Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 158

Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 158

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Commissioned by Shaderic

Wordcount: 2500

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Lizbeth arrived alongside someone I thought I’d never meet again.

Miriam.

The Apophis I kidnapped several months ago with the intentions of turning into a highly-effective bureaucrat, but had to leave with Roseanne.

Because, as always, Roseanne always leapt headfirst into problems without asking for help like an idiot.

“Hikigaya Hachiman.” Miriam was dressed in clothes similar to Tanis’s, before office lady cosplay took off in Ylstu. Flowy robes, but with deep cleavage lines and high enough side slits that confirmed a lack of underwear both above and below. “I see that you’re being contemptuous of the situation, as always.”

“No clue what you’re talking about.” I was back in the office after my day off, working on my projects, so I had no idea what the Apophis was talking about. “I’m here doing my job as the Hand of the Demon Lord.”

“Yet, you’re not beside Roseanne while she is in negotiation with the heir to the Empire.”

“I met the kid. He’s scared shitless with me around. I’m better off not involved, or coming around at the very end to intimidate him into agreeing with whatever Roseanne wants.” I’ve long accepted being the metaphorical hammer that sets things into place. In fact, that was what I was doing now. “Lizbeth, what’s the news on Ylstu?”

I had a magical mirror and connection to Henri, but anything confidential or secret went through courier. There was the chance that our communications could be compromised while we’re in enemy territory. Morse code through the mirrors was in development, along with ciphers for the codes, but that was going to take a while to implement. We needed specialists for that after they’re developed, and they needed to be trained while the program had its kinks worked out, so it’ll be months before I’d feel comfortable using it.

But back to Lizbeth doing her new job.

“Lady Henri has stated that transport capability has increased significantly, but we cannot yet project our new full force with one flight.” I had a significant, concentrated force at my disposal via my fleet of magical ships of the line and handouts from Mekh. However, the backbone of my logistics and army were still my transport system with my Wyverns and Harpies. I can wreck anything in my way, but if I wanted to hold positions, take objectives, and actually capture territory I needed the bulk of my forces. “Our spies have also confirmed that several lords in conquered areas are collaborating through the trade lines we have permitted. The bandit groups you described will soon be forming. Those which will be attacking and hiding amongst the populace.”

Ah, the problem that not even hyperpowers in my world didn’t figure out.

But they got pretty close, and I had the advantage of having people that can read minds and people who could go invisible and phase through walls.

“I’ll have Kurama go back and start setting up the counter-insurgency teams, then. You’ll be taking her place as one of the ship liaisons.” The Dragon nodded at my words, and her excitement at returning to a command position over a naval vessel was obvious. I’ll put Ashe on the same boat as her, just in case, but she’s learned her lesson. Still, trust is best verified and all that. “Here’s the folder on it. Give it to her.”

“Even my people struggled against conspirators and brigands who slunk into the shadows for the sake of independence. It took us centuries to cast them down and truly control our lands.” Miriam stared at the rather thin folder I gave to Lizbeth. You know that’s it’s rude to stare at someone’s phone while they’re using it? “How could you possibly do the same?”

“By being a terrible person, revoking rights to privacy, and generally resorting to unethical actions.” Constant oversight of recently captured towns with familiars. A secret police composed of Phantoms. An intelligence gathering arm that can literally rip secrets out of the enemy’s mind. Oh, and the fact that I just needed a little evidence to kill those funding them. “The first part of the plan literally has me putting Undead ghosts in everyone’s houses to watch them.”

Miriam scowled at the mere suggestion, but before she could argue, I cut her off.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to half-ass it. I’ll commit, make sure that it’s terrible, and make it clear that it’s a terrible idea.” Make an example of the enemy, put the fear of death in the hearts of the enemy, and destroy their figureheads. Then, make sure that their new lives are better, while keeping them safe as long as they follow the new rules. There was no perfect way to do this. I’m conquering somebody’s home and telling them what to do, while they hate me. “There’s no way to do this properly, so I’ll just be so horrible that they fear me more than they hate me.”

