63 - 第六话 「とある女官长の受难」

--Evil is the demon.

This is that needs no reiteration. It is a common understanding of mankind that even children know. I, like many others, was taught this way growing up.

< that are natural enemies of mankind living in the realm of demons, and that resemble beasts living in various parts of the world, are also called demons.

Some scholars may argue that we should use different names for each of them, but it does not matter to me. They are all equally threatening. They are enemies of mankind, mindless monsters, vicious barbarians, and horribly abominable monsters. They are demons.

......At least, that was definitely the case until just a few days ago.

How did this happen? I still don't understand. No, I am not in a position to say that I can't catch up with my understanding, but to tell the truth, I am still confused because the difference between the common sense I had before and the reality before my eyes is too big.

Alkimaira, the land of many demons.

A land of demons that calls itself an otherworldly country.

With only one exception, everyone who lives there is considered a demon, a fearsome land of demons.

Some of the inhabitants are said to be human beings, such as elves and beastmen, but according to the common knowledge of this country, they are also called demons. This story reminds us of what common sense really is. If you ask this to the scholars who grew up in the safety of the city, I am sure they will show you a very amused reaction.

"All right, let's clean up the debris there and move to E8. We'll have everything around the castle by the end of the day.

"Aisa. ...... By the way, where am I supposed to dump all this debris?"

"Don't throw it away, you idiot. Don't throw it away, you idiot. Take it to the collection center. Our craftsmen are waiting with bated breath.

No, I'd rather show you the view out the window. It may not be a pleasant reaction, but it is usually the scholars of the human species who argue with each other in a way that is neither poisonous nor medicinal. I don't care if they go crazy. I would rather they go to hell.

But even if you are not a scholar, you will doubt your sanity when you see this scene.

For outside the window, a giant larger than a house and a Kobold riding on his shoulder are talking to each other.

It is generally accepted that demons have little connection with other races. Even when they do live in groups, they are at best tribes or herds, and it is extremely rare for them to form sophisticated organizations of multiple species. It is for this reason that humans, who are inferior in terms of the strength of life, have been able to achieve prosperity with the weapon known as , as we all know.

Nevertheless, outside the window, Kobolds, smaller than the human species, were giving instructions to the giants, who are considered to be stupid and violent demons, as if it were natural. It is hard to believe, but the Kobold on his shoulder seems to have a higher rank, and he is smashing the giant's head with a popcary.

"Oh, and be mindful of your surroundings around here. Don't make the mistake of letting your big frame crash into the castle! We're here to help with the reconstruction and it would be a shame to destroy the building.

"Hey, hey. Yes, sir.

The giant, urged on by Kobold, grabs the debris and wreckage around the castle and leaves. They are demons from Alkimaira, our ally dispatched to assist in the reconstruction of our country.

The most striking of all is the work of the Titans. With two fingertips, they pick up and carry away the huge wreckage, which would normally take more than a dozen people to remove with equipment. The cleanup work around the castle should have just started this morning, but it was being completed in less than a few hours. I can only laugh when I think of the dozens of days it would have taken if it had been just our own people of Lattestwood.

Moreover, they are extremely fuel-efficient despite their huge size.

No, they should be able to eat a reasonable amount of food with their huge body, but when they eat, they become human beings.

It is absurd to think about it again, but it seems that every single one of the people living in his country has been given the ability to transform from the king. By using this ability, they are able to take on the likeness of a human being, or even a completely human form. This means that even if they are giants with a body over 20 meters in height, they are able to eat within the human diet.

The client asks us to take care of the meals of the dispatched workers as compensation for dispatching them, but considering the labor force provided, it is a small price to pay. In fact, it seems too light.

...... Perhaps this is a favor from his king.

I won't speculate now that there is something behind it. At first, I misunderstood that he was the king of demons and thought that he was a demon king himself, and that he would be forced into servitude in the name of his fellow countrymen, but that misunderstanding has already been cleared up.

After all, that king not only refused to take custody of Leifa-sama, but also handed over his autonomy and saved all those who had suffered unhealed wounds right in front of his eyes. Even at the cost of his own life.

Judging from the reaction of the Alkimaila leaders who were present at the meeting, it was probably a very dangerous act. It seemed as if their lives were even in danger. I still remember the sight of him clenching his teeth, stifling his cries of anguish, his legs twitching, and still standing until the end.

