Lieutenant Colonel.
When King Lloyd awarded me the rank, I didn’t want it. It felt like a burden. I didn’t think of myself as a Lieutenant Colonel. I didn’t think of myself as a leader of battalions, companies, or platoons. But if the king trusted me enough to bestow upon me such a rank, then I would do my utmost to prove to him that he’d made the right decision.
Everything had changed for me when I turned twelve. I defeated a Grand Horn. It was a path my rage had taken me down, but the results left me craving more power. I did not bask in the glory of my victory in the peaceful village I called home. Instead, I simply went on training.
When I turned fifteen, I told my parents and nobody else that I was leaving home on a journey by myself in pursuit of further strength. That journey brought me to Llinger. It was there that I approached the country’s knights in search of a duel. There was no real thought to it; I simply wanted to know where I stood next to the kingdom’s army.
As it turned out, I had become far stronger than even I had thought. Nobody could land even a single strike on me. Nobody stood a chance. It wasn’t that the knights were weak. In fact, they were more skilled than the knights in the other countries I’d encountered, and they were excellent at working together. And yet even they were completely overwhelmed.
I was struck by a sudden feeling of emptiness, like a hole bored into my heart. It was then that King Lloyd Vulgast Llinger spoke to me.
“Yours is a power with nowhere to go. No direction. Will you cease the pointless violence and instead wield your power for the people?”
I thought him weak, at first. I thought him an idealist and laughed at his words. But as I came to meet Llinger’s citizens, the words began to take root within me. And one day, I realized the truth. I was never looking for someone to use my power on; I was looking for a reason to use it. When the understanding hit me, I joined the Llinger knights.
From then on, I worked in the service of the kingdom, fulfilling my duties. With time, I rose through the ranks until I had assembled a group of knights to work under me as a unit. Together, we hunted the monsters that troubled the citizenry, and we sometimes delivered food and resources to villages in the midst of drought or starvation. As recognition for my services, I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at the age of twenty.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I apologize for calling you all here so suddenly.”
Six months after my appointment to Lieutenant Colonel, King Lloyd gathered the Commanding General and all those ranked higher than company commander. Something was afoot; the Commanding General led the entire military forces, and it was usually enough to simply call upon him. Assembling all of us meant we were looking at something very serious.
“We’ve received eyewitness accounts of what appear to be demons on the plains,” said the king. “The sightings are getting more and more frequent. Fortunately, nobody has been injured or hurt, but we fear it is only a matter of time.
Demons.
The species was known for their tanned skin and the horns that grew from their heads. They lived in an area known as the Demon Lord’s Domain. We had no idea why they were appearing so close to human settlements, but none of us liked it.
The king addressed us. “To be on the safe side, we’ll be appointing armed guards to all merchant caravans passing through the plains. The general will handle the allocation of duties, but should you find yourself face to face with the demons, I urge you to please not take them on directly. Demons are physically much stronger than us. If you are not fully prepared for what you are facing, you will be throwing your lives away. So please, avoid any direct confrontations.”
It sounded like cowardice, but King Lloyd spoke the truth. An ordinary knight would struggle in a one-on-one battle against a demon. The gap in physical abilities was simply far too great. King Lloyd detailed the need for caution and planning. The impromptu meeting was brought to a close.
All of the attendees left, one after the other, but I stood in place for a time, mulling over the king’s words.
“What do you think, Rose?”
It was Lieutenant Colonel Siglis.
“Of the demons’ movements?”
“Yeah. You’ve got experience fighting them. I want your opinion.”
He was older than me, but he didn’t hold that over me. He treated me as an equal.
“I don’t have the slightest idea,” I admitted, raising my hands to show they were empty. “If you’re asking me why the demons might be leaving their home turf, I’ve no idea. I can’t even imagine.”
“Right.”
The hall was almost empty, so I headed for the door. Siglis walked with me, murmuring with worry.
“The only thing I can think of is an invasion,” I said.
“Impossible. An invasion? Now?”
“Who knows? I’m just saying it’s a possibility.”
“Well, the chances aren’t zero, I suppose. But without the Demon Lord, do the demons even have the power to launch such an assault?”
There was always a chance. In the distant past, the leadership of the Demon Lord had made the demons a powerful force to be reckoned with. But when the hero felled the Demon Lord, the battle between humans and demons had drawn to a close.
But that was, in some ways, simply a ceasefire. It was no guarantee. The battle had ended, but the demons were still out there. And as long as they existed, war was always a possibility.
“We should seriously consider the possibility of an invasion and have our knights ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice,” said Siglis.
“Might be a pointless endeavor.”
“I’d prefer that it is. However, if our worst fears come to pass, I want to be ready to move. I don’t want to be taken by surprise.”
“As uptight as always, I see,” I muttered.
“I can hear you.”
“That’s why I said it.”
And with that, I left the hall.
It would be so much easier for all of us if the disturbances simply stopped, but Siglis was right; we had to be ready to react to anything.
“Captain!”
First I need information. Should I do it myself or send my troops? Oh, wait. The General’s going to sort that out.
“Hey! Captain!”
That means there’s only so much I can do.
And first up . . .
“Cap . . . Captain?”
“Can you be any more annoying?”
“Eep!”
My fist collided directly with the girl walking next to me. She kneeled to groan in pain.