CHAPTER 2

Ravage Our Rivals

1

The next morning.

“How dishonorable. The enemy only assigns the weakest demon to staff their supply caravans. There’s no glory in slaughtering errand boys.”

Grace Kingdom’s knights assemble in the exercise yard to be briefed, while we find ourselves on the periphery, left to fend for ourselves. Evidently, the plan today will be for the army proper to take the fight to demons and monsters gathering on the outskirts of the kingdom. It’s an opportunity for honor, glory, and riches…and the kingdom’s commanding general is giving quite the speech in front of the assembled soldiers.

As for us? Well, we’ve been told to “use our discretion,” which is a polite way of telling us to get lost. We’re now in the process of debating our own plan of attack.

“Boss, if it’s at all possible, I’d prefer to fight strong enemies. Grandpa made me promise on his deathbed that I’d devour the flesh of every monster in the world and become the greatest Chimera.”

Ah, I guess she really loved her grandpa. When she phrases it like that, complete with a deathbed promise, I feel the faintest twinge of guilt in the shriveled remains of my conscience.

“Well, I’ll do what I can to help you fulfill that promise. How about getting meat from the monsters taken down by other units?”

“If monster meat isn’t eaten fresh, it won’t be as tasty, so…”

…Never mind. That twinge must’ve been heartburn. Damn glutton.

“Rose is right! Enemy units with a lot of strong opponents will have important commanders. We can assault that unit and take the commander’s head. It’ll be easy. I’ll take on the strong enemies, and we can wipe out the grunts using Grimm’s curses. Rose, you’ll come with me!”

My biggest headache right now is this glory hound. Her ambition’s blinded her to anything but her next victory. So far, Snow is refusing to even consider attacking the enemy supply lines. None of my attempts to reason with her have worked. In her pettiness, Snow is still holding the whole groping thing against me.

Evidently feeling we had wasted enough time, Alice injects herself into the conversation.

“Just listen, all right? You seem to be under the impression that attacking the enemy supply’s convoy won’t win you enough glory, but that’s where you’re wrong. First, you lot have done nothing but attack the enemy head-on. That means the enemy doesn’t expect you to do anything else. They won’t have any substantial defense around their supply lines. And what do you think happens to the enemy units fighting at the front when they hear their supplies have been wiped out? It’ll throw them into a panic.”

“…Mmph.”

Snow knits her brows together as she mulls over Alice’s explanation.

“Second, losing your supply train in war is disastrous. A win on the battlefield is pointless if your soldiers starve. If we get rid of their supplies, the enemy goes home even if our knights lose in battle. A single squadron changes the course of the war. Is that enough glory for you?”

“Hrm…I suppose.”

Snow listens to Alice’s explanation without argument. I can’t help but be irritated by the change in her attitude.

“Finally, consider this. If we take out their supplies once, the enemy will be wary of additional attacks. That means they’ll start defending their supply lines. This, in turn, means fewer soldiers on the front. And that happens even if we never attack their supplies again.”

Alice is right, of course. Even if it’s not a large portion of the enemy, they’ll be forced to keep some of their armies back to defend their supplies, reducing their numbers on the front.

Which I’m pretty sure is one of the points I made earlier.

“…Well? Attacking the enemy supply lines is a pretty basic tactic, but you understand how it can have long-term effects, right? I get how important chivalry is to you, but this is war.”

“…I understand what you’re saying, Alice. But I’m not sure it’ll be recognized as a great achievement… My demotion means a pay cut… At this rate, I won’t be able to pay back the loans I had to take out for my beloved sword collection… If I miss a payment for my burning blade Flame Zapper, it’ll get repossessed…”

Snow’s eyes fill with tears as she hugs her sword to her chest.

Beloved sword collection? I guess we can add “sword maniac” to Snow’s weirdo checklist.

“Well, leave that to Six. Exaggerating the results to get maximum rewards is one of his specialties.”

“…Now that you mention it, he does have that look about him.”

“You two really want to get smacked, don’t you?”

Still, it would seem we’ve gotten all the objections out of the way.

“Oh… We’re attacking the supply convoy?” Rose lets out a wistful sigh while rubbing her stomach. “I spend most of my pay on buying monster meats I’ve never eaten before… The money doesn’t last very long…and since it’s close to payday, I haven’t been able to eat that much… I actually haven’t had anything to eat today, and if I can’t get any monsters to eat, well…”

I let out a sigh as the tears start to well up in Rose’s eyes.

I’m seriously starting to wonder how the hell she stays fed most of the time…

“In that case, you can do what you want with the supplies we find. There’s a pretty good chance it’ll be mostly food anyway.”

“Supply line attacks it is, then!”

2

“…Huh. Looks like we’ve caught them with their pants down. They’re not even carrying weapons… Hey, Grimm, would you mind waking up now?”

We sit behind some bushes along the highway a few miles from the enemy’s rendezvous point. Oblivious to the danger, the enemy’s supply convoy rumbles leisurely along the road in front of us. Snow takes a moment to jostle Grimm awake. The archbishop has been napping since our briefing session, sleeping through our entire journey to this site with Rose gently wheeling her along.

“Mm…wh-what? …Waking me up in broad daylight…? What did I ever do to deserve this? Someone should put that sun out of its misery…”

Grimm mutters under her breath, her head lolling to the side as she’s stirred out of her slumber.

“Grimm, it’s time for battle. We need you to pay attention. Seems like it’s mostly small fries, but stay alert.” Snow steps away from Grimm, drawing her favorite sword and making her final preparations.

“If it’s only small fries, you don’t need Archbishop Grimm…mm…”

“Hey! Don’t go back to sleep!”

“Goddamn, you guys are loud! Look, they spotted us!”

The exchange between Snow and Grimm was loud enough for the nearby enemies to hear. They look like the orcs you’d find in Japanese fantasy manga. The creatures, pig-snouted humanoids pulling at carts, begin fussing in response. It’s actually kind of odd if you think about it. Orcs are supposed to be a creature from Earth folklore, after all. Why the hell do they exist on a different planet?

…I really don’t have time to be thinking about this right now…

“Well, it can’t be helped if we’ve been found out! Let’s give ’em hell!!”

