Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 152

Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 152

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Commissioned by Shaderic

Wordcount: 2500

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For most people, I imagined that going back to work after vacation didn’t entail using looted magical arms and armor to supercharge their economy. Most people back home would get to work, sit in a chair, and do something mundane and boring for a few hours for the sake of not losing their homes.

I suppose that I’m doing the same, just going through ledgers and signing off on budgets, but if I don’t do my job then more people than I would lose their homes. In fact, you could say that if I didn’t do my job that everyone in Ylstu might find themselves without work or livelihoods.

Yeah, I wanted my vacation to last a bit longer, but I had no choice.

There was a momentum that needed to be seized, however, that momentum could only be seized with my appropriate response to the situation at hand.

In other words, I had shit to do, before I got to do what I wanted.

It ranged from things like making sure my soldiers were rested and healed, to revitalizing my economy so that my expeditionary force wasn’t going to go with minimal supplies, and handling the Empire’s deserters. I couldn’t settle them in Ylstu without guards, but I had more than a few Undead Amazons willing to do the job. For the supplies, the mistake I made with the monthlong festival proved to be a boon that attracted enough merchants, so that they couldn’t gouge me for price with so much competition. Finally, even with all the health potions in the world, people needed time to rest, relax, and prepare themselves for the next battle.

Overall, just as the festival died down, I finished up the chores, or handed them off to people who got the jobs I requested them to do.

Freeing myself up to do what I wanted.

Naturally, the first thing that I did was meet up with Roseanne with my new ship… and the replacement for my old one.

Man, if I didn’t have to sacrifice my last ship, I would’ve been able to show up at the front with a fleet!

What?

That would’ve pissed Roseanne off?

Anything I do pisses her off, so I might as well do it right, y’know!?

…

Roseanne read up on all the military strategies and tactics that I left behind, and it was plain to see while I brought my two magical ships over the battlefield. My two main ships were escorted by a four dozen ships fashioned from the Pharaoh’s designs. The smaller ships were good for embarkation and doubled as lifeboats, they could even latch onto the sides of the bigger ships like lifeboats, but during battle they were capable of creating a competent screen against flying enemies. I expected the Empire to field their own after feeling the pain of not being able to contest the skies.

But back to Roseanne’s campaign.

The Demon Lord wasn’t holding back and using every advantage that she had.

Powerful Kindred acted as tanks, while lesser Kindred acted as infantry, while a solid air-corps modelled after mine provided fire and logistical support. Her supply train was well defended and flowed without issue from Ylstu, feeding her very mobile force, which encircled redoubts, castles, and fortified towns at great speed. When her troops got bogged down by stronger defenses, she had battalions specialized in siege warfare with artillery and aerial support come to their aid and speed up the process.

I saw signs of aerial attack, aerial insertion, and mass-bombardment on fortified positions, which were now held by Roseanne’s professional army, which showed no signs of stopping despite having taken half of the Frontier.

Man, it took her a while, but she really outdid herself.

She really did centralize military and political power around herself in less than half-a-decade, and made herself practically untouchable to her surrounding aristocracy, while avoiding a massive civil war. Sure, there had been opposition and flare ups, but she didn’t have to go out of her way and fight a war against her own people for multiple years.  Through diplomatic acumen, bullheadedness, and leveraging of her growing powers, she became a peerless Demon Lord.

Well, I suppose that I helped a bit by taking all the aggression and accomplishing so much, but taking advantage of the situation is a skill in and of itself.

“We’ve reached the main camp, my lord.”

“Send a messenger to ask for landing permission.”

“It will be done.”

I walked off my place near the wheel of the ship to look over the railing.

“Not bad.” Roseanne situated her forward operating base with concealment and cover in mind. Tarps covered with leaves obscured vision, while one whole side of the camp was protected by a hill that loomed over it. Checkpoints lined the roads heading into the camp, while the camp itself was directly protected by a trench line and a palisade built with sandbags. It accounted for artillery fire, frontal charges, and didn’t have anything that would impede a swift and decisive retreat, if required. “Could use some more air cover, but not bad.”

“My Lord, the Demon Lord’s Royal Guard are rising to meet with us.”

