down the Demon King. This is the right thing. Im going to make the right decision! Im going to take this person down! The Hero: Demon King! En garde! The Demon King: Alright, lets do this again from the start. Good afternoon The Hero: Ugh Why do I feel so exhausted? The Demon King: Hmm. That was a bad response. Okay, lets try this How farest you? The Hero: Farest? The Demon King: Ive waited for a long, long time. Such a long, long time for the Hero to appear. You probably cant imagine how long Ive been waiting. Ive been really looking forward to having this conversation with you. The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: Its a bit sad that we cant exchange greetings. But since thats how it is, weve got no choice. Well then. Lets raise the curtains. The very first Act of the legend of the Hero and I Or the veryst. Hero, its finally here, these secrets Ive kept within me for such a long time. The Hero: Wha What are you saying, you Master of Demons! The Demon King: Be mine, Hero. The Hero: I refuse! Wind howls. The Demon King: No matter what? The Hero: Dont be stupid! How many countries do you think youveid waste to?! The Demon King: Is this about the Forest Kingdom? The Hero: The sky turned ck, the people fell into poverty The Demon King: Didnt they inflict this on themselves by converting the forest into charcoal and causing Pollution? The Hero: Pollution? The Demon King: Ah. Umm You dont know, huh. The Hero: Dont lie to me! The minister of the Tin Kingdom was possessed, are you telling me that wasnt the work of demons?! The Demon King: Didnt that perverted, greedy minister just unsessfully embezzle the countrys resources and attempt to create a massive harem of princesses? When he got caught he imed his mind was being controlled by demons; seems like those are just the bad habits of bad humans. The Hero: I cant forgive this lie The Demon King: Im not lying. The Hero: Then how about the war with the Southern Kingdoms?! Ive seen hundreds of humans being ughtered by the armies of Demons with my own eyes. The Demon King: And? The Hero: What? How can I forgive the Demon King who invaded thend of the humans! The Demon King: We seem to have a different understanding of who has invaded whom. There are some good points on this side as well Well, its true that we are at war. The Hero: You are evil. The Demon King: You could say I am evil. Of course, after you kill me, youre going to massacre the nobility of the Southern Kingdoms, arent you? The Hero: What? Youre the only one thats evil. The Demon King: How about all the humans whove been killing demons? Who decided that demons are bad and humans are good? The Hero: The Demon King: Wouldnt it be nice if as a Hero you could just say, I am the Law! or I am God! or maybe even I am Gundam! The Hero: Shut up! The Demon King: I really like you, Hero, so well stop here. The Hero: Dont say that you like me. The Demon King: Take a look at these data. The Hero: Whats this, this is Isnt it Vellum? Its thin, and white, and smooth The Demon King: Thats Printing Paper. But thats not important, whats written on it is important. The Hero: Umm, Explosion in Demand Employment? Curve? Consumption Trends Economic Dependency Ratios? The Demon King: Do you understand? The Hero: What the hell is this, some kind of evil ritual? The Demon King: No. Its an economic analysis of the Utility of war to the consumption market. The Hero: Utility? The Demon King: Thats right. The Hero: What meaning is there in war? You damn demons invaded the human world to wipe us out. Do you think you can fool me, Demon King? Dont try to wrap this all up in smoke! - Exnation Pollution: In the process of heavy industry, various contaminating by-products are created which may be harmful to people. Even in the Middle Ages, there were numerous cases of mineral residue which flowed down rivers and caused diseases among the people. Vellum: The hairs of animals (particrly sheep) are removed from the hide, which is then tanned, ttened and cut thinly so that it may be used for writing purposes. Strictly speaking, vellum is not paper. It can be resiliently folded and hence fetches a high price. Printing Paper: Paper was invented in the 2nd Century BC in China and was brought to Europe around the 12th Century AD. Compared to vellum and papyrus, paper was thinner, could be folded and bent and was easy to store. - The Demon King: Hero The Hero: (Ugh. Why is it a woman. And such a beautiful one too?! This is unbelievable!) The Demon King: If you really have to fight, then lets fight. The Hero: ?! The Demon King: Like I said, Im cool with us fighting. The Hero: Ill take your head right this instant. The Demon King: Alright, so listen to what I have to say for just half a day. The Hero: The Demon King: Such an opportunity will never present itself again during the entire eternity of the universe. The Hero: Fine. Speak. But if you say anything strange, Ill chop your head off at any time. Unsheathes sword. The Demon King: I understand. Then allow me to exin. Please look at the first page of the data in your hands. The Hero: Its a diagram. The Demon King: Its a graph Thats a visual representation of the spending patterns and expenditure of the Central Continent over thest 50 years. The Hero: Umm The Demon King: You will notice that since the war started 15 years ago, the economic climate of the Central Kingdom has been steadily improving. The Hero: Thats a lie. The Demon King: Thats not a lie. Take a look at page two. This onebines a few sets of data. The Hero: The death toll of people in this war has been The Demon King: Since the war began, the poption of the Human World has started increasing. The Hero: What kind of lousy reasoning is that?! How could the poption be increasing when people are dying from this war? The Demon King: Well, usually that would be the case. But in this world, the pre-war conditions were different. Before the warwell, its been this way for a few hundred yearsthe primary causes of death among humans were pestilence and famine. The Hero: The Demon King: These two are very strong enemies, and theyve been undefeated for thest 500 years or so. Sometimes pestilence rears its ugly head, and far from a poption increase, entire countries are wiped out. The Hero: Pestilence and famine are things beyond human control. Perhaps theyre a way by which the spirits are testing us humans. Dontpare them to the Demon invasion! The Demon King: Well, its true that theyre sometimes unavoidable. But that doesnt mean theyre undefeatable, or that they shouldnt be defeated. - Exnation Consumption Trends: Trends which determine whether consumers (buyers of goods and services) loosen or tighten their purse strings. Also, trends of what this expenditure is directed at. Market: A ce where goods are bought and sold. Originally referred to the marketce itself. Economics is concerned with aggregating every market in the world, then considering the behaviour and changes of this abstraction of a massive market. Thats a market. Utility: In Economic terminology, the value of satisfaction which a consumer receives from the purchase of a good or service. However, even though there may be utility, a less scarce resource (like water) would still fetch a lower price. In other words, prices are not determined solely by utility. Demand: Demand refers to the portion of desired goods which people are actually willing to spend. In other words, I dont have pocket money, but I really want this game isnt demand, but I have the money to buy it too is demand. Employment: To employ is to give money to people so that they will work for you. Employers are obligated to pay their workers and employees are obligated to create output for their employers. - The Hero: Thats The Demon King: Ever since the start of the war, the death toll from these two causes has fallen by 60%. The Hero: Whats the reason for that? Is it not a grace granted by the Spirits upon witnessing the tyranny of the Demons? The Demon King: Ive lived for a really long time but Ive never seen anything like Spirits The reason is clear. The biggest reason is the formation of the Central Continental Emergency Council. The Hero: ? The Demon King: In other words, the Human Kingdomsing together in order tobat the Demons. The Hero: And why would deaths decrease from that? The Demon King: Countries with an abundance of food send them to countries without, countries advanced in healthcare or agricultural technology also share this expertise. The Hero: Doesnt that just disy this feat of human cooperation! The Demon King: That humans need a war with the Demons to achieve such a basic level of cooperation is quite astonishing really. The Hero: The Demon King: Dont feel sad. We Demons arent that far away ourselves. The Hero: Is That so? The Demon King: Its just chaos. Demons operate in a feudal society. Powerful chieftains and expansive Warlords have time and again fought bloody wars to attempt to gain power. The Hero: The Demon King: Well, in this case, the war has saved both Humans and Demons. The Hero: The Demon King: Dont bite your lip like that. Isnt it already bleeding? The Hero: Dont touch me! The Demon King: If thats what you want, then I wont touch you The Hero: ? The Demon King: Do you understand the benefits now? The Hero: I suppose War might have some benefits. The Demon King: I am relieved to hear you say that. The Hero: But thats no reason for it to continue. And thats no reason for it to begin either. You are a war criminal. Put an end to this war right now and prepare to stand trial at a tribunal. The Demon King: Oh The Hero: I see now that this war was not waged for your own selfish benefit. I will escort you there, so just surrender. The Demon King: That could be a bit difficult. The Hero: Why? The Demon King: Therere two reasons. Please take a look at page six. Flips pages. The Demon King: This records the rtionship of the Goods Flow between the Southern Kingdoms and the Central Continent. The Hero: Goods Flow? The Demon King: Well to put it simply, the flow of goods. Food or clothing, from daily necessities to weaponry, metal, wood and so on. The Hero: And these are heavily utilized by the Southern Kingdoms? The Demon King: Thats right. Wars require massive consumption after all. The Hero: And how are the Southern Kingdoms paying for this? - Exnation Warlord: A warlord independently controls territory and civilians, with a sovereign armed forces gathered by himself. However, if one takes orders from a Central Government, even if one controls a territory and leads arge army, as long as one is dependent on a highermand, he is not a warlord. Goods Flow: The flow of goods. If one creates a good, were he to just leave it there, he would be unable to generate any significant ie. The passing of these goods to consumers is necessary. Thats a good flow. - The Demon King: Hm? The Hero: Dont you need money to buy these goods? The Demon King: Oh, youve noticed the point. Very good. The Hero: Dont even think of touching me. The Demon King: Oh whoops that was idental. I cant touch you as long as you dont give me permission. Im the type that takes promises very seriously heehee. The Hero: So how do they buy it? The Demon King: Using the Conflict Aid Fund provided by the Central Continental Emergency Council Resolution. The Hero: ? The Demon King: In other words, the world sends aid money to the Southern Kingdoms. The Hero: Is that so! Humans really are warm hearted. Do you see now, Demon King, this is the nobility of the human race. The Demon King: Well, most of this money is used to buy goods from the countries in the Central Continent. In other words, they give pocket money for people to buy from their own stores. The Hero: ? The Demon King: This system is a bit hard to exin In other words, stockpiling money might create Wealth, but it doesnt contribute to Prosperity. Goods and capital flows must be established without stagnation in order to achieve Prosperity. The Hero: Are you trying to lie to me? The Demon King: Well, thats the way it is. Rather than trying to do everything yourself, you cooperate with skilled workers from different countries. Theoretically, thats the best thing to do. By exchanging timber and metals you can best improve the standards of living of the people. The Hero: Hmm I can kind of understand that. Its rather like the market in the Royal Square, isnt it? The Demon King: Thats exactly it. The Hero: But isnt this situation different? The Demon King: In what way? The Hero: The countries of the Central Continent send money to the war-ravaged Southern Kingdoms, right? And in the end, while thisGoods Flow?does take ce, the money they send is sent back to themselves, isnt it? The Demon King: Mmhmm. The Hero: In other words theres no mutual exchange of specialized products. The Demon King: Yes there is. The Hero: The Central Continent doesnt receive anything from the Southern Kingdoms. In other words, this is just charity. This is all donations and charity. The Demon King: The Southern Kingdoms provide Safety. In other words, the human blood which is shed in this war is changed for money. Youve seen it havent you? How the whole world is stained by the fires of this war. The Hero: The Demon King: The inventions of new and more advanced chariots, brighter lights, richer ntations Do people not continue to dance and revel into the night? Are there no nobility who continue to be inebriated by wine? The Hero: Thats certainly true. But its just a few people. The Demon King: In other words, its this way. Human society is dependent on the Southern Kingdoms as a defensive line and as a great consumer of their products. The Hero: Dependent? The Demon King: Thats right,pletely reliant. One might even say, drowning in it. The Hero: But most people dont have the capability to fight. Thats why they need the Southern Kingdoms warriors and knights protect them, and can only send food and supplies back. How is this system wrong?! The Demon King: Well, its not wrong. This could be charity, and from an emotional standpoint one cannot refute this argument. But at the same time, economically, were this to end, human Goods Flows and Foreign Exchange would definitely crumble. At this point, the Government Sector is already entwined with the Private Sector to the roots. The Hero: Crumble The Demon King: Thats right. Its in the data, isnt it? If this massive consumption were to stop, the Central Kingdoms industry will suffer significant damage, especially the metallurgy and shipbuilding industries. As this damage spreads, tens of thousands of people could die. The Hero: Thats The Demon King: But since thises from the mouth of The Demon King: its probably a lie, huh. The Hero: Its a lie? The Demon King: At the very least, Impletely serious. But maybe theres a way of preventing this that I dont know about. The Hero: The Demon King: Well, this warped economic system which is dependent on Goods Flows is just one of my two reasons. The Hero: What else is there? The Demon King: The other one is much easier to exin The Hero: The Demon King: The exnation might be simple, but the problem itself isnt The Hero: What do you mean? The Demon King: Since being involved in a war with the Demons, human society as we know it has ended. Goods Flows have improved, medical technology is widespread, pestilence and famine have been reduced. The Hero: Yeah, you said that already. The Demon King: Thats just half of the exnation. Goods Flows are indeed more vibrant than they were before. In the past, countries where half the people starved to death did not cooperate with their rich neighbouring countries. The Hero: Yes? The Demon King: However, while Goods Flows have increased, world production of food has not increased significantly. The Hero: ? The Demon King: You dont get it? In other words, there are still people starving to death. The Hero: Ahh. In my travels I have seen many viges with starving children. The Demon King: In this world, what would happen if people didnt die from wars? If people didnt fall by the sword in this long war, who knows how many tens of thousands would still be alive. And if theyre alive, then they need food. The human poption is increasing, isnt it? But, food stocks arent increasing. Humans have after all just invented the wheel. The Hero: Thats The Demon King: Thats the reality. The Hero: But, but The Demon King: Just why have youe here on your own? The Hero: What? The Demon King: This is the corrupted Demon Kings pce, youd expect it to be swarming with Guards hunting for you. Dont tell me you came here on a whim and only managed to get here by some freak coincidence of happenstance? The Hero: What are you saying? The Demon King: The job of ending the war is the militarys, isnt it? Arent you a hero? The Hero: I am a hero. This is my mission. The Demon King: Isnt the job of singlehandedly taking the enemy kings life that of an assassins? The Hero: The Demon King: The human kings probably understand this as well. Whether the humans win the war or lose the war, humanity will suffer. The Hero: - Exnation Foreign Exchange: Instead of using cash, this system relies on credit. By cross referencing ounts from both ces, one can avoid the risk of physically transferringrge amounts of cash over long distances. The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages gained significant profit from this practice. - The Demon King: Thats why you went out on your own. The Hero: The Demon King: That might be somewhat one-sided, but the truth is that its the same for the Demons as well. You probably know this, but even though you call us Demons, the truth is were just the same In this feudal society, powerful people keep this war going on, catering for just a minority of the people. There are of course sadistic elements, but most powerful chiefs just cruelly enjoy war and adopt a selfish view. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Yes. Thats right. As you can see, my wrists are small and Im just a weak, daintydy, arent I? The Hero: Dont you fight with magic? The Demon King: Well, thats true, I do, but I wouldnt say I can perform any incredible Demon magic. The Hero: Then why are you the demon king? The Demon King: The most important reason would be timing. Its probably a coincidence. My family has a lot of entric people and were at the forefront of Demon world research on longevity. My speciality is actually Economics. The Hero: Whats Economics? The Demon King: I cant believe the level of human civilization The Hero: That makes me feel annoyed, Demon King. The Demon King: This isnt really about Demons or humans. If this war ends, for example, if it is the Demons who win, then a more chaotic world than ever before seen will emerge. This time, the human world will be the stage of the opening of a new Act of violence and a scramble for the proliferation of very. Powerful Demon ns will invade the human kingdoms at will, piging and plundering as they establish a new era of Colonization. ns which have grown rich and powerful from the war will be able to oppress the weaker ns,rger and bloodier wars will be fought with the goal of Unification, but attempting to unify a world even more chaotic than it is now will be no mean feat. More blood than ever before will flow. The Hero: Colonization? The Demon King: The practice of invading someone elsesnd and exploiting their resources for oneself. The Hero: I cannot forgive such a thing. The Demon King: If the humans won, the same thing would happen in the Demon World. The Hero: Humans wouldnt The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Do you mean to say humans wouldnt do it? The Hero: The Demon King: Well, many worlds have already beenid waste to in this fashion. The Hero: Worlds? The Demon King: Ah, thats just research thats been done by our n. Dont worry about it. I want I want to see something that has never been seen before. The Hero: The Demon King: As The Hero, you should understand. The Hero: What about? The Demon King: I cant really put it in words. The Hero: Arent you a schr? The Demon King: A schr? Yeah I guess I am. The Hero: Then exin it. - Exnation Economics: The production of goods within a society and the storage of said goods until deemed fit, the searching of people who need these goods and the distribution of goods to said people, and the selling of goods to people who need them. very: The practice of making a person the property of another person. The ve has to follow the orders, work for, and may even be bought and sold by the owner. Most ves were not allowed to own any wealth, but some countries like the Roman Empire allowed ves to save money until they could buy back their own freedoms. Colonization: The practice of acquiring territory outside ones own country. Particrly during the Great Age of Navigation, many European countries acquired colonies in Asia and Africa. Many colonized people were heavily exploited and lived in harsh conditions. - The Demon King: Hmm in essence The Hero: The Demon King: Have you ever thought, Theres something beyond that hill yonder or What will there be at the ce where this ship is sailing? That happy, expectant feeling? The Hero: I suppose it happens, actually, it happens quite a lot. The Demon King: It does, doesnt it? Youre a Hero after all! The Hero: Why are you so happy? The Demon King: Thats exactly what I want to see! The Hero: You want to be a hero? The Demon King: Close. But no cigar. Like I said Im a schr, and furthermore, Im the Demon King The Hero: The Demon King: I cant say its a great fortune that I am, but I do feel a sense of responsibility, and I would hate to push this on to someone else. I dont intend to waste time on entertaining fantasies of a person who can never be a Hero trying to be a Hero. But, I want to see things which Ive never seen before. The Hero: The Demon King: Ill say it again. Be mine, Hero. So that what I foresee will not ur, be my eyes, be my light, be my sword. The Hero: I refuse. The Demon King: No way? The Hero: No way. The Demon King: Absolutely not? The Hero: Absolutely not. The Demon King: Is there any room for negotiation? The Hero: No. The Demon King: The Hero: Are you kidding? Of course not. The Demon King: I see that there is. The Hero: Why do you insist on looking down on me? You think you can adopt this attitude because youre a schr? The Demon King: Im a schr, but Im also an economist. An economist never gives up. No matter what it is, there will always be apromise for tomorrow. The Hero: That sounds even more heroic than me. The Demon King: ording to the stories, Im supposed to offer you Half the World. The Hero: Heh. Half. The Demon King: Theres a lot of surplus. The Hero: There probably isnt such a Hero out there. Or if there is, he isnt a Hero if he can change his convictions. The Demon King: Yeah, all the stories I know of end in this way too. The Hero: Uncool. The Demon King: I think so too. From the beginning, there really isnt much point to this whole Demon King world conquest thing. Even if I were to transfer 50% of everything in the world to you, from a Market standpoint or even a Legal standpoint, there are a lot of problem with this agreement. The Hero: You cant shake a Heros conviction with such lies. The Demon King: Its just as you say. The Hero: From the beginning, I would never ept 50% of the Demon World. Owning and which I know nothing about wouldnt make me happy in the least. Im also not the kind of Hero whos interested in Bribery or gold. As long as I have a bed, and have enough food to make me happy, that would be enough for me. The Demon King: So you have the convictions of Honourable Poverty. The Hero: Dont talk about poverty, youre the Demon King. The Demon King: Even I have no interest in the Annexation of territory anyway. - Exnation Bribery: The practice of giving gold or money to a person in order to obtain special favours and concessions for oneself. Originally, it was limited to Governments and people in positions of power, but the Hero has no wish to be involved in this practice. - The Hero: What? Really? The Demon King: From the point of view of the next administration, there will be problems with pride or popr needs and the embers of conflict will still remain. While this negotiation is important, I have no intention of inflicting further evil on the next generation. The Hero: Hmm Is that the case? The Demon King: Thats right. Theres no easy way of expressing this 50% agreement. Its not a simple case of pointing out This or That. The Hero: What do you mean? The Demon King: In other words, its a problem of how to divide the world. The problem is with focusing on dividing the world only into The Human World and the Demon World or the Heros World and the Demon Kings World. The Hero: Yes, thats quite right. The Demon King: Isnt it? If we were to do this sort of transfer, the war will surely begin again in the next generation. This isnt a negotiation or a cooperation, its just a dy. The Hero: Hmph. The Demon King: And thats why I reject such an arrangement. The Hero: Then, negotiations have failed. Youve taken up exactly half a day. Even though I dont have the will to fight you anymore Do you know what Im saying, Demon King? The Demon King: Wait, I have a proposition. The Hero: Really, what? The Demon King: Lets not be stingy with just half of it. Ill give you the whole thing. The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: Ill transfer the whole thing. But thend doesnt belong to me so I cant give it to you. I wantthe Hero. In return, I give myself to you in my entirety. These are my terms, and I offer myself to you. So please, be mine. The Hero: Y-You The Demon King: You look stupid if you just p your lips. The Hero: Wh-What the The Demon King: Those are the terms of my proposition. The Hero: Do you know what youre saying? The Demon King: Yes I do. The Hero: So, youre serious?! The Demon King: Of course. The Hero: Think about what youre saying! Ha-Ha-Have some discretion! Youre The Demon King, arent you? The Demon King: You dont have to be so surprised. Ive been told that in the Human World, even 15 year old sons of farmers and daughters of innkeepers get involved in such affairs and sweet talk and sweet promise all over the ce. The Hero: Dont listen to these sort of things. The Demon King: I really read about it in a book. But merely reading about something doesntpare to experiencing it for oneself. This is another one of those Things I Havent Seen Yet. The Hero: What are you saying? - Exnation Honourable Poverty: The practice of not aiming to further ones desires or attain personal benefit, but merely to live righteously and in poverty. Some may even call it the Conviction of Honourable Poverty. The Demon King is probably referring to the Heros stance of righteousness and his surprisingck ofprehension. Annexation: The practice of ceding a countrys territory to another country. This usually urs after a war or diplomatic conflict. Annexation usually tears apart history and ethnicity, causing people to lose their homes and in the long term tends to sow the seeds of trouble. - The Demon King: A great proposal is a proposal that fulfils even 10% of the proponents goals at the time of the proposition. Ive never had this precious experience of confessing, Let me give you my virginity before. Its making my heart beat so fast. The Hero: Yet you look perfectly calm. The Demon King: Im not allowed to? The Hero: N-no! The Demon King: Absolutely not? The Hero: Absolutely. The Demon King: It seems to me that we have more room for negotiation than before. The Hero: Donte any closer. The Demon King: As long as you dont give me your permission, I wont do anything of the sort. Im ate-bloomer. The Hero: Didnt you say before that you were a Contract Idealist? The Demon King: Thats the truth. Late Bloomer is just a cover for the truth. The Hero: Why do you have to be so impossible?! The Demon King: Hero The Hero: What? The Demon King: Mm, Im not very good at talking. The Hero: You were very articte when you were describing all those tragic futures. The Demon King: Thats because its my field of expertise. The Hero: What sort of expertise is death? The Demon King: Economics is a war without blood. The Hero: Thats scary. Actually, the thought of a Demon King who cant even fight in the first ce is already scary. The Demon King: It wasnt my intention to scare you Im sorry for all the confusion. The Hero: The Demon King: Im going to do a bit of sales talk. The Hero: Ohh There she goes again. The Demon King: Youll really benefit from owning me. The Hero: How so? The Demon King: Im a brilliant ountant, I can guarantee itll be perfect. The Hero: So thats what it was? An ountant? The Demon King: Also The Hero: ? The Demon King: We can finish this war. The Hero: Didnt you already say that was impossible? The Demon King: Of course, itll be impossible to end it immediately. The Human kings would never agree to it either. Even were I to surrender, I would simply face a coup. A new Demon King would rise in the Demon World and the humans would wee that. This war has be a vital part of human society, no matter how bad you think it is. The Hero: The Demon King: But, precisely because of this, if we can wee this Alternate Future, not just for me, but for the Three Thousand Worlds, this will be another thing that has never been seen before. The Hero: The Demon King: So what of it? The Hero: Its The Demon King: Hm? The Hero: You are The Demon King: Yes, I am. The Hero: Youve been thinking about this all this while? The Demon King: If ending the war is the job of the military, then finding the end is the job of the King. The Hero: And for that purposeUmm, you want me? The Demon King: Yes, well. You could say that. The Hero: The Demon King: Oh but dont be mistaken. I really do want you. I want to go with you together to the other side. I want to take morning walks with you. And I really am an ountant, that wasnt a lie. If you wanted me to, I could do our household budget sheets and our health nning. Is that enough? Is it enough? Oh, it isnt Well, even though I wont say Im the best, Im pretty good to be around. Im a very quiet Demon King. Even if you left me in a room all day, I promise I wont be a nuisance. Im probably not very good to sleep with, but it alles as part of the set. - Exnation Three Thousand Worlds: This refers to the entire universe. In Buddhism, a thousand small worlds makes a medium sized world and a thousand middle sized worlds makes arge sized world. In the biggest of the worlds, there are three levels of a thousand worlds, hence Three Thousand Worlds. - The Hero: Why are you so flustered? The Demon King: So that you dont get cheated in this contract, let me just warn you that Im horrible at cooking. Cooking is a science, isnt it? Ick the ability to do things like colloidization or emulsification so it might be really difficult. The Hero: She is really missing the point The Demon King: And also, ahwell. I think I reallyck the physical beauty that most adult human males desire I dont exercise enough, I dont have the proper upbringing The Hero: Is that so? I I dont think so. The Demon King: No, its true. The Hero: Oh, oh? The Demon King: Its because Im wearing these special robes which the Chief Maid made for meThey hide my ws. You probably cant see it, but they pinch my bby arms together. The Hero: You look like youre going to cry. The Demon King: Isnt it so bby?! The Hero: No, its You look gorgeous Especially your chest and breasts. The Demon King: Its okay, you dont have tofort me. Im fully aware about this and I apologize for it. You must understand that Ie from a race with a long tradition of prizing intelligence over physical appearances The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Were a strange race of demons who arepletely unconcerned with physical appearances. When I was a little girl, about 150 years ago, if I had paid attention to my body and my appearance, I wouldnt be faced with this fear of a Recall that entrepreneurs tend to face during such an important negotiation. The Hero: Your terminology is veryplex. The Demon King: There are manyplex things in this world. The Hero: Oh jeez. The Demon King: In any case, while this item may give a physically unsatisfactory impression, in terms of Economic knowledge knowledge Umm, isnt it just knowledge? Is that all I have to offer?! The Hero: The Demon King: Another thing I can offer is loyalty. Ie from a race of long lived schrs. And we really advocate contracts. Once a person like me takes up a contract, it is bound deep into our soul, regardless of past or present, with ties perhaps stronger than steelI will stay by it. In sickness or in health, I will stay by your side, I promise it The Hero: The Demon King: Whats wrong? Dont you want to be mine? Im not selfish, Ill be satisfied as long as we can get to The Other Side of the Hill. The Hero: The Demon King: Hero? The Hero: Hey, Demon King. The Demon King: Yes The Hero: If If I be yours A lot of blood will flow The Demon King: Yeah The Hero: Id have to kill people, wouldnt I? The Demon King: Yes. I wont lie to you. The Hero: Therell be rivers of blood, wont there? The Demon King: Until this all ends, I cannot promise your hands will not be sullied by blood. Whether its you or me, well probably have to do some terrible things. The Hero: I Ill be called a traitor. The Demon King: I can hide your true identity. While we use my name, your legend will remain beautiful, this I can also promise. The Hero isthe hope of humanity. The Hero: Do we really have to go to the other side of the hill? The Demon King: Thats not true. We also have the choice of continuing this waltz-like conflict and waste of resources, enjoying a peace made from mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. The Hero: And that would require an unbelievable amount of sacrifice, wouldnt it? Ultimately This extremely long war would have to continue. Even if I kill you, even if I take down the Demon King. The Demon King: But you wouldnt have to dirty your hands directly. The Hero: You dont want to make a contract with me anymore? The Demon King: I dont want to make a dishonest contract. This is The worlds most important conversation. The Demon King: A gain from a liests but a night. The Hero: You have very strong convictions. The Demon King: This isnt about good or bad. Its just economics proven by Game Theory. The Hero: The Demon King: In short, to ovee The Prisoners Dilemma, we should cooperate to achieve a stable rtionship. The Hero: Okay, Ill be yours. The Demon King: Is that okay? The Hero: Yes. But just so you know The Demon King: ? The Hero: Im not just doing this for the boobs! The Demon King: So all you need is this? *rub rub* The Hero: Dont rub yourself! The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: What is it, Demon King? The Demon King: The Hero: ? The Demon King: I want to touch. May I please touch you? The Hero: The Demon King: You dont believe me? The Hero: Its just that your voice suddenly became very polite. The Demon King: I want to touch you just for a little bit. Am I not allowed to? I, I dont have any strange intentions. You can tie me up if you want, too. Im a very contractually obligated Demon King. The Hero: Thats enough, I understand. Fine. The Demon King: The Hero: Your hands are very cold. The Demon King: Cold? Im sorry. The Hero: No, it feels good. - Exnation Game Theory: An extremely new 20th century branch of Mathematics. It is the study and investigation of what happens when several yers work together to achieve a certain goal. It is especially important to the fields of Economics and Computer Science. - Feels. The Demon King: I belong to the Hero. The Hero: I belong to the Demon King. The Demon King: The Contract isplete. The Hero: The Contract isplete. The Demon King: Yayyyy Squeeze. The Hero: Ukh. Let me go. The Demon King: You said it was okay to touch you. The Hero: Ugh Are you done? Thats So what should we do first? The Demon King: Thats true Lets start with getting some food. The Hero: Weve got a long trip ahead of us. The Demon King: You dont seem to like this. The Hero: No. Im used to trips. More importantly, are you okay with this? The Demon King: Of course. Im going to have a Hero and Well. From now on I never n to leave you. The Hero: Of course. Its a promise, Ill protect you. The Demon King: Of course. Lets go search for The Other Side of the Hill in this great world. Volume 1 2 — Please Make Us Humans

Volume 1 Chapter 2: Please Make Us Humans

The Winter Kingdom, the Vige of Wintering The Hero: Ooh, its turned cold. The Demon King: Thats because winter ising. The Hero: Are you alright, Demon King? The Demon King: Alright I want to say I am, but to tell the truth, Im tired from walking. Why am I so tired? The Hero: Thats the way it is with snow trails. Moreover, you dont have very much physical strength. The Demon King: Im an intellectual Demon King. The Hero: Is it alright to being to such a remote location? The Demon King: Remote? The Hero: No, I mean, as you said, the food of the Central Continent revolves around Grain. In that case, shouldnt we be focussing on Grain? The Demon King: Yes, thats right. The Hero: In that case, wouldnt it be better to head to wheat producing, agricultural countries like the Lake Country or the Elm Country? The Demon King: If theyre willing to listen to me. The Hero: Ah The Demon King: I also think its better if you didnt show yourself for the time being. The Hero: Oh? The Demon King: Yeah. You were sent to me for some reason, somebody might have some kind of vendetta against you. The Hero: Nothing of the sort. The Demon King: Besides, if we wanted to revolutionize anywhere, in order to be persuasive, well need actual experiments and data. The Hero: Thats true. The Demon King: Ive made arrangements in this vige. Well be experimenting on agricultural support for grain and other crops. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Ive already sent an agent to infiltrate it. The Hero: Youre good at nning, huh. The Demon King: It is fundamentally crucial to n for anything. The Hero: In this vige, then? The Demon King: Yes, this is apletely unexceptional vige, no? The Hero: Yeah, I know a lot of viges like this. The Demon King: This is a typical Pioneer Settlement on the outskirts of the Southern Kingdoms. Itprises of awork of smallholder farmers and craftsmen working in a rxedpound agricultural system. The Hero: And to think theres still a war with the Demon Army raging. The Demon King: Even so, they still cling to their life on the earth. That is an admirable trait of Humanity. The Hero: So, whos your agent? The Demon King: Ive got her to prepare a small lodging for us, I wonder where it is, I only know its somewhere in the vige. The Hero: Ah, is that so? It shouldnt be very difficult to find, but the sun is about to set and we cant possibly wander about in this cold. The Demon King: Mmm, thats true. The Hero: Yes it is. The Chief Maid: Demon King! Demon King! ? The Hero: Wha- The Demon King: Oh, I know that voice. The Chief Maid: Demon King ? The Demon King: Allow me to introduce you two. Hero! - Exnation Grain: As an agricultural product, there are many sorts of grain including Wheat, Barley, Oats and Rye. Though wheat is important and easy to eat, because it needs to be ground with a mill and is difficult to grow in the cold, it is considered a luxury in Northern Europe. Pioneer Settlement: In order to create fields from a wastnd, viges need to be set up from nothing at all. Vigers need to endure extreme hardship, removing stones, pulling out tree roots and tilling wastnds for ploughing. In return all the preparednd bes their property. - The Hero: What a fool! This is a human vige! Dont go about shouting Demon King, Demon King! The Demon King: Hmm, thats true. Take care in future. The Chief Maid: Hehehe, I understand, Demon King! Grins. The Demon King: Well, its alright. Dont be so angry. The Hero: The Chief Maid: Youll get wrinkles if you continue to be so mad. The Hero: And who is this? The Demon King: This is my subordinate, leader of the Maids, the Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: As introduced, I am the Chief Maid. I have been taking care of the Demon King since she was little. Having watched over her all this while, I am so ted by the marriage between the Hero and the Demon King that my chest is positively shaking. The Hero: Theres a lot of issues with that, but first of all, were not married. The Chief Maid: Is that so? The Hero: We merely have an Unlimited Mutual Ownership Contract. The Chief Maid: I see, isnt that the same as a marriage? The Demon King: Thats the difference between a Dutch clover and a Clover. The Chief Maid: Are they not the same thing? The Demon King: They have different names so theyve got a different charm. The Chief Maid: Ah, I understand! Its like the difference between a Maid, Servant, Handmaiden and a Human Pillow. The Demon King: Are those also of different charms? The Hero: Are they for real? The Chief Maid: Charm is very important. It is no exaggeration to say that charm alone forms 80% of the rtionship between a man and a woman. The Demon King: For real! In that case, there practically arent any materials left?! The Chief Maid: Thats the beauty of it. The Hero: UmmIts cold, so The Chief Maid: Oh dear. The Demon King: The Hero said that hes cold, can we do anything about it? The Chief Maid: Juste this way, Ill show you around. The Demon King: Ohh, how did it go? The Chief Maid: Its nothing exceptionallyrge, but Ive refurbished an old mansion near the vige. The Demon King: Very good, Chief Maid. In a Dpidated Mansion. The Hero: Hey, hey, isnt this rather massive? The Chief Maid: Its nothing. It isnt even 1% of the Demon King Castle. The Hero: Thats a Dungeon, dont group them together. The Demon King: But I live there. The Hero: Ah, thats true. The Chief Maid: Pleasee this way, I will serve you tea in just a moment. The Demon King: Im sorry The Hero: Just what sort of rtionship do you have with this subordinate? The Demon King: Hmm, you might not be able to tell, but the Chief Maid is a rtive. The Hero: Shes a schr? Like the rest of your race? The Demon King: MmIt might be a bit inurate to call us schrs. More urately, were A Race that cant control our Curiosity, and a race that focuses on a specific field of study. Even though shes older than me, the Chief Maid has adopted The Way of the Maid. - Exnation Dutch Clover: Basically just a clover. As a legume, it is capable of Nitrogen Fixation. In other words, natural nitrogen fertilizers are produced and enrich the soil. In addition, bees can be reared off it from which honey can be obtained and it can also be used for animal feed. Dungeon: A prison located in the basement of a castle. Additionally, legend tells of a massivebyrinth located in the basement. Furthermore, a state of danger present in this undergroundbyrinth is also what makes a dungeon. - The Hero: Hmm. The Chief Maid: Its rather simr to you, Sir, who has adopted The Way of Chivalry. The Demon King: That was quick. The Chief Maid: Here is some red tea. I have added ample honey. The Demon King: Well, Ive been brought up in this manner, sometimes I even let hermand the Demon Armies. The Hero: Hey, is that something maids can do?! The Chief Maid: Whatever my master requires of me. That is The Way of the Maid. The Demon King: On another note, who does this house belong to? The Hero: Yeah, Id like to know as well. The Chief Maid: It appears that the building formerly belonged to nobility of thisnd. The heir of the family died in the war, and since then, the building has been abandoned. The Demon King: I trust you went through the proper channels? The Chief Maid: Yes, of course. Even the construction crew we used to refurbish the ce was paid in cash. The Demon King: Hmm. The Hero: Thats surprisingly reasonable. The Demon King: One day, an opponent may appear that requires us to demonstrate our true prowess. Until then, as long as we can solve issues peaceably we shouldnt resort to force. It would be problematic if we were hated. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Nothing really Then, lets stay in this ce. What should we do about our identities? The Chief Maid: I have already made overtures to the Vige Chief and various other elders. I have told them that you are the noble daughter of a highly influential schr from the College of Divinity in the Holy Imperial Capital. The Demon King: Will that be alright? The Hero: As long as you dress the part? The Demon King: Would this Lab Coat and Robe do? The Hero: Doesnt look like it. The Chief Maid: No way. The Demon King: But its sofortable The Hero: Noble daughters dont choose their clothes based onfort. The Chief Maid: Thats true. You should probably wear some clothes that draw attention and provoke nervousness. The Demon King: Are you saying I dont provoke nervousness? The Chief Maid: That is not what I was saying. However The Demon King: What? The Chief Maid: Please lend me your ear for a moment. The Demon King: *Whispers.* The Demon King: Hero, Hero. The Hero: What is it? The Demon King: Meat which does not provoke nervousness is useless meat, right? The Hero: Whats this all of a sudden? The Demon King: Its as I said. The Hero: Ah The Demon King: Is it useless meat? Is it not?! The Hero: AhThats The Chief Maid: Would you like another cup of tea? The Demon King: Do I make you shake and tremble? The Hero: I cant reallyment. The Chief Maid: Especially because you dont get enough exercise in the winter. The Demon King: Ohhhh The Hero: Thats, shouldnt you wear something shy every now and then? For a change of pace. It brings out the charm that person was talking about. The Chief Maid: Indeed, Demon King. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: Right, so how did the greetings go? The Chief Maid: Yes, thats right. I exined to them that the Colleges researchers took an interest in the vige in order to teach new Farming Techniques. The Demon King: That saves a lot of work. The Hero: Thats true, farming is a lot of work to begin with. The Chief Maid: Yes. Demon King. The Demon King: Hm? The Chief Maid: What should we do about the Demon Army? The Demon King: Ahh. Thats right. The Hero: Has something happened? The Demon King: The Hero and I had a climatic showdown in the Demon Kings Great Hall. Spread the rumour that the both of us were seriously injured. Im currently recuperating from my injuries in the Demon King Castle. The fate of the Hero is uncertain, but one theory holds that he managed to escape. The Chief Maid: As youmand. The Demon King: What do you think of that, Hero? The Hero: Ahh. It doesnt matter to me. I am after all yours. The Chief Maid: My my. The Demon King: DontughThis rumour should buy us about a year. The Aggressive Faction of the Demon Army should believe Im nning something and hold off any actions for the moment. The Hero: One year, huh. The Demon King: I have other ns as well. If we really intended to hold out, we could probably extend it to three years. If we drag this on for too long, therell probably be an all-out war between Humans and Demons. The Hero: The Demon King: We have to find the Ending Which Has Yet To Be Seen before that. The Hero: Dont you just want to see it? The Demon King: If I dont find it, Ill be hated by my master. The Hero: Ah. That. Th Thats. Thats right. The Demon King: Lets leave that for now. The Hero: Y-Yeah. The Demon King: To bring about this ending, we need to reform agriculture. The Hero: Agriculture? The Demon King: The practice of farming. The Hero: Isnt the practice of farming just sowing seeds and reaping the harvest? The Demon King: Were going to reform that. The Hero: Uhh, can it be reformed? The Demon King: Do you know that if you continue sowing grain in the same plot ofnd, the quality of the soil will gradually worsen? The Hero: Ah, Ive heard of this. You erode the Blessings of the Earth, dont you? The Demon King: To circumvent this, the Three Field Rotation System was developed, where you split the fields into three plots. One is used in winter, one in summer and one is allowed to rest. And then you Rotate. The Blessings of the Earth are hence restored to the plots which are allowed to rest. The Hero: Thats gotta be tiring. Wait. Why would you even use Rotation? Why dont you just till a new field? If you use a new piece ofnd, then therell be lots of Blessings in the Earth. - Exnation Three Field Rotation System: By rotating a field as a Winter Crops Plot (Wheat or Rye) -> Summer Crops Plot (Barley or Oats) -> Resting Plot (Pastures), you can farm without destroying the nutrients of the earth. This was predominant in the Middle Ages throughout Northern Europe, Ennd and Northern Germany. Rotation: Im going to skip this exnation because I expect you to understand what Rotation means. This word, like most terminology, is given in English, so it would be unknown to some Japanese people. - The Demon King: How stupid. Its a huge mistake to think that everyone has the monstrous battle ability and body strength and magical dispulsion powers that you do. The Hero: I-Is that so? The Demon King: Relocating takes a lot of time and a great deal of effort. Furthermore, as you increase the area of agriculture, you will also have to increase the distance that you will need to harvest and sow your crops, and the area which you need to protect against monsters and wild beasts. The Hero: Now that you say it The Demon King: This ce does use Three Field Rotation, but The Hero: Mmhmm. The Demon King: I aim to reform the system in order to increase the crop yields. The Hero: I understand your aims, but what exactly are you going to do? The Demon King: Rotation is a good idea. I intend to reform this into Four-Field Rotation. The Hero: Mhm. The Demon King: In other words, a Four-Field system: a field for Barley, a field for Clover, a field for Wheat, and a field for Turnips. These four fields will be set a four year period. The Hero: That doesnt sound very different from a Three Field Rotation. The Demon King: A Three-Field Rotation has a period ofplete rest, doesnt it? This has a simr resting period, but the period consists of growing Clovers. The Hero: Is that a very big difference? The Demon King: The secret to making a difference, is not just the Grain, but also the Turnips. The Hero: Its great for stew, but what could happen just by using it? The Demon King: Of course, people can eat it too. Its not healthy to just subsist on grain. But these turnips can also be used for feed, specifically pig feed. The Chief Maid: Pigs? The Demon King: As you know, meat is an extremely important source of nutrients in this poor and cold ce. In the winter, it is difficult to get sufficient fruits or vegetables and to hunt for game. However, in order to consume pork and to sessfully rear a pig, food is necessary. But in the winter, do people not alreadyck food? The Hero: Yeah, thats right. Thats why before winter, pigs are ughtered to a minimum number. They are made into sausages, bacon or ham and are stored as food for the winter. Its a scene which characterizes the winter no matter which part of the Southern Kingdoms one is in. The Demon King: Although supplementary crops are grown in the winter in other words, the season in which agricultural nutrients are insufficient, in the end, one is still growing crops like any other season. Is that not inefficient? Unfortunately, one cant even maintain animal husbandry nor increase the numbers of livestock. The Hero: Now that you say it The Demon King: In this case, one may use Clover and Turnips. In the summer, Clover can be used as pastures for pigs and goats. Even without livestock, they can even be used for fertilizer. Turnips are useful in the winter as animal feed. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Thats right. This technique fulfils the three ideas of Not resting the fields, Not decreasing the yields and Growing crops apart from agricultural products. The Hero: And thats why its this vige, then. Youve thought this through, Demon King. - Exnation Four Field Crop Rotation: The Norfolk Crop Rotation system. This technique began in 18th Century Ennd in Norfolk. nting follows the sequence of Wheat -> Turnips -> Barley -> Clover. The ground does not need to lie fallow, yet livestock may still be reared. Known as the Agricultural Revolution, this was a key reason for therge increase in human poption. - The Chief Maid: What do you mean? The Hero: A vige like this does both agriculture and livestock rearing, in such a self-sufficient system, this agricultural system may be most appropriate. This applies for experiments as well. In urban areas, only wheat is grown inrge quantities, hence for this to happen they are established in warm, nutrient rich areas, reducing the point of the experiments. This is, in short, an idea for Saving cold, poor areas. The Chief Maid: Is that so! The Demon King: There are other ideas as well. Such as fertilizing with the fish of the South Ice Seas or reforming agricultural implements. The Hero: You have many ideas, then. The Demon King: The difficult bit is reorganizing the vige. If we were to create pastures, it would be difficult to control livestock like the sheep. In this dangerous age, a simple turf war for the Right to New Pastures could turn into an all-out war. The Hero: Thats true, that we wouldnt want that. The Chief Maid: But as you have said before, people value theirnd. Can we really solve it as we discussed? The Demon King: Thats why we need Demons. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Demons appear and attack the vige. After all, there doesnt seem to be a garrison, does there? We just need a few demons. Well threaten them a little and raze the vige moderately. The Hero: The Demon King: After the vigers escape, the Demon Hordes and Imperial Demon Army skirmish with the Knights who charge in to the rescue before pulling out. When the pioneers return, they then fall under the protection of the Feudal Lord. In such a situation, neither the agricultural reorganization nor the collectivization of the viges will be a problem to carry out. The Hero: The Demon King: Are you disillusioned? The Hero: Demon King. The Demon King: Of course, well hold back. To begin with, with this technique, we will require someone in the Kingdom, or at least someone in the Knights as a turncoat or to understand my n. But such a strategy will result in idents. It is impossible to prevent blood from flowing. The Hero: The Demon King: However, I have decided what to do. At this rate, this nightmarish war of attrition will rage for a century. I have no intention of allowing this unsustainable impasse. I want to read the Legends of the End. The Hero: The Demon King: Do you haveints? Do you hate me? Bu But you cant. Youre mine after all, and Ill never let you go. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: I suppose you want to exterminate the Demon King after all. In that case, theres nothing for it Since Im yours, I cant dodge your de The Hero: Ugh. Youre way too scared, Demon King. The Demon King: The Hero: Even so, people will be saved right? There will be people who will be saved by this 3-year interregnum, right? Moreover, if this Four Field Rotation System seeds, tens of thousands of starving children will be able to greet the summer every year, right? And after doing this to end the war, everything goes back to the people, right? The Demon King: Thats right. The Hero: Then I am, after all, yours. The Chief Maid: The Hero: But while doing this may be for the best, please try to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. The Demon King: Ugh The Hero: What should I do? Well, I kind of know already. The Demon King: Its as you expect. You need to help me carry out the Side of Righteousness. Drive back the invading demons and be the military vanguard of the leaders of the Southern Kingdoms. The Hero: What a farce. The Demon King: Yes. Youre talking to the Master of Evil, a farce is to be expected after all. The Hero: Youre incorrigible even if you visited hell a hundred times. The Demon King: Good that you know. The Hero: But it would be best if we didnt use this strategy from the start. The Demon King: But that is thest resort. At any rate, lets first try to raise the crop yields. Eliminating malnutrition is more important than anything else. The Vige of Wintering on the way back from the home of the Vige Chief The Hero: Dammit! The Demon King: This is more difficult than I thought. The Hero: Thats true. The Chief Maid: I didnt think he would be so ignorant. The Hero: Theres nothing for it. This may be part of an experiment to us, but for a small, impoverished vige like this in the Winter Kingdom, a single year of failure could result in famine. The Chief Maid: Thats true The Demon King: If you think about it, the Demon World may be a better ce to do this. The Hero: Thats true I suppose. The Chief Maid: Has Sir Hero been to many parts of the Demon World? The Hero: Yeah. More than any other human, I believe. The Chief Maid: But with the Vige Chief having that sort of attitude, how will agricultural reforms go? Its difficult The Demon King: Hm. It wasnt tant rejection so its not difficult to deal with. The Hero: If you look at it from the Vige Chiefs Point of View, the Demon King looks like a Princess of Nobility. He cant just oppose it to your face. The Chief Maid: In that case, shall we The Demon King: Absolutely not. The Chief Maid: But, your Majesty, to achieve our goals, we should be willing to use any methods. The Demon King: To achieve agricultural reform, it is unavoidable that we must exterminate petty squabbling lords andndlords. Its essential for raising productivity. But in order to achieve the technological level required for intensive farming in the first ce, to exterminate the leaders of our first experimental subject will bring about a hundred disadvantages and not a single advantage. The Hero: Very true. The Chief Maid: What a pickle. The Demon King: Hmm As I thought, education levels are the bottleneck. The Hero: Education? The Chief Maid: How are they rted? The Demon King: Well, there are a few reasons. This is supposed to be the next stage, but it seems if I dont get involved here and there, things will not progress. The Chief Maid: What do you n on doing? The Demon King: Think about it. Even if we were to increase the productivity of the vige, if this doesnt get passed on to the other viges, we wont be able to achieve arge scale reform. Yet if we were to go around teaching this to everyone, its impossible from both a time and economic perspective. The Hero: Thats true. The Demon King: Thats why, we need specialized staff who know the new methods to spread them to the various countries. Well, whetherrade or subordinate is unimportant, human resources are important. The Hero: Hmm. The Chief Maid: And hence, education? The Demon King: On a side note, how is education done in the human world? The Hero: Even if you say that, what is education in the first ce? The Chief Maid: Huh. The Demon King: Ehh, ahh. The Hero: Its pointless then. As expected, you will require some difficult vocabry. The Demon King: In short, its passing information to children and teenagers. The Hero: Say that from the start then! Thats simple isnt it? Of course human society has such a thing, To start with, babies learn how to speak, right? Following that, they are cared for by Granny and Gramps and brought up by them. When the parents are out farming or hunting, the many kids in the same generation help take care of the child. The Chief Maid: How efficient. Even the elderly can work. The Hero: Despite their age, they can still be of use in agriculture. They dont know difficult words like you do, but things like when and what to nt, how to read the weather, how to avoid wild beasts,e naturally after just five years in a farming vige. Moreover, winters here are severe. Snow falls abundantly and storms are likely to happen. Viges out here in these parts spend most of winter closed tight. At that time, the peasants make handicraft or knit clothes from wool. Children listen to knowledgeable people during the long winters, listening to tales like Heroic Legends or Kingly Legends or even fairy tales. AhhWait. There are tales of Demons as well. The smarter ones, or sons of the vige chief, also learn to read and write. The Demon King: Hmm The Hero: This is different in the cities. City education is done by priests in the Church or governors. Do you know of governors? Umm Theyre like personal schrs teaching Legends, Reading and Writing or Arithmetic. Rich merchants or noblemen engage governors for their children to learn such knowledge and techniques. The Chief Maid: And the Hero also went through this? The Hero: Well, in a way. My grandfather was rather like a governor Well in any case, lets drop it. What do you think? Is education this sort of thing? The Demon King: Yes, its like that. The Hero: Leave affairs of Human Society to me. The Demon King: Well, human education is really backward. The Hero: Backward?! The Demon King: Mmh. It has a bad performance. Itspletely underdeveloped. The Hero: Thats not the same! The Demon King: Im just kidding. The Hero: Ugh. The Demon King: But this is natural education. Its understandable. The Hero: The Demon King: Yet, considering that were aiming for an unnatural level of growth, were going to need an unnatural environment However, education requires money. The Hero: Money, huh. Im a Hero. Leave it to me. If I sell my gear, will I be able to raise enough money? The Chief Maid: Umm, if you sold your sword, your shield and your armour You should be able to get about 18,000 gold pieces? The Hero: Oh? Impressive, eh? The Chief Maid: How much do we require? The Demon King: Hmm. Lets see, extrapting a pattern from this years statistics, we would need a minimum of 2,600,000 gold pieces. The Hero: M My A Heros Equipment The Chief Maid: Dont be at such a loss, Sir Hero. The Demon King: Chief Maid, further contact is prohibited. The Chief Maid: Yes, your Majesty ? The Hero: Jeez. The Chief Maid: Well, winter ising, and no matter what, agricultural activity only begins in the summer, right? We should use this winter to slowly build up our preparations. The Demon King: One could say that. The Hero: We are in a rush though, we only have three years. The Chief Maid: Well, well, today well make a pork and potato stew. The Demon King: That sounds delicious. The Hero: Well, worrying isnt going to solve any of our problems. The Vige of Wintering, in the Hearth Room of the Acquired Mansion The Chief Maid: Well then, since there are many preparations to be done, I will leave you here. Dinner will be served in an hour, as I will inform you when it is time, please feel free to stay by the hearth. The Demon King: I understand, Ill leave it to you then. Bang. The Hero: Ugh The Demon King: Are you tired, Hero? The Hero: Yeah. My body isnt exceptionally exhausted though. Ive been thinking of things which I dont usually have to think of and it makes my head hurt. The Demon King: Hehehe. I see. The Demon King: Hey, Hero. The Hero: Mm? The Demon King: The hearth is warm, isnt it? The Hero: Yeah. Its warm. The cold in this ce is more or less tolerable in front of the hearth. The Demon King: Hey, Hero. The Hero: Mm? The Demon King: Umm, if its okay with you Would you like toe over beside me? The Hero: Why? The Demon King: From this angle, the hearth is warm and feels great. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: That is so. Look, theres a special seat for you. The Hero: Hm. Its true. There is. The Demon King: How is it? The Hero: You seem very pleased with yourself, Demon King. The Demon King: Hm Well, its true that the warmth of this hearth is no achievement of mine. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Hero? The Hero: Mm? The Demon King: May I touch you? The Hero: I dont really mind, but Why? The Demon King: Its nothing perverted. Your hair is dark so I want to touch it for a bit. Ah, dont be so serious. The Hero: My ancestors were Samurai. The Demon King: They were what? The Hero: Eastern Knights. They could cleave armour and helmets with a single stroke. The Demon King: I see, what fierce warriors. The Hero: My ancestors are a bloodline of warriors. The Demon King: Is that so? Apart from that, you have a lot of other wonderful things, dont you? The Hero: Is that so The Demon King: Thats right. For example, despite being next to me, you dont show any signs of fear. The Hero: The Demon King is weak, and a woman. And she doesnt exercise. The Demon King: But Im the Demon King. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: That is so. The Hero: Youre rather meek, though. The Demon King: Thats a strategy. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Im going to negotiate with you. The Hero: What about? The Demon King: If I told you, this wouldnt be a negotiation any longer. The Hero: How can I understand without you telling me? The Demon King: That is a veryplicated question. I want to exin it properly to you without incurring any misconceptions if possible. The Hero: Why dont you try telling me? The Demon King: In other words, its cold outside, right? The winter wind has blown in. And its warm andfortable here. Until dinner arrives, wouldnt you like to do something in the meantime? Of course, there is an entire mountain of issues we have to deal with, and the gargantuan task of dealing with these issues towers over us. But, since the Heros head hurts in the present situation, we cant possibly carry out any work efficiently. The Hero: Ah The Demon King: Of course, this is just my personal view, its nothing more than apletely unsubstantiated personal thought, but taking into consideration your present state of fatigue, perhaps even this legend, this urban myth, as a rule I think we should not disregard any possible effective method. I have read in ancient texts that warriors asionally used this Honey Garden to remove their fatigue. But I doubt youre used to indulging in such a method. The Hero: What do you intend to do then? The Demon King: I would like you to rest your head on myp? The Hero: Sure. The Demon King: Ah. Uwaa. Hero The Hero: I belong to the Demon King. No need to hold back. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Mm The Demon King: Your head is so fluffy. The Hero: Dont y with it. The Demon King: Im just touching it. The Hero: You smell good as well. The Demon King: I bathe properly every day, thats why. The Hero: For real? The Demon King: Yeah, for real. Ever since I left the Demon World, the Chief Maid has shown me no mercy. Even though in the past I could go one week without changing clothes while I was carrying out experiments. The Hero: You have very smooth thighs. The Demon King: I-Is that so? Is it not bby? The Hero: Its a good sleeping ce. The Demon King: Is that so. Thank goodness. You really are a master with a big heart. The Hero: Umm Im a master with perverted intentions. The Demon King: ? The Demon King: Well, Hero. The Hero: What is it? The Demon King: Before, when you said I didnt need to hold back. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Is that true? The Hero: Yes, it is. The Demon King: Is that so. The Hero: Whats this about? The Demon King: Mmm. The Hero: Dont keep quiet, its scary. The Demon King: I am alsopletely terrified. The Hero: Huh? The Demon King: No, how can I just leave. To seek things I have yet to see, thats the theme of my life. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Thats, Hero The Hero: What is it, you can just rx and say it. BANG. The Demon King: Whats that sound? The Hero: Its from the back The stable? DADADA The Demon King: Hey! I said wait up! The Stables The Hero: Here! The Demon King: Its pitch ck ??: The Hero: (A human presence?) The Demon King: Wait a bit. Ill chant an Incantation of Light Elder Sister shivering. Little Sister shivering greatly. The Hero: What? Theyre children. The Demon King: Whats happened, theyre just wearing underwear. CLANK. The Chief Maid: Well, well, my, my. The Demon King: Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: Lost and snuck in here again. The Demon King: Who are these people? The Chief Maid: Escaped ves. This ce has been deserted for a very long while. Despite being deserted, its not a ruin and the surrounding viges have different systems of ownership. This is a good ce to escape to. The Hero: ves? The Chief Maid: Yes, thats right. The Hero: Where would vese from around here? The Chief Maid: From somewhere near? Arent most of the humans around here ves? The Hero: No, Theyre not ves! The Chief Maid: Oh, so I was wrong? The Hero: very is barbaric. Wed never allow it. The Chief Maid: Even if you were to say such a thing The Demon King: These people are Serfs. The Hero: Serfs? The Chief Maid: So theyre ves after all then. The Demon King: Serfs are different from ves. The Hero: Look here. The Southern Kingdoms dont have ves. The Chief Maid: Is that so? The Demon King: The difference between Serfs and ves is that Serfs are allowed to have personal wealth. They own their own homes, and even their farming implements belong to them. They live together with their own families as well. The Hero: Yeah, of course. Elder Sister shivering. Little Sister shivering. The Demon King: On the other hand, they dont have the freedom to choose upations or to move around. Most importantly, in their Demesne They lead a working existence devoid of choice, tilling thends of theirndlords. The Hero: The Chief Maid: Thats totally different from ves. Hmmmmm. The Hero: The Demon King: Chief Maid, stop right there While very is probably a tragic thing, within society, that it makes sense economically is a fact. The Chief Maid: Is that so? The Demon King: Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: I over-spoke. I offer my sincerest apologies. The Demon King: - Exnation Serf: Peasants who do not have the right to choose upations or migrate. They own their families, lodgings, agricultural implements, and other fixed assets. However, they have to fulfil a corve and an annualnd tax. There are also semi-serfs who own somend and have the right to buy and sell produce. Demesne: All the viges and farnd which a Feudal Lord controls. Within a demesne, the Feudal Lord is thendlord, the master and the judge, answering to a superior (another Feudal Lord like a King or higher). Within the demesne, produce from the farnd under the direct control of the Feudal Lord, thend belonging to free farmers and thend worked on by serfs, as well as tax levied on the serfs are the Feudal Lords ie. - The Hero: Little Sister shivering. Elder Sister: U-Umm We will go in the morning. We, we dont want Any trouble Just for one night. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Chief Maid. This isnt the first time, right? How have you been dealing with this until now? The Chief Maid: Escaped ves I mean serfs. This is a serious crime. Its also bad for rtions with powerful people nearby. We report it immediately and theye and pick them up. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: The Chief Maid: Sir Hero, are you ufortable with this? The Hero: Is this not a bit too harsh? The Chief Maid: A destiny you cannot control is merely the existence of an insect. I hate insects. I cant stand seeing insects with their wings torn off. The Demon King: The Hero: Hey! The Chief Maid: Isnt this just a molehill among mountains? To antagonize the nearby powerful people over such a trivial thing brings no advantages. The Demon King: Thats True The Hero: Demon King The Chief Maid: In that case The Demon King: No, we can wait until tomorrow morning to contact them. Get the bath running. We have some extra clothes, do we not? No arguments. We will do this for now. That is my decision. The Mansion of the Demon King, a Small Room The Demon King: Ah. What is it? The Hero: Youre very evasive. The Demon King: Im an economist. Im bad at such things. Elder Sister: U-Umm. Thank you very much. Little Sister cowers. The Hero: Dont worry about it. Elder Sister: Weve never worn such splendid clothes before. Little Sister dozes off. The Hero: Is that so? Theyre just clothes left over in this mansion by the previous owner though. The Demon King: Ah. Are you hungry? Are the beds okay? Elder Sister: Yes. The straw is soft and warm and it is a very pretty room. The Hero: Even this tiny, dirty room The Demon King: These are their surroundings. Elder Sister: Thats Even though youve treated us so well Tomorrow, morning, the The Demon King: Thats The Hero: Elder Sister: Please, dont tell them. Thats not it. Little Sister tears up. Elder Sister: Well run away. Its really just for a little bit. Please wait until daybreak. The Chief Maid: What are you talking about? You dont have proper shoes. Your clothes might as well be garbage. You have no money or tools. Do you intend to beg for alms on the road? Little Sister sobs. The Hero: Cant we Cant we do something for them? The Chief Maid: Nope. The life of a ve is horrible. Theres nothing they can do. There is no hope. They have to continue living, telling themselves, I am guilty, I must continue to live this way. Its probably hell on earth. But Elder Sister: The Chief Maid: What they do is no different from what I am doing. Following the will of ones master, taking the word of ones master asw. Holding on to life for the sole purpose of fulfilling the dreams of ones master. I am no different from a ve myself. The Demon King: Chief Maid. I have never thought of you as a ve in my life. The Chief Maid: Yes, Demon King. I have also never thought that Your Majesty has ever treated me in such a manner. Precisely due to this, I cannot tolerate what I am witnessing. Despite being in the same line of work, these weaklings are unable to take charge of the own destiny. They should just be burnt to death. Little Sister: Thats not true! It isnt! The girl wearing spectacles is evil. Weve managed to run away so well. Its not true that we cant do anything. Were going to the capital, the two of us, and were going to live there. The Hero: Thats The Chief Maid: What bullsheet. Little Sister: But were doing it. The Chief Maid: Lets concede a hundred steps and call your passion hard work. You creep into somebody elses house, relying on their good will. You are given a bed and food, yet you repay this by escaping. And you think this is right? Is this the way you serfs behave? Little Sister: But! But! The Chief Maid: I shall say this one more time. An existence where you dont take charge of your existence is just that of an insect. I hate insects. I despise insects. I refuse to consider people who are insects as human. Elder Sister: The Chief Maid: Do you understand? Elder Sister: Yes The Chief Maid: Beg for forgiveness Elder Sister: We have brought much Inconvenience to the honoured members of this house. Sorry. The Chief Maid: Good. Elder Sister: Little Sister sobs. Elder Sister: The Chief Maid: Is that all? Little Sister: No We have to go back, no Its scary. Elder Sister: Sister, be quiet. The Chief Maid: Elder Sister: Please treat us Like humans. We think you are our destiny. The Chief Maid: When you bow your head, do not grovel in such a manner. After going through all the trouble of wearing a skirt, take the dress lightly in your fingertips and present the Drapes while curtseying gracefully. Elder Sister bows. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty. This mansion is but a hovelpared to the Demon Imperial Pce, but it is very difficult to manage on my own. Should we not hire a few maids? The Hero: Is that okay, Chief Maid? You just said you hated them. Can you now forgive them? The Chief Maid: What I hate are insects. Maids are not insects, they are things I like. There are no people in this world who hate maids. Suppose we considered them as reborn. The Demon King: I allow it. Train up these girls for me. - Exnation Drapes: The beautiful pleats that skirts and dresses are made from. Cloth was much more expensive than it is today, hence drapes, which required a significant amount of cloth, were a sign of economic power. - Vige of Wintering, in the Forest of Snow Maid Little Sister: Sir Hero~ Sir Hero~ Maid Little Sister: Where is Sir Hero~ Im bringing some delicious bread~ The Hero: Oh, thanks for the trouble. Maid Little Sister: A waist cloth?! Where were you? The Hero: I teleported. Your voice echoes throughout the forest. Maid Little Sister: Hehe~ ? The Hero: Well, this ce is safe so theres no need to worry. But what a carefree person. Maid Little Sister: Sir Hero, Ive brought you this. The Hero: Oh! Maid Little Sister: Its lunch! A cream bread, and a spring onion and bacon omelette! The Hero: Seems delicious. Maid Little Sister: Elder sister made it. The Hero: Shes learning fast, great! Maid Little Sister: Is it good? The Hero: Its delicious! The hot red tea almost makes me cry. You ran here? Maid Little Sister: Yep. The Hero: I drank it in one gulp. Maid Little Sister: Yep! The Hero: Even though its the afternoon, its tough working outside. Im really discouraged now, dammit. Maid Little Sister: Oh, thats right. The sister who does the management has a message for you. The Hero: What is it? You should have said this earlier. Maid Little Sister: Today you are to catch six boars. This may be substituted for two bears. Also scout out the upper reaches of the river. If you see any flooded areas, fix or destroy them with magic. The Hero: She really knows how to use people Right, how is school going? Maid Little Sister: This afternoon is physical training. The Hero: Can you do physical training? Maid Little Sister: Currently we dont have enough people. There arent any children of the same age as me. Bringing food to Sir Hero is my afternoon exercise. The Hero: Oh. You know how to say Age. Maid Little Sister: The sister who does the managing taught me. The Hero: Shes busy, but still working so hard, that Demon King. Maid Little Sister: Next is Arimethic. The Hero: Arithmetic? Maid Little Sister: If I do it well, I can get rich! The Hero: That economist. All she writes about is Getting Rich. Maid Little Sister: She also writes about the Break-Even Point. The Hero: This education is way too one-sided, isnt it?! Maid Little Sister: Ehehe. Sir Hero, hows your work going? The Hero: Another Two more. If we switched to boars. Maid Little Sister: Hotpot! The Hero: So sudden! Maid Little Sister: Boar Hotpot? The Hero: Yes, thats delicious! Maid Little Sister: Lets have Boar Hotpot! The Hero: All you care about is food, huh. Maid Little Sister: Please bring lunch back for us, Sir Hero. The Hero: Yeah, I will. Maid Little Sister: Being able to be full makes me real happy. The Hero: Thats right. Maid Little Sister: There is no conflict. No need to grovel to the Vige Chiefs son. Were warm every day. We have warm mattresses and pretty clothing. I can be with my sister every day. This is happiness. The Hero: Maid Little Sister: Whats wrong? The Hero: No, Ive realised that Heroes are fairly useless. Maid Little Sister: ? The Hero: I dont have the knowledge, I dont have the financial ability. I cant farm or take care of animals, all I can teach is Maybe swordsmanship. I know that bit very well. Even though I offer lip service to achieving Peace, what Peace even is, or how to go about achieving it I havent even thought about what to do if there was Peace. Maid Little Sister: Its difficult~ The Hero: It is. Maid Little Sister: Boar Bacon is delicious isnt it? The Hero: What, do you like it? Maid Little Sister lights up. The Hero: You like it? Maid Little Sister nods. The Hero: Then this Hero is going to get some boar in just a moment. The Hall of the Mansion, in the middle of a Lesson The Demon King: The above are the primary structures of the wartime economy as derived from the present economic status of the Southern Kingdoms. Disciple Nobleman: Disciple Merchant: Umm Disciple Soldier: The Demon King: Im no expert on this, but the Attrition Rate needed for the annihtion of an army is Disciple Soldier: Until the veryst man~ The Demon King: It is said to be approximately 30%. Thats three in ten. Consequently, as Standing Armies and permanent Mercenaries find it difficult to hold the Battlefront, Skirmishes and Strongholds have formed the bulk of the war against the Demon King. The Demon King: Are there any questions up to this point? Maid Elder Sister: And what about the Holy Crusaders? The Demon King: Umm, they are an exception. The Demon King: How much do you know about the Holy Crusaders? Hmm Disciple Nobleman. Disciple Nobleman: Ah. Yes. The Holy Crusaders were formed in the Central Continent at the Crisis Council as a holy expeditionary force. Their goal is to exterminate the evil race of Demons and end the war. Two expeditions have been held over thest fifteen, sixteen years. Pushing through the gate located in the Southern Continent, they managed to raze two important Demon cities before the ursed Demon King, by way of cowardly strategy, disrupted the Supply Lines and forced them to retreat. - Exnation Attrition Rate: The percentage of casualties within an army, including the dead, wounded, sick and deserters. There are many methods of expressing this rate, whether it be the daily rate of attrition or the number of casualties from the original strength. In this case, thetter. 30%: When casualties are incurred, men are needed to send the bodies and wounded back. Furthermore, within an army, there may be many nonbatants such as Communications units, Supply units or Rear Guards. As a result, if just 30% were to be lost, there would be insufficient units on the battlefield. Standing Army: These refer to units mobilized in both peace and wartime, capable of deployment at any given time. As they are constantly trained professionals, if numbers are equal, theirbat ability is higher than for levies. Mercenaries: These refer to soldiers which can be hired for money or units formed from such soldiers. As they fight based on a mary contract, when they are no longer paid, they also stop fighting. Once the contract expires, they may sign another one with another country. Todays friends may be tomorrows enemies. Battlefront: The front line of a battle. This usually urs at the area where two opposing armies meet. If the entire line is not fully supported, the enemy may freely strike and invade any undefended area on the line. Skirmish: This refers to a single battle which takes ce when two armies apply force on each other. Countries without a standing army may jointly arrange a time and a ce for this to take ce wherein the winner will be decided. - The Demon King: Wow. Thats almost full marks. Such expeditionary forces require enormous military power. Firstly, the whole world needs to be passionate about ending the war. If a singlerge expedition is sufficient to end the war, then the people of the war will be willing to ept high levels of sacrifice, and hence are born fanatics willing to throw away their lives. Disciple Soldier: The Spirits of virtue will surely bestow upon us a great victory. The Demon King: This has more to do with Economic support. I have brought this up many times over the lesson, but without Economics, any social or military endeavour is bound to fail. After all, humans need to eat to survive. Disciple Nobleman: There are some things more important than money or food. Disciple Soldier: If one does not put aside ones abacus, one can fight no wars, maam. Disciple Merchant: Is that right? Disciple Soldier: Hunger is merely an excuse for weaklings. Disciple Nobleman: In the first ce, a Feudal Lord willing to subject his subjects to starvation does not exist. Maid Elder Sister: So youre saying starvation does not exist? The Demon King: Next well talk about the Southern Frozen Ocean. In other words, the body of water which envelops the Southern Kingdoms and the Continent. This ocean is both militarily and economically vital. At present, approximately 25% of battles with the Demon Kings Army take ce in this ocean RING RING RING The Chief Maid: Madam, it is time to end the lesson. The Demon King: Is it already time? In that case, todays lesson ends here. We shall resume tomorrow. The Swordsman will arrive tomorrow to give you lessons. Disciple Soldier: I have been looking forward to this. Disciple Nobleman: Tomorrow will be great. The Demon King: Well then, you are dismissed. I have to proceed to the House of Elders to deliver a lecture on Agriculture at nightfall. In the Corridors of the Mansion The Hero: Hey. Good work. The Demon King: Good work. The Hero: You look very tired. The Demon King: Why did I even bring up education in the first ce? I didnt think it would be so tiring to have human children as my opponent. Theyre just like animals. You can neither reason nor converse with any of them. The Hero: Ahh. The Demon King: Why are these people so proud? The Hero: Its because theyre the sons of noblemen, soldiers and merchants, is it not? The Demon King: Id rather turn them into frogs. The Hero: Dont joke about this. The Demon King: Im not joking. The Hero: You should stop. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: Youre headed to the home of the Vige Elder, right? Its along the way for me as well. - Exnation Stronghold: For any sort of military exercise, a staging point is needed. In military terms, this may be a fortification or a critical city. Here, the armys military strength is gathered, supplies are stockpiled, soldiers are rested and deployed. Supply Lines: This refers to the route which important supplies (such as food and ammunition) forbat forces are shipped. Those who operate along this route are collectively known as Supply Units. If this route is shut down or Supply Units exterminated, without supplies the troops will no longer be capable ofbat. - From the Doorstep of the Mansion towards the Vige Centre Wind blows. The Demon King: Brr. Its cold. The Hero: Its not even snowing. The Demon King: But it is cold, Hero. The Hero: I was hunting boars for an entire day in this cold, wasnt I? You were at home so dontin. The Demon King: No. Its cold. The Hero: The Demon King: I cant say that either? The Hero: Fine, look here. The Hero hugs the Demon King. The Hero: Is that warm enough? The Demon King: Yep, its warm. The Hero: Youre in a good mood. The Demon King: ( Im always in a good mood. If Im with The Hero.) The Demon King: Hehe. Its not bad. The Hero: You look good. The Demon King: Its really great that I own you. The Hero: Ah Ahem The Demon King: ? The Hero: Me too. The Demon King: Well, weve finally carried out the lessons. Its strange that Imining about them right now. The Hero: Well, well. The Demon King: Its sad that we still have to rely on power politics Its only because we epted the son of a nobleman that we gained the prestige required for the farmers to cooperate to learn these new farming techniques. These experiments willmence for real in the summer. The Hero: Within the Southern Kingdoms, the distance between the nobility and the people is already rather close. Compared to the Central Continent, social distance is already fairly lessened. The Demon King: Is that so? Its already considered close here? The Hero: But this is the first step. Dont be hasty. We may have a few years before any results. The Demon King: No, well see results next year. The Hero: Can it be done? The Demon King: I have a secret weapon. The Hero: And just what is that? The Demon King rummages around. The Demon King: This. The Hero: Whats this round thing? The Demon King: This is a Potato. Its produce. The Hero: ? The Demon King: This is a nt. It looks like this because its been unearthed, but usually this round bit is in the soil. The Hero: Uh huh. The Demon King: This is a rather delicious and nutritious root. On top of that, the edible portion can be buried under the soil, where it will not be Attacked by Birds. Moreover, it grows beautifully in Unfertile Soil, frozen soil and even hard soil. And on top of all of that, the Crop Yield is calcted to be three times more than that of wheat. The Hero: For real?! The Demon King: Yeah, Impletely serious. The Hero: A miracle food?! The Demon King: You could say so, though its from the Demon World. The Hero: - Exnation Potato: A product of the Andes Mountains in South America. It was carried to Europe in the 16th century and has been used as food since the 16th century. Resistant to cold, it can be nted many times. Adam Smith wrote that it has three times the yield of wheat. Attacked by Birds: For produce, leaving them in the open will result in them being vulnerable to being eaten by birds. Potatoes, being underground, are resistant to birds. Unfertile Soil: Soil which is difficult for nts to grow on. As it iscking in the necessary bacteria, even if fertilizer or supplements were applied, they will not be broken down and absorbed by the nts. For this reason,post is added to introduce bacteria and improve the quality of the soil. - The Demon King: Thats the great thing about contact between different cultures and civilizations. No matter how unfortunate the means of contact are, contact is still contact. The Hero: I have very mixed feelings about this. The Demon King: To begin with, one cannot say the potato has no ws. The Hero: What does it have? The Demon King: Well for one, its Poisonous. The Hero: Then we cant use it! The Demon King: No, its not a strong poison. It only bes poisonous when it has been exposed to sunlight and germinates. If harvested and stored in the proper conditions there are no problems. If its kept in a dark ce it can even be stored for up to a year. The Hero: Hmm The Demon King: There are also Difficulties with Renting. But if this potato meets the requirements, then it can be nted three times a year. The Hero: It sounds amazing, as to be expected from a nt from the Demon World. The Demon King: Yeah. But in the process it sucks up a lot of the soils nutrients, in other words, The Blessings of the Earth are greatly depleted. As it only uses the type of Blessings that it requires, if one were to continue nting it in the same area, the yield quality would decrease and one might even fall sick from it. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: Just a bit more. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Hold me just a bit more. If theres a gap then itll get cold. The Hero: Y-yeah Ah Its problematic if we get too close. The Demon King: Does my body disgust you? The Hero: No, no, its not like that. The Demon King: Well, in any case. I intend to use this food tobat the frozen famine. As long as we take care to avoid the poison, we shouldnt have many problems. But the real problem is the difficulty with renting. The Hero: Im starting to understand this better, but The Demon King: The Blessings of the Earth will return in time, but if we dont work to restore them, there is a limit to the level the yield can increase up to. The Hero: Should we pray to the Guardian Spirits of the Earth? The Demon King: Thats right, its a type of prayer. The Hero: Arent you an Atheist? The Demon King: It doesnt matter if Im an atheist or anything, as long as its useable, as an Economist, I will use it without stop, without pause and without shame. The Hero: Youre some kind of evil demon. The Demon King: Well make Sacrifices to thend as a proof of contract. These sacrifices work whether in human society or in economics. Things like burnt food or animals, the excrement of animals or leftover food. - Exnation Crop Yield: The quantity of produce that a certain plot ofnd is capable of producing. In modern times, 1 hectare can give 4 tons of wheat, 30 tons of potatoes or 5 tons of rice. Potatoes have more than 8 times the yield of wheat. As technology in the world of the novel has yet to fully progress, the yield is only half. Potato Toxicity: Potatoes contain poison. It is particrly present in the skin and shoots. Due to its poisonous nature, strange shape, and the fact that it is not written about in the Bible, it was originally believed to be the nt of demons and shunned. Difficulties with Renting: As the same nt is repeatedly nted, things necessary for growth like soil nutrients get depleted and it gradually bes difficult to sustain life. For this reason, in order to prevent this, extra fertilizer or rotation systems must be adopted. Atheism: The system of belief which rejects belief in gods and the belief that the world was created or sustained by gods. Agnosticism is simply theck of belief in any organized religion, but does not reject the belief in gods. Atheism goes to the extreme of rejecting belief in the existence of gods. Sacrifice: This refers to fertilizer or nutrients added for nts to grow. In the modern day, nutrients, phosphates and calcium are the three main ingredients. Fertilizers help to replenish this and allow produce to grow. - The Hero: Hmm. That really doesnt seem like a sacrifice. The Demon King: What I really want are Fish from the Southern Frozen Ocean. The Hero: Why? The Demon King: Fish make good sacrifices. The Hero: Do you want to buy some? I can teleport us there. The Demon King: Im grateful for that but, were going to need more than we can carry that way. One field will require fifty of them. Well need that every year. Surprised? The Hero: Wow. I am. The Demon King: Is that unreasonable? The Hero: Yes. The Demon King: But theres a bigger problem. The Hero: What? There are problems with the Southern Frozen Ocean? The Demon King: Yeah. There are two. The first, as Im sure you know, is the Southern Frozen General. The Hero: That old man? The Demon King: Yeah, that guy. Even for a member of the race of Fangs, hes tough. I hear he continues to stir up violence even though the Demon King is in hiding. As themander of the race of Silver Scales, the race of Flying Fish and the race of Metal Tortoises, hes a person to be feared in the Demon World. The Hero: Ive fought with him a few times. Hes ridiculously huge and hes really good with his harpoon. The Demon King: If we want to operate in the Southern Frozen Ocean, we will inevitably sh with him. The Hero: Hmm The Demon King: And another thing is the Union. The Hero: The what? The Demon King: I was going to tell you thister, but Now is quite a good opportunity to exin. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Its official name is the Economic Union of Southern Independent Cities and Free Merchants. But its known as the Union everywhere nowadays. The Hero: I seem to have heard of it, is it famous? The Demon King: The name is famous but, there arent many humans who know exactly how it works. It is especially unimportant to people who are not merchants. The Hero: In other words, its an assembly of merchants? The Demon King: Yeah, thats right. About 50 years ago, the grain producing free cities along the coast banded together to form an organization. It was created to protect the Special Trading Rights of its constituent members. The Hero: Special Trading Rights? The Demon King: Yeah. In order to carry goods from one ce to another ce, youll need permits, right? The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Merchantmen want to obtain this Permit, and when they get it, they want to protect it. Of course, the presence or absence of the permit decides whether or not one can even trade. Its a matter of life and death. The Hero: Mmhmm. The Demon King: As time passed, the taxation systems were revised. Even the same permits had different levels of taxation. In this way, royalty and nobility coulde into contact with the economy through taxation. But the converse was also true, and Economists, in other words merchants, also came into contact with people in positions of power like nobility and royalty. The Hero: Wow, thats reallyplicated. - Exnation Fish from the Southern Frozen Ocean: This refers to Herring. After extracting the herring oil, the body can be dried to form herring kes, which are an excellent fertilizer. Aside from fertilizer, they can also be used for chicken feed. General: I dont think this needs exnation. Union: Merchants buy the trading rights to cities from their owners, and these cities as a union may have enough power to stand up to other countries. An example is the Hanseatic League during the High Middle Ages. Special Trading Rights: The rights to certain privileges when trading. Lower rates of taxation, exclusive rights to certain harbours or even expulsion of rival merchants. - The Demon King: The Union is the biggest of such merchant organizations. The scope of their operations is beyond what you can imagine. The Hero: Eh? How big can it be? About a thousand people? The Demon King: In this case, poption is not the issue at hand. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Its an Economic organization. Their weapons are the amount of wealth they can move and their ability to influence economic flow. Military might has nothing to do with poption. The Hero: That seems logical Then just how much power do they have? The Demon King: Their economic influence extends to both the South and Centre, the entirend area of the Continent. Nobody knows just howrge their economic scope is, but extrapting from their economic involvement in world history, its bound to be an astronomical figure. The Hero: The Demon King: Even as a least estimate, they could buy the Southern Kingdoms five times over. The Hero: Ehh?! The Demon King: Thats the kind of organization it is. The Hero: What the hell?! The Demon King: Furthermore, even if we limited it to just the Southern Kingdoms, about 60% of all wheat which flows through cities goes through the hands of the Union. If they felt like it, they could rece a Feudal Lord or even a Prime Minister. The Hero: What monsters. The Demon King: Unmistakably monsters. The lives of Humans are carried on the backs of Monsters. The Hero: I have received multiple requests from the Union in the past, and made quite a few motivational speeches. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: Yeah. Things like Take down the Demon King, hey, hey, hey! Ladies with flowing dresses would appear singing on balconies and shout words of encouragement. The Demon King: Its Propaganda. I suppose you got a few thousand gold pieces for it. The Hero: All they gave me in thanks was 15 gold coins?! Ughh. Thats the kind of guy The Demon King: Dont be so depressed, Hero. The Hero: I was cheated by those people The Demon King: Economics isnt your strong suit, its not unexpected. The Hero: I told you about the affectionate, sparkling eyes of thosedies. Just those alone filled my heart with pride and sent me flying to the Demon World. The Demon King: The Hero: The young man whom I wasmissioned by told me he was counting on my return for a Victory Parade Party. He even elbowed me and told me I was really popr with thedies Now that I think about it, he must have been a merchant too. The Demon King: The Hero: Ughhh. Im a failure of a Hero. The Demon King: Hmm, harsh lessons are often necessary. The Hero: In other words, those people are the enemy. The Demon King: Dont say such impetuous things. The Hero: Its okay, theyre the enemy. Im going to use the highest level Lightning Area Magic on them. The Demon King: Dont use Siege Spells so flippantly! - Exnation The Lives of Humans are borne on the Backs of Demons: In Thomas Hobbes philosophical treatise Leviathan, governments were seen as a type of political monster. People derive power from it, and in return pledge to protect the right of other people. In this manner, massive corporations can also be seen as monsters. In this case, the Union is seen as a humanly necessary economic monster. Propaganda: Media meant to indoctrinate a set ideology into the people. It originally began as a way of spreading ones righteous beliefs, but it hase to use lies and exaggerations to twist reports in order to misinform people towards following a certain path. - The Hero: But I was lied to! The Demon King: Are you a little kid? To begin with, the Union doesnt even have an ideology. Theyre just a collection of merchants with the sole purpose of getting richer, pooling their knowledge, protecting themselves and their interests. At the end of the day, theyre just a monstrous organization whose aggrandizement is unrted to personal will. They may have lied to you, but it wasnt their aim, and taking revenge on the Union will not hurt those involved. The Hero: Ugh, how unnecessarily infuriating. The Demon King: They are neither our friends nor our enemies. Theyre rather like wild beasts. The Hero: The Demon King: (But, possibly) The Hero: Ugh. Its all just a bunch of things I dont know. The Demon King: Dontin. The Hero: Well, its fine. As long as its time to fight, I have every intention of being at the forefront. The Demon King: I will always be by your side. The Hero: Likewise. The Demon King: Ah~ Ah~ The Hero: Whats up? The Demon King: Look, its the Vige Elders house. Today I have to give a talk on how to Crystallize the Blessings of the Earth using clover. The Hero: I-Is that so? The Demon King: Umm. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Ill be back in four hours, so The Hero: I understand. The Demon King: S-see you soon. The Hero: Yup! See you soon! - Exnation Crystallizing the Blessings of the Earth: Legumes such as clover have a specialized bacteria known as Rhizobium in their roots that converts nitrogen in the air to nitrates. For this reason, fields that have first had legumes nted on them be nitrate fertilizer rich. - Volume 1 3, “Where have you been wandering about until now!”

Volume 1 Chapter 3, Where have you been wandering about until now!

The Kingdom of the Lake, in the outskirts of the capital Teleports. The Hero: Alright. Rubs hands. The Demon King: Hm. Teleportation Magic really is convenient. The Hero: Cant you use it since youre the Demon King? The Demon King: Nope, in terms of individual long-distance teleportation ability and the ability to pick locations, my magical abilities are far less generalized. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Our techniques are different. If theres an opportunity I would like to research it. The Hero: Well, lets focus on the task at hand. The Demon King: Yeah. How is it? The Hero: Over by that hill. Cover your face just in case. The Demon King: I understand. In contrast to formal wear, this casual outfit is a lot morefortable. The Hero: It has its good points as well. Walking through the grass. The Demon King: Is that it? The Hero: Yeah, that stone building is the Monastery of the Holy Order in this area. The Demon King: Religion is the only thing that I find difficult to understand. The Hero: Its hard for me to exin as well. Im no expert on this issue. Well, if you were to call the Union a monster, then the Church is a monster on a simr scale. The Demon King: Hmm Wed best be on our guard then. The Hero: Yeah, definitely. Especially because youre the Demon King. Youre definitely Number One on their wanted list. You are, after all, the enemy of the Spirit. The Demon King: Hahaha. Im not scared of things like gods Are they scary things? The Hero: Not a God but a Spirit. The people who invoke the name of the Spirit are truly scary. The Demon King: Hmm, Ill keep that in mind. The Hero: Well then, shall we go? Ive already sent word of our arrival, but The Demon King: In the worst case scenario, couldnt we just escape with your magic? The Hero: I suppose weve gotten used to bad situations. The Monastery of the Holy Order of the Lake Temr: Pleasee this way, valued guests The Demon King: Its quiet. The Hero: Yeah. Temr: Our monastery is currently going through The Path of Silence. Please be careful not to The Demon King: Y-yeah The Hero: (Drink in this atmosphere, Demon King) Footsteps. The Hero: (Theres a very special atmosphere in this Monastery, eh?) Temr: This room has been prepared for the conference. I am terribly sorry but I must inform you that our Monastery will shortly be undertaking Afternoon Prayers. Kindly wait for a moment. The Hero: We dont mind, thank you for the information. The Demon King: Well then. Our infiltration is sessful. The Hero: Well speak to the Grandmaster in a moment. - Exnation Holy Order: A group of people who surrender themselves to a life of religious discipline as monks. To fulfil this goal, there are many different types of Holy Orders including purely praying, providing education to the people, proselytizing and even protecting pilgrims with military strength. Monastery: A ce for people to work and live together, following the Spirit of Light and striving to uphold the virtues of Abstinence, Purity and Discipline. Christian monasteries are segregated by gender, but within this novel, men and women live together. - The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Well be winging it this time, right? The Demon King: Well, no matter how much material I studied, its difficult. Even though this was originally a n with humans in mind and has many merits for the humans. The Hero: Because our opponent is the Church, after all. The Demon King: Thats right, the religion of the humans in this world involves the Spirit of Light, right? The Hero: Yeah, the vast majority of people in the Central Continent follow the Spirit of Light. The Demon King: Youve just said a whole bunch of sphemous things, is your faith weak? The Hero: I wouldnt call it weak. Once youve risked your life on the battlefield, especially against armies of Demons, one does feel closer to the Spirit. The Demon King: Hmm. The Hero: My faith is definitely not weak, but I would say I have a more friendly rtionship with the Spirit. The Demon King: Is that so? Thats a very precious feeling. The Hero: Oh, Im a little special. I receive revtions from them in my dreams. The Demon King: God exists?! The Hero: Theyre not a god, theyre the Spirit of Light. The Demon King: Hmm The Hero: Extremely benevolent people, rather simr to the Demon King, exist dont they? The Spirit of Light does as well. They have a rather weak-willed personality, the kind that cannot refuse even troublesome requests. The Demon King: Can such an existence even be the target of a religion? The Hero: Well. Besides faith and religion, the Church holds far greater meaning for humans. It is a massive organization. Even in terms of people involved, the Union cannot even bepared to the Church. The Demon King: In terms of research or schrly pursuits as well, then? The Hero: Yeah. One could even say that the vast majority of information in the world is under the power of the Church. Have I not said this before? The city people all learn to read and write from the Church. The Demon King: You expect a lot from this organization. The Hero: Well, today is the first meeting, so even if we fail there wont be a lot of damage done. The Church is such a massive organization that there are many sectarian divisions within it. Each sect is represented by a different Holy Order. At present, theres an almost unbelievable number of Holy Orders. The Demon King: But they all believe in the Spirit of Light? The Hero: Thats right. Thats why each Holy Order builds a superficial image of friendliness. They are, after all, the forces of good. But actually, their methods of worship are different, their fervour is different, and if one were to look deeper, even the practice of stealing and converting each others followers is not umon. The Demon King: Thats not very different from the territorial feuds between the Demon races. Its much easier to understand the difference between the Inferno God and the God of the Abyss. The Hero: These sorts of religions exist!? The Demon King: They do. But theyre mostly a passing Fad. The Hero: Well, hmm The Holy Order of the Lake is one of the more practical and stable sects. - Exnation Grandmaster: This refers to the head of the Holy Order. Originally the leader of a group of monks, the power of the grandmaster grew steadily and by the Middle Ages, he came to upy a simr existence to Feudal Lords or Bishops. Fads: This refers to people who do not originally believe in a religion, but ride on it like a current, and decide to try out the new religion. It appears that which god Demons believe in tends to change rapidly and steadily. - The Demon King: Oh? The Hero: Their primary activities include agricultural support for farmingmunities. They provide manpower, grape cultivation methods, household nning Oh, and hospitals. The Demon King: Even hospitals! The Hero: Thats right, hospitals are the work of the Church. Though the Church rejecting patients is not a rare urrence. The Demon King: Youre very familiar with this. The Hero: Thats not true. I heard all of this from a very old acquaintance. The Demon King: Hmm The Hero: Demon King? The Demon King: What? The Hero: You Sometimes, umm, make a very lonely expression. Like you did just now. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: I didnt even notice myself. The Hero: Is that so? Well, Demon King. Just what sort of thing are you looking at with those eyes? Door opens. The Demon King: Ah Nice to meet you. The Hero: Salutations. Allow us to make our introductions. The Demon King: I am currently conducting agricultural research in the Southern regions. I am known as the Crimson Schr. Pleased to make your acquaintance. The Hero: I am her assistant andpanion, the White Swordsman. As we have but carelessly intruded onto the Monastery, we humbly beg for your mag mag magnanimity. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: This is my first timeing to the Temple Headquarters of the Holy Order of the Lake. It is a truly magnificent building. The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: You say you are the White Swordsman? The Demon King: Yes. The Hero: Uhh Yeah. The Female Pdin: The Hero! The Hero: Oh. The Female Pdin: Whats up with this White Swordsman thing? Where have you been wandering about until now! Its been a year?! I havent even heard your voice for a year! The Demon King: Whats going on?! The Hero: Umm Thats The Female Pdin: All he left behind was a note saying itd be best if he went ahead alone! He didnt even consider the feelings of the people he left behind at that border crossing. We were so worried. Im so angry right now! The Demon King: Ahh. The Hero: Thats because The Female Pdin: Dont give me that bullsheet! Ah. Im sorry. I identally said bullsheet, Great Spirit please forgive me. The Hero: Uhhh The Female Pdin: Forgetting about both grandpa and I, even the mage got really depressed. The Demon King: This Party seems rather unbnced. The Hero: The Pdin and I got by with the healing. The Female Pdin: Are you even listening Hero?! The Hero: I am sorry. The Female Pdin: Hmph. Well, what do you want now? The Demon King: Ahh. The Female Pdin: Ah! I apologize, schr. I did not even offer you a seat. I will get you a cup of tea right away. - Exnation Party: Within the world of Role-ying Games, a group ofrades who go adventuring together is known as a party. Within a game, factors like Offensive Power, Magical Power and Healing Abilities must be bnced out when selecting members, but, without healing abilities, the Heros party had to make do. - The Demon King: Th-thanks. The Hero: What should we do, then? The Female Pdin: I was originally of the Knights of the Holy Silver Crown. By fate, I havee to serve with the Holy Order of the Lake to improve the lives of the people. The Holy Order of the Lake, Conference Room The Hero: Well. This is the situation. The Demon King was seriously injured. But as the Royal Demon Army began to mobilize, I decided to beat a retreat. The Female Pdin: Is that so So youve been convalescing this whole while? The Hero: No, thats not it. Well, various things happened, and I havent been able to show my face on the world stage The Female Pdin: To think, the United Kingdoms would do something of this order?! The Demon King: The Hero: What? The Female Pdin: No, its nothing. I understand. The Hero: That being said, why have youe all the way here to be the Grandmaster of the Lake? The Female Pdin: Well. I was originally born in this area. I was conferred a knighthood by the Church as well. I was a Knight of the Church. The Hero: Oh thats right. The Female Pdin: To tell the truth, after the Hero went towards the Demon Kings Pce. I reported this to the United Kingdoms Military Command, after a month, a special envoy arrived The Heros body was reported to have been filled with arrows inbat against the Demon King who did not even need to turn around to face him. After saying this, all therades received a stipend. The Demon King: Hmm The Hero: You The Female Pdin: What? The Hero: Its annoying, so stop speaking in that formal manner. The Female Pdin: ! It took me quite a lot of effort to master this formal speech. In any case, dont be mistaken. We didnt ept this stipend After that Inpensation for the great work we did until then, we were awarded high positions of power in the Kingdoms The Hero: I see. The Female Pdin: It was practically retirement. But I didnt want it. Getting promoted because you stupidly went and got yourself killed left a bad taste in my mouth, so I went back to my hometown and decided that this time I would work for the good of everyone. The Hero: An excellent force of will. No, from the beginning you have always been someone who would aplish what you set your heart to do, truly a real man. The Female Pdin: Sure. The Hero: And what of the other two? The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: That perverted old man, was originally a soldier, right? The Hero: Yeah, thats right. The Female Pdin: Thats why he went back to the United Kingdoms Army. He epted the stipend as well. Hes serving in the Intelligence Brigades of one of the Kingdoms in the South,st I heard. And, sorry. The Hero: What are you apologizing for? Is it not a good thing that we get rewarded for our efforts? He seems to have really made a name for himself as well. The Female Pdin: Y-yeah. The Hero: And what of the Mage? Did she also ept the stipend? She was always such a bean counter, despite how she looked. She probably expressionlessly said, I bought some Magical grimoires From the East Shes quite an interesting person. The Female Pdin: The Mage Went in alone. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: She went after you into the Demon World. The Demon King: The Hero: The Female Pdin: I am sorry. The Hero: Didnt you stop her? The Female Pdin: Of course we did! But by the next morning, all of her things were gone The Hero: Well, theres nothing for it. I understand how you feel, and you should not be med for this at all. To begin with, this all happened because I decided foolhardily to charge in. The Female Pdin: Hero. The Hero: More importantly, wevee to negotiate something. The Female Pdin: Yes Ive already read the introductory letter, but The Hero: Well Thats not really it. Schr. The Demon King: Thats me. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am known as the Crimson Schr, I am an academic. The Female Pdin: Pleased to meet you. I am the Heros ex-party member, the Female Pdin. The Hero: We havee today to borrow the strength of the Holy Order. The Female Pdin: Im listening. The Demon King: Firstly, please look at this. Produces object. The Female Pdin: Whats that? The Demon King: Its a nt known as a potato. A detailed report has been prepared on this sheet of vellum, but most importantly, it is a crop capable of growing in frozen soil, with a yield three times that of wheat. The Female Pdin: ?! The Demon King: Of course, there are many considerations that need to be made, but there are a great deal more benefits. Cultivation is also not difficult. I am certain you understand The Female Pdin: This crop can help to save many victims of famine. The Demon King: Thats right. The Female Pdin: What sort of support do you wish from us? Money? And what method of reward should we use in order to best express our appreciation for your efforts? The Demon King: Look, Hero. This is the reaction of the person who understands the implications of such a crop. The Hero: Im sorry Im stupid. The Female Pdin: Do you intend to use our political positions and influence? Perhaps you wish to be conferred a peerage? I apologise, but our order does not have this level of influence with the royalty or the nobility. We can probably only manage a pecuniarypensation at best The Hero: No, thats alright. I understand how bad you are at these things. The Female Pdin: I am not talking to you, I am talking to the esteemed schr. The Demon King: If you could help to finance this to whatever extent you can manage, that would be great, but thats not my objective for being here. The Female Pdin: What do you mean? The Demon King: At the borders of the Kingdom of Winter, there is a remote vige known as the Vige of Wintering. The Female Pdin: Yes. The Demon King: I would like you to construct a Branch of the Order over there. The Female Pdin: Would that be alright? The Demon King: Naturally I will back you up. Using this Branch of the Order as a centre point, I would like to propagate the cultivation techniques of the potato to the vigers. The Female Pdin: If that is your wish, then our Order can certainly mobilise to fulfil it And is that all you require? The Demon King: On top of this, if the potato cultivation is sessful, I would also like for you to open branches in neighbouring viges and kingdoms and help to further increase the spread of the cultivation techniques. The Female Pdin: In doing so, we can also help to expand the influence of the Order and I believe this serves our interests as well, but how would you benefit from this? The Demon King: Actually, my objective is also the spread the cultivation techniques of the potato. I hope to revolutionise the agricultural situation in the frozennds of the South. The Female Pdin: Is that so. The Demon King: Moreover, I do not just hope to nt potatoes. We are also undergoing research to revolutionise farming methods. Changing the previous three-field rotation system, we have discovered a more efficient method of production. The Female Pdin: Is that so?! The Hero: Its quite an amazing method. The Demon King: Physical application of the method has only taken ce in the aforementioned Vige of Wintering, hence even if it seeds, we do not have the organisation nor the manpower to effectively disseminate the information. As a result, we hope to cooperate with you to achieve this. The Female Pdin: You are truly a miracle sent from the Spirit of Light! The Hero: I wonder The Demon King: Pinches. The Hero: Ow! The Female Pdin: If this is indeed the case, then we will offer whatever assistance we canNo, I will personally go to the Vige of Wintering, bringing with me thebined abilities of our Order. The Demon King: How very kind of you. The Hero: No, this is The Female Pdin: Do you have something you want to say, Hero? The Hero: No, well Umm The Female Pdin: Annoying. The Hero: Ive always been a depressing and nihilistic sort of Hero, so if you get too close to me then youll be exposed to a lot of The Female Pdin: I have experienced this for myself a long time ago. Are you saying it is bad for me to go to the Vige of Wintering? The Hero: Umm Because, theres the Demon King and everything The Demon King: Dont be rude to the Grandmaster of the Order who has agreed to aid us, Hero. The Hero: Ehh?! The Female Pdin: You are very sure of yourself. The Demon King: That is because we do not have the abilities for such a task and must seek your assistance. I am an advocate of contracts, and I give my highest respects to the person I make contracts with. The Hero: (Save me) The Female Pdin: In any case, I never thought I would see you again Being reunited with the Hero after a year, and being brought such a miraculous crop by the Schr, truly the Spirit of Light shines favourably upon us. This is truly the calling of our Order. The Demon King: No, this is an entirely human effort The hard, spirited work of humans. The Female Pdin: Yes, of course. The Holy Order of the Lake, Front Hall The Female Pdin: Are you sure you do not want me to send you off? The Hero: Yeah, we are fine. Well do it from the room with teleportation magic. The Female Pdin: Thats true. The Demon King: In that case, well see you soon in the Vige of Wintering. The Female Pdin: Yeah, its far too difficult to move in mid-Winter. I will decide who tomand the Order in my absence and I will join you in the Spring. It will also be advantageous if you could obtain a friendly approval from the Feudal Lords and other powerful figures in the area. The Demon King: We will do whatever we can this Winter. The Female Pdin: Thank you very much. The Hero: You guys are so friendly its almost scary. The Female Pdin: Huh? Did you say something? The Hero: No I didnt. The Female Pdin: Till Spring! The Demon King: Yes, we will see you in the Spring. Spring in the Vige of Wintering Small Viger: Ohh, the day has finally shown her face. Thin Viger: It has. Ahh, the warm air has blown in. Vige Huntsman: Hey, hey. Small Viger: Whats up? Thin Viger: The weather is magnificent today. Vige Huntsman: Thats right. I feel something great is going to happen this year. Small Viger: Already? Vige Huntsman: Yeah, Ive caught four hares today. Im taking one to the Vige Chief right now! Small Viger: Thats great! Thin Viger: Theres also a lot of smoked boar left this year. Vige Huntsman: Yeah, I was surprised. Small Viger: This is all due to that Swordsman in the vige outskirts! Thin Viger: He even taught my boy to polish our axe. Vige Huntsman: With the bears in the forest taken care of, its much safer too. Little Maid Sister: ?? Small Viger: Oh, speak of the devil, its the sisters from the mansion at the vige outskirts. Thin Viger: So it is. Hey, hey! Vige Huntsman: Where are you going? Elder Maid Sister: Good morning everybody. Little Maid Sister: We are going to the Vige Chiefs ce to get some raspberry jam from him. Small Viger: Is that so? Awesome. Thin Viger: Are you having some guests over? Elder Maid Sister: Yes, that is correct. Vige Huntsman: I see, I see Hmm, alright, please bring this hare to the schr as a gift. Small Viger: Oh, how generous, Huntsman. Vige Huntsman: Not at all. After all, they did help make the forest safer. I can always catch some more hares since its spring. Little Maid Sister: Thank you very much ? Small Viger: Thats true. Ive gathered some watercress as well, here, take some with you. Elder Maid Sister: Thank you very much. Thin Viger: Make sure you call me in to repair the rafters after the snow melts. Vige Huntsman: Thats right, you can always count on us. Small Viger: Umm, umm. Thin Viger: Why is everyone just standing around dazed? Vige Huntsman: Ahh, everyone who works at the manor is really pretty after all. Elder Maid Sister: Umm Small Viger: Thats right, its true. Theyrepletely different from us. Intelligent, kind and beautiful, we all really look up to the two of you. Little Maid Sister: Thank you! Beams. Elder Maid Sister: I apologise. The Manor at the Outskirts of the Vige, at Night, in the Room of the Hero The Hero: Alright! Heaves luggage. The Hero: Is that everything? Ive got medicine, and after that I can get whatever I need when were there. The Demon King: Are you assembling your equipment sote at night? The Hero: Demon King The Demon King: Even though you belong to me. The Hero: Ahh. Yeah. Sorry. The Demon King: Whats with that lousy expression? Youre a Hero. The Hero: People who are guilty make this sort of expression. The Demon King: You belong to me, dont you? And I belong to you. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Did you think I would stop you? The Hero: The Demon King: Dont think so poorly of me. The Hero: Eh? Youre okay with this? The Demon King: Here. The Hero: Whats this? Catches. The Demon King: I think it belongs to my predecessor. Its the Abyssal Forged Armour. Dont worry, its not cursed or anything. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Since I, the Demon King, am no longer there, its gotten a bit chaotic. Im counting on you to help sort the ce out. The Hero: Y-yeah. The Demon King: This is a list of Demon Chieftains whom you can trust, Ive included a letter of introduction. Youre going to need help if you want to find somebody in the Demon World. The Hero: Yeah, even though she looks like that She can really get around. Im sure shes fine. The Demon King: If thats the case then you shouldnt need to search for her. The Hero: Demon King The Demon King: You should be thanking me right now. The Hero: Of course. Thank you. The Demon King: The Hero: ? The Demon King: Is that all? The Hero: What? The Demon King: Thats, you know. Humans, umm, they When lovers That is to say when a couple separates, isnt it customary for them to do something? The Hero: Eh umm Yeah. The Demon King: Is it because of all this b? The Hero: Whats up with this timing? And stop with the puppy eyes?! The Demon King: Is it because its outside the purview of our contract? The Hero: Eh ah Thats. The Demon King: As I thought, its because we dont have enough skinship. The Hero: Whats that? The Demon King: Actually, the Chief Maid exins this to me every week. Demon King, you do not have the prerequisite skinship. To begin with, youre neither cute nor exposed enough, so if you dont have skinship then how will things turn out? Get it? The basis of battle is numbers. If you can use Brute Force Attacks to destroy a persons reason, then you wont even need tactics. The Hero: In terms of tactical theory, thats not wrong, but The Demon King: We cant? The Hero: Thats Its embarrassing to Do such a thing. Lets wait until were both moreposed. The Demon King: You call yourself a Hero. Heroes are supposed to be brave and courageous but youre just a coward. The Hero: Nonsense. Im the worlds bravest person, thats why Im the Hero, arent I!? The Demon King: So youvee to your senses? The Hero: How does your mood change so fast, Demon King! The Demon King: Its been half a year, hasnt it?! Living together in the winter when neither of us can travel should have many advantages. But somehow time just went by without us making any progress, I cant tolerate this any longer! Under this situation, the Order will begin its construction and when summer begins, the Heros number one woman will move in. On top of that, my Hero is now going to look for his number two woman! How can I not take any action?! - Exnation Brute Force Attack: When one is being attacked, the defender can take steps to prevent this attack or safeguard against it. However, if the volume of the attack is toorge, the attack can merely swarm over all of the defences. This is a Brute Force Attack, particrly as used in the hacking world. - The Hero: Why have you started to number off my friends?! The Demon King: Angry. The Hero: Jeez. The Demon King: The Hero: Kiss. The Demon King: sigh The Hero: Whats with that dissatisfied look? The Demon King: Just the forehead? The Hero: Whats wrong with the forehead? If you dont want it, Ill take it back. The Demon King: You cant do that. Everything you have belongs to me. In other words, this kiss on my forehead is also an asset of mine. There is no room for argument. The Hero: Sigh The Demon King: The Hero: All thats left to do is to return! The Demon King: Its a promise then, Hero. Youre definitelying back! Door ms shut. Volume 1 4, “Please don’t disregard the people”

Volume 1 Chapter 4, Please dont disregard the people

At the Vige outskirts, in the Mansion of the Demon King, Central Hall The Female Pdin: Well then, is this all you have prepared, my Lords? Disciple Nobleman: Pant, pant. Disciple Merchant: Ughhh. Die! Disciple Soldier: The Female Pdin: Then, allow me to exin the weapons. What you currently have in your hands is an exceptionally precise weapon from the Southern United Kingdoms Army, the Longsword. This weapon has strength, very good bnce, and as a product of the Kingdom of Steel, exceptional quality. Bncing and redistributing the weight is the key to deciding the oue of any battle with this weapon, hence, properly consider the grip you have on this weapon. Disciple Nobleman: Disciple Merchant: Disciple Soldier: E-enough nonsense! The Female Pdin: What did you say? Disciple Nobleman: Disciple Soldier: I said that this is stupid. Why do we have to be thought swordsmanship by a woman? The Female Pdin: Disciple Soldier: When the White Swordsman was teaching swordsmanship, he did not ept women as disciples. Women deserve to be at home making cakes. The Female Pdin: Hey, fat boy. Disciple Merchant: Wh-what?? M-me? The Female Pdin: Grasp the sword firmly in both hands. Disciple Merchant: Uhh. Like this? The Female Pdin: HA! Sword shes. Disciple Nobleman: ?! Disciple Soldier: ! Disciple Merchant: Th-th-the sword! Its split! Into two! The Female Pdin: HA! Sword shes. Disciple Merchant: I-its be shorter!? The Female Pdin: If you keep this in mind, you will be able to slice even just 5cm off a de. Disciple Soldier: H-h-how? The Female Pdin: That soldier boy over there. The Female Pdin: I am a female Pdin of the Lake Country. I am a woman who has fought at least a thousand battles alongside the Hero in the Demon World. Disciple Nobleman: T-the great Hero!? Disciple Merchant: ?! Disciple Soldier: Dont tell me youre the Demon Knight?! The Empress of Mythical Power?! The Wall-Destroying Female Guardian of Heaven?! The Female Pdin: You seem quite familiar with me. Disciple Soldier: Shudders. The Female Pdin: I wouldnt call this Mythical Power, its really just technique By keeping the de still and concentrating power on a particr area, even you, gentlemen, will be able to utilise this technique. As for the Hero AhThe White Swordsman, is too much of a prodigy. His constantly whatever way of doing things, as his teacher, is justpletely unsuitable. Disciple Merchant: Dont tell me The White Swordsman is your disciple!? Disciple Nobleman: I-is that so! Disciple Soldier: Is that true The Female Pdin: H-hmm. Anyway. The White Swordsman is on an Imperial Quest. Disciple Nobleman: Imperial Quest Is that by order of the King? Disciple Soldier: A quest! Thats the sort of thing a real man is supposed to do! The Female Pdin: In any case, starting from now on, Ill be taking over your training four times a week. Disciple Merchant: U-understood! The Female Pdin: Im different from the White Swordsman in that I intend tobine theoretical and practical methods, teaching you from the basics up. I will train yourbat abilities so that you can use them for a practical purpose. - Exnation Longsword: A one-handed, straight, double-edged demonly used by the knights of the Middle Ages. Its length is 80 - 90 cm and it weighs 1.5 - 2 kg. It was made for attacking enemies while on horseback, and would not break or bend upon contact with armour. - Disciple Nobleman: It is an honour to receive training from arade of the Hero. Disciple Soldier: From what you have said, theres nothing for it then. I will diligently pursue the Way of the de. The Female Pdin: Then to begin with, run three rounds around the forest to the North. After that do one round while practice-swinging. When you get to the stream, go up to waist level in the water and do 500 swings of the sword. All Three: Whaaaaat?! The Demon Kings Mansion, in the Office Cicadas chirping. The Demon King: Youre very lively today. The Chief Maid: That is to be expected. However, the Female Pdin seems to be having quite a lot of fun over there? The Demon King: Is that so? Id have expected her to be as mad as a badger with an arrow in its butt that the Hero just up and left. The Chief Maid: The kind of person who would devote everything when given a task. What a cute person. The Demon King: Hmm. The Chief Maid: Her body is even more toned than yours. The Demon King: Hmm. The Chief Maid: No, no. Your style isnt bad as well. The ces where you should really have volume are very impressive indeed. A truly immodest and sexy body. The Demon King: Your way of describing things is truly immodest. The Chief Maid: However while your body may be sexy and even soothing, your personality is neither sexy nor soothing. Thispletely unrted point may prove to be your Achilles Heel. The Demon King: Lets drop this subject. Bang bang, ng ng, klink klink. The Chief Maid: Whats that sound!? The Demon King: Hmm. Im conducting an experiment with the help of a craftsman Ive hired. Well have to test it out and note the bits that need improvement. The Chief Maid: What is it for? The Demon King: Its for something called a Compass. What hes making now is an improvement for it. These two shafts and thisrge ss orb will keep thepass inside level. The Chief Maid: Hmm. So what was it like before you improved it? The Demon King: We just floated a ma on water. Look, its really the same concept for that thing floating inside. The Chief Maid: I sort of understand. But its really be a great deal bigger, hasnt it? The Demon King: Theres no choice. This is an experimental model. To make it more practical, well probably have to make smaller models. The Chief Maid: What sort of improvements does this have? The Demon King: Hmm,passes are used for determining direction. The ma on the water surface inside here will turn and demonstrate which way is North For this to happen, it is critical that the water surface is perfectly level. The Chief Maid: Uh huh. The Demon King: People who really need to know the direction will be on ships right? It is an exceedingly difficult task to keep the water level on a rocking ship or on a day with a strong breeze. - Exnation Compass: Essentially a lodestone for determining direction. It was invented in China in the 11th Century and transmitted to Europe around the 13th Century. The suspension-typepass was invented in 16th Century Italy. - The Chief Maid: Then what have people been doing up to now?! The Demon King: Persistence? The Chief Maid: The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Humans are impressive, arent they? The Demon King: Well, with this suspension-type system, while finding a ce to install it may be difficult, even on a rocking ship, thepass will be kept steady as it is suspended. The Chief Maid: Hmm. And it would be possible even if you werent a persistent person. The Demon King: No. The Female Pdin once told me that to be human is to be persistent, hence persistence is ultimately necessary. What this helps to reduce is the skill required. Compass navigation requires a highly specialised skillset. This simple add-on will help to increase the number of skilled operators. The Chief Maid: But this vige isnt even on a coast, is it? The Demon King: Hmm. This device is for selling. The Chief Maid: Did you not buy it for them? The Demon King: We need an honest method for these people to umte money, and hencee into contact with The Union. The Chief Maid: As this is within the expertise of the Demon King, I will leave it to you then. The Demon King: Leave it to me. The Chief Maid: On an unrted note, shall we have potatoes for dinner? The Demon King: Hmm, I would really love some fried potatoes. Smiles. The Demon World, the Beast Fang Tribe, Stronghold of the ck Wolves Demon Wolf: Growl Demon Wolf: Auuuuuuuuu! The Hero: Whoa. Youve all gathered here. Demon Wolf: Growl Bark! Bark! The Hero: You guys. If you dont want to get hurt then go away! Demon Wolf: Bark?! Demon Wolf: Ha Ha Ha Whimper! Winged Fairy: Mr ck Knight, over here! The Hero: Do I know you? Winged Fairy: The Queen. Over here! The Hero: Leave it to me! Curse of Explosions! Winged Fairy: Up here~! ck Wolf Guard: None shall pass. The Hero: Demon, eh? Get out of the way! Crash! Rumble! Winged Fairy: The ck Wolf Tribe. There are even bigger things here. ck Wolf Guard: Dont worry, your journey ends here. The Hero: I really didnt want to kill anyone, but hah! sh! Winged Fairy: You poked his forehead?! ck Wolf Guard: Mommy! Faints. The Hero: I didnt even cut you. Winged Fairy: Theres moreing this way! ck Wolf Guard: Intruders! ck Wolf Guard: Who are they? What strange people ck Wolf Guard: Despite knowing that this is our Demon Tyrant Armys. ck Wolf Guard: ck Wolf Stronghold, they still dare to attack?! The Hero: How annoying. Winged Fairy: Y-you mustnt! Dont damage the Stronghold! The Hero: Oh, right. Theres a Queen at the top of it. Winged Fairy: Thats right. The Hero: In that case! Boom! ck Wolf Guard: He took down the wall bare handed?! ck Wolf Guard: Run away! The Hero: This technique needs a bit of distance Dont stand around, if we dont get there in time, its a matter of life and death~ Ah, I think I sprained my back from that. Winged Fairy: Amazing! The Hero: As directly transmitted from the Great Sage! Sung about in the great legends! The Sealing Lance of Light! Rumbling in the distance. At the Top Tower of the ck Wolf Stronghold Winged Fairy: Pant, pant. The Hero: Im sorry. Winged Fairy: Youre mean. Queen of the Fairies: What is this? The Hero: Oh. Is that her? Winged Fairy: Your Majesty! Queen of the Fairies: Arent you the Winged Fairy? The Hero: Nice to meet you, I apologise that I do note bearing gifts. Winged Fairy: Your Majesty, this here is a hero of the humans. Queen of the Fairies: I can tell. The Hero: Im a hero. Winged Fairy: Im really smart ? Queen of the Fairies: Please hurry and flee. If the Demon Wolf General arrives, we wont be able to beat him. The Hero: Even though I already have? Queen of the Fairies: What? So humans have this sort of power. But, thats not all! Behind the Demon Wolf General is an even more fearsome power in the Demon World, an unparalleled warrior, the ck Wolf King The Hero: I took him down too. Last week. Queen of the Fairies: ?! Y-you are! Winged Fairy: The ck Knight, a human. The Hero: Yeah. Im the ck Knight. The sword of the Demon King. Im a correctional officer doing my best to preserve loyalty and order in the Demon World. Winged Fairy: So cool. Queen of the Fairies: Is that so Its true that the seal on that armour belongs to the Demon King. Wait, dont tell me thats the Demon Kings personal armour? The Hero: I do not have the words to reply to your question. Winged Fairy: Super cool~ Queen of the Fairies: So youre here to eradicate the race of the ck Wolves that dare to oppose the orders of the Demon King, constantly making a sport out of the mindless ughter of human beings and regrly sacking even Demon cities and viges. The Hero: Nope, it was really a split second decision. Winged Fairy: The Hero: Ahem. Well. I can overlook the violence of the ck Wolf Tribe. But while this does not mean that we have to be charitable to humankind, the word of the Demon King is absolute. I will not forgive those who oppose it. Queen of the Fairies: Youre a human! Why are you so loyal? The Hero: Hahahaha. I am the ck Knight. None can stand against me! I am the sword of the Demon King. Queen of the Fairies: You really live up to the expectations of the Demon King. Beams The Hero: (This is a really good atmosphere! Even though Im ackey of the Demon King.) Winged Fairy: Your Majesty. Queen of the Fairies: Yes? Winged Fairy: Shall we search? Queen of the Fairies: Search? The Hero: Yes. Thats right. Uhh. By orders of the Demon King, I am to search for a particr human. To begin with, I am here for Your Majesty, the ck Wolf Tribe is just a side quest if you will. Winged Fairy: The human girl who came to Your Majesty! Queen of the Fairies: Ahh. That mage The Hero: Where is she now? Queen of the Fairies: She was hiding a superb set of magical abilities. Having learnt Fairy Magic, she left on a journey to seek even greater abilities. The Hero: A journey? Where to? Queen of the Fairies: Im afraid I do not know, but The Hero: Just how much effort is she going to make me expend, that emotionless girl. Even though shes already the strongest in the Human World. Queen of the Fairies: Thats right The Hero: Whats right? Winged Fairy: At the edge of the Demon World, within the waterfall basin of the Falls of the Sands of Time, there is an ancient bench. It is said that travellers who sit on this bench will be able to reach the Cosmic Library at the edge of the stars. She was earnestly researching this myth. The Hero: The Cosmic Library? I understand. Queen of the Fairies: However, this is just a legend. Not even the Fairies know where it is or how to get there. The Hero: This is not an issue. To fulfil the orders of the Demon King, I will be able to find any ce in the world! Winged Fairy: So cool! Queen of the Fairies: I will pray for your safety. The Hero: The Demon King wishes for the Tribe of Fairies to return to their original location and continue to treat and enrich the lives of the citizens there. Queen of the Fairies: Long live the Demon King. The Hero: Eh, ahem, ahem. I have already spoken to the remaining members of the ck Wolf Tribe. The ck Wolves were originally honourable citizens. They have promised to be honourable citizens, loyal and upright in their service to the Demon King. Queen of the Fairies: As long as the ck Wolves are no longer a threat to the Fairies, we have no problem with this arrangement. I solemnly swear that we will hold no grudges. The Hero: I will convey your magnanimity to the Demon King. Then, it is about time. I must leave to find her. If it is fated, I hope we shall meet again. Queen of the Fairies: I will not forget this. Teleports! Winged Fairy: So cool!! Queen of the Fairies: He has saved the Tribe of Fairies. So the Demon King has such a subordinate Shes really changed from the weak, useless figurehead we used to call her. As the Demon King Winged Fairy: What? Queen of the Fairies: As the Demon King (The Waterfall Basin of the Falls of the Sands of TimeAn old benchThe edge of the starsThe Cosmic Library) Queen of the Fairies: The Cosmic Library Winged Fairy: ? Queen of the Fairies: There is one Tribe among the Demons who were confined to the Cosmic Library This Tribe sought knowledge and could see into the past and the future, they carried with them the Cosmic Knowledge, a hunger for knowledge that burns in their souls Winged Fairy: ? Queen of the Fairies: It is said that the Demon King herself is from the Cosmic Library The Kingdom of Waves, the City of the Gulf, the Chambers of Commerce Young Merchant: This is truly amazing. Absolutely astounding. Wonderful. Middle Aged Merchant: Hey. What did you call me out here for? Shrewd ountant: Isnt it too early for breakfast? Whats up? Did the wine harvests from the Kingdom of the Lake fail? Or are there movements in the exchange rate of the Holy Kingdom? Young Merchant: Well, take a look at this. I received it yesterday and Ive just set it up. Middle Aged Merchant: ! Shrewd ountant: Th-this is Young Merchant: As I thought, you understand as soon as youy eyes on it. Middle Aged Merchant: Apass? Ive never seen theme in this shape before. Shrewd ountant: But I understand just by looking at it. Middle Aged Merchant: I dont know who or where this craftsmanship is from, but this is something big. Astounding. Young Merchant: Yeah, I feel as if someone threw a huge rock at my head. Shrewd ountant: These Two rings allow it to remain level in any circumstance. And it can even be stabilized with this counterweight. Young Merchant: It is exactly as it seems. It doesnt use any special technological breakthrough, but what a remarkable invention. Middle Aged Merchant: From the way it looks, Im willing to say the craftsmen from the Kingdom of Copper will be able to make a smaller version. Alright! Oi! Where is this thing from? If you were tomercialise this, we would make a huge killing! You would be able to be a political cadre, no, it wouldnt even be fantastical to say you might make it into the Council of Ten! Shrewd ountant: Yes, this invention could be highly profitable for the Union, myrades. Middle Aged Merchant: You can realize the dream of young merchants everywhere, rising through the ranks at such a young age! Shrewd ountant: Though Im sure you would have been able to do it anyway. Young Merchant: This is going to change the world. Middle Aged Merchant: Yes, the world is about to change. Young Merchant: Well, itll be difficult. Middle Aged Merchant: Naturally. Shrewd ountant: Why? Young Merchant: We havent thought about the significance of this being here at this particr point in time. Middle Aged Merchant: Its definitely true that we have a huge opportunity in front of us. Like arge barrel of an excellent vintage wine. I am ecstatic. However, apart from this barrel of wine, are they any others like it? Further, could we be walking into a trap? We are businessmen, not drunkards. We ought to really use our heads to discern the avable benefits. Shrewd ountant: Thats right Young Merchant: To begin with, the one who invented this isnt even us, it was delivered to me. We should try to consider the intentions of this person Middle Aged Merchant: Do you know who it is? Young Merchant: The letter says The Crimson Schr. The sender appears to live in the Southern United Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Winter, the Vige of Wintering. Middle Aged Merchant: A small, frozen vige. Shrewd ountant: I dont seem to have memory of special products from that area. No, wait. Rummaging. Young Merchant: What is it? Shrewd ountant: As I recall, I saw the name in the news Ahh, here it is. The Holy Order of the Lake established a new Branch Order in this vige. Middle Aged Merchant: The Order of the Lake? The one in the Kingdom of the Lake? Has its influence already grown to such an extent? Shrewd ountant: No, this is way out of its area of influence, its a very suddenly built Branch Order. Its clearly not for any missionary purpose, thats why there was a special report on it Young Merchant: Hmm. Strange. Middle Aged Merchant: It certainly appears to be connected to me. Shrewd ountant: Have you had any contact? Young Merchant: Of course I have, thats very important. In order to derive the most profits from thispass, the Union would need to acquire sole trading rights. Middle Aged Merchant: However, its clear that thispass is a revolutionary work. The fact that its revolutionary nature is so easy to understand not only means that itll be a powerful business weapon, but it also suffers from the weakness of being extraordinarily easy to imitate. Shrewd ountant: Thats true. Young Merchant: If the Union keeps thepass a ssified secret, we could only install this on ships belonging to the Union and hence boost our trade advantage, or sell this to the entire Central Continent and increase our profits. Either way, we must confer with the schr who invented this. Shrewd ountant: While it may be easy to imitate, how can we be sure that this schr isnt intending to sell the invention to other organizations or countries? Middle Aged Merchant: In this case Young Merchant: I certainly hope it doesnte to that. We are merchants, not assassins after all. The Vige of Wintering,te in the Summer Small Viger: Hoii, hoii. Thin Viger: Hoii. Small Viger: The weather sure is fine today. Thin Viger: It sure is, the barley is growing great as well. Small Viger: Since the Holy Order was established, weve learnt a great deal. Thin Viger: Oh, its the Temr. Temr: Good afternoon, working hard today? Small Viger: Good afternoon. Bows. Thin Viger: Good afternoon. Bows. Temr: What are you doing today? Small Viger: Ill be fishing for trout down by the stream today. Thin Viger: Ill be gathering firewood. Temr: Excellent. Small Viger: And you? Temr: Hohoho, well actually, the crop weve been experimenting with is soon about to derive its second harvest! Small Viger: Even the Temr is excited about it! Temr: Of course, Im really excited. The Earth has given us its blessings. This is truly an encouraging message from the Spirits of Light. Im just on my way to report the harvest to the Schr. Small Viger: I see, I see. Temr: Yeah. This crop is called a potato. Its sweet and soft and incredibly delicious. Small Viger: Is that right. I want to try it just once. Thin Viger: What does it taste like? Footsteps. The Demon King: Shall I invite you to try some? Temr: Ah, this is the Schr! Small Viger: Good afternoon, schr. Thin Viger: Good afternoon, schr. The weather is great today. Temr: Im here to deliver a report. The Demon King: Ahh, thank you. I was thinking that it was about time too. Maid Elder Sister beams. Temr: Weve harvested it all ording to n. Its really great. Enough topletely fill two carts. The Demon King: And the soil collection? Temr: As instructed, weve storedrge amounts from six separate locations. Doing this, even though our Order has beenpiling agricultural technology for decades, is still an unprecedented method. The Demon King: Im happy that the results are encouraging. And this is it? Temr: Yes, theyve really grown well. The Demon King: Great, lets celebrate! Temr: Celebrate? The Demon King: The most important thing for spreading the potato is to allow everyone to experience eating it, no? To best way of doing this would be to arrange for a feast. Small Viger: Is that so, Schr? Thin Viger: Is that really alright? The Demon King: Of course it is. Temr, what do you think? Can we borrow the front courtyard of the Holy Order? Temr: Of course. But I thought the idea was to sell the potatoes to raise funds. The Demon King: Well we do want money, but we dont need a monopoly. We wont be able to advance if we dont stop starvation and create prosperity for everyone. To do this, well need the help of everyone in the vige. If each person were to tell everyone he knows that potatoes are amazing, then we should be able to spread the word well enough. Small Viger: Wow, now I really want to eat it, Schr! Thin Viger: Will we be able to grow it at home as well? Temr: Of course. Weve tried it ourselves as well and its not even as difficult as growing wheat. Of course, there are a few things you need to be careful of, but well teach all of this at the Holy Order. Small Viger: Ill go home and tell my family at once! The Demon King: Ohh, thats right. We probablyck the manpower for such a feast. If your wives happen to be free, we would like to request their assistance. What do you think, Master Temr? Small Viger: Ah. Schr. Our wives arent sophisticated enough to help you adequately, but if you really want their help, Im sure they would love to help you. Ill go and tell mine right away! Temr: Yes, Ive alreadypiled my report, so Ill be heading back to inform the other Temrs and the Grandmaster. Oh thats right, what should we do about the food? The Demon King: Dont worry about that. Can we do it? Maid Elder Sister: Yes. Bows. Maid Little Sister: We can do it! Well make a lot! Temr: Thats right, we havent done any research on how to cook potatoes. The Demon King: Ah~ Ive told them lots of times, but they at least need to make fried potatoes, right? The Kingdom of Winter, the Royal Pce, the Royal Hall of Winter Prince of Winter: Old man, hey, old man. Butler: What may I do for you, young man. Prince of Winter: Stop calling me young man. Im already 20 years old. Butler: What may I do for you? Prince of Winter: Do you know about potatoes? Butler: Hmm. Have you also eaten potatoes? Prince of Winter: Yes I have. Theyre delicious! Butler: Ive heard it was brought here by a travelling schr. Prince of Winter: On top of being delicious, to think even a destitute country like ours could cultivate it. Butler: Indeed. Prince of Winter: Do we have reports on it? Butler: We do indeed. Prince of Winter: Hmm. Butler: Theres a rted chapter in this book. Flips page. Prince of Winter: So the crop is principally distributed by the Holy Order of the Lake? Butler: It appears to be so. The Holy Order of the Lake has also implemented various charitable improvements. Prince of Winter: Hmm? What sort of improvements? Butler: Well, first they introduced the Four Field Rotation System. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that this allows grain agriculture to be carried out for four years without depleting the Blessings of the Earth. Compared to the Three Field Rotation System we used to use, not just wheat harvests, but pig andmb numbers are also steady. Prince of Winter: Even in Winter? Butler: In Winter, the Livestock are fed clovers. Agricultural implements are also being improved by the Holy Order with the establishment of Order Schools. Prince of Winter: Schools, hmm. Butler: Moreover, theyve even brought in a Windmill. Prince of Winter: Whats that? Butler: It resembles a Water Wheel, but instead of moving water it uses the flow of wind to move its vanes. It appears that the Holy Order hired a truly remarkable shipwright to construct it. The North of our great country has many hignds butcks a substantial water body, hence it is indeed practical. Prince of Winter: What do you mean? Butler: Using the power from the windmill, water is carried to the top of the hill. This allows fields to be cultivated in previously non-arable regions. Prince of Winter: Hmm. Butler: Are you interested in it? Prince of Winter: Well. Im happy that our tax ie will rise, but Well, this isnt the sort of thing that can end the war. This potato thing isnt going to save our country. Well, I dont think I can help but discount it. Butler: Thats true. Well, Im not sure about the effect on tax revenue from all our demesnes and viges, but The involvement of the Holy Order has already brought about a 5% increase in areas under their influence. Prince of Winter: Thats a lot. Butler: Dont underestimate it. They have managed to achieve this many reforms in less than a year, and we cant tell what will happen next year. Prince of Winter: The winter wheat harvest is about to begin soon, eh? Butler: This potato can be nted many times through the year. Prince of Winter: Is that so? Butler: Its very surprising, but yes it is. Prince of Winter: Hmm. Butler: While this isnt reflected in our tax receipts, it seems that the farmers are very grateful to it for improving their lives. Prince of Winter: I believe what you say, old man. Butler: I am honoured. Prince of Winter: So what should our course of action be? Butler: Hmm. As this has just begun, perhaps it might be best for us to simply observe for the time being. Prince of Winter: Hmm. Butler: I believe that this move of the Holy Orders, while beginning in our country, is targeted at establishing the rest of the Southern United Kingdoms as part of their territory. I believe that once they achieve their desired results, they will attempt to make contact with the Royal Pce. Prince of Winter: I see. And the Grandmaster of the Holy Order is Butler: The Female Pdin. Prince of Winter: Is it alright not to have gone to meet her? Are you not acquainted with her? Butler: Well, when I was serving with her, I had the impression that she was a very strong-willed, virtuousdy. She had small breasts, though She probably hates me as well. I am a traitor after all. Prince of Winter: Is that so I am sorry. It was unreasonable of me to inquire. Butler: It was not an issue, young man. Prince of Winter: The actions of the Demon King have been dull this year. Butler: Im afraid the rumours about the Hero may be true after all. Prince of Winter: Even though he wasnt our direct subordinate, we may have been the ones who forced him to certain death Is there no news that might suggest his survival? - Exnation Livestock: Humans rear some animals and they provide goods such as milk, meat or fur for use in human life. - Butler: None. Prince of Winter: Will this war never end? Butler: If this war were to end, the first country to bepletely annihted is our Kingdom of Winter. Prince of Winter: Butler: Alongside the other Southern United Kingdoms like the Kingdom of Ice, the Kingdom of the White Night and the Kingdom of Metal, the Kingdom of Winter has a harsh climate and insufficient food supplies. Were an underdeveloped country. It is because we are at the frontlines of the war with the Demon King that we receive economic assistance and food aid from the Central Continent. While we are often called the Shield of the Central Continent, it would be no exaggeration to say we are merely a tool of theirs. If the assistance were to end, the people would face widespread famine. Prince of Winter: But to let soldiers sacrifice themselves for this without informing them is a betrayal. Is it not just a farce? Butler: It is just a farce. However, even conducting such a farce is the job of a prince. Prince of Winter: But. Butler: Please have faith, young man. No matter what, you must not throw the people aside. Prince of Winter: I will be d to give my life on the battlefield. As a warrior of the Frozen Sea, this spirit flows through my bloodline. However, to lie to the people, to trade their lives for the survival of others Butler: Young man. It doesnt matter what you want or what you do not want, you are not a warrior but a prince. If you do not concern yourselves with the people, what then? The people require a King who truly cares about his subjects I havee here for this very purpose. Prince of Winter: I understand, I will remember your words. Butler: No, I spoke too harshly. Prince of Winter: For how long will this continue This waste, like a rain that washes away the path. The Demon World, the Holy Hall of the Dragon Race The Hero: Ugh. Im tired. And sluggish. And hungry. Fire Dragon Lord: Youve done well, ck Knight. The Hero: Youre tough yourself, Fire Dragon Lord. Fire Dragon Lord: I will not retreat. The Hero: Ive cut off your hands and your tail at least ten times. Fire Dragon Lord: And I will continue to regrow them no matter how many times you cut them off. The Hero: Ugh. Just what should I do? Fire Dragon Lord: Just end my life. For a person with such power, why do you insist on being so half-hearted? The Hero: I did not fight you with the intention of killing you. I simply want you to withdraw your forces. Fire Dragon Lord: This is impossible. For the heroes of the Fire Dragons, it is imperative to seize the Gate City. The Hero: Ahh, so its that. Fire Dragon Lord: You too! As the right hand of the Demon King, you should also be working with us to take back the Demon City which the humans have seized from us! The Hero: That is certainly true Fire Dragon Lord: Why do you hesitate?! Should all humans not be ughtered? The Hero: For the time being, the Demon King has not given the order to take back the Gate City. Fire Dragon Lord: The Demon King is a coward! If the Demon King were toe from one of the Dragon Race, she would not be such a weak-willed weakling! The Hero: In other words, you intend to overthrow the Demon King? Fire Dragon Lord: The Hero: This clearly vites the contract. The infighting of the warlords has often threatened to destroy the Demon World, it was extremely difficult to see cooperation restored. Do you wish to do away with that and cause anarchy in the Demon World? Fire Dragon Lord: The Demon King gave no orders to take back the Gate City. The Hero: Yes. Fire Dragon Lord: However, she gave no orders not to take back the Gate City. The Hero: Oh, you noticed. Fire Dragon Lord: Do not use the seal of the Demon King to engage in nder under her name, while we are currently taking back the Gate City, this does not vite the contract because only my race is involved and hence this is an independent decision which I have reached. Nobody can say anything to the contrary! The Hero: If you can win against me. Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm! Kill me if you can! I was born in the magma of the Demon World, I am the Fire Dragon Lord! I will not run nor hide! The Hero: Oh damn. This is difficult, what a troublesome person. How I miss the hero days when I just killed whoever I wanted to In those days, I never had to do any of this hard work negotiating with people in order not to kill them Heroing is supposed to be an enjoyable upation. How strange. Fire Dragon Lord: What are you talking about?! ck Knight! Come! Fire Dragon Lord roars and stomps. The Hero: Wait! Fire Dragon Lord! Fire Dragon Lord: What is it, ck Knight. The Hero: Then, let me go there. Fire Dragon Lord: ? The Hero: The Gate City is the Holy Land for many Gods of Demonkind. It must be painful for the humans to take it over. I understand that. However, the Dragon Race is also to me for attacking the Human World and forgetting to guard the city and hence prevent the humans from conquering it in the first ce. Fire Dragon Lord: Thats The Hero: Dont try to make excuses I understand the humans are despicable, but they did win that city in battle. Victory in battle is holy. Do not forget that unwrittenw in the Demon World. Particrly as defeat was induced by carelessness. Fire Dragon Lord: But The Hero: Moreover, the ce which your troops are poised to attack is the only ce in the Demon World where humans reside. It is no simple feat to take back the city. The elite Holy Crusaders are defending it after all. In the worst case scenario, the Fire Dragon Race will be exterminated. Please consider this oue as well, Fire Demon Lord. Fire Dragon Lord: We will never know until we try! The Hero: Then kindly wait until the spring. Fire Dragon Lord: What?! The Hero: I give you the word of the Demon King, as the ck Knight. That the Gate City will be reimed as the personal territory of the Demon King. Fire Dragon Lord: The personal territory of the Demon King?! The Hero: What the Fire Dragons as a race value most is honour, is it not? You cannot allow the Holy Land of Demonkind to be conquered by humans. This emotion is understandable. However, if the Demon Kings Army were to retake the Gate City, then there will be no problem with it bing her personal territory, will there? By taking back the Holy Land, we can also counter criticisms of the Demon Kings weakness as well, no? Fire Dragon Lord: The Hero: Say something, Fire Dragon Lord. Fire Dragon Lord: If this does not ur? The Hero: Then we can truly say that the Demon King is weak. Fire Dragon Lord: Then I will show no forgiveness? The Hero: Yeah, the Demon King is no longer suitable. In this case, we will let the title of the Demon King fall to another. I promise this as the ck Knight. Fire Dragon Lord: The Hero: So? Fire Dragon Lord: So be it. The Hero: Really? Fire Dragon Lord: So be it. The Hero: Oh! Great. Im so relieved. I was really scared about what I would have to do if I had failed. Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. Youre wee to finish me off any day. The Hero: We are both loyal servants of the Demon King. I have no intention of doing that. Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. The Hero: I will put my life on the line to protect her. Fire Dragon Lord: Gahahahahaha! You really have a fighting spirit! Is anyone there?! Call the Lady! Stomping. Fire Dragon Lady: Father, your daughter is here. The Hero: Umm. Is this your daughter? Fire Dragon Lord: If you fulfil your end of the promise, then I will give her to you as a wife! Gahahahaha! The Hero: W-Wait! What?! Volume 1 5, “Pick One of the Two Routes”

Volume 1 Chapter 5, Pick One of the Two Routes

The Mansion in the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering The Demon King: I-is this alright? The Chief Maid: Yes. Hmm, well. You lookpletely different. The Demon King: Whats with thatment? The Chief Maid: Since the Hero is gone, you havent been paying attention to the things you eat. The Demon King: Dont say such inauspicious things like The Hero is gone. Hes just on a short trip. The Chief Maid: Yes, of course. I would spend my entire life never forgiving a person who would be able to simply throw the Demon King aside and go off gallivanting. The Demon King: Youve just said something really harsh. The Chief Maid: Today is a beautiful day, Demon King. The Demon King: Hm. Im not satisfied. The Chief Maid: That being said, youre going to be doing negotiations. You ought to dress up. The Demon King: Even so, how should I put it The Chief Maid: ? The Demon King: Is this dress not a bit too gaudy? The Chief Maid: Isnt it amazing? The Demon King: Im a bit worried that the neckline is way too low. The Chief Maid: Thats called being stylish. The Demon King: Noooo The Chief Maid: Are you embarrassed of your disgraceful b? The Demon King: Hey, shut up! I-Im not that bby! The Female Pdin isnt even very morous, but no one says anything about her. Im just very motherly. The Chief Maid: I mean that your non-maternal meat is very bby. The Demon King: Oooh. Youre really mean today. The Chief Maid: Youre a bit worked up. The defence organizations have been assembled. The Demon King: How is that? The Chief Maid: Horror Ghost and Night Ghost have been activated. Well, will mobilising the soldiers even be enough The Demon King: Are you worried? The Chief Maid: Our enemies arent noblemen or even soldiers, theyre merchants from the Union. This sort of thing is really best left to you. The Demon King: You believe in me too much. The Chief Maid: Im uneasy with things I cannot help with. The Demon King: It cant be helped. This is a barrier we cant surmount by avoiding it. The Chief Maid: At least if the Hero were here The Demon King: If the Hero were to be useful, then that would mean negotiations havepletely failed. In such an instance we should run. Hence, there is no meaning in him being there. The Chief Maid: Im worried that you wont be able to bluff the noblemen. The Demon King: Eh? The Chief Maid: Well, thats fine as well. The Demon King: Dont mess with me. The Chief Maid: Its almost time. Maid Little Sister: The guests are in the hall My sister is currently serving tea to them The Chief Maid: Please dont stretch the ends of your sentences. Maid Little Sister: Understood ? The Chief Maid: Demon King? Are you prepared? The Demon King: Ahh. Umm, Chief Maid, am I supposed to button this button? The Chief Maid: That button is decorative. It is not meant to be buttoned. The Demon King: Then, allow me to wear myb coat over my dress! At least Ill look like a schr! The Chief Maid: Youre not aedian. Maid Little Sister: Mistress, you have wonderful boobies ? The Chief Maid: This girl. Well then, Demon King. The Demon King: Ahh, theres nothing for it. Lets go! The Demon Kings Mansion, the Guest Hall Door opens. Young Merchant: Ahh, this is! Shrewd ountant: Hoho. The Demon King: I apologise for the long wait. I am the mistress of this house, but thats a meaningless position, really. In any case, please call me the Crimson Schr. Young Merchant: Pleased to meet you. I am the Young Merchant, the Unions trade manager in the Southern Frozen Sea. Shrewd ountant: I am an ountant who hase specially to greet you. I hope to make your acquaintance. The Demon King: Ah, such a polite greeting, I am very much obliged. Young Merchant: We truly cannot hide our astonishment! A schr and an inventor. Pardon my words, but as a person with such in-depth knowledge into agricultural engineering, I had imagined you to be an elderly sage, but to think that you were indeed such a beautiful and exquisitedy. The Demon King: Oh, you praise me far too much. Young Merchant: No, no, to think that the Schr would be not only brilliantly intelligent but would also have beauty radiant beyondparison. Smiles. The Chief Maid: (The ttery of merchants is truly powerful.) The Demon King: Its my pleasure to be able to meet such a witty and handsome person. I think we will be able to negotiate despite my shallow, female intelligence. The Chief Maid: (Oho, the Demon King is well guarded) Young Merchant: No, no. After receiving that improvedpass, I had to rush down here immediately. The Demon King: And that took you a whole month? Young Merchant: Hahaha. Im embarrassed about that. For a novice merchant like myself to begin such arge undertaking with the Union, there are an entire slew of procedures which must first be done. Shrewd ountant: We are terribly sorry to have made you wait this long. The Demon King: Well then, I believe we should begin negotiations Please look at this first. Young Merchant: This is Shrewd ountant: Some sort of grain? Ive never seen it before. The Demon King: This is a nt known as maize. Young Merchant: Hoho. Shrewd ountant: Maize? Not apass? The Demon King: The special qualities of this food product are detailed in this book. I would like for you to take it back with you. For the time being, allow me to exin this to you personally. Young Merchant: Please do, Schr. The Demon King: This maize is an annual crop. Its greatest advantage is that it is capable of growing healthily in an environment with little water. In fact, high water environments are unconducive for its growth. Of course, there is a minimum level of water required. And furthermore, temperatures of 30 degrees are required for germination. Young Merchant: 30 degrees, huh? Shrewd ountant: Surely thats a little high. The Demon King: Yes it is. It will be impossible to rece wheat with this maize. Young Merchant: Hmm. The Demon King: In other words, this maize is something which we cannot grow here, but is perfectly suited for the barren wastnds in the Central Continent. Young Merchant: ! The Demon King: In terms of food preparation, it can be dried and milled into a sort of flour and used to make bread, it can also be used to make dumplings. This flour is fragrant and deliciously sweet. After being dried it stores excellently in the right conditions. In terms of its use as livestock feed, its many times more effective than barley or tulips. Furthermore, it has many other uses aside from food. With its high oil content, oil can even be extracted from it. Young Merchant: Oil, huh. Shrewd ountant: The Demon King: Hmm. A cartload of maize will probably only be able to make two bottles of oil. However, this oil can be obtained during the milling process. In other words, you get both of the products. Naturally, the oil can be used for food preparation, alongside a variety of other uses. Young Merchant: It is certainly true that oil increases in demand year by year. The Union definitely requires it. The Demon King: My friends, I would like you to consider this new business product. Young Merchant: The Demon King: Of course, this will require a massive startup capital. This capital will be used to send colonists to the wastnds to found farmingmunities. If this seeds, then we can begin to turn them into maize colonies. To open a vige in a wastnd requires both capital and manpower, this can be achieved if you were to follow my n. Large scale organized farming that covers the entire area,pared to the present situation throughout the Central Continent where small farmingmunities form a mosaic across thend, will require a cooperative and organized farming system, but is certainly possible. Moreover, all of these new colonies will bepletely under the influence of the Union as a sort of massive market. Beginning with maize, new markets for othermodities and perishables like wood, salt, metal and cloth will arise. Young Merchant: In other words Shrewd ountant: Just what do you want? Young Merchant: This is not about products or agricultural techniques, this is about selling the Union an ideology, is that correct? The Demon King: That is correct. Young Merchant: I understand, I have heard what you had to say and I understand the price that must be paid. Your words I dont think anyone would say anything like that in the cities of the Central Continent no, I dont think anyone would say anything like that anywhere in the world The Demon King: Ahahaha. Youve got a nice expression. Young Merchant: Im sorry? The Demon King: You make a very smarmy face when youre trying to butter me up. Young Merchant: Is that so? Well. In any case, I meant what I said earlier. But is it really alright? The Demon King: Is what really alright? Young Merchant: What you said just now, and thepass which you have given me. All of these are basically theoretical things. You have given me neither the technology nor the product. In other words, there is no way for me to manufacture anything which you have mentioned. The Demon King: Thats true. Young Merchant: Have you not considered that we will simply manufacture these for our own profit without paying attention to your n? Where will you benefit? Do you not intend to protect your rights? The Demon King: I have to surrender to the circumstances. - Exnation Milling: The act of creating flour. This is especially done with grains like wheat or maize, which are ground up into powder. The act of removing the husks of the grains and chaff from the harvest ismonly included in this terminology. - Young Merchant: Im sorry? The Demon King: The technology and the ns are brilliant. It is truly worthy of research. There are also advantages. If theres money to be made, I would like that as well, because I would like to carry out even more research. However, if I tried to preserve sole rights by preventing technological transfer for material gain, the impact on the world would be limited. Whats important is transfer and pration. Shrewd ountant: Is this some sort of theological treatise? Its tooplicated, I dont understand. Young Merchant: The Demon King: Does the Young Merchant understand? Young Merchant: The Demon King: Whats wrong? Young Merchant: In that case You The Demon King: Young Merchant: Need us to make a choice? The Demon King: You came here to make a choice did you not? As I understand, thats what it means to negotiate something. Young Merchant: But, thats Just what is your intention? The Demon King: An early end to the war. Young Merchant: ?! The Demon King: Moreover, I am aiming for an end which is neither victory nor defeat. Young Merchant: Thats The Demon King: As I understand, the Unions chief involvement in the war with Demonkind is being the primary sponsor to the Central Continent. Young Merchant: Demons are the enemies of humanity. As one wing of the force that opposes the Demons, is it not exceedingly obvious that we would throw everything we have into it? The Demon King: Thats a very politically correct view point. Young Merchant: Its the correct view point. The Demon King: Whether high or low, whether North or South, whether arid or frozen, working as an intermediary between thepeting forces of light and shadow, cooperating and doing business, and in so doing, deriving benefits. Is that not the job description of a merchant? Young Merchant: Y-you The Demon King: Yes? Young Merchant: Are you a friend or a foe of the Union? The Demon King: I am a business partner. Young Merchant: The Chief Maid: (Demon King, you can do it!) Young Merchant: You are asking me to pick between two routes. The Demon King: What do you mean? Young Merchant: As a human, your previous statements are a betrayal. Even from the Church, they are still contradictory. I should probably just capture you and take you back to stand trial. The Chief Maid: (Demon King, we have ck Ops units positioned in the forests awaiting an ambush.) The Demon King: (Keep it under control.) The Demon King: Its too depressing to split the world simply into friends and foes. Shrewd ountant: We have forces standing by. Young Merchant: Fine Allow us to test you. The Demon King: Young Merchant: Has it been this way previously? The Demon King: Of course. In the arid regions of the Central Continent, we have begun to rece water wheels with functional windmills. Though it does deplete some of the forestry, we have also begun to introduce paper as a recement to vellum and hide as writing material. Young Merchant: Just what is your focus? The Demon King: I am a schr, specializing in Economics. Young Merchant: Economics? The Demon King: Im sure thats a word you have not heard often. I specialize in the flow of goods and money, the calction of revenues and costs, the production of goods in a society and the transfers of said goods both historically and for the future. Young Merchant: Revenues and costs, huh. The Demon King: Thats right. My focus is but the same as yours. Young Merchant: For this, you intend to betray humankind? Your dream may be to put an end to this war, but just what makes you think this benefits me? The Demon King: I have faith. Young Merchant: What do you have faith in? Me? The Union? Humanity? The Demon King: Profit motive is a vocabry we both have inmon. This is the second strongest bond in all the world. Young Merchant: Ahahahahaha! Shrewd ountant: What? Young Merchant: No, its true. It is just as you say. Before being a human, I am first a merchant. Before being an adherent of the Church, I am first a merchant. This is truly the motto of the Union. Shrewd ountant: Thats Young Merchant: What an unexpected surprise, even for me. Hmm Lets do it. Lets sign a contract to bring light to tomorrow. Shrewd ountant: Thats Young Merchant: Yeah, you can back out of it if you want. The Demon King: Youre really breaking into cold sweat, Young Merchant. Young Merchant: Oh my. Ive never experienced such a level of nervousness even when dealing with Eastern Merchants. What a relief that you are a schr and not a merchant. The Demon King: I am but a powerless and weak existence. Young Merchant: No, no, as a member of the nobility, you do have some level of power even here. The Chief Maid: (Of course. The Demon King is still royalty even here!) Young Merchant: But, thats The second strongest bond, eh? The Demon King: Young Merchant: When can you begin shipping the corn? The Demon King: I apologise, but as we are still experimenting, we have yet to begin cultivating the shoots. We will ship them to you next Spring. Young Merchant: Thats early enough. After listening to your n, it seems I must try to get a strong footing in the core territories of the Union. For this huge profit, it would be easy to ship the goods but we must control the rights over the profits. No matter what, in order to see your dream to fruition, you will need much more power. The Demon King: Its great that thepasses came into use after all. Young Merchant: Allow me to make use of them as much as possible. The Mansion in the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering, at the Door The Chief Maid: The day is drawing to a close, please take care. The Demon King: You have a caravan waiting nearby, do you not? Young Merchant: A caravan eh, hahaha. The Demon King: I have also made some precautions, for us both. Young Merchant: Wow, today is just a series of surprises. The Demon King: I have heart problems. Also, my clothes are too revealing. Young Merchant: Thats right You said we share the second strongest bond. What is the strongest? The Demon King: As Im sure you know, Love. Shrewd ountant: Thats Young Merchant: Ahahahahaha. Yes! Amazing! Splendid. Youve given me this feeling twice in one day! The Demon King: This is something even little children know. Smiles. Young Merchant: Definitely! I am now lost on those two routes of which I spoke to you about earlier. Ive given up on killing you. Now I can only ask for your hand in marriage. The Demon King: Wh-wha what the hell?! Young Merchant: What do you mean? Its a marriage proposal. The Demon King: Dont say such things so lightly! Know your ce! Young Merchant: My, my. Because you keep looking at the obvious, you lose sight of the subtleties in life. Really. Do you think I would earnestly ask for your hand in marriage without first preparing some sort of dowry? The Demon King: I, I, thats Young Merchant: No, no. These sorts of things require more effort to tackle. Cultivating a strong rtionship will be the deciding factor, its an important weapon for any merchant. The Demon King: No. The answer will still be the same no matter how long you take. Young Merchant: Well then, till we meet again! Perhaps in the city or on a boat. I will send you the contract as soon as possible, Beautiful Lady. Hahaha Do you mind if I call you that? The Demon King: Dont call me that! A Small Room in the Mansion on the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering Maid Little Sister: ? ? Maid Elder Sister: Youre in good spirits. Maid Little Sister: Yep. I really enjoy scrubbing these pots. Maid Elder Sister: Were really lucky to have been able to find such warm and productive jobs. Cicadas chirping. Maid Little Sister: Yep. Justst autumn, we were so terrified of nightfall. Maid Elder Sister: Yeah. Maid Little Sister: This time I want to study real diligently like everyone else. Maid Elder Sister: Really? Good luck with that. Maid Little Sister: Are you not doing that as well? Maid Elder Sister: I am, and youre starting to use some difficult words. Maid Little Sister: Its alright. Remembering words is for, umm Maid Elder Sister: The whims of the nobility? Maid Little Sister: Yes, thats right! Thats what the Spectacles Sister said. Maid Elder Sister: The Chief Maid really takes care of us. Maid Little Sister: But shes scary and gets angry real fast. Maid Elder Sister: Shes not angry. Shes just scolding us Shes actually a really kind person. Maid Little Sister: Is that so? My ass hurts because she made me sit on the chair in that painful position. Maid Elder Sister: Thats because you ate food that fell on the floor. Maid Little Sister: You used to do that too. Maid Elder Sister: Dont they give us enough food? Maid Little Sister: Yeah. Maid Elder Sister: Then dont do such embarrassing things. Maid Little Sister: What are you going to do for the New Years Festival? Maid Elder Sister: What do you mean? Maid Little Sister: It seems like youre going to dance in the center of the vige? Maid Elder Sister: With whom? Maid Little Sister: The boys and girls of the vige, lots of them. Maid Elder Sister: I think Ill pass. Maid Little Sister: Really? Maid Elder Sister: Therere lots of chores to be done. Maid Little Sister: But the Spectacles Sister said we could go and dance, didnt she? Maid Elder Sister: True Maid Little Sister: The mistress isnt very lively. How fun it will be when the Hero returns. Maid Elder Sister: Hmm. Oh right. Maid Little Sister: ? Maid Elder Sister: Lets prepare some presents for everyone in the mansion for the New Years. Maid Little Sister: Lets! The Mansion in the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering, the Master Bedroom The Demon King: Write, I would like to increase the number of experimentation grounds. I would also like to increase the amount of avable manpower. In return I will offer some gold from the Holy Empire. The Chief Maid: Scribbles. The Demon King: Seal that with Beeswax. The Chief Maid: As you desire. The Demon King: Hm Whats this? The Chief Maid: It is a letter from the Huntsman. The Demon King: Oh yes, I remember, I passed him the Telescope. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Whats this, whats this, It is convenient and extremely useful. The Chief Maid: It seems to be of great use to him. The Demon King: I was disappointed by its low magnification, but its fixed zoom seems to contrarily make it even more useful. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Well then, reply as such. I am d for your speedy report. Ones work in the forestry is indeed difficult, but this house has interest in developing a map of the surrounding areas. As we greatly desire a conversation with you, kindly pay us a visit when it is convenient. Send that out. The Chief Maid: Kindly read this as well. The Demon King: This is the report from the Holy Order. The Chief Maid: My, my. The Demon King: The potato harvest is increasing as nned. The Chief Maid: That appears to be so. The Demon King: However, experiments on the soil samples have shown that nutrients in the soil tend to dry up in high temperatures. This causes the immune systems to falter and raises the risk of Infestation. - Exnation New Years Festival: Since ancient times, the Europeans have celebrated a festival at the end of the year to mark the Winter Solstice. This is the day when the days begin to get longer and it celebrates the rebirth of the sun. The Christian religion involved themselves in it by designating December 25 to January 6 as Christmas. Beeswax: Wax created from the hives of honey bees. It is used for making candles in religious functions. It is also used as a lubricant and as medicine. In this instance, it is used to seal the letter by heating the wax and imprinting it onto the envelope. Telescope: The inventor of the telescope remains unknown. While its earliest recorded patent appears to have been in the 17th century, it was likely already in existence in thetter half of the 16th century, and hence the patentee was likely not the inventor. It is prominent as one of the few European inventions of the pre-Renaissance period. - The Chief Maid: Hmm The Demon King: This matter will need to be reassessed for the Holy Order. The Chief Maid: Shall I write a letter? The Demon King: No, well settle this when I visit them next. Make a note of it. The Chief Maid: As you desire. Scribbles. The Demon King: How is the Papering? The Chief Maid: Its much easier to write on than vellum. The Demon King: Yet mass production has yet to take off. The Chief Maid: Its quite simple to be produced, but to create it in bulk creates other problems The Demon King: Whats that stack?! The Chief Maid: This stackes from the Union. Patents, receipts, rifications, reports The Demon King: Ah? Copper, lenses, ss, sand? Even pepper, silk and nails? The Chief Maid: Its all in the list of procurements you have submitted. The Demon King: I understand. I almost couldnt recall. Do we know who it is from? The Chief Maid: Let me check the ounts book. Oh my. Flipping pages. The Demon King: What aplete mess. The Chief Maid: Dont tell me weve got our work cut out for us again. The Demon King: It cant be helped. Let the Maid Elder Sister do it. The Chief Maid: Her? The Demon King: Why not? The Chief Maid: Nothing. The Demon King: ? The Chief Maid: Its alright. Im sure shes up to the task. The Demon King: Is that so. Smiles. In that case, the maintenance of the ounts will be her task from today. The Chief Maid: Weve really managed to assemble a functional maid corps. The Demon King: What have you done? The Chief Maid: Nothing. Thats right, would you like some tea? The fresh orange leaves have just arrived from the Holy Empire. The Demon King: Hmm, Im tired. The Chief Maid: Indeed. The Demon King: Im so tired. The Chief Maid: You cant just go around copsing like that. The Demon King: Hmm The Chief Maid: Are you sulking? The Demon King: Its already autumn. The Chief Maid: Thats right, its the season of fruition. The chestnuts are delicious. And this years bacon has been prepared as well. The Demon King: Even though its already autumn! The Chief Maid: Sorry? The Demon King: I havent heard his voice in half a year. The Chief Maid: Well, well, my, my. The Demon King: When I speak to you its like all my frustrations pour out. The Chief Maid: Thats the special ability of a maid. The Demon King: Why cant he just send word?! The Chief Maid: Hasnt he? The Demon King: All he talked about was helping the fairies and beating the Three-Headed Lion. The Chief Maid: He seems to be lively and doing fine. The Demon King: Hes the Hero. What if in this period, hees to meet a pretty, ditzy vige girl No, what if hes doing pervy things with a Siren?! The Chief Maid: Really? Hes a virgin isnt he? That means hes got really strong convictions about this sort of thing, Im sure it will be fine. - Exnation Infestation: The devastation of crops due to insects. Potatoes are particrly affected by tiny 1cm long insects known as potato weevils which destroy the roots. In the event of an infestation, yields can fall to lower than 50%. - The Demon King: I cant even remain calm. The Chief Maid: If you keep worrying, youre going to have permanent wrinkles between your eyebrows. The Demon King: If he causes that, Im going to bite him. The Chief Maid: Now, now. Lets get warmed up by the hearth. Ill make some sweet red tea and we can call it a day. Just wait here for a bit. The Demon King: But The Chief Maid: There are many books here that require your attention, make sure you take good care of your body. The Demon King: Hmm. I understand. Thank you for the tea. The Chief Maid: As you desire, Demon King ? Door Opens. Footsteps The Chief Maid: What The Demon King was just talking about you. The Hero: Ah, Ive been discovered. The Chief Maid: Its the maid senses. The Hero: I get discovered every time. The Chief Maid: And your letter this time? The Hero: Ive written it here. The Chief Maid: In that case, please wait for the tea over here. The Hero: Sorry. The Chief Maid: No, no, it is my job as a maid. The Hero: Well then, do you have an inkwell and some vellum? The Mansion at the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering, the Master Bedroom Door Opens. The Chief Maid: I am sorry for the intrusion. How is everything? The Hero: Ah, Ive just finished my report. The Chief Maid: Is that so Here is some tea and some light night snacks. This time weve made some things using potatoes. This here is boiled in sweet cream. The Hero: It looks delicious. The Chief Maid: The Hero: Its hot. Delicious! This time, I had to fight with the Fire Dragon Tribe, but through this, I somehow managed to prevent them from retaking the Gate City. The Chief Maid: Hero. The Hero: ? The Chief Maid: This time as well? The Hero: Ah? Yeah. The Chief Maid: Are you hiding from the Demon King? The Hero: Uhh The Chief Maid: Are you hiding from the Demon King? The Hero: Y-yeah. The Chief Maid: I may be overstepping my boundaries as a servant, however, while I have proceeded without question, I am unclear of the extent I am to do so. I will continue to keep this a secret from the Demon King, hence if you have any issues, I would humbly request that you share them with me. The Hero: Yeah The Chief Maid: Thats some sort of attitude youve got there. Its that, isnt it? Youve gotten to know some pretty barmaid, or perhaps youve been whispering sweet nothings to a ditzy, well-endowed dairy maid? The Hero: No! The Chief Maid: Then what is it? The Hero: I cant say it isnt that, but The Chief Maid: Technically, since you can teleport, even if its difficult toe back everyday, you should still be able toe back every week, no? The Hero: Yeah. The Chief Maid: You have been lucky that the Demon King hasnt noticed this yet, but The Hero: Yeah The Chief Maid: Just what is going on? The Hero: No. Its just. Well. The Chief Maid: Yes? The Hero: The Demon King doesnt really rely on me very much. The Chief Maid: The Hero: From the beginning it was always about Bing Mine or Things I Havent Seen Before. The Chief Maid: The Hero: I thought that she intended to use my powers for the purpose of purging all the rebellious elements in the Demon World, for instance by closing the gate and hence ending the war. The Chief Maid: The Hero: But in the end, she has barely used mybat abilities, in fact, we havent been fighting anyone at all. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Hero: Its almost like Im important and beloved to her. The Chief Maid: The Hero: Wasnt this the contract? I belong to her and she belongs to me. If either of us feel it is necessary, we can put the others life on the line. Wasnt this the contract? Because of that, I agreed to be hers. The Chief Maid: The Hero: But somehow, its not. The Chief Maid: The Demon King, she The Hero: I know. Im not that stupid. I have no intention of giving the cowardly excuse that because I dont believe she truly likes me, I cannot like her in return. The Chief Maid: Then why? The Hero: Because, Im dead. The Chief Maid: The Hero: Whether or not we seed at this, I am still a human, and will die before the Demon King. The Chief Maid: Thats. The Hero: Moreover, Im a Hero. In the end, all I know how to do is fight. If my emotions towards the Demon King were to pile up, it would really interfere with my work. The Chief Maid: Thats not true. The Hero: Is that so? The Chief Maid: The Hero: But, somehow The Chief Maid: The Hero: Recently, all Ive been able to think about is the Demon Kings worried expression, like shes going to cry. The Chief Maid: Thats The Hero: Im surprised myself. But I feel frustrated just thinking that this is how the Demon King feels. Maybe being a Hero is a profession which means you will never attain happiness Thats how I feel. The Chief Maid: The Hero: I dont really feel like a Hero right now! The Chief Maid: This problem differs from being a maid, except for one thing. The Hero: Yeah. The Chief Maid: You belong to the Demon King. You arepletely the Demon Kings, and I ampletely my masters. The Hero: Yeah, thats right. The Chief Maid: Please do not forget that. The Hero: Yes. The Chief Maid: In that case, all of your nervousness, your worries, your desires to suppress your feelings, your excitement, your hopes and your prayers, are all emotions directed at the Demon King. They all belong to the Demon King as well. The Hero: The Chief Maid: Your happiness and misfortune all belong to the Demon King. If you say you are unable to be happy, then that is the fault of the Demon King. At the same time, the happiness of the Demon King is also your The Hero: Yes. The Chief Maid: Please do not forget that. The Kingdom of Winter, the Royal Pce Prince of Winter: Ahh, how annoying. Butler: Yes. Prince of Winter: Im so angry. Butler: Is this about the United Southern Kingdoms Council? Prince of Winter: Butler: What else has happened in the Holy Capital? Prince of Winter: It was just a lot of fluff. Butler: Is that so? Prince of Winter: You know most of it already, dont you? Butler: Indeed. The Intelligence Division was already in ce. Prince of Winter: To put it simply Butler: It was about arms. Prince of Winter: Yeah. Butler: Sincest year, the offense of the Demon Race has slowed down. In this period, the cost of the Imperial Troops guarding the Human World has fluctuated and many people have been thinking about this as well. Prince of Winter: It seems that by appealing to the thought of the evilness and terror of the Demon Race in the absence of a human victory, they have been able to raise their price. Theres also been a directive for another expeditionary force. Butler: Is this about the Holy Crusaders? Prince of Winter: Its a directive from the United Kingdoms. However, the Central Continent has shown no interest in this. No matter how you try to disguise it, the previous Crusades have been failures. After expending so many troops and supplies, all we have manage to take are one or two Demon cities. Furthermore, the Crusader vision of Taking the Demon Capital and Restoring Peace to the World is not evenpatible with what the Central Continent wants. If the war were to end, they would face their own internal troubles. Butler: Prince of Winter: However, this is something we have inmon. If the war ended, we would stop receiving gold subsidies. Countries would fight each other over small change. Countries themselves would be mercenaries. It would be terrible. Butler: Young man Prince of Winter: However, this time Butler: What happened at the meeting? Prince of Winter: There was still no conclusion. Butler: I understand It became a situation of Lets get rid of the Demons, but we cant afford to send the Crusaders. Prince of Winter: Its going to be the sort of war where the military might of the United Kingdoms is used and yet it is the Central Continent which gains the splendid fruits of the war. How could we justmely agree to such a proposal? Butler: How did the Kingdoms of Ice, White Night and Metal react? Prince of Winter: Well, they were all deeply conflicted. Ahh, the Kingdom of White Night agreed eagerly. Butler: Their new queen is ady from one of the noble families of the Holy Empire. They are trying to strengthen their connections with the Central Kingdoms and hence form allegiances with strong countries against the rest of the Kingdoms. Prince of Winter: So thats the way it is. - Exnation Intelligence Unit: Intelligence refers to the gathering of data from rival countries or organizations with regards to politics, military and economics. To achieve this, spies may use non-legal methods. However, in real life, apart from these, things like assassinations or sabotage, which cannot be exposed or spoken of may also be conducted. - Butler: Indeed. Prince of Winter: The meeting is going to continue. Butler: Prince of Winter: It is likely that the Isle of Light will be the next battle ground. Butler: Is that so? Prince of Winter: The Isle of Light on the Southern Frozen Sea is the only Demon Territory in the Human World. It is there that the gate to the Demon World is open, if we were to fight the Demons, that would be the only ce to do it. Butler: Yes. Prince of Winter: It is certainly a blow to the Humans that the Demons are allowed to upy the ind. Butler: Well, at present, I do not believe this impacts us greatly. Please consult your father on this. Prince of Winter: Yes, I will. Butler: Prince of Winter: However, because of the Demons control over the area, naval transport and the Southern Frozen Sea fishing industry have suffered serious setbacks. Butler: Indeed. Prince of Winter: Ahh! At the time, my father and the other Kings, in their bravery and wisdom, decided to prioritize the defense of the ind over the taking of one or two Demon Cities. Butler: It could not be helped. What was theposition of the forces like? Prince of Winter: Since its an ind, the navy formed the backbone. Butler: Mmhmm. Prince of Winter: There were about 200 warships and 7000 soldiers. Butler: How did that turn out? Prince of Winter: I would not have done it. The advantages of our Human armies are repeated offensives and maneuverability as well asmunications. And above all of these, numbers. Our navy has already lost the crucial numerical advantage. From the point of view of the Demons, they do not need to kill the 7000 soldiers, merely sink the 200 ships. It was a sad verdict. Butler: And if it had been you? Prince of Winter: I would not have fought. If possible, I would have waited until after the Demons had taken the ind before engaging in a small naval battle to apply military pressure. From the beginning, there was never a chance that we would be able to achieve victory over them. On top of that, there is no meaning to this war. Are we not merely sending troops to fulfill an order from the Holy Empire which merely covets security for the Central Continent? Even if we win, who will benefit? The Mansion on the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering, the Central Courtyard Disciple Nobleman: It seems it will soon be decided. Disciple Soldier: This winter? Disciple Nobleman: I have an uncle in the Pce of Ice, and hes just told me that it seems it will be settled with a massive naval battle. Disciple Soldier: Is that so! There havent been any great battles recently. A naval battle! Doesnt that mean that we will be affected as well? Disciple Nobleman: Yeah, of course. My uncle didnt tell me in detail, but it seems like there will soon be a draft order. Disciple Soldier: It is time to bring down the righteous hammer of the Holy Light on the evil Demonkind! Disciple Nobleman: Will you be going too? I will be on my uncles ship. Disciple Soldier: Of course. If there is to be a battle, then I will serve with pride. Female Pdin: Attention! The Noblemans Son: Y-yes, maam! Disciple Soldier: ! Footsteps. Female Pdin: What a tense atmosphere. Disciple Nobleman: Master! Have you been listening to our conversation!? Disciple Soldier: My blood is boiling! Female Pdin: Well, I heard a bit, the Isle of Light, then. Disciple Nobleman: The Isle of Light! Disciple Soldier: It is the stronghold of the maggot-like Demons who have infested the Human World. The world has no need of the Demon Race! Female Pdin: Oi, you. Disciple Soldier: Yes, maam! Stands at attention. Female Pdin: Neither ridicule nor contempt for the enemy have a ce on the battlefield. It is far better to understand the enemy if you want to survive. Disciple Soldier: Ugh. Female Pdin: Allow me to ask you a question. Disciple Nobleman: Female Pdin: Why is it that your fathers have entrusted you to this academy in the countryside? Disciple Nobleman: That is obviously because of the presence of highly skilled individuals like the Crimson Schr and the Female Pdin! Disciple Soldier: It is to train us up to be heroes on the battlefield! Disciple Merchant: Is it not to entrust us troublesome children to someone elses care without paying too much? Female Pdin: All wrong. All Three: ? Female Pdin: The reason why your fathers have ced you in this academynot in an institution in the Central Continent or with a Holy Order, but this particr institutionis definitely not for you to be mere governmentckeys or rank and file soldiers. The reason why you are here is to learn from that annoyingly well-endowed Schr about economics and other very strange theories. From the Temrs, you will learn fundamental medical and agricultural skills, and from me you will learn not just swordsmanship, spearmanship and horse-riding but also basic battle strategy. After learning all of these, your capabilities will far exceed that of a normal soldier. These are skills and knowledge that belong to people who stand at the sides of Kings or at the helm of battles. Do not forget this. That is the value of the skills you have mastered or wille to master. At institutions in the Central Continent or Holy Orders, you wille to polish other skillsets. You will master theology from the Church. You will certainlye to master social and interpersonal skills from splendid parties. These are also undoubtedly useful skills. However, your parents have chosen this academy. To tell the truth, it is undeniable that it was arge gamble on their part to enroll you in apletely unknown academy. However, the techniques you will learn here are far more meaningful than just learning how to defeat the enemy. Your fathers probably have a great deal of expectations from you, maybe even because of this. At the very least, the Schr and I also expect a lot from you. All Three: Yes, maam! Shocked. Female Pdin: And so? For this knowledge and this pride, just to see what battles are like, youre going to throw tantrums like little children? All Three: Female Pdin: Open up your eyes, clean out your ears, learn the knowledge that will allow you to win the entire world. Ask yourself if this is really the correct thing to do. On top of each of your shoulders, above each of your lives are countless other lives andnds that rely on you. Demons are evil? This sort of thinking is not war. This is nothing but the division of winners and losers. All Three: Female Pdin: If you really insist on going to war, I will not stop you. I have no right to stop you. However, I have no intention of allowing you to die. It is not yet the time for you to die. If you were to die, up to that very moment of your death you would still not know the mistakes you have made, and would pass away with a very serious face. I have no intention of letting that happen. Well then, letsmence with training. Today is going to be three times tougher than usual. Its time to wake up! The Mansion on the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering Female Pdin: Why is it like that Maid Elder Sister: Im sorry? Female Pdin: Even though I told them Grumbles. Maid Elder Sister: Well Female Pdin: Even though I tried to say something amazing. In the end, Im just a substitute teacher with no real powers. Maid Elder Sister: I dont think thats true. Female Pdin: Really? Maid Elder Sister: I too, would like to Female Pdin: ? Maid Elder Sister: Do things like running, and Female Pdin: Ahh. Martial arts. Maid Elder Sister flinches Female Pdin: Ohh, so you would like to train as well? Maid Elder Sister: Umm Thats Female Pdin: That being said, you do attend the other sses, dont you? Maid Elder Sister: Yes I do. Female Pdin: Youre really bing a schr. Maid Elder Sister: Thats really not Female Pdin: I was just really shocked by those guys. Maid Elder Sister: Really? I thought the Hero has been away on a very distant, highly important mission? Female Pdin: The Hero really needs to cut it out. Maid Elder Sister: Yeah. Female Pdin: Its fine that he never sent word. But after one year of thinking he was dead he suddenly appeared. And then when I moved over here he went on another trip for another year. Maid Elder Sister: Yes. Female Pdin: It seems like I dont think I can rely on him. Maid Elder Sister: But you do think so, dont you? Female Pdin: Thats Yeah. Maid Elder Sister: How splendid. Female Pdin: Clunk. Maid Elder Sister: Right. How about something sweet? Female Pdin: Whats that? Maid Elder Sister: Its Cocoa Tea. Itll perk you right up. Female Pdin: Hot! But its quite sweet. Maid Elder Sister: This is another one of the Mistresss experimental nts. Female Pdin: Is that so? Maid Elder Sister: Yeah. She said that ever since the Greenhouse waspleted, shes been able to experiment with a whole range of new nts. The whole ce is filled with nts. Female Pdin: That shiny structure? It really surprised me. It was like walking into a ss sauna. Maid Elder Sister: nts from warm climates can be grown in there as well. Female Pdin: But to build that structure, shes emptied out the purse of the Holy Order. Ahh, its really outrageous. Maid Elder Sister: Really? - Exnation Cocoa Tea: This is made from the fruits of the Cocoa nt from the tropical parts of Central South America. Cocoa was first brought to the Old World by Columbus in 1502. By the 17th Century, Cocoa was widespread in Europe and was also grown throughout Africa. Greenhouse: This is typically a warm room made from ss and a metal skeleton. As the temperature inside the structure can be raised, nts from tropical regions can be grown. A massive model was built for the 1851 1st World Expo. - Female Pdin: Its really outrageous. Maid Elder Sister: ? Female Pdin: Apart from the construction costs, that thing consumes an absurd amount of fuel. Maid Elder Sister: Ah Female Pdin: It burns firewood to keep warm in mid-Winter. Maid Elder Sister: Thats true. Female Pdin: Just thinking about it makes me shudder. Maid Elder Sister: How troublesome. Female Pdin: Well, at least were able to eat some tasty food, and that makes me a little bit happy. Maid Elder Sister: But youre not making a happy face? Female Pdin: Thats not true. Maid Elder Sister: It would be great if you could. Smiles. Female Pdin: Youve reallye to resemble the Chief Maid. Maid Elder Sister: Really? Female Pdin: Yeah, youre really alike now. Maid Elder Sister: Thats not true. I have a long way to go. Female Pdin: Hmm, you behave in exactly the same way. Maid Elder Sister: Female Pdin: Whats wrong? Maid Elder Sister: Im not sure myself. Ive be able to read words, and to do math. The number of things I can do increases every day. Even cleaning and washing. Ivee to know more about the people in the vige and the Mistress has entrusted me with more things. But, I Female Pdin: ? Maid Elder Sister: Perhaps Im not yet used to being human Volume 1 6, “I Choose the Route that Leads to the Other Side of the Hill

Volume 1 Chapter 6, I Choose the Route that Leads to the Other Side of the Hill

The Demon World, the City of the Gate, a darkened Inn The Hero: Innkeep! Innkeeper: Whats up, bro. Youre covered in something dirty. The Hero: Hmph. What does it matter? This is one of those inns that dont even bother with cleaning. Innkeeper: Hahaha! Nope. Human Soldier: Gyahahahaha! Human Soldier: Bring over some drink, Demon! Human Soldier: Hurry up or Ill kill you, girl! Human Soldier: Can we eat your meat? The Hero: Innkeeper: Ahh, theyre making a fuss again, business isnt going to be good. The Hero: Really? Arent humans the masters? Innkeeper: Well, you could say that. The Hero: Hmm. Innkeeper: If you just want to drink, you can buy wine and then drink it outside. Thats the cheapest way as well. An inn sells food and atmosphere as well. This sort ofmotion is really bad for business. Human Soldier: Hurry up! Demon Girl: Kyaaa! Human Soldier: Do ap dance as well, wont you? The Hero: Innkeeper: Ugh, I guess theres no choice. Innkeeper: Dear customers, if you would like to enjoy such delights, could you perhaps head to the brothel just behind our inn? Human Soldier: Whats wrong, old man? Human Soldier: Just who do you think you have to thank for the security of this city!? The Hero: Oi, are you alright? Demon Girl: Y-yes. Im sorry. Please dont hit me. The Hero: Im not going to do that. Innkeeper: No, its not like that. I understand. She is always thankful to whatever Gods that may be. The Hero: Always? Demon Girl: Y-yes The Hero: Are there still a significant number of Demons left in this ce? Demon Girl: Thats The Hero: (Shes really guarded.) The Hero: Take a look at this. Slides. Demon Girl: Thats the seal of the Demon King! The Hero: So how is the situation in the city? Demon Girl: Yes Your Majesty. The Hero: Call me the ck Knight. Innkeeper: Ahoh dear. Business is going down again. The Hero: Has something happened? Innkeeper: Ahh, Im sorry for themotion. Demon Girl flinches. Innkeeper: Are you interested in that girl? The Hero: Were just talking. Innkeeper: Hehe. Demon Girl shudders. Innkeeper: Well, whatever, this girls too scared to work properly. Oi! Go wash the dishes with my wife. The Hero: You have a real beauty here. Innkeeper: I dont care if shes a Demon or whatever, shes a valuable employee who eats the same food as us. I wont allow anyone to break her, and Ive never allowed anyone to bully her. The Hero: Demon Girl: Well then The Hero: Oi, innkeeper. Lend me this girl for a bit, wont you? Innkeeper: What? The Hero: Ill tip. Here. Coins clinking Innkeeper: Hmm Demon Girl flinches. Innkeeper: Seems like youre into this girl. Ahwhatever. At any case, she cant work, and if she were to go out she might run into those people from just now and that would be really troublesome. The Hero: Ahh, I just need to talk to her about something. Innkeeper: Hahaha, talk to her. Well, whatever. This girl lives in the dormitory at the back, she pays her rent monthly. If you really want to talk to her, then you should go over there. The Hero: Ahh, good idea. Innkeeper: How will your amodations for tonight be? The Hero: Do you have a room? Get one ready for me when I return. Innkeeper: I understand. When it is time for dinner, I wille up and get you. Im sorry that I cant bring it up for you. The Hero: Huh? Yeah, dont worry, Ill be down when Im hungry. Innkeeper: Hahahaha. Well, its good to eat lots while youre still young! Hahaha. The Demon World, the City of the Gate, at a Low-ss Brothel The Hero: Well then. Demon Girl shudders. The Hero: Ah. Why are you so nervous? Demon Girl: Im sorry. Are you going to do anything? The Hero: No Im not. Demon Girl: Eh. The Hero: We moved diagonally from your room and ended up here so we could talk without anyone seeing us. Demon Girl: Im sorry. The Hero: Ah, its okay. Would you like something to drink? Demon Girl: No Thats, I dont No, I will drink something The Hero: Dont make a face like youre going to die. Its alright even if you dont drink. Demon Girl: Y-yes The Hero: Then, I suppose we could have some tea. Demon Girl: Y-yes The Hero: Umm, I guess thats it for now. Demon Girl: Yes. Human Soldier: Rx, Im not going to do anything to hurt you. Demon Girl: Eh, thats. Sobs. The Hero: Why are you crying? Demon Girl: I- I- I- The Hero: Calm down. Demon Girl: Im not very good at The Hero: I dont understand. Demon Girl: I may not be able to perform as youd like. Im so sorry, Im so sorry. The Hero: ? Demon Girl: If If it hurts Then Im sorry The Hero: Hm? Ah! Ahh! The Demon World, the City of the Gate, at a Low-ss Brothel The Hero: Im sorry if I was intrusive before, would you please calm down? Demon Girl: Y-yes The Hero: No, really. This is thirty times more difficult than negotiating with the Fire Dragon Lord. Demon Girl: I-Im sorry. The Hero: If you keep apologizing, were not going to get anywhere. Demon Girl: I-Im sorry. The Hero: Demon Girl: The Hero: Well, to sum it all up simply The people who run the city are currently the Crusaders and the City Garrison, They control everything from the center of the city to the residential areas Well, not really control, more like plunder. Demon Girl: Yes The Hero: How many are there? Demon Girl: A lot. Im sorry. The Hero: How many are there outside the city? Demon Girl: Outside? The Hero: Watch guards and lookouts. Demon Girl: A lot. There are four divisions. The Hero: Hmm. Demon Girl: They take turns returning to the city. When they return, they do violent, scary horrible things. The Hero: (Hmm In other words, the cities external garrison might be stationed at the four fortresses that I saw on my way in. Thats where the military strength that will oppose the irredentist efforts of the Demon Race is gathered. On top of that, the peacekeeping forces of the City of the Gate are in the middle of the city. Well, its to be expected. They dont need that many people garrisoned here to preserve order. The main battle power is on the outside of the city Most of the Demons here have been reduced to ves so a police force is all thats needed to preserve the peace. Even though the militaryw enforced by the peacekeeping units seems to have degraded. Each fortress can probably hold about 2000 men, the peacekeeping forces in the city probably have 1000 men, on top of that there are probably another 1000 reserve forces and recuperating forces.) The Hero: Hmm. Demon Girl flinches. The Hero: Whats the difference between the units in the city and the unitsing back from outside the city? Is there a difference? Demon Girl: Umm, thats, the difference is The Hero: You can speak slowly. Demon Girl: Social status? The units in the city have a higher social status. I think theyre the rtives or children of the nobility. The Hero: (So the nobility form the core They put them in safe ces like the City Center.) Demon Girl: Every night, they gather up money and liquor and be rowdy at the inns They arrest a lot of demons as well. The Hero: (This is a fairly bad situation If I felt like it, I could probably annihte one or two thousand of these stupid, useless noblemens children, but That could cause the close to ten thousand soldiers garrisoned in the fortresses nearby to do something horrible to the people. On the other hand, if I wiped out the entire human military, the Demons would be the ones to massacre the humans in revenge. Theres just no way to save the humans) The Hero: How many humans are there like the old man from the inn who arent soldiers? Demon Girl flinches. The Hero: Hmm. Are there a lot? Demon Girl: There are. The inns, the butcheries, the tailors, the greengrocers, are all owned by humans There are probably only half as many Demons as humans. The Hero: Are the Demons all ves? Demon Girl: ves I dont know But the hard and painful things, the work which no one wants to do Thats what we The Hero: I see. Demon Girl: Its because we lost The Hero: Demon Girl: Because the Demons lost, we have to face this evil. The Hero: Demons really live in hell, huh. Demon Girl: There is no choice. Because we lost. The Hero: Thats Demon Girl: The Hero: Is this what Ive been fighting for as a Hero? We fought the Earth Dragon King and the Fairy Queen for control over this vital City of the Gate for this? If the Humans win, this is what the entire Demon World will look like, and if the Demons win, will it not be the same?! Silence! Demon Girl flinches. The Hero: No, Im sorry. Demon Girl: Y-yes. Shudders. The Hero: Demon Girl: B-but. The Hero: ? Demon Girl: The people in the East Fortress arent as violent. Even though they dont reallye to the city Its said that If youre a Demon and you need to escape, you should escape to the East. The Hero: Hmm. Demon Girl: ck Knight? The Hero: Hm? Demon Girl: Have I been useless The Hero: Ah, no no no. Youve been very useful. Thank you for the invaluable information. Demon Girl: Y-yes. And The Hero: Even so Just this much No, the Demon King will probably want to know about money flows This information isnt enough Should I investigate? Maybe Ill find out more in the city. Demon Girl: This May be a little rude, but, if youd like ck Knight The Hero: Dont, spread, your, legs! Demon Girl: Eep! Im sorry! The Hero: Agh, why does this keep happening to me?! I shouldnt have to deal with this sort of thing! The Boarding House at the Outskirts of the Vige of Wintering Disciple Nobleman: Ugh Disciple Soldier: Ugh. Disciple Merchant: Im going to die. Im going to die. Im in the middle of death. Disciple Soldier: Dont say such heartless things. Disciple Merchant: Are you feeling alright? Disciple Soldier: Hahaha. This is nothing. Shivers. Gyahahaha Disciple Merchant: As expected. Disciple Nobleman: Ugh. How can our spirits be crushed by such a small thing. Disciple Soldier: Ohh, youre unexpectedly strong-willed, Disciple Nobleman. Disciple Merchant: Yeah! What a surprise. Disciple Nobleman: At least let us wash our faces. And our hair and perfume Spaces out. Disciple Soldier: Disciple Merchant: Still strong willed? Disciple Soldier: Well, a lot more strong-willed than when he started. Disciple Merchant: Even though Ive already gotten used to it. Disciple Nobleman: Ugh Disciple Soldier: It cant be helped that the training is tough. This is what it means to have an elite education. Disciple Merchant: At any rate, I never thought I would ever meet someone like the Female Pdin in a ce like this. Disciple Nobleman: Ugh. Since returning from the Heros expedition to the Demon World, the three heroes seem to have retreated from the world stage Disciple Soldier: Youve noticed that? If youre feeling faint you should just stop. Disciple Nobleman: If I dont at least break out into sweat, how can I maintain the pride of us nobility. Disciple Soldier: Here, use this. Passes weights. Disciple Nobleman: Thank you. Disciple Merchant: The Female Pdin and the Hero may be cool, but the Schrs theories are amazing as well. Disciple Soldier: Huh? Is that so? Disciple Merchant: Yeah, it is. Because Ie from a family of Merchants, Ive been learning things like financial management and math since I was a little child, but the theories the Schr uses are fundamentallypletely different. She really sees things from the macro perspective. Disciple Soldier: Macro perspective? I dont understand. You mean grubby things like saving money? The Disciple Merchant throws down weights angrily. Disciple Nobleman: Saving money isnt a grubby thing, what a soldier-like thing to say. Is your brain filled with miso soup? Disciple Soldier: What!? Disciple Nobleman: All you do is eat food, right? Soldiers dont grow the wheat, thats just imported from one or another country, isnt it? Disciple Merchant: Thats right. Trade and economy are the fundamentals of the world. Disciple Soldier: Its two against one, this is a bad situation. But even if you say that, Disciple Nobleman, you dont grow the wheat either, Disciple Merchant, neither do you. And you dont even have the strength the hold up this longsword. Disciple Merchant: Thats Disciple Nobleman: Thats why I tried to pick words that wouldnt start a fight. Thats the brilliant advice from my grandma My grandmas the one who put me in this school. Disciple Soldier: Ho. Disciple Merchant: Is that so? Disciple Nobleman: It seems she was charmed by the Schr after meeting her by ident. Disciple Merchant: Heh! Then she made the choice for you toe here. Ie from a Merchant family, my eldest and second brothers will continue thepany, but a third son like me has no ce to be. It would be scandalous if they just threw me out, so my family threw me here instead. Even though they say its for me to make connections in the Kingdom of Winter. Disciple Nobleman: Hmm. Everyone has different circumstances. Disciple Soldier: Indeed Disciple Merchant: How about you? Disciple Soldier: Nothing. Disciple Merchant: Heh? Disciple Soldier: I dont have any circumstances. I dont have any meaningful or deep circumstances or anything. Its just that my family has been heading downwards. At this rate, we might be unable to achieve honour before we copse into apletely failed abject knights family. To prevent that, I intend to train myself up. Disciple Merchant: By yourself? Disciple Nobleman: Dont tell me, you want to? Disciple Soldier: Thats right. Rather than staying at home, isnt it better to be somewherefortable? Disciple Merchant: Of all ces why would you pick here?! Disciple Soldier: I could not afford to travel to the Holy Empire. Disciple Nobleman: Ah Disciple Soldier: It was a great sess. If I learn from the Female Pdin, Ill be able to be an official anywhere I want. I can really take up this path of the warrior. Disciple Merchant: Disciple Soldier: Whats wrong? Disciple Merchant: What a waste. Disciple Soldier: What do you mean? Disciple Merchant: The lessons of the Schr. The Schrs lessons are biased towards things like economics or finance or history or geography. Disciple Nobleman: Shes only an expert on those issues. She doesnt know anything about military tactics, doesnt she? History and the records of warfare arepletely different things. Disciple Soldier: Is that so? Disciple Merchant: I want Disciple Nobleman: Disciple Merchant: I want to stop being a third son. Disciple Soldier: ? Disciple Merchant: I am currently a third son. My clothes are old. My desk is old. My stationery is old too. Everything I own has been handed down to me from my brothers. Its what happens when you have two older brothers. But, its different here. Everything I have here isnt old. From the Schr, at least I managed to get some things which arent old. And, I get to do business as well. Disciple Soldier: On your own? Disciple Nobleman: Business? Dont you go home? Disciple Merchant: Yeah, I dont go back. I cant tell my family the things I want to tell them, and Im no longer close to my brothers. If I go back, there wont be a share for me. Since thats the case, it might be better to just start a new business. I dont have money or connections or anything, thats why Im trying to learn more about business while I can. Disciple Nobleman: I see Disciple Soldier: Thats I dont know a lot about doing business, but Disciple Merchant: ? Disciple Soldier: Its great that youre doing well. Disciple Merchant: Yes. Somehow Im getting by. Well, thats because Im a thin person who lives alone. I only use about ten gold pieces a month for myself, I have no one else to care for and Im content to get along in this manner. Because I have small dreams, I definitely fulfill them. Disciple Nobleman: I want to be part of the Central Continental society, and dance with pretty girls. Ill get to do so many fun things like going to ys, concerts, operas and balls. Disciple Soldier: You really are the prodigal son. Disciple Merchant: Hahahaha. Disciple Nobleman: Prodigal is such a strong word. Im just a ceaseless butterfly ying in a courtyard. Disciple Soldier: That analogy hurts my head. Disciple Merchant: Hahahaha. The Disciple Nobleman looks like the sort who would be shy around girls. Disciple Soldier: Is that so? Disciple Nobleman: D-d-dont say such stupid things! Im definitely not shy! Ive got lots of poordies waiting for me out there! Disciple Merchant: Eh? Thats Disciple Soldier: Ahahahahahaha! Disciple Nobleman: Hey! Leave me alone! That being said, do you guys have girls that you like?! Spit it out! Spit it out! The Shore Citys Merchant Association, Association Hall Young Merchant: Hmmmm. Middle Aged Merchant: Whats up? With the increased precision, even the craftsmen from the Kingdom of Copper are amazed. Young Merchant: Thats great. How is the production side? Middle Aged Merchant: Weve been able to meet the targets. With the cooperation of three workshops, weve been able to produce ten units a month. Young Merchant: Hmm, thats not bad. Middle Aged Merchant: Its hard work. Everyones really gushing with interest in this new gadget, but its really just for boosting pride, really. Young Merchant: If I may. Middle Aged Merchant: Huh? Young Merchant: If I may, is it possible to raise production to fifteen units a month? Middle Aged Merchant: Are you serious? Young Merchant: Yeah. Middle Aged Merchant: Why? Produces paper. Young Merchant: This is a report from the Southern United Kingdoms. Middle Aged Merchant: This is War, huh. Young Merchant: So it would seem. We are to reim the Isle of Light. Middle Aged Merchant: The Holy Capital? Young Merchant: The Holy Capital, and this time, the Church too. Middle Aged Merchant: Young Merchant: The Church is an organization which incurs a lot of expenses. Without a war with Demonkind, religious piety among the people has reached a nadir. That seems to be the case. Middle Aged Merchant: Donations and alms too. Young Merchant: The issue of the Papal Election is also a factor. Middle Aged Merchant: A naval battle, eh. Well, theres an opportunity for business. Young Merchant: Of course. Middle Aged Merchant: And thats why you want to raise production ofpasses? Young Merchant: Well,passes yes, but the production of warships also needs to be raised. Were pressuring the drydocks of the Kingdom of Waves. Middle Aged Merchant: Well get them somehow. Young Merchant: Well, it would be great if we won. Unrollsrge scroll. Middle Aged Merchant: A naval map? Young Merchant: If we can secure the Isle of Light, the Westbound trading route would be open. This route would be far cheaper than our currentnd route for the transportation of goods. Middle Aged Merchant: Yes it would. Young Merchant: Currently, the productive capacity of the Southern Kingdoms has been increasing. Middle Aged Merchant: You guys had a hand in that. Young Merchant: Yeah. Smiles. I wouldnt want to ruin that. Middle Aged Merchant: Hmm. Young Merchant: Moreover, an informed source has been particrly interested in the herring from the Southern Artic Ocean. The herring stocks are significant. Middle Aged Merchant: How much is there? Do we not already have herring? Young Merchant: About five times of what we have now. Middle Aged Merchant: Isnt that enough to build a pce out of herring!? Young Merchant: Through some magic, the herring can be turned into wheat. Middle Aged Merchant: Ahh, so your informed source is that beautifuldy of yours? Young Merchant: Hehehe. She is my star. Middle Aged Merchant: How strange of you. Id always thought you were married for life to money. Young Merchant: Theres a saying about lovers who Sleep in the same bed, but dream different dreams, but this girl and I Sleep in different beds, but dream the same dream. Above love or infatuation, shes a very precious partner. Middle Aged Merchant: Sweet-talking, eh, it doesnt suit you. Young Merchant: But on the other hand, if we lose, it would be Middle Aged Merchant: Really bad? Young Merchant: There would be an even greater demand for new warships, and an increased emphasis on weaponry, there would be profit to be made. Middle Aged Merchant: But that would be for the Central Continent. It all depends on the favour of the Church, doesnt it? As long as Demons are there, the war will never end, and the Southern United Kingdoms will just be attacked in session. Young Merchant: I have no idea how it will all turn out, but Middle Aged Merchant: It all depends on the battle. The Kingdom of White Night, the Naval Docks Soldiers: What a great number. Soldiers: Shh Soldiers: And so it begins. Cape drags against floor King of White Night: Gentlemen! Heroes who will make history! The Shields of the Human World! The time is now! The stupid Demonkind have extended their dirty hands into our great mothend, this splendid world of light for thest fifteen years! Despite our determined defensive battles, despite our righteous battles, we have traded wins and losses and eventually lost this hallowed ground of the Isle of Light. While we took the key position of the Demon City of the Gate, we too were inflicted a defeat and a terrible loss. Prince of Winter: And what of it? Are you trying to pick a fight with my father?! You stupid Permhead. Butler: Y-young man! He can hear you! King of White Night: But the time is now! Listen up, my Heroes! Assembled before your eyes is thebined navy of the world. Two hundred! Two hundred warships loaded with brave and ferocious warriors will be two hundred swords plunged deep into the hearts of Demonkind! The Southern Arctic Ocean and the Isle of Light is controlled by a pirate who dares to assume the title of the Southern Arctic Shogun. The battle ability of Demon Kind is truly terrible to behold. There are gigantic demons with all kinds of abilities. However, we will take them down with our numbers. Gentlemen, if you lend me your bravery we will surely achieve a victory! Prince of Winter: Oi, oi, really? Old man. If you put soldiers on ships, the numerical superiority will be useless. King of White Night: Well then, board the ships! We will depart. The sun shines high for our victory. At the dawn of the reconquest of the Isle of Light, I can promise a great reward. Every member of the first ship tond on the Isle of Light will receive 100 gold pieces. Heroes, it is time to show your power for the Human World! The Demon World, the City of the Gate, the Invaded Temple Door Opens. The Hero: This is a really ugly ce Demon Girl: Yes This is the Temple. The Hero: Oh sorry. Thanks for showing the way. Demon Girl: No, thats. You paid a lot of money The Innkeeper was Very happy. Umm Me too. The Hero: Oh yeah. The Demons have a lot of different Gods, dont they? Demon Girl: Umm, yes. Walks around. The Hero: Is that so. For the Humans, there is only one Spirit of Light. Must be great to have a lot of Gods! - Exnation Perm: This refers to a Permanent Wave. It is a technique which uses chemicals to style to hair and maintain a longsting shape. It was first invented in the early 20th century. However, the technique using heat through curling irons or waxing hair in order to create a wave has been around since before recorded history. - Demon Girl: Really? The Hero: If you anger one God, then the other Gods can help to cover for you, cant they? Since the Humans have only one Church of the Spirit of Light, its really constrained. Demon Girl: That May be true. The Hero: Hmm This rubble is really splendid Demon Girl: Sir ck Knight, why The Hero: ? Demon Girl: Why are you a Knight of the Demon King? Even though youre a human? The Hero: Ah? Im actually not a knight or anything, its really hard to exin but In any case, I belong to the Demon King. Demon Girl: You belong to the Demon King? The Hero: Yeah. Grins. Demon Girl: Like an object? The Hero: Thats right. Demon Girl: Then, you lost to the Demon King The Hero: Eh? Demon Girl: Is that wrong? Im, Im sorry. The Demons The Demons lost, so we Lost This Freedom Is that Wrong? Shaking The Hero: Yeah, thats right. Demon Girl: So you Lost? The Hero: No, thats wrong Well, in the end its like this, but its different Demon Girl: ? The Hero: Itsplicated. Demon Girl: Is that so The Hero: Whats this statue? Demon Girl: Its an Old God The Dragon God. Many people believe in him Hes a very powerful God in the Demon World. The Hero: Heh, what kind of God is he? Demon Girl: Hes righteous, and strong He wields a spear Hes a God Like the Demon King. Shaking. The Hero: Whats wrong? Demon Girl: Lesser Demons like me Arent allowed to enter. The Hero: Ahahahaha. What are you scared of in a ruin like this? Demon Girl: These two are The Hero: Theyre so crumbling and ruined. Demon Girl: Theyre statues of ravens Its likely that in ancient times This is Memory and Wisdom is on the right The Hero: Is that their names? You sure know a lot. Demon Girl: Theyre the Assistants of the Gods Ive heard from various sources that they really perform their duty. Ravens are Good kids. Ive heard that Powerful Demons are capable of using birds with their magic. The Hero: Ahahaha. Is that so? They can summon them, eh? Thats right, the Demon King can definitely use it brilliantly. Yep. Summons Theyre Uhh Illusionary life-forms. Created from Uhh Mana in the atmosphere? Demon Girl: ? Injured Demon: Die Die, Human. The Hero: Is anyone there? Demon Girl: Um Umm Lets go over there. The Hero: Whats that voice? Demon Girl: Umm, in ruins like this, there are people who were heavily injured in the war There are Demons Recovering here. Im, Im sorry I didnt mean to Hide it from you The Hero: Yeah. Demon Girl: Umm, Sir ck Knight Why dont we go over? Injured Demon: Die! You cocky humans who dare to steal our Holy City! You invaders of Demon Kind. I curse you a thousand times over for destroying our lives! For destroying our peace! Youre all just rotten disgusting maggots who rob and plunder and invade! Die! Ill kill you! I curse you for 3000 years! The Hero: No Demon Girl: But. The Hero: Its okay. Injured Demon: Ahahahahahaha! Diediediediedie! You will never rest easy again! The spirits of us dead will destroy will destroy every peace you have and submerge the Human World in an eternal and unforgiving darkness! Demon Girl: The Hero: Crows Calling Demon Girl: Umm, sorry. Thats The Hero: Demon Girl: That person, hes not alone. The Hero: Definitely. Youre wrong, about just now, Demon Girl: ? The Hero: I belong to the Demon King, but I didnt be hers by getting defeated. If you win you get everything, if you win youre right. If you lose you be someone elses, if you lose you cant do anything. Thats not what happened. Thats not what I am. What I am isa follower of the Route that Leads to the Other Side of the Hill. - The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion at the Outskirts of the Vige Maid Elder Sister: These are the ounts for this month. The Demon King: Mmm. Maid Elder Sister: While the inflows are increasing, theyre fluctuating significantly. The Demon King: It cant be helped. Thats what happens when you go into a new industry. Maid Elder Sister: But there are no problems with the ounts. The Demon King: Its because the financial ability is low, hence there are limits to our ability to Hedge. Maid Elder Sister: Hedge? Whats that? The Demon King: Its an insurance for periods of crisis. Just, financially. Maid Elder Sister: Yeah Umm, thatsplicated. The Demon King: You must have heard that the Union has an internal credit system simr to a bank. It is crucial that this Banking system be improved Maid Elder Sister: There arent enough? The Demon King: Thats right. Produces arge tube. Maid Elder Sister: This is? The Demon King: Oh, this is a Rocket. Maid Elder Sister: Rocket? The Demon King: Yes, its an improved fire arrow. When lit, it flies into the air and explodes over a wide area. Since it uses Naphtha, it has a substantially wider area of effect. Maid Elder Sister: Naphtha? The Demon King: Itsplex, isnt it. Well, its a weapon. Maid Elder Sister: The Demon King: Whats up? Maid Elder Sister: As expected, youre making weapons. The Demon King: Yeah, its stupid not to prepare such things. Maid Elder Sister: Mistress. The Demon King: Yes? - Exnation Hedge: To be precise, risk hedging. Its original meaning is to avoid risk. In order to insure products, futures (goods which are paid for before they are produced) which are likely to increase in price if the price of the product falls are bought. Banking: The functions of banks are to ept deposits, provide loans and leverage (borrowing money in order to buy things). The first bank was established at the beginning of the 15th century in Italy. Rockets: In order for the me not to be extinguished as the rocket flies through the air or pierces through something, cloth is soaked in oil or a simr liquid and stuffed into the back. During Hideyoshis invasion of Korea (1592-1598), rocket-like firearms were used by the Korean side. - Maid Elder Sister: Thats The Demon King: ? Maid Elder Sister: What is war? Why does it start? Why doesnt it stop? The Demon King: Those are very difficult questions. Maid Elder Sister: Im sorry. The Demon King: Nope, theyre good. These questions deserve to be asked. But What? Maid Elder Sister: Even the Mistress doesnt know?! The Demon King: I barely know anything. Maid Elder Sister: The Demon King: A war is really just a very big dispute. Maid Elder Sister: The Demon King: A dispute is, friction. When two opposing sidese into contact with each other, an altercation arises from the subsequent reaction. Maid Elder Sister: Thatsplicated. The Demon King: Lets say there are two vige kids who meet. The first kid is different from the second kid. The second kid is different from the first kid. They arepletely different existences. It is a meeting between two different existences. One of the things which arises from that is conflict. Maid Elder Sister: But! People dont necessarilye into conflict aftering into contact with each other. Meeting people is a wonderful thing, isnt it? They can help each other, greet each other, and be great friends. The Demon King: Thats right. Conflict is one part of that wonderful thing. At its basis, its really the same thing. Maid Elder Sister: I dont want to believe that. The Demon King: Me neither. Maid Elder Sister: The Demon King: However, that is what I have learnt. Many people die from wars. Where sadness and misery meet foolishness and madness, wars begin. From an Economics standpoint, it is a massive waste of resources, from a Historical standpoint, it is a great loss. But, this misery is one part of meeting people. It is one form of making acquaintances. Maid Elder Sister: Is that meeting people? The Demon King: Thats right. Maid Elder Sister: The Demon King: A meeting is destiny which resembles an inevitability. Otherwise, it is an inevitability close to a destiny. But, this conclusion isnt set. Thats why at least I want to struggle. Maid Elder Sister: Yes. The Demon King: Wars are a form of conflict, but conflict is not entirely war. There are other methods to resolve conflicts. Vige boyspeting to give flowers to the pretty girls is also conflict. Further, conflict is a type of rtionship, but not all rtionships are conflicts. It is a fact that there are friendly rtionships and cooperative rtionships. Maid Elder Sister: Then, why do we have war? The Demon King: I do not know, but it exists. Maid Elder Sister: Why. Why? The Demon King: I think its because it is important. Maid Elder Sister: Its quite weird that this sort of thing could be important. - Exnation Naphtha: A substance which is produced from the fractional distition of crude oil at 35-180C. After being separated, it burns very well. It is used for things like lighter fluid. Naphtha is a crucial ingredient in the creation of napalm bombs. Altercation: The Japanese word of altercation is ܈] or Atsureki. Atsu refers to the sound a carriage wheel makes as it rolls along the floor, while Reki refers to the act of the carriage being pulled along. The contact between the wheel and the floor produces the problem, and the resultant annoying sound is the altercation. - The Demon King: It may be paradoxical, but such things could be true. There could be a need and a meaning for this fighting. Maid Elder Sister: The Demon King: I really do not know I barely know anything after all. The Coast of the Isle of Light, the Navy of the Southern United Kingdoms Soldier: Weather is good! We are with the wind! Soldier: My wrist hurts. Officer: At this rate, we should be on shore by daybreak. Look out Demons, youre about to learn the might of the Human race. Soldier: Have we prepared all the axes? Soldier: There were no mistakes. Officers: The re will make us visible. Mix charcoal with oil and apply it over all metal surfaces. Soldiers: Understood! Sound of a flute and singing ??? Waves crashing. Soldier: Hmm? Theres arge shape to the Northeast. Captain: What? In such a ce, theres The sound of a flute? Waves crashing wildly! Arrows flying in all directions! Soldier: Agh! Its the enemy! Kraken! Soldier: Fire! Fire! Fire! Officer: What In the Soldier: Whaaa! Theyre, theyre in the air as well! Soldier: Singing! Cover your ears! Captain: Crossbows ready! Axe units chop off the tentacles! Soldier: Yaaa! Yaaa! Soldier: Let go! Let go! Officer: Heroes! Not one step backwards! Arrows shooting from water! Soldier: There are mermen firing at us from the water. Soldier: What?! Soldier: Die! You damn demons, go back to the Demon World! Soldier: Allied vassals have been cut off by the mermen attack! Officer: We must reinforce! Turn around! Turn us around, Helmsman! Helmsman: The ships wheel is stuck! Soldier: Tentacles, Captain! Ships creaking. Captain: That sound ising from all the ships?! Soldier: Eighteen ships have gone down! Soldier: My god! Dammit! Officer: Fire into the water! Soldier: The axes are useless! We must use the rockets! Captain: No! Stop! Do you want to set fire to our allied vessels?! Soldier: The forward ships gone down! Captain: Continue ahead! This ship must not stop! - Exnation Crossbow: Modern crossbow designs have not changed significantly since the Chinese design in the 5th century BC, with the repeating crossbow invented in the 2nd century BC. The Europeans developed the modern design 1000 yearster. While it has lower range,pared to a bow, significantly less training is required to operate it. Ships Wheel: The steering wheel of a ship is usuallyrger than one meter in diameter, and was first in use in the 18th century. Prior to that, ships were steered with a long horizontal bar known as a tiller. - The Southern United Kingdoms Military Conference King of White Night: Queen of Ice and Snow: Out of 200 warships, only 15 returned with a total of 500 men Prince of Winter: A decisive defeat. King of White Night: King of Iron: Hmm! Was I not opposed to this from the beginning? Going in with no strategy against the aquatic Demons is just suicide. King of White Night: Shut up! King of Iron: I will not shut up! You are the one who needs to shut your big mouth! What do you mean we will not lose as long as we remain brave? What kind of person are you? As the Commanding Officer, you were the first to run away. King of White Night: I am the King, it is my responsibility to survive. King of Iron: The only reason you were saved is because the warships from the Kingdom of Winter selflessly moved in to block the enemy from your position when you turned the gship around! King of White Night: I never requested them to! Prince of Winter: King of Iron: Go and look into your heart. Queen of Ice and Snow: The King of Winter was truly brave. Prince of Winter: No, he lived hisst moments as he did his life. King of White Night: Ha! To begin with, the Isle of Light was only lost because the King of Winter failed to defend it properly. If had been willing to wager his life, we would never have lost the ce. King of Iron: How dare you? Where is your pride as a Southerner!? Queen of Ice and Snow: Thats right, at the time, the Holy Crusaders had taken most of the soldiers of the Southern Kingdoms for their forces. Its because of that that we were unprepared to defend the Human World. King of White Night: If you put it that way, then this war was suggested by the Holy Kingdom and the Church of Light. The Southern United Kingdoms could have refused this suggestion but you people kept your hands down. Thats right! You! You! Even you, you punk! So if the King of Winter has no fault, then neither do I. Imanded the navy, I was the overall Commander, and I tried my best. This was entrusted to me by the Holy Kingdom and the Church of Light. So what if we lost 200 ships today? Well just build new ships! King of Iron: How dare you ms Table! Prince of Winter: Shut up. King of White Night flinches. Queen of Ice and Snow: Prince. Prince of Winter: My father fought for what he believed in, and in the process lost his life. And so, King of White Night, I do not me you, and neither does any single person in the Kingdom of Winter. King of White Night: Look, there you go. Prince of Winter: But, this does not mean you can be absolved from the responsibility of this naval defeat. Because of your disastrous strategy, 6000 soldiers lost their lives. I believe the Heads of State assembled here today at this conference would like to know what you intend to do about that. King of White Night: Just who do you think you are talking to? King of Iron: The representatives of each Kingdom are here. Youd better give us an answer, King of White Night. King of White Night: Hah! Fine. Since you say that, just what do you want from me? Huh? What? You want my head? Do you think the Central Continent and the Church will allow it? King of Iron: Queen of Ice and Snow: As is customary, either corvebour or renumeration. King of White Night: Fine, it will be paid. But, it wille from the Kingdom of Winter, you hear? Prince of Winter: What? King of White Night: The Kingdom of Winter has recentlye to acquire a genius schr from the Holy Order of the Lake and is monopolising massive profits. Theyvee up with a whole lot of new crops and new windmills, even the Union has gotten involved, Im sure they must have a massive reserve of war funds. Prince of Winter: It is true that we have had some agricultural improvements. King of White Night: On top of that, you still want the financial assistance of the Kingdom of White Night? The Kingdom of Winter has inherited wealth. Are you not the descendants of the Spear King of the Southern Sea! King of Iron: Dont be impudent. Prince of Winter: Seizing the moment, eh. Queen of Ice and Snow: ? Prince of Winter: No, let us carry on with the conference. King of Iron: Thats right. What will we do to relieve the situation? Queen of Ice and Snow: Be that as it may, we cannot ignore a request from the Central Continent. At this rate, our finances will face intense pressure. Prince of Winter: What word from the emissary? Queen of Ice and Snow: If we wish for additional assistance, we are to pay in warships. King of Iron: Hmph. In the end, all they want is to push us to fight for them. When youre hiding in a safe ce, you can give all kinds of orders. Queen of Ice and Snow: Just how much sacrifice do they expect from us? Prince of Winter: Please listen, members of this conference. The aim of the Central Continent and Church of Light is the exaltation of the war. If we win, then great, but even if we lose, they can paint us as victims and spread that as propaganda to threaten the rest of the world in order to bring about another Holy Crusade. I believe that is all they are concerned with. Either way, the choice is not in our hands. King of White Night: Well then. In the end, were no better than dogs. King of Iron: Queen of Ice and Snow: Prince of Winter: Its fine even if were dogs. Let me show the King of White Night the willpower of this dog. King of Iron: You dont mean Queen of Ice and Snow: You cant Lone King of Winter: From now on, I will adopt the name the Lone King of Winter. This winter, I will make preparations for the Second War for the Reupation of the Isle of Light. King of Iron: Are you serious?! Lone King of Winter: As I am still young and inexperienced, up till now, I have not exercised my right to speak, however, as a member of the royalty, I feel the weight and responsibility of the sins we havemitted The ones who drove the Hero on, the ones who consigned the Hero to oblivion are the four of us, in other words, it is the sin of the Southern Union. It is a sin of the Southern United Kingdoms. For even though the members of this conference should have borne the weight of the extinguishment of one of the stars in the world, it is the Hero alone who ended up bearing that weight. King of Iron: Queen of Ice and Snow: King of White Night: Whats all this about the Hero? Is he really that important? Hes just one soldier! Lone King of Winter: A bootlicker of the Central Continent will never understand. Us royalty, have a royal ideology to follow. In other words, we have a responsibility to protect our people and our kingdoms. In order to protect these two things, sometimes we have to be heartless I must also make difficult decisions, and cannot avoid them. However, us royalty must spend our entire lives carrying this burden and being responsible for our sins. King of Iron: Winter Lone King of Winter: As the son of the former King, I will take back the Isle of Light. This is my responsibility as the person who pushed the Hero to his death. This is only one of the thousands of points of light which the Hero brought with him, but my country and Kingdom will retrieve this point of light. King of White Night: Can you do it, boy? Lone King of Winter: I will demonstrate this to you on the battlefield. Excuse me. Door ms. Butler: Young man Lone King of Winter: The conference is over Come, I have need for the Female Pdin. Butler: The Female Pdin? Lone King of Winter: This war will need a Commander. Volume 1 7, “You stupid Demon King!” “You foolish Hero!”

Volume 1 Chapter 7, You stupid Demon King! You foolish Hero!

Continental Boulevard, Checkpoint Conscript: Yeah, thats right. I was also at the Battle of the Southern Frozen Sea. Young Mercenary: Me too, if we go to the Southern Frozen Sea again we should go together. Frence Knight: I too was present. Indeed we should. Checkpoint Guard: Lots of people here, just today 15 people have passed through. Checkpoint Guard: Yeah, a lot more than usual. Conscript: Ive heard that this times expedition is being headed by the young hero, the Lone Winter King. Young Mercenary: Thats right, as the descendant of the Spear King, the young King of the Kingdom of Winter surely has the ferocity of his bloodline. Frence Knight: On top of that, the Commander-in-Chief is none other than the young, beautiful and legendary Female Pdin, isnt it? Young Mercenary: Ohh! The one they call the Right Wing of the Hero! Conscript: Ive heard that too! Frence Knight: Theres also the one they call the ck Sharpshooter, the Left Wing of the Hero, an archer who is capable of taking down four of the Demon Kings best generals on his own at a single go. Truly another legendary hero in his own right! Conscript: Actually, my family will being as well. Young Mercenary: Is that so? What a coincidence, mine too. Frence Knight: Whats wrong with you guys? Are you trying to raise a family on the battle field? Conscript: No, of course not. Young Mercenary: Actually, Ive been hearing that the Kingdom of Winter has be prosperous as ofte, and its mercantile industry is really taking off too. Frence Knight: Is there such a rumour? Conscript: Yeah. It seems theyve removed Feudal Taxes, Corvee Labour or Goods Taxes and only take taxes in coin. Young Mercenary: Ive heard that too. If its alright to pay taxes in coin, then we can just use our sry as mercenaries, cant we? Our families will finally be free from serfdom. If we move to the Kingdom of Winter we might even be able to acquire a field for ourselves. Frence Knight: Is it really all that good? Conscript: It might not be that easy from the start. They might not allow random soldiers like us to stay there if we dont die in the war first. Frence Knight: Well, theres that. Young Mercenary: Ive got a Letter of Rmendation from a Temr at the Holy Order of the Lake. Conscript: Letter of Rmendation? Young Mercenary: Yeah, with this, theyll give me some seed potato crops to grow. Conscript: Seed potato? Whats that? Frence Knight: I do not know myself. Young Mercenary: Seems like its something like wheat seeds. Conscript: Hmm, its great that they give that to you, so we can have some along the way. Young Mercenary: No, using those we can grow a lot more potatoes. After a time, our families will even be able to have our own fields filled with potatoes. Frence Knight: I can understand that emotion. Conscript: Hey, can I get one of those Letters of Rmendation as well? Young Mercenary: Yeah, the Temr who gave it to me said he was looking for people to go there. When our familiese, we can go and look for him together. Vige of Wintering, the Holy Order, Nighttime Bang! Crash! Bang! The Female Pdin: Alright! Thats it! This luggage! Hey! Ho! Why is it so splendidly packed! Ugh! Bangs the Door The Female Pdin: Please open the door, Im sorry but my hands were not free. The Demon King: Im sorry to make you do this in the middle of the night. Is it alright? The Female Pdin: Ah? Yeah, sorry. You may be a Schr, but Im just a normal Temr. The Demon King: Oh no, I really rely on you for this. The Female Pdin: Is that so. The Demon King: Looks around restlessly The Female Pdin: What a splendid situation, isnt it? The Demon King: Youve already packed. The Female Pdin: I was never very feminine to begin with. I always try to pack very simply for anything. The Demon King: I see Are you alright? The Female Pdin: Ahh, sorry, its really messy, please take a seat over on the bed. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Ugh! Shifts piles of stuff off bed The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Are you alright? The Demon King: Yeah, its just so rushed. The Female Pdin: My departure? The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Well, I have my orders. I will try to return as soon as I can, so please do not worry. The Holy Order will still be able to function even without me. From the beginning, I havent really been around, and its been working pretty well. I actually barely do anything around here. The Demon King: Thats not true. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Its not true! The Female Pdin: Whats wrong, you sound so bitter. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Dont worry about me. I may not be as resilient as the Hero, but Im very trained at fighting Demons. Ahahahaha. If the ship sinks then Ill just swim back. Yep. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Whats wrong? The Demon King: Umm Thank you for putting up with my stubbornness. The Female Pdin: Is this about the potatoes? Or the Four Field rotation? I said this at the start, but all of these are in line with the Holy Orders ideology and thats why we cooperate Thats why you dont need to hold back. On behalf of the Holy Order, I offer you my most sincere thanks. The Demon King: Oh no, not that, Im talking about the lessons at the Academy. The Female Pdin: Ahh, the swordsmanship and military strategy lessons. The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: That was some good exercise, and very stress relieving. Moreover, if I didnt burn them properly, I would be putting on so much fat. Id be pudgy The Demon King: Ugh The Female Pdin: I keep saying this, but Ive got no boobs. Its boring. And that Chief Maid likes to keep reminding me about it. The Demon King: Sorry. The Female Pdin: Just a joke. Moreover Teaching those three was very interesting. I came to see many things I had never even thought about, things I never knew I never knew. The Demon King: Madam Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Hmm? The Demon King: Ive Always, been in the house, since I was a little kid It wasnt a small house, but Ive always been Brought up alone. The Female Pdin: Thats to be expected from nobility. The Demon King: Mm, that may be The Female Pdin: So? The Demon King: Thats why, Ive never been close to anyone of the same gender before. Except the Chief Maid. The Female Pdin: Hmm. The Demon King: Umm, to me you could say The Female Pdin: The Demon King: That youre the closest existence that I have to a friend, I guess I made this conjecture a few days ago. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Of course, however you feel about this ispletely unrted to my conjecture. I know this is really nothing more than an idea which I reached without informing you beforehand or a fuzzy, unclear subjectivity. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: As the Female Pdin, you will be deployed as the Commander on the battlefield. This situation is definitely not unrted to me, it is not hard to imagine that my ideology will have a Butterfly Effect on the situation. But, despite this, I The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Im still hesitating, and theres a lot of things which Im not capable of doing. Im so foolish and weak. It even feels like I get more foolish every day. For example, theres this thing about Saltpetre and ck Powder. With these, one can start a war with a massive advantage. With one shot, tens of people could be killed. Significant work by Metallurgists and an unbelievable amount of research is necessary to create it. But despite this, it cant be used so indiscriminately. If it is used, the battle may probably be won. But, if it is used, we cant go back. If you think about it, its hrious. It makes my hands shake. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: That day, I made a promise. I will take the hand of the Hero No matter what it takes. In order to fulfil my wish, I would be willing to sacrifice this body, this life, I wouldnt even mind if I dposed. Since I was young, I have been willing to sacrifice anything at all in order to see things other than what I learn from the seas of books and reports Even so, Im not sure why, but I slowly became weaker. As I transmit this technology, I want to see what the world will be like eventually, but I dont have the courage to Go to the battlefield together. I think its a horrible behaviour. I think its a horrible betrayal. I have no contract with you, only a technological contract with the Holy Order. Thats why, this guilty emotion I feel towards you has no basis at all. Even so, it hurts in my heart. The Female Pdin: So, what youre saying is. - Exnation Butterfly Effect: This refers to the theory that the wind generated from the wingbeat of a single butterfly may have a domino effect that can even cause a tornado to ur a great distance away. Saltpetre: A natural nitrate formed around Potassium and Nitric Acid. It is a keyponent for the production of Gunpowder. With the application of high heat, oxygen is produced and hence it is often used as an oxidizing agent. While it can be mined, it can also be extracted from the fermentation of the urine and faeces of livestock. ck Powder: Gunpowder produced from a mixture of saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal, which produces a fine, ck powder. To make it chemically stable, one need only make it wet, and hence it is also easy to make it explosive. It has been used for gunpowder in cannons since the 14th century. Metallurgy: This refers to the extraction of metals and minerals from raw ores. This also refers to appropriately mixing metals together to form useful alloys. An expert metallurgist is capable of creating stronger weapons and more durable armours which weigh the same as regr ones. - The Demon King: The Female Pdin: This ck Powder thing is just like a special, area of effect destruction spell?? The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: From what youve just said, its a really powerful, extremely convenient weapon that even a beginner would be able to use with ease, is that correct? The Demon King: Thats right. The Female Pdin: I still wont lose without this thing. The Demon King: Thats not it. Ive The Female Pdin: ? The Demon King: Ive been lying to you. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Ive been lying to everybody. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Thats why Ivee here tonight. This is something Ive been aiming for as well. Its one of the things which I havent seen, Beyond the Hill. Female Pdin. I I am the Demon King. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: The Female Pdin: You know I am the Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake, dont you? The Demon King: Yes. The Female Pdin: You know I work for the Spirit of Light? The Demon King: Of course I do. The Female Pdin: In that case, I, the Female Pdin, as the Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake do ept your confession in the name of the Holy Spirit of Light. The Demon King: ? The Female Pdin: You lied to your friends. And you have confessed so to your friends and to the Spirit. Your sins have been washed clean. There are no more problems. The Demon King: Even though Im the Demon King? The Female Pdin: The contents of your repentance was for your lying, wasnt it? Is there anything else? Do you consider being the Demon King a sin as well? The Demon King shuffles awkwardly The Female Pdin: Do you regret taking the Hero to your side? The Demon King shuffles awkwardly The Female Pdin: Then, lets just leave it at this. The Holy Order of the Lake isnt very good at all these formalities and rituals. The Demon King: But! The Female Pdin: Its fine. The Demon King: But, you. (AhhSorry, Female Pdin, I need to go back to the Demon World for a bit.) (Thats why, Im sorry, but could you be their Swordsmanship teacher in my ce? Theyre brats, so its a bit annoying, but you could just make them run everyday. Its always important to be able to escape.) (Thats why) (AhhIts hard to say. Here. This. Look at this.) (Yeah, thats right. Shes the Demon King. Oww!? R, r, really. Stop!! Stop shing me!) The Female Pdin: Theres no problem at all. (Here, Im counting on you. Really. Sit down. Shes the Demon King, but Shes not a bad person. Shes extremely intelligent, though she doesckmon sense. She has strong values and shes not the kind of person to break a promise.) The Female Pdin: No problem at all. None. Oi, Demon King! The Demon King: Oh, Madam Female Pdin The Female Pdin: Stop with the Madam, please. The Demon King: Thats The Female Pdin: Of course, the Hero is under a contract with you. There is probably a special bond between the Hero and you. Thats Its regrettable but theres nothing for it. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: But, theres not just one bond. I believe in the Hero. That is my treasure I will not betray the Hero for anything. The Demon King: Madam Female Pdin The Female Pdin: Thats why, dont worry. I will not lose even one limb in this battle. I have no intention of falling just yet. The Kingdom of Winter, Materials Stockpile by the Coast Settler: Hoi! Hoi! Settler: Hoh Hoh Settler: Raise! Raise! Lone Winter King: How is it? Official: Yes! Lone Winter King! I did not receive any report of youring. Lone Winter King: I trust you have had enough hands to pass the year. Official: The work has been smooth. Settler: Hoi! Hoi! Lone Winter King: Nice! Theyre in good spirits! Settler: Hey! Your Majesty! Settler: Your Majesty! Settler: Lone Winter King! Lone Winter King: I apologise, but please continue to work hard! When you reset for the night, there will be hot wine sent to your lodgings! Settler: Leave it to us, your Majesty! Settler: Hoi! Hoi! Chop this wood for his Majesty! Lone Winter King: Thats a great expression theyve got there. Official: It is because of the return of the King. Lone Winter King: I havent really done anything. Ohh, that looks great. Fisherman: Hey, your Majesty. Youre back! Lone Winter King: How is it going? Fisherman: Almost there. Its important this year as well. Lone Winter King: How long has it been, then? Fisherman: Since New Years, its been two weeks. Lone Winter King: Hmm. Official: Would you like to examine the field camp? Lone Winter King: Is it enough? Official: The Volunteers Theyvee from the Central Continent, and there are a lot more than we had expected. At this rate, even with double the field camp size, it still would not be enough. Lone Winter King: Hmm, I will be going there. If you need settlers, then I will send some. They will need more coats and gloves. If their hands freeze they wont be able to do any work. Young Merchant: Leave this logistics issue to me, then. Lone Winter King: Ill leave it to you then, Merchant. Young Merchant: Buying things is my job, after all. Second Invasion of the Isle of Light, Emergency Headquarters Butler: Hahaha. It has been a while. Female Pdin, you seem as sullen as ever. The Female Pdin: You havent changed either, Grandpa. Butler: Hohoho. The size of your breasts hasnt changed either. The Female Pdin: Ill cut you! Butler: Nyohohoho. Nyohohoho. The Female Pdin: That demonic speed! Ive had enough! Butler: Nyohohoho. This is the special Archer technique for secret movement within forests known as the Art of Stealth, nyohohoho. The Female Pdin: Heh! Thats why Ive always been bad at dealing with you, Grandpa! Stay still! Im going to shave your beard smooth! Butler: Oh, isnt it already really smooth!? The Female Pdin: ! Butler: Nyohohoho! Youre going to need more than that. The Female Pdin: Heh! Youre only good at making shadow clones! Butler: I can still make some more! Lone Winter King: AhWhats this. Your rtion is really bad, then? The Female Pdin: The Lone Winter King! Butler: Young man, its not good to peep. Lone Winter King: Butler: Madam Female Pdin, this is His Majesty the Lone Winter King of the Kingdom of Winter. Lone Winter King: The Female Pdin: Whats with the sudden change of attitude? Butler: What are you talking about? Lone Winter King: This is what Grandpa is like isnt he? The Female Pdin: From the start, till the end. Butler: Wh, what are you talking about!? Lone Winter King: I apologise for the trouble the stupid Grandpa of my Kingdom has caused you. The Female Pdin: No, there is nothing for it. Please do discipline him in future. Butler: Young man! Lone Winter King: Thank you for your prompt reply to my unreasonable request for your presence, Madam Female Pdin. Bows The Female Pdin: Please raise your head, you do not represent just one country. Lone Winter King: No, we would all like to borrow your skills for the uing battle. This is why we have called Grandpa and other skilled individuals. The Female Pdin: Is that so? Butler: Perhaps you should have deferred calling her until her breasts had time to grow. The Female Pdin: Ill cut you. Butler: Nyoho Ahem, ahem. Lone Winter King: Let us make haste, this way please. The Female Pdin: Huh. Youre going to have to help me with this. Lone Winter King: This is a map of the surrounding area. The Female Pdin: Thats for sure. Butler: Weve made this map specially for the purpose of directing the battle. Lone Winter King: Thats right. The Female Pdin: It smells like old people. Butler: What!? Lone Winter King: Then, let us brief you on the general order of the battle. The Female Pdin: Indeed, let us. I will represent my two other friends andmunicate to them what I learn here. The Vige of Wintering, After a Heavy Snowfall Small Viger: Hoi! Hoi! Middle Aged Viger: It sure is cold. Tinker: It really is. Small Viger: The snow this year is really thick. Middle Aged Viger: I feel like Ive gotten fat. This year has been bright so maybe thats why it got cold so fast. Tinker: Are the preparations for hibernation done? Small Viger: Yeah, weve been working hard this year. Middle Aged Viger: Ive even increased the amount of bacon made this year by quite a few times. That being said, the production of pork has increased by three times since the previous year. - Exnation Smelling Like Old People: As people age, they produce an oil that creates a distinctive smell. The oils mainponent is nonenal. Smokers produce an even stronger odour. - Tinker: Yeah, the tulips have been working, havent they? Small Viger: Yep. Ive caught some boars this year as well. Middle Aged Viger: How long has it been since weve had such a bountiful winter? Tinker: Yeah. Ive also finished fixing all the farming tools that are needed for this winter. Small Viger: The piglet house needs some adjustments as well. Middle Aged Viger: In the snow? Thats not going to be easy! Tinker: That being said, its been a year since the Schr arrived. Small Viger: Yeah, it has. Middle Aged Viger: We really owe her a lot. Tinker: Yeah, thats right. Since the Holy Order arrived, the number of customers has really increased. Small Viger: If I think about it, the number of vigers has really increased as well. Middle Aged Viger: It has. This years Festival is going to be really exciting! Tinker: The New Years Festival? Small Viger: The New Years Festival! Middle Aged Viger: Yeah, Im looking forward to it so much! Tinker: Its the best day in the whole year. Small Viger: Even though therere lots of people who are heading to the war. Middle Aged Viger: Yeah, there are. Theres a lot of New Year Festival present deliveries for people who are headed to the war at the Holy Order. Tinker: I see. It would be useful if they sent some tankards. Small Viger: I would really wee some of the Tinkers tankards! Middle Aged Viger: Heh, Ill send you some bacon in return. Weve got lots this year. Small Viger: Them Ill send you something as well. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Eve of the New Years Festival Little Maid Sister: ? Lla ? The Chief Maid: How are the preparations for the food? Little Maid Sister: All done? The Chief Maid: Dont sing the ends of your words please. Little Maid Sister: Okayyyy The Chief Maid: Damnit Youre really looking forward to this, arent you? Little Maid Sister: Of course! The Chief Maid: I dont get it. Little Maid Sister: Thats because you guys just moved here. The New Years Festival is the biggest event of the year in this country. The Chief Maid: Hmm. Elder Maid Sister: Is that so? The Chief Maid: Ahh, have you finished ordering the books? Elder Maid Sister: Yes. I havent missed a line in the ounts book or the disbursements. The packages have all been tagged, so tomorrow we should get some manpower to move them into the Holy Orders warehouses. The Chief Maid: Thank you. Then Elder Maid Sister: Yes? The Chief Maid: Is it really going to be such an exciting festival? Elder Maid Sister: Its definitely exciting, but The winter is this area is harsh, for four months a year its practically impossible to leave the house. In that long winter, all one can do is take care of the livestock. Of course, craftswork and repairs and other things that would be wasteful to do in the Summer can be done as well. In the long winter, adults do this fine craftswork in order to relieve boredom. Children learn new words and also how to take care of the sheep. Girls who havee of age practice how to weave carpets. All of these are parts of the lives of the settlers, but The Chief Maid: Elder Maid Sister: Its usually harsher on the serfs, but the winter is when we get some equality. When you cant go out in the winter, you just sit by the fire, right? The thing we look forward the most to in the long winter is Little Maid Sister: The New Years Festival ? Elder Maid Sister: The New Years Festival is a four day period to wee the New Year. We prepare arge feast and exchange presents. Its difficult for serfs to be offered presents, but we work as hard as we can to make the feast. Its only in this period that thendlords do not find it a waste of resources to offer delicacies like bacon and ale to the serfs. Everyone sings songs and if things go well, travelling bards maye to share a few tales with us. The New Years Festival is the thing we look forward to the most as people who live in a country with a dreary and long winter. Little Maid Sister: Ms Spectacles, Ms Spectacles! Elder Maid Sister: Call her Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: I dont really mind Little Maid Sister: Unless you call her Auntie The Chief Maid: Do you want to be hanged? Clenches fist Little Maid Sister: Umm. Ms Spectacles. Would you like to go dancing? The Chief Maid: Umm, I dont mind. If its just that sort of thing, then Im up for it. Door opens The Demon King: Hmm, thats true. You should really go. The Chief Maid: Ah, Mistress. Do you intend to go as well? The Demon King: Ahh, to think such a wonderful festival exists The Chief Maid: Whats going on? The Demon King: No, Ive just received the Vige Chief and the Temr. They gave a really half-hearted reply. Little Maid Sister: Eh, thats not good. Elder Maid Sister: Hey. The Demon King: Quite right. Its not a good thing. I ought to reflect on this. Little Maid Sister: Will you being along with us, Mistress? Umm, therell be lots of guys there too. Youve got great breasts so Im going to invite you. Elder Maid Sister: H, h, hey. What are you saying? The Demon King: Nope. Thats a great invitation, but Im afraid I will have to decline. Little Maid Sister: Ehh. The Demon King: Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: Yes? The Demon King: Shall we go and send a cask of Apple Wine to the home of the Vige Chief? Oh, you know, the one that Merchant sent us as a sample. The Chief Maid: Is that alright? The Demon King: Why ever not? Its not even something we drink anyway. Little Maid Sister: I will get a carriage ready! Elder Maid Sister: Thats right, its impossible for us to transport a whole cask on our own. Well get a driver. The Chief Maid: Bribes are useless, Merchant. Well, maybe not to other merchants. The Demon King: ? Both Sisters jump around happily The Chief Maid: Whats going on? Little Maid Sister: Tada! Surprise! - Exnation Ale: A type of beer. As beer goes through the fermentation process or zymosis, the upperyer of the mixture is known as ale and the bottomyer is known asger. The mostmonly consumed one in Japan isger beer. Ale has a more corked and fruity taste and is distinct fromger. Apple Wine: Wine produced from the fermentation of apples. As it tastes sweet, it is very easy to drink. In Buddhist terminology, it is known as Sidra, and in English it is known as cider. It was poprised during the Prohibition Era in America when it could be easily produced from non-alcoholic apple cider. - Elder Maid Sister: Umm. The Chief Maid: ? Little Maid Sister: New Years Presents! Elder Maid Sister: We were unable toe up with any big presents, but Little Maid Sister: This is for the mistress! The Demon King: This is ? Little Maid Sister: A doll in the shape of the Hero! Elder Maid Sister: Im embarrassed. The Demon King: Ahahahaha. How splendid! Its for me? Its very tanned, what a splitting image. Little Maid Sister: Its a present! Elder Maid Sister: My present to you is some Lily of the Valley Perfume. We gathered them in the Autumn. I learnt how to do it from the Holy Order The Demon King: Ahh, I love it. Thank you. The Chief Maid: Well, well. Little Maid Sister: And this is for Ms Spectacles! I made it myself! The Chief Maid: Eh? Theres something for me too? Elder Maid Sister: Yep. Its a new apron. The Chief Maid: Thats Little Maid Sister: The embroidery is Lily of the Valley, my sister made it! The Chief Maid: Lily of the Valley, eh. To match with me? Elder Maid Sister: Yes. The Chief Maid: But, still. Elder Maid Sister: Ah, as I thought. My embroidery isnt up to scratch is it? The Chief Maid: Its very good! But The Demon King: We didnt prepare any presents for you guys. Im sorry, but we dont know anything about this Festival business. Little Maid Sister: Thats alright? Elder Maid Sister: Yeah, dont worry about it. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: But Elder Maid Sister: Letting us work in such a wonderful mansion is like receiving a present every single day. Little Maid Sister: We are very lucky. The Demon King: You guys Little Maid Sister: Moreover, this year. Elder Maid Sister: Hey. Little Maid Sister: Ehehe. Elder Maid Sister: This girl is so preupied about the feastter. If she gets any happier, shes going to turn into a piglet. Little Maid Sister: Its the New Years Festival after all! Elder Maid Sister: Anyway, these presents are the least we could do for you. Thank you very much. And congrattions! The Demon King: Congrattions? Little Maid Sister: For the New Year! And new beginnings! Elder Maid Sister: Yes. Happy New Year, Mistress, Chief Maid. The Vige of Wintering, Mansion on the Outskirts of the Vige The Night of the New Years Festival (I want the Hero to use my thigh as a pillow!) (Alright then) -Hero (The Heros head sure is fluffy) (Your smell great too, dont you?) -Hero (Really? Am I not fat?) (Its nice to sleep on) ? ? - Exnation Perfume: In the past, perfume was primarily used for religious purposes or as medication. In order to get the scents, the materials are steamed and the steam is collected before being cooled into liquids. From this, oils are extracted to form aroma oils which are mixed with alcohol to create perfumes. - The Demon King: The Demon King: Somehow, it seems I fell asleep while singing. The Demon King: What time is it? It seems the sun is already up There isnt Anyone around They said they were going to the Vige Chiefs house. The Demon King: My back hurts. Cant believe I fell asleep in such a ce. ?? The Demon King: Hero The Demon King: The Demon King: Its already been a year, huh. The Demon King: I havent heard his voice. The Demon King: Even though I belong to the Hero The Demon King: Even though I am the Heros possession. The Demon King: Oh Hero, youve made me into such a weak insect Im scared of changing the world. I never knew wars were such scary things. I am after all, the descendant of a race of demons who are more than willing to spill blood in conflicts. Even though we dont hesitate to let the blood flow Now, Im terrified of spilt blood. The sea of reports I read never mentioned that metallic stench, that slimy yet warm feeling of blood. It feels like my entire body is soaked in it I carry the burden of my sins. The Demon King: Even so, I continue to do my best? Oh, Hero. Youre doing your best too, arent you? I admire you. The Hero: Ohh. How amazing, Demon King. The Demon King: Hero!? Blushes The Hero: Sup. The Demon King: Hero, Hero! Hero! The Hero: Wh, what? The Demon King: You fool. Just where have you been for the past year? Youve been drifting like a kite with its string cut off. The Hero: Ow, oww, oww! Stop hitting me. The Demon King: No! This much isnt enough. The Hero: Wha- Sorry. My apologies. I am to me for the present state of circumstances. The Demon King: Your apology is not sincere enough! Hits The Hero: I-i-it is! The Demon King: Hmph! The Hero: Havent I diligently sent my reports back? The Demon King: That nonsense youve been sending back cant be called reports. They are at best, a travel journal with some drawings! The Hero: Travel journal with some drawings!? The Demon King: Wh, why couldnt you have shown your face from time to time? The Hero: There was no choice. I was busy with all manners of things. Right now, Im really busy with the issue of the Gate City. Trying to figure out how to supply the North Fortress is giving a real headache. The Demon King: Why are you doing these things? The Hero: Didnt you tell me to? I need to purge the seeds of fanaticism in the Demon World! Have you not forgotten? The Demon King: I expected you to use some kind of Ultra Destruction Magic to obliterate them!? The Hero: Its not possible. The Demon King: ? The Hero: Ive been working hard to make sure everybody stays alive. Every day, everyone works hard with the little that they have, to try to make their dreamse true. I cannot find it in me to obliterate that. The Demon King: Hero The Hero: The Queen of Fairies, the Sylvan Race The Demon King is surprised The Hero: The daughter of the Dragon Lord, thedy from the Cyborg Race, the girl from the tavern The Demon Kings heart beats faster The Hero: Everyone is doing their best. As the Hero, how can I possibly destroy all these hopes and dreams? The Demon King: You say that, but actually, its just that you cant bear to hurt all these beautifuldies who fawn all over you and have you wound around their thumbs and under their noses, right!? The Hero: Th, theres n-n-no way thats true! I rejected them! The Demon King: Really? Really!? The Hero: Yeathere were a lot of misunderstandings that arose, but I made sure to appropriately exin myself during the investigations. The Demon King: Im sure you curried a lot of favour during your investigation. Temple throbbing The Hero: N-n-no way Because The Demon King: Because what? Temple throbbing The Hero: Its nothing like that! Its because of the Demon King. Young princes, the citys noblemen, even the elite merchantmen make lovey-dovey eyes at you. The Demon King: Hmph, even though I got the Chief Maid to silence them. The Hero: For real? The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Th, thats! Im definitely not feeling guilty, but one could say that the negotiation floor is almost like a fight to the death! To begin with, high level negotiations are more like wars with ckmail andpromise, determination and profit-loss exploding overhead like res over a battlefield. The Hero: The Demon King: Hero, whats up with that look? Youre like a golem whos been buried in a swamp! The Hero: No, its just. The Demon King: Hmph! You soft, weak person! The Hero: Whos the soft, weak person! Ive been doing my best! You squishy, squishy Demon King! The Demon King: Squishy!? Squishy!? What do you mean squishy! Theres something wrong with you, shut your mouth! Shut it! Pinches him The Hero: Hey, cut it out! The Demon King: I stretch and exercise every single day! I do so many bridges I can even do it on my nose! The Hero: Youre the Demon King and you still take pride in such miniscule achievements? The Demon King: Miniscule! The greatest of journeys begins with a single step! The Hero: You stupid Demon King! The Demon King: You foolish Hero! ? ? The Hero: You shut-in! The Demon King: You wastrel! ? ? The Hero: Haa, haa The Demon King: Hmph! ? ? The Hero: Lets stop The Demon King: Hmm. The Hero: Its so futile. The Demon King: Thats the nature of conflicts after all. The Hero: Whats that? The Demon King: Oh, thatsing from the home of the Vige Chief. The Hero: Music from the New Years Festival? The Demon King: Thats true, thats what they said. ? ? The Hero: Is it alright if I turn on the light? The Demon King: No! Myb coat is all wrinkled because I just woke up. The Hero: Doesnt it defeat the purpose if you admit it yourself? The Demon King: Thats not true. A preview and the real thing have different impacts. The Hero: Ah, enough! The Demon King: ? The Hero: Y-youre always beautiful, so Im sure you look brilliant. The Demon King: E-eh!? Wh-wh-what? Blushes The Hero: Nothing. Smirks The Demon King: Ohhhhhh. The Hero: Is it already that you do not go for the feast? At the New Years Festival, there will be barbecued pork dumplings, wine, barbecued buttered trout, freshly baked bread with almonds, mushroom omelette wrapped in fresh scented leaves, and lots of other things wont there? The Demon King: Its fine, Ill be here. The Hero: Then AhUmm How about a dance? A Room in the Mansion, The Night of the New Years Festival, Amidst the Light Reflecting off the Snow (Note: The dancing instructions were originally written in English, I have kept them the same despite grammatical errors) ? Right step forward, right step forward ? The Demon King: I-is this right? The Hero: Push out your chest a bit, The Demon King: Like this? The Hero: Perfect. ? ? turn left step left The Demon King: Can you see where youre stepping? Its really dark. The Hero: Nope, I can see from the light reflecting off the snow. The Demon King: That may be true, but. The Hero: Its white and sparkly and beautiful. ? ? turn right step left back ? The Demon King: Its a beautiful song. The Hero: Its a Rondo from an ancient Kingdom, Im sure youve heard it before. ? Touch left next to right & p ? The Hero: Take a half step right here. The Demon King: Like this? Like this? The Hero: Youre pretty good, huh? The Demon King: I should be wearing something prettier. The Hero: No ones looking. ? Right step forward, right step forward ? - Exnation Rondo: A musical form embedded in a musical piece where a main tune is repeated several times after different tunes are used. It was poprised in the 16th - 17th centuries as dance music. This rondo is a far older piece from the 13th - 15th centuries. - The Demon King: Bu-but. Ah. The Hero: Are you alright? The Demon King: Sorry. The Hero: You smell great. ? Left step forward. 2 turn left step right back ? The Demon King: My eyes are spinning. The Hero: Rondos are difficult. Therere lots of turns. The Demon King: Thats not true ? Right step forward. Right step forward ? The Hero: Here. The Demon King: This is Theb that I used. The Hero: I found it in the Demon Kings Castle. ? ? turn left step left ? The Demon King: I used thisb when I was a little kid. I thought Id lost it The Hero: It seemed like something important to you. I just brought it to you on a hunch. ? ? turn right step left back ? The Hero: Its very cheap, but this is my New Years present to you. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: ? The Demon King: I dont have a present for you I didnt prepare one. ? Touch left next to right & p ? The Hero: Dont worry. I wasnt expecting one. The Demon King: That may be so The Hero: The Demon King belongs to me after all. The Demon King: Of course. The Hero: Thats what I came back to hear. ? Right step forward. Right step forward ? The Demon King: How was it? Was it difficult? The Hero: No, Im not very smart. I-I took a detour. The Demon King: The Hero: When I was a Hero, when I left I would take down countless enemies in quick session and everyone would hail me. It was easy to be a Hero. The Demon King: It was the same for me Even though I wanted to fly over and see what was behind the hill, its so much moreplicated to be living among humans. ? ? turn right step left back ? The Demon King: The Hero: Youve been working hard as the Demon King. The Demon King: The Hero: Half turn. Right, left. ? Left step forward. 2 turn left step right back ? The Demon King: Hero The Hero: ? The Demon King: I, definitely ? Right step forward. Right step forward ? The Demon King: Umm, thats. What am I worth to you? The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: Why is it that in such times my palms be so sweaty? ? ? turn left step left ? The Demon King: Ughhh I need you to still my heart during this decisive battle, He-He-Hero. The Hero: D-Demon King? Youre suddenly very spirited? ? ? turn right step left back ? The Demon King: H-Hero. Umm The Hero: You cant take a step like that, Demon King Demon King? ? Step ? The Demon King: Its been a while since Ive seen you, Hero. The Hero: Im right here. ? The Demon King: Thats If the Hero is okay with it. As your owner, I am also your reward. Of course, I definitely still have lots of b, so maybe Im not a reward but a punishment to you No, this is a reward next to an inevitable punishment. The Hero: Thats. The Demon King: Hero? The Hero: The Demon King: ? The Demon King: Oh, the music has ended! The Hero: Thats right it has! I should go. The Demon King: Uhh The Hero: The Demon King: Just a bit more. The Vige of Wintering, a Room Illuminated by the Light Reflecting off the Snow The Demon King: Are you going? The Hero: Yep. After meeting you, my courage has increased a hundred times. Boots crunching in the snow The Demon King: Is everyone doing fine? The Hero: Youve be fairly human-like. The Demon King: Ive be weak. The Hero: Thats not really the same. The Demon King: Ill see you soon this time, right? The Hero: Yeah. Well take the Gate City in less than a month. The Demon King: Can it be done? The Hero: As you say, it will be done. The Demon King: I want to see it too. The Hero: Next time we meet. The Demon King: It will be in a ce where the fires of war are being exchanged. The Hero: Alright, Im all ready! The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Whats up. The Demon King: The Hero: What? The Demon King: Ehh, shut up. Im worried about you. The Hero: You dont believe in me then. The Demon King: This has nothing to do with believing in you Well, it does. Im going to have lots of rivals from now on The Hero: ? The Demon King: Hero Ill be heading out to the sea too. When youe back, try not to bete? The Hero: Dont worry I am the Sword of the Demon King. Door ms shut! The Demon King: Hero. You are My Light. Volume 1 8, “Henceforth, the Second Conquest of the Isle of Light…

Volume 1 Chapter 8, Henceforth, the Second Conquest of the Isle of Light begins!