Jumping out of the bushes, I let out a loud whoop, drawing my knife and licking its blade as I charge toward the enemy. I also make sure to shout the appropriate battle cry as specified in our combat manuals.

“Mwa-ha-ha! It’s the end of the road for you!”

A shotgun blast rings out beside me—

Alice has joined in the charge.

“Mwa-ha-ha! You resist, you die! If you wanna live, drop everything you’ve got and get lost!”

“Get lost!”

We yell out the standard lines from the manual. Approaching the lead cart, I land a kick squarely on its side. The cart tips over, spilling its contents on the road and blocking in the rest of the convoy. The orcs let out a squeal of panic, scattering as Alice and I continue our assault.

Rose, who had been following a step behind, sighs after dispatching a nearby orc.

“Um, Boss…could we maybe not say those lines? …We’re on a military mission, but it sort of feels like we’re the bad guys…”

…Hey, don’t look at me. That’s the official warning in the Combat Agent manual.

“Oh! Boss! What should we do with the supply crates? There’s a whole lot of them.”

“Take what you need, then burn the rest of it! Let’s show them what happens to those who try to resist Combat Agent Six! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

“Got it, Boss!”

As I let out a maniacal laugh, the hair on the back of my neck stands up to warn me of the sudden approach of death.

“Gotcha!”

“Whoa!”

I roll forward, barely avoiding being skewered, and find Snow with her sword arm outstretched in a lunge.

“So, uhh…what the hell was that all about?”

“…Dammit.”

“Did you just curse because you missed?!”

There’s definitely something wrong with this woman. I need to make sure I don’t show my back to her from here on out… Actually, it might make more sense to get rid of her now… I’ll make it look like an accident.

“Wh-what are you looking at? You wanna go? Good, come at me! I’ll show you that grabbing a maiden’s bosom has deadly consequences! Taste my steel!”

…Just as Snow and I get ready to cross blades, a rush of heat surges past my back.

“Drown in a sea of hellfire…! Sleep for all eternity! Crimson Breath!”

Behind us, Rose spews an impressive jet of red-hot flame. I can’t hide my surprise and turn to Alice, remarking in Japanese:

“<…Hey, Alice, seems like that’s one of her Chimera abilities…and she’s an artificial one. They can’t have things like her lying around in droves…can they?>”

“<I wonder if she would make a source of green energy back on Earth… I’d really like to know how that flame throwing works… It’s fascinating at the very least.>”

Several orcs are caught in the flames and begin letting out high-pitched squeals, rolling around on the ground among the charred supply crates. The pleasant aroma of grilled pork begins to waft around the battlefield.

“…Drool.”

Triggered by the smell of roasted pork, Rose begins drooling, the saliva smearing the soot around her mouth… Hey, now!

“Rose! Wipe that drool off your chin! And the soot while you’re at it… Also, remember we’re still fighting. No eating the orcs until we’re done!”

“!”

Rose hurriedly wipes at her mouth with her sleeve. The orcs around her have stopped their panicked flight, picking up whatever weapons are in arm’s reach. They cautiously inch forward, hoping to find a moment to strike.

“Say, Rose… Do you need to recite those words and strike that awesome pose every time you want to breathe fire?”

“M-Miss Alice, please give me a break! I-I’m sure you already know the answer to that… I’m just d-doing what Grandpa said to do…”

Rose’s eyes well up with tears at Alice’s teasing. The orcs, hoping to take the opportunity to attack, attempt to rush Rose…

…Only for the red, flaming slashes of Snow’s sword to cut them short. With practiced ease, Snow moves among the orcs, each swipe of her burning blade splitting an orc clean in half while engulfing them in flame. Like a whirling, bladed firestorm, Snow wades through the orcs, and within moments, the entire band is down.

I hate to admit it, but when she was wielding that blade, she looked every bit the knight she claimed she was.

“<Hey, Six, she might be a run-of-the-mill, flesh-and-blood human, but it looks like she’s pretty capable after all. If all the knights in this world are like that, our invasion might hit a few snags.>”

“<Tillis did mention that Snow’s an elite knight. She rose through the ranks with hard work alone… I sure hope that means she’s not a typical knight.>”

Snow glares at us as she notices we’re standing there whispering to each other.

“Hey, you two better stay focused; we’re not finished yet… Wait, where’s Grimm?”

So far, we’ve seen Rose’s abilities, but I haven’t seen Grimm do much of anything. I’m actually looking forward to seeing her curses in person. So where is she exactly…?

Grimm hasn’t moved from the bushes. She’s curled up in her wheelchair, fast asleep…

““…Seriously?””

“Oh, for the love of— Being nocturnal is no excuse to slack off in the middle of a battle! She needs to shape up a bit. I think it’s time for a little tough love…,” Snow mutters darkly as she stalks over toward Grimm. I turn in the opposite direction, briefly surveying the battlefield.

“Looks like the orcs are either fleeing or roasting. Just let her be; I’ll wheel her home.”

Just as I say this, we’re engulfed by shadows as something blocks out the sun. Reflexively, I glance up at the sky…

“The hell is that?”

Soaring above me is another creature that only exists in mythology, at least on Earth.

A griffin. No longer just an image in a storybook, the enormous and not-so-mythical creature slowly descends toward us…

3

““Griffin!””

Heading straight for us is a giant creature with the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and massive wings sprouting from its back. Snow and Rose freeze, their bodies tense. Their anxiety does nothing to dampen the excitement Alice and I feel at our first glimpse of a griffin.

“It looks just like the griffins in video games and movies! Isn’t it a little odd that fictional creatures like orcs and griffins exist here? By the way, we do have a digital camera, right? Let’s take some pictures!”

“Well, it might not actually be called a griffin; that’s just what I chose as the translation. Still…how is that thing flying? It doesn’t have the wingspan or chest muscles to carry a body that large. If we can get it back to Earth, we’ll be able to laugh in the faces of everyone who’s ever studied aerodynamics!”

I start snapping photos of the griffin like a tourist.

“Six, what are you doing?! Stop playing around and fight!” Snow warns me.

High up above, a voice responds, “Hold it; I’m not after you lot! I just want the supplies!”

The voice belongs to an individual sitting atop the griffin. Given the pair of horns sticking out of her head, she must be a demon of some sort. The combination of other details like the white hair, red eyes, and dark skin all click into place.