“Don’t worry, I’m invited.”

Well, I suppose having a few dozen Dragons would help keep your skies clear, but they’ll be in danger if you get caught with your pants down.

Like if someone decided to cover their massive, flying ships of the line with all the concealment spells he could get his hands on.

After all, the only thing better than a giant, flying artillery/force projection platform is one that you can’t see, until it’s too late!

The Empire isn’t the only one hiding armies anymore!

While they’ll be looking for flying boats all day, I’ll slip past looking like clear skies or clouds!

…

Kurama stretched and let loose a languid sigh, as we both waited for Roseanne to arrive. Since A’Bel was grounded and not allowed to participate in any form of conflict for another month, Kurama was aboard to power the ship. Ashe was on the other one. Henri could do it, but she was much more useful on the ground and with her full supply of mana at her disposal.

Anyway, just like any husband, I was ready to ignore Kurama’s attempt to breach the silence.

However, a Kunoichi swiftly arose from the shadows and poked my cheek, forcing me to act.

“Alright, fine. I’ll ask.” I grunted and put aside the reports I was reading through. Kurama offered me a small smile, which soothed my irritation more than enough to feel bad about my initial decision. Just a little. It’s hard to get back into the loop of working when you’re finished, y’know? “What’s on your mind?”

I’d hoped that the conversation would be somewhere between the lines of useless and serious. Useless enough to not require that much brain power, and serious enough that I wouldn’t have trouble switching gears back to working. I knew myself well enough to know my limits. I’m not the sort of guy who could just get back to work. It’s either twelve full hours of work, or barely any work for me.

Please don’t have anything to do about your plans to be last in line.

I’m barely holding on to my original view of you as a domestic rival for the control over Ylstu.

“I fear that we’re resuming war too soon. While it is true that we are capable of it, and that we should ensure that we our momentum is not wasted, I feel that we should secure ourselves farther." Kurama spoke, I breathed a sigh of relief, and then I dedicated myself to listening properly. Kurama usually kept her problems and challenges to herself, and mostly operated independently. When we spoke, we aired our concerns, and looked for solutions for both of our ongoing problems. “Now that I’ve seen the Demon Lord’s efforts and success, I am sure that we can do as I wish. However, I fear that you would not wish to be constrained.”

Ah, she was worried that I wasn’t willing to back down, because there was blood in the water and the Empire was floundering.

A very reasonable thought process.

I’m very eager to finish them off.

“If you give me a good enough reason, I’ll be willing to go back. You’re right. We can press on and do some damage, but Roseanne will do plenty anyway. I can be convinced to leave.” I gave my honest thoughts on the matter to Kurama. It was easy to just tell her the truth since she’d just see through them anyway. “I want to hit them hard and send them into the brink, then take my time grinding them to dust… but I’ll always take the guarantee over the risk.”

If there’s anything to learn from Gacha hell, it’s that you should always take the guarantee and proceed with risk at your own peril.

Real life, after all, doesn’t have a pity system.

“Mhmm, my apologies for underestimating your wisdom, my dear husband.”

“It’s fine, I do my best to show that I don’t have much. Now, lay it on me. What’s the threat?”

“Very well. I am concerned that we are poised to win the physical war, but we are not poised to win the war of the mind. The speed of our advance is too quick, even for the information system we have under our control.” Kurama explained and extended her hand. Soon enough, I was looking at a map of a continent, which had been handed to her by one of the Kunoichi. She used a folded fan to point at territories. “The closest lands to us are jubilant and eager to fight. They receive the messages the quickest, however the same can’t be said for those farthest from our reach. It takes messengers, even our specialized air-corps working in conjunction with the crown, a month to reach them.”

I ran the numbers in my head.

“They’ll just be hearing about the victory and Roseanne’s advance by now.” This was a systems issue. In old times, armies were marshalled and assembled at a single point before advancing. The Kindred assigned prominent generals to lead separate armies if they wanted to be fancy, but generally they gathered beneath the Demon Lord. The concentration of forces looked simple on the surface, but it made it easy for supplies to flow into one place, for news to disseminate quickly, and for the best and brightest to be concentrated into one spot. Even if it took an entire season for everyone to gather into a war-host, once it was gathered, then it became an effective slaughter machine that could break things apart with sheer mass. “You’re right. That means it’ll be a month, maybe two, before we see supplies from the territories farthest from the Empire.”

