Chapter 34
A monstrous arm suddenly shot out and caught the blade descending toward Gami in midair.
"Wha—"
The young officer tried to move his sword, but the hand gripping the blade did not budge in the slightest. He could neither advance nor retreat.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
A huge face emerged from beside the outstretched arm as it pushed aside the tent flap.
Gare narrowed his eyes when he saw the face.
The man who had arrived was enormous.
The tent entrance had been built wide, but even so, his head bumped against it as he ducked inside. When he straightened his back, his head nearly touched the tent roof.
Even among demonkind, whose physical differences varied greatly by race, bodies of this size were rare.
He was larger than Gare, but he was not merely big. His entire body was a mass of bulging muscle, every inch of it brimming with strength, and his skin was stretched taut as though it might burst.
There was only one person in the Demon King's army with such a massive frame.
"G-Galios-sama."
The young officer trembled when he realized who was holding his blade. Galios, however, was looking neither at the officer nor at the blade in his hand.
"Hey, Gare. Long time no see."
Still holding the blade, the man casually raised a hand and spoke to Gare as though they were old friends.
The unit under Galios's command currently numbered only three hundred. In terms of rank, he was roughly a Three-Hundred-Dragon Commander. That made him no more than a unit commander, and a man commanding ten thousand soldiers would never be permitted to speak to a general that way.
But like Gami, this man was also a special presence within the Demon King's army.
"Looks like Big Brother got killed."
Gare frowned at the words he tossed out so casually.
"It has not yet been established that your elder brother, Demon King-sama, was killed."
As those words implied, Galios was Demon King-sama's biological younger brother. It would be a problem if a blood relative acknowledged Demon King-sama's death, so it was important to make that clear.
"The magic ship stopped, and there's been no contact. Of course he's dead."
Galios spoke of Demon King-sama's death again. His words were thoughtless and discourteous.
Even so, this man's high-handed behavior was tolerated for reasons beyond his bloodline.
"Galios-sama, I-I apologize."
The officer, whose blade was still in Galios's grasp, let go of his sword and knelt to apologize.
"Hm? Oh."
Perhaps he had forgotten that he was holding the blade. When Galios let go, his hand showed no marks despite having gripped a bare blade. The blade itself, on the other hand, had been bent and crushed.
"Hey, Gami. What should I do with this?"
Galios casually pointed at the bowing officer, but Gami did not even spare him a glance.
"As you wish."
"Is that so."
With that, he brought his enormous hand down onto the officer's head.
The motion was like crushing an insect. In fact, the officer's head was crushed like an insect, driven into his body as his legs shattered.
Blood sprayed in every direction like crushed fruit, spattering Gare's face as well.
"Ah, Gare. Sorry about that."
Galios apologized with a laugh and lifted his hand. More than half of the officer's body had been crushed down, shriveled and mangled.
It was an astonishing display of strength. The sturdy armor the officer wore had been crushed along with his body like a paper toy.
Even the veteran generals were left speechless by such overwhelming strength.
There were many strongmen in the Demon King's army, but none possessed strength like this.
In terms of pure strength, he was unquestionably the strongest man in the Demon King's army. Even Demon King-sama, his elder brother, admitted that he could not match Galios in a contest of strength.
"So, what have you all come here for?"
He sighed, put the dead officer out of his mind, and asked his question.
As Rovaine was the rear headquarters, many excellent military administrators had been stationed there, but few high-ranking generals. Everyone volunteered for the front armies to earn glory, leaving only minor figures behind in the rear.
Even so, people were wary of Rovaine because these two were there.
These two were bizarre and utterly anomalous even within the Demon King's army. Together, they made an exceptionally ominous pair.
"Yes. Actually, with Demon King-sama's passing, we have several matters to discuss with the commanders of the front armies."
Gami pulled over the chair where the dead officer had been sitting. He dragged it close and tried to climb onto it, but his short arms and legs made it impossible. He looked up at the giant beside him.
"Galios-sama, I'm sorry, but..."
"Hm? Oh."
Galios picked up Gami like a kitten and lightly hoisted him onto the chair.
On the battlefield, Galios was feared as either a god of war or a demon. Gami was probably the only one who would use him to help with such things.
The two of them looked completely mismatched, but they seemed to get along and were often together.
But the presence of these two together was ominous.
Whether that ominousness was directed at the enemy or their own allies, no one could know until it was revealed.
"So, what is this matter?"
"Demon King-sama has passed away. We have not confirmed it, but even if he is still alive, communications have ceased, so we cannot return to our homeland. Therefore, we must build a kingdom of demonkind on this continent. Is that clear so far?"
He nodded.
