Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 109

Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 109

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Commissioned by Shaderic

Wordcount: 2500

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Describing how magic felt was difficult. Much like electricity, it was like a buzzing sensation to all the senses when it saturated the area enough, but it didn’t feel inherently dangerous. While feeling ambient electricity in the air, a person’s first response is to run away, but it was different with magic. You wanted to find it, to get closer to it, and to keep it for yourself, because you inherently knew that it was something that you needed to treasure and hold dear.

Even while you looked at it rain destruction upon the enemy.

I stood at the helm of my ship, beside the Kindred charting a course in the sky above the ravaged battlefield below, while confronting the leftovers of the fleet that remained after the barrage of necromancy-created cruise missiles from the ship’s storage. Kurama was focused on powering the ship, supporting it with her magic whilst guarded by anyone we could spare, as I directed the ship with the help of the Lua’Kona sailors.

“Prioritize the ones coming to board. There’s no need to make our defensive screens have harder jobs. Keep high and keep the sun behind us, and pick off the ships trying to shoot us.” I ordered the Turtle-based Kindred at the wheel and the officer at the communications station. The ship came with a series of pipes and tubes that led throughout the rest of the ship. A good yell into the acoustic pips transferred orders to the rest of the ship. Given the fact that the ship was larger inside than out with my modifications, I spent a fair bit expanding it, but it could still do its job. “Tell the gunners to start timing their barrage on one side and have the other half ready for full salvos.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“As you command!”

My subordinates rapidly did as they were asked and I turned to the battle at hand. The plan with staggered fire was to have the guns fire while the others were reloading, so that the enemy could be suppressed. The arcane ballistae/cannons took fifteen seconds to “recharge” to fire and had to be aimed by the gunners. I had them train enough with their weapons and each other to have one side of the ship give off a staggered stream of fire to suppress and take down the enemy. It was exhausting for them, so when the ship turned, I gave them a break whilst the other half fired off a full salvo and picked up on the duty.

But that was only about half of the ship’s capabilities.

I turned to the officers of the awaiting Harpies and Wyverns on the ship. Most of them were with A’Bel to secure the Pharaoh below, as they were assigned to that role. The ones remaining were the ship’s security force and they flew around the ship to protect it from boarding actions. I wasn’t interested in fighting Undead Kindred on my ship, so they had a more active role than most ships when it came to defense.

I believed the saying was: “a good defense is a good offense?”

“Half of you stay here and the other half start picking off targets of opportunity.” I turned to the commanding Wyvern and Harpy aboard. They were more heavily armored than their counterparts on the ground and they didn’t sport lances or explosives. Instead, they were weighted nets and shields. Both used the nets to wrap around a target, drag them off the side of a ship, and let go of the net. In open ocean, it was the same as drowning someone with concrete wrapped around them, and in the skies it was even deadlier. The shields helped them board and use the strength of their arms without risking their wings. “If you remember how to pilot the ships, clear them out, and steer them over here. If you don’t, destroy it.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Understood, sir!”

The ship moved according to my command and the staggered fire of the magical ballistae came into affect. Miriam’s fleet had been dispersed and broken by the initial barrage, but some had regained their spirit and were coming at me with all that they had. Without a doubt, they were a valiant bunch with centuries of training, loyalty, and honor, but they were flying at me in matchboxes with guns at the prow, while I had a warship bristling with cannons in an advantageous position, as well as a screen of flying Kindred ready to kill.

They can be as brave as they wanted, but in the end, I was going to shoot them down, and provide support to the battle below.

So, as my subordinates handled the battle in the skies according to my directions, I looked over the deck onto the battle below.

I could feel A’Bel’s savage thrill as she fought with everyone else in the battle. Though I could speak to her and give her orders, I kept silent as I waited for her to call for aid, because the moment that she did, I would turn my entire ship around to support those I ordered down there.

Because, unlike all the times before, I could do more than just lead from the backline now.

I could support my troops, instead of just praying that they’ll survive, and watching them die while I could do nothing.

Even if it meant risking my personal safety on my ship, I was ready to do what I could to help them.

It wasn’t the same as being down there and fighting beside them.

Hell, I was sure that it wasn’t going to make up for the fact that I put so many people in battle just so that they’ll slow down the enemy.

But, at the very least, now I could do something the moment the people who fought for me called for help.

So, of course, since I was ready to do that and eager to do it… in the end I didn’t need to do a thing as they captured the Pharaoh.

…

“Have you come to mock me, Hikigaya Hachiman?”

“No, but I appreciate the fact that you didn’t think I was going down here to fuck you. Everyone else did. A lot of them wanted to watch. Something about fucking a captive, divine creature being hot or something.” The Apophis  was cleaned up after her battle with Reiser, A’Bel, and my Amazons. She was covered in a simple white tunic that thankfully covered all her bits and bobs. Her hands were shackled and most of her body was chained against the floor of the ship, while most of her magic was being sucked away by the ship to fill itself up. “I’m actually here to talk to you about what’s going to happen to you, because it’d be easier for both of us if you just played along for a few years, and went back to your kingdom after everything’s settled.”

“You would be a fool to grant me my armies and lands again. I would use them to plot your destruction for what you have done to me and mine. No matter the number of your black ships, or how well your Demon Lord thinks of you, I would have your head.” The Apophis strained against her bindings fruitlessly, until she decided to just glare at me from her place in the cell. “Grant me an honorable death, or know that one day that I will escape, consolidate power, and wreak vengeance upon you!”

Huh.

