Chapter 115
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Assemble
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was three days later that we joined the Demon Lord’s army.
As if to signal an all-out war, every one of the Four Heavenly Kings, save for Dorothea, had joined the campaign. The army was advancing toward the capital with unstoppable momentum.
They seemed to have been held up at Hamburg for a while, but Walter Leonhart, the Demon Lord’s Right Hand, apparently couldn't stand to watch any longer. He personally scaled the walls, cleared out the kingdom’s soldiers, and opened the gates himself.
When I first heard of his exploits, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of monstrous physical ability he possessed. As a Werelion, he was naturally strong, but being able to climb a twenty-meter wall bare-handed was a rare feat even among beastkin. The Hamburg Fortress built on a cliff was a similar case, but we conquered that after an avalanche had already partially destroyed it, so that's another story.
For this war, the Demon Lord himself was leading the campaign, having personally conscripted troops from the various tribes in Doom Land. This meant he was taking full responsibility as the commander-in-chief. With most of its forces gone and my master, its sole bulwark, having declared neutrality, the kingdom’s fate hung by a thread.
How could they possibly stand against the Demon Lord and all Four of his Heavenly Kings without a Hero?
While the 2nd and 3rd Divisions supporting the Hamburg defense had managed to retreat with minimal losses before its fall, they were now just rats in a trap. Ultimately, their only refuge was Oz, the last bastion, surrounded by the Walls of Constantinople.
***
“It’s been a while, Kaldrash.”
“It is good to see you are well, my Lord.”
“I’ve just been watching from the rear. Why wouldn’t I be?” The Demon Lord chuckled, then gestured to Ozma, who was standing beside him. “Ozma will be serving as a commander in this war. I expect you to assist her well.”
“I will be in your care, Kaldrash.” Ozma’s tone was stiffer than usual, as if she was feeling the weight of her new responsibility.
After we exchanged a brief glance, I turned back to the Demon Lord, who was tilting his head with a curious expression.
“Have you lost some weight?”
“Yes, my Lord. I’ve been training with my master. Thanks to that, I was able to reach the seventh tier.”
“The seventh tier!” The Demon Lord exclaimed in admiration. He then let out a hearty laugh and patted my shoulder. “My eye for talent never fails me. I knew you were no ordinary man from the moment I saw you. To reach such a level before the age of thirty…”
“You are too kind, my Lord.”
As I bowed my head humbly, the Demon Lord turned to Ozma as if this was no time for pleasantries. “Ozma! The man who will be your husband has reached a new level of power! Why do you not rejoice?!”
At that, Ozma, who had been standing with her hands clasped behind her back with a stern and solemn expression, suddenly flushed a deep red. "Wh-what? My Lord, Kaldrash and I are not yet in that kind of relationship…" she stammered.
“What do you mean, ‘not yet’?! You’ve already spent a night together! Do you think Kaldrash, the great archmage and pride of our army, is the kind of man who would fail to take responsibility for you?!”
“…”
*H-How did he know?*
While our encounter had been consensual, I never dreamed that the Demon Lord would find out about my… indiscretion with his daughter. I broke out in a cold sweat, feeling the immense pressure to take responsibility for Ozma. The Demon Lord looked down at me, his eyes cold and piercing.
“Surely you don’t intend to ruin an innocent maiden’s marriage prospects and then shirk your duty, do you?”
It was obvious that if I denied it, a blade would be at my throat. I had no choice but to bite the bullet.
“Yes, my Lord. As a man, I will take responsibility.”
And just like that, my engagement to Ozma was decided.
***
As I was leaving the Demon Lord’s presence, Ozma rushed after me, a flustered look on her face. “Kaldrash, it’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t say anything.”
I looked at her intently. It was clear she wasn't lying. She was far too earnest and straightforward for that; if she decided to hide something, she would take it to her grave. But that was the problem—very few people knew about what had happened. If it wasn’t Vanessa, it could have only been Gabriel, or…
“I am the one who informed His Majesty.”
