While we had been drawn into a war along the way, we were met with no other problems after that.
And so we arrived in the town of Elstabia four days ahead of schedule.
I immediately headed for General Farneze’s mansion.
As it was my second time, I knew how to get there.
The mansion was very big, and the garden alone could comfortably fit over a hundred people inside.
“Ah, I’m glad to see you all here.”
The General began by greeting us.
Being perceptive enough to perform these small acts of consideration was one reason that she was able to lead people as a General.
“Good work, Golan. Did anything unusual happen on your way here?”
“Something did. We encountered General Dardaroth’s army fighting against Rous’s men.”
“Oh? On your route… That must mean they are deep into the country. I didn’t expect the invasion to have gone so far. I will have to return quickly now.”
“They appear to be invading through multiple routes. However, the one that we were on happened to only have Commanders, and so we were able to deal with them.”
“So you fought them? And yet, you and your men seem fine.”
“We attacked them from the back. And then one of my subordinates killed their Commander. The battle ended quickly after that.”
Had the enemy been led by a Corps Commander, then we would have taken much worse damage.
And who knows what Miralda would have said if I reached them with exhausted and wounded soldiers.
We were incredibly lucky that a Corps Commander hadn’t been there.
“Well, Rous was at war not very long ago. So it’s likely that they didn’t have an adequate fighting force. They were one of the smaller countries, after all. In fact, there is no way we would lose to them if they were alone.”
“Still, this is terrible timing. I suppose that’s why they formed an alliance and attacked.”
“Exactly. However, thanks to your early arrival, I will be able to return to the royal capital earlier than planned.”
If I took my men to Demon King Tralzard’s lands, they would in turn send their men.
General Farneze was to take them and head to the capital.
“Who’s defending the city now?”
“My Adjutant, Atrasushia. She is more than capable of keeping the city safe while I am gone.”
“That’s relieving to hear.”
It was high praise coming from the General, so it must be true.
“Now, I will introduce to you the members I’ve gathered. Word was sent out when you all arrived, so they should be here soon.”
Our country was to send out two hundred soldiers in all.
One hundred were my own subordinates, and the other hundred were the General’s.
So…who would they be?
Things became very loud outside of the mansion.
“Ah, it’s starting.”
I suppose the people that the General called had now arrived.
And my own subordinates were in the garden.
In other words…
The door exploded as something crashed through and came rolling towards me.
“…Well, how predictable.”
A new face. Angry glares. Punches.
This was business as usual for Ogres.
“What? What’s happening!?”
The General came frantically out of her office.
As she was holding documents in her hands, she was likely in the middle of reviewing them.
Surprisingly, the person on the floor, who’s eyes seemed to be spinning, was a Vampire.
“I think…”
“What?”
“My men are having a little fun.”
“…”
She looked at me with angry skepticism.
But I wasn’t a pervert, and it was hardly exciting.
We both then rushed outside. It was as the third person had been launched into the air.
Saifo was swinging his fists with the broadest smile. That idiot brother.
That being said, his sister wasn’t exactly being quiet either.
My eyes scanned the garden…and found her.
She was dislocating someone’s limbs in the corner.
“That actually hurts…”
Her victim was on the ground as their back was being curved into an arch.
It wasn’t the shrimp bend. It was a much worse move, known as the scorpion lock.
But since the other Ogres were also fighting, Beka didn’t really stand out.
“What is going on here!!”
General Farneze’s shout caused everyone to freeze in position.
She was too kind. I would have sunk those two in the ground at the very least.
When I gathered together those who had brawled and heard their explanation, it was just as I had expected.
This was all typical of Ogres.
By the way, none of the Ogres were injured.
I had trained them myself, after all. And the best had been selected from the village. And so they were much stronger than your average Ogre.
As for the others who got mixed up in the brawl…
“It’s quite a sight.”
They were being bandaged and treated with medicine.
“Are you being snide with me, Golan?”
“No. Just realistic.”
Yes, it was terrible indeed.
“…Nevermind then. While this wasn’t the introduction I had in mind, here they are. The hundred you will be taking with you.”
These were the hundred that the General had chosen.
Ten Vampires.
Fifty Day Walkers.
Forty Loup-Garous.
Vampires were just as high as Reapers in terms of rank, but these were very young.
I suppose you might call them fledglings.
While it sounded nice to be given charge of the next generation, they would not be that useful to me now.
Day Walkers were weaker versions of Vampires.
And while they would be somewhere in the middle, the tribes in the middle tended to be very diverse, and so I didn’t want to rate them as a group.
Apparently, Farneze had selected them out of volunteers.
And then there were the Loup-Garous.
It would be accurate to say that they were subservient to Vampires.
They had the heads of wolves.
Perhaps they would have been called ‘wolfmen’ in Japan.
However, they didn’t transform under the moonlight. They stayed in this single form.
She said that they had been selected from her warriors.
And that I should have high expectations for them.
But on the other hand, the person that Beka had in a scorpion hold was the leader of the Loup-Garous, so I wasn’t really convinced.
In any case, all two hundred of us were now together.
Next Chapte