The Virus King (JP-GL) 7

Chapter 7: The Sound of Dragon Wings

A knock echoed through my room as I worked on paperwork.

“Come in, Liz.”

Liz entered swiftly as I gave permission.

Incidentally, the only reason I knew it was Liz before she entered was that she and I were the only ones in the mansion.

I set the documents aside and looked up.

“Master. —I have bad news.”

“What is it?”

Various scenarios flashed through my mind.

“There appear to be casualties among the Rank Kingdom field operatives. A messenger arrived with the report. Details are scarce, but I wanted to inform you immediately. He’s here at the mansion, so you can speak with him directly, or I can debrief him and provide you with a summarized report.”

“I’ll speak with him directly. Lead the way.” I stood up.

“Yes… This way.” Liz bowed her head and led me out.

“Master. Your mask?”

“Not necessary.”

“Understood.”

We entered the audience chamber. A simple room with a red carpet, a raised platform, and a single chair upon it.

“The Lord of Disease has arrived.”

“Ah… Lord of Disease…? My apologies. I’m in such a… sorry state…”

A male dark elf, clad in a dark brown hood, sat slumped on the floor before the chair. His clothes were torn and caked with dried mud. He looked utterly exhausted. He tried to stand, but swayed so unsteadily that he nearly fell.

“Stay as you are. There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m sorry to ask this, but would you tell me what happened before you rest?” I gestured for him to remain seated and approached him.

“The Dragon Knights were deployed…”

“…What happened?”

—Dragon Knights.

The elite fighting force, the pride of Rank Kingdom, one of the three great human nations. Dragon riders who soared freely through the skies. They numbered over one hundred.

“Our fourteen airborne undead and their twenty-eight wraith escorts… were destroyed.”

“…They’re… dead?”

“Yes.” He nodded weakly.

“Annihilated… All of them… except me…”

The world went dark.

Lost…!

Combat strength!

Opportunity!!

Subordinates!

Comrades…!!

Rage and regret churned within me. I felt nauseous. I wanted to scream, to lash out. I pressed my right hand tightly over my mouth, forcing the emotions down.

I sat down heavily in the chair, the movement unintentionally rough, the chair scraping against the floor.

“L-Lord of Disease…”

“…Remaining… forces. Are there any… survivors? What about the disinformation unit?” My voice was tight, strained.

“Y-yes. The disinformation unit is unharmed. The assassination squad… as I said, all airborne undead were destroyed, along with twenty-eight wraiths… We also lost two ground operatives, a dark elf and a beastman. Aside from myself… they were almost completely wiped out.”

He finished his report and hung his head, his long ears drooping dejectedly.

“I see…” I stood up.

“Thank you.”

“…Huh?”

“Thank you for surviving. Thank you for returning. Thank you for reporting this to me.” I knelt before him and took his hands in mine.

“Thank you.”

“Such… Such words…!” He shook his head violently, his voice a near-sob.

“I’ve lost them! My subordinates… my comrades… all…”

“It was my order. —Their deaths are my responsibility.”

I knew my methods were ruthless. But they were directed at the enemy. At the citizens of an enemy nation, a nation that was different from us, a nation that condoned killing us.

This was different.

When I issued the order, I’d known. Not everyone would return. There were no operations without casualties. No wars without sacrifice.

Even with prioritizing safety.

And those who died were those on the front lines.

“You can blame me.”

“Who… Who would dare…” His face was hidden by his hood, but I saw tears tracing paths down his cheeks.

“Who would dare…”

I gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Later, please give a detailed report to Liz as well. …But rest for a day.”

“Yes…”

As he left, I looked up, covering my eyes with my hands.

“Damn humans…!” I muttered bitterly.

It had only been three days ago that I’d received a report that one of the assassination squads deployed within Rank Kingdom was achieving success with airborne attacks using undead.

They’d targeted a city that served as a logistical hub, I’d been told. Dropping boulders to destroy warehouse roofs before dropping horse carcasses inside.

It was a field-initiated operation, the report arriving almost as an afterthought. But I had given the field operatives that level of authority. I’d been impressed by their initiative and ability to devise and execute such a potentially effective strategy.

That had been just three days ago.

It must have been devastatingly effective.

Effective enough to force the enemy to deploy their trump card.

“…Liz.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Should we scale back our attacks on Rank Kingdom? What do you think?”

