Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 203

203: The Sixth Army’s Welcome

After leaving Rayliton, we returned to the mansion. Griffins really were fast. While it was a bit tiring to ride them, and they couldn’t carry many people, their speed was a great advantage.

As Leaf the griffin landed in front of the gate, the gate opened.

“Welcome back, my master.” Harken greeted us. Or rather, Harken was at the head of the greeting party.

“““Welcome back, Lord of Disease.”””

About fifty death knights, lined up from the gate to the entrance, held their swords before their faces.

“…Who… are they…?” Aithys, intimidated by the display, moved closer to me. It was rare for her to approach me on her own.

“The elite of my Sixth Army.” Though I hadn’t ordered them to line up and greet me like this.

A surprise, or a prank. The blue-green will-o’-the-wisps in their eyes were all flickering. They were trying to look serious, and failing. And yet, their movements were perfectly synchronized. They must have been practicing while I was away.

“She is, in name, my bodyguard. Let me introduce you. —Aithys, a griffin rider from the Third Army’s magical beast division, has come to assist us. Treat her with respect. But there’s no need to be formal. She is not here as a guest.” I added, “And the griffin behind her is Leaf. Is the stable conversion complete?”

I had left the arrangements to Rebecca and Harken. The mansion had a stable in the garden, though it had been used as a storeroom. I had ordered it to be converted for a griffin, by removing the stalls to create more space.

“It is. She will not be cramped. —Aithys-dono. We have met before, but allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Harken. I hold the fifth rank in the Sixth Army. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.”

“Harken is a veteran, an acquaintance of Lathus.” At my words, Aithys’s expression changed.

“Huh? You know Lathus-sama?”

“Yes. He is a true warrior.”

“Oh! You get it!” Aithys immediately dropped her guard. She clapped Harken on the shoulder, her expression one of delight.

“It seems my master is also favored by him.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Aithys’s heart immediately closed off again. Her sparkling eyes turned cold.

“The battlefield is not always a distant thing. And a battle is not always fought with weapons. My master is always on the battlefield.”

“Huh, she is…?” A remarkable lack of trust.

“In Rayliton, she was drinking and eating clams, and then she had seconds, and then she was just relaxing.”

“Aithys, you were drinking and eating with her.”

The fish and shrimp we’d ordered, in addition to the clams, had also been delicious. And the two extra shrimp the waitress had given us, we’d split them.

Harken rattled his jawbone.

“That is good news. My master is not very good at relaxing.”

“…Huh? Not good?” Aithys frowned.

Harken nodded lightly.

“Indeed. She takes on too much work.”

“No way.”

“It is the difference in perspective. While Liz-dono and Samarkand-dono, and sometimes Rebecca-dono, assist her, my master handles the planning and coordination of all operations herself.”

“I do take breaks in between.”

“Mostly with me, right? …Well, she is the type to overwork herself and then collapse.” Liz sighed.

“Then how about I get pampered by Liz again?”

“That is outside my job description.”

“…Huh? Is she really a capable person?”

“Aithys, isn’t that a little rude?”

The death knights, lined up, lowered their swords. Then they all thrust their swords into the ground in unison and turned to look at Aithys.

“Uh, no, I…”

“You guys, I’m not angry, so stop it.”

Their faces, which had been facing forward, turned away from Aithys.

“The mana supply for the Barghests and us undead is handled by Samarkand-dono, but it is primarily my master’s job, is it not?”

“To think of my master’s heavy burden… I am ashamed of my own inadequacy.” Harken’s words, and Samarkand’s slumped shoulders.

“Samarkand, your job is to be a bodyguard, so it would be a problem if you couldn’t work when it mattered. You’re a great help to me now.”

“Such kind words…”

“Uh, but, in Rayliton, she didn’t do much…”

“Aithys.” Liz’s voice was sharp. The death knights’ gazes turned to Aithys again.

“You are a guest from the Third Army. A griffin rider we have requested. Your disrespect will be overlooked. Our master will not mind. However, the Lord of Disease is the only one in the Listrea Demon Kingdom… no, in this world… who can control Black Hound Barghests without mind magic. Are you really going to criticize her for choosing where to eat, after she has fulfilled her duties?”

“…” Aithys fell silent.

Liz was right.

To be a supreme commander, one needed to contribute to the nation, to lead their subordinates, and to have the trust of His Majesty. That was all.

I had fulfilled those requirements—or so it had been judged—and that was why I was a supreme commander.

In other words, it wasn’t a problem if I played around a little in my private time, in between my duties.

“After I’ve fulfilled my duties, how about I dote on my cute maid?”

“That is outside my job description.” Liz sighed.

“You guys, in front of an ally from another unit. Behave yourselves.”

The death knights straightened up.

“No, it was my fault. Catral-sama told me, too. …If someone speaks ill of your leader… you get angry.” Aithys’s ears drooped.

“It’s fine, Aithys.”

“No, it’s not. …I need to make amends. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Hmm…” The people of the Third Army were so passionate.

“Liz, a word.”

“What is it?” I whispered in Liz’s long ear. Liz’s face stiffened when she heard the ‘amends.’ She slowly looked at me.

“Huh… are you serious? She’s… from the Third Army…”

“She asked for it. And she said she wasn’t here as a guest.” I switched to the tone of the Lord of Disease and nodded.

“But…”

“This is my decision, Liz.”

I looked at her and smiled. A smile that was truly befitting of the Lord of Disease, a smile that bared my teeth and twisted my lips, and I declared.

“We shall welcome you… in the style of the Sixth Army.”

The Sixth Army. A unit that targeted the enemy’s domestic infrastructure, whose main duty was the slaughter of non-combatants, led by the Lord of Disease, the enemy of humanity, a heartless monster.

Aithys’s face, even though she had steeled herself, twitched. A strong girl’s face, twisted in despair, was so cute.