CH 57

Chapter 57 – Messenger from the Tribal Union

“Yoshua. I’m sorry to bother you when you’re sick, but I need you to come with me.”

“No problem. What’s the matter?”

“Yeah. I don’t know the details yet. A small group of winged tribesmen are approaching from the sky. 10 Elven and Beastman gunners equipped with M1903 rifles with 50 bullets each distributed already.”

I nodded in silence. I know it’s not Mirryl’s style, but it’s possible to kill up to 500 enemies.

At the end of the battle with the kingdom army, the management of firearms, ammunition, remaining IEDs, unused barbed wire, grenades, diesel fuel, etc., was left to the leader of Casemaian, Kemich.

The reason I didn’t put them in my storage was because there was no point in winning if we couldn’t deal with an invasion when I wasn’t around.

I heard that they were stored in a storage area in the church’s basement and usually sealed with a simple Elven barrier, but I don’t know the details. The only thing they did was to make sure they were safe from theft and accidents. I’ve asked them to report back to me as soon as possible, so I can procure more ammunition if we run low.

“Aerial surveillance report! Enemy shadow in the Dark Forest, four miles away! Thirty to forty men!”

“From the north? Is it from the kingdom? Or is it the empire?”

“But they seem to be from the tribal union.”

Geez, they just come one after the other.

Considering the possibility of a diversion on the part of the forest, I asked the M1903 gunners to guard the plain.

“Yoshua, I have sent your words.”

“Thanks, Myrril.”

I asked the old Dwarves to set up the M1919 in the gun emplacement on the hill.

The north side is less than 100 meters from the bottom of the cliff to the forest’s edge. There was not much time between the time we saw the enemy’s shadow and the time we took control of the area. It’s unlikely that they’re going to use maneuvers with only 30 to 40 men, but it’s a contingency plan.

“Don’t worry, Yoshua. We’ve left a barbed-wire perimeter north of the canyon. Not many people will enter the Dark Forest on horseback, so a horse barrier is a simple matter, but up to 300… no, we can easily destroy up to 500 with just the M1919.”

Accompanying me on the M1919 was the old man Heimann, who was a gunner at the front line machine gun position, and old man Carretta, who was a loader. He was also in charge of building up the encampment, so he was familiar with the situation afterward.

“Yeah, if it comes to it, I’m counting on you. But if the enemy shows up, we will try to contact them to see if we can negotiate.”

“Is that okay? They may be well-known for their unity among the tribes, but they are very particular about their personal valor. Especially those who come across the Dark Forest, they are very strong people.”

“I admire your concern, but it is unnecessary. There is no one in the tribal union who can kill Yoshua.”

“…Hmm. That’s true.

No, you don’t need to agree with that.

“Well, let’s welcome them.”

I pulled my gun out of storage and headed down the ramp with Myrril, loading only five rounds and debating whether or not to remove the scope.

Yeah, no way. We don’t have much time, and if I take it off, I’ll have to readjust it.

“It’s rare to see Yoshua with an M1903. Are you wearing the bayonet in anticipation of sword combat?”

“No way. It’s to show people who don’t know what a rifle is that it’s a weapon.”

“Hmm. So you want to make sure that the enemy doesn’t die unnecessarily. You’re very kind.”

At the same time we were finishing our descent, about ten men emerged from the forest. The rest of them are either hiding in the back, keeping a watchful eye, or preparing to snipe with their bows. I know they’re being cautious, but why can’t they see us from above?

I keep my distance and wave my gun barrel, indicating my bayonet to stop them.

The man who seemed to be representing the group was a thin, muscular man of about 40. He has short hair and some sword scars on his face, probably formerly a soldier.

“Stop right there. If you proceed without permission, we will shoot you.”

“…Oops?”

“That means we are going to kill you. Don’t make any strange moves, okay?”

We explained the situation properly, but a large man who seemed to be guarding at some distance from us smirked at the size of Myrril and me and made a fool of us.

