Chapter 41

“…How boring.”

Deja Vu? I felt like I had said the same thing last time.

While the war continued today as well, our battlefield was quiet.

We were both just watching and waiting. You could say that it was a stalemate.

“Waiting is so boring. It makes me want to go back to the village.”

Yes. It would be better if there was no fighting. Things should be done peacefully.

“Why don’t we just say that none of this happened and leave? Don’t you agree, Painy?”

“Do you mean that we should annihilate them into oblivion?”

Why was she so extreme?

“Not exactly that. I don’t mean that one side should be erased. But that we could pretend that we hadn’t been fighting at all. There is no fighting and no hatred.”

“That doesn’t sound very realistic. The strong must rule the weak. That is something that will never change in the Demon World.”

“Yes…yes, that’s true.”

–The strong will rule the weak.

Painy the Reaper was right. After all, similar wars to this one were erupting all over the world.

And yet, could they not resolve these conflicts by talking? Reset everything. Forget.

…No, it was impossible.

The only reason that the Reapers were working as my subordinates, was so they could survive by serving someone more powerful.

That wasn’t me, of course. They worked for me because they entered the country, but they are really under the rule of Lesser Demon King Melvis.

It was because of this law of the strong ruling the weak, that the Reapers came to us for protection.

This law would not change.

Speaking of which, as a Reaper, Painy was a higher rank of monster than me. And so I was quite sure that she would one day challenge me to Gekokujyo. However, there were no signs of it coming yet.

“What do you think, Rig?”

“For a hill like this, it should take at least forty or fifty days for the fighting to end. And yet it hasn’t even been ten days yet. It’s a little too early for you to be getting bored…”

That wasn’t what I meant…

Well, I understood his point. I was the Commander. Saying that I was ‘bored’ was a good way to lower morale.

“Still, having nothing to do will lead to slacking off.”

“I can see why you would think so, Commander Golan. However, I advise you to be careful…if I may be so bold.”

Rig sounded odd. Did he think I would start ordering reckless charges because I was bored?

I would not do that. Quite the opposite. I wanted to go back to the village.

Well, maybe he thought that I would order the charges in a desperate attempt to get it all over with as soon as possible.

“He was very clear about it during the meeting. And I intend to obey.”

I said, and Rig bowed. It was because he trusted me…right?

“So, when are we charging?”

Asked Saifo, his hands behind his head.

“We’re not charging! Were you even listening?”

“What!? We’re not going to charge, Golan?”

“You idiots! Why are you saying it as if it would be the normal thing for me to do!”

How rude.

“Because it would be so much better to do it and end things quickly, than doing nothing at all and running away. That’s what you always say.”

“I was talking about fights. Ogres are so obnoxious. Even if you run away, they will continue to chase you.”

“Well, being beaten by you is a kind of rite of passage, Golan.”