Chapter 8:
The Biggest Villain
LIAM STOOD in the square just inside the castle gates. He was
surrounded by soldiers holding bows, who trembled at the approaching
horde of beastfolk. Kanami and Enola watched from a safe distance,
unnerved. They had no idea what Liam planned to do.
"He suddenly decides he's joining in and orders us to open the
gates?" Kanami said in disbelief. "What is he thinking?!"
Kanami didn't know much about war, but she understood that gates
should be defended. Enola felt the same, and she'd had no intention of
granting Liam's request. Contrary to her will, however, the gates did open.
Enola couldn't believe her eyes. "I gave no such order! Who opened
the gates?!"
The knights and soldiers around her were just as confused. "W-we
sent several men to check, but none have returned!"
What was happening? The beastfolk who charged the gates went
flying the moment they neared Liam. They pretty much exploded like
water balloons full of gore.
"He has a katana. Where'd that come from?" Kanami asked,
noticing the weapon Liam carried. She was confused; she couldn't
remember seeing a katana in the armory.
Enola didn't recognize Liam's blade either. "Do you know what that
weapon is, Lady Kanami?"
"I-I'm not sure...but it looks like an old weapon people used to use
in my country."
She hadn't seen any katana in Erle Kingdom, but for some reason
Liam had one. What was going on? Kanami had no idea, but the beastfolk
didn't wait for her to ponder it further. They charged through the wide-
open gates, howling wildly.
Enola clasped her hands together and prayed. "Oh God, please
protect us."
Drawing her own weapon, Kanami started toward Liam to back him
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up. However, the second wave of beastfolk charging through the gates
likewise burst into countless flying pieces, as if some kind of invisible wall
had repelled them.
The next group of beastfolk froze in their tracks, unable to
comprehend what they'd seen, but their comrades behind them pushed
them forward. As the third wave passed through the gates, every single one
of them was blasted away. Kanami pitied the beastfolk shoved forward by
their allies.
Liam cackled loudly as blood drenched the area around the castle
gates. "Weak! Too weak! They fly away before I can even cut them!"
All this time, Liam had appeared merely to hold his sword, yet he
spoke as if he was attacking their enemies. Kanami focused on his
movements. He didn't seem to be swinging the sword at all, yet how many
beastfolk had he repelled at this point?
The beastfolk finally seemed to realize what was happening and
stopped rushing inside, instead backing away from the gates. That just
caused Liam to step outside, however.
Kanami and Enola climbed the castle wall to see what he was about
to do.
***
They were all so weak, I just knocked them aside with the pressure
my sword exerted. How many hundreds of enemies had I sent flying just
now?
"Now then, who's leading this bunch of weaklings calling
themselves the demon lord's army?"
Trampling weak opponents to display my overwhelming strength
never failed to exhilarate me. I was not one of the downtrodden; I was the
boot. A villain!
I left the city to find it surrounded by beastfolk. One tall, leonine
man with a large battle-axe stepped up to face me. From the other
beastfolk's attitudes, I knew he was in command right away.
"You the demon lord?" I asked, looking at the lion in front of me.
The lion swung his axe in response. "Mere human!"
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I almost yawned, he was so slow. I dodged his attack at the last
second, making sure he could tell it was easy for me. "I'm asking if you're
the demon lord," I repeated. "Answer me."
When he swung his axe at me a second time, I kicked his leg out
from under him. I grabbed his mane when he stumbled and slammed him
to the ground.
The lion's eyes were wide with shock. "Wha—?! H-how can you
hold me down with those tiny arms?!"
"The density of our bones and muscles is different, that's all.
Anyway, are you the demon lord or not?"
"I'm not."
He struggled, attempting to escape my grasp, but struggling was all
he accomplished. This guy had an extra-beastlike appearance for his kind.
He was pretty much a bipedal lion. I figured if Nitta had seen him, he
would've said "This ain't it!" in disapproval. The guy did have "cat ears,"
but I didn't think Nitta would be into him.
