Chapter 67. Abyss Rising (4)
A sincere discussion with respect to how we would move forward took place with Schwartztoyel.
“You should focus on expanding your own influence in the empire, in your own way. It would be a big mistake to divert your focus to the hidden powers. That is probably what they want you to do. If the backbones of the demon kings were to crumble, then even those powers in the shadows wouldn’t last long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“While you fight in the sun, I’ll fight in the shadow.”
The separations of duties have been made clear. Then one thing suddenly came to my mind.
“Schwartztoyel. I think we have one predisposed opinion in both of us.”
“What is that?”
“You’ve just said if the demon kings’ backbone were to crumble. I, too, nodded. However, think about it. Would Struggling Death only manipulate demon race? Even the man who squats at the grave commissioned me, a human, to do a work. So, we need to think about our adversary, doing the same thing.”
Schwartztoyel smacked his knee as if he just thought of it, too.
“You’re right. It has been quite clear that the great army of the darkness was supporting the demon king. However, even just by looking at you, such a way clearly does not always work. In fact, some, among the human feudal lords, may be receiving the support from the great army of the darkness.”
Ultimately, I came to realize that I would be sweeping through opposing forces, whether they were humans or demons.
“We’ll be in war for as long as we want.”
The road ahead seemed to be so difficult. When I lamented, Schwartztoyel smiled grimly.
“Kkkkk. Blood and death. That’s how our line of business works.”
Although he was in the form of a wrinkly old man, he was, none the less, the most vicious dragon. If not, how would he be called the demon dragon. However, I wasn’t too different from him, either.
“That’s right. Victory is always beyond the enemy’s death, as I see it.”
That was how the two men with the world’s darkest forces joined in an alliance.
******
I did not immediately depart from Schwartztoyel’s lair. I was planning to be on the move after having finished the important task of making Phillip an undead.
However, I felt that it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.
<Phillip, the spirit of steel feudal lord is resisting! Failed to make him undead!>
As expected, making an undead out of a protector was a difficult task. Even worse, the bastard’s spirit even mocked me.
– What a joke. You are trying to force me into your plan with such a lousy skill. Kkkkk! Get lost! I don’t belong in such a low class that you, master of command bastard, can make me your slave!
Ooop.
I was enraged, but as I have clearly failed in making him an undead, I had no words to say. Then Phillip ridiculed me even more.
– My soul is grand in nature that you, little lowly bastard, cannot covet.
As Phillip disappeared after having said that, I visited Schwartztoyel in order to discuss this problem.
“Bone head. You should try to resolve such an issue like that on your own.”
That was a reasonable position, but I, too, had an excuse.
“However, I have to demonstrate to Roelin that Phillip is still alive. I do not have much time.”
I, intentionally, showed the audacity to urge him to share if he knew of a way. But as he had the recent experience of losing his war funds to me, he freaked out when he saw my extended open hand.
“You, you! Thick faced! Dragon is not some kind of a general merchandise store!”
I knew that it wasn’t a general merchandise store, but I know of tree that gives freely. Even a dried up rag will drop moisture when you squeeze it long enough, so wouldn’t dragon have anything to give?
“Aha! It isn’t just for my own good? It is for the greater goal.”
“You, outright thief!”
In the end, Schwartztoyel took out the secret document on the master of the command skill. However, he couldn’t help, but looked very regrettable. It was because those neatly piled up documents on the table would vanish once they were read.
“Damn it. To keep it to the schedule, I have to give up everything I have.”
Looking at his character, Schwartztoyel would not have easily given up these documents had Phillip become an undead. So, unexpectedly, I was able to get a glimpse of these invaluable documents, thanks to the bastard Phillip’s help.
“Where did you collect all these documents? They looked to have belonged to someone else, at one time or another.”
When I pointed that out, Schwartztoyel only shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, wouldn’t you say that they had just vanished to somewhere?”
After seeing the blood stains on every piece of the documents, I decided not to ask any more questions.
<Gospels of death>
<The grave watcher’s edition>
<Funeral ceremony>
<Golden skull>
A series of secret documents on the master of command skill appeared. Each one of them could be said to have been strange opportunities. I quickly read them in order to control Phillip.