The Second Conquest of the Isle of Light, the Army Camp of the Kingdom of Winter Conscript: Hello! Volunteer: Change of shift! Ive brought your food as well. Soldier: Thanks, what is it? Conscript: ck bread with nuts and bacon. Volunteer: How extravagant! Soldier: Isnt it leftovers from the New Years Festival? Conscript: Really? Even though everyone ate that much at the feast? Volunteer: It was the first time seeing such a festival for me. Soldier: Yeah, this years festival was remarkably exciting. Conscript: Was it? Soldier: Yeah. The living standards of our country really seem to be improving. Isnt that right! Sir! Officer: Hmm, you could say so Hey! Keep watch properly! Conscript: Yes, Sir! Thumps spear. Soldier: Yes, Sir! Thumps spear. Officer: Well, we havent been seeing any enemies in this area, though. Conscript: They couldnt possibly attack this area, could they? Officer: They dont have records of previousrge-scale invasions, but they know the Human Army has camped here before in the past. Comcency is forbidden. Conscript: Even so Volunteer: Hm? Conscript: Is that alright? Weve already been here for two weeks. Volunteer: Yeah thats right. Conscript: Even though its true that we definitely go through some tough training in this harsh cold, we cant possibly win the battle like this, can we? At this rate, arent we just eating food? Volunteer: Whatever the higher-ups decide is done with their own considerations. Soldier: Do we not have enough ships? Conscript: Hmm. Volunteer: Is that so? Soldier: We havent even boarded half the ships we have. Its likely that we are waiting for the ships to reach here. The Female Pdin: Good work, sentries! Officer: Salute! Snaps to salute. The Female Pdin: This is an important ce. Do not let down your guard. Volunteer: Yes, Maam! The Female Pdin: How is the training? Volunteer: Thank you for teaching us swordsmanship! The Female Pdin: Whether or not you continue to live on the battlefield, will depend entirely on yourself. I cannot even protect you myself. Train hard! The Second Conquest of the Isle of Light, Emergency Army Headquarters Lone Winter King: How are the movement of supplies? Hmm? Butler: The Scouts have returned, they have not yet moved out. The Female Pdin: Im feeling quite nervous. Lone Winter King: Even though youre the Commander-in-Chief? The Female Pdin: Please do not call me the Commander-in-Chief. It is just an emergency title. Butler: Nyohoho. Even though youve got a chest that wouldnt make anyone feel any excitement. The Female Pdin: Do you feel like getting shed? Draws sword Officer: Permission to enter! Butler: Mmm, enter. Officer: You have a guest. Lone Winter King: A guest? Officer: She says she is the Crimson Schr. Shees with arge baggage train. The Female Pdin: Ahh, the Schr has arrived, then. Butler: Ooooh. Lone Winter King: The rumoured genius Schr? Ive been wanting to meet her for quite a while, but why would shee to the battlefield? The Female Pdin: Your Majesty, its better that you dont think of her as a Schr. Door opens The Demon King: I am the one who calls herself the Schr. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Butler: This isHighly umon. The Female Pdin: (Dont tell me he can sense her Demonic energy?!) Butler: NyohoYou have an incredible bust! The Female Pdin does a double take. Butler: ! Lone Winter King: I am very sorry for that greeting. I am the Lone Winter King of the Kingdom of Winter. I am afraid, however, that I have only just attained this position and am very young. The Demon King: Oh no, your reputation as a King precedes you even to the Vige of Wintering. Lone Winter King: I havent had the chance to prove myself, so Im afraid these are really just expectations at best. Butler: Would you like some tea? The Demon King: Thank you. Lone Winter King: That being said, what can I do for you? I am extremely grateful for your aid in improving my agricultural technology. Ive been thinking that I definitely had toe and see you, but there have been many difficult issues Ive needed to deal with. Even though I havent even sent you any greetings. I am very sorry. The Demon King: You are too polite. Im sorry. In any case, Your Majesty Lone Winter King: Yes? The Demon King: Do you intend to win? Lone Winter King: Of course. The Demon King: By all possible means? Lone Winter King: Taking back that ind is extremely important to the Southern United Kingdoms. The Demon King: Just what do you mean? Lone Winter King: Well take back the pride of the Southern United Kingdoms. The Demon King: Hmm. Lone Winter King: The present Southern United Kingdoms is, as we speak, because of this war, running errands for other countries as if they are not even independent countries. If we take back the ind, at the very least, we would be able to stabilise many trade routes. The Demon King: Hmm. Lone Winter King: For the sake of money, Im willing to wager the lives of so many soldiers, even under a different pretence. The Demon King: No, well, thats good enough. The Female Pdin: What Butler: Do not be rude to His Majesty! The Female Pdin: Archer. This is not our ce. The Demon King: I apologise for being rude. The Female Pdin: Could you possibly be referring to the ck Powder? Even without that thing, havent I already said that we wont lose? The Demon King: No, its something else. Ie bringing salt. Lone Winter King: ! The Female Pdin: Salt Butler: Where is the The Demon King: I have sixyers of it in the carriage. I believe it cane into some use. Lone Winter King: You The Demon King: Lone Winter King: Even though youre a hundred miles away, you can still read my palm. The Female Pdin: There are people who say that. Butler: The Schr Even to that extent The Demon King: If you intend to win, you must think of the possibilities. Lone Winter King: What do you intend for this battle? What is the price of the salt? Butler: Do you want a reward? Or perhaps a position in the court? The Demon King: A position is, for now Fine. Though a title that would require my appearance at the pce would be troublesome. Lone Winter King: Alright, Ill allow it. But I do not believe that is what you want. The Demon King: My aim is time. Lone Winter King: Time? The Demon King: Its possible that for this war, this is a bigger price than any money, but. Lone Winter King: The Demon King: My goal is not a victory. Thats why we need to control it, in the case that victory is not enough. For this purpose, well need time. We might even need a whole day and night. Lone Winter King: Impossible. Dont we need to n a surprise attack? The Demon King: Im sure well be able toe up with another n. After all, the Commander is the Female Pdin. Butler is stunned. The Female Pdin: Well, since the Schr says so, it will be done. The Demon World, the Gate City, the Central Fortress Crusader: Again?! Crusader: Here too Crusader: Its a curse, weve been cursed! Crusader: This isnt anything like a curse, we have an assassin! Crusader: Its just been 5 minutes since then, hasnt it? In just five minutes of not looking, an entire squad was Crusader: This is Crusader: Theyrepletely desated. Crusader: These have been burnt to ash! Crusader: Getagetagetagetagetagetagetagetagetagetageta Crusader: Are you insane?! Crusader: Getagetagetagetageta! The, the nighteth! The full moon rises, it smiles blue! Come,e! Getagetagetagetageta! Getagetagetagetageta! Crusader: What are you saying?! Screams echo through the night. Crusader: This time, its the Third Guards at the clock tower! Hurry! Sprinting up steps. Crusader: Wh-whats this! Crusader: Whats with all this mud and sludge Ah! Wha! Crusader: Th-This Crusader: Its a curse. Its not the work of humans. The Hero: Hehehe. Hehehehaha. Crusader: Wh-who is it!? Crusader: Come,e out! We are the worlds strongest Holy Crusaders! Come out! The Hero: You speak so much even though you dont have the skills? Magic crackles. Crusader: Ah, ahh! Crusader: It-Its ck magic! Its the Knight of Death! Crusader: Retreat! Crusader: Retreat, the opponent is an evil spirit! The curse has shown itself! Crusader: Getagetagetagetageta! Crusader: Ahhhhh! There are so many dead people!? Evil spirits! The Hero: Hmph. You cowards. Winged Fairy: Sir ck Knight! Youre so cool! The Hero: Its just that theyre weak. That being said, this is a splendid image, isnt it? Winged Fairy: Ahahaha! Fairies are really good at Illusion Magic! The Hero: Yeah you are! At this rate, we can continue to confuse them with these illusions. All Three Winged Fairies: Yes! The Hero: Can you make a truly horrifying illusion? Winged Fairy: Horrifying? Winged Fairy: Horrifying! Winged Fairy: Horrifying ? The Hero: Is the Demon Thrush around? Demon Thrush: You created me, of course I am by your side. The Hero: Cast an illusion at the Commanders Rooms. Lets give those conceited noblemen some nightmares every day. Demon Thrush: As youmand. The Demon World, the Gate City, the Extravagant Rooms of the Nobility Commander: Gyaaaaaa! Commander: Hah Hah Hah It was a dream? Commander: What What a dream. There were so many hands So many dead people That must have been the work of demons, we have the righteousness of the Spirit of Light on our side. To think they would massacre the people down to the livestock Wine! Bring wine! Demon ve Girl: Here is the wine Commander: Dont touch it with your disgusting hands! Wine cup shatters. Demon ve Girl: Kyaaa! Commander: Th-thats why I didnt want you in the first ce! ms door. Commander: This damned ce! This damned City! Who cares about the conquest! Who cares about glory! This is just a godd*mned sheethole! Im a ruling elite of the Holy Empire, the blood of the Kingdom of the Mist flows through my veins. Why do I have to rot away in this disgusting Demon City! Thats right. All my work here isplete nonsense. Even though I was promised honour and glory upon my return to the Holy Empire. Demon ve Girl: Stop! Thats too much Commander: Silence! You second rate Demon, youre not even equal to an animal! Its because of sheet like you! Its because of sheet like you that I cant go back! There are no wine-filled parties, there are no beautiful, well-dresseddies. This backwater, dust-filled City shouldnt even be allowed to exist! Banging on door. Crusader: Commander! Commander: What? Crusader: Its happened again! The Knight of Death hase again! Commander: Wha Crusader: This time he hit the city centre, a few officers on leave were Commander: Whats the report! Crusader: They seem to have drowned in puddles Commander: ! Crusader: Moreover The officers have Commander: What are you saying? Crusader: This must be a demonic curse. There have been a flood of people requesting permission to return home. Commander: Ehhh! What are they saying! Are they not satisfied with what weve been giving them! All those who say they want to go back home, give them some Demon girls! Give them gold and wine too! Crusader: Butbut, we have no Commander: Just go catch some from the streets! Those who dare to curse us have no use for their money or their girls! The Second Conquest of the Isle of Light, the Coast, Midnight Fisherman: We are here, Your Majesty! Lone Winter King: Yeah, I see that. Butler: Were really here! Lone Winter King: It was exactly to my expectations. Youve done it. Fisherman: No, were fishermen from this area after all, it was to be expected. Lone Winter King: Its impressive that you managed to get us here just one week after the New Years Festival. Settler: WhaIts massive! Settler: Huge! Fisherman: Indeed. Your Majesty, over here we call themIce Floes. Lone Winter King: Alright, dont identally get the ships too close. Well break up! Hammer in the Anchor Pins! Fasten the ropes! Lets pull ourselves to shore! Lash together all the ships of ourrades stuck in the ice, well form the Combined Fleet together in the sea! Lets pack the ice floes! Settler: Understood, Your Majesty! Settler: Hoi! Hoi! Fisherman: With such small ships, we should be able to dodge the ice floes. Lone Winter King: Im relying on you. Butler: Ill fly off and scout ahead. Settler: Hoi! Good! Pull the ropes! Volunteer: Hoi! Hoi! Soldier: Hoi! Hoi! The Female Pdin: Combined Fleet form in the sea! Maintain formation! Maintain watch on port and starboard, archer units keep watch to the skies! Lone Winter King: If the sea water begins to reform, throw the Salt in! It will freeze in an hour! Do not forget your sacks! Rotating two hour shifts! Settler: We are alright, Your Majesty! Settler: Just stay warm in the tent, Your Majesty! Lone Winter King: Im younger than all of you! Ahahaha! Settler: Oh dear! Ahaha! We cant lose to the King! Hoi! Settler: Hoi! Alright! Pull the ropes! Lone Winter King: Lets build a bridge. A bridge of drift ice. No, not a bridge. Lets make this strait A battlefield for our cavalry. The Second Conquest of the Isle of Light, the Shore of the Isle of Light, Early Morning The Female Pdin: Heavy Infantry, assemble! Movement. Royal Soldiers: Yes, maam! The Female Pdin: Henceforth, the Second Conquest of the Isle of Light begins! The Heavy Infantry will break through the centre and form a Beachhead at the shores of the Isle of Light! The end of the drift ice is brittle. Maintain in file in the centre of roughly 500 steps! Royal Soldiers: Yes, maam! The Female Pdin: Colonel, have onepany stand by for after wend, take control of the cliff face of the West shore! Have them stand watch and ready to move on mymand. Royal Army Colonel: Yes, maam! The Female Pdin: Archer units, move ahead and keep watch to the eyes and the seas. Its difficult for them to sink our ships in this ice, but itll be hard to spot the Colossal-ss Demons as well! If they are spotted we are to sound a retreat while continuously unleashing volleys at them! Listen out for the sound of flutes ying. - Exnation Ice Floes: Ice which floats on the surface of the ice. Ice which is attached to the shoreline is known as fast ice. Ice floes usually appear for a short time each year in Japan, they roughly begin to form in January and disappear by the end of February. Anchor Pins: These do not refer to anchors, but are ratherrge metal pins used during mountain climbing in order to secure the climber to the rock face. Salt: When salt is used, the melting point of water bes lower. However, the freezing point also bes lower and water freezes easier. For this reason, the previously scattered ice floes can be joined together. Heavy Infantry: Infantry which wear heavy armour. They fight in a tightly packed order with spears and swords. A well-formed formation of Heavy Infantry has immense attacking power and defensive power butcks quick mobility. Since they are useless if they cannot reach the enemy, the forward force usually consists of a wave of light infantry. Beachhead: When attacking a beach, the attacking force is at a massive disadvantage due to unfavourable terrain. Hence troops begin by first guarding the beach, then building field fortifications such as trenches out of wooden nks, driftwood and other materials easy to transport in order to make an emergency fort that is easier to defend. - Royal Army Colonel: Flutes? The Female Pdin: ording to our intelligence, that appears to be a Summoning Technique. Royal Army Colonel: !? The Female Pdin: If we can take out the Summons, the attack of the Colossal-ss Demons will diminish as well. Everything depends on how alert we are! Archers: Yes, maam! The Female Pdin: Brave volunteer soldiers! Volunteer Soldiers: Yes, maam! The Female Pdin: We will entrust you with the transportation of all the sleighs. This is no trifling matter. Not only is each sleigh as long as a medium-sized carriage, the metal boards are also highly reinforced. Not only can they be used for transporting heavy cargo like armour or horses, the sleighs are also designed to be used as simple shields, no, as miniature fortifications! If we are attacked by Colossal-ss Demons, these sleighs will be our shields for defence. Volunteer Spear Units and Archersbined may have the ability to take down the Colossal-ss Demons and Airborne-ss Demons. Let me repeat. This is not a naval battle! We humans are good atnd battles! We must fight to our strengths! Soldiers will go home! We can count on our allies! Believe in our strength! Soldiers: YAAAAAAAA!!! The Female Pdin: Our first objective is the shoreline! Establish the beachhead and secure our supply lines and base camp. This time we will show them our strength! We will win! Let them see the might of the United Kingdoms! The Second Invasion of the Isle of Light, on the Isle of Light Royal Army Soldier: Push! Push! Royal Army Soldier: Third Company, advance! Messenger: The rear right wing reports arge shape! Its a Colossal Squid! General: Leave it to the Volunteers and the Light Infantry! We will defend this ce with our lives! No retreat! For the Kingdom! Royal Army Soldier: For the Lone Winter King! Royal Army Soldier: For our Commander-in-Chief, the Female Pdin! Howling in the Distance. Messenger: Right Wing, retreat! Beast-ss Demons, close to a thousand! General: Heavy Infantry Fourth Company break out! Stop their charge! Royal Army Soldier: Alright! Lets show the Spirit the ferocity of the Fourth Company! Royal Army Soldier: Spears ready! Charge! Messenger: The sound of the flute! From the North! General: Longbowmen assemble behind Heavy Infantry Fourth Company and provide covering fire!! The Second Invasion of the Isle of Light, Field Headquarters The Female Pdin: Haa Haa Anyone! Is anyone there! Soldier: Yes, maam! The Female Pdin: Send out twenty messengers and scouts! Attach them to the beachhead. Have amunications system running. I dont care how, but itd better be functional in twenty minutes! - Exnation Volunteer Spear Units: Volunteer Units are soldiers who were originally not soldiers but joined the army from the own volition and hence do not have good armour. However, in a close formation with many spears, they can still form a strong force. Light Infantry: Infantry who barely wear armour. As a result, they are highly mobile. They usually use bows and their chief purpose is to provide support for the Heavy Infantry from the nks, but because of their speed, they can also be used to rush the enemies nks and rout them. - Soldier: Hah! The Female Pdin: Get me a fresh horse. This one is covered in sweat. I wouldnt like to overexhaust it. Horse whinnies. Lone Winter King: Commander Pdin! How goes the battle? Butler: Take this towel. The Female Pdin: Thending was a sess and the beachhead has been built. We have been repelling them from the cliff face and have taken some of them. Weve taken down twelve Colossal-ss Demons. Lone Winter King: Twelve Thats about the same as all we managed to take down in thest war. The Female Pdin: Im not sure how strong their reserve fighting force is. However, I do not believe it is enough to decisively defeat us At least one battalion of Demons have beenpletely annihted. Their numbers were less than we expected. Lone Winter King: And what of our casualties? The Female Pdin: From reports, less than 500. Butler: Wha Lone Winter King: Thats a great victory, isnt it! At this rate, victory is already in our hands! The Female Pdin: Thats only up till now. Lone Winter King: The Female Pdin: Up till now, the Combined Armed Forces have been pushing through the centre, and hence weve been able to decrease losses while pushing the front lines. Both the front and the rear are good and the beachhead at the Isle of Light is secure, hence we can reinforce easily However, the Isle of Light is filled with natural caves, and the valleys form a resilient choke point. The Southern Artic General and the Demon Warriors may be trying to force us to besiege them. Of course, we will be the ones carrying out the siege. If it bes a battle of attrition, we do not have the advantage. To begin with, in such a battle, the Demon Race can swim in the water and blend in the night, and hence they have the advantage. But, well Butler: Well? The Demon King: The battle is won. Weve already decided we would win it. The Female Pdin: Roughly. Lone Winter King: Madam Schr. The Demon King: Well, sieges have always been difficult since ancient times. If we want to overpower them, the attacking force would need at least three times the strength of the defending force. From what I can see, the Demons have approximately 8,000 soldiers remaining. Even though thats 4,000 less than us, its still not enough for an easy victory. We may possibly win, but both sides would take immense casualties. The Female Pdin: I do not think we can be optimistic in this situation. The Demon King: In what way? The Female Pdin: Even though weve trained them as much as we could, they are far too scattered. Especially the Volunteer Soldiers, we cannot let them face the enemy alone. Moreover, even though weve said it before, Im notfortable with a war of attrition. It is to our disadvantage if we have to ward off night raids and ambushes. Butler: Then The Female Pdin: I believe the Demons will prepare to rally their forces. Lone Winter King: It does not sound like a simple situation. The Female Pdin: It really isnt. One could say it begins now. This is the starting point. This is where the gut starts to hurt. Butler: I believe the Schr has a strategy. The Demon King: Hmm Lone Winter King: What sort of strategy? The Female Pdin: - Exnation Combined Armed Forces: This is a grand theatre formed from thebined use of every different service branch in the military (Navy, Artillery, Infantry, etc.) in order to cover up the shorings of each branch and extend the advantages each branch can provide. Since ancient times and even up to modern times, the Commander who is able to effectively apply these is the one to achieve victory. - The Demon King: I guess Ive got to y my hand. Lone Winter King: ? Door ms open. Messenger: A message! I have a message! Lone Winter King: Excellent! Report! Messenger: To the South of the Isle of Light, arge force has appeared from the Demon World! They number upwards of 10,000! Theyretheyretheyre allies! The Demon King: How artless of themReinforcements. With these numbers, the Southern Artic Shogun will surrender Or else hell have to flee. The Demon World, the City of the Gate, the War Room Commander: I-Ive had enough! General: East Fortress Base Commander: Do not raise your voice! Commander: No one knows where that guy is! This whole city is a nightmare! Every night, that Knight of Death The curses of that impossible guy are running rampant! East Fortress Base Commander: You say that, but the ones who are going around the streets squealing and screaming like a bunch of little Demon Girls are you Imperial Guards, arent they? Commander: Youre just a mercenary! East Fortress Base Commander: Hehe, indeed we are. What of it? Commander: You! East Fortress Base Commander: If youre still scared by your nightmares, maybe its too early toe and y with the big boys. Commander: I will not put up with any more of this. I-I-I am pulling out! General: Commander! East Fortress Base Commander: So, just what kind of person are you? One could say that gathered in this city is the strength of the Human World, its a key location in the Demon World. The Commander who would be willing to throw all this away and run, Id say it wouldnt be too much to Court Martial him. Commander: ! General: You would do well to shut your mouth, sir! Commander, what do you mean! East Fortress Base Commander: Hey, hey, militaryw is militaryw. Commander: We-we-were going as reinforcements! East Fortress Base Commander and General: Huh? Commander: Were going as reinforcements? East Fortress Base Commander: Just who are you going to reinforce? Did anybody request for reinforcements? Dont tell me youre going to reinforce a phantom battle? Commander: No! I heard it yesterday, but the King of White Night is championing an operation to take back the Isle of Light. Even though the King of White Night has brilliantmand ability and immense bravery, all he has to rely on are those useless rulers of the Southern United Kingdoms, and hence hes unlikely to be able to win. East Fortress Base Commander: Ohh, Ive heard about this as well. Commander: The King of White Night is my uncle. East Fortress Base Commander: Ah Commander: Hey! Thats not the point! This is a great event for the entire Human Race! Since this is such a decisive battle, how can we Crusaders stand by and do nothing? I will take all my forces and rush to the aid of the Isle of Light! East Fortress Base Commander: A-are you out of your mind?! General: Hmph. Commander: Hey! Shut up! This is my order as overall Commander! My order is as good as an order from the Holy Empire, or an order from the Spirit of Light himself! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Marshal himself gave me the Staff of Command! East Fortress Base Commander: And thats precisely why you cant possibly just abandon this whole city! Just in order to supply the soldiers in this city, its not just military personnel but there are immense numbers of merchants here too, arent there?! How will you protect them! Commander: Silence, silence! All of these scum are traitors! I have no intention to spill a single drop of Crusader blood to protect the lives ofmoners who would associate with the Demons! East Fortress Base Commander: Temple throbs. Commander: That group of people came of their ord and can die of their own ord. No, I shall set fire to this city. Im not going to surrender the city to the Demons so easily, thats right! East Fortress Base Commander steps forward. Commander: ?! East Fortress Base Commander: Cracks knuckles. Commander: Wh-what? Do you have something to say! Dammit! Do you! Do you! Huh! Thats right! If you have something against my n, then you can go and do it! East Fortress Base Commander: Huh?! Commander: You, youre the Commander of your men! In that case, you can just stay here and guard the streets! Or are you all talk and no action? Huh? Youre just the Mercenaries of history, arent you? East Fortress Base Commander: I understand. Commander: Right then, youve made a pledge, so Ill just rx and go out and reinforce! Ahahahahaha. I will leave the 10,000 Demons here your responsibility. Since thats what you want so much! East Fortress Base Commander: My men in our fortresses will guard the lives of each and every one of the civilians here with our own. Commander: Fine, but I hear that the Isle of Light has lots of scary Demon warriors and even the Southern Artic General. Id better take the entire army with me. Im sure I can just leave a few soldiers with the stupid person who would stay to defend this pathetic corner of the Demon World! East Fortress Base Commander: ! Commander: Since were such good friends, Ill leave you about 500 men. Do what you like with them! Mercenary! Walks away, ms door. East Fortress Base Commander: Ahh, how troublesome. Paces around table. Aide-de-Camp: General, I suppose you have bad news. East Fortress Base Commander: Mm? Quite so. Lets do it. Aide-de-Camp: Do what? East Fortress Base Commander: We have no choice. Evacuate all four Strongholds. Leave just enough to garrison. Assemble in the City. Aide-de-Camp: Huh! East Fortress Base Commander: Call up some of the influential Merchants, and therge employers of Demons. About ten or so people should suffice. Call up the nearby influential Demons as well. Aide-de-Camp: Eh? What for? East Fortress Base Commander: We dont have the men, so we have no choice. I must bow my head and beg. From now on, we are the Emergency Defence Force. As of today, this city is no longer a Human City. It will survive as a Free City. - Exnation Marshal: In the military, this is a rank even higher than a General, it is basically the highest rank in the entire Armed Forces, though sometimes there can be the rank of Grand Marshal, which was held by the Emperor of the Empire of Japan during WWII. However, in many instances, it is just a ceremonial title. - The Second Conquest of the Isle of Light, the Beachhead Messenger: Reporting! The Demon Army is sallying forth from the citadel of the Isle of Light! Enemy numbers, approximately 7,500! The Female Pdin: The entire army, huh. Messenger: The Demon Army is now heading towards our reinforcements in the Southern Frozen Forest, proceeding at high speed! The Female Pdin: Good work, messenger! The Demon King: Thats really quick. The Female Pdin: They probably know they cant afford to let us meet up with our reinforcements. If they want to break out, this is theirst chance. The Demon King: It may not bepletely decisive, but this is within our expectations. The Female Pdin: 7,500 Demons against 10,000 reinforcements, eh. The Demon King: What shall we do? The Female Pdin: The reinforcements are Crusaders, right? Then, in terms of both training and equipment, they should be the best in the Demon World. The Hero teleports in. The Hero: Is that so? Theyre an unexpectedly disgusting bunch of slobs though. The Demon King: Hero! The Female Pdin: Oh, youre back? The Demon King: Ahem, ahem. The Hero: U-uhmm. I am! Is this a good time? The Female Pdin: Yeah, youre just on time. But how did you get the Crusaders toe? The Hero: Well, thats hard to say More importantly, in order to meet the timing, theyve been marching continuously without rest, theyre probably exhausted. The Demon King: In that case, they probably have a lot less fighting ability than we think. Door ms open. Messenger: Our mysterious reinforcements havee into contact with the vanguard of the Demons! The reinforcements are stretched thin backwards, their forward group is few! They are being beaten back! The Hero: Well? The Female Pdin: Of all people, I have no affection for the Crusaders. The Hero: If we dont go and help, it could get very bad. The Female Pdin: Moreover, to get to that side of the Ind will take far too much time. The Demon King: We have to do something, either way. Loud rumbling. The Hero: What?! Door ms open. Messenger: Report! Report! A single Colossal-ss Demon is currently charging towards the camp! It seems to be the Southern Artic General! An entire Company of Light Infantry have been annihted! The Female Pdin: Sound the retreat! Messenger: Yes, maam! The Demon King: The rear guard is going to have a problem. The Hero: Thats really hard on them. The Female Pdin: Ive got to maintain my pride as amander. The Demon King: However, we need to head over there and help take it down Hes minimizing the Demon losses and allowing them to run away. The Hero: Theres nothing for it. Hes a very principled guy. Ill go there and take him down. The Female Pdin: No. The Hero: Sorry? The Female Pdin: This is my responsibility. Can I leave this ce to you? Hero. This is myst request as a warrior. As the Commander-in-Chief, I have to do this. The Second Conquest of the Isle of Light, the Battlefield in the Evening Southern Artic General: Haaa! The Female Pdin: Hah! Sword and club shing. Southern Artic General: Hahaha! Im so happy you epted this fight! The Female Pdin: Im not going to throw this fight, I will win! Royal Soldier: A-amazing! Cavalry Officer: The ground is sinking, its like theyre destroying the ce Southern Artic General: Dont brag, take this! Club ms into the ground. The Female Pdin: Too slow! shes. Southern Artic General: I am the undefeated champion! This sort of attack is useless! The Female Pdin: Im shocked you would call yourself the undefeated champion. Southern Artic General: What are you saying? The Female Pdin: Youre doing this fight to the death so your army can retreat. Why dont you just run away with them as well? Smirks Southern Artic General: Hm! Dont mock me! Sword and Club sh. Southern Artic General: They do not call me the Southern Artic General for the affection I show to my enemies! Take this, Freezing Blizzard! Blizzard howls. The Female Pdin: Heres a technique I picked up from the Hero! Tectonic Shift! Ground explodes, rocks shoot up. Royal Soldier: A-are they monsters! Cavalry Officer: What in the world! Southern Artic General: Hahahahahaha! Quite impressive! The Female Pdin: Good. Ill make a prayer for you when youre dead. Southern Artic General: How light-footed! Are you really a woman, youre so cheeky! The Female Pdin: Im d that you look at me as a woman, but Female Pdin gets hit by club. Royal Soldier: Did that connect?! Cavalry Officer: Hes at least 50 times bigger than her The Female Pdin crawls on the floor. Southern Artic General: I suppose youre finished. The Female Pdin: This, this is nothing, I can take this Right! Lets! Go! Hah! The Female Pdinunches herself in the air. Southern Artic General: ?! The Female Pdin: Not yet, not yet! sh! sh! sh! Royal Soldier: Whats with this insane speed! Cavalry Officer: To think our Female Pdin was so strong! The Female Pdin: Haaaaaiyaaaaa! Southern Artic General: Ugh. Magnificent Technique Southern Artic General copses. Royal Soldier: She won Cavalry Officer: We won! Royal Soldier: Victory! Victory! The Female Pdin: Its too early to be happy! Sweep the ce for stragglers! Search the whole ind!! The Vige of Wintering, Early Spring Small Viger: Really? Middle Aged Viger: Really. Huntsman: So, victory! Small Viger: Victory! Middle Aged Viger: Theyvee back from the war victorious! Huntsman: Both the Female Pdin and the Schr have returned! Maid Little Sister: Good morning! ? Maid Elder Sister: Good morning. Small Viger: Hey, its the two sisters from the mansion. Middle Aged Viger: Congrattions! Huntsman: Congrattions! Maid Little Sister: Yes! Maid Elder Sister: Thank you! Small Viger: When did they return? Middle Aged Viger: The wars already over, isnt it? Huntsman: Fool. As long as the Demon Race continues to exist, the war will never be over. This time, weve merely taken back the Isle of Light. Small Viger: Is that so? Middle Aged Viger: But, now that the Female Pdin has be the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, its almost as if the legends of the Hero are being revived. Maid Little Sister: Thats right ? Small Viger: Oh, I just heard those from that travelling bard! How cool Middle Aged Viger: Down at the tavern? Huntsman: Therere already two taverns, this ce has really grown bigger. Maid Little Sister: Hey, hey! Maid Elder Sister: It seems our mistresses will be going to the Pce of Winter now. Small Viger: Where the King lives? Middle Aged Viger: Yeah, Im sure theyll be getting some prize. Maid Little Sister: Im sureTherell be a great feast Eyes sparkle. Maid Elder Sister: Enough Why are you always only interested in the food Maid Little Sister: Ehehehe ? Small Viger: Well, either way, its already spring! Now that its spring, well have lots of vegetables and game. Recently, the conflict has died down too. Yeah, this is really a wonderful vige to live in. The Pce of Winter, Peerage Conferment Ceremony Marching Band ?? Lone Winter King: I apologise for making you go through this ceremony. The Female Pdin: Nope. The Demon King: Its no trouble. Lone Winter King: Im not very good at this sort of thing, but it is one of the responsibilities of the King after all. The Female Pdin: I understand. The Demon King: Showing your might to people is also one of your responsibilities. Butler: The preparations areplete, Your Majesty. Lone Winter King: Right, lets go. Door opens slowly. Crowd cheers and roars. Marching Band ?? Lone Winter King: My people, my Kingdom! Crowd cheers and roars. Lone Winter King: I thank you for your contribution. We have sessfully taken back the Isle of Light! I know in my heart that this was only achievable due to the loyalty and courage shown by all you brave souls. After this, we now face the difficult task of defending the Isle of Light from further incursions, but I am now certain we can count on the strength of my brave people and the capable officials of this Kingdom. Moreover, as this war continues, we must also rebuild our country. As the Lone Winter King, I will definitely lend you all my power to handle this issue. The Female Pdin: Even though this is still an impoverished country. The Demon King: It is, however, an impoverished country on the ascendancy. Moreover, since there are so many people who are so poor they can barely afford clothes, they will be far more grateful when they are lifted from poverty. Lone Winter King: It may be small, but I please enjoy tonights banquet. Please enjoy yourselves! Cheers! Raises ss. Lone Winter King: Please continue to listen to me with your ss in your hand. Today, the Pce is proud to wee some guests. Im sure many of you know of this but, even including the Hero who left for the Demon World, there are now three people whose contributions to the Human World will surely be the stuff of legend. The first of these is, the Female Pdin! Pause. The Female Pdin: As introduced, I am the Female Pdin. Lone Winter King: The Female Pdin served the extremely important responsibility of the frontline Commander during this military campaign. Moreover, she took down the Southern Artic General in a single confrontation, surely a Heroic action. Actually, Ive asked her to be a General in my Kingdom, but unfortunately, she refused. Crowd roars withughter. Lone Winter King: No, no, Im sure it has nothing to do with how poor the Kingdom of Winter is! However, the Female Pdin is the Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake and has her responsibilities there to uphold. The Holy Order of the Lake is apletely essential organisation to the South. For our country to tie down such a splendid character is surely an act of rebellion against the Spirit of Light! However, this does not change the fact that she is the benefactor of our Kingdom, of humanity. I confer upon the Female Pdin, the title of Duchess of our Kingdom! Im sure all of you can agree to it! Crowd: Glory to the Kingdom of Winter! Lone Winter King: And here we have the Crimson Schr. Im sure many of you have heard of her, havent you? She is the benefactor of our Kingdom, the one who brought that miraculous product, the potato. Ohh, the rumoured Didnt she also design the windmill? I heard she providedpasses to the Navy too? What a genius Ive heard shes definitely seen every single thing in the world. The Demon King: As introduced, I am the Crimson Schr. Since young, I have been socially awkward, so Im afraid I may be unable to offer words that would be appropriate for such a situation, but, I would love to offer my most sincere congrattions for the victory at the war. This Kingdom has indeed been very kind to a drifter like myself. This warmth has really melted my heart. I will never forget the smiles andughter of the people of this Kingdom, the four seasons and four corners of this Kingdom, and the intense happiness I have had the good fortune to enjoy. Lone Winter King: Butler: Young man. Lone Winter King: Ahh, sorry. I am certain the kind words of the Schr will remain long in this Kingdom. If it so pleases you, I would like to borrow your wisdom in order to further develop this Kingdom. As the Schr must surely remain on the path of Schrship, we will do our best not to confine her to the Pce, but, for her contributions, I believe it is appropriate to confer upon her the title of Countess of our Kingdom! Crowd cheers and roars. Attendee: A toast! To Peace in the South! To Victory for the King! The Female Pdin: Im d he didnt make us do the entire ceremony. The Demon King: Indeed. Lone Winter King: I also have something to report to you all. While our country has strengthened to another level from the sessful Reconquest of the Isle of Light, for the sake of our victory in the uing wars with the Demon Army, we will require further expertise in fields like Commerce, Education and Technology. Throughout history, the South has been locked in winter for a third of every year, and hence has been incapable of being any more than a collection of impoverished countries. However, the treasures of thisnd are our people. I believe the people of the Southern United Kingdoms possess a fighting spirit, a determination, an intelligence and a warmth unsurpassed by anyone. Hence, the Kingdom of Winter, the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of Ice have signed an agreement. This is basically an agreement of cooperation in the fields of Commerce and Technological Innovation. With this, Im sure we can agree we can enter a future of closer cooperation between our united nations. We fought with each other, shoulder to shoulder. And that is why I believe we can continue to work with each other on these fields. I request for your cooperation! Crowd roars and cheers madly. Crowd: Long live the King! Long live the King! The Pce of Winter, during the Banquet Marching Band ?? Simple Nobleman: Hoho, three times?! Young Knight: Thats amazing! No, no, is there anything wrong with it? Is it difficult to nt? The Demon King: Up till now, Ive let the Holy Order take charge of the seedlings, but I dont think there have been too many difficulties. We provide the seedlings for free, but in terms of agricultural technology that is needed, there are no really exorbitant costs involved. Currently, in the Vige of Wintering, weve epted non-mary gifts in return for our help, and this has really boosted productivity for the settlers. Lone Winter King: That may be so, but Industrial Guild Master: Haha! And thats how the price of copper went up? The Demon King: Thats right. One must consider the Theory of Comparative Advantage for International Trade. This Kingdom still has a lot of untapped metal resources and while they probably cant be drawn on immediately, with enough prospecting it would certainly make for a worthwhile investment in future. Lone Winter King: Since young, I have been socially awkward, so Im afraid I may be unable to offer words that would be appropriate for such a situation, she says, and yet? Theres something about her calm demeanour and her cool attitude, her grace and beauty too. Nobility No, she carries herself like royalty. Simple Nobleman: A toast to the Schr! Young Knight: Bottoms up!! Lone Winter King: What a person Shes a Hero too, then? She seems like one. Yet she seems different? No, no, since Ive be the King shes shown only miracles! Its not good to let down ones guard in this world! The Pce of Winter, during the Banquet, at a Balcony with Nobody Marching Band ?? The Hero: Hey! Im sorry for the intrusion. Butler: My, my, youve returned, Hero. The Hero: You dont seem surprised. Butler: Nyohoho! If youd died as a virgin, you might as well be some sort of Demon. You arent going to die a virgin, are you? The Hero: Exactly. Butler: Would you like another serving? The Hero: Yeah, that would be great Mmm, delicious. Butler: Nyohohoho. The cook will certainly be happy. The Hero: Delicious! Chews Marching Band ?? Butler: The Hero: Hey! This is great! Butler: Do you hate us, Hero? The Hero: Why would I? Butler: We let you go on your own after all. The Hero: That was something I forced upon everyone. You knew, didnt you, Grandpa? I cant possibly hate you. I only hope you do not hate me. Butler: Really. Nyohahahaha I do not think so. The Hero: Then, what. - Exnation Theory of Comparative Advantage: The theory suggests that if each country were to specialise in the production of the good that the country is better at producing and then trade among other countries for other goods, on the global picture, more goods would be produced than otherwise, and on the whole, every country will benefit, hence international trade should be encouraged. - Butler: Then, shall I make you a cocktail with lots of liquor in it? The Hero: Sure! Butler: The Hero: Wow, delicious I dont remember when, but I think Ive had this before at the City of Ghosts. Butler: Indeed. The Hero: How nostalgic. Butler: Yeah. The Hero: Butler: Hero. The Hero: ? Butler: HeroYou are too strong. The Hero: Yeah. Butler: If you wanted to, you could take on the Demon King, or even thousands of soldiers. The Hero: Well, yeah. Butler: Because we were a burden to you, you left us behind, right? Of course its because we were a burden. We all knew just how strong you were, but it must have been troublesome to have to cover for us as well, right? Thats why you left us right? The Hero: Butler: Im not sorry that we left you to fight on your own. Im sorry that we let you go on your own, it must have been lonely. You are strong. But, the more you use this strength, the lonelier the world gets for you, doesnt it? A normal person can never evene close to having this level of power. Your strength divides you from other people. The Hero: Butler: You kept the three of us around because you didnt want us to be lonely, right? But, youre a human. Im fairly certain youre a human. And yet, we let you be lonely. That is surely the fault of the three of us, of humanity even. The Hero: Thats really not the case. Butler: I apologise for leaving you alone. The Hero: No, no, no. I learnt a lot from you! Butler: Nyohoho! The Hero: About boobs! And about butts! And about puffy, puffy happiness! Butler: Indeed, we are puffy, puffy happiness brothers! Waiter passes tter to Butler. Butler: Please take some more. The Hero: Delicious! Tasty! Butler: Ahh, Hero. What a splendid night! If you will, please listen to what I have to say. ?? The Hero: ? Butler: We are not people you throw away. We are people who can walk with our heads held high! Perhaps we were not like this two years ago, but in this time, we have be at least a little bit stronger, havent we? Since we parted ways, we have been hard at work too. The Hero: ? Butler: Can you hear that music? Can you see the light in that room? I brought up the young man myself. Hero, do you hear that? Thatughter? The Hero: Yeah, I hear it Butler: What a great country, right? The Hero: Yeah, definitely. Butler: I wont let you be lonely anymore. I may not have your insanebat ability, but I will do something for the Lone Winter King and the Kingdom of Winter. Of course, he is still but a young fledgling, and with baby steps he may avoid the dangers ahead of him, but still I will do this. Hero. I will make this a country which has done no wrong by you. I will definitely make this a ce where you will never be lonely. The Hero: Yeah. Butler: Wee back, Hero! The Hero: Yeah. Grandpa. Im back! Volume 1 9, “I Like to Touch this Hair”

Volume 1 Chapter 9, I Like to Touch this Hair

The Vige of Wintering, Late Summer, the Diary of the Little Maid Sister Summer is about to end. It has been half a year since the Hero came back. The Mistress has been constantly in high spirits. The Pdines every day. Even when there are no swordsmanship lessons, she still manages toe up with some reason toe over. Sis has to make lunch for six people every day, so when it rains and it seems like the Pdin wouldnt being over, its really a headache for her. Because that means Ill get really fat. The Chief Maid left on a trip for a bit, and when she came back she was really angry. Im sorry for skipping school. But, I really cant skip cleaning! Moreover, I learnt a lot of names of flowers this year. I also learnt how to bake bread. Today I made the bento for the Hero. He goes somewhere different every day, but he alwayses backte in the evening. Today he went hunting for boars to make boar hotpot. Good job, Hero! The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, Training at the Backyard The Female Pdin: Slow! Raise your arms higher! Lousy Soldier: Yes, maam! Swings sword. Lousy Knight: Yes, maam! Swings sword. The Female Pdin: Wrong, hold the shield properly. Dont expose your throat! Dont drop your posture! Stab hard and fast for the centre of the mass! If you expose your weak points, you will die on the field! Lousy Soldier: Y, yah! Swings sword. Lousy Knight: Take, this! Swings sword. The Hero: Wrong!! Its more like this Swing here, then here! Then here! Disciple Nobleman: Hah! Swings sword. Disciple Soldier: Haiya! Swings sword. The Hero: Not bad, move your leg a bit further back! Disciple Nobleman: Like, like this? Shuffles. Disciple Soldier: Youre finally getting it. Swings sword. Disciple Nobleman: So, like this? Swings sword. Disciple Soldier: Thats it! Swings sword. The Hero: See, you can do it if you try. Now another 3,000 swings! Disciple Nobleman: Whaaat?! Disciple Soldier: Wh-what?! The Female Pdin: Alright, stop! Run fiveps around theke! Lousy Soldier: Y-yes, maam! Lousy Knight: F-five?! The Female Pdin: Its pointless if youre not tired out. On the battlefield, running away only happens after a fair deal of fighting, doesnt it? In other words, youll be as tired as you are now, and if your legs cant move its really a life-or-death situation. Now hurry up and get going! Lousy Soldier & Lousy Knight: Y-yes, maam! The Hero: Alright then, you guys go as well. Dont lose out. Disciple Nobleman: Huh?! Disciple Soldier: Yes! The Hero: Wait, you guys take these sacks of potatoes with you too! Disciple Nobleman: What?! Why?! Thats insane! The Hero: If youre fleeing and you see a little kid, youve got to carry the kid with you and run, right? Thats what it means to be a Hero. Disciple Nobleman sobs. Disciple Soldier: Un-understood! Lets go! Disciple Nobleman: Ahhhhh! The Hero: Ah! What strapping young men! How refreshing! The Female Pdin: They dont exercise nearly enough. The Hero: Thats not true, someone else tires them out when she teaches them. The Female Pdin: Youre about there yourself, you bully. The Hero: Really? I guess so. The Female Pdin: Theyre going to die eventually. The Hero: Its alright, its alright. Its a real learning experience if you die halfway! The Female Pdin: Really now The Hero: Whew, its so hot. Throws armour off. The Female Pdin: Dont throw of your armour. Its disgraceful. The Hero: Youre so strict Fine. Is this okay? Lays it down gingerly. The Female Pdin: Yeah, its a weapon for protecting your life. Treat it with some dignity. The Hero: Its hotIm going to go take a bath by the well. The Female Pdin: Oh, really? The Hero walks off. The Female Pdin walks off as well. The Hero: Hm? The Female Pdin: Whats wrong? The Hero: Why are you following me? The Female Pdin: Its too hot, I need to take a bath too. The Hero: Is that so. The Female Pdin: Mmm. The Hero: Alright, shall we? Ngg! Cranks pump. The Female Pdin: Ohh. Good work! This pump thing is really convenient. The Hero: Really Have we got enough water? Water gushes out. The Female Pdin: Ahh, that feels great! Im all rested up. The Hero: Alright Lets go, lets go! Water gushes out. The Female Pdin: Ahh, how cooling! So rxing! Again! The Hero: Youre really enjoying yourself! Okay, here we go again. The Female Pdin: Youre a really good guy. Water gushes out. The Female Pdin: Fuu, a bath after all this training is the best. The Hero: Indeed! The Female Pdin: Then, one more please. The Hero: Leave it to me Hang on a bit, its midsummer and Im standing here covered in sweat for you! The Female Pdin: Youre a guy and still youre so hung up on the little things. The Hero: This bath was my idea! The Female Pdin: Here, a wet towel. The Hero: Nice! It feels great! Like hell it does! Annoyed The Female Pdin: No choice then. Ill have to draw the water. Lets switch. The Hero: Alright! The Female Pdin: Lets go then. Stands up. The Hero: ?! The Female Pdin: What? The Hero: H-h-h-hey! The Female Pdin: Dont make such a slimy face. The Hero: Hey, wh-what. Why do you just have a towel on? The Female Pdin: I was bathing, wasnt I? Ahh, whats wrong? Hey, Hero. My breasts arepletely hidden when Im wearing this towel, thats the size they are, is this some kind of joke?! You and Grandpa, always making me feel like Im nothing! Im going to cut you up! The Hero: Its all white, its all white The Female Pdin: Hey, hurry up and get down there. The Hero: Y-yeah. Trembles. The Female Pdin: Damnit. Now hes reduced to a muttering mess. Lets go. Hero, the watersing The Hero: Y-yeah. The Female Pdin: Alright! Ngg The Hero: Itsing Water gushes out. The Female Pdin: Wash your hair as well Oof. The Hero: Im not a kid! Water gushes out. The Female Pdin: Hey, Hero. The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: Ill lend this to you. Its soap we made at the Holy Order. The Hero: Ohh, thanks. The Female Pdin: Watch out its slippery. Water gushes out. The Hero: Ahhh, Im all washed up! The Female Pdin: Me too. The Hero: ! ! Jumps around. The Female Pdin: Whats wrong? Did you get possessed? The Hero: Theres water in my ear. The Female Pdin: Youre such a kid. Here, use this towel. The Hero: Ohh, thanks. The Female Pdin: Rub it in properly, your hairs all fluffy after all. It absorbs a lot of water, and probably a lot of sweat as well. The Hero: Understood. Rubs hair with towel. The Female Pdin: Did you bring ab? The Hero: The Demon King does it for me. I dont have one myself. The Female Pdin: Is that so The Hero: Hah! Sits down. The Female Pdin: Whats wrong? The Hero: Just felt like taking a seat. The Female Pdin: Ahh, what a nice wind Wind blows. The Hero: This country is really the best at the end of Summer. The Female Pdin: Yeah, and the chestnuts will be great this time of the year. Grass sways as wind blows The Hero: The Female Pdin: The Female Pdin: It would be nice if it was like this forever. The Hero: Yeah The Female Pdin: The Hero: Grass sways as wind blows The Female Pdin: It cant though. The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: If two of your wives are living together, then theyllpete to see who gets to be the first wife The Hero: Even within the Demon World, its hard to say when itll achieve peace. Though its time for us to move The Hero and the Female Pdin: Eh? The Female Pdin: Ah, ahh! Thats right! Up to now, the war has been a stalemate, but obviously we dont want it to remain a stalemate. The Hero: Thats true. The Female Pdin: What a problem. The Hero: Hm? The Female Pdin: Ive been thinking. The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: That old Archer, me, you and that annoyingly well-endowed Demon King. If we formed a party and attacked all those generals and fortresses, if we couldpletely destroy the military power, wouldnt that put an end to the war? The Hero: Ahh. Well. The Female Pdin: No? The Hero: Its hard to say. The Female Pdin: The Demon King is an ally of mankind, right? The Hero: Thats not entirely urate. The Female Pdin: Really? The Hero: The Demon King is trying to achieve an end to the war which is neither a victory nor a defeat. Thats why I dont think shed agree to a proposal that involves such annihtion. The Female Pdin: Is that so. The Hero: She intends to save the Demon Race as well in her way. The Female Pdin: Is that so? The Hero: Probably. The Female Pdin: How odd. The Hero: I dont think so. I think this is much better. The Female Pdin: Really? The Hero: You and I are definitely strong The Mage who went to the Cosmic Library as well. Im fairly certain we can take down any enemy. However, taking down enemies and protecting our friends may seem the same, but arepletely different. Its good and all for us to take down the entire Demon Army, but if were not around and the Demon Army were tounch a counter-attack, who would defend the people then? The Female Pdin: Thats the responsibility of the Holy Crusaders and the rest of the Human Army. The Hero: Do you think that will solve things? The Female Pdin: Im sure of it. The Hero: Moreover, what will we do after we purge all the Demon extremists? The Female Pdin: Eh? Stunned. The Hero: If we destroy the fortresses and the army, therell be a massive number of Demons left, right? There are Demons who didnt take part in the war, or Demons who are neutral. If humans were topletely obliterate the Demon Army, that would leave the Demons defenceless. That would mean each of the Demon Races would be failed states. And then, what will we do? The Female Pdin: Th-thats The Hero: Will we hunt them? Will we make them ves? Or will we do what the Demon King said Colonise? The Female Pdin: What do you mean? The Hero: The practice of invading someone elsesnd and exploiting their resources for oneself. That. The Female Pdin: Thats not Theres no way Humans would The Hero: Thats what I said too. The Female Pdin: ! The Hero: I couldnt continue either. In any case, can you begin to understand the anger faced by the Demons who are taken as ves from the Humans? There will be countless retaliations against the Humans and the seeds will just be sown for this world to explode into violence again. The Female Pdin: Thats The Hero: Lets assume the Demons manage to kill off the bulk of the Human Army and advance into the Human World, breaking up the Southern United Kingdoms and conquering the Holy City. Every human, down to thest one, is conquered by the Demons. In every part of the world, humans are treated like cattle. Through the sweltering hot Summer, through the freezing Winter, they have to continue on in a state of hunger and misery. What would you do then? The Female Pdin: Until my life is gone, I will kill the Demons! The Hero: There you go, whats the difference? The Female Pdin: The Hero: In this case, whats the difference between this and another world war? How would the five or six of us be able to put an end to it? The world would continue in misery until it ended, wouldnt it? The Demon King is weak. Even though shes the Demon King, she makes meugh. If we were to fight one-on-one, well Shes the same as the Lone Winter King I suppose. I guess that Kings a bit more headstrong. But, its about the same. Whether its you or Granpda, I doubt there would be a problem defeating either of them. The Female Pdin: The Hero: But, from the beginning, shes Already noticed that there was such a solution. It would not be difficult to end this war through a show of extreme force. But, there would be no way to put out the mes of war. The Female Pdin flinches. The Hero: Shes quite amazing. Of course she has a stupendous knowledge, but her ability to make considerations is amazing. The Female Pdin: Thats why The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: Thats why you The Hero: Yeah? The Female Pdin: (Love her?) The Hero: Yep. Thats why wererades. The Female Pdin: Grass sways as wind blows The Hero: On another note The Female Pdin: The Hero: Youre pretty amazing yourself The Female Pdin: Eh? The Hero: You became the Grandmaster of the Holy Order after you came back from the Demon World, right? You helped to raise the living standards for the poor farmers, and other good things, even though just a year before, you were slicing Boar Demons to 3cm slices! The Female Pdin: Thats because you brought it back! The Hero: But, still, amazing. Distant smile. The Hero: All of you were amazing. I was surprised, shocked even. Every day we ate our fill, and I was always luckily enough to have such warm people by my side. I was happy. The Female Pdin: There was no oue to that. The Hero: Really? But, stillHeh. The Female Pdin: Grass sways as wind blows. The Hero: All I know how to do is destroy things, so the two of you were No, everyone was wonderful. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, Bathroom Door opens. The Hero: Heyyyy! The Demon King: Hi, is training over? The Hero: Its over, it just finished. The Demon King: Good job! The Hero: Are you taking a break as well? The Demon King: Mmm, the negotiations over the proposal have concluded. Little Maid Sister: The Mistress has been all jittery and excited over youring back home, Hero! The Demon King: What are you saying, what are you saying Squeezes cheeks. Little Maid Sister: Boohoo. Im Sowwy The Hero: Ah, what good friends you are. Little Maid Sister coughs. The Demon King: Its because she said something unnecessary. Little Maid Sister: Alright, please take a seat. Ill bring some orange water in a while. The Demon King: Whats that? The Hero: Is it cold? Little Maid Sister: Its water cooled in bottles in the well ? I came up with it myself! The Demon King: Well, well. The Hero: Its delicious! Little Maid Sister: Thanks! ? The Demon King: This is Carbon Dioxide? Little Maid Sister: I learnt it from the mistress, so I wanted to put it to some use! The Demon King: Youre still too young to be a brewer. The Hero: Its bubbly and delicious. The sweetness of the honey goes great with it too. Little Maid Sister: Thanks! ? The Demon King: That girl is probably going to be a great chef some day. The Hero: Heh? That glutton? The Demon King: An excellent chef has to be someone who knows how to appreciate food. The Hero: Really? Little Maid Sister: Chef? The Demon King: Someone who cooks great food. Little Maid Sister: That sounds wonderful ? The Hero: Wow, there are flowers in it too. The Demon King: Amazing! The Hero: This is so good it really makes me want to drool. Little Maid Sister: Ive got to go tell sis! The Hero: What about? Little Maid Sister: Ive be a chef! Im going to make a feast every single day! The Hero: I think youve misunderstood something! Little Maid Sister: Im going! Door ms shut! Little Maid Sister runs off! The Demon King: How boisterous. The Hero: Yeah, but she seems happy. The Demon King: ? The Hero: At the beginning, she was always hiding behind her sister. The Demon King: Yeah, but she still had a lot to say. The Hero: The girl wearing spectacles is evil, right? The Demon King: Ahh, thats right. The Chief Maid really surprised me! The Hero: Really? The Demon King: Yeah, what did she say after that. An existence where you dont take charge of your existence is just that of an insect. Thats what she said. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: On a side note. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Whats up with you? The Hero: What do you mean? The Demon King: Youre so unkempt. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Youre terrible. Illb it for you. The Hero: Oh, my hair. Its fine isnt it. The Demon King: Its not fine. Take care of yourself more. The Hero: Hehe. The Demon King brushes the Heros hair. The Demon King: Its all fluffy. The Hero: Youve really brushed it. The Demon King: Of course. Its my hobby after all. The Hero: Why How troublesome. The Demon King: Its good. But, it would be nice if you let your fringe grow out. Why dont you? The Hero: HmmItll be troublesome if it gets in my eyes during battles. The Demon King: Tomorrow Thats happening right? The Hero: Yeah, the Committee for the City of the Gate. The Demon King: Are you going? The Hero: Yeah. Of course. Ill be going as the ck Knight, representing the name of the Demon King. The Demon King: Thats the way it is. The Hero: Is something bad about that? Brushes hair. The Demon King: Nothing bad per se, but the Fire Dragon Lord. The Hero: Ahh, him? Its true that when I first met him, he was a stubborn old fool just as they say, but recently hes be more cooperative? Especially when his daughter was made the representative for Outskirts Demons at the Committee for the City of the Gate, he didnt make oneint. The Demon King: Yeah, thats the heart of the problem. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Ahh. Ahem, ahem. When the Committee is over, youlle straight back? The Hero: No, this time it seems theyre having some Ennichi celebrations on the streets. The Demon King: Ennichi? The Hero: Its some kind of Eastern festival. The East Fortress Commander suggested it. The Demon King: Hmm. The Hero: It seems therell be lots of free, cheap and special food to eat and the night will be lit up withnterns. After that, therell be a band to y music. The Demon King: The goal is for interaction? The Hero: Yeah, rtions are still tense between the human merchants and the Demons. In this way, the merchants will get to interact with the Demons while having fun. The Demon King: Do you understand the feeling of being conquered and colonised? The Hero: Yeah, I experienced it myself. The Demon King: What an unfortunate example. The administration of the Human Holy Crusaders wasnt just bad, it can be said to have been a disaster. The Hero: The Merchants dont discriminate so heavily against the Demons and there are people like the East Fortress Commander who treat them fairly. The Demon King: Though he needs to calm down a little. The Hero: Well, hes done his best. Now Ill be the representative of the Demon King. As long as I stand glowering from the balcony, Im sure the members of the Committee will behave themselves like good children. The Demon King: Hmm, is that so That being said, whats the topic for discussion? The Hero: There has been a proposal for the construction of a hospital to help treat injuries and boost healthcare and hygiene. - Exnation Ennichi: A special day where people go to Shinto temples to pray. A lot lessmon nowadays, it was also a day for people to throw festivals and set up stalls selling food and games. - The Demon King: Ohh, a good viewpoint. The Hero: It was proposed by the Fire Dragon Lady. Its not going to be a charitable mission but the Fire Dragon Race has already proposed to put up half the funding as well as tools and building materials. This job will require argebour force, so there have been a lot of poor Demons flooding the streets, its not a very nice thing to say, but its creating a very bad vibe in the area. The Demon King: Public Good, eh? It will be interesting to watch what the economic result will be. The Hero: Anyway, it seems all of us will be heading to the Ennichi festival, the Fire Dragon Lady mentioned something about Apple Candy, so Ill be back homete. The Demon King: The Hero: Showing my face and helping the residents to rx more is also one of my responsibilities. The Demon King: The Winter Pce, the Study with a Mountain of Books Lone Winter King: Its this bad? Butler: Young man, are you alright? Lone Winter King: Bring me a strong iced wine No, alcohol is suicide. Bring me some tea. Make it really strong. Butler: Yes. Seneschal: Your Majesty, while we prepare for the next group. Lone Winter King: I, I understand. Five minutes, let me rest for five minutes. Butler: Young man, heres your tea. Lone Winter King: This is really hard work. Butler: Indeed it is. As it should be. Gulps down tea. Lone Winter King: Can we speed up the deliberations? Butler: Nope, the very nature of deliberations are slow. Lone Winter King: But at the present state Butler: Yes, but it really cant be helped. Lone Winter King: Dont tell me because of that Tripartite Agreement, the number of reports, petitions and appeals have umted to this extent! Butler: It was beyond our expectations. Lone Winter King: To begin with, have we not already split tax collection into Spring and Autumn and gotten thendlords to move the goods to warehouses in the cities? Butler: Indeed. Lone Winter King: Municipally, weve already issued the decree to abolish serfdom and settled the issue of nutrition in the army. So why is the workload still increasing?! Butler: With the route through the Southern Artic Ocean open, weve got port Docking Permits. Weve got tax invoices from merchants, applications for Migration Its probably impossible for you to handle everything by yourself, your majesty. - Exnation Public Good: A good or service provided by the government or other bodies such as roads or bridges that the entirety of society will be able to benefit from, which is paid for by public money. In more developed and urbanised countries like Japan, this is needed a lot less, but in ces like the Demon World, it is utterly necessary for development to take ce. Docking Permits: Ports must set a limit on the number of ships which are allowed to enter to prevent congestion. For this reason, docking permits can be very expensive. Immigration: At present, migration is no longer a particrly special urrence. There were also many migrants in the Middle Ages and before that. It has been said that the true story of the 1284 Pied Piper of Hamelin was that themunity migrated to the East. - Lone Winter King: Thats right, wheres the rest of my officers? Dont I have Tax Officers? Butler: The system copsed after an intense week and people moved to other jobs. To begin with, Tax Collection is a family business. Thats why we should have a dedicated civil service like therger Kingdoms in the Central Continent. Seneschal: Umm, Your Majesty? Its time for the next delegation of merchants. May I send them in? Lone Winter King: Yeah, theres no choice,e in! Disciple Merchant: Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty! Bows. Lone Winter King: Ohh, d you could make it, Merchant. Disciple Merchant: What a splendid study. Butler: This? Seneschal: Ill look in the mountain. Is it this? Lone Winter King: Or is it this? Thats not right! Disciple Merchant: What are you looking for? Lone Winter King: Oh, sorry. Youre here to trade in herring, right? Weve received the certificate you sent us, and its here somewhere Theres also the issue of this months tax. Im sorry, everything is everywhere. Merchant: Oh if youre looking for that. Rummages through mountain. Pulls out paper. Disciple Merchant: Here it is. This is the letter of introduction I submitted earlier and the tax is Pulls out paper. Disciple Merchant: Noted in this slip here. Pulls out paper. Disciple Merchant: These are the permit applications. This months is all tied up here, its just a few sheets but its quite messy. Lone Winter King: Ohh! Good job! Youve saved us a lot of time. Butler: Every day is a battle in here. Seneschal: Always a pointless battle. A battle of attrition so to speak. Lone Winter King: So, Merchant. About the herring. Disciple Merchant: Im afraid you have it all mixed up. Im the third son of a merchant family, the one who does the herring transactions is the second son, and the one who sits on the Merchants Union and handles the finances is the eldest son, I do not have anything to do. In other words, I am jobless. Lone Winter King: Hmm, thats a problem. Then, what have youe to my Pce for? Disciple Merchant: This Letter of Introduction His education isplete. Please use him for any work you find necessary, he is highly capable. Crimson Lone Winter King: Disciple Merchant: If the Pce is willing to lend me a small ship, I believe I can be useful in trading or in gathering economic intelligence. I am, after all, the son of a merchant family. Lone Winter King: Hmm. Youvee to the right ce. Ahahaha. Butler: This country always wees promising young people. Disciple Merchant: Eh? Why are you all so happy? Lone Winter King: Hahaha! Dont worry about all the small things! Ahahaha! - Exnation Tax Collector: This can be split into levying (the act of deciding who the tax burden goes to) and collection (the act of physically collecting taxes). The former is usually done by a higher-level official. Naturally, a fair degree of power is endowed to tax collectors to fulfil their duties. - City of the Gate, A Large Boulevard during Ennichi ?? The Hero: Heh, its fairly exciting out here. East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah, everythings going ording to n, this is a good start. The Hero: What a nice smell. East Fortress Base Commander: Thats roast pork. Heh, how nostalgic. Hey, ck Knight. Lets buy some. The Hero: Oh, lets, lets! East Fortress Base Commander: And some cold ale too. ?? Human Merchant: Wee! The Hero: Give me four slices of that wonderful smelling pork. Human Merchant: Coming up! Thatll be two silver pieces! The Hero: Can you really sell things for that price? Human Merchant: For todays festival, the Citys Merchants Association is absorbing half of all prices. Were also going to have a big danceter on! The Hero: ReallyThats a really wonderful smell! Human Merchant: Thats right. This roast pork is marinated in secret spices from the Kingdom of the Dunes. Bro, youve really bought something good! ?? East Fortress Base Commander: Give me two gons of ale! Demon Merchant: Hey, arent you the East Fortress Base Commander? East Fortress Base Commander: Ahh, sorry for bothering you. Demon Merchant: No, no, not at all. Two gons? Im cooling them right now, give me just a moment. East Fortress Base Commander: Thanks So how is everything? Demon Merchant: Quite prosperous. I think the militia ruffians arent taking to the streets just for today. Its such a happy festival. East Fortress Base Commander: That would be nice. Demon Merchant: Somehow, its best when were not fighting. Im really sorry for this whole war. Whether youre being burnt out of your home or chased from ce to ce, its a tough life, isnt it? East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah, I promise Ill do my best to make sure such a thing doesnt happen around here. Demon Merchant: Hahahaha! The promises of a Human But, its the Commander, after all! In this City, perhaps you may keep your word. Here, two gons! Its cold! East Fortress Base Commander: Ohh, just put it down here. ?? The Hero: Commander, Ive got it! East Fortress Base Commander: Ive got the ale here too. The Hero: Eat up, eat up. East Fortress Base Commander: Alright. Wow! Its delicious! The Hero: To drink this in this volcano-like heat is really refreshing! East Fortress Base Commander: Cold ale really hits the spot! Its the best! Oi, this is what I call food! ?? Fire Dragon Lady: So you guys were here. Demon Girl: Ah, umm G-g-good afternoon. The Hero: Ah East Fortress Base Commander: We went out for a bit. Fire Dragon Lady: What do you mean? I told you, this observation is our public duty. And to think the two of you were cking off here. The Hero: W-we werent really cking off. East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah? Im here to get stuff for my subordinates. The Hero: I dont have any subordinates Demon Girl: S-sorry Fire Dragon Lady: You should feel ashamed about yourself, its toote to find an excuse. Sir ck Knight! The Hero: Y-yes? Fire Dragon Lady: I am your wife. What kind of attitude are you showing me? Even though Im a Fire Dragon, I feel like crying a whole river right now. The Hero: Youre not my wife. Thats just something that old Lord guy said Fire Dragon Lady: No matter how you try to coax me out of it, my heart, my body, everything of me belongs to you. The Hero: No it doesnt. We dont have that kind of rtionship. Demon Girl: I-I-Im sorry. The Hero: No, none of this is your fault. Demon Girl: No, umm I told her that the ck Knight went out Im sorry. The Hero: Well, no matter what we do, we would have been found out eventually. ?? East Fortress Base Commander: That being said, arent you a little overdressed? Fire Dragon Lady: Of course Thats because you said, Ennichi is a day even the poorest peasant will dress up, didnt you? The Hero: But isnt that a little too little cloth? East Fortress Base Commander: Hahaha! Havent I said this before? No matter where you go, youll find that people from the East all dress like this, its so incredibly hot after all Fire Dragon Lady: I had to rush it out. It takes too long to sew. The Hero: I think Demon Girl: Oh no, everyones Looking Here East Fortress Base Commander: Ohh, the Demon girls are really quite cute. Fire Dragon Lady: It took me very long to get this girl to wear what shes wearing now. Shes very troublesome. Demon Girl: I-Im sorry sorry. Fire Dragon Lady: No, no, its okay. Demon Girl flinches. Fire Dragon Lady: Its just that, even though youre from a lower ss than me, at the very least, a girl should care about how she looks. A Demon whos yet to be married needs to show off her skin from time to time! Demon Girl: Thats a Fire Dragon custom Its embarrassing Fire Dragon Lady: Its a Demon thing. Demon Girl: Ah, ahhchoo! The Hero: OhhRoast potatoes, even in a ce like this. East Fortress Base Commander: Thats a local delicacy. The Hero: Oh right, I forgot it came from the Demon World. East Fortress Base Commander: Eat up! Eat up! Its delicious! Fire Dragon Lady: Husband? The Hero: Delicious, the butter is great. East Fortress Base Commander: Right? Its the Rock Salt. Fire Dragon Lady: Husband!! The Hero: Yes?! Fire Dragon Lady: How is it? The Hero: How? Its a great Ennichi festival. Fire Dragon Lady: How? Snorts fire. Demon Girl: I-I-Im sorry, ck Knight. The Hero: This is a really delicious potato, isnt it? Fire Dragon Lady: How. Is. It?! Snorts fire. - Exnation Rock Salt: Salt which is mined as opposed to dried from seawater in salt ts. Seas may have receded from ancient times, or mountains may have moved due to tectonic shifts, resulting in mineral deposits of salt ind. These are abundant in many ces throughout the world. - East Fortress Base Commander (Small voice): Hey, shes talking about that. The Hero (Small voice): What? East Fortress Base Commander (Small voice): Compliment her clothing. Fire Dragon Lady fumes. The Hero: Ah, yeah! It really suits you! Youve got a great sense of style, and your idea of mixing international fashions is really splendid! Its a bit revealing, but thats alright, its a festival, after all! East Fortress Base Commander: Hey, thats going a bit too far. Fire Dragon Lady: R-r-really?! Husband! Im the luckiest girl in the world! The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Study The Demon King: Hmm The Chief Maid: If you include this month, thats twice already. The rumblings have really gotten bigger. The Demon King: And the intervals have gotten shorter as well. The Chief Maid: Yes, I believe were at the limit The Demon King: How much time do we have left? The Chief Maid: Its better if we get it over with as soon as we can, but I would say about a week. The Demon King: Alright, in a week then. The Chief Maid: I will do my best. The Demon King: No, its been nearly two days. Weve done a good job of holding it, its nearly time for that day. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Prepare my sleeping quarters at the Pce of Death. The Chief Maid: Understood. The Demon King: Weve got to hurry up and conclude our work in the Human World. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Dont make such a face. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Well go back soon. Well meet again soon. The Kingdom of Metal, on a Hill outside the City The Demon King, the Hero and Elder Sister Maid teleport in. The Demon King: The air is really moist here. Elder Sister Maid: My head is still throbbing The Demon King: Are you alright. Elder Sister Maid: Y-yes The Demon King: Dont push yourself. Take deep breaths. The Hero: Now that I think about it, that was your first time teleporting. Elder Sister Maid: Yes, it was, enlightening Im alright. The Demon King: Its just motion sickness, it cant be helped. The Hero: Just take your time and youll recover. The three walk through the grass. The Demon King: It should be about 20 minutes to the city. The Hero: Indeed. Elder Sister Maid: So thats the Capital of the Kingdom of Metal, how massive! The Demon King: Hmm, theres lots of smoke issuing from it, huh? Looks like there are a lot of factories down there. The Hero: That being said, what are we here for today? The Demon King: Yeah, it seems that the prototype of the machine I asked them to construct is finished. The Hero: So were here to look at it? With the Elder Sister Maid? The Demon King: Shes taught me a lot during my work with her. Shes much more capable than any nobleman or merchant. Elder Sister Maid: Thats an exaggeration. The Demon King: Alright, shall we go into the city? Right Gate Guard: Stop! Left Gate Guard: Where do youe from, are you merchants? The Demon King: I am the Schr from the Kingdom of Winter. This is my Identification. Right Gate Guard: The Royal Seal of the Kingdom of Winter! Please,e right in! The Demon King: Identities are such useful things. The Hero: Im thankful we managed to avoid trouble there. Elder Sister Maid: Amazing! Are all the houses built from stone? The Demon King: Hey, hey, its dangerous to walk around looking upwards. The Hero: Well, where to? Elder Sister Maid: Where? The Demon King: Hmm, I dont know. The Hero: What, how useless. Show me the letter. The Demon King: Here. Unfolds letter. The Hero: Ahh, this is the Craftsmen Quarter by the River. Elder Sister Maid: You know this ce well! The Hero: Im sort of a vagabond, I have to memorise all kinds of cities in order to not get lost, navigation is kind of my strong suit. Elder Sister Maid: What an amazing ability. The Demon King: Thats because hes mine. Shall we go? The Hero: Yes, yes. The Demon King: Hoho, so this is the Kingdom of Steel. That workshop seems to be making silverware? The Hero: Youre very interested. The Demon King: This is my first time actually being here. The Hero: What sort of workshop are we headed to? A munitions workshop? Or an agricultural implements workshop? The Demon King: The workshop specialises in Copper Casting, but its neither munitions nor agricultural implements we are here for. You mentioned something about education before right? The Hero: Yeah, I did. Elder Sister Maid: ? The Demon King: I was thinking that education should really y a much bigger role in this world. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: The true expanse of the world is so big, none can guess at its size. Humans, as beings which possess knowledge, seek to try to gain more practical and theoretical knowledge. They are trying to understand more about the world around them. The Hero: Thats what you think. But you seem to be convinced that your methods are correct, and that you are always right. Elder Sister Maid: The Demon King: In order to wrestle with this darkness, knowledge is important. Well, thats one level of education. Perhaps a more important reason for having education is the reality of not having an education and the denying of understanding to those who have no education. The Hero: Huh? Thats a bit tooplicated for me. Elder Sister Maid: I agree. The Demon King: Elder Sister Maid, do you understand? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Thats For example, serfs, who have little education, and hence little knowledge, are unable toprehend that there exists a better world. That is why they will always be in poverty. The Hero: But surely they can see that thendlords live a better life than they do. Elder Sister Maid: Yes, but they cannot see what they should be doing. Or rather, they cannot see that it is possible to do things this way to get better results. The Hero: The Demon King: Elder Sister Maid: This is a very unfortunate thing, to not know your ce in the world and who you could be No, one would not even know whether one was happy. Thats why I can really understand what the Mistress is saying. - Exnation Casting: Metal is heated to its melting point and then poured into a mould such that when the metal cools it will take the shape of the mould. If one is able to increase the temperatures involved as much as possible, costs can be lowered duringrge scale production. - The Hero: Is that so The Demon King: An so, for such an important thing like education, theres a noticeable w in it. Do you know what it is? The Hero: What is it? Elder Sister Maid: I dont understand The Demon King: That is that the speed of learning is too slow. For one person to transmit knowledge to another person, a significant amount of time is required. Moreover, there are limits to the number of people you can transmit knowledge to at one time. If it continued to be that one teacher could only ept one student at a time, even if one spent his whole life doing this, the sum of human knowledge would never increase. The Hero: Ahh, I understand what you mean. Elder Sister Maid: But, knowledge is such a precious thing, so theres really no choice. The more I learn from the Mistress, the more I dont feel like I can catch up The Demon King: Thats a system which you have convinced yourself to believe. Whoever decided that just because knowledge is precious, learning has to be difficult? The Hero: Is that so? The Kingdom of Metal, the Craftsmen Quarter, in a Large Workshop Opens door. Chief Craftsman: Ahh, the Schr! You must be tired from your long journey! The Demon King: Thank you for all your help, Chief Craftsman. Chief Craftsman: No, no! It is truly everybodys pleasure to be able to receive such interesting assignments even at such an age. Elder Sister Maid: What a huge workshop! Chief Craftsman: Ahh, its dangerous to walk around like that, youngdy. Steam hisses out of a vent. Chief Craftsman: Theres steam shooting out of everywhere. Its important to cool down the molten metal. Elder Sister Maid: Y-yes. Scared. Chief Craftsman: Well then, you must be tired. Ill get you some tea, so how about we head to the back The Demon King: No, thats quite alright. Above all, Id like to see the prototype. Chief Craftsman: Ahahaha. Your eagerness hasnt changed since west talked in the Kingdom of Winter! In that case, pleasee over here. Weve designed a special warehouse. Churn, churn, churn, churn The Demon King: So this is it! The Hero: Its massive! Elder Sister Maid: Is this a? It looks like a Threshing Machine, but its so much bigger Chief Craftsman: Its meant to be a temporary structure, so we had to make it bigger. It was originally a rather small machine. But once we made it bigger, it functions fairly well as a warehouse. The Hero: Warehouse? Chief Craftsman: Come in. - Exnation Threshing Machine: A machine which is used to separate the edible part of the grain from the chaff that surrounds it in cereal crops like barley or rice. In the process of separating the chaff, there is the opportunity to remove the chaff as well. Some threshing machines work asbine harvesters, harvesting, threshing and separating the chaff at the same time. - nk, nk, nk Elder Sister Maid: What a lot of drawers and cupboards. Chief Craftsman: This is whats inside. Opens drawer. The Hero: Are these stamps? Elder Sister Maid: Or seals? Chief Craftsman: Yeah, they are called Printing Types. The Demon King: This is our new weapon. Chief Craftsman: We call it the Moveable Type Printing Press. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, Late at Night in the Corridors The Female Pdin: Shocked. The Demon King: Shocked. The Female Pdin: W-why, a-are you here? The Demon King: Thats my line. The Female Pdin: No, wheres the washroom? The Demon King: Its in the opposite end of the corridor. The Female Pdin: So why are you over here? The Demon King: Th-thats Umm The Female Pdin: Thats? The Demon King: Hey, whats that! Your shimmering, white nightgown! Isnt that s-s-silk?! What a luxurious item! The Female Pdin: Its fine isnt it? People should be allowed to wear what they want! The Demon King: That sort of thing is not fine! The Female Pdin: In that case, why are you hugging a pillow? The Demon King: Thats The Female Pdin: Are you trying to sneak into this door? The Demon King: Nothing of the sort. The Female Pdin: Are you intending to go to the Heros room this time at night? The Demon King: N-n-no! Im going for some night tea. The Female Pdin: If thats the case, then Im going for some night tea as well. The Demon King: In what world does a woman wear a silk nightgown to go to a mans room for some night tea! Stupid! The Female Pdin: Dont lecture me when youre on your way to drink tea while hugging a pillow! The Demon King: Mm, look here Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: What? The Demon King: I thought that you were my only friend in the Human World The Female Pdin: Thats right, Demon King. The Demon King: Thats why you should get out of my sight right now. The Female Pdin: Thats not possible. The Demon King: Come againter. I have something important to talk to him about. The Female Pdin: I have something important to talk to him about too. The Demon King: Like what? The Female Pdin: Like this! Unfurls handkerchief. The Demon King: Whats that? I promise to be forever faithful to my love? Isnt this a womans handkerchief Eh? Ehh?! The Female Pdin: Thats right. It belongs to that Fire Dragon Lady. Im being worked to the death here, but I still want to go and grind this person to dust. Cracks knuckles. The Demon King: Definitely Cracks knuckles. The Female Pdin: And that is why I will not back down tonight. My sword hungers for a divine massacre! The Demon King: What kind of issue is that! For the remaining few days - Exnation Printing Types: Using a chisel, stamps are carved with single letters. This was invented in China around the 11th century. The first printing types were made out of stone. From the 14th century onwards, the Koreans began making printing presses out of metal. It first began to be produced in Europe in the 15th century. Moveable Type Printing Press: In 1455, Gutenberg created a printing press using a chisel and printing types. This is an improvement from the Printing Type Press invented in China, but it is still unclear if it was not invented earlier in another ce. - The Female Pdin: Eh? The Demon King: No, its nothing. In any case, Im not backing down either. The Chief Maid: Im afraid I must step in. The Demon King and the Female Pdin: Eh? The Demon King and the Female Pdin: Eh?! The Chief Maid: So the Hero has invited you both? Now, its not my ce to judge these sorts of activities, Im just a servant myself. But what were seeing here is a three way? The Demon King: What are you saying, Chief Maid?! The Female Pdin: Hey, thats really indecent! Have you no shame! The Chief Maid: Its because the two of you are inexperienced, thats why you have that burning feeling of rivalry, right? Victory is not guaranteed. In such times, what you really need is some generosity of spirit and leniency. If you dont get into the room with him, you cant say youve be a real woman. The Demon King: Thats probably true, but The Female Pdin: Its true that this is rather embarrassing. The Chief Maid: In that case, hurry up and get it over with, Ill be waiting over here. The Demon King: Dont lump these things together! The Female Pdin: I cant possibly be doing these things as a Pdin! The Chief Maid: In that case, stop making such a fuss in the corridors. No, why dont the three of you repair your rtionship. Smiles. Closes door! The Vige of Wintering, the Demon Kings Mansion, the Heros Room The Demon King and the Female Pdin: Ahh! The Hero: What are the two of you doing? The Female Pdin: No, thats, weve got something we need to talk about. The Demon King: Hmm, itll take a significant amount of time to convey the deepest details of this particr issue, but as you know the world is currently in a particr state of chaos and hence while it may be inconvenient, it is still currently expedient to speak to you within this time, despite having, unfortunately, to rouse you from your slumber. The Hero: Youre going to have to calm down if you want me not to be confused. The Demon King: In other words, this time we havee here in order to pick up leads that will help us to uncover the light, and are you not obliged to aid us by being forting in this quest? Its true that there are many risks to be taken in this, but are we not about to take the next step already? The Hero: Calm down! Hits table. The Demon King: Ugh! The Hero: Summarise exactly what you want. The Demon King: Shudders. The Female Pdin: Shudders. The Hero: Dont avoid eye contact with me. The Demon King: Time. The Hero: What? The Demon King: You were there at the War Committee when I brought it up, werent you? The Hero: Huh? The Female Pdin: What sort of war are you talking about? The Demon King: This is a conference I would like to have as the Demon King. Diplomacy is my domain. We can decide this quickly with a discussion. The Female Pdin: What do you mean? The Demon King: I will be on top, and the Female Pdin can be at the bottom. The Female Pdin: What kind of attitude is that, Demon King?! The Hero: How free these people are. The Demon King: What do you mean? Im talking about which bunk well sleep on. The Female Pdin: O, oh. I see. I was mistaken. The Demon King: Is that alright? The Female Pdin: Wait, where will the Hero be? The Demon King: Its been decided that he will be on top. The Female Pdin: Then doesnt that mean Ill be alone at the bottom! The Demon King: No? Then how about we do a time sharing agreement? The Female Pdin: A what? The Demon King: Well share him, and we can have him for specific time slots. The Female Pdin: Sounds like a troublesome agreement. The Demon King: I believe its a very productive agreement. The Female Pdin: So, how will it be exactly. The Demon King: The Hero will sleep in your bed in the day, and in my bed at night. The Female Pdin: Wont you just have him to yourself, then?! The Hero: What a petty discussion. Please finish it quickly. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Room of the Hero The Hero: Whats with this situation, why am I even awake?! The Demon King: In diplomacy, there is always dishonesty and euphemism. Its a very sad picture. The Female Pdin: Youre the one whos hiding what you really want. But, theres nothing for it. My grandmother always said, When theres only one piece of bread, be grateful if you can have half. The Hero: What an object I am. The Demon King: What do you mean! Youve got two girls fighting over you! Unless youre not satisfied? The Female Pdin: Maybe youve got a thing for Fire Dragons, huh?! The Hero: No, thats not it. The Demon King: Its just because Im squishy, right?! Because I have b?! Even though you already said you belonged to me! The Female Pdin: Just because I have small breasts?! You really like that kind of thing? The virgins greatest virtue is her purity. That is something even the Spirit has decided! The Hero: Ohh, why, why is this happening to me. The Demon King: Hmm. At this rate, what the Chief Maid said is right. The Female Pdin: Its annoying, but it seems that way. The Demon King: Lets have a one hour truce. The Female Pdin: Good idea. The Hero: Do you really have to argue about this over my head? The Demon King: Its not over your head, is it? Its just within your earshot. The Female Pdin: Yeah, its more over your shoulder, really. The Hero: The Demon King: What, are you nervous? The Female Pdin: (Its about his own sleeping position! Of course he is?!) The Hero: Well, everyone should calm down. The Female Pdin: Well, this isnt a life or death situation or anything. The Hero: (Its like some fight to the death!) The Demon King: How warm! And fluffy! The Female Pdin: Mmm, its an unexpectedly good ce to sleep. The Hero: The Demon King: Are you asleep, Hero? The Female Pdin: He must be, hes really tired. The Hero: (How could I be asleep? If a virgin could sleep in such a situation, I would destroy him with a Thunder Destruction Spell.) The Demon King: The Heros hair is so fluffy. The Female Pdin: Yeah, its like a big dog. The Demon King: I like touching this hair. Im the one who has to put it in ce, arent I? The Female Pdin: Well, hes been with me much longer, Im sure you know this. The Hero: The Hero: (Th, this is bad. I have to pretend to be asleep. Theyre very astute! Ive got to calm my soul! The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Hey, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Yeah? The Demon King: Ill be returning to the Demon World next week. The Female Pdin: Eh? The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: Yeah, Ive got to renew my Demon King License. The Female Pdin: License? Youve got a license for that? The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: I see Will you being back quickly? The Demon King: No, well. At earliest, Ill be gone for a few months. The Female Pdin: Whats going on? Demon King Are you having second thoughts? The Demon King: No Im not. Ive got no choice. As the Demon King, I have to Well, its hard to exin this. Ive got to go pay my respect to the graves of the generations of Demon Kings before me. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Moreover, within the Demon World, there are lots and lots of citizens who support an invasion of the Human World. At present, there are a lot of people who are saying that I was killed in the fight with the Hero, and are supporting a coup detat. I need to show them Im still there, otherwise the more radical elements in the demon World could rise up and the war would begin again, but worse. The Female Pdin: But, then The Hero: () The Demon King: Yeah? The Female Pdin: So youre going to the Demon World to deal with the factions which support a renewed war effort? That seems remarkably dangerous. The Hero: (It really is. Discourage her some more, Female Pdin.) The Demon King: My specialties are Economics and Diplomacy. Im sure I can apply this. I dont think there are any living things who can fight wars without food or money. The Female Pdin: But shouldnt you bring someone else? Umm Like the Hero. I could even go with you? The Demon King: No Deep in thought The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Its fineThe tombs of the Demon Kings are in a ce known as the Pce of Death, this is a ce which no one other than me must know about. I cannot bring you or anyone else along. I must go alone. The Female Pdin: Is that the case The Demon King: Yeah, thats why, I was hoping to feel some of the Heros body heat before I went. The Hero: () The Demon King: I went so far as to tell you all that. Please let me. The Female Pdin: Well The Demon King: Of course Ill be taking the Chief Maid along. In the interest of self-protection, Ill take two people. The Female Pdin: Really now. The Demon King: Ive left what needs to be done in this World in a collection of books. You know about the potatoes and the agriculture. The Female Pdin: Yeah, leave it to the Holy Order. The Demon King: Ive also contacted the Union about the herring. The windmills and newpasses have been paid for and contracted, we can rely on the Union to deal with it from now on. If theres anything important, you may still contact me. The Female Pdin: I understand. The Demon King: The Chief Maid will brief you about the details. Oh and Im leaving the Hero to you. The Female Pdin: I understand, you can count on me, this sword belongs to you. The Vige of wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Study The Demon King: Well. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Little Sister Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Do you more or less understand? Elder Sister Maid: I understand. Little Sister Maid: I dont. The Chief Maid: Just listen to what your sister tells you to do everyday. Little Sister Maid: Yes! The Chief Maid: Dont needlessly lengthen the ends of your sentences. Little Sister Maid: Y-yes. The Demon King: Well, dont be down. The Hero: So youll really be gone for a long time? The Demon King: The Chief Maid still has more investigations to do, but, there are many stubborn people among the Demon Race. There are also those who see the Human World as arge gold mine These elements have to be pulled out at the roots The Hero: I should reallye with you. The Demon King: I will go alone. The Hero: The Demon King: Dont make that face. No matter what, this is part of my job as the Demon King. If I wasnt the Demon King, maybe I wouldnt have to do this. But since its in my contract, I do. The Chief Maid: I will protect the Demon King. The Demon King: Yeah, the Chief Maid will be there. The Hero: The Demon King: More importantly, Im worried for this world. While the Southern United Kingdoms have stabilised, and the agricultural revolution is proceeding smoothly, Ive been hearing talk about unrest in the Kingdom of White Night. The Hero: It seems that way. The Demon King: You are the person I trust most in this world. After all, you are my owner. That is why I am confident of leaving this ce to you. Previously, you went to the Demon World and left me here. In that time, I achieved an agricultural revolution and technological innovation over here. However, this time is different. You know that the issue with the City of the Gate cannot be settled simply with a warrior. You still need me. Thats why, Im leaving this ce to you. The Hero: I understand. The Demon King: And, Elder Sister. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Keep this for me. Elder Sister Maid: A ring? The Demon King: Yeah, its from my friend the Earth Fairy. Its nothing big, but shes casted a hologram illusion spell on it, it creates a hologram of myself on you. It doesnte with sound, so youll have to pretend to be me. Elder Sister Maid: Whats it for? The Demon King: If merchantse with bills or guestse to visit, I cant always be there, right? Im fairly certain that the Hero can deal with it, but if its really too important, then using this ring, you can be my substitute. Elder Sister Maid: I understand. Please do not worry and do what you have to do. Little Sister Maid: Mistress! The Demon King: Yes? Little Sister Maid: A present? Passes a lucky charm. The Chief Maid: Whats this! The Demon King: Ahahaha. Youve really picked this out. Elder Sister Maid: I prayed for your safe return. Little Sister Maid: We prayed! The Demon King: Hmm, at best Ill be gone for three months, at worst, half a year. The Chief Maid: Dont sleep while youre full, alright? Elder Sister Maid: Goodbye. Little Sister Maid: Bye ? Teleports away. The City of the Gate, Outside the City Teleports in. The Demon King: Your teleportation magic sure is convenient. The Hero: Ill count on you to help with the moving. The Chief Maid: Youve got a lot less stuff to move than the Demon King. The Demon King: Ahh, its been a long time since I wasst in the Demon World! The Chief Maid: Yeah, that green sun sure is nostalgic. The Demon King: This ishmm, just outside the South of the city. The Hero: Thats right. Well get to the South Gate once we go down this hill. The Demon King: Right. Then well part ways here. The Hero: Ill send you all the way to the city. The Demon King: No, you shouldnt get close to the city. The Hero: What? The Demon King: I-in any case its forbidden I wont let you meet up with your mistress that Fire Dragon Lady The Hero: ? The Demon King: Hey, Hero! The Hero: Yeah? The Demon King: Youre so fluffy! Rubs hair. The Hero: Dont do that so suddenly! The Chief Maid: Well, well. The Demon King: What, its just some fuel for my heart. The Hero: Are you alright? The Demon King: You worry too much. Youre supposed to be a man. The Hero: People have said that. The Demon King: Im alright, youve given me the energy after all. I have no intention of losing to my predecessors. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Weve made it this far. I can already feel the bright air from the City of the Gate, a city where Humans and Demons live together. I can already see the top of the hill. The Hero: Yeah, thats right. The Demon King: Gomy Hero. The Hero: Gomy Demon King. The Demon King and the Hero: We will meet again, very soon. The Vige of Wintering, Early Autumn Small Viger: Hey! Hey! Middle Aged Viger: Hey, good afternoon. Wool Tailor: Good afternoon! Small Viger: Weve squeezed a lot today. Wool Tailor: Yeah, its already autumn. Weve got to start making the cheese. Small Viger: Yeah, thats right, so what are we making this year? Middle Aged Viger: How about we add some almonds into it. Wool Tailor: Good idea, weve got a lot of milk. We should really make one with almonds in it. Maybe its because theyve eaten so many clovers, but the milk this year is really sweet. Small Viger: Thats right, Ive heard lots of good things about it. Middle Aged Viger: Will you trade them for barley or potatoes? Wool Tailor: Of course. I dont mind silver either. Small Viger: Oh thats right, we can use silver now. Middle Aged Viger: Thats right. Ive been burying mine. Wool Tailor: Thats good, one can never be too careful. Small Viger: Ive been spreading Ashes and Fish Scum over my potato fields. Middle Aged Viger: Spreading it? Wool Tailor: Whats fish scum? Small Viger: The Order taught us to use them as fertiliser. When the Blessings of the Earth get too weak, you just spread a bit over and it gets much better. Middle Aged Viger: But thats got to be expensive. Wool Tailor: Yeah. Small Viger: Well, its not that expensive. The money I get from selling the potatoes from the Temr is a lot more. Its a real sin how good they are to us. Middle Aged Viger: Thats probably true. Small Viger: More importantly, if I dont spread it, the potatoes get sick quite easily. Weve already decreased the number of wheat crops weve sown, so if the potatoes get sick well be in real trouble. Middle Aged Viger: I see, I see. I should probably sow some too. Wool Tailor: Ill save the herring for my own stomach then. Small Viger: Ahahaha! Lets get some buttered herring down at the bar. Middle Aged Viger: Yeah, that sounds great! Wool Tailor: Maybe I can even sell some cheese there. Small Viger: Lets do it! The Holy Imperial Capital, the House of Nobles, in a Secret Court Gavel bangs. Military Nobleman: The City of the Gate was abandoned Rich Nobleman: To retreatso brazenly Bishop: The Spiritwouldpunish Military Nobleman: As expectedweak nobleman Rich Nobleman: Illegitimate Bishop: KingdomMillions Military Nobleman: The punishment Rich Nobleman: Capital punishmentCrucifixion Bishop: SaltImpalingBurning Gavel bangs. Military Nobleman: The sentence is Rich Nobleman: No, this timeMartial Court Bishop: AppropriateInquisition Military Nobleman: Running from the enemyDereliction of duty Rich Nobleman: Betrayal of the KingdomAiding the enemy Bishop: Heresy Commander: No! Leaders of the Kingdom! Clergy of the Holy Church of Light! I would never, never betray this Kingdom! Military Nobleman: What are you saying! Do you know how much blood is going to be spilt because of you allowing the City of the Gate to fall! Rich Nobleman: Two years! Two years of preparation time, and an inordinate amount of military expenditure. Not counting the expenditure for maintaining our conquest, youve turned this Second Crusade into nothing! Bishop: It was the intention of the Spirit of Light to spread the Church to the Demon World. You are a disgrace to the 9,500,000 faithful adherents to the Spirit. - Exnation Ash and Fish Scum: When trees and grass are burnt, the resulting ash contains a high amount of calcium, and is hence useful as fertiliser. Fish scum is produced from grinding fish and extracting the fish oil, the resulting scum is then rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. Martial Law: Armies have their own courts to deal with offencesmitted by their own members. These include offences like disobeying orders, dereliction of duty, violence towards civilians and other military offences. Inquisition: Even churches have courts to deal with infractionsmitted by their followers. Heresy (unorthodox religious teachings) is especially not condoned, and some of the most tragic punishments could be dealt, like cruxifixion. - Commander: No! Th-th-thats! W-we didnt run away. Th-thats right. We went as reinforcements! We definitely didnt run away! Military Nobleman: Shut up, you coward! Commander: At that time, the City of the Gate was attacked by a scary enemy. Making decisions on the battlefield was my duty as a Commander. Military Nobleman: Hmph. Bishop: So what kind of enemy was it? Commander: Thats There was water, and smoke shadow, monsters of death Military Nobleman: You saw him? Commander: It was not one of those enemies you can see. He struck in the dead of night with powerful and mysterious force, taking down my men one after the other! He destroyed whatmand I had over my men, and any fighting spirit too. It was not a situation I was able to control. Th-thats right! Rebellion! There were rebellions! Military Nobleman: Hoho. Commander: The Demons were rebelling. My 10,000 soldiers fought hard against them. We fought and fought and fought! My bloodstained sword killed lots of summons! It was really a death zone. The odds of us making it out of there were 10 to one. I knew, that the Spirit of Light would rather lose the city than lose the treasures of the Holy Empire, the Holy Crusaders to the enemy! Military Nobleman: Ahahaha! Rich Nobleman: Hahahahaha! Commander: Stopughing! Whats so funny! Military Nobleman: There were 9,000 men stationed at the City of the Gate. You appeared at the Isle of Light with 9,000 soldiers, not even one thousand missing. What sort of death zone is it when you dont lose any military strength in it? You sounded a retreat before you even lost 500 men. Commander: ! Military Nobleman: Have you no shame? Commander: But! Its because we appeared that the Conquest of the Isle of Light was able to be sessful! Before we came, the Human Army was losing quite badly! We yed the biggest part in the Conquest of the Isle of Light! Rich Nobleman: ording to both military and church intelligence, at the moment of your approach, the citadel on the Isle of Light was already surrounded by the Army of the Southern United Kingdoms, and were only waiting for the final victory. Your army appeared at the end of the entire battle, when whatever was left of the Demon Army was trying to escape, and your only contribution was to allow them to escape. Bishop: And even then, you still managed to lose 2,000 out of 8,000 soldiers! Commander: We were protecting a wastnd out in the bands of the Demon World, we were really tired of this. With the nightmares and the raids, there was no way to protect anything. It was a real crisis! Military Nobleman: Ive heard enough from you. Rich Nobleman: Hmph, its so pathetic to hear the barking of a depraved dog. Commander: The East Fortress Base Commander! Its him! He was conspiring with the Demons to betray us! Have mercy! Please just give me one more chance! Im themander who knows the Demon World better than anybody! We have to bring that barbaric region to its knees for the Holy Emperor! Y-y-you must! Military Nobleman: What do you think, bishop? Bishop: To forgive a single one of your sins today, is a sin against the 9,500,000 faithful adherents of the Church. My heart is torn apart by this tragedy. I believe crucifixion to be an appropriate punishment for this sick dog. Commander: Wait! Pl-please wait! Military Nobleman: ording to Military Law, theres no way you can avoid this sentence. Commander: The East Fortress Base Commander! That son of a b*tch! That useless mercenary! Cant forgive him! We cant forgive him! Rich Nobleman: Youre crazy. Bishop: Yourepletely insane. The Kingdom of Winter, the Royal Pce, the Office of Financial Administration Disciple Merchant: Phew, Im so busy. How is this happening? Seneschal: Are you alright? Assistant: Im going to go drown myself in tea. Disciple Merchant: Forget about the tea! Dont run away! Sort it out! Assistant: Whaaaat. My eyes are zing over. Disciple Merchant: You make me want to cry. You think kids like you are special! Do your work! Assistant: My gooooooood Seneschal: He really gives no mercy. Disciple Merchant: The Lone Winter King entrusted this to me How could I show any mercy. Seneschal: I see. Disciple Merchant: Look at this mountain of journals! Books fall off the mountain. Seneschal: But, since youve been here weve been six times more efficient. His Majesty has been busy dealing with the stragglers from the Conquest. Disciple Merchant: Its like he doesnt care at all about the economy of his Kingdom! Seneschal: Well, hes well-known for that too. Disciple Merchant: Is that so Well he does preserve the rule ofw. Assistant: Thats right! His Majesty is so cool, isnt he? Disciple Merchant: That may be, but what a disaster. Seneschal: Well, it wasnt like this before the Tripartite Economic Union and the Conquest of the Isle of Light. In that time, the bookkeeping got way too intense. Disciple Merchant: Do you have any solutions for this? Seneschal: What do you mean? Disciple Merchant: Dont think about the problem, think about the solution. Thats what my teacher loved to say. Can we talk for a bit? Seneschal: Of course. Disciple Merchant: Hey, assistant. Fetch some tea. Assistant: Yes! Umm, can I get some for myself too? Disciple Merchant: Yes, and for the Seneschal as well. Assistant: Ill be right back! Runs off. Disciple Merchant: What an eager fellow. Seneschal: Hes cute. Disciple Merchant: Though he needs to work seriously, because that is killing me. Seneschal: Well, thats true Disciple Merchant: Lets continue where we left off. Seneschal: Right. Where should we begin Im not sure if this will work, but, for example, the Southern United Kingdoms doesnt allow Noble Demesnes. Disciple Merchant: Is that so? But the books indicate that titles like Baron and Marquis are being given out, arent they? - Exnation Noble Demesnes: Within Kingdoms, the nobility often control part of thend, known as their demesne. Within this demesne, the nobleman has the responsibility to administer the citizens and collect taxes for the King. This almost functions like a miniature country within a country. During the Edo period in Japan, these were known as hans. - Seneschal: No, its a bit hard to exin, but the King only gives out Honorary Titles. Disciple Merchant: Ive heard about this in my lessons. So they have titles which dont mean anything? Seneschal: Thats right. The Southern United Kingdoms are both poor and have long winters. Were basically poor countries. In the beginning, barely anyone stayed here. A long time ago, it was even worse than it is now. There werent even enough rooms to keep the people warm. Disciple Merchant: Mmhmm. Seneschal: Thats why, even though we call ourselves a country, were not exactly a very centralised polity. And we dont have a lot of people. The King may be a King in name, but as andlord-type figure, he is barely seen around the Kingdom. We only have a smidgen of useablend, most of it ispletely unarable forests, wastnds and mountains. Assistant: Hot tea is here! Disciple Merchant: Ohh, thanks Right, continue. Seneschal: Thats why, while we do have titles, they dont mean what they mean in the Central Continent. In the Central Continent, titleholders are those who receivend from the King, most of the time, they are powerful warlords or regional leaders. Disciple Merchant: Mmhmm. Seneschal: Of course, thend you receive belongs to you, and the produce from thend you workor rather thend serfs and settlers work for you, belongs to you as well. Things like transit taxes are also free for noblemen to impose. Corveebour can be drawn from the serfs at will as well. This is why noblemen who control the rivers or the ports are the richest. Disciple Merchant: I see. Thats why even in the same country, the tax regime can differ from ce to ce, and you can even be subject to multiple taxes from different regions. Seneschal: Thats right From the perspective of the King, the area under the direct control of the King is controlled in the same way as the noblemen. In this area, thend cultivation and the tax is also set by the King. Apart from this, he also receives taxes from the noblemen which are in his realm. In addition, he also gets contributions from merchants and the Church. Which is why there are so many levels to the ie and its a lot moreplicated to handle. There is a lot of tax to handle, and lots of ministers in charge of them. If youe over to the Southern United Kingdoms, thend is not suitable for farming, and hence there is nond to give to the nobility. In the Southern United Kingdoms, a title is just for the prestige or for the privilege to appear in court. Disciple Merchant: Is that why we do not have enough ministers? If production increases, then tax revenue increases and the poption is likely to increase as well. However, there is no system of nobility in ce to administer this increased poption. Seneschal: In addition to this, weve also got the upkeep of the military to deal with. Disciple Merchant: Eh? What does this have to do with taxes? Seneschal: Well, in the Central Continent, the King, of course, has his own soldiers, but this is usually not arge number. Right Even for arge country like the Kingdom of Mist, he might have only 700 soldiers in his retinue? When a King wants to fight a war, he sends a mustering order to all the noblemen. Since the nobility have eptednd from the King, it is their duty to answer this mustering call. The noblemen then call on the knights and soldiers under theirmand. In this way, the military is formed, and this military can be ten or more timesrger than the Kings personal retinue. Such a method of mustering an army, needless to say, will take a lot of time. Again, there is also a chance that the nobleman will refuse to supply the King with enough soldiers so he does not have to bear such arge burden. However, the merit of this is that it does not cost a lot of money. Disciple Merchant: Why? Isnt money important in a war? Seneschal: The food that the Army consumes will be paid for by the noblemen. In other words, the noblemen have to finance the war for the King. All he has to do is pay for the soldiers under his directmand. Disciple Merchant: In other words, when the King orders it, noblemen have to supply money for supplies and armament along with the soldiers themselves. Doesnt all of this ur at a loss to the noblemen? Seneschal: No, it doesnt. If the war ends in victory, the King can bestow morend to the nobility. Disciple Merchant: Ahh, I see. So bestowingnd is a circr exercise. Seneschal: That is correct. This is why it isnt strange that there are so many noblemen hungry for war with the Demon World. Disciple Merchant: In other words, the noblemen are betting arent they. If their liege wins, then they win as well. Takingnd from the enemy is the mostmon way of settling wars after all. Seneschal: That is correct. The Demon World is huge. And on top of that, highly prosperous. Disciple Merchant: I wouldnt exactly call it prosperous, would you? Seneschal: No, what its prosperous in are people and settlers. When you are bestowingnd to people, its quite meaningless to give them uninhabited wastnds or mountains. Its much more meaningful to bestownd where people live, in other words,nd where people can collect taxes from. Disciple Merchant: Is that so. Seneschal: They may be Demons but theyre still useable, so many noblemen want to hold one or two Demon cities. Disciple Merchant: And how is the Southern United Kingdoms any different? I mean, without nobility, it follows that we have far fewer soldiers. Seneschal: The difference between the armies of the Southern United Kingdoms and that of the Continent is that the Southern United Army is a standing army. Disciple Merchant: Yeah, Ive heard about that in my lessons. But since it was a military issue, I didnt really pay much attention Seneschal: The primary goal of the Army of the Southern United Kingdoms is to defend against an invasion from the Demons, isnt it? If we relied on mustering calls to rally the troops together, that would be far too slow, since the Demon Army could arrive at any time. Disciple Merchant: Of course. Seneschal: Thats why we need a standing army. In other words, an army that is standing ready at any given time. Every soldier is under the direct control of the King and is either on duty or training every day. Its an upation, so even if we dont call them up, theyre more or less ready. Even during the harvest time, they cant justy down their arms and go back to their viges to help. Im a member of the Standing Army. Disciple Merchant: But surely there are many demerits to this system, arent there? Its true that a standing army is much faster to mobilise, and since theyre conditioned to the military life, they should have far fewerints. However, isnt this situation the same as having a protracted conflict? Theyll require a lot of food supplies, and definitely a substantial amount of mary upkeep. Seneschal: Thats right. This is why one major disadvantage is that it relies on the aid money from the Continent. Disciple Merchant: Yeah, Ive heard the Schr say that before as well. Seneschal: Is that so? Disciple Merchant: Seneschal: Do you understand? Disciple Merchant: More or less. Assistant: (It was difficult, but I understood as well!) Disciple Merchant: (But, this means) Assistant: In other words, our army doesnt go campaigning in the Demon World, but rather stays to protect us here, right? Beams. Seneschal: Thats right. Nods. Disciple Merchant: (Thats right Its a force for self-defence. If we put up money to sustain this, of course wed be able to fulfil our objective of preventing a demon invasion, but The Southern United Kingdoms would never be able to achieve that desirable gift ofnd in the Demon World for itself) Seneschal: Whats up? Disciple Merchant: No, I was just thinking. Seneschal: Im happy that you consider issues of such importance to our nation. Assistant: Did you finish thinking? Disciple Merchant: Yes. Seneschal: Eh? Really? In such a short time? Disciple Merchant: Yes, my teacher really taught me a lot. I have many things I want to say, but firstly I feel there are other ws with the Central Continents system of nobility. Seneschal: What sort? Disciple Merchant: Its that one section of the nobility may collude with otherswhether they bendlords, merchants, industrial leaders, or even mercenary leadersto set unfair taxes. Noblemen have the freedom to set taxes, right? Thats why if they were to coborate, they could set highly unfair taxes. Lets assume that a nobleman colludes with a merchant. If the merchant pays the nobleman an annual bribe, he could attain concessions like the sole right to transport his goods along a river. He could even conspire to sabotage or alienate rival merchants. Seneschal: Yes, thats right. Ive heard a lot about rural Southerners being enticed to go the big cities and then getting ripped off for everyst penny they own. We people of the South always get ill-treated in the Continent, and they get away with it with bribes Disciple Merchant: Another thing that almost resembles bribery is connections. Seneschal: Connections? Disciple Merchant: Thats right. Using connections, if you needed something to be done, if a government official or someone with official responsibilities had blood rtions with someone else, then they could easily be bribed by those people. To be a government official is to benefit from a great sry, among other things, so to climb that high, people may be willing to use their blood rtions as stepping stones to sess. Seneschal: Well, Ive definitely heard a lot about that. Many people are proud of their rtives in the big cities because of their influence. Im the son of a settler, and even then this carries bearing in my town. Disciple Merchant: While bribery and connections may appear to be the same, the fact is that they are clearly different. Bribery is a corrupt government official abusing the privileges he is afforded with illegally. If this continued, it would cause severe inefficiencies. Monopolising and abusing ones position will have the effect of causing severe future economic inefficiency, which extends beyond the instance of corruption and can cause the whole system to be corrupt. Seneschal: Hmm, Ive never thought that far, but if I think about it, its true, indeed. Assistant: Its the difference between not having anything to eat, and not making anything to eat! Disciple Merchant: Thats the answer. Seneschal: ? Disciple Merchant: Dont you get it? In other words, in the Central Continent, there is a tendency that hard work and ability are insufficient to make you seed in life. If you want a high governmental position, you need to secure connections. Thats why the Southern United Kingdoms will answer as such. Seneschal: ! Disciple Merchant: Our Government Officials will be Drawn From the People, not the nobility. And they will be paid ording to their ability and hard work. Ill have to think up of a system to do away with bribery as well. - Exnation Government Officials Drawn From the People: This basically refers to a bureaucracy. Instead of a system which relies on old blood andnd ties to decide who should govern an area, the government is selected based on specific skills necessary for governing the country. Bureaucracies have their own disadvantages as well, butpared to a government run on hereditary feudal blood ties, its a lot better. - Extra Scene!!!! ?? The Chief Maid: So, Demon King, do you have some sort of personal reason for not inventing a weighing machine? The Demon King: What?! Thats, thats because I dont want the Hero to leave me because Im fa-! Wait! No! Weighing machines are secret,plicated machines which are much, much harder to construct thanpasses! Volume 1 10, “Take up the Sword, my Master”

Volume 1 Chapter 10, Take up the Sword, my Master

The Vige of Wintering, early Winter, the Diary of the Little Maid Sister Its the third winter since Ivee to the Mansion. This is the first snow of the year. The sky got lower and lower and the clouds rolled across the sky. I thought it would surely rain, but it snowed instead. It snowed really heavily. Without the Mistress and the Ms Spectacles, the house has gotten a lot quieter. Sis and I take turns to make dinner now. I can rx about the cleaning now, so I work hard to make a great dinner. Today, I went to the pub to learn how to cook properly. I learnt how to make roast rainbow trout today. Sis found a cookbook from among the huge pile of books that the Mistress has. It was dirty, and I was afraid it would be blurry and I wouldnt be able to eat the delicious food in it, so, now, Im writing it all down again. Its the first time that practicing how to write has been so convenient! Pie is such an interesting thing. It seems you can wrap anything up in bread and then bake it. Id like to make some pie. Since the Mistress hasnt been around, the Hero has probably been really lonely, Im sure he would like to have some pie. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Guest Room Little Maid Sister: P-pleasee this way Young Merchant: Ohh, youngdy. Dont be so nervous, now. Little Maid Sister: I-Im not nervous. Young Merchant: Youre swinging your right foot and your right hand at the same time when you walk. Little Maid Sister: T-thats okay! Young Merchant: Ahahaha. Sure. Opens door. Little Maid Sister: P-p-pleasee in here! Young Merchant: Ill just take a seat then. Little Maid Sister: Then, Ill go and call Sis No, I mean, the Mistress toe down. Please wait just a momer. Young Merchant: A momer? Little Maid Sister: Ah. Ahh! Sobs. Young Merchant: Ah, dont cry, dont cry! Little Maid Sister: Sis! What should we do? Elder Maid Sister: Weve got no choice. Lets use the ring the Mistress gave us. Little Maid Sister: Y-yeah Elder Maid Sister: Make some tea. Door opens slowly. Elder Maid Sister: I apologise for the long wait. Young Merchant: Its been a long time, Schr. Elder Maid Sister: Indeed it has, you havent changed. Young Merchant: Yes Business has been smooth recently. Elder Maid Sister: Young Merchant: Elder Maid Sister: Then, today. Young Merchant: Ivee to bring the designated reports, receipts, invoices and inventories over. I usually send it over on a ship thats heading in this direction, but I thought thatd Ide personally since I missed your splendid figure. Ivee all this way just to see you. Its a bit embarrassing. Elder Maid Sister: Thats umm I dont know how to answer. Young Merchant: Well. Yes. That being said, Schr, what do you think about redyeing? Elder Maid Sister: Sorry? Young Merchant: No, no. The Conquest of the Isle of Light was sessful. The South-West trade route has really picked up and the number of ships plying the route have increased as well. As you can expect, there are all kinds of goods entering the Kingdom of Winter. Elder Maid Sister: Y-yeah. Young Merchant: As far as merchants like us are concerned, having a sharp eye is extremely important. Goods like wheat absorb water and hence increase in weight when they are being transported across the sea. In order to make them lighter and cheaper to transport, there are those who use inferior wheat. Merchants who ship these sort of things are second-rate merchants. When I was just a beginner, my father would often beat me up if I tried to ship things like that. Its embarrassing. Ahahahahaha. Elder Maid Sister: Th-thats. Young Merchant: Well then. Door opens. The Hero: Elder Maid Sister, thats enough. Elder Maid Sister: Y-yes. B-but. The Hero: No, thats enough. This guys already seen through you. Elder Maid Sister: Th-thats. The Hero: Youve indeed got a sharp eye. Youve got a remarkable ability, like you said. Elder Maid Sister: Excuse me. Opens door. Runs off Young Merchant: Ah, what a great technique. Was it an illusion? The Hero: Yeah, it was. I didnt expect you to see through it straight away. Young Merchant: No, no, youve got it wrong. For this sort of thing, you need to use your instincts. It would be difficult to see through it with your eyes alone. The Hero: Youre quite scary. Young Merchant: Ahahahaha. Its nothing big. More importantly Its been a long time, Hero. The Hero: Yes it has. Its been three or four years, has it not? Young Merchant: Indeed. How nostalgic. The Hero: AhIm pissed! Im really pissed at you! You make me want to obliterate you with my High Impact Area Lightning Destruction Spell! Young Merchant: Sorry? What do you mean? The Hero: Didnt you cheat me back then?! Young Merchant: Ehh?! What are you talking about. It was nothing. I didnt really cheat you. The Hero: You took fifteen gold pieces from me?! You said you would invest it and it would be more than a thousand gold pieces! Young Merchant: Ahh, that performance made me some money. Thank you so much. Smiles cheekily. The Hero: Youre impossible. Young Merchant: Didnt you pay me ording to the terms of our contract? The Hero: You made me consent to it when I was too young to understand! Young Merchant: Thats one way of winning a bargain. Smiles. The Hero: Well, I guess it is Young Merchant: You were alive? The Hero: Huh? Oh. Yeah, Im alive and kicking. Young Merchant: Hmm The Hero: What are you thinking about? Young Merchant: How to continue the rest of this conversation. The Hero: You are slightly different. Young Merchant: Really? The Hero: When I saw you four years ago, you were a person with no connections, withpletely nothing and nowhere to be, if I remember correctly. Young Merchant: Well, you seem to have be rounder over these four years. I should probably retreat into the shadows soon. Ahahaha. The Hero: But, I wouldnt like to be your enemy right now. Young Merchant: Oh my, what a coincidence. Ive been thinking the exact same thing. The Hero: Youre not even surprised to see me here. Young Merchant: No, no, I am surprised. But, I suppose surprising things like this have been happening a lot. The Hero: Young Merchant: If I have changed, its probably because of that person. When you meet with an existence whichpletely destroys your personalmon sense and the economics youve learnt up till then, what should you do? She taught me what it felt like to have my guts in a knot. The Hero: Her? Young Merchant: Thats right. The Hero: I see Young Merchant: Those who act as intermediaries, coborators and traders between light and darkness. Thats how she described the path which a merchant takes in his life. Truly words I had never heard before. The Hero: She did? Young Merchant: Thats right, when I first met her. So I had my hunches that you would appear over here as well. The Hero: Are you going to keep your end of the contract? Young Merchant: Sorry? The Hero: The contract from four years ago. Young Merchant: Well, I said it, but The Hero: That was a lie? You said when I came back you would throw a banquet for me! Young Merchant: Ohh, thats right! You really remembered. That was indeed so. Alright. I shall uphold the contract. Im free anytime. The Hero: Right, Ill hold you to your word then. Young Merchant: Yes, of course. The Hero: In that case, right now. Both teleport away. The Demon World, the City of the Gate, a Hill outside the City Teleports in! Young Merchant: Th, this is Gulps. The Hero: Youve got teleportation sickness. Take a few deep breaths and youll feel fine. Young Merchant: Was that a teleportation spell? The Hero: Yep. Young Merchant: Where Where are we! The Hero: For some reason, there are a lot of auroras over here. They say it has something to do with maic fields, but I dont understand what that means. Young Merchant: Amazing The Hero: Nightmare Thrush! Nightmare Thrush: By you side. Teleports in! The Hero: Go to the Lady and get some wine. Well be right here. Nightmare Thrush: I understand. Young Merchant: A Demon? The Hero: A summon. Hes very convenient. Young Merchant: Dont tell me this ce is The Hero: Its the Demon World. Young Merchant: !? The Hero: I wanted you to understand what I meant, so I brought you here. Young Merchant: Dont tell me, that person is The Hero: Shes a Demon. Young Merchant: I had my suspicions The Hero: Young Merchant: Even the air here smells different. The Hero: Mm. Probably. But ports always smell like ports, and cities always smell like cities, dont they? Young Merchant: Whats that wall there? The Hero: Thats the City of the Gate It was a Human territory until recently. Young Merchant: Ahh, thats the city from which the Commander ran away and returned to the Demons. The Hero: The rumour is that once he left, the thousands of Human Merchants in the City of the Gate were ughtered by the Demons. Young Merchant: Werent they? The Hero: Theyre still carrying out their businesses now. Young Merchant: Huh? The Hero: Because the suburbs and wastnds around the Gate arentpletely stable yet, its probably difficult to establishmunications with the Human World, but the merchants from the Union are still over there. Young Merchant: For real?! The Hero: Im not kidding. Young Merchant: Thats The Hero: Hey, youve spoken to her, havent you? Young Merchant: Ah Yeah The Hero: Then you know what she wants to see, right? Young Merchant: Hero The Hero: She bought you, didnt she? Young Merchant: The Hero: Shes a worthy adversary to the Human World, eh. Im not her, I dont know how to n or to speak like her, I cant outline the structures of loss and profit like she does either. But, I definitely dont like to leave her. How do I put it. I feel Umm Lonely. Going back to being just the Hero islonely. Young Merchant: The Hero: Thats why, Im showing this to you. This is the City of the Gate. This is the only city in the universe in which Demons and Humans live and interact together. Of course, there are quite a few issues. There are small conflicts every day. Its true that there are reports of murders of Demons by Humans and vice versa, these are unavoidable. But there are those who have be close friends and acquaintances, who even go into business andmerce together. Thats right. Without working together, even daily life bes difficult. There are approximately 32,000 people in this city. Thats more than the Capital of the Kingdom of the Lake. Even the Demon King recognises the status of this city as a crossroads between our civilisations. It was dered a Free City, and is governed by a City Council. One third of the Council are Humans. The Council Chairman himself is a former Human General; the Councillors include powerful members and nobility in the Demon World Fire Dragon Lady: My husband The Hero: Oh dear Fire Dragon Lady: My husband, I havee like you requested. I have been informed that you have requested a banquet. As a member of the Fire Dragon Race, we take pride in the hospitality we show to our guests, and in trying not to be disrespectful, I have begun to set up the banquet! The Hero: AhI didnt ask for anything big, I just wanted some wine. Young Merchant: Ive already had a lot, I think Ill pass. Fire Dragon Lady: No you wont. The Hero: Yeah, its best that you drink. If a Fire Dragon hears you reject anything, youre in for a very tough time. Young Merchant: What!? Thats unreasonable! The Hero: Its the Demon World. Demon Girl: U-umm Sir ck Knight, please Brings a tter of food. Young Merchant: Thats more than enough, please stop. Fire Dragon Lady: Man up, show your worth through your ss, dont say things like that. Young Merchant: What kind of ce is the Demon World?! The Hero: Oi, Merchant. Young Merchant: What, Hero? The Hero: How are they? Young Merchant: What do you mean? The Hero (small voice): The boobs, the boobs! Young Merchant: What?! The Hero: You told me you would create a whole party of people with great boobs, the kind that make people squeal, if I agreed to go to the Demon World! Young Merchant: Ah. Ahahahaha! Is that so? Ahaha. How terrible. I said I would, didnt I? Ah, me as a young man, how unscrupulous I was. The Hero: How is this? Makes a serious face. Young Merchant: Yeah, thats a very official face youve got there. Smiles. The Hero: Which one is better? Makes a serious face. Young Merchant: Hmmm, both of them will get you the Princess for sure! The Hero: Ahahahahaha! Young Merchant: Ahahaha. Ahh. How nice. Its been a long time since Iveughed like this. The Hero: The wine is great. Young Merchant: Im a merchant, so Ive tried wines from lots of countries. But this wine is really something special. The Hero: Oi, Merchant. Young Merchant: What is it, Hero? The Hero: The auroras sure are beautiful! Smiles. Young Merchant: Indeed. Smiles. Fire Dragon Lady: Theyre like children. Demon Girl: Yes But the wind sure is nice. Young Merchant: The auroras are great, but what sort ofpromises have you made to get this far, Hero? The Hero: That person said this, A merchant is a person who seeks Permits. Permits of use, permits for entry. A newnd is a new market that can provide new goods. A ce like this is a ce ofmerce. Young Merchant: Yeah. The Hero: And how is the market in this City? Young Merchant: Well, its as if gold pieces are fruits hanging richly from the branches of fruit trees. The Hero: Ill sell you a permit. Young Merchant: Is that alright? The Hero: I dont mind. Young Merchant: What do you want in return? The Hero: Im not the same as that person. I do not know what an appropriate price is. I dont know what is bnced or what is unbnced. Ive lived up till now without thinking about these sorts of things at all. Young Merchant: The Hero: Thats why its hard for me to answer you about that. But, well As a merchant, Im sure youve considered all the losses and profits. Young Merchant: Yeah. The Hero: How do I put this. Many people see merchants as monsters who are only motivated by profit and ergement, but, the way she sees it, it isnt that way. Young Merchant: The Hero: A merchant, who, above all, lives to further his own gains, who earnestly calctes every loss and profit, is probably the first to see that the gains and losses in the world are something indivisible. Young Merchant: Hero The Hero: Perhaps, I ought to think more about this whole price thing. Ill probably be killed by that personter. But, I want to see that that indivisible thing. Young Merchant: Hahaha. Whats that? The Hero: Both she and I will need your support to achieve our goals then. Young Merchant: Yeah, thats right. What a foolish feeling! Ahh, Im happy. Im not sure why, but Im happy. The Hero: Young Merchant: Its fine, I ept your proposal. If I be the head and leader of the Union, then Ill surely do my best to make sure that your dream happens. The Hero: Im counting on you, then. Young Merchant: What a letdown. The Hero: ? Young Merchant: Ive heard of the rtionship between you and that person, but I didnt back down. To continue to fight on despite being at such a disadvantage, Im such a stupid person. Smiles. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansions Stables Horse whinnies. The Female Pdin: There, there. Youre a good boy. The Hero: Youre truly a Pdin. Youre very good at controlling horses. The Female Pdin: What are you saying? If you cant ride him that would be a problem. The Hero: I think running would be faster though The Female Pdin: Its an issue of image. The Hero: I get it. Alright, have an apple. Horse rejects apple. The Hero: Wh-what is it doing!? The Female Pdin: Act like an adult. The Hero: Whats this horse doing?! The Female Pdin: Are you angry? The Hero: Hmph! Eat this apple? You cute, cute boy. Horse rejects apple. The Hero: Ugh! How rude! Eat the apple!! Horse whinnies angrily. Horse kicks around. The Vige of Wintering, the Mansions Stable The Female Pdin: Jeez, you even fought with the horse. The Hero: But The Female Pdin: Youre the loser when you do something like this. Look, your horse has lost faith in you. The Hero: Not my fault. Horse snorts derisively. The Female Pdin: Here, look, youve got to take care of the horse. The Hero: The Female Pdin: No matter how much of a Hero you are, surely youve got to know how to ride a horse? If you join things like parades, youll need a horse to look presentable. The Hero: Thats true. Horse whinnies and clops. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Peace sure is better than war. The Female Pdin: Thats obvious. The Hero: That may be obvious, but why is that so? The Female Pdin: I dont know, Im stupid. The Hero: Ahh. When Im with the Demon King I get hurt, but when Im with the Female Pdin I get healed. The Female Pdin: What do you mean? The Hero: What do you mean youre stupid? The Female Pdin: Do you guys fight? The Hero: No, no we dont. The Female Pdin: Dammit, when Im with you, all you do is spew nonsense. The Hero: Thats good too isnt it? The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Its good to do that isnt it? I guess you dont get it. The Female Pdin: The Hero: That I like to spew nonsense to you? The Female Pdin: Eh Well. The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: Thank you. The Hero: That made my skin crawl. Go back to normal. The Hero scratches. The Female Pdin: Whats up? The Hero: No, my hair got in my eye. The Female Pdin: Yeah, its really long. The Hero: Should I cut it? The Female Pdin: Well, is it alright? The Hero: Yeah, why? The Female Pdin: Ah. No Nothing. Its nothing, but dont cut it. The Hero: Why? The Female Pdin: Nothing Thats right, make a circlet. You can keep your hair behind it, and it wont get into your eyes. The Hero: How troublesome. The Female Pdin: No, it suits you. Itll probably make you look pretty cool. The Hero: Oh! Really? Itll make me cool? The Female Pdin: Yeah, lets make something that fits you. The Female Pdin slices off a lock of hair. The Hero: Wh-what? The Female Pdin: No, I was just checking your hair. I think we should have a brass circlet with green gems. Itll look good. The Hero: Really? The Female Pdin: Yeah. I wont be cutting it, but surely shell let us do this much, right? The Hero: Yeah. Its probably too early to cut it now. The Hero: Scratches head. The Female Pdin: The Female Pdin: Hey, Hero. The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: You belong to the Demon King, right? The Hero: Eh. Yeah Weve signed a contract. The Female Pdin: Is that so The Hero: Well, lots of things have happened. But thats how it is. The Female Pdin: And the Demon King belongs to you? The Hero: Yes, well, its reciprocal. The Female Pdin: So, if the Demon King does something terrible, you would protect her. The Hero: Thats hard to say. But Im the Hero, right? If someone tries to mess with her, Ill protect her. The Female Pdin: Well, thats easy to understand. The Hero: Im not sure why, but I feel a bit stressed and my heart is beating very fast. The Female Pdin: Really? The Hero: I dont have any instinctive reason for it, but yeah. The Female Pdin: Rather than instinct, if you had the ability to read the mood of those around you, it would really help a lot. The Hero: What do you mean? The Female Pdin: No, dont think anything about it. Im being stupid. But, it really is regrettable. The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: In other words, youll protect her. You will only defend her. Well, thats tough on you too. Theres something I want to give you. The Hero: Are you talking about the circlet? The sparkly one? The Female Pdin: May I give you something? The Hero: Mmhmm. A sparkly itemWell, if its from you, of course Ill ept anything. The Female Pdin: Is that so? Im happy you think that. The Hero: This is very weirdYoure not behaving like yourself at all. The Female Pdin: Hero. Kneels. The Hero: What is it, Female Pdin? The Female Pdin: Shut up and stand up. The Hero: Why are you kneeling down? The Female Pdin: I have epted the grace of the Spirit in the Kingdom of the Lake, and pledged my life to the service of the Light. During the course of our long trip together, Imitted myself, the Female Pdin, and this sword, to the cause of the Hero. The Hero: The Female Pdin: My sword, my power, my body. Everything from my soul, to my loyalty, to my purity, belongs to the Hero. You are the master of my soul, you are the keeper of my hope. The Hero: Wait, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: I cant wait. Hero, this sword is yours. The Hero: Stand up. The Female Pdin: I will not stand. Until you ept what I give you, I will not move. The Hero: This is such a childish thing to be doing. The Female Pdin: I dont care if Im childish as long as I can offer this to you. The Female Pdin: I understand that you belong to the Demon King. Theres nothing for it I was toote. The Hero: The Female Pdin: The Demon King is amazing. Shes strong, and she has a truly noble dream to fulfil, she far exceeds me. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Thats why I dont want anything like for you to belong to me. Since you belong to the Demon King, if I said theres nothing for it, then there really is nothing for it. Of course if the Demon King leaves some sort of gap in your rtionship with her, then I will not hesitate to fill it. However, as it stands, I belong to me. At the very least, I want to offer myself to the Hero. Since I became a Pdin, I have never yet offered my sword to anyone, but thats not a very smart idea. If I were to offer my sword to anyone, it would be you. Once I offer you this sword, my master will never change. I am that kind of Pdin. The Hero: Do you really have to do this? Especially in such a ce? Th, this is a really big thing, isnt it? The Female Pdin: Wherever and whenever I do this makes no difference. I want to do this. If the Hero is to venture into the future beyond, I want to be somewhere close by. I I dont want to be left behind again. The Hero: Im sorry, but The Female Pdin: You said you would ept anything I offered, is that right? The Hero: Ah. Y-yeah The Female Pdin: Take up the sword, my master. Its alright, I will not betray you. The Hero: Flinches. Takes the Sword. The Female Pdin: Right Thats settled then. The Hero: Yeah. Horse whinnies. The Female Pdin: With this, my sword now belongs to the Hero. My heart, my body, all belong to the Hero. Yeah, this is a really fulfilling feeling! The Hero shudders. The Female Pdin: How are you, Hero? The Hero: No, Im just a bit cold. Umm, umm, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Can I maybe return the good, or cancel the contract? The Female Pdin: Do you think you can? res. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Its alright. I know what you mean when you say youre feeling cold. Were best friends after all. The Hero: (Best friends !?) The Female Pdin: If you just tell me straight to my face, Ill understand. The Hero: (Wh-why is she so strong-willed!) The Female Pdin: I will protect you. The Hero: No, seriously now. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Forgive me just this once. The Vige of Wintering, the Vige Centre Thin Viger: Hey! Good afternoon! Middle Aged Viger: Its cold. Huntsman: It really is. Ahh, thats. Little Maid Sister: Good afternoon! Skips about. Thin Viger: Good afternoon! Elder Maid Sister: Good afternoon everyone! Middle Aged Viger: This is for the mansion. Good afternoon. Huntsman: I hope youre doing well. Good afternoon. Elder Maid Sister: Its nice to say pleasant words to each other. Little Maid Sister: Eh? Really? Elder Maid Sister: Not you. Little Maid Sister: Wha Thin Viger: How is everything today? Elder Maid Sister: Umm, were on our way to say hello to the Holy Order and the Vige Chief. Theyve really done a lot for us. Little Maid Sister nods. Middle Aged Viger: Whatve you got there? Elder Maid Sister: Weve got a whole bunch of spring onions. It really helps to preserve other food products. Little Maid Sister: Thats right. Weve also lost some of the wild strawberry wine we were brewing. Thin Viger: Thats a catastrophe! Huntsman: I wish we could do something about that. Little Maid Sister: Oh my god! Thin Viger: ? Huntsman: Do you mean this? Little Maid Sister: ! Huntsman: Calm down, calm down. Youll see them everywhere. This is just some wild fowl, mountain quail to be exact. Elder Maid Sister: Oh no, shes a real glutton. Little Maid Sister: Wild fowl? Is that different from quail? Huntsman: Well, its still a young mountain quail. Its delicious. Take it with you. Little Maid Sister: Alright! Elder Maid Sister: Hey! I sincerely apologise. This kid always acts this way. Huntsman: Its fine, its fine! From the beginning, weve been extremely grateful to the Schr for everything shes done for us. Thin Viger: Thats right. Weve got the Schr to thank for ensuring the entire vige has paid its tax, and hence we can rest easy even in the Winter. Elder Maid Sister: Thats Thin Viger: Its true. She thought us how to make soap, and how to make warmer clothing. Middle Aged Viger: Our wool clothing is a lot thicker now. Huntsman: Thats right, thats right. All the settlers and even the serfs are really grateful to her. Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Whats wrong? Thin Viger: Yeah, whats wrong? Elder Maid Sister: Ah, nothings wrong. Middle Aged Viger: Weve been feeding the pigs clover like you taught us! Even in the Winter, the pigs are growing well. We forgot to extend our house, which means even inside, theres lots of oinking going on. Huntsman: Ahahahaha! Theres no choice. Its your own fault. Middle Aged Viger: Damn. Thin Viger: But were really grateful. Were thankful to the Chief Maid and for you kids as well. Huntsman: Thanks to the medicine she taught us how to brew, only four people have died this winter. Elder Maid Sister: The Chief Maid Little Maid Sister: Ms Spectacles? Thin Viger: ? Little Maid Sister: I didnt know she was doing something like that? Elder Maid Sister: Y Yeah. Thin Viger: Eh? Really? Did she not say anything about it? Elder Maid Sister: Nope, nothing. Huntsman: Really? I wonder why she would do that? Elder Maid Sister: No, no. Its just Its excellent that everyone could keep strong and warm this winter. Thin Viger: Thank you! Middle Aged Viger: Mmhmm. Elder Maid Sister: Right, lets go the Holy Order. Little Maid Sister: Yeah. Thin Viger: Have a safe trip! Middle Aged Viger: See you soon! Huntsman: Ill bring you some deer next time! Sisters walk off. Little Maid Sister: Ll! Potatoes, spring onions, how delicious ? Elder Maid Sister: The Chief Maid Little Maid Sister: Whats up? Elder Maid Sister: Nope Nothing. Little Maid Sister: ReallyMountain Quail ? Elder Maid Sister: (I thought the Chief Maid really hated serfs. But, to go so far Shes changed.) Little Maid Sister: Itll be delicious baked in an oven with butter ?Right, sis, wouldnt it? Elder Maid Sister: Definitely If we get some eggs, lets make some as well, shall we? Dont you like omelettes? Little Maid Sister: Yep! I love them! Sis, I love them! The Kingdom of White Night, the Pce of White Night One-Eyed Commander: Hey! Shut up! Shut up! King of White Night: Hmph. Dont panic. One-Eyed Commander: Argh. My eye is so itchy. Servant! Wine! Bring some wine! Servant: Y-yes Scampers off. King of White Night: Id prefer it if you didnt abuse the people in my Pce. One-Eyed Commander: Shut up! My eye! Scratches eye. King of White Night: Haha, poor you. One-Eyed Commander: Thats right, poor me. King of White Night: That was your sentence? One-Eyed Commander: Yeah, Im thankful though. You saved me from that dungeon just as I was preparing to die there. King of White Night: Hehe, thats right. From that pit of filth and uncleanliness The one who pulled you out from far below the House of Nobles, from the bottom level of the Tower of Interrogation, where the River of Death runs so close you can almost taste it, was me. One-Eyed Commander: King of White Night: Do you remember it? That darkness? One-Eyed Commander: The rats. The rats were crawling around, and they took my eye. My eye, my light Ugh. Its itchy. My eyelids. I can see it. That pitch ck darkness. The darkness infested me. It hurts. My whole body hurts. Ill kill you, Ill kill you! East Fortress Base Commander! You disgusting Demon Race! You broke me, you made a fool out of me! King of White Night: Thats right, they made a fool out of me as well. res. One-Eyed Commander: King of White Night: That brat from the Kingdom of Winter. He made a mockery out of me. What the hell is an ice floe? What the hell is an agricultural revolution? What the hell is productivity? What kind of jargon is he throwing around. How could the Spirit of Light recognise such a person. One-Eyed Commander: Thats right, theyre traitors. Traitors who want to see this world submerged in darkness. Rotten, disgusting, half-humans! King of White Night: That sly brat is now reaping massive profits off the trade routes plying West. The Isle of Light was supposed to jointly belong to the Southern United Kingdoms. No, the blood that was shed on that Isle was mostly from the Kingdom of White Night! So why is it that that brat gets all the profit? Where is my profit? One-Eyed Commander: Heeheehee, heehee! King of White Night: And that Iron Fist King, that Queen of Ice and Snow, theyre no heroes, theyre nobodies, theyre just volunteers clinging on to the coattails of the Kingdom of Winter. I have to endure the freezing winters of White Night, I have to continue living in such poverty, and yet, they mock me, they make me feel small and they steal the profits which are rightfully mine. How can the Spirit allow this to continue happening! One-Eyed Commander: Ahahahaha! Leave it to me. I will do this even if I die. That unholy brat who does not know his ce, I will cut off his head. Hahaha. Lend me an army! I will use them for this purpose! Chop, chop, chop them all up! King of White Night: Wait a while more. Hehehe. One-Eyed Commander: Why King of White Night: I can kill those people at any time: just one drop of poison in their ss, or one thrust of a short sword while they sleep. One-Eyed Commander: Heeheehee. Scratches eye. King of White Night: But, killing them would be far too lenient. Im going to let them taste what I tasted, what a high noble like me tasted, that humiliation, but a thousandfold! How about that? One-Eyed Commander: Thats right! Humiliation. Let those treacherous backstabbers feel so humiliated they would want to bury themselves in the deepest depths of Hell! King of White Night: Take a look at this document. Even His Eminence is my ally. With this document, I will drag the Kingdom of Winter to Hell. One-Eyed Commander: Eh? Haha. Ahahahaha! This is great! Thats great! Ahahahahaha! King of White Night: Hehehe. King of Winter. All the treasures of your Kingdom will soon be mine. Ahahahaha! One-Eyed Commander: Ahahahahaha! The Vige of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake Temr: Ah! This is bad! Temr: Whats going on?! Temr: Something horrible has just happened. I-its really, really bad! Temr: Drink some water and exin it clearly. Temr: Not right now. Where is the Grandmaster? Call the Female Pdin. No, look for her. We havent got a minute to lose! Hurry up and find the Female Pdin! The City of the Gulf, Merchants Quarter, in a Large Office in the Chambers of Commerce Shrewd ountant: Important news, Councillor! Young Merchant: What is it, you seem very flustered. Shrewd ountant: Something big has happened. Th-this is In any case, this report. Throws report on table. Young Merchant: Wh-what?! This must be because of the Election. Weve been too careless. How could we let this development urGet a ship ready to leave as soon as possible! The Vige of Wintering, the Mansions Kitchen Little Maid Sister: Hero, youve got to work more seriously The Hero: Oh, okay Ehh. Elder Maid Sister: Be gentler and do it properly, Hero. Little Maid Sister: Heeheehee ? Butter, butter ? The Hero: Why am I involved in this as well? Little Maid Sister: No cking off! Elder Maid Sister: It looks like milk and it sure smells great. Little Maid Sister: Mmhmm, its probably because the wheat flour is so fine. The Hero: Well, the finer the flour, the more expensive it is. Wait, this has got to be really expensive? Is it really okay to throw money around like that? Little Maid Sister: But in order to make good Pie Dough, finer flour is better. When youre used to it, we can try using different flours like barley or Buckwheat. The Hero: Pie? Were not making bread? Little Maid Sister: Nope, itspletely different. The Hero: You just put some flour, mix it around and bake it, right? Little Maid Sister: Youre really bad at baking The Hero: D, dont be stupid? Im a Hero, so Im sure I can do something like this heroically as well! Its just something stupid like baking Elder Maid Sister is stunned. Little Maid Sister is stunned. The Hero: Sorry Birds chirping Elder Maid Sister: We can probably start baking the first batch. Little Maid Sister: Okay ? Lets try. The Hero: This is really quite troublesome. Making bread dough is so much easier, you just mix it a bit and its done right? Elder Maid Sister: Umm, to make pie dough, the folding part over here to extend the dough is really important. The Hero: Really? Elder Maid Sister: It says so here in the book. My sister is much more familiar with this part That girl has only ever read this book seriously before. Little Maid Sister: Yayy ? Yayy ? The Hero: Shes making a lot of happy sounds. Is she alright? She didnt hit her head, did she? Elder Maid Sister: Shes just really happy. Little Maid Sister: Alright! All done! The Hero: Did you do it? Elder Maid Sister: How is it, did it rise? Little Maid Sister: Wow! Its pretty! Its all golden and sparkly! The Hero: Wow, it really is. How pretty. Elder Maid Sister: Amazing. It looks like a sunflower. Little Maid Sister: Alright! Lets eat! The Hero: Alright. Oh, its hot. Elder Maid Sister: Hold it with a cloth, Hero. - Exnation Pie: A dish which is made from a dough made from wheat flour and butter, which is wrapped around a variety of other ingredients. Sweet fruits like apples can be wrapped within it. The special taste of the pie crustes from the water content in the dough being trapped by the oil content from the butter and other ingredients, since the water cannot escape, the pastry bes puffed up and soft. Buckwheat: Despite its name, it is not a wheat, but a nt from the rhubarb family. The fruit can be ground to flour and eaten. Not only is it capable of growing on poor quality soil and in cold weather, the harvest times are short and can be harvested many times. However,pared to wheat, the same area of buckwheat only results in a third of the yields. In Japan, buckwheat is chiefly used to make soba noodles. - Little Maid Sister: Its just been baked, of course its hot. The Hero: This girl! Whats inside? Potatoes and bacon? Little Maid Sister: Thats right, its a potato and bacon pie ? The Hero: Delicious, this is slightly amazing, isnt it? It has a very homely taste, but at the same time its quiteplex and luxurious. Amazing! It really isnt bread! Little Maid Sister: I said it wasnt anything like bread. Elder Maid Sister: Its good. You really did well, Sis! Little Maid Sister: Yayy ? Yayy ? The Hero: Youve really got talent. Shes really not bad, isnt she? Elder Maid Sister: Yeah, full marks. Nods. Little Maid Sister: Ehehehe Blushes. The Hero: Can I have another one? Little Maid Sister: Of course! The Hero: Yum, yum. Elder Maid Sister: Well, if we used a lower grade of wheat to control the original price, we could really develop a great dish here. The Hero: Original price? Elder Maid Sister: Well, were using a really fine wheat flour and thats very expensive, were also using butter and milk. If were trying toe up with something thats not a royal dish, but a meal that anyone can eat, weve got to control the price. The Hero: Thats difficult. Little Maid Sister: Probably impossible. Elder Maid Sister: Not impossible. Its so delicious, after all. If you put your energy to it, Im sure you could make it better. Little Maid Sister: Really? The Hero: Yeah, really. Lets see what we can change the filling to? Little Maid Sister: Hmm, well, herring, mushrooms or mutton should taste good. We could also introduce some sweet vours, like plum or apples. We could even make it sweeter by adding jam. ? The Hero: Haha, I bet Ill start seeing this at the bar soon. Elder Maid Sister: Yeah, you can just reheat it and itll be good, and it even tastes better in a stone oven. Little Maid Sister: Hey, hey, am I a chef now? The Hero: What? A chef? Elder Maid Sister: Yep! Little Maid Sister: Yayy! Im a chef ? The Hero: Why are you so happy? Elder Maid Sister: Shes a glutton after all. Little Maid Sister: Ehehe, but this is work, right? I want to make food and be better at it so everyone will have good food to eat ? The Hero: Really? Elder Maid Sister: Nods. Little Maid Sister: Hey, hey? Is it good? Is it good? The Hero: Delicious. Elder Maid Sister: Its delicious. Good job. Little Maid Sister: Theres a lot! We made a lot! The Hero: Huh. So youre a chef now, good job. Smiles. Little Maid Sister: Yep. The Hero: And what would you like to be? Elder Maid Sister: Eh? The Hero: What would you like to be? Perhaps a housewife? Elder Maid Sister: Umm, I dont think I Little Maid Sister: Sis wants to be a Ms Spectacles ? Elder Maid Sister: Hey, she said shed scold you if you called her that, right? Little Maid Sister: Banging on door. The Hero: Eh? Whos that? Banging on door. I apologise for theteness! Is anybody there?! Is anybody at home?! The Kingdom of Winter, the Winter Pce, the Audience Chamber Hits table. Lone Winter King: What?! The Hero: Did you not hear? In that case, I will repeat it for you once again. Lone Winter King: The Hero: There is a schr presently residing in the Kingdom of Winter known as the Crimson Schr. With regards to this person, there are several doubts to her nature. Firstly, she has been used of taking advantage of the Holy Order of the Lake in order to encourage the cultivation of potatoes, an unholy fruit from the Demon World. Secondly, the agricultural methods she has been propagating, whether about technology or fertiliser, goes against everything the Spirit has taught us. She is suspect of heretical teachings and collusion with evil. Lone Winter King: (But its her teachings That saved the people!) The Hero: Thirdly, in setting up a school and epting numerous students, to establish a school without any form of sanction from the church is disgraceful and pollutes the minds of the students there. Fourthly, at the Divine Academy at the Holy Empire, no records were found which indicate that anybody known as the Crimson Schr has ever graduated from there. As a result of the above report and apanying discrepancies, the Crimson Schr is considered to be a highly suspicious and dangerous element. Take her into custody immediately, and prepare to transfer her to us. The Spirit of Light be with you, The Holy Church of Light, Bishop of the Inquisition There, its an official document from the Church. Lone Winter King: S-surely There must be some kind of mistake, Hero. The Hero: Its best that you watch what you say, your Majesty! Whether or not this is the truth, the Inquisition has been mobilised to conduct investigations. If these Bishops, who im to preach the word of the Spirit of Light, find even one problem in a thousand, in ten thousand, then surely the King of these adherents should know about it as well? Lone Winter King: Butler: S-such a thing The Hero: Of course, if the bishops are smart, they would have thought of this as well. I fear that your Majesty, and even the Holy Order of the Lake may be implicated into the treachery with the heretical Schr, and be victims of this scandal. Lone Winter King: ! Butler: Lone Winter King: (This is the result of the jealousy of someone in the Central Continent. Or maybe someone from the Southern United Kingdom with connections to the Continent. The Holy Empire, the Holy Church of Light! Is it so wrong for her to want to free the Southern United Kingdoms from poverty? Even if she used methods that werentpletely orthodox.) The Hero: What will your reply be, your Majesty? Lone Winter King: Butler: The Hero: Do you understand what it means to oppose the Church in this world, young King? The religion is Light, the Church is the World. To go against that, to be an apostate, is to be an enemy to all mankind. - Exnation Inquisition: A court established by the religion to identify and charge people suspected of being opposed to the official religion. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Inquisition trialled and executed many Christians used of anti-Catholic practices using horrible punishments. This wasmon in many parts of Europe such as Spain and France. Bishop: A high rank within the Church. Above the rank of a deacon, but below the rank of an archbishop. There are many within a country, and he is responsible for a fairlyrge area known as his diocese. Deacons and priests help him to fulfil his duties. During the Middle Ages, there were even bishops who held temporal power and ruled over entire countries and cities. - Lone Winter King: The Hero: The Holy Patriarch hasnt threatened to emunicate you yet. However, he did say it was regrettable that believers and heretics could live together in one country. We need to erase these doubts the Patriarch is having, your Majesty. Lone Winter King: Th-thats Butler: Young man The Hero: So? Lone Winter King: Send out the Army. But, the Vige of Wintering is really far, itll take time to get there The Hero: Alright. But, be careful, your Majesty. If the Crimson Schr manages to slip through your fingers, neither you, nor this country, nor even the Holy Order of the Lake may be able to avoid being charged for high treason! > Volume 1 11, “Because I am Human”

Volume 1 Chapter 11, Because I am Human

The Demon King Castle, the Lowest Level, the Pce of Death The Chief Maid: The slime has really begun to build up around here. The Demon King: Theres no choice. Weve left this ce for close to two years. The Chief Maid: Ehh The Demon King: Weve really let this ce get wild, for all the spirits of the Demon Kings. The Chief Maid: Is the seal ready? The Demon King: Hmm, its not perfect, but its somehow done. If I enter it, it should help to release my potential and purify me. The Chief Maid: Are you worried The Demon King: Im sorry if I still have mixed emotions. In all the 150 years of my existence, Ive never felt like my life would be at such danger before. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Its not all that bad. Its only by going in here, that I can raise mybat ability. The Chief Maid: Thats The sessive generations of Demon Kings can impart their skills to you, and that will greatly raise yourbat ability The Demon King: Thats why the Demon King is the strongest Demon. Hehe I hear that there are Demon Kings in the past who would use the Pce of Death on a daily basis in order to keep their abilities boosted. The Chief Maid: I dont really want to see a Demon King with no limits whatsoever to her power. The Demon King: I want to see it. Its true that attempting to solve all problems with pure brute force alone may not be smart. Even repulsive. Its something a theoretical schr would never be able to withstand. The Chief Maid: But you are more realistic than a theoretical schr. The Demon King: In any case The Chief Maid: The Demon King: So that I dont cause any earthquakes, I am going to iste this space from the rest of the Castle. Is that alright, Chief Maid? The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: If the me thates out of here isnt myself The Chief Maid: Even if it costs me my life, I will deal with that Demon King. The Vige of Wintering, the Demon Kings Manor Lone Winter King: The Female Pdin: Butler: If she left on a quick horse, she could be miles away by now The Hero: I understand. Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Mistress? Lone Winter King: But we need to detain the Schr. The Hero: She said she would be gone for two months at least. Butler: Is that so Theyre not going to be happy to know about that. The Female Pdin: Moreover, its the Church They only know how to preach the word of the Spirit of Light in all their full sophistry. Lone Winter King: Butler: But, as I hear, we have an illusory ring? The Female Pdin: Old man. I told you that if you talked about it, you would be holding your head in your hands, didnt I? Butler: But if I dont talk about it, who will? All sigh. The Hero: Lone Winter King: I apologise The Female Pdin: How did it get to this. Lone Winter King: Hero Ive heard all the details from the Old Man. I originally wanted to celebrate your return to life with a nationwide festival, but Oh Hero, I apologise for the cmities that seem to hound me. All of this happened because the Lone Winter King, the Kingdom of Winter, the United Southern Kingdoms, are so powerless. Butler: Young man Lone Winter King: I apologise. It is because of my inadequacy that our benefactors are involved in such a terrible mess. All of this started because I wanted to free the Southern United Kingdoms from the overlording influence of the Central Continent and nurture a spirit of independence. I never thought of the situation to develop to such a bad state. The Hero: Okay, stop with that speech. I dont even want to think about it. The Female Pdin: Elder Maid Sister: Umm, I I could The Hero: I wont allow it. Elder Maid Sister: But Lone Winter King: Hero, but The Hero: Your Majesty, if you even think about it, I will destroy you with lightning. If she was here, this would probably be how it would end as well. Perhaps we could arrange for Demons to attack the vige as well Elder Maid Sister: But Little Maid Sister: Sis- The Hero: However, Ive thought about this before, but as the King speaking out against this is your responsibility. Moreover, this spirit of independence is a noble idea. Lone Winter King: Butler: Hero Lone Winter King: However, I have the responsibility to protect the citizens of the Kingdom of Winter. For this reason For this reason Butler: The Hero: Well, I suppose I should do something about that. The Female Pdin: Hero? The Hero: Its going to be troublesome, but youre going to need to arrest the Elder Maid Sister. Elder Maid Sister: Yes. Lone Winter King: Thats The Hero: When she leaves the Kingdom of Winter, Ill rescue her at an appropriate point in time. The Inquisition will dispatch its Courier Squad, wont it? Ive heard therere about 100 of them. They shouldnt be a problem. The Female Pdin: But, still! Butler: Im sorry, Hero. I apologise. The Hero: If they arrest her and take her out of the Kingdom of Winter, then the Kingdom wont face anymore me, will it? The responsibility will be with the Courier Squad. That solves many problems. Butler: Hero But, Hero. The Hero: Yeah, well I might have to hide my face, but theres no choice. We cant have me betraying the Church, after all. Butler: Again, this old fool isntfortable with letting you go alone I wont let you go alone on your journey The Hero: YeahI wont, I wont. This time, Ive got the sisters, and the Schr wille back. The Female Pdin, Grandpa, your Majesty, you cant show yourselves, but We will meet again, wont we? The Female Pdin: Of course we will. Wereing along with you. The Hero: Then who will aid and support the settlers? The Female Pdin: If its that much, then we can leave it to the Holy Order. The Hero: Well, this ce It hurts that all that revolution, new crops and various inventions will now be rendered useless. But I wont sit there and let the Elder Maid Sister die, Id rather be called a heretic than that. She said that shes willing to die for all of this, but Im the Hero after all, I cant just leave her to die. Butler: So the Hero is going to bear this whole burden by himself again Lone Winter King: He goes for the soul of the whole Human World. I only wish I could be the one to offer my body in exchange The Hero: Dont be so down. Thats how it is. The Female Pdin: Then, I guess well have to leave this vige. Little Maid Sister: Sister, are we moving? Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: I said I was going to teach the innkeeper how to make pie Elder Maid Sister: Lone Winter King: Butler: Y-young man, you have the responsibility to protect this country. Dont get any second thoughts. The Hero: Thats right, justugh it off. Thats your responsibility! The Female Pdin: Hero With you, we could easily take on the entire Holy Imperial Army The Hero: Im sorry, but thats a method which my owner would never allow. Besides Im already bored of that. I fight and I win and I seize thats how it goes Thats why, I dont really have the intention to seize anymore. The Kingdom of Winter, Gossip in an Unknown Vige What? The Schr? No way, how is that even possible! I heard it from some people of the Church while I was on the road. The Church? Not the Holy Order? Yeah, the Church hase, with some pretty weird people. Dont tell me the Schr is a heretic? How Well, thats what theyre saying. Theyre saying the potato that the Schr brought to be an evil, Demonic food. But what will we do without it? If the Schr wasnt here, my grandsons and granddaughters would have been dead. Surely theres some sort of misunderstanding. But If they take the Schr, what will we do? Hey! Hey! Hey! What happened? Why are you so panicked, did the sheep run away? No, in the forest road. Theres! Theres! Eh? Theres some strange army taking the Schr with locks and chains through the forest road. Eh? Really?! Its not our Kingdoms army, is it? Dont tell me, the Kingdom of Winter is being invaded by some other Human Kingdom? Lets call for them to release the Schr! But if the Schr really is a heretic If, somehow, she is. The Spirit have mercy on us all! All shake head. What is going to happen? I came all this way to live here, because I thought it would be a good ce to settle down What is going to happen to this country The City of the Gulf, the Merchants District, in a Large Study in the Chambers of Commerce Shrewd ountant: That is all. Young Merchant: Is that so Shrewd ountant: Yes. Young Merchant: Ehh, so the Holy Patriarchal election has ended. This Patriarch, like the ten Patriarchs before him, is one of those fanatical religious types. I fear the Church will begin to mp down hard on unorthodox elements. At the rate this is going, they are probably preparing for the Third Crusade. Shrewd ountant: Thats going to be troublesome for the Southern United Kingdoms, whove been trying to restructure their Kingdoms. Young Merchant: Thats right. The attacks by the Demons around here have really dulled. No, instead of dulled, theyre non-existent. Because of that, the Southern United Kingdoms has been able to achieve tremendous economic growth. As a result, the influence of the Central Continent has also weakened considerably. Shrewd ountant: That King of White Night, who was benefitting from the Central Continents influence in the Southern United Kingdoms, is now a sorry state after taking the me for the previous defeat. Young Merchant: On top of that, without significant assistance from the Central Continent, the Lone Winter King and other Heroes have appeared and hold the hearts of the people in their hands. Especially with that mysterious Schrs teachings, various agricultural reforms and advances have been made such that the wastnd that the South used to be is slowly bing a ce to grow a sizeable poption and produce ample food crops. Shrewd ountant: Food is something the Central Continent has always been able to hold the South Hostage with. Young Merchant: The Central Continent needs to have some sort of military victory over the Demons if it wants the Churchs power to be flexed again. However, even then, they wouldnt want the Southern United Kingdoms to achieve independence from them. Thats what is happening now. Shrewd ountant: Yes Young Merchant: Shrewd ountant: Councillor, how will the Union respond? Young Merchant: At present, I do not think we will. Shrewd ountant: Young Merchant: Weve got toe up with something. Lets prepare a ten-man Council Is that guy around? Door closes. Middle Aged Merchant: Ohh, I thought it was about time. Disciple Nobleman: I apologise for the intrusion, Young Merchant. Young Merchant: No, no, we wee you anytime. Disciple Nobleman: I thank you for allowing me toe. Ahh, thats right. This is the payment from the Queen of Ice and Snow. Shrewd ountant: Let me take that. Young Merchant: And how is the Queen? Disciple Nobleman: She is deeply troubled by the present state of events. She expressed clearly that the leader of the Tripartite Economic Union is the Lone Winter King, and hence the events befalling him are a tragedy for us all. Young Merchant: Is that so? Middle Aged Merchant: Right then, where should I go? Young Merchant: To the Central Continent. Middle Aged Merchant: And this young man? Young Merchant: Well? Disciple Nobleman: The Queen said that, even if she stayed in the Pce of Ice and Snow, she probably wouldnt be of much use. Its a nice time of the year, so she intends to go to various countries and sample their meatbuns. Middle Aged Merchant: Is it alright to be so rxed about things? Disciple Nobleman: The Kingdom of Ice and Snow is also known as the Land of Poets. Minstrelse from far and wide and artists find their inspiration there. Theres even a ce for a good-for-nothing like myself. Its the sort of country, where if you cant rx, if you cant enjoy a dance or a poetry recital, then youll find that you dont belong. Young Merchant: Then, will you ept my offer? Disciple Nobleman: Which one? Young Merchant: To join the Unions Council of Ten. Disciple Nobleman: Thats Middle Aged Merchant: Hey! This guy is an outsider! Young Merchant: Theres no such thing as an outsider. If ites to the exchange of goods and services, there isnt a single person in this world who is an outsider. That is a result of this world, did you not know? Middle Aged Merchant: Disciple Nobleman: What will my responsibilities be? Young Merchant: I want you to control the rest of the Councillors. Disciple Nobleman: With whatever way I see fit? Young Merchant: Thats right, Ill leave it to you. If you need help, you can look for this Middle Aged Merchant here. Disciple Nobleman: We need time, I take it? Young Merchant: When ites to profit, I think were good. But time is of the essence. Both to me, and to your teacher. Disciple Nobleman: I understand The Queen will be departing on her vacation soon. Im not good with ounting or with wars. All I can do is keep up with Pce gossip, dance and make merry, but Middle Aged Merchant: (This young man) Young Merchant: Well, well, the ce youre headed to now, could well be a sort of battlefield, couldnt it? Disciple Nobleman: Yes, I understand. But, if thats the case, as my friend would say, I would like to die with a serious face. Young Merchant: Then its decided. Middle Aged Merchant: I understand. Young Merchant: Lets not rock the boat just yet. Carry on with things as usual. Middle Aged Merchant: What should I do? Young Merchant: Show him around. Take him on the ship and introduce him to the relevant parties. Theres no need to lend him a hand with that. Of course, you should introduce him personally, but its best to let him do the talking. Disciple Nobleman: I have just one request. Smiles. Young Merchant: Really? Im just a poor merchant, though. Disciple Nobleman: Is there a ce that serves good wine around here? Young Merchant: I understand Well, lets go then. Disciple Nobleman: Yeah, lets go. Ahh, how fun. I wonder what the new dance at the Central Continent is like! Closes door. Shrewd ountant: Well then. Young Merchant: Yes. Shrewd ountant: Ill let you handle the exnation to the Council of Ten. Young Merchant: Theyll all be trying to guess at who the other Councillors are. Since the Religious Faction is probably going to be fairly strong, its best to strike while the iron is hot. Shrewd ountant: Which Councillors are you referring to? Young Merchant: None in particr. But those who did not benefit from her will surely scorn that person. Shrewd ountant: What should I do? Young Merchant: Hmm. ps table. Young Merchant: Help me do some financial research. Shrewd ountant: Huh? Young Merchant: Do up a brief survey of the Liquid Assets of every member of the Union, and the financial profile of each Merchant. Shrewd ountant: Basically, all the Capital? Young Merchant: Thats right. To put together the Holy Crusaders will require arge sum of money, and we must be prepared for the next direction that the wind will blow, it could decide the fate of the world. The Kingdom of Winter, the Pce, the Room where the Schr is Being Imprisoned Roar of the crowd outside. The Hero: There sure is a big crowd outside. The Female Pdin: Thats right. The Demon King was really popr among the peasantry. Elder Maid Sister: Yes. The Hero: Even though she had such an arrogant attitude. The Female Pdin: Really? There were many among the Temrs, the Settlers and the peasantry who considered her to be a living goddess, werent there? The Hero: For real?! The Female Pdin: Ugh If only I had arger cup size - Exnation Liquid Assets: Assets which have physical form, but are rtively easy to convert into cash. Hence, this does not include assets which are difficult to sell such as property or real estate; but rather things like expensive electronics, cars or stocks and shares. However, permits and rights do not have physical form and hence are not assets. - Elder Maid Sister: When my sister and I walk along the vige roads. The Hero: ? Elder Maid Sister: Everyone always smiles and waves at us. They always talk to us chirpily while smiling happily. We harvested lots of potatoes this Summer. The wheat crops this Autumn are growing well. They would give us berries or eggs to take back to the manor. They would even give us quails. That manor was always filled with things the vigers gave us, there was never a day when the pantry was empty. The Hero: Is that so? The Female Pdin: Sounds like that vige. Elder Maid Sister: Everyone was really good to us, they would always say that my sister and I were cute. Or that the Mistress was really helpful. Or that they were grateful to us for our help and wished they could help us more in return. Or that they were thankful for the potatoes. Sometimes, they would bring their babies to the manor, so small they felt like leaves in our hands. So that they would grow up to be smart and kind, they said. They even said that the Mistress had managed to turn me from a serf into a realdy. The Hero: Elder Maid Sister: That was a really great vige. The ce we ran away from was a neighbouring vige that never treated us as well. In the Vige of Wintering, the settlers, thendlords, even the serfs all worked as hard as they could. Everyone was strong and healthy. They would sing the songs they learnt from the Holy Order as they harvested the wheat fields at dusk, no matter howte it got, you could still hear them singing. The Hero: Yeah. Elder Maid Sister: It will be sad to leave that vige. The Female Pdin: Youll definitely find great people at the next ce you live in. Elder Maid Sister: Yes. The Female Pdin: Is the King on his way? The Hero: It seems the exchange will take ce at the centre of the za. The Female Pdin: He wants everybody to see. Grits teeth. The Hero: Thats a pragmatist. Roars from the crowd. The Female Pdin: I will have to go soon too. If the Holy Order of the Lake is to remain here, Im going to need the approval of that despicable man. How unclean. Elder Maid Sister: Umm The Female Pdin: ? Elder Maid Sister: Have a safe trip. The Female Pdin: Elder Maid Sister. I count you as my friend. Do not worry, everything will be fine. Runs off. The Hero: Alright. Id better disappear as well. You might think that Im not there, but I will be watching you from nearby. Are you alright? Elder Maid Sister: Yes. The Hero: Youll be fine. If you ever feel scared, just remember that I will surely save you within two days. Please endure just a little bit longerIm sorry I couldnt do more for you. But protecting the people of this Kingdom is the responsibility of me, the Female Pdin and the King. Elder Maid Sister: Yes The Hero: What is it? Elder Maid Sister: No I The Hero: ? Elder Maid Sister: No Its nothing. The Hero: ? Alright, Ill be going. I will always be watching you. Elder Maid Sister: Yes. Runs off. Elder Maid Sister: Elder Maid Sister: I Elder Maid Sister: Elder Maid Sister: Why am I so useless The Pce of Death, the Depths of Darkness Ghastly wailing. The Demon King: I really dont want to show this ce to the Hero Kill! Kill! Kill all the Humans! Break down the Gate! The world belongs to Demonkind. The world belongs to Demonkind! The Demon King: Thats wrong you just want the world to be yours. Is that so wrong?! Is that bad?! These are the fruits of the victories which I seize with my own two hands. With my sword and my shield. The winner takes it all! That is what has been going on since ancient times! That is the rule of thend! The Demon King: How vulgar since ancient times? In that case, I will create a new a better system for the world. How annoying And how will you do anything with those pathetic powers of yours? The world has no need of such a weakling. The Demon King: There are Many types of power In the end youre just making excuses for your weakness. My power, my unparalleled Demon power, you havee here seeking my invincible, battlefield-destroying abilities, have you not? Fine, I will give them to you, and take your soul as well! The Demon King: Stop right there I am Already sold. Bwahahahahaha! Thats right, Demon King. New Demon King! You have someone that you like, you really are just a girl. But even if you love him, how will you stop your love from being ripped apart? You are the Demon King, and he is the Hero! The Demon King: Such issues are outdated, and caused by the previous generations. All you knew how to do was kill or be killed. I will get rid of this problem. But, while youre in this darkness, I have the power here. Bwahahahaha! How will someone like you, whos shaking like a leaf on a tree, protect herself from me? Bwahahahaha! The Demon King: Thats Ahh Thats Definitely Coughs. Suffer! Leave your body to me. I will give you my power, the ability to cleave thends and split the seas. The Demon King: Hehe. Whats so funny, New Demon King? The Demon King: Ahaha Cough cough cough At this rate, I dont want to let the Hero see me Ive be repulsive and Im no longer cute or appealing At the very least Im impure What a pointless attitude! This is what it means to be swallowed by the darkness! The Demon King is nothing more than a vessel for the previous generations of Demon Kings! The Demon King: Then The remains of this vessel will rise up against your will Cough cough cough from within Do you understand? Forget it! Forget it! You will have no soul! The Demon King: Hero, your ck hair is so fluffy Ahh, its warm. I always want to feel it The Kingdom of Winter, Court of Justice and Royal Parade Square Mumbling among the crowd. Butler: What a huge crowd. Seneschal: It seems all the neighbouring viges came to give their support. Butler: I hope they dont start anything Seneschal: Shall I increase the security? Butler: Please do. Mumbling among the crowd. Dont push, dont push. Look, on the stage? Is that the King? No, look carefully, our King doesnt look so poor. Is that the Hero? Dont tell me the Schr really is a heretic? I wont believe it. Anyone else but the Schr Ah! Look! The King, the King hase! Lone Winter King: Ladies and Gentlemen, justice will be served today. Grand Inquisitor: Your Majesty, as we agreed, did you arrest her? Lone Winter King: Hand her over. Security Trooper: Please step over there. Elder Maid Sister: Schr! Its the Schr! Really, it is! Thats right, my son learnt farming techniques from her. Thats right, I learnt how to properly raise the pork from the Schr as well. Shes the one who took care of my sick sister Are they sure? Could the Schr really be a heretic! Holy Spirit have mercy on us all! Grand Inquisitor: Mmhmm, theres no mistaking it, is there? Theres no point using a substitute. There are many people here who know and recognize the Schr, it is clear that it is the Crimson Schr in the flesh. Lone Winter King: Are there any objections? Grand Inquisitor: None. Bring out the used! Inquisitor: Yes! Shoves. Inquisitor: Do not resist! Shoves. Elder Maid Sister: Lone Winter King: Grand Inquisitor: Right then, Lone Winter King, Female Pdin. The Church thanks you for your cooperation. We understand that you have no rtionship with this heretic, we are impressed by your generosity of spirit and your devotion to the cause of the Holy Church. Lone Winter King: We are greatly obliged. The Female Pdin: Yeah. Grand Inquisitor: Heh. What an admirable attitude. That is good. There is nothing that can damage the strong rtionship between the Southern United Kingdoms and the Central Continent. Our cooperation against the Demon Race will remain ever strong and powerful. Is that not right, your Majesty? Lone Winter King: The Female Pdin: Grand Inquisitor: Heh. Grand Inquisitor: Inquisitors, bind this heretic. I want her in chains and in cuffs! Lets take her to the Holy Capital. Inquisitor: Yes! Butler: (Yes, please do that. Young man. Im sorry, to have to do this to an innocent girl Thats the sort of world we have to live in today) Inquisitor: Lets go, manacles! Elder Maid Sister: ! Grand Inquisitor: Are you resisting? Truly the eyes of a heretic. What do you have to say for yourself, you betrayer of the Holy Spirit, you user of Demons! The Schr That must be a lie, right? How could she be a heretic? Her skin is all parched and shes bleeding Spirit Above My sister owes her life to her, right? What wrong has she done? I-I cant watch any longer. Elder Maid Sister: I would like to speak to everyone, as a person with a soul. Crowd mumbles. Elder Maid Sister: I was born into a family of serfs. Serfs?! Really?! I wouldnt have believed she was a serf?! Elder Maid Sister: The life of a serf was really difficult Of course, it was different from whatndowners and noblemen experience, but at the very least, my childhood was extremely tough. I was the third among a family of seven children. My brother broke his wrist while working in the fields, and was thrown aside despite his pain and suffering. My sister was summoned one day by a group of nobles, and she never returned. Crowd mumbles. Elder Maid Sister: One clear winter morning, my youngest brother, did not wake up. My sisters had also contracted Smallpox. I couldnt do anything to help them. In the end, all that remained were my two youngest sisters and myself One day, I ran away on a cart with my sisters, that was a sh of destiny, that held so much hope But at the same time, I was extremely troubled. Elder Maid Sister: All this while Crowd murmurs. Elder Maid Sister: Destiny has been warm and kind to me. That was the first time I could say such kind words and mean them. Dont worry. Everything will be fine. Elder Maid Sister: But, everyone. Noblemen. Soldiers. Settlers. Serfs. I must reject the kindness that you are showing me. Even though these are the hands which have shown me kindness. Even though you are kind to me. Because you are kind to me. I must reject it. Crowd murmurs. Elder Maid Sister: Because I am a Human. I do not have confidence in myself. Doesnt the blood of a pathetic serf flow through these veins? Am I not a human being who is worth just as much as an insect? Such thoughts and impressions are surely in your heart somewhere. But, especially because of that, I want you to know that I am a Human. I fulfil every condition thates with being a Human. Elder Maid Sister: When the sun shines through my butts on an early morning day, and your eyes are bathed in its warm glow, do you not feel warm in your heart? Are you not thankful for the kindness and blessings the world has shown to you? That is proof that each of us are the beloved children of the Spirit of Light! Grand Inquisitor: Heresy! Elder Maid Sister: I do not care if you call me a heretic. I am a Human, I have received the blessings of the people of the Vige of Wintering, my friends andrades. Elder Maid Sister: Everyone Hope. Believe. Think. Do not cease to work. The Spirit The Spirit will continue to bestow miracles onto us all, and charge thend with her blessings, he will give freedom to our fragmented souls. - Exnation Smallpox: A disease transmitted through the air with a high death rate. It is a scary disease that leaves pock marks on a persons skin even after he has recovered, thatst for a life time. During the Colonialisation of the Americas, white people brought smallpox to the Native Americans who had never developed a resistance to it, resulting in the near annihtion of their race. - Freedom? Elder Maid Sister: Thats right. The freedom to do good things. The freedom to be better people. The Spirit created humans capable of doing good, and the freedom to work hard every day, for the things we want to achieve. I amhappy for this. Elder Maid Sister: That is why we must work hard and never give up! We are all gifts from the Holy Spirit of Light, even if you are the King! Even if you are the Church! Each and every one of us is a Holy Treasure! Grand Inquisitor: Heresy! Shut that mouth of yours! Elder Maid Sister: I will not. I am a Human. I am a Holy Treasure of the Spirit. I will not go back to being an insect. No matter how hard it is, how much suffering I have to endure, I will hold on my treasure and I will never again return to that dark slumber. Because there is light! Because I will do good things! Grand Inquisitor: Stone this heretic! Do something! Citizens, stone this heretic and shut her mouth! All who do not, are traitors! Crowd murmurs. Elder Maid Sister: Stone me if you feel like it. In this world, to protect your families, to protect yourselves, sometimes you have to stone people. I will bear this responsibility. Because I am a Human just like yourself. If there are any among you who wish to stone me to save yourself or others, then you should. This freedom of choice is again something that we humans possess. I bleed just as you will bleed, and I will bear the burdens on my body. Lone Winter King: Hehe. Elder Maid Sister: But those who will stone me, because they have been instructed to stone me and for no good reason! You are just insects. You have no free will, you have given the gifts bestowed upon you by the Spirits to somebody else. Those who do not think for themselves are just insects. No matter how easy it is to take such a route, those who give their gifts away are just insects. I despise insects. I will not be an insect. Because I am a Human! Stone. Stone! Stones flying through the air! Grand Inquisitor: Stop! Youre supposed to stone that disgusting heretic! You uncontroble peasants! Damn you! Arrest them! Arrest everyone here! Inquisitors! Its obvious now that shes a Heretic! This woman! Chop off her head! A-ahh. The Schr. What the Schr said is Elder Maid Sister: (Im sorry, Hero I said I would leave it to the Hero, but I cannot any longer. Chief Maid. I had hoped to call you Just one time Teacher) Blocks with sword. Lone Winter King: I wont allow any of that. The Female Pdin: Sword shes. Can you stand? Elder Maid Sister: Yeah Yeah Grand Inquisitor: What is the meaning of this?! Lone Winter King: I am the King of thisnd! Grand Inquisitor: ! Lone Winter King: But, I stand before you as a Human. I was the ruler of a Kingdom that was merely the dog of the Central Continent, a dog that was chained and tied up, in enduring this suffering, this pain, and without intending it, along the way, my heart became that of an insect. But, this girl has taught me something. I was just scared. And I will be a source of pride for the people of my Kingdom! Lone Winter King! Lone Winter King! Lone Winter King! Long live the King! Long live the King! And the Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: I am one who has devoted her life in service to the Spirit of Light, Grand Inquisitor, I am ashamed of your behaviour. And of the behaviour of the Church of the Central Continent. The Spirit of Light once said, Do right what you have done wrong. That is why she gave each of us the freedom to make mistakes Grand Inquisitor: What are you trying to say, you fools?! Lone Winter King: My Kingdom of Winter will officially protect the Crimson Schr. The Female Pdin: The Order of the Lake will dere the Crimson Schr a saint. Grand Inquisitor: ?! Crowd roars. His Majesty, His Majesty is going to protect the Schr! I knew the Schr wasnt a heretic! The Temrs have said it, shes a saint! Go back! Go back! Go back to your country, Grand Inquisitor! Stones flying everywhere! The Female Pdin: Please leave, Grand Inquisitor. Lone Winter King: If this is a scheme of the Church, then I trust we will see it again in another form. But for now, you will leave. Grand Inquisitor: Oh! I will remember this! This heretical nation! Those who betray the Spirit of Light and His Church in the Central Continent, will not long exist on this earth! Epilogue A Game of Life which is intertwined with the future. A Cellr Automaton of hope and disappointment. Where every ray of light seems to fade into the dark, she endures excruciating pain. The pain is more like regret than the pain of loss, as her limbs are bound by the curse of the darkness she writhes in. Lives will be made and countless will be lost. The Demon King and the Hero, they will save the descendants of life! The world is massive and overflowing, and lifees in many forms. That which is beautiful will stay beautiful, that which is strong will stay strong. In order to preserve this bnce, who knows how much blood will be shed? While she was gone, the world has changed. While she will probably save the world, she has also ripped the world as we know it apart. - Exnation Game of Life: This is aputer model created in 1970 by the British mathematician John Conway, it attempts to simte the rise, fall and alterations of a society of living organisms. It is a type of cellr automaton. Cellelr Automaton: A cellr automaton is a type ofputer model whichys down a set of simple rules along arge grid of cells by which a virtual object is created or destroyed, in an attempt to simte what would happen in real life situations. This is particrly useful to Mathematics, but is also applied to Biology and Chemistry. - Is this an unforgiveable sin? She will have to bear the responsibility of her actions. Im sorry, Im sorry, Im sorry Apologies can be ceaseless, and this chain of apologies, were more like curses one makes against oneself. A long time has passed. She cannot tell, but she has already forgotten the feeling of that ck hair against her finger tips, the warmth of her love. Those who forget what it means to live, are not actually living. Those who forget their original objective, even if they keep going forward, even if they continue every step, they forget pain, and just keep on walking. asionally, theye across a familiar scene, but they do not remember what it is. If they do recall the scene, the pain is enough to make them stop their steps. To keep on moving forward, to carry on with your life, it is best to forget. She was no exception. She forgot. The words they exchanged, the feeling of him against her finger tips, the strong gusts of wind from the wide open air. She no longer understood the responsibility she had for the people in the World below. This soul born in inky ckness knew only to move forward, and to destroy things in her way. As her limbs were bound, her soul clutched on to an idea, all that was left of her original consciousness, and she simply prayed. Save the people of the world Restore bnce to the Universe. And let us meet again What she would say when they did meet again, what she wanted to say, more than anything else, was soon forgotten. A green light shed from time to time in this inky ckness, she curled up and writhed in pain, as her voice was drowned by the dark of the abyss. To be continued in Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Volume 2 > Volume 1 Maps and Explanations—— The Stage of Danger, the Southern United…

Volume 1 Maps and Exnations The Stage of Danger, the Southern United Kingdoms

Firstly, the most important thing is to note that in this world, the South is colder and the North is warmer. In other words, its simr to the Southern Hemisphere of our world. The Southern United Kingdoms, the Stage of Danger, lies to the extreme South of the Continent, the coldest and poorest part of thend. A wide expanse ofnd, but whilend is in good supply, the poption is rtively sparse. Since the Demons invaded the Central Continent from the South, the frontlines of the Humans have often been in this region. The first snow usually falls in October. During this time, the temperature isparable to January in Tokyo. From December to February, the average temperature is subzero, indeed a harsh winter. Summer temperatures are not extremely hot. The average August temperature isparable to May in Tokyo. In thisnd, wheat is difficult to grow. Winter-resistant crops like barley and oats aremon. The Vige of Wintering is to the north of the Southern Kingdoms, hence wheat cultivation is possible. In the area around the Winter Capital, wheat cultivation is next to impossible. Food, especially wheat crops and other crops which are normally grown and bountiful in the North are sent to the Southern United Kingdoms from the Kingdoms of the Central Continent. This dependence is somewhat shameful. However, the Summers in the South are beautiful, the flowers that were buried in the snow, spring forth their shoots at the same time and bloom all at once. The people cherish their short summer, and during this time, they work as hard as they can, celebrate festivals, sing and make love. Thisnd of simple people, this is the Southern United Kingdoms. Exnation by Game Designer Masuda Shouji My Encounter with Maoyuu As the founder of the project to turn Maoyuu Maou Yuusha into a full Light Novel, I thought I should just write a little something in the first Volume. In any case, starting from the second novel, I will be bringing in various names from the entertainment industry to give somements and exnations, so look forward to that! Right then, allow me to give a simple exnation into the novelisation of Maoyuu. Wepleted the novelisation inte April this year (2010). While working on a certain game, we realised there were many points for improvement. This was not my responsibility, so I waited for that to bepleted. I had no interest in going anywhere, so, during Golden Week, my family went to see my parents-inw and left me alone at home. Suddenly, I waspletely free to do things. - Exnation Golden Week: A series of public holidays in the Japanese calendar fromte April to May consisting of Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4) and Childrens Day (May 5). Most Japanese people take leave in the days in between in order to extend their holiday period, going on vacation to other parts of Japan or abroad. - Since there was nothing to do, I just surfed the web and the forums aimlessly. Suddenly, a series ofments appeared on my monitor: Demon King: Be mine, Hero The Hero: I refuse. Many people were making the samements at the same time. I began to be curious as to what thesements meant. Demon King: Be mine, Hero The Hero: I refuse. Just what did that mean? Feeling curious, I did a quick search, and that led me to a Light Novel written on a certain forum. When I started reading the novel, at first, it was just to kill time. Soon, I became absorbed by the horizontal lines of text which I scrolled past on my monitor. It felt like a skit,prised only of dialogue. The characters didnt even have names. Moreover, there were spelling errors everywhere. It was incredibly difficult to read. But, I couldnt stop. Oh my god, its brilliant!! was what I thought as I read it during Golden Weak. All I needed to spread this amazingness around was to make it into a form which was easier to read, in other words, all I needed was to novelise it. This novel had an idea and a content no one had ever seen before. Twitter was teeming with chatter, it was so interesting, people didnt need to say anything more than Read it! While it may have been a bit toote, one thought ran through my mind This has potential. I uploaded a few lines of a rmendation letter onto my blog. I am always shocked by the speed and efficiency of modern technology. Two dayster, I was contacted by the author on Twitter. I wondered, just what kind of fool would be capable of writing such a fantastical book. And thats when I met the Editor. I asked him, The only issue is whether or not youve made inquiries with publishers, isnt it? It was true, that would solve half of our problems if we could secure a publisher. The reply was immediate. No, but I have secured some investors willing to publish independently. I was stunned by this reply. Up to now, I had nearly forgotten why I had be so invested with this novel. Two days from that day, I was due to meet with publishers for Kizudarake no Biina and Transparent Cat and Elderly Sister (novels which I had written myself!!), yet I felt that more people would probably be interested in this work, and that it was my mission to show it to the world How free I was, eh? (LOL) Moreover, during this time, I met up with my fellow game designers and the writers of many fantasy dictionaries, Yamakita Atsushi and the Hosoes; the Character Designer Mizutama Keinojou; and Main Illustrator toi8, and involved them into the project. They would deny it, but apart from me, they were the most involved in the project. Determination is truly something to be feared. Two dayster, we met with our Publishers and were told, Its good to go. It was like something from a dream. An Epic Novel written in the Twenty-First Century My God, its amazing!! was my first impression. Reading it all together as a full novelpletely removed the sense of fragmentation that was evident in the original Maoyuu. More than 99% of the book is written in dialogue, in other words, its an epic y. To a schr of Ancient Literature or someone involved in the Theatre Scene, it may not really be so, but thats the way it is. The characters have no concrete or personal names, they are all known by their titles: the Demon King; the Hero; the Chief Maid; the Female Pdin. To put it clearly, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to read. To be perfectly honest, it is simr to a Kyougen or a Rakugo, or any other stage performance. In a Kyougen, the performer assumes the roles of stock characters, without personal names. In a Rakugo, the performer is speaking to someone who cannot even be seen Like the characters of Maoyuu, they have no concrete names. - Exnation Kyougen and Rakugo: These are traditional Japanese stageedies typically performed by males. Kyougen is usually performed as part of a Noh performance and features stock characters, typically a Servant and a Master. Rakugo is usually performed alone, and consists of a man sitting down for the entirety of the performance, delivering either a monologue or assuming two personas variously. - However, a work without names can be very interesting as well. This is because the characteres to represent the everyman, rather than a special character. This allows it deal with a wide range of topics. Such a format is not umon in other performances like Kabuki. This is also the reason why this format has be obsolete. As media reports increase, people gain different hobbies and interests, and lose the idea of togetherness in favour of individuality. As a result, todays entertainment, led by Hollywood, favours a highly individual protagonist. Then, why is Maoyuu written in this way? That is probably because of its special beginnings on a forum on the Inte. This is the fruit of thebours of a cadre of like-minded otaku, who worked day and night on the forums, with inte ng flying about. It was so bad, that a person who was not intricately familiar with anime,ics and video games would find the text nearly unreadable. In other words, it was specially catered for fans who enjoyed such a deep level of exnation, a deep conversation. In such circumstances, Maoyuu was born. Here, millions of people who shared the same vision naturally gathered in Japan, without making any grand, deliberate ns, we developed our own uniquely interesting culture and kept it alive for hundreds of years. Therge majority of the users of the forum were only interested in their own interests and their own gains, they had no interest in creating a work for the rest of the world. However, the miracle was yet toe. As a novelisation, we also had to consider the foreign market, as we put together this Kabuki-like book. This was a hurdle muchrger than one would face in a typical novel. With the exception of correcting the grammatical errors, I attempted to keep to the original text as far as possible as Ipiled this novel. There was a charm that could only be captured in maintaining the script of dialogues in the text. Large chunks of exposition, character and setting descriptions and the names of characters were boldly removed. All that was left was a dense and highly intelligent novel. And above all, and engaging read whichpelled one to follow the text at astonishing speeds. It was perplexing until I got used to it, but when I began, I could never stop. This is Maoyuu. Even if the Hero takes down the Demon King, the World will not be at Peace My God, this is amazing!! I said, for the second time. From the epic tales of Ancient Greece to modern Anime and TV Games, in every age, in every media, Thrilling Legends have been repeated countlessly. Therge majority of these feature a climax where the Ally of Justice (the Hero), having battled repeatedly with the Great Evil (the Demon King), finally takes down the Demon King and restores peace to the world, bringing a joyous and sessful conclusion to the epic. However, at the same time, as you watch TV and read the news, as you are fixated on online animations, have you ever considered this? Even if the Hero takes down the Demon King, the reality may not be as sweet. In fact, the world could be even moreplicated. Since they reached the age where they began to doubt the existence of Santa us, even children know that Morality ys may just be fairy tales. Then, why are such lies still continuously being propagated? Why doesnt anyone try to describe the truth? There are a few reasons for this. The first is that, as I said before, Morality ys are often necessary. They make people happy and they sell well. The next thing to consider is something purer. There is something to be said for the vision of the author being a portal by which the world willingly deceives itself, in order to make reality easier to cope with. If the idea was simply that the Hero and the Demon King joined forces, while they may go through long journeys and run into many difficulties, from an Entertainment Media perspective, theres no way it can sell. Cornered on all sides, the main characters the Hero and the Demon King face the difficulties head on. The author of such a novel, is none other than Mamare Touno. All three of them are fools. But because of these fools, we have five volumes. Before editing, we had at least ten volumes worth of material, anyone who had to read that would be hugging their head in pain and frustration at the length. Moreover, the first challenges the Demon King and the Hero fought to ovee were things like Agricultural Revolution, Education and the Cultivation of Potatoes. (LOL) I had never before encountered such seemingly trivial conflicts in the world of novels. However, perhaps due to the conversational format of the text, there was a certain speed by which things like the Agricultural Revolution seemed to take ce, giving it an unceasing intensity that kept it a good read. The dynamics of the story escted dynamically. What began as economics grew inplexity to epass elements of social, political and religious institutions. In this manner, no matter how unbelievable the abilities which the Hero and the Demon King held were, these were not issues they could tackle on an individual basis. It was real. Because of that, when I first read the novel, I personally felt I am sold on how challenging the issues they face are, but this is where it ends. Unfortunately, at this rate, this story is going to be anticlimactic. It is, after all, the work of an amateur. However, the true face of Maoyuu, the true plot, was just beginning. The Feeling of Surpassing the Second and Third Lines My God, this is amazing!! before I say this for the third time, let me digress for a bit. This is a story about Ser. In the Golden Week which I began reading Maoyuu, the World Cup had just begun. Since I was so free, I watched the battles which were raging between the various countries of the war on my television. The team I supported was the Nethends. The way they yed ser was by using a brilliant defence as their greatest offence. The forward was Robin van Persie. This was his first World Cup, but true to form, he was a brilliant athlete. This guy was a true talent, but he was truly supported by his teammates. The true strength of the Nethends football team were Robben and Sneijder, who could push the ball with an amazing speed through the second and third lines of defence. They could basically just run through the defence. (LOL) To leave their own positions and move closer to the goal in order to execute such a daring attack took a reckless and headstrong bravery. Watching this made my heart beat furiously. Actually, I had the same feelings as I read Maoyuu. Using a formatprised entirely of dialogue, with their names reced by their titles, the main characters the Demon King and the Hero crossed the second and third lines of defence. This page-flipping intensity led me to conclude Maoyuu is the real deal. This wave of intensity, contrary to my early expectations, did not drop but rose from the second volume onwards. I was really looking forward to the next volumes. Just like Magic! After the long battle of reading through all five volumes of this novel, the story ends, as expected with And so the bnce of the world was restored. And they all lived happily ever after. You feel good, and there are no loose ends left hanging: a real happy ending. It did not betray my expectations. However, in seeing the Demon King and the Hero work hard to put the world back into bnce, I realised that I had always expected Maoyuu to go beyond the standard Adventure Story or Heroic Story and betray those expectations after all. Reality is not so sweet. There will always be embers left glowing. There were many readers who pointed that out as well. Thats why it seemed like the world suddenly became prosperous and happy, just like magic! Im not sure if it was in the original novel, but I went and added it in on my own ord. I dont want to spoil what happens in Volumes 4 and 5, but please look forward to it. Volume 2 The Song of the Nameless Bard

Volume 2 The Song of the Nameless Bard

The Hero and the Demon King had an audience, The Hero and the Demon King joined their hands. They forsook the battle between man and Demon, So they could see what was beyond the Hill. In a small vige in the Human World they lived, Simply and hidden, they grew potatoes. Mixing with the vigers, they hired Two Sisters as maids, Founding a school, they trained the peoples Sons. In the world which the Demon King revolutionised, The Hero reforged his bonds with his Comrades. The Hero and the Demon King disappeared from the stage, They knew from the start their quest would be tough. They brought the potato to the small vige, They filled the peoples stomachs, and brought chaos to their hearts. Whether it was the buying of goods, or the selling of goods, The paying of goods, or the making of goods, The rich Central Continent was not happy to release Its iron grip over the Southern United Kingdoms. They used her of coborating with the Demons, Betraying her Human friends. As one would expect, this was untrue. The girl who was a serf, she called out to the world I too am Human. With these words, the world shook, The South and the Continent, moved towards War A civil war among Men, was before our eyes! Volume 2 1, “There will be Two Churches. And so it begins!”

Volume 2 Chapter 1, There will be Two Churches. And so it begins!