As I threw my weight around, other beastfolk drew bows and shot
arrows at me. I knocked those out of the air. To the beastfolk, it probably
looked as if their arrows simply vanished before reaching me. They
shouted in surprise. Then the beastfolk archers were dragged down into
shadows that appeared at their feet. It was Kunai, who believed that
anyone who dared attack me should not be allowed to live. I appreciated
how passionate she was about her work. After disposing of the beastfolk
within the shadows, Kunai tossed their bodies out onto the ground. The
other beastfolk cowered in fear at the sight.
I released the lion, but he sprang to his feet and swung his axe at me
again. Couldn't he at least listen to what I had to say? I was forced to
dodge once more before resuming our conversation.
"Where's the demon lord? I want to meet with him personally. Take
me to him."
"The demon lord is far more important than the likes of you
humans!" the lion snarled. "It would be disrespectful to allow you to meet
with him!"
Disrespectful? To meet me? Guess he doesn't know that I far exceed
this demon lord in importance. At that point, I lost all interest in the lion.
"Oh yeah? Die, then."
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If I unleashed a Flash on him, as I had the others, he would've been
blown apart completely. Instead, I went out of my way to draw my sword
from its sheath and behead him slowly. The surviving beastfolk rounded
on me, rage in their eyes.
"Simmer down," I commanded.
They froze. As I attacked, I swung my katana slowly enough for
them to see the movement. Dozens of beastfolk heads flew from their
shoulders. This time, they had to be aware of exactly what I was doing.
They finally quit coming at me and fell silent, and I took that as a sign that
they were willing to listen to me now.
"You have two choices. Obey me, or resist and die. Go ahead and
choose."
The beastfolk looked to one another. It seemed they finally
understood the difference in strength between us. The brawny warriors
knelt, knowing they were no match for me. What a wonderful sight!
You'll just have to curse the queen who summoned a villain like me
as a hero.
It seemed all the beastfolk had admitted defeat—except one who
leaped out in front of me. There was hardly anything "beastlike" about her.
She was basically a human with dog ears and a tail; she looked like a girl
cosplaying. I pictured Nitta giving her a thumbs-up.
"I-I-I represent the w-w-w-w-wolf..."
She'd jumped before me as if to challenge me, but she stammered so
badly I barely understood what she said. Those canine ears that should
have stood straight drooped pathetically, and her fluffy tail curled between
her knees, which knocked as she trembled. Clearly, she was terrified.
Incidentally, I was a dog person. I'd had a dog in my past life, and
when I scolded it, it had trembled and dropped its tail just like that. This
girl made me remember that dog fondly.
"I-I-I... I-I..." She was desperately trying to convey something.
I had run out of patience. "Are you a dog? If you're a dog, I'll allow
you to live."
"Mnaddadog!"
Ugh! I have no idea what she's trying to say! She was far too afraid
of me even to speak more, yet I found it utterly adorable. She was
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suddenly cute beyond belief, now that I'd noticed she was doglike.
I decided to help the small beastwoman relax. "Calm down. Come
on, take a deep breath," I told her, sheathing my blade.
"Foooh... Haaah..."
She was so stupidly cute, taking a deep breath after her enemy told
her to. Recalling my past life made me wish I had a dog again. I wasn't
sure about getting an actual pet, though. Their lifespan was the issue.
Given my longevity in this universe, a dog's life would be over in an
instant for me. I could probably extend its life to a degree, but we'd still
part incredibly soon after meeting. That just sounded painful.
What about this girl in front of me, though? If I enhanced her
physical abilities with an education capsule, it would extend her lifespan,
too. Yes, that might just work out.
Finally able to speak, the girl introduced herself. "I am Chino,
daughter of Glass, the strongest warrior in my clan!"
"Oh yeah? So...are you a dog?" I didn't care whether she was a
warrior or whatever—just whether she was a dog or not.
Chino's face flushed with anger. "D-don't ridicule us! We are proud
—"
I was disappointed; it seemed she was going to tell me she wasn't a
dog. But a voice yelped from somewhere yelped, "We're dogs!"
I looked in the voice's direction and saw a group of beastfolk that
resembled Chino. They must have been her clan.
Chino's eyes widened with surprise at her comrade's shout.
"Father?! We are proud wol—"
"We're dogs. We are dogs, Chino."
