Chapter 41

Jiron had brought the set of armor, which had a large eagle emblem on the shoulder. It was probably the emblem of some noble, but its origin was unknown.

It could be from a well-known noble, or just a low-ranking knight. However, such things didn’t matter. The important thing was whether it would fit me or not. I tried on the armor.

—Hmm, it seems to be fine.

It felt a bit large, but stuffing some cotton should do the trick. I put on the helmet and left the tent that served as my command post. The first to exclaim in admiration was Lilith.

"Very impressive, Sir Ike."

She lifted one foot and praised me as if she were doing a little dance. However, since she would praise me no matter what I wore, it wasn’t very reliable.

The important thing was whether I looked human or not. She gave me the answer.

"You look just like a human. There’s no worry of being seen through."

I sighed in relief upon hearing her words.

"Yes, from any angle, you look just like a human, sir."

Jiron also chimed in.

"If it looks like a success, then it is a success."

Well, when you think about it, I am human, so it’s only natural that I would look human once I took off the robes and mask of the Undead King. Being surrounded by demons sometimes makes me feel like I’m not human.

Now that I knew I was fine, the problem was my partner.

Taking Jiron along was out of the question. He couldn’t be relied on for physical tasks, and his intellect was nothing to write home about. Bringing along a small orc would be meaningless.

The goal of this operation was to infiltrate the capital of Ismus by blending in with the defeated soldiers and rescue the dwarf king amidst the chaos.

If I brought an orc along, the plan would be ruined.

Thus—

The dragonman Sigan was automatically out of the running. He was a humanoid demon, but his face was clearly that of a dragon. There was no point in bringing him along.

"……"

I sighed and turned my gaze to Lilith. She was a demon, but quite close to human form. The only differences between a succubus and a human were the tail and fangs. If she could hide those, she would look almost human. Her brown skin might stand out, but it could be explained as being from the south.

"……Sigh, I have to work with this girl again."

I didn’t mind working with a beautiful woman, but this girl had no sense of moderation.

I sighed again and ordered Lilith to disguise herself as a human. She happily complied.

Lilith usually wore tight, prostitute-like clothing that showed off her body. Her skirt was intentionally short to make her legs look seductive, but it also revealed her tail.

At first, I thought about having her wear a frilly dress like a noble lady, but that would be unnatural.

It would be strange for a woman to visit the prison where the dwarf king was being held.

So, I decided to have her disguise herself as a female knight. Full plate armor would hide her tail, and her fangs wouldn’t be visible as long as she didn’t open her mouth. The problem was whether she could keep quiet during the operation—

Lilith confidently said,

"Leave it to me!"

Her fangs were already showing. I gave up and decided to have her wear a full-face helmet.

"—I can’t see Sir Ike’s handsome face very well—"

I ignored her muffled voice. I wanted to infiltrate the capital of Ismus while it was in chaos. If we lingered, reinforcements might come from nearby cities.

Our forces numbered only 200. If we were overwhelmed by numbers from all sides, we would be the ones to fall. I wanted to avoid that.

The only way to avoid that was to infiltrate the capital quickly. I and Lilith blended in with the defeated soldiers and entered the city.

†

The capital of Ismus was quite magnificent.

It didn’t match the scale of Rizas, where I had gone with Sati, but it was the second largest.

The cobblestone streets were well-maintained, and the road leading to the palace was lined with grand merchant houses and noble mansions.

Lilith suggested, "Shall we steal some treasure?"

I rejected her suggestion. Our goal was the dwarf king Gunther alone. If we could make him our ally, the dwarves who respected him would also join us.

His value couldn’t be measured in gold. What the Demon King’s army needed was not wealth but technology. The dwarves were the race that could provide that.

The quickest way to make them our allies was to make their king our ally, which was why I came here.

At this point, treasure was irrelevant.

Lilith said, "Pfft," in disappointment but still followed me.

The prison where the dwarf king Gunther was being held was at the edge of the capital.

It was a shabby place, not worthy of a king. The place where Alistair, the leader of the White Rose Knights, was held looked more like a noble’s summer retreat.

"Do not show disrespect to a king of a nation."

That was my honest reaction. Lilith responded with a surprised look.

"But, this is how subhumans are treated by humans, isn’t it?"

"……"

Lilith’s answer hit the mark. This shabby prison well represented how subhumans were treated by humans.

Humans could easily kill each other just because of differences in race or religion. This was true in both my previous life and this world.

Especially in this world, where concepts like human rights and ethics were not rooted. Expecting mercy or compassion for the defeated might be a mistake.

"What a troublesome world I was reborn into."

I muttered to myself and headed for the prison gate to rescue the king.

There was only one guard at the prison gate. Perhaps due to the emergency, even the guards were being mobilized. We had arrived at the perfect time. I told Lilith to stay focused and approached the guard.

"Thank you for your hard work."

I spoke in a commanding tone. The armor had a noble’s emblem. It would be suspicious if I acted too humble. As expected, the guard saluted respectfully.

