Chapter 68

"Are we hiring human mercenaries?"

The one who spoke was the orc strategist Jiron, who had returned at some point.

Lilith, the succubus deputy, also exclaimed in surprise.

"That means we're giving weapons to humans and fighting alongside them, right?"

Lilith strongly opposed.

"If we do that, we don't know when they might stab us in the back!"

Jiron also agreed.

"Lilith's lady is right. It's too dangerous. I'm strongly against it. What about you, Sigan?"

Jiron asked the dragonman Sigan, seeking agreement.

"I have no objections to Lord Ike's strategy."

Sigan said only that.

The opinions of the unit leaders were valid.

I had an obligation to explain to them.

"You must have sensed it by now. The Demon King's, no, my intention is to coexist with humans."

"..."

The group fell silent.

"That can be seen from the Demon King's policies and Lord Ike's actions. But, fighting together seems impossible, doesn't it? Will the humans even cooperate?"

"..."

That was unknown.

I had boasted confidently in front of the Demon King, but I didn't know what would happen.

I had issued a proclamation through influential people in the city.

I had also inquired about mercenaries in nearby towns, but I didn't know how many would gather.

I had to consider the possibility that none would come.

As I was thinking this, the maid Sati came hurriedly.

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

She was unusually flustered.

Her words were Jiron's catchphrase, but I never expected to hear them from Sati.

What could have happened? Did cockroaches appear, or did she see a mouse the size of a kitten?

As I was thinking this, she, out of breath, pulled my arm.

Sati led me to the window and pointed outside.

My mansion in Ivalice is in the center of the city. In front is a square, which is usually a place for citizens to relax.

However, the people there were not citizens.

"There are many mercenaries gathered. And the volunteers are here too."

Lilith also came closer upon hearing this.

"It's true. There are many humans gathered."

Lilith exclaimed in shock and began to count.

"One, two, three, ... Ah, stop moving, it's hard to count."

"Lady, it's impossible to count. There are quite a few, that's for sure."

"Right, I'd say about 300 people."

It was a rough estimate, but it was probably not far off.

"Will they all be on our side?"

Lilith asked.

"Probably."

The men who looked like mercenaries were all armed.

The citizens who looked like volunteers were all young or middle-aged men.

They all looked strong and capable.

After confirming this, I turned to Jiron.

"Do we have enough weapons for the volunteers?"

Jiron nodded but still asked worriedly.

"But, is it really okay? They might start a rebellion the moment we give them weapons."

"We'll deal with it when it happens. If they rebel here, coexistence with humans is impossible."

"... You're bold, sir."

"Maybe I'm just resigned."

In fact, that was true.

If they rebel the moment we give them weapons, I'm not the man I thought I was.

However, a girl spoke up for me.

Sati, unusually, expressed her opinion to everyone.

"Don't worry! It won't happen. They don't look like cowards. And I can't imagine anyone betraying you!"

Sati's loud voice made the unit leaders look at her, but she remained resolute.

In any case, to respond to her, I went to the square where the humans had gathered.

We had to discuss:

The reward,

The formation of the unit,

The future strategy,

There was much to talk about.

And time was short.

The 7th Legion, led by Sefiro, was likely in a difficult situation.

I wanted to reach her as soon as possible and rescue her.

Thus, the Undead Legion grew in size.

Originally a 600-strong unit, it had grown to nearly 1,000.

The dwarven warriors led by King Gunther were small but strong.

Each carried a battle axe larger than themselves.

The mercenaries were also formidable.

They were armed with longswords, greatswords, maces, and spears, but all had the faces of seasoned warriors.

The volunteers were also eager.

They were residents of Ivalice who had joined as volunteers out of loyalty to me.

Though they lacked combat experience, numbers were strength.

Moreover, an army is not just about frontline combat.

Even without combat experience, they could support logistics and supply units.

With this in mind, I began to form the units.

Lilith asked:

"Should we form the units with humans together and dwarves together?"

"That would be best."

I answered.

Gunther also agreed.

"Each race has its own way of fighting. That's the most reasonable approach."

The veteran hero and dwarf king also approved.

Lilith nodded but made this suggestion.

She whispered in my ear, her tone and suggestion devilish.

Or rather, she was a devil.

"Let's put the humans on the front lines. Use them as our shield. And let's form a special unit that can attack them if they flee or betray us."

"..."

So, she still didn't trust the humans.

Lilith was proposing to form a 'battle supervision unit' to monitor our own troops from the rear and attack any deserters or traitors.

"Can you do something like that, like in the old communist countries?"

"Old communist countries?"

Lilith looked puzzled.

"I'm saying it's inefficient and wasteful. Anyway, we need to trust the humans who have gathered."

I added, "Don't cause any trouble," and warned Lilith.

Lilith said, "Okay," and left to prepare her unit.

Looking at her retreating figure, I thought:

Will this battle go well?

With the addition of humans and dwarves, the Undead Legion had grown to nearly 1,000.

In terms of numbers, it was a formidable force, perhaps half a legion.

However, in return, we had the handicap of coordinating between demons and humans.

According to the Demon King, this was the first time in the history of this world.

Could I handle this great responsibility?

As I was thinking this, a girl seemed to read my mind and spoke to me.

"Born a human, raised by demons, you can do it. No one else can."

The speaker was the Demon King herself.

She was mounted on a black steed from the netherworld.

"Your Majesty, that horse?"

"This is my beloved steed, 'Kibaguma.'"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Never mind the white streaks on its black coat. It's a trivial matter."

Incidentally, Kibaguma was the name of the famous horse ridden by Oda Nobunaga, her supposed past life. But that was irrelevant. Why had she come on horseback?

I had a rough idea but asked anyway.

"Surely you're not coming to fight?"

She nodded silently.

I calmly tried to dissuade her.

"It's dangerous for the Supreme Commander to join the battle."

This girl, no, the Sixth Heaven Demon King, was one of the most powerful demons.

If she joined us, she could be a formidable asset, but there were risks.

Demons were strong but not invincible.

She could be hit by a stray arrow, or there might be a 'hero' among the enemies capable of countering the Demon King.

Even the strongest can be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

That's the nature of battle and war.

She wasn't so foolish as to not understand this.

As I was thinking this, she spoke.

"Don't worry, I won't fight. I just want to see your battle up close."

She continued:

"I won't lend a hand in your battle at all. I just want to see how you fight and live."

And, with a slight twist of her lips, she concluded:

"If you start to lose, I'll be the first to run. I'm surprisingly good at running away."

"..."

She was probably referring to the Battle of Katsurahama, where she fled from the Akechi clan.

She was betrayed by her brother-in-law, Asai Nagamasa, while attacking the Akechi clan. She fled to Kyoto with her ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and her subordinate, Hashiba Hideyoshi, as rearguard.

This story is not about her cowardice or incompetence but about her competence.

A 'great general' knows when to retreat.

If I lost and she felt her life was in danger, she would likely ride away from the battlefield.

—Then there's no problem taking her with me.

I decided to have the Demon King join us.

In any case, I had no choice.

She was the Supreme Commander of the Demon Army.

There was no option to refuse.

But, just to be sure, I made one last request.

"If anything happens, please retreat immediately."

She smiled at this.

"Fool, I know that already."

She said this with a smirk and concluded:

"Besides, I don't think anything will happen."

Was she confident that I wouldn't lose, or that she could escape?

It was hard to tell, but in any case, we decided to head to Alesta to rescue Sefiro.