Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 258

258: An Extra Picnic Feeling

“Welcome back, Liz!”

I greeted Liz as she opened the gate and entered the garden. Rebecca, Samarkand, and Harken were with me.

“…Why are you still outside?”

“So I could see you as soon as you got back.”

We were on the picnic sheet, playing with the Barghests, so the approaching twilight and its chill were no problem. And besides, the magic-woven clothes were a luxury item, cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Though if I neglected my daily maintenance… my mana supply… there was a risk of them suddenly reaching their limit and leaving me naked.

So, there was no problem.

“How did it go?”

“One assassin secured. We let him live, followed him, and confirmed. It’s the Wenfield family. His Majesty’s men are watching them now.”

They’d shown their hand sooner than I’d expected.

The enemy was the Wenfields. While they didn’t have control over all of them, they were a powerful family that controlled thirty percent of the Dark Knights.

“Understood. As expected of Liz.”

“Of course. I am the second in command of the Sixth Army, and an assassin from the Royal Guard.”

If I had made a single mistake, I would have died during our pleasant picnic. But I hadn’t thought it would happen. I trusted Liz, and besides, ‘His Majesty’s men’ were also participating in this operation. The Royal Guard, which Liz was still a part of, was the Demon King’s elite.

In addition to being His Majesty’s guard and his direct fighting force, they also served as a training unit in peacetime, to raise the skill level of the other armies. To teach others, you had to have a systematic understanding of what you were teaching. And in combat training, it would be a problem if the instructor was less skilled.

Liz often called herself ‘one of the top five assassins.’ Her confident, boastful expression when she said that was very cute, but that wasn’t the point. ‘One of the top five.’ Meaning, Liz acknowledged that there were four other assassins in Listrea who were better than her. While Liz had the title of the Darkling Blade for a special reason and was quite famous… the others had no titles. They were, as assassins should be, people who lived in the shadows and died in the shadows.

Incidentally, while Liz acknowledged that her seniors were more skilled, she would say, “It’s not that I’m that much worse, and besides, I’m the only one who can put up with Master’s delusions.” Her self-analysis was accurate, and her competitive streak was cute.

If it were just a matter of crushing the enemy, I could have just left it to His Majesty. The previous head of the family was an acquaintance of His Majesty and one of the founding members, and there would have been no problem if he had made a ‘highly political decision’ with the current head.

But if that had been all that was needed, His Majesty wouldn’t have singled me out and said, ‘I leave everything to you.’

That said, we had to do this by the book.

“Then, Samarkand, I’m sorry to trouble you when it’s getting dark, but please take a message to the royal castle. I would like to request a meeting with the Wenfield family. …Should I write a letter?”

“We can have it drafted at the royal castle. It will also be on the record. Just give me the instructions.”

“Just say, ‘I would like to deepen our friendly relationship.’”

“Understood.”

“…Master, um… well…”

I could sense Liz carefully choosing her words.

“Are you an idiot?”

That was all.

“‘Nothing happened,’ right?”

“…Officially.”

“You delivered His Majesty’s words, right?”

“Without a doubt.”

“How did it go?”

“For now, it’s probably best to trust him. Though it’s not a good idea to trust an enemy assassin.” A realistic assessment.

It was true… I had been targeted. He had targeted the life of an ally… a supreme commander of the Demon King’s army, appointed by His Majesty the Demon King.

That was treason. …But that meant.

“He’s an ally. …He just made a mistake.”

“…You’re so kind to your allies, Master.”

“As I am harsh to my enemies.” I smiled.

The Empire had been devastated by the Lord of Disease, partly because they had dealt with rebellion with such a heavy hand. It was only natural to crush a rebellion. Rebellion against the state was unacceptable. The state was a mechanism for pursuing the survival and happiness of its people. If you accepted rebellion against it, the state could not fulfill its purpose.

But at the same time, you had to clarify ‘why’ the rebellion had occurred, and you had to prevent a ‘next time.’

Well, in the case of the Empire, it was about seventy percent ‘because a doppelganger in the pay of the Lord of Disease had fanned the flames of discontent,’ so there was room for sympathy. Though I had no intention of sympathizing.

But it was a good reference.

“So, there’s another reason I was waiting.”

“—Yes.”

“Let’s have a little picnic.”

“…What?”

“I made some extra hot sandwiches. Let’s eat them together.” I pulled the hot sandwich maker from the picnic basket.

“…Are you… an idiot?”

“I’ve been called that again.”

“It can’t be helped.” Rebecca’s words were also true.

Liz looked at me, her expression a mask. Ah, had I gone too far? I thought, for a moment.

“…It’s nostalgic, isn’t it, Master?”

She smiled, a beautiful smile, and took off her shoes and sat on the sheet. It seemed Liz remembered.

“Harken, can I ask you to guard Samarkand?”

“Of course. …Though I’m sure my master is aware that she has the authority to command me.”

“Well, I sent a subordinate on an errand, and now I’m having a picnic in the garden… it’s a little…”

Logically, I hadn’t done anything wrong. The duties of a superior… a boss… and a subordinate were different. And I had the just cause of rewarding a subordinate who had returned with results. But that was that, and this was this. For example, to push a job that was born of your own communication error onto a subordinate and then go home early… was something that would probably be irritating in any world. This wasn’t a case of pushing a mistake onto someone, but it was still a game.

But Harken and Samarkand both smiled.

“The thought is enough.”

“Yes, indeed. …It is far better than not being able to play at all.”

They were good subordinates.

“Then shall we go, Samarkand-dono?”

“Yes, Harken-dono.”

“Be careful. …If you’re targeted, you don’t have to take them alive. Don’t try to extract any information. Your safety is the top priority.”

“Such kind words.”

“If they do not understand the mercy of my master and His Majesty, then that is how they shall be treated.”

The two of them walked off towards the royal castle. It would probably be dark by the time they got back.

Rebecca patted me on the back as I stood there, watching them disappear into the twilight.

“They’ll be fine. They’re a perfect combination of vanguard and rearguard. And even if the Wenfields control thirty percent of the Dark Knights, they’re not their private army, and they don’t have the same level of independent authority as a supreme commander.”

“I know… but still.”

“…Well, I know you’re that kind of person. But if it’s logically fine, then it’s probably fine.”

“I’m not very logical, so I’m a little worried.”

“…That’s very convincing, but on the other hand, think of it this way. You’re the craziest one, so the enemy isn’t that irrational.”

“That’s… strangely convincing.”

“Come on, you’re making hot sandwiches for Liz, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

By the time I was done making the hot sandwiches, the sun had set, so it was more like a night camp than a picnic.

But to make and eat hot sandwiches with a cute assassin, without using myself as bait, without any acting, was truly enjoyable.