Chapter 47: Command

"So what do you need me to do?"

"Eager for the next mission, aren't you? Shouldn't you take more time to rest?"

It was the next morning and I had gotten up early to look for Regis Gremory. As expected, the Demon Lord was in his throne room, alone with his wife. The two of them seemed to be having a quiet discussion before my intrusion.

"I'm fine. The world isn't going to wait for me to recover…and if it's mana deficiency, then I should have recuperated over the night."

"Yeah, your recuperative powers are amazing."

Indeed. If I was a normal human, I wouldn't have healed so quickly. It was thanks to my nature as an undead that I could regenerate from even the most fatal of wounds. As such, there was no point wasting time, especially when I could be spending it hunting for the so-called heroes. I had a ton of people I wanted to take revenge on.

"Soon. If you would excuse me, I wish to speak to my wife for a moment. Come back in an hour, all right?"

"Ah…sorry." I hastily bowed my head, realizing that I had been rude. It was a good thing that Regis wasn't a tyrant, or he would have me executed for my insolence. As impatient as I was, there was still decorum and protocol to follow.

"Don't worry about it." Regis's smile was a little discomforting. "I also can't wait to send you back out to the field again…"

*

While I wandered around the palace, waiting for the hour to pass by quickly, I checked my holographic window.

Quest fulfilled.

I grinned. Before the assault on Raum's castle, I had made use of the online system to register for a high-ranked quest. Apparently, someone was issuing requests for the heads of the demon nobles. And I had achieved that by killing Raum. I didn't know how I managed to get his remains into my inventory, but apparently I achieved that somehow and the guild had accepted the evidence.

"Holy Throne! A thousand gold?!"

Well, I guess a demon noble was worth that much. It wasn't everyday that a mercenary could kill a mercenary and send proof of his deed back through the online system. Man, if I returned to Legnica, I would be set for life.

While daydreaming about retirement, I almost walked into an interesting conversation.

"I'm glad you're all right, Yuan."

"You worry too much, Richard. As despicable as Count Raum was, even he wasn't that much of an idiot to risk hurting me. He must have known the consequences…if he had so much as put a mark on my body, the Serpenta clan will declare war on him. And the Demonic Alliance will be forced to back them up."

"Even then…I can't believe he was bold enough to attempt something like that." Richard sighed, and then turned to Lieutenant Elia Kratz, who was somehow present as well. "You have my thanks, Lieutenant Kratz."

"No…not at all! I don't deserve such gratitude!"

"Yes, you do," Richard insisted despite the long-eared dark elf getting all flustered. "It was your company who rescued who rescued my wife."

"Begging your pardon, your highness, but the credit should go to every soldier in my company. All my men did their part and went beyond what I asked of them."

"Certainly." Richard nodded enthusiastically. "If you don't mind, I would like the opportunity to thank each and every man in your company. Magna 7th, was it? I will petition father to award them, as recognition for their efforts."

"I'm sure my men will be pleased to receive that." Elia bowed. "Thank you very much, your highness. We really aren't deserving of such praise."

"Oh, you are…every word of it," Yuan assured her. "I've seen all of you fight. I couldn't believe that most of your men were fresh, inexperienced soldiers."

"Well, it was actually Major Tanaka who motivated them." Elia looked up, her cheeks flushed from admiration. "You should have seen him! He was amazing! Such resolve…such knowledge, such bravery!"

"…huh?"

Yuan was staring at her blankly. Having personally encountered me before, when I tried to hitch a ride, she had quite a different impression of me. And then she suddenly remembered how I was willing to risk a fatal wound to immobilize her.

"Hmm…I guess that's true…I think?"

"It shames me to admit it…but I was new at my post, and I was losing command over the veterans in my company, and unable to lift the morale of my new recruits."

For some reason, thunder roared and lightning flashed, seemingly illuminating me in some sort of weird, distorted flashback that surely didn't reflect the truth.

