Chapter 6: God-Race Ancient Dragon

Shuuichi Arakawa’s Point of View

“So you want to borrow members of the ant and arachne races?” Victoria asked.

“That’s right,” I said. “To make this night attack strategy work, we absolutely need the strength of those two races.”

Now that we’d worked out the details of a night attack strategy, I was visiting the Ursna army’s main tent to ask Empress Victoria for her assistance.

“That’s fine, but what role would you have them serve?” she asked. “Noa’s people have far better equipment and training than my own.”

“But they’ve all got special abilities that we don’t have. For a start, we want to have the ant race carry us on their backs into the enemy’s camp. Is there a species within the ants with a powerful bite and thick armor?”

“Such as the fire death ant? They are few in number, but they are here on the battlefield.”

So they do exist... The fire death ants are probably a demi-human version of the Dinoponera of Earth that Kouki told me about. Those ants have a bite powerful enough to make a human pass out in pain. A scaled-up version of those ants would make a perfect attack vehicle.

“And the arachne race,” I added, “are there any that can produce tough fibers? We need their cooperation to incapacitate the enemy by getting them caught in their web. If they’re like I’m imagining, their bodies will be colored black and yellow.”

“You must mean the queen arachne,” she said. “There are only two on the battlefield. Will they be sufficient?”

“Yes, that’s enough.”

All right! There really is a demi-human form of the Joro spider, I thought jubilantly. On Earth, that species makes webs so big they can even capture birds as their prey. They should have no problem incapacitating an enemy platoon.

I requested that the members of the ant and arachne races gather near the Noa tents two hours from now, and I left the Ursna army’s main tent.

I was about to call my subordinates so we could gather to discuss our strategy, but then I received a transmission from Clare. It’d been some time since I last heard from her.

“Commander, do you read me? It’s Clare. Kon is heading your way to offer support. He’s carrying a unit organization chart. Please make good use of it.”

Did I hear that right? Why would Kon come here?!

“Clare, how is Kon going to get here?” I questioned. “And what do you expect him to do? I know he’s smart, but the only magic he can use is for turning rocks into metals. He’ll be useless here.”

“He said he has a plan and that I should leave it to him, so I put him in a transportation missile and launched him from the Siren. Don’t forget that this is Kouki’s pet we’re talking about. I’m sure he’ll be helpful somehow.”

I don’t know what to say to that. Kouki has put a lot of time into raising him, so maybe he’s taught him some sort of special skill. But still. I hate to have little dragons worrying about me. It wounds my pride as a professional.

“In a few minutes, Kon will descend from a point above your location. Please be ready to recover him.”

“Understood.”

I used my terminal to check the destination point of the missile based on the information that Clare had sent to me. Then I went out to recover Kon, taking with me Idiot A and Idiot B, who were trying to flirt with the soldiers from the empire’s army.

**

After a short while waiting at the destination point, I spotted a ball of fire flying toward us from the west.

That must be the missile that’s carrying Kon.

I turned on my night vision goggles and looked up at the sky. The missile broke apart directly above me, and out of it fell Kon.

“Here it comes... here it comes. Maybe I should move forward a little more?” I mumbled to myself as I prepared to catch the dragon like he was a fly ball.

Through my night vision goggles, it looked as though Kon had noticed me. He skillfully guided himself straight toward me through the air using the small wings growing from his back. Kon then rolled into a ball as he descended, and landed in my waiting arms.

After taking a good look at our surroundings, Kon said, “Kon!”

I couldn’t help but smile because it felt as though he was saying, “Long time no see!”

Kon passed me a note that he must have written while inside the missile, then he jumped down to the ground and looked up at the sky. I had no idea what he was looking for.

The note read: “I’m here to support you. I have a plan, so leave it to me. On the other side of this piece of paper there’s a reorganization chart for the unit that Clare thought up.”

Kon has an idea? Well, there’s no way he could make things any worse.

Kon was still looking up at the sky when I turned to him and said, “I’ll leave it to you.” His tail swished back and forth in response.

I sat down so I could carefully study the reorganization chart that Clare had made, but then Kon suddenly roared at the sky.

“GRAAAAAWW!!”

The sound made me jump to my feet in surprise. Kon’s tail was swaying back and forth in satisfaction as he turned to face me and held up a card that read “Please hold me.”

I picked him up and he continued staring at the northern sky without moving. A minute later there was no change. Five minutes passed and still no change. After ten minutes, I was about to speak up, but then something began to happen in the sky that left me lost for words. Something similar to the magic circles used by the people of Ursna appeared in the sky to the north.

“Commander... what is that?” asked Idiot A.

Why are you asking me? How would I know?! In my arms, Kon’s tail was swishing back and forth violently. What are these things? I wondered as more and more magic circles began appearing and covering the entire sky to the north.

“Something is coming out of one of the magic circles,” said Idiot B. “A dragon? Commander, there’s a dragon emerging from that magic circle. Is this for real?! Is a dragon going to come out of every single one?”

Is that even possible? We must be looking at hundreds of magic circles.

A black dragon that emerged from the largest circle flew over and landed right in front of us. The dragon lowered its head to the ground as if it was here to serve us, and spoke to Kon in my arms.

“It is a great honor to be here in your presence. I am yours to command, Ancient Dragon. Without exception, each and every member of the dragon race has journeyed here to answer your call.”

“Kon! Konn, konkon. Kon?”

“I am not worthy of such words,” said the black dragon. “As you command. We shall lend our strength to this coalition force you speak of.”

The dragon raised its head and then looked in my direction.

“Human, the dragon race is here to assist you as Kon bids us. What would you have us do?”

While the dragon in front of me was speaking, countless other dragons were landing in the area around us. My mind could hardly keep up with everything that was happening.

Kon showed me a new note that he’d written, skillfully held by his tail. “It’s time for us to fight back!!”

That note was enough to bring me back to my senses. Kon was becoming almost as impressive as Kouki. I petted him gently before looking to my subordinates and telling them when the night attack would commence.

Ragille Principality Soldier’s Point of View

I was eating a meal when I first noticed the commotion that started outside of my tent.

I asked a nearby archer what was happening. “What’s going on? What are you all panicking about?”

“Fool! Didn’t you see the sky to the north? A large army of dragons appeared nearby.”

Dragons? But those despicable lizards live in areas like the northern continent where there’s strong magical energy. There’s no reason for them to be here. I’ll bet these are flying pseudo-dragons that they’ve mistaken for true dragons.

I sneered at the ignorant archer and decided to go back to my evening meal; but before I could return to the tent, a winged creature descended before me from the sky above. It was undeniably a true dragon.

“Gruruu.” The dragon looked right at me and growled menacingly. It began to strike the ground with its tail, leaving indentations in the ground with each strike. Its tail then struck my suit of armor, which had been lying near the tent, crushing it completely flat.

“Uwaaaah!” I cried. That thing’s going to kill me!

