Another side
“Kakahaha, it’s common for our Master to invite us to a banquet, but isn’t this invitation rather sudden, Undead King?”
“If the Oni King feels like drinking, he’ll drink. Is that all there is to it, Undead King?”
The Oni King’s residence, built in the image of a grand mansion in Japan.
In a room of a mansion with a dry landscape garden in the front yard, a banquet was held, illuminated by the moonlight.
The participants were two of the Demon Lord’s Army’s most powerful individuals: the Oni King, also known as Raidou to Jiro, and the Undead King, known as Nōraifu to Kio and Instructor Fushio.
They poured sake for each other, their bodies processing the alcohol. The Oni, accustomed to drinking as a part of his everyday life, and the Undead, who quaffed sake that intoxicated the soul. It was probably only beings of a similar nature who could join the banquet of these two.
Despite the door being open, the sheer density of the alcohol fumes filling the room would have likely knocked out an ordinary person. In such an atmosphere, the two drank with apparent enjoyment.
“So? We must get to the main topic soon, or the night will turn to day? I wouldn’t mind lingering in this enjoyable banquet, though.”
“Ah, I almost forgot. What do you think? From your perspective?”
“You’re missing the subject, Oni King. However, I can guess what you wish to say. Are you referring to Jiro?”
“That’s right. Now that we’re both here, it’s only natural to discuss it.”
“Indeed. At first, I nurtured him out of whim, but he proved to be surprisingly enjoyable. It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a human with such a lively soul. He’s certainly a topic worthy of discussion over drinks. Yet, there’s no need to discuss him again, is there? He is steadily growing in power.”
When the two of them met, the topic of their respective disciples’ growth naturally arose. This usual conversation had been repeated many times. Their discussions about Jiro’s humanity and strength were trivial, requiring no confirmation between them. For the two of them, it was like checking each other’s answers.
“From what I’ve seen, I believe his full power has reached a level where he can sufficiently wound us. What do you think?”
“Indeed. His swordsmanship has been honed to a point where it can reach my life. All that’s left is to refine his immature techniques.”
“Meaning he’s ripe for the picking?”
“Nay.”
“Huh?”
The Undead King nodded in agreement with the Oni King, who implied that Jiro possessed the power for a single strike but lacked the technique to land one. However, the Undead King’s subsequent response was a firm “Nay,” which was unusual. It was common for the two to have differing opinions due to their mismatched sensibilities. Yet, the Oni King seemed surprised by the timing of this particular response. He raised his sake cup to eye level, prompting the Undead King to continue. For Oni, a combat species, formidable opponents were, next to food, the most crucial element for survival. The existence of Oni who would fight day and night, neglecting even sleep, attests to their importance. The Oni King, who saw Jiro as an undisputed raw gem, anticipating that he might even surpass him once polished, was eager to hear the Undead King’s reply.
“Oni King, if you think he’s ripe for the picking, you might be the one who gets picked?”
If there were any other Oni present, they might have dismissed the idea of the Oni King being “picked” as a joke. However, the Oni King noticed the Undead King’s gaze, wherein something flickered beyond his hollow eyes, and remained silent, urging him to continue.
“He has grown this much in a mere short period. It’s as if he’s found his place, like a fish finding water. And around him, turmoil seems to gather, as if supporting this growth. While turmoil can chip away at and wound people, it can also serve as stepping stones for refinement. I, for one, want to see how far he will go – whether he will be ground down and broken, or polished and shine.”
If seeking formidable opponents is the nature of the Oni, then clinging to life is the nature of the Undead. Having transcended death, they are drawn to, yearn for, envy, and cling to life. Jiro, a human who displays the brilliance of life, is like a jewel that makes one want to see what lies beyond. Though the two are similar yet different, their fundamental desires are alike. This is precisely why, unlike the other Generals, these two often find themselves acting in unison.
“Jiro doesn’t seem to realize it, but his talent has bloomed late. Now, the question is, how high can he climb before he withers away?”
“Kukukuku, I see. If you say so, then I shall let him ripen a little longer.”
“Kakahaha, indeed. Patience is essential if you want to drink good sake. Besides, we only need to act when those who try to snatch that sake appear. Until then, others will raise him for us.”
The night passed as the two shared a silent toast, finding the sake exquisite.
Another side END
Side: Jiro
Unaware that he was seen as someone who attracted trouble. I, who had taken the said test, was…
“Does this mean I passed?”
“Guh…”
I was in a facility resembling a makeshift arena, diligently constructing an artificial mountain. After clapping my hands a few times to dust them off, I confirmed with the examiner for what felt like the hundredth time. Initially, I was made to fight a mid-tier C-rank Lizardman. Although the demonic examiner had explained that the pass or fail would be determined regardless of the outcome, the weapon I was given was a rusty short sword with a dulled blade, while my opponent was fully equipped and well-maintained. Irritated by the examiner’s clear intention to fail me if I lost, I proceeded to beat my opponent senseless with my bare hands, without using any weapons. I completely dominated him, not allowing him to do anything. Even if he were a veteran, he was weaker than the instructors and didn’t instil any sense of urgency compared to the dungeon tour I had recently experienced. Everything was going too smoothly, so asking if I passed was a natural progression.