I am aware that I am a half-elf with a hard head, but I am not so blind or shameless as to believe him to be a demon king after seeing him like that. I do not seek servitude. I want to be a good neighbor. His king really wants to be on friendly terms with us (RATESTWOOD).

I don't understand it because of .......

I tried to organize the information by writing a memoir like this, but still no luck. It is as if I cannot understand the king's thoughts.

I'm trying my best to throw away my common sense and eliminate my preconceived notions, but I can't understand a single piece of it, perhaps because I'm too hard-headed. However, seeing that the other ladies are also puzzled, I don't think this is a problem of my own.

......Oh, no. I still don't get it. I don't understand it at all. For what reason would his king send a man to be in charge?

"--yaaaahhhh!"

A scream like ripping silk.

A high-pitched wail filled the small castle and penetrated the wooden door to the room.

Wenli, a close aide of Queen Leifa of Rattestwood, the owner of the room with the words <> engraved on the door, suddenly stops moving her brush.

However, he does not rush out of the room.

Nor does she stiffen at the sudden scream.

She just put her writing brush on the tabletop and held her head in her hands as if she was trying to endure a headache.

Then, after taking a deep, deep breath and letting it all out from the prone position, the chiefess Wenli mutters helplessly.

"...... has begun?

His voice was laced with a hint of fatigue that he could not hide.

+ + +

The Seventh Legion is one of the eight legions that Alkimaira boasts to the world.

Some of its members have been dispatched from Alkymyra's home country to assist in the reconstruction of the capital and the settlement of Rattestwood.

The Seventh Legion is the main producer in Alkimaira in peacetime. Craftsmen in blacksmithing, woodworking, metal carving, sewing, leatherworking, and all other fields related to production are gathered here to study their skills daily and to play a role in the foundation of the secondary industry.

It is not that other corps do not have their own craftsmen, but it can be said that the Seventh Corps has gathered leading craftsmen representing each field. Especially in the field of magical engineering, the Seventh Corps has a high level of technology that stands apart from the rest of the corps, and is even outstanding in comparison with the powerful countries of the World III.

The head of such a technical group is the youngest demon among the eight legionnaires.

He is a natural-born craftsman and pioneer, born of a mixture of dwarf and dwarf race.

He loved freedom.

He hated constraint more than anything else.

He was as innocent and jovial as he appeared, always remembering to have fun, living each day to the fullest, as if the concept of a had taken shape. That is Robin, Commander of the Seventh Legion.

--Yes.

He was a boy who loved freedom more than anyone else, unbound by anything, like the wind in the meadow.

"Hyahhhhhh!"

And a little too free.

"Blue, 60 points!　Light blue, 65 points for the design!　White, good job on the basics. 70 points!　Oh, black against a mature face!　The gap between the two is very effective, and it's a high score. 85 points!　YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Robin sprinted down the corridor and quickly got to her feet as soon as she spotted the courtesan. She then hooks her arms around the inside of her dress skirt and raises them in a hail of bullets. The natural result was that the skirt was fully exposed. He quickly glances at her and inspects the contents with hunter-like eyes.

Color, shape, and decoration are the basics. But Robin, an expert in the field, does not stop there. He strictly evaluates more than ten items, such as the harmony and gap when compared to the face and personality of the wearer. Then, as soon as the scores are instantly calculated, they announce them in a loud voice peculiar to children, and run off to their next prey.

The woman, who had no idea what had just happened, came to her senses and let out a high-pitched shriek as soon as her skirt, which had been blown up to a large size, regained its original shape. Such scenes are occurring in a chain of events all over Ogi.

"............ Huh."

Wenli let out an involuntary sigh as he came out into the hallway with heavy steps.

On the first day, he had run out into the hallway when he heard the screams, but now it had become a part of his daily routine.

A young woman with a short cut was crouching near the room. If Wenli remembers correctly, this is the second time that she has been attacked.

It is silly to think about such a thing seriously, but it seems that his crime was not indiscriminate. He seems to select his victims on a daily basis to prevent the women from becoming accustomed to his actions. However, for some reason, I, as the head of the women's section, seemed to be the exception to the rule, and I continued to be victimized day in and day out. Wenli sighs for the second time, thinking that she can no longer react as naively as these women do.

The officer, who was crouching down holding the hem of her skirt, let out a weak voice when she saw Wenli coming out of her office.

"We, Chief Wenli... ......"

