Chapter 10

†† (From Jiron, the Oak's Chief of Staff's Perspective)

Honestly, what is my regiment commander, Ike, thinking?

Rotation system?

What’s that?

Give rewards to humans?

What’s that?

I’ve never heard of such a precedent.

Usually, humans captured by the Demon Army are slaves.

We don’t pay them any rewards.

We give them the bare minimum of food and drive them to work with whips. That’s common sense and tradition.

We’ve been ruling humans this way since my great-grandfather’s time.

Change it now? Don’t be ridiculous.

I wanted to argue against it, but I didn’t.

Demons must never defy a higher-ranking demon. That’s the ironclad rule. But more than that, I respect Lord Ike.

I’ve been under his command for three years. At first, I lamented being assigned to a brash young commander, but now I’m a complete believer in him.

After all, since he formed this Undead Regiment, his achievements have been remarkable. We’ve taken five fortresses and captured two cities.

On the battlefield, he has defeated countless armies, earning the nickname "The Demon Army's Right Hand."

If he continues to accumulate such achievements, he might become a division commander. If that happens, I’ll get the title of division commander’s chief of staff. Lord Ike’s work is so impressive that he’s given me such a dream.

I believe that dream will come true in the near future.

After all, he completed the repair of the city gates in just one month. No, Lord Ike isn’t just strong physically; his mind is also incredible.

I’d love to peek inside his head. I bet it’s packed with more brains than mine.

I never would have dreamed he could come up with such a method.

Rotation system? I still don’t fully understand that system, but the "reward system" he proposed afterward made sense to me.

Ah, this guy is a genius.

Lord Ike divided the hired laborers and engineers into 20 groups and made them work day and night, in shifts.

That alone was an unexpected approach, but he further boosted their motivation by adding the "reward system."

The reward system is like this: it’s a carrot dangled in front of them.

The group that works the most in a week gets a bonus. It’s a very simple system, but its effectiveness is immediate.

Since the top three groups get a pay raise, every group works their hardest.

As a result, the fortress was repaired six times faster than usual.

If the humans were to attack, they’d be shocked.

“W-What, the Demon Army can repair a fortress in just one night?”

The human scouts who came to reconnoiter must have been amazed when they saw the repaired walls after just one month.

Anyway, I’m truly impressed by this whole affair.

I’m now certain that this man will definitely become a division commander in the future.

No, it’s not just that. He might even become the next "Demon Lord."

Lord Ike’s work is so impressive that I can say this with confidence.

I will never leave his command.

If I follow him, I’m guaranteed to advance.

Leaving him would be a loss.

I may not be the smartest, but I’m certain of this.