247: A Sweet Request
“—I am truly sorry.”
“No.”
His Majesty bowed to me in the reception room. He raised his head quickly, so I didn’t say anything this time. I had, after all, worked hard on a rather unreasonable request.
“…Even with the authority to act independently, with an ‘accomplishment’ of that magnitude… it would have been troublesome if you were absent.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
It couldn’t be helped that His Majesty, the Demon King, was the one to take the credit. He had let me do as I pleased, and he hadn’t deviated from the plan, and I had been able to say what I wanted, so it hadn’t been that difficult.
Behind His Majesty was the Old One… Listrea-sama. Today, Liz was also behind me, and she was in her demon form.
The meeting after I had left had ended quickly. If it was just routine reports and minor issues, that was to be expected.
“The feat of taking Wessphia was magnificent… but the ‘unnamed Dark Knight’ in that report… could it be…?”
His Majesty had noticed the entry, which only read, ‘One Dark Knight from the Litalside garrison.’ The others were all carefully listed, with their affiliations and names. If it were a large unit, it would be natural to omit individual names, but for a single person—?
I nodded slightly.
“The commander of the Dark Knights, in the midst of her busy schedule, lent me her hand.”
A smile played on His Majesty’s lips.
“Hmph… well, well! Two supreme commanders! On a griffin!”
His Majesty, for once, showed his emotions and laughed. If this reception room wasn’t soundproofed, anyone who heard him would have been startled.
“You never cease to amaze me. It reminds me of the old days.”
His Majesty’s old days…
“Yes, indeed. You once rode on Lital-sama with me.”
“Only once.”
Listrea-sama, as the Old One, a supreme commander who had served His Majesty since the founding of the nation, reminisced.
The hot-blooded, classic hero who had said he would create a nation where all demons could live happily, and had actually done it, who had the power to defeat a demon in a magical duel, even in his youth. And also, a dense hero who was a little slow on the uptake when it came to romance.
That was my secret assessment of His Majesty. My public assessment was, of course, that he was a wise ruler, overflowing with mercy and action, who had united the various, difficult supreme commanders.
“I have a request for you.”
“…If it is a request from Your Majesty, I am not in a position to refuse.”
I was subtly asking him to not give me another unreasonable request.
“It is about the Wenfield family. The dark elf who challenged you.”
“Ah, that…” The elderly dark elf. What he had said was a valid point, so I didn’t dislike him.
I couldn’t forgive those who slandered me and my subordinates… but at the same time, I didn’t dislike the pride of the demons.
Someday, I hoped this country would no longer need the Lord of Disease. If the reason to justify ruthless tactics in the name of necessity disappeared. If it became a peaceful country.
But that was still a distant future. For now, this country still needed me… the ‘evil sorceress.’
“…Hey, Liz?” I looked at Liz, who was standing behind me.
“The Wenfield family is one of the founding families. They are the parent body of the Dark Knights, and he is Dustin Wenfield. The second and current head of the family, and a senior member of the Second Army, the Dark Knights, who commands the heavy cavalry.”
Liz recited the information smoothly. The family was probably famous, but she probably had all the high-ranking members memorized. For me, who had trouble remembering the faces and names of anyone other than cute girls, it was an incredibly high-level skill. It was because I had such a competent vice-commander that I could be a supreme commander.
“Bridget’s subordinate?”
“In a way. But my sister is a supreme commander, and while she has the authority to command him, he is a veteran with a long list of accomplishments, so she can’t just force him to do what she wants. About seventy percent of the Litalside garrison… the Dark Knights… are under my sister’s direct command.”
“I see.”
“The previous head of the family, Austin Wenfield, was a comrade in arms. His son, too, is powerful, and he has a long list of accomplishments. I can’t just dismiss him… but he is of the anti-Lord of Disease faction.”
“I see…” Well, I understood.
The ‘proud Dark Knights.’ And a ‘family of knights for generations.’ They would probably dislike someone like the Lord of Disease. The Dark Knights also served as a police force, and they had to have a strong sense of justice to do their job. And the fact that he was the second head of the family in a nation that was four hundred years old… was a testament to the dark elves. And though they were few in number, the heavy cavalry was the star of the show. To be entrusted with them was a sign of considerable trust.
“I have considered asking the former head of the family to intercede, but he is not one to be swayed by a top-down order. That pride… that straightforwardness… is also a good quality.”
“I understand.”
“So, I would like you to make him understand, without any fuss, that the Lord of Disease is necessary for this country, and that you, too, serve as a supreme commander with pride…”
“That’s difficult.”
“I would like you to devise a plan that satisfies the above conditions.”
“Huh, was the last part… an order?” My tone had become a little too casual, and I quickly corrected myself.
“Do not worry about your tone. You are a supreme commander, and this is a private, informal setting.”
A relaxed atmosphere. But anyone who mistook this for a place where they could be rude would not live long. Well, just because you became important, did you want to be treated with deference? I didn’t really know. Personally, I preferred it when people were respectful but also spoke their minds. Perhaps His Majesty was the same. I couldn’t ask him directly.
And what I had to ask now was…
“…What is the extent of my authority?”
“You may use all of your authority as a supreme commander. There is no doubt that you have the higher authority. …And the higher importance.”
“Are you sure you can say that?”
“I am just stating the truth. …You are not a fool. You have exhausted all reason, all words, all sincerity… and if he still does not understand the value and the meaning of the existence of the Lord of Disease, and the Sixth Army…”
“—There is no need to say any more. However, I would like permission to kill him.”
I requested permission, as if to steal the words from His Majesty, who had been about to give the order.
He was a comrade’s son, and he had contributed to this country. But if he were to become my enemy. —If he were to become an enemy of this country.
His Majesty nodded slowly.
“…Granted.”
“But that will be a last resort. Only in the worst-case scenario… if he were to turn his blade on me, and still trample on the mercy shown to him by Your Majesty…”
“…I am sorry. Always, always… I ask so much of you.”
“It cannot be helped if reason will not yield without force. Yes, it cannot be helped.”
His Majesty smiled faintly.
“I leave everything to you. I will take responsibility.”
“Understood.”
“…Do you think… he will turn his hand on you?”
“I do not know him personally, so I cannot say. If that happens, I will try my best not to kill him… but I do not believe his life is more important than my subordinates’.”
“Of course. You are a supreme commander… appointed by me, the king. Therefore, to turn a hand on you—is nothing short of treason.”
That was the logic. That was the reason.
I had been appointed by His Majesty, and I was one of the shields of the nation he ruled.
“But, if you have the chance, I would like you to say this. ‘If you have come to understand reason through the fear of death, I will allow you to renew your oath of loyalty.’”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” As I bowed, His Majesty pressed his fingers to his temples.
“…Do you think… I am soft?”
I smiled.
“Yes, you are. …But if you were not, then this country would not exist, and I would not be in this position.”
His Majesty was speaking of an ideal, that if you talked, you could understand. He would probably have to brandish a blade, but if you were aiming for the same world, then you could understand each other.
I thought that was naive. But I understood His Majesty’s feelings… the desire to believe in his comrade’s son, his subordinate. The desire to give a chance to those who had sworn loyalty to him.
I might not be able to join hands with him. But to stand side by side, under the same master, as a shield for this country… His Majesty had the capacity to make me believe that was possible.
His Majesty sat back down on the sofa. And, his body filled with a regal presence, he gave me an order.
“I leave everything to you. Remove this source of anxiety from our nation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” I bowed respectfully.
