There’s no need to accept an invitation from the enemy. Nevertheless, three riders accepted and advanced down the road.
“Captain, do you really think they’re up ahead? All I see is a wide-open plain. There’s nothing resembling them,” one of the subordinates said.
“Could it be another trap to lure us in?”
“To think I’ve been promoted enough to be lured in with just three cavalrymen,” the man, a squad leader from the Empire, one of the great powers within Isal, said with a wry chuckle, showing no signs of being burdened.
Hearing his laugh, the two subordinates relaxed their shoulders, thinking, “He’s got a point.”
They rode on, but they arrived at their destination earlier than planned, in terms of time.
“But Captain, are you sure it was okay to just accept their invitation? This could easily be grounds for punishment,” one of the men said.
“Don’t worry, the Commander will understand this decision. Even if there is a penalty, it’ll probably just be a week of cleaning toilets.”
“Ugh, you know how bad our toilets smell. Please spare me from having to clean them for a week.”
Knowing that, they engaged in small talk to distract themselves from their urgency. The ones they were going to meet were the Demon Lord’s Army, spoken of only in fairy tales. As knights sworn to protect the people, they were enemies that could not coexist with them. They had been taught since childhood that they were evil beings. Yet, they were also beings who acted in ways that deviated from those fairy tales.
“…Ah, I wish I had confessed to Marie.”
“Isn’t that the woman from the brothel you’ve been visiting lately?”
“What’s wrong with that? She doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Whoa, whoa, that’s just talk to attract customers by getting various men excited. You’ll get hurt if you take that seriously.”
“What is it, Captain? Your story is surprisingly convincing.”
“Well, I once paid the redemption fee for a woman I liked, only for her to run off!”
“Ew!”
They might be considered oddballs within the Demon Lord’s Army, but they couldn’t help but feel uneasy, knowing they might not return. The path ahead felt like a one-way road to hell, and the further they went, the more their spirits sank. Even the captain’s self-deprecating jokes didn’t lighten the mood much.
“What’s wrong, you guys? This is supposed to be the funny part,” the captain said.
“Sorry, we just…”
“We understand, but…”
“…”
A somber atmosphere settled upon them, and their words became fewer and fewer. They understood. Deep down, all three of them knew they probably wouldn’t come back. They wanted to run away; they should have refused this invitation. They all secretly disliked the idea of moving forward like this. But as knights serving their country, they couldn’t ignore the possibility of gaining information about the enemy. They had resigned themselves to their fate, but they still clung to their lives, not ready to completely give up.
As they continued on in such a state of mind.
“Captain, what is that?”
“Are they really camping in a place like this?”
Beyond a hill, they saw a encampment. Just seeing it from afar, they knew it wasn’t a human army. Even from a distance, they could see giant figures roaming and a thick aura of magic power. The Oni were waiting in the place indicated in the letter.
“They invited us for a banquet, so I brought souvenirs, but it doesn’t look like it will be enough.”
“Well, it’s the thought that counts, as long as the heart is in it.”
“They invited us. There’s no need to worry too much about it.”
However, their numbers were far greater than they had imagined. Who would have guessed that a division-sized force of Oni would be there? The captain vowed to complain to the lord who managed this territory in hell, for failing to notice the approach of such an army.
“…Let’s go.”
His experience as a scout told him. Their presence had already been discovered. And probably for a while now. The moment they confirmed the size of the army, they started sensing presences all around them. The captain thought it was a joke to be surrounded by invisible enemies in the middle of a plain. The two subordinates also sensed this and looked around.
“Yes.”
However, they couldn’t confirm their presence. So, they had no choice but to proceed. Their horses were also sensing the strong presences and were tense. To calm them, the captain stroked his beloved horse’s neck. It might have been an act to calm himself.
They approached the camping site.
“Halt.”
Just before it, near the sentries, they were stopped by a Goblin soldier.
“This is the camp of Oniō Raidou, one of the Demon Lord’s Seven Generals. Human, what business do you have here?”
The captain, who hadn’t expected such polite treatment from a Goblin, blinked for a moment and his response was delayed. Then, he snapped out of it, took out the letter he had kept in his chest, and said, “I am Fritz, affiliated with the Second Division of the Glenze County of the Harz Empire! I have come upon General Raidou’s invitation for a banquet! Here is the invitation!”
As he thrust the letter towards the Goblin, the Goblin stared intently at it, nodded, and gave a few commands to his subordinates. “Apologies, this is indeed the invitation we sent. Esteemed guest, may we take care of your horses while you attend the banquet?”
“They are my precious beloved horses. I request they be treated with utmost care.”
“On the General’s name, I swear not a single scratch will be given to them.”
“…Understood.”
The Goblins didn’t lower their guard entirely, but they acknowledged Fritz and his men as guests and guided them to their lord, the Oni King. As the three dismounted and walked, Fritz asked, “Are we that unusual?”
“…I have never seen such a disciplined army of Oni.”
