Another side
A banquet with Oni. At first glance, a scene like hell comes to mind with these words.
However, lifting the lid, we find this:
“Listen, General Raidou! The nobles of this country are rotten!! They are jealous of the lives of nobles in great powers, boast that they can do the same, and only exploit the people!! And yet, they don’t return anything to the people; they’re all selfish scum!! What do you mean, ‘a holy war sanctioned by the gods’!! You idiot!! We’re working desperately to fill the stomachs of people who are cutting back on their meals for tomorrow!”
Watching Fritz drink his sake with gusto, thinking, “When else would I vent my frustrations if not now?”
“That’s right! Our salaries are low, so why are the nobles so extravagant?! We’re risking our lives here!”
“Loyalty might fill our hearts, but it doesn’t fill our stomachs!! Those trash nobles who only take the good parts!”
His subordinates chimed in, agreeing with him.
These were scathing remarks that would make them turn pale later when they calmed down, curses that would undoubtedly lead to their heads being severed from their bodies if they were overheard.
“Well, well!! No one here will fault you!! Drink up more!!”
Seeing Fritz and the others, now unashamed and revealing their true selves as they got drunk on sake, the Oni King handed them sake with a smile.
Now, why were Fritz and his men drunk in the enemy’s camp? Simply put, the sake from Japan was too delicious.
The various sakes were incredibly rich, fragrant, and flavorful, unlike the cheap ales and wines they usually drank. From cold beer to whiskey, Japanese sake, fruit wines, and even wines they were familiar with, they were so delicious that it made them sad to think about what they had drunk until now.
It was their misfortune to become interested in them. They forgot their original purpose: to confirm why Raidou was acting in a way that helped people. They drank sake like water and ended up complaining about their superiors, the nobles, to the general who was now their enemy.
It could be that they had been under immense stress until now, or perhaps it was the result of pent-up frustrations. Japanese sake had sufficient potency to make it overflow.
“…Ah, excuse me.”
Fritz poured the golden liquid into the Ōni’s cup. He downed it in one go, the liquid and foam perfectly proportioned, and wished the sensation of its passage down his throat would last forever as he looked up at the cloudy sky.
Then, he thought about why he was there.
“General Raidou, may I ask the true meaning of this invitation?”
He composed himself, putting aside his enjoyment of the banquet, and got to the main point. It wasn’t that his drunkenness had gone away.
He simply hadn’t had the chance to ask, and he had been afraid to.
He wasn’t performing good deeds. That Oni killed people.
Moreover, he had killed many nobles, who belonged to the privileged class.
However, with these evil deeds, he saved the suffering people.
In a war, he could have simply trampled over the people along with the land, but this Ōni, who could have easily done so, took on the difficult task of killing nobles while saving people.
To Fritz, it seemed like a difficult task, but to Raidou, it was a simple matter, though it required some effort.
He had come to ask the true meaning behind it. Though he had enjoyed the sake and let loose, he still felt he needed to confirm the true meaning, so he posed his question.
“Nothing much, I just wanted to try something. That’s all I did it for.”
“Try something?”
“Yeah, whether we, you and I, can get along if we drink together.”
As if to disarm Fritz, who was wary of some hidden scheme, Raidou drank the transparent sake from a large cup.
“Get along?”
“Yeah, that’s my only objective. Actually, now that I’ve drunk with you, I’ve realized that although we’re bound by our past, we can drink together. At first, I thought about going to the castle and drinking with your king. But you said there were too many scumbags there, and I realized that was out of the question.”
What the Oni told him was an unbelievable answer for wartime. Befriend the enemy you’re fighting? He desired a relationship like that of friends, not a peace negotiation?
Question marks filled Fritz’s mind, and he began to become confused, wondering what this Oni was talking about.
“You look like you think it’s impossible.”
“…Forgive me for saying so, but it sounds like a dream even a child wouldn’t say.”
“That’s right, I used to think so too. We’ve always been killing and being killed, over and over. Our grudges have piled up, and we’ve reached a point of no return. I used to think that.”
Raidou, accurately grasping the meaning of that expression, agreed with a ferocious smile, showing no signs of being bothered.
“But lately, I’ve begun to think that maybe we’re just being too stubborn.”
“Huh?”
Then, the Oni spoke to the human soldier from another world about the change brought about by a certain disciple.
“From the beginning, we thought that if we destroyed the opponent, everything would be resolved. And that’s one correct answer. If we annihilate you all, we’ll get the land. It’s simple and easy to understand.”
“…”
This was common sense they had followed throughout history. Destroy the evil demons, destroy the humans who occupied their homeland. They couldn’t confirm who first said it, but it had become common sense without the need for confirmation.
