“Is he really going to be all right like that?”
Tiselle answered Uncle Demon King’s question.
“Alfred might be unbeatable in a straight magic duel, but a golem’s durability is another story. He’ll be fine.”
In reality, he would probably break out in about twenty minutes, but Alfred should have his head on straight by then.
“More importantly, is the army all right?”
“Yes. It seems he showed restraint.”
Tiselle was worried about the two thousand cavalrymen who had arrived first. She had caught wind of a group targeting us and dispatched them as a precaution, but they had unfortunately ended up attacking Kuroichi.
“There were rumors of an unfamiliar magic beast appearing in the North Forest, so I imagine they assumed it was him.”
Tiselle looked a little sheepish as she reflected on the miscalculation. In truth, the order to depart had been given before anyone heard Kuroichi’s howl. By the time they tried to stop them, it was too late. They had scrambled ten thousand troops to chase after them in a panic.
Still, if their opponent was Kuroichi, would even ten thousand soldiers have made a difference?
“I just couldn't imagine a situation where Big Sister Urza, Big Brother Gol, and Rigne-san were all present and yet Big Brother Alfred still felt forced to summon Kuroichi. If it came down to it, I thought there would be strength in numbers.”
I suppose that’s fair...
“Wait, didn’t you meet up with Big Brother Gol and the others? Weren't they heading toward the Royal Capital?”
“I asked them to take Earth and handle something else.”
“Did something happen?”
“Three local noble families were lured in by a foreign power's sweet talk. They’ve started a rebellion.”
“Is that really okay? You brought ten thousand soldiers here instead of dealing with that?”
“To Uncle Demon King, Big Brother Alfred and Big Sister Urza are far more important than some provincial rebellion.”
“Is that right?”
“It is. Besides, we had intel on the rebellion ahead of time, so it should be fine. Earth and Big Brother Gol’s group are on the case.”
“Are they close?”
“No, it’s quite far. Uncle Beezel teleported them there.”
“I see.”
“According to our information, they were planning to cause trouble in the Royal Capital as well. That’s why the regular army that usually stays at the western castle was on standby in the capital, but we ended up moving them out here.”
“Is that safe? Could this whole situation be a decoy?”
“Haha. The incident they had planned for the capital involved using a Lich.”
“A Lich? Oh... the one Earth destroyed a while ago.”
“Exactly. Just in case there’s another disturbance, Uncle Gratz and Asa are keeping watch over the capital.”
“I’d like to say ‘I see,’ but... aren't we being drafted as part of the Demon Kingdom’s military at this point?”
“I’d prefer you look at it as us making the Demon Kingdom owe us a massive favor. Right, Uncle Demon King?”
“Indeed.”
Uncle Demon King looked over at the two thousand cavalrymen receiving medical aid. There were no deaths, but the list of injured was long. The horses... were unharmed. I’ll have to remember to praise Kuroichi later.
I also finally understood that Tiselle was building up leverage for us for exactly this kind of situation.
“My apologies. I truly didn’t expect the attackers to be so numerous,” Uncle Demon King said, bowing his head once more.
Actually, Uncle Demon King had warned us about the assassins beforehand. He told us that multiple organizations were after us. Normally, the right move would have been to stay inside the Academy, but the assassins we encountered recently had already managed to infiltrate the school grounds.
Waiting was a disadvantage. Plus, I didn't want other students getting hurt. So, should we have gone back to the safety of our village? I didn't want that either. It wasn't that I didn't want to see home, but returning so soon after leaving felt embarrassing.
Besides, while Father would surely welcome us back with open arms, I wasn't so sure about our Mothers. They taught us what to do when we’re outmatched. If I went home now, they’d probably scold me for failing to handle a simple group of assassins.
So, what was our plan? To lure the assassins out.
We headed into the North Forest for exactly that reason... though even I didn’t expect to hook quite so many.
“Most of the attackers were associates of the Dalfon Company candidates—specifically Gilling and Maskund,” Tiselle explained.
“Gilling and Maskund? You mean those two who got arrested after picking a fight with you?”
“Yes. Those two both led organizations that were roughly the size of the Goroun Company.”
Huh. I didn’t actually know how big the Goroun Company was, so I just nodded like I understood.
