#049 Betrayal
#049 Betrayal
A moment, a story from the past.
500 years ago.
I had tried to capture humans on a large scale.
Why capture humans?
To use humans as food for the Demonfolk?
'You must not kill humans.'
You must not slaughter humans recklessly.
Human heroes or royals who blocked the path could be dealt with, but the masses beneath them must not be killed.
Although there were those among the Demonfolk who used humans as food, humans were beings who must never be annihilated.
'The Demonfolk grow stronger because humans exist, so why would I kill humans?'
The reason was simple.
Partly because I had no particular desire to kill humans, but also because, by keeping humans alive, my power and the Demon King Army's power could grow even stronger.
Listing every example would take far too long, so to sum it up in one line....
'The weakening of Divine Power.'
Whether it was the Red Moon Goddess or the Azure Moon Goddess, Divine Power changed depending on how much humans believed in the goddesses.
Faith was the very power of the Church.
The Church was the greatest enemy of the Demon King Army.
If too many humans were killed....
1. Too many humans are killed.
2. To survive the Demon King Army, humans believe in and follow the goddesses, the greatest enemies of the Demon King Army.
3. Then the goddesses, perhaps to check the Demon King Army's rampage, recklessly grant Divine Power to those brimming with faith in them.
4. Divine Death Beam────!!
5. Demon King Army annihilated.
Such a future was predetermined.
'I have to make them believe in the Demon King Army, not the goddesses.'
Keeping humans alive instead of killing them ultimately weakened the Goddess Church and, by extension, the Celestial Realm.
Then our Demon King Army would be able to completely dominate the Human Realm, and the Celestial Realm would not even dare to approach the Human Realm.
Behold, the opening of a true dark age.
'How can I reduce faith in the goddesses and thereby reduce Divine Power?'
Thinking about the best way to steal the humans' faith, the best method was to change the object of their belief.
-Believe in the Demon King.
-H-how could we possibly believe in the Demon King...?
-I'll give you houses. As it happens, there is a domain of a fallen noble family.
-......?
-I'll give you land. As it happens, there is a wide stretch of wasteland nearby. The Sandworms are tilling the land, so if you sow seeds now, next year will bring a bountiful harvest.
-No, but still....
-Taxes are 5%. The first year is exempt, and from the second year onward, only 5% will be collected.
-...Not 50%, but 5%?
-Yes. Why? Is that too much?
-N-no, it isn't! ......Y-you will spare our lives, won't you?
-Yes. If you become citizens of our Demon King Army.
Giving them houses, giving them land, and cutting their taxes dramatically.
-Long live the Demon King────!!
-What good is the Goddess Church! If you believe in the Demon King, you get a house and land!
-Marry a lovely Dark Elf maiden...? Hngh.... Demon King Army, hurrah!!
Ah, humans fell for the Demon King's enticement all too easily.
Using every means and method, I tried to incorporate humans into the Demon King Army, and thanks to gently stimulating human desires, I was able to bring quite a lot of humans into the Demon King Army.
Then where did the houses and land for the humans come from?
'I took them from the few humans who held a lot.'
Nobles.
Royals.
The wealthy.
Everyone wants to become strong.
So people create social ranks. They may want to laugh together as equals, but everyone still wants to climb a little higher than everyone else.
-The Demon King Army will defeat them. Subjects of the Demon King Army, seize what is theirs.
I ordered the serfs holding bamboo spears to plunder.
Those who had only ever been robbed now, with the Demon King Army at their backs, aimed their bamboo spears at the nobles, at the royals, and seized everything.
Of course, it was not without problems.
Even looking at it objectively, there was no reason to exterminate humans.
'Without humans, everyone dies.'
Orcs, Elves, Goblins, Lycanthropes, vampires.
Humans affected the lives of every other race in all sorts of ways.
Without humans, many races within the Demon King Army would struggle to survive, and killing all humans would also make disposing of their corpses terribly troublesome.
Even so, many Demonfolk insisted on exterminating humans.
-All humans must be killed! Not killing humans is, as a Demonfolk, SQUEEEAL!
-You, how insolent. Are you the Demon King? I am the Demon King. If you don't like it, go find another Demon King.
-You killed him and then say such things.... And, Demon King, dissatisfaction about creating a human village is piercing the heavens.
-Do not worry. I have thought it all through.
-What kind of...?
-You will learn in time.
The majority of Demonfolk did not know my grand plan.
-I will make the humans into slaves.
-Hee-hee, so you plan to enslave them and put them to work!
-I will capture the humans and create a separate zone for them.
-Hee-hee, so you plan to make a ranch out of humans!
-I will create a zone for humans, let them live there, and have them produce goods for our Demon King Army.