The threat of death triggered some instinctive reaction that sent me running at top speed toward our main order knights, who were in the process of erecting a tent.

I’m not dead yet. General Ild’s heavy armor knights will be able to deal with that dragon!

I sprinted madly and entered the camp of the heavy armor knights by leaping over some fencing. But the knights I found there were already utterly defeated and lying in a heap in the middle of the camp.

“What’s this? Another weakling come to challenge me?” the black dragon mocked. “I’m finding it rather difficult to keep myself from killing you all.”

“This can’t... Why would Marvelus be here?” I stammered.

There was only one black dragon in this world: the supreme black ruler Marvelus, an SSS-class dragon who reigned over all dragons. No hero had ever been capable of defeating the dragon standing before me.

I was still standing there frozen in terror with a warm sensation radiating out from my crotch, when a white dragon now landed before me.

“I have finished suppressing the humans over yonder, my love. Kon has praised me for a job well done... What is this dirty human?”

“I do not know. I took him for a human brave enough to challenge me, but he wet himself the moment I looked at him.”

This white dragon was clearly his partner, the white queen Lirin. She was an SS-class dragon, and there were countless records of nations that crumbled after inciting her rage.

We’re done for... The principality is finished. There’s no hope for survival with these beasts against us.

I prepared myself for death, but then Marvelus looked at me, his gaze filled with contempt. “Human, we will spare you if you will return to your people and tell them that the coalition has the support of the dragon race. Go! I will eat you if you are not quick.”

“Eek?!”

I began running without a moment’s thought. On the way, I encountered the archer, who had also lost his nerve and wet himself. Together, we ran as fast as we could toward the frontline fortress where a defense army was garrisoned.

**

Late that night, the leaders of the Rinkdolfr Empire and the Ragille Principality were distressed to hear reports of alliance forces being routed. Distress turned to panic when they received reports from two members of the Ragille army.

By morning, the news had spread that the dragon race, led by the supreme black ruler Marvelus and the white queen Lirin, had formally declared against the alliance. It was known to everyone from the castle guards to the common townspeople. It became impossible for either nation to ignore the cries of their people demanding a stop to the war.

Meanwhile, the Capus Kingdom and the Recule Holy State were plotting to bring down the coalition.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

After capturing the coastal city of Asti, we headed east and advanced deeper into the Rinkdolfr Empire’s territory. At the rendezvous point, located 100 kilometers from the imperial capital, Trieta, I waited for the arrival of Mom and Macho Man.

“Clare, how long will it be until Merkava and Ursna’s forces get here?” I asked.

“I’m estimating that Merkava’s forces will arrive in five hours, and Ursna’s forces will arrive in seven hours. Taking into account the losses from each unit, the coalition force will have to capture Trieta with 120,000 soldiers.”

120,000? That’s pretty much all of Noa! I realize that the Merkava Kingdom didn’t have many soldiers in the first place, but could Victoria lose so many members from Ursna’s forces? I heard about Kon going to support them... Didn’t he make a difference? I wondered as I reviewed the intelligence I’d received from Clare.

Acatl entered the room carrying food with her. “I made use of the innkeeper’s kitchen to prepare us some lunch. Don’t worry, I used ingredients taken from our ship.”

“Thank you. Sorry for making you go to the trouble.”

While Mom was using a ground battleship, we’d gotten off the iceberg carrier and advanced along the ground. We were using inns in occupied towns and villages as makeshift command bases. Naturally, we tried to agree on a fair price with the innkeeper each time we used an inn, but for some reason they always refused to accept our money. It was mysterious.

“This is delicious,” I said. “I didn’t know you were such a good cook, Acatl.”

“Thank you.”

While I was getting my fill of Acatl’s delicious homemade food, Clare informed me of some new information that she received from headquarters on her terminal. “Major General, some members of the dragon race who were fighting alongside the Ursna army have set out for this town and are flying here now. Would you like to greet them?”

“Yes! Of course I would.”

I was excited because this would be my first time seeing a true dragon besides Kon. The flying dragons that Acatl’s team rode weren’t true dragons. Those creatures were actually similar to birds, and were more accurately known as pseudo-dragons. I was disappointed to find that, unlike Kon, the pseudo-dragons didn’t understand human speech. Acatl had told me that true dragons could, so I’d been hoping to meet one.

“Will they fly into the town?” I asked hopefully.

“According to the information I have here, the dragons headed here are Marvelus and Lirin. I’ve asked that they land outside of the town to avoid creating panic.”

So that means they’ll be flying to the grassy field on the western side of town. It’s going to take us a few hours to get there even if we use a vehicle. We should get moving right away so I can see them fly in. I scooped up the entire remains of my lunch into my mouth in one spoonful.

**

“Major General, the suits we sent out as scouts have confirmed the dragons are on their way here,” Clare said. “They should come into view any minute now.”

I stared wide-eyed at the sky. My head turned back and forth to scan the sky until I noticed a gigantic creature flying toward us from the east. I was certain that it was a member of the dragon race. Once the dragon was close enough for me to see it clearly, he flew in a circle over my head and slowly descended to the ground.

“Gruuu,” the dragon growled.

The growling black dragon was nothing short of impressive, and he certainly looked cool, but...

The dragon would look a lot cooler without Kon sitting on its head.

“Hey, Kon, what’re you doing up there?” I called.

“Graaaaaaw!” the black dragon roared in response. “How dare you, you insolent child?”

For some reason, the dragon was angry. It took a step toward me, and each member of the powered suit team that was there to defend me raised their weapon and disengaged the safety, ready to protect me.

Wait a minute. Why is everyone so on edge?! Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

I was wondering how to remedy the situation as I broke into a cold sweat. But then Kon, atop the dragon’s head, began to speak while swishing his tail.

“Konkon, kon.”

“Yes... Huh?! This insolen—this boy is your master?”

“Kon!”

Kon ignored the black dragon’s surprise, leapt from the dragon’s head, and used his wings to fly into my arms.

....Kon flew?! I thought, stunned. Kon can fly!

“Did you learn how to fly?” I asked.

A glowing blue sphere appeared at the tip of Kon’s tail. He threw the sphere up into the sky and it floated in the air for a moment before bursting and leaving text floating in its place.

The text read: “Marvelus here taught me how to fly, and Lirin, the white dragon over there, taught me this magic! And there’s more.”

Kon flapped his wings and rose up out of my arms until he was floating at the same height as my face. He narrowed his eyes and with great effort, adjusted his ordinary “Kon” sound.

“Kon, kokyu... Koukyu, Kouki.”

Did he say my name just now? In my surprise and joy, I suddenly hugged Kon, who was floating there wordlessly, and petted his head.

He tilted his head as he looked at me. When I didn’t react, he started saying, “Kouki, Kouki.” I didn’t know what to say in response, so all I could do was pet him.