"But then…! The Major appeared! And in the blink of an eye, he won the undying faith from all of us!"

"I thought the Major was the one who requested for your company to be assigned to him when he volunteered for the rescue mission," Richard muttered, confused. But Elia was on a roll and she refused to be stopped by such facts.

"Well…that is true. I've met him before…me and Sergeant Vanni both, and we weren't sure what to think of him. We did witness him slaying two of Evelyn's Chosen before our eyes. And at first I didn't approve of his plans…you know how we generally view necromancers. I was enraged by his decision to desecrate the dead and revive them as zombies."

"That's right, he was a Lich Lord…" Yuan nodded in understanding. But Elia continued excitedly as she fiddled her thumbs.

"However, he proved me wrong! He promised us that we wouldn't lose even a single man, and he kept that promise! By the time the mission was officially over and we were relieved, we hadn't suffered even a single casualty!"

Except for the poor zombies and blood ghouls that I sent to their deaths. Then again, they were already dead, so honestly it didn't make much of a difference. I might sound callous in saying so, but the living mattered more than the dead.

Respecting the dead and having ethical values were fine and all, but not very practical when you wanted to preserve the lives of your subordinates who were still alive. And I knew my former classmates would stop at nothing to kill me. Therefore I also had to use every trick available to me just to survive their relentless assault.

"Speaking of Major Tanaka…isn't he standing right outside the room right now?"

Whoa!? Prince Richard could sense my presence?! I tried to get away, but the door flew open before I could take more than four steps. Richard, Yuan and Elia flooded outside to greet me. As it would seem impolite for me to run away, I decided to turn around and face them.

"Sorry for eavesdropping."

"No, not at all. Perfect timing…I wanted to talk to you."

Richard was wearing a bright smile, filled with so much sincerity and gratitude that I almost felt blinded. The guy could pass off as a hero in a shoujo manga, or one of the capture targets in an otome game.

"Are you all right, Major Tanaka?"

Yuan looked more concerned about my wellbeing. Given how I collapsed yesterday, I guessed it was only natural.

"Yeah. I've recovered fully."

"I'm glad you're well. We were worried."

"Ah, sorry about that. I…overextended myself."

"You gave us a scare, Major!" Elia added. I shrugged helplessly, and then turned to Yuan with a formal bow.

"Dragon Princess Yuan. Thank you for your concern. I am glad that you're safe…your wellbeing was of our utmost priority."

"Honestly, I don't think…well…I appreciate it, but…" Yuan looked a little guilty. "I feel bad for needing you and your men to risk their lives to rescue me. I am ashamed for allowing that scoundrel of a noble to capture me."

"Not at all, your highness!" Elia assured her. "And we didn't suffer a single casualty, so there wasn't much risk!"

You must be joking. There was plenty of risks involved. If it weren't for my necromancy, I doubted Magna 7th would have gotten off lightly.

"I am very grateful to the both of you…and all of your men! Thank you very much for saving me! Like my husband, I would love to personally thank each and every one of them."

"They will be honored, I'm sure, your highness."

While Elia put on a smile, I merely nodded.

"Please. I was just doing my duty."

"…?"

I nodded at Richard, who was too polite to show that he was being left out of the conversation.

"I made a promise to the prince…to rescue you at all costs. His highness was so worried about you that he wanted to come along and rescue you himself, but his majesty the king overruled him. Therefore I swore to him that I would save you in his stead."

"Oh come on, it was nothing that dramatic," Richard cut in, looking embarrassed. "And in the end you were the one who did everything…I was stuck in the palace, unable to do a single thing. Yuan is my wife and yet…"

"Father-in-law is right," Yuan reprimanded him sharply. "It would be disastrous to have you join in, only to get abducted alongside with me. What were you thinking, so readily throwing yourself into danger? Your men had just barely gotten you away…and you were hurt so badly too, trying to protect me from Raum!"