- The Pce of Winter, a Large Room, Strategy Committee The Hero: Ah Dammit! ms table. Elder Maid Sister: I- Im sorry The Hero: I I said this many times before. We have to find a peaceful solution, a peaceful solution, but at this rate, we might as well be like those potatoes subjected to a ss A Hellfire Destruction Spell, right!? Little Maid Sister: Im hungry. Seneschal: Shall I bring something? Disciple Merchant: Sure, how about some Porridge. Little Maid Sister: Porridge!? Thats not tasty! Seneschal: In that case, I shall bring some cream pastry. Lone Winter King: I apologise. The Female Pdin: Thats alright, Hero. I was there too. Queen of Ice and Snow: Hero, Hero, please do try to calm down. Iron Fist King: Gahaha! We cant help whats already happened! The Hero: What the hell is wrong with you guys! Arent you even the least bit concerned about what could happen to your Kingdoms, huh! Is that what you royalty do! Iron Fist King: The situation is as it is. Please just listen, we must calm down. Queen of Ice and Snow: It was a brilliant performance, surely our subjects will understand as well. The Hero: If we dont do something, Im going to get very angry! Iron Fist King: That being said, the seriousness of the situation is that were being used of heresy. Queen of Ice and Snow: Yep. The Hero: ? Iron Fist King: It would be nice if they would stop saying that about us. Lone Winter King: Yes. The Hero: ? Queen of Ice and Snow: Oh, Im sorry, I should exin. The Hero has just returned to the Human World after all. In other words, unfortunately, the Central Continent is still falsely using us of heresy. Of course, they will probably falsely use us to the end. The ultimate aim of the Central Continent is most likely to force our dependence on them and weaken our Kingdoms Lone Winter King: In other words, the real question is, How much do we value our independence from the Central Continent? The Hero: I understand that much. Lone Winter King: However, the performance by the Elder Sister Maid has altered the direction of the wind. To the Central Continent, everything may have been normal until now, but to us In other words, to the Southern United Kingdoms, we have always faced the problem of how to orientate our country in order to achieve independence for our people. The Hero: Elder Maid Sister: I- I- Im sorry Lone Winter King: The impact of that performance was not small. And, like a Fire on the ins, its force is only set to increase. Seneschal: Right now, what were facing is a spate of insurrections by nearby serfs against ve-owningndlords. The Female Pdin: Mmm. - Exnation Porridge: A type of gruel made from ground oats. As it has no taste on its own, in order to make it ptable, various additional ingredients are often added. Porridge without anyplementary ingredients (or with the mere addition of salt) is considered to be a dish particrly disliked by children in Europe and North America and is, in fact, one of the Worst Three Dishes. Fire on the ins: If a fire is started in a wide in, due to theck of obstacles and abundant amount of fuel, it could potentially burn forever. - Seneschal: The branches of the Holy Church of Light in the Southern United Kingdoms have been instigating insurrections against the King and against the Military. The rulers of the Kingdoms are now being seen as heretical traitors, so it was to be expected. The Hero: Is that so? Seneschal: Yes. Well, this is from the Church of Light, but the Potatoes which have made our lives so prosperous up to now are to be confiscated. The Settlers and the Landlords are now embroiled in such chaos. No matter how you think about it, they are surely torn by what the Church of Light is doing Lone Winter King: To remove potatoes from our growing poption is next to impossible. Right now, we face the conflicting options of either allowing our people to starve in subordination to the Central Continent, or turning our backs to the Continent. Iron Fist King: Those are our choices. Queen of Ice and Snow: Yeah. Lone Winter King: At the very least, we should try working with our people. Iron Fist King: What are you saying? We should just impale a few of those serfs! Queen of Ice and Snow: My, my. Such things dont happen in my country. Ohohohohoho. The Hero: What are you saying!? Are you drunk! Lone Winter King: No, no, it does happen in your country! Iron Fist King: Hohohohohoho! Queen of Ice and Snow: Well, well, it appears the Southern United Kingdoms will be in trouble in any case. Little Maid Sister: This bread is delicious! Seneschal: Isnt it? Smiles Disciple Merchant: Its nice that its hot. Little Maid Sister: How do they make it so sweet? Seneschal: I think they put raisins in it. The Hero: Enough of that! Try to understand whats going on! Lone Winter King: Mmhmm. The Hero: Lets think about the strategy, the direction and the impending war! Properly! Seneschal: Well, I definitely think we should live together with the citizens. The reason why we would raise our g in defiance to the Central Continent is to protect these very citizens, for these citizens, we may very well be destroyed in this war. If our people die in the fires of this war, we will have lost everything. The Female Pdin: Hero. The Hero: Okay, first, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Im bad at thinking about things. Ahem. Iron Fist King: Ahahahahaha! The fool appears! The Female Pdin: I will protect the purity of the Hero! The Hero: Who let these guys drink so much, damnit. They reek of wine One, two, three. Four? Five cups?! The Female Pdin: The Battle Techniques of the Holy Order of the Lake, the Sword of Love, and the Indulgence of ughter are without parallel! The Hero: It may be without parallel, but itspletely useless here, isnt it?! Queen of Ice and Snow: Then Ill speak next. The Hero: Alright, second will be the Queen of Ice and Snow. The well-endowed middle-aged woman. Queen of Ice and Snow: Im a married woman, so I should probably bury people who make suchments, shouldnt I? Anyway, when ites to dealing with this issue, I think all we can do is the Emancipation of the Serfs The Hero: A surprisingly valid point. Queen of Ice and Snow: Because of the potatoes, the Dependent Poption has greatly increased, so I think we should start considering more radical solutions. Iron Fist King: But, shouldnt we do this when we arent at war with the Central Continent? - Exnation Emancipation of the Serfs: This refers to allowing serfs the freedom to move or to change upations. Of course, they can continue to remain farmers as well, but at the very least, they will no longer have to mindlessly follow the orders of the Landlords. Truly a joyous thing. - The Hero: What will we do about that? Queen of Ice and Snow: War is something you people are interested in, so Ill leave that to you. Gulp, gulp, gulp. Another ss please. Seneschal: Yes,ing right up. The Hero: Oh no. This grandma didnt think of anything either Iron Fist King: Hehe, then I guess its time for me to take the stage. Hero. I am the Sixth King of the Kingdom of Metal, the Iron Fist King! ms table! The Hero: Theres no need to be so excited, but alright, third, the Iron Fist King. Iron Fist King: First, we should establish the frontlines of the Armies of our Triple Entente at the Northern ins. In order to ensure that the harvests of our gentry do not diminish, this time we need to be on the offensive. Well add the excess food stocks to the sries of the mercenaries. Wait, we still have some of that mary aid from the Central Continent. Weve got some saved up from the previous Kings as well. The Hero: Ohhh! You finally said something solid! Iron Fist King: And we can sally forth and meet those Inquisitors and the Armies of the Central Continent on those Northern ins. If we use the previous Crusades as a reference, they should have at least 50,000 strong. We will break them there! The Hero: Hmm. Iron Fist King: And then we will continue to move North and take out their garrisons! Invade their cities! We will force every Kingdom wee across to pledge allegiance to the South, we will win a stunning chain of victories! We are an invincible Army of Steel! The Hero: Umm Iron Fist King: And then we will continue to the Holy City, we will attack it in waves, day and night until the City falls! We will never look back. They will tell tales of our conquest for centuries toe! Gahahahahaha! The Hero: Alright, thats enough! Seneschal: If we follow that n, well be decimated. The Hero: What shall we do Elder Maid Sister: Im sorry, Hero. Lone Winter King: Hmm, we need to look at this fundamentally. The Hero: Have you thought of something, Your Majesty? Lone Winter King: Honestly, no. The Hero: Lone Winter King: But if we focus Im sure we can think of something. The Hero: Ah Thats enough. Oi, anyone? Has anyone thought of anything? Seneschal: Umm The Hero: Ahh, and who are you? Seneschal: I am just a nameless soldier, Hero, sir! Salutes. The Hero: No, youre the only sober one, so youre the only useful one here. Seneschal: I have also not thought of anything, but something hase to my attention. No, it would be better to say that Ive noticed something. The Hero: Yeah? Seneschal: First, Im afraid I believe the Central Continent has yet to send its troops out as of the present. Disciple Merchant: Thats probably true. The Hero: What evidence do you have? - Exnation Dependent Poption: The percentage of the poption which does not contribute to the economy by working, but nheless continues to consumes food and requires supplies. Each working person usually has to support a few dependents such as children and elderly parents. - Disciple Merchant: Firstly, the primary goal of the Central Continent is to subjugate the Southern United Kingdoms, not to obliterate it. If the Southern United Kingdoms were obliterated and the Demons decided to invade, all that would happen is that they would lose the shield by which they protect themselves. As such, shouldnt we try to put pressure on them for some form of peaceful negotiations? Seneschal: Moreover, the majority of the military power of the Central Continent is decentralised among the nobility. As a result, they would need a significant amount of time in order to mobilise and equip their armies, and if they did manage to move their armies out, there would be a problem with reward. In this situation I wouldnt like to consider it, but the oue would likely be the fragmentation of the Southern United Kingdoms and the rewarding of parts of the Kingdom to the nobility. In order to achieve this, they must ready an army capable of crushing any opposition in the Southern United Kingdoms. That will require time. The Hero: Hmm, and what are your intentions? Lone Winter King: Its almost wintertime. And we have a short while before spring. If everything is normal, that would give us at least six months. The Hero: Six months Lone Winter King: But No Something like that Seneschal: ? The Hero: What are you thinking of, Your Majesty? Lone Winter King: No. Well I was just worried about something. Its impossible. I think its impossible, but Queen of Ice and Snow: Young King, stop beating around the bush. Iron Fist King: Gahahahaha! Theres no need to be modest! Lone Winter King: The Holy Empire At the very least, they must control some segment of the Demons, right? Pause. Lone Winter King: No, its just a thought. Hahaha. Well, if thats the case, that would exin why they can rest easy about another invasion from the Demon Race. Thats why they can afford to rx the pressure theyve put on the Southern United Kingdoms. For example, if they could time it to coincide with the Demon Invasion to use us of heresy again, they could take advantage of our military and economic exhaustion No, its just an empty thought. The Hero: Well, with regards to that, all I can do is go out and investigate it The Female Pdin: What!? Youre going? Youre always going off, Hero! Youre going to the ends of the world again No to the top of the world! The Hero: Get a grip on yourself. Shakes. The Female Pdin: Ugh. Headdesk. The Hero: (Uhh, I guess wed better start on something Someone, something What would she do? How would she think? We cant just look at things on the surface. Weve got to consider structural deficiencies and profit-loss mechanisms What?!) Little Maid Sister: Tada! This is pie! Seneschal: Wow! This looks very refined The Hero: (Why are we even fighting to begin with? Is this about thend? Or for prosperity? I suppose its for prosperity?) In other words, stockpiling money might create Wealth, but it doesnt contribute to Prosperity. Goods and capital flows must be established without stagnation in order to achieve Prosperity. The Hero: (In other words, umm, this is a rted topic. The flow thates from buying goods and selling goods That is prosperity, is it not? In that case, our World isnt prosperous, is it? Its too closed up The Church is doing it, the Holy Empire is doing it. Why? Setting limits on the world, making it smaller What is the point?) Iron Fist King: Its golden and pretty! Queen of Ice and Snow: Whats this inside? Quail meat and eggs? The Hero: (In other words, what the Church wants is to be Rich? They want to monopolise the wealth. No, not just the wealth. Knowledge, poprity, power they want to monopolise everything?) Disciple Merchant: How interesting, it has a very refined texture. Little Maid Sister: Thats right! Its because of the pears, I think. ? The Hero: (If the environment remains closed, a hierarchy under which other peoples gains get sucked up is created. This is a never-ending cycle, isnt it? Is it what the Demon King would call something that needs to be changed?) Elder Sister Maid: Hero? The Spirit By way of a miracle, the Spirit bestowed life onto humanity; by way of the Blessings of the Earth, the Spirit bestowed wealth; by way of our fractured souls, the Spirit bestowed freedom to us all. The Hero: (Monopoly Life Wealth and Freedom To monopolise is the attempt to solely own something. This is not Being Prosperous, this is merely Making Others Poor. Lone Winter King: Hoho, theres something sweet here too. Hmm, delicious! Seneschal: This is surely a luxury food. Iron Fist King: Itll probably go great with alcohol. It could be a little saltier. Queen of Ice and Snow: Its light, and quite simr to Pce food. The Hero: (Making one person the focal point. The gathering point. Allowing him and him alone to reach the top.) Disciple Merchant: This can surely be a new product! Little Maid Sister: Ehehe, really? Lone Winter King: Yeah, Ill even write you a Royal Rescript personally! Seneschal: We will designate you as the Royal Purveyor. Iron Fist King: Ohh, me too. Queen of Ice and Snow: Send some to the Kingdom of Ice as well. The Hero: Focus here! You damn royalty! Elder Maid sister: I- I- Im sorry, hero. Iron Fist King: Gahahaha! Theres no pointughing while crying, Hero. Which one will you have? The Hero: Which one? Little Maid Sister: The quail pie or the pear pie? ? Queen of Ice and Snow: There are two types. Theyre both delicious though. Little Maid Sister: Yep. ? So which one? The Hero: Seneschal: Hero? Lone Winter King: Heh. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: Hero? The Hero: Make a Royal Promation. Disciple Merchant: Promation? For a new tax? Or a neww? The Hero: The Kingdoms of the Triple Entente of the Southern United Kingdoms will formally recognise the Holy Order of the Lake as the national religion of the state and the True Faith of the Spirit of Light. Seneschal: Eh? The Hero: Thats right! Who decided that there could only be one Church! Its fine even if we have two! Its good to be able to choose! Lets do it! Well do it then. Hey, wake up, Female Pdin. Shakes the Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Ugh, ughhh The Hero: Then lets put the Royal Seal on it and make it intow! Here! The Speech by the Elder Sister Maid? Lets put that into writing as a teaching of the Holy Order of the Lake. Well make Agricultural Technology one of the precepts too! Isnt that great? We can rece books on theology with books about that. If you like, we can even issue coupons for the people to exchange for Tubers. Lone Winter King: And what would be the point of that? The Hero: There will be two ways to the top. There will be Two Churches. And so it begins! - Exnation Royal Rescript: These are official orders issued by the Emperor or by Kings of countries, particrly in Japan. For it to be a rescript, the orders have to be in response to a request by the people or by the government. Royal Purveyor: These refer to the merchants, craftsmen and businesses that are officially given the license to supply the Royal Family or the Church with certain goods or services. By bing a Royal Purveyor, the business then usually bes very popr. This is because being a Royal Purveyor is testament to the quality and ss of the product. For this reason, it is a status that every business would like to acquire. In pre-war Japan, Purveyor to the Imperial House was a fairlymon title among businesses. Promation: This refers to an official statement or deration in order to spread knowledge about a certainw or decree that has been put into ce. In most cases, a herald goes to cities and viges to make the announcement. However, the Hero intends to distribute leaflets and rely on the people to pass the message based on their own sense of justice. Tubers: Tubers are a family of nts to which the potato belongs to. They have no seeds and are grown from the tuber themselves. A single tuber can be cut up as long as it still contains the shoot, and in this way, many nts can be grown from one tuber. - - The City of the Gulf, Merchants Quarter, a Large Office in the Chambers of Commerce Young Merchant: Huh? Shrewd ountant: Umm, like I said Theres been a new Church. Young Merchant: The Holy Order of the Lake? Shrewd ountant: Yeah, at least thats what the Triple Entente dered. Young Merchant: Shrewd ountant: What is happening? Young Merchant: Hehehehehe. Shrewd ountant: ? Young Merchant: Hahahahahahaha! Is that so! Is that how it is now! Who is responsible for this? That person? No, it feels different. That person wouldnt do something so brazen as this. She would at least inform me first. Something so schismatic, only the Hero would do it. Ahahaha! Shrewd ountant: Councillor Young Merchant: Is that right, theres another Church? Ahaha. Thats excellent! Theyve really done it!!! Im sure the leaders of the Holy Church must be seeing red or blue. In fact, theyre probably ck with rage, arent they? Shrewd ountant: Thats to be expected. Its a frightful situation. Young Merchant: Ahahaha. Excellent! What a rare event. This is worth at least a hundred gold pieces! How wonderful it is to see those old men swimming in the cold water now. Shrewd ountant: Thats true. Well! Theyve gone ahead and raised someone used of heresy to sainthood, dont you think theyre being too confrontational about it? Young Merchant: Whats the situation? Shrewd ountant: They have support from the people who have been oppressed by the Holy Church of Light in the Central Continent. That was to be expected though. However, theres something that worries me Young Merchant: Something that worries you? Shrewd ountant: This thing is being distributed. Takes out leaflet. Young Merchant: Paper? Thats got to be expensive. Shrewd ountant: No, well, it seems that the Kingdom of Ice ising up with new factories Young Merchant: Factories? Shrewd ountant: Theyre likerge workshops. They can produce paper in huge quantities. Moreover, using printing from the Kingdom of Metal, they can even print words onto the paper fairly cheaply. Young Merchant: Hmm, I see. Thats like using a seal. Shrewd ountant: Yes, youll understand when you read it, but its like this Young Merchant: Flinches. Shrewd ountant: Yeah, thats right. They intend to liberate all the serfs. That would exin why the surrounding Kingdoms have seen an incredible number of serfs migrating to the Tripartite Union. Young Merchant: Hoho. Shrewd ountant: Youre not surprised? Young Merchant: If its them, this sort of thing is fairly standard. Shrewd ountant: Is that so? Young Merchant: And what of the internal situation at the Union? Shrewd ountant: There are three Councillors in the Holy Church Faction and two in the Tripartite Faction. The rest are all Centrists. The Disciple Nobleman is Hes really something. Just with a speech, he managed to convert one member of the Holy Church Faction and bring two members to the Centrists. Amazing. Young Merchant: Hehe How interesting, theres a price to pay for this struggle for supremacy. Shrewd ountant: Ill summarise the economic situation, then. Flips page. Young Merchant: I dont need to know the whole thing But its good to know some things. How is the price of wheat? Shrewd ountant: Its gone up by two points sincest week. The price seems to be increasing steadily. Its winter, and the Crop Failure in the Central Continent seems to be continuing. Looks like therell be a famine this year as well. Young Merchant: Buy. Shrewd ountant: Buy? But if we release the Unions stock of wheat, wont we get a fairlyrge Profit Margin? Young Merchant: Well, there are many who view that we should buy while the price is still rising. Lets just go with that for now. Shrewd ountant: Y- yes. Young Merchant: For now, buy enough wheat to raise the price by six points. Send that around to all the merchants of the Union. Shrewd ountant: Understood. Scribbles. Young Merchant: In that case, heres a memo for the Unions branch managers. Iron, charcoal, silver. Buy everything. Shrewd ountant: How many points? Young Merchant: It would be unnatural to micromanage to such an extent, let them handle it. Shrewd ountant: Yes. Scribbles. Young Merchant: Next week lets go up to 100 points. Next month, buy up to 250 points of wheat. Shrewd ountant: ?! Young Merchant: Whats wrong? Shrewd ountant: Thatll raise the price by three times?! Thatspletely abnormal! Ive never heard of anyone buying wheat like that. Where in the world will we get the funds to do that?! Young Merchant: If you check, Im sure you would find we definitely have enough funds for it. Shrewd ountant: Even so, this is highly irregr. Young Merchant: Is it? Shrewd ountant: Just what do you intend? If you do this, well lose a significant amount of our reserves. What is the point of filling our warehouses with so much wheat! Young Merchant: Ahahahaha. It just looks that way. Were not just buying it, dont you see? Shrewd ountant: What do you mean? Young Merchant: Were selling the gold from the Kingdoms. Smiles. - The Pce of Winter, a Large Room, Strategy Committee Seneschal: Just from what I saw along the border roads, there were 12 people yesterday. The Hero: Hmm, the pace is dulling faster than we expected. Lone Winter King: Mmm. Elder sister Maid: As I thought, freedom isnt such a big thing after all The Hero: Well, its difficult to say. Lone Winter King: We have to teach words to those who have no words to say. Queen of Ice and Snow: Indeed The Female Pdin: Bah. Why dont we just kidnap a few? The Hero: Are you really a Pdin? Lone Winter King: Well, even if the pace is this slow, winter will still end. - Exnation Points: In Economic terminology, this is the percentage rise or fall from a set index of prices at a given time for a given good. Crop Failure: A case of bad harvest arising from bad weather, poor soil conditions or other circumstances which may cause crops to fail. Buy: In a stock ormodities market, traders usually set a base and a ceiling price for their goods or stocks. When the price of the good rises beyond a certain level, the traders will automatically buy as a failsafe so they will not miss out on the opportunity. But when the price of the good falls below a certain level, the traders will automatically sell everything so that they do not lose all of their money. Nowadays, this all takes ce electronically and automatedly so that the trader will not go bankrupt if his position copses overnight. Profit Margin: The difference between the cost of purchasing the good and the selling price of the good. The key to being a merchant is to buy cheap and sell high, and hopefully buy again when it is cheap again. Selling Gold from the Kingdom: Even when I read this on the forums, I had no clue what it was saying. Its fine even if you dont understand right now (though at this moment the Young Merchant is probably the only one who understands). When you start to understand what this meanster on, youll probably apud him. - The Hero: Thats right. At the very least, weve won over quite a number during this winter and weve also strengthened the existing routes. Over time, our Church will grow in membership and in clergy. But at this rate, well be squeezed out. Yeah Its an incredibly massive hurdle. The Female Pdin: Well send out missionaries, but the Holy Order of the Lake doesnt even have fifty. We cant hope to match the Central Continent. The Hero: Hmm Queen of Ice and Snow: Missionaries? Can we do it without missionaries? The Female Pdin: Do you have an idea? Queen of Ice and Snow: How about poets? My country is renown for its Bards. Luckily for us, since its almost winter, all the bards roaming thend are gathering in my Royal Capital. If we contracted these people, they could spread throughout thend singing. They could sing about the Teachings of the New Church and abouting to the Three Kingdoms. Songs are powerful, right? Farmers dont know how to interpret or remember difficult words and sermons either. If we want them to remember and spread it, the effect of a song from a Bard will probably be far more widespread. The Female Pdin: Thats a good idea! The Hero: How many are there? Queen of Ice and Snow: I dont know exactly, but I would be willing to say close to 500. Lone Winter King: Alright, Ill be counting on you then. Im sure we wouldnt mind paying for this as well. Queen of Ice and Snow: Okay Hmm, we should write up Letters of Rmendation for the Bards and send them to the colonies? For each colony they go to, we could give one silver piece per bard? The Hero: Thats good! Umm How would the Schr say it, an incentive? Lone Winter King: Incentive? The Hero: Well pay those who demonstrate that they can do work. Elder Maid Sister: Umm Lone Winter King: Yeah, whats up? Elder Maid Sister: Arent we supposed to be discussing a war? Queen of Ice and Snow: Well, in a situation where the Demons could invade at any time, I think fighting among ourselves would be very stupid. Elder Maid Sister: Then I think we should not fight with the Church either. The Hero: Hmm. Queen of Ice and Snow: What do you mean? Elder Maid Sister: I think the people from the Church would probably abuse the Missionaries and Bards. They would call them liars, tools of the Demons Heretics. The Hero: They probably would. The Female Pdin: How stupid of them. Elder Maid Sister: At this rate, our conflict with them could be a war. And humans should not be fighting with each other. Lone Winter King: Thats true. Elder Maid Sister: Thats why I think the content of the message that the Missionaries and the Bards and the leaflets were going to give out should not be overflowing with criticism against the Church. The Female Pdin: But its clear that we do oppose those people. No matter how we phrase it, were still at odds with them. Elder Maid Sister: That may be true, but therge majority of believers are just simple people who believe in the Holy Spirit of Light, right? To these people, the differences between the Churches barely make sense. The Hero: Thats The Female Pdin: So are you saying we should just ignore it? Just keep quiet? Elder Maid Sister: I dont think that would be an appropriate response either. I think we should praise instead of criticise. The Holy Spirit of Light is a noble existence. Justice, determination and peace. These are points which we can agree on. Which means, these are points that the Church of the Central Continent cannot refute, and hence the people who respect the faith will respect us as well. Queen of Ice and Snow: But that wont win us followers from the Settlers, will it? Elder Maid Sister: That would depend on the methods that we use. Much of the wastnds to the South have not been developed. It will be hard work, but there are opportunities. The opportunities to cultivate thend are a gift from the Spirit. The Southern United Kingdoms can open up these areas to settlers, where serfdom does not exist, where anyone who works there is entitled to the fruits of hisbours without fear of famine. Taxes will be low as well. If we do that, surely there will be lots of people willing to move here? Lone Winter King: So well entice them with food andnd Theoretically that should work, and we could even turn that dreaded emptiness into a weapon. The Hero: Is everyone whom she teaches this capable? Elder Maid Sister: When I have to take care of my glutton sister I try my best toe up with something. - The City of the Gulf, Merchants Quarter, a Large Office in the Chambers of Commerce Shrewd ountant: Councillor, the price of wheat in most cities has gone up by six points. Young Merchant: Whats the effect on the market? Shrewd ountant: The noblemen and the merchants are extremely pleased. We are seeing a significant number of those with wheat in their hands attempting to exchange it for gold. The farmers are still being quite guarded. After all, this isnt just amodity to them, its food. However, there are also significant exchanges taking ce in that sector. Young Merchant: Is that so? Shrewd ountant: The current price isnt very different from an average years. I believe that is why we arent seeing a stronger reaction just yet. Young Merchant: Understood. What were going to do next is issue Agricultural Futures. Shrewd ountant: Im not familiar with the term. What do you mean? Young Merchant: Thats because Ive just invented them. Here, listen up. Shrewd ountant: Why dont you use the ckboard? Takes out chalk. Young Merchant: Its winter now. Winter Wheat is sown in autumn, grows through the winter and is harvested in the spring. Currently, the wheat has been sown, but they havent been harvested And theyll only be harvested in six months. In that time, many things could ur to jeopardise the harvest that would take ce six monthster. Shrewd ountant: Mmhmm, this ismon knowledge. Young Merchant: But if something were to happen during this period, the wheat yields may fall dramatically and the ies of the Landlords and Farmers will fall. Otherwise, there could be brilliant weather, and every farmer could experience a bumper crop of wheat that may cause the Market Price of wheat to fall significantly. Shrewd ountant: Mmm. Scribbles. Young Merchant: This is where we issue a Wheat Future. In other words, an agreement to purchase the wheat after it is ready. Shrewd ountant: Do you mean we will pay in advance? Young Merchant: Thats right. Shrewd ountant: So the Landlords and Farmers sell wheat which they dont have yet. Young Merchant: Thats right. However, when ites time to delivery At the beginning of the year, in early spring, we can be assured that they will be able to sell that certain quantity of wheat. Shrewd ountant: In other words, if the crop is good, the Landlords would already have sold the wheat and they wouldnt have to incur additional costs in trying to find a buyer. Young Merchant: If during or before the transfer, some kind of crisis urs such that the Market Price increases, we would also be able to get wheat below the Market Price. Shrewd ountant: Can you predict the Market Price? Young Merchant: The Central Continent, Holy Empire and Church have issued the emunication for heresy, and hence the likelihood of there being a war is high. Eeven if we do manage to avoid a war, that will also be to our benefit. Shrewd ountant: Why? Young Merchant: If we manage to avoid a war, then the poption will not decrease. What weck right now are funds and shipping ability. Those can be considered the pulses of the Market. Since there is more demand for the food, the stock of wheat will artificially be depleted, and hence theres no way that the price of wheat can go down. Shrewd ountant: Young Merchant: Conversely, if the yields of wheat in the continent exceed our expectations, the Union might go bankrupt. Shrewd ountant: I see. Its a way of artificially manipting the Market Prices. As far as this Wheat Futures thing is concerned, were still tied to the noblemen, right? Young Merchant: Thats one way of putting it. There are possible options. Shrewd ountant: I dont understand your aim Young Merchant: This relies on the judgment of the Landlords and Farmers. They will be thinking about the Market Price of Wheat for the next year. As long as we have the Wheat Future, so to speak, weve basically borrowed arge amount of wheat and are waiting for it. We dont have to worry about harming the fields we control. When ites to the springtime harvest, they have to remember to separate the Wheat which they need to transfer to us. Shrewd ountant: Is that so Young Merchant: Our present goal is to suppress the price fluctuation of Wheat. This is the first step. Even in early spring, the amount of wheat which they can freely control would be very little. They would barely have any left on their hands. However, if the price of wheat were to suddenly rise Actually, it doesnt even need to rise very high. Everyone thinks, It would be terrible if such a thing happened. This uncertainty would be to our advantage. Using the Future, they would hand over the Kingdoms gold. Its a cheap investment. Smiles. Shrewd ountant: Young Merchant: The Central Continent nobility are beginning to taste what a slightly long winter is like. Its the start of a fun dance. This Waltz buy, sell, exchange. The effect of this drives the entire Continent. - Exnation Market Price: The market price of a good is determined by the supply and demand of the given good. In this case, the good is Wheat. An Agreement to Purchase the Wheat After it is Ready: One type of Future. A future is an agreement to purchase a given amount of goods at a given time in the future at a given price. A future helps to stabilise the price of a good whether its Market Price increases or decreases, so that the seller can be assured of a minimum sale price. This was likely first begun in 16th Century Belgium. Back then, the Wheat Future was not a sale for money, but a barter trade for a physical good. Waltz: A type of music performed in triple time, typically for dancing to. - - The City of the Gate, Independence Committee, Office Knock knock. East Fortress Base Commander: Its open Come in Fire Dragon Lady: How are you, Commander? East Fortress Base Commander: Not good, not bad. The weather is brilliant but Ive got a mountain load of work. No matter how much I do, it never ends. Fire Dragon Lady: If it never ends no matter how much you do, how about you just dont do any of it? East Fortress Base Commander: My, my! What a privilegeddy! Fire Dragon Lady: Not at all! res. Wealthy Demon Merchant: Hahaha. Youre still the same. Fire Dragon Lady: Oh! Its Uncle Cloud Dragon. East Fortress Base Commander: He came to visit us to conduct trade negotiations. Fire Dragon Lady: Am I intruding? Should Ie backter so you can talk freely? Wealthy Demon Merchant: No, no, its a simple matter, though there are many parts. You really are a very brave person, you know. East Fortress Base Commander: No, no. The Free City isnt just a name, weve really got to do what we can. I am very honoured that a merchant like yourself would make the long trip here to see us. Aide-de-Camp: Yes, indeed. Ahh, Your Excellency, please have some Cocoa Tea. Wealthy Demon Merchant: Hahaha. With this, I dont have to scrutinise any fine print or offer any money from inside my sleeve. I dont have to do anything really. Fire Dragon Lady: Well, that is because the City of the Gate is governed by a Free Council. ording to thews for civil servants, those who are found epting bribes will have their heads chopped off. Uncle? What is your business in this City? Wealthy Demon Merchant: Haha, just some daily necessities. Salt, metal, potatoes, maize. Cocoa Beans. Cotton. And maybe some ores as well. Fire Dragon Lady: When you say it like that, it appears your organisation is going to be a very massive business in the City. East Fortress Base Commander: The Wealthy Merchant would like to sell potatoes to the City, and purchase salt here Aide-de-Camp: Oh my. Wealthy Demon Merchant: In the past, we used to get our shipments of salt from the Isle of Light. Ah, it hurts to talk about it. Fire Dragon Lady: I see Wealthy Demon Merchant: Oh my, how could I say something so insensitive in front of the Human Base Commander? Please excuse my dementia. Fire Dragon Lady: East Fortress Base Commander: No, no, dont think anything of it. To inly speak, we also took quite a beating from you Demons. Lots of my subordinates were disbanded, but I suppose when we live in this world, we get used to all this conflict Im just grateful to wake up alive every morning thats how I think anyway. Wealthy Demon Merchant: So young yet so tenacious. East Fortress Base Commander: Well try to do something about the salt. Wealthy Demon Merchant: Then Ill leave it to you. Thank you for all the generous tea. East Fortress Base Commander: Aide-de-Camp, please see this gentleman out. Aide-de-Camp: Yes! - Exnation Cocoa Tea: This tea is made from Cocoa beans which are ground and roasted in order to extract the fatty oils that give it the vour before adding sugar to the mix. Money from Under the Sleeve: This refers to bribery. In the Edo period in Japan, in order to give bribes to officials, a paper bag of money would be passed from hand to hand, while being hidden by the long sleeves of Japanese clothing at the time, hence gaining its proverbial reputation. Cocoa Beans: From processing cocoa beans, one is able to obtain either cocoa to drink or chocte. In real life, Cocoa was brought to Western Europe by Columbus from the New World, but in Maoyuu, it is a nt indigenous to the Demon World. - Door closes. East Fortress Base Commander: What a powerful presence. Fire Dragon Lady: Thats because Uncle is quite an authority figure in the Demon World. He may look like that now, but he used to be very fearsome in the past. East Fortress Base Commander: Right then, I have something I need to discuss with you. Fire Dragon Lady: So do I. East Fortress Base Commander: How about you go first. Fire Dragon Lady: Im worried about something Have you heard of the Demon Race known as the Pale? East Fortress Base Commander: The Pale? I think weve done battle with them, but Im not too familiar. At that time, I couldnt even really distinguish the Demon Races anyway. Fire Dragon Lady: The Pale are a Demon Race consisting of the pale-skinned descendants of the Elder Gods. There are small-sized ones andrge-sized members in their Race, which appears to consist of a federation of minor Races. Combined together, they excel at warfare. East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm Fire Dragon Lady: The Dragon Race and the Fairy Race dont really interact too much with them. Well, actually, we dont really have much interest in interacting with other races. The Pale were historically one of the Four Great Demon Races from which the Demon King would be chosen, or a Royal Race. There were some among that race who sought to conquer the Demon World. East Fortress Base Commander: This stinks of a conspiracy. Fire Dragon Lady: Recently, there have been Demons of the Pale sighted around the City East Fortress Base Commander: Fire Dragon Lady: I havent confirmed this information myself yet, but thats the word on the street. The City of the Gate is a preciousnd where Humans and Demons may interact freely. Of course, we shouldnt bar Demons of the Pale from staying here, but East Fortress Base Commander: Its worrying. Fire Dragon Lady: East Fortress Base Commander: I understand, I shall investigate. Shall we entrust this to the Demon authorities? In any case, lets do something about it. Leave it to me. Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you And what did you want to say? East Fortress Base Commander: Ahh, thats right. Fire Dragon Lady: ? East Fortress Base Commander: The Wealthy Merchant requested for salt. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes, and? East Fortress Base Commander: There isnt any salt in the City. Fire Dragon Lady: Well East Fortress Base Commander: Isnt this a problem? Fire Dragon Lady: Such as it is, its an unreasonable request. The Demand for salt everywhere is very high, and the price is ordingly high as well. Even the Dragon Race has only one salt mine under our control. East Fortress Base Commander: Well There is one ce we can go to. Fire Dragon Lady: ? East Fortress Base Commander: The Human World. - In a Courtyard, the Memories of the Demon King The Demon King: Ahh! Ahh?! Tumbles. The Demon King: Its already sote! Ughh. Wh-What? My back hurts. No, my whole body hurts Why The Chief Maid: Sote? Its been two days. The Demon King: Ohhh. The Chief Maid: Please try to understand the limits of your body. The Demon King: But its so interesting, I cant stop. The Chief Maid: I understand your emotions but The Demon King: Where are we? The Chief Maid: I specialise in taking care of my principal. If you dont exercise at all, and just sit here reading books and reports all day, your muscles are going to be stiff. The Demon King: I suppose thats true. The Chief Maid: Shall I make you some tea? The Demon King: Its fine, but why not. The Chief Maid: I am eternally grateful. The Demon King: You can stop saying that. The Chief Maid: But you saved the life of this ve. The Demon King: Sorry. The Chief Maid: No, I didnt mean anything by that. Theres something very important though. The Demon King: What? New research? The Chief Maid: No, Ivee up with a new way to make tea. The Demon King: What? That doesnt help anyone at all, I dont want it. The Chief Maid: A worldprised only of things which are important has no meaning. This is what it means for life to have colour. The Path of the Maid is one which ces much emphasis on this colour. The Demon King: I would be grateful for tea in any case. The Chief Maid: Understood, Mistress. The Demon King: Mistress? The Chief Maid: Its a title, please wait. The Chief Maid runs off. The Demon King: But, my race is a race of pretty strange people One could even call us the very definition of a strange people. They dont make them any stranger than us. We like to keep the room in order. nk Clink clink clink. The Demon King: Economic Fundamentals, Optimisation, Pareto Efficiency, Domestic Demand, Ie, Production, Growth, the Hollowing-Out Phenomenon things like these are inexhaustible. This is probably what one could term a set of values. From a theoretical point, these mark the beginning/creation of a new set of values. Through this set of actions caused by the creation and beginning of this set of values, the world has been broadened. Through the acquisition of this new viewpoint, we are reevaluating every world event. In other words, we are expanding the number of angles we look at the world from. I believe that by holding many viewpoints, we can gain glimpses into many different worlds. This is the meaning of knowledge and learning. This is the raison detre for my Race. We believe in new concepts. We believe in expanding the world through new concepts. When concepts meet other concepts, they merge, giving birth to a flux which none of us are able to predict or imagine. What we are left with is a fruit. The fruit of the World. Theoretically, we see that T = n (n+1) /2. How wonderful How wonderful it is to know that. But, above this, the world is wonderful. This world is rapidly, rapidly expanding, not just for us Demons, but for The Demon King: for anyone with a soul. How splendid it is to call them that. In the distance, just how far does this expansive world stretch for? What sort of Combinatorial Explosions will take ce? When two concepts like ourse into contact, what sort of fantastic world will we be able to witness? The Human World Perhaps to an ordinary Demon like myself, it is almost unimaginable. What sort of castles will it have? Will their viges be simr to ours? How strange will it be? If only I had more pictorial or video evidence We flow, goods flow and cash flows too. In fact, it is difficult to think of something which stays still. Even time flows. However, things which appear, rarelypletely disappear. No matter how they are washed away, something still remains. Just like that Cosmic Library. I hear the songs of the records of billions and billions of worlds being sung. Why doesnt everyone else hear it too? I really want to see it, that which is so proud, so high above, that which sings. No matter how I think about it, or how anyone else does Well never reach it. The Chief Maid: Mistress, the tea is here. The Demon King: Eh? What are you doing standing there? The Chief Maid: I said I would show you the new method. The Demon King: Hmm. The Chief Maid: Ahh! The Demon King: Ahh? The Chief Maid: Ahhm wait, wait, umm! The Demon King: What are you saying? The Chief Maid: Quickly, catch! The Demon King: Eh? Throws. The Demon King: Hot! Hot! Its hot! The Chief Maid: Are you all right! The Demon King: Whats with this cloth, ahh! The Chief Maid: Its a new method. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Knowledge sure is amazing. I will devote myself to further study. The Demon King: Just what sort of material have you been consulting! - Exnation T = n(n+1) / 2: In order to sum up every integer from 1 to n, instead of using a calctor or other means, one simply has to follow the equation given. In this way, one can speedily solverge equations in an era without mechanicalputing, hence opening up new dimensions of Mathematics. Combinatorial Explosion: Aputing terminology. As the amount of data increases, the number of ways to connect each of this data and the resulting possibilities of functions increases exponentially. Very soon, one will have more functions than aputer is capable of processing properly. - - The Kingdom of the Mist, in an Unspecified Street in an Unspecified City Bard: ? We learnt, oh we learnt, from the Schr as she came! The first to learn were the Free among the people, the first of the four. Those who had lived a life among the grass. Next came those whose lives were one with the water, the people of the Lake. Third came the people of the sand and the barren waste, they who lived in hardship and with fortitude. The fourth were the men of the South, the settlers like wind who upied the frontiers. The wheat she brought wherever she went, like gold that came from her hands. They blew like wind across thend, and from the ground they so burst forth like fires red and warm and hot. Where was spring? Where was spring? The time of harvest reared its head, as did the heads of the golden wheat. The potatoes that grew like hills below, sprung forth their fruits like mountains high. To the South, to the South. That is where the fruits they grow. To the South, to the South. Come onee all, lets go. ? - The Pce of Winter, a Large Room, Strategy Committee Door closes. The Hero: How goes our n? Lone Winter King: As expected, the literacy rate is one problem. Thanks to the widespread effect of the bards, weve seen an increase in the number of settlers as well. Seneschal: Even outside of the Southern Kingdoms, music is important during winter. The Hero: And what is this report? Flips. The Hero: Lone Winter King: Are you concerned about something? The Hero: No, its just that, were not the only ones in this world. Lone Winter King: Thats right. Seneschal: Huh? Lone Winter King: Its either we share our profits, or separately, we are allpromised. That is something we should not forget. Butler: While were on it, what about the others? Lone Winter King: Ahh, the Iron Fist King and the Queen of Ice and Snow have returned from abroad. I suppose they cant be away forever. Butler: Sighs. The Hero: Whats wrong? Butler: This roompletely and unpretentiously reeks of men. The Hero: The sisters have gone to be with the Queen of Ice and Snow. Even though the bards are already spreading the word, its still better to be doing it directly. After that, it seems theyll be heading to the Kingdom of Metal to create an original copy of the printing press. Theyll be going with the Female Pdin and some guards. In other words, this is now a mens paradise. Seneschal: The Female Pdin too? Butler: Are we at such a precipice? The Hero: Thats right, do we need to go so far? Butler: Sighs. The Hero: That being said, have they said anything? Lone Winter King: Of course, look. ces a crate of letters on table. The Hero: What!? Thats a lot. Why is there so much!? Lone Winter King: Well, when ites to the Central Continent, we cant really say its a unified country or anything. Up until 20 years ago, they were a group of small states that constantly fought among themselves, and up till the Demon invasion, the only thing that tied them together was the Church. Thats why, even though theyre just criticisms, theres naturally quite a lot here. The Hero: Then I suppose the content is all the same? Lone Winter King: Yeah. At its core, its basically just a series of official denunciations from the Holy Church of Light. Right now, it seems that theyre threatening to Emunicate us. The rest are derations from Kings and Nobles. The content is mostly just asking us to apologise. Seneschal: Well, well, most of it are just words for decoration, thats why each of them takes up about three pages. The Hero: What a bunch of fools. Lone Winter King: Well Theres no choice. Im afraid from these official denunciations, it seems they are concerned that if they do not do anything about us, theyll anger one of the factions in the Central Continent. To put it another way, if the Tripartite Union continues to be denounced by all these Kingdoms and nobility, we could find ourselves isted and bullied by everybody else. The Hero: Well, its not like we didnt know that. Actually, if we actually do get emunicated, its likely that trade will grind to a halt, right. - Exnation Emunication: This refers to being abandoned by the Church. In the Middle Ages, the Church was often the centre of much of life and society. In other words, those who were abandoned would find it difficult to live in human society, this applied for emunicated countries as well. In the novel, emunication is also an extremely severe punishment. - Seneschal: Thats right. The Hero: Thats probably why no country has gone against the Church till now. Lone Winter King: Thats right. Lone Winter King: In any case, Im thinking of forming the Army into smaller divisions and sending them to patrol the borders. The Hero: Thats a good idea. Seneschal: The provincial officials have reported unrest within the region. Butler: With regards to that, Ive received reports as well. It seems that mercenaries have be bandit groups and are operating at the borders of the country. Furthermore, with the rapid emancipation of the serfs, there have been cases of reprisals and robberies against thendlords. Lone Winter King: This is a real problem, what a headache. The Hero: Yeah, Im sorry. Im not very good at this sort of thing. I dont have any good suggestions, and I dont know much about this. Lone Winter King: When ites to this, I doubt therell be some sort of sudden miracle. When a problem like this happens, weve got to deal with it as soon as we can. Its certainly amazing that weve managed to turn all the serfs into free settlers, whom each own their individual fields. However, in this case, no matter what, they have to cultivate freshnds on their own. Those who cultivate newnds have the right to own them. However, when uncultivatednds turn out to be uncultivable, thats when these sorts of violent incidents begin. The Hero: I see. Lone Winter King: Moreover, since they dont have the sort of manpower or organisation that thendlords do, its difficult to dobour-intensive work like cultivating newnds.Also, maintaining and supervising things which everyone else uses in the area, like public facilities, is next to impossible. Actually, even if we manage to control the rate of this sort of violent revolution,pared to thend area, the number of citizens who live in thend are few, clearly an impoverished country. Liberating serfs is a good thing, but theres no point in ostracising thendlords in retribution. The Hero: Is there any way to solve this? Lone Winter King: First, well have a patrolling guard. We should select soldiers who know the region well to patrol the viges within the area. That should take care of our basic defences. Next, we should severely punish those who break thew. We need to ensure the safe existence of thendlords, and restorew and order to the citizens. Seneschal: I will join in the patrols as well. We will make a tour of the viges in the country, and return in two weeks to reform and regroup. The Hero: Mmm. Lone Winter King: Next, well have to carry out a census and a collectivisation. The Hero: Collectivisation? Lone Winter King: Thats right. Well ssify a few households of free colonists, up to ten, as a collective. Well supply them with facilities and treat them as a single administrative unit. This applies for taxes and corveebour as well. Well distribute seedlings and other necessities to the collectives so that they canbine theirbour for easier development. If theres any more trouble, then the patrols will have to deal with it. If we receive news that one of the families are making trouble, then well move them to another collective. The Hero: Its a good idea, but it seems troublesome. Lone Winter King: Thats right, it is troublesome. Itll probably take a lot of effort. On top of that, this is just a transitional stage. Right now, well probably have to force the colonists into these collectives, but in future, I hope to create a freer system of collectives. Its going to be tough, but theres no choice. I believe this to be right. The paper that the Schr left behind should be helpful with this. The Hero: Is that so, why? Butler: For this sort of thing, well need to keep a massive amount of records. Well have to start an extremely detailed census-taking exercise, and put into ce a massive records-keeping division. The Hero: Huh Well, this ispletely out of the fields of expertise from both me and the Female Pdin. - The Kingdom of the Lake, Capitol, the Headquarters of the Union Shrewd Merchant: The price of wheat has started rising abnormally. Young Merchant: Its started. Shrewd Merchant: Yes. Its up 64% fromst year and 9 points fromst week. Young Merchant: It was a good idea to move our headquarters to the Kingdom of the Lake. It would be disastrous if the information came inte. Shrewd Merchant: Shall we begin? Young Merchant: Are you hesitating? Shrewd Merchant: No, I too was born a merchant. I have the stomach for something like this. Lets see the results. Young Merchant: Exactly. Are the preparations for themunications and the fast horses done? Shrewd Merchant: All ready. Young Merchant: This too is about to be a battleground. We shall not sleep nor rest. Assistants: Yes! Young Merchant: Then, lets begin. Shrewd Merchant: Yes. Young Merchant: We will nowmence with the operation for the Union to corner essential goods like wheat, metal, salt and charcoal. Buy wheat up to 320 points ofst years prices and the rest up to 240 points. Shrewd Merchant: Young Merchant: Of course, do not needlessly spend money. Make sure you stay vignt throughout the entire process and look out for our interests. Except this time, weve got more interests than just profit. We have to maintain the price of the good. Shrewd Merchant: Yes. Young Merchant: I expect that the political situation will deteriorate. Make sure to pay attention to the shipment and storage of goods. Mercenaries usually only ept money as payment. It is necessary to secure their allegiance so we can try getting them to ept direct payment in wheat or othermodities. In this case, lets arrange to pay them weekly rather than monthly. Shrewd Merchant: Understood. Young Merchant: Have you drawn up the Wheat Futures? Shrewd Merchant: The contracts have all been arranged. Young Merchant: Stay in contact withrge-scalendlords and noblemen, please. Shrewd Merchant: Young Merchant: Then, here it begins. Shrewd Merchant: ? Young Merchant: The Church faction is probably going to disapprove of our cornering the market. Shrewd Merchant: Yes, theyre already expressing some measure of displeasure. Young Merchant: What would we do if they began ratting us out to the Church? We would have to throw away all the profit thaty in front of us, or we would lose a lot of our trading rights, thats something we cant allow as merchants. Shrewd Merchant: What should we do? Young Merchant: We use a ck Hand. Send the three Councilmen away for two weeks. Shrewd Merchant: Young Merchant: Well finish all we need in two weeks. Once we begin something like this, we cant stop it halfway. Shrewd Merchant: I understand. Young Merchant: Lets disguise our purchases then. Im sure that no one in the Central Continent is expecting something like this, but we cant hold it for long. The disguise will probably be broken within two weeks. - The Holy Empire, a Coastal City, the Noblemens Quarter Coastal City Citizen: Huh!? What!? Commodities Merchant: Yeah, didnt I say already? One sack of wheat is now eight silver pieces. Coastal City Citizen: Are you stupid? What kind of price is that? Commodities Merchant: You havent been here in a while, have you? Coastal City Citizen: Well, yeah. Ivee all this way with my cart to buy things from you. You know you can feed a family of eight with that, right?! Travelling Merchant: Hey, gimme some wheat. Commodities Merchant: Sure, how much do you want? Travelling Merchant: How much is it? Commodities Merchant: One sack of wheat is going at eight silver pieces. Weve also got coarse, second-grade wheat at six-and-a-half silver pieces. Barley is going at five silver pieces. Travelling Merchant: Show me the second ss. Commodities Merchant: Here it is! Travelling Merchant: Hmm Therere bugs mixed with this. Commodities Merchant: Nowadays, youll find thatmon everywhere. Ive got plenty of buyers. Travelling Merchant: Fine. Give me twenty-five sacks. Commodities Merchant: No problem, its a sale then. Fills sack. Coastal City Citizen: Dammit, fine, give me some second ss wheat too. Commodities Merchant: Sure. One sack for seven silver pieces. Coastal City Citizen: Huh!? Wasnt it just six-and-a-half silver pieces! Commodities Merchant: Sir, this second ss wheat was going at four silver pieces a sackst week. Its probably better for me not to sell anything and just keep it all. Coastal City Citizen: Dammit! Two sacks. Four sacks of barley as well. Commodities Merchant: Thats a great purchase youve just made. Baker: Cheap! Cheap! Buttered grape bread! Two for fifteen copper pieces. Fills sack. Coastal City Citizen: How is that cheap? Its so small as well. How could that be worth fifteen copper pieces? Just what is going on? Theres nothing for it. Lets get some lentils and peas. This year, we dont have the Blessings of the Spirit of Light. Well, lets hope it gets better next year. Coastal City Citizen: Ehh?! Merchant: Lentils are going at four silver pieces a sack. Peas at six and a half silver pieces. Coastal City Citizen: What the hell?! I understood that the wheat harvest was bad. Its true that the weather hasnt been too brilliant. But didnt the legume crops turn out great this year?! Merchant: Well, thats true. But Coastal City Citizen: Ahh. Merchant: Just think about it. Those people who usually eat wheat will switch to eating barley or peas when the price of wheat rises too high, right? Those people who usually eat barley or peas will switch to other foods like beans, buckwheat or walnuts, when the price goes up as well, right? Understand? The demand for legumes is far higher than usual in the Human World right now. Thats why the price is going up. Coastal City Citizen: Why is this happening Merchant: Ive been working hard to try to lower the price as well. Coastal City Citizen: ? Merchant: That being said, the noblemen are speaking about fixing the prices of beans,modities and things like bread next week. Coastal City Citizen: Fixing? Merchant: Yeah, theyre going to fix the prices. Coastal City Citizen: Brilliant! Then as long as I buy within month, I can get wheat and beans cheaper! Fills sack. Travelling Merchant: My, my. Coastal City Citizen: Ahh, youre the merchant from earlier. Travelling Merchant: Didnt I meet you at the Commodities Merchants? Coastal City Citizen: Yeah, youre a Travelling Merchant, right? How are you? Travelling Merchant: You dont understand anything, do you? Merchant: Theres no choice. Hes never had any connection to the farm anyway. Coastal City Citizen: What do you mean? Whats going on? Merchant: Huh. Travelling Merchant: I probably shouldnt say anything, but Im a traveller so it probably shouldnt affect me too much. Merchant: Ive been weighing the beans. Coastal City Citizen: And? Travelling Merchant: The prices of wheat, barley and oats have been rising constantly. I sincerely dont believe that the prices are going to fall any time next month. What do you think will happen if they do fix the prices of wheat and bread? Theyll all probably go bankrupt. If the price of wheat remains this high, then Commodities Merchants and Bakeries wont even be able to open. Coastal City Citizen: Ah! Merchant: Thats right. Even though the prices are rising, theyre still trying to sell everything they have. Of course, they keep enough for themselves so they dont starve to death. Coastal City Citizen: Thats Merchant: Alright How about this? If it really is as he says, then none of the shops will be open next month. You should probably buy some bacon and beans, or at the very least some barley, in preparation. Coastal City Citizen: I-I-I understand! Merchant: Im closing up for today, so Ill give you a discount. Coastal City Citizen: Give me two sacks of lentils and peas. Merchant: Thatll be twenty silver pieces. Travelling Merchant: Give me twenty sacks of peas. Merchant: Alright. Give me a hand with these then! - The Pce of Winter, a Large Room, Strategy Committee Disciple Merchant: Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Assistant: Wha Seneschal: Oh, its the Disciple Merchant? Whats up? Disciple Merchant: I have an urgent report that needs to be made. Where is His Majesty the King? Butler: Ohh, Disciple Merchant. Hes over there. Lone Winter King: Whats up? Disciple Merchant: Your Majesty. Its an emergency. I have a report. Something has just been announced. Assistant: Ho Lone Winter King: Whats wrong? Is it a tax issue? Or has something happened with the military? Disciple Merchant: Your Majesty, it is indeed a tax issue. Assistant drags flipchart over. Lone Winter King: Read out your report. Disciple Merchant: I shouldnt, Your Majesty. Time is of the essence. Butler: How proper Disciple Merchant: Im still learning how one talks with a King. Seneschal: He has indeed grown. Disciple Merchant: Allow me to exin this in simple terms. Flip! Assistant: Yes! Disciple Merchant: Right now, the price of goods which the Central Continent imports from the Southern Kingdoms is rising quickly. At the same time, the volume of gold being transferred is increasing. Assistant: Yes. Lone Winter King: What do you mean? Disciple Merchant: In other words, something you could buy for five gold piecesst week costs ten this week, twenty next week, and it just keeps on rising. Butler: Wont that be tough on the people? Disciple Merchant: Of course. But, in response, noblemen are expending their gold reserves inrge quantities. If the gentry disseminates their gold to the people, they might be able to achieve some sort of equality, but at present, that the prices arent something which the people can afford is the reality of the situation. Thats why we need to act fast. Oi, flip! Assistant: Yes! Flips. Disciple Merchant: As you can see from this chart, prices are currently twice thanst year, this is an unprecedented speed. Assistant: Mmm. Seneschal: I understand But why are you so worked up? Butler: This is a really big deal. Lone Winter King: Hmm. Disciple Merchant: This is probably the work of somebody trying to corner the market on wheat. Lone Winter King: Work? For what purpose? Disciple Merchant: Thats not important. We dont have the luxury right now. But against such a skilled yer, we do not have the upper hand. Seneschal: yer? Disciple Merchant: Ahh, forget I said that. Disciple Merchant: Whats important is figuring out what will happen from now on. Lone Winter King: Yeah, our response is the top priority. What do you predict will happen? - Exnation yer: This refers to a yer in a game. However, in this case, what they are ying with are massive amounts of money in the form of wheat moving across the market. In other words, the one who loses the game also loses this massive sum of money. - Disciple Merchant: Within the Kingdoms of the Central Continent, a massive shift in wealth distribution is taking ce. Already, the wealth of the cities are being gathered byrge merchants,ndlords, feudal lords, noblemen and nobility. However, this price intion is affecting the prices of all the goods, its gotten to the state where theres not much point holding cash anymore. As time goes by, all the prices have been rising incredibly. Butler: Hmm Disciple Merchant: As a result, there is currently significant government expenditure, but the effect of this is limited due to the actions of a group of determined noblemen. Due to this group of determined noblemen, the flow is unlikely to cease. Oi, page three. Assistant: Yes! Butler: ?! Disciple Merchant: Thats right, theres still somewhere where the prices have yet to rise, somewhere far away, in other words, the Southern United Kingdoms. It is likely that their next course of action will be to begin purchasingrge sums of goods from us, and we are already seeing signs of a segment of society at work here. Lone Winter King: If that happens, then the prices in our Kingdom? Disciple Merchant: Will undoubtedly rise. Assistant: Thats incredible. Butler: How do we counter this? Disciple Merchant: Allow me to borate. First, we need to determine that such an economic attack will actually take ce. If the other side has no intention of doing so in the first ce, that would be a disaster. This is a risk. If we get it wrong, the Kingdom may even copse. Lone Winter King: I understand. Disciple Merchant: Firstly, tariffs. With an emphasis on wheat, well impose a tariff on all goods produced within the Tripartite Union intended for export. Lone Winter King: Like a transit tax? Disciple Merchant: Flip. Assistant: Yes! Flips. Disciple Merchant: Its simr but far more limited. This only applies to goods which are leaving the country. Whether its grain or potatoes, one carriage of goods needs to pay a tax of ten gold pieces. Seneschal: Ten!? Thats a bit harsh. Disciple Merchant: What? We have to be more concerned about our own pain and suffering. If we dont impose this tax, all of our food will end up being sold to the Central Continent and well all starve to death. Seneschal: Is that so? Then I guess even twenty would be fine too. Butler: We cant allow a famine to take ce. Disciple Merchant: Next is to restructure the wage sries for people connected to the Pce. Lone Winter King: What do you mean? Disciple Merchant: At present, the relevant question is, How much is one gold piece worth? In other words, if one can usually buy three sacks of wheat with one gold piece, how many can one buy now? Butler: Hmm. Disciple Merchant: Usually, two gold pieces are about a months sry, but were not sure about now. Even if its still the same now, we wont be sure about the future. In other words, this is the copse of the fiat currency system. That is why at least part of the currency system is likely to copse. Important upations like soldiers and ministers should no longer be paid in gold, but in physical, real value goods like wheat. - Exnation Government Expenditure: This refers either to the government spending money on public works and other goods, or giving money to the people to spend. This introduces demand for goods into the economy and can help to boost the economy during tough times. - Seneschal: How about potatoes? Theyre delicious and therere lots of them. Disciple Merchant: Flip! Assistant: Yes! Flips. Disciple Merchant: Luckily, our Kingdom and the Tripartite Union has made the shift from wheat to potatoes. This is an unforeseen stroke of luck among our misfortunes. The potato is currently seen by the Central Continent as a heretical crop. Barring some miracle, well never be able to sell any. We can use that to our advantage. Lone Winter King: By fixing the price. Disciple Merchant: Thats right. We can pay a fixed amount of money to buy potatoes from producers. We can then sell potatoes at a fixed price to people who eat them and to food establishments in the cities. We can adjust this price once every two months. We can use the potatoes to prevent famine among the settlers. By doing this, we should at least be able to stabilise the faith that the people of the Tripartite Union have in the currency. In other words, how many potatoes can they buy with one gold piece? If we can assure them that one gold piece will be able to buy one months worth of potatoes, then we give meaning to the currency again. On top of that, there are a lot of other good points. Potatoes keep better than wheat too, right? Didnt you encourage its production? Lone Winter King: Thats how well deal with it? Disciple Merchant: For now, those are our financial options. But theres more. Lone Winter King: What? Disciple Merchant: This isnt my specialty, but if the price of food goes up in the Central Continent, there are going to be people starving. Of course, the statew and order will likely weaken too. Butler: Is that so? Lone Winter King: Mm? Whats wrong, old man? Butler: No, no, its just that there have been rumours of mercenary groups bing bandits. They get hungry and they just go off the grid ept to attack our convoys. Lone Winter King: There is talk of such a thing. Disciple Merchant: If theyre bandits, then they shouldnt be too concerned with whether or not the potato is a heretical crop. They may evene to raid and pige cities and urban centres. Seneschal: This is my responsibility! Please rest easy. I have activated three times the usual numbers for the Kingdom of Winter. But how will you deal with them? Butler: They may be bandits now, but they used to be mercenaries before. Theyre surely very proud. Seneschal: Yes! Disciple Merchant: Theres one more point, and thats about the emigrant poption. Winter ising, and if the Central Continent gets any colder, theres likely to be a famine. If that happens, we can expect arge-scale migration across to our borders. Lone Winter King: If thats the case, its just what we want then. Disciple Merchant: Thats only if we can find something for them to eat. To fulfil that, I advise that we should increase the potato harvest substantially. Lone Winter King: I understand the details, you have advised me on them well. Disciple Merchant: No, no, this is my responsibility. Assistant: Yes. Lone Winter King: I respect your views very much. Id like to make you the Finance Minister starting today. Disciple Merchant: Eh? Lone Winter King: Its a Marquis position. Ites with a sry and a position. Disciple Merchant: No. Lone Winter King: Dont be modest. As Finance Minister, youll have three times as much work. Im counting on you. Disciple Merchant: W-wa-wait! Thats not what I mean! Im going to die! Lone Winter King: Hahahahaha. Ill make the announcement soon. If theres anything, make sure youe along too. Oh thats right, Ive got a state dinner tonight. Come along! Itll be fun! Seneschal: My condolences. Butler: Hurry up and get married. Boobs have a powerful impact on the working ability of young men. Disciple Merchant flinches. Assistant: Lone Winter King: Hahahahaha. Alright then, Im going! Butler: Wait, Young Man! Iming too. Lone Winter King and Butler walk off. Disciple Merchant: Assistant: Are you alright? Disciple Merchant: Its probably impossible. Assistant: Shall I get you some tea? Disciple Merchant: Please. Assistant: Yes ? Scampers off. Disciple Merchant: But This flow Disciple Merchant: (I do know who is behind this. To pull off such a major feat of economic warfare is only possible if youre the Union. Theyve managed to corner the market so quickly. But what is their objective? Are we their enemy? Or their ally? How can I, the mere third son of a merchant, hope to take on a behemoth like the Union. But Aghhhh. I cant run away from it this time. What are they doing buying wheat and all these daily essentials? How are they even paying for all of this? They dont seem to be buying anything else. They must be using some sort of contract, unless theyre paying for this out of their pocket What would be the point? Is this just some investment? They increase the price of food products, then sell it all and make a killing is it possible thats their entire objective?) - The Courtyard of Memories, the Memories of the Demon King The Chief Maid: ! The Demon King tinkers around. The Chief Maid: !! The Demon King: Oh, did I get it wrong? The Chief Maid: ! Hey, answer when I call you, please! The Demon King: Ohh, you shocked me there! The Chief Maid: Im the one whos shocked! The Demon King: In that case we can be shocked together. The Chief Maid: Is that all? The Demon King: Mmm. The Chief Maid: Mm? ! When did youst change?! The Demon King: Its fine. Lions and bears dont change either. Neither do Dragons or Massacre Troopers. They dont do that, and yet theyre still alive. The Chief Maid: Thats not good. You cant be a human-shaped bear. Youre already a grown-up woman. You should start to act like it. The Demon King: If its about age, Ive been this way for a hundred years. The Chief Maid: Right, thats because of the Cosmic Library, right? The Demon King: Im not good at dressing myself. The Chief Maid: Aghhh! Enough! Stop saying that! Are you really going to be the Demon King?! The Demon King: Yeah The Chief Maid: Dont shine that in my face! The Demon King: Sorry. Turns off. The Chief Maid: Dont expose the b on your chest either. The Demon King: I cant? The Chief Maid: Dont tell me, its not for me? The Demon King: No, its not. The Chief Maid: Thats good, but The Demon King: Its really just something convenient for me. Its a bit strange that youre concerned at all. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: My coronation is next month. The Chief Maid: This means youre going to be the Demon King. You do understand that, right? The Demon King: Hmm. The Chief Maid: Have you entered the Pce of Death? I dont know about the other Races, but this Race tends to spend a lot of time gaining knowledge in the Pce of Death, doesnt it? The Demon King: By this Race, I suppose youre referring to our Race. The Chief Maid: Im a new member to the Race. The Demon King: It doesnt matter if youre a new member, were one Race. The Chief Maid: More importantly, will you be going there to absorb the wisdom of the Demon Kings of History? The Demon King: To be precise, I wont so much be absorbing as being contaminated by them. The Chief Maid: Isnt it the same thing? The Demon King: Itspletely different. The contamination will change my entire body. If I were just absorbing there would be a way to revert things, but when Im being contaminated, there definitely isnt. The Chief Maid: Is it something extremely bad? The Demon King: No, well, there are limits. Everything has its pros and cons. Even though Ill be contaminated, Ill still be me. Till the end, my sins are still my responsibilities. The Chief Maid: All Im hearing are the cons. The Demon King: Moreover, absorbing urs in an instant, while being contaminated takes time? Though it wouldnt seem that way. The Chief Maid: Huh? The Demon King: Ill be in the Pce of Death for just a short while. The Chief Maid: Eh? The Demon King: Ill be inside for a while, and then Ill be right out. The Chief Maid: Huh!? Wh-What are you saying!? Just like that, youll receive Demon King-levelbat ability? How can it be that the Demon World can be ruled like that? To begin with, how are you going to fight!? The Demon King: I can rule without violence. The Chief Maid: What are you saying? The Demon King: Take a look at NDC Number 300. Humans have an individualbat ability far below that of even a middle-level Demon yet theyre perfectly capable of ruling themselves. Combat ability was never a prerequisite to governance. The Chief Maid: That may be so, but then why would you want to be the Demon King? Excuse me for saying this but you seem like a research insect. The Demon King: This is another life experience, you understand, right? The Chief Maid: Life experience The Demon King: Yeah, I want to experience both worlds like they have never been experienced before. And if possible, Id like to meet my destiny as well. The Chief Maid: Eh? The Demon King: Look. Heart beats very quickly. The Chief Maid: This is? The Demon King: He was bornst week. The Chief Maid: A human boy? The Demon King: I used a long distance telegraphic lens so the resolution is quite bad but ording to that Infinite Library, this could be the one. The Chief Maid: A boy? The Demon King: The Hero. The Chief Maid: ?! The Demon King: One of only two Living Singrities in this world. The Child of Destiny. Im sure hell be very handsome in twenty-five years time. - Exnation NDC: This refers to the Nippon Decimal ssification system which is used by Japanese libraries in order to differentiate library books by genre. Number 300 are books on Social Sciences, within this, Number 310 are books on Political Sciences. - The Chief Maid: Dont tell me The Demon King: Yes. Hehehe I would really like to meet this person. The Chief Maid: B-But, hes the one who has been prophesised to kill you, isnt he!? What are you thinking of! The Demon King: Thats fine too. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: He wille to meet me. He wille from a great distance Helle from somewhere well never have contact. Well, Ill probably die by his sword, but before I get killed, I should at least get to say hello. Or at least, salutations, or something like that. And if a miracle urs maybe Ill even get to rub that ck hair of his. Itll definitely be fluffy-fluffy and wonderful. The Chief Maid: You cant be serious. The Demon King: Impletely serious. This is the only chance I have, in order to see a future which has never been seen before. In order to create a story which has never been told even in that Library in order to meet my destiny. The Chief Maid: But even so. The Demon King: Its decided. The Chief Maid: What will you do about the Wars of Session? The Demon King: Well, well act appropriately. The Chief Maid: Theyve gathered six brave warriors and fighters from throughout thend, right? Youve got no chance of beating them. And if you dont defeat them, you cant be the Demon King. The Demon King: Well, Ive got my work cut out. Im not good at fighting but Im very good at bncing profits and losses. The Chief Maid: Thats impossible. The Demon King: How cruel. The Chief Maid: ! Are you being stupid!? The Demon King: Winning or losing is not the issue here. This is the only chance. The only problem is that whether we win or lose, will we regret gambling Or should we try gambling? The Chief Maid: You The Demon King: Mmm? Did I say something strange? The Chief Maid: Nope. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Mistress. The Demon King: What is it? The Demon King: Mistress. Youre a cruel, cruel fool. The Demon King: What are you saying? Ive been called the Professor of Lost Worlds. The Chief Maid: But youre still a fool. The Demon King: Hmm. The Chief Maid: Allow me to be your maid. The Demon King: Eh? The Chief Maid: I will be your follower. The Demon King: What are you saying? Dont be stupid. This is my dream, my chance. I dont need to drag other people in with me. The Chief Maid: In that case, you should give it up. When youre the King, when youre the ruler of the Demon World, you dont do anything else but drag other people in with you! Are you saying that youd bet your life and everything youve worked for for that dream? The Demon King: The Chief Maid: I also have a dream as well, Mistress. I want to pursue the Way of the Maid. I am deeply indebted to you. But above this, Ive never seen anyone as useless as you, Mistress. Youre both really simple yet incredibly gifted. You really are the perfect Mistress. - Exnation Living Singrity: A singrity is a highly unique point. In other words, the two Living Singrities are the Demon King and the Hero. To this world, they are the most special existences around which the Fate of the Universe now revolves. - The Demon King: Is that enough? Im the one whos got a fool next to me. Its like Ive died, am I dead? Really. The Chief Maid: Thats because you dont know about maids, Mistress. The Demon King: Huh? The Chief Maid: No matter what sort of books you read, they always extol the excellent qualities of Maids, like their domestic ability, governorship, problem solving ability. Much has even been written in praise about their battle ability, hasnt it? In fact, the Maids in the Early Victorians and the Japanese people in the stories of the Library have often been elevated to the status of living goddesses. The Demon King: Is that so? The Chief Maid: Yes, be assured. The Demon King: Really. The Chief Maid: Ill make you some tea. The Demon King: Ah, ahh. Thanks. Umm Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: I dont have any subordinates, though. The Demon King: Even without subordinates, youre the Chief. The Chief Maid: Thank you. Smiles. The Demon King: But, thats Is it alright? The Chief Maid: Yes, of course. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Your dream is to wait for the Chosen One, theres nothing else I can do but support you through it. Thats what happens when youre the Chief Maid. - The Central Continent, Kingdom of Mist, House of Nobles Steward: My Lord! My Lord! Obese Nobleman: Mmm. Cut me another plum. Young Maid: Yes Steward: My Lord! Obese Nobleman: Hey! Shut up! I hear you! What do you want to say, you noisy person! Steward: Its here! Obese Nobleman: The mustering call?! Steward: That is correct! Rips open envelope and pulls out mustering call. Obese Nobleman: Hmph. The Commanding General is going to be the Grey King of the Kingdom of Mist I knew we would get mustered but I didnt think it would be this soon. Hahahahahaha. Those Barbarian Kings of the South, lets stop with this pointless negotiating back and forth. The truth is that its going to end very quickly. Steward: What shall we do? Obese Nobleman: Send word for an emergency muster to all the lords in thend! Steward: Yes! Obese Nobleman: What a splendid timing. Weve spent most of our military budget buying up all the wheat. That Wheat Futures thing just appeared this year as well. My treasury ispletely empty now. Young Maid: U-umm Heres the plum Obese Nobleman: Haha. Oh, how sweet. Bites. Obese Nobleman: With this much money from the King, it should be easy enough to pay the sries of our knights and the mercenaries as well Obese Nobleman: We can get 700, no, 1000 soldiers, maybe even more than the Grey King. If we do this, we might be able to win the support of the Bishop. It might help him win the White Cross of Light, no Maybe even the Primarchy. Obese Nobleman: The price of wheat has gone up again. But with this much money, we can afford to do quite a bit more. Hahahaha. I hear the pork in the South is particrly delicious. Obese Nobleman: Thats because their treasuries are overflowing with gold, hehehehe. We can hold our heads up high now. This war Well, the mustering will take ce in half a months time. Its winter, but its still best to get a move on before the snow umtes around the New Years. It seems the Grey King is getting very pumped about this as well. Steward: I shall draft a reply right now! Obese Nobleman: Alright. Draw up a list of every knight under mymand! Select and distribute the leadership roles and appointments! Prepare the weapons! - The Kingdom of the Lake, a Rich District Young Merchant: Hahahahaha. And how is your daughter? Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Haha. My daughter is at a marriageable age. Her mischief is really overheating. Haha. Young Merchant: No, no, ady is like a butterfly dancing among the flowers. Im sure there will be many brave knights and illustrious noblemen vying for her hand in marriage. Smiles. Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Do you really think so? Mm? You have a certain position in the Union, do you not? Young Merchant: No, no, someone like me is far too young. It would be highly premature to have such an opportunity to get close to the nobility like this. Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Hahaha, how humble you are. What do you think? Im going to have a ball in my territory, therell be many noblewomen at attendance. Youre invited. Young Merchant: But Im nothing more than an uncultured simpleton Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Ahahaha! Please dont worry. Itll be a party to celebrate theing of the new winter, so its the kind of party with hundreds of names attending. Young Merchant: How splendid. Smiles. Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Hahahaha! Todays negotiations were certainly nice. So, one Pigeons Blood will set me back 450,000, right? Hehehehe. What a great deal. Young Merchant: Thank you for your kind patronage. Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Ahh, allow me to introduce you to some noblemen as well. In that case, Ill give you a discount when we confirm the date of the ball. Carriage rolls in Young Merchant: Ah, it appears my carriage has arrived. Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Indeed. Then please take care. Young Merchant: Thank you very much. Incredibly Rich Nobleman: Mmm. I await the day of our next business negotiations. See you again! Carriage door closes. Carriage rolls off. Young Merchant: Young Merchant: Heh That was nice. 450,000 for one ruby. Thats really not bad for just one night. Its a bit strange that its being paid for in wheat, and he didnt give me any sort of guarantees either way Its not like I can eat rubies in any case. Cold wind howls. Young Merchant: Its cold. Well, its winter in the Kingdom of the Lake too, I guess. Winters about toe to the South. Coughs. - Exnation Pigeons Blood: A type of ruby which is a deep, murky red, simr to the colour of pigeons blood. It is the very highest grade of ruby. - Young Merchant: Shall we go back? Well, we could go back to the Military Headquarters tonight as well. Carriage rolls on. Beggar: Please, sir. Young Merchant: Young Merchant: How inappropriate. Carriage hits someone. ???: Ah. Young Merchant: Oh Im sorry. Young Merchant: Who would be wearing a cape and a hood sote at night? A Northerner? She sounds like a young woman ???: No, no. Young Merchant: Its dangerous for a youngdy to be walking around sote at night. Please be careful and return home as soon as you can. ???: Ive been waiting for this Honoured One. Young Merchant: Huh? ???: You. Young Merchant: Huh? ???: Weves met once before. Young Merchant: Huh? Oh. As I thought, I recognised the cape. Fire Dragon Lady: Indeed. I apologise. Removes cape. Young Merchant: Ah. Ahh! Fire Dragon Lady: Do you remember me? Smiles. Young Merchant: What are you doing here? Fire Dragon Lady: Ive been looking for this Honoured One. Young Merchant: Why? Fire Dragon Lady: Youre a merchant. Youre the kind of person who can get his hands on anything. At least thats what I heard at the banquet Young Merchant: Thats a merchant, alright Fire Dragon Lady: ? Young Merchant: Your tail. Fire Dragon Lady: What about it? Waves tail. Young Merchant: No, this is a bad ce. Lets move somewhere else. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes, I have something to tell this Honoured One. The Kingdom of the Lake, a Rich District, an Inn rented by the Young Merchant Young Merchant: Youre very reckless. Fire Dragon Lady: Why? Young Merchant: Uhh, humans dont have tails. Fire Dragon Lady: Oh, thats right. Grins. Young Merchant: Would you like some tea? Fire Dragon Lady: It would be great if you had some firewater Its really cold here. Young Merchant: Its much colder here than where youe from, I guess. Fire Dragon Lady: Sinceing here, my tail has never been warm. The Human World sure is a freezing ce. Young Merchant: Well, thats because its currently winter. Fire Dragon Lady: Winter Young Merchant: Dont you have that in the Demon World? Fire Dragon Lady: Ive never heard that word before. Well, I understand what it means though. The closer you are to the Second Gate, the colder it is, and the further away you are, the warmer it is. Thats the Demon World for you. Young Merchant opens door. Young Merchant: Mmm Come in then. Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you very much. Young Merchant: So, mdy, why are you here? Fire Dragon Lady: I havee to meet with this Honoured One. Young Merchant: Could you stop calling me This Honoured One? Fire Dragon Lady: Then what shall I call you? Young Merchant: Merchant. Fire Dragon Lady: In that case, I havee to meet with the Merchant. Young Merchant: Huh All the way from the Demon World? Wait, using Teleportation Magic? Demon Magic is far stronger than Human Magic after all. Fire Dragon Lady: Thats not true. ording to my father, the Ceremonial Magic of ancient Humans is far more powerful. Demons are only adept at harnessing the superficialyers of Magic. I came to the Human World using a Teleportation Seal. Young Merchant: How did you know where I am? Where is the Hero? Fire Dragon Lady: No, I kept it a secret from him I am here of my personal capacity. I found you using Seeking Magic. Its a very convenient spell. Chuckles. Young Merchant: You certainly sound very pleased with yourself. Fire Dragon Lady: Well, I have been fairly sessful after all. Young Merchant: Quite right. I am definitely impressed by your abilities. Im sure it takes a certain type of person to have aplished this task. Young Merchant: Alright then, what sort of goods are you looking for, mdy? Fire Dragon Lady: Salt. Young Merchant: How much? Fire Dragon Lady: Im not sure. But its important. Young Merchant: What a vague request. Fire Dragon Lady: Thats why Im here. Young Merchant: ? Fire Dragon Lady: The volume of such requests is likely within your field of expertise, thats why Ivee to look for you. Young Merchant: Hmm. Fire Dragon Lady: Salt is a luxury good in the Demon World. We would like to import some. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Tail sways. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Drinks wine. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: It really warms you up. Young Merchant: You can drink the entire pot. Fire Dragon Lady: Did you hear me? Fire Dragon Lady: ? Young Merchant: You know this is a real puzzle, right? Fire Dragon Lady: Im a foolish girl, but Im sure this wouldnt be a puzzle to an expert like yourself. Young Merchant: Dont you think youre thinking too highly of me? Fire Dragon Lady: A smart girl would gather all the possible information about a subject before acting. But for a girl to gather so much information on the subject will require so much time and effort, it isnt likely to be of use to anybody. These are the Lessons of the Dragon I learnt from my mother. To get as many merchants into our hands as possible, were willing to solve as many puzzles as we need. To secure the help of you merchants would certainly be my greatest honour and pride. Young Merchant: If its just salt, then theres no problem. Fire Dragon Lady: Ahh, I feel warm to my tail. Smiles. Young Merchant: Youve really drunk a lot. Fire Dragon Lady: The wine in the Human World is really something. Young Merchant: Is this your first time in the Human World? Fire Dragon Lady: Of course it is. Its a very precious experience. Therere lots of delicious things here like bread. Its a lot more expensive than Id heard though, it cost a lot of my travelling expenses And this Church thing sure is fantastic. Their hymns and carols are something else altogether. Theyve got that instrument, the one as big as an entire building. That was a truly heavenly experience. You humans sure know how to enjoy things. - Exnation Instrument as Big as a Building: This refers to the Pipe Organ. One pipe is required in order to make a different note or quality of sound. In order to make sounds which span 5 octaves (60 notes) with 5 different types of sounds, 60 x 5 = 300 pipes are necessary. Moreover, in order to produce a richer and deeper timbre of sound, a single sound may require a few pipes. For this purpose, therger-scale Pipe Organs may even use thousands of pipes, resulting in an entire building being needed to house some of these organs. - Young Merchant: Will you stay in the Human World for the time being? Fire Dragon Lady: ? Young Merchant: To make arrangements for the Salt. Fire Dragon Lady: Really? Young Merchant: Yeah. Fire Dragon Lady: I am grateful. Young Merchant: It would be unbelievably troublesome if you were to run into some danger here. Fire Dragon Lady: The tail? Young Merchant: Yeah, well, the horns too. Fire Dragon Lady: Ill cover them up. I think it would be really interesting to see the way people panic when they see them, though. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Waves tail. Young Merchant: You Fire Dragon Lady: ? Young Merchant: Your existence really throws a spanner in the works. Dont you think theres still too much we dont know? Fire Dragon Lady: What about? Young Merchant: Unfortunately, about cooperation. The Winter Pce, the Audience Hall Door closes. The Hero: Your Majesty! Butler: The Hero has arrived. The Hero: Theyve dered war?! Lone Winter King: Thats right. I received a formal Deration of War this morning. On top of this, at about the same time, I also received a Writ of Emunication from the Church. The Hero: Thats too fast. Seneschal: I apologise. I had better expectations. Lone Winter King: No, I had no choice The situations have changed. The Hero: Situations? Lone Winter King: Mmm, were on a tough path. Starting with wheat, the prices of goods have risen all across the board. The Hero: Prices? So we cant buy food? Lone Winter King: It seems that way. You can hear the details from the Disciple Merchant. Im notpletely sure about the structures or reasons for this myself. But basically, the prices are twice as high as they werest year. Butler: To top it off, its also winter. Lone Winter King: I fear this price hike could be the machinations of some of the higher-ups in the Church. If the price of wheat rises, peasants are going to find dealing with the winter very difficult. Its the same with mercenaries too They will probably try to invade the Southern United Kingdoms, plunder us, and use it to tide through the winter. If those snooty noblemen who dont care at all about the pathetic state of their impoverished peasants dont want to go bankrupt instantly from those insane price hikes, theyre going to have to make this a very short and decisive war. At any rate, thats probably why theyve rushed to give us such an urgent deration. The Hero: Is that so Seneschal: Your Majesty, the precise words of the Deration Butler: Let me read it. Umm. Ahem. On the first month of winter, on the Fourth moon, we will adjourn to battle on the Northern Fields, it says. Lone Winter King: Hmph. Thats a very sinct message. The Hero: Ten days. Butler: If we dont go The Hero: What will happen? Seneschal: If were speaking about this war, whether or not we take note of their Deration, the Central Continental Armies will continue marching onwards. If we look further ahead, this will be a siege. Starting from our Kingdom, the Southern United Kingdoms has built lots of fortresses in preparation for the Demon Invasion. But, to the North of our territory, in the direction of the Central Continent In other words, in the direction from which the Central Continental Army will invade us this time, apart from a few sentry towers and minor fortifications, we dont have any fortresses which can stand up to them for any extended period of time. They will invade our Capital Cities and demolish us there. Lone Winter King: Well. It looks like we dont have any choice but to ept their Deration. The Hero: Ugh, I dont want to fight I dont want to fight! Lone Winter King: This is a war between us foolish humans. The Hero: No. This These are seeds which I nted. Lone Winter King: No. Recognising the Freedom of the Serfs is a decision that was made by Humanity. It is a war for Humanity. There is no need for you to shoulder this responsibility, Hero. Seneschal: Thats right, Hero! Butler: Even at this point, we are very grateful to you, Im sure you consider us to be an annoyance. The Hero: No Thats not true. Butler: Hero The Hero: I didnt say it correctly, but thats wrong. Such a thing is not what youre aiming for. This could really be the end. Seneschal: Lone Winter King: Its true that whittling away either of our military power here is of no advantage to us at all. This does nothing to increase either of our International Powers either. Why does the Central Continent not understand this? The Hero: (Those who wish for war are dictators. In this limited world, there are those who wish not for Prosperity, but for Influence and the creation of their private Oligopoly That cannot be denied.) The Hero: (What will you do? How will you stop them? Assassination, Your Majesty? Dont be stupid, Hero! Thats the same as when I went to the Demon Kings Castle. At the very least, if I had half a year No, just three months) The Hero: (At the very least, just a while longer) The Hero: (This price hike thing is probably the work of that Merchant. Only that guy would do something like this. It must be him It has to be. It probably isnt just him but he definitely has some kind of pivotal role in this Why? Why is the price of wheat going up? Ahhh! I dont understand! Why is the Demon King missing at a time like this! If she was here, she would have solved this issue in a heartbeat! Really? But youre the Hero! The Hero: Why am I remembering this at such a time Have you ever thought, Theres something beyond that hill yonder or What will there be at the ce where this ship is sailing? That happy, expectant feeling? The Hero: (Why is it that at moments of life-and-death like this, I always recall the first time I pointed my sword at her, and she pointed those sparkling eyes at me?) Thats why I want to see it. The Hero: (So defenceless) - Exnation International Influence: This refers to the various elements of power which a country controls. This is not just limited to military power but also extends to economic, governmental, diplomatic, scientific, technological and even cultural influence. Oligopoly: This refers to a state of Economic Competition within a market. In this structure, the entire market is controlled by a few individual firms or people (typically 2-3), but can also refer to a political state where the country is controlled by these few people. - But precisely because of this, if we can wee this Alternate Future, not just for me but for the Three Thousand Worlds, this will be another thing that has never been seen before. The Hero: Seneschal: Hero. The Hero: Your Majesty, if we do go to war, how can we fight in such a way as to avoid as much loss as possible? Lone Winter King: What the enemy intends is something that has been done many times. In these sorts of battles, two armies meet at a predetermined time on this wide, open field. The strategy will likely consist ofrge swathes of knights charging at each other head-on. If tactics, numbers and equipment are not vastly different on both sides, such a battle will likely go on 1-2 times a day. The Hero: A knights battle, then. Lone Winter King: Of course that wont be all. In order to fully develop the true force capability of the Knights, extensive preparation will be required. Alongside the Knights will be foot-soldiers and squires. Unless some ident which causes the entire battle topletely dissolve urs, such as the Commander getting captured, this could potentially go on for days. Both sides will suffer severe losses and the loser will be the one who capittes. The Hero: I dont want us to make these sacrifices, whether its the Armies of the Southern United Kingdoms or the Central Continent. Lone Winter King: The Hero: Its not a sweet thought. But its something I consider essential. Lone Winter King: Seneschal: Your Majesty Lone Winter King: It depends on the weather. The Hero: Snow, then Lone Winter King: Thats right. Its piled up quite high over here, but in the Northern ins it hasnt yet begun to snow. If those ins be snow-covered first if snow falls, the war ns will fall too. The battle will have to be postponed as well. In these ten days, if no snow falls and the good weather continues, there will be nothing in the way of this pitched battle. On the contrary, if snow really begins to fall, amidst the falling snow, we may yet be able to find a way to avoid this battle. The Hero: Yeah. Lone Winter King: At worst, four weeks. At best, if we hold out for two weeks, snow will fall. Thats how long we need to endure for. The Hero: Can we do it? Lone Winter King: Ill take it up. I will not lose this Winter War. I stake my name on it. - Exnation Predetermined Time: In wars during the Middle Ages, the scouting ability andmunications of an army were very low. As a result, they were often unable to locate the enemy and would spend a long time searching for each other. Even if they did know where the other was, this information tended to be old, and it was often that when Armies marched to where the enemy was meant to be, they would be long gone. As a result, instead of fighting, both sides would often retreat endlessly while expendingrge amounts of grain and other resources. In order to prevent this, it was often necessary for enemies to arrange the battle at a predetermined time and ce. Snow: Snow does not necessarilypletely impede the movements of an army. However, the cold will reduce the speed of movement of soldiers and also decrease morale. If equipment and preparations for the cold are inadequate, sicknesses like frostbite or hypothermia may also decrease the number of battle ready soldiers. Furthermore, sending of supplies is difficult when roads are blocked by snow, and there may be the danger of supplies being cut off from the front. Winter War: A war being waged in the winter requires a very specific set ofbat abilities. Instead of foot soldiers, ski soldiers may be deployed and also used for transport. Since soldiers are fighting in heavy winter gear, with the strong winds causing swirls of snow which may block their line of sight, much of such wars fought hand-to-hand at close quarters. As a result, there will be a massive difference inbat ability between troops trained to fight in winter and troops which are not. Even in Japan, the Japan Self-Defence Force has specialised divisions trained for Winter Warfare. - Volume 2 2, “What has Appeared will Definitely not Disappear!”

Volume 2 Chapter 2, What has Appeared will Definitely not Disappear!

- The Courtyard of Memories, the Mind of the Demon King The Demon King: Hahh. The Chief Maid: What are you doing, Your Majesty? The Demon King: Mmm. The Chief Maid: You look sluggish. The Demon King: Im just a bit tired. The Chief Maid: My, my, even though you became the Demon King, you havent changed a bit. The Demon King: Would you have wanted me to? The Chief Maid: Hehehe. Thats true. Its great that you didnt change. The Demon King: Its my first time doing so much exercise. Ive done enough exercise for a lifetime, now Ill just indulge in research until the Heroes. The Chief Maid: All thats changed is your title, Your Majesty. The Demon King: That The Chief Maid: Yes? The Demon King: I dont like this Demon King thing. The Chief Maid: Really? But youve be the Demon King, havent you? The Demon King: It makes me feel jittery. Can we do something about it? The Chief Maid: In any case, youve already been stripped of your name. We cant go around calling you by your old name, can we? In that case, how about She Who Has Far Too Large Breasts and Too Much b? The Demon King: Sometimes I get the feeling that you hate me. Id gravitate towards saying more than sometimes, actually. The Chief Maid: Thats troublesome. The Demon King: In any case, cant you be nicer? The Chief Maid: Is that so? Well, even if you asked me to The Demon King: Can you? The Chief Maid: There are no blind spots with the Way of the Maid. The Demon King: Ooooh! The Chief Maid: Ahem Demon King ? The Demon King: Wh-What?! I just saw flowers erupt in the background behind you! The Chief Maid: Its part of Maid Magic. The Demon King: That may be so, but its quite off-putting. The Chief Maid: Demon King. Why do you say such things when I continuously express my adoration for you? The Demon King: Ohhhhh. Why are you saying such sharine things?! The Chief Maid: Its the key to the whole technique. Beams. The Demon King: Ohhh! Ive got to hurry up. The Chief Maid: That may be so, but The Demon King: What? The Chief Maid: Is it really alright to be cooped up all the time in the library like that? The Demon King: If its about running the country, I can manage it from in here. The Chief Maid: Its not that I dont understand, but The Demon King: The Demon World doesnt have this much research material or databases. It doesnt have printers or general-purposeputers. Its a primitive world. The Chief Maid: Just the opposite. Its a very special ce. The Demon King: Thats definitely true. Alright then. The Chief Maid: What will you do? The Demon King: A few things, I guess. If we dont support it up, at this rate, the entire political system is not going to be able to sustain itself. Ive got to make a n for it. The Chief Maid: Mmm. The Demon King: The Demon World is in an eternal state of chaos with conflicts between the different tribes and races. We have to ept the fact that much of this is the fault of the Five Royal Races, but looking at this in reverse, that they were even able to be prosperous amidst all this fighting is also undeniable. Since all this conflict has helped elerate the Mary Economy and the flow of goods and services, I suppose we cant entirely criticise them. The Chief Maid: Yeah. The Demon King: This is it for the time being! The Chief Maid: This is made from paper? Its quite rough. The Demon King: Its not paper made in the Library, its paper made in the Demon World. Imanded the Sylvan Race to make it. The Chief Maid: Right, and then what? The Demon King: Id like to make a record of the conflict. Well start with victories and defeats, dates, numbers on both sides, losses and gains, materiel and preparations, even expenditure and participating generals. The Chief Maid: I dont understand. The Demon King: I have a few objectives. One is to get used to making consistent records, and maybe even to professionalise this process. From a long-term perspective, we can probably even raise the Literacy Rate among the poption. Another reason is also for me to understand the things which I am doing. The Chief Maid: Understand? The Demon King: I dont like to support the idea of war, but its troublesome to mix personal feelings and grudges with whats really important. Id like to make sure I can reflect on and keep track of the values I ascribe to the various objectives as things go on. The Chief Maid: That sounds very troublesome. The Demon King: Until the Heroes, we dont have that time, so we have to rush it. The Chief Maid: The Hero The Demon King: Have you seen it? I have a new picture of him. The Chief Maid: Yeah. The Demon King: It seems he can even stand now, doesnt it? Isnt he adorable? Isnt he wonderful? Yeahhh, I can almost hear his voice. The Chief Maid: You want to meet him way too much. The Demon King: I do want to meet him. But until the seal on the gate is lifted, all I can do is endure. Look, hes just fallen asleep in this photo, hasnt he? The Chief Maid: Hes just like a puppy. The Demon King: Yeah! Isnt that wonderful? The Chief Maid: Ahh, youre all mesmerised. Its like youre blind. You could easily lift the seal and go off on your own. The Demon King: I sealed it myself. Youve got to draw the line. The Chief Maid: Youre very cute, Your Majesty. The Demon King: Dont be stupid. Im not cute at all. The Hero and I are the only two Living Singrities in this world. When the Hero appears, something will change. Concepts will run into concepts, they willbine and some sort of reaction will ur. The Chief Maid: Thatll probably result in a war. The Demon King: Itll result in a new point of view. The Chief Maid: Yeah The Demon King: Ive got a big head, I stay in all day, just what have I wasted my long life doing? But when we do get to meet, at that fateful moment where we exchange words, Im certain that I will feel something wonderful. The Chief Maid: How romantic. The Demon King: I dont mean that it would feel romantic. This is purely an economic, market undertaking. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The Chief Maid: So its that sort of thing, then Oh. The Demon King: Whats up? The Chief Maid: Ive got a call. Please excuse me. The Demon King: Your subordinates are increasing, Chief Maid. Thats a great thing. The Chief Maid: ? The Demon King: It wouldnt be strange if Enlightenment Philosophy came sooner rather thanter. Even though theres a lot of room for development Its NDC 130, right? Weve got to expand civilisation in time for the Heros arrival. Just like the wide open sea, theres an immense number of things which have to be done. - Exnation Literacy Rate: This refers to the percentage of the poption who are able to read and write. - The Chief Maid: ?!! The Chief Maid: Your Majesty! The Demon King: What? The Chief Maid: The seal on the gate, its been dispelled! The Demon King: Huh? The Chief Maid: They used some sort of Massive Ceremonial Magic and dispelled the seal. The Demon King: What?! I havent even exchanged words with the Hero! Its way too early! Who dispelled the seal?! I didnt think there would be anybody familiar with such high levels of Neutralisation Magic in the Demon World The Chief Maid: No, the Humans did it. Its from the Human World. Upon dispelling the gate, 1500 soldiers have begun pouring in to invade. They call themselves the First Crusade. Their goal is to bring the Demon World to its knees. The Demon King: How opportunistic of them. And rash. The Chief Maid: Huh. The Demon King: We should head back to the Demon King Castle. The Chief Maid: Of course. The Demon King: Why Why have the Humanse?! Wasnt the birth of the Hero supposed to restore bnce to the world? What intentions do the Humans have ining here anyway? The Northern Fields, on a Hill where Snow is Collecting Obese Nobleman: Ohh, its cold. Why is it so cold! Steward: Indeed. Obese Nobleman: What are you doing, light some more firewood! Peasant: Yes! Obese Nobleman: Is it time for dinner yet? A camping trip like this with tents really needs at least some good food. Steward: I understand. Allow me to go and do something about it. Please wait a moment. Obese Nobleman: Ohh, its cold. Shivers. Trudging through the snow. Imperial Guard: Excuse me. Obese Nobleman: How is it? Imperial Guard: Our knights and soldiers have been assembled. For this battle, we have assembled a total of 650 men. Obese Nobleman: Hmm, thats a lot less than Id hoped for. Well. Its fine. With the mercenaries, I believe weve got at least 1,000. Imperial Guard: Yes! Obese Nobleman: What about the other camps? Imperial Guard: The Grey King has the Imperial Guards Division and the Axe Knights. The Heavy Cataphracts from the Kingdom of the Mountain and the Mounted Archers from the Kingdom of Branches are already assembled, but on the whole, were still assembling the full army. Obese Nobleman: How long will it take? Shivers. Imperial Guard: Yes. It should be another 2-3 days Obese Nobleman: Todays the deadline for the muster, isnt it? What are they doing! Fools! Do they not want to win? Imperial Guard: What shall we do about the knights and soldiers? Obese Nobleman: With this tent as the centre, arrange the base in a horseshoe formation. Well, well, at this rate, were going to need some time before were ready for a battle. Imperial Guard: I apologise. Obese Nobleman: Its fine. Its the fault of all the otherzy noblemen. And the enemy? What of those pigs from the South? Imperial Guard: The armies of the enemy total 2,500 strong. Theyve assembled in formation at the edge of the forest. Obese Nobleman: Ugh. Theyre living like rats at the border of the world. It cant be helped. After all, theyre scared to engage us in the centre of the ins. Trudging through the snow. Mercenary Captain: Is my Lord here? Obese Nobleman: Yes. Captain? How are the numbers? Mercenary Captain: As stated, Ive managed to assemble 400 Veterans. Obese Nobleman: Excellent! So, weve got more than 1,000. Weve definitely got the advantage. Imperial Guard: Indeed. Mercenary Captain: I hope youd better not forget about thepensation. Obese Nobleman: Of course, we have the gold ready. You can expect something even better after this is all over. Mercenary Captain: Well, thats all good, but theres one more promise we hope you will keep. Obese Nobleman: Of course I remember. In the dawn of entering the Kingdom of Winter, you have free reign to pige the first few viges we encounter. Mercenary Captain: Good. Thats all I wanted to hear. My archers are with you. Give us a shout if you need us. Steward trudges through the snow. Steward: My Lord. Dinner has been prepared. If it is fine with you, I will serve it now. Obese Nobleman: Good. Steward: Also, the nearby viges have sent over some plum wine. It is some exquisitely top-grade ice wine, and theyve even sent 20 bottles of it. Mercenary Captain: Hahaha. Peasants. Theyre so scared theirnds will bein waste to Well, they will be, though. Obese Nobleman: My, my! At least these people know how to be civil. Hehehe. Oh, Captain. Have you had dinner yet? Mercenary Captain: No. Obese Nobleman: The battle willmence in two to three days. Since you wont have time for things like dinner then, how about we eat now? Oh, thats right. Allow me to send your mercenaries a bottle of wine. Mercenary Captain: Thank you for that. Itll really warm them up in this cold. Obese Nobleman: Hahahahaha! I wouldnt exactly call this pce food, but tonight, let us feast in anticipation of our great victory. Hahahahahaha! - The Kingdom of the Lake, Capitol, the Headquarters of the Union Abacus clicking. Its gone up by three points. Continue to buy. Indicators are strong!!! A ship from the Kingdom of Copper has arrived with arge shipment of copper!!! Acquire it. Even at a higher price! Young Merchant: Is it your first time seeing something like this? Fire Dragon Lady: Yeah. Peers around interestedly. - Exnation Veteran: Veterans are highly experienced soldiers who have likely fought in many wars. Before medical technology was sufficiently developed, soldiers who sustained injuries were often incapable of recovery, and would usually either retire or die. As a result, the number of veterans in an army was far less than it is today. - Young Merchant: Well, we have a contract for information transfer. Fire Dragon Lady: Such a thing has to be fair. Young Merchant: Is this ce alright? Im very busy, but Im sure I can arrange a convoy for you. You could even tour the city. Youll be giving me plenty of information about the Demon World, so dont hold back. Fire Dragon Lady: No, its quite alright. Young Merchant: Huh. Fire Dragon Lady: So this is where you work, then? Is that big map hanging on the wall a map of the Human World? Young Merchant: Yes it is. Fire Dragon Lady: In that case, allow me one day to stay here and scrutinise the streets. I wont get in the way. I wont raise my voice. I want to get to understand what a normal person on the street lives like, and I think this is one of the centres of this world. Is it not? Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Im a visitor from a foreignnd so I might seem a bit foolish. Young Merchant: Well, this is a transaction as well. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes, its fair. Young Merchant: As long as you dont do things like sneaking back in at dawn. Fire Dragon Lady: Of course I wont! I know for sure that youre a great gentleman, but I cant be sure out there. What would happen if Id gotten deflowered or something! That would be extremely unpleasant. Young Merchant: Im sure you wouldnt be such a terrible victim. Fire Dragon Lady: Stop saying things like that! Young Merchant: Youre really noisy. Door opens. Aide: Councillor. Tonights movements. Hands over report. Young Merchant: Understood, Ill look at it. How are the purchases from the Kingdom of Branches? Aide: Proceeding as nned! The market price of wheat has increased by 160% since yesterday. Young Merchant: Its slowed down. Door closes. Shrewd ountant: The expeditionary forces are currently being assembled. It seems they leftte. Young Merchant: Late? Shrewd ountant: Morale was low and it appears military order has dissolved into chaos. Young Merchant: How interesting Was this a strategy of the Lone Winter King? Shrewd ountant: It would seem that way. Young Merchant: Why? Shrewd ountant: This is just a rumour, but it seems that the merchants in the Kingdom of Winter have been selling a lot of Ice Wine to the soldiers. Knock knock knock. Door opens! Aide: Councillor! Its an emergency! Young Merchant: Report. Aide: With backing from the Church, the Holy Empire has decided to carry out Reminting on the gold currency! It hasnt been confirmed yet but it seems that 28 gold coins today will be worth 15 of the new gold coins. ording tow, the present gold coins will be forbidden from use or storage. I have information that even the new gold coins will be reminted if the exchange rate falls below a certain margin. They are indeed desperate - Exnation Reminting of Coins: This refers to the process of melting down and making new coins. For example, 2 coins which each contain 3 grams of gold can be remade into a new gold coin which contains 4.5 grams of gold. This new coin would now be worth 2 of the old gold coins. 15,000 old gold coins can then be made into 10,000 new gold coins, but the new gold coins would be worth 20,000 old gold coins, resulting in a surplus of 5,000 old gold coins for the state coffers. However, since there will be 1.5g less gold, there may be even less confidence in the value of money, and hence, unbelievable intion could result. - Young Merchant: What a sensible move. I understand they have to stand up to this. But how? The new gold coins will have 2.8 times the value of the old ones, but can they maintain this value? Will the Church do it? The Emperor? Do they even understand the situation their country is in? If they do, do they love it? Harvesting wheat from the great earth, quarrying charcoal from the cliffs, burning that charcoal to forge iron, to bake bread, to raise a family. To what extent do they understand this? I may be a proud merchant, but maybe because of this pride, I will never forget about these. If I do forget, I would find everything Ive fought for has burnt to ashes. Now more than ever. Profit motive is a vocabry we both have inmon. I see now that Everybody wants to be happy. They need to understand that everyone has the right to fight for their happiness. Young Merchant: But on the other hand, if we allow everyone to gain their happiness, this will be the Unions loss. Shrewd ountant: Whats happening? Young Merchant: I fear the war will draw to a stalemate. Shrewd ountant: Yes. Young Merchant: The Wheat Futures Theyre too early. We need to stockpile some of the goods. When you sell goods which you dont have on your hands, its not like one would expect. This is the same as buying and selling trust. Shrewd ountant: Young Merchant: Do they have the power to live up to this trust? Or will this be a misunderstanding between colleagues? Kings and noblemen,ndlords and clergymen. These are people whom one needs to trust. The entire basis of this trust is thend. One requires trust that the goods one wants will be produced, trust that those goods will definitely be handed over. Trust that the shipment will not be frozen. In the end, one must trust the earth to produce what is needed. One can be robbed of trust, but one cannot easily gain it. To so antagonise the farmers like this is not the way of being a merchant. Young Merchant: Yes. We have ethics as merchants as well. Shrewd ountant: Yes. Young Merchant: Lady. Let us go to the Kingdom of Winter. Fire Dragon Lady: Lets. - Letter from the Disciple Nobleman to the Queen of Ice and Snow My Most Magnificent and Beloved Royal Majesty, Time has flowed significantly since the day I left our Kingdom. While the Central Continent is still enjoying thest wisps of autumn, the caravans plying the trade routes are few and the expressions of the people are sad and listless. Beginning with wheat, the prices of goods have experienced hyperintion. The expressions of the noblemen,ndlords and royalty whom I have mete in three forms:plete glee that the war is going on; steadfast opposition and adherence to peace; and concern for the people of the Kingdom of Winter. That being said, this certainly is the Central Continent. Having inserted myself into the social world, Ive be deeply enchanted by the currently fashionable dress of plunging necklines. Since Ivee here, Ive also begun to learn to y the lute, I am truly enjoying my time here. I am not encouraging Your Majesty to spend the wealth of the Kingdom on entertainment, but how would Your Majesty feel about me sending you some things? I have just sent one long dress and two purses. I believe the colour suits Your Majesty very well. Post-Script: If possible, I would greatly appreciate some more funds. Post-Post-Script: The Queen of the Lake would like a 60% reduction of tariffs. In her words, A secret economic union would be great too. The other 5 Kingdoms are also extremely worried about tiding over this years famine, so I believe an appropriate response should be drafted to deal with them taking advantage of the Kingdom of Ice. I have also arranged for a shipment of charcoal and furs from the Kingdom of the Lake. Have they arrived? - The Kingdom of White Night, the Pce of White Night One-Eyed Commander: Why! Why havent they defeated those peasants! Those who oppose the Empire! Who oppose the will of the Spirit! ms table. One-Eyed Commander: Why are they still alive?! Why does the light still shine on them?! Arent they traitors? We tipped off the Church, sent an Inquisition after them and yet, why do they still exist on this Earth?! King of White Night: Hehehehe. Hahahaha! One-Eyed Commander: Whats so funny! King of White Night: Theyre a real nuisance so its not that easy to get rid of them! Theres no point telling a bunch of pigs, Noblemen are all pigs! Hmph. Even if you kill them, all of this wont be over. One-Eyed Commander: How impertinent! King of White Night: But its the truth. One-Eyed Commander: Hahahaha. Youve got other problems too, dont you? King of White Night King of White Night: The price of wheat has continued to soar. The mary aid from the Central Continent has also increased substantially fromst year. Probably because that was the sum earmarked for all four Kingdoms. Its almost twice asrge as it was before But even so, the amount of wheat we can buy with this money is still less thanst year. One-Eyed Commander: And What of the emigrants? King of White Night: Regardless of day or night, serfs have been crossing the border into the Kingdom of Metal. Whats so good about the Tripartite!? Theyre just fooling those serfs into facing new problems on the other side of the border. Why do they think the Lone Winter King is their friend? One-Eyed Commander: Haha, that guy can cheat even the Heavens. King of White Night: ! One-Eyed Commander: Gahahahahaha! King of White Night: At this rate, our Kingdom Just our Kingdom of White Night One-Eyed Commander: Hey, Your Majesty. King of White Night: Nods. One-Eyed Commander: Why dont you just seize it? Here, look. The Kingdom of the Iron Fist King. The Kingdom of the Queen of Ice and Snow. Theyre like fruits ripe for the picking. After all, they are traitors. Sooner orter, their corruption and rottenness will spread to the rest of the Human World. If thats the case, then you should quickly seize them and consume them, as a favour to Humanity. King of White Night: Can I? One-Eyed Commander: The Central Continent has mustered troops from throughout thends for this war. These troops will be proud but ultimatelyck experience. And what of our Kingdom? We have the worlds most experienced soldiers, dont we? King of White Night: But I lost most of my best men at the Isle of Light. Even if we went through another year of training, we still wouldnt be able to match up to the quality of troops the rest of the Southern United Kingdoms are able to field One-Eyed Commander: Hahahaha! The Central Continent! You! Even the Lone Winter King all underestimate this! King of White Night: What? One-Eyed Commander: The advantage of a standing army. King of White Night: And whats that? One-Eyed Commander: A Surprise Attack. Grins. King of White Night: Isnt that the same as banditry! How can we do such a thing in a war between humans?! If the Church gets wind of this, our Kingdom will be in trouble. - Exnation Surprise Attack: An attack which is conducted when the enemy has not yet had time to prepare. Especially in a world like this where battles tend to be arranged, an attack which takes ce without an arranged ce or an arranged time could strike the enemy unaware and give the attacker arge advantage. - One-Eyed Commander: But these are enemies of the Holy Church, theyre no better than beasts. If were lucky, theyll be so preupied with dealing with the gathering threat of the armies led by the Holy Church to the North that theyll barely have fortifications along their border with us! King of White Night: ! One-Eyed Commander: Bandits? Fine! Well pay the bandits along their other border toy waste to the Kingdom of Metal. Once they let their guard down, wellunch a massive surprise attack with knights at the centre. Well burn their homes and fields and destroy the Kingdom of Metal in a heartbeat. King of White Night: Hehehe, that sounds like a n. One-Eyed Commander: With the inky darkness behind this one eye, lets destroy the Kingdom of Metal. - The Pce of Winter, a Large Room, Strategy Committee Lone Winter King: Then lets adopt a defensive formation. The Female Pdin: If possible, we should focus not on our mounted knights but on our foot infantry. Especially the spear infantry. Well also need a lot ofbat engineers. Seneschal: And winter gear as well. The Female Pdin: Has it been prepared? Seneschal: We already acquiredrge quantities of them from the Central Continent for the Conquest of the Isle of Light. The Female Pdin: Make sure theyre ready as soon as possible. The Hero: Im sorry, you had to be a babysitter just now and a general right after. The Female Pdin: No, its fine. The sisters have been safely escorted to the Kingdom of Metal. With the situation as it is, rather than the Kingdom of Winter so close to the battlefront, the Kingdom of Metal is far further and safer. Butler: Hmm When I have the time I will check up on them. Seneschal: You just want to see boobies, dont you? Butler: Nyohohoho! Excuse me! Lone Winter King: Please have limits. The Female Pdin: Please leave this to me, Hero. As much as possible, I dont want anyone to get hurt. The Hero: But your sword is a very dangerous thing. The Female Pdin: What are you saying? Isnt it good that swords and warhorses are dangerous things? The Hero: Dont be ridiculous. The Female Pdin: Of course! If its possible to do things without anybody getting hurt, then thats the way we should be doing things! Butler: Lone Winter King: Seneschal. Help the Female Pdin gather up all the necessary funds and function as the rear guard. Ensure the smooth flow of supplies to the front. Seneschal: Yes. The Female Pdin: I fear the Central Continental Expeditionary Force may contain up to 20,000 soldiers. Butler: With the exception of the Crusades, such a force ispletely unprecedented. Lone Winter King: We have maybe 4,500. The Hero: Lone Winter King: Dont make that face. No matter what, with the Hero and the Female Pdinmanding, what do we have to worry about? The Female Pdin: Leave it to me! Running footsteps! Door flies open! Messenger: I have a report! Butler: What is it? Lone Winter King: Speak. Messenger: A message from the Southern Artic Ocean! D-d-demons! The Hero: ! The Female Pdin: ! Butler: ! Lone Winter King: How many?! Messenger: Unknown. Information is still being gathered. Estimates ce the number at at least 1,500. The Hero: What timing! The Female Pdin: (A Demon attack What is the Demon King doing?!) The Hero: Ill go Whats going on? What is going on?! Butler: Hero Lone Winter King: As long as we have the Hero Even 10,000 enemies are nothing Im sorry, even anything more than that is nothing The Hero: Your Majesty. Lone Winter King: ? The Hero: Would you be shocked if I said that I would rather avoid a fight with the Demons? Lone Winter King: Seneschal: Th-thats Lone Winter King: No matter what, we should avoid a war on two fronts. The Hero: Butler: Young Man Lone Winter King: Thats all I can say for now. The Hero: Then I suppose I should thank you. The Female Pdin: Hero Are you okay? The Hero: Of course. Bang! The Female Pdin: Butler: Whats going on? Lone Winter King: nk! Messenger: I have a message! Lone Winter King: What! If its about the Demons attacking, weve already heard the first report. Messenger: It isnt. A rider has arrived! The Kingdom of Metal is under attack from a 2,000 strong army from the Kingdom of White Night! This happened a day ago. - The Kingdom of Winter, Pce, the Finance Ministry Assemble the messengers! Send a fast rider to the border!!! Do a survey of our granary! Many people running about! Young Merchant: Its gotten very busy around here. Disciple Merchant: Theres a tremendous killing intent about. Im sorry about the rowdiness. Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: No, no, we came precisely because of the situation. Im sorry for imposing ourselves on you without at least writing a letter to inform you of ouring. Disciple Merchant: No, I was waiting for you. Young Merchant: Oh. Disciple Merchant: I would like to confirm this, but Young Merchant: Yes. Disciple Merchant: The one who has been ying games on this tabletop - thats you, right? Young Merchant: Why do you think so? Disciple Merchant: Otherwise, why would youe and visit me? Young Merchant: Im probably just a puppet being controlled from behind by the real yer. Disciple Merchant: Controlling these things from a long distance? Thats a very wasteful practice. In these situations, unless you have discretionary power, one wouldnt have the ability to control the situation. But if someone entrusted you with these discretionary powers in situations and the ability to make decisions based on ones instincts, youre not just a marite but a yer. Young Merchant: Hehehe. Disciple Merchant: If it were me, I can see why one would do it. Young Merchant: I understand. Then I suppose the one who introduced tariffs was you? Disciple Merchant: It was. Assistant: Sir! Young Merchant: Bring us some tea, please. Assistant: Yes! Young Merchant: What a cute young man. Disciple Merchant: It wears off. Young Merchant: Shall we begin negotiations then? Disciple Merchant: Young Merchant: Weve digressed greatly from my original topic of discussion. Allow me to summarise the main points. Firstly: I would like a writ which gives me free ess through thends of the Tripartite Union. With present tariffs, it is prohibitively difficult to do business when we transit through the Southern United Kingdoms. The Union would like special privileges to be given to us. Disciple Merchant: Special privileges? Young Merchant: On the condition that we do not conduct trade in the Tripartite Union. We merely want to be allowed free passage for goods which we bring in. That should not have significant economic impacts on the barriers to trade you have created, should it? Disciple Merchant: Thats true. Young Merchant: Secondly: we would like to loan the Isle of Light. Disciple Merchant: Huh? Young Merchant: Geographically, the Isle of Light belongs to the Kingdom of Winter. We would like you to loan it to us as a demesne or even a vassal territory. Of course, we will not take control of it directly, but rather through a third party. We hope you understand the benefit to both of us in operating through a proxy. Disciple Merchant: Well, who will it be, and where from? Young Merchant: Thirdly: Do you know that the Union operates an internal bank? Disciple Merchant: I do. The power avable to this bank for international transfer of funds is a massive weapon of the Union. Young Merchant: We would like to request the permission to establish branches of the bank in Chambers of Commerce in each of the Capital Cities of the Tripartite Union. Disciple Merchant: That is something I can understand easier. Young Merchant: Fourthly: The Union would like to purchase the entire stockpile of the Tripartite Unions potatoes. Disciple Merchant: Huh? Young Merchant: These are the topics of discussion for today. I would like to specially mention, though Im sure you cant tell just by looking, that the Union presently barely has any money left. We would like to request that the above transactions do not involve the exchange of gold. Disciple Merchant: Door opens. Assistant: I have the tea! Disciple Merchant: Just leave it there. Assistant: Yes! Disciple Merchant: Gulp. Young Merchant: How warm. Did you add jam into it? Disciple Merchant: Yes, we do that in the cold South. Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you. Assistant: Ehehehe. Disciple Merchant: (I wonder what sort of face is hiding behind that hood. Im certain shes a beauty.) Assistant: Ah. Ive brought sweets as well! Young Merchant: What a rxed office. Fire Dragon Lady: Indeed. Disciple Merchant: (What does this mean Let me think. What is his intention behind this string of proposals? Firstly, with regards to the Bank. Based on what he says, the Bank will be open to well, at the very least, itll be open to the Guilds and to the state. Whats the meaning of this? Is it just to tap on the potential of our rapidly growing Kingdom? But, if they were to open this up to the public While they may benefit on our end, wouldnt the standing of the Union with the Central Continent and Church rapidly deteriorate?) Disciple Merchant: (No, thats right, the order is important. In other words, this is number three. What about the rest) Disciple Merchant: (Alright, lets think about this in order. The first is the Writ of Free Passage. Thats easy. In the first ce, the tariff was meant to prevent exports and not imports. If thats all they wanted, then just as the Merchant says, it shouldnt have significant impacts on our country But, why am I apprehensive about this Next, the second proposal. Its extremely unsettling when one does not know what the opponent is aiming for. If it does not cause problems for the fisheries or the shipping lines, then there is certainly room for negotiation. But, who? And why? What will happen on that ind? Salt? What meaning could renting the Isle possibly have? Assuming were done with the third proposal, how about the fourth? If we look at it in order, it may appear that the fourth proposal is some sort of reward, but the meaning is still unclear. To begin with, how does the Merchant intend to store suchrge amounts of potatoes from the Three Kingdoms? This is not an amount one can so brashly purchase. We may be small countries, but these are national stockpiles. To begin with, the potato is not a food crop which can easily be sold to many countries. The Tripartite Union, and maybe even the Kingdom of the Lake, where the Order of the Lakees from and the neighbouring country of the Kingdom of Branches. Within these areas, it should probably be able to sell, but considering the unnatural buying patterns recently To begin with, this is way too much to be selling to just two countries. Who could this food be intended for?) Disciple Merchant: (Meaning Who Where Where? Thats right. Its all the same. If this passes through ournds, where could it be intended for? To get to the Kingdom of White Night, or to other Kingdoms, theres no need to pass through our territories. Could it possibly be cheaper to transit the goods through our shippingnes? No, unless theres been some new discoveries, such a shippingne doesnt exist. The tariffs arepletely inapplicable between Kingdoms of the Economic Union, since it only applies to countries apart from the three signatories. They have no money and thats probably because of the ridiculous amount of money they would have poured out just to y with the prices to such an extent. Its not impossible; to do something to such an extent. The price intion in the Central Continent was a ridiculous situation. The misery of the people Part of the noblemen areing up with financial assistance, social securities and public infrastructure works in order to spread some ie to the people but with the entire mary system and tradework so tied up, its like trying to cool a hot stone with a drop of water. No matter how much money they spread around, its still limited by leakages to the other countries and personal influence. Its like using a tub of iced water to cool a spoon of hot soup.) Disciple Merchant: (ording to Teacher, these sorts of financial intervention and Fiscal Policy, is extremely effective in such situations. But this time, the situation is a bit too serious. Unless all the noblemen were to act simultaneously Fiscal Policy. Bank? Mary? Mary policy? To render Mary Policy useless, thats why hes fixed the market prices? Since the entire Central Continent only uses one currency, it is possible topletely fix all market prices. In that case, Fiscal Policy should definitely work) Door closes!!! Disciple Merchant: You! The wheat doesnt matter to you at all! You just want to use it as barter! Young Merchant: Heh. Disciple Merchant: And you intend to invest that wheat in the Tripartite Union?! - Exnation Fiscal Policy: This refers to both the encouragement of the movement of financial capital, and the decision of the amount and the incidence of tax rates. If done properly, it can help to stabilise taxes and create the proper environment for a blossoming economy. If it fails, it may result in a worsening of the situation, even creating detion or intion. - Young Merchant: That is correct. Disciple Merchant: Y-You Young Merchant: What? Disciple Merchant: Youre going to start a second currency. Young Merchant: Thats right. Disciple Merchant: For real?! Young Merchant: The potential growth of the Central Continent is weak. So just what is wrong with attempting to invest in and encourage the growth of a new and rising economy? Disciple Merchant: We are at war with the Central Continent. Young Merchant: If youre trying to make money during a war, make sure to stay for away from the mes Thats a quote by my Master. Those who are risking their lives are merely the soldiers. Disciple Merchant: How can you be assured that we will continue to grow?! Young Merchant: Look at my first two proposals. Disciple Merchant: Assistant: ? Disciple Merchant: ! Young Merchant: Thats right. Disciple Merchant: Do you really think you can do that? You intend to give back the Isle which we risked so much for?! Young Merchant: You won, so youre in that position. Disciple Merchant: Why would you think that? Why are you even doing this?! Y-you You want to use our waters to trade with the Demons! Young Merchant: Yes. Disciple Merchant: Why would Young Merchant: Because I am a merchant. Disciple Merchant: What? Young Merchant: Because I am a merchant, I will trade with the Demons. Do you think this world is split into allies and enemies? Into ck and white? If that is so then what do you think the Hero is working so hard for? Cant you see that he sees something greater? Disciple Merchant: Young Merchant: More than anyone, perhaps I have rather unorthodox views on things. I dont understand things like Justice, but what I do know is that I want to be happier, like we all do. If we can cooperate like this, perhaps all of us can benefit. Or am I wrong? Raises hood. Fire Dragon Lady: We also humbly beg for your cooperation. Disciple Merchant: Ah Horns. Young Merchant: This is the Fire Dragon Lady. Currently, she represents the Council of the only territory in the Demon World where humans and demons co-exist in harmony, the Free City of the Gate. Fire Dragon Lady: We require salt and would like to borrow your ind. We will make amends. We will pay the necessary price. We will maintain our role as the defeated ones on that Isle, we humbly beg for your cooperation. Disciple Merchant: Ah, ah Fire Dragon Lady: You havent raised the rm yet. If you wanted to, we would already be your prisoners. But it appears you are considering the proposal? Assistant: Whats that? Fire Dragon Lady: This is my Rose Crystal Horn, I am very proud of it. Assistant: Umm Heart races. Fire Dragon Lady: ? Assistant: Can I touch it? Fire Dragon Lady: Of course. - Exnation Barter: This refers to the practice of exchanging goods directly for other goods rather than using currency. The Young Merchants n: At present, the price of wheat in the Central Continent has gone up tremendously. However, originally, food items like wheat are necessities, and hence demand for them is unlikely to change dramatically, and the value ascribed to each unit of wheat is likewise likely to remain stable. In other words, the price of wheat wasnt actually going up, rather, the value of the currency was falling dramatically. (In this situation, price refers to the value ascribed to a unit of good.) This situation is what the Young Merchant was referring to when he said he wanted to Sell the Gold of the Kingdoms. This is also precisely why the Young Merchant made sure to expend almost all of his gold in buying wheat and othermodities, so that at the peak of the economic crisis, he would be able to make an incredible amount of profit from selling off his stock ofmodities. - - The Southern Artic Ocean, Near the Gate Hero teleports in! The Hero: Is this it? I teleported here. The Hero: This sure is familiar. Especially the water source Here? (If ending the war is the job of the military, then finding the end is the job of the King.) The Hero: Ahh, Demon King. Demon King Im not a King, Im just a Hero. I cant find the end after all Why has ite to this!? (Whats wrong? Dont you want to be mine? Im not selfish.) The Hero: Nonsense, havent you been abusing me ever since we met? Do this, do that. Making me go to ces. Dragging me everywhere. And now doing this. Thats all youve done. Even then, you didnt even object to me going to the Demon World. Even when I needed you to be selfish, you selfishly werent selfish. (Ill be satisfied as long as we can get to The Other Side of the Hill together) The Hero: Really? (No?) The Hero: Ill definitely let you see it. You and I, and the Female Pdin, and Grandpa, and the King, and the Maid Sisters and the Maid Chief, and the Mage, and the people of the City of the Gate, and the people of the Southern Kingdoms, and the people of the Vige of Wintering. I even want to show it to our opponents in the Central Continent. To the Demon Races too Thats why. Thats whyif all I can do is kill and destroy, then Im useless. Water gushes. The Hero: I havent been able to show even one of what I want to show to other people. Water gushes. The Hero: Thats why Im going to stop. I can talk all I want about righteousness and justice. But if all I can do is destroy and kill, how can I say Im doing great things! Water gushes. The Hero: (Ah. The Pale A Giant-ss member of the Pale. Theyve got long-ranged weaponry and ample food supplies. If I want them to withdraw, thats what Ill have to target) Good. The Hero: ? Your considerations. The Hero: Huh? Its good that youre considering that much. The Hero: Eh? Ah? The Mage: The Hero: Where have you been all this while?! The Mage: Waiting. The Hero: Huh? The Mage: Library. The Hero: In the Cosmic Library? How did you even get there?! The Mage flinches. The Hero: Dont tell me The Mage: Only members of a certain race can enter. The Hero: ? The Mage: Them. Points. The Hero: ? Yeah, theyre Demons. The Mage: Are you still going to kill them? The Hero: No. A bit. I just want to stop them. The Mage: Understood. The Hero: Huh? The Mage: I will watch. The Hero: ? I understand. The Mage casts a spell. The Hero: Whoa, what! The Mage: Its formunication. The Hero: A Correspondence Charm? The Mage nods. The Hero: You havent changed at all, you still act like youve just woken up from a nap. The Mage: Dont understand Go. The Hero: ? The Mage: Demon King is waiting. The Hero: You know about the Demon King? The Mage: Wait. I will deal with this. I will end it. Using an Epic-level Destruction Spell, I will destroy the Gate. The Hero: If you do that, we wont be able to cross to the Demon World. The Mage: The Hero: Is that okay? The Mage nods. The Hero: How much? The Mage: Strongest. The Hero: Why would you do such a thing?! The Mage: Important. The Hero: What is? The Mage: You. The Frozen Artic Limit, above the Gate The Mage: Total Demon force 2,670. Begin calction of distance. Beginning thawing of Compression Techniques. Thawing 15% 37% 59% 81% Ready to eliminate conflict with current target area. The Mage: Hero Air buzzes with magic. The Mage: In order to assist the Hero, I will begin sessive Compression Techniques to buy time for you to attack. Huh!? Understand, you fool! I have awoken my eyes! I know why you had to leave us! Its because of me! Its because of me! That day! At that night! I couldnt do anything for your pride! All I was was a burden! How many nights have I passed thinking of how to right that!!! I will be like you!!! I wont just be a lousy underling! I! CAN! DO! IT!!! The Hero: Shes overzealous again The Mage: Disappear! You pieces of sheet! Boom! Bang! Crash! Boom! nk! Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! Boom! The Hero: She teleported?! Dont tell me shes teleporting to each Demon individually to deal with them?! Threat eliminated. The Hero: Understood. Moving out. Epic-ss Lightning Destruction Spell! Lightning crackles! Lightning ball shoots out! Insufficient. The Hero: Huh!? Okay, more mana! Carnage-ss Lightning Destruction Spell, activate! More. The Hero: The tension in her voice is gone. Alright then, lets go Ahhhh! Lightning! Lightning! Lightning! Deity-ss Lightning Obliteration Spell! The Hero: How was that? Massive area of destruction confirmed. Commence special entry via High Speed Flying Magic. The Hero: Yes! sts off. 15 seconds. The Hero: Have I gone too far? I think Ive created a far too massive crater. Approaching critical speed factor. The Hero: Eh? Increase velocity and break through. The Hero: Y-yes! Air rushes! The Hero: Its bright. Wh-what. This wind. Where am I?! Underground world. The Hero: Eh? You were transported to the Underground World through the Repulsion Force Ball of Light The Alternate World you call the Demon World does not exist. Omake! Little Maid Sister: Here, try this! Its peach juice mixed with sugar and milk, then chilled. I think itll taste great after a bath! Elder Maid Sister: Wow Youre scarily good. Note: It is a custom in Japan to drink voured milk (chocte, strawberry, peach etc.) after taking a bath, particrly at a public bath. Volume 2 3, “For the Sake of this Land”

Volume 2 Chapter 3, For the Sake of this Land

- The Kingdom of Metal, Near the Border, the Attacking Army of the Kingdom of White Night Horses stampeding. One-Eyed Commander: Move! Move! Officer: Come on! Giddy up! One-Eyed Commander: Hahahaha, Ill show you! Ill show you what Hell looks like! Officer: Yes! Morale is high among the men! One-Eyed Commander: Of course, the prize of our conquest is booze and women. Officer: Hahaha, indeed! One-Eyed Commander: Report strength! Officer: Yes! Light cavalry 1,500. Foot infantry 500! Mercenary horsemen 400, Mercenary infantry 600. The 500 infantry are one day behind us. The 400 mercenary horsemen will meet up with us in an hour. The 600 mercenary infantry are advancing via a different route through the forest. One-Eyed Commander: And the other thing I asked you to do? Officer: Yes! We are using the prisoners from the Kingdom of Metal. They should reach the Pce by dawn tomorrow morning. There, they will deliver our promation of war. One-Eyed Commander: Good. All, halt! Light Cavalryman: Halt! Halt! Light Cavalryman: Halt! Officer: Listen up! Orders from the Commander! One-Eyed Commander: Listen up! Riders of White Night! At one, tomorrow morning at dawn, we will attack the Kingdom of Metal! The Kingdom of Metal is a constituent of the traitor Tripartite Union. They are fools who dare to oppose the will of the Spirit of Light and have been officially emunicated. This is a Holy War, let us bring the wrath of the Spirit upon their heads! Destroy the Heretics! One-Eyed Commander: We will now bemencing with a slow march through the forest where we will rest and catch some sleep. Sleep will be conducted in shifts. Tend to your horses, tomorrow we will have much work to do. Your weapons will not be idle in your hands. Sleep with your des which thirst for the blood of the heretics! Children of White Night, the Blessings of the Spirit are with you! Yes, Sir! Officer: Hehe, theyre all riled up. One-Eyed Commander: The Kingdom of Metal is so weak, its not even an enemy. Ah! Ah!!! Officer: Whats happening! One-Eyed Commander: The Darkness! It burns! My eye burns! Its consuming me! Its consuming! They took it, those evil Demons! My eye! My light! Gyahahahahaha! Thats right, Im going to show you, Lone Winter King. Dont forget about me, that traitor Fortress Commander. I will destroy that hated Demon World, I will bring down that treacherous Demonckey Lone Winter King. I will do whatever it takes, whatever it takes! My work will be born from the fires of Hell. Beginning with the Kingdom of Metal. Those who have humiliated me will now taste the highest form of shame! The Kingdom of Metal, Border, ins at the Foot of the Mountain, the Kingdom of Metals Border Defence Line Scout: Ah! Theyre here! Weve received word from the signal pyres! Metal Lieutenant: So theyve reallye Disciple Soldier: They are indeed fast. They were willing to tire themselves to take advantage of the element of surprise and not give us time to prepare. Scout: More details should be arriving by carrier pigeon from over the mountain Disciple Soldier: Hmph. I more or less understand. They should have a highly mobile force with Light Cavalry at the centre, strength roughly 2,000. This will consist of a mixture of both regr forces from the Kingdom of White Night and mercenaries. The Scouts have confirmed their departure. Scout: Yes! Metal Lieutenant: Two thousand? Disciple Soldier: Maybe a bit more. Well, with this sort of timing, to even use such a force would no doubt cause back civil unrest. The King of White Night is bound to keep some military power in his Pce tobat a serf uprising, but the fact that hes willing to send this many is already proof of his seriousness. Metal Lieutenant: Weve got 400 soldiers from the Kingdom of Winter undergoing training here and alongside the 500 settlers we can arm as irregrs Were no match for them. Disciple Soldier: Its a joke. Metal Lieutenant: How ridiculous. Disciple Soldier: Everybody! Paces about. Disciple Soldier: We have just received word from our Scouts! Two thousand riders from the Kingdom of White Night are currently headed this way! That they can send two thousand horsemen from the Kingdom of White Night to attack us means that the Kingdom itself has a minimal military presence! Thats how much they are willing to gamble to destroy us! Everybody! Let me state now, this is yournd! This is your one and onlynd! In other words, if we win this battle, thend in your hometown, your families, your fields, your homes are all protected! Its true that the enemy is many. But we have enough! Among you are some who have fled from the Kingdom of Winter, and even some who haverades and brothers in the Kingdom of Winter. Let us fight this war for them! Eat some potatoes and smile! The Female Pdin, the White Swordsman My teachers once said. If you canugh in a battlefield, you have already won. The enemy outnumbers us by many times, but we will look at them andugh! We have decided! There will only be one oue! Victory! The Borders of the Kingdom of Metal, a Mountain Pass, the Attacking Army of the Kingdom of White Night nk! nk! nk! One-Eyed Commander: Once we cross these borders, the ground will be drenched in the blood of our enemies. Hahahaha! Light Cavalryman: Sir! Enemy approaching from the front! One-Eyed Commander: What!? Its not even dawn yet. How could they have gotten our Deration of War already?! Light Cavalryman: Numbers are uncertain, but theyve blockaded the pass! One-Eyed Commander: Shameless! Officer: Yes! One-Eyed Commander: Its probably just the Border Guards. There cant be many of them. Perhaps a few hundred. In terms of training and equipment, theyve been training to fight the Central Continent and some of them are probably experienced too. Officer: Yes! One-Eyed Commander: All units advance! Those silhouettes up ahead are the enemy! There is no vige so there will be no piging! Let the infantry behind us deal with the stragglers. Break through the line and scatter the enemy! Officer: All units advance! Light Cavalrymen: Warriors of White Night! Horses charging. Light Cavalryman: Do you see them? Light Cavalryman: Ha! This is a joke! They must have gone to hide in some holes or something or the other, the cowards! The Kingdom of Metal is filled with fools! Light Cavalryman: Lets go! Light Cavalrymen: Onwards! Horses charging. Light Cavalryman: ?! Falls off horse. Light Cavalryman: You fell off!? How lousy! Ahahahaha! I guess Im the best at riding after a?! Light Cavalryman: Wh-what!? Why are you all falling off!? Whats wrong with the horses?! Light Cavalryman: Ah! Something is tripping the horses! Whats this? Light Cavalryman: These ares The kind they use to catch fish. Light Cavalryman: Cut them! Theyre justs! Dismount and cut! Hack. Light Cavalryman: Agh, theses! Theyre really well made! Arrows whistle through the air. Light Cavalryman: Arrows? Archers?! Where from?! The Kingdom of Metal, the Borders, ins at the Foot of the Mountain, the Kingdom of Metals Border Defence Line Disciple Soldier: Right, its time for my lecture. Metal Lieutenant: Right now? The enemy is right before us! Disciple Soldier: My Master ced a lot of emphasis on education. No matter what time it was, everything was subordinate to learning. That was how I was taught. Metal Lieutenant: Y-yes! Disciple Soldier: There are three reasons why one would use cavalry. The first is speed: the ability to move quickly from battlefield to battlefield. It is an important consideration for an Expeditionary Force, but thats not really rted this time. The second is deployability. This may appear to be simr to the first reason, but this refers to movement about the battlefield itself, the ability to attack the enemys weak points before the enemy has time to respond to them. Hence deployability and speed arepletely different considerations. Deployability is the art of a Commander finding gaps in the enemys formation and bringing powerful force to bear against it. The important measures tobat deployability are to deny intelligence to the enemy and to ensure organic and adaptable reactionary forces. Metal Lieutenant: Y-yes Scout: The enemy is close! We can see the dust forming! Estimated time of arrival: One minute! Disciple Soldier: The third point, and more important for this battle, is the Breakthrough Ability. To begin with, the attack power of cavalry is not very high. Since theyre mounted, they cant use powerful weapons which require two hands to control. Nevertheless, that cavalry can already be so powerful is due to the strength of the warhorse and the incredible amount of training and technique required to properly ride into battle. Also, a charge from high ground has fantastic destruction ability. With the increased momentum and charge, cavalry possess a breakthrough ability infantry can only dream of. Metal Lieutenant: What are you going on about!? That breakthrough ability is heading here as we speak! Disciple Soldier: Dont panic. Scout: Thirty seconds! Disciple Soldier: Everybody! Load arrows! Soldiers load arrows. Disciple Soldier: First target! Aim for the standing soldiers and soldiers who have dismounted! Their focus is speed, so their armour is likely to be weak! If its too difficult, aim for the breastte, its arge area! Scout: Contact! Ah! Its messy! Horses are flying everywhere! Ahh, theyre in range! Theyre getting closer! Disciple Soldier: Wait! Wait for it Fire! Arrows whistling through the air. Metal Lieutenant: Multiple hits! Theyre going down! Disciple Soldier: Excellent! Its time to do our duty! Support soldiers! Take the bows after theyve been fired! Pass them the next bow and reload the current one! Soldiers of the Kingdom of Metal fire! You! Raise your heads! Keep your stance low! Trust the Trenches, if we stay together, we may just win! - Exnation Trenches: Trenches were first used in the 19th century, during the American Civil War. It allowed one to take cover from enemy fire and yet return fire at the same time. The depth was roughly up to the head, with steps allowing the arms to be extended from the trench. Since one could fire out of the trench, there was still a chance of being hit while in it. They could also be used to conceal ones position, as in this case. - Ah! Something is tripping the horses! Whats this? These ares The kind they use to catch fish. Cut them! Theyre justs! Dismount and cut! Disciple Soldier: Second target! Aim for the horses and cause chaos! Pull up thes! Theyreing in! Soldiers from the Kingdom of Metal yank hard. Disciple Soldier: Fire! Arrows whistling through the air. Metal Soldier: We did it! Theyre going down! Support Soldier: Reloaded! Lets go again! Exchanges bows. Metal Soldier: Thats quick! The Borders of the Kingdom of Metal, a Mountain Pass, the Attacking Army of the Kingdom of White Night One-Eyed Commander: Whats happening?! Why have they stopped! Officer: The enemy opposition One-Eyed Commander: Well, pick up the pace and break through! Advance! Officer: All units advance! The enemy numbers are few! Press on! One-Eyed Commander: What are you all doing! Screaming. Light Cavalryman: Commander! There ares ahead! One-Eyed Commander: Nets?! Light Cavalryman: Yes! Theyve ced wire-reinforced fishings along the way, the horses are getting trapped in them! And theyre firing on us as well! One-Eyed Commander: Enemy numbers? Light Cavalryman: Unknown. One-Eyed Commander: Why dont you know? Arent you being attacked? Light Cavalryman: The enemy are hiding in holes in the ground, we have no line of sight with them. One-Eyed Commander: Ah! Redeploy! Push on through the front line, get the rear reserve troops to circle around the left and right nks! The Kingdom of Metal, the Borders, ins at the Foot of the Mountain, the Kingdom of Metals Border Defence Line Arrows whistling through the air. Disciple Soldier: What were currently hiding in is called a trench. Metal Lieutenant: Yes! Disciple Soldier: Man-made emcements like these are known as field defences. I first heard them from my teacher, and I havent heard them from other people, so as far as I know these could be her inventions. Scouts: Horses are tripping all over the ce! The frontline is in chaos! Disciple Soldier: Remember that this is one way of killing off the enemys breakthrough ability. Continuous fire! Support infantry on loading duty split into two units, Guards and Loaders! Guards units clear the cavalry who managed to clear the zone of operations and the cavalrymen who have fallen off their horses, make sure they stay out of the way! Archers and Loaders, mass your attack on the right nk! Fire at will! Dont panic and aim well. By your side, to your left and right, are brave soldiers andrades armed with strong bows and powerful spears! Even if you take the time to aim properly, we will still fire quicker than usual. Trust yourrades! The Borders of the Kingdom of Metal, a Mountain Pass, the Attacking Army of the Kingdom of White Night One-Eyed Commander: What, they havent broken through yet! Officer: Yes. One-Eyed Commander: Kill them! Kill them! The first soldier who breaks through the frontline will get ten gold pieces! Destroy those weak soldiers of the Kingdom of Metal as if theyre just a wall of matchsticks! Light Cavalryman: Weve broken the stalemate! One-Eyed Commander: Are we moving? Light Cavalryman: The nking Attack is showing some effect. The left nks defence is strong, but it seems the right wink is thin. Theyre crossing through the forests and attacking the enemy position from behind! One-Eyed Commander: Alright! Throw our whole force behind them! Increase the pressure on the front with the traps, but advance with the centre behind the right nk! Light Cavalrymen: White Night Warriors! Cavalrymen ride away. Officer: No. Light Cavalryman: Whats wrong, sir? Officer: This One-Eyed Commander: What? Officer: The right nk is advancing too fast Its like theyre being sucked in. The Kingdom of Metal, the Borders, ins at the Foot of the Mountain, the Kingdom of Metals Border Defence Line Metal Lieutenant: The enemy has started to flow to the left nk. Disciple Soldier: To begin with, it has always been an Oblique Order. We keep them tied up at the front and then flow to the right nk. However, the cavalry at the frontline is too disorganised to break through. Though they have no breakthrough ability, they could try to pressure us by attacking from behind. Thats the current state of affairs. Metal Lieutenant shudders. Disciple Soldier: Well, lets get to work. Lieutenant, its time for you and I to shine. Metal Lieutenant: Yes! Footsteps. Metal Lieutenant: Lets go! Guards Units! Respond to the cavalry rolling up the left nk with long spears! Have no fear! Enemy numbers are equal to us! Disciple Soldier: (Equal numbers If we could, that would work.) Metal Lieutenant: Farmers! Soldiers! Lower your heads and thrust out your spears! Do not fear the horses! The enemys swords reach is only from upon the horse, you are safe in the trenches! Metal Lieutenant: Lets go! For the sake of thisnd! Soldiers: For the sake of thend! Scout: Spear units on the left nk have contacted the enemy. The enemy frontline is weakening! - Exnation nking Attack: Usually, soldiers assemble into formations and advance strongly forward until they meet the enemy. However, if one can attack the enemy from the side without them expecting, they can either attack the enemy at a weak point or draw them into a fight with two fronts. For this purpose, an attack from the side of the formation has a far stronger effect. Oblique Order: Ordinarily, formations face the enemy in straight and equal formations. However, if one were to purposely tilt the battle order and stack forces on one nk, military force can be gathered on one side in order to break through the line. If one knows where the enemy forces are gathered, one can firmly defend that side and hence gain an advantage. However, if the enemy knows which side is being firmly defended, he can avoid that side and attack strongly from another nk. In this way, the movements of the enemy can be pre-empted, at a cost. - Disciple Soldier: The enemy appears to be pulling back from the right wing. Everybody! Test your bows! Its time to attack! Bows being strung. Disciple Soldier: The enemy is abandoning his attack midway and rolling towards the left nk! This is a good thing. Take aim! Aim for the nks of the horses, take down the Commanders and Officers if you can, they should be with the horsemen! Those guys are heading for the undefended nk of our forces! They will attack us relentlessly from behind and plunge our forces into chaos! Lets save ourrades in the right nk, dont let the enemy through! Lets go! Volley! Soldiers: Yes!! Arrows whistling through the air. Light Cavalryman: What?! Arrows whistling through the air. Light Cavalryman: Aghhhh! - The Demon King Castle, Lowest Level, the Pce of Death The Chief Maid: Why hasnt shee out Demon King. The Chief Maid: Its been, a month? Ive had enough. If she continues to absorb more in there, her entire soul is going to be corrupted. What is she doing! Swoosh! Swoosh! The Chief Maid: Whats that Hick. The Chief Maid: It stopped Hick. The Chief Maid: Door opens slowly. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty? The Demon King: Im good. The Chief Maid: Demon King? The Demon King: Whats wrong? Chief Maid. Why so serious? The Chief Maid: Your Majesty? The Demon King: Im hungry. And tired. And my eyelids are really heavy. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Hehe. Im alright. Lets go back. The Chief Maid: Where? The Demon King: To the battlefield. The Chief Maid: Yaaaaaa?! Raises sword. The Demon King: Wha! You ungrateful cur! You dare to raise your hand against your own master?! The Chief Maid: What have you done to the Demon King! Demon King! Youre not the Demon King! Youre not! Swords shing. The Demon King: Where did this longsworde from The Chief Maid: My Demon King doesnt make such a shameful and based face when sheughs! The Demon King: Thats a pity. Ill be smiling like this from now on. The Chief Maid: Haiyaaaaaa! Swords shing. The Demon King: You indeede from a top-level Demon Race. Your techniques are quite splendid. The Chief Maid: Demon King! Demon King! The Demon King: Hey! Stop shouting my name endlessly! The Chief Maid: I will have nothing to do with your name. This is the name of the Demon King, my one true master! The Demon King: Insolent! sh! The Chief Maid: The Demon King is smart, logical, reasonable, calm and cynical! Its true that she can be quite annoying, but my master makes a shy and loveable face when sheughs. She can wear dirty clothes forever and she hates washing, shes terrible at cooking and cleaning. Shes my choice. My destiny! The Demon King: Thats a bit harsh, isnt it? The Chief Maid: I am a Maid! Stands erect. The Demon King: ! The Chief Maid pants. The Demon King: Youre tired. If you stop now, Ill go easy on you The Chief Maid: ! The Demon King: Hehe If its butlers and servants, I can easily acquire some more. So shut your trap and let us go back to the Castle. The Chief Maid: Raises sword. The Demon King: Just die! The Chief Maid: ! Demon King The Demon King: Heh. Where are you aiming? You want to hit me Im sorry, but Impletely uninjured whereas your wrist sh. The Chief Maid: Agh Demon King? The Demon King: ? The Chief Maid: Demon King, just one more time, fight Do you remember that ck, fluffy, warm thing you love so much? The Demon King: Are you trying to make meugh? The Chief Maid: Ahh! The Demon King: Ahh? The Chief Maid: I will! Throw! You! Out! The Demon King: Heh, why? Youll never catch me?! The Chief Maid: Hey, yah! Tosses. The Demon King: You may have surprised me but so what? Bonk! Door ms! The Chief Maid: Hah, hah If she escapes another time, shell kill me Bangbangbangbangbang. The Demon King: This is the Burial Chamber!? Damn you! Bangbangbang. The Chief Maid: Demon King, I will continue to wait for you. Bangbang. The Demon King: What a waste of time! How stupid! Do you not understand? This body belongs to me! I am the Demon King! Boom. The Chief Maid: Hah, hah Demon King Your Majesty. I hope you be ten times stronger, a hundred times stronger, please. Your Majesty Dont lose - The City of the Gate, Self-Governing Council, Study East Fortress Base Commander: Is this for real? Aide-de-Camp: Yes! Demon Girl: Umm. Yes East Fortress Base Commander: Aide-de-Camp: Three days ago, armies of the Pale have been detected advancing in the direction of the gate. Were not certain of the scale, but it is likely slightly less than a thousand. East Fortress Base Commander: Have we sent them a message? Aide-de-Camp: Well East Fortress Base Commander: I hear there has been no message. Aide-de-Camp: With their present military strength, theyre probably just trying their luck. East Fortress Base Commander: We cant warn them against it, can we? Demon Girl: I-I-Im sorry. East Fortress Base Commander: No, please. Aide-de-Camp: East Fortress Base Commander: The problem is with the content this letter. Aide-de-Camp: Yes. The three countries of the Southern United Kingdoms which are opposed to the Demons are currently engaged in battle with thebined forces of the Central Continent. The three countries of the Southern United Kingdoms have weakened their defences; the shores and their capital cities are practically stark naked. It is now a splendid opportunity to extend the Land of the Golden Sun. Report concluded. East Fortress Base Commander: This. Aide-de-Camp: Yes. East Fortress Base Commander: Its a human. Yeah, its a human. I know for sure. This letter is from a human. It reeks of humanity, it has the stench of a human who would betray his kind. Who? Who would do such a wretched thing? Aide-de-Camp: East Fortress Base Commander: Lady, who do you think this is? Demon Girl: I didnt get a good look, but this letter I bought it from a pickpocket kid. But this merchant definitely met with a Demon of the Pale Umm, he was about as tall as the Aide-de-Camp But thinner, and he wore a hood He breathed like this Hisses. East Fortress Base Commander: Oh? Demon Girl: It was wet like a snake East Fortress Base Commander: He damaged his throat? Or a disease? Demon Girl: Im sorry. I dont know Aide-de-Camp: Lets find him. East Fortress Base Commander: Hes not going to be on the streets anymore but lets do it. I dont care if youre a demon or a human, check everyone. Damn. Just what is going on! Weve got no choice since they want a war so much. Going around doing so much killing, just what do they want! - Omake! Little Maid Sister: Ah, thats right! If I bake a pancake in the shape of a fish and fill it with sweet beans, itll be both cute and delicious! Note: Shes just invented taiyaki. Its a Japanese pastry shaped as a fish, traditionally filled with sweet azuki bean paste. Volume 2 4, “The useless Demon King who appeared too late!”

Volume 2 Chapter 4, The useless Demon King who appeared toote!

- The Trip to the Underworld The Hero: The Demon World? Not the Demon World, the Underworld. The Hero: So the Demon World is underground?! That is correct. The Hero: To begin with, Teleportation Magic transports you to a different ce It doesnt let you jump across dimensions or anything. Crush, crush. The Hero: What?! Altitude is low. The Hero: What? Gravity is weak underground. It is reced by Pressure. The Hero: Gravity? Pressure? Gravity is a force from the earth which pulls you downwards. This force makes objects fall. Pressure is force applied against an object. In the Underworld, the core of the Earth crushes everything After it crushes it to moltenva, some will flow out to the surface. The Hero: Why does my flying magic not work properly? Is there some sort of rtion? The Underworld is close to the core, hence there is tremendous Pressure. One cannot fly very high. The Hero: Really? Really. The Hero: I dont understand why Im here. You should. The Hero: Why? This is about the Demon King. The Hero: Where is she? Whats happened to her? The Demon King is there. The Hero: I dont understand. The Demon King Castle is deep underground. The Hero: I understand that! Lava flows. In ce of the current Demon King. Crackles. I will take her ce. The Hero: What? I just heard a strange sound. Youre getting out of range I will defend the Human World. The Hero: Can you? Leave it to me. The Hero: I said leave it to me. The Hero: The Hero: I understand. I wont be able to hear you anymore. Im counting on you. Understood. The Hero: Umm. The Hero: Thanks foring Youve really helped me out. I see. Explosions andser beams. Ill be waiting for you. The Hero: Here we are. There should be some guards here, shouldnt there? Well, whatever. Ill break through. Lets go Lightfoot Magic! The Hero: Hey, Mage. The Hero: Hey. The Hero: Were really at the limit of the signal. I guess theres no choice. Lets go to the lowest level. It should be this way Boom! The Hero: Through the Treasury, down the Great Hall Third floor Crash! The Hero: Right, Ill apologise for the destructionter! Fifth floor! Boom! The Hero: Seventh floor! Wh-what!? Roars! The Hero: This pure ckness Ive never felt such a Demonic presence before. Demon King Youve be this strong?! - Northern ins, on a Field where the Snow has Gathered The Female Pdin: Are they assembled? Seneschal: Yes, the Central Continental Expeditionary Force has assembled in their expected numbers. Noblemen and lords from all over the Central Continent have assembled in full force. Their army is on the move. The Female Pdin: How many? Seneschal: Close to 40,000 with 28,000bat personnel. The rest are nonbat service personnel. All of these have been confirmed by the Telescopic Scout brigades. The Female Pdin: Dont worry. Victory is not dependent on how many soldiers you have. In fact, the less soldiers you have, the lesser the burden on finances. Winter Soldier: Ha, hahaha, yes! It is as you say, maam! The Female Pdin: So what are we sending them today? Seneschal: 30 bottles of Ice Wine, 3 Boars, and 6 Pigs. The Female Pdin: Hmm, theyll be having a feast tonight. Seneschal: Yes. The Female Pdin: You dont seem confident. Seneschal: No, I dont like the feeling of being extorted from. The Female Pdin: Dont think about it. The more you think about it, the stronger itll get. Seneschal: I see. The Female Pdin: Next up is the feed. Seneschal: Feed? The Female Pdin: Yeah, with this many horses, theyll definitely require lots of feed, right? Things like dried barley or grass. Some of the noblemen have caravans plying from their homnds with feed, but most of them intend to acquire it here. Its much easier to bring cash than so much wheat. Seneschal: Yes. The Female Pdin: Maintain contact with the farmers in the area. Make sure we expand the field of contact this time. Use the Merchantsworks if we have to. If the soldierse and are told that they have no feed, they might cause trouble. These merchants are all sympathetic to the Tripartite Union. Let them sell the wheat to the enemy. They shouldnt have to die for their sympathy. Seneschal: What do you mean? The Female Pdin: Let them soak the feed in waste water beforehand. Of course, we have no intention of killing all those poor horses; just to make them unwell before the battle. If we destroy the spirits of their horses, they will have difficultymunicating and coordinating across the vast battlefield. If they choose to still meet us in battle, their breakthrough ability will be blunted. This is not the most chivalrous of tactics, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Seneschal: But why target the feed? The Female Pdin: The other alternative would be to poison the food with which the soldiers themselves consume, right? But thats too obvious. Compared to that, poisoning the horse feed is something unprecedented. I feel really bad for the horses though. Many of them will die on the battlefield. But their deaths will bring us victory. Seneschal: Well, it is a pity about all those horses, but as warhorses, they will be fighting to their veryst breath. For a soldier like myself, thats all we can ask for. The Female Pdin: Alright, send out the order. Winter Soldier: Yes! Seneschal: Well be busy theseing few days. The Female Pdin: Well just have to endure. Seneschal: Whats next? The Female Pdin: Im still considering various factors. Seneschal: Oh? The Female Pdin: Shall I fight a bear barehanded in front of the enemy, to scare them? Seneschal: I think not, madam. That would probably spoil your image. - Pce of Winter, Chamber of Audiences The Mage: Heh. The Mage: Snores. Snores. Lone Winter King: The Mage: Mm. Heh. Lone Winter King: Thats my throne. Disciple Merchant: Yes. Assistant: Theres a strange girl The Mage: Phew Lone Winter King: Why is there a girl sleeping on my throne? Disciple Merchant: Well The Mage rubs eyes. Assistant: ?! Lone Winter King: It could be some sort of dangerous assassin. Disciple Merchant: The Mage: ! Lone Winter King: ! The Mage: Ugh. Yawn. Door opens. Butler: Young man. Ive brought some tea. Take a break from the books Ahhhhh?! Lone Winter King: Whats wrong? Butler: Its the Mage! Wh-why are you here! The Mage: Butler: Where have you been? The Hero and the Female Pdin have been really worried about you. This is not the ce to be drooling like that! The Mage: Asleep. Butler: Youre still the same. Well, the Hero isnt around right now so youre still normal, I suppose. Winter Pce, Chamber of Audiences Butler: Allow me to introduce myself. She is one of the three Companions of the Hero, the Mage. The Mage nods. Butler: When shes like this, shes safe. The Mage nods. Lone Winter King: She is one of the legendary Heroes as well? Disciple Merchant: No way. Butler: Thats right. She was the Partys massive-damage-dealing specialist. She knows practically every spell, the strongest mage throughout thend who has earned epithets such as The Living Nightmare and The Sleeping Sorceress of Carnage. The Mage: I always liked, The Magic Murderer. Lone Winter King: (hushed voice) I think we should keep our distance. Disciple Merchant: (hushed voice) Me too. Butler: Shes the kind of girl who really goes overboard when she does things. Lone Winter King: I dont really know what to make of her. Disciple Merchant: I understand that shes really powerful. The Mage: Im going to sleep. Butler: Dont sleep now! Have you met the Hero yet? The Mage: Yes. Butler: And? The Mage: Hes going to the ce you call the Demon World. Lone Winter King: I see. Disciple Merchant: That means were the only ones here controlling the situation now. Butler: Whats he doing? Does anybody know? The Mage: Hes following instructions the Demon K I mean, the Crimson Schr left behind before she left. Lone Winter King: ?! Disciple Merchant: You are acquainted with the Schr? Butler: I heard she travelled for a while Lone Winter King: What were her instructions? The Mage: She didnt tell. Lone Winter King: Why? Butler: I thought you were friends The Mage: The Schr is soft. And Im not talking about her boobs. Something softer than that. You could say the Schr and Ie from the same race. Were rtives. Sisters? Lone Winter King: Rtives? The Mage: And Butler: And? The Mage: Butler: Wake up! The Mage: The Schr knows nothing of the present circumstances here. She does not know that we are at war Thats why her instructions are definitely irrelevant. Lone Winter King: Really? Now that you say it The Mage: But she took measures. Disciple Merchant: What sort? The Mage: It was found that families who reared Artiodact in their homes were less susceptible to viruses of a contagious nature She realised this was the result of exposure to a lesser strain and developed a method of treatment to boost the resistance of patients to the virus, in other words, to get them to develop an Immunity to the disease through a special and specific course of Immunisation. Lone Winter King: ? Disciple Merchant: Umm, did you understand? Assistant: I didnt understand anything! The Mage: Lone Winter King: Could you say it in a way that is easier to understand? The Mage: We have developed a cure for smallpox. Lone Winter King: ?! Disciple Merchant: Do you know what youre saying?! Butler: Smallpox The nightmare of thisnd?! A million, no, three million people die from it every year It makes your body break out in hives and pus and even if by some miracle you do manage to recover from it, itll leave you with scars which you have to carry for the rest of your whole life. Its the kind of nightmarish disease that warrants the torching of entire viges who have developed the disease! The Mage: I know. I did my research. - Exnation Artiodact: These are an order of animals whose toes are split into two, like cows. Giraffes, camels, deer and hippopotami are also part of the order. Immunity: This refers to a biological function within your body which helps to remove viruses and other diseases. Your immune system is designed specifically to attack anything which isnt your own cells, or helpful cells, and destroy them by overwhelming them with White Blood Cells. Immunisation: This refers to treating smallpox through a vination. It was first discovered in 1796 by Englishman Edward Jenner, allowing the death rate of smallpox, then at a frightening 40%, to be dramatically reduced cheaply and efficiently. In 1980, the WHO (World Health Organisation) dered smallpox to bepletely and thoroughly eradicated. Smallpox is one of the only victory mankind has had over a virus which has gued us for centuries. - Lone Winter King: Youre a schr too, then? Disciple Merchant: I see. The Mage: I specialise in Folklore. Lone Winter King: I see. Disciple Merchant: If its true, then this is an unprecedented step forward for all of mankind. Assistant: My father and brothers died from smallpox. Butler: There hasnt been anyone who has been able to fully recover from smallpox before. Lone Winter King: Mmhmm. The Mage: Its not a cure. Its a prevention. Lone Winter King: Its all the same. Disciple Merchant: How? The Mage: You make a medicine out of a certain, weaker strain of the disease and introduce it to the patient. He will get a lighter form of the illness, but it will not be smallpox. Butler: I see. Those who get smallpox once dont get it a second time, if Im not wrong. The Mage: Thats the system. Lone Winter King: How long does itst? The Mage: About seven years. Lone Winter King: That is amazing news. The Mage: And Lone Winter King: ? The Mage: Itll only cost every citizen of the Tripartite Union and other cooperating countries one silver piece a head. Lone Winter King: ! The Mage: How pleasant, isnt it? Lone Winter King: With this, the winds have changed! Disciple Merchant: Indeed. We can put an end to this war. Assistant: Amazing!!! The Mage: Also, Im a Demon. Lone Winter King: ? Butler: Youre joking. The Mage: No. Lone Winter King: Disciple Merchant: Assistant: ? The Mage: Please. Lone Winter King: In other words, this smallpox prevention technique was developed together with Demons? The Mage nods. Lone Winter King: And we are to disseminate it to our people? The Mage nods. Lone Winter King: The Mage: Disciple Merchant: Your Majesty I beg of you, youve heard this from the troops at the front line before, have you not? Its true that the Demons may appear menacing and vicious, but they are an eloquent and knowledgeable race. Assistant: Butler: Disciple Merchant: Im not saying we should build a bridge of friendship between us. But now that weve been dered enemies of the Spirit, perhaps we can try to understand how they feel? Of course, if they attack us, we will attack back. They are the enemy after all. However, just like how the Human World has many different Kingdoms, it is likely that the Demon World consists of many different countries and tribes as well. It may not be prudent to continue this damaging war while knowing so little about the people we profess to fight. Lone Winter King: Why do you want this? The Mage: Why? Lone Winter King: Why do you want a friendship with us? - Exnation Folklore: If the study of literature is the study of analysing recorded texts and books, then the study of folklore is gathering and studying records which may have been passed down from mouth to mouth and preserving them through writing for further study and posterity. Of course, nowadays, folklore can be passed down via written means as well, and can still be studied simrly. - The Mage: Butler: Have you slept too much that you cant evene up with an answer now? The Mage: Ive had enough of nightmares. Assistant: The Mage: I want to have good dreams when I go to sleep. Lone Winter King: I see Disciple Merchant: Lone Winter King: This is not a contract or anything. I am worried about the bacsh this may have from the Central Continent. However, as far as my name as the Lone Winter King carries, I will carry those words firmly in my heart and do my very best to make sure no blood need be spilt unnecessarily. Disciple Merchant: Thank you. Butler: Mage The Mage: Im a Demon. Really. Stomach rumbles. Lone Winter King: Hahaha! Youre a hungry Demon then! Alright. Shall wey siege to my kitchen? If wey siege to them, Im sure my staff wille up with something fantastic in a jiffy! - The Kingdom of Metal, Near the Capital, a Building of the Holy Order Metal Lieutenant: Hurry and clean it! Use more water! Disciple Soldier: The cloth is boiling! Use more cloth! Metal Soldier: The citizenry is offering us their assistance. What should we do? Metal Lieutenant: What should we do? Disciple Soldier: Of course, Im thankful. Prepare more water and get the furnace going! Borrow some cauldrons and boil some water in it. Supply Soldier: Bringing another one in right now! Light Cavalryman of White Night: Ughhhh! Metal Lieutenant: White Night Disciple Soldier: Dont think about it! We have direct orders from the Metal Fist King to treat any and every casualty! Well make no distinction, except to carry out Triage for the heavily injured! Those with light injuries should be moved to the tents outside, the civilians can help with that as well. Those with moderate injuries should be moved further into the Holy Order, get them to stem the bleeding and use strong alcohol to disinfect their wounds. Metal Soldier: Yes! Light Cavalryman struggles. Light Cavalryman of White Night: Ughhhhh. Im dying, I wont make it! Disciple Soldier: Get it together! You wont die from those injuries, but you need to rest! Metal Soldier: Report! Disciple Soldier: Im listening. Metal Soldier: The tally has beenpleted. Our forces have suffered 18 dead and 221 injured. The Kingdom of White Night has 304 dead and 892 injured with 450 prisoners. Also, weve confirmed the fallen body of the Assistant Commander, but the Commander, whom reports have confirmed is a man with one eye, has not been identified, whether living or dead. Metal Lieutenant: How troublesome. Disciple Soldier: If he returned home, thats a good thing Metal Lieutenant: Is that so? - Exnation Triage: In emergency situations where there are very many injured people and patients, there will likely be insufficient personnel or supplies. Triage is conducted to maximise the potential for saving lives. Patients are divided into one of four different categories, each with differently coloured triage tags. The order of treatment then follows the order 1 2 3 0. 0: The patient is on the brink of death, and even with urgent medical treatment, the chances of survival are extremely slim. (ck) 1: It is possible for the patient to survive if medical treatment is sought urgently and immediately. (Red) 2: Immediate medical treatment is not currently necessary to ensure the survival of the patient, though treatment must eventually follow in due time. (Yellow) 3: As injuries are light, the life of the patient is not in any immediate danger. (Green) Since patients who are ssified as category 0 have practically been left to die, in situations where there are enough personnel and supplies to deal with the patients, triage should definitely not be used. - Disciple Soldier: If he keeps his movements quiet and travels with just a few soldiers, it wont be difficult for him to avoid detection. Metal Lieutenant: Thats true. Supply Soldier: General! General! Amazing! Perfect! We will follow your orders to the very end! Disciple Soldier: Huh? Supply Soldier: General! Victory! Long live the General! Long live the General! Long live the General! Disciple Soldier: Wait for a bit. Im no general. Im just the Commanding Officer of the Border Battalion. Metal Lieutenant: Well, thats fine, isnt it? Disciple Soldier: But its wrong! Metal Lieutenant: A normal citizen or a settler who has hitherto been a serf has no knowledge whatsoever of the ranking system of the Military. They wont understand the difference between the Commanding Officer of the Border Battalion and a General. Thats why theyre in such awe To them, a General is just someone whos really cool. Disciple Soldier: Really cool? Metal Lieutenant: Yes, thats right. To someone like me, a punk from a Settler family, theres really no difference. And when we want to disy our gratitude for someone as cool, as heroic as yourself, small fry like ourselves like to shout, Long live. Disciple Soldier: Is that so? Metal Lieutenant: Yeah. General! Todays battle was fantastic! This is a story our grandchildren will tell their grandchildren. For this reason, let us continue fighting and do our best! Disciple Soldier: Thats good. Supply Soldier: General. Ah. Disciple Soldier: Im worried. If we want to make sure were capable of continued operations, well need more food and rest, and well also need to reform border security and surveince. Well also have to submit a report to the Pce about the incident. - In Deep, Deep Sleep Why What a terrible sleep Ugh Ughhhh What a sticky night. I should get the Chief Maid to bring me a towel. My Umm. Whos that? - Thats not it. - Ah! Is this what they call an out-of-body experience? Its my first time. - No, the real me is sleeping over there, but its clear that its a terrible state of sleep. Perhaps this has to do with falling out of synchronisation with my spirits. - Ohhh. The real me is waking up. So I can still move around while my spirit is divorced from my body, right? How extremely interesting. Looking at it like this, I might get discarded. Its a bit shameful that the Chief Maid continues to bully me about it, but is it really terrible to have all this bouncy-bounciness In the Human World, the size of a womans bust is considered a good thing. Natural curviness isnt seen as just b, in fact, its often seen as more feminine People consider it more maternal, and from an objective point of view, its even erotic. Oh! My body! Its fine to be erotic and all, but why am I doing such lewd things? Whats my body doing! I can tell even without researching! Wh-where am I touching! Stop that! My boobs are jiggling too much. -ro Huh? - Hero. Huh!? - Hero ? Wh-where is thising from, what a terrible image! No, ites from somewhere within my imagination, what are you intending, body! Just what has happened to me. Someone give me a clear answer! Youve got two seconds! One. Two. Times up! Answer! Hero Wait. Stop doing that. No matter how much my body is my enemy, no matter how much I am my own enemy, he belongs entirely to me, no one else is allowed to touch him like that! b! Get those perverted hands away! Thats mine! He gave himself to me first! That ispletely and entirely mine! Dont even think about seducing him with that b of yours! - The Pce of Death, the Basement of Darkness Earth explodes. The Chief Maid: Hero! The Hero: Get out of the way! The Chief Maid: Hero! This is ridiculous! The Pce of Death can only be entered by the Demon King! It contains the memories of the past Demon Kings! The Hero: Theres no such thing as a Hero who isnt ridiculous! Door explodes. The Demon King: The Hero: Oi! Demon King! Demon King! The Chief Maid: The door exploded?! The Demon King: My The Chief Maid: Hero! Hit it! The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: My room. The Chief Maid: Hurry! The Demon King: The Hero: What are you saying? The Chief Maid: Shes absorbed the evil spirits of the past Demon Kings! Theres something else inside her The Hero: Oh I see, I understand. The Chief Maid: No, shes been contaminated! What should we do. The Demon King: The Hero: Oi, Demon King! Demon King! Go back to normal! The Demon King: The Hero: Hey, Demon King! Didnt you say there were some things only Demon Kings could do! That you would be stronger! That you would put your life on the line to restore peace to this tragic world! You know theyre calling you a saint out there? Do the right thing! The Demon King: He0*. The Hero: Has shee back? - Note In the original novel, the Demon Kings lines are given in Katakana when she is being possessed. The Japanese writing system consists of three separate and distinct alphabets (and logographic): Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana. Typically and in modern times, Hiragana and Kanji form the bulk of what one would call a Japanese sentence, being used for almost all the words. Katakana is usually only used to transliterate foreign loanwords into the Japanesenguage. As a result, speaking entirely in Katakana gives a harsh and foreign dimension to the text that encapstes how strange and alien the Demon Kings voice is when she is possessed. There is no way to urately depict that using the Englishnguage, so I have resorted to leetspeak. - The Demon King: 1tS M3. The Hero: Dont lie, you previous generation! The Demon King: B3c0mE MiNe, H3r0. The Hero: I refuse. The Demon King: 1f y0u C0m3 t0g3th3R w1tH m3, IlL g1v3 Y0u [emailprotected] 0f ThE w0rlD. The Hero: I refuse! The Demon King: Why The Hero: Listen up, you old-fashioned Demon King! Whats with this half the world crap, you swindler! In the first ce, the world doesnt belong to you, its not something you can distribute. Youre making a big mistake if you think you can bribe a Hero with such insincere words! Those stiff stage lines arent something a Demon King in this day and age would be saying! The Demon King: WH The Hero: And! The Demon King: ?! The Hero: I already own that body you have there. Its mine. We have a contract. You can invade it, pollute it, but its still mine! Come out. Get out of that body which belongs to me!!! The Demon King: [emailprotected] The Hero: Thats right, Demon King! The Demon King: Ar3 yOu [emailprotected] The Hero: Huh!? Oi! Are you listening, Demon King! The Chief Maid: Demon King! The Demon King: [emailprotected] bUllSHiT @r3 y0u sPOuT1ng! The Demon King: Shut up. Clouds of Demonic Magic swirl in the air. The Demon King: Shut up, damn you This isnt the sweet reunion I was looking forward to. The Hero: Of course it is, my strong-willed Demon King. The Chief Maid: Demon King! Demon King! Its really you, its really you! The Demon King: Ive made you wait my Hero. The Hero: Youve slept for too long my Demon King. - The Kingdom of Metal, the Capital, Craftsmen Street One-Eyed Commander pants heavily. One-Eyed Commander: ! Aghhh! Oww! It hurts, it hurts This suffering. Lone Winter King, Base Commander. Those impure bastards consumed my eye and my pride! Agh! Aha! Hahaha! One-Eyed Commander pants heavily. One-Eyed Commander: But Ive discovered their secret. Isnt that right? King of White Night? Theres a Demon girl here. Pant. Pant. Pant. Haha! Here, the world will be plunged into a dungeon, drawn into the endless darkness befitting of those who dare to be heretics Gyaha! Aghh! Footsteps. Craftsman on the Street: I hear the General has returned in victory. Assistant on the Street: It was a splendid victory! Footsteps. Craftsman on the Street: Therere lots of injured people. Assistant on the Street: Yeah, we should really go and help. Footsteps fade out One-Eyed Commander: Heeheehee They said it. - The Kingdom of Metal, the Capital, at the Back of the Press Workshop Door opens. Sis, werete! Wait just a bit, alright? One-Eyed Commander pants heavily. And when Im dressed like this, dont call me Sis. Hehe, just a bit more. No way. When we start the show, the people need to believe it. Until the Mistresses back, everybody needs to believe that Im actually her. One-Eyed Commander creeps up. Yes. So this is next, right? Do you understand? I remember. Beginning from the right, its fudar? Good job. Ehehehe. One-Eyed Commander: So even that Crimson Demon has a family. Hehehe. Does an apostate need a family? Ive never heard such a thing. Lets sink that bond into the abyss. Hmm. Did you do it? Yep! A new moveable type. Brush it! Brush it! Well do that tomorrow when the craftsmanes in. Really? Then shall we go buy dinner? Id like to go see everyone. ? - The Kingdom of Metal, the Capital, Printing Press Warehouse Little Maid Sister: What shall we have for dinner today ? Some hot soup, with some ck bread and bean stew ? Little Maid Sister: The bed in the dormitory is so soft ? Thats where I want to be. Ahhh?! One-Eyed Commander steps out. One-Eyed Commander: Little Maid Sister: Oh, it must be a craftsman? Its already sote! Shouldnt you go home to your family? They should be at home, not over here. One-Eyed Commander: I will protect the purity of the light. Little Maid Sister: Oh, you must be a Temr? Draws sword. Little Maid Sister: ?! One-Eyed Commander: Temr? Dont group me together with that group of heretics. I am the Noble Commander of the Second Holy Crusaders! Hahahahaha! Gyahahahaha! The Kingdom of Metal, the Capital, Late at Night in the Workshop Elder Maid Sister: Sis? Sis? Stop ying aroundArent you hungry? Hurry up ande back! Pacing back and forth. Elder Maid Sister: She must have been invited in for a feast by somebody? We cant underestimate her ability to find food. Door opens. Little Maid Sister: ! ! One-Eyed Commander: Its a pleasure to finally meet you, Crimson Schr. Elder Maid Sister: Wh-who! One-Eyed Commander: Huh? Ahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Thats right. I apologise for the rudeness. You probably dont know how I am, you serf-born wench. I am the Angel of your Death. Hahahahaha! Elder Maid Sister: ! Little Maid Sister: ! ! One-Eyed Commander: What am I going to do? Im sure you know? Elder Maid Sister: Let my sister go. One-Eyed Commander: Hahahaha! Thats an interesting expression, heretic. Gahahahahaha! Elder Maid Sister: One-Eyed Commander: First, kneel. And apologise to the Spirit. Elder Maid Sister: I believe in the Spirit. Kneeling is nothing. Little Maid Sister: ! ! One-Eyed Commander: You pathetic b*tch, youre not fit to use the name of the Spirit! Kneel! Beg for forgiveness! Confess your sins and weep in shame! Elder Maid Sister kneels. Elder Maid Sister: What do you mean? Little Maid Sister: ! ! One-Eyed Commander: This dark warehouse will be your Confession Chamber. Kuhahahaha! Ahahahaha! But you will find no mercy here. Draws sword. One-Eyed Commander: What do you think of this sword, Schr? You two are the same. You both call yourself Crimson, and you both suck blood. Thats right. Hahaha! You will receive no mercy from the Spirit here, die in shame and report your sins to Him yourself! Allow me to send you straight to hell! Raises sword. Elder Maid Sister: ! Little Maid Sister: ! Door ms open. One-Eyed Commander: Who is it?! Disciple Soldier: Just an ordinary soldier. Parries sword strike. Little Maid Sister: Rips off cloth over mouth. Sis! Elder Maid Sister: Sis! One-Eyed Commander: Dodge this, then! Swords shing. Disciple Soldier: Ha! Ha! Elder Maid Sister: Ah. Little Maid Sister: Its the Disciple Soldier! One-Eyed Commander: Youre not even twenty years old! I am the Commander of the Crusaders! Do you really think you can beat a person like me, who has been to hell and back! Swords shing. Elder Maid Sister: Ah! Your wrist! One-Eyed Commander: Hehehehe. Whats wrong? Wheres your heroism now? Eh? What did you think, you would be able to aplish by flying here trying to save these girls!? Ahahahaha! You punk! Swords shing. Disciple Soldier: I am just an ordinary soldier. I am no hero. Swords grinding. One-Eyed Commander: Then give way to your superiors! Swords shing. Disciple Soldier: Leaving aside that youre not mymander, it is the ce of the soldier to stand up to the poor decisions of hismanders! Swords shing. One-Eyed Commander: How pig-headed! Your right hand hurts, doesnt it! Take this! And this! And this! Ahahaha! Disciple Soldier: ! Little Maid Sister: No! (Dont lose concentration. Watch his ws. Watch his line of sight. No, not that way! Dont look at it! Watch it! Observe it! Thats how youll find an opening!) One-Eyed Commander: You have no chance of winning! Ahahaha! Gyahahaha! I wont let you walk away from this! I wont forgive you! Sword strikes. (Calmly and coollypare the advantages he has over you, and the advantages you have over him. Whether its a war or a deal, do the same. Stay calm. Destroy his advantages and attack his weaknesses. What are your strengths consider all of these.) Swords shing. Disciple Soldier: Indeed, I am a man of no strengths. I did not win yesterday. One-Eyed Commander: Shut up! Elder Maid Sister: ! Swords sh. One-Eyed Commander: What! What?! Why hasnt your wrist fallen off?! Disciple Soldier: Reinforced steel on my specially made gauntlet. Swords sh. One-Eyed Commander: ! Disciple Soldier: They all said Thank You. To this useless person. Thank you for defending us. To a soldier who devotes his life to defending his people, there is no higher honour, is there? Ive awakened to my true calling, there is no higher advantage. Because of this, I will fight to the end!!! - On the Northern ins, at the Camp of the Central Continental Army Continental Knight: Dammit! Mercenary Archer: What the hell! Infantry Section Commander: Its that thin, bean soup again, with some crusty, hard bread. Continental Knight: Crusty? Mine is just crumbs. Mercenary Archer: Whats going on? Infantry Section Commander: I thought we had enough money? Continental Knight: The noblemen are throwing banquets every night. Mercenary Archer: While we get soup with some salt in it if were lucky. Infantry Section Commander: I hear the price of food has gone up everywhere. Continental Knight: Is that so? Mercenary Archer: Dont you at least know about this? The hearnds of the Central Continent are already beginning to experience widespread famine. Thats why I agreed to take part in the expedition to the South, where the food prices havent gone up yet. Squire: Section Chief, this is just between us, but Infantry Section Commander: What? Squire: Ive heard a rumour that we brought a lot of money to this expedition but very little food. Continental Knight: ! Mercenary Archer: Wh What?! Infantry Section Commander: What the hell! Continental Knight: Are the Commanders for real?! Mercenary Archer: Well, its to be expected. Infantry Section Commander: What are you saying? Mercenary Archer: If you think about it, considering the size of the expedition, can you imagine how much bigger it would have to be to amodate the caravans of food and the attendants? You would get the paradoxical situation of needing to carry more food in order to carry more food. In a ce so far from main supply lines, rather than carrying heavy food, its probably easier, faster and lighter to just carryrge sums of money and buy food at the venue. Infantry Section Commander: Thats true. Mercenary Archer: I fear the noblemen are probably panicking right now. No matter how much money youre carrying, without food, we will all starve to death over the winter. Im sure they want to make sure the war ends before winter. I believe they will aim for the Southern United Kingdoms, where there is still food. Continental Knight: Is that so Mercenary Archer: And to think we believed the words of the Commanders and undertook this fruitless expedition to the South. Dammit! Spits. Drinks soup. Mercenary Archer: Drinking this thin soup makes me want to fight even less. Infantry Section Commander: Then shouldnt we hurry up and attack the enemy? Continental Knight: No, the horses have been acting up for a few days now Infantry Section Commander: What? Squire: Its true. Continental Knight: Ive also heard that some of the countries are pulling out. The Magic Cavalry of the Kingdom of the Lake has already retreated home. Mercenary Archer: Hmph! What could that useless bunch of schrs do on the battlefield anyway? Continental Knight: On top of that, there have been incidents of squabbles about what to do after we advance upon the Southern United Kingdoms and conquer them. Factions have been forming to decide which noble and king will receive which parcels ofnd in the Southern United Kingdoms. Mercenary Archer: Youve got to be kidding me! Infantry Section Commander: Mercenary Archer: We came here to fight. Toe to the battlefield and fight, fight, fight. If we survive the carnage with our swords dripping in blood, then well have some meat skewers and revel in some good wine. Thats a mercenarys war. I want no part in any in-fighting or crude politics between selfish, greedy noblemen. If they really have so much arguing to do, the solution is easy. Decide by the sword! Infantry Section Commander: Continental Knight: Mercenary Archer: What!? Did I say something wrong! Do you have a problem, Sir Knight! Infantry Section Commander: Umm Mercenary Archer: Can we really tide through the winter on such thin soup? Continental Knight: The Commander is approaching, wrap up what you have to say. Mercenary Archer: Yeah, fine, fine. Its this way. Noblemen are always this way. Whenever good things happen, its because the noblemen worked for it. Whenever bad things happen, its because the Spirit is testing our resolve. How stupid Im going back to the Commanders tent. I have something to discuss there. Were getting our pay in gold. At this rate, were all going to starve to death. At the very least, they should give us some meat or some bread as sry. Infantry Section Commander: Squire: Infantry Section Commander: Theres no choice. Situations are different. Continental Knight: Yeah, though things are bad, we still get support from home. But for you mercenaries, theres really no one looking out for you. Infantry Section Commander: But at this rate Squire: Its getting colder. The Demon Castle, Bottom Level, a Luxurious Bedroom The Chief Maid: No, its really fine! The Demon King: What are you holding back for? The Hero: Im not very good at it but Ill do my best, just endure it for a while. The Chief Maid: No, thats not it. I cant! How can I receive such a thing when the Demon King hasnt yet! I fear this is too much. The Demon King: Do you really think the Hero is such a good-for-nothing? The Hero: I knew she wasnt willing to trust me. The Chief Maid: Thats not it, I can see him too. The Demon King: The point is that I see him. Alright! Dont explode. The Chief Maid: Im going to explode. The Demon King: Its just for a bit. Itll be over soon! The Chief Maid: No way! Wh-what are you doing? The Hero: Shh The Chief Maid: Do something, Demon King. The Demon King: Hurry up and help. The Hero: Im pressing on it, Demon King, so hurry up and do the magic. The Demon King: Alright. Magic buzzes. The Hero: Alright, its looking good. The Chief Maid: Ah. The Demon King: How is it? Can the wrist heal? Is the wound closing? The Hero: Yep, the wound is cleaning up well Is this a high-pressure freezing spell? Ive heard of this spell, the de of Ice, which uses high-speed water jets and freezing magic to heal, but Ive never seen a technique like this before. The Chief Maid: Oh, dont look so closely. The Demon King: The Third Demon King was known as the Demon King of Frozen Nightmares. This is a technique he used to have. The Hero: Make sure to freeze the wound thoroughly so there will be no blood loss. The Demon King: Like this? The Hero: Seal the corners The next part is going to be excruciatingly painful, so a Hypnosis Spell or a Minor Healing Spell. The Chief Maid: Ow! The Demon King: Chief Maid, cling on to him. The Chief Maid: Im sorry. The Hero: Ohh, your boobs are nice. The Demon King: Pay attention! The Hero: Okay! Chief Maid, I know its hard, but I need you to take deep breaths and breathe out slowly. The Demon King: The Hero: Just like that. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: The Hero: Shes been hypnotised. Alright Resurrection Magic! The Chief Maid: ! The Demon King: Has something happened? The Hero: Yeah, her arms probably gone numb and shes lost the strength to cling on. Her wound is probably gone. The Demon King: Thank you. The Hero: No, the wound was fortuitous. If she had damaged some nerves or internal organs, I wouldnt be able to do anything. The Demon King: The Demon King: Shes sleeping so soundly. The Hero: I got her to sleep for a while. Itll decrease her blood pressure and help with the recovery. The Demon King: I see The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: The Hero: Ahhh, Im tired. The Demon King: Well. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Thank you. The Hero: Shes my friend too, I honestly wanted to help her out. The Demon King: Not that Foring here, and saving me. The Hero: Oh Yeah. The Demon King: Umm. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Are you tired? The Hero: Yeah? The Demon King: You can use my boobs. Even though the Chief Maid is clinging on to them. Otherwise, how about myp? The Hero: ? The Demon King: Ap pillow is a thing, right? Its a special service just for now. The Hero: Uhh, but the Chief Maid is there too. The Demon King: You dont want it? The Hero: (deep in thought) The Hero: (deep in thought) The Hero: Hmm (thinks long and hard) The Demon King: You dont? The Hero: Ahh! Fine, just for a bit. The Demon King: Yeah. The Demon King: Why is the back of your head just touching the tip of my knee? The Hero: Huh, huh, uhh? No, I didnt? The Demon King: Why, do you have some kind of reservations because of some traumatic imagery you experienced in your childhood? The Hero: Im sorry. The Demon King: Ap pillow is supposed to be a very close and intimate thing without any distance between us. The Hero shuffles in. The Hero: The Demon King: Are youining?! Do you think Im fat! The Hero: No! Thats not it! The Chief Maid: The Hero: That being said, the thighs of the Chief Maid The Demon King: If you like thighs, you can put your face here! The Hero: Sorry, sorry. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: What are you thinking about, even though youre a Hero! The Hero: No, its precisely because Im a Hero that I am a lot worse at enduring such things than the average young man The Demon King: The Hero: The Chief Maid: The Demon King: The Chief Maids breathing is getting shallower. The Hero: Yeah, shes fine now. The Demon King: Fluffy. The Hero: The Demon King: Whats wrong, Hero? Is something up? Whats happening over there? Is everybody okay? The Hero: Theres a lot of trouble on the ground, something big has happened. The Demon King: The Hero: ? The Demon King: Right, I know about this. The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: On the ground. The Hero: Ah. Yeah Youve heard from the Mage. The Demon King: Shes a trustedrade of the Hero, Ive trusted her to deliver information. The Hero: What kind of library is it? The Demon King: The Cosmic Library is the hometown of my race, and also our stronghold. The Hero: And shes been reading magical grimoires there all this while? The Demon King: Whats been happening? On the ground? The Hero: Yeah, where should I begin The Demon King: Anywhere. Tell me everything. The Hero: I guess Ill start from the Deration. The Demon King: Yeah. Nods. The Hero: Theyre saying that the Crimson Schr is a Heretic of the Church. Volume 2 5, “Ahh, it’s Snow.”

Volume 2 Chapter 5, Ahh, its Snow.

The Northern ins, Camp of the Tripartite Union Winter Soldier: Commander! Commander Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: What?! Winter Soldier: Enemy movement! Seneschal: What?! But we havent even decided when the battle will take ce! Winter Soldier: Th-thatsOnly one division of mercenary soldiers are moving. It seems theyre moving of their own ord. Weve verified their Commander through the telescope. They appear to be hiding even from their own people. Seneschal: Fools! Dont they at least know the basic rules of engagement? Winter Soldier: What should we do? Seneschal: Our troops are also quickly moving to position, the Third Heavy Armoured Division is ready to engage The Female Pdin: No! Seneschal: But we cannotpromise our position. The Female Pdin: Look at the big picture. Seneschal: ?! The Female Pdin: Its certain that these mercenaries are now breaking thews of both the Central Continental Church and Command. They will definitely face harsh disciplinary measures when they return, so they must have some reason I fear it has something to do withck of food stocks. But if we were to enter into a prolonged fight with these mercenaries, the 20,000 soldiers of the Central Continent will descend upon us as reinforcements. Seneschal: Thats true. The Female Pdin: Send a directive to the Winter Knights to don Military Equipment No. 1. Dont carry anything unnecessary, speed is of the essence. Winter Soldier: Yes! Seneschal: But we dont even have 200 knights. The Female Pdin: The enemy is just mercenaries, right? They probably only have about a thousand. Seneschal: Ridiculous! The Female Pdin: I just want leather mail and gauntlets, shields are not necessary. Female Temr: Yes! Seneschal: Commander Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: This is not a battle. Seneschal: No, but what about chainmail?! And te mail?! The Female Pdin: Too heavy. And it takes too long to wear as well. The Northern ins, in the Middle of the Wastnd Mercenary Chief: Alright! Everybody! Listen up! Heavy marching. Mercenary Chief: We cant rely on those people we call our superiors. At this rate, this war will never begin, what a bunch of useless slobs! But we are different! Theyck ballspletely! These pansies need a push in the right direction! Ahahahahaha! Mercenary Chief: But just because these guys have numbers, they think they can fight the Tripartite Union in the countryside. This is an extremely well-trained standing army drilled specially to fight Demon Hordes, high-quality Spearmen, and eagle-eyed Archers. We will descend upon their base camp like a strong wind and then flee as quickly as we can. The vanguard will be Spear Cavalry. Lets go! Mercenary Spear Cavalryman: Leave it to us, Uncle! Mercenary Chief: Alright, alright! Lets take them straight down! Do whatever you need to. Archer Cavalry! Mercenary Archer Cavalryman: Yes! Mercenary Chief: Use fire arrows. Set fire to their camp! Mercenary Archer Cavalryman: Understood! Mercenary Chief: Alright, all of you! I have no intention of prolonging this raid. Attack quickly and get out quickly. Once you hear the flute, you will retreat immediately. They might mobilise their entire force toe and deal with us. We will try to draw them out from behind their trenches and into the battleground. If we anger them enough, theyll chase us like a crazy ferret, and well lure them into a battle with the Central Continental people! Itll be a wild fight, and in a situation like that, with superior numbers, well surely win! Ahahahaha! Youre amazing, Uncle! Youre the real Commander! The war begins now! Our Uncle! Mercenary Chief: This is definitely against the codes of chivalry, but if we dont do this, who knows what could happen. There will be noblemen and bishops who would say its a bad thing were doing here! Ha! Thats definitely our Uncle! Only our Uncle coulde up with such a cunning n! Mercenary Chief: You rotten swine! This isnt cunning! Gahahahaha! Thats right. Its ingenuity! Its a battle tactic. Its what of the things you learn after umting years and years of battle experience! Move out! Yes! Yes! Haiya! Lets go! Mercenary Cavalryman: Cavalry, move out! Hm? Whats that? Mercenary Spear Cavalryman: ! The enemy! Were under attack! - The Northern ins, in the Middle of the Wastnd The Female Pdin: Alright, lets hit them just like we agreed. Gentlemen! Show them the power of the warriors from the Southern United Kingdoms! Attack! Winter Knights: Charge!!! Swords shing, spears breaking, shields splintering. Mercenary Cavalryman: What?! Where did these guyse from! Mercenary Archer Cavalryman: Aghhh! The Female Pdin: Dont worry about the oue! Retreat and swing right. Change to spears! Winter Knights: Understood! Mercenary Cavalryman: Wha-Whats with this speed, theyre turning! Behind us! Mercenary Spear Cavalryman: No, to the right! Mercenary Archer Cavalryman: Where, I cant see them! The Female Pdin: Second attack,mence! Winter Knights: Victory for the Commander!!! Mercenary Cavalryman: Arghhh! Mercenary Spear Cavalryman: Whats with this ferocity?! What monsters! Mercenary Chief: Fools! The enemy is few! Break out of the encirclement! Spread out and push! The Female Pdin: Move out! Reform the formation! Rendezvous at Number 16! Move straight to Formation Three! Winter Knights: Retreat! The Commander has sounded the rm! Winter Knights: Alright! Youll never catch us! Mercenary Chief: Chase them down! The enemy are only three hundred! When we catch them, we can kill them all! Mercenary Spear Cavalryman: Yes! Chase them! Mercenary Archer Cavalryman: Capture that woman! Seneschal: Formation Three! Mercenary Cavalryman: ?! Mercenary Spear Cavalryman: What? Mercenary Chief: What do you mean, chase them down! Mercenary Cavalryman: Th-the enemy has split into two groups. Which one do we chase? Mercenary Chief: They split into two even though theres so few of them? Are they insane? Thats why women should not take part in wars! You take the group on the right! Ill chase the ones on the left! Mercenary Cavalryman: Yes! The Female Pdin: Hmph, theyre chasing us. How adorable. Winter Knights: Hahahahaha! Even though their horses arent in shape. The Female Pdin: Well be going soon! Winter Knights: Understood! Mercenary Cavalryman: What! Theyve split into two again?! Mercenary Sword Cavalryman: What should we do? Which one do we chase? Mercenary Cavalryman: ! Whats up with them, we can even count their numbers now! Lets split up again! You take the forest route to the left! Ill take the one to the right! Mercenary Sword Cavalryman: Understood! Well meet ahead! Mercenary Cavalryman: Girls sure are foolish! The Northern ins, the Wastnd, Rendezvous Point No. 16 Horses stampeding. Seneschal: Which section is this? Winter Knight: Section Eight. Weve just formed up. Messenger: Sections form up! Report strength! The Female Pdin: How is it? Seneschal: Yes. All sections have formed. Weve just received the report, therere few light injuries and broken bones, but it seems weve managed to extricate ourselves from arge casualty count. The Female Pdin: Its just the Second Attack. The enemy hasnt suffered many casualties either What do you think of the enemy? Winter Knight: Huh! Weve led them fairly astray, so theyre all very spread out. The Female Pdin: Right then! Are you all tired?! No, maam! Were still in high spirits! Commander, lets go again! The Female Pdin: Alright, take a while to catch your breaths. Lets begin the next attack. This time well go out as one unit. Ill take the lead. What How could you go out in such light equipment The Commander is still wearing her sisters habit, isnt she? At least go to the middle section! Well do the fighting! The Female Pdin: All who thinks like that can shut up! Winter Knights flinch in shock. The Female Pdin: We have no need for killing them! At most, try to get them off their horses! Killing the enemy is not our intention! They are also disciples of the Spirit of Light. In a different situation, we could have beenrades. Dont do anything drastic. As much as possible, dont kill anyone. If we can get them off their horses, we will take the victory in this battle. I learnt about this from the Hero Ah, anyway, just take them down! Winter Knights: Yes! The Female Pdin: The enemy numbers are many, but theyre all split up and each section is smaller than ours, maybe even half of ours. Attack them swiftly and strongly, take them off their horses and make them incapable of making further movements! Winter Knights: Understood! Seneschal: Shall we go? Winter Knights: Ah. Winter Knights: Ohhh. Seneschal: ? The Female Pdin: Itse. Seneschal: Reinforcements? The Female Pdin: Yeah the snow. - First Snow Trudging through snow Snow Yeah, its snow. How can we fight like this Themanders have got to make a move now. What? Hmm. Assemble! Assemble! Riders of the Kingdom of Branches! Assemble at the Commanders Tent! The Crown Prince Marshall has decreed! His most Benevolent and Gracious Excellency, in light of the deep snowfall and growing hunger faced by the Knights and Soldiers, a prudent course of action has been chosen! Onepany will remain as a garrison, but this Expedition is now postponed until the Spring! Home! Were going home! The Kingdom of Metal, Street of Guilds, on a Rooftop with the Moon Reflected Clearly Swords shing. One-Eyed Commander: You think thats enough?! Then take this! Useless! Useless! Yourepletely useless!!! Disciple Soldier: Agh?! Little Maid Sister: Oh no! Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Soldier!!! Swords shing. One-Eyed Commander: Can you keep your footing! Huh!!! Disciple Soldier: ! Little Maid Sister: ? One-Eyed Commander: Hahaha, I saw that. Disciple Soldier: (If I retreat, the sisters will I might as well just throw away my shortsword?!) Swords shing. One-Eyed Commander: You should just give up. You cant save everything. Disciple Soldier: What of it!!! Swords shing. One-Eyed Commander: ?! Disciple Soldier: I will continue fighting! I will! Swords shing. Disciple Soldier: Even if theres just a 1% chance!!! Swords shing. Disciple Soldier: I will continue to fight! No matter what!!! Throws sword. One-Eyed Commander: Agh! Damn you Youre just 20 years old, but! Youll regret this Arrogance Disciple Soldier: If I shall regret, I will cry when ites. All kinds of things happen, whether they are unfair or not, but if I want to continue to call myself amander I will not retreat, here or ever!!! Final sh!!! Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Soldier Little Maid Sister: Youre bleeding! Disciple Soldier: Ahh Its just a flesh wound. Elder Maid Sister: Sis, your wrists are bound. Little Maid Sister: Yeah. Disciple Soldier: Living a life of envy is just useless and tiring. Its miserable. To live like that is the equivalent of living in hell. Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Soldier: We should go, the two of you as well. Today is an unbelievably cold day. Little Maid Sister: Yeah. Elder Maid Sister: Indeed Oh? Disciple Soldier: ? Little Maid Sister: Snow. Its snowing. Elder Maid Sister: Yeah, its white Its so white. The Kingdom of Winter, Avenue of Ministries, in a Luxurious Hotel Running down the corridor. Door ms open! Shrewd ountant: Councilman! Young Merchant: What is it? Fire Dragon Lady: Whatsh happened? Shrewd ountant: Man Youve been drinking heavily since the afternoon. Fire Dragon Lady: Itsh so cold, theres nothing elsh I can do. Young Merchant: Youre just enjoying yourself. Shrewd ountant: More importantly, its snowing. Fire Dragon Lady: Snow Young Merchant: Youve heard of it. Fire Dragon Lady: I saw some near the gate. Young Merchant: Has the Central Continent retreated? Shrewd ountant: Yeah. The Central Continental Expeditionary Force appears to have retreated for the moment. Of course, theyve begun constructing a few simple fortifications in the ins and left a minimal number of soldiers to defend them. The vast majority of their army has returned to their homes, probably until the summer. Young Merchant: Just for the present. Shrewd ountant: How now? Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: It seems even the sky has be an ally of the Southern United Kingdoms. If we want to expand our market, this is a good opportunity. Shrewd ountant nods. Young Merchant: With the new currency flowing from the heart of the Central Continent, they have already entered the process of self-destruction. Theyve also stepped up the minting of the currency. Theyre probably using this as an emergency stop-gap measure. However, emergency measures are still emergency measures. Fundamentally, this is about the poverty of the peasants. The confidence in the value of money has decreased. What is really needed are productive agricultural reforms to decrease dependence on war and seizing of territory. Simply increasing the amount of money Shrewd ountant: You say the confidence has decreased? Young Merchant: The Holy Church of the Spirit of Light, particrly in the Central Continent, enjoys an almost infinite amount of confidence and respect. They can do anything to anyone with no conditions, and hence they are over-confident in their own abilities. Fire Dragon Lady: Then it ends here. Shrewd ountant: Huh? Fire Dragon Lady: Isnt this a war? In that case, we should stop unnecessary suffering. Shrewd ountant: But this situation isnt the same. Fire Dragon Lady: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be born and a time to die, A time to nt and a time to uproot, A time to kill and a time to heal, A time to tear down and a time to build, A time to weep and a time tough, A time to mourn and a time to dance, A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, A time to search and a time to give up, A time to keep and a time to throw away, A time to tear and a time to mend, A time to be silent and a time to speak, A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace. Young Merchant: Is that what you think? Fire Dragon Lady: I think that while you may act purely like merchants, sometimes I can still see it. Like the brittleness of pure copper. You must regret yourck of emotion sometimes. Thats why youvee to this country, is it not? To make the final decision. Thats why I see. Young Merchant: As you say, it is true that emotion is forbidden on the path of the merchant. Fire Dragon Lady: Its true that letting your emotions run away with you can be dangerous, but emotions can also be deadly weapons in the right hands. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Youve made arrangements so that you can work with any party, havent you? Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: What a strong-willed individual. Young Merchant: Not strong-willed, just prudent. Fire Dragon Lady: I wont help you. I am the Heros wife. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: I want salt, but these are different things. Young Merchant: You never rx, do you? Fire Dragon Lady: Of course. The mes of war really do fan far and wide. This is a war, but I have no intention of sacrificing my heart. Young Merchant: I understand. Shall we go save the Holy Church then? Shrewd ountant: Save? Young Merchant: For business interests. To begin with, this new currency system underminespetition. In this, we can also gain advantages. Rather than exploiting it all in one go, it would be better to reap business benefits steadily. Thats what Ive decided. Shrewd ountant: Huh Fire Dragon Lady: Youve turned it all inside out. Young Merchant: Get the Disciple Merchant to arrange an audience with the Lone Winter King. Shrewd ountant: Yes. Young Merchant: Lets see just what these heroes from the South will say. - Holy Imperial Capital, Octagonal Pce, in a Deep Room Expeditionary Nobleman: Do you have anything to say? General of the Pale: Hmph. Expeditionary Nobleman: And you call yourself the greatest Demonic force. You couldnt even ovee a frozen wastnd. General of the Pale: You say that but the elite Central Continental soldiers youre so proud of spent the entire campaign not fighting and then went home after exhausting all the supplies. Even when wended at the rear of the Southern United Kingdoms, you still did not make a move. Were you nning to draw us into a trap? Expeditionary Nobleman: What are you trying to say! Assassin: Hehehehe. General of the Pale: And you still call yourselves a chivalric order. Expeditionary Nobleman: Damn you. You think I will take this humiliation lying down? Let us settle this with our swords right here, right now! Shadow Behind the Curtain: Bishop to the Imperial Court: Gentlemen, no weapons will be drawn here today. General of the Pale: Expeditionary Nobleman: Fine. Crown Prince Marshal: Good. I have no intention for us to break our ties so early. Bishop to the Imperial Court: Indeed. Crown Prince Marshal: But considering the famine faced this winter, it might be difficult to reinforce our armies, after all, what if we get drawn into another winter? Among the Kings and noblemen of thend, there are many who are willing to turn their backs to a war with the Southern United Kingdoms. General of the Pale: Traitors? Just purge them then. You should not allow weak-willed defeatists willing to surrender even before the war beginse with us. Assassin: Hehehehehehe. As expected from a Demon General, all you can talk about is ughter. How delicious. Crown Prince Marshal: Enough. Its true that we werent able to break the Southern United Kingdoms Tripartite Union on the snowy ins and achieve our victory, but it cannot be said that we lost a great deal in this war. We still managed to preserve the vast majority of our officials,nd, supplies, and soldiers. If you think about it, all we lost in this war were a few hundred mercenaries. Bishop to the Imperial Court: Indeed. Expeditionary Nobleman: Yes. General of the Pale: Hmph. Crown Prince Marshal: We have also verified that the sudden shock in price is due to the work of the Union. It was just a group of merchants who had taken advantage of the situation. Well bring them back in line through bribery,wsuits, and coercion, by the Church. The minting of the new currency is also progressing very well is it not? Assassin: Hehehehehehe Indeed. From the Demon World, through the City of the Gate Weve managed to replenish our gold stocks. Crown Prince Marshal: Can we pay the soldiers with the new currency? Expeditionary Nobleman: Yes. General of the Pale: This has nothing to do with us. Crown Prince Marshal: Our agreement with the Pale will be as it stands. It is a bit regrettable to us, but we will continue to give yound from the Southern United Kingdoms. You will be the only Demon Race to ownnd in the Human World. General of the Pale: Exactly. And we will continue to y our part as the Enemy of the Church. Of course, you will show us the appropriate restraint as well. Expeditionary Nobleman: Cowards. General of the Pale: Kindly shut your mouth. Assassin: Hehehehehehe. Bishop to the Imperial Court: If you think about it, this is a pretty hefty price were paying just to deal with some border guards from those useless Southern United Kingdoms. We should be able to just threaten them into submission. General of the Pale: Indeed. How rare. Shadow Behind the Curtain: The Church is originally one. Bishop to the Imperial Court: Indeed. Our Church was originally one Church, with one Bible, aiming to reach one spiritual peak. Thats what we taught the people. We were the Church, firm and steadfast as a boulder. The faith of the people was stronger than the strongest steel. Expeditionary Nobleman: Then Assassin: Hehehehehehe. Crown Prince Marshal: Assemble the Third Holy Crusade. Expeditionary Nobleman: Yes! Crown Prince Marshal: I dont just want noblemen this time. Sound the call for every able-bodied believer of the Faith to join the greatest Army in the world. With this Army, we will obliterate the Tripartite Union then march on the City of the Gate and bring the Demon King to his knees. Expeditionary Nobleman: How magnanimous Assassin: Hehehehehehehe. General of the Pale: Hehehe. That is a good state of affairs for us as well. If you kill the Demon King, we can begin the next Demon King Election earlier. My Lord holds this view as well. Bishop to the Imperial Court: And the next Demon King will be Hehehe. General of the Pale: A Demon of the Pale. Expeditionary Nobleman: But how will we divide that expansive Demon World? Crown Prince Marshal: Now that we have coborators from the Demons, we can also request for detailed maps of the Demon World. But on top of that, hehe, Ive got something you ought to see Bring it here. Servant: I have it here, your Excellency. Passes thing over. Expeditionary Nobleman: Whats that? General of the Pale: What a strange rod of metal. Crown Prince Marshal: Its a Musket. Hehehe. Its a device that allows even non-magical soldiers to fire off Medium-ss Fireballs. General of the Pale: Device? Crown Prince Marshal: It uses ck powder to generate force. Its greatest advantage is training time. To train one archer takes at least one year of military training. To train a mage capable of casting a Medium-ss Fireball takes more than five years. But this musket is different. Using this, even a ve can be trained in just a week. Expeditionary Nobleman: What?! Crown Prince Marshal: Hehehe. Well, this is a heretical technique. Metalsmiths in the Kingdom of Metal have been producing these sincest year under the direction of that heretical woman, that Crimson Schr. Expeditionary Nobleman: Is that so? Crown Prince Marshal: If we seed in mass production, the battlefield will change. There may be up to ten times more soldiers on every battlefield! Definitely to our advantage! - Exnation Musket: Muskets were early firearms invented around the 15th century. The Tanegashima used in Japan during the Sengoku Era was a type of musket. Ignition methods were varied, including matchlock rifles like the Tanegashima or flintlock (sparks are produced from stones striking each other to ignite the gunpowder) ones, but all were known as muskets. - General of the Pale: So youre double-crossing. Bishop to the Imperial Court: This is not double-crossing. Since he is striving towards the Spirit of Light with a heart of righteousness, these new ideology and methods are endorsed by the love and blessings of the Spirit himself. Crown Prince Marshal: Let this winter be a blessing in disguise. We shall begin the mass production of muskets. Gather the craftsmen, let us construct a massive furnace in the pce! Everything must be conducted in absolute secrecy, even in the Demon World! Let us prepare for the Holy Crusade! Expeditionary Nobleman: Spirit willing we shall. Bishop to the Imperial Court: All is as the Spirit wills. Assassin: Heheheheheehehe. Shadow Behind the Curtain: Listen to me Crown Prince Marshal: Bishop to the Imperial Court: Please Expeditionary Nobleman: Holy Father Crown Prince Marshal: Shadow Behind the Curtain: Bring me the key. The life of the Demon King Shadow Behind the Curtain: And, my greatest regret the City of the Gate General of the Pale: Shadow Behind the Curtain: The regret of the Church. Bishop to the Imperial Court: Definitely! Definitely! Shadow Behind the Curtain: Our thousand year Ten thousand year Assassin: Hehehehehehehe! Shadow Behind the Curtain: The remains of the Spirit of Light must definitely belong to us. - Exnation Holy Father: This is the highest mark of respect only given to the highest in the hierarchy of religious organisations. Only the Pope in Catholicism or the Di Lama in Tibetan Buddhism or some Chief Abbots in other forms of Buddhism are called by such a title. - - The Pce of Winter, a Large Room, Strategy Committee Young Merchant: As this is our first meeting, I would like to offer my most sincere greetings. Lords and Kings of the Southern United Kingdoms, I am a merchant of the Union. We would like to purchase the Isle of Light from the jurisdiction of the Southern United Kingdoms. Shrewd ountant: I am an ountant, acting as his aide. Iron Fist King: Hi. Queen of Ice and Snow: I am the Queen of the Kingdom of Snow. I hope to see you more in future. Lone Winter King: I cannot agree to this. We may be royalty, but we represent the Tripartite Union, and the liberated people of thend, and thend itself. Of course, we are willing to gamble our pride, our names, even our lives for the sake of our people. We are just caretakers of thend, with the title of King. Disciple Merchant: (This is definitely the disposition of the King, theres not much we can do) Young Merchant: I would be grateful if you were willing to listen to what I have to say in full. And, since I understand time is short, shall we move quickly to negotiations? Lone Winter King: Disciple Merchant nods. Lone Winter King: Please proceed, Young Merchant. Young Merchant: Firstly, we in the Union would like to purchase the entire national reserve stock of the Tripartite Union of potatoes. We would also like to purchase the entire production stock of the next summer. Iron Fist King: All of it?! Queen of Ice and Snow: Its an incredible amount. To transport it by ship would require at least ten ships. Lone Winter King: What do you intend to do with it? Young Merchant: Sell it in the Central Continent. Iron Fist King: Dont you know that the potato has been designated as a heretical crop by the Church? Young Merchant: The Central Continent is now experiencing shortage of food crops. To begin with, this shortage has many causes and problems that apany it, but one of these is the reality that we may have to soon face widespread famine. In order to break this situation, we may need some very bitter medicine. Lone Winter King: So, potatoes? Young Merchant: I do not believe a starving person will reject a potato. Queen of Ice and Snow: Young Merchant: Eating a potato is preferable to starving to death. People do not ce reverence for minor details of their faith over the preservation of their lives. There will definitely be some fanatics, but these are not a majority, right? Lone Winter King: But we definitely dont have enough potatoes to save the entire Central Continent Young Merchant: Please do not worry. We will continue to release wheat as long as we can control the high prices. The goal of the Union is definitely not to incite a famine. Lone Winter King: So you want the Tripartite Union to be your aplices? Iron Fist King: Hmm? What do you mean by aplices? Young Merchant: Well, the citizens of those countries who eat the potatoes will quickly understand for themselves just by the pure taste that potatoes are not demonic, poisonous fruits. As a result, more countries will develop favourable impressions towards the Tripartite Union. Of course we have our gains to make, but this is really a gesture of goodwill from the Union to the Tripartite Union. Queen of Ice and Snow: Disciple Merchant: Even so, this is favourable to us. Young Merchant: Of course it is. Then, I suppose there is room for negotiation? Lone Winter King: What is the goal of the Union in doing this? Young Merchant: Lone Winter King: If this is a trade secret of the Union, then I suppose I shouldnt ask, but Disciple Merchant: No, Im afraid this is one of the issues of todays discussions. Young Merchant: Indeed, Your Majesty. Whether Your Majesties are aware of it or not, you know stand on the crossroads of history. Lone Winter King: Young Merchant: We now have the opportunity to seriously expand the Union. We have managed to put an end to this war without shedding any blood. With the threat of famine on the Central Continent, their economy is facing extreme uncertainty and has ground to a halt. Also, there is the issue of the schism of the Church and the emancipation of the serfs. Queen of Ice and Snow: And these are the crossroads? Disciple Merchant: (These arent the crossroads. This is the path that leads to the crossroads, creating the circumstances under which we have to choose) Young Merchant: You have already begun to receive many propositions, have you not? To reduce tariffs for a single nation or to agree to a secret military alliance, things like that? Lone Winter King: Im afraid I cannot answer. Young Merchant: Up till now, there has only been one state of affairs, where the Holy Empire = The Holy Church of Light. Of course, all the other countries and lords are still relevant, but one could say that the Central Continent is ruled either directly or indirectly by them. The situation is such that while they govern the people, there are none who govern the Church. Moreover, the Church has practically amalgamated with the Church, purging elements who would oppose it. These are the conditions under which the Tripartite Union has emerged, with a military might distinct from the Holy Empire and a religious system distinct from the Holy Church, essentially through a union with the Order. This is something unprecedented in the annals of history. While the scale may be rtively small, this is surely a new opportunity. But this opportunity is wrapped up in both political and economic considerations. To use mercantile terminology, this is a new market. The Tripartite Union is a rapidly growing region constantly devising new strategies and constantly reforming and reinventing its agricultural sector. With more countries in the Central Continent shifting allegiances, the Holy Empire and the Holy Church are quickly bing powerless to prevent the growth of the Tripartite Union. Iron Fist King: So you want to take us all down together?! Young Merchant: What? Disciple Merchant: No, thats not it, your Majesty. Hes a merchant. If he really took us all down, he would have nobody to do business with. What he is concerned with, to the end, is profit. Young Merchant: Indeed The narrow situation of only having one country to do business with is undesirable. If there were two different powers, then the scale of the business would also increase, wouldnt it? Iron Fist King: Thats the real question? Lone Winter King: (Many countries in the Central Continent are hanging back and taking the middle ground so as not to be drawn into conflict. Weve been hoping to use that to find a way to end the war. But, if it is as he says, this might be able to expedite the process. But) Lone Winter King: Merchant I understand what you have been trying to say thus far. So what price are you willing to pay? Young Merchant: First, with regards to potatoes, we would like to exchange for either 0.7 times the weight in wheat or 1.55 times the weight in barley. What do you think? Lone Winter King thinks. Disciple Merchant: That would seem to be eptable. Young Merchant: Next, about the proposal to improve your Economic Institutions, this is just advice, so its free. Iron Fist King: Nothing costs as much as what is given to us. Young Merchant: Yes, there is such a saying. Someone taught me this method anyway. Hahaha. In this situation, rather than selling ideologies, one could say we are selling perspectives. I carry with me an objective, an outsiders perspective. The Union would like to establish a new institution for trade and extension of influence. Just by being able to extend our business influence, we will already be able to reaprge benefits. Thats why it is profitable to extend this proposal, even for free. To begin with, we hope to receive permission to establish a Chambers of Commerce and a Bank. The Chambers of Commerce must be in a central location. This will be the base of operations for the Union. Lone Winter King: Hmm, a bank, huh? Disciple Merchant: Your Majesty Young Merchant: Is something wrong? Lone Winter King: Well, both I and the country are in the same state. Were poor. If I wanted to initiate a project using money from my own purse, would this bank be able to support me? Merchant, would you be able to call this a joint economy? Young Merchant: What sort of project? Lone Winter King: With permission, I would like to establish a Branch of the Holy Order of the Lake in every country. Young Merchant: That is indeed very important. In order tobat the activities of the Church, setting up more Headquarters will be beneficial to spreading the ideologies and teachings. But it would be difficult to say whether or not the Order will consider this a worthwhile investment. Even though I hear that theyre a charitable organisation. Lone Winter King: No, I would like for the Order to treat smallpox from these Branches. Shrewd ountant: What?! Young Merchant: Is this the truth? Lone Winter King: Yes. Young Merchant: Is it her? Lone Winter King: Someone like her. Young Merchant: I understand. The Union will also provide 2,000,000 gold pieces to support this project. Shrewd ountant: If this is true It is indeed a miracle. Young Merchant: Why havent I heard Disciple Merchant: We have been keeping very silent about this, we dont want it to be too widespread. Young Merchant: Of course I understand this. As merchants, we would also try our best to guard such an important trade secret. But Im shocked. Lone Winter King: Youve met the Crimson Schr? Young Merchant: Yes. We didnt have many opportunities, but that beautiful person isnt just a pretty face, she is also a highly intelligent and prudent soul who clearly understands the ways of the world. Lone Winter King: Indeed. That is the Crimson Schr. Young Merchant: Shrewd ountant: ? Young Merchant: What of it? Lone Winter King: That person really lives an impression No, its almost like she nts seeds in the hearts of the people she meets. I can feel the shoots of those seeds growing within you merchants. Disciple Merchant: (I cant say I disagree.) Young Merchant: You seem to understand this very well. However, I am a merchant. I will not back down on business. Is that alright, sir? Lone Winter King: Fine. Young Merchant: Then, allow me to bring up the second andst point of todays discussions. Lone Winter King: Lets Young Merchant: We would like to arrange for an early resolution agreement to the war between the Union, the Tripartite Union and the Demons or at least a faction of the Demons. Iron Fist King: What?! Clenches iron fists. Young Merchant: Please calm down. Lone Winter King: Queen of Ice and Snow: Well hear you out first. Young Merchant: I hope to conduct trade between the Union and the Demons. This isnt a small scuffle or anything, a full blown war will be very non-conducive for business. Iron Fist King: Your counterparts are Demons?! Can business be done like that? Young Merchant: It can. Iron Fist King: How dare you?! Young Merchant: Please do not be mistaken. You are not the only people whose lives are on the line. I have brought material for our negotiations today data, money, reports, credit. These are all the results of merchants in the Union risking their lives. I represent them. You could say I currently enjoy the position of a Commander of the Union. And because of that, I say that business can be done. These are the voices of all the merchants in the union. You ask me how I dare? Ill demonstrate to you just how. Because I am me. Because I am a merchant. Because I am willing to put my life on the line. Queen of Ice and Snow: Heh. Disciple Merchant: Your Majesties. On this matter, I am definitely on the Young Merchants side. Assistant: Eh? Disciple Merchant: No, I am no more than a humble servant to Your Majesties. But Ie from a family of merchants. A merchant is one who is more than willing to continuously make voyages and trips. He has to leave his familiar territories to head from vige to vige, from country to country, buying and selling goods along the way. There are neither enemies nor allies, just things which must be done. A merchant decides what he needs to do and then does it, all by himself. To the Young Merchant, all of this is just a situation of, There may be a war going on, but these countries have special produce. Oh, wait. If there wasnt a war on, we could trade it to that ce. Thats why hes willing to do so much to make such an effort, using the lives of the farmers of the Central Continent as a shield in order to put an end to the war. I can sympathise with his intentions. Young Merchant: Shrewd ountant: Disciple Merchant: Well, umm. Bring the calctions! Assistant: Yes! Brings graphs. Disciple Merchant: The real problem is that it is essentially impossible to maintain this conflict and confrontation both with the Central Continent and the anti-Demon defensive line and border perimeter, right? Because the Holy Empire came out with the Deration of War, we could slowly persuade the Demons or at least bring them to a central position so that it wouldnt be arge problem to at least lengthen the duration of the current ceasefire. ording to calctions, by trading with the Demons along the structure as proposed by the Union, the Tripartite Union stands to gain a 36% increase in tariffs alongside other taxes and port charges. Also, if concrete peace with Demonkind can be achieved, troops currently used to guard the border can be reassigned to more productive ces. Shrewd ountant: (small voice) Good job, using both head and heart to win them over. Iron Fist King: Queen of Ice and Snow: How will we gain the approval of the people? Disciple Merchant: To our Kingdoms, which have been seriously battling Demonkind, I think we should consider this seriously. Are Demons really monsters which seek to corrupt and destroy human society? I apologise to all those who have died so far in the wars against the Demons, but the Demons I met on the field are much less like the kind of Demons the Church would have us believe, and much more like normal human beings. Lone Winter King: This matter bears far too much weight for me to make a speedy decision, Im sorry. Young Merchant: Thats Lone Winter King: However, I will send an investigation team to the Demon World. Queen of Ice and Snow: Investigation team? Lone Winter King: I would also like to find out more. We know far too little about the Demon World. Why is that? Weve sent two Holy Crusades into it, with at least 10,000 humans entering it as well. Shouldnt we have heard more about its culture or produce, or at least about the scenery there? But why is that all we hear about it is its nightmare of a wastnd and its terrible battleground. I feel that theres something amiss here. Queen of Ice and Snow: Now that you say it Lone Winter King: I can only reply you as such for now, I apologise. Young Merchant: No, its enough. Shrewd ountant: Councillor Lone Winter King: It appears the two worlds are beginning to draw closer. I can feel it - City of the Gate, the Godless Temple, the Deepest Section Footsteps echo in the empty halls. The Mage: The Mage: Here? Star Sparrow: Chirp, chirp, chirp. Whats wrong? The Mage: The Mage: I see it. The Mage: Dont let it out of your sight Here. The Mage: Star Sparrow: Wh-what? This is What a powerful presence What strange magic. The Mage: Secret Pir Magic. Its ancient No, this is divine Demon magic Star Sparrow: What do you mean. Chirp?! This is water? No, its liquid magic?! The Mage: As I thought. Star Sparrow: What do you mean as you thought?! The Mage: Since the day I opened my eyes, I knew I was fake of something. I could never deny this no matter how hard I tried. I hoped to escape to this ce so that I could be the original of myself. I dont know how a calctive person would act, but while I exist, I will move forward. You and the Hero arent bad people. But I want to be myself, not a fake. Since I became a Redundant String, falling into this nightmare, Ive been lonely, and wishing to return to my correct dream To my correct spare. The Demon King Castle, Front Yard, the Courtyard of Unforgettable Doom The Demon King: Myrades! My people! Ohhhhhhhh! Demon King! Demon King! The Hero: Whats this? Didnt you say you were really unpopr? The Demon King: The previous Demon Kings were very unpopr. They gained their so-called respect by dominating the Demon World with force and military might. If the previous Demon Kings did such a populist thing like inviting this many people to the square to talk and hold a rally, most of the Demon World would probably vomit blood and die from shock. The Demon King: I apologise for my long absence! Thank you for the concern you have shown me. I know there have been many rumours and guesses as to my absence, but be assured that I am fully recuperated and ready to lead! Ohhhhhh! Demon King! Demon King! Glory to the Demon King! The Demon King: (small voice) Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: (small voice) Yes, Your Majesty? The Demon King: (small voice) I might as well be wearing nothing if Im wearing this. The Chief Maid: (small voice) Its not that bad. The Demon King: (small voice) My boobs are spilling out. The Hero: Well, at least everyones staring at you. The Chief Maid: Since youre a female Demon King, well take advantage of that and make them all drool. The Hero: Promise? The Chief Maid: Promise. The Demon King: My people! I am d for the end to these days of anguish for I have returned. To the Demon World! The Hero: Wow, I didnt think shed be this popr. The people almost look like theyre going to cry. - Exnation Redundant String: A series ofmands in-built into digital or mechanical systems which do not usually serve any purpose. However, in times of crisis or when something is deemed to be broken, this will kick in to ensure that the system can continue functioning and that no further damage will ur. - The Chief Maid: Youll soon have your chance to demonstrate your appeal. Ohhh! Demon King! Demon King! The Demon King: I know what has happened while I have been convalescing. Firstly, we have managed to reim one of the holynds which the Humans have uwfully seized from us, the City of the Gate, and I am happy for that. The City will remain under my personal control and direct protection. The Chief Maid: And the next matter is The Demon King: While I have been away, there have been those who have begun waving the g of rebellion, thinking that they could break free from thews of thend which govern over them. However, my loyal and capable sword of justice, the ck Knight has purged these impure elements! The Chief Maid: This is the part where you step out and say something fierce. The Hero: Eh? Waves. Like that? The Chief Maid: Do something impressive, something fierce! The Hero: Hmm. What should I Aha! Titan-ss Grand Destruction sma Annihtor!! Magic swirls through the air Searing heat and massive explosions Bricks falling all around. The tower was in the blink of an eye?! What the hell?! The Demon King: Witness the power of my ck Knight! The Chief Maid: Nice ad-lib follow! (Note: she said this in English.) Ohhhhh! Amazing! The ck Knight is amazing! Wonderful! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! The Hero: (Oh no, I think I went a bit overboard.) The Demon King: Today I have something to tell you. Loyalrades, my people! We first made contact with the humans 20 years ago. Their power and attitudes are now something we know very well. But today, today we stand on the crossroads of history! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! The Demon King: Today! Silence. The Demon King: Today, I dere the mustering of the Great Demon Conference, the Kurultai! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Finally this day hase! Were going to go all out on these Humans! Itll be our great and utter victory! The Demon King: Uhh, wait, no Demon King! Demon King! Long live the King! Long live the King! The Demon King: Umm, all will be decided at the Kurultai! Spread the word to the farthest corners of the world! The Demon King calls! - Exnation Kurultai: This refers to the Assembly of Khans as used to be conducted under the Mongol Empire and its descendants in the Golden Horde and Ilkhanate, under which important nobility and military figures would gather for a conference. In the Demon World, a Kurultai was convened to enact important newws or to strategise for a war. To Demonkind, it would have been an extremely important event. - Omake! The Chief Maid: The Demon King Hotsprings Vi. That sounds like a great name for an establishment. Volume 2 6, “Your Lap feels good, Hero.”

Volume 2 Chapter 6, Your Lap feels good, Hero.

- The Vige of Wintering, a Morning in Deep Winter, the Entrance to the Vige Thin Viger: Hoi! Middle-Aged Viger: Whats the situation? Thin Viger: Its cold today too. Middle-Aged Viger: Yeah, its freezing. Where are you going? Thin Viger: Im carrying pork to the shed. Middle-Aged Viger: Im going to go cut out some ice Thin Viger: ? Middle-Aged Viger: Hey! Hey! Thin Viger: Oh, isnt it the Schr! Id heard youd gone to the city, but why have you returned to the vige?! Middle-Aged Viger: Hey! Schr! The Demon King shivers. The Hero: Stop shivering. Both walk off. Thin Viger: Wee back! Schr! Middle-Aged Viger: Wee back! The Demon King: Yeah. Im back. Smiles. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, in a Warm Room Elder Sister Maid: I apologise, Mistress. The Demon King: I already said its fine, didnt I? Elder Sister Maid: But I borrowed your form and did something like that, with such a big impact, Ive probably messed up all of the Mistresss ns. The Demon King: On the contrary, had you allowed yourself to get killed and be a spirit, I wouldnt have a home to go back to. I know that your spirit would try its best, but a spirit is still a spirit. Elder Sister Maid: Y-yes The Demon King: Ive heard all about it from the Hero on the way back. Dont worry. Elder Sister Maid: Y-yes The Demon King: Has anything else happened in this time? Is everything okay? Are you hurt? Have you been going hungry? The Hero: Nope, Ive kept everything good. Elder Sister Maid: Nope, everyone has been really nice to us. Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Yeah! They even taught us the cuisine of the Kingdom of Metal! The Demon King: Really? Im looking forward to it then. The Hero: Heh. Whats it like the cuisine of the Kingdom of Metal? Little Sister Maid: Things like Pirate Soup or Roasted Suckling Pig. The Hero: That sounds extravagant. Little Sister Maid: It has a strong vour and tastes incredibly delicious. The Hero: Ohh, I can sort of taste it. The Chief Maid: So there were no problems around the house with the Mistress gone? Elder Sister Maid: Because the house has been empty, there hasnt been very much to do. Weve been helping the vigers clean their homes and sweep the snow. Since you came back yesterday, weve started doing somerge-scale spring cleaning. We hope to bring everything back to the same state as it was yesterday. Little Sister Maid: I tried my best too! The Chief Maid: What did you do? Little Sister Maid: I washed all the sheets! And I scrubbed all the linen! The Chief Maid: Fine. You get some points. Elder Sister Maid: Then, Ill get back to cleaning the ce. Little Sister Maid: Eh? But I wanted to talk Elder Sister Maid: Back to cleaning. We can talk over dinner. If we stand here and talk all day, youre going to end up hibernating soon, arent you? Little Sister Maid: Uhh Elder Sister Maid: Alright, lets go. Little Sister Maid: See you soon, Mistress! The Chief Maid: Alright, Your Majesty. Ive got to clean up the manor and run some other errands, Ive got a lot of chores to do. The Demon King: Mmm, Im counting on you. The Hero: Thank you. The Chief Maid: Oh, thats right. The Demon King: What? The Chief Maid: Im not sure if therere still parts of the house which are dirty. I havent finished checking so, though its a bit inconvenient, try not to move around too much. You can stay in the Maids Quarters until nighttime. The Demon King: Yeah, good job. The Hero: Its just cleaning though, we wont die from dirt. The Chief Maid: If you walk around the house while its still dirty, you increase the amount of cleaning I have to do. Especially you, Hero, you dont care about any of these things. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, in a Warm Room The Hero: The Chief Maid is way too neurotic The Demon King: Hehehe. Just listen to her for now. The Hero: ? The Demon King: She just wants us to rest for a bit. The Hero: Yeah, I guess Lets rx. The Demon King: Thats the spirit. Snuggles. The Hero: The Demon King: Snuggles. The Hero: So, tell me about this Quriltai. The Demon King: You mean the Kurultai. Its a gathering of the Chiefs of the various races in the Demon World. A really important conference. The Hero: Is it alright for you toe back here? The Demon King: After I officially announced it, itll still take a month for the delegates to be gathered. Messengers have been sent to every corner of the Kingdom and preparations are being made as we speak. The Kurultai is such a massive gathering, it is almost unheard of for a Demon King to have two Kurultais in his lifetime. Many Demon Kings spend their entire time on the throne without organising even one Kurultai. The Hero: Hmmm. The Demon King: The conference will only consist of the Chiefs, but not just the Chiefs will be gathered. Their attendants and retinues wille as well. The markets will be buzzing with trade deals and negotiations. There will even be young men who wille to try to impress people with their martial skills and hope to get recruited to some elite squad or another. It is said that those who are born while a Kurultai is taking ce are blessed with bright futures. There will also be lots of banquets. If you put all the banquets back to back, you could probably eat for a month. The Hero: Heh. It sounds more like a festival than a conference. The Demon King: There will be many strong-willed Demon Races. The Races tend to be powerful like the Dragon Race but most of the time, they shut their borders and try continuing to live in istion from everyone else. The Fang Race lives as hunters in the mountainous wilderness and barely interacts with anyone. For this purpose, the Kurultai is also an opportunity to make contact with those Demon Races who have not hadmunication with the rest of the world for some time. The Hero: I guess theres no ce for a human there. The Demon King: Indeed. The Hero: At least not at this conference. The Demon King: Its not yet time to repair the rtions between Demon and Human. The Hero: The Demon King: Dont worry, it wille eventually. For this purpose, this manor and this world on the surface are being filled with research material and reinforcements. The Hero: I see. Candlelights sway in the breeze. The Demon King: The Hero: Whats wrong? The Demon King: No. Its warm, Im kinda nervous. The Hero: Are you tired? The Demon King: I guess. The Hero: When youre nervous, its very easy to forget that youre feeling tired. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: Especially so after a climactic. You enter a state in which youre not even sure whats going on anymore. There was once a time, after a battle, when I had jumped into the sea and swam whileughing and smiling for eight hours. When I got back to the shore, I immediately fell asleep and only woke up two dayster. The Demon King: That probably only happens to you. The Hero: Hmm. Will you sleep? The Demon King: No, Im not feeling sleepy. Just lethargic. The Hero: I see Umm. The Demon King: ? The Hero: The floor isnt soft at all, so you shouldnt rest there. Would you like to use myp? The Demon King: Can I? The Hero: Please do. - The Cheerful Murders Incident No. 5 Stop right there! Get your hands! Who the hell are you guys?! Two shadows danced in the cold and frozen moonlight. One was a youngdys with long brown hair who appeared to still be a child, yet she had the fire of life burning in her eyes. Though she were young, there was a sort of pitiful beauty emanating from her that suggestedshe could be something in the future. However, what did not match this appearance was her full andrge breasts behind her thin clothing. A frilly miniskirt rested snugly upon her loveable waist, giving way to knee socks which hugged her healthy thighs as they bounded strongly across thend. I am the Cheerful Swordsman! A cute youth stood by her side, watching her tenderly. His delicate, prepubescent body was visible beneath the thin shirt he wore while his half-length shorts revealed his thin and smooth legs. The boy was not ashamed of the circumstances and from within his small body, he hollered out to the strange ck shadow. I am the Cheerful Philosopher! The two of them breathed together and gripped each others hands, the light shone from them, flowing like a river, dancing like small, shiny beans. Explosions sounded off almost musically, while seven-coloured bright lights illuminated the warehouse, burning the retinas of the group of strange things which resembled bats. We did it! We did. The two spun around with their weapons and disappeared. Purging the enemy with extreme prejudice without even finding out if they were actually bad! What stubborn, na?ve youngsters! This is going to be known as the Cheerful Murders! To think it wasmitted just 170 seconds ago! The Vige of Wintering, the Demon Kings Manor, in a Warm Room The Demon King: ? The Hero: The Demon King: Yourp feels good, Hero. The Hero: Oh? Thats good. You can sleep even though youre not sleepy? The Demon King: Youre about to make me. The Hero: ? The Demon King: What are you reading? The Hero: A new novel. The Demon King: Huh? The Hero: Yeah, Im at Volume 5. This is The Cheerful Murders Incident No. 5 The Case of the Triple Murders at the Hot Springs. The Demon King: I dont understand. The Hero: Actually, neither do I. The Demon King: Why are you reading something you dont understand? The Hero: A friend of mine wrote it. The Demon King: Oh? The Hero: The Mage. The Demon King: Is that so? She has such a hobby? The Hero: Yup Ah! This is a secret though! Dont tell anyone. The Demon King: I understand But even if I know, its not like I could tell anyone. The Hero: Shall I lend it to you? If you start from Volume 1, we can read together. The Demon King: Yay, yay, yay! Let me read! The Hero: Here, its really interesting, even though I dont understand it. The Demon King: The Hero: Firece mes lick the air. The Demon King: Heh I really dont like the Lord of Apples. The Hero: Hes so annoying, right! Pages flipping. The Demon King: The Hero: Hoho. Pages flipping. The Demon King: Eh!? He filled the stomach with turnip juice? What kind of depraved cruelty is this? Is the author for real?! The Hero: Well, since shes writing it, its all kind of like that. Firece mes lick the air. The Demon King: Hmmm. The Hero: How was it? The Demon King: I didnt understand it, but it was very interesting. The Hero: It was interesting, so I read it to the end, but they still didnt solve the mystery. The Demon King: Its quite a new experience. The Hero: Very rare for a mystery novel. The Demon King: Hmm, Ive got it. The youth has a secret killing technique hidden in those shorts hes wearing. The Hero: Uhh, I think thats a bit too farfetched. The Demon King: Then what do you think? The Hero: Didnt she spend sixty pages describing how the vigers turned into zombies along the roadside? The Demon King: Thats scary. The Hero: Really. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: I never thought there would be a day where I could just lie here on yourp and read books with you for an entire day. The Hero: Neither did I, with you. The Demon King: Its very warm in yourp. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Ive spent very long times reading books on my own. Researching and studying too. Thats what my Race is most adept at doing. Were bad at the simplest of things, but with a book in our hands, we can read forever, just wondering about things in solitude. What is the Human World like? What kind of guy is the Hero? But I never thought about how warm yourp would be. The Hero: Theres no need to treat it like some kind of rare treasure. The Demon King: Eh? The Hero: If its myp, you can have it any time. The Demon King: Ahh. Ahh Yeah. Thats true. The Hero: Lets just rx for today. The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, Food Hall Little Sister Maid: Tada! Todays a feast! The Demon King: Wow! It looks delicious! The Hero: Even though the manor is empty, you really went out of your way. The Chief Maid: Yeah, a few vigers and the Vige Chief havee as well. It seems theyre here to offer you their blessings on your return. The Demon King: Yeah, thank you. They didnt have to do that, though. The Hero: Yeah. The Chief Maid: Then, Ill serve The Demon King: Yeah. Sure. Is it alright if I serve everything at the same time? We can all eat together! The Hero: Yeah! The Chief Maid: But The Demon King: This cant be a regr thing. Its got to be just for today. Please forgive me, Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: Huh The job of a Maid is to fulfil the wishes of her mistress The Demon King: Then, lets eat! The Hero: Lets eat! The Chief Maid: Youve baked bread as well. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Smiles. Little Sister Maid: Todays bread is baked with raisins. Ah, Hero. Ill set the table. The Hero: Its fine. Take a break every now and then. Let me get the soup at least. Little Sister Maid: Thats wrong. This is my job. Preparing the meal, serving it to the table, watching everyone say Delicious ?. Even though thats my job, nothing makes me happier. Until the end, I am a chef. The Demon King: Thats right, the Little Maid Sisters work is her own reward, isnt it? The Hero: Is that so? I understand. Ill leave you to it then. Little Sister Maid: Yup? The Hero: Little Sister Maid: How is it? The Hero: Delicious. The bacon and potatoes are great too. Little Sister Maid: Yeah? The Chief Maid: Ahem. Little Sister Maid: Yes! The Chief Maid: Dont shake when you carry the food. Little Sister Maid: Im sorry! The Chief Maid: But hold the food up high. Little Sister Maid: Y-yes! The Hero: Shes got them looking so prim and proper. The Demon King: Hmm, the Chief Maid has got them well-controlled. The Chief Maid: Do your best. Little Sister Maid: Yes? The Hero: Delicious. The Demon King: Yeah, this m tastes great with butter too. The Chief Maid (small voice): On another note, Your Majesty. The Demon King: What is it? The Chief Maid (small voice): How was it? The Demon King: What? The Chief Maid (small voice): Your private time together. The Demon King: Yeah, it was fun. We took it nice, slow and easy. The Chief Maid (small voice): Oh my, what a virgin. Then did you hug? The Demon King: We were both enthralled by two volumes of a powerful weapon The Chief Maid (small voice): What? The Demon King: The Waste of Talent? No, The Talent of Wastage. Im not sure what the reviews for it are like, but it was definitely intriguing. The Chief Maid (small voice): What are you saying The Demon King: No, it was The Cheerful Murders. The Hero introduced me to some new novels and we spent the whole time just reading them. It was really interesting. The Chief Maid (small voice): The whole time? The Demon King: Yeah, the whole time. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: ? The Chief Maid: Hero? The Hero: Mm? What is it, Chief Maid? The Chief Maid: The Demon King would like you to wash her back tonight at the hot springs. The Hero & the Demon King: ?! Elder Sister Maid: Eh, wha, wha Little Sister Maid: Bathing together? How nice Elder Sister Maid: Were good on this end. The Hero: What are you talking about?! The Demon King: Why are you so angry? Is it a bad thing? The Chief Maid: Dammit, dont you understand that time is limited? The Hero: This kind of thing needs to be seriously considered beforehand. The Demon King: Thats right. Something like this needs the correct mood and timing. The Chief Maid: You dont listen to anything I say Fine then. Ill wash the Heros back. Little Sister Maid: Wh-what? I think Ill plug my ears with my fingers and try not to listen. Elder Sister Maid: We are far too young to deal with this, lets just keep quiet. The Hero: To have my back washed by the Chief Maid The Demon King: What are you imagining, Hero? I wont allow anything of the sort. Door opens. The Female Pdin: Hmph. Why does it always get like this every time? The Hero: When the The Female Pdin: I heard everything. Ive finallye to visit, but now Ive walked into some kind of warzone again. The Demon King: Oh, its the Female Pdin! Youvee back safely, then. Well, sit down. Little Maid Sister, prepare another portion please. Little Sister Maid: Yes! The Hero: Well, in any case, lets leave the bath thing alone. The Demon King: Mmm. Well stop for an hour. The Chief Maid: I understand this isnt a two-man thing anymore, it looks like its bing a three-person thing. The Hero: Is that what the problem is?! The Chief Maid: It is the responsibility of a maid to prepare the harem of her mistress. The Hero: Are you for real? The Demon King: The Way of the Maid is indeed very strange andplex. The Female Pdin: Its great that youvee back safely Heres some wine we produce in the Holy Order. Well, we try to drink it in moderation. The Chief Maid: Thank you very much. The Demon King: My words are simple, but do listen. In order to ensure that for both sides to suffer as little as we can possibly manage in this war, we shouldnt be afraid to use whatever measures we can bring to bear. The Female Pdin: The enemy are 20,000 whereas we are but a quarter of that. No matter how many skills I can use, were still going to die. Since its that way, Im troubled too. The Hero: Sorry for making youe all the way here. I was intending to visit you tomorrow. The Female Pdin: I was the one who could not wait, so dont worry about it Wee back, Hero. Wee back, Demon King. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Study at Night The Demon King: Phew I can finally settle down. I should probably write a paragraph for the records. Hmm, thats right. I havent received the soil samples I requested for. I should probably show my face at the house of the Vige Chief Eh? Wheres the packaging I need Knock knock. The Demon King: Its open,e in The Female Pdin: Are you free to talk now? The Demon King: Ahh, its the Female Pdin. Im sorry, dinner was very rowdy. The Female Pdin: No, it was fun. Dinner at the order is usually a silent, religious affair. It felt good to eat at such a fun dinner. The Demon King: Thats good to hear. The Female Pdin: Yes. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Whats up? The Female Pdin: Ahh, yes Theres something I would like to talk to you about. The Demon King: Yeah? The Female Pdin: While you were not around The Demon King: Yeah? The Female Pdin: I gave my sword to the Hero. The Demon King: ? The Female Pdin: Dont you know? Thats to a Pdin, ones sword is the most important thing Its like a ceremonial pledge, to say that I will forever follow that person. The Demon King: Mmhmm. The Female Pdin: When a Pdin has a Lord when the Pdin offers his sword to his Lord, that person gains jurisdiction over the pdin. To offer ones sword is the ultimate form of subordination, expressing a desire to work for the Lord, to take up arms and the banner of war when the Lord demands it. Whatever is the Lords will, the Pdin will deliver One could say the Pdin bes the belonging of the Lord. Awkward silence. The Female Pdin: Thats the kind of pact I have with the Hero. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Im ashamed that I went behind your back and did this without obtaining your permission. I understand. But I dont think I forced the Hero to do anything I dont think so anyway. Thats After I gave him my sword, I went to the battlefield, and the Hero went to the Demon World, so I couldnt confirm it. He had a very conflicted expression, though. But, I wont go back on it. Ive made this pact, and I wont go back on it, theres no way one could even break such a pact. To give the Hero my sword is to give the Hero my soul. But, this wasnt something I should have done behind your back. Especially since the Hero belongs to you. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Im telling you because were friends. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Now then,e at me. I dont mind even if you scold and shout at me. No, thats the reason why I havee. Of course While I belong to the Hero, the Hero doesnt belong to me. Thats what the Pledge of a Pdin is like. Thats why I havent stolen the Hero or anything, Ill be patient for my whole life. I have no intention of getting in the way of your rtionship, because that is your right to own the Hero. Well, Im not actually sure how it works, but I think its something like that? The Demon King: Mmm. The Female Pdin: Yeah The Demon King: I see. The Female Pdin: Yeah The Demon King: I was raised in the Library. It was different from a normal library, but In other words, I was raised in an environment devoid ofpany. Thats why I was so interested in the love between man and woman. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Would you say that youre jealous? The Female Pdin flinches. The Demon King: Do you feel a tightness in your chest, a difficulty in breathing, and asionally get lightheaded? Do you have a sort of strange feeling resulting from the pent-up anger from being unable to achieve what another has achieved, mixing with it self-deprecation and feeling of inferiority? The Female Pdin: Umm, yeah. The Demon King: Then Im jealous. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: If I became the kind of Demon King who allows herself to overflow with Demonic energy, this bed would probably already be burnt to a crisp. The Female Pdin: Yeah The Demon King: There are periods when I feel incredibly, incredibly depressed about this. The Female Pdin: Eh? The Demon King: Sometimes I think the Hero would be better off with a normal, human girl, and that makes me sad. The Female Pdin: Demon King The Demon King: No, this weak side of me doesnt manifest even 1% of the time. The Hero is mine, I wont give him to anyone. I wont allow myself to be controlled by the souls of previous Demon Kings either. And I wont lose to the Female Pdin, even if she is a human. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: But, its not possible. The Pledge of the Pdin is an unbreakable vow, much like the contract I have with the Hero, though Ive been waiting to meet the Hero for a very, very long time. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Thats right. The Demon King: Then, it cant be helped. The Female Pdin: Eh? The Demon King: I hate saying that it cant be helped. I must admit that that is usually what someone says when he does not try very hard and just wants to take the easy way out of things. But sometimes, we really do have no choice, despite what we might hope to do. In these cases, it bes a phrase filled with courage, the courage to ept the reality of unchangeable circumstances. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: It cant be helped that Im a Demon. If you think of cases in simr situations, this is truly a painful scenario. To begin with, there have been very few Demon Kings that did not have their own private harems. Im not sure about the Hero, but I never intended to have one. I dont want there to be anyone else but me by the Heros side, but, out of everyone, if its the Female Pdin, then I suppose it cant be helped. Above anyone else, Ill have to endure it if its you. The Female Pdin: Demon King. The Female Pdin: Listen, Demon King, carefully. The Demon King: I understand. The Demon King: I love the Hero. As the one who owns me, and as a man. The Female Pdin: I love the Hero. As the owner of my sword, and as a man. The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Thats right. The Demon King: I understand. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Thats why while I intend to let you, I have no intention to lose. The Pledge of a Pdin doesnt sound like a transfer of ownership. In other words, its more like a lifelong attachment of service. Its an idea on apletely different level from what the Hero and I have. The Female Pdin: I have a history of travelling with the Hero. The Demon King: History? If you want to talk about history, Im the one whos been in that library, right? History refers to a period at least longer than 150 years, right? The Female Pdin: I dont understand what you mean. Ive even sucked poison from the wound of the Hero, havent I?! The Demon King: ?! Oh! So now you want topare past achievements! Well, Ive slept on the Herosp! And justst night, we had a reading date! The Female Pdin: Ha! A reading date? What are you, children? The Demon King: Dont go too far, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Of course! The only things I have no choice but to lose to you in are trifling things like boob size. The Demon King: You mean your little girl sized chest? The Female Pdin: Wh-wh-what are you saying, Demon King?! The Demon King: What, did I say something wrong?! The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Living Room Muffled shouting. Elder Sister Maid: Those are some really loud noises The Hero: Im sure theyre celebrating their reunion. Theyve probably opened some wine or something Elder Sister Maid: So the Mistress is drunk? Little Sister Maid: Hey, hey, enough about that! The Hero: Oh, thats right, give me a while. Little Sister Maid: Yayyy! The Hero: Tada! Ive got presents! Do you like them? Elder Sister Maid: Whats this? The Hero: First, for the Little Sister Maid, Ive got this jade hairpin, and this steamer. Little Sister Maid: Steamer? Its big. Is it a basket? The Hero: Nope, its something you put on top of a pot. Little Sister Maid: On top? The Hero: You boil water below it and the boiling water produces steam that can be used to cook food with. Get it? Little Sister Maid: Wow! That sounds so interesting! The Hero: And this is for the Elder Sister Maid. Elder Sister Maid: Its for me? The Hero: Yep, she picked this out for you. Its ab she used to use a long time ago. The Demon no, I mean the Schr used tob her hair all the time with this when she lived alone in her hometown. I hear it makes people more beautiful almost instantly. Elder Sister Maid: Its pretty. It looks like jewels. The Hero: And this is from me. Elder Sister Maid: This is The Hero: Its a silk satin weave. Umm I wanted to buy you some clothes or something to look nice in, but I dont know much about it and I didnt want to get the size wrong or anything. So, Im sorry, but this is the cloth to make it yourself. Elder Sister Maid: Wow The Hero: Ah, I guess its not good. Is it bad cloth? Elder Sister Maid: No, its great. Im really happy! This is the highest quality cloth Ive evere across in my life! Little Sister Maid: Yeah, its great! Its the sort of cloth a princess would wear. The Hero: Thats right, the Schr said she had something for you. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Thank you very much. - The Demon World, the Trade Routes through the Bordends Strong gust of wind blows. Middle Aged Merchant: Whoa. What a strong wind. Anubite Merchant: Its a seasonal wind. Caravan Mercenary: Oh, its strong! Middle Aged Merchant: Everything is being blown around! Id better check if all my goods are still here. Caravan Party: Hey! Anubite Merchant: You guys are really resolute. Middle Aged Merchant: Doing business is the same no matter where you are, isnt it? One has to be resolute to survive. Anubite Merchant: Indeed. Caravan Mercenary: How is the situation here? Anubite Merchant: Its good and its bad. Caravan Mercenary: Hmm. Anubite Merchant: Its all calmed down recently, but this City of the Gate has been a hallowed ground for ages. Tens of Gods have resided here. This was also a vital staging point for the war against the Human World. As Im sure you know, it was controlled by the Crusaders for a while. Caravan Mercenary: Yeah. Anubite Merchant: The military was always patrolling the streets, but the order is getting worse. Many of these soldiers are hopeless drunks, while those who are serious about their job tend to be injured very quickly. Law and order in the City of the Gate has always been fairly inconsistent. Well, its really something which depends on the times. Caravan Mercenary: I see. Middle Aged Merchant: And what about now? Anubite Merchant: The general consensus is that the administration now is pretty good. Even though the head of government is a human, the Fire Dragon Lady is right behind to keep him in check. Taxes are low and trade is, for the most part, free. A grand bazaar is organised every month and the marketce is also open every week on Mondays and Thursdays. Of course, the fact that this is the sort of ce where troublesome things are likely to happen still hasnt changed. We must remain vignt no matter what. Caravan Mercenary: Thats the most important thing. Anubite Merchant: Youve got a pretty big train of caravans there. Middle Aged Merchant: Really? Anubite Merchant: Yeah, most of the merchants whoe here usuallye walking with goods bouncing and rattling off one camel. Middle Aged Merchant: They donte with carriages? Anubite Merchant: The sand and mud here is really soft. Rather than getting a consortium of ten or so merchants, in many ways its more convenient toe as just one merchant, a lot less likely to get stuck. Middle Aged Merchant: I see. In my youth, I too have done business on the back of a single pony. Anubite Merchant: So what have you brought? Middle Aged Merchant: This time, Ie with wheat, incense, and other things. Anubite Merchant: Wheat, eh? Over here, we do grow some, but the quality isnt very good. Most of it is used to make alcohol. Caravan Mercenary: Is it any good? Anubite Merchant: Not at all. In terms of wine, Fairy Wine is definitely the best, though Fire Dragon wine is the most powerful. I would say Banshee Winees as a close second, though I dont see much of that around the market anymore. Caravan Mercenary: I suppose wine would be tough to sell? Middle Aged Merchant: Its a very fragile, troublesome good. Anubite Merchant: Thats right. But, if you could sell it for a good price, then it would be a pretty good business. No matter where you are or what you sell, thats the most important thing. Caravan Mercenary: Indeed. Hahaha. Middle Aged Merchant: Now that Ive gotten to the city, where should Iy down my roots, so to speak? Anubite Merchant: You should probably head to the Sublime Porte and get a Merchants License first. Middle Aged Merchant: License? Anubite Merchant: Yeah. And after that, you should go to the teahouse and make some friends. Middle Aged Merchant: Teahouse? Anubite Merchant: Yeah, thats right Its a bit different in the Human World, I suppose. A teahouse is a ce where they serve tea. I dont suppose you know what tea is? Caravan Mercenary: Of course. Were not stupid. Well, I sort of understand what youre trying to say. Middle Aged Merchant: And merchants meet over there? Anubite Merchant: Yes that is correct. The teahouse is a ce in the city where merchants gather to exchange information. A high-ss teahouse sells higher grades of tea and thats where the richer merchants congregate. You could say that the level of tea you drink corresponds to your rank as a merchant. Of course, this shouldnt be taken as a rule, but the same types of merchants tend to meet in the same areas, and thats where you should go to make acquaintances. There are even teahouses where you get private rooms, those are very conducive for business negotiations. Caravan Mercenary: Is that so? Middle Aged Merchant: Sounds rather like a tavern. Anubite Merchant: A tavern doesnt open early in the morning, does it? A teahouse opens even before the chirping of the first bird. The buildings decorated with little birds hanging from cages outside it are the teahouses. Middle Aged Merchant: Ive learnt something great. Anubite Merchant: Ill see you soon then. Caravan Mercenary: Oh What a busy looking street. Anubite Merchant: This is the City of the Gate, the greatest city in these parts. - The Demon King Castle, the East Observatory The Chief Maid: Hmph. Please gather! Maid Ghosts: The Chief Maid: Heh, I understand. No. 12 is experiencing a stomachache, so she wont be with us. Is everyone else feeling okay? Maid Ghosts: The Chief Maid: I understand. Then, on to todays business. Were going to be very focused this week. Is that alright? Focused on cleaning the East Wing. The Chief Maid: Make sure you clean the linen, arrange fresh flowers, and sweep the yard, please. Maid Ghosts: The Chief Maid: The kitchen? Of course. Were going to be moving all the food from the pantry in, so make sure its spotless. Maid Ghosts: The Chief Maid: What? Cockroaches? I wont allow it. Kill them all. Maid Ghosts: The Chief Maid: Scary? Fine! If the situation calls for it, you can use some low-level spells. Got it? I wont allow you to disgrace the name of the Royal Maid Squad! - The Demon World, the City of the Gate, Sublime Porte Aide-de-Camp: Commander, sir, you have a visitor. East Fortress Base Commander: Let him in. Door opens. Middle Aged Merchant: I apologise for the intrusion. East Fortress Base Commander: Wee. I am the Base Commander, the Council Chairman of the Self-Governing Council of this city. Ah, Im sorry, but you are Middle Aged Merchant: I am the Middle Aged Merchant. Its a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I hear youre a highly divisive figure in the Human World, but after such a long journey, it is indeed an indescribable feeling to finally meet you. Smiles. East Fortress Base Commander: Hahaha. I was just left behind when all the other people managed to escape. Well then, take a seat. So? What news do you bring? Middle Aged Merchant: Im afraid I dont have any reports to make. But Ive got something better than urgent news. East Fortress Base Commander: And what kind of news is that? Middle Aged Merchant: Its not news, Ive got it with me. As requested from me, I have imported the salt. East Fortress Base Commander: The Fire Dragon Lady? Hahahaha! She did it!!! She managed to get us the salt!!! Middle Aged Merchant: Thats right, shes a very spiriteddy. She left me a note. Here it is. East Fortress Base Commander: Amazing! From her? Middle Aged Merchant: If she went so far as to write you a note, then I suppose she intends to stay there for a while longer. Thats right, let me introduce you. This is the Captain of the Guard of my caravan convoy, the Caravan Mercenary. Caravan Mercenary: A pleasure. East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah, a pleasure. This is my Aide-de-camp. Aide-de-Camp: I am the Aide-de-Camp, nice to meet you. Middle Aged Merchant: I have eighteen caravans worth of goods. Would you like to check? East Fortress Base Commander: Alright, Aide-de-camp, do a check please. Caravan Mercenary: I will go as well. Middle Aged Merchant: Im counting on you then. Caravan Mercenary: I wont be long. - Exnation Cockroaches: Even though cockroaches are regarded as unclean, disgusting pests in Japan, throughout the world there are many cultures in which they are used for food, medicine, even as pets. Of course, in just about every country, having cockroaches in the kitchen is a sign of apleteck of hygiene. - East Fortress Base Commander: With that, I have one less thing to worry about. Middle Aged Merchant: I too can breathe a sigh of relief. East Fortress Base Commander: How is that girl? How is she doing? Middle Aged Merchant: Im actually just a small merchant belonging to a nameless guild in the Union. East Fortress Base Commander: Oh? Middle Aged Merchant: The ones who have been in contact with her are my superiors. Based on their instructions, I began the trade mission. East Fortress Base Commander: I understand. How shall I reward you for this then? Middle Aged Merchant shuffles uneasily. East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm? Middle Aged Merchant: I already receive a sry from the Union. The Union has been informed that through cooperation with the Lady, we will move on to bigger things. East Fortress Base Commander: Bigger things? Middle Aged Merchant: It appears well be stepping up the volume of trade in goods such as salt. This caravan alone wont do enough, but Im here to see how else I can help with your shortage of salt. Thats the reason why I was hired. East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm. Middle Aged Merchant: Thats why theres really no need topensate me outside of my sry. East Fortress Base Commander: I understand In that case, would you like me to take you on a tour of the city? Middle Aged Merchant: No, thats really quite alright. Im a minor character after all. East Fortress Base Commander: Hah. If that was the case, I wouldnt have made an appointment to meet you. Because this is a Self-Governing region, the food situation is quite troublesome, so we are quite grateful. I know a great tavern on the outskirts of the City. Middle Aged Merchant: Thank you very much, then. I was actually quite scared about going to such a ce alone because the people there might be apprehensive about neers. Its my first time in the City, and moreover, Ivee after such a long trip. being taken to a tavern by a person familiar with the City to drink a gon of cold ale, I wouldnt trade a banquet in the Holy Imperial Capital for that! East Fortress Base Commander: Hahahaha! You can stay there as well and take a good soak. More business can be conducted in the morning. By that time, the inspection of the salt should have been processed as well. Middle Aged Merchant: Yeah, I can guarantee the quality. Its Flower Salt made from Snow Gypsum mined from the Blue Moon Sea. East Fortress Base Commander: So, I suppose youll be searching for goods to bring back with you? Middle Aged Merchant: No, I intend toy down roots in the City and gather information from various people. If I can, there are also a few sectors I intend to introduce myself to. East Fortress Base Commander: Oh? Which ones? Middle Aged Merchant: Ill definitely need to patronise the Demon craftsmen and mercenaries. Constructing a safe and well-paved road to therge hole behind the Gate is also a worthwhile cause, I believe. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Maids Chambers The Demon King: Some really earth-shattering changes have urred, eh? The Chief Maid: Yes, as you can see from the report, theres really been an uproar. The Demon King: From the Inquisition to this Smallpox thing. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: The Merchants n was to buy goods in bulk in order to force prices up. To go so far as to expend all his financial capital really sends shivers up my spine. And then he went ahead and invented financial futures. In a world without a significant banking system, he managed force this Money Creation in order to increase nominal money. This much rope is more than enough to hang the entire Central Continent with. The Chief Maid: Yeah. The Demon King: And on top of that, hes trying to do something that can only be a joke. The Chief Maid: Oh? The Demon King: Yeah, the exchange for potatoes. The Chief Maid: Ohh. The Demon King: The Young Merchant, in his position, could have be thergest sponsor of the Holy Empire. Whether he chose not to because of our agreement, for ideology, or because of the tingling of his business senses, I do not know. However, he was willing to gamble with tworge economic ns. He must be thinking of the future. His judgment, logically speaking, is correct. In order to ensure the expansion of the economy, it is necessary toe into conflict with many countries and currencies. Especially in dealing with the Demon Race, business experience is something absolutely essential. The Chief Maid: Because the Gate was destroyed? The Demon King: Yeah. The Chief Maid: How quick. The Demon King: There was no way he could have won those Traditionalist merchants who were fussing over culture and customs. No, to tell the truth, they have already been winning for some time now. And thats why he had to gamble. He had to gamble for that never-before-seen victory. Thats why I hold such a deep respect for the Merchants spirit. The Chief Maid: And now there will be a contest? The Demon King: Thats right, it will be a contest to crush the other before time runs out and the opponent bes aware. However, at any rate, we are the same. Despite what they think, neither of the two worlds is heretical. At any rate, someone must have noticed that and torn down the wall between the two worlds. I dont understand how the Gate was destroyed, but the person who managed to gather such powerful Magical Power in order to destroy the barrier between cross-world exchanges is clearly one who wees greater cohesion between the world above and the world below. The Chief Maid: We cant stop this wave. The Demon King: Indeed. The Chief Maid: If only we were prepared. The Demon King: Theres no way a person could always be prepared. All we can do is react as best we can to situations as theye, make preparations for the worst foreseeable scenarios. Moreover The Chief Maid: ? The Demon King: Have you seen the promation from the Kingdom of Winter, Chief Maid? The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Isnt it brilliant? Isnt it wonderful! This is This is what Ive been bursting to see. The establishment of the three Fundamental Human Rights to Life, Property and Freedom. Its not yet the merging of ancient faiths with theology, but this is the beginning of the extension of basic humanity towards universal love for the people around us. Lumen Naturale, this is the Enlightenment This era was started by an individual girl who, amidst the blood of wounds, pain and spiritual suffering, strove desperately against all odds to find the seeds of the Enlightenment. This isnt something I taught her. No, even if I had taught her, this isnt a knowledge that can be passed down. Nothing would havee if I had tried to teach her. This girl crossed that wall borne on the light of her very soul. - Exnation Creation of Money: This refers to the creation of more credit. Usually, money is borrowed from a bank, which is then used to enrich the supply of a good, hence money flows from the hands of the banks back into the economy and the total value of the economy increases. The Young Merchants Wheat Futures is an asset which can create money when people with money they wouldnt usually use release money into the economy by buying these futures. Fundamental Human Rights: The rights every human is born with, regardless of position in society. Whether it be the country or the vige, every construct should always strive to uphold fair human rights for every member of the society. Lumen Naturale: The Latin word for the Enlightenment, as coined by Rene Descartes. - The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Arent you happy? Theres a line written in the promation, I will not go back to being an insect, no matter how hard it is The Chief Maid: No. The Demon King: ? The Chief Maid: I The Demon King: Yeah The Chief Maid: What did she hope to achieve? The Demon King: The Chief Maid: She shouldnt have It wasnt something she should have said. The Demon King: Hehe. Its not just her. Take a look. The Demon King: It seems a whole slew of events took ce. The resurgence of paper for records-keeping purposes. It allowed efficient experimental results, remuneration reforms, and even the establishment of a bureaucracy. Taxes have progressed towards a Bloc Economy, a brand-new economic system. And the matter with the potatoes as well, theyve really managed to struggle through the whole heretical crop incident very well. Good job, Disciple Merchant. On the military side, Im not very clear on the details but it seems that Field Camps and Oblique Orders are undiscovered military technologies, yet they were still effectively applied by the Disciple Soldier. Military medicine is definitely not yet advanced enough, but significant advances are being made in the field of medicine. The Disciple Nobleman is also working hard as a Lobbyist to the Central Continent. Despite their hardline stance, wartime negotiations still took ce. I really respect the courage of that young man. Even though I taught them many things, all of these were miracles produced by their own hard work. The people born to this world, so that the world will be a better ce, are truly willing to expend their knowledge and creativity in order to make miracles ur. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Humans are wonderful. This world is wonderful But we Demons wont lose to them. We have many windmills. We have even established foreign exchange mechanisms. I was also shocked to hear about the establishment of a postal system. There is also a brilliantly effective system of Public Works and Hospitals. It seems the Fang Race and the Banshee Race have also entered into a sort of political union for effective administration. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: The world outside the Library Its so rowdy, so chaotic, and so loveable. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty? The Demon King: ? The Chief Maid: Are you crying? The Demon King: Eh? The Chief Maid: Your Majesty. The Demon King wipes her face. The Chief Maid: I have a handkerchief ready for you. The Demon King: Mmm. The Chief Maid: Is it that tragic? The Demon King: No. Probably not. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: No. I may be shedding tears, but Im not crying. Im just thinking about how good this all is. Im probably feeling a bit proud. Even though its not my work I really like this world. The Chief Maid: I think so as well. I often think about how nice it is to have seen it. The Demon King: Yeah, thats right. It wasnt a failure to leave the Library after all. - Exnation Bloc Economy: An economic system which relies on the creation of barriers to trade through taxes and other mechanisms in order to limit the distribution of goods within ones own country or union of countries. In this novel, the Disciple Merchant used Bloc Economy during the enactment of extremely high tariffs against goods from the Central Continent, with the goal of preventing the Southern United Kingdoms from suffering the same hyperintion that the Central Continent went through. Lobbyist: A person who attempts to influence government possibly by cultivating good rtionships, negotiating, and otherwise persuading politicians. In Middle Age society, the society was then ssified into social strata based on connections and influences, hence the diplomatic world depended heavily on such lobbyists (not what they were called back then) in order to bring about suitable results for their home countries. - - The Vige of Wintering, the Yard behind the Holy Order Headquarters Swords shing. The Hero: Hah! Hah! The Female Pdin: Hah, hah! Hah! Swords shing. The Hero: Haiya! The Female Pdin: Yaaah! Swords shing. The Hero: Youre really into it today. The Female Pdin: Not yet! Hah! The Hero: Over here! Swords shing. The Hero: ! Speed Up Spell! The Female Pdin: Prayer for Speed! Swords shing repeatedly. The Hero: Take this! Haiya! The Female Pdin: Not yet! Swords shing. The Hero: Amazing, you seem to have gotten better, or maybe youre just more motivated now. The Female Pdin: Both. Swords shing. The Hero: Take this then! Haaaaa! The Female Pdin: ! Triple Wall of Light! Swords shing. The Female Pdin: ! Haaaaaaa! The Hero: Unfortunately. Whacks her on head. The Female Pdin: The Hero: I win. Llla ? Lla ? The Female Pdin: The Hero: You were the one who asked me for a practice match. The Female Pdin: Yeah, but Im still feeling resentful. Resentfulness is my biggest weakness. But this time, its justified. The Hero: I see, I see. Armour rattles. The Female Pdin: Whats wrong? The Hero: Im just going to rest for a bit. The Female Pdin: Youve cut your hair. The Hero: She cut it for me. The Female Pdin: Shes pretty good, it fits you. The Hero: My head feels lighter. Its pretty good. The Female Pdin: Thats why you were in such great shape. The Hero: Yeah, thats right. The Hero: The Female Pdin: The Hero: Wait, what do you mean by that! The Female Pdin: Nothing much. Really. The Hero: Is that so? Okay The Female Pdin: The Female Pdin: (Wh-what should I do. The Heros attitude doesnt seem very good. But my heart is beating so fast. This is the first time weve been alone since I gave him my sword. That being said, hes looking at my face? Am I blushing?!) The Hero: Ah. The Female Pdin: What is it? The Hero: Nothing. The Female Pdin: (Why did he reply to me in that tone! Does he not want to confide in me?!) The Hero: Well, youve got a very strong defence. The Female Pdin: Y-yeah. The Hero: Even though I was fairly confident of the stopping power of my abilities, your Wall of Light can still overpower themevery single powerful technique of mine The Female Pdin: Is that so? The Hero: More or less. The Female Pdin: I see The Hero: Ah, umm. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Im not putting you down or anything. The Female Pdin: I know. The Hero: The Female Pdin: The Hero and the Female Pdin: Umm. The Hero: Ah, you go first. The Female Pdin: No, no, you go first. The Hero: No, really, go first. The Female Pdin: Umm Hero. The Hero: Yes? The Female Pdin: Just now you used a technique where you waved your sword a bit and it becamepletely blurry. I couldnt even sense its presence, itpletely overcame my anti-magic barrier. The Hero: Yeah, its one of the 46 Techniques of the Sword of the Hero. The Female Pdin: Is that so? You didnt use it very muchst time. Id like to memorise it, so could you show it to me? The Hero: Umm, no way. The Female Pdin: Why? The Hero: Like I said, its the Sword of the Hero. Its supposed to be special. The Female Pdin: But if you dont use it, no one will know. The Hero: Thats true. Draws sword. The Hero: Just grip the sword like this. No, any footwork is fine. In any case, take a stance with your sword pointing towards the enemy. The Female Pdin: Mmm. The Hero: And then, transfer all the weight on to the index finger of your left hand. The Female Pdin: Wont your sword drop? The Hero: Youve got to pay attention to the bnce. Make sure you can barely feel it in the palm of your hand. The Female Pdin: What an appropriate technique. The Hero: And then send some mana into the de of your sword. The Female Pdin: Whats the incantation? The Hero: There is no incantation, you just have to feel it. It feels like yourepressing all the energy in the surrounding air and shooting it straight through your fingertips. The Female Pdin: This has suddenly be very difficult. The Hero: Well, its that kind of technique. The Female Pdin: A technique based on gut feeling! I dont believe it. The Hero: Even if you say that All my techniques are like that The Female Pdin: This clearly wasnt meant to be taught to people. The Hero: I got them on my own. The Female Pdin: Are you displeased? The Hero: No, thats not it. But even if Im good at destroying and killing things, its just so uninteresting. The Female Pdin: Is that so? The Hero: It is. The Female Pdin: The Hero: Shivers. The Female Pdin: Its getting cold, shall we go back to the Headquarters? Ill get them to prepare something warm. The Hero: I see. The Female Pdin: And you can sleep on myp. The Hero: Huh?! The Female Pdin: Im kind of handicapped in that aspect. The Hero: What are you saying? The Female Pdin: Isnt it fine! Just cooperate! My boobs are one thing, but surely you can agree to this! The Hero: Why are you raging? The Female Pdin: Thats not something I wanted. Im just so unfulfilled. The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Living Room The Demon King: Sce? The Hero: Retreat? The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Whats that, some kind of theological practice? The Hero: Uhh, no, I dont think so. The Chief Maid: Since ancient times, its a customary way to reward a maid. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: I would like to help, but I dont really understand what it is. The Chief Maid: I apologise for the misunderstanding. Elder Sister Maid: Is it a sort of holiday? Little Sister Maid: What is that? The Chief Maid: Its when you go somewhere far away. The Hero: Like a trip? Little Sister Maid: Is she moving away? The Demon King: No, its not a long-term thing. Little Sister Maid: Then shes going to roam thend? Shes going to be a vagabond? The Hero: Somehow, you seem to havee up with some very painful imagery. The Chief Maid: A Sce Retreat is, to a Maid who devotes her life to service, the highest honour an employer can bestow. In recognition of service, the employer can give the Maid some rest time to go on her Sce Retreat. This is run by a guild of specialised Divine servants. Elder Sister Maid: Huh The Hero: What do you do? The Chief Maid: First we go to a remote location with picturesque scenery and check into an inn. The Demon King: Mmhmm. The Chief Maid: Of course, the inn will be staffed with their own personnel, and they will be the ones doing the cooking, cleaning, and washing in ce of the Maid. Its to give some rest to Maids who are always rushing about busily. Thats the purpose of a Sce Retreat. The Demon King: So, its a rest. I see, you could have just said so from the start. The Chief Maid: I intend to head to the hot springs. Little Sister Maid: Hot springs? The Demon King: Theyre veryrge baths. Depending on the hot springs, there are even some as big as a castle. Elder Sister Maid: What?! The Chief Maid: In those hot springs, one will wash away the fatigue of these days and can step up to a new level of Maidhood. The Demon King: I can understand the rxation. The Chief Maid: While Your Majesty and I were away on our business trip, the two of them did a splendid job maintaining the household and I believe it is appropriate to reward them for their efforts. Little Sister Maid: In other words, this is for us? Elder Sister Maid: Its not just for y. The Demon King: In that case, I leave such affairs entirely to your discretion. The Hero: I cant believe I never thought of such a thing. The Chief Maid: It may take a while, but since weve gone through so much trouble, its always a good thing to rest. The Demon King: We were really busy after all. The Hero: Havent you just been spending the day sleeping in that room? The Demon King: What?! I went through the toughest battle I had ever been involved in in that ce! The Chief Maid: You twoe over here. Elder Sister Maid and Little Sister Maid: Yes, maam! Little Sister Maid: Eh Elder Sister Maid: Ah The Chief Maid: Well done. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you very much! Little Sister Maid: Thank you! The Demon King: Hehe. The Hero: How nice. Smiles. The Chief Maid: Right then, Your Majesty, Hero. This may be presumptuous, but I would like for the two of you toe with us. There may not be another proposition as timely as this. The Hero: Is that so? The Chief Maid: The fates of the worlds more or less rest in your hands, there will be issues to deal with such as the prevention of war and other tangles. You will quickly be exhausted. Once the winter ends, you will fast be incredibly busy. If you want to go, this is likely your only chance. The Demon King: Thats true. The Hero: Indeed. Elder Sister Maid: Lets go together! Smiles. Little Sister Maid: Together! The Chief Maid: Hero, please help with the movement. The Hero: Ah. The movement? Well, I suppose we dont have time. The Demon King: Have you booked a ce? The Chief Maid: Yes. Ive booked an Old City Inn with an illustrious tradition. Ive also told them to prepare their Grand Bath, its specially made for three people. I hear it can really get one in the mood. Volume 2 7, “This is the Luxurious Old City Inn The Demon King…

Volume 2 Chapter 7, This is the Luxurious Old City Inn The Demon King Hotsprings Vi