“And, you expect me to believe that this is not some form of retribution against the Empire for what they did to you?”

“It would be retribution, if I set the plan in place before they started setting up insurgent cells. This is reactionary, so this is retaliation. Well. Proactive retaliation based on evidence, but you get the idea.”

I waved off the Apophis’s concerns about human rights, liberty, and happiness, which was a bit of a surprise since she’d been part of a faction that wanted the Pharaohs to go out enslaving people, but I was too busy to point out the hypocrisy.

“Now, why are you here?” I looked up from my desk, while Lizbeth left the room. Miriam was under Roseanne’s command, and probably one of the few messengers she had that she was sure really hated me, so this was serious. “Which town does Roseanne want to stop being a thorn in her side?”

The Apophis gave me another glare before replying.

“There is a castle a day’s march away…”

Heh.

Nailed it.

…

Now, to put it into perspective, a day’s march for Kindred was quite the distance. Even with only basic supplies that don’t meet their calorie requirements, they can march far longer than humans. In a war of mobility, the Empire were on the backfoot, which was why he focused on fortress cities and castles, as well as cavalry-based fast-response groups. So, when Roseanne ordered me to help someone out a day away, she was technically telling me to go away until she was done negotiating.

Even with my ships, it’ll take a day to get to the target area.

And, then, I’ll have to handle taking over command of the situation, and taking the castle itself.

That was, of course, if I decided to follow convention.

I looked over the railing and observed the situation, while neither my allies or my enemies could see me and my fleet.

“Seems like a traditional fight, so why aren’t we winning?” I asked Ur, while peering at the battle below. My fleet was concealed as clouds high in the sky. The shadows we cast were clouds and unless someone decided to look closely with magic, they weren’t going to discover anything different. “What’s holding these Kindred back?”

Roseanne’s strategy for the rapid conquest of the Frontier was built off generations of planning and preparation. It was a masterpiece which took and held land insanely fast, to the point that some villages in areas were confused when announcements of territory changes came. They had the tools, tactics, and numbers to achieve their required objectives, so most commanders had an easy job of just pointing their troops in the right direction, especially since I’d already broken most of the Empire’s military.

So, if there was a hold out position, I was brought in to keep things on schedule by evaluating the situation and handling it properly.

Naturally, I consulted my officers and had them look at the situation from above with me.

“The castle they’re assaulting looks newer than most. It most likely has new defenses for use against the Kindred. How does it look on the map?”

Lizbeth answered.

“This area looks to be bastion meant to protect a mountain pass a day or two that way.” Ah, the Empire rolled out upgrades to the castles closest to the entrances to their innermost regions. That would’ve been an issue for our current location, if not for the fact the Eldrtich horror that I unleashed sent a beam towards the Empire to bust her way in. What castles of this type that we would’ve encountered were simply destroyed. “Look, it has more focus on aerial defense than any other Empire castle that we faced.”

I nodded at that assessment. There were plenty of ballistae on the walls of the castle. Not only that, but there was a large one on the main keep of the castle, which was scanning the sky. It couldn’t fire over the walls, although it could probably work as substandard artillery if arced just higher than the walls, but it certainly looked threatening enough to flying warships.

Anyway, it was Ashe’s turn to speak.

“I am smelling much Empire magic. It is of filling the air below. There is many protections around the castle.”  Ashe provided great insight when properly applied to the situation. Her ability to smell magic was something that I used whenever the situation allowed. “It smells like the wind, but of wrongness.”

“Protection against magic and missiles, most likely. It’s good that we didn’t launch our missiles. They might have been diverted into our allies.”

Overkill was my usual policy, but I’d held off on launching an alpha strike since the attacking force had plenty of firepower on their side.

If this situation could’ve been solved with firepower, then it would’ve been already.

