Crimson light dotted the nighttime cityscape.
Fires blazed from buildings here and there.
People fled through the darkness in a panic.
I strode through it all.
"Halt!"
A roar flew at me from ahead, carried on a killing intent.
These were soldiers defending the city.
They loosed volleys of arrows sheathed in white light.
Blessed with holy attribute, every last one began falling toward me alone.
I generated a miasma lance.
By spinning it, I deflected every rain of arrows without a single one getting through.
Not one pierced my body.
Before the second volley arrived, I hurled the miasma lance.
The lance flew in a straight line and punched through several archers at once.
Flesh was torn open, and the sound of gushing blood rang out.
Those struck by the lance convulsed and turned into ghouls, then threw themselves at the other soldiers.
(They should be fine if I leave them to it now.)
Having made that judgment, I turned on my heel.
Countless ghouls rampaged all around.
They had once been residents of this city.
They were latching onto the living and devouring them with single-minded abandon.
It had been several days since we seized the Magicraft Nation's golems.
This was one of the Demon Lord's domain's cities, formerly territory of the Empire.
The other day, the lord had declared his loyalty to the Empire and begun producing anti-undead weapons and tools.
He ignored our warnings, so we had no choice but to resort to force.
Not that I minded leaving him be, but tolerating it for too long would invite the same thing in other cities.
That would hamper governance of the Demon Lord's domain.
In a manner of speaking, this was an object lesson—a sacrifice made to keep future operations running smoothly.
I had no time to be preoccupied with the Magicraft Nation alone.
My enemy was the entire world.
Every nation was scheming to bring me down.
Separately from that, I also had to watch for heroes awakened by the world's will.
I had no intention of repeating the same mistake.
I could not neglect methodical activity, but I also needed to keep a constant eye on the bigger picture.
Wars between the human nations were steadily declining.
Some nations were even forging alliances behind the scenes.
They viewed the status quo of the Demon Lord's reign as a serious problem and believed the nations should cooperate.
Little by little, things were beginning to move as I had planned.
I hoped we could keep advancing at this pace.
As I walked down the street, I heard glass shattering overhead.
A soldier came crashing through a window.
Several ghouls clung to him.
"Aaargh! Let go!"
The soldier hit the ground and fought back desperately.
The ghouls ignored his struggling and tore into him, ripping his limbs free.
Along with the sound of flesh being chewed, agonized screams echoed through the air.
Drawn by the noise, surrounding ghouls groaned and gathered.
I walked right past them.
Hearing death throes didn't much trouble my heart anymore.
I felt only a faint flicker of sympathy.
Repeated exposure to carnage had numbed me.
It felt as though my humanity was wearing away.
(...So I've degenerated body and soul into a monster.)
Then again, this was nothing new.
If I agonized over every little thing, there was no way I could carry on as Demon Lord.
Objectively speaking, it was not a bad tendency.
A cold heart suited a Demon Lord.
There was no need for pessimism.
I felt hatred and despair toward humanity.
And so it was possible I was venting that dissatisfaction through slaughter.
That was unavoidable.
As long as I did not stray from the role and purpose I had chosen for myself, I would permit even this ugly desire.
When I reached the city center, Henry approached from ahead.
Carrying his bow, he raised one hand with an air of ease.
"Hey, General."
"How did the front I assigned you turn out?"
"Perfect, of course. Didn't slip up once, not even—"
Henry kept his eyes on me, moved his bow, and shot clean through the eye of a soldier hiding behind him.
The pierced soldier froze and quietly toppled backward.
The entire time, Henry faced me and never once looked back.
His skill remained utterly transcendent.
Even after joining the Demon Lord's army, Henry had continued training relentlessly.
His abilities were honed further day by day.
Rare talent combined with tireless effort was what forged this man's strength.
That was why he served as instructor in the Demon Lord's army's combat drills and enjoyed the support of his subordinates.
Once we linked up, Henry and I headed toward the lord's manor on foot.
The undead were in the middle of their assault.
By the time we arrived, the place should just about be suppressed.
Along the way, Henry brought up a topic as if it had just occurred to him.
"Oh right—I heard you made a new weapon? Apparently it's supposed to replace the bow. I forgot the name, though."
