Becoming the Seventh Legion Commander (1)

I let out a hollow laugh as I replayed the events from earlier in my head.

So this is actually happening.

I had gone from common criminal to noble supplicant, and now I was the 7th Legion Commander. The Lord of the Black Sea, whom I'd fought so hard to bring down, had conceded his defeat without a fuss, and the other Legion Commanders all seemed genuinely welcoming.

For a group of Demon Lords who normally believed themselves the pinnacle of all existence to react this way—it was no exaggeration to call it the royal treatment.

So this is where the real game begins.

That said, I couldn't let myself get carried away. Everything up to this point had been nothing more than a tutorial. The main game was only just starting.

-Rumble, rumble.

"My Lord—! We've arrived!"

The carriage rolled to a halt and the door swung open. I stepped down and gave the coachman a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Good work."

His eyes went round as saucers.

"To receive such encouragement from someone as lowly as me… It was the greatest honor of my life to serve you, my Lord!"

He threw himself flat on the ground.

Frankly, I was a bit thrown off—I'd never seen a reaction like that before. But apparently power really does taste sweet. In the span of a few short hours, the way people treated me had changed completely.

"You've finally arrived. It is an honor to meet you at last. I am Dermian, the steward who will henceforth serve the Legion Commander."

Outside, a long-haired man who stood well over six feet tall was waiting with his head bowed. He continued in a deferential tone.

"I will devote myself to ensuring your every comfort in the days to come."

"Good to meet you. I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, my Lord. Though I am but a humble servant, please do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not hesitate to rely on me."

I rather liked him. He was handsome, agreeable, and I could tell at a glance he'd be pleasant to keep around.

"Gerard—!"

Just then, a light, youthful voice called out from somewhere. I turned to see a woman bounding toward me like an excited puppy.

"Seina?"

"How could you leave me behind!"

…Ah, right.

Come to think of it, she had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠told to come to the 7th Legion Commander's castle.

"I was worried sick about you!"

Seina threw herself into my arms.

!

A sudden, distinctly soft sensation pressed against me. I started to glance down to check if it was what I thought it was, then thought better of it and cleared my throat instead.

"Ahem. It seems we simply crossed paths by accident. Were you very worried?"

"Of course I was worried…"

I couldn't suppress a small smile. It was oddly endearing. We'd been apart, and she'd still been worrying about me.

All thanks to my sterling personality, of course.

"…I was afraid you'd thrown me away for good!"

"……"

The follow-up caught me off guard, but no matter. As long as Seina kept growing up healthy and happy like this, that was all I needed.

She leveled up while I wasn't looking, huh…

Truly befitting a werewolf of superior bloodline. It hadn't been that long, and she was already in the 90s.

She wasn't far from becoming the fine blade I'd raised her to be.

"This is Seina, who will serve as my personal guard. See to it that she wants for nothing."

"It will be my privilege."

I gave the manor's exterior one long look, then spoke.

"Well then. Let's go inside."

"Of course. Right this way, my Lord."

And so we set our feet toward the entrance of the Legion Commander's castle.

**

"Whoa…"

The moment we stepped inside, pristine red carpet met our footsteps. Gold filigree inlaid throughout the halls and chandeliers hanging from the ceilings glimmered with opulence. Paintings that looked plucked straight out of mythology adorned the walls—the tastes of the previous seven Legion Commanders were on full display.

"Gerard, we get to live here?"

"That's right."

"I knew I had a good eye! I picked one heck of a master."

Seina beamed. I had to agree with her.

…It's certainly flashy.

How the turns table. Who would have imagined that a man who once lived in a single cramped room barely big enough to lie down in would end up living in this kind of luxury?

"My apologies, my Lord. You arrived ahead of schedule, so I have not yet been able to redesign the interior. If there is any style you prefer, I will see it reflected immediately."

Dermian bowed his head, evidently having taken my silence for dissatisfaction with the decor. I held out a hand.

"There's no need. Leave it as it is."

"I must insist. I will have it changed at once."

I nodded at his firm response. If he was dead set on changing it, who was I to stand in his way?

We climbed a staircase that wouldn't have looked out of place in an opera house, and Dermian fixed the steps with a frown, as though something about them offended his very soul.

"Forgive me. These steps do not match your stride, my Lord. I will replace them at the earliest opportunity."

"…That really won't be necessary."

"It is. Aiding your comfort is my sacred duty."