“—Dammit, I shouldn’t have left this all to my underlings. I come to find out why the supply convoy is so late, and this is what I find…”

The griffin’s passenger dismounts once the great creature is a few feet off the ground. I get an eyeful of beautiful dark skin, as the rider’s red-trimmed outfit leaves little to the imagination.

“I suppose I have you lot to thank for this disaster? You there, the guy in weird armor…I’m guessing you’re in charge of this bunch. Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

I guess she’s talking to me. I’m a little preoccupied at the moment, however…

“Hey! I’m talking to you! What the hell are you doing anyway?”

This is too precious an opportunity to waste. I snap a few more pics of her bountiful brown bust.

“Hey… Hey, Six! If you’re going to take pictures, focus on the griffin. Why are you taking so many pictures of that woman?”

Sulking, I put the digital camera away.

“…Yes, we’re the ones who attacked this supply convoy. And what about you…? Based on your attitude and outfit, I’m guessing you’re one of the Demon Lord’s generals.”

The buxom demoness sighs in admiration at my reply.

“My, my, you can tell I’m a general with a single glance, mm? I must say, you’ve got a pretty good eye. You’re correct. I’m one of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four, Heine of the Flames. Given your eye for strength, you must be quite the warrior yourself.”

The woman who declared herself to be Heine of the Flames narrows her eyes and puffs out her chest. I try to keep my staring as subtle as possible.

“Whew…! I guess you could say that. I mean, you do have a certain…aura that only high-ranking villains possess.”

It’s not a lie. The upper echelons of the corporation are filled with oddballs. Seems it’s a universal law that outfits become skimpier as you climb the ranks. Yep, she’s got that oddball aura.

“Not bad…for a human! …Heh-heh, I like you. It’d be a pity to have to kill you. If you’ll leave those crates, I’ll let you escape with your lives.”

Heine looks like she’s truly enjoying this exchange as a creepy smile spreads across her face.

“Have you lost your mind?! There isn’t a human alive who’d obey a demon’s orders!”

“That’s right! Even against a high-ranking demon, humans will never give up! Also, these supplies are going to be my dinner!”

Snow and Rose refuse.

“…Hey, Alice? What do you think we should do? She seems at least mutant level. We’re not equipped to handle her. Think we should just go home?”

“That’s why you’ve been stuck as a lackey for so long. At least try to read the mood.”

Snow and Rose are staring at us in surprise.

“Y-you bastard! You’re thinking about running away?! Have you no shame? I should’ve killed you the moment I saw you!”

“B-boss! My dinner! I’m really hungry right now; please don’t make me leave all this behind!”

Heine stares as my subordinates yell at me…then breaks out into laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! How cute! So direct and honest! Hey, why don’t you come and join us? You seem pretty strong. Once we finish taking over the human lands, we’ll make you one of the rulers. You can take all the women you’d like!”

“Deal.”

“Wait, Six. At least think it over… And as for you. Heine, was it? We can’t have you poaching our operatives. Sure, this one’s pretty dull as far as his wits are concerned, but he’s still one of our main Combat Agents.”

Heine turns her gaze toward Alice for the first time.

“…Huh?”

The demon continues to stare at Alice, tilting her head to the left in puzzlement.

“…You… Are you actually human…? For some reason, you reek of golem…”

Heine’s muttering is soft enough that neither Snow nor Rose catch the meaning of the words.

“So what’s your answer? Will you join me?”

I really, really want to say yes, but the glares from all around me are making it impossible. Snow looks about ready to shove her entire blade down my throat.

“Sorry, I can’t. My current bosses are already scary enough.” I draw my knife and drop into a fighting stance.

“…I’m going to include that in my report.”

“A-Alice…that’s not funny.”

Heine doesn’t appear to be particularly upset by the answer, briefly closing her eyes and chuckling softly.

“Figures. You talk a good game when it comes to your villainy, but deep down, you still stick with the underdog. I’ve got an eye for that sort of thing. Mind telling me your name?”

Wow, that’s actually news to me. I’m the sort who can’t betray the underdog? This woman’s certainly got a high opinion of me. My resolve wavers as I recall the armored woman barking orders at me during our first meeting and the faces of my superiors who damn near got me killed by teleporting me here. Maybe I should actually… Nah.

“I’m Combat Agent Six…but you, Heine of the Flames, pillar of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four, can just call me Six.”

After a moment’s pause, Heine breaks out in a giant grin. “A-ah! Six, eh? I’m Heine of the Flames! One of Demon Lord’s Elite Four!”

…I see.

“<Hey, Alice? This woman’s just like our Supreme Leaders. The sort who gets upset if you don’t use their nickname and title.>”

“<That also means you can manipulate her by calling her by that name. Those types just love sticking to the script.>”

Heine lets out a joyful yelp, holding out her hand. On her palm appears an orb of blue flame.

Wait, what? What the hell? Seriously, what the hell?!

Is that real magic?!

“What are you two whispering about? Here I come, Six! I’ll try not to kill you, but I won’t make any promises! Come taste the power of Heine of the Flames!”

4

Crossing my arms, I block a kick from the griffin’s front legs. A moment later, I find myself rolling forward on the ground, Heine’s fireballs landing where I had been just a moment before.

“Stay down, Six!”

“Whooooooa!”

Trying to get up leaves me vulnerable, and the griffin swings again to take advantage of that moment.

“Boss! Behind you!”

“Yiiiiiiiiikes!”

Another of Heine’s fireballs whizzes past me as I somehow avoid the griffin’s blow.

“Hey! Why am I the only one fighting?! We outnumber them!”

I take a quick step backward, barely avoiding losing my eyebrows to a fireball. My bangs aren’t quite so lucky, and I catch the unpleasant waft of burning hair.

“W-well…I brought a burning blade this time! It’s not much use against an enemy that manipulates flame. Look, keep Heine and the griffin busy! I’ll go burn the supply crates!”

“A-and I’ll go grab the boxes we’re taking home, so Snow doesn’t burn them by accident!”

Talk about useless. I find myself seriously considering Heine’s offer in light of how useless my companions are turning out to be.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Amazing! Simply amazing! To think a mere human is holding up against the combined attacks from me and the griffin! Just who the hell are you?”

