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Author’s Note: It’s a side story, but it’s practically like an introduction to volume 6.

As a supplement, this time it will be from the point of view of the enemy that appeared in volume one, the Demon King’s Army, the commander of the third legion, Armilla Berglet.

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I, Armilla Berglet, was forced to lose the battle against the Lingle Kingdom.

As a result, I was stripped of my position as Commander of the Third Legion and chose to fight as a mere soldier.

 

The reason why I should fight is not to defeat Rose, but for the sake of the demon king, and by extension, the demon race was reminded of our defeat to the humans.

I’ve been training as a soldier for a battle that will come sooner or later, but my situation changed when the second corps commander summoned me.

The Demon Lord had given me a special order, and he wanted me to take part in it.

I’m not going to complain about the mission. If I’m a member of the demon king’s army, it’s my responsibility to carry out whatever I’ve been told by the demon king, even if it means risking my life.

The problem is that I had to temporarily take up the 2nd corps commander’s duties.

 

“Assistant Commander Berglet. You’ve been frowning all day, are you tired?”

 

Deputy Commander of the 2nd Corps.

That was the temporary position I had been given as a mere soldier.

My brow wrinkles as he calls me that, and I return the sarcasm to the man walking in front of me.

 

“Yeah, I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Oops, I’m sorry about that.”

 

For the umpteenth time, I let out a sigh as the man fluently calls out to me as I hold my forehead.

In addition to his demonic horns and brown skin, he wore no armor and was clad in black. He made a token apology for my slander and looked forward again.

 

Koger Dingal, commander of the second legion of the demon king’s army.

At seventeen years of age, he is a genius with the title of Commander of the Legion ——- which sounds good, but in reality he is a lazy bastard who leaves the rest of the fighting to his subordinates.

 

“Haaah….”

 

At the moment, we are leaving the territory of the Demon King and making our way through a lush valley.

The man in front of me and I are accompanied by five subordinates, who so far are following behind us, but their faces are beginning to show signs of fatigue.

 

“Hey, you’d better give your men a rest. If you don’t, they’ll fall before we get across the valley.”

“Hm? Aah, you’re right.”

 

Without breaking a sweat, he tells his men to take a break and sits down on the nearest tree trunk.

I took one look at my men taking a breather and gave him a quizzical look.

 

“…… Are you sure this is the right number of men?　You could have brought more, couldn’t you?”

“This mission is not about intimidation, it’s about finding out if the beastmen can be used or not.”

 

The order from the demon king is to determine if the beastmen are capable of fighting with humans.

With the help of the Demon King, we can fight the human army as it is, but the more the merrier. The beastmen who have a close relationship with humans are likely to cooperate with us—–but it is not worth joining them if they are a burden to us.

For this reason, the Demon Lord sent Koger, the commander of the Second Legion, as a messenger to assess the beasts.

…..I’m not sure if it’s the right choice as I still have my doubts.

 

“They could be hostile, couldn’t it?”

“You and I, we’ve got a current and an ex-Commander. It’s probably overkill for the war effort.”

“Don’t underestimate them, or they’ll take your foot off the gas.”

“That’s fun in itself.”

 

I’m not sure what to make of this, but I know that there’s no point in getting angry with this guy, so I just let out a sigh.

 

“And it’s impossible for a large group to cross here. It’s a realm of demons, and there are a lot of powerful ones. We’re not going to get into any trouble by provoking them.”

“…… Indeed.”

 

It’s not a human or demon territory, it’s a monster territory.

If we go through this place, we can get to the land of the beastmen without crossing the great river, but the danger of being killed by the monster increases. With this in mind, the idea of a small group of people is understandable.

 

“You know, it’s a lot easier when you’re here and I don’t have to worry about my men.”

“……”

 

　…… He’s going to leave all the instructions and stuff to me, isn’t he?

This is the reason why I was almost forcibly appointed as the deputy commander and brought here to increase the strength of the army.

In addition to having the ability to live up to the name of commander, this man has the trust of his subordinates because of his lively personality. And that’s not a good thing.

 

“You look like you don’t like it. …… Don’t forget you owe me, okay?　You owe me a debt of gratitude for holding my precious child captive in the kingdom of Lingle.”

“I know. ……”

 

He is probably referring to the fact that during the battle against the Kingdom of Lingle, a black knight who had been sent by the Second Legion was taken prisoner.

I myself did not dare to think that the black knight, with his absolute counter, would be taken prisoner.

 

“I didn’t think they’d be able to capture my best friend …… Ferme. She’s a dark magic user like me, but her magic is different.”

 

Dark magic with the property of “reversal”.

The magic of the Black Knight, which returns wounds to the adversary, was supposed to be invincible, capable of inflicting fatal wounds on any strong enemy.

