Chapter 13 – Strengthening the Demon Lord’s Army
Ever since I decided to become a Demon Queen, the way I was treated by those around me has changed a little.
When Lord Ewaldt reiterated that he would welcome me as his Queen, all the executives knelt before me.
“I congratulate you on your marriage.”
Lady Alexia said.
Lord Rodolphe continues.
“The five of us swear allegiance to the Demon Queen.”
I was shocked by the way they bowed their heads.
Lady Alexia, Lord Wilhelm, Lord Rodolph, Lord Fahlen, and Lady Hilde. They are all showing me their reverence.
They were the Demon Lord’s subordinates and executives, and they recognized me.
“Please raise your heads.”
Everyone looked at me.
“I hope you will continue to treat me as you always have. I will be your queen, but at the same time, I would like to remain an executive.”
Lady Alexia and Lord Rodolphe laughed a little at that.
Even Lord Ewaldt suddenly smiled.
“As my queen wishes.”
At Ewaldt’s words, everyone nodded, “certainly,” and stood up.
“O beautiful King and Queen of the Demons! What a joy it is to be here on this wonderful day!”
Lord Fahlen put one hand on his chest and lifted the other, and raised his voice in a theatrical gesture.
I know this is the norm for him, but I couldn’t help but smile.
“I’d like to say ‘Shut up’, but I suppose there’s no other way today. After all, today we commemorate the birth of the Demon Queen.”
“Hohoho, what a fine day. Well, Demon Queen, from now on, it will not do to address us with high Honorifics, right? As the Demon Queen, your standing is higher than ours.”
“That’s right, we are also your subordinates, Demon Queen, so it’s strange to be addressed as ‘Lord’.”
And so, the use of honorifics like “Lord” and “Lady” should stop.
By the way, only Lord Ewaldt remains the same.
“I wouldn’t mind if you call me by my first name.”
Although he said that, I felt embarrassed to call Lord Ewaldt by his first name, so I left it at that.
There was no wedding ceremony. Demons don’t have such a custom, but word spread among the demons that Lord Ewaldt and I were husband and wife.
However, the servants began to treat me more courteously than before.
But that didn’t change my life completely.
I continued to live as free as ever.
“Let’s bolster the Demon Lord’s Army.”
Rodolphe crossed his arms as he said this amidst the gathering of executives.
“I would like to, but we never had the numbers to begin with.”
The demons have been worn out by the war with the humans.
Each individual human is weak, but when they gather in numbers, they can overwhelm the demons by that alone.
No matter how strong one demon is, it’s difficult to deal with them all when they come in large numbers.
It seems that the front line is gradually being pushed back.
In addition, the Kingdom of Inglith, which is closest to the front line, has Saintess Yuri, who, in what she calls a prophecy, anticipates the movements of the demons so that the human side can gain the upper hand.
“First, the front line of the battle will be manned by skeletons and zombies that I will create. Is there anywhere around here where a large number of humans have died?”
“Many villages and towns have been destroyed.”
“Then please take me there. There is a limit to how many can be summoned, but if I use what is already there, I won’t need to use up much mana, so let’s use what we can.”
My necromancy allows me to create skeletons and zombies, but if I use it in a place that was once a battlefield, I can resurrect those who died there and use them.
This way, I can reduce my mana consumption.
Also, the more humans the demons kill, the more the army is strengthened.
Unlike magic, necromancy is more of an innate skill and requires less mana than regular magic, but it is still better to conserve it.
Considering the undead army will likely grow in the future, I want to preserve my magic.
“I see, we can kill humans and have the Demon Queen use necromancy to turn them into skeletons or zombies, thus expanding our army.”
I nodded in response to Wilhelm’s words.
“Skeletons and zombies are weak, but they are just like humans. More numbers equal a greater force. Also, if we fight with a lot of skeletons and zombies and wear down the humans’ physical and mental strength, before the main army attacks, we will suffer less damage.”
“If the Demon Lord allows the Demon Queen to go out, I will guide her.”
I looked at Lord Ewaldt after hearing Lady Alexia’s words.
Lord Ewaldt watched the meeting in silence, but when his eyes met mine, he nodded.
“Do as you please.”
It may have sounded dismissive, but his low voice had a sweet tone to it.
“Lord Ewaldt, thank you.”
“No, Rachel.”
There is one other thing that has changed.
“…… Thanks, Lord Ewaldt.”
Lord Ewaldt narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
It was my wording.
I still call Lord Ewaldt the same way, but my phrasing has become more casual.
“We are a married couple, so please don’t use honorifics.”
That was Lord Ewaldt’s request.
I’m not used to speaking in such a casual manner, since I only did it when I was very young, but whenever I speak in a casual manner, Lord Ewaldt seems pleased.
Apparently, it makes him feel that I am special.
I couldn’t say no to him if he said it like that.
“Hoho, well then, let’s start our tour of the Demon Lord’s territory tomorrow. Would you like me to carry you around again?”
“Yes, please. For the time being, we will be supplying from near the front lines, and if there are not enough, we will pull from elsewhere.”
“Since so many people have died on the battlefront, we should be able to expect a good supply.”
I nod in response to Lord Alexia’s words.
“Besides, even if they are destroyed, skeletons and zombies can rise again and again. That is why, unless they are pulverized or Holy Attribute magic is used on them, they can be used repeatedly. Since control can be given to another person temporarily, it would be more efficient to give control to the commanders at each location on the front line and have them use them.”
“Hohoho, it’s scary how they keep getting back up no matter how many times they get knocked down.”
And Rodolphe says.
“The undead army is fine, but please leave a place for us to play our part as well. Since the Demon Lord’s resurrection, we’ve been getting stronger every day, and to be honest, I just can’t help but want to go on a rampage.”
The demons are connected to the Demon Lord.