I was feeling pretty refreshed from this.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had my life threatened with such honesty and complete lack of lust. Well, okay, there was some lust in Miriam’s eyes, but it was being drowned out by the fact that she was very, very pissed off at the fact that I existed. It’s been so long that I’ve had another person look at me with justifiable dislike and hate that I luxuriated in it a bit. It kinda felt like being wrapped up in a warm, cozy blanket after spending so long around people that’ll just get wet and horny the moment that I insult them.

It just didn’t scratch that itch of wanting to piss someone one, y’know?

“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’ll try to reason with you anyway.” As much as I wanted to just kill another Apophis, it was a better course of action to kidnap one in my efforts to terrify the rest of the faction. The Pharaoh’s country was too strong to cow with imperialism, so I had to go with more modern terror tactics. Vanishing people overnight established supreme authority well. Are you really a god, if someone can just show up one day, defeat everything you could throw at him, and take you with him? Yeah. That’s plenty terrifying. “Let’s start from the top: you can sign a contract with my Demon, do what I say for a few years, and get released with just a minor case of death if you every try anything against me. Or, I could kill you while flying back to my home, and use your body to make a better subordinate. I win both ways, while you lose completely in one, and have a chance at living with another.”

Returning Miriam to her home country as my subordinate, shackled to me by A’Bel, was the best course of action. It’ll really hammer the fact in that the Apophis wouldn’t be able to do jack shit against me and that I could break their wills. I didn’t have any interest in going through the difficulties of breaking someone’s will though, so I preferred having a willing accomplice. If I couldn’t get that willing accomplice, well it was just better to cut the middleman, employ necromancy, and return with an existence that would be as similarly terrifying to the other Apophis. It wouldn’t be as good of a story as the former option, but I wasn’t the type to torture people into doing something they didn’t want.

Heck, putting a mark on the Apophis just to stop her from inflicting revenge upon me was a big compromise on my part. It felt very close to the collar that I used to wear, if without the option to just inflict pain until my orders were followed, but I wasn’t going to take on Miriam as an accomplice without that little insurance plan serving as a back up plan. I’d really rather just kill someone, send their soul on its way, and use up their body than put a gun against their head for their entire lives.

Huh.

Now that I really think about those two options… they’re both pretty fucked, aren’t they?

Well, I suppose it comes with the territory of wanting to be a boogeyman for an entire Utopia.

I really need a vacation.

Anyway, I looked Miriam’s way after giving her the offer, and I was surprised to see something that I didn’t expect: fear. It was a muted, shocked fear instead of outright terror, but it was there and turning the wheels in her head.

“… You’re not lying, nor do you aim to intimidate me into becoming yours. My choices are truly to become your subordinate or perish and have my body be used to create a creature subordinate to you.” Miriam’s summed up her situation. I wasn’t going to clap for her or anything, since she just regurgitated my words, but I wasn’t going to berate her for it. She confirmed that she heard what I said and was putting actual thought into it. I could fault her on her slow speed on getting a grasp on it, but I certainly couldn’t make fun of the fact that she was thinking things through. “What would you have me do, Hikigaya Hachiman? I have my pride. If you wish to use me like a mere instrument of destruction in your path of vengeance, I would rather die and be replaced by a weapon.”

Now it was my turn to be surprised, because Miriam meant it. Despite all the skullduggery that she did, and her attempts to manipulate me when we first met, she was as straightforward with her words as she possibly could.

I appreciated it quite a lot, so I decided to take her seriously, gestured to one of my Kunoichi and instructed them.

“Call A’Bel for me, bring a table and chair here, and get me a meal.” The Kunoichi shifted out of the shadows and listened to me while knelt on one knee. For a second, I thought that the Kunoichi was dressed for her job in all-black, until I realized that she was just wearing paint and my disappointment in her and her fellows was renewed. Exhibitionist perverts as always. “Oh, and send a messenger forward to Tanis to start preparing a draft for an assistant administrator.”

The Apophis’s eyebrow raised at my words, as I turned my attention back to her and gestured at her.

“Alright, tell me what you can do. My territory is expanding, I need capable administrators, and you have plenty of experience and centuries of rest.” I stretched while calling upon vestigial knowledge passed down from me by my corporate slave parents. Always put the person with the most skill and most likely to leave in the toughest job, wear them out, and see them off with a smile as you used them up completely. It’s time for this NEET to get her share of stress and get worked like a dog. “Rest assured; I know better than to use someone like you as a club. If you’re willing and have the skills, I’m going to use you to strengthen my territory, Miriam.”

The Apophis glowered at my casual use of her name, but I just shrugged it off and focused on interviewing my prospective employee. Given all her pride, I was going to be able to use every word she said today against her in the future. She had talent and pride in spades, both of which Ylstu could use, especially when all it’d take to get both would be an idle question regarding her competency.

Oh, you’re too tired to oversee another irrigation project?

But I thought you said you could do it. I guess it’s fine, I’ll just ask someone else capable of doing it.

Oh, you can’t handle looking over a new district’s foundation while looking over the final additions to the last two?

Alright, I’ll just ask someone who can, since you can’t.

I knew just how to use a person like Miriam in my society, and the best part was that she wouldn’t know how to get around it. She was working with worker knowledge and ability centuries behind my modern, managerial knowledge and ability. Even if she was smart enough to sell herself short, I knew plenty of ways to have her reveal her talents and press her to use it effectively.

And, best of all, she was actually pissed off at me and not looking to get fucked.

She was genuinely, honestly going to do all of this to just live and return back to her life of leisure, while I made her work her ass of for it.

Yeah, without a doubt, this was going to be fun.