“Got it. It looks like this is why things developed into a usual siege.” Kindred were drawing the defenders into ranged shooting matches, diverting the defenders' attention from rams, and a hastily-build siege-tower or two. The ballistae meant to keep my ships at bay forced the mages of the Kindred to put up shields, too, so they couldn’t bombard the enemy without compromising their infantry. “They’ll probably win if we left things alone, but it’ll mess them up, or they’ll need help from another task force.”

“Hachiman, these are most likely the defenses we’ll encounter in the inner regions of the Empire. They’ll never give these defenses out, before they have it themselves.”

“Or something better.” I nodded at Ur in agreement, before turning to everyone. “So, it looks like it’ll be best if we keep this in one piece of study. I need an infiltration team that can drop the gate and let the place get flooded with our allies.”

I didn’t even have to wait a second, before I got my volunteers.

“Their magics are strong, but I will be of burning them away!” Ashe beamed and looked over her shoulder to Ur. “And Amazons are the strongest at taking castles!”

Ur nodded at that assessment, and that was all I needed.

“Alright. Form a strike team and board one of the smaller boats. Low and slow, like we practiced, and get in without a fuss. Up here, we’ll distract them.” Taking fire wasn’t ideal, but my ships of the line were capable of taking punishment. The infantry below not so much. This was a better alternative that’ll save more than a few lives, including my infiltration team’s. “Get to work.”

I turned to look at the castle again when A’Bel made her presence known in the back of my mind.

It was just a simple question, but it made me frown.

“Do as you’re told. You’re needed there. Not here.” I didn’t have direct control over the monster that I unleashed over the Empire. It was an unknowable, strange, and deadly creature, so I set things up so that A'Bel would be ready to counter it. I sent that superweapon off to fight the Empire, and I intended to counter it with A’Bel if it trained its sights on us. “Do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

I felt her concern plainly through our link, but I just shook my head through it, and focused on the task at hand.

My troops were stronger, more experienced, and reinforced now.

They can do this.

They faced worse and came out on top.

I told myself all of this, while a ball of fear and terror piled up in my gut.

However, in the end, I accepted it with open arms.

I’m getting better, thinking more like a human being, rather than a commander or leader with a singular goal. Nowadays, my preferences lay with pushing Ylstu forward, thinking of ways of getting the things that I wanted back, and spending time with people I cared about. The change was a welcome one, and I didn’t intend to return to the person who I once was, because I’m frankly too selfish to be in that state again.

Food didn’t taste as good.

Spending time with people didn’t feel right.

Everything was less vibrant.

Nothing could compare to finding one way or another to killing the Empire.

The thought of going back to living only for the sake of the Empire, dedicating my life to killing it off, made me want to puke.

They didn’t deserve a moment of consideration from me, besides being a part of my job, and something I need to deal with to get better.

Nothing more and nothing less.

I stared down once again, before feeling a gaze on my back.

I raised an eyebrow when Lizbeth approached me with a sinister smile.

“Spit it out. I’m not going to beg.”

“Fine, but I want a bonus.”

The glint in the former pirate’s eyes, who terrorized both the Empire and Kindred shorelines, took away any reservations I had towards saying no.

Besides, she was speaking my language.

“Fine. You’ll have a bonus. Ten percent of your salary, right when we get back.”

“Along with hazard pay and the bounty for ten Empire knights!”

“Hah, your eyesight’s garbage. There’s at least twenty there. So, done. Ten knights.”

Lizbeth grumbled, but knew that she couldn’t argue without compromising her personal pride.

Doesn’t my personal pride demand that I pay her for a job well done?

I’ll have you know that I’m a hypocrite and a coward.

I don’t have any!

“Fine… then, call upon your Vampires. I worked with one for a few decades a decade or two ago while raiding Empire ports.” Lizbeth cast her gaze on the castle and smiled. “Whether on the sea or on land, a rolling fog does quite well to conceal a ship.”

Damn.

In-built apps these days were really useful, huh?