The Hero Menace Read online

  I spent the entire time watching Baltze with a grin on my face. Ryunheit was undermanned as it was, so I wouldn’t be able to send over reinforcements even if I wanted to. Eventually, it was decided that the first regiment would only send enough to reinforce Bahen, and that the second regiment would still handle the brunt of the fighting. Shure would take 500 of her Crimson Scales along with 3,000 regular infantry and act as the second regiment’s reserves.

  “Remember, Lady Shure. You’re only there to provide support. Whatever you do, don’t join the vanguard.”

  “I understand, Sir Baltze. I have no intention of stealing the second regiment’s glory from them.”

  “No, that’s not why...”

  I doubt I would ever tire of watching their exchanges. I’m rooting for you, Baltze.

  In the end, I did my best to remain as detached from the northern front as possible. While some of the other vice-commanders seemed to think I was some master of diplomacy, I was really just an average werewolf who happened to have been a human in his past life. I’d rather not have people asking me for miracles. By the end of the council, I’d fended off Baltze’s attempts to rope me into convincing Shure not to go, and used Master’s magic to take me back to Ryunheit.

  “Sheesh... Maybe I should just stay away from Grenschtat for a while.”

  “Rumors of your diplomatic prowess have been spreading through the demon army’s ranks. Did you know they’re calling you the ‘Magician of Statecraft’ now?” Gomoviroa smirked.

  “Please stop, you’re embarrassing me.”

  I brushed off Master’s teasing and considered my next course of action. My biggest concern was the Meraldian army. While the northern front was still holding, the fact that Tiverit was fighting on the front lines personally meant that it was only a matter of time before it collapsed. Even with the assistance the first regiment had sent, they’d be forced to retreat from Bahen before long. In which case, it was likely Meraldia would focus their forces southward.

  There were 17 cities that were part of the Meraldian Federation. Of those 17, we occupied 3 in the south. The remaining 14 were all our enemy. The second regiment had technically captured one city in the north, but since all of the citizens had evacuated before the attack, Meraldia still had the population of 14 cities. At a rough estimate, I would say each city possessed 500 garrisoned troops, and another 1,000 militia. Across 14 cities, that meant about 20,000 troops. The militia weren’t trained and would easily break, but I still didn’t want to go up against a number that large.

  Plus, Meraldia had its own standing army of around 10,000 to 20,000 troops. Reports indicated that the army of 5,000 they’d dispatched to recapture Schverm was mostly intact. Normally, Meraldia’s regular soldiers spent half their year doing farm work, and half their year drilling. They were professionals, both trained in tactics, and in good shape thanks to all of the hard labor they did. Honestly, I’d prefer to avoid fighting them as much as possible.

  There were a few other small armed bands mixed into the human forces, but for now this was what I was up against. I doubted they’d throw all 40,000 of their troops at a single city, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they dispatched an army of 10,000 or so to conquer Ryunheit. I couldn’t afford to take it easy.

  “You appear to be grappling with quite the dilemma.”

  “Wait, you’re still here, Master!?”

  “Your office is rather comfortable.”

  Master settled into one of my chairs and smiled innocently at me. While her gestures were as childish as always, she looked tired. It appeared she still hadn’t fully recovered from the battle at Thuvan.

  “Would you like some tea?”

  “Yes, please.”

  As I put the kettle on, I consulted with Master about my predicament.

  “I don’t have enough troops to defend Ryunheit.”

  “Indeed, you do not. Were I at full strength, I would gladly summon more undead soldiers for you, but... even then, summoning an army of ten thousand would require me to neglect my other duties for over three months.”

  That would definitely be bad. Though Gomoviroa looked like she was free, I knew she was busy assisting all of her other disciples.

  “Besides, Melaine and Firnir need reinforcements as well. Their cities will likely be targeted first if the enemy attacks from the north.”

  She had a point there, too. Thuvan and Bernheinen were our bulwarks against the north.