“But that leads to too much bloodshed. We demons are a race that loves to fight. We even enjoy fighting. We understand and accept that. But, ultimately, we just love to fight. What’s the fun in trampling on the weak? We are seeking battles that stir the blood and flesh! What’s the fun in killing a mother desperately protecting her child, cradling it and crying? What’s the fun in killing an old man who, though his arms are like withered trees, wields a hoe to defend his future descendants?”
As if cracking that common sense, the Oni King questioned the soldier from another world about common sense.
“War wasn’t as enjoyable as I thought it would be for us. No, it was more the less enjoyable parts. I’d rather be drinking like this.”
“But this is a war you started. We can’t just dismiss it as if it never happened based on your newfound common sense now.”
Fritz directed a sharp gaze at him, as if trying to shake off his drunkenness, and implied that he thought war was for fools. Raidou didn’t laugh at his intent.
“Even if the trigger for that was truly justified, is there any meaning in us continuing a story from thousands of years ago? The bloodlines are no longer around. There are few who remember that time.”
“So, then…”
They had been told to continue it, and it was natural. They understood that it wasn’t easy to abandon it now. For Isal, the common sense was: Demons are evil. If they are not destroyed, there is no future.
“The people of Tris are always making noise, but has there really been any negative impact on your lives from us?”
“…Goblins attacked a village.”
“Those were individuals who had returned to the wild. But don’t your own bandits and rogue soldiers attack villages?”
“Some of my comrades have died while subjugating magic beasts.”
“Magic beasts have been around for a very long time. Both we and you have ways to discipline them. We didn’t create the magic beasts.”
However, being questioned like this by the demon general, Fritz suddenly thought: Has the damage caused by the demons really been that much?
Of course, war caused great damage. Massacres, destruction of cities, crop damage – countless damages occurred. But what about peacetime? The immensely long historical gap between wars. Did demons harm humans during that period?
Fritz then realized.
“…Haha, we have more trouble with humans than with demons.”
He realized that while it might be happening in places he didn’t know about, it certainly wasn’t happening around him.
“That’s how it is. We’re similar. We prepare for war with hatred for humans, but trouble is more often with those close to us. In our current generation, the purpose and the process have been reversed. We claim to be preparing for war to reclaim our homeland, but now, we’re simply being born into a life where we exist to wage war.”
“We are the same. Under the teachings of God, we must acquire the power to destroy demons, and that power is sometimes directed at humans, changing the size of our nations.”
Most of the power acquired to destroy demons is directed at humans. They accumulate the power to use violence, citing the occasional demon incursions.
“…Must we fight?”
“I learned the possibility of not fighting from my disciple. That’s why I arranged this drinking party.”
“What kind of person is that disciple of yours?”
“He’s a ridiculously reckless guy. At first, he was scared, but before I knew it, he was drinking beside me.”
“That is a truly amazing gentleman.”
He realized that, logically speaking, it was an absurd idea, and an overwhelming weariness washed over him, letting out a sigh. The grand cause could still be believed. However, from the events so far, Fritz had come to the realization that there were Oni with whom he could drink. At that point, he felt that if he didn’t draw his sword, they could at least drink together.
“Yeah, he’s my proud disciple.”
“I would love to meet him.”
“Then I’ll bring him next time.”
“It would be fortunate to have that opportunity.”
Fritz didn’t change his recognition that if he met this Oni on the battlefield, he would die. However, he now felt that if they met in an ordinary bar, they might be able to drink together, complaining about lukewarm ale.
“My disciple says, ‘Don’t wait for opportunities, create them.'”
“‘Create’?”
“Yeah, and I have a way to do that. Would you like to try one?”
“…I would prefer it if it’s something we can do.”
“Well, whether you do it or not is up to you. At least, I intend to continue doing the same thing.”
“An Oni who saves suffering people. I’d heard rumors, but if it’s you… I see. It makes sense that if you eliminate what displeases you, it turns out that way.”
He didn’t become a person, but an Oni. Fritz believed rumors were always inconsistent with reality. However, he was convinced that the rumors about this Oni had come about naturally. This Oni was straightforward. He simply disliked nobles who exploited the weak and couldn’t abandon those in distress. He faced his own feelings honestly and acted on them. The grateful people simply followed that flow. Fritz finally understood. This Oni did not lie. He might hide his true feelings, but he never lied. If one faced him with sincerity, he would take it seriously. Fritz never thought he would come to a day when he could honestly respect the greatness of his enemy, the Ōni.
“I will listen. To your story.”
Tonight’s banquet would continue for a while longer.
Today’s word: Talking might resolve misunderstandings.
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I am currently serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic. The Pandora’s Box has been reopened, but we are resisting by doing various things in secret bases and other locations!! Please check that out as well!!
