Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 143

143: A Crazy World

For some reason, even though I was supposed to be spending the night alone with Liz, when evening came, it was Rebecca in the bed next to me.

Liz’s luggage was gone, replaced by Rebecca’s trunk.

“Master. What did you do to Liz?” Rebecca asked, her voice filled with exasperation, as she sat on the bed.

“…I didn’t do anything strange.”

Rebecca sighed.

“She came to me, looking completely… lost… and asked to switch rooms.”

“So, Liz is in the single room?”

“That’s right. Leave her be for now. —So, what did you do?”

“I just kissed her on the cheek and ear, hugged her, and told her I loved her.”

“Ah, so just the usual.”

Rebecca’s casual acceptance was impressive.

“Well, just try not to overdo it.”

“…Yeah.”

I didn’t dislike Rebecca. In fact, I quite liked her.

But I was a little sad that my plan to spend the night with Liz—even if it was on a military assignment—had been thwarted.

“She’ll have cooled down by tomorrow, back to her usual self. Liz is a professional, after all.” Rebecca said, her voice flat.

“—We have a military council tomorrow. What’s the gist?”

“Just what Lathus told me. Any changes?”

“None. Based on their marching pace, we expect them to arrive in two days. They might delay the attack on the fortress by a day… but they’ll probably rush it.”

“Why?”

“Our evil sorceress should know better than anyone.” Rebecca smiled, a weary expression on her face.

“…They’re dropping like flies. They won’t be able to maintain a force of one hundred thousand. The Order of Evangel and the Holy Knights might be able to handle it, but to cross the Lital Mountains in winter with a large militia… is insane.”

“Because of the word of God.”

“That, too, I don’t understand. …No matter what God says, the cold of winter remains. A militia with little to no physical enhancement magic is a liability in a mountain crossing, even if they might be useful in a large-scale battle. And the Order of Evangel and the Holy Knights are not trump cards to be played so recklessly.”

“You’re right.”

“Besides, they shouldn’t even know about the ambush, or the strength of our garrison. They’re a force specialized in combating demons and undead. Our forces, aside from a few demons in a support role… for them, even if they make it through the terrain, it will be the worst possible battlefield.”

“You’re so smart, Rebecca.”

“…Are you making fun of me?” Rebecca glared at me.

“No, I’m serious. …It’s so obvious. They should know that there’s no convenient God who will answer their prayers.”

No one could prove the absence of God.

It was the same as proving the non-existence of a demon.

You couldn’t prove that something didn’t exist.

But proof was unnecessary. The Listrea Demon Kingdom was still standing.

It was all the work of men. The power of living men, not a god in heaven.

While I had been the one to devise the words that would play on that… to see such human folly laid bare was not a pleasant sight.

“Can we win?”

“We can’t be complacent. Faith can grant unknown strength, and they are, after all, an elite force. And the militia will serve as a shield… a meat shield. We are vastly outnumbered. …But.” Rebecca muttered, her voice filled with disgust.

“I pity the soldiers…”

An army was an organization where orders were absolute.

And in this world, where royal authority was strong, even more so.

While the Holy Kingdom, due to its religious nature, had the weakest royal authority, it was that religion that had become the reason for this campaign.

They were marching recklessly into an unknown land, as if in a fever dream.

They probably didn’t even think it was reckless.

They were probably burning with faith.

Filled with a sense of mission.

Overflowing with a sense of omnipotence.

But they had nothing.

Everything they had, from their faith to their hope, had been given to them only to be taken away.

Because I had orchestrated it.

“You’re… kind, Rebecca.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. …I wonder why. I feel pity… logically… but…” I smiled.

“Because they are not soldiers of Listrea.”

Everyone was someone’s precious person.

Everyone in this world had a reason to live.

But there was a line in this world.

A line that had been drawn a long time ago, by humans—and perhaps demons, too—a line that said, ‘Humans and demons are enemies.’

And I was on this side of that line.

Even though I was human.

I had no precious humans in this world.

Rebecca stood up and closed the small distance between us.

She patted my head, gently.

“You really are a kind, heartless monster, our supreme commander.”

“…Why did you just pat my head?”

I looked up at her, my hand on my head. Rebecca smiled.

“Sometimes, I just feel like it.”

“Oh? …Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“So, shall we sleep together?”

“…Hmm?” Rebecca tilted her head, still smiling.

“We have to supply you with mana for tomorrow! You’ll be busy with meetings, and I can’t have you using up all my mana the day before!”

I pressed on, my smile unwavering.

In the end, we only used one of the two beds, but it wasn’t too cramped.

I was slender, and Rebecca was a petite girl.

We hadn’t brought any nightclothes, to save space. So, we slept in our usual clothes, with only our belts undone.

I released the Barghests from my robe before we went to sleep. Most of them snuggled up around me, as I hugged Rebecca, and the rest slept under the bed or on the bed that Rebecca was supposed to have slept on.

The Barghests were warm, and Rebecca, who I was using as a body pillow, had a child’s body temperature, so I was nice and cozy.

“Ah, I get paid to sleep with a cute girl as my body pillow! This world is crazy! In a good way!”

Rebecca muttered, her voice dry.

“I shouldn’t have been so nice…”