Good morning! ...is what I'd like to say, but since there's no day or night in the world within the shadows, I simply rose from my spot without a word and stretched lazily. Yaaawn—! The sleep you get in this "Domain of Rest" is, without exception, the best. In fact, many soldiers of the Shadow Army spend their time in deep sleep until the Lord calls upon them. I'm no stranger to enjoying a good rest myself, but unfortunately, there's an important matter today that requires me to be up. The soldiers who spotted me loosening up here and there bowed to me repeatedly.
"Good morning, Lord Iron." "Mm-hm." "Good morning, General Iron." "Mm-hm."
No matter how hard I try not to show it, I can't help but feel happy at times like these. Having entered the Lord's service earlier than most other soldiers and having had my many accomplishments recognized over time, I've risen to the position of commanding all the mages. Within the Shadow Army, rank is determined by how much trust the Lord places in you—which is why even those as mighty as ancient dragons can bow to someone who was once nothing more than a High Orc shaman! Long live the Monarch! Long live the great Shadow Monarch!
'Oh my, oh my...'
Having once again found myself shouting three cheers of praise for the Lord, I made my way to the Ant Army's territory with a proud heart. Unlike other shadow soldiers, the ant soldiers—who dislike sleep and are always busy doing something—bowed their heads when they saw me visit their domain.
"Heh heh..."
I moved my steps briskly while half-heartedly acknowledging their greetings. Truth be told, the ant soldiers are a little frightening even to me, an ally. These fellows are the most ferocious among all the shadow soldiers, and on top of that, the most diligent. Every time the ants let out an incomprehensible roar—Keeek! Kreeeaaah!—I couldn't help but flinch and twitch my shoulders.
'I wonder if anyone besides Commander Beru can move these fellows...'
Fortunately, as if reading my mind, it wasn't long before Commander Beru came out to greet me personally. When our eyes met, Commander Beru's shoulders began to shake.
"Keeheheheheh." "Uhehehe." "Keehaaahaah!" "Uhoohoohoot!"
We burst out laughing heartily at the sight of each other. From the look on Commander Beru's face, it seemed the item had turned out quite satisfactorily. And so, I couldn't help but smile as well—the one who had placed the order. Commander Beru, who had gotten right up close, revealed the "thing" he had been hiding behind his back.
"What do you think?"
An exclamation of admiration burst out of my mouth involuntarily.
"Ohh!"
The thing I had humbly requested the skillful Commander Beru to craft for me! A robe, completed in the exact same shape as the hooded jacket the Lord had recently been wearing, was before me.
"Keeheheheh!" "Uheheh!"
I immediately tore off the robe I was wearing and put on the new one Commander Beru handed me. Perfection! What other words could possibly be needed besides those two? Overwhelmed with emotion beyond control, I spoke to Commander Beru in an excited voice.
"How could I ever repay you for this, Commander..." "Keeheheh. How could I turn a blind eye to your wish to resemble the Lord? As long as you're pleased, that's enough." "I'm absolutely delighted. I'd go so far as to make all the mages wear this outfit by obligation, Commander." "Keehaaahaah!" "Uhoohoohoot!"
After laughing uncontrollably for a while, Commander Beru seemed to spot something and fixed his gaze on me.
"Wouldn't that... be better carried as a staff rather than held in your hand?"
What Commander Beru pointed to was the "Orb of Greed" in my right hand.
"Hah... then would it be too much to ask the Commander to handle this as well...?"
As I bashfully held out the Orb of Greed, Commander Beru raised one hand.
"That's beyond the scope of magic tools. Unless you bring me a living Dwarf right in front of me." "Ah... no, no." "While we're on the subject, what about having the Dwarves handle it? They may be useless in combat, but they're soldiers with a talent for crafting." "..."
Resting my chin on my hand in thought, I nodded.
"That's a great idea, Commander." "Keeheheheh!"
After bowing deeply at a ninety-degree angle to thank Commander Beru for his trouble, I left the Ant Army's territory and headed for the Dragon territory where my friends were. Having bonded through firepower contests, my friends agreed to help as soon as I explained the situation. I climbed onto the back of the smallest one among them. No other reason—my legs are short, and if I rode a friend who was too big, I'd suffer the agony of a groin tear. Soon, my friend flapped its wings and took to the air. I pointed in the direction of the Dwarf settlement. This is the Domain of Rest. It's vast beyond measure, and with nearly ten million soldiers living here, there are places you can only reach by borrowing a friend's help. Flap, flap. As I peeked my head out from atop my friend, who was picking up speed, I could see countless shadow soldiers below—small as ants.
'That's... Supreme Commander Bellion.'
Slap, slap.
"Stand up straight, you giants!"
Supreme Commander Bellion was training new recruits, wielding a sword whose length could be adjusted at will like a whip. It looked like the recruits, who may have been somewhat notable in their own world, still hadn't been broken in—Supreme Commander Bellion's thorough training would be needed for a while yet.
"Oh!"