"Huh?!" Chino seemed to balk at the man's assertion.
"Who're you?" I curiously asked the beastman who'd spoken up.
"I am Glass, Chino's father. May I ask your name, sir?"
Seeing Glass kneel before me put me in a good mood, so I told him
what he wanted to know. "I'm Liam Sera Banfield—your master, as of
today. Serve me. Revere me. Obey me! Whoever among you would rather
disobey me, step forward now, and I'll put down every last one of you."
At this proclamation, the beastfolk lowered their heads at once.
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Watching every single one of them bow their head fearfully before me was
really great.
Chino alone seemed to disagree with her fellows. "Um, I'm a wolf!
I'm not a dog!"
Which is it? I asked Glass with my eyes.
He shrugged with an awkward smile. "Chino admires wolves
deeply. Ever since she was small, she's insisted she was one. She's really a
troublesome girl."
"Oh, really?" Hearing that just made me want Chino even more.
"How cute."
A doggo who thought she was a wolf. I knew Nitta would be over
the moon about how endearing that was. All in all, Chino was just too cute
for me to handle.
While I marveled at Chino, Glass had a suggestion for me. "Master
Liam, as a gesture of our tribe's submission to our new master, I offer you
my daughter, Chino."
"Really? Are you sure? Your daughter?" Just like that? I was
shocked.
Glass was completely nonchalant. "It will not be a problem."
Hmm...they don't seem to care much about their kids in less-
sophisticated civilizations. Well, I guess it isn't that different in the
Empire. Its citizens could be just as prone to treating people as if they were
expendable.
"She is about the age when she should become independent,
anyway," Glass told me, looking at his daughter.
I'd thought she was just a kid, but I guessed she was whatever age
passed for a young adult on this planet.
Chino wasn't having it, though. "Father, please wait! I don't want
this!"
"Just do as I say." Glass was firm with his disobedient daughter.
"Can't you see the survival of our clan is at stake?"
Chino cringed at her father's harsh glare, looking exactly like a
chastised dog. My affection for her grew by the minute. My dog from my
past life really had sulked just like Chino was doing. This one exchange
alone made being summoned to this planet worth it. I'd escaped Brian and
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obtained a cute new pet—what more could I ask for?
"Well, all right," I told Glass. "I'll take good care of your daughter.
Also, like I said, I'm your people's new boss starting today. Just keep in
mind that I'll destroy all of you if you defy me."
Having tamed the beastfolk, I returned to the fortress city
triumphantly.
***
Liam sat on the throne in the castle's audience chamber, speaking
with the kingdom's top brass about the beastfolk.
"The demon lord has minions...?"
"Yes. There are four of them, including the late Lion General Nogo.
They call themselves the Elite Four."
"Yeah, I'll pass. I don't care about fighting them," Liam decided.
"I'll just go straight to the demon lord and finish this."
He was barreling toward defeating the demon lord without even
asking anyone else's strategy. Kanami's irritation grew as she listened to
him speak.
"Wh-what is wrong with you?!" she asked. "These Elite Four are
tormenting people, and it doesn't even occur to you to help them?"
Liam couldn't have cared less about the havoc the Elite Four were
wreaking throughout the kingdom. "What's it matter? Taking out
whoever's at the top is the most basic goal of a war. Stay out of it,
amateur."
"A-amateur?" Kanami was insulted.
Liam looked at her coldly. "You have no right to rake me over the
coals when you can't even bring yourself to finish off enemies. You
hesitated, didn't you? You won't be any use out there. Just stay behind
here in the castle. Don't worry. I've got time to kill while I'm here, so I'll
take down the demon lord for you."
"Time to kill..." To Liam, his horrific fight with the beastfolk had
been nothing more than sport. Kanami balled her fists, hung her head, and
clenched her teeth. "Do you even know how many people died?" she
eventually squeezed out.
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She thought back to what she'd witnessed earlier. The young knight
who'd been so affected by her words about giving people the benefit of the
doubt had perished. They'd spoken only a few hours ago, but now he was
nothing more than a corpse. That saddened Kanami beyond words.
