The Eighth Legion
A few days had passed since Nahen met with the Progenitor. A slight change had come over his otherwise steady routine. Where he once spent his days overseeing Seere’s lessons, handling his duties, and then resting, he now had one more person to keep an eye on in between.
“One, down. Two, up. One!”
“Huaa…”
“Two!”
“Hik…!”
It was his task to check whether Veronika was properly attending her lessons and training diligently. If she slacked off, he intended to deal with her exactly as Seere wished.
“Good. You’re keeping up well.”
“Heek… heek…”
“Next is laps around the training ground. Begin immediately!”
“Neet!?”
After watching her for the past week, however, Nahen had to admit that Veronika was putting in genuine effort. Even now, she was struggling to follow Celestia’s instructions yet still doing her best. Objectively speaking, she was far from skilled, but her diligence was undeniable.
Satisfied, Nahen smiled and left the training ground.
Instead of returning straight to his office, Nahen made his way to the legions. There were people he needed to meet—Alberon, the Vampire Lord, and the members of his bloodline, who were scheduled to arrive within the week. They had reached the floor yesterday and been assigned a separate training ground. He had given them one day to rest; from today onward, he planned to integrate them into Seere’s forces in earnest.
The bloodline possessed a unique form of magic called blood magic, distinct from that of other demon races. Organizing them into a single legion and deploying them as a specialized force would surely prove valuable in the future.
As Nahen headed toward the second training ground where the vampires were stationed, a man approached him.
“Lord Nahen.”
“Are the preparations complete, Baruna?”
“Yes. Everyone is standing by.”
It was Baruna, the vice-commander of the Fourth Legion. He had been temporarily overseeing the vampires. Nahen regarded him for a moment before asking,
“Baruna, there’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“What is it?”
“Why have you never shown interest in becoming a legion commander?”
Celestia, who had just been appointed commander of the Seventh Legion, had once ranked below Baruna. She had originally been the third-in-command of the Fourth Legion. By rights, Baruna should have taken the commander’s seat, and his strength was more than sufficient. Yet to Nahen, it seemed Baruna had no desire for the position. Curious, he asked directly. If Baruna expressed any interest, Nahen intended to appoint him as commander of the next legion he established.
Baruna answered without hesitation.
“I prefer the Fourth Legion.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If you’re concerned that I might look down on other commanders because of my shorter tenure, you needn’t worry.”
“That wasn’t my concern… I simply thought your abilities would be more than enough for a commander’s post.”
“It’s fine. I appreciate the offer, but I’m content where I am.”
“…Understood.”
Nahen decided not to press further. If Baruna was this resolute, there was no point in continuing. Instead, he moved on to a more practical question.
“How have the bloodline members been reacting?”
“Surprisingly docile. I was rather taken aback.”
Nahen had expected as much. After all, the treaty bore the blood seal of Ersha Scarlet herself—the Progenitor they revered as a god. No member of the bloodline would defy her will or disregard an alliance she had personally forged.
“Good. No resistance is a relief. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Nahen and Baruna proceeded directly to the second training ground. Upon seeing the bloodline members lined up in orderly formation, Nahen felt a quiet satisfaction.
Having a proper leader certainly makes control far easier.
Because Alberon, the Vampire Lord, had personally brought the thirty thousand bloodline members, discipline had been maintained without Baruna needing to intervene. Nahen descended into the training ground and called out,
“Alberon.”
“Yes, Great One…”
“Call me Nahen.”
“Yes, Lord Nahen. For what reason have you summoned me?”
“Follow me.”
Nahen led Alberon up onto the platform, with Baruna following behind. Once there, he gestured for Alberon to step forward and addressed the assembled vampires so that all could hear.
“As you are aware, you will henceforth serve as an allied force under Seere von Devata, forming a single legion. You will operate under the name of the Eighth Legion.”
The Eighth Legion. The moment the thirty thousand bloodline members who had arrived with Vampire Lord Alberon were united as one.
“As Seere von Devata’s specialized force, you will be called upon for many important operations. This is also the will of your Progenitor, Ersha Scarlet. I trust you will devote yourselves wholeheartedly to training. In return…”
Nahen pointed to Alberon, who stood beside him on the platform.
“Vampire Lord Alberon will serve as your commander, and the vice-commander will also be chosen from among the bloodline.”
“Then…”
“Yes. It means the management of the legion will be entrusted entirely to your own hands. This decision was made because both Seere and I trust the alliance forged with Ersha Scarlet.”
Alberon flinched at Nahen’s words. On the surface, it sounded as though the Eighth Legion was being granted considerable autonomy and freedom. That was true. Yet Nahen’s statement carried another meaning: by granting them freedom and authority, any failure on their part would reflect poorly on their Progenitor, Ersha. Their performance would determine her reputation, a silent pressure to perform well.
Alberon swallowed hard. Most of the bloodline, however, remained unaware of this implication and cheered at the appointment that showed no sign of distrust.
“Then, Commander Alberon.”
“…Yes.”
“Submit your recommendations for vice-commander. I will make the final decision from among them.”
“Understood.”
When Alberon bowed his head, the entire bloodline followed suit. Nahen’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he concluded with a simple remark.
“I look forward to your contributions.”
#
In the garden behind the Demon King’s castle, Seere sat sipping tea and looked especially beautiful today. Perhaps it was because her thirteenth birthday was approaching and she was growing rapidly, or perhaps because the hairpin Nahen had given her suited her so well. Even the servants of the sixty-ninth floor, unaccustomed to her appearance, found themselves stealing glances at her.
