-At the public square before the castle’s gate-
Soldiers equipped with bows and arrows had gathered around Liam, and they shivered with fear as the beastmen approached.
Kanami and Enora were watching from a distance, clueless as to what Liam had in mind.
“What in the world is he thinking? The moment he came out, the first thing he said was to open the gate!”
Kanami admittedly didn’t know much about wars, but she knew that they were meant to protect the gates, not open them.
This was common sense for Enora as well, and she was shocked when the gates actually opened under Liam’s command.
“I haven’t issued such orders! Who was it that opened the gate!?”
The knights around them were equally confused.
“I’ve sent some men to check, but none has returned.”
What on earth…?
The beastmen that arrived at the square were being blown away the moment they came near Liam, their blood and flesh splattering everywhere as if a balloon had popped.
The sword in Liam’s hand piqued Kanami’s interest.
“He’s holding a katana.”
“Kanami-sama, do you happen to know what it is?”
“Well, it’s uhh—an ancient weapon from my home country, I guess?” She replied.
She hadn’t seen any katanas in this country, but Liam was holding one.
The beastmen continued to rush in while hollering loudly.
Seeing this, Enora clasped her hands together and prayed.
“Lord, please protect us all.”
Kanami was about to pull out her sword and join the fight to support Liam, but the beastmen were being flung out the moment they passed through the gate.
It was as if they were being repelled by an invisible barrier.
Those in the front had come to a stop, but they were being pushed forward by their companions in the back.
They had charged forward with such incredible momentum that it wasn’t an easy task for them to slow down.
Liam laughed at the sight of the gate being dyed bright red.
“Weak, far too weak! They’re being flung back before I could even strike!”
He was just holding his sword, but he spoke as if he was the one cutting them down.
Kanami carefully observed Liam’s movements, but it didn’t seem as if he was doing anything.
It was only after countless beastmen’s sacrifice that the beastmen realized the peculiar situation and came to a halt.
When they retreated from the gate, Liam decided to head out.
Kanami and Enora climbed up the walls to see what Liam was up to.
◇
—These guys are so weak; they’re being blown away by the air pressure from the sword.
I wonder how many enemies I’ve blown away by now.
“Now, who’s the one that’s leading these small-fries?”
It feels great to exert so much strength against the weak.
Whenever I overpower my enemies, I feel a sense of accomplishment, as if I’ve proven to myself that I’m strong.
I’m not the one being hunted here.
They’re the ones being hunted, and I’m the villain.
When I step outside, I realize that the city has been surrounded by the beastmen.
A beastman that resembles a lion steps forward while wielding a giant ax.
From the way the other beastmen are behaving, it’s clear that this one’s their leader.
“You’re the Demon Lord?” I ask.
In response to my question, the lion swings down his ax.
“You’re but a puny human!”
He’s so darn slow that I end up resisting the urge to yawn.
I dodge the attack by a hair’s breadth on purpose and continue to ask my question.
“Hey, I’m asking you whether you’re the Demon Lord or not. Answer me.”
I kick his knees after he swings his ax.
His balance crumbles, and I grab his mane and slam his face into the ground.
The lion stares at me with wide eyes that reflect his disbelief.
“How!? How are you holding me down with such thin arms!?” He bellows.
“The densities of our bones and muscles are fundamentally different,” I answer. “Now, are you the Demon Lord?”
“—I’m not.”
The lion replies as he struggles in vain to escape from my grasp.
That aside—he really does resemble a beast, a beast walking on two legs.
I had a junior in my previous life that used to drone on about cat ears, but I can’t relate at all.
Several of the other beastmen shoot arrows at me while I’m rough-handling the lion.
I knock the incoming projectiles away, but it seems like they think the arrows disappeared midflight as they raise voices of exclamation.
A moment later, the beastmen that attacked me get dragged into their shadows.
—It must be Kunai.
It’s good that she’s enthusiastic about her work.
Well, it’s a given that they’d die after trying to attack me.
I let go of the lion, but he picks up his ax and comes at me again almost immediately.
I continue where we left off while avoiding his blows.
“Mind telling me where the Demon Lord resides? I’m willing to go there myself. You just have to be my guide.”
“Unlike you puny humans, the Demon Lord holds a very lofty position! It’s blasphemous to even suggest having an audience with the Lord!”
“Alright then. Go die.”
He’ll be blown away if I unleash my One-Flash, so I resort to just cutting off his head.
I pull out my sword and double check that I’m slashing slowly.
The beastmen that have been watching from the side charge at me in anger.
“Silence.”
—Intimidated, they stop in their tracks.
I swing my sword in a way that makes it visible to the beastmen.
The next moment, dozens of beastmen warriors have their heads decapitated.
“I’ll give you guys two options to choose from,” I tell them. “You can either obey me, or you can die after going against me. The choice is yours.”
Finally catching on to the fact that we’re on completely different playing fields, they stare at each other’s faces.
Faced with my overwhelming might, the warriors sink to their knees—ahhh, what a beautiful sight to behold.
