“That would be unwise.”
A raspy laugh echoed, and a short figure appeared, leaning on a cane. It was Gyami.
“You! Gyami! You disgrace to the demons, you parasite of the demon king’s army!”
At the sight of Gyami, Geldova spat out his words in disgust.
“Well, if it isn’t Lord Geldova. Long time no see. You haven’t changed… or have you put on a little weight?”
Gyami nonchalantly insulted the man he had thrown into prison.
“You! I haven’t forgotten how you trapped me!”
The brave and mighty Geldova despised those without real power. He detested Gyami, who relied on cunning schemes. He was on the verge of attacking.
Although Ganis was duty-bound to protect Gyami, he inwardly agreed with Geldova.
“Lord Garios! Why do you keep someone like Gyami by your side?”
Geldova shook his head, baffled.
It was a major mystery within the demon king’s army. Gyami, with his frail appearance, would lose to a common soldier or even a child in pure strength. He relied solely on his intellect.
To pair someone like Gyami with Garios, who was revered for his unmatched strength and bravery, seemed utterly mismatched. Yet, the two were often seen together.
“Lord Garios is being used by this man,”
Geldova said, pointing at Gyami. Gyami laughed.
“Insightful, very insightful. Indeed, I am always using Lord Garios.”
Gyami openly admitted to using Garios right in front of him.
“Lord Garios, thank you for always letting me use you.”
Gyami shamelessly spoke, bowing to Garios, who was several times his size.
“Huh? Oh, it’s fine. I’m using you too.”
Garios didn’t get angry and forgave Gyami.
“As expected of Lord Garios. Your magnanimity is so vast that even someone like me is enveloped by it.”
Gyami laughed and looked at Geldova.
“Regarding your earlier suggestion to make Lord Garios king, I must advise against it. This man is a reincarnated dragon. No one can hope to elevate a dragon. At most, someone like me can use him. Lord Garios, if you could control all the forces of Loban, what would you do?”
“Huh? That’s obvious. I’d lead the army to conquer the strongest nations, one after another. I’d keep going until there were no more human countries left.”
Garios’s declaration, devoid of any strategic planning, made Gyami laugh and Ganis groan. Even Geldova, who had suggested making Garios king, was at a loss for words.
“No problem. If I lead, conquering a country or two is easy.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is, though everyone else would die,”
Gyami replied with a laugh.
“Fearing death doesn’t make one a warrior. Let me fight more. I’ll let you use me, so bring me strong enemies.”
“Sure, if this plan works out, you’ll get to fight strong foes.”
Gyami treated Garios like a child while likening him to a dragon.
“Well then, Lord Geldova. As Lord Garios has said, I’d like you to assist in the plan I’ve devised.”
“…What do you want me to do?”
Geldova, despite his dislike for Gyami, had no choice but to ask in frustration.
Gyami infiltrated enemy territory, showcasing an infiltration tactic where he attacked the enemy’s food supply and production facilities without engaging in direct combat.
“What an interesting strategy. It might indeed be possible for us. But how can we be sure you won’t abandon us? What guarantee do we have that you won’t leave us stranded in enemy territory after the mission?”
Geldova, who was imprisoned, understood that he was perceived as a dangerous element. Naturally, he was wary of being discarded once he was no longer useful.
“As for the guarantee, could you trust me…?”
“Of course not. Even if I trusted the whole world, you are the one person I would never trust.”
Geldova replied, bored, to Gyami’s words.
Ganis couldn’t help but laugh at this.
Even angels couldn’t trust someone with a devil’s tongue like Gyami.
“Well, well, it seems I lack credibility. Then let’s rely on Lord Garios for trust.”
Gyami looked at the giant beside him.
Garios, the special operations staff officer, drew the attention of both Geldova and Ganis as he sipped his drink, indifferent to the complex discussion.
“As long as the mission is completed, we won’t abandon Lord Geldova. I swear this under Lord Garios’ name. If I fail to keep my promise, you can bring it up with Lord Garios. My lord, what would you do if I broke my promise?”
“Huh? Well, I’d give you a good whack. That’s the best solution for liars.”