The black dragon, Marvelus, soon grew tired of watching us. “Boy, Kon is still young and therefore cannot speak the human tongue. But even so, Kon has practiced growling in different ways. I believe there is something you should say in response.”

Looking around me, I saw it wasn’t just Marvelus; Clare and the defense suit team were also looking at me expectantly.

That’s right. Kon has been trying so hard. In that case, there’s something I really should say to him.

“Kon, I can understand. Thank you.”

“Kon!”

Kon energetically wagged his tail before wrapping around the back of my neck to settle himself into his usual position on my shoulder.

**

“In that case, was Kon’s mother originally a dragon from this world?” I asked the black dragon.

“Indeed,” Marvelus replied. “The magic I feel from Kon is similar to Reen’s magic. If this was not the case, my kind would not have recognized Kon as being from a superior race, nor would we have answered Kon’s call.”

After the scene out on the grassy field, Kon told us he wanted something to eat, so we headed back to the inn. Marvelus had taken human form, and was now eating together with Kon.

Marvelus and Lirin thought it best to take human form before entering the town. I was surprised to see the beautiful man and woman they’d become, but what concerned me the most right now was Kon’s true nature.

“But wasn’t Kon born in a different world?” I asked. “Kon entered a dormant state after being born in another world with no other dragons around, and was then accidentally carried home with me.”

“Yes, Kon has told us as much. I cannot prove this, but do you know what species Kon is?”

Kon had told me he was a “god-race ancient dragon.” All I had to go on was some unreliable knowledge from my past life, but I suspected that Kon was the highest ranking species of legendary dragon who reigned over all other dragons. I told Marvelus what I suspected.

Marvelus wiped his mouth with a napkin before continuing. “In that case, do you know what characteristics an ancient dragon has that we lack?”

“I’ve no idea.”

Characteristics? I could say his intelligence is one characteristic, but all dragons are wise and can use powerful magic. I doubt that Kon’s alchemy is the characteristic Marvelus is talking about. I took a sip of the coffee that Clare had poured for me and waited for Marvelus to resume speaking.

“Members of Kon’s species have two special characteristics,” he said. “The first is their ability to cross into other dimensions. I doubt I need explain this to you. You have traveled from another world to this one. I’m sure that was achieved by some magic or scientific technology. The second is more important. Ancient dragons can have relationships with members of other races. I have heard that Reen’s human form was very beautiful.”

“In that case...” I said slowly.

“I’m sure you have guessed already. The proof is in a rumor that was spread among us dragons when I was very young. According to the rumor, Reen had given birth to a child by a human father. When we heard of this, the dragon who was the eldest at the time went to see Reen to learn the truth of the situation. If it was true, the half-human-half-dragon that was born would have been a weak infant dragon in need of protection from its own kind. But Reen suspected that we intended to harm her child. Boy, if you had been in that position, what would you have done?”

That’s obvious: I’d have run away to protect my child, I determined. If I could cross into another dimension, I’d escape into another world so that the other dragons couldn’t follow. Kon’s mother must’ve had the same idea when she escaped to the world of the Ackroyd Kingdom.

“It seems you have reached the same conclusion as I did,” the dragon said. “As I have said, I have no proof, but Kon’s magic is similar to that of Reen, so the most likely conclusion is that Kon is Reen’s child.”

“In that case, why wasn’t Kon’s mother there when Kon was born?” I asked. “She was capable of moving safely across dimensions to the world of the Ackroyd Kingdom, after all.”

Marvelus placed his hand on his chin and remained silent in thought for some time. Finally, he replied, “After the conception of a child of two dragons, it commonly requires around 800 years until the egg is laid. Another 200 years must then pass before the egg will hatch. Roughly speaking, the whole process takes 1,000 years. This is the reason why there are very few of our kind... but I digress. I suspect that with a weak human as a father, development within the egg would have taken a long time. Such things are unprecedented, so I cannot say for sure, but it is quite possible that Kon’s development took several thousand years.”

It didn’t seem possible that an incredibly powerful ancient dragon could have been killed by humans from the world where Kon had been born. It was more likely that Kon’s mother had reached the end of her natural lifespan by the time Kon hatched.

After Reen had traveled across dimensions, what sort of life did the man she’d taken for her husband have? Such tragedy had come from a small misunderstanding, but I believed the two of them had somehow lived happy lives despite that.

**

Marvelus’s Point of View

“Are you sure this is for the best, my love?” Lirin asked.

Having finished eating, we were resting in a room of the inn that had been arranged for us. My wife Lirin had been silent since our parting with Kon.

“What do you mean?”

“That boy... I believe his name was Kouki. You must have realized there is some magic in that boy. It is identical to the magic that flows through Kon. Why did you not tell him?”

“Kon’s magic has merely transferred to the boy after the two have been together for so long,” I said. “That’s not particularly rare. It’s no more special than a piece of iron becoming magnetic after being left close to another piece of magnetic iron.” I couldn’t understand why Lirin asked the question with such concern. “Do you mean to suggest that Reen’s blood runs in the boy’s veins?”

“Not at all,” she said. “Quite the opposite. I was thinking of the father.”

“Impossible!” I scoffed. “What a foolish idea. Yes, all living creatures with souls are reincarnated into a new form after death, but if a creature can be reborn in another world, then it can also be reborn as a plant such as a blade of grass. The idea that he might have been reborn as human and reunited with Kon is so incredibly unlikely.”

“You are correct, but the probability is not zero,” she said. “And Reen was a god-race ancient dragon. She was the nearest thing to a god outside of the heavens. If she had used all of her magic and her life force in earnest, she would have been capable of magic that could distort logic itself.”

“Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Such an achievement would go far beyond mere magic. That would be a divine miracle.”

“Do you not think it strange?” she retorted. “Reen died before Kon’s birth, and Kon’s attachment to Kouki is far beyond an ordinary attachment between a human and a dragon. Kon spoke to us of Alice as if Alice were Kon’s mother herself. All things considered, the natural conclusion is that those two lovers traveled through time and between worlds to be reunited.”

“That would mean that Reen used her own body as a catalyst for a magic spell on an unthinkable scale...” I said slowly. “Hahaha! I only ever saw her once while I was still young, but to think she would transcend to become a god for that reason alone...”

I didn’t listen to anything further of what Lirin had to say. Reen had not wished to conquer the world, nor had she wished to obtain infinite power.

When I closed my eyes, I could remember her clearly—the legendary dragon who had ascended to the level of a god merely for the sake of a human she loved and their precious child.

**

Miki Arakawa’s Point of View

“We will soon arrive at the rendezvous point,” Elise said. “Ursna’s forces have also arrived there ahead of schedule.”

“Looks like we’ll be the last ones to arrive.” I put down my teacup and looked at the enlarged image on the screen showing the town serving as the rendezvous point. I could see that there were tents set up around the outskirts where Ursna’s forces and some Noa soldiers were garrisoned.