"A gun. Once it becomes widespread, it'll undoubtedly become the next generation's primary weapon."
"Really? Something that useful? Aren't existing weapons good enough?"
Henry released an arrow while voicing his skepticism.
A soldier hiding on a rooftop came tumbling down.
The position was a complete blind spot from where he stood, but he pierced the man straight through the wall and roof.
"Hand a gun to an ordinary child and they could kill a mage."
"Oh? That's something else."
Hearing that, Henry showed keen interest.
He was skeptical of new things, but the gun's effectiveness clearly got through to him.
No one lived and breathed combat like Henry.
That was precisely why he would understand the gun's value.
"If you want to try one out, you can do a test firing at the research facility. Care to take a look?"
"Yeah, I'd like that."
Henry agreed with undisguised delight.
Whether he would take to it or not, firsthand experience was the fastest way.
When war with the Magicraft Nation broke out, there was a high chance they would be equipped with guns.
Knowing their characteristics ahead of time was not a bad thing.
"So if the gun becomes the primary weapon, that means the bow is becoming obsolete..."
Henry murmured wistfully.
He looked a touch lonely, almost without realizing it himself.
He was a man who had spent years charging across battlefields.
Facing such a major upheaval, he clearly had his thoughts about it.
I considered for a moment, then told him:
"You'll keep serving on the front lines from now on. Your bow won't become obsolete."
"Ha ha ha, now that's good to hear. If I got booted out after all this, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
Henry laughed with a hint of jest.
This was no empty comfort.
Even if guns became the dominant battlefield weapon, his bow was extraordinarily powerful.
In every respect, it surpassed guns.
There would come no occasion where his strength was unnecessary.
After that, we walked in silence for a while.
The surroundings were wrapped in commotion.
The gate visible in the distance stood open, and people streamed through it, evacuating.
They were driven out of this city by the undead.
As I watched them, I spoke up.
"Henry."
"What is it?"
"Do you wish for eternal life?"
Henry raised one eyebrow at my question.
He shrugged and gave a bitter smile.
"Out of nowhere again. What brought this on?"
"Just idle curiosity."
I had been vaguely wondering about this for some time.
None of the other executives were on this battlefield.
I figured this was as good a chance as any to ask.
"So if I wish for eternal life, you'll turn me into one of your undead?"
"That's right. I'd transform you into a high-ranking undead with a will of your own."
With my current power, I could do that easily.
Someone of Henry's caliber would surely become a tremendously powerful undead.
Freed from the concepts of aging and lifespan, he could live for all eternity.
"Hmm..."
Henry crossed his arms and sank into thought.
After deliberating, he answered in a rare serious tone.
"It's an interesting proposal, but I'd rather stay human. There's a certain happiness in being mortal and being able to die, don't you think? Of course, I'm not disparaging you, General. This is purely about me personally."
"..."
I fell silent at his unexpected answer.
I had thought a battle-loving man like Henry would choose the path of undeath without hesitation.
"Well, I don't plan on dying anytime soon, mind you. I intend to enjoy myself for a good while yet."
Henry reverted to his usual playful manner, as though remembering himself.
Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, he added:
"If I ever have children or grandchildren, I'll tell them to work under you, General. I'll be counting on you then."
"Understood. I look forward to it."
I nodded firmly.
It was good to see this unexpected side of Henry.
I respected his way of thinking.
I would not force anyone into undeath against their will.
In truth, Henry was right.
Being able to die as a mortal was an irreplaceable happiness.
I had already given that up and dragged Grom into it.
Having abandoned my humanity, I could no longer hope for a peaceful death.
As Demon Lord, I was not permitted to die in the first place.
I had to reign forever at the apex of evil.
That would be an endless ordeal—one that could well drive one mad.
I could not impose such a fate on another person.
Following me for eternity was not the act of a sane individual.
A pragmatic, clear-eyed partnership like the one Henry offered was exactly what should exist.
I was reminded of that once more.
Afterward, we breached the lord's manor, which had been surrounded by the undead, and executed the lord as he begged for his life.
I could hardly afford to be lenient.
Since this was also meant to serve as a deterrent against other cities, a soft response was out of the question.
With the battle concluded, the Demon Lord's army returned to the Royal Capital.