  “Alright, I won’t ask for any more skeletons. But I don’t suppose you know of some place I could recruit troops from instead?”

  “Some of my other disciples are trying to convince the remaining races who haven’t revolted to join our cause. But most of them have their own problems to deal with, and I would rather not force them into service.”

  Which meant that I’d have to use my own connections to get reinforcements. I’d already brought every werewolf with me, and I doubt I could ask the Demon Lord for any more dragonkin. I can probably recruit more canines but... they’re kinda weak. No, wait.

  “Oh, did you think of something?”

  “Yep. I just had a great idea. I’ll go test it right now!”

  “Loading complete!”

  “Loading complete!”

  “Angle correction complete!”

  “Angle correction complete!”

  “Fire!”

  There was a solid twang and a thick arrow shot into the sky. I’d picked out a handful of canines and had them practice firing one of Thuvan’s ballistae. Bringing them back had been an ordeal; they were huge enough to fit into the back of a pickup truck. Transporting one wasn’t something just anyone could do, but luckily firing one was. The bowstring was pulled back by a large hand crank, so even a weak canine could do it.

  Thuvan had assigned two-man units to each ballista, one to load the ballista and another to fire it. However, I’d decided to assign two people to loading duty. In long battles, a single person could grow tired too easily. I’d kept only a single shooter, but I’d also added another member to each squad to relay orders and keep a lookout for the others. In other words, each ballista was operated by a four-man unit similar to the ones tanks and artillery crews had back on earth. And if I could find a way to mass-produce the dragonkin’s telescopes, I’d be able to give the lookout more independence in battle. I knelt close to the canine turning the hand crank and asked, “How is it, are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Yes, turning the handle is really fun!”

  “Shooting arrows is really fun too!”

  “So is picking them up!”

  Is there anything these guys don’t have fun doing? They might have been enjoying themselves now, but I needed to know if they could shoot at living people when the time came.

  “If the humans attack, you’ll have to kill them with these. Are you sure you’re prepared for that?”

  “Yes, sir! I’m sure it’ll be fun!”

  “Yeah, we’ll kill lots!”

  They gave me such pure smiles that it stung my conscience. It felt like I was teaching kids to murder. Except all the canines here were adults. I guess it’s up to me to make sure these guys have to fight as little as possible. Still, if they’re this effective, maybe I should get some more. I tasked a few of the most senior canine soldiers to return home to the forest and recruit more soldiers. Canine villages were populous, and I imagined between them all they had at least 1,000 young men.

  “Tell them that they’ll get a bonus of chicken skewers on top of their regular pay. And that there’s a lot of construction and fieldwork to go around here, so they’ll be able to dig as many holes as they like.”

  “We’ll do our best, sir!”

  They gave me a crisp salute and jogged off to the west. That should be good enough, I think. I still wasn’t sure what exactly motivated them...

  Apparently, Master had told Melaine and Firnir about my soldier shortages.

  “Oh, Vaito, you’re hopeless. I guess I’ll have to send you some of
my men, then.”

  “What are you grinning like a dunce for? Do you even have enough men to spare?”

  “Some of Master’s Bone Spears are still here... though I guess I can’t control them...”

  “Very well, I suppose I’ll have to lend you a few of my vampire necromancers, Fir. They’ll be able to mobilize Master’s undead for you. But in return, you’ll have to send me a few of your kentauros as well.”

  “Hey, no fair!”

  After that exchange, Firnir had organized a unit of 500 and sent them to me as reinforcements. The same reinforcements that were standing outside the north gate right now. The cavalry has arrived! Though they don’t actually ride horses...

  “I am Seishess...”

  A burly kentauros youth stepped forward. He had a finely chiseled face that was made slightly less impressive by his deep frown and furrowed brows. What’s he so mad about?

  “I’m not... mad... This is what I look like when I smile...”

  So he said, but as far as I could tell, he was still frowning. I had a hard time believing that was really him smiling, so I tried a little experiment.

