Chapter 2

After finishing off the soldiers in the square, I sternly instructed the subordinates who had rushed over:

"Do not kill those who offer no resistance. That is a military order. And tend to those who have surrendered."

With that, I headed towards the lord's manor.

A few soldiers were stationed in front of the manor, but upon seeing me, they cried out, "Aaaaaah!" and fled.

What impolite fellows. Still, I can't say I blame them.

A man who looked like a monster, with a skull mask, a pitch-black robe, and a sinister staff, drenched in blood, had just appeared.

The screams from the square probably didn't help their courage either. It would have been unreasonable to expect them to remain loyal to the end.

I entered the lord's manor boldly, not as a guest, but as a conqueror.

The lord was waiting in the study, an elderly man with a fine beard.

Clad in full armor, he had placed a longsword and a kite shield and was seated in a chair.

He showed no sign of being shaken by my sudden intrusion.

I had seen him command from a distance a few times in the field. His leadership was bold and his skills were considerable.

If this man hadn't been the commander, the casualties on both sides would have been much fewer.

The lord looked at me and said in a warrior's tone:

"I take it you are the commander of the Demon Army. Is that correct?"

I responded:

"That's right."

Then, out of respect for a fellow warrior, I asked:

"You have three options:

"One, surrender and become a prisoner of the Demon Army.

"Two, die honorably by your own hand.

"Three, secretly escape while I am looking out the window.

"Choose whichever you like."

I secretly hoped he would choose the third option, but I thought this man would likely choose a fourth option.

Indeed, the lord slowly shook his head and chose that option.

He picked up the longsword and kite shield that had been leaning against the wall and said:

"I hesitate to ask this now that the tide of battle has turned, but I would like to die as a warrior. I challenge you to a duel, renowned general of the Demon Army!"

Of course, that's what I expected. I'm not surprised, given the pride of the nobility.

I sighed inwardly and infused my staff, the Serpent Staff, with power.

I could have held back, but it would have been disrespectful to this brave man.

Moreover, this man was a renowned warrior. If I held back, there might be an unexpected outcome. I have already died once; I don't want to die again.

I decided to accept the noble's challenge with all my might, meaning I would end it in one strike.

I imbued my Serpent Staff with magic and swung it in a diagonal slash. The lord tried to behead me with a horizontal sweep of his longsword.

Both were fatal strikes, and if our skills had been equal, we would have both died instantly. Unfortunately, the difference in "power" was stark.

My strength, enhanced by the equipment of the Undying King, was far beyond what a human could match.

In an instant, the lord was struck by my diagonal slash and fell to the ground.

The lord was foaming at the mouth, clearly severely injured. His bones were shattered, and his internal organs were damaged.

I cast a healing spell on him and ordered my subordinates to tend to him as a prisoner.

After dismissing my subordinates, I sat in the chair the lord had been sitting in a moment ago.

"…Sigh."

I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

It would be a lie to say I felt no guilt for hurting someone. My past life was just a Japanese person. I can't get used to such a bloody battlefield.

"No, that's not true…"

I muttered to myself in rebuttal.

I know a few demons who retain memories of their past lives, but they have long since lost their human hearts.

I am the exception, still clinging to the heart of my past life.

As I thought this, I noticed a large mirror in the corner of the room. The reflection showed a black-robed mage drenched in blood, a typical demon mage.

But—

I removed the mask and robe of the Undying King.

The person there was unmistakably human. Black hair, black eyes, not particularly handsome, just an ordinary human. No horns, no fangs. A genuine human.

Yes, I, Ike, am not a demon with a Japanese past life, but a human with a Japanese past life.

Only three people know this secret, including myself.

One of them is a dead old man, so in this world, I am the only one who knows this secret.

If this secret were to be exposed, it would cause a great commotion. The man known as the Demon Army's right-hand man is actually human.

The demons would either toy with me until I died or the Demon Lord would grant me death directly. It's a choice between the two.

That's why the old man, who is now dead, used to tell me from a young age:

"Listen, Ike. No matter what, you must never take off that mask and robe."

That's why I only remove this equipment when I am alone.

My subordinates are also thoroughly trained. When I say I want to be alone, even the most foolish goblin won't come near me.

The training was thorough. I once severely punished a subordinate who broke this rule, so none of my subordinates would dare enter this room.

Even if other members of the Demon Army came, it would be the same. The room is now protected by a powerful barrier. No one, not even my subordinates, can enter.

That's why I can take a breather, but I had forgotten something important. I hadn't considered a certain possibility.

The possibility that someone was hiding in the room from the beginning.

I noticed a sound while I was without my mask and robe. A creaking sound came from a wardrobe in the corner of the room.

The wardrobe was slightly open.

I approached the wardrobe cautiously, preparing for the worst, and opened it.

—There was a girl inside.

A human girl, about 14 or 15 years old.

She had pale eyes and hair, porcelain-like skin, and was wearing a maid's uniform. She was likely a servant or maid in this manor.

The girl was trembling like a newborn fawn.

Her eyes said:

"Please, don't kill me."

She had tears in her eyes, but I felt like crying myself. I had just exposed a secret I had kept for nearly 20 years in this world.

And the person who discovered it was not a powerful demon or a human hero, but just a girl.

'Should I just kill her here?'

If I were a demon, that might have been an option, but unfortunately, I am human.

I haven't lost my human heart to the point of killing an unarmed, innocent girl.

I recomposed my stern expression, turned my back to the girl, and silently put on my mask and robe.

Once I had resumed my monstrous appearance, I spoke in a deliberately low voice:

"Understand, you saw nothing."

The girl seemed to be repeating the words to herself, trembling. She wasn't so dull as to not understand the meaning, but she didn't have the courage to speak. She nodded slightly, as if scolding her trembling body.

"That's right. You are the only person in this room. Do you understand?"

She seemed to have regained some composure.

This time, in a thin, almost inaudible voice, she replied:

"…Y-Yes, I am the only person in this room."

It was a satisfactory answer. I could have let her go and pretended nothing happened, but unfortunately, I am a cautious person.

"Good. I happen to need someone to take care of my personal affairs."

Until now, I had a goblin as a servant, but he was obedient yet lacked the sensitivity and consideration needed.

Monsters can't provide the same level of细腻的关怀 as humans.

Having a human girl as a maid wouldn't be a bad idea. Thinking this, I asked the girl:

"From today, you will be my maid. By the way, you have no right to refuse. There are only two people in this world who know I am human. One of them will never speak. In other words, if my secret gets out, it will be your doing."

The girl, with a stronger tone than before, denied it:

"I will never tell anyone about this. I swore to my dead mother that I would keep my promises, no matter what, even to demons."

"I'm not a demon, but thank you."

I couldn't help but chuckle, but I believed her words. She was a weak girl, but her core was strong. She was the type who would keep her promises. Confident of this, I asked her for her name:

"…Thirteen (13th)."

"Thirteen? That's an unusual name."

"…My mother's name was Two (2nd). The lord didn't give names to slaves, so we were called by numbers."

I see.

In this world, that's a common story.

From the lord's character, he didn't seem like the type to abuse slaves, but he also didn't seem interested in them.

He probably just found it too much trouble to give them names.

"Still, Thirteen is a harsh name and hard to call."

When I said this, the girl replied:

"…My mother used to call me Sati."

"I see, Sati. That's much easier to remember."

I'll call you that from now on. With that, I ordered her to wait there.

I needed to explain to the demon troops that I would have a human girl as a servant, and there was still post-battle cleanup to be done.

Both were tedious tasks, but as the commander of the Demon Army's battalion, I couldn't neglect them.