"Even then, I failed…"

"I still appreciate what you've done for me." Yuan reached out and squeezed Richard's hand. The two royalty exchanged glances, and I looked away awkwardly, feeling like a fourth wheel. Fortunately, there was a third wheel alongside me.

"Lieutenant Kratz. Have you rested yet?"

"Of…of course, sir!"

Elia stiffened when I addressed her, her face flushed and nervous. I smiled to ease the tension, or at least I hoped I managed to…

"You and your unit have been permanently assigned to me. You are now under my direct command."

"We're honored to serve!" Elia gushed enthusiastically. Bloody hell, don't look at me with those puppy, admiring eyes…you really enjoy heaping the pressure on me, don't you? I was feeling a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to live up to her expectations.

"We'll get our new marching orders in an hour, but his majesty the king has informed me that the mission will only begin tomorrow. So for today, rest up – this applies to the entire company as well. Tomorrow morning, make sure everyone is ready to move out, and then report to me at sunrise. But for today, just relax."

I paused for a moment, remembering briefly what Regis Gremory told me before I left the throne room earlier, and then widened my smile.

"I'll be relying heavily on you from now on…Captain Elia Kratz."

Elia's eyes widened, and then she saluted sharply.

"I won't fail you, sir!"

"That's good to hear."

A new voice joined us. Spinning around, we caught sight of Regis Gremory and his wife strolling along the corridor.

"Father! Mother!"

"Father-in-law! Mother-in-law!"

Richard and Yuan were the first to greet the royal couple, followed by me and Elia, who bowed our heads respectfully.

"Good to see that you're all here. Captain Kratz, gather your officers. We'll begin the briefing of your next assignment right away."

The next thing I knew, Elia, Gio and I were all assembled in the huge assembly table in the throne room, with Regis seated at the head. Diana, his wife, sat beside him, and opposite her was her son, Richard, and then his wife, Yuan. While Elia, Gio and I were seated in one line, there were two new male officers I didn't recognize sitting opposite us."

"Major Tomoyuki Tanaka," Regis Gremory began. "Your new assignment is to escort my son and daughter-in-law to the domain of Haemorage. We must secure the alliance of the Scarlet Clan, at any cost, if we are to stand a chance against the combined human armies."

Haemorage? Scarlet Clan? Wasn't that the domain Richard and Yuan originally intended to visit for negotiating an alliance before they were waylaid and attacked by Raum's forces? If they were sent there again, then I guess this Scarlet Clan must be really important.

"You know the stakes involved, Richard…I'll leave the negotiation to you. You have my authority to make whatever offers, trades or concessions you deem necessary. But we must have the Scarlet Clan as allies. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Father."

Richard nodded.

"The Scarlet Clan?" Gio muttered. "Why…?"

"Haemorage is practically a kingdom of its own," Yuan explained, looking a little shaky at the discussion. "It's a domain filled with shadows, vampires and undead. The Scarlet clan possesses an army that rivals the might of several human kingdoms. If we can convince them to cooperate with us, we will gain a very formidable ally. And the Vampire Queen, Lilith Scarlet, is said to have immense power and skill on par with that of Evelyn's Chosen. If rumors are to be believed, she's the Chosen of the God of Death himself."

"Ah…thank you for the explanation, your highness," Gio muttered sheepishly.

"That's right." Regis nodded, and then turned to me. "To prevent mishaps from occurring like the last time, I would like to assign you, Major Tanaka, to escorting my son and daughter-in-law. I've been impressed by your work so far, and believe you can pull this off."

"It's an honor to serve, your majesty."

Like hell it was! But that Vampire Queen sounded like quite the character. Admittedly, if we could earn her friendship and make her an ally, it would make defeating the so-called heroes a lot easier. I could use every advantage I get.

Right now, what I needed was numbers. The battle yesterday was evidence of that. If Elia and her company hadn't arrived to haul my ass out of trouble, I would be lying dead in the debris of Raum's castle.