When Commander Bellion spotted me, he waved, and I quickly bowed my head in return. Passing by the recruit training grounds, I spotted Commander Igrit as well. Commander Igrit was so absorbed in his studies that he wouldn't even notice a dragon flying overhead, so I couldn't bring myself to disturb him and left the area as quietly as possible. Keeeak—! Once we'd passed the area where the Commanders were, my friend spread its wings wide and picked up speed. Beautiful scenery! Below, shadow soldiers as small as ants streamed past endlessly. Sleeping soldiers, soldiers training, soldiers chattering, soldiers playing cards, soldiers grabbing each other by the collar and raising their voices—all manner of sights. All kinds of soldiers were beneath my feet. It wasn't always like this. Deeply connected to the Lord's consciousness, we shadow soldiers come to resemble the Lord more and more as his power grows. In other words, we who once desired and did nothing but destruction are gradually learning the Lord's human side. The many emotions that humans possess—the process of filling our once-empty hearts with new things has been a truly refreshing experience. Now, when the Lord's heart beats, our hearts beat along with it. I love the Lord. I'm grateful to the Lord who invited me to a new world I could never have imagined. Long live the Monarch! Long live the great Shadow Monarch...
'Huh?'
While I'd been so caught up in praise for the Lord that I'd unconsciously started cheering, we had already arrived at the Dwarves' land. True to the Dwarves' love of crafting, their settlement had buildings like houses and smithies, forming a proper village. Flap, flap. After my friend touched down on the ground, I carefully scurried down on my tiptoes.
"I-It's General Iron!" "General Iron!"
The Dwarves who witnessed my visit all came out and bowed their heads respectfully. It must have been quite surprising for them—generals rarely visited such remote corners. I kindly explained the situation to the reverent Dwarves. Their elder responded with a bright face.
"Ah... please leave it to us. As it happens, we've been lamenting that we haven't had a chance to use the sacred timber the Lord bestowed upon us." "Ohh!"
The materials appeared to already be prepared. While I was served warm tea at the elder's house, every craftsman gathered to forge my weapon.
"How is it, General?"
Before the magnificent staff the elder presented with confidence, I let out a cry of awe.
"Ooohhh!"
At the tip of the staff, the Orb of Greed that I'd always had to clutch in my hand now glowed a brilliant red.
"How wonderful! Absolutely magnificent!"
Feeling light enough to float, I struck several poses with the staff, and the elder's lips curled into a slight smile.
"I think the word 'magnificent' suits your robe better than the staff, General." "Uhoohoohoot! You've got a keen eye for style!"
I was able to leave the Dwarves' settlement in high spirits. Seeing them come out to see me off, waving their hands, I gave them a thumbs-up. If the Lord ever asks about the magnificence of this staff in the distant future, I will make sure not to leave out the credit for their efforts. Returning the way I came, I arrived at the mages' quarters and immediately summoned all of them to present the new robe and new weapon.
"You look magnificent, Lord Iron!" "The best!" "I can't stop crying, General Iron!"
Naturally, praise poured out from every direction without end. The magnificent robe and the magnificent staff were every mage's dream.
"Uhoohoohoot!"
Having shared the joy with the mages, I gifted my previous top-quality robe to the soldier who said he couldn't stop crying and had spared no applause.
"Thank you, thank you, General!" "Uhoohoohoot!"
As I patted the shoulder of the soldier who was celebrating with his whole body, I noticed some unfamiliar large figures in my line of sight.
"Who are you?"
Stone giants with their hands on the back of their heads, looking awkward, replied:
"Commander Bellion told us to come here."
Ah. So there were mages among the new recruits as well. Having a body that big and just firing off magic spells—what a waste of that physique... wait, no, I'm not really one to talk. Anyway. There's a process every new mage must go through when they enter my command.
"Alright, alright. All the other mages, return to your posts. You new recruits, sit down over there."
The well-trained recruits obediently knelt down on their massive knees and sat still.
"From now on, I will slowly recount the tale of my glorious deeds in the first battle between our great Lord and the fearsome enemy Dragon Emperor, and the meritorious service I performed in the Dimensional Rift that followed, so listen carefully..."
It wasn't until after I finished the long tale of unforgettable history and sent the recruits away, their eyes glistening with emotion, that the day's work was finally done. Growing drowsy, I laid out a mat, lay down, and yawned luxuriously. Yaaawn—! I love magnificent clothes, magnificent weapons, and magnificent stories, but above all, what I love most is sleep. Especially the sleep that closes out a busy day like today. Pulling the covers up to my neck, I felt snug warmth and drifted off to sleep. But then—just as sweet slumber was about to take me to dreamland, someone shook my shoulder! How dare! How dare anyone wake this General Iron from his precious sleep! I snapped my eyes open, ready to kill whoever it was.
"...?"
Commander Igrit was looking down at me from beside my pillow.
"I love you, Commander." "I too am always grateful for your devotion." "But... what brings you here?"
As I sat up, Commander Igrit pointed to the distant sky.
"It's about to begin. All generals and above who serve the Lord in his closest circle should be cheering him on, shouldn't we?" "Gasp!"
I threw off the covers and leaped to my feet, craning my neck toward the sky. The sky was displaying the Lord's field of vision, shared with all of us, like an enormous cinema screen.
"So the Lord has finally met Lady Hae-In!" "Indeed." "Uhoohoohoot!"
Overwhelmed with emotion at sharing this historic moment, I let out an exclamation—and every single member of the Shadow Army who had been cheering for the Lord raised both hands to the sky and erupted in cheers. Waaaaaaaah—! When the Lord's heart beats. Our hearts beat too. I raised my hands high and shouted along with the soldiers. Waaaaah—! My heart was racing too.
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They call it the Shadow Army, but in practice it's the Sung Jin-Woo Fan Club
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