There are far too few people here from Ursna. It’s just like the reports said. Their main unit must have been crushed after being encircled at the start of the battle.

“Please bring the ship close to the tent that Noa’s main unit has set up,” I said. “We’ll attend a strategy meeting there and begin our assault on the imperial capital.”

“Understood.”

Our ship stopped close to the tent and we began preparing tea. Shuuichi and Empress Victoria soon came aboard and entered the CIC of the Alice. It was perfect timing because there was something I wanted to ask the empress.

“Good work, Shuuichi,” I said. “It looks as though you made it through a tough battle.”

“It might not have gone so well if the dragons didn’t arrived to support us,” he said. “My own unit didn’t suffer any injuries, but the Ursna army under the empress’s command was completely defeated. Once we’ve captured the imperial capital, they’ll need to withdraw from the battlefield.”

“My sincere apologies.” Victoria bowed her head.

This isn’t anyone’s fault, I reflected. Her forces are still strong enough to maintain public order, so even if they aren’t fighting at the front, they still have a role to play.

“Not at all,” I said. “The Ursna army repelled a 250,000-strong enemy force. That’s quite enough. But there’s something else I’d like to talk to you about, Empress. Does the word ‘ghoul’ mean anything to you?”

“Ghoul? I know of them...” The color drained from Victoria’s face as she answered the question. “Why do you ask?”

The previous night, I learned from a spy who’d infiltrated the alliance forces that the Capus Kingdom and the Recule Holy State were researching a weapon known as a ghoul.

We can’t let our guard down now, I reflected. I need to know more about this weapon.

“According to reports from someone who has infiltrated the alliance forces, the alliance force intends to use a ghoul on the battlefield,” I said. “Unfortunately, we have no information about this weapon. Could you tell us about it?”

“...A ghoul is not a weapon of any kind. It is a form of pestilence brought on by a curse. If they do that, they risk destroying their own nations.”

The topic clearly made her uncomfortable. Everyone in the CIC went silent as the empress continued her explanation.

First, a ghoul was definitely a type of monster, but they lacked any intelligence and would simply hunt for prey. The problem was that their prey included any animal that moved. After being bitten by a ghoul, their prey would then become ghouls themselves, thus spreading the infection.

“Is there any cure?” I asked.

“None. The only options are to kill every last one or to hide until they starve.”

The more I learned about the alliance force’s foolishness, the more angry I felt. Even on Earth, there were nations that had created biological weapons, but none foolish enough to create those things without also creating a cure. If a single ghoul was allowed to live, it could spread the infection, resulting in exponentially growing levels of damage. To make matters worse, the disorder caused by the war meant that this continent would lack the resources needed for any systematic effort to contain the infection.

“I can’t imagine what Kouki would say if he heard about this,” I muttered.

“Why are you worrying about me?”

Hearing a voice behind me, I turned around in surprise. Kouki was looking at me curiously with Kon perched on his head.

Oh no... If Kouki heard what we were just discussing, he’ll use all of his power to kill the leaders of the alliance force.

The other CIC personnel must have also reached the same conclusion. They now had another reason for being speechless as they gazed at Kouki.

“Kou, how much did you hear?” I asked uneasily.

“The whole thing. So let’s decide what we’re going to do about it.”

Kouki began thinking with his index finger resting against his chin. I looked away from him briefly to look at Shuuichi. Shuuichi understood what it was I was trying to signal to him. He moved around to get behind Kouki, ready to restrain our son at any time. If Kouki said, “Get my powered suit ready, because I’m going out to kill them,” we would just have to confine him to this room until the matter was resolved.

Eventually, Kouki checked something using his terminal and said, “Victoria, a ghoul’s weak point is its head, right?”

“You know of them?” she said. “Indeed, the head is the weakest point.”

“Clare, please bring me a map of the area around the Capus Kingdom,” he ordered. “Make it a satellite image, if possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

I was surprised to see Kouki was already accustomed to giving out commands.

“Mom, how quickly can you create a thermonuclear weapon?” he asked me.

“Never,” I said. “There is a pact prohibiting them, so even if I returned to the Hakone base, we don’t have the materials.”

“Seriously? Burning everything away with nuclear weapons is standard practice when there’s this kind of biohazard or pandemic... This makes things difficult.”

I didn’t understand what Kouki was saying. Standard practice? Nuclear weapons? And how could he possibly know that a ghoul’s weak point is its head? That reminds me... He also knew a lot about sandworms and elves. Could he have brought back something from the relic without me noticing?

Kouki’s words left me with a lot of questions.

Clare then returned with a satellite image and spread it out on a desk. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Major General. This is the satellite image you requested.”

“Thank you, Clare. I’m sending some data to everyone’s terminals so you can all see it.”

I took a look at my own terminal to see for myself. The data described in detail some effective strategies, tactics, weapons, etc., for dealing with ghouls. It was no exaggeration to say that this was a detailed solution to the problem itself. But the name of the file he sent was a major cause for concern.

“Kou, I know you won’t give me a straight answer if I ask how you’ve managed to describe everything in so much detail without any experience or training, so I won’t ask. But why would you name the file ‘What to Do If Mom Makes a Zombie Virus – Part 3’?!”

It made me wonder what kind of person Kouki thought I was.

I’ll have to talk this over with his girlfriend. Alice is such a sweet girl; I’m sure she’ll help correct Kouki’s image of me.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

“Kou, I know that you won’t give me a straight answer if I ask how you’ve managed to describe everything in so much detail without any experience or training, so I won’t ask. But why would you name the file ‘What to do If Mom Makes a Zombie Virus (Part 3)’?!”

Because that’s exactly what the file is, I thought. The idea was that Mom might end up creating a zombie virus at some point. And those viruses always escape containment in some accident. So we were going to need this emergency protocol manual when the time came! It was kind of a joke, but now it looks like we’re actually going to use it for the first time.

After silently reading through the data, Macho Man asked, “Kouki, what’s a ‘zombie’? Is it some sort of code name?”

I thought the concept of a zombie would be too complicated for a gorilla to understand, so I dumbed it down a little. “If a virus is incredibly infectious and it makes changes to the host’s body, I call that a ‘zombie virus.’ And anything infected with the virus I call a ‘zombie.’”

“Major General, I can’t help but notice that this file is part 3. Is there more?” Clare asked.

“Of course. The whole thing is 27 parts covering every possible scenario.”

Clare was staring at me, lost for words.

Heh. I haven’t been sitting around wasting time since getting reincarnated. I might not be a genius like my mom, and I might not have incredible skill on the battlefield like Macho Man, but I’ve put my knowledge from my past life to full use to prepare for this situation. Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve really done something useful for my mom.

Naturally, I considered barricading yourself in a supermarket as a means of surviving a zombie apocalypse to be the height of folly. A hardware store was the best option. That way you’d have weapons and everything you need to barricade yourself in, such as the tools and sandbags, right there. There’d also be instant ramen, or dog food in the worst case scenario, that you can eat to keep yourself alive.