Koger would have thought the same as me when he sent his black knight, a force to be reckoned with.

 

“So I was really surprised when I heard she’d lost to a human. I laughed when I heard that she was beaten by a healing magician. I laughed at the thought of a healing magician being beaten by a vicious dark wizard!”

“Hey, aren’t you worried? Isn’t she one of your subordinates?”

 

How dare you laugh when your men are being held prisoner?

I glared sharply at Koger for his impertinent remark.

 

“I’m not so worried. In fact, I’m even considering the possibility that they’re turning on us.”

“…… How can you be so sure?”

“To her, the Demon King’s Army is just that, an existence. She doesn’t fight for the sake of the Demon Lord, but for herself, and she just wanted an environment where she could wield her power to the fullest.”

 

Now that he mentioned it, the Black Knight seems to be fighting more for herself than for the Demon King’s Army.

Of course you’ll fight for the Demon King! Well it’s not like I can force that on her, but I would have liked to know what reason she was fighting for. ……

At that time, I was so occupied with my position as a commander that I only remember shouting at the black knight.

Now that I am no longer the head of the corps and have settled down, maybe there is more I could say.

 

“Dark magician, you know. They all need someone who understands them.”

 

“Understand?”

“From the day you are born you are treated as an abomination, you grow up in fear. If you’re brought up like that, you’ll naturally have a twisted personality.”

“Like you?”

“I’m lucky I haven’t been exposed yet.”

 

With a wry smile, Koger looked at his palms.

He was smiling in profile, but his eyes were empty, as if he were looking far away.

 

“So, if there is someone in the Lingle Kingdom who could be an ‘understanding’ person for Ferme, she will not come back to the Demon King’s army. She’ll have a reason to exist over there.”

 

The reason for the existence?

It’s not as simple as just saying that she’s a traitor.

This is because it is us, the demons, who have created such an environment and avoided the users of dark magic. It is not surprising that they have given up on the demon race.

I crossed my arms in distress, and Koger looked at me as if he had suddenly remembered.

 

“What I’m more interested in is the healing magician and the two heroes who beat up Ferme.”

“…… It’s just a bitter memory for me.”

 

The second healing magician and the two heroes.

It’s the one who restored the heroes that the black knight drove to the battlefield to almost full recovery and returned to the front line.

The two heroes who handled the magic of lightning and light magic, powerful magic, and defeated the serpent demon, Barginak, which was the main force of the Demon King’s army.

Their existence is nothing short of traumatic for me.

Those heroes, as well as another almost invulnerable healer, would be the worst thing in the world.

Koger, for his part, is more interested in me than his usual lethargic demeanour.

 

“I heard from a soldier who’d been to war, a healing magician and two heroes. I was even more surprised when I heard they were not much older than me.”

“…… What? I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“Is that so? I’m sure there’s a connection between the healing magician and the heroes.”

 

It’s not so much the age, but the fact that the same healing magician as Rose, who wasn’t in the fight two years ago, has sprung up from nowhere.

 

“But you’re very keen.”

“It’s not so much that I’m keen, it’s just that …… I’d like to fight if I get the chance.”

“…… It’s unusual for you to say that.”

“That’s true.”

 

I was frankly surprised to hear him say that he wanted to fight, as he had always been reluctant to do so.

 

“I’m going to fight my nemesis, that’s all. I’m not sure what to make of it. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that I’m not the only one who’s a fan of your work. …… Well, don’t put too much hope on the healing magician.”

 

My old enemy.

The impression of this guy, who seemed to be apathetic until now, has changed a little.

 

“…… Have you ever had a nemesis?”

“No, not really. Not unless you’re willing to go toe to toe with me.”

“Anyone who tries to fight you at close range is just a fool.”

 

Koger nodded deeply at my words and gave me a fearless smile.

The smile was more belligerent than I would have imagined from this carefree fellow.

 

“Isn’t it fine, you idiot. I love it when you do that.”

“Koger, you…”

 

At that moment, as if to interrupt my voice, a demon’s yell sounded.

The shout came from not far away, and Koger slowly stood up and urged me and my men to stand.

 

“Still have to fight monsters no matter what. You’re well rested, aren’t you? Then let’s get on with it.”

“……Aah”

 

I nodded at Koger’s words, stood up with his men, and started walking the steep path again.

“Every user of dark magic needs someone who understands them.”

These are the words of Koger himself, but if they apply to him as well, then…

 

“…… No, let’s concentrate on the mission.”

 

Now is not the time to be thinking about that.

I shook off my thoughts and turned my attention to the scene in front of me, and stepped on the ground to carry out the task that the Demon Lord had ordered me to do.

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Author’s Note:

No gags this time.

I’ll update the next chapter tomorrow around 19:00 or 20:00.

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