  “Can you show me what your serious face looks like?”

  Seishess nodded, and continued frowning. Yeah, I don’t see any difference.

  “Okay, show me what you look like when you’re angry, then.”

  Seishess nodded, and continued frowning. All his expressions are the same!

  “No... they’re not...”

  Man, this guy’s gonna be a pain to deal with... According to Firnir, though, he was a well-respected warrior among the kentauros. Supposedly, he was the second-strongest after Firnir herself.

  “Do you... doubt me?”

  Hey, don’t you think you’re omitting a little too much of the sentence there? Though the fact that he was able to guess what I was thinking just from my expression proved that he wasn’t just some sulky musclehead. Not that that helped me figure out how to deal with him. Before I could respond, Seishess stripped off his shirt, and beckoned to me.

  “This is... a warrior’s greeting. If we fight, you’ll see...”

  Not this again. I guess kentauros are demons too, so I shouldn’t be so surprised they want to settle everything with a contest of strength.

  “Whoever pins the other down first... wins... That’s the only rule...”

  “Sounds like fun. I suppose I can indulge you.”

  If I backed down here, both the kentauros and my fellow werewolves would lose respect for me. This was a fight I couldn’t run from.

  “Guys, our boss is gonna fight against the kentauros captain!”

  “Get everyone over here!”

  Oi, don’t do that. But I was unable to stop them, and before long a large crowd of werewolves had gathered to see my wrestling match.

  As Seishess and I circled each other, I noticed he had the bearing of a true warrior. One who’d seen countless battlefields. He was clearly confident in his wrestling skills, too. If I didn’t do this right, the match would start to drag on. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but I was the Demon Lord’s vice-commander. It would shame my status if I was seen to be having a hard time against someone far below my rank. I needed to end this in one shot.

  “Bring it on...”

  “As you wish.”

  I transformed and instantly cast one of the spells I keep on standby. It was a strengthening spell that boosted the reaction speed of my nerves and enhanced my sensory organs. With this, I would be able to sense even the slightest movements my opponent made.

  “You’re mine!”

  The moment I saw an opening, I circled to Seishess’s rear. As kentauros were half-horse, they had a hard time executing tight maneuvers, meaning they had a lot of blind spots. Hence why they hated being attacked from behind.

  “Don’t underestimate me...”

  Seishess shot out his hind legs in a lightning-fast back kick. His kick was far too precise, far too calculated, to be a reflexive action. However, a kick like this was exactly what I’d been hoping for. Thanks to my enhanced kinetic vision, I was able to gauge the trajectory of his kick. In fact, because it was so accurate, its path was easy to read. I ducked low and slid underneath his torso. As I passed by, I slammed my fists into both of his front legs.

  “Impossible...”

  Seishess tumbled to the ground, where he lay in a momentary daze. Cheers rang out from the spectating werewolves. I placed a hand on Seishess’s flank and confirmed my victory.

  “I have you pinned. Do you surrender?”

  “Yes... It’s your win, Veight...” Seishess nodded gravely and got to his feet. He’d made sure to lean into the fall, so neither his legs nor his body were injured. The kentauros spectators gave us a respectful round of applause. “You... predicted my kick?”

  “I figured a warrior Firnir respected would be strong enough to have ways to compensate for his weaknesses. And since you were unarmed, I figured the only option you’d have was a kick.”

  “Yes...”

  “However, when you do a back kick like that, you’re forced to use only your front legs to balance. Which opened you up to another weakness I could exploit.”

  “I see...” Seishess nodded a few times. “Because you didn’t underestimate me, you were able to see through my attacks. I see, no wonder you’re so famous within the demon army.”

  “Since when were you so talkative?”

  Seishess scratched his head awkwardly and responded, “Sorry. When it comes to fighting... I get a little excited...”

  He trailed off and held out his hand.

  “I put myself... and my men... under your care, Veight.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be counting on you guys.”