“Some of this is really specific,” Macho Man said. “I understand rules like, ‘Never go out alone to investigate the source of a strange sound.’ But why is ‘Never use a helicopter to escape’ a rule?”

“Because they crash.”

Macho Man looked confused by my response.

“Any helicopter used to escape will always crash,” I explained. “Even if there’s no real reason for it to crash, it’ll crash because of mysterious engine problems. Helicopters have to be avoided entirely.”

I’d also written things like, “Take extreme caution when entering underground tunnels,” and “In each group of people, there should always be at least one person looking out at the group’s rear.”

I’ll have to go over the details with Macho Man and the others who’ll actually be basing their actions on the manual. But before that, we need to prioritize capturing the imperial capital 100 kilometers from here. There’s nothing else we can do until we’ve done that.

“Let’s come up with our zombie countermeasures later,” I said. “First, let’s quickly capture the imperial capital.”

“Quickly?” Mom replied. “Kou, do you realize that the imperial forces have set up defenses that are virtually impregnable? It’s not that easy.”

“Sure it is. If my strategy goes well, we can quickly render the imperial capital powerless without injuring anyone. But I’ll need everyone to cooperate. Listen...”

I pushed Mom’s objections to the side, and told everyone in the CIC about the plan I thought of the night before. At first, everyone listened in astonishment, but they all began to smile as I got into the details.

“Kouki, I think you might be crazy,” Macho Man said. “But if you can pull this off, it’ll really be something.”

“Very well,” Victoria said. “I must change into another dress. And I must prepare one for Lirin.”

Now that I had approval from Victoria and the Noa military department’s chief executive, Macho Man, we could make the strategy official. My only concern was whether I’d be able to keep my nerve long enough to follow the strategy through to the end. The entire coalition force would be watching my every move. I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

I asked Clare to pour some coffee so I could energize myself. Then I made a mental note to go to the bathroom first before leaving, so I wouldn’t have any accidents while carrying out the plan.

**

Joachim’s, Knight of the Rinkdolfr Empire’s Imperial Guard, Point of View

It was evening and the coalition force was drawing near the imperial capital. We stood outside the capital’s mighty gates awaiting the enemy’s arrival. The men around me didn’t know the particulars and were optimistically saying that our opponents were likely dwarf-sized demi-humans. But I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

To calm my nerves, I touched the scarf around my neck that had been given to me by my wife before I set out. Then we saw the giant object approaching from ahead.

“Archers! Ready!”

At my command, the archers positioned behind me made themselves ready to unleash their arrows at any time. The tension left me with a lump in my throat as the giant object stopped, leaving a good distance between itself and the city gate.

“Aren’t they going to attack?” I muttered to myself.

Then I realized that a black dragon and a white dragon were flying above us. They were Marvelus and Lirin, I was certain of it.

So the rumors were true. They really are cooperating with the coalition force! How are we going to get out of this alive when we’re up against legendary beasts that not even heroes have ever been able to defeat? The dragons clearly have the upper hand! I wonder why they haven’t attacked us yet.

“Do you think they’re here to intimidate us?” my aide asked, but I doubted it.

I noticed that two people emerged from the giant object and were walking toward us at a leisurely pace. The dragons also began to slow down as if trying to match the pace of these two people.

“All units!” I gave another instruction. “Do not attack. Something isn’t right.”

As I watched the two people approach, I noticed one of them was a beautiful woman in a charming attire.

The other was different entirely. It was unusual for a beautiful woman to be on the battlefield, but the other was clearly a young boy wearing what appeared to be a military uniform.

They continued walking slowly toward us until they were just ten mels away.

“You. The well-dressed knight. Yes, you. Are you in command of this rabble?” the boy asked me.

“Y-Yes.” The boy spoke with such an intimidating air that I found it difficult to keep my voice from trembling. “Who are you? Are you with the coalition?”

“GRAAAAAAAAAAW! How dare you speak to His Majesty the Devil in this manner?!” Marvelus had been silent, but now he was growling at me in rage at what I said.

The sight was enough to cause the archers to unleash a volley of arrows at the dragon, but with a wave of Lirin’s tail, a strong magic barrier appeared and repelled every arrow.

We looked at Marvelus with a feeling of despair and terror.

“Marvelus, stop,” the boy said in a calm, completely emotionless voice.

“But Your Majesty! Such disrespect is—”

“Marvelus, I said stop. I won’t repeat myself.”

Upon hearing the order, Marvelus lowered his head until his chin touched the ground. It was clear to see that these beasts that had so violently destroyed numerous nations were now in this boy’s service. I could not help but be overwhelmed by despair.

Is this some joke? If the boy has subjugated Marvelus, he can only be... “A demon,” I whispered to myself as I looked at the boy.

Marvelus became enraged once more and was about to attack. But then the boy made a slight motion with his left arm. That was all it took. With that small gesture, Marvelus disappeared from view in an instant.

There was some commotion as we tried to understand what had happened. Then there was the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. I was almost too afraid to look, but there I saw Marvelus lying on his side, not moving at all.

“I told the fool that I do not repeat myself. Lirin, is he dead?”

“He is of a high race. I’m sure he will live. But Your Majesty, I’m more concerned about your hand. I should have dealt with Marvelus myself to spare you this trouble.”

Lirin had taken human form and was now stroking the boy’s hand with a look of concern.

Doesn’t she care about Marvelus?! Was that legendary dragon defeated in a single blow? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The boy smiled as if this was nothing unusual.

“I would like to speak with the emperor of this nation,” he said. “If you refuse, an all-out attack on the imperial capital will commence immediately. Wouldn’t it be tragic if your citizens were caught up in the fighting?”

This scoundrel! Is he holding our citizens for ransom?! But the boy asked to speak with the emperor. Rather than asking for Lord Dolne, he asked for the emperor himself. Does he know the truth about this nation?

“You would like to see the emperor, and not Lord Dolne?” I hesitated.

“Indeed. My business is with the emperor.”

The boy spoke with such confidence that it kindled faint hope within me that he might somehow change this nation.

**

Once the sun had set completely, the messenger I sent running to the castle returned to the front line to inform me of the emperor’s response. It was too dark to see clearly, but I understood the response already from his cheerful face.

“Captain! The emperor has agreed to grant an audience.”

“And what of Lord Dolne?”

“He will also be in attendance.”

Lord Dolne would more than likely serve as a hindrance, but while the messenger was gone, I’d spoken with the boy—His Majesty the Devil—and I felt as though he’d be capable of making the discussion productive.

The devil was drinking tea together with the beautiful woman atop Lirin, who had resumed her dragon form.

“Your Majesty, it appears that Emperor Karl is ready to receive you,” Lirin said.

“Very well. Lirin, let us down.”