I plan my next few actions around positioning myself so I can use Snow to shield me from the strangely giddy Heine. Turning to avoid another fireball, I mentally map out the steps required. The griffin rears up on its hind legs to pounce when…

…There is a loud noise, and the griffin is flung backward. I look to the source of the sound…

Alice is on the ground, flattened by the recoil of a big-game shotgun shell.

“…Not that I’m not grateful, but just how weak are you anyway?”

“Shut up. I was waiting for the right moment as you jumped around like a headless chicken. You could at least fight more convincingly,” Alice complains, inserting more shells into her shotgun and taking aim at the griffin.

The creature whines weakly, blood pouring from the gunshot wounds all across its upper body. The sight wipes Heine’s smile off her face. She freezes for a moment in shock, then eyes the shotgun in Alice’s hands.

“…A mere child, intimidating my griffin? Just what is that thing…? Just who the hell are you two?!”

Heine drops down to a low fighting stance, all playfulness gone from her features. There’s a new tension in the air, and it’s clear from her demeanor that Heine’s reevaluated how much of a threat we pose.

The animal part of my brain screams to me that this woman is much more dangerous than the griffin. Alice appears to agree, shifting her aim to Heine and keeping watch over her movements.

“Looks like the odds have shifted in our favor. Your defeat will be my greatest achievement yet!”

Snow, having realized that Heine’s pinned, wraps up her arson and joins us, blade raised. What is up with this woman? Now that the heavy lifting is done, here she comes to steal the show. I try to come up with the perfect cutting remark for the insufferable glory hound when suddenly…

I hear a dull thump behind me.

It’s the sound of a really heavy object landing after a long fall. I turn around, and there it is. An enormous creature stands and spreads its wings, immediately darkening my surroundings as its wings block the sun.

“…Mutant class,” Alice states without inflection.

The object that fell from the sky was an enormous, horned, humanoid demon at least three meters tall. The well-built monster has a pair of large bat-like wings growing from its back. It holds an enormous metal club in its hand and tilts its head downward to stare at us.

“<Let’s use Snow as bait and get the hell out of here, Alice!>”

“<Right there with you!>”

“Hey, Six, enough of that strange language; it’s hardly the place or time! You’re clearly plotting something!”

Snow is whining behind us, but I don’t have the time to respond. Heine and the griffin are bad enough. I’m not standing around waiting to face that thing, too!

“…Mm… Huh…?”

A voice chooses this moment to speak up in a sleepy tone. At the foot of the mutant that fell from the sky is a familiar-looking wheelchair. Grimm, who had somehow managed to sleep through all the other commotion, is awoken by the sound of the monster’s impact.

She rubs the sleep from her eyes, glancing around in a daze. She turns her gaze upward, staring directly into its eyes.

“G-good morning…?”

In response to Grimm’s greeting, the monster lifts the club in its hand and draws back…

…The sound is a cross between a moist crunch and a wet pop. Grimm slumps back into her wheelchair, missing everything above her shoulders.

“H-hey, Grimm?”

Snow steps into a fighting stance as she notices Grimm’s motionless body.

“Six! Go get Grimm while I keep this thing busy!”

Get Grimm…?

I’m pretty sure that blow was lethal.

“Um…you want me to go get her? You sure you’re okay? She’s just a pile of meat now.”

The monster swings its club, flicking the blood off it, then kicks over Grimm’s wheelchair. Grimm’s body lands on the ground with a thud as pieces of the wheelchair go flying in every direction.

“Heine, why are you playing with these maggots?”

“…Tch. I wasn’t playing. Whatever, the moment’s ruined. You finish cleaning this up, yeah?”

Heine climbs onto the back of the whimpering griffin, patting its back. The dark-skinned demon sighs, giving us a cursory glance before the griffin takes flight and vanishes off into the distance.

My brain’s having a hard time keeping up with everything happening at once.

Okay, first order of business is to do as Snow says and get Grimm. If I think about it, Grimm’s a magic user. So her current state’s gotta be an illusion of some sort, right?

“Six! Get it together!” Alice smacks my back, shoving me forward.

“Oof! A-all right! Okay, Snow, I’ll leave the big guy to you. I’ll handle Grimm!”

As I make my way toward Grimm, Snow steps forward to engage our new adversary.

“Ha! Frail humans who die from a little poke…fighting me? Hilarious! Too hilarious!”

He flexes his enormous wings, blasting the area with a gust of wind.

“Urgh…”

Snow lets out a soft snarl as the headwind holds her back.

“Hey, human, before I kill you, allow me to introduce myself. I’m one of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four, Gadalkand of the Earth! Remember my name! You’ll remember it, right? Okay! Now let’s see who else I can poke to death.”

Gadalkand roars as another of Alice’s shotgun blasts rings out. He throws his arms up to block his face, the shot peppering his stone skin. Unfazed by the blast, Gadalkand digs his heels into the ground and charges toward Snow…

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu…”

Rose inhales deeply as Gadalkand begins running.

“Raaaaaagh! C’mere you! Don’t you dare underestimate me!”

As Gadalkand steps forward to attack Snow, Rose’s fire breath blasts him backward, engulfing him in flame. Seeing an opening, Snow steps forward, striking at Gadalkand with her burning blade. The flames billowing around Gadalkand intensify, and he lets out a pained cry, staggering backward.

Gadalkand roars in frustration, using his mighty wingbeats to quell the flames lapping at his skin. I reach Grimm’s side and pick her up from the ground…

And freeze.

Nope, this doesn’t look like an illusion at all. Grimm’s body, lacking its head, has the characteristic dead weight of a corpse. It slumps in my arms.

“<Hey, Alice…you think humans on this planet can survive this sort of wound?>”

“<Get it together, Six. She’s clearly dead.>”

Alice glances at Grimm’s body in my arms and gives her frank assessment. I feel something inside me as Grimm’s death registers. I mean, I only met her yesterday, and I don’t know anything about her other than her taste in underwear…but still, she was a member of my squadron.

“You’re as good as dead, you son of a bitch! Alice, Snow, cover me! Screw the Elite Four! I’m gonna rip this guy a new one! Rose, take care of Grimm’s corpse!”

Snow flinches at my anger but drops back into her fighting stance.

“R-right. He’s one of their top brass. Defeating him here will be a tremendous achievement.”

