The eyes of Oliver, who looked like a dog that had recently been soaked by the rain, lit up at my words.
“O-oh, boss, are you serious?”
“I’ll have you work too, Oliver. To start with, vampires aren’t suited for defending.”
I have too many weaknesses. I also have to be careful when I’m on offense, but once I go on defense, my enemy will attack me with all the vampire weaknesses like how Keeper has done. I’m not going to call it cowardly. Vampires are unfairly strong, to start with.
“Of course, boss. With your power, you won’t lose to most demons, let alone humans.”
He was really cocky when we first met, but he sure has changed. He was terribly frightened right after he saved me too. Just how traumatized is he by vampires? His killing intent is too different from Albertus, who should have received her curse in the same way as him.
“Oliver, you’re the vanguard.”
“?! Me?!”
“Well, you have no weaknesses and you’re sturdy.”
As expected from the species created by the Ancestor, werewolves cover most of the weaknesses of vampires. The necromancer who created ‘Lycus’ must have created them to somehow counter the many weaknesses he couldn’t erase. They are weak against the vampires, but they have no other big drawbacks. Except for the silver weapons, I guess. He has no weaknesses compared to me, he’s sturdier than Monica, and most importantly, it’s wonderful that, unlike Mirele, if he accidentally died it wouldn’t be much of a pity. On top of that, he’s uselessly high spec, as he’s even able to transform into a human. If he was a girl that I could drink blood from, it would be just perfect.
“Hehe… well, I’m the third generation, after all… indeed, I have no weaknesses because I can transform freely.”
“Werewolves are at their best only when they’re serving vampires.”
I didn’t praise him, but Oliver started laughing ferociously with his tongue out, while Monica let me know this in a quiet voice.
Looks like werewolves have some level of loyalty too. So there’s no need to worry about being decapitated in my sleep, huh. Well, I hardly ever sleep though.
“Let’s do this skillfully. We’ll start with the weakest Demon King and ask them to surrender.”
“Hm? Are you not going to ambush them?”
For vampires with countless weaknesses, surprise attacks have immense advantages. But there’s a limit to how long you can rule with fear. My goal isn’t to become the King, so if I can get by with negotiations, I’ll have no complaints. I’m trying to make the enemy into my subordinates, so it’s obvious that it’s better to have many people.
In response to my words, Monica advised me hesitantly.
“Lord End, demons won’t surrender without fighting.” “… We won’t know unless we try.” “Well, I will do it if you tell me to… it’s a work that’s a hundred times better than information gathering.”
Looks like the work I had left to Oliver didn’t really suit him. It’s pretty hard being the Demon King.
“We will advise the enemies that we think we could take head-on to surrender upfront and take the ones that seem too tough by surprise. We will negotiate with human nations.”
It would be bad if she found out that I destroyed a human nation when I reunite with Senri and in a situation when the Order of Death Knights can’t move properly, the human nation would be in an absolute peril so if I gathered my troops and negotiated with them in a gentlemanly manner, they wouldn’t refuse.
Mirele applauded my flexible strategy. There is a bright smile on her face, as if she’s about to play her beloved game. Although she lacks some ethics now after becoming a vampire, you can still catch a glimpse of her personality from when she was alive.
“How wonderful, brother… So then… what should we call ourselves?”
“Hm? Name?… name, huh.”
A name is certainly important. If I become famous, it might even reach Senri who’s fighting somewhere. In that case, it’s better to have a name that Senri would instantly recognize. I wonder if End’s Army would be problematic… Lufry and others already know my name. If possible, I’d prefer it be a name that only Senri could understand.
“…Senri-loving Army…?”
“Brother…” Mirele’s expression, which until now had been happy no matter what was said, instantly became clouded. Oliver’s cheeks stiffened and he looked at me as if to ask if I was sane.
After being silent for a while, Monica said with a voice she had barely squeezed out.
“Lord End… that… that name will cause problems for Lady Senri.”
“J-just kidding. Right, you’re right.”
“For a second I thought our army would end before it even began.”
Indeed, if there was an army called ‘Senri-loving Army’ wreaking havoc in the outside world while Senri was desperately fighting, she would end up in a troublesome position. That’s not what I want and the fact that I love Senri is something that doesn’t even have to be said at this point.
The Lord created me to be the Kind of the Palace of Darkness. So it’s not a bad idea to use this name, but… does Senri know that name? The battle with the Mirage King was fierce and on top of that, I was asleep for more than 3 years. There’s a – 50/50 chance whether Senri knows it or not.
I nodded strongly, looked around and declared.
