All I have belongs to God.
Even this unease in my heart belongs to Him.
✦ ✦ ✦
I’m giving battle orders in the middle of the day. Me!
My position as Golden’s aide allowed me to retrieve her remains, a feat of loyalty for which I was hoping to be rewarded with a few days to mourn. That’s usually the custom, not being sent to the front lines of an army that marches for days on end.
“Lady Tamika. Lady Tamika...”
Damn the Demon God. Damn Her! She should have just stayed asleep in the depths of the palace. But no, She had to come out and be so proactive all of a sudden. I can’t take it! I certainly never expected Her to make an appearance at the Night Council. I had never planned to expose myself to the sun, but then I of all people got selected for this job.
Those piercing eyes... that cruel smile... it can’t be. Does She know the truth about me? No, that’s not possible. It just can’t be, I disguised myself so well. Through sheer coincidence, I managed to perform an exemplary vampire career. I never forget my offerings or prayers, either. My record in battle is pretty good, too.
“In the middle of a vision, are you? Oh, how beautiful you are. Your face, your breasts, your skin...” mutters a voice.
It’s okay. Everything’s okay. I still reside within the shadows. No matter how they look at me, or how they treat me, I should be fine as long as I don’t slip up and reveal my true motives or goals. This is just one of Her divine whims; nothing out of the ordinary.
Besides, what the hell was all that stuff about “the time has come” and sending a declaration of war for final battle? I hate Her from the bottom of my heart. Why does She have the right to decide the fate of this world? She’s only the “Demon God.” A damned being from another world... Ahg?!
“Lady Tamika, the troops are in formation.”
“Huh? Oh, I see. Tell them to wait for the signal.” I bat away my second-in-command’s hand. Why does she have to touch me so erotically? It’s a real pain how she presses her breasts up against me. This is why I hate vampires...
Anyway, for now, I’ve got to focus on the battle in front of me. Like it or not, I’ve been saddled with this responsibility thanks to an imperial command; I have to succeed or I’ll be killed.
On the plains sits the human army. In their center is a row of about two thousand foot soldiers, with about a thousand cavalry sandwiching them from both sides. From the outside, it appears to be a very common formation... but my Shadow Vision uses bugs; you can’t hide your secret plans from me.
About a thousand militant rabbits are hiding behind the soldiers’ shields. In addition, despite the mass of banners and bonfires in the city behind them, there are only a few hundred injured soldiers about the place. In other words, their whole army is a little over five thousand strong, and they’re concentrating their entire force here.
On our side, counting Fang Chief Barebow’s soldiers added under my command, we have about three thousand five hundred soldiers in our main force, plus a side army of a thousand black wolves. In total, we are four thousand five hundred strong. Our victory is pretty much guaranteed. However, just in case, I have five hundred soldiers hiding in wait to finish the job should the need arise.
I know these people, I understand the strength of humans. I won’t let my guard down.
As for the signal to begin... Hmm, what should I do? Honestly, I don’t want to kill them. They came from the Frontier, so it’s likely they were in contact with that abnormality. No matter what, I don’t want to piss her off. Besides, there’s nothing to gain from wiping out the humans. It would only make the Demon God happy, which is a loss for us all. Needless to mention, I’m not looking for revenge for Golden. In fact, I’d be overjoyed if they went straight for the Demon God Herself after that battle. They’d just end up tortured to death, but at least it might have made Her drop her guard a bit.
Also, I’m not opposed to replacing Golden with the humans as my pawns. However... the war has already started. Violence is thoughtless, uncaring, ruthless, and unpredictable; it does not distinguish one life from another. And now I’m involved in it. It’s come down to this, so I don’t care what the humans’ circumstances are. I really don’t want to kill them, but that doesn’t mean I want to let them go, either. I just want the least amount of annoyances.
It’s so sad. We are all trapped in that poisonous creature’s vortex of despair born out of that “final battle” declaration. Even the vampires who are destined to win are, ultimately, just disposable pawns. Eventually, they will be wiped out, too. The Apostles are mere supporting actors. If you aren’t an Apostle, you’re a bit part. No matter what your plans are, what you can actually do is limited.
I know the truth of this world more than anyone. And because of that, the burden of the duty I must execute weighs heavily upon me. Probably.
The least I can do is sympathize with these poor creatures... Yeah, I’ll let them start the battle.
Go ahead.
The deeper the sun sets, the longer the shadows creep, the more they will panic. And fearing the night, they will make their move. That’s our opening—the most efficient way to victory. Then, once we’ve won... I’ll execute my mission.