"The problem is whom to set on the throne. Every commander of a front army is more than capable and accomplished. Whoever we choose as king will surely face objections. But fighting among demonkind in this situation would be the height of folly. That led me to consider deciding the matter fairly by making it first to win."
"The first to reach the goal?"
"Yes. You have all already organized your armies and invaded various countries. Then let us continue advancing our forces,
conquer the countries assigned as our targets, and recognize the first to establish control over one as our leader. I propose that we hold a contest to determine the next Demon King."
A contest to determine the Demon King.
A murmur ran through the assembled officers.
"A contest? You—do you intend to choose the next Demon King as though this were some game?"
One of the officers challenged him. Indeed, this was not something that could be decided by such a method.
"The Demon King's army follows the rule of might. It is our custom to recognize the one with the greatest ability and the most illustrious battle record. I do not know whether the other commanders will accept it, but I believe the one who conquers a country first will be the one worthy of ruling Rovaine."
The soldiers and officers murmured again.
If they obtained Rovaine, its defenses would be impregnable. They would gain an advantage of one or even two steps over the other armies. It was a shortcut to becoming the Demon King.
"Furthermore, we will recognize a country as conquered and under our control once its capital falls or it surrenders. What do you say?"
Gare snorted at Gami's words.
"I see through you. You intend to goad the commanders into challenging the humans to decisive battles, then absorb the troops of those who are defeated."
Gare could already picture commanders panicking over the competition, advancing before they were properly prepared, and suffering devastating counterattacks.
The Sixth Front Army, which was already on the defensive, and the Third Front Army, whose commander had rashly declared himself the Demon King, would dance to Gami's tune and meet precisely the fate he intended.
"As expected of General Gare. You saw through my shallow scheme, did you?"
Gare glared at Gami as he laughed in his grating voice.
"But if that is the case, does that mean Gare-sama will not participate?"
"Wait."
The Fourth Front Army appeared cautious but was actually indecisive. The Fifth Front Army, meanwhile, seemed easygoing but could not be trusted; however, its commander was still a novice by the standards of military experience. He was too young to become the Demon King. In practice, it would be a one-on-one contest with Kergela of the First Front Army.
"If a winner is decided, will you help persuade the other armies?"
Gare looked at Galios rather than Gami. If Galios—the Demon King's younger brother and the strongest force among them—handled the negotiations, Kergela would never be swayed, but the other commanders might respond.
"Hm? Oh, sure. I'll at least talk to them."
Although this concerned the selection of his own leader, Galios spoke as though it had nothing to do with him.
"Oh, and regarding this contest, I fear there is an imbalance in military strength. Therefore, I have devised a special measure just for General Gare."
"A measure?"
"Yes. Apparently, this prince has been boasting that he defeated Demon King-sama. I cannot believe a human could have slain Demon King-sama, but if it is true, then General Gare's opponent would be an exceptionally formidable enemy. I had intended to disregard some degree of imbalance and unfairness, but if there truly is someone who defeated Demon King-sama, that would be too unfair. Therefore, I propose dispatching Galios-sama as a force capable of defeating this prince."
Gami's proposal was a godsend—or rather, it was far too favorable to us.
Galios was the strongest warrior in the Demon King's army, but the three hundred soldiers under his command were unquestionably the strongest unit in the army as well.
Many soldiers admired Galios's unit, and the knowledge that they would be fighting shoulder to shoulder with them was certain to raise morale.
Having that unit under my command, even temporarily, was the best measure imaginable.
Even so, I was not about to let Gami's scheme fool me.
"Hmph. You make it sound like a favor. Say it plainly: that spoiled brat over there has been pestering you to let him fight, hasn't he?"
Gare looked at Galios, who spread his enormous mouth in a broad grin.
"Exactly. He's the guy who killed Big Brother, isn't he? Let me take him on. Come on, Gare."
Even Gami could not hide a wry smile at Galios's open, pleading manner, as though he were asking a friend for a favor.
No doubt Galios had refused to stop demanding that he be allowed to fight, leaving Gami with no choice but to agree to bring him along.
"All right. I'll put you in my army, and when the prince appears, I'll let you fight him. But each of you owes me one favor. Don't forget it."
I made sure to state clearly that they each owed me a favor.
"Sure thing."
"I suppose we have no choice."
Galios nodded casually, while Gami nodded with a pained expression.
It was nothing more than a verbal promise, but favors of this sort carried great weight. Since they were not written down and were instead an unspoken understanding, it meant that you could ask the other person to do anything once, and they would have to comply.
You could order them to go kill someone, or, if you faced them as an enemy on the battlefield and were about to be killed, you could demand that they spare your life.
Being able to use these two, the de facto rulers of Rovaine, at will even once would be a tremendous asset in the decisive battle with Kergela.
The throne of the Demon King was finally coming into view.