"I'm not the Warrior Chief anymore. I'm a female chief. ...... and you are again?"

"...... Yes, again. The chief wench."

Wenli put her hand on her forehead and looked up at the ceiling. It had been six days now. He no longer had the energy to be angry.

All the women working in the castle, including Wenli, the chief priestess, are dressed in the same uniform.

A navy blue one-piece skirt and a ruffled white apron. The dress with a ribbon on the chest and a white brim on the head is what is called a lady's uniform.

This was a gift from the Seventh Legion to the ladies as a token of friendship.

At first, Wenli and the others were puzzled as to why they were given these uniforms, but when they found out that the clothes were enchanted, they all gasped. The enchanted items are valuable for that reason alone, but this set of samurai's clothes had a total of four different kinds of enchantments. Moreover, one of them was a combined defense technique that was highly effective against both physical and magical attacks. It is not something that should be given to a samurai's uniform.

It is hard to imagine how much it would fetch if it were sold on the market, but at least it would be a sum that they would not be able to pay even if they spent their whole lives. Normally, we would be too frightened to even try on the sleeves, but this was a gift courtesy of the Alkimaila. No one had the courage to refuse to wear it.

Thus, the ladies of Rattestwood were all required to wear their chambermaids' uniforms, or in other words, one-piece skirts, as their work clothes, and from the day after the gift was given to them until today, they have been victims of skirt-flipping by the dwarfs.

Although it was surely an excellent item, not only in terms of comfort and functionality, but also in terms of protection, Wenli suspected that he might have been the one who had dared to make it into a lady's uniform.

"Excuse me, Chief Priestess. Is that what you want us to do?"

"...... No . I suspected it at first too, but it turned out to be a bad guess. He has no such intentions.

This is solid information. Wenli himself confirmed it.

As elves, they are beautiful in the human sense of beauty. In fact, during the war a hundred years ago, the captive elves were subjected to bestiality. The half-elves of Rathestwood are the descendants of those who were born as a result.

It is because of this background that Wenli was suspicious of them first. We do not know what his sense of beauty is, but we can assume that he is implicitly demanding it by continuing his s*xual pranks.

That is why Wenli visited his room late that night, before someone else was sacrificed, only to be casually turned away by a blank-faced Robin.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't like that kind of thing. I mean, are you really a slut to come to a guy's room dressed like that after just knowing him for a short time?"

Wenli was prepared for this in her own way, so that line stung in more ways than one. Moreover, the latter part of the dialogue was in a completely honest tone. I will never forget the humiliation of that day when I replied in an angry voice, "I beg your pardon, sir," and went home in a cold corridor at night wearing light clothes.

Anyway, he does not seem to want that kind of thing. I repeatedly asked him to refrain from disturbing public morals, but he was amused, and the damage was actually getting worse. I can't help it.

"Why was such a child ...... sent?

"I don't know either. But he appears to be the Commander of the Eight Grand Corps. He must be a man of terrible power that we cannot even imagine.

"That man?　To be honest, he just looks like a naughty kid to me. ......"

"...... Oh, yeah. You didn't see what I saw, did you?"

It happened right after we signed the contract at the village. Wenli recalls the scene he witnessed from the balcony of the chalk castle where he was taken in a hurry.

It was truly a gathering of many demons. Just remembering the sight of so many demons, each with terrifying power, gathered in one place, united in one will, and immersed in a frenzy, sends shivers down my spine. I want to throw away the memory of how I fell down and became incontinent right now, but the scene was so vivid that I cannot forget it even if I wanted to. At that time, I felt like I was witnessing the end of the world.

That is why Wenli felt dizzy when he saw the title of the general manager to be dispatched to the Ratestwood.

Commander of the Eight Grand Armies. A title held by only eight people in a demon army that numbered a hundred thousand. The head of the Seventh Legion, who holds the same rank as the dragon that slaughtered the Noblewood elite in an instant. He was named as the general in charge of the dispatched group.

It is hard to believe that he could surpass that dragon, but he must have tremendous power in spite of his appearance. Thinking of this, I could not feel any strong urge to petition for the silly pranks of the past few days. The feelings of fear and awe I had that day are still strong today.

"Anyway, make sure to be respectful to that man. After all, he was sent by order of his king. There must be some reason why he should be the one..."

There it is!

Suddenly, a voice arose behind Wenli.