“Ha! What are you getting so worked up about? You need to relax, learn to enjoy life more! You humans barely live that long to begin with. Are you so eager to die?” Gadalkand taunts.

“I don’t care what else happens—you’re dead. Alice, fetch me the R-Buzzsaw! I’m gonna make mincemeat out of this bastard!”

“Okay!”

Just as we all get in position to attack, a voice interrupts from above.

“Lord Gadalkand, there you are! What are you doing, sire?”

Hovering above us was a demon that looked like Gadalkand except two or three sizes smaller.

“Oh, it’s you. I didn’t feel like dealing with that brat Lassel lording his command over us, so I was taking my time getting to the battlefield. Heine caught these humans attacking our supply convoy and was toying with them. I figured I’d have some fun, too…”

“Lady Heine is already on the front lines, sire. The battle is already joined. Whether the supply convoy survives is not our concern but rather Lord Lassel’s as supreme commander. However, if we’re not at our assigned posts it will be our responsibility. Please, sire, let us make haste for the battlefield—if not for Lord Lassel’s sake, then for our clan.”

Gadalkand curses under his breath.

“Looks like you get to live a little while longer, humans. Go ahead and carry that corpse back to your castle and sob around it. You’ll stay out of my way next time if you know what’s good for you!”

And with that parting line, Gadalkand stretches out his wings and takes flight.

“You bastard! You think you can run away? Get back here!”

My taunts ring hollow as Gadalkand gains altitude, rapidly disappearing from view.

“That bastard mentioned heading toward the battlefield…”

“You planning on going after him? I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s no way you’re going to catch up with a flying target. The battle’s likely to be over by the time you get there. We’d better do something for Grimm first.”

Snow stands next to me, watching the demons fly off before turning her attention back to what’s left of the convoy.

“…Alice, what’s the status on the R-Buzzsaw?”

“Didn’t send the request since that winged bastard flew off. Want me to send it now?”

“……No, it’s fine. Let’s take care of Grimm’s body, then make our way back. I’m sure we’ll see that bastard again.”

Around me, Rose continues collecting various crates and piling them on a captured cart, while Snow checks for any stragglers. I turn to look at Grimm’s corpse, laid out on the supply cart, and sigh.

What a waste…

Sure, the things she said were kind of weird, and she spent most of the day napping, but still she seemed like a good person.

“Snow, what do you do with bodies in this kingdom? Burial? Cremation?”

The least we can do is give her a proper funeral.

“…Mm? Wait, Grimm didn’t tell you anything?”

“……?”

I stare at Snow in confusion.

“You seem to be under the impression that Grimm is dead. She’s not this easy to kill.”

“…Say what?”

……

What the hell is she talking about? The last time I checked, surviving decapitation wasn’t on the list of things humans could do.

“I’m saying Grimm’s not actually dead. Did you not read her résumé?”

Snow points to Grimm’s body on the cart, which is rapidly being surrounded by Rose’s captured crates. I get that space is at a premium, but I wish Rose hadn’t placed a pumpkin where Grimm’s head would be… It’s more than a little creepy.

“Go over that one more time for me, would you?”

Snow lets out an impatient sigh at my slack-jawed expression.

“Remember when I told you that all the potential candidates for our squadron were rejects of one sort or another? Take Rose, for example. She’s got demon blood running through her veins. That in and of itself is enough to make her a target of prejudice. Despite her abilities, her previous commanders made her take on all the dangerous tasks, usually alone. An expendable pawn.”

……

“Seems this kingdom’s filled with people who make me look like a saint by comparison.”

“That’s right, this kingdom is full of men as worthless as you are.”

…This bitch…

“Now, about Grimm. The god she serves, Zenarith, is a bit of a special case.”

Snow struggles to find the right phrasing.

“Grimm is quite famous as an archbishop in the right circles…the Archbishop of Zenarith, the ancient evil God of Undeath and Disaster.”

5

The knights are already back at the castle by the time we arrive.

Even considering the time we took to load the captured supplies onto carts, it’s a little too soon for the main force to be back. A brief head count explains why—there’s a lot fewer of them now than there were this morning. The knights who did make it back are all wounded in one way or another.

“Judging by the looks on their faces, it’s safe to say they lost. That’s convenient for us, really. It’s a good time to talk up our success in taking out the enemy supply convoy. Go find someone important and give them a rundown. Something along the lines of ‘You guys may have lost, but thanks to our successful attack, the enemy will be forced to retreat.’ Really remind them that we saved their hides.”

Alice casually suggests rubbing a ton of salt into the army’s fresh wounds.

“Leave it to me! I’ll make sure to repeat several times that our attack on the supply line was designed to make the enemy fall back. While I’m at it, I’ll also mention the fact that the five of us tied up one of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four by ourselves while everyone else got stomped.”

“…I—I see you’re as scummy as ever. Still, it seems you’re someone I can rely on at times like this. And in truth, I don’t really mind that sort of thing. Calling out elites for their failures is one of my favorite things in the world. Just the thought of savoring their delicious shame is making me drool…”

Given Snow’s career, she probably kicked quite a few people while they were down. I suppose that’s the attitude it takes to crawl up from the slums and join the Royal Guard, but it’s not exactly an attractive trait. I try not to let Snow’s blatant sadistic inclinations dampen my mood as I go to make my report.

A ways from the capital sits a small shrine. The place looks like it was once a small cave of some sort, and upon its walls are countless carvings of disturbingly dark imagery as the wind howls through it. As I glance at Grimm’s body lying lifelessly on an altar at the center of the shrine, I’m kind of impressed by the fact that such a creepy spot exists so close to the city proper.

“We’re gonna resurrect Grimm in a place like this?”

Still riding the high of making the pretentious soldiers feel like garbage, I join Alice and the others at the altar.

“That’s right. Although resurrection might be overstating it. All we’re going to do is put Grimm’s corpse on the altar with some offerings. Once night comes, she’ll wake up like nothing happened.”

“…Offerings? …You mean that junk you’ve got piled up on the side of it?”

Next to Grimm’s corpse are some raggedy dolls, threadbare clothing, some tools worn out from years of use, and…

“Oh, these are my favorite socks. Since they have holes in them, I figured I’d use them as an offering for Grimm’s resurrection,” Rose admits with a faint blush as I gaze at a pair of worn socks sitting by Grimm’s pillow.