“Alright, I’m the — ‘White Puppy King’. It’s decided!” “Huh?!” “?! Then, are we the army of the ‘White Puppy King’?!”
“Any complaints?”
Senri will definitely recognize this. I probably won’t have to worry about names overlapping either. Even if there’s another white puppy within the ranks of the Demon Kings, they most likely wouldn’t call themselves the White Puppy King.
“Brother, it’s kind of… cute.”
“Nobody’s going to accept the recommendation to surrender from the White Puppy King… to begin with, there’s a clearly superior big name like the King of Beasts in the same direction—“
“It’s fine. It’s not like I’m going to be naming myself all the time. Let’s engrave this name into the minds of those who will oppose me, along with the fear. Do you understand Oliver?”
“A-at least, choose something like the White Dog King――”
“No! That wouldn’t be able to get my point across!”
As I glared at him, Oliver’s tone became weaker. Looks like he understood just how serious I was.
Besides, it’s not all bad. With this name, when I’ll have to fight, the enemy will definitely let their guards down… also, when the word of my power spreads, nobody will forget this name. I’m definitely sane.
Also, they wouldn’t be able to imagine that the power of the White Puppy King is ‘Curse Steal’. War begins even before the conflict. “However, brother, you sometimes turn black…”
“Monica, we’ll start with the weakest demon king around us. I will give you the position of staff officer. Get it? One year. We will find Senri and the others in a year and end this damned era!”
I grab the sword by my side that I inherited from the Mirage King and lift it up. The cursed demonic sword fit my cursed body incredibly well.
If I hadn’t been pushed to the limit during that fight with Mirage King, this era wouldn’t have come. At the very least, I wouldn’t have to separate from Senri.
“O-one year?! Y-yes. I u-understand!”
“… Brother, what’s my position?”
“Uhh… the princess, then.”
It seems that the beginning of this era was the downfall of Epée the Destroyer. Good grief, that man is always getting in my way.
With a smile on my face, I took a look at the frozen up Monica, Oliver and Mirele, who was overjoyed at the title of the princess I had randomly made up, and gave the first order to the White Puppy Army.
☠☠☠
“Pfft… w-what?! What did you say?! The White Puppy King?! White Puppy? Did he come up with that himself?!” “… That’s right. The name might be cute, but you can’t underestimate him… give this letter to the King.” “So you’re a dog of a doggie…”
“Kh…”
Oliver gritted his teeth at the blatant ridicule.
The soldier of the Demon King of the Evernight – the male dark elf, who was patrolling the area, carelessly took the letter and snorted. The soldiers that were surrounding Oliver were also all looking down on him.
It was the first time he had been belittled so much in his werewolf form. It was all the fault of that name.
“So how many people are in the army of that esteemed white puppy Demon King? 100? 200? I’ve never heard of him――”
But he couldn’t complain. He had imagined this very scenario even before the letter had been accepted. If Oliver were in their position, he would have also taken the same attitude.
The name of the Demon King symbolizes their valor and should be the source of pride for their subordinates too.
‘The Demon King of Evernight’ was one of the powerful Kings in this area. He had gathered mostly fairy-type demons who could use powerful magic and with his annihilation power, he had already grown to a scale that no human kingdom in the vicinity could oppose. He was an up-and-coming force that was gradually encroaching the territories of other demon kings. To the soldiers, who have this in their heads, the White Puppy King’s soldier that had delivered the letter single-handedly would be nothing but a joke. “… Four. Four people.”
“Four people? Four people… is this a joke? Don’t hide it.”
“…”
“A-are you —- actually serious?!”
A burst of laughter enveloped Oliver. It was natural. After all, nobody would call 4 people an army. To start with, that number was even less than the number of soldiers that were surrounding Oliver at the moment.
Oliver, who was a werewolf, had a resistance towards magic. Still, his chances of winning would be slim if he took on so many opponents at the same time. They were mages, but it wasn’t like their physical abilities were weak either.
He could manage to run away at least, of course, but —
He said patiently to the underlings of the Demon King of the Evernight in front of him.
“It’s a recommendation to surrender. I need to take the reply back.”
“Pfft…I g-get it. I will certainly relay it to the king. That a crazy Demon King that calls himself a puppy king has appeared.”
A flame lit up on the tips of his stretched claws and the letter was instantly turned into ashes. The mission had failed, but Oliver had no regrets. There was no away a recommendation to surrender would work without fighting. When asked about the weakest King, Monica had chosen the Demon King of Evernight as their first opponent.
Countless soldiers that could use powerful combat magic would surely be a threat, however, magic didn’t work on cursed vampires.
The White Puppy King was a bit absentminded, but he was strong, brave and cunning.
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