As the devil stepped to the ground, Lirin took human form once again and stood beside him. I called for a carriage to take the three of them to the castle, and the carriage arrived together with a group of Lord Dolne’s knights, who were on foot.

Why are they here? I wondered as I studied the knights.

“Only the coalition forces can approach the castle,” one of the knights announced. “His Majesty the Devil and the white queen are permitted to approach, but I must ask your companion to wait here. Have no fear. We’ll take good care of her.”

The vulgar grin on the face of the knight made me instinctively reach for my sword. These filthy mercenaries are knights in name only! With these thugs here, the empire has no future. These men had no interest in the fate of the empire. It made me sick to look at them. Before I could draw the sword at my waist, the devil suddenly spoke to the mercenaries.

“You’ll take good care of her?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please leave everything to us. Allow us to entertain her.”

The devil thought for some time about the mercenary’s response.

Does he truly intend to leave her behind? I thought with trepidation. No good can come of it.

Before I could warn him to think carefully, I realized that the devil was suppressing his laughter. “Victoria, since they’ve so kindly offered to entertain you, I’ll leave you here. Use this opportunity to introduce yourself.”

The beautiful woman nodded in response to the devil and made her self-introduction to the mercenaries with a charming smile. “I am Victoria Loa Ursna, Empress of the Ursna Empire. It’s a pleasure to meet you, humans. This entertainment you speak of, what do you have in mind?”

“Well, we’re...”

This was enough to cause the mercenaries to lose their composure, but I was equally naïve. Now that I thought about it clearly, I realized a boy that was known as “the devil” would not have been traveling with ordinary people. I frantically began to think of a way to deal with this situation that was already beyond my mental capacity, but it was Lirin who came to our rescue.

“Your Majesty, I think we had better bring Victoria with us. She has detailed knowledge of human society that will be needed during our discussion.”

“If Lirin says so, then I must agree. Joachim, can you grant her permission to come with us?”

“Yes, very well. Please forgive the rudeness of our knights.”

I could see that the devil, Lirin, and even Victoria were laughing to themselves as they boarded the carriage. It was as though they had fully anticipated the confrontation that just occurred, but I truly did not want to believe so.

As we traveled toward the castle, no one spoke for some time. Then the devil said something softly, as if talking to himself. “It’s too dark to see very well, but this looks like a good town. I’d prefer if this town wasn’t destroyed in the war.”

His words sounded sincere, and it made me think about why the devil himself had appeared on the front lines. The empire already lacked enough strength to crush the Multi-Race Coalition Force. The only thing that kept us fighting was our stubbornness and the desire to protect the empire. The low-ranking soldiers did not know it, but the coalition had cut off all of the empire’s supply lines, and even without an offensive strike, they could incapacitate us by continuing this siege.

The devil must know this... so why would he show himself to us at this late stage? Could it be the devil is here to change the empire, just as I hoped?

“Captain, we have arrived,” announced the coachman, bringing me back to my senses.

I had been lost in thought for some time. I stepped out of the carriage first to ensure the area was safe and that knights were there to meet us. In front of the castle gates I saw my second-in-command, Clemence. I took care not to arouse suspicion as I approached him.

“Clemence, are the preparations complete?”

“Yes, sir! Everything is in order.”

“Very well. This will be an important meeting that decides the fate of the empire. Their safety is your top priority.”

I pretended to pat him on the shoulder as I leaned in and whispered to him, “Make sure you’re ready. You know what I’m talking about.”

Clemence gave a slight nod, and I turned back to the carriage. The devil had already climbed out of the carriage and was stretching with his arms high above his head. I admired him for having the courage to appear so defenseless before the main castle of an enemy nation.

I informed the devil we were ready to enter the castle.

**

As we were walking through the inside of the castle, the devil stopped to admire the courtyard.

Could there be something here that caught his eye? I wondered. I rarely entered the castle these days, but memories of the place were coming back to me.

The devil pointed out a single tree planted in the courtyard and asked, “What are those birds resting on the tree? I’ve never seen this species before...”

The birds he was pointing at were native to the eastern continent. Those birds were a rare species that had been given to us by the principality on the birthday of the empress. I shared this information with the devil, and he nodded before walking on. He continued to sneak glances at the birds as he walked.

Perhaps he has an interest in pet animals, I mused as I guided him to the room where the discussion would take place.

“The emperor is waiting for you within this room,” I told him when we arrived.

“Very well.”

Without hesitating, he opened the door and boldly entered the room. I followed behind him and saw a pale-faced Emperor Karl and a dissatisfied-looking Lord Dolne seated and waiting.

Before I could introduce the two of them to the devil, the boy walked over to a bench and sat there relaxed with his legs crossed.

As expected, Lord Dolne became red in the face at the sight of the devil’s behavior.

“You were not given permission to sit!” he yelled. “And you’ve brought your women with you to the battlefield. You must be feeling quite confident, demi-human!”

“I did not come to swear fealty,” he said calmly. “I need no permission from you for anything. Perhaps you thought I was here to yield to the empire? But you can’t possibly be that foolish. And I am indeed quite confident, particularly compared to the small nation on the verge of losing this war.”

“How dare you mock the empire?!” Lord Dolne yelled in rage. Saliva flew from his mouth.

The devil sighed and turned to Emperor Karl. “Emperor Karl, I had asked to speak with you. I do not recall asking to speak with a hairy beast. Can nothing be done about this eyesore?”

“I am sorry my retainer is so lacking in manners. But Lord Dolne is... my most loyal retainer, and I value his opinions. So I must ask...” Emperor Karl bowed his head to the devil as he spoke.

Devil, please, realize what’s happening! The empire is being controlled by Lord Dolne. The empress and their son are imprisoned, and we have no way to oppose Lord Dolne as long as he holds the imperial seal. I bit my lip as my body trembled in frustration.

The devil looked at me and then at the emperor. He nodded as if in agreement. “I think I understand the situation. Lord Dolne, allow me to clearly state the coalition force’s requests. One: The Rinkdolfr Empire must sign a ceasefire agreement prepared by the coalition force. Two: All slaves besides those that were enslaved as punishment for some crime must be released immediately. Three: All demi-humans living in the empire must be formally recognized as citizens of the empire. Four: You must allow coalition force soldiers to be garrisoned in five of your major cities, including the imperial capital. That is all. If you do not accept, a full-scale attack will commence in the morning.”

This is absurd! Those conditions amount to little more than an unconditional surrender! There’s no way they could ever be accepted. Why would the devil present us with such absurd conditions? Perhaps I was wrong about him. Does he merely wish to trample over foreign nations?

Those demands, calmly stated by the devil, made Emperor Karl look so pale that I thought he might faint. Lord Dolne opened his mouth as if to speak, but even he was lost for words.

“Your Majesty, perhaps you should inform him of what we offer in return for meeting our demands?” Lirin suggested to the devil with a smile. “He has gone pale in the face.”

