26: A Perfect Answer
“I will never approve of your methods.”
Lathus glared at me, his gaze sharp enough to kill.
“Do you have no warrior’s pride?”
I almost flinched, but I was used to such glares.
“I wasn’t appointed a supreme commander for my combat skills.”
“Then why do you hold that position? Why has His Majesty favored you so much, even establishing the Sixth Army, which hasn’t existed for four hundred years?”
“Oh… even after hearing of my accomplishments, you still don’t understand?”
“What?!”
“—I just recently neutralized the Dragon Knights, practically without losses.”
“…!”
“No one else could have done that, except for me and my subordinates. Isn’t that enough?”
“What do you think of your own methods…?”
“You mean, my ‘ruthless tactics’?”
“…………”
“What? Do you disagree? Or did you think I would try to rephrase it, to obfuscate the truth?”
“…Yes.”
“I am fighting to win this war. …What about you?”
“Of course I’m fighting to win!” Lathus raised his voice.
“How do we win? How do we end this war?” I asked calmly.
“By annihilating every last enemy.”
Lathus’s answer was immediate, without hesitation.
“We kill every enemy knight, soldier, and mage. And someday, we’ll tear out the throats of the enemy nation, slaughtering their royalty and nobility. Those leaders responsible for this war.”
“Thirty points.” I couldn’t help but be harsh in my assessment.
“…Tell me the perfect answer.”
“The extinction of humanity.”
“…What?” Lathus gaped at me, blinking in surprise.
His reaction amused me, and I smiled.
“We kill all the ‘enemies.’ But that doesn’t just mean knights, soldiers, and mages. I make no distinctions. We don’t just eliminate the military; we don’t just hold the kings and nobles accountable. We eliminate everyone. Men, women, children, regardless of age or social standing, we kill all ‘humans.’”
True equality probably didn’t exist in this world. But if it did, it would be the grim reality I’d just described.
“…You’re… human, aren’t you…?”
“His Majesty appointed me a supreme commander knowing that. That is all that matters.”
“!”
“This nation cannot afford to be lenient. There is no ‘honorable’ path to victory in this war. Humans vastly outnumber us; their territory is larger, their resources far greater. That is who we are fighting.”
Magic existed in this world.
Therefore—it was no different from my world.
Gathering mages.
Training mages.
Providing for mages.
Assembling armies to support mages.
All of it required resources.
“If we fight now, we will lose.”
“Are you saying we’re weak?!”
“No. You’re too righteous.”
If they were weak.
If they were foolish.
This war wouldn’t have dragged on for so long. They were strong, righteous… and probably kind.
They couldn’t fully comprehend human malice.
“Even now, you still believe there’s a ‘right’ way to wage war. That there’s such a thing as ‘honor’ on the battlefield. That there’s ‘pride’ in killing.”
“Without those, it’s hell…!”
“That’s why I thought we were already standing at the edge of hell.”
The Japanese proverb, “A single step forward is darkness,” came to mind. This was twilight for the demons. Not immediately, but eventually, the sun would set. And if things continued as they were, it would never rise again.
“Many will die. …Many who aren’t warriors will die.”
If only war was limited to those willing to fight.
“If we lose, that’s what will happen.”
But such a war didn’t exist, not even in this world where warrior’s pride and chivalry were spoken of with utmost sincerity.
“I… know. I know a world without humanity. I know an era when humans slaughtered each other.”
It had been mere knowledge. And in this world, it had become reality.
“We cannot afford to lose. That’s why I chose this method.”
I couldn’t command armies with the genius of a military strategist. I didn’t possess the technological prowess to revolutionize warfare.
But I could do this. I could imitate a fraction of the malice humanity had cultivated over millennia and unleash it upon this world.
That was what they called the Virus King.
“…Lower your weapons.”
Lathus gestured to the surrounding beastmen, who were still armed.
“Lathus!”
“If you have any objections, direct them at me.”
“Lathus…”
The weapons were lowered. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“—Don’t misunderstand.”
Lathus grabbed the amulet at my chest and pulled me closer. He was at least two heads taller than me, so he had to bend down to bring his face close to mine, almost nose to nose.
I waved dismissively at Liz and Samarkand, who had tensed, ready to intervene.
“I don’t approve of you. I believe in ‘honorable’ warfare. I believe that only by fighting with ‘honor’ and ‘pride’ can we justify killing. —That is a warrior’s logic.”
His golden, wolf-like eyes.
Beautiful, proud eyes.
If someone with such eyes said that, then surely, there was something called pride within their hearts.
“…Yes, I know. So, do that.” I nodded slightly.
I wouldn’t deny their pride.
But it would be foolish to expect the same from the enemy.
“One person is enough. One person to fight this dirty war, one ‘human’ to issue these ruthless orders.”
“You…?” Lathus narrowed his eyes, suspicion in his gaze.
“I’ll excuse myself before I change my mind. I won’t mention this incident publicly. Let’s just say I visited, and we had a productive discussion.”
“…Very well.” Lathus released my amulet.
“Liz, Samarkand. Let’s go.” I called out to them and turned my back on Lathus and his men.
“One last question.” His voice followed me.
“—What did you do at Fort Garnalk?”
I stopped and turned back.
“No one knows the specifics. And yet, both His Majesty and that Bringit lass say the same thing! ‘It was the Virus King’s accomplishment!’”
“The fact that you haven’t been told is all that matters.” I replied curtly.
“I don’t know the specifics of what my fellow supreme commanders do. We each have our own domains. Often, it’s enough that His Majesty knows.”
The siege of Fort Garnalk.
It was always the first thing mentioned when discussing the Virus King’s history. I had ‘participated’ in that siege… and based on my accomplishments there, I’d been appointed a supreme commander.
At least, that was the official story.
Lathus gritted his teeth, exhaling sharply. He repeated the action several times, trying to calm himself, but his suppressed emotions burst forth.
“Which unit were you in?! I’ve never heard of a human in the Demon King’s army… or even in this nation. Were you really there? If you were, what did you do?”
“…Some things cannot be spoken of.”
There were no lies in my history. That much was certain.
But just as my species was officially undisclosed, not everything was revealed. That, too, was certain.
“However, as a courtesy, I’ll tell you one thing.”
To Lathus. To a fellow supreme commander… but to someone I couldn’t reveal the specifics, I chose my words carefully.
“I was there. …And that is where the Virus King was born.”
The beginning of me in this world. A dark memory, but a precious one.
“…That is all.”
I turned my back on him once again. Lathus didn’t speak, and I didn’t look back.
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