“F-Fighting one-on-one within a dungeon is unheard of!! Proceed to the next test!!”
I realized that the examiner was making a flimsy excuse because his plans had been disrupted when an explorer, who had underestimated me and thought he could win, lost. However, since my two adoptive fathers had relentlessly instructed me to crush my opponents completely, I simply followed their instructions. Next, a five-person party of C-rank adventurers appeared. They were a well-balanced, basic party: two frontliners as a shield and attacker, two backliners as a healer and mage, and the commander acting as a skirmisher. The examiner, thinking this was sufficient, declared that I would pass if I defeated this party and initiated the battle without any preparation. The surrounding onlookers seemed to anticipate a group assault, but I wasn’t a masochist or an overly kind person to indulge their expectations. I calmly beat down the frontliners again with my bare hands, retaliated against the skirmishing commander who tried a surprise attack, and easily defeated the backliners while dodging their magic. After that, the task of creating this mountain began. The rank of the opponents increased, and the number of opponents grew. While the opponents continuously became stronger, they never surpassed my ability to respond. In fact, I still had enough leeway that I didn’t even need to draw my Ore Trees. I had heard that the opponent I just defeated was A-rank, but I still managed to win without any problems.
“So? Pass? Or fail?”
“F-Fail!!”
“Why? I defeated the opponents you prepared, just as you instructed.”
However, the decision was a failure. Unless there was some hidden condition, I had demonstrably shown the combat power required by their instructions. It would be a different story if they had lied about the rank of the opponents I fought, but judging by the atmosphere, the final Minotaurus explorer, at least, was undoubtedly a capable individual.
“Sh-shut up!! If I say you fail, you fail!! If you understand, then get out!!”
This was becoming suspicious. The examiner in front of me clearly lacked rationality. He seemed to be denying my words emotionally. Seeing this, Gray-san and Mait-san also began to feel uneasy, but this blatant declaration of failure felt like more than just a dislike of humans. I suspected there was something else going on behind the scenes.
“Hmm, I see. So I should take this as the result of a fair examination?”
“Of course. If you’ve come to an agreement, leave promptly.”
If they were going to be this stubborn and unfair, I had my own plans.
“Then, it’s fine to report this to the Oni King and the Undead King, isn’t it?”
Before he could tell me to leave, I preempted him by stating my intended action.
“!? What nonsense! For a human like you to claim to know the two Seven Generals is utterly outrageous! I could punish you right here and now!!”
The examiner’s expression flickered for a moment when I mentioned the names of the two instructors, but he quickly regained his composure, perhaps thinking it was a bluff. I felt like telling him to go ahead and try if he could, but I decided that it would be more amusing to do so later and refrained.
“I won’t ask what basis you have for calling it a lie. I will simply convey what happened here today to those two. I demonstrated the strength, the fundamental principle of the Demon Lord’s Army, under the conditions you set, and you denied it on the stage you prepared. I look forward to seeing how those two, who value strength as justice, will react when they hear this story?”
Even hearing the threat of punishment didn’t make me flinch. Instead, I was trying to provoke them and draw out whatever they were hiding. It might be like a fox borrowing a tiger’s might, but the fact remains that we know each other, and I have no intention of letting them interfere with my wedding preparations. Inviting those two for drinks, even if it means a hangover, and providing them with topics of conversation is the least I can do. With a grin, as if challenging them to punish me, I smiled, and the examiner, who had lost all his earlier bravado, fell silent.
“Mait-san, Gray-san, let’s go. There’s nothing more for us here.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Indeed.”
Ignoring their actions, we left the facility. Perhaps because I had demonstrated my strength, I felt gazes upon me, but no one interfered.
“Well, this is troublesome. This was the most convenient location for our next dungeon, but we didn’t anticipate this kind of reception.”
“Indeed. If we’re talking about places with similar materials, there are some, but they are further away. It will take time to travel.”
“It can’t be helped. For now, we should return to the company and rethink our plan.”
It was initially a spur-of-the-moment, unplanned material gathering trip. Perhaps it was only natural for things not to go smoothly. In that sense, perhaps this was a good timing to back down.
“Big brother, that fight just now was amazing!”
“You are…”
“Yoo-hoo!!”
As I was about to leave the suspicious facility, gently admonishing my two adoptive fathers who looked disappointed, a girl with fox ears blocked our path. Had she been watching the fight? The appraising gaze she had when we first met was no longer present.
“It seems you’re in trouble? If you want to enter the dungeon, I can lend you my help.”
“I refuse. If this is about entering through illegal means, find someone else. This is a favor from an acquaintance. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Although the girl’s words were tempting, the standard procedure was to avoid proposals that could cause trouble later. Even if I were to obtain the material I was looking for, it would be no different from acquiring it through poaching. I didn’t want to celebrate my marriage with such means, so I tried to walk past the girl, but…
“Big Brother, if you go home like this, you’ll just get involved in more trouble, you know?”
“…”
I was blocked by the fox-eared girl.
Today’s word:
While one’s own evaluation is concerning, it takes courage to ask for it.
This concludes today’s update.
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