"……"

"This way, please."

It was a revealing glimpse into Dermian's character. And it didn't stop there.

"These door handles are the wrong size for your hands, my Lord. I will see to them immediately."

"My apologies. The windowsill sits above your line of sight, my Lord. That is poor feng shui—I will arrange for it to be relocated."

Whatever his problem was, he seemed determined to fix absolutely everything.

…Isn't this guy taking it a bit too far?

I appreciated the thought, but his devotion was bordering on deranged. At this point, it almost felt like he was fixing things because he didn't like them.

"This chamber will serve as your office going forward, my Lord."

When Dermian opened the door, a neatly appointed office greeted my eyes. I stepped inside, took my time surveying the room, and then sank back against the chair at the desk. Plush and yielding—exactly my style.

"Shall I prepare a cigar?"

I shook my head at Dermian's question, plucked a fountain pen from the table, and turned it over in my fingers.

"I'm fine. More importantly—what am I supposed to actually do from here on out?"

"Nothing at all, my Lord."

Dermian answered without a moment's hesitation.

"…Nothing?"

"Nothing whatsoever."

…That's an absolute steal.

I'd assumed that rising to the rank of Legion Commander would at least require some theater of duty on my part. But if I didn't have to do anything? That meant I could fast-forward through my entire itinerary.

**

"Right this way, my Lord. Allow me to show you the annex."

We followed Dermian on a stroll through the garden. Flowers of every color caught the eye—most of them varieties I'd never seen before, but a feast for the eyes all the same.

"What's that over there?"

Just then, a fenced enclosure happened to catch my attention.

"Those are humans being marched to the quarry, my Lord."

"The quarry?"

"Yes. The slaves are sorted and then dragged off to labor in the stone pits."

The people walked in a line, like pigs being herded toward the slaughterhouse. Under normal circumstances, perhaps my heart would have gone out to them.

But right now, I felt nothing. The whole scene felt as detached and unreal as watching a film.

"You worthless trash! Didn't I tell you not to fall out of line?"

The man managing the slaves stomped on someone who had drifted from the column and roared.

"Human beings are truly fascinating creatures."

Dermian, watching the scene, spoke slowly.

"Fascinating how?"

"They threaten and abuse their own kind—their own kin in the very same plight. Do they not?"

He wore an expression of genuine pity as he went on.

"Granted, our demonkind can be cruel and savage—but that is the full extent of it. We do not torment or deceive those weaker than ourselves the way humans do. On this point, I would say humans are, if anything, crueler than demons."

At Dermian's words, my mouth pressed into a hard line.

It was a fair point. For every living thing except humans, strength was everything. There was no knifing someone in the back, no lying, no betrayal. Was there truly any creature on this earth with innards as black as mankind's?

"Hey, you fish-headed bastards! I just told you not to break formation, didn't I? Are my words worth nothing to you? You absolute pieces of garbage!"

The man's shrieks rang out yet again. He was stomping on a child and an old man in turn.

"It's because they're brats that they don't damn well listen! And you, you old hag—look alive! Before I drag your son and grandkids over here too!"

"Please… my son and grandchild, I beg you… spare them…"

The child and the old woman collapsed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to their knees, begging weakly.

"Gerard… are you okay?"

Seina spoke up carefully beside me.

"What do you mean?"

"Your face… doesn't look good."

Only then did I realize it myself—that my expression had twisted into something ugly.

Dermian had clearly noticed too, because he quietly beckoned the man over. The fellow came scrambling.

"You called for me, my Lord?!"

He prostrated himself on the ground.

"How old are that child and that old woman?"

I asked in a voice gone cold.

"That, I… I couldn't say, my Lord."

"So you struck them simply for falling out of line?"

"Yes, yes! That's all it was! Though in truth those two are always dawdling. My apologies! I should have managed them better!"

"You're not making any sense."

"…Pardon?"

The man echoed my words in confusion, then stared up at me as though he'd committed some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terrible crime.

"…F-forgive me, my Lord! I wasn't thinking! I should have simply run my blade through that old hag's belly. If you'll wait just a moment, I'll go gut her right now!"

!

The words died in my throat. This man's mind was simply wired differently from any normal person's.

And then—

-Crunch!

Dermian's boot came down on the man's skull. His head burst like a watermelon.

With an expression of frost, Dermian addressed the corpse.

"On what grounds do you dare meet this man's eyes?"