“Yes, you are right.”

They’re offering something in return?

I felt something similar to resignation as the devil explained what they were offering. As I listened to the details, the shock I felt grew even greater than what I felt when I’d heard his demands.

“In return for accepting these conditions, the coalition force will permit the continued existence of the imperial family. The coalition force will also provide funds for quelling the turmoil your society faces after releasing the slaves. You will have fewer manual laborers after releasing slaves engaged in such work, so we would like those funds to be used to employ the former slaves while paying them a fair wage. Lastly, if coalition forces garrisoned in your cities violate the empire’s laws, they may be punished according to those laws. They need not be granted extraterritoriality.”

The emperor’s energy appeared to return to him when he heard these exceptionally favorable conditions, and it gave me hope. If the imperial family could continue to exist, then this was a chance for the empire to rebuild. And if we didn’t grant them extraterritoriality, we could even convince our allies that we had never been completely defeated.

I advised the Emperor to accept the coalition’s conditions, but Lord Dolne flatly disagreed.

“We reject these conditions! The empire can still fight. We will resist demi-humans until the very end! Joachim, do you call yourself human?!”

“Lord Dolne! Please open your eyes,” I pleaded. “Do you wish to lead the empire to destruction?”

My advice merely enraged Lord Dolne further. He told us that he would gather his soldiers, and then left the room.

Unless he’s stopped, Lord Dolne will send out our young knights alone to attack the coalition force. That would mean the end of the empire, the lives of its citizens, and everything I was meant to protect.

I hesitated for a short while as I ran my hand over the scarf given to me by my wife. Then I made my decision and gave orders to the imperial guard using a magic pendant I wore at my chest.

“Execute the plan as discussed. Make haste. Everything must be settled before the main force in front of the city gate can return.”

“Understood.” The response from the magic item sounded reassuringly confident.

I drew near to the emperor, who was still too confused to grasp the situation.

“Joachim, what is happening?” he asked. “What is this plan you speak of? Why is there such commotion in the castle?”

Forgive me, Emperor. I must do this to restore the empire to its rightful state and to protect the empire’s citizens and the imperial family.

I made my apology in my heart; I would never be able to speak the words aloud. Then I drew the sword at my waist and pointed the tip at Emperor Karl.

“Sit down, Emperor. This is a coup d’état.”

The emperor looked so dismayed that I wasn’t able to look him in the eye. I remained silent and turned my back to him before locking the door so no one could enter the room.

**

I sat in the seat that had been occupied by Lord Dolne, and listened to a report from one of my men. It was clear that the plan was going smoothly.

“Captain, we have succeeded in capturing all of the important nobles.”

“Have them confined to the castle as hostages. Make sure none of them are harmed.”

Our first goal had been accomplished. With the nobles confined to the castle as hostages, the empire’s main forces would be unable to act after returning from the front lines. They would simply add to the chaos.

Next, they need to check on the confined empress and her son. Have they been able to find them? I wondered. I lit a cigar and folded my arms while I waited. The report I was waiting for soon arrived.

“The empress and the prince have been rescued! They’re exhausted but safe.”

“Good work. Bring them to this room immediately.”

I unlocked the door and waited for my men to bring in the empress and the prince. I heard the sounds of footsteps running through the corridor outside, then my men burst into the room, their faces hidden by cloth.

“We have brought the empress and the prince. Unfortunately, we failed to capture Lord Dolne. We did, however, locate the imperial seal in his quarters. We can give it to you now, Captain.”

“It’s unfortunate that he escaped, but this is good enough. Return to your posts.”

I took out some documents that I’d prepared for formalizing a judgment of treason, and, using the imperial seal, I stamped each document in turn. The Empress appeared suspicious and tried to talk to me, but I completely ignored her and continued the work. When I stamped each document, the last thing I needed to do was confirm one final thing with the devil, who remained seated throughout the ordeal without losing his composure.

“It is now I who makes decisions on behalf of this nation,” I said. “If I sign the surrender agreement, will you abide by the conditions you mentioned earlier?”

“Of course. The surrender agreement will be recognized as the will of the empire, not of any individual. It does not matter who applies the imperial seal.”

“Very well. Show me the documents.”

The devil took some folded papers from his pocket and passed them to me. The documents were carefully written in the language of the empire, and the conditions they described were the same as those the devil had explained to us. I carefully checked them three times over to ensure there were no conditions that would be disadvantageous to the empire, and I applied the imperial seal.

“Joachim, why would you betray the empire?” the empress asked me in distress. “I always believed that you would remain loyal to the empire no matter what happened...”

I am loyal to the end, Empress, I thought. That is why I have no other choice. This is all for the sake of the empire and the imperial family. I would gladly commit treason to protect both.

I put all of my emotions to one side and thrust the surrender agreement, now bearing the imperial seal, back at the devil.

“It’s now official,” he said. “The coalition force will immediately suspend all military action against the Rinkdolfr Empire. What is the status of Lord Dolne now that he has fled? Should he be treated as a noble of the empire or as a traitor?”

“Lord Dolne is wanted as a traitor and a disloyal retainer. Please treat him as such.”

The devil nodded and then suddenly rose to his feet and moved to the window to look outside. “I think the sun is about to rise.”

He’s right; there’s a faint glow in the sky. Everything happened so quickly after the devil’s arrival in the imperial capital. This could be the last time I ever see the sun rise. I regret allowing Lord Dolne to evade capture, but I trust Emperor Karl and Clemence to deal with the matter.

Having made my decision, I was about to give my last order using the magic item, but the devil stayed me with his hand.

“If Lord Dolne has fled the imperial capital, where do you expect he’ll go now?”

“I expect he’ll head north, where there are fewer guards. We are searching for him, but I fear he may have already escaped the capital. Sadly, I expect he’ll escape to the Recule Holy State.”

“I see. Take a look at this and tell me if you still think he can escape.”

I looked in the direction that the devil was pointing, and at first, I saw nothing. But then, as the sun rose, I saw countless flags waving in the wind in the grassy fields to the north.

What army is this? The coalition’s main force is positioned in front of the capital, and the land north of the empire has magical energy levels that are too high for even demonic races to withstand. How could there be a force approaching the capital from that direction?

I watched these mysterious warriors as they continued their slow approach. Finally, the flags they were bearing came clearly into view, and I couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

“The Merkava Kingdom’s forces?! Impossible. How can they be bearing the flag of the order of iron knights?”

“While you were risking your life for the future of the empire, the members of the order of iron knights were risking their lives by trekking across the mountain range to the north. It might be meaningless now that the empire has surrendered without any attack taking place, but I have received a report from the iron knights stating that they have captured a noble fleeing from the capital. I’m happy to tell you that the description they gave sounds a lot like Lord Dolne.”

