Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 215

215: Grand Maneuvers

“—Spectacular.”

I nodded at Aithys’s muttered words.

“It really is.”

I, along with Aithys and Liz, was flying on the back of Leaf the griffin, in the biting pre-dawn cold. Looking down at the Badlands, a land that was usually devoid of movement, I could clearly see a writhing black mass.

The eerie blue-green aura of the undead glowed in the darkness, tinting the landscape with a pale blue.

The Fourth Army was getting serious.

While this was officially an ‘exercise,’ the number of troops mobilized was far greater than the thirty or so Eldritch-san had led in the husk subjugation.

The death knights of the Sixth Army, led by Rebecca, were also participating. And of course, Harken and Samarkand. However, since Samarkand was a valuable demon, he had been requested to serve at Eldritch-sama’s headquarters. He had also been asked to serve as a supply officer after the exercise, so he might have the toughest job of all.

“Thirty thousand undead… truly a spectacular sight. Eldritch-sama’s command is also superb.”

The numbers were staggering.

The opponent in this ‘exercise’ was a pack of Black Hound Barghests.

Of course, they hadn’t agreed to this; they had simply been designated as the opponent.

A pack of about fifty—a threat equivalent to a dragon.

What kind of dragon could defeat a force of thirty thousand undead, led by the commander of the Fourth Army himself?

Perhaps Lital-sama could… but while she could probably escape, she wouldn’t be able to win in a head-on confrontation.

And Barghests didn’t have wings.

Twelve hours had passed since the ‘exercise’ had begun, at midnight, and it was about to end.

They had drawn a huge circle, from scouting to corralling. They were driving them, cutting off all escape routes.

In the sky, in addition to Leaf, who was carrying us, twelve skeleton griffins were circling, serving as our eyes in the sky.

A signal flare shot up from the ground. A variation of a [Fireball]… a [Fireball] with its power suppressed and its explosive and luminous effects, and its color, altered. Almost the same as the ‘fireworks’ His Majesty had used to celebrate the New Year.

The color was red.

A signal that, while seemingly essential on a large battlefield, could only be used a few times, or not at all. If the enemy used it, and you couldn’t see through it, you would be thrown into chaos. But if used effectively, it could make a large army move organically.

“Red signal flare confirmed. Aithys, as soon as the army below us stops moving, please land. And then, as planned.”

And this time, red meant, ‘Black Hound Barghests have been surrounded. Transitioning to negotiations by the Lord of Disease.’

In other words, it was our turn.

“Got it. —Good luck, Lord of Disease. The guys from the Fourth Army have been a lot of help.”

Aithys had participated in training with our death knights while we had been in meetings, and I’d heard she’d gotten along well with the people from the Fourth Army. Apparently, the skeleton griffin riders had been former griffin riders from the Third Army’s magical beast division, and she had been happy to hear stories about a younger Lathus.

“Of course. For the sake of our Barghests, I will succeed in scouting that pack, and end this exercise with no casualties. —Including the enemy Barghests.”

At least, as of the time we had been requested to take to the air, there had been no casualties. On either side.

The Black Hound Barghests of the other pack were not foolish. While they didn’t know our intentions, they had sensed our scale and had been on the run, constantly searching for a weak point in our encirclement.

Of course, there were none. Even if they hid in the shadows, if a skilled mage knew they were there, it was easy to flush them out.

Eventually, they would try to break through somewhere, to let even a single one escape.

…There was a good chance we would suffer heavy casualties.

Considering the disparity in our forces, there was no way we could ‘lose’ by letting them escape. No matter how hard they fought, no matter how heroically they acted, there were some things that could not be overturned.

But if we suffered a certain number of casualties, we would lose. For me, any casualties at all would be a loss.

So, the moment the Black Hound Barghests realized they were cornered… I had to present them with a more attractive option than fighting to the death.

“We’re going down.”

Leaf folded his wings, and the ground rushed up to meet us.

His wings unfurled, and he glided over the black army, landing at the forefront of the encirclement.

Liz quickly unbuckled our harnesses and jumped down first. The skirt of her maid uniform billowed out, and as I followed, she caught me, spinning to absorb the impact, and set me down safely.

Aithys, from Leaf’s back, tossed me my staff, and I caught it.

“—Good luck!”

And from Aithys, a short, but heartfelt, encouragement. From the girl who had said that the Lord of Disease was not a warrior, not a soldier.

Without waiting for a reply, Aithys and Leaf took to the sky. The high sky was the safest place. I didn’t think the surrounded Barghests would attack, but since this was an exercise, it was important to act accordingly.

I was supposed to be snatched from the jaws of death by Leaf if things got really dangerous, but I wasn’t sure how much he could hold back with his powerful, sharp talons. It was easy to forget that he was a griffin, mostly an eagle, but his hind legs were those of a lion, and in any case, he was a carnivore.

I shook my robe, and the Barghests, whose numbers had increased and decreased, and one of which had been left with Catral-san… a total of thirty-one… were deployed.

I still didn’t have an accurate count of the other pack, but I had been told there were at least fifty.

…In terms of Barghests alone, we were outnumbered. Would they listen to me?

They were beasts. Their logic was surely different from a human’s.

“…Well, let’s go. You guys.”

I patted the neck of the Barghest beside me. The tails of all the Barghests wagged once, in unison.

The black fur, which had been swaying in the wind, now seemed to dissolve into the air. And a crimson light, like a will-o’-the-wisp, burned in their eyes.

—And yet.

Because we were in the same world.

Because we could communicate, even without words.

These creatures and I had found a way to coexist without conflict. Perhaps I could do the same with those creatures.

There were probably many reasons why it wouldn’t work.

And yet, I…

“—I am the Lord of Disease! My pack will convey my will to your pack!”

I didn’t think these creatures were as unreasonable as humans.