“Is that so? Our Great General is extremely strict when it comes to warfare. If we mess around, we get immediate disciplinary action. That’s all.”
“Even so, it doesn’t seem like you’re bound by fear.”
Fritz broke out in a cold sweat at the high level of discipline within the Oni army, which he could feel just by entering their camp. The demons he knew, like Goblins and Orcs, were inferior beings, worse than bandits. They knew no law, raided villages, violated people, stole crops, and lived solely for their own survival, driven by instinct. That was his understanding of them. But what about the Orcs and Goblins in this camp? The soldiers on guard, clad in armor, were not looking away, not chatting idly, and were vigilant. Even the soldiers on break were focused on resting and not doing anything unnecessary. However, this did not give him a sense of mechanical inorganicness. Nor was there a dictatorial atmosphere controlled by a single strong individual. This was an army adhering to discipline, as if they were the ideal soldiers.
“We are a race that obeys pure strength. Our Great General is overwhelmingly strong among us. Do you question obeying the strong?”
“…I can understand that to a certain extent.”
“Then that’s all there is to it.”
In Fritz’s army, nobles ruling was the norm. What existed there was power, not pure strength. High-born bloodlines were justice; that was the state of the current army. Therefore, Fritz felt a pang of envy for an army decided by merit. However, he tucked that feeling away deep in his heart and followed the Goblin deeper into the camp without making idle conversation.
“Here it is. Our Great General is in there.”
“…I’ve thought this from the start, but was it alright not to take our weapons? And forgive me for saying so, but aren’t there too few guards?”
They were led to a tent covered with cloth. On the way, they had not been obstructed at all, smoothly reaching the location of the Demon Lord’s Army general, who was supposed to be their enemy. This would be an unthinkable response for VIP security. They didn’t perform body checks or check their belongings. They were simply allowed through after showing an invitation.
“Well, our Great General doesn’t bother with such troublesome things. If you die from it, that just means you weren’t capable enough. Besides, even if you killed the Great General here, the Oni here would likely invade this country in revenge. You aren’t so foolish as to not understand that, are you?”
Fritz pointed this out, but the response was a defiant smile. It was explained as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”
“Well, you’ll understand when you see his face. Shall we go in?”
Having been told that, Fritz and his men had nothing more to say. They were not even considered a threat. The power difference was that great. The three of them felt the magic power emanating from beyond the cloth and understood it. What lay beyond was a monster. A legendary monster that only a hero could defeat.
“…Yes.”
Just preparing to meet such a creature was a struggle. It took Fritz a full minute to swallow and nod, replying to the Goblin who was guiding them.
“Great General! I’ve brought the guests!”
Even though they already knew of their presence, the Goblin called out specifically, perhaps for Fritz and his men’s sake? Or perhaps it was just formality.
“Come in.”
Fritz and his men at least didn’t have the composure to judge that. As the Goblin, who guided them, lifted the cloth to let Fritz and his men in, they saw it.
“!”
Fritz instinctively reached for the sword at his waist, but his other hand stopped him. It was large, no, its body was certainly large, but it seemed even larger than its body. He swallowed saliva.
“My apologies.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Facing an enemy, your reaction wasn’t wrong.”
What did that mean? If taken literally, it meant that drawing a weapon when facing an enemy was not wrong. But to Fritz, it sounded like he was being told that stopping himself from drawing his sword was the right thing to do. At the banquet, the Ōni was already drinking without waiting for the guests, an attitude that would normally be considered unconventional. However, to Fritz, it seemed natural, and he accepted it.
Trembling, he entered the Ōni’s domain and approached the Ōni sitting in the seat of honor. “It seems the others haven’t arrived yet. You are the first guests. Please, sit anywhere you like.”
Unsure of where to sit, Fritz shifted his gaze. What caught his eye were delicacies and alcoholic beverages he had never seen before. The dishes, which smelled delicious, were kept warm with equipment he’d never seen.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Having come this far, he had made up his mind. Fritz resolved himself and sat down in a seat next to the Ōni. “You two, sit down too. It’s a bit crass to stand guard so close. You were invited, weren’t you? Let’s enjoy the banquet.”
His subordinates tried to stand behind him, but Fritz stopped them. They were very close to the Ōni. Fritz intuitively realized that this Oni disliked rude behavior. He gave his subordinates a warning disguised as a joke, and the Oni grinned at his attitude.
“You understand, don’t you? Unlike those other cowards, you can reason with me.”
As if to show that this was correct, the Ōni himself extended his arm. “Well, it’s no fun talking while you’re stiff. How about a drink to warm up?”
He offered the mouth of a sake bottle to Fritz. Fritz knew what his answer would be. He took a crystal clear glass, the kind royalty might use, and said, “I shall have it.”
Fritz accepted the Oni’s sake.
Today’s saying:
Should you rely on common sense or intuition? That is the problem.
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I am currently serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic. We are fighting back through various means at a secret base, etc.!! Please check that one out as well!!
