Chapter 72

I stood at the entrance of the castle, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the letter containing the secret that my mother had given me.

Of course, I wasn't unhappy, but it seemed that those around me were more excited than I was.

Especially Jiron, who was overjoyed.

Almost daily, he would praise me with a heavy breath.

"Sir, I always knew you would become a legion commander someday!"

Perhaps because I had become a legion commander,

he asked if I should have a silk robe custom-made to look more like a legion commander's advisor.

Lilith, the succubus, would often interject with her comments.

"Jiron, it's true that Sir Ike has been promoted to legion commander, but he hasn't said a word about making you his advisor. Have you considered the possibility that he might demote you instead?"

She would laugh softly, "Hee hee."

Jiron, upon hearing this, would look at me with a pale face, his eyes wide like a puppy that had been abandoned.

Feeling sorry for him, I would defend him.

"Lilith, this one has his uses. I intend to continue having him serve as my advisor."

Jiron, upon hearing these words, would literally dance with joy.

On the other hand, Lilith, despite her carefree and bold nature, seemed worried.

She looked up at me and said,

"Sir Ike, in the newly established 8th Legion, will I still be able to accompany you? I won't be left behind in the 7th Legion, will I?"

Lilith, though carefree and bold, seemed to have a sense of unease.

I answered her question clearly.

"The battalion leaders of the Undead Battalion will all be transferred to the 8th Legion. Everyone will be promoted. From battalion leaders to legion commanders."

Upon hearing this, Lilith, along with Jiron, began to dance, shouting, "Yay!"

In this scene, the only one who remained calm was the dragonman, Shigan.

He didn't celebrate the promotion but asked a question in a calm, advisor-like tone, more so than Jiron.

"Does this mean that there will be no new reinforcements for the 8th Legion, which is the Undead Battalion?"

I replied briefly.

"There won't be."

Shigan was the only one who seemed to realize the importance of these words.

Jiron and Lilith were just staring blankly.

I had to explain it to them.

"The Undead Battalion currently has about 1,000 members. We need to form a legion with this number."

Jiron finally seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.

"Wait, isn't that strange? Normally, a legion is made up of at least 3,000 members, right?"

That was correct. Normally, each legion has a minimum of 3,000 members, and can go up to 5,000 to 6,000.

1,000 members are not even enough for half a legion.

"It's fine. We, the Undead Battalion, are an invincible battalion. That won't change even if we become a legion!"

Lilith declared this forcefully, but she remained as carefree as ever.

By becoming a legion commander, I now had more freedom, but that also meant more responsibility.

Before, I only had to defend the city of Ivalice and follow Sefiro's orders, but now, things are different.

With my promotion to legion commander, the cities around Ivalice are now under my control, and I need to allocate troops there.

1,000 members might seem like a lot, but this number includes the humans and dwarves who recently joined.

I don't distrust them, but it's too early to entrust the governance of a city to a non-demon battalion commander.

If I did, it would surely provoke resistance from other demons.

The reason the Demon King appointed me as a legion commander is to skillfully use humans and sub-humans and demonstrate their usefulness to other demons, showing that coexistence with humans is beneficial.

I want to show this as soon as possible, but rushing is not the answer.

Whether in my previous life or in this different world, organizations resist change.

I need to proceed slowly but steadily, showing results to the other legion commanders.

The first step is to strengthen our forces.

I conveyed this to everyone, and they all seemed to understand.

"In other words, Sir, your plan is to temporarily leave the governance of other cities to demon battalion commanders and focus on building a force centered around humans and dwarves, right?"

Jiron, unusually, summarized my intentions.

"That's right. It can't be helped that the demon forces will decrease, but this is the best course of action for now."

Or rather, it's the only path left.

Lilith was the most surprised by these words. She panicked and said,

"Wait, wait, are you saying that I might become the lord of another city?"

"It's possible," I replied, half-jokingly, but her reaction was more than I expected.

"I absolutely refuse. If I have to leave Sir Ike, I don't want to be a battalion commander. No, I don't even want to be a battalion leader. I'll be a regular soldier, but please keep me by your side."

Her expression and tone were serious.

If I appointed her as a lord, she might really submit her resignation on my desk.

This would be a problem, so I reassured her.

"Don't worry. It's normal for an adjutant to stay by the general's side. You'll be part of the Ivalice contingent."

Lilith sighed in relief.

"That's right, the adjutant and the commander are a set, as has been decided since ancient times."

Jiron followed up.

"The advisor is part of the set too, Sir."

"Yes," I replied, but I remembered that when I was promoted to deputy commander, Sefiro didn't keep me close.

At that time, it was impossible to move the Undead Battalion from the front lines in Ivalice.

I recalled this, but there was no need to bring it up and worry Lilith.

Everyone was celebrating and enjoying the promotion.

I wasn't so tactless as to dampen their spirits.

https://14615.mitemin.net/i247558/

This is the cover of the third volume of the book "The Strongest Magician in the Demon Army Was a Human."