“The territories with the largest populations, too. All of the Kindred will come after the knowledge is disseminated. To not come would leave the Demon Lord too mighty for them to oppose.” Kurama added to my statement, which made me frown. The Demon Lord attacked and started seizing towns with her new, personal army without calling for banners to be raised. It was her way of testing her new troops, as well as discerning who was on her side, or just forcing people to go to her side. Everyone will come, because not coming will leave them nothing, and have a Demon Lord with immense power consider them domestic foes. The problem was that they’ll take too long. “Not only that, but it will soon be the planting season. Even with the increased availability of tallow and salted beef in all the land, many will starve if fields are not sown. Therefore…”

“…The places with the most people and who make the most food might even take longer.” This wasn’t Ylstu’s problem, or even Roseanne’s problem. Both I and the Demon Lord made our lands as self-sufficient as we could, and we had dedicated supply lines. The problem lay with our allies. “You’re right. The tidal wave we need to shatter the Empire won’t be here for a while. The Empire will have enough time to mount a fortified defense.”

Kurama nodded, and said nothing, but hid her lips behind her opened fan to let me think on my own.

It was a good move on her part.

The best person who could convince me was me.

“Ashe needs some experience, and we have a crew with enough experience to let her gain leadership skills safely.” I’d planned to make a commander of my Hellhound for a while now. She had the aptitude for leadership, since she already led a tribe before. With her improvements in academics, and easier time speaking, I was sure that she could tackle the challenge. “I’ll give her command of the second ship and transfer crews over, then we’ll go back to help things along.”

“Oh, you already have plans to accelerate the movement of the Kindred armies?” Kurama didn’t mean it in a bad light. Her surprise was more than evident, so I just let the disbelief pass and accepted the surprise that came with her words. Sometimes, having selective hearing really paid off. Wait, was it more like selective perception? Alright, fine. It’s more like I can care so little about someone’s words that they don’t matter. It’s one of my 108 Skills. “Would you care to share?”

I was ready to talk about it, but Roseanne barged in, clad in black armor from head to toe, and with a demonic, horned helm at her side.

“Via the sea, I imagine.” Roseanne accepted a pitcher of water and drank greedily from it. In moments, the Demon Lord emptied the whole thing. “The openings created by his mercenaries from below on land also cleared the sea routes. There are few finer ways to move armies quickly than by ship.”

I listened, nodded, and waited for Roseanne to put the pitcher down, so she wouldn’t be able to throw it at me before speaking.

“Wow… that’s absolutely wrong.”

Roseanne’s eye twitched, as did her hand, and she almost reached for the pitcher.

But she took control and growled through gritted teeth.

“Then, what is your plan, Hachiman?”

I accepted the lack of title to my name with grace and humility, before looking back at the map and pointing at Ylstu.

“I have over a thirty thousand Undead in need of work, and I have the means to shuttle them around wherever the hell I want.” I aimed my finger of the problem territories. The places that would have to produce food and gestured at them. “They want glory as much as much as anyone else. So… I’ll offer them my workers for their lands as goodwill for a season.”

Roseanne was quiet for a long time, before a twitch formed in her eye.

Kurama conspiratorially whispered to me.

“My dear, you’ve made her quite upset.”

I whispered back.

“I planned on doing this quietly, but she asked… so this is her fault.”

Roseanne exploded a second later.

“YOU HAVE ANOTHER ECONOMIC SUPERWEAPON!?”

“In my defense, I wouldn’t have had it for another few decades, but the Empire handed it over to me.”

Roseanne spluttered for a bit, gaining steam to yell at me, but as she did I looked back at the map.

Was an untiring workforce that could be hired and delivered anywhere that much of an economic superweapon?

Pfft.

Hah!

Yeah, it totally was.

Thanks for the stealth airships, the money, and the bodies, Empire!

I don’t know how I’d kill ya, if you weren’t so bad at trying to kill me!