He ignored the warning, so I shot at the foot of the man who was about to step out. The men in the surrounding area let out small screams at the ricocheting pebble and the roar. As I pull the bolt and insert the bullet into the chamber, I look the man in the eye and say:

“Next time, I’ll kill you. What’s your answer?”

“…O-oh.”

“My name is Tasahak, leader of the Keimerch Mage Alliance in the northern part of the Tribal Union, and I represent the Mage Order. Send out your chief.”

“I’ll do the talking.”

“You are not…”

“If you have a problem with that, then leave. So, what do you want?”

The man with the scarred face snickered as he fixed his cold eyes on me. It seems that he doesn’t even acknowledge Myrril’s existence.

Does the tribal union also hate subhumans?

“That’s fine. We are here to pick up His Majesty the Demon King. You have to release him as soon as possible and hand him over to us.”

“”Ah?””

“Didn’t you hear me? Or did the subhuman not understand my words?”

“Any further insults will be considered an attack on the Casemaian. Answer.”

“……”

I fired a shot between the scarred face man’s legs, snatching a single object. It was closer than before. The man was unfazed, but he seemed to have felt our determination.

His complexion changed.

“On the count of three. 3…”

“O-okay! What’s your response?”

“There is no Demon King here. Even if there were, he would not come with you.”

“How can you be so sure…”

“Any fool can see that. Because you are not worthy of trust. Where were you, and what were you doing when Casemaian was under attack by 30,000 kingdom troops?”

“We didn’t know that.”

“How can you say you didn’t know? The people who have been taken as hostages by the kingdom’s army are our compatriots who were supposed to have taken refuge in the tribal union territories. Depending on your answer, you will pay for it.”

“We have nothing to do with that. Even if that were true, how can we bear the blame of the other tribal chiefs! Besides, why do you people still live in peace after being attacked by an army of 30,000!”

“Are you a fool? Of course, it’s because we destroyed them.”

“…An army of 30,000? Don’t you dare embellish your story; it’s ridiculous.”

Is it the annihilation that’s ridiculous? Or is it that it’s unrealistic to mobilize 30,000 troops to attack a place like this?

If it’s the latter, I agree with him.

I don’t know what that bald king was thinking when he made that decision, and I probably have no way of knowing anymore.

“I’m not expecting you to believe me. I don’t care what you think or how you feel, or how you perceive it. But you know what?”

I took out the corpse of a kingdom soldier from my storage. It appears in front of the man, fresh blood still dripping from the gunshot wound. Then I heard a murmur.

Murmur, murmur.

“On the contrary, I’d like to ask you something.”

Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur…

“I would like to know where and what our subhuman compatriots who escaped to the tribal union are doing now?”

Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur…

The men begin to tremble quietly as they stare in amazement at the hundreds of bodies that have quickly piled up. Meanwhile, the corpses keep appearing one after another from empty air and keep folding on top of the pile.

Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur…

“None of us trust you anymore. Tell that to the guy I mentioned earlier who sold the hostages to the kingdom. We’re…”

Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur…

“We are going to pick up our people.”

“…Oh, …Oh.”

“But if… well, if… If any one of our compatriots is oppressed, hurt, or missing, the person who is responsible for it must be…”

Before I knew it, the man was on his knees.

The men around him and the men who were aiming arrows at us in the depths of the forest were all on their knees, hands trembling, looking at us as if asking for forgiveness.

“You will certainly get what you deserve from the Demon King.”

“”””Uwaaaaahhh…!””””

As soon as I finished, the men ran away as fast as they could while screaming.

I let out a sigh and put the pile of bodies back into storage.

I feel like I’m going to be punished for this kind of treatment, but then again, I can’t afford to dispose of 30,000 corpses. It looks like there’s room for more, but it’s just a waste of space, so I want to return it as soon as possible.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yeah. I’m very tired, not physically, but mentally.”

“…But Yoshua, are you sure it’s all right, that way?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s like declaring yourself as the Demon King.”

“Right?”

I’m sure the misunderstanding will just go on and on. I apologize in my heart to the real Demon King, who is probably out there somewhere.

I’m sorry, Demon King, please come out quickly and replace me.