Seriously? A pair of socks is enough to bring her back to life? Is a person’s life just not worth that much on this planet?

“The god Grimm serves, Zenarith, prefers offerings of items that have sentimental value to people. Items that they’ve had for years and treated with care. There should be enough here to cover Grimm’s resurrection— Anyway, I’m going to grab something to eat and head back to my room. There’s a documentary tonight about Zolingeran knives. I’ve been looking forward to it all week!”

“I’m going to go dig into the vast amounts of food we took earlier!”

“I fired my shotgun quite a bit today, so I think I’ll do some maintenance on it. What about you, Six?”

The others begin to head out.

“Mm…I think I’ll stay here. Grimm’s coming back to life at night, right? I want to see what that looks like. Plus, it sounds kind of sad to come back to life and not have anyone around…”

Dusk becomes night, and the shadows make the shrine look even creepier. There’s not much to do but sit and wait, so I get comfy on the ground, hugging my knees to my chest. My attention turns to a hole in the ceiling where the wind gusts through. I’m struck by the sheer number of stars in the sky above. So that’s what you can see when the sky isn’t clogged with smog and other pollutants.

It helps that there’s not a lot of light pollution, with the capital having little in the way of large buildings or lighting.

I consider snapping a few pictures to take back home. Which reminds me, pictures of the orcs and Gadalkand would’ve made nice souvenirs, too. My thoughts continue on this pointless track when I think I catch a bit of light shining from Grimm’s body.

…No, I’m not imagining it. She’s actually glowing.

A magic circle pops into existence around Grimm, and then a column of bright light rises from the altar. The column shines through the hole in the ceiling and pierces the sky, lighting up the room…then fades as quickly as it appeared.

When my eyes adjust again to the gloom, I notice the offerings on the altar are gone. Grimm flutters her lashes and sits up. She rubs at her forehead, as though dealing with a headache, and turns to me a bit sleepily.

“…Commander? What are you doing here?”

“…I was waiting for you to come back to life.”

Grimm glances around the room, as if looking for something, then turns back to me with a puzzled expression.

“Wait, why were you waiting for my resurrection? …Oh. Are you here to punish me because I died before I could do anything useful?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it. I just figured you’d be lonely, coming back to life with no one around. That and, well, I guess I was a little skeptical that all we had to do to bring you back to life was leave you on an altar with a pile of junk.”

“A-ah… I was not aware that they treated my lifeless body so carelessly.”

I probably shouldn’t tell her that there was a pair of used socks among the offerings. Grimm surveys the room but stops after a few moments when she can’t find what she’s looking for.

She turns her gaze to me. There’s no trace of her usual twitchiness or anxiety, just a calm, steady gaze.

“You’re an odd one, Commander. I’ve never known anyone kind enough to patiently wait around for me to come back to life. ”

“That might be the first genuine compliment I’ve gotten since coming to this kingdom.”

Grimm smiles at my words, her expression softening.

“I mean it. Normally, people back away when they learn that I serve Zenarith, God of Undeath and Disaster. Then, once they’ve been sufficiently creeped out by my string of deaths and resurrections, they stop talking to me entirely. But you, Commander… Evidently, you can still talk to me like I’m just another girl. You’re also not bothered by the fact that Rose has demon blood. How very odd.”

The truth is, the mutants at our corporation are so twisted that they make Rose look perfectly normal.

“A word of warning for you, Commander. Rose and I are hard to kill, but that doesn’t go for the rest of this squadron… They always send the rejects into the most dangerous places. We’re expendable.”

There’s a hint of sadness in her smile as she tilts her head toward the stars. Since she can cheat death, she must have survived while many of her companions met more permanent ends. Her starlit smile is a beautiful, fleeting thing. In this moment, she couldn’t appear more different from the lazy, good-for-nothing Grimm I’m used to.

A unit of rejects, hmm? Conscript a bunch of expendable people and send them on high-risk, high-reward missions. If they get results? Great. If they die? No big loss.

That’s pretty messed up. Makes the corporation look like a charity organization. I suppose I should report this method of doing things when I get back to Japan…but I get the feeling our Supreme Leaders would turn up their noses at such an inelegant solution.

“So, Commander… This squadron is dangerous. You should quit while you’re still alive and get out of this kingdom.”

There’s a loneliness and tenderness to Grimm’s tone.

Upon hearing her heartfelt warning, I give my honest reply.

“Huh? What’re you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”

Grimm is caught off guard by the frankness of my response.

“D-don’t be silly, Commander. This unit’s going to get treated like a bunch of expendable rejects and be forced to face the most dangerous situations.”

…That’s already happening!

“Where I come from, it was pretty common to be sent to battlefields where we were up against hundreds of enemies all as strong as the Demon Lord’s Elite Four.”

“…Wha—?”

Grimm just stares at me.

The invasion of America was especially brutal. They just had so many Heroes.

“And in spite of all that, I’m still here and kicking. Even today, I was getting ready to beat the shit out of that Elite Four bastard who killed you, but he ignored me and flew off to the battlefield.”

“U-um…well, that’s… Normally, one wouldn’t be able survive an encounter with a monster on the level of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four.”

Well, that’s certainly true in this case, but…

“For something of that level? With the right prep and weapon, I can take on at least five of them at once.”

As a general rule, Heroes would always attack in groups of five. I remember being tossed into the fray against those teams despite being an average human… Couldn’t say I enjoyed the encounters, but I won and made it out alive. My expression sours as I think back to those battles, and Grimm just goes silent.

“…Commander, just who are you? There’s also that strange weapon Alice carries around…”

Whoops, I should probably cut off that line of questioning here and now.

“It’s not worth worrying about. Plus, now that I think about it, I can definitely see a harem situation developing with our current squad members. You couldn’t pay me to quit.”

Grimm giggles at my attempt to change the subject, her expression radiating joy despite the gloom. “Ah-ha-ha… I get it. We all have things we don’t want to talk about. Just try to stay alive, won’t you?”

After her laughter dies down, Grimm tilts her head, her eyes fixated on me.

“…Well, it’s getting pretty late. Do you have any plans, Commander? Since there was a battle today, tomorrow will be a day of rest.”