In that case, I truly have no regrets. I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders as I used the magic item to give out my next command. “The plan has been executed successfully. You know what to do next.”

“...Understood. It has been an honor to fight by your side, Captain.”

I took the sword that I wore at my waist and placed it down on the table. Then I took a flask that I always carried with me from my pocket, and I drank the contents. The burning sensation of the strong alcohol in my throat was pleasant. I grabbed the scarf as I listened to the sound of footsteps running through the corridor.

My men are here for me... It’s a shame I won’t be able to praise them for acting so quickly just like we trained.

The door burst open and Clemence entered the room together with the imperial guard, all fully armed.

“Joachim, you traitor! As you can see, I’ve taken back control of the imperial guard. Your plot has failed. All that remains is for us to deal with you as the traitor you are.”

Clemence... why do you look as though you’re about to cry? You’re going to make the other knights suspicious. We decided on this long ago. If our coup d’état was successful, we would eliminate every disloyal retainer and then the imperial guard would hold me, and only me, responsible for the plot.

The shame I’ve brought on the imperial guard can only be washed away if the imperial guards themselves are quick to punish me. You wore cloth over your faces so no one would know you were part of the coup d’état. Don’t make that meaningless.

Clemence’s face was still contorted as if he were about to cry. He pointed his sword toward me and asked, “Have you any last words?”

“None.”

I’ve nothing left to say... I trust the future of the empire to you, Clemence. Now follow through with your duty as a member of the imperial guard, sworn to protect the emperor.

I was ready. I nodded as I looked in the face of this superb knight of the imperial guard who I’d once taken under my wing. But for some reason, it wasn’t Clemence who objected; it was the devil.

“I don’t want it to end like this! Louis, Johnathan, now’s the time. Please move to Plan C.”

As soon as the devil shouted this, two humans dressed in black appeared and pointed their weapons at my men.

“Don’t move! We’re a special forces team of the coalition force. Under the conditions of our ceasefire, the imperial capital is currently under control of the coalition force. If you oppose us, we will regard this as a return to hostilities. Lay all of your weapons down.”

I couldn’t understand how these two people had appeared, but everything would be for nothing if the fighting was to resume here. I signaled my men to have them put their weapons down, and then I turned to the devil to ask what was happening, but one of the two men spoke before I could.

“You’d better brace yourself. Sorry in advance.”

I was still unsure what he meant when there was a great crashing sound and my body was thrown against a wall. I collapsed, unable to move from the pain and the shock. Then one of the men dressed in black approached and put his hand to my neck. He held me like that for several seconds before turning to the devil and shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, sir. One member of the empire’s army has been shot dead after failing to comply with an order to lay down his weapons.”

“Wow, that’s really bad luck, but we didn’t have any other choice. Emperor Karl, I’d hate for things to end this way, so we’ll pretend this didn’t happen. By the way, the weapon they shot him with is top-secret. Not even members of the coalition force know about that thing. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to take Joachim’s body with us.”

I don’t understand what the devil is planning. And why has his voice suddenly changed? He sounded so intimidating until a while ago, but now he’s talking more like a young boy. Which is his true nature?

I groaned in confusion and pain. One of the men dressed in black heard me and crouched in front of me. “We can’t have dead men talking. I’m giving you something for the pain. Now go to sleep for a while.”

He jabbed something into my thigh and I felt the pain rapidly fade away. The devil and a confused-looking Clemence became blurred in my vision as I gradually slipped into unconsciousness.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

“Ngh... Uugh.” Joachim lay groaning on the bed in front of me. The anesthetic we’d given him in the castle had finally worn off.

Joachim opened his eyes and looked around the room before asking me, “Where am I?”

“You’re aboard the land battleship Alice, which is serving as the flagship of the Multi-Race Coalition Force. This is the central sick bay. Basically, it’s a place where we treat injured people.”

“Landed battleship?” he asked, looking stunned. “What do you mean?”

There was something much more important that I needed to talk to Joachim about. Soon after he’d passed out, we took him out of the imperial capital. Along the way, we also visited his home to extract his family.

When I charged into the house after Louis and Jonathan, the sight of his wife on the second floor left me speechless.

“Joachim, we went to extract your wife on our way back from the castle,” I said. “We found her on the second floor...”

“Did something happen to her?

“No, she’s fine. It’s just... your wife is a cat sith! I was so shocked at first that I didn’t know what to do. Your wife’s ears prick up when she’s in a good mood and droop down when she’s sad, right?”

“Huh? I suppose they do... Is that important?”

Of course it’s important. It couldn’t be more important. She has real-life cat ears!

His wife was shocked when we forced our way into the house, and her ears had twitched in alarm. But she came with us calmly after Lirin had shown her Joachim and explained what was going on.

After we got back to the Alice, I asked Cote for some matatabi sticks, since I knew he kept a cat. I planned to give them to Joachim’s wife, but my mom wouldn’t let me.

“What will become of the empire?” Joachim asked nervously.

“It’ll be managed by the coalition force for a while, just like I explained at the castle,” I said. “Then we’ll gradually hand back control. I don’t know what’ll happen after that. It’s up to the people of the empire to decide whether the empire changes or goes back to how it was.”

“I see.”

Joachim closed his eyes as if he was thinking about something. I was sure he was worried about what future awaited the empire that he risked his life to protect. It made me want to cheer Joachim up somehow, so I tried to think of a topic that would lift his spirits.

After some thought, I remembered something and decided to share it with him. “A long time ago, there was an island nation at war with the world. That nation wasn’t as powerful or as technologically advanced as the other nations. The people of that nation fought to the end with all of their strength, but were eventually defeated by the seemingly infinite armies and new weapons of their enemies. This tragic war used every last drop of the nation’s strength, and it’s said that more than three million people died by the time the war was over. After the war, their spirit was broken and the nation was occupied by one of their enemies.”

“What happened to that nation?”

“They promised they’d never repeat the mistakes they made in the past. More than sixty years after the war, those who lost their lives to defend that nation weren’t forgotten, and the nation grew until it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other great nations. Their technology in particular became world-renowned.”

“Will the same be possible for the empire?” he asked.

“I’m sure of it. If everyone joins hands and cooperates, the empire can absolutely be born anew.”

Joachim nodded as he gazed at the ceiling.

It looks like I’ve given him hope. Things will be fine, Joachim... I’m sure the Empire will be reborn. You have our cooperation, so there’s no need to worry.

I was about to walk out of the sick bay, but then I stopped.

“I just remembered. There was a message from Emperor Karl.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked me to tell you, ‘Thank you.’”

I didn’t know what the deeper meaning of those words was. But I was sure the true meaning wouldn’t be lost on the captain of the imperial guard who had protected Emperor Karl for so long.

Joachim’s stern face became contorted. “Guh... Emperor... I’m just happy to... to have been able to serve my emperor.”

As Joachim began to cry, I decided to quietly leave the sick bay to give him some time alone.