The Duke’s Assessment Of The Overlord

The moment I saw him, I was overwhelmed by that crushing presence.

When we exchanged words, I was struck by how much more rational his words were than I had imagined.

In the content of his speech, I felt understanding and consideration toward us, the defeated nation.

What shocked me most of all was how he spoke of the treatment of soldiers and knights.

Normally, a defeated nation’s military was dismantled, reorganized so it could not rise in armed revolt, then sent into dangerous zones or the front lines to be used up.

Yet the King of Einheria did not regard them as dangerous elements, but considered them his own people… and even so, he said—painfully, as though it were hard to say—that he could not treat them as before.

That it was not mere lip service, I could tell as the one listening at the very front.

Because even as he spoke calmly and matter-of-factly, there was a faint reluctance—he seemed to be forcing down the tremor of his own heart with all his strength.

In truth, there was no need to discuss matters to this extent in an audience like this.

This was a ceremonial place meant to proclaim that we, the Lumoria Kingdom, had submitted to Einheria.

And yet he spoke of the handling of our officers and men here… to make it known both within and without—that he would not treat them cruelly.

From the tales of the Einheria army’s fighting, I had imagined the King of Einheria as a fierce… a blaze-like king.

But that was wrong. This king understood the importance of power, cast aside softness and displayed martial might—and on top of that, he valued the human heart.

I would be lying if I said I felt nothing at being told our army would be of no use… they had staked their lives to protect the people… and yet this king said they too were people to be protected.

If I were a warrior… I might have taken those words as an insult.

A king who declared that even soldiers who had fought as enemy combatants were people to be protected… it would be easy to dismiss him as arrogant.

But now, those words did not sound like conceit or arrogance to me.

To assign military men to public order… that was not as easy as it sounded.

Soldiers and guards had different roles… neither was “higher,” but even so, many soldiers looked down on guards, and the guards would resist, saying, “Don’t invade our turf.”

Knowing that, he said he would entrust it to us.

What that meant was… since friction would arise, he could not immediately place Einheria’s soldiers and former Lumoria soldiers on the same footing by incorporating them into the army, nor would he send them into a killing ground to expend their lives. First, he wanted them to stand where their own eyes could see—protect the people’s daily lives, and slowly observe how the nation called Einheria truly was. And if, after that, they still wished to swing their swords for the people and for the country, then regardless of their former rank, they were to claw their way up again from the lowest soldier.

That was why he deliberately provoked them, saying that even royal guards might not be able to stand alongside a common soldier. No matter how elite the troops were, a royal guard knight and a mere foot soldier would not even make something that could be called a contest.

Even so, just as the King of Einheria said, those who wished to return to military service should begin as guards first… and observing closely the country and people they must protect should become a valuable experience for them.

…Indeed, this was work suited to us who claimed to put the people first… military reorganization… even if it was a force that had belonged to our country… I would not have thought it a task to be handed down so abruptly… but we had no choice but to do it.

To handle their discontent, while also weighing the future of officers and men—testing the power of us civil officials… it was killing two birds with one stone—no, a method that gained even more than that.

I never imagined work would be assigned instantly in the very audience chamber… but this speed of action was likely the advantage of autocracy.

As I listened while thinking such things… I heard that Einheria had five hundred thousand… no, even more soldiers.

Every nation exaggerated its military strength, but… wasn’t five hundred thousand too much?

Only the Great Empire of the Central Plains, the western merchant confederation, the eastern great magic power… or perhaps the Demon King in the north could assemble such numbers.

Any other nation topped out at tens of thousands to three hundred thousand at best… and that would be the number only if they mobilized everything.

The number they could actually deploy would be far smaller… even if I took the king’s words at half value, it was still two hundred fifty thousand… if a nation held that much force, I could not possibly be unaware of it, even if it were somewhat distant.

When I realized that, I belatedly noticed something terrifying.

…Where in the world was this country?

I had come to this castle by “transfer,” a technology I had never even heard of. And we had never heard of a nation called Einheria… could it be… across the sea… a country on another continent?

Thinking so, I asked the King of Einheria… where Einheria was.

Then the King of Einheria widened his eyes for a moment… and laughed.

“Ku-ku-ku… right. I should have explained that first. Since we were discussing it here, I assumed you already knew.”

Despite the question being the height of rudeness, the King of Einheria laughed as if he found it amusing.

“Viktor… I will say this first: what I am about to tell you is the truth. I swear on my name—and on the name of my country—that there is no falsehood in it.”

“…I have no intention whatsoever of doubting Your Majesty’s words.”

The King of Einheria’s smile deepened at my reply, and after a light nod, he spoke.

“This castle—and Einheria—are in Dragon’s Roost, the forbidden land that lies in what used to be Yōntsu Territory.”

“…”

…I see. That was unexpectedly close.

