Black Iron Magician

We landed on a hill some distance away from the capital. I thought it would take a little more time, but it was so easy to sneak in with Vakala. Well, even coming to this continent was in an instant with teleportation magic. It was an easy job even though it was a business trip. I had nothing but bad memories in Elderado, so I felt somewhat refreshed. I wish I could share some of this good mood with Goddess Chinatsu. Well, that’s impossible.

「Now, the preparations are complete. All I have to do now is to wait for the start time and watch the development.」

「I’m sure Elderado’s higher-ups are busy right now.」

The first thing that the emperor would rely on would be the Great Eight Generals, the organization under his direct control and the greatest strength of Elderado. We were aiming for the time when everyone was in the castle, so I’m sure he will do so. After all, that’s the best course of action in such a limited time.

「Anyway, Deris, are you sure you won’t build a harem? If it’s you, you can do it, you know?」

「You’re still saying that, huh…. I’ve got my hands full with Nell alone. I can’t afford to hold another woman, and I don’t intend to. I’m a devoted husband, you know?」

「Wow, you sure said something embarrassing. That’s something hard to say even if you think about it. Deris is romantic despite his looks.」

「Good grief, just say whatever you want…. Ah, that’s right. Rather than that, tell me about the guy who will act with my disciples. You’ve been hiding it until now, saying it’s a secret until the very last minute. Today is that moment. Now, tell me. Who is it?」

「Eeh~, I want to keep it a secret a little longer~. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for them to meet at the start time?」

「It’s not wonderful at all. What’s with that stupid plan?」

「D-Do you have to say it that far? Jeez, Deris is very bossy when Nell is not with you…. Well, it can’t be helped. Come out.」

Vakala clapped his hand on his shadow, looking somewhat reluctant. Then, his shadow swelled up and became three-dimensional. The expanded shadows took on a clear shape, and eventually, the two objects were separated from the original shadow on the ground. Both are much bigger than me.

「Kada, present….」

「Torse, present….」

「Umu, thank you.」

「Are those two going to join? But since Haru, Chinatsu, and Touko will go, only one more can join, wait, hmm? I feel like I’ve seen them before….」

A large man with horns and tail sticking out of his jet-black heavy armor and a giant spider with an iron mask and staff――oh.

「Don’t tell me, are they the 『Black Thread Armor』 and 『Lord Parricide』, the former eighth and seventh rank of the Great Eight Demons?」

Their characteristics have changed slightly, but they are Seto, who has grown a little bigger, and Darka, who has covered his entire body with iron armor just like the iron ant we defeated just a few days ago. They were alive, huh?

「Hou, it was more than ten years ago and they have changed a lot, but you could tell at a glance, huh? That’s right, these two are Darka and Seto, who were defeated by Deris and Alezel. Maria brought them in a dying state to me, and we discussed various ideas on how to deal with them. In the end, we decided to go with my idea since I won in a rock-paper-scissors game.」

「And their current state is the result, huh? So, what kind of idea was that? As far as I can see, they didn’t seem to receive an official post in Carmine.」

「That’s right. To be honest, they died during the punishment, so I turned them into zombies with my dark magic. Well, it’s like Haruna-chan and Gobuo. Using their original names would bring trouble, so I changed their names and trained them in my own way until now.」

「Hey, I’m sure there’s still more to it. They have evolved on the outside, but they are different on the inside.」

Normally, a creature that’s turned into a zombie with dark magic will become obedient to the master, but their original personality won’t change. Gobuo is speaking Gobunese, but if you were to translate it, he’s speaking politely like a handsome man. Well, I can’t translate Gobunese, and that’s something I heard from Haru.

Anyway, these previous Great Eight Demons don’t seem to have the slightest trace of their arrogance. Or rather, they have little emotion. So little that as if they are different people.

「Oh, you saw through that much? You are observing them properly, huh? …… Well, you’re right. Haruna-chan seems to be training to death, but they literally repeated the training while dying. When their bodies were destroyed, I regenerated them, and when their spirits were broken, I gave them other souls and repeated it. As a result, they successfully evolved and became stronger as you can see.」

「…… Sigh, I don’t know what to say. If you only make them do something unreasonable, a mistake would appear later. Actually, it already has. They have little emotion, don’t they?」

「Well, that’s the only point of failure. After their original personalities were broken, I tried to give them reasonably strong souls, but they didn’t match up well. To create a true strong person, there must be a self that has grown up with a strong body and spirit. Kada and Torse are certainly stronger than before, but they didn’t reach the strength that I wanted. No matter how strong they may be, they are still just fools inside, obediently waiting for orders.」

「Even though you were the one who did that wicked act, what’s with that way of talking? You damn demon.」

「Well, I’m an undead and the Great Eight Demons, so that’s not an insult.」

「「………」」

They didn’t show any reaction or emotion even when Vakala insulted them, huh? Their hearts are really dead. Still, they are about as strong as level 10. If they are obedient, it means that depending on how Vakala orders them, they will follow the instructions of Haru and the others. Even if one of them were to join, they won’t be a hindrance.

「Enough with your outrageous training method. So, which one will participate? If it’s okay to choose, I will choose Torse, who seems to be a good shield.」

「Hohoho, what are you talking about? They won’t participate in the war. It won’t be fun if I put someone without emotions on the stage.」

「Ha? Then, who will be the representative of Carmine?」

「He’s coming now. Kada, Torse, hold min down as soon as he arrives. Don’t let him go, okay?」

「「Yes….」」

As soon as Vakala finished saying so, another shadow began to expand between Kada and Torse. This time, the figure was completely humanoid, except for some parts, and it seemed to be wearing Western armor all over its body. The shadow was soon dispelled as the figure fully emerged, and underneath the shadow was purple armor. The armor was covered with a large number of blood stains, whether from his own body or from that of his enemies.

「He’s Kira, whom I raised with enthusiasm by making use of the reconsideration I mentioned earlier! In a way, you can call him my disciple! Deris, what do you think? Isn’t it an exciting development that our disciples will fight together――」

「――Hey, Vakala.」

「Hm, what’s wrong?」

「He doesn’t have a head, you know?」

「Eh? Dullahans are headless, right?」

「■■■■――!」

「He’s been shouting indescribable words from a while ago, and he’s being held down by Kada and Torse, you know? Is he rampaging?」

「He is rich in emotions and very active! Hohoho!」

…… Crap, I shouldn’t have presented that thing to him.