“Just wait, you son of a bitch.”
I have never been embarrassed in such a way before, so my desire made me resolute. These secret demon documents were truly the gist of what the elders in the master of command skills have left behind.
<Absorption skill of blood and tear is rising to level 4! With a single absorption, even the Cyclops could be overpowered!>
I was only able to take on Ogre with a single shot, but now, I could even take on the giant Cyclops with a single attempt. Furthermore, the victims of this level 4 skill would return by transforming into vampires.
<Undead restoration skill is rising to level 2! Restoration quantity is increasing!>
<Ghost walk skill is rising to level 2! You can move more quickly and discretely!>
<Undead capturing skill is rising to level 2! You could capture more powerful wild undead!>
What the heck… Skill levels are all going up. The secrets of the skills of the elder masters of commands were continuously learned through understanding. However, that wasn’t the end of it.
<Darkness is rising 1,130 -> 2,130!>
As the understanding of the power of the darkness has deepened through reading, it has increased in bounds.
Although I wasn’t able to reach skill level 5 for the undead summoning which was what I wanted, but what was it, that it could be because I lacked the type of laborious work, perhaps. Now, I had a lot of reason to use this skill, going forward.
However, having read the books on the skill itself, I felt like I’ve reached level 5 as far as understanding the skill itself went. So, I felt that eventually I could naturally reach the skill level 5.
“Done reading.”
It took me three months to get here. It was now the time to take care of Phillip, and return to Rajter.
“O the warriors of death, who came as soldiers, make camp before your master!”
As soon as I used my power, Phillip responded immediately.
– Are you trying to challenge me with that contemptible, lowly master of command skill? Unbelievable.
There was no urgency in Phillip’s voice as he had overpowered my master of command skill before.
“You will find out.”
– Futile hope. The class I belong to will not be enslaved by your lowly….
However, that outlook did not last long.
-Uh? What is this? What! This power!
Phillip was completely awed by the incomparable power of the darkness since the previous time.
“But I haven’t just been killing time, playing, either.”
– No way! This can’t be! What the heck!
“Give up while I play nice?”
– No way! I was humiliated when I was alive, so I couldn’t be humiliated like this after my death!
He struggled, but he was a fish already hooked on the bait. He resisted for a long time, but ultimately, he could not overcome my skill which has been deepened.
<Congratulations! You have successfully turned the steel feudal lord Phillip into undead!>
Of course, the subject definitely was terribly enraged.
“You, low life! You act in this manner if it wasn’t enough to have awakened me from my sleep!”
Phillip jumped all over the place, but it was all in vain. His voice has already turned to human’s sound, and no longer of a spirit’s. As long as he has returned as a day walker, I was his master from now on.
“First, you need to correct your manners. Call me my lord to start with.”
“Don’t joke! What nonsense you’re talking…. Kraaaahk!”
When I swung my hand at the resisting undead, he rolled to the ground with acute pain. Perhaps, it was because he was a protector in his former life that his character remained intact even after he was turned into an undead. Even though he was still on the palm of my hand.
“Eeeahk! Kraaahk! You bastard without blood or tear! You devil bastard!”
“Um… As I have told you once before, you have a good sense of discerning.”
Phillip struggled desperately, but it was too much for him to resist in his weakened mental condition. In the end, he became cowardly.
“Please be gracious.”
“Please?”
“…. I seek your grace.”
When I saw him looking up at me shivering, there was no longer the man called steel feudal lord.
“Now, do you think you want to work with me?”
“Of, of course.”
“You know your position, too?”
“Yes.”
“OK, then kneel down and bow.”
Phillip kneeled down to the point that his head was touching the ground. I walked toward him and stepped on his head, and wiped the mud off of my shoes by rubbing it against his head. That was, by stomping hard on Phillip’s head on purpose.
“How do you feel being a shoe stand of the respectable lord?”
“….Pleasant! It’s, it’s an honor!”
“Um? Your reply seemed a bit hesitant?”
“Hahaha! There is no way, my lord.”