Wenli turns around as quickly as he can, and there is Robin, who was secretly approaching and trying to reach his skirt, and a man who has secured his slender arm.

Wenli looks at him and sees the man with glasses holding Robin's arm tightly and says with a snarl with a blue streak on his forehead.

"I finally caught you, Seventh Commander of the Seventh Army, ......!"

"Mmmm ...... how dare you talk to even a corps commander. What kind of training does your boss have?

You're the boss!　Because you are like that, the leaders of the Seventh Legion (ours) feel small!　At least work during the day!"

The man with the one-glass glasses - a second-in-command named Merzel, who had been appointed deputy head of the delegation - yelled with all his might, his shoulders hunched.

Robin, on the other hand, turns his head to the side in a manner that is almost as if he is trying to be funny.

I just don't feel like doing it. I've been trying to make equipment for Lee's sister and Garu, but no inspiration has come to me..."

"No one told you to make corps leader level equipment. I don't want to talk about your character now, but at least don't interfere with my men who are working hard ...... for a minute, Mr. Commander. I seem to recall that you're the headwoman of the other party.

"Yes, yes. Wenli."

"...... What exactly were you planning to do with the female chief who is in charge of everything in the castle, Lord Commander?"

"Skirt flipping."

"Seriously, what do you think you're doing?

The deputy threw away the honorific and questioned his boss (Robin), who answered immediately and without hesitation.

"Because I haven't turned up Wenli's skirt yet today. I'm kind of uncomfortable if I don't do my daily routine, right?

"I thought today was your first offense!　What the hell are you doing against a goodwill national executive!"

The deputy yells at him in a way that threatens to break a blood vessel in his head. Robin, on the other hand, pursed her lips like a sulky child and covered her ears, saying, "I can't hear you, I can't hear you!

The aggravated deputy, with a cold expression on his face, mutters his trump card: "I can't hear you, I can't hear you.

"...... I'm going to snitch on the Commander of the Third Army (Ertina)!

"Yay!　I'm motivated!　I'm motivated, I'm motivated, I'm motivated!　Now what are you doing, lieutenant?　Now go get this corps commander a job, chimi!"

In an instant, his boss (Robin) turned his palm and the second-in-command, with a growing blue streak, tossed the metal pole he was holding with a flick. Robin reflexively tried to catch it, but was crushed by the metal pole, which weighed more than its volume, and fell down. As a result, his abdomen was compressed between the ground and the metal pillar, and a moan rose from his thin throat.

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Here are the construction materials (adamantite) for the large box. Please carry it quickly to the designated position, Commander.

"This is boss abuse!　Guys!　Help!　My second-in-command is plotting to overthrow--"

"If you say anything more unfashionable, I will seriously snitch on you. ...... Oh, you are Wenli, aren't you? I'm sorry that our corps leader has caused you trouble.

The one-glassed deputy takes off his hat and bows his head.

The deputy apologized with a lowered eyebrow and a wry smile, but Wenli, who had witnessed the whole exchange, was completely crestfallen.

Robin, the leader of the eight legions, who was supposed to be a fearsome force, was now being kicked in the foot by his subordinates over the materials. The crushed Robin struggles with a desperate look on his face, but it seems that he is seriously unable to move. He has asked for help from other subordinates, but none of them seem to be coming to him. It's no wonder he is so unpopular.

Wenli, who had just witnessed such a terrible scene, kicked Robin in the leg and continued speaking without hesitation.

"If she tries to rip your skirt up again, feel free to beat her up. I've received permission from the second corps commander (Balan) - one of the chaperones of this thing.

"What?　What's that, that's new to me!　I mean, does that lion head know about this?

Of course I know. The information (story) came to us via the sixth corps commander (Kamila). It seems that the second corps commander is stopping it now, but if it goes too far, it will be passed on to the third corps commander, I'm sure.

"Cammy, you betrayed me!　Where's that covenant we made that day about the League of Deviousness?

"What's with the League of Tricks? You can only play so many tricks on us. ...... Oh, Mr. Wenli. I'll take care of this for today. Thank you very much for your patience.

The deputy, still holding one of his boss's legs, bowed his head and left.

The woman and Wenli stand there with a stunned look on their faces as the chief (Robin) is dragged away with a grunt.

"............"

What was I thinking when I was trying to pay my respects to that thing?

Wenli's shoulders slumped as she heard the sound of her inner feelings of fear and awe crumbling away.