  I took Seishess’s outstretched hand and shook it. Just then, Kurtz came running up to the main gate.

  “Sir Veight, you need to return at once! Something terrible has happened!”

  “What’s going on?”

  Kurtz leaned in close so the onlookers wouldn’t hear and whispered, “It’s the Hero. The human Hero has appeared on the northern front.”

  Occasionally, especially powerful demons known as ‘Champions’ appeared among the usual demon population. With their superior abilities, they tended to protect their race and lead them to prosperity. Those who were exceptional even among Champions became known as Demon Lords. They led and protected not just their own race, but all demon races. While people like Firnir and Dogg were nowhere near the Demon Lord’s level of strength, they were still powerful enough to be considered Champions of their respective races. Of course, I was just a regular werewolf who happened to be a reincarnated human.

  Since demons had Champions, it stood to reason that humans did too. Any human Champion who possessed strength rivaling that of a Demon Lord was known as a ‘Hero.’ We occasionally praised our own comrades by saying they were heroes, or that they achieved heroic feats, but the actual title of Hero was something that had to be officially granted by the state. No matter how powerful a warrior you were, you couldn’t just go calling yourself a Hero.

  “I see, so the Hero’s finally appeared...” Airia muttered uneasily. Since she was on our side now, the Hero was her enemy. Kurtz, who was sitting next to her, asked, “I’ve wondered this for a while, but why is that we call an opponent equal in prestige and power to the Demon Lord a Hero, and not a Human Lord?”

  “Oh, I can answer that for you.”

  Airia seemed at a loss for words, so I jumped in instead.

  “Demons revere strength, but humans don’t. While the strongest among us becomes a ruler, with humans you need to have the blood of a king to become king. Unless you’re born royalty, the only way to become a ruler is to create your own country or take over another person’s by force. Which is why Heroes don’t become ‘Lords.’”

  “Hmm, how strange.”

  Kurtz tilted his head quizzically as he wrote everything down in his notepad.

  “But without strength, how can you survive
a crisis? Wouldn’t a weak king be easy to remove?”

  “If you kill the current king, their children will just take over.”

  “What value is there in passing rulership to your offspring?”

  I was born in a democracy, so I wouldn’t know. However, Airia lifted her face and said, “Royalty and nobility are taught from birth what is necessary to be a good ruler. That’s why their children take over. No one would follow an incompetent ruler who only swaggers around. Even if they did, a nation ruled by one would soon crumble.”

  I forgot we had the ruler of a city sitting right here.

  “More importantly though, there is value in having the Hero not be our leader.”

  “What value would that be?”

  “The Hero can throw himself into dangerous situations without fear for his own safety. For even if he dies, the king will still be there to lead the people.”

  “I see... Thank you for such a logical explanation.”

  It was kind of amusing watching the exchange between Airia and Kurtz. Wait, now’s not the time to be thinking about stuff like that. The human version of the Demon Lord had just shown up. Regular demons like us wouldn’t stand a chance against the Hero. There were a few stories of “Tragic Heroes” who were unlucky enough to somehow be killed by weaker demons, but in reality that almost never happened.

  According to the reports Kurtz had brought, the Hero was somewhere on the northern front. Most of the second regiment was still split up, and the isolated units were fighting small-scale guerilla wars in enemy territory. In other words, they’d gotten lost and were resorting to banditry. The point was, however, that the Hero was now going around eliminating each of these isolated squads one by one.

  Because of how disorganized the battlefield had become, communication was delayed and it had taken a long time before the Hero’s existence had even become known. It didn’t help that the Hero had killed every last demon he’d found. Thanks to that, no one had any idea what the Hero’s abilities were, or what he looked like—or if he was even a he. I hadn’t wanted to get involved in the mess in the north, but now I really wanted to keep as much distance as I could. Unfortunately, though, this wasn’t something I could ignore. After all, the Hero’s ultimate goal was killing the Demon Lord. As if I’ll let that happen.