Makai Hongi

I understood why the General would call a Corps Commander and hold a meeting.
The opinions of your subordinates were important.

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However, why was I included in such things?

Surely my opinion was unnecessary.
Those were the thoughts in my head as I walked down the road to return to my village.

“Still, I also don’t like the idea of them planning without me.”

I didn’t want any of my men to die.
No matter how honorable a death it was, it was still death.
Nothing changed.
Death was foolish.
Everyone should forget about fighting and live more entertaining lives.
That’s what I thought.

“Of course, reality won’t allow that at all.”

Look at the Reapers, for example.
What if we didn’t fight, and were absorbed by Leninoth?

Painy and all of the others would either have to flee and become wanderers again, or they would be killed by Leninoth’s army.
In this ‘post-apocalyptic’ world, saying ‘life is important’ was a good way to get laughed at.

The Reapers were hated and seen as dangerous.
The chances of them surviving were low.
If you wanted freedom, you had to win it for yourself.

I could refuse to fight if I wanted.
‘Fight in the war.’ ‘No.’ While I might be exiled or imprisoned, I could probably do it at least once.

“However, what would happen after that?”
People who refused to fight had no right to live in the Demon World.

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Who would befriend someone who was considered weak?

And so ultimately, I could not refuse to fight.
I just had to come to terms with this.
That’s why I decided to desperately protect those who were close to me.
That was my limit.

“I can’t take on a larger burden than that.”
In this world, it was impossible to be a hero that could save the entire world.

Well, maybe it was possible if Lesser High King Yamato returned?
If he and his subordinates were alive and well, it might have been possible.
But I wasn’t sure.

“…Isn’t the Reaper village in this direction?”

Now that I thought about it, I had never visited it after it was made.
There was no need to, as Painy would always visit me.

“Maybe I’ll pay them a visit.”
I didn’t have any reason in particular, but I doubted they would be angry to see me.
And so I headed towards the Reaper village.

“Ah, Sir Golan.
Welcome to our village.”
I was greeted by the elderly Reaper, Ruma.
He acted as a kind of leader in the village.

Several Reapers had come out to greet me.
Either they had sensed me as I approached the village, or they had watchers somewhere.

Reapers tended to be feared by the other races, and so perhaps they were cautious of an attack.

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In any case, we Ogres did not even place guards by the entrances of our villages.

“Ah, Ruma.
It just struck me today that I’ve never paid this village a visit.
And I stopped on my way back.”

“Is that so.
This is a very comfortable place, as the sun does not reach us for very long.
However, you might find it a little too damp for your liking, Sir Golan.”

It was more of a valley than a space between two mountains.
And so it was indeed damp, like the bottom of a mountain after the rain.
It was baffling to me that this was apparently the ideal place for the Reapers.

The sun only shone down during the day for an hour, so the village was dark nearly all of the time.
The likes and dislikes of other races were always hard to understand.

“I’m glad to hear that you like this place.
By the way, I don’t have any particular business here today…”
No business, and nothing to say.
I really just came here on a whim.

“In that case, I shall give you a tour of the village.”
“Yes.
An inspection would be a good idea.”

Yes, an inspection.
That was a nice way to put it.

And so Ruma guided me as we walked through the village.
Reapers generally stayed indoors during the day.

Apparently, it was during the evenings that they started shuffling out of their houses.
Speaking of houses, they were simple structures made of large leaves that were layered many times.

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“If you want sturdier houses, I could send some people to help you.”

General Farneze had many Kobolds and Leprechauns working for her.
They tended to be very skilled with their hands, and were valued as craftsmen.

And Ogres could be used to carry logs and were very helpful when building houses.

“Thank you for your concern.
But we’ve always lived in houses like this, and are perfectly comfortable.”

Residents of the Demon World were very tough.
And so they were often completely fine in environments where humans would easily get sick.

Even I slept on a bed that was really just a wooden board.
Of course, it was also because fluffy beds didn’t exist here.
But I never had trouble sleeping on the board either.

And while my lifestyle had become quite sloppy since I was reincarnated, I hardly cared about it at this point.

“Now that I think about it, I do have a request, Sir Golan.”
“…Hmm? What is it?”

“We Reapers participated in the battle.”
“Aye, and you were a great help.”

They were part of the advanced races, after all.
They could withstand attacks better than most.
That alone made a huge difference.

Furthermore, they contributed greatly at several key points.
Reapers were strong as individuals, but were also good in a group.
And so I found them to be incredibly valuable personnel.

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“Now that it’s known that we fought in the war, I think it’s possible that Reapers who live in hiding in other countries might want to come here as well.”

“Hmm? Is that right?”

“It’s difficult for Reapers to move across the border, but we were visited by a representative.
Of course, they are still not united in this, and so nothing is decided yet.”

Apparently, Lesser Demon King Leninoth’s actions were causing many in the surrounding countries to be worried.
However, rumors about his defeat were starting to spread, as was word about the Reapers who fought alongside us.

“As long as they follow the rules, I don’t mind.
The requirements will be the same.
Tell them that if they can agree to that, I will accept them.”

“Thank you.
I will tell them the next time that they visit.”

Several Reapers had died in the previous battle.

It was impossible for me to protect everyone.
But we couldn’t run away either.

In order to protect the peaceful life they had now, I had to send them off to war.
It seemed like a contradiction, but it was the right answer.
And in return, I would think of a plan that would ensure that there would be as many survivors as possible.

“…And so I wasn’t wrong to attend that meeting.”

My eyes gleamed in order to prevent Ogres from being used as disposable tools.
That was how I got on in this world.

After that, I continued my inspection of the Reaper village, and then left.