As he laughed, I, too, laughed in kind. All right, isn’t it good that you know your place, now. Both of us were laughing, too.
**********
I’ve returned to Rajter.
Everything went well. The recruiting was already half completed, and the training was perfect thanks to general Tilly.
Some duke was building a castle for me to live in, and the battle between the feudal lord of Trier and the demon king Jacques was near its climax. And in the fall, they would die with a great explosion for the whole world to see.
“Okay, let’s just keep it this way from now on.”
However, bad times always followed the good times, as they said. As I was working in the temporary official residence, I realized that something has happened when I saw Tilly hurriedly run inside.
“General, what’s going on?”
“The demon king Pajemut has launched an attack on Roelin!”
“What?”
I stood up immediately as I was so shocked by the unexpected turn of events. Has Pajemut gone mad? It was true that both had a lot of troops facing one another. However, Pajemut was not a match as far as the military power was concerned. I couldn’t fathom him, attacking first.
Was he planning to reach a cease fire with advantageous condition after delivering a huge damage? If so, they have incredulously underrated Roelin. That graceful demon queen was a scary being when she was provoked to anger.
“Why did Pajemut do that?”
“There is a reason. It was reported that the demon king Amunde, the 9th in the line to the power, has joined Pajemut’s camp. Right at this moment, the two demon kings’ troops are about to pummel Roselant!”
Crying out loud! Why would the 9th demon king! It was natural, but this wasn’t in the original plan. Therefore, any early information has rendered useless, at least this time around.
“My lord, what do you wish to do?”
I was deliberating very hard at Tilly’s question. By waiting three more months, it was possible to go to war with perfect preparation. However, with sudden turn of events, everything just got all tangled up. Should a bad decision was made at times like this the mistake could not be undone.
However, I had to make a decision. Was I going to go help Roelin? Was I going to go to the southwest? Or wait and gather strength?
“General Tilly, what is currently available number of troops for mobilization?”
“Two infantry regiments, one cavalry battalion.”
There were about 5,000 troops in total.
I made my decision immediately.
Chapter 67. Abyss Rising (4)
A sincere discussion with respect to how we would move forward took place with Schwartztoyel.
“You should focus on expanding your own influence in the empire, in your own way. It would be a big mistake to divert your focus to the hidden powers. That is probably what they want you to do. If the backbones of the demon kings were to crumble, then even those powers in the shadows wouldn’t last long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“While you fight in the sun, I’ll fight in the shadow.”
The separations of duties have been made clear. Then one thing suddenly came to my mind.
“Schwartztoyel. I think we have one predisposed opinion in both of us.”
“What is that?”
“You’ve just said if the demon kings’ backbone were to crumble. I, too, nodded. However, think about it. Would Struggling Death only manipulate demon race? Even the man who squats at the grave commissioned me, a human, to do a work. So, we need to think about our adversary, doing the same thing.”
Schwartztoyel smacked his knee as if he just thought of it, too.
“You’re right. It has been quite clear that the great army of the darkness was supporting the demon king. However, even just by looking at you, such a way clearly does not always work. In fact, some, among the human feudal lords, may be receiving the support from the great army of the darkness.”
Ultimately, I came to realize that I would be sweeping through opposing forces, whether they were humans or demons.
“We’ll be in war for as long as we want.”
The road ahead seemed to be so difficult. When I lamented, Schwartztoyel smiled grimly.
“Kkkkk. Blood and death. That’s how our line of business works.”
Although he was in the form of a wrinkly old man, he was, none the less, the most vicious dragon. If not, how would he be called the demon dragon. However, I wasn’t too different from him, either.
“That’s right. Victory is always beyond the enemy’s death, as I see it.”
That was how the two men with the world’s darkest forces joined in an alliance.
******
I did not immediately depart from Schwartztoyel’s lair. I was planning to be on the move after having finished the important task of making Phillip an undead.
However, I felt that it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.
<Phillip, the spirit of steel feudal lord is resisting! Failed to make him undead!>
As expected, making an undead out of a protector was a difficult task. Even worse, the bastard’s spirit even mocked me.