Of course, the devoted efforts of Rea and Secily played a significant role in making her look this lovely. It was all for the sake of impressing one particular person—Nahen, whom Seere liked and followed more than anyone.
“The Eighth Legion… The scale of our legions has grown considerably already.”
When Seere set down her teacup and spoke, Nahen, who had also been drinking tea, nodded.
“There are no First, Second, or Third Legions, so it’s not as many as the number suggests.”
“I want to give those numbers to those who are worthy of them.”
“I understand your intention.”
The First through Third Legions had all been commanded by Seir’s Four Swords. Only Rin El Laza and the Fourth Legion remained; the others had perished alongside Seir long ago. Seere wished to honor their memory by creating new legions that could match the prestige of those that had once achieved such remarkable feats under Seir.
“What is the general level of the bloodline assigned to the Eighth Legion?”
“Alberon, whom I appointed commander, is a Lord.”
“Hmm…”
“The vice-commander hasn’t been decided yet since I’m still waiting on recommendations, but according to Alberon, he only brought bloodline members who had already received military training. There should be some capable individuals among them. It won’t take long before we can deploy them in actual combat.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Seere nodded and handed Nahen a document that resembled a report. As he took it, she added,
“It’s the report that man submitted. Dane… was it?”
“Yes. It must have arrived while I was away.”
“That’s right. I kept it for you. You’ll see when you read it, but…”
Though the report was lengthy due to its detailed nature, its contents could be summarized simply: the fifty-fifth floor was advancing at an astonishing speed.
“They’ve already conquered the sixtieth floor.”
“Teacher, I honestly don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“I can understand wanting to form an alliance with us. But there’s no need to conquer every floor between our territories just for that, is there?”
“That’s… certainly true.”
Seere was right. If their only goal was an alliance, such an excessive display was unnecessary. It seemed far more likely that…
“They must have something else they want.”
“Yes.”
“In that case, there’s only one thing we can do.”
They needed to expand their forces so that when they sat at the same table as Gremory, they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. To achieve that, they would have to bring in other minority races, just as they had with the vampires.
“I’ve already sown some seeds…”
“Pardon?”
“Hm? Ah, I deliberately leaked information to Bennet. There’s a chance other minority races will hear about it and reach out.”
“Ah, you did?”
Seere pouted slightly.
“You should have told me. I had no idea.”
“Sorry. It slipped my mind.”
“Is there anything else you might have forgotten to mention?”
Nahen thought carefully at Seere’s question. There wasn’t anything he needed to tell her…
…Except one thing.
It would be better to keep that hidden. Discussing demons and Hell would only confuse Seere without offering any immediate solutions.
“Nothing else comes to mind.”
“Is that so?”
Seere accepted his answer without suspicion. After quietly finishing her tea, she asked casually,
“By the way, Teacher, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“Ask anything you like.”
“You said before that you’ve never been in love. Does that mean you’ve never dated either?”
“…Huh?”
“Even if you haven’t experienced deep love, you might still have dated someone. That’s what Rea told me. When I asked about your ideal type last time, you answered so readily that I wondered if you’d met someone like that before.”
Why was she suddenly asking this? Nahen considered it the most difficult question he had received from Seere recently.
Dating experience…
He did have some. But the brief relationship he’d had as a university freshman was so short it was almost embarrassing to call it dating. Nahen let out a groan before answering.
“I don’t… have any.”
He couldn’t bring himself to claim otherwise. Feeling both shame and embarrassment, he gave his reply—yet to Seere, it was an extremely satisfying answer.
“…Really?”
“Yes. I don’t think I’ve ever truly loved anyone either… I mentioned that before, didn’t I? …Well, I believe I did.”
“Yes, you did. But you really have no dating experience either… Is that true?”
“Y-Yes.”
Nahen couldn’t understand why she was emphasizing the question and asking it multiple times. Each time Seere pressed, his embarrassment doubled.
“Mmm, so Teacher has no experience either…”
Seere smiled unconsciously. Nahen felt a sudden sense of dissonance. Setting aside how strange her reaction was, something about her words felt off.
Teacher “either”?
Nahen’s expression grew grave. Though he tried to ask as calmly and carefully as possible, his voice came out more urgent than usual.
“…Seere?”
“Yes?”
“Have you developed feelings for some boy recently!?”
#
What on earth is this teacher saying?
“I thought something was strange lately. First you asked about my ideal type, and now you’re asking about dating experience… So you’ve become interested in romance.”
“…Yes.”
It was true that she had become interested in romance. That statement was one hundred percent correct. But her teacher…
“You wanted to ask me for romantic advice.”
“…Pardon?”
“Your recent irritability must be because your romantic endeavors aren’t going as planned! Just who is this little thief—no, who is this friend? I just want to see his face once.”
He was looking for the person in question in entirely the wrong place. Really, why can’t Teacher use his usual sharp mind when it comes to things like this?
What does he mean by wanting to see that person’s face…? No, the fact that he still hasn’t realized anything at all is the real problem, isn’t it?
Seere narrowed her eyes in displeasure, sighed, and set down her empty teacup. Rising from her seat, she said,
“I think I’ll go inside now.”
“…Hm?”
Seere left Nahen behind and walked away. The highly agitated Nahen slowly blinked, trying to calm himself.
“…Did I touch on too sensitive a topic?”