"Thank you, sir!"

The guard, who looked like a young man, answered with a tense expression. I showed him a fake order that Jiron had made.

"By order of the king, the dwarf king Gunther is to be transferred to another prison."

The young man looked surprised.

"Are you transferring Lord Gunther? I haven’t heard of such an order."

"The enemy is at our doorstep. There’s also information that some dwarves might rise up. The king believes we must transfer him quickly."

I deliberately raised my voice in frustration. I intended to push the point that it was urgent. However, this young man seemed unusually serious.

"Let me see the order."

He asked to see the order, and I had no choice but to sigh. No matter how dedicated he was, it wouldn’t increase his pay. Moreover, by doing this, his fate was sealed.

As expected, the young man’s face changed.

"T-this is a fake order!?"

At the same time, he was hit hard on the head by Lilith. It felt like déjà vu.

I had seen a similar scene before. Lilith took off her helmet and smiled seductively.

"Sir Ike, let’s do this the usual way. It’s more time-consuming to do it the roundabout way."

As she said, the guards noticed the commotion and approached. I agreed with her, but I gave her an additional order.

"Try to avoid unnecessary killing."

Lilith said, "Okay," in a carefree tone and approached the guards. She seemed to be taking them down with hand-to-hand combat without drawing her sword. I sighed in relief and headed deeper into the prison. Lilith asked, "Which way?"

I replied, "To Gunther."

I had no information on where he was being held, but it was a standard practice to keep important prisoners in the deepest part, where the security was the tightest. I ran in the direction the soldiers were coming from while casting a spell.

It was a Shock spell.

The soldiers rushing at us were blown away by the shock and hit the walls. I was using the minimum level of power, so I didn’t think they would die, but it was pitiful to see them hit the stone walls.

I kept knocking down the soldiers, but their numbers gradually decreased. It seemed we had reached the deepest part.

There, I found an old man sitting behind iron bars. He had a stout, beer-barrel-like build, a magnificent mustache, and a beard.

I had seen dwarves many times since being reborn in this world, but I could tell at a glance that this man was the king who ruled over the dwarves.

He had such a regal presence. I instinctively knelt on one knee. That was the proper etiquette for a king.

The dwarf king Gunther seemed to have not lost his royal dignity. He stood up and looked down at me.

"Who are you?"

A low voice came from behind his white beard.

"I am Ike, the deputy commander of the Demon King’s 7th Army."

He seemed genuinely surprised upon hearing my words.

"I only see a human."

"……I am using a transformation spell."

There was no way I could or should say that I was actually a human.

To prove that we were demons, I ordered Lilith to take off her armor.

Gunther looked her over from her feet to her head and seemed to confirm that we were demons.

"I see, so you are indeed demons."

He stroked his magnificent beard and said,

"Does this mean that the Demon King’s army has defeated Rozaria and occupied even Ismus?"

"Why do you think so?"

"It wouldn’t be possible otherwise."

"No, unfortunately, your assumption is incorrect. The Demon King’s army has not yet conquered Rozaria. We are currently engaged in fierce battles around Rozaria’s capital, Rizas."

Gunther’s eyes widened in surprise for the first time.

"Are you mocking me? You mean to say that you attacked the capital of Ismus while Rozaria is still standing?"

"That’s right."

I said firmly, and Lilith added,

"Our presence here and the noise from outside the city are proof enough."

"……Indeed, that is true. So, you mean to say that you cut through the turmoil of Rozaria and launched a surprise attack on the capital of Ismus?"

"Yes, that’s right."

The dwarf king fell silent again and said, "It’s hard to believe."

"……However, looking at the facts, your words don’t seem like a lie. I will believe you. And since someone of your caliber has come here, I can guess your reason."

The dwarf king was indeed a wise man. The people of Ismus were foolish. If I could gain this man’s cooperation, I could command many excellent dwarves.

"You want the technical skills of my dwarves, don’t you?"

Gunther asked straightforwardly.

"That’s right."

I answered honestly. I thought that neither lies nor threats would work on this man.

Perhaps my thoughts reached him, and the dwarf king stood up from his chair.

"……Very well. I am a prisoner anyway. I have no choice. Take me with you."

His tone had a sense of resignation. Perhaps he had been in prison for a long time.

I had heard that he was a middle-aged dwarf, just over 80 years old, but he looked older than his actual age.

While thinking about this, I broke the iron bars and removed Gunther’s chains.

He said, "Hmm…" in admiration at my skill.

"Is this magic? It’s quite convenient. So, you are a mage who came to kidnap me."

Lilith contradicted him.

"No, grandpa, Sir Ike is not just a mage. He is the strongest mage in the Demon King’s army."

"……"

I glanced at Lilith, who said this with confidence.

I didn’t know if her exaggerated description was true, but to continue being called that, I had to keep winning.

To do that, we had to escape the capital before the chaos subsided and return to Ivalice before the enemy could catch up.