“Huh…a day of rest after a day of work? That’s pretty generous… Back at Kisaragi, we’d get home after seventy-two straight hours of guerrilla warfare, only to be sent on our next errand by a boss.”

And that boss would be Lilith the Black, the same lazy, mad scientist who couldn’t be bothered to leave her lab to fetch a few measly test subjects.

“I…see. It seems you’ve had a rather hard life yourself, Commander. Maybe even harder than Rose or myself.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me…”

Now that I’ve been away from the corporation for a little bit, I’ve come to the realization that the work environment was a bit…harsh.

“A-anyway…will you be free tomorrow, Commander?”

“Yeah, I guess. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to do for fun in this kingdom. I wandered around the city a bit last night after unpacking, and the only places open were bars.”

Okay, so I wasn’t expecting to find a twenty-four-hour convenience store or an arcade, but still there was nothing to do! …Hang on a sec, I bet I could find a brothel if I really put my mind to it. Sadly, since I haven’t been paid yet, I’m way too broke to go looking for one.

Grimm chuckles and smiles at me.

“Well then, Commander…how about we go on a date?”

6

…I don’t really get it, but apparently this is what passes for a date in this world.

<Evil Points acquired.>

<Evil Points acquired.>

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

“Mwa-ha-ha! Faster, faster, fasteeer!!”

Grimm and I fly through the streets of the capital.

Well, to be more precise, Grimm’s sitting in a wheelchair that I’m pushing around at breakneck speeds through the capital.

“Commander, this wheelchair is incredible! So light…so fast! I can never go back to an inferior model! You’ve ruined me for all other wheelchairs!”

“Yep! This here’s a Kisaragi wheelchair. High-quality aluminum frame, run-flat tires, high-speed design! You’re the fastest woman in the kingdom, Grimm!”

Apparently, back when Grimm was surveying the room after being resurrected, she had been looking around for her wheelchair. Sadly, it met a pretty gruesome end at the hands of Gadalkand’s foot, so I had the Kisaragi Corporation send me a new one on the teleporter…

“Amazing! This is the best night of my life! Hey, Commander, look over there! It’s another couple!”

“Brace for impact! We’re going in!”

“H-hey! Stop, you twoooo!!!”

Grimm and I have been harassing lovey-dovey couples throughout the city by charging at them with the wheelchair. It looks like the city guard finally caught on, and we’re now being chased by a woman in uniform.

“You there! Stop right there! I can’t believe what you’re doing! This is a romantic spot for couples to share a tender moment! You’re ruining their evenings! If you want to wreak havoc, go somewhere else and take that thing with you!”

Not wanting the entire city guard after me, I screech to a halt. Grimm glances up at me in confusion.

“Wait, isn’t wreaking havoc why we came here in the first place?”

“It sure is. Why’s she interrupting us?”

“Wait, so you two were disturbing the peace on purpose? Well, that changes things. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you both to come with me.”

Grimm sneers dismissively at the uptight guardswoman.

“Ah, you poor lamb. You’ve been forced to work late into the night. Be more honest with yourself and take a look around. Why should you give up your nights for these infernal couples? Secretly, you’re seething with envy and hatred, aren’t you? Let them suffer as you have suffered…”

“Um, well…actually, I have a boyfrie— Ow! Hey! Stop that! I’ll toss you in jail for assaulting a guard!”

Leaning forward in her wheelchair, Grimm starts kicking the guard’s shins, landing several blows with her bare heel.

“Wait…you can use your legs? Why are you in a wheelchair, then?”

“It’s the backlash from a curse cast long ago. In exchange for borrowing Lord Zenarith’s power, there are various…conditions…”

The backlash from a curse?

“Okay, but that still has nothing to do with why you’re rolling around here and raising hell, so knock it off! …You do dumb stuff like this and then wonder why you can’t get a man… Honestly…”

The guardswoman mutters under her breath, prompting Grimm to retrieve what appears to be a doll from her bosom and point at it menacingly.

“Oh, you’ve said it now! Commander, allow me to give you a proper demonstration of my power! O Great Lord Zenarith, I beseech thee! Deliver disaster unto this woman! May she suffer from vertigo!”

“…Gah?!”

The officer pinches the bridge of her nose, wobbling from side to side as she loses her footing.

…………

“Wait, that’s your power? It’s a little…underwhelming, don’t you think?”

“Look, Commander, curses are an art, not a science. Even with all my power, I succeed maybe eighty percent of the time. The success rate drops like a rock each time I use the same phrasing. Curses also require a sacrifice, and even then, I might fail and suffer the curse myself…like with my legs…”

Grimm looks down sadly at her legs, rubbing at them wistfully.

“…Oh, I see. So you used a curse to weaken someone’s legs, but something went wrong, and you took the curse instead, costing you your ability to walk, huh?”

“…What? Oh no, the backlash from this curse just prevents me from wearing shoes.”

…Now I feel stupid for pitying her.

“Wow, that ability is totally useless… I feel kind of bad for you actually, so I’m just going to let you go now…”

The guard, now fully recovered from her vertigo, looks upon Grimm with pity.

Grimm scowls in response, glaring at the officer, producing several more dolls from her top.

“Useless?! I’ll show you useless! Feel the full wrath of my curses! O Great Lord Zenarith, I beseech thee! Deliver disaster unto this harlot! May she suffer the pain of stubbing her toe on a dresser!”

“…?!”

The guard cringes, closing her eyes in anticipation of the pain…

“Aaaaaagh!”

Rather than the guard, Grimm clutches at her right foot and lets out a pained scream.

“Careful! Don’t squirm so much in the wheelchair or you’re gonna— Oops.”

“Urgh!”

Writhing in agony, Grimm tips over her wheelchair, falling to the ground and slamming her head against the cobblestones below. She goes totally limp as the guard and I stand there dumbfounded.

…I see. So this is one of Lord Zenarith’s…conditions…

But…

…Does this mean I have to take her back to the shrine?

7

The next day.

“Please, no! Please, no! Please have mercy!!”

“It’s all right… You’ll be much stronger once you eat this.”

Today is supposed to be a day off, so I’m wandering aimlessly around the barracks when I hear shouting…

“I can’t, I can’t, I can’t! Bugs are absolutely out of the question!”