– What a joke. You are trying to force me into your plan with such a lousy skill. Kkkkk! Get lost! I don’t belong in such a low class that you, master of command bastard, can make me your slave!
Ooop.
I was enraged, but as I have clearly failed in making him an undead, I had no words to say. Then Phillip ridiculed me even more.
– My soul is grand in nature that you, little lowly bastard, cannot covet.
As Phillip disappeared after having said that, I visited Schwartztoyel in order to discuss this problem.
“Bone head. You should try to resolve such an issue like that on your own.”
That was a reasonable position, but I, too, had an excuse.
“However, I have to demonstrate to Roelin that Phillip is still alive. I do not have much time.”
I, intentionally, showed the audacity to urge him to share if he knew of a way. But as he had the recent experience of losing his war funds to me, he freaked out when he saw my extended open hand.
“You, you! Thick faced! Dragon is not some kind of a general merchandise store!”
I knew that it wasn’t a general merchandise store, but I know of tree that gives freely. Even a dried up rag will drop moisture when you squeeze it long enough, so wouldn’t dragon have anything to give?
“Aha! It isn’t just for my own good? It is for the greater goal.”
“You, outright thief!”
In the end, Schwartztoyel took out the secret document on the master of the command skill. However, he couldn’t help, but looked very regrettable. It was because those neatly piled up documents on the table would vanish once they were read.
“Damn it. To keep it to the schedule, I have to give up everything I have.”
Looking at his character, Schwartztoyel would not have easily given up these documents had Phillip become an undead. So, unexpectedly, I was able to get a glimpse of these invaluable documents, thanks to the bastard Phillip’s help.
“Where did you collect all these documents? They looked to have belonged to someone else, at one time or another.”
When I pointed that out, Schwartztoyel only shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, wouldn’t you say that they had just vanished to somewhere?”
After seeing the blood stains on every piece of the documents, I decided not to ask any more questions.
<Gospels of death>
<The grave watcher’s edition>
<Funeral ceremony>
<Golden skull>
A series of secret documents on the master of command skill appeared. Each one of them could be said to have been strange opportunities. I quickly read them in order to control Phillip.
“Just wait, you son of a bitch.”
I have never been embarrassed in such a way before, so my desire made me resolute. These secret demon documents were truly the gist of what the elders in the master of command skills have left behind.
<Absorption skill of blood and tear is rising to level 4! With a single absorption, even the Cyclops could be overpowered!>
I was only able to take on Ogre with a single shot, but now, I could even take on the giant Cyclops with a single attempt. Furthermore, the victims of this level 4 skill would return by transforming into vampires.
<Undead restoration skill is rising to level 2! Restoration quantity is increasing!>
<Ghost walk skill is rising to level 2! You can move more quickly and discretely!>
<Undead capturing skill is rising to level 2! You could capture more powerful wild undead!>
What the heck… Skill levels are all going up. The secrets of the skills of the elder masters of commands were continuously learned through understanding. However, that wasn’t the end of it.
<Darkness is rising 1,130 -> 2,130!>
As the understanding of the power of the darkness has deepened through reading, it has increased in bounds.
Although I wasn’t able to reach skill level 5 for the undead summoning which was what I wanted, but what was it, that it could be because I lacked the type of laborious work, perhaps. Now, I had a lot of reason to use this skill, going forward.
However, having read the books on the skill itself, I felt like I’ve reached level 5 as far as understanding the skill itself went. So, I felt that eventually I could naturally reach the skill level 5.
“Done reading.”
It took me three months to get here. It was now the time to take care of Phillip, and return to Rajter.
“O the warriors of death, who came as soldiers, make camp before your master!”
As soon as I used my power, Phillip responded immediately.
– Are you trying to challenge me with that contemptible, lowly master of command skill? Unbelievable.
There was no urgency in Phillip’s voice as he had overpowered my master of command skill before.
“You will find out.”
– Futile hope. The class I belong to will not be enslaved by your lowly….
However, that outlook did not last long.
-Uh? What is this? What! This power!
Phillip was completely awed by the incomparable power of the darkness since the previous time.