- The Demon King Hotsprings Vi Entrance sh of teleportation! The Chief Maid: Well then, weve arrived. The Demon King: Cant you make it a bit cleaner, at least sweep the ce a bit? Its a lot worse than usual. Elder Sister Maid: Is this really an inn? Amazing. It almost looks like a castle. The Hero: (Thats because it is a castle) Little Sister Maid: Amazing! Wonderful! Is this a vase? Shakes vase. The Female Pdin: W-w-wait. Hero. Didnt you tell me this was going to be a small two-day vacation?! The Hero: It is, isnt it? The Female Pdin: Isnt this the D-D-Demon The Chief Maid: This is the luxurious old city inn The Demon King Hotsprings Vi. The Female Pdin: Dont lie to me! How does this look like an inn? Whats with these suits of armour?! That blood-stained tapestry?! What kind of inn is this?! The Mage: Its art. The Chief Maid: My, my, the hospitality of the ghosts is just a bit off. The Female Pdin: Just a bit?! This ce is obviously a godd*mn deathtrap, isnt it?! Ohh, Spirit above, pardon my swearing. Ive said something unclean. Its something I seldom do, so please forgive the transgression. Anyway That isnt it! In order to break out of this killing zone, weve got to be vignt. Ill take the forward vanguard position, the Hero will cover everyone from the middle, and the Mage will be the rear guard providing supporting fire. The Hero: Rx. The Female Pdin: What?! Little Sister Maid: The Pdin is so flustered. The Hero: (small voice) Just calm down for a bit. Were in thepany of the Demon King! It cant possibly be as bad as you say. The Female Pdin: (small voice) Oh thats true Sorry. The Mage: What good friends Elder Sister Maid: Yeah, they really have a great rtionship. The Demon King: I have a better rtionship with him! The Chief Maid: Of course you do. Your rtionship with the Hero is the closest among anybody. Ill be the living testimony to that. The Demon King: Youre always lying to me. Elder Sister Maid: Its a good thing to have a close rtionship. Little Sister Maid: Good thing? The Mage: We also have a rtively good rtionship. You maids and I. Little Sister Maid: Indeed, Sleeping Sister! The Female Pdin: Enough! I have a better rtionship! The Demon King: If youre talking about that, Ive even spent a night with him before. The Hero: Hey, everyone has a good rtionship, alright? The Chief Maid: It looks like youve got too many rtionships going on. Little Sister Maid: Youre really popr with the girls! The Mage: You have too many girls. Little Sister Maid: Lots and lots. ? The Mage: You could say that. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The Chief Maid: On a different subject, Hero, you didnt invite the Butler? The Hero: No, he had a lot of things to do. To begin with, I didnt know what would happen if we invited a guy like him to a hot springs. The Chief Maid: And those three disciples? The Hero: Theyre all really busy. Theyve got a lot of nning to do. Little Sister Maid: Hero, you dont have any male friends? The Hero: Wh-what are you saying?! Little Sister Maid: Dont you have friends you can go out with? The Hero: Eh? Uhh nope? Not really. Not really? Everyone went to do their own thing, whether they joined the army, or the government, or started travelling the world? Such weird kids doing such important things, these are things which arent easy no matter which part of the world youe from. Really. For a person my age, being a lone wolf is pretty cool, right? From time to time, I like to work in a group as well though? Right? The Chief Maid: A man should do things on his own. The Mage: You loner. The Demon King: H-Hero? Is that true? I didnt get the feeling that all your previous acquaintances were female as well. The Hero: Wh-what are you saying? The Female Pdin: Its probably because the Hero keeps a special lookout, no matter where he is, for damsels in distress whom he can rescue. He wants to build his own fan club. He can steadily increase the membership and even turn it into a business. Little Sister Maid: Are you being bullied, Hero? Elder Sister Maid: You look angry. The Chief Maid: My, my. The Female Pdin: The Hero probably lets girls with bigger boobs do whatever they want with him, without caring about things like chastity. The Demon King: Enough with the boobs. It all grew on its own. My body isnt a crime. I had no role in its growing at all. The Hero: How did we get here Little Sister Maid: Hero, Hero. The Hero: Little Sister Maid: Dont worry, Ill be your friend. ? The Hero: Eh? Ah Yeah. Thanks. The Female Pdin: Hero, dont tell me The Demon King: I dont believe what Im witnessing. To think even a young girl of that age The Hero: No! Thats not! Its a misunderstanding! Its all a misunderstanding. Elder Sister Maid: Little Sister Maid: Oh? The Chief Maid: My, my. The Female Pdin: Are you trying to create a colonist of girls to surround yourself with? The Demon King: As the owner of the Hero, let me say something about the gender ratio of the friends you make! The Hero: No, youve got it all wrong! This isnt what you think! The Female Pdin: It is not the way of the Pdin at all to make excuses. The Hero: Im not a Pdin. The Demon King: Taking the easy way out, thats the kind of Hero you are in the end. The Mage: Under siege. The Hero: Help me, Mage. The Mage: Try not to murder him. The Hero: I dont understand The Female Pdin: The Hero is wrong in this case. The Demon King: This is ack of resourcefulness. Its bad not to have any sense of peace or security. The Hero: Cant you just drop the issue! You girls really know how to band together and attack me from all sides! Ill show you. I only need one or two friends. Ill show you! - The Sisters Room in The Demon King Little Sister Maid: Amazing! The mattress is so soft! Bounce, bounce. Elder Sister Maid: Hey, sis, dont do that. Little Sister Maid: But its so soft and bouncy! Its amazing! Elder Sister Maid: Really? Little Sister Maid: Yeah. ? Elder Sister Maid: I see Little Sister Maid: Come and try too! Sits on mattress hesitantly. Elder Sister Maid: Wow, its great! Little Sister Maid: Isnt it? What is it made out of? Cotton? Hay? Elder Sister Maid: Ive read about mattresses stuffed with bird feathers. Bounce, bounce. Little Sister Maid: Is that so! This is brilliant! I didnt know you could make mattresses with birdie feathers! Ahhh. Elder Sister Maid: Whats up? Little Sister Maid: Theres a door over there. Opens door. Little Sister Maid: Wow! Elder Sister Maid: What is it? Little Sister Maid: Therere lots of dresses hanging there. And linen. Theres even a bath! Elder Sister Maid: A hot spring? This room is that big? Little Sister Maid: Yeah, its as big as the manor. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. That Chief Maid To think she would keep such arge bath a secret from us. Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Elder Sister Maid: But what a pretty bath. Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Ah, Sis! Elder Sister Maid: What? Little Sister Maid: This soap, it has a rose carved into it. Elder Sister Maid: Wow Little Sister Maid: Its amazing! Elder Sister Maid: It is! It is! Little Sister Maid: Lets take a bath! Elder Sister Maid: Yeah, it looks big enough for the both of us. Little Sister Maid: Ill help you wash your back! Elder Sister Maid: You dont need to. Little Sister Maid: And you hair. ? Elder Sister Maid: Fine, fine. Smiles. - The Demon King Castle, Bottom Level, the Doors to the Pce of Death The Mage: The Chief Maid: How is it? The Mage: No reaction. The Chief Maid: Its gone? The Mage: Not sure, but The Chief Maid: Yes? The Mage: The Hero was the one who destroyed the gate? The Chief Maid: Yes. The Mage: The Chief Maid: The Mage: He also broke the Reincarnation Sublimation Barrier. The Chief Maid: As I had expected The Mage: Im afraid this will be no sessor to the Demon King. It seems The Chief Maid: It seems? The Mage: the world will descend into anarchy. The Chief Maid: And the Spirit of the Demon King? The Mage: It has been released into the world. - The Sisters Room in The Demon King Knock knock. The Demon King: Hey, anyone in? Knock knock. The Demon King: Its me. Opens door. Elder Sister Maid: Mistress. Little Sister Maid: Whats up, Mistress? The Demon King: What are you doing? Elder Sister Maid: Were preparing our clothes for a bath. Little Sister Maid: Oh, oh, the soap is very cute. The Demon King: Thats just perfect. Lets take a bath. Elder Sister Maid: Sorry? The Demon King: The bath is a bit out of the way. I came to tell you. Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Its somewhere else? The Demon King: Thats right. You can go with just a change of clothes. Elder Sister Maid: I see. Little Sister Maid: Did you see my panties? I cant find them! Elder Sister Maid: Ive got yours here. The Demon King: Hehehehe. - The Hotsprings in The Demon King The Female Pdin: Ahh, this is rxing. The Chief Maid: Its a lot warmer and shallower than it looks. The Female Pdin: I really love the luxury of hot water. The Mage: Luxurious. The Demon King: Why are the two of you so petrified? Elder Sister Maid: I hear people drown in baths, right?! Little Sister Maid: This bath doesnt even have a ceiling?! The Demon King: Thats because this is a hot spring. Elder Sister Maid: I see. Little Sister Maid: The steam is all white and fluffy! The Chief Maid: Hey, stop clowning around and rx. Maid Sisters: Yes, maam! Steam rises. Elder Sister Maid: Its warm Little Sister Maid: Its so hot! The Chief Maid: Whoa, youve turnedpletely red. Little Sister Maid: But I feel fine The Female Pdin: Oh? But yourepletely flushed. The Mage: People who are born in cold areas like the South are not usually used to the temperature of hot water, so they have a low tolerance level. The Demon King: I see, so its a regional thing. Elder Sister Maid: My sister pushes herself so she can join everybody, Im really sorry, do you think you could make it less hot? Little Sister Maid: Uhh. The Mage: Cone of Cold. Frost tingling. Little Sister Maid: Ah?! The Mage: Its at a good temperature now. Steam rises. The Demon King: Ahh, its been a while since I wasst thisfortable. The Mage: The Demon King: Whats up, Mage? The Mage: Nothing. The Demon King: We may be the same Race, but we specialise in different things, so I guess theres not much to talk about, huh. The Mage nods. The Demon King: I am the Demon King, I specialise in Economics and Finance. The Mage: The Mage. Folklore. The Demon King: Really? Werent you one of the Herospanions? The Mage nods. The Demon King: What kind of person is he? The Mage: Stupid. The Demon King: Really. Hmm The Mage: He only knows how to save lives. Only knows how to get into more trouble. Note: Okay this is impossible to trante. Basically, the Japanese word for stupid is baka, while the word for only is bakari. Its a pun. The Demon King: Indeed. The Mage: The Hero of the Demon World. The Demon King: Eh? The Mage: The Hero of the Human World too. The Demon King: The Hero is A very important figure Why is he not a King? Based on his battle ability, his dependability, kindness, and the fact that hes a Hero, his name alone must surely be worth a crown. The Mage: The Demon King: Though I met the Hero five years earlier than expected, Id thought he would be a King by then. The Mage: Thats because youre stupid. The Demon King: Is that so. The Mage: The Demon King: The Hero could have united the Human World under his kingship and invaded the world underground. That Hero, whom I now ce all my trust and hopes in, undertaking an invasion of the Demon World There are stories that read like this as well. The Mage: No meaning. The Demon King: No? The Mage: You definitely wont be the target of such a trip. The Demon King: Thats true. I would be fully upied on the battlefront. The Mage: The Demon King: The Mage: The Demon King: So, Mage, what do you see inside me? The Mage: Huge. The Demon King: Huh? The Mage: The Demon King: Uh, uhh, dont look at that. The Chief Maid: Thats not she was saying. The Mage: Those are beautiful breasts. The Demon King: Uhh. The Chief Maid: Rather than justbat ability, a voluminous saturation attack can also be conducted. The warmth of a mothers breast is something that stays with a person since childhood. Compared to that, something likebat ability is just like trampling on small twigs. The Female Pdin: Small twigs? The Mage: Mean. The Demon King: You may say that, but I dont have that much confidence in my breasts. Theyre heavy and they never settle down, though I suppose they give a nice shape The Female Pdin: Hmph! They just distract you from what is really important. Little Sister Maid: Why do I have no boobies? Elder Sister Maid: Well have them when we grow older. Turn over there so I can wash your hair. The Chief Maid: No way. What a guy thinks is attractive ispletely different from what a girl thinks about herself. Something soft that lets your finger sink deep into it is sweet poison to the boys. The Female Pdin: These tyrannical kingdoms have resulted in such warped values. Can we really just let such anarchy slip past?! Our Order of the Lake will wipe out this impurity! The Demon King: Really? So my b has value? The Mage: Youre like the Courtesan General. The Demon King: Didnt she die in Volume 3? The Mage: She was very popr, so I brought her back in Volume 5. The Female Pdin: You dont know what its like to be bullied for it. Just because Im t, Ive had to give up on all my hopes and dreams! The Mage: Its okay. There are some people who like that type as well. The Chief Maid: My, my. Even though I helped to construct the best possible scenarios, the Hero still didnt make the correct choices immediately. The Demon King: H-H-Hey! Dont assign values to people based on the size of their boobs! The Female Pdin: Ooooh, we finally have something inmon! Thats right! The worth of a person is not based on the size of their breasts! The Mage: The true power in the world. Little Maid Sister: This conversation is very difficult to understand. Elder Maid Sister: Thats right. Here, sink your head into the water. Sinks into hot springs water. Little Maid Sister: Oooooo. Bubbling. Elder Maid Sister: You may talk now. The Chief Maid: Then, I suppose this will have to be decided at the next match. The Demon King and the Female Pdin: Match? The Chief Maid: Yes. Ill go prepare the banquet. Smiles. A Forest on the Border - Exnation Kitsune, Bear & Tanuki: Kitsune are Japanese foxes, while Tanuki are Japanese racoon dogs. In Japanese folklore, all three animals are often depicted as intelligent, mischievous and cunning shape-shifters. The Bear is usually depicted as slower and more lumbering, though not stupid. On asion, they often help the good people, albeit usually in a naughty way. - Kitsune: Hey, hey. The Hero: Im counting on you. Please be my friends! Kitsuneughs. Tanuki: Hehehe! The Hero: Please be my friends! Tanuki snorts. The Hero: Please be my friends!!! Bear: Haaaaaa! The Hero: This time, I dont mind anything! Be my friend! Bear roars. - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Tatami-floored Room The Demon King: Yeahhh! The Female Pdin: Ahh! Heh! Another ss! The Chief Maid: Please, please. The Chief Maid pours wine. The Demon King: How about that, Female Pdin, why dont you just take off your socks? The Female Pdin: Shut up, Im still going strong. Again! Again! I will show you the Secret Technique of the Holy Order of the Lake! The Mage: Scissors. The Demon King and the Female Pdin: Paper, stone!!! The Demon King: What?! The Female Pdin: I win!!! Little Maid Sister: The Female Pdin looks really happy with herself. Elder Maid Sister: Thats because shes had a real losing streak. The Demon King: I will have to re-n my concept of Probability Theory. The Female Pdin: What do you mean by probability theory? A loss is a loss! The words of one who loses are no better than mud. Hahahahaha! Little Maid Sister shudders. Elder Maid Sister: Umm, youre shivering The Demon King: Heh Taking my coat off here is just suicide. Chief Maid, give me another cup too! The Chief Maid: Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. Chief Maid pours wine. The Female Pdin: Hehe, you sure are stubborn. The Demon King: Yeah. Im the Demon King after all, I have a name and a reputation which I need to uphold. The Mage: If you showed her some boob, maybe the Female Pdin might get depressed and lose heart. The Demon King: Im not going to do a suicide attack!!! Little Maid Sister: What are they talking about? Elder Maid Sister: Uhh, uhh I dont know. The Demon King: Ahh No good. My feet are wavering. The Chief Maid: Its pure Banshee Rice Wine after all. The Female Pdin: Hahahahaha! The Demon King can barely stand. Hahahahaha! The Mage: The same can be said for you. The Demon King: Yeah! Oh, the Hero is quitete The Female Pdin: Hes probably ashamed of himself and couldnt bear to show his face. He has no friends after all. The Demon King: Wh=whoa. You even used that against him?! The Mage: Shes cruel when shes drunk. The Demon King: Unknowingly Elder Maid Sister: These boiled vegetables are really great. Little Maid Sister: Delicious! ? Wow, the meat is good too! The Chief Maid: Shall I send reinforcements to get him here soon? The Female Pdin: Hed better have a good exnation for beingte to the banquet! He should apologise to everyone when hees! The Mage: Hes here. Door opens. The Hero: Sorry for the wait! Im here! East Fortress Base Commander: Aide-de-Camp: Elder Maid Sister: Wee home. Little Maid Sister: Wee back. The Chief Maid: Whats wrong with the two of you, hurry up and go get some food and wine. The Female Pdin: Hero, yourete! Where have you been ying?! The Mage: Irresponsible. The Demon King: Ah?! Its the Hero! Yourete! Lets drink. Youve finallye to keep mepany! Drink! Drink! The Hero: Whoa, shes had way too much. East Fortress Base Commander: Psst. The Hero: What? East Fortress Base Commander: Come here,e here. The Hero: Whats up? East Fortress Base Commander: Dont tell me this ce is The Hero: Its the Demon King Castle? East Fortress Base Commander: I came here because you said there was good wine to be had! The Hero: There is, there is. A free banquet too. Isnt that super worth it? East Fortress Base Commander: I didnt expect it would be this way, but why are you all gathered here? The Hero: It looks like a family trip. The Chief Maid: Dear guests, have a cup please. East Fortress Base Commander: Y-yes Ohh, thank you. This is Banshee Wine? What a top-ss product. The Chief Maid: I am the humble servant of my Mistress. Please call me the Chief Maid. East Fortress Base Commander: Yes, respectfully I say, ck Knight. The Hero: Ahhh yeah? East Fortress Base Commander: It must be great to be by the Demon Kings side. To have such a beautiful Chief Maid working for you, thats gotta be amazing. The Hero: Shes not my maid, shes the Demon Kings maid. East Fortress Base Commander: I see, the Demon Kings It seemed strange that she would be a mere attendant to such a ce. So shes the Demon Kings maid, then. Ive fought wars in many ces and seen many things, but a Demon King having such a beautiful woman as a maid, that really makes me feel the grandeur of the Demon World. The Hero: Demon King? Demon King? Arent you going to say something? The Demon King: What? Hero? Im a bit tipsy. Whozzat? East Fortress Base Commander and Aide-de-Camp: Eh? The Hero: Didnt I tell you? This is the East Fortress Base Commander. Hes the current President of the Self-Governing Council of the City of the Gate. This is his Aide-de-Camp. Theyve always been helping us out. The Demon King: Ohhh! I get it now! Nice to meet you, Base Commander! Ive heard a lot about the restoration ofw and order and the revitalising of the economy in the city. You really are a highly capable administrator. East Fortress Base Commander and Aide-de-Camp: Eh? East Fortress Base Commander: Hang on a minute?! The Hero: Sorry, its so sudden. But this is the Demon King Castle, so I cant help it that the Demon King is here. East Fortress Base Commander: Is this a surprise attack?! Youve got to let me prepare my heart. The Hero: Youre a mercenary! You should be prepared for such surprises. Aide-de-Camp: (Thankfully, Im just an aide-de-camp) Elder Sister Maid: Alright, make sure you dont drop it, alright? Little Sister Maid: Okay. ? The Hero: This is the Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake, the Female Pdin. In her free time she also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Tripartite Union. The Female Pdin: It is an honour to make your acquaintance, East Fortress Base Commander. But I currently serve as the Sword of the Hero, even though he is willing to let me sit here and rust. The Hero: Shes drunk. I apologise, theyre all good people, but are weak to alcohol. Then, umm This is the Mage. She may look really sleepy but shes very powerful. Im sure youve heard of The Living Nightmare. The Mage: Meh. Aide-de-Camp: A-a-arent they?! East Fortress Base Commander: The members of the Heros Party?! Why are such Heroes lounging in the Demon King Castle, drinking wine with the Demon King?! What kind of family vacation is this?! The Demon King: Hero. Exin it to them. The Chief Maid: My, my. Aide-de-Camp: H-Hero? The Hero: Sorry. Sorry. Im the ck Knight, but Im also the Hero. No, actually, Im the Hero first. But she was scouting for a person to fill the ck Knight position. I was thinking that instead of taking down the Demon King, maybe we could work together. East Fortress Base Commander: Aide-de-Camp: The Hero: Like a Combo? East Fortress Base Commander: What in the name of hell do you mean by that?! - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Tatami-floored Room ?? Little Maid Sister: This bread is really tasty? The Female Pdin: Would you like a drink, Base Commander? East Fortress Base Commander: I apologise for my state of emotions earlier. Please Female Pdin, I would love a drink. The Female Pdin: Just call me Pdin. Im younger than you and in the first ce, Im sorry for showing you my drunk side off the bat. Ive heard you have the experience of your years and the conduct of a true general, so I really wanted to meet you at least once. East Fortress Base Commander: Y-yes The Female Pdin: Here, have another cup. Please call me the Pdin. East Fortress Base Commander: Yes, Pdin. Both gulp their drinks. The Female Pdin: Ahhh! East Fortress Base Commander: Youre a good drinker! The Female Pdin: Thats my line! Youre really good at this! East Fortress Base Commander: Hahaha, thats because Im a mercenary. A strong sword hand, a stomach for violence, a reckless heart. After those three, the most important thing is a good liver for alcohol. The Female Pdin: Ahahahaha! Lets have another! East Fortress Base Commander: (small voice) Hey, umm. The Chief Maid: (small voice) Yes? East Fortress Base Commander: (small voice) Like before, please. The Chief Maid: (small voice) Ill dilute it with water so it should be alright. The Female Pdin isughing too hard to notice. East Fortress Base Commander: (small voice) Yeah. The Chief Maid: (small voice) But if you passed her on to the Hero, Im sure you could make your escape. The Female Pdin: Base Commander! What do the streets of the City of the Gate look like? East Fortress Base Commander: The City of the Gate? The Female Pdin: Thats right. Id like to know. Smiles. East Fortress Base Commander: Lets see. Lately, the number of people has increased greatly. At first it was mainly just travelling merchants but recently, the people who fled have started toe back in great numbers. There are even new emigrants, human merchants too. The Female Pdin: Humans? Entering through therge hole in the gate? I always thought they werent distributing exit permits anywhere Ahh, this is delicious! This kushiyaki! East Fortress Base Commander: You know what merchants are like. Whether or not they have a permit, as long as theres a chance for business, theyll definitely go. The Female Pdin: Hehehehe, secret business transactions? East Fortress Base Commander: That may be so. The Female Pdin: Hm? East Fortress Base Commander: So thats the Hero? The Female Pdin: Is something wrong? East Fortress Base Commander: No, no. Its just that the ck Knight, even when hes drinking, is someone I can tell is incredibly powerful, but to think that hes actually the Hero! The Female Pdin: Yeah. Hes the Hero. Hes unfairly strong. He can shootser beams anywhere at random and destroy towers with a swing of his sword. East Fortress Base Commander: That seems like an urban legend to me. The Female Pdin: But hes a great master. East Fortress Base Commander: I see The Female Pdin: Hm? East Fortress Base Commander: Pdin. East Fortress Base Commander: You have a very mesmerised gaze whenever you look at the Hero! The Female Pdin: What? Thats not Thats probably true. East Fortress Base Commander: So, I guess youre all Demons then. The Female Pdin: Why would you say that? East Fortress Base Commander: The ck Knight came into the City and made a promation to all the inhabitants. He said, All those Humans who despise Demons,e! In their ce, I will be beaten by you. All those Demons who bear grudges against Humans,e! In their ce, bear that grudge against me. The Female Pdin: I see. East Fortress Base Commander: Whats going on? The Female Pdin: No, the world above is also very chaotic. The Demon-despising Central Continent is locked in conflict against the Tripartite Union. Though we all want peace, we live in an age where we must all bear arms. East Fortress Base Commander: That isnt something which we can help. Its because we live in such chaotic times. Those who do not bear arms are just stupid. Those who try not to inconvenience the enemies in front of them by being unprepared and unarmed arent kind, they are merely sick in the head. The Female Pdin: Thats true. East Fortress Base Commander: But constantly raising our weapons isnt right either, right? This is a very conflicting time. But if someone great and noble were toe, he could probably take the weapons from them and create peace throughout the world. But thats like how a mother or a father would break up childrens fights by sending them to the naughty corner. Can we really call that peace? The Female Pdin: East Fortress Base Commander: Well, I think theres a better way to do this. The Female Pdin: You think its possible? East Fortress Base Commander: To co-exist with Demons? The Female Pdin: Yeah I want to believe it, but I really cant. East Fortress Base Commander: I think its possible. The Female Pdin: Do you? Really?! East Fortress Base Commander: Im sure you know that theres already a gaping hole where there was the gate. Its currently still a trickle, but its already bing impossible to stem the tide. We have to co-exist. We absolutely need to co-exist. If you looked at the City of the Gate, you would immediately understand. Yeah, we can definitely co-exist. Demons and Humans arent that different, after all. The Female Pdin: Really Well, thats just the dream of the Hero and the Demon King. The Mage: The problem is the threshold of eptable losses. East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Really? East Fortress Base Commander: Well definitely eventually co-exist. I can guarantee that. The problem is, in order to achieve this, how much blood needs to be shed? We will co-exist eventually, but whether that takes five years, ten years, a hundred years I dont know. The amount of blood that will be lost could be many times more than what has already been spilt so far. There may even be a chance that the all the blood of all the Demons and Humans needs to be sacrificed. We can co-exist, but whether Demons or Humans can remain in existence is a different problem. The Female Pdin: Is that so East Fortress Base Commander: It may be narrow, but thats a mercenarys point of view. Tomorrow maye but how much blood will be spilt today? The Mage: For the sake of time The Female Pdin: Mage The Mage: Can you hear their pleas? - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Tatami-floored Room, a Peaceful ce Aide-de-Camp: Delicious, what is this? Elder Sister Maid: Is it a vegetable? Little Sister Maid: Its a carrot. Aide-de-Camp: Since when do carrots taste so sweet?! Little Sister Maid: It should be, I think it was boiled in honey. Aide-de-Camp: This is my first time eating something like this. Elder Sister Maid: Me too. Little Sister Maid: Me three? Aide-de-Camp: Yeah, everyone is really wonderful. Elder Sister Maid: Really? Little Sister Maid: You mean the Hero? Or the Demon King? Aide-de-Camp: No, no, everybody is amazing. Elder Sister Maid: I dont really think so, though Little Sister Maid: Hey, hey. This is really delicious! Aide-de-Camp: Which? Little Sister Maid: This red stick-like thing. Aide-de-Camp: Yeah, thats a Giant Spider Crab. If you break it, its delicious in the middle. Elder Sister Maid: Whoa Give me some too. Little Sister Maid: Hehe, lets eat. Sound of crab cracking. Aide-de-Camp: Lets eat our fill and just rx, alright? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Little Sister Maid: Alright! - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Tatami-floored Room ?? East Fortress Base Commander: Wine! Wine! Wine is the tears of men? The Demon King: Hmm, Hero. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Are you drinking? The Hero: Im drinking. The Demon King: Im drinking too. The Hero: I know. The Demon King: No, I know that you know. The Hero: What kind of routine is this? The Demon King: No, I just wanted to confirm that I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know. The Hero: That is incredibly confusing. The Demon King: Yeah, whoes up with such confusing things. The Hero: You came up with it, didnt you?! The Demon King: Most economies based solely on consumer durables and capital goods have limitations to their growth. The Hero: This just got a lot moreplicated. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Y-yes? The Demon King: Hero. Hero. Hero. The Hero: Thrice in a row? The Demon King: Surp. The Hero: Surp? The Demon King: Surprise attack! Copses. The Hero: ?! The Demon King: N-no way. I wont let you The Hero: Umm. The Chief Maid: My, my. Shes really into yourp pillow. The Demon King: The Hero: Are you asleep, Demon King? The Demon King: Mmm Mmm The Chief Maid: Is she asleep? The Hero: Looks like it. The Chief Maid: Shes very deep in Shes asleep like a tanuki. The Demon King snores lightly. The Hero: ? The Chief Maid: Hero, would you mind taking the Demon King up to her room for me? The Hero: Yeah, sure. The Chief Maid: Im counting on you, then. Smiles. - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Guest Room Door opens. The Hero: Alright. The Demon King: Mmmm. The Hero: Wow, this is amazing. I dont really understand, but the bed is attached to the ceiling. The Demon King: Mmm. The Hero: Okay, okay This bed is just about as big as a regr-sized room. What kind of mattress is this? Even though she looks this way, the Demon King is the Demon King after all. Shes got to be unbelievably rich. The Demon King: Ehhh. The Hero: Did I wake you? The Demon King: The Hero: Are you feeling alright? Do you want to go to the toilet? The Demon King: Ugh. The Hero: If you need to vomit, dont vomit on me, alright? The Demon King: Umm, thats (Chief Maid, how am I supposed to create a good mood when he says something like that?!) The Demon King: Mmm, Im alright Id just like to sit up for a while. The Hero: Yeah, got it. The Demon King: The Hero: You really drank quite a bit. The Demon King: Yeah, its been a while. It was fun! The Hero: Thats good. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Do I have the right to act like your legal owner? The Hero: Huh? I guess? The Demon King: Really? Hehehe, in that case. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Take off your shoes please? The Hero: Y-yeah The Demon King: Hurry up! The Hero: Dont rush me, itll get dirty. The Demon King: Hmph. The Hero: Is this enough? The Demon King: How fun! Rolls around. The Hero: Stop rolling around. The Demon King: This bed is so big, I can even jump around in it. The Hero: Yes, yes. The Demon King: Didnt you drink anything? The Hero: I drank, but I didnt drown myself like you did. To begin with, I know Im not particrly good at controlling my liquor intake. The Demon King: Really? How boring. The Hero: Why? The Demon King: It would be fun if you were drunk too. The Hero: What? The Demon King: We can talk about employment rates, efficiency, and even the rtionship between revenue and cost. How interesting. Hehehehehe. The Hero: I dont understand. The Demon King: Hahahahahaha. The Hero: You really are drunk, arent you? The Demon King: I was born to be drunk. If I dont get drunk, then Ill be wasting the efforts of the brewers, right? Thats why its the economically right thing to get drunk! Otherwise its just wastage!!! The Hero: Thats not entirely wrong. The Demon King shivers. The Hero: ? The Demon King shivers. The Hero: Come over here, wont you? The Demon King: Really? The Hero: Its fine. Shuffles over. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Thats me. The Demon King: How nice. Youre warm. You have a very good heart. The Hero: You drunkard. The Demon King: Ahh! I want to praise myself. How did I manage to pick such a great people to surround myself with. My people-judging abilities truly are a joy to behold. The Hero: I suppose I dont have such joy. The Demon King: Thats not true. The Hero: Really? The Demon King: I mean, that time, you chose me The Hero: Y-yeah The Demon King: Youre really smart. Really? If you were really that smart, then why do I have to keep trying so hard? Why cant you be as smart all the time as you were back then? The Hero: Uhhh. The Demon King: If you just did that, everything would be fine. The Hero: Thank you. The Demon King: No, I belong to you after all. The Hero: Y-yeah The Demon King: The Hero: How about youe closer? The Demon King: You dont want me to leave? The Hero: Absolutely not. The Demon King: Thats my Hero. Sinks into bed. The Hero: That looks fun. The Demon King: It is. The Hero: Somehow. The Demon King: Shall we roll around? The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: We can roll around and talk for a while. Well have to go back eventually, right? Im not sleepy or anything, so just for a bit? The Hero: Umm. The Demon King: Dont worry about space, its very big. The Hero: Uhh. The Demon King: No? The Hero: Its very hard to refuse when you say it like that. The Demon King: Hmm, I learnt that if I tilt my head slightly to the side and make an expression as if Im going to cry, the persuasiveness increases exponentially. The Hero: Youre just exploiting me again. The Demon King: I understand! Sorry! I apologise! I wont do it again. Promise! The Hero: Hmph, Ive got to keep my guard up. The Demon King: No you dont, Im just rolling around. The Hero: I dont have anyints with you rolling around. The Demon King: Its fine. Why dont we roll around together? The Hero: Its not that I hate rolling around or anything, but being here with you, its very difficult to feelpletely rxed especially in this situation. The Demon King: What a difficult age you are at. The Hero: I just want to live normally, why must it be so difficult? The Demon King: Here, look, I made you some space. The Hero: Fine. Jumps onto the bed. The Demon King: Stretch out your legs. The Hero: Why? The Demon King: So I can take off your shoes. The Hero: Its fine! Ill take it off myself! The Demon King: Come on, I said Id take it off. I dont know if its the right feeling, but its got a certain forbidden feel to it, doesnt it? The Hero: I dont want to feel something so weird. The Demon King: But its interesting. The Hero: Its not interesting at all. Heavy footsteps. The Hero: Whos that? The Demon King: Just a passerby. Heavy footsteps. The Hero: The Demon King: Heavy footsteps The Hero: Why are you holding your breath? The Demon King: Why do you look so afraid of being caught with me? The Hero: No, Im not. The Demon King: Well, Im acting normal too. Heavy footsteps. The Hero: The Demon King: It really is an oppressive feeling. Door opens slowly. The Hero: ?! - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Guest Room The Female Pdin: Ummm, number seven Number eight. Ahh, I really drank too much. Gulps down another bottle of wine. The Female Pdin: Number nine This is my room. Wheres my luggage Door opens slowly. The Hero: ?! The Demon King: !!! The Female Pdin: What! What are the two of you doing! The Hero: What do you mean? The Demon King: Were having a tea party. The Female Pdin: Youre always so shameless, Demon King! Launches herself. The Demon King: You hit me?! The Hero: Hey, calm down. The Demon King: But! Hey! She did something like that to me even though shes the one trespassing into my room at this ungodly hour! The Female Pdin: Trespassing? Isnt this room number nine? Its my room. The Demon King: What are you saying? Room number nine is mine! The Hero: Really? I thought it was mine. The Demon King: Dont be foolish, lets look into the closet. There, those are my bags. This is obviously my room. The Female Pdin: Wait, that case over there is mine. That bag too. Why is my luggage in this room? The Demon King: Then whose bathrobe is this? The Hero: Uhh, thats mine. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: So its a triple bedroom The Hero: Who allocated the rooms?! The Demon King: Its not like we have a shortage of rooms, whats going on? The Female Pdin: This atmosphere Its like lions locked in a cage engaged in a fight to the death. The Demon King: Im the one getting invaded. The Female Pdin: What did you say?! The Demon King: Nothing. The Female Pdin: But its toote to divide the room, Im way too sleepy. The Hero: Thats true. Then the two of you can sleep together. I can sleep alone anyway. See you tomorrow. Gets off bed. The Female Pdin and the Demon King: Wait!!! - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Guest Room The Female Pdin: The Demon King: The Hero: What is going on? The Demon King: Hey, Hero, we need to talk about a lot of things. The Female Pdin: You didnt even apologise foringte. The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: The three of us are sleeping together. Weve got wine and the night is still young. The Female Pdin: Were counting on you, Hero. The Hero: Wait, what? The Demon King: Ive got no problem with this, do you? The Female Pdin: From the Churchs point of view, this is probably a problem, but the Spirit of Light, in His unlimited charity, will probably let this slide. So Ill allow it this time. The Hero: The Demon King: Why are you sighing? The Female Pdin: Its very weird that youre sighing. The Hero: Its not that I hate sleeping with the two of you, its just that the atmosphere is really heavy! The Demon King: Dont worry about that. The Female Pdin: We have a truce tonight. The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: The Maid Chief said that fighting every day is counter-productive and uninteresting. Thats why today, were not fighting. The Female Pdin: Yeah, I wont fight with the Demon King as well. Dont worry. We wont talk very much and just sleep. The Hero: Really? The Demon King: Yes. The Demon King: All the rooms around here have a small bathroom attached to them. Im going to take a bath and change to something morefortable. You can too. The Female Pdin: Really? The Demon King: Were at a truce, so believe me. Well, those words were for the Hero as well. Walks off. The Female Pdin: Dont look so flustered, youre my owner after all. The Hero: Its because the two of you fight so much! The Female Pdin: Its all because of you, though. The Hero: I understand that, but The Female Pdin: How very Hero-like. The Hero: Sigh The Female Pdin: Stop sighing Were here on holiday. That being said, theres also some kind of Demon Conference going on too? The Hero: Yeah, the Kurultai Arent you sleepy? The Female Pdin: Nope, Im just really tipsy. I dont want to move very much. The Hero: Did you say something, Demon King? The Female Pdin: You must be very tired. The Demon King didnt say anything. The Hero: I feel like I had some sort of important conversation recently The Female Pdin: I wouldnt know anything about that. The Hero: You seem very smug about that. The Female Pdin: Even if youre ignorant, Ill still protect you. The Hero: The Female Pdin: I just came, so Im trying to learn as much as possible. The Hero: Oh? Youve been studying? The Female Pdin: Of course I have. I tried to learn as much from the Base Commander as possible too Ive been studying so that I can decrease the number of unnecessary sacrifices we have to make. The Hero: I see The Female Pdin: You know more about the Demon World than I do, right? The Hero: I have some trivial knowledge, but I dont know anything about its institutions or groups. I havent been on the ground long enough to acquire a familiarity with it either. The Female Pdin: That being said, I find the Demon World Ugh Ahh The Hero: What are you doing? The Female Pdin: Im trying to take off my armour. The Hero: The Female Pdin struggles. The Hero: Let me help you. The Female Pdin sighs. The Hero: Well! I know that there are many different races and tribes, but apart from that, Im not clear about the rest of it. The Female Pdin: From what I can tell, the ones who are really unintelligent are the Demon Beasts. In our world, they would be called animals. The Demons are the intelligent ones and they live in the cities and on their frontier. The Hero: The Kurultai is a gathering of all the heads of the Demon Races. Its a Conference during which many important things get decided. The Female Pdin: So, if they decide to, they could end the war with Humanity in that meeting? The Hero: That would be great, but probably not. Door opens. The Demon King: Ahh. The Female Pdin: That was quick? The Demon King: I just went to take a quick shower to wash off the sweat. The Female Pdin: Then Ill take one too. The Hero: Bye. The Demon King: Its still warm. Walks off. The Hero: We were talking about the Kurultai. The Female Pdin: Really? I see. Frowns. The Hero: Are you troubled? The Demon King: I wouldnt say that Im troubled, but the situation isnt good at all. The Hero: Yeah. You told me this a long time ago, but Demonkind is really a confederation of tribes, right? The Demon King: I dont know. The Hero: Hey, hey, are you or arent you sure? The Demon King: They reallye and go. To begin with, the definition of a tribe was originally a hazy concept. It wasnt based on race or anything. It was really just a name people identified themselves by. For instance, if a group of youngsters got together and decided they were a tribe, then they would be a tribe. Of course, if you wanted to create a tribe, then you would have to leave the tribe you were originally in. Demon society revolved around tribes, so leaving the tribe you were in was a very courageous thing to do. But if you had the courage, anyone could do it. The Hero: And so the various races will be at this meeting? The Demon King: They should. The Hero: That sounds like a very big meeting. The Demon King: Actually only the Demon King and the heads of eight races will take part. The Hero: Really? The Demon King: Yeah. I said this earlier, but there are a lot of different Demon Races. We dont have an exact figure or anything, but of the intelligent Demons, 40% belong to a whole slew of different tribes. The remaining 60% belong to the eightrgest Races. At this meeting, the Demon King represents the interests of those 40%. Thats the idea anyway. The Hero: So thats how it is. The Hero: Then, whoes up with the Conference topic? The Demon King: Basically, the Demon King. The other representatives are allowed to talk freely, but the Demon King goes first. The Hero: That sounds like a Human conference. The Demon King: Its a normal conference. The Hero: So, what happens if someone objects to the contents of the discussion? The Demon King: We discuss further until no one objects. The Hero: Is that really possible? The Demon King: Well discuss for as long as it takes. There were cases where a single topic was discussed for a whole month. The Hero: I see I cant really imagine it, though. The Demon King: The conference will go back and forth for several days. In that time, of course, different Races may conduct their own individual negotiations to defuse their disagreements as well, like presenting gifts to each other or arranging marriages. Sometimes they may even try a more forceful sort of pressure. Anything to resolve the disagreements. The Hero: Ahh, I see. It really is a conference between many factions. The Demon King: Thats right. We slowly discuss and consolidate our positions and in the end, we issue a joint statement. The Hero: And what happens if we cante to a conclusion or if the Conference is broken up before a conclusion is reached? The Demon King: There has never been a precedent. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Three hundred years ago, at the Kurultai of the Hell King of the Biting Tortoise Tribe, the Chief of the Fang Tribe opposed his views. The Hero: You see, there was a precedent! The Demon King: The Hell King exterminated the entire race, turning them all into ash. In the end, the Kurultai concluded with everybody in agreement. Door opens. The Female Pdin: What a nice bath. The Hero: Wee back. The Female Pdin: Shall we continue where we left off? The Hero: Ive just been hearing about it, but the world above is really different from down here, after all. The Female Pdin: I see The Demon King: Come under the covers. The Hero: Youre already under the covers. The Demon King: Im not in a rush or anything. The Female Pdin: The Hero goes in the middle. The Hero: Ummm. The Demon King: Hurry up and get in! The Female Pdin: If you dont get in, I wont get in either. The Hero: Fine. mbers into bed. The Demon King: This is very nice. The Hero: Its my first time being in a bed attached to the ceiling. The Female Pdin: This is called a canopy, right? The Demon King: We were talking about the Kurultai. The Female Pdin: It seems like such a bother. The Hero: This really isnt a straight piece of rope. So the Demon King is expected to exterminate entire races and turn them into ash for disagreeing? The Demon King: I dont have that power, and I wouldnt want to do it in any case. The Female Pdin: Why dont they juste up with conditional offers, or talk it out? The Demon King: Well, the exterminating thing has probably only happened to one race. The Hero: The Demon King: Whats wrong, Hero? The Hero: Ah, no. I met a lot of different people in the Demon World, I wonder which Tribes they were from. The Demon King: There are really a lot of tribes. The Female Pdin: I only see Demons on the battlefield, its quite unbelievable to think they have families too. The Demon King: A Demon would find it unbelievable that Humans have families, since most Demons have never seen a Human before. The Hero: Thats true. The Demon King: Yawns. The Female Pdin: You look sleepy. The Demon King: A bit. The Female Pdin: Shall we go to bed? The Hero: We can continue our conversation tomorrow. The Demon King: Good idea, Hero. The Female Pdin: Yeah, Hero. The Hero pulls the sheets up. The Female Pdin: Its good that we arent fighting, isnt it? The Demon King: Maybe the Hero is only satisfied when there are people fighting over him. The Hero: Werent we going to sleep? The Female Pdin: Im going to sleep so I need some warmth. The Demon King: I cant sleep when Im this rxed. The Hero: This is a very difficult atmosphere. The Female Pdin: Difficult? Master, are you hurting anywhere? The Demon King: If there were any kind of problem, dont you think I would resolve it immediately. The Hero: Stop it. The Female Pdin: Yeah, yeah, stop it. The Demon King: Youre still as fluffy as ever, Hero. The Hero: I should probably still count myself lucky, but The Female Pdin: Thats why you need to hurry up and make a decision. The Demon King: If you keep this up, youll just lose the both of us, Hero. - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Guest Room Little Maid Sister: Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Ah, Sis! Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Sis, Sis! Shakes sister. Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Its morning, we should make breakfast. Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: We could make bread, or sweet potatoes. Elder Maid Sister: Takes out bread. Little Maid Sister: Here look, its some delicious bread Can you smell it? Elder Maid Sister: HeyWere on vacation today. Little Maid Sister: Really? Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Wh-what! Theres breakfast prepared for us! Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: What should I do? I didnt make it, but theres breakfast. What should I do? Sis, its breakfast! Elder Maid Sister: There should be. We would be hungry without it. Little Maid Sister: Really? Elder Maid Sister: Little Maid Sister: Thats true now that I think about it. Elder Maid Sister: Brings breakfast over. Little Maid Sister: What a nice smell. Inhales deeply. Little Maid Sister: Whats this Ah, theres ck bread, and white bread, and bacon with eggs, and some kind of yellow fruit, and whats this Oh its fried potatoes ? Elder Maid Sister: Mmmm. Gets up. Little Maid Sister: Oh, youre awake! Lets eat! Lets eat! Elder Maid Sister: That looks amazing. Smiles. Little Maid Sister: Shall we eat? Elder Maid Sister: Lets go wash up first. Volume 2 8, “If you don’t give up, definitely.”

Volume 2 Chapter 8, If you dont give up, definitely.

- The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Hotspring in the Morning Steam rises. East Fortress Base Commander: Hey. The Hero: Hey, whats up. East Fortress Base Commander: Whats up with you? Youve got a very unpleasant expression on your face. Didnt you sleep? The Hero: Well, lots of things happened East Fortress Base Commander: I see. Lots of things happened. The Hero: Even though theyre enemies with each other East Fortress Base Commander: There are many battles no matter where one is. Taadaa! The Hero: Whats that? East Fortress Base Commander: Wine. I helped myself to some. The Hero: Youre drinking so early in the morning? East Fortress Base Commander: Im drinking because its so early in the morning, it makes it especially delicious. The Hero: Well, thats some reasoning. East Fortress Base Commander: Here, have some. Pours out wine. The Hero: Right, just a cup then. East Fortress Base Commander: Cheers! The Hero and the East Fortress Base Commander: Ahhhh! The Hero: What snacks do you have to go with this wine? East Fortress Base Commander: Well, Ive got some barbecued fish and some pickled vegetables. The Hero: They look good. East Fortress Base Commander: Eat up, eat up. The Hero: Ahh Thank you. East Fortress Base Commander: So, whats the situation? The Hero: With what? East Fortress Base Commander: Which one is the first wife? The Hero: Eh? What are you talking about? East Fortress Base Commander: You said this was a family vacation. The Hero: I said it looked like a family vacation. East Fortress Base Commander: Heh. The Hero: Wh-whats that mean? East Fortress Base Commander: Stop hiding. The Hero: Im not hiding anything. Bubbling sound. The Mage: How very interesting. The Hero: What?! East Fortress Base Commander: Where are you? The Mage: Im submerged. East Fortress Base Commander: Is that the Mage? East Fortress Base Commander: (small voice) What sort of human is she? The Hero: Shes that kind of person. Shes very elusive, but shes not a bad person. Though her heart isnt usually in the right ce The Mage: The struggle for the ce of the first wife. What an extremely dramatic tale. East Fortress Base Commander: Umm, what sort of reaction should I have? The Hero: Dont ask me. East Fortress Base Commander: So the Demon King is your first wife? The Hero: Definitely not! The Mage: Dont you have a rtionship closer than a first wifes? The Hero: Why are you in here anyway? This is the mens bath. The Mage: This is the mixed bath. Thats the rumour anyway. The Hero: Theres no mixed bath over here. Dont you find this indecent? The Mage: There wont be a problem if I use camouge magic. East Fortress Base Commander: Youve got a lot of squares flickering on your skin. - Exnation Squares on Skin: This refers to a mosaic. From a legal standpoint, mosaics can be applied to film media in order to provide privacy for the person in the film. Within the area, colours are blended so that specific shapes are difficult to make out without obscuring the colour palette of the image jarringly. - The Hero: What are you camouging? The Mage: The gradients are a bit thin, I suppose. East Fortress Base Commander: How very, very interesting. The Hero: The Mage is incredibly proficient in magic. She has more magic in her little pinky than a Master-ss mage has. East Fortress Base Commander: Incredible! The Mage: Not really. East Fortress Base Commander: Ahh, to sit in a bath all afternoon drinking wine, what a way to divorce ourselves from the trivial fetters of this transient life. The Hero: Hmm. - Exnation Blue Ass: This needs some exnation. The Japanese proverbial expression to have a blue ass refers to being young and inexperienced. A young baby is born with a blue ass, hence the expression. - The Mage: You arent eager to divorce yourself? Is your ass still blue? The Hero: Its already no longer blue. The Mage: If it was red you would be a baboon. Heeheehee. East Fortress Base Commander: Whats wrong? Is something up? The Hero: Yeah, well East Fortress Base Commander: What is it? The Hero: Do you know about the Kurultai? East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah, its a massive conference The Demon King and that beautifuldy were discussing itst night. That being said, even a four year old in the Demon World would know that by now. The Hero: Is that so? East Fortress Base Commander: Is something wrong with the Kurultai? The Hero: Im trying to find a route at that conference to suggest peaceful co-existence with humanity, but Im not certain how that will turn out. East Fortress Base Commander: Thats probably impossible, right? The Hero: Eh? East Fortress Base Commander: Well, this Kurultai is meant to decide how best to invade the Human World after all. The Hero: Who said that? East Fortress Base Commander: Everyone says that. The Hero: Well, thats a misunderstanding. The Demon King doesnt want such a thing. Even if we cant achieve evesting peace and joint prosperity, well get a ceasefire, or at the very least well make sure we dont obliterate each other. East Fortress Base Commander: Well, yes, I know thats what she wants from our talk yesterday. But dont you think its impossible with this Kurultai? The Hero: What? East Fortress Base Commander: The whole Demon World is abuzz with chatter, everyone is asking, How far into the Demon World are we going to invade this time? and all their intentions are centred around that. I wouldnt say everyone wants a war to take ce, but with rumours flowing the way they do, it would be a very good time for anyone who did want a war. Those people will definitely make use of this flow. The Hero: East Fortress Base Commander: A war is a grave event involvingrge amounts of weaponry and people, but even an atmosphere which cannot be quantified in such a simple manner can be a very grave event as well. It is this atmosphere which can causerge-scale defeats for an army. A mercenary who has lived a long time understands the stench of this reality. This is the precise reason why there is no ce for a mercenary in a defeated army after all. The Hero: Yeah. East Fortress Base Commander: Furthermore, the Eight Great Demon Tribes. The Hero: ? East Fortress Base Commander: The Tribe of Fiends, the Demons of the Pale, the Tribe of Giants, the Tribe of Dragons. The Mage: The Tribe of the Fang, the Tribe of Banshees, the Tribe of Fairies, and the Automatons. The Hero: Are those the Eight Great Demon Tribes? East Fortress Base Commander: Didnt you know? Well, in any case, out of these Eight Great Demon Tribes, probably only the Fairies want peace with the Humans. The Hero: Eh? East Fortress Base Commander: Only the Fairy Tribe wants peace with the Humans. The Hero: But there are a lot of different Tribes in the City of the Gate, right? And the Fire Dragon Lady wants peace with the Humans as well, right? East Fortress Base Commander: Thats really on an individual basis. Therere a lot of different kinds of people from everywhere. There are even those who are content to sit on the fence. If they have to co-exist with humans, then they dont mind. In the City of the Gate, at the very least, we co-exist superficially. But just how deep this goes is a different subject altogether. The truth is that we arent actually co-existing, but lets not go into such sad topics just yet. In any case, you have to consider that there are very few members in the co-existence faction, and what you are going to do with that? The Hero: Thats East Fortress Base Commander: From what I hear from the Fire Dragon Lady, the Fire Dragon Race may be stubborn, but theyre not stupid. Most Dragons live in the hignds and mountainsides, at high altitudes where they do note into much contact with the other Demon Races. Rather than co-existence, what they really want is to be left alone. However, there are massive veins of metals sleeping under the mountains where the Dragon Races reside. There are alsorge deposits of extremely pure iron, which is rare in the Demon World, in the mountains where the Dragon Races live. Living in such ces, it is impossible not to run into trouble. Thats why they are willing to send the Lady all alone to learn about the world outside and how to manage it. Of course, the Fire Dragon Lady can prove her mettle by her character alone too. The Hero: I see. The Mage: The domestic situation for each of the Tribes is simrlyplex. East Fortress Base Commander: Yes, you could say that. The Hero: How so? East Fortress Base Commander: Consider the existence of Races within Tribes. Tribes are divided into smaller Races. For example, the Dragon Lady belongs to the Dragon Tribe, but within that, she is the daughter of the ruling nobility of the Fire Dragon Race. There are other Races like the Cloud Dragon Race or the Stone Dragon Race. The Hero: Howplex. East Fortress Base Commander: Well, theyre living things, so it cant be helped. The Hero: East Fortress Base Commander: What? The Hero: But we need to do something. The Mage: East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm. The Hero: East Fortress Base Commander: We could use yours and the Demon Kings incredible destructive abilities But thats probably not good. The Hero: Yeah. East Fortress Base Commander: That would be like getting punched by your father. The Hero: Exactly. As much as possible, I would like to resolve this without having to do anything drastic. The Mage: East Fortress Base Commander: Im not even certain what you should say. You should probably look for other Tribes like the Dragon Tribe, who arent opposed to co-existence but are looking to pursue a middle ground for their own advantage. However, I dont have friends like the Fire Dragon Lady there, so Im not sure about the situations in those Tribes. The Hero: Yeah. East Fortress Base Commander: It would probably be very helpful if we researched about all the different Tribes. The Hero: Indeed. The Mage: Book of Statutes. - Exnation Statutes: These are directives for governments to follow set by previous governments. In Japan, the Imperial Household Law of 1947 sets rules for the Emperor of Japan such as how to determine the order of session to the Chrysanthemum Throne. - East Fortress Base Commander: ? The Hero: Did you say something, Mage? The Mage: East Fortress Base Commander: Huh? The Hero: Can you check it out? The Mage nods. The Hero: I dont really understand but you can check this Book of Statutes thing? Im really bad at researching things. East Fortress Base Commander: Hahahahahaha, so am I. The Mage: East Fortress Base Commander: Well, its fine, Ill get my Aide-de-Camp on it. The Hero: Im sorry. East Fortress Base Commander: No, its fine. We might not be able to avoid war, but if we work hard on this, Im sure it wont go to waste. If we can reduce the number of Tribes taking part in the war by just one race, even if we went to war, we would dramatically reduce the number of des on the battlefield and help sow some doubt into the situation as well. I would be willing to do anything to help you in this endeavour. - The Backyard of The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, the Route to the Kitchen Elder Sister Maid: What a feast! Little Sister Maid: What a feast~? Elder Sister Maid: Where should I put the tableware? Little Sister Maid: If you just leave it in the house, we wont be able to get the oil out easily. Elder Sister Maid: I see. Youre very good at this. Little Sister Maid: Hehe? Household Fairy chirps. Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Little Sister Maid: Ah, how cute! Household Fairy chirps. Little Sister Maid: Theres so much! Elder Sister Maid: These are potatoes, cereal, milk? Theyre carrying all this? Little Sister Maid: Theyre carrying our food Household Fairy: We bring food. Humans. So small. Hungry? Elder Sister Maid: Umm, we just ate. Little Sister Maid: And what a feast it was. ? Household Fairy: Chirp. You smell like potatoes. Chirp. Was it delicious? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, it was delicious! Little Sister Maid: The bacon and eggs were delicious too! Household Fairy: Chirp, chirp. Take this. Elder Sister Maid: Whats this? Little Sister Maid: It smells sweet! Household Fairy: Chirp. Its a Princess Apple. Chirp. From a good region. For lunch, well have twenty types of cheese with fruits. Elder Sister Maid: Wow. Little Sister Maid: Amazing! Amazing! Household Fairy chirps. Little Sister Maid: What a small person. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. She looks like a cute and nice person. Little Sister Maid: Yeah! - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Gazebo in the Courtyard The Female Pdin: Like this? Ah, wrong like this? The Female Pdin: L-like this?! The Hero: What are you doing? The Female Pdin: H-Hero?! The Hero: What are you doing? The Female Pdin: No, nothing much. Nothing important, anyway. Im just doing some warm-ups, right? The Hero: I see. I just came from the hotsprings myself, to think you would be so serious. The Female Pdin: Ive been told one should seize the day The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: Ah, no. Nothing. Im just following advice from the Chief Maid to train up my body. The Hero: I see. The Female Pdin: Especially around my chest area. The Hero: Ahhhh. The Female Pdin: Whats wrong? The Hero: No, I was being boiled in those hotsprings. Its so hot. The Female Pdin: Really? Shall I fan you? The Hero: You brought a fan? The Female Pdin: Of course. My master is here after all. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Shall I? Smiles. The Hero: Whats with that smug smile?! Its making this fanning thing seem very scary! The Female Pdin: But The Hero: Its fine, its fine Ill just take a break. The Female Pdin: R-really? Then should I bring you a cold beverage? The Hero: Dont worry about it. Just carry on with your exercise. The Female Pdin: Ah, I can do thatter. The Hero: Really? The Female Pdin: Yeah Can I sit next to you? The Hero: Sure, go on. The Female Pdin: Alright. The Hero: Do you want to undress a bit, its very hot. The Female Pdin: What are you saying? Stop making such shameless advances! The Hero: You were the one making shameless advancesst night. The Female Pdin: When Im together with the Demon King I feel like I have to best her as my rival, so I may cross a few boundaries then. The Hero: I dont really get it. The Female Pdin: Thats okay. The Hero: Really? The Female Pdin: Wind blows. The Hero: How cooling. The Female Pdin: Its usually colder than this. The Hero: Well, I just got out of the bath. The Female Pdin: Youre unexpectedly bad at coping with the cold. The Hero: Hotsprings sure are great. The Female Pdin: Hmm? The Hero: Hotsprings are so great. Everyone can really get together and have fun. The Female Pdin: Indeed. The Hero: Its also great that we can eat in such nice rooms. Even getting drunk and copsing all over the ce is really fun as well. The Female Pdin: Really? The Hero: Getting into the bath early in the morning, having a scrumptious breakfast when I feel hungry, its really the best thing that could ever happen! The Female Pdin: Oh dear, youre bing a glutton just like the Little Maid Sister. The Hero: Is that bad? If I dont eat, I cant get my Mana up. The Female Pdin: That being said, it was like that in the old days, too. The Mage was like that as well Is food connected to Mana? The Hero: Thats probably so, its some kind of fuel, I think. The Female Pdin: I can sort of understand that. Wind blows. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: Im having so much fun with everybody. Its so wonderful that there is this many people in my life. Those stupid disciples and that pervy old man as well. The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Its fun, and Im so happy. The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Hero: As expected The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: We have to negotiate at the Kurultai, but Im bad at that. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Hero: One could say that the Demon King doesnt want the war to return. Actually, she definitely doesnt Even for someone like me, who has been ying Demons left, right and centre, I can understand this emotion. The Female Pdin: My hands, too, are stained with blood. The Hero: Thats true. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Hero: The Demon King doesnt have as much blood on her hands as we do. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Hero: Not that theres a second part to that statement or anything. The Female Pdin: Is that so? In that case, let me say it for you. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: A friend who hopes for peace. A friend who doesnt want war. Even though her hands are still not stained with so much blood, thats enough justification for me and for her to be on the battlefield. I am the Female Pdin. I like to think I am a loyal disciple of the Spirit, and one who is willing to walk along a cruel, blood-stained path is not one whom the Spirit will possibly endorse. The Hero: Thats a very cool thing to say! The Female Pdin: Thats really somethinging from you. The Hero: O-oh? The Female Pdin: In any case, I have decided that I will help the Demon King. I dont understand this very well, but can the Kurultai really suppress the other Demon Tribes? The Hero: Leave it to me! The Female Pdin: Im stupid, so I probably cant help you with anything, but! The Hero: Ohe on! The Female Pdin: You can always count me for anything, master! - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, on a Terrace Elder Sister Maid: I have brought you some tea. The Chief Maid: Thank you. Elder Sister Maid: Youre wee Its quiet here. The Chief Maid: Yeah. Elder Sister Maid: Little Sister Maid: ? The Chief Maid: And what are you doing? Little Sister Maid: Im writing my diary The Chief Maid: Diary? Elder Sister Maid: Shes been writing a lottely. Little Sister Maid: Hehe. The Chief Maid: Very good. If you write every day, the words will stay with you. Elder Sister Maid: Umm. The Chief Maid: ? Elder Sister Maid: How about all the pictures she draws Little Sister Maid: I cant do without them! The Chief Maid: There are pictures in your diary? Elder Sister Maid: Tada ? This is the soup we had yesterday! The Chief Maid: Well, well. Elder Sister Maid: Did you like it that much? Little Sister Maid: I did! There was vinegar in it too. The Chief Maid: Wow, the recipe too? Who did you get it from? Little Sister Maid: That ck, gloomydy taught it to me ? Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Little Sister Maid: She also taught me how to marinate the meat in vinegar for grilling! Flip, flip. The Chief Maid: This girl can really surprise me sometimes. Elder Sister Maid: Im always afraid of what shelle up with next Little Sister Maid: Yayyy! The Chief Maid: Hahaha, youve done a lot of research into food, then? Little Sister Maid: Yes. I write everyday about the yummy food we eat. The Chief Maid: Its good to write about things other than cooking. Little Sister Maid: Really? The Chief Maid: The memory of a taste is an impression. Even if you wrote down that strong, vivid impression you had from this morning, you still wouldnt be able to summon up that emotion just from writing. Little Sister Maid: I see! Well, I also wrote down the lyrics to the song that the Female Pdin was singing? Elder Sister Maid: I think Id much rather forget that. - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in a Large Room East Fortress Base Commander: I always thought that beef was tough and difficult to eat, but this is really delicious. Little Sister Maid: This is beef? The Chief Maid: Indeed. Aide-de-Camp: Its less chewy than pork and much softer. Little Sister Maid: Eh? Why is it so soft? The Chief Maid: Usually, beef is tough because cows do a lot of work and build muscle. This is veal. The Hero: Oh, is that so? The Female Pdin: Hmm, this is an interesting taste. East Fortress Base Commander: I like it a lot. I bet this would taste great as kushiyaki, with some rock salt to taste. Aide-de-Camp: That would be nice, I like these dango as well. Theyre floating in the soup so adorably. Elder Sister Maid: But why dont we usually eat beef? The Demon King: Thats a productivity issue. Compared to horses, cows are more obedient and are hence vital partners on the farm. They till thend and pull the bullock carts. They may be slower than horses, but far more powerful. As for consumption,pared to killing them for their meat, milking them is more valuable in the long term for many farmers. Unlike pigs, they also do not reproduce in litters, hence a cow which provides milk for a family can easily be considered a member of that family. The Hero: I see. The Female Pdin: That makes a lot of sense. East Fortress Base Commander: The ground is so much more fertile here in the Demon Worldpared to up there. Aide-de-Camp: It sure is! Elder Sister Maid: Demon World? The Demon King: Crap. East Fortress Base Commander: Should I not have said that? The Hero: They still dont know. The Chief Maid: Oh dear. The Female Pdin: So thats how it is. The Hero: Female Pdin, Im sure you can appreciate how delicate this is. The Female Pdin: Leave it to me. The Hero: Please handle this well. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Should we just tell them the truth?! The Female Pdin: This is the No.1 Resort in all the Demon World. The Chief Maid: Thats true, its definitely the most expensive. The Female Pdin: Your Mistress over there is the owner of the resort. Elder Sister Maid: She is?! The Demon King: Uhh Yeah The Female Pdin: Thats why were borrowing it. Elder Sister Maid: So thats whats going on. I knew the Mistress was some kind of noblewoman, but to think this is the fief which she owns. Little Sister Maid: Everything is delicious! The Chief Maid: This is a very bizarre situation. East Fortress Base Commander: Well, its to be expected in the Demon World. Aide-de-Camp: Are the two linked? Elder Sister Maid: So shes a Demon Noble? The Demon King: Uhh, yeah You could say that The Female Pdin: To be more precise, shes the royalty. Elder Sister Maid: So youre the Demon King. I understand now. Ive always heard people call you Maou-sama or Demon King, but I just didnt believe it until now. Little Sister Maid: Whats going on? Elder Sister Maid: Umm, well Little Sister Maid: ? Elder Sister Maid: The Mistress is the owner of a great city where a lot of wonderful food is being made. Apart from the castle were in now, she also owns a lot ofnd in many ces. Little Sister Maid: So shes rich? The Hero: Thats whats important to you?! The Demon King: No, Im not really rich The castle is just something that has been passed down from generation to generation. With the inheritance tax from each generation steadily inting, this is really beginning to cost me a lot of money Elder Sister Maid: So youre a noblewoman on hard times? Little Sister Maid: I dont care what times youre on as long as theres good food. East Fortress Base Commander: Her true colours have finally shown, tinydy. Elder Sister Maid: Well then, Im sure dinner will be great. Little Sister Maid: Great? The Chief Maid: Itll be anotherrge banquet like yesterday. Little Sister Maid: Amazing! Its so great to be rich! You can always make such wonderful feasts? Ahh, everyone in our house is such wonderful people. The Demon King: No. Umm. I didnt make it And about the people? Im just a Elder Sister Maid: Well, it doesnt matter if its the Demon World or the Human World or whatever, the people are most important. Little Sister Maid: I knew you were someone great, but I didnt know you were so amazing! Wonderful! Make sure to teach me how to cook a lot of things! The Female Pdin: Hahahaha. Aide-de-Camp: Hahahahaha! Elder Sister Maid: Well try not to get in your way. We know youre busy. Little Sister Maid: Yep? The Chief Maid: Well, well. The Demon King: I have no experience with this cooking thing The Hero: You seem too shocked for a Demon. - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, in the Hotsprings Steam rises Elder Sister Maid: Wind blows The Chief Maid: What a nice wind. Elder Sister Maid: Ah. Yes Elder Sister Maid: The Chief Maid: Wind blows The Chief Maid: As expected, youre in shock. Elder Sister Maid: The Chief Maid: We were never trying to lie to you or anything. Elder Sister Maid: Thats not it. Im just a bit surprised My sister may look ditzy, but shes a very strong girl. The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: Even if the Mistress is a Demon, and you and the Hero are also Demons, it still doesnt change the fact that you were the ones who saved us. That night, without the warmth and the food that you provided for us, we would have starved to death. Not only that, you also gave purpose to our lives. Elder Sister Maid: But even so, I guess Im still shocked. The Chief Maid: Wind blows Elder Sister Maid: Up till now, I still dont really know what war is, but Im scared of it. That day, in the Kingdom of Metal, the one who tried to kill us was also from the Southern United Kingdoms I will never forget those eyes, filled with insanity. They haunt me in my dreams at night. War is scary, its insane Thats how I feel. The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: But because Demons are Demons If we think this way Well, actually, most people think along these lines: War is something that should definitely not happen, but war with Demonkind is not war. Many people think that way. Even myself at times Thats why Im shocked. Id always believed that Demons were evil. But if you think about it, it cant possibly be so clear-cut. Im shocked at my old way of thinking, and appalled by the hypocrisy. The Chief Maid: There is a limit to the generosity of Demons though. Elder Sister Maid: But, youre not evil Because I know both you and the Mistress, I can say that with certainty. Wind blows Elder Sister Maid: A long time ago, I went to look for the Mistress. Elder Sister Maid: I asked her, What is war? The Chief Maid: Wind blows Elder Sister Maid: She answered, Lets say there are two vige kids who meet. The first kid is different from the second kid. The second kid is different from the first kid. They arepletely different existences. It is a meeting between two different existences. One of the things which arises from that is conflict. Many people die from wars. Where sadness and misery meet foolishness and madness, wars begin. From an Economical standpoint, it is a massive waste of resources, from a Historical standpoint, it is a great loss. But, this misery is one part of meeting people. It is one form of making acquaintances. The Chief Maid: She said that Elder Sister Maid: It felt very sad. The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: At that time, I didnt understand at all. People should just stop fighting, since were all people. Its because of noblemen giving orders that wars begin, so without noblemen, there will be no wars. I thought it was that simple. But being so na?ve, I also thought that all Demons should be exterminated from the face of existence. Demons are things which even the Spirit abhors and detests. How can such a miserable thing be an act of making acquaintances? In my pride, that was how I thought. I could not understand what the Mistress meant by the meeting of two existences. The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: Even up to now, when I stand corrected, I still do not fully understand. Why do people have this emotion, why is war the result? But I must try my best to understand for myself. The Chief Maid: Youve be stronger. Elder Sister Maid: Thats not true. The Chief Maid: Both you and your sister Elder Sister Maid: Sorry? The Chief Maid: Such arrogant disciples. Elder Sister Maid: Ah The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: Wind blows. The Chief Maid: Get in, youre going to catch a cold. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Chief Maid: Listen. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Chief Maid: The world is massive and without limits. There are people with all sorts of souls, impure and cruel, corrupt and cowardly, but also those which are peaceful and beautiful, who seek to make the world a better ce. The world holds all sorts of people, its that massive. But, youre already making great progress. So Im sure that one day, you will understand. If you dont give up, definitely. - The Demon King Hotsprings Vi, the Entrance East Fortress Base Commander: Right then. Were all packed. Aide-de-Camp: Did you forget anything important? Little Sister Maid: I bought lots of souvenirs ? The Chief Maid: Are you ready, Demon King? The Demon King: Yep, Im all prepared. The Female Pdin: This teleportation thing really cuts down on travel time, how convenient. The Hero: Well, its a secret technique. East Fortress Base Commander: Well, I dont think many people can say theyve had the privilege of going to a hotspring holiday with the Demon King herself. Aide-de-Camp: Indeed! What a privilege. The Female Pdin: Oh, wheres the Mage? East Fortress Base Commander: Oh, she was walking around just now. Footsteps. The Mage: Arrived. The Chief Maid: Well then, shall we go home? The Demon King: The Hero will send the East Fortress Base Commander back first. Well wait here. The Mage: Its fine. Ill do it. The Hero: Oh? You know the City of the Gate well? The Mage nods. East Fortress Base Commander: Alright then, Ill go with the Mage. Aide-de-Camp: Thank you very much. The Mage: Its nothing. Teleportation sh. The Chief Maid: Lets go too, then. Little Sister Maid: Back to the Vige of Wintering? The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Yeah! The Female Pdin: Ill be sure toe back here the next time I need a hotspring vacation. The Demon King: Well have a mountain-load of work to do once we get back. The Hero: Yeah. The Chief Maid: We should get back as soon as we can. The Demon King: Hmm. The Female Pdin: ? The Demon King: The moon is very bright, its about time for the Kurultai. The Hero: The reports must be piling up, and Im sure theres a whole lot of trade issues by now. Im also worried about the Lone Winter King and the Central Continent. The Female Pdin: Yeah. Lets go! The Hero: Leave it to me. Teleportation sh. Volume 2 9, “The Great Demon Conference, the Kurultai”

Volume 2 Chapter 9, The Great Demon Conference, the Kurultai

- The Winter Pce, the Study Butler: Thats not it. Steep the tea more. Two sugar cubes. Royal Maidservant: Y-yes! Clerk: Where should I put the information on agricultural tax? Butler: Put everything fromst year in the Merchants Disciples study. The rest goes to the archives room. Royal Maidservant: There are applications for the Queen of Winter. Butler: Pass them to the King for vetting. Lone Winter King: You look busy. Butler: No sheet, Young Man. Lone Winter King: It looks really terrible. Butler: No, no, its fine. Im finally of use. Lone Winter King: Im a bit worried. Butler: Dont worry, young man. This is the time to redeem my grant young days when I was a carefree dandy. Lone Winter King: Im worrying a lot. Butler: Besides, apart from me, who else is there to handle all of this? Lone Winter King: Thats true. Secret Service Captain: Sir, the elite squad has been assembled. Butler: Great, prepare Equipment No.2 and stand by for further instructions. Secret Service Captain: Yes, sir. Lone Winter King: Once theyre in the Demon World, its going to be difficult to establish contact. Butler: That wont be a problem. Theyll learn to cope with it. Maintaining ones cover is the most important part of going undercover. I used to do this a lot in my younger days, but it still makes my heart flutter. Lone Winter King: Well, at least now you wont go around groping young girls. Butler: ?! Lone Winter King: Im serious. Butler: Sigh That makes me sad Lone Winter King: Your responsibility is to conduct investigation and look for ways to achieve peace. Butler: Understood. Lone Winter King: As much as possible, I would like to avoid conflict with the Demons right now. With the massive influx of immigrants and the soaring growth rates, I have enough on my hands with the Central Continent alone. Butler: Yes. Lone Winter King: Considering the reactions of the people, it is likely that nothing I say will be enough, but on my part, Im still keeping in view some kind of ceasefire agreement or secret agreement. No, achieving that would really save us. Butler: Indeed The Demon Worldor rather, the Underground World is experiencing its own movements. The City of the Gate has been taken back by the Demons, but despite the rumours from the Central Continent, those Human merchants who were allegedly massacred and exterminated are actually thriving in the City. Lone Winter King: Hmm Butler: Im not sure how many of them are still alive, but from what Ive heard, its an impressive number. Many are even crossing into the Demon World, but then again, there are many Demons who look exactly like humans. Its very difficult to tell them apart at a nce. Lone Winter King: Try to get all this information into a report for me. Butler: As you order. Lone Winter King: This isnt really an order. Butler: Its much cooler to give orders, especially at your age. Lone Winter King: I dont want to hear your jokes right now. Butler: Nyohohohohoho. Lone Winter King: On a side note Butler: Yes. Lone Winter King: Ive been thinking recently What kind of Demon What kind of man is the Demon King? Butler: Hmm. Lone Winter King: He may be the enemy, but to wage a war while administrating an entire World, he must be some kind of peerless Hero, and I ord him the respect that goes with it. Butler: Indeed. The Pce of Ice, in an Elegant Small Room Disciple Nobleman: So, thats how it is. Queen of Ice and Snow: Great work. Disciple Nobleman: No, no, Ive just been enjoying myself at your expense. Queen of Ice and Snow: In summary, what is the most pressing situation. Disciple Nobleman: There are three countries who wish to join the Tripartite Economic Union: The Kingdom of the Lake, the Kingdom of Branches, and the Kingdom of Reeds. Queen of Ice and Snow: Hmm Disciple Nobleman: That being said, the only one who is willing to openly voice their desire to join is the Kingdom of the Lake. The others would like to join, but theyre afraid of the power of the Church. Marshal: As expected, this is an issue of power. Disciple Nobleman: Thats right. The Kingdom of Red Horses will never let those other Kingdoms do that. Queen of Ice and Snow: Quite right. Disciple Nobleman: To put it another way, the Kingdom of Red Horses and of course the Kingdom of White Night, if those two countries did not surround the kingdoms friendly to us, we may have even more countries expressing willingness to join us. Queen of Ice and Snow: Whats the status with the serfs? Disciple Nobleman: Before that, let me tell you about the otherndlords. Queen of Ice and Snow: Continue. Disciple Nobleman: Well, thendlords where was I? Scratches head. Disciple Nobleman: Ah They want to do business with us! There are about twenty-one of them. Most of these are the ruling nobility of City-States. Queen of Ice and Snow: As expected, many people are interested in trade. Disciple Nobleman: Yes. Its because of the high intion, particrly with wheat. It definitely hurts that they cant sell their produce, but most of all, it hurts that they cant even move any of their produce. Queen of Ice and Snow: What do you mean? Disciple Nobleman: Whether the price of goods goes up or down has a direct and significant impact on the City-States, especially if trade is a major industry. If they can buy a good for two gold pieces, maybe they can sell it for three, if they can buy it for three, maybe they can sell it for four. In this way, they make a one-gold-piece profit per good. Queen of Ice and Snow: Hmm. Disciple Nobleman: Now that prices have gone up, in theory, they should be able to sell for higher prices and hence gain more profit, but because its too expensive, they cant even move any of their goods. If the goods cant move, then they can earn neither tariffs nor city tax. Its gotten to such an extent that the volume of water traffic on the River Songboat has gone down to just 10%pared tost year. Queen of Ice and Snow: So its that bad, huh. Disciple Nobleman: From their perspective, right now, the only ce to which it is possible to move their goods is to the South. If they can begin trade with the South, goods can start flowing and they can start making money from the tariffs. Even though they have nothing to do with the production of the goods, as long as the goods arent flowing through their cities, theyre losing money constantly. Queen of Ice and Snow: That may be so, but it cant really be helped. Disciple Nobleman: Yeah, well For example, if they were exporting weapons, then the Church may have a serious problem with that. But as long as they arent exporting weapons or anything, and if they just say that theyre using us as a transit point for the goods, the Church might just let them do what they want. Its clear that being under our umbre, forming a union with us, is a very strong desire of theirs. Queen of Ice and Snow: Disciple Nobleman: However, on the one hand, the City noblemen will not oppose the Emancipation of the Serfs. For the most part, the craftsmen and guildsmen who work in the cities are not serfs, and are unconnected to it for the most part. Queen of Ice and Snow: Indeed. Disciple Nobleman: The kingdoms which are going around saying that the Emancipation of the Serfs is anathema to the teachings of the Church of Light are those agriculturalmunities or otherrge kingdoms where the Church has significant sway over. The Kingdom of the Lake is a veryrge country, but since the Holy Order of the Lake is firmly and officially established there, the news of the Emancipation of the Serfs travelled there quickly and was firmly epted. From her refusal to provide troops to the expedition against us, it is clear that the Queen of the Lake is firmly aligning towards us. Queen of Ice and Snow: Hmm. Disciple Nobleman: Well, thats how I feel. Queen of Ice and Snow: This is all very chaotic. Disciple Nobleman: Compared to the chaos we are facing here, its much worse over there. Queen of Ice and Snow: Is that so? Disciple Nobleman: Everybody is panicking about what Ive just exined to you, its really chaotic. Queen of Ice and Snow: Hmm. Disciple Nobleman: On the whole, the nobility everywhere is very afraid. Queen of Ice and Snow: Afraid? Disciple Nobleman: Thats right. The lifestyles of noblemen are sustained by the taxes which are paid to them, but from a more existential point of view, the reason why they are even noblemen is due to the inherent ss system. In other words, its because they receive the guarantee from the King which tells them You have power! The serfs, ministers and servants then pledge, I will follow you! In this system, even the lower sses are spiritually satisfied with their lot in life and ept it. Queen of Ice and Snow: Disciple Nobleman: So what happens when you remove the lowest-ss status of the Serfs? In other words, when the bottom of the ss systempletely disappears? The entire structure of society and their individual fiefdoms will copse instantly. These lords believe it will be impossible to avoid the degree of unrest which will follow that. As Im sure you can see, in the Tripartite Union where the Emancipation of the Serfs has been sessfully enacted, the farmers and settlers still pay their taxes as usual. Of course, the structure of society has changed to their advantage but it doesnt mean that the Emancipation of the Serfs is equal to the mass execution of all nobility. These nobles arent confident that it can be so effectively carried out. Its very tragic. Queen of Ice and Snow: That being said Disciple Nobleman: Yes? Queen of Ice and Snow: Youe from a noble family, you look like you are fairly rich. Disciple Nobleman: Yes, of course. Queen of Ice and Snow: ? Disciple Nobleman: I believe in civilisation. Even though I am a nobleman, I believe in civilisation and culture. Queen of Ice and Snow: Culture Disciple Nobleman: Singing or dancing or other forms of art are not just some trivial, superficial thing. Do dogs wear dresses? Do cats paint? Do catspose poetry? Do pigs put up operas? The only existences who do that are people with souls, like us. This is what it means to be human. It may look like it is pointless, but its actually very important. Because we are who we are, because we do things today so that our legacy canst until tomorrow. We need things like culture and civilisation. Whats the point of being a nobleman if I dont believe in this? If one does not want to continue being a nobleman, then it is perfectly eptable to be a merchant or a soldier or whatever. It should not be the case that just because you are born into a noble family, you have no way of moving out of it, or vice versa. My grandmother used to say, A nobleman is one who strives for elegance in everything he does, and I believe all should be given the opportunity. Queen of Ice and Snow: Hahaha. Disciple Nobleman: What does your Majesty feel? Queen of Ice and Snow: Yes, really. How funny. Disciple Nobleman: What would you have me do? Queen of Ice and Snow: Go to the Kingdom of Red Horses. Disciple Nobleman: As you wish. Queen of Ice and Snow: And of course, make sure you strive for elegance as you do it. - The Kingdom of Metal, the Royal Pce, the Ministry of Defence Disciple Soldier: Aaaargghhhhhh?! Metal Lieutenant: What is the matter, Minister for Defence? Disciple Soldier: Im at my limit!!! Metal Lieutenant: Please calm down, sir. Disciple Soldier: Im a soldier! Metal Lieutenant: I am also a soldier, sir. Disciple Soldier: Calm down. Calm down. Metal Lieutenant: Breathe slowly, sir. Disciple Soldier inhales and exhales deeply. Metal Lieutenant: Do you feel better? Disciple Soldier: Arghhhh, look at all those reports. Metal Lieutenant: You are too agitated, Minister! Disciple Soldier: This whole Minister for Defence thing was a terrible idea. Im just a soldier, I shouldnt be anything more than the Commander for the Rear Garrison of the Realm. Metal Lieutenant: It ispletely natural that a soldier who performs well on the field should be promoted. Disciple Soldier: But why have I be a Minister! Metal Lieutenant: Well, thats because the Kingdom of Metal isprised of military noblemen. The entire system is built around these soldiers. Anyone above the rank of Seneschal is usually also a military person. You could say that the motto of the Kingdom of Metal is, A soldier is only a soldier in times of war. In peace, he must administer the country. Disciple Soldier: Ahhh, Ive been swindled. Metal Lieutenant: Well, lets face the facts, sir. Disciple Soldier: Reportsarescary. Reportsarescary. Metal Lieutenant: They arent that scary, sir. Disciple Soldier: If I get the reports wrong, itll be my head on the line! The Pdin will stab me with her sword. The Schr will give up on the entire Kingdom. I wont even have a chair to sit on. Ill have to go the toilet and cry. Metal Lieutenant: What kind of past did this guy have Disciple Soldier: Thats not what I meant. Metal Lieutenant: Well, please calm down, sir. Have some tea. If the reports are so scary, Ill read them out for you to listen. As long as we do this together, well surely get over that mountain. Disciple Soldier: Thank you. I was about to crumble Metal Lieutenant: Well, its true that the number of reports we have here could kill someone. Disciple Soldier: Ugh. Metal Lieutenant: But actually, if we deal with this, just this one report, half of the reports will be solved as well. Disciple Soldier: What kind of issue is that? Metal Lieutenant: Actually, its an order from the King. It reads: The poption is increasing, what the hell should we do? Disciple Soldier: Huh? Isnt it good that the poption is increasing? Metal Lieutenant: Well, its a good thing. As the poption increases, our workforce increases and we can produce more food. We can also field more soldiers in times of war. Disciple Soldier: I-I see. Metal Lieutenant: But currently, there are a lot of short-term problems with this. To begin with, the reason why there are so many immigrants in this country is because the Tripartite Union is rich in food supplies and also guarantees the Emancipation of the Serfs. Among the countries of the Tripartite Union, the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of Winter are the ones which are closest to the borders of the Central Continent. Disciple Soldier: Indeed. Metal Lieutenant: Hoever, the majority of immigrants here are refugee serfs, impoverished settlers or other people who often have no assets apart from the clothes on their backs. Even if they did have some assets, it would be difficult for them to find jobs and hence they only be a social problem. Disciple Soldier: Thats true. Metal Lieutenant: Up till now, we have been requesting the assistance of the Kingdoms of Ice and Winter with dealing with the immense overflow, and also distributing them to viges throughout the area, but this is reaching a limit. Disciple Soldier: So what should we do? Metal Lieutenant: That is up to the Minister for Defence. Disciple Soldier: Hoho! Isnt that me! Metal Lieutenant: The Minister for Defence has the responsibility to defend the people. Disciple Soldier: Ughh. Metal Lieutenant: Well, apart from that problem, with the influx of bankrupt settlers, weve also gotten an issue about the appearance of bandits and rouges. Because the settlerse from different countries, their culture and lifestyles may bepletely ipatible with the locals, and hence there are many cases of trouble brewing from these misunderstandings. Thoseprise arge proportion of this mountain of reports. Of course, as the Ministry for Defence, we should focus on dealing with therger picture. On the whole, the way we deal with banditry and armed violence is to arrest and detain as many as we can, even forcepensationfrom those who can affordpensation. However, these are only punitive measures we can conduct after the incident has taken ce, right? As a result, we arent actually preventing the problem from taking ce at all. Disciple Soldier: Thats definitely true. Metal Lieutenant: Disciple Soldier: Metal Lieutenant: What shall we do? Disciple Soldier: Hmm The Schr made us learn many case studies especially about settlers. Metal Lieutenant: Disciple Soldier: (This is definitely troublesome. Its gotten so bad weve even got violence breaking out willy-nilly. Above all, if the settlements be awless ce, it would be a safe haven for criminals and louts and other scary people Metal Lieutenant: Disciple Soldier: What about the guilds? Metal Lieutenant: The guilds? Disciple Soldier: Do the metal guilds not ept apprentices? Metal Lieutenant: Well, Ill ask around. I could probably go the Hall of Guilds But even so, one guildsman could probably only train five or maybe ten apprentices at a go anywhere in the world\ Disciple Soldier: In that case, contact the workshops and hire some craftsmen to advise on this I want to expand the workshopworks. Metal Lieutenant: The workshops? Disciple Soldier: No, no, thats not it Well, for the time being. Metal Lieutenant: For the time being? Disciple Soldier: My wish is for them all to be soldiers. Metal Lieutenant: Huh?! Soldiers? Disciple Soldier: I mean, they dont have a job, right? And the guilds have reached their limits for apprentices. Even the vige settlements are at their limit for settlers. Theyre broke. They have no ce to live. They have no ce to work, they have nothing, theyrepletely broke. Metal Lieutenant: Yes, thats correct. Disciple Soldier: Im a soldier, so I think the military is the best. Metal Lieutenant: But if thats the case, well have to pay them a lot of money, right? Not just their sries, but weve also got to fork out money to equip them, to feed them and to house them. Disciple Soldier: Well, they can provide for their own upkeep. Metal Lieutenant: What?! Disciple Soldier: Like you said, a soldier must administer the country in times of peace, right? In that case, welle up with a new ss of soldiers, beneath the professional soldiers. In times of peace, they will till thends, so theyll be half-farmer, half-soldier battalions. Well set their military service at five years for now. If they work for those five years, well give them the appropriate marypensation and arablend for their services. - Exnation Half-Farmer, Half-Soldier: This refers to the tuntian system. Soldiers are given parcels of arablend to cultivate in times of peace, and they are allowed to reap whatever they produce from thend for themselves, but in times of war, they can be called upon to fight. It first began in China in the 3rd century BC, but was poprised by Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms Period (of Dynasty Warriors fame). In Japan, during the Meiji Restoration Period, the tonden system was used to spread civilisation to Hokkaido. - Metal Lieutenant: So basically, youre trying to use the soldiers as farmers. Disciple Soldier: Farming also helps to keep the body fit. Many farmers are thin, but thats probably to do with malnutrition. If we can establish potatoes as the centre of the agricultural economy, we can at least ensure everybody has enough to eat. Metal Lieutenant: That is a national priority. Disciple Soldier: We can allow them to live together with their wives and kids, and even expand the age limits of the scheme. We can send them to the wastnds and forests neighbouring the Kingdom of Ice and get them to build new settlements. This could also form part of our defensive perimeter in times of war. Its a good defensive ce, with hills and rivers, right? The weather conditions are a bit harsh, so we might have to get them to establish viges which rely on forestry, shepardry, or potato farming rather than wheat farming. Metal Lieutenant: And what sort of support will we give them? What will we do about food and the like? Disciple Soldier: They are soldiers, so naturally the Kingdom will support them with money and supplies. We could even get this toe directly from the throne, as a gift from the King. Its just that it takes about three years for potato ntations to be effectively established. Metal Lieutenant: Yeah, thats a long time. Disciple Soldier: Lets make sure we n this out thoroughly before we do anything. There are a lot of soldiers who used to be settlers or the sons of settlers in the military, right? Metal Lieutenant: Yes. I myself am one of them. Disciple Soldier: Assemble just seven of them, get them to sound out what they feel are the issues and disadvantages of this scheme. Also, contact the Holy Order and request for their assistance and expertise. Ive thought about this many times before, but we should really establish a Medical Corp. We have to revise the way were training our Medics and Medical Officers, instead of relying on civilian doctors. If we do this, when diseases break out at new settlements, they can be tended to and treated without having to go all the way back to arge city. Patients could also go to settlements from nearby settlements, it could be a very effective system. Metal Lieutenant: Thats good. Its best to reduce the number of civilians we bring to the battlefield. Disciple Soldier: Also, we have to do something about the roadworks. Metal Lieutenant: Roadworks? Disciple Soldier: The presence of roads can dramatically increase the travelling speed of soldiers many times over, especially in Kingdoms like ours, where troops are mainly infantry. Better infrastructure also facilitates the transportation of goods and people. Right now, I believe we should build new roads between unlinked areas and expand and repave the old roads. Metal Lieutenant: Where will we get the money? Disciple Soldier: About that, Im sure we can get the Kingdom of Ice and the Kingdom of Winter to help with that. Metal Lieutenant: Huh? Disciple Soldier: This is not just about the Kingdom of Metal, we should start by building highways between the Three Kingdoms. If we do this, trade will be far more convenient and the movement of our workers will also be easier. The wallets of the Kingdom of Metal will certainly be pleased by this, wont they? Metal Lieutenant: Well, thats not untrue. Disciple Soldier: At the same time, we should also create more metal factories. Metal Lieutenant: Metal factories? Disciple Soldier: Large scale metal workshops. If we want to train craftsmen, we should work them while training them, right? We can get them to beef up the infrastructure of the national economy and to manufacture weaponry and equipment. Metal Lieutenant: Im sure you know this Disciple Soldier: What? Interested. Metal Lieutenant: But with something asrge-scale as this, theres going to be a lot of work. Disciple Soldier: Ive been swindled?! - The Vige of Wintering, the End of Winter, the Diary of the Little Maid Sister Its the end of our third winter. Weve used a lot of spices this winter. Spices like nutmeg, pepper and saffron. All of these were brought back by the Hero from the Demon World, and theyre really useful. Hooray for the Hero!!! The Mistress seems to be very busy with many things. Today, she left with the Hero to the Capital of Winter. They were talking about things like trade,merce, and applications. She had to prepare a lot of souvenirs for these people. The Mistress may be the King of the Demon World, but if souvenirs are so important, she might go broke from these souvenirs. Today, I made a sausage-filled pie. I added a lot of pepper so that its got its great peppery taste. The Hero seems to love it. I even made some blood sausages. I sent some to the Vige Chief and he seemed to really love it. Its almost spring. - Exnation Nutmeg: A sweet spice which is used to mask the smell of fish and meat. It is grown natively in Indonesia. Saffron: In our world, this spice is native to the Mediterranean Sea. It can be used to make dishes like Yellow Saffron Rice. - - The Demon World, the Banks of Phoenix Lake, Pavilion Street Wind blows. The Hero: Ahh, its amazing! The Chief Maid: Its almost unbelievable how much progress there has been. The Hero: That being said Its like a city. The Demon King: Yeah, there are so many people congregating there, its almost like a small city. The Chief Maid: Powerful people from the various Tribes, even people from the smaller Tribes have gathered here for the Kurultai. But apart from them, merchants and artists have also gathered here, even mercenaries willing to offer their services. Its normal that while there are many people attending the Kurultai, there are even more people there just to offer their services. The Hero: Its about time. The Demon King: Yes, it is. The Hero: What are the odds like? The Demon King: Definitely nothing good, but weve got time. The Hero: Youve been saying that. The Demon King: Unanimity is the principle. If I disagreed, at the very worst, the meeting would just be called off. We can just dy the end of it. The Hero: Mmhmm. The Demon King: That being said, its not like we have unlimited time. No matter how long it takes, two months is the limit. At the Kurultai, precedent cases are strongly respected, sometimes even more than the word of the Demon King. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Yeah, thats why we have two months. In that time, we have to search,promise, threaten, or look for a way out by any means possible. The Chief Maid: Today is just the Opening Address and Salutations. The Hero: And the Demon King will be making the Opening Address? The Demon King: Thats right. The Hero: What should I do? The Demon King: What should he do, Chief Maid? The Chief Maid: Hmm, I think we can entrust the role of chief of your Security Detail to him While youre making introductions, hell stand to your back and right to fend off any security threats against you, and also look authoritative. The Hero: That sounds quite cool. The Demon King: Youll be there as the strongest Knight and General of the Demon Kings personal retinue. Youve got a certain presence that will make everybody feel assured when they see you with me, right? The Chief Maid: Yeah, I suppose its a form of power-y and intimidation. From time to time, if you shout Gaaaah!!! the people in attendance will probably think, This guy is really something. The Hero: That could make things really uneasy. The Demon King: It would be bad if things werent uneasy to begin with. The Chief Maid: Thats right. Itll drain them. The Hero: Well, I suppose thats true. The Demon King: Our pavilions are this one and the eight tentages surrounding it. The Chief Maid: We dont really need them, though. The Hero: Its just us after all. The Demon King: But therere going to be people sending tributester, so weve got to get ready to receive audiences. To begin with, the Demon Kings pavilion has to be the biggest one as a show of might. The Hero: Thats true. All hail the Kurultai! The Demon King: Right, its about time then? The Chief Maid: Please wait. The Demon King: Eh? The Chief Maid: Dont tell me youre going out in that silk shirt with that rolled up skirt and white shirt, its so dull. Do you really intend to give the Opening Address looking like that? The Demon King: Should I really not? Like I thought The Chief Maid: Why are you speaking in such a small voice? The Hero: Ahahaha. Shes embarrassed. The Chief Maid: Hero. The Hero: Yes? The Chief Maid: Please face this way for a moment. The Demon King: No! The Hero should go outside! The Chief Maid: If hes not here, then Your Majesty will just oppose me! The Hero: Well, yeah, its as she says. The Demon King: N-no, no! Fine I get it! Ill strip. Ill strip by myself! Ill do it. The Chief Maid: Well, youve got some really dull underwear. The Demon King: It keeps me warm, so isnt it fine? The Chief Maid: Its so pass. And youve got to consider matching the colours. Here, this is ck. Try it on. The Demon King: Ahh, where are you touching me. The Chief Maid: You really need to get rid of the b here, alright, Ill pinch it together. The Hero: (ck? Whats ck?!) - The Kurultai Venue, the Central Stadium The Demon King: Myrades! My people! Ohhhhhh! Its the Demon King! The Demon King hase! The Demon King: Id first like to thank the care and concern that many of myrades has shown me in my time as the Demon King. The prosperity of the Demon World willst forever! Yeahhhhhh! The Demon King: My rule hassted just twenty years. It has been a while since the Humans broke through the gate. Weve managed to control the region with magic and might, and separate the world we live in from the Human world. Weve even managed to put another gate in ce to separate our two worlds. However, the gate has fulfilled its purpose. The ck Knight, my right hand and my sword destroyed the gate himself! The Chief Maid: Alright. Hero. Take a step forward. Dont overdo it. The Hero: Yeah. The Hero buzzes with magic energy. Ah, its the ck Knight! So thats the ck Knight The strongest Knight in the personal retinue of the Demon King. Hes shining with light? Wait, I can almost hear something. Is he saying something? The Hero: GAHHHHHH!!! Wow! What a killing intent! To think he was that scary The Demon King: Myrades! This is my right hand! The gate has been destroyed. And from now on, the world beyond and our world will be linked as one big world! The world that lies before us is not the same as the world we came from. It is apletely new world altogether! Yeahhhhh! Demon King! Demon King! Glory to the Demon King! The Demon King: My people! Today, we stand at a crossroad. There are many questions about the big new world that we have in front of us. Many Tribes are gathered here today. We will extend to them the proper ceremonies. But today, we are not here for ceremonies, we are here to search for the road that leads to tomorrow! Yeahhhhh! Yeahhhhhh! The Demon King: I, the 34th Demon King, Ruby Eyes, dere this Kurultai open! Yeahhhhhh! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Long live the Demon King! Long live the Kurultai! Glory to the Demon King! The Chief Maid: The Demon King: I think thats enough for now. The Chief Maid: What a lot of people. - The Kurultai, the Demon Kings Pavilion, that Night The Hero: Ahhhhh. The Demon King: Ahhh, that was tiring. The Chief Maid: Well, well. The Hero: Why are you still so spirited? The Demon King: Youre some kind of monster! The Chief Maid: I wasnt the one who had to do all the talking. The Hero: How many people have we seen? The Demon King: Hmm? I only remember that they came in fifteen or so groups? The Chief Maid: Forty-eight tribes havee. The Hero: Forty-eight?! I would have thought forty was too much! The Demon King: I felt like I had to meet thousands of people. The Chief Maid: Well, when one tribees to visit you, the Khan brings all kinds of people with him, representing all the important factions and branch tribes, all the princes and princesses, lords anddies, so you do have to meet quite a few people. The Hero: And when they all start to talk at once, wow. Its incredibly rowdy Quite amazing, really. The Demon King: Tea please, Chief Maid. Make it sweet. The Hero: Me too. Make it super sweet. The Chief Maid: Yes, yes, please wait. The Hero: Right, Demon King. The Demon King: Yes? The Hero: Have the Eight Great Tribese yet? The Demon King: Theyvee. They were the very first. The Hero: I didnt really know. The Demon King: If you werent familiar with it, you might have missed them. All the tribes came with very impressive audiences. The Hero: I apologise, but would you kindly exin to me the various races? Especially the ones who came earlier. The Demon King: Hmm, I dont mind Chief Maid, another cup please. The Chief Maid: As you wish. The Demon King: The first who came was the Tribe of the Fiends. The Fiends have always been a very populous Tribe. They look a lot like Humans. Of course, the shape of their pupils and some other characteristics help to give them some very defining characteristics but it wouldnt be farfetched for them to sessfully infiltrate Human society if they so wanted to. Apart fromrge numbers, the Fiends also conduct trade and mix freely with the other Tribes. The pure-blooded Fiends are the Tribe of Tattoos and the Tribe of Shut Eyes. It is not umon for other Demons, especially from the Tribes of the Fang and the Banshees, to join the Tribe of the Fiends. The Hero: Yes, I know. Its that very intimidating, regal, old man. The Demon King: Yes. Though I hear hes very good with the axe. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Their Tribe neither supports nor opposes the invasion of the Human World. They themselves admitted that even without conquering the rest of the world, administering theirrge poption and many different branches is already an incredibly difficult task on its own. Not just on invading the Human World, the Fiends have opted for the middle ground on many issues. Well, to the other races, this seems to be a very half-baked thing to do. But that doesnt mean that the Tribe of the Fiends are a soft people. Individually, the Fiends are a bunch of curious people, and they like to adapt at the veryst minute. Its important to be flexible, but one could say that they go in whichever direction the wind blows. The Chief Maid: Among the Demons which live in the cities, there are a lot of Fiends. The Hero: Ahh! So the Demons who look like Humans in the City of the Gate except with cat-eyes or longer arms are Fiends, right? The Demon King: Thats right. What do you think? Do they not look almost like Humans? As a Tribe, they have their good and bad, and we may yet be able to make use of them. But because they are many in number, their domestic situation is incrediblyplex. The Hero: Hmm Well, it seems that they are neither friend nor foe at this conference. The Demon King: That is correct. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: Those who came next were from the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale. Their skin is blue, and they are very decorated you understand? The Hero: Yeah, I understand. Theyre a very intense bunch of people, right? I know the Demons of the Pale, alright. At least, I know about their skill with the sword. You could say that they are the elite among the Demons. Actually, Ive never met a weak Demon of the Pale. The Demon King: Thats true. The Pale are very strong indeed. Going by numbers they do not have even half of what the Fiends have. But they have outstanding magical capabilities, and each is physically very strong. You could say they are the best of the best among the Demons. They are also split into many different branch tribes, but all of them are united by their blue skin. The colour of their eyes varies from bright gold to deep red though. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: They are a very centralised Tribe with a very strong ss system in ce. The Khan of the Demons of the Pale holds power on apletely different dimension than the other Khans. They are a very militaristic state, with a very military culture. Theyre a race which values purity, so you wont find Demons from other races joining their tribe. Marriages between close family members are even encouraged. The Hero: There sure are a lot of different kinds of Demons. The Demon King: It was like this in the past as well, but Demons take the names of their tribes. Thats why, to put it extremely, the Tribe gives them an identity, and if one attaches himself to the Tribe, he bes one of their people and one of theirrades. That is why you get Tribes like the Fiends, who areprised essentially of whoever is willing to join them. However, the Pale are different. They believe in the purity of blood, and hence apart from those born to the Race, there are none who may join it. The Hero: And what are their views on co-existence? The Demon King: They were the vanguard of the assault on the Human World. Of course, they are motivated bynd and economic gain, but much of it is just a desire to prove that they are the strongest and most elite race. Its good that theyre so confident of their abilities, but it makes them very strong instigators for conflict. The Chief Maid: Actually, they have immense military might, so it wouldnt be easy for us to beat them either. Most of the Demon Kings have been selected from their Tribe, among the Eight Great Demon Tribe, so they are resentful of that as well The Demon King: Another faction which will strongly support war with the Humans is the Tribe of the Fang. The Tribe of the Fang isprised of many, many different races. As long as they possess the body of a beast, they may be part of the Tribe. The current Khan is the Silver Tiger Lord. They dont really live in the cities. Instead, they tend to make settlements in the mountainsides where they live. Many also live in the forests and other ces with a lot of nature. They arent the most civilised of races, but they are very warlike. The Hero: Ahh. Hmm So I suppose the Demon Wolf Marshal was from that tribe The Demon King: He was a great general from a previous generation It is quite unfortunate. The Chief Maid: Well, he was also for invading the Humans, so its for the best The Demon King: The Tribe of the Fang are on the Invasion Faction. They were always a Tribe with a fair amount of bloodlust. In the world below, due to developments in agriculture, previously forested areas are now increasingly being lumbered and settled. They need more living space and they look to expand to the world above. Without a doubt,nd is their main intention. The Hero: How do they lean? The Demon King: The Fangs ideologies are shaped around the acquisition of newnds for their people. To begin with, most of their members are carnivorous and a single one of them requires a fair deal of space to survivefortably. Humans and other agricultural Demons only look for enoughnd for them to farm and grow crops on, but each Fang desires a Hunting Area that can be several square kilometres per person. On top of that, they have no qualms with appropriating thend of those with a culture different to theirs, in other words, agricultural cultures. Whatever they take over, they no longer consider farnd, but rather part of their Hunting Area. That will definitely pose a severe threat to rtions with Demons of other Tribes, let alone Humans. The Hero: I see. The Demon King: Well, that being said, there seems to be a moderate faction taking root in their Tribe, but Right now, it is the extremist faction which we will be discussing with. The Chief Maid: Thats true. The Demon King: Next are the Automatons. Even among Demons, they are a pretty odd bunch. They are constantly d in armour, making them resemble a group of machines. The Hero: Oh yeah, we saw them just now. The Demon King: They take special pride in nurturing their mechanical skills and their magical engineering abilities. They are rather famous for producing inventors as well. Because their mechanisms are fused to the bodies of the Automatons, you dont see them very much throughout the Demon World. The Demon King: They are also part of the Invasion Faction. However, the Automatons are far more cool-headed than the previous two races, so its clear that theyre doing this for the profit. What they want is ess to more metal resources and rare earth minerals. In order to carry out their research, they need more new metal samples, and for that to happen they need to establish mines throughout the surface world. Moreover, the mines which they own are beginning to deplete. That is one reason why they support this war so vehemently. The Hero: Finally, an enemy we can exin easily. The Chief Maid: Indeed. The Demon King: Well, its not that convenient to conclude. To begin with, while theyre part of the Eight Great Demon Tribes, their numbers are exceedingly few. As a result, they are an enigma. I dont know what their real situation is like. I dont really know what their motives or purposes are either. In fact, I have no idea how they were born or what they really look like. I cant even say definitively if that massive suit of armour is their real body or if its just a mechanism. The Hero: Its a mechanism, I think? Inside the armour, theres a cream or pink coloured goopy substance that resembles the flesh of a fruit. Inside all of that, theres a girl. The Automaton moves due to magical energy emanating from inside the suit in tandem with pressure cylinders. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: The Hero: Eh? Whats up? - Ten Minutes Later, the Kurultai, the Demon Kings Pavilion The Hero: Wike I said, nothwing hwappened The Demon King: You have both me and the Female Pdin, so why do you live such a grant life of skirt-chasing!!! The Hero: No, umm, thwats not skirt-chwasing, itth pwart of the dwuties of a Hwero The Demon King: A pointless answer. The Chief Maid: Yeah The Demon King: If you intended to bring her back and introduce her to us, then fine. But without that intention, you went ahead and looked at a maidens naked body, whats up with that! The Hero: Like I said, I only caught a glwimpse before I cwovered her up! The Demon King: Hero. Do you really want to go back to the way you used to be? The Hero: ?! The Demon King: Dammit! The Chief Maid: Please think about what it means for you to deflower a young maiden like that. The Hero: Im weally sowwy. The Demon King: The Hero: Sobs. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Right, so where was I? The Chief Maid: Weve discussed the Tribes of the Fiends, the Pale, the Fang and the Automatons. The Hero: Therere four left? The Demon King: Alright so the Dragons. The Hero: Oww. I know at least a bit about the Dragons. The Demon King: Thats right, youve met with the Fire Dragon Lord before. The Hero: We made a bet over the City of the Gate. The Demon King: The Dragons are a Tribe of battle-hardened veterans who ce a strong emphasis on chivalry. Their current Khan is the Fire Dragon Lord. The Dragon Races cane in many forms, looking like dragons or looking like humans, but they all boast incredible magical abilities. They have many hidden forms of magic which are limited to their bloodline. Most Dragons are humanoid, but with dragon-like features such as horns or scales. They are also an isted Tribe that lives primarily in the mountainsides, avoiding contact with the other Tribes. However, they are definitely not foolish, and they can tell that sooner orter, they must begin to assimte with the rest of society. Having spoken to the Fire Dragon Lord myself, I can tell he is no fool. However, as he represents the interests of his entire Tribe, who have far more predictable attitudes, he is likely to stay in the middle ground. The Chief Maid: Indeed. The Hero: Well, it looks like it wont be easy to bring the Demon Tribes to an agreement with our proposal. The Demon King: Next is the Tribe of the Giants. The Hero: Oh, those massive guys? The Demon King: Thats right. Speaking of which, most are twice as tall as I am, though there are even some who are three times as tall. They live to the Northeast side of the subterranean world. They are also divided into many branch tribes: some who live in the mountains, some who live in the forests, some who live in the hills. There are all kinds really. There are also some who are incredibly violent but those are the extremists. I wouldnt say most of them are that violent. If you talk to them, they are actually a simple and direct people. The Hero: So are they our allies? The Demon King: That part is a bit difficult. Their ancestors used to roam the world above freely. The Hero: Now that you say it, Ive often heard tales of giants walking thend. The Demon King: They definitely dont have good rtions with the Humans. Giant tales are filled with stereotypical Human characters, whom they see as petty viins who are out to deceive the Giants for no reason other than profit. Even their children are told these stories from a young age. They dont want the Gate to the Human World to be closed. You could say that they are a faction who would be content to be left alone. However, if you were to force them to make a choice, I would think that they would choose to co-exist with the Humans. The Hero: Just what did my ancestors do to them The Demon King: Well, theres nothing for it. The Hero: They actually seem like fairly decent folk. The Demon King: If you meet some of them, youll find they are very avid drinkers. The Hero: Whos left? The Demon King: The Tribe of the Banshees are a race of horned Demons. They are a veryplicated Tribe who control the East of the subterranean world. There are those among them who are highly proficient with weaponry, and also those who are skilled mages. They are renown for some members who are able to use their Demonic powers to shapeshift and even turn invisible You know that in the Demon World, there are some creatures you could call animals who possess only a rudimentary sentience, right? The Hero: Yeah? The Demon King: Well, the Banshees are exceptionally adept at controlling these creatures. The world has seen a lot of their abilities, as Im sure you recall. They have managed to bring many races under their umbre, and thend they control is massive. They do not have much persuasive power, but that is because they are unconcerned with the rest of the Demon Tribes as a whole. Generally, they are concerned with maintaining the bnce of the Worlds. As a result, they oppose the invasion of the Human World. But theyre definitely against co-existence as well. If possible, they would probably like for the two worlds to remain wholly divided. The Hero: I see. I dont think I have many Banshee acquaintances. The Demon King: There arent many in the region around the City of the Gate. The Chief Maid: They are very famous for their wine. And their rice. The Hero: Rice The Demon King: Its a crop which is harvested in warm and humid regions. Its very simr to wheat, but it has very narrow conditions which must be met before sessful harvest canmence. In return, the taste and yield of rice is far more bountiful than wheat. The Chief Maid: Very much so. The Demon King: Its all about the climate, the Southern United Kingdoms are definitely not suitable. The Hero: Then, thest I know as well. The Tribe of the Fairies. The Demon King: Hmm, well their current Khan is the Queen of the Fairies. They were originally a confederation of Demon Tribes that used to live in the Forest but over time, they had assimted with each other and now the Queen of the Fairies rules over them from her Pce. The Hero: And the Fairies are our allies? The Demon King: Yes, you could say that they are the only pro-co-existence faction. They did not suffer significantly under the Holy Crusaders and hence harbour no resentment against the Humans. Their form is considered fairly beautiful and it is likely that they will get along well with the Humans. The Chief Maid: The Queen of the Fairies is a highly astute individual. The Demon King: The Fairies are a little bit mischievous, but they are a Tribe of war-hating pacifists. They have average magical abilities and theirbat ability is rather low. They were often the first to be sacrificed whenever Demon Civil Wars broke out. The Hero: That being said, before the war with the Humans, there was some kind of war between the Demons, right? What was that about? The Chief Maid: That was truly Chaos. The Hero: Chaos? The Demon King: Fundamentally, there were two wars going on at the same time, between the Banshees and the Pale, and between the Fiends and the Fang, but the mes of war spread very quickly. Eventually, even those Tribes who had nothing to do with the conflict were pulled into it. The Chief Maid: It was an era of bloodshed. The Hero: Didnt you try to put a stop to it? The Demon King: Of course I did. I even tried to get a Kurultai going. If the Humans hadnt started a war with us No, that was inevitable. The Chief Maid: The Hero: Thats true, though. The Demon King: Hmm. The Hero: As I thought, this is going to be tough. The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: The only Tribe that supports co-existence with the Humans is the Tribe of the Fairies, right? So to get this unanimous support thing, were going to need to persuade just about every other Tribe in the Demon World. Persuading seven Demon Tribes isnt going to be easy at all. Weve got to think of some kind of method. The Demon King: I dont need co-existence with the Humans. The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: Its fine if we dont have co-existence. For the time being, a ceasefire is enough for me. If we can lock down the World for now, that would be good. The Hero: Lock down? The Demon King: Seal the Worlds. Put a stop to inter-world exchanges. The Chief Maid: Can we do that? Without a gate? The Demon King: Well, we definitely cant do it perfectly, but itll serve our purposes. Of course, theres no meaning if we seal the worlds and yet the war still goes on, so we have to get the Humans, or at the very least, a few of the countries to agree to a ceasefire. The Hero: Is that really what you want? Werent you aiming for co-existence? The Demon King: Thats true, but everything must be done in progression. Currently, our most urgent goal is to put an end to the war immediately. Right now, because Im supposed to be recuperating, were in a state of ceasefire, but since we have not settled on any terms or anything, this isnt a real ceasefire. In other words, we are still at war with the Humans. In this state, even the smallest altercation could retrigger an all-out war. The Demons of the Pale have invaded the Human World unterally just a while ago, but because I was out of action, there was nothing I could say. The Hero: Is that so The Demon King: For the moment, the aim is to achieve a ceasefire. Peace and conciliation are things we can only think about when the war is over. There is value for both worlds if we can achieve conciliation between the Surface World and the Underground world. Thats why Im not too worried about it. Im an economist after all. The Hero: Trade? The Demon King: Yes. From the perspective of the Underground World, the Surface World is a treasure trove. From salt to metal to wheat, frommb to fish, the world above is abound with things that the Underground World desires. Its the same from the perspective of the Surface World. Spices, gold, tea. If we can achieve peace, even with the world locked down, there will still be contact between the world below and the world above. Of course, its because theres no gate. As people pass between the worlds, due to differences in opinion and ideology, they maye into some form of confrontation. However, on an individual basis, individual Demons and individual Humans maye to understand the nature of each of their different existences. In time toe, co-existence may even be possible. The Hero: I see. The Demon King: Even a temporary ceasefire agreement will be enough to change the opinions of many of the Tribes. Even without co-existence, as long as we can prevent any extreme actions, itll be good enough. The extremist factions are the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale, the Tribe of the Fang, and the Tribe of Automatons; these three tribes. We can do our best to persuade those three, or convince the Tribe of Banshees to support cross-world exchanges on the grounds of trade. Either way, I believe we can effect some sort of ceasefire. The Hero: If you think about it that sounds a lot more difficult than before. The Demon King: Does it? The Hero: Yeah, how can we do anything about it? The Demon King: What are you saying? Until we try The Chief Maid: Your Majesty. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: The Hero: Well, fine! Lets deal first with what weve got ahead of us. The Demon King: The Hero: How difficult. Well, looks like were not going to resolve this Kurultai in the next few days. Do we have ns to deal with those three Tribes? The Demon King: Well, well start after tomorrows negotiations. The Hero: And the war? The Demon King: Lets work on buying us some time first. The Demon World, a City, in a Tavern Butler: Karate? Demon Traveller: No, Kurultai. Its the Kurultai. Butler: The Kurultai. Demon Traveller: Which mountain have youe down from, Grandpa? Butler: What! Im not from the countryside! Demon Traveller: No. No matter how you look at it, its obvious that you are. Butler: Thats probably true. Demon Traveller: Well, thats fine. Thank you for saving me from those bandits! Grandpa, youre really strong! Butler: People used to say I was a true master. Demon Traveller: Used to? Butler: Well, I still am a true master. Especially at that. Wink, wink. Demon Traveller: Hahahaha! Grandpa, youre still young at heart! Butler: Nyohohohoho! Demon Traveller: Well. Thanks to you, my goods are fine as well. Butler: This Kurultai thing sure is bustling. Demon Traveller: Thats right. Its a big conference. Butler: Hoho! Demon Traveller: It may be very bustling, but thats because it only takes ce once every few decades and nobody knows when. The Khans of all the Tribes will be in attendance, and even His Majesty the Demon King will take part. Butler: The Demon King? Demon Traveller: You mean His Majesty the Demon King? Butler: Thats what I mean! His Majesty, His Majesty! Nyohohohoho. Demon Traveller: Ive got me here a shipment of maize that Im taking to the Kurultai. Butler: Oh? Even if you go there now, I dont think youre going to make it in time. Demon Traveller: A Kurultai can go on for as long as a month. Even if the Kurultai ends early, tomemorate the event therell probably be a massive feast. Not just maize, but many other goods will be in demand and lots of merchants will flock there. You can probably buy all sorts of amazing things, it is an individual experience after all. Butler: I see, how wonderful. Demon Traveller: Well then, bottoms up! Butler: Bottoms up! Demon Traveller: Bottoms up! Butler: Nyohohoho, this is delicious! Demon Traveller: It is, isnt it? They make wine from maize in these parts. Butler: Nyohoho, its great! Demon Traveller: Right then, Ill be on my way! Butler: (The Kurultai. A massive, military Demon Conference for which even the Demon King will show his face I bet therell be an unlimited wealth of information over there.) The Kurultai, on the back of a Horse Young Merchant: Arent you concerned about this? Fire Dragon Lady: A promise is a promise. Young Merchant: Theres a right time and ce for these sorts of things. Fire Dragon Lady: Would you have me discard our contract? Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Or should I make it null and void? Young Merchant: I understand. Fire Dragon Lady: I fear you do not. Young Merchant: If I have made a mistake, I will reflect on it. Fire Dragon Lady: If you will apany me tomorrow morning, I will give you the opportunity to reflect then. Young Merchant: No, I dont think this is a particrly good time to be drinking. Fire Dragon Lady: They even say wine is the secret to longevity. Young Merchant: I dont think it applies when one drinks as much as you do. Fire Dragon Lady: We can go and ask my husband. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: You seem nervous. Young Merchant: Oh, you can tell? The currency in the Central Continent is fast depreciating as well. Fire Dragon Lady: Come back safely. Young Merchant: I hope he makes some good fertiliser when he grinds my bones up. The Kurultai, the Pavilion of the Dragon Tribe Fire Dragon Lord: Who is it? Young Merchant: Good afternoon, I apologise for the intrusion. Fire Dragon Lord: Who are you? Attendant, what are you doing? Attendant: My Lady is the one who saw fit to introduce him to you. Young Merchant: It is a pleasure to meet you. Fire Dragon Lord: Fine. Who are you, Human?! Attendant: H-human?! Hes a human?! Fire Dragon Lord: You smell different. Young Merchant: Very discerning, Your Excellency the Khan of Dragons. I am the Young Merchant. I am one who conducts an enterprise in the Human World. Fire Dragon Lord: A what? Young Merchant: I buy and sell merchandise. Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph, whatever. Ive done my part by seeing you since you were introduced by my daughter. Now be gone. Young Merchant: I will not. Fire Dragon Lord: What are you saying? Is this how a human behaves? Young Merchant: No, I do not wish to leave. Fire Dragon Lord: I will turn you into ash. Young Merchant: There was one whom you could not turn to ash, was there not? Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: Yes, thats right. The ck Knight. Fire Dragon Lord: You know of this? Young Merchant: All of it. Fire Dragon Lord: Attendants! Attendant: Yes! Fire Dragon Lord: Leave us. Attendant: As you will, my Lord! Attendants leave. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: Who the hell are you? Wherefore have youe? Young Merchant: Actually I have a contract. To a merchant, this is the highest responsibility, so I havee, bound by this contract. Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: The terms of the contract state simply, I will beat the Fire Dragon Lord ck and blue. Thats how it is. Fire Dragon Lord: How merchant-like. And will you? Young Merchant: I cannot. Fire Dragon Lady: So you give up Not unlike that man. Young Merchant: However, this is not a case which I can surrender. Fire Dragon Lord: Then prostrate and beg for forgiveness from the one who gave you the contract. Young Merchant: No, no, I cannot do that either. Fire Dragon Lord: Why? Young Merchant: If I am unable to uphold my end of the contract, the indignation I feel will more or less heal in time as I make amends for my mistakes. However, since I intend to uphold my contract, I do not think the indignation I feel if I fail will heal. Fire Dragon Lord: You have a very big mouth. Young Merchant: Hence, I have a request would you lose to me? Fire Dragon Lord: What are you saying? Have you gone insane? Hmph! I should turn you into ashes after all. Rest assured. In an instant, all that will be left are your charred remains. Young Merchant: I will stop the salt. Fire Dragon Lord: Huh? Young Merchant: At present, 90% of all salt which flows through the City of the Gate are in my hands. I have the ability to stop all of it. Fire Dragon Lord: What? Young Merchant: The Wealthy Demon Merchant is a fairly powerful member of the Tribe of Dragons, am I correct? The salt which he currently has a monopoly over is all mine. I assure you this is the truth. Fire Dragon Lord: Despicable. Young Merchant: This time, Im actually gambling with my life. I have to be despicable. Fire Dragon Lord: Damn you. Young Merchant: I understand that salt is a valuablemodity in these parts. Since the Dragon Tribe relies significantly on it, I am sure you do not wish for this to stop. In fact, in doing business with the Underground World, having the Dragon Tribe as my new business partner has been nothing but sessful, and I hold deep respect for you. Fire Dragon Lord: First you try to ckmail me, now you tter me? Young Merchant: I have something I wish for you to buy. Fire Dragon Lord: What are you trying to sell? Young Merchant: In truth, this is about the Isle of Light, which was taken by the Human Armyst year. I have an agreement to rent the ind as of now. Fire Dragon Lord: Rent? Young Merchant: Thats right. Im borrowing the ind indefinitely. At present, we are upgrading the old facilities and creating Salt Pans across the ind. I want you to buy this salt. Fire Dragon Lord: You want me to buy it? Young Merchant: That is correct. Fire Dragon Lord: What are your terms? Young Merchant: I believe I will be able to sell you a third of all the salt produced in these salt pans. Fire Dragon Lord: You want me to get all my salt from you. Young Merchant: I want to have preferential trading rights. We can decide on the price every year. However, when ites to the price, we must both reach a consensus based on the market prices. Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: Im sure I do not need to tell you that this one-third will amount to all the salt that was sent to the Underground World from the Isle of Light when the Demons still controlled it. Please also consider the price involved in building the salt pans and harvesting the salt in the first ce. Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: You drive a strong bargain. Young Merchant: One must bargain strongly if one wants to reach any kind of deal. Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm Salt is something my Tribe cannot do without. Without salt, many will even lose their lives. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: What do you want? My head? Merchant! Young Merchant: No. Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: I just want you to lose to me. Fire Dragon Lord: Im sure you know, but that is something I hate. Young Merchant: Of course. Im a merchant. Im sure you have not enjoyed the high-pressure negotiation we have just gone through. And of course, theres the matter of personal pride. Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph. Where has chivalry gone to. Young Merchant: No, I am only concerned with profit margins. This may be meaningless, but it is also highly profitable. In future, if you wish for the possibility of us being partners, I want to be able to work with you directly. Unless you would rather that we conduct negotiations through many intermediaries, separated by many walls Fire Dragon Lord: I said I cant do it. Young Merchant: AhhHow troublesome. Ill stop then. The ones whod have an issue with this are those two anyway. Fire Dragon Lord: ? Young Merchant: Right then. Here are the ns for the building of the salt pans on the Isle of Light, as well as information about the forecasted productivity, saltposition, import-export schedules, and cost estimations. All of these are enclosed in the proposal as well. The Union will temporarily borrow the Isle of Light for 20 years, during which we will develop the salt pans and obtain permits to carry out our import business. By right, we should be drinking tea and discussing this over numerous sessions, but thats a matter of pride for us merchants with our intuition and our abacuses, so Ill spare you that exchange. Ill tell it to you straight up. This venture is to be split between us. Fire Dragon Lord: Split? Young Merchant: Thats right. We would like for you toe up with some of the capital for this project. This project is likely to cost, in human terms, 3,000,000 gold pieces. If you look at it another way, in response to the amount of funding you are willing to provide, you will receive a suitable share of each years salt. Of course, you can choose how much you are willing to purchase from that amount. Fire Dragon Lord: So Im still buying salt in the end, right? Young Merchant: Itspletely different. Fire Dragon Lord: - Exnation Salt Pans: Structures which are built in order to extract salt from sea water. In principle, they consist of wide expanses ofnd onto which a thinyer of sea water is introduced. Under the heat of the sun, the water content evaporates, leaving highly-concentrated edible salt water. Outside of Japan, there are even salt pans which are intended to cause the salt to crystallize and form a crust of pure salt crystals. - Young Merchant: This is a type of ord. Fire Dragon Lord: ord? Young Merchant: With the existence of this contract, we, the organization known as the Union, agree to provide salt to the Tribe of the Dragons. If expand this project, the Tribe of the Dragons will gain not just salt, but the expansion of their tradeworks for further prosperity. In the same way, as the Tribe of the Dragons grows stronger, and upholds your end of the agreement, we will gain business experience and a foothold in the market to raise our profits over time. Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: Im sure you understand. We intend to use the salt trade as an intermediary to give us both some insurance. In order to link our prosperity and our profits, our profits and your prosperity, I want to seal it with these new terms in this contract. Fire Dragon Lord: How can I believe you? Young Merchant: All the information you need are in these reports. I have no qualms with you inspecting the grounds as well, and if you wish, I will be able to get a writ from the Wealthy Demon Merchant as further guarantee. Fire Dragon Lord: Young Merchant: We want the Demon World to be our new market. Fire Dragon Lord: Market, eh? Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: And my daughter will be your client? Young Merchant: Im afraid I cannot answer that. Fire Dragon Lord: Fine. I will consider your proposal. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: I understand your need for funding from us, but I do not hold any of your Human money. Will you ept gold bullion? Young Merchant: Of course. Fire Dragon Lord: So basically what you want me to do is offer you funding, without the exchange of goods and services, suspending the delivery of the goods, leaving me empty handed? Young Merchant: Yes. Fire Dragon Lord: Provide me with a list of goods for which I can offer you export. Do you have any other points of contact besides the Wealthy Demon Merchant? Young Merchant: I do not. Fire Dragon Lord: Dont you want to monopolise the market? Young Merchant: I have more than enough. Fire Dragon Lord: I have lost Convey that to my daughter. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: Dont make that face. Since I am making this long-term deposit, I wouldnt want there to be any problems between the merchant and the client, right? Young Merchant: Yes Fire Dragon Lord: Im not sure if I have to apologise to the ck Knight now. Hahahahahaha! The Kurultai, the Pavilion of the Banshee Tribe Banshee Attendant: So, you intend to switch to the Ceasefire Faction? Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yes. Banshee Attendant: We are blessed with a decisive Witch-Queen. Witch-Queen of Banshees: We Banshees live incredibly far away. Without a gate, we will have to traverse immense distances if we want to reach the Surface World. If we just watch the war take ce from afar, well reduce our casualties, though we wont make any gains. Banshee Attendant: So you have no intention to gainnds in the Human World? Witch-Queen of Banshees: Its true that our people will profit from an increase innd, but protecting the borders of this newnd may exact a greater toll on us. Banshee Attendant: That is one way of looking at it. Witch-Queen of Banshees: Assuming we detour around the exclusivends of the Demons of the Pale, we would have to cross through the territories of the Fiends and the Dragons to get all the way there. Without thinking of our methods, we wouldnt be able to reap many benefits. At the very worst, we would send many soldiers to participate in this battle for Demonkind, but the only ones who reap the benefits are the Demons of the Pale and the Dragons, whose borders are closeby. Banshee Attendant: The bnce of power would really shift if that happened. Witch-Queen of Banshees: To begin with, the present Demon King supports a ceasefire. Banshee Attendant: Yeah, even though she hasnt said anything explicitly about it yet. Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. Banshee Attendant: The Demon King is a real enigma. Witch-Queen of Banshees: The previous Demon King was a very easy person to understand. Banshee Attendant: Yeah. Witch-Queen of Banshees: To begin with, this Demon Kinges from some small Tribe which Ive never even heard of. She hasnt drawn on the armies of either our Tribe or any other Tribe, yet somehow shes managed to create twenty years without war. Banshee Attendant: It looks like her luck is running out? Witch-Queen of Banshees: ording to the seer, she has a month. Banshee Attendant: Heh. Is it because of sickness or injury? Witch-Queen of Banshees: Its hard to say. Banshee Attendant: Well, she seems like the kind who would do something foolish. Witch-Queen of Banshees: I dont dislike a Demon King who is unreliable and uncertain Though other people might not think that way. Banshee Attendant: Well, she does give us a degree of autonomy. Witch-Queen of Banshees: I know. Banshee Attendant: So about this ceasefire. Witch-Queen of Banshees: Im counting on you to spread the word to the Khans of the Branch Tribes. Do up a written announcement for the magistrates. - The Vige of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Kitchen Little Sister Maid: Are you alright? Elder Sister Maid: Im fine, Im fine. Everyones worked really hard, so Im counting on you to make something delicious for them. Little Sister Maid: Yup! Next up is a bacon and asparagus pie along with some steamed kidney on a bed of watercress. Elder Sister Maid: Do your best! Disciple Merchant: Hey, what about us? Disciple Soldier: Im getting really hungry. Disciple Nobleman: You guys are so inelegant. Disciple Merchant: Even though you say that, youre pretty weak too, right? Disciple Nobleman: It was a cloudy day. It happens sometimes. Disciple Merchant: So I heard somebody said something inspirational then went charging out with his weapons flying against the enemy? Disciple Nobleman: I heard about that too. And now youre the Minister for Defence. Youre the best out of all of us for sure. Disciple Soldier: Ive been cheated Little Sister Maid: Alright! Its a new pie ? Elder Sister Maid: Theres wine too! Disciple Merchant: Ohhh, thank you! Disciple Nobleman: You two are as adorable as always. Disciple Soldier: Cant have a good meal without drink, right? Little Sister Maid: Umm, Disciple Soldier? You saved us back there in the Kingdom of Metal, right? You were so cool. Elder Sister Maid: You were really gant! Disciple Merchant: Whats this? Looks like we cantpare with you. Disciple Nobleman: Thats right, thats right. Im useless at saving damsels in distress, you must be really happy with yourself. Disciple Soldier: It is the duty of a soldier to save people in need. Little Sister Maid: They shouldnt fight Elder Sister Maid: Thats right. Please dont. Disciple Merchant: No, no, this isnt a fight, right? Disciple Nobleman: This is just bickering between friends. Everybody eats. Disciple Soldier: Ive been cheated Disciple Merchant: On another point, the Disciple Nobleman also Disciple Nobleman: ? Disciple Merchant: Whats this I heard about the Kingdom of the Lake and the Kingdom of Red Horses? Disciple Nobleman: Well Disciple Soldier: Ive heard about it too! Little Sister Maid: What, what, what? Elder Sister Maid: What were you talking about? Disciple Nobleman: Nothing important,dies. Disciple Soldier: Hah! Its a real big deal. Disciple Merchant: There is a rtive of the King of the Kingdom of the Lake, the country from which the Holy Order operates. Well, due to various factors, the family is a bit down on their luck, but shes still a member of the royalty. At a tender sixteen years of age, her beautiful and refined features led to her being known as the Flower of the Lake. Disciple Soldier: Its a splendid story. That being said, this pie is delicious! Nomnomnom. Disciple Merchant: Well, I heard this second-hand from a bard. If the story is true, this Princess residing in the Pce, on her travels, came to meet the Prince of Red Horses, who had then taken up vows as a monk. In the bright halls of the Order, neither of the two recognised the other. Little Sister Maid: Wow! Its like a story! Disciple Merchant: The two fell in love in a single day! But they did not reveal their names nor their identities, no matter how many trysts they had. As time went by, urgent news was received regarding an impending national crisis. It might have been the intion, or the deration of war. The Prince of Red Horses was called back urgently to his country, and the Princess had also left for her Pce in a hurry. Elder Sister Maid: Even royalty dont always have the freedom to lead the lives they want to. Disciple Merchant: Well, they do say its hard work to be a King. Disciple Soldier: They were scammed into the job, just like me Disciple Merchant: They were truly lovers for whom the stars did not align. The Kingdom of the Lake had a custom of using its maidens as tools for making political marriages. The Prince of Red Horses also had to hurry to support his eldest brother in his gambit for the throne. No matter how you thought about it, the two were fated to part. Disciple Nobleman: Yeah. Disciple Merchant: Thats where the Disciple Nobleman came in. He had a few drinks together with the Prince of Red Horses and helped the Prince beat off a few brigands. As the Princes friend, flying his banner, he participated in a few jousting matches and slowly eased his way into the Pce of the Lake, where the Princess lived. Now the Princess had long lived a cloistered life without much excitement, just staring out of the window. He quickly became a close confidante of the lonely Princess, who up to then, had no friends. He spent his time teaching her how to dance, and with preparation, in time, the Princess became the sterling example of what it meant to be a beautiful maiden. Little Sister Maid: How cool! Disciple Merchant: The two lovers were reunited at a ball. Without realising it, the Prince of Red Horses had fallen in love a second time during the group dance, when he danced with ady so beautiful she made flowers fall in love with her. That night, as the two enamoured lovers wondered if they would not just elope away together, the Disciple Nobleman exined their romance to the King. For political considerations, and because he was touched by the story, the Kingmended their youthful love. And of course, the two were wed. - Doesnt this sound like a fairy tale? Elder Sister Maid: What a beautiful story! Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Yeah! Disciple Soldier: And yet you say Im the only one here whos cool. Disciple Nobleman: Its not really that cool, is it? Im just a supporting character in this story from head to tail. Disciple Merchant: No, no, you were crucial. Disciple Soldier: So you fought off a whole band of brigands? Disciple Nobleman: Well, a few of them. Disciple Soldier: And youre useless at fighting Little Sister Maid: What? Disciple Nobleman: It wasnt such a splendid battle like the ones they sing about in the street corners. They were impoverished and broken mercenaries, but there werent a hundred of them. Actually, there were just fifteen, and they were all drunk out of their minds. Most of them were swiftly dispatched by the Prince as well. I suppose I did have a pretty interesting fight with their leader on horseback, though. I managed to take advantage of his carelessness to take him down but they identally started a fire as they were running away Well, thats what happened anyway. Little Sister Maid: Is the Princess really as beautiful as they say? Disciple Nobleman: Well Yes. But shes a lot more of a tomboy than the stories suggest. Shes really proficient with a il, and very brave as well. Shes also highly intelligent, and a very spirited individual. Working in the Order, she was decked out in some pretty ancient-looking costume, but the light from the moon reflecting against the surface of theke made her look exceptionally beautiful and kind, even though sheughs like a child. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Soldier: Why does this guy Little Sister Maid: She sounds beautiful. Disciple Nobleman: Oh dont worry, youre so cute right now. Im sure in five or six years, youll bepletely unable to stop the swarm of guys fumbling for your hand. Little Sister Maid: Ehehehe ? Disciple Merchant: What a tterer. Disciple Soldier: So, you taught this girl how to dance, and you didnt have any designs on her? Disciple Nobleman: Hahahaha, no, no, not at all. To begin with, she already had a boy that she liked, right? That being the case, of course I had no ce in her heart or anywhere. I merely taught her how to be gentler in her voice and the intricacies and etiquettes of court life, along with maybe one or two dances. Well She was very determined about all of this. I just helped her, but really, her passion did most of the work. Umm, and she also had a smile as pretty as a flower. When she smiled at me, there was nothing I wasnt willing to do to help her. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Soldier: How nice I also want a prettydy. Little Sister Maid: Wow, you worked really hard! Here. Have another pie! Disciple Nobleman: It would be my great order, mdy. Disciple Merchant: There will be many opportunities. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Soldier: I hope so Little Sister Maid: Here, you can have this potato. You saved us after all! Disciple Soldier: Why do I just get a stingy potato, Im the reason youre still alive. Elder Sister Maid: It was also a splendid job. Disciple Nobleman: And how is managing the tariffs and trade? Disciple Merchant: Busy. Disciple Soldier: I would expect so. - Exnation il: A tool used to remove the edible part of a grain from the inedible chaff that surrounds it. On the top of a long pole, a shorter pole is attached with chains. By waving the long pole, the shorter can be used to smash the grain, generating a significant amount of force with minimal effort. Using the same shape, a deadly weapon can also be made for war. - Disciple Nobleman: Well, thats work for you. Disciple Merchant: Its stressful Well thankfully, the potato harvest has increased fromst quarter. The results of the census are really starting to show. Disciple Soldier: I wonder if we can use what you guys are doing here in the Kingdom of Metal. Disciple Merchant: Things like censuses should be conducted as early as possible. Disciple Nobleman: On our end, weve constructed two more paper mills. Disciple Merchant: Thats great! Recing vellum with paper has really made everything cheaper and more convenient. Its quite wonderful. Disciple Soldier: Do we really have to do so much work? Disciple Merchant: Making records is very important. Recording, archiving, and referencing are crucial to the umtion of experiences. You can really learn a lot from things that have happened in the past. Disciple Soldier: Yeah, but if you keep records to such an extent, then you have to use formal and convolutednguage. Its so troublesome Disciple Merchant: Well I can understand how that could be painful That being said, the Lone Winter King rose to the throne at a very young age and somehow appointed me as his minister. Hes more or less given me a free rein over things, and the older officials arent reallyining, so Ive been really doing things the way I want to. Disciple Nobleman: To do things in an elegant way, youve got to learn to make connections and build rtionships. Gentlemen Wouldnt you say thats thenguage of diplomacy? Disciple Soldier: True, true. Disciple Merchant: Right, so what about you two sisters? Little Sister Maid: Umm Elder Sister Maid: Sorry? Disciple Soldier: What about the two of you? Little Sister Maid: ? Elder Sister Maid: Do you mean Disciple Merchant: Hey, hey, didnt we have the same teacher? Elder Sister Maid: Yes but we didnt have lessons in these sorts of things. Disciple Nobleman: Learning doesnt juste from formal lessons. Surely not everything you knowes from what youve been taught. Disciple Soldier: If you just relied on lessons, you wouldnt even know how to sheet from your ass. Thats scary. Thats really scary. Little Sister Maid: Well, I learnt forty different recipesst year! Everyone says theyre delicious! Disciple Nobleman: Thats amazing. I look forward to tasting your passionate cooking in the Pce from now on. Disciple Soldier: Definitely! You shoulde and learn how to make some dishes to go with the beer they serve in the pubs in the Kingdom of Metal. Disciple Merchant: Yep, yep, well be sure to rmend you to everyone we know! Elder Sister Maid: I Disciple Nobleman: ? Elder Sister Maid: I havent really done anything Disciple Merchant: Now, now, dont say that. Disciple Nobleman: We all know that you were the one who made that speech everyone thought was made by the Schr. Disciple Soldier: Thats right. Elder Sister Maid: But I didnt really do anything for that. In fact, I caused more trouble for everyone and even started a war. It wasnt the right thing to do. It was a huge mistake Ive been regretting that decision constantly ever since Disciple Merchant: But look at the result. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Nobleman: We consider you to be our little sisters, so dont worry. I think youll be capable of great and wonderful things once you be more confident of yourself. - Exnation Little Sisters: In East Asian culture, a strong bond exists between those who have had the same master or teacher. In many ways, the brotherly/sisterly bonds which exist between two disciples may be even stronger than those between real, blood siblings. - Disciple Soldier: It was a very brave thing to do. Disciple Merchant: You might have messed up some ns, but the injustice of the world might have been buried forever without you, wouldnt it? Disciple Nobleman: Disciple Soldier nods. Disciple Merchant: Yeah. Little Sister Maid: ? Disciple Merchant: Well, theres still time! Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Nobleman: Weve got other things to talk about today. Disciple Soldier: Thats right! Disciple Merchant: I thought she would at least inform us, but her sudden disappearance has left me quite speechless. Disciple Nobleman: Damn. And I really went out of the way too. Disciple Soldier: I think Ive got the most toin about. Disciple Merchant: The one who should be saddest is me. She got me toe up with almost 50,000 gold pieces worth of various precious stones and jewels. Its so saddening, I want to cry. Disciple Nobleman: I went throughout thends procuring twenty different soil samples. Making a nobleman like myself dig around in the soils throughout the world Shes a very mean person. Disciple Soldier: She got me to bring a whole caravan of metal ores of different purities. I had to pay for it out of my own pocket Elder Sister Maid: Oh yeah, I heard about that. Disciple Merchant: Do you think we could leave the goods here? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, I will make arrangements to receive them from youter. Disciple Merchant: Just what is she doing? Disciple Nobleman: Well, no one has ever been able to urately predict just what goes through that genius mind of hers. Disciple Soldier: Shes the kind of person who would invent a machine to shoot down the moon from the bottom of a well. Little Sister Maid: It sure would be great if the Mistress woulde back for dinner with everyone! Volume 2 10, “We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon…

Volume 2 Chapter 10, We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon King!

The Demon World, a Pavillion-covered Street, a Concourse Wo! Amazing! Hes taken down six people! m! The Hero: Its my win. The Silver Tiger Lord: Damn you! Next! Who wille?! My brave heroes of the Fang! White Wolf Warrior: I will be your opponent! Howls. The Hero: Silver Tiger Lord. For insulting the Demon King, I will defeat ten of your so-called heroes as rpense. The Silver Tiger Lord: Fine, ck Knight! White Wolf Warrior: You have fought well but it ends here! Roar. The Hero: Oh. Youre strong. White Wolf Warrior: Ha! Once youve fought with me, youll never escape! The lower body strength of the Tribe of the Wolves is a legendary affair! The Hero: Haiya! Sword shes. White Wolf Warrior: What!? My stomach. Where is Where is my stomach! Amazing. That Knightpletely blew away the White Wolf! Its incredible How does he do that The Hero: Sorry. I couldnt really hold back. The Silver Tiger Lord: Next! Next one! Copper Bear Warrior: You are no match for my unparalleled brute strength! The Hero: But the Tribe of the Fang sure do have some excellent warriors. Theyre very strong and quite brave Without magic, even I would be having a hard time. The Silver Tiger Lord: Haha. Are you beginning to feel the true power of the warriors of the Fang? The Hero: I didnt say that. Copper Bear Warrior: Haiya! Swipes. The Hero: Haaaa! shes. Copper Bear Warrior: ?! That small sword cut the six meter long metal pole into half?! How sharp is that thing?! Thats the true power of the ck Weapons of the ck Knight, the one they call the Sword of the Demon King The Hero: What ck Weapons? Its just my skill. The Silver Tiger Lord: Argh! Where are my Five Divine Generals! Where are they! General Crimson Shark: Its time for me to make my appearance! Lets go, ck Knight! Stomps onto stage. The Hero: Whoa. What do you have to eat to get that kind of power? General Crimson Shark: The ground-up bones of small fish! The Hero: Small fish? Youve got to be kidding me, dont you eat any meat?! General Crimson Shark: Hahahaha! Lets see if your feet can keep up! The Hero: In a ce like this, of course. Brandishes sword. General Crimson Shark: What?! sh of light. The Hero: One hit! sh. Two hits! sh. General Crimson Shark: Fast! How fast is this guy! The Hero: Thats nothing. sh. Invisible de! Boom! The Hero: Hmph. That was enough. Wh-what? What happened?! He did something so amazing in an instant. General Crimson Shark isnt even getting up. Hes even convulsing. That was really something, he just copsed straight up?! The Hero: Thats the ninth. Last one then. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Hero: Listen up, Silver Tiger Lord! Everyone else too! Murmuring. The Hero: The Demon King is weak. What? Wh-what did he just say?! The Hero: The Demon King is indeed weak. Shes different from the Silver Tiger Lord and would surely lose if she had to fight the warriors whom I have just fought. Wh-what The Demon King is weak? But shes the Demon King? I dont get it The Hero: No, shes really weak. Shes weaker than a Titan-ss Demon. You can take it from me, shes weaker than some of her maids even. Shes got no physical strength and she moves quite slowly. But just what is strength? Its undeniable that the Silver Tiger Lord is unparalleled on the battlefield. However, can a single person win against an army of tens of thousands? Of course not. At a time like this, even the Silver Tiger Lord has to lead an army to achieve victory. Thats why, to achieve actual victory, you cannot rely on just one person. Youve got to mobilise the entire Tribe, using them as the weapon. On her own, the Demon King is weak, but that doesnt matter. More so than a Demon King who leads with individual fighting strength, what the Demon World really needs is a Demon King who may be weak individually but is more than capable ofmanding the great armies to achieve decisive victory. As a militarymander, the Demon King is unparalleled. Moreover, the Demon King has another hidden ability, something even greater than mere military victory. That is the power to achieve a victory without war. The power to achieve our goals and end without drawing a single sword, without a single injury on either front. Its true that the Demon Kings goals may often be far-fetched and that it may be difficult toprehend But all that she does is for the good of thend. Ever since the Demon King took over the throne, the number of meaningless casualties on the battlefield has decreased dramatically, hasnt it? The Silver Tiger Lord: White Wolf Warrior: Isnt that just an excuse for her cowardice! Hasnt she just been running away from all these battles up till now! The Hero: I took you down just now, so youre a corpse. Corpses arent allowed to speak. The Silver Tiger Lord: ! The Hero: What do you think, Silver Tiger Lord? The Silver Tiger Lord: The Hero: The strength of the Demon King is one thing, but your unshakable strength is another that I cannot deny. The Hero: The Demon King is weak. But the battlefield requires battle-strong people. You, with your incredible experience and fortitude, are required. The Silver Tiger Lord: I understand. The Hero: Then. The Silver Tiger Lord: I will apologise to the Demon King. I believe the Demon King really holds this power that you say she does, seeing as you are the Sword of the Demon King. I must bow to your strength. The Tribe of the Fang will side with the Demon King. The Hero: Thank you. The Silver Tiger Lord: However, I continue to believe that the Demon King must have some strength. The Hero: The Silver Tiger Lord: I have seen with my own eyes that you have defeated my warriors. I see and admit that you are strong, as you have said you are. However, I have yet to experience the Demon Kingsmand on the battlefield. In fact, I cannot testify to the strength of anything she does. I cannot ce my faith in something which I do not know. The Hero: Didnt you say you would take my word for it? The Silver Tiger Lord: I trust you but not your script. The Hero: Well, I guess thats enough for now. - The Kurultai, the Pavillion-covered Street Butler: This is the conference venue of the Kurultai, its almost like a small city. Secret Agent: Sir. We have eight agents from the Rear Intelligence Unit reporting. Butler: Nyohohoho. Find a suitable hill and put up a pavilion, pretending to be merchants. For the time being, well use that as our headquarters. Set up a logistics centre and put a few people on Patrol Duty*. Secret Agent: Yes, sir! Runs off. Butler: Alright, what shall we do now? Nyohohoho. Secret Agent: Forward Intelligence Unit reporting in. Butler: Lets hear it. Secret Agent: There are at least 6,000 Demons gathered at this venue. In the gorges and valleys surrounding the area, there is also a fair number of guards. Not a lot, but enough to im a military presence in the event of any hostilities. Butler: Hmm. Secret Agent: About a third of the Demons present here are lesser Khans, or other influential Demon figures linked to the Khans, their attendants, and their personal guard. The remainders are mostly merchants capitalising on these wealthy individuals hoping to sell their wares as well as ministers and mercenaries hoping to disy their strength and attract contracts. Secret Agent: The Kurultai and the Conference of the Khans will be held at the massive Grand Pavillion for several days. Judging from a cultural perspective, its difficult to say for certain but most of the attendants here believe that the Kurultai willst at least till the end of the month. Butler: So, one more week. Secret Agent: The pavilion directly beside the Grand Pavillion is the pavilion of the Demon King. The Demon King made a speech on the first day. Its surprising, but the present Demon King is actually a woman. In other words, shes a Demon Queen. Butler: Hmm, Queen Secret Agent: However, it is clear that she is giving her pure and undivided focus to the Kurultai. This has been mentioned before but it appears that the ones who will control the Grand Pavilion, in other words, the Eight Great Khans, the Khans of extremely powerful Tribes, have been making audiences with the Demon King. Butler: Have you had any contact? Secret Agent: We have not yet received the opportunity. So that we do not have an information leak, I have been trying to be as discreet as possible. Butler: Thats fine. Secret Agent: Yes, sir. Butler: But, hmm Secret Agent: Whats on your mind, sir? - Exnation Patrol Duty: This refers to walking around the perimeter of an instation, keeping vignt to ensure that the enemy does not conduct a surprise attack. - Butler: Should I also go undercover? Secret Agent: Is that alright? Butler: Of course, I will have to be very careful. Since the rumours say that these streets concern the fate of the Conference and hence the world above, we cant afford to make any mistakes. Above everything, we need reliable intelligence. Nyohohoho. Looks like Ive got to do it. Secret Agent nods. Butler: Let me teach you why they used to call me Sudden Death. Secret Agent: Y-yes. Butler: Nyohohohoho. Secret Agent: Then I will return to the field. Butler: Understood. Establish contact at the headquarters. Secret Agent: Sir. - The Kurultai, the Pavilion of the Demon King The Demon King: The Hero: Whats up, where did thate from? The Demon King: Its a letter from the Witch-Queen of the Banshees. The Hero: And? The Demon King: She supports the ceasefire. The Hero: Ohh Wait, wasnt she from the Invasion Faction? The Demon King: Yes, but itspletely different. Theres a world of difference between I would like a ceasefire and I would not like to go to war. The Banshees have a splendid military force. They were always rivals with the Demons of the Pale, so I think weve got to thank their assertiveness for changing the minds of the Banshees. The Hero: I see And what of the Automatons? The Chief Maid: I have delivered the gifts you requested. Precious stones, soil samples They expressed great interest in our gifts. The Demon King: Thats a good sign. The Hero: Whats the point of that? The Demon King: Itll definitely have an effect. For future progress, the Automatons are keen to secure rare ores and metals. I was hoping to demonstrate that it might be more stable to acquire these goods via trade. The Hero: Thats a good idea. The Hero: Right. It was a bit blunt, but I told the Tribe of the Fang what you told me to say. The Chief Maid: How was it? The Hero: As you predicted, they took the bait. The Chief Maid: Is that so, hahahaha. The Demon King: What do are you talking about? The Hero: Well, you know how misogynistic the Tribe of the Fang is, right? The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: I goaded them into a fight by saying that I would defeat ten of their bravest warriors to make them take back the insult they made against you. The Demon King: Can you really do that? The Hero: Im the Hero after all. The Demon King: But surely that must leave them very frustrated with us. The Hero: Well, thats the strategy of the Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Hero: When the situation called for it, I praised the Silver Tiger Lord while presenting my case. I think it seeded. The Chief Maid: I figured that if we cover the difficult-to-stomach news with words of praise and encouragement, then they might be more receptive. Its them after all. The Demon King: Wow, not bad. The Hero: I just nudged him in the right direction. The Demon King: Hmm, you would need an impable sense of timing for this. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Even though youre usually so lost. The Hero: Although, I was a bit pressed for time so I had to convince him about your leadership ability. The other Khans were very interested in that as well. The Chief Maid: Thats right. I wouldnt say weve really prolonged it, but now the Khans are all very curious about yourmand ability on the battlefield. The Hero: We havent made any inroads to the Demons of the Pale though. The Chief Maid: Yeah. The Demon King: Its about time, then. The Hero: Shall we go? The Demon King: Yeah. I really want to know what the Banshees have got to say, and itll be good to check out the reactions of the other Tribes as well. Im especially interested in whether the Automatons have changed their views. If we did it well, then the Demons of the Pale may be forced to support a ceasefire under the overwhelming weight of the other Tribes. Once that happens, we will have managed to iste the Demons of the Pale as the only member of the Invasion Faction. The Hero: Indeed. The Chief Maid: Then, lets meet at the Grand Pavilion tomorrow. The Demon King: And so it begins - The Kurultai, the Grand Pavilion for the Conference of the Khans Murmuring The Demon King: Then, at this Kurultai, I would like to seek the views of my Eight Great Khans on our rtions with the Human World. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Hmm The King of the Pale: This matter is very clear. We should march on them and destroy them. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmph! What of these humans! To begin with, the ones who came to pige our greennd, to set fire to our homes are those humans, right! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: However, victory is not something that is assured. The Cyclops: Yes Further involvement will only increase number of casualties The Baron of Steel: I am interested in the multiple mineral deposits located in the Surface World. The King of the Pale: If we conquer them, these deposits will be ours to use! The Fire Dragon Lord: That is reckless. The Queen of Fairies: I oppose this decision. We are two distinct Worlds. We may have fought each other and trespassed many times, but we are both weary of this. We now have the opportunity to walk along the path of peace. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmph! Coward Fairy. The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord, please refrain from making irrelevant jibes during the Kurultai. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmph. The Demon King: I do not believe that with a ceasefire we will be able to co-exist harmoniously with the Humans. However, if we were topare the military strength of the Underground World with the Surface World, it is clear that we cannot defeat them. The sporadic state of war which we are in now will never result in victory with these random ambushes but in the long-term will drain our revenues and make life difficult. In the first ce, what happens if we win? Even if we manage to take down the Humans and split thends of the humans among ourselves, can we really maintain thesends? Hasnt the Isle of Light proven anything? I propose that we post strong garrisons along the poles where the destroyed gates between the worlds are, strictly monitoring any entrance or exit from these gates. We will allow any trade or flow of goods which are beneficial to us as the Demon Race, but I do not intend to allow free passage for humans. Since we have taken back the City of the Gate, neither of us have territory in thends of the other. I believe that we must make them pay, however, considering the present situation, continuing the war is an irrational decision. The Hero: What an excellent speech. Surely they have nothing to say in retort. The Chief Maid: As expected from the Demon King. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: We, the Tribe of the Fiends, have no intention to alter our initial view. We will leave this decision to the Khans of the other Tribes and maintain our middle position. The King of the Pale: We the Tribe of the Pale have reached a unanimous decision, that the Human Race must be exterminated. They are a thorn in our side and the perpetrator of heinous crimes, they must be removed. That is the path of the Tribe of the Pale. The Silver Tiger Lord: We, the Tribe of the Fang are of the same view. If we turn thends of the Humans into our Hunting Grounds then we can easily recoup the expenses of this expedition However The Fire Dragon Lord: However? The Silver Tiger Lord: To give time for us to make preparations, I feel that a temporary ceasefire is necessary, and so I lend my support to the Demon King. The King of the Pale: Silver Tiger Lord! Are you betraying me! The Silver Tiger Lord: What are you saying! Do not take me for a fool. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We the Tribe of the Banshees oppose the war. We wish for a ceasefire. The King of the Pale: ?! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Having considered various factors, it is clear to us that this war will ur at the expense of many of our soldiersand without significant benefit. My lords will remember that it was the Tribe of the Banshees that upied the Isle of Light in the Human World. However, we could not hold the Isle of Light. Why is that? The biggest reason is that the ind alone was insufficient to support the supplies needed to maintain our troops. It is a regrettable thing to say, however at present, we are still squabbling among ourselves. I must say that we clearlyck the ability to continue with this war. The Queen of Fairies: We the Tribe of Fairies support the ceasefire. To begin with, we never supported the beginning of the war. Going one step further, we believe in meaningful cross-world exchange with the Human Race. The Cyclops: We do not like war We support the ceasefire The Baron of Steel: With a ceasefire, my Tribe will still require the goods of the Surface World. Our conditions for the ceasefire are trade with the Humans and possibly rpense in the form of material goods. Under these conditions, we agree to a stop in the war with the Humans. The Fire Dragon Lord: Well, since thats how it is, Ive got no choice. The Tribe of the Dragons agrees to the ceasefire. Our original worry has always been the City of the Gate, but since that has been reimed and ced under the direct control of the Demon King, we no longer have an issue. If it had not been reimed, we would never have agreed to this. The Demon King: So, in summary with various conditions, the number of Tribes that agree to the ceasefire are six. One Tribe takes the middle ground and the one Tribe who opposes the ceasefire is the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale The Hero: That went better than expected. The Chief Maid: Yes, the Tribe of the Fang changing their mind was a huge bonus. The King of the Pale: What a bunch of weaklings! Damn you! What has happened to the pride of the Demons! Are you willing to be trampled by that damn Human Race! The Queen of Fairies: The ceasefire is the will of the Demon King. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmph. She may be impudent but the Demon King is the Demon King. The Cyclops: Yes The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We are a Federation of Tribes. The will of the Demon Kingbined with the support of the Khans is how we decide things. The King of the Pale: ! You defeatists! The Demon King: So. Heroes of the Pale, will you change your decision? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: In that case, the Tribe of the Fiends also supports the ceasefire. We dont agree toplete peace and harmony with the Humans but if we do not break this impasse at the Kurultai then the Demon World may beunched into chaos again. We would like to avoid that. The Tribe of the Fiends supports harmony in the Demon World. The King of the Pale: So. The Silver Tiger Lord: ? The King of the Pale: So, you ce such a strong emphasis on the words of the Demon King, dont you? Then allow me to ask you. While it is the will of the 34th Demon King, Ruby Eyes, to have a ceasefire, was it not the will of the previous Demon King to go to war in the first ce? The Baron of Steel: If it is the will of the Demon King, we the People of Steel will don our armour and march bravely onto the battlefield without objection. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Tribe of the Fang believes that as well. Under the leadership of a brave and capable Demon King, we await the rich and prosperousnds that we will gain and the honour and glory of war. The Queen of Fairies: However, at present, the war is merely inflicting senseless casualties without any gain. In this case, I would rather preserve the lives of my people. The King of the Pale: But that is the responsibility of the Demon King! He is the one who leads the Demon Race to expand and glorify the Demon World. Thats why weve never had a soft and kind-hearted Demon King from the Tribe of the Fairies. Are you saying that the Tribe of Fairies does not ce its trust in every Demon King? Or what? The Tribe of Fairies may be an adorable race, but would you deny the Demon World its deserved prosperity! The Queen of Fairies: Of course not The King of the Pale: We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon King! The Cyclops: ! The Fire Dragon Lord: What?! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Do you think we will let you get away with that! The Demon King: ?! The Hero: Wh-what?! What the hell?! The Chief Maid: I dont understand. I didnt even think that such a thing was even possible. The Queen of Fairies: Dont be stupid! What right do you have to do this without the consent of the other Khans! The King of the Pale: I can. It is stated inly in The Demon Annals. It urred under exceptional circumstances, but there are stiptions for it under the 8th amendment. The Cyclops: Stiptions The Witch-Queen of Banshees: What does it say exactly? The King of the Pale: ording to The Demon Annals, to remove the Demon King at the Kurultai, a Khan need only obtain the support of half of the Khans. In other words, four Khans. This right has never been exercised before, but a stiption is a stiption. The Silver Tiger Lord: To think such a use would exist The Baron of Steel: In her time as the Demon King, she has yet to gain any battlefield experience. Do you intend to question her ability to decide the fate of the Demon World through these troubled times? The King of the Pale: Indeed I do. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thats right, the Demon King should be someone fairly powerful. The Baron of Steel: That is a reasonable proposition. The Cyclops: The Demon King should be bigger The Hero: What are you saying? The Chief Maid: Come on! The Fire Dragon Lord: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: So we will impeach the Demon King And who will be the new Demon King? The King of the Pale: Just like when the Demon King falls, we will elect a new Demon King. As usual, well have the martialpetition to decide the Demon King. The Silver Tiger Lord: This time for sure, the Demon King will be a member of the Tribe of the Fang. The King of the Pale: Indeed that may be so, and you will have the gratitude of the Tribe of the Pale. In any case, the next Demon King will surely be a stronger and braver Demon King. The Cyclops: We the Giants will bring honour The Witch-Queen of Banshees: This is worth considering. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: The Demon King is turning green The Hero: Arent you going to do anything? The Chief Maid: This ispletely unexpected The King of the Pale: Well then, shall we take a vote? The Fire Dragon Lord: No, wait. The King of the Pale: What? The Fire Dragon Lord: This is no small matter. I would like to request for more time to discuss this. The King of the Pale: What is there to discuss? If you believe in it, then just show your agreement and we can get this over with. The Silver Tiger Lord: Indeed. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: No, what the Fire Dragon Lord says is correct. We cannot make such a decision without first consulting our Tribe. This decision has many implications after all. The King of the Pale: Hmph. The Cyclops: Dusk The King of the Pale: Fine. It will be dusk in two hours. I want to have the election at dusk. That leaves us with two hours to discuss whatever we need to discuss. The Fire Dragon Lord: Fine. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Agreed. The Queen of Fairies: Thats The Demon King: Then. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: This election will decide whether or not the Demon King Ruby Eyes will continue to sit on the throne. Your Majesty, as stated in The Demon Annals which you so revere, you may challenge the notion. However, you may rest easy for the two hours. No matter what happens, tonight we will decide what is to happen. - Epilogue Arising from her light slumber, she forced her consciousness back into the painful world of the living and opened her eyes to the fuzzy light of day. Her memories and thoughts were a mess as the long, long period of loneliness and istion had sapped most of her remaining strength But even in this eternity, miracles happened as well. That was the birth of the Hero. Borne on the summer winds. Bathed in a glow of light. The saviour of the world. She was not the only one from whose world, lying in thends of the undying, hard and thorny like a craggy precipice, would be liberated. He was to be her saviour, the one of destiny. This Hero was born. There was a feeling of intense regret and misery. The birth of the Hero, woulde to disrupt the bnce of the world he was meant to save her from, creating vacuums as he went along. Her ability to predict events was considered to be omnipotent and infinite, but while she knew many, many things, she was not omniscient by far. As such, she had no way of predicting whether the world would be perfectly fine or would be consumed by the chaos. However, the Hero was born into this undecided world. The soul of this ck haired youth, delivered into the trap of this dangerous world, shone brightly with the courage and hope of being the saviour of the people of the world. (But, maybe) The chance was low, maybe one in thousands, in ten thousands, she did not know, but she felt hopeful. Maybe, maybe he would understand. He had never understood before in all her projections, but maybe a miracle might happen. That day, as she extended her hand, she said those words of apology. And she wondered, what was he thinking? She reached out and hugged that shadow as it slipped away into the darkness, and fell back into her shallow slumber. To be continued in Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Volume 3: The Holy Crusades Volume 2 Maps and Explanations

Volume 2 Maps and Exnations

The Stage of Danger The Central Continent The Central Continent is the centre of civilisation in this world. It is warm enough for the cultivation of wheat throughout thend and is also a manufacturing base, truly the centre of human civilisation. However, because of its rich, viablend, wars have been fought continuously to gain control of it. At the very least, the region has been locked in conflict for hundreds of years. As a result, much of the arablend has be wastnd and the blessings of the earth are not appropriately utilised. However, everything changed twenty years ago in response to the Demon Invasion. The consensus was that the Human Kingdoms should no longer fight among each other, but instead respond to the bigger Demon threat. The Central Continent thus united and wars between countries were effectively abolished. As a result of this, the agricultural sector stabilised and the economy became far stronger than it used to be. Of course, a lot of financial aid was also provided to the Kingdoms in the South. The now-united Central Continent boasted an economic power, political power, and military power that far exceeded any of the Kingdoms throughout the Human World. No Kingdom could exist so long as it opposed the might of the Central Continent. The Kingdoms of the South which had to face the brunt of the Demon Invasion found themselves especially bound to the Central Continent through financial and food aid. At the heart of the Central Continent is the Holy Empire, where the Primarch of the Church of the Holy Spirit resides. Since all Kingdoms receive their mandate to rule from the Holy Spirit himself through the Church of Light, the Holy Church and the Holy Empire have unparalleled power. In the Central Continent, some might even say the Holy Church and the Holy Empire are one. The Stage of Danger The Demon World The Demon World is devoid of seas. As a result, salt is a true luxury. However, there are still streams andkes flowing through the Demon World. Some of thesekes have very high salt contents, simr to the Dead Sea in the real world. These are, although, insufficient to feed the demand for salt for the entire Demon World. The Demon World is not structured into countries, but rather organised into Tribes without clear delineations and borders between them. As a result, arable and liveablend is quickly imed and settled by some Tribes, whilend in which it is very difficult to support life is owned and lived by nobody. The Demon World offers many disadvantages from the Human World, but many advantages as well. The Demon World is far warmer, due to its position on thetitude, and hence the weather does not change very much. This is very suitable for growing crops. Therefore the Demon World has such an abundance of food crops that famine is almost unheard of. Trenches and Oblique Formations The Disciple Soldier used two military innovations during this battle. The first is the trench. First of all, being exposed during a ranged battle (here the weapon is the crossbow) is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, a shield that can stop an arrow has to be very thick, and hence very heavy. However, by digging a hole in the ground, it is something which can be done by anybody and it is also cost-free. The earth is also a far stronger barrier than any shield. By exposing only the head, hidden behind a helmet, the danger of being struck by an enemy arrow is greatly reduced. The second innovation is the oblique formation. This is a formation designed to bait and lure the enemy in. Basically, while the army may wish to advance in a straight line, if the enemy is attacking diagonally, the army may be forced to move diagonally in response. This can funnel the army towards a straight line while the enemy rolls up around and behind him, trapping and nking the force. Usually, a U-shaped formation is used topletely trap the enemy in the middle. However, due to terrain advantages and considerations, a half U or oblique formation, is sufficient to surround the enemy. - The Young Merchants Lecture Fire Dragon Lady: Whats this piece of paper Hmm? Wheat Future Certificate. Young Merchant: Its a type of contract. Fire Dragon Lady: Whats a Wheat Future Certificate? Ive never heard of it. Young Merchant: Thats because Ive only just invented it. Its a contract that says: I would like to buy 100 sacks of wheat for 300 gold pieces next year. Heres the money, so just deliver the wheat when the timees. I pay money to the variousndlords and wait for them to fulfil the contract. In other words, I pay first and get the goodster. Fire Dragon Lady: If you want wheat, why dont you just buy it directly? Young Merchant: Of course, most merchants do that. Theyll buy the wheat once it is harvested every year. Depending on the supply of wheat, the price will naturally change. But Something very interesting happens when you use this certificate. Fire Dragon Lady: Whats that? Young Merchant: Im sure you can figure it out for yourself. Fire Dragon Lady: Hmm. Young Merchant: The hint is that, the higher the price of wheat, the better. Fire Dragon Lady: Hmm, I see. So if the price of wheat goes up, then this contract is to your advantage. Using this contract you only pay the price of wheat at the time the contract was signed. Young Merchant: Correct. Fire Dragon Lady: But in reverse? Young Merchant: Hmm. Fire Dragon Lady: Dont hmm me. If you invest lots of money into this and the price of wheat drops then what will you do? Youve practically given your money to thendlords for free, havent you? Young Merchant: Thats right. But theres a way for this to benefit everybody. Otherwise, this would be a very pointless contract. There are manyndlords who urgently need cash, especially those that need to fight in wars. Using this contract, they can quickly raise up the capital to field their armies. Fire Dragon Lady: So how much wheat have you bought with this Dont tell me Young Merchant: About 4,000,000 gold pieces worth. Fire Dragon Lady: ?! Young Merchant: Hahaha. I used up all the reserves of the Merchants Union. Thats the measure of my fighting power. With this much spending power, no one is out of my reach. Hahahahaha! Fire Dragon Lady: Four million?! Young Merchant: If the price of wheat climbs from 3 gold pieces to 4 gold pieces a sack, I will have made a profit of 1,300,000 gold pieces. If it climbs to 5 gold pieces, I will make 2,600,000. Fire Dragon Lady: But you could lose just as much. If the price falls to 2 gold pieces, then youll lose 1,300,000 gold pieces. The debt Young Merchant: If that happens then I probably wouldnt be able to keep my head. Fire Dragon Lady: Why are you willing to gamble so much What do you see, no, what are you hallucinating about?! This is just a senseless waste of money. Is this what merchants do?! Young Merchant: Mdy. Do you know just how much is 4,000,000 gold pieces? Fire Dragon Lady: WellI heard that a farmer makes about one silver piece for a days work. Young Merchant: That is correct. A merchant makes about 100 gold pieces a year. Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: Thats an idea of how much it is. 4,000,000 gold pieces poured into these Futures represents about 20% of all the wheat produced in a year in the Central Continent. Fire Dragon Lady: 20%?! Young Merchant: Lets assume that next year, the wheat harvest is extremely sessful. The price of wheat will drop. Do you know why? Fire Dragon Lady: Because when the harvest is good, there is more wheat Young Merchant: That is correct. Lets assume that next year, the production of wheat goes up by 10%, either way Ive bought 20% of all the wheat. In other words, as long as the production of wheat doesnt go up dramatically, the total amount of wheat in the market has effectively decreased. And hence, prices cannot rise. Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: Moreover, I knew there was going to be a war. With the focus of thebour market and the economy shifting away, theres no way a satisfactory harvest can be achieved. On top of that, when people hear that Ive been buying wheat like crazy, theyll jump on the bandwagon and further increase the demand of wheat from the market. Thats what causes intion. Fire Dragon Lady: So youre trying to artificially create a shortage of wheat? Thats a bloodstained path Young Merchant: Thats not actually something the Union can do, but in any case, its an unavoidable scenario. In preparation for the war, the Landlords would have been buying up great stocks of wheat. If I stay silent, then there really will be a shortage of wheat. The most I can do is to try to discipline this shortage. Fire Dragon Lady: Discipline Young Merchant: Thats right, its a matter of lives here. This has a 90% sess rate, but some unexpected things could ur. If the production of wheat doubles fromst year, then my n would have failed tremendously. If that happens, the Union would probably have to disband. Fire Dragon Lady: (If that happens, there would probably be a lot of people trying to assassinate the Young Merchant. Hes ying with his life here) Young Merchant: I dont know what youre thinking about, but dont worry. If soldiers have to risk their lives on the battlefield, its not that far-fetched for me to do the same here. Volume 3 The Song of the Nameless Bard

Volume 3 The Song of the Nameless Bard

If only all was that should be. The teachings of the one and only Church would be correct. One gold coin would be worth one gold coin. Against the evil Demons, the power of humans would unite. And against smallpox, all one can do is pray. The Demon King and the Hero joined hands and walked down the road of thorns. From the light of thentern, they could see the bodies of many people. The sparks of the fires of war had been ignited. The Church and the Southern United Kingdoms had a Schism, The Central Continent had Dered War. The Church split into two Churches, The price of wheat shot up, gold coins became useless, Searching for freedom, the serfs migrated to the South, The hungry masses ate the Heretical potato. As Human shed with Human, Human and Demon joined forces. The Southern United Kingdoms acquired Smallpox Medicine from the Demons, And the Holy Empire, the bulwark against Demonic invasion, signed a Secret Agreement with the Demons of the Pale, The Fire Dragon Lady, seeking Salt, appeared in front of the Young Merchant. While the Demon King and the Hero went missing, the ones who stayed to protect the Human World were the Kings and the three Disciples, the disciples of the Demon King. At the same time, the strong currents of fate were brewing, Standing in front of the entire Demon Race, the Demon King proimed the Kurultai. Opposing conciliation with the Humans, despite overwhelming consensus, The Demon King of the Pale yed an unexpected card, And called for the Impeachment of the Demon King Volume 3 1, “Demon King! What’s going on, Demon King!!”

Volume 3 Chapter 1, Demon King! Whats going on, Demon King!!

- The Demon World, on a Retreat by the Lake Disciple Bard: Hey! Hey! Disciple Bard: Whats with this worn-out house, dammit. Eh? Whats this?! Food?! Why is it so sloppy? Oi! Are you there? Get up! Disciple Engineer: Yaaaawn. Whats up? Disciple Bard: Im back. Disciple Engineer: Oh? Where from? Disciple Bard: I told you I was going to the City of the Gate! Disciple Engineer: Really? Now that you say it, I havent seen you in a bit. Disciple Bard: You havent seen me in two months! You damn engineer! I know you havent eaten yet, so I got you some home-cooked food. Here, theres tea too. Disciple Engineer: Thanks. Yaaawn. Disciple Bard: This is what always happens when I leave you alone. Disciple Engineer: No choice. Ive had to study crafting and designing, maintaining and testing. Civil Engineering* is quite a daunting task. I cant even say I understand even one book out of the entire library that our teacher left us. I havent even really understood Flood Control*. Disciple Bard: I told you not to drown yourself in all those texts. No matter how much you learn, if you dont try to apply it, its useless. Disciple Engineer: Even if you say that Civil engineering is nothing like music or art, you need quite a bit of manpower and money to do it. For someone like me, with barely a penny to my name, theres nothing I could possibly do on my own. Disciple Bard: If you say something like that, I guess youre just beingzy Disciple Engineer: Dont say that. Ive just finished fixing up the Irrigation* system for the nearby vige. Disciple Bard: Oh right. How did that turn out? Disciple Engineer: Well, the productivity has gone up. Civil Engineering isnt something that can bepleted instantly so Ill have to observe this order for a few years before I can say anything concretely, but I would say the productivity has gone up significantly. Now were just waiting for the river to bring the fertilisers to the fields. Disciple Bard: Wow, looks like you did a good job. Disciple Engineer: Well. Mmm, this is delicious. Disciple Bard: And how much did they pay you? Disciple Engineer: Not bad. Take a look. Disciple Bard: Wow! Its a sack of gold! Were rich! Disciple Engineer: Heh. Disciple Bard: Wow, this is really not bad. Disciple Engineer: When I wasnt making any money, it must have been really troublesome for you. Disciple Bard: Well, yeah. I mean, a poet is paid daily. Disciple Engineer: These are my earnings over a long period of time. Its the same amount of effort as moving a mountain. Disciple Bard: I see Then, Ill save these for you? Disciple Engineer: Yeah, sure. Disciple Bard: - Exnation Civil Engineering: Different from mechanical or electrical engineering, civil engineering involves the reshaping of the natural terrain (the earth, the rivers, the shorelines, etc.) in order to make things more convenient for society or to prevent natural disasters. Civil engineering is a field of study which deals mostly with the construction of facilities (bridges, dams, roads, ports, etc.) for the good of society. Flood Control: This refers to the protection of lives and livelihoods from floods caused by rising water levels in rivers and from strong waves. To achieve this, floodgates and dams are built, andrger projects such aspletely altering the course of a river can be done. On a side note, altering the waterwork for ease of water transportation or irrigation, such as the building of locks or canals, is referred to as Water Infrastructure and is distinct from Flood Control. However, in real life, civil engineers may be called on to construct facilities which execute both of these functions at the same time. Irrigation: This refers to the provision of water for agricultural purposes, such as by building canals from rivers or pumps. - Disciple Engineer: Yumyum. Disciple Bard: So this was a one-time thing? Disciple Engineer: Yeah. Disciple Bard: What should we do? Disciple Engineer: Hmm, we havent decided on the next contract. And without our teacher around, its going to be fairly difficult to secure one. Disciple Bard: Yeah Disciple Engineer: Ive got a few projects I can source around for, but if you wanted to do something on arger-scale, like mass irrigation or the construction of dams, canals, or even roads, you would need the approval and sponsorship of a Khan of one of the bigger Tribes. Im just a civilian after all, so I dont have the connections. Disciple Bard: What an impoverished profession. Disciple Engineer: What are you saying? Civil Engineering is the King of professions. Disciple Bard: Heh. Disciple Engineer: Our teacher said that. Disciple Bard: Thats because shes prone to saying lofty things like that Disciple Engineer: Shes a genius. Disciple Bard: She acts like one because shes very lofty. Disciple Engineer: Shes a genius. Disciple Bard: Fine, well leave it at that. Here. Disciple Engineer: Eh? Whats that? Disciple Bard: Lets move. Disciple Engineer: Where to? Disciple Bard: You havent got any work, right? The City of the Gate has got some beautiful scenery right now. And you can also try to find work in repairing the City Walls and roads. Trade is rapidly increasing there, so theyve got a lot of tax revenue. Furthermore, there are lots and lots of different Tribespeople residing there. A young Fairy maiden like myself and a young Banshee engineer like you will surely find work to do. Disciple Engineer: Thats true. Disciple Bard: What do you think? Disciple Engineer: Well, apart from our teachers books, I dont have a lot I need to take with us. Disciple Bard: So shall we go? Disciple Engineer: Thered better be some massive project. Disciple Bard: I think Ill bring one Saga* with me. I can feel a good wind blowing on our trip! - The Kurultai, the Demon Kings Pavilion The Demon King: Well, well. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty The Demon King: I didnt expect that they would have such a hand to y. I was too na?ve I was also relying on my position as the Demon King. The Hero: The Demon King: Im sorry. Wed just gotten the discussion to a good point before this happened. At this rate The Hero: No, that is my responsibility. The Chief Maid: Hero? The Hero: I failed to warn you about it. The Mage asked me to look for a copy of The Demon Annals and research it. Ipletely ignored that. Its my fault. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: No, thats not it. We were so focused on obtaining the ceasefire that we forgot to consider other paths which the Kurultai could have taken. The result is that now I am powerless. The Hero: Dont say that. The Chief Maid: Thats right, its too early to give up. The Demon King: But what can we do in these two hours? Since hes nailed the final into our coffin, any attempt I make at contacting the other Khans will just look like Im desperately trying to save myself. The only thing we can do now is try to make sure that no one can contest the seat. - Exnation Saga: These are epic poems from Northern Europe. They are massive works of literature that rarely feature deities or gods but focus mostly on the exploits of brave men. In todays context, strong works of writing, particrly those with sequels, are often termed as sagas as well. - The Hero: You mean kill them all? The Demon King: Thats right. The Hero: But that really defeats the purpose. The Chief Maid: Why? Didnt you say before that in the past there were examples of Demon Kings who would obliterate the Khans who refused to listen to the word of the Demon King? The Demon King: But there was only one. The Hero: In other words, to achieve a consensus, it is possible to destroy the one remaining opposition to the motion. We do have extreme methods such as obliteration at our disposal but in the end, if were not able to achieve the support of the other seven Khans, we would have to obliterate all of them. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: In this situation, lets assume that four of the Khans agree to vote for me. Especially if they find out that I sanctioned the kill of that Khan, then I definitely wouldnt have the support of those other four Khans. The Chief Maid: Thats The Demon King: It doesnt necessarily mean that theyre not going to support me now, but we cant count on my position as the Demon King. The King of the Pale knows this as well. My position is not stable, and if there are any divisions as a result of this decision, then the entire Demon Race might fracture as well. We may be thrust back into a chaotic world The Hero: The Demon King: This will be a momentous asion, but all we can do now is watch and see - The Kurultai, the Grand Pavilion The King of the Pale: Right, its time. The Demon King: The Hero: Dont worry, itll turn out fine. The Chief Maid: But, but The Hero: Protect the Demon King. We may have another chance yet. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: The sun has gone down. The King of the Pale: Well then. The green rays of the sun have died down. The deadline hase. The Silver Tiger Lord: Shall we make a decision? The Baron of Steel: Lets. The Cyclops: Understood. The Fire Dragon Lord: The King of the Pale: In that case, since I brought up the motion, let me begin. Whether or not we Demons want to go to war or not, we are currently at war. The Humans could invade us at any moment. At a time like this, to have a weak-willed Demon King is tantamount to treason against our people. We the Tribe of the Pale vote to impeach the Demon King. The Queen of Fairies: The Tribe of the Fairies would like to acknowledge the contributions the Demon King has made. Not only has she stopped the in-fighting between the Tribes, she has also made widespread paper and other civil technologies, and truly enriched the culture of the Demon World. The Silver Tiger Lord: Culture? Bah! The Queen of Fairies: We may be small in stature, but that is what is important to us. Every fairy under the light of the moon, in the glistering forests, supports the present Demon King whole-heartedly. The Demon King: The Silver Tiger Lord: To us, the Tribe of the Fang, might is right. We will follow the most powerful person. In times of war, we disy our strength, and in times of peace we merely reserve its use. The present Demon King has yet to personally take part in a single expedition, so I cannot say anything for her abilities. We cannot support a person whose strength remains unknown to us. We the Tribe of the Fang vote to impeach the Demon King. The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: With regards to the war, we have already voiced out our opinion. What would happen if the Demon King were to change? We cannot guarantee that the next Demon King will not be a battle-crazy extremist, or one who is willing to exercise wanton destruction, unlike the present Demon King. We have always advocated solving our disputes with the Demon King using personalmunication, without resorting to elections. This is the unwrittenw of this world. In support of the stability of the Demon World, and to respect the institutions which we live by, we the Tribe of Banshees support the Demon King. The Baron of Steel: My Tribe requires the treasures which are overflowing in the Human World. We thank the present Demon King for helping us to see just how valuable these are, but we cannot cooperate with humans after all. They operate in a different manner from us Demons, and without any kind of long-term contract or rights, my Tribe is afraid of the possible abuse, exploitation, and other despicable acts that may bemitted by these self-righteous Humans during our interactions with them. We cannot co-exist with humans after all. We, the Tribe of Automatons, vote to impeach the Demon King. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: We, the Tribe of Fiends, will take the middle ground on this matter, as always. In other words, we abstain. The King of the Pale: Hmph, youre just trying to y both sides so youll never get burned. The Cyclops: The Demon King is too small We feel someone bigger is better than someone smaller. Thats why we feel that changing the Demon King is better than keeping her The Demon King: The Hero: Four The Chief Maid: Its over The Silver Tiger Lord: The movement to impeach the Demon King has been agreed on! We now enter the era of a new Demon King! The Baron of Steel: A new Demon King The King of the Pale: Let usmence it immediately. But a twenty year reign, its not very long. Its not short either. There hasnt been a case where the Demon Kings throne is empty, but the previous Demon King is still alive. The Fire Dragon Lord: Shut up. The King of the Pale: Huh? What are you saying? My lord. It has already been decided. Just what do you intend to do about that? The Fire Dragon Lord: I said shut up! Breathes fire. The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: ? The King of the Pale: Then I shall shut up. So, what do you have to say? The Fire Dragon Lord: I havent voted yet. The Silver Tiger Lord: What are you talking about? Its already been decided! The King of the Pale: Thats right. So even if you support the present Demon King, nothing will change. Youve done nothing. The Fire Dragon Lord: I didnt say that. We are one of the oldest and most ancient of the Tribes in the Demon Race, the Tribe of the Dragons. Why do you initiate such proceedings without even consulting us first! The Silver Tiger Lord: Because the result wont change The Fire Dragon Lord: Shut up! Im not talking about that. Do not take my Tribe lightly! That is what Im talking about! The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: You could have just said that at the start. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Indeed. The King of the Pale: Hmph. Well. Fine. Thats a valid point as well. Lets hear what youve got to say. But Im certain whatever you have to say will not influence the result of this Kurultai. The Fire Dragon Lord: The Queen of Fairies: Please give us your final view. The Demon King: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Vote then. The Fire Dragon Lord: The King of the Pale: What are you keeping quiet for! Didnt you tell us not to treat you lightly, but now youre keeping all silent and not saying a single word. This is a waste of time. Give us your answer! The Silver Tiger Lord: Thats right! Youre taking this whole Kurultai for a pack of fools with that attitude. Door ms open. East Fortress Base Commander: Hope Im notte. Aide-de-Camp pants. The Demon King: Eh? The Hero: The Base Commander? Why The Fire Dragon Lord: Then I will speak. As the Khan of the Dragons, allow me to introduce to you, the newest Tribe to the Demon Race. The King of the Pale: Wh-what are you saying! At such a critical moment! The Silver Tiger Lord: New Tribe?! Ive never heard anything about this! The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: Youd best exin yourself. The Fire Dragon Lord: Of course. In that case, youd best hear it from the horses mouth. East Fortress Base Commander: Ah, uhhh, whats up. Wait, no. I mean. Good day to all of you, I am the East Fortress Base Commander. I am here to join the Kurultai as one of the Great Demon Tribes. The Demon King: Join? The King of the Pale: What are you talking about! The Kurultai has always been limited to the Eight Great Demon Tribes, its the highest office of the entire world. How could apletely unknown Demon like yourself even hope to join us! East Fortress Base Commander: Uhh, actually, Im a Human. The King of the Pale ms the table. The Silver Tiger Lord: Human?! The Cyclops: Human! The King of the Pale: What is this about, Fire Dragon Lord! The Fire Dragon Lord: What are you talking about? Just what is a Demon anyway? Anything which lives in the Underground World can be called a Demon. This guy lives in the Underground World. Therefore, hes a Demon. It doesnt matter if hes also a Human. The Silver Tiger Lord: What kind of lousy reasoning is that! The Fire Dragon Lord: Just where is it written in The Demon Annals that Humans are not Demons? The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: ! Ahahahahaha! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What purpose do you have at this Kurultai! East Fortress Base Commander: Right, I was gonna, I mean, I was about to get to that. I would like to be a Khan. The King of the Pale: A Human as a Khan?! East Fortress Base Commander: Thats right. I represent the Tribe of the Gate, with 48,000 Tribesmen, I make my request to join this Kurultai. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Baron of Steel: Wh-what The Queen of Fairies: Forty eight thousand? The Fire Dragon Lord: Thats right. This Kurultai is a conference for the Demon King and other powerful Khans. It was never decided that it was just for us eight Tribes. Do you remember? The Automatons themselves only joined the Conference about six generations ago. The Baron of Steel: We won that, right. The Cyclops: That was the result of a war The Fire Dragon Lord: There doesnt need to be a war. Any Tribe with more than 40,000 tribesmen is allowed to join the conference as long as he has the support of two other Khans. The Queen of Fairies: Forty thousand? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Dont be foolish, how can such a small race take part in the Kurultai? The King of the Pale: Thats right! What kind of authority does he carry with so few tribesmen?! The Fire Dragon Lord: This is not something I have decided! It is clearly written as a stiption in The Demon Annals. Thats all! Aide-de-Camp: Allow me to exin this clearly. Umm. The stiptions were all written quite a time back and in ordance to the demands of the period, right? So in other words, when this stiption was created, forty thousand was a fairlyrge size for a Tribe. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: The times The King of the Pale: Who cares if its a stiption! Forty thousand? What kind of fool would agree to that! How can we acknowledge the power of such a tiny Tribe?! The Fire Dragon Lord: But stiptions are stiptions, and stiptions are absolute, arent they? The King of the Pale: !!! The Fire Dragon Lord: How can you use some obscure stiption to call this motion and then object to a different stiption halfway through the conference. Thats just unfair. The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: Ahahahahahaha! Stiptions! Stiptions! Stiptions are important, arent they, King of the Pale? The King of the Pale: Agh! Agghhhh! The Silver Tiger Lord: Who would support such a thing! A Tribe controlled by a Human! The King of the Pale: Thats right! Who would! East Fortress Base Commander: Im counting on you, old man. The Fire Dragon Lord: I will stand behind him. I just need one more name The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: Ahahahahahaha! This is funny, this is very funny. I will stand by him. Im sure the Queen of Fairies would have done it anyway, but I will lend my support to this human. Aide-de-Camp: Here is the census for the entire 48,000 members of my Tribe. It also includes the resumes of the Self-Governing Council of the City of the Gate. With the addition of the official seals of the two Khans, all the necessary paperwork has beenpiled. The King of the Pale: What if I object? The Fire Dragon Lord: There are no stiptions for objections. Once the paperwork has been filed, this guy here is the Khan of the Gate. He may join in the conference and has the right to speak and vote. The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: Hahahaha! What now? The Demon King: ! The King of the Pale: Dont tell me. East Fortress Base Commander: On the matter hitherto discussed, we, the Tribe of the Gate believe in peace and prosperity. We have many Humans residing in our City, and they have been working hand-in-hand with their Demon counterparts. Of course, there have been many inconveniences and disturbances. And many other things have happened too. But through it all, we can still stand strong next to each other, bar a few scuffles, eat from the same rice bowl, and bear the same weights together. Fiends, Fangs, Fairies, Dragons, Banshees, Demons of the Pale, not many, but Giants and Automatons too. There is only one rule in my City. Comrades for prosperity. I No, we the Tribe of the Gate, vote to retain the present Demon King. The Fire Dragon Lord: Right. Then we have half of all the votes. The Hero: Base Commander! Base Commander! You son of a gun! I had no idea! East Fortress Base Commander: Sorry, Hero I mean, ck Knight. I had to change many horses just to get here. Two hours? I barely made it, let alone have time to stop by the Demon Kings Pavilion. The Demon King: Just like that I will never forget what you have done for me today I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you. East Fortress Base Commander: Its fine. You hunted down that damn Commander after all. Right, Demon King, I should be thankful towards you. The Demon King: No, no, let us be as normal. East Fortress Base Commander: Hoho, whats this? Thats a very pretty smile youve got there. Aide-de-Camp: Alright, so whats next? The Fire Dragon Lord: Thats right. Shall we proceed with the rest of todays conference? The Witch-Queen of the Banshees: Indeed, my Khans? The Silver Tiger Lord: Heh! Enough! Im leaving! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Alright. Let us call for a recess. The King of the Pale: Excuse my displeasure. Spits. The Fire Dragon Lord: Gahahahahaha! The Queen of Fairies: How great! The Demon King is still the Demon King - The Kurultai, in Front of the Grand Pavilion East Fortress Base Commander: Ahh, so I made it in time. I really had to rush. Demon King and ck Knight, you two had turned so blue, I was wondering what was going on. The Hero: Haha, I suppose so. East Fortress Base Commander: Hahahahaha. The Hero: The Mage passed you The Demon Annals? Aide-de-Camp: Thats right. But it took us some time to read through the whole thing. Thats why when we heard something was amiss, we rushed here as fast as we could. The Demon King: And you flew over here by horse East Fortress Base Commander: Im d that we could be of use. But that Fire Dragon Lord really did us a huge favour back there. The Demon King: Ill be sure to thank himter. The Hero: Yeah, he saved us. The Demon King: Of course he did, Ill make sure to do the necessary etiquette. The Hero: How rare it is for the Demon King to be so thankful. The Demon King: What are you saying? Im a very thankful person. The Chief Maid: Well, well. The Hero: In any case, lets go back to the pavilion to rest. East Fortress Base Commander: My throat is dry and my stomach is empty. Aide-de-Camp: And were really tired. The Chief Maid: I will prepare a pot of tea as soon as we return. Your Majesty, shall I use our best Roasted Red Tea in celebration? Arrows whistling! The Demon King: ? The Hero: Were under attack?! Where?! East Fortress Base Commander: Arrows! Its an ambush! Aide-de-Camp: So many arrows! At this rate The Chief Maid: Your Majesty?! Your Majesty?! East Fortress Base Commander: Her Majesty is under attack! Its an ambush! Guards! Guards! What are you doing!!! Secure the perimeter!!! Royal Guard: !!! Secure the perimeter! Royal Guard: All personnel protect Her Majesty! The Demon King: Ah Hero The Hero: Demon King! The Chief Maid: Blood! Demon King! The Hero: Oi! Demon King!!! Demon King!!! Volume 3 2, “The Kurultai without the Demon King”

Volume 3 Chapter 2, The Kurultai without the Demon King

- The Kurultai, the Pavilion of the Demon King m! The Fire Dragon Lord: Has the Demon King really fallen! East Fortress Base Commander: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yeah. The Fire Dragon Lord: What is going on? Exin! Aide-de-Camp: After the conference, we were walking back to the pavilion. It was a short distance, and we wereughing and joking All of a sudden, someone fired an arrow at thepletely defenceless Demon King The Fire Dragon Lord: Is the Demon King all right?! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: She is presently in the care of my wife, we are trying to dy it. The Fire Dragon Lord: Dy what? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: She has been poisoned. We are trying to slow it down. East Fortress Base Commander: The arrows prated her lung. Its definitely a very serious injury. Actually, it wouldnt have been strange if she had died on the spot. Luckily, the ck Knight managed to suck out some of the poison. Aide-de-Camp: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: The shamans of the Tattooed and the physicians of the Banshees are tending to her as best we can, but its a very deep wound and the poison is a very strong one as well The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Why The Fire Dragon Lord: Who is responsible for this! To do something like this in a ce like this. The Demon King is absolutely crucial for the Kurultai! East Fortress Base Commander: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: To use such a method to deal with the Demon King, doing something so underhanded is far below what any normal Demon would do. The fool. I cannot understand why anyone would be so willing to anger the Eight Great Demon Tribes, no, the Nine Great Demon Tribes with such an underhanded method as assassination. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: How about a human Aide-de-Camp: What are you saying?! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Using such despicable means to attack the Demon King would result in a loss of reputation, so it cant be a warrior. Its clear that it cant be anyone from the Demon Race. None of the Khans would allow it Thats why its natural for me to suspect that this must have been done by a human assassin. The Fire Dragon Lord: No, the only one who would stand to gain from this is one of us. The shooter was never even revealed, so there was no loss of reputation. Its probably someone who saw the Demon King as an obstacle to be removed. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Now we can only pray for the best Wind blows The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lord: ck Knight. The Hero: The next few days will be the most difficult. East Fortress Base Commander: ! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Isnt there something we can provide? Ice? Medicine? Ive already sent for the best physicians throughout thend. The Hero: Thank you for all you have done. I cannot thank you any more for all the help you have provided for us. The Chief Maid is presently tending to her, but It is very deep. The necrosis is very advanced as well. Aide-de-Camp: Thats The Hero: If the Demon King falls, how will the next Demon King be selected? The Fire Dragon Lord: I suppose that should be considered. The Hero: Please tell me. The Fire Dragon Lord: The stars will decide the sessors of the Demon King. The sessors will discover a sigil somewhere on their body. It is said that the bigger the sigil, the more suitable he is to be the sessor to the Demon King. In fact, throughout History, the Demon Kings have always had an extremely deep sigil. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: It often happens that a lot of people have the sigil. Usually about two or three. The present Demon King had an unprecedented number of sigil-bearers to contend with though The Chieftain of the Tattooed: There were six. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: If only one person has the sigil, that person automatically bes the Demon King. If there are many, then a war of session is fought. The Demon King candidate or a representative takes part in a tournament, and the victor of the tournament bes the next Demon King. The Hero: I see Walks away. The Fire Dragon Lord: Where are you going? East Fortress Base Commander: Oi! The Hero: I go to fulfil the wish of the Demon King. The Fire Dragon Lord: What?! Where? The Hero: Time does not stop for the Kurultai and the considerations of the ceasefire. While the Demon King is still alive, every second is as precious as a grain of gold. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: ck Knight. The Hero: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: As the Khan of the Banshees, I will stay here. I am prepared for a heartbreaking conclusion to the Demon King, but a set of healing hands here is better used than at the Kurultai. The Hero: Thank you. - The Kurultai, the Avenue of Pavilions p p p. The Hero: Demon Thrush. Demon Thrush: I am by your side. The Hero: The footprints? Demon Thrush: I apologise, I could not follow them to their destination. The Hero: Whereabouts did it lead? Demon Thrush: The hill to the northeast. The Hero: Lets go investigate it. Charm of Speed! Magic flows from fingers. p p p. - - Demon Thrush: Here it is. The Hero: So the attack came from here? The Queen of Fairies: Sir ck Knight. The Hero: Your Majesty The Queen of Fairies: The Fairies havepletely sealed the city. We may not have much battlefield ability, but we do specialise in seals and monitoring and the like The Hero: That is good. The Queen of Fairies: How is the Demon King? The Hero: Critical. The Queen of Fairies: ! The Hero: Continue to conduct surveince. Report back to me if you find anything strange. Demon Thrush: My Lord. The Hero: What is it? Demon Thrush: Having investigated the area, I have discovered some repetitive footprints. I believe the perpetrators were operating in a group of about ten people. The footprints appear to have been moving together. The Queen of Fairies: A group. The Hero: I have a lot of questions for these people. The Queen of Fairies: Indeed. Demon Thrush: My Lord, there is also a suspicious mark over here. The Hero: What is it? The Queen of Fairies: Theres nothing here. The Hero: Is this a battle? Demon Thrush: I do not know. The Queen of Fairies: Even with the magical abilities of the Tribe of Fairies, I can only detect a faint hint of something having happened here The Hero: The Shadow Arrow Is it Grandpa? - The Kurultai, the Perimeter of the Venue Fairy: Anything? Fairy: Nope. Fairy: See anything? Fairy: Nope. Fairy: But. Fairy: But. Fairy: Something ising. Fairy: A unit, theres a unit. Fairy: Their breathing is very shallow. Fairy: Theyre hiding. Fairy: Got warn them! Fairy: Warn the Queen! Fairy: The ck Knight and the Demon King are in danger! Fairy: Danger! Fairy: Warn the Queen! Fairy: Warn her! Fairy: Theres a unit hidden in the valley! - The Kurultai, the Pavilion of the Demons of the Pale King of the Pale: The ck g has been raised. Colonel of the Pale: A ck g symbolises the death of a KhanIf itsing from the Demon Kings pavilion, then it must symbolise the death of the Demon King. It seems the Demon King is at the end of her lifeline. King of the Pale: Hmph. Its to be expected that such a weak Demon King would be so fragile. If she had only epted my offer to abdicate, her life wouldnt be in such danger. Girls should never be allowed to fight in the first ce. Colonel of the Pale: It is as you say. Door opens. General of the Pale: Your Majesty. King of the Pale: Ohh, its the pride of our Army. You havee at a good time. The Demon King is dead I do not know who or why, but this is a great thing at a brilliant timing. Colonel of the Pale: You havee quickly. King of the Pale: Where is the Prince? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Father, I am here as well. King of the Pale: Ohhh! Are you well! My only son and sessor! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hahahaha. I am, Father, thank you for your concern. General of the Pale: The sigil has made its appearance. King of the Pale: Where? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: My eyes are the very proof. Closes eyes. General of the Pale: This sigil on both his eyelids, it is clearly the sigil of the Demon King. With his strength and skill, he will surely be the material of legends. Prime Minister of the Pale: He is truly a Prince of the Pale. King of the Pale: What a blessing! To think I would see this in my reign! My son, bearing the sigil, and the Demon King on her deathbed. The Demon Gods are just waiting to wee a new addition from the Tribe of the Pale! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hahahahaha! I am willing to bear the responsibility for the Great Tribe of the Pale. However, the mere title of Prince, is not very cool. King of the Pale: What are you talking about? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: General, please. General of the Pale: For the Grace of Your Highness. Prime Minister of the Pale: Stabs. King of the Pale: Wha! What?! General of the Pale: For the prosperity of the Pale, rest in peace, Your Majesty. King of the Pale: Da! Damn you?! Im your father! You would kill me for my throne?! I wont allow Stabs. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hmm. General of the Pale: It is over, Sigil King. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Sigil King Its not bad, but Ill wait for another nickname. General of the Pale: Indeed. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I will be the next Demon King. Hehehehehehehe. Hahahahahahaha! - The Kurultai, the Grand Pavilion General of the Pale: Well, I have gathered you for a simple reason. Due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, the Demon King has passed away, and we are very sorry for this unprecedented turn of events. In order to free ourselves from this predicament, I would like to borrow the advice of the Khans. Before this, I would like to introduce you to somebody. The Baron of Steel: The Fire Dragon Lord: Who are you? Where is the King of the Pale? General of the Pale: I beg your forgiveness. I am a General of the Army of the Pale. The Tribe of the Pale has weed a new Khan, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, the new Khan of the Pale. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: A new Khan? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: That would be me. I am the sessor to the King of the Pale. My father passed away from a sudden sicknessst night. I have been learning the ways of the King in order to seed my father for a long time now, and I have the support of the Tribe of the Pale for the throne. Now, I seek only your support. The Silver Tiger Lord: Is that so? This reeks of blood. The Cyclops: The decision of the Tribe The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph, fine. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: It is not our practice to interfere with the domestic politics of the Tribes. If this is the decision of your people, we will ept it. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: So, you want to talk about what happens after the death of the Demon King? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I am sure my Khans all know about the unfortunate passing of the Demon King, this is to decide what we will do next. The Silver Tiger Lord: What we decide has no bearing The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The next Demon King will be decided by the stars. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: However, there is a problem here. Regardless of our many entreatments, we are currently still at war with the Human World. The only person who has the authority to call a ceasefire or a truce or whatever has just passed away. We cannot waste time in deciding the next Demon King, this concerns the life and death of the Demon World. The Hero: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: That is true. The Baron of Steel: So what would you have us do? The Fire Dragon Lord: Continue the Kurultai in the absence of the Demon King? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: If there is such a need. The Silver Tiger Lord: Decide this matter between the nine of us? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I have one more thing to announce. The sigil has appeared on my eyes. The Baron of Steel: Eyes?! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Dont tell me The Queen of Fairies: Even the fearsome Demon King known as the Demon Eye only had the sigil on his right eye East Fortress Base Commander: Hey, hey. Whats this all about? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Thats right. I am in line to be the next Demon King. With the death of the Demon King, it is not umon for an uninterrupted session. Based on the intelligence of the Tribe of the Pale, at this current juncture, there are no other imants to the Throne. The Silver Tiger Lord: What?! The Baron of Steel: That cannot be The Hero: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: If you think about it, there were six imants at thest generation. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hahahaha, perhaps that is why there are none this time. The Cyclops: So the Demon King is decided The Fire Dragon Lord: The Pale Whats this about the good of the Demon Race, he just wants the Throne He just wants to keep up the momentum. With the death of the Demon King, the Pale automatically receives the Throne, then. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: That may be so, but you are currently just a imant. The Queen of Fairies: Indeed. You are not the Demon King. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I understand that. As I am young, I merely seek to gain your approval, I will work hard, and I have no intention to take the seat of the Demon King. The Baron of Steel: Hmph. The Cyclops: Then why Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I merely wish to speak on a few matters with you, using my status as the Khan of the Pale and a imant to the Throne of the Demon King. The first is extremely urgent, and that is that I have no intention to immediately upy the empty Throne of the Demon King. The Silver Tiger Lord: Fine. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: The second is that we must proceed with haste with the funeral service of the previous Demon King. At the same time, we must also focus our efforts on discovering her murderer. We must decide on someone to be responsible for this. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph. You should have said that from the start. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: The Tribe of the Pale believes that this wasmitted by Humans. East Fortress Base Commander: Based on what! ms table. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Naturally, at this point we have no evidence. We have also been searching for the perpetrator without discounting the possibility that it wasmitted by Demons. However, at the very least, it is clear that this is just a cowardly method to create divisions among the Tribes in the Demon World. We have to pursue this coward aggressively and catch him. The Baron of Steel: Humans The Silver Tiger Lord: Seems like something they would do! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Thirdly, how long shall we wait? As I said earlier, we are pressed for time. It is true that the stars may pick other imants and we should allow them time, however, the ones who decide when the date of the War of Session will be are the Eight, now the Nine Great Khans. I beseech you to make an earlier decision. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Which is the next Tribe making the decision? The Queen of Fairies: We were thest one. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: In that case, it is us, the Fiends. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Please make a decision. The Baron of Steel: The Fire Dragon Lord: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: What will it be? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Sigiled Prince of the Pale: My Khan, please. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: I understand that we are in a time of crisis. If we drag this on for too long, the Demon World may be thrown into chaos. We need a new Demon King right now, but we also need time for the other imants. This is a difficult question However, wasting too much time is also a big problem. Tomorrow morning. Thats rightTomorrow morning, we will have the War of Session. The other imants have until daybreak to present their sigils, in the absence of which, the Tribe of the Pale will inherit the Throne. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: ck Knight. The Hero: What? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: You are the left hand of the Demon King. Behind that ck carapace, there are those who call you the Sword of the Demon King. The Hero: Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I deeply regret the passing of the Demon King, however, you are the Demon Worlds strongest knight. In other words, you are ourst bulwark against the incursions of the Human Race. Put aside your emotions and work together with me to support the Demon World. General of the Pale: You have my highest honour, Sir ck Knight! Together, we can give the Demon World its strongest and most formidable army! Hahahahahahahaha! The Cyclops: The Fire Dragon Lord: How brash. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I apologise for any insult I have made, my Lord The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The fires of war have reignited. The Queen of Fairies: Looks like we will be at war again. The Kurultai, the next Morning The Silver Tiger Lord: Daybreak. The Cyclops: Morning The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph. The Queen of Fairies: Nobody hase. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: I see. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: East Fortress Base Commander: Youre going to have to take off that armour soon. Aide-de-Camp: Yeah. The Hero: But the Demon King gave it to me. General of the Pale: Today is a beautiful day. The Silver Tiger Lord: A day of rebirth. The Baron of Steel: It is time. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Then it is settled. The Pale will provide the next Demon King. Step forward. Sigiled Prince of the Pale steps forward. East Fortress Base Commander: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: As the Chieftain of the Tattooed, I represent the will of the Nine Great Khans at this Kurultai to acknowledge the sole imant to the Throne of the Demon King. Do you object to bearing the name of the Demon King, the responsibilities of the Demon King Castle, and the duty to undergo four days of cleansing in the Pce of Death, in order to awaken as the next Demon King? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I do not. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Do you agree to carry on the will of the Demon King in your actions and your bearings? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I do. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Then, I hereby crown you the Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hold. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Would it be possible to allow my right hand, and the unifier of the Demon World, the ck Knight to perform this ceremony? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Fine. In that case, you now have the duty to ce the circlet of the Demon King on the head of the Demon King. You will have the honour to serve him with honour and distinguished conduct. The Hero: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: ck Knight. Step forward. ce the Circlet on the head of the Demon King. East Fortress Base Commander: ck Knight Aide-de-Camp: ck Knight The Queen of Fairies: ck Knight The Hero: Sigiled Prince of the Pale: My right hand. My Grand Marshall. I hereby bestow upon you the greatest honour I can bestow in the Demon World, in recognition of your many victories without defeats, I proim you the ck Marshal of Death. As the right hand of my reign, we will together usher in an age of prosperity. I thank you for your unwavering service to the previous Demon King. Raise your sword, and receive my orders, now and forever. The Hero: I ept your orders. Under divine contract, my body and my life, everything belongs to the Demon King in entirety. My sword is exclusively for the enemies of the Demon King. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Everything? The Hero: My strength is the strength of the Demon King, for the people of the Demon World. My skills are a ray of light, carving a road for the will of the Demon King. My voice will echo themands of the Demon King. To realise the will of the Demon King, I will walk alongside the Demon King, on any path his Majesty chooses to take. My hands serve only the Demon King. With these words, I pronounce my divine contract that binds me forever to the Demon King. East Fortress Base Commander: ck Knight! General of the Pale: All hail the Demon King! Waaaaaaaaa! All hail the Demon King! General of the Pale: Glory to the Demon King! Attendant: Glory to the Demon King of the Pale! Prime Minister of the Pale: Hehehehe. Glory! Glory! Hmph, its all just for show, isnt it. Arrow flies through the air. Prime Minister/Assassin: Hiss Wha My leg, my leg Hiss Butler: Be quiet. Its improper. Prime Minister/Assassin: Ah! Hiss! What are you doing! Grandpa! Hiss! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Who is it! General of the Pale: What are you doing to our Minister! Butler: Silence! Who would interrupt a ceremony like this! Even my young man has more ss. East Fortress Base Commander: Ah Ive seen this person, on the battlefield, a long time ago. The Hero: Old man, yourete! Butler: Nyohohohohoho. Sorry for making you wait. The Fire Dragon Lord: What is going on? Butler: Nyohohohoho. Ive been waiting for a while to confirm it, but I finally have my chance in this guys breast pocket. Bottle rolls out. Prime Minister/Assassin: Thats! No! Not that! The Silver Tiger Lord: A bottle?! Butler: This is the poison Because of this thing, five of my cutest underlings are dead. Its a very scary poison. Without the antidote, its a sure death. The Baron of Steel: Poison Dont tell me The Cyclops: Hes the assassin? General of the Pale: ! East Fortress Base Commander: Hey, why is the same poison used to assassinate the Demon King with the Tribe of the Pale? Eh? Prime Minister/Assassin: Let me go! Let me go! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Lets interrogate the assassin and find out why Prime Minister/Assassin: Damn you! Take this kick! Kicks. sh. Prime Minister/Assassin: Agh! Ah, ah Hiss Hiss Hiss Sigiled Prince of the Pale: That was dangerous, old man. East Fortress Base Commander: Hey! Whats going on! Were you trying to silence him! Is that how you Pale things operate?! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hmph, I was just trying to save that old man. General of the Pale: Hahahahahaha. East Fortress Base Commander: What a terrible excuse! Aide-de-Camp: That was an extremely suspicious thing to have done! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: King of the Pale! You yourself said that it was highly imperative to find out what happened to the Demon King, and now you kill the only person who can tell us?! Exin yourself?! The Silver Tiger Lord: Thats right, youd better make this clear! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Clunk. The Baron of Steel: Whats this A mask? The Cyclops: Thats The Fire Dragon Lord: This assassin Is from the Tribe of Serpents Aide-de-Camp: Tribe of Serpents? The Silver Tiger Lord: From From the Tribe of Beasts? No! That cant be! Its true that we support the war, but we wouldnt do something as underhanded as assassination! That cant be! General of the Pale: Who would believe you? The Baron of Steel: This looks even worse for you Demons of the Pale! The Fire Dragon Lord: The suspicion is on the people who would hire this assassin as a Prime Minister! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I think youre misunderstanding something. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: What?! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Excuses? Suspicions? Hahahaha. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Im the Demon King, right? I dont need things like excuses. I have no need to rify any suspicions. What I say is right. I am the Demon King. There are none above me. I rule the Demon World. So, I dont want to hear any more of this crap. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: You are at the Kurultai! The Demon King needs the support of half the Tribes to keep the Throne! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: In that case, I officially call an end to the Kurultai. Convening a Kurultai is the personal privilege of the Demon King. The Baron of Steel: ! The Queen of Fairies: What? Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Let me make this clear, I will not convene a second Kurultai. I have no need for the support of anyone else, unlike that third-rate, weak-willed Demon King. You can call me a tyrant or whatever, I dont care. I am different from that rotten woman. I am the order of the Demon World, I am beyond allw. Do you understand! Its over Its the end. My Khans. Perhaps you should change that way of thinking. General of the Pale: Who is it? The Demon King: Do I really need to introduce myself The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, dont push it. The Female Pdin: The healing process isntplete yet, lets go back. The Demon King: I have to do this. The Fire Dragon Lord: Demon King East Fortress Base Commander: Demon King! The Queen of Fairies: Demon King! General of the Pale: What?! Why are you here! The Demon King: I will say this just once. Even though Im saying this in the capacity of the Demon King, to begin with this entire system of the Demon King ispletely anachronistic. To have all power vested with a single person; that authority, and might, and influence that person now holds, willpletely imbnce and prejudice the other Tribes, just as it has done for the many Kings before and just as it is doing now. You get it, right? You may speak of loyalty and deference, but when a power-crazy Demon King rises to the throne, you get this kind of despicable and heinous acts urring in the World. Butler: Schr The Demon King: I apologise for suspecting you. Butler: Well, you believed me in the end. The Demon King: Its because of what the Hero said. That old man would never kill anyone D-cup and above. Furthermore, using poison isnt really your style, is it? Butler: Im a real gentleman after all, nyohohohohoho. The Hero: So, I suppose your candidature was invalid to begin with. My sword belongs to the Demon King, that is explicitly what was stated in the contract. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: ck Knight, damn you! The Demon King: Hero! The Hero: Got it! The Demon King: Seize the Sigiled Prince! If possible, I want him alive. But use whatever means you have to! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: This isnt over yet! Magic buzzes in the air. The Hero: ?! The Female Pdin: Whats with this insane Demonic Energy?! The Chief Maid: Thats the magic of the Pce of Death?! Explosion. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hahahahahaha! ck Knight! ck Knight! ck Knight!!! This is the real strength of the Demon World! Ahahahahaha!!! The Hero: This guy is insane!!! Draws sword, magic buzzes. The Hero: Charm of Haste! de of Lightning! Spell of Armour! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Lightfoot Activate! Curse of Demon Armour! Hex of the Phoenix! Explosion. East Fortress Base Commander: What is up with these guys! Aide-de-Camp: Im just seeing a lot of bright lights?! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Now! I will destroy you, ck Knight! I am the Demon King! I will root out weakness! The weak one is especially weakened by poison, so anyone at all can kill her! The Hero: What! Thats underhanded! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Die, you fool! st of magic. The Hero: Crap. Going by magical energy alone This guy is Demon King-ss! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Go! Take down that woman!!! Soldiers of the Pale: Understood! Attack! Attack! East Fortress Base Commander: Horsemen?! Aide-de-Camp! Aide-de-Camp: Yes! East Fortress Base Commander: Assemble the Khans, form a perimeter and protect the Demon King! The Baron of Steel: Demon of the Pale! Where did all these soldierse from?! The Silver Tiger Lord: Ohhhhh! This is too much! Draws saber. The Hero: Demon Thrush, protect the Demon King! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Damn bird! Get out of the way! Swords shing. The Cyclops: Ughh Protect the Demon King The Demon King: This body is too The Chief Maid: Your Majesty! The Female Pdin: Donte any closer! Ill kill you! General of the Pale: Archers! Move up! Archers of the Pale move up. East Fortress Base Commander: Theres too many of them! The Chief Maid: ?! General of the Pale: Move closer! Blot out the sun with arrows! All at one go! On my mark! Arrows fly through the air. Archer of the Pale: Eh? Bonk. Archer of the Pale: What was that? Bonk. Archer of the Pale: Hey, you Pick up your bow. Bonk. Archer of the Pale: Your head! Wheres your head?! Bonk. Archer of the Pale: Where?! Where is iting from?! Bonk. Archer of the Pale: I cant see! My eyes! My eyes! Bonk. Archer of the Pale: Ahhhhhhhhh! Bonk. Butler: Hmm, second-rate soldiers. Thats all it took. Anyone who dares to point his bow at the Demon King is my enemy. East Fortress Base Commander: Just who is that old man, what did he do? The Female Pdin: He shot them. East Fortress Base Commander: But hes not carrying anything! The Female Pdin: Ive never actually seen him carry anything actually. East Fortress Base Commander: Dont tell me, hes the legendary Archer?! The Female Pdin: Yeah he is, but Ive never actually seen him with a bow. East Fortress Base Commander: What is the Archer doing here! The Female Pdin: They died from his Phantom Arrows. The Hero: Take this! Lightning Destruction Spell ss One! Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hah! Wall of Ice! Explosion, ice shattering. Cavalryman of the Pale: Now! Attack the Demon King! Cavalryman of the Pale: Restore the Pale to the throne! Horses charging. The Female Pdin: ! This is bad. She hasnt recovered from the poison yet, shes already at her limit. And there are so many of them The Chief Maid: I will go. The Demon King: No You cant Cavalryman of the Pale: Take this! Attack the Demon King! Horses charging. The Fire Dragon Lord: You damn fools! Shut up! Roars. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hah! Hah I never expected you would be this good. The Hero: Hah Hah Thats my line. And I thought you were just a candidate. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: But it ends here. Take this! I will gather all my Demonic Energy! For this final, ultra-killing move. Mass Destruction, Complete Annihtion Spell!!! The Chief Maid: ?! The Hero: ! You wont make it! Ill disrupt you first! Mass Destruction, Lightning Obliteration Spell! Air crackles with magical energy, explosions all around. East Fortress Base Commander: Even the air is burning?! The Demon King: Hero! General of the Pale: Your Highness! Explosion. The Hero: Hahh. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Hah. Hah. Hah. Butler: Hero, at this rate, the Schr! General of the Pale: Your Highness, no more. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: Sound the retreat! Retreat! The Hero: Sigiled Prince of the Pale: I still have my life. The Hero: The Demon King was protected, this is my victory. Sigiled Prince of the Pale: We now enter a new era of warfare. Take pride because it will notst long. Soon, the curtains of hell will draw open and you will see! Hahahahahahaha! - The City of the Gate, the Temple of the Lunar Willow Disciple Engineer: What is it, weve arrived too early. Disciple Bard: Were here to pay our respects. Disciple Engineer: A temple? I never knew you were so pious. Disciple Bard: Im not really very pious. But since this is the God of Music, I thought we should stop by. Disciple Engineer: Is that so? Disciple Bard: The City of the Gate is a Holy Land for arge variety of gods. Disciple Engineer: I see. Disciple Bard: It is said that those who hope to domerce in the City should pray here, to avoid misfortune. Its not like we lose anything just by paying our respects. Disciple Engineer: Thats true. Disciple Bard: Lets go then. Disciple Engineer: There sure are a lot of Gods. Disciple Bard: Yeah, the hills around the city are just carpeted with Temples. Disciple Engineer: Its really quite amazing. Disciple Bard: Though the biggest ones are the God of the Ancients, the Lightning God, the God of Light, and the God of Darkness Disciple Engineer: And the God of Music? Disciple Bard: Tada! Here he is! Disciple Engineer: Thats not a temple, thats just a shrine. Disciple Bard: Theyre roughly the same thing. Disciple Engineer: Their construction and scale arepletely different. Disciple Bard: All that matters is the faith of the believer. Disciple Engineer: You yourself just said you werent very faithful. Disciple Bard: Right then, you should clean it up a bit. Disciple Engineer: What are you going to do? Disciple Bard: Im going to y a verse. Disciple Engineer: While I do all the manualbour? Disciple Bard: Thats right. ? Disciple Engineer: Well, I guess its fine. ~ ? ~ ? Disciple Engineer: That being said, you really went straight into this music thing even though you were pretty good at a whole lot of things when we were still students. ~ ? ~ ? Disciple Engineer: I suppose its all rtive. Im really into engineering after all. ~ ? ~ ? Disciple Engineer: Heh. Shes all caught up in it. - The City of the Gate, in front of the Temple of the Lunar Willow ~ ? ~ ? Disciple Engineer: Youre still at it. Disciple Engineer: (If you thought about it This temple is really something. The City ispletely enveloped by two rivers and nine hills, and on these hills, there are temples.) Disciple Engineer: There must have been a pretty ingenious architect to design this. Disciple Engineer: (Especially the temples. Temples have such gorgeous Parapets*, Im really envious of a person who could design such a nice parapet) Disciple Engineer: Umm, eh? Wait. There seems to be some paper Oh, its the floor. Disciple Engineer: (These parapets are almost like the routes between towers. Rather than a Temple, this ce more resembles a fortress. I didnt think of it that way at first because it was so beautiful. It has ambush and choke points, along with clear fortified supply routes. Perhaps this was a sort of open-concept fortification line? No, rather than an open-concept Perhaps in the past, they were all linked up to form a massive fortification?) Disciple Engineer: Just how old are these temples anyway? They look very resilient Disciple Engineer: (Hmm, now that I think about it, even the two rivers could have been some kind of ancient beachhead To begin with, when we were crossing them on our boat, I always felt that the banks were piled too high to be natural. Perhaps, it was some kind of Dike*?) Disciple Engineer: Perhaps what used to be a brick and stone fortification was covered up by eons of mud and earth, and life sprung on top of it, leaving it looking like this. Its possible. Its possible Ive always felt that the City needed some change, but perhaps this is what it was originally supposed to be like Middle Aged Merchant: Hmm. Disciple Engineer: If we did this Draws on dust. Disciple Engineer: This is the North, so this is where the current main road is, it wouldnt be strange to think that it led to that mountain there, I suppose. No, its more likely that the lifeline was to the South. That would make it for more coherent with everything else. In other words, the original main gate of the City is the South Gate. Middle Aged Merchant: Its there. Disciple Engineer: Eh? Middle Aged Merchant: Theres an old road in that direction. Disciple Engineer: Really? Middle Aged Merchant: Yes, though it stops halfway in the mountains. It splits off from the new road which leads to the Gate. Disciple Engineer: How wide is it? And what of the construction?! Middle Aged Merchant: Im not sure about the construction, but I would say it is about three times wider than a person. As far as I can tell, its stone paved. - Exnation Parapet: The protruding part of a castle or another construction. From these parapets, arrows could be fired at the enemy without exposing ones body. They were hence originally made for defensive purposes. Dike: A sort of defensive wall consisting of earth which is piled high to stop water from flowing through as a sort of ready-made moat. - Disciple Engineer: Stone-paved Middle Aged Merchant: Are you interested in this? Disciple Engineer: I really want to see it! An old road. Its cut off halfway? Perhaps that is due to some sort of natural disaster. It would make sense that there was some kind of natural disaster which buried the old roads and hence new roads had to be conducted. That would probably exin why the new roads diverged from the old roads as well. Middle Aged Merchant: Mmhmm. Disciple Engineer: Sorry, here I am gabbling on to aplete stranger. Middle Aged Merchant: No, no, it was a very interesting conversation. Disciple Engineer: I am the Young Disciple. As you can see from my horns, I am a member of the Banshee Tribe. Middle Aged Merchant: I am the Middle Aged Merchant. Im a traveling merchant in the City of the Gate. Disciple Engineer: A travelling merchant. You must know the roads very well. Middle Aged Merchant: Well, I suppose I have been here and there. Disciple Engineer: You must have a very deep passion for your work. Middle Aged Merchant: You are passionate about roads? Disciple Engineer: Well, I am a civil engineer. Middle Aged Merchant: A civil engineer? Disciple Engineer: Not many know the term. I build roads and dams, fortifications, and castles, I also do projects like bringing water to crops for irrigation purposes or for growing trees and forests. Ive even changed the shape of mountains to protect against natural disasters. Of course, these arentpletely done by myself alone but they are ratherrge-scale projects. Middle Aged Merchant: Roads too? Disciple Engineer: Roads too. You may have heard of wild roads, which are roads which naturally remain easy to walk on even after they have been neglected for a very long time. It is said that roads form where people walk. Its really because the grass and nts are trampled and never have the opportunity to grow, while the ground bes hard andpacted, making it easy to walk on. However, if you n ahead and build well, the roads are even better and can be used for more purposes. Middle Aged Merchant: What about bridges? Disciple Engineer: Yeah, bridges are very important too! Bridgeworks enable people and goods to cross valleys, rivers, and other otherwise unpassable areas. There are bridges onnd to cross uneven terrain and bridges over water too. Most are made from wood, but stone is really the most resilient material to construct a bridge from. Wait, actually, at this time Or even in the time before us, there were bridges made of metal as well right? Even if you just made the ropes out of metal, you would be able to support a great deal of weight. Paces around. Middle Aged Merchant: Umm, excuse me. Disciple Engineer: In other words, there are extreme advantages to be afforded from a strength perspective Paces around. Middle Aged Merchant: Excuse me?! Disciple Engineer: Ahsorry! I got too carried away, I was talking as if I was in a dream. Middle Aged Merchant: Well, if youre into road and bridge building, I do have a contract that needs fulfilling. Disciple Engineer: A contract? Middle Aged Merchant: Yeah, theres a ce which needs a bridge. Disciple Engineer: Really?! What kind? Middle Aged Merchant: Well I havent really seen it myself but it seems they need a bridge between a ce where the sky and earth are reversed. - The Kurultai, that Night The Witch-Queen of Banshees: So, how exactly is Her Majesty? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: I am concerned about that too. The Hero: She will live, she must be left alone to recuperate for these two weeks. For the next few months after, movement will also be inconvenient for her. The Silver Tiger Lord: I see The Baron of Steel: And what of the Pale? The Queen of Fairies: The Pale have quite arge number of troops in the area. As soon as they join back with them, they will probably head back to theirnds. East Fortress Base Commander: So its war. The Baron of Steel: Its clear that the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale have betrayed us. The Cyclops: Betrayal is bad The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The time to decide this is now. The Hero: The Demon King is currently on her sickbed. We should wait a while before making a decision. After all, this whole thing is the result of the Tribe of the Pale going off and making their own decisions and stratgems. The Fire Dragon Lord: I agree as well. The Hero: Furthermore, we cannot ascertain whether or not their retreat might have some kind of hidden ambush strategy behind it. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: We have also yet topletely examine the business of the Assassin. The Silver Tiger Lord: Please believe me, the Tribe of the Fang had nothing to do with it! The Baron of Steel: To think you would still say such things at this time! It was a member of the Tribe of the Fang who pointed that arrow at the Demon King! (This Merchant definitely met with the Tribe of the Pale Hmm, he had a subordinate behind him And to his side, there was someone wearing a thin hood He had a very strange breathing sound) (It was wet Like a snakes) East Fortress Base Commander: No, there might just be something else about this. The Fire Dragon Lord: What do you mean? East Fortress Base Commander: I have been receiving reports of a suspicious guy who breathes like a snake. Aide-de-Camp: We were never able to arrest him, though. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Was that the Assassin? But this is no proof that he is unrted to the Silver Tiger Lord or the Tribe of the Fang. Even if we discount the intentions of the Silver Tiger Lord, it is clear that at least one member of the Tribe of the Fang has betrayed us. The Silver Tiger Lord: I am the one who was betrayed, please believe me! East Fortress Base Commander: My investigation squads began their search four months ago. At the time, we thought he was human. After all, the human merchants would definitely have some sort of motive. Aide-de-Camp: Sir I dont think its a very good idea to draw so many suspicions to us humans. It might fan prejudices. East Fortress Base Commander: Its fine. Its better to tell the whole truth. After all, we have just joined. It would be wrong not to share what we know. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: A human? The Hero: Well Alright. Ive had enough with this helmet. Clunk. The Silver Tiger Lord: Youre a human! The Hero: Yeah, Im a Human. Even today, I dontpletely reside in the Demon World. To borrow the words of the Fire Dragon Lord, I am a Half-Demon. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. Hahaha! I see That hair, those eyes. Thats right! Thats right! Hahahahahahahaha! That exins your power! And your courage! Thats why! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Why is a Human wearing the Armour of the Demon King? The Hero: In the Human World, there are those who call me the Hero. East Fortress Base Commander: And I thought you wanted to keep it hidden. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What!? The Hero?! The Silver Tiger Lord: The mortal enemy of the Demons! The Worlds strongest Human! The Fire Dragon Lord: Hahahahaha! I see now! That would exin the strength and the magical ability! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: And yet I clearly recall the words of contempt the Demon King had for you in that battle. The Baron of Steel: You, the Warrior of a Million des, single-handedly ughtered thousands of my Metal Brethren. The Hero: Yes Im sorry. That was war. I wont put it nicely. It is natural for most Demons to despise me. I killed many of them after all. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: The Silver Tiger Lord: And I was beginning to wonder just what kind of Demon, with such skill and dexterity, was hiding behind that Armour The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph. Hmph. How interesting. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: And just why is the Hero wearing the ck Armour of the Demon King? That Armour was once worn by older generations of Demon Kings. It is a treasure of the Demon World, not to be worn without the express permission of the Demon King. The Hero: I was told to wear it by the Demon King. The Queen of Fairies: By the Demon King? The Hero: Three years ago, I charged into the Demon Kings Castle on my own, attempting to assassinate the Demon King. We were still at bitter war with the Demons, and at the time I believed that the Humans had been cruelly invaded by Demonkind, who were trying to pige and ughter us for evil. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: That is wrong, the ones who attacked were the Humans. The Hero: I know that now. However, that was a war. War puts all sorts of ideas in your head, as well as misunderstandings and misconceptions. In any case, that was the going propaganda in the Human World, and to me, the reason why this was happening was inconsequential. Demons were killing Humans, that was enough for me. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Hero: In any case, I charged into the Demon Kings Castle. I found it strange but I never even saw the shadows of the Demon Guards and soldiers I had expected to be guarding the ce. Without any backup, all on my own, I advanced into the Demon King Castle. And there, I met the Demon King. The Baron of Steel: The Demon King The Hero: The Demon King hade to receive me all on her own, even though she knew I was here to kill her. As you know, shes weak. I understood that as soon as I met her. Yeah, she was far weaker than any of the Demons I had previously encountered. However, she was waiting for me all on her own, ready to receive my attack. We fought bitterly but not with swords. Rather, with words and ideas, she wagered everything against me. Even now, I still do not really understand. Had I killed her there and then, what would have happened to the Demon World? What would have happened to the Human World? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: What do you mean? The Hero: The Demon King told me that the survival of the two worlds depended on each other. We hated each otherand were at war with each other but we needed each other too. East Fortress Base Commander: The Hero: The Human World suffers from epidemics and famine From here, all you can see are the metal and salt in the Human World, but to the Humans who live there, those are not important. There is always ack of food and people die from starvation and malnutrition. Im sorry to put it so bluntly, but it is likely that this was the reason for the war with the Demon World. Aide-de-Camp: I suppose you could put it that way The Hero: On one hand, the Demon World is a blood stained chaotic world. However, if you looked at it simply, you would see rich and fertilend. Is that not the main reason for the chaos? If just for putting an end to this infighting and anarchy, it could be seen that the war with the Humans has its uses. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: The Hero: The Demon King hated that, even though it was logical. Because it was a warped logic. And because she was a very logical person. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thats The Hero: However, I fear that the logic was wrong. The Demon King hated it, and for good reason, because this sort of unsustainable logic is just unfeasible. Thats why she set out to solve it at its root cause. DemonsWell, not just Demons, Humans are guilty of this too, but shouldnt we have something stronger to believe in than the value of the mere incidence of our birth? She wanted to believe that was true. The Hero: And thats where I, as a Human, came in. She said she wanted to stop that, that she wanted to see a different future. Aide-de-Camp: I see The Hero: I am the Hero. That is what they call me. I was supposed to be the saviour of Humankind. But operating solely on that principle, attacking the Demon World the way I did, I was just a murderer. But the Demon King is different. The Demon King has sincerely thought this through. She has considered the true methods by which to save the Demon World. The real hero is the Demon King. The Queen of Fairies: To think the Demon King was that sort of person East Fortress Base Commander: Aide-de-Camp: The Hero: As Im sure you have noticed, we have been at war constantly, right? How should I say it, this state ispletely unnatural. Its twisted. Itll never get us anywhere. Thats what I think shes been trying to exin to me. The truth is that shes way too smart, and most of the time I only understand about half of what she tells me. The peace and prosperity she has in mind are definitely not as simple as a yground without conflicts Its just that war aplishes little but the slow attrition of our future. The Demon King: Ehhhh, what unnecessary things have you been saying in my absence? The Chief Maid: The Silver Tiger Lord: Your Majesty. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Your Majesty. The Demon King: I couldnt really fall asleep The Chief Maid: Your Majesty. The Baron of Steel: How are you feeling! The Demon King: As you can see Im definitely not one forbat. Go on,ugh at me. The Fire Dragon Lord: No, Your Majesty. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: I do not believe anybody wants tough at you. The Demon King: I am sorry I am weak and that is limiting what I can do. Thats why were in this state. The Hero has been trying to convey my intentions but its best that you forget about what he said. The Hero: Demon King, but I just said a lot of good things! The Demon King: It was a good try. However, the Demon World and its traditions are as old as time. These Khans bear the responsibilities of their Tribes on their shoulders, and the many Khans bear the weight of the entire Demon World. I want to give all my powers as the Demon King to the consensus of the Conference. The Fire Dragon Lord: WhWhat?! The Demon King: It is as I said. The Fire Dragon Lord: Yes. The Demon King: I will rely on the Khans. The Fire Dragon Lord: I understand. The Demon King: Queen of Fairies. The Queen of Fairies: Yes. The Demon King: I want you to consider the opinions of the other minor Tribes apart from the Nine Great Tribes. The Queen of Fairies: Yes. The Demon King: I will give you the ck Knight to help you with this task. The Hero: Got it. The Demon King: For important things, as long as you have the majority vote, that should be enough. I would prefer if we did not hesitate about these sorts of things. The Fire Dragon Lord: Understood. The Demon King: I should return in two to three months time. The Silver Tiger Lord: Demon King! Demon King! The Demon King: Yes? The Silver Tiger Lord: The Tribe of the Fang really had nothing to do with this! I have never considered the use of such despicable matters as assassination. This is a misunderstanding! I will take responsibility. However, do not allow the name of my Tribe to be stained. I, the Silver Tiger of the Snow Mountains, offer you my head in rpense. nts sword. The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord, raise your head. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, you have not recovered yet. The Silver Tiger Lord: Your Majesty, please! Please, cut it off! We, the Tribe of the Fang are a warrior people. We are a proud people. We do not care for dishonourable and despicable things like assassination, especially not on ourrades, we strive only for victory. Rather than allow my people to face this humiliation, I am willing to die. I offer you my life, only allow my Tribe, my people, to hold their head up high! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord. I have never suspected you nor the Tribe of the Fang. The Silver Tiger Lord: ! The Demon King: More importantly, I must apologise for something to all of you. I used you in my scheme when I faked my own death. It was incorrect of me to use involve the honourable and proud Khans in my petty trickery. I am sorry. I had no way of knowing who the perpetrator was, or who his sponsor was. And had the perpetrator known I was still alive, he might havee for me again. I had no way of making sure. I had to gamble it all on this. Without the help of the Khans, I would surely not be alive today I should have trusted my Khans more, and it is all because I did not that we are in this situation. I had hoped to do everything on my own, I was too proud I am sorry. The Baron of Steel: No, it was a masterful strategy. The Cyclops: You are no longer a small person The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We await only your return. East Fortress Base Commander: Leave it to us, and go and rest! The Queen of Fairies: If anything happens, I will be sure to inform you. The Silver Tiger Lord: Your Majesty. Your Majesty I have awakened. My Tribe and I owe you a great debt. Until we have saved your life three times on the battlefield, I will consider this debt forever unpaid. The Tribe of the Fang, hereby pledge our lives as the shields of the Demon King. The Demon King: Thank you. Slumps over. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty! The Baron of Steel: Shes at her limit, get her to her chambers. The Chief Maid: Yes. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Shes really been through a lot. Demon King is carried away. East Fortress Base Commander: Aide-de-Camp, write a missive. You are to return to the City of the Gate and report all of these to the Self-Governing Council. Aide-de-Camp: Got it! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: And now we will have a Kurultai without the Demon King. The Fire Dragon Lord: That leaves one big question unanswered. How are we to defend thisnd and its people? It is just as the Demon King said. It is not yet the season for us to relinquish our responsibilities. Even though Im already at this age, I have much to teach my children. That being said, the Demon King and the Hero. In the thousands of years of the history of the Demon World, I have yet to hear of anything like this. Hahahaha. I see. Well then, Hero, Demon King, I suppose I havent seen everything just yet. The Kurultai, on the Roof of the Pavilions Teleporting sh. Butler: So thats how it is. The Hero: Did you hear? Butler: Well, you specifically asked me to listen. The Hero: If I hadnt told you to listen in, you probably wouldnt have known how important it was. Butler: Nyohohohohoho. The Hero: Sigh Butler: What is it? The Hero: I really am a traitor to the Human World, arent I? Butler: Well The Hero: Im probably wanted for treason! Hahahaha. Butler: Probably. The Hero: To make matters worse, Im an outsider even to the Demon Race, right? Butler: Yep. The Hero: Its only because Im currently the Demon Kings personal sword, the ck Knight, that Ive managed to escape from everything, otherwise I would have been done for, right? For the Demon King, Ive just be her personal murderer, right?! Butler: Why dont you just run away, then? The Hero: Thats not the problem here. Butler: Hmm. The Hero: Besides, if I did that, it would feel like everything has been a waste. Butler: That cant be helped. The Hero: Im not getting any younger! Butler: Im the one who should be thinking that way. The Hero: Havent you been surrounding yourself with girls?! Butler: That would not be me. The Hero: Youre taking this womanizing thing too far. Butler: I dont want to hear that from you! The Hero: Well Butler: Youre really depressed, arent you? The Hero: Well Butler: Why? The Hero: Butler: The Hero: Well, I suppose I dont dislike this. Butler: Indeed. The Hero: Im an ally of the Demons. To be honest, I wouldntin even if you killed me right here. Butler: Is that what you want? The Hero: No, not really. I want to save everyone, the world. Butler: Isnt this good, then? The Hero: Eh? Butler: Being the Hero. Being the Hero who works in the Demon World to save the Human World? Actually, if you thought about it, the Gate is already gone. The Demon World is just underground, so since the beginning, there were never two worlds, right? Theres only one world, so you might as well just call it the World Hero. Correct me if Im wrong, but the Heros job is to save the world, right? The Hero: Yeah. Thats true. Butler: Then, no matter how much you dont like it, you cant lose heart. Its fine. Its clear that we are but a small existence, that rather than being a nuisance and a problem to society, its more likely that we are just blind and dumb. Sometimes, I ask myself exactly what I do aside from hurting people because it is clear Im not doing something as stupidly noble as saving people. But Im sure that one day, someone, will eventually understand. The Hero: Old man Butler: But, isnt life a great thing? The Hero: What are you talking about? Butler: The thing? The Hero: Eh? Butler: The thing, that bouncy-bouncy thing with mass. That elliptical shape which provokes the frantic racing of the heart?! The stubborn, panic-inducing, squishy boobies! The Hero: Uhh, what? Butler: Hero, have you forgotten the Way of Bounciness which I thought you? Rule number one! The Hero: The bounciness is the romance of the man! Butler: Rule number two! The Hero: If you meet it, you must see it, if you see it, you must touch it, if you touch it, you must squeeze it! Butler: Rule number three! The Hero: Boobies are a work of art! Boobies are the meaning of life! Butler: Correct. So what about the thing? The Hero: Well I dont really have the opportunity Butler: Nyohoho, what a cowardly Hero. The Hero: Youreughing at me really smugly?! Whats with that?! Butler: Youre too far away from me. The Hero: But (while she was sleeping on my arm), I was between them (she forced it on me) Butler: What?! The Hero: I (identally) touched them. Butler: Well, what a traitor you are. Nyohohoho! The Hero: What?! You hypocrite! Thatspletely different from what you said just now!!! Butler: Not to the Human World, to all men! - The Hole in the Gate Goooooong! Disciple Engineer: Well, what a splendid view! Middle Aged Merchant: Hahahaha! No matter how many times Ie here, it always catches my eye. Goooooong! Disciple Bard: How does that massive boulder float like that? Its unbelievable. But whats with this echoing gong-like sound! Middle Aged Merchant: Well, thats it. Disciple Bard: The gong? And it sounds like a copper Banshee gong? It sounds like its cracked somehow. Middle Aged Merchant: Its probably the dryads. Disciple Engineer: Yaaawn. Disciple Bard: Youre yawning?! The undersides of your eyes arepletely ck. Didnt you sleep at all?! Really?! Middle Aged Merchant: How do you feel? Disciple Engineer: Ahaha. No, no, I feel great. Disciple Bard: Stupid! Gooooooong! Disciple Engineer: Thats right, this is a really wonderful ce, isnt it? Its to be expected that I would be excited, right? Disciple Bard: Well, its brilliant, I suppose. Disciple Engineer: I can probably exin it! Middle Aged Merchant: Hoho, what! Disciple Engineer: Firstly, that massive floating rock is probably because of the gravitational pull. Disciple Bard: Gravitational? Gooooooong! Disciple Engineer: Ahh, I suppose you havent heard of it before. Its the force that makes things fall to the ground. The force works in opposite directions in the Surface and Underground Worlds. Imagine that we are all living on a big, t board. This board attracts everything towards it, so no matter which side of the board youre on, even if the board is turning, it wont fall off. Disciple Bard: I see Goooooooong! Middle Aged Merchant: What do you mean a board!? So which side is up? Disciple Engineer: There isnt an up or a down, theres just an other side. Middle Aged Merchant: How strange! Disciple Engineer: Well, thisrge hole is basically a cylindrical portal. In other words, its a hole on this board. The gravitational pull is weaker inside the portal and it pulls in all directions. Thats why this rock is stuck in a state whereby it is unable to fall in any direction, and hence continues to float. Middle Aged Merchant: Hmm. Disciple Engineer: That boulder is about the size of a stable, but because its floating, you could say that it has zero weight. It may just be a minute amount of force, but the sound of the boulder bouncing off the metal inner walls of the portal is probably creating that gong-like sound. Disciple Bard: I see. Middle Aged Merchant: Hmm. Disciple Engineer: Avoiding that rock is definitely going to be the biggest challenge in constructing a bridge over the portal. Disciple Bard: You can make up a proposal first? Middle Aged Merchant: Yeah, sure. Disciple Engineer: Oh? Didnt I tell you? Ive already done up a n and a work schedule. Middle Aged Merchant: Wh-wh-what?! You didnt tell me! Disciple Bard: You fool! Disciple Engineer: Stop, stop. Ive got a really hard head. Your hands are really small so you might break them. Middle Aged Merchant: Well, I want to see the n, will you show it to me? Disciple Bard: Grrr. Disciple Engineer: Here it is. And here is the work schedule. Well the n is really just a rough sketch, but basically the dimensions of the most important bridge will be about 12 by 30. Im sure you can imagine how the designs of the other bridges will look like but if you want me to do up ns for each of them, its going to take a bit more time. Middle Aged Merchant: Why are there so many scrolls? Disciple Engineer: If you crossed it the way you did, by stringing a rope across and carrying goods over by hand, you would be able to cross it even right now. Caravans wouldnt be able to pass, only pedestrians, and it would be dangerous, but even normal people could cross it. Thats why the real considerations for building this bridge are safety and ease of transport. Middle Aged Merchant: I see, Im counting on you for that then. Disciple Engineer: Ive scouted the area for possible routes Please take a look at the summary. If we followed the red line, it would take about four months and require twelve bridges. One bridge will need to be made of stone but the rest can be wooden bridges. Using this n will require minimalbour and medium-sized caravans will be able to pass. Middle Aged Merchant: Mmm. Disciple Engineer: The second line is a different n. This will be a fairlyrge-scale project. We will have to guard againstndslides at every important point along the way. I also intend to construct a wider road. Thirty bridges will be required. All of them will be made out of stone and it will take eight years. Disciple Bard: Thats a veryrge-scale project. It sounds expensive too. Middle Aged Merchant: Lets go with the four month long one first. Disciple Engineer: Thats a very quick decision. Middle Aged Merchant: Yeah, Im not so worried about the financial cost as I am about the time itll take. I want the road to bepleted as soon as possible. Are you sure that the route is still passable when its under constructions? Disciple Engineer: Ill make sure the engineers andbourers are safely secured before they go in. That should make things better. In any case, this project is supposed to make the ce safer to pass through. If an ident were to happen on the job, that wouldnt be good for its image. Disciple Bard: (Whoa, this guy looks really cool right now. Heh. Ive kinda changed my view about him.) Middle Aged Merchant: Thank you! It was really good to have met you. Disciple Engineer: You give me too much credit. Beams. Middle Aged Merchant: Shall we head to the City of the Gate, then? Disciple Engineer: Yeah, lets get going. Ive got to find some more people for this project, there are also some finer details that Ive got to iron out with those people. Middle Aged Merchant: I see, Ill make contact with you in due time. Disciple Engineer: Its a deal then! Middle Aged Merchant: Lets bridge the two worlds! The Cosmic Library, a Temporary Warehouse Tosses books around. The Mage: Not enough. Tosses books around. The Mage: Not enough. Tosses books around. Star Sparrow: Mistress, mistress. If you continue this way, youre going to copse. The Mage: But its not enough. Star Sparrow: It is enough, youre the strongest. Chirp, chirp, chirp! There isnt anyone in the world who has more magical ability than you do! The Mage: Star Sparrow: There you go again! The Mage: Star Sparrow: When its difficult to exin, you just go straight to sleep. The Mage: You noisy, chirpy bird. Casts burning spell. Star Sparrow: S-Stop! Im going to be fried! At least give me some warning! Chirp, chirp! The Mage: Pleadies is the Seven Sisters. The constetion represents control. That means consolidation. Authority is the consolidation of disparate power. The prerequisite to Convergence*. Star Sparrow: ? The Mage: Convergence is the movement towards a single point. Or how about two? A good question is often better than a good answer. I see, I see. Star Sparrow: I have no clue what youre talking about, Mistress. The Mage: Star Sparrow: Dont fall asleep, I still dont know what youre talking about. The Mage: Not enough. Star Sparrow: ? Throws books around. The Mage: Not enough. Star Sparrow: If you continue at this rate, youre really going to copse! Im sorry, but do you really have to work until you start vomiting blood or something?! Throws books around. The Mage: I promised the Hero. Throws books around. The Mage: I wont give up. - Exnation Convergence: Mathematically, this refers to the value of an equation as the value of a variable approaches infinity. In Physics, it refers to the state where light reaches a single point. In general, it refers to the movement of many things towards a single destination. - Volume 3 3, “Look, you’ve got some on your mouth, Hero.”