If you wish to blame anyone, blame this country’s Queen for summoning a villain like me to act as their Hero.
While the others are showing subservient attitudes, a beastman jumps out from the crowd.
It’s someone with dog ears and a tail.
She doesn’t look like a beast. At first glance, she appears to be a girl that’s cosplaying.
“Wai am! Ttthhe daudau—”
It seems like she’s trying to say something to me, but her mouth isn’t functioning properly.
Also, her triangular ears are drooping down instead of standing erect, and she’s shivering with her tail curled up.
Her knees are shaking as if they’re about to give out.
Oh, and by the way, I love dogs.
I used to own a dog that also shivered and curled up its tail whenever I scolded it.
Seeing this child is making me feel nostalgic.
“You’re a dog-kin, right? I’ll forgive you since you’re a dog.” I say generously.
The girl’s eyes sharpen.
“Nyaim niat a dog!”
—Ku! I’ve got no clue what she’s saying.
She’s so terrified that her tongue seems to have stopped working.
It’s so very adorable of her. I’m having troubling keeping myself in check.
Now that I’m cognizant of the fact that she’s a dog-kin, she’s starting to look extremely cute.
I try to calm down the young dog-kin that’s before my eyes.
“Let’s calm down, shall we? Breathe in…breathe out…” I guide her.
“Suuu….haaa….”
She’s actually listening to the words of her enemy and taking deep breaths to calm herself.
How stupidly adorable of her.
It’s been so long since I last kept a dog.
I want a dog, but I’m not keen on buying one.
After all, it would eventually die, and that would make me really sad.
Hmm, but what if it’s this girl?
The dog-kin girl before me introduces herself now that her mouth is working properly.
“My name is Chino! I’m the daughter of Glauss, the strongest warrior in our tribe!”
“I see,” I reply, “So, you’re a dog-kin, right?”
“Are you mocking me!?” She yells. “We’re wol—”
Just as I’m about to feel disappointed that I got it wrong, I hear someone shout, “Yes, we’re dogs!”
I turn towards the direction of the shout and spot a beastman that looks similar to this Chino girl in front of me.
From their similar appearance, I think it’s safe to say that they know each other.
Chino exclaims in surprise.
“B-but father!! We’re proud wolv—”
“Dogs. Chino, we’re dogs,” he interrupts.
“Ehhh!?”
Chino seems unconvinced, but the beastman steps forward and declares himself a member of the Dog tribe.
“And you are?”
“I am Gluass, Chino’s father. May I have the honor of knowing your distinguished name?”
It feels nice watching this Glauss or whatever kneeling before me, so I put my sword back into the sheath.
“I’m Liam, Liam Sera Banfield, and I’m your master from now on. Worship me. Honor me. Follow me! If there’s anyone that objects, step forward. I’ll chop you into pieces.”
The beastmen kneelsilently.
This feels really pleasant.
Only Chino remains unconvinced.
“I-I’m a wolf!”
I glance at Glauss, who shrugs and tells me,
“That child admires wolves greatly. Dogs and wolves are like relatives, so…”
I want her now more than ever before.
“What a cute girl.”
A dog that thinks herself a wolf. She’s like an accumulation of moe.
Glauss unexpectedly offers his daughter to me.
“I am willing to offer my daughter as proof of our loyalty.”
“For real? Like real real? She’s your daughter though?”
You’re giving her away that easily!?
I’m shook inside, but Glauss appears to be calm.
—Hmm, since the civilization here isn’t that developed, I guess children are not treated well.
It’s not like they’re treated any better in intergalactic nations though.
Human life means very little in this world.
“She’s old enough to be independent.”
I have the father’s permission to take her, but Chino doesn’t seem very willing.
“Father! Please reconsider! I don’t want to!”
Glauss ignores her protest.
“Be quiet, the fate of our tribe is at stake here.”
Chino becomes dejected after being glared at by her father.
She’s behaving just like a dog, I like it.
My dog also used to be dejected whenever I scolded it.
Just from this alone, I think it was worth being summoned here.
Not only did I get to escape from Brian’s nagging, I got my hands on a cute pet as well.
“Cool, I’ll make sure to cherish your daughter,” I tell him happily. “Oh, and I’m your boss from now on. If you go against me, I’ll decimate your tribe, so be aware of that.”
I return to the city in a jubilant mood with the beastmen still bowing to me.
◇
Inside the audience hall of the royal palace, Liam was sitting on the throne and talking with the beastmen’s higher-ups.
“A subordinate of the Demon Lord?”
“Yes, the Lion King Nogo was one of the four Heavenly Kings under the Demon Lord.”
“They sound like a hassle to deal with, so I’ll pass. Let’s just defeat the Demon Lord and be done with this.”
With his legs crossed, he declared disinterestedly that they should march onward and defeat the Demon Lord.
Kanami, who was listening, started criticizing Liam’s attitude.
“Hey, what’s up with that attitude of yours, huh!? There are people suffering out there! Don’t you think we should save them!?”
