10、Rain, Offerings, and Ascertaining the Situation (A-side)
The rain finally let up, but in its stead the fog rolled in.
The Drake gathered his soldiers and had them recuperate in an abandoned castle just off the main road.
Abandoned castle though it may be, it was not very large. With Lu Gan"s 300 soldiers added in, there was not sufficient s.p.a.ce for an army of 500. But even so, they slept in shifts to avoid the damp evening dew, though it was no small feat. A fire was also lit, as the previous lord of the castle didn"t take any of the surplus firewood reserves with him.
"Evil G.o.d-sama, you have my most sincere grat.i.tude for your help earlier."
Offerings of bread and wine were placed on a round shield serving as a tray.
The Evil G.o.d"s Emissary Eleena had the job of serving him.
Lu Gan was also in a position to serve him, but for now stayed seated with his soldiers. It"s very likely the soldiers were too in awe or afraid of the Evil G.o.d to look upon him directly.
"No, I am also thankful that Drake was able to cooperate so flawlessly."
The Evil G.o.d sipped on his warm wine while conversing, and seemed almost as if he were just another one of the Demons.
He had black hair and dark eyes, and his clothing appeared foreign, but he did not have the intimidating aura you"d expect of an Evil G.o.d.
Even so, Drake came to believe in this Evil G.o.d, and working together with his Evil G.o.d the Drake was saved. Such a kinship between Demon and Evil G.o.d was unheard of.It was something of a give and take relationship with the Evil G.o.d. The Evil G.o.d and Drake acted like comrades in arms, working hand in hand, eating together, all without a need for words.
TL Note: Aw yeah son, let the bromance begin!! (º﹃º) /drools - Solistia
"Now then, Eleena. I appreciate your explanation of current events, but I"d like to go over it one more time please."
"Of course, Evil G.o.d-sama."
○
I catalogue the information in my head that this girl, Eleena, told me. This Eleena person, with flaming red hair tied in a ponytail, is quite courteous. Throughout our earlier conversation, I was able to wrap my brain around everything pretty fast. All the things I understood and didn"t understand she immediately caught on to, and explained all the important points detailed and efficiently.
I had a pretty good understanding, but my first priority now was to have someone explain the current situation we were in.
"Firstly, right now we"re in an age of war."
Drake and Eleena nodded at the same time. Apparently they weren’t real siblings, but their mannerisms were very similar.
Their parents were sworn brothers, and not only that, they were also raised together.
"And thus, Drake was caught in the middle of that chaos. All because he"s from the Great Demon King"s bloodline."
"Yes. His Majesty, the previous Great Demon Lord, was my grandfather."
I was good up to this point, but after that it got a bit confusing.
"Right now there are 3 male heirs of the Great Demon Lord"s family. The Drake, Rhorkain, and Lennith. And is backing Lennith."Even saying it is complicated, but basically the problem lies between Drake and Lennith. Rhorkain, Drake"s uncle, isn"t very involved in the conflict.
"Lennith is of matrilineal lineage, and is the son of my Aunt. His father is also a descendant from the Great Demon King"s bloodline, but far removed."
"So that means Drake"s claim to the throne is more legitimate?"
"Yes."
The sovereign Great Demon Lord died without naming a successor.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, his direct descendant Drake would become the successor, but Xirdish interfered. According to him, Lennith should succeed the throne, not Drake. This Xirdish guy is a devious b.a.s.t.a.r.d.In reality, he was quite elderly.
His desire for revolution had no room for Drake, so he took the previous Great Demon Lord"s advisor as his p.a.w.n, and "found" His Majesty"s last will and testament. It"s a common tactic used throughout history.
"And then the battle to divide the country into two....didn"t happen."
"Eh, is that so?"
"That irritating Demon Lord..."
In the Demon Lands, there were 108 Demon Lords. At least there were supposed to be.
When I asked Eleena about it, the number varied by generation. Right now there are 100, a little below the standard. All those Demon Lords were each independent ent.i.ties.
"Originally, His Majesty the Great Demon Lord held absolute power, and there were many Demon Lords discontent with that."
"Those named "Demon Lord" are usually chosen as representatives of clans and tribes. They are Demons who are masters of words, but can also read between the lines and recall ancestral information about their enemies."
Sounds like they"re even more culturally diverse than America.
Thinking back to the battle earlier, there was a mix of Demons, Goblins, Kobolds, and Hobgoblins. Just from that I have a pretty good understanding of how many different kinds there are. I can guesstimate that the modern-day j.a.pan I was raised in wouldn"t be able to share with all of them. It would soon spark unrest like a playground turf war with teachers asking everyone to play nice and get along.
"So basically, in order for Drake to achieve world domination, he would have to beat every single Demon Lord into submission, or something like that?"
"A very simplified explanation, yes. They can also place themselves under another Demon Lord, which is an easier way to overcome all 100."
I went so far as to gamble on that kind of path with Lu Gan, but not everything will be that easy.
For instance, the Great Demon Lord"s capital. It"s an important location you must seize. The must also be taken.But our army had only increased to 500.
"500 against 240,000..."
"Forgive my impudence Evil G.o.d-sama, but we have actually increased to 550."
The one who answered my muttered musings was Lu Gan.
His hair was wet from the mist, and he dried it with a rag.
"The mercenaries His Lordship Drake"s army defeated decided to join with us. It"s just a mix of Goblins and Kobolds, but at present they number 50. There are some that are injured, but they should be useful as porters."
I didn"t quite understand what he meant by porters, so I inquired with Eleena.
Apparently, they are transport units that carry food and water.
"I see. I may be an Evil G.o.d, but I believe this to be a good omen, Lu Gan."
"It is all thanks to Evil G.o.d-sama."
The half-faced hobgoblin gave a hearty laugh.
Looking at him like this, he"s surprisingly charming.
TL Note: Is our Evil G.o.d getting himself a BL harem?! ....do I like Hobgoblin x Evil G.o.d BL?...why yes, I think I do >:3 -Solistia
"Oh, come to think of it..."
I almost forgot something important.
I turn around to face Drake, and give him a summarized explanation of what I learned in the Celestial Realm.
""s patron deity?""That"s right. An Evil G.o.d with long black hair..."
After saying that, Drake leaned in closer.
"That person, was she wearing foreign clothes, and carrying a pole-arm weapon she"s proficient with?"
"Yeah, Hakama and the Sky Piercer. Although I don"t think you have those things in this world."
Drake took a deep breath, then exhaled.
I wonder if he"s trying to calm himself.
"Evil G.o.d-sama, I had once told you that I had never seen an Evil G.o.d before, right?"
"Ah, I do remember you saying that."
"That was a slight misconception, I apologize. The one you call , I have seen her on the battlefield.""Okay."
While I made agreeable sounds, I could feel an unpleasant sweat start to trickle down my back.
I had thought reincarnating like this might have been a bad sign, but perhaps there were other Evil G.o.ds that had been in my same position?
But I only knew of one Evil G.o.d.
If she appeared on the battlefield, who knows what she might be capable of.
I couldn"t do anything. At best, I could make it thunder and use persuasion.
" is a monster. A truly mighty warrior. I can sincerely say that because ofjust that one woman, my army was obliterated."