Volume 3 Chapter 3, Look, youve got some on your mouth, Hero.

- Deep in the Demon King Castle, the Demon Kings Bedroom The Demon King: Its okay, its okay. You dont have to treat me like some kind of sick person. The Chief Maid: Dont say that, Your Majesty. The Hero: Thats right. You are a sick person. The Demon King: This is an injury, not a disease. The Chief Maid: Yes, well, even so. The Female Pdin: Behave like an adult and just ept the treatment. The Hero: Thats right, youd better behave. The Female Pdin: You too, Hero! The Hero: Ow! O!!! The Chief Maid: Well, well. The Female Pdin: Youre the Hero so stop acting like youre about to die. Youre about to lose to the Demon King, even. The Demon King: Haha, you see, Im not that bad. The Hero: Heh. If you just leave it alone itll heal on its own. The Female Pdin: Without treatment, it could get bad The Hero: Well, I did just take the brunt of a Demon King-ss Destruction Spell. That ss of magic,bined with the other damage I have taken, did take quite a toll on my recovery ability. The Female Pdin: Now that I think about it, the Heros recovery ability is quite inhuman. The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: Thats because Im really healthy. The Female Pdin: Hes the kind who has never even caught a flu before. The Hero: ! The Female Pdin: But he always gets himself into situations that make everybody worried for his life. The Demon King: Hehe, the Hero is all wrapped up in bandages too. The Hero: Why are you so pleased about that? The Chief Maid: Hehe, its like a matching outfit. Very cute. The Demon King: What? No! No! I was just being empathetic to the Heros plight and feeling happy that we could find ourselves in simr situations, hence having a shared experience. The Chief Maid: Its the same thing. The Female Pdin: Arent you forgetting that you people were saved by my Healing Magic? The Demon King: Thank you, Female Pdin. The Hero: Yeah, thanks. The Female Pdin: To treat you people, Im going to have to move to the Demon King Castle for the time being. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: Theres nothing for it, I dont know when Ill be done. The Chief Maid: I see, Demon King, please stop being as reckless like before. You were really saved by the skin of your teeth thest time, when you almost died. The Demon King: Im sorry The Hero: From now on, leave the reckless things to me! The Chief Maid: You too, Hero. The Female Pdin: Yeah! The Demon King: That guy was strong, right? The Hero: Yeah. He was okay. The Female Pdin: (The Hero found himself a match? Look at the state hes in now. This guys got to be fairly strong, otherwise the Hero wouldnt have had so much trouble.) The Demon King: This is a problem. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Im all wrapped up, I wont get to touch your fluffy hair. The Hero: Well yeah, it cant be helped. The Female Pdin: I can, though? The Demon King: What?! The Chief Maid: I can do it too. Fluffs hair. The Demon King: Not you too! Why are you doing this! Struggles. The Hero: Wait! Sorry but thats a really nice smell. The Demon King: Let me go, let me go! The Chief Maid: Hahahaha, if I do this more often, then the Demon King will recover faster. The Female Pdin: This is also an aspect of the recovery process. - A Settlement to the South of the Holy Empire Wind blows Settler: Whats happened? Thin Serf: Dont know. Small Peasant: Weve told the Vige Deacon toe over. Young Farmer: If hees over, then well have bread to eat twice a day. Settler: I heard that too. Thin Serf: Yeah, I really want to have some bread to eat. Small Peasant: Me too. Why is it that even though I grow wheat, I havent had any bread to eat Young Farmer: My two sisters died from starvation. Settler: Thin Serf: Even though weve had a bumper crop of wheat this spring, the price hasnt gone down at all. Small Peasant: Well, weve been eating that thing, though. Young Farmer: That thing? Settler: Yeah Thin Serf: The Demon Apple*. Small Peasant smiles. Young Farmer: But thats! Settler: Weve got no choice. Thin Serf: No matter how heretical the crop is, if we dont have anything to eat, well die. In our vige, no, throughout this entire country, there probably isnt anybody who hasnt eaten it before. Small Peasant: Yeah. Young Farmer: Is that alright? Settler: What? Young Farmer: I mean, its heretical, right? Wont you develop demonic characteristics? Wont your hands turn into the cloves of goats, wont you go crazy and die? Thin Serf: Have you seen anyone like that around here? Small Peasant: I havent Settler: Potatoes are delicious. Thin Serf: Yeah, especially when you boil them in a soup or when you roast them with butter. Small Peasant: If you slice them thinly and fry them, they became very sweet. Young Farmer: Thats Settler: Well, in the end we have no choice. Thin Serf: We really cant follow their instructions. Small Peasant: Thats right, theyve taken away our wealth and our work and our food, we really have nothing left. Wind blows Settler: Ah. Bishop: How quiet. Thin Serf: Your Reverence Small Peasant: Nice to meet you. Bishop: How splendid, Spirit blesses the faithful followers of the Spirit of Light. - Exnation The Demon Apple: In the 17th Century, when the potato was first introduced to Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church originally dered it the Demon Apple and the Fruit of Misfortune in order to discourage its cultivation. However, it became evident that the tough and resilient potato was best suited for the harsh climate of Russia. By the 18th Century, it wasmonly known as the Apple of the Earth (see French pomme de terre) and became widely cultivated. Even so, up to the 19th Century, Tsars often attempted to ban the cultivation of potatoes, leading to a spate of insurrections. - Young Farmer: The Bishop! The Bishop gave us his blessings! Settler: That he would even bless such insignificant vigers like ourselves! Thin Serf: Thank you! Thank you! Bishop: The reason why you Children of the Light are gathered here today is tobat theing evil. This vige has many fields and will now produce rations for our soldiers. Furthermore, we will receive divine instructions on thebat with evil. I will reside in this Vige for the next half year and I will do my best to serve the Children of the Light. Settler: Eh? Combat? Thin Serf: We cant do something like that? Small Peasant: But the Bishop himself Bishop: Rest easy! Children of the Light! Bishop: The Spirit of the Light has given you his blessings. In his infinite charity, he has shown us the way. He has provided you with the holy weapons to take down the Demon Race. Thin Serf: Weapons? nk nk. Bishop: These metal poles are enough. These metal poles are weapons provided by the Spirit of the Light to st away the Demon Race, these are muskets. As long as we have these poles, even untrained peasants like yourselves can be as strong as the heroes of old. Watch! Elite Soldiers: Fire! Lights muskets. Bang! Bang! Small Peasant: What was that?! Young Farmer: It went through the armour! Bishop: This weapon can prate a suit of armour from fifty paces away. With this weapon, no matter the ws or teeth of the enemy, no matter how many swords or spears he has, you can take him down from a distance! Once you train to use these weapons, you will be the finest soldiers throughout thend! Bishop: Listen, Children of the Light! Blessed followers. The Primarch* himself begs for your help today. Thin Serf: The Primarch?! Small Peasant: Hes asking for our help? Murmuring. Bishop: As I am sure you are all aware, far to the South, in the coldest part of the world, a prison is being built! By the Grace of the Spirit, we have managed to confine the Demonic elements to their prison in the South. I am sure you know. This is where we have trapped the heretics who oppose the word of the church, in thisnd of ice and death. In our charity, we have agreed to let them keep their lives. - Exnation Primarch: The highest religious figure in the lesiastical hierarchy of the Holy Church of Light. In our world, the Catholic Church follows the progression of Priest - Bishop - Cardinal - Pope while the Orthodox Church follows the progression of Priest - Metropolitian - Patriach - Ecunemical Patriach. The Church of Light goes by Priest - Bishop - Primarch with the Primarch being the supreme head of the Church. - Settler: The Church has said this lots of times already Young Farmer: Were really being beaten back by these Demons. Bishop: However, despite this, these heretics have performed the ultimate betrayal by stealing a treasure of the Children of Light! Small Peasant: Eh? Bishop: What they have taken are the remains of the Spirit of Light. In other words, they are relics! These relics represent the hope of all the Children of Light, they are a symbol of His resurrection, and by taking these relics and hiding them from us, they are insulting not just the Church but the Spirit himself! Settler: ?! The Spirit?! Bishop: These are the words of the Primarch himself! We cannot overlook this sphemous transgression. Even if we have to sacrifice our own lives, we will reim the Holy Remains! This is a sacred duty we all have! Children of Light! Rise and take up your muskets! Let us show them the strength of our faith! The Kingdom of Metal, a Developing Settlement Patrolling Soldier: Alright, here we are. Refugee Family Father: So this is it! Refugee Family Mother: Its cold Shivers. Refugee Family Daughter: Its so big! And the road goes all the way to that hill over there! Patrolling Soldier: Im afraid theres nothing we can do about the cold. You are in the South, after all. If you work hard then maybe youll sweat it out! Alright, lets go check out the fields. Im sure theres got to be someone around. Refugee Family Father: Alright! Walking through the snow. Refugee Family Father: Alright, horse, I know youre a bit old but were almost there. Just a bit more. Walking through the snow. Female Settler Militia: Hey! Hello there, Sergeant! Patrolling Soldier: Hey! Hows it going? Settler Militia: Alright. Weve managed to clear all the weeds on the hill over there. Female Settler Militia: So now the ce is ready for the potato fields. Patrolling Soldier: I see! Ive brought a new family over. Refugee Family Father: Wee from the Kingdom of the Kingfisher, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Refugee Family Daughter: Hello! Settler Militia: Kingfisher! Thats a long way away! Female Settler Militia: Hey, are you alright? Youre looking a bit blue. Refugee Family Mother: Its very cold Patrolling Soldier: Right, Im not feeling too good so this is as far as Ill take you. Refugee Family Father: If its possible, would my wife be able to rest first? The two of us can start to work. Please. Refugee Family Mother: Hey Settler Militia: Alright, well lets go to the mustering grounds first. Refugee Family Father: Hey! What are you saying! Take a look. Hey, is it possible that youre pregnant? Patrolling Soldier: Eh? Refugee Family Father: What?! Refugee Family Mother: Yeah I dont know for sure but based onst month, Ive been having this suspicion Refugee Family Daughter: For real?! Female Settler Militia: Take a look! She can barely stand in this cold! Let alone go to the mustering grounds! Settler Militia: Really? Female Settler Militia: Its all because yourepletely hopeless at finding a wife. Patrolling Soldier: Wh-what should we do?! Settler Militia: This is terrible! Refugee Family Daughter: Only a guy would say that. Settler Militia: You havent given birth before either! Female Settler Militia: Even without having given birth, a girl should know these sorts of things! Alright, lets get you on these nkets first. Refugee Family Mother: Umm I wouldnt want to use your nkets like that. Female Settler Militia: Dont worry, these are military supplies. Well just borrow them for a bit. Theyre made ofmbs wool so theyre very warm. Refugee Family Father: Thank you Female Settler Militia: Alright, well carry you over to the Vige Chief. Your family can use the house next to mine. You can start by gathering kindling and Peat*. Settler Militia: Okay! Ill run ahead and give him some warning. Female Settler Militia: Good! Prepare some warm clothes and some food! Get the Vige Chiefs wife to help. Patrolling Soldier: Ill leave it to you then. Female Settler Militia: Of course! Well then, lets go. Its small and nothing spectacr, but its a house. Its just been built so they all look the same and its easy to get lost, but after a while you learn to differentiate. My family also lives in one of those houses. Refugee Family Father: Are you sure? Youve been so nice to us. Female Settler Militia: What are you saying? Everyone here, whether youre from a foreignnd or from one of the Southern Kingdoms, is working hard to make sure we have enough to eat. Were allrades nting potatoes together! - Exnation Peat: Peat is a substance created from the fermentation of dead nts over a long period of time until they be a solid, rock-like substance. As it contains many impurities and high water content, it does not burn easily. However, when peat is pressed and dried, it bes a fantastic source of fuel. - - The Demon World, Recement Conference Venue The Silver Tiger Lord: Okay. The Cyclops: Were all here. The Fire Dragon Lord: My Khans, thank you for your hard work. Well then, Her Majesty the Demon King has temporarily given us her authority, and so that this Kurultai does not stagnate and that we do not omit any important details, we must carry on. ck Knight. The Hero: With regards to this issue, apart from representing the Demon Kings authority over the many Tribes, as much as possible, I would like to seek and respect the counsel and advice of the Khans as we seek to hit the nail on the head. After all, I am still an outsider. The Queen of Fairies: Dont say such a thing. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: We apologise for causing you any trouble, you are the will of the Demon King. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yeah. The Silver Tiger Lord: Anyone who has anything to say in opposition to that is a disgrace. The Baron of Steel: What shall we discuss today? The East Fortress Base Commander: Hmmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: Firstly, I believe that domestic issues of each of the tribes should be settled internally, as they have always been. The purpose of this Kurultai is to address matters which affect the Demon King. In other words, problems which concern the entire Demon Race and the Subterranean World, matters between Tribes, and vital opinions. Or rather, issues which a single Tribe alone will be unable to settle. The Queen of Fairies: Agreed. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: I have no objection. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Sounds good. The Silver Tiger Lord: So basically, we settle our own problems. The East Fortress Base Commander: The most pressing issue is the Tribe of the Pale. The Cyclops: Yeah. The Fire Dragon Lord: Indeed, the Tribe of the Pale has left the Kurultai and begun their independent movements. Reports have shown that they have returned to their ownnds to regroup and reinforce at an rming speed. The Queen of Fairies: If the Tribe of the Pale has indeed made enemies out of the entire Demon Race and started on their path to brutality and carnage, then we the Tribe of the Fairies will not stand aside and let it happen. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We Banshees will also fight to the end, though I suppose it will be impossible to avoid enormous casualties. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Tribe of the Fang too! The Hero: No, wait for a while. The Cyclops: Why? ck Knight? The Fire Dragon Lord: What is your view? The Hero: I have fought with their new King. His skills are the real deal. The Tribe of the Pale is really strong, stronger than we think. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Hmm It seems that theyve increased their abilities since thest chaotic period. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: If the ck Knight says so, it must be so. The Fire Dragon Lord: Well then, let us focus this session on resolving the issue with the Tribe of the Pale. The Silver Tiger Lord: Yes. The Baron of Steel: There are many other issues, but this is the most pressing one. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Lets solve the issue ahead of us. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Good. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Firstly, the Tribe of the Pale has a new King. Secondly, this new King and the army which he now leads attempted to assassinate the Demon King and have then fled from the Kurultai. Thirdly, this new King and his army are currently heading back to their own territory. Fourthly, they number a few tens of thousands. Fifthly, the New King of the Pale bears the Sigil of the Sessor to the Demon Throne and his battle ability is out of this world. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: That sounds about right. The Baron of Steel: What an extremely difficult situation. The Fire Dragon Lord: In other words, the problem is The Queen of Fairies: This is the will of the entire Tribe of the Pale. The Silver Tiger Lord: Huh? Youre saying that the whole tribe are traitors? The Queen of Fairies: Not necessarily. Especially since the position of the New King of the Pale was decided officially at the Kurultai, even though it was a very rushed decision. Have we considered that the New King may be doing all this without any official authorisation? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Yeah. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: In fact, the entire nation of the Tribe of the Pale may be unaware that it was actually the New King who has betrayed the Demon King. The Silver Tiger Lord: In that case, how about we attack their cities before the armies of the Tribe of the Pale get there. If we do that, then whether the cat is white or ck, it doesnt matter. If its white, then weve reduced the number of enemy forces. If its ck, weve managed to disrupt the enemys supply lines and prevent his units from joining up. The Baron of Steel: Thats all very nice to say, but the Tribe of the Pale moves at a startling rate. Even if we left today to pursue them, we wouldnt make it. The Cyclops: White ck The Fire Dragon Lord: I believe that much is clear. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: So what should we do? The Fire Dragon Lord: Since were on the matter of their movement speed We do not want to pursue the armies of the Pale. In other words, if we do manage to fight them, we will be in theirnds, where their reinforcements can arrive easily. In fact, if we recklessly attack them, we will leave our own cities exposed. Rather, we cannot even ensure the safety of our ownnds. The Queen of Fairies: You have a point. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: So what youre saying is that using our forces to surround their cities will have the reverse effect? The Silver Tiger Lord: What, so we cant do that after all? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Thebined strength of all our armies exceeds 50,000 strong. If we simply gather all our forces, the Tribe of the Pale will taste despair. The one who betrayed the Demon King is the New King, and he himself has even backstabbed the entire Demon World. In other words, this is an independent act from a single individual and so he may not have very much support. I do not believe that the Tribe of the Pale are all battle-crazed, blood-seeking maniacs. The Silver Tiger Lord: How very troublesome The Baron of Steel: To begin with, the Tribe of the Pale has always had a very strict disciplinarian military junta in ce. We must consider that possibility also. The Cyclops: Hmm The East Fortress Base Commander: (On the other hand, in the worst case scenario, if the New King goes so far as to take his entire Tribe, apart from the military hostage, some terrible things could happen. Hes the kind of guy who could do things that I never even imagined possible, like poisoning, assassination, and who knows what else. He could indeed be nning something truly heinous. This guy has got to be an unspeakable shock to the Demon World) The Fire Dragon Lord: First, let us agree that we cannot avoid letting the armies of the Pale return to theirnds. This is something which is beyond us. The Queen of Fairies: Yes. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Indeed. The Fire Dragon Lord: However, on top of that, we cannot let the Army of the Pale out of our sight. Having seen what terrible things they are capable of here, the Army of the Pale could be like a snake, moving through the Demon World and causing immense sacrifices in their wake. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Indeed. The Fire Dragon Lord: Thends outside of those belonging to the Pale need to be heavily surveinced so that we can have as early a warning as possible as to the movements of the Army of the Pale. The Queen of Fairies: Let us Fairies assume this responsibility. We may be weak and small but we are invisible under the cover of darkness and noiseless as we move. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: If the Fairies see anything, then the Tribe of the Fiends will ry the intelligence. The Fiends are everywhere throughout the Demon World after all. Since ancient times, we have always been the ones running the postage service and the pony express. The Fire Dragon Lord: Is everybody agreeable? The East Fortress Base Commander nods. The Chieftain of the Tattooed nods. The Fire Dragon Lord: Then we will leave this matter to the Fairies and the Fiends. If there is anything we can help with, do not hesitate to request it. The Queen of Fairies: Understood. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Leave it to us. The Fire Dragon Lord: Alright, lets say we do discover the Army of the Pale. The Silver Tiger Lord: Then we must strike fast and swiftly. The Baron of Steel: How? The Silver Tiger Lord: The Tribe of the Fang shall be the vanguard. The Cyclops: Hmm. The Silver Tiger Lord: Because of this incident, we have suffered an extreme humiliation. We must be the first to throw our lives into the fray. The Fire Dragon Lord: Is that alright, Witch-Queen? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm, I understand. Alright, I will leave the vanguard to you. However, the ones who have had the longest contact with the Pale are us Banshees. Thats why we will form the second formation. Should ournds be invaded though, then I cannot guarantee that we will not be the vanguard. To us, the protection of our country and our people is of utmost importance. I hope you will forgive me on this. The Silver Tiger Lord: Of course I understand the desire to protect your own people. I will abide. The Fire Dragon Lord: Well then, the Banshees and the Fang, I trust your skills, however I must reiterate that we do not yet know the true nature of the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale. Please exercise due caution. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Got it. The Silver Tiger Lord: Leave it to us. The Fire Dragon Lord: Well then, we the Dragons will take a support role. For the four Demon Tribes who have been mobilised, we will provide food and all necessary supplies. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thank you! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: I understand. The East Fortress Base Commander: I have two points I wish to bring up. The Fire Dragon Lord: What is it, Khan of the Gate? The East Fortress Base Commander: The first is about the refugees. No matter how despicable the Tribe of the Pale has acted, the fact is that they are merely small fries carrying out the will of the government and there are, in fact, exceptions. The number is not veryrge but there are many living in the cities all over the ce. I would like to ensure their protection. The Silver Tiger Lord: Why do you care about such small details? Its just a few people. I dont even think they have any effect on us. The East Fortress Base Commander: Its true that they do not greatly affect the war. However, we should address this issue for the sake of the situation after the war. In fact, who can guarantee that we will not gang up on the Tribe of the Pale and exterminate them? The Cyclops: Hmm. The East Fortress Base Commander: Thats what this war is starting to seem like. Can we promise that we wont try to exterminate the Tribe of the Pale, massacre their women and children, and leave none standing? That would be extremely uwful. However, how can we assure that the Tribe of the Pale will not hate us after this? From now on, they will tell stories to their descendants of How the innocent and the defenceless Tribe of the Pale was beset on all sides by the heinous plots of the other Tribes, forming their national narrative to their children and grandchildren. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: But thats not true. The Hero: (This guy has really read the situationpletely.) The East Fortress Base Commander: Thats why we have tomunicate the idea that that is not true, otherwise the situation could get bad very quickly. The Tribe of the Pale are but one race, and if we all unite against them, how can they win? We all the more need to settle the after-effects of the war. Sending all the troublesome elements to the City of the Gate is fine too. Here weve got all kinds of Demons, and even Humans, mixing around with each other. The damage they will incur will be small. The Baron of Steel nods. The Fire Dragon Lord: Right, and your other point? The East Fortress Base Commander: This one is a bit more important. Its about relief aid. The Queen of Fairies: Hmm. The East Fortress Base Commander: This is rted to what I was saying earlier, but just what are we going to begin? Is this going to be a debate betweenrades, or a full-blown war, or a series of small skirmishes? The Silver Tiger Lord: Well, to begin with, the Tribe of the Pale unceremoniously betrayed and attacked us. We wish to have them take responsibility for their actions and rify the me. The Baron of Steel: Thats right, we cannot allow these questions to remain unanswered. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: But what does that have to do with the lives of the people? The Tribe of the Pale must ept the me. That is the right thing to do, and they must also answer and address the concerns of our citizens. The East Fortress Base Commander: Indeed. The Cyclops: They must tell the people loudly. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. The East Fortress Base Commander: I also believe that that is important. This is about prosecuting the New King of the Pale, who caused chaos in the Kurultai, whomitted patricide, who proceeded tomandeer the Army of the Pale to attack the other Tribes. The Silver Tiger Lord: Patricide?! For real?! The East Fortress Base Commander: No, I cant say for sure but thats what theyre saying. The Fire Dragon Lord: I see. The Queen of Fairies: It has not been confirmed, though. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: So he must answer for all of these? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: That is an interesting idea. The East Fortress Base Commander: We should try to understand the fatigue and sadness in the hearts of our people who, despite earnestly tilling and cultivating their fields, have been forced to witness the savage destruction of their temples andnds due to the ravages of conflict. If their hearts get tired, then their hands stop and their feet stop. Once their body stops, what we are facing is famine. War is a very difficult thing but to the people, the most difficult thing is not knowing what to do. Because they do not know what their country or their soldiers are doing, they do not know what their next course of action should be. This feeling of powerlessness can really lower morale and make them feel like they have worthless presences which can steadily cause the decay ofrge parts of the society. Our cities, our people, our business, they will all decay. And all of thesee from the decay of the morale in their hearts. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The Hero: The East Fortress Base Commander: Hence I believe that we should clearlyy out how the situation hase to be, what has happened, how bad the situation currently is, what our methods of dealing with the conflict are, and what we hope to gain from this war to the people. Well, this is a war, so of course we cant possibly be telling them everything, and we dont actually even need to tell them the entire truth The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmm, in other words, this is what you want to achieve? All of the people will now be firmly tied to the fate of the battle whether or not they participate in it directly; its a state of Total War* and everybody is a soldier. As generals, we should try to boost the morale of our soldiers. The East Fortress Base Commander: Yes, yes. Thats what I mean. The Silver Tiger Lord: However, hmm The Fire Dragon Lord: Alright then, we should decide just what sort of conclusion we are hoping to achieve in this battle against the Demons of the Pale. The Queen of Fairies: Conclusion. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Thats right. We will fight the Tribe of the Pale where they exit from theirnds. But if we do only that, then the war will never end. Im not saying that we should attack their cities and subjugate theirnds, but how else can we end this war? - Exnation Total War: This refers to the mobilisation of the industrial and military output of the entire country in times of war. In order to back up the war machine, even if not all the citizens go to the battlefield, they all still have important roles to y in ensuring the supply chain is maintained, theck of which will lead to defeat. This concept was first promoted in the early 20th century during the First World War. The Base Commander and the Silver Tiger Lords dialogue on this matter also shows that they are aware of this condition. - The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Indeed. (Could the Demon King really have been considering our lives and futures all this while) The East Fortress Base Commander: This is very difficult. I have just joined the Council so Im notpletely cognizant of the rtionships that each of the races has with the Tribe of the Pale yet. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Well, in more chaotic times, we the Tribe of the Banshees have been at war with the Tribe of the Pale for a very long time. You could say that there is a deep-seated hatred and resentment against the Tribe of the Pale. However, these were issues rted to sovereignty and ownership of thend, and at the time, it was verymon for wars to start for this reason. The Silver Tiger Lord: We also were at a never-ending war with the Fiends. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: At the time, all the Tribes, big or small, were fighting in the chaos. The neutral Tribes and the mercenary Tribes were also at loggerheads in trying to mediate or prevent the mediation of the conflict. The Hero: I see The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. The Cyclops: Tell the people The Fire Dragon Lord: Thats right. First, lets tell them, The New King of the Pale has betrayed the Demon King and attacked the Kurultai. Thats a simple truth they should know about. To those citizens who are afraid of attacks by the Pale, we can tell them that the Army of the Pale has retreated to their own territory and they are in minimal danger at the time being. At the same time, we can also increase the size of our garrisons and provide more opportunities for recruitment. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: That seems like an appropriate response. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: As for how the war should be concluded, I believe we should gather feedback from the various Tribes and see what the public sentiment is like. The Silver Tiger Lord: Then for now, this is how we will deal with the Pale. The East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah. The Silver Tiger Lord: Shall we return to our territories? The Baron of Steel: Hmm If I may have a word, Khan of the Gate. This is about trade. The East Fortress Base Commander: Understood. The Cyclops: Actually, what if we spread some rumours about the loud one? The Fire Dragon Lord: Is that alright, ck Knight? The Hero: Ohh, it just gets better and better. Fire Dragon Lord, Ill leave this one to you. The Fire Dragon Lord: What are you saying! Hahahaha! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: That being said, how is Her Majesty the Demon King? The Hero: She still cant get up from her bed but she seems to be doing much better. The East Fortress Base Commander: Thats good. The Hero: Ill be sure to inform her of todays proceedings. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thank you, ck Knight. The Fire Dragon Lord: Right then, thats the end of todays Conference. If nothing exceptional happens, the next Conference will take ce in 40 days. Please continue to track and report on the movements of the Pale. Together: Long live the Demon King! - Deep in the Demon King Castle, the Demon Kings Bedroom The Female Pdin: Hey, open your mouth. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: What does that face mean? The Demon King: This scene is something should be going on between the Hero and I The Female Pdin: The Hero is busy at the Conference. The Demon King: Thats why I said The Female Pdin: Ahhhh. The Demon King: Mm. The Female Pdin: Ahhh. The Demon King: Uhh The Female Pdin: Here you go. The Demon King: How humiliating. The Female Pdin: Were friends, its weird that you care about this. The Demon King: Really? Is that so? The Female Pdin: Yes. The Demon King: Well When you speak to me or the Sisters, you use words which are a bit nicer. The Female Pdin: Really? The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Well I suppose thats what happens when you lead armies. You get used to speaking to men all the time, I suppose you use different words speaking to women. The Demon King: I see. The Female Pdin: I guess its off-putting that Im not womanly enough. The Demon King: Thats not true, I find you very womanly. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: ? The Female Pdin: Even though youre the Demon King, I am not convinced. The Demon King: Hmm. Thats not true. I Well, its true that the size is big, but when ites to maternal instinct, to loveliness and attention to detail When ites to being sexy, I still need a lot of guidance. When ites to being a woman, Im still vastly inferior to you. The Female Pdin: I wouldnt say that. The Demon King: To begin with, what exactly does it mean to be womanly? The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Demon King: Ive tried being like those ones in fairy tales, helping him pick his ear*, even sleeping in the same bed, but I dont think its had a great effect on the Hero. To begin with, it feels like the world keeps trying to crash in between us every time theres an opening, were never going to be a couple. The Female Pdin: I may be slightly biased about this but I think theres something we should consider. The Demon King: Really? The Female Pdin: I dont know why though. The Demon King: Ohe on. The Female Pdin: Maybe its the Hero who has been avoiding us. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Lets stop this conversation. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Demon King: Ahh! Its really going to be nostalgic having the Little Sister Maids cooking again. The Female Pdin: Of course. Even though the cooking in this castle is really good too. The Demon King: Thats right, the Little Maid Sisters cooking has a certain special taste that the food here doesnt. The Female Pdin: Yeah, I know what youre saying. The Demon King: I want pie. The Female Pdin: Ahahahahaha. I know how you feel. But, this is what weve got right now. Ahhhhh. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Hehehe. The Demon King: This is really humiliating. The Female Pdin: When you get healthier you can take revenge. The Demon King: Of course. Only the Hero is allowed to do this. The Female Pdin: Eh? The Demon King: I know just what youre trying to do! - The Holy Empire, the Merchants Quarter Wheat Wholesaler: Wheat! Wheat! Barley too, just in! Freshly harvested! Itll taste great as bread or even oatmeal! One bag for just five new silvers! Obese Citizen: What about the old silvers? Wheat Wholesaler: We dont ept them. You cant use that money in the Holy Empire. The only people who use that currency are the barbarians of the South. Travelling Merchant: But therere still lots of old silver and gold coins in the city Wheat Wholesaler: Just go to the municipal office and youll be able to exchange your old currency for the new currency. Obese Citizen: But three and a half old gold coins are only worth one new gold coin Travelling Merchant: Its a really bad timing. Wheat Wholesaler: Alright, freshly ground wheat! How about some wheat? Obese Citizen: Only the really rich can afford to eat such wheat. Travelling Merchant: Dammit. Walks further. Innkeeper: That being said, have you heard the rumour? Obese Citizen: Rumour? Travelling Merchant: The rumour about the Vige of the Children of Light? Innkeeper: Yeah, that one. Obese Citizen: What is it? Innkeeper: Apparently, beginning in the Holy Empire, there have been new viges appearing all over the Continent. Most of them are near the forests, or in the mountains, or in those old, extinct viges that used to be ancient battlegrounds. Those viges have great wheat harvest and nobody worries about going hungry. Obese Citizen: Whats that all about! Travelling Merchant: It seems like this isnt made up. The Church has been gathering farmers and settlers to train for some kind of special duty. Innkeeper: This is thetest news but it seems that the whole point of this is the Holy Relic. Obese Citizen: Holy Relic? Innkeeper: Youll be shocked when I say this but apparently, its the remains of the Spirit Himself! Obese Citizen: What?! Travelling Merchant: What?! Is that for real? Innkeeper: Well, its a rumour so I cant say for sure. Obese Citizen: I always thought the Spirit was like the wind or a ray of light. Travelling Merchant: Yeah. Innkeeper: It seems the Church is saying that the Demons have stolen the Holy Relic. In order to seize back the Holy Relic, theyre going to need a lot of elite soldiers. Thats the whole point of the Viges of the Children of Light. Obese Citizen: Hmm Well, they dont go hungry. Travelling Merchant: Ive heard about this in other cities too. Innkeeper: Its the blessings of the Spirit. They say in those viges, they get bread twice a day, and for lunch*, they get stew. The bread they eat in the evenings is white and fluffy. Obese Citizen: White bread?! Travelling Merchant: That sounds really extravagant. Innkeeper: Yeah. Travelling Merchant: How wonderful. Innkeeper: It seems that the Church is really serious about this. Travelling Merchant: Serious? Innkeeper: Yeah, its just between us, but it seems that the reason for the hike in the price of wheat is because the Church has been buying up all the wheat and sending them to the Viges of the Children of Light. Obese Citizen: ! Travelling Merchant: Really? I suppose thats possible. Innkeeper: Right? Obese Citizen: But if they do that, were really going to have a war. Travelling Merchant: I guess so. But its for the Spirit, so theres nothing for it. Innkeeper: Yeah, Spirit be with us. Obese Citizen: Spirit be with us! At least with some paltry ck bread, so we can live. - Exnation Lunch: People in the Middle Ages generally ate three meals a day, but out of these, the most important was lunch. Breakfast and dinner were all light meals while lunch provided energy to do the days work. - Travelling Merchant: But I guess I would really like to take a look at one of these viges. Obese Citizen: Rather than just look, Id like to live there. Wouldnt you? To retrieve the remains of the Spirit for a righteous war, and you even get food to eat. Rather than starving here, I want to go to that vige. Clergyman: Thats not impossible. Travelling Merchant: Eh? Clergyman: I apologise, I could not help but overhear your conversation The number of Viges of the Children of Light are increasing as war with the pusinimous Demon Race draws nearer. You should trying for confessions every night. We will be choosing some excellent people to establish a new Vige of the Children of Light soon. The ce will be packed with people trying to achieve this special blessing. Innkeeper: For real, Your Holiness! Obese Citizen: Really?! Clergyman: I am not a bishop yet but this is not a lie. Even tonight, a new squad is assembling their luggage and mobilising. Obese Citizen: I want to go too! Travelling Merchant: Me too! Clergyman: Then, you must surelye to the Church. His Holiness is waiting for your righteous contribution. - The City of the Gate, a Cheap Motel Disciple Engineer: Well, this is great. Disciple Bard: Mm. Yeah Disciple Engineer: Is this sheep*? Ive never eaten it before. Disciple Bard: Yeah, the Surface World keeps them as livestock. Disciple Engineer: The Surface World? To be expected of the City of the Gate. Therere lots of interesting food. I discover new things every day. Even the architecture ispletely new and interesting. Disciple Bard: Yeah Disciple Engineer: Whats up? Disciple Bard: Eh? No, nothing. Disciple Engineer: This is great Yum, yum. Disciple Bard: Disciple Engineer: Alright, here we go! Disciple Bard: Hey, were eating, put the maps away. Disciple Engineer: Sorry, sorry. But Ive got a whole bunch of new ideas and techniques that Ive picked up. I feel like I should write a memo so I dont forget them. Disciple Bard: You stupid engineer. Disciple Engineer: It cant be helped, I want that bridge up as soon as possible. Disciple Bard: Bridge? Disciple Engineer: Yeah. Disciple Bard: Youve really changed. Disciple Engineer: Is that so? I was about to say that about you as well. - Exnation Sheep: For about 10,000 years, sheep have been reared by humans as livestock. Their meat is more nutritious than that of mountain goats and they are capable of surviving in harsher climates than pigs, hence making them one of the most versatile livestock. Moreover, sheeps wool can be used to make clothes as their hide can be used to produce leather and vellum. Truly a livestock for which no part is wasted. Even today, many people live the nomadic life, herding their sheep from pasture to pasture. - Disciple Bard: Eh? Disciple Engineer: Youre the one who sings like youre possessed and you actually go on for hours writing new ys. Disciple Bard: Well, I guess. Disciple Engineer: Thats something thates from inside you, right? Disciple Bard: Eh? Disciple Engineer: In other words, thats the way you express whats inside your heart to somebody else, even without using words. Building that route, for me, is like water just waiting to gush out, it feels like its about to overflow and when it crashes down, I want to stand up and shout, Build it faster! Finish it faster! But, you know? Once we finish that bridge, people will be able to satisfy their stomachs and their hearts desires without having to risk their lives to transport their goods. The faster we do this, the better their lives will be. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Disciple Engineer: ? Disciple Bard: Its like a song. Its a harmony which uses a voice to express the voiceless emotion youve created. Inside your heart, you can already hear the fiddle*, the lyre*, the coto* echoing bravely. It makes you want to hurry up and produce that melody. - Exnation Fiddle: This was originally a woodwind instrument simr to the polo and was often used to y folk-songs. Over time, the definition was extended to the violin. Lyre: The lyre is an ancient Greek stringed instrument much like a harp. It is often featured in Greek frescoes and drawings, and has the shape of an omega (?). Over time, this has evolved into many different instruments such as harps and lutes. Coto: The coto or the zink is a brass instrument shaped like an animals horn. In ancient times, a real horn was probably used. It was extensively used in 15th - 16th century European music. - Disciple Engineer: Hmm. So I suppose you understand. In any case, because of this, I cant take my mind off it even when were eating. Disciple Bard: Hey, Engineer. Disciple Engineer: What? Nomnomnom. Disciple Bard: Have you heard about the Holy Relic? Disciple Engineer: Huh? Whats that? Disciple Bard: Im not really sure. But it seems like there some kind of rumour thats been going on here. Disciple Engineer: Mmm. Disciple Bard: I was really drawn by that rumour. Sometimes when the wind of curiosity blows too strong, I feel that I must go out and do something, like my soul itself is being propelled towards it. I start dancing and when I stop, I cannot hear the sounds of my surroundings or the environment. All I hear are the echoes of that siren call in my head Disciple Engineer: Disciple Bard: I want to go on a trip. Disciple Engineer: Yeah. Disciple Bard: But I also want to be together with you. Disciple Engineer: Yeah. Disciple Bard: Disciple Engineer: Disciple Bard: Disciple Engineer: Dont make such a face. Disciple Bard: But Disciple Engineer: Will you go far? To the Surface? Disciple Bard: Yeah I dont know when Ill be back. Disciple Engineer: But you will be back? Disciple Bard: Of course I will. Disciple Engineer: Then nothing is going to change. Go ahead. Disciple Bard: But Disciple Engineer: Hahahahaha. Disciple Bard: ? Disciple Engineer: Then Ill make a splendid bridge, and it will wee you when youe home. Disciple Bard: Ahh Disciple Engineer: Just go! My bridge will always be waiting for you toe back. Of course, I will too. My bridge is just waiting for a true legend to pass through. The Genius Writer of the Subterranean World! The Demon Singer! The Demon Singer who headed to the Surface World and discovered the most beautiful and melodious music a person could create! My bridge will be the path through which this music passes. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Disciple Engineer: Go see some wonderful things. Disciple Bard: Ill make sure to hear a lot of beautiful things. Disciple Engineer: Well meet again in this City. Disciple Bard: Yeah Its a promise. Disciple Engineer: We are Crimson Disciples after all. Disciple Bard: Yeah, its a promise. - Deep in the Demon King Castle, the Demon Kings Bedroom Knock knock. The Hero: Hmm. Knock knock. The Hero: Must be sleeping. Door opens slowly. The Demon King: The Hero: She is sleeping. The Demon King: Mmm. The Hero: Thats a very adorable face to make while sleeping. The Demon King: The Hero: Well, theres no choice. Even though it was a long trip The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: The Hero: Her hair is so soft Shes a real beauty, I hope she realises that one day. The Demon King: The Hero: Eh? The Demon King: The Hero: Demon King. The Demon King: ? The Hero: Are you awake? The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King rubs her eyes. The Hero: Good morning. The Demon King: Good morning. The Hero: Still sleepy? The Demon King: I want some tea. The Hero: Sure. Looks like the Chief Maid left some here. The Demon King: Thanks. Pours tea. The Hero: Im home, Demon King. The Demon King: Wee back, Hero. The Hero: Is your chest alright? The Demon King: Yeah, its not painful anymore. Im breathing normally too. The Hero: Then I suppose you can get out of bed soon. The Demon King: Ive had enough of it, its toozy. The Hero: Alright, Ive brought lots of presents today. The Demon King: What? The Hero: First, this. Can you see it? Its the Little Sister Maids new creation, Custard Pudding*. The Demon King: ? The Hero: Youll understand when you eat it. The Demon King: Mmm Ah! This is The Hero: Delicious? The Demon King: Its not sweet! Its cold and creamy Ive never had it before. Whats this? Is it the sap of some tree? Itspletely new. The Hero: Its egg and sugar. The Demon King: What From the most regr of ingredients, what kind of techniques were used to make something so radically different. The Hero: Yeah, I was shocked by that too. The Demon King: What an interesting deliciousness. The Chief Maid said this too, Cooking is an essential skill for any maid but that girls extremely gluttony behaviour has caused her to transcend the culinary powers of even the most powerful of Demons. The Hero: Hahaha! Indeed. The Demon King: This is really yummy. The Hero: Ive got other stuff. The Demon King: ? The Hero: Here. This is from the Base Commander. The Demon King: Oh, a letter Give me a knife. The Hero: Yeah. Cuts. The Demon King: And this is from the Young Merchant. Hmm. It was made in one of the manufactories in the City of the Gate. The Hero: Thats fast. The Demon King: I met him earlier. The Hero: What an unpleasant yet necessary rtionship. The Demon King: What? The Hero: It was a while ago but you gave him a trading decree for the City of the Gate, right? Its your personal demesne, so its fine, I guess. The Demon King: Yeah, he wrote it here too. These are greetings, but also a confirmation. It shouldnt be much of a problem this time But if we continue to issue such trading licenses without limitations, we might have a lot of trouble. The Hero: Trouble? The Demon King: They might buy, sell, or borrow trading decrees. The Hero: Ahh, I see. The Demon King: Well, the Young Merchant probably wouldnt do such a thing that would destroy our trust in him. The Hero: Oh, then? The Demon King: He wants to introduce livestock, like sheep and cattle, and also a clear financial and banking structure. The Hero: What? Isnt there already a financial structure? Seems like the money is used pretty normally. The Demon King: Its true that it can be used, but its basically just extracting gold and using it directly. Before this whole affair with the Humans began, in other words, before I even met you, I had been trying to revolutionise the economy of the Demon World but at that time we were still in experimental stages. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: If youre talking about the Blessings of the Earth, the Demon World has more blessings than the Surface World. We dont have many areas which are extremely cold and we do have many undevelopednds. These can be sources of conflict. In the Demon World, more than the Human World, civil engineering works like irrigation and water treatment as well as cultural works like music or legends are extremely important. In response to this The Hero: What? The Demon King: Uhh, well Actually, I have a few students here. - Exnation Pudding: Along with a variety of other ingredients, pudding achieves its consistency through the addition of gtin or corn starch. Puddings versatility means that it can be used as an ingredient, a main dish, or a dessert. Custard pudding is widely consumed in Japan, where it is known as purin. It became extremely popr around the turn of the 17th century. - The Hero: Huh? The Demon King: Because Ive been gallivanting with you, Ive kind of abandoned them. The Hero: Hey, hey! The Demon King: Well, theyre good youngsters. Its not like theyll die if I let them be. The Hero: Thats a very abandonist thinking. The Demon King: The world isnt in the best of shape to have their techniques applied, so they havent really been doing anything. The Hero: (I feel quite sorry for them) The Demon King: Well, thats what its like in the Demon World. To begin with, its obvious that the Demon World is a ce for the Tribes to gain riches. If they can build their houses and their fields in peace, then theyll be able to be prosperous. As a result of this, the currency system needs to be revolutionised in order to boost the economy and the agricultural sector. The Subterranean World could really benefit from such changes. The Hero: I see. Then what of the Young Merchants proposal? The Demon King: On the issue of the banks, Ill put that on hold first. Its far too early, and I wouldnt want a situation where the financial institutions of both worlds are controlled by one person. Ill write back to exin this situation. As for the sheep and cattle, I have no intention of stopping it. Its actually probably a good thing. The Hero: Now that I think about it, the guy doesnt know that the Schr is the Demon King. The Demon King: Really? The Hero: He knows that youre a Demon, but I dont think hes considered that you were the Demon King. The Demon King: In that case, Ill use the royal stationery of the Demon King. In fact, Ill put the royal seal on it. The Hero: Really? The Demon King: Or maybe Ill just leave it as it is. Its better for him to realise it naturally. Ill reply in a while. The Hero: Alright. Next thing. The Demon King: Whats next? The Hero: This is a letter from the Elder Sister Maid. Its quite heavy. Rips open. The Demon King: Hohoho. Unfurls letter. The Hero: What does it say? The Demon King: This is Hmm. Its a report on the potato cultivation. This is a daily summary of the Vige of Wintering. This is a report on the tax receipts of the Kingdom of Winter. Ohh, did she get it from the Disciple Merchant? Its even got the seal of the Minister of Finance. The Hero: Is it interesting? The Demon King: Its very interesting. This GDP* report is really amazing. As I expected, once you get rid of the heavy burden of having to constantly prepare for war, you can really make some gains. The Hero: The Three Kingdoms have been trying to deal with the massive influx of refugees and settlers recently. It seems that the Disciple Merchant and the Disciple Soldier have been cooperating on this matter. The Demon King: Yeah, the Elder Sister Maid wrote about that The Hero: Whats up? The Demon King: Even though theyve beening up with all of these special methods, its still hard to say what the results of it will be. The idea of half-civilian, half-militia settlers in the Kingdom of Metal is very interesting. Its quite contrary to the idea of conscription. With regards to ie, its true that Public Corporations* can indeed form the cornerstone of the industry, however, the big issue will be the productivity? The Hero: What about it? The Demon King: From an economic standpoint It refers to the rate at which products are created. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: Its the Disciple Soldiers idea but for the time being, they are using all the refugees and the settlers as soldiers. This has the effect of restoring order while dealing with the short term problem of unemployment. It also has the effect of creating new settlements and constructing new infrastructure like roads. The Hero: Yeah, so it reduces crimes and at the same time develops some important structures, right? And all of this can be done simultaneously. The Demon King: Thats right. Youre catching on to things quicker than before. The Hero: Thats because you talk about these sorts of things all the time. The Demon King: However, in the event that this continues, it could possibly lead to a state of negligence. The settlers may not find an incentive to working hard on their potato ntations, since whether or not they work hard, they will still receive a sry from the state from their being soldiers. The Hero: Yeah Now that you say it. The Demon King: Thats why at this rate, productivity rates are likely to fall. We may also have an issue of increasing corruption or the rigidity of social ss. Its a state of socialziness caused by the devaluation of effort among the citizens. The Hero: Then, isnt this a stupid scheme? Shouldnt we put an end to it? The Demon King: No, thats not it. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Like we said before, its true that it has many advantages, especially for solving the problem we have at hand. With this many refugeesing in, the fact is that there isnt much arablend avable. If we didnt do anything, people would die from hunger. In order to open up morend, we needed to build more settlements. Furthermore, increased organisation along military lines may have its productive benefits as well. The Hero: Hmm The Demon King: The Disciple Soldier has probably also already considered this, which is why he has established that they be relieved of service after five years. After that, they will have to earn their living through their own hands. If we stop supporting them, a few will probably fail, but its not a bad response. Its good toe up with new ns, but its also important to correct and improve existing ones. The Hero: Demon King. The Demon King: ? The Hero: Im sorry that you have to keep teaching me these things. Im pretty bad at these sorts of things, so you must be fairly irritated with me. The Demon King: Thats not true. Sometimes when my disciples dont listen to what Im saying, I feel like stuffing them with ck powder. Of course, I want to light the fuse too. The Hero: But you always seem happy to talk about your students. The Demon King: Really? I dont think so. The Hero: I think its a good thing. The Demon King: Hmm. The Hero: Well, whatever. Hey. The Demon King: ? - Exnation Public Corporation: This refers to apany or an enterprise which is run by the government. Because it is not focussed on making profits but rather providing services to the people, it is more capable of sustaining in the long-term. Furthermore, since it works for the good of the people, it can tolerate running into debts. However, there are many negative points, especially since employees perceive that they will still get paid no matter how hard they work. This may lead toziness and inefficiency. - The Hero: Here. The Demon King: What is it? What is it? The Hero: Its more custard pudding. The Demon King: Really Mmm, its delicious. The Hero: Would you like another one? The Demon King: Sure. The Hero: That was fast. The Demon King: No point dawdling when theres good food to be had. The Hero: Mmm Yummy. The Demon King: Yeah. This is really the best. The Hero: Shall we just eat half of it? The Demon King: Why? The Hero: It wouldnt be very nice to eat the Chief Maids and the Female Pdins share as well. The Demon King: Oh, thats right But I want to eat more. The Hero: ? Hmm, youre right. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Look, youve got some on your mouth, Hero. The Hero: Youve got even more. Youre really bad at this. The Demon King: Ive got no choice. Im lying down so its not easy to eat. The Hero: I guess you dont. Here, ahhhh. The Demon King: Really? Ah, ah you dont have to! Its cool! But you dont have to if you dont want to! I can wait, right?! The Hero: You dont want to eat? The Demon King: No! I do! I do! I want to eat it eat all! The Hero: What is going on. The Demon King: I want to eat! The Hero: Y-yeah. The Demon King: Mmm The Hero: Ahh Umm, is it that good? The Demon King: Yeah, its really sweet. The Hero: I see. Here, youve got some on your mouth. The Demon King: Wait! The Hero: Huh? The Demon King: The custard on your finger is mine. The Hero: ?! The Demon King: Were only allowed to eat half, so its very precious. Im not the kind of person who would go around breaking promises. The Hero: Uhh, yeah. The Demon King: Yumm. Bring some more when youe again. The Hero: G-got it The Demon King: ? The Hero: Nothing! The Demon King: Really? Im content. That was delicious. The Hero: Yes, yes. The Demon King: As expected, feeding me is something the Hero should do. My heart is pounding from something a close friend could never do for me. The Hero: Uhhh. The Demon King: What? The Hero: Nothing. Ill go deliver some pudding to the Chief Maid. Runs out. The Demon King: What a strange Hero. - The City of the Gate, the Hall of the Merchants Union The Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you. Union Merchant: Dont worry about it. The Fire Dragon Lady: Im back. Shrewd ountant: Wee back. How is it? The Fire Dragon Lady: As expected, we came to the conclusion that the road must be built. Union Merchant: Infrastructure, eh. Middle Aged Merchant: Hey! Dragon Lady! The Fire Dragon Lady: It has been a while, Middle Aged Merchant. Middle Aged Merchant: Wow. In the short time since Ive seen you, youve be really wonderful. These clothes and that blouse, are they from the Surface? The Fire Dragon Lady: Theyre more suited for movement and its easier to conduct business in. The robes of the Dragon Tribe are beautiful, but theyre all inked so its very troublesome if they get dirty. Union Merchant: Hahahaha. It really suits you, Princess. Middle Aged Merchant: Eh? Why are you calling her princess? Shrewd ountant: Wee back, Middle Ages Merchant, Mdy. The Fire Dragon Lady: Im back. Thats just a joke among the merchants here. Shrewd ountant: Youre a Lady, after all. Its not that much of a stretch to call you a princess. The Fire Dragon Lady: Hmph. Dont think thatll put you on my good side. Union Merchant: More importantly, the list you requested is ready. The Fire Dragon Lady: Thanks Middle Aged Merchant: Whats this? The Fire Dragon Lady: Its the results of the census and quality of life survey which weve been conducting. We dont have guilds so its hard to track the movement of talent. You merchants are very organised Young Merchant: Hey, wee back. Shrewd ountant: Councillor. The Fire Dragon Lady: Youvee at a good time. Middle Aged Merchant: For me as well. Young Merchant: That was quick. You are both very hasty. Middle Aged Merchant: Hahaha. Haste is a virtue for a merchant. Young Merchant: Some tea, if you will. Union Merchant: Right away. The Fire Dragon Lady: Right, you start first. Middle Aged Merchant: Yeah. First Ive got a report. With regards to the construction of the bridges across the portal, we may bepleting it earlier than expected. To begin with, weve increased the amount of manpower and by this week, a lot of the wooden bridges should already be constructed. Young Merchant: Very good. In that case, we should still have time to spare. Middle Aged Merchant: I would like to speak to you about what happens after. Young Merchant: Yeah, is this about the expansion of the projection and the construction of the full route? Middle Aged Merchant: Yes. How is it? Young Merchant: Of course, we would like that tomence. However, we have to consider the time and mary expenses incurred for an eight year project. If this was all borne by the Union, it could be very difficult. Middle Aged Merchant: Which is why Ivee up with a new proposal. Young Merchant: Proposal? Middle Aged Merchant: Look at this. This is a map of our observations of the portal. Young Merchant: Eh, whats this? A waterway? A canal? Middle Aged Merchant: No, its more like a sort of well. Young Merchant: Hmm. Middle Aged Merchant: In other words, you can look at this as a road for people and travellers to walk along, but you can also look at it as a sort of special, massive hole. Thats what the architect said, anyway. Young Merchant: Mmhmm. Middle Aged Merchant: And thats what this slide-like well is for. Of course, we cant put fragile items on it, but sufficiently durable goods can be dropped through it. Young Merchant: Eh? Middle Aged Merchant: We drop it. Theyre tied to a cord and ced on a special tform. Young Merchant: Over such a great distance?! No matter how padded the thing is, itll be smashed into bits. Middle Aged Merchant: Well, no actually. This is the ce where that gravity thing I talked to you about gets reversed. If we use this to our advantage, it wille to a point where it has no weight. Well, rather than saying it has no weight, the weight gets reversed? Im not too sure about the specifics, but basically it will get to a point where the force works backwards and starts drawing it back to the centre, hence it will contribute to slowing down the speed of the object. Umm, you can think of it as gravity acting as the weight on a moveable pulley system. Young Merchant: Uhh. Middle Aged Merchant: On the other side, we can install a water wheel and use the force of the moving water to pull the goods up. The signal can be given using a polished metal disc as a reflector. Young Merchant: And exactly what effect will this have? Middle Aged Merchant: We can really boost the efficiency. Well need to have manpower stationed at the various intermediate points throughout the portal. The workflow will be simr to that in a mine. If we can establish this system, even through the most difficult of routes well probably be able to safely deliver twenty caravans of goods a day. Young Merchant: Please further research this. Middle Aged Merchant: Will you provide the funds for the research? Young Merchant: Ill get approval from the other merchants. Middle Aged Merchant: Please try to be quick about this. The old men in the Council of Ten might not be so receptive. Young Merchant: Sure. Middle Aged Merchant: Alright. I should get going then. There is work to be done. Young Merchant: Yes. The Fire Dragon Lady: Lets meet again. Middle Aged Merchant: Sure, princess. We should have dinner some time. The Fire Dragon Lady: Im not a princess. Middle Aged Merchant: Hahahaha! Goodbye! Door closes. Shrewd ountant: Hes really invested in the whole bridges and roads building thing. Young Merchant: Ive heard about this from some travelling merchants, but it seems hes found some incredible talent. The Fire Dragon Lady: At this rate, well soon have a splendid route going. I can see this route really bringing life to our trade. Young Merchant: Yeah. Oh, you had something for me? The Fire Dragon Lady: As expected, were having difficulties with establishing the Northern Gate as the centre. That area was often attacked in the past, so much of it is in ruins now. Its probably about time for us to try and improve it, but well need to seek the opinions of the Self-Governing Council. Young Merchant: What sorts of ns do you have for it? The Fire Dragon Lady: As of now, Im thinking of a Merchants Quarter or a residential district. Young Merchant: Hmm The Fire Dragon Lady: What do you think of the leaf-spring loaded horse carriages? Young Merchant: Those are great inventions. Theyve really dramatically reduced the shaking on carriages. The Fire Dragon Lady: Theyre technological gifts from the Tribe of Automatons. Theyve expressed a proposal where we offer to them a district in the City in return for their continued assistance. Young Merchant: Oh. The Fire Dragon Lady: The Tribe of Automatons have had a long history of being oppressed. In order to prevent a repeat of that history, theyve been working hard to improve their lot Young Merchant: Ive also got some new movements Ive been expecting. The Fire Dragon Lady nods. Young Merchant: Have the Wheat Futures Certificates been concluded? Shrewd ountant: Yes, theyve all been sold. The Fire Dragon Lady: Wheat Futures Certificates? Is this about the wheat which youd gathered throughout the spring? Are you letting them all go? Shrewd ountant: Yeah. Young Merchant: Weve sold them all. The Fire Dragon Lady: Why? Wasnt the point of buying all that weight to improve the situation in the Tripartite Union? Young Merchant: Im not really the guardian of their Economic Union. Young Merchant: Please think about this. Those Wheat Futures Certificates are very powerful weapons and they are really dangerous for the enemy. However, if as a consequence, the lords of the knights and armies are toppled economically, that is not what we are aiming to achieve at all. Of course, we should be prepared to eptrge sacrifices in this economic attack but to sustain this much damage, well need money. Its already served its purpose. The Fire Dragon Lady: Who are you selling it to? Young Merchant: The Church. The one in the Central Continent. The Fire Dragon Lady: What? Young Merchant: Theyre a target which can never be toppled. Of course, the Tripartite Union and countries friendly to them will continue to sell wheat to us, but in the end, our main businesses from countries affiliated with the Holy Church of Light. Shrewd ountant: Its very good business. The Fire Dragon Lady: Really? Young Merchant: The big movement which I was speaking to you about is the exchange of old currency with new currency. At the time of this exchange, all of our liquid financial assets have been converted to these Wheat Futures Certificates. In other words, we dont have any of that now-worthless old currency. Shrewd ountant: Now that weve sold off all of the Wheat Futures Certificates, weve made a lot of new currency. Thanks to that influx of new currency, weve managed to restore the financial reserves of the Union. No, actually, theyve been increased by a lot. Moreover, since the Church bought the Wheat Futures Certificates at such a high price, it will not be in their interest to allow the price of wheat to fall. If they do that, they would lose a lot of money. In order to recoup their losses, they would need to sell it off at a high price as well but if they do that, then their own people will starve. In any case, its their problem now. The Fire Dragon Lady: How callous. Young Merchant: I will take that as apliment. Shrewd ountant: Its impossible getting a very detailed report but I can roughly tell you the results in general. Young Merchant: Mmm The Fire Dragon Lady: How much have you made? Young Merchant: Well, lets see Weve managed to change the exchange rate of the old currency to the new currency from three-to-one to four-to-one. That would put the price increase of the Wheat Futures Certificates at somewhere between seventy to fifty percent, not including the intion of the certificates themselves The Fire Dragon Lady: Then youve almost doubled your initial reserves?! Young Merchant: Not by that much. It cost quite a bit to transport and maintain all those grain reserves. Furthermore, we had to buy quite a lot of potatoes from the Tripartite Union at a cost, so that cost quite a bit too. Shrewd ountant: Yeah that drained quite a bit. The Fire Dragon Lady: So you didnt make any profit? Young Merchant: Dont be so downhearted. Shrewd ountant: Hahahaha. The princess is so obsessed with profit, perhaps she is slowly transforming into a merchant of the Union herself. The Fire Dragon Lady: Thats not true. Im just quite interested in how you merchants can take a lousy pearl, grind it a bit, and sell it for some insane profit. Young Merchant: Well, we didnt double our initial capital but at the very least weve definitely made some profit. Weve made about as much profit this year as the sum of thest four years. The Fire Dragon Lady: Isnt that enough? Shrewd ountant: But the real treasure is not gold. Gold is just a tool. Young Merchant: Yes, of course. Now is the time to use that money to buy very valuable connections and business opportunities. You could say that the union has won this battle, but the business battle has just begun. The Fire Dragon Lady: Who is your next target? Young Merchant: Well, lets drink a toast first before wee to that. The Fire Dragon Lady: Hahaha. Just make sure to keep me in the loop. - The Vige of Wintering, the Demon Kings Manor (We may be troublesome, but are you just going to hide us here all the time?) Elder Sister Maid: Little Sister Maid: Sis! Elder Sister Maid: Little Sister Maid: Hey! Hey! Elder Sister Maid: Ah, what? Little Sister Maid: Dont space out! Elder Sister Maid: Sorry. What is it? Little Sister Maid: Theres a draft in the guestroom, we need to go take the linen. Elder Sister Maid: Oh, right. Sure. Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Ll! Elder Sister Maid: Hey Little Sister Maid: What? Elder Sister Maid: Are you happy? Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Im really happy every day. I love our job! Elder Sister Maid: I see. Little Sister Maid: Its warm, and the nkets are soft. Every day we have lots to eat, and the Mistress and the Chief Maid and the Hero and everyone is really nice to us, and I really love them. Elder Sister Maid: I see Little Sister Maid: Yeah! Elder Sister Maid: Ll. ? Little Sister Maid: Get that side. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Little Sister Maid: Stuff the sheets in nicely. Elder Sister Maid: Okay. ps sheets. Little Sister Maid: All done! Elder Sister Maid: Very good. Little Sister Maid: Ehehe. Ah! Elder Sister Maid: What? Little Sister Maid: I love you too. I love you the most. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. I love you too. Little Sister Maid: Thats good. Elder Sister Maid: Right, lets go wash up. Little Sister Maid: Yeah! - The Pce of Ice, the Audience Room Knock knock. Disciple Nobleman: Good morning! Strolls around. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Hey! In which part of the world does a courtier just nonchntly stroll into the audience room of a pce. Disciple Nobleman: No, Your Majesty. You seem very beautiful today and I thought it would be a waste to be so rigid in your presence. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Oh? Door opens. Envoy: A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. Disciple Nobleman: This is an officer of the Kingdom of Red Horses. He is currently a marquis and my guest for this evening. This is my beloved Queen of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Pleased to meet you, marquis. Please pardon my brusque courtier. Envoy: No, no, the Disciple Nobleman is a benefactor to our Kingdom for having brought together our esteemed Prince and the most beautiful flower of thend. The Queen of Ice and Snow: I see. Envoy: My liege, the King of Red Gorses, has sent me to the Kingdom of Ice on a special mission to express our sincere gratitude for his actions. We are extremely grateful for his efforts. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Hoho. Looks like youve done something quite impressive. Disciple Nobleman: No, no, it was merely the least of my duties. The Queen of Ice and Snow: It is cold, envoy. You should have some hot liquor infused with the taste of apples. It is one of the things I am proud of in my country. Envoy: I have not heard of this wonder. Disciple Nobleman: Well, its nothing legendary, but its pretty good. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Indeed. Our Kingdom is but a country on the borders of the South. We do not have as refined manners as you from the Central Continent have. We are but a simple people. Envoy: No, no. It is clear that the Disciple Nobleman is a much finer connoisseur of the customs and literature of the Central Continent than many of the noble families. Disciple Nobleman: Oh no, its just that youve been very kind in excusing my breaches of courtesy. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Hes a very rebellious person. Hohohoho. Envoy: Im afraid I have to agree. Hahaha. Disciple Nobleman: Here you go, its hot. Envoy: Thank you Mmm, its sweet and fragrant. Disciple Nobleman: The Queen is a connoisseur of wine herself. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Its just something to pass the boredom of winter with. Envoy: My Kingdom also produces some very fine fruit wines. I will be sure to send some to you. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Thank you. Envoy: Well. If I may begin on my proper suit Disciple Nobleman: Here we go. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Why dont you state your terms. Envoy: Yes. His Royal Majesty has decided. In view of the current massive shift in ideology, His Majesty has coolly reached the decision and would like to convey this decision to Her Majesty the Queen of Ice and Snow that our Kingdom wishes to be a part of the Tripartite Economic Union. Please consider this an official promation from our Kingdom. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Thank you. It seems we have made a million allies. With this, we have taken yet another step towards establishing truly harmonious rtions with the neighbouring states. Envoy: At the same time, our Kingdom would like to recognise and thank the Disciple Nobleman and the Holy Order of the Lake for their cooperation in spreading the expertise to treating the recent outbreak of smallpox. We express our sincere gratitude to Your Majesty. Disciple Nobleman: Oh. The Queen of Ice and Snow: You did that? Disciple Nobleman: I was just trying to help. Should I not have? The Queen of Ice and Snow: No, of course its a good thing. But please stop springing these surprises on me. Envoy: Ahahahaha. Disciple Nobleman: But I didnt do any treatments. What we were doing was prevention, which is why we were seeing all those people who had yet to be infected. Envoy: No, that is more than enough. You have probably saved the lives of thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people, who would have sumbed to smallpox. We have no way to express the sincere gratitude in our hearts. Disciple Nobleman: Hes just exaggerating. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Please thank the Holy Order and the Crimson Schr. Envoy: On that matter Disciple Nobleman: ? The Queen of Ice and Snow: What do you mean? Envoy: Well, its the same with the potatoes and this times smallpox treatmentI mean prevention, but the Holy Order of the Lake has helped us time and time again. The Holy Church has officially proimed the Holy Order of the Lake to be their enemies and have tried to cut off the lifeline between us but despite that, their assistance has been unwavering and integral. As a result, our country is fairly divided on the issue of which is the real Church. The Queen of Ice and Snow: I see. Disciple Nobleman: The Queen of Ice and Snow: Hey. Disciple Nobleman: Yes? The Queen of Ice and Snow: You should go tell that girl to inform the Schr. Disciple Nobleman: Of course I will. Shes our very, very important ssmate after all. The Vige of Wintering, the Demon Kings Manor The Hero: Okay. Here we are! The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, we have arrived. The Demon King: I know Aww man. Now we have to walk for another ten minutes and my feet hurt. The Female Pdin: Its because youve been sozy recently that your body has atrophied. Elder Sister Maid: Wee back Mistress, Chief Maid! Little Sister Maid: Wee back Mistress, Chief Maid! Oh, and Hero! And Pdin! The Demon King: Yeah, Im back. You guys havent changed a bit. The Hero: Here, let me open the door. First The Demon King: No bed. The Chief Maid: Okay, okay. Then how about the living room? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, its nice and warm. The Demon King: Good. Lets go there. Little Sister Maid: Ill bring you a nket. The Female Pdin: How spritely. Elder Sister Maid: Shes been waiting for a very long time. Yesterday she was acting a bit weird but shes really excited about cooking for all of you. This manor is big and it does get a bit lonely with just the two of us. The Demon Kings Castle, the Living Room The Hero: So it was just the two of them, eh? The Demon King: I needed someone to take care of the ce. Elder Sister Maid: Would you like to inspect our workter? The Chief Maid: Yeah. The Demon King: Hmm, its very cold outside. The Female Pdin: Thats because youre still wearing nightclothes. The Demon King: Ive got no choice. Im notpletely free yet. Little Sister Maid: Heres a nket, Mistress. The Demon King: Thank you. The Hero: Ahh. The Demon King: As expected, this manor is the only ce where I can rx, its a long way away from the Castle. This room is always warm and nice. The Hero: How boisterous those two are. The Chief Maid: Hehehe. Elder Sister Maid: Would you like to look through the reports? The Demon King: Yeah, Ill look through them. The Hero: Are you alright? Would you like to go to the study? Elder Sister Maid: No, you dont have to go to the study, you can read it here. Ivepiled all the scraps of the report. The Demon King: Thank you. Elder Sister Maid: Right, Ill bring it to you in a bit. Little Sister Maid: Well, would you like some tea? Should I also bring you dinner? Are you hungry? The Demon King: Ill be expecting it. Little Sister Maid: Ehehe. The Female Pdin: Yeah, then until dinner, Ill be at the Holy Order. Its been a long while since I went back, maybe a week. The Demon King: Im sorry. The Female Pdin: Dont worry about it. You should just focus on getting better. The Demon King: Thank you. The Hero: The Chief Maid: Whats up, Hero? The Hero: Nothing. I just realised theyve gotten very close. The Demon King: It wasnt like we had a bad rtionship to begin with. The Female Pdin: Thats right. Our rtionship has never been bad. The Hero: Really? The Chief Maid: Youve got to stop worrying yourself with this sort of thing. The Hero: I see. Im sorry. The Female Pdin: Hero,e with me to the Holy Order for a bit, wont you? The Vige of Wintering, the Spring Road Wind blowing. The Female Pdin: Ahh, the Dutch Clovers are in full bloom. The Hero: Yeah, its a good day. The wind is a bit cold but the sun is still warming everything up. The Female Pdin: Everything is blooming and the green shoots are really poking out! The Hero: Yeah. Its quite amazing how all of these are able to grow from under the snow. The Female Pdin: Its spring. Ive always loved spring in this part of the world. The Hero: I always feel full of hope when I look at all this. The Female Pdin: Definitely. Wind blows. The Female Pdin: The Hero: Wind blows. The Female Pdin: The Hero: So, whats up? The Female Pdin: Eh? The Hero: I mean, you called me here. Is something up? The Female Pdin: Umm. The Hero: Yeah? The Female Pdin: Nothing. The Hero: Eh?! The Female Pdin: I just want to walk together with you. Is that weird? The Hero: No its not, but The Female Pdin: It was very crowded back there. I just want to walk together with my Lord. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Dont make such a pained look. The Hero: Y-yeah Wind blows. The Female Pdin: Well, its not like I wanted to do anything. Its just that I thought it would be nice to walk along the tree-lined path leading to the Holy Order. The Hero: I see. The Female Pdin: Im happy to be t-together with you. The Hero: (Shes acting really weird) Wind blows. The Female Pdin: Mmm. The Hero: What? The Female Pdin: Even when pushes to shove, Ive never been too good at talking. This is difficult. The Hero: You sure think of strange things. The Female Pdin: The Hero: What a nice spring. The wind is blowing so gently, its almost like the war doesnt even exist. Isnt that great? The Female Pdin: Yeah. And our meals look like theyre almost ready too The Hero: What is up? Wind blows. The Female Pdin: Hey, Lord. The Hero: ?! The Female Pdin: Whats with that face? The Hero: No. Whats with that Lord thing. Can you stop? Its making me feel word. Please stop. The Female Pdin: Oh. I thought it would be okay if it was just the two of us. The Hero: Please forgive me. Wind blows. The Female Pdin: Well, Hero. The Hero: What? The Female Pdin: Wind blows. The Female Pdin: Well Dont I deserve some praise? The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: Here. Ive been working really hard to heal the injuries of you two people, right? Ive got things I want too. The Hero: Eh? What do you mean? The Female Pdin: Come on. The Hero: Yeah. Well, you cant ask me for that. Even though Im really grateful to you and youve helped me out a lot. This time you really saved me. Thank you. The Female Pdin: Thats not what I mean, something purer. Wind blows. The Hero: Even if you say that. The Female Pdin: Mmm. Wind blows. The Hero: Umm Well Yeah. Wind blows. The Female Pdin: Ahaha. The Hero: What a weird person. The Female Pdin: No, no, my Lord. The Hero: Stop that. The Female Pdin: To protect your life, I have pledged to be your loyal shield and armour. Today, I renew this pledge. Volume 3 4, “I love the both of you.”

Volume 3 Chapter 4, I love the both of you.

- The Holy Empire, the Octagonal Pce Holy Imperial General: The points on this map denote the new Viges of the Children of Light. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Military Strategist: Weve achieved almost 80% of our target. Holy Imperial General: However, there appears to be a rumour spreading. Crown Prince Marshal: That was within the scope of our calctions. We dont really need the rumours to be spreading, but we can just leave it as it is for now. At least theyll help to increase interest in the project. Holy Imperial General: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm However, now that were on this, the next problem is the production of gunpowder. Military Strategist: Saltpetre, your Highness. Crown Prince Marshal: Can we procure more from the Kingdom of Copper? Military Strategist: Yes. I have already sent people to secure that. Holy Imperial General: But should we really be cing so much emphasis on these muskets? From what I can tell, the reload rate is fairly slow and the effective distance is not very far either. Their prative power is not bad, but a magical battalion has far more destructive power at their disposable, right? Crown Prince Marshal: Hehehehe. Hahahaha. Holy Imperial General: Your Highness? Crown Prince Marshal: No, no, you are correct. These are not particrly powerful weapons. It is as you say. However, that is because you only consider the battle to take ce on the battlefield. Military Strategist: Indeed. Holy Imperial General: The battle is outside of the battlefield? Crown Prince Marshal: Think about it. Look at all these countries in the Central Continent. Lets assume there is a war, what would the noblemen do? First, they would issue a mustering order to their vassal knights. If these knights have other vassal knights, then they can muster them, their families, and any other soldiers. This will go on, all the way until nobody has any more subordinates. No matter how strong the noblemen are, even the royalty will issue mustering orders and their subordinate noblemen will ride to their banner. There are a few systems but this is more or less the same across the board. In other words, this is a military organisational problem. If we merely rely on mustering orders, then we miss out on arge portion of the poption who could be in the army. Of course, when ites to things like riding horses, it takes a specific skillset, and apart from those in the Kingdom of Red Horses, where they are the local product, we cant expect those viges to be able to procure Warhorses*. Another way to put it, in the Central Continent, people who are prepared to fight = people who can ride and own warhorses = people who are rich enough to afford the training and equipment = people of the social status of knight and above, or people rted to them. Holy Imperial General: I-I see. Crown Prince Marshal: The exception are mercenaries. These people have given their lives to battle, so theyre different. There are many reasons why this is so, but the biggest reason is that learning the techniques which allow you to be effective in a war requires a long time. For example, I, or for that matter, you, have been waving your sword around since you were old enough to hold one. Holy Imperial General: Yeah. I was the son of a knight, and my father taught me to use a sword - Exnation Warhorse: A horse which has received the specific battle training to endure the loud sounds and stench of blood on the battlefield. Well-trained horses are capable of charging directly into a sharp wall of enemy spears and some can even be taught to stomp and bite the enemy. Breeding a warhorse requires a lot of time and money and as a result, only knights and those of higher social sses can afford them. - Crown Prince Marshal: Yes, thats the reality of the countries of the Central Continent. Holy Imperial General: Crown Prince Marshal: Thats the issue of swordsmanship. You must also consider the issue of horsemanship. Being able to ride a horse is one thing, but how long does it take to learn how to fight from the back of a horse? Its the same for bows. Its true that a well-trained longbowman can probably fire ten times faster than a musket with twice the range, but that requires long years of training and practice. Moreover, the ability to use a bow effectively is very dependent on your physical condition. It ismon knowledge that the ability to make an arrow go very far with significant prative ability isrgely dependent on the strength of the individual. However, with a bullet propelled by ck powder, we can expect even a woman or a child to have the same amount of power. Magical division? Out of the question. Each one of them requires twenty years of dedicated training and study. Holy Imperial General: That is indeed true. Crown Prince Marshal: The fact is that all the weapons that we humans have been using up till now have required an enormous amount of time to train before reaching a level where they can be used practically in battle. A knight takes about 15 years to train. A squire maybe 10 years. A mage will take 20 years. A mercenary is likely to have spent more time on the battlefield than any knight. They flit from battlefield to battlefield so they may reach their peak after just five years, even though most of them die before that. Spending time training soldiers means spending money on their upkeep. Very few people are willing to subject themselves to such training, so the price is likely to be quite high. It is because we use such expensive knights that our country is unable to field an exceptionallyrge army. Even as the Holy Empire, we may only have a standing army of 2,500 knights. Any manpower above that will require a mustering order from the nobility. Such a method of gathering troops will depend on the opinions of the vassal noblemen and the speed of their mobilisation. If supplies of rations get cut off, morale will crash almost instantly. Military Strategist: Correct. That is the reason why the previous expedition failed. Holy Imperial General: I understand. Crown Prince Marshal: As for muskets Cocks musket. Holy Imperial General: Their effectiveness, rather than beingpared to bows, is more simr to crossbows. A musket is easier to aim and produces arger sound than a crossbow. If it hits its target, it is capable of prating even metal armour. Moreover, the training time required is exceptionally short. Even a peasant levy will be able to learn its use in months and take to the field as elite soldiers. Holy Imperial General: Training time Crown Prince Marshal: You could say that is the only advantage, but it would still be the key to changing everything. With these muskets, fighting a war on continuous resources will be much less expensive. With muskets and suitable training, we can change the entire face of battle. We can throw a nearly inexhaustible supply of peasants onto the battlefield. Compared to other infantry men, these peasants who have been used to a life of poverty and hardship are much more capable of walking longer distances every day, even more so than the noblemen. Longbows can shoot faster than muskets? In that case, I just need to field ten times more musketeers than longbowmen. Cavalry have more charge attack? In that case, I just need to field ten times more musketeers than cavalrymen. Noblemen have more battle spirit? In that case, I just need to field ten times more musketeers than noblemen. All of this is possible because of the musket. If we can kill one enemy soldier, it will take them 5-10 years to train another soldier of a simr calibre. On the other hand, if they kill one of our soldiers, we will be able to replenish him in a matter of months. Military Strategist: But there are other disadvantages. Crown Prince Marshal: I will leave you to work out the logistics of the gunpowder. Military Strategist: Understood. Holy Imperial General: It sounds wonderful. This is a very scary invention, how should I say it Crown Prince Marshal: Of course, ites with many disadvantages. With us fielding this many people, they will require a lot of food, without which we will already begin to incur many casualties. Military Strategist: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: Furthermore, once we fire one volley, it will take time to load the next round into the musket. In that interval, we will be practically defenceless against the enemy. Military Strategist: Correct. Crown Prince Marshal: However, if I only had a frontlinemander who could deal with these problems, it is no mistake to say that the Musketeer Companies will be the strongest throughout thend. Military Strategist: If only we had the ck General Crown Prince Marshal: It is useless to dwell on dead people. That mischievous old general disappeared after getting involved in a scandal at the pce. Holy Imperial General: The Hero of the Seven Miles? Crown Prince Marshal: That is an old story. Military Strategist: The Grey King of the Kingdom of the Mist once challenged our forces. With a few words of advice, he was able to turn the situation around. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmph. I once considered using him at the frontlines and takingmand of the army myself. Military Strategist: Hahaha. It is a long time to the summer. Holy Imperial General: I shall speed up the construction of the Viges of Light. Crown Prince Marshal: Im counting on you. The Holy Empire shall rule over the Continent. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, Late at Night in the Central Courtyard (The world is big and without end. Here there are countless people, some are heartless and evil but some are kind and beautiful, every single type of existence is possible.) Swish! Elder Sister Maid: ! ng! Swoosh! Elder Sister Maid: ! Swing! Whoosh! Elder Sister Maid: Hah! Swing! Elder Sister Maid: Pant Pant Swing! Elder Sister Maid: Heh! Clunk Elder Sister Maid: ! The Female Pdin: Ah, its me. Elder Sister Maid: Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Did I scare you? Elder Sister Maid: Ah. No. The Female Pdin: This is the sword that the Disciple Soldier used to use a long time ago, right? I think its too heavy for you. Elder Sister Maid: But Im used to it already. The Female Pdin: I see. Well, I guess its something you can get used to. When did you start? Elder Sister Maid: Sincest autumn. The Female Pdin: A year Elder Sister Maid: The Female Pdin: Show me what you know. Elder Sister Maid: Alright. The Female Pdin: Elder Sister Maid: The Female Pdin: Dont make such a troubled face. I wont tell anyone. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah The Female Pdin: Its this sort of era. Everyone should know a few self-protection techniques. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. The Female Pdin: But you dont really have the physical strength. Youve got to use your legs more. If you hold the sword so far away, you do increase your power, but your body will be forced to swing in the opposite direction. In that situation, you wont be able to avoid the enemys attacks. Elder Sister Maid: Is that so? The Female Pdin: Yeah. Elder Sister Maid: Use my legs The Female Pdin: Bend your knees more Yeah. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah Like this? The Female Pdin: Turn your body so you hide it in the shadow of your sword. Strike towards the head of the enemy, steady your de. Pretend that there is another sword in between you and your opponent. Practice moving backwards, forwards, and sideways. Your wrist strength is enough for now. You probably dont have the strength to cut through a suit of armour, but without armour, your current strength should be sufficient. Elder Sister Maid: Yes The Female Pdin: Listen to the sound of your breath, dont transfer your weight to the heel of your foot. Elder Sister Maid: Yes! Swing! The Female Pdin: Good. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Female Pdin: You dont really have to do too much. Jumping around, flying all over the ce, and shiningser beams of destruction all over the ce is only possible if youre of the same ss as the Hero. Try not to shake your body too much and dont jump around without purpose. Above all, you need to calm down. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Female Pdin: Alright, go on. Swing! Swish! Elder Sister Maid: Hah! The Female Pdin: Swing! Elder Sister Maid: Hah Hah The Female Pdin: Good. Stretch out your wrist more. Elder Sister Maid: The Female Pdin: Steel your chest and breathe slowly. Elder Sister Maid: Yes The Female Pdin: Elder Sister Maid: Umm Can I ask something? The Female Pdin: What? Elder Sister Maid: Should normal peasants be allowed to hold swords The Female Pdin: The Holy Order does not think about such pointless things. Do you think they should? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Female Pdin: Itste I wish you the best of dreams, Elder Sister Maid. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you very much. - In a Bar in a Nameless Settlement ? ? Disciple Bard: ? ? Elderly Settler: Drunk Viger: Ahh, that was great! Innkeepers Daughter: That was amazing. Innkeeper: Ohh,dy, that was a good song. Have a ss on the house. And if you feel up to it, y another song! Disciple Bard: Of course! Elderly Settler: Ms. Bard, I aint never seen such an instrument before. Disciple Bard: This is a Dragonshead Fiddle*. Its got a sweet sound, doesnt it? Elderly Settler: Yeah, its a very pleasant sound. Drunk Viger: For a bard to stop by a nondescript vige like ours, you must just be stopping by to let us hear a little bit. Innkeeper: Indeed. Disciple Bard: Oh, really? Elderly Settler: You mustnt be from around here, miss. Thats some beautiful golden hair youve got there. Drunk Viger: Theres a country called the Kingdom of Ice two kingdoms away. That ce is filled with bards and minstrels. The Pce is really good to these artists and the city streets are like music halls. Since winter is the season of music, bards from all over the world gather at the Kingdom of Ice each winter. Innkeeper: Registered minstrels oftene under private sponsors once their skills be recognised enough. When they have sponsors, theyll stay with them for years. Thats why there are live-in bards and even bards hired as private music teachers in the Kingdom of Ice. Since there are so many people there, it is known as the Home of the Bards. Most of the bards throughout thend have spent some time there, its a very festive mood. Disciple Bard: Ehh! Ivee from a very long way. Apart from this Home of the Bards, is there any other ce famous for its music or instruments? Elderly Settler: Hmm, let me think. Drunk Viger: Hmm. Innkeeper: Well, if its about music, therere two. Disciple Bard: Two? Innkeeper: The first is the music of the bards. My niece has been to the Kingdom of Ice before so shes more familiar with that. Disciple Bard: Thank you. Ive collected my skills in music, poetry, and ywriting beforeing here! Innkeeper: I see, I see! Then let me tell you something. But in return, youve got to stay the night. Ill charge you a good price. And you can let the other customers listen to the music of foreignnds. Disciple Bard: Sure! Innkeeper: Right. First is the music of the bards. At pubs and festivals Well, on the streets and in the shrines, weve got a different kind of music. Its light and fun and rowdy. I love it. The popr ones get transmitted by bards as they roam through the countries. - Exnation Dragonshead Fiddle: This is modelled after the Mongolian Horsehead Fiddle (morin khuur) without a horse head but rather with a dragonhead. A horsehead fiddle is a bowed instrument, like a violin, which has only two strings, and the scroll is usually carved in the form of a horses head. - Disciple Bard: Is it like a chorus? Elderly Settler: Whats a chorus? Disciple Bard: Well, umm, is it sung? Innkeeper: Yeah. Musical instruments are yed and its sung along to. From time to time you get just one of them, but thats not really verymon. The musical instruments, well I aint never seen anything like your Dragonshead Fiddle, but the mostmon are lutes*, rebecs*, gitterns*, lyres*, those sorts of instruments. Disciple Bard: Hmm, I would like to see that. Innkeeper: There is one more type of music, and thats church music. Disciple Bard: Church? Innkeeper: In order to give praise to the Spirit, the Church ys some holy music every day. Most of us can sing at least a few hymns. We dont have any in a small vige like ours, but big cities tend to have Holy Choir Brigades. Disciple Bard: Holy Choir Brigades? Innkeeper: Thats right. Theres been a bunch of really talented singers among thetest group of faithful. Most are young boys and girls. The voices of children are much purer and clearer so when you get them to sing altogether, the music produced is something out of this world. Unlike bards, church musicians dont need to move around very much so they can use some really huge instruments. Sometimes they even use instruments as big as entire sheds. Innkeepers Daughter: Sheds?! Disciple Bard: By sheds, do you mean those houses where they keep the farming implements? Innkeeper: Thats the one. Theyre as big as small houses, really. Innkeepers Daughter: What! Disciple Bard: How surprising. Elderly Settler: Its true. Innkeeper: Furthermore, since bards usually travel alone, they dont like to use instruments that require their mouths. Otherwise, they wont be able to sing along. Innkeepers Daughter: Now that you say it, I havent really seen many bards with flutes. Disciple Bard: I see. Innkeeper: Instruments like the fife* or the musette*, which resemble flutes, aremonly used in the church. Of course, there will be bards who are capable of using them as well. Disciple Bard: I know fifes Looks around. Disciple Bard: These, right? - Exnation Lute: A stringed instrumentmonly used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Like a guitar, the strings are plucked with fingers. The body is shaped like a pear which has been cut into half. The front is t but it has a rounded back. Rebec: An ancestor of the violin. This medieval instrument is shaped like a lute but smaller. It used to be yed with a bow. Gittern: A medieval instrument also known as the citole. It also looks like a violin and was plucked by finger. Fife: A woodwind instrument, but yed vertically rather than horizontally. It is a rtive of the flute and the polo. Musette de Cour: A type of bagpipe. It is used as an oboe but produces a higher pitch sound. - Elderly Settler: Ahh, Ive seen this. Drunk Viger: My grandpa yed this at festivals. Innkeeper: Thats right. The shape isnt really the same, but its a fife. Can you y this too? Disciple Bard: Of course. Drunk Viger: Let me hear a song, miss! Innkeeper: Would you? Disciple Bard: Of course. Its no trouble. ? ? Disciple Bard: ? ? Elderly Settler: Ahh, how beautiful. Drunk Viger: Indeed. Innkeeper: Ive never seen such a skilled bard. Innkeepers Daughter: Yeah, shes incredibly good! Its almost as if a bird had flown down from heaven - The Winter Pce, the Strategy Room Disciple Merchant: Hey. Hey. Assistant: Yes. Scampers over. Disciple Merchant: What are you doing? Assistant: Im tidying up the records and cleaning up the books. Disciple Merchant: Alright. Good. Assistant: Hehe. Disciple Merchant: Everyones been working like crazy. Assistant: Work has been insane. Disciple Merchant: Is it really that crazy? You just sit there the whole day. Assistant: Its because I sit here the whole day that its so crazy. Therere not a lot of people who can do this sort of work in this country. Disciple Merchant: Is that so? Assistant: Yes. Disciple Merchant: You dont seem to be fazed by that. Assistant: I dont really have anywhere else to go Disciple Merchant: I see. I see. Assistant: Hehe. Disciple Merchant: In that case, Ill think of something for you to do. Assistant: What?! Disciple Merchant: Rx. A frog will die instantly if it is put in boiling water, but if you slowly increase the temperature of the water, then it can live for quite longer, right? Assistant: Wait, are you thinking of something terrible? Disciple Merchant: Not at all. Assistant: Uhhhhhhhh. Disciple Merchant: Dont be so bothered. Make me a cup of tea first. Assistant: Yes. Runs off. Assistant: Alright, lets take a look at the work youve done. Lets see. Youve done a great job on the ounts. This memo Haha. Youve written down everything you dont understand so that you can ask questionster? Youre learning well. How nostalgic. Good job. Flip flip. Disciple Merchant: Hmm. The potato is extremely delicious. Its so good that you can never stop at just one, which is sad Which is why we need to produce more potatoes. Disciple Merchant: What are you thinking about? Today, a servant girl gave me a pastry made from eggs. She asked me out for dinner, but because I was afraid, I ran away. Sorry. Disciple Merchant: What is this? Assistant: The tea is here. Disciple Merchant: Good job! Assistant: Really! Closes book. Disciple Merchant: Not bad. Assistant: Thank you. Disciple Merchant: Then shall we deal with the issue of the census records? Assistant: Right, Ive cleared all the census ounts. Disciple Merchant: Very good. So what is your estimate? Assistant: Estimate? Disciple Merchant: Yeah. How much money do you think well get? Assistant: Surely thats just small change. Disciple Merchant: It may seem that way, but in the Kingdom of Winter, the countrys main revenuese from tax receipts, right? Arge proportion of thates directly from the taxation of production and currency transfers. Thises roughly twice every year: spring and autumn. In other words, while this is a source of ie, if we use this without nning, we wont have enough money tost us through the next season and wed end up starving. Weve got to carefully n our spending. Thats quite important, right? Assistant: Yes it is But if its so important, why havent we done anything about it up till now? Disciple Merchant: Because the scale has been so small. You need to have the acumen of a merchant. Assistant: ? Disciple Merchant: It also increases the amount of work you need to do. The Kingdom of Winter, for many years, has been a mercenary country receiving food and mary aid from the central Continent. There were a lot of settlers but those were mainlyprised of risk-takers with nothing to lose, those whom had hoped to avoid the heavy taxation in the Central Continent. At the time, to survive properly in the country, it would require arge gamble on the part of each individual. But now we have potatoes. Because of the potatoes, the poption can increase and we can escape from the binds of the curse set on us by the Central Continent. That is how the Southern United Kingdoms were able to n for independence. Up till now, in this time of strife, the Central Continents wallet has been bleeding due to various incidents. This has exacerbated the situation, which is why we now have to deal with this in this manner. Assistant: So its kind of like when the father leaves the house and the brother assumes his responsibilities? Disciple Merchant: Thats a good analogy. Assistant: Hehehe. Disciple Merchant: Because of the Tripartite Economic Union, the Kingdom of Winter has managed to achieve some splendid gains in production. However, its clear that there are some limitations to the union. We can easily gain metal products from the Kingdom of Metal, but every year our need for wood increases. Our kingdoms have quite a few forests but even these have limitations. On top of that, we alsock horses and brass*, spices, and textiles. Assistant: Disciple Merchant: Well, for all of these, what we will require is help. The merchants can basically ship in anything that we need. Assistant: Then what should I do? Disciple Merchant: Thats your job. To figure out what it is that you should do. - Exnation Brass: An alloy created from the fusion of copper and zinc, which was produced in veryrge quantities around the 17th century. The standard ratio is 65% copper and 35% zinc, but sometimes the amount of copper is more or less. The more copper there is, the redder the brass bes; the less copper there is, the whiter the brass bes. When more than 40% is zinc, the metal takes on a metallic sheen simr to gold and is hence often used as a recement. A very close-to-home example of the usage of brass would be the 5 yen coin. Most gold-coloured instruments like trumpets are also made from brass. - Assistant: Ummm. Ummm. Disciple Merchant: Whats the most important thing? Assistant: Greetings? Disciple Merchant: Thats the first thing you do when you meet someone. Assistant: Yes. Disciple Merchant: And then? Assistant: Umm And then, a meal? Disciple Merchant: Right. Food. If its about that, then potatoes should be fine. Also, the amount of livestock has increased as well, particrly pigs which are being reared inrge numbers by the farmers. You must also consider the bnce of wheat and barley production. Then you should consider the production of dairy and fruits. And whats next? Assistant: Umm, if you dont produce or buy the things you want, then you cant get them. Disciple Merchant: Very good. Youre learning fast. Assistant: Ehehe. Disciple Merchant: Using money to buy the things is very easy, especially when weve alreadye up with estimates of what we will require. But if we just do the easy things, well run out of money rapidly. The most important thing to consider is cost-effectiveness*. For example, there are many doubts within the statement, We need to buy dairy products! Assistant: Really? Disciple Merchant: Well, to begin with, we should of course question if the money were paying is worth the value of the good, but there are a few other things we should consider as well. First, the word need. Assistant: Need? Disciple Merchant: A need should be considered something that we would die without, right? If you think about it this way, there arent actually a lot of things that we need. If you dont take care of such things, then youll think that you need everything and end up using a lot of money for these. Thats the first thing. Assistant: Yes. Disciple Merchant: The second important point is to consider, What could I do with the same sum of money? Assistant: ? Disciple Merchant: Dont get it? Alright, lets assume youve got no food to eat at home. Assistant: Thats sad. Disciple Merchant: Then buy some bread! Assistant: Bread is delicious! Buy some bread! Disciple Merchant: Good. But before its taste, if you dont eat bread, youll starve to death. So bread is a need. Assistant: Its a need. Disciple Merchant: So youve bought bread. Buy another one! Assistant: Yes! Disciple Merchant: But at that price, you could have bought two sacks of potatoes, right? Assistant: ? Disciple Merchant: Right? See, so when you say something like Buy some bread!, you cant just focus on the bread. Thats because money is limited. When youre making ns for how to use your money, if you dont consider the specifics of everything, then youre going to make a mistake. Two sacks of potatoes are much more filling than two loaves of bread, right? Thats why saying things like We should buy bread! or It would be weird if we didnt buy bread! or We cant eat money. This is not a problem of money. Not buying bread would be akin to murder! is false. We must consider that there are other ways to save lives using the same amount of money. Assistant: Yes. Disciple Merchant: This shows us that the question Should we buy bread? is not really the issue at hand. The real issue is trying to find out Why do we need this thing? or Out of all these things that we want, which one should we prioritise? and How do we get the goods we want at a cheaper price? How do we get more of it? Assistant: How veryplicated Disciple Merchant: Well, think through this slowly. If you dont understand, you should ask someone who does. Assistant: Yes Disciple Merchant: So the real question isnt Should we or should we not buy bread? but rather What sort of food should we buy? or What should we do to feed everyone in a healthy manner? Assistant: Yeah, I understand, Disciple Merchant: Right. Now for your homework Assistant: What?! Disciple Merchant: The Kingdom of Winter would like to produce more dairy products. More precisely, rather than milk, we need cheese. This is a matter of storage. Have you eaten cheese before? Assistant: Yes! Disciple Merchant: Then I want you to study it. I want everybody to be eating cheese, and I want us to spend as little money as possible. Think of a way. Assistant: Hmmm. Disciple Merchant: You must carefully consider our goals. Assistant: A hint. Give me a hint. Disciple Merchant: I wouldnt have something like that. Theres no right answer. Assistant: In that case, what would you do? Disciple Merchant: I havent thought about it so I dont know. But I guess we could buy cheese inrge quantities from foreign countries and sell them to everyone in the Kingdom of Winter. Assistant: Then lets do that! Disciple Merchant: That method would surely fail. Such a method wouldnt even make 10% of what needs to be done. Assistant: Disciple Merchant: Right. Now that Ive given you your homework, its time to work out todays ounts. Assistant: Yes, Disciple Merchant! - The Manor in the Vige of Wintering, the Study The Demon King: Where are the studies on the crop rotation issues the Order did for us? Elder Sister Maid: Here they are. tter tter! The Demon King: Ugh. The Chief Maid: Well, well, are you alright? The Demon King: Sorry, Ive knocked over all these reports. The Chief Maid: Ill get it cleaned up in a bit. The Demon King: My right arm is so incapable of moving properly so Im really clumsy. The Chief Maid: Well, its all bandaged up. Just endure it. Elder Sister Maid: Here are the letters we received today. The Demon King: Hmm, just confirm them for me. The Chief Maid: This is the sry from the Lone Winter King? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. The Demon King: What? Im some kind of titr honorary nobleman now? The Chief Maid: Youre a type of marquis. Youre in an advisory position. You will receive a stipend four times a year for your service. Elder Sister Maid: Its in the treasury, right? The Demon King: Is it? I never noticed. The Chief Maid: Well, you may be an economist, but you have a very thin attachment to money. The Demon King: Why would I develop an attachment to something like currency? The Chief Maid: Well, well, even if its the object of your research The Demon King: The object of my research is the advancement of the economy in order to create a more harmonious society between people. And of course, also to establish an independent financial infrastructure in this area. Umm The Chief Maid: What is it? The Demon King: Well, uhh This is weird. Elder Sister Maid: Hehehe. Are you looking for the minutes of the Conference of the Tribe or the ns for the Nine Tribes? Theyre here. The Demon King: Thats the one! The Chief Maid: Hehehe. The Demon King: Well. Even without me, the Demon Race is still the Demon Race. Flip. The Demon King: Hmm. Rebuilding the roads. The previous wars have really destroyed many of the bridges. Elder Sister Maid: The Chief Maid: Bridges? The Demon King: In many cases, bridges are important choke points in times of war. Traffic often necessarily passes through them. As a result, they are important in deciding the speed of troops. For this reason, even though its better for bridges to be built out of stone, they are often specially built out of wood so that in times of crisis they can be easily burnt. The Chief Maid: For the bridges to be rebuilt, that means that peace has been agreed to at least temporarily. The Demon King: Correct. Even though were still left with the issue of the Demons of the Pale The Chief Maid: Thats going to take some time Elder Sister Maid: Umm The Demon King: What is it? The Chief Maid: ? Elder Sister Maid: No. Umm. The Demon King: What is it? Are you feeling unwell? The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: No, um. Ill go get some tea. The Demon King: Yeah, please. Runs off. The Chief Maid: The Holy Empire, a Secret Metal Factory ng! ng! Production Supervisor: Raise the temperature! More kindling! Worker: Yes! Production Supervisor: Stop cking off! You want your meals to get cut?! ng! ng! Production Supervisor: Dont stop with the furnace*! Keep going! Worker: Ahh Ahh Worker: Hot water Production Supervisor: Just a bit more to your rest! Work! Work! - Exnation Furnace: A facility required for the production of metal. The oldest metal melting furnaces were produced in China in ancient times. The first modern furnace was constructed in Ennd in the 12th century. - ng! ng! Head Craftsman: The work is going well. Alright, now we can create some really high purity metals. Just from this, the quality will go up. Engineer: I see. Crown Prince Marshal: How is it? Hows the production? Head Craftsman: Well, we should be able to fulfil our monthly quota of 800 muskets. Holy Imperial General: If you can, then we would have stockpiled more than 5,000. Crown Prince Marshal: Too slow. Can we make them any faster? Head Craftsman: That would cause problems with quality Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm, and what about the cannone*? Head Craftsman: That is going on well, the non-defective yield* is very good. Were producing at the pace of two a month. Crown Prince Marshal: Looks like theres no issue with the cannone. Head Craftsman: Well, its because weve been using The Genius Manuscript. Knock knock. Head Craftsman: You cane in. Engineer: Did you call? Experienced Technician: I came as fast as I could. Crown Prince Marshal: Who are those people? Head Craftsman: The Genius Manuscript that you handed to me has a lot of sketches and notes written on it. Muskets and cannones were experimental products. Its a bit too early to reproduce them but there are many other designs apart from these. Crown Prince Marshal: I know. I gave you the instructions after all. Head Craftsman: Yes. Its quite scary. Crown Prince Marshal: So, what about them? Engineer: Well Crown Prince Marshal: I dont mind. I respect the views of other qualified and talented individuals. You may answer freely, so tell me in detail. Engineer: In that case Experienced Technician: First of all, The Genius Manuscript is brilliant. Its almost like a blessing from the Spirit of Light himself! Most of the entries are written about in detail and the rest are sketched out so you can get an idea of it right away! Engineer: Yes. Beginning with the muskets, a lot of different observations are written here. Experienced Technician: For example, we pulled this charcoal-like rock from the ground, and it burns. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm, thats from the North, right? Engineer: The Genius Manuscript details how to steam these rocks at an appropriate temperature to produce something known as Coke*. Using this coke, we can produce a stronger metal than usual. Experienced Technician: Furthermore, The Genius Manuscript also has this sketch. Ive erged it and cleaned it up a bit. Crown Prince Marshal: Is this a percussion hammer? Experienced Technician: Your Highness, I had no idea you were so familiar with muskets?! Crown Prince Marshal: How could I not be familiar with the weaponry of the soldiers I lead myself? Experienced Technician: Wow! Amazing! Then allow me to exin. This appears to show an improvement to the musket, it may perhaps be its very sessor. - Exnation Cannone: Italian for cannon. It was used primarily throughout the 16th century as a smoothbore cannon with direct fire. This means that the weapon was aimed directly at the enemy. Non-Defective Yield: The ratio of non-defective goods to totally produced goods. If there are no defective goods, then the non-defective yield will be 100%, but in reality, defective goods are far moremon. As an industrial standard, in most cases a 95% non-defective yield is superb. Coke: If coke is burnt on a metal furnace, higher temperatures can be reached, resulting in a purer metal. Furthermore, carbon produced during the burning of coke can mix with the liquid metal, resulting in carbonisation that can create a stronger metal, further creating steel from iron. Coke was first used by the Chinese circa 200BC and was heavily used in Europe beginning from the 18th century. - Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Experienced Technician: The percussion hammer strikes a flint at this portion here, this also opens the cap of the small housing below. Crown Prince Marshal: And how big will this housing be? Experienced Technician: It looks big in the sketch but in reality, it will be smaller than your finger tip. However, the cap will have to be allowed to open and close, hence we will have to install a spring action. This allows the sparks from the flint to fall inside the housing and ignite the gunpowder, firing the musket. In this way, we can create muskets that do not require fuses. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Experienced Technician: Do you understand? Crown Prince Marshal: I understand. Are there issues with usage or production? Experienced Technician: As for usage, we still do notpletely understand but firstly, since there is no need for a match or a fuse, the posture for firing is a lot more natural. Moreover, in adverse conditions, since there is no need for a naked me, it will not be put out. Reloading is also easier and can be fired in more constrained positions. Crown Prince Marshal: Constrained positions How about in tight formation? Experienced Technician: That may require some training but I believe it is possible. Crown Prince Marshal: You will require more time, right? Experienced Technician: Of course. This will be harder to produce than regr muskets and requires more detailed and precise work which only a team of highly skilled craftsmen can achieve. Crown Prince Marshal: In any case, produce a few for me. Experienced Technician: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: Chief. Head Craftsman: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: Youd better think of a production method. Head Craftsman: Ehh?! Engineer: Crown Prince Marshal: Thats your job, isnt it? Head Craftsman: Y-yes. Engineer: Your Highness, Im afraid Crown Prince Marshal: Speak freely. Engineer: Each of these weapons are made individually. We may have a new idea for a weapon but all of these items require highly skilled engineers and craftsmen. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Engineer: Hence, I do not think that we should produce the muskets one by one as we do now. What if one part was produced by a certain craftsman and another part was produced by another craftsman. What do you think of this Division of Labour*? Crown Prince Marshal: ! Engineer: If we do this, each craftsman has to remember less of his work. If we only used middle-skilled craftsmen, they would still be able to produce high quality parts as long as they do not produce anything else. They could learn from working alongside more skilled craftsmen and they would still be able to contribute. The moreplicated mechanisms should be entrusted to the experts while the less-skilled can work on the bulkier and less precise parts. This will also allow us to train new craftsmen. Head Craftsman: But what would the guilds say! Such a method of teaching wouldpletely destroy all the years theyve spent training their apprentices! Our way has always been to train each craftsman slowly and wholesomely. Through this education, we are able to keep the ways of our guild private and hidden so that we dont sabotage our own benefits! Engineer: Thats I suppose - Exnation Division of Labour: The Division of Labour was first put into a proper philosophical work by the 18th century economist Adam Smith. The Demon Kings civilising achievements may be beginning to take root in the world but this is not just limited to the Demon King. Even from the enemy, other Renaissance thinkers are beginning to make their appearance. - Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm, Chief, I have a proposition for you on this subject. How about we make aw which says that even if this technology manages to get disclosed, any musket or rted technology produced within the influence and jurisdiction of the Holy Empire must have the approval of the metallurgy guilds of the Kingdom of Copper or a directive from the Guildmaster? I could issue a decree if youd like. Head Craftsman: Really?! Crown Prince Marshal: Yeah, The Genius Manuscript was taken from the Kingdom of Metal anyway. Hasnt the Kingdom of Coppers technologies always been stolen by the Kingdom of Metal? If you think about it, its not a bad thing for things to happen in reverse. So, Experienced Technician, Engineer, what about it? Engineer: Yes! Experienced Technician: Yes! Crown Prince Marshal: I expect to see results from your young selves. Please help the Chief to revolutionise and modernise the industry. Engineer: It would be an honour! Experienced Technician: We pledge to serve! Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Right. Im a bit busy, so if theres anything else, we can leave it to next time. Head Craftsman: Allow me to send you out, Your Highness! ng! Crown Prince Marshal: Good, their work seems up to scratch. Ive got high expectations for this. Holy Imperial General: Chief, this is enough. Please speak to the Engineer and the Experienced Technician about this. Closes door. Crown Prince Marshal: General. Holy Imperial General: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: When you have the opportunity, liquidate that Chief. I think itd be best if we leave the running of the factory to younger, more nimble minds. Holy Imperial General: With pleasure. The Manor in the Vige of Wintering, the Study Writing Elder Sister Maid: Writing Elder Sister Maid: (With this, Ive settled the work for thest two years Now Ive got to the do the finances for this year) Writing The Demon King: Writing The Demon King: Elder Sister Maid. Elder Sister Maid: Ah, Mistress! The Demon King: Youre working too hard. The Chief Maid: Yeah, what would you do if you spoil your body? Elder Sister Maid: Chief Maid Im sorry. May I help you with anything? The Demon King: What are you so flustered about? Elder Sister Maid: Elder Sister Maid: No The Demon King: ? Elder Sister Maid: Im not flustered Mistress. The Demon King: ? The Chief Maid smiles. Elder Sister Maid: I have something to ask of you. The Demon King: What is it? Elder Sister Maid: I would like to take a vacation. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Where will you go? Elder Sister Maid: I dont know. Butnot here. The Demon King: And your sister? Elder Sister Maid: I have spoken to her. Staying here is her dream after all Im sorry for being so stubborn. You and the Chief Maid saved my very life. I am really sorry. The Demon King: I see The Chief Maid: Your Majesty. The Demon King: I understand. Elder Sister Maid smiles. The Demon King: Elder Sister Maid: Ah The Demon King: What are you looking at with those two eyes of yours Do you have anything else? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, I I will definitelye back. The Demon King: Then have fun. Spread your wings. Go off and seek your own destiny. Elder Sister Maid smiles. The Demon King: Youre not leaving because you hate this ce, right? Elder Sister Maid: Not at all. This house is my entire life. Everything, the most kind-hearted, the friendliest Its the most important ce in my life. I dont really want to leave it. But I must. I cannot allow myself not to I have a lot of responsibilities I need to fulfil. I can no longer allow myself not to walk on my own too fee, its a harsh reality Because of what I said that day at that square. Because of what I said, I must now understand the repercussions of my actions. The Demon King: You dont really owe anyone anything for that. Elder Sister Maid: Then, I want to choose. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Go. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Will you take whatever I have taught you with you? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. I will never forget the care and concern you have shown me. I wille back with a broadened view of the world. The Demon King: What of? Elder Sister Maid: Probably war. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: Its not about the other people, it is something which I must see for myself. The Demon King: I suppose you wouldnt listen if I told you to stop. The Chief Maid: Yeah Elder Sister Maid: Itll be alright. I am not exactly a maid.But having received the guidance of the Chief Maid, I believe I have surpassed maids, especially since I have received the golden treasures of lessons from the Mistress, the Hero, the Female Pdin, and even the Three Disciples. The Demon King: I understand. Elder Sister Maid: Mistress. In this ledger you will find thepleted ounts for thest two years. The contents are all contained in this small cab here. You will find a content page here. The Demon King: Hmm. Elder Sister Maid: Umm, this may be presumptuous, but I have also thought of areas where further work should be done. In order to carry this on, I have written a series of notes here. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Very good, youve done a lot. Elder Sister Maid: I had a good teacher. The Demon King: When will you leave? Elder Sister Maid: By dawn. The Demon King: You should sleep. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Please excuse me. Umm The Chief Maid: Elder Sister Maid: I love the both of you. Runs off. The Demon King: We cant stop her. The Chief Maid: This is right. The Demon King: Chief Maid You let her go. The Chief Maid: No. This isnt a problem. No matter where she goes, no matter what she does, her faith in us will never change. - The Demon World, the Substitute Conference The Silver Tiger Lord: Am Ite? Sorry. The Fire Dragon Lord: No, no, dont worry about it. Its not time yet. Were just sitting around drinking the Queen of Fairies tea. The Queen of Fairies: Thats right. The Cyclops: Its good The Hero: This is pretty nice. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hahahahaha. Then give me a cup too. Pours tea. The Baron of Steel: Terribly sorry. The East Fortress Base Commander: Sorry to have made you wait. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Oh, the two of you made it. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Looks like everyone is here. The Fire Dragon Lord: Then, ahem. The Second Conference has now begun. The Queen of Fairies: The topic for discussion today? The Cyclops: First, we resume withst time. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Thats right, the issue of the Demons of the Pale. The East Fortress Base Commander: Whats the situation? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Lets hear the report from the Tribe of Fairies. The Queen of Fairies: Yes First, there have been no big movements. No squad on a scalerger than fifty people has been seen leaving the territory of the Pale. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Mmhmm. The Queen of Fairies: Also, ever since the new King returned to the city, there seems to have been a very anxious atmosphere throughout the territory of the Pale. The troops of the New King of the Pale have been on the move throughout the territory, but at present most of them have calmed down and returned. Of course, the number of soldiers patrolling each region is also impressive. The East Fortress Base Commander: In other words, theres the atmosphere of impending war? The Queen of Fairies: Yeah, thats right. At the very least, the state of war with the Demons of the Pale, in other words, a state in which it would not be surprising if we received a surprise attack at any moment, is something we cannot deny. The Cyclops: We dont do things like surprise attacks. The Silver Tiger Lord: How are the war and military preparations? The Queen of Fairies: Im not too clear about that. I mean, my scouts have confirmed that their soldiers are undergoing military training, and they are all outfitted, but how to do I say this. We cannot deny that such a state is actually normal for the Demons of the Pale. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hahaha, that war-like tribe. The Queen of Fairies: We will remain on the alert but apart from that, theres no other urgent news. I apologise. The East Fortress Base Commander: No, no, it is very important news that there are no movements. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Right. Then back to the topic at hand, this is about how to deal with the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale. The Hero: Hmm. The Silver Tiger Lord: Will you allow the Tribe of the Fang to say something? The Fire Dragon Lord: Yeah. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Please. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Tribe of the Fang is a Tribe which lives for battle. However, living in this world, we have no intention to be unreasonable. If we go to war and we manage to rout them, I believe that something like exterminating the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale is a far too heavy-handed method. The Fire Dragon Lord: Of course. The Queen of Fairies: Indeed. The Silver Tiger Lord: Ahh. Were not very good at this, but Ive written a letter. What do you think about that? The Queen of Fairies: A letter? The Cyclops: to whom? The Silver Tiger Lord: To the Pale. The East Fortress Base Commander: Ahhh! A request for surrender? The Silver Tiger Lord: Thats right! What do you think of this course of action? The Baron of Steel: Hmm, weve never considered that before. The Fire Dragon Lord: I see The Silver Tiger Lord: The letter will read: You are nothing but a coward. On the battlefield, we will thoroughly exterminate you. If you had any disagreements, you could have voiced them out harmoniously. The underhanded means you chose to use are not the way of the warrior. Such a deplorable attitude is not something we can tolerate from any Tribe, even if it is the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale, and we are unable to consider you a first-rate people with honour and dignity. If you still wish to discuss terms, we will leave a seat for you. However, if this is not what you want, then we will meet on the battlefield. The East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm, that is well thought out. You did not even directly mention a surrender. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hoho. The Silver Tiger Lord: If we had told them to throw down their weapons and beg for their lives, would a stubborn and proud race like the Demons of the Pale really listen? They would rather fight off ourbined invasion! The result being their self-destruction. The Baron of Steel: Hmmm. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thats why I asked them for discussions. Just discussions. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hoho. The Silver Tiger Lord: If we do that, then well be able to get those guys to appear at the Conference, right? This Conference is like the Kurultai, but its not really. They wont be able to use their sly tactics here anymore. The Baron of Steel: That is true. The Fire Dragon Lord: And if they do appear at the Conference, we can severely warn them. We can tell them that we will not ept their illegal methods and that they should prove it if they want to apologise. The Queen of Fairies: Prove? The Silver Tiger Lord: First, deliver us the heads of the New King and their Generals. The Queen of Fairies: Kill them The East Fortress Base Commander: Well, we dont have a choice. I agree with the Silver Tiger Lord here. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yeah. The Silver Tiger Lord: More importantly, on a temporary basis, they should allow a mixed coalition force of our troops to be emced in their territory. They should also probably make some mary reparations, but Im not too clear on household affairs like that. The Baron of Steel: Thats not a bad suggestion. The Fire Dragon Lord: Yeah. The Queen of Fairies: Yeah. The Cyclops: Lets send The Witch-Queen of Banshees: This has problems too. The Silver Tiger Lord: Oh, Ive already thought of that! The Baron of Steel: Oh? The Silver Tiger Lord: At thest Conference, the Khan of the Gate mentioned this, right? That we should reasonably consider what will be the ns for after the war. If we were to attack them without any warning, it would not be honourable. In a way, we would be no different from the Demons of the Pale. By sending out thistter, we are giving them a chance to have a discussion with us. On top of that, we are also telling them that rejecting the methods of apology we haveid out for them will be equivalent to a Deration of War. At this time, we could attack them, having given advance warning. If this happens, and say we manage to eliminate the military power of the Demons of the Pale on the battlefield and they retreat to their city, can we deal with the people? Our troops might act like they own the ce and bring in a state of anarchy. However, if we clearly delineate our course of action at this Conference, then we will not act out of selfishness. The East Fortress Base Commander: (This is reasonably well thought out. That Tiger guy Looks like Ive changed the way I think about him.) The Witch-Queen of Banshees: A well thought out proposal! The Silver Tiger Lord: Hahahaha! Not really. Im bad at thinking of things. This is the wisdom which I sought from the Sages of the Fang. Those old guys were so happy to contribute they started nosebleeding! They came up with this after three days and three nights and consecutive counselling. Theyre no longer fit enough to fight so this is how they contribute. The Baron of Steel: Hahahaha! I see! The Silver Tiger Lord: So, what do you think? This isnt my idea and I think we shoulde up with a clearer proposal but for now, I believe this is a good course of action. The Fire Dragon Lord: Yes, a brilliant strategy. The Queen of Fairies: Yes. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: A good Khan knows how to borrow from the strengths of his people. Very impressive. The East Fortress Base Commander: (For sure.) The Witch-Queen of Banshees: What do you think, my Khans? I believe that this proposal is fairly appropriate. The Hero smiles. The Baron of Steel: I have no objections. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Me neither. The Fire Dragon Lord: Then we will send such a letter. As for the writing itself Chieftain of the Tattooed, we shall entrust it to you. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: With pleasure. The East Fortress Base Commander: (That was also a good consideration.) The Witch-Queen of Banshees: It would probably be disadvantageous to the message if it came from the Tribe of Banshees. The Baron of Steel: Then, is there anything else? The East Fortress Base Commander: I apologise, but Im afraid the Tribe of the Gate has a request we would like to make. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hoho, what sort? The East Fortress Base Commander: Do you mind if I call in a very important member of the Self-Governing Council of our city? She is rted to this request. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Do you? The Silver Tiger Lord: Nope. The Fire Dragon Lord: Not at all. The East Fortress Base Commander: Come in. Door opens. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hoho. The Hero: Ahh. The Fire Dragon Lord: What are you doing here? Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you for the opportunity to be here. I am a member of the Tribe of Fire Dragons, the Fire Dragon Lady. I beg for your continued guidance and support. Bows. The Hero: Uhhh. The Silver Tiger Lord: Those are not really the words of a sheltereddy. The Fire Dragon Lord: Ahem! The Queen of Fairies: Right, and what is this about? The East Fortress Base Commander: First, let me describe to you the state of the City of the Gate. Firstly, our city is infested with people. I myself am a soldier, so I dont like to say it this way, but the surrounding agricultural areas and roads have been ravaged. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. The Silver Tiger Lord: There was a massive siege there after all. The Baron of Steel: Thats right. The East Fortress Base Commander: The people traffic has returned considerably, though its still not the same as it used to be, but for a city on the ins, its not bad. That is not what I am worried about. Everyone is working well on this matter. However, for us to have restored our fortunes to this degree, it is based to arge extent on prosperous trade. The trade routes to the city are incredibly important but while theyre notpletely impassable, the current roads are insufficient to support the caravan trade. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: And so? The East Fortress Base Commander: Of course, since this is in my territory, my people are working hard to resolve the issue, but all of us will stand to benefit from trade. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Certainly, it is the territory of the Tribe of the Gate The Fire Dragon Lord: The City of the Gate is the personal demesne of the Demon King, along with all surrounding areas within a two day horse ride. The Queen of Fairies: About there. The East Fortress Base Commander: So after some analysis, we have discovered that after the long periods of war, the roads and routes have been thoroughly destroyed with most of the bridges burnt. I seek to restore and rebuild this infrastructure. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. The Baron of Steel: My Tribe would be happy for that as well, however. The Queen of Fairies: Thats right, its bound to cost a ridiculous sum of money andbour. The East Fortress Base Commander: This is why Ive brought an expert on this subject. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hoho. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. ording to the research conducted by the Self-Governing Council of the City of the Gate, our profits will rise significantly with the construction of appropriate infrastructure. The Baron of Steel: Huh? The Silver Tiger Lord: Hey, how can profits rise just from building roads? The Fire Dragon Lord: Why dont you exin? Fire Dragon Lady: Firstly, we have just concluded a very, very, very long war. This is because the previous Demon King was content to watch the war rage on from the side lines. And also because the present Demon King has taken ill. The Queen of Fairies: I see Fire Dragon Lady: The first idea to express is that if we have enough manpower to fight a war, its improbable that we do not have enough to build roads. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Thats logical. Fire Dragon Lady: If we build new roads, people and goods can flow. The flow of goods is the first step to prosperity. If onecks in anything, they can be bought from neighbouring countries. If one has a surplus of anything, they can be sold to neighbouring countries. And with the buying and selling of goods, you get tax revenue. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Tax, huh. The Hero: Hmm. Fire Dragon Lady: The ns are detailed in this map here. Papers fluttering. Fire Dragon Lady: We are considering nine main roads. These utilise the old roads as a basis so that they can be constructed to an appropriate size in the shortest possible time. We intend to name the route The Avenue of the Nine Tribes. Moreover, to expand on this, we intend to construct eighteen smaller roads. The Baron of Steel: What arge-scale project! Fire Dragon Lady: These roads should have mounds of dirt by the sides and if possible, they should be constructed from stone. The Silver Tiger Lord: Why? Fire Dragon Lady: One of the major troubles of this world is the preparations against the flooding ofrge rivers. One way of doing this is to nt Pagoda Trees* to the left and right of the roads at set intervals. Their roots can take hold of the soil and preventndslides or mudslides. Furthermore, securing the safety of the waterways also allows more stable irrigation channels. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Whats that?! Fire Dragon Lady: This is second-hand information but in the Subterranean World, there are many ces like my hometown where the presence of water is extreme. ces are at constant risk of flooding, ces without water are just an expanse of dried leaves. That is the reason why we are constantly at war for the prosperous regions. As a result, I am putting forth this n to shift water from areas where there is too much water and risk of flooding to ces where there is too little water and there is a risk of drought. The Fire Dragon Lord: How long would it take toplete this n? Fire Dragon Lady: Nine years for the Avenue of the Nine Tribes. Another eighteen years toplete the other eighteen roads. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: And how much people and money would you require for that? Fire Dragon Lady: That is what I am here to request. The Silver Tiger Lord: What? Fire Dragon Lady: A transit pass. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. The transit pass will take the form of a piece of wood with recorded numbers. We can produce these in veryrge quantities and sell them in bulk. Merchants who have a transit pass are permitted to one caravan travelling along the Avenue of the Nine Tribes without having to pay any taxes. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. In other words, youre just collecting taxes in advance? Fire Dragon Lady: You could say so? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: How expensive would these transit permits be? Would a normal merchant be able to afford them? Fire Dragon Lady: They wouldnt be that expensive. In other words, it would have to be cheaper to buy them than to pay for all the transit taxes. We also need to make it clear that merchants who choose not to buy the transit permits will not be discriminated against. However, we should not make the taxes too low or too high such that it causes an adverse reaction. I believe it would be best if we exined the usefulness of the roads and allow them to make the calcted decision whether or not to buy it. Moreover, these roads need to be controlled for the long term. Im sure you are aware of this, but small cities grow bigger, and at ces where there are no inhabitants, entire cities could spring up. With the irrigation channels creating reservoirs, new fields can be created. With this n, well need to ensure that provisions are made to carry it on for generations. The Queen of Fairies: The Cyclops: We do not have money. - Exnation Pagoda Tree: A member of the acacia tree family. They are native to China and Japan. As hardy trees with strong roots, they are often used to line the sides of roads in Japan. - Fire Dragon Lady: Do not worry. For the Tribe of Giants, we have an alternative proposal for the obtaining of transit permits. In ce of money, we would like to request to borrow your strength in protecting the route. The Hero: Who taught this girl? The Silver Tiger Lord: And will my Tribe be able to receive the water? The Fire Dragon Lord: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: We the Tribe of the Fiends were in some ways responsible for destroying the roads, but we fully support this proposal. We Fiends areprised of numerous Races who live in many cities throughout thend. With the route in ce, we will definitely benefit greatly. The East Fortress Base Commander: Definitely. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Interesting. I cannot give you an answer right away, but I willmunicate this to my people. Await my reply. The Fire Dragon Lord: My daughter. Fire Dragon Lady: Was I good enough for the Fire Dragon Lord? The Fire Dragon Lord: Good job. I support you. The Queen of Fairies: I will check and see what we can do for you. The Cyclops: We support this. The Baron of Steel: We will withhold our support for the time being. We are grateful for the metals that we can trade for, but we do not yet know to what extent we will benefit. For such an important matter, I must confer with my Tribe, but I will get back to you as soon as I can. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The views on this are split roughly down the middle but no one actively opposes this proposal. Please give us some time to ask for the opinions of our Tribes. Fire Dragon Lady: Of course. The Queen of Fairies: Understood. The Cyclops: Yeah The East Fortress Base Commander: Very good, my fellow Khans. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Ha. I was wondering just what the beautiful daughter of the Fire Dragon Lord was about to talk about but it turns out that she had some very important and insightful things to say. Fire Dragon Lady: The next time I appear before you, I will bring some more detailed proposals. The East Fortress Base Commander: Youve saved us. Its great that you know the procedures and etiquettes. Fire Dragon Lady: It is my pleasure. - The Demon World, the Substitute Conference Fire Dragon Lady: ck Knight. The Hero: Yes. Fire Dragon Lady: I apologise for being unable to address the queries that you had. Being in the ce that I was, there were many stressful demands. The Hero: Yeah. Thats to be expected. You did very well. It was a very important proposal. Fire Dragon Lady: Do you think saying something like that would make me happy? The Hero: Oh. Fire Dragon Lady: I have something to ask of you, Hero. The Hero: Anything I can do Hero?! Walks in. The East Fortress Base Commander: (Eye contact) Sorry, I told her everything. Aide-de-Camp: (Eye contact) Im really sorry. Fire Dragon Lady smiles. The Hero: Yes. Fire Dragon Lady: I would like to meet the Demon King. Please take me to her. The Manor in the Vige of Wintering, the Corridor The Hero: The Hero: Whats this, Ive been really bullied. The Hero: Why do I have to wait in the corridor while the Fire Dragon Lady and the Demon King converse. Can I cry? Can I cry? The Hero: Can I? The Hero: Ive really lost my confidence as a Hero, dammit. The Hero: ? . The Hero: No, no. I cant. I cant eavesdrop. Im a Hero so Ive got to be manly about this. !! The Hero: Umm. The Hero: Whoa! No way! Its not good to eavesdrop. Only that perverted old man would do something like that. The Hero: . The Hero: Listening in. The Chief Maid: What is it, Hero? The Hero: Nothing! The Chief Maid: Really? The Hero nods. The Chief Maid: Well, well. Knock knock. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, would you like some more tea? Opens door. The Hero: Ah. The Demon King: No, Im good. And Hero, the Fire Dragon Lady is going home, please send her there. - The City of the Gate, the Rainbow Hill sh! The Hero: Alright Were here. The Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you, ck Knight. The Hero: No, no. The Fire Dragon Lady: Grass blowing. The Hero: Umm, Ill send you to the city. The Fire Dragon Lady: No. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: ck Knight? The Hero: Yes. The Fire Dragon Lady: Answer me honestly. Have you left me? The Hero: Umm The Fire Dragon Lady: I said that youre my most important person, right? The Hero: Yeah The Fire Dragon Lady: The Hero: I may be important to you, but Im important to everyone. The Fire Dragon Lady: How important? The Hero: Very. The Fire Dragon Lady: How important am I to you? The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: Please answer. The Hero: If it gets dangerous Ill protect you. The Fire Dragon Lady: Hehehe. The Hero: ? The Fire Dragon Lady: Saying something like that could lead to misunderstandings. The Hero: Really? The Fire Dragon Lady: Normal people arent as strong as you. As a result, any woman only needs one of you to protect her. Thats why when you say something like that, youre not just talking about protection, this has the same weight as a confession. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: Its true that you didnt exactly say that Theres a proverb that goes, Even with the correct food, you cant raise a wild animal. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: You will protect me, but youre also married to me for life, right? The Hero: Umm Thats a bit self-centred. The Fire Dragon Lady: Even with my father, I hate it when Im not number one in their hearts. I cannot allow there to be other women Hero. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: You dont have to feel terrible about abandoning me. I am a student of betrayal. I do not attach very much emotion to a single principle anyway. However, I have just one request. The Hero: Yeah. The Fire Dragon Lady: When a really important persones, I want you to tell her how important she is. With your strength, Im sure you could protect hundreds, even thousands of young maidens. However, even for you, Im certain that there are limitations to your heart. You know this as well, do you not? This is not something very difficult to say, but with the ambiguous manner by which the Demon King was speaking, Im sure she was quite troubled. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: Am I being unreasonable? The Hero: No I dont think so. The Fire Dragon Lady: Then you should say it. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: The Hero: Ah The Fire Dragon Lady: The Hero: I guess in the end, its not possible. If its killing people or demons If its burning down fields If its destroyingnds andying waste to cities I can do all of those. But to say something like that to someone like her. Someone so dazzling. I dont know I feel so lucky. I dont know how to say it right. The Fire Dragon Lady: Coward. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: If you used such emotions to wield your sword as well, you would certainly get thrashed. Youre so strong yet youre so pathetic. Your hands have been stained with the blood of your foes but you cant even carry such feelings to the woman you love. You were talking about your own abilities earlier, but what is this? The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: Is protecting the girl you love just taking down enemies? Do you think just because youre the Hero, things are so easy? p! The Hero: ! The Fire Dragon Lady: This is my farewell gift to you. The Hero: Yeah. The Fire Dragon Lady: I have been happy. I have been beautiful. And then I got to know you. You, whom I called my Lord. You made me feel the pain of regret and jealousy. Do you think thats okay? What you did to me? You owe me arge debt. The only way to pay it back is to be happy. Dont forget that. The Hero: The Fire Dragon Lady: Im going home. Wind blows. The Hero: Wind blows. The Hero: Walking through grass. - The Kingdom of Reeds, a Lake Boat ?? Disciple Bard: ? ? Farmer: Ho! What a beautiful sound, Mistress Bard! Farmers Daughter: Hey! Hey! Disciple Bard: Is that a boat? Will you take me across? Farmer: Where are you going? Were going to the city to sell our barley and dairy products*. Farmers Daughter: You wannae with? Disciple Bard: Yes, please! Farmer: Hop on! Disciple Bard: Thank you very much. Farmer: Well, you can rest on this here straw. Farmers Daughter: Hey, hey, Mistress Bard, where are you from? Disciple Bard: A very long ways away. Farmer: Oh. But isnt that there a reed pipe? Disciple Bard: Yes, it is. I just learnt how to y it yesterday. Its a very popr instrument in these parts. Farmer: Im not sure if its popr or what, but a country with a lot of reeds, every vige has got a guy who can y the reed pipe. Farmers Daughter: I can y it too. Disciple Bard: Shall we y together? Farmers Daughter: Yes! ?? Disciple Bard: ? ? ?? Farmers Daughter: ? ? Farmer: Well, youre very good. - Exnation Dairy Products: This refers to foods made from milk such as cheese, yoghurt, and butter. As they do not spoil as quickly as milk, they were eaten extensively in a time without refrigeration. - Farmers Daughter: That was fun! Disciple Bard: Yes it was, youre surprisingly good. Smiles. ?? Farmer: Hey, hey! Bullock Cart Farmer: Hey! You going to the city? Farmer: Thats right! Farmers Daughter: Well be back soon! Bullock Cart Farmer: Help me check out the price of wheat! Farmer: Got it! ? ?? Farmers Daughter: Farmer: Ah, looks like she fell asleep. Disciple Bard: Looks that way. Farmer: Its been really tough everywheretely. Farmers Daughter: Disciple Bard: Has it? Farmer: Yeah, there hasnt been much to eat. Disciple Bard: Farmer: If its alright, Id like to pay you for your music. Disciple Bard: Umm, well Farmer: Rx, Mistress Bard. I mean, I wouldnt go hungry in exchange for music. But you ought to be paid for your work. Disciple Bard: Thats true. Music and poetry are art forms that drive their artists hungry but Im still going on! Farmer: Your music is really something that can keep me going. In fact, hearing good music does make me a lot less hungry. I at least know that much. Haha! Disciple Bards stomach rumbles. Farmer: Here, have some ck bread. Disciple Bard: No, I cant ept that. Farmer: Its fine, just take half. Were poor, so we cant afford to pay enough for your music anyway. Disciple Bard: No way! Youve given me this boat ride! Farmer: Hahaha! Well, well reach the city tomorrow. Until we get there, Ill be real happy if I could hear a few songs. Disciple Bard: Yes. What kind of music is good? Farmer: Good? Thats a very strange way of asking! But we dont really know many songs. We only know things like festive songs, maybe birthday songs or New Year songs. Disciple Bard: Then, shall I y a piece from my hometown? Pulls out instrument. Farmer: Oh my, whats that? Disciple Bard: Its a Dragonshead Fiddle. Its quite special, isnt it? Farmer: Yes, it looks like itll be great to y on journeys. Disciple Bard: Then, let me y a fun song. This is a song that always brings a smile to my most important friend Farmer: Ahahahaha! Go on! Disciple Bard: (Everyone is really nice. Everyone is really warm Whats this? Id expected the Surface World to be a lot scarier) Volume 3 5, “How boring. Humans are so weak after all.”

Volume 3 Chapter 5, How boring. Humans are so weak after all.

The Cheerful Murders Incident No. 6 I am Cheerful Swordsman Nanako! I am Cheerful Philosopher Suika! The two voices were in harmony. The harmony between the sweet and brave voice of the young girl and the soprano of a boy about to break his voice pierced through the night as they confronted the followers of Darkness. We are! We are! The two suddenly turned around and drew their weapons. We are cruel fighters who show no mercy to monsters! We will conquer you! Dont think were stubborn and na?ve! We are also known as The Cheerful Murders! We will vanquish you in 170 seconds! Dont be stupid! This isnt a game for children! The heavily armoured monsters disyed no fear or apprehension as they called out to the two mages. How old are you? Why are you still wearing a full suit of tight armour? Do you have strange intentions towards Nanako? The dry monotone of the eleven-year-old tortured the spirit of the monster, who recoiled as if hurt. With a flutter in his heart, the boy turned and asked expressionlessly, Nanako-chan, should I not have said that in such a grown up manner? To begin with, the suits of armour were not made of metal but were formed out of living organisms that resemble ants. They conform to the body shape and are hence very tight. When irritated, they produce formic acid. Upon seeing the powerful solvent, the two immediately leapt into the air just as the ground beneath their feet dissolved. What are you doing? Whats that strange liquid oozing out of your mouth?! Despite that she had said such an impertinent thing, she was still surprised by the sudden attack. Moreover, the checkered miniskirt, which she had hitherto paid no heed, twisted and fell off. Na-Na-Nanako-chan. With puppy-like eyes, the young boy who was her partner looked up at her. He felt a tightness in his chest, a mixture of sweetness, and at the same time, extreme embarrassment. The Mansion in the Vige of Wintering, in the Room Flip. The Demon King: The Hero: Flip flip. The Demon King: Heh This is the really intense part. The Hero: Really?! The Demon King: Yeah, this is dangerous. To think that such a wonderful scene would exist in the six volume series. The Hero: Hoho. The Demon King: But this ispletely unreasonable! Shuts book! The Hero: Whats wrong, Demon King? The Demon King: I want toin against the author! This main character is eleven years old, right?! Eleven years old means shes one year younger than the Little Maid Sister! The Hero: Mm, yeah? Thereabouts The Demon King: In that case, whats with this happy, heart-racing scene! Even if its coincidental, those lips, that Hehhhh! I want toin! The Hero: ? The Demon King: In this world, there exists two people who are far more mature, but why is it that such wonderful acts of coincidence only ur in the destinies of people like them? They should apologise to thedies and gentlemen who dont have this privilege! The Hero: Calm down. The Demon King: I am calm. The Hero: Really. Flips pages. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Take the book. The Hero: Got it. The Demon King: Ahem. The Hero: ? The Demon King: How do you feel? The Hero: Normal. The Demon King: R-really? Trembling. The Hero: Whats wrong? The Demon King: Nothing. Open it halfway. The Hero: Its slightly off, though. The Demon King nods. The Hero: ? The Demon King coughs. The Hero: Whats up? The Demon King: Nothing. The Hero: Really? The Demon King: Hero. Touch my ear. The Hero: ? Reaches over. The Demon King: Mmm. Flinches. The Hero: Uhhh. (The Demon King is being so evasive, something has got to be going on.) The Demon King: The Hero: Umm, Demon King. The Demon King: ? The Hero: About the Female Pdin, I epted her pledge. The Demon King: You said that before. Thats fine. The Hero: Y-yeah. But, your ear its very cute? The Demon King: What are you saying? Its not even the least bit rted. The Hero: (I failed. I am so useless. I guess the Way of Bounciness cant open the gate to a girls heart after all.) The Demon King: Mmm. The Hero: Hope youre feeling better, Demon King. The Demon King: There was never anything wrong about the way I was feeling. The Hero: I see The Demon King: Touch my ear again. The Hero: Yeah The Demon King: Mmm. The Hero: Uhh. The Demon King: Again. The Hero rubs. The Demon King yawns. The Hero: Umm, Demon King? The Demon King: ? The Hero: You look sleepy. The Demon King: Im not sleepy at all. The Hero: I see Knock knock. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty. Ive made some custard. Sets down. The Demon King: Really! Looks delicious. Lets eat. The Hero: Yeah. The Chief Maid: Hero, has something happened? The City of Reeds, Outside the Market ?? Disciple Bard: ? Spring ising, rejoice, rejoice. Let us escape from the horror of the harsh winter. ? Let the spirits of spring sing, let the birds in the woods pray. ? Female Citizen: What a beautiful voice Disciple Bard: (Extend my voice Let the sounds harmonise. Im singing! Im singing!) Citizen: Amazing! Disciple Bard: ? Receiving theugh of the blessed sun, the flowers bloom. The west wind bears the sweet scent of wheat, the original love of man. The scent of the love song. ? The rabbits in the forest are singing, the nightingales chirping. The flowers blossom as the forest explodes with life, and the girls dance the joyous dance of spring. Female Citizen: What a musician! Farmer: Heyhey! Give me half a bag of barley! Farmers Daughter: Thank you very much. Citizen: Right! Give me a bag of ginseng! Farmers Daughter: Yes! Disciple Bard: Thank you! Female Citizen: No, no, its been a long time since I wasst able to listen to such beautiful music. Rich Citizen: Well, you would be really high profile musician if you performed in a pce somewhere. Disciple Bard: No, no, performing on the streets like this is my favourite thing to do. Citizen: Pleasee again, well be waiting. Farmers Daughter: Thank you.? . Disciple Bard: Looks like you were real busy! Farmer: No, no, it was nothing. I should be thanking you! Farmers Daughter: We sold a lot more than we usually do! Disciple Bard: Great! Smiles. Farmer: Thank you very much! This is just a little bit! Disciple Bard: Its alright, its alright! You really dont have to! Youve already given me some delicious bread! Farmer: But Farmers Daughter: Here. Have some more bread then. Disciple Bard: Id love to. Thank you! See you again! Farmers Daughter: Lets y the flute together again! Disciple Bard: The next time we meet.? - The City of the Gate, the Chambers of Commerce of the Union The Young Merchant: Good work. Shrewd ountant: Good work Have some cold safflower tea*. The Fire Dragon Lady: Thank you. The Young Merchant: How was the Conference? The Fire Dragon Lady: As expected, we couldnt settle anything right away, but I feel like we might be on to something. The Young Merchant: Do you think it will pass? The Fire Dragon Lady: I believe so. The Young Merchant: If this n doesnt go through, trade and a whole bunch of other things will be very difficult. First the roads, then the irrigation channels and dikes. Shrewd ountant: Youve really nned quite far ahead. The Fire Dragon Lady: Its because there arent a lot of opportunities for business here in the Subterranean World. - Exnation Safflower: The flower is also used as red dye. It originally blooms yellow but the petals slowly turn red. The petals can be dried and brewed into a tonic. The resultant tonic can be dried to a powder and consumed. - The Young Merchant: More importantly, theck of a medium of exchange* is a real problem. Shrewd ountant: Yeah. The Fire Dragon Lady: Medium of exchange? The Young Merchant: The theory is simple. For example, lets say somebody has two units of salt and someone else has two units of meat. If they were to exchange one unit of their goods, they would both have the same amount of salt and meat. Then they would both be able to eat and live happily. In this way, as long as theyre just exchanging goods, they wouldnt have a need for currency. The Subterranean World does use currency but trading with gold bullion or barter is more popr. In other words, therge scale exchange of goods is usually carried out by Khans and leaders through barter. It would be difficult to create a system with a medium of exchange in this case. The Fire Dragon Lady: I see. The Young Merchant: However, we are merchants, so currency is to our advantage. We would be able to buy and sell goods in a much more flexible manner. It would also help to create new jobs. The Fire Dragon Lady: That is something I observed in the Surface World. Currency and money can often be bad things. However, when using a medium of exchange, good transfers can be done quicker. Money moves much easier than agreements between governments and Tribes so things are much easier. Movement is freer and as the currency is more divisible, small purchases can be made, making society safer and decreasing the chance of violence. Shrewd ountant: Hmm. The Young Merchant: And loans will increase too. The Fire Dragon Lady: Is that part of the n? The Young Merchant: This time, we have put an extraordinary amount of effort into it, but loans are a type of money borrowing. Loans are basically an officialised way of saying, Ill pay you back in somethingter on, so give me some money first. The Fire Dragon Lady: Is that how we get a medium of exchange? The Young Merchant: Lets have a simple example. Lets assume theres a debt contract which says, Lend me a hundred gold pieces and Ill pay you back a hundred gold pieces. If you could sign this contract without much difficulty, it would be the same as acquiring a hundred gold pieces, right? To the other party, this would also be the same as receiving a piece of paper worth a hundred gold pieces in future, right? Here, if you add it up, youve got two hundred gold pieces, right? Youve theoretically increased the amount of money. The Fire Dragon Lady: In that case, I think thats an untruthful system. To begin with, the whole system relies on the hundred gold pieces being paid back after a definite amount of time and hence disappearing. How can you say that the amount of money has increased? The Young Merchant: That is true, but perhaps you have seen my little trick with the wheat before? If you can get your hands on arge sum of money, then there are many opportunities for business. I could turn the hundred gold coins into a hundred and fifty gold coins. If I do that, I have effectively created fifty gold coins at no cost to myself. Wouldnt you call that profitable? The Fire Dragon Lady: I suppose thats true. The Young Merchant: That is the power of currency. Currency is basically the exchange of trust for capital. It seems that there are no banks in the Demon World yet. I have made a proposal to the Demon King and it seems like we should n for the future by getting more involved in the City of the Gate and massing our capital here. The Fire Dragon Lady: The Young Merchant: Dont look at me like that. I have no intention on harming this city or the Demon people or the Demon world. To begin with, this isnt something you can win or lose. By making the Union richer, nobody loses anything. The Fire Dragon Lady: Ill trust you on that. The Young Merchant: Thank you. The Fire Dragon Lady: Can I take it that you intend to use the trust of the City of the Gate, the Tribe of the Gate, and the daughter of the Khan of Dragons, that is to say, me, in exchange for capital? The Young Merchant: Well The Fire Dragon Lady: It is as you said, Money used as wealth ispletely different from money used as a tool. Thetter has the name of the merchant riding on it. The Young Merchant: Yes. I did say that. The Fire Dragon Lady: In that case, I want to know precisely what you intend to do with the wealth which you will be obtaining from using my trust. Is that alright? It is my trust after all. The Young Merchant: Of course it is. The Fire Dragon Lady: Ill be looking forward to that, then. The Young Merchant: My, my. Shrewd ountant: Hahaha. You seem so troubled. The Fire Dragon Lady: If I let you loose, youd probably tear down the name of the Tribe of the Fire Dragons. The Young Merchant: Well, in that case, Id better start nning Hmm. Shrewd ountant: Yeah,e. I have prepared it all. Paper, pen, ink, and many pots of hot tea. We will use the data gathered by mdy here. The employees have all gone home so it would be faster if the two of us worked through it. The Young Merchant: Is that so? Very good. Shrewd ountant: Leave it to me. Walks off and closes the door. The Fire Dragon Lady: The Young Merchant: Hmm. The Fire Dragon Lady: Merchant. The Young Merchant: Yes? The Fire Dragon Lady: The Young Merchant: What is it? The Fire Dragon Lady: Lets say I was captured by a fearsome enemy and I wouldnt live to see the dawn of the morrow, what would you do? The Young Merchant: Nothing. The Fire Dragon Lady: The Young Merchant: That was a joke I would save you of course? The Fire Dragon Lady: So you would save me. The Young Merchant: Is that a hard question from a neer? The Fire Dragon Lady: Maybe. The Young Merchant: The Fire Dragon Lady: The Young Merchant: I wouldnt save you just for the sake of saving you. The Fire Dragon Lady: Eh? The Young Merchant: A merchant never does anything without profit. The Fire Dragon Lady: The Young Merchant: However, you have given me many opportunities and learn very quickly. You are cool under pressure and very fair. I couldnt ask for a better business partner. The Fire Dragon Lady: Then for life? The Young Merchant: Havent I said this before? The merchants battlests forever. The Kingdom of the Lake, a Guesthouse in a Small City Rain sshing. Disciple Bard: What a heavy rain I cant see anything in this weather. So spring is the season for rain over here That being said, despite being spring, its quite cold Drip, drip Disciple Bard: (Hmm. So thats how it is. Ive heard a lot about this Holy Relic but I dont know anything conclusive about it) Disciple Bard: Hmm, its really tough when you dont know anybody from around here. What should I do? Rain pouring. Disciple Bard: (Ive still got some travel money but its limited. Hmm, the Kingdom of the Lake sure is huge, I should head over to the capital. If therere lots of people there, I should be able to make some money. It wouldnt be bad if I could get hired at arge inn somewhere for a month or so. I could pick up some new rumours too) Knock knock. Disciple Bard: Hello? Innkeeper: Im terribly sorry. Disciple Bard: Whats wrong? Innkeeper: The ships have been unable to leave the ports because of this horrible storm. Many guests who left in the afternoon havee back and hence we do not have enough rooms. Would it be alright for you to share rooms? Disciple Bard: Share rooms? Innkeeper: Yes, you would be sharing with a woman of course. I would only allow men to share rooms with men. Ill do my best to cater to any needs you have, do tell me if you would like to change rooms. Disciple Bard: Of course its alright. Smiles. Elder Sister Maid: I apologise. Disciple Bard: No, no, I apologise. Im quite wet though, Id like to change out of these clothes as soon as I can. Elder Sister Maid: Ahh, of course. Pleasee in. Innkeeper: Then, I have had someone bring towels and hot water. Thank you for agreeing to this arrangement. Disciple Bard: Sure. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you for your kind understanding. Disciple Bard: How should I address you? Elder Sister Maid: I am the Elder Sister Maid. Its a pleasure to meet you. Here, you should get dressed. Disciple Bard: I am the Disciple Bard. As you can see, Im a travelling bard. So youre a traveller too. How nice. Rain pouring. Disciple Bard: What a heavy rain. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah Umm, would you like some tea? Disciple Bard: Eh? Yeah. That would be great, thank you. Elder Sister Maid: Ill pour you some, then. Disciple Bard: But theres nothing here, is there? Elder Sister Maid: Ive got some tea and a few cups though theyre made of brass. Disciple Bard: Wow Amazing. You look like such ady yet you seem ustomed to travel. Elder Sister Maid: Im not ady. Im the daughter of a farming family in the South. Tea pouring Disciple Bard: Mmm Its warm. Elder Sister Maid: Its great that they provided hot water. Smiles. Disciple Bard: Ahh, Ive got some hard-baked cookies. Elder Sister Maid: Is it alright? Disciple Bard: Sure, take half. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you. Rain pouring. Disciple Bard: So where are you going? Elder Sister Maid: For the time being, to the City of the Lake. Disciple Bard: Why? Its alright if you dont want to tell me. Elder Sister Maid: Im heading to peruse the library of the Holy Order of the Lake. Ive got a few things which are on my mind That being said, Im currently on a tour of the various Kingdoms. Innkeeper: Wow! Elder Sister Maid: I realised that there are a lot of things that I need to see. But its really quite tiring to just fly out of ones own country like that. Disciple Bard: Yeah, it is Things are expensive and it can get quite dangerous. The further North you go, the harsher things seem to be. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah Disciple Bard: Where Ie from, even in times of war, people dont really die of starvation so it was really quite a shock when I witnessed it for myself. Elder Sister Maid: I see Where are you from? Disciple Bard: Ahh. Hehehe. A very long way away. Elder Sister Maid: I see. Rain pouring. Disciple Bard: Hey. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah? Disciple Bard: When you say library, would it be about the Spirit of Light? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. I hear the Holy Order keeps records about all kinds of things rted to the Spirit. Disciple Bard: Do you think I could go with you? Elder Sister Maid: ? Disciple Bard: Actually Im currently in the process of writing a poem and a y. Of course, Ive been practicing my instruments and reading up on stage directions. But Im trying to incorporate them into one thing On my journeys, Ive developed an interest in this rumour about a Holy Relic. Elder Sister Maid: Is that so? Disciple Bard: When you are writing poetry, its not good to force things. But I thought that since I developed this on my own Nah, its really hard to exin. Elder Sister Maid: Sure. Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: Lets go together. Smiles. Disciple Bard: Really? Well Im a traveller, and this is just something I said, so is it really alright for you to trust me so simply, what if I involved your young self into some kind trouble? Elder Sister Maid: Humans are involved in all sorts of trouble from the day they are born. Disciple Bard: I see. Hmm, thats nice way of saying it. Let me write that down. Elder Sister Maid: Hahaha. Disciple Bard: Eh? Ahh. Sorry, sorry, I obsess over my work. Elder Sister Maid: Thats all right, its much more fun with two people after all. - The Kingdom of Mist, a Lords Manor Steward: Heh! Hehh! Obese Nobleman: Wh-wh-what nonsense is this! Young Maid: Ah. Obese Nobleman: Those fools in the Church! What are they doing! Steward: What is going on? Obese Nobleman: ! Crumples up and throws paper. Steward: This is Obese Nobleman: How did the Wheat Futures Contracts end up in the hands of the Church! Now theres no way I can renege on this agreement! That damn fool! Runs in. Attendant: My Lord! Theres trouble! Obese Nobleman: What? What is it! Attendant: A Collector for the Church has appeared in the city and the neighbouring viges! Obese Nobleman: Collector? Attendant: Theyve been collectingrge amounts of wheat and taking it with them! ms table. Young Maid: Ahh! Obese Nobleman: That damn Church, this is what they were after At first I thought they were just colluding with the merchants but it seems their aim was to cut off power from us noblemen. Steward: What will we do? Obese Nobleman: We have money! Open discussions with the Church. Well buy back those Wheat Future Certificates. Get me some ink and vellum! Steward: Yes! Obese Nobleman: Ugh. What an embarrassment. What makes the Church think they have authority over a proud family like ours which has ruled thisnd for eight generations?! Do they take us for petty merchant nobles! Attendant: Umm. Obese Nobleman: Keep a look out for that Attendant! Even if he asks for one grain of wheat, make sure you stop him! No, that wont do. Stall him. But do it politely. Attendant: How could I Steward: Go now! If you want to keep your head, youd better work like your life depends on it! Attendant: Y-y-yes! Obese Nobleman: This this wont do. The Citadel of Banshees, the Green Study Banshee Ninja: No change from before. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. Banshee Minister: The issue runs much deeper than we had thought. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Its because the conflict was extended, eh? The dissatisfactions and wants of the people are smouldering. Banshee Minister: Yeah. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The blood of the Demon Race. Banshee Minister: Please stop saying such terrible things. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: It would be burning if there was an objective but until then, the things we have lost and our dissatisfactions are smouldering. This is how it is like for us. I can imagine the blood of the Tribe of the Fang must be boiling by now. Banshee Minister: Then there must be some kind of other objective involved. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Banshee Minister: From our perspective, the proposal by the Khan of the Gate is not a bad thing. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: That may be so, but we should also consider if this will pointlessly aggravate the Demons of the Pale. Banshee Minister: It should be fine if we pick a good ce. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: ce, huh. Banshee Minister: This transit pass idea is an interesting attempt. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Oh? Banshee Minister: Having carefully examined the n, it seems to me that having separate transit passes for each of the Nine Roads would be better. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Ho. Banshee Minister: For example, even if only those merchants that used the roads leading to the City of Giants could purchase the passes, the Bansheends would still be richer. In other words, merchants will require the passes. The more merchants require the passes, the more passes we can sell, and the faster the job will bepleted. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. Banshee Minister: Also, we should consider sending out our young men and soldiers to work on building roads outside of the Banshee territories. If youre worried about the battle with the Demons of the Pale, then we should send them as far away as possible first, perhaps to thends of the Automatons. We Banshees are rtively advanced in water treatment and irrigation techniques. I would think that any country would wee our engineers. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. Banshee Minister: What do you think? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Call the Chief Engineer. He is most familiar with the engineers of thend. Have him set up hundred men construction teams and wait for my instructions. I will deliberate with the council and see just what price the technology of the Banshees can fetch. Banshee Minister: Shall we draft mercenaries? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: How repulsive. No, well just rely on the people. Its time to show the Demon World the power of the Banshees. The Kingdom of the Lake, the Empty Library Creaking staircase. Temr Librarian: Here we are. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you very much. Disciple Bard: Thank you. Temr Librarian: This library is filled with ancient texts. To ensure their preservation, please do not expose them to direct light. Elder Sister Maid: Understood. Disciple Bard: What a mountain of texts! Temr Librarian: If you intend to peruse the texts, please bring them to the Preservation Room. I will bring some hot tea. Please convey my greetings to the Grandmaster. Elder Sister Maid: I will. Temr Librarian: In that case Creaking staircase. Disciple Bard: Wow, youre pretty amazing. Elder Sister Maid: What do you mean? Disciple Bard: The Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake is a pretty impressive person, right? To think that you managed to obtain a reference letter from her. Elder Sister Maid: I knew her well. And even if the Female Pdin is an amazing person, that doesnt make me amazing by extension. Disciple Bard: Thats true. Elder Sister Maid: How many do you think there are? Disciple Bard: Two? Three hundred? There are lots of scrolls. Elder Sister Maid: They sure look ancient. Disciple Bard: My goal is to research the Holy Relic, but what about you? Itll probably be more efficient if we tried to help each other out. Elder Sister Maid: Thats true. Disciple Bard: So what are you looking for? Rifling through texts. Elder Sister Maid: Umm, Im not sure. Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: Im not sure how to say this, but probably the Genesis? Im looking for extremely ancient texts. As you know, this ce probably has the oldest texts, so thats why Im here Im not interested in the ancientness of the text but Im trying to figure out a new start, so I want to know what things were like at the very beginning. Rifling through books. Disciple Bard: Hmm, there sure are many things. Elder Sister Maid: They arent very well organised. Brushing off dust. Disciple Bard: Whats this? Its much finer than vellum. Elder Sister Maid: I wonder why? Dust butts. Disciple Bard: Well? Elder Sister Maid: Hmm, the Holy Relic, and other things Disciple Bard: Ive got some childrens stories and some wheat harvest statistics. Flips pages. Elder Sister Maid: How valuable. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Ahh, this is apendium of hymns. Its my first time seeing something like this, but I dont know the melodies. Elder Sister Maid: Is it old? Disciple Bard: What do you think? Elder Sister Maid: This is really old too. Disciple Bard: What? Elder Sister Maid: Its a very old legend. The Spirit of the Earth? Disciple Bard: Eh? Could I take a look? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah, sure. Passes book. Disciple Bard: Hmm. The Poem of the Destroyed Vellum. Once, there was a paradise awash with light. This was thend that the Spirits had lost. Five stars shone bright above thisnd: forest, water, earth, gold, and fire. They lived long lives of strife, their age seven to the power of seven to the power of seven again. A girl was born amidst the mes. She was born with an invisible diadem shining brilliantly on her forehead. From a young age, her infinite charity shone towards every existence in this world. A boy was born on the ground. The holy child of a woman from a different world and a different spirit. He would purge the world of the ck evil it had be corrupted with. As their fingertips made contact, curling and joining, the promise of their youth burned in their chests. Under the cover ofrge wings, hope and the now liberated name of sin merged with their spirits. With the destruction of the World of Spirits, paradise was lost. However, the charity of the young girl continued to shine upon the world. Under the feet of those who knew the name of sin. Elder Sister Maid: A story about Spirits? This is my first time seeing one. Disciple Bard: This is five families? Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Disciple Bard: This is about the five families of Spirits. Ive never seen anything this ancient. Elder Sister Maid: What do you mean? Disciple Bard: In the De I mean, in my hometown. Umm. Everyone lives on the earth. How should I say this Well, its a legend. They say we are descended from five families of Spirits that existed a very long time ago when the world was just beginning. For example, my family is said to have descended from the Spirits of the Forest. Im not sure how true this is, though? There arent a lot of people who earnestly believe in this. But it seems theres some truth in this. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: But, what is this doing here Elder Sister Maid: The Holy Church of Light Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: The Holy Church. Their Headquarterse under the protection of the Primarch, they say that there are even more ancient documents lying hidden in the underground vaults under the Grand Cathedral. Disciple Bard: Eh? Eh? Elder Sister Maid: Shall we go there? Disciple Bard: Do you mean you have a letter of referral for that ce as well? Elder Sister Maid: Nope. Disciple Bard: Can we get in? Elder Sister Maid: Not normally. Disciple Bard: What should we do? Elder Sister Maid: Either way, the Grand Cathedral is in the Holy Imperial City, at the heart of the Holy Empire. If youre looking for rumours, or anything else really, thats one ce we should not avoid. Disciple Bard: I see Elder Sister Maid: I was going to go alone anyway. Disciple Bard: Well, Ive already boarded this ship. Lets go. Lets go. Im sure therell be more detailed documents regarding the Holy Relic. Im really quite interested now. Elder Sister Maid: Alright. Thank you. Smiles. - The Citadel of Fiends, the Orchard of Fruits Cat-Eyed Courier: Khan! Khan! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What is it? Cat-Eyed Courier: The Pale are on the move! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: ! Cat-Eyed Courier: Roughly twenty five thousand strong! Not the whole race but quite a few households have been mobilised for war. Its not as fast as when they were going back but theyre proceeding at an rming speed. Thends of the Demons of the Pale are still a mystery to us so we discovered them toote. By the time we noticed, they were already at the border. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Fine! Where are they going? Thends of the Banshees? The wilderness? The mountain ranges of the Dragons? Or could their aim possibly be the City of the Gate?! Cat-Eyed Courier: None of them! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What! Cat-Eyed Courier: The destination of the Demons of the Pale is Gate itself! In other words, the ce we call the Portal! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Cat-Eyed Courier: The Human World! The Kingdom of White Night, the Pce of Frozen Chalk The King of White Night: Haaah?! Haaaa! Retinue: Protect His Majesty the King! Human Soldier: Aghhhh! Human Soldier: Down with the Demons! Sigiled King of the Pale: Hmph. What are you doing? Do you think you can protect your King by doing that? Magic swirling. Sigiled King of the Pale: Did that hit you? The King of White Night: Ahhh! Ahhhhh! General of the Pale: Hahaha. I am going to throttle you until you cry like a pig. The King of White Night: Ahhhhhhh! My arm! Human Soldier: Your Majesty! Human Soldier: Damn you! Sigiled King of the Pale: Curse of Bonds. Magic swirls. Human Soldier: ! Retinue: ! General of the Pale: How funny. These pathetic fools think they can stop me with just their hands? The insects. So thats all that humans can amount to! Sigiled King of the Pale: Hahahaha! The King of White Night: S-stop. Just what do you damn Demons want! Sigiled King of the Pale: Stop talking. It is an embarrassment to be spoken to by the likes of you. The King of White Night: I am the King of this country Agh! Human Soldier: ! Sigiled King of the Pale: Oh, and your hand? Wont you have bad bnce with just one hand? I see, so Humans can have things like Kings. Thats nice to know. Magic throbbing. The King of White Night: !! Aghhh! Sigiled King of the Pale: Hahahaha! Now youve got double the weight on you! Thats a good expression, Your Majesty Just like a worm. General of the Pale: Ahahahaha! The King of White Night: ! Sigiled King of the Pale: You seem to have turned quite pale. Shall we warm you up? Not to worry Burning Phosphorus of Hell. The King of White Night: ! Aghh! Agghhhhhhh! Sigiled King of the Pale: Very good, Your Majesty. I like that dance youve got there. You look just like a jumping bean! Door opens. Cavalryman of the Pale: General! We have swept the city clean of any resistance! General of the Pale: Continue to send out suppression forces throughout the city! Draft the humans for construction. After that, take them as ves and take all their valuables. I will not tolerate resistance. Its the death sentence for them all! Cavalryman of the Pale: Yes! Sigiled King of the Pale: Hmm. General of the Pale: What is it, Your Majesty? Sigiled King of the Pale: How boring. Humans are so weak after all. General of the Pale: Well, thats because we carried out a surprise attack on the weakest part of the Human World. Sigiled King of the Pale: Hmm. Thats true This is the Human World. Theres game everywhere. First well establish a foothold, and then who knows where that will lead us. General of the Pale: Yes. Sigiled King of the Pale: With whom were they coborating again? General of the Pale: Thergest Tribe in the Surface World, the Holy Empire, and an organisation called the Church. Sigiled King of the Pale: For now, send out a standard unit to ambush them. If we kill them, things should get really interesting. General of the Pale: Yes. Sigiled King of the Pale: The country next door is the Kingdom of Metal, right? We should secure that country and after that move on to attack the rest. General of the Pale: A brilliant n. - The Kingdom of Oak, the Farnds along the Road Disciple Bard: How tough. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Chirp! Chirp! Disciple Bard: So many crows. Thats Elder Sister Maid: A cremation. Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: There isnt an obituarian* standing around so its probably a serf Only the family members are present. Disciple Bard: Serf? Elder Sister Maid: Theyre peasants who live a life of agriculture, almost like ves. Disciple Bard: There are ves in this world?! Elder Sister Maid: Yes We saw a lot of people working in the viges and fields as we passed by, right? There are lesser settlements in the North so you may not have noticed. Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: Dont get angry, Miss Bard. Disciple Bard: Why Elder Sister Maid: Even if you get angry, you cant save those people. We cant make anybody happy. Disciple Bard: But Elder Sister Maid: Dont get angry. Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: I was born to a family of serfs, I am a serf. Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: I escaped with my sister, by luck By some incredible miracle, we were found by our Mistress. We worked at the home of our Mistress, and she also taught us to read and do arithmetic. Our birth was truly sad. Neither our father nor our grandfather even had names. The names which we now have were given to us by our Mistress. Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: I know that you are angry on my behalf and on the behalf of everyone else. Why dont you stop being angry? I am happy that you are, not a lot of people know about us that serfs are ves, or how horrible this is. But Ive been a ve since I was born. Many of us dont know anything outside of it. Disciple Bard: That cant be Elder Sister Maid: Well, its the truth. Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: Dont cry. Disciple Bard: Yeah Elder Sister Maid: Ms. Bard. Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: Lets sing as we walk. Teach me a cool song. - Exnation Obituarian: In medieval times, they would stand at street corners and call out the names of the dead to give notice, as well as provide funeral services. More recently, the jobs have been divided, with obituaries appearing in newspapers, and morticians selling funeral services and caskets. - Disciple Bard: Why? Elder Sister Maid: Its quite special that I could travel with you. I thought I should at least learn one song. Moreover, those people have nothing to look forward to in their days. So dont sing a sad song, sing something robust. Disciple Bard: Yeah Elder Sister Maid: Rather than being angry, give them a song as a present. Disciple Bard: I understand. This a song that the Fang a war-like people from the wilderness, sing when they drink. Theyre quite violent, but emotions can run high when this song is being sung. Empty your ss, o men of the wilds. Run through the crimson earth. Now, my pride, my honour, under the blue sky, charge with your spear. Spring hase, bringing its sweet fragrance. The flowers are red, the leaves are green. The sky climbs high and pure. You can rest when youre in the pce in the sky. So, dry that cup of wine with almonds, for the girl with ck hair that you love, with flowers sewn to her dress Elder Sister Maid: The flowers are red, the leaves are green Disciple Bard: Yeah. Elder Sister Maid: What a splendid song. I love it very much. To think there could be something so beautiful on this earth. Disciple Bard: This is the kind of song that can make a grown man cry when hes drunk. Elder Sister Maid: Hahahaha. Disciple Bard: Its spring. Elder Sister Maid: This is a fairly poor area. Spring is usually the time for the wheat harvest but this year, even though the harvest hasnt been bad, due to various reasons, the price of wheat has been dropping. At least now, because its spring, at the very worst, people can go into the forest to pick mushrooms, or wild herbs, cabbages, or ginseng, or even beans. However, because they cannot preserve the food, they may have to starveter. This canst until autumn but when the snow builds up, thats when people start dying of hunger. Disciple Bard: That sounds tough. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Bard: Why is it so tough? Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: (Why do I feel such a tightness in my chest Even though these people are humans Even though they arent friends of us Demons) Elder Sister Maid: We can already see the city gate. - The Kingdom of Oak, the City along the Road Gatekeeper: Dont make any trouble. Disciple Bard: Yes, of course. Smiles. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you. Walking on Elder Sister Maid shudders. Disciple Bard: What is it? Elder Sister Maid: No, its at times like this that I feel youve been travelling for really long. Disciple Bard: Ah, that. I dont know very much about this ce but bards like us travel a lot. If you dont travel, you cant really get inspiration. So I suppose I am used to it. Elder Sister Maid: I see. Disciple Bard: Shall we stay in the city tonight? Elder Sister Maid: Umm. Its still afternoon. I was thinking of making some money first, but Disciple Bard: What will you do? Elder Sister Maid: I was thinking of being a scribe. Disciple Bard: A scribe? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, writing on behalf of other people There arent a lot of people who know how to write. Apart from writing words, I also help to conduct negotiations. Disciple Bard: Negotiations? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah, a scribe usually writes letters or books but sometimes I also write things which ordinary people dont deal with on a daily basis. For example, when people have requests they want to convey to the Lords, of course I help in drafting the official letters which they send, but apart from just the writing, sometimes they also bring me along for the official negotiations. Sometimes, I also have to read the replies of old women who have written letters to their sonsdispatched far away within the army. Sometimes, I also help in writing romantic love letters too. Disciple Bard: Love letters! I think I should be rather good at those! Elder Sister Maid: Then perhaps we can write those together. Disciple Bard: Indeed! It seems to me that being a scribe needs quite a lot of different expertise, doesnt it? You know quite a lot, then. Elder Sister Maid: I suppose so. I realised that on my travels. Disciple Bard: I see, its good that you can. So what will you do now? Elder Sister Maid: Im going to look for a church, and start from there Ahh, theres one. Looks like a good-sized church. Disciple Bard: Its not very big, though? Elder Sister Maid: If its too big, then I would have topete with all the other scribe in the city. I think that one is just the right size. Disciple Bard: Hmm. Knock, knock. Elder Sister Maid: Excuse me, are you from the Church? Priest: Yes, I am. Elder Sister Maid: I am a travelling schr. I would like to pray at the church and also make some money for my travels, I was hoping to be allowed to work here as a scribe at least for tonight. This is mypanion, a travelling bard. The Disciple Bard bows. Priest: Two beautiful, youngdies. I understand. The home of the Spirit is open to you both. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you very much. This is just a little bit, but I hope it can help to express some of my gratitude. Coins jingle Priest: Thank you. Much appreciated! There is an old but sturdy wooden table over there where you may do your work. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you. Priest: Miss Disciple Bard: Yes? Priest: I have never seen such a colour of hair before. May I inquire where Elder Sister Maid: Shees from a ce very far to the Northeast. Theyre a people who love to sing and dance in the forests The Dryad people, if Im not wrong? The Disciple Bard nods. Priest: I see Elder Sister Maid: Havinge from very far away, we believers are like lost sheep. The charity of the Spirit is always shown to travellers like ourselves. Priest: Well, very good. Please work hard. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you very much. Walks away. Disciple Bard: Hey, umm Elder Sister Maid: Yes? Disciple Bard: You were really smooth back there. Are you some kind of nobility? Elder Sister Maid: Ahh One of my brothers was a real alcoholic. He taught this to me. Disciple Bard: Brothers? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, my Mistress kept a few apprentices in the manor and taught them different things. I came to know them as my brothers. Disciple Bard: I see That seems very familiar. Elder Sister Maid: Does it? Disciple Bard: And that thing about the Dryads just now Elder Sister Maid: In any case, we seem to have lied. I should really go and apologise to the Spiritter. But it seems theyre the kind of people who judge based on where youe from and not on who you are. Surely the Spirit will be understanding. Your hair is a splendid shade of autumn orange, its really long and gorgeous and very exotic looking. He must have been surprised by it, dont worry too much. Disciple Bard: Umm. Dont tell me Old Woman: Can I get someone to write this for me? Elder Sister Maid: Ah. A customer. Disciple Bard: What should I do? Elder Sister Maid: You could go get customers. You should y some quiet, rxing music to calm everybody down. Disciple Bard: Understood. Elder Sister Maid: Lets get to work! The Construction Works at the Portal Disciple Engineer: How is it? Fiend Builder: No problems up to number six! Labourer: Bridge number seven is slightly damaged. Giant Builder: The stone bridge has crumbled Disciple Engineer: Is anybody injured? Fiend Builder: Theyre resting at the dormitories but apart from a few knocks and some minor cuts, it seems everybody is fine. Labourer: Thank the Spirit. Giant Builder: Yeah Disciple Engineer: Its great that we were informed quickly by the Fairies. Fiend Builder: The bridges are fine but the venue is all messed up. Labourer: This wasnt designed for such arge army to pass through. Giant Builder: Were still not finished. Disciple Engineer: Alright! Lets pack up! Fiend Builder: Eh? Labourer: But the sun is still high up in the sky?! Disciple Engineer: Well continue tomorrow. Im sure this news must have reached the city by now. The Middle Aged Merchant should know about it. Lets go have a meal. Dont let our spirits be dampened! Fiend Builder: Yes. Disciple Engineer: Return to the dormitories. Lets have dinner outside today. Make some potato soup and have a huge hotpot. Make sure to add lots of meat and vegetables. Today Im buying three drinks for everybody! Labourer: Ohh! How generous, my Lord! Giant Builder: Got it Thank you! Disciple Engineer: Alright, leave everything you cant carry by hand. Im going to go see the injured people. Fiend Builder: Understood! Labourer: Lets go! Giant Builder: Then Ill carry the carriage. Walks off. Disciple Engineer: (Alright I cant let them get disheartened, weve still got work to do. Take a break and everything will start again tomorrow. Weve got to finish those stone bridges but the Demons of the Pale are headed to the surface Hey, Disciple Bard. What are you doing now? Are you alright? Dont go crazy. I hope you find what you were looking for) - The Winter Pce, the Study The Lone Winter King: What?! In just one night Seneschal: That cant be Messenger: My Lord, the City of White Night has fallen. The Lone Winter King: I know it has. You may go. Messenger: Yes! Runs off. The Lone Winter King: Seneschal: Your Majesty, I will make contact with the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of Ice. We will defend the Tripartite Union. The Lone Winter King: Toote. Seneschal: Eh? The Lone Winter King: Attendant! Get a fast horse! Attendant: Yes! The Lone Winter King: Send a messenger to the Vige of Wintering! Tell the Schr that the Kingdom of White Night has fallen to the Demons. She should understand, go now! The Lone Winter King: Seneschal! Seneschal: Yes! The Lone Winter King: I will lead 150 cavalrymen. We will first go to the Pce of metal. The Headquarters of the Tripartite Union is moved to the Kingdom of Metal. Under these circumstances, if we dont keep a sufficient distance between the frontline and the headquarters, we will certainly perish. We cannot afford to lose any time. Prepare to reinforce our allies, reorganise the city watch, reduce the guard to its minimum. I want a force of 1,500 infantry men prepared. Seneschal: Yes! The Lone Winter King: Once youve prepared the force, march them to the Kingdom of Metal. How long will that take? Seneschal: We will be able to move in three days. The Lone Winter King: Hurry it up. Its still spring so keep the equipment light. Leave all supply* matters to the Disciple Merchant. Have the soldiers take the minimum amount of grain with them to the Kingdom of Metal. Make sure that you organise a few cavalry units as scouting units. Seneschal: Understood! The Lone Winter King: I will be heading to the Kingdom of Metal. Make sure we stay in contact! Seneschal: Yes! Attendant: Understood! The Lone Winter King: Demons Just what does this all mean. - Exnation Supply: In the military, this refers to the provision of food and ammunition to the frontlines. In order for these to be done, militaries must devote a significant amount of manpower to creating supply units. - Volume 3 6, “This is what the Fairies want.”

Volume 3 Chapter 6, This is what the Fairies want.

- The Kingdom of the Lake, the Headquarters of the Union Union Employee: Has the war begun? Female Union Employee: All the employees in the Headquarters have been assembled. Acting Chief: Yeah. Union Employee: The objective this time is Acting Chief: This time, silence is important. Female Union Employee: Metal, then. Union Employee: The market prices have risen as ofte. Acting Chief: It seems the Central Continent and the Holy Empire have started buying uprge quantities of weaponry to prepare for the war. We are to apply pressure on this. Union Employee: Then our funds will Acting Chief: The Councillor hase up with an estimate Roughly 10,000 gold pieces. Female Union Employee: On a much smaller scale than the wheat issue. Union Employee: To begin with, metal is much more expensive, so the volume of flow is much smaller. Acting Chief: At the same time, we are also to apply pressure on coal. Female Union Employee: You mean the fuel? Charcoal? Acting Chief: No, this is a directive from the Councillor. Female Union Employee: That seems very suspicious. Union Employee: I will go and receive the reports. Acting Chief: Use a quick horse. Union Employee: Yes. Acting Chief: We need to buy up transit and procurement rights for the coal to stop others from getting their hands on it. Most of it is toe from the North. Female Union Employee: Understood. Runs in. Union Employee: The war has begun. Acting Chief: Indeed. Union Employee: There is no way we can stop it. Acting Chief: Wars were never things which required mutual consent. War is apletely unteral action. As long as one person in the group of people who are involved in this war wants it, the war will take ce. Theyre very extreme things, wars. Union Employee: Yes. Acting Chief: Im fairly interested in that young Councillor. He has been achieving all sorts of impossible things and advancing without ever giving up. More than putting an end to this war, perhaps it is more important to appear to be trying to put an end to the war. - The Kingdom of Elm, the Quarters of Nobility Weak Nobleman: This years taxes have all been collected. Middle Aged Knight: Powerful Landlord: I have something to say about that. With this level of taxes, all the serfs are going to starve to death. Weak Nobleman: Are you suggesting the taxes are unreasonable! Powerful Landlord: But with the poor harvest this year from the heat Weak Nobleman: Shut up! What do you mean poor harvest! Every fief has been blessed with great amounts of wheat and barley, right?! Powerful Landlord: But the wells in mynd have dried up Weak Nobleman: Who would believe such a thing? Middle Aged Knight: Hahaha. Powerful Landlord: Its the truth. Weak Nobleman: What a lie. You can just sell the wheat you harvestedst winter this spring and use that money. Powerful Landlord: Thats Weak Nobleman: Thats what you get for trying to deceive us into believing this story about a poor harvest. Powerful Landlord: It is just as I told you Weak Nobleman: What? Powerful Landlord: This years taxes are collected not in produce but in cash Weak Nobleman: Well, fine. Powerful Landlord: In that case Ill pay. Ill get you the 70 gold pieces immediately. Weak Nobleman: What are you talking about? The tax is 210 gold pieces. Powerful Landlord: Huh? Weak Nobleman: 210 gold pieces? Just as it is written in thews. Powerful Landlord: But thats in the old currency, right? As you are aware, the new currency is worth 3 times as much as the old one Weak Nobleman: That may be so, but where in thews does it say that the rate of tax is adjusted based on currency? As thew is written, based on the value of yournd and property, you are to pay a tax of 210 gold pieces. Powerful Landlord: Do the noblemen want the peasants to die! Weak Nobleman: Do not pretend to stand up for the rights of the weak when it is convenient for you! ms table. Powerful Landlord: Even if you say something like that, if the tax is insufficient, then Ill have topensate with a significant bribe, right? In the end, were all in the same boat. I intend to pay, its just that I hope you will be able to reconsider the Weak Nobleman: Come on! Powerful Landlord: ! Middle Aged Knight: My Lord, stay your hand. Weak Nobleman: Ah. Middle Aged Knight: We will never aplish anything by being so heavy handed. Powerful Landlord: Please help, Sir Knight! Weak Nobleman: Fine, then what? Middle Aged Knight: In a situation like this, we have to listen to our friends. Theres only one way I can think of getting around this. Weak Nobleman: Which is? Middle Aged Knight: Attack. Well follow the coast and plunder thends of the Kingdom of Winter. Weak Nobleman: You intend for us to be pirates! Middle Aged Knight: I have no gripe with piracy. But of course, we will not officially sanction it. This is not piracy. This is privateering*. We are not pirates, we are privateers. Theres a difference. Powerful Landlord: Then Weak Nobleman: Hmm. Powerful Landlord: Ournd does not have very much, but we do have bandits. If we could tame them and have them ride against the heretical Kingdoms, taking some financial help along the way I do believe we can support them with weapons and the like. Weak Nobleman: Hmm, this is worth considering. Middle Aged Knight: Then let us see what those cowards can do against us. - By the Borders of the Holy Imperial City, in a Small House at Night Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Bard: Disciple Bard: (Ahh. Mmm Its still night?) Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Bard: (Has the Elder Maid Sister woken up) Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Bard: (Is she crying?) Elder Maid Sister: Disciple Bard: (Why?) Elder Maid Sister: Sorry Disciple Bard: (Is this about this afternoon? What is she going on about?) Elder Maid Sister: Sorry I cant save you Sorry Disciple Bard: (Elder Maid Sister) - Exnation Privateering: In effect, it is exactly the same as piracy. However, it is sanctioned by a country and is directed towards merchant vessels or caravans of an enemy country. If captured by the enemy country, they may be tried and executed as pirates; but the sanctioning country is likely to treat them as heroes. - - The Borders of the Holy Empire, a Vige of the Children of Light Lieutenant of Light: Forward, march! Marching. Lieutenant of Light: Fall in! Forming. Healthy Peasant Soldier: Young Peasant Soldier: Alright. Lieutenant of Light: Fore! Crack! Crack! Crack! Lieutenant of Light: Stand down! Clean and prepare equipment! ttering of muskets. Holy Imperial General: How is it going? Lieutenant of Light: Sir, everything is proceeding smoothly, sir. Holy Imperial General: Are we seeing results? Lieutenant of Light: Our current objective is to march 16km in a day. Holy Imperial General: Hmm. Lieutenant of Light: What do you think? Holy Imperial General: Train them a bit more. The current pace is not a problem, however, on the battlefield, speed decides life and death. I need the Heavy Brigades to move at a speed of at least 32km over two continuous days. Lieutenant of Light: And the punishment for failure is execution? Holy Imperial General: Its fine, this is training. But the first unit which is able to meet the mark shall be entitled to two days of leave. Keep a record of the longest distances achieved and we can make something of that. Lieutenant of Light: Understood. Holy Imperial General: How about the range training? Lieutenant of Light: Yes. About that. Holy Imperial General: Is there a problem? Lieutenant of Light: The amount of ck powder provided is insufficient. Holy Imperial General: Even though we had nned for it Lieutenant of Light: We had set aside an appropriate amount in the nning phase but we are using them at a much faster speed than expected. I would like to request an increase in the stocks of ck powder. Holy Imperial General: Understood. I cant promise you anything but I will try. Lieutenant of Light: I thank you deeply. Holy Imperial General: Hey. Lieutenant of Light: Yes? Holy Imperial General: This Vige has had the best performances out of all its neighbours. As a result, I want you to make dinner special tonight. The practical achievements have been good. You have been true to the pride of these serfs as adherents of the Light. Lieutenant of Light: Yes! Thank you for your encouragement! Mountain Ridge on the Border of the Kingdom of Metal Scout: Coming in! Two thousand cavalrymen!!! Disciple Soldier: Two thousand Metal Lieutenant: So few. Disciple Soldier: ording to our reports, the Demon forces that invaded the City of White Night number less than three thousand. There is a significant number of cavalrymen among them. Two thousand is few, but Metal Lieutenant: But this does not bode well for us. Disciple Soldier: Metal Lieutenant: What is it? Disciple Soldier: What is the distance? When will we be in contact with the enemy? Scout: They are between the two ridges. Estimated time to contact, five minutes. Disciple Soldier: Confirm if the other border patrols have experienced any strange urrences or sudden attacks! Metal Messenger: Yes! Scout: I will scout ahead. Disciple Soldier: Carry on. Metal Lieutenant: Disciple Soldier: This could just be a probe for our strength. Metal Lieutenant: Sorry? Disciple Soldier: By sending out a small force to engage us, they can gain intelligence and gauge our abilities, equipment, and formations. They managed to take the City of White Night in a single night, but this time they appear to be taking more precautions. Metal Lieutenant: But wont that unit suffer casualties? Disciple Soldier: They will retreat. To begin with, the Demons can afford such casualties, especially because it is unlikely that we will be locked in a battle of extermination. Metal Lieutenant: Five minutes Disciple Soldier: We have time. Metal Lieutenant: Disciple Soldier: And the catapults? Metal Lieutenant: We have one or two of them on hand. Disciple Soldier: Prepare the catapults! Metal Lieutenant: If you used the catapults in such a narrow ridge, you could bring down the cliff walls! Disciple Soldier: Thats fine. Our soldiers are the best in the world at building roads, arent we? Metal Lieutenant: That might be the only thing we are good at. Metal Soldier: Catapults prepared and ready to fire. Where should we take them to? Disciple Soldier: Push them forward. Your target is the cliff wall on the right-hand side! Its fine even if you bring it down. My intention is for you to bury the forest so prepare for continuous fire! Metal Soldier: Yes! Disciple Soldier: What a wastnd. Metal Lieutenant: I understand. In that battle, the entirety of the Kingdom of White Night fell to the Demons. The same will happen to us if we do not maintain this border. It would be foolish to engage in a series of small skirmishes leading to a war of attrition. - The Holy Imperial City, a House on the Outskirts Disciple Bard: Its fairly run down. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Bard: But the Church is like this, after all? Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Disciple Bard: I mean, Ive travelled to many ces in the Continent, but the Church can be found in just about everywhere. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah, I suppose so. Disciple Bard: The Spirit of Light? God? Even though they believe in the same God, there are quite a few varieties, arent there? Elder Sister Maid: It is basically the same faith, but there are differences in interpretations and practical applications, which steadily add up to greater separations. These are manifested on the surface level in the form of different religious Orders. Broadly, they are the same thing, but on the finer details, there are definitely differences. For example, there are some religious Orders that ce a special emphasis on religious days, rituals, and masses; there are also some religious Orders that are more concerned with being on the ground and helping the masses. The Church may seem to be a venue for faith and worship, but in truth, they also preside over matters of learning, medicine, and other difficulties in the lives of men, serving also as a public ce. Disciple Bard: So thats why everybody pays so much attention to the Church. Elder Sister Maid: Indeed. Disciple Bard: But the Church really is everywhere. Elder Sister Maid: That Well In a way, theres nothing for it. Disciple Bard: Really? Elder Sister Maid: The Church of the Holy Spirit Light, also known as the Central Church, is incredibly powerful. Usually, when one refers simply to the Church, you are referring to the biggest faction in the organization. In the Central Continent, more than half of all adherentse under the influence of the Central Church. Actually, even though people may live in thends of various kingdoms or nobility, theirnd may belong jointly to these lords, but also often to the Church. That is why the Church is able to exercise such a supreme influence over every part of their lives. Since the Church is such a massive organisation, even countries are unable to ignore it and must constantly respect its authority, without which they cannot govern their people. All the Church needs to do is to proim you a heretic and you would no longer have the mandate to ownnds or to govern your people and your bloodline would forever be tainted from that day thenceforth. Disciple Bard: How monstrous. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. For this reason, the Church, especially the Church of the Holy Spirit of Light, wields immense power. If this power were to be applied justly, it would be able to protect the people from the barbaric actions of ruthless nobility or monarchies However, in truth, the nobilities and royalties are patrons of the Church, and the serfs and settlers have to suffer the most. Moreover, with the abilities at their disposal, they are also able to control the flow of information and technology more so considering therge number of clergymen who are just out to improve their own lots in life. Disciple Bard: So thats why they can afford to have such an arrogant attitude. Elder Sister Maid: Indeed Disciple Bard: What do you think? If they could just get rid of that attitude, they might actually be a potent force for good. Elder Sister Maid: I would certainly respond very favourably to that. Disciple Bard: Wow, its sparkling. Elder Sister Maid: Its amazing. Disciple Bard: Wonderful. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Smiles. Disciple Bard: Its just sparkling in gold. Elder Sister Maid: Its more magnificent than that pce. Disciple Bard: Youve seen a pce? Elder Sister Maid: Oh, umm. Just a bit. Disciple Bard: I dont even see any pirs without carvings on them. Elder Sister Maid: My eyes are so dazzled. Just how big is this ce? Disciple Bard: Well, just by looking at it, it appears to be at least a thousand paces in breadth, with the main buildings constructed from stone and ster. The basilica appears to be that building with the pirs covered in Frescoes*. Gold leaf iys. Carvings are of trees and nature, done by hand. With a first-rate team of master artists, sculptors, and builders, this must have taken at least 20 years toplete! Elder Sister Maid: Youre very knowledgeable about this! - Exnation Fresco: This refers to the practice of painting a wall with ster and then shaping it into a sculpture before the ster dries. This is usually done on walls which are intended to stand for a long time and hence, failure is not permitted. If the fresco fails, the wall must be stripped of its ster and redone from scratch. - Disciple Bard: Well, I knew a very useless engineer. Elder Sister Maid: I expected it to be a lot bigger, with a massive piazza made from tiles or something. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Those sorts of churches are moremon. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Bard: What should we do? Elder Sister Maid: I guess we have no choice. Disciple Bard: Looks like we should just give up. Even though we came all the way here. Elder Sister Maid: Well infiltrate it. Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: Well enter quietly. Ive got some ck clothing. Disciple Bard: Ehh?! Elder Sister Maid: Yes? Disciple Bard: For real?! Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Bard: Why do you think this is a good idea? Elder Sister Maid: Why I think Ive been influenced by the Hero. Disciple Bard: ? Elder Sister Maid: No, Ive been in thepany of some very brash people. Disciple Bard: Please be more serious about this. Elder Sister Maid: Youre right. Ive got toe up with a more serious and detailed infiltration n. Disciple Bard: Yeah, we need to prepare. To begin with, we should get a basic schematics of the ce, marking out where there are guards and where our final destination is. Elder Sister Maid: Well spend some time earning travelling money and finding out more information. Thank you. Youre very level-headed about all this. Disciple Bard: Eh? Since when did I start supporting this infiltration n? Elder Sister Maid: This is really making me excited. Disciple Bard: Really? Elder Sister Maid: The atmosphere is really strong - The Kingdom of White Night, the Commandeered Pce of White Night Sigiled King of the Pale: Hmm, and so they withdraw, huh. General of the Pale: What sort of punishment would you have me give them? Sigiled King of the Pale: Its fine. In any case, their mission was reconnaissance. Even if the Kingdom of Metal destroys one mountain pass, they will not avoid this war. This report also gives good information. Are there any roads into the Kingdom which are wider, even if they are further away? General of the Pale: Oi! Bring that map over here! Soldier of the Pale: Yes! Lays out map. Sigiled King of the Pale: These are the mountains. And these are the forests. Are the forests here thickly wooded? Captured Minister: Yes That is the Genesis Forest. General of the Pale: Our soldiers movements will be slowed down in the dense vegetation. Soldier of the Pale: Your Majesty, can we not just simply use your powers to obliterate the enemy and seize what we need from them? Sigiled King of the Pale: Of course we can. As long as you are willing to face the Hero yourself. Soldier of the Pale: I apologise for the rudeness! General of the Pale: In any case. Sigiled King of the Pale: This route is passable by our Pale Cavalry and our Infantry units. How long do you think it will take for the Heavy Demons of the Pale to pass through it? General of the Pale: Between 10-12 days. The mountain ranges in this World are much more dangerous than those in the Underground World, but the roads are fine. Sigiled King of the Pale: Assemble the cavalry. Have them scout out the terrain in this area. If they meet any humans, they are to kill them all. It would be troublesome if they discovered our intentions. General of the Pale: Then the battle will take ce on these ins here. Sigiled King of the Pale: The ins of Sci. Oi! What is Sci*? General of the Pale: Answer! Kicks. Captured Minister: Sci is a type of grass. It begins white and turns purple when it flowers Those ins are covered in them Sigiled King of the Pale: Purple, huh. General of the Pale: How auspicious. The colour of the Pale. Sigiled King of the Pale: I must meditate before my battle with the Hero. General of the Pale: Yes! Sigiled King of the Pale: Im sure you know what to do next. To control this country, all we need are about 2,000 soldiers to garrison it. Form a Commissary*, use the strategy we talked about. General of the Pale: Yes. As you wish! - Exnation Chinese Squill: A nt in the squill family which grows onrge ins. The flowers bloom a lovely shade of violet and the roots may be eaten as well. In Japan, they are also known as Sandaigasa (Pce Visit Umbres) because when the retainers of the Emperor visit him in the Pce on busy days, the number of umbres held by their servants resemble a in of blooming squills. Commissary: In the Army, these refer to units which are ced behind the frontlines to ensure that their own soldiers follow orders and do not attempt to desert the battlefield. If they show signs of resistance to following orders or cowardice, they can attack them from behind. Since they would be attacked by their own soldiers from behind, which is less well-defended, soldiers hence prefer to attack the enemy which is in front of them. This can help to provide a critical morale boost in tight situations, but is really only required in situations in which the soldiers already have dismal morale and are likely to shatter and desert. - The Demon World, the Conference of Khans The Silver Tiger Lord: The Demon King. The Baron of Steel: Wee back! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Congrattions on your recovery! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: It is a relief to see you in full health. The Demon King: Eh, ah. Well thank you. The Chief Maid: Well, Your Majesty. Please take a seat. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Demon King has recovered. The Baron of Steel: Mmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: That is a big weight off my shoulders. The Demon King: To the wise and noble Khans who have been present at this Conference from its very beginning, I the Thirty-Fourth Demon King, Ruby Eyes, sincerely offer you my gratitude. I would first like to apologise for my irresponsible leave of absence from this job, and also my thanks and appreciation for the wise actions undertaken by the Khans in my stead. I have heard very much from the Hero, who in his office as the ck Knight, has confirmed the incredible aptitude of the khans in the many Conferences which have taken ce. With regards to the decisions made by the Khans, I do not find any errors norpses in your judgements. I think that they were highly mature and experienced decisions. The Silver Tiger Lord, the Baron of Steel, the Queen of Fairies, the Khan of the Gate, the Witch-Queen of Banshees, the Chieftain of the Tattooed, and the Cyclops. I thank you deeply. I would like to especially thank the Fire Dragon Lord for consolidating and presiding over the Conference. You have all done a splendid job. The Silver Tiger Lord: Please, do not be so humble. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: It was the bare minimum of our duties. The Cyclops: It is better for the Demon King to rule. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hahaha. Once you say it like that, all the troubles, stressing, and diforts Ive had with the position have melted away. The Queen of Fairies: Yes. The East Fortress Base Commander: May I ask how are your wounds? The Chief Maid: Allow me to answer on her behalf. The bandages remain in ce but the Demon King is now capable of a normal diet. Her Majesty will require further treatment, which we expect will continue for a month. She will not be able to take to the battlefield, but I do not believe this will interfere with her daily duties. The Demon King: It is as she says. The Chief Maid bows. The Silver Tiger Lord: Then theres almost no problem at all. The Baron of Steel: Mmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: Your Majesty, this Council has now served its purpose. Shall I return the full authority back to you? The Demon King: No, keep it. Right now, our issues have gotten muchrger in scale and we cannot afford the timepse between decisions on each of the matters. The Queen of Fairies: Do you speak of the Demons of the Pale? The Demon King: In order to resolve this crisis, this Council will require its authority. The Fire Dragon Lord: Mmm. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Your Majesty. How should we react to the invasion of the Human World by the Demons of the Pale? The Demon King: Thats right. Hmm Khan of the Gate. You are familiar with both the Human World and the Demon World and you are also highly experienced on military matters in both Worlds. Please tell me, what do you think about the present situation? The East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm. Aide-de-Camp: Come on. The East Fortress Base Commander: Firstly, ording to what Ive heard, there remains approximately 160,000 Demons of the Pale in their home territory. To put it bluntly, they have been discarded or so it would appear. The Baron of Steel: How pitiful. They do not even know that they have been discarded. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Indeed. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Hmm. The Queen of Fairies: Our intelligence units which have been active on an extremely covert basis have reported that it appears that most of the food has been appropriated by the military. Furthermore, gold and military supplies were also taken from the poption. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The Demons of the Pale have many mines, they have the most gold in the Demon World. The Queen of Fairies: The intelligence units were not able to ascertain why this has taken ce. The East Fortress Base Commander: Next, we must consider the military movement of the Demons of the Pale. This I can understand. Before their hands get tied down, they intended to take the first strike. At present, it would be difficult for them to sustain conflict against thebined armies of the entire Demon World Well, the existence of the Hero also forces them to be wary. We must consider that their original goals appear to have been to kill the Demon King, install their own King as the Demon King, and then purge the Khans so that they can rule the Demon World as a tyrannical dictatorship. However, we should also consider that there could have been coalitions forming to deal with the Demons of the Pale. For example, the Tribe of the Fang and the Tribe of Automatons could join forces and propel the Demon World into a massive bipr battle. There are many other possible scenarios but in the end, it would likely grind down into arge stalemate and a war of attrition. At this Conference, we have made many decisions, but we have not yet considered what we would do if we had lost. On the other hand, it appears that the Demons of the Pale have considered it before making any of their moves and so are now applying it. The Baron of Steel: So, they attack the Human World The East Fortress Base Commander: That is correct. They attack the Human World. If you think about the results, it is not such a bad n. Of course, that is what the Demons of the Pale think as well. Ive heard this as rumours from above but it seems that the rapid speed of the invasion by the Demons of the Pale has resulted in the capittion of a country known as the Kingdom of White Night. The Fire Dragon Lord: An entire Kingdom? The Queen of Fairies: Did they bring that much power with them? The East Fortress Base Commander: Yes. It is one of Four Kingdoms known as the Southern United Kingdoms. Due to many reasons, they had been constantly initiating failed battles with their surrounding countries and as a result were seriouslycking in military power. That is the Kingdom of White Night. This country had the misfortune of facing the Demons of the Pale first. Their City could not even resist them for a day. The results are that the Demons of the Pale are able to achieve enough in the Surface World. The Surface World is very different from the Demon World, but it is at war. The Southern Kingdoms are fighting with the Central Continent. To put it differently, right now, they do not want to be fighting the Demons. Seizing this gap, they took down the weakest country and established a foothold. In different circumstances, if the Humans allbined their powers to deal with them, it may be possible to rapidly defeat the Demons of the Pale. However, it is more likely that they will take advantage of the war with the Demons of the Pale to attack their own fellow Humans. The Hero: The Demon King: The East Fortress Base Commander: That is what I feel about the present situation. Having thought about it, it appears that the Demons of the Pale are broadening their territory in the Surface World. Theyve thrown away theirnds in the Demon World and did not leave themselves a route for retreat. When they do return to the Demon World, the situations may have changed considerably and the gap in our military mights may have been significantly reduced as well. The Hero: An urate analysis. The Demon King: Something we have to consider is collusion. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Collusion? The Silver Tiger Lord: What do you mean? The East Fortress Base Commander: They may be receiving information from the Surface World. The Kingdom of White Night had justunched a failed assault on its neighbours and had not at all recovered. The decentralisation of the Kingdom had marginalised many groups of noblemen and the borders of the Kingdom had also be sketchy. They were no longer able to controlrge parts of their country and had be a failed state. And amidst all of this, they were attacked. It was the perfect secret attack. Where did a Tribe of Demons gain suchprehensive knowledge of the Human World? The fact that they had estimated that they would only require 20,000 soldiers and could further travel at such speed meant that they must have some kind of information regarding the strength of the country as well as its terrain and weather. The Fire Dragon Lord: You are saying that there are Humans working for the Demons of the Pale? The East Fortress Base Commander: Yes. The Demon King: Well, there are informants no matter where you are. Im sure my Khans also have their own ways of finding out what happens in the Human World, do you not? This informant is on a muchrger scale, such as rendering reinforcements to the Demons of the Pale Its a terrible thought. The Silver Tiger Lord: The war on the Surface The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. The Demon King: ording to reliable sources, the probability seems high that the informant is none other than the Kingdom of White Night itself. The Queen of Fairies: What do you mean? The Demon King: In other words, this might be a situation where the Kingdom originally intended to coborate with the Demons in order to regain theirnds and prestige but ended up being attacked by surprise. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmm. Why are they such a pathetic people? This Kingdom of White Night? The East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah. They are. The Demon King: This may seem to be a terrible thing to happen to anyone, but in a way, it was what they hading for them, and theres also a problem with it. Namely, now that the Demons of the Pale have obliterated the Kingdom of the White Night, they have no friends in the Surface World. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. The Demon King: What Im really scared of is a different possibility. To simplify the war in the Human World, its basically a war between the South and the Central Continent. Thetter may have contracted the Demons of the Pale. The Silver Tiger Lord: What is the reason they are at war? The Hero: It wasnt really a war at first. However, the Southern United Kingdoms was the frontline of the war against the Demon World. On the other hand, the Central Continent was hiding safely behind the lines profiting from it. In order to protect the Central Continent, the impoverished Southern United Kingdoms shed a lot of blood. This conflict of interests soon deepened. The Demon King: However, the real reason why they are at war with each other, more than what was stated above, is a disagreement over the direction the country should be heading in on various matters. The countries of the Central Continent want an all-out war with the Demon World. However, in order to achieve this, they will need to manipte or otherwise supress the countries of the South, which are near to the Portal. To begin with, the Central Continent has always had a lot of pride, and even without this war, they would have sought to bring the South under their sway one way or another. However, due to economic and trade reforms, the South grew in power until they were eventually able to break free from the reins of the Central Continent. At present, there are two major ideological points of contention. Firstly, the South believes in the emancipation of the serfs whereas the Central Continent recognises and promotes serfdom. The South seeks a ceasefire with the Demon World and the Central Continent is attempting to wage an all-out war against us, or at the very least,unch military expeditions against us. The Silver Tiger Lord: How troublesome. The Fire Dragon Lord: Its even moreplicated once the lid has been lifted. The Demon King: This is the same in any world. Where there are many people, there are bound to be differences. Theres no way they could all be thinking the same way. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: But that must mean that the Pale represents a significant turning point for the Human World. The Demon King: That is correct. The Silver Tiger Lord: It was the Humans who first invaded the Demon World. Are you saying that not all Humans are trying to plunder the wealth of the Demon World? The East Fortress Base Commander: This is definitely not about wealth. Well, this matter is a result of the immense power of the Church. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The Church, as in the people who run the temples? The East Fortress Base Commander: Yes. The Church in the Surface World is a far more organised, far more persuasive organisation than the n of Temples in the Demon World but they are still basically the same thing. Countries, in other words, people, cannot escape from the grasp of the Church. The issue is that the Human World believes in only one god. The Cyclops: One?! The Hero: Yeah, one. The Spirit of Light. The Demon King: The Maiden of Fire. The East Fortress Base Commander: The Church has also been broadcasting things like, The Demons are evil! Kill them all! They have witnessed the power of the Demon Beasts, which are just like those of the savage animals in the Human World, except bigger and much more dangerous. If these elements are exposed to the Human World, there is fear of much stronger violence. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Demon Beasts and Demons are not the same things! The East Fortress Base Commander: I can understand this, but do you think the people in the Surface World will be able to tell the difference? They just think that you are all evil and savage barbarians. With the gate fully open, there could be a flood of marauders or wild Demon Beasts. And with everything that the Church has been telling them the vast majority of the people in the Surface World, none of whom know a thing about the Demon World, are incredibly terrified. That is the truth. The Chieftain of the Tattoeed: Hmm The Demon King: Under these situations, with the aggression of the Demons of the Pale, we can expect that there will be a permanent effect on the rtions between the Human and Demon World. The Baron of Steel: So the Human World could invade the Demon World again? The East Fortress Base Commander: The Demon King: The problem is not with invading the Demon World. Well, its something we should be worried about, but its only one possible conclusion. The real issue at hand is that the people living in the Human World will only have their fears confirmed and co-existence will be a much more difficult thing. The Silver Tiger Lord growls. The Baron of Steel: The Queen of Fairies: That is troublesome. The East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah. The Demon King: I understand that not all the Khans present here support the co-existence proposal. However, I would like you to consider it. There are two worlds, one on the surface and one underground. There is a chance that the Human World does not have the military power that we do. However, there is also a chance that we are equal or that they are stronger than we are. Is that correct? There is no reason to decide that they are weaker than we are. That is the only thing which I can say definitively as the Demon King. Even if we win, even if we lose, this war will drag on for at least a hundred years. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What you are trying to say is that you have a n to avoid this all-out war? The Demon King: I do not have a concrete n. The Queen of Fairies: So you dont The East Fortress Base Commander: The Demon King: The central issue is that we are too different. Whether it be ourplexions or our shapes, our lifestyles, the gods we believe in, the foods we eat. Our manners of dress, our societal rules, the respect we pay to the rituals we do. It would be incredible if we did not go to war. If we let things follow their natural course, we would definitely be at war right now. The Baron of Steel: The Silver Tiger Lord: The Demon King: However, I feel that if we can avoid a war then we definitely should. Its not because I am afraid of the Humans. If we fight, we must win. And I am willing to put in the effort to ensure our victory. But is that what we want? My Khans. I feel that there is something else which we can do. The Hero: Silver Tiger Lord. The Chief Maid: ? The Hero: Dont you have something to say? Its better if you do. This is a Conference after all. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmm. Then let me say it. My people are a people of war We do not have any reservations against a war with the Humans. We do not feel that there are any issues with beginning a war even if itsts a hundred years. Whether itsts a hundred years or even a thousand years, they are all the same to us. For honour and glory, it is better to fight a glorious war. However, it seems that the flute is now being blown by the Demons of the Pale. Is it possible that in the current situation we are being deceived by the Pale into starting a war with the Humans? The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm, you could say that. The Baron of Steel: Mmm. The Silver Tiger Lord: The Tribe of the Fang believes that the order of battle should have us going to war with the Demons of the Pale first. The Queen of Fairies: But that would necessitate invading the Human World. The Baron of Steel: Wouldnt that unnecessarily make the situation even worse? The East Fortress Base Commander: No, this is a truly brave decision! We the Tribe of the Gate are fully in support of the Great Tiger General. It is as he says, we must fight the Pale first. A wise decision! Great General! Aide-de-Camp: Great General?! The Silver Tiger Lord: Ohh! You are calling me by that title as well! The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Do you intend to start a hundred-year war with the Humans?! The Cyclops: Humans are scary The Silver Tiger Lord: But this is a matter of honour. You could say that we are only hunting a group of traitors who are piging the Human World. In that case, why should we hold back? The Demon King: Witch-Queen of Banshees, Khan of Dragons, what is your take on this issue? The Fire Dragon Lord exhales. The Witch-Queen of Banshees nods. The Fire Dragon Lord: We will support the decision of the Demon King. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Standing up to injustice. Using this reasoning, we may be able to cross into the Human World. If we are unable tomunicate this to them, then perhaps Humans and Demons do not have any points ofmon agreement. Then we will inevitably be drawn to war. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Witch-Queen! Dragon Lord! The Demon King: My Khans. If we continue to do nothing, the situation will get worse with every passing second. Do we have any other options apart from the gamble suggested by the Silver Tiger Lord? The Baron of Steel: We have no choice. The Silver Tiger Lord: Your Majesty! Do you mean?! The Demon King: Khans, you are about to witness the first Imperial Demon Expedition. The Fire Dragon Lord: And it will also be your first personallymanded war. The Demon King: However, as an expedition, as we will be going to very distantnds, we cannotmand such arge army. Silver Tiger Lord. The Silver Tiger Lord: Yes! The Demon King: You willmand eight thousand elite soldiers and follow my leadership as my General of the Right. The Silver Tiger Lord: Haha! The Demon King: Baron of Steel. The Baron of Steel: Yes. The Demon King: This is a difficult assignment but I am confident of your ability to do it. You are to enter the oldnds of the Demons of the Pale and shut down the operation of the gold mines, ore mines, and workshops. You are also to secure the poption and administer them peacefully. I will now entrust the governership of all the natural resources of the oldnds of the Demons of the Pale to the Tribe of Automatons. It is a historical fact that the Tribe of Automatons have been discriminated and oppressed due to their different shape. The pain that you have experienced is not understandable by the other Tribes. You will hence be the only Tribe which is capable of understanding the pain of the civilians who have been abandoned by their Khan and their Army. The Baron of Steel: Understood. I will do my best. The Demon King: Cylcops, Witch-Queen, Chieftain. The Cyclops nods. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yes. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Yes. The Demon King: I greatly respect the decisions which have been made by my Khans. In order for us to bring vitality to the Demon World, I will require the strengths of your three Tribes. Whether the world will be thrown into war, or ushered into a new era of peace, we will require roads and newnds. Pleasebine your powers to develop our World. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yes, as you wish. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Understood. The Cyclops: Leave it to us. The Demon King: Fire Dragon Lord. The Fire Dragon Lord: I understand. The Demon King: This Conference is what binds the Demon World together. While I am away in the Human World, as usual you will be in charge. The Fire Dragon Lord: I will uphold this promise until my old bones are broken into dust. The Demon King: Base Commander. The Human World will now be a stage. I fully understand that the City of the Gate has a shortage of able soldiers. Take as many soldiers as you like and you willmand them as my General of the Left. I will require your expertise and experience. The East Fortress Base Commander: Understood. You can entrust me with this. The Queen of Fairies: Umm What about us? Smiles. The Demon King: Queen of Fairies. The Queen of Fairies: Yes! The Demon King: You will be the cornerstone of this expedition. The Queen of Fairies: What do you mean? The Demon King: We will march to attack the Tribe of the Pale. For this reason, we must pass through the Human World or rather, the various Kingdoms of the Human World. If we were to march into thosends fully equipped for war without exnation, it would definitely lead to all-out war with the Humans. The Queen of Fairies: Yes The Demon King: You will be a special envoy, sent to the Kingdoms of the Human World to seek their permission. The Holy Empire, Late at Night under the Cathedral Footsteps echoing in the tunnels. Disciple Bard: How nice. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Footsteps echoing. Disciple Bard: This smell is Elder Sister Maid: Thats the smell of very old vellum. Disciple Bard: It looks like people donte here very often. Elder Sister Maid: We should be thankful for that. Footsteps. Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: Alright. Should we open it? Elder Sister Maid nods. Door screeches Disciple Bard: That door is in need of some oiling. It almost made my heart stop. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Bard: Which one is it? Elder Sister Maid: Its probably further down. Footsteps echoing. Disciple Bard: This is the repository. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Bard: What should we do? Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Disciple Bard: Wevee all the way here. We should be looking for things on the Holy Relic. But is there anything else you would like to look for? Elder Sister Maid: Then, the story from before? Disciple Bard: About the Five Spirit Families? Elder Sister Maid: Im sure well be able to find something more detailed in here. Disciple Bard: Hmm. Got it. Elder Sister Maid: Ill put the light over here. nk. Disciple Bard: Weve got Elder Sister Maid: Six hours till sunrise. Disciple Bard: Thats not a lot of time. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Flipping pages. Disciple Bard: (This girl Shes probably really special. She has a certain conviction in her step. Im probably the same, but thats because I have chosen to walk proudly along the path of music. What path has that girl chosen?) The Legend of the Orb A girl was born amidst the mes. With an invisible diadem shining brilliantly on her forehead. The infinite charity of this intelligent girl shone towards every existence in this world. A boy was born on the ground. The holy child of a woman from a different world and a spirit. He would purge the world of the ck evil it had be corrupted with. Their young love was tempered amidst the mes of harsh training, and the promise they made burned in their chests. They wished for wings. So they could be borne on the winds as they soared through the air. As they grew, the two young ones who so loved the divine birds hid a treasure within their chest for the blood of humans, which was a great sin to the Spirits. This sin was The hope for wings within their soul. To lock up time for their own purposes. A shattered Orb* fell onto the ck world. The children who sought atonement saw mentors in the forbidden love of the young ck sheep and became their disciples. Together, having been cursed and condemned by the Spirit King of the World, they sought to destroy the evil world. What fell was the body. What died was life. However, with the tragic shattering of the Orb, the world was split and fractured. The Spirits were now at war, and the cooperation between the Five Houses disappeared, peace was lost forever. As they warred with each other, the mes of war raged across thends and they sank deeper into the abyss of destruction. It was the girl who wished to save the World. The intelligent girl, born amidst the mes. The girl made a choice, and the choice was the world. She parted from the fingers of the boy she so loved and hugged the fragments of the Orb which remained; and so as to protect the lives of everybody in this world, her body turned into the purest of light. Under her hands, which protected all life, she became our benevolent Lord. - The Holy Empire, in an Ancient Repository of Texts Disciple Bard: This is? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Bard: But what a sad story. Even though they were willing to go through so much for their love, just by being together, the world would be destroyed. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: I suppose such a legend is normal in such chaotic times I suspect the descendants of that young man who destroyed the world would be victimised forever Elder Sister Maid: Really? Disciple Bard: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: Just to break up a young man and a young woman, the Five Spirit Families would be willing to sever ties and destroy each other? Do you think that could be possible? Disciple Bard: Im not sure But its just a legend after all. Elder Sister Maid: To begin with, there is only one Spirit. At least the Spirit which the Church talks about is only one person. Disciple Bard: Well, that me Spirit did eventually be light Rummages. Elder Sister Maid: Ah. Disciple Bard: This was in the same scroll tube? Elder Sister Maid: Its an ancient document? A contract? Disciple Bard: This is a drawing of a temple. Elder Sister Maid: Probably the blueprints. The portal between The Fourth, Amber me, and the Primarch? Gushing sound. Disciple Bard: Hey. Elder Sister Maid: Blue water?! Disciple Bard: Ahhh, but Im not getting wet. What is this?! - Exnation Orb: In the Middle Ages, the orb was a symbol of authority for monarchs and the Church and was usually made from gold or other precious stones and metals. They would be used to decorate crowns and diadems. In many legends, it is often depicted as an item possessing great Demonic power as well. - Elder Sister Maid: I dont know either! Gushing sound. Disciple Bard: (Ahh. Its all blue Like Im drowning.) Gushing sound. Disciple Bard: Golden sands The waveseth Elder Sister Maid: (What is with this light?) Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid, give me your hand. Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Yes. Clink. - In a Dream filled with Light The Spirit of Light: The Mage: The Spirit of Light: The Mage: You finally called. The Spirit of Light: The Mage: I have my hands. And my feet My whole body. It is as the Hero said. This is the Dream of the Spirit. The Spirit of Light: ro. The Mage: What? The Spirit of Light: Hero. The Mage: Wrong. The Spirit of Light: Hero Save. The Mage: The Spirit of Light: Hero The World The Mage: The Spirit of Light: HeroThis. The Mage: Ive had enough of this. The Spirit of Light: Hero. The Mage: Shut the hell up! Magic zes. The Spirit of Light: He He He The Mage: Whats with that depressed voice and that incessant crying! Are you just trying to take advantage of the Heros kindness, you vixen! Do you think hes your tool? Do you know how much trouble you have brought! The Spirit of Light: This world the weak the innocent people The Mage: I never thought that after perusing tens of thousands of texts, after finally making it to the Dream of Light, all I would get is this pathetic crying. Spirit! Its true that the World was saved by you, but do you think you should have saved it?! Was it wrong to save something that should not have been saved?! Didnt you think that it was more correct to protect your love? You have probably never stood next to the Hero, so you dont know what its like to I never dreamed that you would be like this, and even thoughing here has been a waste of time, allow me to say just one thing. This world will definitely shatter and crumble. It will never turn out the way that you want it to. The Spirit of Light: Savethisdark world The Mage: Right. The Mage: How meddlesome! Scum! - The Kingdom of Winter, a Trading Vige at the Outskirts Colonist: Stop! Someone stop this guy! Resourceful Young Man: Do you really think Ill stop if you shout at me? Colonist: You thief! Somebody! Resourceful Young Man: Haha! Just you try to chase me! Hehe! I havent eaten in a really long time so Im really light! Little Sister Maid: Hey. Resourceful Young Man: Eh? Little Sister Maid attacks. Resourceful Young Man: What are you doing, you brat! Little Sister Maid: Stealing is wrong, alright? Resourceful Young Man: Shut up! Are you telling me to die then! I have to eat this because my life depends on it! Running. Colonist: Catch him Resourceful Young Man: Theyve caught up! Get out of my way! Disciple Nobleman: My, my. Its never good to steal eggs from ady. Resourceful Young Man: Get out of my way, you drunkard. Wait, wheres your wallet? Disciple Nobleman: Just what do you intend to do with that pathetic knife? Little Sister Maid: Uuuuuh. Disciple Noblemannnn. Resourceful Young Man: Crap! Youre that guy. Disciple Nobleman: You run in a very inelegant manner. Leaps through the air. Resourceful Young Man: Eh? Little Sister Maid: Ahh! Resourceful Young Man: Ahhh, ahhh! Disciple Nobleman: Hurry up and hide that lower body of yours, its disgraceful. Resourceful Young Man: Im going to cut you. Disciple Nobleman: Sure. Kick. Resourceful Young Man: # ?? ? ! Disciple Nobleman: You have to kick these kinds of people. Little Sister Maid: That guy is blowing bubbles, isnt he? Colonist: Pant, pant, Oh its the Disciple Nobleman. Thank you very much! This damn thief! Disciple Nobleman: No, no. I just happened to be passing by. If only someone would show me the way around this ce. - The Kingdom of Metal, the Pce, in a Large Hall The Iron Fist King: As a result, the forces defending our nation from the Demons have withdrawn from the mountain pass. However, the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of White Night are separated by a long border of mountains and great rivers, along which they are now stationed. This is not a frontier easily traversable by man, but it seems it is where the Demons willy their next attack. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Female Pdin: How are the forces of the Kingdom of Metal? The Iron Fist King: Going by numbers alone, we have 60,000 soldiers, but arge number of these are colonists and refugees and are only soldiers in name. Theyve gone through some rudimentary training but they will not be applicable on a battlefield. The numbers we can properly field are closer to ten thousand men. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Kingdom of Ice can provide three thousand. Minister of Winter: The Kingdom of Winter another 7,500. The Lone Winter King: Even so, this is muchrger than it was three years ago. The Iron Fist King: However, no matter how desperate any country is, it will still require units to maintainw and order as well as police borders. So even if we totally mobilise all avable forces, the three Kingdomsbined are likely only able to provide something like 10,000 soldiers. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The problem is: What is the strength of the Demon army? The Lone Winter King: ording to a reliable source of mine, the Demons which have suddenly attacked us from the Demon World belong to a radical faction known as the Demons of the Pale. They are a war-like Tribe that is led by a young King known as the Sigiled King who came to power by assassinating his father and seizing control of the military. He hasmanded the most elite of his soldiers on his attack on the Human World and they number 25,000 strong. The Iron Fist King: Hmm. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Demons of the Pale The Lone Winter King: (This informationes from the old man) Minister of Winter: Even so, this means there are 20,000 of them. Fighting such a force could mean ourplete annihtion. The Iron Fist King: Indeed. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Lone Winter King: No, thats notpletely necessary. The total poption of our three Kingdoms is approximately 200,000. No matter how badly trained we are, if we enter into a War of Attrition* and as long as the people of our three Kingdoms live, we have a strong possibility ofsting long enough to force the Demons to retreat. Minister of Winter: The Female Pdin: This is called a Scorched Earth* tactic. At least thats what I heard from the Schr A Scorched Earth tactic is when in times of war, in order to defend against unfavourable odds, you burn or seize anything of value in thends of which the invading army is going to attack, especially buildings and food, such that you deprive them of anything which can be of use to them. By attacking your own territories and removing all supplies avable to the enemy, you can reduce the scale of battles, limit their scope, and erode the military ability of the aggressor. The Iron Fist King: Attacking your own territory The Queen of Ice and Snow: Burn andseize? The Female Pdin: That is correct. With ournd size and poption, it would be easier to achieve victory in this way. Minister of Winter: But in this way The Female Pdin: Of course, thends which we have taken great pains to cultivate, the lush and beautiful greenery of the South may return to savage wastnd unable to support life for the next ten years, maybe more. That is something that even we as the Holy Order of the Lake would not like to see happen. The Lone Winter King: The Iron Fist King: But no matter what, we have to drive the Demons back. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Have you not heard what is happening to those poor, innocent civilians in the Kingdom of White Night? The Female Pdin: But we dont really have the might Minister of Winter: Then it is clear that we must reduce the border security in other areas in order to focus on this war with the Demons. The Iron Fist King: Indeed. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Female Pdin: But the Central Continent would be just as terrible to the Tripartite Union. Minister of Winter: Even so, the present timing is such that the Demons are our greatest threat. The Lone Winter King: The Queen of Ice and Snow: It has be quite terrible indeed The Lone Winter King: Queen of Ice and Snow, what is the situation with themissions from the other Kingdoms? The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Kingdom of the Lake, the Kingdom of Branches, the Kingdom of Reeds, the Kingdom of Red Horses. The lords of other free trading cities have also expressed their willingness. Themissions have also been gathered. The Female Pdin: ? The Lone Winter King: This is the only timing. The Iron Fist King: Shall we do it? The Queen of Ice and Snow: Then The Lone Winter King: Yeah. Henceforth, the Tripartite Union will now be changed in name to the Alliance of the South. At the same time, with the addition of the Kingdom of the Lake, the Kingdom of Branches, the Kingdom of Reeds, and the Kingdom of Red Horses, we will have to jointly enact many new policies. Our final objective is the unity and joint solidarity of the Kingdoms along joint ideals of emancipation, economic stability, and free trade. The Iron Fist King: Mmm. The Queen of Ice and Snow: These are the only things which we know we need to do for sure. The Female Pdin: And will they be able to send reinforcements? Minister of Winter: What should we do The Lone Winter King: If this does be a long war, rather than reinforcements, we will probably more appreciate the materiel and supplies they can send us. We can also expect the mustering of the Zealots*. On top of that, the vinations against smallpox will enter their first phase this spring. By spreading this technology, the Holy Order of the Lake, with its headquarters in the Alliance, can probably grow throughout the Central Continent. If the Alliance falls here, not just our three Kingdoms, but the entire Human World, will be in serious jeopardy. If the Kingdoms are capable of making correct judgments, then they will definitely provide us with reinforcements. The Iron Fist King: But for that to happen, we will need more time. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Yes. The Lone Winter King nods. The Iron Fist King: You can entrust the defence of the border to one of my boys. Hes young but hes got an amazing head formand. He carries the name of the Minister of Defence and as a General, is a vital pir of our army. Minister of Winter: How many does hemand? The Iron Fist King: No more than 3,500. The Female Pdin: Alright. The knights Imand, the units from the Lone Winter King, as well as the infantry brigades from the Kingdom of Winter, we number a total of 2,000 strong. Another 3,000 men march again from the Kingdom of Winter. Together we have 5,000. I would also request the mustering of new units from the Kingdom of Metal. The Iron Fist King: As you wish. Then we will have approximately 8,500. The Queen of Ice and Snow: What of my Kingdom? The Female Pdin: I am fully aware that the military organisation of the Kingdom of Ice is not strong. I request that you deploy whatever soldiers you have to patrol the borders of the Kingdom of Metal. The Queen of Ice and Snow: I understand I wonder where that wanderer is wandering about now. The Female Pdin: I will go. My Kings and Queens, do you have any objections? The Lone Winter King: Thank you. The Iron Fist King: The General is the strongest in the Three Kingdoms. I know I can entrust him with anything. The Queen of Ice and Snow: But the enemy outnumbers him two-to-one. They are not a collection of overprivileged noblemen like the Central Continental Army, they are an elite forcemanded by a young and cruel King The Female Pdin: It will be difficult to win. Even at the very best, we will not be able to avoid a terrible battle. Minister of Winter: The Lone Winter King: What do you think? The Female Pdin: I have no intention to lose, but we cannot afford to hesitate More importantly, we must make the correct decision. As for as I know, from the Holy Crusaders which invaded the Demon World and earlier with the Invasion of the Isle of Light, the Demons are not familiar with the rules and customs of war in the Human World. This does not mean that they do not have any rules or customs of war but they have their own disciplined methods which greatly manifested in their battle tactics. If we assume that they will follow what we consider to my norm, we may suffer very gravely. In truth, I have seen this young Sigiled King of the Pale with my own eyes before. Minister of Winter: What?! The Lone Winter King: How The Female Pdin: His strength is unparalleled. I cannotpare to him at all. The Queen of Ice and Snow: That cant be The Female Pdin: However, this will not be a battle which can be won by one man alone. Especially if the Hero is around. It is too early to throw away all hope. We havent even contacted them yet. But we also should not be confident of a victory. Make no mistake, this is a gamble which will not be in our favour. - Exnation War of Attrition: This is a war in which the two sides enter into a very long conflict, continuously expending their soldiers and hence suffering constant losses; losses tend to be heavy on both sides and therefore it bes a war both seek to avoid. Scorched Earth: This is a tactic of drawing the enemy further into your own country, destroying and obliterating infrastructure and logistics which can be of use to the enemy. This is exceptionally potent in countries withrge spaces of emptynd and which can afford to suffer to inevitable economic and human damage to the country. Zealot: These are fighters who are willing to do battle based on their own personal ideals, separate from the other conventional forces, and willing to operate without promise of payment. Especially when doing wars with other countries, they may be willing to participate as reinforcements based on their idea of justice. Furthermore, countries which are unable to participate in the war for political reason may send their own soldiers under the guise of zealots. - Minister of Winter: The Lone Winter King: We will need as much support as we can possibly get. The Iron Fist King: We have to hurry up the production of weaponry and the formation of a central logisticsmand, along with gathering the reinforcements. The Queen of Ice and Snow: I will consider how my Kingdom can be of use. The Female Pdin: Let me take care of the battlefield. Umm My Kings I am a mere Pdin, but The Lone Winter King: Whatever you have to say, Im sure you can say it in the capacity of the invincible general whomands my entire army! The Iron Fist King: Thats right. And youre also an extremely beautiful and noble Pdin. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Indeed. The Female Pdin: If possibleEven at this time, I would like you to make informed decisions with unclouded hearts. Minister of Winter: ? The Iron Fist King: What do you mean? The Queen of Ice and Snow: What are you talking about? The Female Pdin: I will head to the battlefield. It is imperative that I must grasp the terrain and battlefield without dy. As this is thend of the Kingdom of Metal, we can still likely get there before the Army of the Pale from the Kingdom of White Night, but who knows how fast they move? The Lone Winter King: Hmm. Ill leave it up to you then, Grand Commander. The Female Pdin: Thank you. - The Holy Empire, the Southern ins Crown Prince Marshal: Children who have gathered to bathe in the holy light of the greatest the Holy Spirit of Light, chosen warriors of the faith! The time hase for us to make our journey! We have spent a long time on this earth, receiving the guidance of the Spirit and living of the fruit of thends which the Spirit has so kindly provided. We are the Children of the Spirit, the people chosen by the Light. But in the South, where the short days have sunk them into darkness, the Demon World hase. Here, the barbarity and perverseness of the Demon Race has taken root among the people. We must protect ournd, and so we must take up the shield and the spear and respond in force to this aggressive threat. First on the list are the Kingdoms of the South. Somehow, the Kingdoms of the South have forgotten just how much they have owed to the protection and patronage of the Continent. These Kings and their armies have already be the hands of Darkness. Why is that! The secret of the Holy Relic! The sacred remains of our saviour, the Spirit of Light. A treasure without equal! A long time ago in the distant past, the Demons took the Holy Relic from our defenceless people and hid it deep in the Demon World! The Kingdoms of the South, entranced and bewitched, have chosen to backstab and betray the charity of the Holy Spirit. Look at thends of the South! Here the people feast on heretical foods, dancing to evil, debauched music. This is all part of the despicable schemes of the Demons, carrying on the demented works of their evil predecessors from long ago! Faithful believers of the Light in the Central Continent! Whether you be high or low, rich or poor, let us advance and rescue ourrades in the South! They are fugitives in the Darkness. Having been fed nonsense about freedom, they must be saved from their backward ways and must return to the proper order of the World! We, the brave champions of the Light, must go now to rescue them from their ways! Army of the Faithful,e with me now! Come for victory, for justice! The Spirit gives us guidance! Those who fall in battle for justice will be saved! Even though people in this world may live wretched and poor lives, true friends of the Spirit will find themselves in a rich world of happiness. Here is where the true treasure of the Spirit, the Holy Relic, resides. If we can have the City of the Gate as well as the Holy Chain in our hands, then we must seize back the Holy Relic. This time will note again. With the blessings of the Spirit, we march! Roar of cheers. Soldier of Light: It is as the Spirit wills it! Soldier of Light: It is as the Spirit wills it! Soldier of Light: It is as the Spirit wills it! Crown Prince Marshal: Under the banner of the Spirit! With me to the South! Roar of cheers. Bishop: What an impressive number of people. His Highness is an incredible orator. Holy Imperial General: There are 20,000 men assembled on this field. Tenpanies. Four other divisions of simr size are presently being mustered. Bishop: Ten thousand. What a brilliant force Holy Imperial General: The Marshals grand n is to use these as the heart for the establishment of a grand army set to invade the Demon World. Bishop: Hahahahaha. We shall obliterate them. Crown Prince Marshal: Father. Bishop: Your Majesty, it was a brilliant speech. Crown Prince Marshal: This army was originally formed to serve the Church. Bishop: Hahaha. His Holiness the Primarch is also incredibly pleased with this. Crown Prince Marshal: And about the announcement? Bishop: Yes. I have made the promation exactly as His Holiness has instructed me to. The Holy Crusaders march to enact the will of the Spirit, to take back what is rightfully ours. All are wee to partake in this Holy Expedition and all lords and noblemen will be absolved of any debts and loans they owe. Crown Prince Marshal: Haha. With this, there will surely be many noblemen willing to throw themselves into a Third Holy Crusade. With a movement like this, surely all the starving serfs and colonists will be joining the Crusaders Holy Imperial General: 400,000 is a truly ridiculous number. Bishop: This is thanks to the guidance of the Spirit. It is a true blessing. Hahaha. Crown Prince Marshal: This announcement basically states that people with debts should just join the Church, but can you imagine how many noblemen will do it? Bishop: Hahaha! There is nothing for it. The copper will just have to shine through. Crown Prince Marshal: If we can get the Demon World in our hands, thisnd this richness will pay for this many times over. How rich these newnds shall be. Bishop: Our Church will be forever grateful for the manner in which you have managed to increase our standing and restore to us the Holy Relic, Your Highness. Crown Prince Marshal: I am but a faithful servant of the Spirit. Bishop: Yes, I believe we can all see that. Crown Prince Marshal: That is why I will be doing my best to make sure this seeds. Bishop: Of course! Of course! Ahahahahahahaha! Crown Prince Marshal: And His Holiness? Bishop: His Holiness will soon depart from the Imperial City. Crown Prince Marshal: Please ensure that his security is up to scratch. Bishop: The Holy Chevaliers of the Church are unrivalled, please rest easy. That being said, the evildoers in the South Crown Prince Marshal: Do not worry. Leave them to me. Volume 3 7, “You Are Not bandits.”

Volume 3 Chapter 7, You Are Not bandits.