“Insects are rich in nutrients and a good source of protein. Eating insects is a basic part of survival training. Stop being such a baby and eat it already!”

I follow the familiar voices to a half-open door and peer into the room. There I find Alice trying to feed Rose a grasshopper. Meanwhile, a teary-eyed Rose is shying away and shaking her head.

“What are you two doing?”

Rose jumps up and takes cover behind me.

“Boss, help! Alice is bullying me!”

And with that, Rose cowers from Alice, peering at her from behind me.

“Perfect timing, Six. Hold her down for a moment, will you?”

“You wouldn’t do that, would you, Boss? You’re a nice person, aren’t you? Right? Right?!”

Caught between these two, I sigh and slump my shoulders.

“Why exactly are you doing this, Alice? It’s not gonna earn you any Evil Points. You should leave this sort of thing to me.”

“How could you, Boss?! I can’t trust anyone! Grandpa was right! Humans are inferior and deserve to be wiped off the face of the planet!”

I ignore Rose as she whimpers and smacks my back, and I focus my attention on Alice.

“I’m trying to figure out how her copying ability works. It looks like she absorbs the genetic material of whatever she eats. I figured I could gather more data through experiments.”

Rose calls herself an artificial Chimera. According to Snow and Grimm, there’s nothing to back it up other than Rose’s own claim. The truth about just who and what she is remains shrouded in mystery. All we know is that she was found hibernating in an artifact inside some ruins…

“So what exactly is the deal with the ruins she was discovered in? Did there used to be a super-advanced civilization on this planet or something?”

“That’s definitely a possibility. Which is why I want to try feeding various things to her. I’m starting with a grasshopper. If she absorbs the genes of a grasshopper, I’m pretty sure she’ll become the most powerful creature on this planet.”

Ah, I think I see what’s going on here.

“I don’t understand why that means I have to eat the grasshopper! Aren’t there stronger things I could eat instead?”

I’m hit with a wave of genuine culture shock as Rose’s words reveal just how little this world knows about genetics.

“Don’t underestimate the grasshopper’s genes, Rose. In our corporation, making mutants from grasshoppers was considered taboo.”

“Exactly. Now suck it up and eat the grasshopper. If you finish it, I’ll give you a special treat.”

“What are you even talking about?! You two aren’t making any sense!” Rose backs away from us, crouching into the corner. “B-but…what do you mean by special treat? Is it something delicious? Depending on what it is, I might consider it…”

Alice takes out a wrapped package of some sort.

“It’s called silicone. If you eat it, I’m sure it’ll increase your bust size.”

“How wonderful! Alice! Let’s order a ton of silicone. Then we can feed Rose until she becomes super-busty!”

“I don’t need something like that! I’m perfectly fine with my current size!”

Hey, that reminds me.

“Say, Rose, I meant to ask you before. Why are you putting up with how they treat you here? Given your power, I’m sure you could find better employment elsewhere.”

“…To learn more about myself. The kingdom’s scholars are studying the ruins they found me in. The higher-ups promised that if I kept fighting for the kingdom, they would tell me whatever the scholars learned…”

Rose then recounts her memories to us. According to Rose, the old man who created her died after delving into dark, forbidden arts. Before falling victim to those twisted energies, the old man left a series of instructions for Rose. In order to carry out those instructions, Rose is currently on the hunt for a certain item.

It’s a stone of some sort, as well as the very object the old man dipped into the forbidden arts to obtain. It’s said to cure all illnesses if made into medicine, to grant immortality as an elixir, or to craft the ultimate, indestructible weapon if forged. If used as a spell component, it can change the very shape of the world. And if used as an offering to the gods, the gods themselves would appear before you to grant your wishes. This ultimate stone was what Rose’s creator was after.

…But listening to stories about Rose, I can’t shake the feeling that Rose is a powerful artifact in her own right. I have to admit I’m impressed by how casually this kingdom’s leaders use her. I mean, hell, they pay her peanuts and send her on suicide missions. Honestly, this kingdom is run by some pretty heartless bastards.

“<Hey, Alice, once we establish a two-way link with Earth, we should send some Kisaragi researchers into the ruins. Also, make sure we officially add Rose to our ranks.>”

“<I agree. She’s already looks like one of our mutants. All we need to do is get her into the right mind-set and she’ll make a powerful Combat Agent.”

“…Um, why are you two suddenly speaking in that strange language again?”

Our sudden switch to Japanese is clearly making Rose’s anxiety worse. Alice and I reassuringly put our hands on Rose’s shoulders.

“Rose, from here on out, the two of us will cure you of your ignorance. Starting today, you’re officially one of us.”

“You’re still a child, so you’ll need proper indoctrination. You should feel free to think of me as your mother.”

“Alice, you’re younger than I am! I’m going to have to pass on the lesson. I bet you’re planning on teaching me some strange things… And what is this badge?! I don’t want this!”

Alice attaches an official Kisaragi badge to Rose’s chest.

“Congratulations, you’re now a Combat Agent in training,” I tell her.

“Congrats! From here on out, not only is Six your boss but he’s also your mentor. Listen to him carefully.”

“Wh-what? No! You two look like you’re planning something… Wait, why are you clapping? Stop it! I’m fine with the way things are right now! B-boss? What’s that in your hand?! Whatever it is, I’m not eating it! You can’t make me eat grasshoppers or silicone or anything weird!”

 [Status Report]

Safely arrived at target destination despite being teleported to an altitude of several thousand meters.

Alice reports some substantial differences in fauna between target destination and Earth, but aside from lower CO₂ concentrations, atmosphere composition is similar to Earth.

Discovered extensive undeveloped land and civilized settlements.

Resource studies yet to be conducted, but local foodstuffs are edible and provide sufficient nutrients.

Undeveloped lands show potential to alleviate food shortages on Earth from population growth.

After a demonstration of our abilities, recruited to lead a squadron for a local political entity.

Local political entity is currently in conflict with a competitor calling itself the Demon Lord’s Army.

Engaged in combat with said competitor. Confirmed presence of mutant-level opponents.

Sustained a near loss due to insufficient equipment. Requesting substantial material reinforcements. Could really, really use the latest and greatest equipment. Kindly stop being a bunch of cheapskates.

Reporting Operative:

Combat Agent 6, Who Almost Died from Lilith’s Mistakes