Garios clenched his fist. His massive fist was larger than Gyami’s head. If the small Gyami were to take a punch from him, he’d be crushed like an egg.
“…I see. While I can’t trust your words, if Lord Garios guarantees it, that’s different.”
Geldova nodded. Garios never lied. As someone with the strongest power who could enforce his will anytime, Garios had no need to lie.
“Under Lord Garios’ name, I’ll trust your promise. So, what’s the reward? If we follow your plan, what will you give us afterward? A castle, perhaps?”
Geldova moved on to discuss the reward.
Demanding a castle was quite audacious, but the mission was equally dangerous.
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“I’m not talking about something as petty as a castle. I’ll give you an entire country.”
Not only Geldova but also Ganis, who was listening, were stunned by these words. The only one not surprised was Garios, who was bored of the conversation and continued drinking.
“A country? A whole country?”
“Yes, if you ravage the human nations, we will grant you and your army territories as a reward and give you complete control over them. How about that?”
Gyami gave his word to the astonished Geldova.
“Wait a minute! I haven’t heard anything about this!”
This was news to Ganis, who oversaw Lowburn.
“Of course not. Lord Lowburn wouldn’t have the authority to grant a country, would he?”
Gyami explained that this was beyond Ganis’ jurisdiction.
“That’s true. But you don’t have that authority either. Only the Demon King can do that.”
Ganis challenged Gyami’s overreach. Saving Lowburn was important, but this was unacceptable.
“No, I do have the authority. Look at this.”
Gyami casually handed over a document.
Ganis was shocked as he read it.
“A full authority delegation letter!”
It was a genuine document, handwritten by the Demon King, complete with the royal seal.
“Impossible! Why do you have such a thing? Did the Demon King really give you this?”
“Yes, it was given to me by the Demon King himself, on the eve of an expedition over a decade ago.”
“Impossible! Why would the Demon King do that?”
Ganis couldn’t believe it. Such a document in a place beyond the main country’s reach would create chaos in the chain of command.
“The Demon King trusted me and gave it to me, but who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if there were six more of these out there.”
Ganis felt as if he’d been struck by lightning at Gyami’s words.
If the Demon King had given the same document to the other six generals, they would have fought, each believing they were the Demon King’s chosen one. The Demon King had planned to pit the generals against each other.
“Well, regardless of the Demon King’s intentions, I have the authority as long as this is here. I have no intention of disregarding Chief Ganis or the other generals, but I would like your permission for the mission. Is that acceptable?”
Ganis reluctantly nodded at Gyami’s words.
“So, Lord Geldova, what do you think?”
“…I don’t care about your internal matters, but a whole country as a reward is not bad.”
Geldova was satisfied with the proposed reward.
“So, we just need to disrupt and sabotage the rear lines, correct?”
Geldova confirmed the mission’s objective.
“Yes, but while you’re at it, we’d like you to reduce the human forces. Especially taking down notable generals would be ideal.”
Gyami’s words made Ganis nod.
A general’s head was worth a thousand soldiers. Particularly those commanders who quickly sensed danger and acted should be dealt with early.
“Please take this map I made along with these sketches. These are the humans we want eliminated.”
Gyami handed over a bundle of papers.
“I understand you want to reduce human forces, but you’re asking us, who are few in number, to do that?”
Geldova squinted.
Though brave, Geldova wasn’t foolish. He didn’t give a hasty reply to Gyami’s additional request.
“Of course, I have another plan to reduce human forces. However, if you encounter someone from these sketches, please let us know. I don’t ask you to kill them, but if you can lure them, there will be a bounty. If you take their heads, the reward will be doubled. How about that?”
“…Fine.”
Hearing about the bounty, Geldova nodded and looked at the sketches.
“Hmm? There’s a woman included?”
Geldova stopped and showed one of the sketches.
Indeed, it depicted a human woman’s face.
“Yes, that woman is especially dangerous. If you see her, I want you to disregard any prior plans and focus on taking her head.”
“Is she that dangerous?”
Geldova frowned. Ganis also raised an eyebrow at the sketch. The woman didn’t look particularly strong.
Romelia von Graham.
Her name was written at the bottom of the sketch.
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