The Kingdom of White Night, the Pce of White Night Strategist: Haha. I congratte you on this splendid victory. General of the Pale: This is all thanks to the excellence of your intelligence. Please convey my thanks to the Crown Prince Marshal on behalf of the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale. Strategist: Understood And the Sigiled King? I hear he has deposed the old one and achieved many great feats whilemanding the Tribe of the Pale? General of the Pale: His Majesty is resting in order to recuperate his strength. Strategist: I see General of the Pale: His Majesty is also extremely grateful for the assistance of the Holy Empire. This is how things should be in the beginning, should it not? We are the Race of Demons, we bring the White Night. Strategist: I suppose so, hahaha. General of the Pale: We are now fully in control and have no intention of relinquishing this. Strategist: Thank you very much for that. General of the Pale: And now to business. Strategist: Yes. General of the Pale: Firstly, we would like to know what we can hope to receive inpensation for taking down the Kingdom of White Night. Strategist: The Tribe of the Pale now has newnds in the Surface World Is that not enough? General of the Pale: Did we not win that by our sheer strength? The Holy Empire invested nothing into that. That is a very poor transaction. Strategist: I understand what you are saying In that case, perhaps I might be able to add something to that thing we agreed on before. General of the Pale: Yes. Just as you requested, we have brought along most of the product in our country. In order to move that many goods, my soldiers had to carry them man-to-man and as a result we are significantlycking in food and weaponry. Strategist: Then what do you think if I buy these goods from you at a high price? Would you consider that a transaction? General of the Pale: I would be very happy for that. Strategist: How much of the product do you have? General of the Pale: Hmm. Strategist: Approximately how much did you bring with you? General of the Pale: I have 900 caravans worth. Strategist: I see In that case, I will buy that with three times the amount of food and enough weaponry for 4,000 men. What do you think? General of the Pale: Saltpetre is a fairly valuable material. I believe five times the amount of food and the same amount of weaponry would be a fair agreement. Strategist: I understand. General of the Pale: I will hand over half the saltpetre. We will give you the rest at least before the neighbouring countries have fallen. Strategist: Very good. General of the Pale: When can you send over the food? Strategist: Let me think Since were only doing half the transaction first, I suppose it shouldnt take long. General of the Pale: In that case, I will arrange for someone to send the goods over. We are now about to reach our intelligence gathering units for the wars with the neighbouring countries. Strategist: As to be expected from the ferocious Tribe of the Pale. Intelligence Officer: Report! General of the Pale: Go ahead. Intelligence Officer: The Survey Corps* have been equipped. We are now ready to deploy! General of the Pale: We must be in time for the end of His Majestys meditation. Intelligence Officer: Yes! Strategist: The Kingdom of Metal, then? General of the Pale: Just something for us to grind our teeth on. Strategist: Out of the three Kingdoms of the South, they are the one with the most sufficient army. I suppose you will be expecting some resistance, though you are very reassured about that. General of the Pale: Indeed Eh? Strategist: What is it? General of the Pale: No, nothing. - The ins of Sci, the Hintend of the Kingdom of Metal Wind blows through the grass The Female Pdin: A very well-prepared formation. Minister of Winter: So it would seem. Even though 3,500 is a fairlyrge number The Female Pdin: I suppose our army will increase? Minister of Winter: Indeed. I see we have a very astutemander. Disciple Soldier: Pdin! The Female Pdin: Disciple Soldier! Disciple Soldier: Hahahahahaha! It has been a long time! Id thought Id never see you again! But then again, I knew I would someday! Metal Lieutenant: Dont tell me, this is?! Disciple Soldier: That is correct! Before you stands one of the three brave Companions of the Hero, the Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake, and the Grand Commander of the Combined Armed Forces of the Tripartite Union! They have called her the Pdin of Destruction! The Queen of Power! The Unbreakable Wall! My teacher, my mentor, the Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: You havent grown a bit. Minister of Winter: Hahahahahaha. Metal Lieutenant: Hahahahaha. The Female Pdin: That was embarrassing. But Im the Female Pdin. I will be taking up the position as the Commander for this battle. Your unit, the Border Security Division, wille under mymand. Metal Lieutenant: Understood! Pleasee into the pavilion! Disciple Soldier: Heh And I thought I would be themander. -- Exnation Survey Corps: These are soldiers who are trained to survey thend and its forms and to make maps outlining the terrain and the ways it can be advantageous. It is extremely foolish to get into a battle on a battlefield you know nothing about. For this reason, if battles are to be fought on unknown territory, survey corps are sent to survey the terrain. In reverse, by annihting the survey corps, the enemy can dy the advance of the army or force them to fight in unfamiliar situations, making them vulnerable to threats. The Army of the Pale ces much emphasis on the manoeuvrability and speed of its survey corps and hence the entire unit is mounted. - The ins of Sci, the Barracks of the Kingdom of Metal The Female Pdin: So, Ive read that youve fought here before? Disciple Soldier: I have. Bring the map. Metal Lieutenant: Yes. Lays out map. The Female Pdin: Hmm. Disciple Soldier: This is close to the source of the River of Purple Tears which flows through the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of Ice. The spring water from the thawing snow in the mountains flows through countless rivers, streams, and small rivulets resulting in the inundation of the ins of Sci, which is practically a swamnd. Minister of Winter: Hmm. Disciple Soldier: It is full of water so it could potentially be a very richnd with easy ess to irrigation but at present its a terrible ce for crops, swamps, and peat bogs*. However, close by is arge area which we can use for our army. Furthermore, this could be a gathering point for any army intending to pass from the Kingdom of White Night to the Kingdom of Metal. They would have to pass through various mountain passes and rough terrain but they could be here in two days, hence I have put stronger forms of surveince in ce. The Female Pdin: And how are the sentries done? Disciple Soldier: Each sentry unit is activated for half-a-day rotations, sentry is done as per normal. The Female Pdin: Hmm, Ill pass you first. Disciple Soldier gulps. Metal Lieutenant: Sir, youre looking pale. Disciple Soldier: The days I spent with the Female Pdin were fruitful but stressful, I cant stop the cold sweat. The Female Pdin: Right then, nowes the real thing. Disciple Soldier nods. The Female Pdin: We have 2,000 men at present. 500 cavalrymen and 1,500 infantrymen. They are by any counts proper soldiers with good training and decent battlefield experience. Disciple Soldier: This formation and the nearby areas can give us 3,500 soldiers. All of them are proper soldiers who are fairly well-trained and have been under mymand for some time now. Metal Lieutenant: So in total, we have 5,500 men. We will have to recalcte how much provisions and sries we will require. The Female Pdin: The enemy is atrgest 2500 strong. We do not know their strength, their equipment, nor their tactics but we are certain that they have both cavalry and archers. The cavalry are equipped with spears and the rest are generallyprised of infantry men with shields and shortswords. Disciple Soldier: And the archers are longbowmen? The Female Pdin: We do not have information about that. But they are fairly effective. Disciple Soldier: Hmm. Then we dont know what were up against. The Female Pdin: Indeed. Disciple Soldier: Based on our reports, the cavalry are equipped with gold-ted armour. The Female Pdin: Heavy cavalry Disciple Soldier: The first thing we can say is that The Female Pdin: Lets hear it. Disciple Soldier: The enemymander is no fool, and he is not a hesitant but a patient leader. It is clear that this Tribe of the Pale is very well-equipped, well-disciplined, and splendidly trained soldiers. The Female Pdin: I feel the same way. Disciple Soldier: Added to the fact that they have four times our number, if we were to engage them in a conventional war, our fate would almost surely beplete defeat. -- Exnation Peat Bog: This refers to soil rich in peat. This tends to form in marshes and wends and since peat sumbs easily to pressure and caves in often, it is not a good terrain for marching through as horses may easily sink and get stuck in it. - The Female Pdin: Indeed. Disciple Soldier: And so we have to use some kind of strategy, but the first thing we need to do is to figure out what our final objective is. Without knowing our objective, we will not be able to construct a reliable strategy. The Female Pdin: A good observation. Disciple Soldier: I put all my attention into studying the arts of war. The Female Pdin: So, youre the Minister for Defence, right? What do you think our objective should be? Disciple Soldier: To protect the people. The Female Pdin: Which people? Disciple Soldier: Of course, this includes the Kingdom of White Night. The Female Pdin: Then we only have one objective. We will destroy the Tribe of the Pale and liberate the Kingdom of White Night. Minister of Winter: Wait just a moment. At present, we dont even know if we will be able to survive, if the Kingdom will not be destroyed, and you want to talk about liberating the Kingdom of White Night?! Metal Lieutenant: Thats right! Why should we care about those traitors in the Kingdom of White Night anyway! The Female Pdin: What do you have to say to that? Disciple Soldier: No matter what, even though our battle objectives may change, we should always set our final objectives for the entirety of the campaign, right? If we try for the ultimate objective, well be able to set our intermediate goals as well. Metal Lieutenant: The Female Pdin: Right, so lets get to the question at hand. Disciple Soldier: Indeed. First, let us hide the difference in our numbers. The Female Pdin: Ho, so youre doing that? Disciple Soldier: This was done in ancient times as well. It is a feature of just and noble governance to acquire the lessons of the past. Isnt that something you taught me? The Female Pdin: We have refused soldiers from the Kingdom of Ice, and the 3,000 infantrymen from the Kingdom of Winter will only arrive in a weeks time. Minister of Winter: Yes, they are already moving as fast as they can. Disciple Soldier: I will go and call on the Settler Militia. The Female Pdin: What use are they? Disciple Soldier: We have had good results from using them asbat engineers. The Female Pdin: Terrain then. Disciple Soldier: Terrain indeed. The Female Pdin: But like you said before, the enemy are no fools, right? Would a generalmanding a force of heavy cavalry really choose a marsnd as a battleground? It would be understandable if he has no knowledge of the terrain ahead but it would be strange if he did not send scouts or observers to the battleground. Disciple Soldier: We will have to bait him then. The Female Pdin: Bait, huh. Disciple Soldier: Madam. The Female Pdin: Whats with the change of mood, this is weird. Disciple Soldier: Ive been thinking about this for a very, very long time, but you truly have the most perfect and exquisite features. From your eyes which shine like radiant crystals to your rose-coloured lips to your rich, sleek hair. You are truly a goddess, capable ofmanding the attention of everybody who looks upon you. Metal Lieutenant: Uhh. Minister of Winter: What a thing to say to the Grand Commander. The Female Pdin: Wh-what are you saying?! Disciple Soldier: No, no, I am not trying to tter you. On top of that, you are the most capablemander ever to grace the Tripartite Union of the Southern Kingdoms; truly the Female General of legend. Metal Lieutenant: Uhh Disciple Soldier: (Softly) Im praising her. Metal Lieutenant: Eh? Disciple Soldier: (Softly) Im praising her intently. I want you to join me. The Female Pdin: What are you doing? Disciple Soldier: I have dreamt of the days under which I fight beneath your banner. Metal Lieutenant: Yes! Every soldier in the Three Kingdoms yearns for nothing less than the opportunity to fight with you. Minister of Winter: Thats the truth, I now know this is the same in the Kingdom of Winter. The Female Pdin: What the hell is this about? Disciple Soldier: Please, there is no need to be humble. This is truly the consensus of our army, is it not? Come! Everyone together! Metal Lieutenant and Minister of Winter nod. Disciple Soldier: Everybody! Long live the Female Pdin! Metal Lieutenant and Minister of Winter: Long live the Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: Hey, you guys, stop! Disciple Soldier: Everybody! Long live the most brilliant and radiant Female Pdin! Metal Lieutenant and Minister of Winter: Long live the Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: Alright, stop! Ive had enough of this nonsense! ps head. Disciple Soldier: Oww. And thats how you bait someone. The Female Pdin: Eh? Disciple Soldier: The most delicious bait that is bound to make these Demons of the Pale drool all over themselves is you! - Continental Highway, a Pasture for Sheep Rumble, rumble. Shepherd Boy: Hey, whats that? Shepherd Girl: The whole ground is shaking? Eh? Whats that? Shepherd Boy: People. Lots of people! Shepherd Girl: What is going on?! Rumble, rumble. All is as the Spirit wills it All is as the Spirit wills it Shepherd Boy: What a lot of people. Ah, its an army. Shepherd Girl: But with this many soldiers, it cant be a normal lords army. No, it cant even be a normal kings army Travelling Merchant: What, havent you guys heard? Shepherd Boy: Oh, youre the Travelling Merchant. Shepherd Girl: Whats this? Whats happening? Travelling Merchant: His Holiness the Primarch has mustered the Third Holy Crusade. Shepherd Boy: Holy Shepherd Girl: Crusade? Travelling Merchant: Yeah, thats right. All is as the Spirit wills it All is as the Spirit wills it Travelling Merchant: His Holiness the Primarch has called for a massive army in order to destroy those Demons who dare to humiliate and defile our Holy Spirit of Light. Shepherd Boy: They cant all be nobles? Travelling Merchant: No, there are even serfs among them. Shepherd Boy: To that extent Marching. Shepherd Girl: How amazing. Its almost as if the world is about to end Travelling Merchant: I came from the Northwest and the same thing is going on there. Itssted for days on end. Therere a lot of people everywhere. Shepherd Boy: Do you think they would buy mutton? Travelling Merchant: Yeah, I think so? There are a lot of people following them, even prostitutes and beggars, all trying to profit from their needs. Shepherd Boy: I think Ill follow them for a while. Shepherd Girl: Isnt it kind of scary? You shouldnt go. Travelling Merchant: I have no interest in this sort of thing as well. Shepherd Boy: But we could make something. Im going to go. Shepherd Girl: Hey, wait for me, Iming too! - The ins of Sci, behind a Ridge Soft treading Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: How is it? Archer Calvary: This entire area seems to correspond to it. Scout of the Pale: What arge in. Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: Yes, on the map it seems to be 15km in length. Archer Calvary: So, what should we look at? Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: First, scout out this ridge. Scout of the Pale: Understood. Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: Be quick about it. Draw up measurements for how many rows of soldiers can advancefortably on these ins. Scout of the Pale: Understood. Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: How is the terrain? Archer Calvary: Most of it is grassy ins but there are many wet areas and some parts of it look to be slippery peat bogs. Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: Hmm. Archer Calvary: What do you think? Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: How would cavalry perform? Archer Calvary: Light cavalry should have no issues but it may be difficult for the heavy cavalry. If a horse were to lose its footing, it might not be able to get up again. However, it may be possible to avoid the marsnds and navigate through the grassy areas Scout of the Pale: But marsnds are disadvantageous even for light infantry. Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: It is much worse than it looks. It seems like the extent of usable terrain is somewhat limited. Archer Calvary: What a formidable terrain. Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: Archer Cavalry, please dismount and check the terrain from here to the centre of the ins. Note down as much of the marsnds, nds, and hilly terrain as you are able to. Many of these look like ins but are actually wet marshes, these are unsuitable inbat. Measure the centre area very carefully and if you encounter any enemies, avoid direct confrontation and gather as much intelligence on them as possible. Archer Calvary: Understood. Dismounts. Scout of the Pale: Yes? Reconnaissance Leader of the Pale: So these are sci flowers. Hmph, the invincible Tribe of the Pale shall easily crush these Humans just as we crush these weak nts under our boots. - The Southern Border, in a Deeply Forested Wood Hoot, hoot, hoot. Resourceful Young Man flinches. Little Sister Maid: Its just Mr. Owl. Resourceful Young Man: I know that! Caw, caw, caw, wings pping. Resourceful Young Man: ?! Disciple Nobleman: Come now, young man. Why are you so panicky about everything? Youre scaring the birds with your nervousness. Little Sister Maid: Youre slow. Resourceful Young Man: Thats because Im carrying all of your luggage! Disciple Nobleman: What of it? Little Sister Maid: Yeah. Disciple Nobleman: Im a nobleman, after all. Little Sister Maid: Im a girl. Resourceful Young Man: So I have to carry your luggage?! Disciple Nobleman: Didnt I save your life? Little Sister Maid: Yep, yep. Resourceful Young Man: So now Im your ve! Disciple Nobleman: With that impertinence, Im inclined to take this rapier* and slice your neck into some delicious food. Little Sister Maid: I wonder how that would taste like! Disciple Nobleman: Probably terrible. Maybe I should poke you another arsehole? Little Sister Maid: That sounds good ?? Resourceful Young Man: Alright, fine, fine, Ill carry it. Disciple Nobleman: Hey, hey, youre carrying everything. Little Sister Maid: You cant walk in front. Resourceful Young Man: Then how am I supposed to know where the ce is?! Disciple Nobleman: But you know this ce really well. Little Sister Maid: Yeah. Resourceful Young Man: Theres an abandoned ruins up ahead There should be people there. Disciple Nobleman: Ahh, here we are. Little Sister Maid: This is the smell of bean soup. Resourceful Young Man: Is that good? Disciple Nobleman: Yeah, thats our destination. Resourceful Young Man: Then this is enough for me, right? Those guys are bad. I dont want to go there. Disciple Nobleman: Ahahahaha. Didnt you say you werent a porter? Resourceful Young Man: Come on! Ive been carrying the load of two people! Little Sister Maid: ? Disciple Nobleman: ? Resourceful Young Man: Dont pretend that you dont know what Im talking about! Disciple Nobleman: What an interesting young man. Little Sister Maid: Very spritely. Resourceful Young Man: Hey, please! That ce is filled with dastardly mercenaries. Theyre worse than bandits! Theyre professionals used to a life of ughter and murder! Disciple Nobleman: Thats why wevee all this way. Resourceful Young Man: I dont get it! -- Exnation Rapier: A very thin sword. With the invention of firearms, armour became obsolete from the 16th century onwards so smaller swords could be used just as effectively. It was not a sword you carried whilst facing a fully-armoured enemy. - Disciple Nobleman: I understand. Theyre pros so Im sure theyd have noticed trespassers like ourselves at this distance. Arrow notched. Muscr Mercenary: Dont move. Drop your weapons. Disciple Nobleman: You didnt really think they wouldnt have noticed, right? - The Border of the Kingdom of Winter, a Ruined Fortress in the Woods Mercenary Leader: Right, who the hell are you? Mercenary Spear Horseman: If you dont answer, youre not going to go back home. Resourceful Young Man: Im not rted to that brat and that strange man over there. Please forgive me, oh honourable leader. Disciple Nobleman: What are you saying, you terrible loser. Little Sister Maid: My sister wouldugh at you. Mercenary Leader: So you are the Disciple Nobleman? Disciple Nobleman: Disciple Nobleman is my name. I am a believer of exquisite waltzes, the fragrance of flowers, the sweetness of wine, and the love of beautifuldies. Little Sister Maid: I am the Little Sister Maid, the future Royal Head Chef. Mercenary Leader: Hmph. And what are you doing here? Disciple Nobleman: I heard that there were some strong mercenary stragglers hiding out here in the forests so I came to investigate. Mercenary Leader: Oho Mercenary Spear Horseman: Chief. Raises spear. Disciple Nobleman: Please put that weapon down. Im not proud of it, but Im a weak guy. You might just make me wet my very gorgeous pants. Little Sister Maid: Thats not very cool Mercenary Leader: Really now? Ive lived on the battlefield for a long time. Didnt you pick up a thing or two from that terrible woman? Ive seen what she can do. Disciple Nobleman: Just a few random swings in the backyard. Im not good enough to ever hope to use it well. That being said, there are hundreds of scary people like yourselves in this fortress and I couldnt possibly escape from you all. From that tower Resourceful Young Man: Eh? Disciple Nobleman: there must be quite a few crossbows pointing straight at us, right? Mercenary Leader: It is as you say. Hehehe Then, what are you here for? Are you here to give us money too? Which one is it? Disciple Nobleman: Resourceful Young Man: Which one? Mercenary Leader: Do you want us to seize everything from the Kingdom of Winter or forgive the Kingdom of Winter for everything? Were mercenaries, so youre here to offer us money? Disciple Nobleman: I see, is that what you think I came here for? Mercenary Leader: Is there something else? Disciple Nobleman: Let me consider if there is anything else. Mercenary Spear Horseman: You cheeky fool! Resourceful Young Man: Ahhh! Mercenary Leader: What are you trying to say? Disciple Nobleman: I was just thinking you have a very well-kept warhorse. Mercenary Leader: Disciple Nobleman: Its not just about feeding it good grass. If you dont wipe it every day, youll never get that lustrous shine on its coat. That goes the same for all your other equipment; even though theyre just weapons, you really take care of them very well, like you love them, dont you? Youve got a good system for running this fortress so youre clearly not bandits. Mercenary Leader: What are you trying to say? Disciple Nobleman: To be honest, Im here to hire you. Mercenary Leader: There you go, its obvious you came for that. Disciple Nobleman: No, no, the meaning of this and my objectives for it arepletely different. Mercenary Leader: Exactly what are you trying to say? Disciple Nobleman: Im sure you know about the Kingdom of White Night, its not very far from here. Mercenary Leader: Yeah. Mercenary Spear Horseman: Hmph, those guys. Disciple Nobleman: Their capital has been seized by the Demons. Mercenary Leader: Ha. Those pathetic nobles. They couldnt even do the bare minimum of protecting their own country. What a joke. Disciple Nobleman: Right, I want you to rescue their capital. Resourceful Young Man: What? Mercenary Spear Horseman: Huh?! What the hell are you talking about?! Disciple Nobleman: Is that a strange request? Mercenary Spear Horseman: Of course! Why are you bringing us into this fight with the Demons?! And this is something for pathetic noblemen to be doing! Mercenary Leader: Hey, shut up. Right, Disciple Nobleman. While youre still alive, is that all you want to say? Disciple Nobleman: Im not trying to cover up for their mistakes. The Kingdom of White Night has been exterminated. Their King is dead and their government has been destroyed. That ce is merely a patch ofnd known as the White Night. There isnt even anyone to cover up for. Thats not important. Resourceful Young Man: Thats my country. Disciple Nobleman: What remains is a patch ofnd withrge numbers of starving and tortured people, civilians who have be serfs and ves. Thats all. Little Sister Maid: Yeah Mercenary Leader: And? Disciple Nobleman: So what these people need is a hero! Mercenary Leader: ? Disciple Nobleman: So, what do you think? Do you think you could be a Peoples Liberation Army? Mercenary Leader: Are you serious?! Disciple Nobleman: Yes. Impletely serious. To begin with, Ie from an institution where they taught us to bepletely serious even when our surroundings have degenerated intoplete insanity. These are troublesome times. The Disciple Soldier, the Elder Sister Maid, even the Female Pdin, we are all very serious about this. The people need a miracle. This is apletely serious matter. It is very grave. Mercenary Leader: What the hell. Disciple Nobleman: Im sure you know, but those Demons are now attacking the neighbouring Kingdom of Metal. I dont know how many are under theirmand but my sworn brother the Disciple Soldier heads the army that is moving to stop them. What this means is that the Kingdom of White Night is probably devoid of military strength. I know you can muster up a small army to attack them, right? These soldiers should be strong enough to take the city, at least for a while. That will buy a window of time for the surviving citizens to escape I heard what you did at the border of the Kingdom of the Kingfisher. Mercenary Leader: You, where did you hear that Disciple Nobleman: The diplomatic circle is much bigger than you think. Mercenary Leader: Disciple Nobleman: And thats why you wouldnt abandon the citizens of the Kingdom of White Night. Ie to you with this on my mind. I know that even if the wind of cowardice blows over you, you will still do this noble task. Mercenary Leader: What is my reward? Disciple Nobleman: Hey, young man. Resourceful Young Man: What is it? Disciple Nobleman: Empty the luggage. Mercenary Spear Horseman: What? You came bringing gold? Did you want to get robbed, you fool? Resourceful Young Man: Got it, Ill empty it. Mercenary Spear Horseman: Shall I open it, Chief? Whats this? Resourceful Young Man: What is this Little Sister Maid: Bacon, potatoes, and white cream pie. Mercenary Leader: What Disciple Nobleman: Eat up. Mercenary Spear Horseman: What did you say?! Disciple Nobleman: Shut up and eat the hell up! If you dont, its going to get cold. Hurry up and eat! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Chief It smells great, but it could be poisoned. Little Sister Maid: No way! I made them myself! Mercenary Leader: Give me one. Mercenary Spear Horseman: But Mercenary Leader: Hurry up Mmm. Mercenary Spear Horseman: Fine, then me too. Mercenary Archer: Me too. Mercenary Swordsman: Im starving. Mercenary Leader: Delicious. Little Sister Maid: Thank you! I tried really hard! Mercenary Leader: Ahh, delicious. How wonderful. You made this? Amazing. Its great. Even though youre so small. Ahh, whats this. I seem to have wronged youYumm. Disciple Nobleman: So, what do you think? Resourceful Young Man: Why are you so proud of yourself? Disciple Nobleman: If you save the Kingdom of White Night, there will be a lot more where that came from. Mercenary Leader: Huh? Resourceful Young Man: You will get to eat this forever. Mercenary Leader: What do you mean? Resourceful Young Man: The leader of the Peoples Liberation Army is an official, right? Whether it is in the Kingdom of Winter or in the reborn Kingdom of White Night. Having saved these people from hell on earth, you will be their hero. The people will thank you. But how do you think they will do it? If you just wanted to be bandits then why do you continue to take care of your horses so well? Why do you sharpen your weapons? You are not bandits. You are mercenaries. You are a proud mercenary group who dreams of striding back into your hometown one day. Mercenary Leader: Really? But we fought against that Female Pdin of yours before as well. Disciple Nobleman: I will carry this responsibility. As the envoy of Her Majesty the Queen of Ice and Snow and as Ambassador for the Tripartite Economic Union, I plead of you. The Kingdom of Ice will bear the cost of this. Please prepare your units, arm your men, and go into hiding along the borders of the Kingdom of White Night. When you see an opportunity, you are to free the people. I am not asking you to repulse the Demons. All I want is for you to save the people to the best of your abilities. Little Sister Maid: Please. Mercenary Leader: Mercenary Spear Horseman: Chief Mercenary Archer: Chief Disciple Nobleman: Mercenary Leader: Could I have another one? Little Sister Maid: This has a really fatty piece of pork in it. It tastes loads better when its hot. Mercenary Leader: Heh. Delicious. Splendid. How splendid. Ha. Alright! Disciple Nobleman smiles. Mercenary Leader: I ept your delicious advance payment! Alright, men! Weve got a new contract! Our war is about to begin. It is the destiny of every mercenary to die gloriously inbat. So before we die, lets earn that final bit of gratitude we never got to receive! - The ins of Sci, the Frontline Scout: Here theye! The Female Pdin: What is theirposition? Scout: Infantry in the centre. We can respond with light infantry, but they seem to be armed with veryrge wooden shields. Minister of Winter: An anti-arrow measure. Scout: Moreover, their nks are supplemented by light cavalry and heavy cavalry. It is a deep formation. The protruding section alone seems to be ten thousand strong. Light Cavalry of Winter: Ten thousand The Female Pdin: Dont be scared! I dont care if the enemy has two thousand soldiers, we have seven thousand! All that needs to happen is for each of us to kill three of them! Light Cavalry of Winter: Yes! The Female Pdin: What is the distance? Scout: They are still at the bottom of the ridge. We should contact them at noon. Minister of Winter: Commander The Female Pdin: If you see the enemymander, that Sigiled King of the Pale, I want all of you to retreat. Throw down your weapons and get the hell out. Minister of Winter: Understood. - The ins of Sci, the Army of the Pale General of the Pale: The formation isplete. This will be the rear guard. Officer of the Pale: Yes! Square Formation*! Running. Soldier of the Pale: All ready up to 15thpany! Light Cavalryman of the Pale: Light cavalry are ready! Archer of the Pale: Archers assembled. General of the Pale: And what of the enemy? Scout of the Pale: They have yet to move from their reported locations. Their frontline is established along the centre hill, they are dug in and defensive. General of the Pale: That is a good position, an excellent location from which to deploy their cavalry. Officer of the Pale: But that is the same for us as well. General of the Pale: Thats precisely why it is imperative for them to engage us with archers as much as possible, to wear down our numbers before the battle. Infantry Leader of the Pale: But things arent going to go as they expect. Weve got massive shields to block their arrows and once we get close enough, their arrows will be all but useless. Things wont go the way they n. General of the Pale: Hmm. That may be so, but we should crush the resistance of these people. This is a war of the Pale. Come! Call the Command Group! Commissar of the Pale: Reporting! Salute. General of the Pale: Ry my orders! Break through the line at the centre of the hill then charge through it with our heavy cavalry! -- Exnation Square Formation: A formation in which soldiers form a square. It is a very basic formation and is most often used by infantry. It may not be very different from a lot of other types of formations, but it is one which prizes defensiveness over manoeuvrability. - - The ins of Sci, the Frontline Light Cavalry of Winter: The fog is here. Spearman of Winter: Yeah Archer of Winter: The Demons draw close! They are in sight! The Female Pdin: Not yet, dont fire yet. Pull! Minister of Winter: All archers ready! Arrows notch. The Female Pdin: Minister of Winter: Not yet? Spearman of Winter: Theyre still out of our effective range but approaching fast. Archer of Winter: They have a lot less of thoserge shields than we thought. It seems to be some sort of emergency equipment. At this rate, our archers will be very effective. The Female Pdin: Dont tell me. Archer of Winter: We are in range. Commander, shall we fire! The Female Pdin: Archer of Winter: They draw closer, please give themand! The Female Pdin: !!! Fine. Fire! Arrows flying. The ins of Sci, the Vanguard of the Demons of the Pale ve Soldier: Ahhhhh! Commissar of the Pale: Advance! Advance! ve Soldier: No way! The arrows are like a wall! Commissar of the Pale: You are losers and stragglers! ves! ve Soldier: We are people. People shouldnt fight people! Commissar of the Pale: Ha! All this while, the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of White Night have been at war, havent you! Just what are you talking about! Stand up! Stand up and fight! ve Soldier: No way! I dont want to die! Commissar of the Pale: Then die here! Stab. ve Soldier: Ahhhhhh?! Commissar of the Pale: Do not forget that the Commiserate marches behind you! Any one of you who even tries to escape will be executed without question! ve Soldier: Wh-what! Commissar of the Pale: Pick up your spears! Advance! Take that hill! The ins of Sci, in the Forest, an Ambush Spot Disciple Soldier: Hide the horses in the reeds. Quietly. Soldier of Metal: Yes. Disciple Soldier: Clink, clink. Officer of Metal: Looks like it has begun. Soldier of Metal: Disciple Soldier: Our responsibility is to stay here. Do not worry, have faith in the Commander. Officer of Metal: Yes. Disciple Soldier: Just three more hours and we might be able to turn this around. Until then Officer of Metal: Yeah. The n of the Minister of Defence will work. Disciple Soldier: Hahahaha. This was thought up by the Female Pdin. Officer of Metal: But you gave her the inspiration for it! Disciple Soldier: She is my teacher. Officer of Metal: I Ahh, fine. Actually, Ive learnt a lot from you, and who I am today is the product of what you have given me. Disciple Soldier: Youve saved me on many asions too. Officer of Metal: Oh no, I wouldnt say that. Scout: General. Disciple Soldier: What is it? Scout: An unidentified force is advancing upon our position from behind. Soldier of Metal: Behind?! What? Scout: Theyvee down the roads and into the forests. But theyre not Demons, theyre Humans. Soldier of Metal: Reinforcements? We would sure be happy for all the help we can get Officer of Metal: Send an envoy and figure out who they are first. Disciple Soldier: Yeah, they could be thebat engineers since they were quite separated from us thest time. In any case, Scout, please confirm who they Bang! Officer of Metal: ?! Soldier of Metal: Wh-what Bang! Bang! Disciple Soldier: Whats this Soldier of Metal: General! General! Disciple Soldier: Calm down! Soldier of Metal: Our rear guard and the settler militia havee into contact with the mysterious army! They are attacking! Theyre obliterating us with some sort of thunder-producing ranged weapon! Disciple Soldier: What?! The Kingdom of Metal, the Pce, the Grand Hall The Hero: Alright, shall we go? The Queen of Fairies: Any time. Fairy Maiden: Im a bit scared. The Hero: Leave it to me. At the very least, Ill make sure youre able to escape. In any case, Humans are the kind of people who like to randomly wave their swords about. The Queen of Fairies: Calm yourself. We are on a mission from the Demon King herself. She is expecting our sess. Fairy Maiden: Yes The Hero: Alright. Lets go. Opens doors. The Hero: Lone Winter King. Iron Fist King. Queen of Ice and Snow. I apologise for the wait! The Iron Fist King: Oho, Hero. How early. The Lone Winter King: Is something the matter? The Queen of Ice and Snow: It must be cold this early in the morning, right? Come by the hearth. The Hero: Umm, ahem. Today I have brought some guests from a very distant part of the war. Allow me to introduce them to you. The Queen of Fairies: It is a pleasure to meet you. Fairy Maiden: A pleasure. Curtsies. The Iron Fist King coughs. The Lone Winter King: The Queen of Ice and Snow: Eh? The Hero: Umm, on the right is the Iron Fist King, the King of the Kingdom of Steel. He is the sovereign of the Kingdom and the Pce which we are currently in. You could say that he is currently inmand of the war with the Demons of the Pale. In the centre is the Lone Winter King. The King of the Kingdom of Winter. Hes the one who got the Three Kingdoms to unite into the Tripartite Economic Union. Thedy on the left is the Queen of Ice and Snow. The Kingdom of Ice is and famous for its poets and bards. Its a small country sandwiched between the Kingdoms of Metal and Winter and has developed a very splendid culture for it. The Queen of Fairies: I see. The Iron Fist King: Eh? The Hero: Right, and my guest hails from the Demon World and is one of the Eight Great Khans of the Kurultai. She is the Khan of those who live in the woods, who flit in the early dawn and the close of dusk, the Tribe of Fairies, the Queen of Fairies. She is apanied by herdy-in-waiting the Fairy Maiden. The Queen of Fairies: I apologise for thete greetings. I am the Queen of Fairies. Fairy Maiden bows. The Lone Winter King: The Hero: Umm, well, shes a fairly powerful figure in the Demon World, but shes not here in that capacity. Shes a special envoy representing the Kurultai, in other words, the highest authority in the Demon World. She does not just convey the intentions of the Kurultai, but also of the Demon King. The Iron Fist King: Hero, is this some kind of joke? The Lone Winter King: Its not a very funny joke. The Hero: No, Impletely serious. The Queen of Fairies: The Iron Fist King: Demon The Lone Winter King: Queen of Fairies. You must havee a very long way. Come and sit by our hearth. It must be cold,e and share in the warmth of the embers. The Iron Fist King: What are you saying, this is a Demon?! The Lone Winter King: That may be so, but she is still a Queen. Even an enemy sovereign must be treated with the respect that they deserve. Moreover, shese from an incredibly faraway ce. Look. She hasnt brought any guards, just a defenceless handmaiden. Its clear that shes not here for any sort of warlike purpose. The Queen of Ice and Snow: But The Lone Winter King: Moreover, the Hero brought her here. I trust him. The Iron Fist King: Thats true If the Iron Fist King lets a woman scare him, I would never hear the end of it. The Queen of Fairies: Thank you. Wings flittering. The Lone Winter King: Lets hear it. The Queen of Fairies: I have many things to say. Firstly, I represent the Nine, no Eight Great Tribes, in seeking permission to pass through the Human World We may live in troubling times, but I have made this trip to the Human World to seek this pledge. The Iron Fist King: Are you intending to invade us again? The Lone Winter King: The Hero: If you start like this, you wont understand what shes trying to say, would you? The Lone Winter King: That being said, why are you apanying a Demon? Have you crossed over to their side? The Hero: No one ever said that would be a bad thing? The Queen of Ice and Snow: That is heresy. The Lone Winter King: My Queen, please do not forget that we are all heretics. The Queen of Ice and Snow: True, but The Hero: This all began, well It all began a really, really long time ago, but this thing started with the Demon King needing to recover from her injuries. And then the Kurultai. The Iron Fist King: Kurultai? The Hero: Yeah, the Kurultai is arge Conference. The Demon King calls the Khans of the Eight Tribes together and they congregate withrge numbers of their people. The Demon World is nominally ruled by the Demon King, but in actual fact, it is factionalised between severalrge Tribes, which have been fighting for influence and dominance for hundreds of years. However, due to an unprecedented threat, in other words the Human invasion, there has been rtive peace between the Demon Tribes for thest 15 years or so. The Iron Fist King: Invasion? We were the ones who were invaded. The Queen of Fairies: Well actually, it was the Humans who destroyed the seal on the gate and invaded first. The Lone Winter King: I see The Queen of Fairies: Yeah. The Iron Fist King: What? What do you mean? The Lone Winter King: No, I had my doubts from the start. Why did the Church dispatch such a massive and well-equipped investigation squad? And why was the investigation squad known as a Crusade? The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Queen of Fairies: But that is not what I havee here to talk to you about today. The Demon World is at war with the Human World. Because the Demons did not end it we have been expending much of our energy killing and attacking each other. The result is, as you know, with the Demons sessfully taking the Isle of Light. However, in return, our holynd the City of the Gate was lost. Wings flittering. The Queen of Fairies: The frontlines appeared to draw into a stalemate, but reality was different. The Humans changed their tactics. There were rumours of an invincible Human warrior known as the Hero. This Hero and hispanions roamed the military mustering points and the ancient temples of the Demon World. With formidable weapons and incredible magic, he broke the Demon Armies wherever he went. Because they were so few in number they were impossible to find, and we suffered continuous setbacks at their hands As these attacks carried on, it became clear that the Humans would eventually triumph over the Demons with his help, and the name of the Hero struck fear and revulsion into everybody But then, the Hero and the Demon King engaged in a fierce battle, with both being heavily injured, and they disappeared That is the story that was widespread in the Demon World. The Iron Fist King smiles. The Hero: The Queen of Fairies: But the Demon King was not dead. We knew that immediately. This may be difficult to exin to Humans, but the Demon World cannot exist without a Demon King. If the Demon King goes down, another Demon King will be chosen immediately. As long as that does not ur, then the Demon King has not died. However, the present Demon King has received one constant criticism. And that is the fact that she is poor inbat and weak. Of course, the Demon King is a genius in strategy and administration. I myself highly respect the present Demon King, in some ways more than her predecessors but this criticism was levelled against her by many of the Khans, who were disgruntled by it. Over time, the rumours that the Demon King was recovering from her injuries continued the longer she had disappeared. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Is that why we had that period of peace? The Queen of Fairies: Yes, it is. And three years passed. In that time, the Isle of Light passed back into Human hands, and the Demons reimed the City of the Gate, but on the whole, peace reigned. With the help of the Hero, many destabilising elements in the Demon World were purged. Of course, the wars in the Human World had started as well, but without themand of the Demon King we could not unite tounch any serious attacks on the Human World. I hope you do not misunderstand when I say that the vast majority of the Demon World still supported invading the Humans. The Lone Winter King: Well, and then? The Queen of Fairies: The Demons do not believe in venerating one god like you do in the Human World. Each Tribe has its own teachings and its own cultures. What do you think when you see me? With these wings? I dont look anything like the Demons of the Pale, right? This is just a difference in appearance, but with these, it is difficult to avoid differences in ideology and culture. The Demons live in a world split into different Tribes, eachprised of countless Demons. Of course, each Tribe has its own ideology and often engages in wars with the others. To begin with, in those three years, there were very few Demons who were not enraged that the holy site for most of the Demon gods, the City of the Gate, belonged to the Humans. As a result, many Demons harboured ill-intentions towards the Humans. As those three years passed, rumours arose that the Demon King had rerisen, and the Kurultai was summoned. The Lone Winter King: (That matches the intelligence we received from Grandpa.) The Iron Fist King: Is that so? The Queen of Fairies: Of course, the content of the Conference was how to progress the war with the Humans. At the very least, the majority of Demons considered this heavily on their minds. However, among them there were people like the Tribe of Fairies who sought an end to the war. Why should we, a small and fragile Tribe, expose ourselves to the immense dangers of war? We spent a long time advancing our views to the other Eight Tribes together with the Demon King, trying our best to achieve a ceasefire. The Iron Fist King: A ceasefire?! Really?! The Lone Winter King: The Queen of Fairies: However, even though some of us truly wished for peace, powerful elements in the Demon World fought against us. Not only were they enraged and sought revenge, they also sought the newnds and the overflowing riches of the Human World. In the eyes of powerful Demons, the Human World was like a ripe fruit waiting to be picked. The Conference went on for a long time. A very, very long time. Roughly a month. With the persuasiveness of the Demon King, the Kurultai slowly progressed towards a consensus for a ceasefire. That is when the Tribe of the Pale hatched their schemes to assassinate the Demon King. As a result of this betrayal, the Eight Great Tribes split into two, setting aside the agenda of the war with the Humans and focusing on the anarchy of the chaotic world in which Demons would fight each other again. However, due to the wisdom and courage of a select few individuals, the worst case scenario was avoided. The result was that only the Tribe of the Pale broke away from the Demon World and the circle of Khans and chose independently to oppose the entire Demon World. It is definitely true that the Tribe of the Pale are a battle-hardened martial Tribe but they do not have the strength to break thebined alliance of the Tribe of the Fang, the Tribe of Dragons, and the Tribe of Banshees. We sought to crush the Tribe of the Pale and restore the Kurultai. We thought we had them trapped in their own territory and that with a slow siege we could force them to realise that they could not possibly hope to defeat the entire Demon World on their own. The Lone Winter King: And to escape, the Tribe of the Pale attacked the Human World? The Queen of Fairies: That is correct. We soon received news that the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale had invaded the Human World at lightning speed and conquered the Kingdom of White Night. The Iron Fist King: So in the end, you brought your misfortune to us. The Queen of Fairies: Iron Fist King, your reputation for hardness precedes you. It is as you say, the situation before you is the result of our internal situation and we have brought our harm to the Human World. As a result, the Demon World hopes to be given the opportunity to right this grave wrong. The Iron Fist King: Dammit. The Queen of Ice and Snow: No, thats not right. Putting it another way, this development is the result of the Hero injuring the Demon King and leaving the Demon World in a mess for those few years. The Iron Fist King: But thats because the Demons invaded the Human World. The Lone Winter King: If youre talking about who did what first, then theres a good chance we started it. The Queen of Ice and Snow nods. The Queen of Fairies: The Eight Great Tribes of the Kurultai The Queen of Ice and Snow: Sorry, just a moment. The Tribe of the Demons of the Pale have left the Kurultai, right? So shouldnt there be seven? The Hero: Ah. The Queen of Fairies: Yes. I didnt say this earlier because I didnt want to make it moreplicated, but as a result of the Demon Kings reactions to the schemes of the Demons of the Pale, a new Tribe was added to the Kurultai. The Tribe of the Gate. They are the only Tribe in the Demon World with a Human Khan. The Iron Fist King: A Human?! The Hero: Ive probably got to exin this segment. Lone Winter King. You do remember that there were approximately 20,000 Holy Crusaders garrisoned in the City of the Gate, right? The Lone Winter King: Yes. The Hero: And you remember that they fled with their tails between their legs to the Isle of Light? The Lone Winter King: If they hadnt attacked the Demons from behind, they would have begun a massive counterattack. We would have lost a lot of soldiers and many, many people would have died. Because of them, the value of our victory did not diminish and they practically saved the day, right? What about them? The Hero: Looks like you only got half the story. The Lone Winter King: But I do know that the City of the Gate remained a ce with a strong Human presence. The Hero: More urately, it has be a Free City ruled by a Self-Governing Council. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Is that simr to the Free Cities in the Human World? The Hero: It is the same. Except they have no sovereign and are ruled by a group of representative Councillors. Well, its true that the bulk of the garrison did flee from the City of the Gate, retreating into the Human World, but most of the citizens stayed. And make no mistake, there were a lot of civilians. Nearly ten thousand merchants, artisans, and shopkeepers stayed behind. Having been abandoned by the Crusaders, they chose to adopt amicable rtions with the Demons. If they hadnt done that, it is likely that they would all have been ughtered to thest man. I believe it was a wise decision. As a result, the City of the Gate has be a city in which Demons and Humans live together in harmony. Furthermore, the Self-Governing Council has proimed that the entire city is a Tribe. The Iron Fist King: A Tribe? Isnt that a group of people who are born in the same area? The Hero: Most of the time, that is so, but there is now which says that. As long as you all adopt the same name and the same values, no matter who you are, you can start your own Tribe. Thats why the remaining Humans in the City of the Gate have joined hands with the Demons who live in the same City of the Gate and dered themselves the Tribe of the Gate. And they have been epted into the Kurultai too. They oppose the war, of course. It is because of their involvement that the Kurultai is moving towards a ceasefire. Of course, there is still strong suspicion and opposition against Humans. It is a fact that there is some doubt as to whether or not a ceasefire can ever be properly implemented. However, we have a lot to lose if we get into a war. Its possible that both Worlds will be ravaged and destroyed by the end of it. The Iron Fist King: Ravaged The Lone Winter King: Mmm. The Queen of Fairies: Ie to you today representing the will of the Kurultai, the Eight Great Tribes, and the Demon King. Of course, we know that the Human World is not a monolithic organisation. But in order for the Demon World to be involved in halting the excessive violence of the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale I would like to outline our intentions. Firstly, I believe you should consider allowing us to deal with them directly. Allowing the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale to progress so far is our responsibility. We hence request for the permission for the Demon Army to march to the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale and engage them. Moreover, we would like to request a ceasefire with the Tripartite Economic Union. To be honest, we would like a ceasefire with the entire Human World, but achieving a ceasefire with just a section of it would be a great step forward as well. The Iron Fist King: The Lone Winter King: What do you think? The Queen of Ice and Snow: Well The Queen of Fairies: Fairy Maiden: The Iron Fist King: And how many soldiers would the Demon Army bring into ournds? The Queen of Fairies: About ten thousand. The Iron Fist King: What evidence do you have to prove that everything you have told us is not a lie, that this is not just a n for you to reinforce the Army of the Demons of the Pale and invade the Human World together? The Queen of Ice and Snow: That is a possibility. The Queen of Fairies: By the Portal between our Worlds, there are currently one thousand Fairy Maidens waiting for mymand. Fairy Maiden: Yes The Iron Fist King: Maidens? The Queen of Fairies: Until the Demon Army has retreatedpletely from your World, these Maidens, along with myself, will be held in your cities as hostages. Will that be enough? The Iron Fist King: The Lone Winter King: I cant say for sure whether or not theres some scheme behind this, but with regards to the situation in the Demon World for thest three years and their strengths, I can say for certain that these have been verified by my own intelligence-gathering units. The Iron Fist King: Hero. The Hero: ? The Iron Fist King: Just what is your intention in having us cooperate with the Demons? The Hero: Of course I have intentions and ideas but for now this is mostly a matter of gains and losses. The Iron Fist King: The Lone Winter King: Thats true. Its not like the Hero is a subject of the Southern Kingdoms. The Queen of Ice and Snow nods. The Hero: To avoid a misunderstanding, I think there is something I should say. The Iron Fist King: Yes? The Hero: I am not the saviour of the Human World. I am the Hero I save whichever World has people who need saving. If there is a need for me to be there, no matter who is oppressing whom, I will be there to help. The Iron Fist King: So you would even be the enemy of the Humans? The Hero: This is not a matter of enemies or allies. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Lone Winter King: The Hero: Dont look so scared. The Lone Winter King: So these are the crossroads. The Iron Fist King: What do you mean, Lone Winter King? The Lone Winter King: If we need it, then you will save us too? The Hero: As much as my strength allows. The Queen of Ice and Snow: How exactly are you going to save us? The Hero: Well, if the dialogue between the Queen of Fairies and the Three Kingdoms continues. I believe that what we are doing here, right here right now, is what will save the World. Volume 3 8, “This is order — The Musket.”

Volume 3 Chapter 8, This is order - The Musket.

- The ins of Sci, the Frontline The Female Pdin: Have no fear! Eyes front! Fire! Minister of Winter: Fire! Spearman of Winter: But!!! Archer of Winter: The enemy is the Kingdom of White Night! The Female Pdin: Do not hesitate! I will take all responsibility! Look! Face front and look! They are soldiers charging up to us with weapons. They are soldiers. They are no ves. They are not dying from arrows to their backs. If you have pain and regret from hurting them then we will surely die in their hands. Let me shoulder the burden of the shame of murder. Do not think about anything else. Fire! Minister of Winter: Behind us are 200,000 settlers from the Three Kingdoms! If you take one step back, it is their lives that will be lost! Spearman of Winter: Ahhh! Archer of Winter: Fire! Arrows flying. The Female Pdin: Cavalry on the right nk! Minister of Winter: Yes! Cavalryman of Winter: Assembled, mdy! The Female Pdin: Move out! Prepare to attack in three waves. Charge! - The ins of Sci, the Army of the Pale General of the Pale: Hmm, theyre not being destroyed. Officer of the Pale: The enemy is holding up well. General of the Pale: But our losses are mostly ves. Theyre just tools for us to use as we wish Infantry! Infantry Leader of the Pale: Yes! General of the Pale: Back up the Commiserate and those pathetic ves. Form a line of attack and press on from behind. Use the Humans as shields and construct a bridge head on the central hill! Infantry Leader of the Pale: Yes! Heavy Infantry! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Infantry Leader of the Pale: Prepare to advance! Helmets on! Form up in three waves of five rows! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! General of the Pale: Light Cavalry! Light Cavalryman of the Pale: Yes! General of the Pale: Support the infantry advance from the right wing! Avoid casualties. Leave the heavy fighting to the infantry. Your goal is to disrupt their rear guard! Light Cavalryman of the Pale: Understood, sir! The ins of Sci, the Frontline The Female Pdin: Ugh! Third Archer Company, retreat one hundred paces! Central Spears, support! Minister of Winter: Hurry up with the supplies! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Witness the power of the Pale! For the Sigiled King! Spearman of Winter: Are they trying to scare us! Archer of Winter: For the Female Pdin! The Female Pdin: You will not so easily scare the brave men of the South! Minister of Winter: Stand your ground! Spearman of Winter: Yes! Soldiers: For the Female Pdin! Soldiers: For our homes! Spearman of Winter: Hurry up and go! Get replenished and take back the frontline! Archer of Winter: Understood, leave it to us! sh! nk! Push forward! Push forward! ves get out of the way! Longswords! The Female Pdin: Now! Charge! Cavalry of Winter: Chaaaaarge!! The Female Pdin: Hit their Heavy Infantry! Destroy their formation! - The ins of Sci, the Ambush Point Officer of Metal: What is going on?! Soldier of Metal: The enemy, the enemy are Humans! Dont tell me Disciple Soldier: Mount! Horses whinny. Disciple Soldier: Officer! Officer of Metal: Yes! Disciple Soldier: I hand overmand of the unit to you. This is a fight to the death! From their cannon sounds, it seems the enemy are few in number. I will cover your rear. Officer of Metal: Yes Cannon sounds? Disciple Soldier: Its fine. Just make sure to do what I say. Officer of Metal: But we only have a hundred cavalrymen at this ambush point! How are you going to engage! Disciple Soldier: It is not a matter of numbers. Smiles. Boom! Disciple Soldier: Cavalry, follow me! Attack the enemy behind us! Officer of Metal: Minister! Minister! Disciple Soldier: (Muskets?! But those weremissioned by the Crimson Schr in the workshops and forges of the Kingdom of Metal in order to counteract the threats of heresy against us Dont tell me, the Kingdom of Metal) Bang! Bang! Bang! Disciple Soldier: Cavalry Leader! How many are we?! Carry on! Cavalry Leader: All assembled. One hundred! Cavalryman of Metal: Lets go! Yaaa! Bang! Bang! Disciple Soldier: Listen up! Our enemies are musket units! They are using weapons simr to crossbows. With these, armour is practically useless. The only way to stay safe from them is to be behind them! However, their range is short and they can only fire one round before having to reload. Bang! Bang! Bang! Disciple Soldier: We are going to surprise them from the side and cause chaos among their ranks to save our allies! The enemy may have spearman, so we are going to charge at the highest speed possible! Cavalry Leader: Yes! Cavalryman of Metal: Understood! Disciple Soldier: Right now, the forest is filled withbat engineers from the Kingdom of Metal. They are only soldiers in name, they are really just a group of settlers. They arerades who have taken to the battlefield to protect their homes and the people they love. We will not leave them to die. Furthermore, our Grand Commander, the Female Pdin, is fighting on the marshy centregrounds. She has risked her life for this strategy, we will not let her down! Cavalry Leader:We, the warriors of Metal, pledge our lives to yournd! - The Kingdom of Metal, the Pce, the Great Hall The Hero: Well. The Iron Fist King: The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Hero: I decided to infiltrate the heart of the Demon World as an assassin. I thought that if I could assassinate the Demon King and maybe all the powerful Demons in the Demon World, I might be able to bring peace Thats what I thought anyway. Without considering why we were at war or what it would take to achieve peace, I stubbornly and irresponsibly tried to achieve my ends violently. I never saw that I would never be able to bring about the new world which I wanted in this manner. The Queen of Fairies: ck Knight Fairy Maiden: ck Knight Theyre here! The Hero: Yes, I know. Looks like its time for me to make my appearance. Rattling. The Queen of Fairies: What are you going to do? The Iron Fist King: What is going on?! Rumbling. The Lone Winter King: What is with this shaking?! The Hero: I am going to fulfil my responsibilities. Lone Winter King, Iron Fist King, Queen of Ice and Snow. I beg of you, please ensure that your sessors will always carve a path for the good of their people I really want to see what is on the other side of the hill. sh! - The Pce of Metal, 4000km in the Sky sh! The Hero: You came. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Thats what I was about to say. The Hero: The Sigiled King of the Pale: I never expected to get this far. Using meditation, Ive managed to train up a very strong set of magical abilities. The Hero: Indeed. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Ha. The Hero: Whats so funny? The Sigiled King of the Pale: How sad. The Hero of old was so much more powerful than the person I am facing now. The Hero: The Sigiled King of the Pale: Curse of zing Leaves! Boom! The Hero: Ha! Take this! Seal of Heavenly Ice! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Ha, you left an opening! Zap! The Hero: Gaaaah! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Now do you understand? The Hero: Ha Ha The Sigiled King of the Pale: My power is greater than yours. You cannot hope to beat me in a direct confrontation. Your attacks are just pointless movements which leave you open to my powerful attacks. In other words, there is nothing you can do to stop this crisis. Nothing! The crisis has already begun. Isnt that your job? Saving the world!!! Isnt it? Hero! Curse of the Inferno Sky! The Hero: You?! You purposely aimed that at the City! Yaaaaaaaah! Seal of Heavenly Ice! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Too slow! Bang! The Hero: Ahhh! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Your body and your heart are weak! You cannot bear the watch the destruction of the city below. You really are the Hero. Thats all you will ever amount to. Let me teach you what it means to face the Sigiled King I admit, yourbat abilities may be better than mine. but, what will decide if you win or lose The Hero: Dammit! The Sigiled King of the Pale: is something else! Boom! The Hero: Ha! Fine! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Shut your impudent mouth. The Hero: I will cut you down. I will never leave the Humans! Even if they all hate me, even if I have to do this alone, even if I lose to you, never! The Sigiled King of the Pale: ?! The Hero: Ooooooohhhh! Spell of the Raging Typhoon! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Th-this is?! Whoooooosh. The Hero: Ha! Can your level of Flight Magic sustain this? This is a stronger version of the esoteric arts of Weather Magic. We can fight in this hurricane. Ill force you to move somewhere else! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Spell of Lightfoot! Curse of ming Screams! Eyes of Heaven! Charm of Solid Might! The Hero: Charm of Haste! Sword of Lightning! Mirror Step! Boooooooom! The Hero: Just give up now! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Never! I will never let you escape unscathed! Boom! sh! Boom! The Hero: Armour! ck Armour! I invoke thy name, blow aside the attacks of mine enemy! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Why are you using that! The Hero: Dont you know! Just who do you think I represent?! Can you understand what I stand for?! From your expression, I know you cant! Booom! The ins of Sci, the Army of the Pale General of the Pale: How is it going? Officer of the Pale: Our forces are pressing them hard, the battle rhythm is picking up. Its just a matter of time now. Cavalryman of the Pale: We have seeded in breaking the enemy. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! General of the Pale: Situation report! Infantry Leader of the Pale: We have advanced fifteen paces up the hill. We are now engaged inbat with arge unit of 1,500 infantrymen! Yaaaa! sh! Clink! Witness the power of the Pale! For the Sigiled King! General of the Pale: Thats all the enemy amounted to. Hmph. The Female Pdin is it? How ridiculous, a beautiful maiden. I like me a young, beautiful, immature young girl; do they really think a girl canmand an army?! Whichever soldier manages to capture the enemymander alive will be immediately promoted two grades. Ready 5,000 reserve units! Heavy Infantry assemble! Stomp! Stomp! Heavy Infantry of the Pale: We stand before you! General of the Pale: The enemy line is faltering and weak! Punch through it with all youve got! We have the advantage of numbers, we outnumber them two to one! Their resistance ends here! Finish them! - The ins of Sci, the Front Line The Female Pdin: Spears on the right wing advance 50 paces! Maintain your formations! Archers support the right nk! Fire at will! Minister of Winter: More spearmen to the centre line! Push! Push! The Female Pdin: Carry away the casualties! Lightly injured archers, join the medical corps! Keep your heads down! Minister of Winter: The left wing cavalry have returned! The Female Pdin: Good work! Thanks to you the retreat of the centralpanies was sessful. You have my gratitude, please rest now. Mixed Cavalry Leader: What are you saying! Female Pdin! We havent even gotten started yet! Give us the next order! The Female Pdin: Im sorry. Yaaaaa! nk! nk! Push! Push For the Sigiled King! Push! Take the hill! Advance! Advance! Mixed Cavalry Leader: Commander! The Female Pdin: Alright! Thats the spirit, cavalrymen! I am incredibly proud of you! Spearmen, assemble! Fly out from the centre and left wing, encircle, and attack the Demons from behind! Mixed Cavalry Leader: Lads! You heard the Commander! Take down those Demons! Lets go!! - The Borders of the Kingdoms of Metal and White Night Boom! Zap! Bang! The Hero: Lightning Destruction! General of the Pale: Curse of the ck Inferno! mes licking. The Hero: ! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Haaaaaaa! Haaaaa!!! Boom! Boom! The Hero: Hah! Haiya! How is it? The Sigiled King of the Pale: Ugh. The Hero: This is what humans are like. The Sigiled King of the Pale: You monster! Boom! Zap! The Hero: Thats not something you should be saying, Mr. Failed Candidate. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Dont call me that!!! Boom! The Hero: ?! Whats that?! The Sigiled King of the Pale: A Human unit?! Ill deal with them! The Hero: No! Bonds of Lightning! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Hahaha! Toote! Watch this! - The Kingdom of Metal, the ins of Sci, to the South The Demon King: I understand the situation. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, we havent received word from the Queen of Fairies The Demon King: I know, but all we can do is wait. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: East Fortress Base Commander, verify the situation for me again. East Fortress Base Commander: From here to the centre its all shallow marsnd. The speed of cavalry is sharply reduced and control is difficult. The Demons of the Paleunched repeated assaults from the West to the central hill. The Female Pdin is holding the centre with her units, and I can see that theyre all excellent soldiers but their fatigue is evident. It wont be long before they break. The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord, shall we go? The Silver Tiger Lord: Of course. We are the eight thousand strong warriors of the Fang, we live in the wilds of the mountains! This marsh is no obstacle for those who are not weak! The Demon King: All soldiers are to wear crimson red for identification. The Silver Tiger Lord: All preparations have been concluded. The Demon King: Then you are to advance upon the ins of Sci at top speed! The Silver Tiger Lord is to take his entire force and envelope the nk of the Army of the Pale! Do not hold back, turn the tides of this battle! The Silver Tiger Lord: Understood! The Silver Tiger Lord: Proud warriors of the Fang! Hear the orders of the Demon King! Take up your swords, we will swing down upon them like a fell wind, tear them to pieces! Follow me! - The Capital of White Night, a Ruined Street Clink, clink, clink! Security Trooper of the Pale: Were under attack! Security Trooper of the Pale: The enemy?! Ahhh! Mercenary Archer: Take the Bell Tower*! Mercenary Swordsman: Continue on to the barracks. Call for reinforcements. Mercenary Archer: Leave it to me. Mercenary Leader: Come, you dipsheets! Lets go! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Haiya! Yaa! nk! nk! Mercenary Leader: Dismantle their defensive palisades! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Come on! Crash! Starving Citizen: Ahh! Starving Refugee: Who are you! Mercenary Leader: Oi! Are you the people of this Country?! Starving Citizen: We are! You killed those Mercenary Leader: I know! Where is your Chief? Wherere all the people who got captured? Starving Refugee: We dont know! They were probably locked up and imprisoned somewhere. Therere a lot of things going on in that big manor there Mercenary Spear Horseman: Big manor Security Officer of the Pale: Come on! Attack! Security Trooper of the Pale: Agghh! Mercenary Leader: Die! Hack! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Like the Chief said! Kill them! Hack! Mercenary Swordsman: Chief! Weve got the barracks under control! There doesnt seem to be many soldiers around. Where the hell are they Mercenary Leader: Got it! Most of them are in the castle. Search through the mansions of the noblemen and therger buildings! If you find any imprisoned refugees or citizens, free them and tell them to run and just bring food and clothes! Head to the northwest forest. Got it? Get them to leave behind their valuables and luggages. If they move too slowly they will die! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Understood! Five or six of you with me. The rest of you follow the Chief. Mercenary Leader: Were going to attack the castle! Mercenary Swordsman: Yes! Mercenary Leader: Form an Archer Brigade. Control all the bell towers. After that, take the castle walls. The enemy are few and disorganised. Take advantage of their weakness! Mercenary Archer: Understood! Thin Girl: Chief, please Mercenary Leader: Yes? Thin Girl: Water Mercenary Leader: Yeah, here. Girl, whats up with your face? Its all ck? Thin Girl: My mother dirtied it that way so I wouldnt get attacked Mercenary Leader: I see How smart. In that case, stay smart! Head to the northwest with your mother! Get anyone else you see along the way to follow you. There are no more Demons there. Understood? -- Exnation Bell Tower: A tall structure from which a bell is hung. These were originally gong towers in Buddhist countries but gradually spread West and were adopted by Christian churches as tall towers with bells installed on them. The bell towers of the Holy Church of Light are closer to thetter. They are tall stone structures and are hence excellent vantage points from which the fire is taking ce on the castle. - Thin Girl: Alright. Mercenary Leader: Alright, hurry up! Ive got work to do. Thin Girl: Thank you! Mercenary Leader: Shut up Go! The Capital of White Night, the Ruined Street nk, nk. Security Officer of the Pale: No retreat! Anyone who retreats will face the wrath of the Sigiled King! Security Trooper of the Pale: Humans! You pathetic creatures, die! Mercenary Swordsman: They have no idea what is happening to them, do they? Mercenary Archer: Fire! Whoosh! Whoosh! Security Officer of the Pale: What?! Security Trooper of the Pale: Behind?! Security Trooper of the Pale: Aghhhh! Mercenary Leader: How is it going? Mercenary Spear Horseman: The streets are almostpletely under our control. Most of the citizens have fled to the southwest. Ive got a small squad liberating the smaller houses. Mercenary Leader: Hurry up. Mercenary Spear Horseman: And the castle? Mercenary Leader: Forget that. Mercenary Spear Horseman: ? Mercenary Archer: Chief! Chief! Mercenary Leader: What? Mercenary Archer: Theres an army along the northern road. Theyre heading for the City of White Night! Mercenary Leader: I need intelligence on their strength, equipment, and speed! Mercenary Archer: Theyre running and theyll reach us in five minutes! Its almost evening too! It seems they are all equipped as infantry but theyre too far away for me to tell. Mercenary Leader: Strength? Mercenary Archer: From what I can see, at least ten thousand! Mercenary Leader: ! Mercenary Spear Horseman: What should we do?! Mercenary Swordsman: If they control the square in front of the castle, its over! Mercenary Leader: How is the evacuation going? Mercenary Spear Horseman: About halfway done. Mercenary Leader: Speed it up. Scrounge up some carriages and get those refugees too weak to walk, the sick and the elderly, on them. Make it quick! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Those are humans. Looks like reinforcements? Mercenary Leader: Theyre enemies. Mercenary Spear Horseman: Really?! Mercenary Leader: Why would there be reinforcements at such a time? Since when was the world ever so kind? Come on then, you rascals! Mercenaries: Yes! What is it, Chief! Mercenary Leader: Get me 20 horses. Go and scout ahead. The rest of you, your priority is to evacuate the people! I dont give a sheet about the Demons holed up in their pathetic castle! The ins of Sci, the Army of the Pale Officer of the Pale: What! Aghhh! Haaaa! Aghhh! Wha! Whwhat?! Were under attack! Were under attack! Light Cavalryman of the Pale: From behind! Infantry Leader of the Pale: The left nk! General of the Pale: What is going on?! Report! Officer of the Pale: Were under attack! Whoosh! nk! Clink! Enemy! Its the Fang! Dual Swordsman of the Fang: For the Forest Wolf Tribe of the Fang! Axman of the Fang: Time to add your kills to the roster of the ck Boar Tribe of the Fang! Shortswordman of the Fang: The Snow Leopard Tribe of the Fang takes to the battlefield! General of the Pale: What is the Tribe of the Fang doing here?! Officer of the Pale: Turn back! Heavy Infantry,e back! General of the Pale: You fool! Bonk! General of the Pale: Do you want them to get massacred in front of the hill?! Light Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry, make some space for the infantry! Attack those bloody fools from the Fang! Light Cavalryman of the Pale: Yes sir! Dual Swordsman of the Fang: Hahaha! This is so easy! Stab! Axeman of the Fang: What do you think your horses are good for! Hack! General of the Pale: What is happening?! Officer of the Pale: There are more enemies than we thought, at least 5,000! General of the Pale: Throw everything weve got at them! Officer of the Pale: We have no space to deploy! And the Fang is choosing to fight in the marshy terrain, we cant even send our cavalry in! General of the Pale: You disgusting vermin from the Fang! Hack! Stab! Hack! Take down the Tribe of the Pale! We are the brave warriors of the Fang! Justice for the Demon World! Courage! General of the Pale: Infantry Leader! Infantry Leader of the Pale: Yes! General of the Pale: Select your best men and establish a bridgehead 500 paces in front! This will be a fight to the finish! Have all your free infantrymenmitted against the Fang! Infantry Leader of the Fang: Understood! - The ins of Sci, the Frontline Wahhhhh! Yah! Yah! Wahhhhh! Advance! Advance! Kill all the Humans! Spearman of Winter: Theyre pushing us harder?! Archer of Winter: Not one step back! Clink, clink! The Female Pdin: No! This is a brilliant opportunity! Cavalry! Mixed Cavalry Leader: Yes! The Female Pdin: Time to make your entrance. Move to the front line! Support the spearmen and assist the retreat of the other cavalry! Push back the enemys advance! I will go too. Minister of Winter: What? The Female Pdin: Brave men of the frozennds of the South! Hear me! We fight for one reason! We risk our souls for one reason! Because we will not take one step backward when ites to defending ournds! Not because the enemy are Demons! But because these are the homes you have created, your fathers have created! Remember! How you had to push aside the massive boulders to build newnds, how you tilled the frozen soil to nt your seeds of hope in your homes! Do not throw that away! The enemy is not the Demons! They are just the invaders. The enemy is the invasion! Fight! Protect your homes! Give me one more hour! The Kingdom of White Night, Flying Down from the Sky Wind rushing past. The Hero: Stop! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Do you really think theres someone who would stop if his enemy said that? Wind rushing. The Hero: Thats not the point. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Not the point?! Everything in this world is mine, everything is the point if I am affiliated with it! The Hero: Run! I dont know who you are, but run! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Fine. Drown an ocean of mes! In my inferno! It is time to taste the seven swords of the pain of hell! Zaaap! The Hero: ?! The Sigiled King of the Pale: What?! Whats that? Zaaaap! The Hero: A Cleric Congregation The Sigiled King of the Pale: What the hell? Zaaaaaaap! The Hero: What is such arge group of mages doing here? The Sigiled King of the Pale: Why? Why is this happening?! The Kingdom of White Night, the Ruined Streets Shadow in an Extravagant Carriage: The light brighter Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Yes! Cleric Master! Bind them. Cleric Master: Clerics! Pray together with me! That is the General of the Demons, one of the heads of the enemy. Do not hesitate, bind him in the light! Clerics: Yes! Shadow in an Extravagant Carriage: Leader of the Hundred Pdins: There cant be any Demons who could escape from thebined prayer of 250 highly skilled Clerics. Cleric Master: Pray! Pray for the Spirit of Light! Bind him, chain him, scatter him! That is the enemy! The enemy of the Humans! Pray for the destruction of the enemy! The enemy of the Spirit of Light! Cleric Master: Hahaha Good Leader of the Hundred Pdins: What shall we have them do? Cleric Master: Show it the Willow of the Mercy of the Spirit! Clerics: Yes! Zaaap Zaap Zaaaap Shadow in an Extravagant Carriage: Pray with our muskets too. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Understood! Muskets! - The Kingdom of Winter, above the Genesis Forest Zaaaaaaaap! The Hero: My armour is cracking The Sigiled King of the Pale: My body The Hero: Ha. Well, thats the way it is. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Dont be so boring. Until I cannot move any more, I will do my best to kill you. The Hero: Would you really rather die? The Sigiled King of the Pale: Curse of the Dominions of Death The Hero: Hey, stop?! You cant use such a mass killing spell here! You monster! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Its pointless. Have you ever considered just whose attack you are about to receive? Hahahahaha! You, Hero! Youve been forsaken by the Humans you want to protect. You monster! Youre aplete monster! The Hero: No! Im different from you! The Sigiled King of the Pale: No, youre not! You dont get it. To preserve a ce for us to live, we have to dominate the world! That is my calling! That is my destiny!!! Boooooom! The Hero: You fool. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Heh. The Hero: WhWhat the hell The Sigiled King of the Pale: My wounds are burning Metal balls? We the two of us The Hero: WhWhy Bang! Bang! Volume 3 9, “In a Boat on a Bloodstained River.”

Volume 3 Chapter 9, In a Boat on a Bloodstained River.

- The Kingdom of Metal, the ins of Sci, the South The Demon King: Im worried. The Chief Maid: Whats wrong? The Demon King: Its just What is the Female Pdin doing? The Chief Maid: ? The East Fortress Base Commander: Shes defending that hill to the end? The Demon King: Why? The Chief Maid: The East Fortress Base Commander: Hmm, shes theirmander. This is fast bing an attrition war. Is she relying on us for reinforcements? The Demon King: Then we should let her. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, if we do that, we risk ruining the reputations of everybody on this battlefield. The East Fortress Base Commander: Its a battle, we have no choice. Apart from sitting here and watching it happen The Demon King: Ruining The Chief Maid: ? The Demon King: Commander, send a message to the Silver Tiger Lord. All forces to move to the West. Top haste! The East Fortress Base Commander: But we have the upper hand. The Demon King: I know. Now send the message! Hurry up! This is of prime importance! Begin the retreat! - The ins of Sci, the Army of the Pale Officer of the Pale: General! General! General of the Pale: What is it! Officer of the Pale: The Fang are retreating! General of the Pale: What? Werent they winning? How are our men doing?! Officer of the Pale: Half have given chase. Should I send the cavalry in to mop them up? General of the Pale: Dont be a fool, what use are the cavalry in these marsnds. But this is a good sign. Prepare the Heavy Infantry who were engaging the Fang. By the time the sun goes down I want all the Human units to be surrounded and destroyed! Officer of the Pale: Yes! Infantry Leader of the Pale: All forces advance! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Scout: Report! Report! General! An enemy force to our rear! General of the Pale: What are you panicking about? Scout: An army from the Holy Empire has appeared to our rear. They managed to slip past the border security General of the Pale: The Holy Empire? Those are reinforcements Lets wait for them to appear. Looks like all that saltpetre is really paying for itself. Hahahaha. Officer of the Pale: How far away? Numbers and equipment? Scout: They are at the ridge and will arrive in 30 minutes. Numbers are countless, at least 30,000. General of the Pale: Thirty thousand! Ha! The Strategist has really gone ahead of himself. At this rate, the Three Kingdoms will fall in an instant! The threat of the Fang has passed and we have not broken! From now on, the Infantry units will lead the way! Scout Rider: General! General! Report! General of the Pale: Calm down. Scout Rider: Countless soldiers from the Holy Empire General of the Pale: I already received that report you fool! Scout Rider: That army has attacked our forces with an unknown weapon! Our entire rear guard has beenpletely annihted! General of the Pale: WhWhaWhat!!! Near the Kingdom of White Night Shadow in an Extravagant Carriage: Those two, the King of the Pale and the person beside him. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Yes. Shadow in an Extravagant Carriage: No matter whattakethem down That thingcannot attackhumans Use curses or exultations, surroundridicule, reject it. That wayitwill lose its power Put in your prayersshipspeoplelifereject Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Understood. Cleric Master: Your Holiness my Patriarch. Cleric: There are going down! From that height, theres no help for them! Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Do not hold back! I wont rest until I SEE THEIR BODIES! No, they must still be alive! Surround the ce, exterminate them! Cleric Master: Yes! Musketeer: Search units ready! Shadow in an Extravagant Carriage: There will be few chances. For sure Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Well find them for sure. For the will of the Light, even if we have to pull out all the grass by its roots, we will fulfil the red dream! The ins of Sci, near the Centre Crack!!! The Demon King: Ahhhhh! Ahhhh! The Chief Maid: Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Crack!!! Knight of the Gate: What is that sound? The Demon King shudders. The Chief Maid: Your Majesty, pull yourself together! The East Fortress Base Commander: Is she alright? Shespletely pale. The Demon King: Why, what are those doing here?! Why? Bang! Bang!!! The Chief Maid: Your Majesty! The Demon King: Who, why So many! The East Fortress Base Commander: What do you know, Your Majesty! The Demon King: No! The Female Pdin is going to die! Those are even scarier than the Demons of the Pale! The Female Pdin! At this rate She cant! No! The Chief Maid: Your Majesty! Bang! The Chief Maid: Pull yourself together. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: If you dont get back on your feet, youre going to die! Bang! Bang! Knight of the Gate: Theyre close! By the ridge to the East! The East Fortress Base Commander: Come, you must escape! The Demon King: The Chief Maid: Over here. Knight of the Gate: They are here! Theyre advancing on us! The East Fortress Base Commander: Where did all these infantrye from. Whatre those sticks theyre holding?! The Demon King: Guns Muskets. Knight of the Gate: ! Bang! Bang! Agghhhh! My hand! I cant see, I cant see! Whats happening! Aghhhh!!! The East Fortress Base Commander: Dammit, theres too many of them! What are they! The Chief Maid: ! Knight of the Gate: There are infantry here too! The East Fortress Base Commander: They have no cavalry? The Demon King: Not to the East. The East Fortress Base Commander: But even the West. Bang! Bang! Bang! Musketman of Light: Haa! Haaa! Musketman of Light: Die! Heretics! Musketman of Light: Everyone from the South is a heretic! Musketman of Light: Youre the same as monsters! Die, witch! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The Demon King: ! The Chief Maid: !!! Hack! Musketman of Light: Agghhhh! The Silver Tiger Lord: Sorry werete, Your Majesty! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord! The East Fortress Base Commander: Youre safe! The Chief Maid: Why is there so much blood? The Silver Tiger Lord: Come now! The Silver Tiger Lord made a promise that I would never rest until I have saved the life of Your Majesty three times over! Now, we the Fang will open a route for your escape to the West. These arent the Pale, and we may not have those magic things, but weve got quite a lot of soldiers here as well! The Demon King: ! The East Fortress Base Commander: Hurry! We have not a moment to lose! The Borders of the Kingdom of White Night, the Genesis Forest Butler: ! The Hero: Grandpa! The Sigiled King of the Pale: Agghh! Ahh! Butler: Hehehehe. The Hero: Grandpa! Grandpa! What are you doing here! Butler: I thought it would be a cool time to make my appearance. Nyohohohoho The Hero: Youre covered in holes! Why did you cover me! And at that age too! You havent even been very good at recovering from colds! Butler: Im a gentleman after all. The Hero: Dont be stupid! Spell of Healing! Butler: I can see over the yonder. Ack, ack Ack! The Hero: Wh-why? Why are you even here Butler: I was looking for the Pale Heh. Ive always been very good at stealth I just kind of found my way to where you were The Hero: Why, why! Why isnt the spell working! Butler: Hero, Ive lost too much blood. Heh. You cant heal me with just that More importantly, hurry up and finish him off. That guy is damaged too. The Sigiled King of the Pale: Aggh. Ack! Ugh Human. The Hero: I dont care about that! Butler: Nyohoho To kill that guy Ive been searching for ways Finally, theres one here. The Sigiled King of the Pale: This This is the endisit? Leaves rustling. The Hero: ! Butler: At suchatime! Leaves rustling. Mercenary Leader: Dont stare, everybody could see your battle from the ground. Hey, bandage him up and get him some wine. Mercenary Spear Horseman: Got it. Butler: Sorry. The Hero: Who are you guys? Mercenary Leader: Lets not talk about grandpa, but you look like youre at your limit. That Demon there is about the be worm food too. So even Demons have squabbles? Butler: Hes not a Demon. The Hero: Im not very far from one. Mercenary Leader: The Hero: Mercenary Leader: Need some help? Butler: Yes, please. Leaves rustling. Mercenary Archer: Chief. Those guys with the weird sticks and some heavily armoured units are scattering throughout the forest. Looks like the some noble bastards from the Central Continent. Mercenary Leader: Hey, bro. The Hero: Ah! Its just a flesh wound. Butler: You cant go. I will go. The Hero: What are you talking about? Your injuries are worse than mine! Butler: Its not a matter of that. Hero, youcant take those bullets. You cant be the target of their prayers. The Hero: What are you talking about?! Butler: You cannot be the enemy of the Humans. I will go, you must run away Nyohohoho. The Hero: I dont get you at all! Mercenary Leader: Hey, bro. The Hero: Shut up! Mercenary Leader: You shut up! I couldnt care less about your nonsense so youd better reply now! Dont you think you should at least say thank you to the person who just saved your sorry asses! The Hero: What, I did! Thatspletely unimportant? Mercenary Leader: How many times? The Hero: How am I supposed to remember? A lot of times. Mercenary Leader: Really now. Heh. Thats nice to hearnot! I didnt even want to hear you say it once! Mercenary Spear Horseman: Chief Mercenary Leader: Grandpa, can I? Butler: Of course. Mercenary Leader: Hmph. Sorry, but I wont be passing up on it. The Sigiled King of the Pale: H-human. I wont-I wont forgive you. Donty one fingeron me Mercenary Leader: Well, this is war. Forgive me. Hack! Mercenary Leader: Alright, ehh,e over. Get this old man and that bro on a horse. Mercenary Spear Horseman: Hurry up. Butler: Ahh! The Hero: What are you doing! Mercenary Leader: Shut up! I dont even want to look at you guys, with your blood spurting from your body like water fountains! Mercenaries: Ahahahahaha! Mercenaries: Thats true. Mercenaries: Really! Mercenary Leader: Oi, fools! Help out! From here on out, you are delivery boys. Were going to get these two back safely. Hold on to that ring! These are probably important people. Lets take them to that Disciple Nobleman boy in the Pce of Ice. This is an important mission. Can I leave it to you useless youngins?! Mercenaries: Yes chief! Butler: The Hero: You fools, I can still walk! Dont decide this on your own! I can still! Mercenary Leader: Bro, I dont know you at all, but its because you try too hard why grandpa there is dying. Grandpa tried to protect you, not to save your body but to save your soul! Get it, fool! The Hero: ! Mercenary Leader: Alright, yall! Mount up! Were going to charge that group of noble bastards! Lets sing some songs while were at it! Dipsheets! Were about to be knights! Mercenaries: Alright! Mercenaries: Fools! Chief is the King of White Night! Mercenary Leader: Ahahahahaha! You could say that! If you are all knights then I must be the King! Alright, lets go you pack of worms! The Hero: Wait! Horses stampeding. The Hero: Hey, let the horse stop. Its going to die, its really going to die. Young Mercenary: Dont argue with me. The Hero: Young Mercenary: Heh, Im surprised hes still alive at all. Tiny Mercenary: But Horse trotting. Tiny Mercenary: The Chiefs orders are absolute. Otherwise, everyone would be dead. The Hero: I didnt need you to save me. Why? Why? Why? Young Mercenary: Tiny Mercenary: The Chief is a Hero. He saved us. Were mostly orphans, but in those streets there, people were thanking us. Even tiny people like us. We experienced something there that you can only imagine. Young Mercenary: Thats right. Hes a brilliant man. A splendid man. Hes the kind of independent man who gets to choose when and where he dies. The Hero: What the hell On a Shore Rippling With Blue Light Bang! Bang! Aghhhh! My hand!!! Heretics! Die heretics! Dammit! Dammit! Put it out! My foot, its on fire! Somebody! Give me a hand! Im trapped under this tree! Boom! Bang! I cant see anything! Help You are all enemies of the Spirit! The schism between the Humans ends now! Spirit of Light! Give us your Mercy! What is going on! Aghhhhh! Boom! Boom! The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: I understand. The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: I understand. The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: Why did it be like this? The Mage: Cause and effect. The Elder Sister Maid: Cause and effect?! Cause and effect means everybody has to die like that? How could you let such a thing happen! The Mage: How could you let something outside cause and effect happen? The Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: Well, thats The Mage: When two different existences are proceeding at contradictory vectors, there tends to arise ideological differences which can create a state of tension. However, if the two are close to each other, they can influence one another, causing each of their vectors to streamline with the other. This rtionship can be drawn as a curve. Reports have shown that such an urrence will basically lead to a paradigm shift. The Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: The friction of shifting ideologies is satisfied by bloodshed. With sufficient blood, the wheels of motion can turn smoothly. The Elder Sister Maid: Does it have to be this way?! This is a lie! There must be a way to curve towards peace! The Mage: There are no examples of that. I know no way of which consciousness can be shifted without bloodshed. Even if there is no physical bloodshed, there is at least some level of spiritual bloodshed. The Elder Sister Maid: Thats a lie. The Mage: It is not. The Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: Sometimes, it is an individual who witnesses the bloodshed of the many. Sometimes, the burden of pleasing the wheels of change with the flowing blood of thousands of people, maybe even tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, is ced on the shoulders of just one person. That person may have caused all that blood, but how much does the person have to bleed to make up for it? Its almost as if the person did not sacrifice anything at all. The Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: That is not a lie. In any case the evidence is that you can feel it too. The Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: Now you understand. Now you have learntwhat it means to conquer the Demon World. It is a revolution. However, for the revolution to seed, it will require the necessary amount of blood (The Hero + The Demon King) and an additional amount of +. The Elder Sister Maid: I have no idea what you are talking about. The Mage: There is no need for you to understand. Because you can feel it. The Elder Sister Maid: Thats The Mage: Thats why youre searching for your path. Or am I wrong? The Elder Sister Maid: What do you mean thats why! The Mage: That which the Hero was unable to do. And especially with the world the way it is. If you manage to save it, you will probably be revered as a god; but if you fail, you will simply be erased from memory. The Hero was really close to obliterating the Demons but if he did, there would be no meaning to his own existence. The Hero is like a star, shining so brightly it destroys itself. Elder Sister Maid: Dont tell meyou are The Mage: That is the truth. Elder Sister Maid: In that case, you are evil. The Mage: Is there really a difference between conscious sin and unconscious sin? Elder Sister Maid: Yes! The Mage: In that case, we should all just be ignorant. If we tried to know as little as possible, we would have no sin whatsoever, right? Elder Sister Maid: Thats not the point! The Mage: Elder Sister Maid: Blood, blood is just drops. Just who do you think this entire sea of blood was bled for? Somebody who let them die. The Mage: That is a sort of truth as well. Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: Are you feeling unwell? Elder Sister Maid: Of course. The Mage: In that case, you should follow your path and save who you can. Elder Sister Maid: ! The Mage: You should not forget. You are in the same boat as well. You were saved from all that flowing blood. Onto a boat floating on this river of blood. Elder Sister Maid: But! But! The Mage: Ill send you out. Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: This library is not suited for you after all. - The ins of Sci, the Frontlines Boom! Bang! Aghhhhh! Noooo!!! The Female Pdin: What the hell is this?! Minister of Winter: Stay strong! Men of the South! Cavalry, file out from the left wing and attack! Boom! Bang! Spearman of Winter: For the Female Pdin! Archer of Winter For our homes! Infantry of the Pale: Save us!!! Boom! Bang! Aghhhh! I cant see them! Invisible spears?! The Female Pdin: ! Minister! Minister of Winter: Yes! The Female Pdin: Raise the smoke rm! Regroup! Pull back eighty paces from the frontline! Minister of Winter: What is going on?! The Female Pdin: A new enemy has appeared behind the Demons of the Pale with countless numbers. I fear they are Crusaders from the Church. I never expected them to be here so quickly. And I have a very bad feeling about that sound In any case, raise three smoke rms! Scout: Commander! The enemy are definitely from the Church and they number in the tens of thousands! Minister of Winter: Tens of thousands?! Scout: They are equipped with unknown weapons and are attacking indiscriminately, whether we are Demons or Humans! Minister of Winter: What?! We had such a hard time with just twenty thousand Demons of the Pale and now we have to face them?! This is the end The Female Pdin: Its fine, were still alive. We havent been defeated yet. Maintain the line of defence, avoid the wet marsnds and persevere! We are not yet into the afternoon but the temperature is dropping fast. A fog is about to move in. Minister of Winter: Understood! The Female Pdin: Hurry up and evacuate the wounded! Apart from the red line marked on the battle ns, all other routes are forbidden. All units move! Spearman of Winter: Push! Push! Archer of Winter: This is our Kingdom! The Female Pdin: (The enemy has changed I dont know how far back their cooperation goes. But its no coincidence that were fighting them both at the same time. - The ins of Sci, the Ambush Point Lieutenant of Metal: Thats Infantry of Metal: The smoke rm! Sir! Three columns! The message is for all units are to pull back and regroup! Lieutenant of Metal: Got it. Sound the drums for the settler militia in the forest! Infantry of Metal: Yes! Bong! Bong! Bong! Infantry of Metal: They will being immediately. Lieutenant of Metal: Theyre here Settler Militia of Metal: The water level has risen Lieutenant of Metal: Its fine, its just going back to what it was in the previous years. Infantry of Metal: How is the water route? Settler Militia of Metal: Yes Its fine! It flows through the marsnds. However, in just twenty more minutes, the water level will engulf it again! Lieutenant of Metal: And the equipment? Infantry of Metal: No problem. Theyre floating on the water. Lieutenant of Metal: Then we have achieved our objectives here. I hope the Minister for Defence and the Female Pdin will be safe The ins of Sci, the Army of the Pale General of the Pale: Retreat now! Officer of the Pale: Where to! Boom! Bang! General of the Pale: North! Infantry units are to form a circr formation and serve as the rear guard*. All units, beginning with cavalry, retreat to the North! Officer of the Pale: Thats General of the Pale: What?! What is it now! Officer of the Pale: The water level in the marsnds has been increasing steadily. At this rate, the nds are going to be waterlogged and the route will be lost General of the Pale: Route will be lost? Even if the water level increases, its not going to go up to your knees, is it? Dont be scared! Even if we have to, well dismount and push through on foot! Boom! Bang! Officer of the Pale: Yes! Lets go! Cavalry! With me! Cut a path through the enemy units! - The ins of Sci, the Frontlines The Female Pdin: Fire arrows! Whoosh! Whoosh! Minister of Winter: How is it? zing fire. Spearman of Winter: ?! Archer of Winter: What?! The Female Pdin: All units retreat! Minister of Winter: Whats with this light? The Female Pdin: Weve designed the water routes to snake through the entire battlefield. Since theyre peat-covered they burn easily, allowing us to create this inferno of a maze. The Demons of the Pale will never be able to establish a stable formation and now theyre trapped in the ze with no way to advance and no way to retreat Minister of Winter: Then is thisour victory? -- Exnation Rear Guard: During a retreat, they serve to deter the enemy from pursuing and killing the fleeing soldiers. Having fought all the way to the end, they must now support the retreat of their friends, retreating at the very end only when all the others have seeded. Hence it ismon for these units to bepletely wiped out even if they have performed their mission sessfully. - The Female Pdin: Thats fine. It seems that the bulk of the Church forces are on the mountain paths. These are probably just an advance partybut in any case, we have no time to waste. Hurry up! More people to tend to the wounded! Spearman of Winter: Yes! Archer of Winter: Alright! Lets go home! The Female Pdin: The mes are all around Make sure to stick to the path! - The ins of Sci, the Chaotic Battleground Soldier of Light panting. Spearman of Light: Nothing here, advance! Musketeer of Light Hey, wait. If we dont reload we cant fireter. toon Leader of Light: Hey, what are you doing, hurry up! Musketeer of Light Heh, I was chosen. I was chosen! I am a musketeer Eh? toon Leader of Light: What is it? Musketeer of Light Theres something oily floating on the surface of the water Ah! Soldier of Light: Fire! Get away from the fire! Aghhhhh!!! - The ins of Sci, the Mountain Path Raging fire. Crown Prince Marshal: Oho Holy Imperial General: Your Royal Highness, this is Crown Prince Marshal: I fear it is some n of the Three Kingdoms. Holy Imperial General: Even so Reconnaissance Unit: Report! The fire you see ahead of us haspletely engulfed the east side of the ins! It is covering a distance of 15km at present! Holy Imperial General: Just how did they manage that? Reconnaissance Unit: I apologise, Im not sure Crown Prince Marshal: The water paths. Holy Imperial General: Sorry? Crown Prince Marshal: With daybreak came a strong mist. They ced a special oil* on the water and let it flow down. They are the only ones who know the course of the water paths. Holy Imperial General: Hmph. Crown Prince Marshal: Fine. Remaining strength is to retreat. Holy Imperial General: Is that really alright? -- Exnation Special Oil: This is likely petroleum. It was known since ancient times that petroleum could burn on the surface of water but it was only used extensively beginning from the 19th century. - Crown Prince Marshal: We did note here to exterminate the Tripartite Economic Union. Holy Imperial General: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: We came to control the Kingdom of White Night and secure the path that could be used to invade the Continent. That is our first objective. Our second objective is for the Faithful of Light to exterminate the Demon forces on ournds. With this, from now on, the amount of support and recruitment for the Holy Crusades is likely to increase dramatically. Our third objective is to field test these new weapons, the muskets. No matter how amazing the weapon is, it has to have its pros and cons. It is only with field testing that we can understand these characteristics. Holy Imperial General: How acute. It is exactly as Your Royal Highness suggests. Thank you for opening my eyes during this glorious victory. Crown Prince Marshal: Its too early to say that. We have to analyse the attrition rate and the equipment feedback during this battle. Holy Imperial General: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: If you be drunk on victory, you will fail to see what is beneath your feetand you will surely be brought down by it Hey, what about the thing I told you about earlier? Holy Imperial General: Sound the retreat for all forces immediately! Hey! Thats an order! Crown Prince Marshal: (That being said, the Commander of the Tripartite Economic Union was a woman. She truly is some sort of hero. What splendid use of her forces This inferno among the reeds has neutralised the overwhelming power of her enemies but in order to achieve this, she managed apletely harmonious use of both archers and spearmen in defensive positions to control and protect the central hill. This unwavering conviction and the meticulousness required to ensure there were no breaks in her line is truly the mark of an incrediblemander. It is truly a waste that I do not have such talent on my side.) Volume 3 10, “Shall we go together?”

Volume 3 Chapter 10, Shall we go together?

The Battlefield, the Red Sun Rising in the Evening Disciple Soldier: Aghhhhhh Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: Ughh, ughhhhh Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: They died Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: They all died Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: So many!!! Copses. Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: When I pulled back, a whole bunch of settlers and lots of my subordinates They all charged at that wall of muskets. They covered me, they covered theirrades. In that way, in that way! They all passed together. Even though they were myrades!!! Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: They wont everugh again. Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: They wont talk again Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: They wont drink, they wont curse, they wont raise their voices at me, howling withughter, joking without respect Lieutenant of Metal: Minister Disciple Soldier: They protected us. Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: Why couldnt I protect them. Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: Lieutenant of Metal: Lets go back. Disciple Soldier: Lieutenant of Metal: The Kingdom of Metal still has many people who need their Minister for Defence. Minister They are waiting, the people of whom our brothers and friends died here today, died protecting! Disciple Soldier: Lieutenant of Metal: Disciple Soldier: I suppose thats true. Lieutenant of Metal: Yes. Disciple Soldier: Im sorry I let you see that shameful side of me. Lieutenant of Metal: Definitely. Disciple Soldier: ? Lieutenant of Metal: Well definitely win next time. And then you canugh. On the Central Continental Highway, the Wind Blowing Wind blowing fiercely. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: Miss Bard, did you see that? Disciple Bard: Yeah. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: I think so I was myself, but I could somehow feel it through you, as if I was there on that blue beach as well Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: There was anguish. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Bard: And anger. Elder Sister Maid: And some unearthly music of pain. Elder Sister Maid: I dont understand. I dont understand! Disciple Bard: Elder Sister Maid: They died. Disciple Bard: Yes. Elder Sister Maid: In incredible numbers. As many deaths as there are grains of sand on that beach. Disciple Bard: Hey, Elder Sister Maid, youve noticed, right? Elder Sister Maid: Sorry? Unwraps turban. Disciple Bard: Im taking off my turban. Elder Sister Maid: Bard Disciple Bard: There, youve seen my pointy ears, right? I am a member of the Tribe of the Forest Fairies. We sing, we tell stories, and we record the happenings of the world. Now and then, past and present. We have recorded everything that has happened for thousands and thousands of years. Thats right. Ehehe Im a Demon. Elder Sister Maid: You are a Bard. Disciple Bard: I thought I should tell you. Wind blows fiercely. Disciple Bard: I am the Disciple Bard. Seeking to know the tale of the Holy Relic, I left the Demon World. I am a Demon. But you know that. Im sure you know thatI want to sing. I hope you will let me sing. Just a bit. Elder Sister Maid: Disciple Bard: You dont understand? Well, thats to be expected. Elder Sister Maid: Umm Disciple Bard: I have decided my path. I decided it at the start I will go too. I will pay too. I dont mind bleeding. I will pay my way with my songs. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Bard: You are alsomy teachers Elder Sister Maid: Sorry? Disciple Bard: No Nothing. Wind blows fiercely. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Bard: Hey, dont cry. Elder Sister Maid: But Disciple Bard: I will go. Because I know. Because I have seen. There are some things I know I have to do. Thats why, this is farewell. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Bard: Keep your ears peeled. If you hear a song on the streets that reminds you of yourself, then that is my voice. My song. My thoughts. Elder Sister Maid nods. Disciple Bard: I pray that you will also find your path. The Tribe of Forest Fairies will forever be your friends. - The Kingdom of White Night, on a Balcony Crown Prince Marshal: Praise be the exalted name of the Holy Spirit! O, Children of the Light, chosen warriors! We have finally retaken the Kingdom of White Night. Look! Look at the ruined city. The Kingdom of White Night has certainly fought as the shield of the Continent. A holy shield, fighting for the holiest goals of the Church of the Central Continent! But despite their honour, the cowardly Demon Race has reduced them to rubble in a surprise attack. The ruins you see before you is proof that the violence and destruction of the Demons are beyond hope of saving. It is their alliance with the heretics, the Three Kingdoms of the South, that has caused this. However! We have taken the city! We sing our songs of victory! We bathe in the light of the new dawn. By the deathless grace of the Holy Spirit, we have secured our victory. O, Children of the Light, chosen warriors. By this Kingdom at the borders of the Continent, with the strength of your arms, we have beaten back the Demons, and here we will restore the Kingdom of White Night!!! Yeahhhhhh!!! Yeahhhhhh!!! Soldier of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! Soldier of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! Crown Prince Marshal: Look. This is the southern end of the continent! If we sailed for just a short distance on these seas, braving the fierce waves, we would reach the new continent from which we can cross through the Portal and take the fight to the Demons! With the defeat of the Demons here, the route to our invasion is surely left open. If we were to let this opportunity slip by, we would only be opening ourselves up to countless more tragedies. The muskets you have in your hands are staffs of fire bestowed unto the Church by our most noble Holy Spirit of Light. Im sure all of you know how powerful they are. This time, we will be weed into the light! Now is the time! If you have yet to prove yourself to the Spirit, make your preparations now, because it will be time for us to demonstrate our faith! We, who have left our homes and ournds, who have journeyed to be plunged into the fires of war; even if it takes decades, even if we have only one soldier left standing, we will triumph over these evil Demons, we will usher in a period of faith and spread the message of grace by the Holy Spirit throughout the world! This is something I believe in strongly. No matter whates our way, we will definitely be able to tide through it. In other words, we are the will of the Spirit! Listen to what is behind you. Listen to the heavy marching of boots on that faraway in. Today, right now, yourrades are celebrating the liberation of the Kingdom of White Night and are gathering to join our cause. They are receiving cartloads of new muskets, cloths, horses, and barley. For their sake, we will begin constructing ships. We will organise this city for this effort. Beginning from this evening, there will be a new Kingdom of White Night, the personal demesne of the Holy Patriarch of the Holy Church of Light and the frontline for our offensive against the Demon World. Come, let us open the wine! Should we not celebrate our victory! And when the night gives way to bright in this glorious midsummer, let us begin to construct our ships! All the tools have been prepared. Tonight is our victory! You have taken up arms, listened to the noble words of the Spirit, followed to wisemands of yourmanders, and for you the undying flowers of victory bloom! To the Demon World! There, for sure, we will retake our Holy Relic! Yeahhhhhh!!! Yeeeeeaaaahhhh!!! Soldier of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! Soldier of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! Soldier of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! Crown Prince Marshal: Raise the g of the Spirit! For ourrades! - The Kingdom of Metal, the Central za The Iron Fist King: My people, my bravemanders and soldiers who have returned from the ins of Sci. Nothing makes me happier than to see the safe return of our men. This was a battle fought by your friends, your husbands, your sons, and your lovers. And many others. But more importantly, this was a battle fought by the hearts of the Three Kingdoms, by brave and loyal warriors. What was the Battle of the ins of Sci? The Tribe of the Demons of the Pale, who conquered our neighbouring country, is but a faction that fled the Demon World after plunging it into chaos. They are criminals in the Demon World and they are criminals now. But that has nothing to do with us because for us, this is a battle to protect our belovednd, thend of our fathers, and to save thends which our settlers have so lovingly cultivated. This is a battle to repel the invaders! I, the Iron Fist King, proim that we have lost many. In this battle, more than two thousand people will never return home. However, I also proim. I proim a great victory in the ins of Sci. In any case, we have repelled the invaders and we stand proudly on thends of our forefathers today. With this battle, our war with the Demons of the Pale is at an end. May their souls rest in the Light. We have protected our home! Yeaahhhh!!! Yeaaaaaahhhh!!! The Lone Winter King: Brothers in the Kingdom of Metal! Listen to me. At this ins of Sci, an extremely important thing has happened! The countries of the Central Continent have fielded abined unit, along with the Holy Crusaders from the Holy Church of Light, to kill us indiscriminately. It is true that to them, we are a nation of heretics. But we are adherents of the Holy Order of the Lake, an order wherein the Spirit resides, and we are also believers. We have looked at the Central Continent as mentors or even older brothers but today, they seek to behead us and drown us in our own tears. We have an unpleasant history with the Central Continent. We are a child of the Central Continent. But even then, we have protected them against the incessant threat of the Demons. They have scorned our fathers as mercenaries, barbarians who know only of war; but we have defended them at the expense of the South. Our spirit is one with the Continent! Look beside you. These are not serfs or ves but yourrades! Put your hands on your chests. That beat is the beat of freedom! We are a free people and we step freely on our freend. This freedom is independence. Not just of our nation, but the independence of our hearts. From tilling thend, from our hard work to make the wastnds arable, we have tided over difficult times to forge our independent character! Yeaahhhhh!!! Thats right!!! Ournd is thend of the South!!! The Lone Winter King: I want to leave you with a thought. Why do we shed our blood? It is all for thend. It is all for therades whom we protect with our lives. That is why we have risen up to face the threat. All we ask for is peace, so we can be content, so we can try to make our lives more prosperous, so we can aim for that little bit of happiness. We have no need to take the purses of others to build our own prosperity. It doesnt matter who invades ournds, whether they are Demons, whether they are Human kingdoms. No matter which army tries to threaten us, for our homes and for ournds, we will fight to the very end! But we are not foolish people who would starve and die in blood. What we hope for is peace and prosperity. If we could, we would join hands with the Central Continent, neither would we hesitate to form a ceasefire with the Demons. Our minds work for one purpose, so that no matter what the difficulty and hardship is, we will always be able toe out on top! Iron Fist King! Iron Fist King! Lone Winter King! Lone Winter King! The Lone Winter King: I have one piece of happy news. Many of you may know this or may have already been vinated. A terrible pestilence of smallpox and cowpox has swept across thend, massacring countless people, more so than any war we have ever fought. Up till now, we have had no defence, but we have finally made a discovery! Murmuring R-really? Its true! Look, I was vinated already! My vige was vinatedst year and no one has caught the pox yet! The Queen of Ice and Snow: I do not understand the will of the Spirit. The Spirits intentions are deep, and with our limited human understanding, we cannot hope to understand all of it. However, please remember. And tonight, I want each and every one of you to relect on this. The Holy Church of Light ims that the staffs which they have been using to massacre our soldiers by spitting fire at them are a gift from the Spirit of Light. Hence, you must think that our Holy Order of the Lake has received this vination and the medicine to cure people of smallpox from the Holy Spirit. In truth, this medicine was developed by an incredibly intelligent schr who came up with it during a visit to the Demon World. You must surely be wondering about the different technologies bestowed to the two churches. Murmuring Murmuring The Lone Winter King: There is one thing I can answer for you. We, the Three Kingdoms, wish for peace and prosperity. As far as we can, we will develop ways to achieve that. Of course, we will protect our mothend and we will never allow anyone else to take it. And hence, I have another important announcement to make. What? What is it? The Lone Winter King: Starting today, the Tripartite Economic Union will be disbanded. We wee new friends into our fold! For real? Whats going on?! We have morerades? Really! Oh, it must be the Kingdom of the Lake then! The Lone Winter King: The Kingdom of the Lake, the Kingdom of Branches, the Kingdom of Reeds, the Kingdom of Red Horses, and seven Free Cities have expressed interest in joining our Union and have gradually fulfilled the first criteria of the emancipation of their serfs. We are no longer the Three Kingdoms. We can finally bid farewell to our lonely existence at this corner in the South, enduring the overwhelming odds. We fight to protect thend. We seek peace and prosperity, and whomsoever wishes to seek it with us, we will cooperate and embrace unhesitatingly. Our roots extend deeper into the world, our ships depart for the same tomorrow! Together, we are a people who embody the spirit of the South with our deep adoration for ournd, love for ourrades, benevolence and virtue, industry, and above all, our burning passion for liberty and independence. Here today, I proim to you that the Alliance of the South has begun! Alliance of the South? Thats right, the Alliance of the South! Were no longer heretics, we haverades! Were going to liberate all the serfs of the Continent! I finally have new markets for my iron products! Not just that, we can finally import a whole range of things! Iron Fist King! Iron Fist King! Long live the Iron Fist King! Lone Winter King! Lone Winter King! Long live the Lone Winter King! Queen of Ice and Snow! Queen of Ice and Snow! Long live the Queen of Ice and Snow! Alliance of the South! Long live the Alliance of the South! Beneath a Tree, under the Moonlight Leaves sway. The Hero: Leaves sway. The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Demon King. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Could you sit beside me? The Hero: Yeah. Shuffles. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Tired? The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Me too. The Hero: The Demon King: The Hero: I lost. The Demon King: Me too. The Hero: I dont understand. The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Why do we win and why do we lose? The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Demon King. The Demon King: ? The Hero: Do you regret? The Demon King: The Hero: I asked you. About the ck powder. The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: The Demon King: Its my fault. The Hero: The Demon King: Branch breaking. The Hero: Ah. The Female Pdin: Thanks for your hard work. The Demon King: Im sorry. The Female Pdin: But Im useless too, I lost. The Demon King: Its my fault The Female Pdin: On that battlefield, I had my doubts. For whom are we bleeding? Is whatever were fighting for worth all this blood? I questioned if we werent making a pointless sacrifice. The Demon King: It was an unnecessary sacrifice. Today, at least thousands have died. If I had paid my attention, it wouldnt have The Female Pdin: The Demon King: The Hero: Hey. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: I have an important question for the both of you. The Female Pdin: What? The Demon King: At this time? The Hero: Stepping onto the dew soaked leaves, I ran along the grassy in. The sky was illuminated by the pink evening sun. The world stretches endlessly in all directions, but I only know the path on which I have walked. Even though I wanted to go everywhere, I could not impel myself to go anywhere. The Female Pdin: ? The Demon King: Well. The Hero: What is on the other side of the hill? Ive been thinking about that. The Female Pdin: What are you talking about? The Demon King: The Hero: Its simple. What will happen on the other side of the hill? These arent the words I asked when we first set out. If we managed to reach that hill after going through all kinds of difficulties But is that it? What are we aiming for? We have been working in curves through the streets. To reach that hill, we have to climb these dew-soaked slopes. The hill is dangerous and far away. But what if we climb to the top of the hill and we saw something we have never seen before? The Female Pdin: Thats The Demon King: Not dew, this is blood. The Hero: Even then. The Female Pdin: The Hero: Thats why, I havent been running. Ive been working hard not to run, so I can admire the scenery But I have no choice. I want to see that something I have never seen before. Ie from a broken world and I want to see something else. The Female Pdin: Hero The Demon King: Hero. The Hero: Well. Wind blows. The Hero: Shall we go together? The Female Pdin: The Demon King: The Hero: Its a bit embarrassing, but thats not something I can do alone. And I want us to be able to look into each others eyes as we are standing on top of that hill. We cant do this alone. The Female Pdin sniffles. The Demon King nods. The Hero: What do you think? The Female Pdin: Good. No, Ive always hoped for you to acknowledge that. The Demon King: You belong to me. I would never throw you aside. The Hero: Yes Yes! The Female Pdin: Youve always been a worrywart. Even though you dont worry enough about yourself. The Demon King: Thats a good point of the Hero. He has a good and loving heart. The Female Pdin: Loving?! What do you know about that! The Demon King: Why shouldnt I know everything about the things that belong to me! The Female Pdin: What do you mean belongs to you, you big-boobed bimbo! The Demon King: Big-boobed bimbo?! Well thats much better than a waterfall. The Female Pdin: A waterfall?! How is that a t thing? The Demon King: If you look at it from a vectors point of view, then it is! The Hero: Oh no, save me. The Female Pdin: Hero, youve made a lot of pledges with me in the past. But Im ready to make a long-term pledge to be by your side. Lets pledge! Lets pledge now! The Demon King: What are you trying to force him into? The Female Pdin: This is a religious ritual from the Holy Order of the Lake. The Demon King: Stop twisting religious rituals to your benefit whenever you feel like it! Have you no shame! The Hero: Hey, umm Lets all try to get along? The Kingdom of White Night, the Most Opulent Room in the Pce The Holy Patriarch: The ck Knight escaped The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: I apologise. He seems to have been taken away by those pesky mercenaries The Holy Patriarch: Fine Its fineI think. Andthe flyhas he been dealt with? The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: He has been executed, Your Holiness. The Holy Patriarch: Heh. He did not know his ce Cleric Master: Your Most Exalted Holiness. The Holy Patriarch: What? Cleric Master: As requested. The Holy Patriarch: Haha, haha, hahahaha. The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: What are these? Cleric Master: These are consecratedthey are treasured gems. The Leader of the Hundred Pdins stares. The Holy Patriarch: Hurry Hurryin my hands Cleric Master: Hahaha. The Holy Patriarch: They are in my hands Haha I have been waiting for this sparkling shine This abundant magical force This incessant radiance The Leader of the Hundred Pdins looks confused. The Holy Patriarch: The eyes of the Sigiled King - Epilogue Her light slumber was broken by a burning in her chest. The remains of her terrible dream, red as blood, cold as steel, as painful as rotting flesh; floated away into the mist. She could not bear but to curl up into a ball, keeping her limbs close together in order to endure the pain which was ripping apart her mind. It would be a mistake to think that she was able to sleep despite the unbearable pain. It was because she could not bear the pain that she chose to sleep. Compared to the feeling of her body getting ripped apart by anguish, by the inevitable pain and sadness which apanies her loss, she chose a slumber of unending nightmares. But the Hero was born. The world would once again have a Hero. Her lips mouthed that forbidden name. Of course, that was already not the name of the Hero. That was the name of the one who had been by her side, those hundreds, those thousand years ago, when she could still feel his body warmth on the surface of the earth. (Even so) For hundreds of years, she hoped to meet him. For thousands of years, she hoped to meet him. Amidst her eternity of pain, in the darkness she called for him. A single teardrop, like the countless others which hade before, rolled down her cheek, leaving a warmth only she could understand. When she opened her eyes, thend was plunged into the fires of conflict. She could see many formations, each a battlefield of death. The Hero she was so anxious for moved from battlefield to battlefield, from chaos to chaos, from destruction to destruction, and left tranquillity in his wake. She searched for the Hero in the mes of violence, reached out to him amidst the fire and transmitted her pain. Amidst the symphony of swords against swords, of shouts and yells, within the evil of war, her bright red burning, like forged steel, was felt by him. This war was her sin, her crime. Her children who had spread across the world now called out in desperate dejection, each cutting her flesh like innumerable swords. The cavalry which charged across thend on their steeds. The infantrymen who took the brunt of the attack on their spears. The world was plunged into chaos and anarchy. As power-crazy nobility and kings fought over control, they left only a sea of destruction and ruins behind them. She looked with pain and sadness to the Hero who would bear these for her. The only one who could prevent the world from degenerating into a wastnd was the Hero. She would definitely support the Hero, as he fought to fulfil the hopes and wishes she herself was never able to. For the pain-filled world. For the hurt-filled people. Hoping for salvation toe even a day earlier, the maiden of light and mes shut her eyes. Tears rolled from the corners of her eyes again, but she was used to them, and replied only with the repetition of that forbidden apology. To be continued in Volume 4 of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, The Things These Hands Can Aplish Volume 3 Maps and Explanations

Volume 3 Maps and Exnations

The Stage of Danger, the Battle of the ins of Sci The ins of Sci was a battle that started between the Tripartite Union and the Army of the Pale, but through three turns of events, it had be a three-sided confrontation. The order of battle involved ten thousand soldiers from the Tripartite Union and twenty thousand from the Army of the Pale. The Army of the Pale also used cowardly soldiers from the Kingdom of White Night who had surrendered to them. They required no additional training and were deployed as a ve army. Without shields to protect themselves from the arrows of the Tripartite Union, they were sent to charge at the Tripartite Union formations. The appearance of the ve army shook the forces of the Tripartite Union, but the Commander, the Female Pdin, answered with brutal pragmatism. Having broken the ve army, they entered intobat with the Army of the Pale. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the Tripartite Union had a hard time maintaining their line and preventing escape and surrender. The first turn of events was the sudden appearance and attack on the right wing of the Army of the Pale by the Tribe of the Fang. Their defenceless rear was suddenly attacked and thrown into confusion. The eight thousand warriors of the Tribe of the Pale used the marshy terrain which was impassable to the Cavalry of the Pale and quickly took the upper hand. Had the situation continued, the Army of the Pale would have been sandwiched on both nks and would certainly have fallen. The second turn of events was when the Holy Crusaders from the Central Continent appeared and attacked the left wing of the Army of the Pale. This army made no distinction between the Army of the Pale, the Tripartite Union, and the Tribe of the Fang, their new muskets punishing all with equanimity. The ones who were most thrown into chaos was the Army of the Pale. With the Tripartite Union in front of them, the Tribe of the Fang on the right wing, and the Holy Crusaders on the left; the Army of the Pale was thoroughly enveloped. Thest turn of events was a n put in motion among the marshes even before the battle hadmenced. This was a tactic to set the ins of Sci alight and destroy the enemy forces in a sea of fire. This n aplished more than was intended,pletely obliterating the Army of the Pale and decimating the advance unit of the Holy Crusaders. The Tribe of the Fang had thankfully evacuated the area under the orders of the Demon King but suffered many casualties under the muskets of the Holy Crusaders. The Tripartite Union also suffered many casualties due to the muskets but, thanks to the fire attack, was able to retreat without further loss of life. (Here ends the Initial Battlefield Reports and Observations by the Kingdom of Winter.) Volume 4 The Song of the Nameless Bard

Volume 4 The Song of the Nameless Bard

The feud between the Humans and Demons the Demon King and the Hero tried to kill each other. To turn around the rules of the world to see the other side of the hill the Demon King and the Hero joined hands. To destroy the way of the world. Some Demons turned their backs against the Demon King, while the new Demons who worked with Humans, carried the name of the Tribe of the Gate. Beginning with the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale, led by the Demon King candidate, the Sigiled King, these Demons left in Betrayal, joining hands with the Central Continent and marching into the Human World. The Kingdoms of the South received Embassy from the Demons, along with the merchants who sought profit, and tried to link Demons with Humans. The Elder Sister Maid, having be a schr, sought to unravel the ways of the world. As the Spirit wills! The massed serfs of the Central Continent took to the battlefield with their Muskets. without regard for Humans nor Demons, they betrayed the Demons of the Pale, pushing South, to reim the Holy Relic, they sprayed the field with blood. The other side of the hill, that the Demon King and Hero fought to see, is it now to be this unbridled World War?! Those who have met the Demon King, working to change the world. For despite their disappointment, there is another side of the hill to see. Volume 4 1, “The Rainbow is Dipping.”

Volume 4 Chapter 1, The Rainbow is Dipping.

- The Kingdom of Metal, the Pce, in a Heated Room The Lone Winter King: After that, how are the people? Marshal of Metal: Yes. Right now Maybe its because of the celebratory mood, but there doesnt seem to be too many hard feelings about the end of the battle. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Good. The Iron Fist King: Is that so. The Lone Winter King: To the people, we have managed to protect thend. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Though the pain and anguish incurred is terrible. The Iron Fist King: The pain is one thing, but our integrity is another. The Lone Winter King: Thats right. The number of soldiers the Crusaders from the Central Continent can field is far above our expectations. If we incurred even the same number of sacrifices, the pain would be too great for us to even sustain our society. The Queen of Ice and Snow: All we can do is try to reconstruct. The Iron Fist King: Its people. Whether its battle or reconstruction, it all rests on the numbers. Without people, we cant start to do anything. The Lone Winter King: We are now in a limited-scale war, so the number of casualties The Iron Fist King: There are approximately 3,500. To break it down further, the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of Winter have lost roughly 1,500 apiece. The Queen of Ice and Snow: I apologise for the burden we have ced on you. The Iron Fist King: You will bear the burden in other ways, and this is thend of the Kingdom of Metal after all. The Lone Winter King: We will ship food from ournds first. The families of the casualties must also be cared for. With the change of seasons, we should also n for the export of charcoal. The Iron Fist King: More importantly The Lone Winter King: Mmm. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Holy Crusaders still control the Kingdom of White Night. The Iron Fist King: Thats The Queen of Ice and Snow: ording to my hand a courtier of mine known as the Disciple Nobleman has submitted a report. The Crusaders are regrouping and conducting exercises. The Iron Fist King: Damn The Lone Winter King: We have to be prepared for the possibility of another attack. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Or we could take to the sea. The Iron Fist King: Hmm The Queen of Ice and Snow: They must have brought quite a bit to attack the Southern Alliance. If another conflict breaks out along the border between the Kingdom of White Night and the Kingdom of Metal, that would leave the Central Continent as apletely exposed and defenceless trap. The Iron Fist King: But cant we wait for these Crusaders to disband? The Lone Winter King: No, we cant. Our reports indicate that this Expedition was put together with the direct sanction of the Primarch himself. As a result, disbanding it before it has achieved its goals would send a terrible message from the Holy Church. The Crusaders have no way of giving up without achieving their goals. The Queen of Ice and Snow: In that case The Iron Fist King: Its a stalemate. The Lone Winter King: That is a blessing. We need time. The Iron Fist King: To heal the wounds of war. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Its not just that. Please remember the conversation we had with the envoy of the Demon World. We have to make a decision as soon as possible. For that purpose, Iron Fist King, you too The Iron Fist King: I understand! But I still remember what it was like to fight those Demons. As the King, I will have to swallow my reservations in the name of peace for my people! The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Lone Winter King: Do you mean to say some of the punitive force sent to attack the Demons of the Pale are still here? The Iron Fist King: Yeah. The Lone Winter King: Hmm. The Iron Fist King: I will go and confirm just how things are. Everything else will follow. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Yeah Well be counting on you then, Iron Fist King. The Iron Fist King: Hmm. An unclouded heart makes the best decision, does it not? I understand. - The Kingdom of the Lake, the City of the Lake, Field Headquarters of the Union Union Employee: A message! The Southern Kingdoms havee under surprise attack from the Holy Crusaders of the Central Continent! Female Union Employee: ! Branch Chief: We werete. Union Employee: Yes. Female Union Employee: We couldnt make it in time Branch Chief: We didnt manage the crackdown on the supply of metal in time. They were able to coordinate their logistics in absolute silence, I fear they may have nned this much further in advance than we thought If it wasnt for that, it would have been far too strange that there was no reaction from them despite the wavering of the metal prices. Union Employee: That means we couldnt affect their production of armaments. Female Union Employee: At this rate, weve suffered terrible economic wounds. Shouldnt we be looking for an opening to retreat? Branch Chief: Union Employee: I am sorry. We should have gained a practical grasp of things earlier. Branch Chief: No. This was an issue of intelligence from the very beginning. It seems that there are still many spheres of the economy which are beyond our intelligence and understanding. Door opens. Young Merchant: My, my. You are all still here. Union Employee: Councillor! Branch Chief: When did you return? Young Merchant: Only just. I had to leave the City of the Gate. The Mage: Union Employee: Umm, this is? Young Merchant: Oh right. Please bring lots of food and some sweets. The Mage: Smiles. Young Merchant: Right Situation report. Union Employee: Weve only just received a report that the Southern United Kingdoms havee under attack from the Crusaders of the Central Continent They are using some new weaponry from the Central Continent. Young Merchant: Would that be muskets? The Mage: Yeah. Young Merchant: Do you have a better understanding by any chance? The Mage: At first, the Southern United Kingdoms were engaged in battle against the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale which was controlling the Kingdom of White Night. The Female Pdin, acting as the Supreme Commander, assembled 7,000 men on the border of the Kingdoms of Metal and White Night. The Tribe of the Pale met them on the field with 20,000 soldiers and the battle continued for a day. However, both sides were suddenly faced with a strong assault by approximately 40,000 Holy Crusaders from the rear Their main targets were the Demons of the Pale, but they did not make a distinction during the attack. The bulk of the force wasprised of fresh recruits armed with muskets. A contingent under the Female Pdin had prepared a fire attack across the marsnds, and they used this to retreat from the ins of Sci. The Holy Crusaders were also prevented from advancing by this sea of fire, and they moved to seize the Kingdom of White Night from the Demons of the Pale. Having swept the city, they garrisoned there. At present, even though the military situation is tense, there is a semnce of ceasefire. Moreover, the 20,000 strong Tribe of the Pale force has beenpletely exterminated. The Southern United Kingdoms have lost roughly 3,000 while the Holy Crusaders have lost 6,000. However, if one were to consider the attrition rate, then the Southern United Kingdoms have lost 30% of participating forces and 12% of the entire armed forces; the Holy Crusaders have lost 15% of participating forces but losses for the entire armed forces do not exceed 3%. Young Merchant: In that case, the Holy Crusaders The Mage: Moreover, there are more than 20,000 additional soldiers being trained to arrive as reinforcements. Young Merchant: The Southern United Kingdoms are at the verge of extinction The Mage: That would be a premature judgment. There are two reasons. Firstly, the Holy Crusaders seem to have set the priority at attacking the Demon World rather than attacking the Southern United Kingdoms. Young Merchant: Hmm Its true that the general polemic of the Church and the mandate of the Crusaders have been directed at this, butI dont believe they would just allow the Southern United Kingdoms to exist. The Mage: This is just an inference, but I believe the Holy Crusaders can exterminate the Southern Kingdoms with just a third of their massive army. In other words, they would easily be able to enact strategies like pincer attacks. Union Employee: With 20,000 soldiers, there are such possibilities Young Merchant: And the next point is? The Mage: Right after the start of the war, the Southern Tripartite Economic Union gave up on that name. With the addition of the Kingdom of the Lake, the Kingdom of Elm, the Kingdom of Reeds, the Kingdom of Red Horses, and seven Free Trading Cities, they have founded the Southern Alliance. Branch Chief: Finally, eh? Young Merchant: With the present timing, there are other considerations outside of this. The way it is 20,000 soldiers is definitely an impressive force for the Church to muster, but mobilising such arge force will probably result in the weakening of the national forces in each of the Kingdoms. Of course, its not like the countries under the Holy Church of Light are willing to fight as a cohesive force. To begin with, even if they wanted to fight, the bulk of their fighting forces, having been dispatched on the Crusades, would be incapable of mounting a strong self-defence. With this many troops out of the Central Continent, the establishment of the Southern Alliance is sure to shake up the bnce. Female Union Employee: Right now, in the event that the Holy Crusaders were tounch an attack on the Southern Alliance, a country closer to the Central Continent for example, the Kingdom of the Lake or the Kingdom of Elm might respond byunching a retaliatory attack on the less guarded kingdoms of the Central Continent. Even though the peasants form the core of the Crusader armies, their military support and coordination is definitely being controlled by the nobility. They would definitely not be able to stand by and allow that to happen. Branch Chief: Its really a hostage taking situation on both sides Union Employee: Thats right. The Crusaders can use their massive military might to take the central portion of the Southern Alliance hostage. And in response, the newly expanded allies of the Southern Alliance can also take the undefended portions of the Central Continent hostage. Young Merchant: Thats not it all of it, though This is where it getsplicated. Female Union Employee: ? Young Merchant: Both sides are actually in remarkably simr situations. On one hand, you have the Southern Alliance, which wields its promise of freedom for the people as its weapon; hence they cannot afford to lose the trust that has been ced in them. On the other hand, you have the Central Continent, which wields the muskets of the people as its own weapon; they, in turn, cannot afford to have these muskets suddenly turned upon them Both are in very difficult straits. Notwithstanding the efforts of the Union, the Demon Council, the Demon World Union Employee: There is a chance of victory then? Young Merchant: I cannot guarantee it. But if it were merely a contest of might, then there would be no room for intelligence to take the field. If situations werentplicated, the merchants would not be able to capitalise on situations like we do. Because of this, we cannot abandon chance. On a board with many yers, chaos is king, and that is the optimum battleground for us merchants. Union Employee: But right now the military strike has been Young Merchant: Yes, I know it has started. But its still too early to say it has been decided. If the opposing side does not have specialised staff, then we may have a strong chance yet. Union Employee: Specialised Young Merchant: Logistics What do we know about the Central Continents secret musketsmiths? Union Employee: Yes, they belong to the Kingdom of Metal. There are three locations in total. Young Merchant: Very good. Branch Chief, please move onto these three locations to prepare Branch Chief: Move? Young Merchant: Inns and brothels I want ears and eyes on the ground. Branch Chief: Understood. Young Merchant: Please get me intelligence on how many muskets the Crusaders have with them. No matter how well stocked they are, it would be ridiculous to think they would be able to procure 20,000 muskets for their 20,000 soldiers. Moreover, muskets areplex machines. They are prone to idents and require a lot of materials in preparation. And they need gunpowder, dont they? The Mage: Yes. It is a crucial requirement. Union Employee: In other words, we can assume that a significant quantity of saltpetre would have had to be acquired by the Holy Empire Their muskets have already been prepared, so applying any further pressure on their supply chain cant possibly have much effect, can it? Young Merchant: No, there is an effect. Our enemies are the Kingdoms of the Central Continent. The enormity of it is in the weaponry, but it has its weaknesses. Any sort of necrosis along the chain can lead to a significant timeg. Union Employee: Eh? Young Merchant: Think about the itemisation of the production process of metal products. Thats where were going to strike. Union Employee: The production cost? But the leftover production cost willposergely ofbour costs. At present, the intensive factories and manufactories house all the craftsmen in private, and we would be hard-pressed to offer a better pitch under these circumstances. Young Merchant: Its not just about the production costs. Branch Chief: I see! ps. Young Merchant: Yes, Im talking about charcoal. In order to forge metal, you need double or even triple the amount of charcoal. And why wouldnt they be able to use coal? Branch Chief: Weve already suppressed their supply of that. Young Merchant: The wind is blowing in the right direction. The country that produces the majority of the charcoal for the Holy Empire, the Kingdom of Elm, has already joined the Southern Alliance. In this case, controlling the supply of charcoal would not be a difficult thing to do. Female Union Employee: What about the capital involved? Young Merchant: Well get it from the Central Continent. There are 200,000 people moving towards the Kingdom of White Night, these people need food to eat. All of this food needs to be shipped by the sea. Well profit from importing the food through the Free Cities and then distributing it to the ports of the Kingdom of White Night. Union Employee: Understood! Ill make the arrangements. Young Merchant: Please begin. Female Union Employee: Yeah. Branch Chief: Got it. Runs off. Young Merchant: Hmm Will we make it in time? The Mage: Is it over? Young Merchant: Yeah, somehow. The Mage: Young Merchant: Hungry? The Mage nods. Young Merchant: Understood. Ill go prepare something. Without your help, we would definitely have been toote. You really are the Mage of legend. The Mage: The present circumstance is a gift for that child. Young Merchant: That child? The Mage: That girl who could not be of the Tribe of the Library. That mere human. Young Merchant: The Mage: Nothing. Young Merchant: I see. The Mage: Why do you seek to end the conflict? Young Merchant: For profit. The Mage raises her eyebrow. Young Merchant: The world that we live in is a ce for us to make our profits. If we were allowed to just destroy it as we see fit, it would be very troublesome. The Mage: How individualistic. Young Merchant: I am a merchant. The Mage: I feel the same way. Young Merchant: Sorry? The Mage: Nothing. Young Merchant: But teleportation magic Im sure that would be really useful for many things. The Mage: Will you go back? Young Merchant: No, I think I should stay here to direct the efforts for a while. The Mage: Young Merchant: The City of the Gate? Theres a certain Lady over there, a high ranking personage. Someone who is willing to get lied to for her ends. I must factor her into my calctions. The Mage: As a lover? Young Merchant: Please Nothing of the sort. A merchant partnership is a far more sacred thing. The Kingdom of Winter, the Winter Pce, the Room of ounts Disciple Merchant: Aghh! Throws papers around. Disciple Merchant: Whats going on! This has to be the evil machinations of some terrible party Because of this war, the food situation has gotten really troublesome Agh, its tough to be an official. Its really terrible. I give up. I give up. Assistant: Disciple Merchant, sir! Disciple Merchant: Wevee to an impasse, eh On the one hand, we have to create avenues for remittances, replenish our depleted stockpiles, issue and enforce the trade permits We have a whole lot of things needed to be done. Assistant: Disciple Merchant, sir! Disciple Merchant: Agh, what Assistant: Disciple Merchant, sir! Disciple Merchant: Its all piling up, how despicable. Assistant: Disciple Merchant, sir! Disciple Merchant: Oh. What is it, you doggie? Assistant: Im not a doggie! Disciple Merchant: Youre shaking your little tail, arent you? Assistant: What? What are you talking about?! Disciple Merchant: Well, what is it? Assistant: Thats right. Disciple Merchant: ? Assistant: Ive solved your assignment! Disciple Merchant: Assignment? Assistant: The cheese! Disciple Merchant: What about it? Assistant: You asked me to consider how it would be possible to stabilise the price of cheese and provide it to the market at an affordable price range! Disciple Merchant: Ohhh. That assignment. Sorry, there were too many issues with the Crusaders, I forgot all about such tiny details. Assistant: How cruel! Youre just bullying me! Disciple Merchant: Well, dont say that. Its almost time for tea anyway. Assistant: Ive already prepared it. Disciple Merchant: Alright, lets discuss this over tea. Assistant: Yes! Sits down. Assistant: Firstly, Ive looked into the production process for cheese. Disciple Merchant: Very good, one must begin from the basics. Assistant: To say it simply, cheese is a dairy product. Cheese is warmed, churned, and then fermenting agents are added. This fermenting agent is basically made from the Thistle* flower. After that, the water content is pressed out once it has hardened. While adding heat and pressing out the water, the cheese is squeezed into a container to form the raw product. However, the product we are able to consume just begins at this stage, this raw cheese must be ced in brine; after this, the product is not finished until the taste is adjusted and the cheese is stored and matured in a cold and dark environment for a period ranging from many months to a few years It takes time, but thats how its done. Disciple Merchant: What a troublesome process. Assistant: It is! But its delicious. Ive tasted a lot of it during my research. Disciple Merchant: What a cheeky fellow! Assistant: Hahaha. Disciple Merchant: Well, looks like youve got the fundamentals down. What have you thought of next? Assistant: Well, the first thing I thought of is that the quantity of product decreases remarkably during the transition from milk to cheese. Disciple Merchant: Hmm Well, but thats to be expected, right? You have to squeeze out the water content, after all. Assistant: Yes, thats true, but just how much needs to be lost? Ive gone and asked around, and it seems that if you prepared 10 pots of milk, you would only get 1 pot of cheese. Disciple Merchant: One out of ten. Assistant: But on the market, cheese fetches 30 times the price of milk at the same price. So a 10% reduction in final output is still profitable. Disciple Merchant: Hmm, so in other words, the rest of it isprised ofbour costs, other materials, and transportation costs. Assistant: Umm, theres that, but arge part of it is spent on the maturation. Disciple Merchant: Maturation Assistant: In other words, the cheese needs to mature in a cool and dark environment, right? From a farmers point of view, it is not possible to move the product immediately. In fact, it takes at least half a month to two years to make any profit. By that time, Im not even sure if there even really is a profit. Disciple Merchant: Why not? Once he sells it, he still makes profit, doesnt he? Assistant: Well, because maturation takes time, you have to be especially careful that it doesnt rot. Moreover, you can never be certain how the price of cheese will fluctuate in this time. And since people only make cheese because they want to sell it at a higher price, you will never find a cheesemaker willing to sell cheese at an affordable price And thats why they dont produce enough cheese. Disciple Merchant: Hmm. Assistant: There are also those who produce enough cheese for their family and then sell the rest if there are any leftovers. That also means that not much is sold and the price is high. Disciple Merchant: Very well researched. Assistant: Ehehehe. Well, producing cheese is like Umm Like ying the lottery. So people arent certain of being able to profit from it. Disciple Merchant: And so? Assistant: And so, this is what Ive thoughtof. Unfolds paper. -- Exnation Thistle: Cheese is produced through the coagtion of milk proteins obtained from animals. For this to be achieved, the enzyme needs to be added. In Europe, this re is usually obtained from the mulch in the stomachs of young sheep and mountain goats. However, there are forms of vegetable re such as from fig juice, artichokes (Korean thistle) and thistle. This is especially widespread in the Iberian Penins throughout Spain and Portugal. - Assistant: Its all written down here, but Disciple Merchant: This is basically a storage unit? Assistant: Yes Umm, umm. Basically, we allow farmers to sell raw cheese for which salt has already been added to, but this will not yet have been allowed to mature at 60% of the sale price. In this way, people who want to produce cheese can obtain disposable capital within a few weeks of the milking, right? Disciple Merchant: Indeed. Assistant: The people who run this storage facility can maintain the necessary conditions and remove the cheese for sale at the preordained time. In this way, the storeowner of the storage facility would always have cheese ready for sale and would not require any expertise or tools to create it. In other words, they would just be taking care of the cheese. Disciple Merchant: But if the cheese were to get infested or rotten during that time, it would bepletely useless, wouldnt it? Assistant: Yes. And thats why we buy it at 60% of the price. The remaining 40% is not really for us to gain profit, but rather to cover any idents or Disciple Merchant: Risks? Assistant: Thats the word. It covers our risks. The key is in numbers. In other words, if we build our storage facilities in many areas, the cheese can be kept in many areas as well, and that will lower our risk. Its probable for any given unit of cheese to go bad or to turn out well and be delicious, right? For a small farming household, if a unit of cheese were to go bad, that could represent a significant portion of his ie and he would not even have any milk to sell to rece it. However, even if 20% of all our cheese went bad, as long as the rest is fine, there would be no issue. Thats why, umm If we bought the raw cheese at a price between that of milk and cheese, we would be able to bnce out the losses that we could incur Umm, did I say something strange? Disciple Merchant: No, no, please continue. Assistant: This price that weve been referring to is preliminarily set at 60%, but depending on the market price and any other impinging factors, its just an approximation. If the cheese has a high failure rate, then we will have to adjust the price further downwards. But if it has a high sess rate, we can adjust it upwards, right? Umm, this Disciple Merchant: I see What youve juste up with is a form of hedging. You envision what the sess rate will be and stabilise our earnings based on that. Assistant: Yes! The farming household now doesnt have to worry about saving lots of money because they only need to worry about producing the first stage of the product, and so we can have entire farmingmunities devoted to cheese production! Disciple Merchant: Is that so? Assistant: But theres more. At present, the price one can fetch from cheese is not so much dependent on the techniques of the farm or the deliciousness of the cheese, but rather on how much or how little cheese is produced. This is because its hard to differentiate good cheese by sight. Disciple Merchant: I see, and what can you do? Assistant: Well, in order to ensure good vour, we can create a seal to be given to good cheese to certify their quality. Producers will then have to work hard if they want to maintain these standards, right? Disciple Merchant: Thats not a bad idea. Assistant: Hehehehe. Disciple Merchant: (Im surprised by his practical ability. There are lots of holes in this n, but he was able tobine risk-reduction with the division ofbour. Its worth a shot. He really has grown) Assistant: What do you think? Disciple Merchant: Youre really getting better! Assistant: Am I? Am I? Is that apliment! Disciple Merchant: Ill save my praise for the next assignment. Assistant: Disciple Merchant: Its a tough one Boots. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Dining Room The Demon King: The Hero: Demon King, salt. The Demon King: Got it. The Hero: The Demon King: Hey, Hero. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Why are we doing this? The Hero: Well The Demons of the Pale are retreating, so its a good time as any to go back home for a bit. The Demon King: Thats not what Im talking about. Why are we eating this? The Hero: We dont have anything else to eat. The Demon King: What did we havest night? The Hero: Boiled potatoes with salt? The Demon King: And the night before? The Hero: Boiled potatoes with salt. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: How did ite to this! The Hero: We dont have a choice! The Chief Maid was sent to be an envoy to the Council of the City of the Gate and the Little Sister Maid is on a learning trip to the Kingdom of Winter. The Demon King: So we can only have boiled potatoes for three meals? The Hero: But you made this, didnt you? The Demon King: I cant really make anything else. The Hero: Then we should just eat it. The Demon King: When you made lunch you made the same thing too. The Hero: Thats the only thing I can make, so Ive got no choice either. The Demon King: We lose. The Hero: Sorry? The Demon King: At this rate, were going to lose. For sure. The Demon World will be exterminated. The Hero: What are you saying? The Demon King: I have a premonition. The Hero: Whoa, thats a really dark expression. The Demon King: Thats right. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Weve got some jam, right? Lets put some on the potatoes so itll be sweeter. The Hero: Say so earlier! Bonk. Spreads jam. The Demon King: We will lose. The Demon World will be wiped out. Hero, I cannot go on any longer. And like this, 3,000 years will pass. The Hero: That escted quickly. The Demon King: Throw all the books aside, lets go to town. The Hero: What? The Demon King: Im going to town! I cant take it anymore! This meal is destroying my body and my brain! Im the Demon King after all! The Hero: Where to? The Demon King: Lets go somewhere right and proper. The Hero: But you dont know where. The Demon King: Lets just go somewhere, Hero! The Hero: That waspletely unhelpful Ahh, theres no choice. - The South of the Kingdom of Metal, the Forests Lieutenant of Metal: Just up ahead. Scout: Yes. The Iron Fist King: Hmph. Disciple Soldier: Your Majesty, you appear to be bearing a difficult face. Lieutenant of Metal: Indeed. The Iron Fist King: I was born with this face. Grass rustling. Lieutenant of Metal: Who goes! Herald of the Gate: I am a herald of the Tribe of the Gate. Are you of the Kingdom of Metal? Disciple Soldier: Yes, we are. Herald of the Gate: We are now in contact, pleasee this way. Lieutenant of Metal: What a lively soldier. The Iron Fist King: Hmph. Lieutenant of Metal: Now, now, dont make that face. If you smile more, youll look like a kindly grandfather. The Iron Fist King: What? Lieutenant of Metal: Nothing at all. Herald of the Gate: We are currently leasing this valley. Thank you for the friendship and assistance of the Kingdom of Metal on the battlefield. The Iron Fist King: Hmph. Leaves rustling. Herald of the Gate: May I introduce the King of the Kingdom of Metal. The East Fortress Base Commander: Good work. Disciple Soldier: Hmm. Lieutenant of Metal: (A man with an air of gravitas) The East Fortress Base Commander: There are many courtesies I ought to extend to you, but perhaps we should adjourn to the pavilion. - The South of the Kingdom of Metal, the Forests, the Pavilion of the Tribe of the Fang p. Lieutenant of Metal: (Hmm) The East Fortress Base Commander: This way, please Ahh. I apologise, I have forgotten my manners. Hey, bring something to drink. Warrior of the Fang: Yes. Disciple Soldier: Now, please be at ease. We are all military personnel, there are many formalities we would all be d to dispense with. The East Fortress Base Commander: That would be a great relief. I am a brusque and impolite person, and I hope you will be able to pardon my words. I am the East Fortress Base Commander. Originally, I was one of the mercenaries involved in the Second Holy Crusade, but after that, I served for a long time as one of the garrison fortressmanders in the City of the Gate. Thanks to some very strange vicissitudes of fate, I have somehow ended up in the Council of the City of the Gate, and I am presently the Khan of one of the Nine Great Tribes of the Demon World: the Tribe of the Gate. In this present war with the Demons of the Pale, I serve as the General of the Left. The Silver Tiger Lord: I am the Silver Tiger Lord. The Khan of one of the Nine Great Tribes, the Tribe of the Fang. I serve as the General of the Right. Lieutenant of Metal: (This guy is really intimidating.) Disciple Soldier: I am the Minister for Defence in the Kingdom of Metal, the Disciple Soldier. I served as Deputy Commander in the Battle of the ins of Sci. With me, as stated, is the Iron Fist King. As the King of the Kingdom of Metal, he is the present leader of the Southern Alliance. Today, we represent the Southern Alliance in meeting you here. The Iron Fist King nods curtly. The Silver Tiger Lord: Firstly, we would like to express our gratitude for allowing us to use this venue. The Tribe of the Pale are a renegade faction of the Demon World which sought to assassinate the Demon King. We are grateful for the offer of passage to deal with them. The East Fortress Base Commander: We also sincerely apologise for having dragged the Human World into one of the Demon Worlds power struggles, in other words, an internal affair. The Iron Fist King: Disciple Soldier: Your Majesty, shouldnt you say something to acknowledge this? Lieutenant of Metal: Yes, I believe so. The Iron Fist King: The Silver Tiger Lord: The Iron Fist King: I hear the Tribe of the Fang also suffered immense casualties in this war? The Silver Tiger Lord: Indeed. Many of my warriors fell while fighting with the sudden reinforcements of human soldiers. However, they are brave warriors of the Fang. They fell with honour and valour. The Iron Fist King: It must be shameful to have to fight in the Human World. The Silver Tiger Lord: There can be no excuse for defeat or shame. We do not fight with even a hint of shame. To fight with shame is to dishonour our values. The Iron Fist King: Disciple Soldier: (Dont pick a fight!) The Silver Tiger Lord: As we said earlier, the Demons of the Pale are traitors of the Demon World. They disgraced the Kurultai. To hunt them down, we have gone through many trials and challenges, we have nothing to be ashamed of. The Iron Fist King: To chase a renegade faction all the way here, how futile. The Silver Tiger Lord: We are a Tribe of warriors. No matter where they go, to uphold our honour we are willing to chase them there. The Iron Fist King: We shall see. The Silver Tiger Lord: The East Fortress Base Commander: (Uhh) Disciple Soldier: (That seems to have ended somehow.) The Iron Fist King: This forest is thick. These are virgin, unspoilt forests. Is it not inconvenient? The Silver Tiger Lord: My people live in the mountain forests. The air here is fresh and the ground is good. We thank you for its provision. Disciple Soldier: What of food? The East Fortress Base Commander: We brought much of it with us. We have also supplemented it with boars and deer we catch in the forest, though you may be assured we did not hunt many and we will not be staying long. The Iron Fist King: I shall arrange for food and wine to be sent. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thank you. The Iron Fist King: Then let us go. The East Fortress Base Commander: Oh, but youve only juste. Disciple Soldier: Thats right. We cant waste such an opportunity! Surely we should talk more? The Iron Fist King: We have both lost manyrades. There is much time and wine for us to spend with them. We, the Kingdom of Metal, are a military kingdom. The military has its military ceremonies. The Silver Tiger Lord: The East Fortress Base Commander: Disciple Soldier: Isee The East Fortress Base Commander: Thank you for your concern. The Iron Fist King: With regards to our inter-world diplomacy, that will be handled by the Queen of Ice and Snow and her diplomatic corps. I have no intention to be best friends with you Demons just yet, and that is a view shared by many of my people However, I would be d to share a ss of wine with you one day. That would be a fine time. The Silver Tiger Lord nods. The East Fortress Base Commander: The Iron Fist King: Let us go. The Silver Tiger Lord: Warrior, raise your spear to send him off. Warrior of the Fang: Yes, my Lord. The Silver Tiger Lord: Let us gofort the spirits of our warriors. - The Demon World, the Banks of Phoenix Lake, Temporary Conference Venue The Cyclops: Todayfirstly The Baron of Steel: Mmm. The Cyclops: We havemanaged tomake threetunnels The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The design allows for the securing of five fist-lengths of leeway on the two sides. The Fire Dragon Lord: Oh! That is a good thing. The Cyclops: We theTribe of the Giantspaid a veryexpensive The Witch-Queen of Banshees: As did the engineering crew of the Tribe of Banshees. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. On a rted note, I also need tomission the paving of roads between the territory of my Tribe and the City of the Gate, and between the City of the Gate and the old territory of the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale. Aide-de-Camp: I believe we can raise the capital required for this from loans as well as financial support from the Self-Governing Council of the City of the Gate. The Cyclops: Great. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Mmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: We will rely on you then. The Baron of Steel: We are also very grateful to you. It would be a great help to the administration of the old territory of the Demons of the Pale. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Thats right. How are the remaining Demons of the Pale? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. The Baron of Steel: There are many problems, the first is logistical. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Hmm. The Baron of Steel: We are especially concerned about theck of clothing and food. The Army of the Pale seems to have taken these supplies in particr on their expedition. Aide-de-Camp: If its about food, we can definitely send some of the necessities from the City, but unfortunately, it probably isnt going to be enough. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We have a productive advantage, so we can probablye up with quite arge amount of food. Well send some over. In return, we dont mind taking payment in metals. Well require it for next year. The Baron of Steel: I thank you. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: And the other things? The Baron of Steel: Logistically, we are notcking in many other things. The Army of the Pale did not pige anything on their way out, so the homes and facilities have not been destroyed. The ore mines are alsopletely intact, and we can quickly start to mine from them. However The Fire Dragon Lord: However? The Baron of Steel: On a psychological level, weve got some massive problems. To begin with, the Demons of the Pale have a very strict, rigid, and stratified ss system. The top of the hierarchy is dominated by the military. The remaining civilians andbourers form the lower hierarchies. With them being so used to such a society, it is incredibly challenging to direct The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Dont tell me theres violence?! The Baron of Steel: No, theres no violence, but its a very tense situation. It seems many of them arepletely unable to ept that they have been abandoned by their own people. There are also elderlybourers and civilians who have adopted an attitude of depression and resignation to the end. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What The Witch-Queen of Banshees: To think it got to that extent. The Fire Dragon Lord: Mmm The Cyclops: How troublesome The Baron of Steel: The popce are used to being threatened with weapons in order to be coerced to follow orders and work hard and diligently, but we bear a sacred mission from the Demon King herself, and we the Tribe of the Automatons could not possibly adopt a simr course of action. Aide-de-Camp: Mmm The Baron of Steel: With such a situation, weve got way too much on our hands to deal with. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: But these are not issues that we can resolve overnight. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm. The Baron of Steel: Do you have any good ideas? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: The Fire Dragon Lord: I fear we must use a mixture of techniques. The Cyclops: Amixture? The Baron of Steel: What do you mean? The Fire Dragon Lord: This rigid ss system is the product of the hardening of ideologies. In other words, because they only consider their own fields and boundaries, their thoughts and ideologies are moulded by their society. It may decrease work productivity, but we could consider having them rotate their jobs. For example, letting the miners do some farmwork and letting the farmers do some of the mining, this will expand their understanding of the other elements of society and help break down any misunderstandings and intolerances. Aide-de-Camp: I think that is a good idea. What do you think of this? At a specified date, we will buy over everything that they produce. The Cyclops: Thats rightwe also weetheir involvementin the road construction The Chieftain of the Tattooed: On a separate note, the Demon King did mention something about constructing a university when she took up the post. Since were doing something rted, we might as well see that through as well. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: That sounds like something the Demon King would want. Aide-de-Camp: How is the Demon King anyway? I hope that terrible Khan of ours hasnt been troubling her too much. The Cyclops: I wonder The Fire Dragon Lord: Ahem! About that, I have a report to make to this Committee. Its a report on the movements in the Surface World. The Baron of Steel: Lets hear it. It would be great to know how things are going with the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale while we deal with them down here. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Mmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: Firstly, our primary objective of defeating the expedition of the Tribe of the Pale has seeded. Aide-de-Camp: Very good! The Cyclops: Good The Fire Dragon Lord: And during this war, as a result of fighting together with them, we have also reached a ceasefire agreement with one of the factions in the Surface World, the Southern Alliance. Aide-de-Camp: Southern Alliance The Cyclops: Who arethe Southern Alliance? The Fire Dragon Lord: Based on our reports, the continent we know of in the Surface World is formed from a loose messy group of 30 or so different countries. Aide-de-Camp: A country is simr to a Tribe in the Demon World. But your country is limited by where you were born and who you were born to. All of thisnd is controlled by one leader, a King something like a Khan, but with more powers. The Cyclops: So its like the Western Giants and the Northern GiantsSeparate but together The Fire Dragon Lord: The Southern Alliance is an alliance of seven of these countries formed in opposition to the group on the continent. Aide-de-Camp: (The Tripartite Economic Union has progressed to that extent.) The Baron of Steel: And we have formed a ceasefire with them? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Hmm. The Fire Dragon Lord: However, the Central Continent and the Holy Church of Light seem to be nning their third conquest of the Demon World, we must be very careful of that Aide-de-Camp: (As I thought, we still have much to fear of from the Human World.) The Cyclops: The Central ContinentThe Holy Church of Light? Aide-de-Camp: Those are the strongest organisations in the Surface World. The Baron of Steel: How strong are they? Aide-de-Camp: They can field a massive army from the strengths of 20 countries. Until this Southern Alliance was set up, they were without parallel in strength. In some ways, theyre simr to the Kurultai. It was they thatunched the Secondin other words, the attack of the City of the Gate by the Humans led by a force known as the Holy Crusaders. Its a bit hard to exin without writing it down. Scribble scribble. Aide-de-Camp: Hmm Mmm Scribble. Aide-de-Camp: The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What are you writing? Aide-de-Camp: Umm, this is a more detailed analysis of the battle with the numbers in. Firstly, the Holy Crusaders I talked about earlier. These are soldiers mustered from the Central Continent under the banner of the Holy Church, and have already been mobilised. They are currently in the Kingdom of White Night The Baron of Steel: The country that the Demons of the Pale invaded? Aide-de-Camp: The very one. Having seized the kingdom from the Demons of the Pale, they seem to be working to make it their own territory. The Baron of Steel: Is that something that happens often in the Human World? The Chieftain of the Tattooed: Seizing other Tribes territories. Aide-de-Camp: It is not a verymon thing, but its definitely not unheard of. But the real issue is what effect this will have on their grand designs. The Kingdom of White Night is an important port along the great Pr Sea. Our Khan feels that the Crusaders may have engineered the fall of the Kingdom of White Night in order to seize that port. Their strength is roughly 20,000 strong, and is set to increase It seems their objective is to throw their entire army behind an attack on the Demon World. Twenty thousand is many times more than the previous invasion force. The Cyclops: The Humansareing. The Baron of Steel: So all this talk of ceasefire that the Demon King came up with was worthless. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The Humans are still going to attack us after all, at least we have solved the issue with the Demons of the Pale. Aide-de-Camp: Indeed. The Southern Allianceprises of the following kingdoms that have entered a treaty with each other: the Kingdom of Winter, the Kingdom of Ice, the Kingdom of Metal, the Kingdom of the Lake, the Kingdom of Reeds, the Kingdom of Branches, and the Kingdom of Red Horses. They may be just seven countries, but they hold vital resources and are powerful countries in their own rights. Had we not entered a ceasefire with them, we could be facing an enemy force upwards of 30,000 strong. The Cyclops: Is that so. The Baron of Steel: Hmm. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: No, theres even more. Had these seven Tribes not stood with us, not only would the attacking force increase, their army would be able to mobilise entirely without fear of attack from behind. Because of the ceasefire between the Southern Alliance and the Demons, these Holy Crusaders now have to be wary of any movements from the Southern Alliance while they attack us. With the Silver Tiger Lord and the Khan of the Gate, we have already managed to nullify and tie down 10,000 enemy soldiers. The Fire Dragon Lord: Very true. Aide-de-Camp: (These Demons are very quick to recognise good work.) The Cyclops: Buteven so20,000 The Baron of Steel: What would be the oue of a war? Aide-de-Camp: I do not know. I fear if it was easily settled, the Demon King would not still be out in the field. The Cyclops: What shouldwe do The Baron of Steel: Hmm. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: What do you think? Aide-de-Camp: I am but a mere Aide-de-Camp, but it seems that the Crusaders are bearing a new type of arm known as a musket. I will have to find time to exin it more clearly, but it is an extremely powerful weapon. The sess of any battle seems to hinge on these weapons. We will need to strengthen our equipment, training, andmand systems in the face of this. Furthermore, we must survey and judge possible battlegrounds and strengthen our signals andmunications systems. Anyrger decisions would probably have to wait for the Demon Kings return. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Survey and judge possible battlegrounds? The Fire Dragon Lord: It should be somewhere near the Portal. Most of it is wastnd but its on the borders of the Tribe of Dragons, the City of the Gate, the Tribe of the Fiends, and the old territory of the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale. The Cyclops: Surveince. The Baron of Steel: Indeed, we must work to improve our surveinceworks. The Chieftain of the Tattooed: While the Queen of Fairies is still on the Surface World, the Fairies will continue to keep up their surveince. The Tribe of the Fiends will assist inmunications. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: In that case, let us divide up the workload. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmm, we will soon know if our efforts are to bear fruit. The Cliffs near the ins of Sci Resourceful Young Man: Hey, hey,ing through! Disciple Nobleman: Hoho, splendid. Mercenary Survivor: Delicious. Resourceful Young Man: Hehe! Disciple Nobleman: Alright, open the chains. Youve redeemed yourself. Mercenary Survivor: Hahaha. Resourceful Young Man: Heh! Ive shown you, havent I? Disciple Nobleman: Weve been protecting you all this while, though. Mercenary Survivor: Its great, isnt it. Hes bought you warm clothes and given you good food to eat. Resourceful Young Man: Its an appropriate reward! Disciple Nobleman: Thats right, a reward. You dont have to give it back. Resourceful Young Man: Ill hold you to that. Disciple Nobleman: But Ive given you the opportunity to do something good for your home, to turn from the path of indolence to do something righteous, I think you should be grateful for that. Resourceful Young Man: I am. Disciple Nobleman: Very good, but its about to be troublesome. Resourceful Young Man: What?! Disciple Nobleman: No, no, that is my problem. Mercenary Survivor: How will we do now without our Leader? Disciple Nobleman: I ced my utmost trust and confidence in your Leader to carry out his duties no matter the cost. I will be sure to uphold our contract. Mercenary Survivor: Thank you very much. Resourceful Young Man: Will we really be fine in such a ce? Disciple Nobleman: Yeah, in contrast, if we tried to carry this all the way back to the Kingdom right now, we would definitely be discovered. The enemy has surveince in this area. But theyre not fools, and besides its a very heavy load. Mercenary Survivor: Thats right, its clunky. Resourceful Young Man: That being said, what is it? Disciple Nobleman: Saltpetre. Mercenary Survivor: Its a treasure, even though it may look dirty. Resourceful Young Man: Isnt it just a useless rock? Disciple Nobleman: If only it really was just a useless rock. - The Winter Pce, the Grand Hall, the Strategy Room The Lone Winter King: Hmm In that case The Queen of Fairies: Yes, preparations areplete. Fairy Maiden flits around. Butler: Very good. The Lone Winter King: Hmm, for the moment, I will take the first step by putting my seal on this treaty of ceasefire and peace. Disciple Merchant: We will have to work a bit more on the content. The first is that a distance of twenty miles around the Portal shall be designated as a demilitarised no-mansnd. The second is the exchange of all prisoners captured during the first two Holy Crusades and the battles for the Isle of Light. Furthermore, it is forbidden to pursue judgment for the beginning of the war on both sides. A Conste* shall be established in the City of Winter and the City of the Gate, so thatmunication and exchange can be better facilitated Thats it, I think. The Lone Winter King: We can continue to amend the uses, but once I ce my seal on this, it will be binding throughout the Southern Alliance. I can obtain the guarantees and support from the other Kingdoms of the Alliance, but I cannot do anything about the Central Continent. I hope you understand The Queen of Fairies: Yes, I understand. I will take the document and discuss it with the other Khans of the Kurultai to reach their signed agreement. The Lone Winter King: On my side, I will ensure the signatures and seals of all the Kingdoms of the Southern Alliance. Once we have finished working out the details of the content, all that is left is just a formal ceremony. The Queen of Fairies: This is a very great step for our worlds. Fairy Maiden nods. Disciple Merchant: I hope it leads to greater things. Butler: That being said, how about the matter of the coalition army in the Kingdom of Metal? -- Exnation Conste: A consul is a type of diplomat. Compared to an ambassador, a consul is of a lower rank. Embassies are diplomats who represent the country to make agreements and enact foreign policies, but consuls are diplomats whose duties are to perform diplomatic services for the good of people in the countries. However, in some countries where ambassadors are not exchanged, consuls also have to enact foreign policy. For countries with chilled foreign policy, exchanging ambassadors may be an act of friendship and goodwill which is too hasty at the present moment; hence it may be more prudent to establish a conste and build upon that for the embassy at ater time. - The Queen of Fairies: As the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale has copsed, we should be heading back to the Demon World, but how do you feel about a joint coalition? The Lone Winter King: I have no objection to that. The Queen of Fairies: In that case, I shall have to seek approval for this. Fairy Maiden: Yes. Disciple Merchant: Right, weve got a lot to do. Attendant: Yes. Butler: There really is a lot of work that needs to be done. The Lone Winter King: This seems strange to us as well, but the Central Continent seems to have dered the Kingdom of White Night their direct demesne* after assuming control of the country. The Queen of Fairies: Direct demesne The Lone Winter King: Basically, the Church owns the Kingdom directly. More importantly, the Central Continent now has a strong foothold in the area. Our reports indicate that the aim of their invasion of the Demon World is to procure something known as the Holy Relic. The Queen of Fairies: Our reports indicate so as well, but we do not know anything of this Holy Relic. We have consulted the Kurultai and various schrs, but even up till now, we know nothing of it. Fairy Maiden flits wings. Disciple Merchant: Hmm. The Lone Winter King: It could be a fake. Disciple Merchant: Indeed The Queen of Fairies: What do you mean? The Lone Winter King: Very simply, I believe this is purely an annexation of territory for the Central Continent. Its a lush territory with infinite possibilities. Theyre probably using this pretence as an excuse to invade. The Queen of Fairies: That is a terrible possibility. Butler: But, at the same time, the invasion of the City of the Gate is set as well. Of course, they will need to pass through the Gate, or rather the Portal, and having passed through, their logisticalworks would have to be funnelled through that small opening, hence they couldnt possibly think about advancing on the Demon Kings Castle. I have no idea about their intentions. The Queen of Fairies: Yeah, they could be attempting to invade the territories of the Tribe of Dragons, the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale, or the Tribe of Fiends. Butst time, our Tribes did not trust each other, and there was a problem with coordination and cooperation. Even the City was under the protection of the Dragons. With all the different Tribes residing there, its defence was a serious issue. Butler: But its different now? The Queen of Fairies: Yes. With the end of the Kurultai, I wouldnt say the Demon Tribes have unified, but its definitely not what it was like before. The Lone Winter King: (But the Demon World doesnt yet understand what those muskets are, right? If there really are 10,000 soldiers equipped with those things, then the Demon Worlds defences will simply crumble like paper) The Queen of Fairies: We Fairies do not haverge-sized bodies, neither do we have magical abilities suited forbat purposes. That is why we hope to avoid war at all costs. Disciple Merchant: Indeed, our priority is to prevent conflict. The Lone Winter King: (That seems difficult With all the countries and noblemen pulled into this, it would be ridiculous to think they would all just go home.) Butler coughs. The Lone Winter King: Yeah, thats what we hope for as well. However, at the same time, we must prepare for the event that peace is not achievable. Please convey my best wishes to the Khans of the Kurultai and the Demon King who rules the Demon World. - The City of the Gate, an Inn Under Renovation Bells jingle. The Hero: Heyyyyy. The Demon King: Oi, is this really alright? The Hero: Its fine, its a very light-hearted shop. Horned Barmaid: Wee! The Demon King raises an eyebrow. Innkeeper: Ohh, if it isnt the ck Knight. Please, please,e in! The Hero: Oh? Whats with that expression? Horned Barmaid: What will you drink? The Demon King: Ah. The Hero: Two gons of cold ale, please. Totters away. The Demon King: I havent decided yet. The Hero: Its customary to begin with a cold gon of ale. The Demon King: Really This is my first time being in this sort of establishment. The Hero: Is that so? The Demon King: Ive never needed to. Horned Barmaid: Sorry for the wait! The Demon King: Th-thank you. The Hero: Lets drink! Today well drink a lot! The Demon King: Yeah. Dont you need to pay, though? The Hero: Well pay all at onceter You really dont know all thesemon sense things. The Demon King: Im sorry. The Hero: Dont apologise. Lets fill up on some good food. The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Bottoms up! The Demon King: Bottoms up! Glug glug glug. Fiend Merchant: Hey! Get some wine over here! A bottle! Demon Merchant: And two sticks of roastmb too! The Hero: What should we eat? The Demon King: Which one is most delicious? The Hero: Excuse me, what do you have? Innkeeper: Ive got just about everything, but weve got some new bread here. Ive got potatoes, and themb is juicy. Ive got some fresh bread, which I can make with cabbage, bacon, and sausages. The sausages are those really popr ck pepper and soft bones kind. The Hero: Then well have some of that. And cheese. Hmm, and maybe some salt sprinkled softmb rack with steamed vegetables. And apples. Innkeeper: Got it! And the order of serving? The Hero: Ill leave it to you. The Demon King: Wh-what? Why are you so used to such things? The Hero: Im the Hero. Ive spent a lot of time travelling from ces to ces. Rowdy songs. The Demon King: Is that so Its very crowded here. The Hero: Yeah, this store is fairly popr. Its an old store from before the Human Invasion of the City of the Gate, it sells great food and affordable prices. Innkeeper: My, my, thank you for the rmendation. Ill serve the cheese first, then the sausages. Ill make sure to bring lots. The Demon King: Thank you? The Hero: What are you so flustered about? Innkeeper: Hahaha! I see now! Thedy isnt used to such low-ss establishments as ours. You rascal! Hahahahaha! This isnt the kind of ce you choose for a date! The Hero: Come now, you shouldnt belittle your own establishment, old man. Innkeeper: Oh please, its fine that were a low-ss establishment. Were the kind of ce youre drawn to by the smell of great food, the scent of great wine, and the promise of greatpany. The Demon King: Mmm. Its delicious. The Hero: How has it been recently? Innkeeper: Ahh, its been great. How do I put it? Its really gotten bigger. Since they expanded the roads in the area, Ive also expanded my store by a bit. Theres a moneylending service now, and the price of food items have gotten steadily cheaper as ofte. There are more people around here too, and my profits just go up every day. The Hero: Really? Thats good to hear. Innkeeper: Well, its all thanks to your efforts, right? The Hero: Come now. Horned Barmaid: Refill? Innkeeper: Ah, right. What will it be next? The Demon King: Hmm, umm Horned Barmaid: How about wine? The Demon King: Lets have that then. The Hero: Bring two. Horned Barmaid: Coming right up! Innkeeper: Well, take it easy then! Ill bring themb soon. Rowdy jostling. Fiend Merchant: Hows the salt trade going? Demon Merchant: Im profiting, but the price is stabilising, so its not as profitable as it used to be. Tattooed Storekeeper: My, my, how troublesome, hahahaha. Travelling Mercenary: I suppose thats how it is! Rowdy jostling. The Demon King: The Hero: How is it? Nice? The Demon King: Eh, ah. The Hero: ? The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Dont tell me it was bad? The Demon King: Not at all, these sausages are delicious. The Hero: Then, youre not good with stores like this? Im sorry. The Demon King: No, thats not it. Its just. Its my first time being in such a happy and rowdy ce. I didnt think of it that way at first, but I clearly dont know enough about the world. The Hero: I see. Fang Hunter: Pelts are selling well this year. Im going to need a present to take back. Human Merchant: How about some Jasper*? If you give it to a girl youre interested in, youll definitely advance your rtionship. Otherwise how about a metal pot? You can bring it with you everywhere, its very convenient. Rowdy cheers. The Demon King: The Hero: ? The Demon King: What are they talking about? The Hero: A whole bunch of things. That Fang boy is here to sell the pelts he got from the forest. Hes at a good age, so its about time for him to do these things independently. His sword and scabbard look quite new, so I suppose hes just started. He probably came to the city to sell those pelts on his own? He probably sold them at a good price. Im not exactly clear on how it works, but it seems like the profits he brings home are a mark of his adulthood. Hell probably use them as a dowry for his marriage. The Demon King: I see Im very familiar with the politics, economic breakdown, and demographics of the Tribe of the Fang. But I should really try to understand their culture too. Thats why even though its been exined to me and I know that business is often transacted in informal settings like this, its my first time seeing it. The Hero: Yeah. Horned Barmaid: Steamed vegetables! The Demon King: Its warm. Horned Barmaid: Its most delicious when its warm! Please enjoy! Smiles. The Hero: Thanks! Horned Barmaid: No, no. The Demon King: Chew, chew. The Hero: Delicious! The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: ? The Demon King: No, its delicious The Hero: Rowdy cheering. Water Dragon Lady: Ahahahaha, how beautiful. Travelling Bard: No, no, its just some of my feelings. -- Exnation Jasper: A semi-precious, opaque stone. Semi-precious stones are expensive, but not to the extent of other stones like diamonds or rubies. Jasperse in many varieties and colours, such as green, yellow and red. - The Demon King: Everyone seems to be having fun. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Everyones faces are flushed red, and theyre allughing. The Hero: This is what an inn is like. The Demon King: Really, but? The Hero raises eyebrow. The Demon King: Its just, so amazing I can feel a floating feeling in my chest. The Hero chews. Innkeeper: Here it is! Freshly roastedmb with salt, herbs and spring onions. What is it? The Demon King: Your food is really delicious. The Hero: ? Innkeeper: Well, well, its always great to receivepliments from such a beautifuldy. Thanks for the ttery! The Demon King: No, I meant no pretence. The Hero: Thats right. Its much, much better than having boiled potatoes. Im really grateful. Innkeeper: Ill take your word then. Bring some wine! Make sure you take care of these two! This is the Demon Kings right hand man, the ck Knight! Dont think hes just any rascal! The Hero: Stop it!!! Innkeeper: Our establishment is proud to have you as a regr customer. In fact, our store was used as a base for the Liberation War! The Demon King: Is that so? The Hero: In a way. Fang Hunter: The ck Knight is here?! Human Merchant: Really! I never thought Id see him here! Demon Merchant: Is the Demon King alright? I heard that she fell during the Kurultai. Tattooed Shopkeeper: Its really thanks to her that we were able to keep up our business! Were all grateful to the Demon King! The Demon King: Ah The Hero: Horned Barmaid: Eh? Eh?! Innkeeper: Hoho! The Hero: Ah! Alright, listen up! Its true that Im the subordinate of the Demon King, the Sword of the Demon World, the ck Knight! Do not be worried. Its true that the Demon King had taken an arrow from some troublemakers, but the wound is mostly healed and today she is working to bring the Demon World to the path of peace and prosperity! Look at the City of the Gate, the personal demesne of the Demon King! This is a ce where Humans and Demons can share a ss together, where we can restore rtionships even after a fight. Where we can buy and sell whatever we want! Hey! Old man! Innkeeper: Here! The Hero: Make sure everyone gets what they want. The first ss is on me! Alright, raise your sses everyone! To the Demon King! She may be weak at fighting, but shes serious about defending the people! Lets drain this ss in the name of the Demon King! Horned Barmaid: Yeah! Horned Barmaid: Have some here too. Fang Hunter: For the Demon King! Human Merchant: Long live the Demon King! Long live the Demon King! Peace throughout thend! - The City of the Gate, the Headquarters of the Union Shrewd ountant: Hmm. Union Employee: What is it? Shrewd ountant: Were 10% closer to our goalpared tost month. What an anomaly. Union Employee: Well soon require manpower then. Shrewd ountant: Damn And how is the city? Union Employee: Its very vibrant Well, thats not exactly a very surprising thing. Its really always been this way. Oh, thats right. Arge caravan arrived from the Automatons today. Shrewd ountants: Those must be things like springs and bolts. Human cksmiths cant match the quality Automatons are able to create. Door opens. Union Employee: Mydy. Fire Dragon Lady: Employee. Thank you for your hard work. Union Employee: Have you finished the letter? Fire Dragon Lady: I just need to add some personal things. Shrewd ountant: It sure would be great if we could use Teleportation Magic as and when we like it. Its a once-a-week thing, but transporting these small things is really important for trade. Union Employee: That being said,munications is really a challenge. Fire Dragon Lady: And thats why we have to act with some degree of independence. Shrewd ountant: No letters from the Councillor? Union Employee: Nope. Fire Dragon Lady: We dont have a private letter-writing rtionship, so it is to be expected. Shrewd ountant: Is that so? Union Employee: And this is? Fire Dragon Lady: That is for one of my correspondences. Shrewd ountant: Correspondences? Fire Dragon Lady: Yes, a man who has set my heart on fire like a crystal rose. A truly gorgeous man. Shrewd ountant: Umm. Union Employee: I suppose its a secret? Shrewd ountant: Youd best erase it from your memory. Union Employee: Understood. Fire Dragon Lady: Hmmm. Hello! Fire Dragon Lady. How is your work? The Kingdom of Winter is about to wee the best season of the year. Its summer, so the potato crops will have been harvested and brought to the pce. Every day is a real banquet. This year, the tulips are in full bloom. The pigs have a lot to eat and are getting plump and happy. In this time, there was a painful battle in the Kingdom of Metal. The Merchant seems to be extremely worried every day. It is my job to manage the daily ounts and ledgers. Recently, Ive be able to perform six figure sums mentally too. I seem to be getting faster because I do it every day. Its still a secret from my teacher though. I suppose youlle again to the Kingdom of Winter? The honey sweets they make at this time of the year are exceptionally delicious. Fire Dragon Lady: Hehe. Umm, thats right. In this time, the issue with the cheese is exactly as you said it would be. Having researched extensively, we went ahead with the securities n. Securities are real dandelions.* -- Exnation Security/Dandelion: Security is tanpo. Dandelion is tanpopo. Its a bad joke. - Ive really matured, can you tell? The n that we developed together was praised by my teacher. But it seems my teacher has other ns for me and new assignments too. Fire Dragon Lady: Heehee. Ive also begun to wear long boots. Theyre soft and made out of really nice leather. Normal people usually only have two pairs of shoes. Long boots and short shoes worn in the summer. Of course, noble people have a lot more shoes than that. In the winter, shoes lined with felt or fur are better to keep the snow and the cold out. Shoes are a very important thing, so theyre always ced under the bed when we go to sleep. Every vige always has a craftsman specialising in making and fixing shoes. My teacher doesnt seem to care about things like shoes. Maybe its because were so short-staffed and he has other things to worry about. I wonder where soldiers get their shoes, they seem to be able to walk forever without getting tired. If you know, do you think you could tell me? Ill write to you again. I hope we can eat some sweets together soon. Shrewd ountant: You look happy. Fire Dragon Lady: Quite. I can see a lot of work has been put into this. Union Employee: I dont understand. Fire Dragon Lady: Dont you know that this is part of being a merchant too? Shrewd ountant: Cultivating rtionships? Fire Dragon Lady: Rtionships can change the business, cant they? Shrewd ountant: Hahaha, youve really taken that very seriously. Fire Dragon Lady: Do you know where theres a shoesmith in the city? Shrewd ountant: I could help you check. Fire Dragon Lady: I hear that the Fang Hunters have had a good pelt harvest this year. Shrewd ountant: Thats right. Deer, boars, even ice snakes. The season is good and there havent been any wars. Union Employee: It must be a good time. Fire Dragon Lady: And will they make military boots? Shrewd ountant: What an interesting question. Union Employee: That being said, shoes are made very well in the Demon World. Fire Dragon Lady: I think the Human shoes* are pretty strange. They dont seem to have very solid soles. Shrewd ountant: But thats considered normal back over there. Union Employee: Perhaps we could start a trade in shoes. -- Exnation Human Shoes: In the early Middle Ages, shoes were made with the turnshoe method of construction, using one piece of leather to form a leather sock before turning it inside out to wear. In the Middle Ages, the turnshoe method was improved and the sole was separated from the shoe itself. The sole was then strengthened, and hence this required at least two separate pieces of leather. However, the method of shoe making, using a welt to connect the shoe and the soles, is a more recent invention in the 16th century. This is aplex procedure, and hence necessitated the need for professional shoesmiths. - - The Outskirts of the City of the Gate, on a Hill Grass blowing in the wind. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: The Hero: Shall we? The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Are you alright? We can go right away. The Demon King: No. The Hero: ? The Demon King: If we go now, itll end. The Hero: Umm. The Demon King: My dignified image as the Demon King, and my rtionship with you will end. The Hero: Not again. The Demon King: Anyway, not right now. The Hero: Got it. Should we go down? The Demon King: Yeah. The Hero: Are you alright? The Demon King: I feel unexpectedly uneasy. The Hero: Ahh. The Demon King: Water. The Hero: I just gave you some, but here. Gulp gulp. The Hero: How do you feel? The Demon King: My head is throbbing. The Hero: You clearly drank too much. The Demon King: Whats the point of being the Demon King? Despite all my efforts, the world has gone to war three times. What is up with the world? The Hero: What are you saying? The Demon King: I raise my head and I see detion, I lower my head and I see intion. The Hero: I have no idea what youre talking about, but I can tell youre not in a good state. The Demon King: If you dont hold on to me, Ill fall off the world. The Hero: Im holding on to you tightly. The Demon King: Save me, Hero. The Hero: Im holding on to you while youre drunk, you should be thankful. The Demon King: Not at all. Slumps. The Hero: Hey, youll get wet on the dew. The Demon King: Thats okay, it feels nice too. The Hero sighs. The Demon King: The Chief Maid isnt around so she wont get angry. The Hero: Thats not really the point. The Demon King: Hero, Hero! The Hero: ? The Demon King: Hehehe, I love it when you hold me. The Hero: Are you a kid? The Demon King: Im just really happy. The Hero: Youre not a kid, youre just drunk. The Demon King: But it was delicious. The Hero: It was. The Demon King: And you told me to bottoms up. The Hero: I suppose I did. The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Hahahahaha! The Hero: That was sudden! The Demon King: It feels great to be invincible! The Hero: Something strange seems to have triggered. The Demon King: Yeah, Im all rxed and I can go anywhere now. The Hero: Thats good. The Demon King: Now I just need to feel something fluffy and itll be perfect. The Hero: Not with this again. The Demon King: Stingy. The Hero: Youll wet it. The Demon King: Youre a stingy, stingy Hero. The Hero: Youre a drunk, drunk Demon King. The Demon King: Look there, Hero. The Hero: Youre not going to trick me with that. How many times do you think the old man has done that to me. The Demon King: Come on. The Hero: What is it? The Demon King: The rainbow is dipping. The Hero: Ahh The Demon King: Isnt it pretty? The Hero: Yeah. Grass sways in the wind. The Demon King: The Hero: What a nice wind. Grass sways in the wind. The Demon King: We cant lose. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: Ill make sure to remedy all my ns. It was my mistake that the enemy managed to get their hands on those muskets. I was originally intending to take responsibility by offering an even stronger weapon to the Southern Alliance But, if I were to do that, more people would just die. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: But while I was hesitating about whether or not the widespread use of gunpowder was a good or a bad thing, the enemy has produced countless numbers of muskets. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: But after receiving that lecture from you, Ive woken up. I cant continue this way. The Hero: Grass sways in the wind The Demon King: I know now. I cant do anything on my own. I should have discussed these things earlier. If I had entrusted it to her, she would have found a way to reduce the bloodshed. The Hero: Yeah. The Demon King: I have to stop running away from this thing. I should have spoken to the Female Pdin from the start. Had I talked to her about the muskets earlier, a lot less people would have had to die. The Hero: I see. The Demon King: Well, when we get back, Ill sort it all out So we can see whats on the other side of the hill. Youve got a lot of work to do as well. The Hero: Leave it to me. Volume 4 2, “What the Human World Hates Most is a Cowardly Hero.”

Volume 4 Chapter 2, What the Human World Hates Most is a Cowardly Hero.

- The Portal, the Construction Site, One of the Bridges Boom! Boom! Middle Aged Merchant: Any time now! Disciple Engineer: Ohh. Middle Aged Merchant! Its done! Its finally finished!! Middle Aged Merchant: I dropped by at the dormitories just a moment ago. Disciple Engineer: Really? And is everybody happy there? Middle Aged Merchant: Yes, everybody is over the moon. And tonight will be a banquet, I may assume? Disciple Engineer: Yes, weve got to celebrate after all! Boom! Boom! Middle Aged Merchant: Finally. Disciple Engineer: Yes. A lot of incidents urred, but weve managed to make one more bridge than we originally expected, and the safety is assured. Middle Aged Merchant: Ive already received some reports from fellow merchants who have passed these bridges. Everyone is very grateful. Because of these bridges and the lifts to change the elevation, goods can be shipped across easily. What fantastic work. Disciple Engineer: No, no! I was d to be of service. I only did what I could as a craftsman. Middle Aged Merchant: No These bridges mean a lot. Theyll probably go down in history from now on. They may change in form over time, but I know this for sure Thank you! Disciple Engineer. Disciple Engineer: No, umm, hahaha! When you put it that way, I really have no way to reply! Middle Aged Merchant: In that case, Ill be relying on you for the next eight years of stone bridges. Disciple Engineer: So, you procured the funding? Middle Aged Merchant: No, but leave it to me. If ites to, I have my ways. I know some people Disciple Engineer: Shall we discuss something else? Middle Aged Merchant: Yes. Smiles. Boom! Boom! Disciple Engineer: Dont tell me, thats a fort? Middle Aged Merchant: Why do you think that way? Disciple Engineer: Actually, it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the temples around the City of the Gate. Middle Aged Merchant: Thats Disciple Engineer: This city used to be a great battleground. Its an ancient city with a heart of steel. If anything were to happen, these defences can be deployed to ensure the protection of the people for years. Middle Aged Merchant: Is that so? Disciple Engineer: Middle Aged Merchant: I see. Then perhaps I should take a look around? Disciple Engineer: So you have thought of it? Middle Aged Merchant: We may be in the middle of a ceasefire, but I do not know what will happen. It seems that the City will prosper best if we can maintain its security. That would allow us merchants to travel safely without fear. Disciple Engineer: Indeed Boom! Boom! Fiend Labourer: Lets eat wellter! Labourer: Lets have a mutton hotpot tonight! Giant Craftsman: Ill lookforward tothat! Middle Aged Merchant: Disciple Engineer: Oh right. Now that the work isplete, its definitely time to pay their sry. Middle Aged Merchant: Yes. IndeedWell then! Shall we go? To the City of the Gate? Disciple Engineer: Sure. Lets paint the town red tonight, tomorrow as well. Middle Aged Merchant: ording to the reports weve received, it seems that the likelihood of the City of the Gate bing a battleground is not low. Disciple Engineer nods. Middle Aged Merchant: Could I count on you for one more thing? This time it doesnte from the Union. In other words, its not an official request from the City of the Gate. Rather, its a request from me personally, and all the people of the City of the Gate who hope for its independence. I sincerely apologise, but you probably wont be paid sufficiently for it as well. Disciple Engineer: Sure, Ill do it. Middle Aged Merchant: Really? Without hesitation? Disciple Engineer: Yeah. No matter what, theres a girl whose return I am waiting for. My greatest hope is to wee everyone whoes back to this bridge. Middle Aged Merchant: Is that so Disciple Engineer: So, I suppose you want me to build fortifications. Let me show you the skills I have been bestowed upon by my teacher, is that eptable? - The Vige of Wintering, the Headquarters of the Holy Order of the Lake, the Private Quarters of the Grandmaster The Female Pdin: Hmm The Demon King: Ive been enlightened. War is unavoidable. The Chief Maid: Youve be a very splendid person. Smiles. The Female Pdin: So, what do you intend to do? The Demon King: I have absolutely no idea. The Female Pdin: Hey, hey. The Demon King: No, youll find that the members of my Tribe are very removed from subject matters outside of our specific areas of expertise. Im an economist, so Im very familiar with technological advancements and sociology, but other areas of expertise are out of my reach. Especially the field of military studies. The Female Pdin: Really I thought you would have been an expert of such things since youre the Demon King. The Demon King: Im not that great. The Female Pdin: But wasnt the musket given to the Kingdom of Metal as blueprints for production by their craftsmen your idea? The Demon King: Yes, I did not expect the blueprints to be leaked and transferred to the Central Continent. Not without my capture, at least. Whats scary is that one of these craftsmen was willing to pass the technology straight on to the Holy Church. The Chief Maid: Yeah. The Female Pdin: This? Clunk. The Chief Maid: Oh, you got your hands on it? The Female Pdin: We found quite a few when we searched the battlefield. But I suppose I still dont understand. Would you care to exin? Click click. The Demon King: Hmm, its lighter than I expected. This must be a matter of engineering To exin it, well basically, this musket is a metal tube. Inside the tube, there is a round metal bullet and some gunpowder. The Female Pdin: Gunpowder, isnt that an ancient lost technology? The Demon King: Thats right. Its ck powder. This gunpowder is basically a substance capable of rapidbustion when ignited. By closing one end of the tube, the explosive force can be concentrated to propel the bullet at high speeds from the open end of the tube. In essence, thats basically how the mechanism works. The Female Pdin: It sounds like a very simple weapon. The Demon King: Its simple in a way, but wouldnt you say its moreplex than just swinging a sword or a spear around? The Female Pdin: Thats true Then, how do you feel about the performance of the weapon? The Demon King: I dont actually have any experience using it, so I dont know. But even though the basic mechanism which I talked about earlier is simple, the craftsmanship and precision of engineering can greatly affect its performance. The Female Pdin: Really? The Demon King: However, as Im sure you have noticed, it can fire up to a range of about 100 steps, and its prating power is insufficient to pierce through te armour from a distance. The Female Pdin: Its still impressive, better than crossbows at any rate. The Demon King: Thats right. The firing interval ranges from one shot in 5 minutes to one shot per minute depending on the skill of the firer. Its uracy is also dependent on the skill of the firer. The Female Pdin: Mmhmm. The Demon King: That being said, the bullet being ejected from the tube flies in an almostpletely strange line and, due to its size and speed, is much less affected by wind than arrows. Used by amateurs, it has a much higher uracy as well. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Im sure you have a vague idea of this as well, but the power of the bow and the flight speed of the arrows arergely decided by the size of the bow and the strength of material. In other words, sticity is directly proportional to force generated. A crossbow has the same construction, except it uses cranks and gears to rece the sheer pulling force of the arm. In contrast, the muskets force is directly proportional to the explosive force of the gunpowder. A stronger person using a musket would not make the force generated any stronger, but on the other hand, a weaker person using a musket would not make the force generated any weaker either. Even a weak, thin, young man has the power to prate a full suit of te armour in his hands. The Female Pdin: I sort of understand. The Demon King: Mmm. The Female Pdin: The weapon itself is not the problem. The Demon King: Really? The Female Pdin: Its a troublesome weapon, but in the end, its just a weapon. With appropriate strategy, victory is possible. It can fire up to one hundred paces, but its not reliable at that range. At anything more than 50 paces, it cant stop an armoured enemy. Moreover, its uracy is inconsistent. If for instance, you wanted to aim at the Commander, you would be better off finding an experienced archer. The Demon King: Is that so? The Female Pdin: But this is in a situation of equal numbers. The reason why these weapons are troublesome No, rather, the reason why the Holy Crusaders are so troublesome is the method in which they employ these weapons. In other words, its the fact that they are all willing to borrow the invention of their humanrades. Were ten peasant musketeers to face ten knights on the battlefield, it is likely the ten knights would win easily. However, if we changed that to thirty peasant musketeers, the situation is now different. Its a weapon which is capable of overturning the power held by cavalry and heavy infantry. The Demon King: The Chief Maid: The Female Pdin: Also, the really efficient way of using these weapons is for a pitched battle on an open in, with infantry firing in a closelypacted formation. The Demon King: Hmm. The Female Pdin: Then. The Demon King: What? The Female Pdin: What do you think the weakness of this weapon is? The Demon King: Well. Simply put, this is a firearm. It needs a fuse to be lit for it to engage, so its not a very reliable weapon. In other words, there may be misfires. Moreover, you also lose the freedom of position. If its fired in a level manner, it still functions, but when the aim is adjusted upwards or downwards, the efficiency is reduced.And because it needs to be lit, humidity has to be low. Its greatest enemy would be rain. Theres also the issue of the difficulty of lighting the fuse in apact formation. The Female Pdin: And is there a way to remedy these issues? The Demon King: Hmm. What youre talking about is a flintlock, which is basically the next stage of evolution. By using a struck flint to produce sparks to light the gunpowder, many of the disadvantages can be overturned. Thepactness of the formation can also be improved. The Female Pdin: No. What are the chances those will be leaked as well? The Demon King: I cant deny it. But theres also the issue of production. If they seed in the production of the new design, they would still beden with massive stocks of the old design. The Female Pdin: Thats true The Demon King: Supplies is another issue. Without gunpowder, its just a useless tube. Unlike arrows, gunpowder isnt something you can make in the field. The Female Pdin: Firstly, I reject the idea ofrge scale production of muskets for the Southern Alliance. The Demon King: Really. The Female Pdin: Its not that I reject your good intentions or anything. However, the specialty of the muskets is that they can recebat skill with numbers. In other words, with the same muskets and the same strategy, it is the side with more people which wins. Of course, with strategy, a smaller force can still achieve victory, but numbers matter more now than ever. This strategy of recingbat skill with numbers is not suited for a professional army, its meant for equipping irregr soldiers with poor and short-term training. That is the precise aim of the Holy Crusaders. You cannot fight on the terms of the enemy when he has the advantage. For the Three Kingdoms to fight a battle of numbers is simply suicide. We may be fools, but this ismon sense on the battlefield. The Demon King: I see. Then this has no meaning. The Female Pdin: The best thing would be to win a logistical victory. That would allow us to win even without fighting, regardless of the size of the enemy. The Demon King: That is something closer to my expertise. Seems like we can cooperate on this. The Female Pdin: But now we have to fear their desperation too. The desperate,st-ditch attack of twenty thousand starving soldiers would be enough to break any army. The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Furthermore, other unexpected things could ur on the battlefield. That is something I paid a high price to learn this time. It would be too na?ve to think we would win instantly with a logistical victory. The Demon King: Yeah The Female Pdin: The Chief Maid: The Female Pdin: Demon King, if one were to try to increase the forcewould that be a matter of increasing the amount of gunpowder? The Demon King: Thats one way. But if you increase the amount of gunpowder, youll also need the tube to be able to withstand the impact. If you increase the size of the bullet, then of course the force increases as well. The Female Pdin: If you increase the force, could you extend the range as well? The Demon King: Of course. Basically, if you dont increase the weight of the bullet, then by doubling the amount of gunpowder, you can also roughly double the range. The Female Pdin: Isnt there a way to just increase the range? The Demon King: Range The Female Pdin: If we were to fight on the same battlefield, we would lose. So whats the point of doing so? Isnt that right? With enough range, it might be possible to fight outside the range of the enemy. The Demon King: With enough range, outside the range of the enemy - The New Territories of White Night, the Barracks Headquarters Crown Prince Marshal: What do you think? Would you like to try leading that army? Green Ash King: Doesnt sound bad. Crown Prince Marshal: Heh. Green Ash King: Its true that theyre a ragtag, ill-disciplined bunch of peasants, but unlike the private armies of noblemen, whether good or bad, theyre at least simple. Crown Prince Marshal: And what of the muskets? Green Ash King: At present, theyre very powerful, but they have some shorings. This is what I feel. Have you read the paper I submitted? Crown Prince Marshal: Im reading it. Green Ash King: In it I wrote that there was a state in which due to the humidity and the water content of the marsnds we were fighting in, the gunpowder got wet and could no longer fire. There were also instances of chamber explosions. They ounted for rtively few of the casualties, but there were still some damages inflicted by our own muskets. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Green Ash King: Theres something interesting. Crown Prince Marshal: Interesting? Green Ash King: In previous battles fought with nobleman armies, we have always had to worry about the togetherness andmitment of the noblemen to the battle. But in this battle, this weakness has been amplified. To put it simply, these are all serfs who do not understand war, theyrepletely ignorant peasants. It is natural for them all to be cowardly. But, thats where it gets interesting. Crown Prince Marshal: What problems do we have now? Green Ash King: Data, please. Secretary: Yes. Green Ash King: May I assume the perspective of the Commanding Officer? Crown Prince Marshal: By all means. Green Ash King: First is the mustering of prative power. This is the gathering of substantial force from across the length of the battlefront to a specific point. It could be for a long period of time, or it could happen for just a single instance. Either way, this has to be aplished. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Green Ash King: In the past, with regards to this mustering, there has been a history of elevating the quality of the soldiers. In other words, the increase of the standards of individual soldiers equipment and weaponry, or the reform ofmanders. However, this time, your Majestys soldiers, the Holy Crusaders, are not heavily equipped enough for this. Is that not correct? Crown Prince Marshal: Hahahaha. Green Ash King: Then, in that case, we must operate with the aim of improving training and regimental standards, but apart from improving prative power, we need to improve the weapon In other words, I hope we can modify the weapon itself. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Green Ash King: What about it? Crown Prince Marshal: The new model of musket, a flintlock design will soon be unveiled. However, because of some issues with production quality, it will take a while for all the numbers to be there. Green Ash King: I dont mind. In any case, before we start to deploy them, they will require some field testing. The other issue is with defensive ability. Crown Prince Marshal: That was touched on in the reports as well. Green Ash King: Yeah, it is regrettable that muskets are only capable of fighting one volley at a time. Of course, it just means that the weapons need to be reloaded, but thats an additional gesture which has no ce on the chaotic battlefield. Moreover, immediately after firing, the musketman is leftpletely exposed. Crown Prince Marshal: Mmm. Green Ash King: With regards to this, I have taken the steps suggested by Your Majesty by attaching spearmen units to the musketmen and solved the issue. Crown Prince Marshal: Very good. Anything else? Green Ash King: Nothing specifically with the muskets, but there are some differences in ideology with the nobility participating in the Crusade. Especially some measure of scorn and discord between the nobles and the musketmen. This is a problem. Crown Prince Marshal: Well, they are noblemen. Green Ash King: Yeah thats right. However, the musketeers, who form the centre of the prative power and the strategy, are ultimately a division of serfs. They definitely did not receive any specialist military training. However, when ites to high speed military manoeuvres, we still undoubtedly need to rely on the heavy cavalry power of the nobility. For this reason, we still need to maintain a good rtionship with them and the nobility. Muskets arent invincible soldiers after all. Crown Prince Marshal: With regards to that, do you have anything nned out? Green Ash King: Well, I was thinking of what sort of country your Majesty would be trying to create. Crown Prince Marshal: Green Ash King: With the maintenance of the present system, the nobility and the royalty can cooperate to save each other. The system is such that there is a feudal lord on top of the people, such that the royalty can control the people directly as it is in an Absolute Monarchy*. Crown Prince Marshal: Green Ash King: At present, the countries of the Central Continent function in anarchy, but in reality, the Church is like a veryrge ring, within which the countries are like trapped wild horses. Within this group of horses, the Holy Empire is like an older brother whose influence cannot be underestimated. Crown Prince Marshal: Haha, please dont exaggerate. The Holy Empire is no more than a country, like any other, which believes in the Holy Spirit. These Crusades are also formed from the free hearts of the myriad believers from the many countries to the many nobles Green Ash King: Hahahahahaha. But this freedom is only allowed and encouraged by certain more powerful elements. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm, its hard to say what the Primarch is thinking, but I myself believe that the noblemen are indispensable. Its just that the times and the resources avable to these men have changed. Green Ash King: With regards to that, he who sows the seeds reaps the harvest. I believe we can devise strict military regtory stiptions based on those used by the warrior ss. The nobility and the royalty should take the initiative in acting based on these rules, so that they can set an example for the people to follow. Moreover, we must reward those nobility who respond well to the scheme. We need to ensure that we take matters into hand and enforce some discipline, so that we can reduce the friction between our forces. We are all part of the effort against the Demon Race after all. It may be a bit unprecedented to use mercenaries, but to begin with, mercenaries have always been supplementary soldiers in time when manpower is short. In this war, the nobility have their private armies, which are essentially mercenaries; but the Holy Crusadersck mercenary forces of our own. So it should not be a problem to hire some. Those noblemen who have a problem with it Well, we can just dere them heretics. Chuckles. Crown Prince Marshal: I suppose this is what is meant by a capablemander. Green Ash King: In that case, I will begin the disciplinary reforms. Crown Prince Marshal: I await your sess. Green Ash King: Thanks to your instructions, the range of the musket, the timing between shots, and the fuses have been improved. I hope you will look into improving the direction of fire next time. Crown Prince Marshal: I expect much from you as well, young hero King of the Mist. Green Ash King: Haha. -- Exnation Absolute Monarchy: This refers to a system in which the King is given absolute authority over his subjects. There are noblemen, but they receive their positions and responsibilities directly from the King, and the government has limited powers. In Europe, from the 16th to the 17th century, the feudal system began to evolve towards an absolute monarchy. The powers of the nobility went down, while due to the establishment of standing armies, the authority of the King went up. As a result, this form of government steadily gained momentum. However, a truly absolute monarchy with authority vestedpletely and solely in the King has never existed in history. Even though one may be an absolute monarchy, Kings have always had to consider the intentions of the nobility and the merchant guilds on affairs of government and politics. However, inparison to the feudal times, the King had much more deciding power, and his individual will held much more sway over national decisions. - - The New Territories of White Night, the Halls of the Pce Strategist: What is this? Holy Imperial Soldier: Well, umm Uhh. Holy Imperial Cavalry: We dont have the expected upon amount of saltpetre? Strategist: We dont? Stop fooling around. Did you scour the pce and confirm it! Holy Imperial Cavalry: Yes, of course weve confirmed it. There should be 64 wooden chests, but Strategist: So was there anything else in those wooden chests in the warehouse? Holy Imperial Soldier: They were empty. Holy Imperial Cavalry: It seems that only the wooden chests near the entrance of the warehouse were filled with saltpetre, all the others were empty. Strategist: Holy Imperial Cavalry: What should we do? Strategist: And what of the other things? Holy Imperial Cavalry: We have about 50,000 sets of clothing and cold weather apparel. With the present numbers, we have enough food tost roughly another month. Strategist: Holy Imperial Soldier: Moreover, we are in the midst of constructing ships, but we severelyck tar and equipment. Strategist: Firstly, we can try to collect taxes from the settlements within the realm of White Night. We can probably cover the costs of providing for the necessary tools and cold weather apparel. Holy Imperial Cavalry: No, thats ording to our reports, the Kingdom of White Night is an extremely poor country. Moreover, most of the settlements have been deserted Therge majority of them have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees. Strategist: To the impoverished countries of the South? Holy Imperial Cavalry: This is just something Ive heard, but, it appears that the royalty and nobility of many countries have already joined hands with the merchants in order to purchase goods from their countries and have begun exporting them. Even within the Holy Crusaders, significant levels of intion are being felt, particrly for these imported luxury goods. Strategist: Mmm, how arbitrary. Holy Imperial Soldier: Strategist: I got it. If its about prices, we can try to take appropriate action in coboration with the Church and the other countries. We can streamline the import and export infrastructure and enact a price ceiling for essential goods. Holy Imperial Soldier: Yes. Strategist: With regards to saltpetre, we will still need to investigate more. To begin with, it was difficult for us to predict from a distance that the Demons of the Pale would only bring half the agreed amount of saltpetre with them. I fear somebody else is now in possession of the saltpetre. Convoys formed from hundreds of loaded caravans are not exactly easy to disguise. Try to check with the refugees if they have information. Holy Imperial Cavalry: Yes! Understood! - The Kingdom of the Lake, the Capital, the Headquarters of the Merchants Union Female Union Employee: The price of charcoal imported from the Central Continent is now 320%pared tost year. Its probably got something to do with the 70% decrease in quantity sold. The quantity sold of ores has also gone up sharply. Branch Chief: The reports havee in. Even if these are the ounts of secret factories, in order to obtain enough charcoal for their purposes, they needed to put up a significant portion of their ore supply on the market. Young Merchant: Please purchase what you can. Branch Chief: Simrly, even though this informationes from our brothelworks, it seems that the secret factories and the metal guilds in the Kingdom of Copper are also concerned about theck of charcoal. We have unconfirmed reports from yesterday that the factories were operating at only half the efficiency. Female Union Employee: Just goes to show how interconnected everything is. Young Merchant: Moreover Our opponents are the Holy Empire and the Church behind them. These are crazy beasts, as powerful as massive dragons. If we do not exercise prudence, we will be crushed. Branch Chief: We will need to expand our? Young Merchant: Yes. Door opens. Union Employee: Report. We have secured charcoal from the Kingdom of the Lake. The profit made is approximately 1,800,000 gold pieces. Young Merchant: The Kingdom of the Lake? Good, lets rely on reinforcements now. Branch Chief: Reinforcements? You mean the Southern Alliance? Young Merchant: Yeah, the Southern Alliance seems to have gotten a hitherto unknown militarymander. Lets send them a greeting. This letter goes to the Disciple Merchant in the Kingdom of Winter. Female Union Employee: Understood. Ill send it as soon as possible. Young Merchant: Of course. Branch Chief: Then our of encirclement is almostplete. Young Merchant: Indeed. The Kingdom of Branches and the Kingdom of the Lake are now members of the Southern Alliance. There is no ce for countries like the Kingdom of Copper to carry out their orders. The secret factories of the Kingdom of Copper still rely on the Kingdom of the Lake to import their resources across theke. Now, the Kingdom of the Lake has tariffs imposed on the movement of charcoal across theke. This is a strategy to protect the Kingdom of Winter, but it can also be an economic attack. The kingdoms of the Central Continent are too used to peace, they have problems handling such intense issues. Branch Chief nods. Young Merchant: For the time being, let us set the tariff at 60 gold pieces per caravan of charcoal. Union Employee: Sixty?! Thats more expensive than the charcoal itself! Young Merchant: The thing about tariffs is that there is an option to simply not buy the goods. It ispletely permissible not to buy if one finds the price too high. In this way we can suppress the quantity of the good demanded. Union Employee: Un, understood. Cough, cough. Young Merchant: Not yet. Branch Chief: Has anything happened? Young Merchant: I was just thinking its not enough. Branch Chief: (I just saw him smile. This guy Hes got an evil feel.) Young Merchant: With the chains we have created, we dont even have enough to restrain one-tenth of the ferocious dragon. At this rate, we wont be able to stop the war. Branch Chief: Councillor, do you intend to stop the war? Young Merchant: You mean the Holy Crusaders? No. I have no interest in stopping armies. We still have much else we need to do It would be really troublesome to act carelessly and destroy everything we have worked towards. Branch Chief: But this Holy Crusades is supported in full by the Primarch himself. At this rate, they can simply swallow everything. Young Merchant: Yes, indeed. That is why they can act so crazily. What an insane affair. Branch Chief: Young Merchant: Their ambitions are like a zing inferno. Branch Chief: Indeed. Its an inferno fuelled by the permission granted by the Church, to fulfil the wishes of the nobility greedy to gain newnds in the Demon World. Young Merchant: Its a snatch and grab. Well, to anyone else, it would be a condemnable act; but this time, they can do it without anyone else condemning it. Of course, that is our way of life. But there must be limits. Branch Chief: Eh? Young Merchant: Greed is a facet of human nature. If properly applied, one can gain riches. However, that is if you have the discipline to employ greed as a weapon. If you be a tool of greed What awaits is destruction. As merchants, we know this very well. Branch Chief: Definitely. Young Merchant: Well, then. Even though the border situation of the Kingdom of Metal has entered a lull, the economic battle of us merchants has only just entered the Ashura. Shake off everything we cant deal with. Thats the way to deal with things, isnt it, Mister Disciple? -- Exnation Ashura: One of the six realms of Buddhism (Deva, Human, Ashura, Animal, Preta and Naraka). It refers to world of endless war without peace. - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Kitchen Blub, blub, blub. The Demon King: Its boiling, Hero. The Hero: Put in a pinch of salt. The Demon King: Like this? The Hero: Thats a handful. The Demon King: Is that wrong? The Hero: Its the same, isnt it? Salt is salt. Blub, blub, blub. The Demon King: Mmmm, it doesnt make much of a difference, I guess. The Hero: Lets add these sausages. Glub, glub, glub. The Demon King: And? The Hero: Next, add sliced cabbages. The Demon King: Slicing, eh? The Hero: Let me handle that. Shing! Shing! Plop! The Demon King: Perfect! The Hero: Ahh, I almost scared myself. The Demon King: Is this alright? Can we eat already? The Hero: No, wait. Let it heat up first. Lets give it another 5 minutes for the mushrooms. The Demon King: 5 minutes? The Hero: Yes, 5 minutes. In other words, three hundred seconds. The Demon King: Isnt it ready? The Hero: How can it be so fast! The Demon King: You know Im not so good with measuring time. The Hero: No choice then One, two, three, four The Demon King: The Hero: Twenty five, twenty six, twenty seven Blub, blub, blub. The Demon King: Hmm Lets give it a try. The Hero: Thirty four, thirty five, thirty six The Demon King: Yeah, it tastes great. The Hero: Fifty two, fifty three, fifty four Door opens. The Female Pdin: Oh. There you are What are you doing? The Demon King: Were just making supper. The Hero: Seventy eight, seventy nine, eighty The Female Pdin: Why? The Demon King: The food weve had recently has been terrible. So were trying a recipe we managed to get from the Chief Maid. It uses minimal ingredients for maximum taste The Hero: Hundred and one, hundred and two, hundred and three The Female Pdin: Thats very interesting. Whats on the menu? The Demon King: Mushrooms, sausage and cabbage. And bread. The Female Pdin: Really? That sounds like it cant fail. And what is the Hero doing? The Hero: Hundred and twenty, hundred and twenty-one, hundred and twenty-two The Demon King: Yeah, hes counting. The mushrooms need to be cooked for exactly five minutes. The Female Pdin: Cant you be more spontaneous? The Demon King: Spontaneous?! How much more spontaneous do we need to be to make food?! The Female Pdin: No, isnt cooking a spontaneous thing? The Demon King: Thats not true. It relies on perfect harmony created from perfect preparation and portioning, and its only basic to follow the order of things. The Female Pdin: Is that so? Blub, blub, blub. The Hero: Two hundred and twenty, two hundred and twenty-one, two hundred and twenty-two The Female Pdin: It looks like the water level has really gone down. The Demon King: Its due to evaporation. Thats when water turns to a gaseous state and dissipates into the air. Logically speaking, its the correct thing. The Female Pdin: Its not just normal boiling? The Demon King: No, its evaporation. Its a scientifically proven phenomenon. The Female Pdin: Hmm. The Hero: Two hundred and thirty-five, two hundred and thirty-six Blub, blub, blub. The Demon King: Its almost time. The Hero: Two hundred and forty, two hundred and forty-one The Female Pdin: Shouldnt we take out some tes? The Hero: Now that you say it. The Female Pdin: Two hundred and seventy-six, two hundred and seventy-seven The Demon King: Hero, its almost time to put out the fire! The Hero: Got it! Burst of Frost! Whoosh! The Demon King: Its finished!! The Hero: Ahh, what a long battle. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Right, its time to eat then. Hero! Its time to share our victory. The Hero: Hey! Demon King! When did the Female Pdin get here? The Female Pdin: No, Im good. I was just passing by and felt curious, but I wouldnt want to get in the way of your education from the Chief Maid. The Demon King: Really? Lets eat! The Hero: Lets eat! The Demon King: The Hero: The Demon King: Ugh, why is it so salty?! The Hero: My mouth, my mouth?! The Female Pdin: Did you add too much salt? The Demon King: How could we? We followed the instructions. The Hero: What an unbelievable taste. The Demon King: I need some water. The Female Pdin: My, my. Pours water. The Hero: Me too. The Female Pdin: Ahh, I cant watch. Here, hand it over. The Demon King: Eh? You cant eat this. The Hero: Its way too salty. Its cursed. The Female Pdin: Its a waste to just throw it away. The Holy Order of the Lake is renowned for our virtue, prudence, and diligence. The Demon King: Thats true. The Hero: But its definitely inedible. The Female Pdin: Well, the taste will be affected, but theres no choice. Glub, glub, glub. The Demon King: Eh? The Female Pdin: For the time being, we can reduce the saltiness by adding water. Then, by frying some of the fat from the bacon And maybe by adding some sausage and sliced cabbages Chop, chop, chop. The Demon King: Whoaa. The Female Pdin: Its a bit difficult to control the fire on this stove, so well use to distance to control the heat. If we move it away from the fire, itll be low heat. Then when it starts to give off a good smell, well add six boiled eggs. Whistles. The Hero: Looks like you can really cook! The Female Pdin: After adding the eggs in, we put on the lid, move it away from the fire and wait. Until it starts to steam. The Hero: What number should I start counting from? The Female Pdin: Well go by instinct. It would be great if you could take out the tes. The Hero: With pleasure! The Female Pdin: Alright. Raises lid. Inhales deeply. The Demon King: Looks great. The Hero: It looks delicious! The Female Pdin: The two of you somehow have the same reactions for everything. The Demon King: Mmm, maybe its because weve lived together for so long. Weve got a certain bond. The Hero: Or rather, it feels like people with empty stomachs have a strong sense of camaraderie. The Female Pdin: Under one roof, eh What a handicap. The Demon King: Can we eat yet? The Hero: Is it ready yet, Female Pdin? The Female Pdin: Not yet. It doesnt matter if you have forks in both hands. In addition, were going to slice some of this hardened cheese over the top. And its done. Pass the tes. Ill divide it into halves. The Demon King: Yeahhhh. The Hero: It smells wonderful. The Female Pdin: Seems like weve had a good rtionship recently, doesnt it? The Demon King: Our rtionship has always been good from the start. The Hero: Well, yeah. The Female Pdin: Thats The Demon King: Its delicious. Looks like you can really cook. The Hero: Now that you say it, you were cooking in the past too. The Female Pdin: Its a basic necessity that us Pdins try to reduce the burden we ce on others. Well, the best cook among the party is actually that old pervert. The Demon King: Pervert? The Hero: The Butler of the Kingdom of Winter. The Female Pdin: It was a long time ago. The Demon King: Really? The Demon King: Oh right, so what do you have to do today? The Hero: Would you like to make an omelette with us? The Female Pdin: Ah, well, yeah, I dont have anything important today. The Hero: Is that so? The Female Pdin: Well have to touch up on our observations from the battle. - The South of the Kingdom of Metal, the Surrounding Forests, the Camp of the Tribe of the Fang Warrior of the Fang: Gahahahaha! Little Maid Sister: Hello, beardy-beardy! Warrior of the Fang: Hey dont worry about that up there. Here, if you fall you might get injured, you know? Little Maid Sister: Its alright! Im very used to cleaning things in high ces! Disciple Soldier: Hey, Little Maid Sister, dont make trouble please. Warrior of the Fang: Gahaha! Theres no Fang who would be troubled by a girl of this weight. Disciple Soldier: I see Footsteps. The East Fortress Base Commander: Yo! Disciple Soldier: I apologise for intruding. The East Fortress Base Commander: Youre really persistent, arent you! You keep going into the forest. Is there something interesting there? Disciple Soldier: As interesting things go, Im in a whole new world Ive never heard of nor seen in my life, isnt that interesting enough. Little Maid Sister: Yep, yep. The East Fortress Base Commander: Thats true. Oh? And who is this youngdy? Disciple Soldier: Well, this is my sister. Little Maid Sister: Hello! The East Fortress Base Commander: How spirited! Warrior of the Fang: Shes a very interesting youngdy. The East Fortress Base Commander: Is that so? Human Mercenary: Shes somehow be very involved. Hahahaha. Disciple Soldier: She came to bring some provisions for the soldiers. Warrior of the Fang: They were delicious. Disciple Soldier: She may be very young, but shes a fabulous chef. Little Maid Sister: I made lots and lots! Youth of the Fang: Its really delicious. Warrior of the Fang: Yeah, its really something! Human Mercenary: Another serving please. The East Fortress Base Commander: You brought enough food for everyone? Disciple Soldier: Oh no. We brought the ingredients. All we brought along in our carriages were pots This little girl slipped onto the convoy without me noticing, how troublesome. Little Maid Sister: I didnt want to let him go alone! Disciple Soldier: This camp in the middle of the forest is very, very far away from the city, you know. Little Maid Sister: But I want to hear about the Demon World. Disciple Soldier: It was curiosity that killed the cat. Little Maid Sister: I bet theres loads of new food in the Demon World. Ive never been there. So at least I want to hear about it. The East Fortress Base Commander: Hahaha, what an energetic little girl. Disciple Soldier: I apologise for her cheekiness. Little Maid Sister: I learnt it from you! Disciple Soldier: I am nothing of the sort. I am a desman honed under the Female Pdin herself. The East Fortress Base Commander: Hoho. Disciple Soldier: In any case, we bring supplies today. Little Maid Sister: Yup! Yup! Please eat a lot today. And give as much feedback as you can on the food. The East Fortress Base Commander: I see, I see. What a chef you are. Little Maid Sister: I am the future Imperial Chef after all. Footsteps. The Silver Tiger Lord: Whats this? Disciple Soldier: I apologise for intruding upon you today as well. The Silver Tiger Lord: Hmm. Disciple Soldier: I hear you are about to depart. The Silver Tiger Lord: Ive received the orders today. We are to rendezvous with our reconnaissance unit and leave the day after tomorrow. Disciple Soldier: I see The Silver Tiger Lord: This ce is very far from our homes. My people are also eager to get back. We will have to return by departing from the shores of the Kingdom of Winter, since thends of White Night are presently upied by the Crusaders. Disciple Soldier: I see. The Silver Tiger Lord: Now that the war is over, our presence is no longer required. Disciple Soldier: In that case, before it happens, I will not allow you to go without sharing a cup of wine with me. The Silver Tiger Lord: Disciple Soldier: I believe the liquor in the Human World is not too bad. This is some very strong wine from the Kingdom of Metal. Its nothing elegant or opulent, but it is the wine of the earth. The Silver Tiger Lord: And youre treating us to this feast on top of it? Disciple Soldier: Please enjoy your fill of the food. The Silver Tiger Lord: It is terrifingly good. For such a young girl, no less. Disciple Soldier: My sister is rather special. Little Maid Sister: Please have it while its hot, and eat as much as you like. The Silver Tiger Lord: Thank you. Disciple Soldier: And as much wine as youd like as well. The Silver Tiger Lord: Mmm. Glug, glug, glug Disciple Soldier: I hear there is no moon in the Demon World. The East Fortress Base Commander: Yeah. Munch, munch. The Silver Tiger Lord: You mean that white thing? Disciple Soldier: To eat a splendid meal with brave warriors from distantnds. The moon shines bright on me tonight. The Kingdom of Winter, in Front of a House in the City Centre Nyohohohohohoho. The Female Pdin: Well! This is wonderful! Fukurami, Maromi. What beautifuldies I have around me! Didnt I tell you to leave your wounds alone? No no no no no, it recovers better this way. But look at that bounciness. Kyaa! Heeheehee. Bounce bounce ? The Female Pdin: Let me join in too ? So energetic! Bounce bounce. Nyohohohoho! Heehee. Bounce bounce ? Opens door. The Female Pdin: Excuse me. Butler: Nurse: Gasps. The Female Pdin: I think its best that you stop whatever it is youre doing. Butler: What? Im not doing anything?! The Kingdom of Winter, Inside a House in the City Centre The Female Pdin: Are alright, grandpa? Butler: Nyohoho. Dont you worry. I am nothing more than a grizzled, old soldier. Old soldiers dont die, they just fade away When that leaf falls to the ground, so too will this old man. The Female Pdin: Why are you suddenly so interested in dying? You were so energetic just a minute ago. Butler: That. Well. Nothing inappropriate happened. The Female Pdin: Let me join in too! Butler: What! Where did you hear that? The Female Pdin: I wish I had heard nothing at all. Butler: In any case, nothing untoward took ce. If anything ever did take ce, my conscience as a man with the heart of a man ispletely clear. The Female Pdin: My. It looks like your age is really no obstacle to you. Butler: Nyohohohoho! The Female Pdin: Its not apliment. Butler: Damn. The Female Pdin: In any case, I am relieved that you appear to be well. Butler: Well, I have been training even here. The Female Pdin: Have you been undergoing therapy? Butler: Yes. And I am much better. Thank you for your concern. The Female Pdin: I just thought it would be proper to pay you a visit. Butler: That makes me happy. The Female Pdin: Its great that youre being taken care of. By girls with huge breasts. Butler: Nyohohohoho! The Female Pdin: By girls with huge breasts. Butler: Ahem. Well. Thank you very much. The Female Pdin: Butler: What is it? The Female Pdin: Actually. Butler: The Female Pdin: Yeah. Butler: What is it? If its about your rtionship with the Hero, perhaps you might want to borrow some wisdom from this old man. The Female Pdin: Why do you know?! Butler: I am known as a pir of wisdom, hahahaha! The Female Pdin: Really? Butler: It was very clear from the very start that you had a thing for the Hero. Nyohohohoho! The Female Pdin: Really Butler: Yes, really. Even when we were travelling as a party, the two of you have always had your sights on the Hero. He truly is a na?ve, inattentive boy. Nyohohohoho. The Female Pdin: Two of you? Butler: Oh, dont mind me. In any case, how far have you gone? The Female Pdin: What do you mean? Butler: In your rtionship with the Hero. The Female Pdin: Well, he epted my sword. And I became his. Butler: Sigh. The Female Pdin: Whats with the sigh?! Butler: Well, I suppose entering into the Knights Vows is a sort of advancement in your rtionship. As a Butler, I cannot be heartlessI shallugh for you. Nyohohohoho! The Female Pdin: Stopughing. I know what you mean. Butler: Well, you are both shy people. And your target is the Hero, after all. I wont say its an easy target. The Female Pdin: Really? Butler: Yeah. The Demon King is having trouble too. The Female Pdin: Which reminds me. Have you reported the whole Demon King thing to the Lone Winter King? Butler: That is something out of my hands. When the time is right, the young man will know. The Female Pdin: I see When you mean trouble, do you mean the Hero Butler: ? The Female Pdin: The Hero doesnt actually like us? Butler: No, no, thats not what I mean. Its just that the Hero is not an easy target. You have much ahead of you. The Female Pdin: What exactly? Butler: Mmmm. The Female Pdin: My old friend. Cant you give me a hint? Im a bit bashful asking your perverted insights, but in order to close the gap between me and the Demon King, perhaps there are some strategies I could borrow from you. Butler: Gap, eh? The Female Pdin: Yes. Butler: I dont think theres a gap. The Female Pdin: Thats not true. The two of them were making sausages and mushrooms together, there was really the atmosphere of a rtionship Butler: That may be so, but the target is the Hero. The Female Pdin: I dont understand. Butler: Well, do you remember that day at the City of Dunes? The Female Pdin: Yeah. We were travelling. Butler: The Hero and I left the camp and gallivanted until the morning, and we really pissed you off. The Female Pdin: Yes, I remember. Why are we talking about this? Butler: And after that, there was the quest for the singer. And the Hero happily flew out for it like some falcon or some hawk, to be the mighty saviour of that damsel. The Female Pdin: Makes me angry just thinking about it. Butler: No, no. Its just such a normal thing for a guy to do. The Female Pdin: ? Butler: To get closer to a girl and impress her, no matter who you are, every guy will experience this desire at some point or another. But the Hero feels this more than anyone else. Do you know why? The Female Pdin: Because hes a skirtchaser? Butler: Well, ahem I wouldnt exactly say that is false. The truth is a bit different. The Hero is actually very scared. Its because he carries that much power within him. If he started to be despised by the people, they would think of him as some kind of monster, which is scary. Its because of this that he has to behave nicely to everyone, to be kind and to make people happy. The Female Pdin: I dont think hes a monster. I dont despise him. Butler: It would be great if everyone felt that way The Female Pdin: Butler: Moreover The Female Pdin: ? Butler: When youre a special person, it can be very scary. The Female Pdin: ? Butler: He may be a Hero, but hes a coward when ites to people disliking him. Because of this cowardice, he decided to go and confront the Demon King himself. He may be special, and so he can think of doing such things, butthe reason why he left is surely because of fear. The Hero has a deep rtionship with both you and the Demon King, within which he may be just a fool who cant read the situation; but without that, with his ignorance and inattentiveness, he would be liable to seek to escape from the difficult future he has to face. The Female Pdin: Is that so? Butler: Maybe. Nyohohohoho. I cant say for sure. Thats just what I feel. The Female Pdin: Yeah Butler: Hey, dont be so down. This grandpa has got a terrific strategy. The Female Pdin: Really? Butler: Of course. Smiles. The Female Pdin: And whats that? Butler: Firstly, dont think of him as a human. The Female Pdin: ?! Butler: A horse. Think of the Hero as a horse. The Female Pdin: Why a horse? Oh wait. Butler: What is it? The Female Pdin: Ive got to take notes. Butler: Hohoho. Youre really serious. The Female Pdin: Hes even munching straw. Butler: Hahaha! My brilliant n will definitely see you through. Nyohohoho! The Female Pdin: What do I do now that hes a horse? Butler: Well, to train a horse, youve got to raise it correctly, right? So how do you take care of a horse? The Female Pdin: Talk to it. Butler: And? The Female Pdin: Touch it. Pat and rub its head. Brush it. When I touch it, I feel that the horse feels happy. Butler: Thats correct. The Female Pdin: And I give it carrots and apples as well. Butler: Thats a good progression. The Female Pdin: Is it really that simple?! Butler: When ites to boys, the basics are rather the same. The Female Pdin: Really Butler: But after that, youve got to do a frontal assault. The Female Pdin: Frontal assault. Scribbling. Butler: Youve got to tell him what you want to his face. The Female Pdin: Tell him what I want. Butler: Whether you want to kiss, or even to hug. The Female Pdin: Thats too much. Butler: The Hero is your target, so if you dont say anything, nothing will happen. On the whole, the Hero is as aimless as a horse. When the horse gets lost, you have to lead it out by the hand and show it the way. The Female Pdin: Thatstrue. Butler: Of course, youve got to build a rtionship of trust, and not just throw yourself at him. For that reason, daily contact is an important factor. The Female Pdin: Ugh So thats how it is? Butler: What is it? The Female Pdin: The Demon King is always touching his hair like hes some little kid But maybe this is part of her long-term strategy Butler: I dont really understand, but I can definitely feel your murderous intent. The Female Pdin: No, Ive got it under control, master. Butler: Master?! The Female Pdin: Im borrowing your expertise, so youre the master. Butler: Nyohohohoho! How nice. The Female Pdin: Next is, well Butler: What is it? The Female Pdin: No, its okay. Its time for reality. Butler: Hahaha. The Female Pdin: I will have to rely on my own strength for reality. Butler: Well, well, thats a bit shallow, dont you think? The Female Pdin: Eh? Butler: Your strengths, your weaknesses, they all form part of your trademark. The Female Pdin: ? Butler: Your trademark is that of a person who confidently strides on the battlefield and wins the war! The Female Pdin: That is true. Butler: I have one present for such a Female Pdin. Rummages about. Butler: Its the ultimate equipment made from fabric. It is of course too early to use right now. But when your heart is ready, open this bag. The Female Pdin: I dont really understand, but I appreciate your kindness! Ill give it a try and see how it goes! Butler: Nyohohohohoho! Anything is fine as long as its interesting. Do your best, Female Pdin! - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Study The Demon King: Ughhhhh. The Chief Maid: Does your back hurt, your Majesty? The Demon King: Mmm, its just a bit stiff. The Chief Maid: Shall I massage your shoulders for you? The Demon King: Please. The Chief Maid: Here we go then. The Demon King: Mmm The Chief Maid: The Female Pdins demands sure are stubborn, arent they? The Demon King: Very much so. In order to meet her requests, we need to advance production and metallurgy techniques. Well need to increase the toolmaking technology as well Looks like Ill have to go and check the Library. The Chief Maid: Indeed. The Demon King: We really cant do anything about the Crusaders. The Chief Maid: Is that really a problem? The Demon King: Eh? The Chief Maid: No, its just I dont think theyre that big a threat. The Demon King: Really? The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: What do you mean? The Chief Maid: Their leaders number only in the hundreds, its a simple matter to just kill them. Neither your Majesty nor the Hero needs to dirty your hands to aplish this. It may be presumptuous, but The Demon King: Well, yes, that is true. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: But the problem is, we require their consent. The Chief Maid: Consent? The Demon King: Yeah, consent. The Chief Maid: I dont understand. The Demon King: Well To put it better, weve cleared the majority of the issues I highlighted at the start. For example, the issues of famine in the Human World were greatly resolved by the introduction of potato and corn cultivation. Of course, there are still issues of governance which need to be solved in order to truly cure famine permanently, but I believe the problem has been greatly and significantly reduced. Moreover, with the Mages help, vinations have begun to take root across the world. In both the Demon and Human Worlds, poption increases are taking ce. The Human World has seen the birth of the Southern Alliance as an economic and political union, and while there are still military tensions, as soon as these are resolved, I believe we can try to build diplomatic infrastructure with the Central Continent. Resolving issues with the Central Continent is now the key to peace. Development speed and security will be greatly aided without the development of twopeting spheres of influence. Moreover, with the many conferences taking ce, the Demon World has managed to end its long periods of inter-tribal conflict and, by resolving incidents, is moving closer towards a greater sense of unity. For a tribal society like the Demon Worlds to ept outsiders like the Human race will likely act as a sort of social lubricant to bring the tribes closer together. The Demon World is moving towards a closer sense of solidarity, away from the previous disparate elements. Right now, with the economic trade n in motion, the different tribes have even united to build a bridge together. We have entered a new era in Demon history. If you think about it, we have aplished much of what we should, with the Famine in the Human World, the Independence of the South and the Coalition of the Demon Tribes. Of course, there are still more deep problems, and we will have many more troubles ahead of us. However, these are not insurmountable obstacles. I have no intention to bear this responsibility on my own. This is the world we all live in together, so it would be problematic if we did not all contribute to its development together as well. The Chief Maid: Indeed. The Demon King: However, to do that, with the war we have going on right now To put it simply, we cant have this Central Church sanctioned Third Crusade intending to entrench and secure the system. We cannot continue to have this pointless, reactionary war. It may be their wish, but I cannot understand their crazed fanaticism. However, this is a lesson in how we can mobilise people to work for greater causes like removing famine and poverty. If my observations are correct, we can remove the root cause In other words, while we can raise the self-sufficiency of food supplies for the countries and even reduce umted conflict by encouraging dialogue between tribes, whether or not these methods can resolve the issue is still circumspect. The leadership of the Holy Crusaders still has the ability to ruin these ns, but with the religious fervour that theymand at their fingertips, they can also remove and disarm the reactionary uprising permanently. This is a very delicate issue. We need their consent if we want to do things well, and we cant do that by assassination. The Chief Maid: I see? The Demon King: That the Demons are killing the Humans is true. That the Humans are killing the Demons is also true. Between them, there is some true animosity. Even if we know we have to move forward, it is hard to take that step. In order to prevent further blood from spilling and worsening the situation, we cannot take such measures. The Chief Maid: Then how should we resolve it? The Demon King: Thats what Im worrying about. The Chief Maid: How difficult. The Demon King: Aghh, it hurts! The Chief Maid: Oh, Im sorry. The Demon King: I feel like Ive done something wrong or missed something out. The Chief Maid: Really? The Demon King: Ive ced the emphasis on resolving food issues, employment issues, diplomatic issues, and economic issues. Without resolving economic issues, the world can never be a happy ce. But by simply resolving economic issues, the world still cannot be a happy ce What is this happiness? How do we achieve it? Thats a difficult question. The Kingdom of Winter, the Winter Pce, the Ministry of Finance Disciple Merchant: (60 gold pieces? Rather than defence, this is clearly an attack. This is clearly meant as a barrier to trade. The Central Continent probably does not have the talent to recognise such a crafty weapon This means that the key is to not let the situation develop to the point where the already impoverished Southern Alliance is seen as pouring oil onto the zing fire of the Central Continent. This is a very high risk situation, and while it may result inrge gains, it could also lead to high tensions that could force the market to crashpletely Indeed, the merchants who could pull off such a risky target can only be found in the Union.) Disciple Merchant: Sigh. Assistant: What is it? Disciple Merchant: Its nothing. I received a strange letter from a strange person. Assistant: A strange letter? But Mdys letters are very well-written. Disciple Merchant: Huh? Assistant: Ah, its nothing! Disciple Merchant: What a strange fellow. Assistant: So, what sort of scary letter is it? Disciple Merchant: Well uhh, the letter says something likeIn order to prevent the enemies of the Southern Alliance from building some strange weapons, let us raise the price of charcoal. Shall we work together? I look forward to it. Assistant: Isnt that a nice letter? Disciple Merchant: Huh? Assistant: Eh? Then. By using such weapons, arent we just forcing the enemy to go to war? Disciple Merchant: Assistant: Thats true. Disciple Merchant: No, well, thats just one side of the story. Assistant: War is a bad thing. There are many soldiers who cant go home, and we have to eat bad food. Disciple Merchant: Assistant: ? Disciple Merchant: (What a dilemma Ive been trying to shield his Majesty from making such difficult decisions, but Ive got no choice now. It is just as the fool says, lives are truly inexchangable. Disciple Merchant: Hey, fool. Assistant: Im not a fool, but whats up! Disciple Merchant: Were going to see the King. Together. Assistant: Yes! Volume 4 3, “It’s Decided. I Will Sing So the Swords Will Stop.”

Volume 4 Chapter 3, Its Decided. I Will Sing So the Swords Will Stop.