This wasn't a one-man show. I couldn't possibly defeat over twenty heroes by myself. And there was still Sakaguchi Seiji and his paladin abilities to worry about…

"I'm also assigning another company to your command," Regis added with a nod toward the two young officers, who saluted.

I returned the salute instinctively. Ah, so that was why the two of them were there. Like Elia and Gio, they must be the commanders of another company.

"This time, it's an armored company. We've been receiving a few prototypes from Moria, but because of certain incidents, the implementation hasn't been as successful as we would like."

"What do you mean?"

"Lieutenant Daniel Dressia here is the commander of an armored company. Something we call tanks, a revolutionary armored fighting vehicle designed and built by the dwarves just recently. We're trying to put them into mass production, but they haven't been very popular with many of the demon armies. As such, they're often assigned to new, budding regiments just fresh from boot camp…because they're the only ones with the proper training to handle such vehicles."

"It's an honor, your majesty!"

Great. Elia version 2, but this time male and a year or two younger. Still, I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow. Armored company? Tanks? Wait, since when were there tanks in a fantasy world? I mean, this seemed like the setting of a world in the birth throes of the industrial revolution, but even the first tanks didn't emerge until the first third of the twentieth century?!

Furthermore, I had another question in mind.

"Not very popular or successful, your majesty?"

Tanks were powerful, lumbering behemoths with armor proof against any blade, small-arms fire or weapon. They could change the tide of battle and obliterate platoons of not very well armed infantry just by themselves. For them to be unpopular and unsuccessful…

"Not only are they expensive to build and assemble – thus making mass production difficult – they are loud and unsubtle. Furthermore, they aren't worth their cost right now…we sent an armored spearhead into the frontlines a few weeks ago, only for Evelyn's Chosen to obliterate them effortlessly. The previous Demon Lord shelved the project, and it took a lot of cajoling and threatening for me to convince the council to put it back into action."

Ah…so that was why. The heroes defied common sense and logic. They could blow up tanks with sheer magic and brute force – tanks that especially took a lot of resources and time to assemble. It was no wonder the demon nobles thought they weren't worth it.

However, I could think of great uses for the tanks. It was all about sending the right weapon against the right enemy. Of course you wouldn't send a tank in a suicide run against infantry with anti-tank weapons.

"I'll be very happy to work alongside you, Lieutenant Dressia. And thank you very much, your majesty."

"Oho…you don't seem to have an objections?"

"No, I'm actually very grateful."

"I see." Regis nodded, and then glanced at Elia and Gio. "That's not all. Your infantry company will be part of a new program…something called mechanized warfare. In addition to Lieutenant Dressia's armor company, your infantry company will be receiving something called armored personnel carriers. Armored troop transports. They're not as heavily armored as Lieutenant Dressia's tanks, but they can survive quite a beating and will deliver your troops to the battlefield in unprecedented speeds and protection. You will be riding in these armored troop transports when escorting Richard and Yuan. Since Magna 7th is largely built up of trainees who have learned how to use the new weapons…the rifles, I trust they should have no problem adapting to this new style of warfare."

"Yes, your majesty." It was Elia who answered this time. However, I still had a question.

"Much as I appreciate this, your majesty, uh…why…?"

"Oh." Regis Gremory chuckled. "I just had a feeling that you'll know how best to make use of armored fighting vehicles. After reading the report from Captain Kratz the other day, where you piloted a golem to take down Count Raum's golem, I had the feeling that you were familiar with mechanized warfare. Was I mistaken?"

"Well…"

"Even if you aren't, you have shown the most affinity with mechanized warfare out of all the current crop of commanders. None of them has come close to piloting a golem. Speaking of which…" Regis Gremory leaned closer and lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "Count Raum's golem, which you have defeated, has been salvaged and are undergoing repairs right now. We might assign it to your battalion once we finish restoring it."

"That's…thank you very much, your majesty."

"Think nothing of it." Regis Gremory straightened and bestowed us with a smile. "Just make sure you don't disappoint me, Major Tanaka."