Dragon’s Roost in Yōntsu Territory… Dragon’s Roost…?

“D-Dragon’s Roost… you say?”

“Yeah. This castle stands in the place called Dragon’s Roost. I haven’t seen a dragon yet, but the former lord of Yōntsu Territory said so, so he must be right.”

“There was a country in Dragon’s Roost…?”

Even as I asked, somewhere in my mind I understood that it was not so.

Einheria possessed the technology of transfer… could they have transferred the entire castle from somewhere else…? An unknown technology… it was not impossible…

“So it would seem. I won’t say it’s ancient, but… ah, you look like you’re misunderstanding… we didn’t settle here by transferring with a magic tool, you know? Well, that doesn’t matter… what matters now is that we’re in Dragon’s Roost—a place that is dangerous even for the surrounding nations.”

It showed on my face… no, the King of Einheria was right. That didn’t matter right now… I needed to leave this place at once—no!

If all the King of Einheria’s words were true… the time they had been operating from Dragon’s Roost… even counting from when they seized Yōntsu Territory, it had already been about three months… was it only luck that there had been no dragon’s retaliation?

From the remaining records about Dragon’s Roost, we did not know how much time passed after people stepped into Dragon’s Roost before the dragon eliminated them.

They only said: in place of those who stepped in, a dragon appeared.

“You understand how great a threat Dragon’s Roost is to you. But even so, we cannot withdraw from this place.”

“…Your Majesty. The dragon said to dwell here will always rampage and drag the people into it. That is why not only the Lumoria Kingdom, but even neighboring nations, have made this a forbidden land.”

“Yeah, I know that too. But that dragon—doesn’t it first target the one who stepped into this land?”

“…That is what is said.”

So long as one did not set foot within the range of Dragon’s Roost, there was no problem… that had to be true, since though people sometimes saw the dragon flying in the sky, there had never once been damage.

When someone meddled with Dragon’s Roost and the dragon noticed, it would erupt in fury, kill those responsible, and then rampage through nearby towns and villages in its rage… judging from the old records, that was correct.

And by those records, the worst damage occurred when an army and a settler group built a base within Dragon’s Roost.

That disaster did not remain within the Lumoria Kingdom alone—it brought immense damage even to neighboring nations… that was the reason this land was designated forbidden… yet even then, no one had built a castle this splendid on this ground.

How great would the dragon’s wrath be this time…? Even imagining it was terrifying.

“That’s why I think it won’t be a problem. If a dragon shows itself before me… that will be the last of the dragon that makes this land Dragon’s Roost.”

“…You will defeat the Ground Dragon?”

“That’s right. We’re fed up with it too—this dragon that refuses to show itself.”

“…”

Watching the King of Einheria speak with a shrug… my emotions overflowed.

Up to now, the King of Einheria’s conduct… had been worthy of a king.

Strong, farsighted, rational, and full of compassion.

But only this—this boast that he would slay the dragon… I could not accept it.

The king did not know… how mighty a being called a dragon truly was.

Certainly, the Einheria army was elite.

It had already been proven that it was incomparable to the Lumoria army.

But even so… a dragon was calamity.

Something like a storm—beyond what human bodies could oppose.

Only unlike a storm, it would not strike unless one touched it; that was why it was forbidden land.

The exhilaration I had felt moments ago rapidly cooled… the king’s confidence likely rested on those elite soldiers he claimed numbered five hundred thousand.

But that was wrong… a dragon was not something one could overcome merely by gathering numbers.

A dragon’s breath could incinerate thousands of soldiers in a single blast; its scales could not be pierced even by siege weapons; its claws were said to cleave all things.

In this short time, I had begun to think I wanted to devote my loyalty to the King of Einheria. I did not want to lose this king… but… this…

Should I persuade the King of Einheria and have him flee using transfer?

But what of the people?

Even if the castle were abandoned, the castle itself would remain here… the dragon would surely think its territory had been violated and rampage.

Then… how could we protect both king and people…? That transfer magic tool… if we used it to evacuate the people too… no, the destination was the problem.

The people to be moved would likely be in the tens of thousands—no, the hundreds of thousands… such a migration… there was nowhere that could receive them.

No—given the nature of transfer, we could disperse evacuees across each region… no, even then it was impossible. We had no idea how wide an area the dragon might ravage… we could not even narrow down the evacuation range.

And even if we tried to evacuate, it would be too late once the dragon appeared… what should we do?

As I struggled like that, I felt the King of Einheria’s gaze—fixed on me—shift away.

I wondered for an instant, but I could not look where his gaze went.

As I forced myself to restrain my body from following his eyes, the king quickly returned his gaze to me.

But somehow, unlike before, he looked absent—yet the very next moment, the King of Einheria’s expression changed completely.

It was… a smile far too feral.