- The Vige of Wintering, in the Forest ng! Cling! The Hero: ! Clink! ng! The Hero: Agh! The Female Pdin: Clink! Clink! The Hero: Curse of Lightning! Falling Thunder! Oooooohhhh! Lightning Destruction! Clink! Clink! The Hero: Haah Hahh The Female Pdin: Oi, Hero. The Hero: Eh? Ah. Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: Youre working too hard. Youre looking a bit pale, in fact. The Hero: Thats not true. Im rehabilitating. The Female Pdin: The Hero: I need to work even harder. The Female Pdin: Hero. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: Its alright, soe over here. The Hero: It hurts. Whats this! The Female Pdin: Training is forbidden from now on. The Hero: You cant just say that. The Female Pdin: Watch me. The Hero: What The Female Pdin smiles. The Hero: But theres nothing else worth doing. The Female Pdin: Stop saying that. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Its not like you became the Hero solely because of yourbat ability. The Hero: I know. Its because I received divine sanction from the Holy Spirit of Light, right? The Female Pdin: That is not correct either. The Hero: It isnt? The Female Pdin: Well I dont know either. Grass rustling. - The Vige of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake, the Headquarters The Hero: Its be huge. The Female Pdin: Weve had a few renovations done. Im back! Female Chevalier: Wee back, Grandmaster, Hero. The Hero: Thanks. The Female Pdin: Is the bath ready? The Hero: O. Let me go, my ear hurts. The Female Pdin: No way. The Hero: Arent you embarrassed by this? Female Chevalier: Please proceed to the Crystal Gardens. The Female Pdin: Thank you. Lets go. The Hero: Hey, hey, wait. The Female Pdin: I cant wait. Female Chevalier: Victory and Valour, Grandmaster. - The Vige of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake, the Headquarters, the Crystal Gardens Door opens. The Hero: Wow. The Female Pdin: What? The Hero: What a splendid bath. The Female Pdin: Its really a greenhouse, we use it to experiment on warm climate crops. The Hero: I see. The Female Pdin: Is this your first time? The Hero: Yes. I mean, Ive heard of it. The Female Pdin: Its a real moneysucker though. I built this thing upon the instructions of the Demon King, , but its operational costs are getting ridiculous. The Hero: I suppose thats true. The Female Pdin: Alright, here we are. The Hero: Hmm? The Female Pdin: Its a bath. Part of the hot water that heats the room can also be used as a bath. You want to sweat it out, right? The Hero: Yeah, thank you. The Female Pdin: Undress. The Hero: I will! Alone. So donte over! You pervert! The Female Pdin: How rude. I never said we would get inside together. The Hero: Then what do you want? The Female Pdin: Ill just wash your back. The Hero: ! The Female Pdin: Its fine. Wear a towel over your waist. The Hero: Even so! The Female Pdin: Right, so undress. The Hero: I got it, Ill undress! Face that way. The Female Pdin: Being straightforward sure is better. The Hero: I feel like I got defeated really easily. The Female Pdin: Are you done? The Hero: Not yet. The Female Pdin: Mmmm. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Are you done? The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Right. Sit here. The Hero: Like this? The Female Pdin: Im going to pour hot water on you now. If its too hot just tell me. The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Ssh. The Hero: Ahhh, its hot. The Female Pdin: Does it feel good? The Hero: Yep! Ssh. The Female Pdin: Its unfortunate we cant do this in the winter. The Hero: Why not? Surely this would be fantastic in the winter. The Female Pdin: If we tried doing this in the winter, with all the snow around, the water would freeze too quickly. The Hero: Yeah, thats true. Ssh. The Female Pdin: You could stay here. The Hero: Sorry? The Female Pdin: Nothing. Scrub, scrub. The Hero: Whats that? The Female Pdin: Its a soft brush. Made from pig bristles. The Hero: It feels great. The Female Pdin: Doesnt it? I love using it too. The Hero: I see. Ssh. The Female Pdin: ? Scrub. The Hero: You seem to have really good technique. Are you very experienced at this? The Female Pdin: I suppose all knights are very experienced at brushing. The Hero: Is that so? The Female Pdin: Is there anywhere that itches? The Hero: Behind my ear. The Female Pdin: Alright. The Hero: Oooooh. The Female Pdin: Even animals who can speak are easy to deal with in this manner. The Hero: What? I didnt understand what you just said. The Female Pdin: Its just an inside joke. Ssh. The Hero: Ohhhh. The Female Pdin: Did it get in your ear? Im sorry. The Hero: Its okay. The Female Pdin: Now for your hands. Pass me your right hand. The Hero: Okay. Here you go. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Umm. The Female Pdin: What is it? The Hero: Well, its really nothing, but The Female Pdin: What a strange person. The Hero: Its not strange. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Its so ticklish! The Female Pdin: Youre a man, right? Endure it. The Hero: Even men have some things they cant endure. The Female Pdin: Just a bit more. The Hero: Oooooh. The Female Pdin: Yourepletely red. The Hero: Youre fully clothed, so you dont understand. The Female Pdin: ? The Hero: Its hot. Water. The Female Pdin: Got it. Ssh. The Hero: Ahhh The Female Pdin: Now for your left hand. The Hero: Yeah. Brush brush. The Female Pdin: I think you work yourself too hard. The Hero: The Female Pdin: I really want to help you, and you should know I like you. Im the same as the Demon King, then. The Hero: Ehh The Female Pdin: Why are you turning red? The Hero: What a sudden thing to say The Female Pdin: Oh, right. This is my first time saying it straight to your face. But I like you. But thats why I pledged my sword to you in the first ce. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Its no use mming up. The Hero: Umm, Im sorry. The Female Pdin: No. Its fine. I understand if itll take you some time. The Hero: ? The Female Pdin: You are really powerful. If we were to fight, Id probably be crushed by you, right? But, because of that, I believe there are limits to how much better you can be by just training. The Hero: The Female Pdin: By limits, I mean that no matter how good you be at this aspect, it no longer contributes to you winning your opponent. Youre already the strongest. However, you need to be stronger at liking yourself. The Hero: I couldnt possibly just do that. The Female Pdin: Yes, you can. The Hero: Ssh. The Female Pdin: I believe you definitely can. The Hero: Really? The Female Pdin: The Hero I travelled around with was a very kind person, but youre a much, much nicer person right now. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Despite all the troubles and all the pain you hold close to yourself, youve be great But if only you could let go of them, you could be even better. The Hero: That would be nice. The Female Pdin: Alright, lets wash off. Ssh. The Hero: Is it over? The Female Pdin: Nope. Get into the tub. The Hero: The tub? The Female Pdin: Its this big wooden bucket. Ill pour hot water in it, and itll go right up to your shoulders. This is quite like your samurai training, is it not? The Hero: Indeed. Well, I suppose if its for samurai training. The Female Pdin: By cooking your body, you can steel your spirit. The Hero: Spirit Thats exactly what I like. The Female Pdin: And dont do that thing where you count to hundred and then jump out. - The Moors near the ins of Sci Stomp stomp stomp. Mercenary Scout: This is bad. Stomp stomp stomp. Mercenary Archer: What is it? Mercenary Scout: The Crusaders are moving in our direction with a whole unit of those musket guys. Mercenary Archer: How many? Mercenary Scout: Their ranks are quite wide and I cant be sure. But seeing as how one toon has about 20-50 men, I would say there are quite a few of them. It looks like theyve caught on to our attempt to escape with all the saltpetre. Mercenary Archer: There arent any refugees that look like this, I suppose. Resourceful Young Man: This is bad! Lets run! Mercenary Survivor: We cant do that. Small Mercenary: Thats right. We cant run. Young Mercenary nods. Resourceful Young Man: Why not? The enemy has those fire spitting sticks! Theyre going to kill us all! Mercenary Survivor: We are no longer mercenaries. Small Mercenary: Yeah. Resourceful Young Man: What are you saying! You are mercenaries! Mercenary Survivor: Based on the promises of our Chief, and the contract from that nobleman, we are now brave knights of the Kingdom of Winter and the Kingdom of White Night. Small Mercenary: Thats right. And knights dont run away. Resourceful Young Man: What stupid things you say! Arent you going to run away?! That guy may be a nobleman, but hes plenty quick on his feet too! Mercenary Survivor: Youre not a knight, so go ahead and run away. Small Mercenary: Indeed. Young Mercenary: Theyre still some distance away. You can make it if you run now. Mercenary Archer: How far away are they? Mercenary Scout: Weve probably got another day or two. Resourceful Young Man: Then Mercenary Survivor: So, what should we do? Small Mercenary: Young Mercenary: Should we sally out and fight or should we stay and defend this fortress? Mercenary Archer: Well have to strike while the enemy is still disorganised. Mercenary Survivor: But judging by their numbers, this is not a strike we can effectively carry out. Small Mercenary: Well think about it when the timees, in the meantime, we just need to fight while singing our hearts out. Resourceful Young Man: Dont be stupid. This is just foolish. This will be your third consecutive fight. Are you all out of your minds?! Small Mercenary: Dont call the Chief a fool. Resourceful Young Man: He is! Hes a fool! To fight in such a ce does nobody any good, youll all just get ughtered like dogs. Thats very uncool for knights. So stop being such fools and lets get out of here, alright? Mercenary Survivor: Knights dont run away. Resourceful Young Man: What exactly are you protecting? The Kingdom of White Night doesnt exist anymore. Youre fighting without any real objectives! Young Mercenary: Mercenary Archer: Thats why I said, if we let the enemy seize what weve got, itll be really troublesome! Mercenary Survivor: Thats right. Theres a reason why the nobleman wanted this hidden away. This saltpetre has got something to do with the mystery of that fire spitting cylinder. Resourceful Young Man: Yes, it probably does, so Mercenary Survivor: Thats why we cant let them have it. Small Mercenary: Exactly. Young Mercenary: We really have to fight. Rustling. Mercenary Archer: Who is it! Disciple Nobleman: Its me. Elder Sister Maid smiles. Resourceful Young Man: Its you! You came back! Who is this? Mercenary Survivor: Nobleman! Disciple Nobleman: That was my intention from the start. Sorry to have to meet you in such a ce. Small Mercenary: No, this is work after all. Young Mercenary nods. Mercenary Archer: Were being chased by the Crusaders. Theyve clearly got their eyes on the stuff, but even with all the carriages, were going to have a hard time moving this stuff. Mercenary Survivor: Even if we move, theyll catch up to us from behind for sure. Resourceful Young Man: Thats why I told you to run. Please, convince them to run away. Disciple Nobleman: What do you think? Second Chief? Elder Sister Maid: Small Mercenary: Second? Young Mercenary: ? Disciple Nobleman: Yes, it would be really troublesome for this unit to operate without a leader. So after intensive searching, I present to you your new Chief. Small Mercenary: Eh? But shes a girl. Young Mercenary: Is this some kind of joke. Elder Sister Maid: Yes, it has been requested that I be your leader. Small Mercenary: We have only one Chief. Mercenary Archer: Even without the Chief, we can still go on. Elder Sister Maid: I understand the situation. However, for the purposes ofmunication and representation with the Kingdom of Ice, you will require a certain personage. Think of myself as a figurehead, if you will. Disciple Nobleman: So in the meantime, this girl is my rmendation. Please do not take offence by it. Elder Sister Maid: Small Mercenary: Well leave you to it then. Young Mercenary: Mercenary Archer: More importantly, what are we going to do about the uing fight? Resourceful Young Man: Run away! Mercenary Survivor: Why dont we let our Chief decide that? Disciple Nobleman: Why not? Elder Sister Maid: Firstly, I have no intention of actually bing your Chief. You can just call me the Substitute. It is my hope that a proper Chief will be selected from within your ranks. Moreover, I am terrible at fighting. All I know are the basics of swinging a sword around, and Ive nevermanded anyone before. Mercenary Archer: Then yourepletely useless. Mercenary Survivor: Whats the point of having her as amander? Elder Sister Maid: Because I am a civilian I believe that you knights will protect the people here. Small Mercenary: Eh? Young Mercenary: Elder Sister Maid: Secondly, I will be able to offer you my expertise in areas other than fighting. And I will require your protection to achieve that. There is a ce I need to go, and for that, I must be protected. Small Mercenary: I dont get it. Young Mercenary: Mercenary Archer: Is your head alright, nobleman? Disciple Nobleman: Yes. I guarantee it. Since this person is like a sister to me, I personally guarantee that she is good. She may have some strange ideas, but if you see them through to their fruition, we will be able to achieve something spectacr. That is the result of those who are taught by our teacher. Please take care of her. Elder Sister Maid: Please. Small Mercenary: Even if you were to say such a thing Mercenary Archer: So just tell us, do we fight or do we run? If you want to run, we will never recognise you. Resourceful Young Man: If you dont run you will die! Elder Sister Maid: Why are those the only options? Mercenary Archer: Huh? Elder Sister Maid: We could run while fighting. Or we could not run, but still not fight. You need to open up your imagination a bit. Young Mercenary: Hmm? Mercenary Archer: What are you saying? Elder Sister Maid: Weve got a lot more options that just running or fighting. - The Human World, the Pr Continent, a Frozen Wastnd Scout of Light: There are no people within sight. Soldier of Light: We cant see very far anyway. Its too white, so our eyes hurt too. Musketeer of Light: Thats right. Well have to leave it to you. Marine of Light: Heh. Thats fine too, I suppose. Scout of the Light: Its a lot less cold and less snowy than I expected. Soldier of Light: Its just that the ground below us is frozen. Musketeer of Light: Do we continue advancing into this frozennd? Marine of Light: Of course. Scout of Light: It goes up to 150km even. Musketeer of Light: However, it seems like the road used by merchants is close to here. Marine of Light: Its a priority to find it. Scout of Light: What do we do if wee across any merchants? Soldier of Light: Were here on a secret military mission. They cant be allowed to know about us. Musketeer of Light: Man, its been a really long time since Ist had a hot bowl of meat soup. - The Kingdom of Mist, the Capital City, a Deserted Market Wind blows Coughing Boy: Sir Sir Spare a slice of bread for a poor boy Thin Citizen: Coughing Boy: Sir Sir Ahem. Ahem. Please I havent eaten in four days Middle Aged Woman: My my! Youre covered in boils. Donte any closer! Coughing Boy: Ahem, ahem. Please Please Wind blows Thin Citizen: How about five new silver pieces? Travelling Merchant: That will get you half a sack, sir. Thin Citizen: Whats with this price! Ive got six children to feed, you know. Travelling Merchant: Ive also got children of my own I need to feed. Wind blows Sundry Merchant: Come! Come! Ive got all kinds of beans, from mung beans to peas! Come get your beans! Middle Aged Woman: How much is one sack of peas? Sundry Merchant: Three silver pieces. Middle Aged Woman: Thats really expensive. Sundry Merchant: In times like this, everything is expensive. Ive got no choice. Are you buying? Middle Aged Woman: Ah One sack then. Give me the nicest ones, please. Its to help some sick people recuperate. Sundry Merchant: Ehh. Middle Aged Woman: How troublesome. Oh, its already evening. Sundry Merchant: Yeah. Middle Aged Woman: Why arent the churchbells ringing? Sundry Merchant: Dont you know? Middle Aged Woman: What about? Thin Citizen: Oh, youre talking about the churchbells? Sundry Merchant: The churchbells have been melted down for copper. Middle Aged Woman: Melted down? Sundry Merchant: Yeah, by the Church. It is the will of the Holy Spirit; at times like this, every single weapon counts, and the copper gained from those churchbells will be used to kill some Demons. Middle Aged Woman: Demons I havent even seen them before. Thin Citizen: Its been so long since Ive eaten my fill, I hope the Spirit can bestow such blessings upon us again. - The Kingdom of Copper, a Farm Thin Old Man: Starving Serf: Im hungry Female Serf: Why cant we eat barley and wheat even in the autumn? Supervisor: Theyve been dispatched to the soldiers at the front. Thin Old Man: There arent any soldiers in this vige. Starving Serf: Then how are we supposed to get the energy to nt wheat in the summer? Female Serf: If we dont, well starve in the spring. Supervisor: Alright, get to work. Thin Old Man: Heh Starving Serf: Ive got no energy. Female Serf: Yeah Were way too depressed. Supervisor: Hmm? Female Serf: Cremation* ash. Supervisor: Yeah. Theyre burning down the hut to the South. Theres a family there whos caught the boils. Thin Old Man: Smallpox Starving Serf: How scary. Female Serf: Lets leave this topic. We never know when we might suddenly catch it as well. Supervisor: Its true. My son caught it too. Starving Serf: Speaking of which, theres nothing to do except wait until the whole vige gets wiped out. One-Handed Serf: No, thats not exactly true. Starving Serf: Eh? One-Handed Serf: Before I lost my arm, I spent quite a lot of my time travelling. In my travels, Ive heard that the Kingdom of Reeds has a medicine for the boils. Female Serf: Medicine? So its curable?! The boils?! Supervisor: Really? Ive never heard anything like this before! One-Handed Serf: If this information were to spread, all the serfs would run away. But its true. Well, its not so much an herb or anything, and it doesnt actually cure it. Moreover, people who have contracted smallpox are being taken care of by the people of the Holy Order. Thin Old Man: Medicine Starving Serf: The Holy Order looks after them? For real?! One-Handed Serf: For people like us with no families, no one will even look for us until we die. Female Serf: Supervisor: The Kingdom of Reeds? Thats very far. Why dont they share their medicine with us? Starving Serf: Its medicine. What does it have to do with soldiers or trade or whatever, why do the noblemen not help us? Thin Old Man: How true Sigh. How pitiful we are, oh merciful Spirit -- Exnation Cremation: In Buddhist tradition, both burial and cremation are permissible. In fact, Buddha himself was cremated. In the Christian faith, it has been forbidden to cremate bodies, only to bury them, until recently. The Holy Church of Light cremates its dead. - - Somewhere in the Holy Empire, a Secret Metalworks ng! ng! Labourer: Agh! Agh! Floor Supervisor: Whats wrong! The stove is slowing down! Bring more charcoal over! ng! ng! Floor Supervisor: Get the fire going! ng! ng! Master Craftsman: What is it? Craftsman: No, weve reached the limit of our charcoal stocks Master Craftsman: What? Where are the ounts! ounting Officer: Guild Master, here I am. Master Craftsman: We dont have enough charcoal! ounting Officer: Well, we got as much charcoal as the permit allowed. Master Craftsman: Really? Craftsman: At the pace were consuming, weve cleared our entire stockpile. Experienced Craftsman: To begin with, stockpiling charcoal requires more space than stockpiling ores, so at full production, we only have enough for about a week. ounting Officer: I see. Ahh, its hot. Master Craftsman: Then well need to find new merchants. ounting Officer: Thats going to be a bit challenging. Master Craftsman: Hmm? ounting Officer: Following several days ofpetitive charcoal buying, the price has gone up immensely. It is presently three times the price than it wasst week. In addition, our stocks were bought in summer, but were halfway through autumn right now. Every vige throughout the continent is trying to stockpile charcoal so they can tide through the rough winter, so it wont be an easy matter to get any more Master Craftsman: But that means we wont be able to meet the production quota for muskets and gunpowder set by his Royal Highness. Ummm. Thats right! What about the strategy we were talking about before? Have we managed to get coke from the coal? Experienced Craftsman: Didnt you tell us to reject all that? You said it would affect our rtionship with the Forestry Guild. Master Craftsman: But right now, circumstances have changed. We cant continue with just charcoal. Its a new method we cant rely on, but its worth a try. Experienced Craftsman: In that case, we can give it a shot I hear we now need extensive permits for the Kingdom of Dunes and the Kingdom of Cliffs to obtain coal from their mines. Master Craftsman: What do you mean? Experienced Craftsman: The merchants have been pushing up the prices aggressively, I hear. Master Craftsman: Why! But before that, why didnt we stop them! Experienced Craftsman: Dont you remember? You made the decision to stop pursuing the coal matter. We dont buy anything, but we still have to pay for it, why would we maintain such an expensive contract? ounting Officer: Well, well. Craftsman: In that case, we have no choice but to buy charcoal. How about those countries with rich stockpiles? We represent his Royal Highness the Crown Prince Marshal after all. Surely thatll be enough to make the noblemen and feudal lords give up their charcoal. ounting Officer: That might actually work out. Master Craftsman: Alright! Then Ill write a letter right away. ounting Officer, well need you to negotiate with them. Form a consortium and request for charcoal from the neighbouring countries. Craftsman: Yeah, weve had great results from the Kingdom of Elm with regards to their forestry. Experienced Craftsman: We can definitely make good steel with the charcoal from the Kingdom of Elm! ounting Officer: Ill see what we can do. Walks off. Master Craftsman: How about the flintlocks? Experienced Craftsman: The craftsmanship involved in making one of those is much, much higher; at present we can only manage 50 pieces a month on our production line. Master Craftsman: Right, lets get this months production to the docks for shipping! - The Demon World, the Borders, Silver Sand River sh! The Demon King: Alright, here we are. The Chief Maid: Yes, your Majesty. The Hero: Is this the correct ce? The Demon King: Yep, its exactly it. Its not far from here. The Chief Maid: You can return now, Hero. The Hero: Really? The Demon King: Im sorry. Its something of a secret, after all. The Hero: The Library, right? The Chief Maid: Yes. The Demon King: Entry to the repository of our Tribe is forbidden to people from our Tribes. The Chief Maid: Well, is this alright? I suppose its good for you to umte experience by entering the room of a young maiden. The Hero: Is it such a wonderful ce? The Demon King: AhIts nothing really. The Chief Maid: Its just filled with books. The Hero: Really. The Demon King: We wont be able tomunicate inside, so Ill set an appropriate rendezvous. The Hero: Appropriate? The Demon King: I fear I may have to spend three days in there for research. I predict my researching skills are enough to achieve this. The Hero: Hmm. The Demon King: If I finish early, then Ill spend some time walking around this area, so just look around for me. If Im not here on the third day,e back on the fifth day. The Chief Maid: Thats good. The Hero: Understood. What are you researching? The Demon King: Metallurgy and engineering. Right now were tied up in production issues. The Hero: So there are things even you dont know about? The Demon King: Many, many things. This isnt my field of speciality. I cant bring the books with me, so its not like I have the information everywhere I go. To shape the metal to such precise specifications will surely require a higher level of technology than we have now The Hero: Is that alright? The Demon King: The situation is as such. We wont be able to control the spread of technology once we release it, and the world is not exactly ready for the sort of impact this may have. I suppose its best that we dont spread the technology. To begin with, the next crucial advancement in nuts and bolts has not even begun. The Hero: I have no idea what youre saying, but Ill leave it to you. The Demon King: Take care of things while Im gone. The Hero: Got it! The Chief Maid: Then lets go, your Majesty. The Hero: Got it! Chief Maid, you too! The Demon King: Bye bye. sh! - The Holy Crusaders, Reserve Camp Strum ? Strum ? Disciple Bard: White hawthorn, roses singing in the wild. Violets which sparkle in the dead of the night ? Flowers, which bloom as summer pays a visit. With the sweet blue of anise. The ancient king listens and learns ? Under the light of the moon, the moths are singing. In the forest of spirits Your voice opens the doors of magic. Lonely is the chest That with sweet warm blood wilts ? Auxiliary of Light: What a nice song. Spearman of Light: It was somehow pleasing, yet sad at the same time. Strum ? Strum ? Disciple Bard: Its a song from my hometown. Auxiliary of Light: Is that so? Spearman of Light: That was very nice, Miss Bard. Disciple Bard: Yes? Spearman of Light: If we just continue at this rate, well cross the massive hole and be on our way to the Demon World. It sure would be heartwarming if you coulde along with us, Miss Bard Disciple Bard: Well, if I can lighten the burden of war. Auxiliary of Light: Spearman of Light: If youe with us, youll probably get caught by themanders though. Disciple Bard: Ill just run away then. Spearman of Light: Dont say such things! Auxiliary of Light: Thats right. Its not something you should take lightly. Disciple Bard: I have no intention to y around. Auxry of Light: Why Disciple Bard: I ampletely serious about singing. Auxry of Light: Disciple Bard: You guys train to swing your hundreds of swords, I sing to stop these hundreds of swords. Auxiliary of Light: Thats Disciple Bard: Its decided. Strum ? Strum ? Spearman of Light: Miss Bard. Disciple Bard: Its decided. Just like how I came here on my two feet, I will return home singing. - The Vige of Wintering, the Kitchen The Hero: Tadaa! The Hero: Now its Hero cooking time! Without the Demon King, Im all alone! Everybody! Apuse! Silence. The Hero: First! Slice bread. Slice, slice. The Hero: Its a bit lopsided, but thats fine too. The Hero: Now add cheese, sprinkle some salt, and sandwich it in between! The Hero: Cheese bread is ready! Its so easy! Flop. The Hero: Its a bit squishy. Squish. The Hero: Its salty, but thats fine! Whats the next recipe! That Chief Maid didnt teach me enough?! The Female Pdin: Well, would you like an honest review? The Hero: Eh?! How long have you been here?! The Female Pdin: Since you said that it was so easy. The Hero: It failed. The Female Pdin: Alright. Holds hand. The Hero: Uhh. The Female Pdin: Did I surprise you? Well, I suppose I shouldnt touch you so suddenly. Thats to be expected. The Hero: Youve been acting strange for quite some time. The Female Pdin: Thats not true, Im very normal. The Hero: That calmness is most strange. The Female Pdin: I brought this with me, so should I make it? The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: Its meat stew with bacon and cabbages. The Hero: Ohh! The Female Pdin: Is there still a fire going? The Hero: No The Chief Maid told me not to start any fires. The Female Pdin: Are you a kid! The Hero: No, Ive been trying my best! My very best! Dammit! The Female Pdin: You really act like a kid sometimes. The Hero: I want to eat some hot food. The Female Pdin: Well Make me a small me on your hand. The Hero: Spell of me! The Female Pdin: Now hold this sk and hang on for a bit. Whistling The Hero: Wow, what a great smell! The Female Pdin: Because Im boiling it with red wine. Im not as good as the Little Maid Sister, but its probably not that bad, right? The Hero: No, no. Thank you so much. The Female Pdin: Its done. Shall we eat? Clunk. The Hero: Ohhh! Slurp, slurp. The Female Pdin: The Hero: Youre not eating? The Female Pdin: I ate in the Headquarters already. The Hero: Really This is good. The Female Pdin: Are you happy with it? The Hero: I am. The Female Pdin: (I see So a girl in the world still needs to rely on her cooking to get the guys heart I seem to have forgotten to simple things thest time.) The Hero: Im full. The Female Pdin: You sure ate a lot. The Hero: They didnt leave me anything to start a fire with, huh. The Female Pdin: Youve got fire magic for that, so dont worry. The Hero: Yeah, I guess so. The Female Pdin: Here, Ill write you the recipe. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: The Chief Maid left you some food and recipes, didnt she? The Hero: Yeah. The Female Pdin: I guess Ill prepare them for you while theyre gone. The Hero: Is that alright? The Female Pdin: Dont hesitate right now. The Hero: Okay. Here they are. The Female Pdin: Bread and water. Cheese sandwich and water. Cabbage, bread and water. Sliced ham, bread and water. Buy more bread. Bread, ham and water. Cheese sandwich and water The Hero: The Female Pdin: This is worse than a Pdinsbat rations. The Hero sobs. The Female Pdin: Dont cry, Hero?! The Hero: Its tragic, isnt it? Isnt it?! The Female Pdin: You could call it tragic Itspletely just bread and water. The Hero: Its their n to bully me. The Female Pdin: Is that so? The Hero: If Im looking after the ce, I should just have all my meals at an inn, right! The Female Pdin: Well, thats true, I suppose The Hero: Im sure the Chief Maid still bears a grudge against me continuously having dinner with the Demon King at the inn thatst time. The Female Pdin: Really? The Hero: Definitely. The Female Pdin: I see The Hero: Thats why, please make some things for me. The Female Pdin: Well, thats alright, but please dont expect my culinary skills to be anything wonderful. The Hero: Oh! Anything is fine as long as its not a cheese sandwich The Female Pdin: (He must be really lonely) The Hero: All done! The Female Pdin: Alright, take a break and then we can do some sword practice. The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: Its your payment for the food. Or are you afraid of some exercise? The Hero: I really dont mind. The Female Pdin: We can go brush the horses after that too. - The Vige of Wintering, the Demon Kings Manor, the Heros Room Door opens. The Hero: Ahhh. Throws things around. The Hero: Nope, not this Where did I put it? Shing. The Hero: des and armour are really troublesome to prepare. ng! ng! Hey! The Hero: Oh, its the Female Pdin. Over here! What is it? Door opens. The Female Pdin: What are you doing? The Hero: Im preparing equipment. The Female Pdin: Equipping? What are you looking for then? The Hero: Ive looked everywhere, but I cant seem to find my Ring of Prayer and my Elvish Tonic Herbs. The Female Pdin: Hmm The Hero: Well, more importantly, is the food ready? The Female Pdin: Thats all you think about. The Hero: Oh no, Im not uncivilised. The Female Pdin: Really? The Hero: Really. The Female Pdin: At any rate, itll be fully prepared in two hours Oh, Ivee for some brushing, so you can sit over there. The Hero: Hmm? The Female Pdin: What is it? No need to be rmed. Is this brush too painful? The Hero: Somehow. The Female Pdin: What is it? The Hero: Somehow I feel like Im no longer being treated as a human. The Female Pdin: Its all in your mind. The Hero: Really? The Female Pdin: Really. The Hero: The Female Pdin: The Hero: I guess so, then. The Female Pdin: (Master sure is urate!) The Hero: Alright. The Female Pdin: Close your eyes, and Ill manage your hair. The Hero: Shouldnt it be the other way round? The Female Pdin: I can handle the maintenance of my own hair. Its a source of pride for me after all. The Hero: Youve always been proud of it all this while. The Female Pdin: You didnt even look at it back then, though. The Hero: Really? The Female Pdin: Mmm Brush, brush. The Hero: The Female Pdin: Why are you closing your eyes so tightly? The Hero: Because youre around. The Female Pdin: Rx more. The Hero: Hehe. The Female Pdin: Dont be so effeminate. The Hero: Dont make fun of me! The Female Pdin: Just close your eyes normally. The Hero: Really. The Female Pdin: When youre acting normal I think youre quite cool. The Hero: Eh, what? What are you saying! The Female Pdin: I correct myself. Youre always cool. The Hero: Brush, brush. Kiss. The Hero: ?! The Female Pdin: What? The Hero: What did you just do?! The Female Pdin: What skinship. The Hero: This is too weird. The Female Pdin: No, its normal. Is it unpleasant? The Hero: Uhh, well, no, but The Female Pdin: Then, its fine. The Hero: No, its not! Please be more modest and think this through. The Female Pdin: Ill nevere out on top like that. The Hero: Why are you so forceful? The Female Pdin: Hero! The Hero: Y-yes! The Female Pdin: With regards to this incident, its true that you should be cautious about the modesty disyed by a young maiden, but with the prevalence of mixed signals and wrong messages, it is preferable to avoid confusion. As a result, it is best to be straightforward! The Hero: Y-yeah! (Im being dominated!) The Female Pdin: Until the Demon King gets back, I want to share a pillow with you. The Hero is shocked. The Female Pdin: Its fine. Dont worry. It may be my first time, but I need to practice doing battle with the Demon King. The Hero: (What?!) The Female Pdin: I need to show her my burning spirit. The Hero: (Now theyre doing battle!) The Female Pdin: Now I am on the offensive and the Demon King is on the defence. The Hero: (What do you intend to do?) The Female Pdin: I want to take arge ship. The Hero: Im really worried about this!! The Female Pdin: How troublesome. The Hero: I dont understand your reasoning. The Female Pdin: Mmm, its not a joke. At night, well chat about everyday things and then retire to the same pillow. Were both of the age to understand what that means, right? The Hero: Ahh. Yeah. The Female Pdin: Your face is all red. The Hero: Dont say unnecessary things. The Female Pdin: Thats why, if you dont want to, its only good manners to reject me politely. The Hero: Its not that. The Female Pdin: Then its fine. The Hero: Is it really? The Female Pdin: It is. The Hero: Whats this? The Female Pdin: No, its the first stage of my attack. The Hero: Umm, well, umm The Female Pdin: Please dont make unnecessaryments. The Hero: Why me? The Female Pdin: So I guess you dont want it? The Hero: Eh? The Female Pdin: Im about to st fire from my face. Youre so fickle minded. The Hero: H-hey. The Female Pdin: The Demon King surely understands this as well. The Hero: Is that so? The Female Pdin nods. The Hero: You look very indignant. The Female Pdin: Its an unpleasant quip. The Hero: The Female Pdin: No matter what, its a no-go? Well I dont want to say this, but, next time will definitely be a big fight, itll be a massive battle. One which I have no intention to lose, but but The Hero: No Yeah, I understand. The Female Pdin: Is that alright? The Hero: I understand. Completely. I have been awakened! The Female Pdin: Thats my Hero! Smiles. Volume 4 4, “Having Come to Such a Time, Hesitation is Forbidden.”

Volume 4 Chapter 4, Having Come to Such a Time, Hesitation is Forbidden.

Near the ins of Sci, in the Forest, Camouged Knights Brigade Mercenary Survivor: The torch lights are drawing closer. They must think we are still at the fortifications. Distance is four and a half miles. Small Mercenary: We can still draw them in closer. Elder Sister Maid: No, its not necessary. Please prepare the fire arrows. Mercenary Survivor: Is that really alright? We can take them all down at one go. Disciple Nobleman: Elder Sister Maid: I believe that option will lead to high casualties, its a very harsh option as well. If you think about it, it doesnt fulfil our objectives either Moreover, the risk involved is quite high. If we attack them, we might only be able to take down 500 or maybe 1,000 of them. Mercenary Survivor: Elder Sister Maid: Im counting on you. Mercenary Survivor: Alright, lets do it. Archers! Rustling Mercenary Archer: Is this alright? Elder Sister Maid: Sulphur, saltpetre and charcoal. Yes. Mercenary Survivor: Is sulphur and charcoal really okay? Elder Sister Maid: ording to my Mistress, the real stuff requires aposition of 50-70% saltpetre, but we dont actually require that sort of explosive power. To put it extremely, everything will be fine as long as we can exhaust the saltpetre, which is the source of all the trouble. Small Mercenary: But, how slow. Is it burning yet? Young Mercenary: Its burning, isnt it? Mercenary Archer: I can confirm that the oil and straw is burning. Resourceful Young Man: Somethings off. I clearly remember the enemy weapons making a tremendous noise. Elder Sister Maid: I think it will. Resourceful Young Man: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: I think it will. Lets leave quickly. Mercenary Survivor: I suddenly really want to hear this tremendous noise which youve been talking about. Small Mercenary: Nah, we should go. Were about to run into the Holy Crusaders from the Central Continent. With our numbers, well get discovered really quickly if we dont leave. Young Mercenary NODS Mercenary Archer: Thats true. Resourceful Young Man: Cheh. Disciple Nobleman: Seems like its about time. Elder Sister Maid: Yep. Nod Mercenary Survivor: ? BOOM!!! Small Mercenary: ! Young Mercenary: ! Mercenary Archer: !? Resourceful Young Man: Wh, wh, what the hell!? Disciple Nobleman: Oww. My ears hurt. Elder Sister Maid: Yep. Resourceful Young Man: What was that! That really surprised the hell out of me! Disciple Nobleman: What a noisy young man. Mercenary Survivor: Theres no need to be that surprised. Small Mercenary: I cant hear a thing. Elder Sister Maid: Will you recognise me now? Boom! Bang! Mercenary Survivor: Elder Sister Maid: Will you recognise me as a substitute? Theres a ce I have to go with my own two feet. In order to get there, theres a lot of dangers which we will have to ovee. Mercenary Survivor: Small Mercenary: Yeah. Young Mercenary: I will recognise you. Mercenary Archer: Theres nothing for it. Resourceful Young Man: Hey, hey. Mercenary Survivor: Im sure you can see the consensus is that we cannot reject such a treasure as a leader like you. In that case, weve got no choice. Please continue doing some more good work like you just did. Elder Sister Maid: In that case. Mercenary Survivor: Yeah. Small Mercenary: Weve got no choice. Alright, lets go strip those Light bastards of their equipment. Then well infiltrate the Kingdom of White Night. Isnt that right, Substitute? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Well gather information, and then well snatch some ships. Smile The City of the Gate, Conste of the Merchants Union Disciple Engineer: Whoaaaa! Creak Disciple Engineer: Thats not it. More, over here! Hey! Come over! Hey, hey! Thats more like it!! Bam Fire Dragon Lady: You, what are you doing? Disciple Engineer: I cant let my teacher see such a sloppyy out. No way. Bam!! Disciple Engineer: !? Fire Dragon Lady: Look here, this is the study of the Union. Just who are you? Knock knock Shrewd ountant: Ah, Disciple Engineer. Fire Dragon Lady: Disciple Engineer? Disciple Engineer: Yeah, Im sorry. Pleased to meet you, Im the Disciple Engineer. Shrewd ountant: This here is the Fire Dragon Lady. She manages the Conste, and shes a Lady of the Fire Dragon Tribe. On top of that, she also holds an important position in the Self-Governing Council of the City of the Gate. Disciple Engineer: F, F, Fire Dragon Tribe!? Fire Dragon Lady: Whats up with that? Shrewd ountant: ? Disciple Engineer: You mean the elite among the Dragon Tribe of the Eight Great Tribes And on top of that, the purest blood lineage. How terrifying. Whoa. Fire Dragon Lady: Its quite tragic for you to say such a thing. Shrewd ountant: Eh? Disciple Engineer: Huh? Fire Dragon Lady: I am already a citizen of the City of the Gate. It doesnt matter what Tribe we came from, we all work together to govern the City as its Self-Governing Council. Shrewd ountant: Madam. Fire Dragon Lady: What is it? Disciple Engineer: This is a map of the City. Fire Dragon Lady: Map Shrewd ountant: The Disciple Engineer is an expert on all matters rted to construction. Remember the contract orchestrated by the Middle Aged Merchant to build a bridge across the Great Portal? He was the conducting engineer. Fire Dragon Lady: My, my! Thank you for all your good work! Bows Disciple Engineer: Eh. Ah. W, well. Please raise your head. Fire Dragon Lady: No, it is because of that bridge that we are able to enjoy the prosperity brought about by the salt trade. Shrewd ountant: Indeed. Disciple Engineer: Ahh. Shrewd ountant: -? Why have you turnedpletely red? Disciple Engineer: Thats umm The Engineering world is almostpletely male, and umm, Im a Banshee with horns, so its just the Lady is really beautiful. Fire Dragon Lady: Hohohohoho, that makes me very happy. Shrewd ountant: (The Fire Dragon Lady seems to be very popr these days) Disciple Engineer: In any case, I was invited by the Middle Aged Merchant to draw up ns for the renovation of this house. I apologise for the intrusion. Fire Dragon Lady: And youve also been working on the ns of the city? This is a market? Shrewd ountant: Mmm. Disciple Engineer: Yeah, thats right. The Central Wholesale Market. In this city, arge thoroughfare links the Southern Gate directly with the Northern Gate, arge number of caravans pass through the road, and surrounding areas are filled with warehouses. These warehouses form a business district. In the middle of all of that runs the river, the confluence of which forms the first merchants quarter. Fire Dragon Lady: Mmm, I walk through the area every day. Disciple Engineer: City nning concerns the cement of facilities and the connection of these infrastructure. Fire Dragon Lady: Dont these developments just happen as the city grows? Disciple Engineer: Of course, there are many cities for which such developments ur passively. Rather, you could say thats the natural state of things. But, well, in cities like this, where we have a specific objective for the development, then we have toe up with a design and a n for better long-term results. Fire Dragon Lady: ? Shrewd ountant: What do you mean? Disciple Engineer: For example, this Third Business District sits on the river bank and has dense concentrations of warehouses; its also close to the residential district and the Western Temple, so its very popr, but Fire Dragon Lady: Yeah. Disciple Engineer: The residential area has been growing towards this direction, and at this point, there isnt any more room for it to grow. In other words, growth is not an objective. We can try to organise the area as it is better, but this cannot be a long-term solution. For that, we should have set aside arger area for the market, such that the residential area can be allowed to grow further to the South. Fire Dragon Lady: Indeed. Disciple Engineer: And with the Municipal Halls of the Self Governing Council. Fire Dragon Lady: What do the halls have to do with it? Disciple Engineer: These arent really halls, theyre actually the location of the Defence High Command. Fire Dragon Lady: Defence High Command? Disciple Engineer: Well, of course its fine to use them as Municipal Halls, but this city was originally a fortress, right? In that case, it would be natural for the municipal halls to be themand base. But, right now, with the influx of refugees, there has been haphazard development, with important roads bing closed, the lines have be muddled up. Shrewd ountant: W, wait a minute. What are these lines? Disciple Engineer: Theyre lines of human movement. They include roads, but they essentiallyprise any routes a person with an objective can take. For example, this is the line from the Municipal Halls to the Southern Gate? Its quite a long, deviated path. Thats because of the expansion of the First Market. Fire Dragon Lady: I can see that. Disciple Engineer: I talked it over with the Middle Aged Merchant We were thinking of rebuilding the city walls, but we dont have money and the interior is in chaos. Fire Dragon Lady: Do you have anyints about this city? Disciple Engineer: No, no. Thats not what I meant. Well, its not, but a city is basically one advanced organisation. Shrewd ountant: ? Disciple Engineer: In other words, where humans are doing things, they will search for ways to do these things easier and more conveniently. However, what people do is dependent on their surroundings. Ifmerce is convenient, then as they start engaging in sales, if imports and exports are also convenient then trade will be prosperous. People go where they want to go, right? And so they will go to where their profession is most convenient, hence city nning is ultimately about what to do in future This is why even though engineers are known as the Kings of Technique Umm. Hey, are you listening? Fire Dragon Lady: Im listening, please go on. Disciple Engineer: The City of the Gate is basically a trading city dependent on the confluence of the shipping routes of therge river and the roads. After that, in order to protect the trade and trading point, it developed a secondary purpose as a fortress city. At present, having acquired independence, it is serving another purpose as a city-state. To bnce all these three purposes is by no means an easy feat. Repairing the city walls alone is already very difficult, not to mention expensive. Fire Dragon Lady nods Disciple Engineer: Personally, I would hope for the Southern wall to be constructed along this line. Fire Dragon Lady: For what reasons? Disciple Engineer: Firstly, it serves the purpose of protecting the temple. Secondly, it serves as preparation against excess poption. Fire Dragon Lady: Interesting. Disciple Engineer: Really? Fire Dragon Lady: Youve said some very interesting things. Disciple Engineer: For me, these are very troublesome things, though. Fire Dragon Lady: You mean funding? Shrewd ountant: Exactly. These are massive projects. There doesnt seem to be a wallet capable of paying for it. Disciple Engineer: These are just empty blueprints. Fire Dragon Lady: Since nobodys wallet is capable of paying for it, then how about we pay with a method apart from wallets? - The Country of White Night, the Port Elder Maid Sister: It sure feels like theyve let their guard down. They dont even have any security here, with this many soldiers, do they really expect that no one will evere here? Mercenary Survivor: No matter how you put it, theyre still farmers. They only know how to live their lives of work and sleep. The fear of the enemy hasnt been put into their bones yet. Small Mercenary: Yeah! Trudge, trudge, trudge Ahhhh. Lets hurry back to the dormitories to sleep. Dont whine. Ive brought wine. Thats nice, itll warm us up. Trudge, trudge, trudge Young Mercenary: Seems like theyre gone. Mercenary Archer: Alright. Disciple Nobleman: My heart was beating really fast back there. Elder Maid Sister: Yeah, mine has been beating fast since I left the Grand Cathedral in the Holy Empire. Mercenary Survivor: Just what sort of experiences have you had? Disciple Nobleman: More than experiences, Im sure shes survived all kinds of dangerous encounters. Elder Maid Sister: No such thing. Mercenary Survivor: So, what should we do? Elder Maid Sister: Right. As arranged, the Disciple Nobleman willmand an 80-man squad to take over a ship. If possible, it would be best if the hold was stocked with food. We dont have the skills required to modify ships, so we should pick a suitable ship capable of carrying all of us. Disciple Nobleman: What a skilled delegator. Elder Maid Sister: Please. Disciple Nobleman: Ill get it done. Elder Maid Sister: Then, as for our team, well move in stealth. Having monitored the area for a while, I would say that at this time there are only five to eight people sleeping in the customs house. Lets find a way to disarm them while spilling as little blood as possible. Mercenary Survivor: Yeah. Small Mercenary: Understood. Mercenary Survivor: Shall I handle it? Elder Maid Sister: Yes. Thank you. Small Mercenary: Then, lets get going. Young Mercenary: Got it. - The Country of White Night, the Customs House Click, click Mercenary Survivor: I really cant do this. Elder Maid Sister: Youre up next. Resourceful Young Man: Me!? Elder Maid Sister: Yes, please go on. Resourceful Young Man: Why am I doing such a thing Small Mercenary: Hurry up. Resourceful Young Man: Ugh. Whats wrong with this lock. Click Resourceful Young Man: Oh. I did it! Elder Maid Sister: Excellent. You did well. Resourceful Young Man: This sort of thing I do before I even start breakfast. Click Mercenary Survivor: Lets go in. Small Mercenary: Rear guard acknowledged and ready. Young Mercenary: Point team in position. Mercenary Archer: Backup is ready. Resourceful Young Man: Dont pretend to be professionals. Soldier of Light: Whoa! Mercenary Survivor: Hmph. Small Mercenary: This room is secure. Soldier of Light: Who, who are you! Whack! Soldier of Light: Ahh! Young Mercenary: Alright. No problem here as well. Mercenary Archer: This ce doesnt look very different from the buildings surrounding it. What purpose do we have here? Young Mercenary: Lets get away quickly. Elder Maid Sister: Wait for a while. Well borrow a boatter and move out at the arranged time, if they could only make the rendezvous timing Resourceful Young Man: Understood! Anything to get you from the Holy Empire! Elder Maid Sister: No, no. This is immoral. Well, I am aware that in dangerous times, we may have to use some illegal means, but I cant do such unscrupulous things. Robbery is bad, after all. Mercenary Survivor: Then, why are we doing this? Elder Maid Sister: Well borrow. Resourceful Young Man: Huh? Elder Maid Sister: Were just borrowing some capital. Mercenary Survivor: Small Mercenary: ? Resourceful Young Man: How is that any different from robbery? Elder Maid Sister: Ill write up a notice of debt. Scribble, scribble Mercenary Survivor: Young Mercenary: Resourceful Young Man: Hey, is this girl serious? Mercenary Survivor: Was the Disciple Nobleman serious about this? Small Mercenary: Its fine. Shes our Substitute after all. Young Mercenary: The ship has already sailed on this, just ept it. Scribble, scribble Elder Maid Sister: Done. Ill just leave this notice on the table. Umm, lets go move out the gold. We dont have time to count it, so lets just take these five chests. Theyre heavy, but that shouldnt be an issue. If theyre too light, then theyre probably being used for something else. We wouldnt want to have toe back. Mercenary Survivor: She seems fairly happy to be doing this. Small Mercenary: Really. Elder Maid Sister: Well use this money as a sort ofpensation to the crew of the ship. Well also buy over their food stocks, to the Pr Continent. Mercenary Survivor: What? Pr!? Elder Maid Sister: Lets head to the Demon World without getting into trouble. Ive got a whole mountain of things we need to do. - The Kingdom of Metal, Craftsmans Street, in Front of the Guild Office sh! The Demon King: Ah. The Chief Maid: My legs are numb. The Hero: Its tough doing this three times in a row, huh. The Demon King: Yeah, my head hurts. The Chief Maid: My vision is really blurry. The Hero: Its just a matter of conditioning. The Demon King: Sorry. Next time, lets just walk there. The Hero: Dont worry about it. Arent we in a hurry? The Demon King: Yeah, this time, were not after mass production. I fear that up till now, theyve only been producing des, for them to produce such prototypes in just a month is probably impossible, but The Hero: We wont know for sure until we ask the craftsmen. The Demon King: Yeah. Lets go. Come, Chief Maid. The Chief Maid: Yes, your Majesty. The Hero: Go! The Demon King: Ahh, Hero! The Hero: What is it? The Demon King: Today, we only have an appointment with the metalworks craftsmen. It should be done by evening. I have heard that the bars and eateries in the area are something wonderful; but lets get back home by today. The Hero: Understood. The Chief Maid: Dont eat too much, alright? Hero. Ive put in a lot of effort to make a magnificent feast today. Consider it a reward for your work, and a celebration of your return. The Hero: Got it! Alright! The Demon King: Right then, lets go. Wait for us! Step, step, step The Hero: Sigh The Hero: Even if you say that - Until the Demon Kinges back, I want to share a pillow with you The Hero: Dont tell me Tonight? The Hero: I sure am sweating heavily. This is bad. How strange to be sweating so much. Even when I was fighting the Sigiled King, it didnt feel like this. What should I do? What should I do? - Calm down? Right. Thats right. Ive got to calm down first. The Mage nods - The Kingdom of Metal, the Craftsmans Quarter, an Alleyway The Hero: B, behind me!? The Mage: Hehehe. The Hero: Where have you been!? The Mage: I had some business. The Hero: Where have you been? The Mage: I had some business. The Hero: What kind. The Mage: Entry. The Hero: I dont understand. The Mage: zzz. The Hero: Dont fall asleep. Shakes the Mage The Mage: Ah. The Hero: Are you awake? The Mage nods The Hero: Somewhat. The Mage: Hero. The Hero: Yeah. The Mage: How are you? The Hero: Busy. The Mage: Hehe. The Hero: And how are you? The Mage: Same. The Hero: Right. Its good that you are well. The Mage: The Hero: ? The Mage: The Hero: What have you been doing? Star Sparrow: Chirp, chirp! My mistress has been training long and hard! Chirp chirp! What have you been doing, mistress! The Mage: Noisy bird. The Hero: Is this your familiar? The Mage: My rm clock. The Hero: Even with an rm clock, its not like you wake up on time. The Mage: With an rm clock I can use the excuse that it didnt ring. The Hero: Thats irresponsible! The Mage nods The Hero: The Mage: The Hero: Is something up? The Mage nods The Hero: Are you troubled? The Mage: Somewhat. The Hero: Lets hear it. The Mage: Economic equilibrium, in order to create a state of growth, the economicyer is dependent on the overall effects ofyers of governmental and technical expertise. Moreover, for these overall effects to influence economic systems, a certain amount of time is required. On one hand, there could also be undesirable influences on otheryers or sectors from economic growth, such as cultural or governmentalpses. But these drawbacks, if they are minor, will dissipate in time; if they are major, they can be responded with using policies, or otherwise by overwhelming military action, to reduce apprehension among the poption. The Hero: ? The Mage: Military attacks will leave arge scar on affectedters. The technicalyer will suffer less damages. To begin with, knowledge is formless and can suffer no physical damage. It can even be surmised that technology flourishes in times of war, since military technological research bes necessary, and technology once created, cannot be easily destroyed. However, military attacks definitely damage economic and governmentalyers greatly. Moreover, while technical and governmentalyers recover quickly, the economic fieldgs greatly behind. This is because of the needless exhaustion of wealth, the collection of the economic driving force. On the culturalyer, due to the possible extermination of some ethnicities, entire cultures may be irrevocably obliterated. Because of this, the application of the militaryyer is a slippery slope. - Is what the Demon King said. The Hero: Whats this? The Mage: Exceptional questions require exceptional answers. The Hero: The Mage: Why is it that the Hero and the Demon King exists together as individual entities? For example, what if they were two Demon Kings and no Hero, how would things be different? Or why cant there be three Heroes and maybe two Demon Kings? The Hero: Eh? The Mage: Such a situation has never been recorded in history. The Hero: Why? The Mage: Why do the Hero and the Demon King fight? The Hero: We arent fighting. The Mage: This development only happened this time, until this time, the normal state has been war. Its best to think of it as a special exception. The Hero: I dont understand. The Mage: The Hero: Hey, Mage. The Mage: The approximate of the Hero and the Demon King. The Hero: Eh? The Mage: The Hero of the Demon World is the Demon King. The Demon King of the Human World is the Hero. Its not that either side has been attempting to imitate the other, but the essence is the same. The same, but two. Why two? Why the same? Exactly what is the defining differential factor? The Hero: Is there an answer to such questions? The Mage: There is usually an answer. Even though they may not be unified. The Hero: Then, why? The Mage: The Hero: No, I feel like Ill get a bad answer if I ask. The Mage: Ill tell you. The Hero: Time out. The Mage: I cant wait. The Hero: Thats why. The Mage: Hero, perhaps at the dual terminals of the Demon Kings existence, there is a split. The Hero: Split? The Mage: Right. Its highly unlikely for there to be two points of differentiation. To begin with, the chance of there being two existences in this world is already too low. The present world is the only one I have seen which has the two existences. The Hero: I dont understand. The Mage: In other words, a thread. On the right end of the thread is the Hero. On the left end, the Demon King. - Thats the answer. Usually, the two have set existences, they are two, without a third, confrontational in their time periods. From the moment when the two endse into contact with each other, convergence begins. As the two ends join, they form a circle, and the world isplete. The string which ties the world together, makes the world smaller, and at the same time repairs it. The Hero: Huh!? The Mage: Continuing from those ancient days with the me, the true endless legend is what we are currently in. The Hero: My head hurts. The Mage: The Demon King of this world has not used this extra power on the war. I dont understand what kind of miracle this is, but rather than following the example set by the previous Demon Kings, shes gone independent, and so dreams of a different route. Or perhaps, shes independent because he has dreamt it And this ability will be set aside to erge the world. Moreover, whether its coincidence or predestination, the Demon King or the Hero has been killed in every world, except this one. The ergement begins technically or economically, but following that, a ripple starts to spread and influence neighbouringyers: the governmental, diplomatic, cultural, even the legendaryyers. When the terminalse into contact with each other, the end to the conflict goes into motion. Unrted to that is the expansionary effect the Demon King and the Hero have on the world. When the speed of expansion or contraction averages out, then the world will be still. The answer put forth by the Demon King is definitely not wrong. However, in order to carry out what needs to be done, the fundamental illnesses of the world must be considered. The Hero: Illness? Still? The Mage: - Yes. Its not a sin, but an illness. For this reason, reality will likely continue to act on us. This is one of the distortions of the redundancy system. The Hero: Did something happen? The Mage nods The Hero: Something terrible? The Mage: I fear all will be exterminated. The Hero: ! The Mage: The Hero: Thats a joke, right? The Mage: The Hero: What should we do? You must have a solution. The Mage: The Hero: Hey, Mage. The Mage shakes head The Hero: Hey. The Mage: Structurally, one of our needs is to change the structure itself. The present situation cannot permit the continuation of the present structure. - That has been the answer, but The Hero: What is it? The Mage: The Hero: Ill do anything, so tell me! The Mage: - Anything? The Hero: Anything at all. The Mage: The Hero: Please, please Please. The Mage: Sneaky as always. The Hero: Eh? The Mage: The Hero: Mage? The Mage: Havinge to such a time, hesitation is forbidden. The Kingdom of Metal, the Craftsmen Quarter, the Guild Headquarters The Demon King: Alright. All done! The Chief Maid: How was it? How were the results? The Demon King: I believe I am now able to fulfil the request of the Female Pdin. We can increase the range by three times. In a war, we want to be able to prevent damage before it actually happens, but if we could minimise the damage once it happens, that would be good too. The Chief Maid: Really. The Demon King: Where is the Hero? No, perhaps before searching for the Hero, we should find a ce to stay. The Mage: Well, well, my, my. The Demon King: No. There wasnt a special meaning behind that. The Chief Maid: Lets do that then. The Mage appears The Demon King: Whoa Oh, if it isnt the Mage. The Mage: Nods The Chief Maid: Its been a while. We havent seen each other since our holiday, I suppose. The Mage: Tribe of the Library, just where we should be. The Chief Maid: The Demon King: Where have you been? The Mage: The mountains. The Chief Maid: ? The Demon King: The Mage nods The Chief Maid: Whats happened? The Demon King: As the Tribe of the Library, its rare for us to be able to meet like this. To begin with, we are few in number, and most of us dont get out and see the world very much. Were all hard at work restoring the researchboratories and the bookshelves. Coming into contact with each other is truly precious. The Chief Maid and I are exceptions Thats why The Mage: The Demon King: What is it? The Mage: Two things. Firstly, I want to know about the Sky Pavilion. The Chief Maid: Sky Pavilion? The Demon King: Thats The Mage: As the Demon King, Im sure you know. Im not sure if this is an oral transmission or some kind of memory transfer. But all the Demon Kings in history have known about the ce. I dont have proof on this, but the session implies this. It is the ce where you will offer the head of the Hero as sacrifice. The Demon King: And the other thing? The Mage: The Demon King is away on a trip. To save you all. Ivee to fulfil the task he was set to do for you. - The Demon World, the City of the Gate, a Temporary Worksite Hey, ho! Come on! Fiend Worker: Hey! Bring another roller! Human Technician: Alright, roll it! Giant Worker: Haaah! Lets go, lets go! Gong! Middle Aged Merchant: My, my! Disciple Engineer: Ahh! Merchant! Middle Aged Merchant: What a lot of people! Disciple Engineer: Yep. Middle Aged Merchant: How did you even get this many people? I cant have sent you enough money to hire all of them, did I? Disciple Engineer: Well, umm. Fire Dragon Lady: I stepped in. Middle Aged Merchant: So it was you, princess. Fire Dragon Lady: Please dont call me that. Middle Aged Merchant: Hahahahahaha. Then, what did you do? Disciple Engineer: The Fire Dragon Lady introduced me to the people of the street. Fire Dragon Lady: No, no. What the Disciple Engineer said was fairly interesting. In order to support the Middle Aged Merchant I feel this is what I should do. But for a project of such scale, we will never have enough funds to cover the costs. We will also need the help of the people of the city to renovate the temples. Middle Aged Merchant: Temples? Fire Dragon Lady: From the beginning, this city has had many ancient and nameless gods, hence the many temples in the area. The residents of the city, to different extents, pay homage to the various temples, praying for daily peace or sessful business. With the sess we are enjoying today, we are umting goodwill and the people are more than happy to lend their hand to the work. Disciple Engineer: The temples in this city are built highly durably, and can even be used as fortresses. The roadworks cut through the mountainsides, so we should be able to procure quarry materials. Firstly, we will renovate the temples. Middle Aged Merchant: But, shouldnt our first priority be to repair the walls or to improve theyout of the city? Disciple Engineer: Please look at this map. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. Middle Aged Merchant: Is this of the surroundings? Disciple Engineer: These nine temples and this site form a defensive perimeter, and for it to be connected with the wall, the city needs to expand in this direction. Its true that the distance is fairlyrge, and we will have to increase our workload, but if we use the walls of one of the temples as a starting point, we can decrease our workload substantially. - The funding you have provided for me has all been spent on food. We want to make sure our workers eat their fill, even more so than today. Thats the way I do things. Fire Dragon Lady: So that our workers look forward to it as well. Middle Aged Merchant: And then youll need to start work? Disciple Engineer: Yes, somehow or another. I cant just rely on the Fire Dragon Lady though. Fire Dragon Lady: Without a real overview, I cant write up a real proposal. Middle Aged Merchant: In other words, the ns are for a structure which includes the temples? Disciple Engineer: Yes, the temples are being used as Tenailles* for the fortress. Fire Dragon Lady: Hmm. And this part? Disciple Engineer: Digging. Fire Dragon Lady: What for? Disciple Engineer: A dry moat. This has the effect of making the fortifications taller to the attackers. We cant have a real moat because of theck of water in the area. Middle Aged Merchant: The walls are rather thick, arent they? Disciple Engineer: Yeah. Middle Aged Merchant: Do they really need that Thickness*? Whether made by stone or by earth, itll take a great deal of effort to create this This shape, rather than a wall, it looks like a sloped wall. Disciple Engineer: Thats. Well. Yeah. Fire Dragon Lady: ? Disciple Engineer: Its necessary. In this age, and in the next age too. The enemy arent Demons right? Then, these fortifications serve a fundamental purpose. My teacher said this as well. An engineer cannot have a shallow view of creating things only necessary to the present. We must take steps a hundred years in advance For the people who call this ce their home, we must do our best work. -- Exnation Ternaille: A ternaille is the jutting-out part on a star fortification. The cement of the ternailles removes dead zones where defenders can hide and also creates ovepping fields of fire to maximise firepower. Thickness: The Disciple Engineer is engineering a new generation of fortifications in preparation for cannon warfare. These fortifications tend to be low and thick, in order to take the impact of a cannonball without crumbling. - - The Vige of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, the Guest Room The Female Pdin: Bathed, hairbed, skincare done too. The Female Pdin: The Female Pdin: Ah, alright. Pat, pat The Female Pdin: Im all fired up! The Female Pdin: Am I? The Female Pdin: Mmm Whats this? When ites to crunchtime, I always get uneasy. Once its over,pletely over, I resent that weakness No, when we get the final weapons for the Holy Order of the Lake, what will we do then? The Female Pdin: - Touches boobs The Female Pdin: ( As expected, this is it, huh?) The Female Pdin sulks The Female Pdin: This alone, is This is not even a quarter of the Demon King. No, maybe it is. Not necessarily. Its definitely not true that its nothing. In other words, its not zero. Its just small. Right? They say if you rub it, it gets bigger, right? Then Ive got to work hard! The Female Pdin: The Female Pdin: Its ineffective. The Female Pdin: If this is the enemy, then I all I need is a bit more enthusiasm, but The Female Pdin: (No, thats wrong. Its the same. The enemy isnt the problem. Its my own feelings.) The Female Pdin: ( That being said, what did my teacher tell me? Treat him like a horse.) The Female Pdin: (Panties, huh Well, I never thought of that. Even though my teacher spoke well of it, a perverse thing is still a perverse thing Well, its a useful perverse thing. Hmm? Silk socks? These must be expensive.) Puts on stockings The Female Pdin: (Oh? Its very fitting.) Puts on stockings The Female Pdin: This is weird. Shuffles around The Female Pdin: ( Is it supposed to be like this? It feels like Im only wearing it halfway, and it might slip off. This? Whats up with this. Itsfortable though Hahaha) Door opens The Female Pdin: This is too embarrassing! The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Ahh!? The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Oh. Demon King. You scared me, youre early. The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: What is it? The Demon King: Yeah. The Female Pdin: ? The Demon King: It ends today. The Female Pdin: What is going on? The Demon King: The Hero has left on a mission It seems theres a time limit. The Female Pdin: ? The Demon King: We cant let the chance go by. The Female Pdin: What are you on about? The Demon King: I dont understand myself. But in order to change the flow, the Hero knows something, and left to act Thats what the Mage told me. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: Thats why the Hero isnt here. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: He left me here and went away. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: He left us and went away. The Female Pdin: The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Demon King. The Demon King: Female Pdin? The Female Pdin: Its not good to think of such troublesome things, Demon King. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The Hero is going to return home properly. Hes definitely okay. I, well, haha Even though I dont have the patience for this, this is the second time hes gone and done this? But, hell be fine. The Hero will definitelye home safe. Andpared to that time, the Hero is even kinder, even stronger. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The real issue at hand is how many girls hes going to have when hees back this time, but hes going toe back. The Demon King: Really? The Female Pdin: Definitely. And the Hero left to protect us right? He left so that he cane back, right? Thats why, its different from that day. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: Above that, we need to save the Hero. The Demon King: Save? The Female Pdin: Thats right Something is going on sure, right? With things the way they are, we cant take the ce of the Hero right now. But there are still many things which we need to do even without the Hero. These are things only we can do in his ce. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: The Battle of the ins of Sci is over, and there is calm, but Ive always felt it somewhere. That the war hase to an end. The Demon King: The Female Pdin: With this, our war is over. If the Central Continent invades the Demon World, then it might lead to war with the Demon World, but that is not our problem Well, its not unimaginable, but thats not the way it works. The Hero definitely isnt going to give up like this. If he was the kind of Hero who would give up like that, then I wouldnt like him the way I do. The Demon King: nods The Female Pdin: Thats why, the Hero is doing things one way or another, but hes doing everything he needs to. Now I understand. Actually, I felt it that day as well, but The Hero would never leave us alone forever. The Demon King: Is that so The Female Pdin: Definitely. The Demon King: I still have things I need to do The Female Pdin: Of course. The Demon King: Yes. The Female Pdin: Say it properly! The Demon King: Yes, yes. I understand. The Female Pdin: Right. Then. Lets go. The Demon King: Ah, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: What? The Demon King: Well, umm. Its very fetching, but Dont you find that underwear just a little bit revealing? - On Board the Merchant Vessel, The Wings of the Sea Waves crashing Hey ho! Hey ho! Disciple Nobleman: Its cold. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Resourceful Young Man: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Amazing! Hey dude, this is my first time on a ship! Disciple Nobleman: Dont call me dude. You can call me Disciple, or Sir. But well, dont call me Master. That titles reserved for some pretty eyeddy somewhere. Elder Sister Maid: Eh? Resourceful Young Man: Hey! Dude! Whats that? Birds!? Whoa! Amazing! This is the sea, what are you doing here! Mercenary Survivor: Hey. Change of watch. Small Mercenary: Thanks. Young Mercenary: Good morning. Mercenary Archer: What pleasant weather. Hey, Captain! Captain: Whats up, you fools. Elder Sister Maid: Sorry, sorry. Mercenary Survivor: Well, I hope you can forgive us. Captain: Well, were all loaded up I guess. Ive already resigned myself to it. So shall we head to the Pr Continent? Elder Sister Maid: Yes please. Captain: Well, I hope you can understand when I say thatll be the end of our rtionship. Resourceful Young Man: I feel bad about this. Mercenary Survivor: We didnt have a choice. Elder Sister Maid: That guy was originally just a merchant. Hes not an enemy we have to destroy, unlike the Crusaders. I feel guilty about involving him in this, but at the time we had no other options Resourceful Young Man: But you almost made his eyes pop out, eh? Mercenary Survivor: Its no small sum of money after all. Small Mercenary: Indeed. Resourceful Young Man: But isnt it a bit wasteful? Elder Sister Maid: Is money something you cant live without? Resourceful Young Man: Mercenary Survivor: Well. Ahahahahaha. Now that youre a mercenary, that isnt something you should be saying, Substitute? Young Mercenary: Yeah. Disciple Nobleman: Well then, now well be headed to the Portal. Weve bought over the cargo of the ship so we should have enough warm clothes and food tost. Weve even got the new models of muskets, and those are quite scary. Elder Sister Maid: Indeed. Resourceful Young Man: Muskets? You mean these tubes? Mercenary Survivor: They have terrific firepower. Small Mercenary: I wonder. Mercenary Archer: They are somewhat like crossbows. Disciple Nobleman: More importantly, what are our ns for after this? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. Mercenary Survivor: This guy. Young Mercenary nods Mercenary Archer: At this time, we want to ask what the objective of making such a long journey is. We may be hired, but at this point, we have already been dragged into the conflict, right? So just tell us. Disciple Nobleman: Yes, thats right. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Mercenary Survivor: I understand that we will be going into the Demon World from the Pr Continent. But what are our ns there? Disciple Nobleman: Our goals arepletely the same. Young Mercenary: I understand now. Mercenary Archer: What? Young Mercenary: How to ask our Substitute out. Mercenary Archer: How? Young Mercenary: You need to think about all sorts of things. Disciple Nobleman: First, well walk around the Demon World a bit, and then well negotiate for a ceasefire between the Holy Crusaders and the Demons. Elder Sister Maid nods Mercenary Survivor: Small Mercenary: Huh!? Young Mercenary: Wait. What? Mercenary Archer: Ah, ahh. Disciple Nobleman: What are you saying? There arent even a hundred of us. Disciple Nobleman: Yes, well. Listen to me. We dont intend to actually be able to put a stop to the war. To go up against the Demons, the Holy Crusaders need to be supported with a massive capital investmentsing from more than half the countries of the Central Continent. Having departed with such responsibilities, theres no way theyd be willing to return having achieved anything. But, stay with me. If war is unavoidable, then the question is where will it stop, right? Resourceful Young Man: Where? Mercenary Survivor: Hmm. Disciple Nobleman: Usually, it ends when the enemy has been exterminated. Resourceful Young Man: Doesnt it? I get that feel from the Crusaders. Mercenary Survivor: Well, yeah. Disciple Nobleman: But even then, there are still limits. For example, the Kingdom of Branches and the Kingdom of Copper have fought wars in the past, but in the end, they were still able to set aside their grievances. After a marypensation and the cessation of somends, they managed to calm down. The Kingdom of Moonsand lost the war and was eliminated, but they were just integrated into the Kingdom of Dunes, their poption didnt get exterminated or anything. Mercenary Archer: Thats true now that you say it. Disciple Nobleman: Its nonsense to massacre civilians who didnt even participate in the war. Firstly, from a poption perspective, its not realistic. Whether the Crusaders were to win or to lose the battle, they would face threats all around. A ceasefire would definitely be useful at this time. Even a ceasefire cannot be established, through this, some sort ofmunication may at least be achievable. Elder Sister Maid: Of course we earnestly hope for a ceasefire, but, its definitely difficult What Im thinking of is somewhat different from the Disciple Nobleman. I want to impress upon the participants the dangers of the war. Mercenary Survivor: What do you mean? Elder Sister Maid: War is a painful and terrible thing, right? People die, or live cold and hungry lives. Men are free organisms and countries should be the same. We are opposed to war as individuals, but it is an undeniable presence in our lives. This is too terrible to even be expressed in words, but There are probably things in this world which can only be resolved through war. However, the present war is not one in which every man is fighting for freedom. And so I want to give an opportunity to those who earnestly wish for the war to end. Resourceful Young Man: Umm. Small Mercenary: You said it very smoothly, but you werent actually condemning the war right? What you said was closer to, For now, Im still going to condone it. Young Mercenary: Ah. Elder Sister Maid: Yes, you could say that. Resourceful Young Man: H, huh? Mercenary Survivor: Huh!? Elder Sister Maid: No need to be so surprised It would be narrow-minded to think that the only kind of negotiations result inplete peace. Mercenary Survivor: Well yes, that may be so, but thats the kind of thing which is said by people who are trying to suppress the world with violence. Elder Sister Maid: That may be so, but there is that risk that the Crusaders or the Demons will be exterminated, right? Disciple Nobleman: Mmm. Elder Sister Maid: The way I see it, the Crusaders and the Demons are crossing a frozen, and very dangerous bridge Every step they take is a danger. There is no way they can tell, but they can only move slowly through it. Mercenary Survivor: What do you mean? Elder Sister Maid: A war of attrition If thats what ites to, then there may not even be 10 people left in this world. Young Mercenary: Attrition? Disciple Nobleman: In other words, a war based on how many people you can kill each day. Mercenary Survivor: What? Isnt that normal? For a force of 1,000 soldiers, 20 dead would be considered a grevious injury, 50 would be a tragedy and a hundred would be enough to make the next battle impossible. Its to the extent that half a year would be insufficient to replenish the numbers. Small Mercenary: Is that so? Elder Sister Maid: That is not a constant. Mercenary Survivor: I dont understand. Elder Sister Maid: Its not something set in stone. Well, its not like Ive gone and researched it earnestly, but apparently in a battle between musketeers, a hundred soldiers per thousand could be killed in half a day. Disciple Nobleman: Shocking, right? Mercenary Survivor: A hundred!? Small Mercenary: Wait, do you mean to say that what would be lost in a week of war could take ce in one day!? Elder Sister Maid: Of course there are reasons. Mercenary Survivor: What reasons? Elder Sister Maid: Lots of reasons. Firstly, the musket is an extremely powerful weapon. From a close enough distance, even a full suit of battle armour will not stop it. However, with a musket, your defensive abilities do not increase. This ship is stocked withrge amounts of the new model of musket, the flintlock, but this is an improvement to shot efficiency and reload speed. Even for this new model, the only shield which exists is your own body In other words, this is a weapon with no defensive abilities, but great offensive capability. Disciple Nobleman: There are others as well. In a battlefield of muskets, arge number of infantrymen are usually field. You saw it right? That amazing number of Crusaders. Mercenary Archer nods Disciple Nobleman: Those were serfs trained only to wield muskets. You all have long experiences as mercenaries, so you understand right? On the battlefield, survival is all that matters. As long as you survive, there is something you can still do. Chances onlye to those who are alive. But for these guys, survival is less important for them than shooting the enemy. Thats what they were trained to do, not to survive. Mercenary Survivor: I understand that much. Elder Sister Maid: Just now you talked about losing in a day more than what we would usually lose in a week, but thats not even the worst case. If amander were to go through even a moment of carelessness, that gap could cause the death of most of his troops. Moreover, in just one hour of desperate carnage, even people who shouldnt have been killed may be ughtered. For example, if two knights in armour and armed with swords were to duel with each other, the fight would take too much out of them. They would be exhausted as well. In this case, the match may be dered a stalemate and they could find another day to fight, or even repair their rtionship in the meantime. Furthermore, the fight would be specific, and you would only engage somebody you want to kill; its very difficult to kill indiscriminately. In the age of muskets, the chance of lethal engagements has be much higher. - Kill the enemy before we can repair our rtions, this is the new horrific mantra which has taken over the battlefield. And on top of that the Demons have muskets too. Mercenary Survivor: Really!? Elder Sister Maid: Even if they dont actually have it right now, that technology is bound to fall into their hands eventually. No, its likely they have weapons even more technologically advanced than that. Even though the Mistress isnt one for war-like things. That being said- With people killing each other, this is a tug of war on the borderline of the too dangerous. Small Mercenary: This conversation is too heavy for mercenaries like us. Elder Sister Maid: Perhaps the blood demanded by the turn of an era is more than the totalbined blood of the Human and Demon Races. If so, then we are looking at the demise of the world. Disciple Nobleman: Huh? Elder Sister Maid: No Thats my line. Mercenary Survivor: So will we be able to win over both sides with this talk of attrition rates? Elder Sister Maid: Well, I believe we wont need to persuade the Demons of this. Disciple Nobleman: Really? Elder Sister Maid: Yeah. They are aware of this. Disciple Nobleman: I am grateful for that. It is most important to understand your opponent in negotiations. Young Mercenary: Well, for the sake of these negotiations, we will hold strong while the Substitute is in the Demon World. Elder Sister Maid: Yeah, we will need many strategies, but That being said, a nameless person like me cant suddenly start holding meetings with the leadership of the Holy Empire. Small Mercenary: Thatsmon sense, but it doesnt make it any more difficult. Elder Sister Maid: In any case, we have to go to the Demon World. - The Kingdom of Winter, the Winter Pce, the Office of ounts Disciple Merchant: How is it? Assistant: Warm! Disciple Merchant: Your fingers? Assistant: Comfortable, and not tight! Its nice, these gloves are really soft, arent they? Amazing. Theyre waterproof too, right? Disciple Merchant: If you wear it tightly. Assistant: Its really soft. Disciple Merchant: Hey, hey, stop rubbing them now. Assistant: Ehehehe. Rub, rub Door opens Seneschal: Ive been wearing it. Disciple Merchant: And how is it? Seneschal: I dont understand why, but its very warm, warmer than any other glove I have ever worn. Moreover, its really light. What is it? Disciple Merchant: The pelt is thin, and theres a second inneryer of down feathers. Its definitely significantly more expensive, but how is it? Seneschal: Yes, its wonderful. Disciple Merchant: The Kingdom of Winter is really good at making this sort of winter gear. Assistant: Very warm. Seneschal: Why did you suddenly propose an improvement in our winter equipment? Disciple Merchant: Its nothing sudden. But I suppose it might seem that way. The Demons dont attack every year, but the winter does, doesnt it? Thats why winter gear can be considered beneficial to the entire country. Its a n thats been considered for a long time. Assistant: I see Smiles Disciple Merchant: It is really bing very important. Assistant: ? Seneschal: ? Disciple Merchant: Moreover, our country is in need of soldiers right now, right? With more soldiers, we will need to provide higher quality outercoats and gloves, right? This is essential to prevent the loss of morale. With the wintering, there will be an increased need for surveince patrols as well. Seneschal: Yes, thats true. Disciple Merchant: With the establishment of the financial bank, we should be able to aplish things like this. Seneschal: Bank? Apart from borrowing money, what else can you do with a bank? Disciple Merchant: If we could onlye up with a prototype, a bank would allow us to borrow money to begin an enterprise. In this case, the enterprises can be joined by merchants with distributive capital and the craftsmen of textile guilds. And hence, we can begin production. There would be a lot of work. Firstly, we have to distribute the gloves and overcoats to the soldiers. After that, in the same manner, we should aim to produce more equipment for sale. Even if its a good idea and a good product, the impoverished guilds priority is still to make money, and a side effect of this is that many jobs will be created as well. Seneschal: But If we borrow money from the bank and the job fails, what should we do? The bank would lose money, wouldnt it? Disciple Merchant: Thats why the prototype is so important. A n is good enough, though. Based on this information, as well as the personality and history of the workmen involved, the bank decides whether or not to lend money to the entrepreneurs. The borrower is not a government official, and the bank is not a government institution. This means that both parties have interest in the sess of the business; they should berades Well, this is just second-hand information from my teacher. But that would be a win-win scenario for everybody. Assistant: We can also store cheese! Seneschal: How difficult. Disciple Merchant: This country is blessed. The people are simple and hardworking, with powerful smiles. If there is nothing, then they will find a way to develop it Thats right, if there is nothing. The Kingdom of Metal, the Barracks, the Office Disciple Soldier: I want the next set of documents. Metal Lieutenant: Yes. Shuffles paper Disciple Soldier: Mmhmm This is good. Metal Lieutenant: Youve already decided. Disciple Soldier: Yes, everyone is working hard to beef up our preparations. Metal Lieutenant: Right. I know the importance of securing our borders from the previous war. Disciple Soldier: Communications methods are also important. Metal Lieutenant: Well need to build up signal towers quickly. Disciple Soldier: We should be able to finish building that next year. Well finish the bulk of our measurements and preparations by autumn and we should finish work next year. Metal Lieutenant: Yes. Disciple Soldier: Mm Metal Lieutenant: What is it? Disciple Soldier: This is from one of the released spies from the old Kingdom of White Night. Metal Lieutenant: Hmm. Disciple Soldier: As expected, there are domestic issues. It seems theyve been doing military drills endlessly. Metal Lieutenant: Drills Disciple Soldier: They dont have anything else to do, then. Disciple Soldier: Next. Metal Lieutenant: Here. Disciple Soldier: This is from the Coast Guard. Metal Lieutenant: Understood. Disciple Soldier: Well carry out parades and military exercises under themand of the first toon. Its about time, then? Metal Lieutenant: Yes, Ill prepare the notice. Disciple Soldier: Then, the reports on the revenues from the settlements. Metal Lieutenant: Here they are. Disciple Soldier: Call the principal clerk and have him double copy this, and send one to the Disciple Merchant in the Kingdom of Winter. Ill fill out a letter for him. Send the other one as a report to the King. Metal Lieutenant: Ill have the report ready soon. Disciple Soldier: Thank you. Metal Lieutenant: Disciple Soldier: Then, what is the status of the training of the Imperial Guards? Metal Lieutenant: Ive rejected it. Disciple Soldier: Eh? Metal Lieutenant: What were you thinking to propose such a thing? Disciple Soldier: Ah, well, I thought everybody, wanted to Metal Lieutenant: You thought wrong. Disciple Soldier: Metal Lieutenant: We work together. What is the point of asking me to do this? Disciple Soldier: Y, yes Metal Lieutenant: Yes. The Kingdom of Winter, the Square in front of the Pce, Conste Lone Winter King: Here? Assistant: Right here! Ivee loads of times. Seneschal: Hoho. Master Craftsman: Hey, boy! Assistant: Hello! Lone Winter King: How have you been? Master Craftsman: If it isnt the King! Is this alright!? You shouldnt be here without a guard, should you? Seneschal: How rude. Im right here. Disciple Merchant: Well its good for a King to get around and see his Kingdom every now and then. Lone Winter King: Hahaha! Good. This is my beloved Kingdom of winter. This is its core. Im the King after all, how could I neglect the security of thend? Master Craftsman: Hahahahaha! What a thing to say! Disciple Merchant: Were here to inspect the worksite. Master Craftsman: Is that so? Oh look. Fairy Maiden flits about Craftsman: Wow Labourer: Whoa. Master Craftsman: Dont tell me Fairy Maiden: I Am A Fairy, And I Will Be Staying At The Conste. Master Craftsman: It spoke! Fairy Maiden: Yes, I Like Speaking! Craftsman: Whoa, it floats. Labourer: Its my first time seeing one, is this a Demon? Fairy Maiden: ? Master Craftsman: Ko, ko. Disciple Merchant: Youre cold? Master Craftsman: Konichiwa? Fairy Maiden: I Am The Fairy Maiden, Of The Tribe Of Fairies, Of The Demon Race. Thank You For Building This Conste For Us. The Queen Extends Her Gratitude To You Once Again. Master Craftsman: Wow, it can really talk! Disciple Merchant: Its been talking from the start. Assistant: Master Craftsman, this is the Fairy Maiden. Shes an amazing person who can even speak to cats. She will be residing in this Conste. Winter Civilian: This is a Demon? Lone Winter King: As previously announced, as a result of the ceasefire, we are now at peace with the Demon World. It may be a bit strange, but from now on, there may be more Demon faces. I humbly beg for your understanding. Disciple Merchant: (What sort of reaction will that cause) Fairy Maiden: ? Master Craftsman: Whoa. It has wings. Why,dy. In that case I can just remove the stairs in this three story building. How impressive that surprised me! Craftsman: How small. Labourer: Have we been fighting with suchdylike enemies all this while? Seneschal: Oh no. Demonse in all shapes and sizes. Its just that the ones who havee to live among us are the sort which are better atmunicating and fitting into our streets. Labourer: Is that so? Middle Aged Woman: I see! If he had lost to these girls, my grandfather would be so ashamed! Ahahaha! Female Pedestrian: How beautiful. Master Craftsman: I am a craftsman. I am skilled at the finer details. I want to make a home which will make its residents happier. Lone Winter King: Really, thank you. Disciple Merchant: They took it better than I expected! Assistant: Thats normal. Disciple Merchant: Really? Assistant: The Order of the Lake has been teaching that the Demons are also children of the Spirit of Light. Seneschal: Now that you say it, they have. Fairy Maiden: Is That So? Winter Civilian: The Temr said so right? That even with this terrible war, in the world, they can also be the friends of us humans. Thin Soldier: But Demons cannot be trusted. We cannot let up our surveince of them. Middle Aged Woman: There are many types of Demons. Even though Grandpa didnte back, we knew he really hated them Teenager: If ites to that, well just destroy them like we did at the Isle of Light! Long live the Female Pdin! Lone Winter King: Disciple Merchant: Hmm Seneschal: The timing is probably good. Disciple Merchant: What do you mean? Seneschal: Taking back the Isle of Light has won the approval of our poption. And the Order of the Lake has really expanded regionally. Lone Winter King: ( Thats true. Taking back the ind has started us on a new road. What will happen to this world?) Labourer: If you think about it, the vination against smallpox was discovered in the Demon World, wasnt it? Craftsman: Yeah. I heard that too. Winter Civilian: I am really grateful for that. Female Pedestrian: Me too! Lone Winter King: Isnt the vination an essential thing? Ive heard that the discovery is being talked about in neighbouring countries, so that people who are not citizens of our countries are not doing their best to free themselves. Assistant: A medicine for sleepy people! Labourer: You want to be sleepy? Assistant: Just a bit, and you get sleepy real fast. Disciple Merchant: Hahahaha. Thats true. Its just a side effect, and it means that the medicine is weak enough not to affect you very badly. Even children can receive it. Assistant: My whole family has received it. Fairy Maiden: Really? Labourer: Hahaha, what a beautiful voice. Craftsman: Really a nice voice. Fairy Maiden: Oh Come Now. Assistant: Dont make her blush. Female Pedestrian: I have a nice voice too! Labourer: Youre small and cute, you are. Winter Civilian: Ahahahaha! Master Craftsman: Alright, in that case, allow me to present to you and his Majesty the King, our ns for the Conste. Lone Winter King: (This is starting to have some mixed results. Its really not a simple process. But, we cant expect the bridge the gap in one step. For the next hundred years ahead of us, we have to take this one step. That is what I want to believe.) Volume 4 5, “It’s Somehow Very Important.”— The Wastelands of the…

Volume 4 Chapter 5, Its Somehow Very Important.- The Wastnds of the Subterranean World, the Journey of the Mercenary Knights

Resourceful Young Man: Whoa, amazing. Mercenary Survivor: Its an endless expanse of red soil in every direction. Whats that over there a forest? Small Survivor: What brilliant eyesight. Young Mercenary nods Mercenary Archer: Did passing through that portal do anything to us? Disciple Nobleman: Well be in the Northeast soon. Resourceful Young Man: Whoa, dude. Youre familiar with this ce too? Disciple Nobleman: Dont call me dude. It would be childish to infiltrate an unknownnd like thieves, wouldnt it? Resourceful Young Man: What are you saying? Mercenary Survivor: Dont get violent, youll scare the horses. Small Survivor: This area is cold too. Young Mercenary: Yeah. Disciple Nobleman: Well, Ive got a map. Mercenary Survivor: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: It was given to us by the merchants who pass through this area. Resourceful Young Man: ? Disciple Nobleman: Cant you tell? Shes an intelligence agent dispatched by the Kingdom of Winter, shes here to gather intelligence on maps and other situations. Resourceful Young Man: Say that earlier! Disciple Nobleman: I wonder what would have happened if I had told you earlier? Resourceful Young Man: Thats Disciple Nobleman: Well, then, the guiding principles of our mission are Resourceful Young Man: You better be open about it! Mercenary Survivor: About that, I think its about time we learnt what we were doing here. Small Survivor: Thats right. Wevee all the way to the Demon World with you, so youd best do some exining. Young Mercenary nods Resourceful Young Man: Thats right! Dont disregard us! Disciple Nobleman: Fine, fine. Since even the kleptomaniac wants to know as well. Elder Sister Maid: As I said earlier, our primary mission is to create the opportunity for a ceasefire on both the sides of the Demons and the Crusaders Well deal with the Demon Army first, then the Human Crusaderster. Mercenary Survivor: Whats our chances of sess? Small Survivor: Thats the main question. Elder Sister Maid: Its present. Its small, but its not zero. Mercenary Survivor: How? Elder Sister Maid: We will remove the reason for the Crusaders to fight Thats our foundation. Small Survivor: And how exactly will we do that!? Elder Sister Maid: Well have to use diplomacy and negotiations for that. Mercenary Survivor: Hmm Disciple Nobleman: Then, I will have to leave temporarily. Resourceful Young Man: Eh? Whats that? Where are you going? Disciple Nobleman: Im headed to thergestmercial city, the City of the Gate. We will need information and supplies. And theres something I need to confirm as well. Mercenary Survivor: Well, its true we will require backup. Resourceful Young Man: Whats your real motive? Disciple Nobleman: I want to take a bath. And its about time to fall in love with a girl at a bar. Elder Sister Maid: Mercenary Survivor: Small Survivor: Disciple Nobleman: Well, Ill do my mission as well as possible. But dont worry. I have a meeting with someone as well. Mercenary Archer: And how about us? Where are we going? Elder Sister Maid: To the Dragon City. The capital city of the Dragons, a proud and ancient Tribe of the Demon World, located along the Inferno Mountains. Mercenary Survivor: Inferno Mountains? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. A treasure the Dragons have borrowed for thest ten thousand years. - The Holy Crusaders, Reinforcement Brigade, in Camp Singing, strumming Disciple Bard: Right, thats the end. Spearman of Light: Wow. Auxiliary of Light: So what happened to the Hero and the Marshal after that? Disciple Bard: Well, of course they downed a giant mug of beer together. Spearman of Light: Oh I see. Auxiliary of Light: All heroes seem to like doing these sorts of things. Disciple Bard: Well it is said that it takes a hero to recognise another hero, so the Marshal is a Hero as well. Spearman of Light: His Royal Highness even lives with us, he has to be the number one hero. Auxiliary of Light: In order to save his frail elder brother, he obtained the blessings of the Church and led an army to victory. Spearman of Light: With the blood of the Holy Empire coursing through his brains, he doesnt just fight for his country, he fights for everybody. Hes a true inspiration to all of us. Disciple Bard: I see. He sure did many things. Spearman of Light: Whats up, Miss Bard? Disciple Bard: No, nothing. - I dont know much about heroes. Auxiliary of Light: Well, theyre those head the fight. Disciple Bard: ? Spearman of Light: Theyre the people who shout Attack! from the front, the real leaders; not like ourmanders who just drink and eat meat right? Auxiliary of Light: Exactly. They sit in their tents andin all day. Disciple Bard: Hehehehehe. Spearman of Light: If youugh too much, themanders troops wille and pick you up. Auxiliary of Light: Touch wood! Touch wood! Disciple Bard: Then, alright. Next, Ill sing about the heroes I know. This one is known as the ck Tiger Prince. A general whomanded armies in four wars to protect the people. Spearman of Light: Sounds like a great guy. Auxiliary of Light: The best kind of guy. Strumming and singing Disciple Bard: A long time ago, in the knotted green sea of meadows, floating across the seven inds - The New Territory of White Night, the Pce, the Study Crown Prince Marshal: Thats the limiting factor. Strategist: Holy Imperial General: Thats right. Green Ash King: It seems our views are in concord. Holy Imperial General: The supplies of rations, the stores of ammunition, the throughput of supplies. It may take time, but we cant continue to increase our forces at this rate without improving our logistics trains, or we will continue to operate at sub-optimalbat ability. Green Ash King: To put it another way, this number is the limiting factor for the influence of the countries in the Central Continent. Apanying Chain: In that case, we have to leave right this instant without hesitation. Crown Prince Marshal: Report on the military strength. Strategist: Total numbers are two hundred and forty-three thousand. The newly equipped infantry units formed from the conscripted serfs number two hundred thousand strong. Among this, the musket divisionsprise a hundred thousand soldiers. Of that, two hundred and fifty are equipped with the new model of flintlock muskets. The remaining eighteen thousand are either spearmen or shield squads. Noble warriors count for three to five thousand, alongside ten thousand cavalry soldiers. Apart from this, there are also eighty thousand non-military apanying elements. Holy Imperial General: Its hard to stomach there being so many non-military apanying elements. Crown Prince Marshal: I suppose so. They are mostly craftsmen, cuisiniers, prostitutes, and also merchants. Without these elements, regardless of the light and heavy equipment involved, we will not be able to maintain their morale. Strategist: At the end of the day, the proportion of musketmen and spearmen is roughly the same as abined arms army. Green Ash King: And how are they deployed? Crown Prince Marshal: The core infantry division is formed from twenty thousand soldiers. Strategist: If we continue to remain mobilised in this territory without acting, we will only attrite our supplies. And if we stay put any longer, we will also need to make preparations to cope with theing season of ice and snow. Crown Prince Marshal: Understood We move out. Strategist: Yes! Holy Imperial General: Yes! Green Ash King: Im itching to put my skills to good use. Apanying Chain: Your actions are surely a pleasure to the Spirit. Crown Prince Marshal: Leave five thousand in ce as a garrison force. This port and the city itself are crucial supply support areas. Let the Kingdom of Falling Leaves takemand of the garrison force, with a force of four thousand spearmen. Strategist: Understood. Crown Prince Marshal: And what are the view of His Holiness? Apanying Chain: Naturally, His Holiness is in agreement. His Holiness ces hisplete and utter trust in Your Royal Highness. Our loyal faithful are with us in the fight today, please try to minimise their casualties and look out for their safety. Crown Prince Marshal: Of course. Strategist: I will convey your intentions to our units at once. Green Ash King: We will hasten the equipping andmunications link-up. Crown Prince Marshal: In that case, let us embark. I will of course, take helm on our gship, the Majesty! - The Kingdom of Winter, the Audience Chamber Running Seneschal: Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Lone Winter King: What is it? Seneschal: The Holy Crusaders garrisoned at the Kingdom of White Night have begun to mobilise! Theyre loading up their ships and appear to be bound for the Pr Continent. Butler: And so it begins. Lone Winter King: It appears they intend to invade the Demon World. Butler: Im sure they have considered that it would be a needless attrition of their forces to direct their invasion at us. To begin with, if they decided to eliminate the Southern Kingdoms, countries like the Kingdom of the Lake would pivot to engage their vulnerable centre. Lone Winter King: Hmm Send for a messenger! Messenger: Your Majesty! Lone Winter King: Inform the Conste of the Kurultai immediately! Seneschal: It seems the situation is about to change. Butler: I suppose this is not unrted to us. Lone Winter King: We will also hold a conference for the Southern Alliance and discuss our reaction n there. The Holy Crusaders, the Cabin of the Imperial gship Majesty Crown Prince Marshal: Hahaha! What an interesting experience you have had. The Hero: Ah. Well, its delicious! Demon pigs. Especially their rear end, its exceptionally sulent. Crown Prince Marshal: Is that so? The Hero: Yeah. But its just a little troublesome to capture them. They used to congregate at near the pastures surrounding the Gate. But at this point, there isnt a Gate anymore, just arge Portal. Crown Prince Marshal: I have heard of this, but what do you know about it? The Hero: What about? Crown Prince Marshal: The circumstances regarding the destruction of the Gate. The Hero: Well, I heard that the Demons of the Pale had something to do with it. Crown Prince Marshal: Ahh, during that incident with the Kingdom of White Night? The Hero: No, way before that. At that time, for some unknown need, they activated a Mass Destruction Spell to st a hole in the Gate. The result is that the barrier between the Human and the Demon World was removed. Crown Prince Marshal: I see. I hear its a splendid sight. The Hero: Well, it is magnificent Do you mind if I eat that? Crown Prince Marshal: Please, help yourself. The Hero: Thank you. Strategist: What is going on? Holy Imperial General: I dont know. The Hero: Hmm. The Automatons are a Tribe all decked out in te armour, just like a knight, but somehow even with all that armour, they still arent weighed down. With all their armour on, they can reach up to five times the size of a typical knight. And they easily have at least twice the protective power. Crown Prince Marshal: Hoho, I see, as to be expected from the Hero. Yourepletely familiar with even the most obscure parts of the Demon World. The Hero: I have just spent much time on the road. Strategist: Umm Your Royal Highness? Holy Imperial General: This is? Crown Prince Marshal: Oh, let me introduce him. This is the fabled, legendary, mythical person known as the Hero. The Hero: A pleasure to meet you, I am the Hero. Strategist: I appear to have met you somewhere before. Holy Imperial General: So youre still alive! Crown Prince Marshal: Mmm, seems like you really fought with the Demon King. The Hero: Thats right. It was a painful fight. Im not sure what youve heard, but no matter how weak the Demon King was, the Demon King was still the Demon King. The moment I met him, I felt a tremendous (booby) aura. Strategist: Really the Demon King? Holy Imperial General: Then it is as the rumours say. Crown Prince Marshal: Thankfully you still live. The Hero: Actually, I also sustained heavy injuries under his hands, and was on the cusp of death. I almost did not ever open my eyes. Crown Prince Marshal: And hearing tell of us Holy Crusaders, he hase to lend his aid. The Hero: Yes, I hope you do not mind my burdening your mission for the time being. Strategist: Thats Crown Prince Marshal: Of course, this is the Hero, after all. Do you all not remember? He is the one who bore the will of the Expedition Against the Demon King, who bearing the blessings of the Church marched forth to save the world. I still remember standing on that balcony with all the other members of royalty, watching him march past. As his armour shined brilliantly, we could see that despite his young age, he bore an astounding chivalry and a heart steeled against the numerous dangers against him, truly the very image of a great hero. The Hero: Surely you are exaggerating, hehehe. Strategist: (It is said that the Heros abilities are equivalent to a thousand heavily armoured knights. If this is true, then he may be an even greater asset than our muskets. Moreover, having spent much time in the Demon World, he has acute knowledge of the geography and the culture, and understanding of the Demons themselves. His joining uses with myriad merits, but Holy Imperial General: Then we shall be together for the time being. Crown Prince Marshal: Then its decided. Please arrange suitable lodgings for him. The Hero: Oh, dont trouble yourself. As long as its not flooded, Im alright with sleeping in the brig if there is no space. As long as you make sure theres enough food. Strategist: I will see to the arrangements immediately. Crown Prince Marshal: Make sure theres lots of food! The Hero is still recovering, it would be beneficial to his recovery to provide him with lots of good food and good wine. The Hero: Thank you very much! The Holy Crusaders, the Office of the Imperial gship Majesty Door closes Strategist: I have seen to the Heros lodgings. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm Strategist: Just what is the Hero plotting? Holy Imperial General: Do you think he has a scheme? Crown Prince Marshal: What do you mean? Holy Imperial General: Before he left, in other words, roughly four to five years ago, I heard that the Hero was a highly broadminded individual, whosebat abilities were powerful enough that you could be assured of any operation he undertook, a peerless risk-taker with an almost child-like reverence of justice and righteousness. Crown Prince Marshal: That is what I heard as well. But, now he seems different. Its true that hes just extricated himself from some dangerous straits, but he gave the impression of a person who hase to see the world as a calction of gains and losses. Strategist: What should we issue in our announcement for now? Crown Prince Marshal: The Demons of the Demon World are powerful. There are many among them who are more vicious than the beasts of the Human World, or have special abilities and poisons. If we were to just go in like this, we would face numerous sacrifices. But with the Hero, a truly special individual, we should be able to avoid these sacrifices. If we didnt have him as a guide, who could say what would happen. Strategist: Hmm. Holy Imperial General: If we were to believe what he says, there is no reason not to use him. Crown Prince Marshal: Thats right. The Heros abilities are a threat as well. Strategist: Moreover, if we were to believe him, then the Demon King has also recuperated. It would be wishful thinking for the Hero to recover, and the Demon King not to have recovered. Holy Imperial General: Thats true. Crown Prince Marshal: In order to defeat the Demon King, we have to amodate the Hero. Strategist nods Holy Imperial General: That may be so, but the threat he poses is still a danger to us. Crown Prince Marshal: An unknown threat so close to home is much more dangerous than a known one. We dont have any methods to deal with him yet either. Until we do, it would be best to keep him somewhere manageable. Haha. Now that he has willingly given up his freedom, this may be the best method to keep his tail within our cage. Strategist: If you put it that way, I have no words in rebuttal. Holy Imperial General: Yes, it is as Your Royal Highness says. Crown Prince Marshal: In a few days, we will arrive at the Pr Continent. After that, we will be winter troops. Have the watch on the ships sound an rm when we are about to reach. Strategist: Yes, I understand. Crown Prince Marshal: (Hero Its true that we have no guard if the stories of his strength are true. But how are we to use his strength without swaying the utter conviction the people have in our abilities. Primarch, did you know of this?) - The City of the Gate, the Nine Hills, the Construction Site of the Fortifications Disciple Engineer: Alright, so its as I exined. Today well be working on the northern defences. Please try to add your best to the team. Middle Aged Workman of the Pale: Understood. We will move into ce. Workman of the Pale: Understood! Running Middle Aged Merchant: And how are things going? Disciple Engineer: Oh, Merchant. Weve made much progress. Work seems to have gotten faster. Middle Aged Merchant: Then what do you think of the budget? Disciple Engineer: Thank you for providing the budget. Now I can pay our workmen. Now that they get paid, theyre a lot more motivated. Fire Dragon Lady: This reason is as we have discussed before, but above all, Aide-de-Camp, the defences are our utmost priority. Aide-de-Camp: Indeed, this- is truly an important thing. Disciple Engineer: My princess. Middle Aged Merchant: Oh, youvee as well, princess? Fire Dragon Lady: Please dont call me princess. Aide-de-Camp: Hahahahaha. Disciple Engineer: That being said, is it really alright for you to provide me with this budget? Aide-de-Camp: Well, I dont mind. Weve all gathered here to strengthen the fortifications after all. Considering the food that they buy, along with all the other goods necessary for their living, we have actually managed to recoup much of the budget allocated to the construction. Disciple Engineer: Is that so? Middle Aged Merchant: Well, the situations of the Self-Governing Council and ourselves are very different. Aide-de-Camp: Thats because the Self-Governing Council are not merchants. We have no need for saving so much money, in fact, if we save too much, it would be bad for the economy. We have to consider the public need. Fire Dragon Lady: I thought I should show my face around the project. Disciple Engineer: Thats right, the craftsmen are still talking about thest time you came around. It is a really important thing to be doing. Fire Dragon Lady: Wait, are those Demons of the Pale? Disciple Engineer: Yeah. Theyre joining us starting this week, three hundred of them. We received a letter of rmendation from the Kurultai. Aide-de-Camp: How are they? Disciple Engineer: They are hard workers. Disciplined as well. Theyre extremely used to working in a group, and while proactive, do not take matters into their own hands needlessly. Middle Aged Merchant: Hmm. Aide-de-Camp: Yeah, indeed. Disciple Engineer: But, on the other hand, they are extremely prideful. Theres an ancient saying: The pride of the Pale extends beyond the Snow Leopard Mountains. They hate to lose to members of the other Tribes. Starting next week, the Tribe will mix with elements from other Tribes, and well have to see what happens next. Middle Aged Merchant: It would be difficult to monitor them personally. Disciple Engineer: Definitely. We engineers have a lot of things on our tes. Fire Dragon Lady: Then, to ensure it all goes smoothly, I hope you will do your best. Aide-de-Camp: Our general should being back soon. It seems that there are many issues to deal with in the Surface World. - The Border of the Subterranean World, the Crimson ins The Hero: Ha! Shing! Soldier of Light: Amazing! Musketeer of Light: He cleaved that metal-skinned Demon into half! Porter: Thank you! The Hero: Come now. This ce is just filled with Demons like that. If you carry on singing as you walk, you wont be able to avoid being attacked by them. Soldier of Light: Is that so? Musketeer of Light: Thank you so much, Hero. The Hero: Hahaha. Then lets move together for the time being. Prostitute: How adorable! The Hero: Uhh, well, I dont mean the stuff you do at night. Im not really into such things. Prostitute: Hehehe. For saving us, I can promise you some service! Apanying Chain: Soldier of Light: What a hero! The Hero: Hahaha. I definitely didnt fight for that reason. I fight for world peace. Porter: Hahahaha! What a handsome way of saying things! Crown Prince Marshal: Hes really be familiar with all of them. Holy Imperial General: Yeah. Musketeer of Light: Have you ever fired a musket? The Hero: Its alright, I can shoot lightning. Musketeer of Light: Really? Muskets are strong, though. Strategist: Is it true that the Hero personally delivered his application to the Holy Imperial Knights Retinue? Crown Prince Marshal: Yes it is. Holy Imperial General: Eh? Crown Prince Marshal: The Hero is a follower of the Spirit of Light. There are even those who say that the entire existence of the Hero is a blessing from the Spirit Himself. And we are entrusted him by the Church. Holy Imperial General: What are you thinking of? Strategist: Do you mean the Heros power as a symbol? Crown Prince Marshal: I believe we can see that the Church has already seen to that. Porter: This is really heavy. The Hero: Whats wrong with the horses? Porter: The snow is too thick to travel through by horse, many of our adorable ponies have already copsed. Farrier: The healthy horses are all been ridden by the noblemen. The Hero: Is that so? Holy Imperial General: How should we reply? Crown Prince Marshal: Just reply ording to the Heros will. Holy Imperial General: Then Crown Prince Marshal: Find somewhere to have dinner, even though were technically on a battlefield. Strategist: Shall we find out what the Hero wants to say there? Crown Prince Marshal: Im sure the Patriarch is also eager for news from the Hero. - The City of the Gate, the Municipal Hall, the Self-Governing Council Aide-de-Camp: If possible, I had hoped to avoid this, but it seems the Human armies draw closer and closer. Human Craftsman: Is that so Fiend Merchant: Human? Army? Beast Soldier: I was the one who gave the report. The Humans havee with a strength of around 300,000. Human Elder: Three hundred thousand!? Demon Lady: Wha! What!? Im sorry! Fire Dragon Lady: Come now, this isnt something you should apologising for. Demon Lady: I mean, Im sorry for startling you. Human Elder: Oh no, its fine. Fire Dragon Lady: Please go on. Beast Soldier: There are roughly three hundred thousand soldiers. That is roughly five to six times the poption of the entire city. Human Elder: What? Aide-de-Camp: They are the Holy Crusaders. In other words, the ones who took control of the city thest time! Fiend Merchant: Humans again! How many times do they want to invade our city! Demon Lady: Ummmm. Fire Dragon Lady: I believe we need toe to an opinion from here on out. Aide-de-Camp: Yes. Human Craftsman: Opinion? Fiend Merchant: Regarding the movements of the Humans in the City. Beast Soldier: Really? Demon Lady: ? Human Elder: Many Humans sit on this Self-Governing Council. One-third of the poption of the City are Humans. We must consider that there will be many Humans willing to defect to the Holy Crusaders if news of their impending arrival is spread. Fire Dragon Lady: Indeed. Fiend Merchant: In other words, traitors. Beast Soldier: Fire Dragon Lady: This City is the direct demesne of the Demon King. Moreover, the Humans of the City are not the ves of the Demons, but rather free, independent and equal citizens of the City, right? Aide-de-Camp: Fiend Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: Then, it is their choice whether or not to defect, isnt it? Beast Soldier: However, the result will be the release of intelligence to the enemy. Aide-de-Camp: This may be impertinent, but please let us return to the original topic. Where are the Holy Crusaders presently located? Beast Soldier: They are currently encamped at the Crimson ins adjacent to the Portal. They appear to be advancing to the ins of Strange Cliffs. Aide-de-Camp: At what speed? Beast Soldier: Theyre covering 12km everyday. Human Elder: At their rate of movement, they should reach in twelve to thirteen days. Fire Dragon Lady: I expect their speed will increase when the City is in sight. Aide-de-Camp: However, we cannot actually verify that the City of the Gate is their objective based on their current position. It is possible that they might change their route as well. Firstly, we should send a warning to the Fiends, the Dragons, the old territory of the Demons of the Pale and the Automatons as well. Are there any objections? Human Craftsman: I dont think so. Aide-de-Camp: In that case, its decided. Put it down in writing. Demon Lady: Yes. Scribbles Fire Dragon Lady: In any case, the invasion of the City is the highest possibility. Aide-de-Camp: Yeah. If you think about it realistically, there really isnt an alternative. All important supply routes in the area pass through the City, and it would only make sense for them to redeem what they lost in the Second Holy Crusades. Human Craftsman: Human Merchant: Truly a low-hanging fruit. Beast Soldier: The military power of the City is small. Even other cities of simr size have more military ability. At present, we have a detachment of one thousand security forces to maintainw and order. Its not a lot but we should be able to hold them for a while. Human Craftsman: Aide-de-Camp: Currently, our cavalry forces are being led here by our Great General. Human Craftsman: Fire Dragon Lady: Firstly, Human Elder. Please help us to understand the feelings of the citizens of the City. What do the Humans of the City of the Gate have to say? Human Elder: Thats right Hmm. Apart from the travelling merchants, most of the Humans in the City have no home to return to. Even though they live among Demons, its probable that the citizens of the City have alreadye to identify themselves with it. It may be somewhat presumptuous, but right now it is a truly strong feeling. While the Holy Crusaders are campaigning on the tform of rescuing the captured Humans, in treating them as defectors, its possible that they may be subjected to unjust abuse. Rather than being saved, they would at best be cast aside. Fire Dragon Lady: Human Elder: On the other hand, if they received information from the defected Humans, that would truly be absurd. That being said, the Humans in the City still bare an extremely strong grudge against that Commander who used to head the City. They were the ones who were being betrayed by the Commander and the entire Human World, there are in fact many people who do not even consider themselves part of that world. Aide-de-Camp: Human Craftsman: But on the other hand, weve finally managed to establish contact with the Human World. Alongside serving as a vital trade route, it also has the capacity to revitalise both our worlds. It may have been a gradual process, but eventually we now have monthly or bimonthly caravans, and eventually well have even more. We can even send letters to our families and children,pelling them toe to the City, and one day even having our bones buried here when we finally die. There are many craftsmen and merchants who have already made that decision. For me, to be able to live in a City where Demons and Humans live together in harmony, where we can trade ideas and information, to undergomerce, is enough reason for me to wish to be buried here when I die. It doesnt matter how the war goes, I am willing to dedicate everything I have to the City. Fiend Merchant: I am of the same mind. Its the same now as it was then. Even though the Humans conquered the City, they could never take our will away from us. As the vibrant City of Temples, the great trading city. There will never be a city which will surpass us. Beast Soldier: But. Fire Dragon Lady: What is there to but about. There are many who have been attracted to the rich and prosperous trade of the City. Previously, it was the Demon Tribes who painted the City with their blood, today the Humans have joined in the fracas. Demon Lady: Umm. Human Elder: What? Demon Lady: Sorry. Fire Dragon Lady: Hurry up and spit it out. Demon Lady: Looks like were definitely going to lose. Beast Soldier: Just bymon sense, its tough to fight against three hundred thousand with just one thousand five hundred men. Demon Lady: Thats true Fiend Merchant: So, do you even want to fight? Demon Lady: Ah. No. Its not such a ridiculous idea but Fire Dragon Lady: Demon Lady: Umm This is just me, but I dont even know which Tribe Ie from. I have skin as white as a Demon of the Pale, horns like a Dragon, eyes like a Tiger of the Beasts a mongrel with mixed blood from all the Tribes Fiend Merchant: What are you trying to say? Demon Lady: No, sorry. Sorry. Its just that, Im extremely happy to be a member of the Tribe of the Gate Human Elder: Demon Lady: More than my hometown, I see this as my home. This city is infinitely important to me. Human Elder: Hmm. Beast Soldier: We the Tribe of Beasts are a Tribe who value freedom over all else. Aide-de-Camp: I see. Human Craftsman: In that case, we have no choice. Fire Dragon Lady: If possible, I would opt for another choice, but we will have to do whatever is necessary. Aide-de-Camp: Is there an agreement? Human Craftsman: Fiend Merchant: Beast Soldier: Human Elder: Aide-de-Camp: In that case, we the Self-Governing Council will not hide anything from the people, and dere our intentions in full. On top of this, we will ept all opinions on whether to fight, to surrender or to negotiate. The debate will take ce for three days. There may be some who will escape during the debate period to defect to the Human Army, but theres no choice. Beast Soldier: I wouldnt call that a robust n, but itll do. Fiend Merchant: Among the various Demon Tribes, there is something called loyalty. To leave ones own Tribe and join the Tribe of the Gate, is currently the only way to be free of the pains of this loyalty. Human Elder: We are not mongrels. Fire Dragon Lady nods Aide-de-Camp: Then we hope for earnest replies from everybody. They should all have the opportunity to choose their own fates. Human Craftsman: We would never try to press their fates on them, or discard them. Whether to go, or to stay, is a decision we should all make together. Fire Dragon Lady: We will go together, hand in hand. - The Holy Crusaders, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Central Encampment, an Opulent Pavilion Crown Prince Marshal: Then, with the addition of the Hero to the Holy Crusaders, lets give praise to the Hero. Let us raise a ss, to our brilliant victory in the field, and to our victorious homing. To victory! Strategist: To victory! Holy Imperial General: To victory! Green Ash King: To victory! Leader of the Hundred Pdins: To victory! The Primarch: To the blessings of the Spirit. Cleric Master: To our Light. The Hero: How delicious! Crown Prince Marshal: What a glutton, hahaha. Green Ash King: Hmm, hell grow up one day. The Hero: Ah. Sorry. For being such a glutton. Actually, the higher the level of your magical ability, the more food it takes to sustain the energy required for it. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm, how interesting. Strategist: Hero. This is the famous grape wine produced in the Kingdom of the Mist. The Hero: Ill help myself, then! Holy Imperial General: The battalion you see before you,pared to all other battalions, was bogged down in that bottomless swamp and faced a terrible ambush from the Demons. Without you, we would have suffered more than just low two-digit percentage casualties. We are truly grateful. The Hero: No, no. The duty of a Hero is to protect everybody. The Primarch: Cleric Master: Your Holiness, could this young man be The Primarch: The Hero: Of course. Cough Crown Prince Marshal smiles The Primarch: Green Ash King: Moreover, we are very grateful for that. Strategist: Ohh! Holy Imperial General: That. Green Ash King: Mmm. How did you call over that huge group of wild horses? It was almost magical, I had never seen anything like it before. The Hero: That was the Demon Thrush. Strategist: Thrush? The Hero: Uhh. Ahh. I was unexpectedly informed that there was a herd of wild horses, and after that I relied on Hero magic. Those horses are wild, so theyre rather small, unlike your warhorses, but thats sufficient for carrying loads, isnt it? Crown Prince Marshal: All the lords send their thanks. Strategist: Indeed, with the horses, its be a lot easier to move things around. Holy Imperial General: Casualty evacuation as well. Crown Prince Marshal: Your Holiness. Should you not also send some warm words to this Child of Light? The Primarch: Hundred Pdins. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Yes, Your Holiness. The Primarch: Send the Hero this cup. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Understood. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Hero, this cup is from His Holiness the Primarch. The Hero: Umm. Heart beating Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Well. Crown Prince Marshal: Arent you blessed, Hero? Holy Imperial General: The Leader of the Hundred Pdins is widely known as the greatest beauty throughout the Continent. The Hero: Umm, that was not my intention? Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Then. Crown Prince Marshal: Wow, theres truly no space between you two. The Hero: No, no, then Ill help myself. Haha. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Allow me to fill your cup. The Primarch: Crown Prince Marshal: (What, why is he so conflicted) The Hero: Ah, what a beautiful colour! Where is this wine from? Cleric Master: Thises from the Holy Demesne of the Church, handpicked fruit by fruit by virgins to create this highest quality Amber Wine. The Hero: What a luxurious drink! Leader of the Hundred Pdins: This is the will of His Holiness. Crown Prince Marshal: ( Is something wrong? The Hero: Ill have some more, then! (Spell of De-Toxification!) The Primarch: The Hero: Delicious! Glug, glug, glug Door opens Chef: Your Highness, I hope the wait was not too long. Strategist: Mmm, we sure waited. The Hero: Oh! Door opens Chef: Alright, please, Hero! This is truly extraordinary! The Hero: Thank you, Chef! This looks splendid! Chef: Oh no, it was nothing. Its truly my honour! Here I have a tter of veal meatballs, which took the better part of a day to prepare. It took much effort, but the result is something delicious! Crown Prince Marshal: Mmm? Are you acquainted with my chef? The Hero: Oh no, a few days ago, by the river, I helped him out a bit when his condiments got wet. Strategist: Is that so. Ahh! So thats why you took a while longer to cross that frozenke with us. Holy Imperial General: And we are again indebted to the Heros great ability. Green Ash King: Hmm. The Primarch: Hero. The Hero: Yes? The Primarch: Your valour and sacrifice have truly won the favour of the Spirit. The Hero: Is that so? That person always seems to be crying, though? Leader of the Hundred Pdins: !? Cleric Master: ! The Hero: No, sorry. And? The Primarch: How about it, would you like to be consecrated? The Hero: (small voice) Sorry. Whats a consecrate? Strategist: (small voice) In this situation, it means being weed into the ranks of the saints. The Hero: Ah. Thats impossible for me. Cleric Master: ! Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Hero, the proposal of His Holiness. The Hero: No. Well, umm, Im extremely grateful. I mean youve already said it, but. Theres lots of things Im afraid of, but well. The divine approach is actually I already have a contract, so yeah. Cleric Master: Then, how about we do it this way? Disregarding whether or not you ept this consecration, for the time being you should spend your nights at the pavilion of the Hundred Pdins. They say that you can purify your mind and your body by living in the sacred world of virgins. The Hero: Whoa, is that an offer for a harem? Crown Prince Marshal: (To what extent is the Church willing to push him?) The Hero: That is truly tempting. Ehhh. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: We wee you. The Hero: But I must decline. Cleric Master: Wherefore? The Hero: No, look, well Its because Im a Hero, so Im up to my neck in blood. I would really pollute such a sacred world if I were tomit these sorts of actions. Cleric Master: For this, you need only plead for clemency from the pure Light The Hero: Moreover, no matter what sorts of theories youe up with, I produce pollution inrge quantities, right? Even if I cleanse myself right now, I will be bathed in blood again, and that will be a routine. Its really not a load that can be washed away simply by vocally telling me that my sins are washed away. Its that burning feeling in my heart, slippery and slimy, that regret from the smell of metal and the revtion of pain; only when I can get rid of that, then can I stand on my own two feet again. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Crown Prince Marshal: (Hohoho, what an interesting sentiment.) The Hero: Well, apart from that, here, I havee today as a guest of the Crown Prince Marshal. I have a duty to finish the food Crown Prince Marshal: No, no. The Hero: For this reason, Ill have to turn down the consecration, but in truth, the Crown Prince Marshal is the one who deserves it. As for myself, I will be happy to sleep in the caravans with the craftsmen and the chefs. On that note, we have already discussed my sleeping arrangements with the Crown Prince Marshal, and those arrangements are good enough. Crown Prince Marshal: My, my, how strong-willed. Truly the protector of the people. Strategist: (Strong-willed? No. How cunning. He made use of the opportunity to announce that he stood below both the Crown Prince Marshal and the Primarch Even though Im sure His Royal Highness already knows.) Green Ash King: Hahaha. Miss Leader. It seems you have been rejected. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: All is as the Spirit wills it. Holy Imperial General: The Hero sure has a lot of dignity. The Hero: Oh no, I am just a man who is willing to work for good food. How could Ipare to the pirs of justice, fighting for a peaceful world, the holy Crusaders. Crown Prince Marshal: In that case, perhaps His Holiness will allow the matter to rest. Well, away from these trifling issues, Hero, your veal is getting cold. The Hero: Oh. So it is! Your Royal Highness knows my heart all too well! Green Ash King: In that case, allow me to join you. The Hero: Come, lets eat, lets eat. The skin is very crispy. Cleric Master: Tsk. - The Kingdom of Metal, the City of Metal, the Craftsmen Quarter Trader: Hello! Ironsmith: Hey, long time no see. Its been a few months. Trader: Indeed. Its been half a year. Ironsmith: Yeah, we havent talked in a while. Weapons Merchant: If it isnt the Trader. Trader: How are things? Ironsmith: Ive been incredibly busy ever since that affair at the ins of Sci. Trader: Isnt that a good thing? Ironsmith: Well, whenever we think of the heroes of the ins of Sci, its truly a cause for celebration. Our work are the tools which protect these soldiers, we cannot afford to rest. Weapons Merchant: I see. Ive rushed hear to deliver armour ting as well. Trader: Where are the cavalry equipment from the Kingdom of Red Horses? Ironsmith: Theyre in the warehouse out back. Trader: Ahh, I see. Grass rustling Ironsmith: Oh. Trader: What is that? Ironsmith: Thats the entourage of the Iron Fist King. Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the Iron Fist King!! Weapons Merchant: Haha. What a lot of people to be walking around like that. Trader: Hey, hey. Watch your mouth. Thats the King, isnt he? If he were to hear you say that, youd probably get thrown in jail, right? Weapons Merchant: Is that so? In our country, we more or less saying whatever we want. Nobodys scared of that beardy old man. Trader: Thats quite amazing. Weapons Merchant: We dont follow me because were scared of him. We follow because we respect him. Trader: Respect, huh. Ironsmith: He may be a drunk old man, but hes managed to increase the poption of the Kingdom of Metal by multiple times within thest five years. At present, the city even has thirty workshops. Taxation is not exactly light, but it all seems to be used for a good cause. The sound of hammers can be heard throughout the city. Weapons Merchant: I see. The weapons and defences created by us smiths in the Kingdom of Metal are also highly renown even throughout the Continent. On top of that, the ferocity and skill of our soldiers is also well-known It will be up to us to defend the Southern Alliance. Ironsmith: Yeah, thats right. Now we are no longer the mereckeys of the Holy Empire. Those who live on the Southern border may do so with peace and security. We can till our ownnds, and establish our own Kingdoms. Weapons Merchant nods Trader: I see I am truly envious. Ironsmith: Why? Trader: We traders have been wandering from Kingdom to Kingdom without a true ce to live. Even though this is our own choice, some might say we are even worse off than serfs. I am truly envious that you have a country to call your own. Ironsmith: Is that so Weapons Merchant: What? In that case, you just need to apply to the Kingdom of Metal or the Kingdom of Winter. Trader: Eh? Weapons Merchant: Youre a trader, right? Any trader who has been regrly conducting business in the area for three years is eligible for assistance in opening their own store. Trader: For real? Ironsmith: As I understand it, you just need to apply. Merchants are eligible for a loan to begin their store, and the first year is also tax-exempt. Well, that being said, without connections, it will be a challenge to set up a profitable business in the city. Weapons Merchant: You could always take up some small jobs for the guilds or go down to the viges to see what they need. Trader: But, how could I set up my own store? Would the country really support a person like me who doesnt know anybody!? Weapons Merchant: Youre not a person who doesnt know anybody. Youve spent three years conducting business in the city, havent you? Ironsmith: Hahaha! Thats right. Once you set up your store, you can still conduct trade with the Kingdom of Red Horses, and well help you out. Trader: My, my. Ive spent so long saving money as well. I could have saved a lot of effort. Weapons Merchant: Come, lets go into the guesthouse. Well have a drink. And how about lunch? We can share a table with the craftsmen and have some cold ale as well. Trader: Thank you! In return, I will tell you the rumours Ive heard in the Kingdom of Red Horses. Volume 4 6, “Walking in Pain in the Endless World”

Volume 4 Chapter 6, Walking in Pain in the Endless World

- The Holy Crusaders, the ins of Strange Cliffs, Encampment, 24km from the City of the Gate Chain: 24km left before we reach our objective. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: Even without pushing ourselves, we should be able to establish our formation in front of the City within 10 days. Green Ash King: Thats right. The Primarch: With the Heart of the Holy Spirit, we can increase our speed, andmence the attack as soon as we arrive! With the full force of the devotees of the Holy Spirit, we can break the resistance of those evil Demons and raise the g of the Holy Church over the City. Crown Prince Marshal: With regards to that Chain: As soon as we arrive at the City of the Gate, we, the great and mighty Holy Crusaders shall spare no time in pacifying the City. Do each of you find this arrangement eptable? Crown Prince Marshal: Please wait. Chain: What objections do you have? Leader of the Hundred Pdins: This is an oracle! Crown Prince Marshal: Please pause for a moment. There is a report. Holy Imperial Strategist: Yes. We sessfully set foot into the Demon World 10 days ago. As a result of this journey, our soldiers are at the limit of their fatigue. As it has taken more time than we expected, we currently do not even have two months worth of rations. Moreover, in this battle, we cannot forget even for an instant that the enemy have a limitless expanse ofnd to their rear. Our supply lines are based on the encampments we have made thus far. The logistics and security of the rations is slowing down the movement of our light and heavy infantry units, and hence it is a fact that the speed of our projection is limited by the need to ensure our supply lines do not be overstretched. Of course, if we can end the war in one simple strike No, lets not talk about a single strike. If we can end it in two weeks, we should have no problems. The City itself holdsrge amounts of food stocks, so we can resupply there. However, if we spend any more time than that, we will have to fall back. Chain: So the Holy Crusaders are not the strongest? Crown Prince Marshal: We are, if we make the appropriate preparations, and if we do not act with negligence orcency. On the battlefield, the worst mistake a person could make would be would be to assume victory even if there was a nine out of ten chance of winning. Holy Imperial General: I also believe we should act based on the circumstances we are confronted with. Green Ash King: Hmm The Primarch: Than you tell me. Crown Prince Marshal: Our forces will march to the front of the City, where we will establish a proper base encampment. If possible, we will prepare observation and defensive positions out of wood. From there, we will assess the surrounding terrain, and deploy in a formation which will maximise the firepower of our cannons, while giving the soldiers enough time for rest and recuperation. With sessive artillery fire, we should be able to wear down the defensive fortifications of the City within a few days. Moreover, with therge sulphur mines of the Demons of the Pale, we should be able to produce our own saltpetre for thisbat. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Saltpetre? Crown Prince Marshal: It is an essential ingredient in gunpowder, which forms the backbone of our armys strength. Green Ash King: It is a fairly essential item. The Primarch: Are wecking in gunpowder? Holy Imperial Strategist: If we our entire force of 300,000 Crusaders were tomit to the battle, we have enough stocks tost us for eight days. The Primarch: That is not a problem. Surely we can take the City of the Gate within that time. Chain: Lets destroy the Demons within the next eight days then. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Definitely. Crown Prince Marshal: However, that ispletely impossible. Chain: This is the will of His Holiness the Primarch. In other words, this is the will of the Spirit herself! Crown Prince Marshal: Please consider this. We have not even managed to conquer the City of the Gate, which means we are only at the doorstep of the Demon World. For us to take the fight to the rest of the Demon World, we are going to need ess to the sulphur reserves in the old territory of the Demons of the Pale, in other words, we need that saltpetre. Green Ash King: Hmm. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Is saltpetre really that necessary? We are holy warriors blessed by the Spirit of the Light. Troop fatigue? With the sweet emotion of devotion and blessed faith, we can ovee all of that. The Primarch: Hehehehe Thats what I dont understand. - In front of us is the City of the Gate. With the Gate as an altar, we have our brave heroes as the key, and all we need to do is to hold on to that altar. Why do we need to capture the entire Demon World? Crown Prince Marshal: Huh? Holy Imperial Strategist: ording to the reports of our scouts, the City of the Gate is currently constructing a massive defensive fortification. They have drawn reinforcements from surrounding Demon Tribes and are preparing for our assault. Chain: That is a good development, we now do not need to venture far to break the heart of the Demon resistance. Holy Imperial Strategist: ! Holy Imperial General: - Thats Chain: Huh? Holy Imperial General: We, the Holy Crusaders, definitely have powerful military abilities, however pushing our soldiers to the very brink of their abilities is an exercise in futility. Its true that we should be able to deliver a very strong single blow with all our forces, but do consider that there has never been a battle in which more than 100,000 soldiers have beenmitted in the entire history of mankind. It will likely be highly chaotic, and we cannot expect these peasant soldiers to be able to execute such coordinated formations. In the worst case scenario, our entire force could copse. Chain: Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Green Ash King? Green Ash King: Yes. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Are you confident of your forces? Green Ash King: Well, thats why Im the forwardmander. Holy Imperial General: Your Majesty! Leader of the Hundred Pdins: You told me this slowly yesterday, right? The method of using the musket And that I could look forward to it, right? Green Ash King: Well, I just said that you could leave it to me. Holy Imperial Strategist: (Did he just get won over?) The Primarch: But this is a problem, Crown Prince Marshal.) Crown Prince Marshal: Yeah, it really is. The Primarch: Hmm. Hahahahahahaha. Are you a coward, Crown Prince Marshal? Crown Prince Marshal: My orders are to support and protect the interests of Your Holiness and the Central Continent, to forever defend itsnds and peoples. For this purpose, perhaps a little cowardice is appropriate too. Wouldnt you agree? Holy Imperial Strategist: Your Imperial Excellency. Green Ash King: No, no. Im sure we all understand how important the saltpetre is. While I cannot be sure about the Demon Armys formations or people, I know that there are currently no more than 50,000 soldiers garrisoned in the City. To deal with them, even 200,000 would be more than enough. The Primarch: Green Ash King: Lets split our forces into two parts. If we go by the book, a battle on two fronts is a terrible idea, but with our abilities, I believe we can pull it off. After dedicating some forces to the protection of our hintend and our supply lines, we can maintain 180,000 of our forces on the alert. His Imperial Highness can thenmand 50,000 men to take control of the erstwhile territory of the Demons of the Pale. As His Imperial Highness said, it is a lightly defended area, hence we believe 50,000 soldiers should be sufficient. On top of that, I willmand 150,000 soldiers to take control of the City of the Gate. I will request that all cannons be ced under ourmand. Like this, we should outnumber the Demons four to one. Or at worst, three to one. Still enough for us to trample over them What do you think? The Primarch: Good. When the City of the Gate falls, perhaps we shall see the light. Chain: Very good. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: I will be looking forward to it, Green Ash King. Hehehehe. Crown Prince Marshal: Chain: What do you think, Your Imperial Highness? Crown Prince Marshal: I understand. Holy Imperial Strategist: Green Ash King: Tomorrow morning? The Primarch: We will move out starting tomorrow. Our soldiers will need to march faster. Chain: Holy Spirit bless us all. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: All is as the Spirit wills it. - The Kingdom of the Lake, the City of the Lake, the Headquarters of the Merchants Union Branch Chief: Somehow it seems weve managed to deplete the stocks of charcoal for the secret workshops. They have begun to issue letters of appeal to surrounding Kingdoms, invoking the name of the Crown Prince Marshal to help them. The Young Merchant: Letters of appeal, huh? Branch Chief: They may be termed letters of appeal, but the content is basically a thinly veiled threat, you could really say that its a letter of demand. The Young Merchant: Hmph. That should slow them down. Branch Chief: Thats right. With this, the Holy Crusaders should suffer a significant shock to their supply stocks. The Young Merchant: But it seems that this will not be enough Female Union Employee: ? Branch Chief: Do you have something else nned? The Young Merchant: How many cities does the Union have banks in? Female Union Employee: Sixty four. The Young Merchant: With the Southern Alliance as our heart, perhaps we might be able to expand this to a hundred or more. Branch Chief: What are you nning? The Young Merchant: The chief advantage of the Holy Church is their numbers. Union Employee: Of adherents? The Young Merchant: Thats part of it, but the amount of branches they have is immense as well. Support is of course materialised when they call for soldiers, but on the whole its a wide web that epasses every single part of politics and the economy. I would call it awork. Union Employee: I dont understand. The Young Merchant: In other words, the four cathedrals represent much more than just four works of architecture. In fact, one single cathedral could have five or six times as much influence as you think. Union Employee: Hmm. The Young Merchant: One very striking example would be money orders. Branch Chief: Dont tell me you intend to disrupt the money orders system!? The Young Merchant: Yes. Branch Chief: That is a very great risk. The Young Merchant: Indeed it is. Union Employee: What risk? The Young Merchant: As you know, a money order is a means of transferringrge sums of money from one ce to another. Physically moving the money is liable to all kinds of risks like dys due to weather, piracy and banditry or any other sort of ident. A caravanden with gold is the most perfect target for any robber around. The Union has invested lots of money just to hire bodyguards for our money caravans, and that creates the logistical problem of moving such a massive convoy. Female Union Employee: Right. Branch Chief: There are many ways of effecting money orders. For example, you could ce a guarantee at one city of one hundred gold pieces and then move to another city and collect those hundred gold pieces from the same organisation Technically, the money doesnt go anywhere, but thats a money transfer. For this to work, you will need a lot of branches for your organisation, and you will also need to haverge amounts of money so people can trust that the system will work. - At present, apart from shifting money between small towns and viges, the only one who has that ability is the Church. The Young Merchant: The Church has been using their monopoly over money transfers to makerge profits. In fact, it is one of the Churchs greatest sources of revenue. Union Employee: The 10% levy? The Young Merchant: Thats right. Using money orders currently on the market incurs a 10% levy which goes to the Church. Its true that indenting mercenaries to protect the money conveys which inevitably have to be used eventually is not cheap, but they still make arge profit at the end of the day. Female Union Employee: I understand. Since the Union was displeased with this arrangement, we came up with our own independent banking system. Branch Chief: Its true that that was a consideration. The Young Merchant: The issuing of money orders was originally the principal role of banks to begin with. It was not meant to be a system from which the Church can freely tax. Branch Chief: But with the immense scale of the Church, if we were to confront them directly, we would only draw ire and attention to our existence we have so tirelessly worked to shroud and conceal. The Young Merchant: Then let us make the maximum considerations. However, please try to think about it. At present, whether its politically, militarily, or even culturally, the Continent is facing a tremendous shakeup. Every power throughout thend is now watching and waiting with an eagle eye for an opportunity to expand theirnds. In the middle of all of this, the Primarch of the Holy Church has suddenly decided to leave the board? As yers, we cannot possibly allow this opportunity to slip away from us. Branch Chief: Do we have a chance? The Young Merchant: We do. -- Exnation Network: An economic concept by which many different parts providing directly unrted goods or servicesbine to support each other and boost the efficiency of the whole. Being able to control or join thework enhances productivity. - - The Kingdom of Ice, the Violet Audience Room The Queen of Ice and Snow: Looks like youre so busy your eyes are starting to spin round and round. This many missives! Seneschal: Yes, but I have to look through them all somehow. The Queen of Ice and Snow: This letter The numbers of those infected with smallpox grow day on day, in these circumstances, it is almost as if the gates of burning hell themselves have opened. We plead to the Kingdom of Ice, to look upon your fellow human beings with eyes ofpassion and to bestow of your medicine until my people. Seneschal: Yes It is a request. The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Kingdom of Copper. How dare they? This is the country which produced those muskets which have massacred so many humans, just what sort of face is he making when he speaks of humanpassion? Seneschal: Weve got his portrait, if youd like. Our bards have managed to collect the portraits of most of the heads of state of the various countries. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Good, I havent seen it. But I recall his face now. With a face like a frog, but the kind of frog that other frogs find ugly. Seneschal: Precisely. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Ah, and I expect the rest are of a simr nature. Seneschal: Indeed. The Queen of Ice and Snow: I would like to help you, but. Seneschal: I will manage. The Queen of Ice and Snow: What is this mountain over here? Seneschal: It may resemble a mountain, but these are actually letters of appeal from the smaller vigers? The Queen of Ice and Snow: Why are all the letters in duplex? Seneschal: All letters intended for the Kingdom of the Lake and the Kingdom of Branches also pass through here. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Eh? Seneschal: I am certain Your Majesty knows that the Disciple Nobleman has been working hard to centralise ourmunicationworks. The Queen of Ice and Snow: It seems to me that this is bing quite unnecessary. Seneschal: I see. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Umm hello your majesty, all the adults in our vige have turned ck and copsed from smallpox. we also have no food, please save us. please. Seneschal: Hmm. Thises from a vige on the borders of the Kingdom of Waves. The Queen of Ice and Snow: You must arrange for the Temrs to deliver the vinations. Seneschal: No, please wait a moment. The Queen tof Ice and Snow: Why? Seneschal: There are many, many letters just like this one. The Queen of Ice and Snow: But it doesnt take a lot of vines to save a small vige from smallpox, and most of all, these little children are innocent, and we can save them. Why should we not lend them every possible assistance we can, is that what the Holy Order is preaching? Seneschal: No, but these twenty-four letters, all written in the same manner, came to us through the conste in the Port of Trout of the Kingdom of Waves. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Eh? Seneschal: ording to our conste in the Port of Trout, the Queen Mother of the Kingdom of Waves has been using the tax-free privileges of the royalty to amass a massive personal treasury in order to enrich the prosperous merchant nobility. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Seneschal: What will you do? The Queen of Ice and Snow: Send a medical task force to confirm the veracity of these reports personally. Seneschal: Yes It would be terrible if they were actuallypletely ck. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Enough. And this? Seneschal: Mmhmm. This is from the Kingdom of Boarshead. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Hmm. That the Kingdoms of the South should so selfishly monopolise supplies of the medicine granted by the blessings of the Spirit, ispletely out of the question. If you do not wish to fall prey to the deadly pikes of our army of a million courageous holy devotees, you will send medicine post haste, along with every medical secret you have known to you and beg for forgiveness. Seneschal: What a load of poof. With enough pipeweed, perhaps they might be able to materialise their million soldiers in their heads. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Throw this away. Yes. Do that. Its rubbish. Seneschal: Yes. The Queen of Ice and Snow: So the only letters worth my attention are these five? Seneschal: And I thought you were uninterested in matters of diplomacy? The Queen of Ice and Snow: What should I do? Seneschal: The Magic Guild of Magpies, what should I do about this? The Queen of Ice and Snow: They are looking for a candidate, but Ill pass. Seneschal: Really? The Queen of Ice and Snow: Yes. They want us to sell it to them for research purposes, right? I have no intention to trade the vination for money, and I have no gauge on their intentions. Seneschal: Then What of assistance to the Kingdom of Rice, and to the Free Cities? The Queen of Ice and Snow: The Free Cities relypletely on the organisation of the shippingnes used by the Merchants Union, well see what they have to say about all this ck gossip. Seneschal: I understand. The Queen of Ice and Snow: With regards to the Kingdom of Rice, that is something I cannot decide on my own. I will have to refer that to the council of the Union. Lets keep this in view for now. Seneschal: I understand. The Queen of Ice and Snow: It seems that the news of a means against smallpox hase as quite a shock to the various countries We will have to handle this sensitively. - The Kingdom of Metal, the Quarters of the Disciple Soldier Disciple Merchant: Hey. Long time no see! Attendant: I apologise for the intrusion. Disciple Soldier: How nice of you toe! Metal Lieutenant: Well have some hot pies and wine soon, but well,e this way. Disciple Merchant: Rx. Attendant shuffles Disciple Soldier: Your small disciple seems to be getting really hungry. Attendant: Thats not true? Disciple Soldier: Please dont worry. When I was with our teacher, I was also hungry almost every day. Metal Lieutenant: Oh? So you went through such days as well? Disciple Merchant: We endured a fair amount of pain every day. And on top of that, we were young. No matter how much we ate, we would always be hungry. Disciple Soldier: Thats true Well, thats the life of a man. Disciple Merchant: Well, I suppose that is all in the past? Disciple Soldier: I hope so. Metal Lieutenant: The Warrior-King of the Red Horses has arrived together with the High Prince of Branches. The Queen of the Lake and the Lords of the Free Cities will be arriving in a few days time. Disciple Merchant: Is that so? Attendant: What arge conference. Disciple Soldier: Indeed. Disciple Merchant: Once you consider the context, it really makes your head hurt. Attendant: ? Metal Lieutenant: The Demon World The Subterranean World? Disciple Soldier: What do I feel about it? Well, looking back at our financial situation, perhaps I should have opposed it more. Disciple Merchant: Disciple Soldier: On top of that, weve also got the Holy Crusades to the Demon World, which is apparently wielding the sword of all humanity. Even though there was a time when they would point their muskets at us, perhaps if we protested with reason, well, thats not exactly likely but Disciple Merchant: Nope. Disciple Soldier: ? Disciple Merchant: My intention is for us to deploy our soldiers. Disciple Soldier: What? Metal Lieutenant: Really? Is that the collective decision of the Kingdom of Winter!? Disciple Merchant: Thats not true. Our King, the Lone Winter King, merely said that he would think about it. It is my personal consideration that we should participate in this war. Disciple Soldier: Why? Disciple Merchant: Because I cannot think of anything else. Metal Lieutenant: For? Disciple Merchant: If the Crusaders were allowed to achieve a great victory, they would be able to extend their influence and power, and I have no idea if we will be able to put a stop to the spread of their power. What you must not forget is that the Southern Kingdoms have epted the designation of heretic countries. For us to continue living, we have to ensure the bnce of three powers the Central Continent, the Demon World and ourselves in the Southern Alliance. Disciple Soldier: Is that so. Disciple Merchant: As such, I support our deployment. However, the appropriate conditions are harsh. Disciple Soldier: How so? Disciple Merchant: It will be very difficult to justify this war to our people. It is not a war of self-defence. In this situation, if we were to ask to people to bear this burden, I fear the chance of us fomenting open rebellion is not low. In order to prevent that, we have toe up with a proper justification. Moreover, as the Southern Alliance, our military power cannot bepared to that of the Central Kingdoms. It is crucial that we must settle the situation using our limited military force. Attendant: War? Metal Lieutenant: It would appear so. Disciple Merchant: No, I believe that the wars of the past will be a poor strategy for us to adopt. It would be perfect if we could limit the scale of any conflict, and perhaps at the end, we could settle this with a simple bar scuffle. Disciple Soldier: Youre talking in your sleep. The Holy Crusaders can simply invest massive amounts of money into crossing the Southern Frozen Sea. In which universe would they possibly agree to settling all of this with a bar scuffle? Disciple Merchant: But we do not have the military forces to directly confront and suppress the three hundred thousand soldiers of the Holy Crusaders, do we? Disciple Soldier: Thats true, but Disciple Merchant: Thats why its difficult, so difficult, maybe we should give up on it. Attendant: Yeah, the Disciple Merchant has not slept for days. Disciple Soldier: Neither have I. Disciple Merchant: Well, I do have some measures in mind. Disciple Soldier: What? Disciple Merchant: Have the Kingdom of Winter stockpile provisions which we require for long expeditions. Food, winter gear, pine resin, sleighs, charcoal, winter goats - that sort of thing. Attendant: Ahem. Disciple Soldier: How much? Disciple Merchant: Enough for 50,000 men to be equipped for half a year of expeditions. Worth 3,000,000 gold pieces. Disciple Soldier: !! Disciple Merchant: Mostly, we will be able to share the burden of this. The Union seems to be receptive towards ying this game alongside us. Disciple Soldier: With that alone Disciple Merchant: Our freedom of movement within the presentnds has increased, hasnt it? However, whatever I can do is still pitiable. I cannotmand an army, and I do not know a method to check the ravages of this war. Attendant is stunned Disciple Soldier: - That cant be helped. We all have our limitations. Even His Majesty. Even the Female Pdin. On top of that, the Schr and the Hero as well, probably. Disciple Merchant: Indeed. My King also had something simr to say about this. Disciple Soldier: I am a military man. Without explicit orders, I cannot simply march into the Subterranean World. However, I think Disciple Merchant: ? Disciple Soldier: This is truly something important we should be worried about. I am worried. Hurry! We may not be able to make it! I seem to be hearing such whispersing from somewhere distant and far away. Disciple Merchant: Disciple Soldier: I will go to this Conference as well. Disciple Merchant: I see, I have also made ns to be there. Disciple Soldier: We must do our utmost. Disciple Merchant: Which isnt very much. But I understand. I will support you. Disciple Soldier: Thank you. The Kingdom of Metal, the Pce, the Conference of the Southern Alliance The Queen of Ice and Snow: - Our Conference must focus on tackling the issues as highlighted before. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: I see. The Sage-King of Reeds: Mmm. The Queen of the Lake: Definitely. The Prince of Branches: I agree. Lord of a Free City: I understand The King of Winter: In that case, let me try to highlight each of our concerns. The Crusader army heading towards the Demon World numbers three hundred thousand. This is an unparalleled military force. Of course, victory and defeat on the battlefield is not a matter of numbers alone, however, it seems that the Demon World is about to face a truly frightening wind of destruction. Butler: That is correct. Disciple Merchant: Disciple Soldier: The Warrior-King of Red Horses: But, what do you expect us to do about that? The Prince of Branches: To begin with, all we currently have is a Peace Agreement with the Demons, its not like we have a pact of mutual defence or anything. There is no basis for us to offer them any sort of assistance in this matter. The Queen of the Lake: Exactly. Lord of a Free City: However, following our agreement with the Demon World, I have reports which suggest that we are experiencing an economic upturn. The Queen of Ice and Snow: That should not be ignored. The Prince of Branches: To begin with, I have reason to doubt the veracity of these reports. Lord of a Free City: I cannot ignore this allegation. Are you attempting to imply that you do not trust the research and information of the Free Cities!? The Prince of Branches: That is not what I said. However, how can you say so easily that the increase in customs revenue may not arise from other sources? Of course, customs revenue has increased following the opening of the Demon World for trading andmerce. Our Principality can confirm this as well. However, at the same time, I can also say that the Crusaders have also been involved in preparing for war. As such, there is reasonable evidence to suggest that the increase in customs revenue, and hence the increase in trade andmerce may be a direct result of the war itself as well. Lord of a Free City: Thats The Sage-King of Reeds: Mmm. It has long been noticed thatmerce increases in times of war. The Prince of Branches is very persuasive The Queen of the Lake: Lord of a Free City: However, this and that are The Sage-King of Reeds: We may have consolidated the strength of the South, but despite this, our people are still not very strong. Should we not be devoting ourselves to strengthening? For this purpose, somewhat ironically, the deployment of the Holy Crusaders is a great opportunity, is it not? I imagine that this is a thought many of the nobles have as well. Disciple Merchant: Your Majesty. The Lone Winter King: Hmm. It seems my financial minister has something to say. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Mmmm. Disciple Merchant: Dear representatives of the various countries, allow me to speak from an economic and financial standpoint when I speak of the deception thates with imagining that war can bring economic vitality. Looking at the big picture, such a phenomenon does not exist. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: Truly? Actually, isnt this an ancient saying? The Prince of Branches: What do you mean? Disciple Merchant: Of course, within a limited time period, within a limited sector, such a phenomenon could ur. However, please consider this coolly. Any war of any sort requires the expenditure of resources. We will require food, weapons, clothing, winter gear, transportation equipment, fuel and firewood, other perishables, and now with the introduction of muskets, we will also require gunpowder as well. Musketballs are made of metal. And the smelting of all that ammunition requires double the consumption of charcoal. ording to my estimations, producing four musketballs requires a total of one silver piece. The Prince of Branches: And thats why the economy gets a boost. By us demanding these resources, the economy gets paid for them. Disciple Merchant: That is only true for a limited time period. Looking at it from the big picture, we are merely expending societys wealth and resources within a war which creates no economic product. For example, if you bought four pigs, in two years you would have eight pigs. That is the idea behind increasing ones wealth. Or, if five people worked to harvest grain, they would have enough to feed ten people. That is also economically viable. Compared to that, war ispletely unproductive, isnt it? Such a thing is impossible in war. In war you have to kill pigs to feed an army. Can dead pigs birth more pigs? Do the soldiers produce any tangible products? The Iron Fist King: Hmm. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: Thats true. Disciple Merchant: Another thing to consider is what happens in the event that weakly rted third-party provides the goods required to sustain war to the belligerent party. I believe you can understand this. I believe that war as an economic practice is out of the question, it is the rapid consumption of resources. As a result, we feel we can benefit from this alluring market while ensuring our country does not be a victim. In doing so, we create the phenomenon of a War-Fueled Economic Boom*. The Prince of Branches: That is indeed the situation in the Southern Alliance. Disciple Soldier: The Prince of Branches: As the war between the Central Continent and the Demon Army goes on, the Southern Alliance has been profiting from sales. We have received missives from the Kingdom of Copper, seeking to buy our charcoal, and other opportunities appear to be falling like autumn rain. Lord of a Free City: But. Disciple Merchant: Thats right. I cannot disagree with that. Disciple Soldier: The Prince of Branches: From an economic and customs collection standpoint, it appears that we can stand at the sidelines and still reap the benefits. The Lone Winter King: But. Disciple Soldier: Since when has the Southern Alliance be an outsider in this conflict? Have you forgotten how many of us fell at the ins of Sci to the muskets of the Crusaders? I do not mean that we should send our troops to seek revenge. But- to begin with, are we really the third party? Are we not a belligerent party merely not currently involved in the war? We are lucky that we are not currently under assault. That is why we can open such conferences. However, exactly who is guaranteeing our safety? The Warrior-King of Red Horses: Hmm. Disciple Soldier: Let us ignore the reasons why those muskets are not currently pointed at us. No, the fact is there are reasons, but those are rted to the whims of the Central Kingdoms and the Church. The Demons of the Pale were an incredible challenge to our Three Kingdoms. During that period, there was a chance that our entire army could have been annihted. However, at present the Holy Crusaders are twelve times there are number. This is not a mere military threat. This is a threat to all the people in the Southern Alliance; every single person from the old man sitting by his hearth, to the newborn baby. If only 25,000 Demons of the Pale nearly annihted our entire army, it would not be difficult for 300,000 Holy Crusaders to purge the entirety of ournds. I do not wish to exaggerate the threats we are facing, but I am a soldier. When I observe threats of such a nature, I cannot put them aside, I have to voice my concerns. I plead with each of you to reconsider. I understand that it will not be an easy decision to march to save the Demon Army, I ask that you put that aside and consider the true cost of this war. The Prince of Branches: Disciple Merchant: Right. I have just one more thing I would like to present to you all. Attendant: Yes! Disciple Merchant: Right, the present Holy Crusades is the furthest military expedition and also thergest scale expedition in the history of human warfare. Moreover, with the introduction of muskets, the present war has resulted in a never-before-seen sort of logistics expenditure. Musketmen are really just serfs who have undergone very short-term basic infantry training. For this reason, while it may be very cheap to raiserge numbers of them aspared to knights and mercenaries, in reverse, as the war goes on, they are prone to consumingrge amounts of food and during the conflict itself, they expend huge amounts of gunpowder and ammunition. On to the next diagram. Attendant: Yes! The Queen of Ice and Snow: !? The Prince of Branches: What!? Disciple Merchant: This is my projection of the logistical expenditure of the Holy Crusaders. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: So Disciple Merchant: Indeed. What an incredible expenditure. I myself have never seen such arge expenditure in any war, even though these are my predictions. In a month, they will expend three million gold pieces. These are taken as levies. If the war ends quickly, which is to say that the Crusaders are able to achieveplete victory within a month from now, the profit they will umte from taxes and dividends through the acquisition of Demonnds as well aspensation from the Demon Tribes may be sufficient to repay this. However, in the long term they will exhaust their avable resources. Another thing to consider is that they may enact a military tax, just like they did eight generations ago in the Western Dynasty. This is an emergency measure aiming for a one time effect. However, in order tounch this campaign, it is a fact that they have taken productive malebourers from every country and drafted them into the musket corps of the Holy Crusaders. As a result, whether it be wheat farming, forestry or fishery, every agricultural domain will suffer a drop in productivity. Under these conditions, it will be impossible to sustain any regime of heavy taxation, and hence their abilities are limited. Disciple Soldier: Disciple Merchant: Of course, dead people dont eat any food, but while expenditure on food may go down as the war goes on, that does not mean that expenditure as a whole decreases. Rather, increasing amounts will need to be spent on medical equipment and maintenance of general equipment. As a result, reducing the maintenance of the army may be the primary goal of the army itself. No matter what, an army is meant to fight, so basically an army which is not fighting is just pointlessly wasting food. In this situation, the war will most likely be turned against another target If you consider this, the situation I have just described will lead to our safety being in jeopardy. The Sage-King of Reeds: In the long term, what do you feel is the chance that we will not be embroiled in this conflict? Disciple Merchant: Zero. It is out of the question. We have epted our designation as heretics after all. The Prince of Branches: Lord of a Free City: Then this is our annihtion? Disciple Merchant: No, that is not true. While I feel our chance of not being involved in the conflict is zero, that does not mean that we are only limited to military means. The Sage-King of Reeds: Then, what of our military means? Disciple Merchant: Right. Disciple Soldier: If we keep our head down, we can drain them of 30%. The Sage-King of Reeds: 30% Disciple Soldier: But this refers to 30% of that immense treasury gathered from the countries enved to the Holy Empire and the Church. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: This may be quite a one-sided view, but it is earnestly how I think. To begin with, our alliance is formed from us getting together to oppose the tyranny of the Central Continent, to oppose their domination. If we had intended to retreat, we would never have even joined in the first ce. The Sage-King of Reeds: The Queen of the Lake: Thats right. If we search for a road which leads to our survival. The Lone Winter King: What should we do, your Majesties? Disciple Merchant: Disciple Soldier: The Sage-King of Reeds: But, three hundred thousand. Three hundred thousand? My wise rulers, please consider. Just what can we do against such numbers? We are no more than a flock of sheep before an enraged dragon. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: We are not sheep. The Lone Winter King: Thats right. We are humans. We are not blind sheep like the Church says. The Metal Fist King: We the Kingdom of Metal believe that we should continue to debate whether or not to send soldiers to the Demon World. At the very least, we have been able to establish dialogue with a section of the Demon World. If we solve this through military means, while this may be appropriate now; in reverse, if we managed to solve this through dialogue, to the extent that our rtionship will not be coloured by a backdrop of military affairs, I believe their ears may be more inclined to listen. Furthermore, we the Kingdom of Metal were one of those who stood on the stage and faced the assault of the Crusader musketeers. Some say that our enemies are the Demons, but it was those Demons who rescued us from the brink of defeat. I do not mean to dredge up old events, but we are not a country who will forget our benefactors. I believe the citizenry will understand this as well. Hence, our view is to send out the troops. The Warrior-King of Red Horses: Our Kingdom shares the same view. We understand the threat posed by the Holy Crusaders. If we want to solve the issue, we have to act as soon as we possibly can. The Queen of Ice and Snow: Unfortunately, my Kingdom is unable to support such a proposal. To begin with, we do not have the military force to support the operation. However, we also understand the threat posed by the Holy Crusaders. We suggest that we try to seek alternative methods. Lord of a Free City: We choose to abstain. To begin with, as a free trading city, we do not have the ability to muster a military force. However, we have no intention of abandoning our present independence. We will do our best to provide naval transports, money and other material and logistics support as the situation deems necessary. The Queen of the Lake: I see. I will consider themitment of the Royal Knights of the Lake, as well as our Mage Battalions. Of course, we also aspire for a solution which will enable us to avoid conflict. The Sage-King of Reeds: At present, my Kingdom does not have the capacity tomit troops. However, I may suggest that across the Southern Alliance, we can attempt to muster for volunteers. However, however What will we do after we gather our troops? Will we not only incense the Holy Crusaders, and jeopardise the fates of all our Kingdoms? The Lone Winter King: Thats. Disciple Merchant: The Lone Winter King: The world which the Southern Alliance hopes for. Is not a world of consolidation and domination. What we hope for is peace and independence throughout the world. Within the South, we want freedom and liberty We cannot tolerate those who would challenge this conviction. From a practical point of view, we will not be able to prosper as long as there are those who would challenge our right to exist. If we allow those around us to be subsumed, we will ourselves be subsumed eventually, and we will be weak and epheremal. The Schr told me something I often think about and I believe this should be a beacon and a guide for the Kingdom of Winter and the Southern Alliance. That is, that it will not end. The Sage-King of Reeds: It will not end The Lone Winter King: Assuming that our Kingdoms are destroyed, but the earth is not. As long as the rivers and the mountains are still there, as long as the four seasons continue to rotate, then the people shall continue to reside in thisnd. They will live as they have lived Whether as citizens of a defeated country, or as citizens of a victorious country. As the Kingdoms change, they merely change rulers; as the Kingdoms stay the same, they merely transition to the next generation of rulers. As time goes by, the world continues. Nothing ends. We should consider the fact that it will not end. Disciple Merchant: It will not end The Lone Winter King: That is correct. It may not be the best of circumstances. However, as a King, as a leader, I must make preparations for this. That is my conviction. I also believe that we must light the way for the Southern Alliance to advance. If the world is not going to end, then at the very least, to strive for a better tomorrow, we must continue to fight. Somehow or another, we will not end, and neither will the Central Continent, or the Demon World. An unending world where suffering and conflict are allowed to exist, to me that is something too dangerous to tolerate. War is a bad thing. Especially because even war cannot end the world. It helps to spread misery and suffering across the world. However, I must look beyond what is good and what is bad, I must defend my country. To defend oneself, we sometimes have to do things that transcend binary morality. In order to minimise the damage to my country, the Kingdom of Winter is in favour of dispatching troops. But this must be done for the purpose of freeing our future from dark clouds. This mobilisation must be one pivot of a broader political settlement. The Queen of the Lake: That may be so But the realistic problem is that the military force we are able to muster will never be able to defeat the 300,000 strong army of the Holy Crusadeers. The Lone Winter King: That is why we must n the scale of our involvement very carefully. For this, each of us knows our own countries best. We must research into what form of support and how many soldiers we will be able to provide to the expedition. I would like to request a preliminary report to be made avable by this evening. As for the Commander-in-Chief, I would like to rmend the Iron Fist King. Does anyone oppose this? The Warrior-King of Red Horses: It would be strange if you were to propose anybody else to helm our frontlines. I know him to be a meticulous and dedicated character. The Sage-King of Reeds: I have no objections. The Prince of Branches: The tales of his great heroism have been told for a very long time. Lord of a Free City: Definitely no objections. Disciple Soldier: So it seems we will be sending our troops out. I suppose Ill have to head to the Demon World soon. Disciple Merchant: Well, its not limited to just war. Of course, avoiding war would be the best strategy. Disciple Soldier: That being said, how about our teacher? It would not be strange for her to join this council, actually. Disciple Merchant: She may be of nobility, but shes nobodys retainer nor is she royalty. Dont you think the effect of her words may be limited? Disciple Soldier: Eh? Disciple Merchant: Well, Im off to see what I can do about the Holy Temrs and the volunteers. -The Foot of the Inferno Mountains Boots dragging Small Mercenary: Whats up? Mercenary Archer: Well, ahead of us lies the Inferno Mountains. On top of the gate, the words rity in Fire are written. Without a doubt, this mountain pass leads to the city of the Fire Dragons. Elder Sister Maid: Good eye. You spotted that really quickly. Mercenary Archer: Nom the problem starts from now. The gate will no doubt be defended by guards, no matter how strong we think we are, we dont have a chance. This is not the sort of ce that a few tens of people will be able to break through. Small Mercenary: What! You fool! How many lives do you think we will need to get past this? Mercenary Archer: So whats the n? Elder Sister Maid: I suppose we will need a cunning n. Mercenary Survivor: Hmm. Is it possible? Elder Sister Maid: I think so. Mercenary Survivor: Would you like to tell us? Elder Sister Maid: No, I cant really say Mercenary Survivor: ? - The Inferno Mountains, the Gate Dragon Guard: Halt! Dragon Guard: Who goes there! State your name! Elder Sister Maid: Ahhh, ahem, its me. Dragon Guard: Ah! Your Majesty! Dragon Guard: What!? Dragon Guard: There is no mistaking it. Your Majesty! I saw you with my own eyes at the Kurultai. Mercenary Archer: Theyre calling her the Demon King. So this is what the Demon King looks like. But she hasnt changed her look one bit!? Mercenary Survivor: Wait, no Whats that look? Small Mercenary: So she was a mage!? Why didnt she say? Young Mercenary: Im not surprised. No matter what happens, Im not surprised anymore. Elder Sister Maid: I havee to see the Fire Dragon Lord. This is a top secret and highly urgent affair. Dragon Guard: But who are those humans? Elder Sister Maid: These are my bodyguards whom I have brought with me from the Human World. If possible, we will need a ce to tend to their horses. The road has been long, and the horses need to rest. We still have a long journey ahead of us as well. Perhaps you know a ce? Dragon Guard: Yes, I understand. Hey, lets get her to the Fire Dragon Lord. And, look around for a ce to house her imperial bodyguards. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you. Mercenary Survivor: Well done, mdy I mean, your Majesty. Elder Sister Maid: Dont worry about it. Dragon Guard: Then, pleasee this way. Elder Sister Maid: Looks like weve solved it through dialogue. But if we hadnt, this could have been really troublesome. The Inferno Mountains, the Temple of Rubies, the Audience Chamber Dragon Guard: This way, please. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you. Dragon Guard: My Lord! Fire Dragon Lord! The Demon King is here. The Fire Dragon Lord: Pleasee in. Elder Sister Maid: This is a confidential discussion. Please leave us. Dragon Guard: Yes, Your Majesty. Door closes Elder Sister Maid: Phew. The Fire Dragon Lord: Well. Elder Sister Maid: I am please to meet you. The Fire Dragon Lord: Who are you? You look just like the Demon King, but you stink of human. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. I am a human. My name is the Elder Sister Maid. Bows The Fire Dragon Lord: Is this a Ring of Illusion? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Fire Dragon Lord: Just why have you infiltrated this ce? Elder Sister Maid: Firstly, I must apologise for the method I have used to gain your audience. The Fire Dragon Lord: Hmph. Elder Sister Maid: You dont seem surprised, and you dont seem very angered. The Fire Dragon Lord: Over the years I have gotten used to impolite uninvited guests. That includes the Hero, when he came barging in thest time. Elder Sister Maid: I sincerely apologise. The Fire Dragon Lord: I suppose you learnt your manners from the Chief Maid. Elder Sister Maid: Yes, she was my teacher. The Fire Dragon Lord: I see. Elder Sister Maid: I learnt from the Chief Maid and the Demon King. You could say I was one of their disciples To begin with, I am not their official disciple, but I have had the opportunity of receiving their guidance. The Fire Dragon Lord: Mmm. Elder Sister Maid: I sincerely apologise for this, but the message of this audience which I havee to you for, is not based on the orders of the Demon King, nor is it based on any of her teachings, and I do note with any official credentials. At present, I am operating in line with, but independently from the Demon King. The Fire Dragon Lord: So who or what do you work for? Elder Sister Maid: My own ideals. The Fire Dragon Lord: I certainly hope so. Hahaha. Elder Sister Maid: ? The Fire Dragon Lord: I may be pathetic, but I am the Fire Dragon Lord. I am the head of one of the Great Tribes in the Demon World, the Patriarch of the Four Dragon Races. It is important to keep in mind that my answers have quite some gravity. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you very much. The Fire Dragon Lord: Enough with the formalities. Once I am no longer interested in you, I may just decide to bite off and consume your head. So tell me, why have youe assuming the form of the Demon King. Elder Sister Maid: I would like to borrow one of the treasures of the Tribe of Dragons. Well, theres a good chance I wont be able to return it, so I would like to have it The Fire Dragon Lord: Really? What do you want? The Blizzard de? Or the Ring of the Goddess? Elder Sister Maid: The Ball of Light. The Fire Dragon Lord: !? How does a human know of that! Elder Sister Maid: The Fire Dragon Lord: Answer me. This is a top level secret of the Dragon Tribe. This is one of the eternal treasures of the Tribe of Dragons. It goes back to the first Demon Kings, it is the foundation of legends. The reason why the Tribe of Dragons is such an ancient, such a noble, and such a powerful race has much to do with the Ball of Light. I will tell you a legend. Once a King of Dragons had the misfortune of losing the Ball of Light. He went insane and died soon after. So do you think that this is one of those things which I can so easily lend out!? Elder Sister Maid: Even so, please. The Fire Dragon Lord: So answer, how do you know of it, human!? Elder Sister Maid: I saw it in a dream. The Fire Dragon Lord: A dream? Elder Sister Maid: Indeed. The Fire Dragon Lord: This isnt some euphemism is it? Elder Sister Maid: Of a time long past The Fire Dragon Lord: Elder Sister Maid: The Spirits were of five races. Inter times, known as the Five Great Families. The ancestors of all Demons were these Spirits. The Spirits existed in a blissful utopia without conflict. Why did they fall from such great and noble heights to be the Demons of today? That is because one of the families, the Earth Family, gave birth to something impure; and this incensed the Fire Family. This misfortune polluted the Spirit World, and it fractured into innumerable fragments like small crystal balls. Ady of the head branch of the Fire Family offered her life to the heavens to save the suffering citizenry. She became known as the Spirit of Light, and the surviving Spirits she saved went on to be the seeds of the people today. - The Ball of Light is a present she left behind. But why? Why is it that while she is able to draw armies of adherents in the Human World, she ispletely unknown in the Demon World? Moreover, why is it that the Church in the Surface World has the same scars of the legends as that of the Demon World? That person taught me this in the blue sea. As a human, I should have known. We humans are the descendants of that Earth Family which destroyed the utopia we used to live in. And the Demons are the descendants of the other families, who were saved by the Spirit of Light. As a result, your ancestors did not consider her to be a divine being. While she was recognised as being brave and courageous, that ispletely different from being omnipotent She was merely seen as a great saviour, and a great and important person. That is why the Demon World does not venerate her. What probably began as great tales of admiration and gratitude, became legends and then myths. However, in reverse, our ancestors did not have such forbearance. They could not endure the fact that they had themselves destroyed the utopia which they had held so dear. On top of that, they could not endure the fact that it had been a single youngdy, not omnipotent nor omniscient, who had held back their transgressions and sacrificed her life for the world. As a result, in order to cope with all this, they began venerating her as a god. However, as time went on, we began to forget all of these origins. Just as how ones tracks get obscured when the snow falls again. While there is still some element of regret and repentance, we had forgotten the pain we could not endure, and we had forgotten our eternal gratitude. It was not because anybody was evil, or that anything had been done wrongly, but in this way the Surface World and the Subterranean World started to diverge further and further into two very different paths. The Fire Dragon Lord: I have never heard a story like this. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Fire Dragon Lord: Am I supposed to behave your creative license as a poet? Elder Sister Maid: If possible. But it was not my purpose that you believe me so that you will lend me the Ball of Light. The Fire Dragon Lord: Why, then? Elder Sister Maid: Because it is a very sad thing for just one person to know. The Fire Dragon Lord: Are you not afraid? Are you not scared to lose your life? Elder Sister Maid: Im scared. Im terrified I was born into poverty. Ive felt the death brush against the nape of my neck countless times. Ive spent thousands of nights hugging my knees for warmth as the snow fell around me, asking myself if, when night gave way to light in the morning, I would still be alive However, there is something I fear more than death. The Fire Dragon Lord: What is that? Elder Sister Maid: Something even worse than death That is that the people I treasure, the ces I treasure, the memories I hold dear, are crushed and destroyed, trodden on and annihted. That is my conviction. I have no time to be afraid. The Fire Dragon Lord: And because of that, you want the treasure of the Dragons? Elder Sister Maid: I think that The Ball of Light is the remains of the memories of that woman. It may be a sacred treasure of the Dragon Tribe, but at the same time, I believe it is also a part of our transient universe. It is not a permanent object. I believe you know this as well. Impermanent objects will notst forever. In order to try to aplish something, I would like to request for the Ball of Light before this happens. Thats why, please give it to me. I will use it. In order to let everybody in the Surface World remember, the Ball of Light is absolutely essential. So that we can stop spilling the blood of our own family. The Fire Dragon Lord: Perhaps what you are saying is true. Elder Sister Maid: The Fire Dragon Lord: However, while your words may be persuasive, I have not yet been brought to an understanding. This is the territory of the Dragon Tribe, and I am the Khan of Dragons, the Fire Dragon Lord. As the ruler of an ancient race, I cannot so easily offer my trust to you. I have yet to see any concrete evidence that you are not acting against the interests of the Demon World. Elder Sister Maid: But. The Fire Dragon Lord: At present, there are Human Armies thrusting the hand of conquest into the Demon World. Do you know of this? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Fire Dragon Lord: And with those small hands of yours, you hope to bring us peace? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Fire Dragon Lord: Everybody enjoys speaking of dreams they have no hopes of attaining. Elder Sister Maid: It is because there is a seed of hope growing in my chest. The Fire Dragon Lord: Then, prove it to me. Elder Sister Maid: Prove? The Fire Dragon Lord: That military might is something powerful. Just you try and stop it. When I have seen you take heroic action on our side, I will make the decision whether or not to trust you. By that one action, I will confirm whether or not you have the qualities to hold the Ball of Light. They are a pack of hungry wolves, bloodthirsty and murderous. What can you hope to achieve standing before them? A little girl like yourself could never do anything. It would be best to give up. Elder Sister Maid: Ill do it. The Fire Dragon Lord: Even if you go ahead and die, I wont be fazed by such a simple act. It will take a lot more than strongnguage. Elder Sister Maid: Once I prove it to you, I will seek your audience once again. The Fire Dragon Lord: I will not lend you any of my troops. You are to use whatever powers you possess and whatever friends you have to make that army retreat. Elder Sister Maid: Thank you for your considerations. The Fire Dragon Lord: Elder Sister Maid: You told me to make them retreat. Kill was not actually part of it. So if I am capable of making them fall back without killing them, I would not be betraying your trust? The Fire Dragon Lord: If you think it is possible to aplish such daydreams, then yes, it will be within our arrangement. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Giggles Elder Sister Maid: That is something I learnt from my teacher. The Fire Dragon Lord: Talking to ady like you really does make my eyes sparkle. Just like with the Demon King, I seem to be making interestingrades and acquaintances at every turn. To think that these old bones would still experience this. Elder Sister Maid: Another one of my teachers told me this. Think after you leap. If you think a lot, your fears will only increase, and you will find yourself unable to make the leap; however, if you make the leap, you will continue. My chest is brimming with thoughts of the treasure. So that that brilliant sparkle will never be clouded, I will not allow my feet to stop. - The City of the Gate, Near the South Gate, the Emergency Military Conference Aide-de-Camp: At present, the Holy Crusaders are encamped just eighteen kilometres from this location, at the earliest, they may strike at us the day after next. This is an incredibly massive force, so we do not have the specifics, but we believe they have two hundred thousand strong soldiers. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Two hundred thousand Banshee Consul: Hearing it once again really leaves one feeling overwhelmed. Beast Soldier: However, based on the reports of several of our scouts, they have split into two forces moving in different directions. Their strength is massive, and their encampment is almost the size of our entire city, so it is difficult to ascertain. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: We cant just fold our arms and look on passively. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Indeed. Aide-de-Camp: I apologise. My Khans. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: This City is a treasure of the Demon World. There is no need to apologise. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: If the City were to fall, it would be a simple matter to follow the course of the river, taking down the numerous trading cities along the way, and trampling over the territories of the Tribe of Fiends. This is our fight to protect ourselves as well. Minister: We have just received word, the heavy infantry unit from the Tribe of Dragons has just arrived. Aide-de-Camp: Understood. Allow them to rest. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: But, we have but The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: No more than sixty thousand in total. Aide-de-Camp: While the Khans were not around, we have received an increase in the number of Beasts willing to join us in this battle. However, the total number is still not as high as we had hoped. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We no longer have any choice. At least, we haverge stocks of supplies and advantageous terrain. Banshee Consul: As I thought, we should sally out and fight. Aide-de-Camp: Hmm The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Well. I have heard that the City has recently constructed new fortifications, however, considering that these fortifications have never even once been battle tested, I do not know how to ce my confidence in them. Moreover, ording to our reports, most of the Human army is not made out of regr soldiers. Especially when engaged in close quarters, their discipline is likely to devolve into chaos. If we consider this, our best chance may be to defeat them on the field. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: I have gathered all the talented mages from the Tribe of the Fiends to form a Magic Brigade. I believe that the Human World is yet inexperienced in defending against the battle tactics of magicalbat. If we make use of this vulnerability to cause chaos, we can disrupt their numbers. Aide-de-Camp: However, the Crusaders possess the musket, a weapon even the Demon King is afraid of The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Its not that I do not understand the concerns of the Aide-de-Camp, but no matter how threatening these muskets may be, they are still experimental weapons without properly formed doctrines. No matter what, as the numerically inferior force, it is our priority to reduce our disadvantage. Banshee Consul: Indeed. If we can reduce the enemy strength by a few thousand, we may be able to seize an opportunity for victory. Beast Soldier nods The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: What sort of formation should e adopt? Aide-de-Camp: Right The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Thats tough. Aide-de-Camp: Here are the Eastern Fortifications which we used previously. I am not suggesting that we hide within the fortifications, however, the surrounding terrain is easy to defend and there are numerous protective trenches. We can use the Fortification as a centre for an ambush. I would like to rely on the Fiends and the Magic Brigade for this purpose. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Hmm. Aide-de-Camp: On the other hand, for the formation dispatching frmo the South Gate, the centre should be entrusted to the Army of Banshees, the right wing can be formed from the Tribe of Beasts, while the left wing should be taken by the mixed force from the Tribes of Dragons, Humans and Giants. The formation can be set one and a half kilometres from the city, where we should be able to softly absorb the enemys main thrust. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Softly? Aide-de-Camp: We will force their centre to a retreat. This time, our intention is to fully exploit the enemys weaknesses. If theirmander is not prudent, with such low quality of troops, they m ay easily scatter. If we are able to absorb their attack in this way, we can engage the enemy forces at the centre for a protracted time. There, the Magic Brigade can concentrate their attack at the back of the front wave, causing anarchy and chaos. By biting off the enemys overstretched frontlines, we can decrease their numbers. If any trouble urs, or if the enemy firepower is too strong, we can retreat inside the city gates. Beast Soldier. Beast Soldier: Yes. Aide-de-Camp: Please canvass for volunteers to serve as the heart of our Defensive Unit. If we are forced to a retreat, we will require covering fire from the City. These volunteer militia will not be dispatched to the frontlines, of course. Beast Soldier: of course. Aide-de-Camp: What do you think of this formation? Banshee Consul: Seems like it might work. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Yeah, if we can sessfully bite off ten thousand of them, we might have a chance against the Human Crusaders. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: I wonder if things will be so simple. Beast Soldier: The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: However, there is no room for retreat. Aide-de-Camp: Yes. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hmm. Aide-de-Camp: It seems that the decisive battle will be fought the day after tomorrow. There must be couriers desperately running throughout the entire Demon World. The Demon King, who has seen the Human World, the Silver Tiger Lord and even our dirty old Commander are surely not doing nothing and watching us passively. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Thats right. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends nods Aide-de-Camp: Let us focus on surviving the battle we have before us. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: I hope so. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: The City of the Gate is now under the protection of the Tribe of Fiends and the Tribe of Banshees. - The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusader Surrounding the City Disciple Bard: (Im finally here. Ivee back.) Disciple Bard: (Weve crossed the bridge built by the Disciple Engineer. From here to the City of the Gate is just another one or two days more If I were to leave the formation now, I should have no issue sneaking away in the dead of the night. This is already the Demon World. With the protection of the Spirits, this is thend of us Fairies. Disciple Bard: (However Hey, how is it? Almost time. The battles about to start Its time to show those bastards who have betrayed the Holy Spirit. Finally, I can go home Yeah Id love to finally eat some good food. Disciple Bard: () Spearman of Light: Miss Bard, are you alright? Disciple Bard: Eh? Spearman of Light: Are you alright? You were staring into space. Disciple Bard: Ah. No. I was just day dreaming. Spearman of Light: That would be good. Miss Bard, you are not a soldier, so you should probably head to the rear once the battle gets started. Spearman of Light: Thats right. Even though its thanks to your encouragements that weve all managed to make it this far together, this is a really dangerous ce for a young bard to be in. Auxiliary of Light: Thats right. Disciple Bard: No Thats Whats for today? Bean soup and ck bread. Ahhh, I sure would love some bread without sand in it. Endure! I want to eat porridge with milk. Dontin, at least we have something to eat. Auxiliary of Light: Oh thats right, Ive been carrying it with me all this while, but how about we share some cheese. Spearman of Light: Ah! I have also got some wheat with me. Disciple Bard: Theres no way I could ept! Spearman of Light: No, umm. Umm. It seems that we will be dispatched to the vanguard wave. We didnt know that before. Auxiliary of Light: Yeah. So, since were going there, they gave us just a little more food. Disciple Bard: But, then- Spearman of Light: Weve heard a lot of beautiful things from you. Auxiliary of Light: Yeah, youve really shown that to us. Disciple Bard: Ah, ah. Spearman of Light: ? Disciple Bard: (Everyone, even though theyre going to die Even though they are going to stain these blue sands in a sea of red blood. Why is it that my songs, cannot reach anyone) Spearman of Light: Whats wrong? Disciple Bard: Nothing. Spearman of Light: Please stop crying, Miss Bard. Auxiliary of Light: Thats right, you cant cry. Disciple Bard: (Even. Even though theyre so close, why are they so far? Why Why Why cant I touch them?) Spearman of Light: Miss Bard? Auxiliary of Light: Come weve got to get a move on. Disciple Bard: No Thank you I Spearman of Light: Yeah Disciple Bard: I cannot fight, but, I will watch to the end. Auxiliary of Light: You will watch us? Disciple Bard: I will watch to the end. To the end - The Demon World, the South, a Gusty Wastnd, the Central Encampment The Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Strategist: What is it, Your Imperial Highness? The Crown Prince Marshal: No. Its almost time for the main unit tomence their envelopment of the City. Strategist: Indeed it is. Holy Imperial General: How will that fare? The Crown Prince Marshal: Ahaha. Strategist: ? Holy Imperial General: What is it? The Crown Prince Marshal: No, its just that, even if this decisive battle were to go well, or were to awry, it would not have a tremendous impact. Holy Imperial General: Is that so? The Crown Prince Marshal: Of course, if we suffer a defeat, the conquest of the Demon World would bergely set back, but just what does defeat refer to in this case? Of course, if the entire force of a hundred and fifty thousand were to bepletely wiped out, that would be a defeat; but what if we had seventy thousand remaining. Strategist: It is impossible to conquer the Demon World with just seventy thousand. The Crown Prince Marshal: Then what of it? If the City of the Gate were to fall, would that seventy thousand plus the elite thirty thousand I know control be sufficient? We could capture the City of the Gate, leave them as a garrison force and return to the Continent. - We would not have lost anything. Is that not sufficient? Holy Imperial General: Not lost anything? The Crown Prince Marshal: To begin with, we are outside our borders. This is not the Continent. While we may lose men, we will never lose territory. If I were to build a strong bridgehead here in the Demon World, we can slowly carve out the territory like slices of a cake. This may take some time, but that is not actually an issue. Strategist: Indeed. The Crown Prince Marshal: To begin with, our minimal goals were to defend the Continental territories of the Human World to the death and construct the foundations of the Thousand Year Empire. The Central Continent could be a unified political entity centred around the Holy Empire. We are fighting against heretics against this idea, the Demon Race. In the end, we will no doubt have ended on a much higher note than we began, and hence this would not have been a pointless war. And now, we have illuminated the presence of the Demon World, and cast them as a diametrically oppositional threat, regardless of the actual conflict itself, we the Holy Empire now have much more persuasive power. This means that controlling territory in the Demon World is not actually a requirement. No, subjugation and control can be effectively carried out once the Holy Empire is the centre of the world. To begin with, the next priority is to deal with the Southern Alliance. However, in order to deal with the Southern Alliance, we need to invoke the Demon World to solidify and build up the support for the actions of the Church. Strategist: The Church? Holy Imperial General: In recent times, they have truly be a thorn in our side. The Crown Prince Marshal: Indeed. Holy Imperial General: What is Your Imperial Highness thoughts on this matter. Holy Imperial General: Hmm The Holy Empire, the Central Kingdoms, no, the entire Continent and all its people are bound by the chains of faith to the Spirit of Light. Alone we are quite powerful, but with this we are massive. This Holy Crusades is a testament to that. The magnificent power of the musket, this pace of training and development; in other words, the fact that we were so cheaply able to convert serfs into a credible fighting force on the battlefield, is all due to the faith generated by the Church. Without a single set of teachings to unite us, the Kingdoms would be torn apart by freedom-motivated conscripts or some other chaotically inspired groups. The Church is vital and important, and it is keeping our lives. Holy Imperial General: So the Church is on the side of justice? The Crown Prince Marshal: Justice? That has nothing to do with it. It is just like a rock. Holy Imperial General: A rock? The Crown Prince Marshal: Even a rock sitting on a road side can be a divine object if everybody bows their head in its direction, right? If you polish it, it can shine; if you carve it, you can make it into the figurine of a person. Faith is nothing more than the polishing of habits, as one would polish a rock. Such things are even seen in a childrens games. What the Church really is, is time. The Crown Prince Marshal: Or you could say, the length of a prayer. History, as it is built andpiled, is the backdrop of the true nature of the Church. Thousands of years, hundreds of years of history have been interpreted by the Church as right or wrong. Justice is the act of separating superficial conflicts from the tendency of situations, in other words, propriety. If things are done for a right reason, then of course, people will be able to feel the roots of the argument. That is Justice. - So, just where is the source of this propriety? If you asked me, that is time. Or you could also call it history. Standing at the present day, the older things are, the more right they seem. Quite simply, the longer things continue, the more right they are. Because it is ancient, it is proper. And the defence and maintenance of this propriety is to the gross benefit of us in the Holy Empire The Thousand Year Empire is not just a utopia we see when we close our eyes. If we are one day able to control what is proper and what is not, that will be ourpass to the truth. Volume 4 7, “I am the Fearsome General of the Right of the Demon World.”

Volume 4 Chapter 7, I am the Fearsome General of the Right of the Demon World.

- The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Holy Crusaders Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: We can see it! Advance! Advance! Children of Light! Apanying Chain: There! Our target is the City of the Gate! The Ash Green King: Centre muskets! Maintain your formations! Musketmen of Light shuffle All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! Spearman of Light: For the sake of His Holiness! Sergeant of Light: Long live the Holy Spirit of Light! Light Infantry of Light: Long live the Holy Spirit! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: The enemy is right ahead of us, deployed in a square formation. The Ash Green King: Hmm. The centre isprised of infantry, the left wing of scattered light infantry. And the right wing Is that a giant? The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: A giant Hehe, what shall we do about that? The Ash Green King: Its not like hes as massive as a mountain. Hes just a few times bigger than a normal person at most. He would be a splendid target for our cannon. March, march, march Sergeant of Light: Advance! Advance! The enemy is straight ahead! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Now we shall see their skill. The Ash Green King: Let us sing of victory. Load muskets! Advance! The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Demon Army Aggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Aide-de-Camp: They havee. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Mmm. Im counting on you. Banshee Lieutenant: The Crusaders havee! Warriors of the Banshees! Swordman of Banshees: Yeah! Spearman of Banshees: Lets do this! Banshee Lieutenant: I know just how fierce you guys can be! The enemy advance will be brutal and intense, but we have to halt it. We will not be fazed by their impertinent muskets! For the pride of the Tribe of Banshees! Spearman of Banshees: Lets go. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: We are all relying on you. Banshee Lieutenant: Leave it to us! Aghhhhhhhhhh! Aide-de-Camp: They draw close. Heavy Infantry of Dragons: The humans are here. Javelinman of Giants: Yes Theye Aide-de-Camp: Its finally about to begin. Ready! Giants, begin throwing javelins. We will rain javelins on them from this position. - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Holy Crusaders Grass blows in the wind The Ash Green King: Here we are. Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: Now it begins. The Ash Green King: Mmm. - Centre First Company! Advance! Fire upon contact with the enemy! Move out! Musketman of Light: Aghhhhh! Spearman of Light: Advance! Advance! Sergeant of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! The Ash Green King: Centre Second Company! Load muskets! Upon First Companys contact with the enemy, you will be next to fire! Sergeant of Light: Move out, do not bete! Light Infantry of Light: Destroy the Demon Race! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: The City of the Gate will be ours! Attendant Chain: By the Grace of the Holy Spirit! The Ash Green King: The Spirit? The deciding factors on the battlefield are cold steel and raging fires. Crack! Crack! Crack! Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: First Company has made contact with the enemy! The Ash Green King: Centre Second Company! Begin your advance! Do not allow the ground taken by First Company to be eaten up by the enemy! Spearmen to the centre to protect the muskets! Attack! Move out! Musketman of Light: Aggggghhhhhhhhhh! All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! Sergeant of Light: Second Company will take this victory! - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Demon Army The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Here theye. Banshee Lieutenant: Draw your swords! Warriors, advance! Attack! Swordman of Banshees: Aghhhh! Spearman of Banshees: Attack! Aide-de-Camp: I will go as well. The aim of the muskets is not very good. Keep your aim at their centre line. There! Javelinman of Giants: Leave it to us Whoosh whoosh Auxiliary of Beasts: Lets go as well. The Right Wing feasts today! Skirmisher of Beasts: Attack! Attack! Crack! Crack! Banshee Lieutenant: !? Aghhhhh!!! What what Swordman of Banshees: Have no fear! Attack! Attack! Spearman of Banshees: Warriors of the Tribe of Banshees! Advance! Javelinman of Giants: Here we go Whoosh Aide-de-Camp: Incredible. So this is power of the muskets Advance! All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! Crack! Crack! Crack! Aide-de-Camp: What? A second volley!? Thats too quick! - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the East Fortifications, the Army of Fiends The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: We Fiends should move out too. Magic Brigade Commander: Understood. Lets go. Fiend Mage: Yes! Knight of Fiends: Line up, we will take the fighting force of the Holy Crusaders along their side. Spearman of Fiends: Understood! Crack! Crack! The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: It has begun. Magic Brigade,mence! Magic Brigade Commander: Yes! Begin the Spell of Double Illusions! Fiend Mage: Spell of Double Illusions! Fiend Mage: Spell of the Illusionary Dream Mirror! The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Knights! An illusionary spell has just been cast upon you. Right now, your bodies seem thin and pressed to the enemy, like innumerable mirrors, they will have no way to determine each of you from the other. The enemys new weapon, the musket, is a projectile weapon. As a result, since they wont be able to aim at you, the effectiveness will be greatly lowered. We will use a mounted charge to crush their formation! We will bite off their advancing unit, and in the chaotic fray, extract ourselves back to the City of the Gate. Knight of Fiends: Understood! Spearman of Fiends: For our homes! The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Holy Crusaders Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: Enemy ambush from the left wing. It seems they intend to split us up with an attack. The Ash Green King: So it would seem. Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: The enemy is using some sort of illusionary magic, but they appear to be mounted cavalrymen. The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Your Majesty, is the situation against our favour? The Ash Green King: Of course not. It is all as expected. Let them taste the power of the muskets and their overwhelming numerical inferiority. Commander of the Left! Load muskets! Light Infantry of Light: Take aim! Light Infantry of Light: Get ready! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: This is The Ash Green King: We will contain their ambush from the left and the right. We will use a defensive formation. No matter how you think about it, five thousand cavalry will have a hard time against twenty thousand spearmen. And just how will they fare against ten thousand musketeers. Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: We can do it. The Ash Green King: Your targets are the cavalry! Do not be fazed by the illusion! Aim your guns level and fire! Fire! Crack! Crack! Crack! The Ash Green King: Reload quickly and fire again! Prepare the second volley! The City of the Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Army of Fiends Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: What! Agghhhhhh! My hand! The horse! The horse exploded! What! What is going on! Aghhhhh! Spearman of Fiends: What kind of attack is this!? Aghhhh! Crack! Crack! Magic Brigade Commander: Support them! Do something! Support the knights! Fiend Mage: Agh! Take this, Fireball! Fiend Mage: Take this too! Ball of Frost! Boom! Boom! Spearman of Fiend: At least let us get to them! Aghh! Crack! Crack! The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: ! Magic Brigade Commander: Its impossible! They are too many! Fiend Mage: Commander! The enemy attack is not stopping! The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Combine your magical abilities and cast something big! Magic Brigade Commander: Understood! All sorcerer level mages gather now! Magic swirling Boom! Magic Brigade Commander: Aghhhhh! - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Demon Army Aide-de-Camp: A direct attack on the headquarters!? Javelinman of Giants: Ahhhh! Aide-de-Camp: This is, a cannon!? But Ive never heard of such a massive thing being able to fire properly before. How is this possible? Boom! Boom! Javelinman of Giants: Aghh my hand. Aide-de-Camp: Fall back! Dragons! Dragon units, advance! Support our retreat! Mercenaries follow me! We will assist the chaos of the Banshees! Human Cavalryman: Damnit. Human Swordsman: Come! Ive been on the battlefield since I was born. Im not going to let down all those defenceless peasants! Dragon Heavy Lieutenant: Orders received. Move out! Auxiliary of Beasts: Have no fear! Skirmisher of Beasts: Lets go! Aide-de-Camp: (What a tremendous difference in fighting power!) - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Demon Army Banshee Lieutenant: ! This is bad. Crack! Crack! Crack! Swordsman of Banshees: Advance! Cut them down! Spearman of Banshees: Alright! Aghhhhhh!! Human Cavalryman: Stop them! Press the attack! Musketman of Light: Ahhhh! Spearman of Light: Die! Demons! Human Cavalryman: Aghhhh! All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it! Spearman of Light: For the glory of the Patriarch! Sergeant of Light: For the Holy Spirit of Light! Advance! Attack! Attack! ng! ng! Aide-de-Camp: (No, this chaos Agh. We knew from the start that their numbers would be overwhelming. This is what they call a Saturation Attack*. I should have expected this from the start. We knew that we were inferior in fighting power. We were too na?ve From the start, this has been an army designed for the express purpose of carrying out a saturation attack.) Crack! Crack! Aide-de-Camp: No! Witch-Queen! Please fall back! We must regroup within the City! -- Exnation Saturation Attack: The act of concentrating your military force in order to overwhelm the enemys ability to respond effectively. Within the novel, in response to never before seen magic which eroded their ability to aim urately, the Ash Green King massed his firepower to fire indiscriminately, ensuring that even if only a small percentage of the bullets hit, it would be enough. In this way, he was able to counteract the illusionary magic. - - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Holy Crusaders Survey Soldier: The enemys right wing, a section of Giants, has gone silent. They are retreating. The Ash Green King: What of the centre? Survey Soldier: The dust blowing about is obscuring our view, however, it appears that the cavalry which ambushed us earlier has been destroyed. The remaining forces appear to be fighting within the chaos. The Ash Green King: How very good. Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: What now? The Ash Green King: First and Third Company can stand down. Blow the horn. You takemand of Fourth Company and drive into their formation. Knight of the Kingdom of Mist: Understood! Crack! Crack! Crack! Musketman of Light: All is as the Spirit wills it! Spearman of Light: Attack! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Way too much gunpowder flying about. What is going on? The Ash Green King: A smartmander would have ordered a retreat by now. I cannot confirm, but it appears that the attrition rate has far exceeded their eptable threshold. The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: So, whats left to do? Attendant Chain: We cannot allow it. The Ash Green King: Yes. The frontline is currently locked in a very messy stalemate. When they order a retreat, the masses of people moving to the rear will create a gap, within that gap I will send my reserve force, a six thousand man strong division of elite musketeers armed with thetest flintlock muskets When the Demons see that division, they will know it is their end. The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Demon Army Auxiliary of Beasts: We will show you the ferocity of the Beasts! Skirmisher of Beasts: Cover the retreat of ourrades! Advance! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Its a retreat. Banshee Lieutenant: Infantry, evacuate the wounded and move back! Aide-de-Camp flinches Auxiliary of Beasts: We can do this! Skirmisher of Beasts: Go go go! Banshee Lieutenant: Damn. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Whats wrong, why cant you retreat faster? Banshee Lieutenant: If we show them that we are turning our backs too quickly, they will take advantage of this gap. And we would effectively have abandoned the Army of Fiends as well. Aide-de-Camp: (Whats this Ive got goosebumps on the nape of my neck) Crack! Crack! Crack! Auxiliary of Beasts: Ahhhhh! Skirmisher of Beasts: What!? Reinforcements! Banshee Lieutenant: Reinforcements!? Aide-de-Camp: (What!? Now we have to face their reserve forces!?) Swordsman of Banshees: What! Why do we have to face this too!? Spearman of Banshees: Aghhhh! Crack! Crack! Crack! Aide-de-Camp: Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Help! Help us retreat! We have to search for a weak point and concentrate our breakthrough from there! Waaggghhhh! Waaaaaghhhh! Aide-de-Camp: !? - The City of the Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Army of Fiends Waaaggghhhh! The Silver Tiger Lord: Make way, make way, make way! I am the warrior king of the Beasts, the Silver Tiger Lord! I will kill those who throw aside their swords as well! Come with me! It will be a close fight! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Ohhhhh! Axeman of Beasts: We the elite Beast warriors will never abandon our allies! Howling The Demon King: Do not be fixated on the enemy! Leave them in their chaos! Our objective today is to save our friends and help them withdraw to the City of the Gate! The East Fortress Base Commander: Lets do this! The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Ugh Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Yaaaaaa! Axeman of Beasts: Take this! The Demon King: Magic Brigade! Cast Spells of Obscuring on the infantry! You need to protect ourrades. Cavalry move to protect the Magic Brigade! When the situation allows for it, make sure to retreat to the east! Hurry! The Silver Tiger Lord: Put your all into it! Fight together! Move! Warriors of the Beasts! Eat up their left wing! Throw your spears! Break them! Auxiliary of Beasts: The Silver Tiger Lord has returned! The Silver Tiger Lord: I have returned! And we will all return alive to the City! Lend the wounded your shoulders! Anything is fine, we will get back! The Demon King! The Demon King hase to reinforce us! Pull back, the Demon Kings Army is covering our retreat! For her Majesty the King! We are protected by the Ruby Eyes! Auxiliary of Beasts: Attack! Skirmisher of Beasts: Attack! Bring them to their deaths! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Agghhhh!! For the Demon King! For the Ruby Eyes! - The City of the Gate, Two Kilometres from the South Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Holy Crusaders, the Holy Carriage For the Demon King! For the Demon King! The Primarch: Its here. Attendant Bishop: Huh? Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The Primarch: The Demon Kinges. Attendant Bishop: What? The Primarch: The centre of the battlefield is now chaotic and messy. Attendant Bishop: How were you able to tell? The Primarch: Hehehe, a sign from the Spirit. Cough, cough Knight of the Hundred Pdins flinches The Primarch: My child. Knight of the Hundred Pdins: Yes! The Primarch: Take the dragoons and surround the Demon King Its defences should be thin. I see that have thrown all their forces to support the retreat The thinness of their defences will surely be their greatest folly Attendant Bishop: Knights, prepare to attack! Knight of the Hundred Pdins: Yes! The Primarch: Light bless your brave souls. Knight of the Hundred Knights: Hundred Pdins! We have our orders from the Holy Primarch! Move out! - The City of the Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, the Midst of Battle Destroy them! Attack! Its a retreat! We will defend you, press on! Aghhhhh! Aghhhhhhh!! Knight of the Mist: You dog of the Demons. The East Fortress Base Commander: A dog is enough. Because I have teeth. Let me bite off the pride you have in your human shape! Knight of the Mist: Die! Heretic! The East Fortress Base Commander: Whatever you say! ng! Knight of the Mist: Why would a human join the Demons! The East Fortress Base Commander: Why do you insist on attack an opponent who has not attacked you! Knight of the Mist: Demons are the enemy of Light. The source of all evil. The East Fortress Base Commander: What a pathetic way of thinking. Knight of the Mist: Damn you, do not take the name of the Church in vain. The East Fortress Base Commander: Oh I wont! I dont y with sheet! ng! ng! ng! Knight of the Mist: Uncivilised barbarians! The East Fortress Base Commander: Listen to yourself! Arent you ashamed! Knight of the Mist: Shut up! Shut up! The East Fortress Base Commander: In order to seize the treasures of other people, you bear your sword against them. You are no more than amon bandit! Knight of the Mist: To the victor the spoils of war. That is a norm on the battlefield. The East Fortress Base Commander: Yes indeed. We have the same view then! ng! ng! Knight of the Mist: !? The East Fortress Base Commander: I said we have the same views. You lousy knight!! Thats why Whether Human, or Demon, or even a Spirit, were all the same. You and I, are pathetic existences worth not even a hair of effort! Ha! ng! Knight of the Mist: Shut up! Shut up, you mangy dog! The East Fortress Base Commander: Shut me up with your de then. ng! ng! ng! Knight of the Mist: Traitor! The East Fortress Base Commander: And thats why I will never retreat! - The City of the Gate, the ins of Strange Cliffs, in the Midst of Battle Boom! Boom! The Demon King: Hurry! Dont expose our right nk! Go go go! Human Cavalryman: Your Majesty, this ce is unsafe. We must move quickly. The Demon King: But the Magic Brigade The Silver Tiger Lord: Go, your Majesty This is just a battlefield. There are better ces for the Demon King to be. The Demon King: Bang! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: !Bang! Bang! Axeman of Beasts: What! Auxiliary of Beasts: Where is the attacking from!? Is this magic? The Demon King! The Demon King should be around here, search for him! We shall deliver the hammer of death that incarnation of evil, that traitorous Demon King! The Silver Tiger Lord: Kuh. Seems like they found out that the Demon King was on the battlefield somehow. Weve got to go quickly. Human Cavalrymen: Yes! The Demon King: (So the musket was really this powerful and how convenient. Its apact delivery and concentration of firepower, and its ability to cause such chaos and disruption to enemy lines along with its merciless efficiency. To think that I allowed people like the Holy Crusaders to obtain such malevolent weaponry This too, is my fault.) Bang! Bang! Bang! ng! ng! ng! The Demon King: (And just how many of them are there? Two hundred thousand? Three hundred thousand? I cant even tell by listening. Ive never even experienced such massive numbers before. This is bad. This is really bad With such tremendous numbers, such efficient weaponry, they could quite possiblypletely exterminate the Demon Race to the veryst man.) Bang! The Demon King: (Wh- What am I even thinking about. Could such an unrealistic fantasy be true However, this evil destructive and devastating ability, will likely result in overflowing amounts of blood. Even though less than half a day has passed since the start of the battle, the earth has soaked in so much blood, it seems to be turning the very air around it ck as well So this is the hell created by gunpowder I I) Bang! Bang! The East Fortress Base Commander: Your Majesty! Get down! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha! Woman of evil, Demon King! This is where you will lose your life today!! ng! ng! The Demon King: (Its impossible. Theres too many. We cant escape. Bang! Bang! The Silver Tiger Lord: Agh! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord! The Silver Tiger Lord: Hehe. Hahahaha! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord! Youre bleeding! The Silver Tiger Lord: Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Come, Demon King, hurry! Hurry into the City. The Demon King: But The Silver Tiger Lord: Go to where the people are waiting for you. The Demon King: No! Silver Tiger Lord! Dont you leave! I wont allow it! The Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Heh. You were lucky that I missed. The second time, I definitely wont! The Silver Tiger Lord: Did you think I would let you!! ng! ng! ng! The Silver Tiger Lord: Those who are far away, hear this; those who are close by, see it with your eyes. See the military pride of the most noble of Demon Races, the Tribe of Beasts. See their leader, the white tiger. Standing with pride, with my seven foot spear. I am the fearsome general of the Demon World! My family name is Kai, my personal name is Souun, with ck eyes and snow-white hair, they call me the Silver Tiger. You pathetic soldiers are no match for me! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: ! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord! Knight of the Hundred Pdins: Die! Knight of the Hundred Pdins: Die you monster! Die! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord The East Fortress Base Commander: No! Your Majesty, you must not go! Bang! Bang! The Silver Tiger Lord: Hahahahaha! The battlefield is the hometown of us Beasts! This is a fun battle, Your Majesty! Such dream-like days. My heart feels light, whatever I say, whatever do, all make me happy. Hah! Hah! The Demon King: No! No! The Silver Tiger Lord: - I will try to keep my promise. We the Beasts are people of war. However, while we may be rough and while, we will not endure shame. The loyalty we have sworn to the Demon King will be repaid to the very end! Hahahahahaha! The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord! The East Fortress Base Commander: The Silver Tiger Lord: Hahahaha! Human warriors. Base Commander. I apologise. And I will leave this to you. Of the three promises I have made, two have been aplished, but thest one still needs to be done. Hahahahahaha! Knight of the Hundred Pdins: You monster! The Silver Tiger Lord: Shut up! ng! The Silver Tiger Lord: The Demon King is weak. Weak. Unreliable, light and emotionless. However, the entire Demon World is being supported on her shoulders Base Commander. I recognise you as a wild warrior as well! A great man! A battle buddy and a drinking buddy! I can rely on you. Bang! Bang! The East Fortress Base Commander: - The Silver Tiger Lord: After my death, support the Demon King to the end The Demon King: Silver Tiger Lord!! Bang! Volume 4 8, “The Names of Those Who Cannot Return.”

Volume 4 Chapter 8, The Names of Those Who Cannot Return.

Demon Thrush: The Hero: Dont screw with me! Demon Thrush: I understand that youre angry, sir. The Hero: What? Demon Thrush: People, whether Human or Demon are all like that. The Hero: ? Demon Thrush: People are not like you, they do not have your magical power or your battle ability or your teleportation, they do not have your limitless courage and your impossible stubbornness. Compared to you right now, people are hundreds of times more powerless. The Hero: Ah Demon Thrush: However, people are not wooden dolls. The Hero: Sorry. I I said something I didnt mean. Demon Thrush: The Hero: Okay, continue your surveince. Demon Thrush: Yes, sir. ps away The Hero: (I want to help them. Everybody. Humans and Demons both. Why cant I help them? Why cant I do what I really want to do? Always and always- Demon King Please be okay. In just a little while, just a little while, the Mages preparations will all beplete. So just hold on. - The City of the Gate, the Self Governing Council, the Barracks The Demon King! The Demon King! The Demon King has returned! Human Elder: It seems that shes returned safely! Fiend Merchant: Her Majesty has returned without harm. The Demon King: - Im sorry for making worry. Make preparations, we will hold a military conference. Aide-de-Camp: My lord. I have been very worried. The East Fortress Base Commander: You and I both. Aide-de-Camp: I am pleased to see you unharmed The East Fortress Base Commander: I wouldnt say unharmed The Fire Dragon Lady: Your Majesty. The Demon King: We are in the midst of battle. But it is good that we are all unharmed. The Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. The Demon King: I am carrying a very heavy burden. I recognise that. Even if I were to wager my entire life, I would still be unable to do anything. The Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. The Demon King: For the names of those who cannot return. The Fire Dragon Lady: The Demon King: Somebody! Call the person responsible the defences of the fortress. The man who design the fortifications. It should be a Fiend with a sleepy face. Im eager to see how he has changed from an unreliable guy to an unwavering adult with forward-facing red eyes. Call him over! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Banshee? The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Your Majesty, who is this person? The Demon King: Just a boy who I taught some things to a very long time ago. If he continued to build up on his experiences from that time, he should be able to construct some very formidable defences now. If he is as I expect him to be, these fortifications may well form the lifeline of this battle. Human Elder: What! Aide-de-Camp: So that person is your Majestys discicplE? The Fire Dragon Lady: So thats why he was willing to do it. The Demon King: Well then, members of the Self-Governing Council. Human Elder: Yes. Fiend Merchant: Yes. The Demon King: In my absence, I have ced arge amount of worry and burden on your shoulders. I apologise for the impact my naivete has had on the turn of events. - And I thank you for enduring thus far. Human Elder: No Aide-de-Camp: The Demon King: We will need to continue to survive. Chieftain. The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: Your Majesty. The Demon King: How are your wounds? The Tattooed Chieftain of Fiends: With some more rest, I should be able to rejoin the battlefield. The Demon King: Do not press yourself. I do not want to see a repeat of what happened to the Silver Tiger Lord. Aide-de-Camp: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The Demon King: Base Commander. Can I count on you? The East Fortress Base Commander: Yes. The Demon King: Then I appoint you the Commander-General and entrust to you our counter-attack. The East Fortress Base Commander: I humbly ept your appointment. I give my life as your shield. The Demon King: - Thats. The East Fortress Base Commander: I wont allow a word ofint even if youre the Demon King. The Demon King: Witch-Queen. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Yes. The Demon King: I will entrust the organisation of the interior of the City, as well as the maintenance of public order to the Self Governing Council. The Witch-Queen and the Tribe of Banshees shall take charge of this. I entreat all to lend her your assistance to expedite things. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: I understand. The Demon King: I will not allow this City to fall. That is something I promise to the Demons and to the Humans alike. If this City were to fall again in a ze of furious fire, the echoes of their screams will form a cursesting a thousand years, forming a ck chain that will forever bind the fates of the Human and Demon Races. We were not born for conflict. However, in order to prove exactly what it is we were born for, we have to live beyond today. I will not allow this battle to consume the City of the Gate! The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusaders Surrounding the Fortress Green Ash King: How is it? Scout: I apologise. We did not detect the surprise attack from the rear. Green Ash King: No, I do not mind. We are all working for the sake of the dominance of His Holiness under heaven. It is our duty to protect him in this manner. Do you have any reports regarding the oue of the attack? Scout: It appears that the Demon Army losses amount to 30,000. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Green Ash King, how is it going? Green Ash King: The enemy losses are 30,000; approximately half of their strength. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Half? Were you not instructed to exterminate them!? Scout: (A simple girl who knows nothing of the realities of war.) Green Ash King: Please do not say that. Well Under doctrine, in order for an army to be unable to function effectively, all that is required is the loss of a third of an armys forces. The Demon Army, which has lost half of its forces is practically destroyed. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Heh. Demons Exterminate them. Green Ash King: We will need to regroup our forces and reform our frontlines. The noble soldiers will rest for the time being, and in the meantime, the frontline will be manned by the knights of the Kingdom of the Mist. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: Hahahaha. We shall ride into the City and squish them like insects. Green Ash King: Yes. The Demons are no longer able to sally out and fight us in the field. Furthermore, our siege is proceeding very well. Their unsightly, turtle-like fortifications should not be able to endure another afternoon of cannonade fire. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: I assume it is no question that they will drown in a sea of despair and pain? Green Ash King: We will continue our siege. Musketeers to defensive positions. Cannons, adopt positions and begin firing! Infantry units link up with logistics units to construct our rear support area! - The City of the Gate, Atop the Citadel, Defenders Beast Soldier: The sun is going down! Hurry! Disciple Engineer: Light thenterns. Giant Craftsman: How bright. Volunteer Archer: What is this? Disciple Engineer: A ss mirror. Right then, lets support the retreat. Engineers, raise the ramparts! Load up the oil and rubble. Giant Craftsman: Understood Volunteer Archer: Open up! Open up, there are wounded! Human Craftsman: We cannot do that, the people will flood in. Disciple Engineer: Open the doors to the temples! We will put up a tentage between the hills. Boom! Boom! Giant Craftsman: ! Human Craftsman: Whats that sound!? Boom! Disciple Engineer: Stay calm! Those are cannons. They are giant metal tubes fileld with gunpowder. Human Craftsman: What? Then will we be alright? Disciple Engineer: Listen up! The fortifications will be fine. They are thick and we have built them slope in anticipation of the cannon fire. Everything is proceeding within our calctions. Time is short, but we have prepared good fortifications. So, calm down! Giant Craftsman: Thats Banshee Craftsman: Our engineer cant be lying! Hes the one who managed to build those incredible stone bridges after all! Human Craftsman: He is? Disciple Engineer: Assist the soldiers! Volunteers, carry in the wounded. Beast Soldier: Understood! Banshee Craftsman: Lets go! Human Craftsman: How about us? Disciple Engineer: Engineers will stand watch. The clock tower of the Temple is not appropriate. While it is made of stone, it is still not very strong. Watch the enemy positions from atop the walls. Do not use bright lights, try to observe by your eyes alone. Human Craftsman: Understood! Disciple Engineer: Apart from that, we need to speed up the movement of supplies. Bring water up using the pulley systems. Tonight it seems we will have to endure an entire night of cannon fire. Lets have a rotating shift. Umm. Where should we put our emergency headquarters? Damnit. Im just an engineer! Fiend Signaller: Hey! Hey! Giant Craftsman: What is it? Fiend Signaller: Whos in charge here? Whos the man who design the forts? Disciple Engineer: Design? That would be me. Fiend Signaller: Sir! You are wanted by Her Majesty the Demon King. Disciple Engineer: The Demon King!? Wow. But Im just an engineer. Why would such an important person No, perhaps shes not pleased with the state of the fortress. Spare me!! Im not a military person! I shouldnt be punished under militaryw! Fiend Signaller: Her Majesty had instructions for me. - If he seems reluctant toply, tell him that the one who wants him is Ruby Eyes. Disciple Engineer: Master!? The City of the Gate, a Busy Street, a Covered Tent Aghhh, my leg. It burns. It burns. Aghhh. It hurts. Somebody. Water. Please. Just a ss Water Demon Girl: Boil more water! Those lightly injured people, help with the bandages, and someone get me more thread. Human Civilian: Water!? Demon Girl: Im sorry. Sorry. I gave instructions as if I was some bigshot. Middle-Aged Dragon Woman: Whats with that expression! You are the person in charge of the Temple Hospital! Water? Ill get it! Medic: Coming through! Coming through! Demon Girl: Sorry! Signaller: Madam, we have exhausted the stocks of cloth in the warehouses of the Self-Governing Council. What should we do? Demon Girl: Umm, thats Well Hands Signaller: Hands? I understand. I will get the volunteers toe and help. Demon Girl: Sorry. Sorry! One-Handed Beastman: This girl Demon Girl: Ah! Sorry. One-Handed Beastman: Damnit, what now. Demon Girl: I will bandage you up now. Leave it to me Even though Im not very good at it. One-Handed Beastman: It doesnt really matter. Im already one-handed anyway. Demon Girl: Sorry, sorry! One-Handed Beastman: Agh Girl, can you get me some wine to drink? Demon Girl: No, no! If you drink itll make you bleed! One-Handed Beastman: Shut up! What kind of battle is it when you cant drink? Demon Girl: No, no! I already told you no, didnt I! And youre already missing a hand! You still want to go out and fight!? One-Handed Beastman: Of course. You cant stop us. This is a fight to the finish. Alright, hurry up and fix me up. Make my arm good and hard, maybe Ill attach a metal pole there and go out to fight. Tightens bandage Demon Girl: One-Handed Beastman: Thank you. Demon Girl: I couldnt help at all. Im sorry. One-Handed Beastman: Nah, its fine. Youre helping with what you can do. Thats the best thing to do. - The Kingdom of the Lake, the Capital, the Headquarters of the Union Union Employee: The report is finished. Young Merchant: How is it? Union Employee: As expected, we were unable topletely cover the entire region. I have made a pictorial graph We control 30% of the main trading routes. Female Union Employee: As expected, the sheer number of churches is just incredible. Even if we turned all our branches into banks, we would still need ten times that number. Young Merchant: Leaving the number of branches aside, if our friends in the banks were to begin issuing money orders as well, how many lines would we be able to open? Union Employee: Umm. 38 routes. Young Merchant: As expected, those are the critical trading routes. Union Employee: To begin with, the branches of the Union are concentrated in important trading cities and countries where trade goods are being produced, so its obvious that the routes we have ess to willprise of critical trading routes. Young Merchant: The problem is, if we take a share of these routes, in other words, if we take over their money orders, how much damage can we do to the Church? Union Employee: Umm Young Merchant: What do you think, Branch Chief? Branch Chief: I cant give you an exact answer, but our annual revenue from these trading routes can increase by up to 15%. However, routes apart from this, in other words, routes which are subordinate to the main trading routes, can still be heavily affected by our transactions. Female Union Employee: What do you mean subordinate? Branch Chief: For example, wheat goes from the trading cities to the port cities through smaller routes passing through some viges Something like that. These regions haveworks of small trading routes which fall outside the purview of our operations. However, these routes all share the main trading city as their starting point, dont they? In that case, arge proportion of the wheat will pass through the primary trading routes. Even an unimportant terminal route has an extremely high possibility of having most of its goods originate from a primary trading route. Female Union Employee: I see Branch Chief: If you think about it this way, I would estimate that we would be able to swallow up 20-30% of the Churchs money orders along all the trading routes. Young Merchant: 30% In that case, perhaps we need to conquer these trading routes. Branch Chief: How much do we need? Young Merchant: To avoid a mudslinging campaign, 60%. Branch Chief: Hmm Young Merchant: How about it? Branch Chief: No. So 30% is not possible then? Young Merchant: We need a bit more. I want to create our victory by stealing their share. Thats the kind of impression I want to make. Branch Chief: What can you buy with that impression? Young Merchant: We can discuss that after we win. Union Employee: Hmm. Scratches head Female Union Employee: Why are you scratching your head like that? Union Employee: I seem to be thinking of something. It feels like something is going toe out. To avoid a mudslinging campaign Uhh. It feels like a simr situation has happened before. Female Union Employee: How did it turn out? Union Employee: No idea. Female Union Employee: Thats no help at all. Young Merchant: Mmm. Union Employee: 30 I suppose the point of view is that its before thepetition. Young Merchant: Before thepetition- Union Employee: Yeah, thats the key. Female Union Employee: Branch Chief: What are you so troubled about? We cant make a decision just yet. Young Merchant: Yeah, lets wait. Branch Chief: Pressure them? No Purchase their share? What we need is something the enemy doesnt have, that we have! Young Merchant: Time. How about that? Union Employee: Thats true. How do we use that? Young Merchant: We will stockpile the money orders we have purchased and flood the market with them Then we will announce our victory in that time and raise our share Thats double. Double of 30%. Female Union Employee: Huh? Huh!? Young Merchant: I understand. First we need to win. Anything elsees after that Shall we go with this? Union Employee: Okay. Itll definitely work! - The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusaders Surrounding the City Boom Disciple Bard: How are you doing? Crusader: Ahh, sorry. Spearman of Light: Is there enough water? Auxiliary of Light: Ms Bard, Ms Bard. I couldnt find any mugwort, but there is some cattail. Disciple Bard: Put it over there. Boom! Noble Squire: Agh. Disciple Bard: Be strong. If we stop the bleeding, we might be able to save your arm. Noble Squire: Those damn demons. Disciple Bard: Spearman of Light: Sigh Auxiliary of Light: Its painful. Spearman of Light: Yeah, my ears keep ringing. I cant hear a thing anymore. Auxiliary of Light: Probably on ount of the cannons. Crusader: They make an amazing sound. Boom! Hahahaha! What formidable defences! It took us just one day to put up these things! Spearman of Light: Seems like those guys are doing their best as well. Disciple Bard: - The Beasts are a tribe of warriors. They are absolutely loyal to the Demon King and have all pledged their lives to her cause. Spearman of Light: Eh? Disciple Bard: Thats why, I think theyre fighting very courageously. Theyre here to protect their homes and their lord. Auxiliary of Light: Why do you know so much? Ears stand up Disciple Bard: Ehehe. Spearman of Light: Your ears! Auxiliary of Light: Ms Bard, dont tell me- Disciple Bard: Well, keep this a secret. Spearman of Light: Why Auxiliary of Light: Ms Bard, youre a Demon Disciple Bard: Demonse in all shapes and sizes. Some Demons even look like Humans. Spearman of Light: Thats Disciple Bard: I apologise for startling you. Spearman of Light: Ms Bard, youll be killed if you stay in a ce like this. Auxiliary of Light: In any case, hide your ears. Disciple Bard: Well, yeah. Tucks ears under hat Spearman of Light: Auxiliary of Light: Disciple Bard: Spearman of Light: Why would you do that? Disciple Bard: Because I dont want this war to happen. At the very least, it is not what I wish for. Spearman of Light: But- Disciple Bard: I decided. In the middle of it all, I will continue singing. Whatever I see, I will not run away. I still do not know what it is that I can do, but that is what I decided. Spearman of Light: Auxiliary of Light: MS Bard. Disciple Bard: Sorry. Spearman of Light: No, youre our benefactor. Auxiliary of Light: You should do what you want to do. Disciple Bard: Spearman of Light: We dont know what is right or wrong anymore. I realised that after listening to your songs. Auxiliary of Light: Thats right. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Spearman of Light: Your songs have really had an effect on us. So well help you keep this secret. The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders Surrounding the City Green Ash King: How is it? Scout: The third barrage has been confirmed. However, we are unable to ascertain any visible damage. Green Ash King: What are you saying? How can that be? Leader of the Hundred Pdins: What is happening? Green Ash King: Hmph Somehow it seems that those Sloped Walls are not like normal walls. They may be ck and unsightly, but it appears that they offer significant protection against cannon fire. Leader of the Hundred Pdins: I was informed that in all previous tests, even the strongest fortifications were reduced to rubble after three hours. Green Ash King: This is the Demon World. It is reasonable that tests which apply in the Human World are not effective over here. We will confirm what is going on, but we dont have the time. Artillery Commander: Fire! Cannoneer: Yes! Boom! Leader of the Hundred Pdins: But Green Ash King: Despite that, we have other means. Well demonstrate the obvious difference in fighting strength and numbers. Artillery Brigade! Artillery Commander: Yes! Green Ash King: Form your brigade into four batteries. Take turns to pound them continuously without stopping. Dont let this Demon City have any rest! -- Exnation Sloped Walls: Whenrge calibre artillery were introduced onto the battlefield, defences had to be specialised to endure direct cannon fire. Rather than height, thickness was prioritised; and in order to deflect the rounds, the walls were constructed as a slope. - - The City of the Gate, Atop the Walls, the Defensive Unit Boom! Giant Craftsman: ! Beast Soldier: Damnit! We cant sleep at all like this. Human Craftsman: Damn. Disciple Engineer: Let us sleep damnit. Giant Craftsman: Defend Disciple Engineer: We cant keep this up! Half of you go back and sleep! Well form two shifts! Beast Soldier: Got it. Giant Craftsman: Ahh! Leader, the wall is giving way! Human Craftsman: Get a maintenance squad to cover it up! Disciple Engineer: Use rubble. And dont forget to bring water up in buckets! Giant Craftsman: Rocks, tiles Disciple Engineer: If we work like this were going to have more injuries. Wait till dawn. Giant Craftsman: Got it Disciple Engineer: (Ahhhhh. Teacher, teacher. Was it a joke that you were the Demon King!? Thanks to you Ive be the head of a defensive maintenance unit, a realmander Agh, damnit. Not yet! These defences can still hold on much longer!) Banshee Craftsman: Not yet. Damn, dawn is still far away. Disciple Engineer: ( Disciple Bard. Are you alright? Are you doing well? Have you found the song youve been seeking? Until you return, I will not allow this City to fall. The Imperial Army, the Tent of the Hero The Mage: Hero. The Hero: Mmm. The Mage: Hero. The Hero: Whoa!? Is it the Mage!? The Mage: Yeah. The Hero: Where are you? The Mage: This is a long distance call. Im in a secret ce. The Hero: Thats no exnation at all. The Mage: Its a secret. The Hero: Ahh, fine. The Mage: The Hero: Hey. The Mage: ? The Hero: Not yet? The Mage: Not yet. The Hero: At this rate, its going to end before I can even do anything. The Mage: Right. The Hero: Why? The Mage: Like I exined, if you make a move, it will just make everything even more chaotic. So I just need you to wait a while more. The Hero: What for? The Mage: An ancient magical ritual. The Hero: I dont get it. The Mage: The Hero: The Mage: Hero. The Hero: Mmm? The Mage: Im not you. The Hero: Sorry. The Mage: No, I dont hate you because of that. The Hero: But Im just a person who robs others. The Mage: I was a fake Hero from the start. A counterfeit. The Hero: Youre you. Youre the Mage. Youre the real thing. The Mage: Thats because Im not the Hero. The Hero: The Mage: A person like me who just goes back and forth, cant understand the real Hero. The Hero: Why are you saying something like that now? The Mage: ? The Hero: That has nothing to do with this, doesnt it? The Mage: I am me. No matter where I go, it doesnt matter. The Hero: Then get rid of those previous thoughts. The Mage: So I can meet the Hero. The Hero: The Mage: So just trust me The Hero: I wasnt doubting you to begin with. The Mage: - Sorry. The Hero: Its alright. The Mage: - I apologise from the bottom of my heart. The Hero: You didnt do anything bad! Why are you apologising!? The Mage: ? The Hero: Youre starting to make me doubt you! The Mage: Hehe. The Hero: What a bitter smile. The Mage: The Hero: Good grief. The Mage: Just a while more. Just ten days more. The Hero: Wait. The Mage: The Hero: Im not worrying. I will act as you instruct. I know its important. The Mage: Yes. The Hero: I dont understand your exnation, but I understand at least, that its important. The Mage: Yeah. - Hero. The Hero: Yes? The Mage: Nothing. The Hero: Really? The Mage: - Im going to eat some cream pie and take a nap. The Hero: Dont sleep yet! The Mage: Im hanging up. The Hero: Hey! Click The Hero: Damn. I dont get it But hmm, ten days. I just need to hold on for that long I hope nothing happens in that time, Demon King, Pdin - The Kingdom of the Lake, the Capital, the Headquarters of the Merchants Union Female Union Employee: Buy. Buy it all up. Union Employee: Its fine, so just buy. I dont really care how much themission is. Just make sure they feel the presence of the Merchants Union in this. Female Union Employee: Thats right. Buy up the money orders. Courier: Three quick horses have arrived! Union Employee: Dispatch them individual to the Free Trading Cities. Have them do circr despatches between the Merchants Union branches. Female Union Employee: We have made contact with the Minister of Finance from the Kingdom of Waves. We will now begin negotiations! Young Merchant: How is it going? Branch Chief: It seems that were gradually making progress. Young Merchant: All of these bargains are necessary tinder for our fire. Branch Chief: Will this strategy of ours work? Union Employee: People believe lies to aplish realities, or to defeat realities. When two realities are rolled into one lie, even a duck will swallow it as it does a ball of feed. Branch Chief: Hmm. Thats one of the maxims of the Merchants Union. Young Merchant: Firstly, with the Holy Order of the Lake havingpleted the smallpox vination programme, Branchquarters of the Order have begun to be established all across the Free Cities. Further, refugees fleeing smallpox have begun to flow into the Southern Alliance. That is a fact. Branch Chief: Yes. Young Merchant: Secondly, whether or not next years wheat harvest is prosperous or a failure, in order to supply the battlefield, it will need to be purchased at a high price. Having obtained these purchasing rights, the tax collectors of the Church have no way of avoiding this intion. Furthermore, churches throughout thend have started to levy metal for the purpose of forging weaponry, to the extent that church bells are even being melted down. This too is a fact. Branch Chief: Yes. Young Merchant: And so, the fact is that the coffers of the Church are under severe pressure, and with the money orders, bankruptcy is just ahead of them. Branch Chief: That is a lie. Young Merchant: That may be a lie, but its not just a lie, is it? Female Union Employee: Eh? Whats the difference? Young Merchant: The money orders are basically money that the merchants have deposited with the Church. For this security, the pay amission of 10% of the deposit. For example, if you ce a hundred gold piece deposit with them, then you receive a certificate entitling you to collect ny gold pieces from any church. Your money decreases, but this certificate can effectively be converted into cash at any church. In this way, risks are decreased. However, it is impossible for the certificates to be converted immediately into cash. For example, holding a certificate for ny gold pieces is effectively the same as holding those ny gold pieces, however, it is much safer to travel over long distances with the certificate. As such, as a merchant, if you had to pick between carrying cash or money order, isnt it obvious that you would pick the money order? Female Union Employee: Yes, thats a reality in the market. Young Merchant: In other words, some money orders exist that cannot be easily liquidated. If you look at it from a different perspective, a money order is basically a loan from the merchants to the Church. If all the merchants were to make a withdrawal at one go, then the Church has the obligation to pay them. So if you were a merchant who discovered that the Church might have some cash flow problems, what would you do? Branch Chief: Ah! Young Merchant: Thats right. I would try to convert all my money orders into cash as quickly as possible. If the Churchs wallet is overstretched, then they might be unable to reimburse the money orders. If that were to happen, all those certificates would be worthless trash. Female Union Employee: Will that really take down the Church? Young Merchant: Of course not! No matter how stretched the finances of the Church are, they arent that weak. If you were to aggregate the donations from the people and other countries, taxes and levies, industries and the sale of absolutions, the wealth of the Church is immenselyrger than the Union. They truly hold an astronomical amount in their treasury. Such a small-scale reversal is unlikely to be enough to destroy them. Female Union Employee: Then. Young Merchant: However, if we were really able to get the merchants to make a mass withdrawal, the Churchs inexhaustible supply of money would be of no help to them. Branch Chief: Indeed. Female Union Employee: Really Why? Union Employee: Its impossible for every single church to have an inexhaustible supply, am I right? Dont forget that moving money across vast distances is risky and takes a lot of time as well. Female Union Employee: Y, youre right!! Union Employee: Thats right. Even if the Cathedral in the Holy Imperial City has got the money, its impossible to send that money to the other churches in time. Young Merchant: There will be a limit to the extent our rumours can spread, but I believe the speed of spread is faster than the speed that the Church can convoy their money about. To begin with, various processes have to be fulfilled ording to internal Church policies and organisation, so it forms a political issue as well. Compared to steady change, sudden reversals of situation will be much harder to deal with. These intricate processes willpound with the difficulties involved in sending money about, and they cant possibly appease all the panicked merchants attempting to draw out their money. With such timing, our victory is assured. Volume 4 9, “The Crown Prince Marshal. The World’s Greatest Hero.”

Volume 4 Chapter 9, The Crown Prince Marshal. The Worlds Greatest Hero.