With the resurrection of the Demon Lord, the connections with the demons have been restored, and it seems that the strength of each individual demon has increased.
Fahlen nodded.
“Ah, only the battlefield can soothe this ache! Blood splatters, screams echoing, the pathetic dance of the humans is like a comedy!”
“Fahlen wants to fight too.”
“Hey, Rodolphe, don’t be so tactless!”
Rodolphe gestured at Fahlen with his thumb, and Fahlen put his hands on his hips in an unusually angry manner.
Rodolphe shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.
“I have consulted with Lord Ewaldt about where you can play an active role. So for now, please try to conserve your strength.”
Everyone looked at us.
Lord Ewaldt nodded.
“In the past, the demons have only been charging forward, but after facing the Saint, that alone is no longer enough. Therefore, we must also deal with the movements of the humans.”
“So you’re saying that demons need to think about strategies just like humans?”
“That’s right.”
Lord Ewaldt nodded in response to Wilhelm’s question.
Perhaps because demons have great individual strength, they don’t often use clever tactics, but when they do, they can be outdone by human ingenuity.
They are inherently strong, so if they work together, they will become even stronger.
“But you know, demons aren’t good at acting in groups, right?”
I nodded back at Rodolphe’s words.
“That seems to be the case. I don’t expect to become like an army from the beginning. As long as they can meet the minimum requirements, there won’t be any problems. In fact, demons are stronger than humans precisely because they can think and act individually.”
For example, suppose there are humans and demons.
Until now, humans have emphasized collective action, following the orders of their commanders, and simply wielding their swords.
Demons will listen to simple orders from a commander who is stronger than they are, but they are generally free to think and act for themselves.
What would happen if both parties found themselves in a predicament?
Humans are vulnerable when it comes to the unexpected, and will probably feel bewildered and fearful in situations for which they have not been trained.
That one moment can be fatal on the battlefield.
Demons, on the other hand, tend to think for themselves and act on their own, so they are not so easily fazed by unexpected events.
And if they could understand simple commands, perhaps some would be able to understand complex commands once they got used to them.
At present, the executives have a good understanding of the war situation and are skillfully deploying their subordinates on the front lines.
The fact that it hasn’t collapsed suggests that they are listening to orders properly.
“For now, conserve your strength. I will create skeletons and zombies and send them on the front line. That will give you a little more leeway, and then we can discuss our strategy.”
Right now, the priority is to create an undead army.
Whether it’s just padding or not, we need to increase the numbers of the Demon Lord’s army and rebuild the inferior front.
…… I’ll make them realize that numbers can be a scary force.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Alexia holds me and we fly under the night sky.
Although Lord Ewaldt taught me how to travel using dark magic, it can only be used in places I’ve been to before.
So, first, I need someone to guide me.
“This reminds me of when we first met.”
I give a wry smile at Alexia’s words.
“It was only two and a half months ago.”
“Hohoho, I feel like I’ve been with you for years, maybe because we see each other every day.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I was glad to know that she felt the same way because I also felt like I had been with Alexia for a long time.
The vampires flying behind Alexia were already familiar.
They still have the same expressionless faces, which makes me feel a little pressured, but once I realized that this is just how they’ve always been, it didn’t bother me anymore.
The wind blows and the scenery flows by.
I’m glad I’m undead.
If I were alive, I would be shivering from the cold.
The undead are not affected by temperature and do not feel hot or cold.
“Should be around here.”
Alexia stops in mid-air.
Then she lowered the altitude and landed on the ground.
“This is a village that we destroyed about a month ago. It was quite large, so there must have been a number of humans here.”
I was gently lowered and stood on the ground.
Certainly, this place conveyed the negative emotions of the dead, such as deep hatred and anger.
It seems that Alexia and the others do not seem to understand these feelings, which are unique to undead.
I hold my hands out into the dark night.
“『The dead, my brethren, hear my voice.』”
I concentrate mana in my hand and then spread it out over the surrounding area.
I had never done anything like this when I was a human.
Raising the dead, especially as skeletons or zombies, was something I was not permitted to do.
But now it’s different.
…… I am a Lich. A demon.
“『O ye who hate, who rage, who mourn, who suffer, who have experienced death.』”
That’s why I have no sympathy for humans anymore.
“『Awaken with my magic and follow me.』”
The spreading mana is absorbed into the ground.
And then, everything fell silent.
It only lasted for a moment, and the next instant, the ground was rising up all over the place, and skeletons were emerging from the dirt, and zombies crawling out from under the collapsed houses in the abandoned village.
This area has always been a battlefield between demons and humans, so many people probably died here.
A number of undead, so numerous it would be ridiculous to even count them, appeared and gathered around me.
…… Skeletons aside, zombies are a bit smelly, which is a problem.
Zombies, unlike skeletons, do not reattach their body parts once they have been severed.
However, their strong smell and human-like appearance will strike disgust and fear into the hearts of those who come in contact with them.
“If it weren’t for that smell, zombies would be useful in many ways.”
“Yes, but I think it would be better to have zombies, since they are so terrifying and repulsive to humans.”
“That’s true though…”
Alexia covers her nose and mouth with her hands.
Maybe it’s because I’m dead, but the smell of decay doesn’t feel that bad, but I’m sure it will be quite pungent for Alexia.
With a wry smile, I order the skeletons and zombies to head for the front line.
Both skeletons and zombies can only carry out simple commands, but since they are essentially disposable tools, all they need to do is advance and charge.
“Well then, let’s move on to the next one.”
I called out and Alexia nodded.
“The front lines are full of dead humans, so we can create as many skeletons and zombies as we want.”
I walk up to Alexia, who is laughing happily, and she picks me up with a light movement.
Then, under the cover of darkness, we set off to our next location.
Sads Translates 