“But I haven’t just been killing time, playing, either.”
– No way! This can’t be! What the heck!
“Give up while I play nice?”
– No way! I was humiliated when I was alive, so I couldn’t be humiliated like this after my death!
He struggled, but he was a fish already hooked on the bait. He resisted for a long time, but ultimately, he could not overcome my skill which has been deepened.
<Congratulations! You have successfully turned the steel feudal lord Phillip into undead!>
Of course, the subject definitely was terribly enraged.
“You, low life! You act in this manner if it wasn’t enough to have awakened me from my sleep!”
Phillip jumped all over the place, but it was all in vain. His voice has already turned to human’s sound, and no longer of a spirit’s. As long as he has returned as a day walker, I was his master from now on.
“First, you need to correct your manners. Call me my lord to start with.”
“Don’t joke! What nonsense you’re talking…. Kraaaahk!”
When I swung my hand at the resisting undead, he rolled to the ground with acute pain. Perhaps, it was because he was a protector in his former life that his character remained intact even after he was turned into an undead. Even though he was still on the palm of my hand.
“Eeeahk! Kraaahk! You bastard without blood or tear! You devil bastard!”
“Um… As I have told you once before, you have a good sense of discerning.”
Phillip struggled desperately, but it was too much for him to resist in his weakened mental condition. In the end, he became cowardly.
“Please be gracious.”
“Please?”
“…. I seek your grace.”
When I saw him looking up at me shivering, there was no longer the man called steel feudal lord.
“Now, do you think you want to work with me?”
“Of, of course.”
“You know your position, too?”
“Yes.”
“OK, then kneel down and bow.”
Phillip kneeled down to the point that his head was touching the ground. I walked toward him and stepped on his head, and wiped the mud off of my shoes by rubbing it against his head. That was, by stomping hard on Phillip’s head on purpose.
“How do you feel being a shoe stand of the respectable lord?”
“….Pleasant! It’s, it’s an honor!”
“Um? Your reply seemed a bit hesitant?”
“Hahaha! There is no way, my lord.”
As he laughed, I, too, laughed in kind. All right, isn’t it good that you know your place, now. Both of us were laughing, too.
**********
I’ve returned to Rajter.
Everything went well. The recruiting was already half completed, and the training was perfect thanks to general Tilly.
Some duke was building a castle for me to live in, and the battle between the feudal lord of Trier and the demon king Jacques was near its climax. And in the fall, they would die with a great explosion for the whole world to see.
“Okay, let’s just keep it this way from now on.”
However, bad times always followed the good times, as they said. As I was working in the temporary official residence, I realized that something has happened when I saw Tilly hurriedly run inside.
“General, what’s going on?”
“The demon king Pajemut has launched an attack on Roelin!”
“What?”
I stood up immediately as I was so shocked by the unexpected turn of events. Has Pajemut gone mad? It was true that both had a lot of troops facing one another. However, Pajemut was not a match as far as the military power was concerned. I couldn’t fathom him, attacking first.
Was he planning to reach a cease fire with advantageous condition after delivering a huge damage? If so, they have incredulously underrated Roelin. That graceful demon queen was a scary being when she was provoked to anger.
“Why did Pajemut do that?”
“There is a reason. It was reported that the demon king Amunde, the 9th in the line to the power, has joined Pajemut’s camp. Right at this moment, the two demon kings’ troops are about to pummel Roselant!”
Crying out loud! Why would the 9th demon king! It was natural, but this wasn’t in the original plan. Therefore, any early information has rendered useless, at least this time around.
“My lord, what do you wish to do?”
I was deliberating very hard at Tilly’s question. By waiting three more months, it was possible to go to war with perfect preparation. However, with sudden turn of events, everything just got all tangled up. Should a bad decision was made at times like this the mistake could not be undone.
However, I had to make a decision. Was I going to go help Roelin? Was I going to go to the southwest? Or wait and gather strength?
“General Tilly, what is currently available number of troops for mobilization?”
“Two infantry regiments, one cavalry battalion.”
There were about 5,000 troops in total.
I made my decision immediately.