- The Demon World, the South, the Old Lands of the Pale, the Crown Princes Army Crown Prince Marshal: An envoy? Scout: Yes. On a hill half a mile from here, they have raised a white g. Its a Human. Strategist: Human Holy Imperial General: What does that mean? Crown Prince Marshal: How many of them are there? Scout: We saw approximately ten of them, but the lee of the hill has arge primeval Demon forest inside of which any number of soldiers could beying an ambush. Crown Prince Marshal: Human Holy Imperial General: What should we do, Your Imperial Highness? Crown Prince Marshal: Interesting, lets meet. Strategist: Hmm. Crown Prince Marshal: Take ten men from our side as well and go and paypliments to them over at that hill. Express that we have no desire for unnecessary conflict. Strategist: Do we really have to lower ourselves to that level? Crown Prince Marshal: Until we know our opponents true colours. Scout: No, we were going to go over, but it seems like they havee into our camp instead. Crown Prince Marshal: Hahaha. What brave men. Scout: Well, there are females too - The Demon King, the South, the Old Lands of the Pale, the Crown Princes Army Elder Sister Maid: Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. Nobleman Disciple: What a powerful army. Mercenary Survivor: Crown Prince Marshal: (Who is this woman?) Strategist: In that case, allow us to introduce ourselves first. We are the Imperial Expeditionary Force from the Holy Crusaders. This is his Highness the Crown Prince Marshal of the Holy Empire. I am the Strategist. It is a pleasure to meet you. Holy Imperial General: I am the Holy Imperial General. Crown Prince Marshal: I am the Crown Prince Marshal. So lets hear what your identities and objectives are. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. I am known as the Elder Sister Maid. My identity is a travelling schr. At present, I am themander in charge of this army. Strategist: Army? Nobleman Disciple: I am the Nobleman Disciple. Elder Sister Maid: This is the Mercenary Lord. He is inmand of my personal guard. Hes very strong. Mercenary Survivor: Hmm. Dont forget it. Crown Prince Marshal: So, what are your aims? Elder Sister Maid: I would like to confirm one thing, is this unit currently advancing with the objective of iming the City of the Pale? Holy Imperial General: Shouldnt you know that just by looking? Elder Sister Maid: Then I hope you can take your men home. Mercenary Survivor: Doing as she pleases as usual. Crown Prince Marshal: Haha. Youngdy. No, Ms Commander. Just what sort of power do you have to make me do this? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. I currentlymand that ce. Strategist: What!? Holy Imperial General: What did you say!? Elder Sister Maid: The region was entrusted by the Demon King to the Tribe of Automatons, and as a result of our peaceful negotiations, the City has been turned over to us. These are the documents which verify it. Strategist: Dont tell me. Elder Sister Maid: As the governor of the region, I would like to make a request to your army. Your army is currently advancing to im the Old Region of the Pale. If you do not wish to be joined in battle, you should take your armies and leave the region. Holy Imperial General: Do not wish to be joined in battle!? Who do you think we are, dont joke around! Elder Sister Maid: So you want to unjustly invade a Human controlled region? Crown Prince Marshal: Strategist: What Elder Sister Maid: My forces areprised solely of Humans. At present, the Old Region of the Pale is administeredpletely by Humans. Strategist: What nonsense. What do you mean by unjust? This is nothing more than arger army trampling over a weaker one. We are doing nothing else but upying just another country. Elder Sister Maid: I think you should consider taking those words back. Strategist: (Damn. What should we do now? No matter how small they are, they must have beenrge enough to conquer their way into the Demon World We can expect at least ten to twenty thousand of them. Its not a small number) Disciple Nobleman: If thats not enough, I am a special envoy from the Kingdom of Ice. Holy Imperial General: The Kingdom of Ice!? Strategist: The Southern Alliance hase this far!? Disciple Nobleman: That is correct, to the Old Region of the Pale. At present, this territory is under the control of our armies, but we have the intention of allowing it to be reborn as a self-governing territory. Of course, it will be part of the Southern Alliance. Strategist: (What This guy. If hes being serious, then we cant afford to be drawn into total war with the Southern Alliance. Of course, we can definitely crush them, but when we return, the defenceless capital would be left in ashes. Does this mean that these guys are holding the entire Continent hostage while we are down here!?) Crown Prince Marshal: Do you have any proof for your words? Disciple Nobleman: Of course, all you have to do is to inquire with the Kingdom of Ice. But we dont have any evidence to say we arent lying. This area ispletely under our control, and we have the intention to keep it that way, so all I can do is convey our deepest condolences from the Kingdom of Ice for your loss. Mercenary Survivor: (Those two are surprisingly) Strategist: Your Royal Highness. Crown Prince Marshal: One could say that we did not know about it, so that is our fault. Our intelligence was slow and wrong. I apologise. Holy Imperial General: Elder Sister Maid nods Crown Prince Marshal: However, we have no intention to withdraw. This expedition was authorised under holy order of His Holiness the Primarch. In other words, it is the will of the Spirit of Light. Even though the nations of the Central Continent have no quarrel with the Southern Alliance, the Church of Light has officially proimed the Southern Alliance to be heretical. As you know, the Holy Crusaders are technically at war with the Southern Alliance. Have you forgotten that? Elder Sister Maid flinches Strategist: (Your Royal Highness! You could, you could start a war like that. If we threaten the Southern Alliance, we might really be at war with them! We cant handle that much!) Crown Prince Marshal: However, it is also a fact that beginning with us at the Holy Empire, the countries of the Central Continent all find this turn of events to be very regrettable. No matter how we put it, were all humans after all. One could say that we arerades who took up swords and spears against the threat of the Demons. It would be a painful thought for amander like myself to point these tens of thousands of muskets at fellow humans. Even if the Holy Crusaders are in a state of war with the Southern Alliance, as amander of the Central Continent, I also do not wish for war. Disciple Nobleman: (Heh So hes not above using such rhetoric. The war is the will of the Church, so the Holy Empire has nothing to do with it. As to be expected from the brains of the Holy Crusaders. What a person overflowing in talent. Elder Sister Maid: Indeed. Since we are all fellow humanrades, there is no benefit to be had from us fighting. Mercenary Survivor: (How exciting, I can feel the sweat running down my palms.) Crown Prince Marshal: We have received orders from the Primarch to conquer this territory in order to establish supply lines. As Children of Light, we cannot defy this order. Elder Sister Maid: We are also Children of Light as part of the Holy Order of the Lake. The Holy Order of the Lake epts anyone, even you, the Crown Prince Marshal or the Holy Empire. Disciple Nobleman: (She said it! As expected from a fellow disciple of our teacher.) Crown Prince Marshal: Hahahaha. I thank you for your invitation, however I must decline. As their big brother, the Holy Empire has a duty to uphold the due process in the Central Continent. Elder Sister Maid: Due process? Crown Prince Marshal: Security. Why do you think that people can live in security? That is because today will be like yesterday, and tomorrow will be like today. Why can they sleep at night? That is because they are assured that they will open their eyes in the morning. If there is a chance that they can die in their sleep, nobody would be able to sleep from the fear. However, based on our experience, we know we will be able to open our eyes. That is repetitive action, and the due process. Of course, there are examples of misfortune. You could die from disease, or be the subject of some violent crime as you lie sleeping. These have the effect of breaking the due process. If the due process is disrupted, that results in chaos. As guardians of security, the Central Continent strives for the peace of the people. We protected it yesterday, we are protecting it today, and we will protect it tomorrow. Elder Sister Maid: The followings of the Church of Light, the serf caste system, and the rights of the nobility and monarchy Is this what youre trying to protect without changing? Crown Prince Marshal: To be it simply, yes. And the people are happy from it. Disciple Nobleman: (He may be the enemy, but his actions are perfectly calcted. This is a very impressive young man.) Elder Sister Maid: So, whats your final decision? Crown Prince Marshal: We must have this supply route. However, we do not hope for war. The Primarch has decreed that we are at a state of war, but right here right now, that we would meet in a ce like this is apletely unpredictable situation. And this is the Demon World. Since we are both Human armies, we should try to avoid whittling down our armies, right? So, I have a suggestion. Please provide us with 4000 wagons of food as well as 1000 wagons of saltpetre. We will of course pay for it. The price will amount to 30 New Imperial Gold coins? Mercenary Survivor: (Ridiculous. That wouldnt even be able to pay for a single weapon!) Disciple Nobleman: And if we decline? Crown Prince Marshal: Then we will have to fight a painful battle, and establish our supply lines by force. Disciple Nobleman: You mean to invade the Southern Alliance? Crown Prince Marshal: That is the will of the Church of Light. Of course, this hurts us all in the Central Continent. Mercenary Survivor: Keh. So you are threatening us then. Strategist: Are you trying to be disrespectful!? The Hero: No, I want to listen too. Whos threatening whom? The Crown Prince Marshall is threatening some Human army? Elder Sister Maid: Hero! What are you doing here? Crown Prince Marshal: Hero. - Do you know this person!? Mercenary Survivor: Hey, arent you that guy from that time Strategist: (This is bad. I was wondering what he would think, but if we force the Hero to bare his fangs against us the morale of the soldiers will surely drop sharply. At this timing, would he turn against us!?) The Southern Demon World, the Reunion of the Elder Sister Maid and the Hero The Hero: Elder Sister Maid! Elder Sister Maid: Hero. The Hero: What are you doing in a ce like this? And youre the leader too? Whats all this? Elder Sister Maid: Hehehehehe. Im quite surprised by the turn of events as well. The Hero: But youre here? Elder Sister Maid: Im here. The Hero: Alone? Elder Sister Maid: Of course not. Ive got everyone to back me up. The Hero: Have you found your reason to be? Elder Sister Maid: Umm. Yeah Thats right, I have to decide it on my own. The Hero: Is that so? Elder Sister Maid: Im sorry, Hero. The Hero: Why? Elder Sister Maid: Hero, youve been covering for me for such a very long time. The Hero: Hahaha. Dont worry about that. Elder Sister Maid: I do. I just want to clear this debt that I have to you. The Hero: You dont have to. Elder Sister Maid: Is that so? The Hero: You dont owe me a single thing. Elder Sister Maid: The Hero: You have the face of a fighting person. Elder Sister Maid: Am I that scary? The Hero: Thats not what I meant, how should I say this. Youve got an iron gut No, well, it just seems like you have reached some revtion. Elder Sister Maid: I dont know about that The Hero: Yes. Elder Sister Maid: Hero The Hero: What is it? Elder Sister Maid: Have you lost a lot of blood? The Hero: Huh? Well, I only know how to fight. Elder Sister Maid: Thats not true. The Hero: Am I injured? Not at all. My arms and legs are all still here. This is the body of a Hero. Elder Sister Maid is worried The Hero: Umm. Well Dont give that expression. Elder Sister Maid: No. I apologise as always. The Hero: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: Ive always been this way, and I apologise for it. The Hero: What is going on, Elder Sister Maid? Elder Sister Maid: Its fine. I am doing things ording to n. Everything ording to what you and the Mistress have been nning. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid? Elder Sister Maid: No. Hero, why are you in the army of the Crown Prince Marshal? The Hero: Well, those are the instructions of the Mage. I am currently undercover. Elder Sister Maid: I see What kind of person is the Crown Prince Marshal? The Hero: He is not a simple man But among the people in the Holy Crusaders, he is the most incredible. His methods wont lose to anyone Elder Sister Maid: Is that so The Hero: What ns do you have to drive him away? Elder Sister Maid: Thats a secret. The Hero: Come on. Elder Sister Maid: Its still a secret. - The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusaders Laying Siege to the City - Boom! Ash Green King: A week. - Theyre tougher than expected. Scout: Damages are within our calctions, however, their repair works are proceeding faster than we foresaw. If we focus our fire on the gate Ash Green King: But if we dont do anything about the fortifications on the left and right of the gate, our cannons wont be able to get close enough to aim properly. This design is very well-conceived. Scout: Yes Ash Green King: What have you found out? Scout: Their earthworks* are constructed with the specific purpose of withstanding our bombardments. The earth absorbs the impact and reduces the shock on the fortifications. Ash Green King: And the slope - Boom! Pedigree Nobleman: Why is our continuous bombardment having no effect? Adult Nobleman: Didnt they exin to us that the new cannons have twenty times the firepower of the old ones? Warrior Nobleman: Ash Green King. They say hes brave and brilliant, but he seems to be slow and useless. Pedigree Nobleman: And our remaining amount of ammunition Adult Nobleman: Forget ammunition! We dont even have enough food supplies. Warrior Nobleman: What is happening to our supply lines? Were running out of spare parts to maintain our muskets too. Artillery Commander: Your Majesty. Ash Green King: Yes. Artillery Commander: What instructions do you have for todays bombardment Ash Green King: Focus your fire on the right hand side fortifications. However, continue to direct a quarter of our fire to the left side so that the enemy does not have any security or rest. Artillery Commander: Yes, umm Ash Green King: What is it? Artillery Commander: Actually, the high quality gunpowder for the cannons Scout: Ash Green King: How much do we have left? Artillery Commander: At this rate of fire, another three or four days Boom! Ash Green King: Do not reduce our fire. If the enemyes to learn of our ammunition shortage, they will begin to have hope. For gunpowder, transfer some of the musket power to our artillery batteries. Continue firing at this rate. If we can destroy the right side fortifications, we have a chance at breaking down the main gate. -- Exnation Earthworks: In order to reinforce defenses against enemy incursions, earthworks are created by building uprge amounts of soil. In most cases, this is carried out in conjunction with defensive ditches. The soil from the dug ditches is piled up to create the ditches. As a result, the height of the earthworks is doubled and it bes even more difficult for enemies to cross. - Artillery Commander: Yes! We will do our best. Scout: Ash Green King: Damn. Whats with this situation? Like a snake on the verge of death, this is painful to watch. Weve fallen into the trap ofying siege to the City of the Gate. Scout: Your Majesty! Ash Green King: What is it? Scout: Actually, the Leader of the Hundred Pdins Ash Green King: That woman? Scout: Night after night, she has been gathering the musketeers inrge numbers to preach about things that dont sound like official teachings. Ash Green King: Gathering? Scout: Yes, she says that the treasure of Light is in the City of the Gate. That we have to take the City no matter what. That this is the sacred duty of the followers of Light. Ash Green King: A poisonous flower indeed Scout: What should we do? Ash Green King: This poisonous scent is still very sweet, but we wont fall prey to it Let it be. I will settle it somehow. - The City of the Gate, the Chambers of Commerce Boom! Shrewd ountant: Mdy, are you here? Fire Dragon Lady: Shrewd ountant Have the Chambers been evacuated? Shrewd ountant: Yes, to put it nicely, they were delivered to the ming Mountains. Middle Aged Merchant: We must thank the Fire Dragon Lord. Fire Dragon Lady: My father will definitely protect them. Shrewd ountant: Our records and treasury have also been sessfully delivered, Mdy Fire Dragon Lady: I will stay here. Shrewd ountant: Boom! Fire Dragon Lady: I may be a merchant, however, I am ady of the Tribe of Dragons, and a Councillor of the Self-Governing Council. I will not run away in such times of crisis. Middle Aged Merchant: Thats what I want to say as well. Fire Dragon Lady: Your escapees from instructions given by the Young Merchant. I dont suppose you have any objections? Shrewd ountant: Middle Aged Merchant: Boom Fire Dragon Lady: Well then, you should escape quickly. Middle Aged Merchant: Understood. Shrewd ountant: Please be careful, Princess. Fire Dragon Lady: Dont call me princess. Middle Aged Merchant: Hahahaha! If you dont like it, then allow me onest time. If the City is taken, please do your best to negotiate for favourable terms. Fire Dragon Lady: Understood Shrewd ountant: Then, well be going first. Middle Aged Merchant: We will try to get reinforcements. Fire Dragon Lady: (Merchants The City of the Gate was eventually engulfed in the mes of war. I want to protect this City. But I dont know what I can do) - The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusaders Laying Siege to the City Boom! The Primarch: Go ahead. Chain: Yes. Two thousand five hundred pigs, eight wagons of wheat, seven jars of sugar beet, two wagons of fruits and spices, four wagons of cloth and winterwear Door opens Soldier of Light: Excuse me. Chain: What is it, you have a message? Soldier of Light: Yes. Attendant Bishop: Speak. Soldier of Light: Yes. One of our encampments at the Portal hase under surprise attack from an unknown enemy force. Chain: What!? Attendant Bishop: What? Exin in detail. Soldier of Light: Yes, this is what I heard from the soldiers who escaped Crack Demon infantryunched a surprise attack and plundered the food and weapon stocks! Attendant Bishop: Thats all? Soldier of Light: Yes. Im not certain how many exactly, however the casualties incurred were rtively few. Even though all the horses escaped, the Demons did not pursue the routed soldiers and allowed them to rejoin the main armies. The Primarch: Enough. Soldier of Light: Sorry? The Primarch: Enough. Continue the attack. Attendant Bishop: Alright, go. Soldier of Light: Yes! Yes! Understood! The Primarch: How are the walls? Attendant Bishop: Yes. Beginning yesterday, the rate of repairs appears to have slowed. It seems that the resources in the City are running out. A portion of the war has already broken down, and it seems it will be another four or five days before we are able to make a breach. The Primarch: How annoyingly resilient. Order an attack. Attendant Bishop: But The Primarch: It is the will of the Spirit. Attendant Bishop: The Primarch: Let us go to the garden of Light. It is time to bring terror to the people in that City. - The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusaders Laying Siege to the City Boom! Believer of Light: Did you hear? Musketeer of Light: Yeah. Spearman of Light: What? Believer of Light: It seems that the Second and Third co-ordinating zones have fallen. Spearman of Light: Really!? Porter: Heyyyy! Give me some water! Believer of Light: Yeah, look. It seems the number of people here have been increasing, right? It seems the food and weapons were plundered and they journeyed here through vast wastnds. Musketeer of Light: Is that so? Its good that they managed to survive though. Artilleryman: Is it really? Musketeer of Light: What do you mean? Artilleryman: Think about it. These guys were guarding our rear supply lines and raising food. Now that the food has been plundered and theyve been pushed towards the frontlines, we dont have any more food, but we have many more mouths to feed instead. Boom! Believer of Light: Musketeer of Light: But they are ourrades! Spearman of Light: So its fine! Believer of Light: In any case, once we capture the City, well have all its food and water in our hands! Spearman of Light: Musketeer of Light: What is it? Spearman of Light: No, think about it. Tomorrow we will have continuously bombarded the City for ten days straight, right? The noblemen andmanders keep talking about how we will have all the food and treasures of the City as soon as we capture it, but do you really think there are any? I mean, the City is filled with Demons right? So wont the City also just be filled with Demon food that we cant eat? Believer of Light: Musketeer of Light: Thats Spearman of Light: In that case, we will be put out into this wilderness without any food again. Cavalryman of Light: No, thats not true. The reason why the Crown Prince Marshal isnt here has to do with that. Musketeer of Light: Eh? Cavalryman of Light: His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince Marshal along with the great Hero are assaulting Demon territories to establish firm supply lines. Im sure they will be returning soon. So its all okay. Spearman of Light: So thats it! The Hero too! Artilleryman: Is that why we havent seen His Imperial Highness at the frontlines? Cavalryman of Light: Thats right. Once his Imperial Highness returns, well destroy those walls in one volley, and theres no way we wont attain our victory. - The City of the Gate, the Encampment of the Holy Crusaders Laying Siege to the City Pedigree Nobleman: What!? Adult Nobleman: What do you mean not enough? Quartermaster: Of course, most of our supplies are already depleted. But stocks of oil and barley arepletely empty Warrior Nobleman: If our supplies donte through Quartermaster: Yes. If our supplies donte through, we could be staring at the face of a full-blown insurrection and mutiny by our peasant soldiers. Proud Pdin: Theyre serfs, well just put them down! Nothing to lose sleep over. If we just kill ten of them likembs, the rest will learn their lessons. Warrior Nobleman: Can we really entrust such angered peasants with muskets!? But if we dont distribute the muskets, the serfs might cause us to lose favourable positions, and we might not be able to maintain our advantage on the battlefield. Pedigree Nobleman: Thats right. We really dont want to have angry, crazy serfs at our back. And theyre carrying muskets too Proud Pdin: Damn. Pedigree Nobleman: What can we do Quartermaster: Among the serfs, many of theme from backgrounds of extreme famine, and were coerced by the promise of proper care by His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince Marshal. There are rumours that His Imperial Highness will soon return with supplies. Adult Nobleman: His Imperial Highness Warrior Nobleman: Hes pretty good on the battlefield. But what the Holy Crusade really requires is a brilliant militarymander. Adult Nobleman: But the Church has a very good impression of him. Pedigree Nobleman: That impressiones from external reasons. The Primarch needs to create unity among the Holy Crusaders, so he purposely chose His Imperial Highness to create divisions within the pacifist factions. Proud Pdin: I apologise for saying this. But His Imperial Highness voice is powerful and I believe he will be able to turn the situation around. Pedigree Nobleman: But the supplies Adult Nobleman: Hmm. Warrior Nobleman: ? Adult Nobleman: Hahaha. In that case, in the name of the Holy Crusaders of the Spirit of Light, let us request His Most Imperial Highness to deliver supplies to us. Pedigree Nobleman: Thats Proud Pdin: Ah, thats true! Adult Nobleman: Alright, get a quick horse! Send His Imperial Highness an official request for supplies! - The City of the Gate, the Defence Council Boom The Demon King: What? We dont have any shortages of anything? Fiend Merchant: Your Majesty!? I do believe it would best if you didnte to ces like this and focussed on your recuperation! The Demon King: I have nothing to do while resting. Is this the way to the top of the fortifications? Fiend Merchant: Yes it is. Boom! Disciple Engineer: Miss the mud and quicklime! Let it flow down from the top. Giant Craftsman: Understood Craftsman of the Pale: Get some quicklime up here too! Human Craftsman: Hey move it, wagoning through! The Demon King: How is everything? Disciple Engineer: Umm Yes. The Demon King: Dont be nervous. Youre already a grown man. Disciple Engineer: That may be so but, I didnt expect you to be the Demon King! What should I do now? The Demon King: Whats the situation? Disciple Engineer: To be honest, we are at our limit. There are lots of areas of the wall which could fall at any time. We are overworked and fatigued, every day we are overstretched. Even though it appears to be spread out, the enemy fire is concentrated at certain areas. The East side is facing the brunt of it. Our maintenance is concentrated there, but it would be no surprise if it bes the first area to fall. The East Fortress Base Commander: The East side The Fire Dragon Lady: (The Human armies are so numerous and they seem to be neverending Ahh, but we cant lose this war. I at least know that.) Boom! The Demon King: Which areas of the wall are holding up just fine? Disciple Engineer: The area close to the Southwest temple. That area hasnt suffered any attacks yet, and from the beginning the walls there were the thickest. If that area were to be attacked, we could probably hold out for a week I think. The Demon King: A week Human Elder: Your Majesty, at this rate the City will The Demon King: Dont look so dejected, Elder. That has not yet been decided. The real battle begins now. Human Elder: But even if west a week, even if west a month, we cant possiblyst forever The Fire Dragon Lady: (At present, this war has be a battle of attrition. We still have ample food stocks, but we are running out of materials to repair the walls with On the other hand, we have no idea how long the Human Army can continue, or whether they have limits to their supplies. The Young Merchant was absolutely right. The war is not just something fought on the battlefield.) The Demon King: Its fine We still have ways. Fire Dragon Lady! The Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. The Demon King: Im sorry, but will you deliver this to the Fire Dragon Lord? Human Elder: Thats? The Fire Dragon Lady: (A white paper!?) The Demon King: A request for reinforcements. The Demon World is huge. We are certain to have enough soldiers to save this City somewhere. We just need to buy enough time for them to arrive. The Fire Dragon Lady: (Its not impossible that such a force exists somewhere, but even if there is In the face of those muskets capable of creating a 30,000 man mass grave in half a day, which chief would be willing to send their men to help? So the Demon King had to write an official white paper) The East Fortress Base Commander: Im sorry. Im not sure we can get everybody home alive. I am grateful for the hard work of the Volunteer Corps. Human Volunteer: Well, its fine. Were happy to be of some use to the repairs of the fortifications considering were people who cant use swords or ride horses. Middle Aged Dragon Lady: Thats right! Ahahaha. Rx! Dragon Volunteer: At nightfall, we will dig out the cannonballs in the walls again. Theyll load those onto our catapults and send them right back to make them regret it! The Demon King: Mmm. Just a bit more! Human Elder: Yes, Your Majesty. Be at ease! Fiend Merchant: Alright. Ill go and tidy up the store and see if I cant get some food for you guys. Human Craftsman: Dont worry about the food. Our stockpiles are quite sufficient. We probably have enough for two or three more months. Boom! The Fire Dragon Lady: The East Fortress Base Commander: Princess, tonight? The Fire Dragon Lady: Eh? The East Fortress Base Commander: Youre headed to that old man, right? Her Majesty has entrusted me to deliver you safely. The numbers are few, but these will be your personal guard. The Fire Dragon Lady: Yes The Demon King: Now! Look up! This is the Free City of the Gate! We will protect it! For the future! The Fire Dragon Lady: (Her Majestys aim is for the future Even if the City falls, if Father sends enough soldiers we can still stop the Humans have advancing through the Demon World. I understand that is what the white paper represents. But) Boom The Fire Dragon Lady: (But ady like myself, who has seen so little of the world should do something. For this City. For the Silver Tiger Lord wwho gave his life to the Demon King. - For the heroes who gave their lives to the defence of this City. What can I do) Volume 4 10, “My Name Shall be Henceforth Known as—”

Volume 4 Chapter 10, My Name Shall be Henceforth Known as

- The Kingdom of the Lake, the Capital, the Headquarters of the Merchants Union Union Employee: Yes, yes. Thats right. Female Union Employee: There have been three urrences ofck of capital in Free Cities on the West Bank. Branch Chief: It has begun. Young Merchant: Will we be able to destroy the lines? Branch Chief: It seems that the rumour is spreading quickly to towards the West. The fire has spread to the Kingdom of Waves and the neighbouring three Free Cities. Young Merchant: Understood. Then gather 65% of the letters of exchange owned by the Union in those three Cities. When you evaluate them to have the greatest impact, liquidate these letters at the same time. Union Employee: Yes. Young Merchant: With this one strike, the three churches in these three cities will run out of cash. Merchants will experience their worst nightmare of being unable to exchange their credit for cash. Once they realise that, they will speed away to neighbouring cities and exchange their credit for cash as soon as possible. That will spread theck of money across neighbouring cities. - The rumour will grow into a panic, and how will we kick our n to acquire credit from thendlords into action? Union Employee: Leave it to the Union agents. They have already been instructed to purchase credit at 70% face value. Branch Chief: Landlords hoping to liquidate their assets as soon as possible will flock to sell it to us. And we will buy. Young Merchant: The n we are putting into motion has no backup n. If anything were to happen, it may be out of control even for the Union. For that reason, once we begin, we have to pay close attention to the whole situation. It is not our wish for any further panic beyond what we require to achieve our aims. Branch Chief: Understood. Young Merchant: We will need to verify the precise timing for our n in the three cities. Branch Chief, can you settle it? Branch Chief: Me? I would have thought you would want to do it personally. Young Merchant: I have duties I need to perform here. Union Employee: Duties? Branch Chief: Hmm. Young Merchant: This entire n rests on timing. For the Church, credit is a critical source of revenue. There is no way they would be willing to let this rest. However, the Church is a massive and widespread organisation. If trouble were to happen, they would have to pass on the information and formte strategies, which would probably take a month. We expect the Church to see this as a natural urrence that happens every few years, but if they manage to see through this disturbance as a deliberate act, it may ignite conflict. My duty and the issue of timing is to prevent this from being spread outside. Thats why I cannot be on site. Union Employee: ? Branch Chief: Understood. I will coordinate the n on-site. Young Merchant: Yes, thank you. If necessary, you may also use all the letters of credit and even all liquidatable assets held by the Union. What we need to achieve victory for the Union is a disciplined panic. In other words, this entire operation is a fraud. We will need to achieve that moment of illusion in order to attain our goals. Branch Chief: Understood. Be at ease. We will destroy this Continent from within its reinforced doors. - The Demon King, the South, the Old Lands of the Pale, the Crown Princes Army Clip clop! Clip clop! Crown Prince Marshal: What is going on? Strategist: An urgent message from the frontline. Holy Imperial General: What does it say? Strategist: I havent read it yet. Crown Prince Marshal: Well go on. Opens envelope Crown Prince Marshal: Strategist: How is it going? Crown Prince Marshal: The siege has been dyed. The Demon Army has retreated within the City of the Gate for a week. We are being pushed to our supply limits for gunpowder and food. We have managed to deliver some food from the our rear defence area, but the continuous use of our cannons is exhausting our gunpowder supply rmingly. Strategist: Yes. As I mentioned in the previous messenge, we have been bombarding the city night and day in order to destroy the morale of the citizens and reduce their will to fight, but Holy Imperial General: Since ancient times,unching an assault during a siege has been an inferior strategy, while surrounding them and relying on psychological warfare has been the superior strategy. Themand decision of the Ash Green King is sound. Crown Prince Marshal: It may be sound, but will soundness achieve victory? Holy Imperial General: It is definitely a difficult fight. Crown Prince Marshal: However, considering that the Ash Green King has been bombarding the city continuously for a week, it is unexpected that the Demon Army would be able to hold on for so long. Had we not witnessed it ourselves, it would be hard to believe I wonder what sort of fortification is able to withstand such a protracted assault. Strategist: Indeed. With a hundred cannons, even the heaviest fortifications should crumble within a few hours. Holy Imperial General: As to be expected from Demon technology. Crown Prince Marshal: Its fine. Above that, what is even more surprising is the high morale of the army and citizens under siege. They have endured a week long bombardment, been cut off from allmunications and supplies and have alreadyst half of their original army. I would expect the city to be overflowing with injured and half-dead people. As morale weakens, talk of surrender and capittion should be running rife. The will to fight and resist gets sapped, despair and disappointment runs rampant, and at the moment where fighting spirit is at its very lowest, tounch an assault is the standard strategy of city sieges No matter how strong the fortifications are, once morale is drained, the fight bes half-hearted. Strategist: What else does the message say? Crown Prince Marshal: In the name of the Holy Spirit, impose a levy on saltpetre and return at this very moment. Holy Imperial General: How impertinent. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmph. This messagees from the nobles What is to be done about food? What is the situation regarding our rear supply areas? Holy Imperial General: What shall we do? Crown Prince Marshal: It also says - Gathering all the food supplies and sending our troops back is the only way to save our lives. The good offices of the noblemen should ensure that the noble armies have a priority to supplies, that is the will of the Church Isnt that too easy! Holy Imperial General: How shameless. Strategist: I fear the gunpowder we have on hand is too limited. Its clear from their desperate tone that our own morale is dipping This is a battlefield. Not just saltpetre, but our stocks of sulphur and charcoal are also running low, yet only saltpetre can be said to be valuable. If we were to reduce the volume of fire, the Demons might realise that we are running low on supplies and that would boost their morale. If that happens, we wont be able to achieve a speedy victory. The morale in that Demon City is already unnaturally high, we cant afford to give them even another shard of hope. Holy Imperial General: However, we havent managed to get our hands on any saltpetre, all weve been doing is hanging about the outskirts of the Old Territory of the Pale and wasting time. If only that girl wasnt around. Strategist: Surely saying that we are wasting time is too harsh. General, I think you know that against the Hero and the Schr, we have to apply very delicate negotiations and diplomacy. Crown Prince Marshal: Perhaps stalling us in this manner is one of the aims of the Schr Strategist: Indeed. However Crown Prince Marshal: Yes, this can be said to be a stalemate. We cant use any of our military strength, and they have no choice but to give way to us. At present, we have received two hundred wagons of food as a tribute. And with our presence here, we can seal the movements of the army of the Schr - this secret Southern Alliance expeditionary army. Apart from the negotiating table, we can prevent the possibility of the Southern Alliance reinforcing the Demon Army. And above that, we can restrict the movements of the Hero and prevent him from leaving this ce. Holy Imperial General: But all of this is pointless unless the Green Ash Kings army is able to achieve victory in the attack on the City of the Gate. Crown Prince Marshal: We have no choice. Were depending on them and they are depending on us too. Strategist: The army requires the saltpetre and food rations which we are holding. We are depending on them to sessfully take the City of the Gate, to change the military bnce of power and give us an advantage in negotiations, otherwise we do not have a strong strategy to counteract the Hero. Holy Imperial General: A thousand day hand*. Crown Prince Marshal: At this rate, we will make no progress. We have no choice. Call the Hero. Lets try to discern the true identity of this woman they call the Schr. - Exnation Thousand Day Hand: In certain chess or shogi games, the positions of the pieces may be such that the optimum move for both yers results in the board returning to the same position every time. In the case of a thousand day hand in chess, the yer who initiates the y must break the hand. In the case of shogi, it is the reverse. - - The Demon King, the South, the Old Lands of the Pale, the Crown Princes Army Tent p opens Strategist: The Hero has arrived. Holy Imperial General: Send him in. Tent p opens Crown Prince Marshal: Hero. The Hero: Hello. Crown Prince Marshal: It has been a long time Ive almost forgotten what you look like. Are you having a pleasant time? The Hero: Of course. The Head Chef has been treating me very well. Yeah, even though the meat is mostly Demon Beasts, hese up with good ways to prepare it. Its still very different from meat though. Holy Imperial General: I apologise. The Hero: Im a freeloader, so Im notining. Thank you for your hospitality. Crown Prince Marshal: Then, Hero. Putting those words aside, I have something to inquire of you. The Hero: What is it? Go ahead. Crown Prince Marshal: Hearing you say that puts me very much at ease. Allow me to ask, are you well-acquainted with that girl? The Hero: Yeah, you could say that. Crown Prince Marshal: Exactly who is she? The Hero: Mmm, shes one of the disciples of that person the Holy Empire and the Church call the Crimson Schr Shes the one who started the whole liberation of the serfs. Strategist: That girl? Holy Imperial General: Dont tell me shes that girl? The Hero: It surprised me as well. Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. - I see. She made that speech. Hahaha. Strategist: Your Imperial Highness The Hero: You could say it was a speech, or you could also say it was just an outburst. Crown Prince Marshal: That woman the Crimson Schr. The writer of The Genius Manuscript, the reformer of agriculture in the South, an all-round genius. The Crimson Schr they call the Light of the South. Hehehehe. Hahahahaha. The Hero: I havent heard all those rumours before. Crown Prince Marshal: Do you believe she has the ability to change the world? The Hero: I dont know. Crown Prince Marshal: The Hero: I am just following my instructions. Holy Imperial General: - How do you feel? The Hero: What about? Holy Imperial General: About this war. We are deeply grateful that you have apanied us thus far. But, are we to believe that you are merely apanying us? Hero, it is time you told us what your true intentions are. The Hero: I have only ever had one true intention. To protect the world. Crown Prince Marshal: Our Human world? In that case, why would you impede the progress of your Humanrades? The Southern Alliance are now pointing their des at us Holy Crusaders. So which side are you on? The Hero: Stop saying such things, Your Imperial Highness. I am the worlds greatest hero, am I not? I have walked this world for years. The world is the world. In this world, there are Humans and there Demons. Itsmon for Humans wage their petty wars with their own ideas of justice, using whatever names they can, whether its heroes or the Spirit. Whats the difference now? Strategist: ! What!? Holy Imperial General: That is heresy! The Hero: Heresy is decided by the people of the Church, but I dont worship the Spirit of Light. I have an individual rtionship with her and I help her carry out some tasks is all. I am just a Hero of justice. I am not an adherent. Crown Prince Marshal: Hehehehehe. Hahahahaha! The Hero: Did I say something strange? Crown Prince Marshal: Well Its nothing. If you think about it carefully, its actually nothing strange for the Hero to say. Its perfectly normal. Finally, youre saying what youve kept hidden in your heart Well no, youve never actually tried to hide it. Strategist: Strategist: Your Imperial Highness. Crown Prince Marshal: In that case, Hero, in the fight between me and the Crimson Schr, between the Demon Army and the Holy Crusaders, you should be neutral and impartial. Is that correct? The Hero: Thats right. Crown Prince Marshal: No matter what happens? The Hero: No matter what happens. Crown Prince Marshal: So what will you do about the events unfolding in front of you? The Hero: Will you not stop? Crown Prince Marshal: I will not. - Hero. Have you not heard? We are fighting for the peace and order of the people. What have you gained from this liberation of the serfs? In the end, all you have achieved is chaos. All you have done is to bait the serfs to the poor, hungry and infertile South, where they merely be new ves under new masters, nothing more than a change of name. No matter how one thinks about it, creating this sort of false hope is far less advantageous than maintaining the present institutions and organisation which has kept thend at peace. History has shown us that this is the only way to continue. Talk of revolution and change is merely the stuff of dreams. Am I wrong, Hero? The Hero: It seems to me that all of this is protecting the interests of the Holy Empire. Crown Prince Marshal: That is correct. And why is that wrong? using a king of pursuing selfish pursuits for his own country is only the biased view of a person with no power. Kings pursue wealth for their country. When the country is wealthy, the people are at peace, and they will not tread on the path of chaos. In pursuing advantage for the Holy Empire, I fight for peace and order for the people, is that something which should be opposed? No matter what, all I am doing is attempting to maximise the benefit for the people. The Hero: Crown Prince Marshal: We in the Central Continent have a long history of stability and progress. This was something created from the serf system and themunity of nobles. Denying that these results were attained is as foolish as denying the very ground we stand on. Nobody can. Of course, this structure has some weaknesses and ws, but we have never attempted to imply that the system is infallible. Nheless, for hundreds of years, Human society has prospered from it. This progress and history is the path of the Holy Empire. Because I believe this is the right path, I am willing to preserve it. The Hero: Well, thats true. It would be wrong to say that all new things are good things. When new things begin, they have no experience, no results, no tried and proven methods, so someone getting hurt or difficulties being faced arepletely natural. Crown Prince Marshal: The Hero: But ording to her, even if Humans are defeated, they still retain their freedom. Crown Prince Marshal: So I should allow us to preserve our current freedoms, and maintain the present systems and institutions? The Hero: Its a good reasoning, isnt it? Crown Prince Marshal: Try to understand, Hero. This is the reasoning of a person who holds freedom at her highest interest trying to push her intentions onto you. - I hope her meddling has not been sessful. Holy Imperial General: The Hero: Crown Prince Marshal: Hmph. I hope you can concede that I also have a point. The Hero: Your Imperial Highness. In that case, in reverse perhaps you might concede that the new initiatives of that woman for example, the agricultural reforms and the liberation of serfs, have a point as well? Holy Imperial General: What do you mean? The Hero: It is not correct to say that new things are correct. But following the same line of reasoning, it is not correct say that things which used to be correct will remain correct forever. Crown Prince Marshal: The logic is sound. And there is also the matter of freedom. The Hero: So as it stands both sides are equal, right? Crown Prince Marshal: Indeed. The Hero: Both sides are Humans, both sides are equal, so as the Hero, I should not interfere? Crown Prince Marshal: Correct. The Hero: Then, if I do not interfere, with both sides fighting for freedom, will righteousness Crown Prince Marshal: I cannot say that I ampletely benevolent orpletely just. However, in order to champion the cause you think is right, sometimes strength is necessary. umting that strength is a severe test, a battlefield in its own right; and by standing on that battlefield, she too is a warrior. There is no question of age or gender in this. The Hero: That statement is true. Crown Prince Marshal: In that case. The Hero: Before you say in that case. Crown Prince Marshal. The worlds greatest hero. With a single phrase of in that case, in order to impose your personal views on others, you disy your military might on the battlefield In other words, as the Hero, I have the free will and a duty to uphold to crush violence where I see it. Strategist: Thats Holy Imperial General: Hero The Hero: As you say, Humans all have differing opinions, but dont we have the right to have differing opinions? On this point, I respect your opinion over that of the Church. If you were to ask me if the Church or the Crown Prince is better, I would definitely vote for you. In a world where it is impossible to differentiate justice, in order to solve issues and fight for ones ideals, is violence the solution? If that is not what you want, then I will be willing to take a backseat. But, if violence is your way of achieving justice, then I will have to act ordingly. Crown Prince Marshal: The Hero: I am not being patronising. No matter how, having treated me to so much great food, I still bear gratitude towards you However. Holy Imperial General bangs the table The Hero: I dont think I have to say the rest, your Imperial Highness? You understand, right? Half of the Holy Crusaders are here. I hope that we can avoid violence. In other words, you can probably take it that the Church and I are at conflict. Crown Prince Marshal: Is that a threat, Hero? The Hero: Well Crown Prince Marshal: In that case, allow me to say something as well. I have tens of thousands of muskets. No matter how powerful you are, if you think about it, theres no way you can single-handedly defeat them all, and I know youre hardly that conceited. I will take severe losses, but I will win. I have confidence in this. The Hero: Of course. Im not that conceited. However, Your Imperial Highness. I am not a Hero who will solve issues with violence and destruction. But, you people think that that is all that I can do. Being a guy who can only do that, who can only meaninglessly mumble aphorisms, do you know what that is like? Crown Prince Marshal: Hero The Hero: If violence could solve things, dont you think I would have solved everything from the start? If I could avoid this troublesome state of affairs, I definitely would I really want to fly into this battle and try to put a stop to this meaningless bloodbath Your Imperial Highness. The greatest hero in thend. If we want to do something right, consider that you have the same objective as she does, to pursue what is beyond that hill. - The Demon World, the South, the Old Lands of the Pale, the Encampment Mercenary Archer: Im getting irritated Its been five days. Small Mercenary: Yeah. Elder Sister Maid: We have to persevere. Mercenary Archer: Even if you say that Our minds are slowly draining. I mean, we dont even a hundred people here!? Small Mercenary: Moreover, were checking the movement of fifty thousand Holy Crusaders, protecting this territory against them is insanity. If they discover that this Secret Southern Alliance Expeditionary Force doesnt even actually exist, theyre going to massacre everybody. Elder Sister Maid: Well, if you think about it, whether or not we have a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand men, if they massacre us, everyone is going to die together. Smile Small Mercenary: How can you say something so hopeless with a smile! Young Mercenary: Come now. Mercenary Survivor: Well, it seems weve won though. Elder Sister Maid: Thats right. Mercenary Archer: Really!? But at the negotiations we had no choice but to agree to their demands for us to give them food. Disciple Nobleman: Thats not really rted. Mercenary Survivor: Think about it. Hypothetically, imagine if we were the legitimate army of arge country. At the very best we would only be able to hold off an army of such size for five days. Considering that weve managed to dy them for thest week, I would call that a victory, wouldnt you? Disciple Nobleman: Thats right. Elder Sister Maid: The retreat of the Automatons was well-executed too, right? Mercenary Survivor: Holding them off for five days would already be impressive. Weve provided them with some food, but weve managed to conceal the rest of it, and the mines remain closed. Resourceful Young Man: What a splendid bluff. Disciple Nobleman: Thats what diplomacy is about. Elder Sister Maid: Its not just about bluffing isnt it? You have to believe in what youre saying. If youre unwilling to put your life on the line, you wont be able to convince them. Resourceful Young Man: Thats very cool, I suppose thats what they mean when they say if you do not fight you will never have enemies. Disciple Nobleman: My teacher had a simr idea as well. Elder Sister Maid: Well, I cant say its entirely true in practice. Mercenary Archer: (small voice) If its not true in practice, then that would be troublesome, wouldnt it? Elder Sister Maid: But I really dont want to fight those people. Disciple Nobleman: With the Crown Prince Marshal? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Disciple Nobleman: That being said, youre quite a formidable opponent yourself. I was very much impressed by your intimidation and steadfastness. Resourceful Young Man: Oh, and what about me? Hehe. I impressed, you didnt I? You love me now dont you? You want to kiss me right!? Elder Sister Maid: What! No! Resourceful Young Man whistles Disciple Nobleman: Alright now, really stop with that whistling sound. It is extremely uncool. Mercenary Survivor: And here I thought you were afraid of confronting that Prince. Elder Sister Maid: No, it is scary, but Its no reason for me to hesitate. That is something I just have to do. In the face of an enemy, carrying such naivete would be impermissible. Its just Mercenary Survivor: ? Elder Sister Maid: I think that person has his own sense of justice. Even though, my convictions and my route are different from his. However, because of this, I do not have the right to say that his sense of justice is wrong. It might be possible that his sense of justice is better for the world Disciple Nobleman: Elder Sister Maid: Elder Sister Maid: I dont really have the intention to destroy or harm the Holy Crusaders. If possible, I hope that all of the Crusaders can stay alive. If we were able to fight in a different way, that would be best. A different way. When a war is fought, the fight cannot continue. Because one sides is dead. Even if we are enemies, that is not my intention. Dont you think its very lonely? - Why cant we be friends with the opponent? Disciple Nobleman: Elder Sister Maid: What a na?ve way of thinking. Disciple Nobleman: No, I can understand. Mercenary Survivor: Thats right. Resourceful Young Man: Really? Because I didnt understand sheet. Disciple Nobleman: Youre probably still young. Mercenary Survivor: Well, were mercenaries, so if the battlefield disappeared, we wouldnt have any food to eat and we would be out of a job. It sure would be difficult without a job and nothing to eat. - But, above that, if we didnt have this job, we would be undesirable people. Thats why I understand. Undesirable people are born in undesirable ces, this is where we belong, but by being here, we keep the rest from it. Resourceful Young Man: Undesirable people? Disciple Nobleman: That guy Can be said to be the very framework of the Holy Empire. At present, the Central Kingdoms have had a history too long and unbroken, and severelyck in talented young men. Hes a man who has been called a hero of the people. That way of living is something not easily attainable. That guy also has things he has to defend. Defend the ce where you belong, is that really so undesirable? - The Holy Imperial Pce, a Gloomy Boulevard Horse steps Footman: Sir, we will arrive at the Octagonal Pce after we pass this boulevard. Young Merchant: Alright, lets go. Footman: Yes, sir. Horse steps Young Merchant: How few people. Young Merchant: ( This is the pride of the Continent, the grand boulevards of the Holy Imperial City. Well, the streets are pretty and wide. The buildings are splendid, but the gravitas of the people ispletely absent Young Merchant: I suppose its the smallpox. Young Merchant: (It appears rumours of the vine are spreading. Especially with the economic hardship imposed by the war, the ie disparity is bing evident as well. The serfs are heading to the cities, it seems that the farms are being left untended then. Horse steps Footman: Sir, this is the Rose Gate. Young Merchant: Yeah. Young Merchant: (The Church and the guilds which are linked to the Church are monopolising the profit, and this is the result. They have hollowed out an economic bubble and left thendlords to wilt away, but thats the style of the Church Well, thats fine too. This too is agreeable to us I have very much to do, in the name of the Union. - The Holy Imperial City, the Octagonal Pce, the Garden of Winter Roses What business would a merchant have in this ancient and honourable pce. How unpleasant. Servant: This way. Young Merchant: Yes. Footsteps Footsteps That guy is from the Union. He cant be a nice guy. Young Merchant: (What an opulent and luxurious ce. Even the corridors are allpletely decked out. Servant: Please enter. His Holy Imperial Majesty will be with you shortly. Young Merchant: Got it. You got any candy? Servant: Huh? Young Merchant: Just a joke. Servant: In that case, please excuse me. Door opens Attendant: Of the Merchants Union, of the Chambers of Commerce of the Kingdom of the Lake, the Young Merchant. Young Merchant: It is my pleasure to meet you. I am the Young Merchant, the leader of the Merchants Union based in the Kingdom of the Lake. I beg for your grace. Chief Minister: Hmm, I am the Chief Minister. Imperial Bishop: I am the personal Bishop to the Throne. Chief Minister: By the Grace of the Holy Spirit, before you stands his Holy Imperial Majesty the Sixteenth Emperor of the Holy Empire. Holy Emperor: Mmm. Chief Minister: His Imperial Majesty has agreed to an audience with you. Young Merchant: (So this is the guy He seems troublesome, I suppose well need to take drastic measures. But this Emperor) Holy Emperor: Wee. I suppose you havee to the Holy Empire for economic and business reasons? It has been a period of austerity which I have been following for a long time. I look forward to todays talk. Chief Minister: Young Merchant: Thank you very much. I have a few things I wish to say today, but But first of all, I have a request Holy Emperor: Go ahead. Young Merchant: The Merchants Union is a coalition of independent merchants. The tradition of the solitary merchant has been transmitted through many generations, and we have constructed Chambers of Commerce in various cities throughout the Continent. Holy Emperor: Mmmm. Young Merchant: We have also begun a system of issuing letters of credit for ease of currency conveyance. By your grace, this has been well received. Holy Emperor: Letters of credit? Hmm, I understand. Young Merchant: We would be very grateful if we could be designated with an Imperial purveyor license to provide credit. Imperial Bishop: Your Holy Imperial Majesty I must object. Holy Emperor: Why? Imperial Bishop: The management of the institutions of credit has long been the duty of the Holy Church. It is a noble industry powered by the faith and fervour of the masses of adherents throughout the country. To begin with, anything involving money requires immense levels of trust. In particr, depositing currency requires both trust and capital. Letters of credit, letters of loan, no matter what the financial instrument, arepletely valueless unless backed by trust in an institutions will and ability to fulfil it. For a new enterprise to enter this industry, that would be nearly impossible. Young Merchant: I beg your pardon, Chief Minister. ording to Imperial Law, is it necessary for me to have a license in order to provide letters of credit? Chief Minister: Well No, not technically. Imperial Bishop: Young Merchant: Requesting for an Imperial license is hence purely out of respect. Imperial Bishop: In that case, as the representative of the Holy Church of Light, I impeach your Holy Imperial Majesty. I believe you know that there is no regtion only because it would be ridiculous to challenge the authority of the Church in this industry. In light of this, please adjust thew, no please issue an Imperial edict to ban all financial instruments issued outside of the Church. This is an impassioned plea from the Holy Church of Light. Holy Emperor: Young Merchant: In that case, Most Revered. Imperial Bishop: What is it, Merchant. I am speaking to His Imperial Majesty. Young Merchant: Actually, the Merchants Union also uses the Churchs letters of credit. Imperial Bishop: Hmph, as expected. Young Merchant: I was intending to exchange my letters for some cash, but when I headed to the Free City of the West Shore, I was told that there is no more cash to be had. Imperial Bishop: Thats. Holy Emperor: Is that the truth? Young Merchant: I was a bit troubled, so I went to the other Free Cities in the vicinity, but they had run out of cash too. Imperial Bishop: Young Merchant: Actually, I was rejected by five different ces. Isnt a letter of credit a binding document*? Denying withdrawals without regard for the original contract, is that the way the Church operates? The merchants of the West Shore are in a huge uproar now, its a massive scare. Holy Emperor: Is that the truth, Bishop? Imperial Bishop: That, that is a temporary Young Merchant: That is another reason why I havee to see Your Imperial Majesty. I bring with me a petition signed by five thousands merchants from the West Shore. They demand the immediate return of the money that they have deposited in the Church. Imperial Bishop: We will definitely be able to return the money. Young Merchant: You mean eventually? Please stop joking. We merchants live on a bloody economic battlefield everyday. If we cannot ship our wheat, ces literally starve to death. Do you know that there are merchants who cannot buy wheat because their letters of credit are useless? Yet, because of contracts, there are still ships who dock in their docks expecting to be loaded with wheat. Ships are carrying out voyages without cargo, have you thought about the economic damage of that? Trust in the Church? If there was ever such a thing, then perhaps the Church is simply ignoring the trust that we merchants have in the Church. Imperial Bishop: All damages will be reimbursed. Young Merchant: Do you think trust can be bought back? In that case, we will use money to buy it too. So this is the holy trust in the Church which you were speaking of earlier? Imperial Bishop: Such a thing cannot possibly be bought! How audacious! Heretic! Holy Emperor: Stop now. Young Merchant: I apologise for the rudeness. Imperial Bishop: Hmph. Rogue. Holy Emperor: What should we do? Chief Minister: Your Imperial Majesty, you are the chief ofw. Whatever you say is bound directly tow. Holy Emperor: I see. Hmm Bishop, first makepensation to everybody involved. Imperial Bishop: Yes. Holy Emperor: Moreover, do you agree that the trust of the merchants of the West Shore has been hurt? Imperial Bishop: If organisms like merchants even have the concept of human trust, then yes. Holy Emperor: Beyond the basicpensation, it would be appropriate to provide a higher rpensation in order to rebuild some of that trust. How much do you think is enough? Imperial Bishop: I believe that 100,000 gold pieces would be enough. Maybe even too much. Holy Emperor: Hmm, what do you think, Young Merchant? Young Merchant: Personally, I feel the amount is more than enough. As expected, the wisdom of the Holy Church is truly infinite. I am at ease. Imperial Bishop: How greedy. Shameless man. Young Merchant: However, as I said earlier, the petition has the names of five thousand merchants on its roster. As such, my personal view is not sufficient. I have a responsibility to inquire, may I suggest that the merchants be provided with an additional rpense of 50% of their reported losses? Imperial Bishop: Very good. Young Merchant: Then, when will they be paid? Imperial Bishop: This is the Holy Imperial City. Tomorrow I will bear a message to the Holy Church and begin the proceedings. Young Merchant: Excellent. I look forward to it. Imperial Bishop: Then our conversation is over. Young Merchant: In that case, thebinedpensation amounts to 84 million gold pieces. Imperial Bishop: What? Chief Minister: !? Young Merchant: The face value of the letters of credit on its own is 7 million gold pieces. However, the dered opportunity loss of revenue is eight times that. Imperial Bishop: Where do these numberse from!? Young Merchant: Are you aware of the price of charcoal now? Charcoal is produced in the Kingdom of Elm and is shipped through the infrastructure in the Kingdom of the Lake, it is now worth sixteen times the original price. The tax regime instituted between the two countries is a business nightmare. All of these losses have been incurred because of ack of liquid capital, at present this is just half of the story, if we factored in the other business and economic opportunities, the losses may increase to ten times. Will the Church ept it? Imperial Bishop: Do as you wish! Young Merchant: In that case, at ten times the dered opportunity loss Imperial Bishop: I thought we agreed on eight! Young Merchant: Sure. Then 7 million gold pieces at eight times the opportunity cost results in 56 million gold pieces. With the trust repairpensation of 50%, that amounts to 84 million gold pieces. Imperial Bishop: Damn you Young Merchant: Of course, this is just the losses from today. If thepensation cannot be made by the end of the day, then we can expect another round of losses simr to today. In that case the amount would be 180 million gold pieces. And after that, it gets difficult. Let me calcte. The next round would be 12.9 billion gold pieces. Imperial Bishop: ! Holy Emperor: Ahahahahahahaha! Imperial Bishop: Your Imperial Majesty! Holy Emperor: What of it? Would the Holy Church be able to round up all the money in the Holy Imperial City within the next two to three days? Imperial Bishop: This is preposterous! Your Excellency! Chief Minister: Hmm? Imperial Bishop: I need to talk to you about the money. Let us talk in private. Chief Minister: Uhh, yes. Your Imperial Majesty. I must take my leave. Door ms Holy Emperor: Hahahaha! Look! Its like he took an arrow to his butt! Young Merchant: Hahahaha. Indeed. Holy Emperor: Hahahaha. This is hrious. I haventughed like this since I was a young man. Young Merchant: In that case I am d I could bring some joy to your life. Holy Emperor: I know what you did. Young Merchant: Yes. Holy Emperor: You intend to pursue them for the payment? Young Merchant: No, no. They were very impertinent though. I wonder what they were thinking. Holy Emperor: These people are only loyal to their own interests. Young Merchant: Mmm. Holy Emperor: I am but a normal and uninformed monarch. Merchant, your intelligence is astounding. Young Merchant: But you are very important to me. Holy Emperor: Me? Oh, the Imperial license. Even if I dont say anything, you would still have forced them to borrow. Young Merchant: Borrow? Holy Emperor: Hahaha. Didnt you see the Chief Minister? The Bishop will definitely have to do his best to wrangle up 84 million gold pieces by today. 84 million is no small number, but when you talked about 10 billion that really set his mind racing, the annual value of all the wheat traded in the Continent doesnt evene up to that much. It is truly a stupendous number. For 84 million gold pieces, if we emptied the Churchs vaults and my own Imperial Treasury, we might just be able to fulfil it. Young Merchant: Imperial Treasury? Is that alright? Holy Emperor: What is? Young Merchant: To order the money to be paid in such a fashion. Holy Emperor: Well. This would be good medicine for the two of them. If the medicine is too strong, it might result in the death of those two. But that is a way of cleansing the rust. I would rather it not be divulged, but from the beginning, meddling with the treasury without my express instructions is a capital punishment. As death row criminals, I suppose they will just have to follow what I say. Young Merchant: Holy Emperor: Your methods are certainly very dazzling arent they? Young Merchant: I do not think so. Your Imperial Majesty haspletely seen through my ns. You acted in a prompt and decisive manner to ensure the survival of your country above all else. Holy Emperor: Is that so? Young Merchant: Yes. Holy Emperor: In that case, I suppose we should go and save those two heartless people. Young Merchant: How? Holy Emperor: Merchant, Merchant. You have just managed tond 84 million gold pieces. If you dont give it back in order to fill up the treasury, those two would havemitted a capital offence. Young Merchant: Yes. Holy Emperor: As their lord, I bear the responsibility for the failure of my subordinates. And I would like to request for the 84 million from you. Young Merchant: Hoho, a good proposition. Holy Emperor: Your aim was probably to get lots of money out of this. Young Merchant: Probably. Holy Emperor: In that case, perhaps we coulde to an arrangement. Young Merchant: Hoho. Holy Emperor: And, you want some kind of license. Young Merchant: Yes. Holy Emperor: Ill see what I can do. Young Merchant: I understand. Holy Emperor: Then, what is it that you want, Merchant? Young Merchant: I want a permit to construct Orders of the Lake in the Imperial City. Holy Emperor: Young Merchant: In addition, all transactions taking ce within the Order are to be tax-exempt, and all transactions of the Order are to enjoy the same tax-exempt status as the Holy Church of Light. Holy Emperor: That is Young Merchant: Im not asking for a differentiation from the Holy Church of Light. It would be fine if they were on the same footing, dont you think? The monarchy and nobility can continue to visit their traditional Holy Church if they so wish to. Holy Emperor: So this is your aim, Merchant? Young Merchant: Of course, I wouldnt dare to suggest a scenario with no gain to your Imperial Majesty. Its clear that the Church and the Empire share a close rtionship, but within that gap the Holy Order of the Lake could probably fit in. To begin with, we are two different sects with identical beliefs. Think of it as two separate wings, to stabilise thend. That is no small feat. Holy Emperor: That may be so Young Merchant: Well thats just one thing. Now theres the matter with the letters of credit. Holy Emperor: What else is there!? Young Merchant: The matter I bring before you today is a matter from the Union and friends of the Union. Of course, letters of credit are by no means rare, arent they? The Imperialpensation is 8 times with a 50 percent extra, in other words 12 times more than the original sum. If this information were to be leaked out, I fear that all the merchants in the Continent will panic against the Empire and the church. In that case, you can expect ten, no fifty times moreints than the ones I delivered. Holy Emperor nods Young Merchant: I believe you understand, but the way to save the Church would be to acquiesce to my demands. Smiles - Exnation Binding Document: Parties to a binding document are obligated byw to fulfil the terms of the document. The Holy Church issues letters of credit as binding documents in order to oblige merchants to pay them back for loans, but the reverse is also true. In other words, the Church must pay those merchants in possession of binding documents within the terms stated. - - The Demon World, the South, the Old Lands of the Pale, a Breezy Hill Wind blows Crown Prince Marshal: Mdy. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Crown Prince Marshal: Once this fight has been won, I will give way to you. Elder Sister Maid: You will retreat? Crown Prince Marshal: Well, I will move backwards. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to engage in fine diplomacy with you. This is your victory. Mercenary Survivor: (She did it!) Strategist: However, the 850 wagons of food and medicine Elder Sister Maid: Of course, I swear on my honour. Crown Prince Marshal: Elder Sister Maid: Wind blows Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. You should thank the Hero. This was not purely by your effort. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. From the beginning it has never been. The Hero: Hahaha! The Elder Sister Maid has always ordered me around since a long time ago. And shes got excellent acting skills to boot! Elder Sister Maid: Didnt I apologise for that? Crown Prince Marshal: So do you think this is the end? Elder Sister Maid: I suppose you wont allow me to run now that Ive won. Crown Prince Marshal: Out of the question. Of course, what other choice would you have anyway. Elder Sister Maid: No, your Imperial Highness. If we no longer belong here, we will also go to the City of the Gate. Crown Prince Marshal: I definitely wont say I dont wee that. The Hero and yourself will be the guests of the Crusades. Elder Sister Maid: No, that will not be necessary. Crown Prince Marshal: ? Elder Sister Maid: There is no more need to trouble the Hero. Next, will be a battle between your Imperial Highness and myself. Strategist: !? Mercenary Survivor: What! What is she saying!? The Hero: Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! Amazing! Crown Prince Marshal: You have a big mouth. Elder Sister Maid: I try. Crown Prince Marshal: Hahahahahahaa! Elder Sister Maid: Let me tell you the truth. Crown Prince Marshal: What? Elder Sister Maid: I am known as the Travelling Schr. - Of course, that is not just a rumour. I have pursued schrly pursuits and I have travelled extensively. Actually, I have even been to the Imperial City. Crown Prince Marshal: Hoho. Elder Sister Maid: But, the Travelling Schr suggest some sort of esotericism. I dont have this courage, it is a difficult burden to bear Crown Prince Marshal: So? Elder Sister Maid: I suppose at the end of the day this title is far too heavy for my shoulders. And so, I believe I should go with an identity more fitting to those who know me like the Hero, even to those who face me, like your Imperial Highness. Mercenary Survivor: ? Elder Sister Maid: My name shall be henceforth known as an impoverished serf girl in the Kingdom of Winter. Holy Imperial General: A serf!? Strategist: Fool! Elder Sister Maid: On top of that, I am just a pathetic, powerless Human girl. However, today, right now, from this moment, I have a greater calling. I am now, a hero. I have decided to save the world. I tread alone on this narrow path. The Kingdom of the Lake, the Capital, the Headquarters of the Union, Midnight Young Merchant: What a strong rain Young Merchant: (What an unbelievable gale) Young Merchant: (The Holy Order of the Lake has been epted in the Holy Empire. If possible, I want to construct branches in all the major cities. It would be best to aplish this before the Primarch returns from the Crusades We can then build up Chambers of Commerce in these branches, and even banks as well. In this way, we can use letters of credit to cover the cost of construction. The leader of the Holy Order of the Lake is quite a trustworthy person after all.) Young Merchant: (But the pressing matter is the conclusion of the war That will require capital. Saving up will have toe over that. But, war) Young Merchant: Hmm. Young Merchant: (Victory and defeat Victory and defeat. To begin with, what defines victory? I suppose it would be theplete subjugation of the Demon Race It seems that no matter what, the world revolves around attainingplete power. Subjugation. It seems to be just sleep talk. To begin with, exactly whose goal is it to subjugate the Demon World? What a stupid idea.) Young Merchant: (The number of royalty and heads of state involved in the Crusades amounts to forty. In order to just get one city each, they would have to conquer 40 cities, and how exactly would they defend their new holdings? There are 300,000 soldiers in the Holy Crusade. Even if all of them were soldiers, that would mean one city can only be garrisoned with 7500 soldiers. How foolish! Can you subjugate an entire city with 7500 soldiers? Dividing those 7500 soldiers to separate borders where victory and defeat is still uncertain, and then split them up further to pursue fleeing Demon soldiers and citizens is just a recipe for them to be annihted group by group. I can hardly believe the Holy Church and the Crown Prince Marshal wouldnt know that. They definitely have a separate objective. I fear their ultimate aim is to unify the Central Continent. Its a legend that has been told since the time of the First Crusade. The country which is able to destroy the Demon enemy would make a massive step towards holding power in the Central Continent. However, this flow was halted halfway by a massive change. The Southern Kingdoms, long held to be a loyal bulwark revolted. This revolt was not expected to be within their abilities. It was expected that the South was just a wooden doll without self-consciousness, just a pathetic ve bound to the bidding of their masters in the Central Continent. However, for some reason, that expectation failed. The South, with its own ideas and determination, formed itself into the Tripartite Economic Union. Wielding independent economic and military ability, they existed outside of the Central Continent. The flow was hence stemmed, and the kingdoms in the Central Continent who sympathised with the South grew in number Actually, thatst trend was something even we did not expect.) Young Merchant: Someone bring some tea Well, I guess its not the time of day where there would be anyone around. Young Merchant: (To the Central Continent, any idea of continental unity is merely based on amon enemy. This enemy took the form of the Southern Kingdoms based on a wed information system, without seeing their real form. Such a pivot resulted in two strategies. The first is to use overwhelming strength and conspiracy to smash the Southern Alliance, especially the three countries which formed the original Tripartite Union. However, that strategy was frozen in its tracks. Because of smallpox. It would have been expedient to obliterate the Southern Alliance, but that technology was important. Thats probably how it is. The schemes against the Holy Order of the Lake must have been exceptionally fierce. But attempting to use schemes and deception against the Holy Order of the Lake is the wrong idea, they are honest to a fault.) Young Merchant: I suppose Im now one of therades of the Hero. Young Merchant: (Of course, they tried to use military might. However, the Holy Order of the Lake and the Southern Alliance have apletely peaceful attitude. They did not even attempt to contest the Church when they werebelled heretics. The Holy Church then pulled down all Order-rted buildings in the countries they still had influence in. Whatever they could not snatch and pige, they burned and destroyed. However, on the other hand, in the Southern Alliance, the activities of the Church were left unimpeded. In this manner, by picking a fight with the Southern Alliance, they could not im to be great and moral. To begin with, by making a promation that the South were heretics, they still could take some moral high ground and point their de at the Southern Kingdoms. In this way, they hoped to break the moral legitimacy of the Southern Kingdoms. However, this strategy underestimated the Southern Alliance, and especially miscalcted the political bnce and charisma of the Lone Winter King.) Young Merchant: (Eventually, the Central Continent had no choice but to directly attack the Southern Alliance. A double danger came from the King of White Night and the Demon invasion, which left the South exhausted and at its weakest. At this point, the Central Continent could carry out their other option, an invasion of the Demon World. Up to this point, I understand their aims. The aim of unifying the Central Continent relies on maintaining amon enemy. But times changed and the enemy was no longer menacing enough. In order to solidify their status, they needed a new incentive, in other words a stronger drive. A bait for the rest to invade the Demon World. That bait was newnd and unlimited riches in the Demon World. However, that was a spectacrly sessful bait. By developments in agricultural technology and the defeat of the Demons at the Isle of Light, the production capacity of the Continent indeed increased. Dukes and Kings watched their treasuries grow and their armies expand. With greed in their hearts, the various kingdoms became susceptible to sweet words of greed. No matter how many times they failed, or rather, the more they failed, the more they lusted for newnds and riches with anxiety in their hearts and a ravenous hunger) Young Merchant: War Young Merchant: (With 300,000 Holy Crusaders, even with splendid weaponry like muskets, consolidating control over the Demon World is absolutely unthinkable. One possibility is for the 300,000 soldiers to seize supplies from the areas they travel through, ughtering every Demon theye across without reprieve. Moreover, rather than subjugating or conquering cities, they could simply raze them and massacre the poption before moving on to the next city. In other words, genocide. However, doing so would only return destends and would requirerge amounts of time and expenditure withparatively little return. Or, they could capture the cities and suppress the Demons with garrisons. With their strength, they might be able to hold on to five or six cities. That would be preferable to spreading out their strength. In such a wide area, whether two or three hundred thousand, it would be like adding hot water to the sea, the heat would just spread out and dissipate In that case, the real goal of the Central Continent is to capture just a few cities, to leave a strong impression on the other kingdoms and entice them as a sort of bait. In this way, the next Crusades can be directed to seize morends and riches, even in the Southern Alliance In that case, the best course of action would be to make the Crusades appear ineffectual, and the Merchant Unions course of action is not wrong. But, even so, theres still that feeling) Young Merchant: Footsteps Young Merchant: ? Young Merchant: Whos there? Young Merchant: I dont have any appointments today. At this time of the night, my mind is ying tricks on me, I should just drink some wine and sleep. Scratching sounds Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: Lady? Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: Teleportation!? Otherwise, how far have you walked Yourepletely soaked! Such heavy rain, and in winter as well? Are you trying to die? Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: I didnt think you were that kind of person. Fire Dragon Lady: Save us. Young Merchant: Eh? Fire Dragon Lady: Bowing my head to you is not something I enjoy. My chest feels like it is being shredded by broken ss. However, I have something I need to rely on you for The City of the Gate is about to fall. You have to help us. Somehow Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: The City of the Gate is surrounded by 200,000 Crusaders, enduring ceaseless cannon fire day and night. The Crusaders are pushing the defences with crazed fervour, attacking without regard for their own lives. Under these circumstances, the City of the Gate has endured well under themand of the Demon King. Young Merchant: The Demon King? The Demon King is in the City? Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. The City cannot fall. Young Merchant: (Why? Even if it does get captured, taking it back again is not that difficult. I dont know what its like on the field, but I imagine that their supply lines must be very stretched. If they baited the attackers deep into Demon territory, they could just cut off their supplies behind them, right? Or am I misunderstanding this new musket technology?) Fire Dragon Lady: The Crusaders are stubbornly pressing the siege, and the City of the Gate has already be the greatest battle in the Demon World. The dead number more than 30,000 already, and the ground has be inundated in blood Young Merchant: The Crown Prince Marshal Fire Dragon Lady: It seems that the enemy general known as the Crown Prince Marshal departed for another location with an army of 50,000 before the battle began. We do not know where he is Young Merchant: (The Crown Prince is not with the 150,000 strong Imperial Army?) Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: Where is the Shrewd ountant? Fire Dragon Lady: He retreated. Young Merchant: I see. That makes sense since I did issue instructions to retreat. Then why did you stay? Fire Dragon Lady: Because I am a Lady of the Tribe of Dragons. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: I cannot possibly leave myrades behind. Young Merchant: I see. I apologise. I issued instructions to retreat without considering your situation. Fire Dragon Lady: The Shrewd ountant, the Middle Aged Merchant and the other employees retreated to my fathers domain when the battle began. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: You have to help us. Young Merchant: Im a merchant. I have no army. Fire Dragon Lady: Even so. Young Merchant: I cant. Fire Dragon Lady: You need a reward? If you need a reward, anything will do. As long as I have it, you may have it. Young Merchant: If you intend to walk the path of the Merchant, saying anything is definitely not the way to go. Fire Dragon Lady: Then I suppose I cannot walk the path of the Merchant. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: I am happy to have seen the world together with you. Buying iron here, selling salt there. Travelling to ces I have never seen, meeting people I have never met, negotiating, attempting to findpromise. Seeking mutual benefit, considering unknown bargains. That has all been very, very fun. You opened my eyes to the narrow world I had been born in. But, I am a Lady of the Tribe of Dragons. I cannot betray my ancestors. And I love the City of the Gate. Its a grungy city which is so charming, where Humans and Demons live together. Its not a yground, its a ce where trickery and scams aremonce. But its an everchanging City, where all the people are free and control their own futures. What you said was painful. A sad song is ying in the recesses of my heart. I thought you would at least treat me as a business partner. If you would allow me At least let me understand how you feel. Perhaps you scorn such a na?ve, weak-hearted and fickle person as myself. If that is the case, allow me to beg you, on my knees if I have to. I hate to beg, but I really, really need you to help us. That is what hurts me. Even so, I dont have a lot I can give you, and if you find me disdainful Young Merchant: I dont want to hear it. Fire Dragon Lady: Is that so Young Merchant: The Demon World is not going to be subjugated by the Holy Crusaders. Even if five or ten Demon cities are conquered, the market is not going to be tremendously shaken by it. This is just the beginning of a threeway economic rtionship between the Holy Empire with the Holy Church at its core, the Southern Alliance and now, the Demon World; a brand new world. Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: That is something that the Merchant Union and myself aims to achieve. In that world, merchants like us would be able to move freely within this economic and cultural rtionship, our financial influence would expand tenfold. Why is it that the Demon King is unwilling to let go of the City of the Gate? Fire Dragon Lady: I do not know She just says its for the future. That its for the pride of the Demons and for the sake of the Humans. Young Merchant: The Demon King said that? Fire Dragon Lady nods Young Merchant: (Did we misappraise the value of that city? Does it have some kind of military or economic value I am unfamiliar with? No, that would be hard to imagine. In that case, maybe cultural or religious Or perhaps it has some kind of symbolic value? Whats the likelihood of that? Why would losing the City be such a big deal What do you lose if you lose the City? Why would the Demon King go to the City at such a time and defend it to the death?) Fire Dragon Lady: Young Merchant: (For the sake of the Humans, she said?) Young Merchant: ! Fire Dragon Lady: Merchant? Young Merchant: The Demon King! Her eyes are red, right!? Like freshly pressed wine!? - Epilogue With two feelings, the Hero made his way to you. From her green casket, she watched over the material world in her eternal slumber, gazing down onto the altar. That was a promise. A vow. The ce where the contract would be fulfilled. This time she continued to hope, this time more so, she hoped. Years and months passed,parable to infinity, but even so, like a glowing ember, a shadow stayed in her heart, with ck hair and ck eyes. Calling her name with a soft voice. She loved only once, she loved only one youth. With a despair that could not possibly happen a second time, she longed crazily to love again. It was a dilemma, and her fragile feelings wavered like a pane of ss in the wind. The determinations of that youth was another thing which she loved. The desire to save the world, to embrace the earth. Save me please. Hero. As the words left her lips, they dissipated like flower petals in the breeze. They left a sweet touch on her lips as they softly escaped into the light. Into this world filled with hurt. She could no longer distinguish whether the steadily burning pulses of pain were borne by the world, or by herself. In these impure surroundings. But, because of this, she prayed and wished. She hoped for the salvation of the world, and for that chance meeting that would prate eternity. (Heat?) She began to feel, like the prickling of several needles, the heat of a me. Like shimmering fallen stars shining against the ck floor, she held both dj vu and jamais vu. That me, was herself. A small me which flickered and wavered on the ground She too sometimes shone, sometimes wavered, and sometimes she danced as she thought of that ck-haired Hero saving the world, and his distinct features. She continued to watch these movements, entranced. She longed to meet him again, in her own identity, and longed for another chance encounter. She did not know exactly what she meant by that, but like a girl possessed, she concentrated hard as she stared at the ground. Volume 4 Maps and Explanations

Volume 4 Maps and Exnations

- The Third Crusade, the First Battle of the City of the Gate The 43rd Demon King, Ruby Eyes, has seen many victories on the battlefield, but has naturally seen many defeats as well. Among these, the greatest defeat would be the First Siege of the City of the Gate during the Third Crusade. In the war between quality and quantity, quantity was the one which one this particr battle. The Demon Race, or at least those members of the Demon Race which took to the battlefield each had martial ability far exceeding that of the average Human. In a battle of equal numbers between Demons and Humans, there would be no possibility for the Demons to be defeated. In response, the strength of the Humansy in their numbers. The Human Race, who each had many children, had a poption far exceeding that of the Demon Race. The Southern Kingdoms alone had a poption rivalling that of the entire Demon World. With the addition of the Central Continent, the Human World outnumbered the Demon World ten to one. The Humans, with the Central Continent based about the Holy Empiremitted almost their entire army to the establishment of the Third Crusades. For the paranoid kingdoms of the Continent to fight alongside each other and form a grand army like the Crusades relied on solid foundation of faith and the authority of the Holy Church. Ensuring the security of their countries while their entire armies were on the expedition demonstrated the sess of the mutual supervision system which was built. Bishops from the Holy Church as well as armistice-observing military officers from each of the other countries were sent to every country in order to observe and ensure that each country maintained the lowest numbers of soldiers necessary for training and the preservation of peace. In response to this, the Central Continent kept its military strength at its lowest, directing the majority of its strength against the Demon Race to achieve victory. The concept of operations was as follows: Start of the Battle The campaign began when the garrison in the City of the Gate sallied out to engage the Vanguard forces of the Holy Crusaders. The Vanguard itself was a farrger force than the Holy Crusaders, and being armed with powerful muskets, they were able to suppress the Demon Army. Middle of the Battle At this point, the Fiend cavalry levelled their spears and broke off from the main force to engage the Vanguard on its nks in order to throw the vanguard into chaos. Within this chaos, the Human Army was unable to use its muskets, allowing the Demon Army to preserve as much of its strength as possible. However, themander of the Crusaders, the Ash Green King was able to read the intentions of the Demon Army. In response to the manoeuvre, he used an overwhelminglyrge force to blunt the blow. The Fiend cavalry employed illusionary magic in order to obscure their positions and make it difficult for the Human musketeers to aim at them. However, to begin with, Crusader muskeeters were never trained to fire with uracy. The most they could aplish was to fire in a general direction. To solve this issue, the Crusaders employed massive numbers of muskets firing in a general direction. The musketeers focussed on firing in the direction of the cavalry, and naturally, most of them missed. However, aggregating all of this low uracy fire meant that at least one shot would it. Even if only one in one hundred shots hit their targets, with ten thousand muskets, that meant that hundred casualties would be sustained per volley. With less than 1,000 cavalrymen, the Fiend cavalry found their forces gradually attritted volley by volley. For this reason, the Demon Armys strategy failed and the Vanguard was able to maintain order and stand up to the Demon Army. Moreover, with the addition of cannon fire from the Crusader Grand Army, the Demon Army was thrown into chaos. At this point, it appeared that the utter annihtion of the Demon Army was just a matter of time. End of the Battle The final twist to the battle was the sudden attack from the rear of the Crusader Army by thebined armies of the Tribes of Beasts and the Tribe of the Gate. In order to avoid musketfire, they forced themselves into the opening between the Right Wing and the Grand Army of the Crusader Army. In order to avoid shooting theirpatriots, the musketeers were unable to direct their fire at thebined army. Left with no choice, the Hundred Pdins rode to intercept the enemy. By employing even this limited level of disorder among the Demon Army, the Demon King was able to regroup the shattered Demon Army and retreat towards the City of the Gate. However, losses were great, and the Khan of Beasts, the Silver Tiger Lord, was sacrificed in this battle. From a fragment of historical records in a forgotten library - The New Star Fortifications With the appearance of muskets and cannons on the battlefield, fortification construction theory experienced a radical change. The specific introduction of cannons able to deliver great volumes of high-impact artillery fire necessitated a fundamental shift in the concept of fortified defence. In response to this new weapon, a new fortification in the form of the Star Fort was developed. The Gorykaku in Hakodate on the ind of Hokkaido to the north of Japan is great example of such fortifications. (Scribe annotations: Hakodate, Hokkaido and Japan are not ces which exist in the entire Continent. Goryokaku is also no fortification known to anybody in either the Demon or Human World. Since this was all written by the Crimson Schr, perhaps she mixed up the names with some other ce.) Of course, even before this, simr weapons have continued to exist. The musket had its counterpart in the bow and crossbow, while the cannon had its counterpart in the catapult. However, the catapult was substantiallyrger and less mobile. Moreover,pared to explosively discharging metal blocks at high velocities, catapults were substantially slower and hence had less destructive power. In this manner, the erection of walls served a distinct purpose. However, with the introduction of cannons, the old curtain wall, a straight vertical wall, was simply unable to withstand any sort of protracted bombardment. This was proven true in many engagements. As such, walls were built to withstand cannonfire without crumbling, by making them lower and thicker. At this point, rather than walls, the fortifications were designed primarily to absorb and deflect the impact of the cannons. Such low-height walls were also useful against musket fire. While bows were capable of direct fire (firing in a straight line towards the enemy), they were primarily designed for indirect fire (firing in an arc towards the enemy). As a result, using indirect fire, archers were able to pick off enemies hiding within fortifications. Of course, in response to that, soldiers learnt to put shields above their heads to block arrows. In contrast, muskets fired exclusively straight. Older fortifications relied on pushing down siegedders erected on walls to prevent enemy soldiers from climbing in, on dropping rubble andrge stones and on pouring scalding water on enemies below. However, the newer fortifications relied on standing on thin boards (which resulted in them being unable to move freely) and firing with muskets on enemies in safety while enemies were unable to fire back. Constructing this sort of fortification required a higher level of engineering and architectural skill. The square forts which had been constructed up to now were gradually reced by star forts. Compared to square forts, longer lines of walls needed to be constructed, which represented increased costs and time required. However, despite the cost, star forts offered many advantages. The old style forts used to shortest distance of walls to cover the area, and if necessary, could be constructed to have several corners to increase the length. However, the walls were overwhelmingly straight, and would absorb the brunt of cannon fire, leading to them absorbing great damage with each shot. The new fortifications were constructed with sloping walls, such that even while surrounded by cannon emcements, they would suffer significantly less damage. In addition, as the different walls of the star fort faced each other, defensive fire from the defenders would form ovepping fields and hence result in the greatest damage on attackers attempting to siege the walls from the front. In other words, attackers faced the troubling dilemma of deciding between a strategy which yielded minimum damage and a strategy which would result in maximum casualties for the attacker. The very first Star Fortification constructed in history was the defences of the City of the Gate. This star fortification proved to be instrumental in the Second Battle of the City of the Gate, or the Siege of the City of the Gate, and waster greatly expanded. Without the star fort, the walls of the City of the Gate would have fallen almost immediately and would immediately have been upied byrge hordes of Holy Crusaders. However, the chief architect and engineer of the star fortifications argued, Even though the low-height fortifications were my idea; however, the star shape was created by simply reconstructing the old fortifications which previously existed in the City of the Gate. They were not my invention. To think that the City of the Gate, a city so ancient that no written records exist of its history, once had a genius capable of designing such defensive infrastructure. This is a mystery of history which persists even to this day. From by the Crimson Schr The Disciple Merchants Lecture on Cheese Disciple Soldier: Its been a long time. I came to the city and I heard you were here so I came to see you. Disciple Merchant: Oh, its really been a very long time. You must be very busy as the Minister for Defence. Disciple Soldier: I really have. Ive been surrounded by books all day. Had it not been for the training we received from our teacher, I think I would have burnt out by now. Disciple Merchant: Im very much the same. Im a bureaucrat and Ive also got to deal with this mountain of materials. Disciple Soldier: Is that something you should be saying? Disciple Merchant: The new cheese bank has been on the top of my mind. Disciple Soldier: Whats a cheese bank? Disciple Merchant: Hmm, how should I exin this? Do you know how cheese is made? Disciple Soldier: Not at all. I know its made from milk somehow. Disciple Merchant: First, you add something called re* to milk. After that, by removing the whey* which floats to the top, you separate the solids. Disciple Soldier: Ohh, I see. Disciple Merchant: After that, you dispose of the whey. Well, actually you dont throw it away, whey does have its uses, but lets leave that aside for now. Disciple Soldier: Mmhmm. Disciple Merchant: Then, you gather up the solids left behind and when it fully solidifies, thats fresh cheese. Disciple Soldier: Ohh, and thats how you get cheese like mascaporne and mozzare. Its most delicious when spread on bread. Disciple Merchant: Thats right. But actually, the real cheese production starts now. Disciple Soldier: Ohh, so fresh cheese and cheese are different things. Disciple Merchant: Solidifying cheese is not an easy process. Alongside using yeast-aided fermentation, it needs to rest for a few months. Disciple Soldier: It takes that much time? Disciple Merchant: Thats right. And sometimes if the maturation fails, it bes inedible. Disciple Soldier: Well, I suppose thats why cheese is so expensive. Disciple Merchant: And hence the cheese bank. Disciple Soldier: Are you going to tell me what that is? Disciple Merchant: The idea is to buy cheese in its pre-solidified phase for 60% of its sale price and then keep it under ideal maturation conditions in a proper facility for a few months. Disciple Soldier: Wont thate at a loss to them? Disciple Merchant: Of course, if you think of it as just waiting for a few months before it matures, then there is definitely a loss. However to the people who make the cheese, thats not how it works. Disciple Soldier: What do you mean? Disciple Merchant: Firstly, they dont have to worry about the failure or sess of the maturation process. The chance of failure is hence zero. Disciple Soldier: Failure would definitely be a huge loss. Disciple Merchant: Thats right. But to these cheese producers, in return for slightly lower profits, they significantly lower their risk and stabilise their ie. Our teacher calls this risk management. Disciple Soldier: Once again, she uses some kind of obscure terminology. I can see how this is helpful, but it cant be worth 40% of the price. Disciple Merchant: No, the biggest advantage is immediately receiving payment. In this way, the money can very quickly be rechannelled into the second production phase to produce even more cheese. Our teacher calls this an improvement to the rate of turnover*. Disciple Soldier: I see. Revenue gets back to them quicker so the next production cycle can begin earlier and in the end they make more profit in the same period of time. Disciple Merchant: Exactly. It bes a lot more busy, but to a cheese producer, this allows them to build savings quicker. Disciple Soldier: But would the cheese bank be able to handle so much? During the period where the cheese is stored, the cheese bank makes a loss doesnt it? Disciple Merchant: Thats where the ideaes in. If you think about it, by keeping it for just a few months and checking on it every now and then, the cheese bank can make a 40% profit when the cheese is sold. Disciple Soldier: But surely the production can still fail at this point. Disciple Merchant: Precisely. However, the cheese bank is a ce where huge amounts of cheese are stored. As a result, even an extreme failure would see maybe 10% of the cheese spoil. However, even then the overall profit would still be 30%. Of course, that is without paying for management fees and wages of the employees, so not all of it is profit. Disciple Soldier: I see. The cheese producers and the cheese bank both make profit out of this. Disciple Merchant: On top of that, sincerge profit margins are being made, the market bes morepetitive, more people will try to make cheese, and that means that the price of cheese will go down substantially. Disciple Soldier: Oh that would be great. I do love cheese. Disciple Merchant: On top of that, since all the cheese is in one ce, it would be much more convenient to buy cheese as well. Disciple Soldier: This seems like a better and better idea. Cheese is a very healthy thing. If the children of the Southern Kingdoms eat more cheese then the Army of Metal will definitely have stronger recruits. Disciple Merchant: This is something I heard from our teacher, but that rtionship is known as a positive externality*. Disciple Soldier: That sounds sophisticated. Disciple Merchant: It sure would be great if each country in the Southern Alliance was able to reap positive externalities from each other. - Exnation Note: The author uses some very strange (and definitely not official) economic terminology to describe the economic phenomena exined here. As an Economics student, I took the liberty of putting everything into proper terminology. Re: Re is aplex enzyme traditionally which has the effect of curdling milk. The best re is obtained from the gut of young calves, however re may also be obtained from nts like thistle andtles. Whey: Whey is a by-product of the cheese making process but it is also a healthy food rich in proteins and low in fat. It is often added to the drinking water of pigs to make them healthier and tastier. Rate of Turnover: As a measure of investment productivity, it refers to the number of times an investment cycle ispleted a year. If an investment reaps its benefits in 2 months, then it will reap 6 cycles a year for a 600% rate of turnover. If youpared a 1000 investment yielding 2000 after one year, with a 1000 investment yielding 1100 after one month, you would find that thetter investment results in 2200 after one year. Hence, multiple short-term turnovers is generally held to be more profitable than single long-term turnovers. Positive Externality: A positive externality is a benefit enjoyed by a third-party as a result of an economic transaction which the third party does not bear the cost for. In this case, the Army of Metal benefits from having stronger soldiers despite having nothing to do with cheese production. Contrary tomon sense, the presence of a positive externality suggests that the market is not producing at an optimum level and more of the given good should be consumed. - Volume 5 The Song of the Nameless Bard

Volume 5 The Song of the Nameless Bard

The Demons attack the Humans. The Hero takes down the Demon King. Just who decides the rules of the world anyway? In order to break these rules, the HDemon King and the Hero join hands. But as they walk along the path which leads to the other side of the hill, will the ground be stained with blood? A powerless serf girl, An elder of the Demon Tribe, and a hero of the Central Continent, Make their requests. The Hero joins the Holy Crusades, As he strives for peace for Humans and Demons, and proims his desire to save the World. The Demon King waits in the City of the Gate. Cannonballs fall like rain, but they have nowhere to run. Enemies, allies, Demons, Humans, are but business partners. A merchant works only for profit, His only wish is for a prosperous world. Not to be destroyed. The Primarch interprets the charity of the Spirit. With the heart of the Spirit, The Holy Crusaders of Light push towards the City of the Gate. The Hero gives up on taking down the Demon King. But now he aims for that world beyond the hill. What will the Hero and the Demon King see beyond the hill? Volume 5 1, “No…… I would rather bear the Hero’s pain.”

Volume 5 Chapter 1, No I would rather bear the Heros pain.

- Fifteen Years Ago, Spring The Hero: Grandpa! Wise Sage: What is it? The Hero: Ive caught some fish. Wise Sage: Barbecue or boil? The Hero: Thats cold, grandpa. Wise Sage: I am meditating. The Hero: So you can say whatever you want if youre meditating? Wise Sage: Its not really an excuse, but actually I can get away with just about anything. Its a quality thates with being a Wise Sage. The Hero: Grandpa! Wise Sage eats a fish The Hero: Ah! My fish! Wise Sage: Delicious. Delicious. The Hero sobs The Hero: My fish Wise Sage: You still have some left hehe. The Hero: Ill cook too! FLAME! Explosion! The Hero: Huh!? Wise Sage: Its all charred ck. Hahahaha! The Hero: Wise Sage: Come now, have more ss. The Hero: Yes. Wise Sage: Did you add salt first? The Hero: Yes. Wise Sage: In that case, you need to hold on to it as it heats up, so you should skewer it The Hero: Yes Wise Sage: Then, you can lift your hand off, and with a weak spell like EMBER Look, its heating up. Not FLAME but EMBER, otherwise it will burn. The Hero: Hey, why dont you let me use battle-ss spells or hexes, using chants requires so much chanting. Wise Sage: On the battlefield, continuously chanting will definitely cause you to be very stressed. But chanting is not a requirement to chants. Cast chants without chanting. That is the way that Wise Sages and Heroes do it. The Hero: Really. Sniff sniff Wise Sage: Dont sniff like a dog. The Hero: But it smells great! Wise Sage: Not yet. It may still be charred yet. You must concentrate your mana and not lose control. In this way, the skin will be crackling but the inside will be soft and juicy. The Hero: Is that so! Is it done? Wise Sage: Yes it is done! The Hero: Delicious! Wise Sage: Isnt it? The Hero: Eh? Wise Sage: Das schmeckt gut! The Hero: Huh!? Wise Sage: So good it makes me want to cry! Hahahahaha! This is a world where the strong eat the weak! The dining table is a battlefield distinguishing the strong and the weak. The Hero: Wise Sage: Hmph. Hear, some fried bread and bacon. It tastes better together. Have some, Hero. Hahahaha. The Hero: Yay! chomp chomp chomp Wise Sage: What an animal. The Hero: Yummy! Wise Sage: Really? Then Ill buy more next time. The Hero: I want to go to the city too. I bet theres loads of stuff to eat there. Wise Sage: You cant. The Hero: Why? Wise Sage: The Hero cannot live in the City. The Hero: Why not? Wise Sage: Can a wolf live among sheep? The Hero: But I wont do bad things. If I do, then youll get really mad. And youll hit me with your metal staff. If my head gets damaged it will be your fault. Wise Sage: Nheless. The Hero: I dont understand. Wise Sage: Even if a wolf does not eat sheep, by being near them, will the sheep not be scared? Of course sheep are afraid of wolves. Having seen so many sheep-eating wolves, a sheep can hardly shut up and try to ept a wolf which doesnt eat sheep, can it? The Hero: Its difficult, I dont understand. Wise Sage: Thats fine. The Hero: Hmm. Wise Sage: The Hero: What shall we do now? Wise Sage: Well practice a few chants, well try using FLY and SLOW in conjunction to achieve some low velocity flight. The Hero: I suck at that. Wise Sage: Then we will practice until you can. The Hero: Will I be great if I can? Wise Sage: You wont be great, but you will be able to pick peaches. The Hero: I see! Ill do my best! Wise Sage: Mmmm. The Hero: SLOW! SLOW! Wise Sage: Why did you say it twice? The Hero: SLOW is difficult. Why would I want to fly slowly anyway? Wise Sage: This is all training. The Hero: Once Im done, can I fly to where my parents are? Wise Sage: Do you like that ce? The Hero: Should I not? Grandpa, I thought children were supposed to want to be with their parents. Wise Sage: Practice first. The Hero: Really? Alright, Im going. Wise Sage: Go ahead. The Hero: Okay. - FLY! Wise Sage: This time try doing it in one go. The Hero: Im getting used to it. Wise Sage: I see, so you remember all the 15 basic spells? The Hero: I think Im a genius. Wise Sage: Geniuses are people with a bit more ss. The Hero: Mmm. Wise Sage: Here. If we dont go quickly, it will be dusk. Bring back seven bundles of firewood. The Hero: Got it! Im going! Ill be back soon! Wise Sage: Come back safe, child. The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Expeditionary Force of Beasts Aide-de-Camp: Alright! Halt! Fall in! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Yes! Javelinman of Beasts: Gather! Form up! Form up! Pikeman of Beasts: Pikes formed! Aide-de-Camp: Report strength! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Dual swordsmen, three hundred and eighty! No gaps! Javelinman of Beasts: Javelins and skirmishers two hundred and fifty! Pikeman of Beasts: Pikes six hundred! Aide-de-Camp: One thousand two hundred and eighty Have the wounded been sent to the city? Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Of course. Weve done our best! Javelinman of Beasts: Why did we flee the battlefield? Pikeman of Beasts: We are unafraid of death! Even if the Silver Tiger Lord has fallen, there is no need for us soldiers to retreat! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Thats right, exin! Sir! Javelinman of Beasts: If you cant exin, we want to go back to the battle right now! Pikeman of Beasts: Somehow. Aide-de-Camp: Please calm down. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Is there a reason, sir? Aide-de-Camp: Of course. As you know we lost that battle and we lost many friends too. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Aide-de-Camp: The Human army has surrounded the City of the Gate with a frightening Crusader army numbering over two hundred thousand, with the clear intention of annihting us. We too, were on the verge of losing the Tattooed Chieftain, and the Demon King Javelinman of Beasts: Aide-de-Camp: The Silver Tiger Lord saved us from this danger. We are indebted to him. Pikeman of Beasts: Silver Tiger Lord Aide-de-Camp: However, the danger has not passed. Rather, the threat has only increased. It is as you see, from that ck smoke. The Crusader Armys attempt to surround and besiege us as failed But, it has not ended yet. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Thats right, well kill them all! Javelinman of Beasts: I will kill ten of those humans! Pikeman of Beasts: Thats right, we attack! Aide-de-Camp: Silence! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: -! Aide-de-Camp: There is no way we are going to be able to defeat the Crusaders in this fashion. We number a thousand two hundred and eighty. Even if we manage to kill ten enemies each, thats only ten thousand three hundred of them. Just a small setback for the Crusaders. We would be like dogs sent to the ughter. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Then what should we do? Aide-de-Camp: We are receiving instructions from our lord, the East Fortress Base Commander. The Demon King stands in that city, if we can get them to retreat, we will live again. Even if it is but a small number, we who have managed to escape outside the city represent that hope. Javelinman of Beasts: Is that so So we cant destroy the enemy. Aide-de-Camp: Yes. We will circle around the back of the enemy, and burn their food stocks, weapons and supply lines. We will seize and destroy. Supporting an army of two hundred thousand soldiers no doubt takes an immense toll on their logistics capabilities. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: We can do it, lets go. Aide-de-Camp: We will be an expeditionary force. However, we cannot expect reinforcements from the City of the Gate. If we were to leave the main force, we wont be able to carry with us any food or medical supplies. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: This is the Demon World. In order words, its ournd. It wont be a problem to get food and the like from the surrounding forests. Javelinman of Beasts: Its true. No matter how bad it gets, we can rely on the blessings of the forest, right? And we can just steal what we need from them too. Pikeman of Beasts: Thats right. And we can blend into the forests and circle around behind them too. This is ournd, our rivers, we know it far better than any of these people. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: We are the Tribe of Beasts! We were made for battle. Aide-de-Camp: We cannot hope for reinforcements. Will you still go? Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Of course. Lets destroy the enemies of the Silver Tiger Lord! Javelinman of Beasts: Yes! We will deal with his enemies. Our Lord is scattered to the winds! Until our own bones burn, we will rush towards the Spirits as well! Pikeman of Beasts: We were meant to follow our Lord, sacrificing as is necessary on the battlefield. Aide-de-Camp: ( I was the third son of a low-ranking knight, a mercenary, discarded by generals to the border regions in the South. Struck by a stone from the Second Holy Crusades, and now I will stride on to the battlefield together with the Tribe of Beasts.) Dual Swordsman of Beasts: How is it, Human Officer? Javelinman of Beasts: Lets go across the river to the ins! Aide-de-Camp: Alright Lets go. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Alright! Javelinman of Beasts: Use us! We will leave our names on the battlefield. Aide-de-Camp: (I may not be aspetent as the Commander, but I cannot fail this duty.) Scout of Beasts: The horses have been gathered. Aide-de-Camp: Alright! Check your bags. Make sure you carry as little food as we need. To the South! To the South!! -- Exnation Rations: Rations are small-sized, portable foodstocks which can be carried on expeditions. Modern militaries have developed bat rations, which usuallye in a specialised rectangr package. - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Food Stockpile Grass blowing Aide-de-Camp: How is it? Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Oh. I see it Lots of lights. Security must be tight. Javelinman of Beasts: This is already our fourth attack, theyve surely beefed up the security. Pikeman of Beasts: Mmm. Aide-de-Camp: Seems like we wont be able to settle this with a surprise attack. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: A surprise attack alone would be boring anyway. Javelinman of Beasts: The real battle begins now. Aide-de-Camp: (Hopefully this goes well. The numbers seem to have gone down by at least a thousand. In surprise attacks, muskets are somewhat useless, since they dont have time to form up. Seeing that the supply situation has no chance of letting up, some of the soldiers are leaving However, the only way we can relieve the siege is to actually destroy the store. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Commander. Aide-de-Camp: Yeah. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: I know you want to do this safely, but we are elite Tribesmen of Beasts. We were part of that expedition led by the Silver Tiger Lord to the Human World and back. Let us go. Javelinman of Beasts: Thats right. Our spears wont lose out to those muskets. Pikeman of Beasts: Our thousands of lives beyond to the Silver Tiger Lord. We cannot lose! There is no way! Aide-de-Camp: Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Even if you hesitate, will you have another way? Aide-de-Camp: I understand. Lets go with the surprise attack. Spread out as far as possible and get close to the stockpile using the Triple Sun Moon formation. Take out the musketeers. Beast: Got it! Aide-de-Camp: Alright, lets go! Attack! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Got it! Javelinman of Beasts: Show them the power of the Beasts! Pikeman of Beasts: And the power of our souls! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, a Shrubby Area Near the Stockpile The Female Pdin: Calm down. The enemy have yet to sense our presence. Rifleman: Yes! The Female Pdin: Continue to observe the lights through the telescope. Do not forget to warn our partners. Snipers and knights must operate in two-man teams. Spearmen stick to the rear, and remember that our enemy is a fully fledged army. Aim for theirmanders and clergymen first! After that, follow your orders and take out all threats. Rifleman: Understood! Knight of the Lake: Standing by the bonfire to your right! The Female Pdin: Take him down. Rifleman: On it. Bang! Knight of the Lake: Target down. Next target. The Female Pdin: Pretty good uracy. The Butler: Nyohohohohoho. I taught them personally. The Female Pdin: Yeah stop that. The Butler: Hohohohohoho. Then Ill do a bit too. The Female Pdin: What? The Butler: To help minimise the casualties of our Demon friends over there, Ill just make some mischief. The Female Pdin: Will you be fine alone, you old pervert? The Butler: Whatever do you mean!? The Female Pdin: No, until you actually see the panties, youre just a guy with an active imagination shall I go with you? The Butler: No, no. If youe on this mission, itll be inconvenient to direct fire, right? I can easily carry out these ndestine operations. Leave it to me! The Female Pdin: Hmph. Alright. Lets advance and take down those musketeers, move out! Knights, mount up! - The Inferno Mountains, the Temple of Rubies, Allocated Offices Flip flip Shrewd ountant: Numbers 15 to 42 are concerning wheat. Middle Aged Merchant: Wheat confirmed. Union Employee: All done here too. Shrewd ountant: Doesnt seem like were missing anything. Union Employee: Shall I bring some tea? Shrewd ountant: Please. Middle Aged Merchant: The City is in a fierce battle right now. Shrewd ountant: Indeed. Middle Aged Merchant: We can manage the resources of the warehouse like this. I hope the Disciple Engineer and his craftsmen are alright. Shrewd ountant: This is important work as well. Middle Aged Merchant: I know But even so, whats with this amount? Did the Union really have so much resources in the City of the Gate? How did we manage to secure all this stuff? Shrewd ountant: These are the personal financial assets of the Fire Dragon Lady. Middle Aged Merchant: Personal financial assets!? Dont say such stupid things. This is an absurd amount of wheat. This is the first time Ive ever seen such a huge amount of wheat in the Surface World. This amount would be unrivalled even in the Holy Empire, does the Demon World even have the ability to produce this much wheat? Young Merchant: Its been a while. Middle Aged Merchant: You surprised me! Are you alright? What are you doing here? Shrewd ountant: Councillor! When did you arrive!? Young Merchant: I just did, with the help of a teleportation seal. However, the process was unbearably painful. To do such a thing regrly the Hero is truly something else. Fire Dragon Lady: It takes the effort of two people. Middle Aged Merchant: Your Excellency. Shrewd ountant: Have youe here to seek refuge? Young Merchant: No, thats hardly necessary is it? Fire Dragon Lady: Its necessary. Young Merchant: The three of us can talk here amicably. Fire Dragon Lady: We do not have the luxury of time. Middle Aged Merchant: What do you mean? Shrewd ountant: Well. Fire Dragon Lady: The two of youe with me. Young Merchant: Middle Aged Merchant: That line of sight suggests something is wrong. Shrewd ountant: Yeah. Middle Aged Merchant: You seem to have bad hobbies. Shrewd ountant: She keeps telling us to follow her, like an unstoppable force. We have to take advantage of the situation and show all future Councilmen how its fone. Middle Aged Merchant: Thats certainly true. Shrewd ountant: The road is long and arduous, but we are merchants after all. Middle Aged Merchant: No doubt about that. - The Inferno Mountains, the Temple of Rubies, the House of the Lord Fire Dragon Lady: Father! Fire Dragon Lord: Mmm, if it isnt my little cherry blossom horns. How boisterous. You have not been home in a while. Shrewd ountant: Whats this little cherry blossom horns thing? Young Merchant: Her nickname. Middle Aged Merchant: Youre well informed. Young Merchant: Thank you. Fire Dragon Lady: Whats with the engagement present!? Middle Aged Merchant: Huhhhhh!? Shrewd ountant: Engagement!? Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: No, these presents are gifts from the family of some eligible bachelor in noble families who would like to marry you. Fire Dragon Lady: Ive never heard anything like that! Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lord: All that stuff in the warehouse? They are all from some eligible young man. Fire Dragon Lady: I heard that. What I want to ask is why you would do something like that without consulting what I wanted. Fire Dragon Lord: That is something we can solve through discussion. Young Merchant: Ah. Middle Aged Merchant: That was definitely a sign to say get out, right? Shrewd ountant: So it would seem. Fire Dragon Lady: What sort of designs do you have, Merchant? Young Merchant: Allow me to exin. This can be termed a high level political manoeuvre known as an advance investment, or rather a self-defence tactic designed to protect our options. Fire Dragon Lady: Did you send the presents? Young Merchant: Yes I did. Thats what it is. Fire Dragon Lady: You want to marry me? Middle Aged Merchant: How very straightforward. Shrewd ountant: Shes ady after all. Young Merchant: No, its not that sort of thing. Fire Dragon Lady: So you have no intention of marrying me at all? Young Merchant: That really puts me in a spot. The future is a wide open expense. I have no intention of narrowing it under some constrained agreement. Fire Dragon Lady: Are you intending to feign ignorance now? Young Merchant: Not at all. I am truly your business partner. Fire Dragon Lady: You have shown me that your unclear methods are the weapons of merchants. Young Merchant: It is for expediency. Shrewd ountant: He did say something to that extent, though. Middle Aged Merchant: Whether as a man or as a merchant, this is something I will never get used to seeing. Fire Dragon Lady: I understand, Young Merchant: I thank you if you do. Fire Dragon Lady: Just my father and these two people are insufficient witnesses. Young Merchant: I didnt say anything of the sort. Why did you even suggest that I wanted to marry you in the first ce! In our negotiations to save the City of the Gate, I told you that as merchants we do not have military might, but I would be able topensate you with something equivalent. How did that get twisted into this? I dont understand. Fire Dragon Lady: After all that, youre just trying to escape now. Young Merchant: I am not escaping. Fire Dragon Lady: Then save the City of the Gate. Young Merchant: I am just a merchant. Fire Dragon Lady: No. The Demon King. Shrewd ountant: What? Fire Dragon Lady: I tried to make an arrangement with the ck Knight, promising him happiness But I was rejected. The ck Knight is the Demon Kings person. Young Merchant: I know that. IS that something youve just noticed? Fire Dragon Lady: Which is why I have to be happy. I need to be with a good man, someone even better than the ck Knight I want to make him regret and cry. If the ck Knight is the Hero, then my significant other is the Demon King. Otherwise, that would be against our contract. Middle Aged Merchant: What a strange thing to say. Shrewd ountant: Where is the link? Fire Dragon Lord: Hahahaha. I would also like to marry my daughter to such a formidable person. Young Merchant: What exactly are you two people saying!? Fire Dragon Lord: If the Young Merchant is willing to be the Demon King, we will cease to pursue this matter. Middle Aged Merchant: Hey, hey. Shrewd ountant: This is the first time Ive ever seen him so cornered. Fire Dragon Lady: How do you feel? Young Merchant: Just what is going on? Dont twist the facts now. Why do I have to be the Demon King!? Fire Dragon Lady: As the Demon King, you would be able to make me happy and also save the City. Young Merchant: Just what are you saying!? I am at heart just a merchant. I wont say I have no intention to save the City, but I dont have that duty. Fire Dragon Lady: I love the City. Young Merchant: Youve said that before. Fire Dragon Lady: No matter how this conversation goes, we will return to the City together and continue our lives. Young Merchant: Why? Fire Dragon Lady: You promised to help. Young Merchant: - Fire Dragon Lady: You said you would help even without any reward. Young Merchant: Thats Fire Dragon Lady: You promised. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: You promised. Young Merchant: That is, what do you mean? Fire Dragon Lady: Yes. I made a promise too. Without any rewards, I will you be your partner, and we will be together through our lives. Young Merchant: A life is a rather long time, isnt it? Fire Dragon Lady: That length is what makes me happy. Young Merchant: I dont even know what I would do after I go, you know? Fire Dragon Lady: No, no matter how dark things get, you can still find the stars, right? Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: I believe in you. Young Merchant: Ahhh This is difficult. Fire Dragon Lady: Honey. Young Merchant: Fine. Demon King or whatever, Ill do it. But just dont go overboard with this game. I may bear the name of the Demon King, but in reality nothing will change. I dont have any sort of ability, but if this will really save the City of the Gate, then Ill go along with it. Fire Dragon Lord: Hahahaha! Who would believe that a man would suddenly take on the mantle of the Demon King in such a random ce! Hahaha! Fire Dragon Lady: You understand then. I will be the Hero. Young Merchant: Huh? Fire Dragon Lady: All thats left to say is that this will be a good starting point for our predestined connection. Middle Aged Merchant: What is she saying? Shrewd ountant: Hell if I know. Fire Dragon Lady: Please go to the City of the Gate. Young Merchant: If that is necessary, then I will work my limited abilities to their fullest It seems that that City has far more importance to that person than it does to me. But for that City, I am not willing to put everything on the line. It is merely because you begged me that I am willing to do this. Fire Dragon Lady: Yes, Merchant. If you still hold any doubts regarding this transaction, then I will continue to entreat you without expectation of reward. Young Merchant: I believe that would be undesirable. Fire Dragon Lady: Which is precisely why I do it. Middle Aged Merchant: She did it! Shes cornered him! Shrewd ountant: Why are you so happy? Middle Aged Merchant: I was worried he would never find a girl like this in his entire life. Shrewd ountant: Thats certainly true. Young Merchant: Geez. Fire Dragon Lady: Father. The Demon King in the City of the Gate intends to settle the war over there. In order to do that, we will have to ask the entire Demon World to do its duty. Fire Dragon Lord: What do you mean? Fire Dragon Lady: Convene the Kurultai The rights to this are vested solely in the Demon King, but as the Demon Kings regent, her power is vested in you currently. In her ce, you can convene the Kurultai. Fire Dragon Lord: The Kurultai? Fire Dragon Lady: Thats right. Call all the Demon Tribes there. In order to settle this conflict, we will require the aid of all the Tribes. - The Demon World, Near the Large Portal, the Red Wastes Lieutenant of Metal: Report. It will take another day and a half for our rear guard to pass through the Great Portal. Disciple Soldier: Alright, give orders for the vanguard to advance. Lieutenant of Metal: Understood. Iron Fist King: How are things? Disciple Soldier: In one or two days our forces will have passed through the Great Portal. Iron Fist King: Amazing. Its only been a week since we decided we would move out. Disciple Soldier: This is all thanks to thebined effort of the Southern Alliance. Lieutenant of Metal: Indeed. Lone Winter King: This gear is all very warm. Fairy Attendant: It is warm. Seneschal: The Disciple Merchant is the one who prepared all the winter gear. Lone Winter King: What an ingenious young man. Hahahaha. Disciple Soldier: It was as she predicted. Iron Fist King: What do you mean? Disciple Soldier: It is not just those of us on the frontline who are fighting this war. Lone Winter King: Yeah. Iron Fist King: However, while our equipment might be good, our food stocks are quite little. Seneschal: Yeah, will this be enough for a week? Lone Winter King: We were on a tight deadline. Disciple Soldier: This will be enough. It is within our n. Lone Winter King: Is that so? Disciple Soldier: If we had more rations, I would be more at ease, but that would slow down our campaign speed. All our movements must necessarily consider the speed of our logistics group. In this campaign, our supply lines are operating practically independently. Iron Fist King: What strong will. Disciple Soldier: If possible, I would like to do this without any logistics units at all. But with regards to that, I would rather be reliable. Iron Fist King: Really? Were counting on you then. Lone Winter King: We have 300,000 Alliance soldiers here!? Disciple Soldier: Somehow we do. And all at the same time. Nheless, Im not certain we can achieve a total victory. Iron Fist King: Umm Seneschal: The muskets are truly unbeatable. Disciple Soldier: A volley of musket fire cannot be withstood by infantry or cavalry. Of course, no matter how what sort of tactics we use, there will be a level of sacrifice we have to ept. To the extent that I am a frontlinemander, I am willing to use any methods to achieve a victory in the big picture. There will be enemies we can win with tactics. If we waste too much time, we will not be able to achieve victory in this battle. Winning this battle will mean winning the grand scheme. I fear, my teacher Iron Fist King: ? Disciple Soldier: No, nothing. This is my responsibility. I would forget it If we are to lose, we must escape. Iron Fist King: I have never considered losing. Fairy Attendant: Let us hurry. Disciple Soldier: Madam Attendant, in that case, I will exin the terrain to you. Fairy Attendant: Yes. - The ins of Strange Cliffs, Brothers-in-Arms of the Holy Order of the Lake Aide-de-Camp: So the reinforcements from the Southern Alliance are headed this way? Butler: That would be correct, Aide-de-Camp. The Female Pdin: They areing, and theres another message. Aide-de-Camp: Another message? The Female Pdin: Iming to save the Demon World, so get your sheet together before Ie. Aide-de-Camp: (!? Isnt this person the hero of the South, the Female Pdin!? Mymander is somebody, but just why is she here!?) Dual Swordsman of Beasts: In any case, we are grateful. Thank you. The Female Pdin: Why is the Aide-de-Camp here? Aide-de-Camp: Yes. I will begin from the beginning. Yesterday, or rather a week ago, an allied army of the Tribe of Fiends and the Tribe of Banshees engaged the Holy Crusaders in a pitched battle at the field in front of the City of the Gate. Against a Crusader vanguard of 150,000 soldiers, the Demon Army of 60,000 was annihted. The Female Pdin: Annihted Aide-de-Camp: The Demon Army suffered many casualties from the muskets of the Holy Crusaders. The firepower of the muskets is to be feared. Wepletely underestimated the strength of the opponent and as we were about to bepletely wiped out, reinforcements appeared. Butler: The army sent to the Surface World Aide-de-Camp: Thats right. The Demon King; the General-of-the-Right, the Silver Tiger Lord; and the General-of-the-Left, ourmander the East Fortress Base Commander appeared, and enabled us to withdraw effectively. However, even with the appearance of the reinforcements, the Crusaders pursued us aggressively and the Silver Tiger Lord perished shielding the Demon King from gunfire. This was a huge loss to our remaining forces. Butler: The Silver Tiger Lord Pdin of the Lake: I have heard he was a brave general. The Female Pdin: I understand the situation. Aide-de-Camp: I am here on orders of our Commander. My orders were tomand the remaining 1500 soldiers of the Silver Tiger Lords elite Demon Army as it retreats from the battle away from the City andunch sallies from the City of the Gate. The enemy forces are immense and currently have the City entirely surrounded. Attempting to break out of the siege with our small forces would be impossible at this stage. Having observed that, our Commander issued emergency instructions for me tomand this expeditionary force without supervision. Our mission is now to disrupt the supply lines of the Holy Crusaders. The Female Pdin: I see Amander able to make such a sharp decision must be a famous one. Butler: He was a famous mercenary known as The Hawk of the ins. Aide-de-Camp: However, it seems we are still too little. This battle of attrition is not something we can win. We thank you for your help. The Female Pdin: No, we had yet to ascertain the situation. It is us who should thank you. Aide-de-Camp: What are those weapons? The Female Pdin: They are called Rifles*. Theyre an improvement on the muskets. They fire greased rounds through a thread. Just by range alone, they outperform muskets by three times. Aide-de-Camp: Three times!? The Female Pdin: They take longer to reload and are far more delicate, however. And we only have 50 of them. However, our opponents are not used to the battlefield. If we are able to take out theirmanders, they will losemand discipline and probably fall into a panic. For these purposes, this is a very useful weapon. Butler: Also, we have the Pdins of the Lake. Pdin of the Lake: We are the Pdins of the Holy Order of the Lake. We follow our leader, the Female Pdin wherever we are required. Aide-de-Camp: These are the Soldiers of Beasts. The remnants of the Silver Tiger Lords elite army. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Nice to meet you, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: But, even if webined forces, we still have less than four thousand men. Butler: Im afraid attempting to retake the City of the Gate with such numbers is farfetched. Pdin of the Lake: Indeed. The Female Pdin: What is the status of the Holy Crusaders? What are their casualties like? Who are theirmanders and what is their equipment? Aide-de-Camp: Theirmanders are merciless. We said this before, but their vanguard consists of 150,000 troops. The Female Pdin: Oh? So few? Aide-de-Camp: Of course, they had more units when we have attacked, but they mostly seem to be on a separate assignment The Female Pdin: Separate assignment? What of their configuration andmanders? Aide-de-Camp: Theirmander is the Crown Prince Marshal, and they have 50,000 men with them. However, we have not engaged them, so we cant be entirely certain. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: However, based on our Field Intelligence*, it appears that these are their most elite units. Butler: Hmm. Actually, there is an army which entered the Demon World earlier than we did. Aide-de-Camp: Oh? The Female Pdin: Oh, thats right. Butler: A hundred mercenariesmanded by the Disciple Nobleman from the Kingdom of Ice and the Elder Sister Maid. Aide-de-Camp: A hundred? The Female Pdin: Very few, but they have a very powerful weapon. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: What is that about? The Female Pdin: Time. They came two months earlier than us. They entered the Demon World even earlier than the Holy Crusaders and began their operations at that time. When ites to information and intelligence, they have even more than the Crusaders as well. Butler: If we can make contact with my undercover units, then well know more. Pdin of the Lake: However entering the City of the Gate will be very difficult. Aide-de-Camp: Yes, we havent had the ability to confirm it for some time, but I fear the City of the Gate is presently facing a ferocious bombardment. The fortifications of the City of the Gate were hastily constructed, and I wonder how much longer it can hold. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Every second counts now. The Female Pdin: Dont worry. Aide-de-Camp: Eh? The Female Pdin: If the Demon King seeded in breaching the encirclement and entering the City, theres no chance she would let it fall so easily. I believe the City of the Gate is still safe now, we have to focus on our mission. Aide-de-Camp: (So thats the face of a saviour of the world) The Female Pdin: Alright, Aide-de-Camp. Take your men and destroy that supply depot. To cut off their reinforcements, we will need to destroy another four of their depots. -- Exnation Rifle: Rifles differ from muskets in that they have threads (like a reverse screw) in their barrels. This causes the bullet to spin as it exits from the muzzle, making it travel straighter. For this reason, rifles have further rangepared to muskets. Field Intelligence: Scouts are soldiers too, operating ahead of the army in order to obtain intelligence. As they operate within the enemys field of influence, it is a particrly dangerous assignment. However, without their information, armies operate at a severe disadvantage. - The Demon World, the Crimson Field Disciple Soldier: This ce ispletely barren. Lieutenant of Metal: Indeed. Metal Fist King: The Crusaders seem to have gathered them all for their supplies. Lone Winter King: Theyre attacking deep into enemy territory. They cant possibly hope to safely maintain intermediate ground like this. This is an established tactic theyre yingpletely by the book. Metal Fist King: If theye across us here, theyllpletely see us as enemies. Disciple Soldier: Of course they will. What would you do if you noticed that your rivals youve been calling heretics entered your rear carrying weapons? Probably run. Lieutenant of Metal: We are far less than the Crusaders, however, we have 30,000 soldiers. There may be garrison forces deployed to guard the rations, but they surely wouldnt be our enemies. Lone Winter King: Scouts, what are their forces like? Scout of Winter: 300 caravans. A garrison force of at least 2000. Disciple Soldier: Well, as we expected. Lieutenant of Metal: 2000? What a pity. Metal Fist King: What should we do? Lieutenant of Metal: Ah. Sorry. If we take down even a few enemies, we can be more at easeter. Lone Winter King: Its not that I dont understand how you feel but, 2000 soldiers and 30,000 soldiers move at vastly different speeds. It wont be easy to chase them down. Fairy Attendant: The Crusaders? Where have they gone? Disciple Soldier: It appears they wish to link up with their main forces. Lieutenant of Metal: The main forces are still up ahead, right? Fairy Attendant: At the City of the Gate? Disciple Soldier: So it would appear. Fairy Attendant: If we continue heading straight this way, well arrive at the city ruled by the Demon King. The Demon World, the ins of White Clovers The Hero: This is a beautiful ce. Elder Sister Maid: Yes, indeed. Clovers as far as the eye can see. The Hero: Most of the Demon World is wastnd, but its amazing to be able to find such a ce. Elder Sister Maid: You have spent a long time adventuring in the Subterranean World, right? The Hero: Adventure, adventure. Yeah, Ive travelled for a long time. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Hero: Ive been here before. With the Female Pdin, the Butler, and the Mage. Weve been here, weve been there What was it? Oh yeah. We followed the seven stone roads to the ancientbyrinth too. Elder Sister Maid: Is that so? The Hero: Well, it was one of the Demon Armys supply grounds. Now that I think about it, thats probably being used by the Church right now. Elder Sister Maid: The Hero: Ive somehow gotten quite familiar with the terrain. Elder Sister Maid: Thats helpful. The Hero: Is this the Inferno Mountains? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. We have to make an audience with the Fire Dragon Lord. The Hero: Ive met that old guy. Arent you scared of him? Elder Sister Maid: Not at all, he was a nice person. The Hero: Really!? Elder Sister Maid: Yes, indeed. The Hero: I fought him for three days before he agreed to negotiate, but Elder Sister Maid: A formidable opponent, then. The Hero: Of course. But you seem to have had an easy time with him. Elder Sister Maid: Thats not true. I had to do my very most as well. Elder Sister Maid: The Hero: - Elder Sister Maid: Does this make you unhappy? The Hero: What? Elder Sister Maid: No, I mean, the fact that Im acting in your name. The Hero: Oh, I was surprised, but it was interesting. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Umm The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: Its fine if theres more than one Hero. The Hero: Eh? Elder Sister Maid: You said this a long time ago. Its fine if theres more than one Church. And then the Holy Order of the Lake was epted as the official church of the Kingdom of Winter. The Hero: Yes. Indeed. Elder Sister Maid: Then, I got to thinking. What if theres more than one Hero Sorry. I dont really know what Im saying. The Hero: You want the power of the Hero? Elder Sister Maid: No I want the pain. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: I cannot carry as much as you or the Mistress can I cannot bleed as much blood as you can. But to the extent that we can, we too can bear some of your burden. Do you not bear this burden on our behalf We cannot see it with our eyes, but we know it to be true, we know you bear much of our sins. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: The Mistress and the Hero are kind people. It worries me that you would probably be willing to bear more than you can. On that winter night, in that freezing house, despite the fact that we had nothing to offer you, you saved us sisters. In the same way, we know you act to save the world. Because its the two of you, it feels like something which would happen naturally. Its natural that you would consider this of the highest importance, that you would forget about the gratitude you are owed, and act to save the world - That we cannot be such people, is something worrying. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: Because both you and the Mistress are used to blood flow. The Hero: Thats not true. Elder Sister Maid: I want to confirm this. And be the Hero. As the Hero, just how much pain will I have to bear? Just how much fear will I have to endure? The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: My knees be wobbly. My throat dries up and bes hoarse. My body refuses to move and feels numb as wood, my ears are filled with the throbbing noise of my own heartbeat. My head feels hot and floating, but my vision only remains clear. I see the unhappy faces and I hear the groans of the people. My hands, rolled into a ball, are slick with sweat. Hahaha. Its probably very uncool. Its funny and cowardly I dont want to go. But I understand. The Hero: I could see that youve be used to public speaking, though. Elder Sister Maid: Well, thats true. Though it still feels like Im going to my own funeral every time. Elder Sister Maid: Please dont stop. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: As long as theres a chance, I will gamble. I even managed to do something as reckless as this. Because we are free Unbound, the happiness we pursue is somewhere in this world. But, we cannot just be birds who fly aimlessly, we are to fly in search of tomorrow. We fly to know who we are. The Hero: Yes. Elder Sister Maid: For that reason, if blood is necessary, then we must never allow it. Even if my opponent is the Hero, or the Mistress. Peace must be our goal. The Hero: Elder Sister Maid: The Crown Prince Marshal appears to understand. Though that person probably will pay for this with blood. The Hero: Indeed. Elder Sister Maid: Hopefully the day wille, where everyone will know the truth. - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Holy Order of the Lake N, no way!? Where are we being attacked from? Theres no enemy! This is the end! Pdin of the Lake: There is chaos ahead. Aide-de-Camp: They have lost all semnce ofmand. The Female Pdin: Aide-de-Camp? Can I entrust the Reserves* to you? Aide-de-Camp: Acknowledged. The Female Pdin: Brave soldiers of Beasts! Attack! Pdins follow! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Ohhhhhh! Pdin of the Lake: For the Female Pdin! Aide-de-Camp: What incredible speed. Butler: Nyohohoho. Thats her style. Aide-de-Camp: Alright, its time for us to go too. Butler: Lets go. Aide-de-Camp: Snipers! Change positions, were going to the hill on the right. Guard Pdins keep watch all around. Be especially careful of nking attacks. Gunpowder supplies must remain well-guarded! Butler: The Aide-de-Camp is quite meticulous in hismand. Aide-de-Camp: I have learnt from the Commander. But just a bit here and there. Butler: Nyohohoho. Its very good. Aide-de-Camp: Make every shot count! If you can take out any of theirmand team, do it. Riflemen: Understood! Butler: With this, their formation will fall. Aide-de-Camp: Yes Butler: Still worried? The Female Pdin: Follow me! The enemy is on the retreat! Their offence is useless now! Aide-de-Camp: What superior skill. Compared to our earlier attacks, this was nned much quicker, takes much less time, incurs far less casualties, and is just so much faster. But Butler: Its all very rushed. Aide-de-Camp: Yes. Butler: Itll soon be over. Just two more. Aide-de-Camp: But even if we take down two more, can this army even - Butler: Thats right. Aide-de-Camp: ? Butler: It seems that the Holy Crusaders are creaking as well. Isnt it odd that the Commander-in-Chief has left his army? The City of the Gate, is, to the Holy Crusaders, a massive treasure. With the treasure just ahead of him, why would the Crown Prince Marshal leave his army? Is that something that even seems possible? Aide-de-Camp: The Crown Prince Marshal Butler: If he was around, this encirclement would surely seem more hopeless. Aide-de-Camp: Is that so? Butler: Now that the enemymander is of such high calibre, would it not be unreasonable toe now? Aide-de-Camp: Is there some sort of trap? Butler: What do you mean trap? Aide-de-Camp: Would he really bring his army into such a dangerous ce and advance against the City without any sort of n or strategy? Butler: Nah. Aide-de-Camp: Really? Butler: Relying on strategies is basically the way of the weaker party. If you have an armyrger than the enemys, you just follow formations, counter the enemy, and win like you are supposed to*. As far as I know, the Crown Prince Marshal has such a character. He has not changed from so long ago. Aide-de-Camp: ( Did you know him?) Butler: Thats what he showed in this expedition too. He assembled a massive army, smashed our allied formations, and appointed capable generals. A truly royal strategy. If the Crown Prince Marshal leaves from his army, he must have something hes aiming for, but something must be going on within the Crusaders as well. Aide-de-Camp: How well-informed. Butler: Nyohohohoho. Well, I just thought of something from my past. -- Exnation Reserves: An army unit stationed in the rear for the purposes of maintaining the rear guard and to wait for favourable opportunities to strike. In the event of victory, they can be deployed to chase down enemy forces; in times of trouble, they can bolster frontline forces; in the event of the defeat, they can be deployed to cover units as they retreat; in addition to all manners of flexible tasks. They do not even have to join the frontline, but can navigate to the nk of the enemy and destroy the frontlines from the side. Win like youre supposed to: Creating the correct conditions for victory to be certain is the foremost strategy in any war. Only when one is unable to create such conditions, thinking of miraculous strategies is only the second-best strategy. - Fourteen Years Ago, the Summer, a Certain Lords Manor, the Hall Rich Nobleman: Hoho, look who it is! Rich Noblewoman: He really looks like a hero. Noblewoman: What cute ck hair, little hero. The Hero: Ehehe. Wise Sage: What are youughing about. How ugly. The Hero: S, shut up. Wise Sage: Naive. p The Hero: Oww! Rich Nobleman: Sage, please do not scold him so much. Rich Noblewoman: Thats right. The Hero is a symbol of peace and prosperity. The guardian of the world. Rich Nobleman: He can use all 24 Chants at such a young age. The Hero: Ahem! Rich Noblewoman: How amazing. On top of that, I hear his swordsmanship skills are on par with that of an Imperial Centurion. Noblewoman: What a strong Hero. Wise Sage: Strength and weakness is not decided by skills alone. This Hero has yet to see enough. Until he understands the meaning of helping people, he will always be blue in the ass*. The Hero: Mmm. Noblewoman: Of course not! The Hero: Yeah! Im already doing my best! Rich Nobleman: Hahaha. Really, Hero? The Hero: Yes? Rich Nobleman: Why dont we go look at the armoury? We have a rich history in these parts. Maybe we dont have Heroes, but we do have some legendary weapons used by famous swordsmen. Rich Noblewoman: Oh right, we do. The Hero: Can I go, Grandp Wise Sage? Wise Sage: Well, yeah, fine. The Hero: I want to go! Rich Nobleman: Then, the servants will take you. Servant: Haha, this way, Hero. The Hero: Thank you! Rich Nobleman: Mmm, that young man Wise Sage: Thats right. Rich Nobleman: How is he? Wise Sage: Truly a Hero. Quite possibly the most upright and powerful young man in history. However, he will require more time. Rich Nobleman: We have no time. Im sure you have heard, Wise Sage? The Churchs magi and top ranking sorcerers have all announced it. A new Demon King has arisen. We cannot waste a single moment in dispatching the Hero. Wise Sage: He is still a child. Rich Nobleman: He may be a child, but with the 24 Chants and unparalleled swordsmanship. He has enough power as a Hero. If he goes out just a single moment earlier Just when will wee under threat from the Demons? Wise Sage: I do believe it may be better when ites to it. Rich Nobleman: What! Wise Sage: The Hero has to be the Hero In the end, we can help him, but this is the conclusion. The blessings of the Hero. It is not a right from heaven. As long as he cannot realise this, we are not worth his saving. -- Exnation Blue in the ass: This refers to a blue birthmarkmonly present on the buttocks of children. It urs predominantly in Asians, especially Mongols and Japanese. It does ur on asion for White and ck people. However, it is so prevalent in Japan that it has essentially be a proverb. - Fourteen Years Ago, the Summer, a Certain Lords Manor, the Armoury The Hero: Wow, amazing! Splendid! The Hero: This is nice. This is nice. This is really nice. The Hero: This is all so amazing. Except this armour is rather big. I can wield these words though. Oh! This sword has magical power. Lightning explodes across the room The Hero: Amazing! Its just running around! It makes sounds too! And light! Noblemans Daughter: Hey, hey. Noblemans Son: What. The Hero: Eh? Noblemans Son gasps The Hero: Hello? Noblemans Son: Are you the Hero? Noblemans Daughter: Youre the Hero? The Hero: Yes, youre from this house? Noblemans Son: Thats right, Im his son. Im something special. Noblemans Daughter: Ill be ady. The Hero: Is that so. Im the Hero. Nice to meet you. Noblemans Son: Hmph. Noblemans Daughter: I hear the Hero is invincible. Really? The Hero: Umm. Im kind of strong. Noblemans Son: Really? The Hero: Eh? Noblemans Son: Look over there. The Hero: Okay. sh! Noblemans Son: Wow! Its real! Noblemans Daughter: Amazing! The Hero: Ow! What did you do? Noblemans Son: The sword broke! Noblemans Daughter: Its true! The Hero: What are you doing? Noblemans Son: Dont get angry. Look, youre not hurt at all. Noblemans Daughter: Are you made of steel? The Hero: No, it really hurts. Noblemans Son: You didnt even bleed. Clink! The Hero: Oww! Noblemans Son: Amazing! It made a clink sound! Noblemans Daughter: Really? Really? The Hero: Why are you hurting me? Noblemans Son: Its training. Soldiers do it right? The Hero: Im not a soldier. Noblemans Son: Youre a soldier right, my father said so. The Hero: No, Im the Hero. Noblemans Son: Right you dont even need to be paid, its really convenient. Noblemans Daughter: Eh? The Hero: Thats wrong. Noblemans Son: Hmph. Boring. Noblemans Daughter: Must be some sort of country boy. Words dont get through to him. The Hero: They do. Noblemans Son: He said something stupid! Noblemans Daughter: Like a pig. Well, no, hes more adorable than a pig. The Hero: ! Noblemans Son: I dont know. Hey, Hero, clean this up. Otherwise itll look like youve been stealing things. Noblemans Daughter: And wear something proper too. The Hero: -! nk! Noblemans Son: He didnt even reply. What a weakling. Noblemans Daughter: So the Hero is just a country boy. The Hero: The Hero: The Hero: Dont argue with stupid people. That old man always said that. Theyre just those sort of people. Damnit! Pieces of sheet! The Hero: Clean up. Tidy up. Okay. Fourteen Years Ago, the Summer, a Certain Lords Manor, a Corridor The Hero: The old man has got to be done by now. Im really hungry. The Hero: But, yes we should go back earlier. Its more fun to train in the forest. The noble children are really noisy and they think theyre something great. What stupid people. Noblewoman: Yes, I met him earlier. Young Nobleman: Hoho. Noble Lady: How was he? The one they call the Hero. The Hero: Ah! Its that beautifuldy! Noblewoman: He was disgusting. I was shuddering just looking at him. That foppy ck hair. Hes supposed to be able to use the 24 Chants at such a young age, right? Its an incredibly difficult set of spells, even knowing just eight of them can gain you admission to the Magical Academy of the Kingdom of the Lake. Young Nobleman: That is - The Hero: Eh Noblewoman: He may look like a child, but hes something else entirely. Inside his head, and those rags he wears, theres something terrible there. Young Nobleman: Hahaha, you worry too much. Hes nothing more than a weapon at His Imperial Majestys disposal. Noble Lady: But I understand. Noblewoman: Yeah. Think about it and youll see. Hes the sort of monster who can turn himself to ice one moment, and then to ash another moment, and I was in the same room as that. I was truly fearing for my own life, he could have killed me with a single finger. He may appear tiny, but hes a monster. Young Nobleman: Indeed. Noblewoman: Then we will have to reconsider our interactions with him. The Hero: - Noblewoman: He jabbers on as if hes a real human I cant stand it. It drives me insane that we are in the same building. Young Nobleman: Hahaha. I hate this sort of thing too. Shall we have some wine to lighten our spirits? My uncle has brought a lovely vintage from the Vineyards of Branches The Hero: - The Hero: Ll. Ll. Lla Wise Sage: Oho? The Hero: Old man! Are you done? Shall we go home? Wise Sage: Mmm. Thats right. I am tired. The Hero: Me too! The forest is the best after all. The Hero: Wise Sage: The Hero: Hey, old man. Wise Sage: What? The Hero: Umm. Wise Sage: Mmm? The Hero: Everyone is hoping for something from me? Wise Sage: Youve noticed that. Youre growing up, young Hero. << Volume 5 2, “Look forward to it. Your story will begin someday.”

Volume 5 Chapter 2, Look forward to it. Your story will begin someday.

- The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Volunteer Army of the Holy Order of the Lake Pdin of the Lake: That is all! The Female Pdin: They came. Aide-de-Camp: They really did. And they arrived even faster than expected. Butler: But the Southern Alliance has given us but 30,000 soldiers The Female Pdin: We have no other options. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Hah. With 30,000 reinforcements, we can easily take down another 100,000 enemy soldiers. Pdin of the Lake: How cocky. Hahahaha. Aide-de-Camp: It is said that you require three times as many forces to conduct a siege. There are at best 20,000 soldiers of fighting strength remaining within the City of the Gate. Butler: They are supporting a poption of at least 100,000 civilians, fully five times their number. This is not a good situation they are in. The Female Pdin: Well then, what should we do? Aide-de-Camp: When can we link up with the Southern Alliance troops to our rear? Butler: The Female Pdin: With the 4,000 soldiers on our hands, the Southern Alliance definitely has a substantial military force, but even so, the vanguard of the Holy Crusaders numbers 150,000 strong. They are also absorbing the stragglers from the supply areas which we destroyed earlier. Even if we linked up with the Southern Alliance, the difference in strength is still appalling. The Southern Alliance army numbers 30,000. The Demon Kings army within the City is 20,000. We have 4,000. If we add it all up, weve got 54,000. They have three times as many as us, and on top of that, our opponents are Holy Crusaders armed with muskets. The hopeless situation continues. Aide-de-Camp: Butler: And. The Female Pdin: Yeah. Aide-de-Camp: The Crown Prince Marshal. Butler: Based on information from our spies, the army of the Crown Prince Marshal is currently headed towards the Lands of the Pale. The Female Pdin: The Pale? Aide-de-Camp: Logistics!? Butler: So it would appear. Aide-de-Camp: We were careless. Thends of the Pale are not far from here. With two weeks, they could conceivably pacify the region. The armies of the Tribe of the Pale have all been dispatched to the Surface, so the defences of the region are paper thin. The Tribe of the Automatons has jurisdiction over the region, but against a force equipped with muskets, they will not put up any sort of significant resistance. Butler: Thats not exactly true. Aide-de-Camp: ? Butler: We have some envoys visiting from the Surface defending it. The Female Pdin: From the surface? Aide-de-Camp: Who the hell!? Butler: The Schr. Aide-de-Camp: Do you mean the Demon King? Why would the Demon King? Huh? Isnt she inside the City of the Gate? The Female Pdin: No youre wrong. There is another Schr. Aide-de-Camp: Eh? There are two of them? The Female Pdin: Ahahahahaha! Ahaahahahaha! What!? I cant believe it! I cannot believe it! Aide-de-Camp: Eh? Eh? Butler: Its true. Who else could it be? Aide-de-Camp: What are you talking about? The Female Pdin: Ahahahaha. You dont know? Youve met her before, at that inn. Its her. The Elder Sister Maid. Aide-de-Camp: Eh? Eh!? The Female Pdin: Alright. Its decided. Aide-de-Camp: What do you mean? The Female Pdin: Well defend. Or rather, buy time? Butler: Got it. The Female Pdin: All that is required to seed is for the Crown Prince Marshal to be unable to ensure his food stocks. It would be better for those stocks to fall into our hands. Aide-de-Camp: But, how will we defend them? The Female Pdin: Doesnt really matter. All that matters is the results What a good opportunity. The situation is just as the Demon King said it would be. Aide-de-Camp: What do you mean? The Female Pdin: The weakness of muskets. They require massive amounts of logistics. This is the reason we were so focussed on destroying their supply areas. With their rear area being raided in this manner, and the Crown Prince Marshal being unable to acquire new supplies, those 200,000 soldiers of the Holy Crusaders will be starved to submission all at once. On top of that, the applicability of the muskets will also deteriorate. Aide-de-Camp: We have a chance to win! The Female Pdin: Thats right. In this long and bitter siege, until they break down the walls of the City of the Gate, those walls have a ravenous appetite. They will consume all the musket balls. Consume, or rather steal. These walls are not just protective barriers. They are also a sword, steadily eating away at the gunpowder and food of the Holy Crusaders. Aide-de-Camp: !! The Female Pdin: She must have noticed. The Demon King could not possibly have not noticed this She knew it. She knew it, and endured. The Demon King has not given up yet. - The Demon Kings Dream, or perhaps a Memory The Demon King: Hmph. Boring. Modelling is like a MATHEMATICAL PUZZLE*, that doesnt get more interesting. If I cant use this, then the future cannot be predicted. In those days, in that cold and hungry researchboratory and Library, all I cared about was seeding in my experiments and models. Just to protect my tiny sense of pride, I studied as hard as I could. The Demon King: To begin with, as far as we are concerned only with the economic allocation of scarce resources, no matter how IRRATIONAL THE DEMANDS* seem, they can be calcted too. I saw the world as my enemy. I fought a lonely fight. The Demon King: No matter how I attempt to model human morality and desires, this model cannot amodate the changes due to education. And education is the product of the economic and cultural demands, or what could be considered the general demands of the GESTALT*. With this, we can only return to the rtionship between two sets of goods. Despite how small and insignificant I was, I defended myself to the death, I learnt to bite my teeth everyday and look down at the suffering of the people in the wide world below. How young and immature I was. The Library was everything. The outside world was pointless. It was a jealous, messy, crazy ce. Everybody was hoping for a future neverbeforeseen, but I could onlyugh coldly and consider that such a future had never existed before. I surrendered, and studied economics within the cold, lonely nights of the darkness in the Library. The Demon King: No matter how things go, it all justes back to the same key models, and the result is just a mathematical paradox. These sort of answers can only be found in the clouds. - The one who will save the world is called the Hero. Wouldnt it be nice if you could just believe these wild conjectures? After learning so much, the world is still pitch ck. Did such a person really exist? Could someone else exist outside of this CLOSED MODEL*? The Demon King: - How boring. Perhaps it is good to hope. Maybe I should allow myself to dream. Its alright to dream. I want to see it happen too. -- Exnation Mathematical Puzzle: The most recent economics studies now require extremely high levels of mathematics. In order to solve economics issues, it has be necessary to solve mathematical issues as well. Irrational Demands: In the past, the study of economics assumed that people all followed rational demands, and economic models proceeded from there. However, because a lot of predictions did not materialise, it has been suggested that humans do not actually follow rational consumption patterns. Modern economics is now searching for a reliable way to model the irrationality of human consumption patterns. Note: The word rational means that humans apply cost-benefit analysis to their consumption. However, the word irrational does not mean that cost-benefit is ignored. Rather, it means that humans add perceived cost or benefit to the transaction which is not ounted for in the utility they derive from consumption of the good. Gestalt: Gestalt is a German word with a very broad definition referring to a whole which is more than the sum of its parts. Here it refers to the fact that education in society reflects the economic gestalt of the society, or the cultural gestalt. Moreover, while education determines the economic and cultural gestalt, the same can be said vice versa. Each constitutent of the whole affects the others. For this reason, in order to improve education, it is often necessary to invigorate the economic system, and in improving education, there will also be economic growth. The Demon King has realised that sustained growth requires growth in all areas. Closed Model: All economic models assume a closed system, whereby external inputs are discounted. For instance, when evaluating a domestic economy, it is important to disregard foreign inputs. When evaluating world trade, it is important to disregard extra-terrestrial involvement. - - The City of the Gate, the Keep, the Demon Kings Bedroom The Demon King: The Demon King: It was a dream The Demon King: Well it still hurts. The Demon King: The Demon King: I want to meet the Hero. The Demon King: Im working hard, Hero. The Demon King: I will definitely not allow this City to fall. If this City falls, all our progress for the Demons and the Humans will be undone. That is why, it is better that the Hero does note If he doese, and see that graveyard. I dont want to fight with the Hero. It would be horrible if I had to fight him. I will endure. The Demon King: The Demon King: I like him. The Demon King: The Demon King: I want to meet him The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Logistics Units Musketeer of Light: Ahh ahh Guard of Light: Give me water. Quartermaster: Here. Drink some water. Guard of Light: Ahh, I got it. Gulp, gulp Quartermaster: Who else? More? Musketeer of Light: Yes, hurry. There are more to the rear. Guard of Light: But, theres still some distance to go Musketeer of Light: What of it? To our rear, the Southern Alliance is catching up to us. Guard of Light: Damn. Damn. Quartermaster: Why do we have to do this? Soldier of Light: Because those guys Musketeer of Light: They are heretics!? Therades of Demons! Guard of Light: Damn them to hell! Quartermaster: Theyre heretics because they eat potatoes. Soldier of Light: What did you say? Quartermaster: Nothing at all. Guard Commander: -! -! Soldier of Light: What? Musketeer of Light: Whats happening? Guard Commander: -! -!! Guard of Light: Huh? Guard Commander: We under attack! To arms, men! To arms! Quartermaster: What? From behind! Soldier of Light: Where!? Musketeer of Light: Where are they!? Guard of Light: Gah! Quartermaster: Where? Guard Commander: Agh!! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Volunteer Army of the Holy Order of the Lake The Female Pdin: As you have been briefed, lets go! Pdin of the Lake: All knights mount up! Let us show them what the Virgin of Battle can do! Pikeman of Beasts: We Beasts will take the right nk, well cut off the stragglers and strike a the heart of the enemy! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: For honour! Aide-de-Camp: Rifle units follow closely, take aim at the enemy advance units! Rifleman: Understood! The Female Pdin: The enemy number less than ten thousand! They may outnumber us, but they are logistics units. Their weapons may be muskets, but theirmand is in disarray. Strike at their vanguard first, and fly at their centre! Lets invite chaos and destroy their formations! Pdin of the Lake: Got it! Pikeman of Beasts: Leave it to us! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: My wrist are aching for a fight. The Female Pdin: Lets go! Pdin of the Lake: Attack!! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Logistics Unit Soldier of Light: Run! Run! Musketeer of Light: Where the hell to!? Guard of Light: Stupid! What are you doing? Soldier of Light: Its pointless. These carriages are carrying food. Guard of Light: So what!? Soldier of Light: We have to carry as much as we can and escape. Into the forests! Into the crags! If we dont, well be massacred by those Beasts! Pikeman of Beasts: Life is important, so you better run! Or youll have to deal with me!! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: We are the Beasts! Silver Tiger Lord! We fight in your name! Musketeer of Light: Aghhhhhhh! Guard of Light: What! Run! Guard Commander: Stand and fight! Fight! Soldier of Light: No way, we cannot fight with these monsters! Guard Commander: Muskets! Form up! Show them the power of the Light, we who will not take a single step backwards. Musketeer of Light: Form up! Guard Commander: Load!! Bang! Bang! Guard of Light: What the hell!? Guard Commander: Spearmen! Attack! Attack! Soldier of Light: Aghhhhhh! Guard of Light: Aghhhhhh! Its no use! Run! Run! Retreat! Well be killed! Why!? Why us!? Run, run, do you want to die!! Quartermaster: Eh? Soldier of Light: What? The Female Pdin: Haiya! Pdin of Light: All forces! Advance! Second attack! Pdin: Haiyaa!! Pdin: Haahhh!! Musketeer of Light: Thats! Guard of Light: Our rear guard has run away!? What? Come back! Where are you going!? Quartermaster: Its impossible. Well take those carts-. Fire!? Pikeman of Beasts: Now! Go! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Aim for the carts! Destroy the wheels!! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Volunteer Army of the Holy Order of the Lake Butler: The destruction has begun. Aide-de-Camp: Its going even better than expected. Butler: Theyve taken longer to respond to the pain weve been inflicting on them than weve expected. They have a really dull chain ofmand. Rifleman: Targets have begun shifting. Increase range to targets. Scout: Should we follow? Aide-de-Camp: Ah, Butler. Butler: Thats right. Its about time. Its probably been two hours. Aide-de-Camp: Echo my order! Sound the bells! Retreat! Scout: Yes! Aide-de-Camp: Butler: Alright. Weve got them by the nose. Aide-de-Camp: This will be more effective. Right? Butler: Yeah, out of the 40,000 logistics units involved in this battle, at least 10% of them are injured or killed. Just to care for these soldiers, they will require at least an equal number of soldiers. Rifleman: We are prepared to move! Scout: Ready to pull back. Aide-de-Camp: Right! Lets go! If we get confronted by the Crown Prince Marshal, well get DESTROYED IN ONE BLOW*. Rifleman: Yes! Scout: Lets go! Bring the horses around! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Crown Prince Marshals Army Crown Prince Marshal: What? Strategist: What the it seems to be the Southern Alliance. Holy Imperial General: Thosedies. Hard to imagine the Southern Alliance could send soldiers down here Crown Prince Marshal: I wonder why? Holy Imperial General: Whats up? Crown Prince Marshal: That Schr has imprinted her will into those eyes of her. Its difficult to imagine she would be used by someone else. Strategist: Crown Prince Marshal: The head of an army. Hard to imagine. Strategist: Indeed But the army ahead of us ispletely different from the one we just encountered. Holy Imperial General: 50,000 troops from the Southern Alliance. Crown Prince Scout: Yes! This army moved incredibly fast and struck at the rear of our Holy Crusader logistics units, immediately withdrawing eight LI* thereafter, and Crown Prince Marshal: Were they routed? Crown Prince Scout: No, but they suffered grave damage, particrly to the caravans, though there were many injuries as well Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm. Holy Imperial General: As to be expected, the attack of the Southern Alliance was quite blunt. At this rate, well destroy them with ease. Strategist: Make contact with themander of the logistics unit at once, lets get more information. Crown Prince Marshal: The Southern Alliance has 50,000, right? How many did the logistics unit observe? Holy Imperial Scout: 30,000 to 35,000. Crown Prince Marshal: Holy Imperial General: Our army is almost entirely unharmed. On top of that, we have a corps of elite Imperial Chevaliers, as well as the pre-eminent crack troops of the Holy Crusaders. With our army of 50,000, the Southern Alliances 50,000 be entirely insufficient. I firmly believe we can crush them with ease. I mean, they couldnt even destroy a logistics unit numbering just 35,000. Holy Imperial Scout: Very true. Crown Prince Marshal: Strategist: Whats wrong? Crown Prince Marshal: Amazing. Holy Imperial General: ? Crown Prince Marshal: If they wanted to settle this in a single fight, then why did they withdraw eight li? Eight li is almost the distance travelled in an entire day. Of course, its a very safe distance to be at, but if they wanted to strike again, wouldnt they try to be in reasonable proximity? Strategist: Thats Holy Imperial General: They will strike with heavy mounted units, and then follow on with the main force, right? Crown Prince Marshal: A cavalry unit capable of taking on 35,000 muskets, just howrge would they have to be? Do you think that 50,000 strong troop can support such a unit? Holy Imperial General: Thats Strategist: It would indeed be an incredible force. To verify this, were going to have toe into contact with them directly. Crown Prince Marshal: We have other things to think about. To get to the City of the Gate from the Lands of the Pale, we have to go through the forests. In other words, well have to turn our backs to the unsecured Lands of the Pale. And to that Southern Alliance friendly forcemanded by that Schr. Holy Imperial General: ! Crown Prince Marshal: It is a small force. 5,000 or maybe 10,000. However, if we permit them to operate with impunity, they might be able to harass us. A bigger problem is that this is the Subterranean World, we have no idea what sort of army we could encounter. Holy Imperial General: Cant we just destroy these people with muskets? Crown Prince Marshal: We would definitely win. Their tiny force cannot possibly hope to stand up to an army of 50,000 muskets. However, the Southern Alliance also numbers 50,000. On top of that theyve COME INTO CONTACT WITH MUSKETS BEFORE*. Its not that I think we will lose, but I cannot guarantee we can take them in one shot. If its a pitched battle of 50,000 against 50,000, its entirely possible that we could lose thousands to ambushes and their reinforcements Strategist: Indeed. Crown Prince Marshal: Were going to have to re-examine our movement speed from here on out. We have to link up with the logistics main unit in 3 days And we have to get out of the forest as well. Holy Imperial General: Hmm. Strategist: This route of advance, huh. Holy Imperial General: There is a chance we could be ambushed inside the forest. We are going to have to keep early warning units to our right nk. We would be stretching our scouts. Especially when we are harbouring, we will need to monitor all movements carefully Continuing at this course, we may be able to put ourselves between the logistics unit and the Southern Alliance. Strategist: Three days. Crown Prince Marshal: We have eight li to cover, we have to monitor the surroundings adequately as well, and that will take time. Strategist: Understood. I will get to work. Holy Imperial General: In that case, I will signal our entire army to get ready. Crown Prince Marshal: The scouts are going to have to work very hard. Holy Imperial Scout: Yes! Orders received! Crown Prince Marshal: (The Southern Alliance That female general? Or maybe the Iron Fist King or the Lone Winter King have taken to the field? Who are we up against? The one who will rule this Subterranean World will be decided by the fire of muskets.) -- Exnation Li: A li is an ancient Chinese unit of measurement also used in Japan, Korea and other Sinoxenic countries, roughly equivalent to 3.9km. Eight li is about 31.5km. Come into contact with muskets before: Any decentmander will be able to derive strategies to counter weapons he has encountered before. Previous victories have depended on the shock factor of never before encountering the muskets. - The City of the Gate, the Keep, the Study Banshee Lady: - Your Majesty! Banshee Butler: Your Majesty. Banshee Lady: Your Majesty! The Demon King: ! Ah, sorry. As you were. Banshee Lady: Youre at your limit, your Majesty. You need some sleep and you need to eat. Banshee Butler: Your face ispletely pale. The Demon King: Ive always been the indoor type, so my body is rather frail. Banshee Lady: This is not the time for jokes. Banshee Butler: Yeah. At this rate, if your Majesty were to copse, the City of the Gate would fall in an instant. Boom! The Demon King: I cant sleep. Banshee Lady: Those cannons. Really do make a terrible noise. Servant: Please do not push yourself. The Demon King: No I cant meet the person I want to meet. Thats all. Banshee Lady: The Demon King: Forget that, please. Banshee Lady: Thats Boom! Fiend Servant: Report from the wall. The Southern fortification took a serious pounding this afternoon, but emergency repairs were a sess. If we can, theyre going to need to get morebourers. The Demon King: Banshee Lady. Banshee Lady: Shall we some people from the volunteer forces stationed at Temples? The Demon King: Go ahead. Banshee Lady: Understood. The Demon King: Hmm Servant: Have some tea. The Demon King: Its fine. Servant: Yes. The Demon King: (When will this siege end How long can we maintain this) Eleven Years Ago, in the Forest The Hero: Hey, old man. Wise Sage: The Hero: I brought apples. Wise Sage: The Hero: Wise Sage: Wise Sage: The Hero: What are you looking at? Wise Sage: the stars. The Hero: Stars? Wise Sage: What about it? The Hero: Stars? Wise Sage: What are stars? The Hero: Uhhh. Wise Sage: Unbelievable. The Hero: Really? Wise Sage: As the years pile on, the number of unbelievable things only increases. The Hero: Uhhh. Wise Sage: The Hero: The Hero: Youve been very quiet recently. Wise Sage: Wise Sage: The Hero: Have an apple? Wise Sage: Mmm. The Hero: Ill eat them all. Wise Sage: Go ahead. The Hero eats an apple Wise Sage: The Hero eats another apple Wise Sage: The Hero: Hey, old man. Wise Sage: The Hero: Have an apple? Wise Sage: Hero. The Hero: Eh? Wise Sage: I dont need that anymore. The Hero: Wise Sage: The Hero: No. Wise Sage: What? The Hero: I dont like this Something is wrong. Youre mistaken. Wise Sage: It is natural. The Hero: Thats not true. Wise Sage: The time hase. The Hero: Youre lying. Wise Sage: Hero. The Hero: ! Wise Sage: If you open your ears wide, you will be able to hear the tiny whispers that echo from the corners of our world. With the increased rity within this darkness, you can listen to the tiny voices thate from far away This is a rich world. Popted by the small, whose every motion generates a wave of ripples across this wide pond. The Hero: I dont understand. Wise Sage: Its not bad. Like this. The Hero: I dont understand Wise Sage: Hero. The Hero: Wise Sage: All I hope for is a fool like you. The Hero: Yeah. Wise Sage: But, if you give up on hope, then all ispletely lost. The Hero: Wise Sage: Look forward to it. The Hero: Why, why now? Wise Sage: Because you have the power you require. The Hero: Ive never wanted to have the power of a Hero. Wise Sage: That is different from the power of the Hero. The Hero: I dont understand! Wise Sage: I havent taught you well then. The Hero: Wise Sage: Look forward to it Your story will begin someday. And you will meet friends. You may be stupid, but you are no coward. That is why, you cannot leave things to chance. When you have free time, protect them. Protect the people They are not stupid, but from ignorance is born cowardice. The Hero: Why are you saying things like this? Wise Sage: What else should I say? The Hero: Whatever is fine, have an apple. Ill catch some fish. Ill go hunt us some meat! Ill never ask to go to the city ever again. Ill repay the kindness youve shown me. Look at me. Wise Sage: I see it The Hero: Thats not what Im talking about. Wise Sage: I see it very well The Hero: Thats not it Wise Sage: Hey, Hero. Young man. The Hero: Yeah. Wise Sage: I am good. I have lived a life full of regret and disappointment, but to the end, I lived it my way. It was fun, the times I spent with you No matter how, Ive made good use of my time. The Hero: I told you not to talk about that! Wise Sage: Haahaha You have to stop being so na?ve. This may be my nagging, but you need to work hard. Hero, this will be myst lesson to you. Look forward to it. But, work hard, and take the victory. Make friends. Make people who are important to you. Use your time well. - Remember everything I have taught you, and may they guide you in the darkness. Volume 5 3, “With this, the Southern Alliance is Finished.”

Volume 5 Chapter 3, With this, the Southern Alliance is Finished.

- The City of the Gate, the Besieging Holy Crusaders Boom! Boom! Spearman of Light: Im hungry. Militia of Light: Yeah Im hungry too. Disciple Bard: Recently we havent been getting any rations. Spearman of Light: Im real sorry about that, Ms Bard. Disciple Bard: No its alright. I dont eat very much anyway. Spearman of Light: Really? Disciple Bard: Yep. Stomach rumbles Spearman of Light: Uhhhh. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Stomach rumbles Auxiliary of Light: You must be famished. Booom! Boom! Disciple Bard: Even so. Spearman of Light: ? Disciple Bard: Its still better than being in the fight itself. Spearman of Light: Well, thatstrue. Militia of Light: Fighting sucks. Disciple Bard: Well, of course. This is my homnd after all. Oh, this might be a bit frivolous, but Im a Fairy. Its a type of Demon. There are many types of Demons. Spearman of Light: A Fairy you say? Disciple Bard: Umm. We Fairies live in the woods. There are Fairies like me who look roughly like Humans, and there are also tiny Fairies who look like little children. They are called Sprites, and while they dont have much physical strength, they can fly. Militia of Light: Oh Amazing! Disciple Bard: We might be part of the Demon World, but we Fairies are not a race with much power. We have quite arge poption with a rich history, but we are a cultured race with no propensity for violence. We live in the forests, ying music, singing songs, and pursuing a life of art. We also love to y pranks on other people. Were a bunch of tricksters, so we are terrible at fighting. Spearman of Light: Terrible atfighting? Disciple Bard: Thats right. Booom! Booom! Spearman of Light: But the other Demons are fighting arent they? Militia of Light: Are the Fairies being enved or something? Disciple Bard: No, not at all. There are definitely Fairies inside the City of the Gate. We may be terrible at fighting, but that is also ournd. Spearman of Light: Eh Disciple Bard: If somebody attacks your home, no matter what, you have to stand up for it. Otherwise, youll lose the ce where you belong Spearman of Light: Thats Auxiliary of Light: But well, the Demons, the Surface World. Disciple Bard: Well I guess it had to be said sooner orter. We didnt actually attack you. Spearman of Light: That cant be right. The Isle of Light was taken by the Demons, and lots and lots of people died there, right? Disciple Bard: The Fairies didnt go to that ind. Have you lived on that ind before? Spearman of Light: Well, no Disciple Bard: Much like the Human World, the Demons are split into different factions living separately. So we didnt actually do anything. Moreover, your homes werent being attacked, but everyone rushed to defend it, dont you think its weird? Militia of Light: Well Boom! Boom! Disciple Bard: Aha. Ahahahaha. Sorry. Sorry! I didnt actually mean to say that. It wasnt something I should have said, but it is aplex situation. Like I said, there are many different types of Demons. Just like with Humans, there are many different types of Humans too. Spearman of Light: Disciple Bard: Well, thats the way it is My heart is racing, sweat forming on my brow, my nose itches, and I feel like Im going to cry. But even so, I must continue. That is what I was taught. Spearman of Light: Militia of Light: Is that so? Auxiliary of Light: We are just simple serfs. Disciple Bard: Then sing. Spearman of Light: Eh? Boom! Boom! Disciple Bard: Lets sing today as well. What should we sing? How about something fun and lively? Sad songs are too difficult. And army songs are just, no. How about a festival song? Spearman of Light: Yeah Strum, strum Disciple Bard: Alright! Spearman of Light: Isnt this the Canticle of Light? Militia of Light: You know songs about the Spirit as well? Auxiliary of Light: Why would you? Arent Demons the enemies of the Spirit? Disciple Bard: Eh? But, this is a nice song, isnt it? I remembered it from a church in the Holy Empire, but I really liked it. It seems to a be a melody offering thanks for Spring to the Spirit of Light. Its kind, and bright, and I like it. Spearman of Light: Militia of Light: Strum, strum Auxiliary of Light: Yeah We dance to this song in the Spring festival where Ie from too. Disciple Bard: Yeah. Dancing makes the days light and fun. Boooom! Booom! Spearman of Light: I want to go home. The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Crown Prince Marshals Army Crown Prince Marshal: How is the situation? Strategist: Yes. We are half a day from the logistics division, and we should arrive in three li. If we can close this distance, we can more or less guarantee the safety of the logistics division. Holy Imperial General: There have been no surprise attacks. Crown Prince Marshal: We still cant afford to be careless Strategist: Even if the Southern Alliance were tounch an attack from seven li away, our musket brigade will still be able to attack them before they can make contact with the logistics division. We wont lose to the Southern Alliance in speed. So I think its safe to say that we are out of danger from a Southern Alliance ambush. Holy Imperial General: Can their Pdins withstand a volley? Strategist: ording to our intelligence, the Southern Alliance has a Pdin corps of less than 1,000 riders. Most of their horses are pack horses used for pulling caravans. Holy Imperial General: In that case, we can use our cavalry to guard against their cavalry. Crown Prince Marshal: Strategist: What is wrong? Crown Prince Marshal: We cannot tell if the Southern Alliance has joined up with the Demons. With such unconfirmed information, what shall webel them? Strategist: They appear to have joined up. Holy Imperial General: Hmm. Strategist: Even if they havent, they are still heretics. It doesnt matter if theyre up above or down below, they are still rotten and evil. Holy Imperial General: Thats right. Crown Prince Marshal: That would be nice. Strategist: Crown Prince Marshal: What do you mean? 50,000 is a lot. Its more than we can hope to finish off in a single fight. Strategist: That may be true. Crown Prince Marshal: Im sure the South must have considered that as well. Strategist: How are the negotiations? Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm They must still have some soldiers in the South. This 50,000 is simply thergest expeditionary force that their supply lines and logistics stores could allow. Unlike the Holy Crusaders, they dont have the force of religious fanaticism to provide volunteers. In other words, the majority of the Souths military strength is still at home. This main force still poses a serious threat to the Central Kingdoms, they could set the Central ins on fire in an instant. Holy Imperial General: Crown Prince Marshal: This is the reality. I understand that they cannot possibly inflict such violence on us. However, this threat could really scare the people. They cannot publicly join forces with the Demons, and openly dere war against us, who serve the Holy Church. That would merely induce the other nobility and royalty to join the Holy Crusaders. Strategist: Well, thats true. Holy Imperial General: Indeed. Crown Prince Marshal: Thats why they want it to be settled in one fight. Whats the point even if we annihte them. Itll just throw the Surface World into another hundred years of war. We have to make sure that the negotiations end with them bing our vassals once again. However, that means we have to have that one fight, so that our negotiations will be forced to the breaking point. Strategist: Thats right. Moreover, that fight will open the eyes of all the nobles. Crown Prince Marshal: Yeah. If we dont intimidate the Southern Alliance right now, the mes of war will spread even further. Holy Imperial General: Then Crown Prince Marshal: No matter how, its going to be a war. But, if possible, I want it to be just one war. Once the logistics division links up with the forces besieging the City, well cover their rear. Once that happens, the Southern Alliance can only dream about ambushing us. If we do it right, we should be able to bring the nobility into the war against the Southern Alliance. Strategist: Indeed. Crown Prince Marshal: But, this is a good chance for us to wipe them out. After what happened thest time. Holy Imperial General: You mean the Pr War? Crown Prince Marshal: Well. Strategist: Yeah Crown Prince Marshal: Time has a definite effect on lowering thebat ability of expeditionary troops. Strategist: (Definitely We werent able to get enough supplies from the Lands of the Pale and now we are suffering its ill-effects.) Crown Prince Marshal: Its very annoying, but we cant even be certain about the movements of the main forces of the Holy Crusaders. We should move together. - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Southern Alliance Camp Disciple Soldier: Speed has slowed down a little. They appear to be maintaining a distance. Lieutenant of Metal: Defence Minister? Disciple Soldier: What is it? Lieutenant of Metal: Why do you keep changing our movement speed and asking us to incessantly circle around the enemy unit? Disciple Soldier: Yeah. We have to apply pressure on them from the front, and continue to whittle down their numbers. Lieutenant of Metal: Their numbers? Disciple Soldier: Yes. Lieutenant of Metal: Why? Disciple Soldier: The Fairy Tribe, especially the Sprites, are able to see amazingly well in the moonlight. They can easily conceal their presence and make for fantastic scouts. Fairy Attendant: Thats right! Disciple Soldier: The Fairies long ago discovered the scout units sent to observe us. I fear these scouts are operating under instructions from the Crown Prince Marshal. Lieutenant of Metal: The Crown Prince Marshal is to our two oclock direction, ready to link up with the logistics division, right? Disciple Soldier: Thats right. It seems they intend to join the 50,000 soldiers of the Crown Prince Marshal to their guard. Lieutenant of Metal: ! Really? Disciple Soldier: Well, honestly, their loads are rather heavy. On top of well-positioned muskets, they also have well-trained, high-morale elite troops among the 50,000. The Crown Prince Marshalmands a corps of 10,000 noble cavalry. Compared to that, we have 30,000 men in the Southern Alliance army. Lieutenant of Metal: Fairy Attendant: Disciple Soldier: By numbers, our defeat is certain Thats why we have to strike now. Lieutenant of Metal: And thats why we keep moving around? Disciple Soldier: Thats right. By waking up earlier and earlier, we give the logistics division the impression that we are getting closer and closer. Lieutenant of Metal: But if we decrease our speed, well have moved the same distance by evening, right? Why dont we just go at full speed and capture them all? Disciple Soldier: Capturing them is not our objective. Moreover, if we chase them for no reason, our troops will merely get exhausted, and we wont be able to stand up to the Crown Prince Marshal when he arrives to reinforce them. This erratic movement is meant to be a psychological attack on the logistics division. Lieutenant of Metal: Psychological Disciple Soldier: In an unfamiliarnd, with no allies to save them. They are a logistics unit of serfs, constantly fleeing while holding on to as many goods as they can carry. Their psychological health is already desperately stretched. On top of that, every night the Southern Alliance seems to draw closer and closer. Of course, the average distance is roughly the same, but they cant really tell that. Based on their evidence, we could be two days away, or right next to them. Lieutenant of Metal: Then whats with the constant reorganisation and attacks? Disciple Soldier: We want to deceive them regarding our troop numbers. We may have elite soldiers, but only 30,000 of them. The Holy Crusaders entire army numbers 200,000, but we arent even really a match for the 50,000 Crusaders under themand of the Crown Prince Marshal. At the very least, we have to seize the initiative. Lieutenant of Metal: I see, so this allows us to seize the initiative Disciple Soldier: That is right. While we know that we are at a disadvantage, the Crown Prince Marshal doesnt know the terrain or the exactposition of our forces. That is what we hope for as well. If he thinks we have too many soldiers, he will act more cautiously. If he thinks we have too few, he may act more rashly. Lieutenant of Metal: So a fight is unavoidable then. Fairy Attendant: Are we going to fight? Disciple Soldier: Well Lone Winter King: It would appear unavoidable. Fairy Attendant: Your Majesty! Disciple Soldier: Your Majesty! Iron Fist King: Thats right. Lone Winter King: We cannot avoid a fight, but we can prevent them from advancing. Disciple Soldier: Indeed. Lieutenant of Metal: Why? I dont understand. Didnt we just say that winning would be very difficult? Lone Winter King: The Crown Prince Marshal is the head of the Holy Crusaders. On top of that, he is a remarkably reasonable man. Disciple Soldier: Thats right, which is why we cant avoid it. Lieutenant of Metal: I dont understand Lone Winter King: This expedition is not aimed at defeating the Holy Crusaders. Our objective is to find a political solution that does not involve the extermination of the Subterranean World, the Central Kingdoms, or the Southern Alliance. This is why themander of the expeditionary forces is the Iron Fist King, and I am apanying the expedition as a representative of the Southern Alliance Security Council. I have no intention tomand the expedition, but I will pursue diplomatic and foreign policy goals. Iron Fist King: You take care of the troublesome things. Lone Winter King: Why do the Holy Crusaders or the Demons have to be exterminated? This is a trend we have to leap out of, where you confront your enemies based on equivalent strength. The Southern Alliance is still weak. And its still bncing on thin ice If we annihte the Holy Crusaders, we might get drawn into the fight with the Demons, and the fires of war will just destroy us again. For the Southern Alliance to survive, we have to ensure that all three parties hold back their spears. Iron Fist King: And thats something we cant do without being here. Lone Winter King: Exactly, the Central Kingdoms have already expressed that their heads are by now down here in the Demon World. The Holy Crusaders might as well be called the Imperial Alliance. In addition to their imperial influence, they invoked the name of the Primarch of the Holy Church of Light and went along with the Crusades. Disciple Soldier: Thats right. Lone Winter King: Thats why, for this interminable diplomacy, we must focus on the heads of the Holy Crusaders, and diminish their desire to invade. However. However is very important here. Fairy Attendant: ? Iron Fist King: We can only confront them militarily. We tried using money, but it was pointless. They arended nobility. They wouldnt just agree to our terms and go back obediently. Lone Winter King: Precisely. That is why we still need that one fight. Fairy Attendant: How difficult. Disciple Soldier: The problem is. Lieutenant of Metal: When and where? Disciple Soldier: Precisely. The details will decide everything. ording to the Fairy Attendant, in a day and a half we will reach the City of the Gate. The main force of the Holy Crusaders has enveloped the City of the Gate. I fear that when the logistics division arrives at the City of the Gate, they will begin preparing defences against us They have two paths. The Crown Prince Marshal can turn around and engage us. Lieutenant of Metal: The Crown Prince Marshals forces could link up with the main force. No matter what formation they take, they would be able to defend against us easily. Iron Fist King: Well, thats true. The first option is much better. Lone Winter King: Thats right. In the second option, we would have to fight a force of at least 100,000 enemies. Disciple Soldier: In the end, we will have to prepare for the second option, but we will still have to confront the Crown Prince Marshal on the first one. Moreover with the logistics division and the supplies they are carrying, my teacher would definitely Lieutenant of Metal: What? Disciple Soldier: Well my teacher would tell me to take that into consideration. Lieutenant of Metal: Iron Fist King: Well, what should we do? Commander? Disciple Soldier: This fight will be decided by the military emcements built at the battleground. For that reason, we need to start now. This could all go down tomorrow. Iron Fist King: One fight. Disciple Soldier: I hope so. Iron Fist King: Then. Disciple Soldier: Fairy Attendant, ramp up all reconnaissance operations. Fairy Attendant: Understood! The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Crown Prince Marshals Tent Strategist: We should be able to see the logistics division soon. Crown Prince Marshal: Understood. Strategist: It seems we should be able to link up with them without any difficulty. Holy Imperial General: By tonight, we should havepletely merged with the logistics division Soon our vanguard should link up with them, and we are making arrangements to get a situational report from theirmanders. Crown Prince Marshal: How is it? Holy Imperial General: Well, its difficult. The security of the supply depots is the responsibility of the Guard Commanders, who are dead. There are more than ten supply depots, and in the process of escaping, they failed to establish a unifiedmand structure. On top of this, a lot of supplies under their charge were lost, and each of themanders are scared of taking responsibility for this. Strategist: Well, thats to be expected. Holy Imperial General: Precisely. The remaining Guard Commanders are all low nobility. Crown Prince Marshal: But on the other hand, Im not about to fault them. They were tasked to defend an area with only 2,000 men. The Southern Alliance attacked with 50,000. It would be within their responsibilities to withdraw. Holy Imperial General: Well, ording to what Ive heard, they report being attacked by a mixed Human-Demon army of several thousands. Strategist: Mixed army? Holy Imperial General: They report seeing the insignia of the Holy Order of the Lake, but the infantry units were primarily Demons. On top of that, the enemies had muskets too. Strategist: Muskets? Did they seize them? Holy Imperial General: So it would appear. Well, the report does note from themanders, but the same story is being told by their subordinates. Its real chaos. Were going to need to get there before we can confirm the story. Crown Prince Marshal: Mixed force? How is that? No wait. The Holy Order of the Lake That means theirmander is Bang! Bang! Ambush! Its an ambush! Enemy cavalry! Prepare the muskets! Right nk prepare! No its the left nk. Agh!! Strategist: What? Holy Imperial General: An ambush!? Where did theye from? The Southern Alliance hasnt been moving! Crown Prince Marshal: Calm down! The enemy are few in number. Holy Imperial General: Why? Crown Prince Marshal: Theres no way they could send any sort of substantial force here without our detection! Believe in your scouts! The enemy is at best a 10,000-strong force capable of moving undetected through the forest! Stop all movements and focus on breaking through their encirclement. Strategist: All units, rally! Cavalry form ranks! Pikes to the front! Holy Imperial General: Your Imperial Highness, we are moving. Crown Prince Marshal: Tsk. This movement. Pdin of the Lake: Attack! Form the Aquarius formation! Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Aggghhhhhh!! Pikeman of Beasts: Die you children!! Strategist: Its no use. The attack power of the Demons hiding in the forest is much higher than we expected. Our muskets cant be used in all this chaos. Crown Prince Marshal: Hold them down with the pikemen! Take them out with the muskets! Strategist: Pikemen advance! Hold them down! As the Spirit wills it! As the Spirit wills it! Crown Prince Marshal: Their numbers are few! Do not falter! Take them down! Bang! Bang! The Female Pdin: Crown Prince Marshal! Crown Prince Marshal: ! The Female Pdin: I am the Female Pdin! The Grand Commander of the Holy Order of the Lake! This is yourst warning,y down your arms! ng! Crown Prince Marshal: Female general of the Southern Alliance! The Rose of the Isle of Light! The Right Hand of the Hero!! The Female Pdin: So you do know me, Hero of the Empire. Or should I say, the Commander of the Continent, Crown Prince Marshal. ng! ng! Crown Prince Marshal: Im afraid I cannotpare to you in swordsmanship. Take aim! Muskets! Fire! The Female Pdin: Please, I am a user of chants. Chant of Speed! Strategist: Ha! My men are not aiming directly at you, they will fire at the space around you, filling the air with high velocity balls of lead which you cannot possibly dodge. The Female Pdin: (What quick thinking. Much faster than any of the Demonmanders.) Strategist: Your Imperial Highness! Musketeer of Light: Fire! Bang! Bang! Holy Imperial General: Are you all right!? Crown Prince Marshal: Im fine. The Female Pdin: (This is it for us.) Bang! Bang! The Female Pdin: Pdins, form up! Formation of the Lily! Strategist: What? Crown Prince Marshal: Are you retreating, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: We are just beginning, Crown Prince Marshal. Holy Imperial General: Kill them! The Female Pdin: Wall of light! Crown Prince Marshal: Enough. Agh!! Destroy it! Right nk, support us. What are you doing!! Crown Prince Marshal: What are you trying to do? The Female Pdin: Im sure you can understand. As a fellow servant of the Spirit of Light I have but one answer. Peace. Holy Imperial General: You stupid woman, coborating with the Demons Crown Prince Marshal: Just like the Hero. The Female Pdin: I am the Right Hand of the Hero. Strategist: Then you stand in the way of His Imperial Excellency? Holy Imperial General: Crown Prince Marshal: Is that possible? The Female Pdin: How can it be impossible!? I will do my best until my effort runs dry!! Crown Prince Marshal: !! Pursue them! The disgusting Demons are fleeing! The enemy are few! Dont run away! Bang! Bang! Strategist: Ahh! Crown Prince Marshal: No! The Female Pdin: Until next time, Crown Prince Marshal! The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Southern Alliance Fairy Attendant: Something happened! Lieutenant of Metal: What? Fairy Attendant: Somebody attacked the Crown Prince Marshals army and they are headed here now! Its a weird army, they seem to be escaping. Iron Fist King: What!? Lone Winter King: What sort of army, Demons? Disciple Soldier: No, probably not. What is theirposition? Fairy Attendant: Half Human cavalry and half Beast infantry. Disciple Soldier: It must be the Female Pdin. All units to arms! Cavalry mount up! Caravans prepare, we are moving out! Lieutenant of Metal: The Female Pdin!? Disciple Soldier: Weve got to go now. Lieutenant of Metal: Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! Fairy Attendant: They areing! Fleeing from the enemy! Disciple Soldier: They arent fleeing. They are clearly baiting them The battleground has been set, one li from here! Form the caravans, its going to be a simple battleground! Lieutenant of Metal: Hurry! Form ranks! The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Crown Prince Marshals Camp Scout: The ambush force is now headed directly for the logistics division. Our forces are in hot pursuit, mostly formed from musketeers. Crown Prince Marshal: Holy Imperial General: We have to destroy them. Strategist: We were rattled so heavily by a force so much smaller than our own. There appear to be deficiencies Crown Prince Marshal: Deficiencies? Strategist: Many of the casualties are from ourmand structure, mostlymissioned officers. Especially the officers of the musket units. Crown Prince Marshal: We have to reorganise our forces and reform themand line. Lets withdraw our hand for now. Holy Imperial General: Your Imperial Highness, the logistics division. Strategist: This is a trap from the enemy Crown Prince Marshal: I know. But if we do nothing, we will lose 20,000 friendly forces. No, we wont just lose them, we have much more at stake here. We wont be able to fend them off with just the vanguard. All units advance and prepare for battle. The enemy will be thebined 50,000 strong from the Southern Alliance! Men, we are going to save ourrades! The enemy is the Southern Alliance! We will protect our fellow Crusaders and brothers of the Light! The Demon World, the Rear of the Crusader Invasion, the Combined Southern Alliance Army The Female Pdin: Disciple Soldier. Disciple Soldier: Master! I knew it was you! Lieutenant of Metal: It has been some time, Female Pdin. The Female Pdin: You are shaping up well, Lieutenant. Lieutenant of Metal: No, no, you are too kind. Disciple Soldier: How are your forces? The Female Pdin: We had a skirmish with the logistics division, and my cavalry have split up as reconnaissance. The Beasts are hiding in a nearby valley, waiting for an opportunity. Disciple Soldier: How is the area? The Female Pdin: Its a sea of wastnd in all four directions. It used to be one of the Demon Worlds more lush fields, but the fires of war have damaged it, and its all but barren now. Disciple Soldier: It must have been great. Lieutenant of Metal: Yes. The Female Pdin: There is no suitable terrain for an ambush nearby. We used the forests further to the east tounch our ambush, but that is no longer possible. Disciple Soldier: Indeed. Scout: Sir, the rear units are ready for deployment! Disciple Soldier: Excellent, move out with the rear guard. Lieutenant of Metal: Will it be all right if we go first? The Female Pdin: The enemy are en route to merging with the logistics division. It seems we will have to fight them here. Disciple Soldier: Do you know the position of the Southern Alliance? The Female Pdin: Of course. Disciple Soldier: Then what do you think of my ns and strategy? The Female Pdin: I dont know. But surely its enough to beat the logistics division, which has no ns or strategies? Oh right! Lieutenant of Metal: ? The Female Pdin: Make sure you collect their food and gunpowder. Those are expensive goods in the Demon World. Disciple Soldier: Of course. The Female Pdin: I exchanged blows with the Crown Prince Marshal. Lieutenant of Metal: Thats Disciple Soldier: How was it? The Female Pdin: You will need to fight to the death. Hes strong. Hes smart. And hes determined. He quickly figured out the numbers of our forces based on the circumstances. Lieutenant of Metal: I see The Female Pdin: But if you fight with all your strength, we might have a chance. The Crown Prince Marshal is strong. I believe that we have to destroy him before he has the opportunity to link up with the main force of the Holy Crusaders. Disciple Soldier: I agree. The Female Pdin: Then, lets go. Disciple Soldier: Roger that! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Crown Prince Marshals Army Holy Imperial General: Commander! Is there amander here!? Depot Commander: Y, yes. Im here. Holy Imperial General: I want a report on your strength now. Depot Commander: Umm, 1600. Strategist: Are you joking? Just with my eyes I can see at least 20,000 soldiers here! Depot Commander: Well, umm, 1600 of them are mine. Holy Imperial General: Well thatspletely useless. Is there somebody in charge of the entire logistics division? Depot Commander: Im sorry. As far as I know, there isnt somebody with that role The closest would be themander of the Holy Crusaders, the Green Ash King. Yeah. Holy Imperial General: ! So there is nobody who can tell us about the strength or formation of this division? Strategist: How stupid. How are we supposed to mount a proper defence like this? Depot Commander: Im sorry. I am, I am, my family is Crown Prince Marshal: Fine. Lets move. Depot Commander: ! Sorry! Holy Imperial General: Crown Prince Marshal: The logistics division will continue advancing at this pace. If we keep this up for another day, we will reach the main force. At that time, the responsibility will be with the Ash Green King tomand the unit. But between now and then, I want to know if we lose even one soldier. Depot Commander: Understood! Holy Imperial General: Strong wind. Crown Prince Marshal: Terrible dust. Holy Imperial General: We are drawing close to the positions of the Southern Alliance. That formation is Strategist: A strange formation Ive never seen before. The wagons are in front. Crown Prince Marshal: Whatever kind of enemy it is, weve got muskets. They must be up to something. Holy Imperial General: Do you know why theyre doing this? Crown Prince Marshal: Probably to protect the musketeers. Musketeers have tremendous firepower but terrible defence. We Crusaders provide direct cover using spearmen, but they sort of built a wall out of wagons instead. Holy Imperial General: So that is Strategist: Probably a type of fortification. Crown Prince Marshal: Probably. Holy Imperial General: It would be stupid to think they can attack against us in this way. Strategist: Thats not necessarily true. Just from previous encounters, the enemy reinforcements were able to easily destroy the logistics division. If we want to protect these terrible people, we are going to need to jump into that trap. Crown Prince Marshal: Fine. This is our wee then They remember our muskets. But now they will taste the pressure we can apply on them with our tactics. Let them try. Holy Imperial General: Yes! Strategist: I will organise the rear guard. Crown Prince Marshal: Lets get prepared. Strategist: Understood. - The Demon World, the Rear of the Holy Crusaders, the Southern Alliance, Atop a Hill The Female Pdin: Is that the Crown Prince Marshals army? Iron Fist King: Hmph. Pitiful. Lone Winter King: They seem very strong. That division is clearly elite. Disciple Soldier: A truly splendid force. Four line columns, without a single misstep, to maximise their musket force concentration. Whatever the Female Pdin came up with would get devoured by the formation. Lieutenant of Metal: That movement speed. They are going for some sort of Lightning Warfare*. Lone Winter King: How scary. Iron Fist King: Are they equipped with muskets? The Female Pdin: A fair number appear to be. Of the 50,000 soldiers, it would appear that 20,000 of them are armed with muskets. Lone Winter King: In that case, we may be unable to avoidrge numbers of casualties. Iron Fist King: Indeed. Disciple Soldier: Let us take advantage of what we have. The Crown Prince Marshal does not have the ability to choose the battleground. On top of that, in order to save the logistics division, he will have to divert some firepower from us. That is something we can take advantage of. Lieutenant of Metal: But, just that alone The Female Pdin: Thats right. Theirmander does not underestimate us, and he is acting rather cautiously. He has his own fortifications, and it even may not be possible to destroy him entirely. Seneschal: Then the chance of victory is slim? The Female Pdin: That would depend on the Disciple Soldier. Disciple Soldier: Lieutenant. How are the armoured caravans? Lieutenant of Metal: Yes, well The first wave is ready. Seneschal: Whats that? Disciple Soldier: Its a strategy where we align the armoured caravans side-by-side as a fortification. The caravans are built from oak and reinforced with metal tes. Each of them has eight wheels, allowing them to absorb the cannon impact by moving with it, and can also be braced by human hands if necessary. With thirty of them, well be able to construct a fully mobile fortification. The Female Pdin: Hmm, youve put much thought into this. Disciple Soldier: I just want to do my part to make sure nobody dies. But please make sure you fulfil your part of the promise. The Female Pdin: Leave it to me. Rifles! It going to be cramped, but squeeze into the carriages! Load up! Seneschal: Those are? Disciple Soldier: These are our sharpshooter rifle units. Their number is small, but each of them are highly elite members trained by the Female Pdin herself. In order to optimise their range and firepower, they need a stable tform from which to fire. These wagons may be metal ted, but they have slits between the tes allowing muskets to fire from. In other words, they are basically mobile fortresses. Without having to worry about their safety, they can fire confidently. Lieutenant of Metal: Its simultaneously a defensive fort as well as an offensive weapon. The Female Pdin: Its a strategy meant to maximise the utility of the rifles, despite how few they are. Seneschal: I see! Disciple Soldier: On top of that, the infantry units will be carrying shields. The shields are shaped like a kite with a sharp point which can be inserted into the ground to brace against. Lone Winter King: Amazing. Iron Fist King: Alright! Kingdom of Metal! Southern Alliance! This will be a decisive battle with the Holy Crusaders! Dont worry about your lives! The enemy are the muskets, but youll be protected in your caravans! They wont be able to touch you! So take them out in the first volley! Disciple Soldier: Believe in your allies! The shields and wagons are crafted by master smiths from the Metal guilds! Fro more than twenty paces away, their muskets are essentially useless! Engineers get ready! Lets go! Alright!! Lets go!! Lets go!! The Female Pdin: Here we go then. Disciple Soldier: I will take the forwardmand. Master, please back me up. The Female Pdin: I will follow your n. Alright, lets go! - ins of Strange Cliffs, the Battle, the Crown Prince Marshal Fire! Fire!! Kill the betrayers! As the Spirit wills it! For the Spirit! Holy Imperial General: Advance! The enemy musketeers are few! Spread out and advance and you will be fine! Imperial Chevalier: For the Crown Prince Marshal! Musketeer of Light: Fire! Bang! Crown Prince Marshal: How tough. Strategist: Yes. Apart from the horses themselves, the caravans are reinforced with strong metal tes. We wont be able to destroy them with musket firepower. Holy Imperial General: But we dont have the element of surprise. They may be few, but they still fire muskets when you approach And what theyck in numbers, they make up for in training. Their uracy is something truly fearsome. Strategist: How troublesome. Crown Prince Marshal: Then we can do nothing against them. Holy Imperial General: We may have to withdraw then. Strategist: What are our losses? Holy Imperial General: This isnt a pitched battle. Both sides are operating outside of musket range. So our casualties have actually been remarkably low. In total, including casualties from falling of their horses, we are down about a hundred. Crown Prince Marshal: How about them? Holy Imperial General: Because of those troublesome caravans, we cant really tell, but it should be roughly the same. At this rate, well win. Strategist: Lets continue the offensive until dusk. If we can dy them long enough, the cannons will arrive to the front from the rear. And then we can attack them like a fort and smash their caravans. Holy Imperial General: Thats right. Once weve got the cannons, those caravans will be nothing. Imperial Messenger: A message! A message for the Crown Prince Marshal!! Strategist: Calm down! What is the matter? Crown Prince Marshal: Speak. Imperial Messenger: The logistics division was ambushed by a mounted division while transporting the cannons!! Holy Imperial General: What! Strategist: What did you say!? Crown Prince Marshal: Hmph. It must be the Female Pdin. I did think it was weird that I didnt see her anywhere on the frontlines. Haha! Haahahahahaha! Holy Imperial General: Crown Prince Marshal!! Crown Prince Marshal: How shameful! Those cannons were guarded by some of my most elite musketeers. They were taken down so easily! And theres something even worse. How could they be familiar with the terrain in the Demon World? Weve spent this entire battle ying on the palm of their hand. Strategist: Its bad Crown Prince Marshal: Apply pressure on them, and order the whole formation to advance! We attack! - The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Battle, the Southern Alliance Advance! Advance! As the Spirit wills it! As the Spirit wills it! Crush the Demons! Destroy the enemies of the Crown Prince Marshal! Fairy Attendant: Theyreing! Theyreing! Iron Fist King: Here theye! That must be the personal guard of the Crown Prince Marshal. Lone Winter King: Its the main force. Just with my eyes, its clear that theyve got more than 20,000 there. With the musketeer formation, thats a total of at least 40,000. Bang! Bang! Disciple Soldier: 600 paces backwards. Lieutenant of Metal: 600 paces backwards! Move! Seneschal: Right nk cavalry ready. Disciple Soldier: Approach, volley, then cycle. Go! Seneschal: Understood! Lone Winter King: How is it? Disciple Soldier: The enemy has been taunted into attacking us. After the first volley, subsequent shots will be aimed at their frontlinemanders. Thatll force them to hide within the formations and disrupt theirmand ability. Yahhhh! For the Light! As the Spirit wills it! Lieutenant of Metal: Volley! Disciple Soldier: 300 paces forwards! Fire! Lone Winter King: (How meticulous. This is what it means tomand.) Disciple Soldier: Is something the matter, your Majesty? Lone Winter King: No I was just worried about you. Disciple Soldier: ? Lieutenant of Metal: It is truly a sticky situation. Lone Winter King: Mmm? Disciple Soldier: As expected from the Crown Prince Marshal. If we manage to smoke hismand system, at the very least, even if we cannot throw his lines into disarray, well disrupt his frontlinemand. If I was him, I would panic. Under these circumstances, he would need to convey his wounded to the rear, andmit resources to resupply and coordination, it would make it very difficult for him to maintain any control. His challenge is to resist our musket attacks while also enacting his strategy. Lone Winter King: By strategy, you mean his link-up? Disciple Soldier: Thats right. Without his lines being destroyed, he needs to force us down, allowing him to advance to the north. For the Light! Advance! Advance! Take the enemy heads! Disciple Soldier: The Crusaders still have to contend with stubborn resistance from the South Gate of the City of the Gate. And now, theyve opened another front to their rear against us. Caught between the two battles are the tents of the nobility, monarchy, and clergy, as well as their rations and supply stocks. The Crown Prince Marshal did not get drawn into our bait, his lines are well structured. I fear he is merely trying to close the distance between the frontlines and the main force of the Crusaders, and then use his numerical advantage to cross us. Lieutenant of Metal: Well, that is something we predicted. Lone Winter King: Indeed. Disciple Soldier: But for him to be willing to take so many casualties for this goal is abnormal. I think the enemy still has something to teach us. Lone Winter King: Then it will be difficult for us to crush him? Disciple Soldier: Its a stalemate. If the Crown Prince Marshal continues to pressure us in this way, his troops wille within range of our muskets and then he will have ced them at extreme harm, allowing us to control the battle. Or the pressure he ces on us might absolutely destroy us. It remains to be seen. The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Battle, the Crown Prince Marshal Imperial Messenger: Casualties are mounting. Strategist: What are the enemys movements? Imperial Messenger: They have yet to pursue. They have continuously repulsed our attacks, and also reorganise their positions every now and then. That is all. Crown Prince Marshal: What meticulous use of troops. Strategist: The Female Pdin? Crown Prince Marshal: No, the feeling is different. Rather than dealing with a fearsome unstoppable force, this is more like an unbending spear. He may not have any killer strategy, but he is unrelenting in the pursuit of his goals, and he wont lose. The South has some talent. Strategist: It seems unlikely how they are achieving it, but it would appear that their musket fire is aimed at whittling down ourmand system. Crown Prince Marshal: Those are notmuskets. They have long range and high uracy. But there arent a lot of them. Holy Imperial General: Your Imperial Highness! The enemy formation has retreated half a li. Our main force will soon be in direct conflict with the enemy. However, panic is beginning to spread among the ranks of the main force. Strategist: The Holy Crusaders are 200,000 undefeatable soldiers, but because of the size of the formation, many of them have nobat experience. Many of the serf soldiers do not even have the experience of apanying the Crown Prince Marshal to defeat the Demons of the Pale. Some of the nobility joined the expedition, thinking of it as some sort of holiday. Weve delegated most attacks to cannonfire, so some troops dont even have direct exposure to the battlefield, and now they are scared when they see it. Crown Prince Marshal: This pressure might be good luck, or bad luck. But if we continue to approach the frontline at this rate, the nobility and the clergymen will need to show their strength. Give my order! All units belonging to the Church or the High Command are to gather their forces to arch on the Southern Alliance! Strategist: Yes. The order is already prepared. Holy Imperial General: With this, we will have assembled the army we require. Crown Prince Marshal: The personal levies of the nobility will be sufficient to maintain the siege on the City of the Gate. Send our 20,000 musketeers to support them. On top of that, I want the cannons currently aimed at the City to be redeployed to our front. With this, the Southern Alliance is finished. Volume 5 4, “Without the Hero, the Demon King’s hands are tied”

Volume 5 Chapter 4, Without the Hero, the Demon Kings hands are tied

The Holy Crusaders, the Centre, a Sloppy Camp Boom! Boom! Musketeer of Light: Sigh Spearman of Light: Im hungry. Artilleryman: Is the Crown Prince Marshal really not going to bring us rations? Musketeer of Light: That cant possibly be Moreover, we have supply units to our rear, Im sure lots of food are about to arrive. Spearman of Light: Then why Artilleryman: Ive heard that the nobles are just stashing all the food away. Musketeer of Light: What is the Ash Green King doing? Spearman of Light: The Church promised us that this would all be provided for. Artilleryman: And its bean soup again Scout: Ah, I wish we could have some hot bread every now and then. Musketeer of Light: I feel like I havent eaten that in a very long time. Spearman of Light: Yeah Scout: Stomach growls. Musketeer of Light: Stomach growls. Boom! Boom! Spearman of Light: Hey Artilleryman: What is it? Spearman of Light: This soup Artilleryman: Yeah. Spearman of Light: Isnt that the forbidden Artilleryman: Shh! Artilleryman: You can have some too! Scout: Potatoes. Spearman of Light: Is it alright? To eat that? Artilleryman: Shut up. This was among the things we raided from them. Musketeer of Light: H-here. Artilleryman: Well, its food, so Ill eat it. Musketeer of Light: N-no Spearman of Light: Its actually delicious. I had some a long time ago. Musketeer of Light: Really? Spearman of Light: Yeah. Artilleryman: We have to eat it, we were forced to. Scout: Yeah, thats right. Boom! Boom! Artilleryman: Dammit! Dammit! Throws bowl down. Spearman of Light: Whats wrong, are you hurt!? Artilleryman: Ive had enough! Enough! Just what are we doing here! They told us we would have lots of bread to eat! Spearman of Light: Artilleryman: Am I wrong? Am I wrong!? Did we not follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to march into the Demon World!? Did those oh-so-mighty nobles not promise us lots of bread to eat? Damn them! Spearman of Light: Damn Artilleryman: This soup is just salt water with several beans in it, how are we supposed to be full! Look! Even before the battle begins, we wont be able to lift a finger, will we!? Spearman of Light: Perhaps if we go before the Repentance Committee Scout: Shh! Musketeer of Light: In the end, we have descended to the depths of helling to such a ce to eat these heretical potatoes Artilleryman: Thats right. All of thisis the fault of those damn nobles Spearman of Light: Stop! Artilleryman: You think so too, dont you!? Spearman of Light: Stop! Dont make an enemy of the nobles! Do you want to be killed! Im sorry. If you really want to die so much, leave me out of this! But, they have pdins, armour, and powerful weapons. If you want to die, go ahead. Musketeer of Light: Damn. Damn! Artilleryman: Scout: I want to go home. Spearman of Light: Hurry up and eat. Scout: Musketeer of Light: The Pavilion of the Holy Crusaders Besieging the City of the Gate Small-time Royalty: The supply units? Noble Lord: Thats right. Proud Marquis: Then Arrogant Knight: They were ambushed by the Southern Alliance and the Demons, all they could defend are these 20%. Noble Lord: Why? They were equipped with muskets, werent they! Proud Marquis: Precisely! Arrogant Knight: Perhaps they were defeated by superior numbers. Small-time Royalty: So what happened to the food we have left? Arrogant Knight: The Lord of the Kingdom of Copper has very quickly taken custody of the supplies that his subordinates managed to protect for himself. Small-time Royalty: What!? This is not the ce to do something like that. We have to take back those rations right now! Noble Lord: Wait. Small-time Royalty: But. Noble Lord: The garrison units were deployed with an average of 2,000 soldiers to every logistics depot. These wereprised with a core of lower nobility, and a serf-based musketeer force to make up the remainder. Small-time Royalty: Thats right. The Kingdom of Copper also has lower nobility guarding its logistics depots. Thats why the Kingdom of Copper recalled all the limited supplies controlled by the surviving depots, right!? At this rate, these limited supplies will be passed from serf to serf until they all disappear! Noble Lord: But, think about it. The garrison units were defeated and retreated, right? Proud Marquis: Yes Noble Lord: Thats right. Recalling the limited supplies is essentially admitting to the failure of defending them, and taking responsibility for it. In order to cover up this responsibility, what do you think they would do? Small-time Royalty: Then Proud Marquis: What. There are still supplies out there. Arrogant Knight: Hmph. The serfs will have to starve, but theyre all just organisms that sprout out from the ground anyway. Small-time Royalty: But doing that will make everyone very uneasy for sure. That being said, I hear the Crown Prince Marshal has returned? Noble Lord: Yes, it appears hes in the formation tent on the South side of the siege. Proud Marquis: Then I suppose his logistics attempts have failed too? Arrogant Knight: No, it appears that he hase with 800 carts of food. Noble Lord: But the crucial issue is, did hee with gunpowder? Proud Marquis: Well Noble Lord: Noble Lord: On top of that, the supply units. Small-time Royalty: Huh? Noble Lord: More than 20% of the units jettisoned all their valuables and fled, but had the Crown Prince Marshale earlier, he should have been able to rescue at least half of them, right? Proud Marquis: Thats Noble Lord: Small-time Royalty: Dont tell me Noble Lord: Of course His Royal Excellency wields the greatest power among the Holy Crusaders. That has never been in doubt. And its true that he has distinguished himself over anyone else in this war But the loss of nearly all our rear supplies is definitely not a small responsibility. Small-time Royalty: B-but. The Crown Prince Marshal was on a mission to prate the Lands of the Pale, so the responsibility ofmand for the garrisons Its not his fault that he was unable to make it in time. Noble Lord: Yes it is. He had the responsibility to ensure that there was no possibility of him being unable to make it in time. Small-time Royalty: ! Proud Marquis: Hahahahahha. Arrogant Knight: Hahahaha. Noble Lord: Take a look at this City of the Gate. Have you ever seen such a massive city? The capitals of the Kingdom of the Lake and the Kingdom of Branches look like mere grain trading towns inparison. Even the Holy Imperial City cannotpare to its behemoth size. Small-time Royalty: Th-thats Noble Lord: Of course, the advantages of seizing this City are all about its expected scale. If we were able to seize this growing city, then all the riches and glory would end up going to that young and illustrious hero from the Empire. No matter what, the Crown Prince Marshal cannot afford to slip up. Proud Marquis: Really? Small-time Royalty: Mmmm. Noble Lord: Thats right. It has been happening for a long time. While our noble armies induce this City to capitte, we have been taken in by the persuasive words of the Crown Prince Marshal. Thats right! Hes pushed the responsibility to those pigs in the South. In this way, he was able to bury his responsibility in this debacle. This was something we should rightfully have considered. Proud Marquis: Hmmm. Small-time Royalty: But its not like we can stop him, can we? Proud Marquis: Thats true Arrogant Knight: His heroics are the backbone of the Holy Crusaders after all. Small-time Royalty: Thats true. Noble Lord: And he has the full support of the Church. Proud Marquis: You mean the Primarch? Noble Lord: What the Primarch desires is the capittion of the City of the Gate. We cannot allow the seat of the Holy Spirit to be besmirched in this manner any further. Rather thanmitting forces against the Southern Alliance, if we concentrate our forces to take down the City of the Gate, then use this fact to shake the hearts of those heretics, surely that is what His Holiness would desire. Arrogant Knight: Indeed! Indeed! Small-time Royalty: In that case Noble Lord: Hahaha. Hurry and raise this to the Council, everyone will Proud Marquis: Got it. I also have some friends among the nobles who would be interested. Small-time Royalty: Im certain the other royalty will support it as well! Noble Lord: To our sesses. Proud Marquis: Indeed! Arrogant Knight: Hahaha. Let us drink to the Glory of the Spirit! Small-time Royalty: Drink! Noble Lord: Drink! The Demon World, the Rearlines of the Holy Crusaders Hurry, it is the Crown Prince Marshals orders. Move, move. Where are the saw bits! Move it to the pavilion! Strategist: What is our location? Scout: On this line, we are but 4 li away. Holy Imperial General: 4 li Strategist: On horseback, well be there in two hours. Crown Prince Marshal: Yes. Holy Imperial General: Is it alright to continue preparing the way we have been doing? Crown Prince Marshal: Yes. Prioritise the anti-cavalry stakes. From what we understand, the Southern Alliance is mainlyprised of infantry, but they also have powerful shock troops. In eight or nine out of ten encounters with them, the battle was decided by the power of the Pdins of the Lake. We cannot underestimate these cadre of Pdins who have earned the epithet The Winter Roses of the Isle of Light. Theirmander is, the Female Pdin. Strategist: Youd think she wouldnt just be themander, but the grandmander of all their forces. Crown Prince Marshal: If we understand this, wed have a lot more insight. Strategist: With the Lone Winter King among them, its clear the Southern Alliance is serious. This one battle will decide the fate of the Alliance. Their grandmander is the Iron Fist King, and while hes not a person I agree with, I will admit that he is more than a capablemander. They clearly do not intend to lose. Theyve assembled the best of their generals, the best of the cavalry units, and sallied out to meet us. This is why our rear guard had no chance against them. Crown Prince Marshal: Any news from there? Scout: No, the scouts could only get till there Once they get closer than 4 miles, we lose contact with the majority of our scouting units. Crown Prince Marshal: I cant say I know their grandmander personally, but their frontlinemander is that woman. Strategist: Really? Crown Prince Marshal: Yeah. We saw hermand at the ins of White Clovers. Now that shes in charge of the Southern Alliance, thats going to be something else. Shes not just a person with a burning passion, her unyielding metal will has to be considered. Holy Imperial General: She certainly has an otherworldly grasp of tactics. Crown Prince Marshal: Well, yeah No, its nothing. Get the scouts to pull out. And lets get more details from them. Scout: Yes! Understood. Crown Prince Marshal: (If we are to sh spears, well need to understand their thoughts a bit more) The ins of Strange Cliffs, the Southern Alliance, Forward Vanguard Pdin of the Lake: That is all! The Female Pdin: Hmm. Aide-de-Camp: What a strange formation. The Female Pdin: Yes. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: That formation Aide-de-Camp: The rear guard of the Holy Crusadersprises of twoyers of anti-cavalry stakes, theyre thin constructions made from the branches of shrubs. This much we understand. They are intended to prevent the charges of our cavalry. It may not be able to take too much, but it will definitely soak up quite a lot of the musket shots we fire at it as well. Pdin of the Lake: I dont understand why, but their formation is wavy as well. Aide-de-Camp: Indeed The Female Pdin: It appears they are attempting to use enfde. Pdin of the Lake: Enfde? The Female Pdin: This formation alternates between protruding portions and indented portions. If we aim to attack the protruding portions, the back lines can simply fall in and reinforce those portions. Units which retreat to the rear then support the front lines from a different direction. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Hmm. The Female Pdin: In other words, its a partial encirclement. This formation is a killing formation designed to take advantage of the muskets. The indented portions are designed to concentrate fire from the other two sides. Just by creating these enfding formations, our attrition rate rises dramatically. This is a formation thats advantageous to the side with greater firepower and numbers. Pdin of the Lake: What Aide-de-Camp: Thats the first time Ive seen this. The Female Pdin: The biggestpliment for the Holy Crusaders has never been their sophistication. Consider also their innumerous swords and the zealous fervour that burns within them. Aide-de-Camp: A powerful enemy. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: They are led by that man then. The Female Pdin: I wouldnt say leader. But, hes their greatest general. A truly powerfulmander. Aide-de-Camp: It seems we are under pressure now. The Female Pdin: If we want to break through that formation, were going to incur a great deal of sacrifices on our part as well. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: But theyre hunkered down like rats in a cer. The Female Pdin: I fear they are trying to pull apart our formation. Theyre attempting to bait us into the attack, and finish us off in one fell swoop. Thats the way they fight. Pdin of the Lake: In that case, why dont we take a deep breath and y slippery around them? Dual Swordsman of Beasts: Such a cowardly way of fighting is not the way of the Beasts! The Female Pdin: I also oppose it At this rate, the Holy Crusaders will continue their attack on the City of the Gate. Pdin of the Lake: Then we have to lure them out! Aide-de-Camp: I dont think hes the kind of man who would go along with that. The Female Pdin: Hmm. An information war. Aide-de-Camp: Indeed. Luckily, we have the support of the Tribes of Beasts and Fairies. The Female Pdin: Right now, both sides want a decisive battle. If we attack them full frontal, well just turn into food for the muskets, and they too do not want to leave their formations. At this rate, the first one who moves bes readable in the palm of the others hand. We too are trying to hide our hand and read theirs. For that reason, we need more information. I fear, we have two requirements. Aide-de-Camp nods. The Female Pdin: The first, how long can the walls of the City of the Gate hold? This is important. At present, we have no way of establishing contact with the forces within the City. However, we need to raise their morale by letting them know that reinforcements have arrived. Aide-de-Camp: Indeed. The Female Pdin: The other one is how much supplies the Holy Crusaders have remaining. Particrly, their food stocks and gunpowder. The levels of those two supplies will decide the extent to which they can maintain their current strategy. No matter how good the Crown Prince Marshal is, he cant produce supplies from thin air. Aide-de-Camp nods. The Female Pdin: Acquiring these two pieces of intelligence are of utmost importance. At the same time, we have to guard our own intelligence from the enemy. Pdin of the Lake: How shall we do this. Dual Swordsman of Beasts: This is our job. The Female Pdin: This is very important. Aide-de-Camp: Leave it to us. We understand the geography of the area better than anyone else, no matter what, we have the powerful Beasts with us. When ites to scouts and intelligence, they outss any force no matter howrge. On top of this, weve also got Fairies hidden throughout the area. Across the Demon World Kurultai? Yes! Kurultai! The Humans have been pressuring the City of the Gate again and again. The Demon King is resisting them to the very end. Where is it going on? The ins again? No, this time its the City of the Gate. Dont tell me this Kurultai is about the war with the Humans? So it would appear. Kurultai War sure is scary. But we have to go. The Demon King has called it. Perhaps there is something we can do to help the Demon King. In that case, send news. To the Tribe of Scales, and the Tribe of Wings. Kurultai Have you seen a Human before? Nope. I bought this pot made by Humans from a Dragon merchant the other day. Humans. What are they like? If theyre able to attack this far, they must be a very warlike race. So, like the Beasts? I sort of get the feeling theyre like the Demons of the Pale. Thats true. In any case, a Kurultai. Let the elders know! Thats right, this is a big issue! The City of the Gate, the Walls, Logistics Boom! Boom! For the Holy Spirit! Long live the Holy Spirit! Volunteer Archer: Ah, those guys they Human Engineer: No matter how close the walls are to crumpling, this is the wall the Disciple Engineer made! Its not the kind of wall you can destroy with swords and spears. What weird people! Engineer of the Pale: I wonder wat theyre trying to do. Beast Soldier: Dont waver! Stay vignt and repair. Volunteer Archer: Just what are they doing Boom! Human Engineer: Blood Their blood is sticking to the walls. Engineer of the Pale: Dont pay attention to it. Alright, were done here. Beast Soldier: Head back into the City and get the next shift. Volunteer Archer: Right, got it Disciple Engineer: (This is the limit The walls were a lot stronger than even I could have imagined, but this is the peak of the stress they can take. It does throw our guys into an odd state, so I suppose this is a sort of fear attack too?! I should really have studied military sciences more. These people are weird. These Humans have they no respect for human life!?) Engineer of the Pale: Supervisor, weve got more rocks. Disciple Engineer: Ah, right. Mix it up and try to repair the damages to the foundations. Woah! Theres just ten of you? Booom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Giant Builder: ! Volunteer Archer: Get down! Get down! Human Engineer: Sir! Human Engineer: Wh A surprise attack!? What are they thinking! Theyve suddenly concentrated fire here?! The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders Disciple Bard: Are you alright? Here, water. Drink. Artilleryman: Sorry, ah Ah Scout: Water, please Spearman of Light: Drink this. Militia of Light: Damn. Disciple Bard: Im sorry. Theres no more bread Artilleryman: No, its fine. We havent had bread for months Spearman of Light: Why Artilleryman: Because were all members of the Kingdom of Pig Heads. Disciple Bard: Eh? Artilleryman: We, the Holy Crusaders, are peasants. How about them? Spearman of Light: Yeah. Artilleryman: Thats why we cant bemanders or even unit leaders. Those positions are for knights and noblemen. Even themanders of us peasant units. As members of the Kingdom of Pig Heads, thats all we can do. Scout: Spearman of Light: Even though were supposed to be from the same Crusades, they really treat us very differently. Militia of Light: But its still better this way. Artilleryman: Thank you To begin with, its been a long time since I was even treated any way at all. Scout: Thats true Oh we have to go. Artilleryman: I understand. Boom! Spearman of Light: Whats going on!? Artilleryman: Weve got to go make tents for our Lord. The Kingdom of Copper refused to cooperate with us, and so when the surroundings get smelly from the sulphur, we have to relocate the tents. For this reason, we have to keep going around continuously hacking down logs. Scout: And if you dont move quickly enough, you get whipped Spearman of Light: Are you alright? Militia of Light: This isnt eptable. Disciple Bard: Im going to go see your Lord! Why cant he just not move the tent! What meaning is there!? Artilleryman: Hahahaha. Thank you But if you even get close to them, theyll kill you. Scout: Well, lets go Spearman of Light: But Militia of Light: Disciple Bard: Boom! Artilleryman: Thanks, guys Scout: Spearman of Light: I heard something. Militia of Light: What? Spearman of Light: It seems that a Bishop of the Church is having a congregation, and giving out wheat as well. Scout: Nah. Ive only been once, but it was smelly and disgusting. I dont want to go a second time I really dont. Artilleryman: But, bread? Scout: Even then. Spearman of Light: I want bread too. Militia of Light: Me too Artilleryman: Ill try to join in tonight as well. Its just a repentance ceremony right? Keep your head down and you get wheat. Its fine, no matter what, Ive got to eat something, otherwise I cant get any work done. If I can get some white bread, Id exchange even my life or my soul for it. Spearman of Light: Understood. Im going too. Militia of Light: Disciple Bard: Guys Guys The Holy Crusaders, the Formation Centre, the Pavilion of the Hundred Chevaliers Ash Green King: Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Are you awake, your Majesty? Ash Green King: What time is it? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: A few more hours to sunrise. Ash Green King: I see Boom! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Haha, what is the matter. Ash Green King: Hmm. Nothing Its just Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Its just? Ash Green King: I do like running my hands through this hair. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: It is an offering for your pleasure then. Ash Green King: Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Haha. Do not make that face. Ash Green King: So it belongs to me? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. Ash Green King: These fingers too? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. Ash Green King: And these breasts? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. Ash Green King: And this mouth? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Of course. Ash Green King: Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Express your desire, your Majesty. Ash Green King: What a farce. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Why? I have offered you this white body many times. Why can you not believe the actions of this offering? Ash Green King: It is the duty of kings not to believe the honeyed words of women. Boom! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Hahahaha this is the type of man that turns me on. Ash Green King: Its a matter of policy. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Are you chasing me away? Ash Green King: Do you enjoy this? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. I have no lust for powerful, but I get giddy in the presence of strong individuals. Ash Green King: Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Have I spoilt your dreams? Ash Green King: No. As you wish, I will drink of this poisoned cup. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Indeed. Ash Green King: Come closer. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. Ash Green King: Sunrise is still far away. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Whats with that face. Are you not content? Ash Green King: Do you want to be mine? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. Ash Green King: So this is what youre into. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Stop ying. Ah Youre a mean person. Ash Green King: What are you saying. Am I not just fulfilling your wish? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. As many times as you want. I will grant your every wish. After all, sunrise is still far away. The Demon World, the Southern Alliance, the Battlefield The Female Pdin: Disciple Soldier: Madam? The Female Pdin: Disciple Soldier: Madam Pdin? The Female Pdin: Ah. Sorry. Whats up Ah, thats the Crown Prince Marshals defensive line. Disciple Soldier: Hmph. Pathetic. The Female Pdin: Its a splendid defence. Theyve got anti-cavalry stakes, mud walls, and while rudimentary, they even have watchtowers. Those dirt piles appear to be for extinguishing fires too Lone Winter King: Are you alright? Feeling unwell? The Female Pdin: No, its nothing. My chest is just feeling a bit tight. Iron Fist King: I feel the same. It is a formidable defence. Lone Winter King: Will our defence be okay? Disciple Soldier: Firstly, we dont know the range of the enemies cannons. But we seem to be at a safe distance for now. Iron Fist King: In other words, we are at a loss on how to continue. Seneschal: That is correct. Iron Fist King: Were going to need to know this to n our strategy. The Female Pdin: How troublesome. Lone Winter King: If what the Female Pdin has suggested is correct, then the Crusaders themselves are in rather distressed situations. The Butler: This is true. ording to my spies, it appears unrest among the Holy Crusaders, especially among the serf armies, grows worse everyday. On top of this, even without considering the food crisis, it appears that the great disparity between the lives the nobles are leading and the ones the peasants are is bing more apparent by the day. Trouble is brewing. Lieutenant of Metal: Spies? Are they okay? The Butler: Nyohohohoho. Its a simple matter to infiltrate such arge army. My underlings didnt even need too much effort to slip into their ranks. The troops already treat them like one of their own. Iron Fist King: To begin with, an army of that size is definitely not justprised of soldiers. Theyve got fletchers, cksmiths, stablemasters, prostitutes. Its even possible that they might be sheltering all kinds of refugees as well. Lone Winter King: Thats right, their problems are severe then. Lieutenant of Metal: What problems? Iron Fist King: Their hunger The nobility and royalty of the Central Kingdoms are not aware of it. No, they have no intention to make themselves aware of such issues. The starvation of the people is not part of their personal reality. They have be ustomed to living a sheltered life within their mansions and pces, but for the starving people, they can expect no support from above. Disciple Soldier: Lone Winter King: In any case, from now on, I have a role to y as well. The Butler: Yes. Lone Winter King: Well monitor the Holy Crusaders, and report on their movements to the best of our abilities. On top of this, I want to reach out to the Holy Church. Can we set up some kind ofmunication? The Butler: Understood. The Female Pdin: Is it possible? The Butler: Who do you think youre speaking to! I have never been discovered when stealthing around in my entire life. Do not humiliate me! The Female Pdin: Aide-de-Camp: Disciple Soldier: The Butler: And they seem to have a lovelydy with them, nyohohohoho. Shes got great tits. Aide-de-Camp: Ah. That person. The Female Pdin: Please dont say anymore. p! The Butler: Oww! What was that for! The Female Pdin: Stop it with the daydreaming and let us know what intelligence youve got? The Butler: Cant you give an old, loving Butler a break? Shes surrounded by all these ugly musketeers. The Female Pdin: My beloved de would happily cleave an old mans head from his neck. The Butler: Hmph. What a heartless b*tch. The Female Pdin: Hurry up. The Butler: Its because youre heartless that your chest has no motivation to grow. The Female Pdin: Hurry up and tell us! Aide-de-Camp: Im not sure why, but she seems rather tired of this Five Years Ago, the Kingdom of Branches, the Portal where Demons were first discovered The Female Pdin: Hey Hero. The Hero: Yeah? The Female Pdin: What sort of childhood did you have? The Butler: Yeah. I want to know as well. The Mage: The Hero: It was pretty normal I guess. The Female Pdin: Really? Im sure you had some kind of elite training, right? You probably spent everyday training and drinking bitter strength enhancing tonics. The Hero: Thats just abuse! The Butler: You lived in the Holy Empire, if I remember. The Hero: Yeah, but my house was inside a thick forest on the borders of it. The Female Pdin: Oh, so you lived the forest life. The Hero: I suppose so. The Butler: How did you train up your swordy and magic? The Female Pdin: Im very interested too. At first nce, your swordy is unbelievable. After seeing it for a long time its still unbelievable. But after seeing it for a really, really long time, its clear that youve got your own style to it. The Butler: Rather than your swordy, it seems that your magic has a certain element of schrship to it, is it your personal school? The Hero: The Butler: ? The Mage: The Female Pdin: So? The Hero: Thats a secret. One of the 72 secrets of the Hero. The Butler: Is that so? The Female Pdin: Ah, how unfortunate So the Hero wont talk about himself then. The Hero: I dont really have much of a past, but were fighting, right? It doesnt really matter where I learnt it from, as long as its useful. The Female Pdin: Thats true. The Butler: Thats very true. The Hero: Hmph. Im tired. Weve still got tomorrow ahead of us, so Im going to bed. In any case, the Mage will fall asleep in 30 seconds after having some food. The Butler: Hahahaha. Sleep is really her hobby. The Female Pdin: And your hobby is perversion. The Butler: Well, enough of that. The Hero: Im going to bed. Ill just sleep on that ledge over there. Lets wake up when its bright. The Female Pdin: Failed again. The Butler: Thats not true. The Female Pdin: Seems he really doesnt want to be asked about it. But, that must have been a tough time for him. What has he seen The Butler: Thats probably true. The Female Pdin: The Butler: But thats fine too. Rather than someone whos not able to find himself, its better to be someone who has already found himself. The Female Pdin: What do you mean. The Mage: Old. The Female Pdin: Oh you woke up? The Mage: Old memories, were awakened. It hurts. To think where I stand. The Female Pdin: ? The Butler: Its fine even if you dont understand. You, the Hero, and the Mage, youre all still very young. The Mage: Old man. The Butler: Nyohohohoho. Its true that I am old. The Female Pdin: I have no confidence. I became a Pdin of the Lake from a young age, honing my swordy and prayers everyday. Everyone has always been good to me. Even though I was often seen as a genius. I always wanted topete with the Hero, I always wanted to prove myself and get the power he has. The Butler: The Female Pdin: But, after actually meeting the Hero, I no longer want that. No matter how quickly I move, no matter how hard I swing my sword, the Hero will always be ahead of me. In the time that it takes for me to recite a high-speed incantation, the Hero has alreadyunched two wordless incantations The Heros battle sense is so adept, so much higher than mine, that most of the time I cannot evenprehend what he is trying to do. I dont understand the world that the Hero perceives. I tried to chase after the Hero so fervently, but the Hero has always run ahead of me. Sometimes he pauses to wait for me, and in my shame as I catch up to him, I have a small taste of his loneliness, and acutely understand my powerlessness. The Butler: I see The Mage: Unrted. The Female Pdin: Eh? The Mage: In that case, we should be together. Thats all. Simple. The Female Pdin: The Mage: If we are together to the end, we win. I dont really understand, but as long as we do, we win. The Female Pdin: Yeah. The Mage: If youre not interested in winning, we can return to the pub. The Female Pdin: Thats not true. The Mage: If you dont believe, you can give up. The Female Pdin: Where I excel at is enduring to the very end. The armour I wear is the very defence of the Church, the iron wall that keeps the peace. The Butler: Oho. The Female Pdin: What is it? The Butler: No Ahem, ahem. The Female Pdin: This might be hard to say, but just staggering about from ce to ce enduring sleepless nights does take a toll on my self-control and self-discipline. The Mage: If only your breasts could grow the way your attitude does. The Butler: Hey, hey. The Female Pdin: Hmph. Fine. A servant of the Spirit of Light will not concern herself with such trivialities. The Mage: Wont allow it anyway. The Female Pdin: Hmph. Thats my line anyway. The Butler: I certainly cant believe that youre not interested in it at all. Im sure the Hero wouldnt be able topete in this domain anyway. The Mage: Im going to bed. The Female Pdin: What are you doing!? The person taking over the Heros shift is me, so this is my ce. The Mage: Kuh. The Butler: Should have thought this through. The Holy Crusader, the Centre, a Dark Tent Sober Clergyman: Your Grace. Attendant Bishop: You were here? Sober Clergyman: Yes. Attendant Bishop: The light? Sober Clergyman: Best not to light it. Attendant Bishop: Indeed Sober Clergyman: Thank you for agreeing to an audience. Attendant Bishop: Its a dangerous bridge. Sober Clergyman: Yes. Attendant Bishop: Can you confirm the thing you have promised? Sober Clergyman: Yes. Regarding the Holy Order of the Lake and the Holy dioceses of Branches, the Lake, and Wheat, without adding to the oppression of the adherents, they reserve the rights in the unfortunate event of the outbreak of war This decision was confirmed by the Southern Alliance. Here is the document. Attendant Bishop: Sober Clergyman: We are all adherents of the Spirit of Light. The Spirit wishes for peace That is why we do not desire for war. Attendant Bishop: Well yes Sober Clergyman: Attendant Bishop: Boom! Sober Clergyman: The warfront seems to be at a stalemate. Attendant Bishop: I am merely a clergyman. Born as a child of the church, till now I have hidden in the Church from the dangers of the world outside. I know nothing of the world However, yes. I must say that it is clear that if we continue at this rate, victory is not within our grasp. Sober Clergyman: Attendant Bishop: Have you nothing to say? Sober Clergyman: ording to the teachings of us at the Holy Order of the Lake, the Subterranean World is also under the protection of the Spirit. The Demons are children of the Spirit as well. Though it is clear that some of them have lost their way. However, we believe that the central ts provide a suitable answer. Attendant Bishop: Indeed. Sober Clergyman: Let us consider religion and the world separately. But, your Eminence. Attendant Bishop: Yes. Sober Clergyman: While we may practice religion, our bodies exist in the world. And to spread the faith, we will require time.However, in this interim, there are some who cannot afford to wait. Attendant Bishop: Boom! Sober Clergyman: This is a world of innocent souls subjected to disease and pestilence from birth. By the grace of the Spirit, we survived the epidemics which gue thend, but the world is not so lucky. Attendant Bishop: I am listening. Sober Clergyman: Attendant Bishop: To be perfectly honest, I do not understand it. I have served the Spirit for 50 years. I may be imperfect, but I have prayed sincerely. However I have not heard the voice of the Spirit. Sober Clergyman: Attendant Bishop: Have you heard Her voice? Does the Holy Order of the Lake enjoy the voice of the Spirit? Sober Clergyman: No we havent. We do not know why we dont hear Her voice either. But we feel that not hearing it is also a blessing on its own. Attendant Bishop: Blessing? Sober Clergyman: Yes. Because we cannot just get instructions from her, we have to think further, and we can aim and achieve further. Attendant Bishop: Thats Sober Clergyman: I understand this interpretation is different from what the Church thinks. Attendant Bishop: Yeswell Sober Clergyman: We do not hope for war. We do not wish for war with our fellow Humans in the Central Continent, as well as this destructive war the Holy Crusaders are currently waging. Do you believe the Spirit wishes for this? On the other hand, do you think that without attempting any peaceful means, by using the Holy Relics as a pretext, to suddenlymand a massive army to invade, is? This Crusade will cast a long shadow on the thousand-year history of the Church, asrades in faith, we are anxious for this not to be the case. Attendant Bishop: thatsthat is Sober Clergyman: I understand it is difficult to reply. Attendant Bishop: Sober Clergyman: We just want you to understand what we hope for, and allow that to inform your decisions. What we hope for is an early end to this divisive war. For this reason Attendant Bishop: ? Sober Clergyman: We might be willing to provide the vinations against smallpox. Attendant Bishop: What!? Sober Clergyman: This is a joint extension from the Southern Alliance and us at the Holy Order of the Lake, I hope you understand. Boom! Sober Clergyman: Our Holy Order of the Lake has considered that it would be appropriate to entrust this to a sincere clergyman and incorrupt official like yourself You too are doing your very best to protect the equal lives of the children of Light. And you want to hear the voice that we cannot hear. Attendant Bishop: The Spirit Sober Clergyman: The Spirits, and the voices of the adherents. Attendant Bishop: Sober Clergyman: I humbly entreat you. The City of the Gate, the Hall, the Study Door opens. The Demon King: Who is it? Attendant: An audience, your Majesty. Fire Dragon Lady: Your Majesty. I have returned. The Demon King: How was the secret mission I sent you on? The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Hahaha. I would think so. Wee back. Young Merchant: It has been a long time. The Demon King: If it isnt the Merchant! The Witch-Queen of Banshees: And this is? The Demon King: Yeah, this is Fire Dragon Lady: The leader of thergest merchants union of the Human World, I have brought him to seek an audience with the Demon King. The Demon King: Eh? Young Merchant: Forgive me, Demon King. Fire Dragon Lady: Should I have introduced you as my husband? Young Merchant: Once this is all wrapped up, I expect to have fullpensation. Fire Dragon Lady: Im sure well find a position for you. The Demon King: What do you mean? Fire Dragon Lady: As you entreated, I have brought reinforcements. The Demon King: I havent entreated any kind of reinforcements. Its not as if the entire Demon World is about to be destroyed. You should know this. Fire Dragon Lady: You may be the ruler of the Demon World, but I am a Councillor on the Self-Governing Council. Should I not defend this City? Or should I retreat to the ming Mountains, bide my time and wait to retake the City? Your Majesty, with respect, you know nothing. The Demon King: Thats But, this City. Young Merchant: To the Schr, surely this is the final line of defence? The Demon King: Merchant Young Merchant: But it turns out youre the Demon King, after all. Youve really surprised me. How many times have I been surprised by you. The Demon King: I did not intend to do that. Young Merchant: Of course. I dont think you were lying. The Demon King: The contract we signed. Young Merchant: This has nothing to do with our positions, it is merely an expression of the binding of our shared interests. The Demon King: Young Merchant: Nheless, I am somewhat dispirited. Schr. That day, I thought I was drawing closer to you, but it seems you werepletely not what I imagined. Just when I thought I had you in the palm of my hand, it seems there was a block of ice there too. The Demon King: To begin with, I did try to keep my identity secret. Young Merchant: That is not what I meant. Its not disgraceful or anything, though it is somewhat shameful. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Shameful!? The Demon King: Young Merchant: Are you angry? Hurry up then. Fire Dragon Lady: What are you saying, Merchant Young Merchant: You should have just brought me your issues in full disclosure of your status. Stop with the waffling about and do your job. The Demon King: I am doing my job. Arent I? But the strength of the Human armies Young Merchant: You cant. Fire Dragon Lady: !? Young Merchant: To begin with, your job is the Demon King, isnt it? Youre supposed to direct the defence of the City, right? Youre supposed to be the frontlinemander, right? The only problem is that you do not have the expertise to do so. Thats not a problem, as long as you use the correct people. The Demon King: Young Merchant: Your strong suit is your boundless long-term vision and broad worldview, as well as your prating sense of bnce. You have extensive knowledge on the broad perspective of global strategy, a well-guided sense of purpose, and you earnestly want to help all these people to the very end, dont you? The second strongest bonds which exist are cost-benefit analysis. And the first are divine connections, isnt it? In fact, Im rather disappointed. Please think faster. The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Who is this Young Merchant: I understand that the loss of your important official has made you rather sad. But the road you are attempting to walk down is not one where there would be no casualties. If you consider it numerically, it doesnt matter if you lose someone, you still have to do your job, right? Your first priority is to protect the soldiers you see before you. The Demon King: Young Merchant: Am I wrong? The Demon King: No youre not. Fire Dragon Lady: Your Majesty The Witch-Queen of Banshees: Your Majesty!? Young Merchant: Very good. The Demon King: Give me two minutes. Young Merchant: Fire Dragon Lady: The Witch-Queen of Banshees: The Demon King: My first question would be, What should I do now? Young Merchant: Yes. The Demon King: Once we answer that, my next question would be, What sort of end do we want from this war? Young Merchant: Yes. The Demon King: In that case, I will decide on an answer For Humans and Demons alike to pull back their wounded, to keep their spears. And for a peace agreement to be signed. If this City falls, the Demons will hate the Humans. The Humans would see the Demon World as just another ce to colonise. This will merely open up another thousand years of war. The City of the Gate is the critical point. If we do not want to see a bloodstained history ahead of us, we must defend this City to our dying breath. Young Merchant: Indeed. The Crusaders are indeed powerful. The destructive power theymand is more than any that has ever fallen into the hands of Humans before. However, on reverse, they have weaknesses too. And that is logistics. This is why it was imperative for them to attack the Demon World so rapidly. The Demon King: If we abandon the City, engage in a scorched earth strategy, we can stretch their supply lines, we will destroy them in time. Young Merchant: Correct. The Demon King: However, that is not eptable. It will cause a thousand years of resentment. Young Merchant: Indeed This is what I have noticed. The Demon King: I see. Young Merchant: In that case, you will have to fight. Though there is no requirement to engage with the enemy. The Demon King: Oh? Young Merchant: To begin with, holing up here in this City like a turtle is not going to create victory. All it does is prevent defeat. The Demon King: Yes All we are doing is defending and hoping that the Holy Crusaders will have no choice but to retreat. I cant believe I could not see past that. This isuncharacteristic. Young Merchant: Indeed. The Demon King: Eh? Young Merchant: This is a very heavy thing to say, and in fact brings me great pain, and I am somewhat ashamed to even say it, but at present, until my strategyes to fruition, I am acting in the capacity of the Demon King. Fire Dragon Lady: This is correct. Young Merchant: Yes, its fine even if you cannot understand. All I ask is that you try not to take too much offence at this. In a manner of speaking, under circumstances such as these, I too have a duty to protect this City. So, for nowleave it to me. The Demon King: But Young Merchant: The Fire Dragon Lady and I will be borrowing this study The Demon King: The reports Young Merchant: Leave the handling of these reports to the officials and themanders. The Demon King has to do the job of the Demon King. Fire Dragon Lady: I have awoken as well. In order to save this City, we have to put everything on the line. The Demon King: But Im right here. Young Merchant: Your hands are tied. Fire Dragon Lady nods. The Demon King: My hands? Young Merchant: Yes, without the Hero, the Demon Kings hands are tied. Fire Dragon Lady: That is why we will support you. The Demon King: Young Merchant: Please go and find him. The Demon King: But. We The Hero and I at that altar And our contract The Hero and I Door ms open. Messenger: Your Majesty! Fire Dragon Lady: Whats happening! Speak! Messenger: The South Gate has just been broken through! The Demon King: What!? That wall was definitely heavily damaged, but even so it cant possibly have been destroyed so quickly? Just what is going on!? Messenger: The Holy Crusaders, they did something unimaginable. They the Humans the Humans Young Merchant: Calm down. Messenger: The Humans blew themselves up! We though they were the standard group of fanatics charging the wall with spears, but then an enormous explosion erupted. The Fortress Commander immediately gathered all the garrison, and are waging a battle across the Southern Boulevard! What should we do, your Majesty! -- Exnation The Humans are exploding: The Imperial Japanese Army used to do such ridiculous things as well, and were not just talking about the kamikaze attacks by aircraft belonging to the Imperial Navy. Even before World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army was known for confronting tanks it did not have the firepower to defeat by having infantry charge at them while huggingndmines. - The City of the Gate, the Southern Boulevard, Street 6 East Fortress Base Commander: Form up! Spearmen! Formations! Dragon Commander: Take down the shopfronts to the sides! Human Militia: But East Fortress Base Commander: Now is not the time! We lose everything if we lose. Damnit! Barricades up! Dragon Commander: Archers are you ready!? Longeared Bowman: Ready! East Fortress Base Commander: Free fire! We have the advantage here. Lock down the road and force them to stop here! Close all entrances! Form up! Ahhhhhhh! Musketeer of Light: Spread out and advance! Vanguard of Light: As the Spirit wills it! Boom! Boom! Human Militia: How did the wall just!? East Fortress Base Commander: (Whats going on? Was the destruction of the wall outside of their calctions as well!?) Dragon Commander: It seems like the Crusaders dont have much will to fight as well. East Fortress Base Commander: They havent got too much coordination as well. Dragon Commander: The musket and cannon sounds are very sparse. East Fortress Base Commander: Push them back! They havent managed to form together yet! At this rate lets push them back.Shortbows take down the guys on the sides! Move! Dragon Commander: Do not stop! Spearmen advance! Human Spearman: For freedom! Spearman of the Pale: For peace! One-armed Beastman: Take this! And this! If you value your lives you will flee now. You will take not one step further! Not one step! Middle Aged Volunteer: Push! Push! Boom! Boom! East Fortress Base Commander: Eighth unit! Loop around the Purple Temple and attack the enemy from the left nk of the Southern Boulevard! Archers support! Beasts will expand into the surrounding buildings and take the high grounds. Dragon Commander: Move! Dont stop! The enemy are many, but we will crush them with ease. East Fortress Base Commander: Hey, whats the situation outside! Human Militia: ? East Fortress Base Commander: Nothing, I just had a bad feeling. How are the defences? Dragon Commander: The surroundingmanders of the South Gate are facing the Crusaders en masse, some of them are manned solely by volunteers, its not great. East Fortress Base Commander: Ill go sort it out. Banshee des, with me! The Demon World, the Rear Lines of the Holy Crusaders, the Crown Prince Marshals Tent Crown Prince Marshal: Youre saying weve been ordered to attack the Southern Alliance!? Strategist: What!? Messenger: Y-yes. Thats the message from the royal council and the Primarch Crown Prince Marshal: I dont understand. Its true that besieging the City of the Gate, which we have no idea how long it can hold out for, wastes money, which the nobles value more than blood, at an incredibly rapid rate. Even I believe that this Crusades has been a great waste of our resources. I do understand that we have reached a stage of food and supply shortage. The solution to this is to strengthen and preserve our supply lines. Messenger: Yes, the City of the Gate is confirmed to have massive stockpiles of food. Storming the City is the best way to preserve our supplies Strategist: If we had only considered the long-term implications, we would not be at this stage. Crown Prince Marshal: What is going on. How have they reached this conclusion? We will preserve our position in the rear. Messenger: But Holy Imperial General: Say it! Messenger: Wellthe responsibility for the destruction of the rear supply areas and rear guards is now with the Crown Prince Marshal. Holy Imperial General: Thats stupid! Messenger: No, Im sorry, but theres more! In any case, the people who proposed thisin order to appease them, orders have arrived for the Crown Prince Marshal to engage the Southern Alliance Holy Imperial General: ! Strategist: Without cannons. Messenger: The cannons have been repositioned to assist the capture of the City, are the words of the Ash Green King. Holy Imperial General: What Crown Prince Marshal: Messenger: Messenger: I apologise, but the full powers over the overall direction of the Crusades are vested in his Holiness the Primarch Holy Imperial General: Kuh. Boom! Boom! Strategist: What!? Holy Imperial General: Theres arge sound from the City of the Gate Crown Prince Marshal: Scouts!! Scout: Yes! Crown Prince Marshal: Find out whats going on in the City of the Gate, and the movements of the Crusaders! I want a detailed report! Scout: Understood! Messenger: Your Imperial Highness! Crown Prince Marshal: What? Messenger: This goes against the direct orders of the Royal Council and the Ash Green King Crown Prince Marshal: Im just trying to understand the situation. Its important to understand whats going on in all our surrounding to carry out our mission. Messenger: Messenger: But Crown Prince Marshal: Enough. Go back and tell them. As long as the Southern Alliance remains, there will be no supplies from the rear. I await their full instructions The Holy Crusaders, the Centre, the Hundred Chevaliers Ash Green King: Oi! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Oh? Ash Green King: What is going on? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: What are you talking about? Ash Green King: Why was thispletely unprotected, pointless attackunched!? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Pointless? Ash Green King: Those walls are strong enough to endure muskets and cavalry charges. Let alone swords and spears! What kind ofpletely stupid idea is this! On top of that! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: On top of that? Ash Green King: To waste lives in such a cavalier fashion Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: We cant have that, Ash Green King. Ash Green King: ? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Their dedication is proof of their adherence to the Spirit. To call that cavalier, pointless, stupid - these are words of a heretic! Ash Green King: Do not speak to me of faith! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: The Holy Crusaders are an army of faith. Ash Green King: Even so, themand of the frontline is my responsibility. Causing pointless anarchy on the frontline and eroding the morale of my soldiers is something I cannot tolerate as amander! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: This was a direct decree from his Holiness the Primarch. Ash Green King: ! Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Dont be so surprised. The Primarch observed the cruelty endured by the soldiers on the frontline, and felt their pain from within his own heart. This is an informed decision he made based on his own eyes. Ash Green King is stunned. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Hahaha. These soldiers who have dedicated their blood and lives to the Spirit, are surely partaking in Her constant serenity, they live in eternal joy! Ash Green King: What a lie. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Hahahaha. Ash Green King: !? Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Dont make that face. This is not the first time. Have you forgotten? Ash Green King: I have never embraced a woman that I did not intend to devote my affections to, or intend to cheat or deceive. I have never, and will never. Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Will I have. Ash Green King: Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: I believe we are in the same boat. The boat which is the Holy Crusade. If we fail to take that City, you and I will both burn in a ck fire. Hahahaha. That City must burn, and its fire will light our futures forever. It is for the will of the Spirit. Hahahahahahahahha. The Demon World, the Wilderness Elder Sister Maid: Are you okay? The Hero: Yeah. The Demon Thrush just let me know that the Fire Dragon Lady has returned. Seems like things are getting heated up. Elder Sister Maid: ? The Hero: The Demon World is getting heated up. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Hero: On the contrary, weck time. Think we can meet closer to the City of the Gate? Elder Sister Maid: You would be able to help then. The Hero: What are you going to do now? Elder Sister Maid: I suppose Ill have to fulfil my end of the arrangement with the Crown Prince Marshal. The Hero: Thats slightly repulsive. Elder Sister Maid: Wellyeah, it is the polite thing to do The Hero: Well, thats not what I meant. Elder Sister Maid: Im a bit ashamed of the way Im dressed, but we are on the road The Hero: Thats not true. Elder Sister Maid: Youre very kind. The Hero: No I mean, well. Elder Sister Maid: Hahaha. Im trying to dress like the Chief Maid. The Hero: Ah, well it does seem like youre seeding. Elder Sister Maid: Ahaha. Well, yes. Ill be heading to the Crown Prince Marshal. I did promise him after all. The Hero: I intend to follow you there, but have you calcted this yet? Hes a fairly formidable opponent, isnt he? Determined and also cool-headed. Elder Sister Maid: Really? I thought he was a cool-headed, but soft and kind person. The Hero: Eh? Really!? Elder Sister Maid: Hes got what you have. A sense of responsibility. The Hero: I see. That guy does seem to like intrigue, hes not averse to double-dealing? Elder Sister Maid: Umm, wellso are you? The Hero: Huh. Eh. Eh!? Elder Sister Maid: Hahaha. But yes. I do have some calctions. I think the Crown Prince Marshal will listen to what I have to say. The Hero: You think he will. Elder Sister Maid: All of this is wastnd. The Hero: Eh? Yeah. The white clover they spoke of appears to have been a lie. But, most of the Demon World is actually like this. Elder Sister Maid: I know. Its dry, and without forests, the winds blow very harshly. But she intends to create a lush forest right here. The Hero: Really? Elder Sister Maid: Yes. Thats what Ive heard. And after calming the weather near the Portal, she intends to bring in irrigation technology to turn all this wastnd verdant again. The Hero: Really? Elder Sister Maid: Thats what the mistress is considering. The Hero: I had no idea. Elder Sister Maid: It will take a lot of time. The Hero: I dont actually know a lot about her, it seems. Elder Sister Maid: Really? The Hero: Well, yeah. Elder Sister Maid: I thought you got along well. The Hero: Well its hard to say. Though we definitely dont get along badly. Elder Sister Maid: Yes. The Hero: Umm, wellthis is an adult rtionship! Elder Sister Maid: Hahahaha. Sure. The Hero: Are you that kind of person? Is this your real face? Agghhhhhh! The Hero: ! Elder Sister Maid: Whats happening? The Hero: Death? Gunpowder? Destruction Blood Sulphur Blood Survivor Mercenary: What? What?! Mercenary Archer: Hey. ck smoke?! Is thatthe City of the Gate? The Hero: DeathWhat Whats that?! Its bad. Whats happening, its all ck! Mercenary Archer: I see an orange re, its arge attack!? Small Mercenary: Scouts move out! Young Mercenary, you follow! Young Mercenary: Got it, lets go! Survivor Mercenary: Whats going on. Hey, boss? Elder Sister Maid: Lets move quickly. Pick up the pace, people. The Hero: Sorry. Elder Sister Maid: Eh? The Hero: I can only apany you up to here. Elder Sister Maid: Hero. The Hero: Spell of Flight! Charm of Speed! Armour of Lightning! Supersonic Flight! Boom! Elder Sister Maid: Hero! The Hero: Ive kept my hands bound until I knew what was going on for real. And right in front of my eyes, these people They destroy, they murder, they burn! Resourceful Young Man: Wow! Whats he doing!? The Hero: I have had enough of this sheet! Volume 5 5, “We hoped for a miracle.”

Volume 5 Chapter 5, We hoped for a miracle.

The Middle Aged Merchant: How much have we gathered? The Shrewd ountant: The movement of goods is about 80% done. At this rate, we have about a thousand wagons. If it werent for the giant automatic carriages of the Automatons, there would have been no way to transport all this. The Middle Aged Merchant: We have to thank them for that. The Fire Dragon Lord: How is it? The Middle Aged Merchant: My lord The depot is prepared, we just need to transport the goods now. The Dragon Minister: We have given instructions for the nearby citizens to assist in the transportation of wheat and goods. The Fire Dragon Lord: Good job. The Shrewd ountant: We will do our best. The Fire Dragon Lord: They may be refugees from the City of the Gate, but they fled the violence of the battle into the forests of the Fairies or the mountains of us Dragons. We have them to thank for this expeditious work. Automaton Citizen: We helped! Fairy Scout: Is there anything else you need, merchant? The Fire Dragon Lord: What is the situation? Fairy Scout: The call to assembly was rather sudden, but we managed to scrape together two units. Everyone doesnt want to get involved in the war after all Peasant of the Pale: The Pale The Middle Aged Merchant: Well, war is war. Even without swords, its still war. The Shrewd ountant: Indeed. The Fire Dragon Lord: What shall we do. The Middle Aged Merchant: The Young Merchant left instructions. We are to link up with the Southern Alliance near the portal. On top of that, we have to provide at least half our stocks as logistics support. The Shrewd ountant: We will be counting on you for the post-war efforts as well. The Fire Dragon Lord: Post war That is something we shall have to consider soon. What is that Merchant thinking? What sort of method does he have to end this war. The Middle Aged Merchant: Colonisation. Automaton Citizen: ? The Middle Aged Merchant: He ns to establish Human colonies in the Subterranean World. Compared to the Human World, the Demon World is more humid, and is suitable for the cultivation of certain crops. However, because of irrigation issues, the ground is dry and unsuitable for agriculture. As a result, the soil is lean and the amount of arablend is small. Peasant of Pale: So? Isnt that obvious? The Middle Aged Merchant: In particr, the Red Wastes between the Portal and the City of the Gate, which belong to the Demons of the Pale, are especially unsuitable. However, that doesnt mean its not suitable for colonisation. If we are able to construct canals, then we might be able to solve the water shortage. Do you know? Theres arge waterfall near the Portal? It is fed by small streams originating from the Human World, but these all join up to create a waterfall. The Fire Dragon Lord: Really? The Middle Aged Merchant: I dreamt that thisrge wastnd may one day be a green in. I foresee that it will be carpeted in fields of wheat. But for this, we will require a lot ofbour. Thankfully, within the Holy Crusaders, there are many serfs who are being abused by the Church. The Shrewd ountant: In fact, the vast majority of the Crusaders are serfs. If we can take away the serfs, then theirbat power declines significantly. The Fire Dragon Lord: Wait, what. The Middle Aged Merchant: Of course, this will be difficult. I wouldnt necessarily n to do this. While the Young Merchant came up with this, it can be difficult to effect. The Fire Dragon Lord: I see Then why would he resort to this, I dont understand? The Middle Aged Merchant: It might be just because hes stupid. The Shrewd ountant: Ahem! Well, Im sure the Councillor has considered our position and the various alternatives avable. The Fire Dragon Lord: The Middle Aged Merchant: I do not know our chances of sess. The Fire Dragon Lord: The Southern Alliance. Fairy Scout: What are your instructions? The Fire Dragon Lord: Youre about to send supplies to them right? Lets meet with this King of theirs. Perhaps I will understand more when I meet these Humans face-to-face. The Holy Crusaders, the Main Army The Hero: Demon Thrush! The Demon Thrush: I am by your side. The Hero: Where is the Demon King!? The Demon Thrush: I do not know. However, one side of the wall has been broken and the Holy Crusaders are currently rampaging within the City. The Hero: Whats the point of that promise we made! Teleportation is forbidden. High-level spells are forbidden as well. So are the Heros legendary spells. In other words, you cant use your powers as the Hero. This is what our enemies expect from you. Until the very final moment, you cannot use your powers. If you dont then nobody will be able to stop you. The Hero: Damnit! Gale! The Demon Thrush: Thats The Hero: Just a minor weather effect. I have to use some magic to make things better. This should be fine. The Demon Thrush: Then I will apany you. The Hero: Youre not good with cold, go first. The Demon Thrush: Yes ( Concentrate on condensing the water in the atmosphere. Ensure that the centre bit is colder, and youll get snow or hail, which will prevent the spell from working to its full potential. The key is to manipte the flow of warm air to draw moisture from it.) The Hero: Thunder, I call forth the ck clouds of your fight. Wrap the world in a fierce storm. A Thousand Years of Rain! The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders Local Lord: Go! Attack! Small King: The walls are down, overwhelm them with numbers! Attack! Musketeer of Light: Agghhhh! As the Spirit wills it! Spearman of Light: We are winning! Winning! Food! Cannoneer: Fire! The enemy are weak! Fire! Small King: Captain, not a moment toote. Small Kingdom Captain: Haha! Small King: When the City of the Gate falls, we will take its riches, right? Weve expended a lot of resources on this expedition. We have to take the city as quickly as possible to enjoy its spoils. Booom! Local Lord: Forwards! Forwards! I will be the Hero of this expedition! I will let my name be known even to the Holy Primarch, you serfs! Attack even if you die! Your bodies will pave the way! Forwards, forwards! Destroy these Demons with gunpowder! Boom! Serf Spearman: Im done I cant take it. Serf Vanguard: What are you trying to do? Serf Spearman: Lets break off and steal some food from the Lords stores. Serf Vanguard: What!? Serf Spearman: The Lord eats meat, milk and bread every single day. What have we been eating? The food that the Crown Prince Marshal managed to get for us has all gone to the noblemen, and theyve just wasted it day after day. Serf Vanguard: But that would be rebellion Serf Infantry: Really? Serf Spearman: No it wouldnt. At this rate were all just going to die in this war. If were going to die, Id like to have some bread first Boom! Boom! Boom! Serf Vanguard: Serf Spearman: ! Serf Vanguard: ! Serf Infantry: What!? The cannons are still firing even though were here!? Serf Vanguard: They dont give a damn about us! Serf Infantry: What! What! How could they! How! Serf Spearman: Agghhhh!! The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders, a Lavish Pavilion The Primarch: Moved. Attendant Bishop: What? The Primarch: Hurry, assemble the bishops. All of them. We must pray now. Attendant Bishop: The prayer against the ck Knight? The Primarch: Hurry. Attendant Bishop: Is the ck Knight not the Hero? The Primarch: He is. Attendant Bishop: This prayer, is rather like a spell The Primarch: Bishop. Attendant Bishop: Yes. The Primarch: The prayer Attendant Bishop: The Primarch: The Spiritwills it!! Attendant Bishop: Yes! Right away! The Primarch: Bishop. Observing Bishop: Yes! Yes! The Primarch: Draw the curtains, it is about to rain. Observing Bishop: Oh, there is not a cloud in the sky though. The Primarch: No, it is about to rain. Observing Bishop: Y-yes. Understood. The Primarch: The Spirit has shown me through her eyes. Her words pour from my lips. My tongue reflects nothing but my pure heart, purified by the blessings of her Light. Hahahahahaha! Observing Bishop: I am sorry. The Primarch: At this rate, we are but waiting for his death ck Knight. I intended to open the City of the Gate with the head of the Demon King, but I will make do with yours. No, the Hero suits you better. I will show you that I too have power. We will trap you with this spell and take your power. The Holy Crusaders, the Sky Above The Hero: Pressures dropping Its about to get cold. The Hero: Rain! Pour! Rain pours The Hero: Alright now its time for the lightning. The Hero: (Ive got to aim for something worthwhile. What should I aim for?) Sparkle. The Hero: Wh, whats that? The Hero: My strength The Demon Thrush: Master! Master! The Hero: Run away The Demon Thrush: Master! Youre going to fall at this rate! Fly! Or youll fall into the storm! The Hero: NoI cantIt hurts The Demon Thrush: Master! The Hero: Demon King The Demon World, the Rear of the Holy Crusaders, the Southern Alliance The Disciple Soldier: Hurry! We still have horses! The Lieutenant of Metal: Maintain a distance of 50 paces between wagons. When we reach the front lines, do not forget to raise your shields. Your life depends on it! Seneschal: The Medical units are in ce. The Female Pdin: The Iron Fist King: Whats wrong? The Disciple Soldier: Is something wrong? The Female Pdin: No. Nothing. Its just The Disciple Soldier: ? The Female Pdin: My chest feels rather tight. Messenger: Contact! The Crusader musketeers have begun firing. But the distance is too far, so their damage is minimal. The Disciple Soldier: Its just a scare tactic! Advance! We have the advantage! The Lone Winter King: So it begins. The Iron Fist King: Yes. Do not worry. He is a careful man. I do not think we will lose. The Lone Winter King: You have much praise for him. The Iron Fist King: Though he is weak to women. The Lone Winter King: Hahahaha. So are you. The Disciple Soldier: Alright. Stop the carts and link up! The Female Pdin: The Disciple Soldier: Is that okay? The Female Pdin: Ah, yeah, sorry. The Disciple Soldier: Teacher. The Female Pdin: What? The Disciple Soldier: Hand overmand to me. The Female Pdin: Eh? The Disciple Soldier: You are distracted. The Female Pdin: What The Disciple Soldier: I will make it happen. The Female Pdin: The Disciple Soldier: I am the Disciple of the Female Pdin. This is front line of the Southern Alliance. As the Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of Metal, this is my ce! The Female Pdin: You The Disciple Soldier: Your ce is in that City He is definitely waiting for you in there! The Female Pdin: You The Disciple Soldier: If you go now you will make it! My spirit is as strong as yours, and I have had good training! It will be fine. The Disciple Soldier: Go! The Female Pdin: Thank you! My Disciple! You still have much to learn when this is all over! So you better not die! The Disciple Soldier: The same goes to you The people of that City are counting on us. We will meet again! The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders, a Lavish Pavilion The Primarch: He has fallen. Attendant Bishop: Eh? The Primarch: The ck Knight has fallen The man you call the Hero. Attendant Bishop: The Hero The Primarch: The Hero is a traitor of the Spirit of Light. As evidence, upon being exposed to the righteous prayers of our Holy Spirit, his body crumpled like a leaf and fell from the sky. Attendant Bishop: What? The Primarch: Leader! The Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes, your Holiness! The Primarch: The Hero tried to call a lightning storm upon us, but was prevented by our holy prayersand has fallen somewhere on the battlefield As long as our prayers continue, his strength is no more than a normal soldier Use some of our holy muskets, and send some Chevaliers to capture him Attendant Bishop: The Hero The Primarch: We must capture him Otherwise, kill himbut bring back his head Attendant Bishop: The Hero The Primarch: The Hero has fallen into darkness he wears ck armour, and considers the Demons his allies. He attempted to call lightning on the Holy Crusaders With the name of the Spirit, we have bound his dark and heretical heart. The Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: Yes. Attendant Bishop: (What? Thats weird Has the Church gone insane? Is this really the right religion? The Hero dedicated his life and his body to the salvation of the world, but we punish him. And now we condemn scores of peasants as heretics) The Primarch: Hahaha How delicious, the power Attendant Bishop: (This is scary The Primarch must be wrong Im sure he serves the Light, but this is scary) The Primarch: Go! Go and spread the word of the Spirit. Attendant Bishop: I understand. The Primarch: I am the Primarch I am the diviner of light and darkness I will be thest one standing, ruling the world my word isw Hahahahaha! The Primarch: Who is it!? Who! Prayer of Destruction! The Primarch: Oh it was a mouse. Hahahahaha. The Underground Fortress, Underground Lake The Elder Sister Maid: This image is The Mage: A spell of scrying. The Elder Sister Maid: Wh-what is that man! The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: No matter how I look at it, thats not a person. Is that the Demon King? Why has he been hiding till now? The Mage: Stain. The Elder Sister Maid: Eh? The Mage: One Tribes mistake. The Elder Sister Maid: What? The Mage: A long time ago, 1400 years ago, the Tribe of Librarians departed for the Human World. Their descendants them. The Elder Sister Maid: TheTribe of Librarians? So humans descend from that Tribe? The Mage: I acknowledge the possibility. Based on numerous events, the probability of this is high. However, I cannot verify this. The Elder Sister Maid: Thats The Mage: That is one side to being the Hero and the Demon King. They cannot open their eyes. The Elder Sister Maid: The Mage: To rece the crookedness, corruption, and sloth of humans, with generosity and goodwill. To arrive at this, requires the Inevitability of Revolution. The results of this, are what the Hero and the Demon King are probably trying to bring about. The Elder Sister Maid: Thats why we cannot take a single step back. This would be death. It would mean corruption. They cant possibly live for corruption. The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: Am I wrong? The Mage: Hypothetical blue organic light emitting diodes. The Elder Sister Maid: What? The Mage: Eternal life, and eternal death, are both death. In other words, they stop. Only flickering images are alive. She was revived for the flickerings. In other words, by the permission of the flickering. The Elder Sister Maid: I do not understand. But more importantly, what about the Demon King!? Or the Hero!? The Mage: The Demon King is heading to her death. The Hero is already dying. The Elder Sister Maid: What are you doing. You have to help them? The Mage stops. The Elder Sister Maid: Why have you stopped? The Mage: I cannot go further. The Elder Sister Maid: ! The Mage: The Hero has bet everything. He intends to pay the ultimate price. That is why I cannot go. You should search for a way back. I will fix this. That is my duty Alright? It was impossible to begin with. Probability of zero. Even if the Demon King dies, even if the Hero dies, the probability is still zero. Those two answered with a smile. They did not mind, and so they answered with a wager. Thus they will continue to live. No, they will be reborn even if they die. Even to that extent. It was impossible to begin with. The City of the Gate will be a graveyard. With the Hero and the Demon Kings powers as a focal point, the extinguishing of one life will bridge the skies. This is the Tower of Heaven. The death of one will trigger in the other the seal of that ancient spell, the Canticle of Fairies, imprinted with the mark of the tower spoken of so often in those ancient songs. This will be the final scene of the end. And yet, those two, will probably reject that ending. The Mage: To begin with, it was a wager that required the assembly of five or six miracles. That is why I cannot move. Got it? The Hero expects a miracle from me. He needs a miracle. Only you can do it, he said! That is why, Elder Sister Maid, you too cannot flee from death. This world is overflowing in miracles. The two of them said so, and so I believe it. But that is just such a ridiculous statement, that is why I need you to believe it too! We are going to need some unknown miracle from somewhere to save them! The Elder Sister Maid: The Demon King said that? The Mage: She did. The Elder Sister Maid: I see. Alright then. The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: If the Demon King said it, then I understand. As a person who does not believe in miracles, she would be the kind of person to joke about it. She might have hoped to keep it in her heart, but its surely not something she would say out loud. She must mean it then. The Mage: The Elder Sister Maid: Lets believe in the Demon King. Its my job after all, as her maid. Im going to help her make a miracle happen. -- Exnation Inevitability of Revolution: Whether the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, or the Chinese Revolution, all revolutions have been proceeded by a period of intense carnage, murder, and power struggle. In the history of the world, there have been no exceptions to this rule. -- The City of the Gate, the Wall at Night Beast Soldier: Weve been saved. The Disciple Engineer: Nah, I wonder why it started raining suddenly. Giant Engineer: Rare Beast Soldier: In any case, their torches seem to have gotten weaker in the rain. I guess they were weak to water to begin with. The Disciple Engineer: Indeed lets take the chance to make some repairs. Giant Engineer: Yeah. Volunteer Archer: Done with sentry duty, whew. Human Engineer: Sir, what do we do about the South Gate? The Disciple Engineer: We cant interfere with that area even now, the Human Army is over there right? Giant Engineer: Yeah I saw them Volunteer Archer: There are numerous fires going on, and we can see them plundering too Human Engineer: Im sorry. Engineer of the Pale: Its normal in a war. Beast Soldier: Are we ready for a night attack? The Disciple Engineer: That depends on the Fortress Commander. In any case, we are to defend the walls and construct barricades. Well take turns to rest. Giant Engineer: Yeah. The Disciple Engineer: (Even though theyve breached the city, the streets act like a divisive barrier, so weve managed to hold them back so far. But we cant hold this enemy back forever. An army of 200,000 is no joke. Even with 10,000 soldiers, they could destroy our fortifications It seems this City of the Gate will be rubble by tomorrow.) Volunteer Archer: Sir, youre looking really worried. The Disciple Engineer: Ah. Human Engineer: Yeah, thats true. Volunteer Archer: He must be thinking about some pretty girl somewhere. I bet she told him that shes waiting for him and now hes all shy. Beast Soldier: Hahahahaha. The Disciple Engineer: Th, thats not it! Shes not pretty, shes more childish and annoying, and shes even green! Yeah! Were more like brothers, so stop saying such stupid things! Giant Engineer: But Volunteer Archer: Is that so The Disciple Engineer: You insubordinate creatures. Enough talk, get back to walk! Hey, dirt over here!! Human Engineer: Hahaha! The Disciple Engineer: (Where are you, Bard. Are you in the Human World? I just hope that wherever you are, its safe.) The Demon World, the Rear Guard of the Crusaders The Holy Imperial General: Get the wounded evacuated to the tents! Scout: The Southern Alliance have retreated to approximately half a mile away. They seem to be waiting for an opportunity to strike at our centre. The Crown Prince Marshal: 4,000 huh. The Strategist: I apologise. The Crown Prince Marshal: Youve done enough. Rain? The Strategist: Yes. As you know, the rain wets the gunpowder, which makes the muzzles fragile. Thergest weakness of these muskets is their exposed shape. The Crown Prince Marshal: Whether theyve realised it or not, we have be so reliant on muskets that it forms the backbone of entire force. Not just me, but every single one of us. The Strategist: Ive had dry gunpowder brought up from our stores post haste. It should reach us by tomorrow. The Crown Prince Marshal: The Strategist: Whats wrong? The Crown Prince Marshal: No, nothing. Armoured wagons. They clearly understand the properties of our muskets well. Easily salvaged and repositioned. Is the enemymander the Female Pdin? The Strategist: No, their frontlinemander is the young Defence Minister from the Kingdom of Metal The Crown Prince Marshal: Defence Minister The Strategist: ording to our reports, he served as the right hand of the Female Pdin during the war against the Demons of the Pale in the City of White Night, and ordered the fire attack. ording to our reports, he was born into a lower ss of knights, and spent most of his time around settlers and migrants. Hes very well respected within the Kingdom of Metal. The Crown Prince Marshal: Hmm The Strategist: What shall we do? The Crown Prince Marshal: While the nobility and royalty of us Crusadersunched a surprise attack against the resolute defenders of the City of the Gate, the South ced a new talent tomand them how cheeky. Are they trying to suggest that there is a great gulf between our talents? The Holy Imperial General: Your Imperial Highness. The Crown Prince Marshal: Yes? The Holy Imperial General: We are reorganised. The Crown Prince Marshal: Excellent. Give me a detailed report on our casualties suffered. The Holy Imperial General: Understood! The Crown Prince Marshal: Tell the soldiers who were involved in the battle to have a good rest. Reinsert the serf deserters into units based on food allocation. Gather up the Imperial Knights and reorganise them into full units. Time is of the essence. The Strategist: Are we in a hurry? The Crown Prince Marshal: Tonight. Before the night retreats, have them work on the constructions. Draw up a namelist, I want it sorted by skillset. We need the tents up, dont we? Have the new troops joining us all allocated to workmen units. I want them constructing tents and sorting out food rations. The new troops are going to have no rest at all tonight. Once all the work isplete, then well give them food to eat. Lets not give them any room to think of unnecessary things. The Holy Imperial General: Understood. The Holy Imperial General: (Getting them to work andplete the task before getting any food is the best way to keep themmitted to the task. He truly has the will of the lower sses within his hands. There wouldnt be any other way of getting them to operate this quickly even with the impending danger. But will threatening them with food really be enough) The Crown Prince Marshal: Hahaha. Strategist, Ill leave it to you. The Strategist: Yes. The Crown Prince Marshal: We are going to extirpate the current chain ofmand. Reinstate the newmand system with haste. The Strategist: How chaotic is this going to be? The Crown Prince Marshal: Lets try to keep it within reasonable limits. To begin with, the Crusaders have never been much of a unified force. With the destruction of the gate of the City of the Gate, were already seeing the reversion of the characters of these serfs back into beasts. The Strategist: Indeed. The Crown Prince Marshal: For them to attain their interests, victory is necessary. But for victory, we have to make sure their interests do not cloud their hearts. If we are victorious, we will have made a noble step forwards, but if we are defeated, this will be recorded in the history books forever. The Strategist: Your Imperial Highness, perhaps it may be too much to push this onto the nobles. The Crown Prince Marshal: I too am a tiger who would like to be fed these nobles. The Holy Imperial General: Your Imperial Highness The Demon World, the Holy Crusaders, the Tent of Kings Knight of the Mist: Green Ash King! Green Ash King! The Green Ash King: You dont have to shout, I can hear you. Knight of the Mist: What happened, you are all bruised! I lost sight of you in the battle, and I thought I would never see you again! The Green Ash King: Stop crying. You call yourself a man! Nurse: Its not too bad. You havent broken anything. You have injured your muscles quite badly, and youre going to need some rest. This will probably hurt for a few days. Knight of the Mist: Whereand how? The Green Ash King: I was up in the frontlines and I came across a really bad guy. Knight of the Mist: A Demon? The Green Ash King: Thats right. Knight of the Mist: You have to hurry and call a military conference! Without you the frontlines have dissolved into chaos! The troops have be an ill-disciplined rabble, and are piging the city without regard for the enemy, streaming in and out of the City through the destroyed gates, its an absolute mess! The Green Ash King: Damn. Knight of the Mist: ? The Green Ash King: How much time did I spend on attacking those fortifications? How determined did they defend those incredible walls? It should have been over when the gate was destroyed. All they had to do was advance? Whats with this half-assed assault? Knight of the Mist: In regard to that, the noblesunched a surprise attack while the gate was falling. The Green Ash King: And did they manage to rout the enemy? Knight of the Mist: Thats the thing, they seem to have gotten bogged down in our own forces. The Green Ash King: Knight of the Mist: But, you can reassumemand in the morning! Well get the frontlines back in order, and the City of the Gate must be incredibly shocked by now? Ah! I apologise! I will ry news of your immediate return! The Green Ash King: Stop. Knight of the Mist: W-why? The Green Ash King: Hmph. Knight of the Mist: ! The Green Ash King: Conceal the news of my return. Not for long Just till tomorrow. Knight of the Mist: Is that alright? The Green Ash King: It is necessary. Knight of the Mist: If this is what you say I hope you have a good rest! The Green Ash King: Yeah. Its personal, its personal How is it, Primarch. Is this the way you wanted it to be? Damn you. Is your chest festering yet So you want to make this personal, do you? You want to force me to move? Knight of the Mist: Huh? I will prepare quarters for you in the meantime. The Green Ash King: Its fine. Dont do anything. Sorry. Knight of the Mist: Please take care of yourself. If you go out like this into the cold, it will damage your body. The Green Ash King: Thats nothing. In this hell, everyone has lost something important to them. Or rather, there is only one person who doesnt care how much others have lost. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!