Chapter 35

The Devil's Castle, Dovolberg, has a place known as the Dueling Hall.

Until a few decades ago, this was where humans and beasts taken as captives were made to fight each other, and where demon clansmen who had committed crimes were pitted against each other.

The privileged class among the demon clans enjoyed the cruel scenes.

It could be said that this was typical of the demon clans, but similar things were done in ancient Rome and other places in the previous world.

It seems that intelligent beings, the higher their status, the more they tend to enjoy blood.

However, since the current Demon King took the throne, the Dueling Hall has not been used for such purposes.

In other words, this Dueling Hall has not 'drunk' blood for a while.

But tonight, for the first time in a long while, blood will flow in this Dueling Hall.

Once the duel that is about to take place is over, at least one of the following will be executed:

The 7th Legion Commander, the Black Catastrophe Witch, Sefiro, or

The 3rd Legion Commander, the Bloodstained Headless Duke, Basteo.

If possible, I would like to win and do Sefiro a favor...

But Sefiro is yawning in the VIP seat, right next to the Demon King.

Does she think she will definitely win,

or has she made some plan to escape if she loses?

It's hard to tell.

Sefiro is a hard person to read.

—Even though her life is on the line, that yawn is out of place.

I was exasperated, but for now, I am the one who will fight on her behalf.

I can't afford to worry about what Sefiro or the Demon King think.

I look at my opponent, Basteo.

He is, as his nickname suggests, headless.

A Dullahan, a headless knight of the undead, to be precise.

To be more accurate, he has his head, but he holds it under his arm.

When I try to meet his eyes, my gaze naturally drops.

However, I have been in the Demon King's army for a long time, and I still find the undead demon clans difficult to deal with.

Moreover, since he harbors hostility towards me, there is no reason for me to feel any goodwill towards him.

Basteo's head glared at me and said,

"Brat! Are you that smart-aleck kid, Like, who has been working in the 7th Legion recently?"

It's not Like, it's Ike.

It's a hassle to correct him, but I'll answer anyway.

"It's 'Ike,' Duke Basteo."

"Is that so, Ike? I never paid much attention to the 7th Legion. I'll try to be more careful in the future."

He snorted.

I am an adult, so I don't get angry, but I'll return his sarcasm with sarcasm.

"No, Duke Basteo, there's no need for you to remember a nobody like me."

"Hmm, modest, are you? So you know your manners, do you?"

"Yes, I was taught by my grandfather. Besides, there's no need for you to remember my name—"

I paused, took a moment, and then said,

"After all, you're going to lose here and leave in a miserable state. Remembering my name now would be pointless."

"..."

Basteo's face was a masterpiece when he heard that.

His face turned bright red.

Even though his torso and head are separated, how does the blood circulate?

Does he have a heart in his head?

It must be some mysterious power due to being an undead, but I won't worry about it.

After all, I won't be seeing him again.

I intend to crush him completely and make him the loser.

"Shall we begin, Duke Basteo?"

I said this but didn't ask for a handshake.

He probably wouldn't want one either.

In any case, Basteo and I waited in silence for the duel to begin.

The rules of the duel were as explained before.

We would command magic creatures made of mud prepared by the Demon King and compete as commanders.

The abilities of the magic creatures are exactly the same, so it's a pure test of the commanders' abilities.

Each of us would control 50 magic creatures and make them fight.

In other words, the outcome might already be decided before the fight even begins.

As expected, Basteo arranged his 50 magic creatures in the most orthodox formation.

20 archers for ranged attacks,

20 heavily armored pikemen to defend them,

and 10 swordsmen for the charge.

It's exactly the same as the first formation I thought of.

From this formation, it seems that Basteo is not incompetent.

He is, after all, the commander of the Demon King's army.

If he were incompetent, it wouldn't be interesting.

"Just a simple slaughter wouldn't be interesting."

I said this with a smirk.

Basteo also had a smug smile on his face.

He must be very confident.

What is the basis of his confidence?

I focused on his gaze.

"Ah, I see."

I understood the source of his confidence.

It seems that all of his soldiers are equipped with Damascus steel.

His spears, swords, shields, and armor are all made of Damascus steel.

Damascus steel is the best metal mined in the western part of this world.

It is not as magically strong as mithril or orichalcum, but it is more versatile.

It could be said to be the best weapon to give to ordinary soldiers.

However, it seems that the 3rd Legion has ample funds...

I couldn't help but look up at Sefiro in the VIP seat.

I wish she had given me equipment like that.

"Ah, well..."

I couldn't help but complain, but complaining won't change anything.

The funds for my undead regiment are not plentiful.

Our commander is a mad scientist who loves experiments.

A considerable portion of the military funds provided by the Demon King must be going into her pocket.

I wish she would allocate some of that to my regiment...

"Well, I'll just have to win with my wits and my cheat (gun)."

I muttered this and then heard the signal to start the duel.

The sound of a large bell echoed through the Dueling Hall.

At the same time, I gave orders to my magic creatures.

The formation of the magic creatures I command is as follows:

30 pikemen equipped with super-large kite shields.

While these pikemen defend against the enemy's attacks, 5 guns will attack the enemy.