There were people being oppressed by the Four Heavenly Kings, but Liam wasn’t interested in them at all.
“And what’s that got to do with me? It’s common sense to aim for the enemy’s leader in battles. Amateurs should just stay put.”
“A-amateur!?”
“Someone who couldn’t even kill their enemies has no right to talk back to me,” Liam said mockingly. “You hesitated, am I right? People like you are useless in wars, so just stay cooped up in this castle. There’s no need for you to worry. I’ll slay the Demon Lord as pastime.”
Pastime—For Liam, the battle just now with the beastmen was nothing more than a fun activity.
The battle had been a terrible one, but Liam was calling it a “pastime”.
“So many lives were lost,” Kanami said with clenched fists.
Liam stared at Kanami with cold eyes as she thought back to all the soldiers that died.
“So? This is their war in the first place. It’s not my problem. In fact, they should be thanking me. If I weren’t here, they would’ve been annihilated.”
“You’re supposed to be their Hero, just like me!” Kanami yelled at him.
“And that’s why I bothered to help,” he said. “Oh, and I haven’t been thanked yet. Queen Enora, quickly prepare a celebratory feast for me.”
Enora came forward at this arrogant display of attitude.
“—Hero, while it’s true that we were able to win the battle thanks to the two of you, I haven’t been told anything about the beastmen entering the castle as your subordinates.”
“But of course. I haven’t told anyone after all. It’s not like I need your permission or anything,” Liam replied.
“We have suffered under the beastmen’s oppression for many years,” Enora protested. “Neither we nor the people will approve of this.”
The beastmen had plagued the Kingdom of Aarl for a long time.
Feeling the hatred and sadness within Enora’s voice, Kanami chose to stay silent.
However—
“And why would I need your approval? You guys just have to swallow it. Who do you think you’re speaking to anyway?”
—Liam did not care an ounce about their thoughts.
A young knight pulled out his sword out of indignation and pointed it at Liam.
“Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile! How dare you speak to Her Majesty the Queen in this manner! Not only have you invited these beasts into the castle, you even—your help is no longer necessary! We’ll be massacring the beastmen outside as well!”
The knights and the ministers that agreed with his words began pouring out their complaints.
Kanami knew that their anger was genuine.
(There’s no way I can stop them.)
She didn’t approve of genocides, but it would be hypocritical of her say “you shouldn’t kill” to those that had their families slaughtered.
Even if she did, nothing would change.
Liam stood up slowly and closed the distance between himself and the young knight in an instant.
Then, he chopped off the noisy knight’s head with his hand
This was enough to silence the crowd.
Everyone stared at Liam fearfully.
(What!? W-when did he move?)
No one had been able to follow Liam’s movement at all.
“These trash dumps seem to be under the wrong impression,” he sneered. “You’re not winners, you’re losers. I was the one that won. You guys are merely survivors, and now that the beastmen have sworn their loyalty to me, they’re my property. —Trash like you shouldn’t even think of touching your Lord Human’s property unless you have a death wish.”
The expression on everyone’s face sunk when Liam declared the victory to be his alone.
Enora voiced her complaint.
“H-how could that be!? We have shed so much blood for this war! It’s far too arrogant of you to claim the victory as yours alone!”
Kanami, who couldn’t stand Liam’s attitude any longer, joined the protest.
“You’re personality’s downright terrible! Do you even know how desperately these people—w-what’s wrong?”
Liam snickered at Kanami and Enora’s vehement protest.
Then a moment later, he held his stomach and started laughing out loud.
“Shed blood? Desperate? You’ve only done what you’re supposed to do, nothing more, and nothing less. It’s so funny watching you guys trying to brag on about how much effort you put in and stuff.”
Kanami couldn’t believe what she just heard.
Liam moved on to address, nay, to preach Enora.
“You’re this kingdom’s ruler. So what if you had to put in a lot of effort? So what if you had to shed a lot of blood? Are you dumb or what?—Those are just the basic responsibilities of a ruler. Your accomplishments aren’t even worth evaluating.”
Enora took a step back due to the weight behind Liam’s words.
Liam pressured her even further by taking a step forward.
“It’s frustrating seeing people like you. If you’ve got the time to flirt with the citizens, do your job properly. Why are you wasting your time worrying about the people?”
“Fli—excuse me,” she sputtered. “What does a man like you know!? I’ve simply been doing what I could to help soothe the citizens that had to endure all these hardships throughout the—”
“Riiight, that must be the only thing you could do with your lacking abilities,” he interrupted. “Well, it’s not like I don’t understand. You must be scared, scared that the people would start a riot and have the city collapse from within.”
After having a good laugh, Liam went back to his discussion with the beastmen about future affairs, completely ignoring Enora and her subjects.
————————————————————————————————————–
Brian (´；ω；｀): “It’s painful. Things are falling apart over here at the Banfield’s territory, but Lord Liam seems to be having fun by himself. It’s painful.”
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