The Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Scarr
Read at Watashi Wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 019 – The promise of two people [B]
“—“
Ssulal froze at those words.
There was a moment of pure silence. I looked up to the ceiling, waiting for Ssulal to calm down. A few seconds later, she tried to play dumb in a way that was pretty easy to see through.
“…What do you mean? I don’t understand why you ask such a thing. I am the Maou—“
“You thought I wouldn’t notice?”
“I told you…”
“I am the demon army officer. In other words, I am the person who has grasped the movements of the entirety of the Demon Army, and I’m also the person who works to strive for the victory of the Demon Army.”
“…”
“From what I’ve concluded— the Demon Army was already strong enough to destroy humanity.”
Ssulal was silenced by those words. I turned my seemingly languid gaze from the ceiling to look directly at Ssulal.
“If I were to state the exact time, it would only take a few months. If we mobilize the Demon Army effectively and in a proper manner, we could execute this anytime.”
The humans were still fighting in each settlement, with none having a big enough force to match the whole Demon Army. Yet, the war— nay, the base conflict between the Demon Army and humanity still continued even now.
There was an overwhelming difference of strength. It was weird that they could compete to begin with.
The difference in the individual strengths within both the armies was overwhelming, enough to crush humanity’s forces with just that.
Yet, the Demon Army rarely implemented a successive invasion, or dispatched a majin to the warzone. The war was long and drawn out.
A decisive factor in all this were the commands given to me and the demon generals, where we could destroy the human settlement with a little more force, yet these instructions got twisted and soon we were asked to withdraw. If there were no withdrawal orders by maou, there would’ve been some areas that had long since been conquered.
I pointed that out to Ssulal.
“It was the same during my time with Galtia… you are obviously considerate of humans. It’s as if you’re trying not to destroy the human— no, it’s almost like the human—“
“—I’m sorry.”
“—!”
My words were cut off by Ssulal’s abrupt apology. Her words took me by surprise.
Ssulal’s expression as she fixedly peered down on the floor was filled with hardship and sadness, like she might cry any moment now.
…Aah, I’ve done it again.
Whilst I noticed my mistake, Ssulal was trying to step forward, and when she was about to open her mouth to tell me something…
What I said as I looked at her was—
“…You see, I—“
“—Sorry.”
“—Eeh…?”
This time, it was her turn to be taken aback.
As I looked at Ssulal’s expression which was distracted by my sudden apology, I tried to speak to her as naturally as I could.
“Although it was me who asked… I don’t want to hear an answer if it makes you look like that.”
“—! But…”
“That’s why, just consider it as me not having asked such a thing in the first place… rather, even if I’d heard your answer, what I did after wouldn’t change anyway.”
“…What do you mean…?”
Ssulal looked up towards me, for her face seemed to say that she didn’t understand what I meant. To clue her in, I clearly conveyed my intentions to her.
“If it is something you want, my duty is to make it come true, whatever it might be.”
“—!”
“It doesn’t matter whose side you are on. The reason I asked that was… err, because I wanted to hear what you wanted from your mouth to be convinced about that.”
“…”
“That’s why, you don’t have to answer. Your wish is to maintain the status quo, right? … Hah, then I will just tease them and stir up some trouble for humans. I might get hated on by soldiers on the site for that, though.”
I became more embarrassed mid-sentence, so I snorted to deceive her. Actually, since it was commanded by the maou herself, nobody would or could complain about that, so there wouldn’t be any actual problem.
“…Pu, fufu.”
When I said so while turning away, Ssulal laughed for some reason, as if she saw something interesting. What was so funny?
“…Leonhart, thanks.”
“…Don’t worry about it. I’m already used to your selfishness.”
“Oh, that sounds terrible.”
“It’s a fact.”
“Hmn, maybe it is.”
“You actually admitted it…”
“Ahaha…”
After teasing her for a bit, we began to talk like we usually do.
It was a conversation unlike what people imagined might come from a maou and majin. It was a conversation without content or purpose, like those humans had. Yet somehow, we felt relaxed as we did so.
“Hey, can I go over there?”
“Hah? Why?”
“I didn’t ask for your answer.”
“Wai, Oioi…”
Ssulal just declared so and stood up from her sofa to sit next to me, ignoring my attempt to stop her.
“Ehehe…”
Ssulal looked up at me to meet our height differences with a smile.
…Really, what a girl.
I laughed wryly, talking lightly to Ssulal, who was now beside me.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time… but you sure do feel like a child.”
“Eh?”
“I can only see you as younger than me, even though you’re supposed to be older than me by around 70 years.”
“?! That’s rude! You’re not supposed to say such a thing out loud! Mind your manners!”
What manner should I remember? She sure said her piece despite being hikikomori in her room most of the time.
“Maou and majin won’t age so we don’t grow older! We are eternally youthful!”
“Well, that’s true, but… our mental age would be…”
“If you said that, you’ll be strangling yourself later! That means Leonhart would be considered grandpa merely 100 or 200 years later!”
Taking the hint, I immediately overturned my own opinion.
“…Uhn, since we won’t age, then once we hit 100 years old, we would still be considered in our 10s… nay, a baby. There were people who lived over thousands of years here after all.”
“Yeah, that’s about it. So we’re still considered young.”
“…I’m convinced.”
I couldn’t help but correct myself since I felt reluctant to acknowledge what she said, but it made me wonder how Kayblis and Camilla would think about that … Camilla would likely kill me if I asked though, so I wouldn’t.
Considering I haven’t even lived for 30 years, and not even a year has passed since I became a majin, it was hard to imagine living to age over a thousand.
“He, hey, Leonhart.”
“Hm?”
“…Whether it’s 100 years later, 200 years later, or even beyond that… please stay with me.”
The thing that Ssulal just said was same as the words she’d said to me on the day I was turned into majin. Just like that time, Ssulal asked me with hesitation in her tone, which made me give out a wry laugh.
…Really, what a helpless person.
I remembered bygone events as I heard that, back to the day I became a majin. The moment when I pledged loyalty to her in exchange for my homeland to be saved.
Because of her saving grace, I thought I’d always stay with her and loyally follow her orders.
However, when I think about it, that wasn’t it. I’ve lived quite a fulfilling life ever since I became a majin.
I had more fun, and what’s more, I was happy I could live as myself, more than when I was a human.
If we look at it from a human’s perspective, it was definitely neither a good existence nor a wise action to make.
But, even so, I got these days from her — from Ssulal.
“…Yes.”
That’s why, there is only one reason I chose to follow her.
“Of course I will. Because I am your — majin after all.”
“——Uhn, please do.”
Together with you — for the you who needs me, I would answer your wishes and stay by your side.
Feeling the reassurance in Ssulal’s voice and her weight as she leaned on me — I once again pledged so.
Author Note
This marked the end of SS100. It’s the end of the prologue of the prologue.
Years will skip away to the next chapter.
Tsukii Note:
Spoilers:
Any Savvy people could tell Leonhart and Ssulal already attracted to each other, likely romantic one. However, due to their respective… shyness? The romance between the two didn’t commence until later. Whether it was good or not, please decide that yourself as you read that part.
Anyway, as the author note said, time will jump on the next chapter, but don’t worry, you won’t find it weird. Time jumps like this will happen often over the course of the story, since the author can’t very well describe every passing year, especially when there was no major plotline involved.
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Ngh I don’t like when characters are too shy to pursue their romance, but I find this lore interesting enough on it’s own so I’m not as bothered if it was a generic highschool setting with the average looking protagonist being pursued by the most beautiful girl in school LMAO