“…There’s the answer you want, and the answer you don’t want.”

“Let’s hear both, in that order.”

“Scaling back would minimize further losses. Now that the Dragon Knights have been deployed, we shouldn’t act rashly.”

“Right.” I nodded.

“…And the other answer?”

“We should continue the attacks. We simply revise our strategy to account for the fact that we’ve lost air superiority, and reorganize our forces accordingly.”

“…More might die.”

“They were prepared for that from the beginning.”

“I wasn’t…” A bitter taste filled my mouth.

“I thought I was… prepared.” A sharp pain stabbed at my chest.

“I’m not used to it. I can’t get used to it.”

This was the first time I’d suffered such heavy losses. But I’d lost subordinates before.

Each time, I’d felt this same anguish and pain.

“The thought that my orders are getting my own people killed…”

“—That is precisely why,” Liz said quietly, but firmly.

“We are prepared. We are soldiers of the Listrea Demon Kingdom. And we fight under the banner of the Virus King, Lord of Disease.”

There was no hesitation in her eyes.

“Give the order. Tell us to fight for you. Tell us to die for you.”

Coming from someone who’d never seen the front lines, those words would have been incredibly callous. But she was a veteran, a proven warrior, even among the elite Royal Guard.

A seasoned assassin who’d carried out countless assassinations, both of high-ranking officials and commoners, without hesitation. I’d heard the title “Darkling Blade” originated from tavern gossip, but I also knew that gossip often held a kernel of truth.

“…You want me to give that order?” Her words were probably correct.

“—You want me to send these people who believe in me to their deaths? To use them as canaries in a coal mine?”

Even if it was the right thing to do, it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“…Yes.” Liz understood. Her expression remained resolute as she bowed her head.

“But I’m not telling you to do that. Preserving our forces might be the right course of action.”

If only the right course of action were always clear.

“I don’t know what’s right.”

If only this pain in my chest could tell me what was right. If only the absence of pain were proof of righteousness. Or if, at the very least, pain itself were an indicator of righteousness.

“…Logic and emotion… whichever I use to make my decision, I’ll regret it…”

Logic told me to continue the attacks. Emotion screamed at me to pull my subordinates back to safety.

I had to decide. To think, to decide what was right, and then give the order.

That was my job as a commander—as a supreme commander of the Demon King’s army, the Virus King, Lord of Disease.

“Let’s hear the full report first. I want as much information as possible.”

“Yes.”

“But Liz, I think… if necessary…” I hesitated, then continued.

“I’ll give the order to die.”

I lowered my head. “But… I don’t want any of my subordinates to die…”

“That’s what makes you… good, Master.” Liz smiled.

“It is because of that, that people are willing to follow your orders.”

“…I see.”

“Indeed.”

“I’m going to rest for a bit.” I stood up.

My chest ached. The loss of the people who’d believed in me weighed heavily on my heart. I looked at Liz.

“…Sleep with me?”

“If you just mean sleeping next to you…”

“That’s all I need. Please.”

I lay awake in my luxurious bed.

The clean sheets, the fluffy comforter, the light-blocking canopy curtains—usually a recipe for a sound sleep. But not tonight. Moonlight seeped into the room through the gaps between the window curtains and the canopy, gradually accustoming my eyes to the darkness. I looked at Liz, sleeping soundly beside me.

I whispered, “Liz. Are you awake?”

“I am now.”

Liz’s eyes fluttered open. She’d trained to fall asleep at will and to wake up at any moment, should the need arise.

“…I can’t sleep.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Can I hug you?”

“…You may.” Liz lifted the covers, making space for me.

I closed the distance, wrapping my arms around her back. I curled against her, resting my forehead on her shoulder. I closed my eyes again.

“Master, you’re cold.”

“You’re warm…”

The gentle warmth eased the tension in my body and mind.

I stopped talking, consciously slowing and deepening my breaths. All I had to do was surrender to the soft, warm sensation.

I drifted off to sleep so easily that I wondered why I’d had trouble falling asleep in the first place.

“Master?” Lizlit Finis whispered, her master having fallen asleep less than a minute after hugging her.

“Looks like I served my purpose as a body pillow.”

Careful not to wake me, she pulled the blankets higher… then, on a whim, she gently stroked my dark hair.

“…Goodnight.”