Of course, the remaining 20 are not idle.

They have their roles.

First, 5 magic creatures fire their guns.

Then, the magic creatures who fired the guns retreat to the back.

Of course, they are equipped with matchlock guns.

They will fire these as well.

The remaining soldiers will support the reloading and powder loading of the soldiers who fired the guns.

This way, 10 guns can be used effectively.

10 guns can become 2 or 3 times as effective.

I looked at the person who developed this method.

A girl who was called "Oda Nobunaga" in my previous life.

I wonder what she would think of this method.

Would she give it a perfect score?

Or just a passing grade?

In fact, this is the method she used in the "Battle of Nagashino."

It is commonly known as the "three-shot system."

However, since I am using 2 guns, it's more like a "two-shot system."

In that sense, it is an incomplete method, but it is still effective.

If I had a sufficient number of musketeers, I could probably make any large army disappear in no time.

The matchlock gun is that powerful.

When you hear "matchlock gun," it might sound old-fashioned, but in the end, a gun is just a tube that fires a "bullet."

The matchlock gun has a large caliber, so it can fire a larger bullet.

Its power can even surpass that of modern rifles.

If you are hit by such a weapon, even the proud Damascus steel shield will be of no use.

It might be an exaggeration to say it's like paper,

but his prized equipment will be easily penetrated, and the magic creatures will collapse one after another.

They will crumble to the ground with a clatter.

Basteo, the Bloodstained Headless Duke, turned pale when he saw this.

He was raging red a moment ago, but now his face is pale.

"Wh-what, my proud magic creatures..."

His pride is in that expensive equipment.

I wanted to say that, but before I could, Basteo raised his voice.

"W-what are those tube-like things!? Are they magic wands!?"

I don't have to answer, but I'll respond anyway.

"These are matchlock guns."

"Matchlock guns!?"

He wouldn't understand even if I explained.

"You can interpret them as magic tubes if you like."

He is going to die.

There's no need for a detailed explanation.

All he needs to do is quietly go to the guillotine or be hanged.

—No, unfortunately, that's not possible.

After all, he is an undead headless duke.

You can't tie a rope around his neck or cut it off.

There are several ways to execute an undead, but which method will be used for Basteo?

I considered it, but I couldn't come to a conclusion.

The Demon King, who was in the VIP seat, stood up.

Basteo and I turned to face her and knelt almost simultaneously.

She looked down at me and praised me.

"Regiment Commander Ike of the Undead Regiment, well done."

I bowed, saying, "Thank you for your kind words."

Next, the Demon King looked down at Basteo.

Her gaze was extremely cold.

"—There are no words to say to a loser, but I do owe you for your long service. Basteo, I will give you two options."

One, she pointed a finger.

"To die honorably by your own hand here."

She then took a small bag from her pocket and threw it in front of Basteo.

The bag seemed to be filled with "Yurikaris' poison."

It's the Demon King's mercy, allowing him to die easily.

Basteo stared at the small bag but didn't move.

It seems he has no intention of committing suicide.

The Demon King presented the second option.

"Two, to be reduced to ashes by my Inferno Magic here and now—"

She said this and then made a blue-white flame appear on her palm.

It's a magic used by Demon King-level beings.

Its power is overwhelming.

Even a commander-level powerhouse like Basteo couldn't withstand it.

Basteo was sweating coldly.

But he is the commander of the Demon King's army, and he drew his saber with a haughty attitude and declared,

"Your Majesty, I will take the third option."

The Demon King said,

"Hmm..."

with interest.

She looked down at Basteo and continued,

"Meaning, you will defy me and take the Demon King's throne by force?"

Basteo bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I believe the demon clan that leads the Demon King's army should be me, not you."

"What is your basis for this?"

The Demon King answered briefly.

"Are you aware that the demon clans are whispering that the current Demon King's methods are too lenient?"

"I am aware."

"I share the same opinion. If the current Demon King continues to lead the Demon King's army, we will surely lose to the humans. I do not wish to see such a future."

"—I see, I understand your thoughts."

The Demon King paused for a moment and then said,

"However, it seems there is no need for you to choose the third option."

She then dispelled the flame on her palm.

She felt there was no need to finish him off herself.

Basteo looked surprised but quickly realized the Demon King's intention.

He turned to me and scrutinized me from head to toe.

"So, you mean to say, not the Demon King, but this young man will be my opponent?"

That's right. And at least remember my name.

I didn't say it out loud, but I infused my magic staff with magic power.

The staff glowed pale blue.

This is a duel.

It's not very mage-like, but I should fight with swords as a sign of respect to a commander.

As soon as I finished infusing the staff with magic power, Basteo attacked.

His sword technique was similar to that of the lord I defeated during the Arsenam campaign.

Perhaps it's because he is also a knight.

There is a legend that Dullahans are undead knights who committed many evil deeds in life and were resurrected as demons.

Perhaps he was a famous knight in life.

While thinking this, I blocked Basteo's sword with my staff.

A loud spark flew.

A blue-white wave of magic power surged.

It seems that as a commander, he has a high-quality sword pre-infused with magic power.

However, he couldn't break this magic staff.

This staff was left to me by my grandfather