-Hee-hee, so you plan to make a human slave ranch that produces and offers vast wealth for our Demon King Army?
-I'm going to put humans into the Demon King Army too, you know?
-Eh....
Humans were beings who had opposed the Demon King Army.
Naturally, those under my command, especially Demonfolk who had suffered at human hands, voiced their discontent.
But.
-Bring down the nobles! As property of the Demon King Army!
-For the Demon King Army! Raise the beacon of revolution!!
-Subjects of the Demon King Army, unite! Seize the property of royals and nobles, and make it the property of our Demon King Army!!
For the Demon King Army.
-That one fleeing over there is a noble! That bastard took 50% of our taxes!!
-The Demon King only takes 5%!!
-Trickle-down effeeeeect────!!
-These are...humans? I don't know, what is this. Scary.
The serfs and commoners showed strength even greater than the Demon King Army against the nobles.
After humans gradually came to be accepted in their own way as members of the Demon King Army, I unfolded a strategy to let humans fully assimilate with the Demon King Army.
-Undead cart, coming through.
-Those who died without kin, we will collect. After reviving them as Skeletons, we will ask whether they wish to be cremated or fight for the Demon King Army.
-Those who will donate their corpses, come this way. Black Mages will hire them at a high price.
-Blood donation cart, coming through.
-To those who voluntarily offer their blood to vampires, Gold Coins will be provided as blood price.
-No need to offer your neck. Huh? You want me to bite your neck, even on purpose? Goodness.... Slllurp.
-Dream Demon cart, coming through.
-To those who voluntarily offer their vitality to Succubi and incubi...n-now, wait. Calm yourselves.
-Take my vitality!
Demonfolk who could only survive by obtaining something from humans began to 'trade' with the humans of the Demon King Army.
The Demonfolk began to coexist with the humans: the Demonfolk gained what they needed to survive, while the humans offered parts of their own bodies.
And so.
The Demon King Army transcended race and became a vast collective whose only enemy was the Goddess Church.
And when the war against the Human Alliance was in full swing.
-D-do we have to participate in the war too...?
-Yes. But rest assured. You need only live in the Demon King Army's occupied territory and pay your taxes on time.
-Th-that's all?
-Yes.
When the Demon King Army's power was at its peak, in the rear territories occupied by the Demon King Army, the subjects of the Demon King Army were made to diligently deliver wheat and supply meat and vegetables from the rear.
-If you wish to serve in the military, write a contract. It is a contract stating that after death, you will become a Death Knight and serve the Demon King Army. Except for the Demon King's orders and being a soldier, the rest is freedom.
-...After enjoying a full lifespan as a human, extending life as a Death Knight...?
Even if there were those who wanted to fight for the Demon King Army, they were not placed on the battlefield as humans, but made to fight after becoming Undead.
- Long live the Demon King!!
- Praise the Demon King!
- Glory to the Great Demon King Belphegor!
Thus, I made all the praise directed at the Goddess Church my own.
The more humans joined the Demon King Army, the weaker the Goddess Church's influence became.
-Kh...! If only we had Divine Power, we could do something...! Ooh, the Divine Power is vanishing! Advance as we are! Our victory is before our eyes!!
-Ugh...! My strength, my strength is draining...! Why?! O Goddess, are you abandoning us?! Why! Why!!
Thus, the more we made humans into our subjects, the more easily we could win battles.
That was why I sought to capture humans, and that was why I sought not to kill humans.
- There is no need to kill humans.
- Humans must be captured as much as possible.
Surely, the Demon King Army should have held such thoughts.
Because coaxing humans to erase faith and Divine Power was more effective than killing humans and raising faith in the goddesses.
So.
ROOOOAR────
'Yes, that's it. Acedia.'
While a giant Sandworm appeared and ran along, stuffing every human into its stomach, I knew that my legacy still lived on in this land, and tears welled up.
'Conquering the Human Realm is not killing humans, but ruling them.'
Humanity must not be eliminated.
How much grueling hardship had I endured to make the Demonfolk understand that?
To rule humans, capture humans.
Seeing them use my capture tactics, Acedia was certainly a descendant of the Demon King Army.
Behold, the sight of that Sandworm.
Knocking on the north gate and driving the humans south, putting them into its mouth as if on a driven hunt.
But then.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
"......What?"
Right before my eyes.
"N-no...!"
The anticipation I had felt while recalling the scene from 500 years ago shattered to pieces.
"S-stop...!"
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
'The more humans you kill, the stronger the goddesses become, you idiots!!'
The giant Sandworm, the humans it had swallowed.
It was chewing them.
"Lucius─────!!"
The gale kicked off the castle wall and leaped outside.