As she spoke, a figure emerged whom I hadn’t seen in nearly three months: Camilla. I blinked in surprise. “Camilla? Why would you do that?”
Placing a hand over her chest, Camilla replied calmly, “Among my original duties was the task of attending to you, Master Kaldrash, and reporting on your words and actions.”
“What?”
I felt a dull ache in the back of my head. I had never sensed anything of the sort from her behavior. I kept my composure and asked calmly, “And why are you telling me this now?”
Camilla closed her eyes slightly. “Because there is no longer a reason to keep you under surveillance.”
“No longer a reason?”
“Correct. Although you signed the Geass Scroll, the Demon Lord did not trust you completely. A Geass Scroll is a pact that can have many loopholes, and he believed you might be feigning surrender to plot against him. Therefore, he ordered me to serve as your attendant and monitor your every move.”
“And since you now know my betrayal of humanity is genuine, the surveillance is no longer needed?”
“Yes, that is correct. Although, the suspicions of false betrayal were cleared the moment you conquered the Hamburg Fortress.”
I mulled over her words. From the Demon Lord’s perspective, it was perfectly understandable that he wouldn’t blindly trust a traitor. So he had used Camilla to watch me carefully. The truth was unsettling, but her telling me so openly now actually made it easier to accept. His claim that he had trusted me since the fall of Hamburg was likely true. If he still suspected me, he never would have entrusted me with the protection of his own flesh-and-blood, Ozma.
“I take it your telling me this means you’ve judged that secrets are no longer necessary?”
“Yes. The Demon Lord stated that there would be no lingering trouble in the future if you, the person concerned, knew the truth.”
*He’s an unnecessarily honest man.* Still, he wasn't wrong.
With a weary smile, I told her, “Alright. I forgive you for deceiving me. We’re all in the same boat now, after all.”
“…Thank you.”
As Camilla bowed and began to withdraw, a thought struck me. “Camilla, by any chance, do you know a succubus with pink hair?”
Camilla flinched and froze in place. “Was she… exceptionally well-endowed?”
“They were the size of watermelons.”
She hesitated for a moment before answering. “That was likely my aunt.”
“Your aunt?”
“Yes. My mother’s younger sister. There is a high probability it was the Succubus Queen, Gremory.”
“Then why would she tell me to stay away from you?”
“…Because I am the shame of our clan.”
“The shame of your clan?”
Camilla nodded, her expression filled with sorrow. “Yes. The truth is, I am a half-breed, born between a human and a succubus.”
***
“Camilla is a half-succubus? I never would have imagined.”
Honestly, the fact that I was being spied on was less shocking than this revelation. To think that body, which overflows with such sensuality, was only half…
Naked beside me, Dorothea spoke with a look of disbelief. “So what if a human and a demon screwed around a bit? Why call that a disgrace to the family?”
“My thoughts exactly. If they have great sexual chemistry like we do, it's bound to happen.”
“But it’s not entirely incomprehensible,” Vanessa said, also naked, as she wrapped her arms around my right. “Among demons, the higher their social standing, the more they emphasize pure bloodlines. The sister of the Succubus Queen would have possessed one of the most noble bloodlines of them all. For someone like that to fall for a human and bear his child… it’s not strange that she would be considered a disgrace.”
She continued, “For the record, you don’t have to worry about that with me. Dullahans are born from the souls of noble knights, so we don’t have things like family lines.”
*A half-human, half-Dullahan… is that even possible?* Well, they’re classified as fae, so perhaps. I couldn’t begin to imagine what the child would look like.
“Hey, you punk! How many times do I have to tell you to stop trying to one-up me!” Dorothea shouted, a beat too late, as she grabbed my left arm.
Vanessa just chuckled smugly. “It is he who decides whose turn is next. Can I not help him make his choice a little more easily?”
I glanced back and forth between the two women bickering over their next turn with me, then looked up at the ceiling with a satisfied expression.
*This kind of debauched life isn’t so bad after all.*
It was one of the biggest reasons I had fully committed to the Demon Lord’s army.
***