“They had significant armed forces under them, and those groups have gone rogue—or rather...”
“They couldn't accept their leaders getting arrested?”
“I mean, if our Father were arrested, we’d go on a rampage too, wouldn't we?”
If Father were arrested?
“Big Sister Urza, it's just a metaphor! Don’t let out your bloodlust, it’s scary!”
...My apologies.
“Anyway, they went rogue—or more accurately, they were manipulated into it. They were meant to take the place of the Lich.”
“And those are the ones who attacked us.”
“Yes. So, what should we do with them?”
“What do you mean?”
“They targeted us. We have to retaliate.”
“I suppose, but I wonder if Alfred would actually want that.”
Alfred eventually climbed out of the golem. He was back to his usual size. He immediately crouched down and buried his face in his hands.
“I just want to vanish...”
Alfred retains all his memories from when he’s berserk. That means he remembers every single cringeworthy thing he said and did. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Alfred has enough shame to realize how embarrassing those outbursts are, which is why he always ends up like this afterward. It will probably take ten days for him to recover.
“It’s okay, Big Brother Alfred. Progenitor-san said that young vampires go through phases like that all the time. Oh, look! Do you want to wear the eyepatch Zabuton made for you?”
Tiselle, stop teasing him.
Alfred, an eyepatch goes over one eye. If you put them over both, it’s just a blindfold. Stop trying to hide from reality.
Anyway, Alfred. You can mope later. For now, we need a decision.
“A decision?”
“Yes. What are we doing with the people who attacked us?”
“A decision, huh...”
“Whatever you decide is fine. We’ll follow your lead.”
“Really?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“No.”
“Then tell us.”
“In that case... let’s just act like it never happened.”
“Like it never happened?”
“Yeah. Let’s act like this whole incident never took place. Oh, except for the person who threw the knife at Big Sister Urza’s stomach. They get the death penalty.”
“Ahahaha! No, you should actually praise that one. Their stealth and timing were perfect. They actually surprised me.”
“Well, it surprised me too! Is your stomach okay?”
“It’s already healed. So, no death penalty.”
“If you say so, Big Brother Alfred...”
“Then it’s settled.”
I pulled Tiselle aside to figure out how to make Alfred’s decision a reality.
“It would actually be very convenient for the Demon Kingdom and Uncle Demon King if this ‘never happened,’ but we’ll need to align our stories,” Tiselle noted.
“Align them how?”
“The injuries to the two thousand cavalrymen... we’ll blame that on the unfamiliar magic beast in the North Forest. Big Sister Urza, go catch that beast for me.”
“Catch it? It’s already rolling over for Kuroichi.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
It was a Deadly Wolf. The General of Uncle Demon King’s army identified it for us. It was a beast that shouldn't have been in this region. Much like the Lich, it was likely brought in from the outside.
As for its strength... well, you could tell just by looking that it was no match for Kuroichi. I wonder if that thing can really stand in for him? Apparently, it would do just fine.
So, the official story was that the two thousand cavalrymen were injured while subjugating a Deadly Wolf. Kuroichi was officially never there. Then there was the matter of the attackers. The easiest way to make them ‘never exist’ would be to execute the lot of them, but...
I felt it was far too early for Alfred’s decisions to be stained with that much blood. So, I came to a decision of my own.
The following day.
I gathered all the attackers in one place. The lanky merchant-like man was there, as was the person who had thrown the knife at me.
Hello there.
Ah, they’re glaring.
The group included not just those from the forest, but also those who had attacked us at the Academy. There were one hundred and fifty-seven of them in total, including their support staff. Every one of them had their arms bound behind their backs. They looked utterly spent. No doubt they’d had every scrap of information interrogated out of them.
Well, they could consider that their punishment for attacking us. I stood before the hundred and fifty-seven of them and looked them over. Then, I made my declaration.
“You have a choice. You can die right here, or you can become my friends.”
...
Honestly, they didn't need to make such bewildered faces. If you become my friends, I’ll reclassify that ambush as a training exercise, which makes you innocent. I’ll even have jobs ready for you.
Subordinates? No, no.
Friends. We’re going to be friends.
“Big Sister Urza? Are you still bothered by the fact that I bragged about making friends?”
“I am not.”