Liam, however, looked at her as if she'd made a remark about the
weather. "What of the death toll? That's no fault of mine. It's their war. In
fact, they should be thankful. I'm the only reason they weren't completely
wiped out."
"You're a hero, too, aren't you?" Kanami shouted.
"Sure I am. That's why I saved them. Which reminds me, I haven't
received any thanks yet. Enola, I suggest you hurry up and hold me a
victory banquet."
In response to Liam's haughty demand, Enola stepped forward. "Sir
Hero, our victory is indeed thanks to you. However, I heard nothing about
inviting beastfolk into the castle and allowing them to serve you."
"Well, I didn't tell you, so of course you didn't hear about it. It's not
like I need your permission."
"Our people have long been tormented by the beastfolk. They will
be no more satisfied with this development than I!"
Erle Kingdom had quite a few grievances with their enemies.
Kanami couldn't articulate a response to Enola's frustration, but Liam had
an easy reply for her.
"Who said I had to ensure you were satisfied? Satisfied or not, I
don't care. Who do you think you're talking to?" He had no respect for
their feelings.
A young knight drew his sword and pointed it at Liam in righteous
indignation. "How dare you speak to Her Majesty that way! Not only do
you invite beastfolk into our home, you disrespect our ruler! We don't
want anything to do with you anymore, and we'll kill every one of those
beastfolk besides!"
The other knights and ministers in the audience chamber agreed,
airing their grievances with Liam.
"How can you call yourself a hero?"
"Lady Kanami is all we need!"
"Arrest him!"
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Everyone in the audience chamber was getting worked up. Kanami
understood their anger. She wasn't sure they should really call for Liam's
arrest, but ultimately, she didn't intervene. Nothing I can say would stop
them.
She didn't want Erle Kingdom's army to slaughter beastfolk
indiscriminately, but their own families had been killed. She couldn't give
them an easy platitude like "killing is wrong." In the end, she knew she
didn't have the words to persuade them.
Liam slowly stood—then, in the blink of an eye, he was at the side
of the young knight who'd drawn his sword. He decapitated the knight
with his bare hands. The noisy audience chamber went silent; everyone -
understood what had happened quickly. They stared at Liam, aghast, as he
scowled at the blood on his hands in disgust.
No way! Wh-when did he even move? Kanami hadn't even been able
to follow Liam's motions.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Liam said to all present. "You guys
aren't the victors here; I was the one who won that battle. You're nothing
more than survivors. The beastfolk submitted to me. That makes them my
property. Any trash who would lay their hands on someone else's property
should die."
Everyone was speechless as Liam declared himself the sole victor.
"Y-you can't mean that!" Enola protested, unable to accept what
he'd said. "Do you have any idea how much blood we've shed?! To claim
victory is yours alone... How could you be so arrogant?"
Kanami joined her, unable to stand Liam's attitude. "Could you be
any more of a jerk? Haven't these people suffered enough?"
Seeing Kanami and Enola protest so passionately, Liam chuckled.
He clutched his stomach, his laughter growing loud.
"Shed blood? Suffered? It's hilarious how you think that means
something."
Kanami couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Now Liam lectured Queen Enola. "Do you think you share this
victory because you shed blood? Or because you're doing your best as the
person in charge? Are you stupid? Of course you did your best. That's
your responsibility! It isn't even worth mentioning."
Enola stepped back, cowed by Liam's attitude.
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Liam just moved forward as if to say he wouldn't let her escape.
"People like you piss me off. Should you really be worrying about your
pitiful subjects right now? Instead of singing their praises, try doing your
job."
"Singing their praises...? Wh-what do you know about me? I am
doing what I can for my people, who have endured so much already!"
"Because singing their praises is all you can do, right? Well, you're
scared. I can't blame you. You don't want your subjects revolting and
destroying your country from within."
Enola paled and gasped. Liam had hit the nail on the head.
Kanami couldn't help but notice. "Queen Enola?"
When Liam saw Enola turn away from Kanami, he seemed to lose
interest in the queen.
"All losers need to do is obey the winner," he added. "Don't worry.
If you side with me, you'll at least get to ride my coattails."
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